By President Jon Scudder
There are plenty of changes coming this fall with AAUG from membership to our meetings. I’ll briefly cover the major changes and what we expect to see from Apple.
MEETINGS
We will be holding three in person meetings a year, September to May, with the remainder on Zoom. In-person meetings will be held at the start and end, with one in between. Our preference is for a holiday meeting in December but could be changed if necessary. The in-person location will start with the BP Energy Center but may change as pricing has increased. The regular meetings will be hybrid so in-person attendance is not necessary, thus Alaska residency is not a prerequisite. The first meeting will be on Sept. 11 at 5:45. p.m.
The positives about going to Zoom for more of the meetings is that meetings can go overtime and less expense. Plus, in the winter, it means you can attend the meeting from home. Also, we will be saving money eventually leading to a more balanced budget versus a steady decrease in savings.
Our meetings which have historically hosted renown technology educational expert Dan Wassink may seen a few “bumps” in the coming year as he is going through some health challenges. Our best wishes are with him and his family.
MEMBERSHIP
AAUG dues have also increased and are due in January 2025. If you have not paid for this year prior to now, please see Dale Hanson. If you sign up now, you will be graced the remainder of 2024. There are multiple ways to pay them. The increase is necessary to cover increased expenses and new technology.
COMPUTERS AND CAFFEINE
Computers and Caffeine (C & C) will continue as it has been successful. Please send me your technology challenges so we can address them. It is first-come, first-serve for issues being addressed. As it is an election year, I need to remind our membership the topics and comments are limited to technology, not necessarily Apple.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Now to what we will see in September from Apple. There is a good chance our meeting will coincide with the Apple announcement event. Soon following will be new operating systems for all the new Apple hardware. We will likely see new iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads and other hardware. There will be many new improvements with learning opportunities for hardware and software.
SPECIAL EVENTS
I would encourage you to tune into my podcast, Mac Minutes, which can be found on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher. The website host for the show is https://macminutes.blubrry.net
Feel free to attend the Board Meeting. It will be Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 6:30 pm on line. I will be putting out our new access code prior to the meeting and we are looking forward to standardizing our Zoom codes to easy to remember verbiage.
We will also be starting an iMovie Special Interest group with the potential to explore other native Apple applications. Look for special notices on these meetings.
CLOSING
We have a dedicated full board this year. I must commend them for their 100 percent attendance and participation in making the changes to improve our club! It’s great to have a fully engaged team.
Thank you again for allowing me to serve AAUG and all the enjoyment Apple technology brings me. See you soon.
In tech,
Jon
Jon Scudder, President
AAUG