Important: Note that we will not be in our regular room during the March meeting. For March, we will be in the Ohlone Tech Talk room. See below for more informaiton.

Presentation: What's the easiest and most practical way to move and sync documents (text, images, PDFs, etc.) among your Macs and iOS devices? Is it iCloud? Or iTunes? Or Dropbox? Or what? What's especially noteworthy about how iWork apps sync documents across devices? After answering these questions, we'll dig a bit deeper: Uncover the secrets of the Mobile Documents folder on your Mac; find out how jailbreaking an iOS device can open up new sharing options.

Beacon Rock room, Google West Campus 5. 2375 Garcia Avenue, Mountain View, California. 

A Google map is shown below. Remember, this is not a permanent change.

For this meeting, we will look at items from the MacWorld/iWorld Expo.

The next meeting of the Silicon Valley Macintosh User Group (svmug) is on Monday, October 15, 2012 at 7:00PM. Same time and same place as usual at Google (see below for details). As always, meetings are free to attend. Bring a friend!


SPEAKERS & TOPICS:  svmug members: Lynda Gousha and Cortland Klein. It's the Lynda and Cortland show!  Are you using iOS6 yet? Come learn some new features, tips, and tricks for the latest flavored Apple software, iOS 6.  Topics to include some or all of these (time permitting):  Siri; Shared Photo Streams; A favorite photo editing app; Mail tips for both iOS and Mobile Safari; New Accessibility Options; Find my Friends Geofencing; Offline Maps; Panorama; Passbook.

In addition, Cortland will show "mrFlashcard", his new app that enables you to learn and study using flashcard-based quizzes. Remember paper flashcards? Now, you can learn at your own pace with small chunks of information that fit on a typical flashcard without killing any trees. It's so easy to do that you can use this app while you are waiting in line, traveling on public transportation, or even at home in your favorite comfy chair. Whenever you have the time and inclination to learn something new, mrFlashcard will be there for you.

http://www.mrFlashcard.com 

OPEN SOURCE CORNER:   Blender 3D software presented by svmug member, Robert Brown

Blender is a free open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation. Blender is used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging and skinning, fluid and smoke simulation, particle simulation, animating, match moving, camera tracking, rendering, video editing and compositing. It also features a built-in game engine.

I like what cnet has to say about it:  "If you've ever thought about making professional-quality animations but decided not to because of the cost of the software, your excuse just got up and walked out the door."

http://download.cnet.com/Blender/3000-6677_4-10514553.html 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_%28software%29  
http://www.blender.org 



MEETING ROOM LOCATION:
     We will be meeting at Google, in the Bodega Bay Tech Talk Room. If you have not been here before, please allow for some extra time to find the room and please please please look at the specific map and pictures mentioned below. Often there is a giant white mobile "Hair Cut van" parked in the lot near where the cafeteria for Google employees and the Bodega Bay room are located. If you are lost, please call 408-877-6377 and we will try to get you to the right place.

Bodega Bay Tech Talk Room
Google - building 1950
1950 Amphitheater Parkway
Mountain View, California 94043

MAP and pictures are on a SVMUG Wiki entry (see link below)
NOTE: link below is not working as of this message posting. We hope to it fixed soon. In the meantime, go to svmug.org and look for the Map link.
http://www.svmug.org/groups/svmug/wiki/6def0/BODEGA_BAY_ROOM.html

MORE PHOTOS
If you log into the svmug yahoo group, click on the Photos link to see photos of the hair cut van and the side area of the Google building near where the meeting room is located. The room is behind the trees in the photo.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/svmug/photos/album/1019640305/pic/list 


DIRECTIONS:  
-- From Highway 101, take the Amphitheater Parkway exit, which is also Rengstorff Avenue; Head North.
-- Turn right (East) onto Charleston Rd.
-- Turn left (North) onto the Google complex, third driveway entrance.
-- Go to the position A in the map shown.
-- Look for the entrance shown on the map.

NOTE:  If you are coming from the other direction on Charleston (coming from the East and driving West), once you cross the creek's bridge, turn RIGHT at the first driveway and go along the right side of the Google building. You'll most likely see the big white hair cut van parked there. You want to park near here. Look at the map to verify the driveway's location since it is hard to see in the dark.


BREAK TIME:  
During the Break, we nibble on yummies that attendees bring to the meeting. If you are able to do so, please bring some sort of finger-food. With the holidays approaching, let's focus on some healthy choices instead of all the sweet stuff. Several people have asked for something better for us than sugary items. There aren't any beverages available unless you bring some, so if you would like something to drink, please bring your own in a seal-able container, such as a water bottle.


TIME SCHEDULE:
6:45 PM - Doors open around this time
7:00 PM - Introduction
7:05 PM - News
7:30 PM - Presentation by Lynda (iOS 6) & Cortland (mrFlashcard)
8:15 PM - Break time - attendees bring food
8:30 PM - Open Source corner - Blender 3D software - Robert Brown
8:45 PM - Group Q & A
9:30 PM - All done!  Clean up after ourselves and go.


2012 CALENDAR 

Nov 19 - Dan Frakes (possibly on Mac Gems)
Dec 17 - Don Wood - Sandvox (Karelia)


2013 CALENDAR
Jan 21 - BusyCal (John Chaffee, iChat, from east coast)
(Jan 31 - Feb 2) - Macworld Expo
Feb 18 -
Mar 18 -

The next meeting of the Silicon Valley Macintosh User Group (svmug) is on Monday, September 17, 2012 at 7:00PM. Same time and same place as usual (see below for details). As always, meetings are free to attend.

SPEAKER & TOPIC:  Gordon Bell - President of PROSOFT Engineering

HEADS UP EVERYONE! Special offer for attendees of this meeting from Gordon Bell…keep reading to find out what you need to do and/or bring to the meeting!

PROSOFT Engineering has products for both Mac and PC. Tonight, come hear about the well-known existing Mac products plus some new ones too! There will be some software available for sale this evening, so please go to their website and read about their products ahead of time. After the presentation, and time permitting, you can get your questions answered about the software that you need for your computer.

NOTE:  For each product purchased during the meeting, you'll receive one special raffle ticket for an iPod Shuffle to be raffled off tonight!

Topics to be covered:  
- Drive Genius
- Data Rescue
- SoundBunny
- Hear
- The Data Rescue Center

He will also inform and warn us about some of the scams that they see in the computer recovery business. Do you know what to be aware of online in terms of fake reviews and shadow companies? You soon will!

OK, here is the offer for our members:  Bring in your old and tired hard drives that you don't want anymore. Don't worry about figuring out how to erase that data on the drive. At this meeting, PROSOFT Engineering will accept your unwanted hard drives and then securely destroy them for free. They will take anything with a hard drive in it! They do a free service to wipe the drive securely and recycle the drive parts. They particularly need drives that are 500GB and larger, but are offering this free service for MUG members on all drive sizes.  This way, you can have the data securely shredded by them and by using their tool: 
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/media-tools-pro-wipe.php   

NOTE:  Each drive donated gets you one of the special iPod Shuffle raffle tickets.
Gordon will pick one lucky raffle ticket at the end of the evening. The winner chooses the iPod Shuffle color they want and then the prize will be shipped to them.

For more info:
http://www.prosofteng.com 


OPEN SOURCE CORNER:  BitCoin  

BitCoin is a distributed electronic cash protocol and virtual commodity. It is an online currency.  BitCoin can be traded for goods and services at places that accept it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin 

Here is a video and description of BitCoin:
http://www.weusecoins.com/ 



MEETING ROOM LOCATION:
     We will be meeting at Google, in the Bodega Bay Tech Talk Room. If you have not been here before, please allow for some extra time to find the room and please please please look at the specific map and pictures mentioned below. Often there is a giant white mobile "Hair Cut van" parked in the lot near where the cafeteria for Google employees and the Bodega Bay room are located. If you are lost, please call 408-877-6377 and we will try to get you to the right place.

Bodega Bay Tech Talk Room
Google - building 1950
1950 Amphitheater Parkway
Mountain View, California 94043

MAP and pictures are on a SVMUG Wiki entry (see link below)
http://www.svmug.org/groups/svmug/wiki/6def0/BODEGA_BAY_ROOM.html 

MORE PHOTOS
If you log into the svmug yahoo group, click on the Photos link to see photos of the hair cut van and the side area of the Google building near where the meeting room is located. The room is behind the trees in the photo.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/svmug/photos/album/1019640305/pic/list 


DIRECTIONS:  
-- From Highway 101, take the Amphitheater Parkway exit, which is also Rengstorff Avenue; Head North.
-- Turn right (East) onto Charleston Rd.
-- Turn left (North) onto the Google complex, third driveway entrance.
-- Go to the position A in the map shown.
-- Look for the entrance shown on the map.

NOTE:  If you are coming from the other direction on Charleston (coming from the East and driving West), once you cross the creek's bridge, turn RIGHT at the first driveway and go along the right side of the Google building. You'll most likely see the big white hair cut van parked there. You want to park near here. Look at the map to verify the driveway's location since it is hard to see in the dark.


BREAK TIME:  
During the Break, we nibble on yummies that attendees bring to the meeting. If you are able to do so, please bring some sort of finger-food. There aren't any beverages available unless you bring some, so if you would like something to drink, please bring your own in a seal-able container, such as a water bottle.


TIME SCHEDULE:
6:45 PM - Doors open around this time
7:00 PM - Introduction
7:05 PM - News
7:30 PM - Presentation by Gordon Bell
8:15 PM - Break time - attendees bring food
8:30 PM - Open Source corner - Cortland & BitCoin
8:45 PM - Group Q & A
9:30 PM - All done!  Clean up after ourselves and go.


2012 CALENDAR 

Oct 15 - John Chaffee of BusyMac, BusyCal
Nov 19 - Dan Frakes (possibly on Mac Gems)
Dec 17 - Don Wood - Sandvox (Karelia)


2013 CALENDAR
NOTE: We are looking at 2013 now.  Is there a new product or technology you think the group would like to know about? Who would you like us to bring back? Let us know.

SVMUG (Silicon Valley Macintosh User Group)
http://www.svmug.org