Hardk Nock Tigers

The new electronic world in which we are living in is where everyone can gain access to every type of information at the click of a mouse. No need to go to the library and spend hours reading through every reference cited. General topic teachers are becoming less useful, only specialist teachers in the future will probably survive this brave new world.

• Is this constant exposure to electronic stimuli good for us?
• Are we able to use all this information?
• Are we swapping deep understanding for shallow distractions?

These thoughts are answered in Nicholas Carr’s book, The Shallows.

Nicholas Carr believes that the internet is having a huge impact on our behavior. The constant exposure to fast data and the new “multitasking” culture may be changing the way our brains are wired. This alteration is because of the inherent ability of the brain to rewire its connections based on different processes and stimuli. As a result this may affect our abilities to retain and absorb the knowledge and information that we used to acquire through reading or story telling. The author brings a lot of research to back up his claims which makes this book a very interesting read for all.

Mr Carr accepts the fact that technology is now a dominant force that has both positive and negative aspects. The internet is a remarkably useful tool to find information, the downside of this is that we are not required to exercise our brains in doing so. He argues that we need deep analysis and some mental exercise to achieve the best results, a great perspective of this internet issue that no one else is talking about. The Shallows is a fascinating exploration delving into philosophy, neuroscience, history and the inevitable consequences of this new revolutionary Internet based world.

“Build a Website for Free” by Mark Bell is a good resource for those wanting to use open-source and free software to build a website. According to Bell, this open-source and free software will allow you to create fun, interesting, dynamic web pages for very little money. With this book, he shows you how and points you in the right direction. It’s written in easy to understand language, so even the novice can follow along and understand. However, it goes deep enough into topics to benefit those with a bit more experience as well. It’s a well-organized guide to building websites, if not for free, for very little money. I found it an easy read, and its organization makes it easy to go back to review the sections that will help you with your website.

For some, this book might be all they need to get up and running with a simple site. For others, additional resources will be needed to continue learning and do more. For example, there is a short chapter on the program Joomla. Those that chose that option can learn more by looking to resources that are specifically targeted to using Joomla to build websites.

There is a short introduction where Bell explains what the book is about and how to use it. The book then goes into the basics in chapter one. Again, this is for the new beginner, so some people may know some of this, but basics are always good. I think the part about planning your website first is especially important if you really want to do a good job and achieve your goals for the site. The next chapters discuss topics such as choosing a location for your site, planning your site (told you this was important), designing your site, gathering your tools (lots of sites with free tools), and moving files to and from the Internet.

The next part of the book contains chapters on website building basics such as elements of a website, using existing websites, web page services, HTML basics, working with images, working with multimedia, building a site using HTML, finding out how other sites do things, and making your site mobile. Next comes chapters on site testing and maintenance such as testing your website, promoting your website, and maintaining your website.

Book Review: Mac OS X Snow Leopard – The Missing Manual by David Pogue

We yearn to know everything there is to know about the latest softwares and operating systems and the Snow Leopard is one of them, the only problem lies with the fact that the manuals that are supposed to clear our confusion usually just add to it! The technical details in these sort of books are reminders of our maths classes that tease us but never clear our doubts, while the various sophisticated terminology usually drains our brain capacities. The language itself is a barrier as it is written by those geeks who made the software and we normal humans just don’t seem to get them.

Weighing in at over 3 pounds and close to 900 pages enter the Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual

This is not a manual of any sort but a definitive guide to everything Snow Leopard. Every time Pogue comes up with a new edition of his Mac OS Missing Manuals, they just keep getting better and better. The language is user friendly and every edition is as helpful as the last. As in the previous editions, you are able to go through every detail and feature of the operating system. The author also informs you of the included applications and even some of the iLife apps. Although screen shots are used in between the book it is done in a rather limited manner so as not to turn the manual into a comic book series.

The special feature of this edition that was missing from the previous one is the inclusion of the intermediate users in his mix. The advanced topics are not only mentioned in the book but a few are also explained in detail and clearly.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard – The Missing Manual by David Pogue is the best snow leopard manual, it covers more than you will ever need to know.