The annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco approaches, though it's a bit later than normal this year, with the show floor open from 11-Jan-05 through 14-Jan-05. At the moment, short of the long-running Netters Dinner, I'm unaware of any public events after the show hours, although I'm sure some will be supplementing the private parties that go on every year. As usual, Ilene Hoffman's Hess Events List is collecting events, and although it's pretty sparse right now, check it out as the show date draws nearer.
<http://www.ilenesmachine.com/partylist.shtml>
The Netter's Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, January 13th, is now in its 19th consecutive year. For those who like tradition, the Netter's Dinner is ideal, since it will once again be held at the Hunan at Sansome and Broadway, where the hot and spicy Chinese dinner (vegetarian dishes are available) usually costs $18. You must register by 11-Jan-04 via Kagi - check the link below soon for the final cost and registration details. The booming voice and Hawaiian shirt of our fearless organizer, Jon Pugh, will again be absent, so I'll once more be moderating the boisterous raise-your-hands survey. Help me avoid sounding unprepared on stage by sending suggestions for questions ahead of time, and when you're shouting from the audience, yell loudly!
<http://www.seanet.com/~jonpugh/ nettersdinner.html>
As in previous years, meet at the top of the escalators on the south side of Moscone at 6:00 PM and be prepared for a brisk, sometimes damp, walk that snarls traffic throughout downtown San Francisco. We'll leave no later than 6:30 PM for the restaurant.
TidBITS/Take Control Events -- The Netter's Dinner is purely for social networking and fun, but we're giving plenty of events where you can learn something and have your questions answered seriously. Managing Editor Jeff Carlson and I will be at the show, along with a smattering of Take Control authors. Here's a cheat sheet to where you can find us. Do say hello, bring any questions you may have, and let us know what you're thinking about our work.
Tuesday, 11-Jan-05, offers a pair of Take Control presentations. From noon to 1:00 PM, I'll be giving a presentation about Take Control in general and how to buy a Mac at the Allume Systems booth (#1507), hopefully spicing it up with examples of hot new products from Steve Jobs's keynote earlier that day. Then, at 1:00 PM, Tom Negrino will take over for me at the Allume booth and talk about Microsoft Entourage 2004. Finally, at 3:00 PM, Jeff Carlson will give an iMovie presentation at the Peachpit booth (#1807) and sign copies of his two iMovie books.
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/buying- mac.html>
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/entourage- 2004.html>
<http://www.necoffee.com/imovievqs/>
Wednesday, 12-Jan-05, promises to be a packed day. From noon to 1:00 PM, I'll be in the User Group Lounge (room #252) to talk about TidBITS, Take Control, announcements at the show, and any other topics that come up. It's always a good time, and I raffle off a couple of CDs containing the full Take Control library, so be sure to stop in... unless you'd prefer to listen to Joe Kissell talk about backups in Mac OS X, also from noon to 1:00 PM, but at the Allume booth (#1507). From 1:15 PM to 2:30 PM, I'm giving my now-traditional Macworld Users Conference talk about getting started with iPhoto (which, true to form, will probably have just been updated). And then at 3:00 PM, I'll be participating in the tie-breaker for the MacBrainiac Challenge, a team-based quiz show event run by Macworld's Chris Breen. Joining me will be Andy Ihnatko, Dan Frakes, and Rich Siegel, and I can guarantee that it will be loads of fun.
<http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/events/ 20SFO05A/conference/tracksessions/ Digital+Tools/QMONYA04MYNH>
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/backup- macosx.html>
<http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/events/ 20SFO05A/keynotes>
On Thursday, 13-Jan-05, Joe will be back at the Allume booth (#1507) to answer your questions about Apple Mail from noon to 1:00 PM. Then, from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM, I'll be at the Peachpit booth (#1807) to do a Q&A session about wireless networking based on my experiences writing The Wireless Networking Starter Kit, Second Edition. Bring your questions and I'll see how many I can answer in half an hour.
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/email-apple- mail.html>
<http://glennf.com/wnsk/>