Everything You Know About CSS is Wrong! - Rachel Andrew and Kevin Yank
SitePoint claims it's time to use CSS tables, even though IE only supports them beginning with IE8. I plan to dive in with my new foreign ministry site, which should be ready Winter 2008.
Travels with Herodotus - Ryszard Kapuscinski
Left to me by Toomas O. after his August 2008 visit to Estonia. Thoroughly enjoy it, when I finally take the time to read a few pages here and there. On a side note, it's amazing how much less I read now that I walk to work instead of reading through the 20 minute TTC commute I had in Toronto.
The Art & Science of CSS - Multiple Contributors
Not a CSS textbook as much as a "check out what you can do" collection featuring CSS techniques to make attractive, standards-based sites.
Build your own Ruby on Rails Web Applications - Patrick Lenz
An introduction to Ruby on Rails programming for the web. Shows how to use it to build a site with functionality similar to digg.com. I got most of the way through it but realised I wasn't about to switch to Ruby on Rails just yet so I have shelved it.
god is not Great - Christopher Hitchens - June 2007
Ex-Marxist Hitchens is an atheist and this is his attempt to disprove religion and convince readers to give up their faith.
Vanamees ja Meri (Old Man and the Sea) - Ernest Hemingway - May 2007
An Estonian translation of Hemingway's classic tale. I hadn't read the original English so now I suppose I'll have to for comparison's sake.
In Business As in Life, You Don't Get What You Deserve, You Get What You Negotiate - Chester L. Karrass - March 2007
Follow-up to Karrass's "The Negotiating Game"
The Negotiating Game - Chester L. Karrass - February 2007
At the time of reading I had just taken a negotiating course based on the principles discussed in this book. A userful read.
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins - January 2007
A professor of evolutionary biology, Dawkins is a proud atheist who attempts to prove that God does not exist and that religion is a waste of time.
A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson - November 2006
Being amazed with how scientists have discovered how the world works, Bryson attempts to explain how in a way that can be understood by they layman.
Build your own AJAX web applications - Matthew Eernisse - October 2006
Uses sample applications to demonstrate the power of AJAX coding techniques.
Writing Mobile Code - Ivo Salmre - October 2006
The author is a friend so I want to read his book. All about the ins and outs of coding applications for mobile devices. I started strong but got sidetracked by other books so this will take some time to complete.
DHTML Utopia: Modern Web Design using javascript & DOM - Stuart Langridge - September 2006
Lots of examples of small apps using unobtrusive coding techniques. I found the chapter about form validation particularly helpful.
Building Accessible Websites - Joe Clark - July 2006
A book about the importance of making websites accessible and how to go about doing it.
Prioritizing Web Usability - Jakob Nielsen & Hoa Loranger - July 2006
Usability mavens filter through their thousands of guidelines to give us those that are most important.
Designing with Web Standards - Jeffrey Zeldman - June 2006
Mr Zeldman outlines the importance of designing websites using standards and uses an example site to show the steps to make your site standards compatible.
The World is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman - May 2006
Friedman lays out the ten main forces that flattened the world; from the fall of the Berlin Wall which opened up closed societies to the ubiquity of digital communication giving us a global village. To succeed in the flat world is to accept flatteners like outsourcing and develop your education and skills to be valuable in a world where anything can be done from anywhere.
Just One Thing - John Mauldin - May 2006
Twelve of the world's "greatest" investors reveal the one strategy most important to investing success.
The Border - James Laxer - April 2006
York University professor discusses the border relationship between Canada and the United States by visiting just about every border crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
How Soccer Explains the World - Franklin Foer - April 2006
The author uses his obsession with soccer as a mirror onto the world.
Struck by Lightning - Jeffrey S. Rosenthal - March 2006
Professor in the Department of Statistics at U of T who got his PhD from Harvard at age 24. Explains how we are confronted every day with randomness and we can use probability to make better decisions. Written to be understood by non-academics.
Empire of Debt - Bill Bonner - March 2006
Compares America to past empires hinting that the reason we no longer bow to Rome is the same reason we will soon stop bowing to America. Excess credit and inflation will be America's downfall.
Managing my Life - Sir Alex Ferguson - February 2006
A birthday gift from a fellow Manchester United fan. Fergie walks us through his life from modest beginnings in Glasgow to his team's 1999 treble triumph.
The Lyre of Orpheus - Robertson Davies - January 2006
Novel whose plot surrounds the production of a new Opera. This was read sometime in 2005 when CBC was doing its "Greatest Ever Canadian" competition. Written on the inside cover are some unexpected and mostly joke top picks from a few friends including Gowan, Emmanuel Sandhu, Mitsou and Ed the Sock.
The Long Ships - Frans G. Bengtsson - January 2006
Originally written in Swedish, this story of the life of Orm provides what is supposed to be an accurate description of Viking life. The tale follows Orm's adventures as he passes from childhood to becoming a great Chieftain.
Conned Again, Watson - Colin Bruce - December 2005
Bruce is a physicist who uses the fictional character Sherlock Holmes and the mysteries he faces to shed light on common probability, logic and decision theory problems.
Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Explains how ego and arrogance often lead to humans believing they are exceptionally intelligent when in actual fact, their success is better explained by random chance.
The Global Soul - Pico Iyer
After hearing Iyer interviewed on CBC radio, I picked up this book. Iyer's background is interesting in that he is East Indian by descent, grew up in England but now has a home in California. His varied background and experiences provide great insight to all the places he visits throughout the book.
Mean Genes - T. Burnham & J. Phelan
Two academics showing that often our own genes work against us in our efforts towards self-improvement. For instance, losing weight can be tough at the best of times but our genes do not like it and fight against our bodies losing valuable energy stores.
Does IT Matter? - Nicholas G. Carr
Questions the wisdom of companies' huge Information Technology expenditures when the strategic importance of having the latest and greatest decreases as core IT functions become affordable and accessible to all. How much new equipment and man time is required if what you have now works fine?
The Discoverers - Daniel J. Boorstin
An educational romp from the discovery of keeping time to the development of the atomic bomb. Catalogues the accomplishments of famous and not so famous explorers, philosophers and scientists.
Decision in Normandy - Carlo D'Este
Analysis of the tactical successes and blunders in the days following the D-Day landings. Remarkable to see how often and quickly high-ranking officers were replaced if they were not meeting their objectives.
Murther & Walking Spirits - Robertson Davies
Follows the ghost life of an accidentally murdered newspaper editor. As a ghost, he sees the history of his family from hundreds of years back to present day. As always with Davies, very well written.
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's well-known story of an American fighting with anti-fascist forces in the mountains of Spain in the 1930's.
The Cunning Man - Robertson Davies
Novel following the experiences of a bachelor physician in Toronto.