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Take Control of Switching to the Mac
Scott Knaster
TidBITS Electronic Publishing
US $10.00
ISBN 1-933671-04-1
93 pages
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/switching.html
I converted one of my PC-using friends to the Mac the other day. It didn’t take long.
Actually, I didn’t do the converting. Scott Knaster’s ebook Take Control of Switching to the Mac largely convinced my friend to buy a Mac. My Aluminum PowerBook 15″ did the rest. In truth, I just watched, and answered a few easy questions by saying, “watch this.”
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The Photoshop Elements 4 Book for Digital Photographers,
By Scott Kelby
ISBN 0-321-38483-0
$34.95 CN $48.99 £24.99
25 Things to Make and Do in Adobe Photoshop Elements 4,
By Lisa Matthews
ISBN 0-321-38481-4
US $34.99 CN $34.99 £17.99
The Adobe Photoshop Elements Book,
by Elizabeth Bulger
IBN 0-321-36896-7
http://peachpitpress.com
I took a class in digital photography this semester and while the instructor is a knowledgeable and experienced photographer and Photoshop user, he was most challenged by teaching us his students how to use Photoshop. Many students either couldn’t keep up with his demonstrations, or he showed rather taught us digital “darkroom” techniques as we passively sat watching him having all the fun.
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David Every wanted to look at the year in review (in regards to Apple) to reflect on predictions he had made.
At the beginning of 2005 I said I expected Apple’s stock to hit $110-$140 and then split within a year. Turns out I was wrong — Apple split, then went up to $70′s+ ($140 pre-split level). I’m pleased that my financial predictions were that dead-on. You can read the original article at: http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=1917.
Of course, even a broken clock is right twice a day. And one lucky hit doesn’t make me a financial analyst. Any long term predictions require luck as well as strategy. Analyst often focus on the minutiae to see how well a company is going to hit their next quarter predictions, while I’m looking more at the industry and company to try to figure out trends for the next year. So let’s look at Apple’s different operating segments (as they break them down), think about strategy, and look forward.
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Daphne Kalfon, Songwriter and Composer of So Much More Than “I Love My Mac”
Quick! Name a contemporary singer-songwriter composer who is equally versatile in pop, jazz, rock, avant-garde and orchestral; who writes, arranges, and performs her vocal and instrumental tracks; who publishes an informative monthly column; who is world famous for one song and hopes to be acclaimed for many others; who has already been featured on our MyMac.com podcasts – whoizzit?
Daphne “I Love My Mac” Kalfon’s music has filled the iPods and MP3 players of open-minded listeners lucky enough to have become aware of her talents. Let’s go into her studio for a conversation with this one-of-a-kind contemporary musical artist. Welcome to the MyMac.com interview, Daphne.
MyMac – Do you make a distinction, Daphne, between being a “songwriter” and a “composer”?
Daphne – Yes I do. A songwriter is someone who writes songs, and songs are pieces that contain words and music combined. On the other hand, “composer” implies a wider range of music writing. It could include songwriting, but also includes writing instrumental pieces, whether it be for the symphony, a small ensemble, for the theatre, or for film. Also, the word “composer” connotes that a certain level of training has taken place, whereas in the case of a songwriter, he or she may have little if any formal training in music.
MyMac – Please tell our readers and listeners what you use for your recording equipment, both audio and computer (hardware/software).
Daphne- I use a dual 2 GHz PowerMac G5, and I’ve streamlined my hardware down to a NAD amp, Energy speakers, MOTU 828 hard disk recording unit, a trusty Studio Projects C1 condenser mic, and my baby which is the Alesis QS8 keyboard. All other instruments and effects are virtual. Since GarageBand came out, everything I’ve created has been done solely using GarageBand.
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MyMac Podcast 59
This week, Chad and Tim and joined by MyMac.com webmaster Adam Karneboge. A little MyMac history, some good stories, the latest in Mac news, and reader feedback.
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This podcast is sponsored by SmallDog.com, and Inno-Tech.com.
Links mentioned on the show
Donny Yankellow The World of Witherspoon (via iTunes or Website)
i-Rocks Light-up keyboard
Mac news from MacMinute.com
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Kenpo Jacket for iPod
Kenpo Inc.
$275.00
http://kenpofashion.com/kenpo.html
When someone asks me about buying an iPod, I say whatever you do, plan to budget for several iPod accessories. For dedicated iPod fans, you know the deal. You gotta have a better set of headphones; a leather or cool little sock case; some way to hook it up to your car and home stereo, and if you’re a true addict, you’ll want portable speakers for your bedroom or a boom box to crash your friend’s party.
But how are you sporting your iPod , out and about during the winter months? Ever thought about an iPod jacket? Well the folks at Kenpo Inc. have created a jacket specifically designed for iPod users.
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Adobe Photoshop CS2
Company: Adobe
Price: $599.00 full version, $149.99 upgrade
http://www.adobe.com/
Everyman’s Photoshop CS2 Review
The reason this is called an “everyman’s” review is that I’m less than an expert. In fact, if Photoshop were a car, I’d be the one driving it cross-country in first gear.
I normally use Photoshop for creating Web graphics or sexing up photos – no shifting required, in other words. But Photoshop does way more than that, so much so that without it, most designers would curl up and die. For most of us though, running a full-bore image-editing app is like driving a Ferrari in the back yard. I ought to know: I’ve had access to the software for a long time and still don’t know what all the tools are for – the latest version, Adobe Photoshop CS2, has even more. That said, if you have any kind of visual project in mind and a modicum of talent, there’s hardly anything you can’t do. It may take a while to get rolling, but once you do, you’ll kill for a chance to have your very own copy. See what you can do?
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The Cult of iPod
by Leander Kahney
http://www.nostarch.com
160 pages
ISBN: 1593270666
Price: $24.95
After the success of his “Cult of Mac” book, which highlighted the deep and often intense relationship Mac-users have with their computers, Leander Kahney has returned with another “Cult of…” book, this time looking at the iPod. It’s a wonderful book that will appeal to iPod users everywhere, but Mac-users, with their eye for graphic design and sophisticated page layout will just adore the format of the book. Like the “Cult of Mac” book that drew its aesthetic language from the Macintosh, the “Cult of iPod” mimics the look and feel of the iPod in its use of menus and fonts. A battery icon ‘runs down’ as you progress through the book, and even the shape of the book, a rectangle with rounded corners, copies that of the iPod itself.
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While iTunes has playlists for organizing your music, podcasts, etc, iPhoto has albums for organizing your photos (and video if you import video from your digital camera). Albums in iPhoto are just as easy to make and use as playlists are in iTunes.
Just like iTunes, iPhoto has a Library. In the Library, all of your photos are stored from your digital camera or other sources. To see all of these photos, click the Library icon located in the top of the left window called the Source Window.
Blogging in a Snap
By Julie C. Meloni
SAMS Publishing
ISBN 0-672-32843-7
270 pages
Price: US $24.99, CAN $34.99 £17.99
If you’ve been thinking about starting your own blog but haven’t figured out how and where to begin, Blogger.comis a very popular place to check out. Its simple user interface can get you up and blogging in no time.
Email comments to donny@mymac.com
MyMac Podcast 58
Tim and Chad talk all things Mac, including the biggest headlines from MacMinute.com.
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This podcast sponsored by SmallDog.com
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Email questions or comments to either mymacpodcast@gmail.com or tim@mymac.com
email comments to donny@mymac.com
In iTunes, all of your music is stored in your Library. Your Library is a place where your music/video/podcasts are collected and sorted by artist and album. However, if you want to make a collection of songs from various albums, or group a few albums together, you need to use a playlist.
Think of a playlist as your own customized CD. As I’ll discuss further down in this article, you actually need a playlist to burn your own CD in iTunes. You can fill a playlist with anything from your library.
To make a playlist in iTunes all you have to do is click the “+” in the lower left corner of the iTunes window.
1. Open your desired “squinting” or “eyes closed” image in Adobe Photoshop CS2 either by:
• dragging the file’s icon from iPhoto Library or Desktop over your Photoshop icon in your Dock
or
• navigating via File -> Open to the precise image file, then clicking Open, lower left.
If you are thinking about buying your true love all the items for the 12 days of Christmas song this year, expect to shell out 6.1% more this year than last. The cost of gift giving has gone up.
Driven by several factors, including, believe it or not, the higher price of shipping birds, making your true love happy this year will cost you more than last. Yes, the Avian Flu scare has created a global fear of foul, and the cost of shipping these creatures around the world has gotten more expensive.
According to PNC Financial Services Group, Inc, a Pittsburgh, PA company, you can expect to shell out a total of $18,348 this year up from $17,293 last year. And this is IF you can get everything you want on your list.
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MyMac Video Review ZVOX 315 and i-Fusion
Tim and Chad of the MyMac Podcast do a video review of two audio products, the i-Fusion and the ZVOX 315. Running time 13:36, file size 57.6MB. Available only in MPEG-4.
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Direct MPEG-4
(Best to control-click and download to your desktop, or right-click link to your desktop. Many web browsers will not play this video. Best to download via iTunes)
iTunes
Links
ZVOX
i-Fusion
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MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384