Keep informed! Jim Hamm passes this along, "This alert of a vulnerability in OpenSSl was published earlier. If you missed reading about it, here is another alert. Undoubtedly there will be more of these types of alerts as the hackers get more creative."
And if you use a smartphone you'll want to scroll down to Arstechnica's March 29 entry, warning about selling or buying a used phone to turn off Find My Phone, and also telling about avoiding trouble with "good IMEI/ESN" or "bad IMEI/ESN." Others comment about these problems in later postings.
See Macintouch. See Arstechnica.
Two Recent Photos
Bobbie Pastor brings out her camera to show some of the early birds
at the February 15 PMUG meeting in the Library.
And here's some of the happy Mac Brunch on February 26, 2014.
Double click to enlarge, then click again to return to this page.
Learn More About iCloud
John Carter's found a nifty site to help us learn more about iCloud. Mary Ann Clark has posted it in the PMUG site: www.pmug.us Go to Benefits and click on the word "Benefits."
Apps on Sale
"Get 'em while they're hot!" smiles John Carter. Here's his find: "CNET News is showing another sale for Mac apps that some of our members might want to jump on.
"For only $19.99 you can get (supposedly) $1,776 worth of apps. The apps include BoinxTV, MacJournal, Toon Boom Studio, AccountEdge Pro, iSale, Picturesque, Starry Night Pro, Xojo Desktop, and a mystery item." Take a look: http://tinyurl.com/kf9zl45
For Sale!
Here's that cheery exclamation: "For Sale." Mary Ann Clark announces that there's another item now listed on the pmug website: http://pmug.us/benefits/for-sale/ This information comes via John Carter, and that reminds us all to check this For Sale feature when you can. You not buying anything just now? Well, pass the word along to your friends.
(Today you'll find that new listing for an iMac, plus another iMac and an iPad.)
Unsure of the Next Step?
Are you distracted? Unsure of the next step with your Mac, or iPod, iPad, etc.? What do "experts" tell us about making decisions, learning and doing? John Carter forwards this link. that could encourage and challenge you.
Time for a Smile
"Guess who I thought of when I saw this….(grin)…." is how Jim Hamm put it.
Office for iPad Review
Our helpful Jim Hamm is at it again. "Microsoft's Office for the iPad was recently released. Here is a very good review of this app by Engadget, which will be helpful to read if you might be considering using it."
Warning: Gmail Scam
This warning comes from John Carter. Read carefully, and consider this: "There is another message going around regarding Gmail accounts that could be a scam. Below are the details. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINK IN THE MESSAGE. If you are really concerned that your email is being attacked, go directly to your Gmail account online and change your password there.
"The curious thing about the attached message is that it was sent on March 28 at 9:53 PM and the incident is reported as happening at 1:53 AM the following morning. Even if the message was sent from California, there is only a three hour difference between New Jersey and California."
Click to enlarge. Here's what the suspicious email says:
Office for iPad
"Microsoft is bringing Office to the iPad. Take a read here. (Allow cookies on your computer to access this site.) It is free in a read-only mode, but costs $100/year if one wants to write to the app. A smart move by Microsoft, but perhaps a bit late," comments Jim Hamm. He goes on to suggest, "If you plan to use Office for the iPad, here are 5 tips you might take a look at."
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/2014/03/28/7018217/
A Tablet at Every Table
Order drink refills and desserts, play interactive games, pay your bill at Chili's with a device called Ziosk, a tablet on every table. Ah, technology rolls on. Look here.
Jim Hamm found out, via their email club, that Prescott Valley's restaurant has this feature. He comments, "Take a look at what Chili's restaurant in Prescott Valley is now doing. Is this pretty slick or what? Do waiters and waitresses feel the cold wind of technology breathing down their back? Somewhat similar, I suspect, to the carriage maker in 1904 looking up from his work and wondering what that car sound was all about."
More on Net Neutrality
"Confused about what Net Neutrality means -- or do you even care? If you'd like to learn more, here is an interesting article from the Windows Secrets newsletter that discusses it," writes Jim Hamm. A little question pops up first on that home page, but Jim assures us that it's just a quickie and then you get right to the article.
Curious About Linux
Our PMUG webmaster Mary Ann Clark informs us that she's now posted John Carter's article about Linux. You'll find it here http://pmug.us/reviews/
Here's John's explanation: "What is all this talk about Linux? Jim Hamm and John Carter have several distributions of Linux installed, mostly for tinkering purposes, and the PCS club talks about it now and then. But why should we Mac people care about Linux?
"'Linux Revealed' gives an overview of Linux that you might enjoy reading, even if Linux is not in your future, or your rear view mirror.
"And if you do get interested or have any questions, don't forget to drop Jim and John a note to talk about it." Send an email to Jim or John by clicking info@PMUG.us
15 Things You Didn't Know Your iPhone Could Do
Now, there's a headline to catch your attention, thanks to Jim Hamm who says, "Here are 15 tips for the iPhone that you might find handy." Look here.
Competition for MacBook Air?
David Passell sends this link with the comment, "Article about Kindle Fire being almost as good as MacBook AIR except for lack of keyboard." See it here.
Box Cloud Storage
On the lookout for helpful info, Jim Hamm writes, "Here is an article describing a problem with the cloud-storage company, Box -- it's losing money big time. Now it's going to do an IPO, but looking at the numbers and the huge losses, why would anyone want to buy this stock? Not me.
"If one wants to store their data, pictures, etc., in the cloud, be sure you are comfortable that the company is going to be around so you can access your data later on. This is the reason I'm more comfortable backing my 'stuff' up to my own external hard drive."
"If one wants to store their data, pictures, etc., in the cloud, be sure you are comfortable that the company is going to be around so you can access your data later on. This is the reason I'm more comfortable backing my 'stuff' up to my own external hard drive."
ATM Malware
"The hackers are getting very creative — particularly when it comes to ATM machines. Take a read on this article," warns Jim Hamm.
WPA2 Security Cracked
" Here is an article describing a vulnerability found in WPA2 wireless security. After reading the article I suspect most homeowners needn't be unduly concerned. This vulnerability might be a bit more of a concern for commercial WiFi users, though." Thanks to Jim Hamm for this notification.
Gmail Messages Will Now Be Encrypted
"If you use Gmail, the following is some good news for you," Jim Hamm declares. The article from Gizmodo says, "Good news, security lovers. Google just announced that Gmail will be encrypted all the time." Read the article here.
Changes With Dropbox
Changes with Dropbox came to David Passell's attention. He says, "I think this mainly applies to people who pay a yearly fee for Dropbox. It might be of interest to some of the more legally minded among us." See http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=183. Read details here: https://blog.dropbox.com/2014/02/updating-our-terms-of-service/