Book - New Releases

THE HEAD FIRST NEWSLETTER

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Greetings, Head First Enthusiasts:

Welcome to the first Head First newsletter. Thank you to all who have been
patiently awaiting its arrival. There's plenty of Head First news to
share, so without further delay, let's take a look at the newest book in
the Head First series, "Head Rush Ajax," due out later this month...

*Head Rush Ajax--What's that all about?*

With every new technology, a new race starts--whether it's to be the first
to get a handle on the buzzwords, to publish on the subject, or to learn
to use the technology for a few new tricks--and the Ajax race is going
strong. There's a reason why: Ajax--or Asynchronous JavaScript and
XML--lets you build rich internet applications that are more interactive,
responsive, and easy to use than ever before. It puts an end to waiting
for tiresome page reloads. Instead, clunky old web applications feel fast
and smooth, like dynamic desktop apps.

So where do you turn if you want to learn Ajax fast and learn it well? To
learn it in a way that sticks in your brain, and even lets you have fun in
the process? "Head Rush Ajax" is the answer. It takes the same Head First
approach* you've seen before in "Head First Java" and "Head First Design
Objects" and blends it with a jolt of pure caffeine. It's an accelerated
learning style designed for experienced programmers and web designers;
it'll get the essentials of Ajax in your brain, fast. You'll learn how to
make your web pages talk and listen at the same time. Master out-of
this-world concepts, including the DOM, JSON, and XML. Load asynchronous
programming directly into your brain.

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* When it comes to learning a new technology--really learning it in a way
that sticks--the Head First series, created by Kathy Sierra and Bert
Bates, has a proven track record. According to Sierra and Bates, the
latest research in cognitive science, neurobiology, and educational
psychology shows that learning at the deeper levels takes a lot more than
text on a page. Actively combining words and pictures not only helps in
understanding the subject, but in remembering it. The entertaining,
image-rich, conversational approach used in the Head First books actually
teaches the subject better by taking into account the way the human brain
learns. Readers interact with the material in unusual ways to learn more
deeply and more quickly, and--most importantly--to use what they learn.
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So, what exactly is Head Rush? Author Brett McLaughlin says it best, "It's
kind of like drinking a Slurpee on a really hot day," he explains. "You're
burning up, the Slurpee's nice and cold, so you take a big hit
and--yow!--you get instant brain freeze. That's the way Head Rush
works."

"Only it doesn't hurt," he adds, "And it doesn't wear off in just a few
seconds."

Let's face it, you can race to be the first to talk Ajax with your
friends, or you can learn it in a way that lets you really put it to use.
"Head Rush Ajax" is the easy way to load the knowledge straight into your
brain. And it doesn't hurt. And it doesn't wear off.

"Head Rush Ajax" will be in stores March 29, or your can pre-order your
copy directly from Amazon or O'Reilly:
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra/>

Contents summary:

1) Using Ajax: Web Applications for a New Generation
2) Speaking the Language: Making Ajax Requests
3) She Blinded Me with Asynchrony: Asynchronous Apps
4) Web Page Forestry: The Document Object Model
5) Saying More with POST: Post Requests
6) More Than Words Can Say: XML Requests and Responses
7) A Fight to the Finish: JSON versus XML
Appendix 1: A Few Special Bonus Gifts: Extras
Appendix 2: "The Code, Ma'am, Just the Code": Utilities

Find out more about "Head Rush Ajax" at:
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra/>

Also of interest:
Creating Passionate Users blog:
<http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/>
Head First Series:
<http://www.headfirstlabs.com>

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Stay tuned, in the next newsletter we'll take a look at what happens when
you put 19 Head First authors together in a single room for three days.
The results are surprising.

Kathryn Barrett and Head First Labs
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
<http://www.oreilly.com>

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Praise for Head First books:

"This book is close to perfect, because of the way it combines expertise
and readability. It speaks with authority and it reads beautifully."
-David Gelernter, Professor of Computer Science, Yale University

"This book's admirable clarity, humor, and substantial doses of clever
make it the sort of book that helps even non-programmers think well about
problem solving."
-Cory Docotor, Co-Editor of Boing Boing and author of "Down and Out in the
Magic Kingdom" and "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town"

"Just the right tone for the geeked-out, casual-cool guru coder in all of
us. The right reference for practical development strategies--gets my
brain going without having to slog through a bunch of tired, stale
professor-speak."
-Travis Kalanick, Founder of Scour and Red Swoosh Member of the MIT TR100

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# posted by giu @ 5:19 PM