Hard Decisions for Photo Editing Apps

        John Carter sends this report that will interest the photographers:  "Photoshop Elements 11 is out. The upgrade price is $79.99. Adobe has added a whole lot of new features. There is no student price. For some, there probably isn't enough to warrant upgrading from Elements 9 or 10. But if you're still at Elements 7 or below, it's time to upgrade!

        "Photoshop CS6 is out. Student price for the extended version is $249. For the serious photographer, there's nothing really to compare.

        "Adobe Lightroom 4 is another photo editing contender. Only $149. Student price is $79. Personally, I'm not that impressed with Lightroom.

        "Apple Aperture is $79. Aperture interfaces perfectly with iPhoto, but you can't have both open at the same time. The advantages over iPhoto are few, but some are quite useful. Aperture is definitely easier to use than Lightroom. If you already have Elements 9 or above, don't bother with either Lightroom or Aperture.

        "GIMP is free, of course, and it has almost all the features of Photoshop CS. The latest version (2.8.2) does away with needing X11 (XQuartz) and has a very nice interface — more like Elements and Photoshop.

        "Pixelmator is $14.99, designed to work with the Mac, has all the Mountain Lion features, and has many of the same tools as Photoshop CS." 

        John's conclusion:  "You might find yourself wanting more in a hurry, so moving up to GIMP might be the way to go. Some of the Pixelmator reviews aren't too encouraging, but then the professionals wouldn't bother with this app.

        "If you need to work with Layers and Masks, the only viable choices are Elements, Pixelmator, GIMP, and Photoshop CS, in that order of usefulness."

Explaining Java & JavaScript

      Looking at Safari > Preferences > Security you might be puzzled.  You’ve heard we need to protect our computers from the latest Java exploit by unchecking “Enable Java” and “Enable Plug-ins.”   Maybe you've already checked to “Block pop-up windows” and “Enable JavaScript.” 
        A Google search for the difference between Java and JavaScript brings up some websites.  See http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/javascript/article.php/3470971/Java-vs-JavaScript.htm  Written by the co-author of a JavaScript Primer Series, Joe Burns explains the similarities and differences. 

Another Java Exploit — Here's What to Do

       Here's what we really need to know!  "A Java exploit is in the news again," warns Jim Hamm.   "Hopefully, by now, you've disabled Java in your browser. If not, read on."   A Reasonable Response to Java Security Problems  http://www.tuaw.com/2013/01/11/a-reasonable-response-to-java-security-problems/

Do You Tweet?

        This article claims the Library of Congress is archiving every message sent from Twitter's six-year history from spring of 2006 to December 2012 — a total of 170 billion tweets —  and states, “ . . . the struggle now is for the LOC to create a keyword-searchable catalog for the vast amount of metadata associated with the archive, including the time and location that indicate a tie to certain events.”   Is anyone concerned about privacy? 

Here's Why to Disable Java

        "If you're still using Java, now is a good time to disable it," warns Jim Hamm.  See this article: http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/01/critical-java-zero-day-bug-is-being-massively-exploited-in-the-wild/
        The fix is to disable Java in your web-browser.  Here Jim explains, "NOT 'java script'  just 'java' — they are two separate check boxes, as they are two separate things."

        You'll note this article is dated today, 1-10-13, and there are already 76 comments.  

FREE Gmail Phone Calls

       In case you didn't see this, Jim Hamm wants you to see that word FREE.  "If you have a Gmail email account, you can make free domestic calls  to mobile and landline numbers — at least through the end of 2013. Here is an article with further details. The person you're calling does not have to have a Gmail account — you're just dialing their regular phone number through Gmail on your end.  
        "If you don't have a Gmail account, it's easy to get one, and it's free. Click here to sign up."

Tablets Outselling Notebooks

       "For the first time this year, it is forecast that tablet computers will outsell notebooks — and, if I recall correctly, notebooks have been outselling desktop computers for a few years," comments Jim Hamm.  He continues, "Here's the article. It has been interesting to me, who got into computers late in life, to see how  computer technology has evolved over, say, the last ten years. What's next?

        And Jim closes with this remark with a grin, "I think my first PC was running Windows 98 and had 8 MB of memory — a real 'powerhouse.'"

How to Set Up iCloud

       "At our meetings we've mentioned the benefits of using iCloud to sync all your Macs and iOS devices," Prez Art Gorski reminds us.  He goes on to point out,  "Here's a tutorial on how to set that up."

A Visit to the International Space Station

        "Ever wonder what it would be like to live 200 miles above the earth in the International Space Station? Here is a 25-minute video that tells and shows you what it's like. Very interesting, very complex, and wouldn't be for you (or me) if you were even slightly claustrophobic. Take a look." This invitation is from Jim Hamm, and it's finally getting viewed and posted here. 

        In her final days as Commander of the International Space Station, Sunita Williams of NASA recorded an extensive tour of the orbital laboratory and downlinked the video on November 18, 2012 just hours before she, and 2 others departed in Soyuz spacecraft for a landing in Kazakhstan. 

Are Apple Devices Too Popular?

        Maybe you’ve seen some of this on a news channel. . . . Jim Hamm keeps us informed,  "Take a read on this article. Have Apple's devices become too popular? If you own one, keep an eye on it, lest it 'walks' away...(grin)...."

Verizon High Speed is Here

        Prez Art Gorski tells us, "I just checked Verizon's coverage map and the new high-speed 4G LTE network is live in this area. If you have an iPhone 5 on Verizon, the bar at the top of your screen should say 'LTE' now. If it says '3G,' check your settings to make sure you have LTE turned on. Enjoy the vastly faster speed!"

Happy New Year!

Dear PMUG Members,

The PMUG Board would like to extend its sincere wishes for a Prosperous and Happy New Year to all the members.  We truly hope to see you all in 2013. 

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.
     Our thanks to PMUG secretary Bobbie Pastor for the above announcement.  See you all on January 19 for our first meeting of 2013.

Locate and Manage Your "Stuff" in OS X

     Looking for something?  Prez Art Gorski to the rescue.  He sends this useful tutorial on where all your documents are located on your Mac. 

An Assortment of Top Tips

        Here's a bunch of tips that you'll want to try!  Jim Hamm writes, "For your possible interest, here's the top tips in 2012 for OS X per the osXdaily newsletter." 
        Here's a few titles: Tips for maintenance,  Command line tricks  tips to free up disk space, How to speed up an older Mac,  Protect Mac from viruses, trojans and malware,  11 must-have free apps,  Keyboard shortcuts for iTuness,  How to navigate the Mac OS X Dock, and 43 gorgeous secret wallpapers in Mountain Lion.  

Virus Affecting PC and Mac

        John Carter gets our attention with this!  "There's a particularly nasty virus associated with the email that supposedly comes from UPS. The virus actually causes the mouse on a Mac to freeze up after about 15 seconds, you then have to reset the mouse, and it freezes again 15 seconds later. 
        "But this can only happen if you have a Windows machine on the same network as your Mac. Once the virus hits Windows, it infects all machines in the same network, including the Mac.

        "The moral of the story is do not run Windows without fully protecting the Windows OS with an A/V program - like AVAST. The Windows OS also needs Malwarebytes and SpyBot Search & Destroy software installed and running all the time in addition to AVAST."

iPhone App Shows the Prices

        Going shopping?  Jim Hamm passes on helpful info.  "Here is an app for the iPhone or an Android phone that you might find handy: ShopSavvy. 
        "When in a store, say, looking at a product possibly to purchase, you can use this app to scan the bar code and it will show prices of local retailers as well as on the internet to compare to the price in the store you're shopping in. Best Buy, for example, was matching internet prices before Christmas, but I'm don't know if they plan to do this all the time. Wouldn't hurt to ask if you're shopping in Best Buy."

Make iPhone Apps Easier to Read

        "Here's a tip on the iPhone that might be helpful, if you're not already aware of it," Jim Hamm says.  "If, say, you're having trouble reading phone numbers on your iPhone Contacts list, here's how to get the numbers bigger and easier to read: go to Settings > General > Accessibility > turn on Zoom. Now, when you open Contacts simply use three fingers and double-tap the screen. Immediately the numbers become larger. Double tap again to reduce back to normal size. This even works on every screen on the iPhone -- at least every one I tried."  
        Jim continues,  "Along this same vein, while you're in the Accessibility mode on the iPhone, you can set the font size in Large Text to be much larger automatically in five apps:  Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Messages and Notes. You can pick the size of the font you want."

Tech Innovations Predicted

        This is just in from David Passell, "Some predicted tech advances for 2013. One directly concerns Apple. Also on the 3-D printer, someone has produced an edible item with one using food ingredients, of course. The Star Trek replicator is now technically possible in a crude form."  Here's the link.  

How to Make a Mac Plus Clock

       "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."