PAST MEETINGS

April 18, 2011 - Hammondsport Mac Users Group

ATTENDING: Tom B, Jack H, Larry T, Kay T, Jerry L, Gene N, Bill N, Nancy C and Bob G.

TOPIC: Secrets (amazing features hidden in your Mac)

Apple Icon Easter Eggs

Hidden Images in Apple Icons - the story behind the icon

Get A Closer Look - hidden details found in many of Apple's best-known icons.

All Apple Icons - even the lesser known images

The Art of Mac Icons

Rainy Day in Nowhere

Don't like the weather? Change it in your Dashboard. Open the weather widget, then OPT+COM click on the forecast icon. Repeat to cycle through all weather. Read more.

K9 Screen Cleaner - prevents bacteria buildup between display glass and circuitry of your Mac. (Note: if nothing plays, you may need the Perian plug-in for QuickTime).

Under the Blue Apple - select About This Mac - then click on the OS version to reveal OS Version > Build Number > Serial Number - even more data is hidden in Log-in Window. Click 'More Info...' to reveal technical data about your Mac.

Key Board Secrets

------- hold SHIFT down to slow genie action when shrinking a window to Dock with Yellow Ball
----- COM+DELETE sends a selected file directly to trash in one swell foop.
------------ SHIFT+COM+DELETE empties the Trash (select Finder/Desktop)
----- CNTRL+COM+D - then hover over a word will pop-up Dictionary meaning
3x------- TRIPLE CLICK to select a whole sentence or URL address to copy and paste.

------- OPTION+SHIFT+K (in any text document) - see more hidden symbols and accents

---- CNTRL+OPT+COM+8 creates an x-ray negative of your Mac display.

------------ COM CLICK on any saved document title in Finder window to show the proxy path to original file - this is handy if you forgot where you saved your file.

Safari Secrets

----- Select some text in your browser window - then drag and drop it onto desktop - creates a 'clipping' of your text - then drag the clipping into a new text document to edit.

------------ Summarize - If you're on a website or have a long document open, basically anything with text, highlight the text, then from the browser menu choose Services > Summarize (i.e. Safari > Services > Summarize)

------------ Safari's Activity Window - read how to download videos from YouTube to play on your computer. You will probably need the Perian plugin for QuickTime.

------------ Spacebar - causes view to scroll down one page - Shift+Spacebar scrolls up one page.

Printer Secrets

--- C.U.P.S - Hidden printing software in every Mac - type 127.0.0.1:631 into your browser URL window. Read more about Common UNIX Printing System

iPhone Secrets- Did you know that your iPhone keeps a record of everywhere you go? Both a geographical location and a time stamp are recorded and stored in your iPhone and computer backup. And the feature cannot be turned off or deleted. (Read more). An application called iPhone Tracker (for viewing iPhone's secret backup files) can be found here. Some updated clarification of this issue (or non-issue) here.

Creepy / Strange

Griffin RocketFM - last summer these discontinued transmitters were easily found on eBay for $15-25 (used). Now these devices cannot be found anywhere except at Amazon for no less than $100-200!

The Book of Mozilla? - type about:mozilla into the URL window of FireFox. More info here.

Software and Hardware

iPad Printing with older, non-wireless USB printers

Printopia for Mac - Ecamm- free trial download - $9.95 (not in App Store) - read how to use Printopia with your iPad.

PrintCentral - iPad App Store -$9.99 - works great - extra controls

How to install OS 10.5 on older Macs

Faking Out the Leopard Installer w/ Open Firmware allows you to install Leopard10.5 on older macs w/ less than required 867mhz processor - basically fools the machine temporarily via firmware changes (see commands in article) - or use the free app Leopard Assist v. 2.3.3 to do it for you

Thunderbolt - new data transfer technology at 10GB per second! (12x faster than FireWire 800, 20x faster than USB 2.0). Read more at AppleInsider.

Some Entertainment

Silent Monks singing Hallelujah Chorus

Eagles nest (live cam) in Decorah, Iowa

Mona Lisa Java - time for a coffee break?

Happy Easter!

Hammondsport Mac Users Group - Hammondsport, NY 14840 - www.hportmug.com