Attendance: 10 Mac users

Topics Discussed:
The meeting started a little late, but a lot of questions were answered in the time left. There wasn't a presentation this evening...

If you have problems with passwords, then try clearing your cookies, restarting your browser, or make sure you've updated to the latest version of your browser. If all that fails, I would suggest using Firefox instead. If you're using Firefox, I would suggest contacting the web master or the company that owns the web site and ask them for help.

If you have a lot of user name and passwords to remember, a good idea is to use an old address book and write them down. Just don't put it in a safe place and then forget where it is. You should write in pencil in case you need to change the information.

Check out the new features of Safari 4, like cover flow which offers a highly visual way of reviewing your site history and bookmarked sites, presenting full-page previews of the web sites that look exactly as they did when you last visited them.

If the date on your Mac keeps resetting itself, then it's probably a good bet that your PRAM battery needs to be replaced. You shouldn't have any problems replacing it yourself if you own a desktop, especially if you can find a service tech manual. I wouldn't suggest taking a Mini, the newer flat iMacs, or laptops apart unless you've done it yourself in the past. It's very easy to tear a ribbon cable, even if you know that it's there. You can buy PRAM batteries from your local Radio Shack store or online somewhere (probably the cheapest solution).

Powerbooks are a strange lot! If you find your powerbook freezing, it could be caused by a myriad of things. Some simple solutions are to restart your Mac, remove the battery and unplug it and allow it to sit overnight, or reseat the RAM. If you have to do a certain thing for it to freeze, then it may be a software problem. Search the internet to see if others have encountered the same problem and how they resolved it. Make sure that you have the latest updates installed via software updates from the apple menu. More expensive and time consuming solutions are replacing the RAM, reinstalling your OS and applications, upgrading to the latest version of your software, or buy a new Mac and not worry about it (no, Apple did not pay me to say this).

It's a wise idea to keep your computer and paraphernalia clean. If you're going to clean them, then you can use Windex or rubbing alcohol. If you use 409 or a similar cleaner, I'm told it breaks down the plastic. I haven't personally witnessed this as I used to use 409 all the time until I heard this, but Macs are so expensive that I wouldn't take the risk. For all those who are deathly afraid of dirty keyboards, they now make keyboards that you can wash in the dishwasher! And they're cheap, to boot. Check out this web site. There is also a laser keyboard that is being sold now that projects a virtual keyboard that you can type on. I bought one of these and I wasn't impressed with it. Maybe I'll bring it to one of the meetings and demonstrate how it works if members are interested. You can also buy a silicon keyboard cover if you want a cheap solution, but I've found that they're awkward to use, it's difficult to see the letters on the keys after a while, and you have to make sure that it fits your keyboard (what with all the newfangled designs out there now).

Keychain is built into the Mac OS and stores your passwords, so don't be afraid to use it.

This page details how to increase the size of a virtual disk in VMware products.

Tabbed browsing is disabled by default. You must enable it in your browser preferences. I like to use tabs because you can quickly switch between sites without having to use the menu to hunt through a list of separate windows. The only thing you have to be careful of is that you don't open too many tabs at once, and that they aren't laden with tons of pics, videos, scripts, or a thousand blog entries. Experiment and learn what best works with your browsing style.

Don't be afraid to spend money on iPhone apps. Just do some research before plunking down the cash. Like I wouldn't recommend buying sketching apps if a free version is available because detail precision is nearly impossible with the small iPhone screen.

Google SketchUp looks like an awesome 3D application for the Mac just from glancing at the video demos! Try it out yourself...

September 17, 2009 - Keaau Youth Business Center

Topics Discussed:
I was away on the mainland, so this is a brief summary of the meeting that I was given...
The meeting evolved from a pre-meeting discussion because everyone was so excited by Snow Leopard and what it meant to them. We discussed that it would only run on Intel machines, and that you had to install Rosetta to run old Power PC applications. Chris Schaab did a demo of Snow Leopard for us and showed all the new features. We discussed how much RAM you needed and whether the new features were enough to upgrade. And also what programs would run or need a patch. Printers are still an issue.

Attendance: 15 Mac users

Topics Discussed:
We watched a movie called "Macheads" at the UH Institute for Astronomy Auditorium. It's a cozy little place that's hidden away, which Gary Fujihara kindly offered for us to use. I won't give a commentary about the movie, but let's just say that I'm proud of the fact that I'm NOT a machead. Below are some pictures that I took of the event (click picture to open full sized picture in a new window):

Our host Gary Fujihara

Below is the flier for the event:

Attendance: 10 Mac users

Topics Discussed:
We met in the sound room since there was a class still meeting in the main room...

We have a group on Facebook if anyone is interested in joining. Not much goes on, but I'll be posting the video I recorded there soon as an alternative for watching streamed video.

The iPhone can now sync with the "Cloud". For those who have no idea what the "Cloud" is, it refers to online services and storage like MobileMe, iDisk, and iTunes.

If you don't mind a jailbroken iPod, you can turn your iPod touch into an iPhone with the freeware SIP-VoIP application (but you still have to purchase minutes). You can follow the directions from this web site at your own risk: Turn Your iPod Touch into an iPhone
In the beginning, the whole point of VoIP was that it was supposed to be free. So what is the point if you have to pay for it? Someone please enlighten me on this subject...

We watched an online demo of PopChar X from ergonis. It's good for quickly typing characters that you normally don't use on the keyboard. PopChar X requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and costs about US$38. We also looked at Typinator, which is good for inserting text or pictures that you use regularly in your documents. I believe Microsoft Word has a similar feature as well, but I've found that copy & paste works just fine for me. It has the same requirements as PopChar X, but only costs about US$26.

We have a new sponsor, Edge Tech Corp. Ask Dawn about the special group discount that they offer on all their products.

We watched an interview of David Pogue at the Macworld Expo. Apple has pulled out, but they still plan to continue holding the expo while there is interest.

iPhoto 09 has an amazing new feature that allows it to group photos based on face recognition technology that is able to learn as you use it. You can also organize pictures according to Places (where it was shot). Visit Apple's web site to drool over all the new software that they're releasing...as well as look over all their tutorials, manuals, and information that Apple dumps in one central location for your convenience!

The MacBook & MacBook Air do not have a Firewire port...only the MacBook Pro does. Both the MacBook & MacBook Pro support dual monitor mirroring or extension. There was some debate on that during the meeting. You'll need to buy a special video adapter, tho.

If you're having trouble with electronic equipment, don't be afraid to knock it around a few times. The jarring can actually reseat the circuit boards that have loose contacts. That, or give you a good reason to replace it now...

If you're looking at buying a drawing tablet from Wacom or a Modbook from Axiotron, I would advise you to go with the drawing tablet instead based on just the price alone. There are many other reasons I could offer, but we'll let your pocketbook make the decision for you. Just be aware that I've heard that the Cintiq models become hot to the touch, and you may want to buy cheap cotton gloves to pad your drawing hand from the heat.

And if anyone is interested about my project to run a WIFI from my Mac using an USB Ethernet adapter...I was unsuccessful. I could get the 2 Macs to see each other (even share files), but the iBook wouldn't connect to the internet (something about the WIFI). It works fine if it's hard wired, but I don't have a 200 foot Ethernet cable on hand. So I gave up and went with a telephone/Ethernet adapter setup that I forgot that I had from 5 years ago. But the USB Ethernet adapter ran just fine with the drivers from this web site...