PUSH Articles - February 2019

32-bits, 64-bits - How many do I need? by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1004 words). Over the past few years, personal computers have been moving rom 32-bit CPUs to 64-bit CPUs. So it's not a matter of how many you need, it's a matter of what is on the market.

Cell Phone Photography by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1758 words) Most cell-phone camera photos have little lasting value, making their quality unimportant. However, these cameras are rapidly improving, and more people are using them on vacations and at important events. It now becomes important to take the care to make their pictures worth showing, meaning you must now better understand your camera and its software. The quality of your photos depends more on your photographic skills than on your camera.

Computer Flu Season on Windows by Jim Cerny (Approx. 676 words). Did you get your flu shot this year? It's always good to protect your health from those nasty germs and viruses - and the same is true with your Windows computer. In this short overview, Jim covers some essential basics of computer protection.

Cut the Cord ??? by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1091 words). TV is definitely one of our favorite sources of entertainment. The "cord" (or cable) is our connection to a provider; it also connects us to the Internet and possibly even provides phone service. Much of what used to be available only as cable TV channels may now be available using the internet or by receiving local broadcast stations.

Don't ever share your password or pin # by Jerry Heaton (Approx. 1058 words). The importance of protecting your personal information has been stressed time and again yet we still hear of occasions where someone has fallen for a scam which has cost them money, time and much aggravation.

End is Near for Windows 7 - What about Linux? by Cal Esneault (Approx.346) words. Traditionally, Microsoft Corp. released a new Windows operating system version every 3 years and supported each version for 10 years. The very popular Windows 7 release will reach the end of extended support on January 14, 2020 (next year!). Many casual users today have discovered that smartphones and tablets meet their browsing and communication needs. To continue to use a less capable PC for special needs, now may be a good time to consider switching to a Linux system available at no cost.

FileMenu Review by Tiny Ruisch (Approx. 545 words). Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them. Mr. Spock in the "Ultimate Computer" Mr. Spock was right. Computers can be really efficient if you have the proper programs to do the job. Tony tells you about a really efficient utility program that I've been using for more than ten years.

Freshly Squeezed Reviews: With An Ever So Light Bias by Frank Petrie (Approx. 802 words). Instead of looking at the sky, friends, or trees, we now spend an inordinate amount of time staring at screens: smartphones, computers, or HDTVs. As has been known for a while now, this can affect you biologically in a couple of ways. First, the glare of a screen is harsh on your eyes and can lead to eye strain, causing some damage. Another known problem is that we know that the color of light projected by our screens is about the same color temperature as daylight. Staring at a screen at night tricks your mind into believing it is daytime.


Happy New Tech Year by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1376 words). Another New Year is upon us. As we start 2019, I wonder what new technology we will see this year, and how it will affect our lives.

Help is Only a Few Clicks Away in Word, Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 433 words). MS Word has hundreds of tools to help us create professional-looking documents, With new tools being added all the time. Learning how to use these tools can be frustrating. Fortunately, Word has added ways to find help without leaving the application.

How to stay on course when scrolling up and down a web page by John Krout (Approx. 669 words). At a recent PATACS meeting, a question was raised about scrolling up and down a web page: why does the browser sometimes suddenly revert to the top of the page?
Interesting sites to visit on the Internet by Nancy Preffitt (Approx. 382 words). Spam blocker that works? Keep up with what's happening. What exactly happens when I turn on my computer?

Interesting Finds for December by Steve Costello (Approx. 551 words).

Interesting Finds for January by Steve Costello (Approx. 316 words).

Let's talk about cookies by Joe Issac (Approx. 347 words). No, not chocolate chip cookies - Joe is talking about browser cookies. They are good, they make life easier and don't take up much space…..

My Favorite Android Apps by Mary Phillips (Approx. 383 words). Because the ICON membership includes folks who have both iPhone/iPad tablets AND Android phones and Microsoft PDs, we tray to include diverse articles to help everyone learn something.

Printer Problems by David Kretchmar (Approx. 904 words). Printers are the most problematic piece of computer equipment, next to the computers themselves. Just like computers, you can't live with them and you can't live without them.

SD Card Readers by George Cadmus (Approx. 504 words). Memory card readers, Flash memory cards single and multiple card readers and more.

Security Tips - November by David Shulman (Approx. 504 words). Experian hacks and more, how about your car key fob.

Six Little Word Problems and their Solutions by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 614 words). We've all had the problems in Nancy's article, did we come up with the solution?

Stellarium: A free-to-get-and-use Home Planetarium by Dick Maybach (Approx.862 words). This free software for Windows, Linux, and OS X (http://stellarium.org/) turns your PC or Raspberry Pi into a planetarium to display the stars in the sky, the constellations, and individual and groups of stellar objects. There is a Web-based version you can access with a browser (at http://stellarium-web.org/), and variants are available for cell phones (usually for a small cost).

Taming E-mail by Dick Maybach (Approx.886 words). Like many others, I rely on e-mail as my primary means of communication, and almost every day I deal with messages that are important to me. The problem of course is to sort them out from the deluge of those that are not. My e-mail vendor does a good job of removing most spam, but still much of what I do see is unimportant. This article discusses strategies to make the important messages more accessible than those that are less so. The implementation details will depend on how you access your mail, in particular whether through a Website of with a client program on your PC.

The Year of Living Dangerously by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1719 words). Google's Android is now the most-used operating system in the world, holding 40% of market share. This is due to its popularity with smart phone users. Surprisingly, MS Windows (all versions) still holds nearly 36.5%, in spike of being relegated almost completely to the personal computer market.

Tips for Getting New Apps by Jim Cerny (Approx. 717 words). Are you still playing around with your new iPhone or iPad and thinking you would like to explore and download some new apps to enjoy? Well, don't be she about doing it, it is easy and fun.

The Windows 2019 Windows 10 Update by Rosita Herrick (Approx. 466 words). By now, some of you have already updated to the current version of Windows 10 and, if not, you should soon receive the update on your computer. Once your PC is updated, the Windows version will show as Version 1809 (OS Build 17763.134).

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).