Use Quicken? Jim Hamm tells us, "You may no longer need Quicken, but apparently it will be modified to be compatible with OS X Lion in the near future." Check it out here.
No Need to Defrag
Save time! Jim Hamm tells us how. "You've probably read/heard that it's not necessary to do a defrag on a Mac running OS X. Here's a video that clearly explains the mechanics of de-fragmentation and why it isn't necessary in OS X."
You'll find MacMost has 739 videos! Click on the small box under the title for the listings. This one takes less than 7 minutes, and it's well worth the time.
Are You Thirsty for Knowledge ....and a Degree!
Have you ever considered getting an education from M.I.T.? No? Why not? Too expensive? Too far away?
At this point John Carter gets our attention. He explains, "Well, here’s an opportunity you really should look into.
"M.I.T. is offering over 2000 courses FREE and ONLINE, and to make your time worthwhile for taking these online courses, you can apply for certificates of completion (at an affordable rate)! So now after completing all the free, online Khan Academy courses, you can “graduate’ with an M.I.T. education!
"Read about it here."
What do you think John is going to do? He exclaims, "Aha! Astrophysics, here I come!"
Put Holidays on your iCal
Holidays seem to sneak up on you? Jim Hamm has the remedy you need. He sends this link that will put all National Holidays on your iCal.
Mac & PC
John Carter is smiling as he says, "Do you own both a Mac and a Windows PC? You're not alone: according to a 2009 survey 85% of Mac owners also own a PC. This means millions of people need to, somehow, make these two systems work together."If you're one of those millions, you should check out 'Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X,' the latest free MakeUseOf manual. This manual outlines everything you need to know to get your Mac and your PC to live in harmony, so you can do the things you wanted to do. DOWNLOAD Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/computing-harmony-seamlessly-blend-windows-and-os-x (download password: makeuseof) Thanks again, John, for keeping our Mac newsletter so full of good info!
Good Advice on Passwords
Pay attention: we hear from John Carter who advises we seriously consider ten reasons why we need different Internet account passwords and change them often.
1. There are groups (Anonymous, AntiSec, LulzSec) whose sole purpose is to raid the security of large corporations (Sony is an example) just to prove it can be done and to demonstrate to the public why it is important to not have the same password for every account you have on the Internet.
2. Changing all your passwords every month - even by one letter, number, or symbol - is an effective way to protect your accounts on the Internet.
3. Use a password that contains a minimum of 8 characters (15 is recommended as a strong password) with at least one uppercase, one number, and one symbol (where allowed).
4. If symbols are not allowed in a password (as happens with some sites) increase the password length to at least 10 characters.
5. If a site does not allow symbols and does not allow up to 10 characters in a password it would be best to leave that site alone.
6. Never use a password that makes any sense at all, such as P0pp1 (read as Poppy or Popeye) and avoid repeating characters (as in this example).
7. Use a password generator when at all possible.
8. Keep a written log of all your passwords and keep it updated as passwords change. This is your only hope of remembering them.
9. If you insist on keeping passwords on your computer, such as the Mac Keychain Access or a Password Manager in Windows, then use a strong password to access it, and not like any other password that you use.
10. Repeat #1 through #9 until you get the message.
Thanks, John, for reminding us!
Apple is Doing Well!
Interesting charts and comparisons show how well Apple is doing these days. Jim Hamm writes, "Here's one company's (Trefis) estimate of how Apple's products affect its stock price. It's interesting to note that the iPhone's impact is over 50% on the stock price. Mac computers are third in the ranking.
"Here's an estimate for Microsoft. I was surprised to see the impact Microsoft Office has on the stock price -- more than the Windows operating system.
"You can click on a product (division) and get a forecast (trend line) of future performance. This may be a handy tool for investors in the market. In the upper left corner you can enter the name or symbol of a stock you're interested in to get information on the stock price.
And, Jim, our eagle-eye reporter closes with, "Here is more information on Trefis."
Security & Privacy: Yours and Theirs
"Digital Spies," the feature article in the January Popular Mechanics exposes high-tech espionage: hacked, tracked, attacked. It also advises how to protect your personal data in an article, "Removing Yourself from the Internet."
Clean Your Screen With -- ?
Maybe you noticed the article on cleaning your gadgets in the January issue of Popular Mechanics. But let's see what Apple says. Here's some specific info to read on cleaning your computer. It warns that liquid damage is not covered under the Apple product warranty or AppleCare protection plans. Here's how to clean keyboard, trackpad, mouse. A comment following this MacLife article mentions the Optical Cleaning Kit from CostCo. Anyone use this?
Competition for iCloud
This article discusses Microsoft SkyDrive, a competitor to Apple's iCloud. David Passell sends this info for our iPad and iPhone users. He comments, "The closest I get to clouding (I just invented a new word!) is Dropbox."
Is It Time to Clean Up Your Mac?
Actually, Jim Hamm writes, "Is it time to clean up your act . . . ah, Mac, I mean? Here's an article from MacLife on what Onyx can do for your Mac. The free app can be downloaded from here. What's not to like about free? I've always wondered how anyone made money from free apps? Volume, do you suppose?" Jim closes with his friendly grin.
Special Recognition from PMUG
At today's PMUG meeting three helpful members received a Certificate of Recognition for being the top contributors to this Newsletter for the year 2011. Third place = David Passell. Second place = John Carter. And ..... drum roll, please ......... First place = Jim Hamm.
Other members who contributed info for this Newsletter during 2011 deserve mention, too. Give a big smile to Art Gorski, Allen Laudenslager, Bobbie Pastor, Ward Stanke, Bill Williamson, Howard LaPittus, Zee Hamm, Sandra Garramore, and Ginger Carlson.
The reason why many local Mac users join PMUG is because it's practical and interesting! Prez Art Gorski voices his appreciation to all who take part. And we look forward to a great year in 2012. See you in January!
Find Some Fun
If you missed today's PMUG meeting here's the handout.
Let’s spend some time relaxing and enjoying our Mac computers. See some interesting sites, then write something of your own. Share with friends and family!
Unusual days to celebrate, http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/january.htm
Unusual names of towns in the US, http://www.accuracyproject.org/towns.html
Quotations from the Famous & not so famous, http://www.great-quotes.com/
Historical events, birthdays of famous people, etc. http://www.scopesys.com/today/
Animated computer, http://www.bentbay.dk/how_your_computer_works.htm
Gadgets, http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/
2,000 uses for WD-40, http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/wd-40_2042538679.pdf
Links to imaginative inventors and “stuff,” http://www.uen.org/themepark/imagination/invent.shtml
All kinds of on-line dictionaries, http://www.freesearching.com/dictionary.htm
Cute animals, http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/70-cutie-baby-animals-bring-your-a-good-mood/
Natural wonders, http://listverse.com/2008/01/03/top-15-amazing-natural-wonders/
10 unusual weather photos, http://listverse.com/2010/12/19/10-more-amazing-weather-phenomena/
Art, http://www.sharegoodstuffs.com/2011/08/famous-people-in-unusual-art-by-jason.html
YouTube - unusual recipes, http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/a2019/8-dishes-inspired-by-tv-shows-112099/
Cars, trucks and motorcycles from car shows, museums, and collectors; photos and info, http://remarkablecars.blogspot.com/
Save Money on Fancy Fonts
Costs only $1, and that saves you $149. Got your attention? Roger Lakner sends this link to Macware website with the info. It announces, "To show our appreciation for Mac Users everywhere, Macware is offering an incredible deal on FontPack Pro . . . " Catch the details on the coupon code to grab this bargain.
Here Jim Hamm adds, "From reading comments from another Mac user group I belong to, this is a valid offer and not a scam. If you do order this, you need to uncheck a certain box if you don't want to purchase this on a CD (for an extra charge) and only want to download the fonts for just $1. Another gentleman mentioned these fonts may be used commercially as well without royalty payments. This would be of interest to web developers."
iPhone Picture-Taking, Shopping Benefits
Do you take pictures with your iPhone? was the question that started us off. Jim Hamm willingly obliged and went into detail. Apparently, the iPhone camera is a good feature when shopping.
Jim explains, "For me, there are two big advantages to using the iPhone as a camera: first, I always have the iPhone with me, and I don't have to carry a camera around. Second, I find it particularly useful in the following situation: say I'm in a store and see something that I think might be useful/pretty in the house or condo. I know I don't dare buy something for the house or condo without Zee's approval (years of experience talking here), so I just take a picture of the item, email it to Zee, call her and tell her to take a look at it and call me back. This has been very handy.
"Yesterday, for example, she wanted me to place some hooks in a certain place in our condo. I went to Home Depot, found two sets that I thought she would like, took pictures, emailed them to Zee, she looked and picked the set she liked and called me back.
"From reading this—and other—articles on the iPhone's camera I've learned it is a pretty darn good camera. We've been pleased with the results of the pictures we've taken. And the camera in the upgraded iPhone 4S (which we don't have) is supposed to be even better."
The article that caught my attention was from National Geographic. Jim wrote, "Thanks for the link. Interesting article. In our house, Zee is the 'picture taker' on our trips, so she'll enjoy the article also, and maybe can add some comments."
"Convenience, light-weight, decent pictures—all make the iPhone's camera handy to have around," Jim closes with a smile.
The Art & Science of Copy/Paste
How do you copy and paste? A simple question, but for John Carter it's an opportunity for teaching us more about our computers.
"One of the basic functions of a computer is to manipulate objects, and to do this with human intervention. We take a picture with a camera, copy that image from the recording media in the camera, and place that copy somewhere in the mass storage device in the computer. Then we print the image, which involves copying that image from the computer to the printer (a process hidden within the Print function). Next, we e-mail the image to a family member, which involves copying that image from the computer, place it in a package (an attachment), and push (send) it out into the Internet targeted to arrive at only one place in a billion possibilities. The receiver then has to copy that image out of the package (save the attachment) and place it somewhere in their mass storage device.
"Copy and Paste. That’s the terminology for the task of moving an object using a computer. The steps involved are 1) select the target object, 2) copy the object to a clipboard, 3) select the destination, and 4) paste the object at the destination. This process reveals that a simple copy/paste operation is actually a select/copy/select/paste operation. Furthermore, the selection process involves navigation in and around the storage devices involved, and anyone new to computers are oblivious as to how to do that. On a Mac, navigating in and around the storage devices is done with the Finder.
"So, if the attempt here is to teach how to do a copy/paste operation, what needs to be taken into consideration is the level of detail to include. The reality is that the more detail you fully understand about how a computer works, the simpler the instructions become to teach the process. And since there are basically three learning modalities involved in the transfer of knowledge (hearing, seeing, doing), the instructions should contain as many of those modalities as are possible for the instruction media chosen. Some people just need clues and their intuition fills in the gaps. Some people can read complex instructions and master the technique in minutes. Others need to see a live demonstration that they can then mimic. A fortunate few can listen to an audio recording and translate that into correct motor responses. Some will require a blend of two of those modalities. Still others need all three modalities involved and have to repeat the process many times before it starts to even make sense.
"If you thought that learning something new was difficult, you should now be aware that teaching can be even more difficult." (But we have to agree that John LIKES to teach!)
"Mentors have been called upon as the most effective way to transfer knowledge. In a one-on-one situation, a mentor engages the student in all three learning modalities and tosses in a special ingredient: problem solving. If the student doesn’t learn how to learn, the mentor can be locked into a lifelong process of repeating the same thing over and over until the student becomes an automaton performing tasks with no real understanding and needing assistance with each new twist of the same old task.
"The 'how' of a copy/paste operation has already been given above. Four simple steps. Select, Copy, Select, Paste. The Internet has many text and video tutorials to draw upon so there’s no need to repeat any of them here. But what can be given here is the hint on how to find those tutorials - with the assumption that the reader has enough experience with a computer to translate the hint into the fine detail needed to make the hint actually work. Hint: ask Google.
"The question posed in a Google search (it doesn’t have to be Google; there are many reliable search engines) doesn’t have to be precisely structured, but it does have to have enough terms to enable the search engine to construct a query that has a high probability of returning a selection that will precisely answer the question. For example, to find a tutorial on how to do a copy/paste operation, the question should include terms that identify the operating system, the application, and the task. Like this: 'mac mail copy paste.' This returns quite an array of possible answers, including this one: 'How to Copy and Paste Text Styles in Mac OS X Mail - About Email.' If we wanted only video tutorials, we would put it this way: 'mac mail copy paste video tutorial.' The top hit for this was: 'copy paste video tutorial free download.'
"But, some people don’t stop with just learning how to copy and paste a single object (an object can be an image, a word, a character, or a string of words or characters occurring in a sequence and may also include images associated with the words or characters - in other words, it can be very small, very large, very simple, or very complex, but the operative word here is sequential). They want more. Instead of copying a single object or sequence of objects, they want to copy two or more non-sequential objects. No computer operating system comes with that kind of power. Only one clipboard is provided for the user to copy objects into, and each time a new object is copied, the old object is deleted. So performing multiple, non-sequential copy/paste operations becomes just a series of single, sequential copy/paste operations.
"However, there are a variety of applications, some free and some not free, that will give the computer special powers - multiple clipboards. What are the application names? Do a Google search. Try: 'mac multiple clipboards.' One hit: 'The Best Free Multi-Item Clipboard Managers for Mac.' The next step is to research each of the possible applications and decide which one to use. If the application provides user feedback or comments, reading those comments can speed up the decision process. The downside of using any multiple clipboard application 'bin' to save an object to or paste an object from. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your personal skill level in using a computer."
John's conclusion, "The purpose of this article has been achieved. No final answer was given, because that’s the task set for the student. The best method of teaching is not to give away the answers, but to encourage the student to do his/her own research. Some people may not think they have the patience or skill to do research. They want someone to give them the answer, to show the way, to make their life simple and easy. But having a simple and easy life is best achieved by self-discovery of the processes learned by others that get transferred through lessons like this one."
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That Helpful Word, "Archive"
John Carter wrote about the Tech Tuesday column and we posted it here on October 25 and November 8, but complaining about how difficult it was to navigate that column brought up a good suggestion from John. He sends us to the duckduckgo website for a nice list.
Further fiddling around I noticed the big word ARCHIVE on the Tech Tuesday home page. Clicking on that word brought up a huge treasure. Up comes 1 - 1/4 inch squares that contain the first 25 words, or so, of that day's posting. I scrolled down as far as November 2009 and hadn't come to the end yet. By entering in a key word in the tiny search box at the top the computer will do the work of finding every instance where the word appears in the little squares. John did send a comment which is posted on the first article after the last post that tells how operating systems work.
Here's Some Mac Fans
"How do you use your Mac?" is always a good question to ask because our PMUG members and friends have unique and interesting info, and they like to share. David Passell innocently mentioned about a choral production coming to Trinity Presbyterian Church on December 4. After a few questions we found out what good Mac fans he knows at TPC.
"Joe Place, our facility manager, is a real Mac fan. All the computers at TPC are Macs, except some that had to remain Windows for compatibility with older Church software, and (I think) our telephone system.
"I operate the video camera and record all the services and special events on DVD. Joe also duplicates the sound on CDs from a digital Edirol recorder. He uses an iMac (now running Lion), and we have a stand-alone CD duplicator.
"Spike Foley, a professional sound engineer (Sound on Site Arizona), runs the main services. We have a 36 channel board, and orchestral-choir presentations are multi-miked. A MacBook Pro is sometimes connected to the board for mixing editing for audio CDs. I also run the sound board and record Memorial Services."
And, about that choral production, David? "Here's the link."
Guide for iOS 5
"If you plan to upgrade to iOS 5, or already have, here's a guide that might be handy as a reference," announces Jim Hamm. He adds this, "Be aware that it is a 5 MB download."
Protect Your Computer in Cold Weather
Looks like winter? Consider the protection your electronic gear needs. Do not leave your notebook, iPod, iPhone, other electronic gear in the car overnight. First thing to do when you find yourself with a moisture-covered device is to turn it off and remove the battery. iPod and iPhone users can only shut down and wait. You'll want to read the whole report from today's Small Dog Tech Tails #795. (They're also having a Garage Sale starting today.)