Not every nerd career takes place entirely behind a flickering CRT. Ellen Knowlton Wilson takes a peek here at a book which exposes one of the hotter fields for those with a nose for sulfur, feet like leather, and a penchant for scientific danger: studying volcanos.

Mike Knell contributed this review of what is perhaps the most definitive collection of Unix practice and wisdom. It's even been newly updated to reflect the widespread influence of the other*NIXes. In fact, just look at the names of those who contributed forwards to this edition, and you'll see how it ties together the old and new continents of the Unix world.

For Slashdotters lucky enough to have kids, small siblings, cousins, or the occasional need to babysit for those who do, NVH Engr's review of Graeme Base's Worst Band In the Universe might be helpful. Finding kids' books interesting enough to read out loud without destroying the reader's brain cells is a tough job, but it sounds like it might be just slightly easier now.

Duncan Lawie wrote this review of Candle, which portrays a frightening but not-so-unbelieveable future, when today's notion of a digital divide is turned precisely on its head: it's a world where not being connected is not only unheard of, but criminal. Read this summary to decide whether it belongs on your "to-read" list, but it's just landed on mine.

Jason Bennett contributed this review of the depressingly named Death March : The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving " Mission Impossible" Projects. But if you're ever part of a software project which seems to be going nowhere fast, and over very rocky roads, perhaps the words he's written will point you to a source of solace. This book seems to have some decent strategies for dealing with impossible demands and even more impossible deadlines. And while no book will give you a better boss or timetable, at least you'll know you're not the only one.

Iain M. Banks' latest Culture novel, Look to Windward, isn't available in the U.S. yet. But this being the age of the supermation infohighway, I ordered it from a .co.uk. It's another beautiful work from Banks -- Culture fans will not be disappointed.

A technical book with personality? Chromatic claims just that in his review of Linux Graphics Programming with SVGAlib. If you're a graphics guru, or are looking for a book that describes a lot of the low level functions that put pretty pictures on your screen, this one sounds like one you should at least consider.

The wide-ranging, erudite Duncan Lawie goes where few Slashdot reviewers have gone before, exploring books on the fringes of Science Fiction and wacky speculation in the interest of expanding your mind and his own. This time, he reports on Stanislaw Lem's classic work Solaris, first printed in English 30 years ago, and in Russian nearly 40. Read more to find out if it sounds like your kind of page-turner.

The Gimp, frankly, rocks. But like most pieces of complex software, it's a bit of a...problem to learn how to use. Enter chromatic's review of Carey Bunk's Grokking The Gimp. If you want to know more about image manipulation, check it out.

The Code Book remains a book good enough for another review, this time by the book-devouring stern. It's particularly interesting given the recent story that the code challenge it includes has been cracked. For another point of view, check out Jon Katz's review from a few months ago, nearly as enthusiastic. This book has already cost me several cups of coffee at BookPeople;), too!

Cliff Lampe sheds light again on a subject you may be all too aware of whenever you open a desk drawer: complexity. Specifically, this review of Harnessing Complexity, which Cliff assures us is not of the "shallow business guru" variety, sounds like a great way to get a bird's eye view of a fascinating topic.

Reader stern contributed this review of Sizing Up a Start-Up: Decoding the New Frontier of Career Opportunities, and it could just save you a few seconds worth of the exorbitant IPO salary you hope starts flowing soon. Or thought of another way, it could save you several days worth if you're working on campus through the student employment office.

The novelty of electronic books can wear out quickly -- now that the potential for distributing books as bits is obvious to everyone right up to famous writers and their publishers, it's not enough that a book be electronic. There has to be a good story. Reader 11131719 contributed this review of what sounds like a killer book that satisfies on both counts, and perhaps one well suited to spark some genuine e-book action.

University of Texas Professor Allucquere Rosanne Stone has delivered an exotic and surprising look at the interface of desire and technology. "The War of Desire and Technology..." (this is the book's third paperback printing) is brave, smart and, well...sexy. Stone looks at virtual cross-dressers, busy cyber-labs and phone sex to capture that strange but undeniably real point where the boundaries between our technologies and ourselves continue to implode. Not your typical academic writing about cyberspace.

In "Spirit Of The Web," Canadian technology and science writer Wade Rowland has written a surprisingly readable book that puts the Information Age in some historical context and traces the human and spiritual origins of the Web, from smoke signals to the computer.

Duncan Lawie, our resident science fiction book reviewer takes a look at John Brunner's The Shockwave Rider this week. The book centers on a near future world where access to data means power - sounds like it's taken from today's headlines.

Returning with another science fiction review, Duncan Lawie takes a look at Revelation Space. Written by Alastair Reynolds, this is the author's first book length effort - and it looks good.

Are you an "isolate?" In Disconnected, University of Wisconsin computing professor William Wresch takes a look at the cultural divide between the information haves and have-nots of the world, from workers in Namibia to tribesmen in the Kalihari to isolates in America who, despite lots of technology, choose to stand apart from their peers and organizations. He makes an interesting case for the idea that access to information may ultimately have more to do with divisions in the world than nationalism, ethnicity or geography.

Hackers is probably the first book I read that made me think of computers as the substrate of a social world rather than just boxes with lights. The book came out in 1984, though, and a lot's changed since then. Read on, as topeka lets you know how well Levy's techno opus has aged.

Bruce Schneier, well-known security and encryption expert, and author of Applied Cryptography has recently had his newest book published, entitled Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World, which explores the world of security as a system. Read the entire review below.