Gregory, Josh. Steve Jobs.

Gregory, Josh.  Steve Jobs.   Scholastic/Childrens Press    2013  64p   $30.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23606-2      elm/ms  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  VG-BN     

This is the life story of technology guru Steve Jobs, a man who led us into new territories and broke down creative barriers, written in an easy-to-read format accompanied with chapter notes, glossary, a list of web sites, and an index.           

The text is crisply written at a low reading level and fully illustrated with photographs.  The inclusion of facts and references to sources of additional information, including web sites, a timeline and a glossary/index make this a useful research tool.

Second only to the informative text, the most important thing about this book is its visual appeal to young readers.  The page layouts are diversified and well balanced between text and very descriptive photographic illustrations, so that concepts are grouped together.  The flow and balance of the text and the visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for both young and reluctant readers.      This book is one in the Cornerstones of Freedom series, which consists of eight books at this time. The general theme of the series is biography.

Steve Jobs, Technology                                --Martha Squaresky

Gregory, Josh. Steve Jobs.

Gregory, Josh.  Steve Jobs.   Scholastic/ Children’s Press  2013  64  22.50   ISBN 978-0-531-22606-2         ms    series: Cornerstones of Freedom       E-BN 

This is a biography at a higher reading level than the True Book version.  It is much wordier but does not add substantial information and even skips some that is included in the simpler version, but it is a good biography for middle-school readers.    Steve Jobs was an innovator, an inventor, and a man who changed the way we do things.  This text introduces him to readers through the some primary and secondary sources.  It starts with a brief look at life before computers.  The next chapter covers the first twenty years of Steve’s life, through his schooling to the founding of Apple Computer.  The next chapters present his struggles to find his place in the computing world and establish his company, and the book ends with the continuing story of Apple after the death of Steve Jobs.

 
The format of this title is very colorful and inviting for readers, with some special features, such as text blocks with related information.  There is an emphasis on identifying and discussing the other people closely associated with Jobs.  Almost every page has an illustration, and most are photographs.

Supplemental materials include two pages of influential individuals, a timeline, links to primary source documents, resources, a glossary and an index.

This title is well suited to middle-school students, who will learn much about this influential man.  The Cornerstones of Freedom series brings history to life, focusing on dramatic and defining moments in American history, and it includes primary sources. 

Steve Jobs                                                        --Joan Theal

Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual

Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual

by David Pogue

O’Reilly Media Inc., www.oreillycom

Catalog page: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920025634.do#

August 2012, 867p,  isbn: 978-1-449-33027-9,  $34.99

This is a valuable reference source for the current Apple operating  system. The index and appendixes will help IT people solve problems.

This operating system is the ninth version of Apple’s unix-based system. It looks and feels so different from the smiley faces of yesteryear. There are over 200 new gestures that the book says illustrates Apple’s step in a new design philosophy. To the average user it looks as though Apple is slowly merging the idevice operating system with the desktop. Consumers will soon see the AutoSaves feature, full screen apps, lack of folders, and a home screen similar to IOS5. They will also see some old apps renamed and enriched with new features.  An example of this is the Preview app. In Mt Lion it has become a contender to Photoshop. It is Apple’s flagship program. It is a “scanning software, graphics viewer, fax viewer, and PDF reader.”(p428pbk)  It also saves to the iCloud and shares via email, Airdrop, or messages. It also opens-reads-searches-prints-but not edits MS word, color corrects, formats and converts files, resample images (p430pbk), fix photos by cutting out people (p432pbk), and filling in PDF forms.

    There is something for the reader at every level. Beginners have a mini sidebar with help called Up To Speed. Advanced users will find Power Users Clinics. Readers will find that some chapters have downloadable documents while the book itself has a website available for updates and corrections.

         The book is flexible in the way a reader can utilize the informative text. For myself, the first thing I read was the appendix on installing Mt Lion. I found it humorous when David said that there are (P789 ebk, pbk) psychological requirements for upgrading a computer.  His statement was: “upgrading an operating system is always a traumatic experience for a computer- and too often, for the owner.” Avoid problems by using disk utility to check your hard drive, turn off File Vault, and update your software so that it runs on the new system. The install directions were right on the mark. I can honestly say it was one of the easiest installs I’ve done. Since then I have been holed up with the book and my mac. As you skim some chapters and digest others you will find Mt Lion has some really cool new features.

The author’s (David Pogue) writing style is clearly written, succinctly worded and peppered with humor throughout the text. It makes it very readable and understandable for everyone from a beginner to an advanced user. This ebook or paperback is very informative, clearly organized, and very thoroughly indexed for retrieval of bits of information.

Both the ebook and the paperback contain the same material. They are both well suited to either format. By saying this, I mean the pages and chapters in the paperback are clearly readable. The size of the text and crispness of the diagrams that are appropriately placed on the two-page spread make this a very useful reference tool for a very powerful operating system.

The choice of ebook versus paperback is definitely a personal one. Some people think the paperback is a doorstop. Personally I like to flip through the index when troubleshooting. But I must admit that the ebook is easy to use and very portable.

As I skimmed, browsed, and consumed my way through the book I found the information on AipPlay, FaceTime, and the abundance of free programs clearly written with lots of valuable information. I found a way to rewire my network and learned that MT Lion has an anti-spam kit built into its junk mail filter that I will have to train for a while until it learns my preferences. But on the other hand the notification center now consolidates all of the apps that want your attention (Mail, Reminders, Twitter, Facebook, Software Updates, etc.) into a single list. Lastly, one of the best tips was a reminder of something most of us forget. When programs start acting up there are five basic steps to solve a problem (1 Repair permissions, /2 Look for update/ 3 Toss prefs/ 4 Restart/5 Trash and reinstall).

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My only disappointments for the book was that I wanted a digital copy of the Master List Secret Keystrokes that could be downloaded on the missing manuals website.  Lastly, I hope at some point David Pogue will do a song or video clip of the 47,000 features contained in Mt Lion as only he can do.     by L. McNeil