December, 2005
I’ve tried something different this month. You will find 3 folders with graphics for these articles: Digital Cameras Blossom, TID BITS, and Where did all the photos go. I’ve put place holders in the articles for the graphics in bold. Place Ira's graphics where applicable.
Ram & Reason: A Virus and Incident checklist by Rob Rice, Member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City. Rob gives us five excellent industry-accepted procedures to follow when dealing with a virus or trojan infection.
Buying a PC for the Holidays by Vinnie Labash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. Don’t buy a low-end PC this year if you have any plans of moving to Microsoft’s new Vista operating system next year. If you’re sticking with XP, almost anything will do, even video that’s integrated with the motherboard. Check out Vinnie’s recommendations for your next computer.
Computer in a Smart House by Linda Soloski, Grater Tampa Bay PC User Group. Learn how buying a Smart House can sometimes be hazardous to your technology ‘health.’
Configuring a Basic User’s PC by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Don’t be alarmed by the high-falutin word “configuring.” It just means deciding what components – otherwise called “parts” – will perform various PC functions. A good read for your members who are buying a PC for the holidays as suggested by Vinnie.
Digital Cameras Blossom as Popularity Increases by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; radio & TV show host. Much to no one’s surprise, the popularity of digital cameras is exploding, as the quality improves even more, and the cameras become more affordable. With the dramatic improvements in digital camera and storage technology in recent years, much of what early adopters of digital photography experienced has changed for the better. Zip File of Graphics
Don’t be a loser at the rebate game by Jim Sanders, Editor, North Orange County Computer Club. Jim’s article makes good reading before you buy the new computer and software you are going to load on. He reminds us to read the rebate information at the checkout stand, not after we get home.
Informative Tech News by Bob Elgines, CRCC Editor. Bob has found another free spyware program he likes; and has included information about PCI Express v AGP-8X graphic cards, What is “Windows XP N?” and more in his article.
Tech Books for Non-Dummies by Gabe Golderg, APCUG Advisor, Region 2; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Gabe’s article is about three books by Sandy Berger, a nationally respected computer authority, radio host, and author; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website: The Great Age Guide to Better Living Through Technology, The Great Age Guide to the Internet, and The Great Age Guide to Gadgets and Gizmos. These books are great for gifts or for readers to put on their ‘wish list.’
The New, the Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. Vista, the long-awaited next version of Microsoft Windows, and more information about Linux.
TID BITS by Gregory West, Editor, SCUG Report, Sarnia Computer User Group. Greg gives us info about two gadgets (the Sony phone and a Biometric thumb drive) as well as why Firefox is even safer than before.Zip file of graphics
Where did all those photos go? File Management by Jack Wilfore, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, South Carolina. Do you find that when photos get transferred from your camera to the computer, you feel you have lost control? Jack’s article teaches us how to gain back just a little of that control.Zip file of graphics
Zip FIle for December
November, 2005
Browsing WebRings: Communities of Web Sites by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor & Columnist AARP Computers and Technology Website. If the Internet is the largest library created in human history, where are its card catalog and friendly librarians to explain how the Internet's "shelves" are arranged? But the Internet does offer the equivalent of library shelves, called WebRings.
Don't Get Caught by Phsing Schemes! By Linda Gonse, Editor, Orange County IBM PC Users Group, CA. Linda shows us how she tracked down a PayPal phsing scheme.
Resist clicking on any of the links which could link to a bogus website. Read the text to make sure the e-mail is authentic.
How to Transfer Large Files Over the Internet by Don Singleton, APCUG Advisor; President, Tulsa Computer Society. Through his experience in the Helping Tulsa computer refurbishing project, Don offers us another view for transferring large files over the Internet. His article, plus graphics, is included as a separate Zip file.
Legal Bytes: What is CALEA and Will It Affect My Life? By John Brewer, Computer Club of Oklahoma City eMonitor, November 2005. In simple terms, the focus of the CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994) is electronic surveillance of telephone calls. A recent article in the New York Times addresses CALEA and the cost of compliance. The federal government, vastly extending the reach of an 11-year-old law, is requiring hundreds of universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor e-mail and other online communications.
Locked Out of Your Computer? By Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PC Users Group, Florida. Most people ask Vinny how to protect their data and equipment, and prevent unauthorized access. But one of his students needed to access her HD after a relative changed the password. Before revealing what actually worked, Vinny examines what you can do if you are ever locked out of your own computer.Graphics
Speedup Your Computer and Clean Your Startup by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; radio & TV show host. There are many causes for slow-to-boot and computer performance degradation and Ira gives up the information to take care of these problems.
Tech News by Sue Crane, VP & Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, CA. SP3 for Win XP, Robotic Cars Make History, HP Recalls Laptop Batteries, all of these and more are included in Sue’s latest Tech News.
Tips for Locating Misplaced Files by Dave Gerber. Losing files on your PC is a lot like misplacing your car keys in a cluttered apartment. You know the things you're looking for are close by, but actually finding and using them can be a challenge.
USB Flash Drives by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D., Sarasota PCUG, Florida. Flash drives, JumpDrives, Pocket drives , Pen drives, and Thumb drives are all names for the same thing and can be used to carry applications and data from one computer to another and to launch the applications on any USB equipped computer. Since flash drives are very important to us, Brian takes a closer look at them.
What Comes After You Have Your Pictures in Tip Top Shape? By Donald Cummings, APCUG Representative, Fresno Personal Computer Users Group, CA. Paper and ink are a team – one without the other is just paper or ink. Don let’s us know what to look for when printing out our masterpieces.
Windows Recovery or Restore Disks: Problems and Alternatives by Vic Laurie, Princeton PCUG, New Jersey. Many vendors do not provide a Windows installation disk with a new computer and Vic gives us some steps to provide the missing backup.
Zip Files for November
October, 2005
Expect the Unexpected When Traveling Abroad by Lynn L. Kauer, Editor, Saginaw Valley Computer Association. Lynn has information to share about how to make sure you have the correct equipment so you are able to have a successful digital experience on your trip. He even includes tips on the pitfalls of not taking enough prescription or OTC medicine.
Indexing the Web: Spiders, Web Crawlers & Bots by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D., Sarasota PC Monitor, Sarasota FL PC Users Group. Have you ever wondered how search engines such as Google manage to get the answers to your queries so rapidly? How can they search the web that fast? Well – they don’t. Actually the searching goes on constantly, 24/7. And, the mechanism they use is just a modification of what you use for browsing the web.
Laptop Display Replacement by Mike Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. Do you purchase the extended warranty? Have you taken a good look to see exactly what it covers? Mike let’s us in on what happened after his laptop accidentally fell off the arms of his recliner.
Legal Bytes: Trolling for Wi-Fi – Is It Legal? By John Brewer, Computer Club of Oklahoma City eMonitor, October 2005. Local area networking has experienced a profound change in recent years. One issue is the legality of accessing an “open” wireless network and the other issue is the necessity to protect a wireless network. Wikipedia states that “wardriving” involves the use of an automobile and a Wi-Fi-equipped computer, such as a laptop or a PDA, to detect Wi-Fi wireless networks. Wardrivers make identification and access of wireless networks a sport, but is the sport legal? Is there a clear-cut answer or does it depend on the facts?
Microsoft is Helping by Bob Elgines, Colorado Computer Club of Lake Havasu, AZ. You may have noticed in your Windows XP/2000 updates that you have updated the MS Malicious Software Tool (MSRT). Don’t bother to look for it on your computer, you won’t find it. You will only see a window if you have or had a problem. The MSRT checks for and helps to remove specific, prevalent malicious software infections.
Network Your Home of Office Internet by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; radio & TV show host. Ira explains about three good options that are available to connect a broadband internet source to a home network so that several computers can simultaneously share the internet connection.
Netiquette Equals Friendly Online Neighborhoods by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computer & Technology website. Netiquette (‘Net + etiquette) is the new discipline for sending e-mails. DON’T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, don’t send “flaming” messages, don’t forward jokes, rumors, hoaxes, chain letters, etc. Gabe’s article helps make sending e-mails a win-win situation for the person sending the message as well as the one receiving it.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month by James Katz, Editor, Capital PCUG Monitor. James’ article let’s us learn all about National Cyber Security Awareness Month information that we can share with our members, as well as info on how to be more safe online.
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President & Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, CA. Nothing is Ever Really FREE (Linux), AMD Asks Intel for a duel, PC Has Water-cooled Radiator and more….
The Insiders’ Guide to Craigslist by Richard O. Johnson, TUGNET, CA. If you’re not using craigslist, it’s time you joined the crowd. This phenomenally successful bulletin board serves over ten million online users in a single month and, except for modest fees in three cities for help-wanted ads, all its services are without charge.
The New, the Best, and the Worst, Collected by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC users Group, Inc. Hard Drive Too Small?, How Much Is That Program in the Windows? Plus more tidbits from Pim.
Zip Files for October
September, 2005
Chasing the Internet by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. The Internet is like an accelerating candy conveyor belt. There’s more content (online newspapers, portals, Web rings, etc.) and more forms of content (e-mail initially, then Web site, mailing lists, blogs, streaming audio/video, downloadable music, Web cameras, etc.) But, you can make it fit your needs and change it when necessary. Your most precious resource is time and Gabe shares some time savers with us.
Fantasy Football by Wayne Steen, Contributing Editor, Q BITS, Quad-Cities Computer Society, Iowa. It’s almost Fall and the football season has just started. After reading Wayne’s article, you will be bitten by the bug to play Fantasy Football and the article shows us how to go about it. You might even win $5,000 and a free trip to Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks by Richard O. Johnson, TUGNET. IE, despite inroads made by Firefox and other browsers, overwhelmingly remains users’ browser of choice. And, Richard has many pointers in his article that are designed to help us get the most out of IE.
Lessons Learned Too Late – Another Attack of the Killer Worms by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio and TV Host. Computers have again been attacked by strange computer worms, effectively shutting them down. Although this attack caused less damage than other attacks, it was still substantial. Ira, as usual, provides us with information about the worms and how to make sure we don’t have them on our computers.
Moderating a Question and Answer Session by Bud Bondietti, Editor, Modesto PC User Group. Does your group have a general Q&A session? If not, or if you need to spruce up the one you have, Bud gives us some great suggestions on moderating the ever-helpful Q&A session.
Open Letter to user group newsletter editors and columnists by Linda Gonse, editor, Orange County IBM PC User’s Group Nibbles & Bits. Linda provides us with some interesting information about spyware and the fact that we consumers actually seem only to be pawns in the spyware assault that benefits those who have committed themselves to making profits using unethical methods.
Reading Product Manuals Onlineby Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. We all know that we don’t receive many manuals with our software or hardware anymore. In this article, Gabe gives us pointers on where to find important information that we need when we need help regarding our hardware and/or software.
Screen Shots by David Garcia, President, Little Blue PC Club, Northglenn, CO. Have your members ever wanted to print what they see on their monitor screen? David’s article gives step-by-step instructions on just how to do this.
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President & Editor, Big Bear Computer Club. Free services are being used to install malicious code, Insect “extermination” via mini robots, Better Eating through Nanotech. All these tidbits and more are contained in this edition of Tech News.
Tips for Adding Audio and Video (for Free) to Your User Group Web Site by Phil Shapiro, member of the Capital PC User Group, Virginia Macintosh Users Group, Washington Apple Pi, Young Hackers and Scholars Libre Users Group. When people visit your user group web site, almost all of them want to know the answer to two questions: Who are these people? What do they care about? You can try answering these questions with words and pictures. That sort of works. Or you can add audio and video to your web site, completely free of charge. You will need to read Phil’s article to find out how.
How to Transfer Large Files Over the Internet by Gary Bentley, Editor, Southwest International Personal Computer Club Throughput. Gary includes tips on how to post files to a website or FTP area, as well as use YouSendIt (a free service) so you don’t need to send those large files via e-mail. Gary has included many graphics to be included in his article and they make it a ‘Large File.’ It is included as a separate zip file. The file contains an RTF document where you can insert the graphics or the PDF from his newsletter that you can insert into your newsletter or include on your webpage for your members to read.
Zip files for September
August, 2005
29 Useful Bookmarks by Richard Johnson, TUGNET, www.tugnet.org. The Web is a marvelous resource, and most of us come nowhere near tapping its full potential. Richard has listed 29 websites that, without any necessary downloading, provide exceedingly useful free non-specialized services and tools that require no particular knowledge except how to navigate the World Wide Web.
Add a New Dimension To Your Browsing by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computers and technology Web site. We spend time in a two-dimensional world every day – its how most people browse the Web. It’s interesting and fun to take three-dimensional browsing out for a cruise, surfing the Internet, courtesy of Browse3D. This visual-browsing style lets you see forward and backward, where you’ve been and where you’re going. It’s great for browsing that involves a lot of forward-and-backward navigation, or that requires following many Web links.
Beware of File Sharing by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio Show Host. Most of us have heard about the popular “Peer to Peer” or “P2P” file sharing networks. Countless millions of computer users around the world routinely download copyrighted music, software, videos, and games on these computer networks. Ira’s article gives us information about Operation Site Down, a coordinated international legal and criminal attack on cyber pirates.
Figuring Out How Spammers Get E-mail Addresses by Dave Gerber, Dave’s Bits & Bytes, A Periodic Newsletter for the Members of the Sarasota PC User Group and the World!! Did you ever wonder where spammers got your e-mail address? They employ a variety of methods to acquire e-mail addresses. Some methods take advantage of the e-mail addresses readily available to the Internet, whereas others employ different levels of trickery, from harvesting to outright stealing.
How to Thank the Leaders of Your Computer Group by Phil Shapiro, member of the Capital PC User Group, Virginia Macintosh Users Group, Washington Apple Pi, Young Hackers and Scholars Libre Users Group. If you have found benefit in belonging to a computer user group, there are many ways of thanking the leaders of the group. Sure, you can always walk up to them after a meeting and shake their hand. But there are more meaningful things you can do, too. This is a must read for every user group member.
Maintaining Your Downloads by David Garcia, President, Little Blue PC Club, Northglenn, Colorado. Have trouble keeping track of your downloaded files? David shows us a couple of easy procedure to help us maintain, identify, and document our downloads.
Sharing Your World by Vinny Labash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. The term “weblog” was created in 1997 and came to be interpreted also as a verb, to blog, meaning “to edit or post to ones weblog.” Ham radio also had logs called “glogs” that were personal diaries. The concept is hardly new. E-mail was the force that made the web the playground of the common folk and the world’s most gigantic digital conversation was born six years go when blogger.com was started. Blogs have even changed the way educational institutions do research.
Why Can’t I Just Copy my Program to My New Computer? By Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. When you buy, build or upgrade to a new computer, why can’t you simply use your image file to transfer all of your programs and data from one computer to another? Brian’s article tells you why you can’t.
Wi-Fi Wireless Internet and Network Availability by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio Show Host. Are you traveling in the near future? Ira’s article let’s us know about one of the leading interactive directories of publicly available wireless internet locations and where we can find those hotspots.
Wireless Instant Messaging Makes Conversations Portable by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor; Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Web site. Wireless IM lets people communicate and have IM-fun without occupying prime family “real estate” – the PC. He’s found a couple of devices that let you do this and there’s no monthly fee with either device.
Zip files for August
July, 2005
Don’t Fall for “Human Engineering” by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, Texas; Radio Show Host; Police Officer. Through a process called “Human Engineering,” you don’t want to become an innocent victim who was tricked into installing unwanted software onto your computer. Ira’s article keeps us up-to-date on the latest ways people are trying to make this happen.
Dual-Core Processors Are Coming! by Timothy Everingham, member of TUGNET, California. Both Intel and Advanced Micron Devices (AMD) are screaming, “Dual-Core Processors are Coming.” They say they are the future of microprocessors for computers. With both companies planning to introduce these processors in the next few months it is important to understand the significance of this development.
First Phishing, Now Pharming by John Pearce, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, Colorado Springs, CO. First, there was phishing trying to collect personal information. A newer attack called pharming is trying to do the same thing in a more technologically sophisticated way. You need to be on guard, but neither phising nor pharming should keep you away from the Internet. This article will give you a quick overview of both.
Scrapbooking Hobby / Craft Rescues Baby Boomer Memories by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. On a lighter note, if you’ve collected a box of unorganized pictures; if you’re falling behind in preserving your and your family’s memories; if your photos suffer from being folded, fading, cracking and being badly mounted – the hobby and craft of “scrapbooking” can get you organized and preserve/share your memorabilia.
Search Engine Tips and Tricks – Part 2: Beyond Google by Richard Johnson, member of TUGNET, California. Richard not only includes information about search engines other than Google such as MSN and Yahoo! Search, Copernic Meta, special purpose search engines, as well as shopping search engines, he includes nine more tips for those using the Google search engine.
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President & Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, California. Here are a few of the topics that Sue covers in this month’s Tech News: AMD’s Antitrust suit against Intel, Coming soon: 30GB on a 1-inch drive, Tired of waiting for Windows XP? and No IE7 for WIN2K.
Windows: Better Safe (Mode) Than Sorry by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Though the Windows operating system isn’t usually dangerous, it includes a special “Safe Mode.” This is a handy way to boot a PC to investigate and fix problems. This article provides background for this built-in Windows facility.
Zip files for July
June, 2005
Adventures in Linux-Land by Siles Bazerman, APCUG Representative, Orange
County IBM PC Users’ Group, California. He’s become bored with Windows
and decided to give Linux another try. The first time he used it it wasn’t
ready for prime time but he’s found that it now has a lot to offer.
Another Silent Attack on Our Computers by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director;
Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, Texas; Radio Show Host; Police Officer.
There’s a new threat to our computers out there and it’s silent. As
usual, Ira is on top of anything that we need to know about securing our
computers and let’s us in on this new threat called “Rootkit.”
Computer Hysteria: Crash! By Berry F. Phillips, Member of the Computer Club
of Oklahoma City and a regular writer for the CCOKC website and the eMonitor.
The word crash strikes terror in the hearts of computer users. Approximately
two thirds of Americans use the Internet and while there is no research data
on the number of computer users that cannot master their computers, there is
evidence of anger and frustration with computers that could escalate into what
one psychologist calls “computer rage.” Berry says that users can lower
their blood pressure by taking some preventative medicine – they can join
their local user group and learn from the users’ experiences (misery loves
company!).
Freecycle Network Offers Never-Ending Garage Sale (And It’s All Free!) by
Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology
Website. Imagine, a garage sale on the Internet where you can get rid of your
‘treasures’ and get other people’s ‘treasures’ for FREE. The
worldwide Freecycle Network is made up of many individual groups across the
globe. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator and membership
is free. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum
to “recycle” unwanted items. Do you have one in your area?
HandiApped Independence: Part 1 by Frank Petrie, Freelance writer, Macsimum
News contributor, Curmudgeon. Frank’s pride ‘cometh before eight
falls,’ resulting in a four day stay at the Bland Food Hotel. When he
returned, he viewed his environment with new eyes. He realized that he needed
to pace himself in a more efficient manner and that’s going to include
re-organizing his computer area. He challenges all his readers to keep a
mental or physical diary of their habits and routines. Perhaps their computer
and bills don’t have to be in that spare bedroom way in the back of the
house. Notice where you spend most of your time, where your paths intersect
most and such.
How To Record Your Cassette Music to a CD! By Bob Elgines, Colorado River
Computer Club Editor. After reading Bob’s article you will be able to set
up your computer to transfer music from your cassettes to your computer.
Search Engine Tips and Tricks by Richard Johnson, member of TUGNET, Granada
Hills, California. Master some new tricks to using the Internet for
searching.
Simple Password Practices Keep PC and Online Data Secure by Gabe Goldberg,
APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Did you
know that a password is just the key that opens a computer lock? We can’t
live an online life without them, but if they’re too numerous to remember,
they encourage unsafe practices. What to do?
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President and Editor, Big Bear Computer Club,
California. Homegrown Star Wars, with Big Screen Magic; Robolympics;
Odd-shaped Robots Do More Than Housework; Paralyzed man controls his PC and TV
using thought alone – all of these topics and more are included in Sue’s
latest Tech News article.
Zip files for June
May, 2005
The Latest on DVDs by Bob Elgines, Colorado River Computer Club Editor, Lake Havasu, AZ. The DVD world is going crazy and Bob’s article tells us a little bit about what’s happening.
Link to digital movies with Movielink by Sherery Zorzi, APCUG Advisor and Director of Cajun Clickers, Baton Rogue, LA. While Blockbuster and Netflix battle it out for your entertainment dollar, a new online player just may sneak around them. Movielink allows you to order and download recent movies on a pay-for-view basis.
TECH NEWS by Sue Crane, Vice President & Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, CA. Did you know that you can have an MRI in a pill?. Do you know there is a mouse adaptor for shaky hands and, best of all, that you can return unwrapped software. All of this information and more is contained in Sue’s article.
Everyone’s a Publisher, and Blogs are Our Printing Presses
by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Just when we understand technology and its buzzwords, it all changes. One of this year’s hot words is still a bit mysterious: blog. It’s neither the villain in a Star Wars movie nor a weather phenomenon; it’s simply an abbreviation for “Web log.” A blog is an online diary or journal, usually casual and open for all to read.
Current Hoaxes and Urban Legends by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director and Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX. Some of us find them cute, entertaining, exciting, and fun, while others find them embarrassing, irritating, and a waste of time. What are these? The hoaxes and urban legends currently circulating on the Internet.
Double Threat Online Travel Scam by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director and Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX. A must read before using the Internet to plan your vacation.
Would You Like An Internet Can Opener? by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology. Wouldn’t it be nice to access the Internet with devices as easy to use as toasters or pencil sharpeners? We might even settle for a microwave oven’s complexity. But we’re far from that simplicity, since it’s hard to make things easy to use. AOL’s Optimized PC and Microsoft’s MSN TV 2 offer different approaches to simplifying getting online.
Does Microsoft Listen? By Bud Bondietti, Editor, PC Post, Modesto PC Users Group, CA. Bud takes us through his experiences doing a factory reinstall after a long frustrating ride with his desktop computer and its numerous error problems. You’ll need to read the article to find out if Microsoft really called him back on the weekend.
Cables: The Missing Part of Upgrade by Timothy Everingham, TUGNET, Granada Hills CA. Thinking through your computer purchase cabling needs can save you the hassle and time of making an additional trip after you’ve bought the components to put your computer together or purchased a new one.
The New, the Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. RISC, CICS, EPIC, the Cell and much more are in Pim’s article.
Five More Annoying PC Annoyances by Steve Bass
Contributing Editor, PC World; author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition.
Steve:"When I wrote PC Annoyances, I thought I'd soon run out of annoyances to fix. Ha! No sooner had the book landed in bookstores than I was barraged with email from--who else?--PC World and O'Reilly readers, tossing me more annoyances to handle.
That led to the second edition of PC Annoyances. I've added 160 more annoyances--and fixes--to the new book".
Protecting Your Internet Passwords
by Gene Barlow User Group Relations.
A typical user may have 20 or 30 of these account IDs and passwords to keep track of. So, while the internet has made our life easier in many ways, keeping track of these security codes has gotten harder to do.MyPasswordVault is a database program that stores its information on your computer in an encrypted format so that nobody can find this file and see all of your codes. You still need to remember a password to gain access to MyPasswordVault, but all of the rest of your codes are guarded safely inside the vault.
Blog by Don Singleton, APCUG Director & President, Tulsa Computer Society, OK. Don’s two articles contain information about BLOGs. The Blog article compares blogging services.
How to Blog details how to blog with Blogger.com. While that is Don’s favorite service, it is not the only service that you can use for blogging.
Zip files for May
April, 2005
An Examination of Google’s Gmail
by Richard Johnson, Member of TUGNET, CA www.tugnet.org. Is web-based e-mail for you? Should you switch to Gmail? It’s not for everyone and Richard tells us why and also why it is a program you might want to consider using.
Bringing Home Baby – Getting Started With a New PC
by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Most purchases provide instant gratification – you buy, you bring home (or have delivered), you enjoy. Groceries, clothes, toaster, furniture, etc., don’t involve study, burdensome chores, or required add-ons for safe usage. Hardly any other purchase’s burden matches that of setting up a personal computer. No, really, it’s plug it in and turn it on – but isn’t so simple. Gabe takes us through the steps of getting started with our new PC and we’ve probably forgotten some of the steps since we’ve been using the same computer for a while.
Browser Doohickeys, Doodads & Gizmos by Vinny La Bash, Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., Florida. www.spcug.org Most people change their surroundings to suit themselves. Vinny’s article features a few ways we can customize our Internet experience, including a “must have” tool – Net Snippets.
Digital Camera Scene Modes – What are all those symbols for? By Larry Horn, Editor & Review Coordinator, PC Users Group of New Jersey, www.pcugsj.org Does your digital camera have a lot of ikons you don’t know anything about? Larry’s article gives you information regarding the Aperture and Shutter Speed controls, as well as Scene Modes plus links where you can find out more.
How to Report Tech Problems to Get Answers by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Using computers and technology means having questions and problems. But you can’t get answers and solutions without asking the * right * questions. A little preparation can be a big help in solving annoyances, mysteries, and disasters.
RSS Feeds by Greg Lenihan, Editor, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO. Are you an information junkie? Have you discovered the world of Blogs? Do you know about RSS? Greg’s article discusses Blogs and RSS and how you can sign up and become an information junkie.
Selling on eBay by Dorothy Alexander, Executive Member, Sarnia Computer User’s Group, Canada www.scug.ca Are you selling on eBAY? Do you want to know how to start? Dorothy’s article is a step-by-step process for setting up your eBay account, getting ready to sell, listing costs, and making your first sale.
Tech News by Sue Crane, VP and Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, CA www.bigbearcc.org New Laser Chips, Can Your Dell Phone Infect your Car!, Edible origami by Canon? All this information and more is contained in this edition of Sue’s Tech News.
The New, the Best, and the Worst, collected by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. Does the Mindshare team read the UG newsletters that are sent to them? Yes. Read the interesting feedback that Pim received from Aaron Coldiron, Mindshare Manager, regarding an article Pim wrote about alternatives to MS products. He also tells us a little bit about how he uses his Wi-Fi connected laptop.
Zip files for April
March , 2005
Configuring a Basic User’s PC by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Just as when buying a car, the first step in buying a computer is deciding what you will do with it.
Hackers are NOT CRACKERS by Berry F. Phillips, Member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City, www.ccokc.org. Do we like hackers or crackers? Read this article and you’ll find out what both do relative to your computing experience.
Cyber Security in 2005? By Pim Borman, Southwest Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. www.swipcug.apcug.org The foremost obstacle to achieving a safer Internet is the ignorance and/or indifference of too many computer users – don’t be one of them.
How I Made a Movie by Chuck Guion, Editor, Rockport Computer Users’ Group, Inc. www.rcug.net Find out how easy it is to make a movie using Microsoft’s Windows Movie Maker 2.1.
If Moving Can’t Be Fun, At Least Make It Painless by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor and Columnist, AARP Computers and Technology Website. Gabe has just moved and shares his tips for recreating or transforming technology when moving.
Random acts of literacy by Sherry Zorzi, APCUG Advisor and Director, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, www.cajunclickers.org Welcome to the BookCrossing phenomenon. The basics of bookcrossing are, appropriately, the “3 R’s.” Read, register and release. Sherry’s article gives us an avenue to share our books with a friend, mail it to another bookcrosser who has expressed interest in the book, or (her favorite) just leave it in a public place for someone else to find. There are more than 300,000 bookcrossers worldwide – find out how to become one.
Sound the alarm over spyware threats and antispyware cooperation by Linda Gonse, Editor, Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group, www.orcopug.org Did you know that some spyware makers are saying that their products are not spyware, although available studies and articles all show that the products are indeed spyware. Are they doing this in anticipation of looming anti-spyware laws? Linda gives us food for thought and calls us to action to write our elected state and federal officials and/or lend our support to antispyware vendors.
Tech News by Sue Crane, VP / Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, www.bigbearcc.org Wow, IRS partners Intuit, TaxAct and eSmartTax are offering no-cost services to everyone this year. Ebay and Intel have developed a “Rethink Initiative” which seeks to bring together public and private organizations to promote recycling and reuse of old PCs and consumer electronics. These tidbits and more are included in Sue’s article.
The New, the Best, and the Worst, collected by Pim Borman, Southwest Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. www.swipcug.org Pim includes information about DVD compatibility woes, Picasa and gadgets.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D., Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. www.spcug.org Are you using the Internet for your local and/or long distance service? If not, then maybe you need to read this article to find out how some computer users are saving “mucho dinero” on their telephone calls.
Zip files for March
CES Articles
Consumer Electronics Show, January 2005 – Keynote Speeches
by Bonnie Home, member of the San Jose IBM PC Club, California (www.sjpc.org). Bonnie gives us a thorough overview of the keynote speeches – almost as if we attended CES. Her final comment is that four of the keynote speakers who spoke the first week of January 2005 are leaving their posts. You’ll need to read the article to find out who they are.
A Comdex Veteran’s first-time visit to the Consumer Electronics Show by DeForrest Home, member of the San Jose IBM PC Club, California (www.sjpc.org). DeForrest was eager to see how the Consumer Electronics Show would fill the techie void after the demise of Comdex. He wasn’t disappointed! It wasn’t quite as large, but the event reminded him a lot of Comdex in its heyday.
Posh tech by Sheri Zorzi, APCUG Advisor (www.cajunclickers.org). Whoever imagined that someday geeks could be trendy, stylish, and posh?! And, she found it all at CES.
APCUG and CES 2005 by Cheryl Wester, APCUG Advisor. Cheryl’s article covers both the APCUG conference and CES. Her enthusiasm is bound to rub off on your readers.
President’s Column, by Lou Torraca, The TUG, Hawaii. It was cold and snowy but Lou really was in Las Vegas attending CES. The show set several major records and he was there enjoying every minute of it.
February , 2005
Ask the Expert – Bluetooth by Joe Schmitt, Bits & Bytes Online, Tampa Bay Computer Society, www.tampa-bay.org
Are your members in the dark about Bluetooth? This article is short and simple and to the point on what it is and how it works.
Firefox: A program popularized by open source programmers by Linda Gonse, Editor, Nibbles & Bits, Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group, www.orcopug.org
Linda is really enjoying using the latest version of Firefox, an open source program, formerly Mozzilla and, before that, Netscape Navigator. She is so enthusiastic about it, I think many of your members will give it a try after reading her article.
In search of “VCR for radio” by Frank Collingers, Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group, www.orcopug.org
Frank is using his computer to record radio programs as a result of his 40-year addiction to talk radio. When his favorite radio stations rearranged their schedules and several of his programs were on at the same time, he wondered why there couldn’t be a VCR for radio? Frank takes us through his grand adventure on how he is now able to record several programs on a predetermined schedule and use his iPod to listen to them.
IRS and “Free File Alliance” Again Offer FREE Online Tax Preparation and Filing by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of Directors
It’s that time of year again. Our mailboxes are brimming with W-2s, 1099s, and other ubiquitous indications of our daily financial lives. Ever missed a good thing and regretted it? Don’t miss Free File. Millions of eligible taxpayers can use it and Ira gives us a lot of information about the program.
Legal Bytes: Cyber Criminals – Why and Why? By John Brewer, Oklahoma City Computer Club, eMonitor, January 2005, www.ccokc.org
“…… While the number of arrests made and sentences handed down make 2004 the best year yet for catching cyber criminals, it won’t have a noticeable effect on eliminating virus writers,” according to the Finnish security firm F-Secure. The international nature of the Internet means many criminals can leave a long, convoluted trail that crosses national boundaries with ease, even if law enforcement agencies cannot.
Search the Windows WUGNET Shareware Hall of Fame by Bettie Cummings Cook, Southwest Indiana PC Users Group, Inc., swipcug.apcug.org
Bettie recommends we visit the WUGNET website and take a look at the Microsoft picks that demonstrate the highest standards available today in shareware for Windows XP.
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President and Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, www.bbcc.org
From search engine wars to getting everything on eBay except justice, Sue has another interesting Tech News column for your readers.
The Computer Corner by Joe Shipley, Phoenix PC Users Group NEWS, www.phoenixpcug.org
Learn how to protect your computer during the “flu and virus” season.
The Wonder of the Current Computer Hardware Transitions by Timothy Everingham, TUGNET, www.tugnet.org
Learn about the changing computer hardware standards. Those in authority say that if we are going to change one standard, let’s get some other changes done too. And that’s just what’s happening.
Windows Media Player 10 by Chuck Guion, Editor, Rockport Computer Users’ Group, Inc. www.rcug.net
Find out the ways you can use Microsoft’s Media Player 10.
Zip files for February
January , 2005
Ergonomics for the Elderly by Dr. Herbert A. Goldstein, Editor, Sarasota PC Monitor, Sarasota PC Users Group, Florida. As baby boomers reach retirement age bye ratio of employees to retirees will equalize over the next 20 years. Considering that the foundation of Social Security benefits is generated from the workers, it is evident that benefits will be inadequate for future retirees. In order to endure, the elderly will be forced to keep working beyond the current retirement age. Upcoming ergonomic developments will be critical in order to accommodate the elderly as viable and productive members of the workforce.
Gmail by Dr. Herbert A. Goldstein, Editor, Sarasota PC Monitor, Sarasota FL PC Users Group, Florida. Gmail is a new, free, web-based email service from Google, the people who brought us that remarkable search engine. Gmail, as offered today, it an experiment in a new kind of email. Similar to Hotmail, it has some important differences. Its foundation is the concept that emails need never be deleted, and you should always be able to find any message at any time by searching for it. But, there are several major reasons why Google?s concept of how email should work is suspect. Read this article to find out whether Gmail is something you want to try.
Hard Drive Housekeeping is Vital by Dennis Schulman, Tampa Bay Computer Society, Florida. For those of you who surf the net on a regular basis ? and that includes those who use dialup access as well as cable or DSL ? it is absolutely crucial that you take your hard drive housekeeping more seriously than you ever thought necessary. Checkout Schulman?s three reasons why he doubts you are protected even though you use a suite of utilities, such as Norton or McAfee, and the housekeeping procedure he uses.
Necessities for That New Computer
by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of Directors. Did you buy a new computer this holiday season? Ira has some safe computing guidelines we should follow when setting up our new computer. New Year?s Resolutions for Computer Users by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of Directors. Ira gives us some suggested resolutions so we can be better cybercitizens and practice ?Safe HEX.?
Screen Capture Tools Put Windows Data at Your Beck and Call by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor, and AARP Computers and Technology Web site columnist. When you are having trouble with your computer and need to get it fixed, a picture of what happens or what?s wrong is the best way to give the information to the repair shop. Gabe has a couple of different ways for us to take that vital picture of what?s wrong.
Simple but Powerful Tools Find Misplaced PC Files by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor, and AARP Computers and Technology Web site columnist. As applications proliferate and users create their own blizzards of data files (documents, pictures, sound and video files, etc.) PC files become needles in a haystack. Again, Gabe shows us a couple of ways we can find missing files.
Tech News by Sue Crane, Vice President / Editor, Big Bear Computer Club, CA. Did you know that blog was the most looked up word in 2004 on Merriam-Webster?s website and NanoDynamics has come up with a golf ball that can correct its own flight path so it flies straighter than conventional balls? You?ll find many more tidbits that will increase your reader?s knowledge.
The Digital Home by Sherry Zorzi, APCUG Advisor. Will 2005 be the year your home entertainment goes digital? For many families, it will be. Welcome to the Digital Home! Does having a digital home sound like a futuristic dream? Well, the future is now, and it?s surprisingly affordable. Sherry tells us what we?ll need to make our home a Digital Home. Happy computing
Zip files for January
