Halo has a history that stands as a microcosm of the gaming industry itself. Originally slated as a revolutionary game for the PC and Mac, Microsoft bought out the developers and signed Halo as the signature title for their soon-to-come console, the Xbox. On the Xbox, Halo met with universal praise and piles of awards, despite the controversy involved in the delay of the PC/Mac versions. Two years later, Halo finally got re-ported back to the PC, along with a few changes and improvements.

In Halo, you play as the Master Chief, the last of a group of cybernetically-enhanced soldiers created by humanity to defend themselves from a group of religious-fanatic aliens known as the Covenant. Halo is an action game, and one that shows an astounding blend of balance and polish. You will fight incredibly strong enemies and hordes of weak ones. You will fight in beautiful outdoor locales, in cramped underground bases, and in spectacular starships. Sometimes you will fight on foot, alone and outnumbered, other times you will drive (or fly) a variety of vehicles, with a squad of United Nations Space Command (UNSC) Marines alongside you. There is enough variety and style (and just a bit of comic relief) here to keep you coming back for more.

Stealing the Network is a book of science fiction. It's a series of short stories about characters who gain unauthorized access to equipment and information, or deny use of those resources to the people who are meant to have access to them. The characters, though sometimes well described, are not the stars of these stories. That honor belongs to the tools that the black-hat hackers use in their attacks, and also to the defensive measures arrayed against them by the hapless sysadmins who, in this volume, always lose. Consider this book, with its plentiful detail, the answer to every pretty but functionally half-baked user interface ever shown in a feature film.

Nine different authors come together to show you a world you may have heard about but never thought could, would or will ever happen to you and your company - the act of being hacked and having information stolen.