INTERCONNECTS

Even the geekiest geeks get frustrated and frazzled by technology now and then or, even worse, discover that their cynicism is starting to wane. For these folks and anyone else who faces a computer on a regular basis (or knows someone who does), "The Best of the Joy of Tech" (O'Reilly, US $14.95) by Nitrozac and Snaggy offers the perfect boost to get a fresh and funny look at the geek world and restore their sense of humor along the way. With a style that's simultaneously retro and modern, smart and sexy, The Joy of Tech comics poke fun at the latest cultural and technological trends, including those mired deep within the recesses of the IT world. From geeks to corporate giants to the funny world of Macintosh culture, nothing is sacred, and "The Best of The Joy of Tech" will have readers laughing at it all. The book is a collection of the very best from The Joy of Tech online series, the hilarious technology-centric comics created by the dual processing powers of Nitrozac and Snaggy. Long a favorite of those in the know--from the techies in the trenches to those who lead and shape the IT industry--these comics are appearing for the first time in the time-proven and stable "book" interface. The Joy of Tech comics feature a cast of characters ranging from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to aliens, curvaceous female geeks, and a strange guy in a black suit. But as David Pogue says in his introduction to the book, "In the end, though, you get the idea that the real stars of The Joy of Tech--the unkempt male schlumps who populate most of its panels--don't really mind not being Leonardo DiCaprio (or even the Dell Dude). They get their pleasure elsewhere: from RAM upgrades, from blogging, and from new, unattainably expensive PowerBook models." Steve Wozniak, in his foreword to the book, concurs: "So many of us become a bit strange to the rest of the world. It goes with the territory," he writes. "We become the geeks who can have conversations with our own types that normal people just don't understand. "It's great that this cartoon exists," he continues, "to make us feel proud of who we are, while laughing a bit at the disconnects of real life. The Joy of Tech comic makes us all heroes. It makes me feel like I felt reading Tom Swift, Jr. books in elementary school--that engineers can save the world from all sorts of conflict and evil." "The Best of the Joy of Tech" features several new, never-before-seen comics, exclusive notes from the artists about their work, an appendix of the JoyPolls, and a lexicon of JoyWords. Printed in glorious full color, it'll be the one thing on a techie's desktop guaranteed not to crash, freeze, or go "poof!" "The Best of the Joy of Tech" will be a welcome addition to any techie's library of geeky books. Amidst the often mind-numbing brain fodder of coding how-tos, user manuals, and hardware reviews, "The Best of The Joy of Tech" is an oasis of top-notch humor and images sure to refresh the mind's page and reboot the will to live. One peek inside the covers of the book and anyone involved with technology--from cubical workers to those who work at home, from teenagers and students to full-time workers in the technology sector--will find it difficult to leave. Additional Resources: For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bios, and samples, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/bestjoytech/