Hasn't it been fun to see all the news about the iPad! One article in particular got Jim Hamm's attention. He passes it along to us. Kindle needs the iPad, and vice versa, the writer exclaims.
Word - Firefox Problem Solved
"I just needed to update my version of MS Word for Mac and had a real problem installing the XML reader," begins De Prez Allen Laudenslager. He goes on to explain the problem and the solution. "When I contacted Microsoft for help, they told me that using Firefox might be the problem.
"While this sounds weird, the tech 'thinks' that Firefox somehow doesn't always properly attach the correct file extension name. Word documents are .doc and updates to applications are disk image files .dmg, etc. That file name extension allows Mac OS and the various applications to decide how to handle the file. One example would be when you double click on the file your Mac knows to open the file in your word processor or in iPhoto or whatever.
"I went back to the site (mactopia.com) using Safari and downloaded the file a second time and was able to properly install the update and open the latest MS Word version files with the extension .docx.
"Just one more trick to keep in mind if you are having trouble downloading files using Firefox as your primary web browser."
Precautions for Using Google
With a title like, “The Smart Paranoid’s Guide to Using Google” who wouldn’t scan the article. Some helpful tips jump right out, and both business and personal users will find reasons to take suggested precautions.
About Printing Out Those Coupons
This May 22 article, "Web Marketers Have a Way of Finding Out About You" by Susan Olasky in World Magazine quoting from New York Times, explains how a coupon printed from the Internet is packed with info about the customer who uses it. Coupons convey “a startling amount of data, including identification about the customer, Internet address, Facebook page information and even the search terms the customer used to find the coupon in the first place.”
More on Easier to Read
In addition to CMD-+ and CMD - to enlarge screen, there is another way which can be used. David Passell walks us through the process: "The Firefox Browser has a way to change the appearance of a web site. (Double click to enlarge these illustrations.)
1. Go to system preferences.
2. Select Universal Access and the Seeing tab
3. Turn Zoom ON
4. Click on Options and set up similarly to below. You can experiment with other settings. If you are going to do this select 'Show Universal Access....' so you you can quickly return to the preference to make changes.
If you are using a Mouse with a scroll wheel, you will see keys to press while you scroll. NOTE: for an unknown reason OPT (or ALT) and CMD seems to be my default; and I cannot change it. (CMD and Shift also has worked on occasion.)
After you do this you will find you can hold down the keys and as you turn the scroll wheel the image will zoom out. Release the wheel and it stays zoomed and you can move around the enlarged screen to parts no longer visible.
Hold down the keys and scroll the other way until the getting-smaller stops. Then you are back to normal viewing.
IF YOU ENCOUNTER ONE OF THOSE WEB SITES WITH STRANGE COLORS AND TEXT COMBINATIONS AND ARE USING THE FIREFOX BROWSERS (e.g. Black text on red, purple on blue, etc.) you can get rid of these quirks with Firefox menu selection: View > Page Style. then change from Basic Page Style to No Style.
As an example our Newsletter normally looks like this in Basic Page Style:
After changing to no style, it looks like this:
The Opera browser has a similar selection which is titled Author Mode (= Basic Page Style) and User Mode (= No Style).
I haven't been able to find any equivalent selections in Safari. Does anyone else know if such exists?"
Here's That Link
Want to explore that link to MacInTouch mentioned by Art Gorski at the PMUG meeting this morning? Take a look at their site, and check out the possibilities of great deals at Amazon he described. Click to replace the Amazon link in your browser favorites with the one that supports MacInTouch.
Speaking of MobileMe . . .
No sooner had Art Gorski given us a nifty "show and tell" program about MobileMe at today's PMUG meeting than arrives a nice email from De Former Prez Jim Hamm, with a link to their MobileMe Gallery album. Jim explains that their RV club went to the La Posada Hotel in Holbrook, AZ, and they are sharing some photos.
Make It Easier to Read
Missed today's PMUG meeting? Here's today's handout:
Make It Easier to Read. You Can Even Listen to It.
Do Command and + to enlarge the screen view of the page you’re looking at. You can do this 7 times to make the type REALLY big. Do Command and - (the minus sign) to reduce the size of the type.
Does some site have white lettering on a dark background? Want to make it easier to read? Do Control and Option and Command and the number 8. You don’t have to touch all four simultaneously. It toggles to the opposite. Toggle the same to go back to the original look.
You’re writing something, and you need to make it easier on your eyes. Enlarge the type as above, maybe even changing the type font. When you’re ready to print it out change the type font and size of type to the look you want in the finished product.
You can print out something from a website in larger type, but notice the preview view of the page. You may need to go to landscape mode, instead of portrait mode, to get the page from margin to margin printed. Print one sample page first and make needed adjustments.
See a nice, big Preview before you print. Do Command + P > PDF > Open PDF in Preview. Click Print at bottom of that page. (Double click on illustrations to enlarge them.)
Using Pages 09 you can click on Inspector, go to T, and put more space between lines, not just space, space-and-a-half, and double space. You can also put additional space between paragraphs, using Inspector.
You can even put more space between the characters you’re writing.
Distracted by all that stuff in the background of your computer window? Do Option and Command and U to Enter Full Screen. Everything blacks out except the page you are writing. Do Esc to return to regular view.
Would VoiceOver help? Find this under Help on the Finder menu. VoiceOver provides an interactive Quick Start tutorial.
Hear your computer speak selected text?
Go to the main Help menu. Type in Speech and there you'll find useful directions.
Go to System Prefs > Speech.
Try the various choices.
Click on the Question Mark for a list of options and some helpful descriptions.
When you’re using Pages do control click on highlighted words to bring up Speech, Start Speaking. The voice speaks those words out loud.
Hear your mail. Go to Mail > Edit > Speech and listen to what you’ve selected.
Whatever . . . Mac makes it easy & fun & productive!
Traveling with iPad
A SlashGear columnist relates his experience in "Two Weeks of Travel, Ten iPad Lessons." De Prez Allen Laudenslager notes that the man has some interesting observations. Now, an email from Jim Hamm also suggests we look at this article.
Make a Better Blog
Our PMUG webmaster John Carter has been researching possibilities for improving the website and blog. If you're considering starting your own blog, or already have one, John's info might be helpful.
"I have no update for the website at this time other than saying that I have scrubbed the idea of using WordPress as the website editing tool. I have also had some difficulty with Dreamweaver for the past few months (which probably means I need to delete the user preferences for Dreamweaver like I did for Firefox to get it running right again). In the interim, I am back to using Coda on the Mac.
"A decent, and free, alternative for editing web pages is KompoZer - which is available for the Mac, Windows, and Linux. That app is every bit as good as iWeb on the Mac. That being said, if anyone takes over the webmaster job in the future, installing KompoZer will provide them with totally free tools for excellent WYSIWYG editing for web pages.
"An excellent alternative for designing new web pages is available in the form of templates using Artisteer, which is now available for the Mac ($49.95 for the Home & Academic Edition). Using Artisteer to cobble together a template and then exporting that template as an HTML file is probably the fastest and easiest way I can think of for creating new web pages with spit and polish. You can even (dare I mention this again) include a newsletter in such a template."
Looks Phishy to Me
With a careful scrutiny David Passell detected another phishing scam. An email purporting to be from some entity called "Usaa Military" and asking for him to verify his "account" had some tell-tale evidence. First, he does not have an account with such a place, and when he viewed the ending of the long header he saw "nomad-tg.kz." This Net URL page shows kz to be the Internet address abbreviation for Kazakhstan. Another good site for checking URL endings is wikipedia. Yes, David, it does look a little phishy!
AT&T - Verizon - iPad Reviews
Jim Hamm sends us the latest info. "Here is yet another review of the iPad. It is a good read and very thorough. It's interesting to note that most--all?--articles and blogs that I read give a 'thumbs down' to AT&T's cellular service. The article states 'Dumping AT&T altogether becomes more appealing by the day.' However, it seems that Apple and AT&T have a contract through 2011 or 2012 -- it's not clear to me which year it is."
Jim goes on to comment, "We have been reasonably satisfied with AT&T and its coverage with our iPhones, but we really haven't used the 3G coverage much since it isn't available in Prescott. When we're at the condo in Scottsdale we don't need 3G as we have wifi available. We have friends here in Prescott who tried the iPhone and AT&T and went back to Verizon. They liked the iPhone but not AT&T.
"I think AT&T's cellular network was not prepared for the data load placed on it by the iPhone. And, although Verizon has more 3G coverage than AT&T, I wonder how well their network would have performed if they had been the carrier? Maybe we'll never know.
"On the iPad itself, I think it is an interesting and well-built, quality device, but the more I read about it the less enthused I become in getting one, for a variety of reasons. For me, I think my MacBook Air is more of a practical and useful device."
An iPad and A Happy Family
With a grin Jim Hamm speaks up, "I think this family has got a mysterious symptom going around called "iPaditis." Take a read. Careful, it could be catching." And note, you can click to hear the article read.
Finding Tech Terms
If you're looking for a definition to a technical term relating to computers, software, the internet, etc. Jim Hamm recommends this site. He notes, "Since acronyms are used frequently in speaking 'computerese' this site can be helpful in finding interpretations of what an acronym means."
Interestingly, each term includes "a tech factor rating from 1 to 10, which indicates how advanced a term is. Terms with low tech factors are common and easy to understand, while terms with higher tech factors may be less common and contain advanced terminology. Terms with tech factors from 1 to 5 are typically important to know, while terms with tech factors from 6 to 10 are not as necessary to know. However, reading up on higher-rated terms may allow you to impress your friends," so says TechTerms.
Some Sites to Explore
David Passell's comment is posted here, but first you'll want to look at the WiseGeek home page to see what in the world they post. He tells us, "An enquiring mind could spend hours exploring these subjects. . . You can subscribe and register (both are FREE). This site contains lots of advertising links. Some could be useful."
Convert Cassettes & LPs
Finding Low Airfares
Jim Hamm mentions this site that has a chart comparing 8 websites for finding low airfares.
Facebook: Privacy, Security Concerns
Here's the straight scoop from today's posting on PCWorld, "When a piece of software is automatically installed on your computer without your knowledge, it's called malware. But what do you call it when Facebook apps are added to your profile without your knowledge? We discovered Wednesday that this is actually happening, and stopping it isn't as easy as checking a box in your privacy settings." Read the whole article and decide if your kids and grandkids need to know this, too.
More iPad Info
Yes, there's more about the iPad. Gizmondo reviews it, but scroll closer to the bottom for lots of links, suggests Jim Hamm. And De Prez Allen Laudeslager was impressed with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' quote, "One million iPads in 28 days — that’s less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone.” Read further in Wired.