Here are a few reviews that discuss my book:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R6B6I68PW7FPD/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://blog.bielu.com/2010/01/tomcat-6-developers-guide-book-review.html
http://blog.bielu.com/2010/01/tomcat-6-developers-guide-book-review.html#links
I had a chance to discuss Tomcat (and my book) at the Object Technology User Group (OTUG) meeting at the University of St Thomas.
I’ve read that people are often more scared of death than of public speaking. And, there’s nothing more terrifying than crashing and burning in front of a live audience. In many ways, I consider these nothing less than interviews with the entire set of attendees comprising the panel!
So I treat every presentation with the greatest respect.
Devi had attended my previous presentation at the Tek Systems Java Users Group back in December and had given me some nice pointers on how to spruce up my presentation. All of which I incorporated into my delivery this time round.
I follow a simple three point strategy for all my presentations.
First, I go heavy on diagrams and light on the text. I like to leave an unadorned diagram on the screen, and then paint word pictures to fill in the gaps. The upside is that everyone remains focused on me, while allowing me the flexibility of tailoring the discussion based on the interests/experience profile of the group.
I’ve seen too many presentations where the presenter is simply reading off of the slides. My solution is to simply not have any text on them 
Second, I divide my presentation into core and optional areas. I have a single core track that absolutely needs to be covered. Then I have one of two optional tracks that I can pick from depending on the time available or on audience interest.
At OTUG, we had almost 2.5 hours, so I covered the core aspects of chapters 1 through 3. Once that was done, I continued on with my optional track of Java class loading mechanics. Time permitting, I would have been able to go over my other optional track (which I left unused) – a live demonstration of Tomcat and a sample web application running dissected within Eclipse.
(I have a third optional track that I’m developing … but its not ready for sharing just yet. )
Finally, I’m an animated presenter and I get very excited when talking about Tomcat and advanced Java concepts. So my third strategy is to play to my strengths.
The best presenters I’ve seen are masters at closing the distance between the audience and themselves – for instance by using humor, or by their infectious enthusiasm for a topic. I try hard to convey my excitement by engaging the audience in a discussion on Tomcat; and by staying agile around the podium. Its not uncommon to see me gesticulating animatedly at various parts of the screen, or walking towards the audience to eliminate the physical distance between myself and the audience.
The audience was very receptive and very gracious – and so the talk went on for almost a half hour longer than expected. We started at around 6:00 and were done at 8:30. There were interesting conversations that followed, and I finally made my way home only around 10pm!
I had hoped to put the kids to bed, but they were already fast asleep by the time I got in.
So, Two down, Four more to go!
Dec 8, 2010 – Tek Systems JUG
Feb 16, 2010 – OTUG
My upcoming events:
Mar 8, 2010 – Twin Cities Java Users Group
Mar 30, 2010 – Madison JUG
Mar 31, 2010 – Milwaukee JUG
Apr 20, 2010 – Chicago JUG
Yes, I know that’s a strong statement … but this is the very last time that I buy a HP computer.
I currently have two HP notebooks (you’d think I’d have learned after the first) and I’ve had nothing but trouble with both. By comparison, I have a Toshiba that’s been running like a champ for over 7 years, and there’s my Dell that’s been rock solid after 3 years.
So, come on HP – 0 for 2 is a terrible record.
Both my HPs overheat. One of them won’t even turn on anymore – and what irks me the most? It dies the month after my warranty expires!
(I was fortunate to have backed up all my files – so I’m grateful for that.)
I know of two other family members who have had issues with HP machines too.
So, as a great president once said … “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
From now on its only Dell … and as the raven quoth, NEVERMORE!
Update Feb 17,2009: The display death turned out to be an intermittent issue. The display comes on at its own volition, and then at other times, refuses to. However, it finally given up the ghost just before the OTUG presentation. Many hard restarts and cusswords later, I’ve decided to leave it alone … for now at least.
[Interestingly, a friend mentioned that this might be the result of a power inverter issue with HP notebooks. ]
Check out this link or Google this problem … HP is a company that is in dire need of lessons in customer service: https://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1268843
Folks who know me are aware that I’m easily distracted. Turns out all my good intentions of reviewing Roxio Creator 2010 were put on hold when I went home on Friday to find a book on video editing waiting at my front door. Soon after I opened the package, I was hooked, and Roxio was soon a distant memory.
The book was interesting enough that I read it over every free moment I had (even while at a basketball game) until it was done.
I assess every book that I read using a very simple yardstick – “Was it worth the investment of my time in reading this book?”. I’m willing to overlook minor issues as long as this basic test is met – and this book passed that test with flying colors.
So what did I learn?
First – make sure that you shoot only as much video as you think is absolutely necessary. With how cheap it is to shoot video, I’m often tempted to “overshoot” – and this is a major hassle in post production and archival. On a recent vacation, I ended up with over 2 hours of video, that I’d like to edit down to 20 minutes. Even after I eliminate all the obvious shaky camera and bad exposure bits, I’m still stuck with too much video to consider.
Second – focus on telling a story. With this vacation, I probably should have shot establishing shots of us arriving at the airport, at the resort, at major events during the stay, the kids having fun, and the final departure. Instead, I had a hodge podge of sequences that is a challenge for me to edit into any form of story. At least Mr Cameron has no competition from me in this regard.
The subtext of this book is “Storytelling with HD cameras”, and sure enough the author demonstrates obvious knowledge and depth of understanding of all things High Def.
For instance, I’ve always been quite disenchanted with 24p video and couldn’t quite figure out why I wasn’t as excited about the “film” look as everyone else seemed to be. I found the strobing at 24p to be so annoying, that I almost never use that mode. This book finally explains why 1080p @ 60i can make video seem smoother than at 24p.
There’s a lot of good stuff here – right from how to pick your first camcorder (no, resolution is not that critical; and yes, auto mode is the devil), to picking your accessories (an entire section on tripods!). In my opinion, this should be a must-buy purchase before you get yourself a new HD camcorder.
This is the kind of book that will need repeated visits in order to internalize its advice.
For a more detailed review of this book – check out my review on Amazon.com.
