Poor Leo's 2002 Computer Almanac

by Leo Laporte

In Poor Leo's 2002 Computer Almanac, Leo Laporte tries a new approach to teaching novices about computers and the Internet. Rather than walk the reader through increasingly complicated features in an ordered way, he uses a casual style to explain pieces of novice-level computer knowledge in almost random order. Without an artificial structure to get in the way, it's possible to absorb information more naturally as you read along. On the other hand, if you have an immediate problem with something specific, you can look in the index to see if Laporte touches on it.Every entry in this book is headed with a date in 2002. The idea is that you turn to the entry for the current date and absorb a nugget of knowledge about personal computing. Some of the daily nuggets fill most of a page; others occupy only a few lines. Sometimes the entries take the form of procedures, such as the one for turning off pop-up ads on AOL. Other times, they're definitions--one entry explains what a "buffer underrun" is with respect to CD-ROM burning and offers some suggestions on preventing such errors from taking place. Interestingly, none of the tips has an illustration. Laporte relies on his writing--which gets to the point without being heavy (he calls personal computers "beige spawns of Satan" at one point)--to share his knowledge of and enthusiasm for personal computers. The only big this book is pretty expensive, as introductory computer books go. --David Wall

Topics The skills everyone needs in order to make use of personal computers (those running Mac OS, Windows, and, to a lesser extent, Linux); the Internet; and popular peripherals (such as digital cameras and CD-ROM writers). Hardware problems, operating-system customization, and Web surfing get a lot of attention.

Paperback

First published November 26, 2001