SLO Bytes Newsletter - December 2009 - PUSH Article Descriptions

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.

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.

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).