Region 3
(OH, PA, WV)
The Dayton Microcomputer Association, Inc., Ohio
DMA has a new feature in their newsletter, The DataBus: This Month in Computer
History. There is something computer-related for each day of the month and it
makes for interesting reading.
Their Apple Dayton SIG is dedicated to the use of Apple computers and the
Macintosh operating system. Their meetings feature a variety of speakers,
hardware and software demonstrations and problem-solving Q&A sessions in a
relaxed, informal atmosphere. Content is aimed at both experienced users and
novices, to inform them of the latest developments in Apple computers,
peripherals, and software technologies. Attendees have access to a group of
dedicated Mac users who are always willing to listen to ideas and help solve
problems. www.dma.org
Canton/Alliance/Massilon User Group, Ohio
In Constance Brown’s Executive Routine column, she gave members some tips and
tricks on how to Capture Memories, the topic of their June meeting. The meeting
focused on how to move from a snapshot to a photo.
- Limit the subject matter. Too many points of interest can clutter the photo.
- Focus on the subject and let the background be out of focus.
- Take close-ups.
- Look for unusual subjects or a new way of viewing them.
- Capture movement.
- Don’t always make your subjects smile! Smiles can distort the face just as
much as frowns.
- Light should come from the front or side.
- If taking a picture in front of a window, use fill flash.
- Darken slightly for more intense color.
- Use correct white balance when setting light manually.
- Add warmth – gold reflecting surface; add color – red reflecting surface;
make details steely sharp – silver reflecting surface. Large, shiny gift bags
make great reflectors.
- At sunset, start metering when sun has dropped 2/3 of the distance below
zenith and follow it down into the horizon. You will be surprised how soon the
camera will start to pick up color. Meter by pointing the camera directly into
the face of the sun.
- At sunrise, continue to shoot until sun is 1/3 up from horizon.
- Sunset colors are strongest just as the sun drops below the horizon because
more atmosphere is present to bend the light. Other atmospheric conditions such
as smoke or smog can result in extra brilliant sunsets.
- Beautiful “sunset” pictures may be taken at sunrise! www.camug.com
Exton PC Council, Pennsylvania
Their Four Corners meeting is normally held only in December and is very popular
so they decided to also hold one in July. There are different activities in the
four corners of the room; the meeting will feature Digital Imaging, LINUX,
Gadgets & Hardware, Freeware & Cool Sites, and MS Office. Members are encouraged
to attend the meeting and learn in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Download of the Month, as featured in the June issue of The Batchfile News,
was by Charlie Fote. So, you're the proud owner of a new PC. You anxiously open
the box, dumping out the contents, casting the instructions aside. You
feverishly push your old PC off the desk and get the new one set up. On the
floor lies a pile of plastic wrap and twist ties. Your brand spanking new PC
boots up only to greet you with a plethora of pop up advertisements pestering
you to pay for anti-virus software or sign up for a music service. Your desktop
is littered with website links for 'special offers.' The system tray is already
full of programs that continuously use your internet connection to make sure
that you're 'up to date.' "When did I ask for this?" you ask. Well, you didn't
and that's where the PC Decrapifier comes in. The PC Decrapifier attempts to
remove all of the junk on your PC that you never asked for or wanted. To
manually remove all of this stuff by hand can take at least an hour (depending
on the severity of the infestation.). The PC Decrapifier will detect the 'junk'
on your system. You choose what to uninstall, then sit back and watch while the
PC Decrapifier works its magic. The PC Decrapifier is a program free for
personal use to help the average computer user combat this problem.
Download from http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/
www.extonpccouncil.org/