Jim Pernal will discuss the latest Mac Operating System, High Sierra (10.13) Â The presentation will include the requirements for using this system, how to upgrade, why you should upgrade, and finally a few of the new features in the system with some demos. Some of the new features are the APFS file system, HEVC and HEIF codecs, and VR support.
Before the main presentation, Tom Thorpe will dig into WiFi (in)Security.
Photos for Mac OS and iOS, presented by Adam Christianson of Maccast
This month Adam Christianson, host of the Maccast Podcast (maccast.com), will look into the Apple Photos apps on macOS and iOS. The presentation will cover the basic of photo management, editing, sharing, and more. Adam will also dive deeper into more advanced topics like iCloud Photo Library, Memories, advanced photo editing, and the new artificial intelligence technology that drives the automatic image identification and Faces features in Photos.
Adam is a software engineer, long-time Mac user and board member of the San Diego MUG (SDMUG) and San Diego Computer Society (SDCS).
The December 6 meeting (originally scheduled for Dec 13) will include the beginners session at 6:30 as usual, free pizza, the election of Club officers for 2018 (it’s not too late to submit your name if you would like to become an officer, see sbamug.com/volunteers) and a table topics session. Glen Terry will lead one of the tables in a discussion of iPhone Tips. Other table possibilities are hardware/software upgrades, backups/security and iOS Control Center/Today View and Notifications.
Using Apple Notes, presented by George Wilde
Apple Notes is a powerful note taking App preinstalled on every Mac, iPhone and iPad. There are many note Apps available from third parties for Macs, iPhones, and iPads. With the recent significant updates to Apple Notes, the Apple Notes App is one of the most powerful note Apps – and it is free and already installed on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Did you know that you can create a note on an iPhone or iPad from your lock screen without even logging into your iPhone or iPad? You can create handwritten notes with an Apple Pencil, as well as mark up existing notes or make sketches. You can use Siri to dictate notes and you can search for contents of notes using Spotlight. You can format notes and add titles, tables, bulleted lists, images, photos, and videos,. You can input data from other Apps. You can even scan documents and mark them up or add a signature. And best of all, all of your notes are synched through iCloud. Notes taken on a iPhone will be instantly available on your iPad and Mac. You can even encrypt notes so that they are not readable by anyone else. And you can send or share notes with others.Â
In this presentation I will tell you how to set up Apple Notes on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac and use Apple Notes to maximum advantage. Bring along your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to try out the many features yourself.Â
The Apple Notes presentation is at the next SBAMUG meeting on October 25th at 8:00 pm. Make a note of it!
Pages vs Word
I’ve been using Word since about 1985 when it first came out for the Mac. But I haven’t upgraded from Office 2008 since I want to be able to use the program on both my iMac and MacBook without paying for 2 copies.Â
When I learned that Apple had made its iWork apps free for Sierra OS, I immediately downloaded them and started trying them out. I will show you the differences in what Word and Pages can do in word processing.Â
But for me the most interesting part of Pages is the page layout capabilities which allow me to do things in Pages that I previously needed PageMaker/InDesign for. I will show you some of these examples as well.
Joan King
Aug 30 Meeting
Reminders with Allison Sheridan via Screencastsonline
Reminders is a surprisingly powerful application that comes with macOS, iOS and watchOS. With Reminders, you can bridge the gap between your calendar and a to do list. Reminders can be set for when you arrive or leave a location, they can be set for specific times and dates, they can repeat, and they can even be set to remind users so you to do something when you get into or out of your car.
Reminders even lets you share lists with other Apple users so you can collaborate on tasks. You can use Siri to set up Reminders on your Mac, but Siri on iOS and the Apple Watch makes Reminders the best tool for when you’re on the run.
Tap Forms, by Joan King
Tap Forms is a data base program than can run on your Mac and/or any of your iOS devices—iPhone, iPad, iPod, iWatch. But it might better be though of as a digital filing cabinet for your life. You can have information on your bank accounts, immunization records, insurance policies, home inventory, and any other information you might want to have handy. I had been using Bento for several years when Filemaker discontinued it in 2013. I discovered Tap Forms, switched to it and even gave a MUG presentation on it in 2014. But that was version 2.2.2. The latest version is 5.1 and it has a number of new features. I’ll show you how to create a database from scratch, update from version 3 or import data from other sources.              Â
Finder, by Allison Sheridan via Screencastsonline
In this episode, Allison Sheridan shows you how to use something you already use every day, and that’s the Finder in macOS.
You might be a really sophisticated user who has been using the Mac for a long time, or you could be new to the Mac, but either way she’s positive she will show you a trick or two when using the Finder.
Allison digs through all of the Finder Preferences first, learning how to customize the Finder Sidebar to configure it to match the way you work, followed by the Finder toolbar, finishing off with a look at the various options in the view menu.
The full tutorial covers:
VPN, by Arnold Silver
One of the most important skills any computer user should have is the ability to use a virtual private network (VPN) to protect their privacy. A VPN is typically a paid service that keeps your web browsing secure and private over public Wi-Fi hotspots. VPNs can also get past regional restrictions for video and music-streaming sites and help you evade government censorship restrictions, though that last one is especially tricky. Arnold will share his VPN experiences with you and help to de-mystify this important topic.
Affinity Photo, Part 2, by Allison Sheridan via Screencastsonline
The meeting will  start with Beginner’s Q&A at 6:30 PM, followed by the main presentation at 8:00 PM.
Last November, Allison introduced us to Affinity Photo, a terrific alternative to Photoshop. She focused on the wide range of Apple Photo Extensions provided as part of Affinity Photo. In this second episode, she’ll take a look at using Affinity Photo as a standalone application.