This book comes to me in an unusual way. I received an email from the publisher and editor asking if I'd be willing to review BIND 9 DNS Administration Reference Book. Ok, that's not unusual. In fact, it happens to me all the time. What is unusual is that I'd never heard of Reed Media Services before. One reason is that they seem to be a smaller publishing house that was originally started to "print newsletter publishing, online publishing (including related software design), and providing related internet hosting services". The other reason is that they've only produced two books thus far (The OpenBSD PF Packet Filter Book is the other one).

E-mail scam threatens hit man's visit

The letter is direct, simple and to the point.

I am very sorry for you , is a pity that this is how your life is going to end as soon as you dont comply.

Its an e-mail scam, state authorities say, designed to threaten the recipient into sending money so an unnamed hit man wont pay them a visit.

Googlebot Gets Candid

Googlebot is like a dream which knows us all , , and soul. Here in this interview, Maile Ohye as the website and Jeremy Lilley as the Googlebot from Google Central Webmaster blog would answer all those questions that you ever had.

Googlebot: My headers are typically consistent world-wide.

PacificaRiptide.com. New local online outlet working in collaboration ...

Pacifica Riptide is a volunteer-run Web site for local news and opinion. It started up a year ago when a group of activists, fresh off their election victory over Measure L, decided that the community needed an Internet base for sharing information. After consulting with several media and technology experts, including Pacifican Larry Rosenstein and Coastsider.com's Barry Parr, we chose Six Apart's Typepad blogging software, which is easy, intuitive, and relatively cheap for a bunch of amateurs to use.

Riptide welcomes contributions of "hot stories, cool pix, and cold cash to keep us afloat," according to the site. "We celebrate Pacifica's natural wonders, green hillsides, open spaces, coastal and marine life, and enterprising people. Our environment and economy are interdependent, natural forces and market forces, like ocean tides and waves."

Anyone can post a story or photo to editor@pacificariptide.com.

MTB News & Racing Round-up

The Multivan Merida Biking Team is about to kick off its competitive season. The focus is clearly on Norway's Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå, who had to quit racing last year in June for health reasons. Having recovered, the seven-time World champion and Athen's Olympic gold medal winner is back and ready to compete with the world's elite for the first time in Brescia.

Dahle Flesjå will be in Brescia for the first race of Italy's cross country series. Despite her long absence, many experts consider her as the odds-on favourite. At the same race, Austria's Robert Gehbauer, Dahle Flesjå's team-mate and former Junior World Champion is also scheduled to line up. On the other hand, Germany's Moritz Milatz will stay in Cyprus with his national team preparing for the season to come.

Quarter of pupils miss out

Many of our schools receive significantly more applicants than there are places. However, the number of parents offered their first preference school in Barnet has actually increased this year, and 90 per cent of parents have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools, all of which are high-performing good schools.

Oops, wrong game

I can't genuinely remember rooting for an Athletic more than I have for Cust in recent memory. Scott Ostler's gushy little puff piece on Cust actually has me hoping that his "15 minutes" lasts all season. Of course it won't, but it's gotta beat Sacto in the summer.