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