Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard: First Impressions

I have been a Mac user since 1984, and have trouble finding fault with the company or its products.

The iMac, combined with a few pieces of software (e.g., Mellel, the world's greatest word processor) make it an unparalleled business tool.

I had no problems with Leopard but was understandably curious about what improvements Snow Leopard might bring.

When I learned of the early release of Snow Leopard (on August 28, 2009), I decided that would be "Snow Leopard" Day!

The installation was painless-put in the DVD and go, just as it should be. The installation took just under an hour. I had seen reports of problems with restoring Internet access, but I did not have any.

The only moment of concern was with Mail-it did take about 5 minutes to rebuild the mail database, but there's a lot of mail to go through!

I have used it for about 12 hours, and have noticed increased speed, especially with opening documents.

The new features in Preview are nice, and it is now the way to go for viewing documents.

I still like Firefox, but it is obvious that Safari will win any speed test, so I may be using it for intensive browsing.

The upgrade is well worth the $29.99, and confirms the iMac as the leading business productivity tool!

Patrick Jost

Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World

Bruce Schneier's 2004 Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World is still an extremely current book.

It is nontechnical yet detailed, providing information what various technologies do and their implications.

The organization is effective and interesting: Landscape, Technolgies, Strategies, with an excellent discussion of who the "bad guys" (such as they may be) are, what they want, and how to deal with them.

Highly recommended.

Patrick Jost

The Nature and Power of Mathematics

I can't say enough good things about Dover Publications. I've done business with them for years, and will continue to do so. Take a look at their site.

This book, The Nature and Power of Mathematics, by Donald M.Davis, is just amazing. Davis begins in familiar territory, covering Greek mathematics (including π), then moving into Non-Euclidean Geometry and other topics, including a very lucid treatment of cryptography.

A bargain at $19.95. Very readable, well made, with nice illustrations.

Patrick Jost

NAXOS

Do you like classical music?

Then you need to know NAXOS.

You will find wonderful performances of great music, and also recordings of works that I was happy to discover, such as Alwyn's piano concertos, Messiaen's Turangalila, and Yoshiro's symphony and piano concerto.

Happy Mid-2009

Sorry, I've been busy and away.

Watch this blog for recommendations on software, books, music, and more…

Patrick Jost

New for 2008

Software recommendations!

Russian Election News

You can read the latest news about the Russian Election here and here.