We all know that , we should not use Java Threads in our web applications, but what if , there is a situation where we have to do two or more time consuming tasks simultaneoulsy.
IBM and BEA together has given a solution for this problem 3 years back , i wonder how many of us know this . I came to know about this just 6 months back.
The solution to our concurrency problem in web applications is the WorkManager API.
WorkManager API helps us to execute several tasks in parallel with one another.
i am sorry , i havent used the api , so i couldn give a sample code 
But, these links will help you know more about the WorkManager API
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-01-2007/jw-01-workmgr.html
WorkManager API — JSR 237
http://dev2dev.bea.com/pub/a/2005/05/parallel_tasks.html
… ever since the release of Java Tiger (Java 5.0 SE) , we know , we can run javascript on our JVM and with the release of JRuby we know we can even run RubyonRails on our JVM. Tiger (Java 5.0) is no more only Tiger, HE is the king of the jungle now , isnt he ? 
Now PHP-Java Bridge is yet another new breed.
here is the details i found in sourceforge.net about PHP-Java Bridge
“The php/Java bridge allows you to quickly access java classes from within your PHP scripts without having to know Java. It also allows you to access PHP scripts from within your Java classes without having to know PHP”.
i found an article in dev2dev
O’Reilly publications have published another book in their HeadFirst series
HeadFirst Object Oriented Analysis & Design by Brett McLaughlin, Gary Pollice, and David West.
Though i havent read the book i am sure it will be a good programming guide for a developer developing his programming and design skills .
I have read HeadFirst Java,HeadFirst Servlets and JSP , HeadFirst EJB,HeadFirst Design Patterns and i have learned a lot from those books
A review of the book could be found in http://java.sun.com/developer/Books/javaprogramming/ooad/
