Past Meetings
June 22, 2009 - Hammondsport Mac Users Group
TOPIC: KIDS AND MACS
ATTENDING: Jack H, Tom B, Bill N, Bob S, Bob G, Don H and Jerry L.
Over lunch, we reminisced about our favorite childhood games (the kind that didn't require a computer or even electricity - games such as Kick The Can, Fox and Geese, Airplane, Annie Annie Over, Red Rover Come Over, Marbles, Mumbley Peg and Jack Knife Baseball.
Question: When should
kids (or grandkids) be told about computers?
Answer: Never. Give them a pile of dirt in the backyard and
let them play with that until they are old enough to go to work.
Silicon
Snake Oil - an excellent book written by Berkley astronomer Clifford Stoll
in 1995, but still relevant, in examining our digital transformation - what
we're gaining and what we're losing. Read this book before you buy your kid
a computer.
But ... sooner or later they will probably find out about computers, and if they ask politely to use your Mac, here are some suggestions. Most are educational but others are simply fun.
Games - downloadable
Custom
Solutions of Maryland - great source of simple, free educational games
So
You Know Capitals! - test your knowledge of our 50 state capitals (download
2.8mb)
SayApp
- tiny free app for OSX which speaks what you type - hear
a sample (download 53k)
Babel
Fish - have fun translating phrases into other languages and back again
20
Questions - can a computer read your mind? Think of a word, then answer
20 questions.
Kids
& Learning - Apple Downloads - Mac OSX most popular educational software
Bullfrog
- how many bugs can you eat? Freeware (7.9mb)
Tux
Paint is a free, award-winning drawing program for children ages 3 to 12.
It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging
cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program. Kids are presented
with a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help them be creative.
Download
latest version 0.9.21 (14mb) for OSX Tiger and Leopard on Mac G4s. Try an
older
version 0.9.14 for G3 Macs (3.5mb). Extra Rubber Stamps here
(42.7mb)
Using a freeware called Pencil
along with a stylus and USB Wacom
tablet, Tom gave a demonstration
of drawing on his PowerBook Titanium G4. The pressure-sensitive feature allows
line thickness to accurately reflect subtle changes of pressure from the drawer's
hand. A handy compatibility chart of Wacom Pens and Tablets can be found here.
Tom has a couple Wacom tablets and pens for sale. If interested, e-mail
him.
Games - play on line (Jerry's List)
PhotoBooth
- Mac app for fun portraits - included on new Macs w/ iSight cams (see sample)
Brushes - $5 iPhone application
available via iTunes > App Store > Entertainment > Brushes. Watch
how a recent New Yorker cover was painted using free iPhone app called
Brushes Viewer
Parental controls - how to set up user accounts for kids on
OSX
10.4 (Tiger), OSX
10.5 (Leopard) - video
tutorial
Komando
Kids - tips for parents from Kim Komando who broadcasts a weekly radio show
for computer users (mostly PC issues). Find out how to set limits within the
operating system (OSX 10.5 Leopard) by clicking the Apple logo at the top of
the screen > Select System Preferences. > Click on Parental Controls.
There you can set daily time limits. And you can prevent access during specific
hours of the day. See how to control your children's iTunes use as well.
Update 9/2010: When
should we introduce social media (Facebook, Twitter) to Kids? - great
article at TidBits about this tough issue.
Other News
--------------------------------------------
Bing
- Microsoft's new challenge to Google's search engine. Google worried - read
article.
Twitter
is playing a BIG role in Iran freedom revolution. Who would have thought?
Read
about Kodachrome being taken away, mama, (after 74 years). Listen
to Paul Simon's song.
Hidden
messages in popular logos? (Amazon, FedEx, Baskin Robbins)
Discoveries
-------------------------------------------
MacNotables - quick summary links to latest columns of many Mac experts (with downloadable MP3s)
Mac Apps and Utilities - brief description of all of Apple's on-board software you may have never used
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