Computer
Club of Oklahoma City
3000 United Founders Blvd. Suite 201
Oklahoma City, OK 73112-4279
405-843-4300
March 2005
This is the official 'eMonitor' of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City.
We have changed our domain name and when you type in the url to our website, type in http://www.ccokc.org
Items of additional interest: Calendar Study Groups Senior Net Classes
News to Members:
The eMonitor Newsletter (The eMonitor Newsletter with a new look:)
We have decided to try the eMonitor one more month with a new format that may pass through the spam filters. Should you not receive the eMonitor for March and are subscribed, please email me and tell me also the name of your ISP. Fran Crane
Do remember that if you change your email address, you need to remove your old email address from the eMonitor and then re-subscribe with your new email address. This could be one of the reasons for not receiving the eMonitor.
General Meeting Program for March 17, 2005
Safe and Secure!!! What, Me Worry?
By Troy Segler, VP of Programs
The Computer Club of Oklahoma City wishes to invite you to attend our regular monthly meeting on Thursday evening, March 17th, at 7:00 PM. We will be in Suite 201 of the 3000 Building. If you are not familiar with this meeting location, please look at the map located on our Website: http://www.ccokc.org/ .
This month we are privileged to have David Robbins visit with us about the programs he uses on his personal computer to insure (as much as possible) a safe operating experience. He will discuss virus protection, spam protection and other nuances that may come our way when working (or playing, for that matter) on our computers. David prefers to talk about real life situations that he is familiar with, rather than review software that he has only experimented with. Those of you who know David recognize that he is a no-nonsense type of guy and insists that even minor situations must be handled in a professional manner. Continued...
If you have not attended a General Session recently, attend one soon and bring a guest
Future General meeting of CCOKC- June 16, 2005
Here is advanced information for the general meeting for June 16, 2005. Mark your calendars! Our guest will be Gene Barlow. Gene and Linda have been supporting User Groups longer than we have been an organization. Make plans to support our club and Gene at this meeting.
Gene Barlow has been a key figure in the user group community for the past 25 years. He is an educator, writer and a talented presenter, representing many vendors over the years with products that he finds valuable and effective for home and small business users. Gene currently represents Acronis Software, WhiteCanyon Software, and Spearit Software and their products. Gene will demonstrate 3 of the most exciting products from his clients at the general meeting this month. Gene has written about MoveMe: by Spearit software in depth in his article below.
Hard Drive Newsletter from Gene Barlow: Continued...
President's Corner: What is After 64-Bit
by David Robbins March 2005
A quick explanation of the “bit”, in this context of terminology, relates to the amount of data being transferred on each clock cycle. A bit is a “0” or “1,” which when combined into groups of eight, produces Bytes. So a 64-bit system is passing twice the data that a 32-bit one passes in the same amount of time, loosely translated.
There has been quite a lot of discussion about the advantages of 64-bit over 32-bit in the last couple of years. The major difference is the size of the path for data. This is because the x86 architecture has about reached its limit concerning maximum speed. So when you can’t go up, you spread out, widen the path to pass more data. Continued...
There are some interesting links on the ccokc.org/greatlinks page. Check them out!
Articles for March 2005
(The following are only excerpts from the articles. Click on the hyperlink to read the entire article)
Legal Bytes: What Happened at ChoicePoint? - by John Brewer
ChoicePoint is a giant depository of consumer data – called a data aggregator. The company is a spin-off from Equifax, one of the leading consumer reporting agencies. ChoicePoint is headquartered in Atlanta and employs approximately 5,500 people in 60 locations. Recently the ChoicePoint data was compromised. The story of the intrusion into the ChoicePoint data follows.
The New York Times reports that 145,000 consumer records were compromised – addresses, social security numbers and other data. ChoicePoint has written notification letters to the affected victims. Reports state that least one class action lawsuit has been filed and a Nigerian national (is that surprising?) has been sentenced to a prison term in California for his role in the fraud. Continued...
Ram & Reason: The UPS - By Rob Rice
A few years ago a computer’s need for safe and clean power became apparent to me in a rather expensive way. While in the process of writing an important paper one summer day I suddenly heard a loud “BOOM!” outside and below my open second story window. This was accompanied by the unmistakable sound of electricity running rampant. My computer’s monitor started acting erratically with wild wavy lines and sickly looking colors. I reached for the power switch and killed the power to the computer. Next – I got the heck out of the building! Continued...
Business Solutions: Access 2003 - Using Dates from a Form to Run a Query - by James D. Duncan, CPA
I will give you a simple example of using a form with a date field to run a query based on the date input. The real question is: if this is the simple version, what does the complicated version look like? :)
We have a table that has many fields, but all we care about is the entry date and exit date of clients. This project is about reporting for a United Way agency for their annual report. In this example we will answer just one question. How many clients on the first day of the operating year? With just the entry date and exit date what question would you ask to get a list of clients on the first day of the year? Continued...
Computer Hysteria: Hackers are NOT Crackers - by Berry F. Phillips
The media loves to publish stories about so-called hackers breaking into computer systems and causing destruction. It is time to set the record straight, based on historical truth.
The hacker culture actually started in the 1950s when computers were huge to say the least, and programming then meant connecting wires to electrodes. While they did not call themselves hackers then, that for the most part explains what a hacker is. A hacker may be defined as a person who enjoys exploring the details of programming systems and how to stretch their capabilities as opposed to most computer users who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. Continued...
This & That: Putting Money Where Your Mouth Is - by Elizabeth B. Wright
Well, it’s not always possible to buy state of the art hardware and software, so what route is one to take into the video conversion jungle without breaking the bank account. My computer is just powerful enough to handle the demands of changing an analog video to digital. It won’t be the fastest machine on the planet, but for now it will have to do. Continued...
Upgrading Computer to Transfer VHS Tapes - By Pete Kramer
Might I suggest a very simple route, buy a dedicated DVD recorder. Panasonic and others now make DVD set top recorders with tuner/timers just like a VCR. Prices have fallen to the $200-250 range for a basic machine that burns directly to DVD-R or DVD+R. Both formats when finalized will play on most recent DVD-Video players. DVD+R is a bit cheaper, but manufacturers are abandoning that format because of compatibility issues with players. Most of these machines also allow use of DVD-RW or DVD-RAM which permit reuse of discs. More expensive machines include a hard-drive to temporarily store video before burning the disc and permit more advanced editing and titling options. They are now in the $500 range. Depending on the record mode you select you'll be able to record 2-6 hours per disc. Continued...
Read the New articles under the APCUG heading on the left column of the website. There are new articles each month. When you click on the "PUSH Articles from APCUG" hyperlink, it will take you to the synopsis page and the links to the articles.
FTC Names Its Dirty
Dozen:
12 Scams Most Likely to Arrive Via Bulk Email
Email boxes are filling up with more offers for business opportunities than any other kind of unsolicited commercial email. That's a problem, according to the Federal Trade Commission, because many of these offers are scams.
In response to requests from consumers, the FTC asked email users to forward their unsolicited commercial email to the agency for an inside look at the bulk email business. FTC staff found that more often than not, bulk email offers appeared to be fraudulent, and if pursued, could have ripped-off unsuspecting consumers to the tune of billions of dollars.
The FTC has identified the 12 scams that are most likely to arrive in consumers' email boxes. The "dirty dozen" are: Continued...
Basic Computer Class
If you are interested in taking the hands-on Basic Computer Class, which meets once a week for about six weeks, call Isaac Franklin, 751-3411, for registration and information. There is no charge for this class, however, the study book is $5.
Tip of the Month - by Fran Crane
Research your Retailer (Tip from PC Mechanic "Tip of the Day")
If you are in the market for PC hardware or software, you can do very well buying it online. It many cases, you can save yourself some money. Plus, online retailers often have selections which a retail store just can't rival. But, in shopping online, its good to know who you are buying from. Can you trust them? How is their support? Do they provide good service? A site you have to check out (if you haven't already) is ResellerRatings (http://www.resellerratings.com). It contains a large database of online retailers and provides members the opportunity to comment on and vote on retailers. As a consumer, just head over there and find out if the company you are considering was voted good or bad by other consumers. To past Tips and "Freebies"
March "Cool Freebie" - by Doris Collins
Each month we feature a "Cool Freebies," wherein a free program is shared and discussed.
Ever wish you could keep an eye on things like your CPU or RAM usage, uptime, battery level (on a laptop), volume control, etc without having to open an icon to see the status of these things? Then you are in luck - that program exists and it's free!
The program is called "Statbar." It sits at the very top of your screen (or elsewhere, should you desire), is completely customizable, and very useful. There are many functions you can choose to monitor, and you can remove some that you don't need.
The download for this program is located here: www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,23785,tk,hsx,00.asp If you need instruction for downloading this program, please see previous months' "Cool Freebies" for general downloading instructions.
Join the Computer Club of OKC. See the Membership form on the Website
What is a Study Group
The Computer Club of OKC offers many different Study Groups. They are groups of 10-50 people who meet monthly to learn about a particular subject. The format is part presentation and part facilitated discussion. These meetings are supported by our membership. There is no charge, but a $2 donation is requested to defray the rental cost of the room.
Come to a Study Group in our Resource Center at 3000 United Founders Blvd.! We are located at the east end of the Center 3000 Building in Suite 201, so use Entrance One on the east side of the building.
What is the Computer Club of OKC?
See "About Us"
We are a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization of around 1200 members, with the goal of teaching each other more about using and enjoying their personal computers for business and pleasure. The sole purpose of the organization is reflected in its motto, “Computer Users Helping Computer Users.”
Senior Net Membership
Sr. Combo Members- Computer Classes
Register Now for Windows XP Course. This eight week course will cost $30.00. If you are interested, contact Charlene Francis, 359-5675.
"Free Computer Class with Sr Combo Membership"
New Senior Combo Members (50+) can now register for the Computer Fundamentals class at no charge. Contact Charlene Francis 359-5675 if you have any questions regarding membership and/or registration for the class.
Editor: Fran Crane