Adobe Fireworks CS6 Classroom in a Book

Adobe Fireworks CS6 Classroom in a Book: The official training workbook from Adobe Systems

I read this book on O’Reilley’s Safari Books Online using personal and work laptops along with the Safari Books app on an iPad. I really like the Adobe Classroom in a Book series and have read many of them. They are great because they are based on real-world use and come with all of the files needed to build the projects used in them. ...

May 21, 2013 · 3 min · 566 words · Dave Nelson
Pro jQuery by Adam Freeman

Pro jQuery by Adam Freeman

I read this book on [Safari Books Online](http://www.safaribooksonline.com" title=“http://www.safaribooksonline.com) using Firefox. I am doing more and more with jQuery and went looking for a book that could show me the ins-and-outs of it and “Pro jQuery” is definitely that book. I do not agree that this is a “Pro” book as it does not cover professional techniques for programming in JavaScript using the current best practices that you would find in a production environment, but this book is a great reference for jQuery and I could find none that were better. ...

May 14, 2013 · 2 min · 380 words · Dave Nelson
Canon 5D Mark III: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Ibarionex Perello

Canon 5D Mark III: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Ibarionex Perello

I read this book on Safari Books Online using a web browser and an iPad. I have read the “From Snapshots to Great Shots” for the 7D and the G12 and they were pretty good. So I decided to give the one for the 5D Mark III a try and it did not disappoint. Unlike the books “Canon EOS 5D Mark III by James Johnson” and “Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide by Charlotte K. Lowrie” this book tells you not only about the features and functions of the Canon 5D Mark III but also tells you why you may choose one setting over another. ...

May 7, 2013 · 2 min · 338 words · Dave Nelson
Canon EOS 5D Mark III by James Johnson

Two books about the Canon 5D Mark III

I read both of these books using Safari Books Online by O’Reilly Media. They are very similar books and both of them are very similar to the owners manual that comes with the Canon 5D Mk III. But they do present the information in a way that is much easier to understand and retain than the manual. What is missing here is an answer to the question, “Why would I use that setting instead of the other?” You will have to find some other book or better yet books to explain that. Even better, get out there and experiment like crazy. Buy a cheap mannequin off eBay to use as a practice subject and take pictures until your camera stops working. ...

April 30, 2013 · 3 min · 586 words · Dave Nelson
Secrets of Great Portrait Photography by Brian Smith

Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous by Brian Smith

I read this book using Safari Books Online from O’Reilly Media. Brian Smith is an amazing photographer and has a personality to match. He is able to quickly make a personal connection with people from all walks of life and create photographs that highlight their personality and emotion. “Secrets of Great Portrait Photography” gives us insight to the methods Brian uses to get close to his subjects and capture images that make the client, usually magazine creative directors, and the subject happy with the results. ...

April 23, 2013 · 3 min · 486 words · Dave Nelson
The Human Division, Episode 1: The B-Team by John Scalzi

The Human Division, Episode 1: The B-Team by John Scalzi

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it using the Audible app on my iPhone. This is a short story that is part of a series of Old Man’s War stories. William Dufris does a great job with these stories, but his performance was the highlight of this one. I am feeling bored of the Old Man’s War universe and this story will be the last one I listen to for awhile, in fact I may never revisit it. All of the characters have become stereotypes to me and it feels like there is nothing new here. Nothing suprising, nothing deep and thoughtful, none of what drew me into John Scalzi’s worlds and stories to begin with. That was also my problem with Last Colony. ...

April 16, 2013 · 2 min · 274 words · Dave Nelson
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it using the Audible app on my iPhone. This is the second book in the Gentleman Bastard series. I really enjoyed the The Lies of Locke Lamora and really looked forward to listening to this one and it did not disappoint. Michael Page turns in another fantastic performance with subtle accents and speech patterns galore. ...

April 9, 2013 · 2 min · 323 words · Dave Nelson
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin

The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it with the Audible app on an iPhone. I really like Seth Godin, but I don’t like this book. The message is lost on me; it feels very repetitive; and it feels a lot like something I have heard before. I recommend Re-reading Linchpin instead of reading this book. From the publisher: ...

April 2, 2013 · 2 min · 302 words · Dave Nelson
The Last Colony by John Scalzi

The Last Colony by John Scalzi

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it using my iPhone and the Audible app. This is the third book in John Scalzi’s series Old Man’s War. This story did not work for me, there were to many GLARING plot holes and things left half-baked. This is the first of Scalzi’s books that I didn’t really enjoy. It was ok, just not as original a story I have come to expect from him. ...

March 26, 2013 · 2 min · 219 words · Dave Nelson
Poke the Box by Seth Godin

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

I am not sure how this book ended up on my shelf, it was probably on one of my “Dave Ramsey Recommends” buying sprees. Poke the Box is all about getting started and executed on your ideas. For me it is kind of like having a personal cheerleader. This book picked up my spirits at a time when I was feeling down, now I hope I am able to put some of it to good use. ...

March 19, 2013 · 3 min · 466 words · Dave Nelson