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PUSH Articles - May 2024

A Low-Battery Alarm App for Apple Portables John Krout (approx. 1223 words). John reviews the Don't Let Me Die app (Google & Apple). He includes a QR code at the end of his article for readers to quickly find it.

AI – What Next? Tom Burt (approx. 1346 words). Tom's article covers Intel's new Core Ultra and Xeon chips with onboard support for AI, plus his question – What is ARM doing?

Another Day. Another Scam Don't Fall for it. Kurt Jefferson (approx. 356 words). The USPS scam.

Another Look at Artificial Intelligence, Joel Ewing (approx. 2111 words). Thoughts about AI from two discussion groups Joel belongs to

Apps You Run on Your Computer are ".eve" files Jim Cerny (approx. 579 words). Your device runs "apps," a term short for "applications." Although apps can run on any device, to keep it simple, let's look at how an "app" runs on a Windows computer (almost the same on any device).

Backup Tools and Procedures Tom Burt (approx. 1916 words). It's been a few years since I've written about backups. The backup landscape has changed somewhat, so it seemed a good time for an update.

Burned by Another Security Breach? Kurt Jefferson (approx. 355 words). Info about the AT&T breach.

Can Two Files Have the Same Name? Jim Cerny (approx. 487 words). It was the usual family gathering, and, as usual, Uncle Backup and Aunt Fowlder were arguing. Uncle Backup said no, and Aunt Fowlder said yes. Who's right?

Clean Your Dirty Laptop David Kretchmar (approx. 1024 words). After being used regularly for months or years, our laptops accumulate dust, grime, skin oils, sneezes, and who knows what else. David shows you how to turn into a shining, newly cleaned laptop: a joy to use.

Cyber Security David Kretchmar (approx. 1390 words). Review of Malwarebytes article.

Default Apps, Where and What are they? Phil Sorrentino (approx. 926 words). Default apps is a choice in the Apps section of Settings. This is where you can choose what Apps will be used for certain types of files.

Do You Use Two-Factor Authentication? Sorrentino (approx. 984 words). If not, you might want to consider it for specific accounts if it is offered.

Does the Control Panel still exist? Phil Sorrentino (approx. 990 words). Good question. When Settings appeared in Windows 8 in 2012, it looked like Microsoft may have been laying the groundwork for moving most of the Control Panel features over to Settings.

Exploring Linux, A Backup Solution for Linux Systems (approx. 685 words). While several disk imaging programs are available to back up Linux systems, very few feature a GUI: enter Foxcclone.

Firefox Browser – What is new and improved Jasmine Blue D'Katz (approx. 470 words). Firefox constantly receives updates with new features and improvements, so some new features might depend on which version you are using. The article has some noteworthy features that were recently added to Firefox.

Getting Ready for Winter Photography Lynda Buske (Approx. 521 words) While winter photography might take a bit more prep time regarding what to wear, it is well worth the effort to take advantage of a completely different environment from summer.

HEIC File Type – Should I care about this file type? Phil Sorrentino (approx. 1003 words). HEIC is the name of the file format Apple uses for images taken with an iPhone or iPad. It is a more efficient format than JPEG because it is created in a smaller image.

Hit the Streets! Linda Buske (approx. 519 words). Street photography features subjects in candid situations in public places. Linda's article has tips about this topic.

How Not to Remove Win11 MS Copilot Preview John Krout (Approx. 1394 words) Automatic installation of un-requested software is a behavior that I do not favor.

How to Find Files Al Williams (approx. 2089 words). Have you ever wanted to find a file but couldn't remember where you put it? Or perhaps you couldn't remember all of the file names? Al reviews Everything.

LibreOffice Basic Programming using ChatGPT Alan German (approx. 813 words). Alan has a list of topics covered over the past three years and wanted to automate the main ODT index file. He saw a YouTube video of an individual using ChatGPT to create computer code in a number of programming languages and thought it would be worth a shot to see if he could use ChatGPT to develop the code for my macro.

Microsoft Windows 11 Copilot: How not to remove it John Krout (approx. 1394 words). I do not favor the automatic installation of unrequested software. On February 17, MS forced a double-whammy on my Win 11 desktop computer.

My Smartphone, My Friend Greg Skalka (approx. 1281 words). Greg got his first smartphone, a low-cost ($150) Samsung Balaxy J3, in 2017. It wasn't that powerful, and he was a bit apprehensive about this new device, so he used it mainly for phone calls, texts, and select apps. Over time, the benefits became so compelling that he made that bargain with the Google devil and accepted being tracked in exchange for its navigation capabilities.

Online Grocery Shopping Tom Burt (approx. 1005 words). Tips from Tom for his recurring weekly activities include provisioning his larder with sufficient food to sustain him for all the activities of retiree life in Sun City.

Pack your bags! Linda Buske (approx. 282 words). Tips from Linda.

Patching My PC with Patch My PC Alan German (approx. 592 words). With the demise of both Secunia's Personal Security Inspector and Software Update Monitor, Alan needed an app to keep his programs up to date. He reviews Patch My PC (my favorite/JT).

Printing your photos Linda Buske (approx. 619 words). Despite our digital world, it is nice sometimes to print a photo that you can stick on your fridge, display on your wall, or even frame and give as a gift. Some tips from Linda.

Private Browsing: Is it all it's cracked up to be? Chris Taylor (approx. 494 words). For over 10 years, web browsers have offered private browsing, designed to keep your browsing—well—private. Does it prevent all tracking? Read Chris' article to find out.

Really, really deleting files Chris Taylor (approx. 837 words). When you delete a file in Windows, the actual on-disk data is not removed. It has been moved to the Recycle Bin, where we can recover it. What happens when we delete everything in the Recycle Bin?

Recover Your Wi-Fi Password David Kretchmar(Approx. 615 words) Computer users often seek technical support when they cannot access the Internet via their home wireless system.

Rescuzilla – A Flexible Backup Solution Alan German (approx. 1020 words). Alan has used Macrium Reflect's free edition for many years and greatly prefers Linux over Windows. Alan reviews Rescuezilla.

Starlink – It may be in your future, Phil Sorrentino (approx. 1059 words). Starlink is a satellite constellation built and operated by SpaceX, currently providing internet access coverage to over 52 countries using a low-earth orbit. Phil's articles cover more about Starlink.

The Artificial Intelligence Explosion, an ever-changing topic Jim Cerny and Hewie Poplock (approx. 846 words). Many people see the AI revolution as bringing huge benefits. This article includes a list of free AI internet sites and shows the results of your inquiries.

Three very short articles Kurt Jefferson – Unplug your laptop. The battery will thank you. Save Your Apple Watch Battery. Spring Cleaning: Organize Your Desk.

To Charge or Not to Charge? (That's Only One of Many Questions) Greg Skalka (approx. 1453 words). We have many batteries in our lives because we use many battery-powered technology. Is charging battery-powered devices fairly straightforward? Learn more about this in Greg's article.

Two-Factor Authorization Fiasco Greg Skalka (approx. 1586 words). What is 2FA, and should you use it?

Unchecky: A Review Jasmine Blue D'Katz (approx. 462 words). As it says, A Review.

Using the Windows Start Button, Jim Cerny (approx. 641 words). The "start" button on Windows is a very useful way to access your computer's apps or controls. Left-click—right-click they both help us.

Using Zoom for Meetings Joel Ewing (approx. 1378 words). Zoom tips & tricks.

Verify the Safety of Websites Terry Harvey (approx. 244 words). Verifying the safety and legality of a website is crucial for online security. Terry gives us steps to follow.

Where to Get E-Books Tom Burt (approx. 760 words). As we approach summer, the e-book format makes it easy for us to find the right title, purchase it, download it to a book reader, smartphone, or tablet, and read it. Oops, things aren't quite that simple.

Why I am a morning person Linda Buske (approx. 519 words). Linda's article discusses the non-technical advantages of shooting pre-dawn rather than post-sunset.

YouTube as a Knowledge Resource Tom Burt (approx. 932 words). This article has a few examples of YouTube videos that quickly convey helpful knowledge in an audiovisual format.

YouTube, an Online Video Sharing Service Ron Sherwood (approx. 962 words). Learning via YT.
Cautionary Tale David Kretchmar (Approx. 797 words). Regaining control of a Yahoo Mail account

A Conversation with BARD Art Gresham (Approx. 1473 words). Many other AI systems exist, with more being made available, evolving, and moving into new areas of applications.

AI Poems Bill James (Approx. 452 words)

Beware of Auto-Pays Jim Cerny (Approx. 482 words). It sounds great, doesn't it? Don't bother sending us a check every month - put us on "auto-pay." We will charge your credit card or get a payment from your bank account every month, so you don't have to do anything.

Forth Programs Dick Maybach (Approx. 986 words). As computers have evolved, they have become remarkably cheap, which has affected how we use them and how their software is developed. This article is a brief look at the Forth language.

Interesting Internet Finds -February (339 words)

Interesting Internet Finds - March (348 words)

Interesting Internet Finds - April Costello (403 words)

KIM-1 Dick Maybach (Approx. 959 words). The KIM-1 (Keyboard Input Monitor) was a single-board "computer" launched in 1976 based on the MOS technology 6502 processor. Calling KIM-1 a computer was generous and misleading by today's standards - the $245 price would be equivalent to about $1200 today. Learn more about this 'primitive computer' in this article.

Learning Technology Today Jim Cerny (Approx. 619 words). In the ancient computer days, ten or so years ago, learning technology was very different than it is today. Before the dreaded COVID days of isolation, classroom settings were very popular for learning technology. During COVID, training went to online sessions.

Live Package Tracking Comes to Gmail Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 202 words). Learn about Mashable reports.

Make Your Batteries Last Longer Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 358 words). Batteries operate our cell phones, tablets, laptops, landline phones, flashlights, wireless mice, trackballs, some trackpads, EV cars, and many more items. But as all of us know-batteries die.

Making the Case for a Better Case Greg Skalka (Approx. 1910 words). If we have nice things, we should want to protect them. We all have a lot of things in our lives that we value and don't want to lose; we all want to protect the nice things we have.

Personal Computer Security Dick Maybach (Approx. 1037 words). Home users must manage three types of security: Information, Application, and network security. Only a small portion of your data, such as passwords and credit card numbers, is sensitive and needs special protection = encrypted backups.

Photo Files - JPG Format Jim Cerny (Approx. 508 words). We all take and enjoy photos. Our handy smartphones have great cameras, and we can take photos anytime and anyplace. The most popular file format for storing photos is "jpg" or "jpeg. So what exactly is a "jpg" file, and why we should have to know anything about it?

Reflections on the PC Environment Dick Maybach (Approx. 1329 words). A trip down memory lane. The PC world was far simpler when I began writing PC tech columns in 1982. Many of us relied on diskettes for storage; if we had a hard disk, it held only a few hundred megabytes. Software was distributed on diskettes, and its box usually contained a manual. The situation is far different today.

"Save" or "Save As"? Jim Cerny (Approx. 735 words). Suppose you are editing a document in Word, and now you need to save your changes - should you use the "File" menu choice of "Save" or "Save As"? And what's the difference anyway?

Smartphone Wireless Connections - Help Keep Us Connected Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 980 words). The smartphone is a wireless marvel. You may not have thought about your smartphone in this way, but it may be able to connect to up to five different wireless networks.

Stranded Alaskan Snowmobiler Saved by iPhone's Emergency SOS Via Satellite Feature Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 484 words). Have you enabled your SOS feature?

Taking Notes with Xournal Dick Maybach (Approx. 703 words). We all have our preferences for taking informal notes. If you prefer handwritten text and sketching graphics, you might like an application that supports this, such as Xournal.

Tech Magazines, now Websites Dick Maybach (Approx. 689 words). When PCs arrived in the 80s, bookstores were full of hobbyist magazines, such as PC Magazine, PC World, and Dr. Dobbs Journal. Now, most PC users consider their devices to be appliances rather than hobby equipment, and magazines have disappeared.

Tech Up in Smoke Greg Skalka (Approx. 1583 words). Cooking has been an important element on humanity's path to civilization. In addition to warmth and light, the mastery of fire brought the ability to heat food and drink. Fast forward to technology with microwaves, B-B-Qs, smokers, etc.

Use StoryGraph to Find the Books You Want to Read Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 470 words). If you are constantly searching for a good book, you might want to check out a new app called StoryGraph. It's a competitor to Amazon-owned Goodreads.

U.S. Airport Free Internet Wi-Fi Speeds Compared Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 508 words). Tis the season for traveling by air. If you are stopping at one of the 60 busiest airports in the U.S., now might be the time to check out how wireless Internet speeds stack up at the different airports.

Weekly Meal Planner and Shopping List Tom Burt (Approx. 918 words). This month I want to share a simple tool my wife and I use to plan each week's meals and set up the supporting grocery shopping list. We're getting on in years and eat most of our meals at home. The Word document we use makes it easy to get the job done.

What is Electricity Art Gresham (Approx. 1307 words). Several months ago, I read an article on the Internet about the First Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable. Significantly, it was a failure. Along with ChatGPT, Art found a somewhat simplified but accurate set of questions and answers.

Why You Need to Keep Your Browser Updated Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 272 words). When was the last time you updated your web browser? If it's been longer than a few weeks, you should check to see if an update awaits installation.

Windows Drivers - Some Experience Required Bob Woords (Approx. 782 words). Having retired after 20 years from the US Navy Submarine Service, I spent the next 22 years with Northrup Grumman in the IT department. He was a Windows desktop support tech and a server analyst keeping 120 Windows servers patched. He was recently reminded that what may be business as usual for me may not be easy for others. This article covers his steps for getting a laptop ready before he donated to his user group.

Windows 10 and 11 - Differences in Security, Features, and Looks Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1159 words). We know Win 10 is not the last version; maybe Win 11 will be, but he's not taking any bets.

Windows 11 Virtual Memory Space Configuration John Krout (Approx. 1130 words. OS virtual memory supports multitasking. It has become more important because the software has grown larger, and digital data types like audio, photos, and video have grown. As a result, both have grown even faster than RAM.

PUSH Articles - June 2023

A Mighty Mite External SSD David Kretchmar (Approx. 775 words). David received a mystery package one day and couldn't remember what it was. It turned out to be a very small 1TB SSD from Newegg - he had volunteered to review it.

ChatGPT is a chatbot - Maybe you've heard about it Sorrentino (Approx. 1107 words). ChatGPT is one of the latest examples of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday activities. It is a website that is built to answer questions, kind of like Google. (A website like this, which answers users' queries with human-like responses, is typically termed a chatbot. Chatbot is defined as a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet.)

Customizing Your Windows 11 Desktop Tom Burt (Approx. 781 words). Win 11 usage steadily increases as more users upgrade from Windows 10 or buy a new PC with Windows 1 pre-installed. This article offers a few configuration options for making the Win 11 desktop more to your liking. Burt touches on various settings, mainly in the Personalization area.

How Do I Love Three - Let Count the Wyze, Greg Skalka (Approx. 1411 words). Greg gets up early every day (4:30 am) to get ready for work. No matter what the season is, it's dark in his house, and his wife is still sleeping. He wants to be able to safely walk down the stairs without turning on the lights. Enter Wyze's small strip lights.

If You YouTube, Part 2 Ron Sherwood (Approx. 603 words). How to for the YouTube controls at the bottom of a video.

Interesting Internet Finds - 10-22 Steve Costello - While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, Steve often encounters things that might interest other user group members. He compiles them once a month.

Interesting Internet Finds - 11-22 Steve Costello

Interesting Internet Finds - 12-22 Steve Costello

Internet Security-Once over easy, with Hash Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1036 words). The Internet is essential to so many things we do, like shopping, investing, and banking, that you may have wondered how secure the Internet is. And additionally, how secure is my private information during an Internet transaction?

Like or Subscribe - What do they do Jim Cerny (Approx. 697 words). You're browsing the Internet, maybe viewing some videos, and you always seem to see the words "Like" or "Subscribe" on your screen, Have you wondered what they do?

Missing a Drive Letter? - This might help Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1012 words). When you plug a portable or external drive into a computer USB port, you expect the drive to be immediately available. Phil explains what happens when you plug it into your PC.

Modern-Day Bonnie and Clydes Are Trying to Steal Your Identity and Your Money Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 1201 words). Modern Bonnie and Clydes don't rob banks, it's too much work. Instead, they steal personal data from computers, phones, and tablets.

Popular Email App Undergoes Major Overhaul With Complete Redesign Due in 2023 Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 687 words). Hate your email app? Consider switching. One option is Thunderbird, a major player that's been around for years. The overhaul should be finished by July.

Save Money, Buy Your Own Wi-Fi Gear Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 726 words). Prices are slowly coming down, but it still pays to economize. One of the best ways to save money is by not paying your Internet provider to lease their equipment.

So Long LastPass - Hello NordPass Bob Woods (Approx. 1074 words). A review of the NordPass password app.

Tech Travels Times Two Greg Skalka (Approx. 1427 words). 2022 was a disaster of a year for Greg. Most of his vacation time from work was used up on random days taken to solve one life problem or another. His son invited him to take a trip with him; find out how Greg used his tech stuff during the trip.

The Russians are Coming David Kretchmar (Approx. 512 words). As Russia's invasion of Ukraine rinds on, it becomes increasingly like Russia will intensify cyberattacks on perceived enemies - beware.

Time to Replace Your Computer? Do this first Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 937 words). To most of us, replacing our computer is a double-edged sword. First is the joy of expecting to take advantage of newer, faster hardware and software, and then there's the challenge of the unknown.

Windows 11 Accessibility Features Introduction Tom Burt (Approx. 714 words). Tom's article looks into a collection of Windows 11 settings called the Accessibility features. They are aimed at helping users who have various challenges, such as impaired vision or hearing, etc.

Windows 11 File Explorer - Still the Keys to the Kingdom Sorrentino (974 words).docx The first time I wrote about (Windows) Explorer was way back in 2009 when we were using the Windows 7 Operating System (OS). Then, I realized that (Windows) Explorer was the "Keys to the Kingdom."

Without a Manual, Can Understanding be Automatic? Greg Skalka (Approx. 1521 words). Oh, for the days of having a manual to go along with devices.

Wyzedom - The Wisdom of Battery-Operated Products Greg Skalka (Approx. 1561 words). Batteries are the new normal. Throughout history, humans have found different ways to power their devices, such as animals, burning fuels like coal and oil. We must transition to low- or carbon-free energy to reduce climate change. As we move to an all-electric world, we will need more electricity, batteries, and some good strategies for charging and disposition of those batteries.

YouTube, an Online Video Sharing Service, Part 1 Ron Sherwood (Approx. 421 words) YouTube is an online video-sharing service currently owned by Google. An overview of using YouTube.

PUSH Articles - October 2022

Help Desk Jim Cerny (501 words)Sometimes you just need a quick word of help or options to consider using your tech devices or apps. Our "Help Desk" meets every month the second Wednesday after our regular monthly

A Cautionary Tale of Cloud-Based Apps Joel Ewing (Approx. 2403 words). Insteon Home Automation - Around 2014, Joel started using Insteon home automation devices to control some plug-in electrical around his house. This article is about his adventures with Insteon.

A Tour of the Yahoo Finance Website, Part 1, Tom Burt (Approx. 1166 words). Among my various activities for the Computer Club, I moderate the Internet Investing SIG. A key part of those meetings is looking at the financial markets and also individual stocks and funds. My favorite website for doing that is the Yahoo Finance site: https://finance.yahoo.com. I also use Yahoo Finance extensively to track my stock and fund holdings and follow other stocks and funds I'm interested in. This month and next, we'll tour the Yahoo Finance site.

A Tour of the Yahoo Finance Website, Part 2, Tom Burt (Approx. 1051 words). Yahoo Finance Portfolios - A Yahoo Finance portfolio is a named list of stocks, bonds, funds, or options. You can create lists of securities you own or watch, usually with some interest in buying or possibly short selling. A portfolio is displayed as a table with either a Yahoo pre-defined view or a custom view you created. A View specifies a set of data columns whose values will be displayed for each security row of the table. You can enter multiple lots bought at different times and prices for a portfolio of securities you own.

Android Apps on Windows 11 - Well, I'll be! Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1046 words). Many apps that run on Androidsmartphones and tablets may soon be running on Windows 11 machines. As of February 2022, only in the US are Android apps available for Windows. A new addition to Windows 11, "Windows Subsystem for Android," will enable
your Windows 11 device to run Android applications that are available in the Amazon App store. That may sound a bit confusing since Apps for Windows usually come from the Microsoft store. Be that as it may, this feature may eventually prove useful.

Are Free Public Phone Charging Stations Safe? Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 760 words). iPhone or Android smartphone's battery is draining fast, and the battery power is down to single digits. Furthermore, the battery icon has just turned from green to red, meaning your phone is nearly drained. Soon it will be as useless as an electric kettle in a cave.

Backup, Dick Maybach (Approx. 1257 words). Life is constantly changing, meaning we should occasionally review our habits to see if they are still appropriate, and this is true for PC backups. So let's take a high-level look at the subject. Your situation is undoubtedly different from mine, and your approaches will most likely differ. Two basic backup techniques are copying the entire disk (cloning) and file-by-file.

Bluetooth Adapters - Do I need one? Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 954 words). The short answer is no if all your devices have Bluetooth incorporated in them, but yes, if you have a non-Bluetooth device that you would like to use with other Bluetooth devices. A Bluetooth adapter allows a non-Bluetooth device to work with a Bluetooth device. The adapter does this by providing Bluetooth electronics for the non-Bluetooth device. Bluetooth is a wireless communications standard for interconnecting electronic devices

Buying a New Computer, David Kretchmar (Approx. 1082 words) From time to time, every computer specialist is asked, "What computer should I buy?" The answer is usually, "What do you intend to do with it, and how much can you afford?" This article addresses the major decisions required if you are buying a new computer.

Cheaper to Buy than Build? David Kretchmar (Approx. 769 words) Many experts suggest you replace a computer about every six years. Usually, by the time a computer is six years old, it is nearing the end of its useful life or at least is in danger of becoming unreliable. At some point in our relationship with any computer, the machine will slow and begin to test our patience. Unfortunately, users will often tolerate a system's sluggishness for far too long rather than deal with the hassle of setting up a new computer, even if they can reasonably afford a new system.

"Default" apps or programs in Windows, Jim Cerny (Approx. 682 words). In case you forgot, "default" means: "This is what you get until you change it to something else." Computer technology is full of defaults (you may have heard the term "default settings").

Desktop Publishing, Dick Maybach (Approx. 1140 words). Modern word processors have extensive formatting capabilities, but if you produce posters, newsletters, or brochures, you may need a competent desktop publishing program such as Scribus, https://www.scribus.net/. You begin with the text, created by a word processor, and graphics, created by a graphics program, and use the desktop publisher to organize them into a poster, leaflet, or newsletter. Scribus is free and open-source; you can easily experiment with it to see if it fits your needs.

Experts: DON'T Charge Your Smartphone or Tablet Overnight - Your Battery Will Thank You, Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 739 words) Many of us who own iPhones, iPads, Android phones, or similar devices charge them while we sleep. So, as we're napping, our phones and tablets slowly charge their batteries. Then, when we awake, we're ready to take on the day, and so are the devices on which we depend-ready with a 100% charge.

Fixing a Nasty Computer Hack, David Kretchmar (Approx. 886 words). I recently completed a repair on a club member's computer after he allowed a "helpful" technical representative, probably from the other side of the world, to remotely access his computer. Unfortunately, the victim in this case apparently failed to read or heed my article in the November 2021 Gigabyte Gazette (warning that these types of scams were becoming increasingly prevalent.

Flatpaks with Linux Mint, Cal Esneault (Approx. 353 words). Linux software is installed using pre-compiled "packages." The traditional method, called dynamic packaging, separately installs the main application and additional supporting sub-components ("dependencies). Mint uses the Debian package management system and provides a graphical Software Manager program to help users install new software. To minimize developer efforts, new software versions usually only appear at two-year intervals (note: security and bug fixes appear as soon as they are available).

Free Music with Freegal, Tom Burt (Approx. 727 words). One of my occasional Computer Club seminars touches on the many electronic resources available for free via the Las Vegas / Clark County library website. (One of those resources I briefly review is a service called Freegal (short for Free and legal). This article gives you an overview of Freegal, which has an extensive collection of music tracks and albums you can play. They also allow you to download up to 6 tracks per week for free. You might want to check to see if Freegal is available at your library.

Freshly Squeezed Review: Podcasts That Uncover Buried Treasure Frank Petrie (Approx. 565 words). In this review, I want to tell you about three podcasts I have found indispensable. They range in length anywhere from 7 minutes to 15 minutes. However, they have in common one thing: revealing hidden, extremely productive features cloaked in Apple's apps. Features turn what you thought was a basic, mundane, unimaginative app into a tiny, powerful gem.

Freshly Squeezed Reviews: Anker Conf 200 Webcam Frank Petrie (Approx. 823 words). Because of our situation over the past several years, virtual meetings have become mainstream faster than anyone could have hoped, be it for professional conferencing, personal hook-ups, or family gatherings. As a result, webcams that were already at a premium skyrocketed in the blink of an eye.

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello - May

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello - June

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello - July

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello - August

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello - September

Internet Tips and Tricks - Can you live without it? Jim Cerny (Approx. 629 words). Ah, the Internet - gateway to the world, endless knowledge, the master of all trivia, hot breaking news, entertainment, and boundless exploration. We all enjoy the Internet for many reasons. So, let's explore and review some of the basics of the Internet so we can enjoy using it even more.

Intro to IP Addresses and Port Numbers, John Krout (Approx. 1969 words). Much of what we all do with computers is based on communication with other computers through a digital network. Email, web browsing and streaming video are three of many examples. All that communication is based on Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and a related concept called port numbers. This article will explain those concepts and how the device which provides your home Wi-Fi, called a router, plays a critical role in digital network communication.

Is Your Life Boring? Spice it Up By Becoming a Victim of Scammers and Thieves! Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 516 words). If you're bored to tears, why not put more excitement into your life by becoming a victim? Follow the tips below, and you're sure to find yourself quite busy as you try and dig yourself out of trouble. But at least you won't be bored!

It's time to learn more about your iPhone Clock, Jim Cerny (Approx. 718 words). Most of us have and use an iPhone, and it comes with a great and straightforward app called simply "clock." The app icon looks like an actual clock, and the app icon itself shows you the correct time. So, let's open the "clock" app and see what it can do for us.

Microsoft Windows in "S Mode," Paul Baecker (Approx. 531 words). Someone recently asked me for my opinion on a sale-priced laptop at a local store and whether I'd recommend its purchase. An HP laptop with an Intel i5 CPU with a Passmark rating of 691, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, 17" screen, Windows 11, backlit keyboard, and full HD display. A decently powered mobile PC on sale for only $399 was advertised as "$300 off their regular price." What could be wrong with this selection?

Most of Us Get It Wrong: Not Just Teenagers Depend Upon the Internet, Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 547 words). 70% of seniors are now online and using technology, reports the World Economic Forum in July 2019. Yet, when it comes to the Internet, the website claims it's - No Longer Just For the Young.

Most Wished-For New Tech, Greg Skalka (Approx. 1227 words). We seem to have so much technology in our lives - how could we want more? But, I'm writing this on President's Day, and I wonder, if George Washington could be transported in time to today, would he be able to cope in our world? Beyond the social and economic changes he would face, would he be able to deal with our technology? Cars, trains, airplanes, radio, TV, cell phones, space travel, nuclear bombs - would he be able to understand any of it, or would he want to hide up in a cherry tree? There is a saying: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Personal Computer Databases-An Overview, Tom Burt (Approx. 1177 words). I've spent much of my career in software development, working with various database programs, including a stint at Ashton-Tate / Borland as Director of the dBase development team. For this month's Tech Notes discussion, we'll do an overview of what database technology is available for regular personal computer users. Interestingly, some of the best database programs are free. The tradeoff is that you have to invest some time learning how to use them.

https://www.slobytes.org/push/1022/index.html Power Basics, Dick Maybach (Approx. 1040 words). Electrical power is remarkably reliable, especially considering that much of the system is exposed to the elements and sometimes wildlife. On the rare occasions when it does fail, it will be helpful if you know a bit about it. Troubleshooting by candlelight is seldom quick, and ignorance won't make it faster.

QR Code Scams - Be careful where you point that smartphone Phil Sorrentino (1177 words)

Saved by Macrium Reflect-How I recovered from a Driver Disaster, Tom Burt (Approx. 1291 words). For several years, I have used the free Macrium Reflect backup software program (https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree)to back up my PC's hard drives. My PC has a 500 GB solid-state drive (C:) and a 1 TB hard drive (E:). C: is for the Windows operating system, user profile folders, installed applications, temp storage, and a few other file types that benefit from the high performance of the SSD. E: is for storing all the data files that various programs use and for cross-network backup of various shared folders on my wife's PC.

Streaming Surpasses Cable TV as the Way Most People Watch Television, Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 594 words). More people are streaming TV shows and movies for the first time rather than watching cable TV programs. In fact, the total time spent viewing streaming services in July soared nearly 23% over one year ago.

TECH-NO-PHOBIA - are YOU a VICTIM YET? Jim Cerny (Approx. 638 words). How did all this happen so quickly? Some days I feel like I am left in the dust behind the high-speed train technology. Yes, I am glad technology is progressing. We all benefit from the advances in health care, safety, entertainment, and portability. But there is a downside too. What do you find overwhelming about technology? Let's compare some everyday things from the past to today's latest internet-connected mega-optioned computer-controlled devices.

Timeshift Rescue, Cal Esneault (Approx. 368 words). Any software update involving a PC operating system (OS) has the possibility of causing serious issues. Therefore, Linux Mint added a default OS backup application called "Timeshift." In 2019, Mint started assuming you were using this program so that it could release updates without previous complicated warning messages. After installing Mint 20.3, I set the weeklyTimeshift backup schedule with retention of only the latest three images to save disk space. A review of the Timeshift log at the time of an incident is shown below.

Ventoy, Dick Maybach (Approx. 1039 words). Some years ago, Linux live CD-ROMs appeared. When these were mounted on a PC, it would boot directly from them and not require access to the hard disk. Later we saw live DVDs and then live USB memory sticks and SD cards. A limitation was that each distribution used an entire storage device. Ventoy, https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html, which is available for Windows and Linux, removes this restriction. In this article, I'll cover what Ventoy does, how to set it up, and how you can use it.

What Makes a Great Organization Great? Jim Cerny (659 words) Most "non-profit" organizations exist to help others. They help in the community and have a mission and goals. Although I am writing this article for the members of our organization, the Sarasota Technical Users Group, I hope this article will benefit many members of other organizations and yours too

Wi-Fi Hotspot and USB Tether, John Krout (Approx. 1281 words). Many environments do not provide either reliable Wi-Fi or high-speed Wi-Fi. In those environments, some find that the only way to provide internet access for a computer is to enable a smartphone to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Windows 11 OneDrive and a Microsoft Account-An Offer You Can't Refuse? David Kretchmar (Approx. 632 words). OneDrive is cloud storage that is built into the Windows 11 operating system. Microsoft has integrated OneDrive more closely into Windows 11 than Windows 10, presumably to get more users onboard with what OneDrive offers. In this article, I'm not going to get into the "nuts and bolts" of the operation of OneDrive in Windows 11 but discuss some advantages of using OneDrive, and hopefully convince users who have not taken advantage of this feature to consider it.

PUSH Articles - March 2022

A Common Computer Problem and How to Fix It
Mark Presky (Approx. 435 words). Over the years, computer hard drives have gotten larger and larger. But programs and the other files we load onto our computers have also gotten larger and more numerous. Eventually, this often becomes a problem when one's computer starts running slower or informs you that it just cannot hold anymore.

Adios Dashlane: Hello Keeper!

Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 616 words). After using Dashlane for many years, I stopped using the popular password manager. Why? The company decided to no longer support its desktop app on either Mac or Windows.

Adventures with Apple and AppleCare Support
Gabe Goldberg (Approx. 631 words). Having collected several Apple devices -- my and wife's iPhones/iPads, my Apple Watch, three HomePod Minis -- plus six outlets controlled by the Home app -- I've also collected a (very) few gripes, frustrations, irritations, and wishes:

And the Scams Just Keep Coming
David Kretchmar (Approx. 592 words). If you are on the phone with some nice, polite person who asks you to download some software onto your computer that will allow them to remotely fix something that has been a problem, please think twice about it. Then do not do it. The chances are high that you are dealing with a scammer trying to get financial and personal data about you.

Asking Google is so easy and convenient
Jim Cerney (Approx. 645 words). Everyone enjoys learning IF it is a fun and helpful experience. For example, if you get a new car with all those electronic options, it can be fun learning those which will keep you safer and otter a more pleasant driving experience.

The AX6 Wireless Router
David Kretchmar (Approx. 952 words). Could a new wireless router featuring the latest 802.11AX (Wi-Fi 6) protocol solve internet connection issues in your home?

Classic Hardware
Greg Skalka (Approx. 1101 words). Everything that is old wants to be a classic - an outstanding example, something of lasting worth, or having timeless quality. New things must stand the test of time to be considered classics, though classic is somewhat subjective.

Review - Enacfire A9 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
George Harding (Approx. 189 words). These earbuds include active noise cancellation and smart noise-detect mics that distinguish ambient noises and offset them before they reach the ear.

Everyone Should Know These TOP-15 Tech Essentials for Windows
Jim Cerny (Approx. 508 words). We get comfortable on our sofa while technology keeps marching on. Here is what I would consider being the absolute BASIC knowledge you need to enjoy your Windows computer

Exploring Your Windows PC
Dick Maybach (Approx. 1272 Words). Becoming familiar with your PC is like becoming familiar with a foreign city. You can read a book about it or visit it, but it is far better to do both; a visit gives you first-hand views of the landscape that you aren't likely to forget, and a book helps you understand what they mean. Dick's article takes us through various ways to explore our Windows 10 pc.

Gave Up My Mouse Long Ago and I'm Happy I Did
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 704 words). The article in Gizmodo doesn't mince words with the headline: "With its big roly-poly ball and huge hand rest, the venerable trackball mouse looks like a holdover from 1996. Or maybe 1946 - that's the first time a trackball was used as an input device in a computer," writes Alex Cranz in his 2017 article.

Hackers, Thieves, and Creeps - The Bad Guys are Working Hard to Get Your Money
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 745 words). If Cher ever decides to rework her major 1971 hit single, Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, she may want to rename it, Jackers, Thieves, and Creeps to reflect today's ongoing Internet security battles.

Inkjet Printer Ink Cartridges
Jeff Wilkinson (Approx. 703 words). There are two methods of ink deposition that are widely used in household inkjet printers: thermal bubble and piezoelectric.

Interesting Internet Finds October 2021
Steve Costello (Approx. 481 words). As usual, Steve has many interesting topics he thinks our members will be interested in.

Interesting Internet Finds November 2021
Steve Costello(Approx. 419 words)

Interesting Internet Finds December 2021
Steve Costello(Approx. 398 words)

An Internet Safety Guide for Seniors
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 448 words). "The Internet can be a scary place, especially if you are old enough to be able to remember dialing a rotary telephone!.. begins the website from Safety Detectives. But, in reality, age doesn't matter. Anyone using the Internet is a target. EXCELLENT resource for your members./JT

Keeping Records Helps Organize Computer Maintenance
Gabe Goldberg (Approx. 376 words). Gabe's background is enterprise computing, having worked in a high-tech company's data center and for a vendor selling software to organizations large/medium/small. So it's second nature to me - a habit developed over his career - to keep records of changes he makes to computer hardware and software, even when it is his PC.

KVM Virtual Machines
Dick Maybach (Approx. 1756 words). For years, Dick has used VirtualBox to manage virtual machines on his Linux system, but occasionally, Linux guests have had problems. Unfortunately, Oracle has said it doesn't have the resources to resolve this problem, which isn't surprising as they have far more customers using Windows.

Logic Game Apps for Android and iPhones
Dorothy Fitch (Approx. 73 words) Dorothy seems to have become addicted to logic games on her Kindle (and sometimes her phone). She guesses of all the possible addictions, this one would rank low in being troubling. However, these games can be time-consuming when she should be doing more productive things. So, she figures it might let her know if her mental faculties start to wane if she happens to notice.

Long For The Days Before the World Could View Your Home? Blur Your Home on Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Bing Maps
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 733 words). Remember the old days when almost no one knew your home's appearance except you, your neighbors, the property tax assessor, your letter carrier, and friends? Leap forward to today, and anyone can get a glimpse of your phone.

Make a Wi-Fi QR Code Using Android
John Krout (Approx. 1226 words). Instead of forcing family, friends, and user group members to type a long, convoluted password to access Wi-Fi, use your Android phone to make a QR code including the password, enabling all to connect by scanning the QR code.

Review - Nexar Beam Dash Cam
George Harding (Approx. 198 words). This product is useful and installs with minimum effort.

Recycling a PC
Dick Maybach (Approx. 1045 words). There are two issues to address when you decide to discard an old PC (1) finding somebody who wants it and (2) removing your data from it. The first is more difficult for older units but not impossible.

Right-Click Your Mouse, Best Shortcut Ever!
Jim Cerny (Approx. 552 words). If you are not familiar with the power of RIGHT-clicking your mouse, you are in for a great Windows tip to help you in almost every place on your computer.

Ripping Audio CDs Using MediaMonkey 5
Tom Burt (Approx. 1358 words). I first wrote about the MediaMonkey 4 media player/manager tool in October 2019. At that time, I was interested in MediaMonkey as a replacement for Apple's iTunes media player. I found it to be very capable, plus it had a free version that did everything I was looking for. It has recently been upgraded.

Scam Phone Calls Don't Have to Drive You Crazy
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 677 words). Years from now, when future generations look back on this era, they will probably shake their heads and wonder about all the bothersome phone calls many of us receive and wonder why we put up with this nonsense.

Shopping for a New Smartphone
Tom Burt (Approx. 1768 words). I have been looking at new smartphones for a few months, and now, with "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" sales in full force, it seemed like an interesting topic for a monthly column.

SLR Lens Evolution - Find out if your film SLR lenses will work when attached to a modern digital SLR body
John Krout (Approx.

Some Useful Technology
Jeff Wilkinson (Approx. 468 words). I recently decided to put music on our patio for an upcoming party. While we have an intercom station on the patio, the sound was not acceptable for music. So, I decided to upgrade.

Start a New Habit in '22 - Back Up!
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 438 words). As we start a new year, it is a great time to start a new habit - back up your PC or Mac data. It is easier than ever.

Talk, Text, Data - How much, and for how much?
Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1045 words). As you probably know by now, along with a smartphone comes a phone plan. This plan defines how you will be charged, by your Wireless provider, for using your phone.

Tech Terms You Need to Know
Jim Cerny (Approx. 649 words). One big challenge of technology is simply knowing what people are talking about. Words and acronyms are always to keep up with the latest tech advances. This article takes a look at a few terms YOU need to know.

Tech Travels 2.5
Greg Skalka (Approx. 131 words). My wife and I are back from another vacation trip, a week-long stay in northern Arizona to celebrate our anniversary. This comes not long after a week trip to Idaho in August to visit friends. Every time we travel, we can learn what tech techniques work when away from home and what does not. I thought I'd have everything worked out for the Arizona trip for smooth tech travels, having had the recent rehearsal on the Idaho trip. Things change, new experiences come up, and situations are different, however, so I always find something new to add to my list of tech travel do's and don'ts.

Tech Trials at Thirty-Six Thousand Feet
Greg Skalka (Approx. 1754 words). I am wiring this in a big metal tube speeding through the sky. We are finally on vacation, our first of 2021. My wife and I have anticipated this trip through the pandemic regulations, vaccinations, reduced restrictions, and more normalcy to reinstate limitations due to virus variants and insufficient insulation. We are repeating our vacation of a year ago in Idaho to visit friends and stay in their family cabin.

The Other Side of the Bitcoin
David Kretchmer (Approx. 1023 words). In the April 2021 edition of the Gigabyte Gazette, I contributed an article titled "Bitcoin - the New Gold?" I stated that "Gold and Bitcoin, as different as they are, both have characteristics of old investment vehicles and sound money." This article is about current protocols.

The Sunk Cost Facility
David Kretchmar (Approx. 838 words). In 2017, Richard Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions and behavioral economics. One of Thaler's main themes is that market-based economic models are incomplete.

The View from the End of the Year
Greg Skalka (Approx. 1235 words). 2021 was filled with ups and downs. Better in many ways than 2020, which introduced us to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also worse in some, this last year has been a deceiver.

Two if by Land, one if by Air
Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 973 words). Well, that may not quite be the famous quote "One if by land, two if by sea," that allowed Paul Revere to signal the patriots how the English army was coming. But the idea may be similar re how the Internet is connected to your home.

Waymo Self-Driving Cars
Jeff Wilkinson (Approx. 725 words). On a recent visit to San Francisco, we noticed Waymo cars on many downtown streets. At first, we thought it was part of Google maps since Waymo is an Alphabet company, Google's parent company. But after seeing multiple Waymo cars together, we, you guessed it, Googled it and found out it was a ridesharing service.

What Makes a Great Organization Great?
Jim Cerny, (Approx. 764 words). Most non-profit organizations exist to help others. Although Gabe is writing this article for the members of his organization, the Sarasota Technology Users Group. He hopes this article will benefit many members of other organizations and yours. It has to do with making things better - to help more people in more ways.

Where to Get E-Books
Tom Burt (Approx. 995 words). A perennial challenge is to find suitable for friends and family. Books have always been a popular choice. Now, with the maturing of the electronic book (e-book) format and industry, it should be easier than ever to find just the right title, purchase it and email a link for your giftee to use to access and read the book.

Who's Watching You?
Kurt Jefferson (Approx. 1192 words). More Internet users are relying on VPNs - apps called Virtual Private Networks - that keep your Internet activity from prying eyes - than ever before.

Windows 11 Compatibility - Things to Know
Tom Burt (Approx. 1427 words). On October 5, 2021, Microsoft officially released its newest Windows operating system, Windows 21. Based on Windows 10, Win 11 is a free upgrade to existing Win 10 users.

PUSH Articles - March 2022

PUSH Articles - October 2021 - 2

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These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Security Tips - February by David Shulman (Approx. 411 words). Facebook and Android users, Amazon Alexa, biometric security measure and more are included in this article.

Security Tips - March by David Shulman (Approx. 472 words). Smart home security and more in this article.

Smart Homes by Dan Douglas (Approx. 826 words). The most common starting point for setting up a smart home is to select a hub or main control point/device. Dan wrote this article after experiencing a lightning strike near his home.

Smart Phone Purchase by Andrew Cummings (Approx. 416 words). Recently, Andrew spent some time looking at new phones. There are many new features being introduced to phones, Andrew's article has a few points you should look for when buying a new phone.

Square Off Chessboard by George Harding (Approx. 227 words). For those of you that play chess, this is a product you will want to get.

To Discern the Truth by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1579 words). I have received my share of phishing emails and think I can spot them in most cases. I know enough to be suspicious and never click on links or open files sent to me, unless I am expecting them or have verified their authenticity. This month, however, I was part of a fake email scheme that I had not seen before. I was not the target; the fake emails were sent to others I have corresponded with. Fortunately, these were savvy tech users and it does not appear anyone was taken in by the scam.

Traveling with Electronics by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1123 words). When preparing for a trip, think carefully about what you really need. Every piece of gear you add is more weight to carry, another thing to protect, and another distraction from visiting or sightseeing.

Traveling With Your Devices (Computers) by Jim Cerny (Approx. 718 words). You are probably used to using your computer devices at home, but what about traveling?

Wi-Fi Security - Protect your communications; don't leave your Wi-Fi Open by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 836 words). Wi-Fi is all around us. In homes, libraries, airports, shopping centers, recreational places, houses of worship, just about everywhere. Wi-Fi is the first step in the complex way we get to the Internet.

Windows 10 May Update, Coming Soon to Your PC by Tom Burt (Approx. 754 words). The technical pundits are in full rhapsody over the upcoming release of the "first-half" 2019 release of Windows 10 (1902). Tom has included several links to 1903 articles.

Windows 10 Screen Capture Tools by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 629 words). The ability to capture an image of a whole computer screen or window has been around since the 1960's. From the Snipping Tool to Screen shot and Snip ad Sketch, Nancy has how-to's for all of them.

Add a Display! by Dorothy Fitch (Approx. 378 words). If you spend a lot of time at your computer like Dorothy does, you might want to consider having two separate monitors. She loves her two displays and her article makes interesting reading on how to set up two monitors and what happened when one of her monitors failed.

A Great Photoshop Alternative by Sheila Swaikowski (Approx. 574 words). A nice review of Gimp, a great free image manipulation program much like Photoshop. She includes a link to a YouTube video she found very helpful.

Audacity and digital audio noise reduction by John Krout (Approx. 2813 words). This article describes the use of a feature of Audacity, the popular digital audio editor application, called noise reduction.

Build a Wall? by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1563 words). Walls can keep things out. Walls can keep things in. Walls that do these well usually aren’t so good at also letting some things pass from one side to the other. Our modern tech communication systems have given us the ability to easily exchange information instantly and at low cost with anyone on the planet. Unfortunately, we must erect barriers to protect ourselves from offensive information and interactions, while still allowing us to send and receive information.

Brain Dead in San Diego by Art Gresham (Approx. 702 words). A cautionary tale about backing up.

Clean Your Computer! by David Kretchmar (Approx. 1131 words). Windows 10 does a fine job of maintaining your system, but over time users will tend to accumulate bits of data and programs that serve no purpose other than cluttering up your hard drive. David has several ideas on how to get improved performance.

Consider the Risks of Helping Friends with PC Problems by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1291 words). If you are known as a computer enthusiast, your less-experienced friends probably come to you for help when they run into problems. However, you should consider the risks before you agree.

Cord Cutting or How I Love to Pay Less to Get More of What I Think I Need by Jan Lann (Approx. 464 words). I may have just stumbled on, for me, the Holey (sic) Grail of news: For years, I have been attempting to get entire news shows from the Internet, but only gleaned news clips, necessitating watching a few minute snippets and then having to click on another snippet and another¦ With a little experimentation, he's found the answer.

Encrypting a Drive by Dan Douglas (Approx. 632 words). Last month I described a BIOS password problem that I had to solve. This month we'll look at other password locks such as those used for protecting hard drive data.

Firewalls by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1171 words). A firewall is a program that monitors traffic on a network and rejects any data that violate its security rules. Dick's article covers two types of networks..

Great Entertainment from Planet Coaster by Jim Cerny (Approx. 354 words). Games and entertainment are big uses for a computer. Recently, John found a game called "Planet Coaster" where he has enjoyed watching videos of roller coasters, parks, rides, and more all created by others who have been enjoying the tremendous creativity possible with this game. He doesn't own it yet but is planning on it.

HDMI Device Connections by Jim Cerny (Approx. 528 words). HDMI means High-Definition Multimedia Interface and it is the current popular way to connect devices with a cable. Over the more recent years of increasing technology improvement (and increasing confusion for most of us), the HDMI cables have been improving as well.

In Defense of Apple Maps, by Frank Petrie (Approx. 941 words). The big troika of smartphone navigation apps are Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps. Frank believes that recently Apple has brought its maps app up to parity and then some.

Luci by MPOWERD by George Harding (Approx. 383 words). Luci is a light powered by the sun. It has a solar cell on top that accumulates charge sufficient to power the light. There is enough light to brighten a small room or allow you to read a book.

Mistakes we Make When Buying a Computer by David Kretchmar (Approx. 1363 words). For many of us, computers have become an integral part of our daily lives. Computers have become almost as important as a car to some of us. David's first computer system, 20 years ago, cost $3000). For the less tech-savvy, buying a computer can be difficult. There is a lot of tech jargon flying around, and all of it is competing to get your money.

My Meshed-Up Wi-Fi by Greg Skalka (Approx. 2047 words). Our modern electronic devices are all about connectedness. It seems everything we have now is connected, and that connection is integral to the capabilities that are provided for us. Greg takes us through setting up his mesh network and why he's loving it.

Partially Locked Laptop by Dan Douglas (Approx. 620 words).This month, Dan looks at an interesting situation of a partially locked PC that he picked up at a recent auction. One of the features that all PCs share is the ability to set a supervisor, master or boot PC Password.

Personalize your Desktop - with Pictures and/or Slideshows by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1333 words). All desktops are not created equal. Just look at the differences the next time you go to a class where you bring and use your own laptop.

Phishing Expeditions by Dorothy Fitch (Approx. 534 words). A "phishing" email is one that attempts to obtain your personal account information to use for unauthorized purposes. She has recently received two phishing emails.

Samsung Galaxy smart phones and the Inductor by John Krout (Approx. 1529 words). Samsung has made some very innovative uses of a type of electronic device called an inductor, which is a coil of wire. Samsung decided as of the Samsung Galaxy 6 phone to include a large flat inductor coil across much of the back of the phone. It's used as a transmitter and receiver of high-power magnetic fields.

The Amazing Clock on Your Phone by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 713 words). The iPhone does a lot more than you think. With all the apps to choose from the apps already on your phone, suck as the Clock app, so much is available to you. Explore your phone - have fun! His article covers the world clock, alarm, bedtime setting, etc.

Are your trips being tracked by your mobile phone? by Jeff Wilkinson, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 445 words). In Jeff's president's message, he writes about a member who found Google had tracked his GPS coordinates and more on a trip to Canada.

Blah Friday by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood User Group (Approx. 1119 words). And, how was your Black Friday shopping?

Clean My Mac X is a Stellar Upgrade by Frank Petrie (Approx. 668 words). If you have been using Clean My Mac3, you're gonna love this new version.

Control of your passwords yet? by John Fair, Computer Users of Erie (Approx. 1832 words). John gave two presentations to CUE members last spring, some members one of the meetings. He wants to make sure those who attended the meetings take the subject seriously. He wrote the article to give members a second chance to learn about how and why they should take control of their passwords. This article is perfect for my newsletter; we're having Joe Kissell give my group an interactive webinar tonight on his 11/3 VTC presentation.

Cure Desktop Clutter by Joe Issac, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 233 words). If you have more than four rows of icons on your desktop, you probably have too many for efficient use. Organize them!

Defragmentation by Dan Douglas, Space Coast PCUG (Approx. 872 words). Dan starts a new series that will look at programs and utilities that we were all told we absolutely had to have. This month it's Defragmentation. Back-in-the-day, I liked to watch Diskeeper's defrag program move everything around.

Don't Just Sit There! (At the computer, that is) by Keith Connes, The Computer Club (Approx. 682 words). "Oh, my aching back!" Not a very original thought, but that's what used to go through my mind every time I would get up from my office chair after a long session at the computer. Keith reviews the standing desk.

Financial Software by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Club (Approx. 1450 words). Everyone knows about Quicken, in this article Dick evaluates two other financial programs: GnuCash and HomeBank.

Help! I'm Stuck! What do I do Now? by Dorothy Fitch, GVR Computer Club (Approx. 553 words). Have you ever forgotten how to do something you have done before in a software program or OS? Dorothy writes about resources that can help.

How do I add additional Time Zones in Windows? by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 259 words). This article will show your members how to set up a second clock as well customize sounds by application.

How to Connect a Laptop PC or a Tablet to an iPhone Personal Hotspot by David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 487 words). Most smart cellphones can connect to the Internet wherever they can find a 3G or 4G signal, but most PCs and tablets need a Wi-Fi connection to get online. This article discusses a technique for using your iPhone as a personal hotspot.

Meet the New Gmail by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 1107 words). Gmail is a popular email service for good reason. Located in the cloud, it can be accessed from any computer, smartphone, or tablet. A few months ago, Nancy began to notice little changes to her Gmail screen. After a brief search, she found that Gmail was involved in a big makeover that began in the spring of 2018. (Use what's in this article for a mini-presentation.)

MuseScore - A Music Score Editor by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG (Approx. 1049 words). Amateur musicians frequently make notations on and corrections to the scores from which they play, to the extent that they can become illegible. Dick reviews a high-quality editor for Windows, OS X and Linux - MuseScore.

My July 2018 Linux Only Vacation by Steve Costello (Approx. 564 words). Now that the Boca Raton CS closed, he no longer needs Publisher to get out the newsletter. When he went on vacation, he took a Linux Mint Cinnamon laptop on his vacation. He writes about his success accessing information and writing a couple of columns and his blog.

Network Attached Storage - It's like a Personal Cloud by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1074 words). It seems like everybody is into, or onto, the cloud these days. Most of the time, for the average user, it means taking advantage of one of the Cloud Storage services like OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box. Cloud services provide a great way to store a fairly large amount of data but there is an alternate, a personal cloud you can set up in your home.

Night Light by Martin Arbagi, Dayton Microcomputer Association (Approx. 386 words). An increasing amount of scientific evidence now indicates that bluish-white light-the kind that typically occurs at noon on a clear day-tends to stimulate the brain centers that keep us awake. This article reviews Microsoft's Night Light feature.

Security Tips - October by David Shulman, Westchester PCUG (Approx. 352 words). This month and next David will be catching up on the security news that has broken over the summer and in September.

Set Up a Format for Dates in Excel by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 560 words). Excel is a great application to use for creating chronological lists, like a history of when you made major household purchases, or a record of when you visited various cities or countries. Nancy's article will show your members how to do this. (Mini presentation.)

Store Your Recipes in Word by Jerry Heaton, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 636 words). This article also includes a yummy recipe for

The Year of Living Dangerously by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1719 words). Good grief! 2019 is the last year of Windows 7 support.

Use Your Computer to Write a Memoir by Keith Connes, The Computer Club (Approx. 595 words). Keith writes about a way to use your computer to create a legacy. Members might find they've acquired a new hobby!

Windows 10 Paint 3D by Len Nasman, Bristol Village Computer Club (Approx. 731 words). Microsoft has included a simple paint program with all earlier versions of Windows 10, version 1803 included a new version of Paint, called Paint 3D. We can now create and edit 3D images.

Digital Camera Processing by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer UG (Approx. 1877 words). This is the 3rd article in Dick's series on digital cameras. This article covers the camera applying significant processing to correct defects in the image and enhance it.

Don't Buy Identity Theft Insurance by David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (845 words). First Equifax fails to secure many millions of individual data files and now that they have been proven to be untrustworthy, they want to charge a monthly fee to assure you your data has not been comprised. I would just say NO!

Graphical Disk Usage Analyzers by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (Approx. 331 words). If you use a Linux distribution based on GNOME, included software should have a program called Disk Usage Analyzer which gives a menu-driven, graphical representation of file usage on any disk drive.

How to remove GPS and other Data from Photos on Your iPhone or iPad by Bill Crowe, Sarasota Technology User Group (Approx. 519 words). The general term for data saved with your picture is Exchangeable Image Format, also known as EXIF. It's a set of data that's attached to every image you take.

LibreOffice - a Free Office Suite by Joel Ewing, Bella Vista Computer Club (Approx. 1660 words). Almost everyone today that is computer savvy has heard of, or is even a user of, one or more of the classic components of the MS Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. Although there are other computing products, the MS Office products are still the purchase choice for many businesses but, it's expensive. Enter LibreOffice, an alternate that is free.

Life without the Internet by Dan Douglas, Space Coast PCUG (Approx. 476 words). Have you wondered what life would be like without the Internet at our fingertips? Go with Dan as he takes us through that very situation.

Online Music Radio Stations by Len Nasman, Bristol Village Computer Club (Approx. 227 words). If you have a computer connected to the Internet there are thousands of radio stations to choose from. His article contains some examples.

Organize Your Pictures by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1029 words). How to organize your pictures has been a question since we have had pictures to organize. Before computers, the choices were: put them in an album, or leave them in the packet they came in, or maybe just put them into an old shoe box with all the other pictures. I'm sure many of you have looked through a shoe box of old photos; you might even have inherited a box or two. Many of the pictures in albums or shoe boxes were very precious because there were very few of them. You might want to try Phil's suggestions on how to organize your pics.

Photography: Make the most of your flash by David Stonier-Gibson, Melbourne PCUG (Approx. 401 words). Most cameras these days have a built-in flash. And we all know a flash is there just for those occasions when there's not enough light to take a good photo, right?

Problems with Cryptocurrencies by Joel Ewing, Bella Vista Computer Club (Approx. 1352 words). There has been much hype about cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular. Enough so, that BVCC had a recent presentation on the topic, with one of the conclusions being that as an investment Bitcoin is highly speculative and should be limited to what one can afford to lose.

Security Tips for June by David Shulman, Westchester PCUG (Approx. 531 words). The June issue of Consumer Reports has a cover story entitled 'Protect Yourself from Scams' and a subhead containing the words "smishing, spoofing, and shimmers."

Software (Apps) Upgrades by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 496 words). Software - those programs and apps that you use every day - almost every one of them will require you to upgrade or download a newer version sooner or later.

Tech on Travel II - The Return of the Chromebook by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1611 words). We use a lot of technology in our everyday lives. When we travel away from home, we often want a lot of those tech devices to accompany us on our journeys - or do we.

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (Approx. 466 words). Reviewed by Cal.

Using the iPhone or iPad Keyboard to Enter Text by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 802 words). There will be many times when you will want to enter text on your iPad or iPhone. You probably have already used your screen keyboard many times. Jim's article has some helpful things you may not know your keyboard can do.

What version of Windows do I have? by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 263 words). To check the version of Windows 10 that runs on your computer, Rosita tells you how to find it.

Yes! I am a bit old school! by Joe Isaac, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 314 words). My daughter wanted to delete some old programs and get them off her computer, but she couldn't remember how. Windows 10 is a great program, but there have been many changes to where things are located.

Your Cloudy Computer by Frank Petrie, YMP Now (Approx. 730 words). Running out of hard drive space on your laptop or Mac? Frank's review covers a way to increase your capacity seamlessly.

Add Bookmarks to Your Document by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology User Group (Approx. 455 words). If you have composed a multi-page Word document, especially if it has a table of contents, you can make it easy to go to specific locations within the document by adding bookmarks. A bookmark is used to jump to a place in a document. It is a cousin to a hyperlink, which is most often used to go to a specific place on the Internet.

Block calls on your phones and other options by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 590 words). Whether cell phone or landline phone, we all receive many nuisance calls daily. It is a simple matter to block unwanted calls on most phones once you know how.

Care and feeding of a digital library - How did this occur? by Andy Toth, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 714 words). The Phonautograph was the first recoding device, invented in 1857. Twenty years later an idea for playback was presented. In 1877 the era of analog sound began…..

Customizing Your Android Home Screen by Tom Burt, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 827 words). Tom was recently working on the handouts for his 'Android for Beginners' seminar and making quite a few screen shows on his Android phone. As he got to the material about Display Settings, he got to thinking about what options were available to customize his Home Screen. He uses an LG phone and the article details steps to customizing the Home Screen.

Tech Ideas for Summer Travel, Pam Holland, TechMoxie (Approx. 892 words). She just returned from a wonderful 12-day trip for a wedding and a week's vacation shared with family and friends. Even though they did their best to disconnect from technology, this article covers some of the technology tools they used both in planning and during their travels.

Tech on Travel, Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1574 words). Many of us will be taking trips, and a lot of the technology we use at home will be traveling with us. All these devices and services can be a big help in planning a trip.

The Facebook Dilemma, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 501 words). Facebook can feel relatively innocent and passive. It's an application we use to get information, keep in touch with friends and family, and be entertained by posts from Facebook friends…. But, we've recently learned Facebook was a major provider of "Fake news."

The 'huge cultural change' sparked by computers, John Stampfel, Brookdale Computer UG (Approx. 767 words). You are a computer user. How often do you use your computer? Of source, if you are reading this article, you are using a computer - of some sort.

Freshly Squeezed Reviews - Thumbs Up, Downie, Frank Petrie (Approx. 882 words). If you love collecting video or audio media from the Internet for your personal use, this is the app of your dreams.

What is a Word Cloud?, Dorothy Fitch, GVR Computer Club (Approx. 210 words). A word cloud is a design made of words that you choose. Dorothy's article covers two sites she has used to create word clouds. I used one to create a word cloud for David Shulman's security articles.

Windows 10 Spotlight Pictures - How to Find and Save Them, Tom Burt, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 661 words). One of the neat features in Windows 10 is the ability to set up the lock / login screen's background wallpaper to a rotating set of interesting, beautiful, curated images provided by Microsoft. Tom's article show you how to do this….

Windows 10 April 2018 Update, David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 490 words). Another article on Timeline + additional features.

Browsing Incognito, Mary Phillips, ICON (Approx. 198 words). Are you tired of your browser keeping track of the sites you visit on the Internet so it can send you ads in which it thinks you're interested? Every browser I know of has an option for "In Private" browsing that ensures your Internet history and activity are removed as soon as you close all private windows.

Cast Your Smartphone - What your Smartphone?, Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 1169 words). How would you like to show all the pictures that are on your phone on your big screen TV? HDMI comes to mind as an obvious solution but, unfortunately, most phones don't have an HDMI connection. There is another mechanism….

Computer Fundamentals #1, Dan Douglas, Space Coast PCUG (Approx. 628 words). Computing is all about taking some input, doing something with it and producing some output. How this evolved into today's pervasive technology is amazing. This article begins with the 1880 census.

Computer Fundamentals #2 (Approx. 636 words). This article examines two core parts that make any computer more than an assortment of electronic components: the OS and apps.

Computer Fundamentals #3 (Approx. 813 words). This article examines the evolution of Operating Systems and what files are.

Computer Fundamentals #4 (Approx. 677 words) examines the more common well-known programming languages.

Digital Camera Anatomy, Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG (Approx. 1677 words). This is the first of three articles on digital cameras covering their anatomy, how their processors control them, and how they process the captured images.

Gmail has a new interface, Matt Batt, The Computer Club (Approx. 427 words). Gmail is now the most popular email service with over 1 billion users. Are you using the new Gmail? Matt's article contains info about some of the new features.

Gnome Maps, Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (Approx.385 words). Anyone who has used Google to search for an item would not be surprised to soon receive numerous advertisements for similar merchandise. To minimize tracking of your travels, give Gnome Maps a try.

How to Succeed in Technology (While Trying Really Hard), Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 2344 words). You may be able to succeed in some things without really trying but dealing with technology is not typically one of them. Technology is simply putting science to practical use to solve our problems.

I am Not a Robot, Greg Skalka (Approx. 1068 words). You've seen the wavy, distorted text to translate on log-in pages on the web. You've had to match images to words to be allowed to buy concert tickets. You've even had to check a box that says "I am not a robot" to sign up for a web service. Are robots taking over the world?

Interesting Internet Finds - June, Steve Costello (Approx. 445 words). Can I cancel an Amazon order after it's shipped? Hoopla Helps You Enjoy the Library from the Comfort of Your Home and much more….

Location - Where are you now?, Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 997 words). Location, Location, Location has been the real estate mantra for a very long time, indicating how important location is to the value of a property. This location is about a fixed location. This article is about your mobile communicating location.

Making Room on a Full Hard Drive, Hewie Poplock, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 631 words). Hewie was starting to panic. His C-drive on his main computer was becoming unsafe as he was using up all its free space. He was down to 8GB free. This article details the steps he took so the drive didn't crash.

Organize your Apps on your iPhone and iPad, Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 609 words). Are you enjoying your iPhone and/or iPad? Quite amazing devices, and they offer so much. Jim's article covers organizing your apps to make them more accessible.

Personal Computer Databases, an Overview, Tom Burt, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 1235 words). Tom has spent much of his career in software development with various database programs; this article is an overview of what database technology is available for regular personal computer users.

Part 2, (Approx. 632 words) Last month the article was about a large image sensor, this article is about the opposite.

Review: Tech Nite, March 2018 - Saying Goodbye to Cable, Paul Stackhouse, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 638 words). It's clear the climbing cost of cable service has caused hundreds, or maybe thousands of Lexingtonians (KY) to look for lower cost options.

Security Tips for April, David Shulman, Westchester PCUG (Approx. 496 words). Those little packets marked "do not eat" or the capsules protecting medicine have an important use if you act now. Did you ever accidently wet the remote control for your car or TV? Ever wet your phone? Read this article to find how you can use the little packets to solve some problems.

Security Tips for May (Approx. 527 words). Are the headlines describing one security breach upon another causing you to pay attention? David continues to be flabbergasted and upset by the news each month. Where to begin? Saks Fifth Avenue? Lord and Taylor? Delta? Sears? Panera? Facebook?

Setting LibreOffice Options, Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (Approx. 414 words). LibreOfficfe started as a fork of OpenOffice.org and has become the standard for most Linux distributions. Cal gives you some ideas on how to customize the program to fit your personal needs and tastes.

Spring Creators Update for Windows, Rosita Herrick, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 466 words). During her years of working with large mainframe computers, there used to be a saying: "Just as you get used to today, along comes tomorrow and everything changes." And it has again with Windows 10. This article covers Timeline.

Apple iOS Has Great Secret Features by Bill Crowe (Approx. 1416 words). This month, Bill looks at some of iOS 11's hidden beneath the surface features: keyboard, extra symbols, Siri, control center, camera, live photos long exposure mode, screen control, QR code scanner, handwritten e-mails, new screen effects for Messages, and more.

Are you afraid of AI? by Jim Cerny (Approx. 724 words). AI means a computer or machine that can learn and be creative in applying that knowledge. This article is not really a lesson to be taught but a caution about our near future.

Basic iPad Skills by Jim Cerny (Approx. 652 words). The iPad is really a full computer that is easily portable and so helpful for many every-day tasks, communication, entertainment, etc. Having taught many iPad classes, Jim lists some of the basic skills every iPad user should know.

How I Became a Published Author by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 941 words). An old adage says that we all have at least one book inside us. It might be our memoirs, a travelogue, a mystery novel, a biography, or one of dozens of genres. Nancy takes us through her journey of finding local storefront publishers (that didn't work) so she tried the Internet. She's paved the way for you to publish your book.

Music in all rooms - from one source by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1140 words). There are audio systems that distribute music throughout the home. If you have a Wi-Fi network at home, with a few additions, you may already have the components to do what the very expensive Sonos system can do.

Navigation Tips for Windows 10 by Rosita Herrick (Approx. 432 words). Rosita's article covers several tips to navigate Win 10.

Remote Access to all your Data by - Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1321 words). By now, most of us know about the 'Cloud Storage' services like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SugarSync, Evernote, Box, etc. All these services will give you a limited amount of free cloud storage. What is you could get remote access to all the data on your computer using only a free popular App; would you try it? Find out if this is for you…

Spring Creators Update for Windows by Rosita Herrick (Approx. 463 words). During her years of working with large mainframe computers, we used to have a saying: "Just as you get used to today, along comes tomorrow and everything changes. Well, a big change just came to Windows 10. This article features Timeline.

Texting Anyone? by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1063 words). Texting is probably more popular than e-mail; they are similar but very different means of communicating. The notification of a text seems to be a lot stronger than just "you've got mail."

Thinking about a new Computer by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1079 words). If you have a computer with a hardware problem, or a computer that is so old that it just doesn't seem worth any more maintenance dollars, a new computer may be just what the doctor ordered. Phil writes about the things we should consider before spending our money.

To Update Your Apps by Jim Cerny (Approx. 697 words). Our computers, smart phones and tablets all run software called "apps" - or "applications." Every app, sooner or later, will need to be updated and are provided free.

Using the Virtual Desktop (Task View by Rosita Herrick (Approx. 558 words). Rosita believes the Task View option is an ignored productivity feature. Staying productive is often as much about staying organized as anything else…

Using Wi-Fi on your iPhone or iPad by Jim Cerny (Approx. 526 words). In this article, Jim explains the difference between a cellular phone network and Wi-Fi.

What is Office 365? Is it for you? by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 953 words). I get a lot of questions about Office 365 because it's a unique concept in software acquisition; some users don't understand what it is or how it works.

Windows 10 Apps by Rosita Herrick (Approx. 471 words). Apps are usually distributed with the MS or can be downloaded from the MS store. Rosita tells us how to find apps as well as info about the Calculator app.

E-mail Basic Review by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 679 words). I am going to assume you already have an email address and are enjoying sending and receiving emails. But perhaps you are not aware of the fun and helpful options available in all email applications. Hopefully something in this article will push your curiosity button and encourage you to "ask google" for more information.

E-mail Strategy by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users Group (Approx. 1890 words). Too often, when we find ourselves in unfamiliar technological territory, we adopt the first solution that works and ignore any alternatives. This is a good approach for tasks that we seldom perform, but less optimal for those4 we do every day, such as accessing our e-mail. In this article, we'll step back from which keys we press and which icons we click to look at the e-mail forest.

How to Succeed in Technology by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 2344 words). You may be able to succeed in some things without really trying but dealing with technology is not typically one of them. While our modern lives are awash in new tech, we must often struggle to cope with it. New innovations bring the potential for much good for our world and our individual lives, but they can also have unanticipated negative consequences for our planet, our society and ourselves.

Alexa… What can you do? by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1123 words). If you have access to an Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot, ask Alexa "What can you do?" Alexa will tell you "A lot. You can tell me to turn up the volume, play music, create a To Do list, or look up a topic on Wikipedia."

iPad Skills by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 652 words). The iPad by Apple is becoming more and more popular. It is a full computer that is easily portable and so helpful for many every-day tasks, communication, entertainment, etc.

Be Prepared by Ken Goodman, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 469 words). It's happened to many of us. We've made a mistake, hardware crashes or an update causes our PC to go south. You never know when it will happen, but it does.

Tools for Computer Users with Impaired Vision by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1205 words). All of us must deal with our physical limitations, especially as we age; 10% of all Americans report they suffer from decreased visual acuity.

Is it time to start a death data document? by Jerry Heaton, Central Kentucky Computer Society (Approx. 525 words). Do you have a death data document for your children or digital executor for when it's needed? Jerry's article has a lot of good information.

Mastering Line and Paragraph Spacing in Word by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 764 words). If you are a long time Word user, you probably have had at least one bad experience with setting the space between lines of text or paragraphs. Nancy's article shows us how the tools for managing spacing have increased and improved.

MuseScore: Music Composition Freeware by John Krout, Potomac Area Computer and Technology Computer Society (Approx. 1123 words). MuseScore is a freeware project hosted on SourceForge. It uses standard music notation; when I downloaded and installed it I had one use in mind - my new smartphone.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1773 words). As far as technology goes, I've been lucky. I've had very few things fail in the nearly 40 years I've been playing with computers and other tech devices.

Mobile Highway - One Dongle to Rule Them and in the Darkness, Bind Them by Chris Woods, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 440 words). When you get a wireless mouse, keyboard or any other of a myriad of wireless devices, what is common is that they all come with their own dongle. Lost the dongle and you might as well as kiss it goodbye.

OneDrive Files on Demand by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 649 words). The 1709 Creators update to Win10 included several changes. One of my favorites is "Files on Demand," a new process to make files stored on OneDrive, the Microsoft Cloud, available on your PC and other devices.

Quicken 2018 Review by Henry Winokur, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 639 words). Having gone through a lot of issues with Quicken over the course of the last year, I thought I'd bring you my "report." The first thing you need to know is that Quicken is no longer owned by Intuit.

Satellite Antenna Disk Pointing by Gregg Bruch, Idaho Technology Users Group (Approx. 538 words). Dish antennae are used for signal reception from geo-stationery satellites located at fixed in the sky. The dishes typically are of one of two varieties, large and small. Dish pointing can be a daunting task since the satellites are not visible to the naked eye; steps need to be followed for pointing.

Securing Android by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1484 words). Your PC remains at home behind locked doors, accesses the Internet through a firewall, and has software updated regularly, but none of this is true of your Android device.

Simple Game of Solitaire? by David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 830 words). I admit it: I play Microsoft Solitaire. Of course, it's the most widely-played computer game of all time. Sometimes I play for an hour or more at a time, usually while watching TV. Remember one thing when playing Solitaire on a computer, if you an do it, it's not cheating.

Syncing Android by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1910 words). Your Android-Powered smart phone is a very capable device, but it becomes even more useful and convenient when linked to your PC.

Take a Tour of the Office Galleries by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 617 words). Did you know that Microsoft Office 2016 contains dozens of galleries? The "Bit 3" Office applications - Word, Excel, or PowerPoint - have the most an are adding new ones all the time.

Taking Photos on your iPad and iPhone by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 769 words). Your iPhone and iPad are just great for taking photos. Both devices come with the camera app already installed and it is very easy to use.

TeamViewer by Joel Ewing, Bella Vista Computer Club (Approx. 1614 words). One way to get help with a computer problem or with a problem using a particular application on your computer is to physically take the computer to an expert or get an expert to make a house call. Enter TeamViewer to help you with your computer problems at home.

TouchLock (a review by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 306 words). Security is important for us all, but even more important when you must physically secure something.

WaveLink Wireless Doorbell (a review) by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 351 words). The motion detector senses motion and triggers the doorbell.

Working with Apps on Windows 10 by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 722 words). Rosita is often asked how to start apps she talks about in her classes, this article covers the Magnifier, Sticky Notes, and the Snipping Tools + some keyboard shortcuts.

A Tale of Two Printers, Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1618 words). It was the best of times, It was the worst of times…It was time to buy a new printer. It seems that all the traditional computer input/output devices are falling out of favor. The rise in popularity of the tablet computer and now especially the smartphone has played a major part in this. The previously iconic combination of desktop computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer has not been the norm in the pc / tech world for some time. The laptop or notebook PC, which generally eliminates the need for a separate display, keyboard and monitor has been outselling the desktop for some time. Printer sales are also declining….

Ask the Pres, Greg Skalka (Approx. 937 words). This may or may not be the first of many question-based columns under this title. If there are to be any more is up to you (though I reserve the right to have a say in it as well). I received an email question from a reader of one of my Drive Light 'President's Corner' columns in Space Coast PCUG's newsletter. Our own Drive Light has been a major contributor to the PUSH articles since many of my columns and several articles by other members have been republished in other APCUG-member newsletters around the country (and I think around the world-yes, JT). This is a benefit provided by APCUG that is very valuable to our group, providing useful content to our readers and helpful assistance to our hardworking editor.
Any questions you submit to president (at) uchug.org may be reprinted and answered in future columns, if they are of general interest to our readers. Other questions may be answered by email or read to our membership for, hopefully, a solution, at our next UCHUG meeting Random Access session. This article has an answer to a question sent to Greg from a member of the SCPCUG in Florida.

Back to the Basics - Basic iPhone Texting, Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 888 words). Whoever thought that "texting" would become such a common communication method? I mean, who would need to TEXT someone and spend all that time using their fingers (or thumbs) when you can just CALL the person and talk to them directly (or at least leave a VM)???

Be Your Own Mechanic with FIXD - Review by Bob Schultz, Lake-Sumter Computer Society (Approx. 351 words). I'm sure there are times you would like to answer your own question about your cars performance before you take it to have work done. Well, now you can do that.

Creating a HomeGroup, Art Irish, ICON Technology Group (Approx. 458 words). Q1. How do I create a HomeGroup so two computers on the same network can interact? Answers follow….

Device Power Options, Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 811 words). On - Off - Shutdown - Sleep - What are all these power options? Today our computer devices usually have several choices for "power,"….

Exploring Android, Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1428 words). The most popular cell-phone OS, Android, is more like a tool kit than OS. Cell phone vendors readily change not only its included applications, but also its structure, to differentiate their products….

I Wuz Hacked, Stu Gershon, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 1182 words). One Sunday morning I checked my email like I do every morning. Nothing came through. I tried again, and it was the same. I called my Internet provider to see if any of their servers were having trouble or down. The line was busy…. read the rest of the article to find out what happened.

Home Automation and Security, Don VanSyckel, Sterling Heights Computer Club (Approx. 422 words). Don has been looking at home alarm systems and thermostats. I guess it's a sign of the times. Many of these have connectivity via your home Wi-Fi and some have built-in cellular connectivity….

How to Set Your iPhone to Remember Where You Parked, Bill Crowe, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 886 words). It's no fun to end your trip wandering around looking for your car. Now, thanks to an iOS feature, you don't have to-this article looks at how to take advantage of the" Parked Car" reminder in iOS 10.

Looking Back to See Ahead, Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 2806 words). Another year goes into the record books, and we get a new, clean slate ahead. We've said goodbye to 2017 and are writing 2018 on our checks (hey, wait a minute; who writes checks these days?), we've been confronted by this arbitrary boundary in time once again.

No Personal Privacy, Matt Batt, The Computer Club (Approx. 590 words). Matt wants to share (1) something to think about as we enter this time of "no personal privacy;" (2) a very useful program for keeping our PC applications up-to-date; and (3) a fun website for displaying street views of houses.

Tablet SIG Overflows, Terry Harvey, Wisconsin-All Users Computer Club (Approx. 1047 words). At the combined Android and iPad/iPhone SIG, we discussed 'Popsockets" and "Cell Phone Ring holders." We also discussed printing to your device, and more.

Talking to Your Computer, Lee Reynolds, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 501 words). Do you talk to your computer? I don't mean swearing at it because it doesn't do the thing you want it to do. How do you get your computer to find files, remind you of a doctor's appointment, play your favorite music…..

To Win 10 or Not to Win 10: That was the question, Art Gresham, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 884 words). This is a true story about how a recent upgrade to Windows 10 went on one computer….

Two Interesting Office Tools, Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 670 words). With two Windows 10 updates a year, it's easy to miss the fact that Microsoft has also been rolling out new and improved features for Office. They arrive as automatic updates to Office 365. Nancy's article is about the Draw tab with pens that let you create drawings as well as draw on slides while you are giving a presentation. PowerPoint Designer is very useful for creating professional-looking slides. Introduced in the fall of 2015, it has been improved and expanded through recent updates. Its purpose is to offer some optional design layouts for PowerPoint slides, like the Title or Title and Content slides.

Use Speech to Control Your PC and Compose Text, Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 809 words). Speak provides both text to speech and helps you proofread what you have typed by listening to the computer read it aloud. Windows Speech Recognition lets a user dictate into a microphone without the use of a keyboard or mouse and have his/her speech translated into text.

Wi-Fi dead spots? Try a Wi-Fi extender, or maybe a mesh network, Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 960 words). If your home is very large or if there are many walls between your router and the location where you want Wi-Fi access, you may have Wi-Fi dead spots….

Working with Windows 10 Apps, Rosita Herrick, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 735 words). When teaching or preparing one of the Windows Corner articles, Rosita uses a few apps that are distributed with the OS and are available to any user….

Back to Google Earth, Len Nasman, Bristol Village Computer Club (Approx. 269 words). There seems to be no end to the global data base available through Google Earth. The Google Street View image collection continues to expand with pictures taken from cars, carts, back pack cameras, and even underwater cameras.

Black Friday Once Again, Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1661 words). It finally feels like it should be the holiday season. After having to put up with the sight of Christmas trees and decorations for sale in Costco since Halloween and Christmas music creeping in on the radio, Thanksgiving has finally passed. Time for holiday shooting.

Can You Beat the Bots? David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 816 words). When tickets for a musical he wanted to see went on sale at the Smith Center's website, he immediately went on line to buy tickets. He was surprised to learn that only a few scattered seats remained, even though tickets had only been on sale for a few hours.

Chromebooks for Seniors, Rich Davis, Computer Booters of Sun Lakes (Approx. 445 words). Chromebooks are laptops that use Google's operating system. They are quite inexpensive as compared to a Windows or Apple machine. Rich's newest Chromebook is 15" and was $129.00 as a refurbished item.

Creating a Newsletter in Writer, Joel Ewing, Bella Vista Computer Club (Approx. 1613 words). There are software applications designed explicitly for creating formal publications, but many small organizations don't require newsletters with highly professional formats and many groups depend on volunteer editors wh9o lack the time to produce such a document, even if they were able to afford the software. Enter Writer, one of Region 6/7 Advisor John Kennedy's favorite software. FYI, I started my newsletter 25 years ago with WordPerfect 5.1 and changed to Word when I started teaching that class in adult ed. JT

Elevate, a new type of cognitive training tool by Frank Petrie (from the Brookdale August newsletter) - Approx. 1178 words). With Apple's focus on health apps, it has become easier to track your physical activity, y our nutrition, your sleep cycle, your nutritional intake, and even manager your stress. One aspect that doesn't draw enough attention is strengthening your mental fitness. Elevate is most effective and comprehensive; Apple selected is at the App of the Year.

Facebook Extra, Bob Schultz, Lake-Sumter Computer Society (Approx. 449 words). Facebook is either loved or hated by computer/smartphone users. Some think it is a way for people to show how important they are or how much "stuff" they have. Others believe it is a way to maintain or find lost friends.

High-Tech Remembering, Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1701 words). As we get older, our human memory seems to fail us. For some of us, this seems to start at a relatively early age, while others have good recall into our twilight years. Our technology today is filled with memories of various kinds - volatile and non-volatile, fast and slow, large and small capacity.

How to Add Your Signature to Emails, Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 547 words). If you send a lot of email messages, it can be a good idea to create one or more standard message signatures. These can be time-savers and can be personalized, depending on the audience; for instance, one for personal messages and one for work (or volunteering).

Introduction to Personal Digital Security and Privacy, Danbury Area Computer society meeting review by John Kinkopf (Approx. 2170 words). Robert Hurlbut is an independent software security consultant and co-hose of the Application Security Podcast. Asked from the audience which anti-virus software he uses, Robert answered rather provocatively: none!

iPad and Smartphone - Together at Last - Northern Neck Computer Users Group meeting review by George Cadmus (Approx. 1309 words). Gabe Goldberg, Region 2 Advisor, started the presentation by giving his experience with a tablet and smartphone. He decided to purchase an iPad just for the experience of having one and to see what they were all about.

Is your cell phone CDMA or GSM? - Should you care? Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1126 words). The short answer to the second question is "probably no," but there are some benefits from knowing the differences that may help you decide which cell phone provider or cell phone to choose.

Meet the many members of the Arduino family, Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1349 words). The Arduino is a controller rather than a complete computer like the Raspberry Pi; it's much simpler and getting started with it is far easier.

Open Software of the Month - August, Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 784 words). DAR, FS-UAE, Rigs of Rod and more….

Musings of an Apple Tyro - July, Lorrin Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 898 words). Keylogger on HP Computers, Microsoft Surface Studio, An iCar? And more….

Potpourri of Tips, Golden Gate Computer Society meeting review (Approx. 1161 words). Password Managers, Sniping tool, Link shorteners and more…

Raspberry Pi by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx.1480 words). Dick introduced the Arduino in his August article; this month he does the same for Raspberry Pi.

The Tile review, Matt Batt, The Computer Club (Approx. 532 words). Do you spend as much time looking for your keys as Matt does? He's been able to solve this problem using a Bluetooth tracker known as a Tile….

Scams, Fraud and ID Theft, Part II - Quad-Cities Computer Society meeting review by Joe Durham (Approx. 1344 words). In the recent months, the story of crime has become a bit more prominent on TV. Hank described the rash of car thefts that have occurred in our area. These thefts have been committed by kids 12 - 15 years of age….

Smart TVs, Dan Douglas, Space Coast PCUG (Approx. 686 words). If you haven't shopped for a new TV in the past few years, you are in for an education. There are now as many acronyms that you come across when selecting a TV as there is in buying a PC.

Toshiba Laptop Display Replacement, Scott Savary, The PC Users Group of CT (Approx. 385 words). Out Toshiba laptop developed a black spot on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. As time passed it grew and grew until we had to decide as to whether we wanted to replace the screen of the computer.

Using an iPad to reach a Person Living with Dementia, meeting review by Mike McGrath (Approx. 884 words). Their presenter provided an extremely interesting and thought-provoking presentation on "Using an iPad to Reach a Person Living with Dementia." Could technology help him find a way to engage his wife in activities, so they could enjoy their time together, stimulate her mind, elicit a response from her, get her to smile, laugh, bring her out of her "Dementia shell" and to "create moments of joy."

Wayne's Computer Class Tips - August, Wayne Johnson, Golden Gate Computer Society (Approx. 330 words). Cheap smartphones, NFC, Malware attacks beyond your computer, and more….

Web Surfing for Music by Len Nasman, Bristol Village Computer Club (Approx. 725 words). Len had a little time to kill one day, so he went web surfing. One category of things he investigated with strange musical instruments.

What do you do with your Computer - Besides shopping? Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1176 words). A long time ago, circa 1980, when personal computers first made their appearance, there was very little that us ordinary citizens would do with them.

Wi-Fi - 2.4 or 5GHZ, Carol Picard, Midland Computer Club (Approx. 926 words). Carol normally has acceptable network speeds throughout her house but one day, while downloading files to her desktop computer, which has a PCI wireless network card, she was only getting 3 Mbps download speed.

Windows 10 for Dummies Review, Choy Lai and Clemens Pratt, Melbourne PCUG (Approx. 665 words). This book is not just for dummies! The "for Dummies" tag merely indicates that its treatment of the subject is a simple step-by-step guide for navigating through both the old and new features of Windows 10.

A few of my favorite things by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (approx. 1233 words). In the Sound of Music, a nun turned governess, sings of her favorite things to her seven young charges. I wonder how her list might be different if the story was set today. What would a list of today's favorite technology items look like? UCHUG's editor sends me Greg's President's column each month and has started contributing to PUSH himself as are some of their members.

Anatomy of a Death Certificate, Genealogy SIG Report by Harold D. Kelley, Computer Users of Erie (found this one when I read their newsletter) - (Approx, 987 words.) Sue Mueller is a contributor to Family Grave and explained that new death certificates don't have as much information on them as the old ones. However, since it is 50 years before you can obtain death certificates that are available to the public, most of the ones we see will be very interesting because they are older. She had a handout and it's included at the end of the article. Associations - We need them!by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1070 words). Phil sends me his articles each month. Although "guilt by association" may lead you to an incorrect logical conclusion (refer to Association Fallacy in Wikipedia), your computer, without associations, would not be able to make any sense out of any of the files you use.

Close Your Windows Before You Leave on Vacation or Can Google-Powered Devices Eclipse Microsoft for Travel? by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (Approx. 1739 words). Greg has used MS Windows-based computers for probably 90% or more of his computing lifetime. He has also used Apple computers and tablets a bit, and currently uses an Android smartphone and a Chromebook regularly. It was a big decision on what technology take when he and his wife went to Nebraska to look at the Eclipse.

Create and Save a Custom Footer in Word by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology Users Group (Approx. 819 words) We've all seen a document with a footer - it's a bit of text or graphics in the margin at the bottom of each page in a book or article. As usual, Nancy shows us how to add footers to our documents. Thanks to Nancy for sending me her articles, with graphics.

Educating My Phone - Graduating to a Smartphone by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (Approx. 1577 words). Those of us who personally know Greg were surprised and delighted when he joined us in the Smartphone world ??.

Educational, Fun, and Interesting Web Sites - June 2017 by Howard Lewis, Midland Computer Club (Approx. 299 words). Found this article in their newsletter. You and your members will surely find places of interest to visit.

GNU Octave by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (Approx. 1392 words). Dick no longer belongs to the group (he moved) but he got in touch a few years ago and asked if I wanted him to send me his articles - the answer, of course, was yes. Engineers, scientists, and educators use computer math tools extensively, and students would also find these helpful, but their costs are often a barrier. Fortunately, there are free program that provide similar power to their commercial kin and both (GNU Octave and Scilab) are available for Windows, OS X and Linux. He discusses GNU Octave in this article. Many of the article don't include graphics and I know that editors appreciate it when they do. Dick always has a lot of graphics in his articles as does Nancy DeMarte.

HDMI Cable and Connectors by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology User's Group (Approx. 581 words). Dick usually sends me a few months of articles at a time. More and more devices are available to us. For most of us who use technology for personal and home, would like to connect some devices to our TVs to enjoy the big screen video and great sound experience. Ender HDMI - High Definition Media Interface.

How to Retrieve Individual Files from a Windows Backup by David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 581 words). Occasionally, David and Tom Burt have PUSH-type articles - found in their newsletter. In Windows 10, MS has included the old Backup and restore feature from Win 7. This was weakened in Win 8 and completely removed in Win 8.1 but is back in 10, even if it is a bit depreciated. It's now called "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)." This article explains how to restore individual files from a system image, even though MS says it isn't possible.

Interesting Internet Finds - August by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 321 words). Steve sends me their newsletter as well as an additional e-mail with his finds. I need to pay attention since he doesn't want me to include them until the following month. Steve includes almost all of the information I need at the top of the article.

Interesting Internet Finds - July by Steve Costello, (Approx. 328 words)

Microsoft's Varied Word-Processing Options by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 562 words). WordPad, NotePad, etc. - Nancy covers them all.

"Musing of an Apple Tyro - May by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 770 words). Demise of Vista, Apple computers are falling behind, MacBook pro Battery Stamina, Google Chrome Limitations, Quantum Computers, KrebsOnSecurity and more….

Musings of an Apple Tyro - June by Lorrin R. Garson,(Approx. 834 words). Source for Special Characters, Swift Playgrounds, Unsubscribing to Email Subscriptions, 5G Networks,

Open Source Software of the Month - May by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 667 words). Geof accumulates and sends me the Musing of an Apple Tyro and his Open Source Software of the Month articles. The articles are reading-to-use with all the information I put at the beginning of articles. Jmil, Notepad++, Python Solitaire Fan Club Edition, VideoLAN Client and more.

Open Source Software of the Month - June by Geof Goodrum, (Approx. 656 words). 7-Zip, BZFlag, GIMP, TuxGuitar.

NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Conference, Review by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (380 words). Francis Chao, a member of TCS, sends me a few of George's reviews at a time.

Nite-ize by George Harding (Approx. 415 words). This company has a wide range of useful products and the list keeps getting longer. Your members might be interested in buying some of them. George has been reviewing products for a gazillion years and has a great track record with vendors. He regularly visits COMDEX and meets with vendors to obtain product to review - and, they send it to him.

Pay with your phone - Maybe soon, using Android Pay or Apple Pay by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1017 words). This article got me to start using Android Pay. Android and Apple Pay are payment services developed and supported by Google and Apple respectively. They both support in-app and tap-to-pay purchases on their respective mobile devices (phones, tablets, watches).

The Case of the Random Keystroke Repeats by Bob Woods, UCHUG (Approx. 520 words). A couple of years ago Bob decided he needed a new laptop and bought an Acer on sale at Costco. Overall, it has been an excellent choice with one exception, the keyboard. It has a nice feel but randomly repeats keystrokes.

System Upgrade by Jim Quinn, UCHUG (Approx. 380 words). Jim's Linux computer system drive (SSD) was running out of space. It was installed February 2015. Jim's article covers how he moved everything to a 1TB SSD.

What is a "Database" Anyway? by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology User's Group (Approx. 684 words). A database is an organized collection of data (accessed online or through a software program on your computer). Your members might not realize it but they are probably using a database every day.

360 Video Cameras by Len Nasman, Bristol Village CC (Approx. 901 words). Ever since the early days of photography, designers have been working on ways to show the world in -D. At one point, many households owned a stereoscope that simulated 3D scenes. Len's article takes you from stereoscopes to 360 cameras and videos.

Acronis True Image 2017 for PC or Mac by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 1080 words). Bart had used Acronis True Image for many years and reviews the latest version.

Another Unusual Problem - Why can't I get to OneDrive.com?, by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1201 words). The last time Phil wrote about an unusual problem was September 2013. That turned out to be a kinked USB cable between the computer and a printer. Problems since then have been of the garden variety but over the past year he has been using OneDrive as a vehicle to distribute information to other people. All of a sudden, his computers didn't know where OneDrive was.

Apps - By Google, by gosh by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx, 1184 words). Most of us know Google as a website we visit to get answers to all kinds of questions, but there is a lot more behind the company and the term Google and this article gives a description of many of its apps. Easy to turn into a mini-presentation.

Customer Support by Erica (her dad is the pres of the Space Coast PCUG), (Approx. 823 words). Dad was stumped on what to write for his monthly column, and his visiting daughter wrote a great one on customer service with several tips we should use when contacting customer support.

Customize Your Quick Access Toolbar by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 630 words). One of my favorite things in the MS Office Suite - Nancy shows us how to customize our QAT - a must-do for anyone using any of the programs.

Databases - They are all around us by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1000 words). Think about it, during the course of the day we might ue a telephone directory, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, an airline flight guide, a bibliography - all of which are databases.

DOS Lives! by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG (Approx. 1891 words). I get a lot of you are glad to hear that DOS lives. Are you nostalgic for the days of DOS? Do you miss making disastrous typos on the command line or trying to find an AUTOEXEC.BAT that will let your PC complete the boot process? There is good news! You can return to those thrilling days of yesteryear on your present computers with its GigaBytes of RAM.

Easy Speadsheets for Home Finances by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 861 words). Tax time has come and gone and this is always a good time to review your financial status. Over the years, Jim has found that two easy spreadsheets have helped him a great deal in keeping track of his finances and he shares them with your readers.

The Fun of Using Voice-Controlled Speakers by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 357 words). There are some new devices out there alled "voice activated speakers" and they appeal to many people. Open your mind, don't limit your thinking to just asking for music…..

How to Destroy Your Computer in Just Minutes by David Kretchmar, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club (Approx. 958 words). There are plenty of new computers being used that are performing much more slowly than they should. One of the quickest ways to turn a fast, new computer into a slow sytem crippled by malware is to start downloading software from the wrong sites. Or by downloading the wrong software from what appears to be the right site.

The Laptop that couldn't keep its colors straight by Sandy Shapiro, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 399 words). Sandy has an Acer Chromebook - a nice little laptop. It's a little over one year old, which means it is out of warranty. The other day when he logged into his Google account, the screen colors reversed putting white letters on a black screen - what to do.

Musings of an Apple Tyro - April 2017 by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 1063 words). Shodan - Security and IoT; iCloud and iCloud Drive are not suitable for backup; Backing up your calendar, contacts and reminders; New Processors Expected for Mac Computers; Apple Music Apps to Get major Updates; Synology DS46play Disk Station.

New Tools in Microsoft Office by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 805 words). One of Microsoft's strengths is the constant adding and refining of its Office tools. Recently, a few new tools caught Nancy's attention and her article gives you a short description of three of them.

Open Source Software of the Month by Geoff Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 756 words). Beneath the Ice, darktable, Free Pascal, Trelby.

Revisiting PartedMagic, Dick Maybach by Brookdale CUG (Approx. 2500 words). For many years, PartedMagic has been Dick's principal computer maintenance tool for formatting and copying disks. Find all about the program in this article.

The Personal Computer Golden Age by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG (Approx. 131 words). Some of us fondly recall the early days of personal computers in the '70s and '80s. We could poke through PC parts in dusty stores, frequently adjacent to ham radio equipment and war surplus electronics, or wait in long lines, in heat or snow depending on the season, for admission to a hall full of vendors whose only addresses were the license plates on their trailers….

Scams, Fraud, and ID Theft (QCS meeting review) by Joe Durham (Approx. 1294 words). An officer with a local PD visited QCS to share insight and advise from his perspective on the evolving scourge of the 21st Century: scams, fraud, and ID theft.

Se Habla Windows?, Greg Skalka by Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1477 words). How many languages do you think are actively spoken today? You might be as surprised as I am that it is estimated to be around 7000 and technology has its own language, or rather, languages.

The Perils of Printing by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1451 words). Does anyone really need a printer anymore? When was the last time you printed something from the device you are reading this on? (??Me, since I just printed the 1st page of every PUSH article so I could put this overview e-mail together.) How many times do you print from your PC, laptop, Chromebook?

Thinkware Dashcam Review by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 339 words). This small device gives you a recording of your view out the front window of your car.

Upgrade your router, Part 1 by Michael Shalkey, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 849 words). Michael takes us through….What is a router and what we need to do with our home router from a security point of view..

Upgrade your router, Part 2 by John Weigle, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 753 words). This article explores what you can do to enhance your router beyond what it could do when it ws brand new out of the box.

What are Cookies? by Melanie Birnbaum, Century Village Computer Club (Approx. 568 words). First, and contrary to popular belief, cookies are not programs. They don't' do anything at all. Melanie's article covers how so they work? The good thing about cookies …. and the bad.

What is an iPad Widget? And How Do I Install One? by Bill Crowe, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 807 words). Widgets are small apps that run on a device's interface, such as a clock or a widget that tells you the current weather.

Acronis True Image Backup by George Harding (Approx. 185 words) - Info about the True Image New Generation features.

All that Glitters is not Chrome by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1675 words) - Greg loves his Chromebook - it's a very handy thing to have when you want some information off the Internet quickly. It has exceeded his initial expectations and he often uses it nearly as much as his Win 7 laptop.

Apple COREner by Gary Roerig (Approx. 615 words) - If you are on an iOS device please remember to NOT install anything from your web browser (normally Safari), especially anything that indicates Senior Discounts are available…

Rational Backup Strategy by Dick Maybach (Approx. 2213 words) - It's important to take a systematic approach rather than responding to the latest sensational article or alarming ad about defending against the loss of data and software from malicious acts.

Copying Photos from Your iPhone to Your PC by Jim Cerny (Approx. 736 words) - Using your iPhone to take photos is easy, convenient, and fun. Jim always has his iPhone with him everywhere he goes and it has become his only camera for taking pics. After taking a few hundred photos, what should he do with them?

Drones by George Harding (Approx. 551 words) - George is amazed at the rapid development of the drone industry and the uses to which drones are being put. Read the article for some of the ways drones are being used.

Energy Charger Station by George Harding (Approx. 313 words) - This is a handy charger; it can charge five devices at once!

Google Search Tips by Melanie Birnbaum (Approx. 547 words) - You use Google search every day, but still all you know is how to search. However, the search engine has planet of tricks up its sleeve and Melanie explains some of those tricks.

Inkjet Printers by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1245 words) - The inkjet is the most common type of printer used at home. Dicks tells us all about the printers.

Multiple Virtual Desktops - Task View by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 963 words) - One desktop is all most of us need, most of the time, but Windows 10 has included a new feature that allows us to create multiple "virtual" desktops.

Musing of an Apple Tyro - February by Lorrin R. Garson (Approx. 1111 words) - Condition of Your MacBook Battery and more in this article.

Musings of an Apple Tyro - March by Lorrin R. Garson (Approx. 903 words) - Creating and Using Encrypted Storage on Macs, Definitions, Vault, Unencrypted Stuff and more….

Picture Management - Something we all need by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1144 words) - With the advent of the smartpho9ne, a camera is always only an arm's length away, because your smartphone is probably in your pocket or your handbag. With the many pictures we take, we naturally look for help to organize them. Phil's article features info about this type of software.

Recover, restore, backup, close, image? by Carol Picard (Approx. 1879 words) - At a recent Midland Computer Club meeting they discussed how to recover in case of hard drive failure, virus, or if Windows won't start. Carol's article discusses several ways to back up.

Wayne's Computer Class Tips by Wayne Johnson (Approx. 456 words). Test your Internet speed, Can you answer certain questions?, Why metadata matters and more…

Where to Get Tech Today by Greg Skalka (Approx. 675 words). A lot of stores that used to be the t4raditional sources for computers and technology have gone away, while a lot more shopping for the devices we need is done online.

Whoosh! by George Harding (Approx. 209 words) - Review of one of the useful products he came across at CES.

Wi-Fi File Transfer - Easily moves pictures from phone to computer by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1053 words). There are many ways of moving your pictures from your ph9one to your computer - "Wi-Fi File Transfer" is a free App that allows you to easily accomplish this task.

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Adobe Document Cloud by Eric Moore, Greely Computer UG (approx. 365 words). In Adobe's words, Adobe Document Cloud is "a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub." The goal behind Document Cloud (DC for short) is to provide a means for users to create, review, sign, and track Adobe PDF documents.

The AD A8-7670 Processor - A Review by Daniel Woodard, Dayton Microcomputer Association (approx. 1,111 words). Would you consider yourself a gamer on a budget? If so, then AMD has a processor for you, the Godavari A8-7670K APU. The processor runs at a base speed of 3.6 GHz, and ramps up to 3.9 GHz as needed. The graphics portion of the chip runs at 757 MHz and has 384 stream processors.

Changing to Another E-mail Address by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology US (approx. 719 words). Almost all computer users use email - and you are one of them, right? Have you ever had to change your email address or change to another email provider? Jim has some tips for you to do this.

Communications - Voice and Digital - All in one package by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (approx. 1045 words). Sound familiar? Well, it should; it describes a Smartphone. A smartphone provides voice (analog…sort of) and digital (computer to computer) communications, all in a package you can stick in your pocket and carry around.

Computer Attacks by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users' Group (approx. 1592 words). An important factor in defending your computer is to understand how it might be attacked. This topic fascinates many computer owners and has been the subject of many articles, books, advertisements, and discussions.

Device Transparency (DT) by Eric Moore, Computer Users' Group of Greeley (approx. 665 words). As computer users increasingly have multiple devices-laptops, desktop computers, tablets, smartphones-on which they keep important data, being able to seamlessly access a file from any location or device becomes a challenge.

File Encryption by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer UG (approx. 1334 words). Dick wrote an article in 2014 on encryption; while he was writing it, TrueCrypt, a popular tool for this task, was discontinued by its anonymous developers amid speculation it had been compromised. As a result, he recommended GnuPG; two successors have since appeared - CipherShed and VeraCrypt.

Find Your Tech Support Match by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology Users' Group (approx. 846 words). We all run into occasional problems with our computers and digital devices. Finding the solution can be a nightmare, especially if the problem is unique or you are not fluent in tech terms. Nancy has several solutions for us.

Google Virtual Tours by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (approx. 91 words). Geof has some interesting URLs for us to visit in this article.

How to Get the Windows 10 Anniversary Update by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 359 words). MS is delivering this update to more than 350 million devices around the world, so it is being rolled out slowly. If you want to get yours before your turn, this article will tell you how to do that.

Interesting Internet Finds by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (approx. 301 words). Interesting finds for June.

Interesting Internet Finds by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (approx. 301 words). Interesting finds for May.

Open Source Lab - Keeping Up with Open Source by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (approx. 533 words). Once someone starts using open-source software, either by running a Linux OS or by installing cross-platform tools on Windows or Mac OC systems, the reality set in that there is a whole new world of vast opportunities available without the drawbacks of financial cost or restrictive licenses.

Open Source Lab - Libre Office 5.1 by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (approx. 359 words). Many changes from versions 4.0 to 5.0 have focused on modernizing the user interface….

Wearable Technology: Fitbit - meeting review by Joe Durham, Quad-Cities Computer Society from a presentation by President Judi McDowell (approx. 1236 words). Great article about wearable technology. I turned it into a PowerPoint presentation and have given it to two groups.

Musings of an Apple Tyro - April by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (approx. 764 words). First "In the Wild" Ransomware for Apple, PC Sales Down but Apple Up and more….

Setting up a new computer by Lorrin R. Garson Buying a new computer isn't like buying a new car - turn on the engine and go. No! No!.

Musings of an Apple Tyro -June by Lorrin R. Garson, Potential Invasion of Privacy, Millions of Android Devices at Rick, ICANN to Rescind Control of the Internet, Troubleshooting your Printer, Oh So Retro! And more…

Musings of an Apple Tyro - July by Lorrin R. Garson, PATACS (approx. 955 words). Protection Against Ransomware, Dangerous Computer Cords, Update to OS X, Update to iTunes, Fastest Internet Speed and more.

Open Source Software of the Month - May by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (approx. 467 words). FreeBASIC, FreeCol, Kernel Source v4.5, Snappy Driver Installer, SportsTracker and more….

Open Source Software of the Month - June by Geof Goodrum, PATACS (approx. 529 words). Data Crow - v4.1, Kernel Source v4.5.2, PhotoFilmStrip and more…

Open Source Software of the Month - July by Geof Goodrum, PATACS (Approx. 715 words). Gargoyle, KeePass, Kernel Source - v4.6.2, Krita and more.

Ransomware - Protecting your ability to recover from an attack by John Langill, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club (approx. 853 words). A recent posting to Yahoo.com reminded me that the key element to recovering from a ransomware attach is to have a reliable system image back-up. John talks about various ways to accomplish your back-up.

Software Review: Alarm ++ by Marshall K. DuBois, Sarasota Technology UG (approx. 202 words). This is a great reminder program which will help you remember many things you usually forget.

Traffic Light by BitDefender review by Joe Durham, Quad-Cities Computer Society (approx. 229 words).

Synchronize mail, contacts, calendar, notes on all your devices by John King, Golden Gate Computer Society (approx. 629 words). For all of your toys to be fully useful, you have to be able to access the same e-mails, contact information, calendar appointments, and notes on every device so they are always available wherever you are.

Using Bluetooth on Your Smartphone and Tablet by Julie Mahaffey, Interactive Computer Owners Network (approx. 288 words). A Bluetooth product, like a headset or watch, contains a tiny computer chip with a Bluetooth radio and software that makes it easy to connect.

Using Foreign Characters in Passwords by Martin Arbagi, Dayton Microcomputer Association (approx. 620 words). Imagine a site that requires a password to enter-but that password can be only one character long! You would have fewer than a hundred possible passwords: the upper and lower-case versions of each letter in the English alphabet, ten numbers, and various punctuation marks. Enter a 'foreign' character.

Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Explained by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 600 words). If you want to be p-to-date in the high tech world you need to understand the terms VR and AR. They are both amazing technologies that are quickly moving into our everyday world.

Voice Control: HEY CORTANA, OK GOOGLE, SIRI & ALEXA by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (approx. 1128 words). Remember Dragon Naturally Speaking? It was, and still is, Voice Recognition software mostly used to control the operation of a word processor like Word. But the voice recognition and control that has really gotten the attention of the public lately, are the intelligent personal assistants that are provided by some of the leading computer companies.

What's New in Microsoft Office 2016 by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (approx. 1028 words). Last September, MS kept to its usual three-year schedule of issuing a new edition of Office when it released Office 2016. The questions always are, What is different in this edition? Is it worth updating? Nancy's article has a few of the features you will find in this new Office.

I Lost (Forgot?) my New Windows 10 Admin user password by Art Gresham, Under the Computer Hood UG (approx. 1173 words). Art tried all his usual passwords and variations of passwords = nothing worked. He search and searched and found a method that might work but….

Windows 10 - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Wayne B'Rells, Hendersonville Area Computer Society (approx. 3507 words). As discussed in the article, there are many situations where it may be better to stick with Windows 7 (or even, possibly, with Windows 8.1)…..

Windows 10: 3 by 3 by Cary Quinn, Pikes Peak Application Computer Society (approx. 864 words). Cary wrote this article as a quick start to their July Windows 10 meeting on whether to upgrade or not.

Windows 10 - Resistance is Futile by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (approx. 1618 words). Another interesting article by Greg - does he really compare Windows 10 to Star Trek?

The Windows 10 Anniversary Edition ha a Lot to Love by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 564 words). She likes it!>

PUSH Articles - June 2016

7 Quick Tips for Windows and Office by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 848 words). Print layout, keystroke combos, arrow keys, tricks with Tables and more….

Ad/Popup Blockers and the Internet Advertising War by Mike Morris (Approx. 975 words). Interesting article of ad and popup blockers - I used the info for a mini-presentation to my group.

Apple COREnerd by Gary Roerig, Front Range PCUG, CO (Approx. 370 words). This article is for Apple users in an effort to keep abreast of some tips and tricks as well as new features.

Apple TV for More TV Viewing Options by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 798 words). Apple TV is a neat little box device you plug into a power outlet and into the back of your TV for a whole lot of fun TV viewing options.

Backing Up Using Windows File History by Tom Burt, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club, NV (Approx. 695 words). It can't be stressed enough that computer users need to back up their PC's data files regularly. Without backups, the inevitable failure of a PC's disk drive means that all that data becomes lost permanently - use Windows File History to back up that important data.

Broadband Internet Technology by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG, NJ (Approx. 1619 words). Early computer communication used voice-frequency modems and telephone lines, but this technology limits the bandwidth to less than 56 kbits/s. Initially, this was OK as files were small and most communication used only text.

Building or Buying a Computer in 2016 by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (Approx. 2055 words). Whether you buy or build a new computer, there are a number of important things to know to obtain the best computer for the money you wish to spend. Is it better to build or buy a new computer?

How to Take Better Photos with Your Smartphone by Stu Gershon, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club, NV (Approx. 262 words). Four tips on how to take better pics with your Smartphone.

Interesting Internet Finds-February by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 308 words)

Interesting Internet Finds-March by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 327 words)

Interesting Internet Finds-April by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 326 words)

Internet Security by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG, NJ (Approx. 1584 words). A personal computer is secure until you connect it to the Internet, which is why the title of this article isn't "Computer Security," however, without communications, a PC loses much of its value.

Irfan View Review by Joe Nuvolini, Pikes Peak Computer Application Association, CO (Approx. 413 words). Irfran View is one of Joe's favorite programs and it is 20 years old this year.

Microsoft "Edge - The New Web Browser with Windows 10 by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 737 words). One of the apps (programs) that come free with Win 10 is their new web browser called Edge which is supposed to replace Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Music Notation Software - Meeting Review by Andy Woodruff, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT (Approx. 841 words). Music notation software is the application for music composition. A composer can write musical notes in a music notation application and when print professional-looking music scores.

Musings of an Apple Tyro-February by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 880 words). MacKeeper Users Exposed, Apple Magic Mouse Disconnecting, Much Faster Memory and Storage Coming and more….

Musings of an Apple Tyro-March by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 950 words). OS X El Capitan - Installation, Performance, Mail and more in this article.

Musings of an Apple Tyro-April by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 772 words). First "In the Wild" Ransomware for Apple, PC Sales Down but Apple Up and more….

My Experience with Windows 10 by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 817 words). You can spend a lot of time researching all about Win 10 on the Internet and what Jim has found is really too much information, more information than he needs or would use.

OneNote is a perfect computer junk drawer by John Weigle, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (Approx. 1747 words). OneNote is a fantastic tool to save and recover information. Meeting review by John….

Open Source Software of the Month - February by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 790 words). Gramps (Orv Beach gave a presentation on this program at the Winter FTC) and more….

Open Source Software of the Month - March by Geof Goodrum (Approx. 641 words). Kernel Source - v4.4.1, LibreOffice, Pingus and more….

Open Source Software of the Month - April by Geof Goodrum (Approx. 617 words) Kernel Source - v4.4.3, Periodic table of Elements, Beyond the Horizon - v1, ProjectLibre and more…

PDF File Type - What and Why? by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, FL (Approx. 1147 words). The PDF file type has been around since 1993 when Adobe Systems made the specification available to all, free of charge. However, PDF was initially a proprietary format, controlled by Adobe, until it was officially released as an Open Standard in 2008.

Safeguarding Windows 10> by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG, NJ (Approx. 1089 words). If you have taken advantage of the free upgrade to Win 10, you're vulnerable to losing it as well as your data if you don't make some preparations…..

Should I Buy a Chromebook by John Moss, Member, Green Valley Computer Club, AZ (Approx. 525 words). Chromebooks are lightweight laptops that run an operating system called Chrome OS

Try the Presenter View in PowerPoint by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 663 words). One of the most helpful new features in Microsoft's PowerPoint 2013 is a tool for people who do presentations. The purpose of the Presenter View is to give the speaker more control over the presentation.

Ultra High Definition TV - Do I need one? by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, FL (Approx. 1009 words). This seems to be the latest in advertised TV developments (maybe with the exception of curved TV screens).

Update Upsets by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (Approx. 1541 words). More and more of the things we own and use require updates, and a lot of them require updating more and more….

USB is changing as technology advances by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (Approx. 394 words). USB-C? USB 3.1 generation 1 and 2?

What's New? - Blu-Toque review by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 499 words). Bluetooth is gaining in popularity and usefulness. How about a Bluetooth Beanie?

What's New? - D-Link Wi-Fi Camera by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 568 words). This product is an example of IoT (Internet of Things) functionality. You can control a device with your smartphone.

What's New? - Ripple Coffee Maker by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 177). This just might be a gadget for the person who has everything.

Your Internet Connection by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 696 words). Today more people have and use more than one computer device that can connect to the Internet. This article looks at how you can easily determine the answer to that all important question: Am I connected to the Internet?

PUSH Articles - March 2016

Review - AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Weather Station by Jerry Grommes, Sandwich Computer Users Group (Approx. 653 words). The weather display with AcuRite Connect plugs into your computer to store, track and share your weather information. You can view your sensors from virtually anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer with the AcuRite app and myAcuRite.com website, or you can easily publish your weather reports on Weather Underground.

Do I need a smartphone? by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1040 words). A great article for those members still using a flip hone.

Favorite Smartphone and Tablet Features by Julie Mahaffey, ICON Computer UG, MO (Approx. 460 words). Some of the features in Julie's article are: Navigation, Calendar, Alarm, Weather Channel App Microphone for Speaking Text, Lists, etc.

Freebies! by Dave Bilcik, Southern Tier Personal Computer Club (Approx. 792 words). The past year is done and gone and a brand new year is here. Dave's article includes info about being able to see your feet in 2016, Win 10's user privacy controversy, protecting your PC properly, and asks if your e-mails are important to you.

Getting Devices to Work Together by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology UG (Approx. 701 words). Every year Jim hears that the wonders of technology are going to make our lives easier and easier. Do they mean less confusing? He doesn't think so…..

How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves by Adam Levin - reviewed by John Pearce, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society (Approx. 388 words). Sounds like an excellent book that will enhance our knowledge about all of the above.

Interactive Tracking Websites by Doug Palmer, Tampa PCUG (Approx. 602 words). Doug has an extensive list of weird, odd and interesting websites that he's run across over the years. This article includes information about two that might quality as tracking maps as they track something. RAIDS Online is a free public crime map developed by BAIR Analytics; the other is the Worldwide Marine Traffic interactive map for those who love to explore and tinker and learn.

Interesting Internet Finds - January by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 343 words). As usual, a list of Steve's interesting websites.

Internet Privacy, by Dick Maybeck, Brookdale Computer Users' Group, NJ (Approx. 1681 words)

Look in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane…it's a drone! by Mike Hancock, Golden Gate Computer Society (Approx. 782 words). At their November meeting, George Krieger, drone photographer, drone video producer and drone technologist showed two drone-created videos as well as gave an overview of how the legal system is working on rules for all drones, etc.

Looking Back to See Forward by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood User Group (Approx. 1570 words). With 2015 in the rear view mirror, one starts to wonder what kind of year 2016 will be for computers and technology. We had better figure out quickly as almost ¼ of the year is gone already, and before we know it Christmas decorations will be appearing in the aisles at Home Depot once again.

Mac Tips by Ernie Cox, Computer Club of Green Valley (Approx. 103 words). 12 tips for Mac users.

MailWasher Free - Version 7.7 by John Langill, Southern Tier Personal Computer Club (Approx. 1016 words). MailWasher is e-mail filtering software for Windows that can detect and delete spam from a user's e-mail while it remains on the e-mail provider's server; that is, BEFORE it is downloaded to the user's computer.

Wi-Fi Security by William Callahan, Danbury Area Computer Society(Approx. 1005 words). Computer Security awareness is imperative to any end user; Wi-Fi security is no exception. John Adams presented an excellent set of information which is invaluable to understanding wireless devices and securing them from malicious attacks.

Musing of an Apple Tyro - January by Lorrin R. Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 772 words). Erasing Data on SSDs, Malwarebytes for Macs, and more is included in Lorrin's article.

Nibblers- December by Jeannine Sloan, Approx. 1273 words).

Nibblers -November by Jeannine Sloan, (Approx. 1318 words)

Open Source Software of the Month - January by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 725 words). Double Commander, Kernel Source - V4.3, Origami Editor 3D and more are included in Geof's article.

Polaroid Cube by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 443 words). Yes, the Polaroid camera is alive and well! Note: The TCS newsletter is no longer being published by George is still reviewing 'stuff'. These articles will be on their website and one of their members will be sending them to me to be included in PUSH.

Powercell 10000+ by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 301 words). This is an external battery charger that can charge up to three devices at once. It's about 3" by 5-12"…..

Achieving Your Potential as a Photographer by Mark Mattson, Computer Users of Erie (Approx. 1531 words). Photography has been around for over 175 years. Like most art forms, it had its fits and starts over the years, with many different techniques coming and going in those years. In Harold Davis' latest book, he takes his readers on a journey of exploration on how to define their own unique vision and style of photography.

Continuous Ink Supply System (CISS or CIS) by David Kazmer, SCV Computer Club (Approx. 511 words). There is an old marketing strategy of "Give them printer and sell them the ink" that is starting to be challenged by alternate methods of using ink. This article reviews the CIS for Dave's Brother printer - he's been using it for nearly two years after Don Baker from Klassic Specialties gave a presentation at a meeting.

Meet an Old Friend: Snipping Tool by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology User Group, FL (Approx. 752 words). Nancy DeMarte says she uses the Snipping Tool almost daily as do I. It's a nifty screen capture tool for large or small sections of documents, spreadsheet, photos, etc.

Stepping up your Internet privacy and security by Mike Hancock, Golden Gate Computer Society, (Approx. 688 words). Noel Swartz, a technologist with the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF.org) explained that EFF is involved in Impact Litigation and projects like HTTPS Everywhere, Let's Encrypt, Panopticlick, and Privacy Badger. Readers will find out these programs in this article.

Taking Photos with Your iPad (and iPhone) by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 868 words). Your iPad tablet device (and your iPhone) are excellent devices for taking photos and videos. Jim discusses taking and working with photos in this article (taking videos is similar). All iPads and iPhones have a "Camera" app to TAKE photos and a "Photos" app to VIEW your photos.

The Year in Perspective by Andrew Cummins, ICON Computer Users Group (Approx. 435 words). We've put another glorious tech year behind us. It is incredible how cheap computers have become, are getting small, with more functions….

Two Ways to Keep Track of your Word Files by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 951 words). Nancy often hears people say they have so many documents saved in their computer in so many different folders that it's hard to locate a specific document. They can't remember where they saved it. If you have found yourself in this situation, Nancy's tips might help.

What's New at CES 2016 by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 2247 words)? Interesting finds at CES - OK to split into two articles.

PUSH Articles - January 2016

Black Fridays Matter by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG (Approx. 1761 words). The holiday shopping season is over. Now stores are crowded again, this time with people trying to return gifts they received. Of course, there were also after-Christmas sales, New Year's sales and every other excuse for a sale that the merchants can come up with between now and next November. Still, Greg believes the sales that matter most in terms of discounts to consumers, especially for computer and technology items, occur on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

Brokestuff Mountain by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (Approx. 1579 words). One of his greatest fears is broken stuff. As an engineer, his days are filled with problem solving, which often involves trying to figure out why something does not work as expected. At home, he's looked upon as the builder and fixer of the family. Read about Greg's experience 'fixing' things at home.

Choosing the Right Computer by Melanie Birnborn, Century Village Computer Club (Approx. 391 words). Choosing a computer can be a daunting task, especially with the large range available in the modern market. In this article, Melanie tries to narrow down your choices, making it easier to find a product that will best suit your needs.

Designing and Maintaining Websites by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer UG (Approx. 1549 words). Many organizations, including BCUG, can no longer justify the costs of printing and mailing newsletters, and as a result they rely on a website to keep their members informed. Individuals also use them to communicate their activities to families and friends, as they allow more presentation flexibility than say Facebook. As a result, you may be decide (or be asked) to design and maintain a website. What approach should you use, and how can you get started?

Digital Photography Tips and Tricks by Spike Smith, North Texas PCUG (Approx. 1658 words). Avoid the "Let me do it for you," as the perpetrators of these schemes cannot see what you see, simply because they are not you. Lean how to avoid the pitfalls of following arbitrary sequences that will be messy to overcome later.

Downloading vs. Streaming - What's the Difference? by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1020 words). Downloading is something most of us do, almost without thinking about it. Streaming is something we rarely do, unless we watch a lot of movies from YouTube or another such video streaming service. Read about info on both of these topics.

Enliven Documents with Themes by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 805 words). If you often find yourself creating documents in Word or spreadsheets in Excel, you probably use the same font and layouts most of the time. Do you create a Theme? Find out how with this article.

Google and TP-Link are introducing a new router for the smart home by John Pearce, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society (Approx. 339 words). As you might expect from Google, the OnHub TGR1900 is not your average router……

How to manage passwords and use Dropbox, Meeting Review by Mike Hancock, Golden Gate Computer Society (Approx. 834 words). LastPass is a powerful and flexible password manager that keeps your login information secure without your having to memorize all of it. He also covers how to use DropBox.

How to save money on accessories by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 337 words). Bart doesn't spend much money on accessories - find out how.

Insert and Sign…no need to Swipe - EMV Credit Cards by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1189 words). By now, we have all heard of credit cards with chips. In fact, you may even be carrying one in your wallet or purse. The nationwide shift to these new credit cards is well underway.

Interesting Internet Finds- September by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society - 323 words

Interesting Internet Finds- October by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society- 297 words

Interesting Internet Finds- November by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society - 339 words

Internet Browser Tools by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 935 words). The Internet is a tremendous resource for everything. It is probably the number one reason for having a computer - to get to the internet.

Mac Tips by Ernie Cox, Computer Club of Green Valley (Approx. 82 words). As usual, some great tips from Ernie.

What to Expect in Microsoft Office 2016 by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 807 words). Amid all the hype about Windows 10, another Microsoft product has been released: Office 2016…..

Musings of an Apple Tyro - October Lorrin Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society. Lots of Apple tips - 863 words

Musings of an Apple Tyro - November by Lorrin Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society. Lots of Apple tips - 937 words

Musings of an Apple Tyro - December by Lorrin Garson, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society. Lots of Apple tips - 828 words

My Chrome Away from Home by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (Approx. 1670 words). Greg wrote this article while on his summer vacation and he is really enthusiastic about his Chromebook.

New Year, New Predictions by Greg Skalka, UCHUG (Approx. 1091 words). Greg made some predictions last year and thought he should be held accountable for his prognostications from 2015. He also has some predictions for 2016.

Organizing Digital Photos by Jim Cerny, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 1231 words). Many people have been using digital cameras and computer devices to take photos and you probably take your Smartphone with everywhere anyway, so you always have a camera with you. But, how do you keep your photos organized?

Record Your TV Shows - How-to Options by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club (Approx. 1004 words). It seems like TV shows are rarely aired at a convenient time, or they have so many commercials, during which you could easily lose the story line. Hence the tremendous market for Digital Video Recorders - there are options.

Streaming Media by Len Nasman, Bristol Village Computer Club (Approx. 365 words). Streaming Media refers to the process of receiving either audio or video files on a computer, TV, or a portable device. If you have watched a YouTube video on your computer, you have used streaming video….

Tips for Printing a PowerPoint Presentation by Nancy Demarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 602 words). Nancy shows us the various ways we can print our PowerPoint presentations.

Upgrade to Win 10 - or Not? by Don Coon, Computer Club of Green Valley (Approx. 349 words). If you haven't already upgraded to Windows 10, what should you do?

A Twisted View by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (Approx. 273 words). When you are using your laptop with its landscape-view monitor, have you thought of using another monitor in portrait mode? See how Geof does it.

Website Technology by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG (Approx. 1175 words). As you browse websites on the Internet, the processes that produce the screens on your computer are much more complex and interesting than you probably think and require ongoing conversations between local and remote software.

What to Expect in Microsoft Office 2016 by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG (Approx. 807 words). Amid all the hype about Windows 10, another Microsoft product has been released: Office 2016…..

Word Preview Pane and Cursor Size - ICON Computer Users Group Q and A by Mary Phillips (Approx. 371 words). Mary gives us two tips to make using Word easier.

Apple and Amazon to Vie for Best Streaming Device by Sandy Berger (Approx. 401 words). Amazon's Fire TV with Alexa, the voice assistant of the Amazon Echo built-in. Siri provides an intelligent voice serch for the new Apple TV.

Backups are needed for all devices by Bart Koslow, Review Chair, Channel Islands PC Users Group, CA The most important single maintenance action you can take to protect your computer is to make regular, at least weekly, image backups to an external hard drive - 621 words.

808 Thump Bluetooth Speaker by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society (Approx. 348 words). This is an amazingly small Bluetooth external speaker. But what a sound!

Acronis Disk Director has many new tools by Bart Koslow, Channel Islands PCUG (Approx. 1270 words). Past versions of Acronis Disk Director that Bart had used were programs to create and manage disk partitions of basic Windows hard drives. He was pleasantly surprised to see that ADD has been expanded in scope to the point that it has become a powerful set of tools to optimize your disk data and protect it.

Acronis True Image Cloud a major advance by Bart Koslow (Approx. 1168 words). Acronis True Image Cloud is the latest update of the Acronis Back Up and Recovery program. Bart has used it for many years and in the past found it to be the best program of its type available. This update is a major advance…..

AUD Mini6 Party by George Harding (Approx. 539 words). When you have a party, you want music. And how do you get it? Not with your iPhone, at least not if you want to hear it above the party noise. Instead, you use the AUD Mini6 Party external Bluetooth speaker.

FreeCast and RabbitTV by George Harding (Approx. 270 words). Last year, George received a card for free registration for FreeCast. It's a source for free TV, movies, radio, sports, games and more.

Jam Audio Transit Earbuds by George Harding (Approx. 305 words). The Jam Audio earbuds have a few features that make them outstanding.

My Digital Photography for Seniors by Charles Flum, Boca Raton Computer Society (Approx. 481 words). There are many seniors who are technologically challenged as they did not grow up with all the gadgets available to us today. This book is an introduction to the wonderful world of digital photography, aimed at seniors, but applicable to anyone just starting out.

Open Source Software of the Month - October by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society - October (618 words), November (811 words), December (369 words). Geof provides information about many OSS programs.

Open Source Software of the Month- November by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society - October (618 words), November (811 words), December (369 words). Geof provides information about many OSS programs.

Open Source Software of the Month- December by Geof Goodrum, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society - October (618 words), November (811 words), December (369 words). Geof provides information about many OSS programs.

National Association of Broadcasters by George Harding (Approx. 628 words). NAB is an interesting show. If you've ever wondered how they do that stuff on TV, this is the place to find out.

ScreenGuardz with The Crown by George Harding (Approx. 306 words). So you bought a new smartphone and want to protect the screen from scratches and other damage. Consider ScreenGuardz for this.

The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld by Jim Scheef, Danbury Area Computer Society (Approx. 1893 words). Cyberspace is often divided into distinct parts. The news media does this every day, providing convenient compartments into which they stuff everything from politicians to television programs to even criminals.

Topaz Review, Parts 2, 3 and 4 by Mark Mattson, Computer Users Group of Erie From Mark: If some editors can't use entire parts of this series, they are perfectly welcome to use individual parts of it broken up over longer periods of time... such as doing one plug-in for a single issue, or doing several over random issues. I try to write them so they can stand alone if need be, so if someone wants to go that route, that's fine by me.

Topaz Review, Part 3.zip by Mark Mattson, Computer Users Group of Erie From Mark: If some editors can't use entire parts of this series, they are perfectly welcome to use individual parts of it broken up over longer periods of time... such as doing one plug-in for a single issue, or doing several over random issues. I try to write them so they can stand alone if need be, so if someone wants to go that route, that's fine by me.

Topaz Review Part 4.zip by Mark Mattson, Computer Users Group of Erie From Mark: If some editors can't use entire parts of this series, they are perfectly welcome to use individual parts of it broken up over longer periods of time... such as doing one plug-in for a single issue, or doing several over random issues. I try to write them so they can stand alone if need be, so if someone wants to go that route, that's fine by me.

TypeItIn by Leah Clarke, Los Angeles Computer Society (Approx. 332 words). This program lets you crate buttons that will type any information you want in any application. It is a big time-saver!

PUSH National Cyber Security Awareness Month Articles - October 2015

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month by Ira Wilsker (Approx. 1231 words). As you might know, Ira is a proponent of NCSAM but reminds us cyber security awareness should be practiced year round.

Is Windows 10 Spying on Us? by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 898 words). There has been considerable publicity about Windows 10 being used as a spying tool for Microsoft. Blogs and even some fairly reputable websites have jumped on this bandwagon. Sandy's article makes for interesting reading on this subject.

Keep Your PC Clean by Merle Nicholson, Tampa PCUG (Approx. 1229 words). Another one of the things we need to keep reminding our members about is how to keep their computers fully functionally - going further than just buying antivirus and doing backups. Really good reminders for our members. Meeting idea: Use the ideas in the article to show members how to clean their hard drives via Windows and then demo CCleaner.

Mac OS X Tip by Lee Maxwell, Brookdale Computer User Group (Approx. 719 words). Adware is becoming one of the most significant threats to users of computers, both Windows PCs and Macintoshes. Mac users will learn about Lee's recommendation for a program they should have on their computer. Windows users should use the same program but for their OS.

Malvertising by Dave Palmer, Tampa PCUG (Approx. 1484 words). Just as 'malware' is short for malicious software, 'malvertising' is short for malicious advertising. Like many services on the Internet, online advertising has become highly automated. And like nearly everywhere else on the Internet, cyber criminals have found ways to corrupt that automation to turn a profit.

Password Generation Hint by Jerry Goldstein, The PCUG of Connecticut (Approx. 534 words). Thanks to the lack of safety of those holding our passwords, we are often notified of user information and password theft occurring by those we provide our information to. Banks, stores, and other major corporations announce data thefts and loss regularly. As a result we need to be constantly on vigil and update our passwords regularly. Perhaps your members will want to embrace Jerry's password suggestions.

More security vulnerabilities disclosed for phones, carriers by Ira Wilsker (Approx. 1405 words). If you are like Ira, you carry your cell p hone everywhere, carrying on voice conversations, sending and receiving text messages, utilizing countless apps, and surfing the Web. Until recently, he gave very little heed to the security of these external communications as our smart devices are supposed to be somewhat secure. Maybe not…

Selected Nibblers by Jeannine Sloan, Twin Cities PC Group (taken from several of the TCPC newsletters) Approx. 597 words.

How to Set Windows 10 Privacy and Security Options by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 222 words). We've all heard how MS is getting all our info via Win 10. Sandy lets readers know how to customize their security and privacy settings.

What are Websites Doing with Your Personal Information? by Ira Wilsker (Approx. 1602 words). Banner ads and other forms of ads seem to appear coincidently for some of the items you have been searing for online. Have you noticed many of these ads are from the same retail sites you have been looking at? This article will let you in on some of the common methods of compiling and distributing this personal info and shopping preferences via "tracking cookies."

What is an Exploit Kit? by Dave Palmer, Tampa PCUG (Approx. 1233 words). You may have heard the term 'exploit kit.' Maybe not. The term has become more prominent over the last decade as Internet crime has become more sophisticated. You will learn about Exploit kit basics - Advantages of Exploit Kits and more in this article.

What is Medical Identity Theft? by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (Approx. 701 words). Medical ID theft is on the rise! Your credit and bank account balance are not the only vulnerabilities that identity thieves are after - they are also want to be you re medical ID theft.

10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin. (Approx. 1282 words). A new study shows that identity fraud is increasing, affecting over 13 million U.S. consumers in the past two years. Big spikes were noted in "new account fraud" and 'account takeover fraud' - two of the most damaging types of ID theft. ID theft is one of the most traumatic non-violent crimes to which one can fall victim. We need to keep educating our members on how to protect themselves and this articles has 10 suggestions on how to do that.

Security bug could threaten 950 million Android devices Ira Wilsker (Approx. 1385 words). In recent weeks, at least two potentially frightening new vulnerabilities have been discovered that could threaten an estimated 95% of the one billion devices running the Android operation system. As usual, Ira keeps us up-to-date with security issues.

PUSH Articles - September 2015

7 Short Tips for Word Users by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG, FL (Approx. 567 words). Some great tips for your readers.

Topaz Photography Collection, Part 1 Review by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (Approx. 3215 words). The Topaz Photography Collection is a bundle of 16 products, all designed to make your image editing and enhancements faster and easier. All are plug-ins that work inside your image editing software, with the exception of Topaz Glow, Impression and photoFXlab, which operate as stand-alone products. Mark's review will be split into four parts and the individual articles will be a brief overview of each product, giving sample images to illustrate how each plug-in enhances your image.

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10 by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 343 words). If your readers are still on the fence about upgrading to Win 10, Sandy really likes it and gives you 10 reasons why you should upgrade.

To SSD or Not to SSD? - That is the question by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, FL (Approx. 1198 words). Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer the Slings and Arrows and stay with Hard Drive, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles and Convert to a Newer Technology (Solid State Drives). Well, maybe that's not quite what Shakespeare had in mind, but it does bring up the question. Should we begin to move to SSD drives?

The Tip Corner - May 2015 by Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (Approx. 1205). This column is the one that I see in more newsletters than others sent via PUSH. Sorry to say, this is the last one since their editor resigned and, at this time, they no longer have a newsletter. Scams and viruses, print part of an e-mail or other text? - all this and more tips are included.

So You Want to Write a Book by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer UG, NJ (Approx. 1360 words). Perhaps you want to document your family's history or preserve a collection of recipes, or you may have an idea you think you could sell to others. Not long ago you would have few choices between a loose-leaf notebook and trying to interest a publisher. Today the large gap between these is filled by eBooks which you can distribute yourself to a new friends or to a wider audience through an online publisher.

Siri for Seniors (or anyone) by Larry McJunkin, The Retired Geek (Approx. 856 words). This is Larry's last article, he's retired as The Retired Geek. If you have an iPhone 4s or later, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, or iPod touch (5th generation), meet your new best friend - Siri.

Scam I Am by Greg Skalka, President, UCHUG, CA (Approx. 1,357 words). Scams, cons, theft and deceit have been around forever. Just as technology has helped us increase our productivity, it has helped the crooks become more efficient as well. The old scams and trickery have been made easier to execute, while new forms of theft have been developed.

Saving a File by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 1266 words). To Save or Save As, file naming and more are covered in Back to Basics article.

How "Silent Calls" Lead to Identity Theft - The Dark Side or Robocalling by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (Approx. 839 words). We've all had the experience of answering a phone fall only to hear nothing. Typically, we just hang up and shrug. But those sort "silent calls" are the first step in well-organized campaigns to steal identifies and bank account balances. Bob's article shows how these scams work and what we should do to protect ourselves.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about eBay - Book Review of My eBay for Seniors by Chris Johnson, Editor and Designer, Golden Gate Computer Society, CA (Approx. 1,262 words). I used this great review in my group's newsletter when we had a buying and selling with eBay presentation. You could also publish it in your newsletter with you show Gary Bigel's buying and selling with eBay VTC video. The large sans serif type and its references to grandkids makes my eBay for Seniors a book geared to older folks in the publisher's eye. Everything else about the book-its information and colorful network-is for the beginner or average user---of any age. But I did like that I didn't have to whip out my glasses to read it.

Restoring Windows with the SystemRescueCD by Dick Maybach (Approx. 934 words). His May article covers the Trinity Rescue Kit. This article covers an alternate - the SystemRescueCD.

Rescuing Windows with the Trinity Rescue Kit by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer Users' Group, NJ (Approx. 1,226 words). Dick has discussed several reproaches for restoring a Windows PC in previous articles. His favorite tool is PartedMagic but readers may prefer an alternative such as the Trinity Rescue Kit.

Printing Stuff by Bill Crowe, Program Chair, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 776 words). Bill's article covers three applications that work with the iPad or iPhone calendar and contacts and can be used to make printed copies of them.

Practice Makes Perfect by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 171 words). Learning to use a new device can take time because it always takes practice. Sometimes that practice requires trial and error. Sandy's article gives some tips to get you through.

Phone Service without Paying by Tom Kuklinski, Director, Computer Users of Erie, PA (Approx. 1994 words). Phone service without a plan or contract? I like that but I still don't want to pay anything for it either, Tom's article outlines how you can have phone service for free.

OneNote serves as a computerized memory by John Weigle, Editor, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (Approx. 969 words). A review of one of the presentations at their May meeting. OneNote is the perfect place to keep all that information you want to remember and find easily when you need it. Toby Scotty, their head techie, said at the May meeting. "It still is the greatest piece of software ever written," Scott said, even though at first it doesn't seem like much.

Nibblers for May 2015 by Jeannine Sloan, Ambassador for Friendship Village, Twin Cities PCC, MN (Approx. 958 words). Keyboard Shortcut to quickly view basic information about your Windows computer, On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels, Considerations for Safer Downloading, Exhaustive List of Windows Hotkeys and more are included in this issue of Jeannine's Nibblers.

Nibblers for June 2015 by Jeannine Sloan, Ambassador for Friendship Village, Twin Cities PCC, MN (Approx. 1,540 words). Modular Smart Phones, Biometric Scanning, Ransomware Defense, Google Earth Tutorials and more are included in Jeannine's Nibblers column.

My Windows 10 Upgrade Experiences by Frank Ramsey, Editor, Akron Canton PCUG, OH (Approx. 2,232 words). Frank has had quite the experience with installing Win 10 on several of his computers. Maybe your readers have had the same problems and can use one of his solutions.

Interesting Internet Finds - May by Steve Costello (38 words) More great I-net finds from Steve

Interesting Internet Finds - June by Steve Costello (353 words)

Interesting Internet Finds - July by Steve Costello (380 words

I Have a Website - Now What?, Review of the April Monterey Bay UG-PC Meeting by Joe Asling, MBUC-PC, CA (Approx. 749 words). Their April meeting presenter gave them five tips to tune up and improve a website's effectiveness.

Google's New Spam-Fighting Tools by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (Approx. 851 words). Google estimates that nearly 60% of all e-mail it processes is spam. But like most Gmail users, Bob rarely sees any spam in his inbox. Google claims that Gmail now blocks 99.9% of all spam. Reading his article will let your members know how you can get near-perfect spam filtering, even if you don't use Gmail.

Fun with Spreadsheets by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota TUG, FL (Approx. 1,289 words). Most people do not associate the word "fun" with anything like what a spreadsheet program can do, but Jim hopes that by reading this article, your members decide to at least open a spreadsheet program just to see what it can do and if it is really "fun" for you to use.

Edge - Microsoft's New Web Browserby Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 382 words). The new browser which comes with Windows 10 is called Edge. This is aptly named because it is much sharper than IE. As a matter of fact, it is better in almost every way.

Drive for a Change - Installing a Laptop Hybrid Drive by Greg Skalka, President, UCHUG, CA (Approx. 1,645 words). Like people, people have a lifecycle. That lifecycle typically takes them from a youth of peak capabilities, through a middle age marked by a slowing down and perhaps reduced desirability to twilight years of diminished capacities, failing parts and obsolescence in the workforce If your laptop is in the midst of a mid-life crises, there are things you can do to turn back the clock and return a bit of that youthful capability and desirability.

Creating Your Own Template in Word 2013 by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Technology UG, FL (Approx. 503 words). Microsoft includes templates in Office; Nancy has step-by-step instructions on how we can create our own Word templates.

Cloud Computing - An Ephemeral Concept by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, FL (Approx. 1047 words). Cloud computing has been around for quite some time. It just wasn't called Cloud computing until recently. Although it is relatively new, Cloud Computing can be found as early as the mid-90s. Steve Jobs of Apple fame, developed his vision of the cloud as a "digital hub for all your digital content." The article contains info about the history of the Internet and more.

PUSH Articles - June 2015

9 Mac System Preferences You Haven’t Tweaked Yet by Justin Pot, MakeUseOf.com (Approx. 834 words). System Preferences, Enable Apps from Outside the App Store, Set Up Autoreplace for Easy Text Expansion, Schedule Wake-up and Sleep Times, Set up Hot Corners to Quickly do Anything, Add a Lock Message in Case You Lose Your Mac, Turn off Notifications During Your Work Day, Explore What Your Trackpad Can Do, Mac Custom Keyboard Shortcuts, and Handy Shortcut: Right-Click Preferences Icon for a List.

The Best Virus Protection….ever! by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, Florida (Approx. 1218 words). Virus protection isn’t really a very popular topic, until you’ve concluded that your computer has just been infected by one of those nasty viruses. Find out what Phil considers the best virus protection.

BitTorrent by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group (Approx. 1437 words). BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol for transferring files over the Internet. In the BitTorrent scheme of transferring files, the central site is called an indexer and it functions as a file director. There are also sites called trackers that work with and assist indexers. Sound complicated? Dick’s article will bring you up-to-speed.

Computer Experiments by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group (Approx. 1348 words). In the early days of PCs, we had no choice but to experiment with them. Back then, what today are simple changes required changing hardware and software configurations. We use our computers more and more but most tend to know less and less about them. Using a safe “sandbox” let’s us experiment without risk.

Computing…Yesterday and Today by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, Florida (Approx. 936 words). Take a trip down memory lane on how computers have evolved.

Cybercrime and Phishing by Kathy Frey, Computer Club of Green Valley, Arizona (Approx. 559 words). At one time or another we all will be a victim of some form of Cybercrime and Phishing. The use of any preventive product is of little help if you don’t practice safe computing. Kathy gives us several tips to protect ourselves.

Five Things the Tech Industry Won’t Tell You by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood User Group, California (Approx. 1517 words). In a nod to the Wall Street Journal Sunday’s imaginative, interesting and informative “10 Things….(xxx) Won’t Tell You” columns, Greg offers his half-sized version.

Freeware / Open Source SIG by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida (Approx. 341 words). Steve tells us where to download and not download freeware.

Get Around Quickly in Word Documents by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota Tech UG (Approx. 918 words). Do you write multi-page documents or ones based on an outline? Do you save them from other sources? If so, you should get familiar with a helpful feature that was introduced with Office 2010 and refined in Office 2013 – the Navigation Pane.

Get Help From Others by Sandy Berger, CompuKiss.com (Approx. 202 words). Need help with your computer, tablet, or phone? Sandy tells us about several places we can go to get help (don’t forget your computer club).

How to Deal With Tech Support by Melanie Birnborn, Century Village Computer Club, Florida (Approx. 605 words). Melanie gives us several tips of how we can get good customer support.

How to Stream TV by Sandy Berger, CompuKiss.com (Approx. 955 words). There is no doubt that the world of TV content and the way we get that content is changing. Are you thinking about cutting your cable or satellite TV cord? Sandy’s article is a quick tutorial on how to stream and what you need.

Interesting Internet Finds – February by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida (Approx. 348 words). Interesting sites you might want to visit. April – more interesting sites (Approx. 359 words).

Interesting Internet Finds – April by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida (Approx. 348 words). Interesting sites you might want to visit. April – more interesting sites (Approx. 359 words).

Learning to Program by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, New Jersey (Approx. 1370 words). Dick’s article covers three languages you might want to learn.

LibreOffice 4.4 by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, Louisiana (Approx.443 words). In the recent release of the ninth major version, LibreOffice 4.4, has had some major changes.

Mac Tips by Ernie Cox, Jr. and Ruth White, Computer Club of Green Valley, Arizona (Approx. 165 words). How to use audio messages in iOS to send voice texts for iPhone, What to do if you cannot remember an Apple ID or password and many more tips.

Neverputt by Cal Esneault Cajun Clickers Computer Club, Louisiana (Approx. 468 words). Neverputt is a multi-player miniature golf computer game available as a free download for Linux, Windows, and MAC OS. It allows selection of 7 different courses or varying difficulty. It is a challenging game combining both skill and strategy and is suitable for all ages.

A review of The TUG – MOAA Computer User Group meeting featuring social networks by Jim Fromm, The TUG-MOAA CUG, Hawai’i (Approx. 492 words). We’ve all, most likely, heard of Facebook, Google +, Twitter, LinkedIn and others – they are the most popular. There are others out there and we need to know some steps to ensure our on-line safety.

Glary Utilities by Joe Lucchesi, The TUG – MOAA CUG, Hawai’i (Approx. 399 words). Glary Utilities is a full-featured computer cleaner and optimization program, at a very low price, consisting of optimization applets to keep our computers running smoothly, faster and safer.

Sharing Data – That’s what networks are all about by Phil Sorrentino, The Computer Club, Florida (Approx. 1205 words). Having all your computers networked together makes the Internet readily available to each device, with the added benefits of file sharing and video streaming. Phil gives us several ways we can network our devices.

Sort a List of Names in MS Word by Howard Lewis, Midland Computer Club, Michigan (Approx. 440 words). Howard gives us some simple instructions to help us sort names, etc. in MS Word.

The Best Things in Life are Free…Take 2 by Lou Torraca, The TUG-MOAA US, Hawai’i (Approx. 787 words). Lou gives us lots of places we can go for “freebies.”

The Times they are A-Chargin’ by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood UG, California (Approx. 1464 words). This article is about batteries, battery technology, and more.

The Tip Corner – April 2015 by Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, Pennsylvania (Approx. 2074 words). The first anniversary of the end of XP, Transferring Files, Find Your Android Phone, LibreOffice Portable, and Your Next Computer.

The Tip Corner – February 2015 by Bill Sheff, (Approx. 1553 words). Windows Sidebar Graphics, Balloons, Pop-ups and Tooltips, Windows 8 Terminology, Organize Windows 8 Start Screen, PDF Security, and more.

The Tip Corner – March 2015 by Bill Sheff (Approx. 1819 words). Hacking, What is encryption?, and Setting Up a New Computer.

Turning Off Your Computer, iPad and iPhone by Jim Cerny, Sarasota Technology UG, Florida (Approx. 853 words). Off and on switches are no more! Learn how to turn or / off some of your devices.

When is a Word Document not a Document? by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota TUG, Florida (Approx. 857 words). What happens when you Save As? To .doc, .docx. or .rtf….

Where to Get Instructions for your new Device by Sandy Berger, CompuKiss.com (Approx. 167 words). Sandy lets us know where we can learn a little more our cell phone or tablet to make the most of our devices.

www.apcug2.org
www.facebook.com/APCUG
www.twitter.com/apcug
www.youtube.com/apcugvideos

PUSH Articles - March 2015

President’s Column – March 2015, Space Coast PCUG, FL by Dan Douglas (approx. 707 words). Lots of historical information in this article.

Tablets for Mobile Computing – New to some; Useful for most by Phil Sorrentino, Member, The Computer Club, FL (approx. 1535 words). When most of us think about Mobile Computing, we probably think of Laptops. Laptops are relatively light, making them fairly portable, and are battery operated, making them just right for mobile computing or computing “on-the-go.” Now that Tablets have come on the scene, it appears that they may be ready to take over some of the computing tasks previously done by laptops.

Tech Support Scam – Received a Tech Support call lately? by Phil Sorrentino (approx. 1170 words). This is a very nasty, and possibly costly, scam. It preys on people’s concern that their computer might be running slow or might be infected with a virus or some other type of malware….

Technology Trends for 2015 from CES by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 480 words). Every year at CES, thousands of new products are exhibited and major trends start to appear. This year was no different. Sandy include a few of the trends in her article.

The 2014 Tech Review by Diane Fahlbusch, President/editor, ICON PCUG, NY (approx. 1071 words). Each year brings new technology, whether they are “toys” or “tools,” as reincarnations or completely new inventions. This article will let you take a walk through 2014 with Diane.

The Tip Corner – January 2015 by Bill Sheff (approx. 1494 words).

Thunderbird Saved My Bacon by Bob Woods, Webmaster, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1408 words). We recently needed to execute a factory restore to prove one of our touch screen laptop computers had a hardware failure in the touch screen. We knew it had failed, but you’ve got to jump through all the hoops to convenience first-tire warranty repair technicians (sign). Then we needed to reinstall all the applications and redo settings. Along this week-long process, we discovered by wife’s favorite email client, Incredimail, was no longer a viable solution. Enter Thunderbird.

The Tip Corner – December 2014 by Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 1052 words).

Travel Routers by Dick Maybach (approx. 1438 words). A travel router is a small, inexpensive wireless router that provides many functions. A typical unit is a TP-Link TL-MR3020, which costs less than $40.

Traveling with Technology by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota TUG, FL (approx. 975 words). So, you have a trip coming up, maybe you will be doing planes, trains, and automobiles. Or maybe you are going on a cruise and you are wondering if you should take your computer, iPad or iPhone with you. Well, the answer is, yes.

Using the Internet by Jim Cerny (approx. 1111 words). The Internet is an almost unlimited source of information, news, entertainment, help, and, well everything. Most people, including you, probably have no problem using the Internet, but sometimes it is good to review some Internet-related terms and some basics. If helps us use the Internet even better.

Windows 8/8.1 Corner – Advanced Functions – Power Menu by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota Technology UG, Florida (approx. 321 words). What you get when you right click on the start icon.

The AMD A10-7800 CPU by Daniel Woodard, Member, Dayton Microcomputer Association, OH (approx. 1745 words). If your computer bogging down, perhaps not powerful enough to handle daily tasks or games? Recently processors began arriving that combined both a traditional CPU and video card (GPU) into one unit. The recently released AMD A10-7800 is one of these, called an SPU, or accelerated processing unit.

Are You Safe from a Cyber Attack? by Lou Torraca, President, The TUG-MOAA User Group, HI (approx. 933 words). Lou always enjoys reading the “what happened in history” emails he gets about once a month, so he was reminded that September had a profound effect on the way we treat our personal technology (that’s September 2001).

CEAInnovate! by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 1,399 words). George attended a program put on by CEA, the parent organization that produces CES. The program included a session called Technology Trends to Watch in 2015. It covered some of the hottest subjects today: 3-D printing, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics, Digital Health and Entertainment.

Computing – Yesterday and Today by Phil Sorrentino, Member, The Computer Club, FL (approx. 937 words). Yesterday, circa 1965, computing was mostly programming to solve simple problems, to do simple accounting like running a payroll, to match items from a list, and maybe even to print results on multi-colored, fan-fold, wide computer paper. (I bet some of you even remember that kind of computer output.)

Customize the Text on Your PC (Windows 8/8.1) by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota Technology User Group, FL (approx. 157 words). How to customize the size of text on your PC.

Downloading, Purchasing and Installing Apps (Windows 8/8.1) by Rosita Herrick, Sarasota Technology User Group, FL (approx. 433 words). In addition to being a computer OS, Windows 8.1 is blurring the line between the old ways of working on a computer and the access to information used by tablets and smart phones. The distribution of apps that perform individual tasks is one of the ways.

Everything Google by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota TUG, FL (approx. 691 words). Why consider Google at all? Google never seems to sit still. They are constantly offering new free tools and actively improving the ones they already provide. Using what Google has to offer has many advantages, his article covers some of the “pluses” in his book and he’s sure there are many more.

Interesting Internet Finds – December 2014 by Steve Costello (approx. 349 words)

Interesting Internet Finds, November 2014 by Steve Costello, (approx. 370 words)

Calibre, featured open source software of the month – October 2014, by Geof Goodrum, Director, Linux Support, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society, VA (approx. 582 words). A review of Calibre, a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books.

Mac Tips of the Month – December 2014 by Ernie Cox, Jr., Member, Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ (approx. 79 words). 5 tips for Mac users.

Memory Cards by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,324 words). USB memory sticks and Secure Data (SD) cards are the most convenient media for transferring data among computers. Both are compact, inexpensive, and rugged and have capacities p to several Gbytes. Above this, you have little choice but to use a considerably larger, more fragile, and more expensive external hard disk.

New and Handy Tools in Word 2013, by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota TUG, FL (approx. 944 words). Each time Microsoft issues a new version of its Office suite, bugs are fixed and upgrades done. Office 2013 (called Office 365 for those with a subscription) is no exception.

Nibblers by Jeannine Sloan, Ambassador for Friendship Village, Twin Cities PC Club, MN (approx. 1367 words). Polifier, FactCheck, Politics and Psychology, Microsoft Does Some Things Right, Mosaically, Ancient Incans Earthquake Proof Walls and more in this article.

Playlists – Tips on how to build one, or many by Phil Sorrentino, Member of The Computer Club, FL (approx. 1048 words). Playlists are pretty basic. They are just a group of the tunes that you would like to listen to, in a sequenced list. And, the mechanics of creating the playlist are pretty straightforward because the music player guides you through the process.

Predictions, Perceptions and Protestations by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1580 words). We have completed another revolution around the sun from an arbitrary starting point, and so begins a new year. Growing up in the 1960s and 0s, the year 2015 seemed like a far-off and futuristic time. I imagined back then that in 2015 people would live in space (true for the ISS astronauts) and other planets (not true for humans, but at least we can drive our RC cars on Mars).

Review - Dashlane’s Free Automatic Password Changer is a Game Changer by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (approx. 763 words). The “best practices” for password security are 1) make your passwords long and obscure; 2) never write them down where they can be stolen; and 3) change them every 30 days. Unfortunately, all of that is so difficult that it seldom gets done.

Review - The HDR Book, 2nd Edition by Rafael “RC” Concepcion, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 627 words). For those of you familiar with Kelby Training and Photoshop User magazine, RC Concepcion is most likely a familiar name. He is also an accomplished photographer and instructor. He brings his experience in these fields together in this second edition of his popular book dealing with one of the hottest styles in digital photography, that of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography.

Review - The Adobe Photoshop Lightoom 5 Book for Digital Photographers, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 638 words). Lightroom has become, in the few short years since introduction, one of the most-used digital imaging applications on the market. Not only is it an organizational tool and image catalog, it allows you to make highly sophisticated edits and adjustments to your images outside of traditional image editors, such as Photoshop.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2014 - PUSH Articles

3 Word Tools That Provide Quick Help by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota Technology Users Group, FL (approx. 1,010 words). Nancy tells us how Show/Hide, Margins, and Format Painter work.

10 Tips for Online Shopping Safety by Sandy Berger, compuKISS.com (approx. 657 words). Amazingly, in today’s topsy-turvy world, because of vulnerabilities in the processing of credit and debit cards used at retail stores and the hackers who are focusing on those vulnerabilities, right now shopping online can actually be safer than swiping your card at a local store. Sandy gives us 10 rules we should follow.

A New Android Tablet – Now What? by Phil Sorrentino, Staff Writer, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 1,299 words). You just got a new Android tablet. (Isn’t the look of a brand new tablet wonderful, it is so shiny and lacking finger prints.) Phil takes you through setting up your new Android tablet.

Book Review: Galaxy S4 – The Missing Manual by Steve Costello, President / Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 315 words). Steve finds O’Reilly’s Missing Manual series of books very informative and finds this book no exception. It’s well worth the investment of time and money to get the most out of your Samsung Galaxy S4.

Could You Save By Changing Fonts? by Ilona Merritt, Editor, The Journal of The Computer Club of Sun City Center, FL (approx. 712 words). Did you know that the more fonts that are used in a document the more the eye has to adjust and causes one’s eyes to tire easily – perhaps the person stops reading and your work going into the waste basket. Ilona researched Times Roman, Century Gothic, Garamond and Minion. Each font described is written in that typeface and all are at 12 point. Perhaps you will change the font(s) you are using.

Disable Images in Browsers (PC and Android) by Carol Picard, Webmaster / Newsletter Editor, Midland Computer Club, MI (approx. 436 words). When low-speed Internet connections were the norm, turning off images in web browsers was often done so pages would load faster. With high-speed connections more common, there may not be as much concern about images in web pages but there still might be times when you don’t want to have the images display. Carol gives us the steps to disable images in Firefox, Google Chrome, IE, as well as some of the Android browsers.

The Economics of XP Conversion by Russ Merritt, Secretary, The Computer Club, Inc., Sun City Center, FL (approx. 773 words). With the Microsoft decision to drop all support of their XP operating system, those still using XP face the decision of what to do. Do nothing? Convert to Windows 7? Or to Windows 8? Or buy a new computer. This article covers various scenarios for your members’ XP computers.

Back to Basics – Finding Programs on Your Computer by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 977 words). When you turn your computer on, Windows (the maser supervisor program, also called the “operating system”) starts and, after a few moments your start screen called the Desktop. This is where you begin using your computer and decide what you want to DO with your computer – that is, select what program you want to run.

“Free Speech” on the Internet, and More by Diane Fahlbusch, President, ICON PC User Group, Long Island, NY (approx. 1,376 words). Social networking has allowed people to express themselves to either select people or to the public. Unfortunately, many posters do not exercise restraint, claiming it is their “right.” Diane quotes the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and asks – But does this give one the complete freedom to say whatever, whenever and however one wants?

Google Voice by Dick Orenstein, Member, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 918 words). Google Voice is a free telephone number you can direct to forward calls to any other telephone number. In addition, you can block calls, receive transcribed messages, and do numerous other activities.

Helium Backup, a review by Frank Ramsey, Editor, Akron Canton PCUG, Ohio (approx. 1,678 words). The Helium of this review is a backup program for Android phones and tablets. It’s available in the Google Play sore, both free and paid editions. An Android device can have multiple objects to backup: phone history, phone contacts, SMS messages, system settings, customizations (Wi-Fi networks, etc.), and applications and application date. Are you backing up your Android device?

The Hidden Tabs in MS Office by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 738 words). Unless you are a frequent user of programs in MS Office version 2007 or later, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the commands on the Ribbon. Nancy has news for us – the tabs along the top of the ribbon contain only the tools that were determined by studies to be used most often for everyday tasks. There is a whole other group of tabs in Office programs which appear only when needed. Called Contextual tabs, they are one of the most useful additions to the newer Office versions.

How Safe Are Wi-Fi Hotspots? by Larry McJunkin, The Retired Geek Tech Tips for the Non-Tech “Over 50” Crowd (approx. 711 words). Many of us travel a lot, whether for business or just to visit our families and friends. We use our computers, smartphones and tablets in hotels, restaurants, and other places, but are these Wi-Fi “Hot Spots safe?

Imagine Processing Software, Part 2 by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,359 words). Dick’s first article discussed photo retouching using GIMP. This one covers why you need a program for raw files such as RawTherapee.

Imagine Processing Software, Part 3 by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,274 words). This part covers two specialized techniques, panoramic and high dynamic range (HDR) images. Both involve combining several separate images into one.

Interesting Internet Finds 6-14 by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 332 words) – June, July and August 2014.

Interesting Internet Finds 7-14 by Steve Costello

Interesting Internet Finds 8-14 by Steve Costello

IoTMT (Internet of Too Many Things) by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood User Group (approx. 1,599 words). The Internet of Things (IoT) describes a situation in which everything is networked together on the Internet. All that interconnection holds the promise of greater efficiency, knowledge and control in our lives. At that point, however, will humans get to use the Internet anymore, or will we have reached the Internet of Too Many Things? Is there too much stuff on the Internet now?

Open Source Lab – KGeography by Cal Esneault, former President of the Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA and leader of many Open Source Workshops and SIGS (approx. 421 words). For those who use KDE (K Desktop Environment), a very popular set of Linux software, there are many useful application available through the KDE Community website. In KGeography, you first choose the country map you want to investigate. After selecting the map of the desired country, a larger map is displayed along with a side panel consisting of several categories for you to test and build your geographical knowledge.

Looking for an MP3 Player with Wi-Fi? by Carol Picard, Editor / Webmaster, Midland Computer Club, MI (approx. 747 words). Carol has been using a Samsung Galaxy Player 4 for a music player and also for a few apps, e.g., calendar, contacts, shopping list, etc. It had access to Google Play Store; recently the battery started discharging completely every couple of days. Replacing the battery didn’t help. Carol takes us through her journey to find a device for her music, etc.

The Mac Corner – May / June 2014by Danny Uff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 819 words). This is really Danny’s Mac column but he did something that he swore he would never do again…he bought a Windows 8.1 computer. He ran into a brick wall with the Mac and had to go back to the “enemy” again. He tells us a little bit about having to use a Windows PC again.

Back to Basics – Many Ways to Get Help by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota Technology User Group, FL (approx. 686 words). As with any tool with so many options, computers offer us so many applications that it is easy to become confused and need help. Fortunately, many of these “options” that computer have available are those that are supposed to help us. He has some ideas for us for getting help when we get stuck.

Merging Photos by Larry Piper, President, Midland Computer Club, MI (approx. 399 words). Ever see a row of photos at the top of a Facebook or website page? I’ll bet it crossed your mind that this would be a good idea for one of your own projects and that it will take a powerful photo editing tool, most likely Photoshop. Enter IrfanView that Larry uses as a fast image resizer.

Music and Video Files: Modify Them to Your Needs by Phil Sorrentino, Staff Writer, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 1,116 words). Music and video files that you produce with your video camera, or voice recorder, are not always exactly what you want. Why not try Movie Maker to modify your video clips?

OTG Cable/Adapter (On-the-Go) by Frank Ramsey, Editor, Akron Canton PCUG, Ohio (approx. 228 words). How do you accomplish the transfer of files between a mobile device and your PC? There are a number of methods and Larry writes about a couple of them.

PhotoScissors 1.0 by Teorex, Synopsis and Meeting Review by Jim Fromm, Editor, The TUG, MOAAA Computer User Group, HI (approx. 897 words). PhotoScissors is a utility that lets you remove portions of a photo. Jim gives us an overview of the program as well as how it was demonstrated at their meeting.

Ramblings – Uninterruptible Power Supply by Jack Fischer, Director/Communications, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 172 words). Do you need a UPS? Might be a good idea.

Review of the WOW! Computer by Jon Mazur, President, CPUser Group, PA (approx. 782 words). How many of you think computers are still hard to use? Jon thinks he has the answer for you – the WOW! Computer from FirstStreet.

Safe Travels, a proof-of-concept project lets you boldly go where you’ve never been before by Gabe Goldberg (approx. 1,127 words). Proof-of-concept (POC) demonstration projects can blaze a trail, doing something on a small scale, for the first time, but perhaps changing basic assumptions and potentially influencing an industry or the world. One recent example was the privately launched Dragon supply capsule reaching the International Space Station; the early mainframe Linux implementations represent another.

Review: San Disk Ultra Dual USB Drive – Android file transfers made easy by Frank Ramsey, Editor, Akron Canton PCUG, OH (approx. 385 words). Your first questions might be -- what is a dual USB drive and why might it be useful? Frank explains both questions.

Open Source Lab – Software Management for Mint by Cal Esneault, former President of the Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA and leader of many Open Source workshops and SIGS (approx. 351 words). For convenience, most Linux distributions pre-compile source versions of programs into binary form so they will run immediately on your PC. They will typically provide a software manager program with appropriate links to the repository. Cal covers his Linux Mint Software Manager.

Strolling Down Memory (Core) Lane – Museums and online resources help preserve computing history by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor, Region 2 / Gabriel Goldberg Computers and Publishing, Inc. (approx. 1,260 words). Gabe had very mixed feelings the first time he saw computer technology he’d used in his career exhibited as museum artifacts. It’s interesting and instructive touring real-world and virtual computing museums, lovingly created and maintained by generations of professionals—many of whom designed, built and used the equipment written about and show. Gabe provides us with many resources for us to tour.

Book Review – “Talking to Siri: Mastering the Language of Apple’s Intelligent Assistant” (3rdEdition) reviewed by Gilbert Ialongo, Webmaster, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA (approx. 667 words). Siri is an intelligent voice-controlled personal assistant which works on Apple iOS and OS X devices. Siri accepts spoken commands and provides answers and recommendations using a natural language or showing results from web searches.

Book Review – “Talking to Siri: Mastering the Language of Apple’s Intelligent Assistant” (3rdEdition) reviewed by Cheryl Wester, Program Chair, Temecula Valley Computer User Group, CA (approx. 322 words). This is a really fun book to read and play with. It shows you how to use and take full advantage of Siri and all of the features it has. Cheryl had no idea that Siri was capable of doing much of this and had been using it for quite some time. She’s a high school math teacher and often used Siri for simple match problems but found it can also graph!

The Tip Corner – June 2014 by Bill Sheff, Chair, Grants Committee and Co-leader, Novice SIG, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 1,805 words). IE Script Errors, Disk Imaging, File-based Backup, or Synchronization – which one should I use?, Disk Imaging, File-based Data backup, File Synchronization, and some programs to consider.

The Tip Corner – July 2014 by Bill Sheff (approx. 1,515 words). You don’t need the Http://www. Portion of a web page URL plus A Few Windows 8 Tips.

Open Source Lab – Tomboy Note-Taking Software by Cal Esneault (approx. 419 words). Searching the Internet you can find unexpected pages while looking for other specific topics. Later, when you try to find the accidental discovery again, you often can’t find it. Enter Tomboy for Linux.

Back to Basics – Using Menus and Ribbons by Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 775 words). Computers give us choices – way too many choices. No matter what program you are running, it probably comes with many options. Jim gives a list of things about menus which, in his view, are helpful to know.

What Exactly is Linux? by Stuart Jones, MD, Member, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 1,622 words). Everybody who has used a PC knows about Windows; however, a very small group of very well-educated computer people had complained very loudly for decades about how Microsoft dominated the OS business, and how poorly various versions of Windows have worked. In 1991, this crowd was joined by a computer science major from the University of Helsinki, Finland, named Linux Torvalds. He had written a personal version of an OS, modeled on UNIX. He spread his new program over the Internet to a worldwide group of similarly inclined programmers, who dubbed the results ‘LINUX’ in his honor.

Windows 8 Tablet – A tablet for all reasons by Phil Sorrentino, Staff Writer, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 1,200 words). Well, maybe not “all” reasons but it certainly has some good points in its favor. Phil has used an iPad, an Android tablet, and now finally a Windows 8s tablet. He says they are all great tablets and any one would be a good addition to one’s computing inventory. But, as similar as they are, they are all very different in the details, and, in his opinion, that is where the ownership decision lies.

Windows Lab – Adware by Phil Chenevert, member and instructor for Computer Lab Workshops, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 288 words). Adware defined and a couple of programs to search for and remove suspected spyware programs.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - June 2014 - PUSH Articles

Password Managers: What They Are and How to Use One, Mike Morris, President / Editor, Front Range PC Users Group, Fort Collins, CO

2TB of Cloud Storage – Free!, Phil Sorrentino, Past Pres, SPCUG, FL (approx. 1,263 words). I imagine Phil will have your reader’s attention – 2TB of cloud storage – what a deal! Cloud storage is available from many sources but Herb’s article covers using your own computer system with an additional external (or internal) 2TB hard drive.

3 Better Ways to Store Your Files Than On the Desktop, Joel Lee, MakeUseOfCom.com (approx. 1,128 words). Did you know that storing files directly on your desktop can harm your productivity? Joel used to be one of “those” people who downloaded files straight to his desktop. If your members can identify with that, then he has good news: they can do better and he shows them how.

Backup…Backup…Backup, Phil Sorrentino, Past Pres, SPCUG, FL (approx. 1, 771 words). Everyone has heard this a gazillion times – backup your data and backup your system and we mean copying the files that you definitely want to have, should you lose your computer. He asks the questions: 1) What shall I backup, 2) How often shall I backup, and 3) How many backup copies do I need.

Be Careful of Buying Old Versions, Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 609 words). Don’t be fooled by a cheap price on a product. It may be last year’s model. While sometimes this is OK, for others it is a real rip-off.

Bitcoin – a New Currency?, Phil Sorrentino, Staff Writer, The Computer Club, FL (approx. 1,521 words). Bitcoin is basically a payment system. It provides the ability to transfer some type of value from a payer to a payee. (There are no physical coins, only entries in a software ledger.)

Cloud Computing, Larry McJunkin, The Retired Geek (approx. 549 words). While a cloud computing image may look complicated, simply defined, cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process your data, rather than keeping it on your own computer.

Computer Problems Plague Everyone, Even Me, Sandy Berger, Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 825 words). Why do things change on your computer? One day everything comes up just as it normally does. The next day, you can’t get on the Internet, the icons are in a different place, and/or your program is working differently.

Create and Save a Custom Footer in Word, Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 733 words). As you build up a library of documents you have written, it helps to have a system to have some sort of ID on each document to help you remember where it is stored. A good place to record this information on a document is in a footer along the bottom of each page.

Fun and Knowledge with YouTube, Jim Cerny, 2nd VP, Sarasota SPCUG, FL (approx. 639 words). YouTube is one application that can, all by itself, really justify the purchase of a tablet, smart phone, or any kind of computer. YouTube is your access to millions of videos made by almost anyone who wants to make them available to you for free.

Now We Have a High Tech Way to Get to Know Your Neighbors, Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 430 words). Do you remember when neighbors knew each other and a neighborhood was a tight-woven community? We can use technology to bring us back to those by-gone days when neighbors joined to form a close-knit community.

I Want It Now!, Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1,865 words). This may sound like the utterance of tantrum-happy young child, but it also seems to be the mantra of the modern computer and technology users.

Imagine Processing Software, Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale CUG, NJ (approx. 1228 words). This is the 1st of 3 articles. Adobe’s decision to charge a subscription fee for Photoshop has inspired some photographers to look for alternate solutions, in particular those available for free. Before you jump down this particular rabbit hole tough, make a rational assessment of your needs.

Interesting Internet Finds, January 2014.Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL

Interesting Internet Finds, February 2014, Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 295 words). Another great list of interesting websites.

Multitasking, the Big Myth, Diane Fahlbusch, President, ICON PCUG, NY (approx. 1,254 words). Multitasking became the highly touted skill to possess back at the start of the millennium. However, do we really all means the same thing when we say it? Can one learn how to multitask? And, the most important question, does multitasking make one more productive?

Preserving Your Ancestral History, Dave Howell, member, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 716 words). One of the ways to get started developing your family story is to begin with interviewing the older members of your family, 50 years or older, be they parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even older friends of the family. Dave includes example of questions to be asked.

Ramblings – March 2014, Jack Fischer, Director/Communications, The Computer Club, Inc., FL

Ramblings – April 2014, Jack Fischer, Director/Communications, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 227 words). Jack’s nomination for the “Invention of the Century” is Caller ID. He knows of nothing as empowering as looking at the TV or device-screen and deciding whether to answer the phone, or just let it ring!

The Internet as an Information Recourse, recap of Brian Riley’s (VP, Northern Neck CUG, VA) presentation by Anny Moss, Secretary (approx. 956 words). Brian started with an overview of the ancient history of software documentation to illustrate the impact of the Internet as an information resource. In real time, 30+ years starting with loose-leaf manuals one could update.

The World of TED, recap of BJ McMillan’s presentation (member, Northern Neck CUG, CA) (approx. 754 words). TED is a nonprofit devoted to ideas “WORTH SPREADING through TED.com,” annual conferences, the annual TED Prize and local TEDx events. BJ’s presentation covered information about the various ways people can participate in the above events and what one can find on the TED.com website.

The Tip Corner – January 2014, Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley CUG, PA (approx. 1,193 words). Keep updates current, Backup, How to make photos look like pencil drawings, Print out part of a PDF document + more.

The Tip Corner – March 2014, Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley CUG, PA (approx. 1,018 words). Google tips, CCleaner, + more.

The Tip Corner – April 2014, Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley CUG, PA (approx. 1,068 words). What to do before you call tech support, Windows’ hidden “god mode” folder, Problem steps recorder, WinDirStat and much more.

Twitter for Seniors, Larry McJunkin, The Retired Geek (approx. 899 words). You’ve never used Twitter. You say you’re too old for Twitter….it’s only for kids, and you could care less about reading what Lady Gaga had for lunch today. So, obviously Twitter isn’t for you, Wrong!

Two Factor Authentication – Proof of Identity, Phil Sorrentino, Staff Writer, The Computer Club, Inc., FL (approx. 1,135 words). When you walk up to a teller in a bank and request information about your bank account, the teller may ask you to authenticate yourself by providing a picture form of ID. But if you have been going to this bank for many years and she is familiar with you, she may just give you the information. In truth, your face and her knowledge of you have provided the necessary authentication for her to respond to your requests. Authentication is the act of proving one is really who one says he or she is.

What To Do If Your iPad/iPhone is Taken, Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 740 words). Steps to following to enable Find My iPhone. Don’t forget to have a strong password.

When You Want to Learn How-Learning About Computers, Richard Durand, President, Wisconsin All-computer User Club (approx. 454 words). One thing Richard has found out the hard way is that sometimes knowledge just has to be demanded. Have you taken classes and had more questions after the class than when you started? Are the pages and pages of printed safety and warranty information murky? Has anyone said to a new computer user – just download such and such a program for that and when it’s downloaded the person has no clue as to what to do.

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

SLO Bytes Newsletter - March 2014 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Book Review: Monochromatic HDR Photography by Harold Davis, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (Approx. 744 words). Color is best. Color sells. Color is what a real photograph is. Color is the only photography I will ever do. How short-signed and closed-minded a lot of people can be.

Book Review: The Art of the Photography by Art Wolfe and Rob Sheppard, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (Approx. 566 words). Published in early December, the 256 pages in this book are chock-full of valuable information from the 40+ year career of Art Wolfe. There are also contributions from fellow photographer Rob Sheppard interspersed throughout, giving his insights into the topic.

Backups and Disk Cloning, Recap of October 2013 Meeting by Anne Moss, Secretary, Northern Neck Computer Users’ Group, NJ (Approx. 1,073 words). Most of this presentation centered on what you can do to get your computer working quickly after virus infestation or hard drive failure. He explained that, while backing up is necessary, the problem is that you have to have a working OS and backup software to restore the backup you made. He then explained the differences between cloning a disk and making a disk image.

Chromecast by Phil Sorrentino, Past Pres, Sarasota PCUG, FL (Approx. 981 words). Chromecast is a new exciting device, for both consumers and developers alike, from Google, aimed at getting your on-line entertainment on to your living room TV (or any TV with an HDMI input). For video streaming, Chromecast may be similar to AppleTV and Roku devices, though I haven’t used either of these. In this article, you will find out if Chromecast is for you.

Cloud Storage – Are You Concerned? by Bill Armstrong, Treasurer, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (Approx. 434 words). There has been discussion at the Lehigh Valley Computer Group meetings about cloud storage. Concerns include not being able to retrieve your data without an internet connection, and the safety of your sensitive data. Who is looking at it? Is it encrypted? Can the government get at it and see all your data? Can the company hosting the data read it? These are legitimate concerns….

Clouded Judgment by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (Approx. 1,642 words). Almost all computer users today use the cloud, and many probably don’t realize it. There are a lot of advantages to cloud storage…with your files stored on a HD in some else’s server, you don’t need to have as much HD space of your own.

East-Tec Eraser 2014 Review by Herb Goldstein, Past Editor, Sarasota PCUG, FL (Approx. 880 words). It’s a miracle! Yes, finding something on the Internet can seem to be miraculous. But the actual miracle is no longer finding what you are looking for; it’s finally completely getting rid of what you’ve found! In fact, getting rid of what you’ve found is the real miracle. Pound on your delete key all you will, take an oath it’s gone and forgotten, and don’t you know that some smart-aleck computer enthusiast will come along and make a liar out of you despite your fervent oath. Enter East-Tec Eraser.

Interesting Internet Finds – November and Interesting Internet Finds – December 2013 by Steve Costello, President / Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL. Two more months of Steve’s RSS feed items he found interesting.

Meeting Recap – Keeping It at the Computer by Mike Hancock, Member of the Golden Gate Computer Society, CA (Approx. 489 words). Their presenter said we can take a cue from almost any pet which, from time-to-time, will stand up and stretch. In fact, babies stretch, too, as they roll and sit up. Find out about the key requirements when sitting at your computer....

Live CD-ROMs by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (Approx. 1,315 words). A live CD-ROM contains all the files normally stored on a computer’s HD and when booted acts exactly the same as a HD except, of course, that it can’t store data. This article talks about several applications for live CD-ROMs.

The Mac Corner by Danny Uff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (November / December) Approx. 478 words). Three ‘need-to-know’ things about your iPhone and your Mac, How to make a website’s text bigger or smaller when using Safari, How to make a basic PDF file and a nifty Mic that plugs into any UBM port.

Member-to-Member Tip – Free-Software ALERT by Hal-PC, TX (Approx. 320 words). Smell the roses – remember to uncheck the boxes so you don’t download unwanted toolbars, programs, etc. From their Build or Buy SIG.

My Life with Devices by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (Approx. 854 words). From an iPod Touch to an iPad and everything in between, Nancy lets us know how she has used the devices over the last 6-7 years.

Portable Digital Storage by Richard Durand, President, Wisconsin All Computer Users Club (Approx. 596 words). Floppy disks have long been replaced by USB flash drives. When they were first available, they were incredibly expensive and by today’s standards their memory capacity was very small. Today, USB flash drives are much more affordable and come with unbelievable memory capacities.

Securing Your iPad and/or iPhone by Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (Approx. 723 words) It is an extremely good idea to secure your device (iPad or iPhone) and there are steps you can and should take to protect your device(s). Bill tells us about one of those ways.

Smart Device Users Beware: Fraud May Be Just a Click Away – a Heads Up e-mail from the Southeastern Wisconsin Windows User Group, reprinted with permission from porte brown, Certified Public Accountants (Approx. 1,018 words). You’ve installed anti-virus software to protect your personal computer and business network. You know the signs of phishing scams (including unfamiliar senders, poor grammar and misspelled words). And, like most people who use the Internet today, you never open a suspicious e-mail or download files from a questionable website. But what have you done to protect your iPhone, Android or tablet from cyber threat?

Storage Media, Interfaces, and Backups, recap of December 2014 meeting by Anne Moss, Secretary, Northern Neck Computer Users’ Group, NJ (Approx. 1,023 words). This meeting was a follow-up to NNCUG’s October discussion (article above). There are two basic types of storage media – Magnetic and Sold State. However, optical storage may still provide a method of relatively long-term data storage….

The Running of the Nerds 2014 by Lou Torraca, President, MOAA – The TUG, HI (Approx. 1,170 words). Lou’s review of a few things he found interesting at CES.

You Won’t Believe Your (TV) Ears by The Gadget Geezer, Les Goldberg, APR, Contributing Writer,www.sunset-publishing.com/www.examiner.com. There are no audio controls on my TV set itself and I have trouble hearing the dialogue when it's combined with background music. I can safely tell you that of all the products I have reviewed over the years, TV Ears provided the most immediately improvement to that particular problem.

What is a ‘CAPTCHA’? by Phil Chenevert, member and instructor for Computer La Workshops, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (Approx. 398 words). Have you ever found yourself grinding your teeth because you can’t make out t hose weird words in something like this? All you want to do is get somewhere on the internet to do something and then, Wham! They hit you with this silliness! CAPTCHAs are Completely Automated Public Turing Tests to Tell Computers and Humans Apart.

What is Disk Defragmentation? by Larry McJunkin, The Retired Geek Technical tips for the Non-Technical “Over 50” Crowd (Approx. 740 words). Defragmenting your hard disk is one of the best things you can do to speed up our Windows computer. Think of your HD as a file cabinet. If you’re like most people, you have your papers stored in alpha folders so you can find things easily but what would happen if you took the labels off all of the folders then moved everything around. That’s what happens when your HD gets fragmented.

What is the Cloud? What is a Cookie? by Phil Chenevert, member and instructor for Computer Lab Workshops, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (Approx. 498 words). If I send my pictures and stuff there, will all that data eventually fall out on my head? No need to worry, people. There is nothing in the sky floating over our head loaded with gazillions pieces of information.

Windows 8.1 – My First Look! by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal river Users Group, FL (Approx. 1,434 words). Lynn decided to look at Windows 8 without reading any instructions or viewing any help videos; this article is about her very first look at the OS.

Windows 8.1, iOS7 and Other Updates by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 805 words). Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” It seems that this is the mantra of today’s high tech world. The quest for perfection brings almost constant change. If you use Windows 8 or an Apple mobile device, you will want to read about the changes you need to make.

Working with PDF Files by Cal Esneault, Former President and leader of many Open Source Workshops and SIGs, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (Approx. 546 words). The PDF file format is used extensively to pass documents between people and organizations that use different computer hardware and OSs. Cal’s article features PDF Shuffle, an open-source program for Linux.

What's More Valuable than a Bitcoin by A Gresham, Editor, Under the Computer Hood User Group. "Selfie" beat out seven competitors, including "twerk," "schmeat" (synthetically produced meat) and "bitcoin" for the Word of the Year crown.

The Tip Corner by Bill Sheff, Novice SIG Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. How Often Should I Shut Down My Computer?

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2014 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Affordable Care Website from a Programmer by Sandy Berger, Compu-KISS (approx. 1,021 words). We have heard the word “glitch” over and over again in reference to the government’s new health care website, Healthcare.gov. As a person who has personally coded thousands of lines of code and run several websites, I can assure you that what we are seeing with this website is not a bunch of small glitches.

What You Need to Know about QR Codes by Sandy Berger, Compu-KISS (approx. 767 words). If you’ve seen QR or Quick Response Codes, but don’t know what they mean, this article will explain it all for you.

Using a Publisher by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 981 words). If you use email or a word-processing application (like Microsoft Word or WordPad) you probably have no trouble entering and editing text. But when it comes to putting things exactly where you want on the page, well, word processing programs can become difficult. Enter Microsoft Publisher….

Fun with your scanner by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 978 words). Scanners have been around for a long time and their technology keeps improving. If you have a scanner, you can think of it as a digital camera – it is really taking a digital photo of what you are scanning and making a new file of that image on your computer.

Interesting Internet Finds - Oct by Steve Costello, President / Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 177 words). More of Steve’s interesting I-net finds.

SHOULD I UPGRADE TO i0S7 by Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 555 words). Apple’s iPhone/iPad operating system, called iOS, got a huge makeover and you may consider not upgrading. The changes, while numerous, are not difficult.

Google Translate by Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 132 words). Google Translate is a simple mobile translation tool that supports more than 60 languages, and even speaks some of your translations aloud.

Going to a Digital Newsletter by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 317 words). If you are thinking of going to a digital newsletter, this article might have some tips for you.

Legacy with a View by Bill Ellis, member, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 1,201 words). The Legacy program gives us the options of starting it up in several different ways. For most software programs, this is called the startup screen. For the Legacy program, it’s called the startup view.

Linux Magazines by Cal Esneault, Former Pres and leader of many Open Source Workshops and SIGs, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 563 words). Since Linux is not as commonly used as some other computer operating systems, users frequently resort to online sources for instructional information. Cal suggests two free, online magazines for Linux users.

Protect Your Laptop by Kathy Frey, member, Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ (approx. 208 words). Kathy gives us 8 tips for protecting our laptop while traveling.

Get Plain Textby Linda Gonse, Editor and Webmaster, Orange County PC Users’ Group, CA (approx. 410 words). It’s probably safe to say that everyone has copied text from a webpage at some time and pasted it into an email or into a Word-like program. So, of course, you can relate to my dismay of pasting the type complete with its formatting riding piggyback on it. Enter Get Plain Text.

The Jeopardy Answer Is by Linda Gonse, Editor and Webmaster, Orange County PC Users’ Group, CA (approx. 220 words). The final question on Jeopardy on its September 26 episode was based on the category “Internet.” The question was “The animal for which this computer program is named is actually a red panda.” Do you have any idea what this program is?

Otterbox Cases by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 397 words). Here’s a company that has grown by providing just what the customer wants. It started with a line of waterproof cases and continued with cases through which the enclosed device could be manipulated. From that point on it was a matter of adapting cases to the continuing flow of new types of devices, still keeping each case waterproof and protective.

808 Headphones review by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 309 words). Our mobile devices usually play sound, especially music. Most cell phones and all MP3 players come with earbuds which are convenient and easy to carry. But cords often get so tangled that using them is too much trouble. George finds that the 808 Headphones are really nice and are reasonably priced.

Release of Windows 8.1 Update by Rosita Herrick, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 183 words). Using the version 8.1 that was made available for testing, Rosita states that the improvements make access easier.

Windows 8 Defender by Rosita Herrick, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 218 words). One of the security options in Windows 8 is Windows Defender – it comes installed with the program.

strobist Lighting 101 by Mike Lyons, President, Orange County PC Users’ Group, CA (approx. 157 words). Started in March 2006, David Hobby created a lighting tutorial to help beginning photo students learn flash photography with a minimum of equipment. He has just completely a rewrite of Lighting 101, called Lighting 102. Check out this tutorial.

The Way of the Digital Photographer by Harold David, review by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 743 words). At first glance, the title may seem to some to indicate that this volume deals with how to improve your digital photography skills. As you travel along the journey this book takes you on, you discover many gems of wisdom Harold had learned over the years, and passes them on to you.

Tiny Computers by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,458 words). Personal computers are vital appliances for most of us. We use them to balance our checkbooks, calculate our taxes, communicate with friends and family, store our memories, and keep us informed. There are dozens of tiny computers and Dick’s article covers the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi.

Goodbye XP by Dick Maybach, member, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,385 words). On April 8, 2014 Microsoft will stop supporting XP and Office 2003. After that date there will be no new security updates, non-security hot-fixes, free or paid assisted support options, or on-line technical content updates. However, all your software will continue to work just as well as it did on April 7, so you needn’t panic, but it would be prudent to come up with a rational transition plan.

Junk Email Filter by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL (approx. 421 words). Lynn has used Outlook for her email since her first version of Office (97). She keeps her junk email protection level at high and has Outlook disable links in messages considered to be phishing and warm her about suspicious domain names. This article shows you how to do some or all of what Lynn does with her Outlook.

Tip Corner - November by Bill Sheff, Novice SIG Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 1,495 words). Bill’s tips include: Buying a Computer – laptop or desktop?, wattage, processors, ports, motherboards, warranty and support, reinstalling your OS – and What do I do with a Flash Drive?

Nibblers by Jeannine Sloan, Member, Twin Cities PCUG, MN (approx. 1,490 words). Jeannine offers us 31 tips from Grandparents Develop iPad App to Stay in Touch With Family, to Backing Up Network Settings, Managing Wireless Networks, YouTube Video Link Customization and more.

IO IO by Phil Sorrentino, Past Pres, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,149 words). I/O or Input/Output is a term used to collect all the ways you can move data into and/or out of a computer. This article may be a review for some, but there are a few new ideas that might make it worth the time.

Windows Media by Phil Sorrentino, Past Pres, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,162 words). Microsoft gave us a gift when they included Media Center in Windows. WMC is a media player (organize and show pictures, slideshows and videos) and a digital video recorder (view and record line TV).

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2013 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Apps for Windows 8: What can they do for me?, Phil Sorrentino, Past President, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 1364 words). 20 Apps are included with Windows 8 and can give a new user a good idea of what Apps are, what they can accomplish, and how to basically control them. Phil lists all 20 with a short description.

iPad/iPhone App – BUMP, review by Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 151 words). Use Bump to share contact information and photos by sampling bumping two phones together – sounds like a fun app.

CD-R and DVD+-R Longevity: How Long Will They Last?, by John Langill, Editor, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club (approx. 1,946 words). Thinking back 10 or more years, one may recall that a single CD-R then offered a relatively large data storage capacity in a form that could be easily and inexpensively mailed anywhere in the world – something that could not be accomplished via the Internet or with other ‘portable’ media at the time. Accordingly, the durability and life-expectancy of the CD-Rs that John created years ago has become an increasing concern. How long will they last?

Computer Entertainment, Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PC Users Group (approx. 768 words). Are you old enough to remember sitting around watching the radio and listening to the Lone Ranger or other programs? Then came TV, movies, records, tapes, and DVDs; John gives you a quick overview of the almost infinite entertainment possibilities with computer devices.

Corel PaintShop Pro – Raster and Vector Objects by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group (approx. 476 words). When Lynn first started using PaintShop Pro one of the things that confused her is the difference between raster and vector objects. She explains a little of what she learned in this article.

Free Internet Faxing Services: No Fax Machine Required! by Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (approx. 939 words). Dump your fax machine, the Internet has made this dinosaur obsolete. Think of the savings on toner, paper, and time when all you really need these days is a cell phone, PDA, or PC.

Home Networks by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer UG (approx. 1,663 words). Learning about networks, especially the Internet, can easily become mind-numbing, largely because the field is so full of jargon and acronyms. While it isn’t possible to escape this morass completely, we can make it somewhat more manageable by approaching the topic in two stages: (1) a single computer connected to the Internet and (2) a home network connected to the Internet.

How to Find a Lost Document and Other Filing Tips by Nancy DeMarte, 1st VP, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 952 words). I suppose you’re thinking this could never happen – but it does. You have a large number of folders full of documents and photos on your computer, one day you need to find a letter that you wrote and saved a week ago but can’t remember what name you gave it or which folder you saved it in. Nancy to the rescue with ways to find that document.

How to Write, Publish and Promote Your Book for Free Using Technology by Bohdan O. Szuprowicz, member, Sarasota PCUG (approx.. 801 words). Millions of people all over the world want to write and publish a memoir, a novel, or share their grandmother’s favorite recipes. They spend months and years chasing agents and publishers only to face endless rejections. Times have changed; this article gives you the info to become an author, publisher, and promoter of anything you want to write, whenever you want to do it, and all without spending any money in doing so.

Interesting Internet Finds for July by Steve Costello, President & Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society. July – 190 words; July 148 words.

Interesting Internet Finds for August by Steve Costello, President & Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society. July – 190 words; July 148 words.

The Mac Corner – July 2013, by Danny Uff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group (approx. 327 words). How to use your Mac’s utility called Dick Utility.

Network Debugging by Dick Maybach, Member, Brookdale Computer Users Group (approx. 1,382 words). When your network acts up, the first issue you must resolve is whether this is your problem or belongs to your Internet Service Provider. Dick tells you how to perform some preventive maintenance to find out what’s wrong.

Nomad Bag, Review by George Harding, Treasurer and Program Review Chair, Tucson Computer Society (approx. 393 words). Are you in the market for a new bag to carry your laptop and all your other stuff? This just might be the one for you.

The Other Side of the Street Monthly Column – Google by Bill Hart, Member, The PCUG of Connecticut (approx. 911 words). Google, it seems, has not just the most wonderful web search device in its arsenal, it is also accused of collecting private data from its clients (that’s us) – far more than we necessarily know or suspect. No one in this country seems to bother about that much, but in Europe….

Michael Freeman’s Photo School Fundamentals reviewed by Tanya Mattson, Librarian, Computer Users of Erie (approx. 841 words). Photo School fundamentals is the photography book for beginners and advanced photographers alike, giving very basic steps, challenges and reviews of some of Freeman’s real students in the book.

iPad Application – Photo Transfer review by Bill Crowe, 2nd VP, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 225 words). Photo Transfer App as its name suggests is an app that makes it easy to transfer photos (and videos) over Wi-Fi – from iPhone or iPad to a computer, and between your iOS devices.

Preserving Memories in a Digital Age by Mike Hancock, Advertising Manager, Golden Gate Computer Society (approx. 815 words). More than 30 years ago-in 1982- videotapes came to the market. By now, though many are degenerating; this article is a review of GGCS’ June 24 general meeting by enumerating the probable life spans of various media.

The Smiley Face Turned 22 years old September 19 by Art Gresham, Editor, Under the Computer Hood UG (approx. 342 words). Find out how the Smiley Face was born.

Some Thoughts on Windows 8, by Tom Kuklinski, President, Computer Users of Erie (approx. 824 words). Windows 8 is about a year old and the OS is actually off to a good start in terms of licenses sold. MC claims over 100 million sold so far. That is not bad. In fact, that is really great; it’s about what Windows 7 sold in its first six months.

Take One Tablet and Text Me in the Morning by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG (approx. 1,743 words). Greg has been pretty lucky with contests this year. His winning started at his group’s January meeting where he won the copy of Office Pro 2010 that MS gave away at their party at the San Diego MS store. Then at a local electronics component trade show in May he won a drawing for an iPad Mini. Though it was the low-cost 16GB Wi-Fi version, it was still a more expensive tablet than he would have bought for himself. Greg’s article covers how he has used his new iPad.

The Tip Corner – June 2013, Bill Sheff, Novice SIG Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Computer Group (approx. 1,346 words). Tips for: Making a copy of your file listing, Keep your PC clean with MS Security Essentials, Personalize Your Gmail Inbox Background with a Photo, Erase Your HD, and more.

The Tip Corner – July 2013, Bill Sheff, Novice SIG Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Computer Group (approx. 2,356 words). Tips for: Custom Installs, Digital Assets, Flickr Improvements, Menu Folder, HD Full, + more.

The Web of Unintended Consequences by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG (approx. 1,484 words). For all of the recent HS graduates, the WWW has been around all of their lives, Even most new college grads have never known a time without the web. Though the Internet, a global computer network, has existed since the 1960s, The WWW has existed publicly for only 20 years.

Web Tracking is Monitoring our Every Move by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 676 words). Web tracking has gotten completely out of hand! The government is snooping on everything we do. On top of that, sharing of information between companies for advertising purposes has reached a level of alarming sophistication. Sandy shares his story about that they do and how they do it.

What to do if you think your email has been hacked by John King, Contributing Editor, Golden Gate Computer Society (approx. 479 words). The first thing to do if you worry about email hacking is to change your email account password to something more complex than 123456. For best security, use a password such a Q*93im#$qrR-57$. You’ll never remember it and won’t have any more email problems (insert snicker).

What I Would Change If I Were in Charge by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 722 words). Jim is a big fan of technology – he enjoys it! To him, his computer devices (including his tablet and phone) and the things they can do for him are totally amazing. He doesn’t mean to be rude – maybe just a bit amusing and gives us his “top ten” list of the things he would change if he were in charge.

Windows 8: New App Controls – Start Screen and Charms Bar by Phil Sorrentino, Past President, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 1,174 words). Apps are what make mobile devices –tablets and phones- so useful. That should sound familiar, it was the same opening statement as his Windows 8 Apps article and it’s still very true. Apps rule. Apps are different from computer programs that operate on the Windows 7 Desktop.

Windows 8.1 Update Unveiled by Rosita Herrick, Director, Sarasota PCUG (approx. 343 words). Well, the Web is alive with blogs, videos, and general information about MS’s first large update to Windows 8. It is a major update with quite a few modifications.

Windows Shortcuts by Cheryl Wester, Program Chair, Temecula Valley Computer UG (approx. 248 words). Cheryl has never been one to use shortcuts but, as the proud owner of several Windows 8 systems, her goal has been to use shortcuts to see if it works better for her. The verdict is still out but she does try and shares some of the shortcuts she uses with you.

Window XP’s Swan Song – Time is Running Out! by Bill James, Editor & Webmaster, Computer Club of Oklahoma City (approx. 581 words). This is the article you should read if you are still using Windows XP. It’s 13 years old and still represents a 37% share of all desktop OSs worldwide as of June 2013. However, time is marching on and MS has announced that starting April 8, 2014, there will be no more patches or updates – including security ones – issued for XP.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - April 2013 - PUSH Article Descriptions

10 Ways Your Smartphone Camera Can Make Life Easier by Guy McDowell, MakeUseOf.com (approx. 1,272 words). Since 2005 no one has asked “does our phone have a camera on it?” Why take a point-and-shoot digital camera on vacation, all you need is a decent smartphone to take your vacation photos.

Amazing Tale of a Satisfying Call to Tech Support by Judi Shade, Mac Monday Volunteer, Hilton Health Island Computer Club, SC (approx. 511 words). Judi recently acquired a Dell laptop with Windows 7 to start working on a database project that could only be accessed on a PC and used through Internet Explorer. She also needed to print various pdf files. She’s a long-time computer user (PowerMac) and has two HP printers. This article covers her trip through HP’s outsourced tech support.

Android Phone Tips & Tricks by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 1,118 words). Android phone and tablet users will find their devices more customizable than Apple devices. That’s a good thing, as long as you know some of the basics and this article will help our readers with tips and tricks for their Android.

The Demise of the Digital Camera by Jerry Schneir, Member, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA (approx. 1,156 words). You only have to look at any party or gathering and see that the majority of the picture taking is being done by the guests with “smartphones.” Relatively few cameras appear at these gatherings so you might ask why? What has happened? What is happening to fuel this dramatic change?

Enjoy Your CD-ROM/DVD Drive by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 813 words). Almost all computers have a CD-ROM/DVD drive (I will call it a “CD-drive”) into which you can insert a computer disk (CD or DVD) for all sorts of reasons. Some new computers and all touch-pads do not have such a drive, they expect you to load things onto them by using the internet or another computer. Now that the “cloud” exists via the internet, I suppose the days of the CD disk are numbered, but I still believe that CD drives will be around for many more years to come.

External Storage by Dick Maybach, member, Brookdale Computer UG, NJ (approx. 1,432 words). Although we use external storage much less than in the early days of home computing it is still an essential technology for backing up internal hard disks, exchanging files among different computers and expanding storage capability. The increasing size of files has made obsolete many older technologies, and those that are still attractive fall into four types: electronic, optical, magnetic, and Internet.

Giving Internet TV a Try by Gene Olson, member, ICONPCUG, NY (approx. 483 words). After getting the Cable bill, I wanted to reduce the rates by having Internet TV (and cutting out Cable). After reading about “Satellite Direct,” which seemed like it was better than other Internet TV software, Gene bought it. He does NOT recommend using a regular credit card. This article covers and Pros and Cons of his choice.

Have you disabled or removed Java from your computer? by John Pearce, President, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO (approx. 356 words). How many times have you talked about the problems with Java in your group? Perhaps your members will pay attention to what John has to say.

Holy cow! Is this a virus? by Linda Gonse, Editor/Webmaster, ORCOPUG, CA (approx. 589 words). Linda recently added a second external drive to her computer system. She uses one for backups of InDesign files and the other one for Acronis True Image system backups. Oops, when browsing through the files she saved to the drives she found something peculiar.

If you agree, check the square box! by Ralph Smoyer, VP, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 419 words). If you agree to the following list of items please place a check mark in the small square box. How often have you seen this line before? Ralph has seen it many times and checked the box at least one time too often.

Interesting Internet Finds by Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 174 words). More internet websites from Steve. Are you sending these articles on to your program chair – they might work for a meeting. I’m using some of them at my meeting next Wednesday.

Misery from Social Media by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1,577 words). Does Facebook make you miserable? I know I get depressed when I think about all the time people waste on social media sites, spending hours looking at what other people are doing or raising imaginary crops on Farmville. I get perturbed when I read about those bird-brains that spend all their time tweeting their every action, and the twits that follow them. I’m not sure what is higher on the worthless scale in that case, being the tweet-er or the tweet-ee (at least the tweeter is writing something).

Organizing and Backing Up by Diane Fahlbusch, President, ICON PCUG, NY (approx. 1,883 words). We all have LOTS of files saved to our computers as well as on other hardware, such as MP3 players, camera cards, thumb drives and CDs/DVDs, and the cloud. The problem with having lots of hard drive space and cheap mass media storage is that, well, we use them…a LOT, and often store way too much. The first problem is finding the files you want quickly when you want them amidst all that you have.

Overbooked by Greg Skalka by President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1,294 words). Companies are continuing to develop new and more advanced computer technologies finding ways to innovate on the personal computing platform first released over 30 years ago. Their marketing departments have not been as great at innovation, however, often using derivative and less than imaginative terminology to name and describe these new products and services.

Permissions – Do you have the right ones? by Phil Sorrentino, member, Sarasota PCUG FL (approx. 1,067 words). If you have ever tried to share a folder on one of your computers on your home network, you know how frustrating it can be to get things to work. Well, “permissions” is one of the things that has to be understood and setup properly.

Review: The Artist’s Guide to GIMP, 2nd Edition by Bill Treadwell, member, Big Bear Computer Club, CA (approx. 372 words). GIMP is a full-featured, free, open source software for graphic design and photo manipulation. It contains powerful tools with a large menu of options and submenus. Bill gives GIMP 5 Bears – the best rating from the Big Bear Computer Club.

Review: Kingston HyperX SSD by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 443 words). SSDs are a wonderful addition to the hardware library of storage devices. They are small, have no moving parts and are much faster than other storage media but they are more expensive and smaller than what is easily available in other media.

Review: The Book of GIMP, A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything by Iris Yoffa, member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 710 words). This hefty volume claims to be your source of information and guidance to nearly everything (GIMP). And indeed, at first glance at the Contest in detail, the book does seem to meet the challenge of the sub-title’s boast.

Review: Voyager S3 Drive Dock by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 385 words). If you have a desktop computer and have had to change or add a new hard drive, you know what a task that is and this drive dock saves you a lot of time and effort.

Short Tips for Saving Clicks in Word, By Nancy DeMarte, Columnist, Office Talk, Sarasota PCUG, Inc., FL (approx. 753 words). Are you becoming fluent with Word 2007 or 2010? Nancy gives us six short tips which can help us complete tasks with fewer clicks.

SkyDrive & Office Web Apps by Lynn Page, Editor/Webmaster, Crystal River Users Group, FL (approx. 1,658 words). With a Windows Live ID you have access to Microsoft’s Office Web Apps. This lets you open, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents online while using SkyDrive.

Sources of support for Linux, open source software by Bill Wayson, Linux SIG Moderator, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (approx. 882 words). An important responsibility of any user of computers and technology is knowing where to get help. Bill discusses some of the places users of open source software can find help and how to identify whether or not the help offered is any good.

The Gadget Corner – A Versatile Android Email Client and a device for Watching Movies in Hotels by Steve Baer, Feature Writer, Hilton Island Computer Club, FL (approx. 1,005 words).

What does that icon mean? by Veronica Valero, member, Golden Gate Computer Society, CA (approx. 1,717 words). When Veronica took a recent airline trip to attend a family meeting, she planned on mass transit during her visit to Seattle. But she almost didn’t get out of the airport because she didn’t correctly interpret airport icons on signs leading to the light rail transport. The situation is no different for computer users since the computer industry has removed or hidden text-driven drop-down menus and replaced them with a plethora of icons that, somehow, magically, users are supposed to interpret.

Who’s Driving this Bus Anyway? by Dave Helmer, Past President and Co-Founder, Computer Users’ Group of Greeley, CO (approx. 856 words). When is the last time you worried about having the latest drivers for your computer? Ever? Never? Yeah, me too says Dave. He has found a program he likes and perhaps you will, too.

Windows 8: Big difference from Win 7, and it works! by Karen Stagg, member, Golden Gate Computer Society, CA (approx. 71 words). Windows 8 is substantially different from previous versions of Windows and, though it requires a learning curve, the tasks is not insurmountable, says GGCS member Ernie Ganas, who helped about 75 guests and members understand the newest MS OS during their February general meeting.

Windows Q&A by Mary Phillips, Secretary, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 1,000 words). Has your e-mail account been hacked? Mary has some answers for your readers. Downloaded IE 10 and want to go back to IE 9 – Mary tells them how as well as how to create a hyperlink to another page in a document and how to adjust an inserted picture to get it very close to the text in Word or PowerPoint.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2013 - PUSH Article Descriptions

2013 International CES, Lou Torraca, President MOAA, HI (approx. 1,003 words). Another great CES article by Lou – the word is Innovation.

Take Control of Your Fonts, Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office talk), Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 998 words). You know you are becoming a real techie when you start to question standard (default) settings on your computer and you don’t need to accept Microsoft’s default fonts.

Connecting Things to Your Computer – The USB Port, Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 910 words). Printers, cameras, flash drives – is there any limit to what you can connect to your computer? This article looks at how to connect all those wonderful devices to your laptop or desktop.

Backup and Restore – A very useful Windows 7 feature, Phil Sorrentino, Member, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,117 words). We all know how important it is to backup up our computers but many of us don’t start doing it until we’ve had a HD die and lose everything. Phil shows us how easy it is to create a system image or just backup data.

Camtasia Studio 8 for Windows, Iris Yoffa, member Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 574 words). Have you enjoyed watching high quality instructional videos on YouTube? Very likely they were created with Camtasia Studio by TechSmith. If you are inspired to create and share digital tutorials, you should be very interested in this application.

Digital Photography, Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 929 words). As you probably know, a digital camera is far more complex than its small size indicates. Some models have multiple processors to handle the demands of image processing, especially when making movies and photo sequences. If your members are into digital photography they will enjoy reading this article.

Got Windows 8?; Barney Babin, member and instructor for XP, Vista, Workshops and Win 7, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 1,620 words). Many people have a new operating system on their computers – Windows 8. Barney shares a few tips that will assist us in becoming familiar with the new operating system.

HDTV – What to Buy, Sandy Berger, Compu-KISS (approx. 805 words). For those of you who are thinking about buying an HDTV this year, Sandy’s article is a quick recap on the specs that you need to know about.

How to Use the Microsoft Word 2010 Quick Parts; Mike Layton (approx. 383 words). Learn how to use the Quick Part Gallery where you can create, store, and find reusable pieces of content, including AutoText, document properties, etc.

Interesting Internet Finds, Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx.258 words). More interesting Internet sites from Steve.

Interesting Sites to Visit on the Internet, Nancy Preffitt, member, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 366 words). Nancy’s interesting sites include info on No time to read?, An old game in a new technology (Yahtzee), Medication Interaction, Amazing Old Photos and Trying to pick a good move.

Is Technology Turning Us into Couch Potatoes?, Sandy Berger, Compu-KISS (approx. 873 words). I bet this article will hit home with many of your members – 50 years after the TV remote control was produced by Zenith, how many technological advances have made us lazy or have actually given us more reasons to get off the couch.

Jabra Supreme UC, George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 297 words). This product is a Bluetooth-enabled headset that fits comfortable on your ear. It has the advantage that it is a hands-free device for phone calls.

Living in the Past? Computing in a Software Museum, John Davey, Workshop Leader, Cascading Style Sheets Workshop, Philadelphia Area Computer Society, PA (approx. 1,205 words). At a recent meeting of his UG, John realized he does his computing in a museum. It’s not his hardware, it’s his software.

Marble, Cal Esneault, VP, leader of many Open Source Workshops & SIGs, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 411 words). Marble is free educational software that gives a virtual atlas to help students, educators, or anyone interested in geography. You can download it directly from the Ubuntu Software Center.

My First Steps in Windows 8, Tom Kuklinski, President, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 943 words). In this article, Tom hopes to give you a little insight into Win 8.

Outlook.com, Lyn Page, Newsletter Editor/Webmaster, Crystal River Users Group, FL (approx. 562 words). Microsoft has upgraded Hotmail and Windows Live to a new Outlook.com cloud e-mail service. Lynn’s accounts were recently upgraded and since it’s always hard to make changes, this article will let you know what she has seen.

Performance, Capacity, Ports..Tablet discriminators, Phil Sorrentino, member, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,239 words). Performance, capacity and ports – sounds like something you might think of when you are considering a vacation cruise. But they are the tree technical things to consider when contemplating acquiring many new devices. These three things should be considered, especially when you are planning to buy a tablet, a computer, or even a TV.

Power Dock Pro, George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society AZ (approx. 291 words). When we drive with our mobile device, there’s always the possibility that it will run out of charge and not be usable when we need it most. Power Dock Pro is a solution to that problem – it keeps your iPhone charged and ready for use.

Samsung SSD, George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society AZ (approx. 309 words). The Sold State Disk is growing in popularity as it becomes more available and prices drop. Moving parts in the hard disk are certainly fast, but do not come close to electron movement alone.

Siri Speaks Out!, Sandy Berger, Compu-KISS (approx. 525 words). Sir is the virtual assistant that is available in the newer iPhone and iPads. Siri helps you perform tasks, translates your voice into text, and delivers verbal information. This article contains some interesting things about Siri and also about the people who programmed her.

Speccy: Another Useful Utility, Phil Sorrentino, member, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,126 words). Speccy is a useful utility used to provide information about your computer hardware and Operating System. It is very similar to Belarc, a Utility that is fairly well known.

Tablets—a review with random musings, Frank Ramsey, Newsletter Editor, Akron Canton PC Users Group, Ohio (approx. 2,156 words). Frank has fallen in love with tables but that doesn’t mean all tablets are created equal. His table journey has consisted of 16 tablets with something like 10 different models.

The Gadget Corner – Searching for a Good – Cheap Bluetooth Keyboard, Steve Baer, member, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, NC (approx. 1,087 words). Kensington? Logitech? How about one he found that is sold under different names for about $20 from Amazon.

The Mac Corner, Danny Uff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 379 words). While many have had Macs for some time, other have gotten their first Mac over the holidays. To those readers, Danny Says – welcome aboard. This article is dedicated to those persons who have gotten a new Mac, but are unsure how to get the most out of it.

The Tip Corner – January 2013, Bill Sheff, Novice SIG Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 1,335 words). Tips include how to Remove Malware, Using the Command Prompt to Reveal Hidden Files, Do you have to defrag a SUB flash or thumb drive?, Android OS, and Tablet Shopping: Accessories Worth Buying.

This and That – Word 2010, Lynn Page, Newsletter Editor/Webmaster, Crystal River Users Group, FL (approx. 280 words). Some great tips from Lynn.

Vidometer, George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 211 words). This is one of the neatest apps for iPhone that George has seen. It uses many of the internal facilities of the iPhone at the same time to record your activity.

Websites to Broaden Your Computer Horizons, Jim Fromm, Editor, MOAA Computer User Group, HI (approx. 519 words). Because of a number of your (I mean us) fall in the senior age group, and because some of you (I mean us) may be thought to lead a sheltered life, Jim thought it was time to offer to broaden your computer horizons. So, he provides us with a laundry list of websites that we can visit and decide ourselves if we want to bookmark them.

Will You Be Texting Your Doctor Soon?, Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 676 words. Texting has become very popular. We’ve all seen teenagers texting each other but you may be surprised to find that older people are also texting and now even some doctors are using texting to communicate with their patients.

Windows 7 Live, Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer Users’ Group, NJ (approx. 1,107 words). Over the years, Microsoft has named several offerings “Windows Live,” and the name again returned with Windows 7. However, much of it is available as a no-cost download, rather than being bundled with the installation DVD.

Please Help Me Learn Windows 8, Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 883 words). Jim recently had his first exposure to the new Windows operating system – Windows 8. He doesn’t like it!

Windows 8 – The Basics, Howard Lewis, Program Coordinator, Midland Computer Club, MI (approx. 923 words). There are a number of significant changes in the Windows 8 interface. Many people say this is the biggest difference in the Windows interface since the release of Windows 95 in 1995 (which is forever in the world of technology). Howard delves into some of the basic Windows 8 usage issues.

Windows Lab – Avoiding Web Ads and Cookies, Penny Cano, member of the Cajun Clickers Computer Club and instructor for the Dumb & Dumber Workshops (approx. 893 words). Web ads often take up half of the real estate on a webpage. Supposedly, they entice viewers into buying the products. IN actuality, they help to financially support the host website. Penny likes to avoid intrusions and shows how it can be done on the two browsers she uses: Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Windows Q&A December 2012, Mary Phillips, Secretary, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 1,222 words). This Q&A covers are ways you can customize your Windows 7 computer.

SLO Bytes PC Users' Group - September 2012 - Security Edition

The Google Redirect Virus, Penny Cano; Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 798 words). You search Google for something that interests you and get a series of Google web pages with links to websites with pertinent information. But this time, no matter which link you click on, it takes you to a website selling something that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of your search.

Hotel Wi-Fi Networks Installing Malware, Sandy Berger; COMPUKISS (approx. 592 words). If you travel, there is a new hacking scheme that you should be aware of. The FBI is warning travelers to watch out for malware that comes through hotel Internet connections.

Create Safe Passwords, Sandy Berger, COMPUKISS (approx. 730 words). Using passwords correctly is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your computer. If you use the same password for everything, read this article and make some changes as soon as possible.

How to Keep Data on Your Laptop Secure, Leo Notenboom, Ask Leo (approx. 690 words). Understandably, the biggest fear most people have about losing their laptops, is not actually centered on the laptop itself. The biggest fear is having sensitive information end up in the wrong hands.

Why You Might be Sending Spam; - Leo Notenboom, Ask Leo (approx. 611 words). There’s a lot of spam out there but it gets personal when someone tells you that it looks like spam is being sent from your email address.**

How Do I Keep People From Finding Me on the Internet?; - Leo Notenboom
**Leo Notenboom has selected articles that can be reprinted; most of his articles can’t.

Debunking Some Common Myths; - Mindi McDowell, US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (approx. 593 words). Mindi’s articles include some common myths that may influence your reader’s online security practices. Knowing the truth will allow them to make better decisions about how to protect themselves.

Real-World Warnings Keep You Safe Online; - Mindi McDowell and Matt Lytle, US Computer Emergency Response Team (approx. 687 words). Like the real world, technology and the Internet present dangers as well as benefits. Just as you take precautions in the real world to protect yourself, you need to take precautions to protect yourself online.

It may not be ZOOMBIES, but it could be worse…virus, malware and identity theft!; - Lou Torraca, The TUG MOAA (approx. 657 words). A recap of Bob G’s avast! presentation to his group.

Microsoft Windows Telephone Scam – BEWARE!; (no author cited)(approx. 476 words). This really happened to a user group member in California. He was a victim of a phone scam involving Microsoft. Not the "real" Microsoft.

More Free Utilities to Clean Hijacked PCs; - Ira Wilsker (approx. 1,492 words). Hardly a week goes by when someone doesn’t get in touch with Ira asking for help with a computer that has been hijacked by one of the thousands of variants of a type of malware generally known as “Rogue Antivirus.” In addition to the Kaspersky utilities, we need to know about these free utilities that can be used to clean hijacked PCs.
Note: If you haven’t had Ira give his security presentation to your members, you should get in touch with him….it’s really interesting and informative.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month; - by Ira Wilsker (approx. 2,186 words). Regular readers of Ira’s articles are well aware that one of the most frequent topics covered is cyber security. Most computer users are blissfully unaware of the degree of cybercrime that is currently taking place, and the current threats to our computing safety. Note: Don’t forget to sign your group up as an NCSAM Champion!

TrendMicro Releases 2013 Versions of its Security Software; - Ira Wilsker (approx. 1,466 words). Every fall, industry releases its new “year” of models; we see new cars, new appliances, and new security software. This is Ira’s review of TrendMicro’s security products.

Free Virus and Malware Removal Tools from Kaspersky; - Ira Wilsker (approx. 1,348 words). Kaspersky offers a comprehensive collection of free utilities to detect and remove viruses and other malware, including ransomware, and rogue software, from infected computers.

Secure Your Wireless (Wi-Fi) Connection; - Ira Wilsker (approx. 1,609 words). Almost all newer laptops as well as tablets, smartphones, video game consoles, and home entertainment systems utilize Wi-Fi as a primary or secondary method of connecting to the internet or some other network. Is your Wi-Fi secure?

ID Theft & Fraud, - StaySafeOnline.org (approx. 947 words). When dealing with cybercrime, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Cybercrime can, at best, wreak havoc in victim’s lives through major inconvenience and annoyance. At worst, cybercrime can lead to financial ruin and potentially threaten a victim’s reputation, personal safety, and even his or her life. Note: This article came in handy last week; one of my students and her roommate are the victims of ID theft and I gave them both a copy of the article. Hewie Poplock is giving an ID theft presentation at my group’s October meeting.

Social Networks; - StaySafeOnline.org (approx. 569 words). Facebook, Twitter, Google+, 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.

Can QR Codes Spread Computer Viruses?; - Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (approx. 676 words). Any doubts Bob may have had about the viability of QR codes has evaporated. You know a new technology is catching on when malware authors start using it to snare unwary users.

Two-Factor Authentication; - Bob Rankin, Ask Bob Rankin (approx. 929 words). Okay, it sounds geeky but it’s important – two-factor login security isn’t all that complicated and it can save your bacon from hackers and ID thieves.
*Rankin has given me permission to send his articles via PUSH as long as the entire URL links are included. Some are really long so I’ve included shortened links.

VIPRE; - Susan Kennedy; -TUGNET (approx. 946 words). VIPRE was a Southwest Technology & Computer Conference sponsor and this is Susan’s review of their presentation. If you aren’t familiar with VIPRE by GFI Software, you might want to give their anti-virus and/or security suite a try.

SLO Bytes PC Users' Group - September 2012 - PUSH Articles Index

Apple, Google, & Microsoft Create Technology Ecosystems by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS. Today’s technology is being separated into ecosystems. Will you buy into Apple’s ecosystem? Google’s ecosystem? Amazon’s? or Microsoft’s? Or perhaps you have already bought into one or the other without even knowing it? This is a must read for anyone purchasing a piece of digital equipment or software.

Behind the Scenes with Legacy, by Bill Ellis, Computer Users of Erie, PA. Have you ever wondered what the Legacy Family Tree program was doing for you as you keyed in your family data? This article lets you in on what the Legacy program is doing behind the scenes and why.

Customizing Labels in Word 2007 by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota PCUG, FL. Among special projects users can do with Word is creating labels. The word “label” includes all sorts of things like shipping labels, address labels, business cards, name badges, and fabric transfers. Just look in the office stores at the racks of label paper for the range of products. If your members are interested in learning how to customize labels, this article is for them.

Document Your Life with Photo-Graphic Memory by Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota PCUG, FL. A photographic memory is probably something we would all 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.

Follow These Points Before Calling Support by Tom Allen, Mountain CUG, GA. Today, it is possible to contact companies in numerous ways. However, when planning to call or e-mail a computer company, keep this article close by and follow the recommended steps.

Get creative with Text Boxes by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota PCUG, FL. When you use MS 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. As usual, Nancy gives us a lot of information on the text box topic.

Q & A – I’m thinking about getting a tablet computer by Bill Armstrong, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. One of LVCG’s members got in touch with Bill saying he had oodles of questions about tablets – rather than bugging sales people until he knows a bit more. Even though Bill doesn’t have a tablet he does have a smart phone and gave the member a lot of good information.

Interesting Internet Finds by Steve Costello, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL. In the course of going through the more than 200 news feeds in his Google Reader, he often runs across things that might be of interest to other UG members – check out his list of interesting Web sites.

It’s almost here…when?...soon…when is soon? by Lou Torraca, HI. So now that Windows 8 is imminent, we have to ask ourselves if it will be that much better than Windows 7 (or even Windows XP, for those of us who never bothered upgrading last time). TECCA asked those same questions and dug through the reviews to find some answers. What can you expect from Windows 8? Is it time for you to make a change?

It’s almost here…when?...soon…when is soon? CONTINUED by Lou Torraca, HI. Windows 8 development is complete! This is a huge milestone and accomplishment for the Microsoft team. They said they were going to do it and it’s done!

Keep your friends by Hewie Poplock, Central Florida Computer Society, FL. When you pass on a funny joke or some information to several of your friends, Hewie wants you to do so without jeopardizing their privacy or upsetting them. In other words, don’t their e-mail addresses.

Mac OS Lion – A Leap Ahead by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS. The newest Mac operating system, Lion, has some really nifty features. It catches up to Microsoft Windows 7 in several areas, and then takes it a big leap ahead. Making Your Computer Easier to Use by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota PCUG, FL. In these days when almost everyone is using a computer, there are many features of operating systems and software that can help users with physical limitations. This article gives an overview of these features and links to some helpful sites for people interested in making the tools work for them.

Microsoft Windows Telephone Scam (no author indicated) – BEWARE! You hear about these scams, maybe one of your members has received a call, but a member in a UG in California has been the victim of a phone scam involving Microsoft. Not the “real” Microsoft, of course.

Mouse-speak by Jim Cerny, Sarasota PCUG, FL. Using your mouse to use your computer is really quite essential. And being able to understand your mouse is a big part of computer communication. Click on…. Double click on…. Drag and more are covered in this article.

Webpage Font Size too small? – Think about Screen Resolution by Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota PCUG, FL. Everything you see on the screen is not as easy to control as the font of the text of a word processing document. Learn how to customer your display and more.

The System Tray Icons by Jim Cerny, Sarasota PCUG, FL. On all editions of Windows, if you look at the lower right corner of your desktop computer screen – next to time and date – you will see some small icons. Learn about the icons in your Systray and what they do.

Tablet or Laptop, a Popular Question …and "Cool App Reviews" by Greg West, APCUG Advisor / Webmaster, Sarnia Computer User’s Group, Canada. Unless you are a ‘hard core’ computer gamer, you can now officially say goodbye to the laptop. Find out what makes tablets so popular.

Text Messaging or "Texting" – Have you tried it yet? by Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota PCUG, FL. If you are under 20, you probably know all of this, and if you’re over 60, you probably think you have no need for texting (unless you want to keep in contact with someone who is under 20), so for all of you in between, this article will be big help.

The Mac Corner – May 2012, by Danny Uff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. Danny has never bought a case for his iPhone but has changed his ways….find out why and what he likes.

The Tip Corner – July 2012, Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. Shift+Space Web Browser Navigation, What is Pinning and how do I do it? What happened to Normal View in Word 2007 and 2010? Should I use Sleep, Hibernate or Shut it down? Windows 7 Autoplay Settings are the tips in this article.

The Tip Corner – August 2012, Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. Restore Last Tab, CD or not CD which side is up? Expanded Windows 7 Defrag Options, e-mail tips and more are in this article.

Using Menus by Jim Cerny, Sarasota PCUG, FL. You walk into MacDonald’s or Burger King and up there on their nice flat-panel display are their menus. Their choices are limited so their menus are short. But if you go to the Ritz and ask for the wine list - - wow, what a list of choices! And their choices are grouped into categories too. Each restaurant has its own menu of choices. So do computer programs.

Using Virtual Operating Systems by Bob Elgines, Colorado River Computer Club. If you have Windows 7 Pro or better you can use Microsoft’s free Virtual program and a free Windows XP copy. If not, or you wish to add more than one Virtual Disk Drive, then use the free Oracle Virtual Program.

What you can do if your mobile phone gets wet by Tom Allen, Mountain Computer User Group, GA. Many of you get your mobile phone wet by one way or another. In order to save your mobile phone from water damage, you might want to follow Tom’s steps to a dry phone.

Where’s the Technology? by Greg Skalka, Under the Computer Hood User Group, CA. With all the political posturing going in this election year, we should be used to promises that go unfulfilled. In the technical arena, we hear a lot about potential new advances; though often wait a long time to see the benefits ourselves.

Wi-Fi on the Road by Hewie Poplock, Central Florida Computer Society, FL. In the past, finding free Wi-Fi away from home was difficult, if not impossible. However, most of the fast food restaurants and many other locations now make Wi-Fi available. But, there is a growing issue of quality of that Wi-Fi.

Your Own Website by Bill Armstrong, Treasurer, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA. Web addresses (URLs) are not just for businesses. Many individuals prefer to have their own family address, such as armstrongfamily.org (made up address). Bill’s article covers some things to think about when considering putting a personal Web site together.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - June 2012 - PUSH Articles Index

A Tablet Love Affair by Roger Carlyle, Member, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 561 words). Roger thought tablets were just a passing fad or just toys … until he bought his. He says he rarely gets out of his recliner to go to his desktop – he’s having too much fun with his tablet.

Agloves, a review by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 364 words). George’s review covers a clever piece of apparel that you can use with your touch-screen devices.

“And the Oscar Goes To….” Making a Good Video by Greg Skalka, President, UCHUG, CA (approx. 1,562 words). Greg has discovered it is a lot harder to make a good video than it is to take a good photograph and it is definitely a lot more work. He says that in making a great video, once you have captured the action, your work typically has only begun.

Are you ready for some Windows 8 on your desktop? By Barney Babin, Member and Instructor, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 1,136 words). Now that Win 8 consumer preview is a reality, you can download it and ‘play’ with the latest and greatest from Microsoft. You can get a feel for what’s coming – and it is definitely a change.

Building a Better System and Data Backup Strategy by Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor, Region 2 (approx. 1,102 words). Gabe’s article addresses corporate health without a reliable backup and reminds businesses to Backup, Backup, Backup. Of course, this also applies to those of us who no longer work. Gabe has a few steps that all of us should follow.

How to Share You List of Apps for your iPhone and iPad by Hewie Poplock, APCUG Director (approx. 373 words). Would you like to share a list of Apps you have downloaded and installed on your iPhone and iPad? Hewie tells us how he does it.

Cannot Send Mail – A copy has been placed in your Outbox by Hewie Poplock, Director, APCUG; VP, Central Florida Computer Society (approx. 632 words). Hewie was excited to be able to upgrade his iPad2 to the new iOS5….it went well but them the realized he was having e-mail issues. If this has happened to you, Hewie has the solution.

Closing the door on Facebook by Linda Gonse, Editor/Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, CA (approx. 561 words). You have read about more privacy concerns in Facebook and want to close your account. Linda tells us how to go about it because you may not actually be closing the account.

Coffee Shop Computer Etiquette by Mark Tiongo, Geeks.com (approx. 824 words). This Tech Tip outlines the general etiquette so mobile tech commuters can share a common courtesy in this world filled with laptops, eBook reader and coffee shops!

Creating a Program Icon on Your Desktop by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 621 words). Did you ever wonder how those icons you double-click on your Desktop screen get there? Jim tells us how to create them.

Cut and Paste to and from a Thumb Drive by Gordon Giles, Committee Member, Perth PCUG, Australia (approx. 469 words). Giles gives us some handy hints to copy or paste to and from a thumb drive.

Dad is probably not a Geek, but is most likely a Technophile! By Lou Torraca, President, The TUG MOAA Computer UG, Hawaii (approx. 1,198 words). Lou has some neat gifts for dad on Father’s Day or any other day.

Google+: The Missing Manual reviewed by Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, Inc., Florida (approx. 361 words). This is the book that should have come with the site. It covers getting started; managing contacts and circles; streaming, sharing and privacy plus much more.

How to remember your passwords with eWallet by iLium Software, reviewed by Hewie Poplock, APCUG Director (approx. 639 words). Are you a password nut? Hewie is and he tries to have a unique password for every program, website, e-mail address, etc. That makes it difficult to remember them. There are many password manager programs available but Hewie likes eWallet – he’s been using it for 12 years.

Easy-to-Remember Passwords by Doris Collins, Member, ccOKC (Computer Club of Oklahoma City) (approx. 293 words). We all know that simple passwords are dangerous and gives us a list of no no’s in the world of passwords. Then she tells us how to set up better passwords. Evernote 4, reviewed by Hewie Poplock, APCUG Director; VP, Central Florida Computer Society (approx. 512 words). Hewie likes to share info, especially with members of his UG. He reads a lot of articles about computer hardware & software, finds URLs he’d like to share, etc. What to do with all of this information so it can be found when he wants to share it? Enter Evernote, an organizational tool that he realized he should use.

File Recovery Strategies by Dick Maybach (approx. 1,320 words). Have you ever needed to recover something from your trash can but you just emptied it? Perhaps a CD, CD-ROM or DVD is scratched and unplayable or unreadable…surprisingly you can probably recover some and perhaps most of your data as you will see in this article.

Focus on Lighting Photos, reviewed by Rosemary Lloyd, President, Big Bear Computer Club, CA (approx. 364 words). Excellent photographs gain much of their impact from the way the subject is lit. The techniques presented in this book are exciting and inspiring and it is a fairly easy read.

Get Your Photography on the Web, by Donna Kamper, Member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 912 words). The only reason you need this book is if you’re looking for a quick, inexpensive and easy way for people to see your photos on the Internet. If you prefer time-consuming, difficult and costly you need to keep looking.

How to find Twitter’s hidden options by Linda Gonse, Editor/Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, CA (approx. 430 words). More people are using the Twitter social networking site and finding out that they like the mini-blog that allows them 140 characters to say what’s on their mind. If you have new Twitter users in your UG, she has some handy hints for them.

Interesting Internet Finds by Steve Costello, President/Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (approx. 117 words). Need something short to fill a space in your newsletter? Steve has some interesting websites you can use.

Kaspersky One Universal Security, reviewed by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 244 words). Kaspersky One is a security protection service that sets itself apart from all the others and George has two reasons that people should use it.

Knoppix Live CD by Cal Esneault, President, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 492 words). The strength of Knoppix is the excellent hardware detection and minimal configuration to get a working Linux system.

Mastering Landscape Photography, Learn by Video, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 735 words). This is a somewhat different book review since it also includes a complete video workshop on a DVD and the DVD is really the star of the package. The workshop is comprised of four hours of HD video, all of which are accessed via the software player developed to make your learning experience smooth and seamless.

Light Housekeeping for a Safe and Healthy Computer by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, CO (approx. 1,288 words). FRPCUG provides free computer help to the community and to several other local non-profit organizations. As a result of these efforts, they have concluded there are two tasks and several free and reliable utilities that help to maintain a safe and health computer.

Media Sharing & Devices by Jerry Grommes, Editor, Sandwich Computer UG, IL (approx. 1,555 words). Jerry feels strongly that his media, whether its pictures, videos, music, recorded TV, etc. should be available to him on whatever device he owns and not just tied to a computer, CD/DVD player or a DVR. This article highlights how he shares recorded TV with Device #9.

The Problem: Muffled Sound by Steve Baer, Feature Writer, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, SC (approx. 721 words). Do your readers have a problem hearing their TV and DVDs? This article has a couple of suggestions that just might help them.

Microsoft OneNote, an All-Purpose Planner, reviewed by Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office Talk), Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 994 words). OneNote lets you create notes, gather information, and organize it all using a simple system modeled after a ring binder….and it ships with the home version of MS Office.

OpenClickArt by Cal Esneault, President, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 537 words). This program is a large compilation of clip art in which images have been released to the public domain (unless specifically stated otherwise), and thus are free to use without any restrictions.

The Painter Wow Book, 10th Edition, reviewed by Iris Yoffa, Member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 520 words). This edition covers all the new and numerous features of Corel Painter 12. The companion CD contains goodies for personal use from contributing authors as by Cher, the author of the book.

Parted Magic, by Dick Maybach (approx. 1,172 words). Although modern operating systems are robust, sometimes they need maintenance either to repair problems or because we want to make changes. One way is to use a live-CD.

Spam and Spyware – It Takes Two: Senders and Receivers by John Roy, President, The PCUG of CT (approx. 395 words). Everyone needs to use common sense when opening and sending e-mails and John gives us some tips to help us fine tune our common sense.

System Suite Professional 2012, reviewed by Bert Koslow, member, Thousand Oaks PC Club, CA (approx. 683 words). This is a comprehensive utility program that will tune up and repair your PC and provide malware, virus, spyware, and firewall protection.

Perfect Photo Suite 6, reviewed by Bart Anslow, member, Thousand Oaks PC Club, CA (approx. 1,638 words). Perfect Photo Suite 6 is a collection of several image enhancement utilities. It can be used as a stand-alone set of utilities, or the utilities can be invoked from within Adobe CS4 or CS5, Photoshop Elements 9 or 10, Lightroom 2 or 3 and Aperture 2.1 or 3.

POyNT, reviewed by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 312 words). This is a nifty app for your iPhone or Blackberry. It points you to various services or places of business.

Reasons for Moving up to Windows 7 by Phil Sorrentino, Past President, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,136 words). OK, we know many of your members are still using XP; maybe this article will help move them on to Win 7.

Roxio Creator, 2012, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users or Erie, PA (approx. 2,013 words). This review will introduce you to Roxio Creator 2012, the latest and greatest in this long-running suite line.

Selecting a Digital Camera, by Jerry Schneir, Member, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA (approx. 1,769 words). Jerry is often asked for help by students who are trying to select the ‘perfect’ camera. He tries to tell them that the most important thing about any camera is the six inches behind the camera, the photographer.

Setting Up a Page in Word 2007/2010 by Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office Talk), Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,029 words). Most Word users know that when composing a document, they can select the font (style) and size of the text and can apply effects to the text, such as bold or italic. But many users don’t think about how important the page set up is.

Setting Win7 Default Applications by Dick Maybach (approx. 662 words). Win 7 offers a convenience that previous versions had – when you double-click on a file icon in its file manager, an appropriate application program starts and opens the file. However, you may disagree with Windows about what is appropriate. Fortunately, it is easy to make a one-time override of the default or permanently change it to what you prefer.

Shotwell by Cal Esneault, President, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 538 words). Digital cameras allow us to take as many pictures as we want without the cost or wasted film from bad shots. Shotwell can also help you organize your pictures.

Tablet computers – Great for Accessing the Internet by Phil Sorrentino, Past President, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1381 words). Tablets are all the rage. You might think it all started with the iPad but tablets go way back to the PDAs of 1992.

To “Cloud or Not to Cloud,” That is the Question, submitted by Joan Frerichs, Board Member, CIACUG, IA (approx. 658 words). Joan had heard of saving files to the “cloud,” but really didn’t know very much about it until David Williams provided members with a great deal of helpful information about how it works.

The Transitional Operating System by Berry F. Phillips, member, CCOKC (Computer Club of Oklahoma City) (approx. 387 words). The OS is the most important piece of software on your computer….behind the scenes it carries out many important functions. But, it won’t help Berry write an article for the Computer Hysteria column for CCOKC’s eMonitor.

What do you mean there are other search engines? By Linda Gonse, Editor/Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, CA (approx. 561 words). It will come as a surprise to some people that there are more choices than Google or Bing for Internet search engines. How about DuckDuckGo and Gibiru?

Windows 7 Program Compatibility Mode by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River User Group, FL (approx. 238 words). Program Compatibility Mode allows you to run programs written for earlier versions of Windows, using the PC mode.

Windows Q & A, April 2012, by Mary Philips, Secretary, Icon UG, MO (approx. 1,587 words). May discusses the differences between data backup, system restore, dick image, system recovery discs and a system repair disk.

SLO Bytes - April 2012 - PUSH Articles Index

Acronis True Image Home 2012, reviewed by Mark Mattson, Editor, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 2,180 words). One never knows when disaster will strike--how many of you have had your HDs die? It could happen at any time and Matt found this out as he was preparing to start working on last month’s newsletter and, when he started up his second computer (the one that does all of his digital photo and newsletter work), he was faced with the dreaded ‘click of Death’ from the boot hard drive inside the box. Naturally, it had been over a month since the last backup on this system. He finally got the drive to boot and transferred all vital files and prepared for disaster recovery. Enter Acronis True Image and a successful outcome.

Adding Disk Space to Windows 7 by Dick Maybach (Approx. 962 words). When buying a new PC, it’s usually wise to equip it with the largest possible hard disk. Over time, your HD might become uncomfortably full, leaving you with four options; three that your readers are probably familiar with and one they might not know about – dynamic disk management.

Change of Allegiance – Does the Antivirus Software You Use Really Matter? by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, CA (approx. 1,195 words). After being a loyal user of an antivirus program for over five years, Greg just switched to a new program. Over his computing life he has only used four A/V programs and asks: Is he using the best one? Is there a best one? Would he be wasting his time trying to determine the best one? And is what is best relative to his needs anyway?

Computer Password Tips and Strategies by Jim Cerny, Director, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 672 words). Most of us have several computer or internet accounts and each account you set up requires some sort of ID and a password. Jim gives us some helpful tips to keep track of and manage passwords.

Creating a Survey Form in MS Word 2007 by Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office Talk), Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 992 words). This article explains how the average Word user can create an online survey using features introduced in Word 2007.

Do Not Track Plus, reviewed by Larry Mobbs, President, Computer Operators of Marysville and Port Huron, MI (approx. 315 words). Just in time for Google’s new privacy changes, a new program offered free from Abine software allows you to block websites you visit from tracking where you browse.

Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen – 3rd Edition reviewed by Bill Treadwell, member, Big Bear Computer Club, CA (approx. 396 words). This 3rd edition is a very thorough, methodically organized, comprehensive writing documenting the “how to” in the documentary filmmaking industry. There is plenty of room to be creative within the guidelines provided ranging from story basics, timing, acts, and voice narration to planning, research, shooting and editing.

Driving Your Computer by Diane Fahlbusch, President, ICON PCUG, NY (approx. 1,940 words). We all know that one of the most essential components of our computers is the storage drive. It’s the home to your OS, firmware, apps and those precious files you have collected over time. The more you know about them, the better you will be able to decide what options are right for you.

Tips and Tricks for Enhancing the PC Visual Display, Part 1 (approx. 390 words) / Part 2 (approx. 294 words) by Bonnie L. Snyder, member, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO (approx. 390 words). If you are in need of assistance in seeing your PC’s screen, there are several options available to help you do this. Bonnie covers several of the options in Parts 1 and 2.

Euphoric DigiDaub, Revision 7, by David Pletts, Member at Large in the UK, SWIPCC (Southwest International PC Club), TX (approx. 1,394 words). David is really into textures….they are all around us. He also likes some abstract art and randomness. Combine these interests with an interest in computer programming results in DigiDaub using the Euphoria programming language. So, how does DigiDaub work? This article explains it.

Digitz® Wireless EZmouse, reviewed by David Kazmer, member, SCV Computer Club, CA (approx. 524 words). Many years ago David got his first notebook PC and found out about all the gadgets it would take to be prepared to use it at any location. He is always looking for less bulky items and when I showed my members the EZmouse during my CES Show ‘n Tell presentation, he volunteered to review it and found it certainly meets his needs to have less bulk in his notebook case. User Group presidents working together: Jerry Clarke, pres of the Long Beach Computer Club, gave the presentation to his group in February (I was there) and gave me a copy as well as all of the gadgets he and his wife, Judy, collected at CES. I revised the PPT and added my gadgets and gave it at my group in March.

Facebook’s Privacy Policy by Constance Brown, president, Canton Alliance Massillon UG, Ohio (approx. 534 words). Did you know that Facebook’s privacy policy is more than 1300 words longer than the US Constitution without the amendments? That people spend more than 500 billion minutes there each month? How private are your communications on Facebook?

Geek Busters! Part Deux by Bryan Lambert – www.geeks.com (approx. 703 words). Bryan looks at some common “techy” misconceptions that he’d like to dispel with “Geek Busters!” – sending myths into hiatus!

Going Pro, reviewed by Tanya Mattson, Librarian, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 923 words). Going Pro is well written by Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen. Both are influential professional photographers that have expanded their blog and webcast, Going Pro2010, into a book. The knowledge and insight in this book is tremendous. It starts out with finding oneself as a photographer and goes on from there, giving the reader a wealth of information.

What the heck are hiberfil and pagefile by Linda Gonse, Editor / Webmaster, ORCOPUG (Orange County PCUG), CA (approx. 445 words). One day while purging unnecessary and unused files on her Windows XP computer, Linda spotted two massive files on the C:\ drive that perplexed her. One was hiberfil.sys at nearly 3.5GB and the other was pagefile.sys at 2GB. She checked them out on Google and shares the information with us.

Is Google Compromising Our Privacy? by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 663 words). The recent consolidation of Google’s 60 different privacy policies have given consumers a throbbing headache as they ponder how this will affect them and if they should be concerned enough to stop using Google’s services.

Pass It On by Elizabeth B. Wright, member, Computer Club of Oklahoma City (approx. 692 words). In her beginning days of computing, Elizabeth had a mentor and whenever she needed immediate help she was always willing. Everyone should have such a friend! Mentorship is the “new” catch phrase and since mentors can help people of all ages, they are becoming highly esteemed. Think about what you have to offer a young person, or even an older friend who really needs encouragement…

Streaming Media by John Somers, member, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 1,411 words). “Streaming” is listening to music, watching a TV program or movie as it is being delivered to you over the Internet. John writes about the sources for music, TV programs and movies.

Tablet or Laptop, a Popular Question … and more App Reviews by Gregory West, APCUG Advisor, Region 6 & International, VP Sarnia CUG, Canada (approx. 667 words). Unless you are a “hard core” computer gamer, you can now officially say goodbye to the laptop. The day of computing 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.”

Thank You Mr. Kilby and Mr. Noyce! by Bill James, editor / webmaster, Computer Club of Oklahoma City (approx. 766 words). The world is changing and nothing is changing more than information technology: the way it’s accessed, the way it’s applied, and the way it’s architected. The opportunities for innovation have never been greater. Your members will need to finish the article to find how important both Kibly and Noyce were to the computing world.

The DAM Book, 2nd Edition, reviewed by Mike Morris and Bert Broekstra, Front Page PCUG, CO (approx. 1,038 words). This book is an extraordinary source of information on how to manage many digital photographs—or any “digital assets,” including audio and video files. This is not a book about digital editing; one of the major topics of workflow.

The Trouble with Terabytes by Diane Fahlbusch, President, ICON PCUG, NY (approx. 482 words). Technological advances, different materials and cost efficient manufacturing have made it possible for computers to leap from standard 20GB hard drives of a decade ago and the 200+ GB drives of yesterday to breaking through the gigabyte ceiling affordably in a relatively short period of time.

Undeliverable Email Messages by Gini Pedersen, Instructor, FREE Internet and Computer Classes, San Diego, CA (approx. 548 words). We all receive bounced e-mails and sometimes wonder what happened. Gini gives us several problems and solutions. One of my members asked about why some of her e-mails were bouncing. I suggested she read this article in our February newsletter and if the answer wasn’t there, get in touch. Didn’t hear from her so the article answered her question.

Using Windows Task Manager to Get Out of Potentially Harmful Situations by Terry MacLennan, member at large, Sauk Computer Users Group, IL (approx. 685 words). Oops, you have too many programs running at one time and the computer locks up. Enter Task Manager to the rescue. Or, you are on a webpage and up pops one of those realistic looking but totally phony “security alerts” – Task Manager to the rescue.

Windows 8 – Exciting and Challenging by John Pearce, member, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO (approx. 456 words). The MS Development Team for Windows 8 has been writing a blog about its development. The first post was in August 2011; the frequency varies from a few days to a few weeks. John often wondered why certain design decisions are made in the Windows OS; the blog attempts to discuss some of those issues as related to Windows 8.

SLO Bytes - March 2012 - PUSH Articles Index

3D Digital Picture Frame by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 434 words). Picture frame devices are designed to show your pictures in a slide show sort of display, one at a time, sometimes with other information on the screen. They come in various sizes, from small enough to attach to a bracelet to as large as a piece of letter paper. How about one that has 3D capability?

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 & Premier Elements 10 reviewed by Clint Tinsley, Editor, Idaho PCUG (approx. 2,452 words). What he covers in this review is what has been added since the 2009 versions. The four major additions to Photoshop Elements since Version 8 are: Layer Mask Creation, Content-Aware Healing Bruch, Overlay Guides, and new guided tasks. Photoshop Premier Elements 10 shares the all the new features found in the new Elements Organizer for managing, sharing and selecting the content to be used in your video production. It has wider support for more video formats including AVCHD disks, a new three-way color corrector, and continues to build on all the features it is known for including green screen effects where you can fly people and objects over other content and motion tracking.

Auslogics BoostSpeed, User review by Jim Fromm, Editor, The TUG, MOAA UG, Hawaii (approx. 509 words). Jim is a registered user of the award-winning Auslogics BoostSpeed and has demonstrated or talked about the apps at their WINSIG meetings. This utility program offers just about everything except the ability to start your coffee in the morning. One of his favorites is Tweak Manager.

Buying a Computer – Things to think about (Part 1) by Phil Sorrentino, past president, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (1 – approx. 1,086 words; 2 – approx. 1,116 words; 3 – approx. 1,720 words). The thought of buying a new computer is always very exciting, whether you are buying your first computer or replacing an aged one. Part 1 covers deciding on the manufacturer and making the laptop or desktop decision. Deciding on the CPU is also covered in Part 1. Part 2 discusses laptop size, memory, and the hard disk drive. Part 3 discusses the considerations for a desktop.
Buying a Computer – Things to think about (Part 2)
Buying a Computer – Things to think about (Part 3)

CES Innovation Awards by Lou Torraca, President, The TUG MOAA Computer User Group, Hawaii (approx. 1,208 words). A preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, independent engineers and members of the trade press had the opportunity to see, touch, feel, and understand the future of consumer technology. Products chosen as the most impressive in each category were selected as honorees and were featured at CES. His article covers some of the Best of Innovations winners.

Choosing a Smartphone by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS.com (Approx. 90 words). There are so many different smartphones available today that choosing between them can be difficult. Each phone and each operating system has many different pluses and minuses. Sandy gives you a brief rundown of what you can expect in a smartphone.

Copyright, Internet create a difficult conflict by Toby Scott, technical Advisor, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (approx. 956 words). Now that the Stop Online Privacy Act and Protect IP Act (SOPA/PIPA) have been defeated, it is time to look at the dynamics of the conflict between copyright holders and Internet hosts.

Crime and Conflict by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, San Diego (approx. 1,245 words). Greg’s article covers cyber-attacks, hacking accounts, stolen data, political conflict and more.

Dynamic Pricing Gives Different Pricing to Different People by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS.com (approx. 734 words). If you walked into Wal-Mart to purchase a camera and the sales person told you the camera you were interested in was $300 and then offered it to the next person in line for $200, you would probably be aggravated. Yet, this is what is happening with online shopping.

East-Tec Eraser – Take out the garbage permanently and forever, a software review by Herb Goldstein, Editor, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 622 words). There’s no shortage of software that will permanently erase files, but if you simply want the very best there is and one that spares none of the bells and whistles, East-Tec Eraser leads the pack.

Goodnight iPad, a Parody for the next generation and a modern bedtime story, reviewed by Judy Taylour, President, SCV Computer Club, CA (approx. 431 words). Many of you read Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown to your children as well as your grandchildren…over and over again. You will want to get a copy of Goodnight iPad to renew the pleasure you had in reading the original book, but this one is a hoot.

Is Your Computer Running Slower and Slower? By Jim Cerney, Director, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 526 words). Have you noticed that your computer is taking longer to turn on? Do programs take longer to run? Are you getting lots of “pop-up windows asking about things that you don’t know anything about? Jim recommends you bit the bullet and pay to have a good tech person to get it back in shape, just like you would have your car looked at by a technical expert for a maintenance of safety check.

GoGo by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 182 words). When you fly, whether commercial or private, you are prohibited from using your laptop, tablet or mobile phone to access the Internet. No longer! GoGo has available technology that allows you to surf the Internet once your aircraft has reached 10,000 feet.

HTML5 Canvas, Native Interactivity and Animation for the Web by Iris Yoffa, Member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 586 words). Not sure what it is or if you need it? With the recent announcement by Adobe that support for the development of the flash plug-in for mobile devices will not be continued, there is cause for developers of Flash-based mobile apps to look at other technologies. Adobe also stated that HTML5 and JavaScript would be the technologies to focus on. This book is divided into 11 chapters and is all about learning the HTML5 Canvas API (Application Programming Interface).

Managing the “Autos” in MS Office 2007/2010 by Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office Talk), Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 1,005 words). Most of us like the “auto” feature but some of them can be a pain. Nancy shows us some of her favorites as well as some that aren’t her favorites.

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Solid State Devices by Ted Wirtz, Member, Orange County PCUG, CA (approx. 4,510 words…Linda Gonse, editor, divided this article into several parts and published it in several issues of her newsletter). This article started out to be something rather simple. Explain why standard “Secure Erase” procedures don’t really work on a Solid State Device. However, delving into the technology of these devices was an exercise in peeling layers off an onion. Answering one question raised another and Ted takes us on his SSD journey.

Let’s Use iCloud by Ernie Cox, Jr., member of the Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ (approx. 419 words). iCloud from Apple is waiting for all those using 3Gs or later iPhones with iOS-5, along with the 3rd generation or later iPod Touch and all iPads, and don’t leave our Macs running OS X Lion.

Linux Mint 12 by Cal Esneault, President, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 519 words). Linux Mint, a community-based operating system (OS) for PC’s is among the four most popular OS types for average users (Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu, Mint). Although Mint is a derivative of Ubuntu, it has recently passed its parent in popularity.

NOOK Q & A by Mary Phillips, member, ICON (Interactive Computer Owners Network), MO (approx. 1,521 words). From What you can do with your new Simple Touch Nook eReader with a Wi-Fi connection to the Friday free book, NOOK friends and more is covered in 12 questions and answers.

Own the Cloud with ownCloud! by Drew Kwashnak, Member, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT (approx. 397 words). Drew loves the cloud. He loves the accessibility and freedom it provides. Unfortunately that freedom is limited because the host can go offline; hold is files for ransom, or worse! Perhaps a solutions could be a “private cloud.” Where it gives you the advantages of the cloud, yet you have full control over the content.

PaintshopTM Pro X4 by Clint Tinsley, Editor, Idaho PCUG (approx. 1,849 words). Tis version has been extensively reworked with new defined workspaces and a number of new features. With new features and enhancements totaling over 75, it is awesome.

Power USB by Clint Tinsley, Editor, Idaho PCUG (approx. 941 words). This article discusses some considerations in using the USB connectors on your computer.

Shopping Web Site Experience by Steve Baer, featured writer, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, SC (approx. 594 words). Steve discusses his (and Mrs. Gadget’s) experience with several shopping web sites. Some receive an A rating and others a C.

Shortcuts and How to Type Strange / Odd Symbols on Your Computer by Tanya Mattson, Librarian, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx.. 486 words). Ever wondered how people manage to type those “strange’ symbols (for instance ¶) that are seen in e-mails, websites and letters? Tanya shows us some simple shortcuts as well as shortcuts for the ‘odd’ ones.

Tips for Mixing Graphics with Text by Nancy DeMarte, Regular Columnist (Office Talk), Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 1,067 words). Have you had this frustrating experience when working with Microsoft Office? You are writing a newsletter in Word and have some good photos of the cousins and grandparents to include. You have chosen the appropriate spot for the first photo to appear and when you click Insert – Picture, the photo appears but not where you want it. Welcome to the tricky world of mixing graphics with text.

Weather Bug by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 258 words). We all look to information about the weather for our daily activities and for future planning. Do you have weather info on your computer and your mobile device? Enter Weather Bug. After reading article, you might to check it out.

What’s the Difference Between “Save” and “Save As…?” by Jim Cerney, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 464 words). Jim’s usual answer to this question in “always use Save as…” and he explains why.

Windows 7 Partitioning by Dick Maybach (approx. 881 words). In the dark ages (before XP), it was important to partition your hard disk so that your data did not reside on C:, because early versions of Windows crashed frequently, and in the process, sometimes corrupted the C: drive. Do we still need to partition our HDs….read Dick’s article.

Convert Books for eReaders by Len Nasman, Editor, Bristol Village Computer Club, Ohio (approx. 694 words). I discovered a free program called Calibre calibre-ebook.com that makes it almost easy to convert books and send them to different ereaders like Kindle, Nook, Android and others.

Memo To Software Developers by Walt Graham, President, Connecticut PC Users Group (approx. 762 words). It seems no matter how carefully I configure my computers and other devices to work the way I want, there's always some programmer just one step ahead of me. Just when I think everything is perfect, he or she manages to break it!

Evolving Technology by Bill James, Editor/Webmaster, Computer Club of Oklahoma City (approx. 597 words). I have a Motorola Bionic, an Android phone that I have decided to make my laptop replacement. I am challenging myself to do as much as I can just using a phone.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2012 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Are you being followed? by Linda Gonse, Editor / Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, California (approx. 479 words). You don’t need to physically look over your shoulder but as many as 60 ad networks may be tracking you on the web right now! What’s more, they may be selling personally identifiable details about you. If this disturbs you, you can put a stop to it.

Backup – Image, What’s the difference? by Phil Sorrentino, President, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 1,064 words). This topic can be very confusing because of the similarities and the differences between backups and images. Phil’s article helps clear up the confusion.

Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire by Greg West, VP, Sarnia CUG, Canada / APCUG Advisor, Regions 6 and International (approx. 381 words). All of us have had, or were forced, to sit through a PPT wishing we were somewhere else. Beyond Bullet Points is designed in such a way that this will never happen when you give your next presentation.

But, is Siri a Google killer? by Linda Gonse, Editor / Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, California (approx. 707 words). Point and counterpoint by David Coursey, tech writer, and Jon Jones, NCMUG’s newsletter editor, regarding the value and usefulness, and duplication of Siri in other OSs.

Cash, check and …. what about credit card? by Jim Evans, VP, Greater Cleveland PCUG, Ohio and APCUG Secretary (approx. 550 words). And you say, just cash or check (and maybe PayPal on your group’s website). The Square mobile card reader might be something you want to take a look at for your group.

Discovering Windows 7 – Part 22 by Neil Stahfest, VP, Tacoma Area PCUG, Washington (approx. 698 words). Windows has many built-in functions to display files, change display settings, change mouse settings, etc. Neil gives us an overview of how to find different ways to access these functions.

Do You “YouTube”? by Elaine Szaniszlo, Editor, Northwest Ohio PC Club (approx. 244 words). Elaine always thought that YouTube was just a site that had lots of fun videos. When she was recently on a trip and the fuses blew on the car power outlets and they needed to be replaced for the GPS to work, she found a how-to YouTube video for their specific car on where to find the fuses and how to replace them. She suggests we check out YouTube for any do-it-yourself projects we might have.

ICE Your Cell Phone – Save Your Life by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx.. 413 words). Did you know that emergency physicians are recommending that people with cellular phones add “ICE” entries into their cell phone address books. This stands for “In Case of Emergency” and medical professionals are using it to notify the person’s emergency contacts to obtain critical medical information. (I put ICE in front of the names of the people who should be notified, Judy.)

Invisible Shield by George Harding, Treasurer, Tucson Computer Society (approx. 370 words). If you have a smart phone, MP3 player, tablet or other portable device, you need a durable covering for the faces of your instrument. ZAGG has a solution for you.

Mac Tips by Ernie Cox, Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ (approx. 545 words). Ernie covers the iCloud and trying to keep up with the iPhone improvements.

Using Opera Unite by Beth Pickering, President, Sonoma Valley Computer Group, California (approx. 1,199 words). Opera Unite is a way to directly share content on your computer with any other device that can be connected to the Internet with no 3rd party involvement.

PC Computer Evolution by Wil Wakely, President, Seniors Computer Group, California (approx. 943 words). Wil takes us through the history of computing from the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs in 1947 to the present.

Photographically Speaking by Marlene Martin, Member, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 1,016 words). Learning to use photography language effectively allows photographers to communicate their intent to the reader. The author, DuChemin, not only shows us the picture, he describes what he did and why, but also what he wanted to communicate with the selected element.

Staying Technology Young by Darry D Eggleston (approx. 374 words). The challenges are increasing to remain technologically young. What used to take years to change now occurs in a matter of months. We need to keep up!

Stellarium by Cal Esneault, President, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, Louisiana (approx. 489 words). One excellent program that guides us through the night sky is Stellarium, as open-source program available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and BSD operating systems.

Too Many Choices by Wil Wakely, President, Seniors Computer Group, California (approx. 955 words). Choosing a computer used to be relatively easy. This is no longer true since we have a plethora or choices: desktop, laptop, notebook, tablet, smart phone, and smart e-Book reader.

Using Sandboxie to Safely Browse the Internet by Jim McKnight, Director, Los Angeles Computer Society, California (approx. 1,459 words). Once Sandboxie is set up, all you have to do is click the Sandboxie icon on the desktop and your regular Internet browser opens safety in a sandbox. This article focuses on using Sandboxie to make your Internet browsing safe from malware infections.

What are you Tweeting? by Linda Gonse, Editor / Webmaster, Orange County PCUG, California (approx. 444 words). New users of Twitter sometimes get confused by the conventions commonly used in tweets (Comments posted by Twitter users are called “tweets.”) And then there are “retweets.”

Windows 7 has it all by Vinny La Bash, Regular Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 1,035 words). OK, maybe Windows 7 doesn’t have everything, but it has many great features that make your computer experience easier, safer, and more reliable than any previous version.

Windows Live SkyDrive: An Office in the Cloud by Nancy DeMarte, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 1,047 words). A quiet, steady evolution is taking place in the data storage world. Soon CDs and external HDs may be replaced by storage on the Internet or, as we say, the “cloud.” SkyDrive is Microsoft’s free password-protected online storage area.

Word 2010 Screen Shots and Screen Clipping by Lynn Page, Editor / Webmaster, Crystal River Users Group, Florida (approx. 832 words). Windows 7 has the Snipping Tool which is handy to capture all or part of the visible screen. The Screenshot tool lets you preview and capture ‘thumbnails.”

SLO Bytes Newsletter - December 2011 - PUSH Article Descriptions

This and That by Elizabeth Wright

A Tablet for the Holidays by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 874 words). The first thing you need to know about buying a tablet is that you are not going to get top dollar performance for a bottom dollar price. You get what you pay for.

Acronis True Image Home 2012 by Herb Goldstein, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,235 words). In order for a computer to work it needs software. The primary basic and necessary of which is its operating system. That being satisfied, your computer becomes a storehouse of data and information you provide to it. Unfortunately there are a multitude of pitfalls and quagmires that can easily destroy all that vital and irreplaceable data in the blink of an eye. You need Acronis True Image Home to ensure you don’t lose everything on your HD if it fails.

Broadsides compiled by Ron Broadhurst, Space Coast PCUG, FL (approx. 860 words). In this article, you will find information about how to customize the CTRL+ATL+DEL screen in Windows 7 Pro and above, how to display shortcuts and files in the Computer folder, Shortcut to create new folders in Windows 7, how to insert a blank page and inserting the date and time.

Choosing a Smartphone by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (approx. 1,044 words). There are so many different smartphones available today that choosing between them can be difficult. Each phone and each operating system has many different pluses and minuses. This article gives you a brief rundown of what you can expect in a smartphone.

Discovering Windows 7 – Part 20 by Neil Stahfest, Tacoma Area PCUG, WA (approx. 751 words). This article is about the Recycle Bin and Part 21 (approx. 498 words) covers customizing the Start Menu.

Diskeeper 2011 – George Harding, Tucson Computer Society, AZ approx. 384 words). One of the essential parts of your computer, the hard disk, is also one that can cause the computer to be unable to boot. The Windows operating system provides tools to keep your hard disk in good health. Fragmentation of files is one of the consequences of efficient space utilization. This is one of my must-have utilities (Judy).

Family Tree Maker 2011 (Part 5A) by Mary Phillips, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 800 words). This part is about Tab 5 – Publish and Mary thinks this is a really fun section. Here is where you can print out all types of beautiful charts and reports.

Part 5B covers the reports you can create in Tab B – Publish.

File Name Extensions – Why They Are Important by Penny Cano, Cajun Clickers Computer Club (approx. 760 words). From the time of DOS through windows XP, a file extension was a “dot” followed by three characters at the end of the file’s name - .JPG, .DOC, and .PDF to name a few. With Vista and Windows 7, the file extension is no longer limited to three characters but is still preceded by a “dot” (.DOCX and CONTACT for example).

Flickr: A look inside the photostream by Larry Klees, Orange County PCUG, CA (approx. 391 words). Millions of photos fly around the world every second with the aid of numerous applications. Larry like Flickr and anyone with an Internet access can have a free Flickr account.

LXDE by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 472 words). The Linux OS permits users to select from many front-end desktop environments (the interface software that controls mouse, touch screen, icons, etc.). LSDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) is a simple approach more suitable for netbooks, mobile devices, or older PCs.

Nero 10 Multimedia Suite Platinum by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 465 words). The Suite has a number of applications bundled onto one CD-ROM. There are 17 applications in the package, but the bottom line is four basic functions are provided: Music, Video & Photo, Data and Tools.

Office 2007’s Magical Spelling & Grammar Checker by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,027 words). Amount the hundreds of tools which are part of the Word, PowerPoint and Outlook programs within the Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 suites, none is as useful and under-utilized by home users as the Spelling Grammar Checker.

Roadmate 9055-LM GPS by George Harding, Tucson Computer Society, AZ (approx. 807 words). There are many manufacturers of GPS driving devices; one of the best is Magellan and George was provided with the 9055-OM review---what a pleasure!

Say No Thank You to New Toolbar by Leo Notenboom, Articles by Leo! (approx. 525 words). Have you ever had a new toolbar suddenly “appear” in your browser? Although it might not seem like you agreed to install it, the likelihood is that you did.

Shut down, Sleep, Hibernate – Which one, when and why? By Phil Sorrentino, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 908 words). The reason for using one of these powered down modes will differ depending on the type of computer, desktop or laptop, and the need to quickly get back to the operating mode after a pause in operation.

Streaming Video Presentation by Mike Kalischnee, meeting review by Richard Corzo, Danbury Computer Society, CT (approx. 413 words). Mike explained the options, both services and devices you can hook up to your TV. He spoke about the many ways you can watch Internet TV on your television.

The Tip Corner by Bill Sheff, Leigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx., 1,463 words). This tip article covers Fixing USB hard drives, Burning DVD discs in Windows 7, recording home videos to DVD, sharing digital photos the easy way, burning a DVD from an image file, and a one column excel tip.

Too Scared to Buy Anything Online? By Lee Seidman, Business Professional Microcomputer UG, CT (approx. 797 words). Lots of consumers find purchasing goods online intimidating; news reports of identity theft, online piracy, and privacy concerns only deteriorates people’s confidence in buying things on the Internet.

USB 3.0 – The Super-Speed Bus by Andrew Petrovic, Ottawa PCUG, Canada (approx. 1,357 words). This is an introduction to a new and upcoming development – the USB version 3.0 as this technology will become mainstream in a fairly short time.

Whose Kids are you Anyway? By Bill Ellis, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 1,228 words). At one of their genealogy SIG meetings, they discussed how to add children to a marriage, so a descendant report, Family tree or a lineage chart came out right. If the kids are linked to anyone other than their birth parents, you will see several marriages having the same kids. This will make the reports inaccurate and confusing.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - September 2011 - PUSH Article Descriptions

RoboForm by Jim Thornton, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (approx. 593 words). RoboForm is one of Jim’s favorite programs as it helps him very quickly log into secured websites. He currently has more than 50 of these secure websites listed in the program.

When Digital Disaster Strikes, Smile!...because you will be OK by Gregory West, Sarnia Computer UG (Canada) and Port Huron, MI Computer Group (approx. 737 words). Have you ever deleted photos from a camera or computer by mistake? You might want to give Recuva a try…it works!

SugerSync – Sweet Synchronization Solution by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 759 words). One way to make sure all your files are equally up-to-date is to use a popular cloud-based utility known as Dropbox. However, there is another lesser known tool that gives you more for less –SugarSync.

Discovering Windows 7 – Part 18 by Neil Stahfest, Tacoma Area PCUG, Washington (approx. 739 words). This article covers screen resolution, color calibration, color management, Clear Type and the Custom DPI Setting.

The Tip corner by Bill Sheff, Lehigh Valley Computer Group, PA (approx. 723 words). Windows 7, Google Images, System Tools, and Templates are featured tips.

Collectorz.com Book Collector Pro by Tanya and Mark Mattson, Computer Users of Erie, PA (approx. 2,042 words). Are you looking for an easy way to catalog not only the CUE UG library but their library at home as well. They give an Excellent rating for not only the Book Collector software but for the content and design of the collectorz.com site all together.

TrueCrypt – Free open-source data encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X and Linux by John Langill, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club, NY (approx. 1,111 words). TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). “On-the-fly” encryption means that data is automatically encrypted or decrypted right before it is loaded or saved, without any user intervention.

Radio Tray – a minimalist Internet radio player by Bill Wayson, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (approx. 828 words). Bill enjoys listening to music and is in the midst of a project to build a home music system that allow him to play any music he owns anywhere in the house using a hand-held computer as a remote control. Radio Tray is a great little music player and if you use Linux you might want to give it a test drive.

PowerPoint Isn’t Just for the Business World by Nancy DeMarte, Sarasota PCUG, FL (approx. 1,116 words). PowerPoint has been around for many years and the most common use is slide show creation related to an event. It’s got a lot of other uses…even for home users.

Mikogo 4 by David Green, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT (approx. 698 words). For about a year, David has been using Mikogo to provide screen sharing to support his monthly virtual SIG meetings. After reading his article you might to use it too.

Buying a New Windows PC by Dick Maybach, Brookdale CUG, NJ (approx. 1,190 words). Sooner or later you’ll be looking for a replacement for your PC. What requirements must the hardware satisfy? This article assumes you will be using the Windows 7 operating system, although almost any PC that supports Win 7 will also support any Linux distribution. Buying a barely adequate PC means that it may not adequately run any software on it that it wasn’t delivered with.

Freebies! by Dave Bilcik, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club, NY (approx. ??? words). DVD Flick and DVD Styler, Windows Movie Maker, YouTube and more….

Family Tree Maker (Parts 1-4) by Mary Phillips, ICON Users Group, MO (Part 1 – approx. 564 words). FTM 2011 has the save seven tabs as 2010 and the family sheets look and work the same. However, a number of updates have been added. Part 1 covers Tab 1 – Plan. This tab lets you start a new tree in the program by any of three ways. Tab 2 – People. This tab is for Family and Person.
Part 2 covers a new feature – how to insert a family photo at the top of a Family Group Sheet. (approx. 297 words)
Part 3 covers Tab 3 – Places. (approx. 406 words) Each time you enter an event in a person’s life you have the opportunity to enter the name of the place where it happened.
Part 4 covers Tab 4 – Source. (approx. 756 words) Recording where we get our facts about our families is one of the most important parts of our research because it proves to others which records our facts are based upon.
Mary will have Part 5 for us next month.

Family Tree Maker File Migration Utility (Windows to Mac and Mac to Windows) by Margaret Schatz, ICON Users Group, MO (approx. 782 words). There is now a Mac version of FTM based on the 2010 version and there is a conversion program that allows for converting files created on a Windows PC with FTM 2008-2011 to be opened by a Mac.

eBay Adventures – July 211 by Rick Eblaw, Southern Tier Personal Computing Club, NY (approx. 924 words). If you spend some time on eBay, you’ll find all kinds of interesting stuff offered for sale and there are some items that are hard to explain.

Tracking the latest information on anything by John Weigle, Editor, Channel Islands PCUG, CA (approx. 607 words). If you want to keep track of the latest news and Web postings on specific subjects, give Google Alerts a try.

History of Open Source Software by Cal Esneault, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA (approx. 685 words). In the 1960’s computers were large (main frames) and each manufacturer had a unique operating system. Attempts to develop a more universal OS failed, but Bell Lab developers used these efforts to make a new OS (Unix) that ran on smaller computers (size of a refrigerator versus size of a kitchen). What happened in the 80’s, 90’s and beyond….it’s history!

PUSH Articles February 2011

SmartPhone Equals PDA Plus Phone by Phil Sorrentino

You've got them. Why Not Use Them? by Vinnie La Bash

Malware Viruses Trojans Defined by Ira Wilsker

Microsoft vs. OpenOffice.org -- Office Suite Standoff by Nancy DeMarte

Free Cheat Sheets for Software and Hardware by Ira Wilsker

Improve Internet Speed by Changing DNS by Ira Wilsker

PUSH Articles November 2010

Installing Windows 7 on an XP computer by Nancy Wallace - 506 words.rtf

Acronis True Image Home 2011 by Herb Goldstein - 1305 words.rtf

Format Painter by Nancy DeMarte - 660 words.doc

TrendMicro Titanium by Ira Wilsker - 1305 words.rtf

While Wandering the Web by Dave Gerber - 228 words.rtf

Solid State Devices by Vinny LaBash - 1540 words.rtf

LiberKey - Hundreds of Free Programs Run From a Flash Drive by Ira Wilsker - 1335 words.rtf

Movie Maker by Phil Sorrentino - 1439 words.rtf

Negotiating Slick Deals with Your Cable Company by Gabe Goldberg - 1019 words.rtf

Save Money Grocery Shopping with Online Coupons by Ira Wilsker - 1169 words.rtf

Social Networking and Seniors by Hewie Poplock - 531 words.rtf

Creative Griping Makes Friends and Brings Rewards by Gabe Goldberg - 1027 words.rtf

PUSH Articles - October 2010

Free Online Scanners Detect and Remove Malware by Ira Wilsker (1608 words)

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month by Ira Wilsker (1448 words)

Another Low Cost Internet Phone Device - NetTalk DUO by Ira Wilsker (1241 words)

Arming Yourself Against Identity Theft by Jay Ferron (706 words)

Before Sending an Email by Hewie Poplock (605 words)

A Brief History of Data Storage and a Brief Explanation of the Binary System (Part 2 of 2) by Ron Hirsch (1585 words)

Microsoft Office Suite 2010 - Is It For You? by Nancy DeMarte (828 words)

Remove Time Stamps from Photos, Rename and Change File Date by Hewie Poplock (796 words)

SLO Bytes Newsletter - August 2010 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Adding Commands to Explorer Context Menu in Windows 7 - Vinny LaBash - 898 words

Can You Really Watch Free TV on Your PC? - Ira Wilsker - 1111 words

Customizing Word 2007 - Creating Your Own "Normal" Template - Nancy DeMarte - 965 words

Free Utilities from CPUID Describe System Details - Ira Wilsker - 1146 words

Internet Shopping - A View of One of the Best Pt 1 - Ron Hirsch - 1133 words

Internet Shopping - A View of One of the Best Pt 2 - Ron Hirsch - 1086 words

Music-- Capture it, Organize it and Enjoy it - Part 2- Phil Sorrentino - 1583 words

The Control Panel - Extremely Useful - Sandy Berger - 866 words

SLO Bytes Newsletter - March 2010 - PUSH Article Descriptions

BeWARES! by Berry F. Phillips, a Member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City. The wares have often perplexed computer users with numerous decisions regarding software. The multitude of wares have been even more confusing: Comware, freeware, trialware and shareware…..

Broadsides by Ron Broadhurst, a member of the Space Coast PCUG, Florida. Defragmentation Explained, Can't Use the XP Theme and more are included in this article.

Neat Things you can do with a Flash Drive by Vinny La Bash, Member and Regular Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. By now you're probably tired of reading about how much better Windows 7 is than Vista, me to, so let's spend some time examining some of the things you can do with a flash drive other than mere data storage.

Things, Thinglets & Thingassoes by Jack Lewtschuk, Columnist, Monterey Bay UG, PG, California. Just as knowing the "computer language" is good to assist communication when seeking help or offering help to others, so is knowing the definition of words to describe cybercrime.

Backing Up and Restoring Files by Ron Hirsch.and Contributing Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida; www.brcs.org. What does backup really mean?

OAG Joins the Facebook Generation(s)! Part 2; by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, CO. In Part 2 of his Facebook series, Mike describes (to the extent that he understands them) the two primary pages of a Facebook account: Home Page (aka News Feed) and Wall (also known as Profile).

Disk Failure Scare by Phil Sorrentino, President, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. Oops, he started the computer and staring him in the face was the dreaded "system disk failure" message. A chill went down his spine……

Experiments with Desktop Publishing, Part 1 by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, CO. The word processor is the epitome of ubiquitous-it really does seem to be everywhere. Today's "full-featured" word processor applications do, indeed, offer many features, in addition to allowing you to create text. But they do have limitations and sometimes you need to use a different category of software called DTP.

Controlling System Restore by Vinny La Bash, Member and Contributing Editor, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. System Restore, for all its utility and convenience, has its drawbacks. It is possible that System Restore may be responsible for your disk drive running out of room?

Circuit Writer Version 7.3 by Jim Scheef, Director, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT. Not too long along, Jim subscribed to Wired Magazine. He's read it on and off over the years and thought it would be fun to get it again, so he did a deal for Wired in exchange for a few airline miles. No magazine yet but he's receiving Internet marketing! Plus information about Droid.

This and That or Things that May Interest You by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, Florida. A compilation of several columns…. Windows 7, Windows Mail, Removing your Phone Number from Searches, Office 2007.

Nybbles and Bits by John Pearce, Chair, WebBoard, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO. The touchpad on his notebook computer has a vertical scroll area at the right side of the pad. He had no problem using the vertical scroll until he upgraded to Win 7 at which point, it stopped working.

From Rubber Boots to 38% of the Worldwide Cell Phone Market! by Lou Torraca, President, TUG (Computer User Group of the Hawaii MOAA). Lou's review of his trip to CES.

Editorial Bits by Patrick Libert, Editor, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT. Computers and Healthcare; Social Networking; Browser Speed and more are in this compilation of his columns.

WUBI? What the Heck is a WUBI? by Jim McKnight, Director, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA. The Windows-based Ubuntu Installer (WUBI) is a program that allows you to install and remove Ubuntu-Linux from within Microsoft Windows.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - December 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Adding an NAS Drive to Your Network, Part 2 of 2, by Ron Hirsch, Contributing Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida. This articles goes into the details of installing and configuring the unit on a home network.

Another Useful Control Panel (System) by Phil Sorrentino, President, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. There are a few basic things that every user should know about the computer they are using and many of these are contained in the System Control Panel.

Broadsides by Ron Broadhurst, Space Coast PCUG, Florida. Set your windows so they all have the same view, search for information right from the address bar in Internet Explorer, how to display the animated screen character in the search option and more….

Hints for the Wannabe Blogger by Joan McLimoyl Cleghorn, a member of Big Blue and Cousins, Canada. Do I need or want to have a blog? For many, the first question is "what on earth is a blog?" And "why would I want one?" Joan's purpose in starting a blog was prompted by an article in the Family Chronicle which pointed out how, by publishing a family history book, relations that you'd never known or connected with would suddenly contact you.

Mac OS Tips by Ernie Cox, Jr., a member of the Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ. Using "Spotlight" to do math, What to do when a Mac program freezes, Cleaning your battery, Cleaning your USB Flash Drive, Mac New Administrator Password.

Making Windows More Legible by Gary Bentley, Editor, Throughput, Southwest International Personal Computer Club, Texas. Have you noticed that each time you purchase a new computer with a high resolution screen you find everything on the screen looks smaller than it did on the lower res monitor screen? This is because the Windows OS assumes that the actual number of pixels per actual inch lighting up on your monitor screen is 96 DPI.

Microsoft Scanner & Camera Wizard, by Bob Elgines CCRC Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, Arizona. You can use the Wizard to download your photos - Bob reminds us where it is in XP and Vista.

Password Protect Your Account by Kathy Frey, Webmaster, Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ. If you password protect your account for the Windows OS, you should create a password reset disk. It takes very little time and is easy to do. Kathy gives the steps to take for XP, Vista and Win7.

What are RSS Feeds? By Constance Brown, President, Canton Alliance Massillon Users Group, Ohio. Constance translates RSS feeds into everyday language.

Computer Tips for Seniors by Pamela Tabak (cover design by Linda Gonse), reviewed by Gregory West, PC and Mac Instructor & Tech Columnist, Sarnia, Canada; member of C.O.M.P. (Computer Operators of Marysville and Port Huron), MI. All too often we find ourselves sinking in the mystery sea called Windows. Pamela developed a book comprising some of the most popular, nagging, questions (and answers) sent to her via e-mail.

A Computer in Your Pocket; a Review of the iPod Touch by Nancy De Marte, SIG Chairperson, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. 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. What we couldn't imagine was a device the size of a playing card that could perform almost all the functions of a desktop computer.

Microsoft Security Essentials by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River User Group, Florida. Microsoft Security Essentials is a real-time security anti-malware application; with the upcoming discontinuation of OneCare, Lynn loaded MS Security Essentials on her desktop to try it out.

MotionDSP vReveal: Flawed video no more by Steve Miller, VP Vendor Relations, Brookdale CUG, NJ. Steve was impressed with vReveal's enhancement of his video and was equally impressed by the dramatic speed increase resulting from off-loading computing from his motherboard CPU to his system video card.

Norton Internet Security 2010 by Ash Nallawalla, Reviews Editor, Melbourne PCUG, Australia. There is a whole virus-making industry out there on the Dark Side, which constantly unleashes new malware and makes it more sophisticated all the time. Enter NIS 2010!

2009 Come and Gone by Elizabeth Wright, a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City OK. 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, limited software and a world gone wild on the internet. Is that what we had hoped for as 2010 looms on the horizon? While all of the above were probably inevitable, how can we make the most and best of it?

Cryptography - a big word that helps keep the Internet secure by Phil Sorrentino, President, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. You may have asked yourself 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? If so, this article makes an interesting read.

OAG Joins the Facebook Generation(s)!, Part 1 by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, Colorado. Mike is writing as the Old Analog Guy (OAG is pronounced "ogre"). He decided to explore this …. whatever it is after an older cousin sent him a message saying "check out my photos on Facebook."

On the First Day of Christmas, My True-Geek Gave to Me by Lou Torraca, President, The TUG MOAA Computer User Group, Hawaii. Great holiday gift ideas for technology geeks.

On the 7th Day of Christmas…..brings us another 6 gift ideas.

The News this Month by Greg Skalka, President, Under the Computer Hood UG, California. McAfee's 12 Scams for Christmas, rebates, new communications and more are in Greg's President's column.

Ubuntu 64-bit Operating System by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Regular Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida. Brian takes us through the steps for installing the Ubuntu 64-bit OS.

The Great Computer Build by Jan Fagerholm, Associate Editor and 'Puter Parts Purveyor, PC Community, CA. First in a series on building a high performance computer with the latest technology.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - November 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

1965 Has Finally Arrived written by Bruce Preston, president, West Mountain Systems, Inc., long-term board member of DACS who also conducted the RAM sessions at the general meeting as well as chaired the MS Access SIG (approx. 798 words) Windows Live Messenger v Skype - Bruce lets us know how to start using Skype. Something that someone in each group needs to know in order to have a Gene Barlow Webinar.

A Little Computer Quiz by Stuart Rabinowitz, Editor-in-Chief, Hartford User Group Exchange, Connecticut (Approx. 690 words). A couple of interesting quiz' you can give your members for a change-up at your meetings. You can get others from their newsletter at www.huge.org - quiz one month - answers the next.

Dufferdom, Tales from the Kingdom of the Ordinary User, of Kicks and Kudos by David D. Uffer, a member of the Chicago Computer Society (approx. 1,256 words). OmniScan and more….

Genealogy Online - Using the Internet's Tools to "Dig Up" Your Family Tree by Terrri Neary, a member of the ICON PCUG, New York (Approx. 1,543 words). Everyone has their own ideas about how computers and the Internet can help them the most. For Terri, it is her genealogy project. She lets us know about some of her favorite sites for looking up family information.

Hard Drives, Connectors, Performance and You / Performance Drives May Be Worth the Price by Ira Brickman, President, ICON PCUG, New York (Approx. 1,155 words). You buy a new computer and you're pleased that it is faster than your old one. But did you know that with the right new hard drive, your computer can be noticeably faster?

Jim's Computer Tips compiled by Jim Paton, a member of the Perth PCUG, Australia (Approx, 1,595 words). Interesting tips for your members. Use them as filler, as needed.

Power to the Pixels! by Dave Christenson, the Digital photo guru and member of the Fox Valley PC Association, Illinois (Approx. 654 words). Dave suspects that everyone who reads this article has at least one digital camera. What criteria did you use when buying it? Size, features, cuteness, need, impulse? Some or all of these? Price and pixels were probably at the top of the list. Read on for information about pixels, light, noise, and more.

Privacy and Google Voice by Michael Gemignani, a member of HAL-PC, Texas (approx. 976 words). Basically, if you choose to use all of the capabilities of Google Voice, Google can obtain a complete record of all of your phone calls, not merely who called you or whom you called, but a recording of each and every one of those calls. Is Google seriously infringing on your "privacy?"

Stealth Spyware: The New Spyware Threat by Kristofer Simon, a member of the Fox Valley PC Association, Illinois (approx. 962 words). For most of us, the word spyware is not an unfamiliar term anymore. Stealth spyware installs on your machine without you even knowing about it. Kristofer describes his experience with a piece of this spyware and what he had to do to get rid of it so that, hopefully, none of the readers have the same experience.

The Egg & You: These "eggs" are subversive and fun! by Charles W. Evans, Reviews Editor, HAL-PC, Texas (approx. 329 words). Did you ever marvel at the engineering of an egg? What else makes an egg so fascinating, you ask? Enjoy these web sites, from real eggs to man-made eggs, including the "care and feeding" of eggs!

The Technology Revolution(s) Go On - a Look Back and Ahead at Trends by John White, a member of the ICON PCUG, New York (approx. 901 words). On=premise storage, off-premise storage and more.

Windows 7 is Here!, Parts 1, 2 and 3 by Robert Nisbet, a member of the Asbury Computer Club, MD (approx. 318, 510 and 1,291 words). Part 1 answers several basic questions about Windows 7. Part 2 is about getting it, upgrading, etc. Part 3 covers some of the new features.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - September 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Dot Crime Manifesto, by John Lundgren This is a book review of the above hard cover book, which has a subtitle (in upper case) of HOW TO STOP INTERNET CRIME.

Built it, Fix it, Own it - A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC, reviewed by Joe Mizer, a member of NOCCC (North Orange County Computer Club, CA) Approx. 754 words. This book, published by QUE, is a good guide to understanding a PC from the inside out. Building a PC is easier than selecting stereo and video entertainment equipment for your home; you decide on the features you want and the performance level desired. In both situations, the components inside a PC such as the mother board, memory, disk drives, optical drives, sound cards, and video cards all have standard interfaces and, when connected, become a PC inside the case you selected.

Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches, reviewed by Steven M Brietbart, Director, NOCCC, CA (Approx. 1,145 words). The Internet has become an entity where all of the old evils are amplified and expanded, and new evils have been created. This book explores many, if not most of the crimes committed using the Internet.

Google Docs 4Everyone, reviewed by John Krill, a member of NOCCC (Approx. 450 words). Let's be honest, I really didn't think I needed a manual to learn Google Docs. I was wrong. The first chapter alone game me information on Google accounts that I've already taken advantage of…..

How to Be a Geek Goddess, reviewed by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS (Approx. 442 words). This book doesn't advocate that a Geed goddess is someone above eve3ryone else. She says that being a Geek Goddess is "a simple matter of embracing the incredible innovation that's going on in our times and harness it for our own purposes." And, Christina understands the differences between how men and women look at, and deal with, technology.

iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind, reviewed by Bayle Emlein, Secretary, PC Community, CA (Approx. 723 words). In iBrain, Dr. Gary Small addresses the differences between the mental processes of "digital natives" and "digital immigrants." Natives are those born after 1980 who have never known the world without computers and the rest of us are digital immigrants.

"Mr. Watson Come Here, I Want to See You!," written by Lou Torraca, President, The TUG, MOAA User Group, Hawaii (Approx. 1,903 words). If only Alexander Graham Bell had known about APPS! for the Smartphone, etc.

Optimize Your PC, written by Jon Jackman, President, Fox Valley PC Association, Illinois (Approx. 821 words). Using free programs to optimize your computer.

Speed it Up! A Non-Technical Guide for Speeding Up Slow Computers, reviewed by Gordon Strickland, a member of NOCCC (Approx. 886 words). Almost anyone would like his computer to run faster. This book may, therefore, be regarded as being aimed at a very wide potential readership. It discusses measures for restoring the performance of a computer whose performance has degraded from what it was originally and hardware modifications to enhance its performance perhaps even over the original.

The Cathedral & the Bazaar, reviewed by Sean Henderson, a member of the Danbury Area Computer Society, CT (Approx. 394 words). About 10 years ago a very inspiring book was published by a famed hacker by the name of Eric S. Raymond. Now having read the book I can see where much of the book and the Revolution OS documentary dovetail.

The Electric Jalapeno: A new system via Windows 7 - Comments, written by Charles W. Evans, Reviews Editor, HAL-PC, Texas (Approx. 502 words). One of Charles' toughest, but most rewarding, responsibilities is to review a computer system. The subsystems are not as difficult because they are specific. However, with the introduction of Windows 7 he thought it was time to review an advanced system powered by the new Windows.

The Electric Jalapeno: A new system via Windows 7 - Reviews, by the Reviews Team, HAL-PC, Texas (Approx. 5,412 words). The team reviews 11 subsystems in no particular order - from CPU cooler to an existing video board and high-end hard drives and all devices in between!

The Electric Jalapeno: A new system via Windows 7 - 11 Figures

Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed, reviewed by Iris Yoffa, a member of the Tucson Computer Society, Arizona (Approx. 687 words). This book's 321 pages contain an extensive array of basic to quite-involved information, tips, online resources, explanations of relevant technologies, and production techniques, approaches in an entertaining format.

Wolverine F2D Slide Scanner, reviewed by Joe Nuvolini, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, Colorado (Approx. 580 words). Over the years, Joe has amassed over 3,000 slides and wanted to scan them into his computer but, up to now, had not seen a scanning product that would allow me to get the job in a reasonable time. Enter the Wolverine F2D Slide Scanner.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - July 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

O'Reilly eBook Bundles by Elsie Smith, PC Community, CA, UG Rep to O'Reilly Media (Approx. 598 words). O'Reilly's eBook bundles include three different file formats compatible with a variety of reading systems and devices. Elsie edited the information she found on O'Reilly's Website to let us know about their eBook program.

Free Software Helps Caregivers by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, Colorado (Approx. 773 words). Mike gives us some tips on being a caregiver - good knowledge for all of us, just in case.

Fun & Games with Ubuntu by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Regular Columnist and Member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida (Approx, 2,046 words). Brian takes us through getting his new Asus laptop up and running with Ubuntu.

Let's never forget the first king: DOS by Rick Smith, a member of the Channel Islands PCUG, California (Approx. 842 words). Where has DOS gone? Some might say it's still around in the various forms of Linux. This is a fun tongue in cheek article.

PPC Locking HDMI Cable by Bob Clyne, Member-at-Large, Southeastern Michigan Computer Organization (Approx. 642 words). For those of you not familiar with it, HDMI is the current cable standard for carrying digital audio and video signals between pieces of equipment such as TV sets, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, AV receivers, etc.

Remote Computing - Helping Another Computer Users by Joe Durham, Newsletter Co-editor., a recap of a Quad-Cities Computer Society (IL) meeting with Don Singleton (Approx. 1,012 words).

Replay Converter 3.20 - Stream it - Record it Keep it by Greg West, Editor, Sarnia Computer Users' Group, Canada (Approx. 345 words). What do you do with a video once you have downloaded it? If you have this Applian program, it's easy and you are in complete control.

Speed Demons by Bill Roman, Advisor to the BOD, The PC Users Group of Connecticut (Approx. 856 words). As a PC technician, Bill is constantly asked why the clients' computer has become so slow and if there is anything wrong with it. Bill explains about the two main culprits that contribute to a PC becoming very sluggish.

The Emergency Tool in the Palm of Your Hand: Your Mobile Phone by Lorin Goldstein, a family member of The PC Users Group of Connecticut (Approx. 1,133 words). Take the time to read through this article - there's a surprise ending!

Vipre Performance by Ted Wirtz, a member of the Orange County PC Users' Group, California (Approx. 1,308 words). Ted takes us through installing his new malware protection program: Vipre.

Word Processing Choices from A-Z (really) - Part 1: From A to N by John White, a member of the ICON PCUG, New York (Approx, 816 words). Who knew there were so many word processing programs out there.

Word Processing Choices from A-Z (really) - Part 2: From N to Z by John White (Approx, 1,428 words) And there are even more

Clean Up Your Room/Desktop - Part 1 by Ron Hirsch, Contributing Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (Approx. 1,639 words). Part 1 of a nifty tutorial on everything Icons.

Clean Up Your Room/Desktop - Part 2 by Ron Hirsch - a continuation of Ron's tutorial.

Cleaning Inside your PC by Gary Bentley, Editor, SouthWest International PCC, Texas (Approx. 846 words). Should you use a vacuum cleaner when you clean inside your PC? How should you clean your PC without zapping it? This and more in Gary's article.

Computer Performance Considerations by Gary Bentley, SouthWest International Personal Computer Club, Texas (Approx. 1,319 words). FSB, RAM, DDR RAM, 1, 3 or 4 GB - what should you have in your computer.

The Disintegration of Service by Jerry Goldstein, VP and Newsletter Editor, The PC Users Group of Connecticut (Approx. 650 words). Do you have problems with technical support and trying to reach a knowledgeable person? Then this is the article for you.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

How to switch Internet browsers, written by Sandy Berger, www.compukiss.com (Approx. 920 words). Microsoft's Internet Explorer is a software program that comes on all computers that use the Windows OS. You don't, however, have to use IE. There are several other Internet browsers available.

Improving Vista Performance, written by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida, www.spcug.org (Approx. 927 words). Microsoft has added security features in Vista which didn't exist in XP. There are new functions and while the graphics are really neat, they can give your system a big performance hit if you don't have enough memory.

Juice Your Broadband Speed, written by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida, www.spcug.org (Approx. 798 words). People prefer broadband Internet connections because of the obvious speed advantages over dial-up and satellite links. Then why is it that broadband never seems to be fast enough?

Magic Word Brings E-mail to the Offline World, a review by Gabe Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc. (Approx. 523 words). If you've ever wondered how to bring E-mail to the techno-phobe in your life, the answer isn't Abracadabra, it's Presto.

Moving on to Vista - Part 13, written by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA, www.tapcug.org (Approx. 601 words). The changes are the first peripheral device you purchased for your computer was a printer. You may have even received a "free" printer when you purchased your computer. You install it and are a happy camper. But, wait. Have you examined your printer to discover all of its functions?

Moving to a New Mac, written by Richard Corzo, Director, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT, www.dacs.org (Approx. 1,426 words). Follow Richard through the steps of setting up his new iMac.

Photoshop CS4 Has Arrived, reviewed by Ron Hirsch, Contributing Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, FL, www.brcs.org (Approx. 1,935 words). Adobe has been releasing a new version about every 18 months, and they are right on track for this new version (version 11). Ron has been reviewing Photoshop since version 2.5, and it really has come a long way.

Sandbox Computing, written by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida, www.spcug.org (Approx. 1,350 words). Brian's Sandbox experience is based on using the software application "Sandboxie" with Windows XP and Firefox 3.0.

Significant Bits, February 2009, written by Sean N. Henderson, VP, Marketing & Public Relations, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT, www.dacs.org (Approx. 1,007 words). Sean received Nero 9, a CD/DVD burning suite with some authoring and backup tools as well for Christmas. He has a combination of software pieces on his machine that, in some way, do some or all of what Nero 9 claims it can do. However, the promise of having all of the tasks integrated into a single package seemed appealing. Opera Mini and Palm TX and Editing Just About Anything are also included in this article.

Tech News Tidbits, written by Terry Roberts, President, ICON (Interactive Computer Owner's Network), MO, www.iconusersgroup.org (Approx 593 words). His intention for writing this article is to help us understand technology's emerging trends that affect our everyday lives.

There is More to Music than the iPod®, written by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PCUG, Colorado, www.frpcug.org (Approx. 1,824 words). There is more to music-and move to life-than the iPod. Please don't misunderstand Mike, he admires the iPod as a successful product-a success technically and financially-even though he doesn't have one. However…..

Broadsides, written by Ron Broadhurst, Space Coast PC Users Group, FL www.scpcug.com (Approx. 663 words). How to have Windows remind you about pending updates; How to download available updates; Customize the Start Menu; Add familiar icons back to your desktop; and How to find your IP address in WinXP are included in this article.

Circuit Writer Version 6.6, written by Jim Scheef, Director, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (approx. 980 words). Ver 6.6 includes information about: Is the cloud really DRM in disguise?, The CAN-SPAM Act as a warning, Is your DSL router vulnerable?, the Julie Amero ordeal is finally over, and Events to remember?

Consumer Electronics Show 2009, written by Joe Nuvolini, President, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO, http://ppcompas.apcug.org (Approx. 1.225 words). Follow Joe as he attends the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show from Wednesday through Sunday. You will get a flavor of what's new in the electronics / technology arena.

Diagnosing RAM Errors in Vista, written by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida (approx. 738 words). There is nothing useful that can happen in your PC without RAM. That's why it's essential to have high quality, reliable memory chips installed on your equipment.

File Management - Part One, written by Ron Hirsch, Contributing Editor, Boca Raton Computer Society, Florida, www.brcs.org (Approx. 1,241 words). What exactly does Ron mean when he says file management? He can hear you saying "Who needs to fool around with that stuff. I have too many real things to concern myself with. My computer takes care of all those things anyway, doesn't it? Well, the answer is yes and no.

How can I keep my PC clean and tidy?. written by Gabe Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc. (Approx. 715 words). Like changing your car's oil or replacing your home's air conditioner filter, a little PC cleaning pays off with a faster, more reliable, and longer-lasting computer.

How to send an E-mail message to any cell phone, written by Ken Peters, Product Review / Special Interests, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, www.hhicc.org (Approx. 399 words). Impress your kids, grandkids and friends with your ability to text. Send a text message to their cell phone by E-mail from your computer.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Advanced System Care Free V3 - Improve PC Performance by Ira Wilsker (Approx 1,077 words). This is another article from Ira that can very easily be turned into a meeting. One of his most frequently asked questions on his weekly radio show has to do with improving the performance of a sluggish computer. One of the utilities he most recommended was the free version of IObit's Advanced Windows Care - Personal Edition, version 2. Recently IObit released an upgraded and updated utility renamed Advanced System Care Free V3. Another winner. (Note from Judy, I received an e-mail from a member who wanted to know where he should take his computer to get it looked at - it was running slow. I gave him contact information for a couple of local people but also sent him Ira's article and told his to try the product to see if he could save himself some $$ -- it worked.)

Broadsides by Ron Broadhurst, Space Coast PC Users Group, Florida www.scpcug.com (Approx. 532 words) Ron's ideas are compiled from years of accumulations from various magazines, books, online sites and his own personal experience. This article contains info on: How to get your Vista Recycle Bin back, printing e-mail addresses in Outlook Express, backing up your Outlook Express address book, control panel shortcuts, and creating a shortcut for a shortcut.

Build a 'Green' PC on a Budget by Rob Limbaugh, President, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (Approx. 919 words) We're constantly bombarded by the subject of energy conservations - 'green' t his and 'green' that. I think that much of our problem is our 'disposable society.' But, if you happen to be looking for another computer and you're willing to spend some spare time and effort, you can rescue good parts from a premature demise and save money at the same time. How? You'll have to read the article….

Circuit Writer, Version 6.4 by Jim Scheef, Director, Danbury Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (Approx. 903 words). A Future in Chrome, Two Lists of Ten, and Does Search Really Work? Are all covered in Jim's article.

Cloud Computing by Sister Dorothy Robinson, Editor, The Olympia Microcomputer UG, WA www.olymug.org (Approx. 326 words) When did you first hear the term "cloud computing?" Sister Dorothy is usually the last to know anything, it seems, so he has only recently started noticing this term on the Internet. She did some research and some say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread - but others think it isn't such a hot idea.

Copying Information from Your Screen by Richard Kennon, Member of the Amador Computer Users Group, CA www.acug.net (Approx. 376 words) This is a follow-up to Dick Carricato's article about copying pictures from your computer screen. Richard is a proponent of FastStone Capture and tells us a little bit about what it does.

Freebies! by Dave Bilcik, a member of the STPCC (Southern Tier Personal Computing Club), NY (Approx. 670 words) You have technology at your fingertips so think about what is important to the special people in your life and give something meaningful to them. The best part: it doesn't have to cost much to be meaningful.

Moving on to Vista - Part 11 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA www.tapcug.org (Approx. 865 words) One of Vista's disk management systems is a dynamic disk and the ability to extend a volume. Suppose you have a volume or folder on your hard drive called Pictures for your photographs. If you run out of space on your hard drive, but you have space available on another hard drive installed on your PC, you can extend your Picture volume onto that drive to make it bigger.

Music Tagging with ID3 by Mike Moore, Editor, Bowling Green Computer Users Group, KY www.bgamug.org (Approx. 924 words) The music industry has adopted a standard, know as ID3, that provides for meta-information to be included with an MP3 file. You might think of ID3 as the wrapper that an MP3 files comes surrounded in.

Performing Better Searches by Sharon Housley, VP, NotePage Marketing for FeedForAll www.feedforall.com (Approx, 1,052 words) Performing and perfecting search engine results can save web surfers lots of time and energy. Understanding the nuances of searching allows researchers to immediately drill down and locate the information they are seeking, without having to wade through a myriad of irrelevant search results in the process.

Review - magicJack by Constance Brown, President, Canton Alliance Massillion Users Group, OH www.camug.org (Approx. 1,166 words) Several members of CAMUG have phone service using VIOP and Constance recently ordered a magicJack to see if it would work for her - she loves it.

Review - Pro Presentation Taken Apart by Gregory West, Editor for the Sarnia Computer Users' Group, Canada www.scug.ca (Approx. 558 words) There is nothing worse than a bad presentation. We have all, at one time or another, been forced to sit and watch a slide show presentation go sour and chase instead of attract potential interests. What goes wrong? The answers are on each of the 274 pages of this book.

Review - Roxio Creator 2009 by John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of CT www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 839 words) Roxio, a division and brand of Sonic Solutions, continues as the premier must-have CD/DVD burning suite. This product is a collection of key applications bundled into an attractive launching interface. The Roxio suite provides support applications necessary to effectively use your computer just like Microsoft Office suite provides key office software.

Review - Wacom Intous 3 Writing Tablet by Jerry Goldstein, Vice President, The PCUG of CT www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 1,502 words) Writing tablets, aka digitizing drawing, or graphic tablet have been around since 1888 when the Telautograph was patented. They have come a long way since then with one manufacturer carving out its own market nice. That manufacturer is Wacom. Jerry finds the tablet a must-have

Surviving the Switch to Digital TV by Andy Marken, Marken Communications, www.markencom.com (Approx. 1,136 words) At the stroke of midnight on February 17, 2009, the analog transmissions that have beamed free television over the air in the United States for over half a century will disappear for good. They will be replaced by digital signals, many of which are already broadcasting, in what will be the most significant change to television since the introduction of color.

Why security precautions Are Necessary by Bob de Violini, a member of the Channel Islands PCUG, CA www.cipcug.org (Approx. 1,077 words) ID theft, malware, hacking WPA encryption, scare of the month and patches galore are included in Bob's article.

Windows 7 Is Coming by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (Approx. 615 words) If you ask 100 people their impressions of the Vista operating system, 95 of them will tell you that Vista is no good, even if they have never seen or used it. It is obvious that public opinion of Vista is in the mud and it's a fact that Microsoft cannot afford another misstep.

XP SP3-Access Denied by Bob Elgines, President & Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, AZ www.crccaz.org (Approx. 278 words) Have you tried to install the Windows XP SP3 upgrade and it hasn't worked? Maybe Bob's solution will work for you.

Iwilsker (at) apcug.net
Ringram728 (at) earhtlink.net
Relimbaugh (at) dacs.org
Jscheef (at) yahoo.com
Newsletter (at) olymug.org
Drtfdguy (at) volcano.net
Dibilcik (at) yahoo.com
Ncstahfest (at) msn.com
ml.moore (at) insightbb.com
Sharon (at) notepage.com
Constance (at) mystepco.com
Prospector16 (at) gmail.com
Johnroy1 (at) Comcast.net
Jerryg (at) attygoldstein.com
Andy (at) markencom.com
Rjddev (at) gmail.com
Sandy (at) compukiss.com
Elginesaz (at) rraz.net

SLO Bytes Newsletter - November 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

!Danger: Music Download! by Mike Morris, Editor-in-Charge, Front Range PC Users Group, Colorado www.frpcug.org (Approx. 381 words). Mike wants all of to know about the legal consequences for anyone caught in violation of copyright infringement - the laws have now increased!

Apple Bytes - Laptop Battery Maintenance Procedures by Norm Kronenberg, Macintosh Director, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, South Carolina http://hhicc.org (Approx. 486 words). Did you know that for proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it's important to keep the electronics in it moving occasionally? Norm's article includes instructions on how to calibrate batteries for the PowerBook G4 and any model of MacBook or MacBrook Pro.

Almost everyone needs a little help with Word 2007 by Linda Gonse, Editor & Webmaster, Orange County IBM PC Users' Group, California www.orcopug.org (Approx. 1,153 words). Linda quotes John Dvorak from his August 2008 PC Magazine column regarding Vista. "Vista isn't completely unusable; it's simply hard to use. Menus have been reorganized for no apparent reason, features of XP appear to be missing or need to be turned on from some remote directory, and basic functions are now obfuscated. In a nutshell, Vista manages to be more complicated than XP, performs more poorly than XP, and is more expense than XP." Now, substitute Word 2007 for Vista and Word 2003 for ZP and Linda's point is made.

Computhankgsiving by Berry F. Phillips, a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 580 words). The CCOKC recently celebrated "Thanksgiving in August" at their monthly general meeting when they celebrated all their members, past and present, who have given of their time and talents in the evolution of their computer club. This got Berry thinking about the history of computers and he talks about it in his article.

Mac versus PC by Sandy Berger, Compukiss.com www.compukiss.com (Approx. 856 words). We have all seen the popular Apple television commercials encouraging computer users to switch from Windows to Mac. Not only are the commercials convincing, but Apple has made some moves that make the Mac a viable option for computer users.

Microsoft Releases Photosnyth Panoramic Image Creator by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director (Approx. 815 words). Many of us take a lot of digital photographs and wouldn't it be interesting if a collection of photos with some degree of commonality could be seamlessly "stitched" together creating a 3-D panoramic view of the subject? I saw this demonstrated last week by one of the Microsoft reps who was at the Southwest Conference and it's spectacular.

Moving to Vista - Part 10 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington www.tapcug.org (Approx. ??? words). Most of us who upgrade to Windows Vista from an older version of Windows encounter compatibility problems. Vista doesn't want to recognize some programs as valid or authorized Windows programs even though they worked with Windows XP. Does this mean that you have to abandon them or upgrade to a new - "Vista" version of your favorite programs?

Password Protection by Sandy Berger, Compukiss.com www.compukiss.com (Approx. 738 words). When technology is goof, it is very, very good, but when it is bad it can be truly atrocious. So it is with the hacking of Sarah Palin's Yahoo e-mail account. The bad guys are out there using technology for their own advantage and Sandy reminds us of the lack of privacy on the Internet.

Pinnacle Studio 12 by Beth Pickering, Sonoma Valley Computer Club, California www.von.com/svcg (Approx. 712 words). Beth would love to compare video editing programs and declare Pinnacle Studio 12 the easiest one to use, but to be honest … it is the only video editing she has ever done. But she found it a very easy program to use - and even demonstrated it at her meeting.

PowerDirector 7 Ultra by Terry Currier, Vice President & Editor, WINdows usERS, California www.windowsusers.org (Approx. 1,056 words). Terry has used several video editing programs over the years but still likes using CyberLink's PowerDirector. Yes, there are more powerful programs that can do more, but he feels that the PowerDirector's Interface is just easier to work with, and it's faster.

QuickMonth Calendar by Ken Peters, Product Review, Hilton Head Island Computer Club, South Carolina http://hhicc.org (Approx. 431 words). If you are tired of double clicking the clock to get the calendar up, then this program is for you.

Significant Bits by Sean N. Henderson, Vice President, Danbury Area Computer Society, Connecticut www.dacs.org (Approx. 512 words). A little bit about ColdFusion, hype about Skype, and another USB Gizmo are included in Significant Bits.

SnagIt, a product review by John Roy, President, The Personal Computer Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 682 words). So what is SnagIt? It is a screen capture program (like base-level PrintScreen). For a screen capture program to be useful it needs flexibility beyond Microsoft's dismal screen and window capture and SnagIt fits the bill.

This and That by Elizabeth B. Wright, a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 1,031 words). Lost and gone forever…. Or not. Well, it finally happened. A picture which had taken far too much of her time was finally ready for printing and she sent it online to her favorite photo store but it was a great disappointment when she got it back. After tweaking it once again, she eliminated the extra files and she certainly did a good job. Not only were the unwanted files gone, but also included the one version that was half way good. Oops!

Traveling Then and Now - "Technically" Speaking by Gregory West, Editor for the Sarnia Computer Users' Group (SCUG), Canada www.scug.ca (Approx. 956 words). A fun article on how things have changed since 1974.

Twriterext (at) gmail.com
Nkron (at) roadrunner.com
Editor (at) orcopug.org
Bfpdata (at) 1access.net
Sandy (at) compukiss.com
Iwilsker (at) apcug.net
Ncstahfest (at) msn.com
Bethpick (at) emailx.net
Winnersug (at) aol.com
Product review (at) hhicc.org
Shenderson (at) dacs.org
Johnroy1 (at) comcast.net
wright599new (at) sbcglobal.net
prospector16 (at) gmail.com

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Anti-Virus Virus by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (Approx. 569 words). Sandy hates writing about computer viruses since it always reminds her of how many unscrupulous, money-hungry people there are in the world. She lets us know about a very bad group of viruses that are out and about right now.

Broadsides by Ron Broadhurst, a member of the Space Coast PC Users Group, Florida www.scpcug.com (Approx. 635 words). Ron provides us with ideas compiled from years of accumulations from various magazines, books, on-line sites, and his own personal experience. He claims neither originality nor ownership to any of the contents. I found three new ones to me that I can share with my user group at our Member2Member session.

FastStone Capture, a review by Ron Hirsch, Boca Raton Computer Society Member & Contributing Editor, Florida www.brcs.org (Approx. 870 words). If you don't use a screen capture program, this might be the program for you. I know that I couldn't get along without the one that I use (Solid Capture). I also use it every day and especially with the curriculum I put together for my classes.

Google's New "Chrome Browser" (Beta) Not Yet Ready for Prime Time by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host (Approx, 1,074 words). It's Google's 10th anniversary and in that time it has become the predominate player in the search industry, with a market share of about 2/3s. By design, Chrome may be a superior browser to IE, but in the few days that Ira used it prior to writing the article, he has to conclude that the current beta version is "…not yet ready for prime time."

Hacking 101 by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Macon Computer User Group, North Carolina www.mcug.org (Approx. 1,356 words). We are being bombarded with warnings about securing our data and the entry to our computers. Do you ever wonder how a hacker can possibly get into your data? And, what he is looking for? Marjie helps answer those questions.

Hewie's Views and Reviews by Hewie Poplock, Windows SIG Chair, VP, Past Pres of The Central Florida Computer Society www.cfcs.org (Approx. 1,169 words). Hewie's article contains information about his iPhone choice, when a special isn't and really is -- or his Homer Simpson Moment, and new additions to his favorite websites.

Media Show 4 by Cyberlink, a review by Terry Oden, President, Macon Computer User Group, Georgia www.mcug.org (Approx. 746 words). There may be hundreds of ways to gather, store, view, edit and show off your pictures and videos and Media Show 4 is one of the easiest. One of the things he likes best about Media Show is the ease of operations - there are only five buttons to control the whole program. He also presented the program at a recent meeting. The article is quite timely for me since a local user group whose newsletter I edit is having a Media Show 4 presentation on Thursday and I included the review in their newsletter.

Outlook & Xobni, a Good Match by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 576 words). Zobni is Inbox spelled backwards, but there is nothing backward about this free plug-in module from www.xobni.com. The more e-mail you receive, the more you will like and appreciate Xobni.

Shrinking Computing - Intel Plays in all the fields but…Size Matters! by Andy Marken, President, Marken Communications www.marken.com (Approx. 1,686 words). This year at the Intel Developers Forum, Craig Barrett, Intel's chairman, wanted everyone to know that the company was just flush with fresh ideas so he waved around and talked about an itty-bitty something you couldn't really see. Paul Otellini, Intel Prez, had to show off their huge silicon platters with a gazillion chips on it and to hear him talk you'd think that everything we use every day would be useless without his chips. Look around…he may be right.

The New, The Best and The Worst for September by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group http://swipcug.apcug.org (Approx, 1,336 words). Could Cuil Cool Google?, Zinc Air batteries and Desktop Publishing with Scribus are Pim's topics this month.

TV Convertor Box Notes by Mike Morris, Editor, Front Range PC Users Group, Colorado www.frpcug.org (Approx. 962 words). Regarding video (and audio) hardware, Mike has to admit to being an Old Analog Guy (the acronym = OAG and is pronounced "ogre"). He has two old analog TVs and doesn't intend to buy a new HDTV until they both quit working. For the "Digital TV Transition" coming in February 2009, a TV converter box is the solution for him; especially now that he has discount coupons.

Ubuntu & Linux Software by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 1,745 words). You don't need to upgrade your WIN98 or XP computers to run Vista, you can install Ubuntu instead, included the OpenOffice software and many other add-ons.

YouTube for Posterity by Mike Moore, Editor, Bowling Green Computer Users Group, Kentucky www.bgamug.org (Approx. 1,186 words). The video sharing websites, such as Google Video and YouTube, are either great resources or the world's biggest time-wasters, depending on your viewpoint. YouTube, for example, allows users to view and share video clips with ease, and anyone can upload a video clip on this site without cost, making it a kind of "America's Funniest Videos" on the Internet.

Sandy (at) compukiss.com
Ringram728 (at) earhtlink.net
Ronhirsch1439 (at) Comcast.net
Iwilsker (at) apcug.net
Mcug (at) dnet.net
Hewie (at) ymail.com
N0wig (at) Comcast.net
Terryo (at) brmemc.net
Vlabash (at) Comcast.net
Andy (at) marken.com
Swipcug (at) gmail.com
Twriterext (at) gmail.com
Bwsail (at) yahoo.com
ml.moore (at) insightbb.com

SLO Bytes Newsletter - September 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Cloud Compuitng - the Future of Personal Computing?, Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx, 1,499 words). You may not have heard of it, but "Cloud Computing" is the latest buzz-word in computing circles.

Concepts and Tools by Elizabeth B. Wright, Computer Club of OK City www.ccokc.org (approx. 1,059 words). One day in the near future, there will be no computer "beginners' at the adult level. The children born into the world as it is today are exposed to computers from conception. But while there are still older adults who want computer knowledge, someone has to be available to instruct them.

Face Time in the 21st Century by Lou Vitale, Macon County Users Group, North Carolina www.maconusersgroup.org (approx. 877 words. Person to person communication was pretty simple last century. Many important and amazing things happened without a single bit of digitized information. Lou tells us about a few ways that you can keep up-to-the-minute with your "friends" today.

Going Green by Jerry Grommes, Sandwich Computer Users Group, Illinois www.scug.org (approx. 451 words). During their June meeting, there was quite a discussion about whether to leave your computer on versus shutting it off when not in use. Jerry keeps his computer on 24/7 and shows how he dropped his power usage by changing a few settings. (Note from JT / The When to Turn Off Personal Computers info from the DOE goes along with this article).

IOGEAR Digital Scribe Review by Rebecca Feinstein, a technical writer and member of WINNERS (WINdows usERS), California www.windowsusers.org (approx. 796 words). Rebecca was thrilled when she found out there was a digital scribe product offered at a 35% discount after a recent WINNERS meeting. If you have wondered if this is a product for you, be sure to read her review.

iPhone for Boomers by Sandy Berger www.compukiss.com (approx. 848 words). According to the data from the International Communications Union, the world now has more than 2 billion cell phone or mobile phone subscribers. While the 20- and 30-somethings are flocking to the iPhone as the latest status symbol, the 40-, 50- and 60-somethings are acquiring iPhones because there are no tiny buttons and no complex menu systems.

Moving on to Vista - Part 9, Neil Stahfest, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 705 words). Another installment in Neil's Vista saga.

Prepare for Hard Drive Recovery, Bob Hudak, Greater South Bay User Group, CA www.gsbug.apcug.org (approx. 755 words). When you lose control of your computer due to a virus or some sort of malware, or your OS becomes corrupted for one reason or another be ready to fix the problem and Bob shows us some steps we can take to do this.

Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Macon Computer User Group, Georgia www.mcug.org (approx. 838 words). Their group has had several programs and articles that mentioned ID theft, but she thought it might help to have one document with a checklist of symptoms and solutions for this horrific problem. Make certain that you are not a victim.

The New, the Best AND the Worst (July - August 2008), Pim Borman, SW Indiana PCUG http://swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,150 words). Pim takes a look at Picasa's web album and cloud computing.

Using CrossLoop to Troubleshoot and Control Remote Machines by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 661 words). Third party Windows apps are rarely examined in his column, but CrossLoop is too good a utility to help you troubleshoot a computer for Vinny not write about it.

Elizabeth B. Wright - Wright599new(at)sbcglobal.net
Lou Vitale - Mug(at)maconusersgroup.org
Jerry Grommes - Ggrommes(at)indianvalley.com
Rebecca Feinstein - rebfein327(at)yahoo.com
Sandy Berger - sandy(at)compukiss.com
Neil Stahfest - ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Bob Hudak - uags(at)aol.com
Marjie Tucker - mcug(at)dnet.net
Dick Carricato - d_carricato(at)bellsouth.net
Bobx(at)hal-pc.org
Editor(at)orcopug.org
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net
Mike Moore - ml.moore(at)insightbb.com
Pim Borman - swipcug(at)gmail.com
Vlabash(at)Comcast.net
Helpbrcs(at)yahoo.com

SLO Bytes Newsletter - August 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Email Etiquette by John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of Connecticut, www.tpcug-ct.org (approx. 864 words).
Do you really know how to forward an e-mail? It is estimated that over 50% of email users do not know how to do it properly. We can't publish this info in our newsletters too many times - everyone needs to be educated on the importance of how to forward e-mails.

E-Mailing Photographs by Richard Kennon, Editor, Amador Computer Users Group, CA www.acug.net (approx. 1,198 words).
A good tutorial on how to make a photo e-mailable.

Firefox 3 - Hot New Browser by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio and TV Show Host (approx. 1,290 words).
After a length wait, Mozilla has released the latest and greatest release of the very popular web browser, Firefox 3. This new release has many new features, making it a very strong competitor to Microsoft's ubiquitous browser, Internet Explorer.

For Anybody Who Has Thought About Trying Linux by Drew Kwashnak, Linux SIG Leader, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (approx. 993 words).
For anybody who has thought about trying Linux, it has become easier than ever before with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron. As with most Linux distributions, Ubuntu is available as a free download and is freely distributable.

From My Vista by Rob Limbaugh, President, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (approx. 963 words).
Just about every year, Rob makes some sort of 'major' effort to move forward with technology in some way and this year it was time to make the move to Vista. He tells us about the steps he following after formatting his HD: Check compatibility, Backup data, Install, Post-install issues, Reality check, Supporting apps, and where he stood at the end of the process.

I'm Asked…. by Bill Funk, a member of the Arizona Association for Computer Information, ins. (ASCII) www.asciigroup.org (approx. 721 words). Bill just bought a Digital SLR camera and the built-in flash isn't as powerful as he needs so he bought a new flash. It's the same brand as his camera, and is supposed to be all automatic, but the photos aren't right. Find out how he uses the flash to make the pictures better.

Moving on to Vista, Part 8 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PCUG, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 707 words).
Windows Vista is becoming more popular every day, but there are still several special features that few people are aware of. Find out what some of them are in this article.

The New, The Best, and The Worst - May 2008, collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,282 words).
No new and/or best o report on this month - only Trouble with a Capital "T": Spinrite 6, Acronis, and Unbuntu

Painter 4 Essentials, a First Impression by Dave Chalmers, Editor, Kern Independent PCUG, CA www.kipug.org (approx. 554 words).
Corel's demo of their product at the recent Southwest Computer Conference showed one new product that really interested Dave, Corel Painter 4 Essentials. Painter has a great feature that will auto paint or draw from a photo. In this mode you pick a style from many artistic techniques and stand back.

Skype 4.0 by Joe Nuvolini, Webmaster & APCUG Rep, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO www.ppcompas.org (approx. 519 words).
Joe has been a Skype subscriber for several years and thinks that the latest version of Skype would be ideal for vendors to use to make presentations.

Uniblue Registry Booster 2 by Terry Currier, Vice President & Webmaster, WINdows users (WINNERS), CA www.windowsusers.org (approx. 522 words). Terry has tested a number of programs on his secondary test computer over the years and was finding that it was taking a while for it to boot up. He decided to give Uniblue's Registry Booster a try and found 459 problems/errors. He finds is very easy to use and at $29.95 is a good value.

Viewing the Bigger Picture by Bonnie L. Snyder, P*PCompAS, CO www.ppcompas.apcug.org (approx. 831 words).
At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, Bonnie says that none of us is getting any younger. User groups tend to be populated more by senior citizens than by any other age group and as we age, we find the need for more and more assistive aids, including those that will help us to use our computers more comfortable and efficiently.

Windows Vista Performance by Lynn Page, www.crug.com (approx. 2,189 words).
Lynn has noticed a slowdown at times when using her laptop. So she gives us some standard ideas to get the best possible performance from our Windows Vista computer.

Your Next Computer Will Be Green by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Mountain Computer User Group, GA www.mcug.org (approx. 1,053 words).
With Europe leading the way, the computer industry is decidedly becoming "green." The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) directives went into effect earlier this year. These two directives state that certain electrical and electronic equipment must cut down on hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Drtrdguy(at)volcano.net
Johnroy1(at)Comcast.net
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net
Dacseditor(at)dacs.org
Relimbaugh(at)dacs.org
Editor(at)asciigroup.org
Ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Newsletter(at)kipug.org
Nuvo(at)nuvolini.com
Swipcug(at)gmail.com
tcurrier(at)aol.com
bonniels21(at)gmail.com
newsletter(at)crug.com
mcug(at)dnet.net

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

SLO Bytes Newsletter - June 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Booksmarks Page by Hank Pearson, Treasurer and Webmaster, ASCIi (Arizona Association for Computer Information, inc.) www.asciigroup.org (approx. 1,032 words). Wouldn't it be nice if you could view a searchable webpage of bookmarks for your favorite websites? You can, but why? One reason to view your bookmarks as a webpage (as an alternate to looking in a menu) is to be able to find sites when you can't remember the first word in the name. It's easy enough to DIY (Do It Yourself). It's interesting, fun and educational.

Buying a Mouse - More Important Than You Might Think by Vinny La Bash, Member and Contributing Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 717 words). The average computer user recognizes how important the mouse is to getting things done and selecting a mouse is much simpler than choosing an automobile, but there are things you should know before laying out money for a device that may cause you injury.

Computune-up by Berry F. Phillips, Member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 862 words). Do you want your computer to run faster and increase your productivity? Of course - that's what we all want. Berry has several steps we can take to do just that.

Get Ready for XP and Vista Services Packs 925 by George Whitesell, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 978 words) SP1 for Windows Vista and SP3 for XP have just been released. George recommends not being one of the first on your block to install either of the new service packs. Let others discover any problems with the installation of the final versions of the Service Packs!

Google Offers Free Medical Records Service by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio and TV Show Host (Approx. 1,325 words). Google recently opened for free public access the beta version of its "Google Health" service at www.google.com/health. This service offers users access to a comprehensive user-created database where the user can selectively store medical records.

Home Financial Records by Richard Kennon, Editor, Amador CUG, CA www.acug.org (Approx. 1,678 words). Richard takes us through the steps of using an Excel spreadsheet to do the job of tracking our home financial records.

iPod Replacement by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (Approx. 735 words). Too many technology stories are sad tales of aggravation and obsolescence. So Sandy tells us a story about her iPod with a happy ending.

Make Your Wireless Network Safe by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Mountain Computer User Group, www.mcug.org (Approx. 665 words). Wireless networks are becoming more and more poplar, but they do add some additional security risks. You need to spend a little extra time to ensure that your data and your identity are secure.

Moving on to Vista - Part 7, by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington, www.tapcug.org (Approx. 679 words). Does your computer go to sleep? By default, Windows Vista was designed to go to sleep after an hour of inactivity. The feature is primarily designed to conserve laptop battery power. Find out how to control this energy/battery saving feature.

Hewie's Views and Reviews for May by Hewie Poplock, Vice President, Operations, Central Florida Computer Society www.cfcs.org (Approx. 1,129 words). Hewie tells us about his upgrade to Microsoft Vista SP1 and new additions to his Favorites.

Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite (v.10) Product Review by John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 1,284 words). John has used this produce since it was originally distributed by Adaptec several years ago. Reviewing this product allowed him to explore and appreciate the many applications within this suite.

A "Stress-Free" PC by Jim McKnight, Director, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA www.lacspc.org (Approx. 1,716 words). As you know, there is no such thing as a totally "Stress-Free" PC, but there are many things you can do to reduce the stress and worry of owning one.

The Art of Keeping Cool, Part 2: Non-fan Computer Cooling by Jerry Goldstein, Vice President and Newsletter Editor, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 756 words). Part 2 looks at alternative and leading edge ways to cool your computer. He also discusses how to keep your laptop from frying.

Why I like the Ubuntu Operating System by Phil Vogel, Director at Large, The Olympia Microcomputer User Group, Washington www.olymugorg (Approx. 831 words). Phil's interest in alternative operating systems started 20 years ago when he worked for the State of Maryland during a year of computer chaos. When he joined OMUG, he was delighted to find that there was a Linux SIG and has decided to use Ubuntu because a lot of people around the world contributed to its innovation, maintenance and security.

Hank.pearson(at)asciigroup.org
Vlabash(at)spcug.org
bfdata(at)1access.net
Pcug(at)Comcast.net
Editor(at)acug.net
Sandy(at)compukiss.com
Mcug(at)dnet.net
Ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Info(at)hewie.net
Johnroy1(at)Comcast.net
Jim.mckight(at)lacspc.org
Attygoldstein(at)tiac.net
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

SLO Bytes Newsletter - May 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Careful What You Ask For! (This article was divided between two monthly newsletters. You may edit it for one continuous article, if you wish) by Richard Kennon, Newsletter Editor, Amador Computer Users Group, California www.acug.net (approx. 1,318 words) Wow, Richard asked Santa for a 19" monitor and ended up with a 22" wide-screen. It was too bad that his old Dell didn't have a video card that supported the new monitor. If he was going to have to buy a new video card and motherboard, he might as well buy a new computer!

Internet Security: iFrame Attacks by Brian K. Lewis PhD, Member and Contributing Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,541 words). I'm sure that most of you reading the title of this article are asking "What is an iFrame?" Well, sit back, get comfortable and Brian will tell you about the latest method hackers are using to steal information from you.

Google Releases Updated Version of Google Earth by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, Texas; Radio &TV Show Host (approx. 1,136 words). Since Ira first (and last) discussed Google Earth in his column, Google has been busy updating and improving the product, adding new features, and improving the graphics. Tell your Program Chair that this article can be used for a meeting (I think I said the same thing 2 years ago with his first article).

Moving on to Vista - Part 6 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington www.tapcug.org (approx. 748 words). It's easy to lose track of time when you're playing computer games or cruising the Internet. As our computers have improved we tend to use higher screen resolutions to see more details, and unfortunately, that can cause eye strain. The solution is not to reduce screen resolution but to increase the size of the text. Windows Vista offers an easy way to do this.

Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick Review by Bill James, APCUG Director; Editor & Webmaster, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 1,304 words). Some computer products just have a 'wow' factor on first sight; the Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick is one of those devices and after you read Bill James' review, you'll want to buy one. power supply of the computer.

Power Supply Tips by Dan Hanson, the Great Lakes Geek, Computers Assisting People, Ohio www.capinc.org (approx. 662 words). We have all experienced the computer crashing seemingly for no reason. When it does, we blame Windows or a hardware problem or maybe a power surge or under voltage. All are possible culprits but one often overlooked possibility is the computer's power supply.

The World First Computer by Charlene Brown The mechanism has over 30 gears, the most amazing feature of which is the incorporation of a sophisticated system of differentials. Gearing of this complexity was not known to exist until 1575!"

Scotty, I Need More Power! By Alan Mildwurm, President, Diablo Valley PC Group, California www.dvpc.org (approx. 1,019 words). When my kids were young, I bought batteries by the bushel. All of their toys required some batteries. In those days, rechargeable batteries were garbage and most were nickel-cadmium and with a memory that made them useless after a few changes. I'm going through more batteries now with my toys than I ever did with the kids! Luckily, rechargeable battery technology has come a long way. The Art of Keeping Cool, Part 1: Computer Fans by Jerry Goldstein, Vice President & Newsletter Editor, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (approx. 1,001 words). With the cold weather you may not be thinking of the need to cool down but no matter how cold it gets outside your personal computer still needs to be cooled. Inadequately cooled computers suffer crashes and freeze-ups as the parts overheat.

The Big DTV Transition by Sister Dorothy Robinson, OSB, OMUG Newsletter Editor, The Olympia Microcomputer User Group, Washington www.olymug.org (approx. 1,138 words). Computer users often speculate about how digital technology will affect us and our world. We are now entering the final stage of a rather large digital transition that of digital television signals. Didn't know this transition was going on? You're not alone.

Vista Service Pack 1 - What You Need to Know by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 774 words). Microsoft recently released SP1 for Windows Vista. A Service Pack is a rollup of updates, fixes and enhancements and many techie advisors like to wait to install a new OS until the first SP is released because it means that the OS has matured and gotten all the original bugs out. Sandy has several recommendations re Vista's SP1.

Wireless Router Setup by Bob Elgines, Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, Arizona www.crccaz.com (approx. 866 words). This article is about changing the setup or configuration of your Wireless Router and PC for both XP and Vista.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - April 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

AutoMatting™ - Unique Digital Matts … Extraordinaire by Neil Longmuir, a member of the Winnipeg PC User Group, Inc., Canada www.wpcusrgrp.org (Approx. 663 words). AutoMatting is a digital mating software program that creates a unique matt for each image. The way images are shown to customers, friends or family tends to be a bit boring but with AutoMatting you can create a unique matt for each image in a folder and resize that image to the aspect ratio of any monitor or TV screen.

Converting CD-based Music to Compressed Audio Files by Mike Moore, editor, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group, Kentucky www.bgamug.org (Approx. 1,205 words). Why would a guy spend the time to rip (compress) the tracks of a CD or other ancient audio product to MP3 files? There are a few good reasons to do this and Mike tells us all about it.

Hasta la Vista - Customize Your Vista Data Locations by Lee Reynolds, a member of the Broward Personal Computer Association, Florida www.bpca.com (Approx. 655 words). If you take a look at the new Vista Start Menu, one change from XP is that there is a link at the top of it which is your account name. If you click on that, you will open up a Windows Explorer window that shows all of your user folders. This is handy because in Details view, one column shows the Folder path for many folders. Lee also tells us how to move data locations to another partition.

How to Forward Email by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Florida, www.spcug.org (Approx. 907 words). After opening your email you find a message that you simply must share with all your friends. You press the "Forward" button and one way or another get all their email addresses in the "To:" box. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Hula Offers Free TV and Movies Over the Net by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio and TV Show Host. In a recent search for streaming video, Ira came upon a recently released and legitimate way to view thousands of TV programs and movies over the Internet, for free, while using any of the common Internet browsers.

Moving on to Vista - Part 5 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington www.tapcug.org (Approx. 726 words). As most PC users know, after you've used your computer for a while the data on your hard drive starts to get fragmented. This affects your computer's performance and causes programs to run more slowly. Windows Vista automatically defrags your hard disk for you and in the background.

The New, The Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group http://swipcug.apcug.org (Approx. 1,083 words). Intel's Penryn Core 2 Duo False Firefox fix and All-a-Twitter are in Pim's March NBW article.

Photodex ProShow Review by Tom Ekvall, Northeast Wisconsin PC Users Group newsletter editor www.newpcug.org (Approx. 1,647 words). Tom loves creating - and watching - photo slideshows, also known as photo montages or video montages. After trying out a number of slideshow products he has found one that, feature-for-feature, Photodex ProShow is the one he likes best and it's aimed at photo enthusiasts.

Shortcuts by Mike Moore, Editor, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group, Kentucky www.bgamug.org (Approx. 516 words). Why do some icons on your desktop have a little white arrow embedded in the picture? These are shortcuts (sometimes called links). Why do we use shortcuts? Are shortcuts portable? All this and more is explained in Mike's article.

The Switch to Digital TV by Sandy Berger, Compukiss www.compukiss.com (Approx. 757 words). The switch to digital is on the way and Sandy's article explains everything.

Zune 8 Review,/z. by Ash Nallawalla, APCUG Director and member of the Melbourne PCUG, Australia www.melbpc.org.au (Approx. 761 words). From packing to setting up, software, controls and more. Ash's article makes you want to go out and buy a Microsoft Zune.

Spring Clean Your Computer by Joe Shipley, Treasurer, Phoenix PCUG, Arizona, www.phoenixpcug.org(Approx.1800 words) While you're cleaning everything else around your home and office at this time of year, don't forget to clean your computer. There is truth to the saying, "A clean computer is a happy computer.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Bot-Nets by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D. www.spcug.org (Approx. 1,548 words)
Keeping your computer safe while connected to the Internet is becoming more and more difficult. The "attackers" are becoming more sophisticated and are sharing more ways to get their software into your computer. It is estimated that 7% of the computers connected to the Internet have been infected with a Botnet program. So what is a "Botnet"? Bot-Nets

Check Alternative Travel Sites for Deals by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio & TV show host (Approx. 1,343 words).
We have all seen the TV commercials with the gnome fretting over travel problems, and have seen the black clad inspectors prancing all over a hotel snooping in every nook and cranny. One thing the internet is not short of is travel websites that offer airline tickets, hotel rooms, cruises, rental cars, and package deals combining all of the above. One advantage to the direct sale proprietary travel sites is that they generally do not add a service fee for online bookings, unlike the fees charged by the independent commercial travel websites.

Evaluating Your Anti Spyware Program by Vinny La Bash, Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. www.spcug.org (Approx. 904 words).
For many years the most acute danger to your computer was some kind of destructive virus. Today the danger has shifted from software that is programmed to destroy files, corrupt programs, and disable systems to something more insidious, and perhaps even more treacherous. This threat comes in two broad categories known as Spyware and Trojan Horses.

Let's Clean Start-up by Bob Elgines, Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, AZRCC Editor www.crccaz.com/ (Approx. 458 words).
Does your computer boot-up or run slow? Maybe there are too many programs running in the back ground. Checking out Bob's check list might help.

Look ma no hands by Bruce Jacobs, Phoenix PCUG newsletter editor www.phoenixpcug.org (Approx. 803 words).
This article was not typed it was dictated using the speech recognition feature in Windows Vista Ultimate. Bruce has been using this feature on and off for certain applications for a while. It has its good points and its bad points.

Microsoft Office 2007 Review by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River User Group, Florida www.crug.org (Approx, 3,011 words).
Microsoft's Office 2007 is the perfect suite of applications and is suited to all types of users. Office will aid you in being more productive and allow your documents, spreadsheets and presentations to be professional and attractive. Different versions of Office 2007 include different applications, from the Basic version with Word, Excel, and Outlook, to an Enterprise version including everything. This variety of suites may seem overkill but it provides an Office suite in complexity and price range for anyone.

Microsoft patches still another patch by Bob de Violini, a member of the Channel Islands PCUG, CA www.cipcug.org (Approx. 1,030 words).
Microsoft patches still another patch From the once is not enough department, Microsoft has, again, patched a patch. This time, it involves patch number MS07-069, which is a cumulative security update for Internet Explorer 6 installed on Windows XP Service Pack 2 only. Apparently the initial patch released on December's patch Tuesday caused computers to experience an unexpected crash or hang upon launching Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with GPS by Joseph Kluepfel, Director Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc. www.bpca.com (Approx. 535 words).
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with GPS a review Install this on your laptop and you have the luxury of setting up your trip at home and then use it in the car. A laptop screen is four times bigger than a navigator installed in a car or fifteen to twenty times bigger than a portable GPS.

Moving on to Vista Part III by Neil Stahfest a member of the Tacoma Area PC User Group www.tapcug.org (Approx. 634 words).
Your PC's desktop is the largest, most user defined area on your PC's screen. It contains all your own shortcuts, folder icons and your personal desktop picture. The desktop is really just a personal file folder on drive C. That means that any work you do on the desktop is saved for you on Drive C and not lost when you turn the computer off. Of course any documents, pictures, etc. that are "saved" on your desktop can be moved or copied to other folders on your hard drive.

New Gadgets for 2008 by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS.com www.compukiss.com (About 828 words).
New Gadgets for 2008 Every year my husband and I attend the Consumer Electronic (CES) in Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest high tech gadgets. This year didn't disappoint.

Painter X Product Review by Tom Ekvall, newsletter editor and "Creative Imaging" Columnist, Northeast Wisconsin PCUG http://webpages.charter.net/newpcug/ (Approx. 1,919 words).
Painter X is everything a photo artist, like myself, could ever want in the way of a digital imaging program-or should I say a digital natural media painting program.

Recording Audio by Bart Koslow, Software Review Coordinator, Thousand Oaks Personal Computer Club, Thousand Oaks, CA http://topcc.org/ (Approx. 746 words).
Nowadays it is no problem to record video from a TV broadcast, VCR or other source using a Digital Video Recorder. When Bart began to look into recording music broadcasts off the air, he found that there were external Audio recorders, but they were expensive, beginning in the $250 range and up. This is twice as much as a similar Video Recorder. Since he wanted to create CDs from the broadcast music and had DVD/CD burners on his computer he decided that using his computer was a better and cheaper alternative.

So You Have a New Digital Camera by Robert M. Mayo, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA www.clickers.org (Approx. 476 words).
If you were lucky enough to get a new camera for Christmas, congratulations! However, along with this jewel, I'm sure you also got a complicated user's manual. I hate 'em! But cheer up; all the mystery will soon go out of that book.

2007 Chaos, What/Who Wins in 2008 by Andy Marken, Marken Communicaitons www.markencom.com (Approx. 1,397 words)
The fun of analyzing the past 12 months is…it's easy! But forecasting 2008 requires separating dreams from reality…early adopters from mass market.

The Cartridge Family by Grant Fuller, a member of Big Blue & Cousins, Canada www.bbc.org (Approx. 571 words).
We're beat. I hate to admit it. I come from more innocent times when fairness was something to strive for. Family values were not measured by the Sopranos but by families with more law-abiding objectives. "I hate to give up without a fight but I do not hold much hope for us. If you have a printer that functions well by refilling cartridges, keep it. Repair it when it becomes necessary and show it your unconditional love."

The New, Best Worst, January 2008 Collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org (Approx. 898 words).
Needles, Haystacks and Processing featuring SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) and Foxit Reader for PDF Files.

What computer to buy - Fairchild by Doug Fairchild, Director, Exton PC Council, PA www.extonpccouncil.org (Approx. 1,298 words).
As a person who is active with a computer user's group and who has had formal training in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, I'm often asked "what computer should I get?" This is an age old question in terms of computer technology time. Almost any professional that provides unbiased advise will tell you that it is not an easy answer. The first question that comes to mind is, what do you intend to do with it?

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

10 Commandments for Online Shopping by Robert Spotswood, a Member of HAL-PC, Texas www.hal-pc.org (approx. 3,839 words). Most of us will probably have to use this article over several issues…. Navigating the online shopping minefield includes these 10 important commandments: Understand the risks, keep your computer clean, shop around, don't trust that lock, checkout the company, use credit cards not debit cards, zero liability sounds better than it is, protecting your credit card online, close the browser, and use common sense.

A Laptop for the Holidays? By Vinny La Bash, a regular columnist and member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,005 words). In June 2005, monthly laptop sales exceeded desktop sales for the first time. Since them, the popularity of laptops has continued to gain. Laptops are replacing desktops in homes and corporate offices and they are cheaper than ever, but that doesn't mean that the cheapest laptop is the one that's best for you. Examine the specifications, test drive it if you can, then make your choice.

Connected or Discombobulated? By Judy Lococo, Director, Kentucky-Indiana PCUG, www.kipcug.org (approx. 652 words). Everywhere you look today, someone is always talking about "connectivity" and how out new, improved world demands it. The more Judy sees of this phenomenon, the less she thinks we are connected.

Converting to a Portable Office by Brian K. Lewis PhD, a regular columnist and member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,401 words). Brian is in the process of changing to a completely mobile lifestyle and that means everything he needs has to fit in a very small space in a travel trailer where there is no room for a desktop and a CRT and he needs to add storage to the laptop so that all of his research files, genealogy files, etc. will be able to go along. That's what this article is all about - fitting everything into as small a space as possible.

FBI Asks "How Aware are you of the Dangers of the 'Net?" by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio and TV Show Host (approx. 1,286 words). As regular readers may know, Ira frequently lectures on computer security topics, and has written numerous columns on security topics over the years. While many of us surf the net oblivious to the online threats that face us, many others are aware of the treats, and sadly, many have learned of the threats the hard way.

Free Help for Creating Greeting Cards by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS, www.compukiss.com (approx. 578 words). A recent trip to the greeting card store left Sandy in sticker shock. While the text with the price of the card was smaller (or is it just my aging eyes?), the price tag was definitely larger than the last time she looked. You can visit the sites in Sandy's article and create your cards with free clip art and pre-designed cards.

Moving on to Vista - Part 2 by Neil Stahfest, Shareware Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 731 words). Part 2 of Neil's saga with Vista.

Need a sticky note? Put it on your computer! By Linda Gonse, Editor & Webmaster, Orange County IBM PC Users' Group, CA www.orcopug.org (approx. 531 words). Sticky note programs for your pc, as you might imagine, are a utility that takes the place of paper Post-it notes that we all stick to our monitors! But the sticky note programs Linda research this year discouraged her from even trying them out. Then she found one she likes.

Old to New Computer Files Transfer: Careful! By Charles W. Evans, Reviews Editor, Hal-PC TX www.hal-pc.org (approx. 960 words). It's that time of year when many of us will buy a new computer. And one of the biggest chores of getting a new computer is moving all of our stuff from one to the other. This review and the one in January '08 should be helpful in transferring or moving your "stuff."

Saitek Optical Photo Mouse by Jan Fagerholm, Mouse Maven, PC Community, CA www.pcc.org (approx. 609 words). This mouse is for the person who has everything. It's a desktop optical USB mouse that you can insert your own photos into. The photo area is illuminated. The mouse features 3 buttons and a scroll wheel.

The New, The Best, and The Worst - November 2007 collected by Pim Borman, Webmasters, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,039 words). This month, Pim tells us about disruptive Open Source programs and thermal color printing.

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Part III, Love and Dating in the 21st Century by Courtney Jewett, member of Alamo PC, TX and a Senior English major at Baylor University alamopc.org (approx. 508 words). Facebook is one of the most valuable tools in the dating world, and is today's version of the little black book. Users of the social network can display their relationship status on their profile, along with the name of their significant other. This information is visible to their 'Facebook friends,' and is simply a click away.

Tweak Your PC to Keep It Running Fast, Feeling Good and Looking Young! by Lou Torraca, President MOAA Computer User Group, HI www.the-tug.org (approx. 2,211 words). Lou was explaining to a friend that he is a quick launch toolbar aficionado {:-) What the heck is that he asked. Lou said he was just referring to the fact he uses it instead of the desktop to keep all his shortcuts, actually, lots of shortcuts, at least on his main PC. As they continued to talk about this Lou found myself explaining a lot of stuff he has done with his PCs and notebook in the past 6 or 8 years! The "things…tweaks" come from dozens and dozens of places including many newsletters, also some regular blogs, newspapers, radio shows, other PC users he talks with and of course, the real biggie, MICROSOFT! Yup, their knowledge base contains millions of tips, solutions and you guessed it…TWEAKS!

Weird Windows Behavior by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS, www.compukiss.com (approx. 868 words). Have you ever been completely dismayed by your computer? Does it seem to do unusual things that you can't trace back to any of your actions? Well, you are not alone. Do your Icons disappear? Have you lost your toolbars or the toolbar moves? Do you have a dramatic slowdown, no sound, or your mouse shutters? Sandy gives you tips on why this happens and how you can fix the problems.

Windows Live Hotmail by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL www.crug.com (approx. 1,367 words). Lynn has had a Hotmail account for many years and uses it regularly. The latest Windows Live Hotmail is easier to use and includes many impressive features. With a 5 GB Inbox so you don't have to worry about it filling up while you are away and many safety features to alert you to suspicious email and spam.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - November 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

After Retirement, Who Are You? By Gabe Goldberg, Advisor, Region 2; columnist, CompuKISS.com (www.compukiss.com) Approx. 599 words. Retirement - even temporary job loss - can trigger discomfort with one's changed identity. Especially for those who have been strongly career oriented, the simple question, "What do you do?" can lead to fumbling for an answer. And when socializing or doing business or volunteering, it can be awkward not having the usual trappings of the grown-up world such as business cards. Enter VistaPrint.

Buying a New Vista Computer? Read This First! By Sandy Berger, Compukiss.com (www.compukiss.com) Approx. 925 words. Windows Vista is finally ready for prime time. Over the last several months, the drivers for many devices like printers and scanners have been updated to accommodate Vista. Most software has also been updated to be Vista compatible. If you are ready for a new computer you may be ready for Vista. However, you might want to do a little homework before you make your purchase.

DUFFERDOM - Tales from the Kingdom of the Ordinary User by David D. Uffer, a Member of the Chicago Computer Society (www.ccs.org) Approx. 1,281 words. Of Avery, CDs, Squaring the Circle, Selected Greek Classics and Tantalus - Plus a Resolution.

DVD Insider - DRM by Andy Marken, Marken Communications (www.markencom.com) Approx. 1,655 words. We need to note that creative people need to be paid for their work…writers, artists, animators, actors, makeup artists, best boys, post production folks, underwriters and yes even studio execs. No pay…no play! The problem is the world doesn't want content protection and consumers don't want content protection.

Fake Check Scams on the Internet Explode by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host, Approx. 1,253 words. Have you recently received an e-mail where you are a supposed winner of a drawing scam? Spam-scam crackdown nets $2 billion in fake checks and 77 arrests were made in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Canada. Have you heard that the Postal Service has declared war on the Nigerian scam? All this and more in Ira's fascinating article.

Google Search Bar and Your Telephone Number by Sandy Berger (www.Compukiss.com), Approx 668 words. If you know someone's telephone number, how hard would it be to find that person? Well, with Internet resources, it couldn't be easier. Type any telephone number into the Google search bar and you will quickly be given the name and address that relates to that number, as well as a detailed map on where they live.

How to Find Podcasts by Mike Lyons, President, ORCOPUG, CA (www.orcopug.org) Approx. 504 words. Mike gives us good directions on how to find and download podcasts.

How to use Google Street Views to see…streets, places, routes and faces! By Linda Gonse, Editor and Webmaster, ORCOPUG, CA (www.orcopug.org) Approx. 447 words. Beyond the curiosity of the new panoramic on-the-road reality shots, Google's detailed Street Views give you a feel for really being where you want to go. Although only a handful of large cities are represented in these views, it's still likely you will want to look for destinations in them occasionally.

Make Vista Work Better by Vinny La Bash, member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL (www.spcug.org) Approx. 940 words. No matter how good an OS may be, someone will complain that it could have been better. Vista is a very good OS that some people find wanting. Some people are never satisfied, but that is not the issue here. Of course, Vista should have been better, but MS has only so much time and resources to develop a system, and Vista was late to market in addition to being less than perfect.

Moving on to Vista - Part 1 by Neil Stahfest, Shareware Librarian, Tacoma Area PCUG, WA (www.tapcug.org) Approx. 702 words. I tested a pre-release version of Windows Vista last year. I thought that the eye candy was nice but there really wasn't a lot about the program to make it worth upgrading my PC to use it. Since then I've heard stories about problems with Vista that made me even reluctant to upgrade to it. But, things happen. I "needed" a new laptop to demonstrate programs for the Flight Simulator SIG <wink><wink>. Many of you will be buying new computers in the next year or so, so I'll share some of my experiences and impressions with you.

The New, the Best, and the Worst - October 2007, collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG (http://swipcug.apcug.org) Approx. 1,367 words. From Mobile Supercomputers to Super Jigsaws, Amazon, Burj Dubai Babel Baggle, and Google, Pim tells it like it is.

Online Consumer Help from the Federal Government by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX: Radio & TV show host (Approx. 1,161 words). President Bush has requested that all federal agencies make it easier for consumers (the general public) to locate the utilize information on federal websites. In some cases a variety of federal agencies have pooled their resources and information, and compiled the data in easy-to-use websites that represent several agencies in one place. Some of these integrated federal websites are consumer.gov, recalls.gov, and usa.gov. EDITORS - let your program chair know that the information in this article can be used for a program.

Backing Up Your Hard Drive by Gene Barlow, User Group Relations (www.ugr.com) Approx. 2,538 words. Yes, your hard drive will fail someday: Your hard drive is a mechanical device that spins constantly and is certain to wear out. The life of a hard drive is only 2-3 years. If you are lucky, your drive may last you 4 or 5 years, but it could go out in just 6 months. It is not a question of if your hard drive will fail, but it's a question of when it will fail. All you can do is to be ready when it does fail by having a copy of all of the files on your hard drive saved away from your computer. Then you can replace the failed drive with an empty new drive and put all of the files on the new hard drive. This lets you be back up and running in a mater of minutes instead of days or weeks rebuilding your drive. This process is called backing up and restoring your hard drive and is the topic of this article.

Additional Backup Approach Comparisons by Gene Barlow, User Group Relations (www.ugr.com) Approx. 1,860 words. In another article (above), Gene highlighted four of the most common backup approaches used today and compared them to show his readers why the Perfect Backup Approach is the best wayw to do backups. As soon as he sent that article out, he received messages from users asking why I had not included other backup approaches in his article. Two additional backup approaches are included in this article.

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Part II by Courtney Jewett, a member of HAL-PC, TX and a senior English major at Baylor University who is pursuing a career in Journalism (www.alamaopc.org) Approx. 569 words. Today's college student is as familiar with Facebook as they are to types of Starbucks coffee, episodes of Grey's Anatomy, and the rising cost of their university tuition. Courtney's article lets her readers have a clearer understanding of how students are utilizing the site.

The QWERTY Keyboard and Microsoft Office 2007 by Bob Schneider, Editor, The PC Keyboard, Spring Hill Teaching Computer Club, FL (www.shtcc.net) Approx. 625 words. Back in the mid-1800s, when the first practical typewriter was built, inventor C.L.Sholes arranged the keys in the QWERTY layout for a practical reason. He had to separate the most common letters to prevent the hammers from jamming. So many people knew that although it was no longer necessary, it was maintained with the advent of electric typewriters. Since Bob started using Windows 2.0 in 1989, Microsoft advertised the strength and beauty of following the Windows format. Using its standard GUI interface, all programs would have the same look and feel. Learn one program and you could quickly learn to navigate around in any similar software. Enter Office 2007.

ru Xperienced? By Lee Reynolds, a member of the Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (www.brcs.org) Approx. 594 words. Ownership and Restrictions. If you have ever had a corrupted user profile and then had to create a new account, when you tried to access the folder or files used by the old account in order to transfer them to the new one, you might have encountered a problem: Windows won't let you. Lee walks us through the steps on how to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP.

Using a Restore Point by Larry Bothe, an associate member of CAEUG and an honorary member of the Fox Valley PC Association, IL (www.caeug.net / www.fvpca.org) Approx. 908 words. Recently, while in a big hurry to get a lot of work done before leaving on vacation, Larry's computer started up with a blank screen. No mouse, no images, no text, no error message, no nothing. Oops, he decided he should have paid attention to the warning he received from his computer security software that some program was trying to make a change to something it thought was a danger. He was in a hurry and OK'd it without reading it thoroughly. Larry walks us through setting a Restore Point to when everything was working correctly.

Using Imaging Software for Backup by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL (www.spcug.org) Approx. 1,353 words. There are many HD backup programs on the market that tell you that they can make an "image" of your HD. This allows you to restore your programs and data in case of an HD crash. They will also transfer everything on your HD to a new drive. Brian takes a look at the generic methods they use for these situations.

Vista Backup and Shadow Copy by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal Riber Users Group, FL (www.crug.com) Approx. 954 words. Windows Vista helps easily back up computer settings, files and applications. The new Windows Backup feature provides more choices for storing backed up information. You can choose to back up to CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, an external hard disk, another internal hard disk, or to another computer or server connected to your network.

Windows XP Power Management by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL (www.crug.com) Approx. 757 words. If you use a laptop you know the problem of running down the battery before you finish up. But configuring power management can also reduce electrical usage on your desktop computer.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

10 Steps to Safe Computing by Sandy Berger, www.compukuss.com (approx. 761 words). We must be proactive to protest ourselves from today's bad guys and Sandy gives us her down and dirty list for PC users. Sandy Berger - sberger(at)compukiss.com

Attack of the Cone by Mick Topping, ICON (Interactive Computer Owners Network), MO www.iconusersgroup.org (approx. 1,513 words). Mick has been dragging his feet on Vista. He really doesn't see much in it that he thinks he needs. However, it's time for a new laptop, the hard drive on his old one is getting a little crowded, a little busy, and slow on startup. When he really needed was a way to distract himself from how much he wanted a new LT, so it's off to the store to buy a new hard drive. Mick Topping - mickt(at)mtopping.us

Hasta la Vista - Gadgets and the Windows Sidebar by Lee Reynolds, member BPCS (Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc.), FL www.bpcs.com (approx. 642 words). Devotees of the Apple Mac have, for some time, had available, in their OS X Tiger operating system, something called Dashboard, which allowed them to have what are called Widgets (mini-applications that provide a very simple, tightly focused interface for common tasks) available for instant use. Enter something similar, Windows Vista Gadgets. Lee Reynolds - leetutor AT earthlink.net

Open Source Software - Mostly Free to Use and Modify by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; radio and TV show host (approx. 1,180 words). Open Source software has been around in its current context since 1998, and hundreds of titles are available for almost any computing need and it should be seriously considered as an alternative to commercial software. Ira Wilsker - iwilsker(at)apcug.net

More Ira Wilsker Articles
   Irfanview 4
   Online Weather Resources May Be Lifesavers
   Yahoo
   Advanced WindowsCare Personal Edition
   Free PC Security Software from Grisoft
   Free PC Security Suite from eEye

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Redefining Social Networking by Courtney Jewett, member of the Alamo PC Organization, TX www.alamopc.org (approx. 676 words). What do Hillary Clinton, Tony the Tiger, and millions of college students have in common? They all have profiles on the contemporary social network known as Facebook. As a college student, and avid Facebooker, Courtney intends to share her knowledge and experiences with the site in order to uncover the reasons behind Facebook's widespread success. Courtney Jewett - courtney_jewett(at)baylor.edu

Portable Data by Corinne Goeke, a member of the Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ http://gvcc.apcug.org (approx. 487 words). There are many names that refer to UFDs or "USB Flash Drives." USB, of course, refers to those little rectangular ports you can find (although there never seems to be enough of them) on the back and front of most computers. Corinne Goeke - cmgoege(at)yahoo.com

Read Before Opening! By Bruce Jacobs, Editor, Phoenix PCUG, AZ http://phoenixpcug.org (approx. 840 words). So you just bought a brand new computer. Before you get all settled in, there are a few steps you should take to help make your new computer safer and more fun. Bruce Jacobs - editor(at)phoenispcug.org

The New, the Best, and the Worst for September by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG http://swipcug.apcug.org/ (approx. 1,103 words). E-mail reliability woes with security, changing email addresses, and more. Pim Borman - swipcug(at)gmail.com (NOTE Pim has a new address)

This and That by Elizabeth B. Wright, a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 730 words). Have you accessed the Windows XP "Restore" option to reset your computer to an earlier time? We often need to do this when things go haywire after installing some new software. Elizabeth B. Wright - wright599new(at)sbcglobal.net

Understanding Your Computer's BIOS by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,780 words). The computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) is really a major key to its proper operation. The BIOS differs from one computer to another depending on the make of the motherboard and the make of the computer itself. Brian K. Lewis - bwsail(at)yahoo.com

Windows Calendar by Lynn Page, editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL www.crug.com (approx. 540 words). Windows Calendar, built into Windows Vista, helps you plan your activities and coordinate your plans with those of others. With WC you can set up multiple calendars and view a single or multiple calendars at a time. This makes it easy to compare the calendars and look for conflicts in scheduling. Lynn Page - newsletter(at)crug.com

Would You Sign This Contract? By Rob Rice, a computer specialist living in Anchorage and a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 1,633 words). OK, here's the deal; I offer you a big, 56-inch, shiny new Filch Plasma Screen TV and I will sell it to you if you will agree to have a camera installed in your home so I may watch you watching the new TV. Sound fair? Would you sign that contract? Many of us, in a sense, have already agreed to something like the above scenario when we clicked on the End User License Agreement (EULA). Rob Rice - articles(at)isp.com

SLO Bytes Newsletter - August 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Apple’s New Safari Browser for Windows by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director (approx. 1,206 words). Apple recently released a free version of its Safari 3 browser for Windows. While this is the first public release of an Apple-produced browser for Windows, many already have Apple software on their computers such as Quick Time. This browser might be one that you would like to check out since there is no conflict in having more than one browser on your computer.

A router can help protect your computer by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 904 words). A few years ago you had probably not heard the term ‘router’ unless you used one in your wood working class in high school. Today, you hear much more about the word ‘router’ when it is used in conjunction with computers and the Internet.

Backing up a computer – Cloning vs Imaging by Al Edmister, a member of the Napa Valley PCUG, California www.nvpcug.org (approx. 1,660 words). Backing up your computer has always been an important and sometimes confusing subject. As most people know by now, backing up on the same HD only helps when the main file gets corrupted which really doesn’t happen very often. It is of no help when an HD fails; Al has had two HDs fail! RAID, Zip drives and more is covered in this article.

Blurbs from Bass by Steve Bass, PC World Columnist and Author (approx 970 words). Steve accumulated several of his blurbs and asked me to send them to you. Wonderful: Microsoft’s free Virtual PC; Gotcha! Geek Squad Caught Stealing Porn and other short blurbs, plus links to time killing videos, useful tools, and free directory assistance.

Building a PC for Vista by Dan Hanson, the Great Lakes Geek (approx. 669 words). The Great Lakes Geek needed to build a new PC for the Computers Assisting People Resource Center. It will be used for CAP operations but also so that the volunteers and others can become familiar with Windows Vista and learn about it the CAP way – hands on. Dan steps us through the process of building that PC.

Configuring Outlook Express by Dick Maybach, Columnist, Brookdale Computer User Group, New Jersey www.bcug.org (approx. 1,104 words). You can greatly improve your e-mail experience by properly configuring Outlook Express, which is the default Windows e-mail client and Dick shows us just how to do this.

Dumb Things to Avoid While Using Your Computer by Vinny La Bash, a member and regular columnist of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,042 words). To paraphrase a recent TV commercial, we all do dumb things, but doing them with your computer doesn’t have to be one of them. Check out his Dumb Mistakes to make sure you aren’t doing some of them.

Exploring Windows Explorer – Part 2 by Jim Sanders, Vice President, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 1,224 words). The first part of this series was in the June PUSH. Jim further explains how to use the ‘real’ Windows Explorer.

Improve Computing Pleasure with Free Widgets for Windows and Mac by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; radio and TV show host (approx. 1,106 words). Many of us are extremely busy and often lack the time to search the Internet for items of frequent interest. Many of us have dull and boring desktops displayed on our monitors, often using the default images of our computer or software maker. Fortunately for us, there is a free service offered by Yahoo!, called “widgets.”

The New, the Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org/ (approx. 1,441 words). This article contains many lessons re Digital Cameras. We’ll all be taking better digital pictures after reading this article.

The Nightmare by Barry F. Phillips, a member of ccOKC and a frequent contributor to the eMonitor, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 602 words). Barry’s computer growled like some prehistoric monster rebelling at being awakened from a deep slumber and then checking my financial data online almost by habit. Terror pulsed through his veins as he no longer existed; all his personal data had been deleted! Another Fun, tongue-in-cheek article by Barry.

This and That by Elizabeth B. Wright, a member of ccOKC and a frequent contributor to the eMonitor, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 782 words). How much time are you spending upgrading both hardware and software? Elizabeth has found that much time and money are invested in trying to keep up with the times. Are you in the same boat or are you happy using the operating system and programs that you currently have on your computer.

Reviews

DustKleen^TM by Neil Longmuir, Winnipeg PCUG, www.wpcusrgrp.org (approx. 1,304 words). DustKleen is an innovative stand-alone application from Image Trends Inc. It will automatically remove most dirt and dust from any scanned images regardless of the source. Neil’s rating is 5 Stars +

Freshly Squeezed Review: I Move Me by Frank Petrie (approx. 737 words). Remember when you were a kid and dinosaurs roamed the Earth. What was on TV? Mainly cartoons and claymation. And with the advent of YouTube, et al., they’re both making a comeback. I Can Animate lets you create stunning movies using a variety of animation techniques.

Network Warrior by David Boyes (approx. 1,373 words). This book is a collection of notes and process recipes to solve common problems found in commercial networks. Overall, the book provides a large number of useful bits and the last three chapters on how to work the system ought to be required reading for just about anyone in the IT world who actually has to deal directly with customers or other technicians (i.e., everyone).

Photoshop CS3 by Ton Ekvall, newsletter editor for Northeast Wisconsin PCUG webpages.charter.net/newpcug (approx. 1,391 words). Some things just keep getting better. And the latest release of Photoshop CS3 is no exception. The new release offers major enhancements that will appeal to present Photoshop users as well as to those interested in transitioning to Photoshop CS3 from Photoshop Elements or other similar products.

OpenOffice by Ronnie Ugulano, Fresno PCUG, California, newsletter editor; fresnocomputerusers.org (approx. 836 words). I didn’t have time to monkey around, it had to work out of the box. Ronnie got an email from the FPCUG Board saying that they would like to be able to offer the newsletter in PDF for easy printing. The dilemma was what to use that would easily turn into a PDF. Ronnie remembered that OpenOffice, the available-free office suite program, has a PDF converted built into it’s word processing program, and there’s a Windows version and the rest was history.

WildForm WildPresenter Pro by Gregory West, Editor, SCUG Report, Sarnia CUG, Canada (approx. 648 words). Flash is one of the most widely utilized and viewed multimedia formats on the Internet today. There are a lot of video copying and video presentation programs boasting to be the best. However, the question one must ask is “Do they do what they claim to, and do they actually accomplish these processes with ease and professionalism?” The answer to t his I will leave alone for you to decide. However, I personally can speak for WildPresenter Pro, version 3.204: It accomplishes both with a relative ease and simplicity requiring little computer knowledge to create professional Flash media.

Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper’s Collection by Rhonda and James Winterhalter, ICON Computer Users Group, Missouri www.icon.org (approx. 1,728 words). This game could easily capture the interest of all age levels. Grandparents looking for a great item to have around for the grandchildren should be sure to read this review!

SLO Bytes Newsletter - July 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Back-Ups Made Easy by Carey Holzman, Co-host: www.computeramerica.com / www.careyholzman.com (approx. 1,690 words). By now you are probably well aware of the importance of making copies of your valuable data (referred to as "backing-up). You've read numerous articles about ways to back-up your data and prevent disaster. The problem is, most advice offered on this subject is not truly complete and many of the 'solutions' offered are expensive and time consuming. How you back-up, what you back-up, when you back-up and where you store your back-up are just a few important variables that come into play on that miserable day that you require it and your back-up isn't there.

Can't Play Online Videos - Here's What to Do by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 706 words). Generally, each video you find on the Web will play only using the software that it was formatted for. If you try to play a video and you don't have the proper software, you won't be able to view the video. Sandy walks readers through how to get many of the popular video viewing software.

Exploring Windows Explorer by Jim Sanders, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 1,309 words). Everyone using WinXP uses Windows Explorer all the time. Some use it in what Jim considers the true form. Some, of you use it as My Computer and all of us use it when we are using Internet Explorer, because Windows Explorer is an integral part of Internel Explorer. Jim continues to be surprised at how many people do not know that they can right click on the Start button and go directly to Windows Explorer. This tip and more will make is easy for your readers to start using Windows Explorer in its true form.

Checkmate by Berry T. Phillips, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 554 words). Man-vs-machine has been a theme that has intrigued the public for many years. Berry writes about some the chess machines from the early-1700s through early 2003.

Fix That Fan by Jim Sanders, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 599 words). Cheap (sleeve bearing) fans die young. Bet on it. The cheaper the system, power supply, cooler, etc., the cheaper the fan. When you hear that sleeve bearing fan (or a ball bearing fan, for that matter) rattle, notice a fan is barely turning, or not turning at all, fix it!

Free Online Mapping and Driving Directions by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director (approx. 999 words). Many of us like to use maps when we travel. Maps can be used to display driving directions and points of interest. Fortunately, there are several excellent and free mapping utilities available on the Internet, such as those provided by Microsoft's "Live" service, Google, Yahoo! And AOL's Mapquest.

How I Find My 'Deleted' Emails by Tom Thiel, Lake-Sumter Computer Society www.lscs.us (approx. 826 words). Old emails are one of my most frequent retrievals from my back-up files. How does Tom retrieve an email after he's deleted it from his Inbox or Sent items? This article shows you the way.

Internet Services - E-mail and the Web by Hilton Kaufman, Chicago Computer Society www.ccs.org (approx. 1,109 words). The Internet is a network of networks used to transmit messages. Somehow things arrive at where they are supposed to go. It is the services that go over these networks that make the Internet useful! The two best known services today are e-mail and the World Wide Web.

The Inside Security Recovery Toolkit (INSERT) by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer User Group, New Jersey www.bcug.com (approx. 890 words). Most of us use an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version of Windows supplied by the vendor who built our PC. Although we often receive a Windows CD-ROM, it is not the same as the disk included with the retail version of Windows. Sometimes without a good recent back-up or good recovery software, all of our data can be lost. A particularly powerful recovery tool is INSERT, a version of Linux designed to correct problems in Windows, Linux, and the latest Macintosh PCs. Dick sent me his tutorial on INSERT. It's far too large for a newsletter article, but if you would like a copy for your members, please let me know and I'll send it to you (Judy).

Windows Vista Power Management by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 618 words). Those of us who drive laptops are usually more aware of power management than the desktop jockeys. In Vista, you can optimize settings to conserve energy, go for flat out performance or achieve some kind of sensible balance between the two.

What is PCI Express? by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,560 words). PCIs (Peripheral Component Interconnect) are the slots in the motherboard of your computer used for connecting peripheral devices directly to the computer bus. The original PCI bus was released in 1992. Your knowledge will certainly be expanded re PCIs after you read this article.

REVIEWS

Actiontec MegaPlug by Terry Currier, WINNERS- WINdows usERS, California www. www.windowsusers.org/ (approx. 779 words). Terry likes the idea of networking through power lines especially if you can not run a cable to where you may want to connect, or you get no wireless signal. You might want to try this method after reading Terry's review.

Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In by Neil Longmuir, Winnipeg PCUG, Canada www.wpcusrgrp.org (approx. 703 words). The Fisheye-Hemi Photoshop plug-in from Image Trends corrects distortions present in fisheye lens images. This is a terrific plug-in filter that retains more of the original image resolutioin allowing the end user to display the original composition as seen through the viewfinder when the iamge was taken.

Professor Franklin's Instant Photo Artist 2.0 by Tom Ekvall, Northeast Wisconsin PCUG www.webpages.charter.net/newpcug (approx. 1,043 words). Can someone create a photo art masterpiece from a snapshot within a matter of minutes without going through a lot of training and reading manuals? Yes, if you use this program. Thanks again to Tom for getting us the discount.

The AntiSpyware Revolution Starts Here by Tou Torraca, The TUG, Hawaii www.the-tug.org (approx. 1,807 words). CounterSpy V2 was completely rebuilt with a revolutionary new design -- more powerful and effective than ever. Lou takes us through all the ins and outs of CounterSpy - your members might want to buy a copy when they read the review.

VOIP Made Easy with Skype by Sharon Walbran, Twin Cities PCUG, Minnesota www.tcpc.com (approx. 456 words). VOIP, Voice Over Internet Protocal, using your Internet connection to make phone calls, has become very popular. Skype (rhymes with "type"), is a free VOIP program that offers free computer-to-computer calls anywhere in the world if both computers have Skype installed. For calls from a computer with Skype to standard phones and cell phones in the U.S. and Canada, Skype offers unlimited free calling with an annual charge of $29.95 a year. Other VOIP vendors charge $30+ per month.

Zune - A Player for the Rest of Us by Ash Nallawalla, Melborne PCUG, Australia www.melbpc.org (approx. 1,014 words). Are your readers older than 50? Have they tried to use an MP3 or video player but found their thumbs and fingers were all mixed up? Was the text too hard to read? Then, Zune is for them.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - June 2007 - PUSH Articles Index

Build it yourself - Lewis
Faster Safer Internet - Holzman
File Extensions - Damratowski
Finding Ghosts In Your Computer - Morris
Going 100% Digital - Thiel
Internet Addressing - Kauffman
Not a Thought to Think - La Bash
Review Avery Design Pro - Ugulano
Review The Tornado - Walbran
The New Best Worst April - Borman
The Top 25 Web Hoaxes and Pranks - Bass
The Ultimate Troubleshooter - Wilsker
Thoughts on Upgrading PC Hardware and Software - Maybach
What do you use to frame your digital images - Damratowski

SLO Bytes Newsletter - May 2007 - PUSH Articles Index

Live CDs - Maybach
Secure Your Flash Drive Cap - Damratowski
Renew the Artist in You - Rice
McAfee SiteAdvisor - Berger
Buying an HDTV - Borman
Guilty - Phillips
Memorials and Memories - Sickels
Here at Hard Copy - Sickels
Photoshop Workflow Setups - Donan
Recovering files from a hard drive - La Bash
The New, Best and Worst - Borman
Vista Vexes - Fagerholm
File Extensions - Damratowski
Firewalls - Lewis
Internet Connections - Kaufman

SLO Bytes Newsletter - April 2007 - PUSH Articles Index

Get Organized Now - Berger
Duferdom - Doing the Right Think - Uffer
Diskeeper 2007 Pro Premier - Perry
Countdown to the digital deadline - Sanders
Windows XP Upgrade to Vista - LaBash
VistaVexes - February 2007 - Fagerholm
VistaVexes-March 2007 - Fagerholm
Vista Alternatives II - Lewis
The Garage - Phillips
Scanning Published Photos - Elliott
Real Digital Forensics - DuWaldt
Ottorbox - Lococo
Online Retirement Planning Resources - Wilsker
Moving to an LCD Monitor - Goldstein

SLO Bytes Newsletter - March 2007 - PUSH Articles Index

Acoustica Spin It Again Review - Rakes
Things Thinglets & Thingassos - Lewtschuk
Dufferdom - Uffer
What is an Operating System - Semple
Thinking About Disaster - Maybach
The Big Red X - La Bash
Moving to Vista - Berger
YouTube revolutionizes the Internet - Gonse
The Internet - What is it - Kaufman
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 - Dennis
The Changing World - Vista - Steward
The New, the Best, the Worst - Borman
New Security Products Shown at APCUG - Wilsker
User Group Blogs - Holloway
Pandora - Berger

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2007 - PUSH Articles Index

Shopping for Free and Open Source Software - Wayson
Takes XP to the Next Level - Gerber
Tour the World - Rice
Traveling with Computers - George
XP Disk Maintenance - Maybach
Accessories For New Christmas Computers - Wilsker
Dufferdom - Uffer
How Does Windows Handle USB Drives - Gerber
My Registry Adventures - Gruber
New Years Resolutions - Wilsker
REVIEW - Sandy Berger Books - Goldberg
REVIEW - Your Personal and Online Privacy - Emlein

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - November 2006

Tech News - Sue Crane
The New, the Best, the Worst - Borman
he Part of Backup Nobody Mentions - La Bash
U3 Drives
Are You a Zombie - Lewtschuk
Comodo - Rice
Earth Probe - Phillips
Home Videos into the Computer - Edgell
Microsoft Vista Beta-First Look - Lewis
Surprising New Search Engine - Berger

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Windows XP and Speech Recognition - La Bash
Are You Concerned About Loss of Personal Data? - Barnes
Completely Automated Public Turing Test - Berger

SLO Bytes Newsletter - September 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Shhhhh - Phillips.rtf
Tech Corner - Thomas.rtf
Windows XP and speech recognition - La Bash.rtf
XP or Vista - Drain.rtf
A Lot of Assembly Required - Rhodes.rtf
Are You Concerned About Loss of Personal Data - Barnes.rtf
Basic DVD Recording - Elgines.rtf
CAPTCHA - Berger.rtf
HD Class Action Settlement - Wilsker.rtf
Quality Freeware - Lewis.rtf

SLO Bytes Newsletter - August 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Managing Device Drivers - La Bash
New Best Worst - Borman
Suddenly - Part 2 - Davis
Tweaking Windows' Taskbar - Golderg
What's in a File or Folder - Gonse
Windows Vista - A Preview - Lewis
Choose Your Own Homepage - Wilsker
Do Shield Laws Extend to Bloggers - John Brewer

SLO Bytes Newsletter - July 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Web 2.0 and The Evolution of the Small Office Home Office - Abbott
Accessing Family Accounts - Goldberg
Backup Awareness Month - Wilsker
Computing Q and A Board - Hanst
Essential Processes, How You Can Tell - La Bash
New, Best Worst - Borman
PayPal fraud - Schneider
Pew - Phillips
Suddenly - Part 1 - Davis
Tech News - Crane

SLO Bytes Newsletter - June 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Gerry Says - Gerry Gerstenberg
One-click Access to Programs, Files and Folders - Glenn Richards
Online Librarians Never Say Shhh - Goldberg
Printing Better Pictures - Spotswood
RSS Explained - Shapiro
Swissbit - Wilsker
Tech News - Crane
Traveling with a Video Camcorder - Asling
Web 2.0 and Portable Computing - Abbott
Why Do You Get So Much Spam - La Bash

SLO Bytes Newsletter - May 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Organizing The Favorites Menu - Glenn Richards
Tech News - Crane
The Sentence - Phillips
Upgrading Your Monitor - La Bash
Viewing Space In The Internet Explorer Window - Glenn Richards
XP Housecleaning - Maybach
AMD's Visionary Gamble - Hinwood.
Back to the Future with System Restore - Tucker
Google Earth - Schmitt
New Best and Worst - Borman
New Hard Drives and XP Hard Drive Management Utility - Wilsker

SLO Bytes Newsletter - April 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

Being Online Brings Coincidences and Lasting Trails - Goldberg
Clear Reading With Cleartype - La Bash
Computer Cache - Lewis
Hard Disk Disasters - Maybach
Identity Theft Phishing Scams Abound - Wilsker
New Best Worst - Borman
"The Future of Broadband Access - Hewitt
Why settle - do it your way - Alexander

SLO Bytes Newsletter - Industry PUSH Articles

E-mail-overused, abused & invaluable - Marken
How to Protect your Laptop and your Lap from Heat Build - Laptoworks
Improving PC Performance - Vella
To defrag, or not to defrag - Holzman
What Is Spyware - Chuvakin O'Reilly
Avoiding Security Risks - Lane Symantec
Do a clean sweep of your computer - Saltzman - Microsoft
Do I Have to Overwrite My Hard Drive Multiple Times - White Canyon

SLO Bytes Newsletter - March 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - March 2006
An End to Computer Annoyances - Goldberg
Anti-Spam Programs - Do They Really Work - La Bash
How big is a 300 GB hard disk - Sanders
Is the Internet Insecure Because of You - Gerber
Legal Bytes Fair Use - Brewer
Multi-core Processors - Lewis
New Federal Website - Wilsker
The Mouse from Hell - Moore
The Shadow Knows - Morris

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2006 - PUSH Articles Index

A USB Primer - Lewis
Absence Makes the E-Mail Grow Fonder - Goldberg
Anti-spyware Basic - Gerber
Care and Feeding of CDs
No Mouse Allowed - Cushway
Online Family Health History - WIlsker
Sony BMG-Shame on You - Brewer
Tech News - Crane
What Your Computer Really Does When It - Labash

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2006

No PUSH articles were included in the January 2006 edition of HardCopy.
However, there is an article on Linux and Open Source Software
Open Source Software Opens Up (.rtf version)
Open Source Software Opens Up (.pdf version)

SLO Bytes Newsletter - December 2005 - PUSH Articles Index

Windows Recovery or Restore Disks - Laurie
Browsing WebRings - Communities of Web Sites - Goldberg
Legal Bytes What is CALEA and Will It Affect My Life - Brewer
Locked Out of Your Computer - LaBash
Phising Schemes - Gonse
Speedup Your Computer - Wilsker
Tech News - Crane
Tips For Locating Misplaced Files - Gerber
USB Flash Drives - Lewis
What Comes After You Have Your Pictures - Cummins