Microsoft

MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, 70-294): Microsoft��� Windows Server(TM) 2003 Core Requirements, Second Edition
$199.99
Only got through one book, its good for what it is, i never followed through, but what i went through it looks like its a good purchase.

The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Study Guide
$39.99
Good book for an overview. If you are prepping for the certifications, I would highly suggest buying the individual books. (Access, Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

This one does not going into as great a detail as compared to the others. I ended up buying the other five after I purchased this one.

Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 (68A-00001)
$49.99
This cam does what I bought it to do; allows me to chat with family in other states. Yes, it doesn't do so well in low light, but nothing that can't be fixed by turning on a light or using the low light enhancement feature.

One missing feature for most webcams, including this one, a screw on the bottom to attach on a tripod. My one complaint is that it is hard to find a good place to position the camera.. either it's too high and you have a huge forehead or it's too low and everyone is looking up your nose. When you do find a place to position the camera, the base makes the camera fall over, or the the usb cord pulls it out of position.

Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
$17.95
This book was written in 1992 and covers only Microsoft's first 15 or so years but these were the most interesting and the most instructive in terms of lessons for the wealth creator. There are now many Gates' biographies, but Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the MIcrosoft empire, written by two Seattle journalists still gives the best insights into the early years of Microsoft and what it was like to work under its CEO. Later, after Microsoft had relocated to Seattle to be nearer Gates' parents, he confessed to a fellow programmer his two ambitionsd; to design software that would make a computer easy enough for his mother to use and build a company bigger than his dad's law firm. Today, powering 90% of the world's PC's, Windows may have revolutionised PC, but marketing played a vital part in its establishment as the industry standard. Last but not least, what really set Gates apart was the boldness of his vision-"A computer on every desk, and Microsoft software in every computer"-and his natural brilliance as a businessman.