Friday, March 16, 2007

Somewhere in the deep Oregon rain forest is Silver Falls State Park. Twice a year the cabins there slowly fill with people carrying wires, power cords and switches. Over a three hour period the cabins are wired for networking with Airport routers and made ready for people from all walks of life. This is MacCamp and we[base ']re not here to make big bucks, we're all here to have a good time using our computers. Now before you think we spend all weekend surfing the Internet, let me set you straight. There is no Internet and no cell phone service; only a bunch of Macintosh computer users sharing information on a very private network. As people start arriving everyone is expected to pitch in and help move furniture and set up tables. This is a group event; everyone does a little and a lot gets done. You may be thinking why go to all that trouble when you can just rent a big room somewhere to hold the classes? It's all about eating, sleeping and talking Macintosh. If you don't learn things here, you are not trying. Yes indeed there are classes, but where you really learn is sitting next to someone and seeing how they are using their computer. MacCamp puts you into a place where there are few distractions to take you away from your computer. The Portland Macintosh Users Group has been doing this since 1985 and this MacCamp is number 44. You do have to provide your own computer and software but all your meals, lodging, and classes come as part of the three day event. This Spring's event is set for April 20th through 22nd. Cost is $175.00 per person. We start out Friday evening with setup and move in, followed by dinner and then orientation; then back to the lodges for fun, games and Mac-ing until all hours of the night. After a big breakfast you choose between GarageBand and Leopard (OS 10.5), then everyone gathers for lunch and the class picture. Afternoon classes make you choose between Entourage and iPhoto then an hour break before dinner. Around 8:00pm there will be a group Q & A; we will also have our door prize drawing at this time. A special thanks to Marsee Henon of O'Reilly books for some great door prizes. Sunday morning after breakfast choose between iWeb and System Prefs, followed by-packing up and lunch. These are the classes we are offering at this MacCamp: Leopard: What's new in this version of the Macintosh Operating System and why you will be excited to run it. The class will explore the new features, discuss hardware requirements and possible problems with older programs. Please note: if Leopard is not released prior to MacCamp we will be using information gleaned from Apple and sites that have leaked information. GarageBand: What's in the latest updates, where to put those Jam Packs Apple sells you and why you should install them. There is more to this program than just making music. Join us to learn all the tricks and secrets. Entourage: Microsoft puts this program in every Office package. What is it good for, why you may want to use it, and how do you set it up. It's not just an email program, it[base ']s a contact database. But wait there[base ']s more! Come to the class and find out. iPhoto: Tricks, tips and how-tos. Learn how to use the more advanced features to get your pictures just right. People attending this class should already know iPhoto basics and have the latest version installed on their computer. iWeb: Need a quick web page and have a .Mac account? iWeb is the perfect tool for you. This program lets you set up a web page in no time at all. Even without Internet access, we will guide you though the process and answer questions. And you don't have to have a .Mac account! System Preferences: We are calling this System Prefs Part Two due to the fact our instructor ran short of time when giving this class last year. Now he'll cover what was missed and then do a refresher course on what things have been updated or changes since the last class. Saturday evening (providing his house move is over) Rob Griffiths, Macworld Contributing Editor and the founder of MacOSXHints.com, will host a 20-question Jeopardy-style quiz he used at Macworld Expo this year. He will point out 20 things that OS X can do, then ask the crowd if they know how. Then he will demonstrate that answer, so everyone learns. This will be an 8:00pm session so it does not conflict with the other classes. Contact mailto: charles@pmug.org with questions about MacCamp. Find out more about MacCamp with these web sites http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2006/10/maccamp/index.php http://www.apple.com/usergroups/spotlight/maccamp/ http://www.pmug.org/mccamp/4-07.html 8:23:19 PM    comment []

Also of interest is the fact that Verizon is bumping up speeds on it[base ']s Fios service to interest new customers. They just put in the piping for Fios in my area last week and can[base ']t wait for the fiber to be installed, will be like getting a free upgrade. Their cost is cheaper than cable with more speed. They will be offering TV service later so Comcast will have to lower their rates or upgrade their service to compete. I have just been informed that Fios is ready to go in my area and have put in my install order for March 30th. They say prepare for a 4 to 6 hour install. 8:21:45 PM    comment []

Now we get to fun software Freeverse was at Macworld with games and fun things like SoundStudio3. Janet and I have used SoundStudio to transfer about 40 of our 1100 vinyl albums to CD so we know the product was good. Purchased the latest update to support the product more than needing to have the latest and greatest. Besides we were still using a version that came with Janet[base ']s iBook 4 years ago. Also purchased Wingnuts 2 after downloading Wingnuts from the Freeverse web site for free. Great job with the PR Freeverse! I would never have tried the game if it hadn[base ']t been a free download and you to can have this game by going to www.freeverse.com and look for Wingnuts 1 download. Freeverse also has many other titles like Comic life Deluxe. Please note many of these products are Universal and require 10.4 to operate. 8:19:21 PM    comment []

But wait there[base ']s more from Apple after waiting a full year for Apple to release the next generation of Airport Extreme base stations I have my wish. No long does it look like a flying saucer but rather a sleek 7[per thou] x 7[per thou] x 1[per thou] white box with extra[base ']s that were worth the wait. Performance using the 802.11n connection is 5X more speed than 802.11g with twice the range. USB port for not only wireless printing but sharing a USB hard drive as well (well you do have to use a powered USB hub to do both). Security supports WAP/WAP2 and 128-bit WEP as well as a built in firewall. Other features one WAN port and 3 yes 3 10/100 LAN ports for those who need hard wired connections. As I said I[base ']m putting my name on the preorder list at the MacStore but even without my 5% discount (see inside front cover for details) the $179.00 is better than the pricing for the old base Stations and this one has lots more features. (did I say it works with Apple TV?) Please note that in order to use the 802.11n speed you need a 802.11n card in you notebook or computer and only the Core 2 Duo machines have these cards and are supported at this time. Anyone who has the 802.11g cards will still get a speed bust and the extra range so not all is lost. Most likely machines with PCI card slots and ExpressCard/34 running the Core Duo (not 2) will most likely be able to buy a 3rd party upgrade card. 8:18:21 PM    comment []