Mac User Group Class
First Thursday of the month, 2:00 p.m., Cambria Joslyn Center
Instructor: Jack Hennessy
Mac training based on your level of experience and your interests.
The program varies monthly.
Holiday Greetings, Mac Users -
JANUARY MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club 2007 Mac Users activity hits the ground
running with its January meeting to be held on Thursday the 4th in the
Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm (doors open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Internet & E-Mail Basics for Mac",
presented by Jack Hennessy. This meeting is for users with limited
experience as well as for more seasoned individuals interested in a
tuneup. Topics I'll discuss include connecting, communicating,
surfing, searching, shopping, gaming and financial transactions.
Things we are doing today on the internet were unthought of 3 or 4
years ago, and with players like Google and Yahoo in the mix, the
future potential is mind boggling. To take advantage of new
developments, we need to stay up to date with our knowledge, tools and
techniques.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
MEMBERSHIP DUES
It's that time of year again (the beginning) and your annual Cambria
Computer Club dues are payable. Club dues are $15 per person, plus
Joslyn Center annual member ship of $25 per person. The Joslyn
membership is a one-time payment for participation in all clubs and
activities sponsored by the Center (although some of these have their
own individual dues requirements). Remember, it's the Joslyn Center
that provides your Computer Club with accommodations for over 40
meetings per year as well as storage for our equipment.
You can pay your dues at any Club meeting. When you pay your dues,
you'll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your computer
interests and usage (available for download at
<www.cambriacomputerclub.org>). This form is an important vehicle for
the Board of Directors to assess the needs and preferences of the
membership and to plan programs accordingly.
INTERNET BROWSERS
In my research for the January meeting presentation, I discovered a
website that is worth a visit by anyone who spends significant time on
the internet. <www.macorchard.com/www/> contains a comprehensive
listing of internet browsers for Macintosh, with descriptions/reviews
for each. If you're not satisfied with what you're getting from
Safari/Internet Explorer/Firefox, you might want to take a look at some
viable alternatives.
MACWORLD
I will be attending the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco,
January 8 though 12. I plan to touch as many bases as I can, but to
concentrate on user groups (like us) and training. However, if anyone
out there has a specific area of interest you'd like me to look into,
send me an e-mail or contact me at the meeting on the 4th.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE JANUARY 4, 2007 MEETING!
– – Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
SEPTEMBER MEETING
Hello again, Mac Users -
The Cambria Computer Club September 2006 Mac Users meeting will be
held on Thursday the 7th in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm
(doors open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Databases in Appleworks, MS Office &
FileMaker Pro", presented by Jack Hennessy. A database can be almost
any listing of information, such as a grocery list, an address book or
an inventory of DVD movies. We'll discuss why databases are important
and what you need to know about them. Then, how to use the listed
software packages, demonstrating how to organize, display, search,
isolate and manipulate data.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
AUGUST MEETING FOLLOW-UP
Here are a couple of additional sites where you can search for Mac OS
X freeware:
<http://www.cornstalker.com/freeware/x.html>
<http://hmatt.com/mac/macbookfreeware.html>
NEWSLETTERS
If you're interested in keeping up with what's going on in the world
of Macintosh computers, software applications, the Internet and other
related subjects, there are several newsletter sites you can visit
which freely share this sort of information. Here's a sampling of
three that might merit your attention:
User Group Network (UGN) Info
Manager <http://www.user-groups.net/info/>
TidBITS <http://www.tidbits.com/>
Mac Hints & Tips <http://www.mac-hints-tips.com/>
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE SEPTEMBER 7, 2006 MEETING!
– – Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
Hello again, Mac Users -
AUGUST MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club August 2006 Mac Users meeting will be held
on Thursday the 3rd in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm
(doors open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Mac OS X Freeware 2006", presented by Jack
Hennessy. This is our annual survey of useful and frivolous OS X
software you can download for free. Each year we visit the world of
freeware to provide you with a wide selection of downloadable
applications which you might find helpful. We'll review some old
favorites (must haves) as well as new releases. We'll also discuss the
origins of and pitfalls in some of the available packages and why you
might want to exercise caution.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
ZILLOW
Get out your address book and get ready to zillow. Zillow
<http://www.zillow.com> is a popular
new site that lets you enter a home's address and instantly see an
aerial photographic map showing the local neighborhood and giving
estimated values for each nearby home. Valuations for more than
65,000,000 U.S. homes are there, with data most accurate for larger
metropolitan areas like L.A., Seattle, and Boston (but it also includes
Cambria). You'll need to use Firefox as your browser; the site is not
yet Safari friendly.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE AUGUST 3, 2006 MEETING!
– – Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
Hello again, Mac Users -
MAY MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club May 2006 Mac Users meeting will be held on
Thursday the 4th in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm (doors
open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Basics of Text Handling and Word
Processing", presented by Jack Hennessy. This presentation has been
given annually for about 5 years. Whether it's e-mail, the great
American novel, a resume to accompany a job application, a meeting
announcement or newsletter, we are all creators and/or readers of text
documents produced on computers. This presentation is geared not only
to new users but also to experienced individuals who want to brush up
on their document creation skills.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
SLOMUG
The San Luis Obispo Macintosh User Group (SLOMUG) meets once a month
at the Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa Street (at Mill), San
Luis Obispo, Room 1 at 7 PM on a designated Tuesday. Ample street
parking is available on Mill Street, and in the parking lot at the rear
of the Center. Contact: Chuck Adoff atcadoff@charter.net
Meeting dates for the rest of 2006 are as follows:
May 5/16/06
June 6/20/06
July 7/18/06
August 8/15/06
September 9/19/06
October 10/17/06
November 11/21/06
December No Meeting
PARTICIPATION
Every year, your Computer Club calls upon its members to individually
and collectively increase their involvement in club activities and to
volunteer to serve as officers, committee persons and board members.
Although officers and board members are not determined until later in
the year, it's never to early to express interest. Just notify a
current officer or board member!
From the Mac Users standpoint, I'm looking for help in three areas:
1) Presenters: If you have developed (or are working on) skill or
facility in accomplishing interesting tasks on your Mac or in working
with a particular piece (or suite) of software, think about making a
presentation to the group, either solo or with assistance from me or a
third party.
2) Outside presenters: Have you seen a particularly interesting
presentation or demonstration at a computer or electronics store or at
a conference? Have you discovered some educational software that is
worth sharing with the group? Let me know.
3) Presentation ideas: What haven't we done in the Mac Users group
or the Computer Club general meetings that you would like to see? Let
me know and I'll try to put a presentation together or find someone who
can.
I HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE MAY 4, 2006 MEETING!
- - Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
Hello again, Mac Users -
APRIL MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club April 2006 Mac Users meeting will be held on
Thursday the 6th in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm (doors
open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Macintosh Security Issues", presented by
Rick Auricchio. Recently, the news media and internet traffic have
highlighted previously non-existent viruses, worms and Trojan horses
which impact the Mac OS X operating system. Rick will update this
situation for us and discuss how we can best protect our own systems.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
YOU'VE GOT TO TRY THIS!
Want to know more about a specific location? Google Earth
(http://earth.google.com) combines satellite imagery, maps and the
power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at
your fingertips.
* Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom
right in.
* Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving
directions.
* Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
* Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own
annotations.
Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic
information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and
Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants,
hospitals, schools, and more.
DON'T FORGET THE APRIL 6, 2006 MEETING!
- - Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
Hello again, Mac Users -
MARCH MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club March 2006 Mac Users meeting will be held on
Thursday the 2nd in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm (doors
open at 1:30).
The meeting topic will be "Firefox", presented by Betty Swierk.
Firefox has become an extremely popular internet browser, for both the
Mac and PC platforms. Betty will discuss how you can best adapt this
free application to your browsing needs.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
OS X WORM
There has been a lot of recent chatter in the Apple Users' Group
e-mail digest regarding rare security warning initiated on February 16
after an Internet worm that targets the OS X operating system was
identified by anti-virus companies. Here's some of the info I've been
able to gather; if you're concerned about your Mac's security, follow
up at one or more of the anti-virus companies' web sites.
OSX.Leap.A spreads over the iChat instant messaging program and can
stop infected Mac applications from launching, according to warnings
from iDefense and Symantec. Leap first appeared when a user posted a
malicious file claiming that an attachment was screenshots from Apple's
Mac OS X 10.5 release, code named "Leopard." The attachment was
disguised as a JPEG image file, but is actually a malicious program
that copies itself to a victim's iChat buddies.
Once installed on an OS X system, Leap infects files and can prevent
them from running or launching, Symantec said. Symantec rated the worm
a "Level 1" threat—it's lowest possible rating. However, the company
advised OS X users to be wary of opening file attachments sent over the
iChat network.
Some experts believe that the Mac operating system could soon see more
attacks, especially with Apple's decision to ship on computers that use
the common Intel architecture. Others insist that it's the operating
system and its application software that allow malicious code to exist
and propagate. Since Apple does not use a Windows type OS on Intel
based Macs, a Mac will continue to remain more secure than a PC.
Nonetheless, more malicious code will eventually get written for Mac
OS X and we need to be prepared. Authors will bait you to opening
malicious programs thru 'social engineering', enticing you with
promises of pictures of Mac OS X 10.5 screenshots, etc. As usual, you
should not open e-mail attachments from sources you're not familiar
with and be especially cautious with any attachment sent via iChat.
DON'T FORGET THE MARCH 2, 2006 MEETING!
Greetings, Mac Users -
FEBRUARY MEETING
The Cambria Computer Club February 2006 Mac Users meeting will be held
on Thursday the 2nd in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm
(doors open at 1:30). Please note that, for February and subsequent
months, the Mac Users meeting returns to its regular meeting time on
the 1st Thursday of the month.
The meeting topic will be "Internet Basics for Mac", presented by Jack
Hennessy. This meeting is for new users as well as "old hands"
interested in a tuneup. Jack will discuss:
a.) Dialup and broadband connections, internet service providers,
remote access
b.) Email - software, setup, sending and receiving messages,
attachments, spam and phishing
c.) Using the internet - software, surfing, search engines,
shopping, interesting sites
d.) RSS feeds and other less common features.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic
presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to
listen in or participate.
MEMBERSHIP DUES HEADS UP
Just another gentle reminder that your annual Cambria Computer Club
dues are payable. Club dues are $10 per person, plus Joslyn Center
annual member ship of $20 per person. The Joslyn membership is a
one-time payment entitling each person to participate in all clubs and
activities sponsored by the Center.
SLOMUG
The San Luis Obispo Mac Users Group has changed its meeting date (in
January it was Tuesday, the 17th) and the locationtoLudwick Community
Center at Santa Rosa & Mill Streets, San Luis Obispo. (Off
streetparking is available in back of the Ludwich Center.) Since they
are now meeting earlier in the month, notification via my regular
Cambria Club announcement will no longer be timely. For information
about SLOMUG meeting dates and programs, you can contact Chuck Adoff at
<cadoff@charter.net>.
iTUNES TIP
I recently extracted a short audio track from a TV show I had recorded
on my Digital Video Recorder and saved it to my iTunes Library. When I
played it back (in iTunes), I found that I had recorded too much and
there was extraneous sound clutter at both the beginning and end of the
track.
Without resorting to expensive sound editing software, I highlighted
the audio track in the iTunes Library, then went to File>Get Info and
clicked on Options. I checked the Start Time and Stop Time boxes and
entered the times necessary to shorten the audio track play time and
eliminate the sound clutter. Subsequently, when the track is played or
copied, only the shortened version is heard.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE FEBRUARY 2, 2006 MEETING!
- - Jack
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu
Holiday Greetings, Mac Users -
JANUARY MEETING
