"A collection of more than 2,000 colorful and artistic pin-back buttons, forming a people's history of American culture and politics that focuses on a range of subjects: advertising, arts and entertainment, historical events, movements and causes, humor, nature, celebrated personalities and organizations, geographical features, sports, transportation, wars and anti-war movements"--

Push a button and turn on the television; tap a button and get a ride; click a button and “like” something. The touch of a finger can set an appliance, a car, or a system in motion, even if the user doesn't understand the underlying mechanisms or algorithms. How did buttons become so ubiquitous? Why do people love them, loathe them, and fear them? In Power Button, Rachel Plotnick traces the origins of today's push-button society by examining how buttons have been made, distributed, used, rejected, and refashioned throughout history. Focusing on the period between 1880 and 1925, when “technologies of the hand” proliferated (including typewriters, telegraphs, and fingerprinting), Plotnick describes the ways that button pushing became a means for digital command, which promised effortless, discreet, and fool-proof control. Emphasizing the doubly digital nature of button pushing—as an act of the finger and a binary activity (on/off, up/down)—Plotnick suggests that the tenets of precomputational digital command anticipate contemporary ideas of computer users. Plotnick discusses the uses of early push buttons to call servants, and the growing tensions between those who work with their hands and those who command with their fingers; automation as “automagic,” enabling command at a distance; instant gratification, and the victory of light over darkness; and early twentieth-century imaginings of a future push-button culture. Push buttons, Plotnick tells us, have demonstrated remarkable staying power, despite efforts to cast button pushers as lazy, privileged, and even dangerous.

Provides information on PC maintenance and repair, covering such topics as system restore, using tech support, startup noises, a slow PC, finding lost files, Internet connections, changes in Windows Vista, Windows event logs, and computer shutdown.

Windows 7 may be faster and more stable than Vista, but it's a far cry from problem-free. David A. Karp comes to the rescue with the latest in his popular Windows Annoyances series. This thorough guide gives you the tools you need to fix the troublesome parts of this operating system, plus the solutions, hacks, and timesaving tips to make the most of your PC. Streamline Windows Explorer, improve the Search tool, eliminate the Green Ribbon of Death, and tame User Account Control prompts Explore powerful Registry tips and tools, and use them to customize every aspect of Windows and solve its shortcomings Squeeze more performance from your hardware with solutions for your hard disk, laptop battery, CPU, printers, and more Stop crashes, deal with stubborn hardware and drivers, fix video playback issues, and troubleshoot Windows when it won't start Protect your stuff with permissions, encryption, and shadow copies Secure and speed up your wireless network, fix networking woes, make Bluetooth functional, and improve your Web experience Get nearly all of the goodies in 7 Ultimate, no matter which edition you have "Blunt, honest, and awesome." --Aaron Junod, Manager, Integration Systems at Evolution Benefits "This could be the best [money] you've ever spent." --Jon Jacobi, PC World "To use Windows is to be annoyed -- and this book is the best way to solve any annoyance you come across. It's the most comprehensive and entertaining guide you can get for turning Windows into an operating system that's a pleasure to use." --Preston Gralla, author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell, and Computerworld contributing editor

Readers will save themselves time and energy by using this handy, A-to-Z reference to quickly find answers regarding the exciting new release of Windows Vista Includes helpful information on the new features of Vista, such as the task-based interface, sidebar, gadgets, new "Aero" interface, 3D-look option, heightened security, new search capabilities, and much more Covers navigating the desktop, launching programs, adding programs, removing programs, creating files, copying files and folders, and deleting files and folders Accessible organization of topics also shows readers how to create shortcuts, connect to the Internet, search the Web, add favorites, use the new file management system, and more

Maintaining a PC is important, and troubleshooting a PC can be a challenge. Dan Gookin is great at explaining how to handle common PC problems, and he’s provided a complete, plain-English manual in Troubleshooting & Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies. Liberally laced with Dan’s famous humor and clear instructions, Troubleshooting & Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies is divided into six minibooks covering hardware, software, laptops, Internet, networking, and maintenance. Each one gives you some background on what causes common problems, to help you understand what’s wrong as well as how to fix it. You’ll learn to: Troubleshoot both Windows XP and Vista Solve e-mail and Web woes, makes friends with ActiveX, and protect your system from evil software and viruses Resolve router problems, reset the modem, delve into IP addresses, and find the elusive wireless network Investigate startup issues, battery quirks, and power problems Travel safely and efficiently with your laptop Perform regular maintenance and keep good backups Solve problems with disks and printers Find missing files, successfully restore files if something major goes wrong, and pep up your PC The bonus DVD walks you through some of the complex steps discussed in the book and demonstrates tasks like removing a hard drive. There’s a great collection of free and demo software, too. Troubleshooting & Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies is tech support in a book! Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.