Archive for category Books
“Pirate Latitudes” – Book Review
Posted by Rui Miguel Feio in Books on September 3rd, 2010
Author: Michael Crichton
I admit Michael Crichton is my favourite writer. It’s a shame that he has passed away. I simply love his books.
However, when “Pirate Latitudes” first came out I was not entirely convinced if this would be the type of book I would want to read. A book about pirates? Now come on, in the past few years we’ve been bombarded with Pirates. In nowadays, when you think of Pirates, you think of Pirates of the Caribbean with Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hector Barbossa, Will Turner and the rest of the gang.
Having this in mind I wasn’t sure if Michael Crichton would be able to bring something new to the subject and captivate my attention and most of all, my imagination!
Oh, I was wrong! I was so, so wrong! After reading “Pirates Latitude” when I now think of Pirates, I still think of Jack Sparrow, but I also think of Captain Hunter, Lazue, Sanson, the Moor…
“Pirates Latitude” is a fantastic book! Michael Crichton as always, is able to take your mind to the worlds he imagined, and this time, the world was swarming with pirates!
A must buy book! Definitely!
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Story
Pirate Latitudes takes the reader back to 1665, when Charles II’s Jamaican colony is under serious threat, besieged on every side by the voracious Spanish empire. At the centre of this troubled outpost is its crowded capital, Port Royal, a lively (if festering) hangout for criminal dregs, who inhabit its taverns and brothels. This is the time of the privateer, when (with tacit royal sanction), ship’s captains could make sorties against Spanish ships and outposts, plundering at will — just so long as the Governor and King Charles are taken care of. Michael Crichton’s protagonist in this colourful mix is Captain Charles Hunter, educated at Harvard and a man with keenly developed survival instincts. He is made aware a treasure galleon, which is at anchor in the heavily fortified Spanish island of Matanceros, and Hunter’s interest is piqued — not least because this means he will be able to take on Philip of Spain’s most ruthless enforcer, Cazalla. The stage is set for what will either be a glorious bit of naval smash-and-grab or that will end in the ignominious death of Charles Hunter and his motley crew.
“Screw it, let´s do it” – Book Review
Posted by Rui Miguel Feio in Books, Business on November 14th, 2009
Author: Sir Richard Branson
I do believe that almost everyone in the world has heard of Sir Richard Branson or at least the Virgin brand. You might hate the man or love him, but the truth is that he´s one of a kind.
When I first saw the book “Screw it, let´s do it” I felt compelled to buy it, but reason told me to read its synopsis first. Although you may think that I have changed my mind about buying this book, you are wrong! Reading the synopsis increased my level of curiosity about it.
I read this book in a couple of days and I thought it´s a fantastic book. Sir Richard Branson is able to capture your attention and get you motivated to achieve your goals.
The message that the book tries to pass the reader is that one must do things for fun and not for money. As strange as this may seem, I do think this is an undeniable truth. We don’t want to feel miserables every day of our lives just for the sake of money. That is too much of a price to pay!
As we go through some of Richard Branson’s life episodes, he tries to explain some important business lessons that has made him one of the most riches men on Earth.
“Screw it, let’s do it” is no doubt a must read book.
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Book Description
In 1968, a young man named Richard Branson began an improbable journey. From opening a tiny record store, called Virgin Records, on the second floor of a building in London, Richard went on to become the head of one of the world’s most universally recognized and respected groups of companies. The Virgin name has become a truly global brand and Richard its charismatic public face. His story is awe-inspiring, breathtaking, and often just plain fun. From airlines to mobile phones, round-the-world balloon flights to space travel, a Caribbean island and a South African game reserve, it’s clear that Richard Branson is having the time of his life. Some people say that everything Richard touches turns to gold. But the truth is, behind the fun-loving persona lies a dedicated and dynamic businessman who has sweated buckets for every dollar he’s made. He has taken his share of falls, just like all of us, and picked himself up and gotten right back into the game. And throughout it all—working, succeeding, failing, trying again—Richard Branson has indeed been having fun. He hasn’t done it all alone. He has learned from and been inspired by many remarkable people, from politicians, scientists, writers, and co-workers to his own mother and father. Screw It, Let’s Do It shares some of Richard Branson’s lessons in life and business that range from good, practical advice to more esoteric inspirations—all of which have made the head of Virgin Group what he is today, including:
Just do it—Believe whatever you want to achieve can be achieved.
Have fun—Have a positive outlook, and when something stops being fun, move on.
Be innovative—The system is not sacred:Think creatively.
Have sex appeal—Create excitement in everything you do.
Do some good—Change the world, even in a small way.
It’s hard to read about his journey and not catch his motivational bug and zest for life—to act positively, to change for the better and join him in his enthusiastic and life-affirming visions for the world. Screw It, Let’s Do It also presents Branson’s vision for the future, a future in which we each fully embrace the responsibility to do no harm to our environment, to hold our hands out to those in need, to work in unity for the great and pressing concerns of our time. It’s up to successful companies may like Virgin to lead the way in a more socially responsible—and in fact, wholly revolutionary—approach to business.
Engaging, funny, utterly absorbing, and above all, inspiring, Screw It, Let’s Do It serves as a template for personal and business growth, a guidebook for anyone who wants to grab life by the horns and take a wonderful ride, living—as Richard Branson surely does— life to its very fullest.
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Pro PHP Security – Review
Posted by Rui Miguel Feio in Books on July 3rd, 2009
Author: Chris Snyder
PHP being such a popular and versatile scripting language it’s natural that security is not to be taken lightly.
There are thousands of web sites in the internet dedicated to this subject as well as dozens of books. Finding the right one… now that’s a challenge!
“Pro PHP Security” is probably one of the best. I warn you however, that sometimes it can be a tiresome book if you intend to read it from page 1 to the last one.
I say this because it details encryption methods, secure network connections and the likes that for a PHP developer it can be boring.
Lets face it, there are already encryption functions available and the need to know exactly and in detail how each encryption method works can be questionable.
However, no one forces you to read the entire book. You can skip the not so interesting parts and go directly to the good stuff.
The last two parts of this book (part 3 – Practicing Secure PHP Programming and part 4 – Practicing Secure Operations) are the crown jewels of this book, with lots of tips and PHP examples.
This book has the following Parts and Chapters:
- PART 1 – The Importance of Security
- Chapter 1 – Why Is Secure Programming a Concern?
- PART 2 – Maintaining a Secure Environment
- Chapter 2 – Dealing with Shared Hosts
- Chapter 3 – Maintaining Separate Development and Production Environments
- Chapter 4 – Keeping Software Up to Date
- Chapter 5 – Using Encryption I: Theory
- Chapter 6 – Using Encryption II: Practice
- Chapter 7 – Securing Network Connections I: SSL
- Chapter 8 – Securing Network Connections II: SSH
- Chapter 9 – Controlling Access I: Authentication
- Chapter 10 – Controlling Access II: Permissions and Restrictions
- PART 3 – Practicing Secure PHP Programming
- Chapter 11 – Validating User Input
- Chapter 12 – Preventing SQL Injection
- Chapter 13 – Preventing Cross-Site Scripting
- Chapter 14 – Preventing Remote Execution
- Chapter 15 – Enforcing Security for Temporary Files
- Chapter 16 – Preventing Session Hijacking
- PART 4 – Practicing Secure Operations
- Chapter 17 – Allowing Only Human Users
- Chapter 18 – Verifying Your Users’ Identities
- Chapter 19 – Using Roles to Authorize Actions
- Chapter 20 – Adding Accountability to Track Your Users
- Chapter 21 – Preventing Data Loss
- Chapter 22 – Safely Executing System Commands
- Chapter 23 – Handling Remote Procedure Calls Safely
- Chapter 24 – Taking Advantage of Peer Review
“Pro PHP Security” should be one of the books in your bookshelf if you want to develop Secure PHP scripts.
The Principles Of Successful Freelancing – Review
Posted by Rui Miguel Feio in Books on July 2nd, 2009
Author: Miles Burke
When I first saw this book I must confess it got me curious. I read some reviews (which were good) and I decided to give it a shot and buy it.
When I got the book (yes, because I buy most of my books online) I gave it a cursory glance and decided to drop the book I had been reading to start this one.
I don’t have much free time to read a book in one day or just a few hours but this one was quick. It took me three days and I must tell you, what a great book!
It gives you a realistic approach on how to become a freelancer, what to consider, what to avoid, and what you should do to succeed as a freelancer.
The book presents you with advantages and disadvantages of freelancing which are of great value.
This book is of easy reading and it’s less then 200 pages which is great!
This book has the following chapters:
- Considering Freelancing?
- Prepare for the Transition
- Manage Your Money
- Set Yourself Up
- Win the Work
- Give Great Service
- Achieve Work-Life Balance
- Where to from Here?
I strongly recommend “The Principles Of Successful Freelancing” if you’re considering becoming a freelancer or if you’re already one and would like to check if you’re doing it right. 