Mini’app’les Users Group Blog

2011 Board of Directors (BOD) Election Results

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:23:40 -0500

As the mini’app’les BOD Election Committee duly appointed by President Tim Drenk, we are pleased to report the following results. We received fourteen ballots — twelve via email and two via hard copy submitted at a club meeting. Tim Drenk was elected President; Joel Gerdeen, Secretary; Bob Demeules, Treasurer; and Les Anderson, Membership Director—each receiving fourteen votes. Jeff Berg was elected Vice President, receiving thirteen votes (one modest individual did not cast a vote for Vice President). Tom Ostertag received thirteen votes and was elected Publications Director with Ron Heck receiving one vote for Publications Director. For SIG Director, Kevin Strysik received twelve votes, Harry Lienke received one vote, and Tim Tierney received one vote, so Kevin was re-elected.

Congratulations to everyone elected to the mini’app’les Board of Directors for 2011-2012; thanks for your willingness to guide the mini’app’les this coming year.

Thank you also to the members who demonstrated their commitment to the mini’app’les by taking the time and making the effort to cast a ballot.

by Harry Lienke and John Hunkins

New iOS SIG

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:01:58 -0600

The iOS SIG covers all iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices and associated apps and services. iOS is the operating system which runs on these devices. The first meeting will cover the top 10+ apps that new users should have and how to handle basic operations with iTunes, file sharing and printing. We will also establish the direction of the group for following meetings. Joel Gerdeen will be leading this SIG.

The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 11th, 7:00pm at the Brookdale Regional Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center , 55430. Meetings will be the second Tuesday of each month.

by Tim Drenk

Farewell From Your Webmaster

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:21:30 -0500

At the end of this administrative year for Mini’app’les, and the end of my tenure as Webmaster, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks to those who have helped me during the past year. This especially includes:

• Dave Peck who was the Webmaster who preceded me. He got me off to a flying start by transferring the basic site from Adobe’s DreamWeaver to Apple’s iWeb format. Using iWeb offered us several advantages. Among other things, it will make the transition for my replacement much easier as iWeb is supported by Apple; and it is an application that is included with Apple’s iLife software suite and is available on most Mac computers. Dave provided considerable help as I transitioned into this job and I appreciate it.

• Chuck Hauge gave immeasurable assistance in advising as I updated the Links section of the web site. His background as an Apple Consultant provided valuable updates and links to resources, publications, hardware, and software. He also helped with resolving software and learning issues as I fumbled my way around the Mac universe after decades in the Windows world. I can’t thank him enough for his patience and expertise.

• Harry Lienke provided summaries of the Annual Meeting and iWork SIG meetings that you see on this Blog. His efforts to keep us all better informed about these important activities was very helpful and contributed greatly to getting our Blog started. I am grateful for his input.

At the beginning of this new administrative year, which starts June 1 - tomorrow, we have a new Board Of Directors with some fresh blood to take Mini’app’les to the next step. It’s expected that this will be a year of renewed growth and new opportunities for the organization in our community.

I stand ready to assist with the transition of this website to my replacement and hope that the experience is as satisfying and as educational as it was to me over the last year.

Respectfully submitted,
Tim Tierney, Webmaster

iWork/AppleWorks SIG Is To Become The MacApps SIG

Thu, 13 May 2010 13:45:43 -0500

The iWork/AppleWorks Special Interest Group (SIG) will become the Mac Applications (MacApps) SIG on June 2. iWork and AppleWorks are not being abandoned! They will remain part of the MacApps SIG and be highlighted in occasional presentations.

The MacApps SIG will be much more than iWork and AppleWorks. It will include the iLife applications and other software such as Bento, Photoshop Elements, Mail, and Safari. Although the floor will be open to questions about any Mac-related topic, each MacApps SIG meeting will focus on one particular application.

The MacApps SIG has been scheduled in the time slot previously occupied by the iWork/AppleWorks SIG: the first Wednesday of each month. Locations may vary so check the Calendar.

• The first MacApps SIG meeting is scheduled for June 2 at 6:30 pm. Bruce Thompson will show us how to make use of the capabilities of iPhoto. It will be at the Southdale Library

• The second MacApps SIG meeting is set for July 7 at 6:30 pm . The topic and location is yet to be determined.

Topics for future meetings, including iWork and AppleWorks, have yet to be scheduled.

Note that the MacApps SIG meetings occur on Bakers Square’s Pie Rush Wednesday. As long as the Bakers Square promotion lasts we can continue our discussions informally, and devour free pie at Bakers Square after meetings. [Note that a purchase (e.g. coffee or beverage) is required for the free pie.]

As we embark on this new effort, we need folks to step forward to help make it a success. We need a SIG Leader to identify people from both outside and inside the club who can inform us about the capabilities of applications for the Mac. We also need folks who are experts (remember that an expert is someone who knows just a tiny bit more than most of the rest of us) and are willing to share their knowledge and experience with us. Please let SIG Director Kevin Strysik or any other member of the Board of Directors know you are willing to assist in this endeavor. Together we can become more productive, knowledgeable, and efficient in the use of our Macs; and have fun in the process.

submitted by Harry Lienke

2010 Board of Directors (BOD) Election Results

Fri, 7 May 2010 15:56:56 -0500

As the mini’app’les BOD Election Committee duly appointed by President Bruce Thompson, we are pleased to report the following results. We received fifteen ballots — thirteen via email and two via hard copies submitted at club meetings. Tim Drenk was elected President; Dave Diamont, Vice President; Joel Gerdeen, Secretary; and Dave Lundin, Treasurer — each receiving fifteen votes. Les Anderson was re-elected Membership Director, receiving fourteen votes with one vote for Chuck Hauge. Tom Ostertag received fourteen votes and was elected Publications Director. For SIG Director, Kevin Strysik received thirteen votes, Chuck Hauge received one vote, and Tim Tierney received one vote, so Kevin was re-elected.

Congratulations to everyone elected to the mini’app’les Board of Directors for 2010-2011; thanks for your willingness to guide the mini’app’les this coming year.

Thank you also to the members who demonstrated their commitment to the mini’app’les by taking the time and making the effort to cast a ballot.

by Harry Lienke and Chuck Hauge

iWork/AppleWorks SIG of May, 2010

Wed, 5 May 2010 14:10:23 -0500

The iWork/AppleWorks Special Interest Group (SIG) met on the evening of May 5 at the Merriam Park Library. The meeting started early with a demonstration of the Inspiration 8 app in response to questions about a prior demonstration of the application. Our moderator, Pam Lienke, used Inspiration to create a graphical diagram of an outline of an article or presentation about her family’s vacations. After Pam created the diagram, questions about the ability of the application to re-order the parts of the diagram were asked and explored. Pam also showed how the diagram can be converted to an outline in a word processing program.

During the course of the meeting we discussed Pages and how to change fonts efficiently, controlling the position of graphics in a Pages document, use of the Search Sidebar, configuring the Toolbar, using the Paste and Match Style command, and Full Screen Mode.

At our Pie SIG at Bakers Square, we all enjoyed free pie and great conversation.

• The iWork/AppleWorks SIG is being folded into the Mac Applications (MacApps) SIG. At this time presentations for the next two MacApps SIG meetings have been scheduled. More information will follow.

• The next iWorks presentation will occur as a part of the new MacApps SIG. As of the time this was written, the next iWork/AppleWorks presentation has not been scheduled, but questions may be raised at any MacApps SIG meeting.

Submitted by Harry Lienke

NEW! Watch For: iLife Application Sessions

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:42:45 -0500

The Mini’app’les Board of Directors (BOD) has decided to organize Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions to focus on Apple’s iLife applications. This includes:
• iPhoto,
• iMovie,
• GarageBand,
• iWeb, and
• iDVD.
Since we do not yet have a SIG Leader, the iLife sessions will be combined with the sessions of our application-oriented iWork SIG to, at least temporarily, create an Application SIG. This has the advantage of holding the sessions on an established day of the month as well as reducing the pressure on the SIG Leader(s) to provide informative sessions every month.

The first iLife-oriented meeting will be held June 2 at 6:30 pm at the Southdale Library. President Bruce Thompson has volunteered to present iPhoto basics at this first meeting.

If these new sessions are to be beneficial, we need to find a SIG Leader and people to tell us about their experiences with the applications. Please let a BOD member know if you can help us make a success of this effort.

by Harry Lienke

iWork/AppleWorks SIG Meeting, April, 2010

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 15:58:35 -0500

The iWork/AppleWorks Special Interest Group (SIG) met on the evening of April 7 at the Southdale Library. Joel Gerdeen showed us a Keynote presentation he created on his MacBook Pro and transferred to his new iPad. Joel showed the Home pages of the iPad operating system (OS) which included a large number of applications (apps, for those of us in the know) incorporated as part of the OS as well as many apps added by Joel. The apps include but are not limited to Safari for web browsing, Mail, iCal, the App Store interface of iTunes, the audio interface of iPod, Videos, Photos, Settings, Google-based Maps, Notes, and YouTube. Joel played a YouTube video and showed several books; the book apps provide some outstanding animation for things like turning pages.

At our Pie SIG at Bakers Square, in addition to enjoying the always tasty free pie, we continued to explore the iPad. Among other things, there were some very intriguing games which made use of the iPad’s motion sensor.

• The iWork/AppleWorks SIG will meet next at the Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave., in Saint Paul. The meeting will commence on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 6:30 pm and will conclude by 7:45 pm. In addition to the usual question and comment session, Pam once again plans to explain the “extra page after a Section Break” situation, explore some of the capabilities of the Pages toolbar, and show how to utilize the Search Sidebar.

• We have established a list of club members who want to receive an email reminder a few days in advance of an iWork/AppleWorks SIG meeting. If you would like to receive a reminder, provide your email address to Pam or Harry, or email your request to the webmaster.
by: Harry Lienke

iWork/AppleWorks SIG Meeting, March, 2010

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:37:59 -0600

The March meeting of the iWork/AppleWorks Special Interest Group (SIG) was held at the Merriam Park Library in the Saintly City. Attendance at the meeting was disappointing since none of the Saint Paul-based mini’app’les members were there.

Our first accomplishment was correcting a flaw in the iCal calendar which put the meeting in the wrong location. We discussed many of the options available when you utilize Numbers’ chart capabilities, including 2-axis graphs. Pam showed how to activate more than one Inspector to make use of the Inspector easier.

The iWork/AppleWorks SIG will meet next at the Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave S, in Edina. The meeting will commence on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at 6:30 pm and will conclude by 8:45 pm or when we feel the need for free pie, whichever comes first.

• Next month, in addition to the usual question and comment session, Pam plans to explain the “extra page after a Section Break” situation, explore some of the capabilities of the Pages toolbar, and show how to utilize the Search Sidebar.

• We have established a list of club members who want to receive an email reminder a few days in advance of an iWork/AppleWorks SIG meeting. If you would like to receive a reminder, provide your email address to Pam or Harry.
by: Harry Lienke

OS X SIG Meeting Summary

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 19:00:06 -0600

The OSX SIG Meeting was facilitated by Bob Demeules. Several current newsworthy Mac related topics were discussed.

Software bundles are again available at sharply reduced prices. They offer a package deal on several Mac Apps at a fraction of their individual prices. Check the below sites for details:

• MacZOT
• MacHeist
• MacFriendly should have a bundle available shortly.

Apple's professional photo editing software has been updated. Aperture Version 3, is now available for purchase, or upgrade at a reduced fee. New features were summarized and discussed. Faces and Places have been added to Aperture, and were said to be improved over iPhoto. Other features were enhanced in this new version. Details are on the Apple site. (An update was published shortly after the initial release. Crashes can still be an issue, however.)

Alternative methods of geo-tagging photos, including a device that records location and time then synchronizes to geo-tag the photos, were also discussed.

iTunes has a wide variety of news and technical podcasts available for download in audio and/or video format. Many lack the advertising content present during the regular TV programs. This is worth checking out in the PodCast section of the iTunes Store.
by: Tim Tierney