Synopses & Reviews
The Internet is almost synonymous with change--that's one of its charms, and one of its headaches. You may think you know the Internet, but are you really up to speed on internet telephones, movie and TV downloading, blogging, gaming, online banking, dating, and photosharing?
This utterly current book covers:
Getting Online. Readers will have all the information they need to decide what kind of broadband connection works best for them, which browser they should use, and what kind of spyware-fighting and virus-and spam-protection measures they need to protect themselves.
Finding Information. Google may be the leading search site, but it's certainly not the only game in town. This book introduces a diverse and useful collection of sites that help uncover everything from health care information, to shopping, travel and finance, to dependable reviews and ratings.
Movies, music, and photos. The Web's teeming with entertainment--and not just the sort of postage-stamp sized videos that only a geek could love. Learn where to download movies, watch TV online, listen to music, play games, and post and share photos with friends.
Keeping in touch. Email's only the beginning. This book introduces readers to the many tools that make the modern Internet such a great way to stay connected. From Web-based discussion groups to instant messaging programs, and from blogs and podcasts to Internet-based phone calls, this book will help you join the conversation.
Ideal for anyone just venturing into cyberspace, this book is also perfect for more experienced users who could use an update to today's most exciting internet applications.
Synopsis
A "New York Times" tech columnist delivers humorous, straightforward, and useful advice on how to get online, stay safe, find information, download movies, listen to music and watch TV, and how to use the Internet to stay connected with others.
About the Author
Jude Biersdorfer has been writing the weekly Q&A column for the Circuits section of The New York Times since 1998, and she occasionally writes feature stories and how-to articles for the same section. She has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times Book Review and the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, among other publications, and has contributed essays on the collision of pop culture and technology for the books The Education of the E-Designer (2001) and Sex Appeal (2000), both published by Allworth Press. She is the author of iPod Shuffle Fan Book and iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, 3rd edition.
David Pogue, Yale '85, is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. With nearly 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how-to authors, having written or co-written seven books in the "for Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music), along with several computer-humor books and a technothriller, "Hard Drive" (a New York Times "notable book of the year").Pogue is also the creator and primary author of the Missing Manual series, complete, funny computer books. Titles in the series include Mac OS X, Windows, iPod, Microsoft Office, iPhoto, Dreamweaver, iMovie, and many others. His Web page is www.davidpogue.com, and his email address is [email protected].
Table of Contents
The Missing Credits; About the Authors; About the Creative Team; The Missing Manual Series; Introduction; About This Book; The Very Basics; Safari® Enabled; Part I: Getting Online; Chapter 1: Getting Online; 1.1 Broadband Connections (Fast); 1.2 Dial-Up Connections (Slow); 1.3 Wireless Connections (Awesome); 1.4 Software; 1.5 Advanced Connection Tricks (Windows); 1.6 Advanced Connection Tricks (Mac OS X); Chapter 2: Surfing the Web; 2.1 Your First Web Page; 2.2 Portals: Dashboards of the Web; 2.3 Browser Choices; Part II: Finding Information; Chapter 3: How to Search the Web; 3.1 Search Basics; 3.2 Directories at Your Service; Chapter 4: Searching by Information Type; 4.1 White Pages, Yellow Pages; 4.2 Driving Directions; 4.3 Health and Medicine; 4.4 Job Hunting; 4.5 Getting the Facts; 4.6 Word Definitions; Chapter 5: News and Blogs; 5.1 News Sites; 5.2 Online Newspapers; 5.3 Sports, Weather, and Entertainment; 5.4 Blogs; 5.5 Feeds: Having the News Come to You; Chapter 6: Reviews and Ratings; 6.1 Movies; 6.2 Restaurants; 6.3 Music; 6.4 Books; 6.5 Consumer Electronics; 6.6 Cars; Part III: Shopping, Travel, and Finance; Chapter 7: Shopping; 7.1 How to Shop Online; 7.2 The Top Shopping Sites; 7.3 Finding Good Deals; 7.4 Shopping for Big-Ticket Items; Chapter 8: Planning Trips; 8.1 Booking Tickets and Reservations; 8.2 Last-Minute Deals; Chapter 9: Finance; 9.1 Online Banking; 9.2 Finding Loans Online; 9.3 Trading Online and Tracking Investments; 9.4 Doing Your Taxes Online; Part IV: Entertainment and Media; Chapter 10: Games and Gambling; 10.1 Games for the Whole Family; 10.2 Shoot 'Em Up Games; 10.3 Massive Multiplayer Games; 10.4 Virtual Worlds; 10.5 Fantasy Sports; 10.6 Gambling; Chapter 11: Music and Audio; 11.1 Digital Audio and the Internet; 11.2 Listening to Digital Audio; 11.3 Online Music Stores; 11.4 Streaming Music Sites; 11.5 Internet Radio; 11.6 Podcasts; Chapter 12: Videos, Movies, and TV; 12.1 Videos and Movies Online; 12.2 DVDs by Mail; 12.3 Watching Webcams; Chapter 13: Photos; 13.1 Finding Photos; 13.2 Sharing Photos Online; 13.3 Sending Photos to a Printing Service; 13.4 Sending Photos via Email; Part V: Communicating with Others; Chapter 14: Email; 14.1 Email Program vs. Web-Based Email; 14.2 Setting Up Your Email Program; 14.3 Writing and Sending Messages; 14.4 Reading and Organizing Email; 14.5 Fighting Email Pests; Chapter 15: Instant Messages and Chat; 15.1 Instant Messaging: An Introduction; 15.2 IM Services: The Catalog; Chapter 16: Discussion Groups; 16.1 Finding and Searching Groups; 16.2 Creating New Groups; Chapter 17: Social Networking; 17.1 Socializing and Dating Services; 17.2 Professional Networking; Chapter 18: Skype and VoIP: Internet Phones; 18.1 Skype: Computer-to-Phone Plans; 18.2 Phone-to-Phone Plans; Part VI: Internet Power and Protection; Chapter 19: Your Own Blogs, Web Sites, and Podcasts; 19.1 Blogs; 19.2 Super-Simple Web Pages; 19.3 Professional Web Sites; 19.4 Podcasts; Chapter 20: Living on the Web; 20.1 Online Backup and Storage; 20.2 Online Word Processing Programs; 20.3 Project Planning and Group Calendars; 20.4 Online Meetings/Web Conferencing; Chapter 21: Staying Safe; 21.1 Know Your Enemies; 21.2 Fighting Internet Pests; 21.3 Defeating Spyware; 21.4 Controlling Cookies; 21.5 Phishing Lures; 21.6 Sealing Your Computer's Firewall; 21.7 Protecting Your Kids; Colophon;