Security Centers and Firewalls -- With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft's latest and most reliable corporate desktop operating system now provides better protection against viruses, worms, and malicious hackers. This book excerpt describes how to use SP2's Security Center, along with everything you need to know about choosing and using a firewall. Knowledge is power; learn to protect your system with Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition.

David Pogue's "CBS News Sunday Morning" Wins an Emmy -- The National Television Academy has announced the winners of the Annual Emmy Awards for Business and Financial Reporting. In the category of "Outstanding Interpretation and/or Analysis of a Business News Story -- Regularly Scheduled Newscast," David Pogue's "CBS News Sunday Morning" won the Emmy: "David Pogue takes complex technological applications such as Google or Spam and makes them comprehensible to the ordinary, non-technophile viewer." David is the creator of the Missing Manuals Series.

Read David Pogue's weekly "Circuits" column in The New York Times for a review of technology news and tips. This week: In the Competition for DVD Rentals by Mail, Two Empires Strike Back.

Power Hound Tips for Online Protection -- The Internet is a dangerous place, and sometimes the dangers come from unexpected quarters. So in addition to taking the usual online precautions, the Power Hound offers some tips about how to protect yourself against dangers you may have never even thought of, excerpted from O'Reilly's newly released Windows XP Power Hound.

Mac OS X Power Hound Helpful Hints -- Here are eight tricks to help your Mac OS X run smoother, along with some new ways to personalize your working environment. Examples include activating Exposé with a multi-button mouse, saving iTunes Music Store videos and trailers, and customizing the Dock "poof." You'll get hundreds of secrets for easier, faster, and better ways to use Panther in O'Reilly's new Mac OS X Power Hound, Panther Edition.

Apple Logo in iDVD -- If you make your own movies with iDVD, you may be troubled by the Apple logo that imposes itself upon your finished images. You and your viewers need not suffer through the persistent advertisement. David Pogue tells you how to get rid of the Apple watermark so your movies can be Blockbuster hits. Get a complete course in Macintosh filmmaking with iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual.

iMovie 4 & iDVD Should Have Been in the Box -- In this Applelinks book review, Kirk Hiner writes, "iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual is such a valuable resource for iMovie users that Apple should offer to ship it with every Macintosh purchased." The book not only takes the stuff that Apple makes easy and shows us why it's easy, but it does so in a simple, well organized, and engaging manner. And unlike most iMovie manuals that stop after teaching you how to use the program, this one goes on to teach you how to make a good movie. Get the book that should have been in the box: iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual.

The Fight Against Spam, Part 2 -- François Joseph de Kermadec continues his discussion of how to establish an anti-spam strategy by taking a close look at Mail.app's Junk Mail filter. Learn the math behind how it works, and then learn how to fine-tune and automate Mail's Junk Mail feature. Unleash the full potential of your Mac with Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition.

David Pogue's iLife '04 Mini Manual (PDF) is your guide to the new features in iLife, Apple's tightly integrated suite of media applications. This exclusive preview is the only documentation available until the spring release of our full-length books on these applications: iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual; iPhoto 4: The Missing Manual; iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual; GarageBand: The Missing Manual; and iLife '04: The Missing Manual. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the best Mac book, period: Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition.

Trouble Downloading to iPhoto -- A reader asked David Pogue why all of the pictures stored in her digital camera aren't downloading to iPhoto. David explains it's a matter of file format, not memory, and he offers solutions that are covered more fully in his book, iPhoto 2: The Missing Manual.

The 2003 MDJ Power 25 -- Four of the MDJ's Power 25 of the Mac Industry are speaking at October's O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference: Adam Engst, David Pogue, Tim O'Reilly, and Sal Soghoian. Read about this year's program and register today.

Mac Fan, Yech -- A Mac owner and Missing Manual reader wrote to David Pogue to object to the use of "Mac fan" in David's books. "I don't like to be called a Mac fan any more than I like being called a Dummy." David explains that this choice of words is quite deliberate, but he's also open to other suggestions. Read about it in the latest From David's Desk.

Hopscotch Reading -- Mac OS X: The Missing Manual includes comments about earlier editions of the Mac OS, comparing what was with what currently is. One reader says these retrospective comments make him come to a screeching halt. David Pogue responds in a letter From David's Desk.

Networking with Windows -- Microsoft Windows may dominate the corporate market, but there are Macs in the offices of America. Mac OS X 10.2 allows Macs and Windows machines to see each other on the network. Find out how in Chapter 12 of Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition. Get a free trial to read this and four other O'Reilly books on Safari.

David Pogue's Worst Nightmare -- A comic strip from "The Joy of Tech."

Mac OS X Hints Sampler (PDF) -- Learn how to make quick exits, stifle irrelevant software updates, minimize all open windows, and a host of tips to get the most out of iTunes and iPhoto, in this sampling of the 560 high-octane secrets presented in Mac OS X Hints: Jaguar Edition.