PCC Main Meeting Programs

May 2, 2008

David B. Whittle, author of "Cyberspace: The Human Dimension." introduced us to hidden gems that are not yet household words, but will be because they solve real problems for real people and help make life a little bit or a lot better. These hidden gems include muvee™ autoProducer 6 (www.muvee.com) and the Invisus Family of PC Services (www.myinvisusdirect.com/usergroups).

Karen Lodrick told us the story of her identity theft and her mission to fight identity theft. The full story and more information about how to deal with identity theft can be found at Lodrick's List, www. fightingbacknow.com

April 4, 2008

Bill George presented genealogy research and the activities of the Genealogy SIG. He reviewed the kinds of tools currently available, the reasons people might be interested in genealogy, and the kinds of products one might create as a result.

Some of Bill's favorites are: Ancestry.com, RootsWeb; FamilySearch.org; the Mormon Family History Center, in Oakland; and the Alameda County Library site. He has an electronic handout at http://www.billgeorge.com/handout.pdf that lists many of the resources available.

Pat O'Sullivan pointed out that the California Genealogical Society meets the on 1st Saturday of the month at 20th and Broadway in Oakland, from 10 to 4. There is no charge.

March 7, 2008

Andy Marken noted that Circuit City is offering really inexpensive HD players. These will enhance the play quality of your DVDs.

Andy then proceeded to show us a variety of fun things. CrazyTalk 5 is a program that allows the user to animate any picture and add voice files. This option is particularly attractive to animal owners, who are reported to enjoy making Fido and Fluffy say silly things. You can use it with any video source, not just a computer.

VideoSpin is a "lite" version of Pinnacle Studio 11 video editor. The cost is: free. The only limitations are that you can't burn to DVD or mp3, because of the cost of those codecs. It provides an easy, fast, supported introduction to video editing. Find it at www.videospin.com. Andy brought 10 free copies for distribution to attendees.

Storage and storage media: the amount of content increased by a factor of 6 last year. People are likely to download a second copy of a file rather than take the time for search for it on their system. Data files can be replaced, though it may be a pain. Photos can't be replaced. Storage is now very inexpensive and security is also inexpensive and easily available.

Nine months ago Verbatim bought SmartDisk, adding a variety of inexpensive storage formats to their repertoire.

Andy thinks Toshiba did well by giving up the HD battle and refocusing on what they do well: storage media. He thinks it will take 5 to 7 years to get Blue-ray media below a dollar.

February 1, 2008

Bruce Hevelin presented some features of Microsoft Publisher 2007, a basic, simple desktop publishing application. It does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive applications. Neither does it have the learning challenges. A lively discussion of desktop publishing programs followed.

Bayle Emlein demonstrated the Neo portable word processor–under 2 pounds, 300 hours on a set of AA batteries–the Intellikeys adaptive keyboard and the Big Keys large-key keyboard.

Jan Fagerholm showed off a One Laptop Per Child computer, waving it around at various angles with one hand and then the other. It automatically saves all actions and files. Jan showed various multimedia capabilities, such as video. Other kid-friendly freatures include durability, versatility, multimedia and drawing. Jan noted that the leader of the OLPC movement, Nicholas Negroponte, sees this as an education initiative, not a technology initiative.

January 4, 2008

Bud Gallagher presented Windows Home Server (WHS), which he has been running for several months now. It is based on Windows 2003 Server, and includes server software aimed at the home user with several computers. You can buy WHS prebuilt from HP or others, or install it on your present hardware. The MSRP is about $160. Windows Home Server comes preconfigured for document and media sharing with prebuilt shares.

Hardware expansion features include automatic addition to the storage pool of any hard drive added to the server, and the storage pool features no drive letters. WHS only backs up duplicate files once for every computer across the network, including applications Microsoft Office is automatically backed up when it is detected on a client computer. WHS supports 10 user accounts. Many network shares are automatically configured.

WHS supports add-ins as a way of expanding its capabilities. Bud connected to his home server from his laptop over the Internet. He showed some shared pictures as available to those who are given the URL, then logged on to the server to show more: a tabbed interface to Home, Computers, and Shared Folders. You can log on to client computers through Windows Remote Access and work through the client’s desktop.

Add-ins for WHS and more are available at http://www.wegotserved.com.

December 7, 2007

Bayle Emlein demonstrated FlipVideo camcorder from Pure Digital.

Jan Fagerholm talked about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). The laptop runs on a Linux-based platform. It was conceived by Nicholas Negroponte and the MIT Tech Lab. AMD and Google are significant sponsors. Project development is ongoing. Negroponte has stated clearly that this is an education project, not a ‘laptop project,’ and that the computer is designed as a learning tool for kids, not to train IT professionals. When looking on the Internet for OPLC information be careful that you get to the right site - and not one that is abusing the name. Wikki.laptop.org has a lot of good information.

November 2, 2007

Bruce Hevelin introduced Gene Barlow and his wife Linda. Gene announced that this is probably his farewell visit. He is getting tired of traveling, but he will stay in touch via the internet and e-mail.
Gene’s company, User Group Relations, represents companies that offer discounts to user group members. Gene and Linda handed out a sheet of current offers and also a sign-up sheet for the e-mail list.

Gene’s topic tonight was Top 10 Ways to Protect Your PC. The Barlows distributed a handout summarizing his points and describing products that will make it easier to perform each operation.

October 5, 2007

Nancy Blachman, the creator of the Google Guide, demonstrated many tips to make Google more useful. She distributed a ‘Cheat Sheet’ of search tips. Members who participated in the presentation by asking questions or making suggestions for search topics received a Google Search mug.

The following literature is provided through her website:
Google Guide Cheat Sheet (2 pgs.)  www.googleguide.com/print/adv_op_ref.pdf
Games Where Do they Come From - http://www.googleguide.com/practice_searching_games/
http://www.googleguide.com/cheatsheet_games.html
Power Googling (nearly 20 pages) www.googleguide.com/print/power.pdf

September 7, 2007

Laura Hurd and Perla Mazzin presented a video messaging application called ConnectNote. After a demonstration, they walked Paul Rogers through setting up an account and leading the group sending a singing Happy Birthday greetings to Dan Peterson.

Chuck Horner offered some PowerPoint user tips.

• Save files in the Year-Month-Day format so that they will sort chronologically.
• Place an underscore or hyphen as an initial character causes frequently used files to sort to the top of an alphabetical list.
• Test any presentation on the projector, hardware and software that you’re going to use and always run through the whole thing.
• Using nothing smaller than 44 point font and adding Shadow effects to make the text more readable.
• To copy text from the Internet or a word processing file, copy the text to Notepad to strip out all the code before editing and formating in PowerPoint or your word processor.

August 3, 2007

Andy Marken demonstrated Pinnacle System’s PCTV HDTV. Through a USB connection it allows you to watch TV on your computer wherever you are; it can record also and includes programmable recording for time-shifted viewing. Bud Gallagher pointed out that the antenna signal can be enhanced by setting it on something metallic (because the antenna itself is magnetic).

July 6, 2007

Bayle Emlein presented TechSmith’s SnagIt. In addition to traditional full-screen captures, one can select small regions of the screen, (even multiple noncontiguous regions) and videos files, including YouTube. The Select Graphics on a Web page option is helpful when searching for pictures to go with a review. Capturing an entire scrolling Web page with a single click has obvious advantages. Sections of a capture can be outlined and the rest of the document blurred or faded; this is helpful in calling attention to items as well as in preserving confidentiality of irrelevant sections of the file. Everyone received a SnagIt/Camtasia demo disk and was encouraged to contact TechSmith with questions and suggestions.

Jan Fagerholm mentioned that Vista needs at least 2 GB of RAM. He went on to talk about Windows Defender and Live OneCare. WinXP users can download Defender for free; it comes with Vista. Once you install OneCare, it’s on your machine until you reformat. The functions of Defender and OneCare are similar to those of other anti-malware suites. The advantage is that they are integrated with Windows and in Vista perform many tasks automatically. Other options include AVG free antivirus, which can be found at http://free.grisoft.com. Another free antivirus program can be found at http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html. PerfectDisk from Raxco performs an outstanding job of defragging. Macs have many fewer problems, owing in part to their lower market penetration and in part to their architecture.

June 1, 2007

Vijay Pullur, co-founder and chief software architect for Pramati Technologies started off his presentation with pizza and soft drinks for the entire group. His generous contribution was greatly appreciated by all present.

As those present finished their refreshments, Vijay presented Dekoh (rhymes with gekko), which enhances the desktop experience. Dekoh allows you to organize your digital assets on your own computer and share as much or as little as you want. ‘Storage’ is limited by your total memory, not by rules imposed by an online service. Applications in the suite are Dekoh Photos, Dekoh Music, Dekoh Calendar, Dekoh Books, and WordPress. Dekoh Photos has slideshow features for moving through an album, as well as a number of other photo management tools. Dekoh Books allows the user to catalog his library and share that information. Dekoh Calendar synchronizes with Google calendar. WordPress blogging software enables you to blog privately to your own personal network of friends/contacts.

May 4, 2007

Greg Marek, of GuardID Systems,presented ID Vault, a smart-card based USB token, that allows consumers to store their passwords safely and bank online securely. GuardID Systems monitors more than 7,000 financial sites to ensure that customers are not signing into a fake site designed to steal their identity and money. ID Vault signs customers into their favorite sites automatically to protect against spyware and keystroke-loggers. Passwords are encrypted on a smart card chip inside a tamper-proof USB device and only ID Vault provides hardware protection in an easy-to-use USB device.

April 6, 2007

This month, David Perry showed us what Trend Micro products offer. Trend Micro has been in the business since the early days of PCs and provides up-to-theminute protection against malware of all kinds. They offer a complete line of products that reach from the single user up through enterprise solutions. Trend Micro is the maker of the popular PC-cillin product, which has been expanded into the Internet Security Suite in order to provide complete PC protection from viruses, spyware, and malware of all types and is now Windows Vista certified.

March 2, 2007

Andy Marken brought us three products from NTI (Newtech Infosystems, Inc.). Ninja allows the user to repartition a disc and to readjust the size of the secure area. It quickly formats your drive, using the same level of encryption as the government. NTI Shadow is a continuous backup utility. It works silently in the background, using minimal resources and not interfering with system operation. It allows multiple generations of backup, in case of file corruption of more recent backups. Ripper offers an alternative to iTunes and Media Player for ripping music, video--whatever.

February 2, 2007

Jay Elliot from Migo presented information about Migo, software that runs on a flash drive. Migo allows the user to transport his data files and display his desktop on any computer without compromising the security of his data or the security of the host computer: As memory sizes grow and Migo can be loaded into a cell phone, portable computers will become irrelevant. During the coming year, there will be a Migo upgrade that allows the user to carry applications in addition to data. :

January 5, 2007

In lieu of a presentation, Chuck acted on a suggestion from Elsie Smith. Members were asked to pair-up with someone they didn't know and exchange information about personal interests, computer skills, etc. Then we resumed as a group and shared the information with the group.

December 1, 2006

Dave Kleinberg from Opelin presented Titanize. He demonstrated several ways in which Titanize is a superior product for maintaining online back ups of your data. Among the features are the restoration of deleted files and the fact that the license covers multiple computers. Users have browser access to their files through a browser. https://www.titanize.com/

November 3, 2006

Gene Barlow discussed various topics relates to preparing for Windows Vista. He reviewed physical and organizational hard drive structure and file systems since DOS. He demonstrated the ease of creating a separate data partition with Acronis Disk Director. Gene also discussed some of the features of Vista.

Gene suggested setting up a separate partition to do a clean install of Vista in a dual-boot system when upgrading an XP computer. http://www.usergroupstore.com/

October 6, 2006

Larry Magid discussed a variety of new and interesting developments in technology. He has a new book called MySpace Unraveled. Larry said that he looks for products that solve more problems than they cause. By using Internet resources, relatively low-power equipment can perform very demanding tasks. Larry brought up the fact that upgrading software and learning a new version can be more challenging than starting out as a new user. He discussed current news about misuse of the Internet, pointing out that a small cross section of the population will cause harm. While technology is blamed, it is human nature and the human use of the technology that causes these kinds of problems. Technology is no longer just for geeks. That means that it has to be truly functional. On the other hand, we have become overly dependent on it and many people forgo other activities, such as exercise and face-to-face communication.

Larry Magid, http://www.pcanswer.com

September 1, 2006

Bud Gallagher showed several videos from the Window XP Command Line Course Series by Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP. Bud added commentary and explanations to clarify the demonstrations of working with different functions of the command line. After the break, Jan Fagerholm showed the 3D multiple desktop interface from Suse Linux release 10.1. All new video cards are 3D capable, and that is where acceleration–developed for the gaming environment–is. Jan demonstrated several features, such as multiple desktops, that foreshadow our future.

August 4, 2006

Blake Ross talked about new features in Firefox 2, including phishing protection, dynamic suggestions to improve your searching. Firefox 2 has a ReOpen tab, useful for a quick rescue when you accidentally close the browser. Tabbed browsing organizes multiple windows and navigation. Live Bookmarks allow you to keep up with sites where information is updated constantly such as news sites or eBay. Stephen Koren and Blake showed us new platform "Tagger" that is being developed to allow people to share different aspects of their lives with the members of their chosen groups, and coordinate web postings and local files. Tthey envision Tagger as a way of managing private, shared, and public content at one website. Because the website is managed locally, the creative process happens at the speed of the desktop. Blake hopes that Tagger will be launched by the end of the year. http://www.blakeross.com

July 7, 2006

This month we had two member presentations:

Make Your Own DVD Movies: Jan Fagerholm showed us how to turn video files into DVDs that you can share with family and friends, and how to produce professional looking DVDs using modest computer equipment and the software that comes with most DVD burners these days - NeroVision.

Host Your Own Free Web SIte: Set up your own Web site. Forget the complications of managing a Web site - Diane George showed us how to easily set up a Web site using one of the many Internet sites offering free Web hosting services.

June 2, 2006

Internet Safety for Kids - A Presentation for Adults. Doug Spindler presented a vitally important course aimed at informing parents about risks to children for unattended Internet access and what can be done to protect them. Get More information at http://www.packet-level.com/.

May 5, 2006

Luke Vavricek brought Smart Computing Magazine’s User Group Program to PCC, illustrating the helpful information you can find every month in Smart Computing, and gave a live demonstration of all the helpful tools available at www.smartcomputing.com.

April 7, 2006

PCC had its first presentation by Webcast. Lee Otsubo, the Digital Photo Guy did a workshop on digital photography. The presentation format was well received by PCC members. For more information, go to http://www.thedigitalphotoguy.com/

March 3, 2006

Blake Ross, one of the creators of Firefox, spoke about his experiences developing Firefox at both Netscape and with Mozilla. To get announcements about Firefox developments, go to http://www.blakeross.com.

February 3, 2006

Jan Fagerholm completed his delayed presentation on OpenOffice, a free open source office suite of applications. Paul Glanville demonstrated how to set up thin clients and the server to which they connect.

January 6, 2006

Ron Ring demonstrated LogMeIn, an online service that allows you to access your home PC from anywhere. Bud Gallagher showed NTI Shadow Backup, a versatile backup solution with many options. Remote Desktop Server was demonstrated by Will Bierman. The demonstration of OpenOffice was postponed due to the illness of Jan Fagerholm.

December 2, 2005

Bruce introduced Gene Barlow of User Group Relations. Gene briefly reviewed the development of User Group Relations and proceeded to describe how easy it is to use. He went to his presentations:

• Laplink’s PC Mover: Given current computer operating systems, Gene suggested keeping a partition for an OS and one for data or using two separate hard drives to protect data and make backing up easier.
• Acronis Disk Director Suite makes it easy to organize hard drives. "A ‘must have’ for accomplished computer users."
• Surfulator allows the user to download an entire web site for offline reading–convenient for in depth research at a single site, and controlling access in educational settings.
• Optimal Desktop Pro provides easy organization tools for finding files (including pictures) and websites (including blogs and RSS feeds) by how you–the individual user– designate the contents.
• Shadow User Pro provides a buffer that enables trying out a download before installing it. The same facility provides the kind of desktop protection that is particularly useful in a computer lab or at a shared work station.
• MySecurityVault Pro finds all instances of sensitive information on your hard drive and provides for either encrypting or deleting each item.
• Acronis True Image makes it easy to back up your hard drive. Much less painful and much less expensive than resurrecting it.
  

November 4, 2005

An evening of 64-bit computing by Jan Fagerholm and Will Bierman. Jan showed Vista, nee Longhorn. Vista is slated to become the next incarnation of Windows. Beta 2 has been released. Being a Beta, it still has several installation and software support issues. Anti-spyware has been integrated, along with anti-virus. Flyout menus have been tamed so that they do not cover extra real estate, particularly the part of the screen you’re trying to work with.

October 7, 2005

Bob Rosin from OQO talked about OQO's newest Pocketable Windows XP computer, Model 01+, introduced this month. With a 1 gHz processor, 512 megabytes of memory, a 30 gigabyte hard drive, integrated wireless, Firewire and USB, it is a fully functional Windows XP computer in a package that weighs 14 ounces, is less that 1 inch thick, about 3.5 x 5 inches in size.

September 2, 2005

Bruce Hevelin presented Digital Image 2006 from Microsoft. It’s the ideal software for new digital photographers offering simple and powerful tools for organizing, enhancing and sharing your memories. Bring life to your favorite memories with Photo Story 3 for Windows by adding motion, effects, music, and more to your digital photos.

August 5, 2005

Presentation by NewSoft, the producer of award-winning imaging, multimedia and Internetrelated software. Their Presto! office productivity line includes the PageManager and the BizCard products.

July 1, 2005

It's the "Great Debate" all over again. Jan Fagerholm and Will Biermanresponded to questions about which is the better operating system, Windows or Linux.

June 3, 2005

David B. Whittle: "Whittle's Picks for the Digital Home - Quality Technologies and Products Anyone Can Use."

May 6, 2005

Cyberlink award winning line of DVD products for the PC to PCC.

April 1, 2005

Chris Conner of Conner Associates discussed how to do more effective presentations, including using PowerPoint presentations to enhance your presentation.

March 4, 2005

Intel presentation in the box on how to build your own PC and Pixifun "keepsake kits" to display your favorite family photos.

February 4, 2005

S3 Graphics showed some of their graphics products and their new game site Chromozone.

January 7, 2005

Annual games night. Brian Feist and Paul Cooper demonstrated some of the games played by the NetGames SIG.

December 3, 2004

Mike Bukay, nature photographer and videographer, demonstrated some of the techniques he uses, both to improve and enhance images and to organize photographs, focussing on using Adobe Photoshop CS and Jasc PhotoAlbum 5.

November 5, 2004

PC World: tech trends and privacy threats.

October 1, 2004

Slip Streaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 by Will Bierman and How to Create a Presentation Using MS PowerPoint by Judy Schuller

September 3, 2004

Gene Barlow from User Group Relations presented: SecureClean, MoveMe and True Image

August 6, 2004

Will Bierman on Security Techniques from Microsoft.

Jan Fagerholm demonstrated Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, with 24 vintage airplanes and an updated scenery database.

July 2, 2004

Member Jim Gardner showed us how he uses eBay, including some tips about what to do and what not to do, how to navigate, and how to do a search to find a certain item or type of item, how to create an effective sales presentation and more.

June 4, 2004

NVIDIA Corporation. Visual computing technology.

May 7, 2004

More member presentations: Demonstrating Digital by Paul Cooper and Mack Hossack and Tips and Tricks Live by Diane George. Jan Fagerholm put the spotlight on the Spectacular Linux SIG.

April 2, 2004

Member Will Bierman presented the secrets of the beta version of Windows XP, Service Pack Two.

March 5, 2004

An Intel demo-in-a-box presented by Jan Fagerholm on the Pentium 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology.

February 6, 2004

Global Hauri anti-virus application, ViRobot, that uses a new detection technology and Plextor Corporation with their product line of CD and. DVD related equipment

January 2, 2004

Presentations by members: RegCleaner by Bruce Hevelin, FlightGear by Jan Fagerholm and Buying a New Computer by Paul Cooper.

December 5, 2003

Dave Whittle, David B. Whittle, author of "Cyberspace: The Human Dimension": Quality software that anyone can use, including products from Intel, 3D Album, muvee, iSeeMedia, activePDF, and Alpha Software.

November 7, 2003

Richard Katz showed the newest version of Microsoft Office.

October 3, 2003

activePDF Composer, presented by Judy Schuller. www.activePDF.com

September 5, 2003

Creative solutions for control of digital images offered by nik multimedia, Inc.

August 1, 2003

NiveusMedia, Inc., makers of the ONEBox media center, demonstrated their new product.

July 11, 2003

ScanSoft Version 7 of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, their speech recognition offering.

June 6, 2003

Member Presentations:
Palm vs. Pocket PC by Chuck Horner and Dan Dolgin
Tweaking Windows XP by Jan Fagerholm

May 2, 2003

FamilyTreeMaker, Version 10 of their popular genealogy program.

April 4, 2003

PowerQuest Gene and Linda Barlow.

March 7, 2003

Asoka USA products used for networking by taking advantage of the electrical wiring which already exists in all our homes.

February 7, 2003

PCC presentations: How to set up a wireless access point and router and how to connect laptops and PDA's to a wireless access point.

January 3, 2003

Ask Dr. Tech's founder showed off his computer knowledge, and impressed us with the ability of his organization to help solve our computer problems