MUGPort Newsletter NEWSport

MacLampsX (220k) app
Longtime Mac users probably used "Holiday Lights" and this is brings that same feel and interface to OS X users. String lights around every edge of your screen, and drag and drop in the Preferences setting window to arrange different lights/items in the pattern you like best:

X-MasTree (890k) app
Bring a crisp cold, outdoor Christmas tree inside and onto your Mac with this app, which allows you to choose from different light decorations that can flicker and fade (make sure you check out Preferences for all the customizing you can do):

Festival Lights (700k) Dashboard widget
In Mac OS 10.4 Tiger you have the option of a Dashboard widget to bring you some colorful holiday cheer and lights, this one called "Festive Lights", which you can customize. If you don't want blinking lights around the edges of your screen ALL the time, this is a great solution (as it only shows when you call up Dashboard):

"Festive Lights" is the Universal version of what was called "Christmas Lights" last year. That one (PPC only, not for Intel-Macs) is still available.

Snow Globe (858k) Dashboard widget
Need to be running 10.4 to use this one, but it's worth the upgrade if you like snow globes that you turn upside down and shake. Large, and well-design, you can also choose between Snowman, Christmas Tree and Ice Skaters scenes in the globe. Just click or move it to shake it and watch the snow fall. It also does a countdown in days to Christmas on the base of the globe. Nice!

Campfirez (2.1mb) screensaver
Install this screensaver and you will almost feel the heat and smell the smoke from this crackling, full-screen fireplace fire. Campfirez is a realtime fire simulator with authentic sound effects (and quite customizable). Don't have your own fireplace, or need some extra ambience? Then this app is for you. And no need to hunt for firewood or matches.

Snowflake screensavers or apps:

Sno (735k) app and screensaver
Make it a winter wonderland with this very nice Swedish snowflake app and screensaver (yep, you get both versions). The snowflakes are close-up so you see the unique flakes of each. If you run the app, check out Preferences and customize your snowflakes. This is a great app for those of you who don't live in snow-blessed regions.

Snjor (668k) app
Another very nice European-made snowflake generator, this one a small app you can run while you work away -- it's snowflakes look like tiny glowing white globes and gently dance slowly down your screen. What's cool is that the snowflakes will settle and collect on the tops of your open windows! Check out all the options/settings in Preferences to custom set this well-designed app.

Snowfall (374k) screensaver
What makes this one unique is the 3D-like snowflakes that fall. Yep, they actually roll and dance as they fall. Again, make sure you visit the Options button while in the Screensavers Preferences panel (in System Preferences) to see how you can customize this one.

LotsaSnow (192k) screensaver
This one gives you those small and bigger, close-up snowflakes where you can see the unique design of each flake (like Sno). What's unique to this screensaver is that in Options, you can set it to dim your Desktop and show a resizeable clock in the top right hand corner of your screen while the snowflakes fall.

TIP: MIX AND MATCH YOUR OWN HOLIDAY SCENE

Want to try a cool mix? Use a dark or evening-like desktop image, or an outdoors photo (I'm using a view from space of Earth), then run X-MasTree (drag your tree to a bottom corner of your screen) and run Sno at the same time. And if you have a fast processor, you can even run Sno and Snjor together at the same time, creating a nice blend of snow types.

I'm ready for my eggnog, now!

END

	NEWSport MUGport's monthly newsletter NEWSport editor: Paul Reno MUGPort members are mailed our monthly 8.5 x 11" format, full color newsletter, NEWSport. NEWSport offers a preview of the upcoming MUGport meeting, president and editor columns, features, photos, "how to" articles, the latest Apple/Mac/iPod news, meeting highlights, a map and directions to our meeting place, classified ads, puzzles, Ed Cameron's member-made cartoon, a periodic list of coast Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and a variety of content related to our community and/or Apple events. And it's all created using Apple and Mac technology... of course. Hoisting the mast Hand-crafted and handled with care by our NEWSport editor, the monthly newsletter is printed on quality tabloid-sized paper stock and finish, and in full color, thanks to LAZERQUICK of Newport. NEWSport is produced in Adobe InDesign (we also use Adobe's PhotoShop Elements for image editing) on a Macintosh using OS X. Apple's .Mac service is used for storage and transfer, and then our issues are output to a high-end color laser printer. Member classified ads, vendor ads, inquiries, contributions or comments can be emailed to editor Paul <mugport at mac dot com> or mailed to: MUGPort Macintosh Users Group P.O. Box 8 Newport, Oregon 97365 Deadline for ads or contributions is the 22nd of each month for the following month's issue. History in print In MUGport's 19 year history, it has had only 3 newsletter editors. And one of them was onboard for most of those years. Dick Fowler, who produced the NEWS as a donation to MUGport from his own business, The Lasting Impression (Newport), gave MUGport an outstanding, 2-color newsletter each month from the beginning. Printed on a variety of high-quality and different colored paper stock, Fowler made the NEWS one of the best benefits a member could have. There are very few user groups that get to have their newsletters produced by a printing professional, but MUGport was one of the lucky ones. Dick retired in late 2005, but remains a treasured MUGport member. Sample a NEWSport issue Coming soon to this location will be a link for you to download a PDF sample issue of NEWSport. In the meantime, have some Newport salt water taffy, if you would.
	Apple Store, 5th Ave. New York City, grand opening links: The following are the links published in the June NEWSport issue, giving you a broad view and angle of the May 19th grand opening of Apple's 32-foot glass cube entrance to it's new N.Y. store: Apple's time-lapse movie: http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue/ A Flickr-posted collection of images outside and inside during the press-invited event before the store opened to the public: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neps/sets/72057594138660723/ Apple ceo Steve Jobs put his personal touch on the design of this store, of course, and he was there: http://flickr.com/photos/shap/sets/72057594139354205/ A very cool 360-degree panorama taken while lines doubled up and wrapped around N.Y. city blocks awaiting the store opening. Wait until the page fully loads, then click and hold down and drag left or right. Next, after you get a good view that way, drag up and down, too. Excellent example of high-quality panoramic photography, and patient New Yorkers: http://www.panoramas.dk/newspanos/f20-apple-store.html
	PortPuzzle October 2006 issue Answers Below are the answers* (as promised) to the PortPuzzle on page 3 of the members newsletter "NEWSport" of October 2006: Our PortPuzzle created by the excellent Crossword Forge app from Sol Robots. *The CORRECT answer to No. 19 Across is "Cubs" not Bears. Please forgive your Editor on that one (I should have gotten closer to that mascot!), and give yourself a correct answer, on the house. Thanks to Clay for the correction.
	PortPuzzle May issue Answers Below are the answers (as promised) to the PortPuzzle on page 3 of the members newsletter "NEWSport" May 2006 edition: Our PortPuzzle created by the excellent Crossword Forge app from Sol Robots.
	Links from the September 2006 issue Below are the web sites/links pointed to in the September issue of NEWSport and your Editor's Column: Access images directly from a camera: <http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060811032250907> Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline Ticket (from Take Control Ebooks): <http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/airline-ticket.html> Into yoga? Try meditating with iYoga on, that’s right, your Mac: <http://www.iyogayoga.com/iyoga/demo/dmain.html> Wake up to your iTunes with free Aurora <http://metaquark.de/en/software/aurora/> ... and why not wake up to Weird Al? <http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/DDTSecard.html> Hear a sample of the “Alex” voice on this Apple page: <http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/accessibility.html> END
	Free holiday Mac screensavers, decorations Below are a handful of links to some free downloads to brighten up your Mac screen and get you in the winter holiday mood Winter, tree decorations and Christmas: MacLampsX (220k) app Longtime Mac users probably used "Holiday Lights" and this is brings that same feel and interface to OS X users. String lights around every edge of your screen, and drag and drop in the Preferences setting window to arrange different lights/items in the pattern you like best: X-MasTree (890k) app Bring a crisp cold, outdoor Christmas tree inside and onto your Mac with this app, which allows you to choose from different light decorations that can flicker and fade (make sure you check out Preferences for all the customizing you can do): Festival Lights (700k) Dashboard widget In Mac OS 10.4 Tiger you have the option of a Dashboard widget to bring you some colorful holiday cheer and lights, this one called "Festive Lights", which you can customize. If you don't want blinking lights around the edges of your screen ALL the time, this is a great solution (as it only shows when you call up Dashboard): "Festive Lights" is the Universal version of what was called "Christmas Lights" last year. That one (PPC only, not for Intel-Macs) is still available. Snow Globe (858k) Dashboard widget Need to be running 10.4 to use this one, but it's worth the upgrade if you like snow globes that you turn upside down and shake. Large, and well-design, you can also choose between Snowman, Christmas Tree and Ice Skaters scenes in the globe. Just click or move it to shake it and watch the snow fall. It also does a countdown in days to Christmas on the base of the globe. Nice! Campfirez (2.1mb) screensaver Install this screensaver and you will almost feel the heat and smell the smoke from this crackling, full-screen fireplace fire. Campfirez is a realtime fire simulator with authentic sound effects (and quite customizable). Don't have your own fireplace, or need some extra ambience? Then this app is for you. And no need to hunt for firewood or matches. Snowflake screensavers or apps: Sno (735k) app and screensaver Make it a winter wonderland with this very nice Swedish snowflake app and screensaver (yep, you get both versions). The snowflakes are close-up so you see the unique flakes of each. If you run the app, check out Preferences and customize your snowflakes. This is a great app for those of you who don't live in snow-blessed regions. Snjor (668k) app Another very nice European-made snowflake generator, this one a small app you can run while you work away -- it's snowflakes look like tiny glowing white globes and gently dance slowly down your screen. What's cool is that the snowflakes will settle and collect on the tops of your open windows! Check out all the options/settings in Preferences to custom set this well-designed app. Snowfall (374k) screensaver What makes this one unique is the 3D-like snowflakes that fall. Yep, they actually roll and dance as they fall. Again, make sure you visit the Options button while in the Screensavers Preferences panel (in System Preferences) to see how you can customize this one. LotsaSnow (192k) screensaver This one gives you those small and bigger, close-up snowflakes where you can see the unique design of each flake (like Sno). What's unique to this screensaver is that in Options, you can set it to dim your Desktop and show a resizeable clock in the top right hand corner of your screen while the snowflakes fall. TIP: MIX AND MATCH YOUR OWN HOLIDAY SCENE Want to try a cool mix? Use a dark or evening-like desktop image, or an outdoors photo (I'm using a view from space of Earth), then run X-MasTree (drag your tree to a bottom corner of your screen) and run Sno at the same time. And if you have a fast processor, you can even run Sno and Snjor together at the same time, creating a nice blend of snow types. I'm ready for my eggnog, now! END
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