MacDirectory Magazine

Spring-Summer 2008 (#37)

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/798

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 49 of 178

48 MacDirectory BOOK REVIEWS John Ross's The Book of Wireless describes itself as the "Painless Guide to Wi-Fi and Broadband Wireless." Taking the sting out of subnets and ache out of access control lists does involve some time and effort in learning the basics. For this, the new edition of Ross's book is the perfect prescription. The first few chapters provide the essential overview of how a network connection actually works. You'll discover that for much of the process, the medium — copper wires or radio waves — is of little concern. You'll also find out about the different standards used in wireless data exchanges and how they can coexist (most of the time, anyway). The book moves on to offer the hardware and software knowledge you'll need to set up and troubleshoot networks and connections. Ross gives ample attention to all wireless platforms, Mac, Windows, Linux and smart-phones, going into just enough depth to get you through some fairly sophisticated setups. In fact, in most cases, you'll be better equipped for problem-solving than most first-tier tech support people you'd get on the phone. The Book of Wireless takes a refreshingly different approach than most of the step- by-step how-to's that are out there. Ross does walk you through a few of the more specific and clearly defined tasks, but the book's real strength is to provide the reader with the fundamental knowledge he or she needs to understand the process and the problem. If you know what a gateway really is, you're in much better shape than if you simply read what to type into a "gateway" field. Ross saves the topic of wireless security for a lengthy chapter near the end of the book. If the Internet can be compared to the Wild West, than wireless Internet access would be akin to the Wild West on a dark, moonless night. It takes some essential knowledge to understand what the risks are, even before you get to a place where you can avoid them. A great deal has changed since Ross published the first edition of his book in 2003. This year's edition adds the new hardware and features that are part of the significantly different wireless landscape of today and leaves behind most that have faded into the past. Ross covers a great deal of territory in just over 300 pages, but his writing style is crisp and his skills as a teacher substantial. When help files and user manuals aren't enough, The Book of Wireless will probably have the answers. The Book of Wireless, 2nd Edition by John Ross 326 pages > $29.95, No Starch Press ISBN 978-1-59327-169-5 The Moment It Clicks Great photos speak for themselves. They tell you a story. They pull at your heart. They may even burn themselves into your memory as if they were part of your own experience. And, if you're a photographer, after you've recovered from the initial impact of seeing a great image, you'll probably start to wonder what the photographer did (and possibly didn't do) to get such an amazing shot. The Moment It Clicks offers a look through eyes of one of the world's most talented photographers, Joe McNally. McNally is an artist and craftsman who possess the rare combination of talents that led to his success as both a studio photographer and a photojournalist (often creating a very blurry line between the two specialties). He also has the ability to quite succinctly and entertainingly describe not only what exactly led to those images that have graced the pages of Time, National Geographic, Life, Sports Illustrated, and just about every magazine you'd associate with great pictures, but draw an important lesson out of each one. In short, he's not only a great photographer, but is a great teacher as well. With all the remarkable technologies of digital imaging, it becomes all too easy to forget the basics of photography: lighting, composition and timing. With often-profound insight, candid sensitivity and a good measure of humor, McNally reminds us what the art is really about. The Moment It Clicks is a collection of some of McNally's most memorable work. With each image, the author/photographer reveals the story behind the picture; how he got it, why it worked, and what the experience taught him about his art. Many of the shoots have the level of complexity (and budget) one would expect of a cover story for National Geographic or Life. But behind each of the images is a basic lesson— actually a philosophy, with far broader implications. The book is full of tips on lighting, staging and timing that can be applied if you go out on a shoot with just a camera bag (and not a grip truck). Some of McNally's best work came as a result of making do with what was at hand. The book itself is a thing of beauty. It would be more at home on a coffee table than in a bookshelf. But as inspiring as the pictures are, the book is worth reading from cover to cover. By the end, you'll find yourself looking through the viewfinder with a very different perspective. Even though it's a bit off the beaten path of typical computer and software books, The Moment It Clicks is one of the best we've seen this year. The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally 256 pages > $54.99 New Riders ISBN 978-321-54408-7

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MacDirectory Magazine - Spring-Summer 2008 (#37)