Michael Simmons

MacNews
Monthly newsletter of MacGroup-Detroit
www.macgroup.org
Serving The Mac Community Since 1986
MacGroup Welcomes
Michael Simmons
from Ambrosia Software
MacGroup-Detroit
Michigan's largest Macintosh users group
May 2008
2
MacNews - May 2008
MacGroup continues to attract
top presenters from across the
country
by Terry White
Y
ou may have noticed that the schedule has been packed with 3rd
party presenters and even a few of our own members stepping up
to the plate and delivering very informative presentations at our
monthly meetings. I couldn’t be more thrilled! When I founded this group
over 20 years ago, I never envisioned doing presentations at all. It was
supposed to be about the members sharing ideas and showing what they
had learned since the last meeting. So it really warms my heart to see
such a diverse list of topics and presenters.
This month is a special treat for me as we have special guest Michael
Simmons from Ambrosia Software coming in to show their latest and
greatest utilities and games for the Mac.
I’ve been a fan of Ambrosia Software for many years! They were the
first to have a professional level screen recording app for the Mac and
without it I wouldn’t have been able to produce the DVD and online
training titles I’ve done over the years. Also when the iPhone came out
and didn’t allow you to create your own custom ringtones, it was Ambrosia’s iToner that quickly filled this void and made me one happy iPhone
customer.
Some of their utilities I even take for granted, like their FREE Easy
Envelopes widget. I use it every time I need to print an envelope. Now
I’m looking forward to getting all warm and fuzzy with their new WireTap
Studio product for sound editing.
All I can say Michael is bring it on! I’m looking forward to seeing what
you guys have been up to lately!
■
MacNews - May 2008 3
Welcome to
MacGroup-Detroit
Michigan’s Largest Apple® Macintosh® User’s Group
MacGroup-Detroit, Inc.
PO Box 760399
Lathrup Village MI 48076-0399
248-569-4933
FAX 248-557-9403
http://macgroup.org
email: [email protected]
Officers & Volunteers
President................................................... Terry L. White
MacNews Editor......................................... Orie Carter
Meeting Coordinator.............................Carla White
Photographer............................................Joseph Grey
Videographer......................................Shirley Kussner
Registration Table........................................Mary Grey
Registration Table.....................................Brian Stone
Registration Table...........................Charlotte Stone
Registration Table...................Loretta Sangeorsen
Special Interest Group (SIG) Leaders
Education SIG..................................... Jamie Feldman
Internet SIG....................................... Howard Parsons
Digital Video Detroit.................Michele Kotlarsky
PDA/Portables............................................ Terry White
Genius Table Volunteers
Genius Table Leader..............................Phyllis Evans
Mac Genius.............................................Jack Beckman
Mac Genius...................................................... Bill Carver
Mac Genius............................................. Yvonne Evans
Mac Genius................................................Chita Hunter
Webmaster
Webmaster................................................... Terry White
© 1986-2008 MacGroup-Detroit.
All rights reserved.
MacNews is published by MacGroup-Detroit,
Inc. Excerpts may be reprinted by user groups
and other non-profit media. Credit must be
given to MacGroup-Detroit and the author.
In addition, a copy of all reprinted materials must be sent to us at the address listed
above.
MacNews is an independent publication
not affiliated or otherwise associated with or
sponsored or sanctioned by Apple Computer,
Inc. The opinions, statements, positions and
views stated herein are those of the author(s)
or publisher and are not intended to be the
opinions, statements, positions or views of
Apple Computer, Inc.
You and your friends are invited to attend our next meeting.
Our membership is only $40 per year, entitling you to this newsletter each
month and many more benefits.
If you would like to become a member or get more info on MacGroup,
feel free to check out our web site at
macgroup.org. Also see the membership form on page 12.
Our meetings are held at
The Birmingham Temple
28611 W. 12 Mile Rd
Farmington Hills MI 48334
Welcome New Members
John Church
Karen Harbour
John Weting
Welcome Back Renewing Members
Lori Autrey
Danny Benjamin
Jeffrey Betman
Joe Bomberski
Jo Ann Braxton, Porta John®
Marcy Chamberlin
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James Cutler
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Jack Metzel
Richard Minkin
Ray Monteleone
James Morrison
Tom Osburn
Gerald Posner
What’s Inside...
John Prost
William Reid III
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Richard Rubinstein
Mia Sasser
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Randy Seim
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Nancy Smith
Steven Sprouse
Susan Stecker
Paul Stoloff
Kathy Thayer
Lisa Thomas
Alfred Thompson
Barbara Thornton
Lawrence Winger
Michael Wolford
L. Julia Woodbury
Did you forget something?....................................... 2
Welcome New Members....................................... 3
Welcome Back Renewing Members......................... 3
Backing up your drives, data and software. Safely!...... 4
Simple Animation with Adobe Illustrator................... 6
Fund Raising
MacGroup-Detroit....................... 9
Apple Events........................................................ 10
MacGroup-Detroit Volunteer Help Lines................. 10
for
4
MacNews - May 2008
Sorting ALL your Bookmarks
by Chita Hunter
A
while back, in September
2004, I did an article on
Safari Sorter. Safari Sorter
was a program that would help
you manage your bookmarks in
the Macs own web browser, Safari.
In the past four years, Safari
Sorter, though still available,
expanded and evolved into
“Bookdog.” And Bookdog is not
just for Safari anymore. Bookdog
has evolved to work with Firefox, OmniWeb and several other
browsers that you use on your
computer as well.
Bookdog
When I started using this program, my reasons were simple and
have not changed. “For the most
part, my Bookmarks are already
alphabetized. But it wasn’t always
(or pretty much ever) a delightful
job to do. My real reason for wanting to try this program was a basic
no brainer: I have Bookmarks. I add
Bookmarks. I want them alphabet-
ized all the time. I don’t want to do
it manually. You?”
The main features that I
bought into in 2004 were Bookdog’s bookmark automation and
the ability to analyze, or find and
inform you of duplicate bookmarks and allow you to resolve
that duplication immediately.
Those features are still present, and
now only a small part of this robust
application.
Bookdog is loaded with
features that “allows users to sort
(selectively alphabetize), import/
export, migrate, verify, find
redirects, search, and find duplicates among their bookmarks
collections in Safari, Firefox 1.5-3.0,
Camino, Google Bookmarks, del.
icio.us, OmniWeb, Opera, Shiira 2.x
and Netscape Navigator. Migrations can be scheduled using
Apple’s Automator, and bookmarks
on other networked Macs or
backup disks are easily accessible.”
Which you can see is a lot more
than just alphabetizing. Bookdog
supports Hierarchical organization (folder support for apps such
as Safari, Firefox, Camino) and Tag
Organization (non-folder support
for apps such as Google Bookmarks, del.icio.us).
Bookdog is still a stand-alone
program you use to manage your
browsers bookmarks without
even opening the browsers. The
Preferences interface has changed
to more of a matrix-looking at-aglance format, and the program is
MacNews - May 2008 5
From Bookdog you can
migrate bookmarks from one
browser to another or sync both
ways.
Migrating bookmarks with
Bookdog
still very easy to configure to your
wishes.
From the Bookdog window, I
can view every single bookmark
in an alphabetical list or I can view
my bookmarks in their hierarchical order. It’s much easier access
and managing than viewing
bookmarks from their respective
browsers.
With the web being a constantly changing animal, some
of your bookmarks are no longer
valid. Bookdog’s verify command
will verify all your bookmarks, fix
broken or outdated bookmarks
automatically or notify you when a
bookmark is no longer valid. All of
this information will be presented
to you in a Report, allowing you
to manage the information. This is
definitely something you wouldn’t
want to do manually, because of
the shear volume of bookmarks
you may have. And, like most,
some of your bookmarks haven’t
been visited in years, you’ve been
too busy creating new ones.
Verifying bookmarks with
Bookdog
Bookdog has a fully-functional
demo version available for 7-day
use, which you can actually set
to repeat at the end of the 7-day
period, to get a full two weeks out
of the demo version. Our you can
download the software and purchase a 2-user license for $19.99.
From the product web page, you
can view screenshots and a video
of how Bookdog works. Bookdog
creator, Jerry Krinock, has done a
great job of keeping his program
supported and updated and has
added many new features to
Bookdog. He even answers your
support questions personally.
http://www.sheepsystems.com/
products/bookdog/
■
6
MacNews - May 2008
IT IS EASY BEING GREEN
(Never Mind What Kermit Says)
by Mary Grey
And then wonder of wonders!
L
ately it seems that everywhere
you look, Internet, newspapers, magazines, and your
mail you find articles emphasizing
the necessity of “going Green”. I
think it’s a great idea.
While Joe and I were doing our
shopping at the local supermarket
the other day we were watching
the number of plastic bags being
put into each cart at the check out
counter. Most people had at least
5 to 10 bags – some of then only
contained one or two items. (We
remembered that when we were
in a super market in Italy, everyone had their own bags to pack
items in—if you wanted to use a
plastic bag you had to pay for it.)
We decided at that time to bring
our own bags for packing instead
of getting new ones each time.
(Over the years we have recycled
hundreds of those plastic bags.)
First of all we went into the
back of our closets and found
quite a few tote bags from various places and seminars we had
attended and we decided to use
them for our groceries. If you don’t
have any totes stashed away in
your home, there are numerous
associations like the National Wildlife Federation that will give you a
gift of a shopping bag if you make
a donation.
I was looking for something in
my office closet and found a package in which I had stored all the
bags that we had gotten when we
bought items in the Apple
store.
THEY ARE GREAT!!!
There are in varying
sizes – some if which are
larger than the paper bags
you get in the supermarket
and they are strong.
There are now several various
sized Apple bags permanently in
the back of our car. We used them
last week for the first time and the
cashier thanked us for doing our
own packing.
Not only will we be
saving some petroleum,
but we’ll be giving free
advertising to Apple.
Every little bit helps
Soooo - Let’s go
GREEN APPLE
■
Carl F. Clavenna, M.D.
Gregory B. Fitzgerald, M.D.
(MacGroup member)
Board Certified Ophthalmologists
Routine Eye Care
LASER Vision Correction
Cataract Surgery
Dry Eye Care
Diabetic Eye Care
Adult and Pediatric Care
Our Ophthalmologists are
Accomplished Scholars,
Mentors and Surgeons.
600 S. Adams, Suite 200
Birmingham, MI
www.clavennaeye.com
Please call
(248) 646-3733
For an Appointment
MacNews - May 2008 7
Tips and Tricks
by Phyllis Evans, [email protected]
S
eems like a long time since
I’ve written anything. In my
defense, I’ve been pulled out
of semi-retirement and dragged,
kicking and screaming, into the
not so wonderful world of Windows. It has kept me from exploring all of the newest Mac software
and hardware. I wouldn’t wish this
on my worst enemy. No matter
what anyone says, money is not
everything.
That said, I thought I’d pass
along some of my methods of
coping. I have two Dells, both running Windows XP, that are in my
care and keeping at the office. In
truth, they have both been good,
solid computers. Each has an external drive for daily backups, and
all data files are also backed up
weekly to an iDisk. Windows has
performed well on both, although
it’s nowhere near as logical to work
with as OS X. DOS made more
sense.
The software apps I use on a
daily basis are Excel, QuickBooks
Pro, and a proprietary database.
Excel and QBP are pretty much the
same on both operating systems.
The database is a major piece of
trash, but it’s mandated, so I’m
stuck. I designed better databases
on my old Atari computer.
The database is a work in
process, and it’s impossible to
design and fine-tune specialized
reports without it quitting multiple times. I finally gave up. It’s
possible to export the data (all, not
a subset!) to Word or Excel, but the
formatting that goes with it make
it impossible to work with in Word
or Excel. Enter the Mac!
I determined that I could take
the exported Excel file and open it
with iWork Numbers and dump all
of the formatting that was causing
the grief. Word and Excel couldn’t
do it. Once it was in Numbers
format, I could extract data and
modify as much as I liked. I could
then export it back to Excel so I
could work with it on the Dell. Can
you tell that I love my Macs?
We just went through budget
time at the office. They use an
Excel template designed by our
CPA, and it was decided to try and
streamline the number of accounts
used. In modifying some things,
embedded formulas were broken.
They wanted to rearrange certain
columns, but couldn’t find a fast,
easy way to do it. Even I couldn’t
find a way to drag-rearrange columns, on Mac or Windows. (Beverage of your choice to whoever can
find the easy answer to moving
columns of figures in Excel without
first creating a new column and
then deleting the old.)
The answer was, once again,
to open the file with Numbers,
where it was a simple matter to
drag-move a column of figures.
There are still things that Excel
does better than Numbers, but for
a first version, I will not complain. It
does everything I need, and with a
minimum amount of work. I think
the guys who have laughed at my
Mac fanaticism finally understand
my loyalty. Funny how they always
seem to come to the Mac person
for help with Windows. Me, I love
it.
I’ll survive my time in the
office, but it will absolutely
increase my appreciation for what
we have in our Macs. Now, if the
powers-that-be would only hire
someone for me to train so that I
can go back to semi-retirement…
■
8
MacNews - May 2008
Fund Raising for MacGroup-Detroit
by Leonard Mazerov
I thought it might be time to bask for a moment in what might be some success in our fund raising activities. Why? Well, since its inception (at about the time we became a 501(c)(3) corporation) we have raised
about $5,000. Nice. At least for the moment.
Our original goal was to infuse our organization with $10,000 and so you see we have some way to go.
But, hey. We are half way there and we say that with a certain amount of pride-pride that the members of
MacGroup Detroit care enough to back us up and help get us where we want to go.
Let me once again define what we mean by “Donations” and what we mean by “Contributions.”
DONATIONS
This is where one can claim
a tax deduction (after consulting with one’s tax preparer).
CONTRIBUTIONS
This can be anything from a
dollar or two to anything you
can afford without expecting
a tax deduction.
Let me again point out that to keep MacGroup running at the level we have been enjoying, i.e., obtaining
the best presenters and topics for our membership, it takes a lot of money. Such things as a high rent to the
Temple, guest fees and housing, printing costs, some equipment costs, some raffle expenses and administrative costs are expensive. And these costs seem to keep going up each year. Now then, while our annual dues
help offset some of these costs, they are not enough to continue at the level we want to maintain for our
members.
And so, we again ask you to help us cover the rising costs of keeping our group alive and financially healthy
for now and the future.
Please use the form below to make donations and feel free to contribute a dollar or two at our Registration
Desk when you check in. We’re in this together and our future depends on all of us helping.
MacGroup-Detroit Donation Form
Date_____________Donation Amount $_______________
Name______________________________________________
Address__________________________________________
City_____________________State_____Zip______________
Phone and/or Email________________________________
Hand your donation to our Registration Desk, or
Mail to: MacGroup-Detroit, Inc.
P O Box 76099
LathrupVillage, MI 48076-0399, or
Online @ www.macgroup.org (PayPal accepted)
o Check o MasterCard o Visa o Cash
Credit Card #_____________________
Expiration Date_________cvv2*_______
Signature_________________________
Please check with your tax preparer to make sure
that your donation can be deducted from your taxes!
*The three-digit number on the reverse side of your card.
YOUR DONATION WILL HELP
US CONTINUE TO WORK WITH
YOU AND FOR YOU AND FOR THE
FUTURE OF MacGroup-Detroit.
MacNews - May 2008 9
MacGroup-Detroit Volunteer Help Lines For Members ONLY!
Name
Can Help With
Contact via
Hours Available
Loretta Sangeorzan
Clarisworks, MS Word 5.1, Beginners-graphics
810-225-9820
Tue., Fri., Sat., Sun.
Ralph Marontate
Adobe FrameMaker, Photoshop,
248-354-3252
Mon., Tue., Wed.
evenings
Mary Grey
General
248-645-9740
Mon.-Fri. 10 am - 7
pm
Chita Hunter
Adobe, Microsoft & QuarkXPress
Chuck Freedman
Mac hardware and OS thru OSX,
General Mac support, General DTP,
DVD Authoring, Cross Platform
connectivity.
[email protected]
anytime
Jerry McBride
Utilities, MS Word 5, PageMaker 6,
Illustrator 6, Freehand 5.5, Clarisworks 4, Painter 3.1, many other
graphic programs
[email protected]
810-887-3330
Mon.-Sat. 4-9pm
Howard Parsons
iMac G5 questions, OS X (Tiger), iPhoto, [email protected]
iTunes, Photoshop CS2 (photo editing 248-435-7438
only), FileMaker Pro, Excel, NisusWriter
Express
e-mail checked
daily. by telephone
most evenings
before 9pm or
weekends
Terry White
Mac questions in general, Adobe
Products, Digital Video, Networking
anytime
anytime
http://macgroup.org/ibbs
http://macgroup.org/ibbs
June 2008
Sunday
Monday
1
Apple Events
Frank Pettis’s Birthday
Tuesday
2
Wednesday
3
Thursday
4
Friday
5
Robert Spencer’s Birthday
Anne Moore’s Birthday
John McKenzie’s Birthday
8
Saturday
6
Eric Fretz’s Birthday
Dr. Kent Voigt’s Birthday
9
10
11
12
18
19
13
Natalie Simovski’s Birthday
15
Peter Simler’s Birthday
Father's Day
16
22
3:00 PM MacGroup Main
Meeting
America/Detroit Time Zone
Joyce Lemkin’s Birthday
Janet Kincannon’s Birthday
23
Glenn Grace’s Birthday
Ann McKay-Bacon’s Birthday
David Achey’s Birthday
Orie Carter’s Birthday
29
Parker Woo’s Birthday
Marc McGregor’s Birthday
Claude Oliver’s Birthday
17
Dorothy Riley’s Birthday
24
30
Patrick Jeski’s Birthday
Dan Deryckere’s Birthday
1
John Glick’s Birthday
26
2
3
14
Flag Day
MacNews Art…ue by Noon!
20
Charlie Sanders’s Birthday
25
Grand Rapid…Opened 2005
7
Marilyn Krol’s Birthday
Jo Ann Johnson’s Birthday
Don Dubois’s Birthday
Richard Cavaler’s Birthday
21
Jo Ann Braxton’s Birthday
Ricardo Reyes’s Birthday
27
Metri Duley’s Birthday
28
Ken Rehse’s Birthday
Rick Lepsetz’s Birthday
4
Independence Day
Check out and subscribe to our iCal http://macgroup.org/ical
5
Nancy Smith’s Birthday
Page 1/1
10
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MacGroup-Detroit
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on
us
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ews
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uy
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MacNews - May 2008
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The makings of MacNews
This publication was created entirely with Macintosh technology using
the following products: Adobe Creative Suite 3; Xerox Phaser 8550DP,
Canon 5D and the Nikon D300; iCal; Microsoft Office 2004; various electronic clip art collections; and of course, Mac OS X (Mac Pro with Cinema
Display)
Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Joseph Grey
Bring a friend to the next meeting!
We meet Monthly....
Don’t miss our next Meeting! 3–5 pm
•
•
•
May 18 • Ambrosia Software visits MacGroup
June 22 • Digital Video Solutions
July 20 • Back to the Basics with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
See what topics we’ll cover in the coming months:
http://macgroup.org/meetings
Our meetings are held at
The Birmingham Temple • 28611 W. 12 Mile Rd • Farmington Hills MI 48334
Always check our website before heading to the meeting for any last minute changes.
MacGroup-Detroit
PO Box 760399
Lathrup Village MI 48076-0399
www.macgroup.org
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