Digital Identity -- 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. Sample Chapter 13, An Architecture for Digital Identity (PDF), is available free online.

Agile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic) -- 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.

PC Pest Control -- This comprehensive guide helps you guard against internet pests like adware, spyware, homepage hijackers, Trojans, spam, phishing, and more. Written in a friendly and engaging manner, it describes each problem and its symptoms, rates the danger level, and then shows you how to solve the problem step by step, allowing you to surf the web with a whole new level of confidence.

Computer Privacy Annoyances -- Written by privacy pro Dan Tynan, and based on interviews with privacy experts from all over the globe, this book serves up real-world advice in bite-sized portions that will help you stop snoops in their tracks. You'll learn how to keep private information private, stop nosy bosses, get off that incredibly annoying mailing list, and more. It's your complete guide to a safer, saner, and more private life. Sample Chapter 2, Privacy at Home (PDF), is available free online.

Linux in a Nutshell, 5th Edition -- Considered by many to be the most complete and authoritative command reference for Linux available, this book covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions and has been updated to cover all new features. Everything that system administrators, developers, and power users need to know about Linux is referenced here. Sample Chapter 4, Boot Methods (PDF), is available free online.

Degunking Your Mac, Tiger Edition (Paraglyph) -- This Tiger edition shows all Mac users the tried-and-true techniques they need to to run Tiger at peak performance. It explains how to get the most from the new Tiger features, including Spotlight, Dashboard, Safari RSS, iChat AV, OS X Tiger Mail, and many others. Mac users will love this book because it will help them get organized, optimize their workspace, solve clutter problems, and keep their Macs running smoothly.

Open Source for the Enterprise -- The authors of this important book have each used open source software for some 15 years at IT departments large and small, and they have collected the wisdom of a host of experts from IT departments, open source communities, and software companies. This book provides a top to bottom view not only of the technology available, but of the skills required to manage it and the organizational issues that must be addressed.

Car PC Hacks -- This comprehensive and easy-to-read guide is the first book available to introduce and entrench you into the hot new car PC market. It gets you started with its introduction to the basics of car electrical systems and is packed with clear explanations and real-life examples. Whether you're venturing into the car PC world for the first time or you're an experienced hobbyist, you're guaranteed a joy ride. Sample Hack 60, Control Your Car PC with Voice Recognition (PDF), is available free online.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One -- A straightforward, step-by-step guide to the features and functions of Photoshop, this book covers the new features of CS2 in depth, with plenty of real-world projects and insider tips along the way. Learn how to use the new workflow and file handling features, how to batch process digital camera raw files, search metadata, quickly review images in Slideshow mode, and much more. Comes with two hours of video training on CD.

Using Moodle -- Developed by an extremely active open source community, Moodle is a sophisticated course management system that's ideal for creating dynamic online learning communities and for supplementing face-to-face learning. This book is a comprehensive, hands-on guide that explains how the system works, with plenty of examples and best practices for its many features and plug-in modules. For anyone who is using (or thinking of using) this CMS, this is required reading. Sample Chapter 1, Introduction (PDF), is available free online.

What Is Vlogging (and How to Get Started) -- Short for "video blogging," vlogging is another way to take advantage of the RSS enclosure tag. Josh Paul explains vlogging and shows you how to get your videos into the iTunes Music Store. Josh is the author of Digital Video Hacks.

Automator Automation Poguecast -- Listen to David Pogue cover Automator workflows that can help save on computing time. Learn how to use Automator to automate backups, zip up applications, and set alarms for automatic processing. Then check out all of David's Poguecasts.

Watching Ports with Port Reporter -- Here's another cool tool from Redmond. It monitors port usage for security reasons and for troubleshooting network connectivity problems. Mitch Tulloch shows you where to get it and how to make the most out of it. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Astronomy Hacks: Getting Started -- Getting started in amateur astronomy seems simple enough. Buy a telescope, take it out at night, point it at the sky, and you're good to go. Or are you? Not getting started right could land that new scope in the closet or on eBay. Chapter 1 of Astronomy Hacks will teach you everything you need to avoid the most common beginner mistakes. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

Microsoft Receives $7M in Spam Settlement -- Noted as a significant victory in the fight against spam, Microsoft was awarded 7 million dollars in settlement from Scott Richter, one of the world's most prolific spammers. Richter, as well as a host of other spammers, are covered in Brian McWilliams' comprehensive investigation of the world of spam, Spam Kings.

What Is FireWire (and How Best to Use It) -- FireWire is a high-speed, data serial interface that has many practical uses. In this article, you'll learn the ins and outs of this powerful technology, plus some inside tips to take advantage of its unique features.

O'Reilly's Web 2.0 Conference -- Join us October 5-7 in beautiful San Francisco for the second annual Web 2.0 Conference. We're assembling a select group of thought leaders and innovators to explore this year's theme, "Revving The Web," focusing on the services, applications, businesses, and models that are reshaping the internet, particularly for media and entertainment, communications and mobile, policies and legal issues, and the concept of the web OS. Request an invitation today.

An Interview with Chris Date -- In this extensive conversation, Chris Date debunks a lot of misinformation on "weaknesses of the relational model"; discusses the impact of his classic book, The Third Manifesto; evaluates the future of SQL as well as his past comments on the language; and closes with his thoughts on the future of DBMSs. Chris is the author of Database in Depth: Relational Theory for Practitioners.

What Are Google AdWords -- What exactly are Google AdWords? What do all those sometimes confusing AdWord terms mean? What do you need to know before you sign up? If you're considering advertising on Google, this article has the information you need to know before you get started.

O'Reilly Network on Forbes Best of the Web -- Forbes.com recently chose the O'Reilly Network as one of the top Technology Blogs in its Best of the Web Directory. The criteria for selection included having a "limitless curiosity and passion for covering all that is next." Thanks, Forbes!

SafariU: MERLOT Partnership with O'Reilly Media -- The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT), an open resource designed to aggregate, evaluate, and make available quality online instructional resources, and SafariU, O'Reilly's web-based platform for creating and sharing custom course materials, announced a new partnership. MERLOT and SafariU users will now have a greater quantity of high-quality online resources that can be easily incorporated into faculty-designed courses. Visit SafariU for more information and to sign up for access.

Refactoring in Visual Basic 2005 -- Refactoring is the one-size-fits-all name given to a set of coding shortcuts that help you rework code on the fly. C# developers have such a tool, but Visual Basic developers were not so lucky--till now. Matthew MacDonald reviews Refactor, the free VB 2005 tool, and offers some how-to techniques for using it. Matthew is the author of Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook.

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.