Thanks to Prez Art Gorski for this info -- and for the clever headline! Art writes, "Here's a good article on the high cost of inkjet printing. As usual, I recommend that members talk to our friends at http://think4inc.com before buying a new inkjet printer."
Movies, Word Processing, Time Machine
Does it seem like there's always more to learn? Oh, yes, but it's fun on a Mac. At PMUG we call "learning"-- "opportunity." And April brings a bunch.
First, look at the PMUG site, www.pmug.us and see the Calendar. John Carter is our April speaker with his topics: Time Machine, the first hour, and Word Processing Software, the second hour. Note, too, his 2 Digital SIGs.
John also did an hour presentation for the combined Mac and PC group on March 24. He's generously posted his topic "Online Movies for Movie Addicts; " go under www.pmug.us/tips-n-tricks to find the link. It's password protected for members, so you'll go to About Us, scroll down to Contact Us, then click on Webmaster to email for the password.
From Problem to Solution
Having a Problem Downloading New Software?
Is your ISP Cable One?
Do you have a Motorola Cable Modem?
Howard LaPittus wants you to know what to do. (Yes, believe it or not, he wrote a technical article, what is the world coming to?) So, from problem to solution, let's hear from Howard. "If you answered yes to all of the above questions and you have the Firewall Protection checked as Enable in the set up of the Motorola Modem this could be the cause of the problem. "To solve this issue put in your browser http://192.168.0.1 and you will come to the Motorola Login page. User name: admin, Password: motorola. (Both Login and Password is lower case) Click the login in button and at the top of the next page click on Firewall. On that page you will see Web Features and if Firewall Protection is checked Enable, uncheck and Apply. Log out and now you’re now good to go. "Thanks to the suggestion made by John Carter, I contacted Cable One to have my line checked for static, which could cause problems download. I spoke to a Cable One technical representative who was very knowledgeable about Mac computers. He did find a problem with the line, and I did not have a clean connection. He said that is was caused by having the firewall enabled on my Motorola modem. Yes, Motorola and Macs sometimes to do play together well." (So, Howard, all I had to do was put in a few commas.)
Online Movies Topic To Be Presented
With his topic about online movies John Carter will speak at a joint meeting of PMUG and the PC computer club. Here's what John says, "Watching movies online can be either an exhilarating or a disappointing experience. Learn how to make it the most enjoyable experience possible. Discover the tips and tricks for downloading, streaming, viewing subtitles, and building a movie library. Find out where to get the highest quality movie. Find out what's okay and what's wrong with Torrents and file sharing. Learn how to protect yourself from lawsuits over copy protected videos."
The meeting will be Saturday, March 24 from 1 to 3 pm in the Prescott Public Library. John's presentation is the first hour. The second hour speaker will be Andy Reti from the PC group, discussing YouTube.
John describes that topic: "Over the last seven years of its existence YouTube has become part of our culture. From funny videos to excerpts from operas, YouTube is providing access to a wide variety of videos. YouTube has played a significant part in spreading the word on uprisings around the world, from the Arab spring to the current bloody violence in Syria. During this hour Andy will present the many uses of the YouTube platform. He will show you how to upload your videos to YouTube, and how to search for videos on specific topics. You'll also see some of the most astonishing and unforgettable videos on YouTube."
iPad Used in Many Commercial Places
Here's a blurb forwarded from Jim Hamm from an article http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/ipad_squashes_laptops_on_way_to_world_domination/ on different ways the iPad is being used in a commercial basis. Jim grins, "Just imagine walking into a restaurant and the maitre de saying, 'your iPad will be right with you.'"
This article says, in part, "In the same way, restaurants are increasingly using iPads as a substitute for printed menus, even allowing customers at a table to place orders, largely eliminating the need for a waiter. A recent article in The New York Times makes clear just how far and how fast this cultural shift is occurring in still other areas:
"Macy’s is testing cosmetics stations where tablets offer reviews and tips. At C. Wonder, shoppers use a touchpad to personalize the lighting and music in dressing rooms…Nordstrom [has] introduced an app [that customers use] while shopping at Nordstrom rather than approach the sales staff. Nordstrom has added Wi-Fi to almost all its stores, in part so its app will work fast, and is testing charging stations and clusters of iPads and computers. Samsung [has been] considering adding iPads that offer live video chat with a Samsung salesperson at stores like Best Buy.
"While some may lament the loss of human interaction (and possibly jobs) that this shift may engender, I doubt such concerns will slow down the locomotive."
Here's More on Security & Privacy
Ward Stanke passed along more info when he spoke at yesterday's PMUG meeting than his printed handout showed. Be sure to check out Mozilla Firefox because it gives you good choices for security and privacy. Look at 1Password for a utility to create and store unique passwords. See it at https://agilebits.com/onepassword/mac .
Look here about opting out of ads that are tailored to your Web preferences and usage patterns: http://networkadvertising.org Their policy is that all NAI member companies set a minimim lifespan of 5 years for their opt out cookies.
Take a look at this interesting possibility: http://pobox.com/ You can use a custom email address that you'll own for life.
Scroll down for Ward's handout reproduced in this newsblog.
Appreciating Others
If you missed yesterday's PMUG meeting here's my handout:
Appreciating Others
Well, Mac users, what better use for your skills than to write something on the computer -- writing that can be in different fonts, different sizes, different layouts -- and today I want you to consider writing that expresses your appreciation for someone.
Your skills, abilities, and experiences can put you in a position to show appreciation to others. You can find words and even punctuation to assemble a writing that someone will be surprised to receive!
Birthdays, promotions, graduations, heading into new territory, going into the hospital, the university, the armed forces, etc. these are but a few opportunities for you to gather up words in a picturesque way. Got a color printer? Add photos or illustrations. Got only black ink? Buy some pretty paper at Staples or OfficeMax. You can find a variety of certificate paper, too. Consider: your printer might not handle metallic paper.
Here are some suggestions. Write something. Let it rest until tomorrow. Go at it again and see what improvements your clever brain has thought of over night.
Certificates
A poem, rhyming or not
Parodies
Old songs with new words
ABC list of the person’s great qualities
Achievements
75 reasons why you deserve a special birthday celebration. (I wrote 16 and repeated them!)
Bragging on your kids to your siblings
Bragging on your siblings to your kids
Encouragement that’s descriptive
Acrostic poems don’t have to rhyme, just start with a letter of the alphabet that spells something going down from the top line.
An acrostic from the middle of words lined up to describe this special person’s qualities
Declare an imaginary holiday to celebrate any special occasion
My niece argued a case before the court in Boston, and the video was put out by her college there. Yes, I could have just emailed, “good job, Teresa!” But why not make my compliment clear. Besides emailing her we sent CC to her mom and dad: “Don and I watched the Flip4Mac program that brought up the video from Teresa in court. We brought the picture up to full size on our big screen. Ed and Deb, you must be proud of Teresa and Andy for both going into law. You did a good job raising those two cute little kids. Teresa looks confident and well-prepared. She speaks clearly and carefully, making her points understandable. We enjoyed watching her.”
The emails went first, of course, but then a nice printed-out piece of paper went to brother Ed and his wife Deb —and Teresa— via the post office.
Pages makes it easy. Fonts make it fun. Here’s a couple of examples to nudge you into action. Click to enlarge this screen shot:
Explore what you can do with all those words you’re accumulating! Surprise someone!
Of course, save a copy on Mac. Make a folder for this writing and associated correspondence. You can drag an email to the folder. Do Command + “i” when you highlight the title of this new document. Put some key words at Spotlight Comments which will make this new writing easier to find next time.
So, 2, 4, 6, 8 who do you appreciate? Have you told this person recently? This is a good time to let Mac help you do a nice job of giving compliments!
PRACTICAL. INTERESTING. MACINTOSH!
About iPad -- Of Course!
What did you expect to read in the news today? The iPad is here, of course. Jim Hamm is grinning as he informs us that Zee's new iPad is due in today, and her new case was delivered at 7 pm last night. "I have no plans to abandon my iPad 2, but as Jason (Snell) cautions, I haven't see the new retina display yet. Wonder if I could talk Zee into swapping with me."
Jim refers to this by Jason Snell, MacWorld. And he has found a peek inside the new iPad here. Jim remarks, "It is mostly battery, with a small logic board, small electronic parts, and lots of adhesive. I wonder, when they try to reassemble this, will it work again?"
You'll find lots of news stories about today's debut at the Apple Stores. Here's one other article.
Today is (drumroll, please) . . . !
Today is International Wait in Line for Your New iPad Day, according to one news report. Maybe you saw the small posters at our WalMart today? It's on sale tomorrow. Jim Hamm found this review, and there's 15 large photos to show the features, and 103 comments by people who put their 2 cents in.
The new iPad video and TV ad is shown here, and more info is here.
Connecting to Wifi When You're Traveling
Almost time for a vacation? Jim Hamm wants us to know about connecting to wifi and SNR (signal to noise ratio). He informs us, "When traveling, I'm trying to connect to wifi access points in RV parks and motels with my computer, often with poor success. I may show a good RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) but yet have a poor connection to the net. In other words, a strong wifi signal, but perhaps unable to connect to the internet. The problem may be too much 'noise' interfering with the signal. To determine this, you need to calculate the signal to noise ratio (SNR)." Jim goes on to explain, "In the RV park I'm presently in I have a very good SNR. The signal strength is -49 dBm and the noise level is -95 dBm -- a spread of 46, which is good. The minimum spread show be at least 20 dB. I'm using a wifi booster, the Engenius EOC 1650, which gives a lot of detail about all the various wifi signals that show up in the park. Even with this, the download speed is slow (that's all the vendor provides), but I can connect and use the internet okay. "Here is a review of the Engenius EOC 1650. It's available on Amazon. "There are other similar wifi boosters available, and some plug directly into a USB port on your computer. The Engenius booster requires electricity and plugs into your computer via an ethernet cable. "Following is an article explaining more about this. At the end are some links you might look at to help you get the SNR ratio,".Jim suggests. When performing a radio frequency (RF) site survey, it's important to define the range boundary of an access point based on signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, which is the signal level (in dBm) minus the noise level (in dBm). For example, a signal level of -53dBm measured near an access point and typical noise level of -90dBm yields a SNR of 37dB, a healthy value for wireless LANs. Don't let the unit "dB" throw you -- it merely represents a difference in two logarithmic values, such as dBm. SNR Variance Impacts Performance The SNR of an access point signal, measured at the user device, decreases as range to the user increases because the applicable free space loss between the user and the access point reduces signal level. An increase in RF interference from microwave ovens and cordless phones, which increases the noise level, also decreases SNR. SNR directly impacts the performance of a wireless LAN connection. A higher SNR value means that the signal strength is stronger in relation to the noise levels, which allows higher data rates and fewer retransmissions -- all of which offers better throughput. Of course the opposite is also true. A lower SNR requires wireless LAN devices to operate at lower data rates, which decreases throughput. I recently ran user-oriented tests to determine the impacts of SNR values on the ability for a user to associate with an 802.11b/g access point and load a particular webpage. For various SNRs, here's what I found for the signal strength (found in the Windows radio status), association status, and performance when loading the http://wireless-nets.com/staff.htm webpage from a wireless laptop. To ensure accurate comparisons, I cleared the laptop's cache before reloading the page: 40dB SNR = Excellent signal (5 bars); always associated; lightening fast. 25dB to 40dB SNR = Very good signal (3 - 4 bars); always associated; very fast. 15dB to 25dB SNR = Low signal (2 bars); always associated; usually fast. 10dB - 15dB SNR = very low signal (1 bar); mostly associated; mostly slow. 5dB to 10dB SNR = no signal; not associated; no go. These values seem consistent with testing I've done in the past, as well as what some of the vendors publish. SNR Recommendations Based on this testing, I recommend using around 20dB as the minimum SNR for defining the range boundary of each access point. That ensures a constant association with fairly good performance. Keep in mind that the corresponding level of performance only occurs at the boundary of each access point. Users associating with access points at closer range will have higher SNR and better performance. When measuring SNRs, be sure to use the same radio card and antenna as the users will have if possible. A variance in antenna gain between the survey equipment and user device will likely result in users having different SNR (and performance) than what you measured during the survey. Changes made in the facility, such as the addition of walls and movement of large boxes, will affect SNR too. Thus, it's generally a good idea to recheck the SNR from time-to-time, even after the network is operational. http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/ http://istumbler.net/ (for Mac) http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Network-Monitoring/NetStumbler.shtml (for PC)
Format Both a Mac & a PC
If you need to transfer files between a Mac and a PC, the only way to do that is by using either a USB flash drive or an external hard drive that is formatted with the exFAT format. You do need a blank flash drive or a blank external drive. Almost any new external drive you buy will have the correct format, but to be certain you should check the format with Get Info on the drive. To format a drive as exFat, open Disk Utility and click on the drive to be formatted in the left column. Then click on the "Erase" tab. In the window that pops up, choose "exFAT" for the Format option. Name the drive something that will remind you what the format and size is. Click "Erase". You can now use that drive on both a Mac and a PC - as long as the PC isn't running Windows XP (which doesn't support exFAT format).
The DOS format isn't supported on a Mac, so please don't use that.
LOTS of Info on Cloud Computing
Got a minute? Take a look at this Cloud Computing info. The Tech Visualizer is both a fascinating and overwhelming way to latch on to LOTS of info. The screen slowly scrolls automatically to the side. Click on the Twitter box or video arrow on a picture box to open that site and see and hear a demo.
What About Battery Backups?
Have you wondered about those battery backups like Trip-Lite and APC? John Carter has some information that will help solve the question.
John gets our attention here: "There’s nothing like a chit-chat between a disillusioned user and an expert to clear up misconceptions about something. This is the case regarding battery backups and why they sometimes do not last as long as the warranty. The conversation in this online thread at HardwareAnalysis.com about battery backups is really worth reading from top to bottom. You’ll find out why choosing the right battery backup for your electronic devices is essential and come away understanding why one with a two year warranty would fail long before its time or may last much longer. The expert also identifies several specs to consider aside from just the power rating. Naturally, the more demanding your needs are the more costly the battery backup will be."
John goes on, "To figure out what size of battery backup is needed, total up the power consumption of all the devices you want to protect and buy a battery backup that can provide at least that much power.
"For instance, the Tripp-Lite sold at Costco is rated at 500W. I use these units throughout my house to protect everything electronic: one in the bedroom for the entertainment system there, another in the living room for that entertainment system, and one each for the two computer systems in the study.
"I doubt that any combination of components for a computer system would exceed 500W. However, a 21” iMac draws about 200W and hence dictates that a 300W battery backup (Tripp-Lite here or APC here) is the minimum to use."
Here John concludes, "Also, depending on the number and type of components in an entertainment system the total power could exceed 500W (an A/V receiver rated at 100W per channel draws 500W total for a 5.1 speaker system at full volume) and warrant more than one battery backup device."
Tips 'N Tricks Now on PMUG Site
There's a new page in the PMUG website called Tips 'N Tricks. The very first article submitted is by John Carter and the title is "Using One Time Machine Device for Two or More Apple Computers." Check it out! Go to www.pmug.us/ and click on the Benefits tab to see the drop-down menu, then click on Tips 'N Tricks. Enjoy!
Then submit your own articles by sending an email to the website administrator. Go to About Us and scroll down to Contact Us.
6 Steps to Google Privacy
Today's the day, first of March, when Google's privacy policy changes. Here's one look at steps someone can take to help get privacy on line. Watch for more info from the national media, and let us know how you view and cope with this situation.
How to Access Mac's Files on Your PC
John Carter writes, "This handy tip is shamelessly stolen from here and edited by me for Lion and Windows 7 users."
How to access a Mac’s files on your PC
You've got both Macs and PC's on your home network, and you want to share files between them. Yesterday we ran down the steps for mounting a Windows shared folder on the Mac. Today the tides have turned.
Read on for the details on how to read and write files to a shared Mac folder from your PC.
Enable Windows sharing. First, on your Mac, in System Preferences, click on Sharing. Under Sharing, check the box for “File Sharing." When File Sharing is turned on, it will look like this:
Take note of the text on that dialog that reads "Windows users can access shared folders on this computer, and administrators all volumes, at \192.168.0.10." Your address will be different, obviously, so write it down.
The image above shows many more Shared Folders and Users than will be shown the first time. You need to add folders (click the + sign under Shared Folders) and select folders you want to share from the Finder window that pops up. Next, for each Shared Folder, add Users (click the + sign under Users) and select the permissions you want each user to have. The Users added must exist as a login on the Mac.
Next, click on Options... You should see this:
If the first box is checked, other Macs will be able to see this Mac. If the second box is checked, other PCs will be able to see this Mac. For PC only access, only check the second box. If the top box is checked, you will see the following in the main window (even if the second box is also checked):
The afp address shown is for Macs and is used only when just the top box is checked. If both boxes are checked or if only the second box is checked, replace afp with smb.
Connect to your Mac from Windows. In Windows XP, from the Start menu, open the Run... dialog, and type the address you wrote down in the step above. Instead of the less-than-memorable IP address, you can use your computer's name, too. My Mac's name is nyx, so the sharing address I used is \nyxgina:
For Windows 7, type the IP address into the search bar:
Or use the computer name: \Johns-MBPjcarter
Windows will open a regular Explorer window that's peering in on your Mac user's home directory. If you have "show hidden files" enabled in Windows like I do, you'll see all of the Mac's hidden "dot" files and folders in the listing, like here:
And that's that! You're happily saving files to your Mac from your Windows PC. Isn't it nice when we all get along? Share your Mac and PC networking tips in the comments.— Gina Trapani
Be Aware of This Trojan
"Here's some info on a trojan that attempts to infect your Mac. Something to be aware of." Thanks to Jim Hamm for this warning.
Questioning iCloud's Future
What are the ramifications of iCloud, and what is its future? David Passell found this and says, "Though this only appears to affect Mac users in Germany, it might be something to consider for iCloud's future. I personally do not like the idea of entrusting my data, etc. to some unknown agency. To me, iCloud reminds me of the time when workstations all were connected to some large central computer. Is this progress, or a way to control and make money, for someone, from your on-line activities?"
Inside the Factory
Jim Hamm sends this video of a visit inside a Foxconn factory where the iPad is manufactured. He comments, "Very interesting to see what it is like to work there. When you see the crowded dorms, keep this in mind when you see the homes where the employees came from."For some reason all the criticism about working conditions in China's factories tend to focus on Apple's suppliers. I wonder where is the criticism about all the other computer, TV, etc., manufacturers that build and import products from China?"
Sneak Peek Video from Apple
Here's a video from Apple.com of new features coming in OS X Mountain Lion.