The Mouse Times was the Santa Barbara Mac Users Group’s premiere newsletter, featuring “news, views & reviews” contributed to and collected by our editors: Brian Carlin, Donald Burr, Nancy Van Antwerp, Anita Donohoe, Carla Aiello and Co-Editors Howard Glenn & Ed Morin. Publication began with the Sept/Oct 1999 issue and was later discontinued after the May 2006 issue with the introduction of SBMUG’s Blog and Podcast, The hardcopy newsletters were printed locally and distributed via snail mail [aka USPS] to members. Back issues of the Mouse Times have been archived into PDF (Portable Document Format) files and can be viewed in most web browsers using the links below and/or downloaded to a computer and then opened with Adobe’s Acrobat Reader [aka Adobe Reader] or Apple’s Preview program.
These PDF files are an ‘identical’ reproduction of the Mouse Times issues that were distributed in printed form with but a minor exception. The larger issues were printed with a full-page ad for the company that printed the newsletters, which was added to the publication at press time. Since the ad was placed after the Mouse Times was convereted into the electronic PDF file, you’ll find a blank page instead of the ad.
Please note that SBAUG makes no endorsements, either stated or implied, regarding any services or products advertised in the Mouse Times.
May 2006 (2 pages 184 KB)
“How I use my Mac” – how two different SBMUG members, an artist and a recent retiree, use their Macs.
Apr 2006 (2 pages 123 KB)
Moving your website to a new host; using a cell phone to query Google.
Mar 2006 (2 pages 114 KB)
Keeping a log book by your Macintosh for troubleshooting.
Feb 2006 (2 pages 139 KB)
Monitor local traffic in real time; checking real estate property values on the web.
Jan 2006 (2 pages 131 KB)
What’s new at Macworld Expo; Computers For Families; SBMUG Special Interest Groups.
Dec 2005 (2 pages 127 KB)
How to listen to “podcasts”, such as ABC’s Nightline or NPR’s All Things Considered – with or without an iPod; squeezing 20% more battery life from your PowerBook.
Nov 2005 (2 pages 131 KB)
Helpful tips for using the OS X Help Viewer; and a faster way to move files to and from iDisk by archiving them first.
Sep 2005 (2 pages 119 KB)
A tutorial on organizing your OS X files: what goes in your home directory, what goes elsewhere, where bookmarks & e-mail addresses are stored; helpful aliases; organizing the Dock and the Documents folder.
Aug 2005 (2 pages 127 KB)
Wireless network reaches 30 miles; using Google for definitions, converting measurements, searching within a range of numbers, searching titles, tracking stocks, searching newspaper archives, & more.
May 2005 (2 pages 131 KB)
New features in Tiger, the latest version of Mac OS X (version 10.4).
Apr 2005 (2 pages 274 KB)
Preview of TopXNotes™, a modern replacement for the Macintosh Notepad, with NoteOrganizer, floating window, MultiView, encryption, and much more.
Mar 2005 (2 pages 135 KB)
Refurbishing older Macs for Computers for Families; SBMUG’s Special Interest Groups: Beginners, Scripting, Final Cut Pro.
May-Jun 2004 (12 pages 1.4 MB)
MacWorld Expo SF 2004; A Tale of Two Apple Stores (Tokyo & San Francisco); Backing Up DVDs; AppleScript for E-mailing info automatically. 13 color illustrations.
Oct-Dec 2003 (12 pages 2.1 MB)
Year in review; Wallstreet Journal (story of a used PowerBook); Konfabulous Widgets (new application for OS X); My Experiences with a G5.
Apr-Jun 2003 (16 pages 1.6 MB)
MacNostalgia, a look back at 1984; Linux Help; iPod Software Update; Configuring a Utility Disk; Sony-Ericsson Clicker, a Remote Control for your Mac!
Jan-Feb 2003 (12 pages 1.7 MB)
OS X hints; Shrink & fix buggy MS Word files; Brian’s favorite web sites; iPhoto guided tour; Customizing Darwin to do math.
Nov-Dec 2002 (12 pages 835 KB)
TidBITS Troubleshooting Primer, Popular Search Engines, Jaguar’s new Calculator, OS X Tips, Jaguar Web slide show.
Sept-Oct 2002 (16 pages 903 KB)
My experiences with the iPod; Save As PDF in OS X; Search for text with Darwin; OS X tips; Group e-mail lists; Best Hack Contest.
Jun-Aug 2002 (12 pages 987 KB)
iTools guided tour (iDisk, Webmail, HomePage, iTools on Apache servers); OS X notes; “Columbia Newsblaster” web site.
Apr-May 2002 (12 pages 877 KB)
Demo of OS X Terminal Utility; VersionTracker; Click’N Design 3D; dumping high-tech trash.
Feb-Mar 2002 (12 pages 1 MB)
Online language translators; Paper or PDF?; Maps on the Web; keeping AppleTalk out of cable and DSL connections.
Dec 2001 – Jan 2002 (12 pages 299 KB)
Novice gets Cox cable & router up and running; GraphicConverter guided tour; specifying time to send queued messages in Eudora.
May-Nov 2001 (12 pages 295 KB)
The “Ask for Help” Format; ATM and Fonts; Make Your Own Help with the Help Viewer; CD Recording With Your Laptop; Mac OS X Musings; Computers for Families; donate your old computers.
Mar-Apr 2001 (8 pages 279 KB)
PC vs. Macintosh, Apple’s Viability; DiskGuard 1.8.6 review; SBMUG-list behind the scenes.
Jan-Feb 2001 (12 pages 459 KB)
Digital Imaging; Upload Web Pages Automatically with AppleScript; e-mail lists (Pia’s Passion): how they work, good manners, hoaxes, abbreviations, advice; surviving conflicts in online discussions; Choosing Blank Media for Music CDs.
Nov-Dec 2000 (16 pages 668 KB)
Inside Thailand; Getting Started with AppleScript; how CD recording works; how CD-R disks are made; web search sites; Macintosh solutions — rebuilding the Desktop, doing a clean install of the System, retrieving a trashed file, being prepared with backups, etc.
Jan-Feb 2000 (12 pages 635 KB)
An appreciation of Carla Aiello; Effective Font Usage; Digital Camera Buying Guidelines; Apple news, high-speed connections, UCITA and software licenses.
Sep-Oct 1999 (24 pages 2 MB)
Inside Thailand (lots of photos); Connectix’s Surf Express; Margins in ClarisWorks & AppleWorks; Ethernet for Two Macs; The Non-Designer’s Scan and Print Book; shop talk for the graphics professional; getting off the upgrade merry-go-round; what really determines your computer’s speed; Q&A Tips, mouse care, Filemaker tips, online AppleScript Primer; keyboard shortcuts.