Use your user group
A group of people on my campus are starting a Macintosh user group, and I’m involved in the planning process. In our first meetings, we discussed the benefits of such a group to Mac-using students and faculty.
The more I think about it, the more useful a semi-weekly or monthly meeting of Mac users can be. It allows us all to share our knowledge and pool our resources to get more from our Mac. We can learn to do things like share music in the dorms, access campus email in Mail, and solve our own technical problems. Mac users can also share information about where to find resources for the Mac on campus and how to use Macs to get better grades and enjoy exercising your creativity.
It sounds like a wonderful idea, and I can’t believe we didn’t try to do this sooner. If you have a campus Mac user group, I urge you to attend. And if not, consider starting one. You can get starter information here: http://www.apple.com/usergroups/campus.
— Stephen Jendrazak @ 11:36 am
MiniSize Me
Call me crazy, but I can’t stand big things. Big is awkward, big eats space, and big often means more money too. Who needs big when I can store all my music on an iPod and do everything any student could ever need on a 12-inch PowerBook?
Perhaps that’s the reason why I’m so psyched about this new Mac Mini. If you ask me, M&M is about as close to student computing nirvana as the iPod is to student audio nirvana. Why is M&M so perfect for the student life?
Space
M&M’s portable enough to throw into a bag and bring down the hall, yet at a mere $479, it costs nearly 75% less than a laptop.
Integration
Mini’s got both monitor and S-Video output, meaning you can both work on your computer’s display, while pumping out a movie, your photos, your music, whatever to your TV across the room at the same time. Toss on the Bluetooth option and you could even pause your DVD from your cell phone.
Silence
M&M’s so quiet you can actually sleep, rather waking up confused because you mistook your computer’s fans for a 747 on approach to the local airport. Sleep is good. And you can save even more money by using a real hair dryer rather than standing in front of your floppy drive to style your hair in the morning.
In the long run, perhaps the hair dryer’s even a bit safer too.
— Clif @ 2:13 pm
Creative Software
Apple announced a lot of new products early this week, and many of them are of great interest to college students. Both the new iPod shuffle and the Mac mini bring Apple’s elegance and ease of use to a price-level that many people — and many students — will probably find much easier to justify.
But the biggest changes from a college student’s point-of-view came in the software realm. I had a technical briefing this week at Ball State’s Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, where I am taking a 15 credit hour course this semester. It focused on the tools available at the Center for making creative projects, and of course Apple products featured heavily.
This week’s software announcements open even more creative avenues to students. The new iPhoto 5 allows much greater control over slideshows, making it a one-stop shop for many class projects. iMovie can now handle high definition video, and iDVD has even more unbelievable themes to make Hollywood-quality DVDs.
Keynote 2 will help students and faculty make even more impressive presentations with animated text, new transitions, and more. It’s a better deal than ever, because it comes with the new Pages application, which will allow students to quickly and easily make print documents as well.
These exciting applications will allow students to unleash their creativity in new and exciting ways. I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Check them out on the iLife site and iWork site.
— Stephen Jendrazak @ 7:56 am
Macworld Excitement!
John Mayer. Mac mini. iPod shuffle. iWork. New iLife ‘05! What a morning. I had the fortunate opportunity to sit in the front row of the Macworld Keynote given by our CEO Steve Jobs. An amazing experience to watch all of the epic new products released today. If you are in San Francisco come down and check everything out down here at the Moscone Center. Also, check out apple.com for all of the amazing new products from Apple.
Life is Random.
— Dave Morin @ 12:14 pm
Lights Out
How did people live in the 1980s, without the internet? Where did they go for weather? News? Communication?
Oh! You say they used televisions and telephones? Okay, fine. How about before electricity?
I recently had cause — and plenty of time — to ponder these issues, because I went back to school, and the power promptly went out. An ice storm in Muncie brought down trees, and left 80 percent of the town without electricity, including my apartment.
No email. No way to check road conditions. No movies. No music. Cell phone batteries dying. Oh, and there wasn’t any heat. Did I mention that?
It’s amazing how taking away two things — the internet and electricity — can totally bring modern life to a standstill. People lived for centuries without electricity. They lived even longer without the internet. I barely even know what to do to find a phone number without a computer anymore!
Anyway, I fled powerless Muncie and I’m writing this from my parent’s house in Indianapolis. Barely 12 hours after the power went out, I couldn’t take it anymore. How do you think you would do?
— Stephen Jendrazak @ 12:46 pm
Man or Machine?
I have a confession. Only a couple years ago I would sit on rolls of film for months/years before taking the initiative to develop them. Taking pictures from snap to snapshots was such a hassle I consented to simply not taking any photos at all. Yet this holiday season it was all I could think about. What happened?
Digital photography. Call me late to the party, but I only picked up my first digicam last Christmas. A sleek Minolta DiMAGE Xt that makes even amateur photographers like me look pro… after five takes, that is. But that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? Snap, check, delete, snap, import. Continue until batteries fail.
What a difference a year makes. I now have over 3000 photos stored away in iPhoto. I take 50 pics from camera to computer, color correct every one, and can upload to my DotMac website in about 10 min roundtrip. New Year’s 05 in Providence caught in photo memories forever. Thanks Minolta. Thanks Apple. That would have happened only a year ago.
— Clif @ 11:57 am
Podessorize Now
Sarah hit it right on the head. iPods are everywhere and it’s no surprise given the number of “top gifts for 04″ lists iPod has topped this past holiday season.
So if you’re one of the lucky many who snagged a new iPod this holiday season, be sure to check out some of amazing add-ons for your new baby (or baby mini) that can really make it sing.
From my experience over the past year with my iPod, there’s three accessories for student life that you absolutely need to have. First, a quality skin/case like the iSkin Evo goes a long way. Think bounce, not smash when you accidentally drop your iPod (please, don’t try that at home). Second, a FM transmitter like the Griffin iTrip. These devices work by broadcasting your iPod’s audio wirelessly with any unused FM radio station. And third, a plug-in mic like the Griffin iTalk. iTalk’s simply invaluable for recording even the longest lecture and backing it up to iTunes next time you jack in.
Best part? All three combined run little more than $100. Click over to The iPod Store for exact pricing/availability.
— Clif @ 8:08 am
Tsunami Relief
The disaster in the Indian basin is absolutely heartbreaking. I had a friend who was lost for a few days in Thailand before we were lucky enough to locate him on the other side of the Thai basin. Luckily. Many many others are not so lucky. The devastation is endless, and the need is immediate.
We’ve added a donation page to the iTunes Music Store where you can make an online donation directly to the American Red Cross. So, if you currently have an account with the iTunes Music Store, you are set. If not, sign up for one and help the American Red Cross help rebuild an entire section of the world.
— Dave Morin @ 7:57 pm
iPod Ubiquity
Over the holiday vacation I spent the day prior to New Years Eve in New York City with every other holiday tourist. Camera in hand I made it through a portion of the city - China Town, Rockefeller Center, St. Mark’s Place, 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, Central Park, and finally, even a Broadway Show (Rent).
What surprised me more than anything was that everywhere I turned people had iPods. On the ride into the city three young teenagers marveled at an iPod that one of them had received for Christmas. The other two looked disheartened with their old Sony Discmans. In the subway it seemed as if everyone had an iPod. Joggers in Central park had iPod minis as they ran amidst the dog walkers and lingering couples.
The iPod has truly incorporated itself into so many people’s daily lives. It makes the commute easier, the hike more adventurous and walking the dog an enticing activity. Everywhere we are, it seems that so is an iPod!
— Sarah Friedlander @ 2:52 pm
New Year
Happy New Year! Midnight has come and gone, the champagne bottle is empty, and we’re all going about the business of remembering to write “2005″ when we fill out checks.
It’s a time when depression is apt to set in — students are preparing to give up relaxing at home in exchange for another semester of work.
It’s an excellent time, however, to take notice of those in the world who actually have good reason to be genuinely unhappy, such as those impacted by the tsunami in South Asia. Make it your New Year’s resolution to visit the Apple homepage and donate to one of the charities helping our fellow humans on the other side of the globe. Good karma never hurt anyone.
— Stephen Jendrazak @ 7:56 am