Category Archives: Book/Product Reviews
Book Review: Learning HTML5 Game Programming
I was nine years old when I got my first game console for Christmas: the Sega Genesis.
It was the start of many years of my life that revolved around video games. And while I never became you’re typical gamer (and my game-playing has dropped to virtually zero these days), I have a high appreciation for the game development process.
As someone who works almost exclusively in the HTML5 web application world I saw Learning HTML5 Game Programming and thought “This is going to be a really cool book!”
Continue reading
Book Review: Algorithms, 4th Edition
When I was in college I had the (dis)pleasure of taking a graduate-level class on algorithms. Although I loved the content, I did not have enough practical experience to make the most of the material.
That’s why I was really excited when Pearson Education offered me the chance to review Algorithms, 4th Edition. In the eight years since I took that class I’ve learned a lot about software engineering… this would be a great opportunity to see if I had learned as much as I thought! Continue reading
Product Review: Eye Strain Reducing Computer Glasses
Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of flying all over the United States for business. Unfortunately I never get to fly First Class… which means I am rarely comfortable enough to sleep. The result is that I get lots of work and reading done during my flights.
Like most travelers, I usually glance at the SkyMall magazine and wonder who (if anyone) actually buys that stuff. But on a recent flight one product did catch my eye: the Eye Strain Reducing Computer Glasses.
You may be asking yourself, “Why, of all things in SkyMall, did these glasses speak to me?”. The answer is that I have been wearing similar products for a few years now. Continue reading
Book Review: HTML5 Guidelines for Web Developers
HTML5 is an area that concerns me greatly. I’ve been working in the web industry for well over a decade, and I currently work for Sencha Inc. Everything I do professionally deals with the internet… which means that I need to keep on top of the latest features and news. Needless to say, when I was asked to review HTML5: Guidelines for Web Developers, I jumped at the opportunity because the content is highly relevant to my profession.
Overall I thought the book was alright… but far from spectacular. Here are some of my thoughts on the book. Continue reading
Book Review: Test Driven JavaScript Development
Test Driven JavaScript Development is probably the best book about JavaScript that I’ve read yet.
I realize that’s a bold statement to make, but I challenge anyone to name another book that (1) explains fundamental JavaScript concepts as clearly, or (2) offers specific advice on how to tackle an enterprise solution in JavaScript. Continue reading
Book Review: Location Aware Applications
Over the past month, I’ve had the pleasure of reading Location Aware Applications by Richard Ferraro and Murat Aktihanoglu. As a web developer who increasingly focuses on mobile applications, I was immediately drawn to this book. Continue reading
Book Review: The Art of Unit Testing
Unit testing has become a hot topic over the past few years in the web development industry. As websites and web applications become increasingly complex, the need for unit/integration testing on the client has reached critical mass. Unfortunately, the few tools currently available for client-side web application testing are limited in scope, often difficult to implement, and even harder to automate.
In short, “The Art of Unit Testing” caught my eye because I feel passionately about improving my skills and adding value to the projects in which I’m involved. Continue reading
Book Review: jQuery In Action
At the August meeting of the Chicago Sencha User Group, Shawn Khameneh presented “Plugin Development and Animation using jQuery”. Despite being an employee of Sencha and a fanatic of ExtJS, I have been a longtime JavaScript enthusiast and dabbled in a variety of client-side technologies. Like most web developers, I’ve used jQuery to build websites – but my exposure to the more advanced constructs of the library has been limited.
After enjoying Shawn’s presentation I had the chance to read jQuery in Action (2nd Edition), which was the featured prize for our group at that meeting. Continue reading
Book Review: The Referral Engine
A few months ago, I started following John Jantsch’s blog Duct Tape Marketing. I don’t remember where I first heard of him, but John has some excellent marketing advice for small business owners
About 3 or 4 weeks ago, John offered a free copy of his new book The Referral Engine to a handful of bloggers in exchange for an honest review of the book. I sent John my information and was lucky enough to be picked – so here we are. Continue reading
Book Review: ASP.NET 3.5 Application Architecture and Design
This review is part of a series of book reviews I have agreed to do for Packt Publishing.
ASP.NET 3.5 Application Architecture and Design (by Vivek Thakur) is a fantastic book offering insight into multi-layered and n-Tier software development. Although its title says “ASP.NET 3.5″, developers using any language can benefit from the concepts covered in this book.
If you’re looking for a book on application architecture – this book is definitely for you! Continue reading
