Our popular question-and-answer presentation returns again this month. Bring your Apple and general tech-related questions, and PMUG president Aric Pedersen will answer them.

Members will receive an e-mail asking for their questions directly, but anyone can ask a question during the meeting.

If you’d like a question answered, please e-mail pres @ pmug-nj.org in advance. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

About the presenter

Aric Pedersen has worked for many years in the technology sector. He has used Macs primarily since 1990. Aric can often be found answering questions on the PMUG help list while he waits for the world to return to something like normalcy. He currently lives in New Jersey.

AI created content is everywhere. It's all over social media, in news sites (yes, even some of the big names), on music streaming services, at your place of work, the ads you see, the software you use, etc. It's impossible to avoid. When used properly, AI can be a useful tool.

But it often gets used indiscriminately, or even worse, in ways designed to manipulate or scam you. AI is clogging search results, meaning you are less likely than ever to be taken to a truly useful site when you click one of the top links.

We cannot stop this flood of AI content yet (though there are people working on ways to do that for the future), but there are ways to detect AI usage so that you are less likely to be scammed or misled.

This month PMUG President Aric Pedersen will be discussing how to identify and deal with AI-created content, no matter if it's text, pictures, or video. You'll also learn a bit about how to use AI responsibly and carefully. We hope you'll join us for this very important presentation.

About the presenter

Aric Pedersen has worked for many years in the technology sector. He has used Macs primarily since 1990. Aric can often be found answering questions on the PMUG help list while he waits for the world to return to something like normalcy. He currently lives in New Jersey.

Author, tech correspondent, and tech columnist David Pogue spoke to us about his new book for our April meeting!

David recalled favorite anecdotes while writing “Apple: The First 50 Years” — such as when Apple’s Bill Atkinson puzzled over how Xerox showed what was behind an onscreen window when it was moved away, so Bill came up with his own solution but later discovered Xerox was never able to actually figure it out. David also recounted little-known Apple stories, touched on notable points in Apple’s history, and even sang a few Apple parody songs he made!

Members may now log into the PMUG Website and watch the recorded Zoom presentation. This video will only be up for two months.

For Apple’s 50th anniversary, David Pogue will join us to talk about the history of Apple, its products, its leadership, and its employees.

David will also discuss his new book, Apple: The First 50 Years, which covers the company from its founding to the present day. According to his recent Apple history panel discussion, the 560+ page book was the product of 150 interviews, access to Apple’s archives, and access to the Computer History Museum’s archives.

We'll even have a copy of the book to give away to a lucky paid member of PMUG. We hope you will join us!

About the Presenter

David Pogue is a seven-time Emmy Award winner for his stories on CBS Sunday Morning, a five-time TED speaker, a host of 20 NOVA specials on PBS, and a New York Times bestselling author. He's written about Apple for his entire career, including 13 years as a Macworld columnist, 13 more as the New York Times tech columnist, and 20 years as the #1 bestselling author of books about Macs and iPhones. He lives with his family in New York. You may follow David on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

There are a lot of utilities out there — you might have several on your Mac already, such as: CleanMyMac, CleanShotX, Nitro PDF Pro, Hype, and Spellar AI. Purchasing all of these can become expensive.

What if you could get all of these apps (and more) for a single low monthly subscription? For our March meeting, PMUG’s President Aric Pedersen will talk about Setapp, a subscription service where you can get 260+ apps for your Mac and iPhone for a low monthly price.

We hope you will join us!

About the Presenter

Aric Pedersen has worked for many years in the technology sector. He has used Macs primarily since 1990. Aric can often be found answering questions on the PMUG help list while he waits for the world to return to something like normalcy. He currently lives in New Jersey.

Did you receive or buy a new Mac or iPhone over the holidays? Maybe you’re coming from an existing older Mac which was not upgradable to the current MacOS? Today’s operating system will seem both familiar and new — a lot has changed! Or, maybe you’ve just upgraded to a new iPhone or are thinking of upgrading.

There are many things to consider, from transferring your data and files over, to adjusting settings to make your new device work to what you’re accustomed to. Will your existing printer still work? How about your monitor? What about your existing programs? Are your cables even physically compatible? What about moving over your phone contacts and Web browser bookmarks? There are also new settings, features, and considerations to be aware of.

This month PMUG President Aric Pedersen will talk about the considerations both before and after you use your new Apple device.

We hope you will join us!

About the presenter

Aric Pedersen has worked for many years in the technology sector. He has used Macs primarily since 1990. Aric can often be found answering questions on the PMUG help list while he waits for the world to return to something like normalcy. He currently lives in New Jersey.