Hi. My name is Pete, and I’m a Mac user. (This is where you say, “Hi, Pete”). I’ve been a Mac user since Day One. Although I’ve had to use plenty of Windows PC’s, I’ve never owned one. I’m one of those “you’ll take my Mac away from me when you pry my cold dead fingers from the mouse” kind of guys. My wife, daughter and I moved to Maine fifteen months ago from “beautiful downtown Burbank”, in the People’s Republic of California. While there we dabbled in screenwriting and video production, and I am still writing and making videos, as well as designing web sites. My “real job” is an airline pilot, so you’ll hear from me sometimes from exotic ports of call like Birmingham, Memphis and even as far as Little Rock. I stay very plugged in to all things Mac, and the purpose of this column is to give Maine Mac users (there’s more of us than you think, including the 7th and 8th graders in Maine – well done, Gov. King!) a place to stay caught up on our beloved platform. We’ll talk about new hardware and software, tips on making the most of your Mac, and even try to answer a question or two in each column. So, here’s my email address: petez@mac.com. Got a question about anything Mac? Send me an email, and I’ll answer it, both “in person” and perhaps in this column. If I don’t know the answer (image that!) I’ll find someone who does. This week’s column is mostly introductory, but in the coming weeks we’ll talk about holiday gift ideas, making home movies, the Mac’s exciting new operating system, OSX (say oh-ess-ten), organizing your computer, and, at the risk of being called a heretic, even running Windows on your Mac. I close this week with a homework assignment for you. Come up with that one nagging question about your Mac that’s got you stumped, and email it to me, and we’ll talk about it. Mac users have always had a sense of community unknown in the Windows world, and this column will be just a logical extension of that community. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you. Until next time – Semper Mac!

© 2002 Peter F. Zimowski