appleJAC Macintosh Users

Why I Can't Make the appleJAC Meeting

vs Why I Really Should Attend the Next One

 

by Bruce Heerboth, Librarian

      You missed it.
This is the first Tuesday?
      You know how it is:
I’m out of town this week.
      Things get busy and there’s just no time to do all the things you want.
The kids have a ball game.
    You really wanted to come to the meeting.
I had to pick up someone at the airport.
    Just didn’t quite make it.
Sorry…conflicting meetings.
    But there is a reprieve.
I’m on the election committee.
    We have been busy videotaping the meetings.
The hot water tank sprang a leak!
    As well as some of our special classes.
I’ve got the flu.
    They are on CD’s and DVD’s.
Mom just got out of the hospital.
    We’ve assembled a small library.
I’ve been abducted by aliens.
    You know how it is.
I can’t find a babysitter.
    When life is interrupted.
I have to work late.
    Take a look at the list below.

Here is what’s available:

• iWork 2009 Class with Tom Piper – CD -  Loaned or $10 to purchase
• Mac Basics 2009 with George Kopp – DVD -  Loaned or $15 to purchase
• iPhoto 2009 with George Kopp – DVD – Loaned or $15 to purchase
• Meetings from January 2009 to the present. – Free loan to members.

Here’s how you get them:

Email to: bheerboth@gmail.com or
Contact any appleJAC officer

We also have Back Issues of the appleJAC Digest – Downloadable from our web site.
Go to http://www.applejac.org and look for “Archives” on the left side.

MUG mugs: 25th Anniversary Expression of Appreciation

a review by Tom Piper

“Frolicking with Our Friends” could well be the theme of our December 2009 meeting when we celebrate the culmination of 25 years of self-help, community service and technological fun. Our first newsletter issue predicted this (see dancing couple below), and laid the foundation for many productive gatherings (nearly 300, I do believe!).

On December 1 we will take time out from our busy schedules to recognize the many people who have been involved over the years. In particular, we want commend you for being part of this effort. To show our appreciation, we also want you to take home a memorable item from this special event. We have commissioned a special 19 oz. translucent blue travel mug for our appleJAC MUG members with our new logo inscribed on the side (see above). Every member will get one!

Come join us at this every special event to frolic with ALL of our friends, old and new. Over the years we have successfully brought together many many Mac and other Apple product users to exchange information, learn more about tools and toys, and have a lot of fun doing it. Help us continue this quest, and get the word out so others can benefit too.

iWork Classes a Hit in Jefferson City

The fall class schedule has begun and appleJAC is not left out.  This evening, appleJAC President, Tom Piper, presented the first part of a 3 part series on iWork 09.  Tonight's presentation focused on Pages 09 describing the word processing functions of Pages and the use of Pages as a Page Layout Menu.

This class series continues for the next two Thursday evenings starting at 7pm each evening at Lewis and Clark Middle School.  The next two classes focus on Numbers 09 and Keynote 09 along with the use of iWork applications together.

    

Winners of Photo Contest Announced

At the September meeting, the winners of the summer Photo contest were announced:

1st Place - George Kopp

2nd Place - Mark Snell

3rd Place - Julie Smith

Thanks to all those that entered.

Meeting at the News Tribune

President's Corner

by Tom Piper, aJMUG President

June is half over, school kids have gone home, we’re just a week from our next office move, and my new 3G S iPhone will arrive shortly . . . upgrades on computers were announced at the World Wide Developers Conference, but the long-awaited Apple netbook is still a dream. Meanwhile, the humidity has spiked, and we can tell that summer is fast approaching.

Building on the success of the MacBasics classes, George Kopp will be holding a special July 9 2-hour iPhoto MacClass at the Landwehr home (see registration info below):



The minimum of eight registrants has already been met, so be sure to get your registration in as soon as possible while there is still room. My iWork ’09 MacClasses will be at Lewis and Clark Middle School on September 10, 17 and 24 featuring Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

The “Made on a Mac” image enhancement competition has begun, with your entry (one per member up to 2 megabytes in size) due no later than August 4 to applejac@mac.com (see explanation below).



DVD copies of the videotaped (Steve Archer and Sharon Hanson) January, February, March, April, May and June meetings are available from our Library (see Bruce Heerboth to check any out, or get a copy). We are really busy with lots of membership benefits.

Next meeting we will enjoy the Annual appleJAC MacFixIt meeting. As in past years, if you have a need to upgrade to your machines RAM memory or possibly install a larger hard disk, appleJAC veteran members will be on hand to assist you. Please let us know in advance if this is the case so we can help you to get the parts and have tools available. We will again show you important maintenance steps to protect your Mac, and do a special presentation about setting up and using Time Machine, Apple’s own Leopard backup.

Last month, 45 appleJAC members, families and friends enjoyed the hospitality of Joe and Kathy Mertzlufft at their lakeside home. Due to the rain, the festivities were moved into their three-stall garage where everyone enjoyed terrific food (George and Mark again did a great job with burgers and dogs), warm commoradorie, and exciting weather. We even got one more member due to our great social and educational services.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the next appleJAC Macintosh Users Group meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at 7:00 pm. Bring family, friends and new members to get the most out of your Mac and other Apple products.

iLightFarts iPhone/iPodTouch App: Unusual Game Combo

by Tom Piper

With over 35,000 Apps now available via iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the variety of selections is immense and widely varied. Recently I acquired a game that appeared to be a combination of iLighter (one of my favorites) and iFart (one of my wife’s favorites).

iLightFarts may be the most unusual, pseudo-smelliest, colorfully explodingest app on the App Store. With the screen showing 20 round-faced people around the screen releasing gaseous emissions, it is your job to save the environment. You must kill the smells by lighting all of these farts without running out of lighter fluid. The game has 10 levels, each with a different skill level, farts, lighters and speed. 

The trick is to try to light a “cluster” of farts to conserve the lighter . . . the lighter can be easily moved with touch-and-drag, then a tap to light it (care must be taken to not touch prematurely). I never got to level 10, and I wish that the lighter would last longer, but it was a lot of noisy funny (yes, the iPhone vibrate-only mode will turn the sound off).

This game from ModStylez does have funny sound bytes, fart sounds, realistic explosions and lighters. It is very inexpensive at only 99¢, and more entertaining than I had imagined.

appleJAC Offers iPhoto Class

 

May 2009 New Vendor Discount Offers

Stellar Data Recovery: Free Diagnosis and 20% Discount

Stellar, a market leader in providing data recovery services, specializes in salvaging lost data with over 1,000,000 customers in 137 countries. Equipped with trained and specialized data recovery professionals and an excellent Class 100 clean room facility, Stellar can recover data from almost all operating systems and storage media.
Stellar announces FREE DIAGNOSIS and 20% OFF on laptop anddesktop data recovery.

Request a free quote: http://www.datarecoveryservices.biz/quote-request.php

Community Service: Macs for the Elderly

by Tom Piper (reprinted from July 2007 appleJAC Digest)

My son Jason was recently given five early-edition iMacs which he passed on to me in hopes that they could find a new productive home. This re-ignited an idea that I’ve been cultivating for several years about placing pre-owned Macs into retirement centers. It is my belief that if computers are readily available with Internet access, and if residents are properly trained, then this could become a new avenue of communication with families and friends, and a way to explore the world without the expense of travel.

Like many ideas, this one is 5% inspiration, and 95% perspiration. You see, none of these donated computers have keyboards or mice, let alone enough memory to support a robust Internet connection. We’ve discussed this at our last appleJAC MUG Board Meeting, and everyone agreed that this is conceptually a good idea that needs more cultivation. Indeed, to make the idea work right, our pre-owned computers should at least have FireWire ports and slot CD drives (and hopefully keyboards and mice too).

Thus, we are now looking for donations of older computers that can be placed in retirement centers and nursing homes. We are also looking for volunteers who can help us restore donated equipment to useful working order, and patient resourceful people who can also be trainers.

If you fit any of these opportunities, please contact me (macquest@mac.com), or other appleJAC Board members (see list at front of Digest) and register your interest. This is a gift that could keep on giving as we help people enjoy their retirement years more.

SeniorNet: Internet for Long-Term Care Residents

by Tom Piper (an undated description of progress)

We’ve come a long way since that initial July 2007 community service request. One of the old G3 iMacs was cannibalized for parts, and appleJAC paid to double the memory to 256MB on the other four so they could run Mac OS X. Keyboards and mice were donated by Bruce and Joe to complete the setup. George Kopp and Jason worked with me to develop a reliable, responsive and simple version of Mac OS 10.3.9 which I then installed on each iMac. Since then, George helped me to acquire four more G3 iMacs that had been surplused by the Mokane school district (thank you, Jeff Nelson). These only required software updates since the hardware was already adequate.

The first installation of two computers was established at Adams Street Place skilled nursing home where I worked with the owner/administrator, Earl Carlson, and his staff. A lockable room was selected with a desk for both computers together, and an Ethernet line was strung from their main router. I started training staff and residents (see below) in June 2008, and have continued since then with help at a couple of sessions from Greg Breuer. Jennifer Keys, their activity director has helped coordinate access, and one of the residents is learning to be a trainer. Unfortunately, one of the iMacs has failed, so it was replaced from our reserve stock.

Heisinger I had also started negotiations with Sherry King, the administrator at Heisinger Bluffs continuing care retirement community (see above) in July 2008 where they needed to extend Ethernet lines into two different areas. This took six months; meanwhile, residents of their independent living unit requested our assistance with their existing computers. Mark Snell and I met with them and encouraged the formation of their own computer club. This has since happened, and a second visit was conducted in late January when Jason and I (on behalf of aJMUG) assisted 8 people with computer problems, with problems ranging from setting up a new HP laptop, to installing additional memory in an HP tower, to advising on new Internet service, to fixing Outlook Express, to updating a mirror-face Mac G4, and other moderate (but not serious) concerns.

It was a successful day at Heisinger Bluffs when I also installed two G3 Macs (one in nursing home section, and one in assisted living section) and both are fully operational (unfortunately, another iMac failed, and was replaced from our reserves). They even bought new small desks to put the computers on. We also got a new member in John Knapp (a Heisinger resident who is writing a book, teaching computer and other neat stuff) who might need a ride to our meetings. We have been working with Nina Meeks as our coordinator for all computer activities here, and will work with her for training.

After working at this for over 18 months, I believe we have made some very significant progress, and are starting to achieve the goal of Internet and email services for our seniors in long-term care facilities. Volunteers are still needed to assist with the training process, but paper instructions have already been compiled to assist in the effort. We will also be seeking another retirement center to place one or two more computers, in case you know of a location where we can be of service. This is not an easy effort, but it has been very rewarding, so I hope you too will get involved.

July Member only Vendor Offiers

Your Private Haven for Cool Apple Stuff

At the MUG store, you can check out specials, blowouts, new Macs and special value Macs. Each section contains lists of products with prices set exclusively for user group members. Plus, your group earns points every time one of your members buy!

Shop the MUG Store: http://www.applemugstore.com        
This U.S. only offer is valid through August 31, 2008.

iBank 3 and iBiz 3: 20% Off

IGG Software is a small, Mac-only developer in Vermont. Their flagship products are iBank 3, a Leopard-only alternative to Quicken that's a great way to track bank accounts, credit cards, investments and loans; and iBiz 3, a cool tool for free-lancers and others to manage clients, projects, hours and invoicing.

Apple user group members can receive a 20% discount on iBank 3, regularly $60 (US) and iBiz 3, regularly $50 (US); downloadable, free trial available, money-back guarantee.

Download today: http://www.iggsoftware.com          
This worldwide offer is extended through October 31, 2008.

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Graphics Card: 30% Discount

The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT For Mac is designed to tackle everything your gaming, graphic designing, art-directing, illustrating, web-browsing, photographing, video-producing, HD video-watching self can throw at it. With 112 processing cores and two DVI ports capable of driving two 30-inch displays at full resolution (2560x1600), you can run today's and tomorrow's most demanding visual computing applications.

You can purchase a GeForce 8800 GT for the 1st Generation Mac Pro (Pre-2008) for $199 (US), a 30% discount from the regular price of $279 (US).

Visit NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8800gt_for_mac.html       
This U.S.-only offer is valid through October 31, 2008.

Book Darts: 40% Discount

Book Darts, a clip-on archival passage/line page marker, marks your exact lines, locates them fast and never hurts the book. Get free samples, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to 3945 Willow Flat, Hood River, OR 97031.

The Apple User Group offer for 100 Book Darts, usually retail $9.95 (US), is only $5.95 (US), which is 40% off. Different quantities also available. Domestic mailing will be $3.00 (US) for any number of Book Darts, or half of any international mailing above that. To compute discount, enter the discount code in the comments box.

Get more information: http://www.bookdarts.com        
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2008.

OfficeTime: 30% Off

OfficeTime is a Mac time-tracking tool that can sync up with iCal for a visual display of your day. You shouldn't have to think about how to track your time. OfficeTime feels intuitive and comfortable as it adapts to your style. With no learning curve, you'll be an expert user almost immediately. It is simply the best way to track your time.

Regularly $47.00 (US), User Group members can get 30% off by  purchasing OfficeTime at the special user group price of $33.90 (US).

Start your time tracking: http://www.officetime.net/        
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2008.

Delicious Library at 50% Off

Delicious Library 2 is redefining your home library collection. While integrating seamlessly with .Mac, iTunes, Address Book and iCal, Delicious Library 2 categorizes, sorts and tracks all your media, tools, gadgets and toys. So if you ever need it, you'll have a comprehensive list of all your things, including both retail price and current value.

Regularly $40 (US), Apple User Group members can buy Delicious Library at the special price of $20 (US).

Download and purchase: http://www.delicious-monster.com
This worldwide offer is valid through October 31, 2008.

appleJAC Members: Get discount codes in the members only area at the left.

Apple User Group Discount Offers

Softpress Freeway: 25% Discount

Freeway gives you all the legendary ease-of-use and features that launched the desktop publishing revolution. You can quickly and effortlessly lay out your website, embed images and content, then publish your work as standards-compliant HTML. Upload to your server, .Mac or to a folder. You supply the creativity, Freeway handles the code.

User Group members can buy Freeway Pro, regularly $249 (US) for $186.75 (US), and Freeway Express for $59.25 (US), a 25% discount.

Build your website now. http://www.softpress.com/store

Studio Publisher: Save $50 (US)

CFour is proud to introduce iStudio Publisher, the easy-to-use page layout program. Powerful and intuitive, iStudio Publisher lets you do everything from writing a letter or designing a report to creating a brochure or publishing a magazine. iStudio Publisher puts all the tools you need within easy reach to design great looking documents.

This special user group special offers is for $50 (US) off the regular price of $99 (US).

Use this address and the code above for ordering: http://www.cfour.net

This worldwide offer is valid through August 31, 2008.

Rhinoskin Aluminum Hardcases: 25% Discount

Rhinoskin's anodized aluminum cases are custom fit for MacBook and MacBook Pro. Durable yet lightweight, the sleek design slips easily into a backpack or carry-on. The neoprene lining cushions and prevents scratching, and each case is ventilated on the bottom with rubberized feet to prevent slipping. Add in the removable strap system with accessory pouch and access to power ports while closed, and Rhinoskin cases are perfect for road warriors. See the full Rhinoskin product line: http://www.rhinoskin.com

This special user group offer provides a 25% discount and free shipping within the 48 contiguous states:

- 13" MSRP $129.95 (US) - User Group price $97.46 (US)

- 15" MSRP $139.95 (US) - User Group price $104.96 (US)

- 17" MSRP $149.95 (US) - User Group price $112.46 (US)

Enjoy the savings with this link: http://www.mfgdirect.com/static/?s=AD98E2C

This US only offer is valid through August 31, 2008.

iData 3: 28% Discount (extended offer)

A memory upgrade for your brain, iData 3 is a flexible database for storing (and easily retrieving) freeform text, field-based text, images, links and more. It is highly user-configurable, but has well-chosen default settings, making it easy for anyone to begin using right away. iData 3 imports email, bookmarks and more: it lets you design and print envelopes and labels, and even dials the phone.

iData offers members a special user group price of $49.95 (US), well below the $69.95 (US) regular price.

Purchase iData3 or download a demo: http://www.idata3.com/id3mug.html

This worldwide offer is valid through August 31, 2008.

Omni Technologies Memory: Up to 30% Off

Omni Technologies is a US-based Apple Registered Developer and certified memory manufacturer. They offer OptiVal 100% original manufacturer spec certified RAM as well as HyperFormance Multimedia Optimized RAM memory, which runs faster and cooler while outperforming standard RAM.

This special pricing program for Apple user group members affords the lowest in industry volume pricing to the end-user for all Apple-related memory on the Omni Technologies website.

Choose your memory today: http://www.omnitechnologies.biz/cgi-bin/store/cp-app.cgi?&mp=AG&pg=cat&ref=A57

This worldwide offer is valid through August 31, 2008.

  Your Private Haven for Cool Apple Stuff

With offers like a factory refurbished Mac Pro/2.66 for only $1888 (US), the MUG Store is the place where user group members find great deals on everything Mac and iPod. From the latest brand new systems to a wide selection of blowouts and closeouts, the MUG store has something special every day.

Remember that everything you buy means points for your group to spend any way it wants!

Shop the MUG Store: http://www.applemugstore.com

This U.S. only offer is valid through July 31, 2008.

appleJAC on the Radio

As you see from previous posts, appleJAC was on the Radio. On April 19, Sue Snell, Peggy Landwehr, and George Kopp appeared on the KWOS morning show to tell people about appleJAC. We were interviewed for 30 minutes and described what the club was about, what we do at our meetings, and a little about technology in general. Here are a few photos from the event.

End of May appleJAC Digest

That's the end of the May 2008 appleJAC MUG Digest . . . if you're not at member, please join us TODAY.

Tom Piper, appleJAC Secretary/Editor

Airliner to be Shown at March appleJAC Meeting

With the AirLiner slate you can interact wirelessly with your SMART Board interactive whiteboard or Sympodium interactive pen display from 52 feet (16 m) away. The battery-free tethered pen lets you control any software application, write notes and highlight information in digital ink

SMART’s AirLiner wireless slate enables you to teach from anywhere and allows students to interact with information from their seats. Multiple slate users can write at the same time as someone at the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

Highlights

Teach where you want
Control software applications, write notes and highlight information wirelessly from 52 ft. (16 m) away.

Involve more students at once
Multiple slate users can write at the same time – and at the same time as someone at the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

Capture your work
Save your notes, screen captures, images and other work to a single file that can be used on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Notes and graphics are saved as objects that can be manipulated and reorganized.

February 2008 Digest

Greetings,

I just haven’t decided whether they come from the Far North or the Far South! What interesting Missouri weather we’ve been having. But all is well in appleJAC land.

We’re set to hear a wonderful recap from MacWorld this month, led by the veteran crew of Mark, George, and Tom, along with the new traveler, Steve. It promises to be informative, as well as fun. Other tentative items on this year’s agenda may include:

Feb 5 - MacWorld Recap
Mar 4 - Airliner demo and Q & A session (Please note the change)
Apr 1 - LightRoom/Aperture - Curtis and George
May 6 - PodCasts - Tom
June 3 - MacBusiness
July 1 - Fixit
Aug 5 - Picnic
Sept 2 - "Geek Panel" or "60 gadgets in 60minutes"
Oct 7 - GPS, Geocaching
Nov 4 - .Mac
Dec 2 - Gaming on the Mac

There are several more timely topics in the works, also. Watch your Digest for upcoming news and topics.

January’s meeting was a wonderful overview of iWorks ‘08, presented by George Kopp. It really piqued the interest of many who were in attendance. He always makes things appear so simple -- but then, he IS covering Apple technology! Thanks, George, for a tremendous presentation.

Of those in attendance, lucky winners of the door prize drawing were as follows:

- Robert Williams: iWork '08
- Sue McCormick: 50-sheet photo paper pack
- Sara Kopp: 500-sheet printer paper pack

George and Tom continue to tweak the new web-edition of the aJ Digest to make it the Premier Digest of the midwest. Be sure to give them feedback and thanks.

aJ officers are always looking for new ways of serving members. Please don’t hesitate to make suggestions and offer input to improve this service to you. Make use of the expertise available from the group, but consider adding your own knowledge. We look forward to having presentations by members this year -- even if only a short one.

We are presently looking at a meeting with 3 - 4 presentations of short duration from the membership We need suggestions on future meeting topics, too. We need to know what you want to know! There is almost always an answer, and there is never a question too silly to ask. Is there a topic of which you would like to see just an overview? Or perhaps only part of an application that you would like to see shown and discussed in more detail? Then, please let one of the board members know so that we can meet your needs.

So stay warm and cozy until Tuesday at 7:00 when we will again gather at Lewis and Clark Middle School to foray into the wonderful world of Apple.

Sue

January 2008 Digest

Presidents Corner: Happy New Year!

by Sue Snell, appleJAC MUG President

And a very strange new year it will be for me. At the moment I am asking “How did I get myself into this?” I don’t feel qualified to do the job, and the shoes I’m stepping into seem way too big. I am having severe doubt pangs.

But since I’m here, and I was in my right mind when I said yes (I will practice “Just say NO” in the future), let’s get started. Foremost, I’d like to thank last year’s officers for a wonderful job well done. I believe we fulfilled appleJAC MUG’s mission of bringing information and new skills to the membership in a friendly and sharing environment. Thanks also to the membership for input, questions, and suggestions.

December’s meeting was a roaring success with a presentation on Reunion and Genealogy by Steve Archer. The audience was held in rapt attention from beginning to end. Thanks so much, Steve, for a wonderful evening. Lucky winners of the great door prizes were:

George Kopp - Apple desk clock

Mark Snell - Apple Shuffle

Terry Larkin - iLife ‘08

The future will begin with January’s presentation by George Kopp on iWork, followed by a discussion of “Christmas Gifts I Wanted and Got - or not”. February will be a recap of MacWorld discoveries by Tom, George, Mark, and Steve. (We’re considering calling it Tom’s Toys!). I won’t be in San Francisco this year to keep them in line, but I certainly look forward to hearing their takes on it and looking at all their fabulous and/or fun finds. This should also include there slant on any announcements that may or may not have been made regarding news in the world of Mac.

aJ officers are always looking for new ways of serving members. Please don’t hesitate to make suggestions and offer input to improve this service to you. Make use of the expertise available from the group but consider adding your own knowledge. I have been told many times in many classes that if a person has a question it’s almost a certainty that others have the same question - so ask!

We need suggestions on future meeting topics, too. We need to know what you want to know! (And if you sometimes feel that you don’t know enough to ask an intelligent question, you may join MY club). But ask it anyway; no one - except Mark, and he’s excused - has ever laughed or made fun of my lack of knowledge or simplicity.

So, once again, let me wish you a happy, healthy, and safe new year. See you January 8, 7:00 P.M., Lewis and Clark Middle School, in room 600.

January Meeting Agenda

Another Pearl from Pogue: The Total Guide to 10.5.x

Mac OS X Leopard Edition: The Missing Manual

by David Pogue Publisher: O’Reilly

Publication Date: December, 2007

Print ISBN-10: 0-596-52952-X Print ISBN-13: 9780596529529

Pages: 912 Price: $34.99 (buy 2, get 1 free, plus free shipping)

by Tom Piper

As the O’Reilly website says . . . with Leopard, Apple has unleashed the greatest version of Mac OS X yet, and David Pogue is back with another meticulous Missing Manual to cover the operating system with a wealth of detail. Amusing and fun to read, this is the authoritative book for Mac users of all technical levels and experience. Which new Leopard features work well and which do not? What should you look for? What should you avoid? This book offers objective and straightforward instruction.

I first met David at Macworld New York in the summer of 2001 (when the twin towers were still there). He was doing a Palm demonstration and my son Jason was his helper. David’s stage presence, level of knowledge, rollicking humor, and imaginative perspective left a lasting impression on both of us. Here is a guy who knows how to reveal the intricacies of a product in a compelling and engaging way that improves your knowledge and motivates a sense of empowerment. This all comes through in his writing style too.

Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition is the authoritative book for Mac users of all technical levels and experience. If you're new to the Mac, this book gives you a crystal-clear, jargon-free introduction to the Dock, the Mac OS X folder structure, and the Mail application. There are also mini-manuals on iLife applications such as iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto, and a tutorial for Safari, Mac's web browser. The 22 chapters are well-organized into five parts including The Mac OS X Desktop, Programs in Mac OS X, The Components of Mac OS X, The Technologies of Mac OS X, and Mac OS Online, plus six more sections in the Appendixes Part. Whether a straight read from front to back, or a reference guide for specific topics, this an in-depth resource guide that should be on every Leopard user’s desk.

This Missing Manual book starts with The Very Basics by comparing Leopard to its predecessors, both in what is new, and what is gone. David walks a logical path of introduction and orientation to various software features and hardware opportunities, peppering the descriptions with interesting and helpful tips, as well as clear understandable graphics and screen shots. Admittedly, color would be a great enhancement which would also greatly increase the cost and weight of the book. At over 900 pages, its already a hefty publication which might at first appear to be a daunting read . . . don’t hesitate, because a quick flip through the pages will reassure you that it is designed to be helpful. I particularly like the white-text-on-black topic bar an inch from the top margin on the outside edges of both facing pages which quickly tells me where I am, going forward or backwards. He also captures your attention with interesting boxed information,with titles like Gem In The Rough, Power Users’ Clinic, Frequently Asked Question, Up To Speed and others (often with a tongue-in-cheek view of things). If that’s not enough, the comprehensive Index in back will also help you quickly find what you want.

Information doesn’t stop on the last page of the book. Indeed, the last page becomes a bridge to the huge resources available at www.missingmanuals.com with their Missing CD. Everything referenced in the book is available on this website with updates as new versions of Leopard come out. David describes newsletters, websites, advanced publications, and other ways to maintain an up-to-date knowledge level.

O’Reilly is right when they say there's something new on practically every page of this new edition, and David Pogue brings his celebrated wit and expertise to every one of them. Mac's brought a new cat to town and Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition is a great new way to tame it. I highly recommend this book, regardless of your level of expertise because it will most assuredly take you to the next level and beyond.

December 2007 User Group Vendor Discount Offers

Mireth Technology: 25% Discount

Mireth Technology produces easy-to-use software for the Mac, including ShredIt - File Shredder, NetShred - Internet Track Eraser, and iVCD - DVD, VCD, SVCD burner. Mireth is well known in the industry for providing robust, well-tested products and outstanding customer support.

Take advantage of this Apple User Group member discount coupon and save 25% off the regular prices for Mireth Software that range from $15.00 to $39.95 (US).

Visit Mireth: http://www.mireth.com
The worldwide offer is valid through March 31, 2008.

AppleWorks Journal CD Compendium: 80% Discount

The AppleWorks User Group is the international association of thousands of members in the United States and 51 other countries dedicated to supporting AppleWorks and ClarisWorks users. AWUG is liquidating its supply of the AppleWorks Journal CD Compendium, a four-CD set that contains PDF copies of all 16 years (160 issues) of the AppleWorks Journal.

Normally listing for $159 (US), AWUG is closing this Compendium out at $29.95 (US), plus $2 (US) shipping and handling, to the entire user group community. Int’l orders by credit card only; international shipping additional.

To purchase, send a request to http://www.awug.org/shop/merchant3.html.

The worldwide offer is valid through January 18, 2008.

Roxio Toast 8: 30% Discount

Toast 8 Titanium complements the Mac OS and iLife applications, and sets the standard for burning CDs, DVDs, and now Blu-ray discs on the Mac. Create superior sounding audio CDs with smooth crossfades and transitions. Enjoy your TV shows anywhere with exclusive TiVoToGo and EyeTV burning. Convert and export video for an iPod, PSP, mobile phone, and more. There is no easier way! It's your digital life, Toast It!: http://www.roxio.com

With this special offer, user group members receive $30 (US) off MSRP $99.95 (US).
The worldwide offer is valid through February 29, 2008, and limited to two per customer.

The MUG Store Blowouts

Most user group members love to shop for great deals on discontinued or older accessories and parts & pieces. The MUG Store gives your members a great place to do exactly that:

http://www.applemugstore.com/mugstore/blowouts.php

In addition, all orders placed through the MUG Store receive free shipping - a great savings for those shopping for the holidays! Remember that everything they buy means points for your group to spend any way you want!

Great values at: http://www.applemugstore.com
This U.S. only offer is valid through Feb. 29, 2008.

To take advantage of these or any of the group offers, obtain the offer code in the appleJAC members only area in the left sidebar.