Jon Lasser is the author of ThinkUnix a new learning UNIX/how-to. While Danny Yee of dannyreviews actually wrote the review, I've read the book as well. It's good -- it's different from other learning Unix books because he really wants you to learn the concepts behind Unix -- to grok it.

In Technoromanticism, a University of Edinburgh architect agrees that the computer may represent the pinnacle of scientific and technological acheivement, but, he argues, some of the most revolutionary ideas surrounding cyberspace are grounded in old movements like the Enlightenment, something techies tend to forget. Warning: This is heavy-handed academic writing but with a fascinating premise.

Thanks to Jason Bennett, who wrote this review of The Limits of Software. Robert N. Britcher explores in this book what software is and where software is going -- and what it really means.

Well, in my digging through our book review bin, I found this review of The Linux Problem Solver, which somehow slipped through the cracks. Thanks to PotPieMan for doing the review and let's see what he thinks of the book.

A few years ago, knowing just a few html tags and tricks could probably have gotten you a job as a full-fledged Web designer, or at least Web coder. As things get more complicated and Web sites more dynamic, the tools you need to create that all-singing, all-dancing user-interactive content have gotten more complex than carets and single letter tags. Danny Yee wrote these reviews of two of the many available books on PHP programming; to see Danny's hundreds of other reviews, check out the links provided at the bottom.

chromatic's wide-ranging series of instructional and reference books for the Linux administrator continues here with three more titles, this time covering two books which sound aimed at fairly experienced uers, and one more suited to Windows crossover users. (Check out Part One and Part Two of this four-part series if you missed those, especially if you're looking for some more novice-oriented books.)

You've all probably heard the great scientific folktale about Einstein's brain, removed mysteriously during the great man's autopsy and hidden away for four decades? It's almost all true, and Michael Paterniti not only tracked the brain down, but drove across country with it (in a Tupperware jar) and the odd octogenarian pathologist who took it. This is a great cosmic road trip. You cannot spend a more entertaining few hours this summer than with this book.

Duncan Lawie contributed this review of Mary Gentle's A Secret History, a book which sounds like a must-read for followers of historical fiction, science fiction, medieval fiction, feminist revisionism and more. Interestingly, British readers are entrusted with the whole thousand-plus-page story, while the publishers thought that Americans would like to take things a little more gently.

Networks are everywhere, and more of them than ever are running Linux, which makes sense given its cost and its Unix background. If you're responsible for more than a handful of networked Linux machines, you probably run into more than a few situations each day that you wish you had a trusted advisor (or a few) to help you get through. How do I set up a server for [task X]? What do I do when my mail storage needs change? Christopher Thompson here briefly dissects O'Reilly's Linux Network Administrator's Guide, which promises to be a decent partner when you have network SNAFUs, at least much of the time.

Madman Chromatic (coder, writer, thinker) sheds even more light on the books lurking on store shelves designed to lure, and then snare, new or uncertain users into trying out -- and actually enjoying! -- this wacky "Linux thing." This time around, the texts he's chosen cover the topics of installation and day-to-day operation of a Linux system in greater depth than the Dummies series dares to, but they're still aimed squarely at competent, literate users rather than only at technical gurus. Read on for his insights into Using Linux, Linux Configuration & Installation, and the Linux Essential Reference.

Some writers on the Free software movement speak as if the kernel hackers, security experts and fanatical sysadmins who drive Linux and other Free operating systems are martyrs -- folks who may code out of love, but who ultimately are on what could be seen as a suicide mission rather than a milk run. The typical free software guy (and in fact, the typical software guy, period ) gets treated as a one-dimensional character, with the projects they work on reduced to meaningless blurbs. Peter Wayner knows better -- he takes to heart the notion that history is written by the winners, and proceeds to write history. Read on to see why I'm recommending his new book Free For All to my father. A correction: Theo de Raadt (whose name I had originally mispelled, sorry Theo) pointed out that I'd slipped in "Open" where I should have said "Net." Apologies to all involved in each.

chromatic is back with a mini-compendium of introductory Linux texts -- and yes, they have the famously protected "Dummies" trademark. Don't scoff at the nature of these books, though; the skill of translating the arcana of any computer topic (and boy are they all arcane to the uninitiated!) into language that mom, kids and the guy down the street can understand is not a common one. If you don't know what a root prompt (or an editor) is, or why you might want one, it's hard to do much else with your system.

Adam Brate, Slashdot reader, sent us a review of Cyberselfish: Technolibertarianism, a book which takes a look at the "cyber" culture, and what it means. It sounds interesting, although perhaps a bit off-base - comment below if you've read it.

You want to code all day (or as long as you can stand), whether from home or in an office environment that suits you, with the right soda in the fridge, and friendly coworkers to ask questions when the going gets tough. You want a job in a field that will keep you interested for more than the first orientation meeting, and one that lets your skills be useful -- right down to your favorite programming language. Gavin Bong contributed this review of Programming Interview Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job, a book designed to lead interviewees for programming positions into the jobs they want.

Jason Bennett took a look at the triply-authored Java Modeling in Color with UML. What he came away with ... well, that's for you to find out, but computer book writers everywhere ought to be grateful that Slashdot book reviewers are not granted the power of the emperor's thumb.

Cliff Lampe sheds light today on a book that he actually reviewed in the year 2003, but which due to a glitch in the Slashcode has appeared today. What would you do in a world where privacy is non-existent, and certainty absolute? How would you act? It's interesting to consider how ubiquitous observation and long-term record keeping cause us to approach this mythical world (at least in certain aspects of our lives) even without wormholes.

Having tragically misplaced the crank on his hot-rodded Underwood, the singular Jon Katz had to revert to his backup activity, devouring words from other writers. Crank restored, here he reviews The Engines of Our Ingenuity, a book which sounds like excellent browsing material for anyone who enjoys reading Henry Petroski, Donald Norman, Stewart Brand or other techno-historical commentators.

The growth of processor power notwithstanding, for tasks which can be parallelized, relying on a single processor can be counterproductive. Instead, efforts to distribute computing resources are becoming ever more important. Jayakrishnan brings us this review of JavaSpaces Principles, Patterns and Practices, proof that the tools to accomplish that are steadily becoming accessible to non-PhDs.

In his copious free time, Jason Bennett must do other things, but for now he's managed to pound out yet another book review, this time of Gene Kranz' Failure Is Not An Option, about as straight-from-the-horse's-mouth as a book about NASA can be. Kranz is an interesting storyteller, and he certainly doesn't lack for material -- he helped send people to the moon!

Reviewer Michael Huang contributed this thoughtful review of Robert J. Sawyer's Calculating God, a SF book that explores philosophical and theological ground as well as the frontiers of technology and space travel. Whether or not you have a preconceived answer to the central question the characters grapple with, Calculating God may cause you to consider your arguments in a new light.