,

Warning From CableONE

,

        Another phishing scam has surfaced.  David Passell sends a copy of an email from CableONE, instructing customers to "please disregard any mail you receive that contains the following message, as it is a phishing scam:  'Your account is due and needs to be upgraded immediately.  Please review billing details and upgrade or we will disconnect you from services.'"   It goes on to detail a false link that is NOT a CableONE webpage.  Here is more info from Cable ONE  Cable ONE Support Site

, , , ,

More to Say, More to Write

, , , ,
          Ah, technology!  Ah, new developments!  Ug, new acronyms and new terminology! 
         Off hand, do you remember what JPEG stands for?  What about DSLR?  What about …..?
        Mac to the rescue.  When you click on the Dictionary icon in the Dock here’s what comes up.  
        I expected Apple to provide answers to my growing list of acronyms, but did find some help by clicking on Wikipedia.  The Dictionary didn’t know, neither did the Thesaurus. 
        Click on Dictionary, look at the top menu. Click on Services and see some unexpected categories you can view.  (Remember to click on the little screen shots here to enlarge the size.  Then click on it again to shrink it back and come back to this page.)

        Add to iTunes as a Spoken Track.  Make New Sticky Note.  Summarize. 

        Check out Preferences.  Drag reference sources into the order you prefer.  You can even choose the type of pronunciation you wish to see. 

        I did find www.acronymslist.com  and a list of medical acronyms http://www.medindia.net/acronym/index.asp 
        Heard of Slovoed Dictionaries?  It offers a FREE dictionary of the month.  and can be viewed in Mac App Store.  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slovoed-dictionaries/id524941905?mt=12  

More to Say, More to Write!
       So, you wrote something nice TO your mom for Mother’s Day, or you wrote something nice ABOUT your mom for your kids and grandkids. It’s so nice to write with Mac.  And you can print out the size of type that makes it easy to read.  But now, here comes Father’s Day.  Time to turn on your remembrances and your creativity again.
       Looking at an old photograph might stir up some memories.  Nifty to have so many pictures on your computer. Jot down your first ideas for your first draft.  (It’s not done yet!) 
        Writing about a hunting trip sounded promising.  But the first draft on the computer had too many “said” and “asked” words.  Go to Dictionary, and Thesaurus. Look at all the words to choose.  
      Go back to that draft of your writing and click somewhere on it. 

       Then do Command + F  to bring up Find and Replace.  I entered “said” and my happy computer put a nice yellow box around each instance of this word, one at a time.  I could choose which to delete and replace with a suitable synonym.  
        Another time, I wanted to write a fictional piece for some young cousins.  Going to Google, I typed in puzzle and then images.  I scrolled through a lot of clip art and photos until I found one to use.

  I’ve mentioned before, I use bluesquirrel’s program ClickBook for Mac to make booklets.  It shrinks down the type size and picture size to fit the page.  You have over 100 layouts to choose from.  www.bluesquirrel.com  
       You’ll have fun writing with Pages.
       Check our newsblog regularly to see all the info that’s being added.
       Keep up the good work.  See you next time.  Bring a friend!  
* * * 
                          This is today's handout, 5-17-14 at PMUG meeting, by Elaine Hardt 

Computer Getting Hot?

        "You may have noticed that your laptop gets a little hot when you have been using it for a while," begins John Carter.  He goes on to give this helpful advice.  "The battery doesn’t like being hot (it can go bad quickly), so it’s a good idea to do what you can to keep your laptop cool.

        "Rock and metal are good conductors of heat. Wood is an insulator. If you are using your laptop on a wooden tabletop, the heat from the laptop is not being dissipated very well, so it would be a good idea to prop up the back side even a little to let air flow get under the laptop. 
        "If you’re using the laptop on your lap, your legs will get warm. Putting a pillow under the laptop to keep your legs from heating up is not the best idea either. 
        "A laptop cooler, one with fans in it, is the best way to keep your laptop cool. A dual fan laptop cooler is better than a single fan cooler. The problem with any laptop cooler is that it needs power, and it gets it from your laptop via a USB port. 
        "For the MacBook Air, you might not have any reason to use such a cooler since they stay pretty cool at all times. But the MacBook Pro (even one with an SSD drive) can get quite hot on a hot day."
        John completes his advice with this,  "For the sake of your battery if nothing else, keep your laptop cool."
        But, John, how hot is hot?  Looking at the iStatPro widget on my MacBook Pro gives me temperatures from 88 degrees in the Enclosure Base #3  to 121 degrees in the CPU Diode! 
        Two shakes later the reply flies in from John, "I would have to check the specs.  It is different for each model.  I would think that if you hear the fan running it's getting too hot." And he comments on the little "legs" under my computer.  "The legs will certainly help to provide air cooling under the laptop."
       Wouldn't it be nice to inform our readers about that iStatPro widget?  Aaaaack.  It's been discontinued. See widgets here: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/
,

iPad Charger

,
         Got an iPad?  Here's a well-illustrated article, 20-pages long, that gives details you need.  
        Jim Hamm informs us, "The charger for the iPad is relatively expensive at $19 if purchased from Apple. Sure, you can purchase counterfeit lookalikes for a much cheaper price. Should you? In a word, NO! The old adage 'you get what you pay for'  is certainly true in this case. Here is an excellent article explaining why you should stick with the genuine Apple iPad charger." 
, , ,

Another Search Engine for Privacy

, , ,

         Ginger Carlson passes along this information:  "Here's another search engine that is supposed to protect one's privacy that a friend told me about.  I have downloaded it and used it a few times.
        "If you go to www.startpage.com it has a search block and beneath it "Add to Firefox" (which is her browser).  It works for Safari, too.  When I downloaded it I thought the download hadn't worked until I noticed the tiny little "SP" icon on the left side of the address bar."  

, , , ,

Info on Aviator

, , , ,
        Jim Hamm shares some new info:  "Are you concerned about security while browsing the web?  Here is an article discussing a new browser: Aviator. And here is another article wherein the author discusses his use of Aviator.
        "If you're all enthused now, here is the website where you can download this browser for either OS X or Windows.

        "I've not tried this browser yet, as we're traveling and it isn't convenient to do so. However, one of these days I'll give it a try -- more out of curiosity than any real concern about browsing the web." 

,

Save on MacBook Air Now

,

       "I love my MacBook Air," announces Prez Art Gorski.  He then gives the good news,  "And just this week Apple announced new models with slightly different processors that don’t make a big difference in performance. But they dropped the price $100. Everyone selling the older, practically just as good, models are scrambling to unload them at reduced prices. 
        "This article is a great resource for locating the best deal if you’re in the market right now:http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/04/29/deals-save-up-to-200-on-2013-macbook-airs-while-supplies-last-prices-start-at-818 

        Art's final advice, "Want to save even more? Go to the on-line Apple Store and take a look at the Refurbished older models available. They’re even cheaper!"

Finding Out More on Net Neutrality

          Have you been looking into the subject of Net Neutrality?  What does it mean? How will the FCC decision affect each of us?  
          On this newsblog we looked at this subject earlier on postings of March 3, March 28, and April 11.  Now David Passell forwards two links for your further research.  Here  and here. 
               David's comment is this ". . . maybe illustrates the proverb 'everyone is right in his own eyes, until his neighbor comes and examines him.'"    
, , , ,

Which Browser is Best?

, , , ,

        "Here is the most comprehensive review of browsers on a Mac that I've ever read. You — and I, for sure — probably won't understand or appreciate all the technical jargon used in the testing," Jim Hamm introduces us to this topic. 
        Read about these four: Safari 7.0.3, Firefox 28.0. Chrome 34.0.1847.116, and Opera 20.0.1.1387.91 in a 10-page report.

        Jim goes on to explain,  "It used to be the emphasis was on speed of the browser, but no longer is this considered so important. There are many factors involved in browsing the web, playing games, etc., as the author explains. 

        "Which browser is considered best on a Mac? Well, if this is important to you, read on to see what the testing says. But, realistically, the browser that suits your needs is the browser that's best for you.
        And Jim concludes, "It was interesting — to me, anyway — to read how the author went about the testing. Might be a bit too geeky for many folks, though."

Learning . . . and Doing

        Have you checked out the PMUG website lately?  www.pmug.us
        Look at Benefits:  24 articles posted on a good variety of topics,  Member for Sale items, Member Business Cards.

        Look at Reviews:  13 book reviews,  1 Hardware Review,  24 Software Reviews. 
        And, of course,  come to the Prescott Mac User Group meetings. Check out the calendar.   The friendly men and women at PMUG have lots of information to show and tell.   You are welcome! 
,

A Potluck Reminds Us . . .

,
          "Let's say your neighborhood has a potluck, pitch-in, dinner every month," begins Jim Hamm.  Ah, yes, we can identify with that!  
         He continues, "You faithfully show up, enjoy the food and camaraderie, but never contribute any food. Would you do that? I don't think so. The same with PMUG. It's nice to come to the meetings and hear what someone else has prepared for you. But it's also nice for you to chip in now and then also."
        Now we guess Jim's talking about the coming PMUG election.  Don't want to be Prez?  OK, but how about volunteering to give a presentation to the group?   The same advice he extends to anyone reading this newsblog.  Help out your local Mac group. We all have something to share and something more to learn.