X Books

This is the great sequel to the first Nomi Rabinovitch story: "Love Ruins Everything". The same characters: Nomi of course, her best friend Betty, her boss Patty, her long-distance-girlfriend Julie, her cousin Henry and the rest of her family [including her grandmother Bubbe who passes away, or doesn't she?].
The story picks up where the first book ended and it is as funny, as readable, as great in character-developing as the first book was.
If you loved the first book you will love this one as much.
If you haven't read the first one: buy it, read it and then start on this one.

This book is simply amazing. Yes, it is short, but all that really does is emphasize its Truth. It shows us the Truth of all the world's religions, and does so with clarity and simplicity. Anyone yearning for true wisdom would do well to take a look.

Title: The '06 Lunar Calendar
Contributers: 22 artists, poets and writers.
Genre: Calendar /New Age/ Pagan
Publication date: 2006 (Out Now!)
ISBN: 1-877920-16-9
Pages: 32

The '06 Lunar Calendar - 22 artists, poets and writers.

The 30th Annual Edition is as magnificent as the moon and just as stunning!

Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks with an aqueous coated cover, this calendar is a luminous example of a caring and talented team of artists, poets and writers. This year The Lunar Press have dedicated this 30th Anniversary edition to the Goddess in her many guises. And what a gift this is. From the moment I saw the cover art `Celtic Twilight' (designed by Joan S. Anderson, who also created the calligraphy and leaf rubbings) I knew this calendar was special.

Inside begins with the first lunation (December 30, '05 to January 28th, '06) where each double page spread guides us through to the 13th lunation (December 20 - January 17th '07). As the calendar hangs, the top of each page is adorned with a black and white picture and/or a poem by various artists and writers. On the bottom page moon icons show the position of the waxing and waning moon. Reading moonwise (anti-clockwise) from the first new moon (shaded) to full (light) you will discover the day, solar date and the times the moon rises and sets.

That's not all. I found the V/C information very enlightening. V/C stands for `Moon Void of Course', otherwise known as a silly season or vacation from normal living! In simple terms, this is the best time for subjective, spiritual non-material concerns, like prayer, yoga, play, psychotherapy or a passive experience, sleep or meditation. In other words, nothing too strenuous or anything involving heavy decision-making. The period of V/C starts as the moon in transit begins to move from one sign of the zodiac to another. It could continue for three days and three nights, or just a few seconds. Although more details are supplied, it is recommended you observe what the Void of Course Moon indicates during your daily living. There are also plenty of books you can read on this subject.

At the back there is a key to a sample lunar month to teach you how to read the moon in all it's glory. There are many additional features too, for example, clearly marked in the top left hand corner of each lunar month diagram you will find one of the 13 corresponding consonants and 5 vowels, which together complete the lunar tree alphabet. The 5 vowels correspond to the seasonal stations of the sun throughout the year (the 2 solstices, 2 equinoxes and the extra day of the divine child, which exists magically outside of the year).

The '06 Lunar Calendar includes fascinating details of the 8 seasonal stations of the sun, known as earth festivals, pagan festivals, or ancient holy days. Further information about the distance of the moon's elliptical orbit, termed the apogee (greatest distance from the earth's centre) and the perigee (the closest distance) can also be found. As you can see, the explanations and detailed terminologies are written in a clear and concise manner.

We also learn the Celtic/Druidic name for the tree-month, accompanied by a leaf rubbing from the tree the month celebrates and a written description of its qualities. Whether your interest is related to the pagan way, astrology or just moon-watching, you will discover a wealth of information to enhance your daily life. As you can probably tell by now, this is not a calendar to schedule your appointments, however, considering the information I have already supplied, I don't think this matters. I personally cannot wait for December 30th to come round, so I can start using my calendar to its full potential.

We now turn to the question of my living in England and the accuracy of my corresponding time zones. As stated above, this is printed in America, and I have the daylight saving hours to consider before I can find my scheduled times for moonrise and moonset. This may sound very complicated, but it really is just a point of adjusting time zones to suit. And if that sounds like too much hard work (or you are just incredibly lazy) then you don't even have to do that much. Turn to the back inside pages and there is a whole page dedicated to the times for London, British GMT and San Francisco, CA 2206 PST. Yes, those talented people at The Luna Press have thought of everything, with one easy glance you have all the correct times for the lunar year ahead and you're ready to look up, as they say at The Lunar Press.

No one can completely know their future, but with this calendar you have a chance to understand how the moon can have an effect on your emotions and physical being. With this knowledge you can learn to adapt and enhance your life, as in astrology. This is nothing new, ancient astronomers and astrologers have been watching the skies since time began. The moon is a natural source for guidance. By the way, if you are into magical practices this is an ideal accompaniment to your studies.

This book was not only a good book but it had me laughing in so many places. I did enjoy it. Christine's life in the Chilcotin was not always an easy one but she raised four fine sons and truly lived the outdoor life

Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle
Brad Miser
Premier Press
ISBN 1-931841-74-8
...

Several years' back, Steve Jobs announced the "digital lifestyle." I'm not sure if using a Mac and a digital camera or camcorder qualifies you to live the "digital lifestyle," but if it does, then Brad Miser is going to tell you how to live it. In fact, his book tells you how to live the digital lifestyle "a la vida loca."

There are plenty of good books focusing on iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, and iDVD (the so-called "iApps.") Nevertheless, this is the first book to focus on the integration between the iApps. Miser does not tell you just how to use iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto; he tells you how to use them all together to create a seamless digital production. This focus on integration, and using the strong points of each application is what sets Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle apart from books that simply tell you how to use one iApp.

Before reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I felt reasonably conversant with the fundamental of iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto. (I have never paid attention to iDVD as neither of my Macs have a SuperDrive.) I could fool around with the various programs, and get some moderately interesting results. But I always felt I was never taking best advantage of the programs as a suite of applications.

Three pages into Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I knew this book was something special.

Using QuickTime Pro as a focal point, Miser lays out the graphics underpinnings of the iApps. The ability to import and export scads of file formats makes QuickTime Pro and especially iMovie extra-flexible. You learn that you can get almost any external file into your production, and how to best import it.

iTunes gets attention next, then iPhoto and iMovie. Each chapter, while not as comprehensive as specialized books on each iApp, gives plenty of detail. I especially appreciated tips relating each program to its siblings; how best to format an export from iTunes to get it into iMovie, for example.

After each member of the iApp suite has had its' turn, Miser gets to what is the best part of the book. He presents logical strategies for creating digital productions. These are not cookie-cutter "step 1, step 2" checklists that some beginner-level books use. Miser talks fundamentals, and uses general principles to help you learn how to use the iApps together to best effect. While each one has strengths and weaknesses, Miser shows you how to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

If you think I like this book, then think again.

I LOVED this book. It is well written, with easy-on-the-eyes formatting (less common than you may think), and it weighs less than 5 pounds. But the best part of reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle was the constant feeling I had of "so THAT is the best way to do that effect," or "jeez, I was wasting a lot of time doing it my way."

Rather than list all the chapter titles, I'll simply say you will learn all you need to know to use your digital camera, camcorder, CD/DVD burner with your Mac if buy and read Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle.

This is a must-buy for anyone who wants to get more out of their digital hardware and the iApps that ship with their Macintosh.

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Weeks

...

This book is all it claims to be. Concise and easy to use. I received my OS X.2 on a new G4 and after spending several hours trying to just do the everyday things that had become second nature in OS 9, I went to Amazon.com and found this book advertised. It is exactly what I needed to make the conversion. I already had two books on OS 9/OS X but at 1,000 pages each, what I needed either wasn't in there or was buried too deeply to find quickly.

If you're converting from OS 9 to OS X, do yourself a favor and order this book at the same time. I can say from experience and without exaggeration, it will save you hours.

One thing I disagree with the author on. In "Start Here" of the book, he says "Don't sit down and read it cover to cover." I think he's right and wrong. The tips are easy to find without reading the whole book; but his writing style makes the reading fun and knowing some of the conversion tips before needing them reduced my stress level considerably.

I have been using Mac OS X since the first public beta, and have some other Unix experience. I must say, this book has taken me a long way towards applying the things I know about other Unix environments to Mac OS X. Despite my Mac OS X experience, I feel that this book has taught me a lot about the Darwin flavor of Unix. As an added bonus, the book's careful explinations have helped me to better understand the other Unix platforms I have worked with.

All and all, this was a good, if technical, book. Perfect for anybody who is interested in porting Unix software to Mac OS X, as well as the Unix admin who wants to get the most out of the new environment. However, unlike the title maintains, you don't have to be a Unix geek to get something worthwhile from the reading - though you may consider yourself one after carefully going through this book.

My only complaint is that the book leaves you wanting more information in some areas. Thankfully, it is always quick to point you to other O'Reilly titles that fill in the gaps.

Unfortunately, for me, my iBook 700 was too slow to run Dreamweaver MX 2004. I don't care what the folks at Apple or Macromedia say. You need a G4 to get the most out of that program. At first I was pretty bummed, because I'd gotten years, and I mean years, out of my PowerBook 1400 before upgrading to that iBook that I'd had for only 9 months. But the lure of the lastest, and I must say greatest, version of Dreamweaver was too much. I bought one of those spiffy G4 iBooks and now I'm a happy guy.

But low and behold, the machine came with Panther pre-installed. And I'd just gotten a handle on Jaguar. So, I did what I did when I wanted to learn Jaguar, I bought a book. Notice I said book, not books. When confronted with Jaguar, I went to the bookstore and bought several books, only to learn that the lynda.com people had the best of the bunch. So this time I saved a gang of money and bought the only book you'll ever need if you want to learn Panther. Two fat thumbs up from me.

This is a superb book for those looking for an easy and comfortable introduction to Mac OS X. The information is presented in an easy-to-learn format, but unlike some similar books, the author here doesn't talk down to the user...it is like having an experienced friend help you through the basics of your Mac.

I highly recommend this bookfor any beginning to intermediate users of the Mac. If you are buying a Mac for the first time, this is a great book to get, especially since Apple doesn't provide any documentation of its own.

Mac OS X: Power User's Guide by Macintosh computer expert Brad Miser is a highly practical and comprehensive guide to the basics of getting the most out of the Mac OS X system. Specifically covering version Mac OS X version 10.1, this invaluable instructional reference has everything from upgrading and installing Mac OS X to setting preferences, printing, Internet access, AppleScript, and much more. Black-and-white screenshots illustrate step-by-step "walk through" instructions guide users of all experience levels in the most user-friendly possible way. A first-rate basic, "user friendly" reference, Max OS X is a welcome and highly recommended addition to any Mac enthusiast's reference shelf.