2007 General monthly meetings

December 18, 2007 (the third Tuesday) - Annual Holiday Party and Silent Raffle

An 8GB iPod touch will be The Grand Prize of the raffle. The touch is Apple's new top-of-the-line iPod. With it you can: watch videos, movies, and TV programs view photos and slideshows on a 3.5-inch widescreen display listen to Podcasts and watch Videocasts listen to music wirelessly surf standard Websites using Safari (in widescreen or page view orientation) from Wi-Fi hotspots wirelessly preview and purchase music from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, then latter sync back to your computer wirelessly watch YouTube videos run Web-based programs, and beginning in February 2008 run developer-built programs directly from the iPod touch/iPhone (Ars Technica story) walk into a Starbucks and discover what song is currently playing, then buy it — all wirelessly The iPod touch looks and operates in a similar manner to Apple's iPhone, but without the requirement of monthly payments for a cellphone contract (the touch connects using faster Wi-Fi.) The iPod touch also does not include the cellphone or camera found in the iPhone.

The Annual Holiday Party and Silent Raffle will be held on the third Tuesday of the month. The Grand Prize of the auction will be an 8GB iPod touch (this item is for current members only, and membership enrollment will be open before the meeting), but there'll be plenty of other Mac related hardware/software up for grabs. The holiday party is the yearly fundraiser event with food and merriment, a chance to help PMUG and possibly win Apple related products.

Food and party supplies can be given to Terry Wilson in A-6/A-8. To sign up for bringing refreshments go to www.whosbringingwhat.com/pmug.

The Silent Raffle is similar to a swap meet, but more organized and fair. Everyone at the meeting can donate any Apple related product and buy raffle tickets. Donations are asked to be in working condition and if not won at the raffle, donors are required to bring the items home with them.

Bring raffle items to Room A-10 (by 6:00 PM) but remember—if it isn't taken, you get it back. Tickets for the auction are 12 for $5.00 and members get one free ticket.

At 8 pm, the raffle opens. Each bidder places ticket(s) in cups next to the items they desire. The bidder must be present to win. No items can be held or shipped. The emcee picks one ticket from each cup and awards the winner their prize. Everyone has a chance to win and can submit more than one ticket for any item. Please join us.

Emcee Dee Silver congratulates
Paul Buda, our iPod touch winner
for the December 2007 Silent Raffle!

The back of Apple's Airport Extreme base station, a device to connect multiple computers, printers, and hard drives together.

Mr. Boccardi will discuss home networking and how to use a personal router. He will then open up the general meeting for Questions and Answers for a moderated information session. Finally he will discuss and demonstrate Geocaching and global positioning system (GPS).

About the presenter...
Brian Boccardi is an amateur radio operator, long time Macintosh user and a co-host of one of the PMUG Special Interest Groups.

PMUG Member Rob Golding will present Apple's newest version of iPhoto, the most popular photo organizing, editing and sharing application on the Mac. The application comes with every new Mac and is upgraded nearly every year in Apple's iLife software package.

Rob will introduce all the new features of iPhoto, including improved importing, organization, enhanced editing and new features to share photos, such as custom print projects, Web gallery, and new book, calendar and card projects.

Rob will also share recent enhancements for iPhoto such as creating scrapbooks, tips before upgrading iPhoto and more.

About the presenter...
Rob has been a lifelong resident of the Trenton and Princeton areas. He completed his B.S. in Chemistry in May of 2004 at Rider University. It was at Rider in 1989 that he found his computer platform of choice in the form of a Mac Plus running MacWrite and ChemDraw. Between 2000 and 2005, Rob worked for Apple Computer, first at CompUSA and then at The Apple Store Menlo Park. Since joining PMUG in 2002 he has held several positions, including leading the Intermediate SIG, President, and is currently editor of The Dialog, PMUG's monthly newsletter.

Bill Achuff, a freelance photojournalist and photographer, will present how to take digital camera photos correctly the first time so they latter require little or no software processing.

A simple $200 point-and-shoot camera in the hands of someone who knows how to use it trumps a $3000 camera with a $1000 lens in "unskilled" hands. Some cameras are better than others under certain settings--but knowing what those are is the key. Bill will show how to take GREAT photos, not merely acceptable ones.

He will discuss how to avoid confusing and misleading information about digital cameras and show how exceptional photos can be taken with just about any digital camera.

About the presenter...
Bill Achuff is a long-time member and educator at PMUG and many other Macintosh User Groups. He has been a writer and presenter on a variety of subjects and disciplines over the years--his current passion is digital photography.

Sample Podcasts and Videocasts (click to open a larger version in a new window) This illustration is for informational purposes only, PMUG does not endorse or promote any Podcast/Videocast or its associated company.

"Podcasts" are a new form of media now entering mainstream use. They allow audio and video content to be automatically delivered through the Internet to your computer and iPod. Instead of repeatedly checking a Website for updated information, content is automatically sent to you whenever there is something new! A wide variety of material is available from media companies, commercial businesses, non-profit organizations, government, educational institutions, and ordinary people.

Join us for an ear-and-eye opening presentation as PMUG members Michael Blank and Lila Symons introduce how Podcasting offers something for everyone: from the news enthusiast, to the commuter, to the general listener and viewer. Veteran Mac user Bill Achuff will moderate the presentation.

Michael and Lila will demonstrate what Podcasts and Videocasts are, how to receive them, how to play them in iTunes and on the iPod, and how to search for new Podcasts. They will also present a sampler of the variety of Podcasts and Videocasts available--such as news & information, entertainment, computers and technology, comedy, travel, and more!

About the presenters...

Michael Blank is PMUG's Webmaster and produces two Podcasts for the group: the Monthly Meetings Podcast and the DIALOGcast. Michael is a Website designer for the Princeton Internet Group.

Lila Symons has been a member of PMUG for over 5 years. She is a Graphic Designer at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

PMUG's first-ever Summer picnic will take the place of its July meeting. The event will be held on Sunday, July 15th from 1-5pm at the The American Legion Post 414 on Route 206 in Lawrenceville New Jersey.

Bring your families and other Mac users! Don't forget to signup to bring food, drinks and supplies at: whosbringingwhat.com/PMUG/.

The address is 100 Berwyn Place, Lawrenceville New Jersey

From Princeton take 206 South for approximately 4 miles you will pass Interstate 95 and Rider University. Make a left onto Berwyn Place and the American Legion Post will be on your left after a 1/4 mile.

From Route 95/295 exit onto Route 206 South. Take 206 South for approximately 1 mile. Make a left onto Berwyn Place and the American Legion Post will be on your left after a 1/4 mile.

Kenneth Lampl, Associate Chairman of the Music Department at Hofstra University, will present a talk on his use of Macintosh software applications, specifically GarageBand and Logic, in scoring music for films.

Also about the presenter...
Kenneth is a composer of symphonies and film scores, recently scoring the films The Sentinel, The Ocean, The Way Down. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Juilliard. His website, with clips of music from films he scored, is www.kennethlampl.com.

Bob LeVitus, often referred to as "Dr. Mac," has been considered one of the world's leading authorities on the Macintosh and Mac OS for nearly twenty years.

A prolific author, LeVitus has sold millions of books worldwide in a dozen languages. His recent titles include: "GarageBand 3 Vitrual Training" and "Mac OS X Tiger For Dummies." He also pens columns for the Houston Chronicle newspaper, MacDesign magazine, and Mac Observer Web site.

• Bob will be back in the area on May 7th at Charlie Brown's Steakhouse in Princeton. For details see Dr. Mac Dinner featuring Bob LeVitus where you must RSVP and can pay by paypal.

• Then on the evening of May 8, Bob will give a presentation at the PMUG general monthly meeting on "The State of the Macintosh."

Also about the presenter...
In 2004, LeVitus started Doctor Mac Direct LLC, a company that provides expert technical help and training to Mac users via phone, e-mail, and/or Internet-enabled remote control software. You can also visit Bob's own website.

Dave Marra, Apple Senior Systems Engineer, will present an in-depth look at the new iPhone and Apple TV, as well as the next generation AirPort Extreme and the iPod shuffle.

He will also demonstrate Podcasting, an exciting way to create, publish and distribute dynamic multimedia content from home, office or classrooms.

About the presenter...
Dave Marra has conducted over 500 technology presentations, keynote addresses and workshops for businesses, schools, computer user groups and other professional organizations across the United States and Canada. His specialty areas include digital multimedia, internet technologies and cross-platform integration. In addition to his presentations and workshops, Dave has served as a technology consultant to numerous schools, businesses and technology advisory boards. For more information about Dave, please visit his Website.

Most of the world uses Google as their primary search engine, but did you know that Google is also a phonebook, a dictionary, a weather forecaster, a package tracker and movie guide (among other things)? In his presentation, Joel will expose us to some of Google's lesser known talents.

PMUG Member Sharon Fordham will also report on the San Francisco Macworld Expo, which she attended in January.

The Macworld Conference & Expo is a twice-a-year trade show dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform with conference tracks. The January event was much anticipated for rumors of Apple's entry into the mobile phone market with the new iPhone. PMUG member Sharon Fordham attended and will give the lowdown on what she found.

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held the same week in Las Vegas. CES is a trade show where many previews of new products are introduced or announced. PMUG member Bill Achuff attended and will report on the new electronics products you find being sold in the coming months.

MacPaint running on Mac OS X using Mini vMac (click for larger image) screenshot courtesy of Rob Golding

Rob Golding will briefly cover the Intel processor transition that Apple recently completed, by outlining where Apple stood with PowerPC processors and where they stand today with the new Intel Core 2 Duo.

The remainder of the evening will be spent showing Apple Users how to keep the Classic Mac OS running on the newer Intel processors.

When Apple moved to the Intel X86 processor family the "Classic" environment that allowed users to run pre-OS X software was lost. However, Rob will show free and open-source software which allows modern Macs to run programs all the way back to 1984! Come and see how to keep it all running.

About the presenter...
Rob has been a lifelong resident of the Trenton and Princeton areas. Attending Rider University longer then he intended, he completed his B.S. in Chemistry in May of 2004. It was at Rider in 1989 he found his computer platform of choice in the form of a Mac Plus running MacWrite and ChemDraw. Between 2000 and 2005 Rob worked for Apple, first at CompUSA and then at The Apple Store Menlo Park. Since joining PMUG in 2002 he has held several positions including leading the Intermediate SIG, President and is currently editor of The Dialog, PMUG's monthly newsletter.