Aoraki Macintosh User Group Home Page

Snippets from Previous Meetings

JANUARY 31, 2003

AMUG MEETING ADVERTISEMENT

This month's meeting was advertised in the Timaru Courier newspaper, both in the Public Notices and in the 'Whats On' column. Dave M moved that an advertisement be placed in the Courier during the last week of each month [Seconded: Tony]. Tony read out a draft of information about AMUG to be sent (together with some digital photos) to both the Courier and the High Country Herald, to give publicity for AMUG. The draft was approved, and will be actioned.

MACTROPOLIS

Alan Rutherford (coordinator of Mactropolis) had offered to be online during the meeting to make arrangements for any members who wished to connect.

APPLE ROADSHOW

Barry gave us the dates and venues for the Apple Roadshow, which is scheduled earlier this year:
  • February 11 in Dunedin and
  • February 13 in Christchurch (followed by a seminar on Final Cut Pro)


    • FOR SALE

    Sheryl has a variety of Mac computers, printers, scanners, etc for sale. She also displayed a several new software titles. Contact her if interested:

    NEW MODELS & SOFTWARE

    Sheryl brought us up to date with new models, software and special prices currently available from Apple NZ, including:

    Safari: Apples new FAST web browser for users with MacOS X v10.2.


    Cinema Displays: Apple's new range is about half the cost of previous models.


    G4 PowerBooks: Now available in 12" 15" and 17" models
    Further details for these and other models/special/promotions are available on Apple New Zealands website:
    http://www.apple.co.nz/

    SESSIONS

    WELMAC & MAC FORUMS



    Graeme Moffatt from the Wellington Macintosh Society (WelMac) met with some AMUG members during January and outlined the setup of their user groups. He discussed the use of their online forums in which users share information and opinions, and assist each other with troubleshooting.

    WelMac have invited AMUG members to have free access to their forums, which can be viewed at www.welmac.org.nz If you would like to take part, contact Shery and she will pre-register you with WelMac.
    Sheryl gave us some information on the new website for NZ Mac users, which is a valuable source of information with many useful links. Have a look at www.nzmac.com if you are interested. Another handy site when looking for specific Mac information is Apples own New Zealand site: www.apple.co.nz

    MACBASICS CONTROL STRIP

    Tony gave a brief outline of the use of the Control Strip, which is part of Operating Systems 8 and 9. This handy feature gives access to a number of controls, including volume, screen resolution, monitor colors, file sharing, and (very useful) Remote Access, which gives an indication of time connected to the internet as well as the facility of connecting and disconnecting. The control strip can be rearranged (by holding Option before dragging an icon to a new position) or repositioned (by closing the control strip, holding Option then dragging the closed strip to desired location).

    SPAM & E-MAIL RULES

    Robin gave a detailed explanation of the problem of Spam (unwanted e-mails), with which he has had some experience. Various solutions are available on the Web, including:



    Robin also mentioned the Spamfire application, available from http://www.matterform.comThis application is useful for filtering out unwanted messages before they are received in the usual e-mail application. Mail rules are made to intercept messages from particular addresses, and also to identify other incoming messages from any address not listed in the the users address book.

    [The Matterform website advertised free CDs of Spamfire I sent for one, but they replied that they did not send them overseas (from the USA), but said that I could download the application from their website, and they would e-mail a serial number so that it would work. I did this, but have not had chance to look at the program in detail yet Tony]

    Robin's talk led on to various members contributing information on how different e-mail applications handle unwanted mail, and how Rules can be set up to deal with incoming messages.

    MACOS X BASICS

    Barry explained a number of aspects of MacOS X, including the use of the Preferences panels and use of the Finders features. A general discussion, including questions and answers, helped to explain some of the intricacies of MacOs X for newcomers. Further information on the use of MacOS X will be included in forthcoming meetings.


    REMINDER
    Next meeting is on Friday February 28 at 7:30 pm  -  ALL WELCOME - BRING A FRIEND

    Next AMUG Daytime Meeting is in MARCH Please phone Barry (03) 688 3612, prior to the meeting.

    [Committee Meeting on Mactropolis:  to be announced Please mark your calendar

    Regards to all.....   Regards to all....

    Tony Climo
    Secretary, Aoraki MacIntosh Users Group