Computers & Technology

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.  

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

The classic bestseller, now updated and presented as a truly immersive multimedia reading experience. New features include:

• Video clips from Pausch’s lecture throughout the book, providing readers with the complete reading and viewing experience
• A new foreword by Pausch’s widow, Jai Pausch
• The book’s audio introduction read by Randy Pausch
• Brand-new photos
  • Never-before-seen video with the book's coauthor, Jeffrey Zaslow
• Memorable clips from the ABC News special with Diane Sawyer
• Pausch’s commencement speech to the Carnegie Mellon Class of 2008
• An excerpt from Zaslow’s convocation speech to the Carnegie Mellon Class of 2014
• A new "Your Last Lecture" section with questions that help readers put the book’s message into action in their own lives

A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have . . . and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration, and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. And in this enhanced e-book Legacy Edition, readers will be able to experience, firsthand, the energy and love of life that made Randy Pausch so inspiring. They will also be encouraged to think more deeply about how they can apply its messages in their own lives.

Amazon's all-new Kindle Fire tablet device sports the latest technology, and this e-book helps you take full advantage of all it can do. It walks you through all the tablet's features, shows you how to set up the device, navigate the touchscreen interface, buy music, stream video, download apps, and read e-books from Amazon.com. The book demystifies this all-new tablet and provides a handy reference that can be conveniently downloaded and read right on your Kindle Fire device.

• Looks at the new Kindle Fire, which features revolutionary technology and access to cool new services; this e-book explains both in plain English
• Is only available in e-book format and downloads directly to the Kindle Fire and other Kindle devices, making it a handy reference you can take virtually anywhere
• Covers not only the basics, but also tips and tricks for taking full advantage of the Kindle Fire and the services of Amazon's online stores

Kindle Fire For Dummies is packed with powerful tips designed to help you get more punch out of your Kindle Fire tablet.