And in case you're wondering, Lee McIntosh (the webmaster) has been recording the minutes since April of 2008...

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December 15, 2005 Hilo Lagoon Center

19 people attended our Holiday Party!

We also discussed: Google Earth; a Mac Nut Garage Sale; an Apple user group digest featuring the latest Apple news; the iPod Updater; Firefox; Cocktail, the super duper back up program; and an error code list.

Surprise: CD was given out with many fun goodies!

The Q&A Section:
Where do I purchase a monitor? Answer: go to Office Max, 19" for $300 - order online, pick up from store (but they are discontinuing this service in January)

I need to burn DVDs- which program do I use? Answer: Mac the Ripper.com. Excellent results. Toast 7 is good, nothing earlier. Popcorn is built into Toast 7.

Ann discussed the newer version of Airport software: it ruined the computer's signal. Had to go back to previous version to make Airport work.

I can't get earthlink dial up with Airport - it works, but very slowly. Answer: tricky handshake, so that's why.

I need to get an ISP in Hamakua. Answer: Coconut wireless - works very well in Hamakua, Puna. But very expensive...$400 to get on, plus $40/mo. Then you install the attenna, etc.

Starbucks now free wifi, maybe need a password. Verizon Broadband National can be used on a Pc and Mac. Have to get a Pc card for your Mac. $56/mo. Have to have a Powerbook, not an iBook. Phone number is separate. Go at the Verizon store.

eBay is not necessarily good to get Macs from due to shipping costs. Everystore is selling iPods now. Everyone MUST buy apple care when buying Mac stuff - worth it's price if it breaks down once.

ProTools tutorial.

We discussed vtc.com and lynda.com. It's possible to get monthly/ semi yearly passes. Then we had a raffle: Lynda.com pass - one won by Michelle Deis!

Ann's iPod video was in the house!! She had a video of her dogs on Mauna Kea; save the video in iDVD for iPod video. Easy, Easy.

Go to www.apple-discounts.com - all the stuff that's for sale, great prices.

November 19, 2005 - Aloha Outpost Cafe

September 15, 2005 - Aloha Outpost Cafe

10:23 start

Photoshop tricks scheduled for this week has been postponed, we will reschedule for a later date, instead we have an iPhoto demo.

Items on this months disk - bad addresses, podcasting video, and more widgets.

Announcing the new iPod nano-Steve Jobs 1000 songs in your pocket, can fit in the small pocket of Levis. It's Flash based so it is shock absorbent. $200 2g $249 4g

Looking for apple deals? Check out Secret place on Apple store home page - scroll down to the bottom right, look for Sale tag, find good deals. Can get kit to chg out battery of iPod.

Q: Can we get credit on the sales at the apple store for our group.
A: We're working on it.

Also new is the Motorola phone that will play up to 100 songs on the phone, you have to pick them. Check your area for service first.

Our next meeting will be on October 20th.

Q&A:
Q: Will chron scripts run when computer sleeping?
A: No not while it's sleeping. Suggest running cocktail which is a housekeeping utility that your schedules when more convenient. Concomputer does on a weekly/daily/mo-ly thing.

Can make custom settings for certain things like film editing that will optimize your energy savings.

Q: Is it ok for your computer to be on all the time?
A: yes especially good here where the humidity is high.

Q: When is the next recycling event for old equipment?
A: May 2006.

Q: With regards to Tiger: have you found the need to upgrade many programs? Most of the biggest programs - smaller programs that will need upgrading are Disk Warrior, Tech Tool, and Acrobat. Don't get CS2, slows things down.

Q: Since Mac will be switching to the intel chip, should we buy now or wait til the new technology hits the shelves, and will the current technology become obsolete more quickly?
A: Since the launch of system X, they have been building in PC substructure, so the impact will be minimal. So the question really is: Do you need this computer right away? If so, go ahead and get it now and don't wait for the next generation.

iPhoto Demo - Ann
Presentation of how you can take pictures from your digital camera, import into iPhoto, alter and create a slide show. Anne took some flower image, connected camera to her laptop and iPhoto launched automatically. The new version of iPhoto recognizes most cameras but not all.

Press import button, the go immediately into a new library. From there, you can chg photo many ways. It's recommended that you make a duplicate first so you have the original image intact. When you click Adjust, you can sharpen, change contrast, etc. The red eye works, but not on cats. Select a bunch, highlighted blue, make slideshow. Your slideshow can become your screensaver which you would select in your system preferences. One cool new effect - the Ken Burns effect, start in on a small area, zoom out, swirl. Can chg the transition effects, dissolve, etc. Anne also showed how the other iLife 05 programs work well together, picking a song to play during the slideshow from her iTunes library, and bringing slideshow into iDVD to create a professional looking presentation that run on a mac or pc. This is a fun way to share your pics with friends and family. You can also email images from iPhoto if you use apple mail program. If not, open in mail then drag and drop into your email program of preference. Another neat tip is that you can drag picture onto to photoshop dock icon, and it will open it.

All in all, it was a good presentation that showcased how you can use in practical terms the new iLife 05 upgrade and how much time it can save you doing things that you most likely already do. Or if you haven't yet, you certainly can and do it quite easily.

TIPS:
Optical mouse, needs to be on a non-reflective surface. Does not work well on woodgrain, glass, or metal surface.

Walmart has good altec lansing speakers which work really well, keep an eye out, because they tend to be gone as soon as they restocked.

When burning CD's Don't use a sharpie to write on the surface. You can purchase Cd writing pens at Office Depot or Walmart.

who will vett notes for Margaret: Kim Olsen

Question was posed to users group attendees - What presentations would we like to see, and would anyone like to present?

We'd like to see Apple Remote Desktop, podcasting- newscasting audio format. update on Garage Band , how to archive old family photos, LP to digital to CD, Cintinque- Steve pollard. 120gb hd in his laptop. vcr- to vhs, and scanning.

Ended around noon

Expanding the knowledge of "Mac" to the Big Island.

The first in a series of presentations will be Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, "Essential Training" from the Learning Library series produced by Lynda.com.

The program will be presented over 8 weeks starting on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 in the Pahoa Marketplace from 6:30pm to 8pm and will run every Wednesday night through October 12th.

If you are thinking about upgrading to Tiger - OS X 10.4 or just want to find out more about this Operating System please join us. We will be asking for $2 from each person that attends to cover basic costs.

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