March 2002

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Double-click
March 2002
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Executive Contact List
Please feel free to contact any of the following individuals
if you have comments or questions relating to Macintosh
Users East or Macintosh computing in general.
Position/Name
Phone#
BBS Administrator
President
Jim Foster
Hm: (905) 432-0921 Courtice
Email: jfoster@mac.com
Mac Evangelist
Past President
Bruce Cameron
Hm: (905) 983-9205 Orono
Email: bcameron@lis2000.net
Media Contact
Mark Fenton
Hm: (905) 430-8234
Email: fenton@idirect.com
From the Editor
This is the March Issue. We have broken the back of the
Winter and come through the first recession of the TwentyFirst Century. Now is the Winter of our discontent made
glorious Spring by this son of Cupertino, to coin a paraphrase. There are lots of wonderful things coming to the
Macintosh community : new and faster hardware, new software and new operating systems. Lets hope that the new
G4 iMacs continue Apple’s string of winning computer
designs. Maybe Spring cleaning will make room for a new
iMac. Well worth the effort.
Treasurer
Hm: (905) 683-3214 Ajax
Membership Chairman Email: dkettleosga@idirect.com
Doug Kettle
MaUsE BBS - The Source(905) 404-9874 ....56k
Courtice
Executive at Large
Chris Greaves
(705) 887-2508 Fenelon Falls
Email: cgreaves@i-zoom.com
Executive at Large
John Field
Hm:905-885-8718
Macintosh Users East [MaUsE]
eMail: mause@mac.com
P.O. Box 30530, Oshawa Centre P.O.
Oshawa, Ontario, L1J 8L8 Canada
MaUsE Message Line: 905-433-0777
Double Click
Double Click on the web at: www.mause.ca
Double Click Editor
Hm: (905) 576-2097 Oshawa
Michael Shaw
Email: michael_shaw@sympatico.ca
fat_idle_bastard@yahoo.ca
FAX: 905-576-5527
Printing & Distribution Hm: (905) 683-3214 Ajax
Doug Kettle
Cover Design
Sean Murphy
The next meeting will be held at Henry Street High School
in Whitby on Wednesday March 27th at about 7:30 P.M.
Park behind the school and enter through the West doors.
Small Print
What you are looking at is the latest edition of the Double Click
monthly newsletter from the Macintosh Users East, (MaUsE), a
motley collection of old and new Mac users who reside in
Southern Ontario with a motley collection of old and new
Macintosh computers. What more do you need to know ? Oh,
yes. This Newsletter is created by Michael Shaw, Double Click
Editor, on a Sonnet-accelerated Macintosh PowerPC 6500/400
and a Daystar Genesis MP 800+. Submissions from MausE Club
members, ‘though rare, are always welcome. Send them to:
michael_shaw@sympatico.ca. I have never refused a submission yet. There's always room for another piece on ANY Macrelated topic and I’ll make room if there isn’t. I would like your
submissions. But I won’t beg.
Apple, Macintosh, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The
MaUsE (Macintosh Users East) is an independent user group
and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved
by Apple Computer, Inc.
Contents
Sonnet Crescendo NuBus G3 Upgrade
Cute Macally Mouse
Macintosh TV
Cat Shelf
Speaker Set up
February MaUsE Meeting
Sonnet NuBus G3
Upgrades
Two of my favourite names in Macintosh
upgrades are Daystar and Sonnet. My PowerPC
6500 has the Crescendo L2 G3 processor upgrade
that replaces the 250 Mhz Motorola 603e with a
400 Mhz G3 processor and my Macintosh IIci has
a Daystar upgrade card in it that disables the 25
Mhz 68030 processor and replaces it with a 40
Mhz 68040 processor. A search for Sonnet..com on
the internet will take you to a site where you can
see the full range of Sonnet upgrades, including
the NuBus upgrade cards that I’m going to write
about here. I have never used a Sonnet Crescendo
G3 NuBus upgrade card because I’ve never
owned a Mac that could take one, but for those of
you who have the earliest PowerPC 6100 or 7100
series Macs I will take a look at these wonderful
cards.
You can use one of these Crescendo NuBus
Sonnet upgrade cards if you have any of the following NuBus Macs: Power Macintosh 6100/60,
6100/60 AV, 6100/66, 6100/66 AV, 6150/66
7100/66*, 7100/66 AV*, 7100/80*, 7100/80 AV*
8100/80*, 8100/80 AV*, 8100/100*, 8100/110*,
8115/110*, 8150/80* Performa® 6110, 6112, 6115,
6116, 6117, 6118 Workgroup Server 6150/60,
8150/110*, 9150/80* Power Computing 100, 120
Radius System 100*, 81/110.
As you can see from the numerical descriptions
of these models, there is really nothing too exciting about the NuBus Macs. They typically have
very low speed Motorola PowerPC 601 processors. That is one of the reasons why these Sonnet
upgrade cards are such a dramatic bargain. For
my 6500 L2 G3 upgrade the boost from 250 Mhz
603e to 400 Mhz G3 is striking. Imagine the blast
of a upgrade that can take your boring old
NuBus Mac from a 60 or 80 Mhs PPC 601 processor all the way up to a 500 Mhz G3 in one step !!!
Sonnet NuBus Features:
•G3 speeds of 400-500 MHz
•G3 500 MHz with Fortissimo™ technology
•Supports 7100 & 8100 PDS-based AV or
HPV (High
•Performance Video) card with optional
adapter
•100% compatible with existing hardware
and software
•Three-year limited warranty
•Manual available in English; Quick
Start Guide
available in French and Japanese
The Sonnet Crescendo/NuBus G3 is a universal
card that works in the 6100, 7100, and 8100, and
is compatible with all existing hardware. This
version of the Crescendo/ NuBus G3 card also
supports the 6100 AV and allows owners of this
model to continue using the AV card already
installed in the computer. This card seamlessly
integrates with the software and supports from
System 7.1.2 through Mac OS 9.1.to provide a
speed boost up to sixteen times the speed of the
standard Mac model. If you have an old NuBus
Mac check out Sonnet for G3 upgrades.
Cute Macally
Mouse
Windows users have had it over Mac users in
only one respect: their mice buttons outnumber
our mice buttons by a factor of two to one. To
even things up some mouse makers have have
manufactured programmable mice for the
Macintosh with just as many buttons as Windows
mice have. The Macally company has been cranking out mice for Macs for years and this article is
about my favourite mouse. I use this mouse with
my 6500/400 PowerPC and find it very convenient.
I have to thank Marcel Dufresne for this one...and
one of his students. One of the pointy-headed
darling little rascals swiped the ball out of
Marcel’s two-button programmable Macally
mouse a few years ago, rendering it utterly useless. Rather than toss it, Marcel gave it to me.
Rather than toss it, I emailed Macally Support
and spun them a tale of woe about the student
problem and described how depressed and
deprived I was with no ball in this Macally
mouse. I got a reply within a few hours.
The nice service chap I found on the internet at
Macally promised to scout around the warehouse
to see if perchance there were any old stock
mouse balls kicking around. After a few days he
sent me a free rubber ball in a tiny cardboard box.
With the mouse and ball together I downloaded
the software, the PointDevice Control 3.1, and
configured the two buttons with the Single Click
and Double Click labels. so the mouse will
respond properly. It only took a few hours of use
to get comfortable with the extra button and I’ve
been using it ever since and find it just as comfortable as the standard Macintosh mouse and
considerably less maintenance. It seems to be
extremely sturdy and well-made and require
cleaning a lot less frequently than the stock Apple
mice on the other Macs around the place.
Over the years I’ve had tiny touch pads, several
types of mice, and a big ADB Calcomp
DrawingSlate II graphics board but I like this
mouse best.
Apple
Macintosh TV
There have been several different attempts over
the years to incorporate the immediate richness
of television into the magic of the Macintosh platform. The Apple TV/Video System that I have in
the 1995 Performa 6200 and 1997 PowerPC 6500
was a later and more successful marriage of TV
with Apple hardware but the Macintosh TV, pictured on this page, was the first, and apparently
a bit of a flop. In the Fall of 1993, Apple Computer
introduced this unusual black desktop machine
and called it the Macintosh TV. Makes sense. Its a
TV that is also a Macintosh. Unlike later marriages, this one was an either or system. It either
functioned as a television OR as a lack-luster
Macintosh compute, but not as both at the same
time. There can be no picture in a small window
like on other systems. TV or not TV.
The machine's case (code named "Hook") was the
an iteration of the all-in-one Macintosh, thought
this time with all the options: 1.44 MB
SuperDrive, 2x CD-ROM drive, stereo speakers,
14" Trinitron display, an built-in microphone. It
was created as a Tenth Anniversary Mac, though
those plans were canceled, so it was put on a
shelf. When the Apple CEO John Sculley said,
after he saw the Color Classic, that he wanted a
machine with a CD-ROM drive and 14" display,
the design model came off the shelf and into production. The machines to use this case design:
Performa/LC 520, Macintosh TV, Performa/LC
550, Performa/LC 575 series, and the
Performa/LC 580 series.
The Macintosh TV is a strange mix of components and specifications: the IIvx logic board
(which had its problems: a 32-bit CPU on a 16-bit
board hampered performance) with a 32MHz
68030 CPU, ONLY 4 or 8 MB RAM, the Hook case
in black (with matching keyboard and mouse),
infrared remote control, 2x caddy loaded CDROM drive, auto-inject 1.44 MB SuperDrive, A/V
inputs, a cable ready tuner and the 14" display.
Notice that this is the only machine in the series
to have the infrared remote, and no microphone.
Like all of its brethren, it has brightness controls,
headphone jack, power-on LED, and volume controls between the stereo speakers.
The Mac TV has a cable/antenna ready tuner
built in, as well as RCA style jacks for left/right
audio in, and video in. It has no A/V outputs, nor
was the machine a true A/V system: you can not
capture video, and the audio is only 8-bit. Stills
can be captured from the TV side, however. The
system runs System 7.1 with 3 additions: the Mac
TV Enabler, a control panel to set the TV options,
and a control panel to slow down the 2x CD drive
to 1x (for incompatible software at the time).
Switching to the TV mode is done via hot keys:
hit them once, and you drop into the TV tuner; hit
them a second time, and you go to the A/V
inputs for the VCR inputs; a third time cycles
back to the Mac OS. This could also be done from
the remote control, which also controlled the volume, channel, mute, and the audio CD functions
of the CD drive. Apple marketed the machine as
a second machine for the family room, or a small
apartment/dorm room machine.
Specifications:
The Macintosh TV was the only black Macintosh
offered by Apple in the US (the 5400 Director's
Edition is a black PowerMac 5400, but is was not
officially sold in the US, though about 1500 or so
were via the gray market). Also, rather surprisingly, the Macintosh TV is also rather rare. It was
only sold in electronics stores, not Apple dealers,
so only about 230 stores had them. Less that
10,000 are figured to have been produced - in fact,
less that the "rare" Twentieth Anniversary
Macintosh (by about 1500 units)! They must be all
out there somewhere
•Machine: Apple Macintosh TV
•Processor: Motorola 68030 @ 32 Mhz
•RAM: 4-8 MB ( 8 Megs MAX.)
•Display: 14" bit mapped,640 x 480 pixels, 256
colors (thousands in TV/video mode)
•Storage: 1.44 MB SuperDrive, 160 MB hard disk
drive, 2x CD-ROM drive
•Expansion slots: 1 (custom configured for the
TV tuner only)
•Ports: two ADB, RS-422 printer, RS-422 modem,
SCSI, RCA left/right in, RCA video in, F-style
cable/antenna in, headphone jack on front panel
•Operator Input: 81 key keyboard, mouse
•Cost when new: $2,079 U.S.
If you see one of these at a garage sale or thrift
shop you really must pick it up, in spite of its limitations. Activity on eBay is the best indication of
how desirable these old Macintosh TVs have suddenly become. They tend to sell anywhere from
$250.00 to about $450.00 U.S. depending on completeness and condition.
POWER CHARGE
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Tel: (905) 433-1106
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The Cat Thing
If you have an iMac and a cat then you know
what is wrong with the universe: the iMac creates
a lot of heat, is quiet enough for a cat to sleep on
and does not tolerate hairballs. I know the agony
of owning cats in a household full of Macs, and
vice versa.
What is an iMac user to do? Luckily there is a
way for your cat to enjoy cuddling your iMac or
squatting on your monitor without clogging it
with cat hairs. An enterprising entrepreneur has
started marketing a device on eBay that sits on
top of the iMac and presents your cat a level plat-
form heated by your computer or monitor. If you
need to know more you can visit www.furballtech.com on the internet or contact : Sandy Dold
by email at < fotoflo@earthlink.net >.
Any cat stupid enough to get caught snoozing
near a electrified CPU in my house would be out
the door faster than SimpleText on a G4, but for
those of who like computers and cats here’s a
wonderfully cute way to get them to co-exist.
Good Noise for your
Mac.
The time has come to upgrade the sound system
attached to your Mac. For your first Mac there
was the little tinny built-in speaker good enough
for the Startup chime and Alert Sounds. You’ve
come a long way since then. So has your Mac. So
have computer sound systems. If you want
improved sonic fidelity you need a sound system
with at least two satellites (preferably four) and a
sub-woofer with a good amplifier built-in. Once
you get the best sound system you can afford
you’ll need to set it up to suit your own personal
workspace. A few pointers will help you maximize the effect of your investment.
The most important element in sound reproduction, beyond the quality of components and quality of the signal, is the placement of the speakers.
If you can’t see your satellite speakers, you can’t
hear them properly. Fact. Your monitor is the center of your computer interaction but for best
sound reproduction the speakers must be seen. If
you tuck them behind the monitor you can bet
the sounds you want to hear will be bounced off
the flat plastic sides of the monitor into the four
corners of the room to echo back distorted.
Place your front satellite speakers in front of your
monitor if you possibly can and at desk level if
you must. You know there are lots of things on
your desktop besides the mousepad. Put some of
that stuff behind your monitor if you can and
bring your speakers out to the front. Your rear
satellite speakers, if your system has them,
should be placed behind you at about table
height, behind your chair and directed slightly
inward. This may not be exactly practical for your
setup but the better the placement of the speakers
the better the resulting sound will be.
The bass subwoofer speaker and amplifier unit
belongs close to an AC outlet, preferably between
the satellites, lower than the satellites, and someplace where it can get lots of ventilation. On the
floor under your desk is usually a good place for
this unit unless your TV or living room is directly under your computer room.
Opinion
This newsletter is for all members of the MausE
club and could probably better reflect their interests and concerns if I had a better idea of what
those interests and concerns were. With that
thought in mind, I'm appealing to the membership, and anyone else who downloads this publication from the Source BBS, MacWest, or off the
www.mause.ca website, to drop me a line and let
me know what type of things you want included
in your Double Click. There are entire facets of
Mac computing, like the latest games, spreadsheet utilities, the newest hardware offerings,
and business applications, about which I know
very little or next to nothing but if that is what
you want to see in your newsletter, let me know.
If there's anything you'd like to submit, as if,
please feel free to contact me about securing
space in an upcoming issue. I repeat this in every
issue but response has been...well...less than gratifying. ANYTHING Mac-related, whether a
review of some hardware or software you are
using, in words and or pictures, or perhaps some-
thing you've done or created with your Mac.
They can all fit into the .PDF version of the
Double Click. Submissions in any format can be
sent to <michael_shaw@sympatico.ca> and they
will be accepted.
One MaUsE club member recently told me that
he does not read the Double Click because it is
"totally unreadable." Fair enough. No offense
taken. I love constructive criticism. But if that is
true there are things that can be done to improve
the Double Click. If you have some ideas about
what improvements can be made, feel free to
offer them to the Double Click Editor or
Publisher at <fat_idle_bastard@yahoo.ca> where
they will receive the attention they deserve.
The Double Click is your newsletter, or at least it
should be. Many heart-felt thanks to the few
MaUsE Club members who have submitted articles in the past but I need to hear from the rest of
you to see if the Double Click is doing what you
want it to do.
Your Double Click Editor,
Michael Shaw
The President's Message
Hello everyone, particularly our loyal MaUsE
Members!!
This is hopefully the inaugural edition of what
will become a regular feature of our monthly
newsletter ... a miniature State of the Nation message from the Prez. My aging mind seems to
recall that this is something we used to do many
years ago. Regardless of how it became lost in the
mists of time, we are going to give it another kick
at the cat.
March is our traditional membership renewal
month, so I would like to focus my comments on
this subject. While MaUsE is not about making
money, and while many of the things that we can
offer to members don't cost anyone any money,
it's important to remember that MaUsE does
require a certain level of funding in order to continue operations. Almost 100% of MaUsE's operating budget comes from the annual $40.00 membership fees.
Members may not be aware of all of the kinds of
expense the club incurs. Some examples include
the rental of our meeting room, Post Office box
rental, Phone and Internet charges related to our
BBS, some costs associated with production and
distribution of the Double-Click newsletter,
Advertising, and miscellaneous out-of-pocket
expenses incurred by various Executives of the
club.
Perhaps even more important than the expenses
that the club incurs today are categories of
expense we would LIKE to incur
as part of offering new and better
services to our membership. Here
I would include things such as the
capability of holding more meetings during each month (such as a
monthly meeting devoted to Mac
Fundamentals) as well as upgrading our meeting location to
include Internet access.
memberships if they find they are unable to get
out to the meetings. To those people I say don't
forget that MaUsE can be much more than just a
monthly meeting. We are a community of people
who happen to have an affinity for Macintosh,
and membership in the club entitles members to
call on each other for support at almost any time.
I can assure you that paid up members go right to
the top of the list whenever help or support is
requested.
Some people do honestly ask, "Why should I
become a member when I can apparently attend
all the meetings I want at no charge and you will
even send me email announcements to keep me
posted on club events?" To these people I have to
say that we are always looking for ways to make
your club membership more valuable but at the
same time we do not want to build walls that discourage non-members from coming out to see
what we are all about.
Finally, I guess I have to simply say, "Where else
can you buy a year's worth of support for only
$40.00?!?" I just paid over $180.00 to retain my
standing as a Professional Engineer in Ontario for
another year, and I can honestly say that I hold
my MaUsE Membership in equal or higher
esteem on many days.
Existing members will be receiving renewal
notices during the month of March. I encourage
folks reading this who are not members of
MaUsE to join up today! Send your personal
cheque or money order for $40.00, payable to
MaUsE or Macintosh Users East, to our
Membership
Chairman
Doug Kettle in care of the
club's mailing address or to
Doug's home address of 40
Sherwood Road East, Ajax,
Ontario, L1T 2Y9
Have a great month, everyone. See you on March 27th!!
Jim Foster March 2002
Some people stop renewing their
February
MaUsE Meeting
The February meeting was a real treat. For the
first part of the meeting our own Jim Foster
showed us a few programs that he has been looking at designed to make Macs more accessible to
people with visual problems.
The requirement of the membership to cough up
their yearly MaUsE dues was mentioned, as well
as the invitation our Club Members received
from the Durham PC users group to attend their
meeting on March 14th. For anyone interested in
attending, the meeting will be held at the Oshawa
Public Library at 7:00 P.M. downstairs in the
Theatre. Vistek will be demonstrating / presenting a variety of digital computer accessories.
Their presentation is about the digital darkroom.
Another item on the agenda was the introduction
to visit Mac Solutions and the Simcoe County
Barrie 2002 MacExpo. Mac Solutions is a
Macintosh Authorized Reseller located in Barrie
and Peterborough and possibly Oshawa in the
near future. They are hosting this MacExpo at on
Wednesday, March 27th, the same date as our
next meeting. See < www.yourmacsolutions.ca >
for details and location.
For the main event Jim induced Justin Derrick to
break away from his busy schedule and come to
Whitby to entertain us and answer questions
about his vast experience in the field of the internet. Justin observed the two cardinal rules of presenting before our club: a very interesting topic
well presented... and lots of raffle goodies. It was
one of the most entertaining meetings of the century.