appleJAC Users Group

President's Corner: Back to School Meeting FOR FUN

by Tom Piper, aJMUG President

As Labor Day quickly approaches, all of the signs of Summer are beginning to shimmer away, and we return to the realities of school, Fall cleanups, and the approach of Autumn colors. We again commence our regular meetings at Lewis and Clark Middle School with some delightful new features. I'm at a health conference in Branson right now, and it is so pretty looking out over the lake, and relaxing for a few minutes.

At our last meeting at Missouri Press Association in Columbia, I intended to show my new Point2View webcam/scanner/display device, and George told us about his new Apple Magic Trackpad, but both were left it at home (we will bring them to the next meeting). As for iPhone apps, Jan Watson told us about ‚ÄúMy Trip & More‚Äù, Mark Snell told us about ‚"TripIt‚", Joe Mertzlufft told us about the American Airline AA app, Sharon Hanson told us about ‚"Words with Friends", Marion Petrides told us about ‚ÄúDropBox‚Äù, and I demonstrated ‚"You Gotta See This‚" photo montage app. It was a wonderful marathon season of really cool apps (be sure to bring your story to our next meeting too).

Our host, Greg Baker (advertising director), introduced us to Kent Ford (magazine editor) and Michael Daugherty (web manager). Together, they told us about their membership, the way they produce association products with their Macs, the myths about newspapers and much more that was very interesting. Twenty-one of our members were in attendance which was just about right for the conference room we were in. Alice Kopp again provided another interesting perspective on our website. The evening's door prize winners included:

•     Desk Tool                            Sharon Hanson
•     Apple stress ball                  Larry Garvin
•     appleJAC bag clip                Bill Webb
•     appleJAC red flashlight        Aileen Garvin
•     appleJAC blue flashlight      Jan Watson
•     appleJAC silver flashlight     Mark Snell
•     appleJAC green flashlight    George Kopp

       
George also announced that the iMovie MacClass (previously scheduled for last Spring) will now be held on October 7 and 14 at the Learfield Communications offices. Registration for this two-night 7-9pm series is $25, and can be made by emailing applejac@mac.com (the minimum class size will be 8 participants). See the ad on our website for details.

Our next meeting will be take us back to Conference Room 600 at Lewis and Clark Middle School. Mark your calendar NOW for the appleJAC ‚"Fun and Leisure", meeting on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, at 7:00 pm. Bring family, friends and new members to get the most out of your Mac and other Apple products.

September 2010 Agenda

September User Group Offers

(for codes to access these offers, go to "Special Vendor Offers (Members Only)" in the lefthand panel, and use the password you are sent monthly as a member)

IPEVO Point 2 View USB Doc Cam: 10% Discount


The Point 2 View's versatility starts with its multi-jointed stand and weighted base. Three points of articulation mean that you can position the camera at most any height and angle. And the camera's ergonomic grip, as well as a universal monitor clip, give you even more view options. 
   - Great tool to demo your iPhone or iPad

   - Plug-and-play for your Mac, no driver required.
   - 2.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor
   - Full auto-focus with up to 1.5" macro
   - Compact, versatile and portable


The Point 2 View MSRP is $69.00 (USD); this special Apple user group member price is  only $62.10 (USD).




This US-only offer is valid through September 30, 2010.


Hollywood Edge sound effects: 50% off

The Hollywood Edge has been the library division of audio post pioneers Soundelux and Todd A/O for the past 20 years. T.H.E. offers over 60 collections of the highest quality, cutting edge and realistic sound effects available. These award-winning sound effects are perfect for radio, TV, film, gaming, educational and web applications, and are embedded with Soundminer metadata and available on CD/DVD, hard drive and on-line delivery. General categories include Hollywood Edge Premiere Editions, Edge Editions, Animal, Background, Cartoon, Historical, Sound Design Tool Kits & Production Elements, Ambience, Science Fiction , Game Effects, Foley Effects, Evil and Eerie Editions.

Ranging in price from $49.95 to $9,495.00 (US), this special Apple user group provides 50% off specific sound effect collections, including items already discounted. To view these effects, click on “MUG Sounds” under the Categories list.

Hear the difference at:
http://www.hollywoodedge.com/MUG50-C10384.aspx       

This worldwide offer is valid through September 30, 2010.


iMedia Converter for Mac: 38% discount

iMedia Converter for Mac is an all-in-one converter  supports DVD ripping and video conversion. It lets you rip DVDs and convert videos directly for use with iPad, iPod, iPhone 4, Apple TV, or other devices. Easily convert DVDs and videos to almost any format of your choice, including WMV, AVI, MP4, MOV, FLV, and more. Fully support camcorder video files like AVCHD (MTS/M2TS) and JVC (MOD/TOD).
 
The usual retail price is $49 (USD), and the Apple User Group price is $30 (USD), a 38% discount.
 
Discount purchase link:
https://usd.swreg.org/cgi-bin/s.cgi?s=46920&p=46920-IME01&q=1&v=11&d=0

This worldwide offer is valid through November 15, 2010.
 
  
iPhone 4 Made Simple (ebook): 50% Discount

“iPhone 4 Made Simple” is the go-to guide for the latest and greatest version of the iPhone. This comprehensive book includes over 1,000 screen visuals and clear-cut instructions that illustrate both basic and advanced features of the iPhone 4, from email and calendar tips to navigating the App Store and understanding Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks. It helps readers take advantage of all the features, apps, and secret techniques available with the new iPhone 4.

The PDF version of “iPhone 4 Made Simple” which normally retails for $20.99 (US) is now available for download exclusively for Apple user group members for only $10.49 (US).

Get your ebook version today at:
http://www.apress.com/book/view/1430231920

This worldwide offer is valid through November 30, 2010.


Ezcapes iPhone 3G/3GS Covers: 50% Discount

Ezcapes LLC designs, manufactures, and distributes products to protect iPhones and iPads. Since 2009, our factory has been a leading supplier for companies including Disney, Ed Hardy, and Paul Frank.  Learn more about our products at www.ezcapes.com.

Apple user group members are eligible to purchase the iPhone 3G/3GS cases for $9.99 (US). Each iPhone case, normally priced at $19.99 (US), includes a FREE Screen Protector.

Purchase online at: 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_electronics?ie=UTF8&search-alias=electronics&field-brandtextbin=Ezcapes%20LLC

This worldwide offer is valid through December 24, 2010.
 

Tropic4 TopXotes: 20% Off

Taking notes has never been easier. The award-winning TopXNotes keeps your thoughts organized like no other program, and now you can take your notes with you on your iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, or iPad (iPhone app available separately from iTunes App Store). TopXNotes is the only note program for Mac OS that syncs notes with your iPhone/iPod Touch and iPod Classic. Learn more at www.tropic4.com.

This Apple user group special offer is for $31.96 (US), which is 20% off the regular low price of $39.95.

Sync your notes now: http://store.tropic4.com/Item.html?ID=20429         

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.


Select Wiley Books: 40% Discount

Wiley Publishing has 29 special Apple product books on special ranging from “Beginning iPhone SDK with Objective-C” to “Teach Yourself VISUALLY Macs” with retail prices ranging from $12.99 to $39.99. All titles can be viewed by going to http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-406720.html.

Apple user group members get 40% off when buying 5 titles together. Orders can be placed by contacting Jeff Parker at jparker@wiley.com, telling him the name of your user group.

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.


Home Inventory: 25% Off

Home Inventory, a Macworld GemFest 2010 pick,  is designed to help easily create and maintain an up-to-date inventory of the items and collections in any home. Knowing what you own, how much it's worth and being able to offer proof of possession is crucial when filing an insurance or police report. Home Inventory keeps track of this information and also serves as a record keeper for important information such as warranties, repair histories, and digital copies of owner's manuals for your items.

Regularly priced at $34.95 (USD), this user group special price is $26.22 (USD). Free trial version also available.

Buy now at:http://binaryformations.com/

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.


 All Eltima Mac Products: 20% Discount

These made-for-Mac products allow you to decompile Flash, extract SWF elements from Flash movies, compress SWF files without quality loss, playback your favorite media files, sync your Mac with numerous devices, manage your downloads, and recover PDF passwords – all of that you can do with the help of Eltima software solutions for Mac.

- Flash Decompiler Trillix http://mac.eltima.com/swftofla-converter.html
- Flash Optimizer http://mac.eltima.com/swf-compressor.html
- Elmedia Player http://mac.eltima.com/media-player.html
- Syncmate (powerful sync tool) http://mac.eltima.com/sync-mac.html
- Folx Downloader http://mac.eltima.com/download-manager.html
- Recover PDF Password http://mac.eltima.com/pdf-password-recovery.html
- Flash'in'App http://mac.eltima.com/cocoa-framework.html

These Mac products usually range from $19.95 - $399.95 (USD), and with special user group pricing will be reduced to a range of $15.96 - $319.96 (USD). Try before you buy versions are also available for downloading.

To buy any software title, click on the URL above, and use the Coupon Code:
AL-D-MUGPS

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.


Computer Memory, Flash Drives, Hard Drives: 15% Off

EDGE Tech Corp, an ISO 9001:2008-certified company founded in 1986, is a leading supplier of computer memory upgrades, portable computing products, storage devices, and other experience-enhancing technology solutions. Learn more about their products at http://www.edgetechcorp.com.
 
Apple user group members receive 15% off all Apple memory upgrades, portable hard drives, flash drives and more at EDGE Tech Corp. 

Apple Memory Upgrades: http://www.edgetechcorp.com/memory/apple-memory.asp
Portable Hard Drives: http://www.edgetechcorp.com/storage/portable-hard-drives.asp
Flash Drives: http://www.edgetechcorp.com/usb-flash-drives/

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.

Reading, Writing and 'Rithmatic or Reading, Reading, Reading by Ken Zindle

One of my firm beliefs is that after formal education is done or dropped by the way side, our actual education begins. I will admit that I took my education in hand, after seminary and graduate school---as much formal education as I really wanted, thank you!----were finished and proceeded on a plan to get myself really educated. 

This involved me in a process that has proven very beneficial for me. Over the length of the years I have chosen areas of history that I realized that I didn't know much or enough about and would set out, in my reading campaign, to correct that insufficiency. 

At one point it was Russian history, which then consumed me for about 3 years. At another point it was the history of the Civil War, only this one went on for a longer period of time, and is still part of my reading pattern. I've also included in this mania, if you wish to call it that, WWII history, and ancient history, especially the history of Rome.

It's been a ride worth every moment spent with the books that enchant me, inform me and at times overwhelm me.  (I will cite, for example my finding Stephen Vincent Benet's poetic version of the Civil War, 'John Brown's Body', which positively possessed me and I've read numerous times.)

I have added to this history mania in my reading an accompanying mania for classic novels, and have wanted through George Elliot, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austin, Dickens et al. (Forgive me but I don't like 'Wuthering Heights'! Or 'Great Expectations'! (I object to characters in each too much to like either!  Yes, I am opinionated!)

Enter the age of technical explosion, when I suddenly had the internet at my fingers to supply me with various kinds of information. But that was only the beginning, for next in this reading scenario came the iPhone and the app  'Stanza'.

I am a member of a cardiac rehab group and have been for over 15 years. At 6 AM we're at the hospital and working out to keep our hearts working merrily. The group is used to the fact that I read, as I exercise. Otherwise I am bored to bother. (I don't use earphones, since I don't want to cut myself off from the mayhem around me.) But the iPhone and stanza are my constant companions, where currently I'm working my way through 'Little Dorrit' By Dickens.

Using this wonderful device with white letters on a black screen, easy to accomplish by the way, is a true treat for the book lover in me.

But then the horizon expands and the iPad comes along. How great is this! I must say! Using the iPad and iBooks is the cream of the experiences in reading for me. No more hefty book weighing down on my chest. The screen is lighted, the battery long lasting, and the books available have to be called delicious:  I am currently working with a mixture that includes Flavius Josephus' 'The Jewish Wars', a tome on Ancient Mythology, several Jane Austin books, and a favorite Willa Cather. They're all waiting there for me on the shelves. It is possible, you see, to have this great reading experience without doing a huge amount of book purchasing. I am still in the realm of free books and am enjoying mucking about there.

This is an experience that I recommend to you. The device, this iPad, is way beyond wonderful with all the things that it does for me but being my reading companion is first rate.

appleJAC Plans Fall iMovie Class Confirmed!

 

 

Class will be happening.  Still room for more attendees.  Be there for the Fun!

Join appleJAC member George Kopp for a two session class in iMovie 09.  George will cover the basics of iMovie 09 including downloading video, cropping your clips, using photos in iMovie, publishing your movie, and much more. 

 

This class will be held on two evenings at Learfield Communications, 505 Hobbs Road (just east of South Country Club Drive off Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City) from 7 pm - 9pm as follows:

Thursday, October 7, 2010 - iMovie basics
Thursday, October 14, 2010 - iMovie Advanced topics

Cost of the 2 session class is $25.  If you are interested in attending, email applejac@mac.com and let us know you want to attend.  We need 8 confirmed attendees to hold the class.

Note:  The material in this class is applicable to users of iMovie 09.  Users of iMovie 08 will be able to use most of the material taught.  Older versions of iMovie will not be covered.

 

Home Inventory: Tracking Your Treasures

by Tom Piper

Can you think of anything more boring than writing down everything you have in your house? On the other hand, what would you do if you had a fire, or burglary, or tornado, or something else that would separate you from your possessions permanently? Can you remember and document it all? I had to recently, and I found a great program that makes the job much easier, and certainly more effective.

Home Inventory‚ is designed to help you easily create and maintain an up-to-date inventory of the items in your home. Knowing what you own, how much it's worth and being able to offer proof of possession is crucial when filing an insurance or police report. Home Inventory keeps track of this information and also serves as a record keeper for important information such as warranties, repair histories, and digital copies of owner's manuals for your items.



This graphic is a simple sample of the 15 standard fields already provided in the template, and up to 10 more can be custom-added as needed. Not only can this information be stored, but almost any picture or graphic can be added (see examples below) such as items photos (fully editable in the program), receipts (anything you scan), warranties and more. I used my iPhone to take the pictures, and DropBox to quickly place them in my computer for easy access.

The report function is powerful, detailed, customizable, exportable and handy to use in many way. I could go on and on about the features, but the explanations on their website illustrate it much better than I can: http://binaryformations.com/. This one great program that does what I needed and much more. I highly recommend it, and believe that $35 is a more than fair price . . . it is now even better with the offer below.

Home Inventory: 25% Off

Home Inventory, a Macworld GemFest 2010 pick, is designed to help easily create and maintain an up-to-date inventory of the items and collections in any home. Knowing what you own, how much it's worth and being able to offer proof of possession is crucial when filing an insurance or police report. Home Inventory keeps track of this information and also serves as a record keeper for important information such as warranties, repair histories, and digital copies of owner's manuals for your items.

Regularly priced at $34.95 (USD), this user group special price is $26.22 (USD). Free trial version also available.

Buy now at:
http://binaryformations.com/

This worldwide offer is valid through December 31, 2010.

FotoMagico 3: Making Slideshows Come Alive

by Tom Piper

Ever want to really jazz up your photo and movie collections by compiling a slideshow that goes way beyond iPhoto, Keynote and many other programs? There is a new version out that says Your Audience Will Never Fall Asleep Again!

Boinx Software FotoMagico is an application for creating and presenting live multimedia slideshows. The primary goal is to present our pictures with the best possible image quality that our display device offers. Typical display devices are our computer's screen, a TV set, or projector.

Aside from high image quality, the focus lies on easy and powerful authoring of your presentation. FotoMagico provides a simple, yet elegant and intuitive user interface. Using FotoMagico, I can:

• Create stunning slideshow presentations;
• Use photos from an iPhoto, Aperture, or Adobe Lightroom library or any folder on any local drive;
• Zoom, move, and rotate the images to highlight the most important areas of my photos;
• Animate my photos using "Pan & Zoom" (this type of animation is also known as the Ken Burns effect);
• Add video to your slideshow (all file formats that can be read and played by QuickTime are supported by FotoMagico);
• Add titles to my slideshow to create a compelling narrative;
• Use music and sound effects from my iTunes library to create an appropriate atmosphere for your slideshow;
• Record narration directly in FotoMagico while my slideshow is playing;
• Precisely control timing and other details of my slideshow;
• Control my slideshows interactively during playback;
• Remote control my slideshow with an iPhone or the remote control that shipped with my Mac;
• Share my slideshows with others in a variety of formats; and
• Much much more to provide a very professional look.

If I want to share my finished slideshows with other people who do not have FotoMagico installed on their computer, I have a host of options that let me do just that, such as creating a standalone player, creating a DVD, or publishing my slideshow to a .Mac webpage. This program is just full of exciting ways to make my work interesting.

This is a heavy-weight program with many features you can read more about at http://www.boinx.com/fotomagico. A variety of versions is available, from the Home Single User License of only $29 (Family edition $49) up to the Pro Single User license of $149 (Family edition $269). Boinx also produces many other useful and powerful products like BoinxTV, iStopMotion, PhotoPresenter, Mouseposé, iVeZeen, and even an iPhone app called You Gotta See This. Specific tutorials and one-to-one coaching is also available.

FotoMagico 3 is well worth getting if you want professional results from your hard work.

End of August 2010 appleJAC Digest/Blog