"If you've got some ancient Mac software in your closet, here's a geeky but fun little project for you," notes Prez Art Gorski. With raised eyebrows and a broad grin it was strange and funny to look at this clock. Read the comments, too, to see the precautions noted.
10 Tips for the iPad
"Here's an article that lists 10 useful tips for your iPad," announced Jim Hamm. He goes on to say, "Also, if you have an interest, you can subscribe to a daily email from this site which has tips on a variety of topics."
And you'll probably remember that our November 19 posting here there's a brief mention about Ben from Brooklyn and suggests you might like to subscribe to his email, "Here's the Thing."
Let There Be Music
"If you like to listen to internet radio while on your computer, here's another way to locate and play a radio station in iTunes," begins Jim Hamm.
He goes on to be specific: "First, open this URL, enter a ZIP code, or radio station call letters, or type of music. Do a search. Pick a station. For example, I entered our ZIP code in Scottsdale and picked an AM station in Phoenix, AZ that plays 'oldies', clicked the small lightning icon in front of the station. It automatically downloaded the URL stream in the downloads folder to the right of the Address Bar in Safari. I clicked this download and it opened iTunes and added the radio station to 'internet songs' in iTunes. Now when I want to listen to this station on my computer I just open iTunes, click this station and listen away."
Does it always work this way? Jim answers, "I've found, however, that not all radio stations are broadcasting in a format that is, I assume, compatible with iTunes since they won't load. I'm going to experiment more to see if I can find what causes this anomaly.
"Another alternative, and perhaps simpler, in your iTunes Library select Music, then Radio, and pick a radio station from the list. I'm listening now, for example, to a station in Boston broadcasting Celtic music."
He closes with, "iTunes is available for Windows as well as OS X. Here's more info on this."
Comparing PC & Apple
"Here is an interesting article from PC World." states Jim Hamm. He extrapolates, "Apparently this means that Apple might have an opportunity to move into the small business arena, which traditionally has been dominated by Windows. Apple, for whatever reason, has never been a factor in the business arena.
"As a side note, I was in a small business yesterday and the gentleman was accessing his computer. I asked what OS was he running? He said Windows XP, which was released 11 years ago! Our dentist, the VA, and so on, still use Windows XP. Microsoft is going to have a hard time moving these businesses to Windows 8."
A statistic from that article catches our attention: In a survey of 45,000 PC World magazine readers the majority prefer Apple laptops.
Watch Out for Roaming Charges
The article about unexpected charges to smartphone users caught my attention. An email to Jim Hamm gives us his take on this potential problem. "Years ago when we first got a cell phone and had to be aware of possible roaming charges while traveling in the US. Now we are on AT&T and roaming may be a thing of the past -- at least for us. If AT&T doesn't have a signal in a particular area, then we just don't get service and can't make a call. I'm not sure what the situation may be for Verizon." See the article here.
iTunes: Combining Songs into an Album
That busy guy is at it again! Thanks to John Carter for writing a detailed report on how to combine songs you've imported to iTunes into an album. The full details are now posted (thanks to our busy webmaster, Mary Ann Clark!) over on the PMUG website.
More About Library Access to the Internet
John's found out more about accessing the Internet at the Prescott Public Library. His complete report has now been posted to the PMUG website. Take a look at the details he explains under Benefits > Tips 'N Tricks. You'll also find there his slide presentation to the PMUG/PC meeting a few weeks ago. A big thanks to John Carter!
Check Out PMUG's Website
Given a lot of hard work, time, and know-how, our PMUG website is easy to navigate, and is looking good, thanks to Mary Ann Clark. Note that on the home page www.pmug.us you can click RSS which takes you to NetNewsWire. Here you can select both this newsblog http://pmugnews.blogspot.com and the PMUG website so you can keep up with the latest additions. Try it, you'll like it.
Bookmark This NOW: System Status
Probably this will be the handiest website for you to bookmark! Jim Hamm strongly suggests, "Here's a site published by Apple that will alert you to a known problem with a particular Apple System.
"Let's say, for example, you're having a problem with iCloud Mail. Is it your computer, or ? A quick check of this site will alert you if it is a known problem that may be system-wide. If there's no alert showing, then take a closer look at your computer."
He closes with this, "You might want to bookmark this site -- it could be helpful." But as soon as you view that site you WILL see its usefulness.
An iTunes Tip
"According to this tip, you can again review and eliminate duplicate songs in iTunes 11.0.1," Jim Hamm informs us.
Internet Access at the Prescott Library
We thank John Carter for providing the following information:
Things have recently changed at the library. In order to access the Internet at the library, you need to do the following on the iPad, iPhone, or laptop:
1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Wi-Fi.
3. Click on the blue right-pointing arrow at the far right of the PPL entry.
4. In the HTTP Proxy section, click on the Auto tab.
5. Close that window and quit Settings.
You are now ready to get on the Internet at the library.
Awarding Certificates for 2012 to . . .
Picture four blue-bordered certificates printed with fancy fonts. Each is a "Certificate for Contributions to PMUG in 2012," and were to be officially handed out at our December meeting today. Now, they'll be given out by Prez Art Gorski at the January meeting.
Let's hear a drum roll and applause for the following. Number 4 is David Passell who sent in 17 articles for this newsblog. Number 3 is Art Gorski who sent in 24 articles. Number 2 is John Carter who sent in 71 articles. And, guess who is #1. That's Jim Hamm who contributed 189 !!!! articles during 2012.
Others who sent in several, or at least one apiece: Allen Laudenslager, Amy Snyder, Ward Stanke, Ginger Carlson, Bobbie Pastor, Howard LaPittus, Bob Hale who is a former Prez, Martyn Arnold, and Mary Ann Clark.
Obviously, this newsblog exists to share info. Thanks to everyone who contributes, and thanks to everyone who reads this blog. Pass the URL along to your friends, Mac & PC alike. Learning to do new things can be challenging and fun!
iCloud Tip
"Here is a tip for using iCloud that looks handy," writes Jim Hamm. See what you think.
How to Revive a Frozen iPhone
Not having an iPhone, I thought of Zee and Jim Hamm. Maybe this tip will be useful, so I emailed them this link to Here's the Thing blog. Jim's reply, "I wasn't aware of the website, and subscribed to their newsletter."
He went on to explain, "Interestingly enough, last eve my new iPhone 5 locked up and I used this tip to unlock my phone. It worked.
"The new iPhone 5 is very nice — lighter and thinner than my iPhone 3. I also have the new iPad Mini — very nice and light also. . . 47% of the weight of a regular iPad, but has 66% of the screen size. A nice tradeoff. Zee is to receive hers Thursday." (So much for the Christmas surprise, Jim?)
Jim closes with, "I missed you at the joint PMUG/PCS meeting last Saturday. Big John Carter gave a good presentation, as usual."
See Examples of Clever Schemes of Crooks
This is not a new posting at TruthorFiction, but it still applies and might give you helpful information. Go to http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/phishing.htm and scroll down to “Crooks Using Clever Schemes to Try to Get Your Personal Financial Information.” It quotes seven different emails so you can protect yourself if you receive some similar email.
Remember you can click on Reader at the right side of the address bar and print out just the information without all the ads. After going to Reader then you can click to Print and you can also choose to save it as a PDF on the menu that comes up and you can direct it to “Mail as a PDF.”
Watch Out for This Email
David Passell alerts us to another scam now making the rounds in our area. It involves an email complete with phony tracking number informing you that there was a package delivery error. It purports to come from one of these delivery companies: UPS, FedEx, DHL, or USPS. In the phony email you'll be instructed to open an attachment and print out a correct delivery label that you're supposed to take to the nearest (UPS, FedEx, DHL, or USPS) office.
Open the attachment, however, and you'll open your computer to malware and virus attacks. Delete the phony email. The FedEx website posts this information.
Sophos Anti-Virus in Action
Thanks to John Carter for the following info: "Sophos Anti-Virus catches all kinds of e-mail viruses. Here's an example that occurred on 12/10/2012:
Opening the Quarantine Manager showed this at the top...
...and this at the bottom. (Click on screen shots to enlarge, then click again to go back to the post.)
This shows that for the first time I got a virus that came in through Gmail. I usually get them in Yahoo mail.
You can get details of the virus here. Fortunately for Macs, it only infects Windows, and it only steals information - like your bank account information.
The threat was cleaned up."
Then John sent a snapshot of the email he'd received from Chase Bank, asking him for more information, saying they'd let him know when his account was back to normal. His comment, "It looks very official, eh? I don't even have a Chase bank account."
Macs, Made in America?
Tonight there will be a TV interview with Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Jim Hamm says, "Here's a short article about the interview tonight. . . . Perhaps next year some Macs might be assembled in America. On Cox Cable TV, in Scottsdale, the program airs tonight, Thursday, at 9 pm on Channel 12."
iPad Humor
Ready for a smile? At 5 + minutes this will bring you a bunch. Jim Hamm introduces it this way: "I knew the iPad was powerful, but didn't realize all its capabilities until I watched this video. I've got to check the manual to try and find how he did all that." ...(grin)...Jim
"You do not have to understand a word of German to appreciate this guy. The
most impressive I-Pad salesman ever!"
most impressive I-Pad salesman ever!"
Introducing Our Webmaster
Mary Ann Clark has used Apple computers since 1979 when she and her husband Art bought their first Apple II. Today she owns a Macbook Air, an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4 (or as she says, papa bear, mama bear and baby bear). Never having been a programmer Mary Ann uses her electronics in her work and various volunteer positions.
Early in her career, Mary Ann worked as a technical writer producing computer user manuals for everything from large mainframes to desktop computers. Most of those materials were printed, although just as she was leaving the field, embedded help files were beginning to replace dead tree books.
Early in her career, Mary Ann worked as a technical writer producing computer user manuals for everything from large mainframes to desktop computers. Most of those materials were printed, although just as she was leaving the field, embedded help files were beginning to replace dead tree books.
Leaving that work she went back to school to earn a PhD in Religious Studies. She claims it took her so long to earn an advanced degree because she had to wait until she could do her research and write her dissertation using her trusty Macintosh. Today she teaches face-to-face classes at Yavapai College and online classes at the University of Houston Clear Lake.
She also volunteers at Manzanita Village the local co-housing community, the Prescott Area Wildland-Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC), and her local church where she often ends up doing computer work because she can.
When you see Mary Ann give her a good PMUG welcome. We love volunteers!