Info Manager for February 18, 2002

[*]  Circuit City;   [*]  He Writes The Songs;   [*]  Adobe gets Accelio;   [*]  iPad?;   [*]  AOL;   [*]  How schools are tricked into using PCs--when Macs are better;   [*]  Macintosh Computer Users Can Get Support In Group;   [*]  Book Value;   [*]  Faulty memory;   [*]  techNotes;   [*]  Web Sites of the Week: The Olympics;   [*]  Quote of the week: Douglas Adams;   [*]  Quote #2: Abraham Lincoln;   [*]  IMHO 2: Sharing with other groups.;   [*]  Discuss it with the InfoManager;  
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Circuit City

It is official, Apple and Circuit City are parting ways. So look for good buys over the next few months at CC as they clean out their inventory of older iMacs and iBooks. 
Full story at:
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0202/08.circuitcity.php

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He Writes The Songs

One of our readers, let us know about the story on Wired's web site with the above title. But he took it further and pointed us to the web site of the musician. There you can order a CD with Mac songs for $15. Imagine how that could liven up a user group meeting. (Although the style doesn't fit some of us old foggies. Thanks Gary. Any one else have some good stories?
That site is:
http://www.startupsounds.com/sadmac.mp3

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Adobe gets Accelio

Fred Showker pointed out that Adobe is acguiring Accelio who makes form products. This should put some marketing muscule behind the software. But it does concentrate an awful lot of the market in one company. http://www.adobe.com/

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iPad?

Insanely Great Mac is running a story about the newest PDA rumor. I guess too many people can't take Apple at its word. They have repeated over and over again that they are not interested in the PDA market.
Just remember that it is FAR from gospel. Personally I think (speculation only) that the iPod will become a multimedia machine sometime in the future and someone may develop Contact and calendar software for it. But I don't expect Apple to do it.
If you want to see what the rumor is, see the full story at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news/01/1481.html

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AOL

Costomers in New York are getting HUGH phone bills after a change in area codes caused AOL's access number to become a long distance call. AOL is blaming the phone company but may be partially to blame since it sometimes switches callers to a less busy phone number which can be the long distance one -- rendering a bill for more than $1,400.
Full story from IDG at:
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=638353

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How schools are tricked into using PCs--when Macs are better

A guest columnist on ZDNet has authored the above story. I can't begin to summarize. But then most of us already know what he so concisely says.
at: http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2846571,00.html

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Macintosh Computer Users Can Get Support In Group

An article with the above title ran in the Augusta (North? Carolina) newspaper. It gave great promotion to the CSRA Apple Macintosh Users Group. They talk about doing a "Green Apple" session specifically for new users. (Great idea!) I found the article on Dow Jones Interactive, but couldn't find it on the newspaper web site. Anyone else getting good news coverage?

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Book Value

Charles Moore has written an opinion piece on how to minimize depreciation on computers.
Valuable advice at:
http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/02/02/12/index.html

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Faulty memory

In an article with the above title, US News and World Report pay tribute to the programmers of the original ENIAC computer. The ladies who flipped the switches to program it. It is agood read and reminds us of those pioneers who came before us. (ENIAC was introduced to the public on Feb 14th 1946 by the US Army, who had used it during World War II to calculate ballistics tables.)
Full story at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/020211/tech/11eniac.htm

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techNotes

I have been receiving techNotes from Tracey Valleau for about 5 years now. Tracey does a great job in his e-newsletter of keeping Mac users up to date on issues going on in the Mac community while telling it in his own forthright way. While it comes on a fairly regular basis, Tracey is not above sending out issues that aren't on schedule to notify us of virus and security threats. It has been the only newsletter I have paid for over the years. (Though I have considered Mac Journal.)
To get a free issue and see why I like it so much go to:
http://www.linksware.com/Pages/technotes.html

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Web Sites of the Week: The Olympics

First, the official site (link below) Then the NBC network web site: http://www.nbcolympics.com/
(Once again, thanks to the Tourbus newsletter - http://www.TOURBUS.com)
http://www.saltlake2002.com/

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Quote of the week: Douglas Adams

"10 percent of computer users are Mac users, but remember, we are the top 10 percent."

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Quote #2: Abraham Lincoln

"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

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IMHO 2: Sharing with other groups.

It has come to my attention lately, that more and more groups are joining together to help each other do more. I hear of groups that are taking advantage of the MacWorld magazine's special offer on their "OSX" publication by joining together to purchase the 50 copy minimum order. Also about groups that are sharing publicity and information about vendor presentations as well as special offers. The Mac Pack of Dallas (now DMUG) built an extensive video library by renting tapes to at least 3 other user group's members. What are you doing to cooperate instead of compete?
I believe you'll find them at:
http://www.dmug.org/

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Discuss it with the InfoManager

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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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