Craftsm- ship has its quiet rewards, the satisfaction that comes from building a useful object and making it work. Excitement arrives with the ?ash of insight that cracks a previously intractable problem. The spiritual quest for elegance can turn the hacker into an artist. Therearepleasuresinparsimony, insqueezingthelastdropofperformanceoutofclever algorithms and tight coding. Thegames, puzzles, andchallengesofproblemsfrominternationalprogrammingc- petitionsareagreatwaytoexperiencethesepleasureswhileimprovingyouralgorithmic and coding skills. This book contains over 100 problems that have appeared in previous programming contests, along with discussions of the theory and ideas necessary to - tack them. Instant online grading for all of these problems is available from two WWW robot judging sites. Combining this book with a judge gives an exciting new way to challenge and improve your programming skills. This book can be used for self-study, for teaching innovative courses in algorithms and programming, and in training for international competition. To the Reader Theproblemsinthisbookhavebeenselectedfromover1,000programmingproblemsat the Universidad de Valladolid online judge, available athttp: //online-judge.uva.es.The judgehasruledonwelloveronemillionsubmissionsfrom27,000registeredusersaround the world to date. We have taken only the best of the best, the most fun, exciting, and interesting problems availa

    Work at your own pace through a series of lessons and reviews that fully cover each exam objective. Then, reinforce what you’ve learned by applying your knowledge to real-world case scenarios and labs. This official Microsoft study guide is designed to help you make the most of your study time.Maximize your performance on the exam by learning to:Use system types, collections, and generics to help manage data Validate input, reformat text, and extract data with regular expressions Develop services, application domains, and multithreaded applications Enhance your application by adding graphics and images Implement code access security, role-based security, and data encryption Work with serialization and reflection techniques Instrument your applications with logging and tracing Interact with legacy code using COM Interop and PInvoke Practice TestsAssess your skills with practice tests on CD. You can work through hundreds of questions using multiple testing modes to meet your specific learning needs. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers—including a customized learning path that describes how and where to focus your studies.Your kit includes:15% exam discount from Microsoft. (Limited time offer). Details inside. Official self-paced study guide. Practice tests with multiple, customizable testing options and a learning plan based on your results. 450 practice and review questions. Case scenarios and lab exercises. Code samples on CD. 90-day evaluation version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. Fully searchable eBook. A Note Regarding the CD or DVDThe print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.

    Today, Rails developers and architects need better ways to interface with legacy systems, move into the cloud, and scale to handle higher volumes and greater complexity. In Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails Paul Dix introduces a powerful, services-based design approach geared toward overcoming all these challenges. Using Dix's techniques, readers can leverage the full benefits of both Ruby and Rails, while overcoming the difficulties of working with larger codebases and teams. Dix demonstrates how to integrate multiple components within an enterprise application stack; create services that can easily grow and connect; and design systems that are easier to maintain and upgrade. Key concepts are explained with detailed Ruby code built using open source libraries such as ActiveRecord, Sinatra, Nokogiri, and Typhoeus. The book concludes with coverage of security, scaling, messaging, and interfacing with third-party services. Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails will help you Build highly scalable, Ruby-based service architectures that operate smoothly in the cloud or with legacy systems Scale Rails systems to handle more requests, larger development teams, and more complex code bases Master new best practices for designing and creating services in Ruby Use Ruby to glue together services written in any language Use Ruby libraries to build and consume RESTful Web services Use Ruby JSON parsers to quickly represent resources from HTTP services Write lightweight, well-designed API wrappers around internal or external services Discover powerful non-Rails frameworks that simplify Ruby service implementation Implement standards-based enterprise messaging with Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) Optimize performance with load balancing and caching Provide for security and authentication

    If you want to stand a head above the rest of the pack, 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions is the definitive guide you need to the real, and sometimes quirky, questions employers are using to weed out candidates.Do you know the best answers to:--It looks like you were fired twice. How did that make you feel?--Do you know who painted this work of art? --What is the best-managed company in America?--If you could be any product in the world, what would you choose?--How many cigars are smoked in a year?--Are you a better visionary or implementer? Why?Leaning on her own years of experience and the experiences of more than 5,000 recent candidates, Vicky Oliver shows you how to finesse your way onto a company's payroll."Everything I always wanted to know about job interviews but was afraid to be asked."-Claude Chene, Senior Vice President, Head of Business Development, U.K. and Europe, Sanford Bernstein & Co.

    With an objective approach and clear, straightforward language, Dan Zarrella, aka "The Social Media & Marketing Scientist," shows you how to plan and implement campaigns intelligently, and then measure results and track return on investment. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the social web, this book will take you beyond the jargon to social media marketing mastery.Make sense of this complicated environment with the help of screenshots, graphs, and visual explanationsUnderstand the history and culture of each social media type, including features, functionality, and protocolsGet clear-cut explanations of the methods you need to trigger viral marketing successesChoose the technologies and marketing tactics most relevant to your campaign goalsLearn how to set specific goals for your campaigns and evaluate them according to key performance indicators Praise for The Social Media Marketing Book: "Let Zarrella take you to social-media marketing school. You'll learn more from reading this book than a month of research on the Internet." --Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of Alltop.com "If I could be any other person for a day, it would be Dan Zarella. Either him or Brad Pitt. But Dan's smarter. This book is why I say that." --Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs "This book demonstrates a beginning to the endless possibilities of the Social Web." -- Brian Solis, publisher of leading marketing blog PR 2.0

    . . . Put this one on your must-have list if you have software, love software, hate programmers, or even ARE a programmer, because Mr. Platt (who teaches programming) has set out to puncture the bloated egos of all those who think that just because they can write a program, they can make it easy to use. . . . This book is funny, but it is also an important wake-up call for software companies that want to reduce the size of their customer support bills. If you were ever stuck for an answer to the question, 'Why do good programmers make such awful software?' this book holds the answer."--John McCormick, Locksmith columnist, TechRepublic.com "I must say first, I don't get many computing manuscripts that make me laugh out loud. Between the laughs, Dave Platt delivers some very interesting insight and perspective, all in a lucid and engaging style. I don't get much of that either!"--Henry Leitner, assistant dean for information technology andsenior lecturer on computer science, Harvard University "A riotous book for all of us downtrodden computer users, written in language that we understand."--Stacy Baratelli, author's barber "David's unique take on the problems that bedevil software creation made me think about the process in new ways. If you care about the quality of the software you create or use, read this book."--Dave Chappell, principal, Chappell & Associates "I began to read it in my office but stopped before I reached the bottom of the first page. I couldn't keep a grin off my face! I'll enjoy it after I go back home and find a safe place to read."--Tsukasa Makino, IT manager "David explains, in terms that my mother-in-law can understand, why the software we use today can be so frustrating, even dangerous at times, and gives us some real ideas on what we can do about it."--Jim Brosseau, Clarrus Consulting Group, Inc. A Book for Anyone Who Uses a Computer Today...and Just Wants to Scream! Today's software sucks. There's no other good way to say it. It's unsafe, allowing criminal programs to creep through the Internet wires into our very bedrooms. It's unreliable, crashing when we need it most, wiping out hours or days of work with no way to get it back. And it's hard to use, requiring large amounts of head-banging to figure out the simplest operations.It's no secret that software sucks. You know that from personal experience, whether you use computers for work or personal tasks. In this book, programming insider David Platt explains why that's the case and, more importantly, why it doesn't have to be that way. And he explains it in plain, jargon-free English that's a joy to read, using real-world examples with which you're already familiar. In the end, he suggests what you, as a typical user, without a technical background, can do about this sad state of our software--how you, as an informed consumer, don't have to take the abuse that bad software dishes out.As you might expect from the book's title, Dave's expose is laced with humor--sometimes outrageous, but always dead on. You'll laugh out loud as you recall incidents with your own software that made you cry. You'll slap your thigh with the same hand that so often pounded your computer desk and wished it was a bad programmer's face. But Dave hasn't written this book just for laughs. He's written it to give long-overdue voice to your own discovery--that software does, indeed, suck, but it shouldn't.

    In the second edition of Network Security, this most distinguished of author teams draws on hard-won experience to explain every facet of information security, from the basics to advanced cryptography and authentication; secure Web and email services; and emerging security standards. Highlights of the book's extensive new coverage include Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), IPsec, SSL, PKI Standards, and Web security.

    The meaning of the business process diagram is the same, regardless of the tool used to create it. But creating models that are correct, complete, and clear demands more than a dictionary of BPMN shapes and symbols. It also requires a methodology for translating process logic consistently into the diagram. And it requires a measure of modeling style as well, conventions that ensure that the process logic is unambiguous from the diagram by itself. In short, "good BPMN" requires a disciplined approach called "method and style."In this book, Bruce Silver explains which BPMN elements process modelers need to understand, in two levels, including exactly where and how to use each element. Level 1 (the Descriptive modeling subclass of BPMN 2.0) is a palette of shapes and symbols largely carried over from traditional flowcharting. Level 2 (the Analytic subclass) expands the palette to be able to describe event-triggered behavior, critical to modeling exception handling.The book explains the real meaning of BPMN's most basic concepts - like activity, process, and end state - essential to using the language correctly, and provides a step-by-step methodology for going from a blank page to a complete end-to-end BPMN model, developed from the top down in a hierarchical structure. From the top-level diagram you can see on a single page exactly how the process starts, its possible end states, what the instance represents, and communications with the Customer, service providers, and other processes. From there you can drill down to see the details of any part of the process. Thie popular first edition of this book was published in 2009 based on the draft BPMN 2.0 specification. This second edition is based on the final BPMN 2.0 specification. Although the diagram elements have changed little since the first edition, both the methodology and style sections have been completely rewritten.The second half of the book, the BPMN Implementer's Guide, is completely new. It puts the focus on the XML serialization of the diagram, for both non-executable and executable process models. It details the BPMN 2.0 metamodel and XML Schema, and describes the BPMN-I Profile, a set of serialization rules that facilitate interchange of BPMN models in the Analytic subclass between tools. It also explains how BPMN 2.0 describes execution-related details, such as process data and data mapping, services, messages, and human task assignment, illustrated with an example executable process created in Bonita Open Solution. It concludes with guidelines for implementers on how to align executable design with business-oriented top-down process modeling.The book is lavishly illustrated with over 100 BPMN diagrams, and the BPMN Implementer's Guide section contains many XML examples as well.Bruce Silver is the leading provider of BPMN training and certification. He has been providing BPMN training since early 2007 and is regarded as an authority in the field.

    Though an increasing number of criminals are using computers and computer networks, few investigators are well-versed in the evidentiary, technical, and legal issues related to digital evidence. As a result, digital evidence is often overlooked, collected incorrectly, and analyzed ineffectively. The aim of this hands-on resource is to educate students and professionals in the law enforcement, forensic science, computer security, and legal communities about digital evidence and computer crime. This work explains how computers and networks function, how they can be involved in crimes, and how they can be used as a source of evidence. As well as gaining a practical understanding of how computers and networks function and how they can be used as evidence of a crime, readers will learn about relevant legal issues and will be introduced to deductive criminal profiling, a systematic approach to focusing an investigation and understanding criminal motivations. Readers will receive access to the author's accompanying Web site which contains simulated cases that integrate many of the topics covered in the text. Frequently updated, these cases teaching individuals about: • Components of computer networks • Use of computer networks in an investigation • Abuse of computer networks • Privacy and security issues on computer networks • The law as it applies to computer networks• Provides a thorough explanation of how computers and networks function, how they can be involved in crimes, and how they can be used as a source of evidence • Offers readers information about relevant legal issues • Features coverage of the abuse of computer networks and privacy and security issues on computer networks• Free unlimited access to author's Web site which includes numerous and frequently updated case examples

    Provies basic theoretical discussions of the principles of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, along with illustrative examples and practice problems and solutions to help the student gain skill in practical problem solving.

    Extensively updated, it contains unsurpassed independent and objective coverage of Windows Server 2012's key innovations, including improved virtualization components, enhanced security tools, new web and management resources, and Windows 8 integration. Windows Server 2012 Unleashed reflects the authors' extraordinary experience implementing Windows Server 2012 in large-scale environments since its earliest alpha releases, reaching back more than two years prior to its official launch. Microsoft MVP Rand Morimoto and his colleagues fully address every aspect of deploying and operating Windows Server 2012, including Active Directory, networking and core application services, security, migration from Windows Server 2003/2008, administration, fault tolerance, optimization, troubleshooting, and much more. Valuable for Windows professionals at all skill levels, this book will be especially indispensable for intermediate-to-advanced level professionals seeking expert, in-depth solutions. Every chapter contains tips, tricks, best practices, and lessons learned from actual deployments: practical information for using Windows Server 2012 to solve real business problems. Plan and migrate from Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Leverage powerful capabilities that are truly new in Windows Server 2012 Install Windows Server 2012 and the GUI-less Windows Server Core Upgrade to Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Utilize advanced AD capabilities including federated forests and identity management Plan and deploy network services, from DNS and DHCP to IPv6, IPAM, and IIS Protect systems and data with server-level security, transport-level security, and security policies Deliver true end-to-end secured anytime/anywhere access to remote/mobile clients Efficiently configure and manage users, sites, OUs, domains, and for­ests through Server Manager console Create more fault-tolerant environ­ments with DFS, clustering, and Network Load Balancing Leverage major Hyper-V virtualization improvements in availability, redun­dancy, and guest support Manage Active Directory more efficiently with Active Directory Administrative Center, Best Practice Analyzer, and PowerShell scripts Systematically tune, optimize, debug, and troubleshoot Windows Server 2012

    A comprehensive introduction to the subject, this book shows in detail how such problems can be solved numerically with great efficiency. The focus is on recognizing convex optimization problems and then finding the most appropriate technique for solving them. The text contains many worked examples and homework exercises and will appeal to students, researchers and practitioners in fields such as engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, finance, and economics.

    Billions of interconnected devices will be monitoring the environment, transportation systems, factories, farms, forests, utilities, soil and weather conditions, oceans and resources Many of these sensors and actuators will be networked into autonomous sets, with much of the information being exchanged machine-to-machine directly and without human involvement. Machine-to-machine communications are typically terse. Most sensors and actuators will report or act upon small pieces of information - chirps. Burdening these devices with current network protocol stacks is inefficient, unnecessary and unduly increases their cost of ownership. This must change. The architecture of the Internet of Things will entail a widely distributed topology incorporating simpler chirp protocols towards at the edges of the network. Rethinking the Internet of Things describes reasons why we must rethink current approaches to the Internet of Things. Appropriate architectures that will coexist with existing networking protocols are described in detail. An architecture comprised of integrator functions, propagator nodes, and end devices, along with their interactions, is explored. What you'll learn Teaches the difference between the "normal" Internet and the Internet of Things, Describes a new architecture and its components in the "chirp" context. Explains the shortcomings of IP for IoT. Describes the anatomy of the IoT. Re-frames key ideas such as reliability. Describes how to build the IoT Who this book is forThought leaders, executives, architectural, standards and development leaders in the evolving IoT industry

    This practical book shows you how to bundle reusable R functions, sample data, and documentation together by applying author Hadley Wickham’s package development philosophy. In the process, you’ll work with devtools, roxygen, and testthat, a set of R packages that automate common development tasks. Devtools encapsulates best practices that Hadley has learned from years of working with this programming language. Ideal for developers, data scientists, and programmers with various backgrounds, this book starts you with the basics and shows you how to improve your package writing over time. You’ll learn to focus on what you want your package to do, rather than think about package structure. Learn about the most useful components of an R package, including vignettes and unit tests Automate anything you can, taking advantage of the years of development experience embodied in devtools Get tips on good style, such as organizing functions into files Streamline your development process with devtools Learn the best way to submit your package to the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) Learn from a well-respected member of the R community who created 30 R packages, including ggplot2, dplyr, and tidyr

    This book walks managers through every step of project oversight from start to finish. Thanks to the book's comprehensive information on everything from planning and budgeting to team building and after-project reviews, managers will master the discipline and skills they need to achieve stellar results without wasting time and money.