MacFormat 1995 March/macformat-022.iso/Shareware City/Info/mac-chat-055-etx.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-22 | 20.9 KB | [TEXT/unix]

Date: Sat, 8 Oct 94 06:35 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Tony Lindsey)
Subject: Mac*Chat#55/31-Aug-94

Mac*Chat#55/31-Aug-94
=====================

Welcome to Mac*Chat, the electronic newsletter biased toward Mac
   users who are production-oriented graphics professionals.
   Other Mac users may find many, many items of interest as well.
   I'd enjoy hearing your feedback and suggestions.
  Tony Lindsey, <[e-mail]>.

Copyright 1989-1994 Tony Lindsey. Nonprofit groups (such as Mac
   User Groups) or other non-commercial publications) are welcome
   to use any part of the Mac*Chat newsletters if full credit is
   given.  All others will need to contact me.

This newsletter is intended purely as entertainment and free
   information.  No profit has been made from any of these
   opinions, which are solely my own.  Time passes, so accuracy
   may diminish.

Publication, product, and company names may be registered
   trademarks of their companies.

 This file is formatted as setext, which can be read on any text reader.

----------------------------------

Topics:

Another Repair Possibility
Workgroups & Multimedia
A Great Portable Computer Deal
Creative People - Now Is Your Time!
Think Twice Before Upgrading
Filemaker Pro (Us) For Only $99!
Avoid Damage During 7.5 Upgrade
A Common Memory Problem
Be Wary Of Stupid Mac Tricks!
How To Translate Midi To Quicktime 2.0 Music
Free Subscriptions To This Newsletter

Another Repair Possibility
--------------------------
  I've heard lots of complaints about hardware repair.  Many of my
  clients have elderly, out-of-warranty Macs that are falling
  apart.  Every week, I get calls from clients who want to know
  what to do when their Mac won't start up or some other major
  malfunction.  They usually ask me for the name of the best place
  in town to have the Mac tested and repaired, and I usually have
  to give them the sad news that just about any place in town is
  going to cost a heck of a lot.  The technicians at every major
  store don't replace that tiny, $2 switch attached to the
  motherboard (this is called component-level repair), they replace
  the entire $400 motherboard (board-level repair).  They're not
  being bad people, it's just the job they're being paid to do.

  So, looking through a recent MacWeek magazine, I saw that Sun
  Remarketing in Utah will perform component-level repair for quite
  a bit less money in many cases.  I used to be a repair technician
  for the Navy in my younger days, so I know how to talk to the
  repair crew.  I've spoken to Sun's technicians, and I think they
  provide a useful alternative to dumping huge amounts of money
  into repair on an old machine when a new Mac doesn't really cost
  that much more.  If you're on a tight budget, you may be able to
  extend that old Powerbook's life for another couple of years.

  At the very least, ask them for their catalog, which explains
  their business very nicely.  You can reach Sun Remarketing at
  [phone] or [phone], fax [phone], e-mail:
  [e-mail].

Workgroups & Multimedia
-----------------------
  One of my friends sent me the following question:

  After much thought and watching more and more competition arrive
  in the video biz, I've decided to venture off into authoring
  multimedia presentations for corporate training and CD-ROM.  I've
  already got a Mac, tons of storage, 64 megs of RAM, video and
  audio editing on the Media 100, and Photoshop.  I think all I
  need is DTP, OCR, and authoring software.  What do you think?
  What's your opinion of the different authoring tools.  From what
  I've read, the learning curve is frightening.

  From what I've observed, the BEST way to go about it is to
  assemble a workgroup, rather than try to learn it all by
  yourself.  One person does the artwork, one does the text,
  another does the accounting and paperwork, and the manager cracks
  the whip.  There's more to it, but you get the gist.  Hiring
  young talent from the local art colleges (eager to learn, willing
  to work cheap) is a smart move.  Don't try to do it all by
  yourself any more.  Your best function is now to be the guiding
  hand that makes sure the job gets done.  Workgroups are the wave
  of the future... I have MANY clients that are quite successful
  using this technique.

A Great Portable Computer Deal
------------------------------
  Apple is "dumping" more of their older Macs to clear out
  inventory.  In this case, it's a darned good deal for somebody
  who wants a small, light, powerful computer.  Looking at the
  front cover of the newest MacWareHouse (800-255-6227 or
  908-370-4770) catalog, I see that they are selling Duo 230's with
  4 megs of RAM and an 80-meg hard drive for $999.  That buys just
  the portable computer itself, which is pretty basic.  I believe
  they quoted a price of $1,799 (now, where did I just put that
  darned catalog?) for a complete desktop setup of a keyboard,
  monitor, mouse & Duo Dock base unit.  The Duo inserts into the
  base unit like a tape into your VCR.

  Personally, if I was shopping for a portable computer, I'd PREFER
  a grayscale screen like the 230's.  Why?  Because I've gotten
  dozens of distress calls from clients who bought a color
  Powerbook expecting a lot more battery time.  They were running
  out of power after 45 minutes of use, which left them plenty of
  idle time on the plane flight.  A color LCD screen is a power hog.

Creative People - Now Is Your Time!
-----------------------------------
  I'm 38 years old.  Back in high school, I attended the annual
  Career Day events, where folks of my generation got
  essentially-useless information.  I saw folks being told that
  they could be a Mommy, or a Policeman, or a Fireman, or a Nurse.
  I forget what career I was told I had been born for, but I assure
  you that the last 15 years have held no traditional jobs for me.

  When I started out with computers in 1981, I was at my wit's end.
  I had had very little luck finding work in the traditional job
  market.  I was too creative and outgoing for my manager's
  comfort-levels.  I still had some school credits to complete, so
  I took a few classes in the COBOL and FORTRAN programming
  languages.  I lasted a whole month and a half (my only computer
  schooling) before I dropped out.

  However, I was unemployed at the time, and I kept playing with
  the school's computers during idle hours.  I discovered that I
  had a big talent for cutting through the technical jargon and
  finding the easiest way of getting something done.  I had some
  business cards made up and got my first client.  Thirteen and a
  half years later, I'm still fully-self-employed as a computer
  consultant.

  In 1974, the guidance counselors had no clue that such a job
  would exist.  In truth, the vast majority of my hundreds of
  clients are doing work that they would NEVER have predicted.
  Most of them think they are "odd" because they were trained to be
  an accountant but they "sorta fell into" the job they now have.
  I always have to assure them that they are now very typical.

  I developed my expertise by having a natural mania that led me in
  certain directions.  I could never foretell where I was going,
  but I followed my instincts as opportunities opened up before me.
  If you watch TV very much, you'll see ads saying something like
  "Want to learn about computers?  Take four years of Computer
  Science classes at Kokomo College!"

  That approach may work well for some folks, but I have NEVER seen
  anybody graduate from that kind of schooling and get a creative
  career.  Mostly, they get 1970's-style programming jobs.
  Somebody's got to do it, but I'm a right-brain-predominant artsy
  type.

  In the 90's, the trend toward having multiple careers is pretty
  well completed.  The folks who will thrive in the coming decades
  are the folks who are creative and flexible.  So, all you artists
  out there, pay close attention to my words.

  I have clients and friends who are making excellent money with
  the computer as a tool and their creativity as the spark.  I have
  a client who has been taking action pictures of surfers for
  years.  He has shifted over to publishing his work on CD-ROMs,
  and as soon as the Internet gets set up for dependable transfer
  of finances, he'll be marketing his work instantly and worldwide.

  One of the best artists I know was going from one poorly-paid job
  to another until he started designing fonts for his own pleasure.
  Now he sells them for thousands of dollars to the biggest
  publishing houses.  I could go on and on with plenty of other
  examples.  However, for the sake of brevity, I'll make my point:
  It's time for the best of us to move to the next level.

  I still haven't made my first million yet.  I assume that most of
  my readers haven't either.  However, there's a hunger that drives
  me onward, trying out every possible option for making some
  retirement money for my old age.  In my explorations, I've begun
  diving deeper and deeper into the Internet and its many
  possibilities.  Having dived into the deep end, I'm back to tell
  you:

  Come on in, the water's fine, and there are buried treasures
  everywhere for those who are bold and have some "smarts."

  There are job niches opening up that never existed until somebody
  discovered them for the first time.  I see people who are
  becoming big names simply because of the notoriety they have
  gotten by word-of-mouth on the Internet.  I have seen folks get a
  lot of money because of their reputation - They started out
  small, sincere and honest, and their reputation grew until they
  had to hire a staff to handle all of their new business.

  Kai Krause created a series of articles about Photoshop and how
  to use it to get some really sophisticated results.  He gave these
  articles away on America Online and his fame spread.  His
  brilliantly-designed software for graphic artists is selling very
  well.  Andy and Tina Rathbone have sold millions of their
  books such as "Windows for Dummies" and "Modems for Dummies."

  There are tens of thousands of folks who will be reading this,
  and I am reluctant to have all of you e-mail me and ask "So, Tony
  - Tell me exactly what I should do to make lots of money!"  I
  can't do that for myself, much less for the rest of the world.
  We're all making it up as we go along.

  Here's the only advice I can give:  If you know that you have a
  potential that is not being met in your current work, then it's
  time for you to just PLAY with the zillions of possibilities in
  the online world.  Don't do like so many folks do and noodle
  around with the trivial, obvious stuff.  Spend a few months and
  some serious money really exploring the things that you like,
  even if there isn't an obvious, instant way to cash in on it.
  Chances are very good that you'll be surprised.

  You DON'T have to understand everything.  When I first got on the
  Internet, I went through culture shock.  I had been trying to
  swallow everything at the banquet in one gulp, rather than
  picking out the few treats that interested me the most.  After a
  few months, I've settled on a few categories that please me, and
  I mostly ignore the rest.

  I've been doing this for a while, and I can see big changes
  coming up in my future.  I'm taking some specific steps to take
  advantage of some new possibilities that weren't obvious before.
  For instance:  I have been writing heartfelt essays about men's
  issues nearly every day for an online club newsletter.  I've been
  getting daily fan mail from all over the planet, urging me to
  write books on my favorite topics.

  I have never seen myself as being a full-time professional writer
  before.  I signed up this morning for a class that will help me
  sell my writing in the usual markets, but I plan to move into the
  realm of worldwide, online publishing-for-pay once the structure
  is set up properly.  That should be in another two to three
  years.  I will be VERY ready.

  Here's my final point: Trust yourself to make good choices.  If
  you start up an account with America Online (my favorite training
  wheels for the Internet) and goof around with the gaming section
  like a maniac for a few months, don't be too harsh on yourself.
  You may get bored and move to the next mania, or you may get a
  job with the group that's designing a great game CD-ROM.  Be open
  to possibilities.

Think Twice Before Upgrading
----------------------------
  I've had some time to look at System 7.5 and Word 6.0.  I can't
  see any compelling reason for the majority of my clients to
  bother with the upgrades.  Word 6.0 takes up horrendous amounts
  of disk space and RAM, and isn't really worth putting on any Mac
  slower than a Quadra.  If you've just bought a PowerMac with a
  500-megabyte hard drive and 24 megs of RAM, go for it, with my
  blessings.  If you have a Mac that is working really well with
  Word 5.1, be happy and get back to work.

  System 7.5 has some appealing new goodies, all of which have been
  available for free or a shareware fee from online services.  The
  UNAPPEALING, previously-unavailable features are available only
  from Apple.  Powertalk is really dandy if you need it for your
  big corporate networks, but it has no earthly use for small,
  average workgroups or individuals.  Quickdraw GX is a headache
  and a handful for anybody who has older, non-Apple-brand
  printers, so wait  a while before you install it.

  System 7.5 only takes up a teeny bit of RAM if you avoid adding
  the two "features" I just mentioned, but the Installer program
  adds several megabytes of completely useless junk to your hard
  drive.  It's 1994, and Apple STILL insists on adding Powerbook
  control panels to non-portable Macs!

  I advise most of my clients to stick to System 7.1 or 7.1.1 (for
  those with PowerMacs) until System 8.0 comes out.  If you're
  determined to upgrade, that's fine, but I can't see the need for
  most of my clients to spend the money.

Filemaker Pro (Us) For Only $99!
--------------------------------
  Many of my clients have need for a database manager to keep track
  of names, inventory or other large amounts of data.  I've begun
  seeing ads from Claris advertising FileMaker Pro for only $99 in
  the U.S.  This is a stunningly good deal.  I have many, many
  clients who have bought FMP at the old, higher price and are very
  pleased with it.  I personally find it to be powerful and
  friendly.  I almost NEVER have to look at the manual.

Avoid Damage During 7.5 Upgrade
-------------------------------
  This is news that ONLY applies to folks who are running System 7
  on an old Mac II, IIcx, IIx or SE/30 with more than 8 megabytes
  of memory.  You should be aware that you can have file resource
  corruption if you don't get rid of your old "32-bit enabler" or
  "Mode32" files and replace them with the newest version of Mode32
  (version 7.5) from Connectix.  It's free from Apple at
  (800-767-2775), or on every online service, or from Connectix
  (415-571-5100) for a $9.95 handling fee, or you can get it on the
  Internet at

ftp://ftp.support.apple.com//pub/Apple SW
  Updates/Macintosh/Supplemental System Software/MODE32 (7.5).hqx

  Here's the way I seem to remember the story of WHY Mode32 is
  needed:

  Back when the Mac IIcx first came out, Apple promised that it
  would be able to hold (I believe) over 100 megs of RAM.  It even
  said so in the manual.  Then, when the new, higher-capacity RAM
  chips came out, the Mac IIcx was found to have "dirty ROMs" and
  it wouldn't recognize anything more than 8 megs.  Hey, no
  problem... Apple had included a slot on the motherboard for the
  new, clean ROMs that they were planning to issue.  Then, somebody
  at Apple panicked.  They realized that folks were using ROMs from
  old Mac Pluses to make cheaper Mac clones out of Atari computers.
  If they suddenly issued thousands of snap-in ROMs to fix all
  their old color Macs, then the clone-makers would be thrilled.
  They canceled plans for a hardware fix.  In the meantime,
  Connectix came out with Mode32 to slap a bandage over the
  problem.  Apple decided to license it and give it away free to
  the folks who needed it.  Now it needs to be upgraded, so go get
  it!

A Common Memory Problem
-----------------------
  On the same topic, I've been getting this question over and over
  again, so I'll answer it here:

  A client will add a lot of RAM to a Mac (a great idea, by the
  way) and will be frustrated because they aren't able to use it
  all.  They pull down their Apple menu, choose "About this
  Macintosh" and see that their System is hogging nearly all of the
  RAM.  Well, they performed Step 1 (installing the hardware) and
  didn't know about Step 2:  Pull down the Apple Menu, choose
  "Control Panels" and open "Memory."  Turn on "32-bit Addressing"
  and then re-start.  You now have complete access to all of your
  RAM.

Be Wary Of Stupid Mac Tricks!
-----------------------------
  Many, many of my clients are buying new, super-powerful Macs and
  screwing themselves up.  I'll arrive on the scene to diagnose
  their problems and see little eyeballs at the top of the
  PowerMac's screen, or little feet walking all over the desktop,
  and I immediately get disgusted.  Please be aware that the vast
  majority of older "trinket" software doesn't work at all well on
  the newer Macs or versions of the System.  If you got a copy of
  Pyro! from your best buddy back in 1983, and HE got it off of a
  bulletin board in 1989, trust me, it's going to crash your
  computer or slow down your modem transfers or some other horrid
  thing.

  If you MUST have a Trash Can that has Oscar the Grouch singing "I
  Love Trash" every time you throw something away, at least get the
  newest version (less buggy) or avoid piling more non-Apple
  extensions into your System folder.  I hate to sound so
  conservative about such delightful and seemingly harmless objects
  of fun, but I'M the one that everybody calls every day for help
  when things go rotten.

How To Translate Midi To Quicktime 2.0 Music
--------------------------------------------
  I promised this one in the last issue, so here is every step of a
  working technique.  I'm assuming that you've got QuickTime 2.0
  loaded into your Extensions folder along with its "QuickTime(tm)
  Instruments" file (included on the System 7.5 CD-ROM) and the
  QuickTime(tm) PowerPlug if you have a PowerMac.  Re-start just in
  case, and you're ready.

  * Step 1: Getting MIDI files

  The Internet has hundreds of personal repositories where folks
  store MIDI files.  Unfortunately, they come and go without
  warning.  I suggest that folks with USENET newsgroup access go
  visit the alt.binaries.sounds.midi newsgroup and look around for
  a bit.  There are files you can decode in that group, and if you
  ask nicely, they'll tell you where files can be downloaded
  elsewhere on the Internet.  When you get a useful location, grab
  every file you can, because that spot might be gone soon.

  * Step 2: Changing the Type and Creator

  Now that you've got all of those MIDI files, you need to change
  their Type and Creator so that they will be openable for the next
  step.  This is very easy.  Just download MidiTyper from your
  favorite online service.  You'll be able to drag all of your MIDI
  files into it in one mouse motion.  It will automatically detect
  which files need to be worked on, and it'll be done in seconds.
  Now, we're ready for the actual conversion.

  * Step 3: Assigning instruments and saving the Music Movies

  Open MoviePlayer 2.0 or later, or SimpleText (I am using version
  1.1.1, which came with System 7.5). Pull down the File Menu and
  choose "Open."  Click once on the file you want to convert. Click
  on the Convert button.  Then, click on "Options..."  It'll pause
  for a moment as it loads the QuickTime instruments in your System
  folder.  You'll be presented with a list of musical instruments
  that the originator of the MIDI file designated.  Click on the
  little arrow at the bottom left to play the music and see if it
  suits your tastes.  If you decide that it would sound a lot
  better with a Tuba playing the Banjo part, click on the Banjo
  name on the left and click the "Instrument..." button.  Keep
  trying different choices if you desire, and then save the new
  Movie file.  That's it!

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===================   ____   ========================================
Tony in San Diego     \ _/__     Hey!  It's a BEAR thing for me, too!
[e-mail]  \X  /   B1 f+ t++ w dc- g++ k++ s- m+ e+ h- q-
======================   \/  ========================================