Just when you think there aren't any more things for O'Reilly & Associates' stable of authors to hack, you're confronted with six more books that reveal ways to manipulate what was thought to be untouchable. In fact, you could say that O'Reilly was in the midst of a hacking frenzy!

Tackling everything from baseball to VoIP, these books show you ways to get the most out of whatever you're trying to do. In fact, these new entries bring the total in the O'Reilly hacking library to 57 titles.

Retro Gaming Hacks

Retro Gaming Hacks ($29.95) by Chris Kohler provides everything you need to know about reviving the good old days of Atari and Commodore. It also shows you how to:

• Emulate classic games on your PC or cell phone.
• Write your own text adventures, recreating those made famous by Infocom.
• Create retro-style games for the Game Boy Advance or your PC using Flash, DOS and SDL.
• Revive old gaming hardware, including those Atari joysticks sitting in a box in your attic.

VoIP Hacks

VoIP Hacks ($29.95) by Ted Wallingford shows you how to get the biggest bang for the buck using Internet telephony. Among the tips and tricks are:

• How to make free long distance calls.
• How to create a software PBX system.
• How to use IP headphones, analog telephone adapters and softphones.
• How to set up a voice mail system and record conversations.

Yahoo! Hacks

Yahoo! Hacks ($24.95) by Paul Bausch is the ultimate guide to using what the author refers to as "the department store overflowing with useful innovative tools and services." Among the hacks revealed are:

• How to fine-tune your searches.
• How to manage and customize Yahoo! Mail, using it to access all of your email accounts.
• How to list or hide your Web site with Yahoo!
• How to use Flickr to sort, blog, feed, track and share photos.
• How to personalize My Yahoo!

Google Maps and Hacks

Google Maps and Hacks ($29.99) by Rich Gibson and Schuyler Erle shows you how to take full advantage of Google's mapping capabilities, including integrating your own data. Other tips and tricks include:

• Using Google Maps to explore the world using maps, satellite photos or a combination of the two.
• How to create your own links to Google's maps.
• How to take advantage of Google's location search interfaces and map navigation shortcuts.
• How to use Google Maps to (keep this under your hat) beat traffic tickets.
• How to integrate GIS-based maps.
• How to find sites where Google Maps have been combined with other data.

Mind Performance Hacks

Mind Performance Hacks ($24.99) by Ron Hale-Evans provides "tips and tools for overclocking your brain," using everything from mind games to tricks to stimulate your memory. Among its hacks are:

• How to use mnemonic tricks to remember names, dates, numbers and other information.
• How to perform complex calculations in your head.
• How to brainstorm and amaze friends and family.
• How to capture new ideas before they get away.
• How to make better decisions.
• How to improve your mental fitness.

Baseball Hacks

And last, along with the smell of spring in the air and the crack of bats hitting balls, are Baseball Hacks ($24.99) by Joseph Adler, which helps even losers like me aim high as we usher in another season of fantasy baseball. Among its helpful hints are:

• How to calculate the odds of a team winning the World Series.
• How to build a historical statistics database.
• How to create your own stats book.
• How to beat the Money Line and get the best players for your fantasy team.

You can check out these and other books in the series by going to hacks.oreilly.com.

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