Reviewed by Brent Dearth SSG is an exploration into that wonderful industry that brought us such winners as Lost in Space. Yep, you guessed it: rampant stupidity, greed, and sex, hence the title. As Brent says: "Have you ever wondered why so many films suck? Ever want the low-down on many of you favorite Hollywood stars? Do you ever question the existence of common sense? If so, this book is for you.". Check the full review below.

As part of the on-going book reviews, Pater sent in a review of Peter van der Linden's Not Just Java. A good book for covering recent developments, this isn't a programming book per se, but provides lots of general knowledge. Read the review below.

Loyal reader SEGV has written a review of Effective C++, the language we all know and love. A good book for people who have a grasp of the language and looking to deepen their knowledge. Click below to read more.

Pater has given us a write up on the famous panther book, Advanced Perl Programming. So, if you just can't get enough Perl, and who can, check it out. Besides, Slashdot is programmed in Perl, and we all love Slashdot, right? Riiigght.

Reader and veteran book reviewer Danny Yee has written a review of Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming. This book is a bit different from the normal pack, getting at the heart of how most computer systems function underneath, with much exploration into the algorithims and methods. So, for a better grasp of the fundament of computing, click below.

Intrepid reviewer Rick Franchuk has returned with another review, this time of the JavaScript Sourcebook. Yes, in full living text, read about how organization can sink or make a book. And, maybe, you can learn how to the mouseover as well. So, click below to read Rick's incisive review.

Nir Arbel has taken some time out of his reading of this vertiable compendium of software construction to give us a review of Object Oriented Software Construction, 2nd Edition. So, click below to read more about this behometh of words.

Rick Franchuk has written a review of Essential System Administration. As would seem apprent, the book covers (surprise!) Administration ranging from automating activities, maintenance to essential services. Click below for more info.

Rick Franchuk has written us a review of Practical Unix and Internet Security. Click below for the rest of the review:

This is the first of (probably) several reviews I'll be doing for Slashdot of books that I personally consider Essential on the path to Unix gurudom. Most of the books I'll be reviewing are not system-specific inside the definition of Unix, so should be equally useful for Linux, BSD, SunOS or any other flavor of nix-ish OS you might be handling.

I'll start this textual journey with Practical Unix & Internet Security. This book attempts to reveal, with some success, the whys and hows of hardening your servers against hostile attack, originating both from without and within your sphere of influence.

Albert Strasheim writes"Programming Perl was written by Larry Wall (originator of Perl), Tom Christiansen and Randal L. Schwartz. It it also fondly known as "The Camel Book" because of the cute camel on it's cover page. It is published by O'Reilly.

Jeremy Rifkin, long known as a pundit against the biotech industry, and author of books like Declaration of a Heretic and Who Should Play God? continues to rail against the "thoughtless" biotech industry in his latest book The Biotech Century . And while he raises some very salient points, there are flaws to the arguement. Click below for more.

Quite possibly, Good Omens or, as the subtitle reads The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, is the funniest book I have ever read. The creation of the funniest British men since the spawning of Cleese and Palin, Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett both make you laugh even that you forget to breath. But then again, how else should the world end? I tell you true, the Horsemen will come on Harleys... Click belong to read the full review.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
reviewed by hemos

Chosen by Phi Beta Kappa as their science book of the year, Jared Diamond's take on world history has an unique point of view. Rather then looking at technology and society from the traditional mindset, he redirects it, effectively choosing to look at the rise of civilization from the point of view of some rather unlikely folks--like those of the New Guinea, amongst others. These basic frame shift greatly alters and upsets some of the basic assumptions that Western history has based itself on.

Running Linux, Second Edition
by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman
reviewed by hemos

Being a relative newcomer to the Linux world, I needed more assistance then one can obtain simply by reading Slashdot. Imagine my delight in finding/using Running Linux. The book will work for a variety of people , whether it be setting up Linux for the first time, or for those who feel more comfortable with Linux. The book's authors, Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman, obviously understand Linux, and more to the point, the mentality behind the operating system itself.

The book was designed along with the fine folks at Red Hat and is available both with a companion disk, or separately. For someone just setting up Linux for the first time (and how many people haven't been converted ye t?) the first option is perfect. They can not only get a fairly recent build of the OS, but also have the knowledge base provided to them that will allow them to understand Linux in a non-threatening, and more importantly, non-frustrating way.

Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
reviewed by hemos

Acknowledged as one of the best young writers, Douglas Coupland earns his accolades in his fantastic book, Microserfs. Originally published as an except in Wired the original was so well written, and so believable that many people thought the story was a true one. And, in a sense, it is. As Alan Moore once wrote: "All stories are true." That is true for Coupland's works in particular. Part real-life, part creation, the stories are blended together in such a way that you believe it to be true--that it almost has to be true.

Craig Maloney has written up a great review of Java Game Programming for Dummies availible through Amazon.com. If you are interested in a book that is useful for both beginners or want to know more, click below.