Maclanta
Newsletter for the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group • October 2008
Since 1984 www.amugonline.org
Your source for Atlanta area Macintosh news and information
Inside This Issue A bit of AMUG history Pg. 3 How to get the most from user groups Pg. 4 Upgrading RAM on a Mac Mini Pg. 5 General Meeting & SIG Reviews Pg. 6 MacGourmet Software Review Pg. 7 OmniOutliner vs. Notebook Pg. 8 Ask Mr. Peach - Answers to your questions, plus “Tip of the Month” Pg. 9
October Meeting Announcement Program: Mac Horror Stories & Solutions
Oh my, this new video combat game is too realistic.
Description: The next general meeting is Tuesday, October 21, 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. social time). Topic for the Evening: Mac Horror Stories & Solutions. Just in time for Halloween, this evening event will scare you to death as we talk about computer nightmares and how they were solved. The audience is welcomed to share their stories as well!
A Note To Our Guests
Founded in 1984, the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group is a not-forprofit Georgia corporation organized and operated exclusively for the purpose of providing education and assistance to its members in the use of the Apple Macintosh computer and software. Made up of many members, AMUG consists of Macintosh enthusiasts from a variety of backgrounds: artists, technicians, programmers, designers, consultants, publishers, accountants--users of a variety of Macintosh types and software! This diverse gathering provides a unique resource for Macintosh information, creativity and education. We encourage you to join our community of Apple enthusiasts. You can either join online, at the information area prior to meetings, or by seeing our treasurer Adele Ward.
Annual Meeting Notice
In accordance with our bylaws, this is the official notice that our annual general membership meeting is Tuesday, November 18, 7 p.m. During the annual meeting, officers will be elected, any proposed bylaws changes will be voted upon, and other club business will be handled. All members are encouraged to attend.
About Maclanta Maclanta is published monthly by the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group, Inc.(AMUG™), Post Office Box 15130, Atlanta, Georgia, 30333-0130, a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization, as a service to the membership. Subscriptions: Portions of a member’s dues in AMUG are designated for an annual subscription to Maclanta. Annual membership dues are $40. A separate subscription to this publication is available for a fee to be determined by the Newsletter Director. © Copyright 2008 by the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Maclanta is an independent publication, not affiliated or otherwise associated with Apple Inc. or any other organization that might otherwise advertise herein. The opinions, statements, positions, and views stated herein are those of the author(s) or publisher and are not intended to be the opinions, statements, or views of Apple Computer, Inc. or any other organization that might advertise herein. Rather than place a trademark, copyright, or registered symbol at every occurrence, we hereby state that we are using the names only in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the owners work. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the Newsletter Director or the President of the AMUG Board of Directors, with the following exceptions: all articles and/or graphics not under copyright by the author may be reprinted by a nonprofit organization provided proper credit is given to the author and Maclanta. Proper credit is defined as Title, Author, and the words ‘Reprinted with permission from [month ] [year ] of Maclanta, a monthly publication of the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group, Inc.’ Permission to reprint copyrighted articles and/or graphics may be obtained by writing to the author or artist, care of this publication. Submissions: Maclanta welcomes unsolicited articles (including feature stories, commentary, and user group news) pertaining to personal computers, hardware, software, related products, services, and end users. Submissions should be made via E-mail attachment or body in text format. Unless otherwise arranged, the deadline for all articles, letters, and illustrations is 5 p.m. the Friday after the 1st Tuesday of the month before the month of publication. The editors reserve the right to edit for brevity and clarity. Payment will be in the form of credit in Maclanta and copies of the issue(s), at the least. AMUG Trademarks: AMUG and the AMUG peach are trademarks of the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group,Inc.
AMUG Board of Directors President .............................W. Michael Henigan Vice-President ...................... Christina Wellman Treasurer . ............................................ Adele Ward Secretary .......................................Wendell Dillon Education Director . ............ Christina Wellman Membership Director ..................................open Newsletter Director ........................ Todd Daniel Program Director . .........................................open Publicity Director . .............................. Jim Minter Telecom Director ..................... Lawrence Sharp AMUG Hotline: General Information line 404-327-9002 Atlanta Macintosh Users Group PO Box 15130 • Atlanta, GA 30333-0130 www.amugonline.org
Nominations & Elections
Uncle AMUG Wants YOU To Run For Office It is that time of year when AMUG members nominate and elect some of our friends and fellow AMUGers to join the Board of Directors for 2009-2010. We are NOW accepting nominations for the positions of: Vice-President, Treasurer, and the Directors of Education, Publicity, and Membership. Nominations will close at the October Meeting, with elections taking place at the Annual Meeting in November. As a reminder, the people serving in several of the positions open for nominations are: Vice President & Membership – Christina Wellman Treasurer – Adel Ward Publicity – Jim Minter If you have someone you would like to see nominated or re-elected, please send all nominations to AMUG Secretary Wendell Dillon. All Nominations must be to Wendell by October 10th.
October Birthdays October Birthdays: Lawrence Sharp (10/8), Stephen D’Andrea (10/14), James Massara (10/18), Bruce Barrett (10/19), Ronnie Weaver (10/22).
Treasurer’s Report Our treasurer Adele Ward report that the treasury contained $9,152.88 in assets, which includes a fixed CD. Cost for the month were $212, which included bank charges, cyber, public storage, BellSouth, and Donate.net, which we use for credit card processing.
Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008
Mighty Mouse
The President Elucidates... By Michael Henigan, mikeh@me.com
In August 1984, Jerry Harris along with a few oth-
ers started the Atlanta Macintosh Users Group, when they shared the love of the new Apple Computer and wanted to share the fun and news with other Apple enthusiasts just like them. Here we are 24 years later, AMUG is active and our members gather together every month to have fun and discuss the latest news and see the cool things which brings us all together, the Macintosh computer platform. What makes AMUG special? OUR MEMBERS! What keeps us running and doing activities is sharing our passion for Apple Computer with others like us. I don’t know about anyone else, but some of my favorite memories are from events and meetings that have taken place over the last 14 years of my membership. The excitement of a MacCollege when I met Andy Ihnatko and several of us taking him to experience ... The Varsity! My surprise at winning a copy of Microsoft Office! The thrill of being at my first Macworld in New York City and getting to see Steve Jobs during his Keynote address, that was and still is, too many, Mac Nirvana.
What excites YOU about Apple Computer? Why are you a member of AMUG and what keeps you coming Michael Henigan back year after year? Gather President those thoughts and memories mikeh@me.com as we ask you to share them with us in future issues of the newsletter. Let’s all try to share our AMUG/Apple passion with each other as we plan for next year, our 25th anniversary. Give us your thoughts on what you would like us to do next year. We need ideas and feedback! To start our planning off we have announced an AMUG Logo Contest to design a new logo for AMUG, one that will bring us into the 22nd Century and show that we have been here for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS! So we call on all our creative minds to design a logo that will excite us, which we are proud to use for new t-shirts, a new Banner, and multitudes of other projects that may happen in our future. If you are (like me) graphically challenged, then send us your thoughts or design ideas and one of our gifted members will bring that idea(s) to fruition. So … How do YOU want to celebrate?
Warning - Trojan Horse Malware May Get Your Unsuspecting Friends As reported in the October issue of Mac|Life there is a trojan horse on the loose that will change your domainname server settings to point to malicious servers that are used for phishing exploits. This trojan comes in the form of a pornographic video viewer. Now, we know AMUGers would never attempt to download such a grandma-unapproved piece of software, but we all have friends and coworkers who are not injected with the same moral fiber as AMUGers. Chris Waldrip recently told about one such experience with a fellow employee during a Q&A session. So, the scenario works like this: Your friend or coworker goes to a website that promises to show you videos of people not wearing much and doing things that you wouldn’t see on the 700 Club. Something takes over your friend or coworker’s soul and before you know it they click the button
that says “Macintosh Viewer.” For one thing, they are actually thrilled to see a porno site that supports the Mac. Once they download the evil trojan horse, a strange force takes over their computer and then they come to you, the Macintosh expert, and say, “Something has taken over my computer.” After giving them a two hour lecture on the evils of pornography, you do some research on the web and learn how to remove the evil culprit. If the problem keeps up, you may want to give your friend a copy of Norton Antivirus. Better yet, maybe get him a puppy to cure his loneliness.
October 2008 • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • Maclanta
The Newsletter Director Speaketh This Month: Enhance Your Computer Experience By Tapping Into User Groups By Todd Daniel, todddan@me.com Okay, in the last two issues I’ve talked about two great
ways to enrich your computing experience — magazines and podcasting. This month I want to talk about another wonderful resource — user groups! I joined my first user group in 1987. The group met behind a fire station and all they did was swap software. It was a feeding frenzy — you brought your computer and simply copied as fast as you could, and then went home and sorted through your treasure. A few of us wanted an actual LEGITIMATE user group, so in 1989 we chartered the Metro Atlanta Computer Klub (MACK). The club lasted 11 years before finally conking out in 2000. During my years with MACK I rotated through all the positions on the board, but spent most of my time as publicity chair. My fondest memories were the SIG nights when we’d have classes on programming, databases, gaming, Internet, and more. How wonderful it was to prop the outside door open on a crisp fall evening and then listen to someone talk about “C” language as a cool breeze drifted in the room. Networking opportunities
In addition to AMUG, I’m also active with the InDesign Users Group and occasionally attend other groups. It’s always a natural high to learn new things. At AMUG what I’ve learned from the Q&A and general meetings has been amazing. Equally wonderful are the discussions we have during 6:30 p.m. networking time and after the meeting. So, thus, tip number one: Come early to user group meetings and stay late, and while you’re there don’t be shy to ask people questions. AMUG Forums
The help I’ve received on the AMUG forums over the last few years has been amazing! I can’t thank folks like Chris Waldrip enough for all the help and guidance they’ve given me. I encourage everyone to get on the forums and check-in regularly. If you have never used them before, our Telecom Director Lawrence Sharpe will be glad to help get you started. One important note is that while it’s great to ask questions, also try to be a giver by helping others. The beauty of a user group is that it’s a
place where intermediate users can help beginners and advanced folks can help intermediate level Todd Daniel Newsletter Director members.
todddan@me.com
SIG Nights
SIG stands for Special Interest Groups. In addition to the general meetings, a SIG is a smaller group that focuses on a specific topic and meets at a different time. Currently, AMUG has SIG night on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Right now we have two active SIGs — OSX and FileMaker Pro. Both are taught by two of our long-time and advanced level members — Jay Caan and Lee Hoong, respectively. We also have a Switcher SIG for new Mac owners that is trying to start up. If you haven’t been to SIG night yet, be sure to come to a meeting. The smaller classes and casual atmosphere provides a great opportunity to ask questions and learn new things, not only from the instructor but from fellow members. AMUG Board
The following old saying rings true: “The more you give to an organization, the more you get back.” Since joining the board in May I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know my fellow board members and exchanging information with them. The Board meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Mellow Mushroom, just a stone’s throw from Macquarium. Like the general meetings, a lot of fellowship and networking goes on both before and after the formal meetings — this is where you learn more new things and make new friends. There is almost always a vacancy or two on the board. If you’d like to help our club and give a little something back see our president Mike Henigan. Offering to help will make his day. Other Ways
There are many other ways a user group can help enrich your computer experience. For instance, there are the wonderful door prizes and then there is the long list of companies that offer discounts to AMUG members — you can find this list in the forums. So, don’t be shy, dive in and take advantage of the resources of YOUR computer user group. You’ll be glad you did!
Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008
Upgrading the RAM on My Old Mac Mini Once the cover was popped and the optical drive was removed getting to the RAM was a cinch first, I thought that it could not be done. I kept wedging the knives in but could not get the clips on the inside to release. I must admit I was rather proud of myself for upgrading I bent the knives quite a bit and still nothing would release. the Mac Mini‘s RAM myself. I took another breath and then tried again. This time, workI had met Dad at the Apple Store one day and while ing from the center of the side and working the edge inward, Dad was working with his pro-care tech, I was trying to find I heard the first pop and saw the case lift up on that side. out if it was possible to upgrade my Mac Mini with more I turned the Mini around and worked the other side until RAM and how much it would cost. I had already researched I got the clips to release and the case to come up. Then, out prices on the internet and what compatible RAMS were carefully, I lifted the case, from the port side first up and available. The best price I had found was for $87.00 at Other away. I knew that my Mac Mini did not have either Airport World Computing. PC3200 was compatible or Bluetooth, so I would not have to worry as well but would run at the 333 mghz of the about those little antennas or their wires be2700 anyway so they did not recommend the ing in the way. Once the case was off, I had 3200. Anyway.. the tech disappeared into the to remove the optical drive on top to get to back and was gone for a little while. Finally the RAM. Incredibly, what I thought was a P he came out and explained that “yes” they zero screwdriver was a P one! I scrambled for could do the upgrade and it will cost $30.00 a Phillips head screwdriver that would work. for the labor and $200.00 for the RAM. I I found a very small regular screwdriver that was taken aback by the price and this em- top: The Mac Mini is successfully cracked open worked anyway and proceeded to unscrew barrassed the poor young tech as he stam- and the optical drive is removed. below: After the three screws holding it in and to lift the mered about that yeah, he agreed that it was booting up and opening the Activity Monitor optical drive up and out from the back. the author is greeted with a wonderful gift a bit steep but there was nothing he could — LOTS of free RAM. Finally, everything was clear to work on do about it and added the stock statement switching out the RAM. There are two black that if I or anyone else upgraded the RAM clips that hold the RAM in. These have to be “it would void the warranty.” He pointed out flipped off and then the RAM is lifted out. I that the box that the RAM was in had a price carefully took the new RAM and lined it up tag of $300.00 on it but that they would only and pressed it down into its interposer board charge $200.00. I apologized and thanked until it clicked. It took a couple of tries but him heartily for looking into the matter for I got the clips back on to hold the RAM in me but I was going to pass. and then put the optical drive back on and Once home again, I revisited OWC webscrewed it back in place. I also put back the site and decided to purchase the 1GB RAM yellow mylar tape that I had removed before from them. It came three days later and on the following lifting out the drive. Then the case went back on. The back morning, after purchasing the needed equipment and havof the case has to be seated completely before clicking back ing a great conversation with my brother Richard about how on the sides and front of the case. Just as the tech showed in to prevent electrostatic damage, I got started. the videos, I, too, had to use one of the putty knives to press I had read several good websites on how to upgrade the on the clips in the front of the mini to release them enough RAM in a Mac Mini. I printed a few instructional pages to pop the case on. from macfixit.com and kept that handy. I had also watched Well, after all that, it was a relief to get it all back togethmore than a few times OWC’s tech support installation vider again. But... will it work? I put the little Mac Mini on the eos online. This was great as it made me fairly confident that LaCie external drive and hooked up all of the cables, telling I could do this. myself all the while that things will be fine. I had been very So with my two putty knives and what I later discovered careful. Had made sure that I touched nothing and was all to be the wrong size Phillips head screwdriver, I proceeded to static electricity free. I hope it was! Anyway the big moment pop the Mac Mini’s case off. The thing is you have to flip the came when it booted. It worked!!! Of course, immediately little computer over and work one putty knife in between brought up “about this mac” and then to the “activity monithe silver case and the plastic inner case on both sides of the tor” under “Utilities“ to see what it said about the amount Mac Mini. This is a bit tricky though it was good thing I had of RAM it had in it. Wow! This is fabulous! Look at all that paid a little more money for the thinner putty knives. At RAM! No more page ins and outs! By Charlotte Ford, mtnlaurelrabbitry@comcast.net
October 2008 • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • Maclanta
Meeting Reports
General meetings, SIGs, and more... September General Meeting - Podcasting On September 16 we were treated to a presentation on podcasting, which was given by an internationally known podcaster — Stephen Eley of Escape Pod, a popular sci-fi show. Steve gave a great overview of podcasting, which is basically an Internet radio show. He told how to sign up and what is involved in starting your own podcast. There was a lively Q&A session where Steve talked about collecting stats and other topics. The grand finale of the evening was the door prize drawing, and several iTunes gift cards were given away. We had a nice turnout of about 30 people and everyone appeared to enjoy the program.
September Super Tuesday SIG Night The SIGs, which took place the following Tuesday (August 26), were well attended and a big hit. ◆ OS X SIG — This group did not meet in September because presenter Jay Caan was out of town. The good news is that we now have a back-up facilitator for this SIG — Tom Baley — so the show will definitely go on October 28. ◆ FileMaker Pro SIG — This SIG is on sabbatical and will return in January.
SIG News
• Holiday Closings - There will be no SIGS in November and December due to proximity with the holidays. We will hit the ground running in January. • The Switcher SIG is ready to meet pending sufficient interest. This SIG is designed for individuals who are new to the Mac world. If you are interested in signing up for this SIG contact Todd Daniel (todddan@me.com, 678-57-2052).
Wanted: New SIGs
If anyone is interested in a Movie Making SIG, please contact Todd Daniel (todddan@me.com). This SIG would cover iMove, Final Cut Pro, and related software. It would be great to find an advanced professional to lead this SIG. Anyone interested? The following SIGs have been active in the past and we would like to reactivate them: Digital Camera, Page Layout, Portable Computing, Switchers Other possible SIGs: Movie Making, Audio, Computer Graphics, Business Users, Open Source, Web Development, iLife, Genealogy, Hardware Repair, and the list goes on!
September General Meeting Snapshots
left: Joe is a happy door prize
winner. top: Guest presenter Stephen Eley and AMUG officer Lawrence Sharpe. top right: Stephen congratulates a lucky winner. right: There was a nice turnout for the September event.
Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008
Software Review: Meet MacGourmet!
I LOVE to cook - Do you?
By Michael Henigan, mikeh@me.com
I love to cook and share that love with a lot of people these days. I grew up on Chef ’s like Julia Child, Justin Wilson and Jacques Pepin. Like many, I am a Food Network junkie and have to get my fix of Iron Chef, Bobby Flay, or even Paula Deen. I always want to try to re-create the recipes I have seen on their shows or seen in one of the many cookbooks I have collected over the years. Ask my partner about my cookbooks and the amount of space they take up and he cringes. I also, like everyone else, have these scraps of paper or little email notes buried on my computer here and there, notes all over my desktop of things I have seen online or on cooking websites that I wanted to have, to use myself or get the gumption up to try one of these days. There had to be a better way of taking care of this “recipe mess.” Over the last year or so I have had the occasion to use several cooking/recipe programs. I was frustrated at losing stuff I knew was there and could not find, the program would not make it easy for me to import or get my data into their database as quick as I would like it. I was getting ready for mega prep and cooking sessions for an event that I decided I needed something better in order to make life easier for myself. A friend and fellow AMUGer recommended I try MacGourmet. He insisted I get a copy and try it out. He then said I HAD to write a review of my thoughts on the program, so here we go. I went to their website and downloaded a demo copy for use (and the demo is a fully operational demo for 20 sessions). I looked the program over for awhile, it comes with a database of many recipes for you to use and see how they are set-up. OK, then I decided let’s see how it does with the recipes I have on my computer. I went to a recipe I have on Stickies and copied and then made a clipping from it in MacGourmet. Once it is clipped, you double click on the recipe and it opens it into a multipanned window with tabs, called the Recipe Import Assistant. The tab headings are the structure of a recipe, like ingredients, prep, directions, nutrition, notes, yield and even a spot for a picture. So I highlighted the section I wanted and selected the tab with the appropriate heading and it put it into the proper pane for the recipe. I continued with the remainder of the recipe and after a few minutes had the recipes all imported into the database. Simple! There is also the option of using quick fill, which imports the recipe into the slots that it think is the correct ones. Sometimes this works well, other times it is so-so. It also lets you specify the category As the title states,
left: MacGourmet sports a clean
interface and even allows you to insert pictures. right: The Meal Planner function allows you to plan out your week in advance
the recipe fits in, which I took advantage of to get my appetizers into that section and the desserts into that category as well. Then I “clipped” the rest of the recipes I would be using the following week. When it came time get my shopping list together I pulled up MacGourmet and selected the recipes and had them added to a shopping list. That made it quite convenient for my shopping, in that I was getting the right items I needed and would not forget them. When it was time to make all the things I needed I selected the recipe and selected Chef View which put the recipe into a large window and made it possible for me to recipe on my screen so I could use it as I prepped and cooked. The program is multi functioning and allows you to not only import from text docs, but from many cooking websites as well that are MacGourmet supported and even ones that are not are still easy to extract the recipes you need or want. I like my copy and paste, but you can also drag and drop recipes into the database if that is easier for you. MacGourmet has many features that I will continue to explore and use such as: It allows you to share your recipes and publish them to the web, it has a meal planner to make getting your families’ dinner onto the table that much easier, and you can enter nutritional information. MacGourmet is a program that I am in love with and will continue to use for a long time to come.
October 2008 • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • Maclanta
Software
Applications, utilities, and more...
OmniOutliner v. Circus Ponies’ Notebook By Todd Daniel, todddan@me.com Life is full of decisions,
like who to marry, how many kids to have, what to eat for breakfast. But no other decision has been as hard as choosing between OmniOutliner and Circus Ponies’ Notebook. What Are They?
Both programs are note-taking applications that allow you to organize your life. Both programs are similar in that you can not only take notes, but you can drag all kinds of things into your documents — videos, website links, Word documents, PDFs, images, and more. The Test
I bought licenses for both applications and gave them a try in my day-to-day life. The main thing that I used the two programs for was to collect information for articles and research I was doing for work. With both programs, you can drag text off the Web and into your document, as well as scans and anything else. Both programs do a superb job of this.
top: Circus Ponies’
Notebook uses a nice spiral notebook metaphor, which can sometimes become cumbersome. left: OmniOutliner can organize your life using a simple outline format.
The Winner
After using both products for several projects, I finally decided to go with (drum roll) .... OmniOutliner. While Notebook is nice, it has a lot of features that only cause distractions. Notebook uses a cute notebook metaphor, which is cool at first, but then becomes annoying. Another thing is that each time you create a document it creates several pages like a table of contents and an index. Plus, Notebook gives you the ability to add additional pages. I found that I was spending too much time flipping through pages and not finding the information I needed. The clear-plastic tabs on the right of the pages are cool looking, but you still have to spend time scrolling through them. One thing I DID like about Notebook is that outlining is just one mode — you can also enjoy other views such as a writing page, list page, clipping page, and Cornell Note Taking Page. But now let’s talk about why I like OmniOutliner the best. First and foremost, I like the program’s elegant simplicity. You just get one outline page, and from there you can drag material on and organize accordingly. One feature I LOVE in OmniOutliner is the Inline Note button to the left of each entry. In addition to creating your outline, you can click on the “note” feature to provide additional information
about an outline entry. This is a good place to include notes that you don’t need in your main outline. Other Cool Features of OmniOutliner
In OmniOutliner I really like seeing all my information on a single page. Subsections can be collapsed so you can keep everything neatly in front of you. As I use the material in my outline I can either check it off or highlight it in yellow. Yet, even though OmniOutliner is simple it is still powerful. You can format colors, create style sheets, add columns, include attachments, connect with AppleScripts, and more. Oh, and one last thing — OmniOutliner has a great “batch find” feature. Summary
Admittedly, choosing between the two programs is a personal preference. Both are good for organizing anything in your life, from a wedding to a research paper. Whenever I take on a new project the first thing I typically do is start a new OmniOutline file. I couldn’t survive without it.
Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008
Ask Mr. Peach We’re not sure how Mr. Peach came to be. Some people think he is an artificial intelligence algorithm that was created one night when Chris Waldrip spilled coffee on his keyboard. However, what we know for sure is that Mr. Peach is smart and will be glad to answer your computer questions.
Dear Mr. Peach: Why do I keep seeing ads for Mac antivirus
software? I’ve always been told that there aren’t any Mac viruses. Mr. Peach: Well, I’m only a peach, so what would I know.
However, a lot of Mac owners do Windows emulation on their computers. Plus, there’s the chance that you could forward a virus to your PC friends. But do I use antivirus software on my computer? No way. Dear Mr. Peach: Every time I open a Word document up, it
Mr. Peach: First, you need to spend less time in front of
your computer. Second, I recommend a total makeover — lower pants, tuck in shirt, and lose the pocket protector. Dear Mr. Peach: In Microsoft Excel whenever I enter a date in
a column it tries to calculate it, i.e. “9/15/08” becomes “38244.” Can I just have the date show?
Mr. Peach: You can format the field to “Date” or “General,”
or, better yet, insert an apostrophe in front of the date.
says “Compatibility Mode.” What does that mean?
Dear Mr. Peach: How can I get icons into the bar above my
Mr. Peach: It is always good to find someone that you are
compatible with. As for me, I met a beautiful Georgia peach last week, and I think we’re compatible. I plan to spoil her rotten. But for your answer, you obviously have Microsoft Word 2008 for Mac, which uses a new XML based format. Thus, Word files now end with extension “docx.” If you wish to save something in the older “doc” format, you can, but any new feature won’t work. Note that PC owners using Microsoft Word 2007 can read your docx formatted documents, but for everyone else, you’ll have to save the files as doc. Dear Mr. Peach: How will Apple name its operating systems
once they run out of cat names?
finder window?
Mr. Peach: Choose an icon and drag it into the finder bar.
Hold it for a few seconds and then you’ll see the green plus sign symbol — drop your icon into that area. A couple of cons about this feature: a) it makes your top finder bar a little higher and b) when you hover over the icon a text label doesn’t show up, like it does in the dock. If you’re like Mr. Peach, you may find yourself dragging a bunch of icons up there and then forgetting what they are.
Mr. Peach: Teletubbies. By the way, who ever invented Tel-
etubbies? Small wonder we have so many millions of kids on ADD drugs. Dear Mr. Peach: I keep most of my data on external hard
drives. I am constantly moving things off my desktop and onto an external drive, then I have to trash the document on my desktop. Is there a way to save a step and have the document automatically removed when I drag it to an external drive? Mr. Peach: Yes there is. When dragging the document to the
external drive, hold down the Command button as you are dragging. Dear Mr. Peach: I haven’t had a date in seven years. Is there
anything you can do to help me?
Tip of the Month On all of my Macs I keep separate accounts for my work and personal use. I also have accounts for my daughters. When you receive a software update alert here is a painful lesson I learned — make sure the application you are updating is closed on other accounts. While some update programs will warn you if an application is open, others will not and you can find yourself in big trouble. This happened to me once while attempting to update Microsoft Office. It wasn’t pretty. Now, I’m so paranoid that I actually log off all other accounts before attempting any software update. It is better to be safe than sorry! —Editor
October 2008 • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • Maclanta
AMUG Business
Minutes, Board Announcements, Elections, Etc...
Board Meeting Minutes AMUG Board Meeting August 6, 2008
Michael Henigan, President, called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Board members present: Michael Henigan, President; Christina Wellman, VP ; Wendell Dillon, Secretary; Adele Ward, Treasurer; , Membership Director; Jim Menter, Publicity Director; Lawrence Sharp, Telecom Director; and Todd Daniel, Newsletter Director. Kelly Hilliard and Mikki Dillon were Guests. Reports: Officers: • Treasurer: (see report on page 2) • Secretary: Physical therapy is progressing and I will make it to Board meetings and the November Annual Meeting for the rest of the year. • Vice President: Helping people with forum; made new childboard for posting draft minutes; presentation on Elements 6 and DVD of podcasts (11 sent). • President: DragonCon was fun. Received several calls from the web site. Answered questions or referred to appropriate reference. Directors: • Membership: July and August members not yet renewed 11; Expiring August – October 15. I sent out 4 new membership cards for members renewing and will renew 2 more this week. • September Newsletter was posted this month. Martha Shannon agreed to write a monthly column. • Telecom Director: Updating e-mail list. Include active addresses; invite members if they want to be on the list. Each member must suscribe.
Sept. - Podcasting 101 Oct. - Mac Horror Stories and solutions (Chris) Nov. - Q & A and Annual meeting/Christmas wish list Dec 16 - Holiday party w/PC user group. Jeopardy game. Gear swap • Todd recommended sending out quarterly postcard notices of meetings. Approved. • Members continue to drop. Two members claimed renewal but Christina has no record. Check with Adel. Renew them per Mike • Atlanta Expo 2009 – target late March/early April. We need to check calendar and coordinate with AIA. • We need to go through the storage unit and decide to renew rental or disperse items. Lawrence will coordinate. • 25th Anniversary events/projects. Our official birth was July - Logo contest – received one entry (from Adele’s daughter). - Expo w/party afterward - Volunteer of year New Business: • Bring ideas for 2009 meeting topics to the Oct Board meeting. - Jan - MacWorld update - Joint meeting with PC - Christina to attend C-Vent conference on Sep 4. - Todd recommends more vital web site with more in front rather than behind menu boards. The meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted,
Unfinished Business:
Wendell Dillon Secretary
• Board openings. Program Director. • Todd: two Podcast programs for the September program • Super SIG Tuesday Mike will check with Jay • 2008 programs
Note: The AMUG Board of Directors normally meets the first Wednesday of the month, 7 p.m. at the Mellow Mushroom near Macquarium. Members-at-large are always welcomed and encouraged to attend.
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Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008
Member Discounts Available
Advertise in Maclanta and get your message in front of a targeted audience today!
Many companies offer discounts to AMUG members. We keep an updated listing on the AMUG forums. Before you make a purchase, check out our listing and see if you can save money. To reach the listing, go to http://forums.amugonline.org and then go to “News and Information” and then to “Member Special Offers.”
Have you hugged your Mac today?
Directions to General Meetings at Macquarium 1800 Peachtree Street,NW Suite 250, Atlanta,GA 404-554-4000 From I-75 South Take the Howell Mill/Northside Drive Exit (#252). Go to the second ramp, which is Northside Drive. Turn left off the ramp onto Northside Drive. Go Approximately 1/2 mile to Collier Road and Turn Right. Follow Collier road 9/10 of a mile until it ends at Peachtree Street,then turn right. Macquarium is about 100 yards on the right. From I-85 South Take Peachtree Street exit 86. This exit becomes GA-13 S. Take Peachtree Street exit ramp towards Buckhead. Merge onto Peachtree Rd. NE. Travel approximately one-half mile, Macquarium building is on your left. Parking entrance is on far side of Macquarium sign next to R.Thomas. From I-20 Head towards 75/85 connector. Go north on 75/85. Take the 14th/10th Street exit. Pass over 10th street. Turn right onto 14th Street. Turn left onto Peachtree. Macquarium building is on your left, approximately one mile. Parking entrance is on far side of Macquarium sign next to R.Thomas.
Buy AMUG Gear online at our CaféPress store
AMUG has an online store available to all our members through CaféPress.com. The store sells AMUG T-shirts, golf shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and other AMUG related items. Right now, all sales are done at cost and they’re quite affordable. You can order what you want, when you want right, on the Web. Check out the online store at: http://www.cafepress.com/amug This is a great way to publicize our club, PLUS when you wear an AMUG shirt to a meeting you receive an extra door prize ticket. October 2008 • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • Maclanta
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General Meetings
Special Interest Group (SIG) Night
Sept. 16
Podcasting & Audio
Sept. 23
OSX, FileMaker
Oct. 21
Mac Horror Stories & Solutions
Oct. 28
OSX (NO FILEMAKER)
Nov. 18
Q&A and Annual Meeting
SIGs CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS
Dec. 16
Holiday Party w/ PC User Group
SIGs CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS
All meetings are held in the Macquarium auditorium. General meetings begin at 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. social time). SIGs start at 7 p.m.
We are always looking for new SIGs - share your ideas by contacting any AMUG board member.
Need meeting directions, more details about the club, etc???
Visit: www.amugonline.org
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Maclanta • Atlanta Macintosh User Group • October 2008