Mac Gathering Seminars (2005 show)

34 Seminars! Great opportunities to learn Tiger!
2-Day Seminar pass — $65 Advance purchase ($75 at door) 1-Day Seminar pass — $40 Advance purchase ($50 at door)
The Seminar pass includes exhibits and free presentations for free — no need to purchase an Exhibits pass too.
Track categories are only to help you get to the sessions of a similar vein. Attend any seminar in any tracks.

Saturday (May 14, 2005) (We're juggling a few sessions as noted. Will be set Sunday)

NOTE: For more of a GeekTime experience join the Birds of a Feather session — Overview of Scripting on the Mac.

[Want to learn AppleScript? We're considering a Bootcamp for that on Sat, for a separate fee. ]

Sunday (May 15, 2005)
Notice: we are adusting these times slightly so no sessions take place during the keynote.

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Seminar Track Session Details
(Details are always good)

Saturday Seminars

[N-101] Mastering Mac Basics
~Elena-Beth Kaye

There is a method to the madness! The more you understand how your Macintosh works, the more you'll love it — and the more you'll be able to do with it.

Starting with the very basics, this overview of OS X will teach you how to use and personalize your system so you can feel in control of your smoothly-running Mac. She'll sprinkle in a bunch of cool tips and tricks, too!

Elena-Beth will also recommend some helpful books and websites, so you can continue to build on your foundation of knowledge.

Whether you're totally new to the Mac or are just moving up from OS9, this class will get you up and running.

The better you know your Mac, the more proficient you can be in what you really want to be doing.

[N 102] Mac Tune-up (Keep your Mac healthy)
~Jim Mitchell

The Mac is low maintenance, but no system in infallible. Happily, a few simple maintenance tasks can keep your Mac happy or cure ills. In this session you’ll learn the keys to maintaining your Mac using Apple’s utilities, shareware, and such.

Save calls to your tech person for things you really need help with. Learning these techniques will save you some of those calls.

[N-103] Backing Up Your Data ('cause the day will come..)
~Chris Keller

What's on your Mac? Anything you'd miss if the worst computer scenerio happened and you lost your hard drive? Your iPhoto library or your iTunes-purchases? Work projects? Email? If your digital belongings are important to you, please back it up.

Chris Keller sets up back-up systems for clients of all sorts, so he's got a wealth of real-world knowledge to share with you. There are several reasons for backing up and a number of ways to do your back-up. Chris will explain all of them so you can make the best choice for your situation.

[N-104] F.A.V.E.S.
~Elena-Beth Kaye

What does F.A.V.E.S stand for?

Fun And Very Easy Software!

We always hear about the great iApps or about the staples like Word and Photoshop, but there's a wealth of other fabulous and inexpensive (or free) software made for the Mac. In this seminar you'll get a tour of a bunch of Elena's favorite programs that have no learning curve yet instant satisfaction, minimum effort for maximum gain, programs that make people say, "I always wished I could do that!" or "I never imagined that could even be done!" Some will enhance your productivity, and some might destroy it, but all will add to your enjoyment of your Mac.

[N-105] Browser Power: Intro to using the web
~Jim Mitchell

The web contains a wealth of information and brings so much of the world to us. Your web browser is the window to that world. Come learn how a browser works and how you can use it most effectively.

The focus of this will be on Safari but other browsers will also be shown. You can gain from this seminar even if you're on Windows. There will not be much time spent on IE due to it's security issues and the warnings of security experts.

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[G-101] Terminal Velocity — Demystifying the Terminal
~Gautam Godse

Beneath the beautiful world of Aqua is a strong framework of UNIX BSD — and while the average Mac user doesn't need to go these, it is there waiting for those in the know.

Long-time UNIX programmer, Gautam Godse started in UNIX and has been programming UNIX for his entire career. He moved to the Mac when he saw how beautiflly it worked, and how he can still work in UNIX.

In this session, Gautam will show you how to get to the UNIX command line and share some of the powerful commands that await. If you want control of your Mac at the deepest level or are a Mac admin, this session is for you.

[G-102] [Windows welcome] Mac-Windows: Share & Share Alike
~Chris Keller

Do you work on a Mac and need to work with others who have PCs? Chris will show you how to make this connection using software you already have built into OS X.

Or maybe you have a Windows machine that needs to be shared with a Mac? Everything you need is already built into Windows XP too — and Chris will show you how to set it up.

It can be just as easy to share files across the internet as it is to share on your local network — if you know how.

This session is highly useful to anyone doing business with their computer, espeically freelancers.

[G-103] [Windows welcome] DIY Wi-Fi (Do it yourself wi-fi)
~Mark Hartman

Tired of cables tethering you to the Internet? Ready to break free and go wireless? This session will introduce you to the basics of wi-fi. Learn what to expect with an Apple Airport or another popular brand. Learn about hardware placement and reception range.

[G-104] [Windows welcome] Advanced Wireless Networking and Troubleshooting
~Andrew Farley

Want to do more with your wireless network?

This discussion will be aimed at power users with the technical understanding of wireless technologies. With the large amount of technologies, protocols, and options when it comes to wireless technologies, it’s nice to know what options are available for you and which to use under different circumstances.

You can expect to learn any and all popular wireless acronyms, complete with some tutorials, examples and reasoning for using. This will include WDS, WEP, WPA, DDNS, MAC Cloning, MAC Filter, RADIUS, Firewall, VPN, DMZ, Port Forwarding, QoS, DHCP, DNS and more.

You’ll learn how to setup affordable “mesh” networks to cover large areas, secure your access point at home or small business, do wireless/Ethernet bridging, and more. Come see if you’re getting what you want out of your wireless network.

This session is a perfect follow-up after DIY-Wi-Fi if you want to know the fullest story of wi-fi.

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[D-101] Wow Photo Optimizing — Getting it Right
~Jack Davis

The experienced user knows there are a million tools in Photoshop to adjust your images for maximum impact, but which ones work best, work fastest, and are most "photographer friendly?" In this session you will learn all sorts of workflow-enhancing techniques including: 101 uses for Auto Levels, how to create nondestructive dodge and burn layers, advanced gray-scale conversions, eyedropper color correcting, stained teeth whitening, red-eye neutralizing, blotchy skin unifying, and the only way to use Photoshop's healing brush — all with an emphasis on quality, flexibility, and speed.

• Which editing tools are best to use when fixing images — and which to avoid
• Quick tone and color adjustments that leave your original image intact
• How to quickly fix under and over exposed images using Photoshop features like Shadow/Highlight
• Creating nondestructive, fast, and flexible repair layers for fixing, dodging and burning, and color correcting
• Simplified levels, curves, and sharpening techniques
• Advanced gray-scale conversions using Channel Mixer

[D-102] Wow Photo Enhancing — Going Beyond the Capture
~Jack Davis

Here is a session to help you get especially creative in the "digital darkroom." Sometimes your photographs have a strong subject but lack the unique "execution" that will allow that subject to shine. And how do you go beyond what was captured to communicate what was experienced? In this session techniques will be demonstrated that can exaggerate, enhance, and elaborate on the concept of an image while minimizing unwanted distractions — from creative focusing to sepia tones to infrared effects and hand coloring — all using layers, masks, clipping groups, adjustment layers, layer styles, and advanced blending techniques.

• How to create stunning dark room effects using layers, adjustment layers, and filters
• Creating soft focus and density effects
• Focusing attention by changing the focus of an image after the fact
• Quick and easy framing and tinting techniques to tie disparate images together
• How to composite panoramas and multiple image collages
• Hand coloring and tinting effects

[D-103] [Mac/Win] Intro to Digital Photography
~ Jerry Rabow

Digital photography gives you the power to use your computer to correct and enhance your photos. But before you try to learn the tricks and techniques, it’s important to first understand what digital photography is and how it differs from film photography. This informal session will take the mystery out of digital photography. Even if you’re totally new to digital photography, you’ll learn how it all works, including understanding essential concepts such as Digital, Pixels, Resolution, Layers, Selections, Opacity, and how they cause you to take photos differently when you use a digital camera. (Jerry's book will also be for sale in the exhibits area, at the GM Books booth. And he'll have a drawing during the session; you might just win one.)

[D-104]  [Mac/Win] Intro to QuickTime VR
~David Palermo

QuickTime VR (QTVR) enables you to take digital photography to the next interactive step — making your digital images immersive, engaging, 3-dimensional and FUN!

This is an excellent way to show off your products or locations on the web, or on a CD.

Learn the basics of creating your own virtual tours and interactive objects from the pros. Dave has plenty of examples, demos, tips & tricks.

[D-105]  Introducing Quartz Composer
~Scott Knaster

You haven't heard about Quartz Composer yet? You will. This Tiger utility lets you build incredible graphical compositions with ease, using Quartz and other advanced technologies in OS X. Choose from a library of effects, connect elements to each other with drag and drop, and create stunning graphical compositions in real time with no programming.

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[B-101]   [Mac/Win] Excel @ Excel
Anton Anderson

This seminar will help business professionals use or make better use of the world's most popular spreadsheet program. It will begin with an introduction to formulas, name functions and data entry. You will leave the class knowing how to make sophisticated workbooks, including interlinked "three-dimensional" spreadsheets. Specific content will be geared toward the class's needs.

[B-102]  [Mac/Win] Effective Database Design
~Anton Anderson

Thinking of creating your own database? Planning to hire someone to build one for you? This class is the foundation to building effective databases that can grow along with your needs. Whether creating your own database or hiring a developer, you'll benefit from knowing how to plan your database's structure, avoiding the common database pitfalls. Anton has been developing custom database solutions for over 16 years. He's got plenty of insights to share with you. Don't get stuck when your database solution becomes more complex. Know how to built it right or hire wisely.

[B-103] Taking it with you: Palm and the Mac
~Bruce Gerson

There are so many ways that you can move your data to and from the Mac to the Palm. Expert Bruce Gerson will share this info with you. He's writing a real seminar description for you and we'll have it here shortly.

[B-104]  [Mac/Win] Intellectual Property Camp
~Michael Leventhal

What is IP?  Who owns the work you do?  Who owns the work you hire others to do?  What happens when you incorporate other people’s creations into your projects?  What happens if something you create for one company turns out to be applicable to many?  These and many other riveting and frightening questions will be answered by Michael Leventhal at this session.  Don’t miss it!  You can’t afford to!

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Sunday Seminars

[i-201]  [Mac/Win] iTunes and iPod: Getting Beyond the Basics
~Scott Knaster

You put your music into iTunes. You listen on your iPod. Now what? If you're a typical iTunes/iPod user, you're having a great time listening to your tunes and enjoying shuffle play, but you'd like to do more. This session by best-selling iPod author Scott Knaster includes:

• Making friends with Smart Playlists
• Getting rid of duplicates and cleaning up your music library
• You mean my iPod can do more than play music
• Special tips for iPod shuffle
• Extreme iPod makeovers you have to see to believe

Join Scott for a fun session on how to do more with your iPod.
Note: Windows users welcome!

[i-202]  [Mac/Win] From Vinyl, Air, etc into iTunes & iPod
Shelly Brisbin and Jim Mitchell

Wondering how to digitize your classic albums or cassette tapes to enjoy them on your computer or iPod? How about your favorite radio show? Or podcast? We'll show you how to do all this.

[i-203] Intro to iPhoto
~Fielden Lundy

Do you take pictures? How do you use your digital camera? Are you using the right application for your needs? Are you using that application to its fullest extent? Apple has given us an affordable, flexible and powerful application in iPhoto. Yet it's easy to use. Join Fielden Lundy for a fun discussion about what iPhoto can do for you. How it can help your photography. How it can help you organize your pictures in new and different ways. How it can take you beyond basic photography and much more. Come with questions and suggestions and your own experiences to share.

[i-204] iMovie, Seriously
~Tony Edwards

If you've heard about the Mac at all, you've probably heard that it's great for video — and that it even comes with a free movie editing software.

Tony will teach you how to use iMovie, going beyound the basics, so you can see just how serious you can get with it — and when it'll be time to move up to the next level, Final Cut Express HD. Learn about separating audio and video, doing a blue screen effect, and other high-end tricks.

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[M-201] Intro to Audio Production
~Raul Campos

Wondering how to record audio on your Mac, edit it — and make sure it sounds good? This is the place to learn these very basics.

[M-202] Introducing Automator
Scott Knaster

Mac OS X Tiger comes with a terrific set of features, and one of the most important is Automator, a totally new system for doing repetitive tasks with Mac applications without writing any code. Learn about Automator and see the power of putting your Tiger on automatic in this session from veteran Mac author Scott Knaster.

[M-203]

Multi-User Mac (for home or business)
~Mark Hartman with Jim Mitchell

There's no need to limit your Mac to just one person. Serveral people can share the same Mac, each still having his own user experience. Using your Mac at home or for a home office? You'll learn how to make your Mac easy for young children while keeping your own files safe, or to set up an older child. Using your Mac in an office or home office? You'll also learn how to enable co-workers to share one Mac without worry about employees seeing sensitive data. Learn the pros and cons of a multi-user setup over having multiple Macs.

[M-203]  Keep In Touch: Address Book, iCal, Mail and iSync
~Gautam Godse

Come discover the power of Apple's connected contact tools. Learn what Address Book can do for you, how Address Book ties into Mail, how to schedule your life in iCal, and how to keep all this data safe with iSync.

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[G-201]  [Mac/Win]  Corel Painter Voodoo
~Karen Sperling

Karen Sperling, the original painter expert, will provide you with an introduction to how you can begin creating and editing images in Corel Painter IX.

This is a good opportunity to see Painter in action demo'd by the author of the program's first several manuals, in addition to several published books and 14 years worth of tutorials, including articles in Professional Photographer and Rangefinder magazines.

Karen also has been teaching and demo'ing Painter since the program's debut 14 years ago, and her Painter art is currently on display as part of a group show at the Art Institute in San Diego, so you will get a good look at the software's potential.

Whether you're an artist or a photographer, you'll see Painter's brushes, tracing paper, image hose, and other cool features in action, and you'll get answers to the question that most people ask, that is, what's the difference between Painter and Photoshop.

Painter is five times the size of Photoshop, so you won't know everything there is to know about using the program in just an hour-long session. But this seminar will give you a good intro, whether you already own the software and want some quick tips for using it, or you're considering buying it and want an overview of its resources and features.

(If you're looking for the buying a digital camera session, we're working on bringing the topic back elsewhere for you.)

[G-202]  [Mac/Win] InDesign for Professional Page Layout
~Jonathan Levit

If you're new to page layout or thinking about migrating to Adobe InDesign from a program like QuarkXPress, this seminar is right for you. Jonathan will cover the gamut of InDesign, from the interface to using InDesign to help make you a more efficient user and designer. If you are migrating from a program like QuarkXPress, you'll learn how the programs are similar - to make your move easy - and how the power of InDesign will take you to the next level as a page layout and production artist. You'll get a glimpse into the exciting features of InDesign CS and CS2 that make this program a boost to our production worfklow.

As a member of Quark's training team and a founding member of Quark's evangelism team, Jonathan brings his depth of experience in the world of page layout to this presentation. You'll discover how and why he made the switch to Adobe InDesign and how he has been working with many companies to migrate them to this new tool.

And, if you have questions about Adobe InDesign or making the move to InDesign, this is a perfect opportunity to get some answers. This seminar with be informative, fun and enlightening. It's one not to miss!

[G-203] [Mostly Mac/Win] Podcast Production 101
~Shelly Brisbin

Podcasting is the latest Internet buzzword, but it's also a genuine phenomenon that's gotten the attention of corporate radio in record time. Just what is a podcast, and what do you need to know to produce a show of your own? This session will introduce you to the basics of podcast production. Learn what hardware, software and skills you'll need to make your first show. We'll cover planning, recording and uploading your show to the Web. Some specific topics include:

• Basic tools you need to record a podcast on your Mac or PC?
• Mobile podcasting with an MP3 recorder
• Simple things you can do to improve your sound
• Adding music and other sound to your show
• Post-production processing and compression
• Creating a podcast RSS feed
• Finding a home for your podcast

We'll also talk a bit about the podcasting community and about recent commercial podcasting ventures.

Tip: Consider taking M-201. Intro to Audio Production before this session. Then join Shelly for a panel about podcasting by three well-known podcasters.

[G-204] [Mac/Win] Low-Stress Computing
~ Ralph Strauch

Do you get stiff or sore from working at your computer? Are you troubled with wrist and shoulder problems, or a bad back from the way you work? It's hard to work and be productive when you're in pain.

Learn how to reduce the stress you put on yourself while you compute, and experience less stressful and more enjoyable computing.

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[B-201] [Mac/Win] Netiquette 101
~Steven Shmerler

These days email is often your first line of communication with others. Whether it's your opening introduction or part of ongoing work, or purely social, the impression you make in email is important. Send a business email that's not within the netiquette standard and you probably won't get the desired response. Post to a list without respect for netiquette and rather than making friends you'll alienate people. (And folks won't be inclined to help you.) Email is not the printed letter and email does count. An hour with email and list veteran Joe Crawford will pay off the very next time you go online.

[B-202]  [Mac/Win] Design for Non-designers
~Andrew Shalat

Looking good is a must for any business, or any organization that wishes to achieve its goals.

With any brochure, contract, letter, web page, banner, poster or other written document, your visual impression matters as much as your actual content. In fact, with the wrong look your content may not even be read!

Come learn some simple layout tips that can help you look more professional in all of your visual communication.

[B-203] [Mac/Win] Word Processing Optimized — save time and money doing it right!
~Deborah Shadovitz & Anton Anderson

Word processing is an entirely process from writing with a pen or typing and therefore, requires a different state of mind. Understanding this is a key to unleashing your best written communication whether for business, personal, or creative writing. There are also different rules when using a computer; computers let us typeset, not type-write. Learn to use the ruler and styles properly and you'll save yourself a lot of time, hassle and frustration.

If you're a business owner, having your employees set up documents correctly will save you time. If you're the person doing the writing, knowing this stuff will save you time and frustration.

[B-204] [Mac/Win] Planning an Effective Website — how to build a site that actually helps!
~Steven Shmerler

Whether you're planning to build your own website or will hire a professional to do it for you, the first — and most crucial — step is to plan the site. If building it yourself, a good plan will save you time and growing pains. If hiring someone, it'll save you money for certain.

Learn the secrets to getting people to use your site, how to help them find what they seek, how to build a site that will actually help your business.

Steven will share everything he's learned in 9 years of building websites for serious businesses. He'll poll the class to see what your plans are and do all that he can to address your needs.

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