Every day, out in the various discussion boards devoted to Microsoft SQL Server, the same types of questions come up again and again: Why is this query running slow? Is my index getting used? Why does this query run faster than this query? My response is the same n in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Execution plans provide a...

In this book a theory based on the second law of thermodynamics and its applications are described. In thermodynamics there is a concept of an ideal gas which satisfies a mathematical formula PV = RT. This formula can approximately be applied to the...

I was trying to imagine what the world would look like without Western medicine. Gone would be primary care physicians, surgeons, psychiatry—all the various medical specialties. There would be no treatment for trauma, nor fractures. Sufferers from the common cold would need to recover without their physician’s help. There would be...

Less than a year later after the first one arrived, Apple put...

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Over the years as power costs have soared and data center space has become scarce and expensive to acquire, enterprises and small businesses have been looking for ways to decrease their data center footprints as well as reduce the overall costs of operating an IT infrastructure. As the number of different applications being deployed in...

Are you a software developer? Are you interested in how build systems work? You’re reading this book; so there’s a good chance you answered “Yes” to both questions. On the other hand, many software developers aren’t interested in how their program is compiled. Most people just want to press a button and...

SketchUp is both simple and intuitive; there is no doubt about that. It usually takes a couple of hours to get grips on it and to create your first 3D models. But when you are using it for a professional project – with all the attendant time and quality constraints – you have to get a few things straight first to avoid the...

Change: It’s what we expect from technology, from the PC to the web, through to HD TV. But nothing has been as disruptive as the change the iPhone and Android phones have brought. For the first time the power of a computer will fit in your hand, you are always connected to the Internet, and these devices are loaded with...

A number of forces are driving this explosion. The first is internationalization encompassing a dramatic growth in...

There is a scientific consensus that we need to act rapidly to cut carbon dioxide emissions if we are to limit the most extreme effects of climate change. The IT sector is in a unique position to act as a catalyst for this change. By implementing simple efficiencies, the sector can reduce its carbon footprint – which currently...

In the last year,...