We (TM)ve assembled seven of the greatest minds in modern JavaScript to teach you the most inspirational techniques you (TM)ll ever use. From creating impressive mashups and stunning, dynamic graphics, to more subtle user-experience enhancements, you (TM)re about to be amazed by the true potential of this powerful language. Create a slick Google Maps and Flickr mashup. Build your own fully accessible 3D maze. Create stunning vector graphics using the canvas element. Have some fun with draggable and sortable table columns. Give your site some extra personality with client-side badges. Write better code faster using metaprogramming techniques. Become a debugging expert using pro-level Firebug tricks. If you have some experience as JavaScript developer and want to take your JavaScript skills to the next level, without sacrificing web accessibility or best practice, this book is a must-have additional to your web design library.

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A practical process for turning human resources into a crucial component of success — from an HR professional who really did it

"Foreword by Dave Ulrich

""It is easier to conceptualize, conceive, and write about utopia than to actually make it happen. Thirty years ago, when some of us chose to go into academics and live more in the world of ideas, Ralph Christensen chose to go into the world of practice. To be honest, he was then and is now one of the best ‘thinkers’ in the profession — and he has shown repeatedly that he can turn ideas into action.""

– Dave Ulrich, from the Foreword

For decades now, human resources professionals have sounded the drumbeat of change: HR must transform itself from an administrative function into a strategic business partner. But it has been said so often, for so long, and with so little concrete, real-life information on how to actually achieve this new mission, that the message often sounds like a wouldn’t-it-be-nice scenario.

But it isn’t. More and more traditional HR activities are being farmed out to service centers, external vendors, and line managers. The work of HR is changing, and more and more professionals realize that to succeed in the future they must be part of the team that makes important business decisions.

Roadmap to Strategic HR is a sorely needed prescription for achieving strategic focus in complex organizations. Drawn from the author’s more than 25 years of experience and insights as an HR practitioner at Hallmark and other companies, the book outlines a 10-step, results-oriented plan for making the transition. It helps you integrate top-quality tactical work with innovative internal systems — talent systems, training systems, reward systems, or work processes — that will meet the strategic business demands of your organization.

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Filled with tips and techniques from veteran game designers at Sony, Blizzard, Disney, LucasArts, Activision, 3DO, and many others!
Plan, design, and create enthralling game environments complete with richly animated characters and objects by applying the expert techniques described in this one-of-a-kind resource. Veteran game developer Tom Meigs covers the foundations of game design, including previsualization, level stubbing and layout, lighting, texturing, behavior scripting, and using particles, and explains in detail each stage of game development and design. Each chapter features an in-depth interview with a game industry expert as well as case a study based on Tom's real-world experiences working on Sony PlayStation games and various other projects. Plus, you'll get priceless advice on how to get into the game development industry now with details on the different types of jobs available.

-Develop a comprehensive previsualization process for your game project
-Create topographic maps and reference drawings for level planning and layout
-Build up your game scenes with lighting, texturing, particles, effects, and audio
-Place actors, props, and items and tune specific camera details
-Learn about game design by genre sports, fighting, RTS, role-playing, FPS, sims, MMOG, and others
-Script action events using JavaScript, Visual Basic, Python, Perl, and other tools
-Develop and design games for wireless devices including PDAs and mobile phones
-Implement a testing loop
-Learn how to avoid mistakes and set yourself up for success

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If you want to learn how to build killer user interfaces for Windows and the web, then this book is for you. It arms you with the tools and code you'll need to effectively utilize the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). From creating appealing graphics and animated structures to enhancing performance and security, you'll be programming in no time.

First you'll explore the WPF framework and learn how to develop basic applications with ASP.NET or Visual Basic(r). Next you'll discover how to build more sophisticated WPF interfaces using Microsoft(r) ExpressionBlend and then progress to more advanced programming techniques.

Throughout the book, you'll find best practices for enterprise architectures using the WPF and its underlying technology. All this will help you quickly learn how to develop next-generation applications on the .NET 2.0 platform using the WPF.

What you will learn from this book
• How to write applications with identical UIs on both Windows and the web
• Tips for collaborating design and code development with Microsoft(r) Expression Blend
• All about the object models, built-in server controls, HTML markup, code-behind, and the coordinative structure of each file
• How to migrate Win32 applications to WPF
• Techniques for integrating special effects and custom controls into an application
• Advanced development concepts, including building workflows and a WCF service

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