Traffic Circle 2.0 » Books http://markesoper.com/blog Mark Edward Soper's Online Home Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:57:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 The Shot Doctor is In! http://markesoper.com/blog/2009/07/the-shot-doctor-is-in/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2009/07/the-shot-doctor-is-in/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:22:09 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=106

My latest book, The Shot Doctor: The Amateur’s Guide to Taking Great Digital Photos, is now available at your favorite bookstores including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and others.

Find out more by checking out the chapter on Recipes for Better Daytime Digital Photographs or by taking a look at excerpts available at Google Books.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2009/07/the-shot-doctor-is-in/feed/ 0 Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/12/unleashing-microsoft-windows-vista-media-center/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/12/unleashing-microsoft-windows-vista-media-center/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:49:56 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=97 My tenth book, Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center, has just been published by Que.

Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center

It’s a complete guide to the Windows Media Center feature in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions. Special features include:

- How to connect standard and HDTVs and home theater systems to your PC

- How to watch and record TV and movies

- How to find your favorite actors, directors, and genres

- How to use WMC to help you with fantasy sports

- How to play both casual and high-performance 3D games from your WMC desktop

- How to access media on other PCs through WMC

- How to use an Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Extender

- How to use Windows Media Center, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker to make WMC even more powerful

- Where to find the best third-party programs that make WMC even more powerful

- How to watch TV on your WMC PC, even if you don’t have a TV tuner

Hear my interview with Plugged In’s Justin Williams here. Read the Amazon.com reviews here.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/12/unleashing-microsoft-windows-vista-media-center/feed/ 1 Get “Plugged In” for Vista Tips and Tricks http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/09/get-plugged-in-for-vista-tips-and-tricks/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/09/get-plugged-in-for-vista-tips-and-tricks/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:42:24 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=89 Evansville Courier tech columnist and MacOS developer Justin Williams interviewed me for his weekly Plugged In radio show on WNIN-FM88, and you can listen to Episode 3 here. You’ll want to hear the entire show, but if you’re in a hurry, my segment starts at 18:17 into the program.

I’ll be appearing on the show again later this year to introduce my newest book Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center after it hits bookstores in November. 

Many thanks to Justin and to WNIN-FM88 for the opportunity.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/09/get-plugged-in-for-vista-tips-and-tricks/feed/ 0 Welcome to Dawn Patrol Readers http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/07/welcome-to-dawn-patrol-readers/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/07/welcome-to-dawn-patrol-readers/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:36:24 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=81 If you’ve reached this blog via my guest post at The Dawn Patrol, welcome! Many thanks to Ms. Eden for allowing me to speak to her readers. While you’re here, I hope you’ll find useful information to help keep your computer running smoothly.

This blog is primarily about my full-time work as a technology writer and consultant. I do most of my day-to-day blogging at Maximum PC’s newly-remodeled website, and also blog from time to time at Amazon.com (where my current and older books are available for purchase) and my publisher’s developer-oriented website, InformIT.com.

To get a taste of what I think about topics that are more important in the long run than the latest computer or photography gizmo, see the Beyond Technology – Thoughts on Ultimate Issues (God, Life, Right and Wrong) section of this website.

Have a wonderful 4th of July – and beyond.

 

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/07/welcome-to-dawn-patrol-readers/feed/ 0 Talking Styles and Templates, SWIPCUG Style http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/02/talking-styles-and-templates-swipcug-style/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/02/talking-styles-and-templates-swipcug-style/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:30:54 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/books/talking-styles-and-templates-swipcug-style/ Thanks to the fine men and women of the Southwest Indiana PC Users Group, I’ll be talking about using styles and templates to make your documents easier to edit and better looking. Whether you use MS Word, OpenOffice, or WordPerfect to write your letters, grants, reports, or shopping lists, you’ll want to attend the meeting. Guests are welcome, and memberships are encouraged!

See you this Sunday, February 17, at 2PM at

Evansville Central Library’s Browning Events Room B

 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Evansville, IN 47713

 

Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista ExposedI’ll be signing copies of my latest book, Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista, and I’ll have copies of this book and others available at attractive prices. I hope to see you there!

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/02/talking-styles-and-templates-swipcug-style/feed/ 0 Discover the Difference in Home Networking in Vista http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/01/discover-the-difference-in-home-networking-in-vista/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/01/discover-the-difference-in-home-networking-in-vista/#comments Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:02:34 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/books/discover-the-difference-in-home-networking-in-vista/ The home networking chapter from my book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista is now available online.

Windows Vista’s networking features are among the biggest changes compared to Windows XP, and this chapter will help you understand how to master new features like the Network Center, network mapping, setup and management of wireless networks, helping Windows XP and Windows Vista coexist on a single network, and network troubleshooting. Whether you’re already using Windows Vista or planning to take a look at it this year, it’s a must-read.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2008/01/discover-the-difference-in-home-networking-in-vista/feed/ 0 Owensboro’s GOTIT! Vista Questions, That Is. http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/12/owensboros-gotit-vista-questions-that-is/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/12/owensboros-gotit-vista-questions-that-is/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:40:48 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=66 Many thanks to the men and women who attended my talk on Windows Vista SP1, “What’s In It for Business?” yesterday at Owensboro’s Colby’s Restaurant. The Greater Owensboro Territory Information Technologists (GETIT) asked a lot of great questions about Windows Vista and SP1. Some also purchased my new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed – a great gift for Vista users.

Both GOTIT and its sister organization in Evansville, GETIT, sponsor outstanding speakers on technology issues monthly. Check out upcoming events at the GETIT/GOTIT information page hosted by the Evansville Public Library’s website.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/12/owensboros-gotit-vista-questions-that-is/feed/ 0 On the Windows Beat… http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/11/on-the-windows-beat/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/11/on-the-windows-beat/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:02:24 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=64 I’ve been working hard on a couple of new Windows projects lately:

And, in addition to those, I’ve also been covering the Windows beat at Maximum PC’s website. If you haven’t dropped by lately, here’s what you haven’t seen yet:

  • Learn how to protect yourself from Windows Vista’s activation problems
  • Find out what reviewers think about Windows Vista’s backup, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker HD utilities
  • Discover why your Windows XP system downloaded the performance-robbing Windows Desktop Search, and how to banish it – for good.
  • Find out how to protect your Windows XP system from the Mailto URI threat in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.
  • Learn how to become an unofficial beta tester of Windows Vista SP1 by making a few simple changes to your system.
  • And, on the brighter side, find out how the Atari 2600 VCS (now 30 years old!) inspired today’s booming console and PC gaming industry.

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Discover how Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery work together to make Windows Vista the most compelling multimedia platform for Windows yet. Get Mark’s new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista. It’s available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, BooksaMillion, and other fine bookstores.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/11/on-the-windows-beat/feed/ 0 Talking Windows Vista…in Evansville http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/09/talking-windows-vistain-evansville/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/09/talking-windows-vistain-evansville/#comments Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:47:47 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=63 I’ll be speaking to the Greater Evansville Territory Information Technologists (GETIT) group on Wednesday, October 3 from 11:30AM to 1:30PM:

Windows Vista: Hardware Hog or Multimedia Maven?

Browning Events Room B
Evansville Vanderburgh Central Library

200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Evansville, IN 47713

Discover

  • Why Windows Vista needs more powerful hardware than previous Windows versions
  • How Windows Vista makes digital photography, music, and video easier to manage and more fun
  • The benefits of other new features included in Microsoft’s latest operating system.

If you’ve never seen Windows Vista in action before, it’s the perfect opportunity to see how it works, what makes it different, and how it’s better than previous Windows versions. You don’t need to be an IT “propellorhead” to drop in, and attendance is free. Bring lunch, or stop in the newly reopened library cafe and pick up a meal.

I’ll have copies of my new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: An Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista and other recent books available at special prices, and I’ll be signing books too.

I’ve been using Windows Vista daily for over a year and writing about it and other Windows topics for Maximum PC’s website, so I’m ready to answer your questions. I hope to see you there!

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For more information about GETIT and Owensboro’s sister organization, GOTIT, see the GETIT page at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library website.

]]> http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/09/talking-windows-vistain-evansville/feed/ 0 Digging Deeper to Solve Technology Annoyances http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/09/digging-deeper-to-solve-technology-annoyances/ http://markesoper.com/blog/2007/09/digging-deeper-to-solve-technology-annoyances/#comments Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:53:59 +0000 Mark Soper http://markesoper.com/blog/?p=62 In several of my recent articles at the Maximum PC website, I’ve put on my investigative journalism cap to find out what’s behind the headlines of some major stories:

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For more no holds barred analysis, see what I think about the new and improved features in Microsoft Windows Vista, and how to use them better, in my book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista. It’s now available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, BooksaMillion, and other fine bookstores.

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