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Designing Websites with Publii and GitHub Pages: Create, Maintain and Host Beautiful Websites for Free
by Brad MooreDoes getting online seem overwhelmingly difficult? Are you paying too much for your hosting solution? Have you always wanted to have a blog but don’t know where to start? Do you settle for a Facebook page for your business website but know you need more? The solution to these problems is choosing the right tools. This book will guide you through the process of setting up a Publii-based publishing platform and hosting your site for free on GitHub. Publii is a free, open source, desktop application that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and makes building the website or blog you dream of is a simple process. This book walks you through the process of installing and using Publii, setting up accounts on GitHub and hosting a static blog or website there. You will gain background insights on here to get no-cost imagery for website, how to leverage AI to generate ideas, outlines, and images. You’ll also review search engine optimization (SEO) best practices to ensure your site is searchable. Designing Websites with Publii and GitHub Pages is your roadmap to creating a website and understanding how the publishing workflow works. What You Will Learn Use text editors such as WYSIWYG, Block, and Markdown Make a page from a post. Work on advanced processes such as installing themes and plugins Manage and back up your data Explore GDRP and cooking banner considerations Who This Book Is For Those with limited or no programming or compute skills who want to learn how to set up a website.
Cost-Effective Graphic Solutions for Small Businesses: The Power of Visual Imaging and Design (Apress Pocket Guides)
by Phillip WhittDelve into learning the strategies for producing impressive graphics without overspending. This all-inclusive manual equips small business proprietors with the knowledge and skills to utilize open source tools, graphics and photo libraries and how to put them to good use. Learn how to tap into a vast collection of premium stock photos from Pexels and Pixabay to elevate your visual content. Additionally, delve into the innovative capabilities of AI technology, transforming the process of graphic design and production. Whether you are an experienced entrepreneur or a novice in the field, this guide serves as your pathway to visually appealing and cost-effective marketing materials. Cost-Effective Image and Graphic Solutions for Small Businesses is your guide to creating impressive and effective graphics that won’t strain your budget. Discover powerful no-cost image editing programs such as Paint.NET, GIMP, and FotoSketcher to incorporate into your visual designs as well as affordable web-based solutions for creating marketing materials such as business cards, posters, flyers, social media posts, and more. There are even tips for saving on large-format visuals, and graphics for company vehicles. You Will Learn To: Enhance your professional visual identity for your business Utilize programs such as Paint.NET to touch up photos, and create business cards, flyers, and other graphic materials Use GIMP as an alternative to Adobe Photoshop for photo editing and raster illustrations Turn photographic images into art with the easy-to-use FotoSketcher Make scalable vector graphics using Inkscape Navigate royalty free stock photo libraries and archives available for both personal and commercial use Explore web-based solutions for creating professional-looking marketing materials such as business cards, postcards, flyers, and social media posts Utilise AI to generate compelling images, idea and content Who is This For: This book is for any small business owner, manager or graphics designer requiring the means to create quality graphics and visuals on a tight budget
Introducing .NET MAUI: Build and Deploy Cross-Platform Applications Using C# and .NET 9.0 Multi-Platform App UI
by Shaun LawrenceInterested in giving Microsoft’s new Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) a try? This book provides developers with a comprehensive set of tools and hands-on coding to build their own cross-platform applications. The book is a comprehensive end-to-end guide on creating, building, and distributing .NET MAUI applications. As you walk through each new concept, .NET MAUI expert and Microsoft MVP Shaun Lawrence will show the concept's value and uses, and then have you apply it in a build-along application. You will work with this build-along application right up until you are ready to ship it to the relevant stores (e.g., App Store, etc.). The underlying theme through the book is to explain a key concept, show how to implement it directly in order to reinforce your understanding, and then show potential simplifications (e.g., alternative libraries) that can help you reduce the complexities of an applications code base. What You Will Learn Create a .NET MAUI application Apply commonly required techniques Apply more advanced techniques to make applications stand out Know what to consider when distributing applications to the relevant stores Take an application from concept through to production Who This Book Is For Developers who are new to .NET MAUI and cross-platform development. A basic knowledge of C# is required, but no prior knowledge using .NET MAUI is required. Experienced developers also will find the book useful as it covers topics key to modern day development (such as accessibility, performance, and distribution). Xamarin Forms developers will find the book useful as key features new to .NET MAUI that will aid in the migration from Xamarin Forms to .NET MAUI are explained. New To This Edition Gain insights on the latest updates to .NET MAUI with the release of version 9.0. Learn about features like AOT, Polly, MauiReactor, Shell, and more.
Data Usability in the Enterprise: How Usability Leads to Optimal Digital Experiences
by Praveen GujarEnsuring data usability is paramount to unlocking a company’s full potential and driving informed decision-making. Part of author Saurav Bhattacharya’s trilogy that covers the essential pillars of digital ecosystems—security, reliability, and usability—this book offers a comprehensive exploration of the fundamental concepts, principles, and practices essential for enhancing data accessibility and effectiveness. You’ll study the core aspects of data design, standardization, and interoperability, gaining the knowledge needed to create and maintain high-quality data environments. By examining the tools and technologies that improve data usability, along with best practices for data visualization and user-centric strategies, this book serves as an invaluable resource for professionals seeking to leverage data more effectively. The book also addresses crucial governance issues, ensuring data quality, integrity, and security are maintained. Through a detailed analysis of data governance frameworks and privacy concerns, you’ll see how to manage data responsibly. Additionally, the book includes compelling case studies that highlight successful data usability implementations, future trends, and the challenges faced in achieving optimal data usability. By fostering a culture of data literacy and usability, this book will help you and your organization navigate the evolving data landscape and harness the power of data for innovation and growth. What You Will Learn Understand the fundamental concepts and importance of data usability, including effective data design, enhancing data accessibility, and ensuring data standardization and interoperability. Review the latest tools and technologies that enhance data usability, best practices for data visualization, and strategies for implementing user-centric data approaches. Ensure data quality and integrity, while navigating data privacy and security concerns. Implement robust data governance frameworks to manage data responsibly and effectively. Who This Book Is For Cybersecurity and IT professionals
Developing Web Components with Svelte: Building a Library of Reusable UI Components
by Alex LibbyLeverage the power of Svelte to quickly produce the foundations of a framework-agnostic component library that can extend and develop over time. This is a project-oriented book that simplifies setting up the skeleton of the library and adding components, using little more than a text editor or free software. You'll gain a starting baseline that can be used to develop future projects or incorporated into an existing workflow. You'll take development to the next level and can use this knowledge to create components with any framework, such as React, Angular or Vue.js, not just Svelte. Developing Web Components with Svelte is an excellent resource for getting acquainted with creating and maintaining a component library using a phased approach. It takes the view that you don't have to create something complex and unwieldy. Instead, you can start building something quickly, then extend it as needs dictate over time, without sacrificing speed or features. You'll see how to develop cleaner components in a quick, clear and straightforward way. The components you create from this book can be made available for use in other frameworks such as React, Vue or Angular, making them genuinely reusable. In short, Svelte offers plenty of opportunities as it is based on Node.js and JavaScript, which makes it a powerful package to use. This New Edition Includes: New chapters covering animation components, accessibility concerns and Theming Extensively updated content and documentation to support changes in Storybook Updated to the latest spec of Svelte Reworked content and installation process for Storybook You'll Learn: To use the Svelte framework to rapidly create and deploy the foundation of a web component library that is versatile and performant To review developing and customizing components based on our needs To work through a real-world project to help solidify skills learned from the book and put them into practice Who This Book Is For: Website developers, familiar with JavaScript, who are keen to learn how to leverage the Svelte framework fast Agile development teams, where time is of the essence, and the pressure is on to deliver results quickly Developers who want to focus on simplicity, to produce efficient and optimized content in modern browsers using tools readily available
Investing in Revolutions: Creating Wealth from Transformational Technology Waves
by Tal ElyashivTake a deep dive into the life cycle of revolutionary technologies. This book is a pivotal read for anyone looking to navigate the burgeoning world of technology investment and serves as a crucial guide for those eager to delve into the complexities and immense potential of emerging technologies like Blockchain, Web3, AI, VR/AR, Quantum computing or Genomics. The book traces the growth journey of these various innovations, offering readers a comprehensive view of how technologies evolve, mature, and potentially (and eventually) transform markets and societies. What makes this book unique is its fusion of forward-looking insights with valuable historical context. It doesn't merely present a roadmap for the future; it anchors its guidance in lessons learned from past tech revolutions. This approach provides a robust framework for understanding not just where technology is heading, but also the why and how behind its trajectory. More than just an investment guide; it's a lens through which you can view the unfolding future of technology. The book offers a balanced view, recognizing the potential pitfalls and hype that often accompany emerging tech, while highlighting the genuine opportunities for creating wealth and driving innovation. Whether you're looking to make your first investment in a tech startup, diversify your portfolio with tech stocks, or simply gain a deeper understanding of how technological innovations shape our world, Investing in Revolutions is an invaluable resource. What You’ll Learn Identify emerging transformational technologies. Understand the ecosystem and investment opportunities of these emerging technologies. Differentiate between overhyped tech fads and technologies with real, sustainable impact. Examine strategies for investing in the tech space, while carefully balancing the risk-reward equation. Navigate uncertainties and make calculated decisions to maximize potential returns. Who This Book Is For Investors, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts
Industrial Metaverse Building Blocks: An Extended Reality (XR) Model-Based Approach (Maker Innovations Series)
by Alessandro Migliaccio Giovanni Iannone Mark SageExplore the Metaverse’s role in centralizing industrial data. This book introduces the methodology and applications of extended reality (XR) technologies in the life cycle of complex systems as a natural part of model-based systems engineering (MBSE). The integration of extended realities within the Metaverse opens up new possibilities for immersive experiences and enhanced collaboration, making them an indispensable tool to optimize the workflow in large organizations and SMEs. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies enable users to interact with digital models in a more intuitive manner. Starting with the basis of model-based systems engineering, the book is structured into six building blocks (chapters) that outline the process needed to understand how to create and support industrial activities using immersive technology. You’ll see how teams can collaborate remotely in shared virtual spaces, breaking down geographical, language, and shared content barriers while fostering creativity and innovation. Interviews are then provided in chapter 7, in which experts share their experiences deploying the building blocks of the Metaverse in their organization. Industrial Metaverse Building Blocks offers practical insights into the benefits and implementation of mixed reality, guiding you on effectively integrating the technology into your organization to drive innovation and achieve strategic goals. What You Will Learn Access real-time data, ensuring accuracy for stakeholders Utilize 3D and AI for model-based simulations Enhance collaboration through VR and AR integration Implement Model-Based Systems Engineering for industrial tech Increase the efficiency of system engineering/product development with XR/MBSE technology Who This Book Is For Innovation teams, CTOs, CIOs, business unit leads, consultants in XR and Systems Engineering, and vision and strategy creators.
A Friendly Guide to Data Science: Everything You Should Know About the Hottest Field in Tech (Friendly Guides to Technology)
by Kelly P. VincentUnlock the world of data science—no coding required. Curious about data science but not sure where to start? This book is a beginner-friendly guide to what data science is and how people use it. It walks you through the essential topics—what data analysis involves, which skills are useful, and how terms like &“data analytics&” and &“machine learning&” connect—without getting too technical too fast. Data science isn&’t just about crunching numbers, pulling data from a database, or running fancy algorithms. It&’s about asking the right questions, understanding the process from start to finish, and knowing what&’s possible (and what&’s not). This book teaches you all of that, while also introducing important topics like ethics, privacy, and security—because working with data means thinking about people, too. Whether you're a student exploring new skills, a professional navigating data-driven decisions, or someone considering a career change, this book is your friendly gateway into the world of data science, one of today&’s most exciting fields. No coding or programming experience? No problem. You'll build a solid foundation and gain the confidence to engage with data science concepts— just as AI and data become increasingly central to everyday life. What You Will Learn Grasp foundational statistics and how it matters in data analysis and data science Understand the data science project life cycle and how to manage a data science project Examine the ethics of working with data and its use in data analysis and data science Understand the foundations of data security and privacy Collect, store, prepare, visualize, and present data Identify the many types of machine learning and know how to gauge performance Prepare for and find a career in data science Who This Book is for A wide range of readers who are curious about data science and eager to build a strong foundation. Perfect for undergraduates in the early semesters of their data science degrees, as it assumes no prior programming or industry experience. Professionals will find particular value in the real-world insights shared through practitioner interviews. Business leaders can use it to better understand what data science can do for them and how their teams are applying it. And for career changers, this book offers a welcoming entry point into the field—helping them explore the landscape before committing to more intensive learning paths like degrees or boot camps.
Responsible AI in Practice: A Practical Guide to Safe and Human AI
by Paolo Giudici Toju DukeThis book is the first practical book on AI risk assessment and management. It will enable you to evaluate and implement safe and accurate AI models and applications. The book features risk assessment frameworks, statistical metrics and code, a risk taxonomy curated from real-world case studies, and insights into AI regulation and policy, and is an essential tool for AI governance teams, AI auditors, AI ethicists, machine learning (ML) practitioners, Responsible AI practitioners, and computer science and data science students building safe and trustworthy AI systems across businesses, organizations, and universities. The centerpiece of this book is a risk management and assessment framework titled “Safe Human-centered AI (SAFE-HAI),” which highlights AI risks across the following Responsible AI principles: accuracy, sustainability and robustness, explainability, transparency and accountability, fairness, privacy and human rights, human-centered AI, and AI governance. Using several statistical metrics such as Area Under Curve (AUC), Rank Graduation Accuracy, and Shapley values, you will learn to apply Lorenz curves to measure risk and inequality across the different principles and will be equipped with a taxonomy/scoring rubric to identify and mitigate identified risks. This book is a true practical guide and covers a real-world case study using the proposed SAFE-HAI framework. The book will help you adopt standards and voluntary codes of conduct in compliance with AI risk and safety policies and regulations, including those from the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and EU AI Act (European Commission). What You Will Learn Know the key principles behind Responsible AI and associated risks Become familiar with risk assessment frameworks, statistical metrics, and mitigation measures for identified risks Be aware of the fundamentals of AI regulations and policies and how to adopt them Understand AI governance basics and implementation guidelines Who This Book Is For AI governance teams, AI auditors, AI ethicists, machine learning (ML) practitioners, Responsible AI practitioners, and computer science and data science students building safe and trustworthy AI systems across businesses, organizations, and universities
Mastering UltraEdit: Functions and Possibilities of the Most Flexible, Powerful, and Secure Text Editor
by Devid EspenschiedThis guide to UltraEdit covers the text editor's powerful and flexible functions that go far beyond the functionality of a normal text editor for a breadth of use cases, including text/code editing, web development, system administration, development/programming, remote file editing, data filtering and sorting, and file compare. Even though UltraEdit celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024, very few manuals exist. This book provides a well-founded introduction and exhaustively discusses all UltraEdit’s powerful functions. At the same time, the book is intended to be a solid reference and a bundled compendium for the more than four million UltraEdit customers worldwide. What You Will Learn Know the basic functions and many power functions Understand the focus of UltraEdit in the areas of programming/development, web development, database management, and system administration, as well as technical writing, editing, and publishing Get up to speed on functions and capabilities, user interface and program navigation, customization and settings, and windows arrangement and file management Know the core functions for editing and inserting data Expand your knowledge with the many view variations, formatting options, and powerful search and replace features an editor can include Perfect your workflow with many other power functions such as multi-caret editing, column mode, and FTP integration Who This Book Is For Users who are familiar with text editors but are frustrated with their limits, or who want to benefit from UltraEdit's long-established power functions
PowerShell Fast Track: Hacks for Non-Coders
by Vikas SukhijaCreate complex scripts in PowerShell and learn how to connect them to cloud services like Azure and Azure AD. This updated version of the book will help you learn PowerShell by providing small “cheat” snippets that you can combine to write efficient and effective scripts. New to the book: PowerShell 5 to PowerShell 7 upgrade throughout the text New code Snippets for AWS and other technologies. New Chapter on error reporting PowerShell Fast Track starts with the basics of PowerShell before moving on to discuss functions like date and logs, along with concepts such as inputs for your scripts. Author Vikas Sukhija then walks you through interactive input and Snapins modules, where you will learn GUI button prompts and how to import sessions. He’ll then show you how to report errors through email and log errors to a text file. Reporting CSV (Comma Separate Value) is discussed next, followed by a demonstration of miscellaneous functions, including how to connect your PowerShell scripts with Azure, SharePoint, Teams and other services. As you progress further, you’ll see how PowerShell provides powerful features for automation that can be leveragedfor managing your Teams workload. Finally, using practical examples, you will learn how to implement and create scripts for day-to-day usage. After reading this book, you will be able to hit the ground running and use PowerShell’s powerful features in your own work. What You Will Learn: Utilize code Snippets to perform practical tasks Combine the code to create more complex scripts. Logging and reporting Connect to various products such as Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and AzureAD Who This Book Is For: System administrators
Scaling Enterprise Solutions with Large Language Models: Comprehensive End-to-End Generative AI Solutions for Production-Grade Enterprise Solutions
by Arindam GangulyArtificial Intelligence (AI) is the bedrock of today's applications, propelling the field towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Despite this advancement, integrating such breakthroughs into large-scale production-grade enterprise applications presents significant challenges. This book addresses these hurdles in the domain of large language models within enterprise solutions. By leveraging Big Data engineering and popular data cataloguing tools, you’ll see how to transform challenges into opportunities, emphasizing data reuse for multiple AI models across diverse domains. You’ll gain insights into large language model behavior by using tools such as LangChain and LLamaIndex to segment vast datasets intelligently. Practical considerations take precedence, guiding you on effective AI Governance and data security, especially in data-sensitive industries like banking. This enterprise-focused book takes a pragmatic approach, ensuring large language models align with broader enterprise goals. From data gathering to deployment, it emphasizes the use of low code AI workflow tools for efficiency. Addressing the challenges of handling large volumes of data, the book provides insights into constructing robust Big Data pipelines tailored for Generative AI applications. Scaling Enterprise Solutions with Large Language Models will lead you through the Generative AI application lifecycle and provide the practical knowledge to deploy efficient Generative AI solutions for your business. What You Will Learn Examine the various phases of an AI Enterprise Applications implementation. Turn from AI engineer or Data Science to an Intelligent Enterprise Architect. Explore the seamless integration of AI in Big Data Pipelines. Manage pivotal elements surrounding model development, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the complete application lifecycle. Plan and implement end-to-end large-scale enterprise AI applications with confidence. Who This Book Is For Enterprise Architects, Technical Architects, Project Managers and Senior Developers.
Expert Scripting and Automation for SQL Server DBAs: Amplifying Productivity Through Automation
by Peter A. CarterThe market is trending toward a much smaller ratio of DBAs to SQL Server instances, but this book will help you meet this new reality by harnessing automation to continue building and maintaining reliable database platform services for your SQL Server enterprise. The book will help you automate your workload and manage more databases and instances with greater ease and efficiency by combining metadata-driven automation with the power of PowerShell. You'll soon be able to automate your new instance-builds and centralize your maintenance. This book walks you through automating the SQL Server build processes and maintenance of multiple instances from a single location, as well as how to use database metadata to drive your automation. With a heavier focus on PowerShell, this 2nd edition highlights modern techniques, such as configuration management. Also new in this edition, you will learn how to use PowerShell modules such as SqlServer and DBATools, which is a popular community module that you can rely on to keep your database estate running smoothly. You will understand the benefits of centralizing maintenance to better keep your enterprise responding with reliable performance to the loads placed upon it by your business. The book helps you become faster and better at what you do for a living, and thus will boost your value within the job market. What You Will Learn Automate SQL Server installation and configuration Apply techniques such as Desired State Configuration to prevent drift on your servers and instances Increase your value to your organization by automating low-value tasks and focusing your time on the higher-value ones Take advantage of database metadata to drive automation, allowing you to build intelligent automated routines Promote and demonstrate how to modernize database maintenance across your enterprise Apply tools such as PowerShell with modern techniques to increase your value in the job market Who This Book Is For SQL Server DBAs who want to increase their productivity by embracing automation
Navigating the Product Galaxy: A Practical Handbook for Product Managers
by Michele GalliAs companies want to innovate and stay competitive, product managers must be capable of understanding new market demands, leveraging technology, and aligning product strategies with business goals. This book is designed for both aspiring and seasoned product managers covering the entire product management lifecycle, from ideation and user research to development, to launch, and continuous improvement. In today’s technology-driven market, the role of a product manager has never been more crucial. This book emphasizes practical applications and real-world examples, offering actionable insights and addresses the evolving world of product management, including the impact of new technologies and methodologies. By blending theory with practice, Navigating the Product Galaxy provides you with the tools they need to succeed in a dynamic environment. What You Will Learn Create an inspiring vision and strategic roadmap. Leverage user research and product metrics. Understand the best approaches to plan, launch, and iterate on your product. Generate growth and improve conversion rates. Apply methods for continuous learning and staying ahead in the industry Who This Book Is For Product Managers both new to the field and those more experienced who are looking to consolidate their skills; Developers and engineers who are looking to know more about product management lifecycles; Managers and start up entrepreneurs who are looking to know more about product management and deployment for early business success.
Unit Oriented Enterprise Architecture: Constructing Large Sociotechnical Systems in the Age of AI
by Andre MilchmanExamine a new approach to Enterprise Architecture (EA) that challenges conventional practices and supports a transformative shift to address the demands of a rapidly evolving technological landscape. This book offers alternatives to traditional EA methods that often divide the enterprise into isolated business, application, data, and technology architectures, often resulting in disjointed operations and missed opportunities for innovation. By proposing an innovative, purpose-driven architectural style, this book emphasizes the need for a cohesive and adaptive framework that aligns all components of an enterprise with its strategic goals. Key concepts explored include the integration of social and technical elements in building large sociotechnical systems, the introduction of Unit Oriented Enterprise Architecture (UOEA) for modular and adaptable enterprise design, and the importance of Purpose Driven Design (PDD) in ensuring operational efficiency and strategic alignment. You’ll also gain insights into organizing software engineering in the cloud era, streamlining enterprise interactions, and embracing creative destruction to foster technological harmony. Unit Oriented Enterprise Architecture is your essential resource for system architects, organizational leaders, IT professionals, and students seeking to revolutionize their approach to enterprise architecture and position their organizations for success in the digital age. What You Will Learn Critically assess and dismantle outdated EA concepts to create a more adaptive and cohesive architectural framework. Explore how UOEA can enhance agility and adaptability, allowing your organization to respond more effectively to change. Organize and manage software development within cloud infrastructures, ensuring clarity, scalability, and alignment with your architectural framework. Who This Book Is For Primary Audience: Enterprise architects, organizational leaders, IT professionals; Secondary Audience: Consultants, advisors, and policymakers; Tertiary Audience: Students in system design and organizational studies, academic researchers
The Language of Innovation: Transforming Ideas into Awesome Products
by Ron ItelmanTransform how teams innovate together and turn your ideas into scalable solutions through practical implementation techniques. Drawing from real-world successes and failures at companies like Apple, Toyota, and Amazon, this book provides a visual language and framework that helps teams align their efforts and reduce risks. Do you struggle to turn creative ideas into reality? Are your innovation projects moving slower than you'd like? Innovation thrives on collaboration, but without the right tools and principles, even brilliant ideas can falter. Through captivating stories and clear frameworks, learn how to create alignment across teams and stakeholders to help make confident strategic choices that minimize risk. You’ll also identify and solve innovation bottlenecks, build systems that scale innovation success, and measure what matters for sustainable growth Whether you're a startup founder, corporate innovator, or team leader, The Language of Innovation equips you with practical tools you can implement immediately using just a whiteboard or spreadsheet. Master the proven principles that help organizations like Amazon turn simple ideas into billion-dollar innovations. What You Will Learn Master the four types of innovation (Process, Business Model, Product, Marketing) and how to apply them effectively Develop systems thinking approaches to understand and improve organizational processes Create effective innovation strategies using proven frameworks and tools Build alignment across teams and stakeholders to drive successful innovation Measure and validate innovation success using data-driven methods Who This Book is For Innovation leaders, product developers, entrepreneurs, and business strategists who need practical frameworks to turn ideas into reality; project managers, business analysts, and cross-functional team leaders who must navigate complex organizational challenges while delivering results; MBA students and business educators interested in understanding real-world innovation dynamics.
Chief Design Officers at Work: Insights and Strategies from CDOs on the Frontlines of Innovation
by Jaleh AfsharMeet the creative minds shaping our world in Chief Design Officers At Work, the captivating new addition to the acclaimed At Work series from Apress. Explore the realm of design management, unveiling unique perspectives, strategies, and innovative approaches to building businesses with design in mind. Through a collection of insightful interviews, gain an illuminating glimpse into the daily lives, challenges, and triumphs of prominent design executives from various industries, spanning zero-to-one products to established brands. Each of these design experts have played a pivotal role in shaping design-driven approaches, leading to groundbreaking industry evolutions and market disruption. The remarkable stories and insights from these visionaries reveal how design-led thinking can be a powerful catalyst for driving bottom line success. From building user-centric products to creating cohesive brand experiences, these design leaders demonstrate the transformative impact design can have on business outcomes. Readers who are design practitioners, launching their own startup, revitalizing an existing product, or established executives will find invaluable lessons and inspiration within these pages. What You Will Learn How design leaders navigate complex business landscapes to craft compelling user experiences and brand strategies Valuable insights and practical advice that can elevate their own practice How to make a lasting impact in your industry as a designer Who This Book is For Whether you're a seasoned executive seeking fresh inspiration or an aspiring design practitioner eager to glean wisdom from the best in the field, Chief Design Officers at Work is an indispensable guide for anyone in the design field.
Building Generative AI Agents: Using LangGraph, AutoGen, and CrewAI
by Tom Taulli Gaurav DeshmukhThe dawn of AI agents is upon us. Tech visionaries like Bill Gates, Andrew Ng, and Vinod Khosla have highlighted the monumental potential of this powerful technology. This book will provide the knowledge and tools necessary to build generative AI agents using the most popular frameworks, such as AutoGen, LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, and Haystack. Recent breakthroughs in large language models have opened up unprecedented possibilities. After years of gradual progress in machine learning and deep learning, we are now witnessing novel approaches capable of understanding, reasoning, and generating content in ways that promise to revolutionize nearly every industry. This platform shift is as significant as the advent of mainframes, PCs, cloud computing, mobile technology, and social media. It’s why the world’s largest technology companies – like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Meta – are making enormous investments in this category. While chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have demonstrated remarkable potential, the years ahead will see the rise of generative AI agents capable of executing complex tasks on behalf of users. These agents already exhibit capabilities such as running test suites, searching the web for documentation, writing software, answering questions based on vast organized information, and performing intricate web-based tasks across multiple domains. They can autonomously investigate cybersecurity incidents and address complex customer support needs. By integrating skills, knowledge bases, planning frameworks, memory, and feedback loops, these systems can handle many tasks and improve over time. Building Generative AI Agents serves as a high-quality guide for developers to understand when and where AI agents can be useful, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical advice on designing, building, deploying, and monitoring them. What You Will Learn The foundational concepts, capabilities, and potential of AI agents. Recent innovations in large language models that have enabled the development of AI agents. How to build AI agents for launching a product, creating a financial plan, handling customer service, and using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). Essential frameworks for building generative AI agents, including AutoGen, LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, and Haystack. Step-by-step guidance on designing, building, and deploying AI agents. Insights into the future of AI agents and their potential impact on various industries. Who This Book Is For Experienced software developers
Pro Spring Boot 3 with Kotlin: In-Depth Guide to Best Practices for Cloud-Native and Microservices Development
by Felipe Gutierrez Peter SpäthQuickly and productively build complex Kotlin-based Spring applications and microservices out of the box, with minimal concern over things such as configurations. This revised edition will show you how to fully leverage the Spring Boot 3 micro-framework and apply it to create enterprise-ready Kotlin-based cloud-native applications, microservices, and web applications that just work. The book covers what has been added to the new Spring Boot 3 release, including improved support for the Kotlin programming language, changes to Stream Editor UI, Maven Preemptive Authentication, building Docker images using cloud-native build packs, building layered jars for optimized Docker images, E2E traceability for configuration properties, many dependency upgrades, support for Spring Data, and much more. This book is your in-depth pragmatic guide for increasing your enterprise Kotlin and cloud application productivity while decreasing development time. It is a no-nonsense guide with case studies of increasing complexity throughout the book. The main author, a senior solutions architect and Principal Technical instructor at Pivotal, the company behind the Spring Framework, shares his experience, insights, and first-hand knowledge about how Spring Boot technology works, and best practices. This is an essential book for your Kotlin-based Spring learning and reference library. What You Will Learn Build cloud-native apps and microservices with the Spring Boot 3 framework Persist and access your data using and integrating with Spring Data Message with Kafka, RabbitMQ, and WebSockets Explore Spring Cloud projects Extend Spring Boot by creating your own Spring Boot Starter and @Enable feature Test and deploy Spring Boot with best practices Effectively use Kotlin as a programming language for Spring applications Who This Book Is For Experienced Spring, Java, and Kotlin developers seeking increased productivity gains and decreased complexity and development time in their applications and software services
Blender Scripting with Python: Automate Tasks, Write Helper Tools, and Procedurally Generate Models in Blender 4
by Isabel LupianiLearn to automate tasks, develop custom extensions, and procedurally generate meshes in Blender. This book will show you how to streamline virtually every stage of the 3D modeling pipeline for your next game or animation project. Start with a hands-on introduction to the Blender Python API and dive right into basics like loading/running scripts and turning hand-modelling steps into Python by capturing them in the Info Editor. Then experiment with Blender menu options, typing them into the Python console and watch things move in the viewport. You’ll also dissect with Blender-shipped add-ons and take advantage of built-in templates to quickly create new scripts. With a firm grasp of scripting basics, you'll start to develop your own add-ons for editing and generating models. Then add more advanced mesh edits like extrude and loop cut-and-slides to your script, and essentials for shaping mesh elements like merge, bevel, and so on. Putting it altogether, you’ll create an extension to procedurally generate stylized fire hydrants with parametric controls. In addition to mesh editing, you’ll learn to develop production-quality extensions covering various stages of a 3D pipeline, such as retopology, UV mapping, texture painting, and more. Discover along the way how to implement just about any input widgets for your extension. Then package, distribute, and market your extensions through different channels, and produce impressive time-lapsed demos to showcase your procedural content generation (PCG) algorithms. Whether you are new to the Blender Python API or looking to take your add-ons to the next level, this book will support you in your journey in generating 3D content and automating your Blender workflow. What You Will Learn ● Develop add-ons for automating various stages of a 3D modeling pipeline ● Edit meshes with the Blender Python API and procedurally generate models. ● Master use of parametric controls in add-ons for mesh editing or procedural generation to govern the ranges and types of variation produced ● Develop extensions complete with UI using various input methods, including drawing on meshes with the Grease Pencil. ● Make time-lapsed and interactive demos of your procedural content generation algorithms. ● Package, distribute, and market your Blender extensions through different channels. Who This Book Is For New and seasoned users of the Blender Python API, that have either some experience with Blender or some experience with general Python development.
Cyber Resilience Index: Mastering Threat-Informed Defense
by Dr. Lampis AlevizosImagine quantifying and visualizing your organization's cyber resilience as precisely as a stock market index. This book introduces that reality through the innovative Cyber Resilience Index, a unified metric that helps master threat-informed defense, transform cybersecurity strategy, and achieve efficient and effective threat management and communication. Through an engaging dialogue between a seasoned CISO Sophia and an innovative security leader Alex, you are taken on a journey from traditional, reactive defense to a proactive, resilience-focused strategy. The book masterfully blends technical depth with strategic insights, explaining the paradigm shift from asset-driven to threat-intelligence-driven security. You will learn how and why compliance is very important, but not enough to be truly cyber resilient; how to construct and leverage interoperable cyber value chains; how to go beyond continuous threat exposure management programs and truly master the threat-informed defense concepts; how to articulate value, and manage your cyber defense through a unified metric (much like traders use stock market charts to make successful trading decisions); and, lastly, what the evolution of cybersecurity leadership looks like ahead. Whether you're a cybersecurity professional, a subject matter expert (SME), a business leader, a security leader, or an expert in the field looking for battle-tested ways to sharpen or develop your leadership skills, this book provides a new lens through which to view the future of cybersecurity and leadership. Are you ready to reshape the chessboard of cyber defense? What You Will Learn Quantify and visualize your organization's cyber resilience using a unified metric Transition from reactive defense to proactive, threat-informed strategy Build and optimize interoperable cyber value chains Articulate cybersecurity value to boards and executives Evolve beyond compliance-driven security to true cyber resilience Make data-driven cybersecurity decisions using the Cyber Resilience Index Anticipate and counter emerging cyber threats Transform your security operations into a well-oiled, efficient machine Engage in hands-on experience through practical exercises at the end of each chapter, laying groundwork for mastering threat-informed defense Develop essential soft skills for cybersecurity leaders, illustrated through philosophical quotes and real-world experiences Communicate strategies crucial for successful cybersecurity transformation Obtain leadership skills necessary to drive change in complex organizational environments Gain career development insights for SMEs aspiring to become the next generation of cybersecurity leaders Measure and manage defenses more efficiently than traditional risk management, and outdated risk matrices and risk registers Balance technical expertise with a strategic business mindset in cybersecurity leadership Strategize for what lies ahead in the development of the cyber resilience index, namely, integrating AI and machine learning towards the formation of an AI-driven cyber value chain Who This Book Is For CISOs and emerging leaders who want to sharpen their strategic edge; technical experts looking to grow into the leadership ladder; board members and executives who need to grasp cybersecurity at a strategic level; IT and security managers searching for fresh, data-driven and threat-informed approaches to fortify their defenses; and consultants who wish to gain cutting-edge insights to elevate their client offerings. Whether you're a veteran in the field, a curious academic, or a student of cybersecurity, this book provides a transformative view on the future of cyber defense, threat management, and cybersecurity leadership
LPIC-3 Virtualization and Containerization Study Guide: Certification Companion for the LPIC-3 305 Exam (Certification Study Companion Series)
by Antonio VazquezGet up to speed on the key topics required for the Linux Professional Institute's LPIC-3 305 exam, the third in the four-part LPIC-3 certification, which covers virtualization and containerization. The wider LPIC-3 certification helps developers and system administrators become experts in a given context of Linux and Open Source solutions. This study companion is designed to sit alongside your studies and certification guides as you prepare for the exam and will take you through the three main areas of Full Virtualization, Container Virtualization as well as VM Deployment and Provisioning. We will undertake a deep dive of all the major topics, from the basics of virtualizations and containers to in-depth breakdown of virtualization solutions like KVN, Xen and Proxmox as well as popular containers like Docker, Kubernetes, Openstack, Terraform, Packer, Vagrant and others with key concepts covered on the exam called out and applied in each chapter of this book, giving you both practice and reinforcement, a far more effective learning tool than rote learning or similar approaches typically enlisted in exam preparation. LPIC-3 Virtualization and Containerization Study Guide will give you the guidance and support as you take the next exciting step in supercharging your Linux skills and knowledge to take the next step in your professional career. You Will: Gain a clear picture about the different types of virtualization in use today. Understand how to work with virtualization solutions like KVM and Xen, and manage them using the libvirt API. Become aware of the use of fully enterprise-ready virtualization solutions like Proxmox. Learn the technologies that make Open Source virtualization, possible This is for: Developers and more seasoned Linux SysAdmins who are working towards the LPIC-3 certification. It would be expected that readers will meet the requirements of taking the exam which includes having passed the LPIC-2 certification. However, this guide will also be of use to Linux professionals who are not currently pursuing certification but wish to expand and refresh their Linux skills in relation to virtualization and containerization.
The Definitive Guide to Machine Learning Operations in AWS: Machine Learning Scalability and Optimization with AWS
by Neel Sendas Deepali RajaleForeword by Dr. Shreyas Subramanian, Principal Data Scientist, Amazon This book focuses on deploying, testing, monitoring, and automating ML systems in production. It covers AWS MLOps tools like Amazon SageMaker, Data Wrangler, and AWS Feature Store, along with best practices for operating ML systems on AWS. This book explains how to design, develop, and deploy ML workloads at scale using AWS cloud's well-architected pillars. It starts with an introduction to AWS services and MLOps tools, setting up the MLOps environment. It covers operational excellence, including CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as code. Security in MLOps, data privacy, IAM, and reliability with automated testing are discussed. Performance efficiency and cost optimization, like Right-sizing ML resources, are explored. The book concludes with MLOps best practices, MLOPS for GenAI, emerging trends, and future developments in MLOps By the end, readers will learn operating ML workloads on the AWS cloud. This book suits software developers, ML engineers, DevOps engineers, architects, and team leaders aspiring to be MLOps professionals on AWS. What you will learn: ● Create repeatable training workflows to accelerate model development ● Catalog ML artifacts centrally for model reproducibility and governance ● Integrate ML workflows with CI/CD pipelines for faster time to production ● Continuously monitor data and models in production to maintain quality ● Optimize model deployment for performance and cost Who this book is for: This book suits ML engineers, DevOps engineers, software developers, architects, and team leaders aspiring to be MLOps professionals on AWS.
Natural Language Processing on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: Building Transformer-Based NLP Solutions Using Oracle AI and Hugging Face
by Hicham AssoudiThis book demonstrates how to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Hugging Face technologies to develop advanced NLP solutions. Through a practical case study, it addresses common NLP challenges and offers strategies for creating efficient, cost-effective transformer-based models. By the end of this book, you will have the skills and knowledge to create cutting-edge NLP solutions on OCI, customized to meet the needs of various industries and projects. The book takes you through the complete NLP solution life cycle—covering data preparation, model fine-tuning, deployment, and monitoring—while highlighting key topics such as cost-effectiveness and responsible AI for NLP implementations. Drawing from real-world experience and offering practical insights, it bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping you to design and deploy scalable, cost-efficient NLP solutions. What You Will Learn Master key NLP concepts and the OCI ecosystem Create high-quality datasets using Hugging Face and OCI Data Labeling Service Fine-tune domain-specific pre-trained models from Hugging Face using OCI Data Science Notebook Sessions Deploy and operationalize your models with OCI Data Science Model Deployments Automate the NLP life cycle with OCI Data Science Pipelines Implement cost-effective strategies throughout the entire NLP life cycle, from dataset preparation to model training and deployment Who This Book Is For A diverse audience interested in implementing NLP solutions on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: NLP practitioners, data scientists, and machine learning engineers who want to learn how to leverage Oracle AI and Hugging Face to implement an end-to-end NLP solution life cycle, from data preparation to model deployment; Oracle practitioners who want to expand their Oracle expertise by exploring OCI's advanced capabilities for building and scaling cutting-edge NLP solutions in enterprise environments; business decision makers who want to discover the strategic benefits of NLP solutions on OCI, including cost-effectiveness and responsible AI, while driving business value
Essential Data Analytics, Data Science, and AI: A Practical Guide for a Data-Driven World
by Maxine AttobrahIn today’s world, understanding data analytics, data science, and artificial intelligence is not just an advantage but a necessity. This book is your thorough guide to learning these innovative fields, designed to make the learning practical and engaging.The book starts by introducing data analytics, data science, and artificial intelligence. It illustrates real-world applications, and, it addresses the ethical considerations tied to AI. It also explores ways to gain data for practice and real-world scenarios, including the concept of synthetic data. Next, it uncovers Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes and explains how to implement them using Python. Further, it covers artificial intelligence and the pivotal role played by machine learning models. It explains feature engineering, the distinction between algorithms and models, and how to harness their power to make predictions. Moving forward, it discusses how to assess machine learning models after their creation, with insights into various evaluation techniques. It emphasizes the crucial aspects of model deployment, including the pros and cons of on-device versus cloud-based solutions. It concludes with real-world examples and encourages embracing AI while dispelling fears, and fostering an appreciation for the transformative potential of these technologies.Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced professional, this book offers valuable insights that will expand your horizons in the world of data and AI.What you will learn:What are Synthetic data and Telemetry dataHow to analyze data using programming languages like Python and Tableau.What is feature engineeringWhat are the practical Implications of Artificial IntelligenceWho this book is for:Data analysts, scientists, and engineers seeking to enhance their skills, explore advanced concepts, and stay up-to-date with ethics. Business leaders and decision-makers across industries are interested in understanding the transformative potential and ethical implications of data analytics and AI in their organizations.