Apple Watch Report

Posted on June 23, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

Got an Apple Watch? Want to integrate its fitness apps into your exercise/training program? TidBITs’ Adam Engst has got just the thing.

In his recent article, Exercising with the Apple Watch: The Software, he not only describes each of the apps in detail, he provides in-depth analysis on how useful they may or may not be, and how they might be integrated into your way of doing things.

In May, he reported on the “all the physical aspects of the Apple Watch that play into how well it works for fitness tracking of various sorts”. Here’s the link: Exercising with the Apple Watch: The Hardware.

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Backup, Backup,…

Posted on June 22, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

 

You know the drill, right? Well, alright, let’s see if you do (with apologies to Leonard Bernstein and Sergei Prokofiev…)!

When an article about something as critical as backups is summarized thusly:

How confident are you in your backup strategy? Confident enough to be certain that your data would be 100 percent recoverable even if a meteorite hit your house?

you know you’d better pay attention.

And when it’s Joe Kissell telling you about backing up, you know you’re in good hands. In Eleven Stupid Backup Strategies, he lists 11 strategies best avoided.

Check it out (at TidBITS). Now.

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Who are you and what do you do?

Posted on June 22, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

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 Chad Landman, and I’m a youth minister (pastor), independent designer, and podcaster.

You can catch Chad’s complete story here: Chad Landman’s Mac and iOS setup.

“Back issues” can be found here: Sweet Setup Interviews.

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Really Bad Viruses

Posted on June 22, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

Of the computer variety, of course!

8 Computer Viruses That Brought the Internet to Its Knees on WhoIsHostingThis? starts out:

…The first computer virus, called the “Elk Cloner”, was created as a teenager’s harmless prank, displaying random messages to users and played subtle tricks when the infected floppy disk was booted.…

It gets worse from there. To read the whole thing, click the above link; to preview the graphic, Continue reading →

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Who Has Your Back?

Posted on June 21, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

Apple.

EFF (the Electronic Frontier Foundation) recently released its Who Has Your Back? 2015: Protecting Your Data From Government Requests report. Apple, among others, received five out of five stars this year.

It’s a very interesting chart, but even more interesting are the explanations of each listed company’s performance, and you really need to read the explanations, rather than just stop at the graphic.

Credit where credit is due: I got the link to this page from Mikey Campbell at AppleInsider: Apple nets perfect score in privacy group’s consumer data protection assessment

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Stronger Passcode Security on iDevices

Posted on June 20, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

As Cyrus Farivar noted on Ars Technica recently:

As part of its iOS 9 announcement on Monday, Apple revealed that all newer iDevices equipped with TouchID and running the newer version of the operating system will be required to upgrade from a four-digit to a six-digit passcode. Passcodes remain optional, and users can create a more complex alphanumeric password, but six digits will be the minimum. After 10 failed attempts to type in the code, the device will erase itself.

According to Apple (and math), this will vastly expand the effort required to crack a four-digit passcode. Instead of 10,000 possible combinations, newer iOS devices will soon have one million. This change affects the iPhone 5S, 6, 6 Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad Mini 3.…

For all of the gory details, including touching on the politics, PYBT: Apple to require 6-digit passcodes on newer iPhones, iPads under iOS 9

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The Saviour of the World

Posted on June 19, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

duct tape

Yeah, I know it has nothing to do with computers and related things, but it’s too cool not to post!!

On Wired, the other day, Jonathan Keats noted:

IN 1943, VESTA Stoudt had a job in a munitions factory where ammo cases were sealed with paper tape and melted wax. Worried the cases were too hard to open on the battlefield, Stoudt proposed a fix:…

PYBT for the story: Duct Tape: Saving Soldiers and Astronaurs for 70 Years

Graphic from the article

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Who are you and what do you do?

Posted on June 15, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

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:

I’m Mark, and I co-own a software company. The primary software product I work on is a PHP-based content management system that schedules release of photos / videos, as well as convert between several different formats. For example, if a client uploads a 1080p WMV source file, the system will create several different MP4 and HLS variants, ranging from 144p to 1080p.

In my free time, I’ve been getting familiarized with Swift when I’m not playing Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.

My friend Richard and I have a podcast called Aliens Land Here, which we plan on getting back to shortly. We like talking tech, programming, Apple, and cars when we get around to it.

You can catch Mark’s complete story here: Mark El-Wakil’s Mac and iOS setup.

“Back issues” can be found here: Sweet Setup Interviews.

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Reminder: Mac Class at Di-No

Posted on June 15, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

Tomorrow, at 2:00p, is the Mac Work class, subject TBA, at Di-No Computers.

Di-No Computers
2817 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA  91107
(626) 795-6674

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June 15th General Meeting

Posted on June 14, 2015 by SGVAUG BlogMaster

 

Join us on Monday, June 15, for the next meeting of the San Gabriel Valley Apple Users Group. The meeting will include our usual presentations covering Apps and Traps; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math apps for iOS and OS X (appleSTEMs); and a Q&A session to address any of your questions about your Apple devices.

This will be followed up with a report from Warren James about the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) that started Monday, June 8. This conference is where Apple gives their developer community the latest updates on the software and devices that they’ll be using to bring you cutting-edge apps and software over the next year. Warren’s report will give you a “hot off the press” look at what’s coming your way this year from Apple.

Also included in this week’s meeting will be a report from Andrew Zima discussing the new computers and other hardware that Apple has recently announced, has been quietly releasing over the last few weeks, and that the rumor mill has been speculating on.

And, as always, there’s the meeting after the meeting, where we join up for some late-night food, drink, and conversation about anything and everything that interests us.

Everyone is welcome.

Our rewarding Monthly Prize Drawing includes MYBAT iPhone 5/5S Case, Gear head Dual Cool II Notebook Cooling Pad, Innergie Duo USB Charging Kit, and Quirky Power Curl For MBP 15″ and 17″. Don’t forget: members receive one free ticket for our 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 Coco’s Restaurant, 77 N. Lake Ave. (between Union St. and Colorado Blvd., at the southwest corner of Union and Lake).

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