Expand your skills. Chat with the experts. Join our community of kindred spirits on this exotic journey.

Our Speakers on MacMania 5 are: Dan Frakes, Rob Griffiths, Janet Hill, Andy Ihnatko, Ted Landau, Leo Laporte, Ben Long, Randal L. Schwartz, Sal Soghoian, and Derrick Story.

Basic Macintosh User

Sunday, October 29
8:30am – 11am

The Ground Floor Guide to the Macintosh
Speaker: Andy Ihnatko

Oh, really? Sure, it's easy to brag about how little you know about these things, but are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? This session is for Mac newcomers: yes, indeed, Lesson One is the simple act of turning your Mac on and off … though rest assured that we will accelerate rather rapidly from there. In two-and-a-half hours' time, I'll take you through everything you'll hope to have learned after your first month behind the wheel of a shiny new Mac.

Monday, October 30
8:30am – 10am

Introduction to Automator
Speaker: Sal Soghoian

Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" introduced Automator, a new application that automates anything on your computer quickly and easily. Using the power of Mac OS X, Automator controls your applications and files, automating — in an instant — what you need done with them. Automator will change the way you use your Macintosh. There's no scripting or coding, it's drag-and-drop easy. It's truly "Automation for the rest of us!"

Apple's Automator Product Manager, Sal Soghoian, gives you a personalized tour of this innovative application and you'll learn when and how to use Automator to make automating complex or repetitive tasks a breeze!

Monday, October 30
1:30pm – 3pm

iDVD and iMovie
Speaker: Janet Hill

Everyone wants to edit their home videos, but who's got the time? Apple's Janet Hill gives you a crash course in editing — fast! — in iMovie and generating cool DVDs. Plus: tips on converting VHS to DVD, and a selection of great iMovie add-ons.

Monday, October 30
3:30pm – 5pm

File Sharing 101
Speaker: Ted Landau

If you use a computer, it's almost certain that you are sharing data with others — whether it is an article you want to send to a friend or photos you want your relatives to see. In the "old" days, sharing data typically required copying the information to a floppy disk. Today, in contrast, your choices seem almost limitless. Floppy disks have been replaced by CDs, DVDs, flash drives and media cards. Two computers in the same general location can also share files via a direct Ethernet or FireWire cable connection, or wirelessly via AirPort or Bluetooth. For sharing to more distant locations, you can select among email, iChat, a .Mac personal Web site, and more.

In this session, you will learn about each of these different methods, how they work, their pros and cons, and how to decide which is the best method for what you want to do.

Thursday, November 2
8:30am – 10am

Ten Things That Every Mac User Should Try Before They Die?
Speaker: Andy Ihnatko

Whether you're a novice or a seasoned Mac user whose emotional highs have long-since been worn down by a hard life, there are always Those Little Things that you've heard of and have been Meaning to Get To … but never do. AppleScripting and Automating. Maintenance. Moving beyond the iApps and Microsoft Office. Sampling the high-octane power of the command-line. Installing your own hardware upgrades. And this thing that will save your life at least once … what was it called again? Oh, yeah: "Backups."

If my novice session tries to compress a month of basic Mac info into three hours, this one will try to compress a lifetime that follows into ninety minutes. Bring an energy drink.

Thursday, November 2
10:30am – Noon

Leo Laporte's Personal Podcasting Primer
Speaker: Leo Laporte

Are you a podcast listener? How would you like to be a podcast creator? It's easy. If you have a Mac you already have most of what you need to join this fast growing medium. One of the world's foremost podcasters, Leo Laporte, will show you the ins and outs of podcast recording, editing, and distribution. Learn how to make a professional sounding show without spending a penny, the tricks to finding an audience, using iTunes to do your marketing, and a whole lot more. Bring your ideas for your own personal podcast and you'll have one ready to upload before the cruise ends.

Friday, November 3
8:30am – 10am

Getting Started with iWork
Speaker: Rob Griffiths

Learn about Apple's word processor, Pages, and its presentation software, Keynote. You'll learn how to work with the interface, including some of the not-so-obvious features of both programs. You'll also learn how to modify templates and save those modified templates for future use, and various methods of sharing your work with others.

Friday, November 3
10:30am – Noon

Apple's Latest and Greatest
Speaker: Janet Hill

Who can say what products Apple will release between now and late October 2006? But whatever they are, you'll be able to get the in-depth details about how they work and what they do from Janet Hill, Education Development Executive at Apple. On the MacMania 4 cruise, this session became an in-depth look at performance on the brand-new Intel Macs.

The topic of this session is up to Apple — but whatever it is, you're sure to get an insider's perspective on the coolest new products in the Mac world.

Friday, November 3
3:30pm – 5pm

iPod Add-Ons: The Best of Playlist
Speaker: Dan Frakes

If you've got an iPod, you're already the proud owner of the coolest portable player on the market. But the player itself is only half the fun — the other half is the world of iPod-only gadgets, add-ons, and accessories. From cases to headphones to speakers to batteries to car adapters, no other player has as many, or as many different kinds of, third-party accessories, and this diversity in add-ons is part of what makes the iPod the world's most popular portable player. In this show-and-tell session, you can take a music break as we show you some of the best products out there for sprucing up your iPod. You'll get the see (and hear) the latest in accessories, and walk away knowing what to buy (and what not to buy).

For The More Advanced Mac User

Monday, October 30
10:30am – Noon

Mac OS X Hints: Top 20 All-Time Hints
Speaker: Rob Griffiths

Out of nearly 9,000 tips and tricks, which 20 are the absolute favorites of the site's founder, and why? You'll learn some nifty hidden tricks about everyone's favorite operating system. Note for those who dislike the command line, a substantial number of these tips may involve at least a brief trip to the Terminal.

Monday, October 30
1:30pm – 3pm

Amazingly Cool Utilities
Speaker: Rob Griffiths

This session will show you a ten-pack of useful OS X add-ons, all of which are either freeware, donationware, or shareware. You'll learn how to give your PowerBook's trackpad new capabilities, capture screenshots and screen movies, control OS X's application menus via a hotkey or mouse button, keep an eye on system performance, automate an incredible number of everyday tasks, and much more.

Monday, October 30
3:30pm – 5pm

Mac Gems
Speaker: Dan Frakes

Macworld Mac Gems columnist Dan Frakes helps you take your Mac to the next level via cool tools — productivity enhancers, useful utilities, and fun software — that won't break the bank. Discover cool OS X tools and utilities; find out how to add the little features you wish OS X had; and uncover ways to extend and enhance OS X.

Thursday, November 2
8:30am – Noon

Essential Maintenance and Utilities
Speaker: Dan Frakes

For the most part, your Mac is a remarkably reliable combination of hardware and software. But there are things you can do to help keep it running smoothly, and tools you can use when it doesn't. In this session, you'll learn about basic Mac maintenance, including the software that can help you get it done. We'll also cover essential utilities that can get you out of even the worst jams.

Friday, November 3
8:30am – Noon

A UNIX Guide to OS X
Speaker: Randal Schwartz

For most hardcore Mac users, a "command prompt" is a strange world. However, with the introduction of UNIX into the core of Mac OS X, some tasks that were formerly hard are now quite easy, once you get the basics down about how to use that command line. In the first half of this full-day talk, learn from 24-year UNIX veteran Randal Schwartz (who has been using a Mac daily for the past 10 years) about the basics of UNIX commands, including common file and folder manipulation, automating repetitive tasks, and even accessing your machine remotely.

In the second portion of this seminar, for advanced Mac users, learn how to write Perl scripts, configuring software, installing packages, and having a blast customizing the terminal side of things.

You do not need any prior UNIX knowledge to benefit from this course.

Friday, November 3
1:30pm – 3pm

A Non-Geek's Introduction to Open Source Applications
Speaker: Rob Griffiths

Have you ever wondered about all those amazing-yet-free web-based solutions out there, such as blogging tools (WordPress, Movable Type), content management systems (Geeklog, Drupal, Mambo), forum packages (phpBB, phorum), and others? Wondered what it would take to get them running on your own Mac? Been scared off because you're "not the technical type?" Wonder no more, as this seminar will walk you through everything need to run these apps, and scores of others, on your own machine. You'll learn how to install and use MySQL, PHP, and a few of the better-known open source applications, right there on your own Mac. You'll even learn how to move a locally-created site to a commercial web hosting company, in case you want to take your efforts public. And best of all, you'll learn from someone like yourself, from a non-technical background — so no worries about unexplained mumbo-jumbo.

Friday, November 3
1:30pm – 3pm

AppleScript Fundamentals
Speaker: Sal Soghoian

Gain a thorough understanding of the fundamentals used to create real-world AppleScript scripts. Step-by-step, practical approaches and techniques are reviewed in detail with plenty of snippets to aid you in developing a solid foundation in script writing. Sal provides insight and examples gleaned from over a decade of scripting the Mac OS and its core applications. Special attention is paid to new AppleScript tools and abilities found in the latest Mac OS X.

This is not an entry-level seminar. Experience with, and knowledge of, AppleScript is highly recommended.

Friday, November 3
3:30pm – 5pm

Advanced Automation Secrets
Speaker: Sal Soghoian

Learn how to create powerful turn-key automation solutions. Sal Soghoian leads a detailed examination of little-known and often over-looked automation hooks, tools, and techniques and how to incorporate them into your solutions repertoire.

You'll learn how to:

• Create self-contained automation applets and installers
• Execute timed and repeating scripts and workflows
• Trigger automations via volume mounts, Mail rules, Folder Actions, and other events
• Store and retrieve data and preferences used by a workflow or script

A basic understanding of AppleScript, Automator, and Shell scripting is recommended for this session. Bring your laptops!

Images & Image Editing

Sunday, October 29
8:30am – 9:15am

Introduction to the Digital Photography Track
Speakers: Ben Long and Derrick Story

This plenary session is for everyone interested in participating in the digital photography track. Ben Long and Derrick Story will present an overview of how the sessions will unfold over the week, and provide information about the specific sessions.

Sunday, October 29
9:30am – 11am

Location Shooting Techniques
Speaker: Derrick Story

Learn how to go beyond the basic snapshot and return home with compelling images that capture the essence of the environment and people of the Western Caribbean. This session is for aspiring street shooters and those who love to explore new locales.

Sunday, October 29
9:30am – 11am

Introduction to Shooting RAW in the Field
Speaker: Ben Long

The extra controls and editing capabilities provided by Raw format allow you to get the most from your digital camera. However, to really take advantage of raw, you probably need to change a few things about the way that you shoot. This session will cover all of the things that a raw shooter needs to know to produce raw images with greater editing latitude. For anyone with a raw-capable camera, or anyone interested in learning more about raw.

Monday, October 30
8:30am – 10am

Introduction to Adobe Bridge and Photoshop Workflow
Speaker: Ben Long

While the power of digital image editing tools might be obvious, knowing how to develop a smooth workflow for taking your images from camera to finished output is not so apparent. If you use Photoshop for your image editing chores, then this session will explain everything you need to know to smoothly transfer images, make your selects, edit and output. Whether you shoot JPEG or Raw, this class will help you ensure you're maintaining the most quality throughout your post-production process.

Monday, October 30
8:30am – 10am

Introduction to the iPhoto 6 and Photoshop Elements 4 Workflow
Speaker: Derrick Story

Now that you've captured your first batch of images on location, it's time to sort and organize them, add keywords, apply basic image edits, and create slideshows ... all while still at sea! This session is for photographers using iPhoto 6 to manage their images — both RAW and JPEG formats. And for those tricky image editing situations, such as for skin tone corrections, you'll see how Photoshop Elements 4 is the perfect companion to iPhoto 6.

Monday, October 30
10:30am – Noon

iPhoto's Secrets Unveiled
Speaker: Janet Hill

Think you know all there is to know about Apple's digital photo application? I'll reveal some of the program's best kept secrets from advanced photo searches to secret preferences.

Monday, October 30
10:30am – Noon

Automating Your Image Processing Workflow
Speaker: Ben Long

While you can use your Mac to perform some incredible image edits and manipulations, editing lots of images can often become tedious. In this class, we'll look at how you can automate your image editing workflow to speed production of batches of images, and to ease the application of edits that you routinely make. After a brief overview of how to use Photoshop's Actions palette, we'll move on to Apple's Automator, and an in-depth tour of how to use it to control Photoshop, Aperture, and other image editing applications. This workshop will ease your post-production life, whether you have a complex print or web production pipeline, or you're simply tired of pressing so many buttons during your everyday photo editing sessions.

Monday, October 30
1:30pm – 3pm

Introduction to the Aperture Workflow
Speaker: Derrick Story

Aperture is Apple's pro level image management tool. This session is for those who are curious about its capabilities or for photographers who have begun using the application. You'll learn about its incredible tools for importing, photo editing, adding keywords, and applying basic image edits — for both RAW and JPEG shooters.

Monday, October 30
3:30pm – 5pm

Photography Clinic
Speakers: Ben Long and Derrick Story

Bring your cameras, owners manuals, and questions. Ben and Derrick will help you prepare for the upcoming two days on location in Belize City and Santo Tomas De Castillo. Questions about technique and general problem solving are welcome too. This session is open to all camera enthusiasts.

Thursday, November 2
8:30am – Noon

Exposure Techniques for Minimum Post Production
Speakers: Ben Long and Derrick Story

Now that you've had plenty of experience in the field, it's time to cover a few intermediate techniques before going ashore to Cozumel. You'll learn about composition (seeing the image), exposure techniques, metering patterns, using the histogram, white balance, and more. Recommeded for enthusisasts familiar with the basic controls of their cameras. The goal is to capture pictures so good you will have to spend hardly any time adjusting them in your image editor. The last hour will be reserved for a software clinic.

Friday, November 3
8:30am – Noon

Photoshop for Photographers
Speaker: Ben Long

Photoshop has an astonishingly broad feature set. Whether you're a web designer or high-end print professional, Photoshop has the tools you need to get the job done. The problem is: you're a photographer. In this class, you'll learn how to use the Photoshop tools that matter to photographers. Once you learn to concentrate on the tools that matter — the Histogram, Levels, Curves, Shadow/Highlight, sharpening, noise reduction, Adobe Camera Raw, and some simple layering and masking — you'll probably find that Photoshop is not nearly as intimidating as you thought. This session is suitable for users of just about any version of Photoshop including Photoshop Elements.

Friday, November 3
1:30pm – 3pm

Organize Your Photo Collection
Speaker: Janet Hill

Feel overwhelmed by the monumental task of organizing of your family's growing photo library? This session will help you take control of the situation. I'll show you how to track down MIA photos stashed away on your hard drive, help you develop a handy routine for importing and labeling your photos, and offer strategies for staying organized in the future so you'll never have to go hunting again.

Friday, November 3
3:30pm – 5pm

Mastering the 80%: Image Editing in iPhoto 6, Aperture, and Elements 4
Speaker: Derrick Story

Photographers who use good technique and capture well-exposed images only need a handful of adjustment tools in post production. Fortunately, everything you need for 80% of your work is already in iPhoto, Aperture, and Elements 4. Learn how to quickly analyze your pictures and make the necessary adjustments without opening Photoshop CS.