Macintosh Books

I couldn't believe the thoroughness of this book! Very descriptive, nicely organized for each component of the massive suite program. Until I read the book I was utilizing less than 20% of the suite program's potential. "Mastering Powerpoint" was a masterpiece! Get this book before it's out of print

What sells this reference is it's lovely (and very persuasive) cover design. It would appear to be a 'Complete Reference' but it's not. There is much instruction that simply doesn't instruct, typos, and lots of wrong information. The 'Advanced Word Processing Techniques' chapter of the Word section is especially disappointing. Auto-Chapter Headings, headers and footers that work? Not here. Thanks to this book I've been spending more time (and quality time at that) in the Word newsgroups (and getting straight info). Any reference that 'fluffs' itself up with large type, large pictures, generous line spacing, and page after page of hugely set keyboard shortcuts is simply trying to fill up space. Look at other reference books before considering this one.

Despite what this other reviewer told you, this book indeed has a section on outlining in Word. I'm looking at the 3rd printing, which also has some material on the Mac OS X version. Evidently that other reviewer read a different book and got confused.

I highly recommend Mr. Steinberg's book for a thorough look at the Mac version of Microsoft's office productivity suite.

I had a question about using outlines in Word. (Why my "body text" styled paragraphs are showing up with Outline Level 1.) I turned to this book and looked in the index. It mentions only two pages about outlining in Word: "outlining documents, Word 2001 keyboard shortcuts, 288-289." The rest of the outlining entries concern PowerPoint and Excel. So, even though I'm using Office 2001, I turned to my copy of Office 98 Bible by LeVitus et al. It has 13 pages about outlining in Word. So I'm ordering the Office 2001 Bible now. The "Complete Reference" failed me on my admittedly only test so far.

This "missing manual" reviewer sounds like he or she is involved with that other book. In fact, the Office 2001 for Mac: The Complete Reference title has plenty of highly advanced information on using formulas in Excel, using the List Manager, and setting up mail merges in Word. The person who says otherwise isn't telling you the truth about this book. It's great, just great!

If you wish to learn to search the easy way (not trial and error like I did), buy this book and Secrets of the Super Net Searchers, as well as the Alta Vista guide. You will not be disappointed - the time you will save is well worth the price.

     The Internet has become a vast depository of information providing an extremely broad variety for just about every imaginable need. The amount grows daily. There is information online for business professionals, tradesmen, technicians, engineers, educators, researchers, students, companies, as well as for the average person on the street. Finding the right information in a timely and proficient requires a disciplined approach.      Tara Calishain and Jill Alane Nystrom have written Official Netscape Guide to Internet Research to provide an extensive collection of essential online research tools and instructions on how best to use them. They also offer basic instruction in the use of the Netscape browser and a number of plug-ins and offer plenty of help putting them to effective use to intelligently find information online.      This research reference guide is thoughtfully written and easy to navigate. The Websites featured are among the best resources available. Readers can access them to seek employment, to obtain business information, to keep in touch with local, state, and federal governments, to get the latest consumer reports, to tap into the rich resources offered by leading magazines and newspapers, and much much more!      Especially helpful to readers are the many tips and advice that grace the book. They offer additional help to make researching easier. For instance, readers are encouraged to cultivate friends, to employ time-saving steps, and to consider their needs carefully before paying to use fee-based databases. They are encourage to become skilled at researching, reading, and putting information to use. Good advice considering today's economy!      The authors demonstrate genuine appreciation for the wealth of information online, the means to obtain it, and desire to instruct their readers to effectively harness them to meet their own needs. Regardless of the browser and kind of computer one has this book will make online information gathering an easier and more enjoyable task to accomplish. Highly recommended!

There are lots of books out there about Internet research, but this is hands down one of the very best.

The book is targeted at beginning and intermediate-level Internet users, but users of all abilities should find it extremely useful. I like to consider myself a fairly experienced Internet researcher, but by the time I finished the book a forest of Post-It notes had sprouted from pages that listed sites or techniques that I wanted to try.

To top it off, the book is written in a lively style. When was the last time someone said that about a computer book? Bruce Maxwell - Author, "How to Find Health Information on the Internet"

Maybe it is just me, but I found the explanations confusing, and a bit unfocused. The book does provide useful information, but I think it could have been conveyed better.

This book is an indispensable source of knowledge about the Internet in all of its facets. For the newcomer, it provides guidance; for the more experienced user if provides valuable source material. The book covers Netscape's capabilities, mailing lists, newsgroups, and the World Wide Web, with facts about search engines and many other research resources. It supplies useful tips, sage advice, and valuable cautions about using the Internet for both formal and informal investigations. The writing style of Tara Calishain and Jill Alane Nystrom is direct, clear, and entertaining. The book could very well be used for a course on the Internet, as a rare example of a textbook that is fun to read. Dr. Raymond L. Murray Nuclear Engineering N.C. State University Raleigh, NC 27695

Running Mac OS X Tiger
A No-Compromise Power User's Guide to the Mac
By Jason Deraleau, James Duncan Davidson

If you are a power user on another platform, or a dedicated Mac user that wants to learn more, "Running Mac OS X Tiger" covers several topics that will help you understand and control your Macs at a much deeper level. Each chapter contains details on a topic, and includes ways of handling the given topic from both the familiar Macintosh graphical interface, and from the terminal (the command line).

My two favorite chapters, chapters Six and Eight, titled "Users and Groups" and "Files and Permissions" delve into issues that mystify and plague many Mac users. If you've ever had trouble creating, moving, or deleting a file on a Mac, you'll now know why, and how to get around these issues.

As the subtitle of the book suggests, this is not a book for beginners. Topics that may seem simple, such as Chapter 10: Printing, contain a vast and dizzying amount of information. This level of detail is both the strength and weakness of the book. Oddly, some things are explained at great length and in simple terms, yet at other times advanced topics seem to be glossed over in a cryptically geeky shorthand style of writing. This may not be an issue to those who are already power users on other systems (Unix, Windows), but it may be daunting to a Mac user looking to step up to the next level. Thankfully, the end of each chapter includes a "Further Explorations" section, which may help lift users up.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

Are you a user or power user of Mac OS X? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Jason Deraleau and James Duncan Davidson, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that will help you master the latest version of Mac OS X.

Deraleau and Davidson, begin by discussing how the Mac OS X system operates to this day. Then, the authors show you how to get going with Tiger and help Tiger get going on your Mac. They continue by examining diverse tools and how they work together to form Apple's next-gen OS. Next, the authors show you how to use the Terminal and how to configure the various shells on the system. Then, they look at what gets executed when and what the various boot options are. They also dive into the question of why there are multiple users on the system and why they are gathered into groups. Next, the authors show how Open Directory works and how to modify data contained within it. Then, they explain the various attributes and permissions that a file can have and how to work with them. The authors continue by giving you the lowdown on the different kinds of filesystems you can use and the pros and cons of each. They then give you a detailed look at how printing works, and how to use print servers, how to connect with Windows-hosted printers, and even how to share your ink jet printer with Windows users. The authors also show you how the networking system works including wireless, spontaneous networking, and Internet Connection Sharing. They continue by covering the Console, System Profiler, Activity Monitor, and many other tools as well as give you the skinny on what to look for in your system's logfiles. Next, the authors dive into using Automator and other tools for automating your Mac. Finally, the authors show you how to modify preferences stored in the system in a variety of ways.

In this excellent book, you'll learn how to get the most out of the pretty GUI. You will also learn how to dive into the Unix layer of the system to take fine grained control when you need to.

'Running Mac OS X Tiger' by James Duncan Davidson is for those Mac users that want to get beyond simply surfing the Internet, writing some emails and moving files from one folder to the next. Written in an easy to follow manner, this book will take you from the basics of using the computer that you love so much and move on to the next level. From scheduling tasks to learning more about the filesystem to creating accounts and managing users, this book is a joy for anyone that likes to tinker around and learn new things.

Chapter Overview:

01. History
02. Installation
03. Overview of Tiger
04. Terminal and Shell
05. System Startup and Login
06. Users and Groups
07. Open Directory
08. Files and Permissions
09. Disks and Filesystems
10. Printing
11. Networking
12. Monitoring the System
13. Automating Tasks
14. Preferences and Defaults

Recommending this book is a piece of cake. This has the brevity that I desire, yet the dense writing that I also seek. The chapters are logically laid out, and it's a joy instead of a task to read through this text and play around. If you want to learn more about how to make your Mac a powerful tool, pick up this book, you will not be disappointed.

***** RECOMMENDED

Web editors can only get you so far...eventually you have to learn basic HTML coding. This was the first html book I ever read and it taught me so much that I was able to build my own website and also troubleshoot problems in the coding. Eventually you'll want to get a more advanced reference, but this book is a GREAT place to start and I recommend it to everyone I know who has an interest in HTML coding.

es pret

This book is very easy to follow. it has almost every aspect of the HTML language. I recommend it strongly

Don't buy one of those gigantic 30lb books w/ a CD in the back... they're overwhelming and expensive... and totally over-blow the whole simplicity of web development.

Tim Evans nails it on the head. I bought quite a bit of intro books when I wanted to put up my first web page... they are all boat anchors and door stops now.

I have been a professional web designer for over 4 years and I owe it to this easy intro by Tim Evans. I read the small book in one day and I had my first web page up in 5 minutes.

Anytime someone asks me how to get into web design & programming, this is the only book I recommend.

It's cheap, it's short and it gets right to the point. Thanks to Mr. Evans for being a cybergeek AND being able to speak to neophytes at the same time!

I'm reviewing this book from the point of view of an advance html programmer. I do agree the book is easy to understand, but a bit unorganized and incomplete for a 10 minute guide or reference. The book lacks many attributes within a tag. This book is "ok" for beginner, but even if you're a beginner you don't want to buy this book. It's old, incomplete and chances are you'll have to look for another html books after this one. It's not a good book to keep as a reference either. It's good to look at this in a library to understand what html is about, then go buy a more complete book to keep. And don't buy a big fat one either. Eventually you'll want a small, thin pocket book with all the tags and attributes and what each one does just to refresh your memory 'cause there is nothing much in html.

This book covers all the Podcasting bases, and IMHO is a bit better than "Podcasting for dummies". However, the author does newbies a disservice by posting screenshots from a $50 commercial sound editing product in addition to the popular and free "Audacity" software.

Podcasting beginners would do well to spend their money on a good USB microphone before plunking down cash for software they can get for free.
If they decide to pursue podcasting further, they can always upgrade the software later when they have a better idea of what they want to do...

Similarly, newbies should not think too much about mixing boards, XLR mics, etc. when just starting out. Let's keep it simple!

Just my $0.02 ...

I bought this book for a class I'm taking to obtain my degree and had no idea what podcasting was. This book is fantastic in the aspect of helping create a podcast for any size audience. It's easy to follow, easy to understand. The only fallback is that it does not offer software but it does reference a website or two where there are free downloads available. Happy Podcasting!

This book was so informative because it told me things that I didn't even know I had to know before producing a podcast. The authors made the book not only easy to follow but included some humor along the way. They included free websites and the best info on hardware that is needed too. At the end of every chapter is a section called "The Absolute Minimum" which gives a synopsis of the best and most necessary info of the chapter. I found that extremely helpful. This is the best book for the beginner because it explains everthing in easy to understand terms without being dry and totally technical.

The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Podcasting is a foolproof guide to making and producing your own podcast. From beginning to end the book spells out everything. From technical jargon to the pace of your podcast this book is there to help. It is easy to follow and has great page layouts that your eyes can easily focus on. In each chapter they also include small insets that give you a tidbit of history about podcasting. While podcasting's history isn't long they give great insight into subjects like the "Podfather", Adam Curry, who is seen as, the name implies, the forerunner for podcasting. This book is a beginning podcasters bible. That is the very best thing about it and possibly its only downside. It sets out to teach a novice the ways of the podcasting world and achieves that goal. If you have already tried your hand at casting and have a good idea of how it works this book wouldn't be the best choice for more advanced casting techniques. All in all the Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting achieves exactly what it is setting out to accomplish, giving beginners a guide to the growing world of podcasting.

Even if you know nothing about podcasting, you can produce your own cast within hours of getting your hands on this book. But what surprised me is that even if you're a seasoned podcaster you'll likely learn some good stuff from this book. It's definitely staying on my resource shelf, especially for the great detailed sections on sound production (both the physical gear like mics and the digital processing stuff).

What sets this book apart, though, is the in-depth discussion these authors deliver about show content. I've listened to the first 5 minutes of so many podcasts where the personality behind the mic was clearly interesting, but I didn't have the patience to sit through the loose drivel between entertaining or useful nuggets. This book does a great job guiding the podcaster to devote a little more directed energy to preparing a tight high-quality show. As an avid listener I can tell you this is almost required to get me on to minute 6, and a must to get me to subscribe to your cast.

The book has a nice conversational tone, making it a quick read. It's also laid out so that you can easily jump between sections if you're looking for something in particular, or want to save the detailed tech stuff for later.

My only negative comment about the book is that a few of the screenshots didn't print with enough contrast to make them easily readable. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. Great book, and a real bargain at less than $20.

When I first received this book, I was intimidated by the advanced topics in the table of contents and also the format of the book. It looked painfully dry and highly complicated, but as I started reading the book, I realized it is very reader-friendly. This books very well describes the unix tools for version control, testing, and development. There is a very useful chapter on subversion which gives enough introduction to get things rolling. It also provides topics on os X technologies that you won't find in other books such as Bonjour, Multi-Processing, and Keychain management. I think it is an essential complement to any Cocoa development book.

Advanced topics are described with a very easy language and I was able to read almost half of the book in a few days, and trust me, I'm a slow reader. I recommend this book to all Mac OS X programmers and Cocoa Aficionados.

If you're a Mac OS X developer and want to get serious about it, this book is mandatory. It is always on my desk right by the computer, and really is that perfect reference. Nothing really compares to this book, the previous Aaron Hillegass book is rather basic but is more of an introduction. I have a BS degree in CS and even though a lot of this has been covered, the rest of it is done in graduate school. So if you're looking for that little bit extra, give it a shot.

Don't expect to learn to code from this book, but once you know how this book will help you solve any problems that you run across.
I don't think that I'll ever read it cover-to-cover, but I know that it will always be in my library.

If you are a Programmer not in College, this is a nice book. As I read it, I learned several new things but then when I took Operating Systems Programming, I realized that we went over everything in the book, more in depth, and then some. If you aren't a Computer Science Major and you want to really program on the Mac, buy this book. However, if you are going to College, save your money. Let your professor teach it to you.

This book fills in most gaps you might encounter while learning about the low-level BSD/Mach aspect of Mac OS X and Darwin. Mach and BSD iokit is described in detail, and there are tons of useful code examples all over the book. This book even explains ipc and pipes very well, and isn't the size of the bible, like other books. It gets to the point as soon as you get past the TOC.

I am checking to see if this book above title is including with version of 2.0 and 3.0?? Let me know...

Thanks...

Even though PhotoDeluxe is in version 2.0, this v1.0 book still applies to the newer version. Full color, and written by the same people who do the "classroom in a book" series for Adobe.

I found "The Amazing Photodeluxe" to be a very fine book, completely filling in for all the shortfalls in the Photodeluxe manual. The book is truly a tutorial, that tracks you through each phase of design, and in the process, answers many of the questions you might have, even after reading the manual. The power of Photodeluxe is quite evident from the brief manual provided; but it took the insight and learning from "The Amazing Photodeluxe Book" to unleash it. In addition to being a great step-by-step guide, "The Amazing Photodeluxe Book" also provides beautiful color examples and excellent design suggestions. The only shortfall I found in the book was that I was unable to determine how to import ClipArt from non-Photodeluxe sources.

This manual may be all inclusive for users of previous versions, but it DOES NOT match any features found in Version 2.0. It does not lend itself to a step by step manual on how to do things.

I had found Photo Deluxe very dissapointing,and difficult to use, and consequently bought about every home photo editing program that sounded like it would be better. I stumbled upon this book on a mark-down table in a small bookstore,and was really surprised at what Photo Deluxe was supposed to be capable of. It was the very first I ever new of the capabilities of the color wand selection method, or of layers. Even though the book is several versions behind, at this point, it has still been very helpful to me. Thanks to it, I finally like Photo Deluxe, and find any other photo editing software very difficult to use or understand. I do wish they would publish a revised edition, to include the latest version 4.0, however.

I only wish I had more time to spend with this book. I am fortunatly busy editing! Everytime I sit down with this thing it changes the way I edit. It is clearly written and takes you through good editing techniques as well as how to use FCP to accomplish them. Best $35 I ever spent.

Dan S.

iPeace.tv

A very clear definition of how to do nearly everything in FCP4. Having only the knowledge of how to do a simple cut, I was able to follow the book and understand it. I'm still in high school, so you know if I can do this, you can as well. The book contains with it a DVD that offers 8.3 gigabytes of lessons that you give you all the shots you need, and then you open the book and the book explains what to do with the shots given to you. Depending on your current skill level, you can skip any lessons that you already know. The book does require some knowledge of the interface, like the canvas, viewer, browser, and timeline, and how they all function. I recommend the book to anyone that wants to learn FCP4 very well.

I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about using special fx, filters, motion, compositing, titles, or "sound track" in final cut pro, but to those who'd rather do all of this in after effects and would like to know more about codecs, HD, workflow, audio mastering, encoding, compressing, formats, and delivery in Final Cut Pro, I'd have to guess that there's probably something better out there. It would be unfair to say that this book ignores these subjects, but it certainly does not concentrate on them. I'm not dissappointed in my purchase for I certainly learned a lot, but I did expect a bit more. Good for what it's worth, but not great.

I'm sold on the Apple's Pro Training series for Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, offer training very economically. If you work independently and learn well from text books, these two offer clear instructions that can be trusted and followed with confidence. By following them carefully, I accomplish complicated tasks, such as animating titles, easily. Although, there are a few misplaced characters there aren't any missing words. By following Apple's lesson plan, I learned how to use tools in FCP. Some of them are so clever they're difficult to comprehend. The slip edit tool, for instance, lets you change which portion of the source file will be shown in a clip without lengthening the sequence. It took awhile before I could understood what was going on. It wasn't like anting I'd encountered before. How to operate the levers, buttons, and bells is important but these two books also teach how to make movies. For example, Final Cut Pro 4 describes how to slip the video into synch with the audio tracks rhythm pattern: how to finesse the leopard to move his head at a specific time in the music. After completing many tutorials in these books, I appreciate documentaries more. I've heard it referred to as a mid-range video editor but I can't foresee needing more power to edit my DV. At first I wondered why LiveType came bundled with Final Cut and why it took up so much room on my hd. After building the example projects, in chapters 19 and 20 of Final Cut Pro Advanced, however, I don't care how much room it needs. My motion titles impressed everyone saw them. Even experienced FinalCut Pro users may learn something about LiveType by reading this book. These books cover color correction, working with film, project management, nesting sequences, multi-track trims -- I'm reminded of the jingle about a good spaghetti sauce, the answer to every question, 'it's in there! I'll be using these two books, Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, for a long time. Tip: The lessons will go smoother if you read ahead.

Also recommended: Final Cut Pro 4 and Color management in OS X

I found several mistakes in the book. In one chapter it is recommends that you apply the 3 way color correction filter, when in fact you needed to use the normal color correction filter. I was able to figure out what was actually intended, but it baffles me why Apple as well as Peachpit Press would put out a book like this without a quality assurance check. This was not the only issue with the lessons. In my copy, on lesson 21 it asks you to modify the auxillary 24fps timecode of a clip, but I was unable to do so with the file that was included in the DVD.

If Final Cut Pro was as buggy as this book was, I would have switched over to Premier a long time ago. I am concurrently teaching myself Shake with Apple's Pro Training series for that program and haven't noticed anywhere near the mistakes that I have with this one.

I do have to admit I learned a hell of a lot from this book, WHEN THE LESSONS WORKED, but next time they should have someone do a QA check on the files as well as fact check on the lessons.

BTW, Peachpit has not addressed any of my emails regarding these problems. Not Good!

Luckily I bought this book used and paid very little for it.

The content of the book is good and I keep it on the shelf as reference, it's nice to be able to look up specific topics and the sections are usually short and to the point.

My major complaint is that the much touted DVD that comes with the book is, for all intents and purposes, USELESS. In the book he references a file or where that file is on the DVD... and there is no such file or folder on the DVD. After my third attempt at looking for a file I realized this and had I not paid so little for the book I would have returned it instantly.

As I said, the content seems good but the disk makes you crazy and neither the author's website nor the publisher's make any attempt to apologize for this or give you the option to acquire the files on-line. I would only purchase this book used if at all.

I'm about 2 thirds through the book and am finding it very easy to read and very informative. I'd recommend it to newbies and olderbies.

Glad I picked this one out of all the possibilities!

Excellent DVD authoring guide for DVD authors and non-authors. Simple to follow guides and diagrams. The key to the book is it's simplicity. Easy to follow instructions plus all the technical DVD stuff that you may need for reference in the future. Also the enclosed DVD is packed with goodies and extras. We also get to see Bruce explaining things to us on camera. Buy this book!!!

This is a great book. Well written with accurate information and the content included applies to DVD Studio Pro 2, 3, and DVD authoring in general. If you are authoring DVDs, you should have this book.

There is NO doubt in my mind, that Bruce Nazarian is literally the world's best lecturer, seminar leader, tutor, and evangelist for authoring DVDs, especially done on the video-geeks platform of choice: the Apple G5. If you have never attended one of his widely available seminars about how to author DVDs, you MUST find the time and money to do so... its a life affirming experinece.

Otherwise, THIS, his latest publication, DVD-SP2 is the next best thing to being there.

Why? because unlike anyone else whose job it is to take average folk from ignorance to professional competency, Bruce has that magical personality to put himself in YOUR shoes, to see the issues, problems and questions from YOUR perspective. NOT as some sales-puke trying to push something on you in a 30 minute presentation, but as a friend (and I consider him a good friend).

Specifically about this book... it is LOADED with screen capture pictures, more than I have ever seen in a "how-to" for DVD authoring.. Beyond the pictures, is his massive use of short paragraphs with very descriptive titles on almost every thought. The titles of each concept are often put in the format of a question that YOU would be asking yourself... I am certain that give the massive experience Bruce has had on the DVD authoring-training circuit world wide, he has heard them all. So READING this book, is almost like having a conversation with Bruce. TOTALLY UNIQUE.

Beyond that, the damn text is actually readable, even though the facts to be learned are about what DVDs are and how they can be used and what the details are for each of the authoring functions of SP2. I am a certified Illiterate. I have NEVER read a book, cover to cover, that was not required reading to pass a course. But when I cracked this three pound, 540 page boat anchor, I could NOT put it down... NOT because I needed to know what was in it, (since I have been playing in this sandbox since 1976)... but because of the common language style and very clear, errorless choice of words. The man has a gift. I know most of you who are considering to buy this book have almost NO time to read an "epic" on the subject, and you have other options which include turning on your computer and grinding through tutorials (both supplied by Bruce and Apple).

BUT... This book was a joy to review. I even learned stuff that I did NOT want to learn... and that brings me to another issue that should put this acquisition at the top of your Christmas list (but don't wait til then). Every page has some comment, that shows a personal viewpoint with judgement calls that come from his years of experience mastering the hardware and software from Apple and that of their competitors. The man has an attitude... it jumps off the page. ITS NOT BORING. He is never irreverent, but always truthful, even about those little hidden details that keep people, doing DVDs, awake nights. A straight shooter, no crap. Its surprising that this book ever got published.

And finally... the book, like others, has a DVD in it with all those extras that they cannot put on paper... Those alone are probably worth the purchase price... But the kicker is that what you get is to see is Bruce-on-screen... talkin to you as if you were a client or a new employee... Very much in command of the subject matter and of his own talents at doing all this. What you will see there is a personality that will make you want to get to this guy's next two day intensive seminar (or whatever is your opportunity). I have seen him perform in front of hundreds of people, playing the crowd like Sir Stevie Jobs... and when his time is up, usually a crowd forms around him to ask questions and to get to be a real industry associate of his. You are going to want to know this guy... and this DVD and book will get you half way there.

And a final "finally." I told him.. "rather than make them read this book (and the updates he is already working on)...you really should put out a DVD series so they can put Bruce on their $29 Apex DVD player next to that monster G5, and have you talk them through all the features of a "professional" authoring tool." Yes, with Bruce as your co-pilot... you TOO will be able to land this 747 sized task of making serious money off of Apple's ambitions to dominate the Video editing and DVD authoring world.

And for any of you who might question: who the hell I am. I am called: (by a few thousand people who know me as well as I know Bruce) DA Godfather... A title I have given myself for having spent the last 29 years trying to bring Erasable Optical Recording to the world in order to eliminate paper, film and that evil VideoTAPE that has preceeded DVD-RW type media. If you ever see some Yahoo, walking down the aisles of NAB, CES, COMDEX, etc... looking like a dirty old Chicago Mafiosi... with a black hat.. that's me (be nice to the guy if its NOT me, you want to keep your kneecaps)... I would be happy to meet you and tell you more about Sir Bruce and why I consider him Apple's greatest Evangelist for what you are about to learn.

Enjoy IT,... I certainly did.

Da Godfather
(sorry about any typos...two of my fingers are shorter than they should be...shades of the International DVD-Mafia convention in Japan a few years back. :-)

Contains practically everything you'll need whether you're a family medicine practitioner or a medstudent doing a family medicine clerkship.

This book is great. I would recommend it to all Family Nurse Practitioners.

It's better then most scut monkey books.

I got this thinking it would contain useful guidelines for myself and my new ARNP (in an office practice), but found much of the book to consist of admitting orders, and the rest not particularly useful.

The discussion of hypertension, for example, consists of 3/4 page, does briefly discuss workup of newly dx HTN, and lists drugs and dosages - but NOT any recommendations for which drug to use in which patient, and no mention of guideline such as JNC-6.

The one page on active TB discusses workup and treatment regimens, but NOT possible hepatotoxicity of drugs, and NO discussion of which patients would be more likely to have resistant disease.

It seems to essentially be a FP version of the "Wash Manual" (Washington Manual of Therapeutics), and as such is appropriate for FP housestaff, but NOT for experienced clinicians, midlevel providers, or those doing only outpatient medicine.

This book is a must if you're a family practice resident. Clear, concise and fits in your pocket. It's great!