NWA-PCUG Newsletter Articles 2010-
NWA-
PCUG
The Northwest Arkansas Personal Computer
User Group
Newsletter Articles
2010
Jan thru Mar - 10
Apr thru Jun - 10
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April thru Jume- 2010
- May - 2010
- Internet Help
Many technical help and price comparison links.
- Editorial Bits - by Patrick Libert
We have all probably had it “up to here” with the health care debate. Medicine is in the twenty-first century; medical record keeping in the nineteenth! Pet peeve? When I visit my physician’s office, a new computer monitor adorns the exam room. Is it used to access my medical history during my visit? Not in the least!
- From Rubber Boots to 38% of the Worldwide Cell Phone Market! - by Lou Torraca
From Rubber boots to 38% of the worldwide cellphone market! Yup, that’s a true fact and the name you will immediately know is Nokia which began in the last part of the 19th century as a rubber goods manufacturer.
- This and That or Things that May Interest You - by Lynn Page
Windows 7: Snap, Snipping Tool, Windows Mail, Add a User Account, Shake, Delete a User Account, Blocked Email Attachments, Junk Mail Folder, Change the Junk Email Protection Level, Move a Message from the Junk Email Folder to the Inbox, Add Sender to the Blocked Senders List, Add Sender to the Safe Senders List, Correct File Associations, Remove Your Phone Number from Searches, Google, WhitePages.com, Yahoo, Switchboard.com, Office 2007, Format Painter, Create a Theme from a Document, Use a Theme from another Document.
- Circuit Writer Version 7.3 - by Jerry Scheef
Not too long ago, I subscribed to Wired Magazine. I’ve read Wired on and off over the years and thought it would be fun to get it again, so I did a deal for Wired in exchange for a few airline miles. Naturally this was online.
- Controlling System Restore - by Vinny La Bash
Did a shareware application you were enamored of turn out to be an unmitigated disaster?
- Broadsides: Feb 2010, The Space Coast PC Journal - by Ron Broadhurst
These ideas are compiled from years of accumulations from various magazines, books, on-line sites and my own personal experience.
- MS Scanner & Camera Wizard - by Bob Elgines
Most of us have multiple digital cameras nowadays, and really don’t need to install all of their programs anymore since Windows XP. You can use the “Scanner & Camera Wizard”.
- What are RSS Feeds? - by Constance Brown
What are RSS Feeds? According to the Wikipedia, “RSS (most commonly translated as ‘Really Simple Syndication’ but sometimes ‘Rich Site Summary’) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video in a standardized format.”
- The Deals Column - by Bob Click, The Dealsguy
Another users group gives up.
Diskeeper Introduces An Update.
How About A Smart Uninstaller!
- More On The Web - The following articles by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
- Improve PC Performance With TuneUp Utilities 2010
Many of us seem to be in a perennial battle to improve the performance of our computers, trying to tweak out the last little bits of performance that our machines are capable of.
- Karen Is Offering Free Software Utilities
I have been a big fan of free software utilities, and have written about them in this column many times before. Some years ago I was looking for an obscure utility, and found it on the Karenware.com website.
- Remove Malware From Your Computer or Face the Dire Consequences
For the past few weeks I have been inundated with calls, emails, and personal visits from frustrated people who have computers badly infected with malware. All of them had popular brands of free or commercial antivirus software installed which, not surprisingly, was penetrated by the vector carrying the malware.
- Microsoft Offers Free "Fix it" Utilities
We have all heard the moans and groans about Microsoft's frequent lack of response in terms of its technical support, unless we are willing to pay significant support fees.
- April - 2010
- Internet Help
Many technical help and price comparison links.
- President's Corner - by Wesley Eckles, Jr
Recap of March meeting and malware.
- Making Windows More Legible - by Gary Bentley
Have you noticed that each time you purchase a new computer with a higher resolution screen you find everything on the screen looks smaller than it did on the lower resolution monitor screen.
- Wolverine F2D Slide Scanner - by Joe Nuvolini
Over the years, I have amassed about 3,000 color slides. I have been wanting to scan them into my computer, but up to now, had not seen a scanning product that would allow me to get the job done in a reasonable time.
- OAG Joins the FaceBook Generations(s)! Part 2 - by Mike Morris
Hello again. This is the Old Analog Guy with Part 2 of my story about joining the Facebook generation. I need to warn you that I am a novice at this social networking phenomenon—just in case it isn’t obvious.
- BeWARES! - by Berry F. Phillips
The wares have often perplexed computer users with numerous decisions regarding software. The multitude of wares have been even more confusing.
- Neat Things You Can Do With a Flash Drive - by Vinny La Bash
By now you’re probably tired of reading about how much better Windows 7 is than Vista. me too, so let’s spend some time examining some of the things you can do with a flash drive other than mere data storage.
- Backing Up and Restoring Files, December 2010 Boca Bits - by Ron Hirsch, Jr
If I had to pick a single area where most computer users are extremely lacking, it's in the area of backing up and preserving the documents and other items that they generate during the course of their computer activities.
- WUBI? What the Heck is a WUBI? - by Jim McKnight
The Windows-based Ubuntu Installer (WUBI) is a program that allows you to install and remove Ubuntu-Linux from within Microsoft Windows.
- Nybbles and Bits - by John Pearce
Last month, I mentioned an article in TechRepublic regarding removing old drivers from your system. Little did I know that issue was going surface in my notebook computer that I upgraded to Win 7.
- The Deals Column - by Bob Click, The Dealsguy
Conference Update
Ever Wonder???
This One Does A Lot For Your Videos and Photos
- More On The Web - The following articles by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
- FREE Music Downloads from AMAZON
Regular readers of this column know that I like bargains, and I especially like the biggest bargains of all, “free stuff”. Many of us now have some form of MP3 player (digital music format) in our cell phones, in our cars, on our computers, or in the myriad of small personal MP3 players carried by millions of people.
- OpenOffice 3.2 – Free Competitor to Microsoft Office
For only the third time in the ten years that I have been writing this column, I am not using Microsoft Word as my word processor to write this column. For one column about three years ago, I used the then new Google Docs to compose my column, and saved the output in the Word format requested by the Examiner.
- Immunet – Free AntiVirus Software Using New Technology
Many users are blissfully unaware of the degree that virus and malware threaten our computing safety and security. According to published security reports, there are now over 12 million viruses, Trojans, worms, and other forms of malware threatening us, with an average of 5400 new threats and variants showing up every day.
- National Broadband Plan – Check Your Connection
When I started writing this column over 10 years ago, I happily plodded along the internet using dial-up internet provided by a now defunct local ISP. The internet debate of the day was whether or not a modem could really run at 56k speeds, or was 33.6k a practical limit?
January thru March- 2010
- March - 2010
- Internet Help
Many technical help and price comparison links.
- President's Corner - by Wesley Eckles, Jr
Recap of March meeting and my pet peeve.
- ZoomText Express by Ai Squared - by Barbara Elliott
ZoomText Express is a program that makes everything on your computer screen easier to see and read.
- Latest Internet Explorer Flaw - by Terrence O'Brien
Internet Explorer is no stranger to security vulnerabilities, but a flaw revealed by Microsoft on Wednesday is one of the most stunning we've ever seen.
- Another Useful Control Panel (System) - by Phil Sorrentino
The Windows Control Panel is the component of the Windows User Interface that allows users to modify and personalize the way Windows (XP and Vista) operates.
- Cryptography - A Big Word That Helps Keep the Internet Secure - by Phil Sorrentino
You may have asked yourself some of the following questions. How secure is the internet? What has been done to make the Internet secure? How safe is my private information during an internet transaction?
- Adding an NAS Drive to Your Network (Part 2 of 2) - by Ron Hirsch
The manual for the DNS-323 is probably the most comprehensive manual I've seen in a long time. It has complete instructions for installing and using the unit.
- 2009 Come and Gone - by Elizabeth B. Wright
Yes, another year is coming to a close. And what do we have to show for it? Another Microsoft OS for those who are not already confused
- A Computer in Your Pocket - by Nancy De Marte
Decades ago, the technology community was predicting that someday computers would be integrated into our everyday life – in cars, phones, refrigerators. This idea seemed far-fetched to us conservative PC users.
- OAG Joins the Facebook Generation(s) Part 1 - by Mike Morris
You may find it surprising that this OAG has signed up for a Facebook account. I certainly surprised myself. However, I decided it was time to explore this . . . whatever it is
- Finding Our Roots - by Constance Brown
Finding our roots has become important to many families as they begin realizing that much of the past will be lost as those who have been a part of our lives forever begin to slip away.
- The Deals Column - by Bob Click, The Dealsguy
Help From Google For Your Job?
A Unique Way That Modern Technology Affects Ranchers
What If The Medication Doesn?t Work
Just In Case You Wondered
Need a Coloring Book?
- More On The Web - The following articles by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
- Personal Finance Websites Help You Spend, Save, and Invest
There are three basic uses of money; you can spend it, save it, and invest it. Any economics student can tell you that money is one of the scarce commodities, and the household never seems to have enough of it. There are thousands of websites that can help you spend, save, and invest wisely, such that the little money that we do have can go farther.1
- Edit Your Videos for Free
There are now decent digital video cameras that are not much larger than a deck of cards, and are often advertised for less than $100.
- Improve PC Performance with PerfectSpeed
One of the most common pleas for help from readers of this column is to improve the performance of their computers. A common thread is that the computer was fast when new, but is now frustratingly slow.
- The Best Free Software According to Gizmo
While there are some mega-sites such as download.com and tucows.com that each carry thousands of software titles, many of which are freeware, there are also some lesser known websites that provide comprehensive information and reviews about freeware. One recent find that has now become one of my favorites is Gizmo’s Freeware Reviews, at techsupportalert.com.
- February - 2010
- Internet Help
Many technical help and price comparison links.
- President's Corner - by Wesley Eckles, Jr
Recap of January meeting.
- Selecting Text: A C omprehensive Discussion - by Ron Hirsch
The heading noted above seems like a very simple one, and it's probable that most people feel they have a “good enough” capability in that area. After all, what's so complicated about selecting text? And, there are many people who state that they don't know how to select text, but so what? They've never had occasion to do so.
- Windows Control Panel Basics - by Phil Sorrentino
The Windows Control Panel is the component of the Windows User Interface that allows users to modify and personalize the way Windows (XP and Vista) to operate. All of the User Interface Settings and controls that are under user control can be manipulated by the small applications (called applets) that are part of the Windows Control Panel.
- The News This Month - by Greg Skalka
It is prime holiday shopping time, and the deals are out there, tempting us to stimulate the economy. Target advertised a $200 Acer Netbook even before Black Friday. There will probably be lots of good deals all the way through New Year’s Day, as the retailers are hurting and are looking for ways to get customers into their stores. This holiday season will probably see additional increases in online shopping, as shoppers try to save money, gas and time.
- The Great Computer Build - by Jan Fagerholm
First in a series on building a high performance computer with the latest technology.
- Norton Internet Security 2010 - by Ash Nallawalla
It’s about that time of the year when we have to update our antivirus (AV) software and so I installed Norton Internet Security (NIS) 2010 on my Windows 7 desktop. My previous AV package was Norton 360, which includes much of NIS 2009.
- Microsoft Security Essentials - by Lynn Page
I have been using Windows Live OneCare for a couple of years on my laptop and have been very happy with it. OneCare is being discontinued next year and will not support Windows 7. Microsoft Security Essentials is a real time security anti-malware application.
- Hints For the Wanntabe Blogger
- by Joan Mc?lmcyl Cleghorn
Do I Need Or Want to Have a Blog? Now, for many, the first question is “what on earth is a blog?” and, “why would I want one?” The origin of the actual word 'blog' comes from the definition of what it really is.
- Power to the Pixels! - by Dave Christenson
I suspect that everyone reading this has at least one digital camera. What criteria did you use when buying it? Size, features, cuteness, need, impulse? Some or all of these? Maybe. But I’ll bet that two you definitely considered are price and pixel count.
- The Deals Column - by Bob Click, The Dealsguy
Hi gang
Interesting Reading
Oops, Nobody Home
Need To Uninstall Something?
Another of Mike's recommendations
Be Warned About Those Nasty Web Sites
- More On The Web - The following articles by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
- CrimeReports.com - The National Crrime Map:
At present, over 600 law enforcement agencies are participating in an online service, CrimeReports.com. Claiming to be the largest crime mapping network in North America, CrimeReports.com gives people the information that they need to help protect them from crime, and also offers crime prevention information.
- More Helpful Tools From Google
Google has entered the fray with its new, free, GOOG-411 service. According to Google’s 411 website (google.com/goog411), “Google's new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free.
- Downloading and Converting You Tube Videos
Last Friday I was forwarded an email that had been bouncing around one of the departments at Lamar University about how to download YouTube videos and convert them to a format that can be used in PowerPoint.
- Scumware and Scareware Warning and Removal
Many of you have had the experience of having a popup or window open on your computer that tells you that your computer is infected with a substantial quantity of viruses, worms, Trojans, and other forms of spyware. Typically, these warning messages, which may appear to be authentic Windows warnings, instruct the user to “click here” to remove the malware.
- January - 2010
- Internet Help
Many technical help and price comparison links.
- Privacy and Google Voice - by Michael Gemignani
I had originally intended to follow up on my previous column concerning ways we can get crosswise with the law using our computers, but I decided to postpone that discussion when I saw the announcement that Google is making available a service that will expand our ability to manage our phone service, but, at the same time, will vastly increase Google’s ability to know more about us.
- Ubuntu 64-bit Operating System - by Brian K. Lewis
I used the Brasero Disk Burner software that was provided with Ubuntu version 8.10 to burn the .iso file to disk. Burning the .iso file produced a bootable “Live” CD that could be used for the installation.
- Hang Ten: How to Get the Most Out of Your Web Surfing - by Beverly Rosenbaum
Many people consider “Google” to be synonymous with web searching, implying that it is the only search engine available.
Indeed, practically everyone uses the word “Google” as a verb to describe searching the Internet, much like “Xeroxing” is intended to mean photocopying. But Google is only one of hundreds of search engines and search tools available.
- A Little Computer Quiz - by Stuart Rabinowitz
The trivia and minutiae of the computer related world. The answers will appear next month or you can submit an answer sheet the General Meeting. Good Luck.
- Stealth Spyware: The New Spyware Threat - by Kristofer Simon
For most of us, the word spyware is not an unfamiliar term anymore. It can mean cookies that track your movements on web pages or other little programs that put garbage applications on your machine.
- The Egg and You: These "Eggs" are Subversive and Fun! - by Charles W. Evans
Crack one open. Did you ever marvel at the engineering of an egg? What else makes an egg so fascinating, you ask?
- A Slightly Different Kind of Shortcut - by Vinny La Bash
Whenever you select a menu item or activate an icon on your desktop, you are most likely opening a file called a shortcut. This is a great time saver.
- The Technology Revolution[s[: A Look Back and Ahead at Trends - by John White
Scholars of the revolution process remind us that, like France‘s, most revolutions are half over before the affected people know they are under way. Whether we have noticed or not, here are some well underway:
- The Deals Column - by Bob Click, The Dealsguy
Problems Never Cease
Gotta Keep Those Costs Down
Time To Help Pay Back The Stimulus Loans
This One Can Improve Your Photos
- More On The Web - The following articles by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
- Microsoft's "Bing Maps" Takes on Google and Yahoo
For several years I have been a loyal user of Yahoo! maps (maps.yahoo.com) to get route maps on my local and long distance road trips. When I first accessed Bing Maps beta using my Firefox browser, I was able to access several of the Bing Maps features, but Microsoft advised me that..
- Download Full Length E-Books for FREE or inexpensively
About a year ago, I wrote about some of the excellent resources available that provide a wide selection of full-length books as free downloads. Since writing that column I have become aware..
- FREE Online Classes and Lectures from Major Universities
I have been teaching college classes at Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) now for almost 33 years. In my teaching tenure, there have been a lot of technological changes that have impacted education. One such major change is the availability of online courses that can be taken for college credit..
- What You Need for that New Christmas Computer
Now that Christmas and Hanukkah are past, many of you have opened that new computer and delved deep into its features. Preliminary estimates are that a huge number of new computers were purchased this holiday season,
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