There are some really good Apple devices, iPad, iPhone, Mac computers of various sizes, etc. And there's new advancements in technology. Great reasons to connect with some friendly people in your local area who know helpful stuff. It's logical to come and visit our Prescott Mac User Group -- or the one nearest you.
Secretary Bobbie Pastor had a good presentation on Saturday. Prez Rob Raess and John Carter helped make it interesting.
We're all learning and discovering. And you don't have to be an expert to volunteer to help in some way. Next month is our annual election. We encourage each other by attending, so check out the www.pmug.us site for more info.
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.
Got a New Apple Product?
If you — or a friend of yours — received a new Mac computer or iPad, iPod, iPhone for a holiday gift (Congratulations!) you'll want to mark your calendar now. You can learn more and make friends at the Prescott Mac User Group.
Bobbie Pastor, PMUG secretary has just reminded us of the January events. John Carter and Bobbie hold SIGS (Special Interest Groups) on the first and fourth Fridays each month.
Our monthly meetings are practical and fun. January 18, 10 am to 12 starts us off. Prez Art Gorski has plans for the year to announce, and Ginger Carlson, our cookie lady, will have some yum-yums for us. Other board members, David Rothgery and David Passell will be happy to shake your hand. And you'll meet the other Chairs, Mary Ann Clark, Ward Stanke, Sharon Lampert, Howard Reider, and Elaine Hardt. http://pmug.us/about-us/
So come and bring a friend!
Are You New to the Mac Computer? Mac 101
"Here is the start of a new series of instructions for the new Mac user," writes Jim Hamm.
Yesterday, (10-4) Macworld started a new series of How-To for the new Mac user. Go there, bookmark it, and watch for that weekly posting. That’s if you want to hear about everybody else’s problems! You’ll have to sort that out.
HOWEVER, in the Prescott area you have PMUG and you have the PMUG monthly SIGs (Special Interest Groups.)
Sometimes asking a smiling person at our meetings can be more helpful than reading a whole book! You'll find people at PMUG who previously used PC, you'll find people who just got their first Mac or iPhone or iPad, you'll find people who have used Mac since 1984. And here on this blog you'll find all sorts of help. Scan through the Labels on the right hand side to get an idea.
See you on the 20? Ginger Carlson will give you a cookie!
Introducing You to Linux
John Carter would like to introduce you — and your PC friends, too — to Linux at the next scheduled meeting of the joint PMUG/PCS SIG, September 29 from 1 to 3 PM in the Founders Suite at the Prescott Library.
What's Linux? John explains, "Linux is an alternative operating system, and it is free as are the majority of the applications that run under Linux. There are several distributions of Linux, so many in fact that it can be very confusing to figure out which one to use."
John will demonstrate several of the different distributions and "try to show how easy Linux is to use and manage, depending on which distribution you choose. Whether you are interested in using Linux or not, this is a must-attend SIG so you won't be left wondering what the fuss is all about."
Some Free Apps for Your Computer
There's that word FREE that gets our attention. John Carter has found some free apps. Read on.
Are you a PC person besides a PMUG person? You've probably noted that John is a PC officer who also heads a joint PC/PMUG Special Interest Group (SIG). He's also our Webmaster for our PMUG site. John sends this link to a list of 50 alternatives to see if there's a free app that might be helpful for you. When you open this page, do Command + F for Find and enter Mac in the search box. There are 31 places where Mac is mentioned in this article.
John says, "Don't forget to read the user-submitted comments at the end for additional insights." Perhaps you also want to check out the Prescott PC site.
Jan. 7 SIG Cancelled
John Carter has cancelled his January 7 SIG at Northpoint so he can go to the funeral for his father's brother in California.
Photoshop SIG
Friday, January 8 brings the first SIG of the year. The Special Interest Group focuses on photography this time, with John Carter teaching fundamentals of Photoshop. Meanwhile Art Gorski wants to find a book on Photoshop Element 6. Roger Lakner says he's tried to order the book, but apparently it's out of print. Any other input?
New iCal URL for PMUG calendar.
STAY TUNED! There is something wrong with the URL provided here.
An update will come when the problem is corrected. - John Carter
The iCal subscription to the PMUG iCal events has changed. The new URL is:
The following 'tutorial' is intended to help in updating the PMUG URL for iCal:
1. Open iCal.
2. Select any one of the PMUG calendar events.
3. In the Menu Bar, select 'Calendar', then select 'Change URL..."
4. A pop-up window appears showing the current URL for that event.
5. Paste the new iCal URL over the current URL.
6. All calendar events for PMUG will automatically update.
Or...
1. Open iCal
2. Right click on the PMUG subscription entry in the left panel
3. Select 'Change URL...'
4. A pop-up window appears showing the current URL for that subscription.
5. Paste the new iCal URL over the current URL.
6. All calendar events for PMUG will automatically update.
If you do not have a PMUG iCal subscription:
1. Open iCal
2. Right click in a blank spot in the left panel
3. In the pop-up menu, select 'Subscribe...'
4. Paste the iCal URL in the new pop-up window.
5. All calendar events for PMUG will automatically appear.
6. Rename the new subscription and/or change the color (if you like) by right-clicking on the subscription name and selecting 'Get Info'.