Here is an interesting article discussing who owns your ebooks and digital music when you pass on. Jim Hamm writes, "I hadn't even thought of this till I read this article. As the article points out, both Apple and Amazon, for example, only grant you 'nontransferable' rights to use digital data — all that music and ebooks you bought, you don't own. If this is of concern to you, one way around this restriction would be to purchase CDs for music and printed books.
"If you choose to continue the digital life (as many of us will — it's so easy and convenient), leave the passwords for your computers and tablets and Kindles where your heirs can find them. Perhaps in your cookie jar — kids know to look there first." And here Jim leaves us with ideas to ponder — and his grin!
Java Fix Doesn't Work (Updated 8-31)
We start out with the latest warning on Java, received at 3:20 pm Friday, 8-31. Jim Hamm brings us up to date. (Then read the rest of this for the background of this huge issue.) "Now this is amazing. A few hours after Oracle issued a patch for the security flaw in Java, another exploit has been found. This has been forwarded to Oracle, but since Oracle never comments on these security breaches they didn't say anything. It doesn't appear the hackers have found this opening yet, but after they read this article, they'll probably start trying. "Although our risk of hacking might be small, I think it's best to disable Java. I did so a long time ago and haven't missed it yet." You saw this here on 8-27. Here's a warning from Jim Hamm, "If you've still got Java enabled in your browser, now's a good time to disable it. Another vulnerability with Java has surfaced. Take a read on this. In Safari, Java can be disabled in Preferences > Security > uncheck enable Java." With another notice of a potential malware risk from Java 7 Jim sends this link. The last paragraph in the article states, "Mac owners can disable the Java plug-in from within their browsers, or remove Java 7 from their machines. To do the latter, select 'Go to Folder' from the Finder's 'Go' menu, enter '/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/' and drag the file '1.7.0.jdk' into the Trash." Here's a quick test to see if Java is disabled in your browser, from our eagle-eyed Jim Hamm. He tells us, "Just click here and if the box comes up empty, you're okay — Java is disabled." And, Jim sends the latest: "Here's an article describing how Oracle knew about the Java vulnerability to a malware attack since early April. And, moving right along at a snail's pace, Oracle doesn't plan a fix till October. Given Oracle's slow response to acknowledging and fixing malware attacks, it's a wonder any developer use Java at all." We were surprised to see a fix announced here this afternoon, (Thursday, August 30). Keep us informed on the latest and we'll pass the word along! ! A hot topic: this just out an hour ago, (8-31) and recommends you turn Java off or delete it.
40 iPhone Tips
"Got an iPhone? Here's a list of 40 iPhone tips that might be helpful. You may already be aware of many (most?) of these tips, but you might take a peek, just in case," says Jim Hamm.
Password Dilemma
"Passwords have never been weaker — and crackers have never been stronger," the headline grabs our attention. Here's a 10 page report on the dilemma of the password. Thanks to son, Peter, for finding this irritating information!
Apple/Samsung Lawsuit
If you're following the Apple/Samsung lawsuit here's a couple of interesting facts. Jim Hamm says, Here's one analysis of what the recent outcome of the Apple/Samsung lawsuit and verdict might be for Android devices. The author suggests that Android manufacturers might be pushed into innovating instead of copying, which would be good for all consumers."
Jim follows up with this: "Is this a telling picture or what? If you were in the jury and saw this, what would you think? Do you suppose a wee bit of copying by Samsung is going on? And this is only the 'outside' copying you're seeing -- not to mention the copying of internal processes.
"What an ingenious way to present 'just the facts, mam'..(grin)...Got to admire the perspicacity of someone on Apple's legal team."
Click to enlarge the jpg.
A Serious Warning
Recent shootings in the news prompted the city of Houston, Texas to issue this video. Three actions we must immediately take when threatened should be discussed at work, home, school. Thanks to Jim Hamm for forwarding this on to us.
The Future of Computers?
Explore How Google Translates
Curiosity is piqued by the latest forward from Jim Hamm. It's supposed to be how to separate a yolk from the rest of the egg, but it's in Chinese, or Japanese, or something that looks like that. Sure enough, the site http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/1160651.html comes up and you can see how she does it.
But, wait! Google translate will help. Go to Google > More > Translate. Paste into the first box what you copied from that URL. Up comes the English translation. You can click on the little icon for sound in the bottom of that first box and hear the woman read it in her language. (You can type in text or a website address or translate a document by pasting it into the first box.) Experiment. And see how cleverly she separates the yolk from the rest of the egg!
Click to enlarge.
Hearing from the Hales
Former PMUG Prez Bob Hale and his wife Sue head for Claremont, California. He writes, "Hope all is well 'on the prairie' and with all of our PMUG colleagues. Please keep in touch. We wish you all the best."
Bob served as Prez from November 2005 until January 2008. Sue spoke to PMUG, and they hosted a PMUG Christmas party at their home in Prescott Valley.
He adds, "We have skipped the Lion upgrade, so we're still happily running the venerable Snow Leopard OS's on our Intel iMacs, as are our two sons here."
iCloud Tale of Woe
Jim Hamm's found something we need to heed. He says, "here is a tale of woe, where a tinkerer got into trouble for messing with his iCloud folder. Looks like it is best to leave the iCloud folder alone, ie, no tinkering, and just use it."
"Save As" Feature in Mountain Lion
"When OS X Lion first came out there were complaints on how 'Save As' was removed as a standard feature. In OS X Mountain Lion this issue has been addressed, somewhat. Here is an explanation of this feature in both OSes that first appeared in the TidBITS newsletter of August 7," Jim Hamm reports.
News About Lawsuits
"Here's an article explaining the risks of a MAD policy between Apple, Samsung, and now Google. As the article states, the only way to 'win' in a MAD war is not to enter at all. Lot of risks in these lawsuits." Jim Hamm's busily finding the latest news to pass along.
Textbook or iPad
"Here's an interesting article comparing the cost of buying/renting physical books for school vs renting or buying them as eTextbooks. A student can save enough over four years to pay for the cost of an iPad. Another advantage of eTextbooks, not mentioned in the article, is how much easier/lighter it is to carry around an iPad versus heavy textbooks. Unfortunately, all publishers don't make their books available as eTextbooks yet.
"Can't you visualize your six-year-old daughter getting ready for her first day in school and coming up to you and saying: 'Mom, I'm going to school now. I need a new iPad!'...(grin)." This came from Jim Hamm.
How the Internet Works
In only 3:22 minutes you can see how the Internet works, thanks to a youtube video sent to us from Jim Hamm. His comments: "You may have already seen this video of a simple explanation of how the Internet works. If you haven't seen it, take a look, it's very interesting.
"Some amazing attributes of the Internet to consider. Probably most of us just take it for granted, and don't appreciate that it works, that it's free, and it's fast. You send out a request to view a web page, and that simple request goes thousands of miles to a server located somewhere far away, and the answer comes back in thousands of packets before they're finally put back together and shown on your computer screen -- all in about a second!.
"To me, it's simply amazing that somehow the packets can all be put back together again. And remember, that request is moving close to the speed of light, which is about 186,000 miles per second!"
Jim's summary: "Just think, on your computer screen those pictures you're looking at, the video you're watching, the music you're listening to, the text you're reading -- all comprised of zeros and ones -- that's what your computer recognizes. Yes, the Internet and computers are simply amazing."
When this website comes up note the name of the company, upper left under the title. You can subscribe to this company's postings. Next to that says, "63 videos" and you can view their pictorial listings.
History at a Glance
Maybe History was not your favorite subject in school? Maybe you're too busy to poke into it now? Never mind! Help is here!
Jim Hamm forwards this site. "At first glance it may seem a bit confusing," Jim comments.
Look at it, anyway! "After you click on one of the buttons on the left, then look on the right side for more options. An interesting and colorful way to present history," Jim says. You'll want to pass along this info to your kids, grandkids, and friends who like to keep on learning!
Note the fascinating background of the Swiss author, Andreas Nothiger. He writes that he originally designed the graphs representing world history on a Macintosh computer.
And before you leave take a look at the "ultimate classical music destination."
See the Deals
Maybe you've already seen this one, but Small Dog Electronics is having their annual garage sale. "Click here to view the deals," is Jim Hamm's enthusiastic announcement.
Run Windows on a Mac?
Jim Hamm, well experienced with both Mac and PC, says, "Need/want to run Windows on a Mac? Here's an article giving one person's impression of doing so."
August Handout at PMUG
Necessary? Needed? Neglected?
How are you saving what you’re saving? Let’s take a look at the problems & possibilities. . .
Saving some information used to be done with paper and pencil. Then: onion skin paper, carbon copies, black and white photographs, Polaroid pictures, wire tape recorders. Remember? But what of that is still legible, able to be viewed or heard?
How about those floppy disks, old CDs, DVDs, even more recently, thumb drives? How long will these be useful?
Here’s what I posted to PMUG newsblog on July 4, 2012: “You didn't expect CDs and DVDs to last forever . . . but how long will they still be good? John Carter grabs our attention with this information, " Here's an interesting article that attempts to explain the reasons why you might not want to rely on CDs and DVDs for an archive of your favorite images, videos, and documents. The life span of such a media is dependent on more than just how the CD/DVD is made — mold and rot are also factors." This MakeUseOf article was posted yesterday, and it tells how to check your disks for deterioration.”
CostCo, WalMart, other stores might be able to copy from some of these for you.
So, how are you saving writing, pictures, slides, emails you’ve sent and received?
How often do you back up to Time Machine? Have you tried to copy back from Time Machine to get the practice before you actually and fervently need whatever it is?
What about scanners? Are the all-in-one printer devices better? Do you keep paper copies, too?
Mail Recipients . . . Need to Update?
You’re writing an email and start to fill in the To line. Mail guesses the wrong names. It’s time to update that list.
Mail > Window > Previous recipients. An alphabetical list comes up of people who you’ve sent to, or who have sent to you. You can sort this list by name, email address, or the date that address was last used.
There’s a search field where you can enter a word or name.
If the person is already in your address book you’ll see a little icon ahead of this person’s name. Double click to bring up that entry.
To add someone to the Address Book click on Add to Address Book.
To remove someone from the list click Remove from List.
Need more detail? Go to Mail > Help and enter a key word in the Search.
Tried the Word Clouds?
On your June handout the Word Clouds were briefly mentioned. Let’s look some more:
Here’s the website I’m using now. (Click to enlarge the screen shots posted here) http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html
Click on Word - Layout Options for categories: Word, layout, skip, advanced.
Choose colors, tightness, frequency, theme preferences, font preferences.
Under Shape you have 113 choices of shapes for your cloud. Click on Load at the top of this menu ……
Then enter the text you want the cloud to use.
When I’d done that I clicked to Save and brought it up on my screen. Command-Shift-4 lets you take a screen shot of what you’ve dragged your cursor on. That then, was what I pasted and shrunk by its handles to make the size of this illustration.
Look at Shop for gift ideas, using Word Clouds. Check out the blog, http://blog.tagxedo.com/ and also look at FAQ. How creative can you be? Try Tagxedo and see!
Using Pages go to Inspector, then Metrics Inspector and unclick Constrain Proportions. This allows you to “fatten” up your pasted illustration so you can then use it in ClickBook, the Blue Squirrel site to make booklets. That program shrinks your writing, so that’s why photos or illustrations need to be dragged wider, but not necessarily taller.
Experiment, that’s the fun of Mac computers!
Then share what you’re learning and doing!
See you in September at PMUG?
Practical. Interesting. Macintosh!
This is today's handout from Elaine Hardt.
POP or IMAP: Which is Best for Email?
POP or IMAP: which is best for your email? "This is a very nice article," John Carter goes on to elaborate, "with a few not-so-obvious exceptions but also not very important. What is interesting is one of the related articles mentioned at the end: 6 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using Desktop Email Clients In Favour Of Web-Based Options.
Hold on! Another email from John to add more info: "Here's another related article that explains a bit more about the differences between POP & IMAP and also talks about the differences between an email app and webmail. There's a lot to take in with both of those articles."
Seven Ways to Offload Used Electronics
The headline asks, "Got an old iPod? Seven ways to offload your used electronics for cash." That got PMUG Prez Art Gorski's attention, and he passes along this Arstechnica site. The article describes these companies: Gazelle, Amazon, NextWorth, uSell, Totem, Apple, Radio Shack. There's 58 comments to look at, too.