Where there’s a Macintosh User Group (MUG) there’s an event bound to happen soon. Take the case of Capitol Macintosh User Group (CapMac), whose March 11 meeting will feature Brian Greenstone, founder of Pangea Software. He’s going to show off Nanosaur II: Hatchling, the highly-anticipated sequel that features both single-player and multi-player action as players ride weapon-laden pterodactyls. In addition, it’s the only Mac OS X game that supports both anaglyph and LCD shutter glasses for a unique 3D experience.
In addition, CapMac members Richard Cardona and Bill McGregor will discuss setting up NetNewsWire to read RSS news feeds and messaging security, respectively. McGregor, who’s an information security specialist, will also offer the opportunity to enroll for a free Thawte digital ID certificate, which allows you to sign and encrypt e-mail as well as automatically log in to some Web sites.
The CapMac meeting runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the University of Texas Pharmacy Building, Room 3.106, on University St., between 24th and Dean Keeton, Austin. You can find more information on the CapMac Web site.
Meanwhile, the MUG Center offers its weekly recap of the latest MUG news from around the Internet. Kicking off their listing this week is the Portland Macintosh Users Group’s (PMUG) 38th MacCamp, which will be held April 16-18 at Silver Falls State Park, near Salem, Ore. It’s a retreat open to active members of any MUG who want to get together for recreation, socializing, and classes. Announced class topics include GarageBand, blogging, adding music to movies, and more. Visit the PMUG Web site for more information.
If you want to promote your MUG’s meetings and other activities, MUG Center editor Chuck Joiner recommends three avenues: the MUG Center’s online calendar, Apple’s own User Group activities calendar, and JimDalrymple.com, where Macworld online editor Jim Dalrymple has offered to host events on his personal Web site’s calendar for free. Upcoming activities of note include an overview of PDA functionality at the Central Kentucky Computer Society on March 8, Adobe’s Terry White visiting the Cowtown MUG on March 9, and Dan de Grandpre of dealmac presenting to Hershey Apple Core on March 10. All three events are listed on the MUG Center’s calendar, so check it out for more information.
Shawn King, host of the Internet radio show Your Mac Life, has also extended a free offer to all MUGs: MP3 archives of all his shows. Apple-recognized user groups can obtain free licenses to distribute the files, which were recently added to Audible.com and the iTunes Music Store as for-pay downloads, to their members.
Visit the MUG Center’s Web site every Monday to see what’s new in the world of MUGs. And if you’re interested in learning more about user groups, some of which are more general in natural and some of which cover specific applications, you can visit Apple’s user group page to learn more and find one near you.