Hacks – serie

For the geek who's an investor, and the investor who's a geek, we present Online Investing Hacks, 100 industrial-strength, bleeding edge tips, tools and techniques for analyzing and managing online portfolios. Individual investors have become more computer-literate and technology-dependent than ever before. Whether you're looking for suitable investments, studying alternatives, or managing your portfolios, you need data. The Internet can be a goldmine of financial data and research, but today's online investors also use spreadsheets, databases, and financial applications to select, study and manage investments. If your proficiency has grown to the point where you crave industrial-strength tips and tools to turbo-charge your efforts, this is the book for you.Online Investing Hacks covers: * Screening Investments * Collecting Data * Fundamental Analysis * Technical Analysis * Executing Trades * Investing in Mutual Funds * Portfolio Management * Updating Stock Data * Financial Planning Other books for managing online investing are either out of date, are for beginners and don't go beyond the most basic advice, or are so dull and boring they squeeze that last bit of fun out of the topic. Online Investing Hacks is for the customer who wants to know the latest techniques, to go beyond the basics, who gets jazzed by cool online tools and services, and who actually wants to have a bit of fun while trying to strike it rich (or at least not lose their shirt).

IRC ( Internet Relay Chat) may very well turn out to be the world's most successful hack. In 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen wrote the original IRC program at the University of Oulu, Finland. As he says in his foreword, "IRC started as one summer trainee's programming exercise. A hack grew into a software development project that hundreds of people participated in, and then became a worldwide environment where tens of thousands of people now spend time with each other. I have found many of my friends through IRC and learnt a significant part of my present software engineering knowledge while using and working with IRC. That would not have been possible without learning from code examples and hacks from others". IRC has continued to grow in popularity since its inception. Millions of people from all over the world now use IRC to chat with friends, discuss projects and collaborate on research. With a simple, clearly defined protocol, IRC has become one of the most accessible chat environments, with clients written for a multitude of operating systems.And IRC is more than just a simple chat system it is a network of intercommunicating servers, allowing thousands of clients to connect from anywhere in the world using the IRC protocol. While IRC is easy to get into and many people are happy to use it without being aware of what's happening under the hood, there are those who hunger for more knowledge, and this book is for them. IRC Hacks is a collection of tips and tools that cover just about everything needed to become a true IRC master, featuring contributions from some of the most renowned IRC hackers, many of whom collaborated on IRC, grouping together to form the channel irchacks on the freenode IRC network (irc.freenode.net). Like all of our Hacks books, there are many different ways to use IRC Hacks. You can read the book from cover to cover, but you might be better served by picking an interesting item from the table of contents and just diving in. If you're relatively new to IRC, you should considering starting with a few hacks from each progressive chapter. Chapter 1 starts you off by showing you how to connect to IRC, while Chapter 2 acquaints you with the everyday concepts you'll need to use IRC effectively.Chapter 3 is all about users and channels, and introduces the first pieces of code. Chapter 4 shows you how to make useful enhancements to IRC clients. Chapter 5 is where you will learn the basics about creating IRC bots, with Chapters 6-12 introducing more complex bots that can be used for logging, servicing communities, searching, announcing, networking, managing channels or simply for having fun. Chapter 13 delves into the IRC protocol in more detail, and Chapter 14 demonstrates some interesting alternative methods for connecting to IRC. Finally, Chapter 15 will move you on to new pastures by showing you how to set up your own IRC server. This book presents an opportunity to learn how IRC works and how to make best use of some of the features that have made it the most successful, most scalable, and most mature chat system on this planet. IRC Hacks delves deep into the possibilities.

Developers and system administrators alike are uncovering the true power of XML, the Extensible Markup Language that enables data to be sent over the Internet from one computer platform to another or one application to another and retain its original format. Flexible enough to be customized for applications as diverse as web sites, electronic data interchange, voice mail systems, wireless devices, web services, and more, XML is quickly becoming ubiquitous. XML Hacks is a roll-up-your-sleeves guide that distills years of ingenious XML hacking into a complete set of practical tips, tricks, and tools for the web developers, system administrators, and programmers who want to go far beyond basic tutorials to leverage the untapped power of XML. With plenty of useful real-world projects that illustrate how to define, read, create, and manipulate XML documents, XML Hacks shows readers how to put XML's power to work on the Internet and within productivity applications. Each Hack in this book can be read easily in a few minutes, saving programmers and administrators countless hours of searching for the right answer.And this is an O'Reilly Hacks book, so it's not just practical, imminently useful, and time-saving. It's also fun. From Anatomy of an XML Document to Exploring SOAP Messages XML Hacks shows you how to save time and accomplish more with fewer resources. If you want much more than the average XML user--to explore and experiment, do things you didn't know you could do with XML, discover clever shortcuts, and show off just a little--this invaluable book is a must-have.

So much of what is commonplace today was once considered impossible, or at least wishful thinking. Laser beams in the operating room, cars with built-in guidance systems, cell phones with email access. There's just no getting around the fact that technology always has, and always will be, very cool. But technology isn't only cool; it's also very smart. That's why one of the hottest technological trends nowadays is the creation of smart homes. At an increasing rate, people are turning their homes into state-of-the-art machines, complete with more switches, sensors, and actuators than you can shake a stick at. Whether you want to equip your home with motion detectors for added security, install computer-controlled lights for optimum convenience, or even mount an in-home web cam or two purely for entertainment, the world is now your oyster. Ah, but like anything highly technical, creating a smart home is typically easier said than done. Thankfully, Smart Home Hacks takes the guesswork out of the process.Through a seemingly unending array of valuable tips, tools, and techniques, Smart Home Hacks explains in clear detail how to use Mac, Windows, or Linux to achieve the automated home of your dreams. In no time, you'll learn how to turn a loose collection of sensors and switches into a well-automated and well-functioning home no matter what your technical level may be. Smart Home Hacks covers a litany of stand-alone and integrated smart home solutions designed to enhance safety, comfort, and convenience in new and existing homes. Kitchens, bedrooms, home offices, living rooms, and even bathrooms are all candidates for smart automation and therefore are all addressed in Smart Home Hacks. Intelligently written by engineering guru and George Jetson wannabe, Gordon Meyer, Smart Home Hacks leaves no stone unturned. From what to purchase to how to use your remote control, it's the ultimate guide to understanding and implementing complete or partial home automation.

If you've bought or sold items through eBay, or through hundreds of other online sites, then you're familiar with PayPal, the online payment service. With PayPal, a valid email address, and a credit card or bank account, you can easily send and receive payments online. Not a bank or financial institution itself, PayPal describes its service as one that builds on the financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards, and using advanced propriety fraud prevention systems, creates a safe, global, real-time payment solution. Put simply, PayPal provides the means for people to conduct financial transactions online, instantly and securely. But there's more to PayPal than meets the eye. PayPal Hacks shows you how to make the most of PayPal to get the most out of your online business or transactions. Authors Shannon Sofield of Payloadz.com and PayPal evangelist David Nielsen guide you through the rigors of using and developing with PayPal. Whether you're building an ecommerce site using PayPal as a transaction provider, or simply trying to pay for an eBay auction without getting burned, PayPal Hacks will give you the skinny on this leading global online payment service.The collection of tips and tricks in PayPal Hacks shows you how to find or even build the right tools for using PayPal to buy and sell on eBay or as a transaction provider for ecommerce on your own site. Written for all PayPal users, from those just starting out to those developing sophisticated ecommerce sites, this book begins with the basics such as setting up your account, then moves quickly into specific tips and tools for buyers, sellers, and developers.With PayPal Hacks, you can: Learn extra steps to help protect yourself while buying or selling on eBay Save time and money with advanced tips and undocumented features Learn dozens of easy-to-follow procedures to help you request and receive payments and fill orders Use PayPal to handle subscriptions, affiliate systems, and donations Create and customize your customers checkout process Effortlessly integrate PayPal s shopping cart system into your own website Implement digital fulfillment with Instant Payment Notification (IPN) and Payment Data Transfer (PDT) Develop and distribute ecommerce applications with the PayPal API Each hack consists of a task to be accomplished or a creative solution to a problem, presented in a clear, logical, and task-oriented format. PayPal Hacks provides the tools and details necessary to make PayPal more profitable, more flexible, and more convenient.

The brain is a fearsomely complex information-processing environment--one that often eludes our ability to understand it. At any given time, the brain is collecting, filtering, and analyzing information and, in response, performing countless intricate processes, some of which are automatic, some voluntary, some conscious, and some unconscious. Cognitive neuroscience is one of the ways we have to understand the workings of our minds. It's the study of the brain biology behind our mental functions: a collection of methods--like brain scanning and computational modeling--combined with a way of looking at psychological phenomena and discovering where, why, and how the brain makes them happen. Want to know more? Mind Hacks is a collection of probes into the moment-by-moment works of the brain. Using cognitive neuroscience, these experiments, tricks, and tips related to vision, motor skills, attention, cognition, subliminal perception, and more throw light on how the human brain works. Each hack examines specific operations of the brain.By seeing how the brain responds, we pick up clues about the architecture and design of the brain, learning a little bit more about how the brain is put together. Mind Hacks begins your exploration of the mind with a look inside the brain itself, using hacks such as "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Turn On and Off Bits of the Brain" and "Tour the Cortex and the Four Lobes." Also among the 100 hacks in this book, you'll find: * Release Eye Fixations for Faster Reactions * See Movement When All is Still * Feel the Presence and Loss of Attention * Detect Sounds on the Margins of Certainty * Mold Your Body Schema * Test Your Handedness * See a Person in Moving Lights * Make Events Understandable as Cause-and-Effect * Boost Memory by Using Context * Understand Detail and the Limits of Attention Steven Johnson, author of "Mind Wide Open" writes in his foreword to the book, "These hacks amaze because they reveal the brain's hidden logic; they shed light on the cheats and shortcuts and latent assumptions our brains make about the world."If you want to know more about what's going on in your head, then Mind Hacks is the key--let yourself play with the interface between you and the world.

With start-up templates for projects ranging from Windows applications to web services, and extensive help and on-line documentation, Visual Studio .NET might be mistaken for a tool for unsophisticated users. It's true that most developers soon discover that the basic operation of Visual Studio is fairly self-explanatory; less obvious are some of the suite's more advanced built-in features. Visual Studio .Net includes a wealth of little-used capabilities, is very customizable, has a complete automation model, and much more. On top its regular feature set, there are hosts of free add-ins, macros, and power toys that can further enhance the functionality of Visual Studio. This book is all about exploring these things, and in doing so, becoming a better and more efficient developer.Developers will learn how to: * Get the most out of projects and solutions, including getting down and dirty with the undocumented format of project and solution files * Use these editor features to the fullest, and add additional functionality to the editor through the use of third-party add-ins * Learn smarter ways to navigate the application and your own source code * Customize shortcut keys, toolbars, menus, the toolbox, and much more * Use the debugger successfully not only on your source code, but with T-SQL and scripting languages as well * Automatically generate code * Learn how the server can be used to interface with databases, services, and performance counters, as well as WMI * Use and create Visual Studio add-ins to extend its functionality Offering valuable tips, tools, and tricks, Visual Studio Hacks takes you far beyond the suite's usual capabilities. You can read this book from cover to cover or, because each hack stands its own, you can feel free to browse and jump to the different sections that interest you most. If there's a prerequisite you need to know about, a cross-reference will guide you to the right hack.If you want to experience the full spectrum of Visual Studio's functionality and flexibility, you'll find the perfect guide for exploration in Visual Studio Hacks. Once the final page is turned, you can confidently say that you've been exposed to everything that Visual Studio .NET is capable of doing.

"Swing Hacks" helps Java developers move beyond the basics of Swing, the graphical user interface (GUI) standard since Java 2. If you're a Java developer looking to build enterprise applications with a first-class look and feel, Swing is definitely one skill you need to master. This latest title from O'Reilly is a reference to the cool stuff in Swing. It's about the interesting things you learn over the years--creative, original, even weird hacks--the things that make you say, "I didn't know you could even do that with Swing!" "Swing Hacks" will show you how to extend Swing's rich component set in advanced and sometimes non-obvious ways. The book touches upon the entire Swing gamut-tables, trees, sliders, spinners, progress bars, internal frames, and text components. Detail is also provided on JTable/JTree, threaded component models, and translucent windows. You'll learn how to filter lists, power-up trees and tables, and add drag-and-drop support. "Swing Hacks" will show you how to do fun things that will directly enhance your own applications. Some are visual enhancements to make your software look better.Some are functional improvements to make your software do something it couldn't do before. Some are even just plain silly, in print only to prove it could be done. The book will also give you give you a small glimpse of the applications coming in the future. New technology is streaming into the Java community at a blistering rate, and it gives application developers a whole new set of blocks to play with. With its profusion of tips and tricks, "Swing Hacks" isn't just for the developer who wants to build a better user interface. It's also ideally suited for client-side Java developers who want to deliver polished applications, enthusiasts who want to push Java client application boundaries, and coders who want to bring powerful techniques to their own applications. Whatever your programming needs, "Swing Hacks" is packed with programming lessons that increase your competency with interface-building tools.

A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition covers the XP operating system from start to finish. Among the multitude of topics addressed, this must-have resource includes extensive coverage of hot-button issues such as: * security * web browsing * controlling the control panel * removing uninstallable XP components * pop-up ads You'll also find timesaving hacks for file distribution; digital media, such as iTunes; and high-visibility web software, services, and exploits that have emerged since the book's last edition. Each hack in the book can be read easily in just a few minutes, saving countless hours of searching for the right answer. Now completely revised and updated to cover Service Pack 2 (SP2), the second edition of this bestseller carefully breaks down the new features that come with SP2, including IE pop-up blocker, Windows Firewall, and the new wireless client. Written by Preston Gralla, the compact and affordable Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition provides direct, hands-on solutions that can be applied to the challenges facing XP beginners, as well as the more experienced power user.Each year, Windows XP is pre-installed on 90 million PCs worldwide, making it the world's most popular operating system.

As part of the Microsoft Office suite, Access has become the industry's leading desktop database management program for organizing, accessing, and sharing information. But taking advantage of this product to build increasingly complex Access applications requires something more than your typical how-to book. What it calls for is Access Hacks from O'Reilly. This valuable guide provides direct, hands-on solutions that can help relieve the frustrations felt by users struggling to master the program's various complexities. For experienced users, Access Hacks offers a unique collection of proven techniques and tools that enable them to take their database skills and productivity to the next level. For Access beginners, it helps them acquire a firm grasp of the program's most productive features. A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Access Hacks covers all of the program's finer points. Among the multitude of topics addressed, it shows users how to: work with Access in multi-user environments utilize SQL queries work with external data and programs integrate Access with third-party products Just imagine: a learning process without the angst.Well, Access Hacks delivers it with ease, thanks to these down-and-dirty techniques not collected together anywhere else. Part of O'Reilly's best-selling Hacks series, Access Hacks is based on author Ken Bluttman's two decades of real-world experience in database programming and business application building. It's because of his vast experiences that the book is able to offer such a deep understanding of the program's expanding possibilities.

"Baseball Hacks" isn't your typical baseball book - it's a book about how to watch, research, and understand baseball. It's an instruction manual for the free baseball databases. It's a cookbook for baseball research. Every part of this book is designed to teach baseball fans how to do something. In short, it's a how-to book - one that will increase your enjoyment and knowledge of the game. So much of the way baseball is played today hinges upon interpreting statistical data. Players are acquired based on their performance in statistical categories that ownership deems most important. Managers make in-game decisions based not on instincts, but on probability - how a particular batter might fare against left-handed pitching, for instance. The goal of this unique book is to show fans all the baseball-related stuff that they can do for free (or close to free). Just as open source projects have made great software freely available, collaborative projects, such as Retrosheet and Baseball DataBank have made great data freely available. You can use these data sources to research your favourite players, win your fantasy league, or appreciate the game of baseball even more than you do now."Baseball Hacks" shows how easy it is to get data, process it, and use it to truly understand baseball. The book lists a number of sources for current and historical baseball data, and explains how to load it into a database for analysis. It then introduces several powerful statistical tools for understanding data and forecasting results. For the uninitiated baseball fan, author, Joseph Adler walks readers through the core statistical categories for hitters (batting average, on-base percentage, etc.), pitchers (earned run average, strikeout-to-walk ratio, etc.), and fielders (putouts, errors, etc.). He then extrapolates upon these numbers to examine more advanced data groups like career averages, team stats, season-by-season comparisons, and more. Whether you're a mathematician, scientist, or season-ticket holder to your favourite team, "Baseball Hacks" is sure to have something for you. Advance praise for "Baseball Hacks": ""Baseball Hacks" is the best book ever written for understanding and practicing baseball analytics. A must-read for baseball professionals and enthusiasts alike." - Ari Kaplan, database consultant to the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles."The game was born in the 19th century, but the passion for its analysis continues to grow into the 21st. In "Baseball Hacks", Joe Adler not only demonstrates that the latest data-mining technologies have useful application to the study of baseball statistics, he also teaches the reader how to do the analysis himself, arming the dedicated baseball fan with tools to take his understanding of the game to a higher level." - Mark E. Johnson, Ph.D., Founder, SportMetrika, Inc. and Baseball Analyst for the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals.

It wasn't long ago that owning a cell phone put you on the cusp of modern technology. Now, just a few short years later, "smartphones" have taken over, profoundly changing the way we socially interact. Not surprisingly, they have become the most sought-after piece of technology on the market, with tens of millions currently in use. Defined as a mobile phone with computer functionality, these amazing little devices allow you to do everything from send email and take pictures to control other computers remotely. With all of these built-in capabilities, smartphones can be a challenge to master. And some of the smartest, most feature-rich smartphones are being manufactured by Nokia. With that in mind, "Nokia Smartphone Hacks" shows you how to squeeze everything you can out of these revolutionary computers. Covering a wide variety of topics, the book explains how to: tweak the smartphone's user interface; take screen shots; use the phone with other devices; access Internet content; use email and messaging; use the camera and multimedia; access databases and business applications; and write advanced hacks with Java and Symbian."Nokia Smartphone Hacks" is written in O'Reilly's popular "Hacks" format, meaning it's full of quick and dirty solutions. Furthermore, each hack stands completely on its own, so you can browse and jump to different sections that interest you most. Whether you want to customize your smartphone, add on some extra features, or run some third-party software, "Nokia Smartphone Hacks" is there to guide the way. Nokia smartphones are capable of doing many clever things, but sharing its shortcuts isn't one of them. This is the only guide that lets you unlock all of its time-saving secrets.

In order to establish and then maintain a successful presence on the Web, designing a creative site is only half the battle. What good is an intricate Web infrastructure if you're unable to measure its effectiveness? That's why every business is desperate for feedback on their site's visitors: who are they? Why do they visit? What information or service is most valuable to them? Unfortunately, most common Web analytics software applications are long on functionality and short on documentation. Without clear guidance on how these applications should be integrated into the greater Web strategy, these often expensive investments go underused and underappreciated. Enter "Web Site Measurement Hacks", a guidebook that helps you understand your Web site visitors and how they contribute to your business's success. It helps organizations and individual operators alike make the most of their Web investment by providing tools, techniques, and strategies for measuring--and then improving--their site's usability, performance, and design.Among the many topics covered, you'll learn: definitions of commonly used terms, such as "key performance indicators" (KPIs); how to drive potential customers to action; how to gather crucial marketing and customer data; which features are useful and which are superfluous; and advanced techniques that senior Web site analysts use on a daily basis. By examining how real-world companies use analytics to their success, "Web Site Measurement Hacks" demonstrates how you, too, can accurately measure your Web site's overall effectiveness. Just as importantly, it bridges the gulf between the technical teams charged with maintaining your Web's infrastructure and the business teams charged with making management decisions. It's the technology companion that every site administrator needs.

The fact that Linux has more multimedia application choices than Mac OS X and Windows combined may come as a surprise to many, but not to those who know Linux well. In "Linux Multimedia Hacks", author Kyle Rankin showcases the best available multimedia tools so you can maximize the entertainment capabilities of your favorite OS. Included are tips and tricks for connecting to iPods, creating MP3s and Oggs, watching and making DVDs, turning your Linux box into a Tivo ala MythTV, and much more. You don't have to be a Linux server guru to make use of this book. "Linux Multimedia Hacks" takes the best of Linux's multimedia tools and with step-by-step instructions shows even novice users how to do cool and useful things with images, audio, and video. It includes entry level hacks that nearly all Linux users will want, such as installing codecs for audio and video playback and managing thousands of photographs. Later, you'll find hacks that cover a variety of advanced projects, from ripping and organizing media files with metatags, to editing video and audio tracks, to creating your own DVDs.Basic or advanced, each hack stands on its own, so you can feel free to jump around to only the sections that interest you. The book is divided into five easy-to-understand chapters: Images: tips range from basic image edits to automated image manipulation; Audio: hacks include audio format conversion and tweaking metadata within audio files; Video: learn how to covert between video formats, plus how to create your own VCDs and DVDs; Broadcast Media: tips include how to access and create you own web broadcasts as well as watch and record TV; and Web: learn how to make your multimedia creations available to the world. As one of the most powerful multimedia platforms around, Linux has far more capabilities and features than meets the eye. This latest Hacks book gives you the technical chops to enjoy them all.

Today's system administrators deal with a vast number of situations, operating systems, software packages, and problems. Those who are in the know have kept their copy of "Linux Server Hacks" close at hand to ease their burden. And while this helps, it's not enough: any sys admin knows there are many more hacks, cool tips, and ways of solving problems than can fit in a single volume (one that mere mortals can lift, that is). Which is why we created "Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two", a second collection of incredibly useful tips and tricks for finding and using dozens of open source tools you can apply to solve your sys admin problems. The power and flexibility of Linux and Open Source means that there is an astounding amount of great software out there waiting to be applied to your sys admin problems - if only you knew about it and had enough information to get started. Hence, "Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two". This handy reference offers 100 completely new server management tips and techniques designed to improve your productivity and sharpen your administrative skills.Each hack represents a clever way to accomplish a specific task, saving you countless hours of searching for the right answer. No more sifting through man pages, 'How To' websites, or source code comments - the only resource you need is right here. And you don't have to be a system administrator with hundreds of boxes to get something useful from this book as many of the hacks apply equally well to a single system or a home network. Compiled by experts, these hacks not only give you the step-by-step instructions necessary to implement the software, but they also provide the context to truly enable you to learn the technology. Topics include: authentication; Remote GUI connectivity; storage management; file sharing and synchronizing resources; security/lockdown instruction; log files and monitoring; troubleshooting; and system rescue, recovery, and repair. Whether they help you recover lost data, collect information from distributed clients, or synchronize administrative environments, the solutions found in "Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two" will simplify your life as a system administrator.

The BlackBerry has become an invaluable tool for those of us who need to stay connected and in the loop. But most people take advantage of only a few features that this marvelous communications device offers. What if you could do much more with your BlackBerry than just web surfing and email? "BlackBerry Hacks" will enhance your mobile computing with great tips and tricks. You'll learn that the BlackBerry is capable of things you never thought possible, and you'll learn how to make it an even better email and web workhorse: get the most out of the built-in applications; take control of email with filters, searches, and more; rev up your mobile gaming - whether you're an arcade addict or poker pro; browse the web, chat over IM, and keep up with news and weblogs; work with office documents, spell check your messages, and send faxes; become more secure, lock down your BlackBerry and stash secure information somewhere safe; manage and monitor the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and Mobile Data System (MDS); create web sites that look great on a BlackBerry; develop and deploy BlackBerry applications.Whether you need to schedule a meeting from a trade show floor, confirm your child's next play date at the park, or just find the show times and secure movie tickets while at dinner, this book helps you use the remarkable BlackBerry to stay in touch and in-the-know - no matter where you are or where you go.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is gaining a lot of attention these days, as more companies and individuals switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. The reason is simple: A single network to carry voice and data is easier to scale, maintain, and administer. As an added bonus, it's also cheaper, because VoIP is free of the endless government regulations and tariffs imposed upon phone companies. VoIP is simply overflowing with hack potential, and VoIP Hacks is the practical guide from O'Reilly that presents these possibilities to you. It provides dozens of hands-on projects for building a VoIP network, showing you how to tweak and customize a multitude of exciting things to get the job done. Along the way, you'll also learn which standards and practices work best for your particular environment. Among the quick and clever solutions showcased in the book are those for: * gauging VoIP readiness on an enterprise network * using SIP, H.323, and other signaling specifications * providing low-layer security in a VoIP environment * employing IP hardphones, analog telephone adapters, and softPBX servers * dealing with and avoiding the most common VoIP deployment mistakes In reality, VoIP Hacks contains only a small subset of VoIP knowledge-enough to serve as an introduction to the world of VoIP and teach you how to use it to save money, be more productive, or just impress your friends. If you love to tinker and optimize, this is the one technology, and the one book, you must investigate.

Programmers love its flexibility and speed; designers love its accessibility and convenience. When it comes to creating web sites, the PHP scripting language is truly a red-hot property. In fact, PHP is currently used on more than 19 million web sites, surpassing Microsoft's ASP .NET technology in popularity. Not surprisingly, this surge in usage has resulted in a number of PHP books hitting the market. Only one, though, takes the language beyond traditional Web programming and into mapping, graphing, multimedia, and beyond: PHP Hacks. In PHP Hacks, author Jack Herrington wrings out his 20 years of code generation experience to deliver hands-on tools ranging from basic PHP and PEAR installation and scripting to advanced multimedia and database optimizing tricks. On the practical side of things, PHP Hacks helps you develop more robust PHP applications by explaining how to improve your database design, automate application testing, and employ design patterns in your PHP scripts and classes. In the category of "cool," Herrington explains how to upgrade your Web interface through the creation of tabs, stickies, popups, and calendars.He even examines how to leverage maps and graphics in PHP. There's also a bounty of image and application hacks, including those that show you how to: * Integrate web sites with Google maps and satellite imaging * Dynamically display iPhoto libraries online * Add IRC, SMS, and Instant Messaging capabilities to your Web applications * Drop the latest Wikipedia dictionary onto your Sony PSP * Render graphics and user interfaces with SVG, DHTML, and Ajax Whether you're a newcomer or an expert, you'll find great value in PHP Hacks, the only PHP guide that offers something useful and fun for everyone.

Sure, it's just what you've been clamouring for: an ultra slick, portable version of the most popular console gaming system in the world. But Sony's new PlayStation Portable (PSP) isn't just a handheld gaming device. Beyond its killer graphics and spectacular widescreen LCD for unparalleled game play, it also sports wireless connectivity and a variety of multimedia features, including video, music, and digital photography. Your wildly versatile, endlessly powerful PSP practically begs you to hack and repurpose it to your liking. To save you the trouble and show you how to make the PSP do more than you ever imagined - and more than Sony ever intended - "PSP Hacks" is one succinct volume of 50 of the coolest, most useful, up-to-the-minute hacks for this amazing device. You'll learn how to open your PSP's hardware and what to safely plug into it. You'll explore and put to good use every hidden feature of the device. You'll be able to move all sorts of multimedia onto your PSP and find ways to extend its wireless capabilities. And you'll find out how to get the very best experience out of online game play.With "PSP Hacks", you can accomplish a whole lot more than good gaming on the PSP. You'll quickly learn to surf the Web with a PSP, chat in IRC, and use the PSP to read web comics, ebooks, and RSS feeds. Other expert tips and tools allow you to sync an address book to your PSP, watch UMD movies, fool iTunes into thinking the PSP is an iPod Shuffle, and much more. The innovative hacks, tweaks, and how-tos in this essential guide make it easy to customize your PSP, take full advantage of features, capabilities, and functionality far beyond what's listed in the PSP user manual, and make your PSP perform countless tricks that only an all-in-one portable entertainment unit as remarkable and revolutionary as this one could.

The popularity of wireless networking has grown exponentially over the past few years, despite a general downward trend in the telecommunications industry. More and more computers and users worldwide communicate via radio waves every day, cutting the tethers of the cabled network both at home and at work. Wireless technology changes not only the way we talk to our devices, but also what we ask them to do. With greater flexibility, broader range, and increased mobility, wireless networks let us live, work, and think differently. Wireless networks also open up a vast range of tasty new hack possibilities, from fine-tuning network frequencies to hot-rodding handhelds. The second edition of "Wireless Hacks", co-authored by Rob Flickenger and Roger Weeks, brings readers more of the practical tips and tricks that made the first edition a runaway hit, selling nearly 30,000 copies. Completely revised and updated, this version includes over thirty brand-new hacks, major overhauls of over thirty more, and timely adjustments and touch-ups to dozens of other hacks introduced in the first edition.From passive network scanning to aligning long-distance antennas, beefing up wireless network security, and beyond, "Wireless Hacks" answers real-life networking needs with direct solutions. Flickenger and Weeks both have extensive experience in systems and network administration, and share a passion for making wireless more broadly available. The authors include detailed coverage in "Wireless Hacks" for important new changes in specifications, hardware and software, and delve deep into cellular and Bluetooth technologies. Whether you need your wireless network to extend to the edge of your desk, fit into your backpack, or cross county lines, the proven techniques in "Wireless Hacks" will show you how to get the coverage and functionality you're looking for.

You're smart. This book can make you smarter. Mind Performance Hacks provides real-life tips and tools for overclocking your brain and becoming a better thinker. In the increasingly frenetic pace of today's information economy, managing your life requires hacking your brain. With this book, you'll cut through the clutter and tune up your brain intentionally, safely, and productively.Grounded in current research and theory, but offering practical solutions you can apply immediately, Mind Performance Hacks is filled with life hacks that teach you to: * Use mnemonic tricks to remember numbers, names, dates, and other flotsam you need to recall * Put down your calculator and perform complex math in your head, with your fingers, or on the back of a napkin * Spark your creativity with innovative brainstorming methods * Use effective systems to capture new ideas before they get away * Communicate in creative new ways-even using artificial languages * Make better decisions by foreseeing problems and finding surprising solutions * Improve your mental fitness with cool tricks and games While the hugely successful Mind Hacks showed you how your brain works, Mind Performance Hacks shows you how to make it work better.

Foreword by Jens & Lars Rasmussen, Google Maps Tech Leads

Want to calculate the probability that an event will happen? Be able to spot fake data? Prove beyond doubt whether one thing causes another? Or learn to be a better gambler? You can do that and much more with 75 practical and fun hacks packed into Statistics Hacks. These cool tips, tricks, and mind-boggling solutions from the world of statistics, measurement, and research methods will not only amaze and entertain you, but will give you an advantage in several real-world situations-including business. This book is ideal for anyone who likes puzzles, brainteasers, games, gambling, magic tricks, and those who want to apply math and science to everyday circumstances. Several hacks in the first chapter alone-such as the "central limit theorem,", which allows you to know everything by knowing just a little-serve as sound approaches for marketing and other business objectives. Using the tools of inferential statistics, you can understand the way probability works, discover relationships, predict events with uncanny accuracy, and even make a little money with a well-placed wager here and there.Statistics Hacks presents useful techniques from statistics, educational and psychological measurement, and experimental research to help you solve a variety of problems in business, games, and life. You'll learn how to: * Play smart when you play Texas Hold 'Em, blackjack, roulette, dice games, or even the lottery * Design your own winnable bar bets to make money and amaze your friends * Predict the outcomes of baseball games, know when to "go for two" in football, and anticipate the winners of other sporting events with surprising accuracy * Demystify amazing coincidences and distinguish the truly random from the only seemingly random--even keep your iPod's "random" shuffle honest * Spot fraudulent data, detect plagiarism, and break codes * How to isolate the effects of observation on the thing observed Whether you're a statistics enthusiast who does calculations in your sleep or a civilian who is entertained by clever solutions to interesting problems, Statistics Hacks has tools to give you an edge over the world's slim odds.

Ajax, the popular term for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is one of the most important combinations of technologies for web developers to know these days. With its rich grouping of technologies, Ajax developers can create interactive web applications with XML-based web services, using JavaScript in the browser to process the web server response. Taking complete advantage of Ajax, however, requires something more than your typical "how-to" book. What it calls for is "Ajax Hacks" from O'Reilly. This valuable guide provides direct, hands-on solutions that take the mystery out of Ajax's many capabilities. Each hack represents a clever way to accomplish a specific task, saving you countless hours of searching for the right answer. A smart collection of 100 insider tips and tricks, "Ajax Hacks" covers all of the technology's finer points. Want to build next-generation web applications today? This book can show you how. Among the multitude of topics addressed, it shows you techniques for: using Ajax with Google Maps and Yahoo Maps; displaying Weather.com data; scraping stock quotes; fetching postal codes; and building web forms with auto-complete functionality."Ajax Hacks" also features a number of advanced hacks for accelerated web developers. Discover how to create huge, maintainable bookmarklets, how to use client-side storage for Ajax applications, and how to call a built-in Java object from JavaScript using Ajax. The book even addresses best practices for testing Ajax applications and improving maintenance, performance, and reliability for JavaScript code. The latest in O"Reilly's celebrated "Hacks" series, "Ajax Hacks" smartly complements other O'Reilly titles such as "Head Rush Ajax and JavaScript: The Definitive Guide".

With more than a million dedicated programmers, Perl has proven to be the best computing language for the latest trends in computing and business. While other languages have stagnated, Perl remains fresh, thanks to its community-based development model, which encourages the sharing of information among users. This tradition of knowledge-sharing allows developers to find answers to almost any Perl question they can dream up. And you can find many of those answers right here in Perl Hacks. Like all books in O'Reilly's Hacks Series, Perl Hacks appeals to a variety of programmers, whether you're an experienced developer or a dabbler who simply enjoys exploring technology. Each hack is a short lesson--some are practical exercises that teach you essential skills, while others merely illustrate some of the fun things that Perl can do. Most hacks have two parts: a direct answer to the immediate problem you need to solve right now and a deeper, subtler technique that you can adapt to other situations. Learn how to add CPAN shortcuts to the Firefox web browser, read files backwards, write graphical games in Perl, and much more.For your convenience, Perl Hacks is divided by topic--not according to any sense of relative difficulty--so you can skip around and stop at any hack you like. Chapters include: * Productivity Hacks * User Interaction * Data Munging * Working with Modules * Object Hacks * Debugging Whether you're a newcomer or an expert, you'll find great value in Perl Hacks, the only Perl guide that offers something useful and fun for everyone.

Everyone knows that Google lets you search billions of web pages. But few people realize that Google also gives you hundreds of cool ways to organize and play with information. Since we released the last edition of this bestselling book, Google has added many new features and services to its expanding universe: Google Earth, Google Talk, Google Maps, Google Blog Search, Video Search, Music Search, Google Base, Google Reader, and Google Desktop among them. We've found ways to get these new services to do even more. The expanded third edition of Google Hacks is a brand-new and infinitely more useful book for this powerful search engine. You'll not only find dozens of hacks for the new Google services, but plenty of updated tips, tricks and scripts for hacking the old ones. Now you can make a Google Earth movie, visualize your web site traffic with Google Analytics, post pictures to your blog with Picasa, or access Gmail in your favorite email client. Industrial strength and real-world tested, this new collection enables you to mine a ton of information within Google's reach.And have a lot of fun while doing it: * Search Google over IM with a Google Talk bot * Build a customized Google Map and add it to your own web site * Cover your searching tracks and take back your browsing privacy * Turn any Google query into an RSS feed that you can monitor in Google Reader or the newsreader of your choice * Keep tabs on blogs in new, useful ways * Turn Gmail into an external hard drive for Windows, Mac, or Linux * Beef up your web pages with search, ads, news feeds, and more * Program Google with the Google API and language of your choice For those of you concerned about Google as an emerging Big Brother, this new edition also offers advice and concrete tips for protecting your privacy. Get into the world of Google and bend it to your will!

Ubuntu Linux--the most popular Linux distribution on the planet--preserves the spirit embodied in the ancient African word ubuntu, which means both "humanity to others" and "I am what I am because of who we all are." Ubuntu won the Linux Journal Reader's Choice Award for best Linux distribution and is consistently the top-ranked Linux variant on DistroWatch.com. The reason this distribution is so widely popular is that Ubuntu is designed to be useful, usable, customizable, and always available for free worldwide. Ubuntu Hacks is your one-stop source for all of the community knowledge you need to get the most out of Ubuntu: a collection of 100 tips and tools to help new and experienced Linux users install, configure, and customize Ubuntu. With this set of hacks, you can get Ubuntu Linux working exactly the way you need it to. Learn how to: * Install and test-drive Ubuntu Linux. * Keep your system running smoothly * Turn Ubuntu into a multimedia powerhouse: rip and burn discs, watch videos, listen to music, and more * Take Ubuntu on the road with Wi-Fi wireless networking, Bluetooth, etc.* Hook up multiple displays and enable your video card's 3-D acceleration * Run Ubuntu with virtualization technology such as Xen and VMware * Tighten your system's security * Set up an Ubuntu-powered server Ubuntu Hacks will not only show you how to get everything working just right, you will also have a great time doing it as you explore the powerful features lurking within Ubuntu. "Put in a nutshell, this book is a collection of around 100 tips and tricks which the authors choose to call hacks, which explain how to accomplish various tasks in Ubuntu Linux. The so called hacks range from down right ordinary to the other end of the spectrum of doing specialised things...More over, each and every tip in this book has been tested by the authors on the latest version of Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) and is guaranteed to work. In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy." -- Ravi Kumar, Slashdot.org

Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. There are many ways to take advantage of Excel's advanced capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. Excel Hacks provides more than 130 hacks -- clever tools, tips and techniques -- that will leapfrog your work beyond the ordinary. Now expanded to include Excel 2007, this resourceful, roll-up-your-sleeves guide gives you little known "backdoor" tricks for several Excel versions using different platforms and external applications. Think of this book as a toolbox. When a need arises or a problem occurs, you can simply use the right tool for the job. Hacks are grouped into chapters so you can find what you need quickly, including ways to: * Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration -- manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption. * Analyze and manage data -- extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.* Hack names -- learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet. * Get the most out of PivotTables -- avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them. * Create customized charts -- tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities. * Hack formulas and functions -- subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time. * Make the most of macros -- including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features. * Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook. You can either browse through the book or read it from cover to cover, studying the procedures and scripts to learn more about Excel. However you use it, Excel Hacks will help you increase productivity and give you hours of "hacking" enjoyment along the way.