July 28, 2006 Meeting

Aoraki Macintosh User Group Home Page

Snippets from Previous Meetings





Web design

I CAN ANIMATE

Sheryl has for sale the I Can Animate application, which allows animations to be constructed. This application is very user-friendly, and has an interface similar to that if iMovie. It is designed primarily for education use. Price: $78. We'll have session on this application in the near future.


IBEAM and iTRIP


a particular age or 'generation', as the connections vary. Before purchasing, it is advisable to check whether accessories are suitable for the model you have.

She showed two accessories :
  • The iBeam, which is a set of two lights - a torch beam and a laser pointer
  • The iTrip is an FM transmitter: From Wikipedia: it plugs into the headphone socket of the iPod and converts the audio output into an FM radio signal, which can then be picked up by appliances such as car radios. It has a range of about fifteen feet, and can broadcast on any FM frequency from 76.0 to 108.0 MHz. Instead of using batteries, the iTrip draws its power from the iPod through the remote control port located just next to the headphone socket.

BERT HINTON

Barry asked members to stand for few moments silence
in acknowledgement of the recent death of our member Bert Hinton.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Some computing queries discussed, and suggested solutions, included:

When my iBook battery wears out, what will it cost to replace it?

It depends on what type of replacement you choose. An Apple replacement battery will cost you $280, but other brands and 'refilled' batteries are cheaper. Contact Sheryl for further details.

I'm getting an increasing amount of junk mail. What can I do about it?

Depending on which e-mail application you are using, and which Internet Service Provider you are using to access your e-mail, there are several things you can do:
  • To intercept junk mail before it arrives in your mailbox, your ISP may help: eg. Xtra's Anti-Spam filter causes inbound junk mail to be automatically deleted before you get it, or you can block messages from specific addresses (go to Xtra/Webmail/Settings to turn on these settings). Orcon's Spam Detection settings do the same, and also allow you to select a 'spam threshold', which you can increase for a higher level of protection (go to Orcon/My Services/E-Mail/Spam Blocking).
  • To handle junk mail once it arrives, your e-mail application may move it to a Junk Mail folder (where you can see who a message is from without opening it) which can be automatically emptied when you schedule it (on quit, daily, etc.)

How do I set a computer to print in Chinese?

The relevant font can be turned on in the Font Book. You may not be aware that your computer comes loaded with literally dozens of fonts which you are unlikely to need (unless you're into Japanese, several varieties of Chinese, and numbers of Arabic, Hebrew and Cyrillic fonts) - if you disable these in the Font Book, text-based applications your computer are likely to operate somewhat faster.

You can also set the system language to Chinese (or another of your choice) in the System Preferences/International/Languages pane.

My printer sometimes chooses not to operate at certain times or with certain applications. What can I do?

  • Printer drivers are sometimes specific to a particular OS (Operating System, eg. OS 10.4), and maybe to a particular version of it (OS 10.4.7). Most manufacturers regularly update their printer drivers, so it may pay to check what they have available.
  • To check which version of printer driver is being used:
    1. Open the Printer Setup Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder)
    2. From the Window menu, select Printer List
    3. From the Printer List, single-click on your printer to select it
    4. Click on the blue Show Info button
    5. The Name and Location panel should list the driver version being used
  • Sometimes switching the printer off, unplugging it, plugging in again, then switching on will 'clear' it and allow to operate.

How can I use my computer to send spoken voice messages over the internet?

Use a system such as Skype, which allows you to call anywhere in the world:
  • from your computer to someone else's computer which has Skype (free)
  • from your computer to someone else's phone (for a fee)
  • from your phone to someone else's computer (for a fee)

SESSIONS

ETHERNET CONNECTIONS


Sheryl gave an explanation of Ethernet, which is one of the systems of connecting two or more computers or devices together, for sharing of applications or data files.

The speed at which data is transferred varies, and is dependent on both the computer's age and the type of cable used. Older computers and devices need crossover ethernet cables, but newer equipment uses straight-through ethernet cables. However, some newer devices can detect which type of ethernet signal is being used, and are able to adjust themselves automatically.

For information on setting up an ethernet network go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106658 and for info on types of cable go tohttp://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42717

Other connection methods include cable systems such as AppleTalk (older computers) and FireWire, and wireless systems like Airport and Bluetooth.

MacBASICS: ADDRESS BOOK

Tony gave members a brief look at some of the printing options available in the Address Book application: After selecting a group of (or all) addresses in the Address Book window and going to Print, a range of options becomes available:
  • Selecting List Style, and checking the desired Attributes (phone, company, Email, etc) enables address lists to be produced:
  • The Mailing Labels option gives access to both Avery and Dymo labels templates. Be aware that Avery labels come in two formats: Avery
Standard (4-digit codes), which print on US Letter-sized sheets, and Avery A4 (4-digit codes preceded by a letter, usually J or L):
  • The Envelopes option allows a variety of sizes of envelope to be printed.
  • The Pocket Address Book style produces two styles of small address book on the selected size of paper: either Indexed (left, below) or Compact (right, below):

iWORK - PAGES

Lea used several of her recent magazine publications to illustrate her demonstration of how the Pages application (part of iWork) can be used. Lea prepares her pages for printing by adjusting the Page Setup scale to 75% so that the material prints at 300dpi, giving a clear rendition. She showed how to adjust line height to enable lines of text to be more easily read with certain fonts than it is with standard one-line spacing.

Shadows can be added to both text and graphic objects, which can both highlight them and make them more clearly defined. Lea showed how masks of various shapes may be used to select areas of images or graphics, by covering and deleting bordering areas, eg: 1 2
3 4
Text can be rotated, and text wrap can be activated with control over the type of wrap around an object, and how close it is to the object. Arrows can be inserted on diagrams and images. Text and object opacity can be controlled. Tables can be inserted for display of data in spreadsheet format, and these can incorporate a variety of active mathematical calculation functions (below, left). Lea showed how Photoshop Elements can be used to edit photos to prepare them for publication, for example by cropping or deleting unwanted backgrounds (below, right):

As files created in Pages are only of use to someone who also has the application, there are a number of options for exporting in different formats. The PDF (Portable Document Format) option is useful, as it can be opened by anyone who has a PDF-viewing application on their computer (Preview on Mac computers, by default; also Acrobat Reader, which is a free download for both Macs and PCs)

If the file contains high-quality graphics/images (eg for printing) it is advisable to select 'Best' Image Quality. This appears to produce the same results as MacOS X's Save as PDF option in the Print Menu. Choosing 'Good' Quality is quite satisfactory when the file contains only text, or when graphic quality is not critical, and the file size is considerably smaller.

iWork (Pages + Keynote) retails at $NZ159.
For further information on Pages, members can refer back to Les Lamb's detailed notes,
appended to the minutes of the June 05 and August 05 AMUG meetings, at which he presented his talks.

MacBOOK


John gave members a look at his new MacBook laptop, which has a number of interesting features, including:
  • The processor is a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo chip, so it can use both MacOS X and Windows OS
  • A built-in iSight camera enables instant image capture for video chats or web photos.
  • The MagSafe power adapter, which provides mains power via a magnetic connection, so that tripping over the power cord doesn't send it flying!
  • Apple Remote and Front Row enable the user to browse through applications and files by remote control.
  • Widescreen display lets you make good use of the screen as you work.
We've previously shown photos of computers being viewed by members computers, but here's a photo taken by John's MacBook of members look like from its point of view:

Use the MacOS X Color Picker (available in a number of applications such as Pages, iMovie, Office) to select complementary colours for labels, movie titles, etc, by clicking on the magnifying glass icon to the left of the colour bar. The cursor then assumes the magnifying glass's shape, and as you move it over an image or graphic, it magnifies the colour at its centre. Click when the desired colour is found, and the colour bar turns the selected colour:


Regards to all....

Secretary: Tony Climo, Aoraki MacIntosh Users Group