[ale] Newsletter from O'Reilly UG Program, August 25

Jonathan Glass jonathan.glass at oit.gatech.edu
Fri Aug 26 12:53:47 EDT 2005


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O'Reilly UG Program News--Just for User Group Leaders
August 25, 2005
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-User Group Newsletters Now Available Online
-Promotional Material Available
-Safari Affiliate Program for User Groups
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Book Info
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***Review Books are Available
Copies of our books are available for your members to review--
send me an email and please include the book's ISBN number on
your request. Let me know if you need your book by a certain date.
Allow at least four weeks for shipping.


***Please Send Copies of Your Book Reviews
Email me a copy of your newsletter or book review.
For tips and suggestions on writing book reviews, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html


***Discount information
Don't forget to remind your members about the 30% discount on
O'Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf,
SitePoint, and Syngress books. Just use code DSUG.


***Group purchases with better discounts are available
Please let me know if you are interested and I can put you in
touch with our sales department.

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General News
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***User Group Newsletters Now Available Online
Starting with June 17, 2005--you'll find past copies of our UG
program newsletters here:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/ug_newsletters


***Promotional Material Available:
The following items are available for your next meeting.
Numbers are limited so please don't wait too long.

Let me know the item and the amount you'd like
and I'll do my best.

-O'Reilly Catalog
-EuroOSCON Brochures
-PhotoPlus Expo Pass, New York, NY--October 20-22
-30% UG Discount bookmarks
-MAKE Magazine (limit one per group)


***Safari Affiliate Program for User Groups
Give your members access to content from Safari's thousands of
technology books, right on your site and raise money for your
user group at the same time. Use custom designed search boxes,
show the latest releases, or display your favorite book cover
with our easy to use tools.

For more information and to sign up for the Safari Affiliate
Program, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/safari_affl.html?CMP=EMC-U1L284871961

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O'Reilly News for User Group Members
August 25, 2005
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Book News
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-FrontPage 2003: The Missing Manual
-No Nonsense XML Web Development with PHP
-Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide
-The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide
-XML Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition
-Network Security Evaluation Using the NSA IEM
-Fast Guide to Propellerhead Reason, 2nd Edition
-Oracle DBA Pocket Guide
-Windows XP Cookbook
-Digital Identity
-Host Integrity Monitoring Using Osiris and Samhain
-Agile Web Development with Rails
-MAKE Magazine Subscriptions Available
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Upcoming Events
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-Sinan Si Alhirr ("UML in a Nutshell"), Project Management Institute,
Bloomington, IL--September 13
-O'Reilly at Microsoft PDC 2005, Los Angeles, CA--September 13-16
-David Pogue (Missing Manual Series) Gloucester County College,
Sewell, NJ--October 22
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Conference News
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-ETech 2006 CFP Now Open
-Registration is Open for EuroOSCON
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News
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-MAKE: Blog is Nominated for "Best of the Web" on Business Week
-Visualizing the O'Reilly Connection Network Using FOAF and Graphviz
-What is AdSense
-SafariU: Create Your Own Textbook in No Time
-Learning Lab August Special
-Identity Management Architectures and Digital Identity
-Linux for Video Production
-How to Decide What Bugs to Fix When, Part 1
-PHP 6.0 Ingredients
-Web Apps with Tiger: Getting Started
-Build a Simple 3D Pipeline in Tcl
-Turn Your Old Mac into a Home-Automation System
-What is Visual Studio
-Setting Up Vonage with Your PC
-Using Drools in Your Enterprise Java Application
-Hacking Swing with Undocumented Classes and Properties
-Ten Tips for Improving Your Podcasts
-Get Cooking With Photoshop and CSS
-Mobile Video: Working with MPEG-4 Clips on Mobile Phones
-MAKE: Audio--Natalie Jeremijenko
-How to get RSS Feeds on Your Watch
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 From Your Peers
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-Charleston Code Camp, Charleston, SC--September 17

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Book News
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Did you know you can request a free book to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.

For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html

Don't forget, you can receive 30% off any O'Reilly, No Starch,
Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, or Syngress
book you purchase directly from O'Reilly.
Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
http://www.oreilly.com/

***Free ground shipping is available for online orders of at
least $29.95 that go to a single U.S. address. This offer
applies to U.S. delivery addresses in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more details, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html

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New Releases
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***FrontPage 2003: The Missing Manual
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 059600950X
This book puts FrontPage 2003's features in context, with clear and
thorough chapters that provide valuable shortcuts, workarounds, and just
plain common sense, no matter where you weigh in on the technical scale.
You will learn to build web pages, simple or sophisticated, and find out
how to manage and publish your website. You'll also learn to create
forms, work with databases, and integrate FrontPage with Microsoft
Office.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/frontpagetmm/

Chapter 7, "Cascading Style Sheets," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/frontpagetmm/chapter/index.html


***No Nonsense XML Web Development with PHP
Publisher: SitePoint
ISBN: 097524020X
Practical and concise, this book teaches XML from the ground up and
explains how XML can be put to use in real-world projects. Written in a
tutorial style, it presents various XML methodologies and techniques in
an easy-to-understand way, building a basis for further exploration.
This book also covers buzz topics such as RSS and Web Services.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/097524020X/


***Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596100655
This practical pocket guide covers basic Eclipse concepts as well as
features that are not commonly understood, such as Perspectives and
Launch Configurations. You'll learn how to write and debug your Java
code and how to integrate that code with tools such as Ant and JUnit.
You'll also get a collection of tips and tricks to handle common tasks
in your Java development cycle.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/eclipsepg/

Chapter 6, "Tips and Tricks," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/eclipsepg/chapter/index.html


***The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270542
In "The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide," readers will discover
everything from how to craft sturdy walls and a basic sphere to more
advanced concepts such as scale and design. Illustrations demonstrate
construction tips that can be applied to a wide variety of original
creations made from real bricks. Includes essential terminology and an
overview of different types of LEGO pieces.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270542/index.html


***XML Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596100507
This perennial bestseller has been revised once again to give you quick
access to the latest goods. In addition to its comprehensive look at
XML, this third edition has been updated with new material on Namespaces
and XML Schema, along with RELAX NG and Schematron. Featuring a
well-organized format that gets right to the point, this compact book is
perfect for getting XML answers quick and on the fly.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/xmlpr3/


***Network Security Evaluation Using the NSA IEM
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1597490350
Finally, a book that gives you everything you need to provide the most
comprehensive technical security posture evaluation for any
organization. The NSA's recommended methodology is described in depth,
leading you through each step in providing customers with analysis
customized to their organization. From setting scope and legal
coordination to the final report and trending metrics, this book has it
all.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1597490350/index.html


***Fast Guide to Propellerhead Reason, 2nd Edition
Publisher: PC Publishing
ISBN: 1870775937
This in-depth guide takes you through every separate Reason device as
well as all the devices and changes introduced with the V2.5 update.
Every control and function is clearly explained. In addition, standard
and exotic techniques are introduced at the points where you will find
them most useful, and step-by-step programming tutorials help increase
your hands-on skills with Reason.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1870775937/


***Oracle DBA Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596100493
This handy reference is designed to help administrators make more
effective use of their time by presenting a compact summary of DBA tasks
in an easy-to-use form. With this book by your side, you'll have instant
access to the most important concepts, best practices, tips, and
checklists. Key topics include architecture, installation,
configuration, tuning, and backup/recovery.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/oracledbapg/


***Windows XP Cookbook
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007256
Useful to anyone that has to use, deploy, administer, or automate
Windows XP, this handy reference guide provides practical solutions for
the most common Windows XP tasks. The over 300 step-by-step recipes
enable you to install, manage, and support your operating system with
ease. This book also covers Microsoft's XP Service Pack 2.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsxpckbk/

Chapter 6, "System Properties, Startup, and Shutdown," is available
online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsxpckbk/chapter/index.html


***Digital Identity
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596008783
This fascinating book shows how an enterprise-wide "identity management
architecture" (IMA) can provide security while ensuring that
interactions with customers, employees, partners, and suppliers are
richer and more flexible. Through a detailed, real-world view of the
concepts, issues, and technologies behind IMA, this book shows CIOs,
other IT professionals, product managers, and programmers how security
planning can support business goals and opportunities rather than
holding them at bay.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/digidentity/

Chapter 13, "An Architecture for Digital Identity," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/digidentity/chapter/index.html


***Host Integrity Monitoring Using Osiris and Samhain
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1597490180
Host Integrity Monitoring is the most effective way to determine if some
form of malicious attack or threat has compromised your network security
to modify the filesystem, system configuration, or runtime environment
of monitored hosts. This book provides foundation information on host
integrity monitoring as well as specific, detailed instruction on using
best of breed products Osiris and Samhain.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1597490180/index.html


***Agile Web Development with Rails
Publisher: Pragmatic
ISBN: 097669400X
This book shows you how easy it is to install Rails using your web
server of choice. In the extended tutorial sections, you'll create a
complete online store application to see how a full Rails application is
developed. Further, you'll learn how to exploit the Rails service
frameworks to send emails, implement web services, and create dynamic,
user-centric web pages. There are also extensive chapters on testing,
deployment, and scaling.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/097669400X/


***MAKE Magazine Subscriptions Available
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you'll get a free issue--the first one plus
four more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this
great offer for charter subscribers: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
https://www.pubservice.com/MK/Subnew.aspx?PC=MK&PK=M5ZUGLA

================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
***For more events, please see:
http://events.oreilly.com/


***Sinan Si Alhirr ("UML in a Nutshell"), Project Management Institute,
Bloomington, IL--September 13
Author Sinan  presents "The Art of Agility: Project Management and
Software Development" at the Project Management Institute (PMI) Central
Illinois Chapter.
http://www.pmi-cic.org/

	
***O'Reilly at Microsoft PDC 2005, Los Angeles, CA--September 13-16
Visit us at booth #1017 and discover our growing line of Microsoft
developer, administrator, and advanced Office books. O'Reilly editors
and product manager will be on hand to answer your questions. Our
Microsoft publishing team is looking forward to this sold out show.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/events/pdc/


***David Pogue (Missing Manual Series) Gloucester County College,
Sewell, NJ--October 22
In partnership with Gloucester County College, the Macintosh Users Group
of Southern New Jersey is sponsoring an afternoon with author and "New
York Times" columnist, David Pogue. For event details and registration
information, go to:
http://www.mugsnj.org/Pogue2005/index.html

================================================
Conference News
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***ETech 2006 CFP Now Open
O'Reilly's Emerging Technology Conference 2006 is scheduled for March
6-9 in San Diego. We invite technologists, strategists, CTOs, chief
scientists, researchers, programmers, hackers, standards workers,
business developers, and entrepreneurs to lead sessions and tutorials at
ETech. This year's challenge focuses on the amazing amount of digital
data in our worlds: how do we visualize the data, filter it, remix it,
and access it in meaningful ways? Proposals are due by September 19th.
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/etech/


***Registration is Open for EuroOSCON
Join developers, systems and network administrators, and IT managers at
the very first O'Reilly European Open Source Convention in Amsterdam on
October 17-20. EuroOSCON will explore the best and newest open source
technologies, particularly for companies, governments, and nonprofits.
EuroOSCON showcases the diversity in open source while maintaining a
practical edge.
http://conferences.oreilly.com/eurooscon/

Use code "euos05usrg" when you register, and receive 25% off the
registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/eurooscon/create/ord_euos05

================================================
News From O'Reilly & Beyond
================================================
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General News
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***MAKE: Blog is Nominated for "Best of the Web" on Business Week
Cast your vote today and help us make number one.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/bestofweb.htm


***Visualizing the O'Reilly Connection Network Using FOAF and Graphviz
Timothy M. O'Brien gathered some interesting imagery and offered insight
into the growing network in the O'Reilly Connection. Just over a month
old and the network already looks as busy as the air traffic pattern
over O'Hare.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/7631


***What is AdSense
Looking for ways to generate some cash for that website you've been
developing? Google's AdSense may be your answer. This introduction to
AdSense will help you decide if the program, which allows you to sell
advertising space for other people's ads on your own site, is right for
you.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/07/26/WhatIsAdSense.html


***SafariU: Create Your Own Textbook in No Time
With the SafariU web-based service, you can build your own custom
textbook or online syllabus in a few hours drawing from the extensive
list of top technical titles and 5,000 plus article database. Your
printed custom book can be on local bookstore shelves in as little as
two weeks. The online syllabus and electronic version of your book are
accessible immediately. The service is free to qualified instructors.
Visit SafariU to sign up for access.
https://www.safariu.com/


***Learning Lab August Special
In our practice-based, self-paced courses, you can build your online
portfolio with plenty of instructor feedback and a free O'Reilly book
for reference. For a limited time, use the discount passcode "tarsier"
to save an extra 15% off any of our courses--including all University of
Illinois Certificate Series.
http://oreilly.useractive.com/courses/certificates.php3


***Identity Management Architectures and Digital Identity
Building an identity management infrastructure requires a strategy; one
that takes into account not only the technology, but the politics and
economics surrounding digital identity. Phil Windley calls such a
strategy an identity management architecture, or IMA. Here, he defines
what an IMA is, and discusses the key components and myths to developing
one. Phil is the author of O'Reilly's "Digital Identity."
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/08/19/digitaldentity.html

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Open Source
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***Linux for Video Production
Linux and open source software is traditionally good for developers and
system administrators, and recently good for business users. When will
it be good for multimedia users? A handful of projects are making video
production and editing possible (and useful). Jono Bacon examines the
present and future of video production with Linux and open source
software. Jono is the coauthor of "Linux Desktop Hacks."
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/08/18/linux_video.html


***How to Decide What Bugs to Fix When, Part 1
There are two challenges to making smart bug decisions: first,
understanding how to make good bug-fix decisions; and second, creating
and following rules that make it easy to stick to those decisions when
the pressure is high. In this first installment of a two-part essay,
Scott Berkun, author of "The Art of Project Management," provides the
core ideas you need to make your own bug-fixing rules.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2005/08/11/fixingbugs.html


***PHP 6.0 Ingredients
A wish-list of PHP 6.0 features leads to controversy among some PHP
users and Web Hosts. Find out what Tom Rutter thinks of the wish list
and what he thinks is missing.
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2005/08/15/php-60-ingredients/

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Mac
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***Web Apps with Tiger: Getting Started
Morbus is back with more web serving tools and tricks, updated for Mac
OS X Tiger. In this first article, he'll take you on a whirlwind tour
through the basics: turning on the Apache web server, learning a teensy
bit of its configuration, then enabling and testing PHP.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/08/16/apache.html


***Build a Simple 3D Pipeline in Tcl
Are you interested in playing with 3D graphics for games? In this
article, Michael Norton shows you how to assemble a game console to
experiment with using Tcl, which is a great tool for playing with
graphics algorithms.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/08/12/tcl.html


***Turn Your Old Mac into a Home-automation System
Automating your home--so the lights turn on automatically when darkness
falls, the heat turns on a half an hour before you're due home, or a
security camera watches the house while you're out--isn't that hard to
do. Gordon Meyer, author of "Smart Home Hacks," tells you how.
http://www.macworld.com/2005/08/features/oldmacnewtricks3/index.php

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Windows/.NET
---------------------
***What Is Visual Studio
What can you really do with Visual Studio? James Avery discusses some of
the various applications you can build using Visual Studio, some of its
most compelling development features, and what you need to know to get
started writing quality applications in Visual Studio. James is the
author of "Visual Studio Hacks."
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/08/22/
whatisVisualStudio.html


***Setting Up Vonage with Your PC
If you're looking to save money on phone calls and get extra VoIP
features, Vonage is a good bet. Russell Shaw shows you how to set up
Vonage with your PC.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/08/23/Vonage.html

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Java
---------------------
***Using Drools in Your Enterprise Java Application
Enterprise Java developers have many fine framework choices at the
presentation and persistence levels, but what about the business logic
that sits in the middle? Do you want to recompile a mass of if...then
spaghetti code every time a manager drops a new gotcha in your lap? In
this article, Paul Browne suggests that a rule engine like Drools may be
an ideal fit for this task.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/08/24/drools.html


***Hacking Swing with Undocumented Classes and Properties
Joshua Marinacci, coauthor of "Swing Hacks," shows you six undocumented
features, classes, and properties that let you hack into Swing. From how
to hide a frame from the Windows task bar to how to make Mac OS X
windows truly transparent, these undocumented hacks can add a level of
polish that will make your apps stand out from the rest.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/08/10/swinghacks.html

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Digital Media
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***Ten Tips for Improving Your Podcasts
Jack Herrington, author of "Podcasting Hacks," offers his top ten
suggestions for creating great podcasts. He starts with the basics:
reducing noise, getting a good microphone, proper microphone technique,
show prep, and format, and closes with tips that deal with improving the
content of your show.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/08/10/improvingpodcasts.html


***Get Cooking With Photoshop and CSS
With Photoshop, CSS, and a little creativity, you can enjoy a feast of
design options. Corrie shows how easy it is to tweak the graphic
ingredients of your designs to produce completely different results. She
cooks up three tasty design styles in Photoshop, then shows,
step-by-step, how to reproduce them using CSS.
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/get-cooking-photoshop-css


***Mobile Video: Working with MPEG-4 Clips on Mobile Phones
MPEG-4 files can be struggle to work with, but the format is so good
it's worth taming. In this article, Douglas Dixon uses the QuickTime
Player to view and deconstruct clips created by several camera phones.
He examines the details of the MPEG-4 format for mobile phones--called
3GPP--and works around some of the idiosyncrasies of different devices
that create slightly different formats.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/08/24/mpeg4.html

---------------------
MAKE
---------------------
***MAKE: Audio--Natalie Jeremijenko
MAKE: Audio rolls out a new type of show: A MAKER profile of Natalie
Jeremijenko, who builds toxic-sensing robot dogs from discarded toys, as
read by Dale Dougherty, MAKE publisher. This is an enhanced podcast; it
will play audio *and* show the actual pages of MAKE Magazine from volume
02 when you click on them. We hope to do more of these--please let us
know what you think.

Don't forget to add the MAKE feed to iTunes 4.9. Click this link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=74069835
and click SUBSCRIBE.


***How to Get RSS Feeds on Your Watch
Phil Torrone show's us how to get MSN filter content or any news via
RSS on a SPOT watch:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/08/how_to_get_msn.html#more

You can also get MAKE shows via ODEO!
http://odeo.com/channel/1178/view

MAKE Show Archive:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/make_podcast/


***For more information on MAKE, go to:
http://www.makezine.com/


================================================
 From Your Peers
================================================
***Charleston Code Camp,Charleston, SC--September 17
Learn Today, Compile Tonight! Interested in learning something new,
without being bored to tears by an endless, 8 hour parade of
Powerpoints? At Charleston Code Camp, you'll see real code that does
real stuff, on a variety of topics such as Enterprise Development,
Mobile Development, ASP.NET and more...and the best part is, after
you're done, you'll be able to download everything at home and keep
using it. For more information:
http://gcnug.org/codecamp


***Don't forget to check out the O'Reilly UG wiki to see what user
groups around the globe are up to:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/index.cgi

Until next time--

Marsee Henon


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