The Retro-Computing Society of Rhode Island is a user group that restores historical systems to working order as part of their mission to preserve older devices and educate the public about the history of computers. Located in Providence, the group offers open house events as part of that mission.

Want to know more? Visit and learn.

http://www.rcsri.org/

On October 20 members and officers of the Houston Area Apple Group (HAAUG) will host Macworld Senior Editor Chris Breen, a user group favorite. In addition to his Macworld work, Breen is the author of The iPhone Pocket Guide, 6th edition and a popular instructor for Lynda.com. Of course, he is also the crowd-pleasing pianist for the Macworld-favorite All Star Band. This is one meeting you won’t want to miss!

Check it out.

http://www.haaug.org/

The Apple User Group Locator is a one-stop resource for people looking to join a group and those looking to become more involved with our community. Currently, the Apple User Group Advisory Board is updating the User Group Locator to improve the end user experience and ensure that potential members can easily find the best fit for their interests and locations. Stay tuned: the User Group Locator will be back on line soon with a new look and greater usability.

On August 21, the Diablo Valley Macintosh User Group (DVMUG) and the Rossmoor MAC Users Group (RMUG) will jointly host their most recent Film Fest in the deluxe settings of the Peacock Theater, Walnut Creek, California.  Come for the films, stay for the wine-and-cheese awards ceremony in the adjacent Fireside Room.  DVMUG President Don Nelson will be there and long-time Macworld volunteer staffer Tom Bacon too. If you have been to these Film Fests before, you already know why you want to attend this one. If not, come for a great evening of film, fun and friendship in an elegant setting. Better yet, a DVD of all submitted films will be available for $10.00 (US).

Learn about the Diablo Valley Macintosh User Group.

http://www.dvmug.org/

Visit the Rossmoor MAC Users Group at their new site.

http://rossmoormacusers.org/

Check out the DVMUG/RMUG 2012 FIlm Fest page.

http://www.dvmug.org/film.html

Find the DVMUG/RMUG Film Fest on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/events/371724986218244/

Make plans now to attend this year’s Mac Expo 2012 on October 6 in Petaluma, California. This is the 19th year for the Expo and it seems like each year’s Expo gets even better. The first MCE included a few hundred attendees. Last year’s Expo saw a few thousand attendees enjoy a day of education and fun. This year continues the tradition.

Great speakers? Yep – speakers will include many of the best-known names in the Macintosh community, including Derrick Story, Allison Sheridan, Chris Breen, Jeff Gamet, Tom Negrino, Kerry Rego, Bert Monroy and NCMUG Vice President Ronnie Roche (as of press time).

Service to the community? As part of the Expo, Data Rescue Center is offering a chance to win a free iPad; attendees can earn one raffle ticket for each drive turned in for recycling in addition to helping the environment. Good Will Industries will have an eWaste recycling drop off area as well.

Interesting topics? This year’s topics include a panel discussion of women in technology, a presentation on parenting in the mobile internet age and another on accessibility.

Fun discussions, educational offerings and great networking? Of course!

Amazingly, this is just the start. So, plan now and keep an eye on the Mac Expo 2012 web and Facebook pages as new details are released.

Macintosh Computer Expo

http://www.maccomputerexpo.com/

Like them on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/maccomputerexpo

The Toronto Apple User Group’s iOS Development SIG have a busy summer planned. On July 25, the group will meet at the Fox and the Fiddle on Younge Street to discuss iOS development. On August 25, the Toronto Apple User Group will be hosting another of their Code Jams, this one focusing on Cocos2d for game development. Sounds like a busy (and productive) coding summer!

Attend and learn.

http://www.meetup.com/macmeetup/messages/archive/

If you have been to a Macworld user group event you know John Buono of the Mountain View Computer Users Group. He has been an integral part of the Macworld user group volunteers team for as long as there has been a user group volunteers team, from the early Apple breakfasts to the Adobe events, User Group University and more.

What you may not know is that John has been involved with photography for even longer than he has been involved in the world of Apple products.

Known for his photography classes, PhotoWalks, professional work and willingness to help photographers increase their skills, John has a new book out – one worth reading. Better yet, it is available in hardcover, softcover and as an iBook.

Check it out:

http://tinyurl.com/83emrlf

Visit John’s photo site.

http://jbphotonvideo.com/

Officers and members of the Diablo Valley Macintosh User Group (DVMUG) will host The Mac Observer’s Ted Landau on Tuesday, June 19. Ted will discuss the iOS-ification of OS X. Ted is well known in the Macintosh community. In fact, he started out his Mac career with a published tip in MacUser,  was a contributing editor for MACazine back in 1987 when Bob LeVitus was the editor, and now writes for Macworld, The Mac Observer, and more. Add in his books and Macworld sessions, and you can see why this will be a presentation to remember.

Be there.

http://www.dvmug.org/

Read The Mac Observer.

http://www.macobserver.com/

The Toowoomba Apple And Macintosh User Group Inc. (TAAMUG) recently posted an interesting idea for a low stress and fun meeting: A Bring and Brag session. Although they meet in Toowoomba, Queensland, TAAMUG’s membership comes from surrounding communities as well, including some more than an hour away. What brings them together once a month? Friendship and learning in a relaxed setting, where long-time experts and newbies are equally welcome. Sounds like fun!

Visit and learn.

http://www.taamug.org.au/

The officers and members of the Cambria Computer Club recently presented a third computer to a student at the Coast Union High School as part of their Computers4Kids outreach program. The school’s counselor noted that many students do not have computers in their homes, and students involved in extracurricular activities such as sports or music are often in practice during the time when the school’s computer lab is open. This can make some homework assignments very difficult, especially those involving research or writing. So, the gift of a computer can make a huge difference in a student’s life. Hats off to Cambria for their wonderful community service!

Learn more.

http://www.cambriacomputerclub.org/

(Thanks to long-time Apple Group Ambassador Jack Hennessy for sending in news from the Cambria group.)

On July 9 officers and members of the London Mac User Group (LMUG) will meet at the Wood Pub near Marylebone Station for a special event. Along with the usual Q & A session and discussion of all things Mac, the group will have a presentation on Apple TV. Better yet, one lucky member will go home with an Apple TV. Good food, good brews and the best in Apple tech: who could ask for more?

Check out their MeetUp page.

http://www.meetup.com/London-Mac-User-Group/events/64697252/

Join the London Mac User Group.

http://www.lmug.org.uk/

On June 19th, officers and members of the North Coast Mac Users Group (NCMUG) will host Bert Monroy, one of the world’s leading Photoshop painters and 2004 Photoshop Hall of Fame inductee. Whether you know Bert’s work from his authorship of the first Photoshop book or have been an attendee for one of his seminars at the Photoshop CS5 Creativity Tours for the Kelby Media Group, you know his work is amazing. Join the members of NCMUG on the 19th to see what he has to say.

Check it out!

http://ncmug.org/

Steve Welsh of Oregon’s MacPioneers reports that the June 16 TidBITS presentation covering the sunset of MobileMe on June 30th is now available on YouTube.

Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVwRmXHrFyE

TidBITS publisher and long-time Macworld favorite Adam Engst hosted the presentation, Joe Kissell was the featured presenter, and Steve reports that Adam also provided a wonderful list of additional resources on his Google+ page:

https://plus.google.com/106741850554591477322/posts/1WjA6PDGE6e

Thanks to TidBITS for this timely presentation. For more than 20 years Adam, Tanya and the team have provided a wealth of information for the community and we are in their debt.

Enjoy TidBITS

http://tidbits.com/

Visit MacPioneers and read their iCloud guide.

http://oregonmacpioneers.wordpress.com/

But Wait – There’s More!

Vendor Coordinator Tom Piper and the members of the Apple User Group Advisory Board have put together a resource sheet for groups moving from MobileMe or iDisk to iCloud.

MobileMe-Lion Transitions

Thanks to Tom, Steve, Adam and Joe for these wonderful resources!

Thanks to Steve welsh for the update and info as well.

What’s a Maker Faire? It’s an opportunity to network, create, showcase and offer hands-on interaction with the ideas and creativity of users in a region – pretty much the same sort of folk who belong to Apple User Groups worldwide.  As O’Reilly’s site says, “Everyone is a maker and our world is what we make it.” Find a Maker Faire in North Carolina and Oregon on June 16th. Find ones in Vancouver and Kansas City on June 23 – 24th. Singapore sees their next Maker Faires in August. No Faire in your area? O’Reilly’s site shows you how to become a host. Each Faire is locally based and independently produced.

Meet folk like yourself for a great experience:

http://makerfaire.com/map.html

(Thanks as always to long-time user group supporter Marsee Henon of O’Reilly for this wonderful information!)