January 9, 2010 Meeting
The MLMUG meeting was called to order by Tony DiPiano at 9:05 a.m. by announcing the Special Interest Groups (SIGs): Bob Barton, Newer Users SIG; Linda McNeil, Multimedia Special Interest Group; and Stan Horwitz, Intermediate & Advanced SIG. There were 64 members, 2 new members and 4 visitors at the meeting.
Intermediate/Advanced SIG: Stan Horwitz. Topic: General Questions and Answers
- File in Trash won't delete? Useful utilities can be found on Version Tracker. Also, in Snow Leopard, Secure Empty Trash should do the trick.
- To share a disk on a network, turn on File Sharing in Preferences.
- Stan recommended that everyone have an extra account on his/her Mac.
- To open a new window in Safari or Firefox, use Command>N; to open a new tab, use Command>T. The option of a window or a tab is a matter of personal preference.
- Mail: Read messages reappear in the Inbox because the read indicator has changed back to unread. Stan said this was a common problem and he has seen it many times. Command>Shift>U will change the indicator back to read. Stan also suggested setting up "smart folders" in Apple Mail.
- Permissions: If you are an administrator, you cannot deny yourself write access. In the Finder, to change permissions for a file, use Get Info>Permissions which is at the bottom of the Info page.
- iTunes: Show duplicates. Option key - show Exact Duplicates. Multiple libraries - Hold down option key to get. This also works with iPhoto. Both iTunes and iPhoto always open to the previous option by default.
- Yahoo: In Yahoo you can forward the MLMUG list to your preferred mail app. All you need to do is to be on the MLMUG list. Yahoo charges for IMAP.
- GMail: To set up a GMail account, follow the directions at www.gmail.com.
Don't set a GMail Account as POP if you use more than one Mac. IMAP wil allow all your computers to receive your emails. Follow the instructions at GMail to set up Apple MAIL to receive GMail. There are excellent screen shots to help you through the process.
Main Session: BENTO 3
Bento 3
was presented by Mike McKiernan of
MacOutfitters
who, prior to six months ago, had not used any database program.
Bento 3 is a personal database from Filemaker. What is a database? It's a collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system.
Bento 3 was designed for users who have never before used a database. It comes with 35 predesigned database templates. By going online you can download ready-to-use templates which have been developed by other users. Bento 3 is visually oriented. Bento 3 brings up a screen that helps you to learn about Bento. With it you can create a library to store data.
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Bento 3 can import information from Address Book, iCal, iPhoto, and Google's Address Book. Bento 3 works only with Leopard and Snow Leopard. It allows additional information to customize the Address Book. Any changes made from Bento will change your Address Book directly. The users can customize their address cards. Each card can have its own format.
Spanning Sync
enables you to sync Address Book and iCal with Google Calendar and Contacts. Address Book can speak with Yahoo, Mobile Me and Google. It coordinates with iCal. It is easy to sort through iCal events. It is easy to switch calendars.
Bento 3 can integrate with an iPod touch or an iPhone. Bento 3 is useful for finding a password. An established file can be file protected. Bento 3 can import from the Numbers application.
iPhoto integration. Bento 3 can gather information about "indoor" or "outdoor" photo shots. The date of the photo can be captured. The user can indicate what kind of file extension the photo has applied to it — for example, "jpg." The name of the photographer can be captured. The user cannot edit the pictures in Bento 3. Bento 3 will create a single iPhoto library index. Any comments put into Bento will show up on your iPhoto application. Bento 3 permits the sorting of iPhoto pictures.
Projects: Can include team members and email messages from the team members. Bento 3 shows user names and passwords. It is a great place to maintain passwords. The user can add fields to the document. It can include a visual image as well.
Gift List: The Gift List is very useful. Information may be entered on the go from an iPhone. You can sort by price. You can add PDFs and include them as well. Information gathered can include comparison shopping.
Sharing: You can export the records to another document. Click on File and select "Print" and that particular file can be exported as a "pdf."
Digital Cameras: Bento 3 integrates with iPhoto. Bento provides multiple ways of describing information about photos. It allows sorting by various fields. You can create your own fields and define them. For example, a project could be entitled "Holiday Party." Bento cannot be exported to Filemaker Pro as the applications are separate. You can export to Numbers.
There is a lot of support available on the Bento website. You can upgrade Bento from a previous version. You can purchase Bento 3 with a 10% discount at MacOutfitters. You can get a free trial copy of the program by Googling Bento. If you choose to buy it, you can transfer the registration from the trial copy to the copy which you have purchased.
Podcasting: Michelle Barton asked if a template regarding podcasting using Bento 3 was available Mike said there probably was one. For new templates, go to New Library and view the templates that are available.
Libraries include: Address Book, iCal Events, iCal tasks, iPhoto, Projects, User Names & Passwords, Gift List & Holiday Party. A Health Record template is available. A Meeting Notes template is available. Bento 3 can import from Excel or Numbers. Synching can be done live between Bento 3 and iPhoto. A question was asked about printing labels using Bento. Bento cannot do labels, but information captured in Bento can be imported into Address Book which can print mailing labels or envelopes.
Yahoo Groups: Presented by Bob Barton
MLMUG Listserve will move to Yahoo Groups.
Bob Barton presented an updated report on the move. He suggested that you download and read his article
in the December and January Newsletters, the latter containing updated information.
If you establish a Yahoo ID you can get additional information. If you post a message the moderator will respond right now, but once we go live the Yahoo Group Listserve will not be moderated. Members will be set for Immediate or Digest Mode, depending on their current selection. MLMUG is technically ready to transition the MLMUG list to Yahoo Groups.
Your present email address will allow you to get messages through Yahoo. You do not have to log into Yahoo.com. To get archive files you will need a Yahoo I.D. Detailed instructions will be provided. Once you set up your Yahoo account you can link it with a email account. Yahoo offers additional features over our present Web host, Bee.Net. This is why the MLMUG list is being moved to Yahoo.
Bob is planning to move the list mid-January 2010. He will at that point, remove the addresses from Bee.Net list.
Put this in your address book: mlmug@yahoogroups.com.
Yahoo has good help Web pages at
help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/.
If you are not a MLMUG member you can get some basic information about MLMUG at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/mlmug.
Announcements:
Maria O. Arguello made the following announcements:
Upcoming meetings: - February Meeting: MLMUG Member Bill Achuff will report on his visit to the Consumer Electronics Show.
- May Meeting: Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus, (his 9th visit to MLMUG).
A TV Documentary, "MacHEADS" will repeat on CNBC on Sunday, January 10, 2010.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 p.m. by Mark Bazrod who acted for Tony DiPiano.
— Jim Berray
MLMUG Recording Secretary
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