appleJAC Macintosh Users

RECENT ENTRIES -- there is much to see below . . .

•                           President's Place
• iPad Class 02/28/12
• appleJAC MUG on KWOS Open Air Saturday
• Speed Machine: Variable Rate Video Recorder
• Printer Pro: Network Printing for iPhone and iPad
• Coinkeeper: Expense Tracking on iPhone and iPod touch
• and much more . . . updated January 19, 2012

President's Place

(article pending)

iPad Class 02/28/12

appleJAC MUG on KWOS Open Air Saturday

Peggy Landwehr, George Kopp and Tom Piper were interviewed by Hal Dulle and Warren Krech during the KWOS Open Air Saturday, January 14, 2012, episode.

A variety of topics were covered from Apple products to appleJAC activities. It is an entertaining and educational half hour of radio fun.

You can listen in by clicking on OpenAirSaturday (this file might take a minute to load, then it should start automatically so you can hear all of the show without commercials).

Speed Machine: Variable Rate Video Recorder

a review by Tom Piper

We have all used movie cameras for years, and are now delighted with the ability to capture videos on our iPhones and iPads. This has all been done in “real time”, but what if you are trying to capture a fast-moving object using a higher frame-rate, or a really slow-moving object with a low frame-rate? Such an app is now available from the makers of iSupr8.

Speed Machine from MEA Mobile is a fast and slow motion video recorder which enables you to record videos with an output frame rate ranging from 4 frames-per-second (fps) to 56fps. It does not record audio. You can first record your videos with a playback frame of 4fps, then watch these videos in slow motion, or record at 56fps and watch your movies in fast motion. Features of this app include:

• Selectable output anywhere from 4fps- 56fps
•  Record in High Definition
•  Adjustable video quality
•  Large view screen
•  Export to camera roll
•  iTunes file sharing enabled
•  AirPlay enabled  

This is not a complicated video app. As the screenshot at right shows, there is the shiny LED button (turn iPhone light on), red Record button, the Preview button, and the Settings button. The viewscreen consuming the left 80% of the screen is a picture of the Setting frame rate dial and quality buttons. Once set, this is very much a point-and-shot app with the results saved in the Photos area.

Learn more about this and other apps at http://www.meamobile.com. Speed Machine is available from the App Store for $1.99. This is a cool app for specialized effects.

Printer Pro: Network Printing for iPhone and iPad

a review by Tom Piper

You have a delightful picture, or valuable text that needs to be preserved, so you want to print it . . . but, how and where? iOS device printing still seems more difficult than it should be, particularly when you are away from home. Yet, there is hope with some new apps.

Printer Pro is the application that lets you print wirelessly from the iPad or iPhone. It can print directly to many Wi-Fi printers, and to any printer attached to your Mac or PC via helper application installed on your computer. It broadens your opportunity to get a paper product from your iOS device.

The first step is to “Add printer” to your list (this allows you to select any printer it can see on your Wi-Fi network, or send it to networked computers, or your Dropbox). It then prints out a test page to verify (even allows for calibration of image). Next is displayed all the possible sources of documents like iDisk, Dropbox, Clipboard, Photos, Documents and more, which allows you to retrieve anything you want to print.

Once installed, Printer Pro also appears in the "Open In..." list on your device. This lets you print documents from Mail, Safari, ReaddleDocs and many other applications on your iPad that supports this function, as well as many popular online storages including Dropbox, MobileMe iDisk, GoogleDocs. Its just a matter of a few taps to download your file and send it to the printer.

To print a web page, just change "http" to "phttp" in the address bar in Safari and tap Go. The page will immediately be opened in the Printer Pro with print button right above your finger. You can print web-based documents as well using this approach. I’ve even printed to the office printers of my auto dealership with a simple select-and-print procedure.

Printer Pro is available at the App Store for either $4.99 (iPhone) or $6.99 (iPad), and you can learn more from http://readdle.com/products/printer_pro_ipad/ (change “ipad” to “iphone” in the URL to get the other version). Get the free helper application for your computer to print more types of documents and with better quality. You can download it at support.readdle.com/ppd. All in all, this advanced printer app works quite well.

Coinkeeper: Expense Tracking on iPhone and iPod touch

a review by Tom Piper

Getting tired of the same old accounting programs on your Mac, and looking for a fresh new approach to keeping a record of your revenue and expenses? Want to do it on an iOS device so it is always there when you need it most? This new app may well appeal to you.

CoinKeeper, by i-Free Innovations (St Petersburg, Russia), was released for iPhone and iPod Touch. The game-style expense tracker app came to iTunes AppStores in North America, UK and Australia on October 17th.

CoinKeeper is a beautiful and easy budget and expense tracker with iOS native feel. You begin with a default or customizable budget, and start adding transactions with the drag-and-tap interface designed to save time and add fun. CoinKeeper gives an immediate and comprehensive one-screen view of the current state of your personal finances in a neat visual style. Rewards for consistency in budget planning and spending are introduced to inspire first-time adopters of personal finance planning and add a game flavor to experienced users. Their website provides some excellent observations:

How it differs from existing financial apps:

• Easier, just add transactions by dragging a coin.
• More convenient, with all the figures you need on one screen.
• More fun, by getting rewarded for your financial discipline.

Other features:

• Manual and automatic budgets
•  Reports and statistics in three beautiful styles.
•  Rearrange and edit icons on main screen
•  Set financial goals for savings
•  One-click history of transactions- Multiple accounts and currencies
•  Reminder of recurring and missed transactions
•  Passcode protection

What's new in version 1.4:

•  Create accounts with negative values
•  Use an empty (zero) budget
•  Bi-weekly transactions
•  Income section expands more easily
•  Switch the basic currency
•  16 new currencies
•  Clear transactions’ history by removing a category (optional)
•  Simplified password inputs
•  Edit and rearrange icons on main screen with long tap on them
•  Full amounts of expenses and budgets on transactions' history screens
•  Discreet tips instead of tutorial

Its a rather novel idea to use the “coin metaphor” to do your accounting, yet it seems to be quite delightful in the execution. It is quite the bargain at only $2.99 from the App Store, learn more about it from http://coinkeeper.me/. They even have a cool YouTube video to provide a quick journey through all the features.

 

New iRig MIX/DJ/Mic/STOMP from iK Multimedia

IK Multimedia on the first day of CES has announced four incredible new products:

• 
  iRig™ MIX, the first mobile mixer for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad devices. iRig MIX offers the same controls you would expect from a professional DJ mixer (crossfader, cues, EQ and volume controls, etc.) in an ultra-compact mobile mixer that can be used with a huge variety of iOS DJ mixing and other apps. Learn more at www.irigmix.com.
• DJ Rig™, a full-featured, double-deck DJ mixing app for iPhone. DJ Rig provides instant song play from the device’s music library, tempo sync, sample-based pads, performance recording and an arsenal of high-quality DJ effects. Together with the just-announced iRig™ MIX, DJ Rig is the most portable, pro-quality setup for mobile DJs and musicians. Learn more at www.djrig.net.
• iRig™ Mic Cast, the ultra-compact portable voice recording microphone designed specifically for recording podcasts, interviews, lectures, voice memos, speeches and more which provides a pocket-sized voice recording solution with crystal-clear audio quality.  It features a tight unidirectional pickup pattern that minimizes background noise making it ideal for single-source audio recording. Learn more at www.irigmiccast.com.
• iRig™ STOMP, the first stompbox guitar interface for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. For the first time, guitar and bass players can now integrate their favorite iOS signal processing apps into their existing live pedalboard setup for enhanced tone shaping and effects processing. Learn more at www.irigstomp.com.

Sophie’s Cards: an Exceptional Greeting Card Program

a review by Tom Piper

Are you tired of browsing the greeting card stores for something that exactly fits your mood and intent? Do you want to create cards that are refreshing and expressive? Need a source for terrific photos and thoughtful content? I believe I have the answer for you.

Sophie's Cards is a greeting card program that allows you to produce studio quality cards in minutes for virtually any occasion. More than five years in the making, version 6 of this program now contains exclusive photography not available anywhere else.

I found that using Sophie's Cards is straightforward whereby that you can just select an occasion (including holidays), and the program offers you a menu of appropriate images and verses, and you can even add your own words and import your own pictures to create a completely personalized card (the ability to print envelopes with an easy-to-use address feature is.

To make a new card, you need to select card stock (portrait or landscape, full page or half-fold or quarter-fold), choose inside or outside of card, then step through each of four tabs for Photos (629 in 18 categories), Verse (549 in 17 categories), Accents (16 Borders, 36 insets in any corner), and Personalization (Cover Text, Left/Top Text, Right/Bottom Text for Salutation, Address, Closing Greeting and Signature). Obviously, you have lots of choices and flexability. 

Once your card is done, you can create custom envelopes with selectable print and pictures, which can be printed one at a time, or batch printed from a list (it will even auto-import your Address Book). Who its from and to whom it is going is all customizable. If you need help, a quick click on the “?” in the top margin of the window will yield four different illustrated and labelled graphic representations of the working screens . . . very easy to follow, and a fairly quick set of instructions.

After completion, you can even track and recover cards you have saved and move them back to the Design Screen for re-design or re-use exactly as you had originally designed them. Its nice to be able to print in nine different card sizes, and matching envelopes, including note card, half fold, postcard, and "frameable art",  in both U.S. and international sizes.

In order to use, you need at least a PowerPC G5 computer with at least 256MB of RAM, running at least Mac OS v10.5 or greater with a minimum of one GB of available hard disk drive space, and a photo-quality inkjet printer (a CD-ROM drive is needed for CD versions of Sophie's Cards). For best results, a Mac with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core Duo processor or faster, with at least 4GB of RAM, running Mac OS v10.6.x, or 10.7.x, and one GB of available hard disk drive space (same printer and CD drive needed as previously mentioned). You also need appropriate sizes and types of card stock (although you can use regular 8.5” x 11”.

Sophie's Cards can be purchased from the Kagi Store for $39.95 (this provides a registration code to fully enable copies originally downloaded as a demo). A free demo of version 6 is available at http://www.sophiescards.com/Sophies_Cards/Home.html. To get Sophie’s Cards on CD from the Kagi Store, it will cost. $39.95 + $7.99 S&H. To order a demo from the Kagi Store, it will cost $7.99. Its nice to be able to design and produce your own greeting cards, particularly if you have a creative nature. This program is a terrific tool to help you be as expressive as you wish.

 

iPod: the Missing Manual (9th Edition)

a review by Tom Piper

Author: J.D. Biersdorfer
Publisher: O'Reilly Media / Pogue Press
Released: October 2010
Pages: 304
Print ISBN: 978-1-4493-9047-1 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-9047-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4493-0182-8 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-0182-7

As stated on this book’s website, “Apple's iPod still has the world hooked on portable music, pictures, videos, movies, and more, but one thing it doesn't have is a manual that helps you can get the most out this amazing device. That's where this book comes in. Get the complete scoop on the latest line of iPods and the latest version of iTunes with the guide that outshines them all — iPod: The Missing Manual.”

The ninth edition is as useful, satisfying, and reliable as its subject. It is filled with high-quality color graphics, each page helps you accomplish a specific task — everything from managing your media and installing and browsing iTunes to keeping calendars and contacts. Whether you have a brand-new iPod or an old favorite, this book provides crystal-clear colorful explanations and expert guidance on all of the things you can do.

The Table of Contents provides a useful overview of the topics described (each chapter has many subchapters that go into tremendous detail):

• Introduction
• Chapter 01: Meet the iPod: Out of the Box and Into Your Ears in 15 Minutes 
• Chapter 02: Bopping Around the iPod Nano, Shuffle, and Classic 
• Chapter 03: Touring the Touch 
• Chapter 04: iTunes Basics 
• Chapter 05: iTunes Power Moves 
• Chapter 06: The Power of Playlists 
• Chapter 07: Shop the iTunes Store 
• Chapter 08: It’s Showtime: Video on the iPod 
• Chapter 09: Picture Your Photos on the iPod 
• Chapter 10: The iPod as Personal Assistant 
• Chapter 11: Surf the Web with the iPod Touch 
• Chapter 12: iPod and iTunes Out Loud 
• Chapter 13: What to Do When Your iPod Isn’t Working Right 
• Index

This is a delightful book that was first produced almost 10 years ago, then repeatedly updated to recognize all of the versions of the iPod as time marched along. It is not only educational, but also quite entertaining as we journey through all the audio and visual aspect of this incredible product. It definitely has a place in your library, whether paper or ebook. The prices are very reasonable.

By going to the O’Reilly website (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920010876.do), to can purchase the print version for $19.99, or the book (APK, DAISY, ePub, Mobi, PDF) version for $15.99. If you are an Amazon fan, then the paperback version can be acquired there for $12.99, or the Kindle ebook version for $9.99. As with all Missing Manual publications (of which I have many), this is another treasure for your collection.

 

Piezo 1.1: Recording from VoIP apps

a review by Tom Piper

When I do podcasts, recording the sound of an interview is very important. I’ve used Skype in the past, and increasingly am using iChat and FaceTime as they become more popular. Perhaps you, too, have such a need, even for family and friends? Now, there is a cool way to do it, quickly and simply.

From Rogue Amoeba comes Piezo 1.1 which brings VoIP Recording to Skype, iChat, FaceTime and more. This simple audio recording app  provides full support for recording from a variety of VoIP apps. What really caught my attention is that this new app will now separate out the audio of the caller and recipient, recording them to the left and right audio channels, respectively. This is a really great feature for podcasts and other recordings.

Piezo can avoid feedback effects, and provides the user more control during post-processing. It has a stunning interface, featuring a gorgeous retro-modern look, requires almost no configuration, and allows for recording from microphones and other audio devices too.

 Using this app is so easy. Select a sound source from the pop-up list on front, click on the red record button at right, and its recording (watch the VU meters dance) — click the record button again, and you are done. Settings are straight-forward (file name and five levels of sound quality). Preferences allow you to select where you want the file saved, and whether you want it to show after recording is done.

Piezo requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, and can be purchased via the Mac App Store, or directly from Rogue Amoeba’s online store (http://rogueamoeba.com/piezo/) for just $10. A fully-functional free trial is also available on the Rogue Amoeba site. 

President's Place

by George Kopp

Welcome to 2012....

Another year is come and gone. Your appleJAC club is strong; and, with its new bylaws, has a renewed purpose to support the Macintosh and iOS products. I want to start off by congratulating our new officers for 2012.

I believe this provides us a good mix of seasoned officers and new blood. New leadership continues to make the group stronger as long as we continue to have those that can always fill in and help.

The most important thing to remember, whether you're an officer or not, this is your club. What we do is a decision made based on what people in the club want to see happen. At our January meeting, we will be selecting topics for the rest of the year. We will also give an opportunity for people to ask questions and talk about products that they've got for Christmas, or that they'd like to learn more about. 

This year your leadership hopes to mix it up a little more. We want to have meetings in Jefferson City and Columbia. We also want to vary the topics between Macintosh products and iOS products. With so many of our members having new iPads or iPhones from Christmas, the first half of the year will have meeting topics that cover both. 

Upcoming Meetings

The topic of the next meeting is "Christmas Memories / All of the Questions ... and some of the answers". It will be held at 7:00 pm on January 3, 2012, at Kennedy Hall in Immaculate Conception Church, 1206 East McCarty St., Jefferson City, MO 65101

As the outgoing President, one of my last things is to I ask you is to get involved. We need your input to help us make the decisions that grow this club further and make our meetings more exciting. Please attend the January meeting, if at all possible, so that you can make your voices heard. 

(dictated with Siri on my iPhone)

Uniea iPhone 4/4S Cases: Elegant Durability

a review by Tom Piper

Having just purchased a 64GB white iPhone 4S, my first concern was to protect it with a good case. I was wanted one that would be nice looking to accent the phone’s features. I got three cases from Uniea, a reliable company I’ve worked with before.

The first unit is a U-Suit Folio Premium II Leather Hard Filp Case priced at $34.95, available in six different colors. It provides a highly distinctive and professional style for those in search of an executive, all-business look. This case features precision cutouts for all ports and switches, and a slim design with flip bottom that adds minimal bulk, but maximum protection to your iPhone. In addition to this, it also features a striking leather finish for a classy, high-end image. Sized at 6.4 x 12.1 x 1.2 (cm), and weighing 41 grams, it features a flip-open cover for full enclosure and lash-optimized camera lens cut-outs.

The second is the Rebelution, a UV Glossy Finishing PC Hard Shell Case priced at $29.95, available in five different color combinations. It has a bold and edgy graphic that makes you stand out in a good way adding a swagger and wry wit to your mobile computing experience. The graphic is expertly protected by a durable UV ultraviolet coating that simply won’t wear off, while the strong yet slim PC polycarbonate plastic shell protects against scratches and dust.

The Rebelution line of phone cases take your mobile device to a new level of style. Strong construction and a custom fit give you reliable protection from scratches, dust, and drops, while the fresh designs offer a look that is totally unique. You can show everyone the real you by expressing it with your Rebelution case. Sized at 10.5 × 6.2 × 1 (cm), and weighing in at 10 gram, the precision cut-outs give you access to all critical buttons and ports while the ultra-slim profile adds minimal bulk to your smartphone (tiny holes on the side customized for wrist and neck straps.

The third case is the U-Suit - Indie Director Intrecciato Leather Hard Case for iPhone 4/4S priced at $29.95, available in three colors. This is the casual model of UNIEA’s U-Suit line for the iPhone 4/4S which features a striking embossed logo and rugged polycarbonate construction, together with a hip matte finish. The Indie model features a convenient flip open folio cover and a unique PC construction with a glossy feel, and a stylish rugged leather grip. Sized at 10.5 × 6.2 × 1 (cm), and weighing 20 grams, it is made of glossy UV coated PC plastic with a slim profile and very nice feel.

Each of these cases has its own distinctive appeal where the blue U-Suit Folio felt really good with lots of protection, the flip-down front sometimes got in the way. The Rebelution really enhances my white case and has a very tight fit, but no front protection. Likewise, the U-Suit Indie Director lacks front protection, but has a rugged carbon-fiber back that is very appealing. Its nice to have a variety to select from, but changing is difficult (to Uniea’s credit) due to the tight fit. As you might expect with any quality case, the final choice is a matter of personal taste. 

You can’t go wrong with any of Uniea’s cases. Just go to http://www.uniea.com/Phone-Cases-case/iPhone-4/4S-case/45.aspx to see what fits your mood and expression. I’m sure that there is more than one that you would like among almost 50 available.

iRig and SampleTank 1.1: Spectacular iOS Device Sound

a review by Tom Piper

So, you’ve got a MIDI keyboard, and you have tried GarageBand, but want something different that will reflect your creativity. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could plug your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into that keyboard, then create and record your music?

IK Multimedia has announced the availability of iRig MIDI and SampleTank for iOS (now available as a universal app with version 1.1). The latest update adds a 4-track MIDI recorder, a new beat-making interface, an expanded set of instruments and patterns, more compatibility with third party docks, and much more.

iRig MIDI is an ultra-compact standard Core MIDI interface for iOS that connects any MIDI compatible device to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It connects to MIDI keyboards, drum machines, drum pads, pedal boards and more to an iOS device to control a world of MIDI-compatible apps such as GarageBand. You can also use iOS apps to control external MIDI equipment such as sound modules, DAWs or lighting systems right from the mobile device. This unit has three MIDI ports: IN/OUT/THRU which connect to any standard MIDI jacks using the included 2 x 1.6m/5.2’ cables, and two LEDs for displaying the MIDI activity on the IN and OUT ports. The micro USB port (with included cable) connects to any standard USB power supply source so that it can stay fully powered during long sessions.

SampleTank is a pro-quality, sample-based sound and groove workstation for the iOS mobile platform. It can be played directly from the app or can be used live with any MIDI keyboard or pad controller with the iRig MIDI adapter. This app enables the mobile musician to record beats, grooves or complete songs anytime and everywhere. The new recorder features quantize and loop functions, export to audio and integration with the built-in pattern player making SampleTank a full-featured mobile sound and groove workstation. Plus the new beat-making interface with assignable pads makes groove creation a breeze.

This combination is very impressive. The number of included instruments has doubled in the regular version and now exceeds 500 total available instruments. SampleTank now also includes over 1,000 professionally programmed patterns so that anyone can make music regardless of prior musical ability. Instruments and patterns are organized into 16 categories including Pianos, Organs, Strings, Basses, Guitars, Drums, Synths, Woodwinds, Brass, Ethnic Instruments, Percussion and more all instantly accessible from a single app to create any style of music.

If you are like me, and want to get the most out of your keyboard, this is a great combination to have. There are so many variations that you can fully express your musical stylings, and record them for others to enjoy.

The iRig MIDI is immediately available at www.irigmidi.com for $69.99. SampleTank 1.1 is available on the iTunes App store for only $19.99 with 136 high-quality instruments and over 1,000 patterns included. A free version of SampleTank is also available with 8 sounds plus their selection of patterns. An additional 22 expansion sound packs are available for in-app purchase starting from as low as $4.99 each or all together for a competitive bundle price. Owners of iRig MIDI will also get an exclusive sound set of 48 sounds for free simply by registering. The 1.1 update is free to existing users.

For more information about SampleTank, go to www.sampletank.com/ios. To heard the sounds, go towww.ikmultimedia.com/sampletankipad/. This can be the answer to your musical expressions in a variety of venues.

Bad Elf GPS: Empowering Your iOS Devices

a review by Tom Piper

I originally bought a Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 because I didn’t need the 3G connectivity. But, I do need GPS capability for the mapping apps that I love to use while traveling. I have a nice Mi-Fi unit, but Verizon did not unlock the GPS capability, and I don’t have a iPhone Hot-Spot activated through AT&T. What was I to do?

Bad Elf has the solution with the creation of its high-quality and dependable product which are consistent with Apple’s philosophy of “It just works!” All I had to do was plug in my Bad Elf GPS and start traveling with GPS guidance. There was no complicated setup, and no batteries to charge . . . realistic plug-and-play!

This GPS device is an Apple-approved external GPS accessory designed to directly connect to my iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. It plugs into the dock connector and allows apps to read my current location, regardless of where I am. The company (Bad Elf) has worked hard to provide world-class customer service for my questions or concerns.

The Bad Elf GPS is about the size of a Quarter coin, and about the same thickness as my iPad. It is extremely small and portable with a detachable lanyard for safe-keeping and easy handling. On one end is the 30-pin Apple male connector, and on the other end a green activity light and a female micro-USB insert which enables charging of iOS device and syncing of iOS device with my computer. It is small enough to be compatible with most protective cases, arm bands, and car kits — as long as they do not obstruct the 30-pin dock connector.

To test it under real-life conditions, this unit has been mounted on an iPad for three long trips -- over 1,100 miles to northern Nebraska, over 1,900 miles to Santa Fe, NM, and over1,200 miles to Birmingham, AL. The iPad on one trip was laid low on the console, and on two other trips was mounted higher via a windshield mount. In both cases it took about a minute after activating Navigon GPS app to initially recognize the available satellites (green light blinks until found, then goes steady). After that, I never had to think about it (I did plug in the provided USB cable to my car’s power in order to keep the iPad charged (the Bad Elf GPS uses power from the iPad) . . . the sensitivity of this unit was actually better than by car’s built-in Kenwood (Garmin) GPS system.

Even with its simplicity and ease-of-use, I wish that this unit had clips on the 30-pin connector to keep it engaged (Apple doesn’t allow that), even when the cable is moved. To make it more available to more people, it would be popular if the price was in the $60 range such as competing blue-tooth units (which unfortunately don’t yet work with the iOS devices).

You can get you very own Bad Elf GPS unit (model BE-GPS-1000) for $99.95 at http://bad-elf.com/products/gps/. I agree that it is a strange name for such an elegant and useful piece of hardware, but it works great, and creates a terrific giant-GPS screen for my travels.

 

E-waste event set for Jan. 7, 2012

What: E-waste event

When: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Midwest Recycling Center, 1327 Missouri Hwy. 179

Who is the collection open to? Everyone

Is there a charge? $15 per TV, $5 per monitor; EVERYTHING ELSE IS RECYCLED FOR FREE!

What kind of material is accepted?

WE CAN RECYCLE ANYTHING WITH A CORD OR A BATTERY GOING TO IT, including TVs; computer monitors; refrigerators; air conditioners; dehumidifiers; microwaves; treadmills; water heaters; furnaces; lawn and garden equipment if the gas is removed; cell phones; 8-track players; VCRs; telephones; copiers; printers; radio equipment of any kind; satellite receivers; telecom equipment; ham radios; video games and all accessories including the games; corded or cordless power tools including the batteries and charger; computers; faxes; car, boat and tractor batteries; re-chargeable batteries, etc.

NO: smoke alarms, thermostats and alkaline batteries

Who do I contact if I have questions? Please contact the City of Jefferson Recycling Coordinator at 573-634-6410. 

December appleJAC Annual Meeting Actions

Due to the cold and snow, attendance was diminished, but those members present took several important steps forward at this appleJAC Macintosh Users Group Annual Meeting. The following members were elected as the new 2012 officers to take effect on January 1:

• President - Julie Smith
• Vice President - Alice Kopp
• Secretary - Trish Alexander
• Treasurer - Mark Snell
• Webmaster - Tom Piper
• Librarian - Joe Mertzlufft
• Member@Large (room setup and presenters needs) - Greg Breuer
• Member@Large (refreshments) - Sue Snell
• Member@Large (photos) - Dan Walsh
• Member@Large (recruiting) - Peggy Landwehr
• Member@Large (past president) - George Kopp

In other actions, the membership formally adopted the changes to the appleJAC Bylaws which would remove the Board size restriction, recognize all Apple products as our focus, and other housekeeping improvements. A copy of these changed Bylaw can be downloaded by clicking on this title: AppleJAC Bylaws 120611. 

President's Place

by George Kopp

The year has flown by, and here we are at December again. It amazes me how much has changed in the Apple universe since just a year ago. New computers and iOS devices seem like the normal thing now, but just a year ago, the features we take for granted today seemed like just a dream.  

iOS 5 has made our iPads and iPhones much more like computers and Mac OS 10.7 Lion has even made our Macs much more like our iPads. I foresee this trend continuing. But, as in all aspects of life, some things do come to an end, and those include my term serving as your President.

At our December meeting, we will have our annual business meeting and election of 2012 officers. In addition to this, we will be making some long overdue corrections and modifications to the Bylaws of appleJAC. These changes make our group more like the group we have become. They de=emphasize the Macintosh perspective for an emphasis on the Apple prospective. If you attend meetings, you know this has been the way the group has trended for the last few years. In between presentations on the Mac, we often have presentations on other Apple products, primarily the iOS devices that so many of us use on a daily basis.

I want to be clear. We are still a Macintosh users group, but we are modifying our Bylaws to prepare us for the future with a more broad Apple centric approach. These Bylaws are on the website (immediately following the agenda) for you to review (thanks Tom Piper for his efforts in scribing these changes)

The Nominating Committee has also come up with what looks to be a great slate of officers for next year.  Many of our number are continuing to serve in a leadership capacity, but we also have some new people getting involved and some others that are returning to the Board to assist the group as we move forward. Listed below are the nominations so far; we will accept other nominations from the floor also.

appleJAC Officer Nominations 2012

President - Julie Smith
Vice President - Alice Kopp
Secretary - Trish Alexander
Treasurer - Mark Snell
Webmaster - Tom Piper
Librarian - Joe Mertzlufft
Member@Large (room setup and presenters needs) - Greg Breuer
Member@Large (refreshments) - Sue Snell
Member@Large (photos) - Dan Walsh
Member@Large (recruiting) - Peggy Landwehr
Member@Large (past president) - George Kopp

Last month we moved our meeting location to Kennedy Hall in Immaculate Conception Church at 1206 East McCarty St. in Jefferson City. This new location proved to be a fantastic meeting room for us, and we will be discussing our future meeting locations at the business meeting also.

But don't let the thought of a business meeting scare you away. Tom Piper will be filling us in and responding to inquiries on the features of iOS5, and I will be presenting (and yes, answering all your questions) on iCloud, Apple's new cloud service package available to all Lion users at no cost.

This will be another great meeting to get a few details so you can answer your families questions while sitting around the Christmas tree later in December.

I hope to see you all at the meeting this month.

 

Proposed Amendment to aJMUG Bylaws

The appleJAC Macintosh Users Group Board of Directors is considering a series of changes to its corporate Bylaws which it hopes can be approved at the December 6 Annual Meeting.

These changes are intended to achieve the following:

• Eliminate the emphasis on Macintosh and focus on Apple products ( we have been doing this anyway with the iPhone and iPad of late);
• Eliminate the maximum number of Members of the Board of Directors;
• Emphasize that Board Members may be asked to perform a focused function (ie... refreshments, recruitment....); and
• Miscellaneous housekeeping changes for consistency and clarity.

The last changes were made five years ago. The current Bylaws showing highlighted proposed changes (overstrike to delete, underline to add) are shown on the attached document (Download AppleJAC Bylaws 120611).

 

Taking your Photos Beyond iPhoto

by George Kopp

Do you want to do more with your photos than iPhoto can do? Perhaps make some edits to the photo itself or a portion of the photo? Do I have a deal for you . . . 

iPhoto gives you the ability to make some terrific modifications to your photos. If you need to adjust the color or saturation of a photo, it gives you great tools to be able to deal with these kinds of corrections. But, what if you need to make a change to the image itself? Perhaps you need to fix the color of only a portion of the image. To do this you need additional tools. 

The industry standard for such work is Photoshop which gives a professional photographer the ability make nearly any change to an image that could be dreamed of. But Adobe Photoshop is an expensive program at over $700 and has a steep learning curve. 

Fortunately, Adobe recognizes that the photo enthusiast cannot spend this much money to do minor edits to their photos. Adobe also sells a product called Photoshop Elements. Elements provides much of the ability to make modifications to photos that an amateur photographer might need. In addition, they also provide additional tools that make typical modifications you might want to make even easier. As good as iPhoto is, there are times it is just not quite enough, and Elements gives you those extra tools you need to save that all important shot. 

Some of the great features in Elements include: 

• Cookie cutter tool
• Smart brush tool
• Photomerge modes, like Group Shot, Scene Cleaner, Faces, and Style Match
• Guided Edits and Quick Fix mode
• Automatically divide scanned photos when using a scanner
• Photo creation templates for photo books, greeting cards, calendars, and more
• Easy online sharing options for Facebook, Flickr, etc. 

Adobe sells Photoshop Elements for $99 in a box, or for $79 from the Apple App Store. But, during the holiday season, you might be able to pick up a copy of Photoshop Elements 10 for as little as $49 on sale. 

If you are looking for the next tool to put into your photo-fixing bag of tricks, Elements might just be the one for you. At the lower cost, it is a great way to begin looking at serious photo editing and provide the easy-to-use tools to get those fixes right the first time.

If there was enough interest, appleJAC might be able to offer a class this Winter or early Spring in using Photoshop Elements. If you have such interest, be sure to let one of our officers know.

To find out more about Photoshop Elements 10, check out the features from Adobe’s web site at this link:  http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/features.html.