If you are one of those people who have always wanted to learn American Sign Language, this book will help you embark on such a journey. Unlike other texts that only contain the bare presentation of signs, the authors of this book have provided you with practical information that is vital and basic to understanding how to communicate with Deaf people.

There is more than just learning signs. This book touches on topics that provide background and an understanding of the Deaf community, their language, and culture. The authors share real life experiences, both humorous and sad, that illustrate the struggles and encounters Deaf people face in the hearing community.

If you are serious about learning to sign, and becoming acquainted with the community and culture of Deaf people, this book will provide you with the basic knowledge and resources you will need.

 This book is an invaluable companion to SQL Server 2005 Data Mining.  The authors explain the basic principles of each algorithm and visualization tool, and provide many hands-on examples. I am certain that many database developers, database administrators, IT professionals, and students of data mining will benefit from this book.

Data mining is about analyzing data and finding hidden patterns using automatic or semiautomatic means. During the past decade, large volumes of data have been accumulated and stored in databases. Much of this data comes from business software, such as financial applications, Enterprise Resource Management (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Web logs. The result of this data collection is that organizations have become data-rich and knowledge-poor. The collections of data have become so vast and are increasing so rapidly in size that the practical use of these stores of data has become limited. The main purpose of data mining is to extract patterns from the data at hand, increase its intrinsic value and transfer the data to knowledge.

Concealed inside your data warehouse and data marts is a wealth of valuable information just waiting to be discovered. All you need are the right tools to extract that information and put it to use. Serving as your expert guide, this book shows you how to create and implement data mining applications that will find the hidden patterns from your historical datasets. The authors explore the core concepts of data mining as well as the latest trends. They then reveal the best practices in the field, utilizing the innovative features of SQL Server 2005 so that you can begin building your own successful data mining projects.

This book is a tutorial, both on C# and on writing .NET applications with C#. If you are a proficient C# 1.1 programmer, and all you want to know is what is new in C# 2.0, put this book down, and buy Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook (O'Reilly Media, Inc.). If, on the other hand, you want to brush up on your C# skills, or you are proficient in another programming language like C++ or Java, or even if this is your first programming language, then this book is for you.

Programming C#, Fourth Edition, was written for programmers who want to develop applications for the .NET platform. No doubt many of you already have experience in C++, Java, or Visual Basic (VB). Other readers may have experience with other programming languages, and some readers may have no specific programming experience but perhaps have been working with HTML and other web technologies. This book is written for all of you, though if you have no programming experience at all, you may find some of it tough going.

If you're migrating from C, C++, VB 6, or Java, the following sections should give you some basic comparisons with C#. More importantly, keep an eye out for notes specifically for you throughout the book.

From this book, you will learn how to play melodies, chords, chordal accompaniments for songs, folk picks, 12-bar blues, rockabilly licks, flamenco, and some of the most beautiful pieces in the classical repertoire. Although this is an introductory book, Mr. Noad does much more than scratch the surface of each aspect he covers. He gives you a solid foundation from which you can choose the styles of guitar playing that you most enjoy.

This book teaches you how to read music and tablature, concentrating on the fingerstyle (as opposed to pick) guitar. Later you may decide that the electric guitar is your preference, and that you would like to play lead or backup with a group. This is obviously a different field, but what you have learned here about rhythm, harmony, and notation will speed your progress; in fact a basic knowledge of the original instrument is a great advantage.

It is best to proceed sequentially through the text. Each chapter builds on the one that came before. Some people may wish to race ahead to the more difficult pieces, but even if you have some guitar-playing experience already, it’s best to review and make sure that you’re doing everything right. Remember that bad habits, once learned, are very hard to undo!

This book is aimed at intermediate or experienced programmers who have started on their journey toward ASP.NET development and who are already familiar with XML. While I do introduce the reader to many new ASP.NET 2.0 concepts in Chapter 2, this book is not intended as a first port of call for the developer looking at ASP.NET, since there are already many books and articles covering this area. Instead, I cut straight to the heart of using XML within ASP.NET Web applications. To get the most out of the book, you will have some basic knowledge of C#. All the code examples will be explained in C#.

In a similar vein, there are many books and articles that cover the XML technologies that you will need to use this book. I assume a general knowledge of XML, namespaces, and XSLT, and a basic understanding of XML schemas.

This book explores the array of XML features and how they can be used in ASP.NET for developing Web applications. XML is everywhere in the .NET Framework, from serialization to Web services, and from data access to configuration. In the first part of this book, you’ll find in-depth coverage of the key classes that implement XML in the .NET platform. Readers and writers, validation, schemas, and XML DOM are discussed with ASP.NET samples and reference information. Next the book moves on to XPath and XSL Transformations (XSLT), XML support in ADO.NET and the use of XML for data display.

Shooting great photos is only half the battle—tweaking the details in your digital darkroom makes the difference between so-so images and spectacular ones. This book is packed with examples to guide you through understanding color basics, correcting brightness and contrast, getting the exact tone and hue, and creating perfect prints—in full color, of course!

You rarely find a photo you can take with a digital camera or scan on a desktop scanner that doesn’t need some kind of brightness, contrast, or color correction. Taking pictures with your camera is only half of your job when you want to print pictures or host them on the Web. The other half of your job is editing in your digital darkroom.

In this book, you can find out how to get color just right by setting up a digital darkroom in your home (or wherever you work on your digital photos) and using the plentiful and robust tools in Photoshop Elements to correct tone and color.

Learn to create dynamic, data-driven Web sites using the exciting enhancements in the Dreamweaver CS3 version. You get a thorough understanding of the basics and then progress to learning how to produce pages with pizzazz, connect to live databases, integrate with Flash and Photoshop, use advanced technologies like Spry and Ajax, incorporate Flash, Shockwave, QuickTime, and WAV files, import Photoshop files directly into Dreamweaver, and enjoy Web success.

To use this book, you need only two items: the Dreamweaver software and a desire to make cutting-edge Web pages. (If you don’t have Dreamweaver, you can download a trial copy from www.adobe.com.) From quick design prototyping to ongoing Web site management, Dreamweaver automates and simplifies much of a Webmaster’s workload. Dreamweaver is not only the first Web authoring tool to bring the ease of visual editing to an HTML-code–oriented world, it also brings a point-and-click interface to complex coding whether server-side or client-side. The Dreamweaver CS3 Bible is designed to help you master every nuance of the program.

Are you styling your pages and creating your layouts with CSS? Are you building multipage Web applications? Are you creating a straightforward layout with the visual editor? Do you need to extend Dreamweaver’s capabilities by building your own custom objects? With Dreamweaver and this book, you can weave your dreams into reality for the entire world to experience.

This fast-paced, no-fluff book teaches you the basics of Micro$oft Windows Vista and includes tips, shortcuts, and workarounds for Windows veterans as well as new users, whether you're using the Home, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition of Vista.

You'll find step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots that guide you through Vista's new and updated features, including the glasslike Aero interface; instant search; the Sidebar and Gadgets; and the improved versions of Internet Explorer, Mail, Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, and Media Player. You'll also find information on setup; installation; upgrading from other Windows versions; troubleshooting; hardware; and organizing your documents, music, photos, and videos.

Laptop and mobile users will learn how to connect from the road, jump onto a public wireless network, and conserve battery power. Author Chris Fehily also walks you through setting up a network, connecting to the Internet, configuring routers and firewalls, and hooking up printers and other devices. You'll learn how to use Vista's beefed-up security features to protect your PC and network and share files while keeping personal stuff private.

This book is all about how to take data from disparate sources on the Web and combine that data to make new and innovative applications (affectionately called mashups). The Internet is at an inflection point, and all across the Web, more and more sites are exposing their data through Web services and eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

This is great news, because it means you as the developer can now build much more sophisticated applications that previously either would not have been possible, or would have required hundreds of developers to create. This book shows you how to take advantage of these data sources, and combine them to form new and never-before imagined applications.

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will be able to churn out worksheets, charts, drawings, and databases,with all the help you need. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Micro$oft Office Excel 2003 from the ground up.

Congratulations! You're using Micro$oft Excel 2003, an exciting spreadsheet program. With its tie-in to the Web and other Micro$oft Office programs, Excel is fun to use. Excel is the most popular spreadsheet program on the market, so you have lots of company. Excel 2003 is designed to work the way you do. After you've worked with its intuitive features and exciting graphics, Excel will probably become your favorite software program. If you're a new Excel user or have worked with previous versions of Excel or another spreadsheet program, Sams Teach Yourself Micro$oft Office Excel 2003 in 24 Hours is the best book you can buy. The lessons avoid computer jargon, and are designed for both the home and office user. In fact, because so many Excel users work on Excel in the office, issues relating to computer networks and work groups are identified and discussed.

This book is divided into 24 segments, and each one takes roughly an hour to complete. You can work through the lessons in the space of a day (if you don't plan to eat or sleep), or you can take your time and work through the lessons an hour at a time.