washingtonapplepijournal1994v16no7 8

July / August 1994 $2.95 Erasing the miles with e-mail—p. 18 Networking Primer—p. 31 Mac Music with | MIDI—p. 53 Forget Gas, Food & Lodging On the Information Superhighway this is the only stop you'll need. Don’t want to be bypassed on the Information Superhighway? Then plan a detour to MAC- WORLD Expo. Here you'll test drive the products and services that enable you to maximize the potential of the Macintosh now and down the road. MACWORLD Expo is your chance to see hun- dreds of companies presenting the latest in turbo- charged Macintosh technology. Make side by side comparisons of thousands of Macintosh products. Learn from the experts how to fine-tune your sys- tem and what products will keep your engine run- ning smooth, Attend a variety of information- packed conference programs that provide the skills and knowledge to put you in the driver’s seat. So pull on in and take that new Mac for a spin. MACWORLD ExpositioN Add a stop at any of our upcoming MAC- WORLD Expo events to your information roadmap. With shows in San Francisco, Boston and Toronto, we're just around the next bend. Please send me n 1am interested i San Francisco ormation on MACWORLD Expo. ‘biting Attending Boston O Toronto Name Title Company Address. City/State/Zip Phone. Fay Mail to: Mitch Hall Associates, 260 Milton St., Dedham, MA 02026 Or Fax to: 617-361-3389 Phone: 617-361-8000 New Adobe Illustrator 5.5 is packed with so much value, it'll blow your mind! Brand new Adobe Illustrator” 5.5 for Macintosh® and Power Macintosh” is a powerhouse of value! Here’s just a taste of what you get: New text features give you more control. Version 5.5 is just bursting with advanced text features. Like the new Spell Checker that finds and fixes costly typos. And the Tabs filter that instantly turns text blocks into tables. There's even a filter that searches and replaces by font. What a time-saver! New Trapping filter gives you better results on press. Now you can instantly trap artwork to com pensate for color plates shifting on press. It's an easy way to save time and money on complex printing jobs. ANI Adobe Import and edit any file with Adobe™ Acrobat™ software—an $8go value! With Adobe Acrobat software, you can now bring virtually any file into Adobe Illustrator. Then change colors or curves—even edit text. That means you can easily add a pie chart from Microsoft® Excel. And import a layout from Aldus® PageMaker® or QuarkXPress® Just imagine the possibilities! Free Deluxe Edition on CD-ROM! You'll discover a world of creative possi on the free Deluxe Edition. It includes: * QuickTime™ movie tips and techniques * 220 typefaces from the Adobe Type Library * Hundreds of professional clip art samples * On-line Adobe Illustrator Technical Notes be he hasbeog, Adobe taste, Abe Paton terested incr Pager seers densi ‘edo and Powers‘ od line at waders ol ype ope nd Pretetedase res fade Spe carpe opyght O94 ashe Sens nega * Tryout versions of Adobe Dimensions Adobe ei td Gna sone ete Version 5.0 Owners— grade for Just $99! Upgrade from earlier versions just $149 Photoshop™ and Adobe Premiere™ software, and much more! So upgrade to Adobe Illustrator 5.5 today. To order, call 1-800-521-1976. ‘books at your local bookstore. ISBN 1-56830.056-5 ese senna hia is aregteed ee OFFER ID: WAI61 July/August 1994 Washington Apple Pi Journal 1 July/August 1994 Volume 16 Club News Font Leadership: How to Boss Your ve Fonts Around ..........:.s:scssee00e 27 WAP Hotline .. by Lawrence Charters WAP Calendar 6,37 Troubles 30 Index to Advertisers WAP Membership Form . SIGs and Slices Stock SIG. by Andrew Halls Women’s SIG........ by Nancy Seferian General Interest New TCS Guide Now Available by Paul Schlosser ... i May General Meeting by Lawrence Charters Map to Meeting ae Swell Summer Software Stuff. compiled by Lorin Evans Get Connected—Cool Sure!........16 by Chad & Cheryll Ward Erasing the miles with e-mail ....18 by Lindsay Edmunds Zap! How your computer can hurt you—and what you can do about it ...........0+ by Lawrence Charters Communication Station ........... by Phil Shapiro Macintosh Articles All About System Update 3.0.....21 Clean your mouse and trackball 23 by Kel Humphries Artists on Exhibit ............sscssse 24 by Ann Aiken by Stu: Networking Primer—Beyond LocalTalk by John O'Reilly .. 81 A Taste of Binaries “TCT: B16]...33 by David Harris The Why and How of a Clean Installation... sossseeseesse AO by Stephanie Hahn New Macintosh Files on the TCS by Lawrence I. Charters ........ Macintosh Tutorials Tutorial Registration Form . Mac Music With MID1..... by Randy Landenberger jonwit Apple /il Articles On theTrail of the Apple /// ........ 56 by David Ottalini Disk Libraries Macintosh Disk Library .............58 by Dave Weikert Macintosh Disk Order Form......70 The Journal of Washington Apple Pi, Ltd. is an independent publication not affiliated or otherwise associated with or sponsored or sanctioned by Apple Computer, Inc. The opinions, statements, positions and views stated herein are those of the author(s) or publisher and are not intended to be the opinions, statements, positions or views of Apple Computer, Inc. 2 Washington Apple Pi Journal Numbers 7/8 by Lorin Evans The Pihas a full-time paid staff of one and a couple of part-time posi- tions to handle our day-to-day op- erations. The rest of our activities are run by volunteers. Each month we produce our award winning Jour- nal, in-house tutorials, participate in a seminar or two and conduct a monthly meeting. In addition, we just completed our large summer garage sale and are invited [and in some cases ex- pected] to attend a number of trade shows. The number so far, just this summer, is five: MacWorld Wash- ington and Boston, Multi-media Expo, the National Apple User Group Workshop & Symposium (NAUGSAW) and the Intergalactic Conference. Now, finally, we are at the end of the five year lease on our office and need to complete the nego- tiations so we can move to our new home. Our desktop isjust so large; more volunteers would help, but are not. as easy to recruit as SIMMS are to find. We need a few minutes to focus our attention on the relocation. Af- ter all, it not something we do very often and once moved, we have to live with the decision for a while. One area where we can acquire some volunteer time is by combining the two summer issues of the Jour- nal, July and August, into a single summer edition and redirect the volunteer time that goes into its pro- duction to other pressing needs. So, weask for your understanding. Come September, we will be back on sched- ule with more helpful articles on using your computer, reviews, and commentaries. July/August 1994 Advertising in the Journal Some Orientation Possibilities Washingtonj]} pple Pi Full Page Third Page (vert.) 7.5" x 10.0" © a] ie Ea 2.5°x9.5 This issue of the Washington Apple Pi Journal was created on ee a Mac SE/30, proofed on an LaserWriter IINT, and produced | Thicd Page (hot) by electronic typesetting at The Publishers Service Bureau, ao Nee The page layout program used was PageMaker 4.2a, the word processing program was Microsoft Word 5.1; the principal arp en typeface is New Century Schoolbook (10/12) for the articles; 75" x 475" ean ae ee and Helvetica for headlines, subheads, and emphasis. Sixth Page (vert.) 25" x45" Cover Design: New WAP Journal cover design was created by Ann Aiken in collaboration with Nancy Seferian. The Capital artwork was illustrated by Carol O'Connor for One Mile Up, which donated ic for use on our cover. No. of times adruns _ 1-2 35 6-11 12+ Icon Guide Full Page $450 $383 «$338 «$270 i oe Covers $550 $468 $413 $330 i # Two-thirds Page $360 +©—«$306-«$270~=«$216 Bee Se eas Half Page $300 $255 $225 $180 G Third Page $225 $191 $169 «$135 Apple Il, He, & IGS Apple Disk Libraries Sixth Page $125 $106 $93 $75 : mm Special guaranteed positions incur a 10% surcharge Gg Apple TI (SARA) ¢e Macintosh Disketeria s See List AG General Interest Ad Deadlines The Washington Apple Pi Journal is published && ae monthly. The ad copy deadlines and ad space reserva- AOC MN UNE) tions are listed below for your convenience. Copy may be received as traditional mechanicals, rc- paper, velox prints, or film negatives. Negatives will incur an additional $15.00 strip-in charge. Editorial Staff Deadlines Apple II co-Editors Writers’ submissions Stan Palen (703) 775-7027 Jack Mortimer (804) 224-0609 Seth Mize (410) 766-1154 Art Editors Anne Aiken (301) 530-1990 Blake Lange (301) 942-9180 Calendar Editor Bill Wydro (301) 299-5267 Mac Editorial Consultant ‘Melissa Sprott (703) 379-2972 Mac Software Liaison Camera-ready ad copy Lawrence Charters (410) 730-4658 September Managing Editor October Kathryn Murray (804) 472-4851 Change of Address should reach us 60 days in advance of the July/August 1994 Postal Information Washington Apple Pi (ISSN 1056-7682) is pub- lished monthly by Washington Apple Pi, Led., 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 910, Bethesda, MD 20814. Second Class Postage paid at Bethesda, MD. Annual membership dues for Washington Apple Pi, Ltd., are $32; of this amount $24 is for a subscription to the Washington Apple Pi Journal. Subscriptions are not available without member- ship. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wash- ington Apple Pi, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 910, Bethesda, MD 20814. move to ensure that your Journals continue uninterrupted. Washington Apple Pi Journal 3 Officers and Board of Directors President LorinEvans (202) 543-1248 Vice President-Apple JoanJernigan (703) 822-5187 Vice President-MacLawrence Charters (410) 730-4658 Treasurer Charles Froehlich (410) 889-9395 Secretary Paula Shuck (410) 740-5255 Directors Ken De Vito —_ (703) 960-0786 Glenda Finley Grace Gallager (703) 222-4570 Jon Hardis (301) 330-1422 Bob Shaffer (301) 384-3724 Dale Smith (301) 762-5158 Jon Thomason (301) 951-9631 David Weikert (301) 963-0063 Tom Witte (703) 683-5871 Bill Wydro = (301) 299-5267 Office Staff Office Manager Beth Medlin Office Staff Ambrose Liao (Tuesday nights only) John Ruffatto (Saturday) Library Volunteers Apple II Head LibrarianJohn Ruffatto (301) 735-4259 Apple IIGS Librarians John Ruffatto (301) 735-4259 Chris Hutmire (301) 871-1203 Apple II Librarian Volunteer Needed Apple III Librarian David Ottalini (301) 681-6136 Macintosh Librarian David Weikert (301) 963-0063 Mac Library John DeMarco Ben Frank William Jones Fred Rodgers Tony Salerno Joe Swick Washington Apple Pi, Ltd. 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 910 Bethesda, MD 20814 Business Office (301) 654-8060 Telecommunications System (301) 986-8085 Office hours: Monday-Saturday 10-2:30° Tuesday 7-9 p.m. * The office will open at 1 p.m. on the day of the General Meeting Volunteers Head Reading Lib. Brian Mason Dealer Relations Comm. John Alden Harvey Kaye Legal Counsel Richard Wohltman Membership Jon Hardis SlGs & Slices Coord. Bob Shaffer Journal Store Distribution Telecom SysOp Paul Schlosser Volunteer Coordinator Tom Witte SIG Chairs Annapolis Slice President Richard MacLean V.President Phil Secretary Jeff Straight Treasurer Mel Benson Membership Seth Mize Loyd Olson Sandy Bozek Apple Seth Mize AAS Membership InfoLine Disk Lib., Apple Seth Mize Disk Lib., Mac Bill Derouin CRABBS BBS AppleWorks Gary Hayman Apple IGS Hayman Art SIG doe Morey Columbia Slice President Ellen Baniszewski Co-V. President, Mac Ramesh Sardana Co-V. President, Mac Tim Helsing V. President, Apple I Tom Cook Editor, Macintosh Lawrence Charters Editor, Apple II Andy Wakshul Treasurer Tom Cowley BBS SysOp Henry Yee Disk Librarian, Apple _Bill Campbell Disk Librarian, Mac Tim Childers CAD SIG ter Danko Database SIG Eric Gutsche DisabledSIG Jay Frederick Slice President Peter Alvestad V.P/Newsletter Roger Musser Sec/Treas. J. Russell Robinson The Cracker Barrel BBS GameSIG Mike Dickman HyperTalk David Mudd Mac Programmers John Barnes Greg Bartolett Music SIG Ed Moser Newton SIG Andy Halls NOVA Educators SIG —_Pat Fauquet PLSIG Gerry Wright QuickTime SIG Ambrose Liao StockSIG Morris Pelham Telecomm. SIG Allan Levy Three SIG David Ottalini Paul Campbell UltraMacros SIG Gary Hayman Women’s SIG Ann Aiken (202) 686-1656 (801) 299-8994 (301) 384-3724 Volunteer Needed (301) 831-9166 (703) 683-5871 (410) 721-8157 (410) 761-4260 (410) 643-0868 (410) 647-6873 (410) 766-1154 (410) 544-1087 (410) 849-5232 (410) 766-1154 (410) 761-4260 (410) 766-1154 (410) 647-0802 (410) 315-8532 (301) 345-3230 (801) 345-3230 (703) 281-5385 (410) 730-4891 (410) 992-9884 (410) 730-7272 (410) 995-0352 (410) 730-4658 (410) 997-0156 (410) 730-2319 (410) 964-3706 (410) 997-9317 (410) 997-9317 (301) 868-5550 (703) 379-1265 (202) 244-3649 (703) 978-3440 (301) 371-4165 (301) 898-7647 (301) 739-6030 (301) 662-3131 (703) 525-2410 (703) 683-1746 (301) 652-0667 (801) 762-1311 (301) 924-1573 (301) 990-3725 (703) 550-7423 (301) 422-4286 (801) 530-3255 contact on TCS (301) 340-7839 (301) 681-6136 (313) 255-6497 (301) 345-3230 (301) 580-1990 © COPYRIGHT 1994, by WAP, Washington Apple Pi, Ltd. User groups may reprint without prior permission any portion of the contents herein, provided proper author, title, and publication credits are given, except in cases where the author has reserved copyright permission. In these cases, the author should be contacted directly. Please send a copy of the article as printed to Washington Apple Pi; 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 910; Bethesda, MD 20814. 4 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 New TCS User Guide Now Available! by Paul Schlosser HE WASHINGTON APPLE Pi TCS is one of the oldest and most popular elec- tronic bulletin boards in the country. Operat- ing continuously since 1984, the system al- lows Pi members to exchange information, opinions and expertise 24 hours a day, every day, while using nothing more than a com- puter, a modem and a telecommunications software package. Several hundred calls are received every day asmembers exchangeideas, insights and bad puns on topics ranging from world events to how to usea piece of hardware or software. The TCS is a wonderful place to meet other WAP members, to exchange information and to engage in stimulating discussions on almost any subject. The TCS is a valuable resource that can be used to obtain specific information concerning Apple computers through the knowledge and insight of others. Touse and enjoy the TCS you may need to learn new software (telecommunications software), operate new hardware (a modem) and learn your way around the Pi’s bulletin board system. While the Pi offers tutorials on using the TCS, we’re now proud to offer our members a user guide for the bulletin board system. “The Fine Print: A Guide to Getting the Most Out of the TCS” is now available. This new user guide, written by the TCS Committee, can be purchased at the Pi office (or general meetings), for $7.50, tax included. You may have the user guide mailed to your home, for $9.50 (tax and postage included.) Call the Pi office at 301-654-8060 for details. The user guide contains chapters on the correct settings for your software and hardware, how to obtain a TCS password and sign-on, how to fine-tune the TCS for you, reading and entering messages, and down- loading popular shareware and public domain software. There is also a chapter that deals specifically with the TCS’s newest feature, sending and receiving Internet electronicmail (e-mail). The Reference Guide chapter includes actual screen-shots of the TCS menus, July/August 1994 something you'll find invaluable as you learn to navigate your way around the bulletin board system. The appendix contains listings of the eight message conferences and 60 file transfer areas, which will also help you learn to use the TCS. The TCS user guide is sure | Hold on to your socks: “The Fine Print: to be a best-seller! Get your copy atthenext general meeting, or call the Pi office to have one mailed to your home or office. We hope we'll meet you on-line, as you learn the benefits of the TCS, Washington Apple Pi’s “24 hour General Meeting”! A Guide To Getting the Most Out of the TCS” Only $7.50 if picked up in person at the office or at meetings (tax included) $9.50 if mailed (tax included) Limited Edition Written in English (With technospeak subtitles) The TCS is taking off! Washington Apple Pi Journal 5 Remember Us? Well, We’ re Back!! In fact, July 1, 1994 marked our One Year Anniversary as being independently (and locally) owned and operated again. In celebration of this second One Year Anniversary, we are offering our friends at the Washington Apple Pi AppleCare Service Contracts at incredible savings. Sale Valid July 15, 1994 through August 31, 1994 (1) Apple DOS Car for Quadra 610 * 139.00 (1) Newton 110 Message Pad w/ PCMCIA Fax 665.00 (1) Hewlett-Packard Deskwriter 560C 550.00 (1) Mac II 2MB RAM/80MB HD & St. Keyboard 199.00 (2) Macintosh 12" RGB Color Monitor * 169.00 (1) Apple CD Plus 139.00 (2) Radius 2 Page Display w/card for NuBus or SE/30 229.00 (1) Procom 44/88 Syquest External (Read only on 44) 239.00 (1) Rodime 140MB Hard Disk Drive (5.25") 59.00 (1) Apple 3001 (Caddy) Internal * 159.00 (1) PowerBook 170 4MB RAM/ 40MB HD* 999.00 (1) Apple 200/1200 Modem 19.00 (1) Apple Portable Battery Recharger 19.00 (1) Tektronix IIIPXI Color Printer w/ EtherNet 4599.00 * Full manufacturer's warranty — all othe items cemy a 90-day Clinton Compute, Ine. waranty. INDEPENDENTLY OwNeED AND OP. ATED 7475 Old Alex Ferry Road _4 Clinton, MD 20735 ¢ (301) 599-9555 FAX (301) 868-0991 juthoizedeseer (©1393 Apple Computer, ne Apple, the Apple logo and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, nc. AppleCare» Equipment Covered Macintosh Centris 610 Hard Disk 160 Macintosh Centris 610 Hard Disk 230 Macintosh Centris 610 Hard Disk 80 Macintosh Centris 650 Hard Disk 230 Macintosh Centris 650 Hard Disk 80 Macintosh Centris 660 AV 230 w/CD Macintosh Centris 660 AV 230mb Macintosh Centris 660 AV 80mb Macintosh Classic Hard Disk 40 Macintosh Classic II Hard Disk 80 Macintosh IIsi Hard Disk 40 Macintosh IIsi Hard Disk 80 Macintosh Ivx Hard Disk 160 Macintosh Ivx Hard Disk 230 Macintosh LC Hard Disk 40 Macintosh LC Hard Disk 80 Macintosh LC II Hard Disk 160 Macintosh LC II Hard Disk 40 Macintosh LC II Hard Disk 80 Macintosh LC III Hard Disk 160 Macintosh LC III Hard Disk 80 Macintosh Quadra 610 230 CDV w/FPU Macintosh Quadra 610 230 w/FPU Macintosh Quadra 650 230mb CDV w/FPU Macintosh Quadra 650 230mb w/FPU Macintosh Quadra 650 500mb w/FPU Macintosh Quadra 660AV HD 230 CD Macintosh Quadra 700 Hard Disk 160 Macintosh Quadra 700 Hard Disk 80 Macintosh Quadra 800 Hard Disk 230 Macintosh Quadra 800 Hard Disk 500 Macintosh Quadra 800 HD 1GB Macintosh Quadra 840 AV 1 gig wCD Macintosh Quadra 840 AV 230mb Macintosh Quadra 840 AV 230mb w/CD Macintosh Quadra 840 AV 500mb Macintosh Quadra 900 Hard Disk 160 Macintosh Quadra 950 Hard Disk 230 Macintosh Quadra 950 Hard Disk 400 Macintosh 21" Color Display Macintosh 16" Color Display Macintosh Color Display Apple AudioVision 14" display AppleColor RGB Monitor Apple Macintosh Portrait Display LaserWriter IISC Printer LaserWriter IINT Printer Laser Writer IINTX Printer LaserWriter IIf Printer LaserWriter Ig Printer LaserWriter Pro 600 Printer LaserWriter Pro 630 Printer Personal LaserWriter NT LaserWriter Pro 810 85.25 88.00 102.30 115.50 7590 89.10 135.30 156.75 7920 92.40 151.25 154.00 129.80 133.10 110.00 112.75 56.10 66.00 42.90 49.50 42.90 53.35 52.80 66.00 92.40 105.60 105.60 118.80 115.50 132.00 125.40 145.20 62.70 72.60 44.00 56.10 46.75 66.00 65.45 75.90 58.85 66.00 101.20 104.50 123.75 126.50 150.70 154.00 134.75 137.50 169.40 173.25 150.70 154.00 277.20 © 316.80 188.10 214.50 184.80 214.50 211.20 247.50 216.17 253.00 291.50 302.50 217.25 223.30 231.00 242.00 247.50 258.50 346.50 396.00 240.90 277.20 339.90 386.10 135.30 158.40 59.40 66.00 23.10 26.40 28.80 29.90 19.80 23.10 36.30 39.60 112.20 132.00 184.80 227.70 244.20 277.20 82.50 95.70 89.10 102.30 82.50 92.40 99.00 112.20 125.40 145.20 202.40 253.00 6 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 Get Adobe type in real time. With real savings! The Type On Call” CD-ROM for Macintosh® gives you the fastest, most economical way to buy Adobe™ typefaces. It includes more than 1,700 encrypted fonts on disc. When you're ready to buy, just call Adobe for the access code to unlock any font you want in minutes, not days or weeks. 6 more reasons to order now: 1. At least 35% off all type purchases. 2. ATM” software plus its 13 fonts, FREE! 3. Adobe Type Browser. Lets you view and print any font before you buy. 4, Adobe Acrobat™Reader. Lets you view and print type technical notes. 5. Buy a single font, like Tekton™ Bold, instead of a whole type package. 6. Exclusive font offers every month! $99 Just $49! until October 31, 1994, Call 1-800-521-1976. (grt net rate 8 ate he Ate fee, 1528 @ ton ‘ec AG een i itaste Spee hi Order now and pick 2 of these type packages free! 249 AG Old Face™ 246 Albertus; CASTELLAR™ 260 Bellevue Berthold Serspis,” Boulevard Caslon 3, Caslon 540 84 Concorde* 18 Franklin Gothic 9 Post-Antiqua™ 12 ADOBE WOOD TYPE™ I OFFER ID: WA39F July/August 1994 Washington Apple Pi Journal by Morris Pelham Submitted for July HIS MONTH SHOWED us that both our beating the Dow strategy and our Fidelity Select project are having a rough year, or at least a rough beginning of the year. The good news, or the hopeful news at least, is that we are all sticking with our investment pro- grams so far. Noone has sold out in apanic. No one is afraid the invest- ment world is ending. So, how bad is it? Several of us picked several dif- ferent beating the Dow portfolios at different times last December and January. So we have slightly differ- ent results now. Mark Pankin’s portfolio is down 3.7% to April 30, while Stan Larsen’s is up 2%, both not counting the dividends these portfolios pay in either case. Several are now investing real money with the Fidelity Select project, but having begun at differ- ent times these too have several differentresults. Mark Pankin says his portfolio is about even so far, with no profits and no losses. Sev- eral others report losses ranging from 7% to 15% so far this year. We talked about all of the above at our May meeting, and also wel- comed back Pete Kasper who ran the StockSIG before I did, and then left the country. I think the two were not related. Thave a new project—using the beating the Dow selection process every month instead of once per year, would it be profitable? I took alook at what it would have done in 1990, the last time the stock market, went down across the board. Four of the five stocks selected by this 8 Washington Apple Pi Journal process in October 1990 doubled or more in price before the 1994 cor- rection began. I passed out copies of my spreadsheets at our May meet- ing, and it looks interesting. Would stocks picked that same way in this year’s correction do as well? I think it is worth some more research, and is something to talk about at our next meetings. StockSIG meets the 2nd Thurs- day of each month at 7:30 PM at the WAP office. The office may move this fall. Submitted for August IN JUNE OUR beating the Dow strategy is profitable again, if only barely. Our Fidelity Select project isimproving also, profitable for some and producing smaller losses for others. Things are looking up. At our June meeting, Mark Pankin passed around his update to our beating the Dow strategy so far this year. It is up 1.0% at the end of May, after being down more than 8% in March. The Dow index itself is up 0.1% at the end of May. Inour Fidelity Select portfolios, some are down single-digit amounts, some are unchanged, and some are up single-digit amounts. I think we have seven different portfolios following this strategy, all begun at different times and so with different results. Mark says these results should converge, become more alike, as the portfolios are run for longer time periods. Also at our June meeting, I passed around the preliminary results of my new project. I called it the “beating the Dow long-term” project. Early this year the Dow neared an all time high at 4000, then Chairman Greenspan raised interest rates and the Dow dropped about 10%. Looking back to recent history, something similar happened. In 1990 the Dow neared an all time high at 3000, then Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Dow dropped about 20%. What ifin 1990 an investor had used our beating the Dow process to pick stocks every month and bought more as the prices dropped? Would ithave been profitable? How much? Well, our investor would have purchased shares in seven companies in an eight month period during 1990 paying a total of $53,062.50 and sold them all in February 1994 after the start of the current correction for $118,142.52. Our investor would also have collected $8171.98 in dividends, for a total profit of $73,252 or 138% of the original investment. I resurrected my copy of Quicken, let it make these calculations and reports, and took them to our June meeting. We had alively discussion. I now plan to do the same with the 1994 stocks and hope to have an equally lively discussion about them. Istill don’t like Quicken. Ithelps you make mistakes and it doesn’t help you find them or fix them. But it is quick and its reports print pretty. I'll take some to future meetings and we'll see what other people think. StockSIG meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM at the WAP office. The office may move this fall. @ July/August 1994 by Andrew Halls Submitted for July HAT IS NEWTON? This question wove itself through the discussions at the May meeting of the Newton Special In- terest Group. The NewtonSIG mem- bers are clearly captured by the promise of the technology. Not only have many of us bought a Newton Message Pad, we have also pur- chased the development tools and are exploring ways to make the Newton more useful. An important question though, is how useful is the Newton today. Newton SIG members are find- ing the Newton Message Pad useful but with a significant wish list for improvements. The severe limita- tions encountered last fall have been fixed by new releases of software and the latest hardware model, the Message Pad 110. Resetting the system for out of memory failures are becoming a distant memory for theearly adopters. With the MP110, battery life consciousness can re- cede to a more appropriate place in our busy lives. The delayed hand- writing recognition enhancement and updates to the Connection Kit to support the importing of desktop based data files are very important improvements. The most signifi- cant sign of a growing product is the availability of over 450 software titles, both commercial and shareware. What is Newton? Newton is an active calendar and personal orga- nizer that can be taken into any business setting. Jotting down the many small fragments of informa- tion that we process every day and not losing them is a major benefit. Using electronic mail and faxing July/August 1994 both short notes and business forms are important features used today by NewtonSIG mem- bers. The Newton becomes most useful when an appropriate ver- tical application is found. The Day-Timer Meeting and Ex- pense Pack is one such product. It makes keeping up with your expenses easy and completing that expense report at theend of the trip a snap. The Newton’s ability to carry a large quantity of information in a small pack- age is also very useful. The electronic books for the Newton are easy to access and read. Several large books can all be stored in a credit card size PCMCIA card. What is really exciting is the ability to copy lines directly from a Newton book and place them into other applications. The wish list for improve- ments and additional applica- tionsis still very long. The built- in applications are useful to a point but have many limita- tions. The new Connection Kit is greatly improved, but the data on my desktop is still not integrated with the data in my hand. If only I could download my office correspon- dence and documents to take with me on the subway. Handwriting recognition is a toy, I don’t use it. (In contrast, another member finds the handwriting recognition suffi- cient, it even recognized handwrit- ing in situations where others couldn’t.) The MP110 display is hard to see—Apple needs to use backlit display technology in a fu- ture model. The list goes on ... What is Newton? It is more than the current Message Pad mod- els and available applications . It is atechnological foundation on which intelligent devices will be built. As you read this, Motorola should be announcing a mobile phone contain- ing Newton technology. There is a MAC REPAIR CENTER Dupont Comsputets BUI inc ” Hite S Street, NW Washington, DC 202-232-6363 Computers * Monitors * Printers Mac REPAIRS Mac UPGRADES Mac Parts & ACCESSORIES On-Site and In-House Repairs Service Contracts Available Special Discounts for W.A.Pi Members high expectation that Apple will be announcing a clipboard size New- ton in the fall. Other products con- taining Newton intelligence are in the works. We may be finding New- ton technology in pagers, wall size “white” boards, in the control pan- els of sophisticated equipment or in cable TV access boxes. Come join us in the exploration of a new technology. The Newton SIG meets the first Monday of the month at the WAP office. Send a message to “manda-request@lap.umd.edu” to join us at our electronic meeting place. For more information con- tact me at 301.990.3725 or ahalls@digex.net. Newton SIG continued page 10 Washington Apple Pi Journal 9 I NewtonsIG continued Submitted for August THE NEWTONSIG meeting activities expanded in June with our first Newton software demonstration. We put together a visualizer so that more than one person could benefit from the presentation. Thevisualizer consisted of my video camcorder connected to one of the old Apple II monitors found in the office. The camera was placed ona tripod so that it faced directly down on the Newton. This set-up allowed for everyone in the room to get a feeling for what the interface was like, although most of the text was not legible from the back of the room. Thomas Johnston made use of the visualizer to demonstrate two Newton products. The first was StewPot—The Soup Inspector. Soups on the Newton are somewhat analogous to files on the Macintosh, and StewPot gives you additional capabilities for managing andediting soups. Thomas showed how he used this utility to clean up data from applications he no longer uses. The Second product demonstrated by Thomas was ChessPad. This product is currently in beta test. With ChessPad you do not play the Newton in a game of chess, you use it as a very smart chess notebook and clock. ChessPad contains a chess board and a way to record and play back moves and commentary. The product includes many famous games and instructional chess problems. ChessPad is an exciting product that makes great use of the Newton capabilities and user interface. We concluded the meeting with ourcustomary roundtable discussion, this time with an emphasison getting questions about the Newton asked and hopefully answered. The September meeting will be Tuesday, September 13th at 7:30 in the WAP office. Bob Whitecotton of Apple Computer will be the featured speaker. Bob is the Newton Integration Manager for the Northeast Region. Heis responsible for putting together technology and developers to build solutions for large corporate clients. He will talk about the success of the Newton in the corporate environment and what. Apple is doing to promote the integration ofthe Newtonintolegacy systems. StewPot is a shareware product by MAUi Software and can be found in the Newton file section of TCS, the newton.uiowa.edu ftp site and on the commercial systems. ChessPad is currently in beta test — price and availability has not been announced. For more information please contact, Andrew Halls, at (301) 990- 3725 or at ahalls@digex.net. Ml fo Ta Ke coremeneaie aes System Washington Apple Pi’s “24-hour. General Meeting” Call (301) 654-8060 for registration, passwords 14+. lines, supporting 300 to 14,400 bps modems 10 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 by Nancy Seferian HE MAY WOMEN'S SIG meeting featured Jon Thomason, the TCS “Code Warrior,” the person who designed and did the programming for our new TCS. Jon brought his new PowerMac to demonstrate some of its new features to us. He showed us the graphing calculator which can switch into Zterm and back to graphing while everything keeps on working. He mentioned that it is great for those of us using graphics programs that traditionally take a lot of time for screen re- draws and other functions. For instance, instead of dragging an outline of a complex object, the object is directly dragged. He demonstrated how, using Kai’s power tools, an add-on for PhotoShop, it is possible to draw spheres witha light source and added texture in real time. Jon also demonstrated how fast it is with QuickTime movies, by running a great ad called “The Lunchroom” on the PowerMac and then comparing the time and clarity when the same ad was run ona Centris 610. Jon was agreat presenter and fielded all of our questions with ease. We were very impressed and came away with lust and envy in our hearts for his beautiful new machine. Asusual, Grace Gallager catered dinner for us for the astounding fee of $2.00. For dinner Grace fixed barbecued chicken, macaroni salad, jello salad, and an absolutely delicious pie called “Out of This World Pie,” and it was, too. Grace mentioned again that there is a surplus in the kitty and that we should decide how we want to spend it. We've decided tohaveapicnicOn August 20th at Grace’s house from 12:00 noon until ??. Everyone in the Pi is invited. Come prepared to play volleyball, ping pong, Frisbees and swim. Stream exploration is available in the stream thatruns through the property, sobring old sneakers to check out the tadpoles, crayfish and assorted flora and have something dry to change into. Barbecue and beverages will be provided. You're like to bring one fine, if not, just come. EveryoneinthePlisinvited and families are included. If you have any folding chairs you could bring that would help out a lot. RSVP to Grace’s (703) 222-4570 number with your name and the number in your party. Our July 21st meeting couldn’t be written up for this Journal, solook for adescription ofthateventin thenext Journal. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be September 22nd. We're going to feature one of the TCS (WAP Telecom- munications) Crew members who will talk to us about getting on to the club’s bulletin board system, how to download files, leave messages, send and receive Email, and all the wonders of telecommunicating. The presentation will also include an actual demo, so bring your questions and get ready to ride the Information Highway. The new Guide to the TCS is out and that will also be available. We'dlove tohave youcome and join us. R.S.V.P to Grace Gallager (703) 222-4570 (Metro #, so don’t dial 1) if you can join us. And be sure to bring your recent projects and questions and ideas for new meetings. If you want to be on the mailing list call our Chairperson, Ann Aiken (301) 530-1990. PROMPT & RELIABLE REPAIR ¢ Authorized for Apple, HP, NEC, Radius, & more ¢ CPUs/ Monitors / LaserPrinters / PowerBooks ¢ On-site / Walk-in / AppleCare contracts ¢ PowerMac Upgrades Special Discounts for W.A.Pi members 5 SYSTEMS FCB @. Authorized AASP Plus Service Provider 10565 Lee Hwy., Fairfax, VA * (703) 385-2758 on your own for desserts. If you would July/August 1994 Washington Apple Pi Journal 11 May General Meeting by Lawrence I. Charters AY 21, 1994 WAS an interesting day in the Washington metropolitan region. It was the first genuinely warm, dry day all year, and hun- dreds of thousands of people flocded all the roads heading somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was outside. Somewhere between a quarter and ahalfmillion of these people headed for Andrews Air Force Base and the annual Armed Forces Day Open House, with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels flight squadron showing their sister services what real flying was all about. Arlington National Cemetery attracted a huge crowd of people for no particular reason at all, apparently in anticipation of the Monday funeral of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. And at the Pi’s monthly Gen- eral Meeting, hardly anyone showed up. Even one of the exhibitors was absent. While it is tempting to blame it all on the sunny weather, a more likely cause would be “too many variables.” Like most organizations, the Pi does best when meeting times, dates and locations don’t change. So confusion was expected in March when we moved the location, for two months, from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) to Burning Tree Elementary School, an entire state away. In May, we did an even better job: we moved the meeting back to NOVA, crossing the Potomac once more. And wealso changed the meet- ing day, from the fourth Saturday to the third Saturday, in order to avoid 12 Washington Apple Pi Journal conflicts with Memorial Day. We thought the changes were ad- equately publicized, but obviously ‘we were wrong. So we had our smallest turnout of the year (71 people), and one of the exhibitors got confused by the date shuffle and arrived a week later. “I thought the parking lot looked a little too empty,” is how he put it. FontChameleon Despite the problems, Ares Soft- ware did a splendid job of making the meeting a success. Rob Friedman, Chairman and General Manager of Ares’ OEM division, demonstrated an astonishing new package, FontChameleon, that has some explosive possibilities. Retail- ing for under $200, this single pack- age has the ability to produce scal- able fonts, in either PostScript Type lor TrueType flavors, that look and act like some 220 of the most popu- lar commercial fonts. While this alone would be note- worthy, FontChameleon’s real power comes through the ability to customize the fonts. Do you really like Garamond Condensed, but wish the x-height was a bit shorter, to present an Art Deco kind of look? FontChameleon can create such a variation by just moving a slider bar. Want a very thin (or very bold) version of Trump Mediaeval? Move another slider bar. Would you like a version of Avant Garde that sweeps backward, say to indicate speed? Not a problem — another slider bar can take care of that. If you don’t happen to know what x-height, oblique, tracking, and other font terms mean, that isn’t really a problem. A preview window shows you immediately what you are doing, allowing you to modify fonts almost endlessly with- out, literally, having the slightest idea what you are doing. Even more astonishing is the ability to blend fonts to create en- tirely new fonts. You can blend two entire font families, merging Bembo with News Gothic, say, to any de- gree you want, or merge just parts of characters. For example, say you like the Q in New Century School- book, and wish there were one just like it in Times. Blend the two fonts together, with emphasis on the Q, and you'll have a new, completely original font. FontChameleon can also read font metric files. If you are using one flavor of Bodoni, and someone gives you a file that contains an- other flavor of Bodoni, FontChameleon can read the font metric of the other Bodoni and cre- ate a font to match. There are, of course, limitations. Right now FontChameleon does not know how to handle true italics, or script fonts, or calligraphic fonts. Butit has no trouble at all with serif and sans-serif fonts, plain, bold, oblique, and bold oblique fonts, con- densed fonts, expanded fonts, and endless combinations of these and other characteristics. Aside from the inexpensive price, the other big surprise was the size: the entire package, including metrics for 220 fonts, tutorials, the application itself, and the obliga- tory “Read Me” file, takes up less than two megabytes of disk space, and runs comfortably in System 7 with just one and a half megabytes of RAM. Itis ashame the turnout was so light; FontChameleonisagenuinely original concept. Friedman was also July/August 1994 a great presenter, low-key and de- liberately non-technical, but with a keen appreciation of the package and the potential it has for revolu- tionizing not only desktop publish- ing but “electronic distribution” of documents. Friedman, incidentally, wasone of the founders of Bitstream, the pioneering electronic font foundry. He obviously hasn’t given up the pioneering spirit. June 1994 By the time this is printed, the Washington Apple Pi Semi-Annual Computer Garage Sale (Summer Release, June 11, 1994) will be over. Thousands of pieces of computer hardware and software, plus other items having nothing to do with computers, will have changed hands. Just as much activity hav- ing nothing to do with hardware or software will have taken place, too, ranging from membership sales to an all-day question and answer ses- sion. At least half a dozen people will complain “all this stuff’ won’t fit in their car, and ask for help. The garage sale volunteers will hold their annual debate: shall we have pizza, or Chinese? July 1994 Global Village is scheduled for the July 23 General Meeting, show- ing off their new telecommunica- tions products. Joining them will be Microsoft’s Home division, demon- strating their latest consumer of- ferings (CD-ROMs, games and ap- plications). August 1994 MacWorld Boston will be held August 2 to 5. This gigantic trade show has a number of attractions: great bargains, the chance to see new products, and the chance to sample Boston’s history and restau- rants. If you volunteer to work at the Washington Apple Pi booth, July/August 1994 you'll also get an opportunity to sit down — a treat after walking miles and miles through two exhibition halls. The General Meeting on Au- gust 27 will be hosted by the Games SIG (Special Interest Group). Tra- ditionally, this meeting is not lim- ited tojust Macs; expect to see Apple II, IIgs, and maybe even MS-DOS/ Windows games. There is also a chance we'll have a surprise presen- tation that has nothing to do with games at all. September 1994 Washington Apple Pi will be moving in September. If you havea big truck, a strong back, and some packing boxes, or any combination of these, we can save Big Bucks by moving ourselves. We are moving to save money on rent, and every dime we spend on renovating our new quarters and moving the office will help save even more money. Since no computer expertise is required, it would be Real Nice if we saw something other than the usual band of volunteers. One thing that is not moving is the General Meeting which, like the May, July and August meetings, is at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. Provided they finish writing it in time, Microsoft will be on hand to show off Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel 5.0. Power Macintosh owners, in par- ticular, are keeping their fingers crossed, but both these applications have been long, long anticipated. Drawing Winners Maze Wars (Callisto): Bill Wydro BMUG PD-ROM (BMUG): Ken Clare BMUG PD-ROM (BMUG): Thomas R. Reynders BMUG PD-ROM (BMUG): Charles Stancil Ares FontMonger (Ares): Robert Pagelsen I Ares FontChameleon (Ares): Ann Aiken Credits Apple Macintosh IIci: donated by Falcon Microsystems Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0: donated by Microsoft Corporation Bernoulli 150 drive: loan courtesy Iomega Corporation Proxima Ovation projection system: loan courtesy Proxima Corporation Lounging TCS penguin: artwork by Nancy Seferian Silver Spring Metro penguins: photography by Dennis Dimick Dr. Fun cartoons: from the Internet via Jon Hardis and the TCS Setup and worrying: Lorin Evans, Beth Medlin, Bill Wydro Novice Corner, Question & Answer Help: Tom Witte Send meeting comments to: Icharters@tcs.wap.org Washington Apple Pi Journal 13 Washington Apple Pi General Meeting 4th Saturday, July 23 « 9:00 a.m. Community & Cultural Center Northern VA Community College ° 8333 Little River Turnpike Annandale, Virginia Aug. 27,1994 c Annual Games SIG Sept. 24, 1994 é Microsoft Word 6.0 From the Beltway (1-495) take Exit 6 west on VA 236 approx. 1 mile. Turn left , into the campus of Northern Virginia Comm. College. ~~ Loop around to the rear parking lots, and walk to I the Community & Cultural ~~ Center Building. @ % AF > _ a —— J Sx” is There is abundant free parking Northern Virginia Community College adjacent to the Community & Cultural Center. Note that you must be present to win one of the drawing prizes! No exceptions. 14 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 Swell Summer Software Stuff compiled by Lorin Evans Tf you would like more information or order forms on products | ERE ARE SOME MORE neat Macintosh offers from industry. listed, please call the number given for the company who makes the product. Some prices do not include shipping or tax. Whenever you call and ask for information, or order a product, identify yourselfas a member of the Washington Apple Pi computer user’s group. Industry needs to know we are out here. Alliance interactive Software, Inc. Members can purchase any Classic Series game for 50% off Suggested Retail Price! $15 for any diskette game or $25 for either CD game pack. Digital Illusions™ Classic Series includes WWI era: Fokker Triplane Flight Simulator; WWII era: P-51 Mustang Flight Simula- tor, Sub Battle Simulator and PT Boat Simulator; Modern Ferrari Grand Prix. Call 305-423-4289 (exp. 8/15/94). Common Sense Publishing, Inc. Active Help! is a CD-ROM tutorial tohelp you master PageMaker. You control the pace. Get training on the commands you need exactly when and where you need then— instantly, from within PageMaker and delivered right on your com- puter screen. Active Help! sug- gested retail is $99.95. User Group Members can purchase Active Help! at an incredibly low $55.95—an ex- tra 20% discount from the current introductory special of $69.95. This isa 44% total discount. Active Help! is backed by a one year guarantee. Call 1-800-522-8483. July/August 1994 Home Office Computing Magazine The leading magazine for small and home-based businesses, is of- fering a special discount of 66% off the newsstand rate for all Apple User Group members. For people who run a small business (full- or part-time) and/or maintain a home office, the enclosed offer will be of tremendousinterest. Contact Gary Michelson at 212-505-4293. Insignia Solutions— is offering User Group members special pricing to receive PC com- patibility. SoftWindows enables Power Macintosh users to run MS-DOS and Windows applica- tions at speeds comparable to 386SX and 486SX PCs . Includes MS-DOS 6.21, Windows 3.1 and NetWare, preinstalled. Only $349 (List price $499). Insignia Solu- tions is also having a special fac- tory blowout sale of Universal SoftPC 3.0 and AccessPC 2.0 for non-RISC based Macintoshs. Uni- versal SoftPC allows Macintosh users torun MS-DOS applications, and AccessPC allows Macintosh users to read, write and format DOS disks with your Macintosh and use DOS files with Macintosh applications. Only $49.95. Call 800-947-7706. (exp. 7/31/94) VO Design, Inc. Special User Group Offer on MacLuggage™. PowerBook Stan- dard Case for $39.95 (reg. $49.95). PowerBook Leather Attache $79.95 (reg. $99.95). PowerBook BackPack $19.95 (reg. $39.95). Members also receive a 50% discount off all Mac and PC carrying cases and dust covers. Call 1-800-241-2122 (quan- tities limited). Mace Group Inc. Special pricing for Pi members on all of their MacALLY accessories. Combine your order toa minimum of five items (they can be mixed). For example, extended keyboard for $76. Opti-mechanical mouse $38. Call to order or for more details on products: 213-780-6110. (exp. 8/31/94) Working Software Toner Tuner, Working Watermarker, and Last Resort at nearly half price—just $69.95 for all three. You save up to $55 on three of Macworld’s 15 best utilities (April 1994), Also available sepa- rately at 20-40% User Group dis- counts. Call 800-229-9675. Shareware Utilities Bonanza Get the latest version of 11 really useful utilities for a mere $4.00. You get Stuffit Expander (ver. 3.0.7) the no brainer drag-and-drop ex- pansion program; AppDisk (ver. 1.6.1) to get extra RAM to speed up your Mac; MacErrors (ver. 1.0) to know why you crashed is empower- ing; PopChar (ver. 2.7.1) to find and use the strange keyboard charac- ters in your machine; SCSIProbe (ver. 3.5); UltraFind (ver. 1.0.3) a file finder application on steriods! and five more ‘must have’ utilities. Washington Apple Pi Journal 15 I If you act now, we will include two bonus programs at no additional charge[they are already on the disk]. Call(301)654-8060 and ask for Beth; she even accepts mail orders. Hehe, isn’t that us? Get Connected—Cool Sure! “An essay about accessibility” by Chad & Cheryll Ward © Chad & Cheryll Ward. 1994 We service Macintosh Computers 24 ON A Cc O M P U T E R I S T (703) 569-5584 A COMPUTERIST, LTD 16 Washington Apple Pi Journal YNAMEISChad Ward and I go to Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. I am a 16 year old coping with muscular dystrophy. I want to share how I am able to overcome some ofmy limitations by trav- eling through “cyberspace” via a modem connected to the world. I cur- “My computer allows me to talk. Usually, teachers do not allow people to carry on long conversa- tions during class. I rarely leave my house because it takes a lot of plan- ning and time. Transportation is not always easy to obtain and many places are inacces- sible to a motor- ized wheelchair. As a result, meet- ing people is labo- rious and time rently use the experience the consuming. But America Online net- when I journey work system. same stuff through Cool, Sure. cyberspace, I am I really don’t like ambulatory able to connect to go out much in public, where I am often greeted by stares. I get very em- barrassed when people are uncomfort- able; I sometimes feel like an alien visitor. Meeting face-to-face is really diffi- cult because as I said, people be- come awkward and seem tongue tied when they see my highly mecha- nized wheelchair. They see the hard- ware and my disability, instead of me and my abilities. I am a real person, with real feelings. As a re- sult, meeting people and making friends is hard for me. While people often don’t know what to say to me in person—thatis not the case when I connect with folks online. When I am at school, there is not enough time between classes to people do—with a minimum of effort.” with people and make friends by simply typing on my keyboard and moving my mouse. I can talk to friends, city wide, nation wide, world wide, all over the place! I don’t have to face stares or feel inad- equate. And, the people I meet and talk to don’t have to feel embar- rassed. They talk with the “REAL ME’. You may take many things for granted—that I don’t, like using the phone book, calling movie theaters orrestaurants, researching two-ton encyclopedia sets. If you have a dis- ease in which your body doesn’t re- spond in anormal fashion, it’s not so easy to just pick up the phone and get information. My computer al- July/August 1994 lows me to experience the same stuff ambulatory people do—with a mini- mum of effort. I can search the encyclopedia pages online with the flick of a but- ton. I can cruise the online movie reviews and find out what’s worth seeing. It’s easy to check out menus of restaurants I haven’t been to yet. (I must admit MacDonalds is my favorite, though Ihaven’t found their menuonline yet.) I also enjoy down- loading games from the shareware department and printing out weather maps or cartoons. Because I am a true and devoted SPORTS NUT, I always head for my favorite area— the “SPORTS LINK’ forum. Ican locate up-to-the-minute sports scores, find out all about my favor- ite athletes, and attend sporting events without fighting traffic and fans. The field is only limited by how fast I can move my mouse or trackball. I LOVE THIS SYSTEM !!!! Since Ihave had America Online (AOL) I have met a whole bunch of new people. But, I should tell you how this magiccame tobe. First, my vocational education friend, Mr. Martin Kimeldorf, contacted cus- tomer service at AOL and requested time for me to learn the system. AOL representative, “AmyA” re- sponded with a free monthly ac- count. Then Mr. Kimeldorfboughta modem out of his vocational funds (for me to use at school). Next, he contacted Susan Rickards at Seafirst Bank and they arranged to open ano-fee checking account. The vice-principal Mr. Rae, donated some money to open this checking account. My school counselor, Mr. Grosso, donated his office and time on his Macintosh computer so my mom and I could have a place to meet on campus to study the online world with Mr. Kimeldorf. We met oncea week with Mr. “K” (Kimeldorf) and explored what you could do with July/August 1994 a mouse, modem, and computer. Soon I realized that working one hour a week was not enough, so we set about the task of finding a low cost Macintosh for home. Working at home would also mean that I could access the system during my peak energy times. An anonymous donor left a book “Mac for Dummies” in Mr. K’s school mailbox. Mr. “K” went online and asked his friends for donations. All kinds of folks in the Electronic School Houses (ESH) responded with of- fers of Apple Ile’s, but Mr. K said a Macintosh would probably be easier to use. (Many of the people I met in this manner would later become pen pal friends.) My mom liked that idea. A large computer catalogue company, MacWarehouse in New Jersey, kicked in a modem for our home, and got our search off to a great start. A second anonymous donor in the North Thurston School District central office donated a Mac SE computer and keyboard! My mom contacted AOL about extending our account through the summer and found out I had a 7/24 account (this means unlimited use). Being able to try out the online stuff at home really increased my knowl- edge about the network. I used to find summer a lonely time, now I’m counting the days until school is out. Thavemet many wonderful folks on the AOL network. A special cyber-pal, AFC Paul, donated a mega box (over 25 pounds) of soft- ware. The box that arrived was full of great games and educational stuff. Now I have to find a bigger hard drive. Another cyber-pal in Whittier, California, AFC Leni, game me ad- vance news flashes about the earth- quake before it was on the news. Never before had I felt so connected, so much on top of my world! I have the opportunity to explore the world—all on my own time, and at home! I Maintaining the quality of my life is important. I think being able to do the things you like to do isa need all of us have. Today, I can do just about anything anyoneelsecan, thanks to this machine and AOL. I make new friends all the time, Ican interact without any embarrass- ment. It is an “EASY” way to have fun, and I forget about the limited use in my hands and wrists. Being online has helped to re-define the word “accessibility.” But, you don’t have to have a dis- ability to enjoy and profit from this system. In fact, I wish every kid at Timberline could share my online experience. While not everyone will have a chance to goonline, most people will experience a disabling condition at some time or another. Perhaps, you will someday be confined toa wheel- chair due to an auto or home acci- dent, a sports injury, or simply asa product of getting older. Suddenly, you'll find yourself cut off from all that is comfortable and familiar to you. The world can become an aw- fully lonely place when this hap- pens. If that does happen, I say, “Get Connected—Cool, Sure!” Acknowledgement: The authors would like to acknowledge the edi- torial assistance rendered by Pam Mortillaro and Paul Smallwood All rights reserved. The materials in this document may not be used, dis- tributed, copied, faxed, reprinted, du- plicated, or transmitted electronically without the written permission of the Author. For permission contact the Ward’s at 5701 30th Ave SE #K-1, Lacey, WA 98503. Or contact the Ward’s via America Online at: MADMAX718; or via the Internet at: madmax718@aol.com. Washington Apple Pi Journal 17 Erasing the miles with e-mail by Lindsay Edmunds © 1994 “T really like having an e-mail connection to you. It’s so much better than the phone, in lots of ways.” Y BROTHER David sent that note to me via the Internet last October. We had exchanged some “e” earlier in the day on a now-forgotten topic. David is three years younger than Iam. Though we had our share of sibling frictions, we were close when we were growing up in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania. However, our adult lives quickly diverged. He is a programmer; I am a writer and edi- tor. He is married and the father of two daughters; I am single. For the last ten years we have lived 3000 miles apart, in northern California and suburban Maryland, respec- tively. This could be a sad story of distance and separation eroding a brother-sister relationship. Butjust the opposite is true. Today, David and J are as close as we have ever been. Once or twice a week, we find the time to chat about books and about day-to-day events in our lives, have some serious discussions, and share a few good laughs. No, we don’t spend hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars talk- ing on the telephone. In fact, last year we talked long distance maybe four or five times. We do not ever write ordinary letters. Our bridge across the miles is e- mail. For us, “e” has the advantages of both telephoning and paper mail, with the disadvantages of neither. 18 Washington Apple Pi Journal —D Paper mail is to e-mail what the typewriter is to the personal com- puter. Apart from being slow, it is encumbered by envelopes, stamps, and various problems of physical transportation. These small barri- ers are irritating after you realize that they are unnecessary. True, it still costs only 29¢ to send an ordi- nary first-class letter (if you don’t mind a long transit time). However, the fastest paper mail service, over- night mail, manages to be both cum- bersome and expensive. E-mail, on the other hand, races across the phone lines like a pan- ther. It can be sent instantly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always at the same low cost and at the same resounding speed. If elec- tronic mail ever took so long as overnight to get between my brother and me, it would be a sign that the system had broken down. Because e-mail is easier to send than paper mail, I write it more often. Many times I have typed a quick sentence or two and sent it off just because I wanted to share some- thing, or ask a question. All e-mail users dothis. For example, this week my brother sent a brief message asking for my fax number so that he could fax mean article about Vernor Vinge, a science-fiction author we both like. The pleasures of writing e-mail extend to sending postscripts to longer messages sent hours (or min- utes) earlier. I often send these post- scripts because I often think ofsome- thing else to say. However, I cannot imagine writing postscript messages using paper mail. I would feel silly mailing a second one- or two-sentence letter a few hours af- ter I mailed the first one. Paper mail is delivered to my home Monday through Saturday around 2 p.m. E-mail is delivered within minutes or hours of the time it is sent, and it can be picked up anytime. One of the pleasures of “e” islogging ontoa service at odd times (6 a.m. on a Monday, for example) and finding a good message waiting to be read. I also check e-mail as a way to take fast vacations from my work. Because the entire process takes only a few minutes, it makes a good break. E-mail also feels more special than paper mail. When unsolicited ads for everything start showing up inmy e-mailbox, I'll change my mind about this feeling of specialness, but for the moment it is true. A letter in my e-mailbox shines like a beacon. A letter in my home mail- box takes a certain amount of dig- ging even to find amid the half-ton of ads, mail-order catalogues, and pleas for money. Ofcourse, there is the telephone. The long-distance phone companies all assure us that racking up huge bills on long-distance calls is the best way to overcome physical sepa- ration from friends and family. These companies loudly promise “savings,” while at the same time sending the not-too-subtle message that the money spent on long-distance calls to friends and family is well spent. I disagree. The time spent communicating with the people you care about is well spent. But time does not have to translate into money. This is another revolu- tion that e-mail has brought. With a long-distance call, the July/August 1994 caller (or recipient of the call) pays for every minute of the conversa- tion. Different rates for different times of day, elaborate savings plans, “teaser” discounts, calling circles, and perks such as frequent flyer miles cannot obscure that ba- sic truth—no matter how hard they try. With e-mail, however, both sender and recipient can do all their communicating offline. For example, I might spend a half-hour “talking” to my brother when I compose an e- mail message offline with America Online’s text editor. But I can log onto AOL and send this half-hour’s worth of talk in a few seconds. Simi- larly, my brother can download the message, “listen” to it offline, and write a response. In the world of long-distance phone service, the meter is always running. In the world of e-mail, the meter only “The nonintrusive advantage over the phone: it waits until you are ready toread it. It does not summon you with a shrill, ringing bell, as if you were a servant. E-mail, like pa- per mail, is absolutely silent. The nonintrusive aspect of e-mail is especially valuable when both parties have busy lives. My brother, in particular, has little free time. Phone calls are likely to drag him away from something he has to be doing (or would rather be doing). But “e” is patient. E-mail is faster and easier than paper mail. It is cheaper and less intrusive than long-distance telephoning. These are objective advantages. But my brother and Ihave found a subjective advantage as well: we have great conversations in “e.” In e-mail, for example, Desktop Publishing 1425 Foxhall Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007 Graphic Design Greencastle Graphics Nancy Seferian (202) 333-5244 runs when aspect of email wetalkalot about what you are actu- Ai iall: we're reading. David ally logged 1s especially reads by listening to Re- onto the sys- valuable when corded Books while tem; you can . commuting to and from read and both parties have work. I mostly read at compose your A » night. For both of us, this messages for busy lives. reading time is a place of free. peace in a maelstrom of My pri- busyness. E-mail—where mary connection to the Internet is through America Online. A flat monthly fee of $9.95 buys five hours of unrestricted online time on AOL, including an e-mail gateway to the Internet community. Additional time costs $3.50 an hour. In other words, I can keep in touch with as many folks as I want, as often as I want, for $9.95 a month (assuming that my connect time does not ex- ceed five hours—not a problem when I read and compose messages offline). I also can use AOL’s other services, such as forums and re- search databases. E-mail offers another, subtler July/August 1994 we share our enthusiasm for books— is another such place of peace. E-mail has other infra-family uses. For example, parents who use e-mail to communicate with their college-age child can always stay in touch, without “intruding.” Their college kid, being of the computer generation, will probably be very comfortable with e-mail and may be impressed that they want to use it, too. Both parents and children may find that “e” encourages better lis- tening and allows time for more thoughtful responses. They evencan print out paper copies of the e-mail they want to save! (Try that with a phone conversation.) Everyone whocommunicates via e-mail has conversations they would not be having otherwise—at least. not in exactly the same way. In the case of my brother and me, e-mail is the means by which we sustain a strong friendship despite barriersof distance and time. David tells me that his three-year-old daughter likes the Bailey’s Book House software I sent for her birthday last December. (“Bailey’s Book House is the place to start a passion for reading.”) She enjoys playing with the family com- puter. She dislikes the telephone. I take itasasign. Lindsay Edmunds isa self-employed writer andeditor. She can be reached via Internet e-mail at lindsaye@aol.com. Washington Apple Pi Journal 19 ae i Zap! How your computer can hurt you — and what you can do about it © 1994 Lawrence I. Charters OOK REVIEWS ARE supposed to be impersonal and objective, but by necessity this one will be personal, and with luck, objectivity will not suffer. This is not so much a promise, however, as a hope: they don’t call them “per- sonal” computers for nothin’. But first, a story. Once upon a time, while serving as president of a West Coast user group, I was ac- costed before a meeting by a woman. weighing roughly 300 pounds and standing just a bit over five feet tall. She had a complex network of bro- ken blood vessels in her face, and yellowed eyes, so the alcohol on her breath suggested a chronic prob- lem. She also stank of tobacco. She had a demand: “When are you going to let me talk about how computers can hurt people? Make them blind? Wreck their bones? Ruin their health? All because of radiation.” She had been requesting, for months, “an hour or two” at a monthly meeting to talk about her self-published book on the subject. ofhealth and computers. I instantly decided on a high-level, presiden- tial response to her request: I said “excuse me” and darted around her. One of the other user group vol- unteers, witnessing this, suggested she might have a point: “With all her other risk factors, why take chances on radiation?” Which might well describe Don 20 Washington Apple Pi Journal Seller’s approach in his book, Zap! How Your computer can hurt you— and what you can do about it. This slender, heavily illustrated volume covers everything from eyestrain to headaches to pregnancy to muscle and skeletal strains. It also covers things which have nothing to do with computers directly, such as the quality of office air and how to spell periods of work with sched- uled breaks. Sellers is careful to present the controversial as well as the accepted. Itis well accepted, for example, that you shouldn’t put your monitor in front of a window (the glare from the window will make the screen look dim and hard to see), or have a window directly behind you (the glare on the monitor will, again, make the screen look dim and hard to read). Less accepted is the claim that extremely low frequency (ELF) elec- tromagnetic radiation may be harm- ful. Sellers mentions the concern without any bias at all, noting sim- ply that the topic is “controversial.” Note, however, that most ofhis book is devoted to the known, rather than bogged down in the unproven. There are a wealth of specific suggestions concerning how to set up your desk, what to look for in a chair, the pros and cons of different kinds of monitors, what kind of ex- ercises to do when having a break from work, and even how tosit prop- erly. The book is peppered with brand-names, and a “Where Else To Turn” chapter has company names and addresses, alternate sources of information, the names and addresses of organizations in- terested in the topics covered, and even the phone numbers of regional and national occupational health and safety agencies. I have but two “complaints” about the book, both relatively mi- nor. First, the index is weak. It is a decent index, compared to the com- petition, but let’s face it: most com- puter books have terrible indices. This book, in particular, could usea more fully annotated index. The second complaint is one I share with roughly seven percent of all humanity: I did not see any specific mention of the needs of the left-handed. While Apple’s mouse is delightfully ambidextrous, many, if not most, manufacturers have right-hand-only mice and trackballs. Furniture manufactur- ers have similar biases; there are a number of “computer workstations” that are all but useless to the left-handed. Because of their ex- ceptional flexibility (not to mention intelligence and, of course, mod- esty), most left-handed computer users learn to adapt. But they don’t like it. Should you get this book? I can almost guarantee that the way your computer is set up at home violates many, if not most, of the guidelines given inthe book. Your computer at work is probably set up a bit better, but there is an almost virtual cer- tainty that things could be im- proved. Consider this book an invest- ment in yourself. If you are the boss, consider it an investment in youremployees. Ifyou are the owner of a business, consider it a means for cutting down on occupational health claims. And for those of you who might July/August 1994 have been wondering, no, I never did allow the woman to pitch her book to the user group. But if she’d written this book, I would have been far more interested. Don Sellers, Zap! How your com- puter can hurt you—and what you can doabout it. Peachpit Press, 1994. 150 pp. $12.95. ISBN 1-56609-021-0 Peachpit Press has a generous user group discount program, and evena one book order qualifies for a dis- count. To take advantage of this, call Peachpit at 800-283-9444, credit card in hand, and identify yourself as a member of Washington Apple Pi. Overseas callers should call 510-548-4393. A Computerist 16 Adobe . 1,7 AllNet Service Center ..........71 AYMiMNiUS .......ecssessseesseeseeeeee BZ Clinton Computer .............4..6 Dupont Computers..... om: ) FC Business Systems...........11 Greencastle Graphics........... HyperGlot Software Co........29 Impact Reprographics...........27 MacWorld ...........sssesseessereeee OZ MacUpgrades ...........-..0::00006 04 Publishers Service Bureau..C3 TCS .. 5, 10 July/August 1994 a All About System Update 3.0 ARE FOR SOME bug fixes, as well as performance and reliability enhance- ments for your System 7.1 operat- ing software, then get yourself a copy of the just released System Update 3.0. You want this update if you use system software version 7.1, 7.1.1 (System 7 Pro), or 7.1.2 (for Power Macintosh). You do not need this update if you use system software version 6.0.X, 7.0, 7.0.1, or any of the Performa operating sys- tems. System Update 3.0 includes all of the enhancements of System Up- date 2.0.1, Hardware System Up- dates 1.0 and 2.0, plus provides ad- ditional functionality and fixes prob- lems that the earlier updates did not address. If you bought System 7.1 after May, 1994, these updates are already in your disk set. System Updater 3.0 comes in a 1.44MB (2 disks) or 800k (1 disk) version. Ifyou use a Macintosh with an 800k drive (Mac II, early model SE, or a Plus), you need the System Update 3.0 that comes on an 800K disk. The 800K package is a special version of System Update 3.0, in- cluding only the files needed for those three models of Macintosh. If your computer has been upgraded with a 1.44 MB disk drive or came with one asoriginal equipment, then you want the version that comes on high-density disks. Either version is available at the office for $6.00 or $3.00 respec- tively. For mail orders, send $8.00 for the 1.44 MB version or $4.00 for the 800k version to the office. For non-members, see the disk order form in the back of this Journal. For those who like lots of de- tails, read on. System Update 3.0 introduces the following enhancements: @ Corrects a problem that caused some programs to quit unexpect- edly orcaused the computer to freeze when you attempted to open pro- grams over the network. This in- cludes/replaces all of the function- ality of Network Launch Fix (and the Installer will delete it). @ Corrects a problem that poten- tially allowed the system to become corrupted during a power failure ora crash. This corruption would pre- vent the Macintosh from restarting. @ Prevents a PowerBook from try- ing to spin up its hard drive when the system needs to warn the user that there are only 10 seconds of battery power remaining. @ Fixes a problem that prevented the Macintosh Plus from using any system software newer than 7.1. Users wishing to upgrade to a newer system must also delete the Finder Preferences file from the Preferences folder and restart. M@ Fixes the “About This Macintosh” box so the memory usage line does not get drawn outside of the box’s bounds. @ Prevents the potential file/media corruption that can happen when Washington Apple Pi Journal 21 = working with a file that is on a remote volume and the connection to that volume is lost. Now, when the remote volume is lost, its icon will remain dimmed on the desktop (similar to what happens to the icon for a manually ejected floppy disk). All attempts to open items on the lost volume will result in an access privilege error. If you need to save your work on the open file, you will need to use “Save As...” (or the equivalent) to save it to a different volume. In order to re-connect with the lost volume, you will first need to close the file you were working with, then drag the lost volume’s dimmed icon to the Trash. @ Increases reliability for remote file saving when the client is run- ning System 7.1 or greater and the server is running a pre-7.0 system and using pre-3.0 AppleShare. @ Fixes a problem with throwing away folders that are on an AppleShare volume. Sometimes when attempting to empty the Trash, the Finder would warn that the folder contained items in use and could not be deleted. The Finder will now properly delete such folders. @ Fixes a problem where a Power Macintosh, Quadra 840AV, or 660AV may hang if a CD-ROM disk is inserted when file sharing is on and a large file is being transferred. System Update 3.0 includes the following updates: @ Updates the Standard File pack- age to include many fixes and en- hancements. The most significant fix corrects a crash problem when more than 20 volumes are mounted. The most significant enhancement is the use of color icons. @ Updates the Easy Access control panel to version 7.2. This new ver- sion allows Sticky Keys to remain active after waking up if it was 22 Washington Apple Pi Journal active when the PowerBook or Por- table went to sleep. Also, Easy Ac- cess now remembers whether sticky keys, mouse keys, and slow keys were on or off between restarts. @ Replaces TeachText with SimpleText version 1.0. Among other improvements, SimpleText allows multiple documents to be open simultaneously, and allows users to easily use a variety of fonts, font sizes, and font styles. @ Includes Apple HD SC Setup version 7.3.1,. This new version fixes a crash problem version 7.3 has whenrunon Macintosh models that do not support virtual memory. ™@ Updates the Memory control panel to version 7.3. This prevents a potential crash during boot if the RAM disk was set too large. Also, this contro] panel now opens with 32-bit addressing on. l@ Updates the PowerBook control panel to version 7.3.1, the PowerBook Setup control panel to version 7.3.1, and the Display control panel to ver- sion 1.1. This package of related con- trol panels reorganizes and simpli- fies several controls. @ Updates the Battery desk acces- sory to version 7.1.1. This new ver- sion provides better support for the Duo 230. @ Updates the TV Setup control panel to version 1.0.1. This new version supports HRC cable sys- tems. This version also fixes a prob- lem that would sometimes cause the screen to darken after return- ing from TV mode. ™ Updates the Screen control panel to version 1.0.4. This new version corrects a problem on the LC 575. @ Updates the PC Setup control panel to version 1.0.2. This version provides a fix for users of the Macintosh DOS Compatibility Card that are experiencing interference when using a single 14" display and the PC is in the foreground. If you are experiencing an interference problem, make sure the “Fade Screen” option is selected in the updated PC Setup control panel. With this option selected, switching to the Macintosh will be slightly slower but the video interference will disappear. @ Updates System Enabler: —008 to ver 1.1 for the LC III. —040 to ver 1.1 for the Quadra 610, 650, and 800 and Centris 610 and 650. — 065 to ver 1.2 for the Quadra 605, LC475, and LC575. — 088 to ver 1.2 for the Quadra 840AV and 660AV. Addssup- port for the 660AV and LW Select 310. —401 to ver 1.0.5 for the Color Classic to fix erratic mouse movement —408 to ver 1.0.2 for the Color Classic II, LC520, and LC550. —PowerBook Duo Enabler to ver 1.0 for all PowerBook Duos. This new version al- lows the use of type II batter- ies. The Duo 270c does not need it. —PowerPC Enabler tover 1.0.1 for the Power Mac6100, 7100, and 8100. —PowerPC Upgrade Card Enabler to ver 1.0.1 for Centris 610 and 650 and the Quadra 610, 650, 700, 800, 900, and 950. mf Our thanks to Apple for their help in preparing this article. Update 3.0 descriptors are derived from file notes that are © 1994, Apple Com- puter, Inc. July/August 1994 Clean your mouse and trackball by Kel Humphreys F YOUR MOUSE or trackball is operating erratically, twist open the retaining ring and pluck out the ball. The ball rides on two rollers that determine its position, and either an idler roller or a post or a set of fixed supports. your mouse pad or desktop. Folks, this is an amazingly caustic substance! If your mouse has metal rollers, you can expect them to get corroded and pitted over time. This is a real problem with the Kensington trackballs, whose rollers are a lot bigger than those in a mouse. Make it a regular practice to clean your work area. The spongy fabric pads clean up well with soapy water and a scrub brush. Don’t forget to clean the trackball itself. No special precautions are necessary, just don’t drop it and lose it. PowerBook trackballs have a peculiar problem that’s related to the small size of its internal compo- nents. The blue rollers that contact the trackball are a very soft, spongy plastic that’s skewered onto a thin metal shaft. If, despite a thorough cleaning, your trackball refuses to move the cursor smoothly, look at the position of these roll- Rotate retaining ring to loosen iC Crud —> Sensing rollers Some mice use a snap-in retaining ring. Move it in direction of molded-in arrow. PowerBook trackballs have two soft rollers and three bearing points. The PB 100 has three bare plastic posts. Other models use red jeweled bearing points. 4 - «<<—Idler roller fo . or post AZO ers. They are supposed to ride in a gap in the plastic support struc- ture. It’sacommon prob- lem for them to slide } along their shaft until they bind or drag on the plastic on either side of the gap. (Usually I cause this problem myself, dur- ing thecleaning process.) Justslidetherolleralong itsshaft until it’s approxi- mately centered, and not binding on the side. Special note to Kensington trackball owners: you may be cov- ered by a free, unan- nounced warranty ex- tension on your Series Ill trackball. Ifyourshas In normal use, these parts pick up a lot of crud. Mouse rollers can be black, white, or shiny. The surface should be flat, not rounded, ridged or pitted. If you see a mounded ridge, break it loose with a pointed object - pen or pencil point, a bent paper clip. Shake out the flakes. You'll probably have to keep the roller from turning away from you as you pick, poke and pry, by wedging the shaft with another pencil. When you’ve gotten most of the crud loose, finish the cleaning job by swabbing everything with cheap isopropyl rubbing alcohol until it’s clean. Rotate the roller to be sure there aren’t any mounds left. Now pay attention to your “mousing surface”. Your normal skin oil is the biggest culprit in contaminating July/August 1994 quit on you, or if you’ve pitched it in the corner, resurrect it and invest in a toll call to Kensington. Most accomodating folks, they are. If this offer is still in effect, they'll give you instructions on mailing back the trackball base (less trackball), and after a suitable waiting period you'll get anew base. Ml Kel Humphreys is Senior Macintosh Technician at FC Business Systems. He has used Macs ina corporate environ- ment, sold Macs, and headed a Mac service operation. He continually ponders the inequities of Mac power node distri- bution in the DC area, wondering at the vacuum in Mont- gomery County. Washington Apple Pi Journal 23 Artist Info: Stuart Armstrong has been an illustrator in the Washington area since 1979. He works out of his studio in Silver Spring for various clients ranging from magazines to ad agencies. His work is often seen in the Washington Post. He began his career drawing illustrations for the “Diamondback,” the student newspa- per at the University of Maryland, where he learned about both deadlines and making art that would reproduce well on newsprint, no matter what size it was printed at. Stuart considers himself a craftsman rather than an artist. “In addition to being well drawn, artwork has to be suitable to the assignment, and reproduce well.” Tools: Mac Quadra 800, Wacom tablet, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Mirror 600 Scanner The Cook was initially hand cut in rubylith for an article on cooks that use headsets to receive instructions in noisy kitchens. Rubylith is a cuttable plastic film used in preparing artwork for silk-screening or offset printing. Most artists have run across it at some point. The rubylith was too glossy to scan well, so a xerox was made, and scanned into PhotoShop at 300 dpi. After cleaning it up, brilliant colors were added with the airbrush tool. The black outlines are strong enough to contain the color. “I look at the Mac as a tool for editing artwork, rather than creating it. It’s difficult to draw on the computer. But the computer really lets me play with color in ways I never could before.” The Strawberry is a promotional piece. It was done in Adobe Illustrator 5.0, and saved as a 3,0 file. The 3.0 file was opened up in PhotoShop and retouched. The radial lines focus the eye on the strawberry. The irregular shape adds interest. Highlights give dimension and pop the strawberry out of the lighter background. 24 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 “The Spinal Cord was used on the title slide for a slide show on spinal cord injury, presented by NIH. Artwork of 60 or 70 slides was prepared in Adobe Illustrator, then imported into Power Point, in a slide format. Text was added, and the slides were output. Complex organic shapes, such as vertebra, can be constructed to look three-dimensional, using gradients. “Illustrator is less flexible as a rendering tool than PhotoShop, but it’s stiffness gives it a graphic strength, and a characteristic style.” The shapes were first hand drawn, then scanned for use as tem- plates and auto traced in Illustrator. Colored fills were added. For the soft circular highlight, a radial gradient that went from red to the background color was used. July/August 1994 The Lobster was done as a promotional piece as well as for fun. A sketch was scanned into PhotoShop. Outlines were created, as if they were ‘cut * from tubylith. Color was added with the airbrush or paint bucket. The texture of the seaweed beneath the lobster was created by drawing and selecting irregular shapes with the lasso tool, and then using the burn tool to darken them. “To work at this level of detail, I had to magnify the art a lot. The drawback to this is that you can’t see the artwork as a whole when you work on it. That is one difference between a complex illustration, and a spot drawing. This is why I sketch larger art off the computer,” Washington Apple Pi Journal 25 GB The /cons were done for newspapers and magazines. They had to be graphic enough to be seen at a small size. The sharp angles give them an energetic texture, making them more visible as well. Because they are made of simple shapes, they were often drawn directly on the computer without sketches scanned in for reference. They were done in Adobe Illustrator. A Wacom tablet was used instead of a mouse. The strokes on the body of the airplane were all formed from one original stroke made with the variable brush tool, then duplicated and spaced using the blend tool. They effect is similar to a woodcut. The radiating strokes coming from the microphone were copied and rotated from one original stroke, con- structed with the pen tool. The effect is more mechanical than strokes made with the brush tool. “Illustrator is a great program for this type of drafting. I can do spot art like this very quickly.” The Circus is a fragment of a hand drawn picture, done as black line art. “As much as possible, I want my art to have an organic feel, as if it had not been done on the computer.” The art was scanned and edited in PhotoShop. Then all the black lines were selected with the magic wand tool. The inverse of the lines was then selected, effectively masking the lines. Color was then added with the airbrush tool. 26 Washington Apple Pi Journal July/August 1994 Font Leadership: How to Boss Your Fonts Around © 1994 Lawrence I. Charters FEW MONTHS AGO the Journal published an in- terview discussing font man- agement. The article received lots of favorable comment. But all that is passé, now: Robin Williams has published the ultimate font guide, How to Boss Your Fonts Around. Aside from the cover, which should be in the running for “most wretched cover ever made,” the book is(ahem) letter perfect. Created with Williams’ usual exquisite sense of design, it is a masterpiece of page layout, and a showcase for intelli- gent typography — a good thing, considering the topic. (And no, she didn’t design the cover. It is so bad Thad to check.) Don’t know the difference be- tween a bitmapped font and a downloadable font? Williams ex- plains all, an exposé that covers, clearly and concisely, screen fonts, TrueType fonts, PostScript fonts, and virtually all the ways in which they interact. Her legendary spare text is, as always, illustrated with screen shots, sample printouts, icons and other graphics designed to illu- minate the subject rather than pointlessly prettify. Topics covered range from the general (how to download fonts to a PostScript printer) to the specific: what are Adobe Type Manager, Suitcase, Master Juggler, etc., and how and why should you use these programs. If any of you have ever July/August 1994 listened to the Question and An- swer session at a Pi General Meet- ing, virtually every font question ever asked is answered in this one slim book. Not surprisingly, the emphasis is on scalable fonts (TrueType and PostScript), and on things specific to System 7. While the Mac's original claim to fame was the staggering wealth ofbit-mapped fonts, such fonts hold little or no interest to a user in 1994. Why haveblocky bitmaps when. you can have smooth scalable fonts, on screen and on paper? Similarly, the breadth of font options in System 7 makes it both easier and, at the same time, more complex when it comes to fonts. The options are limitless, and so are the opportunities for confusion. Some of the information may seem a bit exotic. I couldn’t quite I understand why she has a chapter on Fontographer, an expensive pro- gram for creating and editing fonts. Yet her suggestions are very clearly sensible, and now Fontographer doesn’t seem nearly as exotic any- more. Wait till you see how she changes the gender of a character with Fontographer... Closing the book is a superb illustrated glossary of font and ty- pographic terminology, and an in- dex! Even better, a good index! There must be a special place in heaven awaiting authors courteous enough to insist on a good index. How to Boss Your Fonts Around is highly recommended, for novices and experts alike. Finding the book in stores should be easy. Just look for a font book with an ugly neon pink, yellow and green cover. Robin Williams, How to Boss Your Fonts Around. Peachpit Press, 1994. 152 pp. $12.95. ISBN 1-56609-102-0. Peachpit Press has a generous user group discount program, and evena one book order qualifies for a dis- count. To take advantage of this, call Peachpit at 800-283-9444, credit card in hand, and identify yourself as a member of Washington Apple Pi. Overseas callers should try 510-548-4393. Ml We can turn your graphic files into Color Posters that demand attention. ALEXANDRIA, ‘Business Graphics *Backdrops “Courtroom Exhibits “Comps, Storyboards *Exhibits *Maps * Murals 8 Fine Are ¢Point of Purchase “Posters ¢Presentations *Product Photos ¢Retail Displays ¢Scentific Graphics Signs & Logos *Trade Show Displays *Training Aids ‘eprographies VA 703-971-5295 Washington Apple Pi Journal 27 Communication Station: Bringing the Macintosh to Ordinary Folks in Downtown DC by Phil Shapiro Business beginnings ACINTOSH COM- PUTERS have proven their usefulness for many years now. But for some people, the cost of buying a Mac is beyond their financial reach. For others who need to use a Mac only rarely, it is hard to justify the cost. Still others can benefit from trying a Macintosh before deciding to buy one. Enter Lucy Mallan, a long-time member of Washington Apple Pi, who envisioned a Macintosh business two years ago. Last fall, she opened her business, called Communication Station, in the recently revitalized “U Street” neighborhood. Many new entrepreneurial ventures are springing up around this neighborhood. And business lease rates remain rather affordable. Lucy calls Communication Station a “community-oriented, budget-priced” Macintosh service bureau for the downtown Washington DC area. The store is a small place where ordinary folks can use Macintosh computers, laser printers, and desktop publishing software, all for a reasonable price. Lucy also provides fax and photocopying services. Her business serves people from all walks oflife in the Dupont Circle/ U St. Corridor neighborhoods — recent college graduates, members of area churches and neighborhood organizations, community 28 Washington Apple Pi Journal organizers, freelance writers and artists, and others with a need to produce professional-looking hard copy. And it’s becoming known as a useful place to “go to get things done.” The staff will either assist customers at no extra charge, or take over the desktop publishing task for a fee. Last week, I stopped by Communication Station for a visit. I walked away from the visit convinced that the business continues to have tremendous potential. But I’m equally convinced. that the business cannot remain viable as a one person operation. How to get there The business is located at 1514 U Street, NW —about two blocks from the U Street/Cardozo subway stop (on the Green Line). You walk upaflight of stairs, past a bookstore, to reach Communication Station. Quick tour Here is what I found at Communication Station. The decor of Communication Station is most definitely Mac-like in style: light and airy— clean and cool. Smooth beige carpeting complements the Scandinavian-style desks. Even though the store is small, you still get a sense of spaciousness. Communication Station couldmake for anice venue for small group Mac classes, come to think of it. The business is composed of three rooms: a small photocopying room, a cozy “collating” room, and the main office space—a ten foot by twenty foot computer workstation area. Three Mac Performas are set up for public use. (Two Performa 400s and one Performa 405.) Each Mac has 8 megs of RAM and runs System 7.1p. Attached to the Macs are: a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4ML, an HP DeskWriter C color inkjet printer, and an OmniScan hand scanner. A fax machine and two 2400 baud modems round out the hardware available for public use. What do customers do there? In chatting with Lucy Mallan I learned that the store regularly gets quite busy. The most frequent users ofthe public access Macs are persons who want to update their resumes. A copy of MacLink Plus file translation software helps to transfer resumes from DOS disks to the Macs. The business also has a steady stream of people coming in to use their two photocopiers. A paper cutter in the collating room gets alot of use, too. Apparently other local businesses have found Communication Station a useful resource for creating menus and brochures and for photocopying their business records. America Online access To help give people access to the Information Superhighway, Communication Station opened an account on the America Online information service. The main purpose of this account is to help train people in basic telecom skills. (Although the AOL account could be useful if someone needed to quickly download a specific public domain or shareware Macintosh file. AOL has over 25,000 such files in their Macintosh file libraries.) Considering that basic telecom July/August 1994 skills will be vital to just about every information age job, it’s useful to have a place where people can learn telecom skills in an informal, relaxed setting. An added bonus is that people who use Commun- ication Station do not need to open their own accounts on AOL to learn how to use this information service. What does it cost? People who come in to use the hardware are charged $10 an hour. Unlike the public-use Macs at Kinko’s, though, the $10 hourly fee includes help and assistance, as needed. Hard copy output is billed at 50 cents per page. (Kinko’s charges $1.25 per page.) No price distinction is made between the output from the laser printer and that from the color inkjet. Serving the community As I chatted with Lucy, I learned more about her plans to bring neighborhood high school students to Communication Station for writing workshops. Her son Tom, a pioneer U Street entrepreneur with his own store, has been doing some exciting pro bono work holding drama and writing workshops for area high school students. Lucy also mentioned that there might be ways of opening Communication Station on Sundays or weekday evenings, ifindependent entrepeneurs wanted to make use of the facilities. I can think of a whole host of possible uses of Communication Station as a small computer learning lab: as an adult literacy learning lab, as a writing workshop lab, as a page-layout instruction lab, as a student enrich- ment computer lab. Community residents of all ages could benefit from access to the computers at Communication Station. The overall impression I got from Communication Stationis that July/August 1994 the business has a huge amount to offer the local community. In some ways the business serves in the capacity as a not-for-profit tech- nology access center. Yet at the same time the business needs to broaden its revenue stream to be able to continue doing what it’s doing. Getting involved It seems pretty clear to me that Communication Station could really use one or more persons tojoin in on the venture. Perhaps one or more freelance Macconsultants could join in to make use of the existing premises. Perhaps WAPitselfmight use the facilities to conduct some of its tutorials. On the other hand, perhaps there might be a role for Apple Computer or Hewlett Packard to help support this entre- preneurial venture. Commun- ication Station evangelizes the Mac/HP platform six days a week. Is it too much to expect Apple or HP to lend a modicum of support to such a venture? Evensmall steps, such as offering to help cover the cost of toner cartridges, would be a big help. Perhaps Communication Station could register itself as an official Performa training center, and thereby get further corporate support. Summary I left Communication Station buoyed with the hope that the business itself represents. Yet to remain economically viable, the business needs continued growth. WAP members interested in supporting this promising venture can contact Lucy Mallan at the address below. Mac enthusiasts are always welcome to stop by for a visit, Lucy says. It's EASY with Software from HyperGlot! The most complete line of foreign language SPANISH -ERENCH-JAPANESE-CERMAN RUSSIAN ITALIAN-ENGLISH - CHINESE To Order, or to receive a HyperGlot I Lucy Mallan Communication Station 1514 U Street, NW Washington DC 20009 (202) 332-8811 (202) 332-8804 (fax) America Online: LucyMa Internet: LucyMa@aol.com Operating hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 AM to 7 PM. Saturdays: 12-noon to6PM [The author takes a keen interest in computer equity issues. He can be reached at: (202) 686-5465, or via Internet e-mail at: pshapiro@aol.com] LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE! software for the Macintosh available anywhere. Our products are used extensively in universities and by individuals throughout the world! free catalog, call 1-800-800-8270 or write: P.O. Box 10746 Knoxville, TN 37939 language software company. Washington Apple Pi Journal 29 Troubles by Stuart Bonwit ROUBLES. RIGHThere in River City. What is the worst thing that can happen when you’re having a big problem on your Mac? I'll tell you what can happen. You can’t call up the Washington Apple PiTCS togethelp. On Thursday evening before the Memorial holiday weekend, I suddenly discovered that ZTerm would not dial any numbers. The dialog box said, “Sending Dial Command,” then “Waiting for Answer.” Instead of showing the number being dialed, it showed the middle characters of the Pre-Dial initialization string. And it would sit there and nothing would happen. I tried all sorts of irrational “fixes,” but nothing changed. I figured, “The h— with it; ll wait till Saturday and call the Pi office, and I’ll go on with my animation.” The animation application worked fine, so I was in no hurry. Well, Friday afternoon I tried to print something from WordPerfect, and it told me the printer was not connected! I checked the connections and everything looked fine; the printer was up and running, ready to go. Panic! I went back to ZTerm; same old stuff, even on manual dialing. Back to animation. Saturday morning I called the Pi office and got no answer. Well, everybody must be real busy helping clods like me get over their simple- minded problems. Or maybe they can’t hear the phone ring for all the 30 Washington Apple Pi Journal noise. So I went there. Surprise! No one was there. Locked up tight. The sign on the door said the office is closed on meeting days (no meeting today) and holidays. Oops! Panic! It’s Saturday and the office won’t be open until Tuesday after the holiday weekend, and then the gurus won’t be there. Back to animation. Then, pow! The screen suddenly went black and the power light on the monitor went out. Panic! My five month old monitor already dead? Now, I’m really out of business. I pulled the monitor power cable out ofthe computer and checked the terminals for continuity with an ohmmeter. Wide open! So I called the place where I bought the Mac, and told them the problems. They beeped the service rep, who called me. He said he could notcome till tomorrow (Sunday),