The August monthly meeting of Natmac will take place on August 3rd commencing at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital.
I?m sure the main discussion this month will be about Lion. I personally know several mac users who are reluctant to upgrade at this time due to the loss of PowerPC apps. I decided to try it but just installed it on my laptop to experiment with it and to see what stuff I will lose. It should be an interesting discussion this month.
As you may recall, the publisher of the Take Control eBooks series has authorized me to give away as door prizes some of the new editions it publishes. So, I will burn a copy of both of the Lion books to a CD or two to be used a door prize. Below I will copy the sales material supplied together with links to purchase the books at a discount (if you?re not lucky enough to win them in the raffle).
Other giveaways will include another new combo Printer/Scanner/Copier, a digital photo frame, and a combo battery charger (charges from the wall, a USB port or the car) together with 4 AA rechargeable batteries.
The usual rules will apply; each paid membership will receive one raffle ticket but additional tickets can be purchased at the cost of $1 or 6/$5. Only one prize per membership still applies. See JoAnn to purchase your tickets and increase your chances of winning.
Looking forward to cooling down in the meeting room on Wednesday night.
Pete
Tame Lion with two essential Take Control books!
We've all been waiting for Lion since October 2010, but we need wait no more - Lion has arrived in the Mac App Store! But calm your twitchy mouse finger - Apple won't be running out of virtual copies and a nearly 4 GB download that results in a completely new operating system isn't something you should jump into headfirst. Instead, we have a pair of ebooks - Joe Kissell's 150-page "Take Control of Upgrading to Lion" and Matt Neuburg's 167-page "Take Control of Using Lion" - that help you set things up for a successful upgrade, install Lion, work through a few key post-installation tasks, and then learn how to integrate Lion's new features into your workflow. The books are normally $15 each, or $24 for both, but you can save even more - a full 30% - as MUG members using the links below:
* "Take Control of Upgrading to Lion" for $10.50: http://tid.bl.it/upgrading-to-lion-MUG-discount
* "Take Control of Using Lion" for $10.50: http://tid.bl.it/using-lion-MUG-discount
* 30% off both for $21: http://tid.bl.it/upgrading-using-bundle-MUG-discount
**Take Control of Upgrading to Lion** -- It's foolhardy to dive into a major OS upgrade without verifying that you have the right software and hardware to proceed and making a backup to which you can revert if things go wrong. Join best-selling author Joe Kissell for the necessary pre-upgrade check and expert backup advice, along with suggestions on how to clear the decks of useless cruft so you can start using Lion fresh. In particular, you'll learn how to:
* Part with Rosetta: Understand and work around the fact that PowerPC-based software won't run under Lion, given the absence of Rosetta.
* Handle your hardware: Thoroughly check your hardware for Lion compatibility. Also, get ideas for new hardware - it might be time for more RAM, disk space, or other peripherals, particularly a Magic Trackpad.
* Deal with duplication: Learn what a disk duplicate is, why having one is essential before installing Lion, and how to make one easily and affordably. Also, get help with backing up a Windows volume, should you be running Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp.
* Verify that all systems are go: Test your Mac to be sure all the hardware and disks are running properly - better to discover and correct a problem now than on upgrade day - and find advice on clearing extra files and software off your disk so that you get a fresh start with Lion.
* Consider a few geeky details: If you secure your data and documents with disk encryption now, or would like to under Lion, get advice on what to do before you upgrade and learn how Lion's much-improved FileVault 2 will operate. Also, read about what Joe thinks of partitioning and what you might want to do about it before installing.
* Make a plan: Learn how to install Lion if you're installing over 10.6 Snow Leopard, and consider the pros and cons of several techniques for how to install onto a Mac running either 10.5 Leopard or 10.5 Tiger. Also, if you have more than one Mac in your home, get ideas for downloading the Lion installer only once, but using it legitimately on your different Macs. And, if a nearly 4 GB download is unrealistic, get guidance for how to best obtain Lion now and in August (when Apple plans to release a Lion installer USB drive).
* Solve problems: If your Mac won't restart after installation, this ebook explains exactly what to do.
* Avoid slowdowns: Put off a few tasks (running Spotlight, turning on Time Machine) that will slow you down during your first few hours in Lion.
* Get set and go: Joe reminds you to run Software Update, helps you set up an extra user account while noting a few account-related changes in Lion, discusses the pros and cons of the new FileVault 2 and gives directions for enabling it, explains the Incompatible Software Folder, provides the need-to-know-now Time Machine basics (including encryption of Time Machine backups), helps you understand what's going on with Apple Mail plug-ins, and more.
* Go beyond... Learn why the $49.99 Lion Server is interesting for Lion users, and how to complete a basic installation.
* Reconnoiter with Recovery Mode: A final chapter explains the new-in-Lion Recovery HD volume, and even tells you what to type in Terminal so you can check it out. It also explains how to boot in Recovery mode, in case your Mac won't boot and you don't have a convenient way to boot it otherwise.
http://tid.bl.it/upgrading-to-lion-MUG-discount
**Take Control of Using Lion** -- In "Take Control of Using Lion," author Matt Neuburg looks deeply at important new features in Lion while also discussing older features and third-party options that may work better for you, all with the goal of helping you understand Lion's benefits, learn new habits, and get back to work quickly after your upgrade. Major topics help you to:
* Understand Auto Save, so you can let Lion save for you with confidence.
* Learn how Resume works, and how to disable it when you want a clean start.
* Figure out how to navigate Lion with the new Mission Control feature.
* Enter and leave full-screen mode, and switch among full-screen apps with Mission Control.
* Set up and use Launchpad, and get ideas for additional ways to launch apps.
* Memorize useful new trackpad and Magic Mouse gestures for controlling your Mac.
"Take Control of Using Lion" also answers many key questions about Lion, such as:
* Where did my scrollbars go, and how do I get them back?!?
* How do I make the text in my Finder window sidebar larger?
* Where did my user Library folder go, and how can I access it easily?
* How do I sort items in a Finder window, and what does "Arrange" mean?
* What is this All My Files entry in my sidebar?
* Where have the Appearance and Accounts preference panes gone?
* What is the fun new way of entering accented characters?
* How do I change the size of my mouse pointer icon?
* Is there a way of zooming just a portion of the screen? (Why yes, there is!)
http://tid.bl.it/using-lion-MUG-discount
cheers... -Adam & Tonya Engst, Take Control publishers
Here are the articles I have selected for your perusal:
Be sure to check out all the old Apple ads in ?Blast from the PAST: Thought Different?
So you think you know America?
Patriot Pursuit is an educational powerhouse! With a growing pool of over 400 questions, anyone can rediscover more about US history and our fight for freedom.
Free Guide to Every iOS and Mac App
AppZapp 3.2 for iOS, is a free news app that provides encyclopedic listings, searches, filtering, activities, news, charts, and specials for all 93 global iOS and Mac App Stores. Based on a specially developed algorithm, AppZapp provides the top newcomer apps, most viewed, most liked, and the Top 400.
http://www.ugnn.com/2011/07/free-guide-to-every-ios-and-mac-app/
Unusual Uses For Your iPad
For those of you who don't have an iPad it's hard to see what all the fuss is about. It's a laptop without-keyboard-meets a smartphone and has a baby big deal. But, speaking as someone whose had this magical device, for almost a year, it really is useful for a lot more than Angry Birds and Scrabble (sorry Oprah).
http://www.ugnn.com/2011/07/unusual-uses-for-your-ipad/
CheckBook 2.2
Splasm Software has announced CheckBook Pro 2.2, the latest revision of the personal finance manager for the Mac at a special low price of $19.95 (USD).
http://www.ugnn.com/2011/07/checkbook-2-2/
iPad stylus pen review
This article by David Ahn, MD of the 'iMedicalApps Team,' written back in February shows how various stylus pens work with the iPad and other iOS devices.
http://www.ugnn.com/2011/07/ipad-stylus-pen-review/
Blast from the PAST: Thought Different
from July 2007 InfoManager ... Remember when Apple told us to Think Different? This is a web site that honors that tradition.
http://www.ugnn.com/2007/07/thought-different/
Blast from the PAST: Dvorak
Dvorak: I'm Using a Mac - Deal With It... John Dvorak has long been known as a Mac basher. Perhaps a little unfairly
http://www.ugnn.com/2007/07/dvorak-im-using-a-ma/
Phishing & Malware Update 1107-11
User Group Network UGN Safenetting and Cybercrime report Phishing is becoming more and more dangerous. At last, industry and government are starting to wake up to some of the real threats in the world
This week's notes:
[ ] Android's legit looking apps? No, they're malware
[ ] MobileMe webmail balks at political bulk mailings
[ ] SourceForge is still harboring porno and malware
[ ] Malware Attacks, Routine Expense of Businesses
[ ] Search engine poisoning and Tumblr hacking
[ ] Spear-phishing attacks bring labs offline
[ ] Helpful Tips To Protect Your Online Data
[ ] Scam From Criminal Underground
[ ] Hacker: How I stole $300,000.00
. . . and more
http://www.ugnn.com/2011/07/phishing-malware-update-1107-11/
Pictures of the month: (taken by me in Africa)
