After buying technology books that are over 1200 pages and trying to "filter" out the stuff I already knew for the past 10 years, it was incredible to sit down with a book that just covered what I needed to know for the new operating system.
The book is very clear and concise. I was informed about every new aspect of the Windows Server 2003 OS.
Thanks Don and Mark, you took weeks of research and reduced it to about 2 days worth of reading.

I finally found a book that just covers the changes between my current installation of Windows Server 2000 and the new 2003 version--brilliant! I heard about this book through an e-mail newsletter I subscribe to and so decided to check it out--exactly what I needed to decide if this server upgrade was worth the effort and money. The bonus is that I know exactly what kind of project I'm walking into--the authors basically provided a road map pointing out where all of the pitfalls and shortcuts are. I'm submitting my recommendation to upgrade to my boss this afternoon with a thorough and complete list of features to justify the move--less than 48 hours after getting this book. Thank you for writing a book that took less than a day to read and didn't cost me an arm and a leg. Please tell me there are more Delta books on the way!

For people that already know how Windows 2000 works and want to get ramped up on Windows Server 2003 then this is the book for you.

This book does a fantasic job of separating the wheat from the chaff. It clearly lays out what the new key features of Windows Server 2003 are and how to implement them. For example, the chapter on the new Group Policies saved me a ton of time. I was able to quickly get up to speed on new Group Policies and how to manage Group Policies using new management tools such as Resultant Set of Policies and the new Group Policy Management Console.

Great book Don and Mark. Keep up the good work!

If you are going to get one astronomy book get 'The National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky'. This book has monthly star charts, moon maps, definitions of objects in space, and gives information about our planets. Did you ever want to know how far Betelgeuse is from earth, why do 12 constellations make up the Zodiac, or how to find M13 in the sky? This is the book for you.

The Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky has been for many years one of the best guides to the night sky. With hundreds of full color photographs of our solar system, the constellations as viewed with the unaided eyes, meteors, comets and other wonders of the sky this Field Guide is easy to use (it has a section on how to do it) and provides lots of information for the beginner astronomer, the casual observer, the more advanced amateurs or anyone interested in astronomy. As it is written on the Introduction, the aim of the book is to depict the objects of the night sky visible to binoculars, the unaided eye or small telescopes. Its small format and dew resistant cover make the Guide a perfect companion outdoors and the locating monthly charts are a real help in order to find the way through the stars. I own a 1992 Edition of this Field Guide and I still use it a lot. Later editions come with updated planetary posisitons and longitude tables along with the Messier Catalog list, periodic comet and major meteor shower tables and other useful data indicating past, present and future astronomical events. Definitively, this Guide is the first among the best of its kind!

I was looking for a different Astronomy Field Guide and didn't find it - BOY am I glad. Instead I found and purchased this gem, and am very pleased with it. I'm quite the amateur. I wanted to learn more, and to get a good guide to help me find all the Messier objects, NGCs, and others. I also wanted to learn about them. This book has it all - including 136 Sky Charts, Color photos of the Messier Objects (and bunches of others), In Depth Discussion and Descriptions of the Constellations and thier contents (including all the M. objects and many, many NGC objects), Solar System in depth guides, moon photos and guide, and more. Whether using your eyes, a binocular or an 8" telescope, this book will help you to go right to the object of your choice. A handy field guide, yet as readable as a good novel.

Mr. Dawidiziak has done it again, writing a great follow up work to his 20th anniversary tribute to Kolchak: The Night Stalker. For those of us who followed the two movies and 20 episodes of the show, and for the millions of X-philes who look to the show as the inspiration for their series, this is the definitive volume to have in our libraries. Interviews, photos, biographies, and an episode guide are only part of this compendium. In light of the inability to get my hands on Jeff Rice's(original creator) novels, this is the next best thing. As good as the 20th anniversary book was, this is even better. Maybe Mr. Dawidziak will favor us with a fourth Kolchak book. Many of us would be looking forward to that. In the meantime, DON'T pass this one by.

Mark Dawidziak has put a lot of work into this companion, which documents the development and demise of a television series before it's time. I remember all too well those Friday nights from 1974-1975 watching Kolchak: The Night Stalker in my youth. Dawidziak's book does not disappoint. The book is full of documentation and photos, not to mention it's documented confirmation of Kolchak: The Night Stalker television series' influence on Chris Carter's The X-Files. Personally, I still think The Night Stalker was a better series. It's too bad Dawidziak didn't have more episodes to work with, due of course to the show's premature cancellation.

The Night Stalker was almost the forerunner of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both in subject matter and humorous handling. It ran out of steam after a mere twenty episodes (and its forerunner pair of top-rated T.V. movies), and has ever since been nothing more than a cult favorite, unknown to everyone but its small circle of ardent fans.

Mark Dawidziak has done us all an immeasurable favor by keeping the legacy alive, introducing Carl Kolchak to new generations of viewers who might otherwise never hear his name. His wonderful book contains interviews with the principals responsible for bringing Kolchak to T.V., both before and behind the cameras, and the best available pictures from the series.

For those who are already Kolchak fans, an invaluable resource and a welcome walk down memory lane. For those who are not (yet), a proper introduction to the original supernatural super-sleuth.

This book provides a geart foundation of how to make not just one-time deals, but deals that will lead to more and more deals down the road. Dispels the notion that negotiation is war and should be treated as such. One should strive for WIN-win in that both sides win but your side gets a little more. Ranks up there with, "Getting to Yes."

A first rate book. It gives a practical outline leading up to negotiation and the negotiation itself. Focuses on going forward relationships that allow for new opportunities post-negotiation versus scorched earth winner-take-all embattlement.

This book shows you how to negotiate so that both sides come away from the table happy while keeping the lines of communication open for future dealings. Everyone negotiates at some level every day, learn how to negotiate to win today and in the future.

Steeles on Wheels is a wonderfully witty book that ingeniously weaves together the Steele's first year full-timing adventures, with e-mails home and answers to the most often asked questions about full-timing. The Steeles are not bashful about sharing their blunders, finding humor in their own misadventures. Cleo's four-legged look at this nomadic lifestyle will bring smiles to pet lovers everywhere. This is a must read for those considering full-timing, friends and family trying to figure out what this bug called hitch-itch is all about and for seasoned full-timers looking for a good chuckle at newbie adventures...

For anyone dreaming or considering the fulltime RV lifestyle, this is a must read. Between humorous e-mail accounts of their adventures from all three of them (Mark, Donia and Cleo the dog), the book is peppered with how-to's and explanations of how the full-time lifestyle works. And newbie or experienced RVer, you'll want pencil in hand to add new places to your list to visit. I particularly enjoyed reading about the regional foods and interesting restaurants and laughed, remembering the ajustments that must be made when downsizing into an RV. Great read!

This book was a great, fast read. As an outsider to the whole RV world, I felt at least a little more knowledgable after reading the book. My favorite parts of the book were the chapters in which the authors listed what they missed most about their old lifestyle, and what they love most about their new lifestyle. The Steeles (and fluffy Cleo) take you along on their journey, and it's quite an enjoyable ride!

This book is the consumate soup of all of the most important things you need to know before you go into ground school at a regional or major airline.

It was written by airline pilots who still remember how overwhelmed they were when they sat through their first aircraft systems ground school at their respective airlines.

I consider it mandatory reading before you consider setting foot in a flight simulator or airline ground school.

Bravo!

I am currently transitioning from my previous career as an Army aviator flying helicopters to a career with the airlines. This book is a terrific aid in understanding the differences and realities of high speed and highly technical flight.

The systems and advanced avionics sections are phenomenal! They are generalized in order to apply to as many aircraft as possible, but really explain well how they operate and how you will interact with them.

My favorite part about the book is that the authors write it in an easy to understand manner. They do not write in an overly complicated technical manner, but rather at a level that a new or transitioning professional pilot can understand. They don't baby talk to you either. It's just right.

Big Kudos and a must buy!!

It was EASY to follow! A must read for all piston engine pilots BEFORE attending a ground school. I wish I had read this manual before my first ground school (which I scraped through by the skin of my teeth). Mr. Brown or Mr. Holt should have been the instructor!

At times, I thought they could have added more information to the manual, but it would have made it more difficult to follow. Brown & Holt made it as easy as ABC!

As an avid reader of many, many books on healing of emotional and physical abuse, this little book, The Mud People is one of the finest little books I have ever come across. I have continually recommended this book to many people who have suffered emotional and physical trauma from parents and family. It is so profound in its story of a little girl who had a small inner voice who kept nudging her, reminding her that she had worth and value. Having the courage to leave the tribal-minded thinking of her abusive family and begin a journey that would lead herself to her own true worth. When you first pick up this little book and start reading it you might be tempted to think that it was a childrens book, written for children, but I assure you it is for adults. It brought tears to my eyes as I read the story, and made me appreciate the courage it takes to leave an abusive people and claim value for oneself....and the expected anger and rejection that will follow from family and parents when they realize they can no longer control or dominate. The book makes powerful yet subtle insights about the tribal thinking patterns, the family history of abuse from generation to generation, and the courage of one child to break the rules of abuse and leave it behind. It will help those who have grown up with cruel and insensitive parents and family. It will help those of sexual abuse and it will confirm and support that inner voice that speaks to many of us which says....there must be a better way, I must have self-worth and I am willing to risk finding it, even if it means leaving people who are not willing to journey with me into healthy-minded relationships. Read this little book....it will help you.

As a friend of the author and fellow "survivor", I found this story both motivational and enlightening. Laney has a way of story-telling that gets to the heart of the matter, and, at the same time, speaks to so many people on so many levels. I have suggested this book many times to my clients (I am a psychotherapist), and I have had person after person come back to me and share how much The Mud People touched their lives. A true delight, and a cache of wisdom from which we could all benefit.

I am Laney's youngest sister and have suffered from the emotional and verbal abuse referred to in her story. Her book was able to put in words something that was buried deep and locked tightly inside of me since childhood. It is my hope that many wounded survivors will find their way to this book of gentle healing and journey out of the darkness into light and life.

This book is about a boy named Wendell. He would not clean his room. It got so messy that a pig moved in. Wendell did not mind the pig, so he let his room get messier. It got so messy, that four pigs were living in his room. He did not mind them, until one day when he got home from school and the pigs had ruined some of his things. They sat on his basketball, there were hoof prints on his comic books, and his baseball cards were chewed. Wendell did not know what to do. The mess was too big to clean by himself. To find out what Wendell does to get rid of the pigs, read Pigsty by Mark Teague.

Would you ever want to have a mess as big as the size of your bedroom? The book Pigsty, by Mark Teague was about a boy named Wendell who doesn't want to clean up his bedroom. I liked the part in this book when the pigs have to sleep in Wendell's bed because there is no room on the floor. This is good because it teaches you to always listen to your mom and clean up your room. If you don't pigs will start to live with you so, watch out! Will the pigs ever leave Wendell's room? You will find out if you read this book.

Having trouble getting your child to clean his room? Read Pigsty and see what happens. It's about a messy little boy whose room is so bad, his Mom calls it a pigsty. And then, real live pigs start showing up and moving in with him! At first it's fun. He plays games with them and enjoys their company, but then he gets tired of the mess and has them help him clean his room. When he's done, the pigs move out, but they come back to visit every once in a while. Maybe it won't get your kid to clean his room, but he will love reading this book, over and over again, and that's a good thing! Recommended for kids 5-8 years old.

Not for the faint of heart. This is a powerful collection of accounts from Vietnam veterans. They are arranged by the author in a mosaic rather than presented in their entirety, which I believe is the one real flaw to this book. Still, this is a book you will not be able to put down, and will be left shaken after reading.

Burkett's horridly one-sided revisionist book "Stolen Valor" has attempted to discredit this and many other eyewitness accounts of the Vietnam War. In the case of this book, he doesn't offer one shred of evidence other than his own opinion (i.e. "it couldn't have happened that way because that is not how things are done by the book"). As anyone who has ever been in the military can tell you, things are not done by the book, especially in wartime. Burkett's criticisms should not be taken seriously as anything other than his own opinion. Mark Baker's "Nam" rings true; how could any sane person make some of this stuff up? The accounts here are too gritty, too hardcore, and too grisly to be fiction.

War is hell. To this end, author Mark Baker collects a vast series of comments from many of the brave men and women who answered the nation's call to duty. In doing so, Baker captures the terrible bloodshed of the Vietnam war.

The only negative factor of this book is that Baker is not a veteran. He is a journalist who did not serve in Vietnam. Consequently, a few of his snapshots are open to question. They certainly make for good copy but as a two tour USMC Vietnam vet I offer with absolute certainty that some parts of this book do not ring true.

Nevertheless, this is an important book. Baker reaches out to vets and allows them to bare their soul. Some sections of this book are horrible. Others reflect well on the quality of the American fighting man. All in all, any young kid who foolishly thinks war is glorious and that the battlefield is a place of honor should read this book. It will probably save his or her life.

At some point in this book, all of the anecdotes become something larger than they were when they were read individually. The real life memories are troubling, humorous, horrific and inspiring, and their combined effect provides a unique and unforgettable insight into the soldiers' experiences in the Vietnam War.

This excellent book is almost a commentary on Joseph's remark to his brothers at Genesis 50:20: "Although you intended me harm, God intended it for good." For Mark Rosen's basic outlook is that "difficult" people are sent to us in fulfillment of Divine purposes, one of which is to help us grow spiritually.

I say "almost" because Rosen is careful not to assume that "difficult" people really _do_ intend harm; on the contrary, he repeatedly contends, many apparently difficult people don't really have any idea that they're doing something wrong. For that matter, many of them _aren't_ doing anything wrong; sometimes the problem is in ourselves only, and _we_ are the ones who are being "difficult." (Everybody is difficult to somebody, says Rosen. And genuine evil, he thinks, is a rarity, although it does exist.)

But however that may be, Rosen takes the view that there is a spiritual lesson for us hidden inside every one of our dealings with other people, that we will have to keep retaking the lesson until we learn it, and that ultimately the only way to guarantee that we can deal effectively with "difficult" people is to change ourselves in accordance with such lessons. And in chapter after chapter, he sets out exercises and questions that are intended to help us do just that.

Rosen's approach is firmly grounded in Judaism (and clearly inspired by the Musar movement, especially R. Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto's _The Path of the Upright_, from which Rosen quotes on page one). But he is careful to present advice that carries over to other religions and spiritual traditions, and indeed to quote from representatives of those traditions -- or of none -- when they have something apropos to say. (I like his choices; his quotations range from Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary" to Saint Jerome to Shakespeare to Groucho Marx to the Christian New Testament.) It is therefore suitable for readers of any religious persuasion, although for obvious reasons it will be most helpful to readers who believe in a providential God.

The exercises themselves look helpful, and although I haven't tried many of them yet, they seem to comport very well with the sorts of things I already do. And aside from the exercises themselves, the book is full of terrific advice, in particular on the subject of taking an interest in other people's well-being without turning oneself into a doormat.

If Rosen's approach were more widely adopted, it would not only grease the wheels of our relationships with those we find "difficult," but also go some way toward restoring the idea of a "common good" to the place of respect it deserves. For Rosen's most essential advice is surely that we need not sacrifice our own interests in promoting those of others -- that, on the contrary, the most effective way of dealing with "difficult" people is to realize that we are on the same side if only we could see it.

This is a wonderful book that combines religion (with a mostly Jewish perspective, but allows for generic interpretation) and dealing with difficult people. An interesting tenet Rosen introduces is that God or "the universe" is constantly "testing" you by exposing you to difficult people. God is testing your response to these people, and Rosen gives you tools to cope and possibly resolve issues. He also uses stories from the Torah (the old testament) to illustrate his ideas and philosophies.

This book was an enormous aid to me in dealing with some uncomfortable relationships. Putting the tensions in a spiritual context helped me to get a clearer sense of the learning that was taking place. This is a major tool for understanding and compassion. A must read!