Farmers Market Cookbook – JoAnn Cianciulli (Chronicle Books)

Imagine if you will, having the chance to sample some of the freshest and best cuisine from all over the world; a French Fondue Savoyarde, some Mexican Chilaquiles Verdes, Singapore’s Mee Goreng, or some Korean Kalbi. The passport and travel tickets alone might be enough to break the bank. Unless, of course, you live in Los Angeles and want to ‘meet me at 3rd and Fairfax’ where for 76 years this month, culinary patrons from the world over have gathered at the dozens of homegrown eateries that comprise L.A.’s Farmers Market.

Now, through the efforts of author and Food TV producer, JoAnn Cianciulli (and Bay Area food photographer Karl Petzke), Chronicle Books has assembled some of the best recipes from the legendary vendors into one book of international and domestic delights called “L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook.”

Unlike most cookbooks that rely on one particularly style or a single chef’s output, the Farmers Market Cookbook combines dishes for every meal – including snacks and desserts – from a veritable cornucopia of chefs, genres, styles and nationalities – all blended together to replicate what a visit through the aisles of the legendary marketplace are like in real life.

In addition to the recipes, there are the storied histories of each of the featured vendors, some of which date back to the origin of the market that now resides on the old Gilmore Oil fields and is one of L.A.’s official Historical and Cultural Landmarks (second only to Hollywood itself.) While the book serves as a great cookbook for those seeking a wide variety of casual comestibles, it also aptly describes the history of the famed location, from its origin as dairy land to its hangout status for famous names like Sinatra, James Dean, Garbo and more, to its current day adjacency to both CBS’s Television City and the high-profile shopping plaza, The Grove.

If you can’t make it around the world, or even out to L.A., the Farmers Market Cookbook is the next best thing to being there. Otherwise, ‘meet us at 3rd and Fairfax’ soon. See you there!

Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Ed. By Thomas Cormen, Charles Leierson, Ronald Rivest, Clifford Stein. (MIT Press)

Algorithms, which perform some sequence of mathematical operations, form the core of computer programming. Intended as a text for computer programming courses, especially undergraduate courses in data structures and graduate courses in algorithms, an “Introduction to Algorithms” provides a comprehensive overview, that will be appreciated technical professionals, as well.

The major topics presented are sorting, data structures, graph algorithms and a variety of selected topics. Computer programmers can draw desired algorithms directly from the text or use the clear explanations of the underlying mathematics to develop custom algorithms. The algorithms are presented in pseudocode that can be adapted to programming languages, such as C++ and Java. The focus is on design rather than implementation.

While a solid background in advanced mathematics and probability theory is needed to fully appreciate the material, non-programmers and IT professionals (such as this reviewer) will appreciate the numerous tips provided for improving the efficiency and thus reducing the cost of developing applications.

Any Computer Science student would find this text an essential resource, even if not specifically required for course work. However, the advanced mathematical principles needed to grasp the material are presented as exercises, intended to be worked through in class, so no solutions are provided, which may frustrate self-studiers and limit its utility as a reference. Although surprisingly well written, a book of this size and complexity is bound to have some errors. See http://mitpress.mit.edu/algorithms for the error list and supplemental information about the book (including solutions to some, but not all exercises, and an explanation of the corny professor jokes sprinkled throughout the text).

The Social Media Bible – Safko & Brake (Wiley)

Want to develop a social networking strategy but need the tools to accomplish the job? Sure you have a Facebook page and maybe even a Twitter handle, but where do you go from there? Well Lon Safko and David Brake (with the help of numerous, well known and not so well known social media players) have devised an ‘everything you need to know about social media in a box’ book.

Unlike a lot of the new social media books out there, the SM Bible is the best completist’s volume that not only explains contemporary social media strategies, but also covers a lot of ground as to the nature and origins of various social media platforms thus giving the reader more of an in-depth slant as to which methods are best for what purposes.

The authors divide their book into a number of main categories including the usual areas of blogging, wikis, SEO, SEM, RSS, Livecasting, etc. What makes their book a useful reference is two-fold; a) they feature interviews with true experts in the field who actually know how to utilize the specific tool and best practices around said tools, and b) they have a checklist of each product as to how to determine if this is the most useful to achieving your goals based on your type of business, the type of interaction required, etc. Experts from everything from Twitter founder Biz Stone to Mashable’s Pete Cashmore to a whole host of other social web influencers are featured in each appropriate chapter.

If you are looking to expand your social media presence, the Social Media Bible is a fair and even handed and comprehensive look at the platforms and tools currently deployed in the market in service of the online social need. Like many books on this ever-changing topic, the authors provide an up-to-date website for staying abreast of the changes and additions to the basics described in this book. At 818 pages, this ‘bible’ is a fairly essential reference guide for nearly any meaningful pursuit of the social media agenda. A recommended reference for the modern age.

Word Catcher – Phil Cousineau (Viva Editions)

Whether you are looking to create an amazing term paper or article or just want to be the hit of your next dinner party, we recommend taking a look at ‘Word Catcher: An Odyssey Into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words.’ In this new release, author Phil Cousineau assembles the ‘delightful backstories’ of 250 words that he claims to have found to be very intriguing from the first time he heard them.

With selections like ‘gynotikolobomassophile’ (one who loves to nibble on a woman’s earlobes), to ‘melcryptovestimentphilia’ (the love of black underwear), to ‘catawampus’ (something that is awry or askew), there are certainly enough terms for you to create your own sui-generis linguistic identity. Not to be put off, Cousineau also provides us with derivations for a host of more familiar words like ‘damn,’ ‘muse,’ and ‘eclipse’ in the spirit of other similar dictionaries of word origins.

But it is his use of his unusual selections that sets Cousineau’s work apart and prevents it from being – in one of his words – floccinaucinilipilificatious (that which regards something as absolutely worthless or useless, such as this very word!). A fun new book from a cool boutique publisher, Viva Editions in Berkeley.

The Digital Photography Book Vols 1-3 -Scott Kelby (Peachpit)

With the digital photography revolution in full gear, (including the rise of photo-sharing sites like Flickr, Shutterstock, etc.) there are more people taking pictures than ever before. Trouble is – and as users of these sites can imagine – many people have not yet learned the tips and techniques to make their photos jump from the ranks of amateurism to a quality bordering on pro.

Well Scott Kelby’s three volume set on digital photography can remedy this problem in no time at all. The reason is not so much in the information, much of which is available online or in a variety of existing photo-technique books, but more in the way Kelby’s series presents the information.

Instead of lengthy chapters on aspects like lighting, exposure, composition, etc – Kelby’s books feature a plethora of single tips in each of these categories (from Weddings to Landcsapes to Sports; from lighting to printing, equipment and more) neatly assembled with each tip (and a representative photo) on a single page allowing the user to focus in on exactly the technique they are looking to master. Kelby, also a well known photoshop expert and speaker, describes this series of books thusly: “This book is about you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend.” And as corny as that might sound, Kelby’s explanations are brief but incredibly clear and down to earth.

While the volumes are packed full of useful tips on everything from photo capture to processing (including a series of photo ‘recipes’ for more intricate settings in the back of each of the three volumes) some of the books refer to topics in the other books, but given what most people spend on photography (from gear to computers to trips, etc.) the minimal price of the guides make this a well-worthwhile investment. The books are available both separately and as a boxed set and Kelby always features extensive online support as well.

http://www.scottkelby.com

The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons (ESPN/Ballantine)

With the NCAA March Madness in full effect, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at one of the definitive books on basketball. And while Bill Simmons’ new brick is based on the NBA, the seasonal fanaticism of both worlds is equally intense.

Simmons has spent his life absorbing all things NBA from his childhood as a Boston Celtics fanatic (when Simmons was just five, his dad chose Celtics season tickets over a new motorcycle for his own birthday gift – which got young Simmons on the path of early b-ball fandom) to his role as the ‘Sports Guy’ for ESPN.com. Now all those years of study have come together in the 715 page ‘The Book of Basketball.’

While there have been a number of books on the sport (though not nearly as many as the statistical analyser’s supreme sport of baseball) nowhere is there a book that disintermediates and reconstructs basketball legends, teams and statistics quite the way Simmons tears it apart. (“What if Memphis landed Lebron James instead of Cleveland?” “What if Len Bias hadn’t OD’d?” etc, etc…) Or as Simmons rightly contends, basketball is not a sport that can be properly judged by statistics alone.

The centerpiece of this book is Simmons re-configuration of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He evaluates its list of inductees and then reassembles them based on his four tiered ‘pyramid’ of ranking 96 players according to skills, stats and levels (and a few ‘what-ifs.’) In doing so, Simmons indulges everything from imaginary match-ups, a slew of little-known or largely forgotten facts, (like the Lakers emergency plane landing in a cornfield in 1960) a wide-array of bustable myths as well as looking at player’s performances through the unfiltered lens of history.

Simmons knowledge of the game is at an all time high – even with games played before he was born – which, Malcolm Gladwell in his brilliant introduction, credits to being able to review games in a room with five TV monitors and still getting away with calling it your ‘office.’ (Do we detect a tinge of jealousy here?)

On top of it all, Simmons, who also served as a writer on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, punctuates his analysis with a more than ample degree of humor (some of it just plain riotous) that few sports books ever embrace (Do not skip the footnotes – they are filled with phat gems.)

While the details of this book are far too voluminous to recount here, suffice to say, if you or someone near you qualifies as a basketball fanatic, this book is so packed with stories, histories, analysis and reconsiderations of everything NBA, you will be hard-pressed to consider yourself an authority without it. In a word: awesome.

The Clinton Tapes – Taylor Branch (Simon & Schuster)

With former President Clinton in the news lately, we thought it would be a good time to look at the most recent book covering his White House years, ‘The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President’ by Taylor Branch.

The first thing that bears mention, is that this is not a book of transcripts of secret (or not so secret) White House tapes made in the Oval Office a la Nixon or even LBJ. The book is rather the recollections of Pulitzer Prize winning author, Taylor Branch (‘Parting the Waters’ about the rise of Martin Luther King) who was hired by Clinton to conduct a series of late-night interviews with the then president to chronicle his years in the White House; tapes that Clinton himself, has held onto for his own posterity, library, book, etc…

While not nearly a direct transcript, Branch’s deckle edged book is based on a series of detailed recollections from his discussions with Clinton that revel the president’s insider views and opinions on all the major issues of his two-term presidency. The range of topics is wide, moving adroitly from issues of a domestic nature (health care, gays in the military, campaign finance reform, the environment, the media and his major work on behalf of the economy and the balanced budget amendment) to foreign affairs (the middle east peace process, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, Haiti, etc.) to politics (the mid-term elections, the contest with Bob Dole in 1996 and some harsh words reserved for Al Gore in the wake of the 2000 debacle, as well as relations with the House and Senate Republicans and their pestiferous leader, Newt Gingrich).

Some of the best and worst moments are those reserved exclusively for the Clintons, where Branch’s affinity for his former campaign worker friend (they knew each other from George McGovern’s presidential run 20 years earlier) show a certain favoritism for giving the Clintons at least the benefit of the doubt. Subjects like Whitewater, Vince Foster, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky are tempered by the more personal stories involving Clinton’s golf game, Hillary’s various social issues as well as the close relationship of both parents with daughter Chelsea.

In all, what emerges from The Clinton Tapes is an intimate look at a man who is a deep analytical thinker, a leader that is well schooled on his job and who considers the down-the-line implications of every move much like an experienced chessman. Once Clinton finally decides to release the tapes, we should have a window into even more of the nuances of the issues chronicled here, but until then, The Clinton Tapes serves as a rare window into a complex and issue filled eight-year term at the top.

Also available as an audio book.

Social Media Marketing – Dan Zarrella (O’Reilly)

If you hadn’t noticed, the online world is full of a new crop of consultants who call themselves ’social media marketers.’ A large number of these new practitioners were only a year or two ago referring to themselves as ‘SEO consultants.’ My how times have changed.

WIth the onslaught of social networks from Facebook to Twitter to myspace, et al, social marketing has become big business. One authority that stands out from the crowd is Dan Zarrella. Zarrella has written extensively about the science of viral marketing, memetics and social communications on his own blog and for a variety of popular industry blogs, including Mashable, CopyBlogger, ReadWriteWeb, Plagiarism Today, ProBlogger, Social Desire, CenterNetworks, Nowsourcing, and SEOScoop.

In his new book, simply titled ‘the social media marketing book’ (O’Reilly), Zarrella explains the sometimes confusing morass of both these many social networks and the various proclivities around their toolsets and how they actually work. Using real life examples as well as an ample assortment of factual, survey-style data, Zarrella gives the reader a guided tour as to what techniques provide the most effective and optimal use of spreading one’s message, cause or business across a variety of platforms.

From his analysis of content types, protocols around posting techniques, feedback, retweets, messaging as well as some discussion of third party apps, the Social Media Marketing book is a great first stop for anyone looking to spread their identity efficiently through the modern world of YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, Digg, Facebook, Stumble Upon and more. His easy-to-follow format is a must read for anyone looking to get started (or improve their skills) in this important new medium.

Dan Zarrella website

The Best 11 eBooks for Bloggers

Blogging Startup has posted a list of the best eBooks to help bloggers get started. It’s a great place to begin if you have your own blog. Good referals as well as some ideas to make your blog more interesting and efficent. There are other great tips on the web of you know where to look. Another good site that we recommend is ThouShallBlog. Full of interesting tips that go beyond the normal scope of coverage. Check them out.

11 Best Blogging eBooks – Blogging Startup

Thou Shall Blog

The Nation: Guide To The Nation by Richard Lingeman

Not too long ago, a lady called the offices of The Nation and said she was ’stuck’ in Abbeyville, Louisiana. ‘I want to move, but I want to move to somewhere where I can see a Democrat before I die,’ she said. This phone call was the catalyst for The Nation. Guide to the Nation a fun and interesting if haphazard compilation of left-leaning hot spots, organizations and businesses around the country.

In the introduction, Victor Navasky and Katrina Vanden Heuvel point out that the compilation is ‘quirky and eclectic’ and it certainly is. There are listings for left-leaning media organizations, printing presses, publishing houses, even summer camps. There are organic farms, green restaurants and retail establishments. Heuvel is editor and publisher of The Nation while Navasky is former editor and publisher emeritus of the magazine.

Original post:
THE NATION. GUIDE TO THE NATION by Richard Lingeman

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