Paul McFedries' Tech Tonic

According to FoxNews.com, 7,500 gamers agreed to pre-purchase terms and conditions that included an "immortal soul clause":

"By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

This reminds me of psychologist Richard Wiseman's challenge to make a pact with the devil:

Are you prepared to make a pact with the devil? If you are up for it, please cut and paste the following sentence into the comments box, and add your first name….

“I agree that upon my death the devil can have my soul for eternal damnation”

I'm happy to report that a satisfyingly large number of people did just that (see the comments).

Has the iPhone has "reached the limits of industrial design"? Farhad Manjoo thinks so:

If Gizmodo's phone is the real deal—and I believe it is—it proves what I've long suspected: The iPhone has reached the limits of industrial design. The first iPhone was a breakthrough because it replaced nearly every physical button with a touch-screen. It didn't conform to any standard notion of what a phone should look like—which, of course, is a hallmark of thrilling design. Since then, though, the iPhone's looks haven't thrilled. Apple has put out three models since 2007—the original, the 3G, and last year's 3GS—and each one has looked nearly identical to the last. The new one continues this trend.

"Gizmodo's phone" refers to the lost prototype of a fourth-generation iPhone that was found in a California bar recently and was handed over the gadget blog Gizmodo. All the details are here.

If you've tweeted, then you're part of the Library of Congress, which is now archiving every public tweet ever posted: http://bit.ly/cj5dx0

I'm a huge fan of cryptograms, so I was pleased to stumble upon wikiHow's pretty good primer for solving them: http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-a-Cryptogram

My most recent Technically Speaking column for IEEE Spectrum magazine is titled "More Climate Change Lingo," and it's available online: http://bit.ly/aCH2ts

The Second Edition of my book Microsoft Windows Home Server Unleashed is now available. The book covers configuring Windows Home Server, gettng the most out of media sharing, storage, backups, and remote access, and advanced features such as network monitoring and troubleshooting, Windows Home Server maintenance and optimization, and using the server to run a website and SharePoint site. The Second Edition covers all the latest Windows Home Server enhancements, including Power Packs 1, 2, and 3.

For much more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

The Office-Free Lifestyle, my December 2009 Technically Speaking column for IEEE Spectrum magazine, is now online.

"Windows 7 this, Windows 7 that." Have you noticed that everybody talks about Windows 7, but nobody does anything about it? Well that's all about to change, my friend because, yes, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Windows 7 is now lurking on bookshelves (real ones and virtual ones) the world over. So it's just a matter of time before, well, something happens.

To make sure you're prepared, check out the book's home page. If you're just dying to talk about the book, or if you have a question or six about the book, the place to go is The Dialogue Box.

My book Microsoft Windows 7 Visual Quick Tips was released on October 5, 2009. This beautifully book (if I do say so myself) offers more than 130 practical and useful tips and tricks laid out in easy-to-follow step-by-step intructions, where each step is illustrated with a full-color screen shot. This book shows you how to customize and configure Windows 7, get the most out of Internet Explorer and email, enhance computer and Internet security, master media and networking, and much more.

For much more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book Microsoft Windows 7 Simplified was released on September 28, 2009. This beautifully laid out book offers straightforward, practical tasks, where each step is illustrated with a full-color screen shot. In nearly 120 lessons, this book takes you on a tour of the most useful and essential Windows 7 tasks. You learn some important basics to get you started, and then you learn how to work with programs, create and edit documents, work with pictures, music, and other media, use the web and email, customize Windows 7, and perform routine maintenance.

For much more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book Teach Yourself VISUALLY Microsoft Windows 7 was released on September 15, 2009. This book uses the famous full-color, profusely illustrated style that's the hallmark of the Teach Yourself VISUALLY series. In more than 150 lessons, this book gives you the full scoop on Windows 7. You learn some important basics to get you started, and then you learn how to work with programs, create and edit documents, work with pictures, music, and other media, use the web and email, customize Windows 7, and perform routine maintenance.

For much more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book Teach Yourself VISUALLY Mac OS X Snow Leopard hit the shelves on September 8. 2009. In 150 lessons, this book gives you an in-depth look at Apple's latest operating system, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, using the famous full-color, profusely illustrated style that's the hallmark of the Teach Yourself VISUALLY series. You learn some important basics to get you started, and then you learn how to work with programs, create and edit documents, work with pictures, music, and other media, use the web and email, customize Snow Leopard, perform routine maintenance, and much more.

For more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book Mac OS X Snow Leopard Simplified was released on September 8, 2009. This book is a full-color, generously illustrated guide to Apple's latest and greatest operating system, Mac OS X Snow Leopard. In more than 100 lessons, this book knocks Snow Leopard down to size. You get a comprehensive introduction to Mac OS X, and lots of tasks related to useful activites such as surfing the Web, e-mailing, tracking contacts and appointments, and taking full advantage of Mac multimedia, including music, photos, and videos. You also learn how to customize, maintain, and troubleshoot Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

For more information about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book iPhone 3GS Portable Genius is now available! This is another book in Wiley's great Portable Genius series, which features full-color screen shots, a clean, crisp layout, and content that turns the book into a portable version of Apple's Genius Bar. In this case, of course, the content is related to the iPhone 3GS smartphone, and you learn all kinds of tips, tricks, and workarounds to help you get the most out of your iPhone 3GS. (If you've got an iPhone 3G, don't fret: the book covers that phone, too!)

For much more info about the book, see the book's home page. If you have questions or comments about the book, see The Dialogue Box, this site's discussion group.

My book Microsoft Windows 7 Unleashed is out and ready to read! My goal in this book is to cover the good, the bad, and, yes, even the ugly of Windows 7. In particular, I give you complete coverage of the intermediate-to-advanced features of Windows 7. This means that I bypass basic topics, such as wielding the mouse, in favor of more complex operations, such as working with the Registry, maintaining and troubleshooting your system, networking, and getting around the Internet.

For more info, see the book's home page. If you want to discuss the book or ask questions about it, head for The Dialogue Box.