Check 'em out!

http://www.befunky.com/

http://www.vincentcheung.ca/shapecollage/

http://www.clevr.com/stitcher

http://www.magmypic.com/

http://www.pixlr.com/

Google Gives Safari A Kick
By Jason Snell (jsnell@...)

Apple Releases Safari 4 Public Beta

Last week's release of a Safari 4 public beta is a radical departure from
previous Apple interfaces, not just in Safari but in Mac OS X as a whole. Out
goes the standard Mac OS X window bar, replaced by a window bar that serves
double duty as browser tabs by sectioning itself up into smaller segments.

http://www.macworld.com/article/138986/2009/02/safari.html?lsrc=mwweek

Find out more about Safari 4 in Rob Griffiths' first look at the beta:

http://www.macworld.com/article/139022/safari4firstlook.html?lsrc=mwweek

It's a big change that helps Apple tout Safari 4 as "the world's fastest and
most innovative browser." Which it would be were it not for the fact that almost
six months ago Google announced Chrome, its own innovative browser that features
-- among other features -- tabs on top, above the browser's URL window and
control buttons.

http://www.macworld.com/article/135304/2008/09/google_chrome.html?lsrc=mwweek

More hidden preferences for Safari 4 Beta
By Rob Griffiths (macosxhints@...)

Shortly after the release of the Safari 4 beta, I (and apparently thousands of
others across the net) extracted the text strings from the binary, looking for
hidden preferences to tweak the latest version of the flagship OS X browser. One
of the first tweaks to be discovered was the command to move the tab bar back
underneath the bookmarks bar. Since then, others have been discovered (by many
people), so I thought it might be useful to cover all of these hidden
preferences in one consolidated hint.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139053/2009/02/safari4prefs.html?lsrc=mwhints

Gems of the Week:
By Dan Frakes (macgems@...)

Djay

Many people looking to mix their music, DJ-style, have found that most good DJ
software is overkill--and over-budget. Many are just looking for a tool that
combines their iTunes music library with the basic tools for mixing, scratching,
effecting, looping, and sharing music. For those purposes, you'll have a tough
time beating Algoriddim's Djay. Peter Kirn looked at Djay for Mac Gems and found
it to be the friendliest way he's seen to have some fun with your music and
explore DJing. Yet the feature set and reasonable price make the program
appealing to even advanced DJs as an addition to their existing setups.

Read the whole Gem:
http://www.macworld.com/article/139161/2009/03/djay.html%22?lsrc=mwgems%22

MondoMouse
Last week, Apple released a public beta version of Safari 4; among its changes
is a dramatically different approach to Web-browser tabs. It's clear from the
many comments in the Macworld forums that people have strong opinions about this
new interface; perhaps the biggest difference for most users is that by
replacing the title bar with the tab bar the way Apple did, the company has made
selecting and moving Safari windows more difficult and less intuitive than
before.

One of my favorite past Gems, MondoMouse, has been updated significantly since
the last time I reviewed it, and the program just so happens to offer an
excellent alternative for selecting, moving, and resizing Safari 4 windows, as
well as windows in any other program. With MondoMouse installed, if you can see
any part of a window, you can identify, select, move, or resize the window--you
simply move your mouse cursor over any part of the desired window and then hold
down your chosen modifier keys. With some people speculating that Safari 4's new
window interface may find its way into more OS X programs, MondoMouse could
become even more useful.

Read the whole Gem:
http://www.macworld.com/article/139082/2009/02/mondomouse.html?lsrc=mwgems

Here's a free font which purports to save ink by producing holes in the font.

See an example. Simply click on the Font Example in the *Files* folder just to
the left.
OR...
You may need to copy and paste this long URL.
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/MMSySfqkef2_et0TqPUUc46KaLayU9CLPopuBWBsk2MMJihB2dc\
SEQbRBchy0Aodp4I-XQYliXVR5CxNkNHGdg/HoleyFont.jpg

Here's the font. Click on the font (file name) and it should download to your
download folder.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ClubMacMonterey/files/

Disappearing FireWire 400 ports are no reason to worry
By Dan Frakes (dfrakes@...)

One of the most interesting improvements to the new Mac mini models announced
last week is that the mini's single FireWire 400 port has been replaced by a
faster FireWire 800 version.
More on the new Mac minis
http://www.macworld.com/article/139146/2009/03/macmini.html?lsrc=mwweek

In addition to an increase in performance, this change effectively signifies the
death of FireWire 400 in Apple hardware. (OK, so the low-end,
previous-generation MacBook still has a FireWire 400 port, but Apple's "new"
hardware is FireWire 800 Or Nothing.)
The end of FireWire 400
http://www.macworld.com/article/139154/2009/03/fw400eol.html?lsrc=mwweek

Although some some people have speculated on what this change means, more than a
few Mac users are worried that the mini's new FireWire 800 port has made their
older FireWire 400 peripherals obsolete.

Fret not. FireWire 800 is backwards compatible with all FireWire 400
peripherals. All you need is a way to connect those peripherals to the newer
port. The solution can be found in any of a number of inexpensive cables and
adapters. These have been around for quite a while; in fact, I wrote about a
couple back in 2004.
Making FireWire 800 ports useful
http://www.macworld.com/article/38675/2004/08/_ake_our_ire_ire_800_orts_se.html?\
lsrc=mwweek

WiebeTech, for example, sells FireWire 800-to-400 cables for $11, and Sonnet
sells a small, $15 adapter for plugging FireWire 400 cables into FireWire 800
ports. If even those products are too expensive, Monoprice.com offers FireWire
800-to-400 cables for as little as $4. Similar solutions are available for
connecting 4-pin FireWire 400 devices to FireWire 800.

It's worth noting that if you've got both FireWire 400 and 800 devices, you
should put your FireWire 400 devices at the end of your FireWire chain,
connecting FireWire 800 devices directly to your Mac and to each other. Putting
FireWire 400 devices in between your Mac and your 800 devices will reduce the
performance of the latter.

Researching Your Family Tree: A History Methods Workshop
Learn to research your family tree in this workshop for genealogy
beginners led by Linda L. Avakian, AG®.
Bring information on ancestors living before 1930.
John Steinbeck Library - March 14
1:00–1:45 Researching Your Family Tree: An Introduction
2:00–2:45 Using the Internet for Genealogy Research
3:00–4:00 Computer Clinic and Expert Help Session

John Steinbeck Library
350 Lincoln Avenue
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 758-7311

Above info from:
http://www.steinbeck.org/pdf/SS_Eng.pdf
http://www.salinas.lib.ca.us/map_directions.html

Use Smart Albums to help set iPhoto '09 Faces and Places
By Rob Griffiths (macosxhints@...)

After upgrading to iPhoto '09 a few weeks back, I've been slowly but surely
working my way through my huge library, trying to name faces and places to take
advantage of iPhoto '09's Faces and Places features. At first, I was working my
way through my events, one event at a time. However, I found this time consuming
and a bit confusing, as I'd sometimes mark one person in a photo, but not
others. I also tried using the Faces entry in the Library to quickly confirm or
reject more photos for an already-identified face. This worked pretty well, but
I wanted some way of knowing when I'd finished my entire library -- if iPhoto
doesn't think there's a face in the photo, then it won't show in the Faces
library.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139162/2009/03/iphotofaces.html?lsrc=mwhints

Disappearing FireWire 400 ports are no reason to worry
By Dan Frakes (dfrakes@...)

One of the most interesting improvements to the new Mac mini models announced last week is that the mini's single FireWire 400 port has been replaced by a faster FireWire 800 version.
More on the new Mac minis
http://www.macworld.com/article/139146/2009/03/macmini.html?lsrc=mwweek

In addition to an increase in performance, this change effectively signifies the death of FireWire 400 in Apple hardware. (OK, so the low-end, previous-generation MacBook still has a FireWire 400 port, but Apple's "new" hardware is FireWire 800 Or Nothing.)
The end of FireWire 400
http://www.macworld.com/article/139154/2009/03/fw400eol.html?lsrc=mwweek

Although some some people have speculated on what this change means, more than a few Mac users are worried that the mini's new FireWire 800 port has made their older FireWire 400 peripherals obsolete.

Fret not. FireWire 800 is backwards compatible with all FireWire 400 peripherals. All you need is a way to connect those peripherals to the newer port. The solution can be found in any of a number of inexpensive cables and adapters. These have been around for quite a while; in fact, I wrote about a couple back in 2004.
Making FireWire 800 ports useful

http://www.macworld.com/article/38675/2004/08/_ake_our_ire_ire_800_orts_se.html?lsrc=mwweek

WiebeTech, for example, sells FireWire 800-to-400 cables for $11, and Sonnet sells a small, $15 adapter for plugging FireWire 400 cables into FireWire 800 ports. If even those products are too expensive, Monoprice.com offers FireWire 800-to-400 cables for as little as $4. Similar solutions are available for connecting 4-pin FireWire 400 devices to FireWire 800.

It's worth noting that if you've got both FireWire 400 and 800 devices, you should put your FireWire 400 devices at the end of your FireWire chain, connecting FireWire 800 devices directly to your Mac and to each other. Putting FireWire 400 devices in between your Mac and your 800 devices will reduce the performance of the latter.

Dave,

Bet these little rascals will be in short supply since Apple has decided to stop putting FW400 ports on some machines.

Try OWC

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/FAD824/

You might also try Belkin and Amazon.

Good luck!

Jerry

On Mar 10, 2009, at 9:17 PM, David C. Powell wrote:

I have a Firewire 400 drive and cable and a computer with a Firewire 800 port. The article says: Sonnet sells a small, $15 adapter for plugging FireWire 400 cables into FireWire 800 ports.

I checked on Sonnet but could find no reference to such an adaptor. Any ideas?

Dave

Disappearing FireWire 400 ports are no reason to worry
By Dan Frakes (dfrakes@...)

One of the most interesting improvements to the new Mac mini models announced last week is that the mini's single FireWire 400 port has been replaced by a faster FireWire 800 version.
More on the new Mac minis
http://www.macworld.com/article/139146/2009/03/macmini.html?lsrc=mwweek

In addition to an increase in performance, this change effectively signifies the death of FireWire 400 in Apple hardware. (OK, so the low-end, previous-generation MacBook still has a FireWire 400 port, but Apple's "new" hardware is FireWire 800 Or Nothing.)
The end of FireWire 400
http://www.macworld.com/article/139154/2009/03/fw400eol.html?lsrc=mwweek

Although some some people have speculated on what this change means, more than a few Mac users are worried that the mini's new FireWire 800 port has made their older FireWire 400 peripherals obsolete.

Fret not. FireWire 800 is backwards compatible with all FireWire 400 peripherals. All you need is a way to connect those peripherals to the newer port. The solution can be found in any of a number of inexpensive cables and adapters. These have been around for quite a while; in fact, I wrote about a couple back in 2004.
Making FireWire 800 ports useful

http://www.macworld.com/article/38675/2004/08/_ake_our_ire_ire_800_orts_se.html?lsrc=mwweek

WiebeTech, for example, sells FireWire 800-to-400 cables for $11, and Sonnet sells a small, $15 adapter for plugging FireWire 400 cables into FireWire 800 ports. If even those products are too expensive, Monoprice.com offers FireWire 800-to-400 cables for as little as $4. Similar solutions are available for connecting 4-pin FireWire 400 devices to FireWire 800.

It's worth noting that if you've got both FireWire 400 and 800 devices, you should put your FireWire 400 devices at the end of your FireWire chain, connecting FireWire 800 devices directly to your Mac and to each other. Putting FireWire 400 devices in between your Mac and your 800 devices will reduce the performance of the latter.

                                                              

--- In ClubMacMonterey@yahoogroups.com, "David C. Powell" <davidCPowell2@...>
wrote:

> OWC had them and half the price of Sonnet. Thanks for the tip!

Glad it worked out.

Jerry

>
> Dave
>
> >Dave,
> >
> >Bet these little rascals will be in short supply since Apple has
> >decided to stop putting FW400 ports on some machines.
> >Try OWC
>
><http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/FAD824/>http://eshop.macsal\
es.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/FAD824/
> >
> >You might also try Belkin and Amazon.
> >Good luck!
> >
> >Jerry
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >On Mar 10, 2009, at 9:17 PM, David C. Powell wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>I have a Firewire 400 drive and cable and a computer with a
> >>Firewire 800 port. The article says: Sonnet sells a small, $15
> >>adapter for plugging FireWire 400 cables into FireWire 800 ports.
> >>
> >>I checked on Sonnet but could find no reference to such an adaptor.
> >>Any ideas?
> >>
> >>Dave
> >>
> >>>Disappearing FireWire 400 ports are no reason to worry
> >>>By Dan Frakes (<mailto:dfrakes%40macworld.com>dfrakes@...)
> >>>
> >>>One of the most interesting improvements to the new Mac mini
> >>>models announced last week is that the mini's single FireWire 400
> >>>port has been replaced by a faster FireWire 800 version.
> >>>More on the new Mac minis
>
>>><http://www.macworld.com/article/139146/2009/03/macmini.html?lsrc=mwweek>http\
://www.macworld.com/article/139146/2009/03/macmini.html?lsrc=mwweek
> >>>
> >>>In addition to an increase in performance, this change effectively
> >>>signifies the death of FireWire 400 in Apple hardware. (OK, so the
> >>>low-end, previous-generation MacBook still has a FireWire 400
> >>>port, but Apple's "new" hardware is FireWire 800 Or Nothing.)
> >>>The end of FireWire 400
>
>>><http://www.macworld.com/article/139154/2009/03/fw400eol.html?lsrc=mwweek>htt\
p://www.macworld.com/article/139154/2009/03/fw400eol.html?lsrc=mwweek
> >>>
> >>>Although some some people have speculated on what this change
> >>>means, more than a few Mac users are worried that the mini's new
> >>>FireWire 800 port has made their older FireWire 400 peripherals
> >>>obsolete.
> >>>
> >>>Fret not. FireWire 800 is backwards compatible with all FireWire
> >>>400 peripherals. All you need is a way to connect those
> >>>peripherals to the newer port. The solution can be found in any of
> >>>a number of inexpensive cables and adapters. These have been
> >>>around for quite a while; in fact, I wrote about a couple back in
> >>>2004.
> >>>Making FireWire 800 ports useful
> >>>
>
>>><http://www.macworld.com/article/38675/2004/08/_ake_our_ire_ire_800_orts_se.h\
tml?lsrc=mwweek>http://www.macworld.com/article/38675/2004/08/_ake_our_ire_ire_8\
00_orts_se.html?lsrc=mwweek
> >>>
> >>>WiebeTech, for example, sells FireWire 800-to-400 cables for $11,
> >>>and Sonnet sells a small, $15 adapter for plugging FireWire 400
> >>>cables into FireWire 800 ports. If even those products are too
> >>>expensive, Monoprice.com offers FireWire 800-to-400 cables for as
> >>>little as $4. Similar solutions are available for connecting 4-pin
> >>>FireWire 400 devices to FireWire 800.
> >>>
> >>>It's worth noting that if you've got both FireWire 400 and 800
> >>>devices, you should put your FireWire 400 devices at the end of
> >>>your FireWire chain, connecting FireWire 800 devices directly to
> >>>your Mac and to each other. Putting FireWire 400 devices in
> >>>between your Mac and your 800 devices will reduce the performance
> >>>of the latter.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>

Free monthly family history workshops

The Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group (formerly the Silicon Valley PAF
Users Group) meets monthly for free workshops on important topics in genealogy
and family history. Anyone can attend -- membership isn't required! Each year we
host seminars. This is our next meeting:

March 14, 2009, classes
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Free, open to the public, ample parking

Classes are taught concurrently from 9:30 to 11 a.m., following the opening
session

Getting the most out of courthouse researach, with Pam Erickson

Software utilities for family historians, with Chuck Fenton

Reunion for Mac, and Getting started with Reunion, with Pat Burrow and Pat
Solomon

Beginning genealogy: How to get started, with Richard Rands

Location:

875 Quince Avenue
Santa Clara, California, USA
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse)
Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=875+Quince+Avenue,santa+clara,+california&hl=en

I have just heard that the patch for V.9 is available. As I understand it is
available for both Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Reader (free version).

The patches for earlier versions of Acrobat will be available from Adobe on the
18th.

In the meantime it is suggested that you either upgrade to Acrobat Reader 9 or
use Preview to view any PDFs you may receive from the INternet.

Jerry

Mac 911 Tip of the Week
Converting AppleWorks Documents
By Christopher Breen (mac911@...)

Reader E.S., like many longtime Mac users, has documents in an older format that
he'd like to use with newer applications. He writes: "I have several thousand
AppleWorks files that I want to transfer to use on my new iMac. Not being a true
techie, what is the easiest way to transfer my AppleWorks files to .rtf files
for easy use with Pages?"

E.S., I'd like to use your question to teach a broader concept. And that concept
is this: When seeking solutions for opening Document X, with Application Y, it's
always a good idea to Right (Control) click on Document X, choose Open With from
the contextual menu, and take a gander at what appears in the submenu. It's
possible (though not assured) that one of the applications that appears there
will open your document.

http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/mac911.html?lsrc=mwweek

Safari and iTunes tweakers
By Dan Frakes (macgems@...)

Apple's latest versions of Safari and iTunes (4 Beta and 8.1, respectively)
offer many new features, but some folks are nostalgic for The Way Things
Were--they're not fans of new interface elements or default settings in recent
versions of these apps. If you're a frequent reader of Mac OS X Hints, you know
that there are many "hidden" settings in Safari and iTunes, most of them
accessible via Terminal commands. But if you're not a fan of Terminal, a couple
vendors have created easy-to-use programs for changing these hidden preferences.
While some of the everything-but-the-kitchen sink tweaking utilities out there
have recently been updated to provide access to these settings, these two
programs, Safari 4 Modifier and Change Hidden iTunes Preferences, are easy to
understand and safe to use.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139450/2009/03/safariitunestweakers.html?lsrc=mw\
gems%22

Gems of the Week: CUPS-PDF and WeatherCal
By Dan Frakes (macgems@...)

CUPS-PDF

One of my favorite Mac OS X features is the capability to save any document as a
PDF file via the Print dialog. In any program, you just choose the Print
command, click on the PDF button in the Print dialog, choose Save As PDF, and
then name and save your PDF. In fact, the vast majority of "printing" I do these
days is directly to PDF. My only beef with this system is that I wish the
process didn't require so many steps. A more-efficient alternative is CUPS-PDF,
a virtual printer driver that lets you create a "printer" that automatically
saves documents as PDF files. In other words, with your CUPS-PDF "printer"
selected in the Print dialog, you just click on the Print button and the current
document is saved as a PDF file in a folder on your Desktop.

Read the whole Gem:
http://www.macworld.com/article/139518/2009/03/cupspdf.html?lsrc=mwgems

WeatherCal
Despite the many ways in which Mac users can get the latest weather information,
I've found that the best place to view weather forecasts is on my calendar.
After all, this puts the weather in the most-appropriate context: where I'll be
and what I'll be doing. WeatherCal is an easy-to-use weather-data client that
automatically adds to iCal the weather forecast for the next five days, for as
many cities as you choose, and updates those forecasts every hour.

Read the whole Gem:
http://www.macworld.com/article/139610/2009/03/weathercal.html?lsrc=mwgems

Macworld Expo 2010 Pushed to February

Today IDG has announced that the 2010 Macworld Expo will be held February 9
through 13 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Traditionally, this Expo is held
in early January, but this change was made from feedback from Expo exhibitors
and attendees, who could now theoretically squeeze in both Macworld and the
ever-growing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which will happen
January 7 through 10, 2010

Dealing with blank spam

When Apple updated Mail with a built-in junk management system, it was touted as
being one of the best around because of its capability to learn and adapt to
different types of spam. The built-in junk mail filter for Apple's Mail client
is a fairly robust system that can be tailored to get the majority of junk mail;
however, it has its limitations. A recent one that has affected a few users is
spam with no apparent content to the message.

Howard Bazee writes:
"Lately I've been getting messages in Mail that are completely blank. Just
checking - my current examples are all on my .mac account. No from, no Subject,
no message (visible). How do I trace this down or at least teach Mail to treat
it as Spam?"
Spam messages containing no information in the message body or headers can leave
people wondering how to filter them since there is seemingly nothing to filter,
and will also bypass Apple's built-in junk filter. In reality, blank messages do
have raw content, but this can be scrambled or so cryptic that trying to set up
spam rules based on this content can lead to problems with nonspam mail, or just
not work at all.

This situation makes specifying a filter for the junk seem rather difficult, and
while some third-party spam solutions might be able to target blank e-mails,
there are some ways to set up rules that target the "To" and "From" fields that
will help manage these emails.

Solution:

1. Set up a filter for empty "From" and "To" fields.

This suggestion takes advantage of there not being any "@" symbol in the "From"
or "To" fields in these spam messages, which will definitely be there for
legitimate emails. Go to Mail's preferences and create a new rule in the "Rules"
section. Name it something creative, like "new rule", and set it for the
following criteria.

From --> Does not contain --> "@"
To --> Does not contain --> "@"
Either of these can be used independently, but both will also work. Proceed
carefully if you try to use the "CC" field, since that will affect desired
messages if you use the "any" option for condition inclusion. Set the action to
move the message to "Junk" or delete it, and then save the rule.

Oooo!  Is it too soon to schedule our February 12, 2009 meeting of
CMoM to be the MacWorld Bus???

    --   Bruce

At 11:47 PM +0000 3/30/09, Gerald Gifford wrote:
>Macworld Expo 2010 Pushed to February
>
>Today IDG has announced that the 2010 Macworld Expo will be held
>February 9 through 13 at Moscone Center in San Francisco.
>Traditionally, this Expo is held in early January, but this change
>was made from feedback from Expo exhibitors and attendees, who could
>now theoretically squeeze in both Macworld and the ever-growing
>Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which will happen
>January 7 through 10, 2010

Reclaim some drive space from iTunes
By Rob Griffiths (macosxhints@...)

If you're in need of every byte of drive space you can find -- perhaps you're
using a first-generation MacBook Air with a 64GB solid state drive, or maybe
you're just a pack rat -- here's a little tip that might save you anywhere from
a few megabytes to a couple of gigabytes, at least if you're an iPhone and/or
iPod user.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139590/2009/03/itunesdiskspace.html?lsrc=mwhints

The following info is from a newsletter from Other World Computing.

Macworld 2010
Although Apple has pulled the plug, we're still hanging on. When IDG had Apple
as their 'Anchor Exhibitor' it's unfortunate they just let things go vs
proactively pursuing changes that they're now reactively working hard to make
happen if not already gotten done. Even in better times and before Apple jumped
ship, despite all the good reasons for being an exhibitor, there were a growing
list of reasons to just not be.

Now, IDG has cut the cost for the booth space itself and, of even greater impact
for many exhibitors, they're working on GES to reduce the various service costs.
From power to internet to the basic transport of exhibitor booth and merchandise
from the Dock to the booth space - GES is the only option and, in our case, GES
service expenses are far greater than the raw booth space itself. What's done is
done and IDG has only itself to blame, but hopefully changes will encourage a
broad support for other exhibitor and give reason for attendees to be there as
well.

One nice change for 2010 is that no special codes or invites are now needed to
get free entry to the exhibits. You can register online now to reserve your pass
for the 2010 show.

https://register.rcsreg.com/regos-1.0/macsf2010/ga/index2.html

This is a nice touch and pretty much required I think... and quite a turn around
from the pulling teeth it took just to get the passes we needed for 2009 event
customers. I've saved the very best, in my opinion, for last now too... This
week it was announced that show is going to run February 9th to the 13th, a
Tuesday through Saturday event. That is huge! Originally, this thing was planned
for January 4th through the 8th (Mon-Friday).... As much as we have enjoyed
Macworld, it's always been dreadful to go from Christmas to New Years to Expo
time. Actually have some time to breath before the expo - and, it eliminates the
conflict with CES as well. An important element of the Macworld show happens to
be media coverage. With the exception of Macworld 2008, the show has always had
less than it's fair share due to the CES overlap which has consistently resulted
in a large portion of the media moving on to Las Vegas the day after, if not
right after, the keynote expo opener.

I hope the Macworld 2010 is a winner and then 2011...12.. etc. You can do a lot
online and all - but nothing beats the interaction possible at a show that
brings so much talent, creativity, and ideas together as Macworld has
historically done. Despite itself, this is the show that's had the mix of Mac
Users, Developers, and Vendors alike that to me has always been a strong benefit
for the Mac community at large. It's a shame that it took the loss of Apple to
get IDG forced into fixing that which has been wrong, it'll be a greater shame
if this show fails - unless something better steps into its place. While there
is much more I can be specifically crititcal of IDG for, also have to recongnize
that they have been the one pulling the event together for all the years too.
There is a real challenge now with Apple out of there, but this show has always
been so much more than Apple alone.

Disable Support site Help searches in Leopard
By Rob Griffiths (macosxhints@...)

When you use the search box in the OS X Help system (in OS X 10.5, at least) it
will, by default, search both the local help and Apple's Support site for topics
that match your query. If you've got a slow or not-always-on Internet
connection, or if you'd just rather not have your search terms sent to Apple,
previous versions of the Help system made it easy to disable these searches via
the Help system's preferences. In 10.5, though, the Help system was revamped,
and it's no longer a standalone application -- which means it doesn't have any
preferences to set.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139741/2009/03/helpsearch.html?lsrc=mwhints

NOTICE: There are 2 classes for Mac Reunion genealogy software users-one for
beginners and one for more advanced users.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group meeting

Saturday, April 11, 2009
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

875 Quince Avenue
Santa Clara, California, USA
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse)



We will have two sessions for Mac users:
1.  Reunion 9 for Mac Users - Family Group Sheets are the workhorses of our
genealogy research.  Let's look at them in detail and see how easy it is to get
them just right.  Is there information missing?  Would you like Uncle Harry to
fill in the blanks?  Maybe we can make a questionnaire for him as well as create
the perfect Family Group Sheets for our own uses.

2.  Getting Started with Reunion for the Mac -  Just starting your genealogy? 
Moving from another genealogy program (from PAF or Family Tree Maker, etc.) to
Reunion.  This class will show you the basics and get you off to a quick start.

Check the website for other computer and genealogy classes

http://svcgg.org/

The writer of the book, Google Your Family Tree will present an all-day seminar
on Saturday, 9 May 2009.
See the flyer for details:

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/UFbiSTe9nGzpg5ny9UE4S7WdM7LqPeJM_kamnhr_RpHysNQOYD4\
tdB9fhUqtEciYUB8UnVT9bExKnFdR0hSXEg/SVCGGLynch.pdf

For more info on the book:
http://www.googleyourfamilytree.com/

Mac 911 Tip of the Week
Scheduling Software Update
By Christopher Breen (mac911@...)

Reader Tim Biggio is hampered by the punishing policies of his Internet
provider. He writes (and I rant): "I live where there is no DSL or cable
available so I have to get my Internet via satellite. The downside is that they
limit downloads in any 24 hour period to 500MB. This is fine for regular
activity, but when my computers need software upgrades it jumps over. The
penalty for exceeding is you are limited to 56K speed for the next 24 hours. The
possible upside is that I get unlimited downloads between 2 AM and 5 AM. Is
there a way to have the automated software update run in that 2 AM to 5 AM CT
window?"

Ah, another satisfied Hughes satellite customer. Very briefly donning my
editorial hat, in an era when these kinds of massive updates are common on both
the Mac and Windows, it's shameful for Hughes to continue this policy. As a
former satellite broadband user I can testify that this means of using the
Internet is painful enough without your ISP standing over you like an abusive
parent.

Okay, now to your issue. Although Software Update allows you to schedule daily,
weekly, or monthly updates, it doesn't provide an obvious way to schedule a time
for the updates to occur. But there is a way. And that way is to manually check
for updates at the time you want future automatic updates to take place.

http://www.macworld.com/article/139860/2009/04/schedulesoftwareupdate.html

Quickly create an image contact sheet in Leopard
By Rob Griffiths (macosxhints@...)

Leopard's Quick Look is -- in my opinion -- one of OS X 10.5's more useful
features. I use it extensively to peek into files I think I want to open, to
display a single image or a number of images, and to watch video clips before
dropping them into a video project, amongst other uses.

Mac OS X Hints reader Bill Bauldry points out another way to use Quick Look, and
that's to create a contact sheet -- a page of image thumbnails, often used to
proof the images before printing -- in a very fast and efficient manner. Many
graphics applications include the ability to create contact sheets, but thanks
to Leopard, you can make one from the Finder with a few keystrokes (and one
click of a button).

http://www.macworld.com/article/139880/2009/04/contactsheet.html?lsrc=mwhints

Bugs & Fixes

Find Missing Sound Files in GarageBand
By Ted Landau (bugs@...)


When attempting to open a lesson file via GarageBand '09's Learn to Play, you
may get an unwelcome "Audio file...not found" error. This happened to me, for
example, after copying files from an old to a new computer.

Although the error message includes a Search button, I wouldn't waste my time
trying it. Inevitably, the error returns to inform you that it was still unable
to find the MIA files. If you instead select Skip, the lesson should eventually
open. However, not surprisingly, you won't be hearing much, if any, sound.

http://www.macworld.com/article/140061/2009/04/garageband_missingsounds.html