I have to say another small thing that i really like is the new screen saver and desktop photo options.
Overall I’m really happy with it. Now if I could just get my work to let me install it on my work machine.
Mini Leopard Review
Mac Users forum, NYWC St Louis
Here are my notes from the Mac Users forum at the National Youth Workers Convention in St Louis. Ian and I would like to thank everyone for coming out. Don’t forget to check out the Resource page for links to a lot of the software we talked about.
If you have any further questions post them in the comments and I’m sure someone will have an answer. One question we didn’t really get a good answer for was where someone can find accompaniment tracks so he can play guitar and play the rest of the band from his computer. If you know of anywhere, post it below.
Questions you would like answered:
Will my Mac integrate well into the PC world?
- Use virtualization software, boot camp
- Most file formats now are interchangeable, watch out for office 07 you need a converter
- Leopard makes this especially easy
Why do musicians and graphics specialists use them?
- base software is great for those uses
- great platform, graphic handling better, quicktime is great for video
- NativeInstruments.com for music tracks and instruments
- Live
bible software?
- Oaksoft.com
- biblegateway.com
- Laridan for iPhone
Why go from Keynote to ProPresenter?
- Keynote does fun things with the words and layers (problem, you lose control of everything else on the computer)
- ProPresenter allows for changing on the fly
- Live Worship a great option for presentation, closest thing to a mac version of Media Shout
Advice for newbies:
- No security software needed
- Screencastonline
- embrace the community – podcasts, user groups
Software you can’t live without:
- Comiclife – use for flyers, promo
- Photobooth -
- iPhoto – slideshows,
- iMovie – quick and easy movies
- ProPresenter
- iWeb
- Rapidweaver for websites
- Free web apps (google cal, box.net, blogger,
- iStockphoto.com
- lineform — vector art like illustrator
- pixelmator, acorn for image editing like photoshop
Fun Ideas:
LT from general sessions will be available online after Atlanta convention
Leopard is here!
The biggest surprise for me was my 6 year old daughter wanted to come along.
Sidenote: I setup my old iMac (the original LCD one, it’s one of my favorite computers of all time) for her earlier this year, and she loves playing on. And the best part is that it’s easy for her, but that’s a discussion for another time.
Back to our story…So we piled into the mini-van and headed off to the mall. I’ve never been to an OS release event so I didn’t really know what to expect. When we got there we got into the line, I was a little surprised that at 6:30 there was still a line. It was great having my six year old excited about a new OS and asking what would be different. It’s just fun to know I’m raising a little computer geek. I don’t think there are too many features that will really impact what she does, but it was fun explaining time machine and spaces to her anyway. When we made it into the store we got our t-shirts (they even gave one to my little one, which was awfully nice of them, then we were herded into line to make our purchase. That was it. Sure there was cheering when we came in, but other than that it was business as usually at the Apple store. (Complete with the windows mobile handheld POS system locking up and not being able to email my receipt.) So we spent some time playing games on the iMac setup for the kids in the center of the store and we were off to home.
I don’t know what I expected, but it was really nothing special. Even if the event was anti-climatic I did come home with a few great things:
- a free t-shirt – who wouldn’t want that?
- a great new OS packed with new features to enhance my computing experience
- a father who has decided his next computer is going to be a Mac, another convert — that’s never a bad thing
- a daughter who is more excited about her computer — and that just warms my heart.
So all in all it was a successful night, now on to installing. I will let you know what I think after a few days of playing.
Invisible Children @ Apple.com
Invisible Children is an organization (and a movie) dedicated to ending the war in Uganda. I’ve known some of the guys involved with it since they were in high school, and it’s been so cool to see what they’ve been able to do with their passion to help those who couldn’t help themselves.
They are being highlighted right now on Apple’s website about how their Mac’s help them do what they do. For those who were at the Mac users forum, this is definitely taking it to the next level.
Also checkout their website for more information about what they are doing and how you and your youth group can get involved.
I also recommend their podcast. Their videos are always so well produced.
It’s really made me think about the time we spend with students. I remember spending an afternoon with one of those guys teaching him some basics of video editing so he could make a surf video for his senior project. I hooked him up with someone who could teach him what I didn’t know, and now years later he’s trying to end a war. It’s just crazy to think about the plans God has for the kids that we work with, and humbling to think about the small parts we get to play in them.
Mac Users forum, NYWC San Deigo
Saturday night we had a Mac Users forum at the National Youth Workers Convention. It was a great time as about 40 of us gathered to talk about using Macs in youth ministry. As I promised here are the notes i took. I haven’t had a chance to go through and add links, but i should be able to do that in the next day or so. Thanks to everyone who came and contributed. Also don’t forget to check out the page of resources that is also under construction.
Macs in Youth Ministry Users Forum
Video Presentation – movies, presentations in general, pages for fast moving images (will allow for quick jumps), iPhoto slide shows,
No Talent Show – use webcams for live videos,
Pages is great brochure maker, postcards, (worth going to Apple Store training) ScreenCastsOnline.com
iWork is great package (pages, keynote), Find templates on the web (the print shop 2,
.Mac Syncing
iPhoto web galleries on .Mac
Delicious Library ($40) using iSight as barcode reader, allow for user to checkout books,
Thunderbird for email works with iCal
Entourage syncing with iCal
Google Apps (store documents online, share, collaborate)more private.
Blogger to post bible studies
Live Worship for worship presentations
Database — online youthtracker.net, filemaker,
Quickverse — bible study – macsword, accordance, lardian for iphone
talkinghead (LT) — free from YS website, crowdcontrolgames.com, YouthSpecialties.com/nywc after ATL
New to mac — use shortcut keys, search (apple – space), find in system preferences,
Screenshots – learn keys or widget (screenshot pro)
Quicksilver – program launcher, great shortcuts
Projectors – Eiki, Hatachi, NEC,
Keystoning,
ProresX – custom resolutions
iWeb – use domain forwarding for multiple sites hosted on .Mac
Megaseg – DJ program,
Rapidweaver – iWeb replacment
iWeb addons — 11mystics.com
Ipod Touch
This new ipod has really caught my fancy. I can’t get an iPhone because it won’t work well with my email system at work (come on Apple can’t you just integrate true exchange support), but i have been in love with the form factor and interface since I saw it at MacWorld earlier this year. So i was so excited to see that the touch was now available. That beautiful interface without the phone. I know that there are some other features missing, most notable being mail, but I still think it will be the perfect traveling companion for me. I’m hoping to get down to the Apple store this weekend to get my hands on one. And for those of you who know me, Yes, this is my new obsession
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