Aoraki Macintosh User Group Home Page

Snippets from Previous Meetings

NEW EQUIPMENT & SOFTWARE

Sheryl outlined four new Apple products:

iMac Desktop Computers (above)

Apple Keyboard (left)

iLife 08, Apple's range of creative digital media/internet applications, comprising a major update to iPhoto, a complete rebuild of iMovie, new versions of iDVD and iWeb, and additional parts to Garage Band. $NZ109 (inc.GST). See iPhoto/iLife Session below.

iWork 08, Apple's suite of productivity applications: Pages 08, Keynote 08, and the newly-introduced spreadsheet application Numbers 08. Also $NZ109 (inc.GST).

Thank you Sheryl for introducing us to these new products.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Several computing queries and suggested solutions included:

FULL CAMERA MEMORY-STICK

Why does my digital camera show that its memory-stick is full, even though I've deleted all the images?

• It appears that with your camera, when you delete the images it's like moving files to the trash on your computer - you probably have to empty the trash on your camera as the files, although deleted, still seem to be in memory. Check with your camera's handbook. Normally 'erase' means that the files are deleted.
• If all else fails, the reformat the memory stick, as this will get rid of any data which is still on it.

A4 CALENDAR PRINTING

How can I make a (monthly) calendar which contains both picture and calendar month on the same A4 sheet?

The iPhoto (and some other applications) templates are set up to produce calendars in which the picture is on a horizontal A4 sheet, with the calendar month on another A4 sheet below. If you want both to be on the same vertical A4 sheet, set up your calendar, leaving the cover page blank (as you're not going to need it), as if each month was on two sheets, then combine them onto a single sheet by using the print settings:

1. In iPhoto, click on the File/Print menu. The iPhoto Print dialog appears.
2. Click on the Advanced button, which causes your printer's normal dialog to appear.
3. The Copies and Pages option also appears. Under Pages, From: type 2 to 13 (so that the cover page page isn't printed).
4. Click on the Option button (that's the one with the horizontal line each side of it, which usually reads Copies and Pages)
   and add layout
5. By Pages per Sheet select 2. Make sure that the layout diagram shows (not which indicates that your page orientation is set to print vertically - even though the sheet is horizontal).
6. Preview to check, then Print

UNWANTED SOFTWARE UPDATES

How do I stop Software Update from checking for updates which I donÕt want?

You can set Software Update to ignore updates for a specific component, so it hides the update and doesn't notify you of future versions. For example, if you don't have an iPod, you can choose to ignore iPod software updates. When a new version of iPod software is available, Software Update doesn't notify you.

• To set Software Update to ignore an update, select the update and choose Update > Ignore Update.

If you need to install an ignored update later (eg. When you buy iPod and want to get its latest software), you can reset Software Update to notify you of all updates:

• Choose Software Update > Reset Ignored Updates. All available updates appear next time you check for updates.

LOST FOLDERS

After saving (or exporting from iPhoto) I sometimes can't find where I've saved to!

When you save a file for the first time (or export) it, a dialog appears which asks you what you want to call it, and where you want to keep it:

The “Where” button usually shows the last folder or location you have used, event though you may have been using a different application. To change this, either:

• click on the ‘Where’ button to see the list of ‘standard’ locations (see MacBasics session, below), or
• click on the blue 'triangle' button to open a Finder column-view pane and choose the new location.

HANDY HINT 1

As soon as you've opened a new document, it's good practice to save it - even before you start to use it. If you do this you it will be included in in the application's auto-save function (if it has one), and you'll have more chance of recovering the document if something goes wrong.

MacBASICS

FINDER SIDEBAR

Kim reminded us of the usefulness of left-hand Sidebar in Finder windows as a convenient location for doing just what it was designed for: assisting with finding files. After the drives (both on the computer and external) and network locations in use, the Sidebar lists default locations such as Applications folder and Desktop, and then whichever other folders you like to put there. The folders themselves remain in their original location, as the Sidebar contains aliases which 'point' to the original folders.

To add folders to the Sidebar, just drag them into the desired position, taking care to insert new additions either between (a blue insert bar appears) existing folder, or at the end of the list. Do not drag onto an existing folder (which will highlight in blue), or your folder to be added will be moved into the selected folder instead.

Unlike other columns in Finder windows (which automatically sort alphabetically), the Sidebar is ordered according to your preference - just drag the items up or down. To remove items, just drag them out of the sidebar - this does not affect the actual folders, as you are are only getting rid of aliases.

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Kim also showed us how to use the Finder's Summary Information function. Most members know how to select an item, and then use the Finder's File/Get Info menu (or Apple I) to open the item's Information window. If you select more than one item, going to Get Info will open a separate information window for each item selected.

However, if you hold down the Control key, when you go to the File menu you'll find that Get Info has changed to Get Summary Info, and if you choose this a single Multiple Item Info window opens which summarises the information for the group of items selected. This enables you to see the combined size, as well as perform batch functions on all the files at once, such as locking/unlocking them, changing the color label or specifying the default application for opening them all:

Thanks Kim for these useful tips. There's more built into MacOS than we realise!

DOCKABLES

Tony demonstrated Dockables, a set of tiny applications that allow you to click dock icons to do up to twelve routine tasks such as shutting down, restarting, sleeping, and ejecting CDs. To set up Dockables, you just drag the chosen applications to the dock. When you wish to perform a task, just single-click the relevant icon. Shown above are some of the icons: Screen Capture (blue), Close All Applications (red), Hide All Open Apps (yellow), Empty Trash (light green), Eject CD (dark green) and Sleep (Orange).

The Dockables icons are available in three themes: Colour (as shown above), AquaSlate (dark grey) and Tangerine. Also included are DockSnaps, which are dividers for grouping your dock items, if you wish to - these come as a plain vertical line (to the right of the Sleep icon, above), and as columns of either small squares or bubbles.

Dockables needs MacOS 10.4 (Tiger), and is a 2.4MB freeware download, available from the Apple website. Go to: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/dockables.html

Thank you Tony for this session.

APPLICATIONS

BOOKDOG

Hugh introduced Bookdog, a utility application which analyses and alphabetically sorts your web browserÕs bookmarks. Although developed for Safari, it also works with Camino, Firefox, Opera, Shiira, Google Bookmarks and OmniWeb, and will migrate your bookmarks from one browser to another, synchronising them if you wish. Bookdog will also verify that bookmarks are still valid, and can also repair broken bookmark links.

Bookdog runs on MacOS 10.3.9 or later, and is a 4.7 MB shareware download, 5-day demo trial available; purchase for $US19.95. Visit: http://sheepsystems.com/products/bookdog for further info and download.

Thank you Hugh for the information on this application.

iLIFE 08 APPLICATIONS

iPHOTO

1. Organise by Events: All photos taken on a particular date are automatically organised as an event, which is identified by its poster photo, which you can quickly select. Mousing across the poster photo enables you to skim through the thumbnails of its contents. Events can be merged by dragging, and conversely split into separate events. Photos which you don't want to to always be on show can be hidden (and retrieved when needed).
2. Share via .Mac Web Gallery: If you have a .Mac account you can upload events or albums to your own Web Gallery, which can be viewed interactively on the Internet by others - they can be skimmed, or watched as a slideshow. If desired, others can upload photos to your gallery, or you can do it yourself by e-mailing from a camera-equipped cellphone.
3. New Editing Tools: New tools include cropping, straightening, noise reduction, white balance, and adjustments for shadows and highlights. You can also do batch changes to apply the same adjustments to more than one photo.
4. Ways to Search: Search for photos in several customisable ways.
5. New Theme-Based Printing: iPhoto printing menus have been rearranged to make them simpler to use, and now provide a more versatile range of options, including a large number of theme combinations for backgrounds, textured mattes, borders and arrangements.

OTHER APPS

To demonstrate the capabilities of the new versions of other iLife 08 applications, Tony played a QuickTime movie of parts of the the Guided Tour from the Apple website. Sections featured showed the changes in iMovie (which has been completely redesigned), the .Mac Web Gallery (mentioned above) and Garage Band, which now includes a new virtual band feature called Magic Garage Band.

To either view online or download the Guided Tour, go to: http://www.apple.com/ilife/guidedtour/

Some very exciting new aspects in these products - well worth updating!

XTRA E-MAIL

Kim explained the recent changes to Xtra e-mail, and described the alterations which Xtra subscribers need to make to the account settings in their e-mail application.

As Xtra (now known as Yahoo!Xtra) has now moved its e-mail servers to Yahoo! in Australia, there are some differences in the way it handles e-mail, which will result in anti-spam filters being more effective, although it could also cause e-amail transmission on dial-up connections to be appreciably slower. Setting alterations:

Apple Mail:

1. Go to Preferences/Accounts/Account Information
2. Change User Name so that it reads your full e-mail address
3. Outgoing Mail Server: click Server Settings button - enter settings:
4. Outgoing Mail Server: send.xtra.co.nz
5. Server Port: 465
6. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer box
7. User Name: full e-mail address
8. Click OK, then click the Advanced button
9. Port: 995 (may have changed automatically)
10. Check the Use SSL box

Outlook Express/Entourage:

1. Go to Tools/Accounts, select your account and click Edit.
2. Receiving Mail: ensure that your Account ID is your full e-mail address
3. Click Advanced Receiving Options button
4. Check both 'This POP service requires...' and 'Override default...' boxes
5. Ensure POP port reads 995. Close the Advanced Options window
6. Sending Mail: SMTP server: send.xtra.co.nz
7. Click Advanced Sending Options button.
8. Check both S'SMTP service requires...' and 'Override default...' boxes
9. Ensure SMTP port reads 465. Close the Advanced Options window

IMPORTANT: To use these new settings you must use your web browser to go to Yahoo!Xtra Webmail, login and go through the onscreen forms, or the new settings will not work.

Hint: When dealing with unwanted spam, remember to hit the Junk Mail button rather than Delete, as this will cause subsequent messages from the same source to be treated as Junk.

GUTENPRINT

Trouble with printer drivers? Gutenprint (formerly Gimp-Print) could be the solution. Kim gave an overview of how Gutenprint drivers for Canon, Epson, Lexmark and PCL printers can overcome difficulties which arise when MacOS updates cause conflicts with older printer driver versions. Gutenprint contains large numbers of printer drivers for the above-listed machines, and as these are generic rather than model-specific they will often work when specific drivers become outdated.

PRINT HINT - RESETTING THE PRINTING SYSTEM

If your printer is not responding, then Resetting the Printing System may help (ever heard of it???)
Do this by opening the Printer Setup Utility (in the Applications/Utilities folders).
Under the Print Setup Utility menu, select the Reset Printing System option. This will clear the stored settings in the system, which may resolve conflicts.

Thank you Kim for the detailed information contained in the above sessions.

HANDY HINT

To quickly go to a file in a Finder window (any view: icon, list or column), type its initial letter to get filenames starting with that letter.
If you quickly type the first letters of its filename you'll get even closer, or the actual file itself.