CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects: 24 Cool Things You Didn't Know You Could Do! [Paperback]

Joli Ballew (Author), Andrew Shalat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0072264713 | ISBN-13: 978-0072264715 | Edition: 1

Discover the hidden magic of your Mac

Maximize the power of your Mac with the useful and entertaining projects packed inside this easy-to-follow guide. Produced in conjunction with CNET.com, the place you go for the latest in tech and consumer electronics, this book shows you how to do all kinds of cool things with your Mac, like convert VHS movies into digital format, control your Mac with your voice, set up a PC-friendly Mac network, and more.

Inside, you'll find 24 self-contained projects, step-by-step instructions, a list of tools needed at the beginning of each project, and hundreds of clear photos and screenshots. With CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects, you'll discover that your Mac has much more to offer than you ever imagined.

• Set up videoconferencing via your webcam
• Create a live radio broadcast, a podcast, or a vodcast
• Connect to a Windows PC remotely
• Send and receive SMS messages to and from cell phones
• Turn your Mac into a jukebox and stream music wirelessly
• Create a multimedia DVD
• Convert any video content to iPod video format
• And much more

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Discover the hidden magic of your Mac

Maximize the power of your Mac with the useful and entertaining projects packed inside this easy-to-follow guide. Produced in conjunction with CNET.com, the place you go for the latest in tech and consumer electronics, this book shows you how to do all kinds of cool things with your Mac, like convert VHS movies into digital format, control your Mac with your voice, set up a PC-friendly Mac network, and more.

Inside, you'll find 24 self-contained projects, step-by-step instructions, a list of tools needed at the beginning of each project, and hundreds of clear photos and screenshots. With CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects, you'll discover that your Mac has much more to offer than you ever imagined.

• Set up videoconferencing via your webcam
• Create a live radio broadcast, a podcast, or a vodcast
• Connect to a Windows PC remotely
• Send and receive SMS messages to and from cell phones
• Turn your Mac into a jukebox and stream music wirelessly
• Create a multimedia DVD
• Convert any video content to iPod video format
• And much more

About the Author

Joli Ballew is a Mac enthusiast, technical trainer, author, and media expert.

Andrew Shalat has been a designer and writer for more than 25 years. His articles have appeared in Macworld, InDesign Magazine, and other publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072264713
• ISBN-13: 978-0072264715
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a full time writer, digital enthusiast, Windows and iPxx fanatic, and Droid user, among other things. I'm a Microsoft MVP, and hold several Microsoft certifications including MCSE, MCTS, MCDST, and others. I've written almost 50 books on topics ranging from Windows to Photoshop, to Phones to iPads, and even on to making your Windows PCs run better and faster. Beyond writing, I teach classes at several local community colleges and am the IT Academy Coordinator at Brookhaven College in Farmers Branch, Texas.

When I'm not writing or teaching, I work part-time at North Texas Graphics, a screen printing, embroidery, and graphics company, and participate in various blogs, beta programs, newsgroups, and online communities. I also make a daily trek the LifeTime Fitness, where I spend an hour a day on the elliptical, bike, treadmill, or free weights.

Please visit my Web site at http://www.joliballew.com and feel free to contact me anytime at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice way to explore what your new Mac is capable of..., December 26, 2006

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects: 24 Cool Things You Didn't Know You Could Do! (Paperback)

So you just got a new Mac for Christmas and you're ready to explore some of the cooler things you could do with your new toy? Check out CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects by Joli Ballew and Andrew Shalat. It will take you beyond the regular uses you may normally think of...

Contents:
Part 1 - Easy: Turn Your Mac into a Fax Machine; Turn Your Mac into a Jukebox; Keep a Backup of Your Mac's Hard Drive with Disk Utility; Stream Music Wirelessly Throughout Your Home; Put Your Favorite Photo on a T-Shirt, Apron, or Quilting Square; Fine-Tune Your Music Library; Download Free, Fun, Useful, and Crazy Widgets to Personalize Your Mac; Use Your Mac as an Information Portal with RSS Feeds and Downloadable E-Magazines; Prepare Your Used Mac and Sell It on eBay
Part 2 - Challenging: Convert Your VHS Home Movies to Digital Format; Use Your USB Webcam to Establish Video and Voice Communications with PC Users; Transfer Data from Your Old PC to Your Mac; Create Your Own Radio Broadcast; Use Automator Actions to Perform Repetitive Tasks; Control Your Mac with Your Voice; Send and Receive SMS Messages to and from Cell Phones; Connect to a Windows PC from Your Mac Using Remote Desktop Connection Client Software
Part 3 - Advanced: Create a Movie with QuickTime Pro and E-mail It to Friends and Family; Create Your Own Video Podcast; Turn Your Mac or Mac Mini into a DVD Media Center; Create a Slideshow of Your Favorite Photos and Burn It to DVD to Show on TV; Make a Mac Network that Is Friendly to PCs; Make a Copy of Your Kid's Favorite DVD Before They Destroy It; Convert Digital Movies, Videos, and DVDs for Viewing on a Video iPod
Index

If you're a die-hard Mac user, you've probably done a number of these already. But for those who are making the switch from PC to Mac, there's a world of possibilities out there that are just waiting to be explored. Ballew and Shalat have compiled a number of interesting projects you can try out, and the instructions are extremely easy to follow. Each project starts out with a list of what you'll need as well as what it will cost. That certainly beats getting halfway into something, only to find out that you don't have the critical component (and don't want to spend the money for it, either). From there, the work is divided up into a number of discrete steps, such as gather up the hardware, make the connection, install additional software, etc. Each step has a number of substeps that walk you through what's needed to complete everything. Very easy to follow, and even a basic understanding of computers should be enough to get through most of these... You can even head over to the CNET site on-line and see video versions of the same projects. So they have both the "show me" and "tell me" learners covered... :)

A nice gift choice for someone you know who just got a Mac, or for yourself with that check from Aunt Mary...