Building Web Reputation Systems

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Building Web Reputation Systems is a Pionus parrot. The Pionus genus includes eight different species. These medium-size birds are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America, and are characterized by a stocky body, a naked eye ring, and a prominent beak. In addition, they have short, square tails with red coverts (undersides), and as such, have also been known as red-vented parrots.

One unique characteristic of the Pionus parrot is its stress response. When threatened or intimidated, the birds exhibit one of three different behaviors. The most severe is thrashing; if something frightens them, such as their cage being struck or jarred while they are asleep, the parrot will thrash around until it is calmed. The second response is total stillness; at bird shows, a Pionus may be observed sitting completely motionless while other species scream or demonstrate more common stress signals. Finally, when frightened or excited, the Pionus emits a very distinct wheezing or snorting sound, almost as though it is having an asthma attack.

The cover image is from Dover Pictoral Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSansMonoCondensed.