For a given electoral system, what average number and sizes of parties and government duration can we expect? Predicting Party Sizes is the first book to make specific predictions that agree with world averages. The basic factors are the numbers of seats in the assembly and in the average electoral district. While previous models tell us only the direction in which to change the electoral system, the present ones also tell us by how much they must be changed so as to obtain the desired change in average number of parties and cabinet duration. Hence, combined with known particularities of a country, they can be used for informed institutional design.
The book is useful to three types of readers: political science students learning the basics of electoral systems and their political consequences; practitioners of politics who consider changing the electoral laws; and researchers intent on connecting electoral and party systems. The book is structured accordingly. Chapters start with advice and recipes for practicing politicians, in non-technical language. The main text gives students an overview of electoral systems, worldwide, and supplies evidence for models that tie simple electoral systems (First-Past-The-Post and List Proportional Representation) to the number and sizes of parties and government duration. Chapter appendices present derivations of these models and other more technical issues of interest to researchers.
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Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition introduces the core concepts of information architecture: organizing web site content so that it can be found, designing website interaction so that it’s pleasant to use, and creating an interface that is easy to understand. This book helps designers, project managers, programmers, and other information architecture practitioners avoid costly mistakes by teaching the skills of information architecture swiftly and clearly.

When it comes to creating dynamic web sites, the open source PHP language is red-hot property: used on more than 20 million web sites today, PHP is now more popular than Microsoft’s ASP.NET technology. With our Cookbook’s unique format, you can learn how to build dynamic web applications that work on any web browser. This revised new edition makes it easy to find specific solutions for programming challenges.”PHP Cookbook” has a wealth of solutions for problems that you’ll face regularly. With topics that range from beginner questions to advanced web programming techniques, this guide contains practical examples — or “recipes” — for anyone who uses this scripting language to generate dynamic web content. Updated for PHP 5, this book provides solutions that explain how to use the new language features in detail, including the vastly improved object-oriented capabilities and the new PDO data access extension. New sections on classes and objects are included, along with new material on processing XML, building web services with PHP, and working with SOAP/REST architectures. With each recipe, the authors include a discussion that explains the logic and concepts underlying the solution.

“While you’re reading Neuro Web Design, you’ll probably find yourself thinking ‘I already knew that…’ a lot. But when you’re finished, you’ll discover that your ability to create effective web sites has mysteriously improved. A brilliant idea for a book, and very nicely done.”
— Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think!
A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

What, exactly, do you know about your body? Do you know how your immune system works? Or what your pancreas does? Or the myriad -- and often simple -- ways you can improve the way your body functions?

Step-by-Step, Full-Color Graphics!
Get started using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard right away--the QuickSteps way. Color screenshots and clear instructions show you how to use all the new and improved features available in this revolutionary operating system. Follow along and learn to customize your desktop, organize and store files, use email and Web applications, and add hardware and software. You'll also get tips for enjoying photos, music, and movies, setting up a wired or wireless network, and securing your system. Get the book that gets you up-and-running on Mac OS X Leopard in no time.
Use these handy guideposts:
* Shortcuts for accomplishing common tasks
* Need-to-know facts in concise narrative
* Helpful reminders or alternate ways of doing things
* Bonus information related to the topic being covered
* Errors and pitfalls to avoid

FOREWORD BY ERIK SPIEKERMANN

How did design help choose a president?
Why are people buying houses they cannot afford?
Why do U.S. car makers now struggle to compete? Why do we really have an environmental crisis?
Design matters. Like never before.

On the surface, Mac OS X isn't all that different from Mac OS 9.1. Indeed, most users will be just as happy with the slightly older version of the Macintosh operating system as with version X. But for people who have longed for a more robust kernel with true preemptive multitasking, better graphics support, and a stronger suite of programming tools, Mac OS X is manna. Like too many other books that choose to focus on Mac OS X as just another Mac System for everyday home and office users, Mac OS X: The Complete Reference explores the new Mac OS in terms of its basic features before delving into its new architecture, server capabilities, and BSD Unix-derived features.
Feiler's coverage of the new features isn't terribly deep-readers might expect more from a "Complete Reference." In explaining the new low-level architecture of Mac OS X, for example, Feiler does a fine job of explaining that Mach manages system resources and that an implementation of BSD Unix handles tasks associated with networking, the filesystem, and threads of execution. Great, but there's nothing about configuring a machine at the BSD command line or the "Unix way" of thinking about hardware and settings. Read this book if you're a beginner or interested in a high-level guide to the new features, but look elsewhere for deep documentation. David Wall