From: Tony Lindsey, xxltony@cts.com Subject: Mac*Chat#115/26-Jul-96 Mac*Chat#115/26-Jul-96 ====================== Welcome to Mac*Chat, the weekly electronic newsletter for everyone interested in using a Macintosh computer professionally, no matter what their situation or profession. See the end of this file for further information, including how to get a free subscription. Any [comments in brackets] are by Tony Lindsey. Highlights Of This Issue ------------------------ I reveal how I accomplished my dream of running my own small, narrow-focus newsletter, Terry Wilson shares her Photoshop tips, we continue our discussion of the wonderfully low RAM prices and Why RAM Doubler is a Good Thing, we hear messages of hope for folks with older "orphan" Apple printers, we learn of many more Mac resources for folks with disabilities, we get plenty of good news for folks who want to swap files with Windows 95, I dig through my Hot List for some recent websites of note, Larry Bauer reminds me that Adam Engst has written extensively about a method for handling e-mail in an older, inexpensive way, and readers review networkable calendar programs. Topics: Highlights Of This Issue Editor's Notes Small Newsletter / Mailing List, What Worked For Me Terryfic Tips - Graphics, Low Res Photoshop RAM Prices, Etc. Printer Fixes Help For Disabled Folks Swapping Long-Name Files With Windows 95 Interesting Websites Technical Section Starts... Here Small Newsletter / Mailing List, Continued Network Calendar Reviews Legalisms Free Subscriptions To This Newsletter Editor's Notes -------------- By Tony Lindsey I just earned my (Kempo Karate) Purple Belt this last Saturday - It'll be another year or so before I get my Black Belt. I'm taking karate classes because I enjoy the mental and physical discipline, and because I wanted to know what to do if some drunk decides to get ugly with the biggest man in the bar (which is usually me). This happens every few months. After eight months of classes, I now know just enough to be dangerous to myself and those around me! Small Newsletter / Mailing List, What Worked For Me --------------------------------------------------- By Tony Lindsey Back in issue #114, I asked how I could maintain a small mailing-list for fellow Imperial (old-car) fanciers. After hearing from a lot of great folks, I decided to go for the cheapest and easiest method I could find. I already own Claris Emailer 1.1v2: Plus, I have a separate America Online account for my family, so I added one more e-mail screen name (by pulling down AOL's Go To menu, choosing "Keyword," typing "names", and selecting "Add a Screen Name." Having done that, I set-up Emailer to sign-on to my new AOL screen name, and automatically forward all incoming e-mail to all the folks on my mailing-list. I set this up by choosing "Mail Actions" under the Setup menu. It was awkward until I worked through the final details and preferences, but it's humming along fine at the moment, with 52 subscribers. Many thanks to Nick Kalikajaros and Sue who guided me along the way. Terryfic Tips - Graphics, Low Res Photoshop ------------------------------------------- (c)1996 Terry Wilson, PMUG Dialog editor As more and more graphic artists are moving toward web page design, you can hear a collective sigh of relief as we get comfortable with 100K RGB 72 dpi Photoshop files designed for viewing on screen, and move away from unwieldy 25MB CMYK 300dpi files destined for neg output and ultimately the printing press. Suddenly my aging IIfx seems almost adequate! In addition, creating graphics for the screen is much more forgiving than expensive 4-color print work, because what you see is truly what you get - it goes no further than a computer screen. However, besides working with a reduced resolution, we are also working with less than perfect input methods, like digital cameras, video captures, and desktop scans that need a little work. Although this set of tips is written with the low resolution world in mind, they are still applicable to high end work. **General** When dragging a tool around the image, take baby steps. This way, if you have to undo a misstep, you won't undo such a big chunk of changes. The number keys directly control the percentage of all the tools, with 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%, and so forth up to 0 = 100%, saving your mouse a trip to the options palette. The option key will toggle the blur/sharpen and dodge/burn tools temporarily (the palette won't show it). While in image editing dialog boxes like Contrast/Brightness, Levels, Curves, and so forth, you can indeed zoom (command-spacebar-click and option-command-spacebar-click) and scroll the image in the main window to check your adjustments. **Color** When doing artwork from scratch, change your color palette from RGB to HSB and see how you like it. HSB is Hue, Saturation and Brightness, and this way you can pick a color, and adjust the intensity, darkness and lightness. When making shadows, you can work from a color rather than just picking black for a richer overall piece of art. Just give it a try; it makes more sense than RGB. A quick and dirty way to get an alternative color scheme for a piece of art is to use Hue/Saturation in the Adjust menu. Slide the Hue bar to shift the colors until you get something you like. All the colors will keep their relative positions, so you don't lose contrasting hues. You may have to play with the saturation slider, as this method tends to blow some colors out. **Scanning and video captures** When scanning something with printing on the other side, instead of closing the white scanner lid, lay a black or very dark piece of paper or cardboard on top to keep the second side from showing through. Normally you use the Despeckle filter to get rid of moire patterns that result from scanning printed photos, but use it with discretion. It will throw off the sharpness of the whole image. Sometimes a few local touch ups with the blur tool is a better solution. Or, scan high, blur a bit if need be, and resize down to a lower resolution. Video and digital captures can give rise to some garish color contamination. My favorite way of dealing with this is to use the airbrush on a medium setting (50%), set to the Color mode. Use the eyedropper to sample a color that the area should match, and touch up the image with a fuzzy brush. If the overall color is too garish, use Adjust Hue/Saturation and try reducing the saturation 5 or 10 percent. To get rid of video scan lines, Photoshop has a filter called Deinterlace under the Video filter. But this degrades the whole image in its attempt to average out the lines. Like moires, you probably will have better luck using the blur tool on the few noticeable areas only. Try to minimize video scan lines in the first place by capturing your stills at a point where the motion reverses, like when the dog's tail is just starting to wag the other way. **Enhancing Detail** To bring out details, the sharpening tool will tend to degrade your image. Instead, use the dodge and burn tools, set at a low to medium percentage. The idea is to build contrast, which will do a fine job of enhancing detail. With the dodge (lightening) tool set for highlights, it will hardly affect the shadows; by the same token, the burn tool set for midtones or shadows will not hurt the highlights. Use a fuzzy brush and a light hand for these corrections. **Tileable texture patterns** The usual method for making tileable patterns is to start with your background piece of any dimension and use the Offset filter set at approximately half the width and height values, with the wrap around button checked. This leaves you with two seams crossing at the center. Repair these seams using the clone tool and save. Pick a texture that is fairly even in tone so you don't end up with a dark and light edge butting each other at your seam. Not only is contrast hard to clone away, it will most likely still result in a subtle repeating pattern, which is what we seek to avoid in the first place! For web page texture backgrounds, remember that people have to read type on top of it. Keep your detail soft, and the contrast low. You can use multiple colors as long as the tonal values don't create contrast. Reprinted from the July 1996 PMUG Dialog, newsletter of the Princeton Mac User's Group. RAM Prices, Etc. ---------------- By: Liam Miller, Gainesville, Florida Regarding where to buy RAM, I agree that The Chip Merchant is an excellent option. I have bought RAM often from them, and the best thing is, they sell USED memory even cheaper than new -- and even the used RAM has a lifetime warranty! I'll never buy new RAM anymore because I've had such good luck with used. Incidentally, for the folks who don't want to make a long-distance call to San Diego, The Chip Merchant can be reached at (800) 808-CHIP. ------ By Morethanone Kalar These are two RAM memory URLs that readers may want to bookmark if, unlike some people's kids, they haven't a local vendor or even a freeway: Both these sites keep track of prices from several 1-800 mail-order vendors. Both even include price trend charts! Prices aren't the lowest but are certainly competitive...much better than the big mail-order catalogs. ------ By: Christine, Lansdale, PA I just thought you'd like to know that The Mac Zone is selling 8MB DIMM chips for the PowerMac 7200, etc. for close to $99! I couldn't believe it when I called, in fact I called twice just to be sure. I had an older catalog (about 2 months old) and the same RAM chip was somewhere in the $249 range. I'm pretty psyched. MacZone <206-603-2400/800-248-0800/fax 206-603-2420> [With prices so low, I'd really hate to plug-up my precious RAM slots with "only" 8 megs each, though. I never thought I'd say that - I remember when 4-megs total RAM seemed like infinity stretching out before me! If you can get a single 32 meg DIMM for around $235, and four of those 8-meg DIMMS for around $400, the math shows you should avoid the deal you mentioned. You're really hurting yourself in the long run if you get small-capacity chips.] ------ By Richard Just adding to your article that Kingston is another good source for Mac RAM. My Quadra 700 requires 30 pin SIMMS, and I purchased 16mb modules for $139, compared to the Chip Merchant who wanted $200 or more. ----- [In issue #114, I asserted that RAM prices are down, and a few other points, including a disparaging note about RAM Doubler. Here is an opposing view - I'm honored to learn something new:] By Clinton MacDonald RAM Doubler is good for a lot more than doubling RAM. In fact, RAM-doubling is sort of a marketing shorthand for what RAM Doubler really does. RAM Doubler is a *memory manager*, and as such is a better memory manager than Apple's own schemes; certainly it is better than Apple's virtual memory. In my experience most programs run *better* with RAM Doubler -- provided you already have enough real RAM. As a quick example, my brother has a Performa 575 (not a PowerMac) with 8 MB of RAM -- seemingly plenty for his needs. However, he could not run the America Online client and its Web browser at the same time. When he installed RAM Doubler, the problem vanished. My own experiences with 40 MB of real RAM on a PowerMac 7200/75 echo this. Repeat after me, "RAM Doubler is good!" The Connectix people deserve some sort of medal for improving on Apple's own technologies time and again. Printer Fixes ------------- [In issue #114, I was surprised to hear that Apple has abandoned further support for some of its older printers with the latest OS versions.] By David E. Nebiker, Maryland I have heard (I have not tried this out) that the LaserWriter IISC can only be used under system 7.5 if QuickDraw GX is installed. I believe this info is available in Apple's Tech Info Library somewhere. ------ By Garry Margolis I ran into this problem with the Personal LaserWriter LS, whose driver/Chooser document is also incompatible with System 7.5.x. The answer to the LS problem is not immediately obvious: use the appropriate version of the LaserWriter Select 300 driver. The Select 300 is a QuickDraw device and its driver is fully compatible with the Personal LS. I don't know if this driver will work with the IISC. However, there's a better solution available for the IISC: replace the controller board with a PostScript board, thus converting it to a IINT or higher. The printer will work faster, the Mac won't be tied up nearly as long in processing the image and EPS files will print without jaggies. Used replacement boards (which rarely wear out) are generally available for reasonable prices from Shreve Systems and other used equipment emporia which advertise in the back pages of MacWeek, MacUser and MacWorld. Shreve Systems: <800-227-3971/318-424-9791> It also might be worth giving Sun Remarketing <800-821-3221> a try. Help For Disabled Folks ----------------------- [In issue #114, the sister of one of the survivors of the recent Mt. Everest expeditions, asked for help in tracking-down resources for disabled folks, like her brother:] By: Kitty There's a story on Beck's Everest expedition in the August 1996 issue of Men's Journal magazine. ------ By: Patrick Henebry Dr. Weathers needs to contact articulate Systems, Inc.; they produce several versions of a speech recognition product for the Mac known as PowerSecretary. Being effectively one-handed myself, I have used the product in the past. There is some training involved (teaching PowerSecretary to recognize the user's voice). Once that is complete the user can dictate text, or commands, to applications at a rate approximately equal to 35-45 words per minute. The universal version that works with almost any Macintosh application is known as PowerSecretary Power addition. In addition to dictating text the user can assign voice commands to menu selections within an application, create text macros so that a spoken phrase inserts a block of text, and assign voice commands to AppleScript scripts. One word of warning - Speech recognition like this requires a fairly powerful Macintosh. You should have a PowerMac with at least 40MB of RAM in order to have enough room for PowerSecretary and whatever application(s) you are dictating to. If you have Powerbook with 540c with 32MB that will work also -- giving the user the option of portability. Articulate Systems, Incorporated 600 West Cummings Park, Suite 4500 Woburn, MA 01801 <800-443-7077/617-935-5656/Fax: 617-935-0490> Here are some links to other useful information: Apple's Disability Connection Column by David Pogue on hands free use of the Mac TidBITs #335 and MacWay EvangeList mention the Disabled-Talk mailing list: ------ By: Patrick Henebry Starting My Own Business I could use a little feedback on starting my own business. I am skilled in PC and Mac technical support, have good online research skills as well as being able to translate computerease into english. There is however, a *big* catch. Due to my physical disability (Cerebral Palsy) I can neither drive nor perform hardware related tasks. This makes starting your normal computer consulting business impractical. I have been toying with two ideas: online research, and in limited cases on site training. As you are aware there is a flood of information out there on the various online services. Many people may not have the time nor expertise to get at it. Paying someone else to do it (me) could be a solution; particularly if ongoing monitoring were a requirement. I'm not sure how to get the word out on this one though (or even if there is a big enough market). As for the on site training, it could be done provided the site was within the NJ mass transit system. One other problem -- getting speech recognition software (I am a SLOW typist) for the Mac or PC. That stuff is *expensive*. Vocational Rehabilitation only likes to purchase it if you need it for a job with an established company. I am *very* good at understanding technical issues and helping people solve problems (I would be good at some sort of Help Desk position). All I want to do is earn a decent living despite the disability. I am also willing to relocate if need be. ----- Tony's Reply: Hmmm - This sounds like something that would best be handled by passing it along in Mac*Chat for public pondering - Personally, I have no idea - My own business is amazingly dependent on driving. I put about 10,000 miles a year on my vehicles while zinging all over the county, and it wears 'em out fast. It certainly seems to me that the age of the Internet oughta offer more in the way of "virtual offices" for folks who can't or won't travel. There have to be folks all over the planet who want support from somebody as knowledgeable as you (SEVEN quotes in Mac*Chat so far, which has to be a record of some kind). Swapping Long-Name Files With Windows 95 ---------------------------------------- [In issue #113, Tara Merrigan said: This one is for anyone who exchanges files with Windows 95 users. Does anyone know of a W95-friendly equivalent of PC Exchange? I heard from a LOT of folks speaking good things about DOS Mounter 95.] ------ By: This may be overkill... but I found this review in MacWorld's website regarding DOS Mounter: Further info can be accessed at -------- By David Gabriel Gaxiola I've been using DOS Mounter 95 from Software Architects. A friend of mine has a Windows95 system and we've swapped Zip disks on many occasions--with files using long filenames--without problems. It sports a nice interface that allows control how files get mapped depending on whether they are being transferred from Mac to PC or PC to Mac. If all you need is floppy support, it installs a single control panel. Otherwise it also requires an extensions which will supersede any removable media drivers you might have. On my system it conflicts with the Iomega driver, and while I've had no problems with it, I do have to disable the extension if I want to use the Iomega Tools application. Not a big deal to me. ------ By: hondaman@loop.com (David P. Honda) DOS Mounter can be obtained from MacZone <206-603-2400/800-248-0800/fax 206-603-2420> as Item #88105. You may qualify for a competitive upgrade, call Software Architects at <206-487-0122>. ------ By Patrick Henebry The following is a link to a Macworld article reviewing 6 cross platform file exchange products with info on how they handle Windows 95 long files. ------ By: Sharon Strauss, Haverford College Not a great solution, but I have been sending my files as a Eudora attachment. You still lose some of the filename, because 95 filenames can be longer than Mac file names. ------ [Now, for folks who want to read Mac files on their PC's:] ------ By John R Robards, Boston, MA There is a product, Conversions Plus 3.0 for Windows that is marketed as a Mac -> PC file translator. You can also install some sort of TSR that will make Mac disks readable on a PC. The translators seem to work, but as far as the TSR goes I was not that brave. You'll have to try it yourself. ------ By Lonny MacLeod, University of Memphis THE best utility I've found for reading writing and formatting Mac disks on my windows machine is Transmac, a shareware program which works perfectly. It is just like being on a Mac. I picked it up at Just use the search function. I really haven't used PC Exchange very much, so I can't really compare them. Transmac is a teensy bit quirky when you swap floppies, but otherwise it works great! Interesting Websites -------------------- By Tony Lindsey ------ These sites were sent to me by various folks, and I have checked them out and found them worth further interest. I'll start each one with a trimmed-down blurb from the promo, and then the site: ----- Extensive, searchable Mac index. Nexus Mac Resources. ------ The Virtual Mac. Get a [slow] "virtual" Macintosh experience, (for folks who aren't familiar with the Mac, but are curious). ------ The Updater Update aims to provide a one-stop source for finding and downloading updates to commercial Macintosh software. I don't pretend it's complete (it doesn't include shareware or freeware or Apple system updates, for instance), but it's a useful tool. ------ HYPNAGOGUE is an interactive film on CD-ROM to be released at the end of the summer of 1996, created by artist/musician Perry Hall and architect Ed Keller. Part electro-surrealism, part SF and part horror/film noir, Hypnagogue contains digitally navigable paintings, seven 3D suites rendered in SoftImage, continuously running CD-quality (44.1kHz) sound recorded on electric bass, and over 40 QTVR nodes. Hypnagogue is a cross between surrealism of the 1930's (Salvador Dali/Max Ernst) collided with William Gibson, and a filmic manipulation of time that generates a sophisticated immersive/synaesthetic experience. Technical Section Starts... Here -------------------------------- Small Newsletter / Mailing List, Continued ------------------------------------------ [For folks with heftier needs than mine...] By: LARRY BAUER You've probably already come across this yourself, but on the off chance that you missed it, Adam Engst discusses UUCP in some detail in his review of Claris Officemail in TidBITS # 336 He also references more detail in the first two editions of his Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh as well as the online version at: Network Calendar Reviews ------------------------ [In issue #100, I asked: What is the best network-based calendar program, allowing an entire workgroup to coordinate schedules? I'm specifically wanting to know what it's like to live with Now-Up-To-Date and its competitors (if any).] ------ By Laurie Gelb We have tried both Meeting Maker and Now-Up-To-Date. Both lack user friendliness and tend to be slow. We keep an absences database (currently in FileMaker) as well as enable absences to be viewed by date (currently using NUPD only because my boss prefers lots of glitzy features), so I'm currently working on a FileMaker solution to enter events and view dates, since none of the shareware templates meets our needs, but since we've just ordered 3.0 I'll probably wait till it comes in. If you *must* choose between the two, Now-Up-To-Date is probably better for people who want a calendar to integrate with their contacts database, Meeting Maker for those who can get by with fewer bells and whistles and want more speed. (I use a PowerMac 7100/66, so I don't think lack of processing speed is the problem.) MM XP is cross-platform; good for mixed networks. NUPD is not. ------ By: Mark Hodges, Beaverton, OR We use both Meeting Maker and Now Up to Date here. Meeting Maker: has UNIX, Windows, and Mac clients which look and set up identically. As we are 50% Mac and 50 % Sun (with a couple of PC's) locally, this is great. We are also linked to a remote hub, which links several servers together. Very easy to administer. Works very well for setting up meetings, having a basic calendar, and setting reminders. Not too good for to do's. Tech support has been pretty good, but marketing/sales support is not so good. Now Up to Date: some versions of this have been very unstable, though the current version (3.5) works good; once in a while a prefs file gets broken and data gets lost. Lots of bells and whistles, very customizable, works with banners and graphics. Setting up meetings is way too complicated and no one here uses it for that. Administration is so-so, better in the current version (MM has a separate admin application, which works well, where as UTD does admin from within the calendar, which works like an after thought). Tech support is so-so, but marketing / sales support is good. Two products with different personalities, we use them both for different purposes. The marketing folks like Up to Date, the more tech oriented folks and cross-platformers use Meeting Maker, the department admins use both and like both. ------ By: Glenn I recommend and have installed Now-Up-To-Date in numerous client sites as a group calendar program. Some clients even use it as a form of simple eMail by posting items to others calendars. It works well for groups of from 1 to 100's of users, is fairly easy to set-up, and is simple to administrate and maintain. It's ideal for an office environment where people are in and out of the office a lot ( or dial-in remotely ) and don't want to leave a lot of post-it notes and "x called" msg. sheets around to be lost or forgotten. For larger groups it should have a server machine (doesn't need to be dedicated, it will co-exist well with other server programs ), but can also work well in the background on a users machine. Legalisms and Information ------------------------- Copyright 1989-1996 Tony Lindsey. The contents of Mac*Chat may not be republished, either in whole or in part, without the express permission of the editor. However, Mac- oriented BBS's may re-post entire copies of each issue. Small excerpts of Mac*Chat may be reproduced for personal use, or by nonprofit groups (such as Mac User Groups) if full credit is given, including this notice, and how to subscribe. Please contact the editor for any publication requests. This newsletter is intended purely as entertainment and free information. No profit has been made in return for publication of any of these opinions. Time passes, so accuracy may diminish. Publication, product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their companies. ----- This file is formatted as setext, which can be read on any text reader. I'd enjoy hearing your feedback and suggestions. Unfortunately, due to the massive numbers of messages I get every day, I can't guarantee a personal reply. Send all such messages to: Tony Lindsey Tips from readers are gratefully accepted. Please write them in a user-friendly way, and if you are mentioning an Internet site, please include a paragraph explaining why others should visit it. Mac*Chat back-issues may be found within any Info-Mac ftp archive at /info-mac/per/chat - For example: and read with any Web browser at Current issues may be found on the comp.sys.mac.digests newsgroup. TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION: ------------------------------------------------ Send email to and put the word "Subscribe?" into the Subject field. The body text can be anything at all, since it's ignored. You'll automatically receive detailed instructions on how you can add YOURSELF to the Mac*Chat mailing List. It's all handled by computer. ============== ____ ====================================================== Tony Lindsey \ _/__ Free, weekly e-mailed Mac-oriented newsletter Mac*Chat Editor \X / ================= \/ =====================================================