If not, you missed some seriously gorgeous artwork, hysterical cartoons, and lots of really cool up-and-coming Apple stuff.
At Conrads, it was all about Spider Man, Dracula 2000, vacation in Mexico, Alexa/Siri/Samsung TVs and how much they listen to you (and remember), and where the money in the piggy bank went.
That’s my story; I’m sticking to it!
At The Sweet Setup:
Every week we post a new interview with someone about what software they use on their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We do these interviews because not only are they fun, but a glimpse into what tools someone uses and how they use those tools can spark our imagination and give us an idea or insight into how we can do things better.
Today’s victim, er, interviewee:
My name is Dan Johnson, and I am a professional architect working in Alberta, Canada, for an international firm. I immigrated to Canada from the UK five years ago and used to run my own architecture practice back in England. As a result, I have amassed a lot of information, drawings, and photos that I need to manage and access.
I am also a keen blogger and maintain two main sites, one focusing on Architecture & Design (Architecture & Design Muse) and the other, my interest in all things Apple (How to…everything Apple).
You can catch Dan’s complete story here: Dan Johnson’s Mac setup.
“Back issues” can be found here: Sweet Setup Interviews.
We all do it; we have to!! And until we all (miraculously) know everything about everything (and can keep it all updated), we’ll have to keep searching the Internet for stuff.
In this day and age, searching seems a bit singleminded: you google it, and that takes care of it, and life is good, right?
Not exactly. To quote Gavin Phillips, over at MakeUseOf:
As of January 2017, Google was powering over 63 percent of U.S. searches, giving it unrivaled access to our browsing habits, and more. Furthermore, Google tracks your every search to build an individual advertising profile. The search giant knows more about your browsing habits than you could hope to imagine.
Gavin has a bit more to say, as well as some helpful suggestions. PYBT: This Is Why You Should Stop Using Google Search for the scoop.
Each year in June, Apple holds their World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), where they reveal to their developer community the new features that developers will be able to incorporate into their next generation software. This includes information about new and upcoming hardware; the latest versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS; as well as information about new software frameworks that developers will be able to use. {Think of this as Woodstock for geeks.}
This month’s meeting of the SGVAUG will feature a talk by our President telling about the things that were announced at the most recent WWDC and speculating about what this will mean for the Apple devices and software that we’ll be using in the coming years.
Apps & Traps – Our essential monthly feature on interesting new products and services for iOS and OS X, brought to you by Dave Whitby.
appleSTEMs – Warren James presents interesting Apple science, technology, engineering, and math software.
appleCore – Everyone says that iOS and macOS are intuitive and easy to use. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Although iOS and macOS are easy to use after you’ve learned how to use them, actually learning to use them can be a bit confusing. Often, basic things are not explained because it is assumed that you already know them. We all know that that’s not always the case. So now the SGVAUG presents an on-going series of short talks about the core elements of iOS and macOS so that soon, you’ll be able to tell everyone, “Of course iOS and macOS are intuitively obvious”.
Apple News & Updates
Q&A
Our rewarding Monthly Prize Drawing includes a $25.00 iTunes gift card, an 808 Audio CANZ wireless Bluetooth speaker, and a Symtek TekPower 12V USB car charger with built-in Lightning cable plus two USB ports for a 2nd device. Don’t forget: members receive one free ticket for the drawing. Bring a guest and get another free ticket! Support our group and increase your chances of winning some goodies – drawing tickets are $1.00 each or six for $5.00. The odds are great that you can be a winner!
The meeting will be held in the Donald Wright Auditorium, at the Pasadena Public Library Main Branch at 7:00 p.m. Following the general meeting, we have our informal Meeting after the Meeting at Conrads, 861 E. Walnut St. (at the NW corner of Walnut and Lake).
If not, you’re not gonna have as much fun with videos and movies as the rest of us are.
At Conrads, there weren’t many of us there, but we talked about lots and lots of stuff!
That’s my story; I’m sticking to it!
As the Summer Movie and Summer Vacation seasons begin, what better way to find out how to bring some of that excitement to you, whether at home or abroad? Come find out how to see blockbusters and other summer content (pictures, music, & games) on your home “big screen” or on your mobile devices while abroad. We will also be discussing not just the iTunes store but providers like Netflix, Hulu, Sling, and Amazon Video.
Apps & Traps – Our essential monthly feature on interesting new products and services for iOS and OS X, brought to you by Dave Whitby.
appleSTEMs – Warren James presents interesting Apple science, technology, engineering, and math software.
appleCore – Everyone says that iOS and macOS are intuitive and easy to use. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Although iOS and macOS are easy to use after you’ve learned how to use them, actually learning to use them can be a bit confusing. Often, basic things are not explained because it is assumed that you already know them. We all know that that’s not always the case. So now the SGVAUG presents an on-going series of short talks about the core elements of iOS and macOS so that soon, you’ll be able to tell everyone, “Of course iOS and macOS are intuitively obvious”.
Apple News & Updates
Q&A
Our rewarding Monthly Prize Drawing includes a San Disk 128GB Cruzer Glide USB flash drive, Take Control of iTunes and Read Me First: A Take Control Crash Course e-books on a USB stick, a UT Cable Station 2, and a WHOOSH! SCREEN SHINE screen cleaner. Don’t forget: members receive one free ticket for the drawing. Bring a guest and get another free ticket! Support our group and increase your chances of winning some goodies – drawing tickets are $1.00 each or six for $5.00. The odds are great that you can be a winner!
The meeting will be held in the Donald Wright Auditorium, at the Pasadena Public Library Main Branch at 7:00 p.m. Following the general meeting, we have our informal Meeting after the Meeting at Conrads, 861 E. Walnut St. (at the NW corner of Walnut and Lake).
If not, you missed a serious audience-driven discussion on computer/device security.
At Conrads, Chicago, current/modern movies, and the state of entertainment in Pasadena floated around.
That’s my story; I’m sticking to it!
At The Sweet Setup:
Every week we try to post a new interview with someone about what software they use on their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We do these interviews because not only are they fun, but a glimpse into what tools someone uses and how they use those tools can spark our imagination and give us an idea or insight into how we can do things better.
Today’s victim, er, interviewee:
My name is Jowanza Joseph, and I’m a software engineer at OneClickRetail, a business intelligence company based out of Salt Lake City. I’m also an active blogger on my website, and I write a weekly newsletter about photography, technology, and cool internet content.
You can catch Jowanza’s complete story here: Jowanza Joseph’s Mac and iOS setup.
“Back issues” can be found here: Sweet Setup Interviews.
Be on the lookout…
Three New Threats!
Today we have three new iOS/macOS cyber threats that have been discovered out in the wild. Or in other words… about 30 seconds worth of Android malware adventures.
Handbrake gets hacked
Popular video format converter Handbrake was recently hacked. Downloading the hacked copy will cause all sorts of mischief on your computer. For more information about this threat and how to deal with it checkout the link below.
https://www.macobserver.com/news/psa-video-converter-handbrake-compromised-malware/
Russian-backed Windows malware gets ported to the macOS
Be very careful if you use Flash- but why would you want to use such a festering pit of bugs and malware? There is a bit of malware that does a good job of pretending to be an update for Flash but it really is just a delivery mechanism for a variety of security exploits. Originally a Windows-only bit of malware, the authors have now ported it to macOS. Information about this exploit and how do deal with it can be found at the links below.
And remember – never ever do an update for any software that does not come directly from the company that made it.
https://www.macobserver.com/news/russian-backed-flash-trojan-ported-macos/
https://9to5mac.com/2017/05/05/windows-backdoor-malware-disguises-itself-as-adobe-flash-on-macos/
Nasty Mac malware bypasses Gatekeeper
Those malware developers keep getting smarter. One of them has gotten ahold of a valid Mac developers certificate and they are using that to get their malware past Gatekeeper. This is serious. Check out the link below to find out more about this threat and how to avoid it.
https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/28/mac-malware-dok/
Be careful out there – there’s lots of snakes hiding in the grass.
Be on the lookout…
Aren’t you glad you don’t use Android?
And now for something completely different.
Here’s a report that shows that there are something like 8,400 new Android malware instances every day, i.e., one every 10 seconds! Keep that in mind when you get an announcement of a new Mac/iOS malware threat perhaps once per week. And when people ask you why you use an expensive iPhone rather than an inexpensive Android phone, you now have the definitive answer.
More information at the link below.
Stay safe out there.
