Pro OpenSolaris: A New Open Source OS for Linux Developers and Administrators
Harry J, Foxwell, PhD & Christine Tran
Apress, 280pp.
ISBN: 978-1430218913
Reviewed by Brandon Ching

Choosing a development environment for either desktop or web based application development is generally a trivial thought experiment. Most experienced developers have their preferences and generally don’t deviate much unless a new method or tool becomes available that better fits their development needs. Read the rest of this entry »

Sexy Web Design
Elliot Jay Stocks
SitePoint, 172 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-0980455236
Reviewed by Brandon Ching

I do not have a single creative bone in my body! OK, that’s probably an exaggeration but when it comes to designing an innovative, attractive, and useable web site, I definitely could use a helping hand. As a web developer, I am generally responsible for the data in our sites rather than the look & feel; that’s the UI team’s domain!

However, not all developers have access to professional UI resources and, depending on the situation, many of us often wear a number of different hats. As such, Sexy Web Design by Elliot Jay Stocks is a book that seems made for folks like me who know a little something about the basics of web design, but are nowhere near creative experts. Read the rest of this entry »

Cloud Application Architectures: Building Applications and Infrastructure in the Cloud
George Reese
O’Reilly Media, Inc., 204 pp.
ISBN 978-0596156367
Reviewed by Brandon Ching

Cloud computing has thrust itself into the technological spotlight as a powerful yet somewhat enigmatic solution for a scalable and cost effective alternative IT infrastructure. The opportunities offered by cloud computing hint at the potential for seemingly limitless extensibility in both storage and processing power. Yet despite the promises of cloud computing, application and infrastructure development in the cloud has its own challenges and inherent limitations. Read the rest of this entry »

So I just got my new Amazon Kindle 2 in the mail yesterday and I thought I might write a little review for those of you thinking about purchasing one. I won’t be including all the specs and technical stuff, you can find that anywhere. What I will be telling you is my subjective experience with the device. Let’s start out with a general overview. Read the rest of this entry »

Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide
Amy Shuen
O’Reilly Media, 266 pp.
ISBN: 978-0596529963
Reviewed by Brandon Ching

Some say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that is indeed the case, then Amy Shuen has written an informative guideline for all of us to flatter the likes of Google, Flickr, Amazon, and Facebook. In Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide, Shuen analyzes the Web 2.0 movement by deconstructing the strategies used by successful web companies large and small; then explains the how and why of their success through Web 2.0 principles. Read the rest of this entry »

Slobogin, C. (2007). Privacy at Risk: The New Government Surveillance and the Fourth Amendment. University Of Chicago Press.

In America today, privacy is slowly becoming a fleeting memory. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, fear has become the fuel by which the Bush Administration has enacted some of the most far-reaching legislative acts to retract privacy protection in this country. From the USA PATRIOT Act to warrant-less wiretapping, the concept and protections of privacy have taken a backseat to the political interests of the state.

Traditionally, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution has provided a measure of protection against unreasonable searches and seizures; and by judicial interpretation, a right to personal privacy against government intrusion. Ever since Katz v. United States in 1967, the Fourth Amendment has served as the yardstick for measuring the protection of personal privacy. However, recent measures of political and security related importance have belittled the citizen’s right to privacy in a variety of settings. Read the rest of this entry »

Brandon C.
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)

Farmer, David J., (1995), The language of public administration: bureaucracy, modernity, and postmodernity, The University of Alabama Press.

Abstract

In The Language of Public Administration, David Farmer argues that the modern language of public administration, by which its scholars understand and approach the field (bureaucracy in particular), is limited. He suggests that the language of public administration can be expanded through the advent and acceptance of postmodernity and provides justification through the analysis of distinct characteristics in modernity and postmodernity. Read the rest of this entry »

Brandon C.
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)

Abstract

Stivers, C. M. (2002). Bureau Men, Settlement Women: Constructing Public Administration in the Progressive Era (Studies in Government and Public Policy). University Press Of Kansas.

Camilla Stivers’ Bureau Men, Settlement Women is a historical reconstruction of the early days of public administration with a particular emphasis on gender influences. Focusing on the Progressive Era, Stivers dichotomizes municipal research bureaus and settlement houses as distinct yet complimentary forms of governmental reform organizations central to the rise of the administrative state. Research bureaus, focused on objective and procedural efficiency in administration, are identified as masculine; while settlement houses, focused on substantive social improvement, are seen as feminine. Read the rest of this entry »

Brandon C.
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)

Abstract

Denhardt, R. B. (1991). In the Shadow of Organization. Regents Press of Kansas.

Robert Denhardt’s In the Shadow of Organization focuses on the impact of individuals within organizations and how organizational efficiency or rationality is encroaching into our individuality. Modern organizations and organization administration have heavily borrowed principles of rationality and objectivity from the sciences. This has resulted in a one-sided focus of placing the rational goals of the organization above, and often in place of, those of the individual members of the organization. This, according to Jung, inhibits the necessary individualization required by people to become whole and balanced beings. Read the rest of this entry »