THE SOUNDBOARD KEEPING PACE IN
CYBERSPACE
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Heritage Village Computer
Club |
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Email: theweb@snet.net |
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GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP
MONTHLY
MEETING
Note change of date
Wednesday, JANUARY 15 2003
Time: 10: 00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Program: Internet safety for parents and grandparents
to protect their children while surfing the
Internet.
By: Trooper Christopher Ganzer,
Troop A, Southbury
Peace to all and a Safe and Happy New Year
ASCII GENERATOR
This
ASCII Generator is an application that allows you to create signature lines
using a number of effects in ASCII. No download is necessary. At the following link, type in your own name
(for example) in the TEXT box and make some choices for “reflection”, “adjustment”,
and “stretch”. Then see the ASCII in
the bottom of the screen.
http://www.network-science.de/ascii/
OUTLOOK XP
If Outlook XP has started crashing
whenever a new message comes in and you get this error: "Microsoft
Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the
inconvenience.", there is a remedy.
This little-known bug is caused by installing Office XP SP2. Microsoft has created a fix that will get
Outlook running again. The fix isn't posted anywhere on the Web site; you have
to call Microsoft support to get it. Fortunately, that call is free. Microsoft Knowledge Base: Outlook
stops responding after you apply Office XP Service Pack 2
GRAPHICS
If you are interested in finding another source of web graphics, click on IMAGES on the GOOGLE.COM web site. In the SEARCH window, type in what you are looking for and every image posted on a website will be available to you as well as the web site URL and the type and size of the image. Click on the GRAPHIC to go to the site. Right-Click on the IMAGE and choose from the drop-down menu to save it. Some of these are quite good and others are, well, not. The choices are drawings, photographs, screen shots, cartoons, and clip art.
COMPUTER GENDER
A language instructor was explaining to her class that in French, nouns are grammatically designated as masculine or feminine. The teacher split the class into two groups and asked them to decide whether “computer” should be a masculine or feminine noun.
The men's group decided that computers should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computer"), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible later retrieval;
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ("le computer"), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they are the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you'd waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.
TEN HIGHEST-RADIATION CELL PHONES (U.S.)
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Manufacturer
and model |
SAR level |
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1. Motorola V120c |
1.55 |
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2. Motorola V70 |
1.54 |
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3a. Motorola P8767 |
1.53 |
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3b. Motorola ST7868 |
1.53 |
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3c. Motorola ST7868W |
1.53 |
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3d. Panasonic Versio |
1.5 |
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7a. Ericsson T28 World |
1.49 |
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7b. Nokia 5170i |
1.49 |
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7c. Panasonic Allure |
1.49 |
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10a. Panasonic EB-TX210 |
1.48 |
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10b. Panasonic EB-TX220 |
1.48 |
TEN LOWEST-RADIATION CELL PHONES (U.S.)
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Manufacturer and model |
SAR level |
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1. Qualcomm pdQ-1900 |
0.2634 |
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2. Siemens S40 |
0.33 |
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3. Motorola ST7790 |
0.34 |
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4. Mitsubishi Trium Galaxy G-130 |
0.35 |
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5a. Motorola V60c |
0.42 |
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5b. Motorola ST7790i |
0.42 |
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7. Motorola i1000plus |
0.43 |
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8. Nokia 6120 |
0.43 |
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9a. Motorola M3682 |
0.457 |
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9b. Motorola G520 |
0.457 |
SAR OR “SPECIFIC ABSORPTION
RATE”
According to the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), SAR or specific absorption
rate is "a way of measuring the quantity of radio frequency (RF)
energy that is absorbed by the body."
For a phone to pass FCC certification, that phone's maximum SAR level
must be less than 1.6W/kg (watts per kilogram). The SAR level listed in
the chart represents the maximum SAR level with the phone next to the
ear; a level obtained through required FCC tests. All these phones pass the test. It's important to note that
this list does not imply that cell-phone use is or is not harmful to your
health. Research is ongoing.
http://www.cnet.com/cnetsupport/0-8711687-8-8667301-4.html?tag=faq
The top dumb computer instruction has to be the message that says:
"Keyboard not detected, Press (whatever key) to Continue."
What NOT to do:
Some Problems That Computer Help Desks Had To Deal With:
"...Don’t put the mouse on the floor and attempt to manipulate it like a sewing machine treadle!"
"...Don’t select white text on a white background!"
"...Don’t do the math on a pocket calculator and then type the results into a spreadsheet!"
Beta. Software undergoes beta testing
shortly before it's released.
Beta is
Latin for "still doesn't work."
TO CHANGE YOUR HOME PAGE [NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR]
Open the Preferences window, and in the left menu click on Navigator. A box appears that says "Navigator starts with" followed by three options:
· Blank page
· Home page
· Last page visited.
Choose which option you wish to see when you start up your Web page. Below that, you will see a box displaying the URL for your current home page. You can type in the URL, or click on "Use current page" to choose the page currently displayed in your browser.
TO CHANGE YOUR HOME PAGE [INTERNET EXPLORER]
Your home page is the page that appears every time you
open Internet Explorer. Choose a page that you want to view frequently, or one
that you can customize to get quick access to all the information you
want. Go to the page you want to appear
when you next start up Internet Explorer.
WINDOWS XP SHUTDOWN
You
can actually shut down Windows XP without a click, but first you have to get
set up. Go to your Control Panel and choose Power Options.
·
Select the Advanced tab.
·
Under "Power buttons" you can choose what
happens when you press the power button on your computer.
It
is probably already set to shut down,
but it is a good idea to make sure before you start to shut down your
machine.
·
If it is not set to shut down, choose that item from the
drop-down list.
****DON'T TOUCH THE KEYBOARD
AND KEEP
YOUR HANDS OFF THE MOUSE.****
Now
you are ready to shut your computer off.
Just hit the power button. It's
perfectly safe to shut down your computer with the touch of the PC power button or the power button on your surge
protector. Enjoy!
Member contribution.
A boy, frustrated with all the rules he had to
follow, asked his father, "Dad, how soon will I be old enough to do as I
please?" The father answered
immediately, "I don't know. Nobody has lived that long yet."
MANAGING
HISTORY
Clicking on Go from the menu
bar in either Navigator or Internet Explorer will give you a list of all the
sites you have recently visited, so that you can easily find your way
back. You determine the length of this list by setting the number of days
pages will be stored in your browser's history. The longer you store a
page in your history, the more memory your history file will use up.
In Internet Explorer: Open the Internet Options window. A box at the bottom of the General tab will let you set the number of days for which the history will be preserved, or click to clear the entire history immediately. Choose "1" to have pages viewed today cleared tomorrow. Choose "0" to have the history cleared whenever you log off.
In Netscape Navigator: Open the Preferences window. Click on Navigator to get to the same page that shows you what your home page is. At the bottom, there's a box showing how many days pages will stay in your history list. Choose "1" to have pages viewed today cleared tomorrow. Choose "0" to have the history cleared whenever you log off.
A
computer is almost human - except that it does not blame its mistakes on
another computer.
A printer consists of three main parts: the case, the
jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.
MANAGING CACHE
Browser cache refers to the space
on your hard drive where the browser temporarily saves Web pages and graphics
while you are browsing. A large cache can eat up a lot of memory on your
computer and slow down system resources. You can change the size of the
cache. You may want to start with 10 MB and adjust the size later if you feel it
is necessary. Your browser may automatically clear your cache periodically as
you surf, but you might find it necessary to clear it manually from time to
time.
In Internet Explorer. Open the Internet
Options window. The middle box of the General tab is labeled Temporary
Internet Files--this is your cache. Click on Delete Files to immediately clear your
cache, or click on Settings to
set the size of your cache and the hard drive location of your cached
files. You can also select how frequently the browser should check for
new versions of the pages currently stored in the cache.
In Netscape Navigator: Open the Preferences
window. Click on Advanced
and then on Cache. You can
set the size of your cache or click on Clear
Disk Cache Now to immediately delete all cached files. Click on
the Choose button to select the location on your hard drive where cached files
will be saved. You can also select how frequently the browser should
check for new versions of pages currently stored in the cache.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
http://www.hvcomuputerclub.org/officer.html
Send
computer related suggestions or articles for the Soundboard to: scottie2@att.net or theweb@snet.net
TEACHERS & HELPERS
Are there any members who would be willing to share their knowledge and add to the teaching staff of the HVCC? It is strictly a voluntary effort, and training is provided. Our computer club faculty is strictly volunteer. Perhaps you would like to volunteer to be a helper for the classes?
The fees charged for courses go into the club treasury to help pay for various club expenses, such as our hardware and software.
S.O.S. - HVCC Help Line: Ken Pelletier 264-2310 Bob Greene 264-9747
Several members have volunteered to assist in the help duties and are available between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. All help personnel are volunteers who will try to walk you through a computer problem that you may be experiencing. If that does not resolve the problem, it is suggested that you bring the specifics of your problem to our Open House (Tues. & Thur., 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.). Members are encouraged to offer volunteer assistance when they are able. If none of these suggestions fixes the problem, your only recourse is to seek professional help. It is not the Club’s policy to recommend professional computer technicians. Usually the best technical help will come from the manufacturer of your computer; you may even be under a warrantee program.
AutoCAD.............. Ken Pelletier.............. 264-2310
Digital
Camera....... Joe Franzino.............. 264-2922
MS
Word.............. Arnold Deutchman..... 267-7355
MS
Word.............. Joe Franzino.............. 264-2922
Paint Shop Pro...... Ken Pelletier.............. 264-2310
Publishing.............. Joe Franzino.............. 264-2922
Quicken................. Arnold Sail................. 264-2540
Scanning................ Joe Franzino.............. 264-2922
WordPerfect Jean Van Loon 267-5397
EMAIL
$10.00
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
January 13, 15, 17
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
DESCRIPTION:
This course will cover the
receiving and sending of e-mail with or without attachments using any Internet
provider including AOL, Juno, Earthlink, MSN, etc. or browser including
Netscape, AOL, Microsoft Explorer, Juno, etc.
GETTING STARTED WITH
SPREADSHEETS
$10.00
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
January 13, 15, 17
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
DESCRIPTION:
In this hands-on course using Excel, students will
learn what a spreadsheet is and the many ways in which they can be useful for
organizing financial and other data in their daily lives. As an example,
students will construct a simple spreadsheet in class.
Prerequisite:
Students must have completed Computing Basics I or have equivalent working
knowledge.
COMPUTING
BASICS I
$20.00
Monday,
Wednesday, Friday
January
20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
DESCRIPTION:
To
learn what a computer is and to learn the basics needed to successfully operate
it. Identify computer components
including HARDWARE parts; use of the MOUSE; the KEYBOARD; the installed
SOFTWARE programs to perform desired functions, e.g., word processing,
spreadsheets; become familiar with the installed operating system and learn the
basics needed for effective use; create and save text.
COMPUTING
BASICS II
$20.00
Monday,
Wednesday, Friday
January
20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
DESCRIPTION:
Review the fundamentals of Computing Basics I; Advanced document configuration; change fonts; move, delete, and format text; add color; print preview; print properties; the HELP function; Learn about MY COMPUTER; troubleshoot problems; maintenance.
Prerequisite: Completion of Computing
Basics I.
at “THE WEB”:
Special Interest Groups (“SIG’s”)
http://www.supercalendar.com/view.php?a=893