Humor Books - Page 2

Penny Arcade Volume 2: Epic Legends Of The Magic Sword Kings (Penny Arcade)

Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Penny Arcade = Great Web-Comic 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Penny Arcade is a comic that has been around for almost a full decade now, so it is nice that this year they are finally releasing a series of books that bring the comics into our homes without the need for a computer and internet, excluding how you buy the book itself.
This contains the second volume of the series, or all the comics done in 2001 + bonus art and attempts for other webcomics, and it nicely fills out the 150 page book. All the comics are funny start to finish, with plenty of classics filling the book.
I highly recommend the book for readers of any form of comics, and I also recommend it for people who love video games, though my bet is that they cant read this due to playing something like WOW right now.

Editorial Review:

Verily, the heroes of Penny Arcade return in the second volume of valiant chivalric deeds of brave heroism, heroic gallantry and gallant bravery! Forsooth! Sir Gabe and Sir Tycho return in Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings! Collecting all the Penny Arcade strips posted online from 2001 and 2002, Volume 2 includes creator commentary, a sketchbook section and an introduction from somebody sort of famous! If you haven't heard of Penny Arcade, the most poplular online comic ever, it might not be too late to salvage whatever reputation you have and get in on the fun all the cool people have been having. We won't tell anyone.

Installing Linux on a Dead Badger

Lucy A. Snyder

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Creative Guy Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $5.89

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Very Funny 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Snyder is hilarious. Her use of characters and creatures from myths and legends, to re-depict IT situations by superimposing these beings from a supernatural realm onto real-life computer industry events, describes them in a new light, with tremendous insight and humour. The twelve articles collected here are fun for any Geek on your gift list.

The wit and wisdom displayed in this book are exceptional, with everything from step by step instructions on how to install Linux on a dead badger, to using your dead badger to fight zombies. This book has it all, from stories about IT helpdesks starting to staff with zombies to cut down on cost, to using vampires as supervisors to keep the zombies under control and working, to management having no brains to begin with so the zombies have no interest in eating them anyway.

Pick this book up for yourself, for your geek friends or anyone in IT or computer science; they will ROTFL while reading it.

Editorial Review:

Installing Linux on a Dead Badger (and Other Oddities) contains a dozen stories to amuse any fan of technology humor or science fictional dark comedy. Many of the stories are what Green Man Review has dubbed "cyberzombie humor"; the title story is one of the most popular features ever posted at the acclaimed science fiction magazine Strange Horizons. The satiric tales are accompanied by 14 black-and-white illustrations from DE Christman and Malcolm McClinton.

Teen Linux gang mayhem. Trolls gone wild. A vampire's guide to management. Your corporate network and the forces of darkness. And much more ....

The Email Jokes You Wish You Would Have Saved

Lou Dorfman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Horrible 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My copy of this book looks just like the one on this site, but there's no way the other 10 reviews were talking about the same book I just received. Most of the stories (I can't even call them jokes) are long and barely amusing, let alone funny. They didn't even bother to reformat the stories so they fit on the printed page. Someone literally copied emails out of Outlook and pasted them into Word.

I smiled once or twice reading this book, but this book wasn't worth my time, let alone my money.

amateurish effort 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Somebody just cut-and-pasted jokes together. Many were repeated and there seemed to be no organization.
Don't waste your money

Was this copyread? 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I cannot believe how many spelling errors and typos there are in this book! The copywriter should be fired!

also... it is not even a funny book!

Great and Funny compilation!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Lou, Awesome job saving and publishing some of the best jokes I've EVER heard! "What Love Means to a Child" brought tears to my eyes and "Let me get my Hat" brought tears of laughter. And it just keeps going from there. Highly recommended.!!

Editorial Review:

A collection of E-Mail Jokes that have been sent to me over the years.

The Joy of Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)

Jeff Wignall

Amazon Price: $18.96 List Price: $24.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Lark Books Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $1.38

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Pure Joy to Read 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Jeff Wignall writes about photography with a passion that's both entertaining and insightful. Everyone from novices and seasoned pros will enjoy his writing. Not only is this book perfect for anyone making the transition from film to digital photography, but Jeff explains things so clearly that it's also the essential reference for those picking up a camera for the very first time.

Editorial Review:

It’s guaranteed: this all-in-color, oversized, incredibly priced manual on digital photography will be a best seller.

Author Jeff Wignall has already won a legion of fans with The Joy of Photography, and this new work will capitalize on that franchise. Wignall encourages photographers of all skill levels; his easy-to-grasp explanations of technique and equipment, and his inspirational attitude distinguish The Joy of Digital Photography from any other digital manual. Everything is covered: digital vision; digital tools (cameras, lenses, accessories); common problems and solutions; exposure and flash; working with light; handling weather seasons and mood; travel and landscape photography; portraiture; sports photography; post-production, including seeing, sharing, and storing digital images; basic desktop printing; the digital darkroom; a Photoshop™ primer; sharing the image; and much, much more.

Dave Barry in Cyberspace

Dave Barry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

:-D == (laugh-out-loud funny) 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Now that Dave Barry has alerted me to the fact that Bill Gates wears a zucchini in his shorts, I will never be afraid of cyberspace again. Hahahahahaha...Oops, I'd better use an emoticon here if I want to be cybercool:

:-D == (a person laughing so hard he or she does not realize that a zucchini is sticking out of his or her pants).

Thanks to Dave, I can now display my feelings online, although I'm not certain how I'm going to work in his emoticon, "person who is none too pleased to be giving birth to a squirrel." Before reading this book, communicating with me via the internet was like trying to strike up a casual conversation with Lieutenant Data. I didn't have a clue about all of those nifty acronyms my friends were inserting into their 'instant messages'. I thought ROTFL had something to do with burying fish heads in the corn field and IMHO was an admission of sexual promiscuity.

I also found out why my boss religiously attends the Comdex convention (Dave calls it 'Geek-O-Rama' and 'Nerdstock in the Desert') in Las Vegas every fall. It has a lot less to do with amazing, futuristic hardware and geeky souvenir tee-shirts than it does with the AdultDex convention down the street.

In the midst of this author's signature adolescent humor about hard-drives, bytes and mega-ram, he uncharacteristically inserts a tender internet love story. Frankly it made me a bit uneasy--rather like watching a Three Stooges movie, and just as Mo is ready to whack Curly over the head with a platypus, the Pope suddenly appears and launches into a homily about family values. It didn't work because I wasn't prepared to stop laughing and segue into tender empathy for two middle-aged losers.

Please Dave, stick to your booger jokes, at least in books with your picture on the cover.

Editorial Review:

In previous books he's done Japan, turned forty, and plumbed the "black holes" of home ownership. Now Dave Barry boots up, logs on, and invites millions of readers to laugh out loud as he undertakes a hard drive down the information superhighway.

Husbandry: Sex, Love & Dirty Laundry--Inside the Minds of Married Men

Stephen Fried

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

At last, one husband reveals the answers
to some of mankind's greatest mysteries.

Why do men hog the remote? Refuse to stop and ask for directions? Have such a hard time sharing their emotions? Why can’t they drop their socks in the laundry basket instead of near it? What does a man mean when he says “uh-huh”? (No, it doesn’t always mean he’s not listening.)

In this wickedly observant collection of essays, Stephen Fried, widely praised as an investigative journalist, turns his attention to the subject of marriage—his own and others. The result is a daring, provocative, often hilarious read that throws incisive light on mysteries that have long plagued womankind: the inner workings of the male mind. Originally published as a series of popular columns in Ladies’ Home Journal—and now compiled in one volume at the request of his enthusiastic readers—Fried’s pitch-perfect essays fearlessly tackle the realities of love, sex, and marriage with both wit and tenderness. Drawing from candid conversations with fellow husbands as well as with his own wife, Husbandry will surprise, disarm, entertain—and tell you more about the man in your life than you could ever learn by asking him.

The New Hacker's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This new edition of the hacker's own phenomenally successful lexicon includes more than 100 new entries and updates or revises 200 more. Historically and etymologically richer than its predecessor, it supplies additional background on existing entries and clarifies the murky origins of several important jargon terms (overturning a few long-standing folk etymologies) while still retaining its high giggle value.

. . . .


SAMPLE DEFINITION:


:hacker: n. [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] 1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating {hack value}. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a UNIX hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations. 8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive information by poking around. Hence `password hacker', `network hacker'. The correct term is {cracker}.


The term `hacker' also tends to connote membership in the global community defined by the net (see {network, the} and {Internet address}). It also implies that the person described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic (see {hacker ethic, the}).


It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be labeled {bogus}). See also {wannabee}.

Even Grues Get Full: The Fourth User Friendly Collection

Illiad, JD Frazer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Even Grues Get Full is the fourth collection of the hit geek comic strip User Friendly by J.D. "Illiad" Frazer. Written with fresh, dry humor and an amusing vividness that brings the cast of characters to life, the comic strip is loved and read by millions around the world, from professional technologists to eight-year old wunderkinds, from 83-year old grandmothers who miss their Commodore 64s to patient spouses of born programmers. The comic strip is packed with references to geek interests, from obscure movies to old computer games, yet non-geeks are able to enjoy the story lines and character quirks, from Erwin's acerbic humor to Miranda's constant angst; from the Smiling Man's Machiavellian machinations to A.J.'s dysfunctional naïveté. At the center of this lies Dust Puppy, the strip's gentle-hearted mascot and the character who has endeared himself to readers everywhere. In this book, join the antics of the characters once again as Stef contends with an enormous Tequila worm, Mike is tormented by Mr. Cola, and the techs move shop into an abandoned missile silo! Also included in this collection are the 9/11 tribute cartoons that were widely praised for their clear and simple pathos. Called "Dilbert for Geeks" by Wired magazine and considered to be one of the few consistently intelligent and socially aware cartoons on the 'Net, User Friendly remains one of the most popular destinations for geeks and non-geeks alike. This book is a sure hit with anyone who works with computers or for anyone who lives with someone who works with computers!

The Tao of Programming

Geoffrey James

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Light reading and funny content 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Be aware not to expect this book to be serious or to contain deep thougths; but instead, if you read it with an open mind, knowing that it tries to be humorous+smart more than it tries to be wise, you will find it a pleasant reading. Probably no experienced programmer will see anything he doesn't already know, but this won't prevent him from having a joyful reading - and a quick one, the book is very thin with just a few phrases per page.

BUT if you seek real deep knowledge or enligtenment, you should definitely look for another book.

Need patience to understand the true meaning. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Found this book interesting....it is so small that i read it start to finish just before sleeping.

The Good:
Pretty straightforward....nicely explained principles with simpl examples

The Bad:
Falls short of completion. Too small a book.


Food for thought:
This book..however small it really is...should be read more than once to understand the deeper essence the author is trying to convey to you. If u just hover through it...you will certainly find it a "READ ONCE" material.

User Friendly

JD Frazer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

About 315 strips from 1998: Dilbert for techies 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This collection suffers from occasional editing problems, such as uncorrected spelling errors and page layout issues, where a Sunday double strip appears just before a sequence it sets up (or just after some build-up *it* needed). Out of the 315 strips, naturally, 45 are Sunday doubles, which as time goes on include odd-sized single frame pieces, such as the techie nutrition pyramid (think salt and caffeine).

Since this is the first User Friendly collection, it presents the introduction of a number of the characters (and even Dust Puppy's dramatized account of Crud Puppy's origins, despite the fact that Crud Puppy's first appearance is covered earlier in the book).

The cast of characters are of the "names changed to protect the guilty" variety: the techies, suits, and non-human entities of the imaginary company Columbia Internet. Like Dilbert's take on corporate life, User Friendly will never run out of material as the techies face the ordeal of providing tech support to the clueless while not letting work interfere with their Quake tournaments.

User Friendly tends toward continuing stories that run for weeks rather than one-off jokes.

The cast includes:
- AJ (web design guy), who may not be recognizable until Illiad switches partway through the book to drawing him full-face rather than in profile
- the Dust Puppy, who plays a mean game of Quake with his feet
- Stef from marketing, who converts to playing Quake but resists being weaned off Windows onto Linux ("where are the themes?")
- Erwin the AI, who periodically is forced by circumstances to switch "bodies", including an iWhack, a Palm III, and the Mir space station. (He ought to quit provoking Stef, who retaliates with a baseball bat.)
- Greg, sent to Techie Detox after being caught playing Minesweeper too often (his appearance also changes)
- Pitr, the programmer from California who adopts a Slavic accent during an attempt to stop release of Windows 98 (he's been reading EVIL GENIUSES FOR DUMMIES and taken it to heart)
- the Crud Puppy, Dust Puppy's "evil twin" and nemesis, introduced when Stef spills office coffee on his keyboard. (Think Darth Vader voice, but with Microsoft programmer hands rather than feet). He terrorizes the world periodically until Pitr accidentally drinks him. Pitr's medical checkups restart the cycle.
- the Chief, who treats his "iron deficiency" at the golf course
- Miranda, introduced late in the book as the only female techie, and Pitr's ill-advised pranks on her

Techies and nutrition (well, caffeine and junk food) get a few dozen strips, including Mr. Cola, who appears to programmers staying up all night. He has many names, including the Espresso Monster. The computer geek nutrition pyramid may not be something you want to know about, or what happens when someone unexpectedly drinks Pitr's special coffee (it takes days to get the victim out of the ceiling crawlspace).

Microsoft is a favourite target, including their tribulations with the Department of Justice, security problems, aggressive marketing, everything. Microsoft products tend to make Erwin sick in their continuing "war against intelligence". Windows 2000 is a move "well-timed for Armageddon". (Y2K itself gets several references, but not nearly as many as over the following year's strips.)

The techies occasionally enjoy victory over the suits, such as the horrible consultant who is eventually billed by the Chief after identifying the customers as the techies' main problem. The book includes a six-week sequence of the Chief selling out to the bottomfeeders of iCan't internet. While he's treating his guilt with therapeutic golf, the techies face the horrors of a dress code and a requirement to migrate to NT. MS Black Ops is called in when they refuse, but what are the odds that MS' team has no trouble with their equipment?

Erwin, of course, is damaged by exposure to NT and forced into one of his periodic transfers to a new body (an iWhack, with a few weeks of jokes at Apple's expense before he's reinstalled on a Palm III, then on board MIR). Along the way, he shuts down iCan't's development by installing Quake on their system, thus distracting their techies. Between them the techies manage to drive iCan't internet away, and the Chief buys back Columbia for less than he sold it for - Stef having been in line for the top job.

The book concludes with a month-long parody of Star Wars IV: A New Hope as Dust Puppy tells Greg his version of how he and Crud Puppy came to be enemies. (The other techies are in hiding.) Crud Puppy has the Vader role, Microsoft is the Empire, and the Rebels have Linux. The penguin (in the robots' role) carries Microsoft's marketing plans and the source for Windows95.

Editorial Review:

User Friendly tells the story of Columbia Internet, "the friendliest, hardest-working, and most neurotic little Internet Service Provider in the world." Take three techs, two salespeople, a designer, two executives, a couple of administrative staff, mix in a mischievous Artificial Intelligence and a "dust puppy" born from the innards of a mega server, put them all together in a crowded little office, and you have the makings of one of the most off-beat, original, and funny comic strips to come along in years. User Friendly reads like Dilbert for the open-source community. Already in syndication in The National Post, one of Canada's leading national newspapers, and with a massive online following, it provides outsiders a lighthearted look at the world of the hard- core geek, and allows those who make their living dwelling in this world a chance to laugh at themselves.