how to

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Box Cloud Storage

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        On the lookout for helpful info, Jim Hamm writes, "Here is an article describing a problem with the cloud-storage company, Box -- it's losing money big time. Now it's going to do an IPO, but looking at the numbers and the huge losses, why would anyone want to buy this stock? Not me.
        "If one wants to store their data, pictures, etc., in the cloud, be sure you are comfortable that the company is going to be around so you can access your data later on. This is the reason I'm more comfortable backing my 'stuff' up to my own external hard drive."
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Clip Art, Photos, Recent Discoveries

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         What a clever picture.  It grabbed my attention and I just had to read what the article said.  Ever said that?
    Google to the rescue.  Well, first I emailed John Carter to ask where he’d found the photo he posted to the pmug.us website.  

         So, I followed his directions and now I can show it to you.
         Google makes it easy to bring up lots of illustrations, clip art, photos.  Here’s a screen shot of the entry I made:  (Click to enlarge this; click again to get back to this page)
    In the search box I had typed “street sign, confused, lost, unclear” not knowing any more descriptive terms for what I wanted.  The first search page allowed me to select “Images.”  
        A huge selection came up, and I could click Show More Results at the bottom of the page.  Click on any illustration and see what the information says.  Some will be stock photos with an embedded watermark.  That means you’ll need to read about licensing, extended license, additional multi-seat License.  Copyright info is on that company’s page.  Click to view Photos, Vectors, Footage, Audio, Mobile, Pricing.  See the company’s phone number, live help number.
      One photo I looked at had a tiny icon in the upper right hand of the page.  Here’s a screen shot of the list that came up. 
      It was fun, clicking to see how the various languages came up in the illustrations. 
        Try it out on some of your blogging or emails.  Your family will be impressed with your knowledge of other languages.

         Looking up “shepherd and sheep”  I scrolled down and when I’d gotten to the 64th picture I found a photo of my son Peter, holding his sheep on his shoulder.  I had posted it to my blog, www.EncouragingU.blogspot.com months ago and  they’ve put it up for anyone to help themselves to the picture.  Clicking on it brings up that page in my blog, with the verses I posted with it.  And on the Google Image page a person can click, bringing it up as JPG 800x533 pixels. 
         We hadn’t thought that it would be automatically available to anyone else.  Hopefully, if someone wanted a copy they’d write and ask for permission.  Maybe that’s wishful thinking, on my part.

Other Recent Discoveries: 
        Planning on selling that nice, older Mac and upping to something new?  You might get some helpful info here:  http://www.mactip.net/how-to-securely-wipe-your-mac-hard-drive-before-selling-it/
        We did decide to go for a new iMac to replace the G4 laptop that Don’s been using.
What do do with a 10 year-old that’s still running, but is before Intel?  We saw the PC column in Courier about recycling or donating.  Asked for info from Prez Art Gorski and John Carter.  John was first to reply, suggesting we donate it to the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) in Prescott. A very knowledgeable man there was happy to take it, and we’re delighted to be able to help someone that way. 
        Curious about all those nifty computers from Apple before you took the plunge and bought yours?  http://apple-history.com/pg4   lists highlights from 1976 to 2012. 
        Wondering about the security of your Contact list, alias Address Book?  http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/how-apples-address-book-app-could-allow-the-nsa-to-harvest-your-contacts/
        Keeping up with the latest info posted to our PMUG newsblog?  Look into NetNewsWire  https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/10350/netnewswire  I didn’t see a date on this page. 
        With schools and businesses using iPhones and iPads here’s what’s new with features to help the IT shops lock iOS down and make it easier to manage.  http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/02/apples-new-management-features-help-locked-down-ipads-stay-locked-down/
IT’S ALMOST TIME  for nominating PMUG officers for the May election. Give it some thought.  Your experience could mean some encouraging help for others.  You know how much we appreciate your time and your willingness to step up to this challenge.  You help make PMUG a success! 
        Have a chat with Prez Art Gorski, or Vice Prez Dave Rothgery, or Secretary Bobbie Pastor, or Treasurer David Passell.  Or talk to one of the appointed Chairs: John Carter, Ward Stanke, or a Past Prez: Jim Hamm or Howard LaPittus. Each of them has survived as they served our friendly organization!     * * * 

This was today's handout from Elaine Hardt at the PMUG meeting.  See you next time! 
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Antivirus Program Described

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        "I use the free Avast antivirus (AV) program on both my Macs and Windows computers," Jim Hamm begins.   "I like it, and it is light on computer resources. In case you might an interest in Avast,  here is a comprehensive article about this AV program. The article happens to cover installation on a Windows computer, but the process is basically the same for a Mac.
        "Some might question whether an AV program is needed on a Mac. Rather than ponder this philosophical question, I just go ahead and use Avast. I see no downside to doing this, and a possibility of an upside."
        Read  this info and note the chart comparing Avast with seven other well-known antivirus programs.  And there's that word:  FREE. 
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Ideas and Shortcuts

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  Jim Hamm presented some helpful tips to the AMUG Senior SIG today, and shares these links with us. 

    more from Lifehacker:  http://lifehacker.com/tag/101
9) (item obsolete - admin)
10) 50 Best Mac Tips: http://www.techradar.com/
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Sharing Documents With Other Users

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        "This cannot be stressed enough,"  so naturally we listen up to what John Carter has to say.   "No matter what application you use to create a document, if you want to share that document with a non-Apple user, then you must save the document in a format that anyone can open. That format is either TXT, PDF, RTF or RTFD.
         "A TXT file (.txt) is a plain file and can be opened by anyone with a number of different applications. But this format cannot include many special fonts, any fancy formatting (tabs are allowed) or any images.
         "PDF is the Adobe Postscript Document format. The Mac uses Preview to view this format. Windows must use Adobe Reader. When you save or export a document in PDF format, what the other people see is exactly what you created the document as.
         "RTF is the Microsoft Rich Text Format. The Mac uses Preview to view this format. Windows can use Word, Wordpad, or Notepad to view this format. What the other people see most likely will NOT be exactly as you see it. Microsoft will substitute fonts and may even change some formatting. If images are embedded in the document, chances are they won’t be in the right place. There may be severe restrictions on formatting and image types that can be employed in an RTF format.
         "RTFD is similar to RTF and also allows some fancy formatting and some image types. When using TextEdit to create a document, this is the default format if certain fonts or images are included."
         But that's not all.  John goes on with more details.
         "However, if you use either NeoOffice, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice to create a document in the OpenDocument format (see this link for a description of OpenDocument format) and if the Windows user has either OpenOffice or LibreOffice, then whatever you create and save in the default format they will be able to open and it will appear to them exactly as you see it with only one possible side effect — fonts may be substituted if the user doesn’t have exactly the same font installed on his/her machine. This may not alter the appearance any, or slightly if at all.
         "In Windows and starting with MS Office 2007 using a free plugin called OpenXML/ODF Translator (available here) , a user could open an OpenDocument file, but the document may not survive formatting and some fonts may be substituted. Although MS Office attempted to comply with the OpenDocument standards, Microsoft still insisted on making some changes of their own.
         "If you do use NeoOffice, OpenOffice or LibreOffice to create an OpenDocument file and you want to share it with another Apple user, then he/she can open it with TextEdit. But not Pages, Numbers or Keynote because these Apple products don’t know anything about the OpenDocument standard.
      "Just so you know, the extensions for an OpenDocument file are as follows:
            Text = .odt
            Presentation = .odp
            Spreadsheet = .ods
    "The equivalent for MS Office (prior to 2007) is:
            Text = .doc
            Presentation = .ppt
            Spreadsheet = .pps
   "For a complete treatise on the new MS Office extensions, see this link.
    "The equivalent for Apple is:
            Text = .pages
            Presentation = .keynote
            Spreadsheet = .numbers
            "Before sharing a document with anyone, make sure that they have the right application to work with the document you want to share.
              "For the general differences in use between OpenOffice and MS Office, see this link. For John Carter’s presentation notes on the differences between .docx and .odt, see this link and open the PDF file “MS Word 2010 vs OpenOffice 3.0."
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Got a Smart Phone?

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        A handy emailed daily tip from Here's the Thing recently has given tips for people with "smart phones."  A query to Jim Hamm brought us this reply, "Yes, I get this, and it has some useful tips. You could post a link to this in the blog and suggest to people they might take a look at it."
        And, not leaving well enough alone, Jim goes on, "So, you just have a dumb phone? That reminds me of the old adage that smart phones are for smart people, and dumb phones are for..........(grin)...Just teasing you."  And here's the link to the smart phone posts. 

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Net Neutrality in the News

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        Net Neutrality is in the news. David Passell forwards a letter from Public Citizen, see it here and RootsAction, here. 
        Do a Google search for that term and you’ve got a lot of sites to scan.  On the first page that comes up go to the left side and decide what time frame you’d like:  Any Time, Past 24 hours, Past week, Past month, or Past year.  Keep informed so you can take action. 

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Mail in Mavericks and iOS 7: How To

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Having trouble or confusions with Apple Mail in Mavericks?  John Carter to the rescue.    "Lots has changed from previous versions, particularly for Gmail users, and although Apple has restored some functionality in 10.9.1 and the just-released 10.9.2, there's nothing like a healthy dose of expert advice to put you back in control of your email.         "To help with that, email expert Joe Kissell has revisited the topic in 'Take Control of Apple Mail.' This new ebook, which covers both Mail for Mavericks and iOS 7, provides 175 pages of essential setup, usage, and troubleshooting advice, whether you use Gmail, iCloud, Exchange, or IMAP — or more than one. The book normally costs $15, but the 30% MUG discount drops that to $10.50. Learn more about the book and purchase via the coupon-loaded  link.   Want to know more?  "Along the way, Joe explains core concepts like special IMAP mailboxes and email archiving, reveals Mail's hidden interface elements, and offers tips on customizing Mail to your preferences (including the best power-user plugins for Mail on the Mac). You'll also learn how to find that message in the haystack, figure out how digital signatures and encryption work in Mail, and uncover solutions to numerous common problems. Perhaps most important, Joe shares his strategy for avoiding email overload; the article where he first introduced it won American Business Media’s Neal Award for Best How-To Article.

        "When Apple released 10.9.2 Mavericks earlier this week, we were within minutes of uploading the completed ebook files to our server. Once Joe realized that 10.9.2 had made significant changes to Mail, he dropped everything in order to research the changes and update the manuscript. Editing occurred overnight, and we produced the ebook anew in the morning, making this not only the most comprehensive book about Apple Mail, but also the most up to date!"  
        And there's 30% off Take Control's other ebooks:  Take Control of Apple TV, Take Control of Your Passwords,  Take Control of CrashPlan Backups,  Take Control of 1Password

What To Do With Your Mac

        His students and clients often tell John Carter that they want to learn how to use their Mac better. The trick is, though, a big enough incentive is needed in order to motivate one to really learn how to use their computer. 
        John wrote an article titled “What To Do With Your Mac” that he hopes will give people some ideas on where to look for just the right incentive. Look for the article in the Tips ’N Tricks section of the PMUG website here.   Check out those links that will help you spend quality time with your Mac. 

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iPhoto Library Manager

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        John Carter is at it again with an update for one of his favorite apps, iPhoto Library Manager from FatCatSoftware.com. When iPhoto was updated to version 9 (now at 9.1.5, and is better known as iPhoto ’11), version 3 of iPhoto Library Manager didn’t do some of the things John wanted it to do, specifically merge iPhoto libraries. So it was necessary to update to iPhoto Library Manager version 4. 
        John is very impressed with the changes and wrote a review of the software which you can find in the PMUG website here. 

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Let's Talk About Flash Drives (Thumb Drives)

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   Remember the floppy drives and CDs used for storage and backup of your computer files?  Here’s some interesting facts about the Flash Drives, taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive  The whole article is 21 pages long!  
A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than an optical disc.   Page 1.
USB flash drives are often used for the same purposes for which floppy disks or CDs were used, i.e., for storage, back-up and transfer of computer files. They are smaller, faster, have thousands of times more capacity, and are more durable and reliable because they have no moving parts. Additionally, they are immune to magnetic interference (unlike floppy disks), and unharmed by surface scratches (unlike CDs). 
USB flash drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Linux, OS X, Windows, and other Unix-like systems. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can store more data and transfer faster than much larger optical disc drives like CD-RW or DVD-RW drives and can be read by many other systems such as the Xbox 360, Play Station 3, DVD players and handheld devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board carrying the circuit elements and a USB connector, insulated electrically and protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberized case which can be carried in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector may be protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not likely to be damaged if unprotected.
USB flash drives draw power from the computer via the USB connection. 
USB flash drives were invented in 1999, claimed by several companies, contesting various patents around the world.  Trek’s “ThumbDrive” & IBM’s “DiskOnKey” started selling in 2000.  Lexar came out with CF (Compact Flash) card and card read/writer and cable that eliminated the need for a USB hub. Read more on page 3.  
This article claims 1,500 insert-removal cycles for the flash drive’s longevity. It goes on to describe how the innards work and shows some photos, tells what the essential components are, the size and style of packaging.  
USB flash drives have now been integrated into other items such as watches, pens, even the Swiss Army Knife.  Others have been fitted into novelties, such as toy cards, LEGO bricks, images of dragons, cats, or aliens.  See page 6.      
The File system is described, p. 7. Defragging claims are disputed.  USB flash units can be partitioned just like hard drives.  File transfer speeds are greater for the USB 3.0 than the 2.0. 
Common use is to store and transport personal files.  Storing medical information is mentioned. Encryption is supported with some types. Forensic and law enforcement usages are described. 
This article goes on to briefly describe other uses: updating motherboard firmware, booting operating systems, operating system installation media, application carriers.  Other uses are mentioned, such as backup for resellers since they can be removed at night and taken offsite.
Read about uses for audio players, media storage and marketing.  Availability of inexpensive flash drives makes them handy for promotional and marketing purposes, preloaded as a form of advertising. Page 11.
Advantages are noted:  have little power, no fragile moving parts, small, lightweight.  Date is impervious to mechanical shock, magnetic fields, scratches and dust.  Page 12. 
Testing? Is your flash drive going to survive the washing machine?  There are some that retain their memory!  Leave it out to dry completely before using it again.  Channel Five's Gadget Show cooked one of these flash drives with propane, froze it with dry ice, submerged it in various acidic liquids, ran over it with a jeep and fired it against a wall with a mortar. A company specializing in recovering lost data from computer drives managed to recover all the data on the drive. All data on the other removable storage devices tested, using optical or magnetic technologies, were destroyed.
There is a list of disadvantages on page 13. There is little or no advance warning of failure.  Its size means they can be easily misplaced.  
Comparison with other portable storage on page 14: tapes, floppy disks, optical media of CD and DVD.  Page 15 details the Flash Memory Cards, e.g. Secure Digital cards.  
Tells about external hard drives susceptible to damage, page 15.   Encryption and security is described on page 16.
Security threats are mentioned on page 17.  Flash drives may present a significant security challenge for some organizations. Their small size and ease of use allows unsupervised visitors or employees to store and smuggle out confidential data with little chance of detection. Both corporate and public computers are vulnerable to attackers connecting a flash drive to a free USB port and using malicious software such as keyboard loggers or packet sniffers.
For computers set up to be bootable from a USB drive, it is possible to use a flash drive containing a bootable portable operating system to access the files of the computer, even if the computer is password protected. The password can then be changed, or it may be possible to crack the password with a password cracking program and gain full control over the computer. Encrypting files provides considerable protection against this type of attack.
USB flash drives may also be used deliberately or unwittingly to transfer malware and autorun worms onto a network.
Pages18-21 lists 75 references with names and dates of the information that’s quoted. 
Amazon.com/ lists 32,814 results in search for “USB thumb drives.”  See the ratings from users. Customer reviews can give you important aspects to consider.    
We do want to keep our computers happy, and our data safe!                 # # #      
by Elaine Hardt.  This was my handout at the 2-15-14 PMUG meeting.