TWO Events in February
~ A Virtual Meeting ~
Are you curious about what your Fellow "MacTechies" have been up to?
Would you like to share your enthusiasm for a game or activity you've discovered?
Are you eager to have a friendly audience with whom to share something you've learned, done or created using your Mac?
This is the place for you.
Come along!
Saturday, February 20th, 2021
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
We will also provide trouble-shooting in response to questions from attendees. Mac questions of any kind are always welcome.
~ A Virtual Meeting ~
Sunday, February 28th 2021
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
[details will be sent in separate email]
for meeting URL.
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Attend these Zoom events in the safety and comfort of
your own home.
Join the meeting using your desktop, laptop, iPhone or iPad.
An invitation and brief instructions about how to participate will be sent to those on our mailing list.
Be sure we have your contact information.
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AS ALWAYS:
Members, potential members and friends are welcome.
Come prepared to have some fun.
It should be interesting!
Bring your questions, ideas and experiences -
they are always welcome.
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Topics for 2021:
Jan 16 - Open Mic, Q & A Troubleshooting - Zoom
Feb 20 - Demo Fair - Zoom
Feb 28 - Learning Session with Chris and Kevin - Pages - Zoom
March 20 - Luminar AI - Zoom
March 28 - Learning Session with Chris and Kevin - Numbers - Zoom
iCloud
MacOS
iOS
Zoom
and more
What we've done in 2020:
Jan 18 Learn About Your Holiday Gifts - NEW Center - Cancelled
Feb 15 Demo Fair - NEW Center
March 21 Apple Showcase - AADL Westgate - Cancelled
April 25 WiFi and Mesh Networks - Zoom
May 16 Online Meeting Tools - Zoom
June 20 Online Meeting Tools-Part 2 - Zoom
July 18 Apple WWD Conference Review - Zoom
Aug 15 WordPress Websites 2.0 - Zoom
Sept 19 Photo Editing Software - Zoom
Oct 17 Apple Showcase - Zoom
Nov 21 Digital Video; Q & A Session - Zoom
Dec 19 Holiday Party - Zoom
What we've done in 2019:
Jan 19 Potpourri Apps & Fun Tips - AADL Westgate
Feb 16 Apple Showcase - NEW Center
March 16 Demo Fair - NEW Center
April 20 Privacy, Safe Surfing, Blocking Ads - NEW Center
May 18 Online Safety - Guest speaker - NEW Center
June 15 (Re)Acquaint Yourself with Preview - NEW Center
July 20 Build Your Own Website with WordPress - NEW Center
Aug 17 Cricut Maker and Mac - Guest Speaker - NEW Center
Sept 21 Virtual Private Networks - NEW Center
Oct 19 Apple Showcase - NEW Center
Nov 16 Macintosh Apple Potpourri - NEW Center
Dec 14 Holiday Party - NEW Center
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Another useful tip from our MacCoach...
How can you spot a tech support scam | FTC Consumer Information!
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/09/how-can-you-spot-tech-support-scam
... Nicholas
The MacTechnics Story
MacTechnics is an Ann Arbor Apple Computer Users Group. It is one of the largest & oldest Apple User Groups in Michigan and is comprised of all types of Apple product users from newbie novices to IT professionals. Formed in the Fall of 1984, MacTechnic’s mission is to expand computer literacy in an interesting, friendly, nonjudgemental, and entertaining way. MacTechnics accomplishes this by hosting monthly meetings with member directed presentations, member dialogue/Q&A, free technical support (software & hardware), and occasional workshops.
MacTechnics normally meets the 3rd Saturday of each month at the NEW Center Building, 1100 North Main Street, Ann Arbor. There is ample parking just outside the building. (All meetings are now held as Zoom meetings as the building is presently closed due to pandemic.)
Directions to our meeting locations can be found by using the Google map provided on the MacTechnics Home page. www.mactechnics.org
Registration begins at about 9:00 AM ; Special Interest Groups (SIGs) begin shortly thereafter, running through 10:30 AM. The Main Meeting presentation normally begins at about 11:00 AM, and may run through 1:00 PM.
It is advisable to check the website each month, prior to the meeting, as there are occasional changes to the meeting time or place.
Attendance is flexible and attendees are welcome to attend all or any part of the meeting.
All meetings are open to the public and anyone may attend meetings without joining, but benefits listed below are available to members only.
Membership Benefits
- Our website, www.mactechnics.org, with news, events and conferences of interest to members of the Apple community. (Our website is in the process of being redesigned – watch for exciting design changes and even more interesting information to become available in the future.)
- Special Interest Groups, available to all members, meet from 9:30 - 11:00 AM the day of the main meeting.
- Retail books offered at discounts due to user group purchasing.
- User Group discounts on Software and Hardware.
- Participation in raffles, sharing information, knowledge and experiences with other MacTechnics Members.
Membership Type
- New & Renewal Membership (1 year - $50)
- Student Membership (1 year - $25 with copy of current student ID card)
- Family Membership UPGRADE (1 year - $15.00 extra card with Regular or Student Membership)
If you're a MacTechnics member, and haven't registered for the Members Only area yet, click here and register. Your registration will be approved within 24 hours. :-)
Building Updates and COVID-19
We are continuing to monitor COVID-19 updates from the state and the county. The NEW Center Building currently remains accessible to essential employees only, and we recommend to work remotely when possible. Conference room capacity will remain limited to 3-4 persons until further updates. We thank you all for your collaboration to ensure we maintain a safe and healthy environment.
Visit Sunday's Zoom Learning Session
Time: Feb 28, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern
Join Zoom Meeting (the zoom link has expired)
The Learning Session commenced a bit late, and ran a bit long. All participants enjoyed the session. And everyone, including the Hosts Presenters, learned something new.
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Coming Up:
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“Luminar AI”: Artificial Intelligence (AI) photo editing. Awesome and faster, an application & plugin for macOS & Windows.
Want to take the perfect picture of the Milky Way, colorful and defined in an ink-black sky? Of course you do. Want to make a portrait subject look cover-ready?
This is where Luminar AI comes in. Geronimo Felipe, Information Technologist, demonstrates a spectacular gamut of automatic edits that promise to take your photos from also-rans to prize-winners. Helpful reference links distributed at zoom session. Mac questions of any kind are always welcome.
March 20th - 11am to 1pm
Video Conference
All Meetings and events take place
on Zoom for the rest of this year.
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MacTechnics News
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Our website is being redesigned.
A soft launch will happen in about a week.
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Security Updates
Watch this space for information
about cybersecurity and
how to keep your information safe.
~~~
November 2019
Thank you, Kathy, for this article.
Link to article:
1. “Avoiding Tech Support Scams” July 16, 2018
Here is the Federal Trade Commission's article on dealing with fraudulent tech repair scams. This may be of interest since a member brought this up at a recent meeting. Link to the article:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/07/avoiding-tech-support-scams
~~~
2. “Warn Your Friends Aboout Tech Support Scam:” July 27, 2918
Another nice, short article about dealing with tech support scams.
Link to the article:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/07/warn-your-friends-about-tech-support-scams
~~~
3. Try to Stop Scam Phone Calls
At the July 21st meeting of MacTechnics, there was discussion about the frustration of trying to stop scam phone calls. It’s areal eye-opener about how the phone scam industry works! There are two free, fun podcasts about fighting back as a "victim" of a phone scammer - select both Episode #102 Long Distance Part I, and Episode #103 Long Distance Part II.
How to Listen:
*Subscribe (it’s free!) in your favorite podcast app, (such as iTunes Podcasts)
*Or, go to the following website:
https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/long-distance#episode-playerhttps://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/long-distance#episode-player
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What is iPhoneography?