appleJAC Users Group

March 2022 agenda & followup

The overall March 1 meeting slideshow, including the CES 2022 product descriptions, can be viewed again by clicking on aJ slideshow.

The video of the first half of the meeting (reports, Q&A, Tom about CES showing gadgets) is available at youtu.be/7MCIDQfR1E0. For the second half (George about Apple in Microsoft world), click on appleJAC.org/videos/941432176568158.

The CES video can be watched by clicking on youtu.be/OtYzW_volnk. And, an unannounced extra is a list of product review website from many Apple user groups can be downloaded at AUG Product Reviews

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Meeting Agenda - August, 2021

Meeting Agenda-March 2020

by Tom Piper, aJ President

It appears that winter is nearly over (as I watch a few flurries fall outside). With predictions of 55° and 40% chance of rain for our next meeting, traveling should be okay, just bring a raincoat, just in case.

I've invested a lot more time into my CES 2020 review slideshow and gadget presentation, so we should have a good time, with interesting things to watch. Feel free to bring friends and family to enjoy the evening together.

BTW, I will have a number of items from the Las Vegas show to pickup for free, just in case you are interested. Hope you can make it . . . 

 

KOPN conversation with Joe Mertzlufft

On August 21, 2019, substituting for Dick Dalton that week during his regular "Glocal News in Social Artistry", Tom Piper interviewed his long-time friend Joe Mertzlufft, owner of Mid-Missouri Computer Services, Inc  (this was a preview of Tom's Tech Talk). Both have been Apple users since these first computers were available.

They have a long history of following diverse technology and adapting to its changes. Joe is also an avid basketball fan and user of radio-controlled flying machines. They even took a few minutes to promote the appleJAC Users Group.

In order to listen to this 53-minute broadcast, just go to transistor.fm/KOPNtomstechtalk, or click on:

KOPN 082119

What is Glocal News in Social Artistry?

Each Wednesday morning from 10:00-11:00am on KOPN.org 89.5 FM, Dick Dalton has a conversation with someone who is building a more humane world from the inside out. Listen live or find his podcasts here on transistor.fm.

 

Dick Dalton presents Tom Piper on KOPN radio

by Dick Dalton with Tom Piper.

July 11, 2018, was my conversation with Tom Piper. We met at an appleJAC meeting in the early 80s and recently started seeing each other at Capital City Productions. Tom's experiences as a director at DHSS, a MacQuest consultant (macquest.com), a photographer, and much more made it fun and informative.

You can listen in by clicking on . . . 

KOPNtompiper

 

President's Place: February 2017

by Tom Piper

As you probably guessed, my visit to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas was awe-inspiring, extremely-exciting, and ultimately-exhausting. Along with many wonderful memories, diverse pictures, and incredible gadgets, I also brought back a terrible head-cold (my excellent physician, [Dr. Todd] said it may have been a touch of flu, in spite of my flu shot). Nonetheless, this is now past, and I have much to show you at our next meeting (more about this later).

Our last meeting started with some Tips & Tricks from Joe Mertzlufft and Jason Piper, and responses to member questions about scanning pictures and iPhone popups, which was followed with over an hour of “Organizing Your Pics with Apple Photos” when George Kopp showed us the many interesting and powerful features of this free Apple app (a major step beyond iPhoto). I have a video of the entire meeting, but it takes up 20 Gigabytes of memory if anyone wants to loan me a large flash drive. My slides are here: Facilitator Guide.

We distributed appleJAC business cards again, as well as aJ microfibre cleaning clothes to those who hadn’t yet received their free ones (still available for $3 each, or 2 for $5). We did a brief Show & Tell of Christmas goodies (like my GoPro Hero Sessions camera that I recorded the meeting with), while the following people won door prizes during our Great Break:

• Ron Hansen             Apple earbuds
• Alice Kopp               iTunes $10 card
• Margie Stevenson    MacLife book
• Kathy Mills              Apple cards
• Mel Kalal                 Missing Manual AppleWorks book
• Julie Smith              Missing Manual OSX book

The first appleJAC Board Meeting of 2017 had almost full attendance (Jim Springs was in Galvaston) where we discussed the last meeting (reminding me and other presenters to turnoff Auto-Lock when showing items on the screen to avoid video interruptions), and doorprizes for future meetings. We discussed the agenda for the next regular member meeting (CES), as well as topics for March 7 (Mac & iPad Interplay), March 28 (George’s iPad Class), April 4 (Mistakes to Avoid), and others. Financial statements showed a balance of $4,451.09 in our account, plus 22 regular annual members and 61 lifetime members (Hal Dulle being our newest honorary member). 

Our next meeting is all about CES Highlights (see attached agenda) where I will show a half-hour presentation of 300 photos and videos before the Great Break, and wide variety of cool gadgets after the Break. Not to forget, like always, we start our meeting with introducing visitors, presenting Tips & Tricks (share some you have learned), and doorprize drawing just after the Break. We are also looking for ideas of where to meeting on July 11 for our annual [email protected] session (a location that uses Mac, iPads and/or other Apple products for everyday business).

That’s it for this month’s thoughts. I look forward to your attendance on February 7, and welcome any visitors you would like to bring along. Be sure to visit other parts of our website, let us know as soon as possible if you want to attend George’s iPad Class, and enjoy the reviews of great products (like those from the Take Control publishers). Enjoy the warming temperatures, Spring is not far away!!!

 

President's Place: January 2017

by Tom Piper

HAPPY NEW YEAR . . . 2017 has arrived, and we have much to do (like New Year’s Resolutions). First, I wish to thank our appleJAC Officers from 2016 (Joe, Peggy, Alice, Greg, Larry, Ann, George, Mark, Shubha and Janet) who have served us well, and contributed to our education and enjoyment during the year. I also welcome our new Officers (Jason, Julie and Jim).

As I begin my year as appleJAC President (it seems like this is the 20th time I’ve done this), I look forward to some great topics, and also reflect back on 32 years of successful achievement of our goal “to provide a forum for Apple products, including Macintosh computers and iOS devices, users in Central Missouri to meet on an educational, research and social basis." We have done this for over 380 meetings on literally more topics than I can count . . . and there is a lot more to look forward to.

At our last meeting, we had a great presentation about Email Security from Jason Piper (see our website for his slideshow), and held our Annual Business Meeting (these minutes are also posted on our website). A number of prizes were given away, but a list was not kept at this meeting.

Our next meeting will focus on “Organizing Your Pics with Apple Photos”, an extensive presentation by George Kopp describing many of the features of this app replacement for iPhoto (this is not about scanning or handling photos with other apps). We will also spend whatever time left talking about Cool Stuff that members have, particularly items received for Christmas. In addition, we also need your ideas for new topics to address during our meetings this year, so bring your ideas along.

To learn more about this meeting, just view the agenda below. We will also be spending special attention to timing our presentations this year, and asking our attendees to be respectful of presenters by moving telephones calls and chitchat to the back of the room so others can better hear.

Thanks for being part of appleJAC, and we look forward to a great year ahead. See you at the meeting . . . 

 

appleJAC Members in the News

President's Place: May 2014

by Tom Piper

Each month I wonder what you, as an appleJAC member, might find interesting and rewarding about Apple products, and related accessories, software and apps. As a lifelong gadget admirer and collector, my attention is drawn to the unusual, but not always practical devices, some of which I write about in my new product reviews, and others I bring to meetings. I always hope that this information is at least entertaining to you, if not useful. And so goes the opening ramblings of my morning ...

Due to a 4,000 mile driving trip to Santa Fe/Tucson/San Diego/Anaheim/Flagstaff, I was not able to attend the last meeting which focused on Smart Home and Remote Access devices and apps. By all reports, it was educational and entertaining, with the following door prize winners:

Greg Breuer    iTunes card $10
Gale Fuller      Apple logo pen/carabiner
George Kopp   Apple logo carabiner/keychain

Our next meeting on May 6 is all about "A/V Apps: iMessage, FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts" as described in the agenda displayed below. There will be special information about the latest security threat called Heartbleed, and how we might respond, as well as a few tips and tricks to improve your technlogy's performance. You will also be asked about whether you would like a more advanced MacBasics class before summer starts.

We hope to see you at the next meeting. As always, we welcome visitors and new members who would like to learn more and enjoy the company of other devoted Apple and related product users.

President's Place: October 2013

by Tom Piper

School has started, summer is over, and iOS7 was recently released at noon on Sept. 18. As I prepared this message to you, I was downloading the great new update to my iPhone 5 (which I replaced with a black 64GB iPhone 5S on Sept. 20), iPad mini and iPad 3 (each is reporting at least an hour download). Ah, yes, these are exciting (and frustrating) times.

Our last meeting was all about "iCloud: How It Works" with me presenting Part I, followed by Joe Mertzlufft showing Part II. This meeting was at Callaway Rural Electric building in Fulton (thanks to Charley Bland and the Fullers for hosting) with almost 40 people in attendance. Door prize winners included:

• Greg Breuer                 iDevice stylus
• Sharon Hanson             Road Atlas from CRE
• Deb Sanfelipo              iCloud book
• Gary Garvin                 Cup from CRE
• Julie Smith                  iPod for Dummies
• Carol VanFranklin         Easy OS X
• Beverly Grangiacoma    iPhone 4/4S case
• Bonnie Friehlin             Lumina iPhone 5 case
• Phyllis Fuller                15" MacBook case
• Greg Perry                   iPhone 4/4S case with bottle opener

Final announcements were made for the iDevice Photo Contest which ended August 31 (Dr. Henry Domke has judged the first, second and third prize winners). There is still time to cast your ballot for the People's Choice award (see the entries shown a few pages below).

A special request was also made for people who would like to present a Gadget (app, software, or hardware) at the November 5 meeting. This opportunity is still available with only 5 items spoken for so far (15 more are available).

The next meeting (see agenda below) will be October 1 the topic "iOS7: A Whole New Perspective" to be presented by George Kopp. This is a revolutionary product with over 200 new features, many obvious, others more subtle. We will also be giving away a $10 iTunes card, and other special items at this meeting.

As you already learned in an earlier email, George also is presenting a special 2-hour iPad Class on October 16 (described more fully in an article a few pages down where you can click on our email address to pre-register for this event (seating is designed for 35 and more). We encourage you to pay at our next meeting (you can pay the evening of the class, but we are trying to shorten the waiting line).

We also have re-energized our Facebook presence with a new fan page. Just go to facebook.com/applejacmac to sign up. This is a great place to ask questions, learn new information, and dialogue with other members.

 

2013 appleJAC iOS Photo Contest DEADLINE

WInner of our Last Contest

You, as a member of appleJAC, are invited to take and enhance(remove something, add something, colorize or otherwise improve) a picture.

Any picture you take out your back door, on your daily walk or on your family vacation can be used. People, places or things. Perhaps a beautiful scenery you know about or a flower you captured in bloom last week. Two caveats. The picture must be taken with an iOS device(iPhone, iPad). Before and after enhancement photos need to be emailed to [email protected]

The clock starts now and ends on August 31. After that, you lost your chance to win. All submissions will be displayed on the appleJAC website (http://www.applejac.org). As a member, you will be also asked to vote for a "People's Choice" by September 30. Send your vote to [email protected].

All photos will be judged with first ($30 value prize), second ($20 value prize) and third ($10 value prize) place winners determined by our esteemed judge. The "People's Choice" winner gets a $10 prize. A person could win both first prizes. How cool is that?

Winners will be announced at the November 5 meeting.

President's Place

by Tom Piper, 2013 President

A new year has just begun, filled with promise and opportunity. Of all those New Year's Resolutions, how many are you still keeping now that the first week has past? As the incoming appleJAC President (for the 15th time), I am hoping that we can reach out to even more Apple product users, particularly those with iDevices like iPhones, iPads and iPods.

At the last meeting, Sue Snell (along with friends) did a wonderful presentation about Card Making, and demonstrated how others in our group have incredible knowledge to share. We hope to see more of these kinds of shared education from more members. A dozen officers were elected at the last meeting to serve for 2013 (see left column below), and develop exciting and informative meetings for the next twelve months. Door prize winners included:

• Top X Notes             Julie Smith
• Top X Notes             Larry Garvin
• Top X Notes             Tom Vaughn
• Top X Notes             Ros Moulton
• Top X Notes             Trish Alexander
• Chip clip                  Marian Petrides
• Chip clip                  Greg Breuer
• Chip clip                  Gale Fuller
• Apple ornament        Sue Snell
• Office 2011 (book)   Julie Koeningsfeld
• AirPort router          Jim Stevenson
• Apple stress ball       Shubbha Miller

The next meeting is an invitation to our attendees to sharing the techie treasures that they received this past Christmas Season (and to tell us what you got others). George and I will also provide some interesting tips and tricks for Mountain Lion computer users and iOS6 iDevice users (Joe can't attend this meeting). We will also introduce many of the topics to be covered at future meetings.

Come to our January 8, 7:00pm meeting, and bring along a friend or two to enjoy the warmth and knowledge of our members. Its a beautiful day in OUR neighborhood . . . 

 

Proposal to Update appleJAC Bylaws

The appleJAC Macintosh Users Group Board of Directors is proposing to update the corporate Bylaws by removing the Board position of "Librarian".

A vote of the membership will be taken at the December 4, 2012, Annual Meeting to confirm and accept these changes.

The motivation for this change is because the physical contents of our Library has become very dated. No members have requested access to any of its contents for the past several years. Thus, without a viable library, a Librarian is no longer needed to administer its contents.

If a need emerges for this task, or any others, a Member-at-Large position will be assigned that function in the future.

To view the specific changes being proposed, click on appleJAC Bylaws ver 9 which will download the 4-page PDF file with all deletions as overstrikes and new language underlined (all in red).

President's Place

It is with great anticipation that I look forward to the August meeting of the appleJAC Macintosh Users Group meeting. TRYPS Theater in Columbia is generous enough to host our group to demonstrate the use of Macs in business.

TRYPS is a children’s theater in Columbia and uses Apple computers in the production and performances. The theater is located in Columbia Mall at 2300 Bernadette #918, Columbia, MO. The phone number is (573) 449-4536.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For anyone wishing to carpool, please meet at the parking area in north Jefferson City, just off of the Rt. W exit by 5:30 pm so we can be on the road shortly after.

Kudos to Joe Mertzlufft and George Kopp for their dual presentations at the July meeting at Coffee Zone. We tried a different format and believe it was well-received and everyone was able to glean useful information. Thanks again guys. Good work.

 

 

President's Place

July is already upon us; wow, it’s hard to believe that. Due to the extremely dry weather, fireworks displays may be on hold this year but, our annual maintenance meeting is not.

It IS, however, pushed back one week due to a July 4th celebration downtown. We will meet at Coffee Zone on July 10, 2012, and Taisir will be open at 5:00 pm to serve supper. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm and feature simultaneous presentations by George Kopp and Joe Mertzlufft.

In an effort to be more informative and helpful, we will try something new this meeting. The group will be divided in two with each group being shown a different program. George will start in the front of the store talking about iOS maintenance, and Joe will be in the back informing about MacOS issues. At the break, the pair will switch places and do their presentation with the other half of the group. We anticipate this will work well, and that members will gather more information with this format.

Don’t forget, the meeting is the second Tuesday of July, and dinner will be available after 5:00pm. 

Join us for an informative meeting on how to keep your equipment running smoothly:

Yanis Coffee Zone
130 E High Street
Jefferson City, MO
573-761-4277

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July everyone, and we’ll see you on July 10 in downtown Jefferson City.

 

President's Place

Wow, have the first five months of this year flown by! It’s nearly June and time for the annual appleJAC Group barbecue and picnic. We look forward to this time to meet and get to know each other on a different level. 

I want to thank Peggy and John Landwehr in advance for hosting this year’s event. Hopefully the rain will hold off until after the evening’s festivities, and we can go home dry, unless that is, you decide to go in the pool.

Oh yes, there is a pool, so if you choose to, you can bring a swimming suit and quench the exterior thirst. The club will provide the hot dogs and hamburgers. 

Doorprizes won at the previous May 1 appleJAC MUG meeting include:

• iTunes card.......................Zack Fletcher
• iKlick..............................Julie Smith
• Photoshop book.................. Larry Garvin
• USB hub............................Charlie Bland
• Designing Software for iPad.....Greg Perry
• MobileMe for Small Business.....Dr. Tom M.

This month, we will enjoy the Annual appleJAC MUG Picnic (see agenda below). Friends and family are all invited to attend (bring a beverage, side disk and lawn chair). This is an opportunity to relax at the poolside home of Peggy and John Landwehr, and enjoy food, fun and friends. RSVP is requested (if you haven’t already). Directions below to their house (east side of Jefferson City off Eastland Drive) show that they are easily accessible.

You bring something to drink and a side dish. We’ll dine with friends ... and I’m quite sure, we’ll have a ball.

President's Place

by Julie Smith

Harken back only a few short years ago to when, if you wanted a new software program, you either had to go to an electronics store (and hope they carried Apple/Mac software), or purchase a disk off your favorite online site and wait a few days to receive it in the mail.

Well, fellow Mac users, no longer. With the popularity of the iOS devices and instant downloads, you can now purchase your computer software or apps the same way. Keep in mind, "app" is short for application, and an application is software. It’s all the same thing, just different branding. As long as you have high-speed internet connection or access to wi-fi, it is an efficient delivery system.

Doorprizes won at the previous April 3 appleJAC MUG meeting include:

• iTunes card......Brian Fuller
• Flashlight........Todd ?
• Pen...............Ann Lane
• Apple cloth......Jenice Taggart
• Lion Tutorial....Bill Krause
• Apple cloth......Gale Fuller
• Stress apple......Ron Hansen
• appleJAC cloth..Mathias
• appleJAC cloth..Peggy Landwehr
• appleJAC clip...Jim Stevenson
• Stress apple.....Joe Mertzlufft
• Stress apple.....Dan Watson
• Stress apple.....Jan Watson

With the popularity of portable devices like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, we had focused on apps for those devices, but this month we get back to the computer that made it all possible, the Apple Mac. Whether you have an iMac, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro, you are now able to download your software directly to your computer and start using it right away. And, with the availability of gift cards at nearly any store, gifting software is as easy as ever.

A few of our members will show some of their favorite Mac Apps and demonstrate them for us Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at the May appleJAC Mac User Group meeting beginning at 7:00 pm in Kennedy Hall below the Immaculate Conception School gym.

Hope to see you Tuesday, and bring along a few friends.

President's Place

by Julie Smith

Welcome to February and the appleJAC Mac Users Group. We look forward to having a meeting this year since last year we missed out due to the blizzard of 2011. 

It should be an interesting year ahead for Apple itself with new leadership at the company. I look forward to new products from the innovative electronics maker.

This, too, should prove to be an exciting year for our local group as we continue to grow. We look to you, our members, for ideas and certainly your participation. If you have a topic about which you would like to know more or if you are knowledgeable on an item or software and would like to make a brief presentation, please let us know. 

This club is sort of like school in that, the more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. To that end, in an effort to keep current with trends and the newest in equipment, gadgets and Apps, our next meeting will feature information on the latest from CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and Macworld | iWorld (formerly Macworld Expo) highlights Tom and Jason Piper. They attended iWorld in late January, so they’ll have first hand perspective, and have put together presentations on both shows. George will talk about taking notes electronically, and how they can help you have a more productive schedule.

As always, Tom will have several goodies he brought back from the iWorld Expo on hand to show. He also brought back books from Wiley Publishing and other things to give away.

Join us Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at Lewis & Clark Middle School, 325 Lewis & Clark Drive in Jefferson City, for a look into what’s new for the year, electronically speaking.

Thanks for your time, and we look forward to seeing you Tuesday night. Bring a friend or family member as a guest. 

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
• [email protected] (room setup and presenters needs) - Greg Breuer
• [email protected] (refreshments) - Sue Snell
• [email protected] (photos) - Dan Walsh
• [email protected] (recruiting) - Peggy Landwehr
• [email protected] (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
[email protected] (room setup and presenters needs) - Greg Breuer
[email protected] (refreshments) - Sue Snell
[email protected] (photos) - Dan Walsh
[email protected] (recruiting) - Peggy Landwehr
[email protected] (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.