http://www.apple.com/mobileme/
MobileMe is Apple’s new internet service for Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch. Watch the guided tour. Let MobileMe keep you up to date with Push email, Push contacts and Push calendar. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1932
If you’re already a .Mac member – read this support info telling you about your transition to MobileMe. It’s easy and seamless!
http://www.bighugelabs.com/flickr/
Find some very cool things that you can do with your digital photos here. Unleash your creative side.
http://macmost.com/
Make the most of your Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Watch the MacMost Tutorials on this site or subscribe to them in iTunes. They’re good and you’ll learn lots! Submitted by Mary Nesset (SMUG and MIAMUG member).
http://www.smartpacking.com/
The site you must bookmark for packing LIGHT information, airline baggage rules, airport security updates, and packing tips for every type of trip. Makes traveling a bit easier!
June, 2008
http://www.monkeysee.com/ MonkeySee (launched in 1/08) provides free access to a large collection of professionally-produced and user-generated how-to videos. Great place to learn something new. Take a look and take it all in!
Submitted by Stephanie Warren (SMUG).
http://www.gottadeal.com/
“Why Pay Retail?” This site is updated several times a day with new offers, so check it out often for the best deals and coupons. Submitted by Stephanie Warren (SMUG).
http://www.printablepaper.net/
Printable Paper features many types of paper. You’ll find paper for composing music or for practicing penmanship, graph and lined papers and in a variety of sizes. You’ll need Adobe Reader (free on the Adobe site) to print the paper. Submitted by Gloria Groll (SMUG).
http://www.ppsop.com/courses.aspx
Take a look at the photography courses offered on this site. They may seem a little pricey but well worth it for the satisfaction of mastering your own personal photographic hurdles.
http://www.barbecuen.com/index.html
This site is just in time for those who are staying close to home this summer to vacation in their backyards. Bookmark this because you’ll find more information that you thought every existed on ‘The Art of Smoking, Cooking and Grilling’ Submitted by “Tex” Pavlik (SMUG and MIAMUG).
http://www.whocalled.us/
We all experience this. The phone rings constantly, displaying the same number and we don’t recognize it. Go on this site and let them figure out who is calling. Doesn’t stop the phone calls but now you never have to wonder who it is or even ever answer. Submitted by Gayle Koehler (SMUG). Another site to try –
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/reverse-phone-lookup.htm
http://www.thinkmac.net/
This site is the companion website to the highly acclaimed Mac Tips Daily! Podcast. Their aim is to be a web site that caters to people who want to learn more about their Mac and other Apple products. Each day they have a short daily tip and a visual tutorial to accompany it. You’ve got to try it!
http://www.boblevitus.com/index.html
Get to know this Mac man, Bob LeVitus, aka Dr. Mac. Visit his excellent site. Get on his email list and receive it in your inbox. Click on the MacMousecalls link for another source of Mac info. Save this one! http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tech/drmac/5815009.html
You’ll find the latest Dr. Mac column (he’s a tech columnist for the Houston Chronicle) here. Check out his most recent columns in the right sidebar. Good reading – enjoy!
http://theappleblog.com/ http://theappleblog.com/2008/04/25/protect-your-mac/#more-3122
Good reading and learning on this blog. Cruise around and see what you can find of interest to you. But in particular, click on the second link and learn about protecting your Mac. Read the article; learn about LoJack and Undercover. Also read the reader comments – very interesting. Anyone using either LoJack or Undercover?
http://ilifezone.com/
Click on this link and you have crossed over into the iLifeZone. It’s a special place where you can learn how to get the most out of your investment in your Mac hardware and software. Definitely check out the blog and subscribe to the podcast. A must!
http://walkytalk.com/
We talk a lot about keeping our Macs healthy, but don’t forget about your own health. Check out this site and also http://walkytalk.com/ernie. You’ll find Ernie Harwell’s informational and inspirational blog there. You know Ernie celebrated his 90th birthday in January and says he’s just hitting his stride.
http://www.secondrotation.com/
Are you spring cleaning or just want an idea of what something you own is worth before selling it? Take a look at this site for that information or just an easy way to CASH in your gadgets. Submitted by Jerry Brasseur (SMUG member).
http://www.nerdbooks.com/
Keep this site in mind for good prices when you’re looking for a book. Use the search field to find your book and you’ll probably be surprised when you see the low cost. Submitted by David Sommers (SMUG member).
http:/ww.macheist.com/
Here’s a bundle of shareware offered from MacHeist for a limited time, so act quickly. Cost is only $49 – for 12 Mac apps. If you already own some of the applications – gift them to a friend when you’re buying. So easy!
http://www.loganrockmore.com/widgets/
http://homepage.mac.com/aamann/files/DashboardRedirect.html?Baseball_2.5.2
Can’t help it – I’m a Tiger fan and need to know the latest score (during the game) and the up to the minute standings. If you love the Tigers also, download these widgets and enjoy! Who’s your Tiger???
http://typicalmacuser.com/ Here’s a blog site to monitor for learning more about your Mac. Like it? Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and listen and learn.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/ Check it out! Adobe has launched the public beta of their Photoshop Express web service. It requires Flash Player 9 and offers an entirely web-based image editor. You can organize photos by dragging them into albums or create a gallery to share images. Set up a FREE account and you have 2GB of storage with the ability to crop, rotate, and touch up your images. It also integrates with a number of photo-sharing websites. I found the site very easy to navigate but if you’d like a tutorial to get started go to… http://www.photoshopexpresstechniques.com/
http://www.geeks.com/techtips/2008/techtips-09MAR08.htm Read about the procedure for editing your photos using Picasa here. Mac OS isn’t supported yet, unless you use something like Parallels Desktop or CrossOver Mac. Submitted by Jerry Brasseur (SMUG).
http://osxhelp.com/apple-software-update-usage-and-tips/ I told you about this site last month. I couldn’t help myself…I had to remind you of it and point out the link above. It takes you to a very good explanation of Apple Software Updates.
http://macsparky.libsyn.com/ More opportunities to learn about your Mac. Use these screencasts and make it easy on yourself. Download them from this site or go on iTunes and search on macsparky. Submitted by Mary Nesset (SMUG and MIAMUG).
http://www.tuaw.com/ Here’s the unofficial Apple weblog – the place for questions, answers, suggestions, reviews, how-tos, etc. on all Apple products. Submitted by Jerry Brasseur (SMUG member).
http://osxhelp.com/ This site is new and good! It’s for the first time Macintosh user, but if you’re a more advanced user, I know you’ll find something beneficial here. Make sure you go back and start the tutorials from the beginning. More added constantly so keep it on your ‘Daily ToDo List”.
http://db.tidbits.com/ Want more Apple news? Have it delivered to your computer by subscribing to Tidbits (same folks who publish Take Control Electronic Books). Support them – they’re good to user groups!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/personalcomputing/archiving.html Take a minute and read this article. Archiving- preserving digital photos for your grandkids. We’re all wondering about this issue because we’re taking digital pictures like crazy. Do we know how to preserve them? Read and learn what this author has to say about the subject.
http://www.printrates.com/ While we’re talking digital photos – take a look at this site. You’ll be able to save money on digital photo printing by comparing digital photo printing prices and reading reviews. Submitted by Jerry Brasseur (SMUG member).
http://www.trutv.com/shows/real_hustle/index.html Are you the next ‘mark’ for some hustlers? Go on this site and watch 24 TV episodes. You’d be shocked at the schemes these actors use as they scam unsuspecting and gullible people. Beware! Don’t be the next ‘mark.’
https://www.yousendit.com/ This site might be useful for some Mac users. Send 100 mb (maximum) files through this site for FREE with the Lite Plan. More services = more $$$.
February, 2008
http://www.dtv.gov/index.html Tick…tock…tick…tock. As I write this the countdown to February 17, 2009 is 382 days 10 hours 28 mintutes 06 seconds away. That date is the DTV Transition Day. Use this site to help you understand what you need to know for a seamless transition.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080113120732948 This url was part of a discussion on the Mailing List. It relates to Leopard – but check it out even if you’re still running Tiger. If you haven’t registered for the Mailing List, you must! MIAMUG members – registration instructions are on the MIAMUG website. SMUG members – refer to a January email. What a handy way to get a question answered by other club members. Thanks, Dan Lacher (MIAMUG member), for including this url in your discussion on the Mailing List.
http://versiontracker.com You heard someone mention a piece of software they use and like – but where do you get it? One place is versiontracker.com. Take a look and make it your friend.
If you enjoy a discount on the full price of some shareware. Go to the first two sites below. The third one is for FREE Mac software. Make sure you register to receive email notice of the daily software offers. Submitted by Jerry Brasseur, SMUG member. http://www.maczot.com/ http://www.mupromo.com/ http://www.freemacware.com/
http://www.oreillynet.com/fyi/blog/marsee_henon/ Marsee Henon of O’Reilly has always been there to donate books for our MacCamp raffles. Recently when I emailed her about the February 19 event, she told me to send some MacCamp info to her and she’d add it to her blog. You may have to scroll to find it as she posed it on 2.1.08. See you at MacCamp!
http://www.screencastsonline.com Have you heard of this site? If not – you have to visit it. Become a member (small cost) and have access to all the tutorials, including the archives. Find their free shows on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast and listen/watch at your leisure. Don McAllister, host of podcast, has some special membership offers available through February. Members are able to buy yearly DVDs containing all tutorials made during that year.
http://www.24x7digital.com/content/view/12/76/ If you received or maybe bought yourself a new digital camera for Christmas, you may enjoy looking at this site and the nifty applications they offer for digital photo fun for Mac OS X.
http://www.anxietyapp.com/ If you’re a TO DO list fanatic like I am – take a look at this FREE application (although a donation is appreciated). It’s written for Leopard and synchronizes with iCal and Mail.
http://www.catalogchoice.org/ I hope you’ll appreciate this FREE service to opt-out of unwanted catalogs. Their site says that they presently have 352,698 persons who have already opted out of 4,419,306 catalogs. That’s amazing but we all must help to conserve our planet’s natural resources.
http://www.expenseview.com/userLogin.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx I use this and it’s great for tracking expenses, budgets and income. It’s a FREE and easy to operate web application that will assist us or those of any age with money management. Take a look. Create an account. You can add expenses on the site, with the Google gadget or with the iPhone app.
http://www.johnnyjet.com/home.asp Stop by this site for the best collection of links to all kinds of travel websites. Something useful for every traveler. Submitted by Mary Nesset of MIAMUG and SMUG.
http://www.igougo.com/ Another travel site – this one provides you with “real” unbiased travel info, reviews, and advice from everyday travelers. Write reviews of your travel experiences and earn points redeemable for gift cards and even frequent flyer miles. Submitted by Mary Nesset of MIAMUG and SMUG.
December, 2007
http://freerice.com/ This site has received lots of publicity recently. It certainly deserves it! It’s a great place to get involved with your family and friends as you show off your vocabulary expertise. The real winners are the children being fed through the United Nations World Food Program. Try it now and often. Submitted by Dottie Mull.
http://faxzero.com/ Need to send an occasional fax? for FREE! You type in information about yourself and the recipient. Then either type your message or attach a .doc, .xls or .pdf file (subject to size limits) and click "Send Free Fax Now." There's a small cost for longer faxes or more than two faxes per day.
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/ Make sure you check out the new ebooks available from Take Control. Lots of new Leopard titles NOW plus previously published books are always available. Great discounts are always offered. We appreciate the support they give our user group – so let’s support them!
http://dealmac.com/ You’ll not miss a good deal if you utilize this site. Check out the coupons. Set up some email alerts for your favorite shopping sites. Have fun and get some good deals.
http://www.peachpit.com/promotions/promotion.aspx?promo=136047&redir=1&rl=1 Deadline for this contest is 12.31.07. Watch the videos – vote – and you’re entered into the contest with a chance to win the equipment recommended by the contestant who received your vote. How easy is that – and you’ll learn from the masters as well.
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2007/archives/614 Scott Kelby has some of his photography for sale with ENTIRE proceeds going to “Springs of Hope Kenya,” which is in the process of building an orphanage and clinic for orphaned and homeless children in Kenya.
http://www.apple.com/retail/onetoone/
You know you can receive personal training at an Apple Store. The yearly cost is small and the payoff for one to one help is great.
http://ptech.allthingsd.com/
Keep this site handy if you enjoy WSJ’s Walt Mossberg’s take on recent technology, etc. Visit this one often to read his columns.
http://mikwright.com/default.asp
Take a look at this site and remember it for buying that unique greeting card or gift. They make those hysterical cards with the dated photographs and clever messages.
http://mactips.info/tips/
Use this site to learn more about your Mac. You’ll find hundreds of tips. Subscribe to receive a tip a week by email.
http://cooltext.com/
This site offers a FREE graphics generator for web pages and anywhere else you need an impressive logo without a lot of design work.Take a look
http://terrywhite.com/techblog/ Looking for an opinion from an expert? Take a look at Terry White’s Tech Blog and make a visit there a habit. You won’t be disappointed in the info included on the site. Terry works for Adobe and is the president of MacGroup Detroit.
http://www.marcellosendos.ch/comics/ch/index.html Here’s a site for Calvin & Hobbes readers. Look back and reminisce. This cartoon strip was only published from 1985 – 1995. It will keep you busy. Have fun! Submitted by Mike Lang.
http://basics4mac.com/ This is Your Personal Mac Guide. Go here to learn or find an answer to a question you have.
http://www.macinstruct.com/ This site has lots of possibilities. Some areas are still under construction. Make a visit and see what’s available now to help you learn about your Mac. Sign up for their mailing list and try out their podcast.
http://www.macnotables.com/wordpress/ Visit this site for info and news in the Mac world provided by some Mac experts, such as Adam Engst, Christopher Breen, Bob LeVitus, to name a few. You may subscribe to their podcast through iTunes and have it delivered for your listening pleasure. Good way to keep up to date on the latest.
http://www.priceprotectr.com/ Instead of you watching to see if a recent purchase of yours drops in price so that you can get some $$$ back. Let this site do the watching for you. It’s easy and free. Give it a try.
http://www.greendimes.com/ Junk mail – in your postal mailbox? What a pain, to say nothing about the effect it has on our environment. Go on this site to read about the GreenDimes project and it’s effect in less than one year. Order a kit for yourself or gift it to that hard-to-please person who cares that 100 million trees are cut down each year to create the approximately 4.5 million tons of junk mail in the USA, or that it takes 28 billion gallons of water to produce American junk mail annually, or that his name is typically worth 3-20 cents each time it is sold for a direct mailing. Got your attention now?
http://www.prosofteng.com/index.php Mary Nesset and I recently saw the demo of the software available for your Mac from the Prosoft company. I’ll have info available for you at the September meeting and a promise of 25% discount on their products.
August, 2007
http://www.myfirstmac.com/ Here’s a site created by long-time TidBITS subscriber Chris Kerins. You’ll find crisp , concise articles that are perfectly targeted to the person who is considering a Mac, has just purchased one, or is still getting comfortable. Submitted by Mary Nesset.
http://www.tidbits.com/ And if you aren’t familiar with TidBITS – you’ll want to visit their site and subscribe to the email publication. Great source of Mac info.
http://www.amazon.com/ If you’re a .Mac subscriber – this one’s for you. Instead of renewing your .Mac account through Apple, buy it via Amazon and you’ll save. At last check it was $69.99 per year (Apple charges $99.95 plus tax). You’ll pay no shipping or tax purchasing through Amazon. You don’t have to wait until Apple starts reminding you that your account is up for renewal. Enter the activation key at any time. So when you receive your boxed copy of .Mac, log into your account. Make sure you click “Change Renewal Settings or Enter Activation Key” link. Enter the alphanumeric activation key that you’ll find in your boxed copy. Click Submit – and don’t worry! Apple processes your activation key and nothing will be charged to your credit card. You’ve now extended your .Mac account for another year and saved $$$.
http://www.kidspsych.org/index1.html Are you children or grandchildren in the midst of the summer doldrums? Introduce them to Magination’s Kidspsych site. Children from 1-9 will love the interactive Web adventure. Great place for adults to spend quality time with children. Helps with cognitive thinking skills and deductive reasoning, as well just having just plain old fun!
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage/ The Garbage site explains how the average person in the United States is piling it ‘higher and deeper’ by producing 4.6 pounds of garbage a day. Sounds impossible – but true! Become informed and a better citizen of our world.
http://foodsafe.ucdavis.edu/music.html Carl Winter, a faculty member at University of California and a serious toxicologist, combines his background as a musician with his scientific and communication training to develop this site. A humorous, innovative and effective musical approach to food safety education. Prevent a stomachache tonight!
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/ Visit this site to learn about a ‘Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project’ that is intended to preserve the 186-year-old banner, the American treasure “that inspired the words to the National Anthem.” Even though the 231st birthday of our great nation was last month, we can still learn a bit more about the historical importance behind this national treasure. Plan a real life visit to the National Museum of American History when it reopens in the summer of 2008.
http://www.travelago.com/ Keep this site in mind when you are planning your next vacation. It will certainly help answer the question “Where should we go?”
http://askville.amazon.com Got time on your hands? Go on this site – ask questions and share your knowledge…earn experience points and quest coins. Looks like a great challenge – should you accept it. Use Firefox as your browser until the site is functional on Safari.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/mycancer/index.html Last month you may have seen Ted Koppel’s documentary on the Discovery Channel about his friend, Leroy Sievers. Leroy has spent a long career as a journalist covering war, genocide and natural disasters. Now after decades of observing other people’s deaths, he is forced to contemplate his own. He’s fighting cancer. Follow his inspirational and heartwarming blog. Archives go back to February 2006. Leroy also does a weekly podcast entitled, NPR: My Cancer.
http://popularitydialer.com/index.php Have you ever been in a situation or a conversation when you wish your phone would ring? Go on this site, input your phone number and the time you want the call and it will interrupt you and SAVE you. How slick is that?
http://flickrvision.com/ http://twittervision.com/ You’ve got to see this. Both services display a world map, scrolling around in it displays either a photo recently posted on Flickr or a recently posted to Twitter. Join Twitter and invite your friends. Submitted by Mary Nesset.
