With many northern hemisphere MUGs taking the last part of the summer off, August gets off to a slow start on The MUG Event Calendar…but that doesn’t mean that the groups who are meeting are any less interesting.

James Lee of Tropical Software will be in Illinois, digital memories will be discussed in Kansas, and low-cost software will be the topic in California. Photoshop is on the agenda in Massachusetts, Firefox in Australia and iWork ‘08 in New Mexico. And that’s just the start.

Want to see your group’s next meeting listed here? Email the information to The MUG Center. We’ll post it here, on The MUG Event Calendar and in our weekly Briefing.
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A quiet week on The MUG Event Calendar marks the transition from July to August, mainly due to summer breaks for many northern hemisphere MUGs, and re-scheduling of meetings to accommodate vacation schedules.

Ian Schray of SoftPress will show off Freeway to a group in California, Wacom graphics tablets will be the focus at a United Kingdom group, and the transition from .Mac to MobileMe will be the topic at a Louisiana group.

Let us know what your group is up to by emailing the information to The MUG Center. They will magically appear right here, on The MUG Event Calendar and in our weekly Briefing.
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Jackie Hill has delivered the latest Peachipt User Group Program News for July 2008 to subscribers. Included in this month’s update are:

• Special user group discount on Safari Books Online
• A discount on Flashforward2008
• Various tips and tricks links to Peachpit.com articles, including the “Five Tips in Five Days” from Peachipit authors, including MacNotable Robin Williams
• Peachpit appearances at various upcoming conferences
• New book release highlights
• Information on Peachpit user group discounts
• and more.

Don’t want to wait for us to tell you what Peachpit is up to? Find out about all they offer and then sign up to get their bulletin directly on The MUG Center’s Vendor Programs page.

The most recent O’Reilly User Group Program newsletter is out. Marsee Henon provides a variety of updates on O’Reilly activities, including:

• News on O’Reilly book offerings for the Kindle
• Two iPhone resource sites
• Deke McClelland’s outstanding 101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes video (you can hear Deke talk about the concept and production on MacVoices #894)
• O’Reilly Twitter addresses
• New book releases, including Google Apps: The Missing Manual (author Nancy Conner was the guest on MacVoices #896, the print versions of multiple Take Control books (all of which have been the subject of MacVoices’ interview with authors Joe Kissell, Glenn Fleishman, Jeff Tolbert and Steve Sande
• O’Reilly Appearances at various upcoming events and conferences
• Various User Group discounts
• And more!

For details on all this as well as information on a user group discount to the O’Reilly School of Technology courses and more, you’ll need to visit The MUG Center’s Vendor Programs page for more information on the O’Reilly User Group Program.

The iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 software may be captivating the Mac world (and the world in general), but the Mac User Group schedule this week integrates Apple’s latest hardware and software upgrade with a wider perspective on Mac use.

Apple Senior Systems Engineer Aaron Davis will make two Mac User Group stops this week, while Terry White of Adobe will demonstrate Acrobat to a Michigan group not his own. Ian Schray of Softpress will make the first of a several-stop user group tour in Arizona, and Mac journalist and author Gene Steinberg will be the featured speaker at an Oregon group.

The latest developments for the iPhone will be a hot topic of discussion everywhere Mac users gather, from Australia to Pennsylvania, but that’s hardly all that there will be. A semi-annual swap meet will take place in Texas, working in a Windows world will be discussed in Canada, pics will be held in California and New Jersey, and networking is on the agenda in Germany. That says nothing of Bento in Hawaii, iDVD in Colorado or Automator in Alabama.

Is you group doing something interesting in the coming months? Let us know by emailing the details to The MUG Center, they will appear right here, on The MUG Event Calendar and in our weekly Briefing.

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Ian Schray of Softpress will be taking the Freeway to a number of Mac User Groups in the coming months, stopping at some other events along the way.

That’s Freeway as in Softpress’ Freeway, their web publishing utility. Ian will be showing off both the Professional and Express versions of Freeway, demonstrating some of the features for novices and experts alike that make creating and maintaining a web site something anyone can accomplish.

The groups and other appearances currently scheduled include:

• Tucson Macintosh Users Group - July 16
• Arizona Macintosh Users Group - July 17
• MacForce Seminar on Freeway - July 19
• MacDayLA - July 26
• Santa Barbara Macintosh Users Group - July 30
• MacForce Seminar on Freeway - August 16
• Portland Macintosh Users Group - September 8
• Mac Computer Expo - September 27

To attend and fine out more about Freeway, visit the respective group’s or event’s web site for information on time, location and attendance policies.

The global Mac User Group community hits stride this week with all sorts of presentations and some influential guest speakers.

Macworld Senior Editor and MacNotable Christopher Breen will appear twice in as many days at two California groups, Kurt Schmucker of Microsoft will be the guest speaker at a Texas group, British Mac blogger Will Green will be the center of attention at a group in the UK, and the folks from MYOB will visit a group in Scotland.

A Pennsylvania group will take a look at identity theft, and a New Zealand group will focus on, “The Darker Side of the Internet.” Hmmm…sounds serious.

Other topics on the agenda for the week include podcasting with GarageBand, building web sites, the HDTV switch, a “geek night,” Freeway Pro 5, Bento, iWork’ 08 and more. Oh yes…let’s not forget picnics, fairs and more in the realm of social events that have a distinctly Mac overtone.

So, what’s your group up to? If you will Email the details to The MUG Center, we’ll include them here, on The MUG Event Calendar and in our weekly Briefing.

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Macworld Senior Editor and MacNotable Christopher Breen will be the featured speaker at not one, but two Mac User Groups in July.

On Tuesday, July 8, Chris will visit the San Luis Obispo Mac Users Group, and on Wednesday, July 9, Chris will speak to the Santa Barbara Macintosh Users Group.

With the impending release of the new iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 software, we’re guessing Chris will have plenty to speculate on. Or he might refer to some of his tips from the Mac 911 column from Macworld. Or his world-class fleet of iPods. Or maybe just settle in for a session of favorite hardware and software. No matter which direction Chris takes, if you’re in the area, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to interact with the man who has become known as “The Bouffant of Knowledge.”

Want to see how a Louisiana Mac User Group holds a celebration? The Acadiana Area Apple User Group has posted a video of their First Annual Crawfish Boil on YouTube.

While there isn’t a Mac in sight, that’s probably a good thing, since there isn’t a troubleshooting manual out yet on getting crawfish shells out of a Mac keyboard. Warning: This video will make you hungry.

Apple Senior Systems Engineer Aaron Davis is out on the Mac User Group road, showing off Apple’s latest hardware and software at various MUG appearances now through July.

Aaron was in Washington D.C. last week at the National Capital Area Macintosh Users Group, will visit the Macintosh Computer Club of Leisure World on July 15 and will present to Annapolis Apple Slice on July 19.

If you’re in the area, don’t miss these opportunities to see Apple technologies demonstrated by an expert, and running at full throttle.