cooling your laptop

Happy New Year. Here is a good tip for keeping your laptop cool

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-keep-your-laptop-operating-at-a-safe-temper.html?cid=dn_related

Apple targeted by lawsuit

EZ4Media, Inc. filed lawsuit against Apple
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/1/18/apple_tv_at_the_center_of_apples_latest_lawsuit.html

Printers and don't get an Epson whatever you do

Costco has real good deals even better then Wallgreens. I like to get prints there. In the long run it is cheaper to get them from a store. There are always sales too. Costco however has really weird big sizes for enlargements but they are cheap and print well. Bring a CD. The kiosk works and can tell you whether you can print your images or if they don't have enough resolution.

If you need a printer don't even think about getting an Epson. Mine still doesn't work and Epson is no help at all. My wife's hewlett-packerd does pretty well though and she prints stuff . I was subbing over at Olathe NW and they have a nice graphics art? lab with Epson for the Macintosh and PCs. The teacher says they are always having problems with the Epsons.

I don't under the Epson people . Their website is not help and Apple does not have any advice either . Don't get Epson.

Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography: book review

Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography

Author : O'Reilly Media, Inc. (August 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 059652370X
ISBN-13: 978-0596523701
Pages: 305
USA: $ 40
Canada: 56

Strengths: This practical guide has extensive information integrated with the screenshots, exquisite photographs and visuals. The tutorials and information are well done and provide much assistance for those Mac users who want to become familiar and gain and understanding of their system. Good for those who are starting with Macs or want to become more efficient with the

Weaknesses: Questions relating to troubleshooting in the first chapter could have better been placed in a section at the end or integrated into another chapter.


Rating: 5/5


reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher (Dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Introduction

The author Stephen Johnson is a landscape photographer, designer and teacher. He a world recognized digital photographer and pioneer. Many of his remarkable photographs are part of many collections in world institutions. Many of this photos and world famous photos from other photographers showcase the techniques and photographic topics.

Chapter 1 focuses with a great a great introduction to several reasons for working with digital imagery. Specific conceptual troubleshooting issues are elaborated upon while focusing upon real problems. However with all the emphasis on perfectionistic photography throughout the later parts of the book it was interesting how troubleshooting techniques were placed here. Possibly this was done to focus on what can go wrong to further demonstrate proper techniques but this section should most likely have been placed elsewhere as in the appendix.

The 21 chapters have sections relating to basics of digital photography, Film camera techniques vs. digital, Practical approaches of the non film photographer, Techniques of the digital darkroom , A photographer ™s digital journey, Photography, art and the future. Among the most interesting parts of the book are a section on compositing and faking of images (Chapter 19 : Photography and Truth - Imaging Ethics in the Digital Age), highlighted using photographs of space missions, Mt. St. Helens, and war related images. These different perspectives give a fresh perspective on comparing and contrasting historical and other techniques. What I liked is that photographic perspectives related to me personally and could relate to others based on how old you are. The author’s perspectives and photographs of him standing on the rim of the crater of Mt. St. Helens compared to my experience as a teacher that was allowed to helicopter into the crater and videotape and photograph the inside of the crater. Other readers will relate to many other photos while others will be amused or uplifted by the clarity and poignant qualities of the photographs.

Conclusion:

This book is thoughtfully produced and comprehensively written. The author has crafted a book which covers many views of digital photography taken from a historical perspective as photography has progressed through time. While it is guide, it is not an easy. The troubleshooting perspectives, which I thought should go elsewhere, were important and would help with beginning essentials. It is the additional views and perspectives that this guide has in the rest of the book that a photographer can use over time, for producing better digital photographs. The bottom line it is not an easy read. You will have to pause and reflect on the importance of digital photography through the “eyes “ of the author. That is what makes a great read.

Make a make green (with envy?) and more

The "greenist" Mac yet

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/12/11/apple-debuts-greenest-macs-ever/

Blackberry and now their virtual keyboard

I don't really know why Blackberry owners are such fanatics about these devices. One of the parts of these devices as well as the Palm and others, has been the keyboard which for me is almost useless and for me makes not tense. I don't text. My finders are too big. How do you access the numbers or etc ? Even Sprint did not know how to access the virtual keyboard on my Palm. Go figure. There are other reasons possibly. But the makers saw how popular the iPhone is getting and it is threatening their turf. So one of the things is for a virtual keyboard. It will be interesting to know if iPhone still surges, takes away even more business sales and threatens Blackberries.

want to tweak Vista/Windows to look like Mac/ OSX- then go all the way

This was an interesting point of view in several ways. Some people like Windows because they are used to and don't want to go beyond an interface they count on. But Microsoft has constantly tried to add Apple type features to the OS. Those who might like more . Why not go all the way and get a a Mac. Meanwhile in the latest commerical for Vista, they treat making panoramas as breathtaking and cool. How pathetic is that. Where have these been. Doing very little with Windows is most of what people do. Showing them anything new opens there eyes but is that innovative. No it means that the Windows and Vista interfaces have not done the jobs and continue to do so. That alright by me. I use the Mac OS. I use Windows XP at the schools I teach at because that is all they have. When I want more, I come back to my Macs and the OSX at home.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1755&tag=nl.e539

Clone mac computer in Argentina: what now?

It still cost quite a lot so why would someone buy it. Read more

http://www.palluxo.com/

Why is Apple doing this? Wallmart will sell iPhone

I am not really sure why Apple doing this. Apple still can sell the iPhone in the Apple stores and is doing well with it so far. Maybe its a "saturate the market thing" so more iPhones will sold now and go up against in more places against the Blackberry, Sprint phone and the new Google phone.
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/20/apple-iphone-may-be-coming-to-wal-mart-in-just-over-a-month/

Remembering Michael Crighton a Mac enthusiast

Editors' Notes: Remembering Michael Crichton 

Michael Crichton passed away last week. He'll be remembered for his
many books and screenplays, but Rob Griffiths will remember him as a
passionate -- and generous -- Mac enthusiast. 
http://www.macworld.com/article/136585/2008/11/crichton.html?lsrc=mwweek 

Raiders of the Lost Macintosh 12/2008

Raiders of the Lost Macintosh 12/2008
Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com

Xmenu (www.devon-technologies.com)
Customizable menu bar
free
Can add 5 menus which show contents of the folders
Unlimited hierarchical menus that are updates automatically
Can display small icons

Exif Untrasher
recover images from memory cards accidental deletion
free
www.bluem.net/downloads/exif-untrasher_en

Cardraider
recover images from memory cards accidental deletion
also offers iPhoto integration to restore photos directly into iPhoto
$19.95
www. ecamm.com

Mousepose
Highlights a cursor position on the screen (Powerpoint, Keynote etc) and displays a colored circle where you click your mouse button and shows the keystrokes onscreen
$16.95
www.boinx.com

equinux
Integrated Leopard only internet needed connection for ebay sellers. Easy to understand interface with excellent auction tracking tools.
$39.95
www.equinux.com

Screenflow
Screen capture capabilities which can also use iSight and video capture. Also has zoom, highlighting and key commands. Universal binary
$99.99
www.varasoftware.com

Spanish vocabulary (Custom Solutions of Maryland)
free
Practice your Spanish with this quiz like game/application. Vocabulary (1840 words) pop up and you type it in. Drop down menu offers hints if you can't get it.
customsolutionssofmaryland.50meg.com/spanishvocab.htm/

Lego Digital Designer
free
Build lego models by using your Mac. Then upload the it to Lego's website and then actually buy what you build. You can even design the box it is shipped in.
www.ldd.lego.com

Stellarium
free
Using your longitude and latitude coordinates. this program shows you the stars, planets and much more. Also offers motor driven telescopic control and has a brightness reduction night mode for advanced telescope users.
www.stellarium.org

It is already on your OSX
Enlarge your Mouse Control Cursor
Way to customize enlarge the size of the cursor for presentations, on screen visualization and location/ finding
free It is already on your OSX
Directions: Screen preferences > Universal Access> click the Mouse tab / Mouse Trackpad (laptop) > adjust the slider bar near the bottom of the window (your pointer will grow or shrink so just adjust to your liking)

The Onion pits OS X Snow Leopard against Windows 7

The Onion pits OS X Snow Leopard against Windows 7
Posted: 08 Nov 2008 05:14 PM PST
The satirical website The Onion often has hilarious takes on current events. This week, it turned its sights on what will undoubtedly be a big debate next year: OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) versus Windows 7. The new operating systems from both Apple and Microsoft are expected to come out next year; The Onion mocks their “differences” in the image below.

starter wife mac

On the show the Starter Wife, the ex husband is with the daughter in the park. They are looking at their Mac laptop talking about things.

2 heartplant for Golfer uses a Mac

The ABC news 10/30/2008 had a piece about a young pro golfer who has just had his 2nd heart transplant. You have to give him credit for his fortitude and his choice of computers. Right before the end of the segment, the golfer and his wife are looking at a Mac screen with the prominent Apple logo on the outside (seems like a laptop).

Jobs talks about recent iPhone news and more

Interesting information about the latest Apple musings
http://webmail.aol.com/39598/aol/en-us/Suite.aspx

13 Free Apps For iPhone, iPod Touch

Free and new. Try these Apple applications
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/iphone/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=211600190

Apple soars with laptops and iPhone

Apple soars 26% and many Apple products don't seem to be affected by the economic crunch. Apple shares have fallen 40% since Sept. 1 Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones in the quarter up from 1.1 a year ago this time.Apple shipped 2.6 million computers (21% increase from a year ago). Net income was $1.14 billion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/10/apple_shines_yahoo_slumps.html

Top 25 Downloads For Your Computer

The latest new idea from the internet/aol etc is to use slide shows, videos and other multimedia to extend your time using the internet. For the most part these slide shows are used so that ads appear more often, stay on longer or cause you to see other ads. The name of the game is $$$$ and the companies are pull out all stops to get money through the internet.

The latest one has helpful hints and software downloads. You can spend many more minutes going through the slide show or use the following below. I have not listed belong Vista, Linux or other OSs only Mac ones (although some of them are cross platform and are included).

Top 25 Downloads For Your Computer

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 12:10PM


http://www.switched.com/2008/09/03/top-25-downloads-for-your-computer/?icid=100214839x1211905378x1200739484

http://switched.com.com/1770-20_4-0.html?part=switched&subj=search&tag=dl&query=adium&searchtype=downloads

Growl is a Mac-only notification application, which is a geeky way of saying that this program notifies you of things happening in the background -- IM messages, new e-mails, completed downloads -- on your computer.o, how does it work? Once Growl is installed and running, simply opening an application will allow it to start sending updates to Growl. Let's say you're browsing in Firefox, which is currently taking up entire screen, and an instant message comes in. Growl will pop up a discreet customizable window on your screen that displays the message contents and sender's name, which saves you the time and hassle of having to switch over to your IM application just to see what someone is saying. You can also set Growl up to display pop-up style alerts when your downloads finish, when new e-mail comes in (including subject and the first few lines of the note), or when new wireless networks become available. You can even set it up to display music video-style alerts (complete with cover art, artist, album and track info) that pop up whenever iTunes begins a new track.

Growl works with most popular Mac applications, and, best of all, it's free.

Thunderbird 2 (Mac, Windows XP and Vista)

iScrobbler, the iTunes plugin.
Picasa / Flickr Uploader (XP/Vista/OS X/Linux)

Have you ever snapped the perfect photo and wished you could share it with the world immediately? Grab either the Picasa or Flickr Uploadr, depending on your photo sharing site of choice, and put that digital camera and wireless Internet connection to good use. You can immediately upload your photos to share with, or embarrass, your friends and family. Even better are the Linux and Windows versions of Picasa, which allow you to clean up your photos (crop, remove red eye, etc.) before posting them online for the world to see.


Tomboy (Linux), Evernote (XP/Vista), Journler (OS X)

Sometimes you'll come across some information online, or you'll think of an idea for a new project, or you'll want to jot some quick bullet points for yourself in a meeting. For this sort of application a full word processor can be overkill, and not very useful. That's why there are dedicated note-taking and clipping applications like Evernote and Journler. These software packages allow you to quickly create, organize, and search notes. Evernote and Journler will even let you embed images and links to Web sites or files. Tomboy for Linux lacks many of the fancier features that Evernote and Journler have, but its sheer simplicity make it a pleasure to use. Tomboy lets you create simple text-based notes that can then be linked together like a Wiki (i.e. Wikipedia entries that link to other Wikipedia entries).

Outlook's note-taking capabilities and desktop post-It-like sticky notes have long been popular, but both lack the advanced organizational features and multimedia capabilities of these note-taking apps. Stickies and Outlook are fine for quick one-off notes and reminders, but for detailed brainstorming and research, Evernote, Journler, and Tomboy are much more up to the task.

http://www.dandans.com/TotallyFreeBurner.htm

Audacity
(Mac, Windows XP and Vista)

Audacity seems as though it has been around for ages, but there's a reason the app is still going strong: It's one of the most reliable and easy-to-use audio-editing programs out there. Plus, Audacity runs on all platforms, and it's free!

Want to digitize your old vinyl records? Boot up Audacity, hook up your stereo, and you'll be recording in no time. Looking to make the next mashup to take the Web world by storm? Audacity lets you easily import, edit, and mix MP3s (and WAV, AIFF and OGG files). Manipulating audio is as easy as cutting, pasting, and dragging -- highlight a section of a recording that has unwanted sound, and a quick cut will remove it from the file. If you're looking to get into more advanced editing and effects, Audacity comes with multiple sound filters.
http://switched.com.com/1770-20_4-0.html?part=switched&subj=search&tag=dl&query=audacity&searchtype=downloads

Google Earth
(Mac, Windows XP and Vista)

For those of you who haven't already taken one of its virtual tours, Google Earth is a pretty wild ride. By referencing satellite imagery of the entire planet, it allows you to enter an address and zoom from space right down into actual aerial images of your street in your city . Thanks to a handy "layers" feature, you can check out aerial views of restaurants, hospitals, banks, and other resources in a given area, or check things like housing prices, crime statistics, postal code boundaries, and dozens of other stats for the selected zone. But the coolest part? Google Earth features 3-D terrain mapping, which you can use to fly through the Grand Canyon or a block full of Manhattan skyscrapers to check out the terrain.

MAME (XP/Vista/OS X/Linux)

Most of the apps on our list are aimed at making your more productive or replacing expensive or slow applications with free light weight alternatives. But sometimes you just want to have a little fun. So pick up the free vintage arcade game emulator MAME, which let you play classic titles like 'Centipede' and 'Dig-Dug' on your computer. MAME on its own is a useless piece of software, but with a little Googling you can easily locate some ROMs, which you open with MAME to enjoy classic arcade-y goodness. The legal nature of MAME and ROMs is a bit murky -- technically you're supposed to own the original game for this to be legit -- but we doubt anyone is going to come and check your basement for an original 'Donkey Kong' coffee table, right?

http://switched.com.com/1770-20_4-0.html?part=switched&subj=search&tag=dl&query=mame&searchtype=downloads

Firefox (XP/Vista/OS X/Linux)

The most important item you can install on any computer.

The Firefox Web browser will probably be the application you use the most on your laptop. Now don't get us wrong -- Internet Explorer 7 isn't awful -- it's just that Firefox is that much better. Particularly attractive is the ability to add new features through extensions, which are small-add ons to Firefox that allow you do do everything from block advertisements to save chunks of Web sites to your Google Notebook.

We've discussed some of our favorite extensions before, but here are some other ones we like: If you use Gmail, then check out Better Gmail from the folks over at Life Hacker. Better Gmail adds a host of new abilities to the Google mail service, including new keyboard shortcuts or even a completely new look. We also like the Remember the Milk extension for adding a to-do list to your Gmail inbox. Also worth checking out (if you're a Windows or OS X user) is PicLens, which turns any photo site -- including Flickr, Google Image Search, or even MySpace -- into an interactive 3D wall of images that makes scrolling and scanning huge numbers of photos easy and fun.

Latest news from Apple and more

Mac notebook latest information and interesting reads.

http://news.cnet.com/live-blog-apple-notebook-event/?tag=nl.e729

Microsoft Balmer CEO puts some hurt on Apple software : He is sore at Apple ads:?

I don't think that Microsoft likes the Apple ads. Microsoft is pushing back and using their "muscle"

http://www.macobserver.com/article/2008/10/10.7.shtml

Fluid and two other graphic programs for Mac

Fluid

While we're fans of tabbed browsersoften using Firefox or Safari with 15 to 20 open tabsthis approach to en-masse web surfing does have its downsides. For example, a particularly buggy site that repeatedly takes down your browser and all its tabs. If you ever find yourself thinking, Gee, wouldnt it be great if I could just run that one page in its own little browser? then you'll want to give Fluid a try. Fluid lets you convert any Web site into its own standalone browsing application with a trivial amount of effort. These mini-programs, known as site-specific browsers (SSBs), are built around WebKit, the open-source Web-browser engine that also powers Apples Safari browser.

Read the whole Gem:
Fluid 0.9.4.1
http://www.macworld.com/article/136087/2008/10/fluid.html?lsrc=mwgems

James Dempsey took a look at two image-editing programs that aim to provide less-expensive alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. The $40 Acorn is a simple program made for those who just want to crop a photo, add some text, and maybe do some minor editingwithout the palettes, steep learning curve, and off-putting price tag that accompany many full-blown image editors.

The $59 Pixelmator is a layers-based editor that uses Apples Core Image, over 20 selection tools, 15 color correction tools, 50 filters, and support for over 100 file formats to fill the giant void between Photoshop and Acorn.

Read the whole Gems:
Acorn 1.0.2
http://www.macworld.com/article/60512/2007/10/acorn.html?lsrc=mwgems
Pixelmator 1.0.1
http://www.macworld.com/article/60542/2007/10/pixelmator.html?lsrc=mwgems

Apple's latest non moves

Apple did not do the following 2 things. Read why
October 15, 2008 4:00 AM PDT
Three things Apple won't do

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10066317-37.html?tag=nl.e703

Apple gets a patent for its dock

This took a long time but Apple finally got the patent for it. What does that mean for other companies?
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/10/08/apple.gets.dock.patent/

Is Apple Opening closing doors when it should be opening them?

I found this article interesting. It relates to application development which Apple usually tries to keep stuff close with it to make sure the apps are "up to snuff."

http://www.gearsandwidgets.com/?p=334

Maclaptop with Devil Rays at baseball playoffs

There is a maclaptop with the baseball Devil Rays team while talking about thge MLBblog on the TV commercials

USB AC charging unit for iPhone recalled by Apple

Not sure what the problem is but hope that fix it soon for iPhone users.
* TAGS:AC, adapter, Apple, recall, usb
* IT TOPICS:Macintosh & Apple, Mobile & Wireless, Personal Technology
http://blogs.computerworld.com/apple_recalls_usb_ac_charging_unit_for_iphone

Switzerland will smash atom stuff

ABC had an interesting about an experiment to go on soon in Switzerland in which proton beams will collide to try to simulate the Big Bang. The major scientist is using a Macintosh among all his papers and books.

Apple Introduces Thinnest iPod Ever, Updated iPods , Added New Features To iTunes

Apple Introduces Thinnest iPod Ever, Updated iPods , Added New Features To iTunes
http://krisabel.ctv.ca/blog/_archives/2008/9/9/3877055.html

Seinfeld Gates Commercial

What the hell was that TV commercial? I heard something was going to be coming out to "counter"(?) popular whimsical Apple commercials. I just saw the this latest Seinfeld /Gates commercial. Seinfeld is trying to get Gates interested in shoes (I have not idea why ). Seinfeld recommends wearing the shoes in the shower (what the hey?). Seinfeld and Gates then go walking in the street. There is some talking of something consumer oriented but nothing more. I am sure there were will more commercials like this but all I can say is "WHY?"

Some artists do not buy into the iTunes store

Wall Street journal has an interesting article about some artists do not sell on the iTunes store as they do not like the policy of selling along hits from albums. Apple keeps 30% of the sales (I thought it was more) whether it is one song or an album. Some like the Eagles are placing their current album through Walmart. This musically chess came goes on

more here
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/disharmony-at-itunes-912340.html

Mac on 60 Minutes Dennis Quaid

I had heard that the movie star Dennis Quaid remarried and they had twins but something happened to them. On 8/24/2008, the movie star with his wife at his side, told the agony that there twin boys were given a 1000 times dose of blood thinner which put them in extreme peril. In this piece on 60 minutes, they went on to find that overdosing has occurred in similar cases in other hospitals but little was done. Two similar bottles of the blood thinner were similar in size. Each also had blue titling strips around them one darker blue then the other but still easy to mistake.
Quaid and his wife were trying to lead a campaign to have better labeling on bottles so more careless mistakes would not kill, injure or cause harm to patients. While they were showing what they were doing to help promote this campaign, the TV showed Quaid looking at his Mac laptop (not sure what kind ?).
The drug industry did not seem to think much of it and while the hospitals were listening to concerns it does not seem that they will be doing much either.
Be careful out there

The Apple (& the Google) of most people eyes

Kansas City Star has a interesting article ( D1) about Google and Apple all in one. Its about customer satisfaction polling and rating from the University of Michigan Customer Quality Relations Center. On a 100 point scale Apple is 85/100 (next is Dell with 75). Other computer makers dropper satisfaction while Apple was up from 79.
The rise is do to carry over from people buying ipods and the new iPhones and people being driven off my Vista. Computers are the new "Swiss Army Knife" while the laptops are becoming more prized.

Seinfeld ads to target Apple

Microsoft is feeling a little slighted because their products aren't as "cool" as Apple's products and ads on TV and that show it up. So starting in September, Jerry Seinfeld will show up on TV ads promoting Vista. The new Microsoft campaign ($300 million worth) will focus upon " Windows, not walls" (stressing breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting). Will this make a dent against Apple's coolness and rising sales (second quarter sales up 41% since the same time last year 15.3%) ?

The article in Wall Street Journal (8/22) stressed " can you ever remember a cool Microsoft ad?" For this makeover Seinfeld is getting $10 Million and possibly helps to keep in the spotlight his Seinfeld series (which left in 1998) which most college kids don't remember at all.

Michael Phelps ipods: Beijing what's on your iPod?

On NBC during 8/18/2008 Olympics there was a spot about all the athletes and everyone listening to their iPod. Notice they said iPods not mp3 players. Michael Phelps was always seen with the ipod bugs in his ears listening to music etc. The athletes use it to pump themselves up, wind down after competition, relax and much more.

Buy a Mac or PC the next round

Interesting new Apple Mac ideas about PC buying .
There is also a host of interesting comments
http://www.switched.com/2008/08/06/mac-vs-pc?icid=100214839x1206972894x1200363179

Apple slows, new Apple Store close by me and an interested Apple article

Even as Apple expects a slow quarter, an Apple Store opens up very close to me in the Kansas City area, and I find an interesting article about why many computer enthusiasts buy the iPods, Macintosh and more.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2008/07/15/apple-crack.html

"MacBook Pro Battery Woes


By Christopher Breen mailto:mac911@macworld.com

Mac 911 Tip of the Week

Another year, another iPhone.

Reader Bill Grant has a problem with power, specifically the battery
in his MacBook Pro. He writes: "Recently, my MacBook Pro has been
behaving strangely. I charge the battery over night, yet the battery
menu constantly flickers between estimating a fully-charged state and
telling me that the battery isn't charging. When running from battery
power, I see a readout of about half full and then the computer shuts
off abruptly. Any idea what's going on?"

It's quite likely you have a bad battery. From the Apple menu, choose
About This Mac and then click the More Info button in the resulting
window. When System Profiler appears, select the Power entry and
eyeball the Health Information entry. If, under Condition, it says
"Check Battery," that battery is probably on the fritz.

Fortunately, these batteries are under an extended replacement program
as they're defective. Apple has issued a document that outlines
symptoms a defective battery might exhibit as well as a link to a
software update that can fix some battery issues.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/

If the software fix doesn't work, you should follow the document's
advice and contact Apple about having the battery replaced. And, as
always, check out the Mac 911 blog for weekly doses of troubleshooting
advice.
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/mac911.html?lsrc=mwweek "

Mac vs pc again and switching good read

Lot is said about the differntial cost but there is much more to think about.
They really like the acer for many reasons over Macbook pro
http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2008/03/28/acer-vs-apple/

The author recently switched and talks about his experience for himself and others. Finally he says "And be aware... Once you switch to a Mac, you'll never go back." to find out what else he said read the link

http://shopping.aol.com/shopping-blog/2007/12/14/switching-to-mac/

Information about the new smartphone iPhone 3G

http://www.macworld.com/article/133988/2008/06/iphone3gfaqs.html?lsrc=mwweek

Firefox 3 record downloads review

I got hooked on Firefox some 3 or more years ago. The slick interface, the add ons, the taps and more including that is continually upgrades makes it great. It is nice to know that more people are clamoring for Firefox and ditching Internet Explorer for Mac and PC owners.

http://mozillalinks.org/wp/2008/05/firefox-3-rc-1-full-review/

Apple's New iPhone 3G: Must have device of the year

Apple's must-have device will have an upgrade with the 3G model of the iPhone. Including all the features of the original, the iPhone 3G will also have: faster data speeds; built-in GPS; the iPhone software upgrade will allow users to access their corporate mail with Exchange support and VPN; Starts at July 11 at Apple Stores all over. Photos of the long lines will be interesting and hearing other hype.
http://shopping.aol.com/electronics?ncid=AOLCOMMshopDYNLprim0001

New iphone information

Steve Jobs took to the stage at the Moscone West Center in San
Francisco Monday to deliver an hour-and-44 minute keynote kicking off
Apple's annual Worldwide Developers' Conference. Heading into Monday's
keynote, the iPhone was expected to be a major topic of discussion,
and Jobs didn't disappoint. In addition to discussing the upcoming
iPhone 2.0 software release, Jobs also unveiled the 3G iPhone -- which
arrives in July at a significantly lower price from the current
models.

Find out what Steve Jobs had to say in our blow-by-blow account of his
keynote:

http://www.macworld.com/article/133798/2008/06/wwdckeynote.html?lsrc=newsalert

Create your own Photo blog: Book review

Create your own Photo blog

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Author: Catherine Jameson
Publisher: Wiley Publishing , Inc. 111 River Stree, Hoboken, NY 07030
Released: 2006
Pages: 301
$ USA
$ Canada
UK
# ISBN-10: 0471767743
# ISBN-13: 978-0471767749
Strengths: Good layout, sound advice and techniques. Tabs on the outer edges of the left side are helpful in easily finding the chapter numbers.
Weaknesses: Since thebook came out in 2006 when moveable type was very common with creating blogs, the book focuses on these techniques. While still valuable, it you requre the need of blogger or other blog engines, you may to find other resources or use this book with others that you. Most others like blogger are much easier to use then moveable type.
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Rating: 4.5/5

I had created websites but did not know about blogs and how they were different from websites. As I explored more, I found out about their different uses. Blogs continue to be quite popular with many computer users and it is nice to see that some blogs and websites actually have education, visual or other value. One type of blog to create is called a photoblog. The book called Create your own photo blog it one book to help you get started for making your photoblog a reality.

The author is Catherine Jameson is a photographer, writer and has an award winning photo blog called Utata. She has written a book with many ideas and resources and I was interested to find some new techniques about blogging in general for this review as ideas that might help me elevate the use of some of my blogs.

The book is nicely laid out. Throught there was photos and screenshots that help illustrate the points of creating blogs. Ideas penned as designer tips, pro tips, notes are found throughout the book. There are also little icons that look like red mouses that indicate where in the screenshots the tutorials can find the informaton in the tutorials. More authors should use some techniques like this (and some do) which keep one from having to wonder where in the screenshots the focus is.

Twelve chapters encompass the three main sections in this book: getting started, setting up (blogs); use of photos and include Six ideas (p.13) detail six primary reasons for using a photo blog. Mac and PC users are given instructions how to start with general equioment.

Understanding styles and using styles for your intent are outlined. Before 2006, many blogs used the moveable type publishing platform which many still use. Since then there are more publishing possibilities. If you do not want to use Movable Type publishing platform (which allows the users much flexibility unlike some other blogging creation engines). This book may not be for you if you are using blog engines after 2006 (blogger, xanga etc). They are not outlined in detail as the book came out in 2006. Still the book is useful in many ways.

The book outlines (ch.3) the use of photo sites, creating blogs from scratch and using other free photo areas to showcase their photos (flickr etc). Learn skills with shooting your photos, create your blog site, promoting your blog and improving your site are also included.Understanding composition is highlighted (ch. 8). I particularly like the section and how RSS feeds are explained (ch. 10)

This book is illustrated well and that it is easy to read. The book packs a lot of good readable information. There are resources within the book that can be used for comparing and contrasting other blogs and in that way learn how to create and improve your blog particularly with Movable Type publishing platform technology. You can use this book to make your own or use Movable Type publishing platform or some of the other blog engines and you could be fine. The book excels at creating and finding information about photo blog and is a wealth of resources. It is great for learning about style and making your site better is where this book excels. Blogs then and now can do more then just post photos. If you purpose is focusing on photos then this book and the authors insightful instructions can help you.

I am not a fan of Starbucks but MacComputer on table is devine

I am not a fan of Starbucks at all. Never have. The coffee tastes like syrup and something in it (Chicore?) makes it taste funny. Maybe that's why people like it. Not me. I will take my own and brew it (Seattle's Best Henry's Blend). However I hate to admit it but I do really like the MacDonald's coffee. I heard Dunkin Doughnuts coffee is really good but I can't find it here in Kansas but I will try it when I got to Lawrence or some other place. But meanwhile, Starbucks has not been doing too well lately. They bring in the former CEO to shake things up. In the article, I pleasantly noticed in the Time magazine article about has a room full of Starbuck executives has a Maclaptop on one of the tables. The coffee may be not my liking but the computer is devine.
see also picture at
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1725973,00.html

Women leads police to recover her own Mac computer from thieves. She used the Leopard feature " Back to Mac"

Women leads police to recover her own Mac computer from thieves. She used the Leopard feature " Back to Mac"
Learn how she did it
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/05/girl_gets_stole.html?cid=nl_IWK_daily

Apple copyright infringement against NYC logo

Greenyc logo looks like an green apple with a curly cue inside and a leaf thing on top and apple stem on top. Apple thinks it is too close to their famous Apple logo eventhough Apple's is white. Apple says it will be damaged if the city's trademark is granted

Camera Raw with Adobe CS2 (2nd edition) review

Camera Raw with Adobe CS2 (2nd edition)

Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher

Author: Bruce Fraser * (see note below) Released: 2006 Pages: 314 $40 USD, $56 CND, £56 GBP ISBN: 0-321-33409-4 Publisher: Peachpit Press http://realworldcameraraw.com/ (* note) Mr. Fraser passed away and Mr. Schewe continued with the current version below. This review is for a previous CS2 version. The CS3 version (see note below) is now available. Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3 Authors: Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=03215186 Released: November 7, 2007 Pages: 384 pages $45 USD ISBN-10: 0-321-51867-5 ISBN-13: 978-0-321-51867-5

Novice/Intermediate/Advanced Strengths: Stylizing the material in the book as a learning lab is a good idea. Color photos and screenshots. Uses Macintosh screens. Text works with shooting with RAW format, using Adobe DVG, automating image management task. Book applies to Windows and Apple users. Covers Photoshop, Bridge etc and no other RAW converters. Editing images (Chapter 5 ) is nicely done. Weaknesses: Text not screenshots and visuals are the main stay here. Wish there was more information in column and tables versus paragraphs. Several of the screenshots, especially the text within, are too small and difficult to read. if you are using other software other than Photoshop and Bridge this book may not be for you.

Introduction

Using RAW images gives a photographer more latitude to manipulate the images to make the photographs better. This book focuses principally upon the use of Adobe’s standards browser called Adobe Bridge. The focus of this book is the demonstration, teaching and unlocking the full potential of your digital camera’s raw camera raw file format. The main intent is for the creation of the best-quality images for your photographs. And this book Camera Raw with Adobe CS2, takes us through the process of learning.

The author, an international authority on digital imaging and color image reproduction, is the author of other Photoshop books and contributor to online newsletters and websites. The book covers nine chapters and a preface. There is a nice index which is helpful.

The preface is devoted to communicating the process of using your camera and the RAW digital formatted photos within tools that are used in a photographic laboratory. The author nicely points out (p.xv) that your control of your resulting photos begins, not with photoshop, but with optimizing the exposure and color balance first to produce the best photos you can. Insightful words like this point out the necessary rules needed to do the process right.

Real camera raw, Chapter 1, tells you about the nature of RAW images so you understand what this format as a rank beginner. Advantages for the Digital camera raw (Chapter 2 ) are nicely explained in this chapter. Chapter 3, How camera raw works, with Photoshop, the software Bridge, and Camera Raw plug-ins (small applications that allow Photoshop etc do other duties. This chapter communicates the pros and cons for the using of Adobe’s new universal raw format DNG. Camera Raw plug-ins are highlighted even further in Chapter 4 (Camera raw controls) while Chapter 5, Hands-on camera raw, explores how to efficiently work with the features and edit what you capture.

You learn all about the new browser in Chapter 6, Adobe Bridge.

Workflow is the catch all phrase for working with your applications in all ways by interdicting you to principals for guiding yourself through your work with RAW in Chapter 7, It’s all about the workflow.

Chapter 8, Mastering metadata, helps the understanding of a new type of inner data called XMP ( Extensible Metadata Platform) used to create, store and share files and information for your formatted photos. Chapter 9, Exploiting automation, has a wealth of information concerning converting images and more.

You have to forage through a lot of information and text. Some of the teaching process that espoused by the author is lost in the translation of the readings. Reading through the chapters is fine, but some of the “pearls of wisdom” don’t stand out enough. Sometimes the author “does not get to the point” easily enough and the information gets a little “muddled.”

Conclusion

If you work with Photoshop (does not mention Photoshop Elements), then this might be a good book to wade through. You can learn much of this book but you will have to “find it”. It does not jump out at you. If you need a more visual text, along with more guidance this is not the book for you.

Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide

Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide

By Tim Grey
$39.99
pages 352
© 2007
ISBN: 978-0-470-11941-4
Sybex
1151 Marine Village Parkway
Almeda, CA 94501
http://www.sybex.com

Strengths: Includes information on raw format images. An in-depth highlight of curves with the applications, which is a very difficult topic, is applied in an excellent fashion in this book. Information regarding adjustment layers well done.

Weaknesses: Too much verbiage.There is a need for more arrows and pointers to integrate the information laid out in the screenshots and applied to the text and tutorials.

Rating: 4/5

*

Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS (dreric1kansas@aol.com):

“Workflow” is the latest “buzzword” regarding digital imagery. The word relates to the whole process of taking your images from the beginning to end and all the processes, tasks and management issues that are needed, for making your finished images even better. Photoshop CS3 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide, is the next version of a popular book that takes your through the steps of workflow evolution.

The author, Tim Grey, is a renown Photoshop and digital photographer . He is Microsoft’s Chief ambassador to professional photographers and presents workshops on digital imaging. He is the author of another book Color Confidence. This book is the latest version of this book. I wanted to see whether this book has been updated compared to the previous version which I reviewed.

Within the book, there are many brilliant photographs to illustrate the points the author is trying to show you. Notes are also “peppered” throughout the fourteen chapters. Additional ideas related to the techniques are highlighte. I found these insightful and tied in well with the tutorial type information for the most part. Many screenshots, help illustrate the learning process but I wish some of them were larger. I would have liked to have seen more icons (like more red circles or pointers) that could have served to highlight and focus what the author talking about in the text.

Part 1, points to “getting started” and takes you from the beginning. Chapter 1 talks about workflow foundations. The main focus is the final results you want for your images. Chapter 2, “ downloading and sorting, uses the browser Adobe bridge. On page 28, the “palette set up” is very well written in explaining and using palettes. The tool and palette shortcuts (page 34) are also well done and useful. Chapter 3, “ raw conversion” is well explained in terms of the reasons for using RAW images instead of JPEG or other types of images.

Part 2, works on the basic adjustments that are needed. In Chapter 4, “Basic adjustments” details how to use basic tools as, rotate and crop, using crop tool, using aspect ratio.

Chapter 5 “Basic tone and color “ specifically targets evaluating channels. This written introduction into channels is done very well. In fact, this is some of the best information on the topic that I have seen. The screenshots and the shots of the application windows (example, Curve, levels, etc.) helping with the understanding. However only in a few places (for example in p.101) were additional pointers or guides used in the windows (for example: red enumerated small circles or additional ways) to verify even more explicitly what the author is speaking about. This chapter (p. 110) has a real nice listing of five benefits of adjustment layers but I would have liked to have seen this information earlier in the chapter and focusing specifically on the benefits through the tutorials and screenshots. Levels and problems signs followed with clipping, gaps and posterization with levels adjustment p. 110-113) but I did not feel that the information was cohesive enough. Color balance (p. 108) and (p. 112) basic saturation have well done instructions.

Notes in Chapter 6 are very helpful. Here in Chapter 6, “ Image cleanup” has information concerning healing brush, cloning stamp (copying parts of the text to others to clean up smudges by copying from one part of the image into another – for example sky color).

Now Advanced adjustments come into play on Part 3. Chapter 7, “Advanced tonal adjustments,” covers working with image tones. Shadow highlights (page 138) is an interesting section and nicely done. Curves information and adjusting these (p.143) I fell are the most difficult to understand and master. The author does an exceptional job in explaining this topic done and is some of the best I have ever seen. Ways to use anchor points are excellently written. The curves table (p.159 and throughout this chapter visually nicely done.

Chapter 8 has advanced color adjustments information which includes hue / saturation, color casting and more. Chapter 9 works with the selection tools is not one of the best chapters. There should have been more visuals, many of the screen shots should have been bigger. I wish there was more to show and display how the selection actually work instead of all the verbiage.

Chapter 10. targeting adjustments layered masks I have been a difficult one to accurately portray and teach in many books. Once again there are too many words, not enough visuals and some parts are plain confusing to understand. Chapter 11, creative adjustments talks about filters. The screenshots are small and there aren’t arrows, pointers or circles. Steps to take are created in paragraph form and it “hurts “ when trying to figure out the processes.

Part 4 finishing the workflow (Chapter 12) finishes with saving files while workflow automation (Chapter 13) follow and finally there is (Chapter 14) teaches some of the output processing.

The Appendix has a sample workflow checklist which makes sense. I like that the chapters for target objectives are included here (but I would have been even better if the pages were listed). Finally the index is well done.

Conclusions

Overall the author portrays the PhotoShop tutorials for use of digital photography. The notes throughout the chapter help break up the use of the text but its not enough. There is just too many “words” in the explanation process.

I would have liked to have seen more arrows or pointer to the parts of the histogram that the instructions “talk about.” Sometimes the terms (like posterization on p. 103) are inserted at the end of a paragraph and should have been integrated better instead of making me feel like some of the information is included at the end or the last second.

I “wrestled” with this review. While there is a lot that “hits the mark” in terms of understanding, I feel that style and way much of the instructions are written get in the way of learning. The text feels “too much like a seminar workshop” which the author is noted for. Lectures go too fast at times. Sometimes there is a need for visual pointers for additional guidance so one does not “get lost”. Sometimes with seminars, I say to myself “ stop, hold-it, backup”. The seminar has moved ahead and I am stuck or still digesting what is said. Added visual pointers can help slow down the written workflow when one needs to, to regroup and then forge onward.

But fortunately this is a book and you can go back and try to make sense of the process if you are listening to a presentation/ workshop. I thought about the final “grade” for evaluating this review. Overall this book is solid but it has a lot of gaps mainly because of the multitude of text and not enough visuals. The tutorials are too long and should have been broken up. At times I found it difficult to figure things what the author was trying to “say”. I have seen tutorials in other books. I just did not “get what the author was saying” part of the time. Part of the problem is “too much text”.

I was looking for something a little different to find out more about using Photoshop skills to supplement what I already knew and in some ways I found it in some of the chapters. But much of this book and the way it reads does not suit my “learning style”. For my tastes, I will have to look to my other resources to advance my workflow knowledge. But other Photoshop ( intermediate and advanced) users who want to improve their image production and work on their workflow, may find the book to their liking.

IMOVIE 08 & IDVD missing review

IMOVIE 08 & IDVD missing review

IMOVIE 08 & IDVD


reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Author: David Pogue
Released: 2007
Pages: 448
$ 40 USA
$ 48 and
ISBN: -10-:596-51619-3
ISBN: -978-90596-51619-2

Strengths: There is no CD with the book but at the website you can find additional information that can be found and utilized. The index is well done. The book includes colorful screenshots which are very readable. Helpful hints and techniques

Weaknesses: Most of the information is in regarding iMovie. Troubleshooting ideas for using iDVD are missing for the most part. These are relegated to looking into 4 areas which include discussion groups, lists, official iMovie area and Official in regard to iDVD troubleshooting. I know there is more that could have been said.

Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Rating: 4.5/5

Introduction

No doubt about it. Since I created videos with iMovie and iDvd for my private use as well as a for business. But I have not been real happy with iDVD. I have found iMovie and iDvd 6 a mixed blessing and lacking in several ways. In many regards, I think that the radical shift to Imovie 8 from iMovie 6 is due to that many Mac users have had problems with various parts of iMovie and iDvd or both. I know this is the case for me as I have had continual problems with iDVD. And I have not been able to correct them while PC users are humming along creating their DVDs. Maybe Apple heard about this from others as well or possibly was thinking that the two products were getting too close and taking away sales from Final Cut Pro or Express. In any case, I was hoping that the author could shed some light on using these two Imovie versions to a better extent and why.

This book series is written by David Pogue, the New York Times Technology columnist. He continues to be the author at the helm of this series of books called “The Missing Manual”. These series of books are self help guidebooks for learning and using software and hardware that go beyond the meager original documentation /manuals. I like some of the series of these themed books. So I thought it would be interesting to review IMOVIE 08 & IDVD missing review for several reasons.

This thick book has 448 pages and not filled with “fluff” but has page by page insights that will help you along way with iMovie and iDvd.It is divided into 5 parts spanning 21 chapters. There is a good appendix with 4 sections (iMovie 08 menus, troubleshooting, master keyboard shortcuts listing and visual cheat sheet. There is a short hand system of arrows that replaces the use of “much more text information” that guides you through the learning process and where to use the applications. Other visual aids are in color, the screenshots are of a good size and readable. Throughout the book, there are helpful tips, help boxes, notes and more. Throughout the book, there are helpful ideas in the way of tips, (up to speed, FAQ -frequently asked questions, Poweruser information, Clinic, tips , notes gem in rough hidden techniques). This is a nice way of targeting specifically helpful information without having to wade through the text (which is well written, authoritative and insightful).

Additional highlight included the following. Chapter 1, tips on recording time (p. 25) was nicely done; chapte 2 framing and rules of 3rd is something I know of with photography but this is one of the only times I have seen it spoken and used in terms of videorecording. There are 22 different ways to use weddings was very interesting. Chapte 4 is packed with various iMovei strategies using digita 8 and recording dv, importing older imovie has some good ideas ( also practical information about the cables and webcam to firewire information). Chapte 5 (p.113) includes all videoscodes and recording onto DVD. Chapte 6, includes copying, posting and deleting most wil already know but Chapte 7 Favorites, Chapte 8 transitions and Chapte 9 histograms are done very well. Interesting tips in Chapter 10 title and credits how to Chapter 11 narrative and can isntall news and effects.
Chapter 12 has photo browser tips, and great tips concerning photo browsing, fimstrips, using fade to black and therer are some nice specific hints that I would like to use. The section on power editing and power up editing is excellent. Chapter 13 moving from v8 to v6 or vica versa is is well done and helpful to many videographers who read the book. Chapte 14 has an interesting section with ideas on expert ipod, iphone, apple tv use. Chapte 16 covers iMovie to Quicktime (o.285) while Quicktim while Chapter 17 QuickTime information about using the Quicktime player.

Finally there is more about dvd use and burning in Chapter 18. Dvd has the information for two ways to burn your DVDs (OneStep or Magic iDVD). These two different methods and techniques are included in step-by-step fashion. Chapte19 make up slide show while Chapte20 talks about the using of themes. Should you want to work with scripting, Chapter 21 is for you.


Conclusions

The frank discussion about iMovie O8 “hits you in your face”. You know that this is a radical new “upgrade” in many ways but why this was done is really a mystery. You will have to make up your mind whether to use either iMovie version or like many , both. Solid, informative and packed with techniques, hints and ideas, this book is a great resource despite the new versions.

The Missing Manual is for those trying to make sense of this new shift and in that way this book has hit the mark. The screenshots, visuals and tips, techniques and other notes are well done and insightful. There is a six page section on working with iMovie 6 and iMovie 8 and while it is okay, I think it should have involved more troubleshooting information especially on the pros and cons and on transfering to iMovie 8. I would have liked to have seen a listing, when not to use iMovie 8 in plain language. Overall I think this book at well done but the proof in the pudding will be whether iDVD and iMovie work better for me and others. To get there you have to try and try again. This book may help you solve some of the short comings now and in the future for iMovie and/or iDvd. If IMOVIE 08 & IDVD Missing Manual can’t help, it might be time to switch to another video editor and DVD burner. Time to read the book, try out the new version and see if you want to try it , use both or use the older versions.

Raiders of the Lost Macintosh June2008

Raiders of the Lost Macintosh June2008: Best free downloads, shareware and demos
by Dr. Eric Flescher

Here are some of the best free, shareware and demo applications out there that I have found. Try some of these out. You will be amazed what some mac authors have created and designed.

filezilla free
required 10.5 or higher
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/FileZilla_v3_for_Mac_OS_X/1034751598/3

OneButton FTP
You will need a Mac running OS X 10.4 or later (including OS X 10.5 Leopard) to use OneButton FTP.
(free, fast, flesible, use of drag and drop and extremly easy to use)
http://onebutton.org/


Free wifi spots
If you need to access wifi spots on the go while working with your PC or Mac, using any operating system, you can find one here at this website.
http://www.wififreespot.com

OSX 10.4 build in RSS Visualizer screen saver
Pick your favorite news feed (like BBC , CNN or ?). When screensaver comes on , you'll can then see the deadlines on your topical areas of choice

Alloc software free Fade text
Displays any text you enter into its configureation box area- like a sign to post on your laptop (why waste electricity though- put up a piece paper?_
www.alocsoft.com

Free Weather Channel free screen saver
Shows current temperature and conditions in you regional area
macworld.com/2490

Apple Weather Widget
OX 10.4 free (need 800 mgz or faster running OSX 10.3 or greater
Display the current weather. To keep on constantly (or once in awhile with F12,) launch Terminal from administrator's account and type defaults write com.apple.Dashboard devmode YES). Quit Terminal and the press F12 to bring up Widget. Force to remain open click and hold F12 or restart Dashboard by logging out.

AWS WeatherBug
Also has wind speed, directio, 3 day forecast , weather radar for your area, and access to live Web cams.
www.weatherbug.com

Menu Butler
MacMage’s free Menu Butler widget displays all your available Menu Extrasin a palette in the Dashboard area. Click on a widget, and it appears in your menu bare area
macmage.com

Handbrake
or instant Handbrake
free
Converts commercial DVDs to a format that is playable on a Mac, iPod, or Sony PSP.
macworld/com/2468

iPhone in the news

IPhone Popularity Spurs Blackberry Sales
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0408/508497.html
Plusmo launches iPhone NFL, NCAA widgets
http://www.901am.com/2007/plusmo-introduces-iphone-nfl-ncaa-widgets.html
Staff reporter ejected from NCAA baseball game for “live blogging”
http://michael.biven.org/2007/06/12/staff-reporter-ejected-from-ncaa-baseball-game-for-live-blogging/

Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com): DrEric1MacNews/Macsightings Blog : http://dreric1macnewsmacsightings.blogspot.com/ : editor MacsU.N.I.T.E. ( MacIntosh Users Network for Integrating Technology into Education):(Subscribe send email to :macsunitsubscribe@egroups.com)
Staff Writer at macCompanion Magazine (http://www.maccompanion.com/); moderator
macintoshvideo@yahoogroups.com- to subscribe
macintoshvideo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com; editor TechU.N.I.T.E. (Subscribe send email to PC version TechU.N.I.T.E.: to subscribe send email to techunite-subscribe@egroups.com

Online Video book can teach you a lot

How to Do Everything with Online Video (How to Do Everything) by Andrew Shalat

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Author: Andrew Shalat
published: 2008
Publisher: Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition
Released:(November 19, 2007)
Pages: 270
$30 USA
$39 Canada
15 E UK
ISBN-10: 0071496432
ISBN-13: 978-0071496438

Strengths: The book is very readable but are a little lackluster in terms of visuals. Book simplifies tutorials but included in-depth information. This book has a nice objective oriented listing in the inside cover of the front cover page as well as a nice website resources listing on the inside of the back cover. The Chapters are well thought out and and have easy to read numbered tutorials. Good solid information for both Macintosh and PC/Windows users was well done. The index is well written. A nicely written resources listing and more are included on the inside back page.

Weaknesses: The book has only black/white text which makes the chapters a little drab. There a few screenshots and they don't have screen pointers or anything else within these to explain how to use hardware or software. The weaknesses are mainly cosmetic in terms of the sequencing of the chapters depending upon whether you are novice, intermediate or advanced user.

Rating: 5/5

Introduction

A book that shows you how to shoot professional-quality videos has to demonstrate how to edit files, prepare clips for posting online, and then provide solid information about sharing video projects via blogs, websites, and podcasts. If you are looking for a book to meet these needs, then the book How to Do Everything with Online Video is a nice one to buy.

The author, Andrew Shalat is a designer, writer, author, and is the coauthor of CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects.
Hands-on tutorials for the easiest and best video editing software for use on PCs and Macs are included.

This 270 page book has 12 chapters, a nice index but no glossary of terms, which would have been nice. The inside front cover has a real nice listing of 25 objectives that tell how the book can help you and what you can learn. These 12 chapters are packed with useful information. These include starting off with ; Shooting videos; editing your video; uploading your videos (including using YouTube, embedding websites, myspace, your own web pages and launching Vodcasts with iTunes); understanding and working with “tags” and using them with Google (another great part was emailing your tags through network sites) ; film school in a book; telling a story; storyboarding (very well thought out) ; information concerning directing your video; basic editing with either Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Express HD and/or iMovie O8 and finishing your video had good solid information.

While I have dabbled with YouTube, the book let me know more of my potential.

What I particularly liked is his information about adding audio tracks, nice converting and embedding a video to a flash video ( including some interesting codes to use), extending my utilization of tags with Google and more. Eventhough I have created and sold videos, I found more “food for thought”.


Conclusion

The black on white text and the lack of color within the chapter makes things a little dull. The author explains how to use the hardware and software information but also includes specific helpful techniques concerning what kinds of videos to create with videos. However I really don’t like the order in which the chapters are sequenced. Novice and possibly intermediate video users, especially those trying to learn new techniques, should start with Chapter 2 and then Chapter 5- 8. If you want to get to the heart of working with software, for either Mac or PC users , you should start with Chapter 10 or 11.

The screenshots will not explain visually how to use YouTube especially if you run into a little trouble. But what I have found YouTube is not that difficult to use and this book can help start and master using the Video editing and sharing capabilities. If you need more information another book may suffice.

There are few pages for YouTube utilization but that might be enough to get your started as it is fairly easy to use except for more complex techniques. As a confirmed Macintosh user, I like that the author included information about iMovieHD as well as the new version iMovie 8. There are advantages or disadvantages and reasons for using either/or or both of these iMovie versions, The author includes a section about the compositional use of video involving "the rule of thirds” , This was really nice as I found this idea this technique only used for photography. It is "little" specific gems, like this, that are integrated throughout the chapters and really make this book a very useful one for learning about working with video in several ways.

In short, this book is "crammed" with good solid information. This book will not only have you " up and running " in no time but also help you in your improvement of your YouTube movies, ideas and creativity or enhance skills your already possess. The additional technigues and ideas will take your farther over time.Mostly for novice or intermediate users, even Advanced users may learn a trick or two as I did. It might not be the ultimate guide to Online video creation and usage, but it will get your started and take you far.

Mac OS X Hints Superguide

Macworld Weekly Newsletter
April 7th, 2008
Macworld - The Mac Product Experts
------------------------------------------------------------

(To change/unsubscribe:
http://www.macworld.com/newsletters/changesubs)
============================================================
* Advertisement *

Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M "One-Button" Color Scanner

The NEW Mac OS X compatible Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M scanning solution
is the only Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) scanner available today
that addresses the Macintosh community's document imaging needs. The
powerful, affordable, and easy-to-use color scanner allows users to
quickly convert paper documents to Portable Document Format (PDF)
files that are easily organized, shared and protected.

http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/7931-58362-2373-0

============================================================

Mac OS X Hints Superguide


By Rob Griffiths mailto:rgriffiths@macworld.com

Hints for Leopard Users

Back in the fall of 2000, I was making the transition from Mac OS 9 to
OS X, and finding the new operating system both complex and a bit
unintuitive. In particular, I kept getting tripped up by features that
weren't documented on Apple's Web site or covered in OS X's Help
files.

Being somewhat geeky by nature, I decided to create a Web site where I
could keep track of all the little tips, tricks, and hidden features I
was discovering in OS X. That way, I could easily access the tips from
any machine I happened to be using. And because I knew I wasn't the
only one out there exploring the inner workings of Apple's new
operating system, I built the site so others could post their own OS X
tips and insights.

Over the last eight years, that little siteMacOSXHints.com, in case
you haven't guessed by nowhas grown into a collection of more than
10,000 OS X tips, covering every major release from the initial public
beta through 10.5. And with thousands of contributors from across the
globe, it offers a constantly-growing collection of OS X knowledgeall
freely searchable.
http://www.macosxhints.com?lsrc=mwweek

But the site's not perfect. Many of the tips assume a high degree of
familiarity with OS X and fairly deep technical knowledgeespecially
tips involving Terminal. And searching through more than 10,000 hints
to find the one you really want can be complicated, to say the least.
Which is why I'm pleased to announce the latest edition to Macworld's
Superguide series, OS X Hints, Leopard Edition.

To create this book, we scoured not just MacOSXHints.com, but also
Macworld.com, to find the most useful tips and tricks for OS X 10.5
users. We've also rewritten them all in a clear, easy-to-read fashion,
complete with screenshots, to make them as easy to use as possible.

This hand-picked collection includes more than 200 tips, covering
almost every corner of Leopardincluding customizing the look of
Finder windows, searching hidden system files with Spotlight, and
making the most of OS X newcomers like Quick Look and Spaces. We dig
deep into Leopard's system settings to fine-tune preferences, save
time with undocumented shortcuts, and unlock powerful file-sharing and
printing features. We've also collected step-by-step advice for
squeezing more power from OS X's built-in programs, including Mail,
Safari, iCal, iChat, iTunes, Preview, and more. Of course, no guide
for power users would be complete without a trip to Terminal. If
you're new to OS X's command-line interface, we'll show you how to get
started and how to protect yourself from dangerous actions.
Command-line veteran will find tips for taking advantage of new
Leopard commands and strategies for working in Terminal more
efficiently.

Obviously, this collection wouldn't be possible without the amazing
contributions from the OS X communityand that's why every tip in the
book remains freely available on MacOSXHints.com and/or Macworld.com.
But if you'd rather not take the effort to dig through 10,000+ hints,
and want the best versions of the hints, then this collection is for
you.

The book is available in several formats, so you can choose the one
that works best for you. If you're interested in a PDF (suitable for
viewing in Preview or Adobe Reader), you can buy one and download it
immediately for just $12.95.
http://store.esellerate.net/macworld/osxhints

Or you can get it as a high-quality, full-color paperback book for
$19.99.
https://m1.buysub.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11901&storeId=11901&productId=441473&sourcekey=MWEBSITE

Don't want to download the PDF? You can also get it mailed to you on
CD-ROM for $15.
https://m1.buysub.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11901&storeId=11901&productId=441473&sourcekey=MWEBSITE

And if you want to see more before you pony up your hard-earned cash,
we've created a 1.5 MB downloadable sample from the book for you to
check out, just to give you a taste.
http://files.macworld.com/files/downloads/hintssample.pdf




* Macworld Reviews, Secrets & Notes *



First Look: Photoshop Express

After playing with the beta for Adobe's Photoshop Express online
service, senior reviews editor Jackie Dove found the service's
features deep, its performance respectable, and its interface
intriguing.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132854/2008/04/photoshop%20express.html?lsrc=mwweek

Inside the Spotlight menu

Spotlight is an indispensable tool for finding anything on your Mac.
All you need to do is learn its tricks. In the first part of our
Spotlight series well give you an overview of the Spotlight menu,
including how to customize how results are presented, how to save time
with keyboard shortcuts, and how to reboot spotlight when it
misbehaves.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132755/2008/04/spotlight1.html?lsrc=mwweek

Review: Google Gmail

Google's Gmail does one thing -- e-mail -- but does it exceptionally
well. You'll like how its simple interface lets you concentrate on
mail with few distractions.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132644/2008/04/gmail.html?lsrc=mwweek

From the Lab: Mac Pro options put to the test

The current Mac Pro may be the most customizable machine to ever come
out of Cupertino. But what do each of those options add in terms of
performance? Macworld Lab has configured a Mac Pro to test tweaks to
memory, the hard drive, and the graphics card to figure out what
effect each upgrade has on the Mac Pros speed.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132808/2008/04/macpro_options.html?lsrc=mwweek

Geek Factor: Leopard's Unix tricks

There are many new (or substantially revised) Unix commands in OS X
10.5. Rob Griffiths picks the five most interesting and useful ones.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132556/2008/04/geekfactor2504.html?lsrc=mwweek

Review: OmniFocus 1.0

OmniFocus has one thing in mind, and that's to help you Get Things
Done. It's one of the most polished to-do managers out there, though
it requires some practice to really take advantage of the software and
to understand its interface. Overall, it's a powerful way to manage
tasks.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132832/2008/04/omnifocus1.html?lsrc=mwweek

Mac 911: Troubleshooting .Mac iCal syncing

Does .Mac tell you it can't sync your iCal events due to inconsistent
data? Here are a couple of options for solving the problem.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132799/2008/04/dotmacicalsync.html?lsrc=mwweek

Playlist: MySpace Music and the benefits of competition

MySpace and the music labels join to kick the stuffing out of iTunes.
That trump you hear does not signal the end of the world.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132826/2008/04/myspacemusiccompete.html?lsrc=mwweek

Find Files Fast: Advanced searches in the Finder

The Spotlight menu is often the quickest way to start a search. And
with the right keywords and Boolean operators, the Spotlight menu can
dish up impressive results. But finding the files you need isnt
always as simple as typing a few words.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132817/2008/04/spotlight3.html?lsrc=mwweek

Review: Ableton Live 7 digital audio workstation

Ableton Live is an extraordinary audio tool that, with the addition of
Drum Racks and Slices, has become even more musical.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132766/2008/04/ableton_live_7.html?lsrc=mwweek



* News & Tips Links *



by Philip Michaels (pmichaels@macworld.com)

Photoshop CS4 to be 64-bit for Windows, but not for Mac

Adobe said the next version of its Creative Suite will feature a
64-bit version of Photoshop, but not for Mac users due to changes
Apple made in its programming direction.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132810/2008/04/photoshop64.html?lsrc=mwweek

MySpace Music to offer downloadable music

MySpace Music is set to compete with the iTunes Store and Amazon.com
MP3 Store as it launches a download service with three of the biggest
commercial music publishers.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132821/2008/04/myspacemusic.html?lsrc=mwweek

iTunes Store now top U.S. music retailer
http://www.macworld.com/article/132825/2008/04/itunes.html?lsrc=mwweek

Apple releases iTunes, QuickTime, and Front Row updates
http://www.macworld.com/article/132809/2008/04/itunesupdate.html?lsrc=mwweek

Adobe releases Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta
http://www.macworld.com/article/132791/2008/04/lightroom2.html?lsrc=mwweek

WD offers quad-interface external drives
http://www.macworld.com/article/132793/2008/04/mybook.html?lsrc=mwweek

ColdFusion 8 gains 64-bit support
http://www.macworld.com/article/132840/2008/04/coldfusion.html?lsrc=mwweek

iGlasses webcam software adds app support
http://www.macworld.com/article/132777/2008/04/iglasses.html?lsrc=mwweek

LaCie offers new triple interface hard disk
http://www.macworld.com/article/132815/2008/04/lacie.html?lsrc=mwweek

============================================================
* Advertisement *

Mac OS X Hints Superguide - Leopard Edition
by Rob Griffiths and the Editors of Macworld on Sale Now!

Unleash Leopard with 200+ tips and tricks

* Work smarter with time-saving tips
* Master new Leopard tools such as Quick Look, Stacks, and Spaces
* Personalize your Mac with custom settings and hidden preferences
* Reveal hidden features in Safari, Mail, iChat, iCal, and others
* Unleash OS X's full power with command-line tips and tricks
* And more!

On Sale Now!
https://m1.buysub.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11901&storeId=11901&productId=441473&sourcekey=newsletter

============================================================

Macworld newsletters subscription changes or cancellation:
http://www.macworld.com/newsletters/changesubs

For newsletters questions or problems, please send an e-mail message
to sitehelp@macworld.com.

Subscribe to Macworld magazine:
http://subscribe.macworld.com/

Macworld magazine gift subscriptions:
http://give.macworld.com/

Macworld magazine subscription help:
http://service.macworld.com/

For information about how to whitelist newsletters to insure that you
receive them, please consult our "How to Whitelist" page:
http://www.macworld.com/newsletters/whitelist.html

2008 Mac Publishing, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of Mac Publishing, is prohibited.

Macworld is a registered trademark of International Data Group, Inc.
All other trademarks used on Macworld, Macworld.com, and
MacCentral.com are the property of their respective owners.

Mac Publishing, L.L.C., 501 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
---
You are currently subscribed to this newsletter as: kcstarguy@aol.com

OSX Applenized on a PC?

Will Apple try to go into the operating system business against Windows? When I first heard about Panther years ago, I thought , great finally Jobs might try to take OSX head to head against Windoz. That did not happen of course . But when I read this article (below) my ideas about this surfaced again. Why not try OSX on PC and show PC people what an opreating system can really do?

the argument "The problem is that the personal computing market has already demonstrated that users want a choice of hardware at least as much as they want a choice of software." I don't thing that is exactly right though. People are just or were used to DOS or Windoz and don't want to change because they are comforable with whatever they have no matter how crummy it is. Case in point --> windows.

Most people want cheap. They pay for it, many times in the long run. But considering that many people have software that Apple can't run (I have personally not found many so I really don't care and many Mac users don't either), they have to go with a PC. Too many people are comfortable, cater to and like that there is a business for taking care, fixing and working on all sorts of problems related to the use of Windows and PCs. And we are not just talking about the fact that more viruses can invade the PCs.

Yeah OSX Tiger and Leopard are more elegant. They are not bloated. They are constantly updated. They look beautiful and they work nicely. But would Apple let PCs use OSX. Many people have gotten used to iTunes, iPod, trying Safari (I personally do not like it at all and prefer Firefox). But if given the choice, some people might try it, switch OS and do more with Macs either side the Apple side or the PC side.

http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17450&Itemid=1023&mosmsg=Thanks+for+your+vote%21

Raiders of the Lost Macintosh

The best software, freeware and shareware review

http://www.maccompanion.com/macc/archives/April2008/Columns/Raiders.htm

Review: How to Do Everything with Online Video

Review: How to Do Everything with Online Video

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Authors: Andrew Shalat
website: www.osborn.com
Publisher: McGraw- Hill: Osborne
Released: 2008
Pages: 256
$ 25 USA
E15 Canada
29 UK
ISBN: 978-0-07-149643-8
Strengths: Nice index and the glossary is well done. Online downloads and more can be gleaned and used from the book’s website area. Inside the front cover shows 25 online video operations to perform in the book. Screenshots are readable and of ample size for understanding the visuals and tutorials.
Weaknesses: Black and white screenshots, photos etc are of ample size. There are a few in-depth notes pertaining to different sections but I would have liked to have seen more. If you need more in-depth information to the editor of your choice etc. , you might want to explore about book after using this one.

Novice/Intermediate

Rating: 4.5/5

Introduction

Starting, producing and posted online video is all the rage since the online Youtube made the process easier. While this online application has made the process easier, many still have questions about various parts of the process. The book “How to Do Everything with Online Video” answers many of these questions and more.

The author has written for Macworld, other magazines and has a weekly podcast and radio show. he has brought his experience and background for the writing of an easy to read but in-depth guide to online video. The white on black screenshots are integrated within the instruction. All of them are large enough to read and decipher what you need to know.

The introduction starts off the book and there are 12 solidly written chapters within the 256 pages. This chapters demonstrated how to create professionally quality looking videos, editing and preparing then for posted and sharing the videos. Shooting and editing tips , found in Chapter 1 and 2 get your started with hardware, software and assist with tips, techniques and working with video in several ways. You also learn how to embed and upload videos.

What I found new was learning about launching and using Vodcasts (Ch.3 at P. 112-121) these can be listed in iTunes and can be downloaded to a video enabled iPod(/MP3 player which in essence combines online/ off-line video creation. “Googling” your tags with Google and discover markets, are found in Chapter 4 (p.128- 132). This is well down and includes nice illustrations.

Nice techniques and tips also follow. In Chapter 6 and 7, “Tell a Story” is well done and includes best ways to tell a story, storyboarding and more. In Chapter 8 learning how to be a director of films and techniques are here and includes a “short but sweet” synopsis for using videos with the “rules of thirds” (which is normally reserved for use of photography).

Chapter 9 and 10 focuses on movie and power editing and the communication through websites, blogs, podcasts are covered. Tutorials and information for popular PC (including Adobe Premier Pro) as well as Mac editing software are also provided. These are covered in a very nice, concise and well done introductory fashion. It is up to you whether you may want to find another book related to the software editor (in this book) of your choice, to utilize and find a more in-depth series of tutorials (if you need more assistance).

What is nice is that this author has also included chapters which include ample information about Final Cut Express HD . I was impressed that the author included information about the new iMovie 08 which does a great introduction.

Finally, Chapter 12 includes some nice rules to remember, web resources, listing of sharing sites as well as more software options. There is no glossary related to terms but the index is well done.

Conclusion
This is a good book for starting your online video learning especially for novice video makers or even intermediates (especially those Mac users who want to learn about Final Cut, iMovie 8). Very solidly written and informative there is much in this book to begin your video adventures.

The author does a nice job of highlighting different PC and Mac editors and even includes the latest iMovie 08. If you don’t want to use the Adobe editor you might have to search for another one. The author also breaks up the tutorials into little numbered sections instead of long winded sets of information. These are integrated with illustrations and screenshots which makes for easy reading and browsing. The price is right, the book covers a range of topics and information. Get started with your Online endeavors. It might not help you with everything you need to know about online videos, but it is a great way to get started and progress for the foreseeable future.

The Game/Simulation of the Year is coming:Spore

Spore is almost here. I have been waiting for it

http://www.spore.com/faq.php

More tunes for iTunes and us?

Rumor has it that Apple may be finding ways to have an online store or means to get as many tunes you want for a price unlike the $1 per tune one, I and others have been used to. From Financial Times, Apple, Inc is negotiating with record labels to give iPhone and iPod customers "free" access to the whole iTunes library ifthey pay extra for the devices. Details to be laid if they deal can go through are how much Apple will pay the record labels for access.

Youtube possible options to better quality coming

Youtube works on better imaging quality. There may be an options to see in better quality or lesser quality. Read more
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2008/03/youtube_works_on_higher_qualti.html?nav=rss_blog