Minutes from our monthly minutes, from the most recent to the oldest.
(Click on the colored links for the files - or go to our Downloads tab)
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April 15, 2020
As promised we captured the video recording of Doug Cairns presentation on his favorite iPhone Apps and uploaded it to our website for those of you who missed the show yesterday. Please visit our new 2020 RMUG Video webpage to view the hour long show. Be sure to download his spreadsheet detailing his choices.
The Apple Stores are amazing places to visit, with all the inticing new products and of course the Genius Bar to help get us out of trouble! Two years ago, Apple added another great feature, in store training classes called Today at Apple. Topics include getting you familiar with the fundamental techniques & tools of a creative topic; diving deeper into a creative approach by getting you started on a project and guided photography walks, designed for levels from beginner to seasoned pro. Unfortunately the COVID-19 virus has closed the Apple Stores temporarily - so what to do?
Today at Apple - At Home offers great sessions that you can enjoy on your MacBook or mobile device at home. From drawing playful portraits with iPad, to capturing striking photography with iPhone, and shooting photos full of personality with iPhone, the tutorials are fun and easy.
Check it out and use your downtime at home to learn more about all the fun features of your Apple devices!
Doug
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April 14, 2020
Well that was certainly a first for our group, an on-line Zoom meeting! I was pleased with the participation, at one point we had 34 members watching our member Doug Cairn review his 25 favorite iPhone Apps. As promised, I'm attaching a PDF listing of the apps.
We were recording the presentation and hope to have a video link available later this week for those of you who were unable to attend today. Let's hope we can accomplish this, on-line video presentations are a brave new world for all of us!
This is probably going to be our last presentation of the season as many of us start heading to our summer homes, but you never know. I might have another video conference show for you later this summer so standby.
Our next official session will be back in the Kramer Room (hooray!) on the second Tuesday of November, the 10th, at 2:00PM. In the meantime practice social distancing and hunker down in your self quarantine spot. And why not use some of this downtime to brush up your computer skills? Our webpage has lots of on-line video training options that you can explore over the summer, I hope you will take advantage of some of them.
Stay safe everyone!
Doug
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March 10, 2020
A full afternoon of useful information for you on how to avoid phishing plus some fun and useful new Apps for you to try. I'd like to especially thank Lauri Kunzman for her great presentation on Recipe Keeper.
The full slideshow is up and available on our 2020 Downloads page so you can be better prepared to do battle with the spammers who bombard us daily. Once you get through all that depressing stuff, sit back and explore the Apps - MyQ, Recipe Keeper and Informed Delivery.
Doug Cairns, our scheduled speaker for March had a conflict so he will be presenting his show on favorite Apps next month, on Tuesday April 14th. I've previewed his choices and am confident you will enjoy the presentation!
Doug
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February 11, 2020
This week's RMUG session was all about security and how to preserve it on your various Apple devices. Our speaker was Jonathan Gorman of iCreative and he walked us through a number of steps to take to secure your on-line and off-line computer identity.
A summary of his presentation for your review is in our Downloads section and as promised he has also turned it into a YouTube video.
Next month on March 10th, a newer member of our group, Doug Cairns, will be showing us his favorite Apps and I will add a few of my own. We'd love to hear back from you in the next week or so with any less commonly known Apps that you use and enjoy so we can do some research and demonstrate them as well.
Looking forward to another packed house next month!
Doug
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January 14, 2020
Well I have serious 'iPhone envy' tonight after Jesse Weinger's remarkable demonstration of the photography features of his new iPhone 11 Pro! Fortunately many of those features extend down the line to older iPhones and most of the editing tips he showed us are accessible to everyone who downloads iOS 13 or macOS Catalina. Still a new phone might be in my future ...
I have uploaded PDFs of Jesse's slideshow and the text of his discussion to our Downloads page for your reference, alone with a technical guide from Apple on photography. To see some of Jesse's amazing photography, visit his website at: www.jweinger.com
Speaking of Apple support, I discovered that they have a wonderful website full of free and useful guides and manuals for all their computers and mobile devices and many of their software programs at: https://support.apple.com/manuals Check it out.
For even more instructional help in the form of video lessons, visit the website: www.themacu.com You can browse the site and get free total access for seven days. If you like what you see, the low annual subscription price is a bargain - made even more so by a special 50% discount I negotiated for all of us. Just enter the code RMUG on the order form to see the discount applied.
On February 11th, Jonathan Gorman of iCreative will return once again with a program on computer security for both your mobile and desktop machines. He will scare us a bit about all the bad stuff out there and offer up solutions to protect your on-line life. We want you to stay safe while surfing the Internet!
Until then, enjoy your Apple toys - and then get outside to enjoy this wonderful sunny desert environment we are all so fortunate to reside in.
Doug
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December 10, 2019
For this close to the Holidays, we had a good group of 30+ , thank you all for attending in these busy times.
We welcomed a new tech resource, Antonio Guzman from Indian Wells, and his services appear to have been well received. His Keynote presentation with contact information is attached.
I then launched into a rather lengthy presentation of all three new OS (operations systems) - iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina. In retrospect, probably too much to absorb in one session. I know I pump a lot of information out there, the problem always is that there is so much good stuff to share! I have attached my notes on the various OS in case you did not have the chance to pick them up today.
Next month's meeting on January 14th we will have our own Jesse Weinger, a true photography enthusiast, discussing all about the amazing new iPhone 11 camera abilities and the powerful editing capabilities Apple has added to all their OS. You won't want to miss this show.
Until then, I wish you all a very happy Holiday season and a grand New Years! See you next year.
Doug
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November 12, 2019
A nice meeting today, a great opportunity for all of us to gather for the first time in the new winter season. As is tradition, we started the year with a full blown Q&A session as it seemed everyone had challenges that had built up over the summer. I then presented a Keynote slideshow on questions I had been asked by member over the summer and had time to research properly.
Our December meeting will focus on the new operating systems that Apple has just released for the iPhones/iPads (iOS 13) and Mac computers (macOS Catalina). There are lots of great new features to explore in both updates. I imagine most of you have already downloaded them, and it's safer to do so now that Apple has released their initial 'bug fix' updates to both so do so before our next meeting. You won't want to miss this presentation.
Doug
RMUG Dates (second Tuesday of each month)
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May 1, 2109
Greetings RMUG:
In discussions with staff over the past week we have determined there are only three viable afternoon days for our RMUG meetings next season - the second Tuesday we are currently using, the second Thursdays we used last season and any Saturday. I eliminated the Thursdays as they didn't work for quite a few members in the past and frankly weekends just don't feel right for a 'class'. Bottom line, we will be sticking with the second Tuesdays at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room and we should all be happy the space is available!
With the poor show of hands last month for a May meeting, I have decided to not conduct the May 14th event. Instead I've crafted a comprehensive list of Apple training resources that I am sharing with you for your summertime enjoyment.
I wish everyone a grand summer of adventure and look forward to reconvening in November for our tenth year of RMUG meetings!
Thank you all for a great decade of mutual exploration and learning in the Mac, iPhone and iPad world!
Doug
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April 9, 2019
Greetings:
A good class of 30+ today despite the season winding down and our snowbirds starting to depart the valley.
Our speaker was David A. Cox of TechTalk America (www.techtalkamerica.com), producer of over four hundred Apple help videos that can be viewed free of charge on his YouTube station at: (www.youtube.com/user/TechTalkAmerica).
David passed on over an hour of terrific tips on using your Macs and iPhones/iPads. Many of these pointers can be found on his YouTube channel and some great notes that Mimi van der Voort supplied our on our 2019 Downloads page.
I wrapped up the afternoon with a quick method to setup and play slideshows on your Apple TV to impress friends and family. The instructions are on our 2019 Downloads page.
Still deciding whether we will have enough attendees to merit a May 14th class as that is pretty late in the season for most of our members. I plan on sending all RMUG members a quick SurveyMonkey link to gauge interest and also to determine if Tuesdays are the best days for our meetings next season.
I'll be in touch soon.
Doug
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March 12, 2019
Another full meeting room, as we have come to expect in the midst of high season, and no one left disappointed. Lauri Kunzman of the Sun City Computer Club walked us through the a Keynote slideshow of the brand new Photos app for your iPhone and iPad. We explored all the new features and she then demonstrated most of them live on her iPad. Good stuff for you to review - you will find it all on our RMUG website at: rmug.weebly.com/2019-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
I followed up with a walkthrough of Apple's updated Control Center for your iOS 12 devices. Some great shortcuts for getting the most out of your iPhone or iPad. Again you can find the slideshow on our 2019 Downloads tab.
Next month on April 9th, we will have David A. Cox, creator of TechTalkAmerica back again to entertain the crowd and give us all some great tips for using your Apple toys. I will also be doing a slideshow on a subject yet to be determined - I asked those in attendance today to send me their suggestions.
And a special thank you to Indian Ridge Country Club for all the upgrades to the Kramer Room over the past season. New solar blinds, overhead projector and Apple TV - and of course always for the wonderful popcorn, mixed nuts and ice tea!
Looking forward to another full house next month!
Doug
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February 12, 2019
February is high season and we saw it today with a full room of over 40 attendees, most eagerly waving their new Apple Watches!
We started with an informative presentation from Jonathan and Rick of iCreative about their new facilities and services including Audio/Video & Smart Home programs. They are also now Apple Authorized Service Providers, an alternative to standing in line at the local Apple Store.😪
I then walked the audience through an introduction to the Apple Watch and it's many nuances. You can view and download my full slideshow and my three page report at our 2019 Downloads tab.
Next month on March 12th we are planning a presentation on the latest version of Photos on your iPhone and iPad (iOS 12) with the assistance of Lauri Kunzman from the Sun City Computer Club.
In the meantime stay out of the cold and enjoy your Apple toys as we all await the arrival of spring!
Doug
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January 8, 2019
We had a great session today with our own Rod Hannaford leading us through an entertaining program on how to ditch your paper files and 'Go Paperless'. Rod presented the case for scanning your documents to reduce clutter, make them accessible anywhere and protect them from disaster from flood or earthquake. He then showed us his on-line filing system that makes retrieval simple. Rod wrapped up with a hands on demo of his Fujitsu Scanner and answered questions. Wow.
Rod's slideshow presentation is a large file so rather than attempt to attach it to this email, I have uploaded it to our RMUG website at Going Paperless
While you are on the RMUG website (www.rmug.weebly.com), take a look around to see all the new links we have added recently to make your Apple experience better.
I followed up with a short presentation on Apple's new Do Not Disturb app that we all need to learn to use. The slideshow will help you can set it up for yourself.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday February 12th. I am still working on the program and will have more for you soon. See you then!
Doug Lindal
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December 11, 2018
It was a good turnout, for this far into the Holiday season, as we settled back into the Kramer Room. Sorry I was so under the weather, my squeaky voice barely lasted the full session.
We covered a lot of territory as I walked everyone through the many small changes to both iOS12 for iPads & iPhones and macOS Mojave for your desktop machines. On our Downloads page we have an eleven page PDF that outlines all the changes, the same handouts I distributed in the meeting today but with a few more pages tacked on the back.
Our next meeting on January 8th will be a very interesting program for those of you who have been considering "Going Paperless." Rod Hannaford will give us a demonstration of his Fujitsu Scanner and explain his electronic file cabinet system. For those of us who maintain two residences or travel a lot, paperless is the only way to go. It's also a great system to have in place in the event of a natural disaster. Come see for yourself next month.
Happy Holidays!
Doug
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November 12, 2018
Today's meeting was a great opportunity for all of us to gather for the first time in the new season. Due to the construction in the Sports Center here at Indian Ridge, the Kramer Room wasn't available, but the club was gracious enough to allow us to meet in the main clubhouse. Hope not too many folks were confused about the temporary move - back to the Kramer Room on Tuesday December 11th!
As always we started the year with a full blown Q&A session. I then took everyone through a Keynote slideshow on questions I had been asked over the summer.
Our December meeting will focus on the new operating systems that Apple has just released for the iPhones/iPads (iOS 12) and Mac computers (macOS Mohave 10.14). There are lots of great new features to explore in both updates. I imagine most of you have already downloaded them, and it's safer to do so now that Apple has released their initial 'bug fix' updates to both. You won't want to miss this presentation.
Doug
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April 10, 2018
Greetings RMUG:
Today was our final session of the year, always a bittersweet event as we prepare to head our separate ways for the summer. And ours is obviously a 'snowbird' crowd, with no-one in the room today staying in the desert over the summer!
I tackled a powerful variety of Keyboard Shortcuts for both the Mac and iOS (iPad & iPhones), walking the audience through forty different tips to make your computer use more productive. I know there will be a lot of downloading of this month's slideshow for review over the next few days!
One of the questions was how to save text when you use Command-C (copy) as Apple only saves the last item you copied. It takes a separate program and I use and recommend Copy'emPaste, a $10 Clipboard Manager available in the Apple App Store.
We then wrapped up the afternoon with an extended Q&A as we attempted to provide some solutions to problems challenging a number of our members. Thanks to all those who volunteered solutions and generally made it a group effort. RMUG members are definitely learning a lot more as we work through the new operating systems and programs that Apple keeps bringing our way.
Have a grand summer and see you all in November!
Doug
PS: I messed up some of my dates in Sunday's email so please review the following list to get your calendars straight for next season:2018-19 RMUG Schedule
November 13, 2018
December 11, 2018
January 8, 2019
February 12, 2019
March 12, 2019
April 9, 2019
May 7, 2019
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March 14, 2018
Yesterday's meeting was a full and entertaining session for the usual packed room that we get during the height of the winter season.
First up we heard from Lauri Kunzman of the Sun City Computer Club who reciprocated for some of my efforts in front of their group, by walking us through all the nuances of Screen Captures and Markup on your Mac and iOS devices. Apple has taken a once primitive editing tool and really turned Markup into a very productive application for modifying your screen captures, photos and PDFs. See Lauri's notes on her presentation on our 2018 Downloads Page.
Next up our own Jerry Heisler had fun demonstrating the awesome Amazon Echo, commonly known as 'Alexa'. Echo is a Internet-enabled speaker you control with your voice; to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more--instantly. All you have to do is ask and we provided a good list of queries to get you started with Alexa.
To bring us back around to Apple products, I quickly walked the group through my 'Top Ten Siri Tips' to productively use Siri, Apple's Internet service built in to all your Mac and iOS devices.
Copies of all the handouts are on our 2018 Downloads Page for your review and use.
Next month on April 10th, we will tackle a plethora of tips to productivity utilizing keyboard shortcuts on your Mac and iOS devices. Hope to see you there!
Doug Lindal
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February 13, 2018
Hi Muggers:
Today's program was on Editing your photographs using Apple Photos which I did with a live walkthrough of the program. As you saw, it can be a complex and detailed process, but with today's tips you should have no problem getting started yourself. The attached notes are from Gay France of the Sun City Computer Club. Just remember to duplicate your precious original photos and then start experimenting with various editing skills - you can do it!
We also had the pleasure of having David A. Cox come to our meeting. David is quite a character and has been doing Apple classes for many years. His more recent work is TechTalk America videos on YouTube, covering over 500 different topics about Macs, iOS devices, apps, hardware and the like. Here is the link to it: David A. Cox - YouTube - YouTube
He is a veritable font of information and we recommend you take a gander at some of these videos. One of them he has is on 1Password: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfdTXoCxaB0 and many more on the Apple Photos program. His various videos range from 1 minute up to around 20 minutes, so easily watched in very little time.
David makes his living by advertising on his site and also by folks who click on his link to Amazon. If you bookmark the following link to Amazon, he will end up getting a tiny piece of the pie, with no effect on your order and with none of your order info getting back to him. This what he says about this: "If you’d like to support Tech Talk America when you shop on Amazon just go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/Amazon4TTA and when the page loads, bookmark that link (Command + D). When you go to Amazon, use that bookmarked link instead of navigating there manually and you’ll automatically help support David’s classes. This does not change prime or Amazon smile status, nor does it affect the price in any way." Many thanks for helping support his endeavors!
We then spent some time discussing the password manager program, 1Password. Mimi van der Voort of the Desert MUG prepared some notes from their session on the subject last week and is allowing me to send them out to you as an attachment. Thanks Mimi!
As an official Apple MUG, 1Password gives us a 25% discount on their subscription service. Normal cost is $3.99/month for a single subscription and $4.99 for the family plan of 5 subscriptions, so this is a good deal. Here is the link for that discount: https://start.1password.com/signup/plan?c=MUG
That's about it for this month, whew, we covered a lot! See you all next month on March 13th when I will have another interesting program for all of you!
Doug
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January 9, 2018
Tuesday's presentation on iCloud by iCreative's chief trainer John O'Connell, was very informative and productive. We all learned a lot about cloud storage and how to set it up on your Apple devices.
iCreative offers a number of good training classes and a full list can be found on their website at: https://www.theicreative.com. If we get enough interest to fill their 20+ person classroom, we can do so for a total fee of just $250. Let me know if you have interest in joining an IRCC only group for a lesson, cost would be between $10-25 each depending on numbers.
I promised you a follow-up with more information and here are some good websites to visit. Apple's own website for iCloud support can be found at: https://support.apple.com/icloud
Another excellent resource is David Cox known for his video classes. Here is his 2015 class on iCloud:
http://www.pcclassesonline.com/all-about-icloud-updated
And a second one that also includes DropBox:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuXJegv1jAg
One other excellent video training resource is Lynda.com, with hundreds of good videos. Unfortunately it is a paid service. However if you own a home in a large metropolitan city, the public libraries will give you access. None of our smaller valley libraries offer the service, but you can get it from any branch of the city of Los Angeles Public Library. As California residents you are a taxpayer and you are all welcome to get a library card from the LAPL system by visiting a branch. I personally use the city of Seattle library system for my access. Here is the Lynda.com video you want to view: https://www.lynda.com/iCloud-tutorials/What-iCloud/548041/579675-4.html
Our February 13th class will be a tutorial on Editing Photos on a Mac or mobile device. We also might have a special visitor stop by, as David Cox is going to be in the valley for the month escaping the cold of Provincetown, MA.
And a final note - don't forget about our really special learning opportunity on February 7th when the Customer Service manager of 1Password comes to town for a joint presentation to all MUGs in the valley. It will be held at 1:00PM in the Palm Desert Public Library by the College of the Desert. We expect standing room only, so get there early for a seat!
See you next month!
Doug
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December 12, 2017
A good Holiday crowd today for our rather long but thorough 1-1/2 hour slideshow on Apple's new operating systems - iOS11 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and High Sierra (macOS) for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
The full Keynote slideshow in a nine page (six slides to a page) PDF format are available under the 2017 Downloads tab. As a bonus, and David Pogue's (Yahoo Tech Columnist) excellent review notes are also available.
Our next presentation will be on Tuesday January 9th, but the topic of our presentation is still up in the air as I choose from among the many suggestions I have received. At this point let's just say it will be a surprise. More details as we get past the Holidays!
Doug Lindal
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November 14, 2017
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Today's RMUG meeting, our first of the new season, was a full house. Apologies to those who had to stand - we'll have more chairs next month!
After a long summer I know there would be a lot of questions that had built up so I surveyed our group in advance and prepared a slideshow with all the answers. There were indeed a lot of questions and we got through all of them (64 slides!) and still had time to answer a flurry of further queries from the audience. I think it was a productive afternoon for everyone.
The Keynote slideshow in PDF format is available here under the 2017 Downloads tab, so you can study the questions and my replies. And while you are there, take a look around the club website in case you haven't viewed it since last season. There are lots of good Apple tips for everyone to review.
See you all next month on Tuesday December 12th for a review of Apple's new operating systems - iOS11 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and High Sierra (macOS) for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
Doug Lindal
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September 1, 2017
Greetings Mac Users:
Well with the Labor Day weekend just ahead, we are busy pulling together the schedule for our Indian Ridge Mac Users Group meetings for this coming winter season. The country club has been great in coordinating with us and I am pleased to give you a full schedule of meeting dates for your own personal calendars. A reminder that next year's meetings of RMUG are changing dates and will now be held on the second Tuesday of each month from November till May at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. No excuse missing any meetings this year!
I have of course been busy preparing the first of our presentations for the new season and I think you will all enjoy our first meeting on November 14th, whether you are a Mac computer user or an iPad/iPhone user - or both. We will start with a quick review of the newly updated Mac computers and of course the long anticipated new iPhone 8!
We will again kick off the season with a wide open Question and Answer session and I am preparing a Keynote slideshow based on the queries I have received from members over the summer. I haven't received too many, so I would like you all to also email me back with other questions that have challenged you the past few months on your various Apple products, so I can do some basic research. And I expect, like last year, we will get quite a few questions from the floor - those are always challenging to tackle on the spot!
During our second meeting on December 12th we will review Apple's new operating systems for the Mac (High Sierra) and the iPad/iPhone (iOS 11). Beyond that I am scrambling for ideas for topics and would also truly appreciate having some other club members willing to participate with me in the spring presentations. Any Apple topics would be welcome, just contact me and we can discuss pulling something together.
Looking forward to a full house in November!
Doug Lindal
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May 5, 2017
Thanks to the hearty sixteen R-Muggers still in residence, who braved the 105 degree temps to attend our last meeting of the season on Thursday. We were rewarded with an excellent presentation by Sally Narodick on how and why we all should be using Twitter. Far from just another silly teenager chat line, Twitter has matured into a powerful social media phenomena promoted in large parts by politicians like Donald Trump. Read Sally's slideshow notes attached for more information.
I then wrapped up with another Apple 'basics' presentation on Maps and all the power that Apple has wrapped into this seemingly simple little app. We wrapped up with Q&A as everyone prepared to depart for summer residences or extended travel.
A reminder that next year's meetings of RMUG are changing dates and will be held on the second Tuesday of each month from November till May at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. Stay tuned over the summer to Apple's big announcement on new Mac hardware (finally!) and the exciting new iPhone 8 models. We'll have lots to talk about next season!
Doug Lindal
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Our April 6th meeting had a good turnout, with 35+ year round residents and quite a few of our snowbirds still in the desert.
Continuing our theme this season of keeping it simple, we delved into a whole host of Apple's programs and apps built right into iOS for their mobile devices and macOS for their desktop machines. Subjects included basics:
• How to find your parked car with Maps (PDF)
• Locking your Notes (PDF)
• Mac Cleanup Tips for macOS Sierra (PDF)
• Location Based Reminders (PDF)
• Reminders (Keynote slideshow)
• Contacts (Keynote slideshow)
The handouts for all six subjects can be found under the Downloads tab.
I researched the challenge we discovered with iOS (iPhone & iPad operating system) of the inability to add Groups to Contacts or new Lists to Reminders. Easy to do on a Mac, but seemingly impossible in iOS. The solution is a workaround. You open iCloud.com and sign in to your account. iCloud has more of the look and feel of the Mac operating system and you can indeed create Groups and Lists that then will show up on your iPhone. Of course you could always invest in a MacBook or iMac and do your more complicated tasks there in their more robust and capable operating system. It's amazing what you can find with a simple Google search (How do I create Groups in Contacts on an iPhone?).
Next month on May 4th will be our season wrap-up and we will be hearing from be our own Sally Narodick. She will attempt to demystify Twitter for all of us so we can start following POTUS and the other politicians in Washington DC who seem to live on this program. I'll follow-up with a few more basic Apple apps and then take your final questions before we all head our separate ways for the summer. Hope to see you then!
Doug
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March 3, 2017
Good meeting yesterday, although the appearance (finally!) of the sun might have kept a few people away, enjoying outdoor activities!
We started by wrapping up last month's topic of the Photos app by reviewing the editing capabilities, including their new Extensions option to add outside editing apps. Notes are attached here.
We then went into detail on using Safari, Apple's web browser, on both your desktop and mobile (iPhone/iPad) devices. Our tour included the functionality of all those buttons, menus and icons at the top of your screen. Again our notes are attached. What is not attached are Shirley Allan's excellent graphics explaining all the details of Safari. As they are five megs in size, I have uploaded them to our website and you can download them on our Downloads page.
Next month on April 6th we will explore a number of topics including: Notes, Maps and other Apple apps for both desktop and mobile devices.
Hope to see you then!
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February 3, 2017
Hi everyone:
Great meeting yesterday with nearly 50 people in attendance to hear Jonathan Gorman of iCreative speak on the new Photos apps for iOS and macOS.
I have some notes and am posting them as a PDF in our 2017 Downloads section. I hope you will study the points and apply them yourselves as Photos is probably the most popular program Apple has produced.
See you next month on March 2nd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room!
Doug
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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January 5th, 2017
Hi Mac Users Group:
We had a good group of 40+ in attendance yesterday to hear all about macOS Sierra, the latest operating system for your laptop and desktop machines. The full PDF of my Keynote presentation are on the RMUG website in our Downloads area.
Mark your calendar to attend our next meeting on Thursday February 2nd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for a presentation pertaining to both the iPad/iPhone and the Mac. Our presentation will be done by the professional team at iCreative, the group who does the Apple classes in their own classroom off Hovley.
And iCreative has extended a special offer to RMUG members for a free class on Monday evening January 9th in their classroom. Contact them directly at [email protected] to save yourself a seat.
Thanks again for all your enthusiasm and we'll see you on the 2nd!
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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December 1, 2016
Another good crowd today as we explored many of the changes that Apple has made to iOS 10, their latest version of their mobile operating system for iPads and iPhones. I say many, but certainly not all - we only had two hours! And after you review our slideshow, see for yourselves - just Google iOS 10 new features and you can be kept busy for hours reading webpages full of many more tips than I could possibly share today!
Next month we will turn our attention to the Sierra, Apple's new operating system for their desktop and laptop machines. It will be another packed presentation, as Apple released a huge upgrade this November. Followed of course with the usual Q&A session as we try to resolve some of the challenges that arise.
I asked those in attendance today to email me with their ideas for our meeting topics for February, March and April. We might focus on the basics, but I'd appreciate your input so we can have presentations that capture your attention. And once again I requested some members to come forward and help me with presentations, as you must surely all be getting tired of just having me run the projector each morth! Give me a call or send an email and we can discuss your ideas.
So that's it for now. Have a wonderful Holiday season and see you all in the new year!
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Jan. 5th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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November 11, 2016
Well I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, we had 46 people in attendance but only 40 chairs set up! So much for my prediction that November would be a smaller group! Sorry to those of you who arrived late and had to scramble for extra chairs.
We spent ninety minutes reviewing my Q&A slideshow followed by a lively Question and Answer session on all the issues that plagued us over the summer. I think we answered 98% of them and you now know what to do for the others and any new challenges that come up - JUST ASK GOOGLE! A copy of my slideshow is attached and can also be found on our website under 2016 Downloads.
Next month on Thursday December 1st, we will be looking at iOS 10, Apple's upgraded new operating system for your mobile devices (iPhones & iPads). If we have time we'll also review the new operating system for desktop Macs, macOS Sierra, but I think with all the Q&A we'll probably hold this over till our January class.
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Nov. 10th, 2016 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 1st = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 5th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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2016/2017 Meeting Schedule
We are challenged with limited event space at Indian Ridge Country Club, so I am pleased to have all our dates settled for the 2016/17 season.
All of our meetings this coming season will be on the first Thursday of each month, in the Kramer Room, from 2:00-4:00PM - with the exception of November when we'll start the second Thursday to give our 'snowbirds' more time to arrive in the valley -
· Thurs. Nov. 10th, 2016 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 1st = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 5th, 2017 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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April 7, 2016
Hi all:
Today's session was wonderful, 39 folks in attendance despite the snowbirds all heading home this month. I took your suggestions from last month and crafted a presentation on four subjects:
My Keynote slide shows can be download them from our Download Page
Have a safe and fun summer - and see you all back in the desert at Indian Ridge next November!
Doug Lindal
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March 4, 2016
Hi All:
Yesterday's meeting was a fun one as we got everyone's opinions on the controversial FBI vs. Apple court case - it was informative to hear the various arguments put forth by our well informed membership.
We moved on to an in-depth look at the new Apple TV and I demo'd all the incredible audio and video options it offers for the $149 purchase price. I think a lot of members will be out buying one this weekend!
Full notes from the meeting are attached. My bad - I had handouts but forgot to distribute them before most folks had left. They will of course also be uploaded to our 2016 Downloads Page
Next month we will quickly cover a wide variety of 1/2 dozen Apple programs such as Notifications, 1 Password, Preview, and Contacts. I still have room for a couple more subjects if anyone would like to suggest some topics, programs you would like to learn more about. And better still, volunteer to present a brief show on any of your favorite Apple Apps and I will be happy to put you up in front of the group!
Hope to see a big crowd for our final meeting of the season on Thursday April 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room.
Doug
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February 5, 2016
Greetings:
Well we are definitely 'in season' as we enjoyed a packed room full of Mac and iPad/iPhone enthusiasts yesterday! The subject was one of your favorites, the new Photos App for all Apple devices and I think we answered a lot of questions and shared a lot of information. You can view the meeting notes on our website at our 2016 Downloads Page.
Our guest speaker was Jonathan Gorman of iCreative and he was terrific, a well versed Apple professional who runs his own training programs and classroom venue. You can find out more about his operation at: http://theicreative.com
I am working on pulling together a program on the new Apple TV for next month's meeting. Now in it's fourth iteration, I think you will be impressed with all you can do with this new entertainment device from Apple. It's getting easier to consider 'cutting the cord' on cable as so many of the Millennium Generation have already done.
For April I have an idea to do a Round Robin presentation with short 15 minute programs delivered by your fellow RMUG members. I have been asking if any of you would like to work with me on preparing and delivering a program of your own on any Apple subject and find an understandable reluctance to having to prepare a full 90 minute demonstration. So instead I would ask for any of you to contact me to volunteer with ideas on a short programs. Subjects could include photography on an iPhone or reviews of some new iPad Apps; using Preview, Pages or Mail; password protection, Siri, Photo Album or Calendar projects, etc, etc. I hope to get half dozen volunteers with 15 minute programs which will make for a widely varied class on Apple and should be tremendously interesting.
Thank you for your donations yesterday to our club treasury. We raised a good portion of the cost of our new HDMI projector and for those who were not in attendance, I will pass the hat just one more time next month to finish the fund drive.
So mark your calendars for a show on Apple TV on Thursday March 3rd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room.
Doug Lindal
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January 8, 2016
Happy New Years!
We had a good group of 45+ in attendance yesterday to explore all things iCloud, Apple's Suite of Internet Services. The full 52 pages of PDFs of my Keynote presentation are in our Downloads section, but I have also prepared a condensed version with nine slides per page which reduces the file size and the printing bill if you decide you want a hard copy.
Mark your calendar to attend our next meeting on Thursday February 4th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for what's shaping up to be a terrific presentation on Apple's new Photo program for both the iPad/iPhone and the Mac. Our presentation will be done by the professional team at iCreative, the group who does the Apple classes in their own classroom off Hovley Lane. Visit their website at: http://theicreative.com
I also want to remind you that I will be taking up a collection at the February meeting to purchase our own projector with HDMI capability so we can display our shows in higher resolution. We have been using the club's old projectors and it is time to upgrade. I'm hoping we can raise the approx. $500 cost from small contributions from our members.
Thanks again for all your enthusiasm and we'll see you on February 4th!
Doug Lindal
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December 4, 2015
Happy Holidays Muggers!
Yesterday's meeting was a near full house eager to hear the details about El Capitan and iOS9 - Apple's new operating systems for the Mac and their mobile devices.
The full Keynote slideshow can be downloaded from our club website on our Downloads page.
Our next meeting on Thursday January 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room will focus on iCloud. Both the new operating systems use iCloud extensively and Apple's new iCloud Drive competes in an area till now dominated by services like Dropbox, as well as the those of Microsoft, Amazon and Google. We'll look at the evolution of iCloud (remember MobileMe?!) and show how to use it effectively.
I am planning ahead for the February and beyond meetings and had suggestions for presentations on Apple TV and
Photos (once again!) If you have other ideas on topics that would interest the entire group drop me a line - or better yet, offer to help me present on a subject and you will really get my attention!
So mark your calendars for our spring 2014 RMUG dates and I hope to see you there. In the meantime Happy Holidays to everyone!
Doug Lindal
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November 12, 2015
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Thursday's RMUG meetings, our first of the new season, was almost a full house. Definitely have to go to 'theatre style' seating for next month!
After a long summer I know there would be a lot of questions that had built up so I surveyed our group and asked in advance so I could prepare a slideshow with all the answers. There were indeed a lot of questions and we got through all of them and still had time to answer a flurry of further queries from the audience. I think it was a productive afternoon for everyone.
Here is the link to the Keynote slideshow so you can study the questions and my replies. See you all next month on December 3rd for a review of Apple's new operating systems - iOS9 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and El Capitan for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
Doug Lindal
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April 17, 2015
Good day RMUG!
Yesterday's meeting had a busy agenda as I decided to add a quick discussion on the exciting new Photos program for Mac to the list. We made it through three presentations; including Safari Basics - some tips on how to customize Apple's web browser and get the most out of it's hidden features.
Next we went through a step by step process to capture and save your signatures in Preview so you can electronically sign PDFs and avoid the hassle of having to print them out for signature and re-scanning. The query about how to make Preview your default PDF Viewer instead of Acrobat Reader is addressed in the attached handout.
Finally we took a 'first look' at the new Photos program for the Mac and found a lot to like. A summary of the new features was distributed. We'll cover this in greater detail in the Fall.
We wrapped up the season with a Q&A session and I am happy to have our 2015/16 meetings schedule already established with the club. They will be all be the first Thursday of each month (except November, 2nd Thur.) at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. The schedule is as follows:
· Thurs. Nov.12th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 3rd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 7th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 4th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 3rd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 7th = 2-4p
As always the day's handouts can be found on our club website in our Downloads section, but I have also attached them all to this email to make it easier for our many snowbirds who have already left the valley for the summer.
I look forward to seeing everyone again next Fall. The enthusiasm and energy I see each month is so rewarding - you are all so great to work with!
Doug Lindal
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March 19, 2015
Hi Muggers:
Another well attended meeting with 50+ members despite the Indian Wells Tennis, NCAA basketball and the Members/Pros Golf Match - March is a busy month here in the desert!
We focused on Pages - the word processing program that Apple provides to all of us free with our machines - iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones and iPads.
Next we will delved into the mysterious and often confusing Settings on your iPhone/iPad. We learned about all the various choices and how to fine tune and customize your mobile device just for you.
As always you can find my outline & notes for the programs on our club website at our members downloads page.
Next month's meeting will be a morning session from 10:00AM till Noon on Thursday April 16 where we will examine Apple's web browser Safari for both the desktop and mobile devices. And we'll learn how to capture your signature in Preview for PDF forms - no more printing, signing and faxing legal documents.
Hope to see you there!
Doug Lindal
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February 13, 2015
Good morning Muggers!
Yesterday's session on photography was well attended, with a full room of 56 people!
I started out with a 'tech' review of the iPhone (and iPad) camera features and Jerry Heisler followed up with some tips on the 'art' of photography. We both admitted we learned an awful lot more about our subjects in preparing our presentations, a nice side benefit to the opportunity to work with all of you!
You can find both Keynote slideshows on our club website at: our Download Page for 2015 along with some reference notes Jerry prepared as a study guide.
Next month's meeting will explore the often under appreciated word processing program that Apple provides free of charge with all our machines, iPhones, iPad and desktop computers. I am referring of course to Pages.
Many of us discount this powerhouse because it is free and as we primarily used Microsoft Word in our business careers. You will learn why Apple's graphic approach to a writing program is so sublimely better suited to Apple users. Once again I am learning an awful lot about the subject as I start to prep for the meeting. And of course we will have plenty of time for Q&A to answer your Apple challenges.
Come on Thursday March 19th at 2:00PM for much more details.
Doug Lindal
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January 16, 2015
Hi everyone:
I took my own advice and totally deleted Adobe Flash on my Mac last night. I’m writing you to be careful of doing the same! I quickly discovered that an awful lot of websites use Flash and it made my web surfing basically intolerable.
So I did what we should all do, called AppleCare and complained! They escalated my complaint to a Tier Two ‘Genius’ and he was pretty knowledgable. He basically told me I needed Adobe Flash to view most website videos, including YouTube. About the only website that has seems to have totally gotten rid of Flash is apple.com! He assured me that as long as you keep installing the security updates, that Adobe seems to send out monthly, you were safe from any virus attacks.
Flash is still a huge battery hog on your laptops and I am nervous about the potential for viruses, but I went ahead and re-installed the very latest version of Flash (Version 16.0.0.257) off the official Adobe website: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
So the bottom line is that I am back up and running and at least I am assured of having the latest version of Adobe Flash. It makes me wish we could all just get by with our iPads, as Apple doesn’t allow Flash on iOS devices!
One last piece of the puzzle. I researched Flash blocking software and discovered that Apple offers a nifty Safari Extension called ClickToFlash that automatically blocks Flash on websites. Instead of annoying flashing ads or videos when you visit a website, you get a placeholder. If you want to view the ad or a video, just click on the placeholder. You can add this extension yourself when you are in Safari by clicking on Safari in the upper left corner of your screen and then on Safari Extensions. A simple and easy solution, or so I hope - more on how it works out at next month’s meeting!
Doug
PS: While I was on the Safari Extensions page, I downloaded two others, Ad Block and Amazon Wish List. We’ll report on how they do next month too.
January 15, 2015
Greetings Mac Users:
Today's meeting was well attended, with over 50 members there for some information on "Cleaning your Apple Toys"! We covered a lot of ground and tried to answer a lot of questions - mostly on deleting old files and virus protection. Our training notes and a PDF of the Keynote presentation can be found on our website under the Downloads/2015 tab.
There were two questions that came up that needed more research and I think we have the answers now. The first dealt with why bother to archive messages in Apple Mail? The simple answer is you should archive to store these old emails on your own machine to get them off the 'cloud servers' of your email provider. This takes up your hard drive space but apparently makes the Search function work faster on those cloud stored messages. I have personally never used the Archive function but will experiment with it so I can report at our next meeting.
The second query was how to get rid of Adobe Flash which is a battery hog and an potential entry point for viruses. Apple doesn't allow Flash on their iPhones & iPads. By Googling "how to uninstall Flash on a Mac" I came across Adobe's own official page on the process: http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html
Let me warn you the uninstall process is a little complex so take your time with the instructions if you decide to proceed - and you will find in the future that some videos can not be viewed without the Flash Player.
Our next meeting will be in the Kramer Room at 2:00PM on Thursday February 12th.
Doug Lindal
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December 11, 2014
Seasons Greetings:
Yesterday's RMUG meeting was another huge class, despite the Holiday distractions and the early morning time frame. We'll be ready for even larger groups in January as we'll be setting up the room in a theater style configuration.
The morning's main topic, after a healthy Q&A session, was an introduction to the improvements and changes to Apple's Yosemite operating system for MacBooks and iMacs. We also spent some time reviewing Tips and Tricks for iPhones.
To review the materials, just click on the Downloads tab. You'll find PDF files on my Keynote slideshow and the meeting handouts. I also introduced two new pages I have created on our webpage on Training Videos and iPhone & iPad Tips, full of useful information on using your Apple gear more proficiently.
For our 2:00PM Thursday January 15th program we will be learning about "Cleaning your Mac" - which will cover everything from physically cleaning your machine to protecting yourself against adware & malware.
Thanks once again for your continued support and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Doug Lindal
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November 13, 2014
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Thursday's RMUG meetings, our first of the new season, set a record and had the Kramer Room packed to maximum capacity. Unfortunately some members didn't have a seat and left. We promise we'll be addressing this space issue in the future with a different seating configuration.
Obviously the introduction of Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS8 for iPhones and iPads, drew a lot of interest as shown by the huge attendance and the number of shiny new 'Apple Toys' in the room!
For those who missed the meeting or others who want to review the iOS8 presentation, we have as always, posted it on our club website. We've also posted a copy of the iOS8 Tips that were handed out during the meeting.
We have also added a new tab to the website discussing Training Videos available for free on the Internet. You can find the information at: under Links & RSS Feeds. The author, David Cox, does a great job of walking us through subjects of great interest like Introductions to Mac, iPhones, or iPads. Check them out for yourself. I was inspired by these training videos and created my modest first ever YouTube video of this week's iOS8 presentation. You can find it on YouTube and depending on interest, might do a few more if I have time in the future.
For our December 11th meeting, which will be a morning session from 10:00-12:00 due to space demands on the Kramer Room, we will explore Yosemite, Apple's new operating system for your desktop and laptop computers. Plus of course taking time for everyone's questions. See you there!
Doug Lindal
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April 3, 2014
Greeting fellow Muggers:
Today's meeting was our final gathering of the season before all our snowbird members, including yours truly, start heading north. I was pleased to find 30+ members still around and in attendance as we head into the summer season. Now I know why!
Thank you all so very, very much for the lovely card, the great cookies (Karen!) and the totally unexpected Apple Gift Card! I am humbled and very grateful for all your support. I promise to do what I can to make our 6th RMUG season next fall the best yet.
Today we focused on some of the more mundane and technical points, primarily the various ports and plugs that make your Macs operate. I then throw in a slew of keyboard shortcuts and finished with a bunch of iPad & iPhone tips that seemed to please everyone. I know all of you will be poking around behind your laptops and desktop machines tonight examining all those ports - and hopefully testing out some of the tips I gave you on shortcuts to make your Apple experience that much better.
As aways I have uploaded the Keynote slideshow and my technical notes to our club website where you will find them under the Downloads tab: Plugs & Ports on a Mac
I went through a lot of technical jargon rather quickly today so I hope you will all explore the slideshow to better understand everything.
And please scroll to the bottom of the Home page of the website http://rmug.weebly.com to see a couple of pictures from today along with a photo of the wonderful card I was presented with.
Again thank you all, have a wonderful summer and see you in November!
Doug
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March 6, 2014
Morning all:
A good session yesterday with 35+ attendees there to hear Bob Kapell's somber assessment of potential security risks on a Mac. Although Bob dealt primarily with threats to OSX Mavericks for Macs, he also addressed mistakes we can make that leave our iPhones and iPads open to attack. A lot of folks were headed home quickly after this session to set up some serious protection on their Apple devices! Read his full ten page report on our website under the 2014 Downloads section:
Mac Security Precautions
I then lead everyone through a quick tour of Dropbox, the 'cloud' based file sharing, storage and backup website that I encourage everyone to install. My Keynote presentation is also on our website. By following this promotional link from Dropbox to install the software, both you and our club will get additional storage space: Dropbox
I am still deciding what to present on next month so if you have suggestions, please drop me a note. More details as the month progresses and hope to see many of you on Thursday April 3rd for our next meeting!
Doug
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February 6, 2014
Greetings Fellow Mac Users:
Yesterday's meeting was once again well attended with 40+ Mac Users crowded into the Kramer Room for a presentation primarily focused on the Apple TV. How to set it up and why it is so potentially exciting as an entertainment source.
We also quickly went through a KeyNote presentation demonstrating the myriad of questions you can ask Siri, Apple's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant. Both of these slideshows have been uploaded to our webpage for your further review - look under the Downloads tab for 2014 Meetings Handouts.
Next month's session on Thursday March 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room will focus on Apple security and also a review of how to use DropBox, an excellent backup service supplement to Apple's own iCloud service. I recently attended a DMUG meeting where security was discussed in detail and I intend to expand on this for you.
As always if you have questions feel free to send me an email and I'll try to help or at least point you in the right direction for a solution. See you next month!
Doug Lindal
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January 15, 2014
Hello Folks:
Thursday’s presentation by Jonathan Gorman of iCreative on iCloud was terrific! You could tell Jonathan was a practiced and knowledgeable Apple teacher and he started out the day with a patient and descriptive explanation of just what Cloud Computing is all about and then how Apple applies it.
He burst some mis-illusions when he revealed there really isn’t a big fluffy cloud floating around full of computers😥, instead Cloud Computing is just a name for huge warehouses full of computer storage devices to backup everyones Apple data over the Internet. When you sign up for iCloud, you get the choices to sync your email, Photos, Music, Calendar, Contacts, Safari Bookmarks & Passwords, Notes and Reminders across all your computing devices - iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. As well as backup these devices to iCloud so their data can be replaced if it is corrupted or the device lost. And for good measure, with Find My Mac (or iPhone/iPad) Apple can locate your lost iPhone or iPad (iOS devices), send the finder a message or wipe them clean if stolen.
Pretty impressive, but you have to turn these features all on for it all to work! Here is how. On your Mac, go to System Preferences (you'll find it in your Dock or in Applications) and click on iCloud to turn on all options. But you are not done yet, you need to go to all your devices and do this individually. On iOS devices go to Settings, then iCloud and do the same.
Backing up all this data takes a lot of memory but Apple gives all clients five GB of storage in their cloud. You can buy more inexpensively if you are backing up multiple machines, just $20 per year for an additional ten GB of cloud storage.
Photos are handled a little differently than other data as they are so much fun to share and look at. Apple has set up PhotoStream as an additional free service and automatically stores the combined last 1,000 photos you have taken from any of your devices. This way you can take a photo with your iPhone and view it when you get home on your iPad or Macbook. It is magical and a highly valued service. But a word of caution, be sure to turn on Automatic Import in iPhoto on your Macbook or iMac so ALL your photos are saved automatically - you won’t want that 1,001st photo to replace a valued snapshot you took months earlier. Here is how. Open iPhoto and click on Preferences under the title iPhoto in the upper left corner of your screen. Open the third tab called iCloud and be sure to check all the boxes including Automatic Import to save them all to your desktop machine’s huge hard drive. While you are at it, tidy up your collection of photos on your iOS devices too. Do you really need all 400 shots of your new grandchild on your iPhone!? Save them to your desktop machine and selectively delete some from mobile devices, otherwise you will run out of space on your iPhone.
The same logic applies to your music collection in iTunes. I can brag about a 20,000 song collection on my desktop machine but I don’t have room for many on my iPhone, so I signed up for iTunes Match ($25/year) that allows me to store up to 25,000 songs in iCloud and download them selectively anytime I want. Best done while on WiFi obviously but in a pinch an album I just must have in the car is only 60-70 MG of data downloads. Plus today at home I now mostly listen to radio stations I have created on iTunes Radio with new music for me, and with Match there are no commercials!
So what’s not to like with iCloud? Unfortunately over the years Jonathan explained that most of us have acquired more than one Apple ID, usually tied to an old email address we no longer use. You feels strongly that you should use an iCloud.com Apple ID and disentangle yourself from the complications of multiple IDs. It means not being able to conveniently download old music you might have paid for in iTunes and downloaded years ago, but you can always log out of your iCloud.com ID and log back in using that old AOL or Hotmail ID for purposes of downloading the old music (if you can still remember your Apple Password for the AOL ID!).
While you are at it, consider switching from your current email provider to an iCloud.com email address to make syncing go more smoothly. Just think of the machinations that are going on behind the scenes when you attempt to get email from AOL, contacts from Gmail and calendar info from Yahoo and meld them all together on your iPhone - it is no wonder things get a little wonky at times! If you are challenged by sorting all these old legacy accounts out you can contact Jonathan s he told us he can usually do it for you in an hour.
We wound up the afternoon with a discussion on our new Verizon FiOS systems here at Indian Ridge and my own solution of using an Ooma box for telephone service. I have uploaded a short Keynote presentation to our website that explains how to do it yourself. Go to the Downloads tab for all the files from our past meetings as well as plenty of extra information to assist you in all things Apple.
Our next meeting is on Thursday February 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room where we will discuss Siri and Apple TV. Hope to see you there!
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December 5, 2013
Happy Holidays Muggers!
Thursday's meeting was flush with near 30 MacBook enthusiasts and a few folks clutching iPads who hadn't got the message that December's meeting theme was the new Mavericks operating system for MacBooks and iMacs!
Still we had something for everyone with plenty of Q&A on both worlds, the iPhone/iPad handhelds and the desktop MacBooks/iMac machines. This will be the continuing theme of future meetings with something for both camps.
Mavericks is the free upgraded operating system for desktop machines and my full Keynote presentation in PDF format is available on our website under 2013 Downloads along with a two page download of notes. Please take some time to review all the downloads in this section from the past year.
We also addressed a couple of specific issues on Computer Security, Speeding up your Mac and Dictation that you can view along with many other "How To" articles for Macs in our How To Articles section.
Next month our featured speaker will be Jonathan Gorman of TheiCreative.com who has recently opened a Mac training facility conveniently located near the corner of Hovely and Cook. You can get full details at their website at: www.theicreative.com Pay particular attention to their upcoming two hour long $50 classes starting this week with presentations on the iPad, perfect for you new and intermediate iPad users out there.
I am planning ahead for the February and beyond meetings and had suggestions for presentations on Apple TV and DropBox. If you have other ideas on topics that would interest the entire group drop me a line - or better yet, offer to help me present on a subject and you will really get my attention!
So mark your calendars for our spring 2014 RMUG dates and I hope to see you there. In the meantime Happy Holidays to everyone!
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November 7, 2013
Hi Muggers!
Thursday’s meeting, the first of the season, had the Kramer Room packed, with over forty IRCC members in attendance. Obviously the subject matter of introducing the new iOS 7 operating system for iPhones and iPads was of interest to many folks - I saw lots of shiny new iPads and phones being displayed!
The full slideshow is available on our club website at: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html If you missed the class and have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me. In fact I got a lot of members who weren’t able to attend bending my ear last night at the Opening Party, so I have scheduled another presentation just on iOS 7 for Monday November 18 at 2:00PM in the Sports Club.
I then polled the room as part of the introduction of new members and found much to my surprise that fully 80% of the folks in the room were both iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Mavericks/Mountain Lion (Macbook/iMac) users. I was very happy to see this as I have been worried that a class such at Thursdays that focused purely on iOS would keep a substantial portion of our RMUG group from attending as they didn’t own a portable device - clearly that is not the case. The consequence is that we will be able to continue to alternate our classes on subjects that might interest only iPhone/iPad or Macbook/iMac users with out alienating half the audience.
Bottom line is that I will go ahead with my planned introduction next month of Mavericks, the newest Apple operating system for Macbook/iMac users. Looking forward to that program at the next RMUG meeting on Thursday December 5th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room!
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June 11, 2013
Greetings RMUG members, from a very hot and sunny Palm Desert, where the temp is currently 106 degrees, perfect for sitting inside in the A/C and surfing the net!
I am back in the desert to start a small remodel project and took advantage of the opportunity to get together last Thursday with eight of our members who haven't left for the season. We all sat around the board table and shared some questions and answers on Apple - and lots of comments on the new Verizon TV deal.
I really wanted to get feedback in a small group setting about this year's meetings and topics. Generally everyone seemed to value the meetings and found them productive. Subject suggestions for next year included the new Mac operating systems, a general Tips & Tricks session, more iPhoto information, a 'how to' on Pages and website creation. I would like to ask all of you to also consider the upcoming year and send me more suggestions - plus volunteer to assist with preparing some class materials. Thanks in advance.
I'll be posting items over the summer on the RMUG website (rmug.weebly.com) including these notes. You will also note a new logo for our website, a whimsical palm tree - compliments of Trina Lindal - my very talented niece, a web page designer. She tells me every serious website has some artwork and the pictures of my boat don't do the job!
Apple's introduction this week at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) of new hardware (Mac Pro & Air) and new operating systems (iOS 7 and Mavericks) were exciting and you can read a good summary here on the NY Times website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/technology/apple-unveils-new-look-for-mobile.html?nl=technology&emc=edit_tu_20130611
And on Apple's own website they have great videos and other information on the new operating systems on iOS7 at: http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/
And on OS X Mavericks: http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/
I'll have tested them all by the time of our first meeting in the fall and will have a full report for you at that time.
My final subject today is a recap of conversations I have had with other Indian Ridge residents about the new Verizon services. Generally the consensus is that it is a nice upgrade to get Internet service included in the package, but many question whether the pain of switching over is worth the gain. I personally feel it is, but appreciate that change is always painful for many folks. But you all know me, I am always on the leading (bleeding?!) edge of technology so I am not the best judge at times. So what setup am I doing?
I plan on taking the basic HOA/PUD package of 200+ TV channels and 15/5 Mbps Internet and testing it out before considering any upgrades. A much faster Internet speed of 50/25 Mbps is available for $10 and I might be tempted once I return to the desert in the fall. The beauty of the base package for us snowbirds is that we don't have to mess with a Vacation Service setup with it's $30 fee.
The real challenge is in the telephone packages being offered, Verizon is really putting it to us here! They are offering a basic telephone package with no features for $20. The upgrade to the full featured package, with free long distance, caller ID and voice mail costs $60 a month. Time Warner is offering this full featured package for the $20 fee. I am going the other direction and putting in Verizon's unadvertised Measured Service for just $13 a month, which restricts the outgoing calls to a handful per day. But I am gone all summer so it is no loss - and I need an active phone line to run the security system.
A viable option suggested by RMUG member Larry Levitt is to install a Ooma Telo box which ties into your Internet router to offer a very attractive VOIP telephone package (free long distance, caller ID and voice mail) service for under four dollars a month in tax only charges! VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is the way Verizon and Time Warner offer their premium packages, basically using the Internet instead of Ma Bell's telephone lines, to deliver the services.
Through June 16 Costco is offering a special on the Ooma for just $99 (http://www.costco.com/Ooma-Telo-VoIP-Phone-System-.product.100003374.html) that I picked up yesterday at the La Quinta store. I am storing it away and will mess with it when I get back in the fall. More details at our November meeting.
Bottom line advice, start out your Verizon services with caution and don't let them oversell you on extras. Test it out and buy upgrades from there. And a word of caution for our snowbirds. The switchover happens July 1st, so have a friend or your House Watch folks take back all the Time Warner boxes and routers etc to the TW office to avoid rental fees on inactive gear!
As always, feel free to contact me over the summer with any challenges you run into with your Macs, iPad and iPhones - but first try Googling the problem - that is what I will do! See you all in the fall.
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April 4, 2013
Greetings Muggers!
Today's meeting was a very full affair and we didn't get through everything till after 4:00PM.
We first introduced the three 'resources' we have found here in the desert to assist you with Mac issues, training and installations. The gentlemen all introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their various specialties. All their names and contact information can be found on our website under: Resources.
We then updated everyone on the recent launch of our community BB, (think 'local Craig's List') an electronic version of the old fashioned neighborhood bulletin board. In just a few weeks over 130 of our neighbors have signed up, the first sales are being made and 50+ contractor reviews have been posted! www.indianridgebb.org/bb
UPDATE: On May 1st, to avoid confusion with the country club, the BB web address was changed to: www.desertbb.com
PUD board member Ed Gold then filled everyone in on the exciting news about the new TV and Internet services that are going to be provided by the PUD and HOA starting July 1st. Look for more information over the coming weeks as the Time Warner contract winds down.
Our own Linda Brown then took the floor and wowed us with her KeyNote slideshow and her obvious passion for the hobby of Genealogy and family tree research. Using her MacBook, she walked us through how to start your family search and expand it quickly with on-line services. If you have any questions her slideshow is posted on our website under: Downloads - and she can probably be talked into spending a little time with you if you get stuck. Thank you Linda!
As this was our last formal meeting of the year, we wound up with a lively Q&A period and some extended 'after class' one-on-one discussions on members' computer issues.
Be sure to visit the RMUG website frequently over the summer as I will be posting articles and tips whenever I come across them. And we can all look forward to our next meeting in November. Have a great summer!
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March 7, 2013
Yesterday's meeting was well attended as the subject matter of scanning our mountain of paperwork obviously attracted a lot of interest with our highly mobile residents here at Indian Ridge. Most of our owners have two residences or do a lot of travel and the appeal of having our files with us at all time has a lot of appeal.
Rod Hannaford started with explaining all the reasons to scan your paperwork - environmentally friendly, allows access anywhere, safer backup for lost or destroyed paperwork, reduces clutter, frees up space, etc. He then demo'd his model of scanner and made a believer out of many of us with the ease of the process. He then wrapped up by explaining his simple 'nested file' structure on his computer for storing all his tax info, utility bills, manuals, even Christmas cards.
I then spent some time explaining the vitally important need for backing up all these files particularly if you plan on shredding all the original documents. Time Machine backup on a portable hard drive and some sort of 'cloud storage' in case your computer is lost. As you know from past discussions, I favor Dropbox and ran through a quick demo on it. You will all be getting an invitation from me to join Dropbox for 2 Gb free Cloud storage with an offer for 500Mb additional storage. If you join this way, RMUG gets additional storage too.
We wrapped up the afternoon with a demonstration of a new Bulletin Board service for Indian Ridge that Rod and Gerry McKay are setting up. It will feature items for sale, items wanted, contractor referrals, service providers and other items of interest to our residents. No real estate listings, or political commentary! They are not ready for public release yet, but I will notify all RMUG members once it is up and running.
As promised here is a quick rundown on three models of the Fujitsu scanners from Amazon.com You can also find good scanners at Costco.
The top of the line model that Rod demo'd with full Acrobat Professional software for managing your scanned PDFs (a $200+ value):
Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 $430
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-iX500-Scanner-PA03656-B005/dp/B00ATZ9QMO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362762643&sr=8-4&keywords=scanners+for+mac
The extremely portable model but it only allows you to feed one sheet at a time:
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 $200
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-600DPI-Mobile-Scanner-PA03610-B005/dp/B004ISGG7Q/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1362762643&sr=8-12&keywords=scanners+for+mac
My unit, a portable model with sheet feeding capability (but no Acrobat Professional software):
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i $260
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-Instant-Sheet-Fed-Document/dp/B008HBFADQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1
As always the presentation materials, in this case Rod's slideshow, is available for download on our website: Going Paperless As Rod said, it would have been rather hypocritical to have provided printed handouts for a lecture on going paperless!
Next month's meeting on Thursday April 4th will feature Linda Brown discussing her interest in Genealogy and the many software programs and Internet sites available to assist in tracing down your family roots. Hope to see you all there!
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February 7, 2013
Today's RMUG meeting was very well attended with over 35 Apple enthusiasts squeezing into the Kramer Room. We once again introduced all new attendees and found a good mix of seasoned Mac veterans and bewildered new iPad/iPhones owners!
After a lively Q&A session, our formal presentations started with Jerry Heisler, founder of the IRCC Photography Club, expounding on his two favorite photo handling programs, iPhoto and Lightroom 4. Most in the room had a passing knowledge of iPhoto but we learned some new tricks with this bargain priced ($19.99) software from Apple. Jerry's favorite is Lightroom 4, software from photo handling giant Adobe, makers of PhotoShop. Lightroom 4 is basically a simpler $150 version of Photoshop (available from Amazon for just $119). The photo editing controls are more precise than iPhoto plus it does a whole lot more. For a good review, visit the Digital Photography Review website at: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/7481161037/lightroom-4-review Our thanks to Jerry for sharing his insight and he wants to remind everyone about the twice monthly IRCC Photo Club meetings on Saturday afternoons.
True confession time - Personally I take most of my photos these days with my iPhone and then use the automatic enhancement tool in iPhoto to lazily fix my very amateur photography. I think Jerry will be banning me from attending any of his Photo Club meetings:)
I then delivered a KeyNote slideshow presentation on iTunes in general and introduced the new version, iTunes 11. Most people think of iTunes as just a music player, but as we saw, it is a great deal more complex. You can download music of course, but also movies, TV shows, audiobooks, radio, podcasts and more. Plus organize and create playlists for playing your music. Rather than sending everyone a 4 MB file, please view my slideshow by downloading it from our RMUG website at: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
We wrapped up the afternoon with many more questions from members and I tried to give a few answers. I do want to better answer the question that came up regarding how to download iTunes 11. You can do so for your Macbook or iMac desktop machine at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ For your iPad or iPhone/iPod, you should have already updated as Apple sent as an alert on your device to download from the App Store in early December. If you are unsure, just connect your iPad/iPhone/iPod to your desktop computer via the USB cable which forces iTunes to open. Then iTunes will routinely check for software upgrades and you can download the new version automatically.
The primary goal of a MUG (Mac Users Group) is to help each other, so I am excited about all the new experienced Apple users we met today. In response to many requests, I just added a new Members page to our website (http://rmug.weebly.com/members.html) tonight that lists all members names and email addresses to make it easier to contact new friends you have met at RMUG meetings. Don't worry, unlike the rest of the website that is open to the public, this page is password protected. I will sent the password out to everyone individually under separate cover for privacy. And if you don't want your information listed, just email me back and I will discretely remove your name.
Please check the list, if your name doesn't appear on this members listing, it means you have not been to a meeting in a year and will be dropped off this distribution list this summer.
I am excited to be able to finally do this password protected page, it is one of the extras I got from subscribing to the Weebly Pro edition of their website creation software. Being able to justify a computer software (or hardware) purchase is always a nice plus for this "Apple Fan Boy"!
Our next meeting will be Thursday March 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. Our featured presentation will be by own Rod Hannaford, a retired IT professional from Calgary, on "Going Paperless". There is an art to scanning all your bills & correspondence, and Rod will lead us through the murky waters. Living as I am between two homes and a boat, I have been attempting to do this for years and am eager to see what new techniques I can learn from Rod.
As always it is my true pleasure to help guide our RMUG members and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance with your Apple questions. See you next month!
Doug Lindal
PS: iPhone 5 Tips & Secrets As a bonus I am adding a link on our webpage to a terrific new resource introduced to me this week by RMUG member Dave Simon. Jack Jacobs is a Orange County iPhone enthusiast who teaches classes on using the new iPhone 5. He has compiled a good list of Tips & Secrets on the new iPhone 5 that he is willing to share with our members: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
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January 18, 2013
Greetings RMUGers,
What an afternoon. It seems we have more and more active Mac and iPad users each month, we had 35 in attendance yesterday! It certainly wasn't hurt by the popular subject - "My Favorite Apps". When I asked the attendees for their favorites, we were overwhelmed and I had to cut off discussion after half an hour so we could finish by 4:00PM. I think we will have to do this again later this spring and give the rest of you a chance to tell about your personal favorites. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone too badly, I promise you will all get to make your presentations soon.
I for one certainly heard about a few new apps that caught my attention and the entire list of member recommended apps is listed below. I caution you that this these are member recommended apps and I have not had the time to download and evaluate them yet. But as we discussed, that is the fun of the App Store, most apps that catch your attention are only a buck or two and it is worth the risk to try them out yourself if they interest you in the least. Don't forget to read the user reviews that Apple posts on all the app pages, other users are the best evaluators of a new app's value, or lack thereof.
I then spent over an hour projecting onto our big screen, a series of some of my 40 favorite apps, and I confess I have way too many. As you all saw, I admit to having over 200 apps on my iPad. I wonder if there is a AA (Apps Anonymous) group for guys like me? My official excuse is that I am evaluating apps for all of you. My handout was printed up by the club, but we ran out of copies so I am attaching it for everyone to download. It has, of course, also been posted on our website at: rmug.weebly.com
Next month's program is still being established, I will have more details later. I didn't want to delay getting this list of new apps out to everyone so I hope you don't mind waiting another week or so for details on February's program. RMUG is fortunate in having a number of dedicated Mac users and upcoming programs will include Genealogy, Going Paperless, Photography and many other interesting programs. Plus of course our always popular and lively Q & A sessions each meeting.
So stay tuned for more details soon and be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday February 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for the next RMUG meeting. And see below for the list of member recommended apps to supplement the long list I have submitted.
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Keeper - keep your passwords accessible but safe
Actionmovie - kids movies with their photo inserted, great for grandkids
Flashlight - light your menu in a dark restaurant or when needed at night
Paper - a very classy drawing and writing app
ikotel - experience the Western Wall, tour Jerusalem and post a prayer
OpenTable - restaurant reservations and point system
Bump - offers the ability to pass along personal information
W & Y Pages - reverse phone number lookups
WebMD - medical reference manual
Zillow - real estate database
IMDB - movie database
Golfshot - Golf GPS
Red Lazer - barcode shopping app
Shazam - Identify music you hear while out and about
keyring - for supermarket loyalty cards
fotopedia - photo albums of world sights
Time Warner - twc-tv.com - over 100 channels
printjinni - to print from iphone or ipad to your printer
printopia - an app to print from your iPhone/iPad
CCleaner - to clean computer
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December 12, 2012
Hi All:
Last Thursday's RMUG meeting was fairly well attended despite a lot of 'snowbirds' not being in the valley yet. We had our usual Q&A periods but also took the time to introduce everyone in attendance and learn a little about their level of Apple experience. This will be helpful for shaping the upcoming presentations.
The formal presentation focused on the new operating system for the Macs, called OS 10.8 Mountain Lion. I did an elaborate KeyNote (Powerpoint) slideshow and also handed out some notes for everyone to follow along with. Turns out only a few people in the room had upgraded to 10.8 so the show was timely to help convince them to move ahead. There are lots of pleasant surprises in 10.8 that attracted a lot of attention. Dictation was probably the biggest hit, who doesn't like the idea of dictating your emails instead of typing! But also appreciated was the tight integration that Apple has now added across their whole line of products. With iCloud you can type a Note on the iPad and it appears almost instantly on your Mac or iPhone. And vice versa, an email or calendar entry on the iPhone shows up on the other Apple devices you own. See my notes and the slideshow for a full explanation of all the wonderful new features in Mountain Lion.
Next month we will turn our attention back to the iPhones and iPads that we covered in November's meeting. It really appears our RMUG members all have iPads! I'll be presenting my Top 20 list of favorite Apps and demonstrating them. As this will be a live presentation, you will need to be there as there will be no KeyNote slideshow to review later (just plenty of notes).
Due once again to Bridge tournaments, our meeting date for January has been delayed, but at least it will be on a Thursday afternoon from 2:00-4:00PM like most of the rest of our meetings. Be sure to put Thursday January 17th in the Kramer Room on your calendar and I hope to see you there!
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11/09/12
Hi fellow Mac users:
Today's meeting was our 'first of the season' and we welcomed back a lot of returning members and meet a number of new Apple devotees. I should stress that this is not a formal club with membership requirements, anyone is welcome to drop in with their questions and the regular attendees can usually address the concerns and puzzlement that new technology brings.
Speaking of which, I commented today on the literal 'firehose' of new hardware and software that is being unveiled, seemingly daily, by Apple. The deluge threatens to drown all of us. Do you realize there has been two new operating systems, one for iPads & iPhones and the other for desktop & laptop, every year for the past six years?! And six new iPhones, five new iPads and even more new laptops from Apple in the past five years alone!? It is tough for even Apple junkies like me to keep up. So don't feel stupid or embarrassed if you are stumped by an of the new technology, stop by the local Apple Store or come to one of our monthly meetings for help. And remember the key to success at the Apple Genius Bar, those clever young men and women just turn around and type your question into Google for immediate answers - try it yourself the next time you are stumped!
Today's meeting subject was fittingly a presentation on Apple's new operating system for their mobile devices, iPads, iPhones and iPods - iOS6. Get it, ifor mobile devices, OS for operating system and 6 representing the sixth generation of updated software. I prepared a Keynote (Powerpoint) slideshow on many of the great new features that Apple has incorporated into the new operating system and even showed some of their mistakes like the famous sagging bridge at Hoover Dam that is still visible in their new Maps App! My handout on iOS6 as a small PDF file is attached and you can download the large 22 MG Keynote file on our new website at: rmug.weebly.com In fact all of our presentations from the past two years are on the website for you to download.
Next month we will be exploring Apple's new operating system for desktop computers OSX8, called Mountain Lion. The meeting date will be Thursday December 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room here at Indian Ridge. I was pleased to welcome RMUG co-founder Linda Brown back from a year in Thailand and she is already in the swing of things. Linda will be doing a presentation on her latest passion, genealogy software and websites (ancestry.com), in the spring. Which reminds me, we are looking for volunteers who would like to do short presentations on computer subjects they are passionate about. Just contact me and we can talk. Hope to see you all next month!
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07/18/12
Greetings RMUG members!
As you probably all know by now, Apple ended their MobileMe service on June 30th and with it support for our original RMUG website that Linda Brown had set up in January 2010. So after mildly dreading the task of learning a new program, I did some research and selected an online website creation site with the odd name of weebly.com - have you ever noticed all new websites have the oddest names!?
Creating a website turned out to be a fun and rewarding challenge, one that really only took me a rainy Seattle day to accomplish - we have plenty of rainy days, even in July. I think you can be assured I will cover it as a topic in one of our monthly meetings next season. So without any further hype I present:
http://rmug.weebly.com
The main reason for creating the new website was to give all of you a place to find the various files and downloads that we discuss each month at our meetings, along with some interesting Apple related web links that we feel you will find handy. It will continue to grow as we do our monthly meetings - and I am happy to add Apple related links you might suggest. I'd like to see the new website be a 'go to' web address for you and your friends.
See you all in November, more details as we get closer .....
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04/05/12
Last week's meeting was well attended even though our 'snowbirds' have already started heading north. I myself reluctantly leave before month end, but at least by May the rain in Seattle is getting a littler warmer!
Our meeting followed the now typical format of open Q&A on all topics with good input from our many experienced Mac users in the room. It's interesting how the questions this year are so heavily slanted toward iPads and iPhones. We then heard two excellent presentations from a couple of our Members.
First up, Jerry Heisler told us how he managed to keep in touch with friends & family back home last summer while cruising and traveling in Europe with his iPad. I have attached copies of his KeyNote slides for your review. Jerry's bottom line advice - look first for an Internet Cafe where you can use free or inexpensive WiFi to check email, surf the news headlines and even make calls with Skype. Use shipboard Internet or phone calls only for critically important use, cruise lines charge a fortune!
Our second speaker, Larry Levitt, is a long, long time Mac user - and it showed. He ran us through a multitude of Tips and Tricks to make working with your Mac a lot easier, including: On-line dictionaries, using aliases, making PDFs, taking screenshots, backing up your hard drive and personalizing your Mac. He also introduced us to two must have FREE Mac programs, DropBox and EverNote. I am attaching his condensed notes that contains a link to Larry's own DropBox public file where you can download the entire presentation.
I ended our presentations with a handout from MacWorld Magazine entitled 12 Things Everyone Should Know about their New iPad or iPhone and a short video from Apple on the new Mountain Lion operating system that will be coming out sometime this summer. Look it over when it arrives and I will do a full report on the new OS at our first meeting in November.
We wound up the afternoon with another Q&A session, mostly focused on the day's presentations and then broke into smaller groups where we attempted to assist members with some hands on help with their computer problems. All and all a good meeting and a good season. I look forward to seeing everyone in the fall at our first meeting tentatively scheduled for Friday November 9th in the Kramer Room. We'll be getting some information out about this meeting and other Mac related subjects over the sumer so watch your inbox. Have a great summer everyone!
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03/01/12
Our meeting yesterday was a wonderful and comprehensive presentation on Apple Mail, the built-in Mac email program. Rod Hannaford, a retired IT professional from Calgary (and an IRCC member), gave an hour long pitch on why we should all be using Apple Mail rather than the various web based email applications offered by GMail, Hotmail and others. Our first big surprise was that you don't need to switch to Apple's me.com to use this powerful program. Rod went on to walk us through how to set up your email accounts, customize Apple Mail for your preferences, composing & reading emails and managing various networks. I followed with a brief presentation on email etiquette and we then had a good round of Q&A on email and general Apple issues. I am enclosing the PDF file containing our notes. But if you were not there and want Rod's more comprehensive notes, click here. A final resource is this except on Apple Mail from The Missing Manual for Lion.
Next month, for our RMUG meeting on April 5th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room, we will have two presentations by members of RMUG. The first by Jerry Heisler on: "How To Communicate When Traveling Out of the Country", on using an iPad or MacBook laptop for email and other tasks while traveling. And the second by Larry Levitt, a fun free-for-all loosely entitled: "Answers to 10 common questions about........ or "10 ways to......" or "10 shortcuts for..." It will be an entertaining and informative afternoon!
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02/02/12
Last month's RMUG meeting and presentations on iPhoto was well attended and I think well received. It was apparent a lot of creative Mac Users in the group were looking for tips on how to Organize, Edit and Share their photo library. I wish to thank Mark Mordoh for assisting me with the presentations and his great tips on creating an iPhoto Book. I followed up with a more general introduction to iPhoto and shared my own notes. I am attaching both Mark's and my own notes for your review.
I also wanted to again suggest that there are great training aids available on-line to assist with Apple programs like iPhoto in addition to the usual 'Dummy' and 'Missing Manual' kinds of books. The two hour training video I demonstrated was called Learn iPhoto '11 and is available in the App Store. And free YouTube videos are always available as well.
This month we will be tackling the setup and use of Apple's Mail program with a hands on demo and some practical tips from Rod Hannaford. We understand a lot of our Mac users are using various web based email programs so we want to show you why you should be switching to Apple Mail. Or if you are already using Apple Mail we want to share some great tips on improving your experience. So whether you are an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac user, this session will be for you - as we all have email!
We will of course be preceding the main presentation and concluding the meeting with general Question and Answer sessions, so bring us your challenges and we'll see if the group can help solve your problems.
Note that we have been able to move the meetings up an hour so we will be starting at 2:00PM next Thursday, March 1st in the Kramer Room. Hope to see you there.
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01/05/12
January's RMUG meeting focused on the new operating system for the iPods, iPhones and iPads - iOS5. After a little technical difficulty - I was trying to show off by running the presentation on the new Apple TV via my iPad - Rod Hannaford saved our show by lending me his laptop to run the Keynote presentation. There were lots of tips and we reviewed the new features like Notifications, iMessages, Reminders, Camera & Photos enhancements and iCloud. Then we had some fun as a group by splitting our keyboards, using 'Find my iPhone', adding photo IDs to our phone contacts and watching Airplay on the Apple TV. I am attaching my Keynote Presentation as a PDF so everyone can review the material.
If you would like some additional information on the new iOS5 please view these websites from Apple and iPad Insight:
http://www.apple.com/ios/gallery.html
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-tips-tricks/ipad-tips-getting-started-with-the-ipad
For our February presentation a number of our members will be helping out as we demonstrate iPhoto. This was the number one request from the assembled members last month so I hope you will all plan to attend. Apple does wonderful job of keeping their programs like iPhoto simple and easy to use, but there is so much power there that it can all be a little overwhelming. So if you have a box full of old photos or have already scanned into iPhoto, we will attempt to show you how to organize and manage them. We'll wind up the afternoon with an explanation on how to then convert some of your favorite photos into a photo album from Apple.
So mark your calendar for February 2nd (Groundhog's Day!) and we'll see you in the Kramer Room at 3:00PM.
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12/01/11
Our meeting on December 1st was attended by 18 hardy individuals who braved the 40+ MPH dust storm to come out and learn about the new Lion OS X Mac operating system. I conducted a hands on program rather than a Keynote (Powerpoint) presentation and we had plenty of time for questions and answers. I am attaching my rather cryptic notes that we followed as I walked everyone through the new features of Lion like Mission Control and Launchpad. I'd suggest anyone looking for more help can find it available online in a number of spots including this link:
http://www.maclife.com/article/features/essential_guide_os_x_lion
For our January meeting, the majority of the members in attendance wanted to focus on the new operating system for iPads and iPhones, IOS 5. This is kind of 'off subject' for a Mac Users Group that normally focuses on computers but it seemed everyone in the room had either a iPad or an iPhone so it will at least be on target for our particular group! So bring your questions and we'll attempt to get everyone set up using the newest OS for your phones and iPads. And of course we will have plenty of time to spend on Q&A for MacBooks and iMacs too. Hope to see you on January 5th!
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03/21/11
We convened our third meeting of the Ridge Mac Users Group (RMUG) in the Grove Room extension which worked well for our attendees. The low lighting and smaller space was better than the Arroyo Bar for a more intimate presentation and brighter screen projection. We had 28 members in attendance, including 3-4 eager new attendees.
We started out with a general Question and Answer session and the new iPad 2 was the main attraction. A number of members had checked it out at the Apple Store but no one had purchased one yet. The built in camera for FaceTime calls seemed to be the big draw for the grandparents in the room! Guessing we'll see some in the audience by the next meeting.
Jack Shulman next gave a presentation on the importance of backup, with his very personal story of near disaster when his hard drive crashed. Luckily he was able to salvage the data but at a cost of $1,500 and this was ten years ago! He walked us through using Apple's Time Machine software as well as commercial services like Dropbox and iDrive. He wrapped up with a brief description of 'cloud computing' with MobileMe for offsite backup in case of a natural disaster like earthquake or fire. We'll be covering MobileMe in greater detail at next month's meeting. And remember we are looking for other members to volunteer to do future presentations - for example you could discuss some favorite software or review the new iPad.
Speaking of which, mark your calendars for Wednesday April 20th at 3:00 PM in the Grove Room again. This will be our last general meeting of the season and we will be attempting to set up some informal summer gathering for those of you who stay throughout the year.
Doug Lindal did the second presentation of the afternoon with a hands-on show of Ten Tips for setting up a new Mac. Both presentations are available for download our our website if you missed the meeting - as are all past presentations.
http://RMUG.weebly.com
We wrapped up the afternoon with some more Q&A as the formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) got derailed by everyone wanting to hear ALL the discussions. We'll try forming SIGs again next season.
See you on April 20th for a review of our first season and a presentation on MobileMe!
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02/21/11
Our second meeting on Monday February 21st was a grand time with a roomful of Mac enthusiasts eager to learn. It appears the new Indian Ridge Mac Users Group will be a success.
As we did in our introductory session in January, we introduced ourselves and polled the audience as to Mac experience and what everyone wanted discussed at our next meetings. We also introduced our special guests, Mimi van der Voort, the President of the Desert Mac Users Group (DMUG), the established (20 years!) users group in the valley and Aaron Cortes, Business Manager for the new Apple Store. Mimi invited everyone in the audience to attend an upcoming DMUG meeting, hosted at the Palm Desert Library on the first Wednesday of each month. Aaron took us though a complete history of Apple and all the amazing milestones of this young company. He also acknowledged the growing pains of the new store due to the overwhelming response from Mac enthusiasts such as ourselves and promised better response times and new services coming out soon. We got the feeling they will be glad to see us 'snowbirds' leave for the summer so they can get the new store running smoothly!
Doug Lindal did another Keynote presentation, this time geared to new Mac users, although there was plenty of tips for even the Apple veterans in the room. Doug also passed out an Apple Cheat Sheet where you can write down all the serial numbers and other info for your hardware and software for your Macs. He also gave a sneak preview to the newest Mac operating system OS X Lion, due out this summer. The new App Store is already up and running and you can access it if you update your software to version 10.6.6. Don't know how? Just click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and open Software Updates. His whole presentation can be downloaded from our new website.
We concluded the meeting with another Question and Answer session and set our next meeting for Monday March 21 with our very Mac experienced member Jack Shulman presenting on how he backups up his computers and how to avoid the mistakes he has made! We also decided to spend at least half the time at our next meeting breaking into small groups to discuss specific interests - MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, software, etc. There is so much variety in the new group as to experience that we came away with the feeling that we need to address some of these special interests. It should be fun and we hope to see you all there!
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RMUG meeting Recap Jan. 18, 2011
The meeting commenced at 3:00PM with 55 new members registering, and an unknown number declining to sign up immediately – probably some new Mac owners and a few PC users just seeing what all the fuss was all about!
This was primarily an organization session rather than a full meeting, as we made busy introducing each other and ourselves. Half the room had been with Mac less than a year, many new in just the past few months. The balance had been using Macs for anywhere from two to fifteen years. Those are the folks we will tap for our version of what other MUG organizations call their ‘Experts Panel’ (Genius Bar was already taken!), resources the rest of us can call on for help with a computer challenge or potential speakers for future presentations.
Linda Brown and Doug Lindal then gave Keynote presentations on how to find Apple Help on the Internet and how to design your own website with iWeb. We wrapped up the afternoon with a Questions & Answers period and general discussion of what the audience would like to see presented at future meetings.
There was general consensus that a Manager from the new Apple Store would be well received at the next meeting and we will work on that immediately. The other big vote getters were iPhoto, MobileMe and a General Introduction to Apple for all our new Mac owners. The next meeting will be at 3:00PM in the clubhouse on Monday, February 21st. Please contact us with suggestions for other future topics or to volunteer your expertise as we work to set up our new organization.
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12/20/10
Calling all Apple Mac Users!
It appears there are far more Mac users at Indian Ridge than would normally be found in a community of a thousand homes. Must be the higher percentage of retired folks (or maybe the higher intelligence level of Ridgers!?)
Announcing RMUG
There appears to be interest in forming our own Mac Users Group, which we are calling RMUG for Ridge Mac Users Group.
What are Mac User Groups (MUG)?
Mac User Groups are organizations created by people interested in sharing information about their Apple computers and what they can accomplish with the help of digital technology. User Groups are about the technology, but also about the friendships that result. Over 800 User Groups worldwide have registered with Apple - some with fewer than 30 members, others with over 1,000.
What benefits do User Groups offer?
User Groups help members with technical questions, give honest advice on choosing software, hardware and peripherals, and provide a friendly
environment where people can learn from each other. Many groups offer monthly meetings, an informative newsletter, member discounts, classes, one-on-one support, and of course, the camaraderie that Apple users share.
What happens at User Group meetings?
Meetings vary depending on the group and the evening. Group members often present - either about technology or about an individual project such as a photo management or building a webpage. Most meetings include time for question and answer sessions as well as some social and networking activities. You can ask any question about your computer, easy or difficult, and hopefully get an answer from a knowledgeable fellow user.
If you are a Mac user, plan on coming to our organization meeting next month where we will discuss setting up our own MUG here at Indian Ridge. For presentations, Linda Brown will show how she, as a brand new Mac user, learned to set up the IRCC women's golf webpage and Doug Lindal will give a "walk through" on using MobileMe. There will be lots of time for Q&A and we welcome your thoughts on how to proceed with monthly meetings. Hope to see you there!
Linda Brown [email protected]
Doug Lindal [email protected]
(Click on the colored links for the files - or go to our Downloads tab)
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April 15, 2020
As promised we captured the video recording of Doug Cairns presentation on his favorite iPhone Apps and uploaded it to our website for those of you who missed the show yesterday. Please visit our new 2020 RMUG Video webpage to view the hour long show. Be sure to download his spreadsheet detailing his choices.
The Apple Stores are amazing places to visit, with all the inticing new products and of course the Genius Bar to help get us out of trouble! Two years ago, Apple added another great feature, in store training classes called Today at Apple. Topics include getting you familiar with the fundamental techniques & tools of a creative topic; diving deeper into a creative approach by getting you started on a project and guided photography walks, designed for levels from beginner to seasoned pro. Unfortunately the COVID-19 virus has closed the Apple Stores temporarily - so what to do?
Today at Apple - At Home offers great sessions that you can enjoy on your MacBook or mobile device at home. From drawing playful portraits with iPad, to capturing striking photography with iPhone, and shooting photos full of personality with iPhone, the tutorials are fun and easy.
Check it out and use your downtime at home to learn more about all the fun features of your Apple devices!
Doug
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April 14, 2020
Well that was certainly a first for our group, an on-line Zoom meeting! I was pleased with the participation, at one point we had 34 members watching our member Doug Cairn review his 25 favorite iPhone Apps. As promised, I'm attaching a PDF listing of the apps.
We were recording the presentation and hope to have a video link available later this week for those of you who were unable to attend today. Let's hope we can accomplish this, on-line video presentations are a brave new world for all of us!
This is probably going to be our last presentation of the season as many of us start heading to our summer homes, but you never know. I might have another video conference show for you later this summer so standby.
Our next official session will be back in the Kramer Room (hooray!) on the second Tuesday of November, the 10th, at 2:00PM. In the meantime practice social distancing and hunker down in your self quarantine spot. And why not use some of this downtime to brush up your computer skills? Our webpage has lots of on-line video training options that you can explore over the summer, I hope you will take advantage of some of them.
Stay safe everyone!
Doug
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March 10, 2020
A full afternoon of useful information for you on how to avoid phishing plus some fun and useful new Apps for you to try. I'd like to especially thank Lauri Kunzman for her great presentation on Recipe Keeper.
The full slideshow is up and available on our 2020 Downloads page so you can be better prepared to do battle with the spammers who bombard us daily. Once you get through all that depressing stuff, sit back and explore the Apps - MyQ, Recipe Keeper and Informed Delivery.
Doug Cairns, our scheduled speaker for March had a conflict so he will be presenting his show on favorite Apps next month, on Tuesday April 14th. I've previewed his choices and am confident you will enjoy the presentation!
Doug
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February 11, 2020
This week's RMUG session was all about security and how to preserve it on your various Apple devices. Our speaker was Jonathan Gorman of iCreative and he walked us through a number of steps to take to secure your on-line and off-line computer identity.
A summary of his presentation for your review is in our Downloads section and as promised he has also turned it into a YouTube video.
Next month on March 10th, a newer member of our group, Doug Cairns, will be showing us his favorite Apps and I will add a few of my own. We'd love to hear back from you in the next week or so with any less commonly known Apps that you use and enjoy so we can do some research and demonstrate them as well.
Looking forward to another packed house next month!
Doug
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January 14, 2020
Well I have serious 'iPhone envy' tonight after Jesse Weinger's remarkable demonstration of the photography features of his new iPhone 11 Pro! Fortunately many of those features extend down the line to older iPhones and most of the editing tips he showed us are accessible to everyone who downloads iOS 13 or macOS Catalina. Still a new phone might be in my future ...
I have uploaded PDFs of Jesse's slideshow and the text of his discussion to our Downloads page for your reference, alone with a technical guide from Apple on photography. To see some of Jesse's amazing photography, visit his website at: www.jweinger.com
Speaking of Apple support, I discovered that they have a wonderful website full of free and useful guides and manuals for all their computers and mobile devices and many of their software programs at: https://support.apple.com/manuals Check it out.
For even more instructional help in the form of video lessons, visit the website: www.themacu.com You can browse the site and get free total access for seven days. If you like what you see, the low annual subscription price is a bargain - made even more so by a special 50% discount I negotiated for all of us. Just enter the code RMUG on the order form to see the discount applied.
On February 11th, Jonathan Gorman of iCreative will return once again with a program on computer security for both your mobile and desktop machines. He will scare us a bit about all the bad stuff out there and offer up solutions to protect your on-line life. We want you to stay safe while surfing the Internet!
Until then, enjoy your Apple toys - and then get outside to enjoy this wonderful sunny desert environment we are all so fortunate to reside in.
Doug
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December 10, 2019
For this close to the Holidays, we had a good group of 30+ , thank you all for attending in these busy times.
We welcomed a new tech resource, Antonio Guzman from Indian Wells, and his services appear to have been well received. His Keynote presentation with contact information is attached.
I then launched into a rather lengthy presentation of all three new OS (operations systems) - iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina. In retrospect, probably too much to absorb in one session. I know I pump a lot of information out there, the problem always is that there is so much good stuff to share! I have attached my notes on the various OS in case you did not have the chance to pick them up today.
Next month's meeting on January 14th we will have our own Jesse Weinger, a true photography enthusiast, discussing all about the amazing new iPhone 11 camera abilities and the powerful editing capabilities Apple has added to all their OS. You won't want to miss this show.
Until then, I wish you all a very happy Holiday season and a grand New Years! See you next year.
Doug
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November 12, 2019
A nice meeting today, a great opportunity for all of us to gather for the first time in the new winter season. As is tradition, we started the year with a full blown Q&A session as it seemed everyone had challenges that had built up over the summer. I then presented a Keynote slideshow on questions I had been asked by member over the summer and had time to research properly.
Our December meeting will focus on the new operating systems that Apple has just released for the iPhones/iPads (iOS 13) and Mac computers (macOS Catalina). There are lots of great new features to explore in both updates. I imagine most of you have already downloaded them, and it's safer to do so now that Apple has released their initial 'bug fix' updates to both so do so before our next meeting. You won't want to miss this presentation.
Doug
RMUG Dates (second Tuesday of each month)
- November 12, 2019
- December 10, 2109
- January 14, 2020
- February 11, 2020
- March 10, 2020
- April 14, 2020
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May 1, 2109
Greetings RMUG:
In discussions with staff over the past week we have determined there are only three viable afternoon days for our RMUG meetings next season - the second Tuesday we are currently using, the second Thursdays we used last season and any Saturday. I eliminated the Thursdays as they didn't work for quite a few members in the past and frankly weekends just don't feel right for a 'class'. Bottom line, we will be sticking with the second Tuesdays at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room and we should all be happy the space is available!
With the poor show of hands last month for a May meeting, I have decided to not conduct the May 14th event. Instead I've crafted a comprehensive list of Apple training resources that I am sharing with you for your summertime enjoyment.
I wish everyone a grand summer of adventure and look forward to reconvening in November for our tenth year of RMUG meetings!
Thank you all for a great decade of mutual exploration and learning in the Mac, iPhone and iPad world!
Doug
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April 9, 2019
Greetings:
A good class of 30+ today despite the season winding down and our snowbirds starting to depart the valley.
Our speaker was David A. Cox of TechTalk America (www.techtalkamerica.com), producer of over four hundred Apple help videos that can be viewed free of charge on his YouTube station at: (www.youtube.com/user/TechTalkAmerica).
David passed on over an hour of terrific tips on using your Macs and iPhones/iPads. Many of these pointers can be found on his YouTube channel and some great notes that Mimi van der Voort supplied our on our 2019 Downloads page.
I wrapped up the afternoon with a quick method to setup and play slideshows on your Apple TV to impress friends and family. The instructions are on our 2019 Downloads page.
Still deciding whether we will have enough attendees to merit a May 14th class as that is pretty late in the season for most of our members. I plan on sending all RMUG members a quick SurveyMonkey link to gauge interest and also to determine if Tuesdays are the best days for our meetings next season.
I'll be in touch soon.
Doug
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March 12, 2019
Another full meeting room, as we have come to expect in the midst of high season, and no one left disappointed. Lauri Kunzman of the Sun City Computer Club walked us through the a Keynote slideshow of the brand new Photos app for your iPhone and iPad. We explored all the new features and she then demonstrated most of them live on her iPad. Good stuff for you to review - you will find it all on our RMUG website at: rmug.weebly.com/2019-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
I followed up with a walkthrough of Apple's updated Control Center for your iOS 12 devices. Some great shortcuts for getting the most out of your iPhone or iPad. Again you can find the slideshow on our 2019 Downloads tab.
Next month on April 9th, we will have David A. Cox, creator of TechTalkAmerica back again to entertain the crowd and give us all some great tips for using your Apple toys. I will also be doing a slideshow on a subject yet to be determined - I asked those in attendance today to send me their suggestions.
And a special thank you to Indian Ridge Country Club for all the upgrades to the Kramer Room over the past season. New solar blinds, overhead projector and Apple TV - and of course always for the wonderful popcorn, mixed nuts and ice tea!
Looking forward to another full house next month!
Doug
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February 12, 2019
February is high season and we saw it today with a full room of over 40 attendees, most eagerly waving their new Apple Watches!
We started with an informative presentation from Jonathan and Rick of iCreative about their new facilities and services including Audio/Video & Smart Home programs. They are also now Apple Authorized Service Providers, an alternative to standing in line at the local Apple Store.😪
I then walked the audience through an introduction to the Apple Watch and it's many nuances. You can view and download my full slideshow and my three page report at our 2019 Downloads tab.
Next month on March 12th we are planning a presentation on the latest version of Photos on your iPhone and iPad (iOS 12) with the assistance of Lauri Kunzman from the Sun City Computer Club.
In the meantime stay out of the cold and enjoy your Apple toys as we all await the arrival of spring!
Doug
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January 8, 2019
We had a great session today with our own Rod Hannaford leading us through an entertaining program on how to ditch your paper files and 'Go Paperless'. Rod presented the case for scanning your documents to reduce clutter, make them accessible anywhere and protect them from disaster from flood or earthquake. He then showed us his on-line filing system that makes retrieval simple. Rod wrapped up with a hands on demo of his Fujitsu Scanner and answered questions. Wow.
Rod's slideshow presentation is a large file so rather than attempt to attach it to this email, I have uploaded it to our RMUG website at Going Paperless
While you are on the RMUG website (www.rmug.weebly.com), take a look around to see all the new links we have added recently to make your Apple experience better.
I followed up with a short presentation on Apple's new Do Not Disturb app that we all need to learn to use. The slideshow will help you can set it up for yourself.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday February 12th. I am still working on the program and will have more for you soon. See you then!
Doug Lindal
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December 11, 2018
It was a good turnout, for this far into the Holiday season, as we settled back into the Kramer Room. Sorry I was so under the weather, my squeaky voice barely lasted the full session.
We covered a lot of territory as I walked everyone through the many small changes to both iOS12 for iPads & iPhones and macOS Mojave for your desktop machines. On our Downloads page we have an eleven page PDF that outlines all the changes, the same handouts I distributed in the meeting today but with a few more pages tacked on the back.
Our next meeting on January 8th will be a very interesting program for those of you who have been considering "Going Paperless." Rod Hannaford will give us a demonstration of his Fujitsu Scanner and explain his electronic file cabinet system. For those of us who maintain two residences or travel a lot, paperless is the only way to go. It's also a great system to have in place in the event of a natural disaster. Come see for yourself next month.
Happy Holidays!
Doug
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November 12, 2018
Today's meeting was a great opportunity for all of us to gather for the first time in the new season. Due to the construction in the Sports Center here at Indian Ridge, the Kramer Room wasn't available, but the club was gracious enough to allow us to meet in the main clubhouse. Hope not too many folks were confused about the temporary move - back to the Kramer Room on Tuesday December 11th!
As always we started the year with a full blown Q&A session. I then took everyone through a Keynote slideshow on questions I had been asked over the summer.
Our December meeting will focus on the new operating systems that Apple has just released for the iPhones/iPads (iOS 12) and Mac computers (macOS Mohave 10.14). There are lots of great new features to explore in both updates. I imagine most of you have already downloaded them, and it's safer to do so now that Apple has released their initial 'bug fix' updates to both. You won't want to miss this presentation.
Doug
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April 10, 2018
Greetings RMUG:
Today was our final session of the year, always a bittersweet event as we prepare to head our separate ways for the summer. And ours is obviously a 'snowbird' crowd, with no-one in the room today staying in the desert over the summer!
I tackled a powerful variety of Keyboard Shortcuts for both the Mac and iOS (iPad & iPhones), walking the audience through forty different tips to make your computer use more productive. I know there will be a lot of downloading of this month's slideshow for review over the next few days!
One of the questions was how to save text when you use Command-C (copy) as Apple only saves the last item you copied. It takes a separate program and I use and recommend Copy'emPaste, a $10 Clipboard Manager available in the Apple App Store.
We then wrapped up the afternoon with an extended Q&A as we attempted to provide some solutions to problems challenging a number of our members. Thanks to all those who volunteered solutions and generally made it a group effort. RMUG members are definitely learning a lot more as we work through the new operating systems and programs that Apple keeps bringing our way.
Have a grand summer and see you all in November!
Doug
PS: I messed up some of my dates in Sunday's email so please review the following list to get your calendars straight for next season:2018-19 RMUG Schedule
November 13, 2018
December 11, 2018
January 8, 2019
February 12, 2019
March 12, 2019
April 9, 2019
May 7, 2019
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March 14, 2018
Yesterday's meeting was a full and entertaining session for the usual packed room that we get during the height of the winter season.
First up we heard from Lauri Kunzman of the Sun City Computer Club who reciprocated for some of my efforts in front of their group, by walking us through all the nuances of Screen Captures and Markup on your Mac and iOS devices. Apple has taken a once primitive editing tool and really turned Markup into a very productive application for modifying your screen captures, photos and PDFs. See Lauri's notes on her presentation on our 2018 Downloads Page.
Next up our own Jerry Heisler had fun demonstrating the awesome Amazon Echo, commonly known as 'Alexa'. Echo is a Internet-enabled speaker you control with your voice; to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more--instantly. All you have to do is ask and we provided a good list of queries to get you started with Alexa.
To bring us back around to Apple products, I quickly walked the group through my 'Top Ten Siri Tips' to productively use Siri, Apple's Internet service built in to all your Mac and iOS devices.
Copies of all the handouts are on our 2018 Downloads Page for your review and use.
Next month on April 10th, we will tackle a plethora of tips to productivity utilizing keyboard shortcuts on your Mac and iOS devices. Hope to see you there!
Doug Lindal
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February 13, 2018
Hi Muggers:
Today's program was on Editing your photographs using Apple Photos which I did with a live walkthrough of the program. As you saw, it can be a complex and detailed process, but with today's tips you should have no problem getting started yourself. The attached notes are from Gay France of the Sun City Computer Club. Just remember to duplicate your precious original photos and then start experimenting with various editing skills - you can do it!
We also had the pleasure of having David A. Cox come to our meeting. David is quite a character and has been doing Apple classes for many years. His more recent work is TechTalk America videos on YouTube, covering over 500 different topics about Macs, iOS devices, apps, hardware and the like. Here is the link to it: David A. Cox - YouTube - YouTube
He is a veritable font of information and we recommend you take a gander at some of these videos. One of them he has is on 1Password: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfdTXoCxaB0 and many more on the Apple Photos program. His various videos range from 1 minute up to around 20 minutes, so easily watched in very little time.
David makes his living by advertising on his site and also by folks who click on his link to Amazon. If you bookmark the following link to Amazon, he will end up getting a tiny piece of the pie, with no effect on your order and with none of your order info getting back to him. This what he says about this: "If you’d like to support Tech Talk America when you shop on Amazon just go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/Amazon4TTA and when the page loads, bookmark that link (Command + D). When you go to Amazon, use that bookmarked link instead of navigating there manually and you’ll automatically help support David’s classes. This does not change prime or Amazon smile status, nor does it affect the price in any way." Many thanks for helping support his endeavors!
We then spent some time discussing the password manager program, 1Password. Mimi van der Voort of the Desert MUG prepared some notes from their session on the subject last week and is allowing me to send them out to you as an attachment. Thanks Mimi!
As an official Apple MUG, 1Password gives us a 25% discount on their subscription service. Normal cost is $3.99/month for a single subscription and $4.99 for the family plan of 5 subscriptions, so this is a good deal. Here is the link for that discount: https://start.1password.com/signup/plan?c=MUG
That's about it for this month, whew, we covered a lot! See you all next month on March 13th when I will have another interesting program for all of you!
Doug
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January 9, 2018
Tuesday's presentation on iCloud by iCreative's chief trainer John O'Connell, was very informative and productive. We all learned a lot about cloud storage and how to set it up on your Apple devices.
iCreative offers a number of good training classes and a full list can be found on their website at: https://www.theicreative.com. If we get enough interest to fill their 20+ person classroom, we can do so for a total fee of just $250. Let me know if you have interest in joining an IRCC only group for a lesson, cost would be between $10-25 each depending on numbers.
I promised you a follow-up with more information and here are some good websites to visit. Apple's own website for iCloud support can be found at: https://support.apple.com/icloud
Another excellent resource is David Cox known for his video classes. Here is his 2015 class on iCloud:
http://www.pcclassesonline.com/all-about-icloud-updated
And a second one that also includes DropBox:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuXJegv1jAg
One other excellent video training resource is Lynda.com, with hundreds of good videos. Unfortunately it is a paid service. However if you own a home in a large metropolitan city, the public libraries will give you access. None of our smaller valley libraries offer the service, but you can get it from any branch of the city of Los Angeles Public Library. As California residents you are a taxpayer and you are all welcome to get a library card from the LAPL system by visiting a branch. I personally use the city of Seattle library system for my access. Here is the Lynda.com video you want to view: https://www.lynda.com/iCloud-tutorials/What-iCloud/548041/579675-4.html
Our February 13th class will be a tutorial on Editing Photos on a Mac or mobile device. We also might have a special visitor stop by, as David Cox is going to be in the valley for the month escaping the cold of Provincetown, MA.
And a final note - don't forget about our really special learning opportunity on February 7th when the Customer Service manager of 1Password comes to town for a joint presentation to all MUGs in the valley. It will be held at 1:00PM in the Palm Desert Public Library by the College of the Desert. We expect standing room only, so get there early for a seat!
See you next month!
Doug
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December 12, 2017
A good Holiday crowd today for our rather long but thorough 1-1/2 hour slideshow on Apple's new operating systems - iOS11 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and High Sierra (macOS) for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
The full Keynote slideshow in a nine page (six slides to a page) PDF format are available under the 2017 Downloads tab. As a bonus, and David Pogue's (Yahoo Tech Columnist) excellent review notes are also available.
Our next presentation will be on Tuesday January 9th, but the topic of our presentation is still up in the air as I choose from among the many suggestions I have received. At this point let's just say it will be a surprise. More details as we get past the Holidays!
Doug Lindal
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November 14, 2017
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Today's RMUG meeting, our first of the new season, was a full house. Apologies to those who had to stand - we'll have more chairs next month!
After a long summer I know there would be a lot of questions that had built up so I surveyed our group in advance and prepared a slideshow with all the answers. There were indeed a lot of questions and we got through all of them (64 slides!) and still had time to answer a flurry of further queries from the audience. I think it was a productive afternoon for everyone.
The Keynote slideshow in PDF format is available here under the 2017 Downloads tab, so you can study the questions and my replies. And while you are there, take a look around the club website in case you haven't viewed it since last season. There are lots of good Apple tips for everyone to review.
See you all next month on Tuesday December 12th for a review of Apple's new operating systems - iOS11 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and High Sierra (macOS) for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
Doug Lindal
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September 1, 2017
Greetings Mac Users:
Well with the Labor Day weekend just ahead, we are busy pulling together the schedule for our Indian Ridge Mac Users Group meetings for this coming winter season. The country club has been great in coordinating with us and I am pleased to give you a full schedule of meeting dates for your own personal calendars. A reminder that next year's meetings of RMUG are changing dates and will now be held on the second Tuesday of each month from November till May at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. No excuse missing any meetings this year!
- Tuesday, November 14, 2017
- Tuesday, December 12, 2017
- Tuesday, January 9, 2018
- Tuesday, February 13, 2018
- Tuesday, March 13, 2018
- Tuesday, April 10, 2018
- Tuesday, May 8, 2018
I have of course been busy preparing the first of our presentations for the new season and I think you will all enjoy our first meeting on November 14th, whether you are a Mac computer user or an iPad/iPhone user - or both. We will start with a quick review of the newly updated Mac computers and of course the long anticipated new iPhone 8!
We will again kick off the season with a wide open Question and Answer session and I am preparing a Keynote slideshow based on the queries I have received from members over the summer. I haven't received too many, so I would like you all to also email me back with other questions that have challenged you the past few months on your various Apple products, so I can do some basic research. And I expect, like last year, we will get quite a few questions from the floor - those are always challenging to tackle on the spot!
During our second meeting on December 12th we will review Apple's new operating systems for the Mac (High Sierra) and the iPad/iPhone (iOS 11). Beyond that I am scrambling for ideas for topics and would also truly appreciate having some other club members willing to participate with me in the spring presentations. Any Apple topics would be welcome, just contact me and we can discuss pulling something together.
Looking forward to a full house in November!
Doug Lindal
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May 5, 2017
Thanks to the hearty sixteen R-Muggers still in residence, who braved the 105 degree temps to attend our last meeting of the season on Thursday. We were rewarded with an excellent presentation by Sally Narodick on how and why we all should be using Twitter. Far from just another silly teenager chat line, Twitter has matured into a powerful social media phenomena promoted in large parts by politicians like Donald Trump. Read Sally's slideshow notes attached for more information.
I then wrapped up with another Apple 'basics' presentation on Maps and all the power that Apple has wrapped into this seemingly simple little app. We wrapped up with Q&A as everyone prepared to depart for summer residences or extended travel.
A reminder that next year's meetings of RMUG are changing dates and will be held on the second Tuesday of each month from November till May at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. Stay tuned over the summer to Apple's big announcement on new Mac hardware (finally!) and the exciting new iPhone 8 models. We'll have lots to talk about next season!
Doug Lindal
- Tuesday, November 14, 2017
- Tuesday, December 12, 2017
- Tuesday, January 9, 2018
- Tuesday, February 13, 2018
- Tuesday, March 13, 2018
- Tuesday, April 10, 2018
- Tuesday, May 8, 2018
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Our April 6th meeting had a good turnout, with 35+ year round residents and quite a few of our snowbirds still in the desert.
Continuing our theme this season of keeping it simple, we delved into a whole host of Apple's programs and apps built right into iOS for their mobile devices and macOS for their desktop machines. Subjects included basics:
• How to find your parked car with Maps (PDF)
• Locking your Notes (PDF)
• Mac Cleanup Tips for macOS Sierra (PDF)
• Location Based Reminders (PDF)
• Reminders (Keynote slideshow)
• Contacts (Keynote slideshow)
The handouts for all six subjects can be found under the Downloads tab.
I researched the challenge we discovered with iOS (iPhone & iPad operating system) of the inability to add Groups to Contacts or new Lists to Reminders. Easy to do on a Mac, but seemingly impossible in iOS. The solution is a workaround. You open iCloud.com and sign in to your account. iCloud has more of the look and feel of the Mac operating system and you can indeed create Groups and Lists that then will show up on your iPhone. Of course you could always invest in a MacBook or iMac and do your more complicated tasks there in their more robust and capable operating system. It's amazing what you can find with a simple Google search (How do I create Groups in Contacts on an iPhone?).
Next month on May 4th will be our season wrap-up and we will be hearing from be our own Sally Narodick. She will attempt to demystify Twitter for all of us so we can start following POTUS and the other politicians in Washington DC who seem to live on this program. I'll follow-up with a few more basic Apple apps and then take your final questions before we all head our separate ways for the summer. Hope to see you then!
Doug
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March 3, 2017
Good meeting yesterday, although the appearance (finally!) of the sun might have kept a few people away, enjoying outdoor activities!
We started by wrapping up last month's topic of the Photos app by reviewing the editing capabilities, including their new Extensions option to add outside editing apps. Notes are attached here.
We then went into detail on using Safari, Apple's web browser, on both your desktop and mobile (iPhone/iPad) devices. Our tour included the functionality of all those buttons, menus and icons at the top of your screen. Again our notes are attached. What is not attached are Shirley Allan's excellent graphics explaining all the details of Safari. As they are five megs in size, I have uploaded them to our website and you can download them on our Downloads page.
Next month on April 6th we will explore a number of topics including: Notes, Maps and other Apple apps for both desktop and mobile devices.
Hope to see you then!
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February 3, 2017
Hi everyone:
Great meeting yesterday with nearly 50 people in attendance to hear Jonathan Gorman of iCreative speak on the new Photos apps for iOS and macOS.
I have some notes and am posting them as a PDF in our 2017 Downloads section. I hope you will study the points and apply them yourselves as Photos is probably the most popular program Apple has produced.
See you next month on March 2nd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room!
Doug
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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January 5th, 2017
Hi Mac Users Group:
We had a good group of 40+ in attendance yesterday to hear all about macOS Sierra, the latest operating system for your laptop and desktop machines. The full PDF of my Keynote presentation are on the RMUG website in our Downloads area.
Mark your calendar to attend our next meeting on Thursday February 2nd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for a presentation pertaining to both the iPad/iPhone and the Mac. Our presentation will be done by the professional team at iCreative, the group who does the Apple classes in their own classroom off Hovley.
And iCreative has extended a special offer to RMUG members for a free class on Monday evening January 9th in their classroom. Contact them directly at [email protected] to save yourself a seat.
Thanks again for all your enthusiasm and we'll see you on the 2nd!
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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December 1, 2016
Another good crowd today as we explored many of the changes that Apple has made to iOS 10, their latest version of their mobile operating system for iPads and iPhones. I say many, but certainly not all - we only had two hours! And after you review our slideshow, see for yourselves - just Google iOS 10 new features and you can be kept busy for hours reading webpages full of many more tips than I could possibly share today!
Next month we will turn our attention to the Sierra, Apple's new operating system for their desktop and laptop machines. It will be another packed presentation, as Apple released a huge upgrade this November. Followed of course with the usual Q&A session as we try to resolve some of the challenges that arise.
I asked those in attendance today to email me with their ideas for our meeting topics for February, March and April. We might focus on the basics, but I'd appreciate your input so we can have presentations that capture your attention. And once again I requested some members to come forward and help me with presentations, as you must surely all be getting tired of just having me run the projector each morth! Give me a call or send an email and we can discuss your ideas.
So that's it for now. Have a wonderful Holiday season and see you all in the new year!
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Jan. 5th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
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November 11, 2016
Well I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, we had 46 people in attendance but only 40 chairs set up! So much for my prediction that November would be a smaller group! Sorry to those of you who arrived late and had to scramble for extra chairs.
We spent ninety minutes reviewing my Q&A slideshow followed by a lively Question and Answer session on all the issues that plagued us over the summer. I think we answered 98% of them and you now know what to do for the others and any new challenges that come up - JUST ASK GOOGLE! A copy of my slideshow is attached and can also be found on our website under 2016 Downloads.
Next month on Thursday December 1st, we will be looking at iOS 10, Apple's upgraded new operating system for your mobile devices (iPhones & iPads). If we have time we'll also review the new operating system for desktop Macs, macOS Sierra, but I think with all the Q&A we'll probably hold this over till our January class.
Doug Lindal
· Thurs. Nov. 10th, 2016 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 1st = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 5th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
==========================================================
2016/2017 Meeting Schedule
We are challenged with limited event space at Indian Ridge Country Club, so I am pleased to have all our dates settled for the 2016/17 season.
All of our meetings this coming season will be on the first Thursday of each month, in the Kramer Room, from 2:00-4:00PM - with the exception of November when we'll start the second Thursday to give our 'snowbirds' more time to arrive in the valley -
· Thurs. Nov. 10th, 2016 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 1st = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 5th, 2017 = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 2nd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 6th = 2-4p
========================================================
April 7, 2016
Hi all:
Today's session was wonderful, 39 folks in attendance despite the snowbirds all heading home this month. I took your suggestions from last month and crafted a presentation on four subjects:
- Pinterest, the very popular social-media/shopping app that is of interest to a lot of you.
- We explored options and tips for travels overseas this summer with your iPhone.
- Learned how to password protect your Notes app to safely store banking and password information in a convenient place.
- And finally we took another look at safe web surfing practices - in a presentation I am calling "Don't Click That Link!".
My Keynote slide shows can be download them from our Download Page
Have a safe and fun summer - and see you all back in the desert at Indian Ridge next November!
Doug Lindal
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March 4, 2016
Hi All:
Yesterday's meeting was a fun one as we got everyone's opinions on the controversial FBI vs. Apple court case - it was informative to hear the various arguments put forth by our well informed membership.
We moved on to an in-depth look at the new Apple TV and I demo'd all the incredible audio and video options it offers for the $149 purchase price. I think a lot of members will be out buying one this weekend!
Full notes from the meeting are attached. My bad - I had handouts but forgot to distribute them before most folks had left. They will of course also be uploaded to our 2016 Downloads Page
Next month we will quickly cover a wide variety of 1/2 dozen Apple programs such as Notifications, 1 Password, Preview, and Contacts. I still have room for a couple more subjects if anyone would like to suggest some topics, programs you would like to learn more about. And better still, volunteer to present a brief show on any of your favorite Apple Apps and I will be happy to put you up in front of the group!
Hope to see a big crowd for our final meeting of the season on Thursday April 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room.
Doug
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February 5, 2016
Greetings:
Well we are definitely 'in season' as we enjoyed a packed room full of Mac and iPad/iPhone enthusiasts yesterday! The subject was one of your favorites, the new Photos App for all Apple devices and I think we answered a lot of questions and shared a lot of information. You can view the meeting notes on our website at our 2016 Downloads Page.
Our guest speaker was Jonathan Gorman of iCreative and he was terrific, a well versed Apple professional who runs his own training programs and classroom venue. You can find out more about his operation at: http://theicreative.com
I am working on pulling together a program on the new Apple TV for next month's meeting. Now in it's fourth iteration, I think you will be impressed with all you can do with this new entertainment device from Apple. It's getting easier to consider 'cutting the cord' on cable as so many of the Millennium Generation have already done.
For April I have an idea to do a Round Robin presentation with short 15 minute programs delivered by your fellow RMUG members. I have been asking if any of you would like to work with me on preparing and delivering a program of your own on any Apple subject and find an understandable reluctance to having to prepare a full 90 minute demonstration. So instead I would ask for any of you to contact me to volunteer with ideas on a short programs. Subjects could include photography on an iPhone or reviews of some new iPad Apps; using Preview, Pages or Mail; password protection, Siri, Photo Album or Calendar projects, etc, etc. I hope to get half dozen volunteers with 15 minute programs which will make for a widely varied class on Apple and should be tremendously interesting.
Thank you for your donations yesterday to our club treasury. We raised a good portion of the cost of our new HDMI projector and for those who were not in attendance, I will pass the hat just one more time next month to finish the fund drive.
So mark your calendars for a show on Apple TV on Thursday March 3rd at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room.
Doug Lindal
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January 8, 2016
Happy New Years!
We had a good group of 45+ in attendance yesterday to explore all things iCloud, Apple's Suite of Internet Services. The full 52 pages of PDFs of my Keynote presentation are in our Downloads section, but I have also prepared a condensed version with nine slides per page which reduces the file size and the printing bill if you decide you want a hard copy.
Mark your calendar to attend our next meeting on Thursday February 4th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for what's shaping up to be a terrific presentation on Apple's new Photo program for both the iPad/iPhone and the Mac. Our presentation will be done by the professional team at iCreative, the group who does the Apple classes in their own classroom off Hovley Lane. Visit their website at: http://theicreative.com
I also want to remind you that I will be taking up a collection at the February meeting to purchase our own projector with HDMI capability so we can display our shows in higher resolution. We have been using the club's old projectors and it is time to upgrade. I'm hoping we can raise the approx. $500 cost from small contributions from our members.
Thanks again for all your enthusiasm and we'll see you on February 4th!
Doug Lindal
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December 4, 2015
Happy Holidays Muggers!
Yesterday's meeting was a near full house eager to hear the details about El Capitan and iOS9 - Apple's new operating systems for the Mac and their mobile devices.
The full Keynote slideshow can be downloaded from our club website on our Downloads page.
Our next meeting on Thursday January 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room will focus on iCloud. Both the new operating systems use iCloud extensively and Apple's new iCloud Drive competes in an area till now dominated by services like Dropbox, as well as the those of Microsoft, Amazon and Google. We'll look at the evolution of iCloud (remember MobileMe?!) and show how to use it effectively.
I am planning ahead for the February and beyond meetings and had suggestions for presentations on Apple TV and
Photos (once again!) If you have other ideas on topics that would interest the entire group drop me a line - or better yet, offer to help me present on a subject and you will really get my attention!
So mark your calendars for our spring 2014 RMUG dates and I hope to see you there. In the meantime Happy Holidays to everyone!
Doug Lindal
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November 12, 2015
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Thursday's RMUG meetings, our first of the new season, was almost a full house. Definitely have to go to 'theatre style' seating for next month!
After a long summer I know there would be a lot of questions that had built up so I surveyed our group and asked in advance so I could prepare a slideshow with all the answers. There were indeed a lot of questions and we got through all of them and still had time to answer a flurry of further queries from the audience. I think it was a productive afternoon for everyone.
Here is the link to the Keynote slideshow so you can study the questions and my replies. See you all next month on December 3rd for a review of Apple's new operating systems - iOS9 for the mobile devices (iPads & iPhones) and El Capitan for MacBooks and iMac desktop computers.
Doug Lindal
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April 17, 2015
Good day RMUG!
Yesterday's meeting had a busy agenda as I decided to add a quick discussion on the exciting new Photos program for Mac to the list. We made it through three presentations; including Safari Basics - some tips on how to customize Apple's web browser and get the most out of it's hidden features.
Next we went through a step by step process to capture and save your signatures in Preview so you can electronically sign PDFs and avoid the hassle of having to print them out for signature and re-scanning. The query about how to make Preview your default PDF Viewer instead of Acrobat Reader is addressed in the attached handout.
Finally we took a 'first look' at the new Photos program for the Mac and found a lot to like. A summary of the new features was distributed. We'll cover this in greater detail in the Fall.
We wrapped up the season with a Q&A session and I am happy to have our 2015/16 meetings schedule already established with the club. They will be all be the first Thursday of each month (except November, 2nd Thur.) at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. The schedule is as follows:
· Thurs. Nov.12th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Dec. 3rd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Jan. 7th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Feb. 4th = 2-4p
· Thurs. Mar. 3rd = 2-4p
· Thurs. Apr. 7th = 2-4p
As always the day's handouts can be found on our club website in our Downloads section, but I have also attached them all to this email to make it easier for our many snowbirds who have already left the valley for the summer.
I look forward to seeing everyone again next Fall. The enthusiasm and energy I see each month is so rewarding - you are all so great to work with!
Doug Lindal
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March 19, 2015
Hi Muggers:
Another well attended meeting with 50+ members despite the Indian Wells Tennis, NCAA basketball and the Members/Pros Golf Match - March is a busy month here in the desert!
We focused on Pages - the word processing program that Apple provides to all of us free with our machines - iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones and iPads.
Next we will delved into the mysterious and often confusing Settings on your iPhone/iPad. We learned about all the various choices and how to fine tune and customize your mobile device just for you.
As always you can find my outline & notes for the programs on our club website at our members downloads page.
Next month's meeting will be a morning session from 10:00AM till Noon on Thursday April 16 where we will examine Apple's web browser Safari for both the desktop and mobile devices. And we'll learn how to capture your signature in Preview for PDF forms - no more printing, signing and faxing legal documents.
Hope to see you there!
Doug Lindal
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February 13, 2015
Good morning Muggers!
Yesterday's session on photography was well attended, with a full room of 56 people!
I started out with a 'tech' review of the iPhone (and iPad) camera features and Jerry Heisler followed up with some tips on the 'art' of photography. We both admitted we learned an awful lot more about our subjects in preparing our presentations, a nice side benefit to the opportunity to work with all of you!
You can find both Keynote slideshows on our club website at: our Download Page for 2015 along with some reference notes Jerry prepared as a study guide.
Next month's meeting will explore the often under appreciated word processing program that Apple provides free of charge with all our machines, iPhones, iPad and desktop computers. I am referring of course to Pages.
Many of us discount this powerhouse because it is free and as we primarily used Microsoft Word in our business careers. You will learn why Apple's graphic approach to a writing program is so sublimely better suited to Apple users. Once again I am learning an awful lot about the subject as I start to prep for the meeting. And of course we will have plenty of time for Q&A to answer your Apple challenges.
Come on Thursday March 19th at 2:00PM for much more details.
Doug Lindal
==========================================================
January 16, 2015
Hi everyone:
I took my own advice and totally deleted Adobe Flash on my Mac last night. I’m writing you to be careful of doing the same! I quickly discovered that an awful lot of websites use Flash and it made my web surfing basically intolerable.
So I did what we should all do, called AppleCare and complained! They escalated my complaint to a Tier Two ‘Genius’ and he was pretty knowledgable. He basically told me I needed Adobe Flash to view most website videos, including YouTube. About the only website that has seems to have totally gotten rid of Flash is apple.com! He assured me that as long as you keep installing the security updates, that Adobe seems to send out monthly, you were safe from any virus attacks.
Flash is still a huge battery hog on your laptops and I am nervous about the potential for viruses, but I went ahead and re-installed the very latest version of Flash (Version 16.0.0.257) off the official Adobe website: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
So the bottom line is that I am back up and running and at least I am assured of having the latest version of Adobe Flash. It makes me wish we could all just get by with our iPads, as Apple doesn’t allow Flash on iOS devices!
One last piece of the puzzle. I researched Flash blocking software and discovered that Apple offers a nifty Safari Extension called ClickToFlash that automatically blocks Flash on websites. Instead of annoying flashing ads or videos when you visit a website, you get a placeholder. If you want to view the ad or a video, just click on the placeholder. You can add this extension yourself when you are in Safari by clicking on Safari in the upper left corner of your screen and then on Safari Extensions. A simple and easy solution, or so I hope - more on how it works out at next month’s meeting!
Doug
PS: While I was on the Safari Extensions page, I downloaded two others, Ad Block and Amazon Wish List. We’ll report on how they do next month too.
January 15, 2015
Greetings Mac Users:
Today's meeting was well attended, with over 50 members there for some information on "Cleaning your Apple Toys"! We covered a lot of ground and tried to answer a lot of questions - mostly on deleting old files and virus protection. Our training notes and a PDF of the Keynote presentation can be found on our website under the Downloads/2015 tab.
There were two questions that came up that needed more research and I think we have the answers now. The first dealt with why bother to archive messages in Apple Mail? The simple answer is you should archive to store these old emails on your own machine to get them off the 'cloud servers' of your email provider. This takes up your hard drive space but apparently makes the Search function work faster on those cloud stored messages. I have personally never used the Archive function but will experiment with it so I can report at our next meeting.
The second query was how to get rid of Adobe Flash which is a battery hog and an potential entry point for viruses. Apple doesn't allow Flash on their iPhones & iPads. By Googling "how to uninstall Flash on a Mac" I came across Adobe's own official page on the process: http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html
Let me warn you the uninstall process is a little complex so take your time with the instructions if you decide to proceed - and you will find in the future that some videos can not be viewed without the Flash Player.
Our next meeting will be in the Kramer Room at 2:00PM on Thursday February 12th.
Doug Lindal
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December 11, 2014
Seasons Greetings:
Yesterday's RMUG meeting was another huge class, despite the Holiday distractions and the early morning time frame. We'll be ready for even larger groups in January as we'll be setting up the room in a theater style configuration.
The morning's main topic, after a healthy Q&A session, was an introduction to the improvements and changes to Apple's Yosemite operating system for MacBooks and iMacs. We also spent some time reviewing Tips and Tricks for iPhones.
To review the materials, just click on the Downloads tab. You'll find PDF files on my Keynote slideshow and the meeting handouts. I also introduced two new pages I have created on our webpage on Training Videos and iPhone & iPad Tips, full of useful information on using your Apple gear more proficiently.
For our 2:00PM Thursday January 15th program we will be learning about "Cleaning your Mac" - which will cover everything from physically cleaning your machine to protecting yourself against adware & malware.
Thanks once again for your continued support and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Doug Lindal
=================================================================
November 13, 2014
Hello Indian Ridge Mac Users Group!
Thursday's RMUG meetings, our first of the new season, set a record and had the Kramer Room packed to maximum capacity. Unfortunately some members didn't have a seat and left. We promise we'll be addressing this space issue in the future with a different seating configuration.
Obviously the introduction of Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS8 for iPhones and iPads, drew a lot of interest as shown by the huge attendance and the number of shiny new 'Apple Toys' in the room!
For those who missed the meeting or others who want to review the iOS8 presentation, we have as always, posted it on our club website. We've also posted a copy of the iOS8 Tips that were handed out during the meeting.
We have also added a new tab to the website discussing Training Videos available for free on the Internet. You can find the information at: under Links & RSS Feeds. The author, David Cox, does a great job of walking us through subjects of great interest like Introductions to Mac, iPhones, or iPads. Check them out for yourself. I was inspired by these training videos and created my modest first ever YouTube video of this week's iOS8 presentation. You can find it on YouTube and depending on interest, might do a few more if I have time in the future.
For our December 11th meeting, which will be a morning session from 10:00-12:00 due to space demands on the Kramer Room, we will explore Yosemite, Apple's new operating system for your desktop and laptop computers. Plus of course taking time for everyone's questions. See you there!
Doug Lindal
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April 3, 2014
Greeting fellow Muggers:
Today's meeting was our final gathering of the season before all our snowbird members, including yours truly, start heading north. I was pleased to find 30+ members still around and in attendance as we head into the summer season. Now I know why!
Thank you all so very, very much for the lovely card, the great cookies (Karen!) and the totally unexpected Apple Gift Card! I am humbled and very grateful for all your support. I promise to do what I can to make our 6th RMUG season next fall the best yet.
Today we focused on some of the more mundane and technical points, primarily the various ports and plugs that make your Macs operate. I then throw in a slew of keyboard shortcuts and finished with a bunch of iPad & iPhone tips that seemed to please everyone. I know all of you will be poking around behind your laptops and desktop machines tonight examining all those ports - and hopefully testing out some of the tips I gave you on shortcuts to make your Apple experience that much better.
As aways I have uploaded the Keynote slideshow and my technical notes to our club website where you will find them under the Downloads tab: Plugs & Ports on a Mac
I went through a lot of technical jargon rather quickly today so I hope you will all explore the slideshow to better understand everything.
And please scroll to the bottom of the Home page of the website http://rmug.weebly.com to see a couple of pictures from today along with a photo of the wonderful card I was presented with.
Again thank you all, have a wonderful summer and see you in November!
Doug
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March 6, 2014
Morning all:
A good session yesterday with 35+ attendees there to hear Bob Kapell's somber assessment of potential security risks on a Mac. Although Bob dealt primarily with threats to OSX Mavericks for Macs, he also addressed mistakes we can make that leave our iPhones and iPads open to attack. A lot of folks were headed home quickly after this session to set up some serious protection on their Apple devices! Read his full ten page report on our website under the 2014 Downloads section:
Mac Security Precautions
I then lead everyone through a quick tour of Dropbox, the 'cloud' based file sharing, storage and backup website that I encourage everyone to install. My Keynote presentation is also on our website. By following this promotional link from Dropbox to install the software, both you and our club will get additional storage space: Dropbox
I am still deciding what to present on next month so if you have suggestions, please drop me a note. More details as the month progresses and hope to see many of you on Thursday April 3rd for our next meeting!
Doug
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February 6, 2014
Greetings Fellow Mac Users:
Yesterday's meeting was once again well attended with 40+ Mac Users crowded into the Kramer Room for a presentation primarily focused on the Apple TV. How to set it up and why it is so potentially exciting as an entertainment source.
We also quickly went through a KeyNote presentation demonstrating the myriad of questions you can ask Siri, Apple's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant. Both of these slideshows have been uploaded to our webpage for your further review - look under the Downloads tab for 2014 Meetings Handouts.
Next month's session on Thursday March 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room will focus on Apple security and also a review of how to use DropBox, an excellent backup service supplement to Apple's own iCloud service. I recently attended a DMUG meeting where security was discussed in detail and I intend to expand on this for you.
As always if you have questions feel free to send me an email and I'll try to help or at least point you in the right direction for a solution. See you next month!
Doug Lindal
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January 15, 2014
Hello Folks:
Thursday’s presentation by Jonathan Gorman of iCreative on iCloud was terrific! You could tell Jonathan was a practiced and knowledgeable Apple teacher and he started out the day with a patient and descriptive explanation of just what Cloud Computing is all about and then how Apple applies it.
He burst some mis-illusions when he revealed there really isn’t a big fluffy cloud floating around full of computers😥, instead Cloud Computing is just a name for huge warehouses full of computer storage devices to backup everyones Apple data over the Internet. When you sign up for iCloud, you get the choices to sync your email, Photos, Music, Calendar, Contacts, Safari Bookmarks & Passwords, Notes and Reminders across all your computing devices - iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. As well as backup these devices to iCloud so their data can be replaced if it is corrupted or the device lost. And for good measure, with Find My Mac (or iPhone/iPad) Apple can locate your lost iPhone or iPad (iOS devices), send the finder a message or wipe them clean if stolen.
Pretty impressive, but you have to turn these features all on for it all to work! Here is how. On your Mac, go to System Preferences (you'll find it in your Dock or in Applications) and click on iCloud to turn on all options. But you are not done yet, you need to go to all your devices and do this individually. On iOS devices go to Settings, then iCloud and do the same.
Backing up all this data takes a lot of memory but Apple gives all clients five GB of storage in their cloud. You can buy more inexpensively if you are backing up multiple machines, just $20 per year for an additional ten GB of cloud storage.
Photos are handled a little differently than other data as they are so much fun to share and look at. Apple has set up PhotoStream as an additional free service and automatically stores the combined last 1,000 photos you have taken from any of your devices. This way you can take a photo with your iPhone and view it when you get home on your iPad or Macbook. It is magical and a highly valued service. But a word of caution, be sure to turn on Automatic Import in iPhoto on your Macbook or iMac so ALL your photos are saved automatically - you won’t want that 1,001st photo to replace a valued snapshot you took months earlier. Here is how. Open iPhoto and click on Preferences under the title iPhoto in the upper left corner of your screen. Open the third tab called iCloud and be sure to check all the boxes including Automatic Import to save them all to your desktop machine’s huge hard drive. While you are at it, tidy up your collection of photos on your iOS devices too. Do you really need all 400 shots of your new grandchild on your iPhone!? Save them to your desktop machine and selectively delete some from mobile devices, otherwise you will run out of space on your iPhone.
The same logic applies to your music collection in iTunes. I can brag about a 20,000 song collection on my desktop machine but I don’t have room for many on my iPhone, so I signed up for iTunes Match ($25/year) that allows me to store up to 25,000 songs in iCloud and download them selectively anytime I want. Best done while on WiFi obviously but in a pinch an album I just must have in the car is only 60-70 MG of data downloads. Plus today at home I now mostly listen to radio stations I have created on iTunes Radio with new music for me, and with Match there are no commercials!
So what’s not to like with iCloud? Unfortunately over the years Jonathan explained that most of us have acquired more than one Apple ID, usually tied to an old email address we no longer use. You feels strongly that you should use an iCloud.com Apple ID and disentangle yourself from the complications of multiple IDs. It means not being able to conveniently download old music you might have paid for in iTunes and downloaded years ago, but you can always log out of your iCloud.com ID and log back in using that old AOL or Hotmail ID for purposes of downloading the old music (if you can still remember your Apple Password for the AOL ID!).
While you are at it, consider switching from your current email provider to an iCloud.com email address to make syncing go more smoothly. Just think of the machinations that are going on behind the scenes when you attempt to get email from AOL, contacts from Gmail and calendar info from Yahoo and meld them all together on your iPhone - it is no wonder things get a little wonky at times! If you are challenged by sorting all these old legacy accounts out you can contact Jonathan s he told us he can usually do it for you in an hour.
We wound up the afternoon with a discussion on our new Verizon FiOS systems here at Indian Ridge and my own solution of using an Ooma box for telephone service. I have uploaded a short Keynote presentation to our website that explains how to do it yourself. Go to the Downloads tab for all the files from our past meetings as well as plenty of extra information to assist you in all things Apple.
Our next meeting is on Thursday February 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room where we will discuss Siri and Apple TV. Hope to see you there!
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December 5, 2013
Happy Holidays Muggers!
Thursday's meeting was flush with near 30 MacBook enthusiasts and a few folks clutching iPads who hadn't got the message that December's meeting theme was the new Mavericks operating system for MacBooks and iMacs!
Still we had something for everyone with plenty of Q&A on both worlds, the iPhone/iPad handhelds and the desktop MacBooks/iMac machines. This will be the continuing theme of future meetings with something for both camps.
Mavericks is the free upgraded operating system for desktop machines and my full Keynote presentation in PDF format is available on our website under 2013 Downloads along with a two page download of notes. Please take some time to review all the downloads in this section from the past year.
We also addressed a couple of specific issues on Computer Security, Speeding up your Mac and Dictation that you can view along with many other "How To" articles for Macs in our How To Articles section.
Next month our featured speaker will be Jonathan Gorman of TheiCreative.com who has recently opened a Mac training facility conveniently located near the corner of Hovely and Cook. You can get full details at their website at: www.theicreative.com Pay particular attention to their upcoming two hour long $50 classes starting this week with presentations on the iPad, perfect for you new and intermediate iPad users out there.
I am planning ahead for the February and beyond meetings and had suggestions for presentations on Apple TV and DropBox. If you have other ideas on topics that would interest the entire group drop me a line - or better yet, offer to help me present on a subject and you will really get my attention!
So mark your calendars for our spring 2014 RMUG dates and I hope to see you there. In the meantime Happy Holidays to everyone!
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November 7, 2013
Hi Muggers!
Thursday’s meeting, the first of the season, had the Kramer Room packed, with over forty IRCC members in attendance. Obviously the subject matter of introducing the new iOS 7 operating system for iPhones and iPads was of interest to many folks - I saw lots of shiny new iPads and phones being displayed!
The full slideshow is available on our club website at: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html If you missed the class and have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me. In fact I got a lot of members who weren’t able to attend bending my ear last night at the Opening Party, so I have scheduled another presentation just on iOS 7 for Monday November 18 at 2:00PM in the Sports Club.
I then polled the room as part of the introduction of new members and found much to my surprise that fully 80% of the folks in the room were both iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Mavericks/Mountain Lion (Macbook/iMac) users. I was very happy to see this as I have been worried that a class such at Thursdays that focused purely on iOS would keep a substantial portion of our RMUG group from attending as they didn’t own a portable device - clearly that is not the case. The consequence is that we will be able to continue to alternate our classes on subjects that might interest only iPhone/iPad or Macbook/iMac users with out alienating half the audience.
Bottom line is that I will go ahead with my planned introduction next month of Mavericks, the newest Apple operating system for Macbook/iMac users. Looking forward to that program at the next RMUG meeting on Thursday December 5th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room!
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June 11, 2013
Greetings RMUG members, from a very hot and sunny Palm Desert, where the temp is currently 106 degrees, perfect for sitting inside in the A/C and surfing the net!
I am back in the desert to start a small remodel project and took advantage of the opportunity to get together last Thursday with eight of our members who haven't left for the season. We all sat around the board table and shared some questions and answers on Apple - and lots of comments on the new Verizon TV deal.
I really wanted to get feedback in a small group setting about this year's meetings and topics. Generally everyone seemed to value the meetings and found them productive. Subject suggestions for next year included the new Mac operating systems, a general Tips & Tricks session, more iPhoto information, a 'how to' on Pages and website creation. I would like to ask all of you to also consider the upcoming year and send me more suggestions - plus volunteer to assist with preparing some class materials. Thanks in advance.
I'll be posting items over the summer on the RMUG website (rmug.weebly.com) including these notes. You will also note a new logo for our website, a whimsical palm tree - compliments of Trina Lindal - my very talented niece, a web page designer. She tells me every serious website has some artwork and the pictures of my boat don't do the job!
Apple's introduction this week at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) of new hardware (Mac Pro & Air) and new operating systems (iOS 7 and Mavericks) were exciting and you can read a good summary here on the NY Times website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/technology/apple-unveils-new-look-for-mobile.html?nl=technology&emc=edit_tu_20130611
And on Apple's own website they have great videos and other information on the new operating systems on iOS7 at: http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/
And on OS X Mavericks: http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/
I'll have tested them all by the time of our first meeting in the fall and will have a full report for you at that time.
My final subject today is a recap of conversations I have had with other Indian Ridge residents about the new Verizon services. Generally the consensus is that it is a nice upgrade to get Internet service included in the package, but many question whether the pain of switching over is worth the gain. I personally feel it is, but appreciate that change is always painful for many folks. But you all know me, I am always on the leading (bleeding?!) edge of technology so I am not the best judge at times. So what setup am I doing?
I plan on taking the basic HOA/PUD package of 200+ TV channels and 15/5 Mbps Internet and testing it out before considering any upgrades. A much faster Internet speed of 50/25 Mbps is available for $10 and I might be tempted once I return to the desert in the fall. The beauty of the base package for us snowbirds is that we don't have to mess with a Vacation Service setup with it's $30 fee.
The real challenge is in the telephone packages being offered, Verizon is really putting it to us here! They are offering a basic telephone package with no features for $20. The upgrade to the full featured package, with free long distance, caller ID and voice mail costs $60 a month. Time Warner is offering this full featured package for the $20 fee. I am going the other direction and putting in Verizon's unadvertised Measured Service for just $13 a month, which restricts the outgoing calls to a handful per day. But I am gone all summer so it is no loss - and I need an active phone line to run the security system.
A viable option suggested by RMUG member Larry Levitt is to install a Ooma Telo box which ties into your Internet router to offer a very attractive VOIP telephone package (free long distance, caller ID and voice mail) service for under four dollars a month in tax only charges! VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is the way Verizon and Time Warner offer their premium packages, basically using the Internet instead of Ma Bell's telephone lines, to deliver the services.
Through June 16 Costco is offering a special on the Ooma for just $99 (http://www.costco.com/Ooma-Telo-VoIP-Phone-System-.product.100003374.html) that I picked up yesterday at the La Quinta store. I am storing it away and will mess with it when I get back in the fall. More details at our November meeting.
Bottom line advice, start out your Verizon services with caution and don't let them oversell you on extras. Test it out and buy upgrades from there. And a word of caution for our snowbirds. The switchover happens July 1st, so have a friend or your House Watch folks take back all the Time Warner boxes and routers etc to the TW office to avoid rental fees on inactive gear!
As always, feel free to contact me over the summer with any challenges you run into with your Macs, iPad and iPhones - but first try Googling the problem - that is what I will do! See you all in the fall.
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April 4, 2013
Greetings Muggers!
Today's meeting was a very full affair and we didn't get through everything till after 4:00PM.
We first introduced the three 'resources' we have found here in the desert to assist you with Mac issues, training and installations. The gentlemen all introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their various specialties. All their names and contact information can be found on our website under: Resources.
We then updated everyone on the recent launch of our community BB, (think 'local Craig's List') an electronic version of the old fashioned neighborhood bulletin board. In just a few weeks over 130 of our neighbors have signed up, the first sales are being made and 50+ contractor reviews have been posted! www.indianridgebb.org/bb
UPDATE: On May 1st, to avoid confusion with the country club, the BB web address was changed to: www.desertbb.com
PUD board member Ed Gold then filled everyone in on the exciting news about the new TV and Internet services that are going to be provided by the PUD and HOA starting July 1st. Look for more information over the coming weeks as the Time Warner contract winds down.
Our own Linda Brown then took the floor and wowed us with her KeyNote slideshow and her obvious passion for the hobby of Genealogy and family tree research. Using her MacBook, she walked us through how to start your family search and expand it quickly with on-line services. If you have any questions her slideshow is posted on our website under: Downloads - and she can probably be talked into spending a little time with you if you get stuck. Thank you Linda!
As this was our last formal meeting of the year, we wound up with a lively Q&A period and some extended 'after class' one-on-one discussions on members' computer issues.
Be sure to visit the RMUG website frequently over the summer as I will be posting articles and tips whenever I come across them. And we can all look forward to our next meeting in November. Have a great summer!
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March 7, 2013
Yesterday's meeting was well attended as the subject matter of scanning our mountain of paperwork obviously attracted a lot of interest with our highly mobile residents here at Indian Ridge. Most of our owners have two residences or do a lot of travel and the appeal of having our files with us at all time has a lot of appeal.
Rod Hannaford started with explaining all the reasons to scan your paperwork - environmentally friendly, allows access anywhere, safer backup for lost or destroyed paperwork, reduces clutter, frees up space, etc. He then demo'd his model of scanner and made a believer out of many of us with the ease of the process. He then wrapped up by explaining his simple 'nested file' structure on his computer for storing all his tax info, utility bills, manuals, even Christmas cards.
I then spent some time explaining the vitally important need for backing up all these files particularly if you plan on shredding all the original documents. Time Machine backup on a portable hard drive and some sort of 'cloud storage' in case your computer is lost. As you know from past discussions, I favor Dropbox and ran through a quick demo on it. You will all be getting an invitation from me to join Dropbox for 2 Gb free Cloud storage with an offer for 500Mb additional storage. If you join this way, RMUG gets additional storage too.
We wrapped up the afternoon with a demonstration of a new Bulletin Board service for Indian Ridge that Rod and Gerry McKay are setting up. It will feature items for sale, items wanted, contractor referrals, service providers and other items of interest to our residents. No real estate listings, or political commentary! They are not ready for public release yet, but I will notify all RMUG members once it is up and running.
As promised here is a quick rundown on three models of the Fujitsu scanners from Amazon.com You can also find good scanners at Costco.
The top of the line model that Rod demo'd with full Acrobat Professional software for managing your scanned PDFs (a $200+ value):
Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 $430
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-iX500-Scanner-PA03656-B005/dp/B00ATZ9QMO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362762643&sr=8-4&keywords=scanners+for+mac
The extremely portable model but it only allows you to feed one sheet at a time:
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 $200
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-600DPI-Mobile-Scanner-PA03610-B005/dp/B004ISGG7Q/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1362762643&sr=8-12&keywords=scanners+for+mac
My unit, a portable model with sheet feeding capability (but no Acrobat Professional software):
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i $260
http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-ScanSnap-Instant-Sheet-Fed-Document/dp/B008HBFADQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1
As always the presentation materials, in this case Rod's slideshow, is available for download on our website: Going Paperless As Rod said, it would have been rather hypocritical to have provided printed handouts for a lecture on going paperless!
Next month's meeting on Thursday April 4th will feature Linda Brown discussing her interest in Genealogy and the many software programs and Internet sites available to assist in tracing down your family roots. Hope to see you all there!
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February 7, 2013
Today's RMUG meeting was very well attended with over 35 Apple enthusiasts squeezing into the Kramer Room. We once again introduced all new attendees and found a good mix of seasoned Mac veterans and bewildered new iPad/iPhones owners!
After a lively Q&A session, our formal presentations started with Jerry Heisler, founder of the IRCC Photography Club, expounding on his two favorite photo handling programs, iPhoto and Lightroom 4. Most in the room had a passing knowledge of iPhoto but we learned some new tricks with this bargain priced ($19.99) software from Apple. Jerry's favorite is Lightroom 4, software from photo handling giant Adobe, makers of PhotoShop. Lightroom 4 is basically a simpler $150 version of Photoshop (available from Amazon for just $119). The photo editing controls are more precise than iPhoto plus it does a whole lot more. For a good review, visit the Digital Photography Review website at: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/7481161037/lightroom-4-review Our thanks to Jerry for sharing his insight and he wants to remind everyone about the twice monthly IRCC Photo Club meetings on Saturday afternoons.
True confession time - Personally I take most of my photos these days with my iPhone and then use the automatic enhancement tool in iPhoto to lazily fix my very amateur photography. I think Jerry will be banning me from attending any of his Photo Club meetings:)
I then delivered a KeyNote slideshow presentation on iTunes in general and introduced the new version, iTunes 11. Most people think of iTunes as just a music player, but as we saw, it is a great deal more complex. You can download music of course, but also movies, TV shows, audiobooks, radio, podcasts and more. Plus organize and create playlists for playing your music. Rather than sending everyone a 4 MB file, please view my slideshow by downloading it from our RMUG website at: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
We wrapped up the afternoon with many more questions from members and I tried to give a few answers. I do want to better answer the question that came up regarding how to download iTunes 11. You can do so for your Macbook or iMac desktop machine at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ For your iPad or iPhone/iPod, you should have already updated as Apple sent as an alert on your device to download from the App Store in early December. If you are unsure, just connect your iPad/iPhone/iPod to your desktop computer via the USB cable which forces iTunes to open. Then iTunes will routinely check for software upgrades and you can download the new version automatically.
The primary goal of a MUG (Mac Users Group) is to help each other, so I am excited about all the new experienced Apple users we met today. In response to many requests, I just added a new Members page to our website (http://rmug.weebly.com/members.html) tonight that lists all members names and email addresses to make it easier to contact new friends you have met at RMUG meetings. Don't worry, unlike the rest of the website that is open to the public, this page is password protected. I will sent the password out to everyone individually under separate cover for privacy. And if you don't want your information listed, just email me back and I will discretely remove your name.
Please check the list, if your name doesn't appear on this members listing, it means you have not been to a meeting in a year and will be dropped off this distribution list this summer.
I am excited to be able to finally do this password protected page, it is one of the extras I got from subscribing to the Weebly Pro edition of their website creation software. Being able to justify a computer software (or hardware) purchase is always a nice plus for this "Apple Fan Boy"!
Our next meeting will be Thursday March 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room. Our featured presentation will be by own Rod Hannaford, a retired IT professional from Calgary, on "Going Paperless". There is an art to scanning all your bills & correspondence, and Rod will lead us through the murky waters. Living as I am between two homes and a boat, I have been attempting to do this for years and am eager to see what new techniques I can learn from Rod.
As always it is my true pleasure to help guide our RMUG members and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance with your Apple questions. See you next month!
Doug Lindal
PS: iPhone 5 Tips & Secrets As a bonus I am adding a link on our webpage to a terrific new resource introduced to me this week by RMUG member Dave Simon. Jack Jacobs is a Orange County iPhone enthusiast who teaches classes on using the new iPhone 5. He has compiled a good list of Tips & Secrets on the new iPhone 5 that he is willing to share with our members: http://rmug.weebly.com/2013-rmug-meeting-handouts.html
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January 18, 2013
Greetings RMUGers,
What an afternoon. It seems we have more and more active Mac and iPad users each month, we had 35 in attendance yesterday! It certainly wasn't hurt by the popular subject - "My Favorite Apps". When I asked the attendees for their favorites, we were overwhelmed and I had to cut off discussion after half an hour so we could finish by 4:00PM. I think we will have to do this again later this spring and give the rest of you a chance to tell about your personal favorites. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone too badly, I promise you will all get to make your presentations soon.
I for one certainly heard about a few new apps that caught my attention and the entire list of member recommended apps is listed below. I caution you that this these are member recommended apps and I have not had the time to download and evaluate them yet. But as we discussed, that is the fun of the App Store, most apps that catch your attention are only a buck or two and it is worth the risk to try them out yourself if they interest you in the least. Don't forget to read the user reviews that Apple posts on all the app pages, other users are the best evaluators of a new app's value, or lack thereof.
I then spent over an hour projecting onto our big screen, a series of some of my 40 favorite apps, and I confess I have way too many. As you all saw, I admit to having over 200 apps on my iPad. I wonder if there is a AA (Apps Anonymous) group for guys like me? My official excuse is that I am evaluating apps for all of you. My handout was printed up by the club, but we ran out of copies so I am attaching it for everyone to download. It has, of course, also been posted on our website at: rmug.weebly.com
Next month's program is still being established, I will have more details later. I didn't want to delay getting this list of new apps out to everyone so I hope you don't mind waiting another week or so for details on February's program. RMUG is fortunate in having a number of dedicated Mac users and upcoming programs will include Genealogy, Going Paperless, Photography and many other interesting programs. Plus of course our always popular and lively Q & A sessions each meeting.
So stay tuned for more details soon and be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday February 7th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room for the next RMUG meeting. And see below for the list of member recommended apps to supplement the long list I have submitted.
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Keeper - keep your passwords accessible but safe
Actionmovie - kids movies with their photo inserted, great for grandkids
Flashlight - light your menu in a dark restaurant or when needed at night
Paper - a very classy drawing and writing app
ikotel - experience the Western Wall, tour Jerusalem and post a prayer
OpenTable - restaurant reservations and point system
Bump - offers the ability to pass along personal information
W & Y Pages - reverse phone number lookups
WebMD - medical reference manual
Zillow - real estate database
IMDB - movie database
Golfshot - Golf GPS
Red Lazer - barcode shopping app
Shazam - Identify music you hear while out and about
keyring - for supermarket loyalty cards
fotopedia - photo albums of world sights
Time Warner - twc-tv.com - over 100 channels
printjinni - to print from iphone or ipad to your printer
printopia - an app to print from your iPhone/iPad
CCleaner - to clean computer
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December 12, 2012
Hi All:
Last Thursday's RMUG meeting was fairly well attended despite a lot of 'snowbirds' not being in the valley yet. We had our usual Q&A periods but also took the time to introduce everyone in attendance and learn a little about their level of Apple experience. This will be helpful for shaping the upcoming presentations.
The formal presentation focused on the new operating system for the Macs, called OS 10.8 Mountain Lion. I did an elaborate KeyNote (Powerpoint) slideshow and also handed out some notes for everyone to follow along with. Turns out only a few people in the room had upgraded to 10.8 so the show was timely to help convince them to move ahead. There are lots of pleasant surprises in 10.8 that attracted a lot of attention. Dictation was probably the biggest hit, who doesn't like the idea of dictating your emails instead of typing! But also appreciated was the tight integration that Apple has now added across their whole line of products. With iCloud you can type a Note on the iPad and it appears almost instantly on your Mac or iPhone. And vice versa, an email or calendar entry on the iPhone shows up on the other Apple devices you own. See my notes and the slideshow for a full explanation of all the wonderful new features in Mountain Lion.
Next month we will turn our attention back to the iPhones and iPads that we covered in November's meeting. It really appears our RMUG members all have iPads! I'll be presenting my Top 20 list of favorite Apps and demonstrating them. As this will be a live presentation, you will need to be there as there will be no KeyNote slideshow to review later (just plenty of notes).
Due once again to Bridge tournaments, our meeting date for January has been delayed, but at least it will be on a Thursday afternoon from 2:00-4:00PM like most of the rest of our meetings. Be sure to put Thursday January 17th in the Kramer Room on your calendar and I hope to see you there!
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11/09/12
Hi fellow Mac users:
Today's meeting was our 'first of the season' and we welcomed back a lot of returning members and meet a number of new Apple devotees. I should stress that this is not a formal club with membership requirements, anyone is welcome to drop in with their questions and the regular attendees can usually address the concerns and puzzlement that new technology brings.
Speaking of which, I commented today on the literal 'firehose' of new hardware and software that is being unveiled, seemingly daily, by Apple. The deluge threatens to drown all of us. Do you realize there has been two new operating systems, one for iPads & iPhones and the other for desktop & laptop, every year for the past six years?! And six new iPhones, five new iPads and even more new laptops from Apple in the past five years alone!? It is tough for even Apple junkies like me to keep up. So don't feel stupid or embarrassed if you are stumped by an of the new technology, stop by the local Apple Store or come to one of our monthly meetings for help. And remember the key to success at the Apple Genius Bar, those clever young men and women just turn around and type your question into Google for immediate answers - try it yourself the next time you are stumped!
Today's meeting subject was fittingly a presentation on Apple's new operating system for their mobile devices, iPads, iPhones and iPods - iOS6. Get it, ifor mobile devices, OS for operating system and 6 representing the sixth generation of updated software. I prepared a Keynote (Powerpoint) slideshow on many of the great new features that Apple has incorporated into the new operating system and even showed some of their mistakes like the famous sagging bridge at Hoover Dam that is still visible in their new Maps App! My handout on iOS6 as a small PDF file is attached and you can download the large 22 MG Keynote file on our new website at: rmug.weebly.com In fact all of our presentations from the past two years are on the website for you to download.
Next month we will be exploring Apple's new operating system for desktop computers OSX8, called Mountain Lion. The meeting date will be Thursday December 6th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room here at Indian Ridge. I was pleased to welcome RMUG co-founder Linda Brown back from a year in Thailand and she is already in the swing of things. Linda will be doing a presentation on her latest passion, genealogy software and websites (ancestry.com), in the spring. Which reminds me, we are looking for volunteers who would like to do short presentations on computer subjects they are passionate about. Just contact me and we can talk. Hope to see you all next month!
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07/18/12
Greetings RMUG members!
As you probably all know by now, Apple ended their MobileMe service on June 30th and with it support for our original RMUG website that Linda Brown had set up in January 2010. So after mildly dreading the task of learning a new program, I did some research and selected an online website creation site with the odd name of weebly.com - have you ever noticed all new websites have the oddest names!?
Creating a website turned out to be a fun and rewarding challenge, one that really only took me a rainy Seattle day to accomplish - we have plenty of rainy days, even in July. I think you can be assured I will cover it as a topic in one of our monthly meetings next season. So without any further hype I present:
http://rmug.weebly.com
The main reason for creating the new website was to give all of you a place to find the various files and downloads that we discuss each month at our meetings, along with some interesting Apple related web links that we feel you will find handy. It will continue to grow as we do our monthly meetings - and I am happy to add Apple related links you might suggest. I'd like to see the new website be a 'go to' web address for you and your friends.
See you all in November, more details as we get closer .....
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04/05/12
Last week's meeting was well attended even though our 'snowbirds' have already started heading north. I myself reluctantly leave before month end, but at least by May the rain in Seattle is getting a littler warmer!
Our meeting followed the now typical format of open Q&A on all topics with good input from our many experienced Mac users in the room. It's interesting how the questions this year are so heavily slanted toward iPads and iPhones. We then heard two excellent presentations from a couple of our Members.
First up, Jerry Heisler told us how he managed to keep in touch with friends & family back home last summer while cruising and traveling in Europe with his iPad. I have attached copies of his KeyNote slides for your review. Jerry's bottom line advice - look first for an Internet Cafe where you can use free or inexpensive WiFi to check email, surf the news headlines and even make calls with Skype. Use shipboard Internet or phone calls only for critically important use, cruise lines charge a fortune!
Our second speaker, Larry Levitt, is a long, long time Mac user - and it showed. He ran us through a multitude of Tips and Tricks to make working with your Mac a lot easier, including: On-line dictionaries, using aliases, making PDFs, taking screenshots, backing up your hard drive and personalizing your Mac. He also introduced us to two must have FREE Mac programs, DropBox and EverNote. I am attaching his condensed notes that contains a link to Larry's own DropBox public file where you can download the entire presentation.
I ended our presentations with a handout from MacWorld Magazine entitled 12 Things Everyone Should Know about their New iPad or iPhone and a short video from Apple on the new Mountain Lion operating system that will be coming out sometime this summer. Look it over when it arrives and I will do a full report on the new OS at our first meeting in November.
We wound up the afternoon with another Q&A session, mostly focused on the day's presentations and then broke into smaller groups where we attempted to assist members with some hands on help with their computer problems. All and all a good meeting and a good season. I look forward to seeing everyone in the fall at our first meeting tentatively scheduled for Friday November 9th in the Kramer Room. We'll be getting some information out about this meeting and other Mac related subjects over the sumer so watch your inbox. Have a great summer everyone!
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03/01/12
Our meeting yesterday was a wonderful and comprehensive presentation on Apple Mail, the built-in Mac email program. Rod Hannaford, a retired IT professional from Calgary (and an IRCC member), gave an hour long pitch on why we should all be using Apple Mail rather than the various web based email applications offered by GMail, Hotmail and others. Our first big surprise was that you don't need to switch to Apple's me.com to use this powerful program. Rod went on to walk us through how to set up your email accounts, customize Apple Mail for your preferences, composing & reading emails and managing various networks. I followed with a brief presentation on email etiquette and we then had a good round of Q&A on email and general Apple issues. I am enclosing the PDF file containing our notes. But if you were not there and want Rod's more comprehensive notes, click here. A final resource is this except on Apple Mail from The Missing Manual for Lion.
Next month, for our RMUG meeting on April 5th at 2:00PM in the Kramer Room, we will have two presentations by members of RMUG. The first by Jerry Heisler on: "How To Communicate When Traveling Out of the Country", on using an iPad or MacBook laptop for email and other tasks while traveling. And the second by Larry Levitt, a fun free-for-all loosely entitled: "Answers to 10 common questions about........ or "10 ways to......" or "10 shortcuts for..." It will be an entertaining and informative afternoon!
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02/02/12
Last month's RMUG meeting and presentations on iPhoto was well attended and I think well received. It was apparent a lot of creative Mac Users in the group were looking for tips on how to Organize, Edit and Share their photo library. I wish to thank Mark Mordoh for assisting me with the presentations and his great tips on creating an iPhoto Book. I followed up with a more general introduction to iPhoto and shared my own notes. I am attaching both Mark's and my own notes for your review.
I also wanted to again suggest that there are great training aids available on-line to assist with Apple programs like iPhoto in addition to the usual 'Dummy' and 'Missing Manual' kinds of books. The two hour training video I demonstrated was called Learn iPhoto '11 and is available in the App Store. And free YouTube videos are always available as well.
This month we will be tackling the setup and use of Apple's Mail program with a hands on demo and some practical tips from Rod Hannaford. We understand a lot of our Mac users are using various web based email programs so we want to show you why you should be switching to Apple Mail. Or if you are already using Apple Mail we want to share some great tips on improving your experience. So whether you are an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac user, this session will be for you - as we all have email!
We will of course be preceding the main presentation and concluding the meeting with general Question and Answer sessions, so bring us your challenges and we'll see if the group can help solve your problems.
Note that we have been able to move the meetings up an hour so we will be starting at 2:00PM next Thursday, March 1st in the Kramer Room. Hope to see you there.
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01/05/12
January's RMUG meeting focused on the new operating system for the iPods, iPhones and iPads - iOS5. After a little technical difficulty - I was trying to show off by running the presentation on the new Apple TV via my iPad - Rod Hannaford saved our show by lending me his laptop to run the Keynote presentation. There were lots of tips and we reviewed the new features like Notifications, iMessages, Reminders, Camera & Photos enhancements and iCloud. Then we had some fun as a group by splitting our keyboards, using 'Find my iPhone', adding photo IDs to our phone contacts and watching Airplay on the Apple TV. I am attaching my Keynote Presentation as a PDF so everyone can review the material.
If you would like some additional information on the new iOS5 please view these websites from Apple and iPad Insight:
http://www.apple.com/ios/gallery.html
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-tips-tricks/ipad-tips-getting-started-with-the-ipad
For our February presentation a number of our members will be helping out as we demonstrate iPhoto. This was the number one request from the assembled members last month so I hope you will all plan to attend. Apple does wonderful job of keeping their programs like iPhoto simple and easy to use, but there is so much power there that it can all be a little overwhelming. So if you have a box full of old photos or have already scanned into iPhoto, we will attempt to show you how to organize and manage them. We'll wind up the afternoon with an explanation on how to then convert some of your favorite photos into a photo album from Apple.
So mark your calendar for February 2nd (Groundhog's Day!) and we'll see you in the Kramer Room at 3:00PM.
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12/01/11
Our meeting on December 1st was attended by 18 hardy individuals who braved the 40+ MPH dust storm to come out and learn about the new Lion OS X Mac operating system. I conducted a hands on program rather than a Keynote (Powerpoint) presentation and we had plenty of time for questions and answers. I am attaching my rather cryptic notes that we followed as I walked everyone through the new features of Lion like Mission Control and Launchpad. I'd suggest anyone looking for more help can find it available online in a number of spots including this link:
http://www.maclife.com/article/features/essential_guide_os_x_lion
For our January meeting, the majority of the members in attendance wanted to focus on the new operating system for iPads and iPhones, IOS 5. This is kind of 'off subject' for a Mac Users Group that normally focuses on computers but it seemed everyone in the room had either a iPad or an iPhone so it will at least be on target for our particular group! So bring your questions and we'll attempt to get everyone set up using the newest OS for your phones and iPads. And of course we will have plenty of time to spend on Q&A for MacBooks and iMacs too. Hope to see you on January 5th!
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03/21/11
We convened our third meeting of the Ridge Mac Users Group (RMUG) in the Grove Room extension which worked well for our attendees. The low lighting and smaller space was better than the Arroyo Bar for a more intimate presentation and brighter screen projection. We had 28 members in attendance, including 3-4 eager new attendees.
We started out with a general Question and Answer session and the new iPad 2 was the main attraction. A number of members had checked it out at the Apple Store but no one had purchased one yet. The built in camera for FaceTime calls seemed to be the big draw for the grandparents in the room! Guessing we'll see some in the audience by the next meeting.
Jack Shulman next gave a presentation on the importance of backup, with his very personal story of near disaster when his hard drive crashed. Luckily he was able to salvage the data but at a cost of $1,500 and this was ten years ago! He walked us through using Apple's Time Machine software as well as commercial services like Dropbox and iDrive. He wrapped up with a brief description of 'cloud computing' with MobileMe for offsite backup in case of a natural disaster like earthquake or fire. We'll be covering MobileMe in greater detail at next month's meeting. And remember we are looking for other members to volunteer to do future presentations - for example you could discuss some favorite software or review the new iPad.
Speaking of which, mark your calendars for Wednesday April 20th at 3:00 PM in the Grove Room again. This will be our last general meeting of the season and we will be attempting to set up some informal summer gathering for those of you who stay throughout the year.
Doug Lindal did the second presentation of the afternoon with a hands-on show of Ten Tips for setting up a new Mac. Both presentations are available for download our our website if you missed the meeting - as are all past presentations.
http://RMUG.weebly.com
We wrapped up the afternoon with some more Q&A as the formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) got derailed by everyone wanting to hear ALL the discussions. We'll try forming SIGs again next season.
See you on April 20th for a review of our first season and a presentation on MobileMe!
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02/21/11
Our second meeting on Monday February 21st was a grand time with a roomful of Mac enthusiasts eager to learn. It appears the new Indian Ridge Mac Users Group will be a success.
As we did in our introductory session in January, we introduced ourselves and polled the audience as to Mac experience and what everyone wanted discussed at our next meetings. We also introduced our special guests, Mimi van der Voort, the President of the Desert Mac Users Group (DMUG), the established (20 years!) users group in the valley and Aaron Cortes, Business Manager for the new Apple Store. Mimi invited everyone in the audience to attend an upcoming DMUG meeting, hosted at the Palm Desert Library on the first Wednesday of each month. Aaron took us though a complete history of Apple and all the amazing milestones of this young company. He also acknowledged the growing pains of the new store due to the overwhelming response from Mac enthusiasts such as ourselves and promised better response times and new services coming out soon. We got the feeling they will be glad to see us 'snowbirds' leave for the summer so they can get the new store running smoothly!
Doug Lindal did another Keynote presentation, this time geared to new Mac users, although there was plenty of tips for even the Apple veterans in the room. Doug also passed out an Apple Cheat Sheet where you can write down all the serial numbers and other info for your hardware and software for your Macs. He also gave a sneak preview to the newest Mac operating system OS X Lion, due out this summer. The new App Store is already up and running and you can access it if you update your software to version 10.6.6. Don't know how? Just click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and open Software Updates. His whole presentation can be downloaded from our new website.
We concluded the meeting with another Question and Answer session and set our next meeting for Monday March 21 with our very Mac experienced member Jack Shulman presenting on how he backups up his computers and how to avoid the mistakes he has made! We also decided to spend at least half the time at our next meeting breaking into small groups to discuss specific interests - MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, software, etc. There is so much variety in the new group as to experience that we came away with the feeling that we need to address some of these special interests. It should be fun and we hope to see you all there!
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RMUG meeting Recap Jan. 18, 2011
The meeting commenced at 3:00PM with 55 new members registering, and an unknown number declining to sign up immediately – probably some new Mac owners and a few PC users just seeing what all the fuss was all about!
This was primarily an organization session rather than a full meeting, as we made busy introducing each other and ourselves. Half the room had been with Mac less than a year, many new in just the past few months. The balance had been using Macs for anywhere from two to fifteen years. Those are the folks we will tap for our version of what other MUG organizations call their ‘Experts Panel’ (Genius Bar was already taken!), resources the rest of us can call on for help with a computer challenge or potential speakers for future presentations.
Linda Brown and Doug Lindal then gave Keynote presentations on how to find Apple Help on the Internet and how to design your own website with iWeb. We wrapped up the afternoon with a Questions & Answers period and general discussion of what the audience would like to see presented at future meetings.
There was general consensus that a Manager from the new Apple Store would be well received at the next meeting and we will work on that immediately. The other big vote getters were iPhoto, MobileMe and a General Introduction to Apple for all our new Mac owners. The next meeting will be at 3:00PM in the clubhouse on Monday, February 21st. Please contact us with suggestions for other future topics or to volunteer your expertise as we work to set up our new organization.
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12/20/10
Calling all Apple Mac Users!
It appears there are far more Mac users at Indian Ridge than would normally be found in a community of a thousand homes. Must be the higher percentage of retired folks (or maybe the higher intelligence level of Ridgers!?)
Announcing RMUG
There appears to be interest in forming our own Mac Users Group, which we are calling RMUG for Ridge Mac Users Group.
What are Mac User Groups (MUG)?
Mac User Groups are organizations created by people interested in sharing information about their Apple computers and what they can accomplish with the help of digital technology. User Groups are about the technology, but also about the friendships that result. Over 800 User Groups worldwide have registered with Apple - some with fewer than 30 members, others with over 1,000.
What benefits do User Groups offer?
User Groups help members with technical questions, give honest advice on choosing software, hardware and peripherals, and provide a friendly
environment where people can learn from each other. Many groups offer monthly meetings, an informative newsletter, member discounts, classes, one-on-one support, and of course, the camaraderie that Apple users share.
What happens at User Group meetings?
Meetings vary depending on the group and the evening. Group members often present - either about technology or about an individual project such as a photo management or building a webpage. Most meetings include time for question and answer sessions as well as some social and networking activities. You can ask any question about your computer, easy or difficult, and hopefully get an answer from a knowledgeable fellow user.
If you are a Mac user, plan on coming to our organization meeting next month where we will discuss setting up our own MUG here at Indian Ridge. For presentations, Linda Brown will show how she, as a brand new Mac user, learned to set up the IRCC women's golf webpage and Doug Lindal will give a "walk through" on using MobileMe. There will be lots of time for Q&A and we welcome your thoughts on how to proceed with monthly meetings. Hope to see you there!
Linda Brown [email protected]
Doug Lindal [email protected]