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How to Type Special Characters

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     Looking to type in an accent or tilde or another special character?  Prez Art Gorski has the info you need! Here's the link:  http://www.macworld.com/article/2036310/type-special-characters-in-os-x.html#tk.rss_all 

        "In all previous versions of OS X, if you wanted to type an accented character, like an 'n' with a tilde above it, you would have to type 'Option-n' and then type 'n' again.
        "If you’re running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, you can type some characters—specifically, those that are accented or modified versions of common letters—by simply holding down the base character. For example, if you need to type an accented E, just hold down the E key for a second or so; you’ll see a popover displaying the available variations on the letter E. Click one, or press the number corresponding to it, to type that character. On a U.S. English keyboard, this trick works for A, C, E, I, L, N, O, S, U, Y, and Z."
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Public Wi-Fi Precautions

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        Stay safe when you're using public Wi-Fi.  Jim Hamm points out several important precautions to take.  
1. Don't make online purchases or access your bank account.
2.  Switch your passwords.  Use a different password for each of your online accounts. 
3. Look for the locked padlock in the address bar.  That means the info submitted to that site is encrypted.  But still be cautious.
4. Turn off file sharing on your computer.  

Making Money

          "Should you have an interest, here's an article providing details on Apple's recent earnings report.   At about $400/share, I would speculate that, long term, this might be a good buy. Now, if I just had a spare million $ I didn't need, it would be nice to try my speculation out. BTW, could I borrow some money from you? I've got a tip on a good investment...(grin)..." Jim Hamm

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About IMAP and POP

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        "If you'd like to understand better what the email protocol 'IMAP' is all about, here is an article that gives a good description of it," begins Jim Hamm with his trademark grin.  He acknowledges, "Understandably, you may not care. If the client you use for email works for you, and you're not inclined to change, then just bypass this article.

        "As an ancillary note, I use IMAP— and like it — but no longer use an email client, like Apple's Mail, on any of my computers or iOS devices. I use the web-based Gmail as my email client. That is, I log into Gmail on their server and do all my email reading, etc., there — not on my computer. I find this to be much simpler: all my emails are always coordinated and in-sync between all my devices, all of the emails I've ever received are permanently stored there (mighty handy to look up an old email from a long time ago), and I never have to worry or fuss with doing an update to my email program -- Google takes care of that for me — and I never have to tell anyone to 'hold sending any email to me while I travel'  — I've got plenty of storage space in Gmail." 
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Malware Info We Need to Know

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        Ward Stanke, our PMUG Ambassador, sends important info on Mac malware:  "I saw this post to the Apple Users Group Mailing List from Randy Singer (co-author of The Macintosh Bible, 4th, 5th and 6th editions).

        Randy said (this is a direct quote): "If Mac users want to have all of their questions about Macintosh malware answered authoritatively, I recommend that you have a look at this Web site created and maintained by Thomas Reed:  http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg/
        "I trust Thomas Reed and what he has to say because he isn't biased, in that he isn't trying to sell anti-virus software as most malware reporting sites are, and he isn't a Windows user inappropriately extrapolating from that platform when speaking about the Macintosh.
        "There is a companion comprehensive list of all of the malware which exists for Mac OS X, which is kept meticulously updated, here: http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg-catalog/  On the far left of this list each piece of malware is rated for its 'threat level.'"  
        A quote from Thomas' site:  "However, it is important to keep in mind that Mac OS X already does an admirable job of protecting against malware. At this time, there is no known malware capable of infecting a Mac running a properly-updated version of Mac OS X 10.6 or later, with all security settings left at the default (at a minimum)."
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You ARE Backing Up, Right?

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Just like a mother, I am smiling while I am reminding you.  Call it nagging, yes?  

Others have said it, you’ve made a commitment to yourself to do it.  So? You are backing up? Time Machine gave me an unexpected notification this week.  I’d never seen such a message before.  And it didn’t explain !  (Click on the screen shot to enlarge it.) 

        Nothing that came to mind to solve this new puzzle.  What did it mean?  The Time Machine message box did not identify which files it could not copy. There was nothing I had done recently to mess with the settings. But clicking on the tiny icon at the top of the screen showed the last back up to be last night at 8:30 pm.  What had I done then? Has some mean old hacker messed with my dear, trustworthy computer?   Taking a break to make lunch, the back of my mind was busily reconstructing the various websites I’d viewed, the changes I’d made on some recent writing, even the emails I’d received.  Finally, an idea.   I’ve been working on a new project to convert some of my stories and poems into an e-book.  I’d never done it before.  And, as of today it’s not yet complete.   On the e-book formatting following the guidelines:  https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=A17W8UM0MMSQX6  I’d gotten down to Saving as Filtered HTML.  I clicked to let Microsoft Word 2011 do that job.  A folder was created, and looking at that folder’s content pages didn’t look familiar at all.   Oh, well.  Surely it knows what it’s doing.  But it was HTML.  Could that be what is “read-only” that my Time Machine could not back up? Bravely, I dragged my e-book writing folder to a thumb drive.  Bravely, I then dragged the original folder on the desktop to Trash !  Now, I shut down the computer with a prayer that I hadn’t messed up. Within minutes, I started up the computer again and saw that the FreeAgent Drive sitting behind the computer screen WAS lit up, like it’s supposed to be. I gave it a little time to …..hopefully !  Now, what does the little icon at the top of the screen say?  YES !  It had backed up.  It was behaving !  Stuff was saved.  There are 261 entries for How To  listed here at the PMUG newsblog and 13 are under the heading of Back Up, and they date from 9-10-09 to 2-24-13.   Scan through and see which device and which system you have.  Find what applies to your setup.  You’ll remember that CDs and DVDs can degrade over time and might get scratched. What kind of backup would save your valuable data?   You give it some thought. Then, back it up with a smile.

 
Might Consider Doing an E-book?

Reading a book on an iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc will become a popular thing.  An e-book can be free, at a low price, or varying prices.  You can claim all rights so that the reader cannot share it.  On Amazon publishing is free, and you can specify the price you want.  You could get 35% royalty or you could set it up to get 70% royalty.  You’d read all the legal disclaimers to protect your writing.     Even if you do not envision writing a best-seller for which film makers would offer you a handsome price you could write something that your family and friends would be interested in reading. I’ve not found where it tells how long your e-book will be available to prospective readers.  I need to do the submit and review process before the deal will be finalized.  (There’s more to learn ! )           Here are several helpful sites to research: 

Here’s a publishing guide on-line that is free, the book is $5.99 paperback. 

 
Other Interesting Info 

Here’s an acronym list:  astronomy, atmospheric research, business, chatting, chemistry, medical, NASA, SCUBA diving, government, army official and slang, and more.

 
What Are You Doing, These Days?

        Using some new Apple device?  Learning more on your Mac computer?  Got any suggestions for your friends at PMUG?  Found any interesting info on the Internet that you’d like to comment on?    Have you subscribed to NetNewsWire?  You will then be notified when there’s something new posted to the PMUG site www.pmug.us.          Keep in touch and keep smiling ! This is today's handout at PMUG from Elaine Hardt 

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How to Find a File

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        It's good to know how to find something!  Mary Ann Clark informs us that the PMUG site, www.pmug.us has just published John Carter's "How to Find a File."  
        This useful info is something you won't want to miss!  Go to Benefits and click on Tips 'n' Tricks.  His illustrations are using Mountain Lion, so if you're using an earlier system it will come up a little differently, but should still work.   

Controversy Over Wireless Networks

        "Here is an interesting site http://stopthecap.com/  for those who want to keep informed about the details of wireless, cellphone, and TV service." David Passell goes on to comment, "It appears that there are forces at work to make sure that nothing will be free unless you pay for it:(. " 
        And a reply from Prez Art Gorski, "OK, I had to laugh out loud this morning when I read this Yogi Berra-sim in David's post to the newsletter.  :-)"   
        Yes, that's what we like about PMUG.  We look and learn, we express our ideas to catch someone else's attention! 

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Ten Google Tips to Try

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        Today's email tip from Here's The Thing shows 10 quick searches you can make on Google. It simplifies package tracking, converting currency, getting movie showtimes, looking up a definition, tracking a flight, converting units of measurement,  getting a weather report, doing math, check time zones, confirm a quake.  Ben Patterson’s daily email of tips covers iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Facebook, Gmail, Windows, and Mac. See here. 

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Dropped Your iPhone in Water?

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        "Here is a useful tip for your iPhone, which you might want to save -- just in case," says Jim Hamm.  The 4-11 article about saving your iPhone after dropping it in water is posted at the top of the page. But, scroll on down to catch, "How to Block Spam Text Messages on the iPhone (or Any Phone)."  Note, too, how to subscribe to OSXDaily for helpful info. 

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The Convert's Guide to Mac and OS X

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        Switching from PC to Mac?  Or, just finding out more about what Mac can do? Don’t miss this recommendation from John Carter:  "Once in a while an interesting online article pops up that's really worth passing on to others — especially anyone who just switched from Windows to a Mac, or who are thinking about it, or who are still trying to figure out what their Mac can do.         "There are only six sections to this article, which should make it an easy read, and the PDF format is 51 pages — with lots of pictures. It starts out with some careful thoughts about which Mac to purchase. At the end, for those who think they want to switch back to Windows or run Windows on their Mac, there's a few words about that — very few. Read the full article at MakeUseOf.com here.

        "If you want your own permanent copy of the article, you can choose to download a FREE copy of either the ePub or PDF version. Amazon has it on sale for the Kindle for $1.99.”
         And here John emphasizes, “Don't forget now. Once you've started reading this article, don't put it down. I have dozens of ‘I want to read this book someday’ books and ebooks that keep getting put off for something else that at the time seems way more interesting. Like, I need to set up my telescope to get it ready for tonight, or, what about that article I wanted to write for the Mac newsletter, or, …”

       (And you know, John is right!) 

Find Out How to Do It

        Struggling to conquer some new feature, figure out how to improve on . . . ?  
        Prez Art Gorski speaks with a logical emphasis, "Ever wonder how come I can answer so many Mac and iOS questions? 'Hi, my name is Art…and I read the manual.'"
        Of course, you want to read more!  Here's the site that Art recommends.  http://www.tuaw.com/2013/04/02/productivity-tip-read-the-manual-or-take-a-class/   Good examples and good info on how to.  

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Digital Watermarking

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        Curiosity piqued from the April issue of CostCo Connection it was time to look for more info on digital watermarking.  With an iPhone or iPad or similar smartphone or tablet device a person can get info that's hidden from the ordinary view.  "Digital Watermarking -  New technology links print and online" was the headline.  The sidebar article tells how each new edition of the magazine will be using this new type of interaction. 
        A Google search brings up some likely places to start finding out more.   
http://www.scribd.com/doc/132555474/Digital-Water-Marking  technology and technique described
http://appfinder.lisisoft.com/ipad-iphone-apps/digital-watermark.html  50 apps so you can watermark your photos and digital works  -  iPad iPhone Apps 

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3397207   forum discussions on best programs for Mac. 

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Legal to Post or Not?

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        If you received the April issue of CostCo Connection magazine in the mail today you’ve seen “The Copyright Quandry” and the sidebar, “Copyright Myths.”  Both give very important legal info about posting photos, copying from a book, magazine, or movie. These are facts that our kids and grandkids need to know. Watch for the online copy of April or see if that's the magazine on the rack as you go out the door.  
        The March issue is http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201303#pg1   On page 13 it has an interesting article on the “cloud.”