“If you want anything done well, do it yourself. This is why most people laugh at their own jokes.” Bob Edwards

I have recommended other books here but todays post involves something called a mook. Mooks a combination of magazines and books and are popular in Japan. The one that I enjoy the most is MAKE magazine. The magazine is a blend of technology do it yourself projects and computer information. The publisher is O'Reilly press and they are responsible for many computer books I like. They talk a lot about hacks (changes) or Mods (modifications) for all sorts of electronics. The magazine is a bit expensive but it is the type of publication you save. We do have a collection of the first year of issues if you want to give it a try.

Hack your own life

Some people believe the only thing online is computer stuff. So here is a website that is not just about using a computer. The site is called lifehacker. Hacking is usually considered, by many including the news, to be a bad word but to “hack something” is to change it to make it better or useful to your task. This blog has tips on how to hack your life. This site puts it this way: Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live.

Steal the book 3

132
For those of those that have taken my classes you know I very rarely ever recommend books, but this one is a favorite. It is called Steal this Computer Book 3. There is a 4th version out but the library owns a copy of this one. Now why do I like this one? Well this gives a decent primer about the internet and the computer world in general. It mainly talks about the gray area that most books skip. It gives a real world perspective on things like rootkits, spyware, web bugs, identity theft, hacktivism, wireless hacking (wardriving), biometrics, and firewalls. However while giving info it does not do it in an alarming fashion like a news channel that actively tries to scare you. It gives real info and examples but it is not overly technical. Find it here33. Give it a try.