Upcoming meeting:
Our next meeting will be on Saturday, November 12, from 9 A.M. until noon.
Remember, SMOG gathers every second Saturday morning of the month, from 9 A.M. until noon. For more information send us an email by clicking here. We normally begin our meetings with a Question and Answer session from 9 to 10 A.M., where there are no bad questions and lots of helpful answers. Immediately afterward, from 10 A.M. to noon, we hold our general meeting and the monthly presentation. Arrive early for best seating at the next meeting.
November meeting:
Adam Christianson of MacCast will speak about the new features of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. You don't want to miss what promises to be an informative and useful meeting!
Our new meeting address is 3555 Harbor Gateway South, Suite B, Costa Mesa 92626. See our Meeting Location page for driving directions to the new locat
Past meetings:
October 2016: Our own Rick Thues spoke on the topic of "Working Together." He talked about the history of computing, how it has evolved over the years, and how we work together as a team to accomplish goals.
September 2016: We celebrated our 25th anniversary in grand style! We started with a Question and Answer period, as we always do, but this time the gurus asked the questions and members won prizes for correct answers. Very interesting Apple trivia questions were posed, and the answers were very often accurately given by members. Following a short break, our featured speaker, Joe Kissell spoke about "The Future of Macs in a Post-PC World." Thank you, Joe, for a most illuminating talk!
After the talk, we enjoyed a delicious lunch. A great time was had by all!
August 2016: We hosted Bob "Dr. Mac" Levitus at our August meeting. His topic was, "Working Smarter for Mac Users." Here is just a sampling from his resumé:
Bob Levitus, often referred to as "Dr. Mac," is a leading authority on the Macintosh, Mac OS X, and other Apple products such as iPads and iPhones. One of the Apple community's most trusted gurus for over twenty-five years, he's known for his trademark humorous style and unerring ability to translate "techie" jargon into usable and fun advice for regular folks. A prolific author, LeVitus has written or co-written more than 75 popular computer books, with over two million copies sold worldwide in at least a dozen languages. His recent titles include: iPad For Dummies 8th Edition, iPhone for Dummies 9th Edition, OX X El Capitan For Dummies, and Microsoft Office 2011 For Mac For Dummies, all for Wiley Publishing.
July 2016: Our own Elaine Stannard told all: How the SMOG|alert happens, OR how to create a weekly newsletter while still having a life. Elaine showed us how to create templates, text styles, and other ways to produce your own newsletters, family posts and blogs without tears (most of the time), as well as the bulk email app that allows her to address each email as if it were only to you, rather than listing all our 75+/ members addresses or sending the email as a blind copy.
June 2016: Deborah Shadovitz appeared in person and offered her best tips for traveling with technology. Lots of innovative gadgets and software were shown and demonstrated.
May 2016: Adam Christanson (The MacCast≫About Adam), creator and host of The MacCast, showed us how to "Push iOS to the next level: 10 or so quick tips that extend ios."
April 2016: SMOG favorite Allison Sheridan of Nosillacast spoke about about her favorite photography apps for OS X and iOS. She explained and demonstrated great apps and techniques in Photos on her Mac.
March 2016: Adam Engst of TidBITS and Take Control eBooks and Chuck Joiner of MacVoices. spoke on "Essential iOS Apps," a topic that many of you asked for when SMOG President Peter Kallinger asked for attendees’ input at the January meeting. Click here to see the video.
February 2016: Our one and only super-smart SMOGguru, iMentor Rick Thues, demonstrated his five favorite and most-used applications. He covered security on the web, in your email, and other digital activities.
January 2016: Ricky Rodriguez, our very own professional computer consultant from Ventura, spoke on computer security - and what you should be doing to insure that you and your computer, your iPad, and your iPhone are secure.
December 2015: SMOGgie Susie Stockholm showed us all how to create art with an iPad. Imagine finger-painting - but without the mess. You can learn more at Susie’s web site: Art by Susie Stockholm | iPad Art & other Abstractions!
November 2015: Our own Mac expert, Devin King, explained the new and different features of El Capitan.
October 2015: Joe Kissell - in person- presented to us! Joe is of the most prolific tech writers about everything Apple. Just click on the subheads at Publications & Publicity | Joe Kissell for his Take Control (digital) guides and his Joe on Tech Guides in hard copy.
September 2015: Dr. Robert Carter of the Tech Doctor Blog and Podcast at dr-carter.com spoke on upgrading to the new OS X and iOS. He included backup strategies as well.
August 2015: SMOGgie and Mac video creator Stuart Borden, showed us the little-known gems in the Yosemite operating system (OS 10.10) and iOS 8.4.
July 2015: The well-know Mac commentator David Sparks spoke about Apple’s new Photos app. David is the producer of Photos - The Video Field Guide, as well as an interesting web site-based commentary on the Mac (macsparky.com/photos/).
June 2015: Our own Mac expert, Rick Thues, discussed iCloud and Apple ID in depth. He explained the advantages of using iCloud - or any competing cloud storage service - to store your data - and your pictures.
May 2015: Adam Christianson, from the Maccast website and podcast, gave a very interesting presentation entitled “Podcasting 101” - how to set up and run a podcast."
April 2015: Joe Caiati spoke about “How To Be Your Own Genius”. It was about how you can be your own Apple Genius, and how to logically diagnose your Apple problems.
March 2015: Dennis Sellers, the editor and publisher of Apple Daily Report - Mac, iPhone, iPad news, reviews and opinions, gave a talk entitled “A Second Look At Apple’s Spring Ahead Special Event”. It was an interesting look at Apple’s just-announced new Watch, the new super-thin MacBooks, and the Retina iMac.
February 2015: Jason Snell gave a live presentation to SMOG for our February 2015 meeting!!!! Jason spoke on his predictions of what Apple will release in 2015.
January 2015: We started the New Year right with a SMOG Lounge, which meant a few mini-presentations from members and time to talk to each other.