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Newly Elected Officers

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         The annual election of Prescott Mac User Group PMUG officers was held Saturday.  Here's our officers for 2015-2016:  Sondra Bradshaw = President.  Art Gorski = Vice President.  Secretary = Bobbie Pastor.  Treasurer = David Passell.  
      Yes, Bobbie and David are continuing to serve again.    And a big thanks to outgoing Prez Robert Raess, and Vice President Pam Wickstrom.  We appreciate everyone who helps make this a really good organization.  Check out  www.pmug.us

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Are Loyalty Cards Worth the Risk?

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        "You've probably read or heard about the recent hack of the U.S. Government," begins Jim Hamm.   "On a smaller scale here is an article about the hacking of loyalty cards at Starbucks, and why the hackers like to hack loyalty cards.
        "It is difficult to protect against dedicated hackers. If you shop online, or use a credit or loyalty card anywhere, you -- and I -- are vulnerable to hacking and losing our financial information."  And Jim winds up with,  "This is the e-life we live in."
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Two Good Words: Upgrade! Free!

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     Keeping us up with the latest, here's from Jim Hamm:  "The next version of OS X is to be called El Capitan, named after a 3000 foot-high chunk of granite in Yosemite National Park. See the picture below. And here an article describing 10 new features of El Capitan. It is to be available in the fall, and will be a free upgrade.  Here is an article describing some of the features coming in iOS 9, which is expected to be released in late October."

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Cool Stuff - Google Photos, (but read this)

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        "If you plan to use Google Photos to store your photos, here's another review that will be helpful. Although I'm not the photo buff in our family, all that I've read seems to say that Google Photos is a great program to try out. Since it's free, what's to lose?" says Jim Hamm.  See here, http://www.wired.com/2015/06/coolest-stuff-didnt-know-google-photos  but read page 3 carefully under "Licensing" and note the ToS, Terms of Service.  You have been warned and this applies to all of Google's services. 

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Text Messages That Crash iPhones

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                This info is from Ars Technica, "There's yet another iOS bug that causes Apple devices to crash when they receive text messages containing a string of special characters. With further finessing, the same exploit may be able to attack Macs, since OS X is also unable to process the same combination of characters, which are technically known as glyphs."
        Here's a screen shot of the text that causes iPhones to promptly crash.  

Read this article for the warnings and the remedy they suggest:  http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/05/beware-of-the-text-message-that-crashes-iphones/#p3  
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eBay Scam Described

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        Of course, we want to be alert and aware.  Jim Hamm sends this:  "A member of a forum I belong to just posted the following note about an eBay scam. Another member mentioned that PayPal usually takes the side of the buyer, so this guy, hopefully, will get his money back. Just passing it on FYI, as there's always a risk when buying something from eBay, or, for that matter, on the internet." 

        And here's the info Jim copies for us:  "I have just been scammed by an eBay seller, and pass this along for what it's worth. I paid for a MacBook via PayPal, but the seller apparently sent it (or more likely a phone book) to a different address in my city. This results in a 'it was delivered' receipt by the post office. The scammer wanted that because my protest and demand for a refund will look weaker if they have a 'it was delivered' receipt.
        "Fortunately, the scammer didn't know that the post office keeps a copy of the deliver label, and the delivered address (neither of which are mine of course), and they will have a hard time explaining 'Your item was delivered to the front desk or reception area at 2:24 pm on June 2, 2015 in MARINA, CA 93933.'
        "I don't have a front desk nor a reception area in my little house…  Beware folks. The world is full of crooks. (I'll let you know if eBay's guarantee refunds my $$$ as it should.)"
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Warning About Fake Amazon Email

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        David Passell alerts us about this fake Amazon email.  If you get something similar DO NOT click on any links on it.  

Instead either attach the email or forward it to spoofing@amazon.com  
        David comments, "For some reason Amazon does not provide a quick and easy link to report taking their name in vain.  However, after I sent a message to them it seemed like a convoluted process which I don't even remember.  I received a message back from Amazon the next day which identifies the email address to send messages to." 
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Got an Old Apple Computer?

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        In the Silicon Valley they're looking for a woman who was cleaning out the garage and came over to a recycling center and dropped off an old Apple computer.  It turned out to be a collectible item worth $2000,000.  Wow!  Read this news story dated 5-31-15.   http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/05/31/woman-tosses-apple-computer-that-turns-out-to-be-worth-200g/?intcmp=latestnews.  

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Google May Have Won the Cloud Wars

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        Here's that word FREE.  "For the storage of your photos, Google Photos is free, has unlimited storage, and is available on iOS devices.  What's not to like about this scenario?" asks Jim Hamm.    See http://bgr.com/2015/05/28/google-may-have-just-won-the-cloud-wars-with-google-photos/    and take a look at this article, dated 5-28-15:  http://bgr.com/tag/google-io-2015/ 


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Illegal Drone Photos

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        Jim Hamm found some fascinating photos from India, Russia, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Hungary.  The headline reads "37 incredible drone photos from across the glove that would be totally illegal today."  You'll want to see it here:  http://uk.businessinsider.com/illegal-drone-photos-of-the-most-beautiful-places-on-earth-2015-3?op=1
       The photographer Chapple took advantage of the drones during the 18 months when it was legal to fly drones anywhere.  In 2014 the FAA made it illegal to fly drones for commercial purposes, including photography. Other countries followed suit. 
        Thanks to the Internet we can see amazing views and learning interesting facts. 

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Emerging Technologies

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        "Want to stretch your mind a bit?"  (That counts as exercise, Jim?)   
        "If so, take a read on this article from Scientific American on the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2015."
        Jim Hamm outlines his opinion: "My thoughts: #3 is really needed to help reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills, etc.; in theory, #4 may prove to be OK, but I'm not a fan of GMO's, in any fashion; I don't think # 7 is realistic at all -- at least for the majority of people; #10 could be very helpful in determining potential illnesses in people, and perhaps taking preventive measures.       
         "One thing for sure: whether it is these potential technologies, or others, there will continue to be dramatic technological changes in our lives."  And so, thanks to Jim for this little jaunt into the future. 
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Have You Noticed?

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             There are some really good Apple devices,  iPad, iPhone,  Mac computers of various sizes, etc. And there's new advancements in technology.  Great reasons to connect with some friendly people in your local area who know helpful stuff.  It's logical to come and visit our Prescott Mac User Group -- or the one nearest you. 
            Secretary Bobbie Pastor had a good presentation on Saturday.  Prez Rob Raess and John Carter helped make it interesting. 
            We're all learning and discovering.  And you don't have to be an expert to volunteer to help in some way.  Next month is our annual election.  We encourage each other by attending, so check out the www.pmug.us site for more info.