Before we jump into the nitty gritty, there are a few things I’d like to note about the format and style of this book.
A NOTE ON INTERNET REFERENCES
For the sake of brevity, Internet uniform resource locators (URLs) are mentioned in this book without the prefixes “http://” or “http://www.” So, for example, the full URL for the Crescent Tool Company is: http://www.crescenttools.org. But in this book, that would be presented as just:
crescenttools.org
For some URLs, the prefix is necessary; you must enter the appropriate prefix, or your Web browser will not be able to access those pages. In those cases, the prefix will be included, and you must enter the appropriate prefix to access those pages.
TRUNCATED URLS
The Internet is an amazing resource, but the URLs for Web pages are often a mile long, and therefore tedious to key in if you are transcribing them from a printed source. Therefore, many of the long URLs mentioned in this book have been truncated, using the free SnipURL service (snipurl.com).
Just type http:// and then the “snipped” URL, exactly as shown, and your Web browser will automatically jump to the original (usually much longer) referenced URL.
For example, the full-length URL http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html has this assigned SNIP URL: snipurl.com/27lzh2u.
So you would activate your Web browser, and then type in:
http://snipurl.com/27lzh2u
(Note that with many current browsers, you can skip typing http://, and it will automatically fill that in.)
Your browser will then jump to that referring page. Quick and simple!
DEFUNCT URLS
Also note that the many URLs mentioned herein were working at the time this book was being edited. However, Web entropy is inevitable. When you do eventually find URLs that have expired, just do a topical Web search to find some current links. (The author and publisher cannot be held responsible for the lax Web page maintenance of third parties.)
I highly recommend that you continue to study and build your skill set throughout your life. Even in the Internet age, it is important to develop a hard copy binder of references for each of your workshops. Knowledge is power. Gather it unto yourselves! (See Chapter 15 for more about lifelong learning.)
GLOSSARY
This book includes an extensive glossary of terms. Rather than describing and explaining each tool, term, and acronym in the main narrative of the book, I have pushed those definitions back to the glossary, as a reference. In this way, advanced students will not feel bogged down with minutiae, while at the same time novices won’t feel overwhelmed with any assumptions about their knowledge of the basics.