Technically, Linux is the name for the operating system kernel at the heart of "Linux" distributions such as RedHat and Debian. When most people "use" Linux, they are in fact using the shell, the web server, or any other of the zillions of open source programs that (1) are available for, (2) are distributed with, or (3) can run atop the Linux kernel.

It used to be that there were only a few things you could do with a Linux box (namely run a Unix box as a web server) but the open source community has come a long way in providing (1) applications and (2) hardware support, so that you can now do a lot of things w/ your Linux box that used to only be doable on a Windoze box.

Schwarz et al have put together a smorgasbord of things you can do with your Linux box. These projects range from things you would tend to do on a Unix box (eg IP Masquerade, SSH, system security, even a chapter on writing Apache modules!) to stuff you would expect to need to do on a Windoze box (eg burning CDRs, syncing with Palm devices, and audio/MIDI/image/video processing).

The level of detail in the chapters (as well as the required level of Linux familiarity on the part of the reader) varies considerably -- a hazard of multiple authors and the breadth of the topics covered -- but each chapter starts off with a "Difficult-o-Meter" which more or less accurately states the level of Linux proficiency required.

That said, there are some real gems to be found in this book. There are some pretty hefty howto-like treatments in this book of topics such as system security, "undernets" (collaborative web sites), and setting up a web/IMAP/mail server.

There's a chapter on "Tools You Should Know", which lists the tools a typical Unix hacker should know: regular expressions, vi, dd, sed, diff, etc. Like some other parts of the book, this chapter doesn't give you a lot of information on these individual tools, but it brings them to your attention, so you at least know what to look for.

This book by itself won't turn a newbie into a Linux ninja after one reading, but it is a good overview of many different things that can be done with open source tools on a Linux box. I would highly encourage the prospective reader to take a look at the Table of Contents of this book. If you see a topic you're interested in, then this is a worthwhile book to buy. (I suspect that most folks running Linux at home at a beginner to intermediate level will find several bits of interest in this book.)

I've been curious about Linux for some time now. But, the only books that I could find, are all on installing, administering, configuring. Every one rehashing what the other said. None of them sold me on diving in.

When I discovered this book, I was apprehensive, but I went for it and purchased it. All I have to say is WOW! I never realised how flexible Linux is, or how much you could do.

I was thouroughly impressed on the variety of this book. I've finally been inspired to dive right in to Linux.

Are you a new Linux user, and want to learn more?

Are you an experienced Linux user, but are wondering what other interesting things you can do?

This book will teach you fun things. This book will teach you useful things. This book takes you on a tour you can't help but enjoy. At the end of the day, you'll find yourself not only entertained, but more knowledgeable about what you can do with Linux. It's probably more than you think!

This book helped me discover new interests and new possibilities, all in easy to read and entertaining prose. With that in mind, I'm giving this book the highest rating possible.

The plot of SAINT PETERS WOLF varies significantly from the typical werewolf story. (For the traditional, think of the movie with Lon Chaney, Jr.) In this novel, instead of becoming a werewolf by being bitten by one, one becomes a werewolf through a combination of predisposition and proximity to an ancient set of silver fangs. Only a select few are so affected. Other variances from the common tradition are the continuing metamorphoses through which Cadmun's werewolf goes, and finally it is a story of love.

With this oversimplification of the plot, I'm going to vary from the traditional review format by posing a series of questions that can only be answered by reading Cadnum's novel.

All of the following questions, except the last, are based on SAINT PETERS WOLF.

What is the meaning of the title?

How is it possible that a beast can be seen as both a threat and a victim?

What is lycanthropy, and is it actual, mythological, or a form of mental illness?

Is werewolf or vampire hunting the obsession of a madman, the hobby of an evil man, or the duty of a moral man, or perhaps, some strange combination of all of the above?

How does becoming a werewolf affect the human half of the werewolf?

Does the wolf half have human feelings?

After reading this novel, could you have empathy for a werewolf?

And the final question: If someone told you that they were a werewolf in their human manifestation, could you believe them?

I would hope that these questions might stimulate your curiosity enough to make you want to read SAINT PETERS WOLF.

Benjamin Byrd recieves a set of silver fangs which will transform him into a creature of the night in this unique werewolf novel. Now he feels truly alive for perhaps the first time in his life. Will he have to give up the silver fangs? Are there others of his kind? Can he really be free? The writing in this fresh and compelling novel reminded me a bit of Jonathan Carroll's although I'm at a loss to pinpoint why. The story moves along with the pace of a wolf running through the night. Read it and be swept along with it.

As you follow Benjamin Bryd through the story you can't help but want to be the character. He finds the meaning to his purpose in life, he roams free and finds the only thing he needs.

Alphabears is a wonderful find in any format which you can purchase. I have the board book version which I believe is unabridged. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations by Michael Hague and the fanciful poetry of Kathleen Hague. The book is copyrighted in 1984 but one could never tell by Hague's illustrations which harken back to a gentler time. The format of the book is rhyming. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a name of a bear with a given characteristic which begins with the same letter of the alphabet. Each bear has a distinct personality, not too easy to accomplish when it is told in two lines, and the accompanying illustration delightfully depicts the rhyme. The descriptions are at times funny or at the very least amusing. Truly a wonderful buy in any format that it is available.

Alphabears is a delightful introduction to the ABCs. Each letter is introduced as the name of a teddy bear with a distinct personality tied into the same letter. Each letter has two rhyming lines. The illustrations are outstanding. They are gentle and harken back to an earlier time. It is incredible that this book was written and illustrated in the 80's. It is a very old-fashioned ABC book and will delight old and young alike!

Probably one of the best introductory books written on the history, evolution and development of Caribbean music. Professor Manuel covers, with enough in-depth analysis, the "roots" and history of the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Suriname and other small islands.

The book is well written and an easy read, as well as being informative, giving the reader an overview of Caribbean music. It is not all-inclusive of the "Caribbean Basin"...it does not include the music of Central America, Mexico and Venezuela. Nevertheless it is a book I highly recommend to anyone that is interested in obtaining an overview on Caribbean music from its beginnings to the different genres of today.

Enjoyed the scope and ambition of this book, which educates you well about the remarkable number of musical genres that have emerged from the Caribbean. Has a place on my "world music" shelf along with "World Music: The Rough Guide" and "The Brazilian Sound."

The book ¡°Lychee Fragrance¡±, like the tea of its namesake, is definitely well worth imbibing. Translated into English (from the original Chinese) by the author¡¯s two sons, the writings of Chen Qing Shan (1894-1960) covered a period some 40 years from the 1920s to 1960.

In the first half of the book comprising prose and short stories, it opens a window for us to peer into the everyday lives of the Chinese immigrants to Nanyang (Southeast Asia), in the period pre- and post-World War II. In the words of the Preface by the Chairman of the National Arts Council Singapore, Chen Qing Shan¡¯s ¡°literary work takes the readers through war, poverty, unswerving love and nostalgia for the then northern homeland.¡±

The second half of the book comprises letters written from home to his son then studying abroad, classical poems celebrating family events and the first convocation of Nanyang University. The last section is a political satire written with an entertaining touch of humour. It is in a form known as ¡°lyric-poem play¡± for which Qing Shan is regarded as a pioneer.

It is the six ¡°Letters from Home¡± that imprint the deepest impression on me. From these few letters, we can see how much importance Chen Qing Shan placed on the teaching of family values in the home, how much concern he showed for his son as he taught him the Chinese language and interpersonal relationship. The letters are also filled with a parent¡¯s care and worry whether the son is adequately clothed and eating the proper food, all of which speak clearly of how great a parent¡¯s love is, moving the reader to the point of tears.

Although some of the things said in the letters may appear ¡°old fashioned¡± to some, but the family values and the norms of good interpersonal relations are still very much practised today and the love and care between parents and children is universal. The values and norms are evergreen and should always be nurtured. Parents today should know however that there is still much that cannot be taught in school and has to be taught at home.

There is something for everyone in this book, with the English translation and the original Chinese text placed side by side. Readers who have a strong foundation in English and wish to improve their Chinese, could first read the English to achieve a greater understanding of the Chinese text. Readers who are good in Chinese but wish to improve their English, will find examples of good Chinese writing and at the same time see how the same ideas are expressed in English.

For the non-ethnic Chinese reader, ¡°Lychee Fragrance¡± will open up a window for them to peer into the philosophy, family values and culture of the Chinese community.

For students, teachers and parents, ¡°Lychee Fragrance¡± is well worth reading or at least a browse.

Even for those limited to the English translations, Lychee Fragrance provides a fascinating look into the lives of overseas Chinese during the 20th century: their hopes, their fears, their dreams. Chen Qing-Shan's short stories appear on the surface to be simple and straightforward gems, able to be consumed in minutes. However, the deeper social issues and the open ended nature of these tales will leave the reader digesting them for days. Equally fascinating are the six family letters contained herein, which demonstrate the universality and timelessness of parental concern and family love. Peter Chen Min-Liang and Michael Tan Min-Hwa have done an excellent job of translating these works, so that they can be understood and enjoyed by the English reader.

Michael Green has done a thorough and yet relatively simple work in this commentary on these sometimes overlooked epistles. It follows closely with Richard Bauckham's exegesis which I consider to be THE standard for study on this work. Unlike Bauckham's work, Green is not steeped so much into the Greek, which may be too hard for the more novice student to digest. Green also does an ample job to support his belief that Apostle Peter is indeed the author of this epistle, which unfortunatley is something Bauckham does not adhere to.

I do find it strange that Mr. Green often quotes Calvin for support of his views, but Green's conclusions are decidely Arminian, which is a bigger paradox than that of Green's speculation on election and free-will. Nevertheless, it's a worth-while read and great for pastors and a very nice companion to Richard Baukham's work.

Green has done a good job reviewing the various interpretations and background behind II Peter and Jude, interacting somewhat with the main scholarship, most notably Bauckham, whose commentary is the standard work on these two books but has two strikes against it. His book is highly academic and unsuitable for a popular audience, and it has some questionable historical reconstructions about the authorship of II Peter. Green avoids both these features and spends a good deal of time arguing against Bauckham's thesis while keeping much of his good work intact. His additions beyond what Bauckham has to say are useful pastoral aids in seeing the relevance of such ignored books to present-day Christian life. If you're looking for a scholary commentary, get Bauckham's book and use this as a more pastoral supplement and a source for critique of Bauckham's more critical views. If you're looking for an aid to sermons or Bible studies, Green's book is ideal.

I had seen this book at the library, and being a fan of Dante's Inferno, I checked it out. I was a bit disconcerted when I realized not all the stories take place in or near Hell, as the title suggests. Most of them occur here on Earth, where the characters are in a metaphorical hell. Surprise! Only a handful of the stories are worthy of note, including Gene Wolfe's and James Longrove's. The stories take place either in Hell, Chicago, or London. I found this last fact sometimes discouraging--i.e., I ended up skimming the story.

I recommend you get this book from the library before you spend the cash at a store.

Can't put it down. The intro promises that all the stories will be related to Dante's Inferno theme of Hellish portals on Earth, but they aren't all on that theme (in fact, one is a remake of the Christmas Carol). Scary and thought-provoking none-the-less.

I can't agree with the other reviewer. I found many of these stories scary precisely *because* they were based in metaphorical hells - hells we might actually live in, rather than encounter after death. Also, many stories were set in hells that were not on Earth but were also far from the fire-and-brimstone stereotype. The story "Office Space" alone makes this book worth buying.

New Traditions In Terror is a new and ambitious horror fiction anthology. Why ambitious? Because the whole of the book is comprised of stories dealing with subject matter already much overdone: we're talking vampires, werewolves, vengeful spirits, ghouls, demons, and evil people here. A risky proposition indeed, as nowadays I dread reading vampire or werewolf stories for knowing that while the characters may change, the basic storyline is one that I've read hundreds of times before. That in itself would be acceptable, if not compounded by the fact that I usually also will have gotten absolutely nothing out of the story by its conclusion: no emotion, no involvement with any of the characters, not even the consolation of knowing that while nothing new may have been brought to the table, at least I'd had the pleasure of reading a gripping, page-turning story.

And so, New Traditions In Terror delivers sixteen stories and one poem, by authors the readers of Horror-Wood may not be familiar with. Seventeen fresh voices accepting the daunting challenge of writing tales containing characters that are increasingly looked down upon in the field as being passé.

For the most part, the authors vindicate themselves extremely well. While admittedly, few stories really do break any new ground (a story concerning a cyber werewolf is a notable exception), as a whole the stories are well-written, and do manage to sweep the reader up and carry them along for a short, but enjoyable ride. Many evoke a well-defined and appropriate atmosphere, almost tangible, as well as creating developed characters that I came to care about, hoping they would come to a good - or deceivingly bad - end. On at least one occasion I compared a story (favorably) to some classics I fondly remember from my decades of reading.

A few stories in this collection deserve mention. "Afraid Of The Water", by Robynn Clairday, does such a good job of evoking concrete images in her tale, that it brought back some very unpleasant memories of my own fear of water as a young child. "Monster", by Peter N. Dudar, is a great example of a tale that can build suspense and keep a reader on edge through merely hinting at the horror, rather than through any blatant or graphic depiction of it. A wonderful example of "less is more." The ending has a wonderful, Lovecraftian/Cthulhu feel to it. Lastly, there is "Kiowa Wells", by R. A. Cox. The highlight of the book, Cox's tale takes an old idea (vengeful Indian spirit), and weaves it into an enthralling classic. Heavily atmospheric, well-developed and written, perfect pacing, ever-increasing chills. I predict a deserved, enduring popularity for this one.

The only aspect of the book that I feel doesn't work is one story, only because it reads more like a "The Shadow"-type detective tale, with a monster casually thrown in at the end because one was needed, than as a horror story. It's a good tale, mind you, but definitely feels out of place with respect to the rest of the collection.

That said, New Traditions In Terror is a fine read, and a welcome addition to a horror fiction library. A collection of well-crafted and entertaining tales, from 17 talented writers from whom I hope we'll be fortunate enough to hear from again. It's encouraging to know that the future of horror fiction is in such capable hands.

Bill Purcell has collected many satisfying stories (about creatures thought to be passe or no longer frightening) in this book. Vampires, werewolves and ghosts are nothing new. But the stories in NTIT are not your granddad's WEIRD TALES stories. The authors of these stories get inside the monster and look out at the world. They do mre than go boo. Why do vampires drink blood? Would a werewolf even want to stop killing people?

Personal favorites: "Cargo" by Sean Logan, "Kiowa Wells" by R. A. Cox, "The Last Wolf" by Lester Thees and "Dogs" by Michael Beai.

If you are a fan of the old monsters, buy this book. If you are a fan of current horror, buy this book. If you are a fan of both, I envy you. (Oh, and buy this book.)

Usually when I pick up a themed anthology, I'm disappointed that all the stories seem the same. This book contains a good variety, loosly based around the theme of "traditional" monsters. The differant stories, and the unique writing styles, kept me entertained throughout the book. As I said above, some of the stories scared me, some just grossed me out, but all in all, I thought this was a great collection. My hat's off to the people who put this one together.

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

Though Whiteman and Campbell fail to answer a fundamental question in their all-too-brief introduction (just what is a union list?), this undaunted reader was pleased to find a wealth of information in this slender tome. Richly delivering on the title's promise, Whiteman and Campbell do indeed offer a scrupulously alphabetized list of court record holdings, encompassing both the federal and state judiciaries.

Moreover, this helpful work includes addresses, telephone numbers, formats and lending policies of the myriad law libraries profiled herein. While I will probably never ever again refer to this work, it is edifying to know that fastidious scholars Whiteman and Campbell have provided me with the knowledge that the North Carolina Division of Archives & History's Cultural Resources Department holds case files of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1800 to 1939.

The publisher is to be commended for printing the book using an attractive serif font on pleasing, cream-colored paper. The cover and binding also seem durable enough to stand years of disuse on a forgotten shelf.

In A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs : Federal and State, Whiteman and Campbell outline a new type of Supreme Court brief aesthetics based in contemporary literary theory and exemplified by a variety of imaginative texts, from Anglo-American canonical poetry and fiction to avant-garde music and film. The innovative work links philosophical and aesthetic issues inherent to collections of state and federal briefs, with postmodernism continuing and amplifying the central concerns of romanticism, including subject formation, the disruptive effects of the human body; and the unique forms of textuality found in the writings of lawyers arguing before the appellate courts of Louisiana and New Jersey. Messiers Whiteman and Campbell, discuss such conflicts in psychoanalytic terms, although the book demonstrates how imaginative texts complicate psychoanalytic models, especially in legal bibliography. Perhaps through the influence of Campbell (the droll Frick to the obtuse Frack of Whiteman), the Union List of Appellate Court Records keeps reinventing itself through conflict via the exploration of limits, that is, by surviving extreme experience more than from the results of the dialectic. State or federal? -- who cares as the briefs dissolve in a world affirming, karmic Weltansicht.

Whiteman and Campbell manage to turn a truly dull subject into fascinating reading! Should be on everyone's "must read" list.