NWA-PCUG Newsletter Articles 2013-

NWA- PCUG
The Northwest Arkansas Personal Computer
User Group

Newsletter Articles


2013

Jan thru Mar - 13





















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Jan thru Mar - 2013

January - 2013
  • Internet Help
    Many technical help and price comparison links.
  • President's Corner - by Wes Eckles, Jr
    The January program will be 'The History of Program Languages Used To Control Manufacturing Machines Real Fast', by Jack Knight
  • Using SANDBOXIE - by Jim McKnight
    Once Sandboxie is set up, all you have to do is click the Sandboxie Icon on the desktop and your regular Internet Browser opens safely in a sandbox. Sandboxie uses your regular Internet Browser to go on the Internet without the fear that you will be tricked into infecting your PC by malicious websites, or by infected downloads.
  • Social Networks - by http://www.StaySafeOnline.org
    Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social networks have become an integral part of online lives. Social networks are a great way to stay connected with others, but you should be wary about how much personal information you post.
  • Hotel Wi-Fi Networks Installing Malware - by Sandy Berger
    If you are traveling this year, there is a new hacking scheme that you should be aware of. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning travelers to watch out for malware that comes through hotel Internet connections.
  • Why You Might be Sending Spam - by Leo Notenboom
    As you probably already know there’s a lot of spam – unsolicited and unwanted email – flying around on the internet these days. Some estimates say that well over 80 to 90 percent of all email is, in fact, spam.
  • The Painter Wow! Book, 10th Edition - by Iris Yoffa
    Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has been authoring The Painter Wow! Book series for over 15 years. The books are always packed with an overwhelming amount of information and inspiring examples of original art by a variety of digital artists, including Cher herself.
  • Get creative with Text Boxes - by Nancy DeMarte
    When you use Microsoft Office, you create and edit text all the time. Word, of course, is dominated by text; Excel and PowerPoint both use text in many of their functions. All recent versions of Office also include a tool called a “text box” for special uses of text. Let’s find out what it is and how to use it.
  • Coffee Shop Computer Etiquette - by Mark Tiongco
    This Tech Tip is a list of experiences that I have found to be a hindrance but can otherwise be remedied for all you mobile tech commuters. Have you ever found yourself trying to get work done at a Starbucks/Panera Bread (or name your favorite go-to spot) but can’t because some inconsiderate customer is making it difficult/impossible to get work done? Let’s dive right in to what this article is all about, coffee shop etiquette!
  • Document Your Life with Photo-Graphic Memory - by Phil Sorrentino
    A photographic memory is probably something we all would like. And, just think, you can have at least the effect of a photographic memory just by using your camera and your computer to document your activities… your life. It is amazing how much paper we collect along the way. Most of it goes neatly into file folders and then those folders go neatly into multi-draw filing cases or boxes.
  • Behind the Scenes with Legacy - by Bill Ellis
    Have you ever wondered what the Legacy Family Tree program was doing for you as you keyed in your family data. I never did, until one day, as I sat staring at my family file in the family view screen and I noticed there was some data showing up that I hadn’t entered or that some of the information that I had entered was in a place other then where I had put it. This got me to wondering what the Legacy program was doing behind to scenes and why.
  • Tablet or Laptop, a Popular Question ...and “Cool App Reviews” - by Greg West
    Unless you are a “hard core” computer gamer, you can now officially say goodbye to the laptop. The day of computer frustration is coming to an end. The answer to pulling your hair out as you are trying to figure out why the laptop is so hard to use is called: “touch pads”.
  • Interesting Internet Finds - by Steve Costello
    In the course of going through the more than 200 news feeds in my Google Reader, I often run across things that I think might be of interest to other user group members.
  • Follow These Points Before Calling Support - by Tom Allen
    Today, it is possible to contact companies in numerous different ways. However, when planning to call or e-mail a computer company, keep the below recommendations in mind. If you are calling for support on a particular product make sure you have all applicable numbers written down. For example, the Serial Number and Model number of the particular device or computer.

    More On The Web - The following articles, by Ira Wilsker, Radio host, columnist,and college professor, are NOT in the hardcopy newsletter.
    • System Mechanic 11.5 - Comprehensive PC MaintenanceWindows PC users have almost universally noticed an apparent slowdown of their computers after a few months of use, and this apparent performance degradation seems to get worse as the computer ages. With the same operating system, same processor, memory and hard drive, we often wonder why our computer is slower than before. There are many reasons for this decline in performance, but with judicious application of appropriate cleaning techniques, many of these problems can be easily resolved by any one of the many decent utilities available explicitly for that purpose.
    • Who Is Tracking What You Do Online?
      I frequently hear about internet users who always clean all of their cookies citing fears of privacy issues or identity theft. If I ask some of those users "What is an internet cookie?" I receive a variety of replies indicating a multiplicity of definitions varying from somewhat accurate to wildly inaccurate. There is equal misunderstanding about the functions of cookies, and the degree of risk that they pose to the user. When I ask users who faithfully clean their cookies for various reasons, I sometimes ask if they also delete their LSO or "Local Shared Object" cookies as well, which is typically responded to with a blank stare.
    • Free "Advanced Mobile Care" for Android
      It should be no surprise that smart computing devices are outselling traditional desktop and laptop computers. There is an intensive battle for market share of operating systems for these smart devices, which includes smart phones, tablets, and related devices. The primary combatants for this market share are Google with its Android operating system, Apple with its iOS, and Microsoft with its newly released Windows 8 version for smart devices. While it may appear that Apple and its iOS seems to get the most media coverage, and has a large and very loyal user base, published reports indicate that Google's
    • Free, Supplemental Malware Scanning in the Cloud
      It never ceases to amaze me how many computers continue to get infected by malware, despite being protected by reputable security software. While the major free and paid security products generally offer excellent protection from malware, none are absolutely invulnerable to the latest threats, which may allow an otherwise well protected computer to be compromised by the latest creations of cyber crooks.
    • Watch Free TV & Movies Legally On Your Smart Device
      I was recently helping a disabled Viet Nam veteran with a not so unusual problem; he wanted to be able to watch live streaming sports events for free. His favorite free streaming live sports website now showed a frightening image stating that the domain had been seized by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for copyright infringement. Since he was living on his disability income, money was in short supply and the various legitimate subscription websites were beyond his means.
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