Info Manager

Info Manager for September 22, 2003

[*]   Apple's announcements

[*]   Apple Memories Not Sweet as Pie

[*]   Retailers post 30% rise in first-half e-book sales

[*]   Say sayonara to Windows

[*]   Congrats to "AUSOM" Mac user group

[*]   OSX users' prayers answered

[*]   Zagat & Intel help with wireless guide

[*]   UnCoverIt 2.0 Released

[*]   Productivity returning to OS X

[*]   I'm getting sleepy... Jiggle me.

[*]   Try "Easy" accounting with FMPro

[*]   Smithsonian launches new educational web site.*

[*]   SOONERACCESS*

[*]   eBay to Introduce 1-Day Auctions**

[*]   Windows Out, Windows In

[*]   Junk Faxes back

[*]   Lawsuit over hard drive size

[*]   PopChar moves on with "Panther"

[*]   UG Member in need...

[*]   Quotes: Agar, Curie, Thoreau:
 

Apple's announcements

The notebook announcements at the Paris Apple show, was pretty much as expected. We even got a new 15" aluminum PowerBook out of the deal. I suppose, the new cordless mouse was a surprise, but I don't think any one will loose sleep over it. Full story at: Computerworld

Hotwired News also has coverage... in their Technology department: "Steve Jobs says that a series of new powerful laptops will help Apple generate more sales from portable computers than desktops. The notebooks boast 12-, 15- and 17-inch displays, faster processors, and CD and DVD burners.

Full stories with pictures can be found in this last week's MUG, which I believe was the first to post the news: AACUG.org/MUG/

Apple Memories Not Sweet as Pie

Loads of shrimp and recollections of their days as Apple employees satisfied most attendees of the AppleLore gathering in Silicon Valley. They missed Steve Jobs though. Leander Kahney reports from Mountain View, California, for Hotwired's "Cult of Mac"

Retailers post 30% rise in first-half e-book sales

In an article with the above title, Internet Retailer reports that e-books sellers, with the exception of BarnsandNoble.com who dropped e-books are doing good sales. In fact, the increase in sales was 30% over last year's 6 month period while selling 40% more books. The sales totaled $4.97 million. Read the full story at: Internet Retailer

Say sayonara to Windows

Sick of Windows? Try Sun Java, a new Linux-based Desktop system from Sun Microsystems. Looks like this move is aimed squarely at Microsoft, since the Sun Java Desktop system includes a suite of software for businesses that are ready to say sayonara to Windows... from Wired

Congrats to "AUSOM" Mac user group

Mac users in the Melbourne, Victoria area of Australia got a new boost last week when the AUSOM MUG launched their all-new web site. Ausom.net.au provides both current and potential members with a wealth of information and resources as well as putting Macintosh enthusiasts in contact with other such individuals and organizations. Information about when and where all four meetings that AUSOM conducts each month occur, can now be found summarized on a single "meetings" page.
      The AUSOM website was designed by Steve Cooper of MacAssist using the web design application, Freeway. Check them out at: AUSOM.net.au/

OSX users' prayers answered

How often have you wished the pages of the "OSX Disaster Relief" book, or Pogue's "OSX Missing Manual" and several others I rely on were available in PDF format. What a pain having to dig through a book to find the answers. Invariably, the answer is never in a single place. Don't you hate it when the index reference takes you to a page in the book which gives you a brief mention, but then refers you to another page? Then, yet another, and another, and so on. IMHO, it's very sad they no longer publish the Macworld "Secrets" series which included a CD with the complete text of the book.
      Gregory Swain, Mac user and guru in Southlake Texas has answered our wishes with his new e-book: "Troubleshooting Mac OS X"
      "Troubleshooting Mac OS X" is focused on practical advice for preventing or resolving problems in Mac OS X for people who need to get real work done with their Macs. The e-book lets you quickly find the answers to your questions by searching more than 300+ pages of troubleshooting info. The book is extensively hyperlinked and cross-referenced, both within the book itself and to some of the best Mac OS X troubleshooting information on the Internet.
      Gregory appeared at the September meeting of Apple Corps Dallas. and invited us all to visit his FAQ pages, for lots of free, online info -- http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/faqs.html. When you consider that Pogue's "Mac Secrets" books were fifty bucks, a paltry fifteen to own Swain's e-book is a true bargain! TheXLab.com

Zagat & Intel help with wireless guide

It isn't often that Intel puts out a publication that is useful to Mac users, but this one can be. If you travel, this guide is a directory of restaurants and hotels in major cities that offer wireless Internet access. Click and drag this link off to your hard drive: Zagat.pdf

UnCoverIt 2.0 Released

I haven't written much about shareware apps lately, but this one should be on the list of anyone burning CDs of the songs they get from the iTunes Music Store. It creates labels for CDs. It integrates with iTunes and iPhoto to create the labels. It requires Mac OS X 10.2 Download at: iWasCoding.com

Productivity returning to OS X

While some are saying X is the "end of productivity as we know it" John Casasanta, President of Inventive Software, is taking a different slant. Their new iClip version 2.5 productivity software for X is a multiple clipboard/scrapbook application designed to improve user efficiency and productivity for many computing tasks. It's pretty cool, as it works as a small window floating above all other applications giving easy access to multiple bins for storage and organization. Clippings can be text, pictures, URLS, sounds, etc. iClip helps eliminate redundant typing, especially in tasks like filling out online forms. iClip allows users to arrange clippings into groups to stay organized. This would seem a great value ($19.95) for such a simple utility that does so much. Info and download at: Inventive.us

I'm getting sleepy... Jiggle me.

Maybe you just need a little jiggle? Stick Software has launched Jiggler, a little freeware utility for Mac OS X that keeps your Mac awake through those lengthy tasks when it would rather fall asleep. Is this simple or what? It simply "jiggles" your mouse periodically. No more having to open System Preferences to change your sleep time and your screensaver delay, only to have to change them back again at the end. Just jiggle!

Try "Easy" accounting with FMPro

Long-time MUG supporter and Filemaker Pro guru David Haney has alerted us that he's posted a FREE Demo versions of EasyAccounting with FileMaker Pro v2.5.3. The Developer Edition is provided with the master password for full access privileges to allow for integration into other FileMaker Pro solutions. A comprehensive User's Guide is available as a FREE downloadable pdf document. A short video tutorial is also available as a FREE downloadable QuickTime Movie. David's handywork can be found at: FilemakerAccounting.com

Smithsonian launches new educational web site.*

The new site for the Smithsonian is divided into three sections: Educators, Students, and Families.
      The Educators get lesson plans in four categories (lesson plans were for a variety of grade groups covering grade K-12), and a search engine to find lesson plans, field trips, publications and productions, and professional development resources. The Students get links to information about collections, walking on the moon, a bibliography and plenty of Smithsonian kid's content to explore, divided into categories Everything Art, Science and Nature, History & Culture, and People & Places. The Families area is aimed more at getting people to visit the various Smithsonian museums

SOONERACCESS*

For all my friends at TUMS (Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society), I wanted to pass on this information from ResearchBuzz. This site does a variety of business oriented lookups, some free and some fee based. The free services include name availability, trademark search, and notary search. Business searches allows searching for businesses (banks, churches, etc.) The site is called "SoonerAccess"

eBay to Introduce 1-Day Auctions**

According to AuctionBytes.com, eBay is going to be offering 1 day auctions. That would be beneficial to people who don't like the long wait, but it might not be as beneficial to sellers where more time may be needed for the product to be discovered. Fees would remain the same. See: AuctionBytes.com

Windows Out, Windows In

We read the news about some vendors dropping Windows, then read others are adding Windows. Two stories in Wired last week seem to baffle good sense:
      First was the news that most U.S. banks plan to convert their ATMs to the Windows operating system by 2005. Technology reporter Elisa Batista covered the story and asks: "Will this move make bank customers vulnerable to malicious Internet attacks and the infamous blue screen of death?" Obviously there are a lot of questions to ask.
      Then we get the news that Motorola has introduced its first mobile phone powered by Microsoft software. The new smart phone allows customers to synchronize e-mail, calendar and contacts on their phones with Microsoft's desktop computer software. But will it allow the techno-savvy spam programmers to insert zombies in those systems too? (Like they do in most other Microsoft systems.) Wouldn't that open thousands of additional unsecured proxies which could be used as spam portals? You bet!
* Windows to Power ATMs in 2005
* Microsoft Moves in on Mobiles

Junk Faxes back

It's not bad enough to be inundated by spam, now we're seeing more junk faxes than ever. One junk fax firm has found a work-around as reported in Ryan Singel's "Junk-Fax Firm Disguising Rebirth" (HotWired) -- Ryan says: "Beset with legal troubles and million-dollar fines, marketing company Fax.com will likely continue spewing junk faxes. Its solution to shaking off lawsuits is to 'go out of business' and set up shop under a different name.

Lawsuit over hard drive size

It was bound to happen, a group of computer owners have filed a lawsuit against the biggest computer makers saying that they are misrepresenting the size of the hard drives. Named in the lawsuit are Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP, IBM, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba. I don't understand why they didn't name any of the other hard drive manufacturers. (I know IBM makes hard drives but they apparently were named as a computer manufacturer. Those who have purchased a hard drive and installed it are aware that the size of the hard drives are commonly overstated by about 10%. This suit reminds me of the one against computer makers over misrepresenting the size of their CRT monitors. (15" display typically only gave 13.3" viewing area.) Full story at: Reuters.com

PopChar moves on with "Panther"

PopChar is one of the all-time favorite shareware tools for typing unusual unusual characters without having to remember their keyboard combinations. PopChar X version 2.1.1 is smaller and faster, and it contains some modifications to prepare for compatibility with the soon-to-come Mac OS X 10.3 ("Panther"). More information on PopChar X is available from http://www.macility.com/products/popcharx/ Or, simply go and download the new version

UG Member in need...

A long-time friend and MUG colleague has sent up a flare for help. He's now employed as a full-time Technology Specialist for new Elementary Charter School one of the poorest neighborhoods in America. The school needs computers, monitors, printers, any equipment IN GOOD WORKING ORDER and COMPLETE. (Complete means a working CPU, monitor, keyboard and mouse.) As a non-profit organization they are able to provide a receipt letter for tax purposes. If you have working equipment to ship as a donation, please contact AACUG for details.

Quotes: Agar, Curie, Thoreau:

"The truth that makes men free is for the most part
  the truth which men prefer not to hear."
      - Herbert Agar
 
"One never notices what has been done;
  one can only see what remains to be done."
      - Marie Curie
 
"New ideas come into this world somewhat like falling meteors,
  with a flash and an explosion, and perhaps
  somebody's castle-roof perforated."
      - Henry David Thoreau

 
      pau

 
* Subscription instructions for Research Buzz are available at: Researchbuzz.com
** Subscriptions to AuctionBytes can be made by sending instructions via email to: feedback

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Also see: MUG NEWS bursts from the AACUG Mac User Guide (MUG)

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The Info Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. Currently working with the Apple Corp of Dallas, the Dallas Mac Pack, Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth and TUMS (the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society) doing newsletter articles and the monthly CD-ROM Update. Post a lead Info Manager should follow up on.

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