May 15, 2008

John Ehlers opened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. 16 members were present.
Roland Soucie took us to an interesting software program called PC Hell.
The purpose is to provide some tips and troubleshooting remedies to help problems occurring in your computer. The web page is: www.pchell.com.
This web site lists the top ten steps to trouble free computing, computer virus center, computer cliff notes, computer virus hoaxes, etc.

Another web site is www.Vmyths.com. Here you can learn about computer virus myths, hoax virus alerts, myths and urban legends.

Also, there is Belarc Advisor. This one gives you an analysis of your computer and does a survey of all your hardware and software.

Truth or Fiction.com is another web site which is an e-mail reality check that verifies rumors, viruses, and hoaxes from the internet.

John Ehlers spoke about www.skype.com, software that allows you to make phone calls with picture of the caller. A microphone and headset set are required for this operation.

The game of the month, presented by John Ehlers, is a block game found at the following web site: http://twizl.com/bloxorz.html. Fun game

Program ended at 3:25p.m. followed by our usual monthly drawing for a prize.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

March 20, 2008

John Ehlers opened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. 22 members were present. He brought our attention to the paintings adorning the wall in the meeting room of the Joslyn Community Center. These are by local artists. Each artist is allowed one to three pictures to be posted for a month and no commission is required if artist is a member of Joslyn Center. Non-members will be charged a commission of 15%.

Wes Densmore was the featured presenter today and his subject was about a new Microsoft software called Windows Live One Care. This is an all-in-one PC program to protect your computer. It is always on and communicates the status of your PC's health by indicating certain functions that might be at risk with colored dots, red, green or yellow, meaning at-risk, good, or fair. It has a firewall and on-line theft protection. It will back up files and restore them and does performance tune-ups. Also, it can be hooked up to as many as three computers. It gives detailed descriptions for connecting to your PC. It will perform automatic tune-ups, defragmentation, etc., and will warn you when these services need to be done. You can choose which files you want to be backed up and the frequency. It reminds you to do these things or does it for you. It also gives you a monthly summary of the functions it has performed. Also, it can turn off unused programs This will improve start-up speed. One note: You have to remove your Norton Anti-virus program, if you have one, since Windows Live One Care has an anti-virus function included It can only be used on Windows XP or Vista. The cost is $50/year. A free download is offered for a 90-day trial but you will have to disengage your Norton Anti-Virus.

John Ehlers gave us a website to try: Www.visualthesaurus.com. This brings up words with similar meanings. Very interesting! Cost: $19.95 for a year with the on-line version and $39.95 for the desk top addition for a CD ROM.

The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m. after the usual drawing for a prize.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

January 24, 2008

Ron Crummitt opened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. 23 members were present in spite of a rainy, windy day. Ron reminded us of a fund raiser scheduled for January 25, 2008. It is the Super Bowl Friday dinner at the Joslyn Community Center and is featuring clam chowder and corn chowder for $12 per person, plus other goodies, beer, wine, etc.

Also, a reminder that your Computer Club dues are $15 per person for 2008, the same as last year, and are due now. And, of course, Joslyn Community Center dues are also due this month.

John Ehlers, our Program Chairman, was featured today and discussed the popular software program called Snagit. Snagit performs screen captures into a host of file formats, including a suite that enables you to modify the picture you have captured. It is compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. John demonstrated capturing a page and also a section of a page. Much more information is available by going to the website of techsmith.com and check on the free download of Snagit for a free 30-day trial.

Next month Mark Ratto will talk about identity theft and legal matters and how to guard yourself from them.

For game of the month go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/3djigsaw_02/index.shtml?muscles

We adjourned at 3:15 p.m. after our monthly drawing for a prize.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

November 15, 2007

Ron Crummitt opened the meeting today at 2:05 p.m. He reminded us of the Christmas party to be held on December 6th and to bring a wrapped “white elephant” gift. This will be in lieu of a regular meeting in December.

Also, the new Computer Club Board for next year will remain the same with the exception of Mark Ratto who will leave after the first six months.

Another note: The Mac meeting usually scheduled the first Thursday of the month will be on the second Thursday for January, 2008, only. It will then return to its usual schedule for the rest of the year.

Ron introduced Bob Kennedy, our featured speaker, and professional photographer, who will be talking about cameras, composition, and other tips for taking a great photograph.

He suggests that to take good pictures a tripod is a necessary item. A tripod will enable you to have good stability, thus clearer pictures. You can brace your camera against your face and your body against a wall which further increases your stability if you don't have a tripod. Then there is the camera itself. Many of the new digital cameras have a stabilization feature which is something to look for when buying a camera. As for number of megapixels necessary, Bob says that 4 megapixels are as good as 10, at least for amateur photographers. Also important is the LCD, which shows your picture on the back of the camera, the larger the better is the best choice.

Other tips Bob mentioned include increasing shutter speed if image you want is far out. Use zoom to get closer to an object or person rather than moving closer to your subject. As to the sensitivity of the camera, ISO, use a higher number for darker conditions. Another important tip is when taking a picture, lock in the exposure by pushing the button down half way, then focus on what you want and finish the shot. Composition is important too. Decide on the foreground, middle and background that you like. Balance is obtained by containing the subject in the picture. Don't lead the eye out of the picture. Create the illusion of depth and consider the lighting. Use some shade in your composition, but if scene is too dark the flash really helps to fill in the shadows. Don't photograph people in a harsh light. Slow shutter speed for action. Remember to focus on something beyond the foreground, press the button half way and then pull back to finish the shot. Bob showed several of his personal photos to indicate some of the tips mentioned.

We had a large audience for this program, 35 members and guests. The meeting concluded at 3:40 p.m. after our usual drawing for a door prize.


Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

October 18, 2007

Eighteen members were present today for the meeting. It started at 2:10 p.m. with a very funny parody of Abbott and Costello's “Who's on First” routine. This, however, was about running a computer. John Ehlers, our program chairman and Ron Crummitt our president, performed the roles.

John Ehlers gave the program today which was about games we can play on the computer and other web sites to go to for information.

We first did a Soduko puzzle on their web site, www.soduko.com. It was an easy one but our audience together worked it out, using numbers one thru nine for each column. Now I know how to play but will look for the easy ones. They could be moderate or hard as well.

Next we went to some information web sites: http://www.ehow.com. Ehow has a category called: “How to do just about anything,” and even has a list of the Top 10 eHows that includes “How to make pizza dough” to “ How to create a ghost costume.” Some other web sites are: http://www.spedunkie.com/page11html, and http://www.wikihow.com; also, http://www.howtodothings.com, and http://www.howtocleananything.com. John followed this with how to recover if you accidentally spill coke or something else on your keyboard. You should immediately use your mouse to turn off the computer. Don't use the keyboard . It must be dried and cleaned before use.

Questions followed. Ron told us that our next general meeting would have a presentation by Bob Kennedy about digital cameras. If you have one you can bring it with you. Bob is an expert with cameras as well as a top notch photographer and will answer questions you might have.

The meeting closed at 3:30 p.m. and was followed by a drawing for the door prize
.
Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

September 20, 2007

President Ron Crummitt opened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. Present were 20 members. He reminded us that the Octoberfest will be held again this year on October 6. Volunteers are needed.

Our program today was presented by David Harris, former Cambria Computer Club president. He discussed Cyber Crime which is a growing problem in this country. He distributed a listing of web sites that would be helpful reporting cyber crime if you are a victim and also networking organizations that can help prevent it. A FTC Identity Theft Helpline has a phone number (1-877-ID-Theft) and a website: www.idtheftcenter.org Password trafficing is a big crime and under reported. Also, phishing, which is illegally looking for information through a bogus web site where the user is asked to go to update personal information that a legitimate organization already has. They may ask for credit card numbers as well as bank account numbers and social security numbers. Trying to track this down has cost billions per year. Botnet is another serious problem. This is an illegal collection of thousands of compromised computers, all being controlled with a common infrastructure, A trojan horse is a good protection, but since 26% of all bot infected companies are located in the U.S., it has become the number 1 cyber crime.

For wireless network solutions, go to www.wi-fi.org.

Another organization that is helpful is CERT, Computer Emergency Response Team. Some criminals resort to “dumpster diving,” where they go through trash to find credit card receipts to find your credit card number or bank account number. Be sure to carefully discard such items.

There are three major credit card bureaus to contact if your credit card is stolen. They are: Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. Also a police report should be issued.

Many questions came up at the end of the presentation and other types of crimes were discussed such as restaurant servers who can get your credit card number when you make a payment or not return your credit card or give you another one back. Be sure to check everything. Even hotel cards, the key cards used to unlock your room. These cards have a lot of information on them and should be removed by you when you leave the hotel. Much to think about.

Program ended at 3:15 p.m. followed by a drawing for some computer devices or software.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

The meeting opened at 2:10 p.m. Fifteen members were present.

Ron Crummitt, our president, presented the program today on music from the Internet. Music can be downloaded from the Internet free worldwide.

Boombox has a website, Boombox Internet Radio, under tucows.com Click on download box and follow directions. Also Musicmatch 10, owned by Yahoo, has a free downwload as well, http://www.musicmatch.com/download/free/?. Using both websites you can have continual music from radio and also pick your favorite artists. Choose from a variety of listings separated into genres such as classical, country, pop, jazz, etc.

A favorite tune can also be recorded and burned onto a CD disc. Musicmatch has a library where you can set up radio music to play or choose a favorite song to record.

John Ellis showed us a website called Challenge the Senses that was listed in the computer club announcement for the general meeting this month. Also he demonstrated the card trick website and gas prices around the continental U.S. website listed as above.

After our usual drawing for a prize, meeting ended by 3:45 p.m.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

June 21, 2007

John Ehlers, Program Chairman, opened the meeting at 2:10 p.m. 24 members were present.

David Harris, former president of the computer club, presented our program today which covered buying and selling on eBay. EBay is the largest on-line market place. The company's estimated value is around $60 billion. To get started buying or selling, you need to register. Fill in your name (best not to use your real name but name you want to use for business with them). Add a small picture of yourself if you like. Do research and create a listing for items you are interested in. You can participate in an on-line auction once you are registered. If you see an item you want to buy, you can watch what others bid in auction and determine if you want to bid higher by perhaps putting a bid in during the last day of the auction. The auction lasts 7 days. If you are selling, you need to research about what the item is worth and take a good photograph or two before listing. “Buy it now” is an option you can select for a slight fee. This gives the buyer a chance to get the item right away before the price goes down or up if bidded on. There are various other fees. A reserve fee varies from $1 to $50, depending on the value of the item. A “buy it now” fee runs from .05 to .25 cents. This goes away after the first bid. There is also an upgrade fee, which is not necessary, and a final value fee.

Open and use a PayPal account. This is like having a special account that takes care of paying and collecting money. This is a safer way of handling payments. As to mailing charges, you can check USPS.com on the internet and you can find out what a 2# package, for example, will cost to mail.

You can check seller's feedback and see the number of transactions a seller has made and if he is a satisfactory seller, i.e., he has a good record of not having any returns or dissatisfied customers.

There were many questions from our membership pertaining to eBay that David Harris was able to answer. Many people make a good deal of money buying and selling items. Check out the web for eBay University. There are some free info sites, and DVD's and books available for help in structuring your sales and buys.

John Ehlers gave us a new travel website, msdewey.com.

Meeting ended about 3:45 p.m. after our usual drawing for a prize.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

May 17, 2007

John Ehlers, Program Chairman, opened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. Sixteen members were present. After telling us the joke of the month, he showed us a website for another game. It is called hondo magic and you can get to it at the following website: www.hondomagic.com/html/a_little_magic.htm.

Our featured speaker was Caleb Lim, who has his office at Pedersen Realty, 1163 Main Street, Morro Bay, CA 93442. He discussed a number of free software programs that are available on the internet. He recommended a cleaner software called Ccleaner. The website is: www.ccleaner.com. It cleans out temporary files, cookies, and registry, a general cleaning of junk stuff. Caleb found it to be the fastest and most efficient, and it is free. Everything you do on the computer goes into the registry so it is important to keep it cleaned of unnecessary items. It's the operating system's history. Also, it is important to do backups from time to time to protect your work. Do backups before you defrag.

Another program that is free is Avast Home Edition. This is an anti-virus program that Caleb feels is far superior to Norton and MacAfee. It integrates with Outlook Express. Since you cannot have more than one anti-virus program on your computer, you have to choose between MacAfee, Norton and Avast. Caleb believes the latter, Avast, is the No. 1 anti-virus program and a number of large companies are using it now. This program checks both incoming and outgoing e-mail. You can find more about it at http://www.avast.com.

Another program available on the internet is: www.faststone.org. This is similar to Photo shop but free and quicker. It is a photo viewer and can resize photos.

A safety suggestion - Caleb prefers to leave blank the inset that says “remember my password” located in the window where you type in your password when you first go on line. It is safer to just type in your password each time you turn on your computer. Some spyware knows just where to look for this information in your processor.

For questions or follow up to some of the programs mentioned, you can reach Caleb Lim at his business phone: 772-5657.

After many questions and discussions, our program ended at about 3:45 p.m., after which a drawing was held for a prize.

Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

 February 15, 2007

Mark Ratto started the meeting at 2:05. 23 members were present. His subject was more about Internet Explorer 7. How to download, etc. He recommended that you should first defragment your computer and delete cookies.

Before starting, where instructions say, “save” or “run,” click on save. Also, keep a log of the steps you take to upload program. Advantages of new upgrade IE7: It has improved security and has more tool bar area for selections to add to your favorites or much used icons.

Mark demonstrated how to use various “help” features and set program up to your preference. Some people may find the program may cause other problems to your computer and you may want to try it and then we can discuss problems anyone might have at the next meeting.

Mark Kramer demonstrated using the Turbo Tax program for 2006. Many people find this easy to follow and he showed us how to proceed.

Meeting ended at 3:50 p.m. after the usual drawing for prizes.


Martha Daughhetee, Secretary

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