Most Popular Books by Sean McManus

A recipe for having fun and getting things done with the Raspberry Pi The Raspberry Pi makes it easy to learn about computers and computer programming, and Raspberry Pi For Dummies makes it even easier! Using this extremely affordable and compact computer, you can learn to code in languages like Scratch and Python, explore how electronics work, create computer-generated buildings in Minecraft and music in Sonic Pic, become Linux-savvy, make Internet-of-Things devices, or just play around! This book gets you up and running on your Raspberry Pi, starting with setting it up, downloading the operating system, and using the desktop environment. Then, the only limit is your imagination! It doesn’t matter whether you have a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 400, Raspberry Pi Zero W or an older model: we’ve got you covered. Raspberry Pi For Dummies explores the latest technology—the Raspberry Pi 4 and 400, Scratch 3 programming language, new games bundled with the Raspberry Pi, and the hottest Add-Ons out there. This introductory guide is the perfect place to start if you want to get a taste of everything the Raspberry Pi can do! Set up your Raspberry Pi, install the operating system, and connect to the Internet Learn the basics of the Linux desktop and Linux shell so you can program, work, and play Use Python, Scratch, and Sonic Pi to write your first programs and make games and digital music Discover how circuits work hand-in-hand with your Pi If you want to make the most of the Raspberry Pi for school, work, or play, you’ll love this easy-to-read reference.

There are literally millions of websites on the Internet, but most are ugly and ineffective. So how do you create a site that looks good and makes money? Web Design in easy steps, now in its sixth edition, reveals the key principles of good web design. It guides you through the process of creating a website, from planning to search engine promotion. Learn: The fundamentals of professional web page layout and create content that’ll get your message across.All about effective navigation to make your website easy to use so your visitors stay longer.The techniques to make your website attractive for all and ensure it works on different devices.How to use HTML, CSS and JavaScript and get started with your new website.Ecommerce and social media basics to open your online shop, and start marketing it! Avoid creating another ineffective website on the net. Use Web Design in easy steps to create a successful site that looks good and achieves its purpose.

Scratch Programming in easy steps introduces readers to Scratch, a programming language that is widely used on the Raspberry Pi and in UK schools. Using Scratch’s highly visual interface, you''ll learn how to make games and animations. Along the way, you’ll learn about some important ideas that underpin most programming languages. The book includes examples of games and techniques that readers are invited to customise and build on to make their own programs, and begins with a foreword by Mitchel Resnick, Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, which created Scratch.

For almost forty years, Fr Sean McManus has been at the heart of the Irish American campaign to pressurise the British government regarding injustice in Northern Ireland. This is a deeply personal account of how his lone voice mainstreamed Northern Ireland on Capitol Hill, after the Catholic Church removed him from Britain. He became ''Britain''s nemesis in America'', founding the Irish National Caucus in 1974. Also chronicles the events and social context that influenced him, growing up in a parish divided by the Border.

Social networks enable anyone with a computer and Internet connection to stay in touch with friends and family across the globe, and rediscover old acquaintances. Social Networking for the Older and Wiser starts with the basics of social networks, before moving onto intermediate topics, all whilst highlighting ways to protect your privacy and keep your details secure. The book is packed with step-by-step instructions on how to use Facebook, Twitter, Friends Reunited, Saga Zone, and other social networks to: Create an account on your chosen social network Reconnect and stay-in-touch with old friends Find others who share your interests and hobbies Share messages and photos Create your own social groups and clubs online So what are you waiting for? Join in on the social networking phenomenon that is sweeping the globe!

The Scratch programming language is widely used in schools and on the Raspberry Pi. Its drag-and-drop commands make it an ideal language for all ages to learn to program. And this popular book, Scratch Programming in easy steps, now fully updated for Scratch 3, is packed with ideas and games that illustrate what’s possible with Scratch. Scratch makes it easy to create your own games, animations, music, art or applications. It’s the perfect way to learn programming because it takes away a lot of the complexity. That means you can focus on having great ideas and bringing them to life. With Scratch Programming in easy steps, 2nd edition as your companion, you’ll learn how to: · Build games that require skill, knowledge or quick fingers · Add music · Create eye-catching visual effects · Keep score · Avoid common pitfalls and learn how to fix bugs Scratch Programming in easy steps, 2nd edition will help you to get creative and become a super Scratcher! Table of Contents: 1. Introducing Scratch 2. Drawing with Scratch 3. Spiral Rider 4. Super Dodgeball 5. Space Opera 6. Quiz Break 7. Evil Robot 8. Space Swarm 9. Physical computing with Scratch 10. Seven shorties 11. Making and sharing projects

Easy-to-follow, friendly advice on using your iPad and iOS 5 Following on the heels of the popular first edition of this book, this new edition gets you up and running on new iPad features such as iCloud, tabbed browsing, the new Messages app, and new photo editing capabilities. But it also includes general information you won''t want to miss no matter which iPad you have, such as how to set up and register your iPad, sync it with other devices, download apps from the App Store, play games or watch films, and much more. Packed with clear, easy-to-follow instruction and advice reinforced with lots of helpful illustrations, this approachable guide shows you how to make the iPad part of your everyday life. Gets you up to speed on the latest and greatest features you can enjoy with your new iPad, such as a new Messages app, untethered setup, the Music app redesign, and multitasking Walks you through the steps so you can start using your iPad for things you do every day, such as surfing the web, ordering groceries, organizing photos, and staying in touch with family and friends via email Reviews what you need to know to connect to the Internet, sync with other devices, play games or watch films, and more This friendly and understandable book gets you up to speed with this highly usable gadget in no time.

100 Top Tips – Microsoft Excel will help you boost your productivity and get more value from your spreadsheets with this powerful book of tips. It showcases: · Time-saving features (including data entry shortcuts) · Towerful functions for processing text and numbers · Insightful data analysis features, including pivot tables and what-if analysis. · How to use graphs · Debugging formulas · Printing clearly And much more! Whether you’ve been using Excel for years and never gone beyond the basics, or are just entering the world of spreadsheets, this book will quickly supercharge your skills. As you would expect from the In Easy Steps brand the book is written in an approachable style with step by step instructions provided for many of the tips, and full colour screenshots guiding you through the processes.

Program a graphical adventure game in this hands-on, beginner-friendly introduction to coding in the Python language. Launch into coding with Mission Python, a space-themed guide to building a complete computer game in Python. You''ll learn programming fundamentals like loops, strings, and lists as you build Escape!, an exciting game with a map to explore, items to collect, and tricky logic puzzles to solve. As you work through the book, you''ll build exercises and mini-projects, like making a spacewalk simulator and creating an astronaut''s safety checklist that will put your new Python skills to the test. You''ll learn how to use Pygame Zero, a free resource that lets you add graphics and sound effects to your creations, and you''ll get useful game-making tips, such as how to design fun puzzles and intriguing maps. Before you know it, you''ll have a working, awesome game to stump your friends with (and some nifty coding skills, too!). You can follow this book using a Raspberry Pi or a Microsoft Windows PC, and the 3D graphics and sound effects you need are provided as a download.

Guides you through the process of creating a website – in easy steps! Web Design in easy steps, 7th edition reveals the key principles of good web design, which is the art and science of building effective and attractive websites. The book will introduce you to the key technologies of the web, and the design principles that underpin successful sites. Whether you’re a budding designer who plans to build your own site, or you just want to be able to talk to professional designers in their own language, this book will give you an understanding of how websites are designed so that you can make the right decisions in launching your own site. You’ll also be able to build your own simple website using HTML and CSS. When you find useful code snippets and templates online, you’ll know how to edit them and integrate them into your website correctly. Web Design in easy steps, 7th edition will ensure you set off in the right direction on your journey to creating a great website, with robust knowledge of the technologies and techniques that will deliver the best experience for your visitors. Table of Contents: 1. The web design challenge 2. Planning your website 3. Creating effective website content 4. Layout and design 5. Designing effective navigation 6. HTML: The language of the web 7. CSS: Giving your pages some style 8. CSS: Using CSS for layout 9. JavaScript for interactive pages 10. Tools for website design 11. Content management systems 12. Testing and launching 13. Promoting your website 14. Measuring success

The Interviewer''s Pocketbook has had a major overhaul in this new third edition and now focuses exclusively on the recruitment interview. The opening chapters look in detail at the necessary skills for conducting an interview: questioning techniques, listening skills and interpretation of body language. Types of question are explored, with ways in which to use them, as well as questions to avoid asking, while a helpful example interview shows the techniques in action. Later chapters cover preparing for and conducting the interview, including looking at job descriptions and specifications, preparing evidence questions, and evaluation of candidates.

There are no stupid questions here. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers, Sean and Allison McManus, the gardening pros behind the popular website and podcast Spoken Garden, answer all of your questions and more. Caring for outdoor plantings can be intimidating, especially if the process is completely new to you. Before running to the hardware store to stock up on plastic bags of mulch and tools you don’t really need, arm yourself with the know-how to plant and tend outdoor areas correctly and safely. Doing so saves you time, money, and energy—and helps make the process a whole lot more fun! With help from this easy-to-follow beginner gardening guide, you’ll learn: Tips for selecting the best plants and flowers for your growing conditions The best planting techniques for different types of plants How to mulch trees, shrubs, and garden beds correctly Pruning dos and don’ts for common garden plants Ways to keep weeds out of outdoor areas—without using synthetic herbicides How to recognize and manage different pests and diseases naturally Insider tips on everything from the difference between annuals and perennials to choosing the best organic fertilizer Plus, you’ll find time-management advice and tips for effective, resource-conscious gardening You will close the book not only knowing how to care for your home''s outdoor plantings using earth-friendly methods, but also knowing the satisfaction of a beautiful, all-natural landscape. This book is part of The First-Time Gardener Guide series from Cool Springs Press, which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables. Each book in The First-Time Gardener Guide series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear, fact-based information that''s presented in a friendly and accessible way, including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout.

The Customer Service Pocketbook is for everyone who contributes, directly or indirectly, to giving the customer excellent service. This third edition has been fully revised to reflect the changes in responding to customers'' needs via a variety of different channels, including social media. The book covers why good service matters, listening skills, how to turn complaints into opportunities, effective communication methods and much more. The importance of setting standards, measuring customer service and mystery shopper programmes is discussed. Recognising and respecting internal customers is also addressed and there are case studies, checklists and an action planning section.

Millions of children and young people worldwide are using Scratch to make their own games and animations. Following on from the success of Scratch Programming in easy steps, Cool Scratch Projects in easy steps gives you great ideas to create computer games and other projects that’ll impress your friends and family – and you’ll have endless fun creating and playing them! The book provides step-by-step instructions for building projects that show off some of the cool things you can do with Scratch. It starts with two simple projects to get you started. Find out how to: • Make a game with animated cartoon characters • Build a drum machine and make random music • Use anaglyph glasses for 3D effects and 3D Art • Design amazing mazes in a 3D environment • Create your own stop motion films • Use the ScratchJr app to create games and interactive stories anywhere using your iPad or Android tablet Cool Scratch Projects in easy steps has projects for Scratch 2.0 on a PC/Mac and Scratch 1.4 on the Raspberry Pi, and includes a Raspberry Pi Camera Module project. Each project includes suggestions for customizing it, so you can make it your own! Table of Contents: Magic Mirror Gribbet! Drum Machine 12 Angry Aliens 3D Artist Space Mine 3D Maze Maker and Circuit Breaker 3D Maze Explorer 3D Maze Explorer: Finishing touches Sprites, Cameras, Action! Super Wheelie in ScratchJr Five shorties