appleJAC Users Group

Google Earth (Release 4 - BETA)

THANK YOU Google!!

The latest version of Google Earth is being released in beta form. This time, they have added several new features that will make your Earth browsing even better.

Less Is More - A New User Interface! The most obvious change is a new and, we think, simpler user interface.

They have reorganized the data layers to make it easier to find layers and turn them on and off. The nav panel at the bottom of the screen is gone, freeing up more real estate for actual imagery. The nav panel tools are still accessible, though; the nav controllers are now in the upper right and the tools (measure, print, email) are in the new tools bar along the top.

Best of all, while Mac Users needed to wait for the initial release of Google Earth for the Mac, this Beta is made available for the Mac and the PC at the same time. Good show Google. You have realized the importance of releasing for the mac in a timely fashion. It is even Universal for both PowerPC and Intel based Macs. Not only that but it is still FREE to use for personal use.

Have you seen the new Apple Ads

I love the new Apple ads. They are just like Apple's computers, simple and clear. Apple is famous for their theme ads. These ads are a series of ads based on a central theme. Many of you remember the series of switcher ads that apple used a few years ago. These are quite similar. In fact, these ads tell a central themed story of many of the reasons a person would want a Mac instead of a PC.

For a little bit of Apple history, you can still see the switcher ads. My favorite is Ellen Feiss. Reminds me of my daughter...

I don't know if these actually sell computers but they are sure fun to watch. AND it is really nice to see Apple advertising Macs on TV again.

Tired of Text Messaging Fees? Text for Free.

My daughter loves to send text messages to the phones of her friends. In fact, young people text message each other all the time. We started with paying for 100 per month but have had to up that to 1000 per month so we don't have extra cell phone charges. Now you too can send text messages from your Mac.

A web site called Txt2Day allows you to send messages to cell phones directly through the internet. Go to the site, enter th phone number and the carrier and then the message you want to send. Press the button and the message is sent for free. Simple and easy to use.

Questions on Extending An Airport Base Station

Q: I have an airport network for my and my wife's macs here. Her room is directly above my den, which is in the basement, and so she gets a good signal. If I go up into our dining room, living room the signal is weak and if I go into the family room, I get no signal. Is there any equipment that I can get that will enhance the signal within the house? Thanks.

A: There are a couple of ways to go about this. First off, if you have an Airport Extreme with an antenna port on the back, you can get an antenna to enhance the signal from the extreme. It just plugs in and the airport recognizes it. MacWireless sells them. In theory, this is an easy solution but I must tell you, antennas are dependent on the place they are located. If you were extending the network over an open area, that works great but extending in a house seems to be less reliable. These antenna cost from about $30 and go up to over a hundred.

In my opinion, a better solution, if you are using an airport extreme is to extend the network with an airport express. This works through a technology built into the airports called WDS. WDS stands for Wireless Distribution System.

WDS is described in IEEE 802.11. An airport access point can be either a main, relay or remote base station. A main base station is typically connected to the wired Ethernet. A relay base station relays data between remote base stations, wireless clients or other relay stations to either a main or another relay main station. A remote base station accepts connections from wireless clients and passes them to relay or main stations.

For what you want to do, an Apple Airport Express can act as a relay base station. Keep in mind that each base station will provide signal for a 50 to 150 ft range. If you locate the Express within that circle, it then extends for the same distance. In this way, if you placed an Express on the upper floor, connect it to the Extreme with WDS and it will extend the range.

Also, I'd like to put in a request to have one of our meetings, or a class from you, take us through step by step setting up a network with an Airport Extreme device. That would really be helpful. (Plus a session, or the same one, on picking up a wi fi connection with your laptop.)

A Poster about Your Life

Back about Christmas time, I demonstrated how to create a Life Poster. Since then, I have been contacted a few times to cover it again, so here it is.

Here are my instructions to create one in about 20-30 min for about $29. Good Luck!

THE INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Make a new iPhoto Album. Fill it with the 98 photos you want in your poster. Try to pick photos with lots of different colors.

Step 2. Crop all the photos landscape with the crop tool constrained to "4 x 3 (DVD)". While you are in edit mode make sure to use the new "Adjust" dashboard built into iPhoto 5 to give your photos great color and contrast.

Step 3. Go the the "File" menu and select "Page Setup...". Click the "Settings" popup and select "Custom Paper Size". Click the "New" button and then name this paper size "Life Poster". Set the paper height as 30", the width as 20" and change the top and bottom margins to 0 leaving the left and right at 0.25 then click "OK".

Step 4. Go to the "File" menu and select "Print.." Click the "Style" popup and select "Contact Sheet". Set the "Across" slider at 7 and make sure to check the "Save paper" box. Now, instated of clicking print, click "Save As PDF...". Saving will take a few minutes since it is saving out 98 full sized photos.

Step 5. Open the PDF file you just saved in Photoshop. When it is opening it will ask you what size you would like to open the PDF at. Set the DPI to 200 and then click "OK". Go to the File menu and click "Save As...", click on the "Format" menu and select TIFF then click "Save".

Step 6. Find the TIFF file you just saved and import it into iPhoto by dragging it onto the window.

Step 7. Select the poster file you just imported and the click "Order Prints" from the action bar at the bottom of the window. Add one 20x30 print to you order and then click "Buy Now".

That is it. You poster will be at your house in a few days.

My Mac won't start..

Ever had the problem that your computer just won't start?

Apple's famous “ease of use” with its products starts with a simple touch of a finger. That's all you need to turn on any iPod, iMac, Power Mac, MacBook Pro, iBook, PowerBook, Mac mini, Apple display, and other products. Only the iPod shuffle needs a little nudge up or down.

If you need help powering up your Apple product, Apple is here to help. Not only will they show you where the power button is located on various products, they will also show you what you can do if your product won't turn on.

This article is another of Apple's famous help your self articles called "Power Up Quick Assist".

Apple Training Series: Desktop and Portable Systems

Learning how to support and service Apple computers requires a great deal of time and study. To become certified to service hardware, you must study and pass two tests. One test is related to Mac OSX and the second is related to the hardware type you intend to service. Apple provides training on line for those associated with a service provider to allow study of either desktop or portable systems. This material provided by Apple requires connection to the web and many hours of study while sitting in front of your computer. That is exactly what I did to pass my certifiations, but now there is a much better and more efficient method to go about learning these fundamentals.

As one of the latest in Peachpit Pressʼs Apple-Certified training series, this book is designed both for professionals who support Apple computers as well as Mac fanatics who want to upgrade, service, or troubleshoot their favorite machines. This single book provides service information on both desktop and portable systems including detailed take apart diagrams, troubleshooting methods, and general service techniques that are required to pass those certification tests. This edition of the book has been revised to add coverage of Appleʼs new models, including the Mac mini and the iMac G5.

Ever need to temporarly connect a harddrive to your Mac?

Ever need to connect a RAW drive to yur Mac to copy some file? This new device from Newer Tech is just the ticket. It's called the USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter.

The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter implements a bridge between one USB port and one ATA, Serial ATA, or ATAPI based mass storage device port. The USB 2.0 to IDE Drive Adapter turns any ATA or SATA drive into a convenient external drive. Easily transfer files from computer or notebook, back up files, or store large file archives on hard drives. The Hi-Speed USB interface provides for easy installation with its Plug and Play design.

The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter has been tested with:

2.5" Laptop Drives - all brands

3.5" Desktop Drives - Works with all brands, including Maxtor, Seagate, IBM, Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital, etc.

5.25" Drives - The adapter supports all existing IDE/ATAPI devices such as CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM drives.

Removable Media drives, such as Iomega Zip.

Best of all, it costs only $24.95! At that price, it is a great addition to your computer tool kit.

Lightroom Beta gets better and better

Adobe has release the third beta version of a new product that they first announced at MacWorld 2006. This application has been in beta for a while for the Macintosh only.

Project: Lightroom™ is Adobe’s effort to engage the professional photography community in a new way, giving you the opportunity to kick the tires and shape the feature set of a new tool being created just for you. Ultimately, we want Lightroom™ to be truly built from the ground up by photographers, for photographers, helping solve your unique workflow challenges.

The first beta was impressive but it keeps getting more complete with every release. Here is a golden opportunity to try out a new application with lots of potential.

Be sure to let Adobe know what you think about it. In this way, it will meet a real need when it is released. My only worry is that it may be too expensive when it is finally released.

MacFixIt and Airport Networking is July's topic

Mark your calendar for July 11th for the July appleJAC Meeting. This month’s topic is “MacFixIt and Airport Networking". This month, we provide our annual opportunity to increase memory, upgrade systems, diagnose (and hopefully fix) computer problems, and learn about airport networking. This month, our meeting is being held at Trinity Lutheran School in Jefferson City.

Do you still use a Handheld Device?

Just a few years ago, people believed that the handheld personal organizer (PDA) was going to replace the computer. I never believed that but I did (and still do) believe there are real uses for a device small enough to cary in a pocket or on a belt.

These days there are really two types of devices that are still used:, Palm based Handhelds and Windows Mobile handhelds. Now I know that the thought of a windows device will turn off many Mac users but either of these two devices are very good handheld computers. While these are still available as PDA type devices, the real future of this type of device are when they are used in a phone.

Today, I carry a Palm Treo 650 as my phone and sync it with both my Windows machine at work and also with my Macintosh at home. While Palm has sync software that works on the mac, windows mobile devices do not.

Not to worry though, you can feel free to select the device you like and make it work better than any software the manufacturer might come out with.

Enter a product called The MissingSync. This software for the mac allows you to transfer data from a battery operated hand held device to you Mac and back effortlessly. This software comes in 4 versions:

for Palm OS
for Palm OS devices including Palm/palmOne, Sony, Garmin, Samsung, Tapwave and Fossil

for Windows Mobile
for Windows Mobile, Pocket PC and Smartphone devices including HP, Dell, Motorola, O2 and XDA

for Sony PSP
for Sony Playstation Portable

for hiptop
for hiptop, hiptop2, Sidekick I & II

This leaves the Mac user's options open to select the device they want and then get the software to make the connection. It really works well. If you have one of these, give it a try.

Webpage helps you fix USB and Firewire Problems

All of us have at one time or another had problems with a USB or Firewire device. Apple has a great new help article to assist. This new help document on Apple's web site gives you specific steps to use to help find out what the problem with your device may be. Use the Permalink button below this entry to save a link to this for the next time you have a problem like this.

Take Control eBooks

As much as I love the web, I still like to read a real book once in a while. A real eBook that is. If you want good easy to understand information on Mac products or issues, take a look at the Take Control eBook series of books. These books are created by Adam and Tonya Engst of TidBITS fame.

What is an eBook you might ask.... it is a PDF version of a book that you can print or read on screen.

These books are written in an informative easy to read style that makes it easy to learn new things about your mac. They have books on the OSX operating system and many mac applications. They also have some on non mac issues like selecting a digital TV. Best of all, these books are cheep. Most average between $5 and $10 and in my opinion, they are worth every penny.

They even have short samples of each book on their website. Plus, for appleJAC members, I can send you a code that will save you 10% on your purchases. Email me for the code it you want to purchase one.

Former appleJAC President still a Mover and Shaker.

As much as I try to keep up.... I just can't do it.

Former president of appleJAC, and club founder, Tom Piper is seen in the photo showing off his new toy tool. The Segway® Human Transporter (HT) is the first of its kind—self-balancing personal transportation designed to go anywhere you go. With a Segway HT, you can commute, shop, and run errands more quickly while enjoying a ride like nothing you've ever experienced.

But the Segway HT isn't just about fun transportation. It also makes people more productive by allowing for greater visibility, versatility, mobility and carrying capacity.

Tom is, he believes, the first person in Jefferson City to own one of these cool new people movers. I am sure, in the near future, we will be seeing him all over town motoring on his new Segway.

Perhaps we can talk him into showing this off at the appleJAC Picnic in August.

Google Maps Plugin for Address book

Here is a very nice addition to the addressbook. The Google Maps Plugin enables you lookup your Apple Address Book addresses using Google Maps as well as get directions between your Address Book addresses.

Using the Google Maps Plugin is easy:

Open Address Book. Check to see that the Edit button at the bottom is not pressed in

When you hover the cursor over an address label, it should become highlighted. Click on the label next to the address and select a Google Map menu item.

The plugin will then show you a map to the person's address.

How Many Remotes do you have by the TV

One of the real problems with having a nice TV/Entertanment center is that every piece of equiptment has a seperate remote. All of these remotes say they are "Universal" and can control all your other devices but in my experience, these rarely work well if at all. But I found one that is really close to perfect.....

The Harmony Remote by Logitech works by a little different method than the others. It is a remote with a USB port that connects to your Mac. A website allows you to logon and identify all the components that you own by their model number. The it downloads and programs the remote to work correctly. And that it does. It controlls all of my components that us IR remotes. If it handled the one I have that is an RF remote, I would call it perfect.

Backup...Backup...Backup...

Do you backup your files at least once a week? If not, I will warn you right now that you should. I have a business that I work for that has lots of data on a RAID unit. Unfortunately, a one in a million (that's what Apple said) hardware problem made the disks unmountable. They really needed the daya and called one of the best drive recovery companies in the workd, DriveSavers. Guess what.... DriveSavers recovered it... all of it. Nearly 4 terabytes. (that's 4000 MB). Great ending to a terrible story, right?

Well it was until the bill for over $20,000 came in....

Most of us do not have data that critical but think about what your photos of your children are worth. Or your grandchildren.... I'll bet they are worth the cost of that backup drive.

I use drives from Lacie or Western Digital and use Silverkeeper from Lacie (it's free) to backup every week.

appleJAC Has an iCal Calendar!

I suspect many members have not picked up on the fact that appleJAC actually maintains an iCal calendar that you can subscribe to. On the calendar we attempt to keep all the club dates along with apple related events in surrounding areas

http://ical.mac.com/applejac/appleJAC.ics

Steve makes a good case in the comments...
I should have also said that the appleJAC calender was also available as a web page.

appleJAC Calandar on the Web

New Web Format for appleJAC

Most of you notice that the layout and organization of these web pages is completely different than what you may be used to. This site is creaed with a web baseed engine called TypePad. TypePad is a Weblog service that allows great flexability in creating layouts and gives the ability to easily post updates. Hopefully, this will allow appleJAC's web presence to remain fresh and provide more timely information for the members. Check it out at:

www.typepad.com

Many thanks go to appleJAC Member Steve Mays for helping me to see the light and possibility of this new web posting method.

Google releases free Mac SketchUp

For our feature presentation last month, Lee Snyder demonstrated the use of a 3D design program called Sketchup. He showed us how you could find a Google Earth map of the area for which you want to design a landscape, and integrate it into a Sketchup Design. At the time, we told you there would soon be a free version available from Google. Well, it is available now.

http://sketchup.google.com/download.html