OS X Mountain Lion 10.8: Early Impressions

February 17th, 2012 | by Jeremy | apple, mac os x, review, technology

Feb
17

Yesterday I got a shock: Apple was planning on releasing OS X 10.8 a year after Lion was released. The development process for OS X has accelerated, which comes with it’s own share of problems when it comes to training and Certification. That being said, I couldn’t wait to download and install the OS to give it a try!

Downloading

Once I got my voucher from the Apple Developer’s website, I was taken to the Mac App Store to download and install the OS. This isn’t surprising, as Apple started this process with OS 10.7. It took about 30 minutes to an hour to download, it being a large file in and of itself. I then quickly backed up some critical files on my computer (always a good idea before upgrading!), and started the install.

Installation

Nothing changed much from the Lion install here. It was pretty straightforward in upgrading. Once installed I did get one update (which surprised me), but the update was for an HP printer driver. Within 40 minutes I was looking at my new Mountain Lion Mac.

Changes

The first major change that I saw was the Notifications button in the top right hand corner. This is something that has been sorely needed on the Mac, though Growl has done a decent job with notifications to date. But I like the iOS feel of notifications, and how they are accessed.

Next, Messages. I have to say, I’m glad that Apple has opted to add their iMessages into iChat. It’s a move I hope will be seen in iOS soon, because I’m all about centralized communications. It helps me keep connected when I need to be, and that’s a good thing. There is a potential to be too connected, but I think that’s more of an issue with how you use your messages.

Then I needed an update, and instead of opening Software Update, it opened up the Mac App Store! It seems that all system updates will now be coming through the Mac App Store, as clicking on Software Update from the Apple menu launched the App Store as well. It was a surprise, but seems logical given the installation process. Of course, this begs the question: will you need to authenticate to an Admin account AND to the App Store to update your computer? If so, it looks like mass deployments of updates may need to be rethought. I might have a better idea once I get a chance to play around with Mountain Lion Server.

Contacts surprised me a little bit, as it took the place of the Address Book. Though, technically, nothing changed really that I can see other than the name. It took me a little while to find the Contacts app, as it is not in alphabetical order in Launchpad. But, the new search tool in Launchpad helped narrow that down. That, by the way, is very much welcome. I tend to have more than three pages worth of apps on my Mac, and the search tool in Launchpad definitely helps me find the app when I’m thinking about it. Technically I can use Spotlight to find it as well, but if I’m in Launchpad already, it’s nice to be able to search at that point.

I’m excited about Reminders and Notes being their own apps in OS X 10.8. Previous to this, Notes was in Mail, and Reminders in iCal. Not that it’s bad to have them in there, but separating them out makes it easier for me to focus on that aspect. It’s another feature of iOS that is very welcome on the Mac.

The minor change in Safari that I didn’t notice until today is definitely a welcome change! Now, there is no longer a separate search box. It seems Safari has finally updated to take the same feature of both Chrome and IE 9 and integrated the search box into the address box. Not a critical, game-changer when it comes to browsing the web, but it’s a nice change. Here’s hoping in the new iOS release the same will come to the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

The updates to the Mail, Contacts and Calendars preference pane were great, but I started to see some bugs at this point. It appears that selecting an account doesn’t necessarily select that Account: it may still have a previous or next account selected and you are editing preferences for it instead of the intended account. Again, this is a Preview release of OS X 10.8, so bugs like this are expected (hence why I didn’t install it on my main production computers).

The one thing that I was disappointed with was AirPlay Mirroring, if only because I couldn’t get it to work. When I got home, I looked for the AirPlay Mirroring display option to show up, just to see how it worked. But it never did. Now, it could be that I have my Apple TV wired to my router and the computer is wireless, but they were on the same network so it shouldn’t have been a problem. I’ll keep playing with it and see if I can get it to work. To date I’m not sure what use I would have for it at home where I have an Apple TV, but I could see a benefit in the workplace for a quick and easy remote monitor solution without needing dongles for VGA or DVI. Assuming, of course, you have an Apple TV box hooked up to your projector/HDTV.

Anyway, those are the features that I had a chance to play around with. Notifications, I’m sure, will start to grow up as more apps start to utilize the process. Game Center is nice, but doesn’t interest me a lot right now, though I do like the connection between the Mac and iOS for similar titles. To me it shows a level of growth and maturity in the Mac App Store to parallel the iOS App Store, and that’s a good thing for the Apple ecosystem. Gatekeeper, at least for now, doesn’t seem to have a lot of application for me. I can definitely see the benefits of it, and for anyone concerned about security in a fairly public arena (Office computers, family computer at home), it’s definitely a good idea, though I can see one option missing: only identified developers (no Mac App Store). I’m not sure that’s going to happen, as all the updates come from the App Store, but we shall see.

Has anyone else had a chance to play around with Mountain Lion? What are your thoughts?

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Review: Treehouse Training and Badges

February 3rd, 2012 | by Jeremy | analysis, assessment, distance learning, learning, review, technology, training

Feb
03

Having finished all the available badges on the Treamtreehouse.com website, I thought I would provide an evaluation of what I thought of the website, the learning method, and the delivery.

Website

The website is very well put together, even though there is a feeling of “start-up” on the site. The feeling comes from the three badges (as of this writing) that are incomplete (JavaScript Foundations, Photoshop Foundations, and Ruby Foundations). Also, there is generally a delay in getting to certain pages (like the Profile and Dashboard). When you take the quizzes to get your badge, occasionally some will blank out for no obvious reason, meaning you need to go through the questions again.

But the organization is very well done. It’s easy to navigate through the course materials, from one badge to another, and the Dashboard makes it easy to follow up on what your next badges would be. Over all, I really like the website.

Learning Method

The badges are organized by topic, which build upon each other to show which skills you have accomplished. You know you have accomplished the skills, because most badges have challenges and final challenges that require you to show your knowledge by accomplishing a task. It’s well built, and equates to a classroom Topic then Quiz learning method to establish skills. I’ve mentioned the incredible motivating factor that comes from earning a badge.

Straight video lectures with demos are not for everyone. They are great for those who learn in a visual and/or auditory, but those who are tactile in their learning (needing to get hands-on) will find the speed of the videos a little frustrating. Another frustration I experienced was the number of videos or length of videos that will precede a quiz. It requires the student to retain a lot of information. Without more practice for each video, quizzes can get frustrating. In particular I’m thinking about the Introduction to Programming badge and the iOS 4 badge. Both badges had videos that lasted 11+ minutes, and had several in succession, making it harder to retain information for the quiz. And I find that it’s the test that helps you learn more than just the lecture.

Overall, I think this is a great way to learn. Video lectures can work well when quizzes are appropriately spaced, and most of these badges do really well.

Delivery

I found the most effective learning experiences with Treehouse were those that had videos lasting no more than 7 minutes, badges (modules) that had no more than 4 or 5 videos, and challenges that preceded a small selection of modules. From there the retention was optimal, while also giving me plenty of content on which to work.

Conclusion

Overall, I would definitely recommend using Treehouse, or any similar badge-based learning method. The motivation you get from earning badges that build into more badges is intense, the ability to show your knowledge in such a clear cut form is refreshing, and the knowledge that you know what you know is even better. Overall, badges are looking like a very viable new way to qualify learning at an incremental level.

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iBooks 2 and iBooks Author: A Quick Review

January 19th, 2012 | by Jeremy | apple, ipad, review, technology

Jan
19

Apple announced today at their by invitation only event in New York a new initiative for the iPad: iBooks 2. It’s to allow interactive textbooks to be sold through the iBooks store to create a more effective way to carry your textbooks with you to school. In addition to this method, they also created an ebook authoring tool: iBooks Author.

iBooks 2 is essentially the same as iBooks 1, but allows for interactive elements like video media, testing, etc. that have not been available in previous ebook readers. Prior to iBooks 2, these types of interactive books had to be separate apps, though the Yellow Submarine book released by the Beatles and Subfilms, Limited offered a glimpse at what could happen. But other than a significant backend update, the interface and general feel of iBooks 2 is pretty much the same.

The real news, at least in my mind, is iBooks Author. Prior to this app, creating any kind of ebook could be a tedious process. It required a lot of skills that many authors would not have, such as HTML or XML experience, layout skills, etc. And while those skills are still very important for most publishing works, iBooks Author takes a lot of that guesswork out.

The Mac App, free from the Mac App Store, looks a lot like any of the iWork apps. As mentioned in Gadgetbox’s review, it’s like a hybrid between Keynote and Pages, though I would probably take it a step further and say that it looks a lot like Apple’s now retired iWeb app, both in organization and interface.

You are presented with several pre-made templates from which you can select, and add your elements as drag and drop tools. You can add new pages, chapters, prefaces, etc. from the Add Pages tool (top left-hand corner). You can change the view and orientation of the book to see what it would look like in portrait or landscape mode on the iPad, and even preview the book on your iPad when you are done (either with the book or the section.

Once done, you will then be able to publish your book. To publish to the iBookstore, you need to first create an iBookstore seller account. Once you have your account created, you can then download iTunes Producer to submit your packaged book as provided by the Publish tool in iBooks Author.

The really cool thing is that this doesn’t have to be limited to just textbook publishers, or even instructors who create their own textbooks. Anyone can use these same tools to create and distribute their own works for self-publication. That means professional-looking ebooks are now easier to create for the iBookstore at least, and all with free tools. This will have a huge impact on the self-publication industry that is starting to grow.

As an educator, I think this is a great tool. I look forward to creating some sample textbooks to see how the process works, and whether or not it will be something I will be using in the future for my training courses. As a potential author, even of fiction, I think it’s brilliant! The idea that I can take my current work and publish it without the stress of trying to get it noticed by the right agent and going through the publisher’s timeline. Of course there is an argument of quality that would come into play as has been with the self publication market as a whole, but the ease of the process as introduced by iBooks Author takes a lot of the fear out of it.

What do you think of Apple’s announcement?

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The Dickens Festival

December 20th, 2011 | by Jeremy | review

Dec
20

In years long past, my family would make the trek to the Salt Lake Dickens Festival at the Utah State Fairgrounds. We would pay our admission, and enter into Victorian England. The vendors were all in period costumes, street players would be out and about, and you may even run into Charles Dickens or Qween Victoria on your amblings through shops. Then, for reasons later explained but then unexplicable, it went away. There wasn’t a Dickens Festival anymore, having moved to Southern Utah, and a family tradition was gone.

Until recently! While it has now closed it’s doors for the year, the Dickens Festival, which started the first weekend in December and ran until just this last Saturday, was everything I remembered. They had live theater productions of Oliver and Scrooge (both shortened to 1 hour, but done very well), and they were fun to watch. Even my son, with his Autism, was thrilled with the performance of Oliver. Of course it helps when you know the directoress, and a couple of cast members, but he still enjoyed it with the crowds and all. It was a good experience for him.

The vendors were typical fair vendors with slightly higher priced items, but there were a couple that stuck out for me. The bread vendor had some great artisan breads that were fabulous. The gourmet popcorn vendor had an amazing assortment of interesting flavors (I really liked the coconut and curry popcorn!). There was a wooden toy vendor that had a wooden top with a string and a handle for launching that provided so much joy for my son that I had to buy one. And lastly, there was a vendor for women’s dresses that were decidedly Steampunk in nature. I don’t mean glued-on gears or that nonsense, but rather a modern take on the bodice, the length and cut of the fabric, and colors. I was impressed. And to top it all off, they had a carriage ride for those willing to brave the foggy air and cold (gee, just like London!), reindeer, and a Father Christmas for the kids.

While it has closed down for the year, it’s never too late to check out some of the great theater clips kept by the staff. They can be found at http://dickenstheaterco.blogspot.com/ for those who are interested. Also, if you would like to volunteer next year, that’s the place to look! There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes as well as on stage, and they are thrilled for any who would like to help make every year a success.

Thanks for everyone who brought this Christmas tradition back for me and my family, and many others across the valley. The Dickens Festival is a little-known holiday treasure that needs more recognition.

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Windows 8 Preview: A Review

September 29th, 2011 | by Jeremy | review, technology

Sep
29

While I am an Apple user, and love my Apple products, I love to work with new concepts and new ideas. That’s why I was excited to see that the Windows 8 Developer Preview was available for testing. I downloaded it, and once some classes were done and out of the way I installed it into Virtual Box to give it a try.

First of, let me say that I’m a big supporter of Tablets. I have an iPad, love what Android is doing, and was really impressed with the HP TouchPad (and sad to see it go). Tablets fulfill most of your average user’s computing needs, in my opinion, as you can create documents, use the web, and interface with your Social Media (oh, and play games too). Most users do not need anything more, so talk about horse power, processor speed, RAM, storage, etc. is no longer the stick by which your computing needs are being measured. Those that do need more, those that use Adobe’s Creative Suite, or perhaps do video production, will still need a standard desktop, but most of us will not.

That being said, Microsoft seems to have thrown it’s lot in with the tablet. The interface screams touch screen, and I found myself more interested in getting the OS working on a tablet than working with it on a desktop environment. I found it difficult to imagine using a standard keyboard and mouse configuration with this OS.

So how did the experience go? Not well. I couldn’t get any of the Metro applications to load with the exception of the Control Panel. And once in, I couldn’t get out again. If I loaded it to the Desktop, then it worked great and everything was as expected with the one application available: Internet Explorer 10. It worked as expected, so that was nice. Now, I’m not blaming the problems with the OS on the OS, but rather on (most likely) the use of Virtual Box as the virtual machine. I’m sure if I installed the OS on a desktop directly it would respond better. At least I would hope so. But, I don’t think I would ever want to install the OS on a desktop, because it looks like it would only be at home on a tablet. So I found myself looking for a cheap tablet that I could drop the OS on, if only because it would feel more natural.

You would think that you could drag the Start window back and forth, as it has a very touch-based look to it. And I’m sure you can with a tablet, but with a mouse you need to drag the slide bar at the bottom to get to other apps. Or you can use your arrow keys to navigate through the apps, and that’s a good thing. But I really wanted to be able to drag the window, because it begs to be dragged. Perhaps that’s a UI feature that will be coming in the final product. I would hope it would come in the next Beta release.

The start page was, well, busy. I’m the type that likes my desktop as uncluttered as possible, and having my start window absorb the entire screen is, well, a little annoying. That being said, it’s just a quick click into a Metro application and you are absorbed in the task of the day. You don’t have other windows that are taking up space, which is really nice for productivity (less distraction). That I like, as I use it with my Mac OS X Lion install. But when a window is open, you don’t have any way to close it, or close the application you are in (that I could see), unless the application was on the standard desktop. I assume this will not be an issue, as either Windows 8 will suspend the application or close it when it’s not in use (remains to be seen). It would also be nice to have something like Folders on iOS for your apps, so you don’t have to scroll as much back and forth to find the app you need.

So, in the end, I have mixed feelings about Windows 8. I really want to test it on a tablet, and would welcome a developer tablet from Microsoft (in case anyone is reading), because I see Windows 8 making it big in the Tablet world. They have a useable UI that, in spite of some problems I saw, is a fresh look at how a tablet should work. And for desktop users? It feels like you are being forced into the Tablet world, whether you like it or not. There may be, eventually, a solution that will return the user to the Windows 7 user interface, but for right now I don’t see a compelling reason for a Windows 7 desktop user to upgrade to Windows 8. At least, at this stage, I would not recommend my labs be upgraded to Windows 8 if that basic start page isn’t made optional during initial setup (so it can be turned off while imaging).

Have you reviewed Windows 8? What do you think about it? Do you agree, or disagree? Why?

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Windows Cloud on the Mac: SkyDrive and Windows Mesh

July 7th, 2011 | by Jeremy | review, technology

Jul
07

The cloud continues to be the sexy Buzzword in technology today. Everyone seems to need it now, even though many have already been using the same technology through email, network file storage, etc. But now, we are doing in the “cloud”, where someone else worries about backing up our data. There are a number of different ways to define the cloud, but for me it means putting files and services on the Internet, allowing any device to access the data as needed. So today, as I look for various ways to back up my data for a trip next week, I thought I would check out Microsoft’s SkyDrive and Windows Mesh.

Microsoft’s SkyDrive is, essentially, online storage much like web-accessable storage through Dropbox. For the Mac, you upload your data using a web browser, and you can then access that same data using any internet-enabled device. Ideal for documents, the browser-based storage tends to choke when transferring large files. That’s too bad, because Microsoft gives an impressive 25 GB of free storage, enough to make any file hoarder drool. Also, if you are looking to upload folders through the browser portal from a non IE browser, you are pretty much out of luck. Active X is required to get it to work, which is a problem for those of us on the Macintosh, or those in the Linux world.

One other feature is the ability to open, edit, or even create a Microsoft Office document from your SkyDrive, making it similar to Google Docs but with more storage capability (at least for free). This is a neat feature for quick collaboration, as you just share a folder with your documents in them and anyone can edit from the browser. If you try to access the edit feature from your iPad or iPhone, it’s not there. That’s similar to early versions of Google Docs, though now at least you can edit your documents in Google Docs on your iOS device.

But the huge, gaping hole here is lack of access to the drive outside of the browser. There are some software out there that does provide access, such as SMEStorage’s Mac Cloud Tools app, but I shouldn’t have to purchase software just to use the storage the way I want. You can also upload documents directly

But what about the features that Dropbox has, where you can drop a file in a folder and have it automatically sync to your devices? Well, for that type of feature, you would need Windows Mesh. Windows Mesh is for Windows Vista/7 and Mac OS X 10.5 and newer only, but it allows someone to drop a file into a synced folder and have it automatically upload to another computer. You can view your devices you have synced, and all the folders you have synced from the Windows Mesh website. Once the synchronization is complete, then you can also view the data you dropped in the folder from that same website. What it doesn’t do, that Dropbox does, is provide access to the Mesh folders using an iOS device (beyond the web browser). A dedicated app would do wonders for those of us that use iOS. That being said, for documents, you can use Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac to save and retrieve your SkyDrive-saved documents. A very nice feature that will be coming to iWork as part of iCloud very soon.

So overall, it’s a nice service. Some features like Dropbox, some like Google Docs, some like the future iCloud, and in general fairly useable. Not exactly what I was looking for, but definitely something I will continue to use.

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Lanta’s Frozone: Frozen Custard, and Much More

July 6th, 2011 | by Jeremy | autism, review

Jul
06

Over the 4th of July holiday, my family decided to try someplace new. We had never been to a new restaurant on 5600 West called Lanta’s Frozone, and we thought we would give it a try. It was very quiet, but then we were on our way back from a trip to the Zoo, and most other people were at the noisy, crowded parades. As we tend to avoid such places for the sake and sanity of our children, we caught them at just the right time.

Lanta’s serves up frozen custard and yogurt, and even let you make various recipes and mixtures for your dessert pleasure. But that’s not why we went. We went for the sandwiches they advertised. Why? Well, it was hot, and we wanted something less heavy than a burger. And it’s a good thing, too.

When I ordered the staff seemed new, but then we were the only one’s in the shop so they probably felt it was less rushed then it might normally be. The combinations included either fries, chips, or the “house salad”, but no drinks (of which they have one size). My wife wanted the french dip, and I went for the Philly Cheesesteak. They have children’s menus with half sandwiches, so we got the boys grilled cheese and ham. I wanted to try the salad, and the rest of the family had fries.

The wait seemed long, though not as long as places like Chili’s. What was impressive was how my oldest with Autism took it: very calm, very relaxed. My youngest wanted to run around, perhaps because there was so much free space to run. Anyway, when the food did come, I was shocked. The sandwiches were large. The boys both had what looked like normal-sized sandwiches, at least if they were made with store-bought bread. The rolls my wife and I had were large too, and stuffed full of filling. The cheesesteak was not overly spicy, and perhaps even on the mild side, but very tasty.

Philly Cheesesteak and House Salad at Lanta's Frozone But what really surprised me was the house salad. Most “house salads” are tired bits of Iceberg lettuce with a tomato and smothered in Ranch dressing. Not at Lanta’s. No, you get a Spring Mix salad with candied almonds and berries with syrup with a vinaigrette and a cube of Feta cheese. It was completely unexpected, and very delicious. The lunch was so filling, in fact, that we didn’t have room for any of the custard. So we took a quart home and gave it a try. I can definitely recommend the custard.

So Lanta’s Frozone is now definitely on my list of Autism-friendly places to go, at least when there are few people in the establishment. I’m not sure how it would be completely packed, though I’m definitely willing to go back. If only for the house salad, if nothing else. And I still haven’t tried any of the soups.

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Book Review: The Paradise War (The Song of Albion, Book 1)

December 7th, 2010 | by Jeremy | review

Dec
07

Ancient history has always been a passion of mine, and when a book of Celtic mythology, the journey to the Otherworld, is written, I was peaked. It was not what I had expected, not by a long shot. A story that seemed to me to be a strange look at ancient Britain turned into a potential epic that was fascinating to explore. <br/><br/>That being said, the story did drag in several places. The imagery was lacking, and the book seemed somewhat passive to me. Things seemed to happen, but were not happening. It was not often, as the story was clearly written to draw one into the series as opposed to the contents of just one book, but enough that I started to skip paragraphs to get to the "good bits".

I also thought it interesting that it was taken from the Welsh point of view, which I have little knowledge. It was refreshing to learn more of the Welsh mythology, and how it wove itself with the Celtic ideals of the ancient Britons, Picts, Scoti, and other tribes I have studied in my undergraduate career. It was fascinating, and that held my attention. After all, there is something about the Celtic blood, the Gaelic that runs through our veins that awaken at the sound of bag pipes, the sight of a bright sword, or the beauty of the green world.

What was even more powerful to me was timing for reading the book: during the end of NaNoWriMo. This book gave me a taste of Albion as a desire to create a beautiful story. It also reminded me about the difficulty that surrounds that creation. Stephen Lawhead did a wonderful job in reaching me with this story, and the Celtic roots of my family history.

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Book Review: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

September 15th, 2010 | by Jeremy | autism, review

Sep
15

There are a number of books out there about Autism, dealing with autism, managing autism, teaching children with autism, and even how to "cure" autism with fad diets and various misinformation. It’s rare, at least in my experience, for autism to center within fiction.

House Rules is a book about a family of Jacob Hunt, a child with Aspergers, and his obsession with forensics. Ultimately it leads to getting involved with the police over a possible murder, and how the police react with an autistic child.

There are a couple of things I didn’t like, such as the declared beliefs that vaccinations cause Autism, that children who are on gluten-free and cassein-free diets can be "cured", and that various highly expensive supplements can "cure" autism. What’s interesting is that the author doesn’t say he was cured, but rather his behavior became more manageable.

Oh, and I solved the crime about 33% into the book (but still was riveted to the book).

What I did like was the portrayal of Jacob’s thought process as a person with Aspergers. The family experiences, the daily routine, the overall atmosphere that is Autism within a family. It’s very familiar, and I find it absolutely fascinating.

I also loved the writing style. Often, when I don’t enjoy a book, it’s because of the writing style. Jodi Picoult did a fabulous job on this book, and should be commended for her writing style. It was very similar to a serial story, one you would read in a magazine because of the way it was separated into different voices. Different points of view, from the police detective, the lawyer, the mother, the younger brother, and Jacob himself were all illuminating.

Ultimately, as Jodi Picoult stated on her website, was to outline how the justice system would react to typical behaviors in someone with Autism, specifically with Aspergers. I think she did a fantastic job, and would highly recommend the book to anyone in the Justice System, Police, Sheriff’s Department, and any parent with a child who has Autism. It can be found on Amazon, Simon&Schulsters, or any fine book store.

Thank you Liesl, for your recommendation.

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Book Review: Sir Walter Scott’s Guy Mannering

August 6th, 2010 | by Jeremy | review

Aug
06

I’m in need of a rebuke. All this time in my life, and I have never read a book by Sir Walter Scott. Well, recently I changed that, and read Guy Mannering. Clearly, I have been neglecting my studies, my heritage, and my opportunity to be edified by the prose of one of Scotland’s greatest writers.

The story was pretty clear in and of itself, and the principles were quickly identified. Guy Mannering, while traveling in Scotland, chances to arrive at a Laird’s house, one of the last of the great and ancient names in Scotland. The Laird just had a son, and Guy Mannering, being then schooled in the "science" of astrology, promptly worked out the son’s fate. He wasn’t happy about it, and as he left, he vowed to give it up. The son was then lost 5 years later, and taken away by smugglers from Holland. The story is about his return, connections to the family, and more importantly to now Colonel Guy Mannering, late of His Majesty’s Royal Army in India.

The story was compelling, and only seemed slow because I wanted to see if my conjectures as to the relationships between characters were correct. It was written much like the old serial method, each chapter being a story in and of itself, though building upon each other.

Sir Walter Scott was instrumental in restoring the Tartan to the Highland clans, their rights and their culture. It was he, though his writing, that restored the valor, pride, and spirit of Scotland to her natives, and such stories as Guy Mannering are a testament to his work.

And as a side note, this book was the cause of a special breed of terrier being called Dainty Dinmonts, after one of the principle characters in the book. It also mentions one Duncan Robb in passing, of which I am very proud.

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