Posted by Elena del Valle on July 8, 2011
Ipad 2 book cover
Photos: O’Reilly Media Inc.
I bought my iPad as a last minute replacement for a netbook that, after less than a year of service, died two days before I was due to go on an overseas trip. I wish iPad 2 The Missing Manual by J.D. Biersdorfer (O’Reilly Media $24.99) had been available then. It would have saved me several missteps. Eventually I got the hang of the basic features and it was easier than it might have been for me because, as the salesman at the Apple store explained, the iPad is like an iPhone but bigger.
As the iPad revolution continues with the new iPad 2 introduced earlier this year more users are joining the tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, of fans of the thin and light weight tablet. Simple functions like turning the iPad on and off can be important. I discovered before reading the book for example, that if you don’t turn off the iPad completely and it runs out of battery power it looses the stored data and apps, requiring a recharge and a reloading of data and apps. If this happens during a business meeting or trip it can be inconvenient.
Biersdorfer’s book is filled with color photos and user friendly explanations as well as Notes and Tips. Some of the comments have a touch of humor like one about the description of the screen’s fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating seeming to describe a psychiatric condition or a fear of butter substitutes. In relation to video capability, I liked the tip about the iPad playing hi-def video at the lowest resolution available and the list of video conversion programs on page 243.
J.D. Biersdorfer, author, ipad 2
The 313-page book is divided into sixteen chapters and two appendices: Get to Know Your iPad; Interact with Your iPad; Get Online; Surf the Web; Keep in Touch with Email; Use the iPad’s Built-in Apps; Shop the App Store; Read iBooks and ePeriodicals; Play Games; Get Productive with iWork; Organize and Sync Media Files with iTunes; Master iTunes; Play Music and Other Audio; Watch and Edit Videos; View, Edit and Manage Photos; and Sync Up with MobilMe. The appendices address troubleshooting and iPad settings.
Biersdorfer has written a computer column for The New York Times since 1998. Prior to this book she authored iPod: The Missing Manual, Best iPhone Apps and Netbooks: The Missing Manual.
Click to buy iPad 2
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 6, 2011
Oscar Ramos, senior director and general manager, ESPN Deportes Radio
Photos: ESPN Deportes Radio
Starting last week ESPN Deportes Radio began offering exclusive live broadcasts of the Copa America 2011 through July 29, 2011. The network’s soccer commentators are scheduled to broadcast all 26 matches live from Argentina across multiple platform and present special post-game shows. The first broadcast was of the Argentina versus Bolivia game on July 1.
On July 11, Mario “El Matador” Kempes, a representative of ESPN Deportes and an Argentinean World Cup champion, will be calling the Argentina versus Costa Rica match for the network in a stadium that bears his own name in Córdoba. He will also provide his expert analysis on Argentinean matches. ESPN Deportes Radio soccer experts covering the championship include Jorge Ramos, Jairo Moncada, Omar Orlando Salazar, Hernán Pereyra, Manuel Kun, and Ricardo Mayorga.
“We are excited about bringing our listeners into the action at Copa America 2011 with our extensive live coverage from Argentina,” said Oscar Ramos, senior director and general manager, ESPN Deportes Radio. “In addition to the live games, our programming line-up will allow for great interaction between our listeners and their favorite experts which will undoubtedly make for some great debates in our wide range of news and talk shows.”
Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra of Jorge Ramos y su Banda
ESPN Deportes Radio plans to present Después de la Copa, a post-game show with analysis of each day’s games. Jorge Ramos y su Banda, the radio network’s signature soccer talk show, is scheduled to broadcast on location throughout the entire tournament.
Also planned is best in class Copa America 2011 analysis and commentary and a daily special edition of Fuera de Juego at 1 a.m. EST. Ciro Procuna, Rafa Puente, and Fernando Schwartz will be reporting from Argentina.
ESPNdeportes.com plans to feature extensive Copa America 2011 coverage in a dedicated section with pre and post analysis of the matches, statistics, online videos, and podcasts. Online coverage will include blogs, editorials, and chats with ESPN Deportes talent reporting from Argentina. ESPN Deportes Radio is a United States national Spanish-language sports radio network.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 1, 2011
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus book cover
Photos: Sourcebooks Publicity
Often business people use the same words and phrases repetitively. It is not that they do not know other words it is that certain words and expressions have become familiar and comfortable. While that may be acceptable in everyday conversation with colleagues at the office it may present less than a professional face when attending meetings with clients, bosses or others in the industry.
A rich vocabulary populated with phrases other than “you know” and “not so much” and such popular expressions may enhance the way others perceive our knowledge and abilities and better position us for growth and promotion. To make a good impression we could slightly alter the word choices we usually make. Instead of saying elegant maybe we could say luxuriant; instead of saying writing skills we may try saying writing prowess, for example.
Tom Heehler, author, The Well-Spoken Thesaurus
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus (Sourcebooks, $12.99), a 405-page softcover book of alternate words by Tom Heehler, could be a handy tool for vocabulary development. Published in February 2011 the book is the result of four years of work by the author after enrolling at Harvard University in the spring of 2006. Finding no easy way to improve his speech and prose quickly, he wrote down what he said and paired it with what he thought he should have said.
Heehler considers words to be “like little gods” and believes they affect people’s political leanings, the way they see reality, their confidence and self perception, according to the On Becoming Articulate section at the beginning of the book. In that section he goes on to say that people who are well spoken are expected by others to be more knowledgeable, more informed and capable of great things.
The Thesaurus contains 17 lessons from famous authors, like Ernest Hemingway, to well known speakers, such as President Barack Obama in the first part of the book. It also includes thousands of alternatives to common words and phrases.
Heehler is a degree student at the Harvard University Extension School and creator of Fluent in Five Languages, an online language course where students learn to speak four languages, French, Italian, Spanish, and Romanian simultaneously.
Click to by The Well-Spoken Thesaurus
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