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Hacked Again

An engrossing volume about hackers that should cause readers to immediately tweak their passwords.

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A cybersecurity pundit blends memoir and advice in this compact debut book.

With society’s shift to wireless and cloud-based computing, Schober, president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, which makes diagnostic equipment for wireless networks, has found a second career helping people thwart hackers. In this volume, he connects with readers on a personal level by sharing his own experiences of being hacked and showcases his authority by chronicling how often he has been sought out by TV and other media, such as after the notorious Target and Sony data breaches. Schober begins with bank account and credit card risks and notes the nontechnical ways that cyberthieves in the workplace steal identities through careless habits, like sticky notes with passwords on monitors. He discusses spam, malware, phishing, and spoofing; different kinds of hackers; and the dark web, where they trade stolen data. Despite these subjects’ technical nature, the author consistently uses plain language geared to novices and writes in a straightforward, conversational style reflecting his considerable public-speaking experience. A good glossary of cyberterms is included. He uses the metaphor of physically securing a home, advocating multiple layers of defenses designed to make thieves move on to easier targets. He emphasizes strong passwords changed regularly and details techniques to apply and avoid in creating them. He suggests substituting gibberish or passwords for security question answers, like school or pet names, which might be guessed or found on social media. He warns readers not to click on links in unsolicited emails. Few of his tips are original, but the author breathes life into his counsel by combining deep technical knowledge, extensive personal experience, and a down-to-earth communication style. Some may find his name-dropping gratuitous, but by placing himself at the center of the fast-paced action, Schober creates a narrative that is more likely to keep readers engaged than typical tech guides—one that pulls together all major cybersecurity threats, details their consequences, and offers practical, preventive actions that are easy to understand and implement.

An engrossing volume about hackers that should cause readers to immediately tweak their passwords.

Pub Date: March 15, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9969022-0-5

Page Count: 202

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: July 11, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

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