Glenn Fleishman

Jeff Carlson

Neil Robertson

Agen Schmitz

Computer Applications -- Computers in other Systems.

Real World Adobe GoLive 5

Build productivity amid sudden change Version 1.3, updated 5/14/2020 We're in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. In the middle of a global viral outbreak, you were told or asked to work from home—and you've never or rarely had to be productive where you live before. What to do? We're here to take some stress out of your life with a new, free book that details how to set up a home office and balance work and home life for those not accustomed to it. Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily is a free book tailored for the sudden onset of telecommuting. It’s our way of trying to help. We advise you on how to stake out a space to work, how to equip it either with material you already have or what to buy if you can afford to invest in the space. Do you want to stand or sit? (Get a better chair or a laptop or monitor riser.) Should you get an external monitor if you don’t have one? (Yes!) The book delves into furniture and hardware setup, including the right kind of audio input and output for calls and videoconferencing, as well as looking at security, collaboration, and communication software tools you may be unfamiliar with or might set up for your team or company. Part of the difficulty in working from home is creating a separation—physically if possible and psychologically—from the rest of your home life. This can take as much effort if you live alone as if you have a partner, roommates, or an extended family. We delve into strategies for staking boundaries, working around others, and trying to communicate limitations to your work that arise from this necessary period of isolation. For parents, we know that you may have school-age kids at home for weeks or months, and there’s a chapter with suggestions on how to juggle those obligations with your work requirements. And we remind you to be kind to yourself, take breaks, and not replace an absent commute with simply more work. A little tea or coffee, some stretching, and a brisk walk around the block while maintaining social distancing can go miles towards boosting your mood. This isn’t easy for anyone—it’s OK to admit that. We’re all navigating this new world together, and we want to help. Author Glenn Fleishman, a veteran freelancer, who has spent the last decade working full-time in a home office, solicited advice from dozens of Take Control Books authors, contributors to the Mac publication TidBITS, and friends and acquaintances who have hundreds of years of collective remote work experience. If you’re like us—Glenn and Take Control Books owners Joe and Morgen—you feel somewhat helpless in the face of forces beyond our control and with no clear path forward, just that there is a path forward. We contributed our time to this book to provide a little light from our experiences and those of many others who donated their tips and observations. We welcome your feedback and wish you all the best in managing this transition. In this book, you’ll learn more about how to: • Stake out a physical space, even if it involves setting up a curtain or moving a bookshelf • Pick or adjust a chair if you plan to sit • Figure out the right mic and headphones or speakers for your needs • Add a monitor for efficiency, or use software to turn an iPad or other devices into a second display • Stand while you work without necessarily investing in a new desk • Set working hours to avoid never being off the clock • Put up a sign or otherwise signify when you’re working to those around you • Invest a tiny amount or a lot into noise-canceling headphones or earbuds • Use videoconferencing to replace meetings and casual conversation you miss from an office • Adjust your expectations and that of your employer to how much work you can produce, initially and in the long haul • Take regular breaks to avoid burnout, but if you get in the zone, you can stay there, too • Juggle the simultaneous burdens of full-time home parenting with home working • Remember to eat lunch

Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily

Prevent (or solve) problems with your Apple Account! Version 2.0, updated September 10, 2025 The center of the Apple world is your Apple Account. This identifier ties up your access to iCloud; to purchased and streaming music, TV, and movies; and to all your devices. While an Apple Account is essential, Apple has made it difficult to navigate the many features associated with it—and particularly to troubleshoot and resolve problems that crop up. This book answers dozens of questions and guides you through solutions. It also explains how to use security, recovery, and other features tied to your Apple Account.n Everything Apple relies on your Apple Account. It’s a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple Account, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple Account protects your personal information, including email and iPhone/iPad backups; helps you find a lost iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple Account, you could be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple Accounts all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld’s “Mac 911” column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple Account—including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems! This book is fully up to date with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and other Apple products and services. In this book, Glenn answers questions like: • What all is my Apple Account used for? • How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple Account? • What’s two-factor authentication and how do I manage it—and not get locked out of my account? • Should I invest in hardware security keys to up the protection of my Apple Account? • Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple Account in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!) • What should I do if I have two or more Apple Accounts or iCloud accounts? • Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country? • Can I share an Apple Account with someone else? • What does an Apple One subscription offer and how does it interact with Family Sharing and iCloud+ storage tiers? • Is there an explanation for how code-based and hardware-based second factors protect my account and how they differ from passkeys? (Yes!) • What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple Account? • How can I recover a forgotten Apple Account password? • What happens if I’m assaulted or drugged and someone gains access to my iPhone passcode and resets my Apple Account? (Sadly, a too real, if uncommon, problem.) • What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account? • If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple Account, what can I do? • What Apple Account changes in recent versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS do I need to know about? • How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family? • What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple Account, and how? • Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple Account, and how do I manage them? And that’s just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this comprehensive book. Read it before you encounter Apple Account problems to minimize your risk, and if you’ve already encountered a problem, read it to find the best path to a rapid solution.

Take Control of Your Apple Account, 2nd Edition

Manage your schedule more effectively using Calendar and Reminders! Version 6.1, updated October 16, 2025 Learn how to unlock the full potential of Apple’s Calendar and Reminders! This book helps you get the most out of these two apps, showing you how to customize them, sync data across devices, and share meeting invitations and reminder lists. You’ll also learn how to use Siri as a shortcut and how to fix common problems. In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple’s Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. The sixth edition features complete coverage of macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 26/iPadOS 26, iOS 18/iPadOS 18, and watchOS 18 and 26, along with the new Apple Intelligence features on supported devices. Glenn guides you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that Calendar lets you set an alert that factors in public transportation schedules and time to get to your starting point, so you can leave early enough to catch the train, bus, tram, or ferry you need—and any connections—and arrive at your event on time? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you’ve reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you’ve never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you’ve already been using Calendar and Reminders, you’ll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. Learn how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: • Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars • Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates • Embed video links in Calendar events for quick launching • Add reminders from within the Calendar app • Use the new Multi Day view in Calendar for iPhone • Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event • Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them • Share calendars and reminders using iCloud Family Sharing, and assign reminders to a specific person • Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders, including subtasks and powerful smart lists • Organize reminder lists into categories and optionally view them in columns • Designate a list as a grocery list, so that items auto-sort into supermarket departments • Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place • Use Siri to save time when creating events or reminders • Easily check events and reminders on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod • Recover deleted reminders within 30 days • Print a calendar (to paper or PDF) • Troubleshoot common problems in Calendar and Reminders

Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 6th Edition

Toby Malina

The Best Work from the Web

Typography

Zoom your videoconferencing skills to a new level! Version 3.0, updated July 22, 2022 This book explains how to use the Zoom videoconferencing service from start to finish. It offers detailed instructions, warnings, and tips from installing and configuration of Zoom software, through setup and participation, and how to host meetings.n The pandemic introduced hundreds of millions of people to videoconferencing, and many of us still videoconference frequently as part of our work, school, and socializing—we’ve gone from zero to Zoom and stayed there! Even if you’ve been using Zoom for years, you may still find regular frustrations as you attempt to share a screen, control audio and video options, interact in a meeting, or act as a meeting host. Zoom’s makers constantly tweak the app and system, adding major features with no warning and modifying existing ones. You don’t have to stay on top of that to get the most out of Zoom, because this book is here to help you. Experienced users will discover hundreds of tips to improve meetings, whether as a participant or a host. Find out how to look and sound your best in a meeting, share app windows or screens, arrange video panels, and work with multiple displays. Become a nuanced presenter in Zoom using Keynote, PowerPoint, or Zoom’s built-in Slides as Virtual Background feature. Record sessions normally or capture multiple audio tracks and video streams in Zoom for later editing. Those new to Zoom will learn which Zoom app fits your purpose best, how to configure your account and app, how to chat in a meeting, and how to create and manage your own meetings. If you host meetings, you’ll find this book invaluable in teaching you how to plan a meeting, start it up, and manage it safely, as you appoint co-hosts, run polls, create breakout rooms, and moderate participants. And for those involved in or interested in livestreaming Zoom to services like YouTube Live or Twitch, this book has all the information you need. The book also includes a chapter on Zoom whiteboards, a feature added in April 2022. This book covers the current state of Zoom privacy and security, including the difference between Zoom’s standard meeting security and its enhanced end-to-end encryption (E2EE), and how to manage your own privacy and—for hosts—that of meeting participants. Topics include: • How to install and configure Zoom • Choosing whether or when to use the Zoom web app • Configuring your physical setup and hardware for best audio and video quality • Mastering meeting participation, including the various methods of “speaking up” • Zoom’s many mobile and desktop views for seeing other people and shared screens • Navigating limitations to access presenter’s controls and notes with PowerPoint and Keynote • Finding the best combination of screens and devices to manage each of your presentations • Becoming a host and starting meetings with one other person or 1,000 • Livestreaming meetings to services run by Facebook, Twitch, Vimeo, and YouTube • Conducting polls and managing breakout rooms • Using Zoom’s free, built-in transcription and captioning • How to preserve your privacy when sharing apps, presentations, or other parts of your screen • Collaborating inside or outside meetings using the new whiteboard features in Zoom desktop apps • Recording a meeting, and managing multiple audio tracks and video streams for later editing • Deciding whether to upgrade to a paid Zoom tier for meetings you host • Taking advantage of Apple-specific audio and video features • Zoom’s security options, including end-to-end encryption • How co-host and alternate host roles work in managing a meeting

Take Control of Zoom, 3rd Edition

Prevent (or solve) problems with your Apple ID! Version 3.1, updated November 23, 2021 This book covers everything someone needs to know about configuring an Apple ID account, interactions with iCloud-based services, and troubleshooting account access. Your Apple ID is much more than a simple username. It's a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple ID, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple ID protects your personal information, including email and iOS/iPadOS backups; helps you find a lost iPhone; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple ID, you could be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple IDs all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld's "Mac 911" column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple ID--including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems! In this book, Glenn answers questions like: What all is my Apple ID used for? How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple ID? What problems can two-factor authentication (2FA) solve, and how do I use it? Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple ID in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!) What if I have a device that's too old to work with two-factor authentication? What should I do if I have two or more Apple IDs or iCloud accounts? Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country? Can I share an Apple ID with someone else? What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple ID account? How can I recover a forgotten Apple ID password? What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account? If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple ID, what can I do? What Apple ID changes in iOS 15/iPadOS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey do I need to know about? How does "Sign in with Apple" work? How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family? What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple ID, and how? Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple ID, and how do I manage them? And that's just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this compact, 136-page book. Read it before you encounter Apple ID problems to minimize you ...

Take Control of Your Apple ID, 3rd Edition

Adam Engst

A guide to wireless networking using AirPort for use with Macintosh computers provides information on such topics as connecting a USB printer, adding access points, and evaluting security needs.

Take Control of Your AirPort Network

Prevent (or solve) problems with your Apple ID! Version 3.2, updated January 17, 2022 This book covers everything someone needs to know about configuring an Apple ID account, interactions with iCloud-based services, and troubleshooting account access. Your Apple ID is much more than a simple username. It's a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple ID, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple ID protects your personal information, including email and iOS/iPadOS backups; helps you find a lost iPhone; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple ID, you could be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple IDs all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld's "Mac 911" column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple ID--including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems! In this book, Glenn answers questions like: What all is my Apple ID used for? How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple ID? What problems can two-factor authentication (2FA) solve, and how do I use it? Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple ID in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!) What if I have a device that's too old to work with two-factor authentication? What should I do if I have two or more Apple IDs or iCloud accounts? Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country? Can I share an Apple ID with someone else? What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple ID account? How can I recover a forgotten Apple ID password? What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account? If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple ID, what can I do? What Apple ID changes in iOS 15/iPadOS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey do I need to know about? How does "Sign in with Apple" work? How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family? What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple ID, and how? Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple ID, and how do I manage them? And that's just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this compact book. Read it before you encounter Apple ID problems to minimize your risk, and if you've already encountered a problem, read it to find the best path to a rapid solution.

Take Control of Your Apple ID

Prevent (or solve) problems with your Apple ID! Version 2.0.2, updated April 6, 2021 This book covers everything someone needs to know about configuring an Apple ID account, interactions with iCloud-based services, and troubleshooting account access. Your Apple ID is much more than a simple username. It's a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple ID, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple ID protects your personal information, including email and iOS/iPadOS backups; helps you find a lost iPhone; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple ID, you could be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple IDs all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld's "Mac 911" column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple ID--including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems! In this book, Glenn answers questions like: What all is my Apple ID used for? How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple ID? What problems can two-factor authentication (2FA) solve, and how do I use it? Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple ID in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!) What if I have a device that's too old to work with two-factor authentication? What should I do if I have two or more Apple IDs or iCloud accounts? Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country? Can I share an Apple ID with someone else? What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple ID account? How can I recover a forgotten Apple ID password? What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account? If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple ID, what can I do? What Apple ID changes in iOS 14/iPadOS 14 and macOS 11 Big Sur do I need to know about? How does "Sign in with Apple" work? How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family? What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple ID, and how? Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple ID, and how do I manage them? And that's just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this compact, 124-page book. Read it before you encounter Apple ID problems to minimize your r...

Take Control of Your Apple ID, 2nd Edition

Scholle McFarland

Manage your schedule more effectively using Calendar and Reminders! Version 4.1, updated November 21, 2022 Learn basic techniques and special tips for keeping yourself on time and on track with Apple’s Calendar and Reminders apps.n In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple’s Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. This book was originally written by veteran Mac journalist and editor Scholle McFarland, and the fourth edition was updated by Glenn Fleishman, with complete coverage of macOS 12 Monterey, macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 15/iPadOS 15, and iOS 16/iPadOS 16. Scholle and Glenn guide you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that Calendar lets you set an alert that factors in public transportation schedules and time to get to your starting point, so you can leave early enough to catch the train, bus, tram, or ferry you need—and any connections—and arrive at your event on time? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you’ve reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you’ve never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you’ve already been using Calendar and Reminders, you’ll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. This fully revised fourth edition is now up to date with macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 16/iPadOS 16, and watchOS 9 (as well as covering the previous version of each operating system), and it has been expanded with new topics and additional tips. Learn how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: • Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars • Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates • Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event • Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them • Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders, including powerful new smart lists • Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place • Tag entries for better searching and organizing in Reminders • Use Siri to save time when creating events or reminders • Easily check events and reminders on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod • Troubleshoot common problems in Calendar and Reminders • Share calendars and reminders using iCloud Family Sharing, and assign reminders to a specific person • Sort reminders on your Mac • Print a calendar (to paper or PDF) • Embed video links in Calendar events for quick launching

Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 4th Edition

Take Control of Your Apple Wi-Fi Network

Register, configure, and manage your domain names like a pro! Having your own domain name - like takecontrolbooks.com - is fun for individuals and essential for organizations, but the details of managing a domain name can be perplexing. Networking expert Glenn Fleishman demystifies the jargon and tells you everything you need to know, beginning with how domain names work behind the scenes. He then explains the best ways to decide upon and find an available domain name, register it, configure it with a DNS host, and use it for your Web site and email address. Additional sections cover using dynamic DNS; special problems and troubleshooting; explain how to change your registrar, DNS host, Web host, or email host; and offer tips for buying or selling a registered domain name. Read this book to find answers to questions such as: What can I do with a domain name? How do I learn what domain names are available? What features does a good registrar offer? What is DNS and what should I do about it? I hate my registrar. How can I switch to a new one? What should I look for in a Web- or email-hosting service? How can I run a Web server if my ISP gives me a dynamic IP address? How do I set up an email service at my domain for family members without running my own mail server? Help! My Web site is dead and I'm not getting email. What should I do?

Take Control of Your Domain Names

Adam C Engst

Learn how to keep intruders out of your wireless network and protect your sensitive communications! It's ten o'clock—do you know who's using your wireless network? If you haven't changed the default network name or admin password someone could be eavesdropping on your email, plucking your passwords out of the air, or sending spam through your Internet connection right now! When you're using a wireless network—whether a Macintosh with AirPort gear or Windows with any Wi-Fi equipment—you're exposed to risk unless you take steps. Wireless networking experts Glenn Fleishman and Adam Engst have spent years researching and covering wireless security issues on Glenn's Wi-Fi Networking News blog and in two editions of The Wireless Networking Starter Kit. Now they've distilled that experience into this essential guide for anyone using a computer with wireless networks, whether at home, at work, or on the road. You'll learn how to evaluate your real security risks; the best way to restrict access to your network using WPA and WPS; how to secure your data in transit with PGP, SSL, SSH, and VPNs; and how to protect your computers from viruses and attacks. The book provides extra advice on how to secure small-office wireless network, including details on choosing VPN hardware and software and on setting up 802.1X for secure Wi-Fi logins. "The authors, two guys with enormous geek credibility, take the confusing tangle of Wi-Fi security issues and break it down for you in plain language. The book is a marvel of excellent technical writing for a general audience." —Barry Campbell on Blogcritics.org Read this book to learn the answers to questions like: Should I worry about someone eavesdropping on my home wireless network? What three security measures should I take immediately to lock down my wireless gateway? What common security measures aren't worthwhile? Why is WEP not worth bothering with, and what should I use instead? How do I set up guest networking on the 2009 dual-band AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models? How do I set up WPS on Apple and non-Apple gear? What does it mean if I see green shading in my browser's URL field? Do I need a VPN to protect my sensitive work communications? What is sidejacking, and what should I do about it? Can I control access to my wireless network by user name and password? What software can I use for secure email and file transfer? How does public-key encryption work? Our office has only 15 people—can we afford the best Wi-Fi security?

Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security

Get more from your Wi-Fi network Version 1.3, updated November 23, 2021 Perhaps you already have a Wi-Fi network running in your home and office, but you’re dissatisfied with it. Or maybe you’re setting up a new house, apartment, business, or school room with Wi-Fi and need to know the basics about what to get and how to configure it. In either case, this book is for you. After over 17 years of writing regularly about Wi-Fi and answering reader questions, author Glenn Fleishman finds that the same issues still crop up: • How do I spend the least money to the best effect? • What’s the best place to put my Wi-Fi gateways? • How can I get both high throughput (speed) on my network and solid coverage across everywhere I want to use Wi-Fi? • What can I do to secure my network against outsiders near my house and elsewhere on the internet? • How do I add networked hard drives and printers? • Interference is slowing my network; what can I do to reduce it? • What’s the best way to extend my network to a garage, yard, or nearby building? This book answers those questions in depth, as well as many others related to Wi-Fi, including how to set up a personal or mobile hotspot with all major operating systems, how to access computers on your network remotely, and why you should use a VPN (virtual private network). If you have any question about overhauling your network, setting up a new one, or just finally figuring out something that’s never worked, this book has the answer. Covers macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS.

Take Control of Wi-Fi Networking and Security

Not To Put Too Fine a Point on It

Understand and use Bitcoin, Ethereum, NFTs, and more! Version 1.0.1, updated November 5, 2021 In Take Control of Cryptocurrency, Glenn Fleishman casts aside the headlines and hype around cryptocurrency to dig in on the fundamentals. You learn everything you need to know as an individual from the ground up about cryptocurrency, including details about the popular forms of it. You’ll find out what risks it poses for the planet—and for your pocketbook. Discover the role of a cryptocurrency wallet, how to find the best one, and how to use it safely. You will understand the ins and outs of buying and selling cryptocurrency and using it for real-world purchases and sales. Glenn also explains the mystery of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which are a peculiar but popular use of cryptocurrency that lets you own unique digital artwork. Cryptocurrency is a new way of representing value that’s going through the throes of change and no one knows exactly what form of it will survive and thrive. It hit the mainstream years ago but 2021 seemed to whip people into a frenzy over Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and several other popular forms. Valuations—the price in cash one could get when selling cryptocurrency—soared. But cryptocurrency doesn’t have an inherent price: it’s worth only what people will pay for it. In May 2021, most cryptocurrencies plunged in value by half or more. Meanwhile, a similar furor arose over the introduction of “non-fungible tokens” (NFTs), a way to use an aspect of cryptocurrency to buy and sell unique ownership of digital assets, like born-digital art and clips from NBA basketball games. NFTs similarly suffered a giant drop in value from a peak in May 2021. What is this all about, anyway? Why did cryptocurrency and NFTs tank? Take Control of Cryptocurrency ignores the hype in favor of the reality beneath it. This new form of currency is not going away, even if the price in dollars, euros, and renminbi may fluctuate madly. The future of the economy will incorporate cryptocurrency and you can get to know it in great but understandable detail with the help of author Glenn Fleishman. This book teaches you what cryptocurrency really is and how it relates to government-backed money. Glenn walks through all the parts of a cryptocurrency in clear detail—like a wallet, blockchain, and transactions—and explains how cryptocurrencies produce permanent transfers. He also lets you see two different kinds of risk: the side effects of Bitcoin and others in consuming massive amounts of electricity and the rise of ransomware on the back of somewhat anonymized payments, and the risk to your pocketbook from scams and thefts (and how to guard against them). Of course, you also learn how to manage cryptocurrency: find out what a wallet does and how to obtain one (and which might be a good fit); buying, selling, and exchanging cryptocurrency; and even purchasing or selling items in the physical world using cryptocurrency. Glenn also delves into how NFTs swept the news in early 2021, as creators and others staked a claim on defining an “original” item in a digital world, and how—and whether—to get involved in buying and selling NFTs. Warning: Purchasing, holding, and selling cryptocurrency comes with a large variety of risks. This book doesn’t recommend investing in it or offer legal or financial advice. Instead, it’s an objective, friendly introduction to understanding and engaging in it, teaching a reader the risks so they can manage them. This covers everything to do with cryptocurrency that you need to know to become an informed participant: • Master the elements that let you get set up and successfully buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrency. • Learn what the blockchain is and how it works to commit transactions irrevocably. • Get to know all the parts of a cryptocurrency, like coins, transactions, and wallets. • Dig into mining to understand the role that specialized participants in a cryptocurrency play in keeping the system running. • Discover the details and basics of major cryptocurrencies, including how to understand transaction fees and pay just the right amount when you post a transaction. • Avoid fraud by learning how hackers and malware might target you. • Figure out the right cryptocurrency wallet for you and how to protect its secrets. • Develop a working knowledge of proof of work and proof of stake, popular methods by which cryptocurrency ensure transactions are accurate and permanently committed. • Learn why Bitcoin is using a significant percentage of the world’s electricity, and how that might change. • The emergence of cryptocurrency is a challenge to governments, particularly tax agencies. Get a grasp on what you need to know to record your interactions and avoid running afoul of financial rules and penalties. • Puzzle out what a non-fungible token (NFT) really is and whether it means anything—to you or anyone else.

Take Control of Cryptocurrency

Make a smooth transition to Apple silicon Version 1.2.1, updated November 12, 2021 This book teaches you everything you need to know about hardware and related software changes in Apple’s new M1-series Apple silicon Macs to make a transition from an Intel Mac, set up security with new options, create effective backups, and work with new options in recovery mode. Glenn Fleishman takes you through the details of how an M-series Mac handles startup, battery management, and running iOS, iPadOS, and Windows apps. Covers the 2020–21 Apple M1-series Macs: the Mac mini, MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 24-inch iMac, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models (featuring the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip). Apple’s new Macs based on the M1-series Apple silicon system-on-a-chips offer remarkable advances in performance, battery life, and memory utilization. With those improvements comes a host of changes in hardware, from how a Mac starts up to making backups of your computer to understanding fundamental aspects of system security. Take Control of Your M-Series Mac teaches you everything you need to know about these topics and much more. You’ll learn not just how to make a bootable clone of your Mac on an external drive, but whether it’s necessary with Monterey or Big Sur and an M1-series Mac. Find out how to make a clean transition from an Intel Mac, while taking advantage of installing and running iOS and iPadOS apps natively within macOS. You’ll also learn the early method of running Windows on an M1 Mac, with notions of what’s to come. If you’ve already bought an M1-series Mac and want to get more out of it, or you’re considering a purchase and trying to understand what you need to know, Take Control of Your M-Series Mac will fit your needs. NOTE: This book is intended for people who are already familiar with Macs. It is not a beginner's guide, nor is it a complete user manual. Its focus is on what's different about M-series Macs compared to Intel-based Macs. Future plans: This book will be updated as Apple releases updated features for existing M1 Macs and new Macs based on its M-series processors. Here’s what you will learn from this book: • Get to know the M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max processors, and what’s so different about them • Understand the limits of emulation • Control how apps for Intel Macs and universal Intel/M-series apps launch on an M-series Mac • Learn the complexities of backing up an M-series Mac • Decide whether you need a bootable duplicate of your startup volume • Maximize battery life and longevity • Work with recoveryOS, a substantially different process with an M-series Mac • Walk through a new process of reviving or restoring low-level firmware on a non-responsive Mac • Manage system security when you need to work with kernel extensions • Install and run iOS and iPadOS apps • Learn the current limits of using Windows in macOS on an M1-series system

Take Control of Your M-Series Mac

Keep your Mac safe from intruders, malware, and more! Version 1.2, updated October 12, 2021 Secure your Mac against attacks from the internet and physical intrusion with the greatest of ease. Glenn Fleishman guides you through configuring your Mac to protect against phishing, malware, network intrusion, social engineering, and invaders who might tap physically into your computer. Glenn teaches how to secure your data at rest and in motion. Learn about built-in privacy settings, the Secure Enclave, FileVault, sandboxing, VPNs, recovering a missing Mac, and much more. Covers Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey. The digital world has never seemed more riddled with danger, even as Apple has done a fairly remarkable job across decades at keeping our Macs safe. But the best foot forward with security is staying abreast of past risks and anticipating future ones. Take Control of Securing Your Mac gives you all the insight and directions you need to ensure your Mac is safe from external intrusion and thieves or other ne'er-do-wells with physical access. Security and privacy are tightly related, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac helps you understand how macOS has increasingly compartmentalized and protected your personal data, and how to allow only the apps you want to access specific folders, your contacts, and other information. Here's what this book has to offer: • Master a Mac's privacy settings • Calculate your level of risk and your tolerance for it • Learn why you're asked to give permission for apps to access folders and personal data • Moderate access to your audio, video, and other hardware inputs and outputs • Get to know the increasing layers of system security through Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey • Prepare against a failure or error that might lock you out of your Mac • Share files and folders securely over a network and through cloud services • Set a firmware password and control other low-level security options to reduce the risk of someone gaining physical access to your Mac • Understand FileVault encryption and protection, and avoid getting locked out • Investigate the security of a virtual private network (VPN) to see whether you should use one • Learn how the Secure Enclave in Macs with a T2 chip or M-series Apple silicon affords hardware-level protections • Dig into ransomware, the biggest potential threat to Mac users, but still a largely theoretical one • Decide whether anti-malware software is right for you

Take Control of Securing Your Mac

It can be a concierge, camera, flashlight, game console, magazine, photo editor, panorama maker, note taker, travel planner, radio, bookstore, night-sky guide, GPS, music player, music maker, and plenty more…if only you could figure out which of the 250,000 (and counting) apps to put on your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch. Author Glenn Fleishman set out to discover how to use your device to find a movie, read a book, retrieve a distant file, make a phone call, play a strategy game—to accomplish a host of useful, and sometimes completely unuseful, tasks. Glenn sifted through and road tested thousands of apps to find the nearly 200 programs that fit his criteria for interesting, entertaining, useful—and essential—five-star apps. His clear-eyed selections will surprise and charm you and help you complete tasks, have fun, be creative, and learn something. Want to read a book or PDF or follow your Twitter, RSS , or Facebook feeds? You’ll find the perfect app for the job. Ready to find the best action, word, and strategy games—so good, you may never put down your iPhone? We know the ones. Yearning for Thai food in an unfamiliar neighborhood or looking to reserve a table at a local restaurant? This book points you to the perfect apps. Need to track the delivery status of a package or turn your device into a barcode reader? Start reading and start scanning. Want to watch a movie—either from the studios or of your own creation? Glenn can direct you to the perfect app. Plus essential apps that will stream music, make you more productive, keep track of files, and much, much more.

Glenn Fleishman

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