Thursday, November 01, 2007
Get a Grip on Your iPhone with eBooks from Take Control
by Adam Engst, Publisher of TidBITS and the ‘Take Control’ series of eBooks.
Once the novelty of your new iPhone wears off, you may have serious questions about how to get the most out of this snazzy new device from Apple. The folks from Take Control are here to help with two new titles:
- ”The Macworld iPhone Superguide,” created by the folks at Macworld, examines every facet of the iPhone, from setup and activation all the way to choosing the best accessories. Macworld’s writers look in depth at the iPhone’s email and text message capabilities, using Safari and other iPhone applications, converting and watching video, and syncing photos. It’s 93 pages and costs $12.95.
- “Take Control of Troubleshooting Your iPhone,” written by well-known Mac troubleshooting guru Ted Landau, teaches you to deal with activation problems, sync failures and conflicts, keyboard and gesture quirks, application crashes, iPhone freezes, and handset security. This book is currently in draft-release form, so you can read and comment on the first 71 pages. It costs $10.
Click the links above to save 10% off the list price on any one ebook, or look on either title’s Web page (in the left margin) to find a 20% discount for buying both.
Adam C. Engst: I publish TidBITS and Take Control, write books,
acetidbits.com and make useful introductions in the Mac industry.
My work: http://www.tidbits.com/ and http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/
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Posted by
Brian Duck on 11/01 at 07:42 PM
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Saturday, July 21, 2007
O’Reilly News for User Group Members - July 20, 2007
New Releases: Books, Short Cuts, and Rough Cuts
Get 35% off from O’Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, Rocky Nook, SitePoint, or YoungJin books you purchase directly from O’Reilly.
Just use code “DSUG” when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
Free ground shipping on orders of $29.95 or more. See details.
There are some links you may be interested in exploring:
Also, here are some links you may be interested in exploring:
Posted by
Brian Duck on 07/21 at 06:11 PM
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Sunday, July 01, 2007
ConceptDraw turns 7
ConceptDraw 7 is a powerful diagramming and drawing tool that enables you to effectively visualize and communicate information and processes. Create professional-looking graphics and diagrams such as flowcharts, network diagrams, database diagrams, floor plans and much more in minutes. ConceptDraw 7 provides a comprehensive tool set to easily represent and share any kind of information.
ConceptDraw 7 has many advanced features that will keep you from missing MacDraw or SuperPaint, if you’re still watching for a new version of IntelliDraw, you may still be disappointed though. Working with Visio files, a current day reality for many of us forced cross-platform types, is a realistic option.
Work with XML for MS Visio
Using ConceptDraw you can work with MS Visio documents. By default MS Visio uses a closed binary format for its documents. ConceptDraw does not support importing MS Visio documents in closed binary format, but you can work with documents saved in MS Visio XML format.
From inside Visio save your working document as a MS Visio document in XML format. If you just have a document in binary MS Visio format only and do not have access to Visio, you can use the free of charge converter of MS Visio files into MS Visio XML format.To use this service you send your file in MS Visio format to vsdconvertor@csodessa.com . The converted file will be sent back to your e-mail. With the XML import and export capability you can work with many of your MS Visio documents, share documents with your team members who use MS Visio and work with MS Visio documents on the Macintosh.
ConceptDraw 7 is a powerful multipurpose application which helps professionals to visualize and structure information and create clear and attractive illustrations to documents in the form of professional- looking schemes, diagrams and flowcharts.
The wide set of thematic shapes, templates and wizards come with program. This helps to achieve the impressive results with minimum hand-drawing. At the same time, the powerful and easy-to-use graphic tools, delivers user the possibility to form the unique author’s style for each document.
Such kinds of modern business tools as databases or spreadsheets also can be visualized with ConceptDraw 7 due to built-in scripting language. ConceptDraw 7 is the only software of this kind that works on both Windows and Macintosh computers and allows exchanging documents between these platforms.
ConceptDraw 7 can be used for creating:
- Flowcharts
- Organization charts
- Sales and marketing diagrams
- Project timelines
- Network diagrams
- Database diagrams
- Interface and web site models
- Engineering drawings
- Building and floor plans
- Landscape and garden designs
ConceptDraw 7 is proved as an excellent tool to create and share various graphic documents.As well as deliverer of powerful features for quickly drawing all kinds of structures and schemes, thus making your work faster and easier.
Comprehensive drawing capabilities
Both simple and complicated objects can be created easily by using vector drawing tools and huge collection of shapes.
Flexible & handy interface
Completely renewed, user – friendly interface provides simple access to main tools, customizable toolbars and floating dialogs.
Intelligent objects
You can freely customize your objects: assign properties, add context menus, create links to other shapes, files or programs.
Ready solutions for easy start
The vast templates gallery lets you choose a task-oriented template to create your document on its base
Flexible Interface
Quick-and-easy access to main tools and settings with customizable toolbars and floating dialogs. ConceptDraw 7 adheres to the What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get principle and features anti-aliasing that brings your diagramming to a new level of presentation quality.
Powerful Drawing Tools
ConceptDraw offers a set of vector drawing tools that can rival a professional illustration program. Besides, it knows what makes a diagram different from a drawing, and helps you create amazing diagrams quickly and easily.
Customizable Grid and Snap tool help position your shapes precisely
A number of Alignment, Distribution and Make Same tools will automate routine operations with multiple shapes. Unlimited number of layers is supported.
Libraries and clipart
ConceptDraw 7 goes with dozens of collections of shapes to help you create a number of different types of diagrams, and drawings such as Network Diagram, Office Layout, Org Chart and more. It allows you to easily create your own customized drawing tools by drawing your own shapes or dragging the existing graphics onto a new library. The vast set of clipart added to illustrate your documents or presentations in clear and vivid way
Intelligent Shapes
ConceptDraw shapes are highly customizable. You can assign custom properties to them, add user-defined context menus, create links to other shapes, files or programs. ConceptDraw Basic scripts can be associated with shapes, providing virtually unlimited control over them.
Built-In Scripting Language
The built-in scripting language - ConceptDraw Basic - and support for the open XML for ConceptDraw format, as well as a number of other formats, provide developers with powerful means of building complex customized solutions based on the ConceptDraw 7 graphics engine.
Color palette
Ability to use the standard color palette or a custom palette. You can set a palette for a shape, its text or other attributes or document.
Texture fill
This functionality allows you to create professionally looking objects by filling ConceptDraw shapes with one of the preset textures or any raster image of your own.
Alpha-channel (transparency)
The slider next to Hide custom color button allows you to add transparency to your objects in order to make them more attractive or enable you to see objects located under. Move the slider to the right to increase the object transparency and to the left to decrease it.
Smart Connectors
Lines stay linked to their shapes, so you don’t need to redraw your diagram every time you move something. Smart connectors can flow around shapes on their way, display gaps or bridges where they cross other connectors. Every shape can be turned into a connector.
Import & Export
ConceptDraw 7 imports and exports files to a large number of raster, vector formats making it easy to exchange data with other applications.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
ConceptDraw 7 is the only professional diagramming software that works on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. All its documents and libraries are 100% compatible and can be exchanged hassle-free between the platforms.
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Posted by
Brian Duck on 07/01 at 07:55 PM
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Friday, June 01, 2007
InDesign CS3 for Publishing Solutions with InDesign CS3 Server
Enables Innovative Publishing Solutions
InDesign® CS3 software, the latest version of its award-winning professional page layout program. InDesign CS3 addresses design, efficiency and output challenges to improve the way that design, editorial, production and IT professionals work on a day-to-day basis. InDesign CS3 delivers a powerful, yet easy-to-use set of tools that enable creative exploration, streamline productivity, improve collaboration and automate layout and production of complex documents. The software is the keystone to Adobe’s comprehensive publishing solution that also includes Adobe InCopy® CS3 and Adobe InDesign CS3 Server.
InDesign CS3 is available as a stand-alone application or as a key component of Adobe Creative Suite® 3 Design Premium and Standard editions (see separate release) and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection. The software is available as a Universal application for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs and supports both Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows Vista™. Customers will experience increased levels of performance and speed running the software on Intel-based Macintosh systems and the latest Windows hardware.
“Productivity enhancements in Adobe InDesign CS3, such as Multi-file Place, Find/Change and Fast Frame Fitting, will allow us to keep up with our ever-faster workflow requirements,” said Paul Nicholson, vice president, Print and Broadcast Production for Showtime Networks. “At Showtime, we pride ourselves on cutting-edge design and incredibly efficient production of complicated mechanicals. Adobe Creative Suite 3 will keep us on that bleeding edge - one step ahead of the competition and two steps ahead of our clients at all times.”
“InDesign CS3 was shaped by customer-inspired requests and is packed with new features that respond to today’s demanding workflows, including lightning performance and added support for Intel-based Macintosh systems and Vista-based PCs,” said Mark Hilton, vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. “InDesign has seen significant momentum worldwide through broad-scale adoption and the growth of a vibrant partner ecosystem. This release will continue to set the standard for page layout software by helping designers increase efficiency, create stand-out content and consistently produce reliable output.”
Increased Productivity and Innovative Creative Features
InDesign CS3 is loaded with enhancements to streamline and speed design, editing and production of documents of any length. Productivity features including Multi-file Place, expanded Quick Apply, Advanced Find/Change, and fast frame fitting, eliminate time consuming and repetitive design tasks. Table and cell styles allow users to quickly format an entire table or apply design to a regional area, such as a header or footer. Standards-based XHTML export to Adobe Dreamweaver® CS3 from InDesign CS3 enables print content to be repurposed for web publishing. A built-in XHTML export to Adobe Digital Editions allows InDesign CS3 users to directly generate dynamic, reflow-centric content for Adobe’s new Rich Internet Application for reading and managing digital publications. The addition of automated bullets and numbering and text variables give users the tools to quickly create and maintain design consistency within long documents. Dynamic generation of page layouts with formatted text and graphics can now be accomplished by applying rules to imported XML content, enabling publishers to automate the creation of richly designed and personalized documents.
InDesign CS3 users can now more freely experiment with designs by applying familiar Photoshop visual effects such as bevel and emboss, as well as satin, with full support for blending modes, opacity, and other options. Finer transparency controls allow users to independently adjust settings on an object’s fill, stroke or text for more visual and nuanced design.
Versatile Solution for Any Publishing Workflow
InDesign CS3 is an integral component of a flexible publishing solution that includes Adobe InCopy CS3 and InDesign CS3 Server. InCopy CS3 is a professional writing and editing program that provides tight integration with InDesign CS3 enabling collaborative editorial workflows between designers, writers and editors. InDesign CS3 Server brings high-end composition and layout to a server platform introducing new levels of automation to editorial workflows, collateral creation, data-driven personalized publishing and template-based Web-to-print solutions. The InDesign product family is fully extensible using standard programming technologies including C++, Javascript, AppleScript and VBScript to create customized solutions that scale to meet publishers’ specialized needs.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe InDesign CS3 and Adobe InCopy CS3 began shipping in April 2007 to customers in the United States and Canada, and is available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at http://www.adobe.com/go/gn_store . Estimated street price for the Adobe InDesign CS3 is US$699 and US$249 for Adobe InCopy CS3. Adobe InDesign CS3 Server will also be available to qualified Adobe developer partners in the second quarter of 2007 with pricing information available through qualified third parties. For more detailed information about features, upgrade policies, pricing, and International versions please visit: http://www.adobe.com/go/indesign.
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Posted by
Brian Duck on 06/01 at 07:48 AM
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Friday, May 25, 2007
Inspiration 8, The Premier Tool to Develop Ideas and Organize Thinking
By Brian K. Duck, Product Review Coordinator
Inspiration is the essential tool students rely on to plan, research and complete projects successfully. With the integrated Diagram and Outline Views, they create graphic organizers and expand topics into writing. This powerful combination encourages learning in multiple modes. As a result, students gain and retain a better understanding of concepts and demonstrate knowledge, improving their performance across the curriculum.
This sets the tone this wonderful product now known for its focus on education. Educators need great tools, so Im all for that! But, dont sell this product short: its a great diagramming tool, better than Visio in most cases.
Many Uses
Educators use Inspiration to customize instruction, achieve standards, assess student projects and energize learning. An expanded selection of 120+ cross-curricular templates in language arts, social studies, science, planning and thinking makes starting assignments quick and easy.
Others may use Inspiration to replace WordArt, PowerPoint and Visio diagrams with a minimal effort. Inspiration is quick, functional and useful. One thing I’ll miss is the ability to copy an Inspiration diagram from version 7.6 to Freehand, perform an ‘ungroup,’ and be able to manipulate the individual drawing elements: hopefully, we’ll see this functionality back in version 8.1
Visualize ideas, concepts and relationships
In Diagram View, students create graphic organizers — a core element of visual learning — to analyze, compare and evaluate information. They quickly brainstorm new ideas with the RapidFire tool, search the symbol collection to find images to represent any concept, and insert and play multimedia files. To show relationships between ideas, students link symbols and add words to further clarify meaning.
Improve writing proficiency
As they start the writing process, students use visually integrated notes to expand topics and switch to Outline View to further develop their ideas. The integrated Word Guide helps students choose words with more precision, and a contextual spell checker automatically identifies misspelled words. To finalize projects, students can transfer to their favorite word processor or transform their work into a web site with the Site Skeleton export tool.
Plan and organize projects
Inspiration helps students organize information, develop thinking skills and demonstrate knowledge. Drag-and-drop actions and hyperlinks make it easy to gather research and connect to files and web resources. As students develop their projects, they use AutoArrange to automatically format their diagrams.
Student Uses
Students develop essential learning strategies as they create graphic organizers to visually represent concepts and relationships.
Inspiration’s integrated diagramming and outlining views and complementary learning capabilities work together to make Inspiration the essential tool to help students visualize, think, organize and learn.
General Features
Visually represent ideas
Switch to Diagram Toolbar Button Inspiration’s Diagram View makes it easy to express ideas, discover relationships and develop new thoughts and perspectives.
In the Diagram View you can:
- Brainstorm ideas quickly with the RapidFire® tool. Capture thoughts with or without automatic links to symbols.
- Represent thoughts and information with pictures, images, words and multimedia-such as QuickTime® movies and MP3 files. Find just the right image from Inspiration’s library of 1,000+ searchable symbols or insert a graphic from Inspiration’s online symbol collection, containing more than 1 million illustrations and photographs.
- Show relationships among ideas with the Link tool. Explain relationships by adding text directly on the links.
- Explore ideas, record research and begin writing with visually integrated notes. New drag-and-drop capabilities make it easy to quickly gather research.
- Differentiate among ideas and groups with colors, shapes, patterns and fonts.
- Manage notes, audio and subtopic information with Quick Controls.
- Organize ideas effortlessly using the Arrange tool or use AutoArrange to automatically format diagrams as you work.
- Plan projects and track ideas using the Checklist feature.
Diagram to outline with one click
Switch to Outline View Toolbar Button
With a simple mouse click, students can transform a diagram into a hierarchical outline.
In Outline View, you can:
- Organize ideas and arrange thoughts by dragging subtopics. Diagram View updates automatically.
- Add new topics to further develop ideas.
- Manage notes, audio and subtopic information with Quick Controls.
- Develop topics into written reports using notes text. Students can add up to 15 pages of notes text for each topic.
- Plan projects and track ideas using the Checklist feature.
Develop ideas and organize writing easily with intuitive toolbars
Diagram Toolbar
Outline Toolbar
Formatting Toolbar Formatting Toolbar
Major Inspiration functions are at students’ fingertips with our smart toolbars. No need to memorize keyboard shortcuts or search through menu items to find features — just click on the toolbar and keep working! Plus, the fully indexed and searchable help system provides answers to Inspiration-related questions.
Jumpstart projects with templates
Start assignments quickly with inspiring templates that offer frameworks for gathering information and organizing ideas in language arts, science, social studies, thinking skills and planning topics. 65 templates - A wealth of ideas from across the curriculum inspires students and teachers to plan, organize and create. More than 60 additional templates are available through Inspiration Web Resources.
Template Wizard - Create customized visual learning activities! The Template Wizard gives teachers step-by-step help for designing templates to support any curriculum area. Custom libraries may also be created and saved with templates for sharing with other computers. Teachers can also limit the symbol library for targeted study. Flexible template access - Use and share templates with ease! Templates can be stored and launched from any location, making them readily available for students and teachers.
Integrate video and sound
Use multimedia to create more engaging and informed projects. Students insert and play video and sound, such as QuickTime® movies and MP3 files, right in Inspiration. Students can also record their own audio and attach it to a symbol or topic.
Write with clarity and accuracy
Students write with clarity and build vocabulary using the Word Guide, an innovative dictionary and thesaurus. Information—including parts of speech, definitions and synonyms—is displayed in a familiar way to help students quickly find and choose words with precision.
Connect directly to research and information sources
Enrich Inspiration diagrams and outlines by adding hyperlinks that connect to other documents, including web sites, Inspiration documents and files created in other programs. This provides students with a simple way to gather research and keep their work and materials together.
Turn Inspiration documents into robust final projects
Export Inspiration diagrams and outlines to continue working on projects in word processing documents, PowerPoint slides and graphics files.
Use the Site Skeleton® export to seamlessly convert outlines and diagrams to HTML and incorporate the diagram’s symbols, video and sound into web pages. Each symbol becomes a separate web page, complete with appropriate hyperlinks. Inspiration even creates a site map.
Get more visual learning power with Inspiration Web Resources
Use Inspiration with an Internet connection to seamlessly access these additional complimentary resources:
More than 1 million symbols
Students better demonstrate their understanding and communicate their ideas by including symbols in their projects. An online Inspiration symbol collection, containing more than 1 million searchable illustrations and photographs, offers safe image choices for any topic.
50+ Curriculum Packets
Curriculum Packets help teachers effectively integrate visual learning techniques as they address multiple learning styles. Each comprehensive online Curriculum Packet provides an integrated unit plan with multiple templates and exemplars. Each of the 50+ Curriculum Packets offers standards-aligned supplemental instructional units for high-school level language arts, social studies or science.
On-demand training videos
Learn how to use Inspiration and complete projects efficiently with on-demand training videos. These online videos cover Inspiration’s most commonly used features.
Additional ease-of-use
Inspiration Starter screen
Quickly begin projects or access training and teaching resources from the Inspiration Starter screen.
AutoArrange
Organize ideas effortlessly with AutoArrange. Students more efficiently add content and develop their projects, using AutoArrange to automatically format their diagrams as they work.
Brainstorming
Capture ideas quickly with the enhanced RapidFire® tool. Students choose to add ideas that link automatically to a symbol or to add unconnected ideas that they can later associate and link.
Custom symbol libraries
Help students focus on learning by providing symbols specific to their assignments. Using Inspiration’s Template Wizard, custom symbol libraries can be saved and shared with template files or teachers can limit student access to symbol libraries.
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Posted by
Brian Duck on 05/25 at 12:59 PM
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