Quick reminder: Overview Class Wednesday evening

The *FREE* Overview of Mac OS X class is Wednesday night at the Ridgway Library! I think I only have four seats left, so give me a call if you'd like to join us... 970-417-8434

It's a fun tour of all aspects of the Mac operating system, suitable for all levels of user (though primarily for the beginner). And did I mention that it's FREE? ;-)

Mac Classes - November '11

Little did I know when I wrote my October newsletter that Steve Jobs was near death. I was so surprised by my strong emotional reaction to the news of his death, especially since I obviously never even met the man. Of course, his company has had quite an effect on the path of my life, so I suppose it's not that surprising... He certainly was an enigma: a master of innovation, a buddhist who came of age in the sixties yet could be extremely hard and inhumane. Most of all, a passionate leader who seemed to be able to predict the future (of technology anyway). It will be very interesting to see how Apple evolves without him!

On to the details about this month's Mac classes:

  First off, Saturday, November 12th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will again be offering my popular iPhoto class. Come learn everything there is to know about Apple's amazing digital photo organization/editing program. Start getting your photo library under control, and learn how easy (and fun) the process can be! Cost is $20.

   Then, on Saturday, November 19th, from 10 a.m. to noon, for the first time, I will be covering the broad topic of Email & Address Book management. After numerous requests over the last couple of months, I decided it's time to offer a class covering all the ins and outs of email and contact-management on a Mac. Ever wonder what the Bcc field is for, or how to make an email that looks colorful and professional instead of simple black-on-white text? Have you been frustrated by the complexity of creating Groups in your Address Book, and then struggled to send a message to a large group without having the message fail? This class will cover all that and more... Cost is also $20.

***The above classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary***

Then, don't forget, there's...

 The regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, November 30th from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

Mac Classes - October '11

The big news this week is Apple's announcement tomorrow about their latest offering(s) in the iPhone lineup. I know I'll be tuned in to find out all the gory details...

Also, for those of you in neighboring communities, I'm currently researching options/venues for presenting more classes in your towns! Stay tuned...

Now for the lowdown on this month's Mac classes:

 First off, Saturday, October 15th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will again present a class on Apple's Pages program. Come learn how to master this formidable word-processing/page layout program, which is a good deal more user-friendly and fun to use than Microsoft Word! Cost is $20.

   Then, on Saturday, October 29th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be revisiting the topic of Social Networking. In this class I will cover Facebook, Google+ Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., etc. The emphasis will be on figuring out how to navigate these wild & crazy new social fads, especially in light of all the recent changes on Facebook & the emergence of Google+ as a strong contender... At the same time, you'll learn how to maintain the privacy levels we all prefer. If there's interest, I will also cover the ways in which these tools can be put to use in marketing a business. Cost is also $20.

***The above classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary***

Then, don't forget, there's always...

 The regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, October 26th from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!

As always, let me know if there's something else you'd like me to consider covering in the Saturday sessions.

Mac Classes - September '11

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! Even if it is still hot, fall is in the air, especially when that wind blows...

Mac class news for the month:

 For starters, Saturday, September 17th, from 10 a.m. to noon, (due to popular demand) I will again be covering the iPhoto program. Come learn all the ins & outs of Apple's amazing digital photo organization/editing program. This class carries a fee of $20.

 Then, on Saturday, September 24th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be revisiting Apple's Keynote program. We've all seen the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation done to death (almost literally)... Apple has taken their usual graphic-oriented approach to the concept and done it justice. Keynote makes it possible to make exciting, engaging presentations that stand out from the crowd. This class also carries a fee of $20.

***The above classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary***

Then, don't forget, there's...

 The regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, September 28th from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!

As always, let me know if there's something else you'd like me to consider covering in the Saturday sessions.

WARNING: New phishing scam on the loose...

More things to be wary of I'm afraid...

A client sent this to me over the weekend. He fell for it, and had to go through the hassle of changing passwords and canceling credit cards, etc...

It's just another "phishing" scam, but one that is directly targeted at Mac users who may have been following the news about Apple's upcoming iCloud service that will replace MobileMe sometime this fall. Even if you don't have a MobileMe account right now, you could be a target for the scam, as iCloud will work for anyone with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

If you'll notice, the "From" field says 'MobileMe Team', but the email address is '@iCLOUD.com', instead of 'apple.com'. Subtle things like that are what one should keep their eyes peeled for when trying to discern an email's legitimacy. Of course, the basic rule still applies: NEVER assume an email asking you to log in to a secure website is legitimate. Instead, go to that site using a known-good web address (i.e. apple.com, chasebank.com or wellsfargo.com), and look around for anything related to the email's claim. Better yet, call the company's 800 number...

Here's the original message client received:

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about this. Now back to your regularly scheduled programing!

Mac Classes - August '11

Happy Colorado Day everyone! I trust you're enjoying the 135th anniversary of Colorado's statehood (not to mention all this rain we've been having!)...

Mac class news for the month:

 First off, Saturday, August 13th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be presenting a class on the iPhone, iPad & the iPod Touch. Now that the iPhone has finally come to Verizon and the iPad has gotten so popular, more and more of you might have one or the other (or an 'iTouch'), or maybe it's simply time for you to find out what the fuss is all about! Either way, this class will teach you everything you need to know about these amazing devices... Cost is $20.

 Then, on Saturday, August 27th, from 10 a.m. to noon, for the first time, I will be covering iMovie. Since most point-and-shoot cameras (and even the newest digital SLR models) take video these days, I figured it was high time I covered Apple's powerful video editing software. If you'd like to learn how to make your own Oscar contenders, this class is for you! Cost is also $20.

***The above classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary***

Then, don't forget, there's...

 The regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, August 31st from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!

Mac Classes - July '11

Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Independence Day weekend! I'm back to a full slate of classes for the month, and a little late getting this out, so let's get right to it...

Mac class news for the month:

 For starters, Saturday, July 16th, from 10 a.m. to noon, (due to continuing requests) I will again be covering the iPhoto program. Come learn all the ins & outs of Apple's amazing digital photo organization/editing program. This class carries a fee of $20.

 Then, on Saturday, July 30th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be revisiting the topic of Social Networking. In this class I will cover Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., etc. The emphasis will be on figuring out how to navigate these wild & crazy new social fads, and at the same time maintain the privacy levels we all prefer. If there's interest, I will also cover the ways in which these tools can be put to use in marketing a business. This class also carries a fee of $20.

***The above classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary***

Then, don't forget, there's...

 The regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, July 27th from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!