appleJAC Users Group

President’s Corner

by Sue Snell, aJ MUG President

Fall is right around the corner, and that means that the appleJAC gatherings are all set to meet back at Lewis and Clark Middle School in the 6th Grade Commons. Summer meetings were great fun and very informative — Capital Eye Care, Mac Fix It at Trinity Lutheran School, and the warm, but satisfying, annual picnic at North JC Park. However, it’s always nice to get back home at the end of a vacation, and that’s sort of how I feel about our meeting place.

September’s meeting is titled “30 Gadgets in 60 Minutes”, and it promises to raise your awareness about technology in your life. appleJAC’s own gurus will share their insight with us. October’s topic is still a bit up in the air, but November’s presenters will be two aJ members who are new to the presentation podium. We look forward to hearing them. December brings a look at Gaming on the Mac and, of course, Christmas Wish List drooling.

At the August picnic we shared some great food and companionable camaraderie. Many thanks go to the evening cooks, Tom, George, and Mark, for suffering the heat and preparing great burgers, brats, and dogs. Thanks also goes to the rest of the membership for providing the remainder of the delicious meal. Many were heard to moan that they ate and enjoyed too much! The monthly drawing was a year’s paid dues which was won by Peggy Landwehr who promptly announced that she would share it with a friend who was going to join the group. Way to go, Peggy! Great PR!

At the next meeting you will have a unique opportunity. appleJAC has a giveaway copy of the application Bento, a personal database from Filemaker. Read about it at  http://filemaker.com/products/bento/overview.html?csr=bento_overview, or just Google “Bento”. If you are interested in getting this program, all you have to do is work with, and learn, the program and then share it with aJ at a future meeting. If this is something that would work for you, come to the meeting ready to volunteer. If there are several volunteers, we will draw for the lucky winner. If you are interested, but cannot make the meeting, e-mail me (snellsbk@embarqmail.com), but make sure it is BEFORE the meeting. I will see to it that your name is in the drawing. This is a good chance to get some new software for free.

I am looking forward to seeing you at Lewis and Clark Middle School the day after Labor Day, September 2, 2008, at 7:00 pm.

September 2008 Meeting Agenda

 

BlacX SATA Drive Mounting Station

Here is a great piece of kit for support people.  The BlacX is a USB based docking station for a SATA drive.  You just plug the drive into it to be able to mount it on the machines desktop.  Often times I need to recover a drive and this makes it simple to connect into my mac to use some disk tools I have on it.  Best of all it is available at BestBuy for $31.99.  This is a great little device I can just leave plugged into the computer for when I need it.

  Here are the specs:

• Supports All 2.5” & 3.5” SATA HDDs up to 1TB !
• Hot-Swap Capability for Rapid Multi HDDs Access & Exchange Supports USB 2.0 Transfer Speed up to 480Mbps
• Windows & Mac OS Compatible
• Compact Docking Station Design maximizes Heat Dissipation & Exhaust

Check it out at their website.

Pool Your Printers

Have you ever sent a document to print only to be in line behind someone printing a book?

Do you have more than one printer in your office you sometimes print to?  Would it be nice to always print to the one that is not busy printing other documents?  You need to create a printer pool.

A printer pool lets you select multiple printers and let the Mac OS determine which one is not busy making you wait for the print less frustrating.

Go to System Preferences and Print and Fax preferences.

Now select more than one printer by Command-clicking on the printer names.

Now press Create Printer Pool and give your Pool a name.

Now when you print, select the named pool and the Mac will print to whichever printer is not busy.

A Gadget for this Months Event..... from Gizmodo

This ones for Tom......

Besides being a magnet for penis puns, this pen is absolutely bursting with functionality that will leave just about any tool junkie satisfied. At the most basic level you get a handsome stainless steel ballpoint pen, but it can also transform into "a hole puncher, a stainless steel file, a short cutting blade, a flat screwdriver, a wire sleeve remover/small nail remover, an ear pick, a long cutting blade, a tweezer, a Philips screwdriver, and a stainless steel fork and a saw." It could very well be the best $15 you ever spend outside of a bordello my friend. [Firebox via SlipperyBrick via OhGizmo]

August 2008 Vendor Discount Offers

The MUG Store: Your Private Haven for Cool Apple Stuff

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

Shop the MUG Store: http://www.applemugstore.com        
This U.S. only offer is valid through September 30, 2008.

CJRTOOL ebooks: 25% Off

CJRTOOLS ebooks is a small, independent company that produces and publishes ebooks on Mac OS X software. The company's three newest ebooks are comprehensive books on Mac OS X Leopard. Other ebooks are available on iLife, Mail, TextEdit, System Preferences, Safari and Tiger.

Regularly priced at $8 (US) to $15 (US), user group members receive a 25% discount on any purchase of ebooks from CJRTOOLS' eSellerate or Kagi store. Specially priced book bundles are also available with the discount.

Order today: http://www.cjrtools.com/ebooks/order-mac-ebooks.html        
Learn more: http://www.cjrtools.com/ebooks
This worldwide offer is valid through November 30, 2008.

LaCie Hard Drives: Major Discounts

The LaCie 500GB Hard Disk, designed by Neil Poulton, with eSATA, FireWire 400 and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (model 301313U), and the LaCie 250 GB Little Disk, designed by Sam Hecht, with FireWire and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (model  301282) are simple, compact and efficient with quiet storage to backup, synchronize and secure your files, music, photos and video to one place.

User group members can purchase these drives at the special price of $110 (US) for 500GB and $115 (US) for 250GB, a $30 (US) and $45 (US) savings off regular prices.

Purchase by phone: 503.844.4500 x2
Purchase the 500GB Hard Disk online: http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11062
Purchase the 250GB Little Disk online: http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10978
This U.S.-only offer is valid through November 30, 2008.

RiftVault Security: 20% Off

Securing your top-secret information on your computer, from credit card numbers to confidential files, has never been easier or more fun. Government-level 256-bit AES encryption on RiftVault ensures that your valuables stay out of reach from the most prying of eyes. Topped with unrivaled graphics and an intuitive design, you'll be surprised to find just how much more useful a safe can be - when it's on your Mac.

This exclusive $31.96 (US) offer provides a 20% discount off the commercial price of $39.95 (US).

For more information and purchase visit Edgerift: http://www.edgerift.com      
This worldwide offer is valid through November 30, 2008.

This Month is all about Tips and Gadgets

 This was an unexpected cool find in a Taco Bell in Manteca, California. In the restroom, I went to dry my hands and found this. This is a Dyson Airblade hand dryer. You slide your hands into the opening and a blast of very fast air peals the water from your hands. I have seen commercials for this but this is the first time I have sen one in person. And guess what, it even works very well.

End of September Digest

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

Tom Piper, appleJAC Secretary/Editor

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

Tom Piper, appleJAC Secretary/Editor