When I was in second grade, I proudly went to the library to sign out my first book with chapters. After finishing the book, I confessed to my older sister, Eve, that I found it a bit confusing. She pointed out what was supposed to be obvious, but obviously wasn’t to me—the chapters were meant to be read in sequence. Who knew?
Read this book in sequence at your own pace and it will take you from the basics—what you need to know to make a sound computer purchase, set it up in your home, and connect to the Internet—and then on to how to master e-mail attachments, online shopping, scanners, social networking, cell phones, e-readers, and much more. This book is intended to demystify the computer, not to explain the gory inner workings of the machine. Every day we use devices such as a car, the telephone, and the TV, but have no idea how they really work. Nonetheless, we do work them. The computer is no different.
Be forewarned that once you arrive at Chapter 10, it is all hands-on instruction and will definitely be overwhelming if you try to visualize what is being discussed rather than actually seeing it in front of you. If you haven’t bought a computer by then, make sure that you’re sitting in front of someone else’s before you continue. If you’re looking at a computer screen and you find that what’s described in the book differs a bit from what you see, don’t panic. Websites and computer software change over time, so we’ll figure it all out together.
Take a deep breath and begin your journey. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is than you anticipated. Before you know it, you’ll be skillfully “surfing the net,” e-mailing all your friends, and conquering your fear of technology!
P.S. For the mighty faithful who have read the earlier version of Is This Thing On? and are back again, you’ll see updated material throughout the book, and new information about Facebook, Twitter, Skype, e-readers, iPads, and plenty more to keep you on your toes as you read on.