Loose Wire: A Personal Guide to Making Technology Work for You

EVER GET THE FEELING that technology is taking over your life and not asking you first? When you've mislaid that important file or can't connect your new camera, do you just want to hurl your computer out of the window? When your kids/friends/grandparents start talking about blogging, podcasting and RSS feeds do you nod as wisely as you can while wrestling with the urge to throw them out of the window too? The bad news is that technology isn't going away. The good news is that, by picking up this book, you're halfway to making it work for you - not against you. Loose Wire is a compilation of Jeremy Wagstaff's most popular weekly columns on personal technology from The Wall Street Journal Asia and the Far Eastern Economic Review. An ordinary person's primer on technology, Loose Wire explains - in jargon-free language and real sentences - what has happened over the past few years, from the rise of the mobile phone to phishing, to where we are heading, as well as hands-on, practical advice about how to enjoy the ride. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeremy Wagstaff has worked as a journalist since 1986 - for the BBC, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Most of that time has been spent in Asia, covering uprisings, wars, colonial retreats and the odd (sometimes very odd) press conference. No techie, his interest in technology grew out of a realization that it was changing the way journalists - and the world - work, and that following it would probably be a better idea than fighting it. Since 2000 he has been writing a technology column and has since 2004 appeared regularly on the BBC World Service. He also keeps a blog at www.loosewireblog.com.