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Take Command of the Photoshop Basics

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        John Carter has some good news, "CreativeLive is offering a FREE online course in Photoshop.

        "Don’t let Photoshop overwhelm you! Get to know the power, functions, and features of this incredible image-editing program.
        "In his three-day live class, Photoshop Hall of Famer Ben Willmore will not only introduce you to Photoshop's interface and essential tools, but will also show you how to make simple changes that will have a big impact on your images. You'll learn how to:
• Retouch stray hairs and brighten eyes
• Combine separate images into a panorama
• “Open” closed eyes in a group shot and more!

        "If you feel intimidated by Photoshop, this beginner-level class will give you the skills and confidence to take command of the program for amazing results.  RSVP Now!

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Gmail: A Handy Tip

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        "Gmail saves everything you have deleted for up to 30 days," says John Carter.  He continues,  "You can find those deleted items in the 'All Mail' folder of Gmail. That folder contains the master of every message you ever received, ever sent, and ever deleted. If you have the 'All Mail' folder visible in the Mail app, you can do a search for any message using that folder.

        He goes on to explain, "Now let’s say you want to clean up the messages in 'All Mail.' First, click on that folder to select it (it will be highlighted). Next, enter a keyword or phrase in the search field (upper right corner of the Mail app) and hit the return key. In the list that is returned, select the items to be deleted and click on the 'delete' icon in the Mail toolbar. Those items will disappear from 'All Mail.'
        "You’re not done. What you just deleted will now show up in the Trash folder of Mail. Empty the Trash. If you don’t do this, then when you do another search with that keyword in 'All Mail,'  they will show up again, and that could be frustrating."  And if this tip is handy mention it to John.  He finds lots of good stuff for us.
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Automatic Security Update

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        Here's some unexpected news.  Jim Hamm lets us in on this, "Apple has issued a security update for the Mac, which doesn't require any action by you -- it's automatically installed. Further info in the article below. http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/23/7440157/apple-mac-first-automatic-update-ever  A quick search of Apple Security brings up other articles with info on this new fix. 

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Internet Videos Show "How To"

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           Want to do more on Mac, your iPhone, your iPad?  John Carter found a site for you that has 500+ video tutorials.  
        John says, "There are several places on the Internet where you can get video tutorials that clearly step through the processes one needs to know to accomplish what may seem at the outset to be only for gurus. 
        "For instance, you’ve probably heard about Pixelmator and how it can give you fine control over editing a photo at a fraction of the price of Adobe Photoshop CS. Or, now that Yosemite is out, just how much more can it do and how can you discover how to use those new features? 
        "From iOS to Mac, there is one place dedicated to helping Mac users learn all they can, and even introduce applications you’ve probably never heard of, and that’s ScreenCastsOnline.com."  

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Facebook Scam

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        "There's a new Facebook email scam going around now," John Carter warns.  "It has all the appearances of coming from Facebook, but it didn't. In the email, it says that your account has had some suspicious activity and that it has been blocked. You can unblock the account by clicking on the link in the email. DON'T! "
        And here's what to do, John says, "To confirm that your Facebook account is okay, just go to facebook.com and log in. Not surprisingly, you'll be able to log in with no problem.

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Being Careful to Avoid Viruses

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        John Carter knows what he's talking about.  He writes, "In my experience, there are NO Mac viruses that Apple hasn’t taken care of, and that the only threats found anywhere are in some email message or in an application that is not blessed by Apple; in the latter case, it won’t be found in the App Store.

        "If you have downloaded and installed an app from the Internet, such as Firefox or Chrome, that app may contain something that Sophos doesn’t like the looks of and declare it as suspicious or a threat. However, if you get the app from the source (e.g., Mozilla or Google), then you should not have any problems with that app. However, avoid links that claim to be the source or that offers extra features."
        And John goes into detail in a report to be posted at the Prescott Mac User Group's website, www.pmug.us so you'll learn more about Sophos (www.sophos.com) and how to use it. 
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Apple Store in Turkey Wins Supreme Award

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        On Cult of Mac, dated Dec. 12  we find fascinating facts about the amazing Apple Store in Istanbul, Turkey which just won a Supreme Engineering Award.  Called an "impossibly perfect glass lantern" the top consists of four glass panels seamlessly joined on site with structural silicone.  You'll want to see the photos here: http://www.cultofmac.com/305967/apple-wins-supreme-engineering-award-glass-lantern-store-turkey/   and here: http://architizer.com/blog/istanbul-apple-now-open/  

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Check out the PMUG Site

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        We're reminded to check out the Prescott Mac User Group website,  www.pmug.us for all sorts of good info.  John Carter wants to sell a used 20" iMac, and it will be listed there real soon.  You'll find the list of features under that heading of Benefits: "Member For Sale Items."  (You'll also find some helpful articles written by John in Benefits under "Tips 'n' Tricks." And he's written some "Software, Hardware, and Book Reviews" under the heading of Reviews.) 
        Of course, you'll want to check out the PMUG Calendar because that's how you find out that instead of meeting from 10 am to 12 on 1-17, the meeting will be from 1pm to 3.  

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iCloud, iCloud Drive, and . . .

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        "If you've upgraded to iOS 8 or Yosemite, perhaps, like me, you're trying to understand about -- and the differences between -- iCloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and other 'cloud' storage options," Jim Hamm begins.  And he's got some good stuff to share.  Read on . . . 
        "Here are some articles that may help you understand the differences.To start off, take a read on this article. Then, take a read here on iCloud Drive. And finally, here's yet another article that asks whether now is a good time to use iCloud Drive? A question like this always makes me a bit nervous."  
        And you do picture Jim's grin at this point. So there's more . . . 
        "For me, it's easier to think of iCloud as another external hard drive (a storage repository), except the drive is in the 'cloud.' Then, I think of iCloud Drive as a way to access iCloud from any (almost) app, and to sync them. I do back up to iCloud, but haven't used it except to transfer my files, documents and apps to a new iPhone 6 from an older iPhone. It worked well for that. 
        "But on a daily basis I use Dropbox,  which is cross-platform, and always handy when I need it. So far, I've never actually logged into my iCloud account to see what's in there, or what it looks like. I don't seem to have a need to do so. As to iCloud Drive? Well, in theory I'm using it -- I've initiated it -- but haven't noticed any real results yet from using it. Perhaps with time."  
        So, thinking of his readers, Jim concludes, "Hopefully the above articles will be of some benefit in understanding these storage options."

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Using Siri

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        "For those of us with iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, we've had access to Siri for a long time but we probably rarely use it," Art Gorski begins.  He explains, "I've found that when I'm in the supermarket and I need 2 cups of something for a recipe but the item lists its size in grams, I can just ask Siri 'How many grams in 2 cups?'  Cool."
        "There's a gazillion useful things like this that Siri can do, but how do you figure out what they are without a lot of annoying trial and error? Did you know that you can use Siri to voice dictate an email or a text document?"
         And Art sends this helpful link:  "Here's a great website with tons of tutorials worth exploring: http://www.siriuserguide.com "

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Maps.Me is FREE

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        Jim Hamm has another interesting bit of info here:  "For travel there is an app for your iPhone or iPad that is free today: Maps.Me. In this app you can download maps of the various states ( or even around the world) which you can use when you're offline. Normally the cost is $5 for this app. You might take a look and download it from the App Store."   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maps.me-pro-offline-maps/id510623322?mt=8

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Remember ENIAC?

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        "No doubt you've heard of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) -- arguably the first real computer.Here is an article about this computer you might enjoy reading," Jim Hamm gets our attention. 

        "You'll note the picture shows it being used at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, in 1947, where I first went for basic training in the Army -- but not in 1947, though.
        "Also note ENIAC could do 5000 instructions per second while, by contrast, the new iPhone 6 can do 25 billion calculations per second! As the old saying goes, 'we've come a long way, baby'...(grin)…"  Jim.
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Take Control of iCloud

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        Everybody’s asking, “What is iCloud?”  Well, John Carter to the rescue.  See what he's got to say:  "The people at Take Control have answered this several times, and now they are doing it again with version 3.0 of Take Control of iCloud, which brings us up to date with all the latest features for Yosemite and iOS 8. This PDF or ePUB (you choose) book is available now on their website here at a 30% discount."