Authors: Institute Historian T. F. Peterson.
Paperback, 190 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication Date: 2003-03-14
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Before the term hacking became associated with computers, MIT undergraduates used it to describe any activity that took their minds off studying, suggested an unusual solution to a technical problem, or generally fostered nondestructive mischief. The MIT hacking culture has given us such treasures as police cars and cows on the Great Dome, a disappearing door to the President's office, and the commencement game of "Al Gore Buzzword Bingo." Hacks can be technical, physical, virtual, or verbal. Often the underlying motivation is to conquer the inaccessible and make possible the improbable. Hacks can express dissatisfaction with local culture or with administrative decisions, but mostly they are remarkably good-spirited. They are also by definition ephemeral. Fortunately, the MIT Museum has amassed a unique collection of hack-related pictures, reports, and remnants. Nightwork collects the best materials from this collection, to entertain innocent bystanders and inspire new generations of practitioners....

Authors: Tim Jones. Allan Rosson. Barry Kelly. David Wolfe.
Paperback, 360 pages
Publisher: friends of ED
Publication Date: 2007-11-19


Reviews :

    Whether you are an experienced Flash designer or developer looking for a guide to doing animation in Flash, or a novice to Flash who is looking for an effective way to create and distribute animations, this book will prove invaluable to you. Covering every aspect of Flash animation, the book is a fast-paced yet thorough review of the Flash animation process. Written by the Emmy-Award winning team at ANIMAX, this book not only reveals the step-by-step process followed by one of today's leading Flash animation studios, it gives you valuable tips and tricks to take your Flash animation to the next level. Divided into three phases of production (pre-production, animation, post-production) this book breaks the Flash animation process into smaller, more manageable steps. And because the authors approach the animation process from various perspectives (such as producer, animator, and editor) the book balances many of the real-world issues facing today's Flash animators, from artistic to technical to financial. The book starts off by looking at planning and designing an animation project, including working out your goals, and putting together character libraries and storyboards. Next up we look at the production phase, which includes using plug-ins to make your work more efficient, implementing your animation, and adding special effects. Finally, we look at post-production work, including how After Effects can be used effectively alongside Flash for tasks such as camera mechanics, how to make Flash not look like Flash, and tips and tricks from the experts. Whatever the reason, like millions of others around the world you've become interested in Flash animation. And you've come to the right place to learn more. This book is compatible with pretty much any fairly recent version of Flash.

• Covers the full process of Flash animation, through preproduction, production, and post production
• Covers many practical techniques, including creating character libraries, using plugins, and camera mechanics with After Effects.
• Written by the Emmy award winning ANIMAX studios team

What you'll learn

• How to effectively plan an animation project
• How to put together storyboards
• How to create elegant character libraries
• How to set up your .fla file, ready for animation to commence
• How to make more efficient use of your time with plugins, where to find good plugins, and how to create your own
• How to animate, frame by frame, or using tweens
• Why After Effects can be better than Flash for some tasks.
• Effective After Effects Techniques, such as camera mechanics
• How to make Flash not look like Flash

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1 - The Project Plan
• Chapter 2 - Character Libraries
• Chapter 3 - Storyboards and Animatics
• Chapter 4 - Setting Up Your FLA
• Chapter 5 - Plug-ins and Extensions
• Chapter 6 - Frame by Frame Animation
• Chapter 7 - Animating With Tweens
• Chapter 8 - Animation Special Effects
• Chapter 9 - Why Use After Effects?
• Chapter 10 - After Effects and Camera Mechanics
• Chapter 11 - Making Flash Not Look Like Flash
• Chapter 12 - Tips and Tricks

...

Authors: Lou Dorfman.
Paperback, 212 pages
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Publication Date: 2005-12-30


Reviews :

    A collection of E-Mail Jokes that have been sent to me over the years....

Authors: Illiad. JD Frazer.
Paperback, 132 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Publication Date: 2003-08-26


Reviews :

    Even Grues Get Full is the fourth collection of the hit geek comic strip User Friendly by J.D. "Illiad" Frazer. Written with fresh, dry humor and an amusing vividness that brings the cast of characters to life, the comic strip is loved and read by millions around the world, from professional technologists to eight-year old wunderkinds, from 83-year old grandmothers who miss their Commodore 64s to patient spouses of born programmers. The comic strip is packed with references to geek interests, from obscure movies to old computer games, yet non-geeks are able to enjoy the story lines and character quirks, from Erwin's acerbic humor to Miranda's constant angst; from the Smiling Man's Machiavellian machinations to A.J.'s dysfunctional naïveté. At the center of this lies Dust Puppy, the strip's gentle-hearted mascot and the character who has endeared himself to readers everywhere. In this book, join the antics of the characters once again as Stef contends with an enormous Tequila worm, Mike is tormented by Mr. Cola, and the techs move shop into an abandoned missile silo! Also included in this collection are the 9/11 tribute cartoons that were widely praised for their clear and simple pathos. Called "Dilbert for Geeks" by Wired magazine and considered to be one of the few consistently intelligent and socially aware cartoons on the 'Net, User Friendly remains one of the most popular destinations for geeks and non-geeks alike. This book is a sure hit with anyone who works with computers or for anyone who lives with someone who works with computers!...

Authors: Stephen Fried.
Paperback, 192 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: 2008-10-28


Reviews :

    At last, one husband reveals the answers
to some of mankind's greatest mysteries.

Why do men hog the remote? Refuse to stop and ask for directions? Have such a hard time sharing their emotions? Why can’t they drop their socks in the laundry basket instead of near it? What does a man mean when he says “uh-huh”? (No, it doesn’t always mean he’s not listening.)

In this wickedly observant collection of essays, Stephen Fried, widely praised as an investigative journalist, turns his attention to the subject of marriage—his own and others. The result is a daring, provocative, often hilarious read that throws incisive light on mysteries that have long plagued womankind: the inner workings of the male mind. Originally published as a series of popular columns in Ladies’ Home Journal—and now compiled in one volume at the request of his enthusiastic readers—Fried’s pitch-perfect essays fearlessly tackle the realities of love, sex, and marriage with both wit and tenderness. Drawing from candid conversations with fellow husbands as well as with his own wife, Husbandry will surprise, disarm, entertain—and tell you more about the man in your life than you could ever learn by asking him....

Authors: Geoffrey James.
Paperback, 151 pages
Publisher: Infobooks
Publication Date: 1986-09

Authors: JD Frazer.
Paperback, 128 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Publication Date: 1999-09-29


Reviews :

    User Friendly tells the story of Columbia Internet, "the friendliest, hardest-working, and most neurotic little Internet Service Provider in the world." Take three techs, two salespeople, a designer, two executives, a couple of administrative staff, mix in a mischievous Artificial Intelligence and a "dust puppy" born from the innards of a mega server, put them all together in a crowded little office, and you have the makings of one of the most off-beat, original, and funny comic strips to come along in years. User Friendly reads like Dilbert for the open-source community. Already in syndication in The National Post, one of Canada's leading national newspapers, and with a massive online following, it provides outsiders a lighthearted look at the world of the hard- core geek, and allows those who make their living dwelling in this world a chance to laugh at themselves....

    Yes, it's a cliché, but it's true enough to be worth repeating: User Friendly is to the open-source world what Dilbert is to swarming hives of Windows cubicles. Set in an ISP company that keeps getting bought and sold, the constant remains a team of cynical, hilarious techies. M.B.A.s and marketers drift in and out, as do CEOs, often making statements like, "I can't surf the Web. I think the Internet is broken." For anyone who's dealt with similar situations, User Friendly is the ultimate in-joke.

To be fair, the comic is pretty basic in layout and execution. No one will confuse this book with a graphic novel, since the visuals basically exist only to further the punch line. (Think of a stripped-down Bloom County and you're getting close.) Lots of the jokes involve goofy, clichéd rants about the beauty of Quake, Linux, and Star Wars--the holy trinity for a white, wired, 18-26 year-old male audience. But when the author, Illiad, nails the bloated bureaucracy that exists in the tech working world, it's a laugh-out-loud payoff. In one comic, a new "suit" walks into the tech den and asks, What's "one thing that makes your job difficult, and we'll see about eliminating that." The chorus erupts: "Meetings." The new boss replies: "Very good. Now let's spend a few hours discussing why meetings make you unproductive." A comic that tilts at windmills and Windows, it's clear why User Friendly has developed such a strong online cult following. --Jennifer Buckendorff ...

Authors: Solveig Haugland.
Paperback, 150 pages
Publisher: Solveig Haugland
Publication Date: 2003-10-21


Reviews :

    The Design Patterns Conspiracy: How It All Happened When the Gang, as well as Grady, Christopher, and the Fifth member of the Gang of Four, Steve Swillvellis, were in college, they invented the ultimate reusable set of patterns for the most complex system of interactions available: dating. Their success with women was famous throughout the state. As Christopher said at the time, "Do you have any idea how unusual that is, for guys who read Knuth for fun?"

Then the sweet smell of success turned bitter. They realized that their grades were slipping, they were no longer as interested in computer science, and that they had more than once considered careers in marketing. They realized that while it is extremely pleasurable to have the dating world by the tail, that there were Higher Considerations. The scientific advancement and the economy of the world would be destroyed if all geeks were out dancing on Saturday nights instead of debugging.

So they suppressed their work and, to distract those who had heard of their remarkable book on patterns, they produced Design Patterns instead.

The dating work remained suppressed until the Fifth member of the Gang of Four could keep silent no longer and brought forth the original WordStar manuscripts, additional notes still penciled in the margins. He asked the Gang of Females to edit and publish the work....

Authors: T Campbell.
Paperback, 192 pages
Publisher: Antarctic Press
Publication Date: 2006-06-14


Reviews :

    One of the more remarkable phenomena associated with the World Wide Web is the web comic: serialized comics strips (or single-panel episodes) produced originally and specially for viewing on the web. Noted web historian T. Campbell has compiled a comprehensive history of this remarkable development in the comics industry and history of literature....

Authors:
Paperback, 547 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication Date: 1996-10-11
Edition: 3

Reviews :

    This new edition of the hacker's own phenomenally successful lexicon includes more than 100 new entries and updates or revises 200 more. Historically and etymologically richer than its predecessor, it supplies additional background on existing entries and clarifies the murky origins of several important jargon terms (overturning a few long-standing folk etymologies) while still retaining its high giggle value.

. . . .


SAMPLE DEFINITION:


:hacker: n. [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] 1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating {hack value}. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a UNIX hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations. 8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive information by poking around. Hence `password hacker', `network hacker'. The correct term is {cracker}.


The term `hacker' also tends to connote membership in the global community defined by the net (see {network, the} and {Internet address}). It also implies that the person described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic (see {hacker ethic, the}).


It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be labeled {bogus}). See also {wannabee}....

    This third edition of the tremendously popular Hacker's Dictionary adds 100 new entries and updates 200 entries. In case you aren't familiar with it, this is no snoozer dictionary of technical terms, although you'll certainly find accurate definitions for most techie jargon. It's the slang and secret language among computer jocks that offers the most fun. Don't know what the Infinite-Monkey Theorem is? Or the meaning of "rat dance?" It's all here. Most people don't sit down to read dictionaries for entertainment, but this is surely an exception....