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Electronically Speaking
The newsletter of the Fredericksburg, VA Personal Computer users Group
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Electronically Speaking
Next Meeting October 8, 2009
Volume 22 Issue 10
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October 2009
Stress-It’s Natural
What is stress and how do we live with it?
Libby Wasem, the Staff Director of the Fredericksburg Counseling Services,
Inc. has agreed to be with us tonight to discuss Stress.
Many of us are retired and we all had many thoughts of how our life would change. Now
we’re there with no bosses to telling us what to do, how to do it or making life miserable.
Retirement seemed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
In most cases that is true, however in todays climate, things we never anticipated
become a thought-provoking area of concern. Recession, inflation, cost of living, foreclosures and probably health matters suddenly take up many of our waking moments. To
say nothng of what suddenly happens when our
computer does not act nice.
This leads to stress. A purely natural phenomenon that is the result of these
things. In most cases a natural coping response may include higher blood pressure, nervousness, unacceptable personal relations and just plain crabbiness. But
sometimes a little help may be necessary.
Tonight Libby, using her extensive background in counseling techniques will show
us techniques that have worked for her clients at FCS.
Libby at work on one of the new
OneTouch computers
This will be great meeting for all of us, even if you’re not retired. Be certain
to bring a friend or acquaintance to hear Libby and her stress relieving
techniques.
You missed it
Yvonne Wernecke
What do you do when the Grandkids come to visit and
one suddenly has a sore throat?
Yvonne had the answer at the meeting on September 10.
She is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at the
MinuteClinic located at the CVS Store on Tidewater Trail
in Fredericksburg.
The MinuteClinic is one of the newer concepts in the retail
health care industry. The concept is the first step in
making basic medical needs more available, in less time
than the traditional Doctor appointment.
Yvonne described the capabilities of the Clinic that included
treating such things as allergy symptoms, earache, pink eye,
sprains, lacerations and burns.
She also reviewed various
services devoted to staying
healthy including screenings for cholesterol levels,
hypertension, college or
school physicals as well
as standard vaccinations.
This was a great presentation that you shouldn’t
have missed.
Yvonne presenting a point.
Electronically Speaking
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Tips and Hints
Reprinted with permission from Smart Computing.
Visit www.SmartComputing.com /Groups to learn
what Smart Computing can do for you and your
user group!”
Gaming Tips For Parents & Grandparents: Aside from checking a game’s
ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rating, there are other ways you
can ensure the video games your youngsters are playing are age-appropriate.
·
·
·
Carefully look at everything on a title’s packaging, including the
game graphics.
Find game reviews, screen shots, or demos to get a better idea of a
game’s content.
If available, use the game’s parental controls to restrict
inappropriate content.
Learn about games by talking to other parents and older children who are
familiar with or have played certain titles.
Participate in your children’s gaming and discuss their games as much
as possible.
Be aware of nonrated ESRB material a game may contain. “Mods” are
program downloads that can alter a game’s content, and online games
often have live player chats as well as other user-generated content.
• Fitness Gaming: If it’s too hot this summer to go work out outside, take
(Continued on Page 3)
Attendance Reward
Attendance Rewards started again in January.
As you can see from the photo, all members names
are listed and each name indicates a tile number.
Each round tile has a number and these numbers are
turned down so that whoever picks a tile it will indicate the person winning a $10.00
check. If that person is not present the name is dropped from the eligibility list and
the next month’s award goes to $20. Roger Schirmer won last month so the award
for this month is $10.00..
If you are interested in what your number is, refer to the signin sheet and the left
column indicates your number.
Special Offer
from
Techs In The
Burg
Dave, The Computer
Guy is offering all
members of FPCUG a
special of 50% off on all
his labor when he is
called to service your
machine. That is $60 /hr. rather
than $120/hr.
This offer is only good when you
bring in your addressed copy of
this newsletter.
20 Free Photos
Richmond
Camera of
Fredericksburg
is offering any
member of FPCUG free professional
printing of twenty 4 x 6 photos if you just
bring in your copy of this newsletter and a
memory card or CD of the photos you want
printed. This offer expires 10/30/09
FPCUG
Meetings in 2009
November 12
December 10
Fredericksburg
PC Users Group
Electronically Speaking is published
monthly for the information and pleasure of
the members of the Fredericksburg PC
Users Group. Any FPCUG member or visitor
is invited to submit articles for the newsletter.
Officers
John Kruelle - President
[email protected]
Jim Jordan 1st Vice-President
[email protected]
Roger Schirmer
2nd Vice President
[email protected]
Ralph Myers- Secretary
[email protected]
Kay Pollock - Treasurer
[email protected]
Board of Directors
George Bell
Cliff Dalseide
Josh Cockey
Trustees
Bill Williams-Agent of Record
Gene Brower
Rick Neil
Newsletter Editor
Jim Jordan
[email protected]
Webmaster
Josh Cockey
[email protected]
In This Issue
Page 2 - Tips & Hints
Page 3 - Speed Demons
Page 4 - OnLine Calendars
Page 5 - Book Review
Page 5 - Computer Contribution
Page 5 - Help Needed
Page 6 - FPCUG Info
Page 7 - What’s Coming
Page 8 - Calendar
Masthead Photos
Brian Smelter of
Flicko’s is still
offering a 10%
discount on his
service for any
FPCUG member
bringing in this addressed newsletter.
1-Gae & Bill Pinschmidt
2-New member-Dave Ellenwood
3-Bruce Baker is pleased that FPCUG
helped Habitat for Humanity
4-An interested crowd
5-John shows packets from Minute
Clinic
6-Roger Schirmer won the Attendance
Award this month
Electronically Speaking
Speed Demons
Written by Bill Roman, Advisor to the Board of Directors, The
PC Users Group of Connecticut
www.tpcug.org
[email protected]
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require
the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
There is an issue that I feel must be addressed, since the
issue continues to come up on a regular basis. As a PC
technician I constantly get asked why the clients’ computer
has become so slow, and if there is anything wrong with it.
The first thing I tell the client is that there are two main
culprits that contribute to a PC becoming very sluggish. The
first being lack of RAM memory. This answer usually elicits a
quick response from the user that they “only do e-mail,
Internet and word processing” or some similar response. I
then go into a discussion with the user that there are two
kinds of memory in a computer: hard drive storage, which
holds all their music, pictures, documents, etc. and RAM, or
working memory. A user could have plenty of hard drive
space to store all of their documents and stuff, but when
they don’t have enough RAM, the computer will, over time,
become slower and slower.
Why you ask? When the computer was originally purchased
(usually somewhere between 2 and 5 years ago) Windows
XP, in this case, required about 512MB of RAM to run
properly. As Windows critical security updates and service
packs are installed, as well as upgrades and updates to all
sorts of programs used on a daily basis (antivirus, Internet
Explorer, AOL, Adobe Reader and Flash Player, printer
updates, etc), the programs NEVER get smaller, always
bigger.
Now, several years later and the programs being used are
double or triple in size, but the computer is the same one
with the same specs as when it was purchased. Adding
Tips and Hints
advantage of your video-game console’s capabilities. Some
consoles offer games that monitor your daily activity, lead you
in healthy workouts, or teach you how to cook healthy meals.
This way, gaming is fun AND healthy.
• Connect Your Game Console With HDMI: Some videogame consoles are Full HD devices, meaning they can benefit
from HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) the same
way HDTVs and BD (Blu-ray Disc) players do. Much like
movies on DVD and BD, most current video games support
multichannel surround sound and HD resolutions, up to
1080p, and HDMI is the only cable around that can transport
both
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more RAM memory is a quick, cheap way to improve performance to an aging computer, and extend life before a replacement is in order. Windows XP should have at least 1024 MB
(1GB) of RAM to run properly, and Windows Vista (32bit) needs
3GB of RAM. More is not better in the case of Vista for technical reasons I will not go into in this article.
This is only half the battle. The other half is to beat down what I
will call the “moochers”. Years ago when I would inspect a
computer for sluggish performance, it was usually because of a
rogue game that was installed. Back then quite a few games
adopted the theory that the only reason you owned your $3000
or $4000 computer (yes, it was that much back then, even
more depending on how far back you go) was to play some
ridiculous $49 game. The game would change many settings
that allowed the game to work properly, but made it miserable
to perform simple tasks like type a letter.
Now, in 2009 every program under the sun assumes that they
are the main focus, and must be given priority at all times.
What does this mean to you, the end user? Each time when an
upgraded revision of Adobe Reader comes out it always wants
to include the new “MSN Toolbar” or “Yahoo Toolbar” etc. This
adds unnecessary junk to your browser, which slows down
getting online. In addition, many of these programs load an
additional program when Windows starts to speed it up when
starting it. This is just lousy practice that is a very poor substitute for tight efficient programming. If the program was small
and lean there would be no need for “speed loaders,” which
make your computer take an exorbitant amount of time for
Windows to start.
Not to pick on, but a classic example of this is how much
Apple’s iTunes has grown through the years. iTunes 6 which
was released in January 2006 was about 35MB in size. iTunes
7.5 was 52MB and iTunes 8.1 (the current release) is now up to
70MB. The program is twice as large only three years later,
and loads a number of programs when Windows starts to aid
loading this memory hog.
What to do about this? In short be mindful when installing
updated programs to unselect add on toolbars and, if available,
to kick them out of starting up when Windows loads. I have
discussed at our local computer club meetings to do your best
to keep running processes to a minimum. By clicking control,
alt, delete once (with no programs active) will bring up the task
manager and show how many processes are running. A good
number for Windows XP is less than 35, and for Vista it’s about
45.
Startup Cop and the free CCleaner utilities have the ability to
disable or remove programs from starting, but I would check
online in a Google search before disabling anything unless
certain. I do hope this article sheds some light on the subject
of pokey computers. Remember, it’s not so much the hardware as it is software that kills a computer! Until next time!
Electronically Speaking
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Plugged In August 2009 •
Online Calendars
Eliminate Clutter & Keep Everyone
Current
With dance practice, book club, piano lessons, dentist
appointments, and all of the other activities your family is
involved in, keeping track of your personal schedule is just as
hard as remembering whose turn it is to drive the soccer
practice carpool. Your family
may have a traditional paper
calendar that’s kept in the
kitchen, but keeping it current
is hard work because times
and dates seem to change
as quickly as you can say
the word “recital.” Not only is
it difficult to remember to
add events, but not everything can fit in the small square
boxes the paper calendar has to offer, either.
If you’re looking for a flexible and convenient way to keep your
family on the same page, virtual calendars may be the answer.
This type of calendar is accessible from any Internet connection so you can change it from work and your kids can access
it from school, which helps keep everyone up-to-date and
reduces the chances that someone will miss an event.
Additionally, signing up for an online calendar account is
almost always free, so your family budget won’t be affected.
Ditch The Kitchen Calendar
Windows Live Calendar can be integrated with other Windows Live services, such as your contacts list and your email.
Windows Live Calendar can be integrated with other
Windows Live services,
such as your contacts
list and your email.
Online calendars offer
many more features than
your typical paper
calendar. Rather than crossing out, erasing, and scribbling on
your paper calendar as your schedule changes, you can add
events by simply double-clicking the appropriate date or
selecting the Add Event link. Removing an event is as easy as
double-clicking the event and selecting the corresponding
Delete Event link. Additionally, you can add the time and the
duration of the event. Once you give the event a title, you can
describe it with as many details as needed. Because many
paper calendars have limited space to add details to events,
this can be especially helpful when coordinating group events
and explaining any special details your family needs to know
about.
Generally, you will also have separate inputs for information,
such as the location, attendees, and whether this is a
recurring event. Recurring events, such as choir practice at 7
p.m. every Wednesday, can usually be set up by simply
selecting a checkbox. If you need to edit one event or the
whole series, you will have the option to do both.
Many online calendars also let you set up reminders for your
events. So if you’re afraid you or others might forget an event,
you can send a reminder, which will come in the form of an
email, text message, or a different delivery method. Some
online calendars also offer features such as tasks and to-do
lists. These lists are sometimes associated with events, or
they are available to use in a more general sense. If your
whole family has access to these lists, it’s easier to communicate simple things, such as the weekly chores lists, than if
you try and squeeze them into the margins of your paper
calendar.
To help accommodate the separate schedules of each family
member, some online calendar applications let each member
of the family keep his or her own calendar and then simply
have a list of shared events everyone can access. Each of
your children can separately keep track of when homework is
due and share it with you or a classmate, while keeping it
apart from siblings in order to avoid clutter and confusion.
Online Calendar Quest
The Web has several online calendars to offer. Google,
Yahoo!, and Windows Live, for instance, have similar online
calendars with all the aforementioned features. Each online
calendar, however, has a different user interface. If you have
an email account through one of these services, it’s likely
you can integrate your email and your calendar, and the user
interface will likely be more recognizable and comfortable for
you to use.
There are subtle differences among Google Calendar
(www.google.com/calendar), Yahoo! Calendar
(calendar.yahoo.com), and Windows Live Calendar
(calendar.live.com). You will find that each handles tasks,
event details, and reminders slightly different than the other,
and the sharing capabilities will var
30 Boxes (30boxes.com) is an online calendar that differs
slightly from the Google, Yahoo!, and Windows Live calenEach online calendar
has a different way of
letting you add
information to appointments or events.
dars. After signing up for a free account, you can share your
calendar with social networking friends or other contacts,
which are referred to as “buddies.” 30 Boxes lets you integrate your calendar with applications such as Twitter
(twitter.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com), and more. You
(Please see Calendar on Page 7)
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Electronically Speaking
How to Be a Geek Goddess
Reviewed by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS
[email protected]
I am an old hat when it comes to technology. I was a computer
programmer back in the seventies before computers came into
the home, and I’ve kept my
hand in the technology arena
all these years with my own
computer consulting business
and my technical writing
career. Yet I’ve never considered myself a “Geek Goddess”.
As a matter of fact I have often
been a little aggravated to hear
Kim Komando refer to herself
as “The Digital Goddess” —
like she is something really
special.
But Christina Tynan-Wood in
her book, How to Be a Geek
Goddess, isn’t advocating that
a Geek goddess is someone above everyone 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”.
Oh yes, and Christina understands the differences between how
men and women look at, and deal with, technology. She starts
the book off with the sentence, “My husband is a pompous
ass.” Many of us have noticed how men seem to pound their
chests and promote themselves as the technology heroes of the
day. Women, on the other hand, just want to use and enjoy
technology.
Christina’s book is filled with good information about technology
with everything from how to choose a computer sales person to
hooking up with others online. There are tips on everything from
controlling your email to trouble-shooting a wireless connection.
Chapters include: Getting in Touch with Your Software Side,
Where the Stores Never Close, The Wireless Home, Keeping It
Safe, Geek Parenting, Groovy Gear and Gadgets, and Your 200
Closest Friends.
The information in this 315 page book is all accurate and
informative. Yet, this is not a reference book. It is rather like a
free-flowing novel with technical information. If you want a book
where you can look up how to do things, you will have to look
elsewhere. This is a book for women who want to absorb some
pointers here and there while reading about all the things you
can do with your computer. If you are already very familiar with
computers, you can skip this book. But again, if you want to
immerse yourself in technology and pick up some knowledge
and useful tidbits on the way, you will love this book. And you
may even become a Geek Goddess yourself!
Occasionally a member
discovers a need in a
non-profit agency that
can be helped by
FPCUG.
This was the case when
Bruce Baker found out
that Habitat for Humanity
computers were burning
out motherboards and
battery backups were
needed. He passed this
information to the BOD
and John Kruelle made
the initial contact.
Bruce Segar, Executve Director of
Habitat for Humanity is happy
with the projector and the UPS
Battery Back-ups furnished by
FPCUG
Because of the Labor
Day holiday nothing could be done until September 8 and
then Jim Jordan went out to visit Habitat and determined that
4 UPS back-ups were needed and a projector that was used
for outreach efforts was intermittent and could no longed be
used. Jim prepared a need list and approximate prices for
the equipment and presented it to the BOD on September 8.
The BOD had its regular meeting that night and approved the
purchase of 4 back-ups and since we had a projector that
was no longer needed they decided to give it Habitat.
Jim went out and purchased the back-ups on September 9
and delivered them along with the projector to Bruce Segar
Executive Director of Habitat that day.
This was one time when a request was made at the right
time, everyone agreed as to what was needed for this well
known non-profit agency and we acted quickly.
Help Needed
Kilroy Robotics, the Commonwealth Governor’s School’s
FIRST Robotics Competition program supported by FPCUG,
is looking for people interested in helping out middle school
FIRST LEGO League teams. If you enjoy working with
young teenagers and have an interest in programming (they
use a graphical language called NXT-G), mechanics (they
build robots with LEGO MindStorms kits) or research, we
could use your help. This is an after school program that
generally meet two or three times a week for a couple of
hours after school lets out at 2:50 pm. To get in touch with
a team in need, or for more information, contact Dave
Shotwell at [email protected] or Colonial Forge High
School (540-658-6115, ext 125).
Electronically Speaking
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Check the Webpage
Sometime when you’re not too busy take a look at Favorite
Websites. These are websites that are recommended by
members of FPCUG. All you have to do is click on Favorite
Websites on the left side of our webpage and then you are
free to pick a interesting site.
Josh keeps this page current so it always pays to look!
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) meet at 7:00 PM at the Falmouth Fire House on Butler Road. SIGs are lead by members who have learned
through hands-on experience. All SIG leaders serve on a voluntary basis and, frequently, are participants in other SIGs lead by other members. So,
whether you want to lead or learn, we welcome you as a participant in FPCUG SIGs. FPCUG members and their family can join in as many SIGs as
they like at no cost.
Scheduled SIG Meetings
SIG marked with an * will be available only if requested. Email the SIG Leader if interested.
SIG
Beginner*
Digital/Camera
Graphics/Software
All About Your Computer
Internet
Technology
Windows 9x/XP/Vista
Mac
SIG Leader
Jim Jordan
Ed Alexander
Meets
Email Address
3rd Tuesday- when requested
3rd Tuesday
[email protected]
[email protected]
Anne McGrath
3rd Thursday
[email protected]
Kay Pollock
4th Tuesday
aboutcomputer [email protected]
Ray Pollock
Josh Cockey
1st Thursday
1st Tuesday
James Hopkins
Josh Cockey
[email protected]
[email protected]
4th Thursday
[email protected]
4th Thursday
[email protected]
About what?
New to computers-this is for you
Make your camera work better
Photo Editing & Image creation
All about your computer
Where and what on the internet
Exploring what’s available
Learn about operating systems
MacIntosh knowledge
Please note! All SIG Leaders may be contacted at: “Name of SIG”[email protected].
Substitute the actual name of the SIG and remove the quotes.
Where
we’re
located.
What is FPCUG All About?
250 Butler
Road
Benefits of Membership in FPCUG
Interesting monthly meetings
Attendance at Special Interest Groups for members
Subscription to newsletter Electronically Speaking
Holiday Party for family
Answers to computer problems
Support for charitable organizations
To communicate with us:
Voice Mail Phone FPCUG at 540 373-7929
USPS Mail at :
FPCUG
P.O. Box 276
Fredericksburg, VA 22404
Next General Meeting
November 12, 2009 7:00 PM
Come On Out!
Page 7
Electronically Speaking
Membership Application
New
Renewal
Name _________________________________________ Phone_______________
Address_______________________________________
____________________, _____, ___________________________
City
State
Zip +4
Email Address____________________________________________
What Special Interest Groups (SIGs) interest you:
Beginner
Technology
Graphics/Software
Windows XP,Vista
All About Your Computer
MAC
Other _________________
Internet
Digital /Camera
What type of speaker would you like to hear at a General Meeting? __________________________
Can you sugest anyone in this field?_______________________________
Dues for 2009 Fiscal Year are $25.00. In accordance with the motion passed at the March Annual Meeting, all
persons who wish to be a member and receive the membership benefits are required to pay the membership fee.
Please mail a check for $25.00 and this notice to:
FPCUG
P.O. Box 276
What’s Coming
Calendar
Fredericksburg, VA 22404
November 12- Friends of Stafford Creek, Patricia Kurpiel
December 10 - Holiday Party
January 14, 2010 - Rapphannock Area Agency on Aging
February 11-Robotics
March 11-Annual Meeting
(Continued from Page 4)
can send messages to your buddies via 30 Boxes, as well as add
tasks to your to-do list. Avatars can also be added to your 30 Boxes
calendar.
CalendarFly (www.calendarfly.com) is an online calendar that is
designed especially for families, clubs, schools, and other groups. In
addition to being able to keep a personal calendar, you can share
events with your friends and family contacts. Events can be categorized by a task, homework assignment, practice, holiday, or an
event. You can build your own to-do list to help you stay on top of
tasks. CalendarFly lets you upload files, which is handy when you
need to distribute a document for an upcoming meeting or group
project.
Synchronized Scheduling
If you use another email client at home or at work, such as Microsoft
Outlook, try to find an online calendar that can synchronize with
other common calendar applications. This will help you keep both
your work and personal schedules in tune with each other, and it can
help you avoid double-booking yourself.
Additionally, some family-friendly social networking sites, such as
Multiply (www.multiply.com) and Famundo (www.famundo.com), offer
calendars that you and your family can use and share with each
other. When organizations you are involved in, such as a church
group or a special interest club, use a social networking group
calendar or a group-oriented calendar, you can integrate schedules.
This helps you remember to include the meeting
times and dates on your calendar, and it can help
jog your memory when you can’t remember whose
house you are supposed to meet at that night.
by Tessa Warner Breneman
Get Moving
Even the most sophisticated online calendar won’t
help you if you forget to enter appointments and
events into it. Luckily, some online calendars will
synchronize with your smartphone so you can enter
the appointment or event on the go.
For example, Google Calendar can be synchronized
with both the BlackBerry calendar application and
the Android calendar application. You can also
download mobile gadgets for other mobile operating
systems, such as the iPhone OS. Windows Mobile
phones can be synchronized with Windows Live
Calendar. When Windows Mobile 6.5 hits the market
(which should happen later this year), Windows Live
services, such as the calendar and email, will be
even more integrated into Windows-powered phones.
Yahoo! Mobile services (mobile.yahoo.com), such as
email and calendar applications, can also be accessed from your mobile phone so you can stay on
top of your schedule.
Electronically Speaking
Page 8Your key to computer happiness
FPCUG
The Newsletter of the Fredericksburg, VA
Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
2504 Ruffin Drive
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
TO:
Page 8
Electronically Speaking
October 2009
SUN
MON
TUESDAY
WED
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
1
Internet
4
5
11
12
18
19
Directors Meeting-Firehall 7:00 PM 6
Members welcome to observe
Digital/Camera
26
All About Your Computer
8
General Meeting
13
14
20
21
27
28
Beginners*
25
7
Graphics/Software
Windows 9x -ME-XP-Vista
MAC
UUFF Team 1
UUFF Team 2
15
FPCUG Team 1
22
29
UUFF Team 3
UUFF Team 4
SAT
2
3
9
10
16
17
23
24
30
31
Deadline for submission for the next month Electronically Speaking
* Available upon request
November 2009
SUN
MON
1
2
8
9
15
16
TUESDAY
Be Sure to Vote
WED
3
Internet
5
11
General Meeting
12
17
18
Graphics/Software
19
24
25
Thanksgiving
26
Beginners*
22
29
23
30
All About Your Computer
FRIDAY
4
Directors Meeting-Firehall 7:00 PM 10
Members welcome to observe
Digital/Camera
THURSDAY
SAT
6
7
13
14
20
21
27
28
FPCUG Team 2
UUFF Team 1
UUFF Team 2
FPCUG Team 1