Recent WACUG Meeting Topics

2012

February 18th Meeting

Lorrin Garson: Protecting Private Information with TruCrypt - PDF file


Dan Feighery: Digital Photography - PDF file


2011

December 10th Meeting

Geof Goodrum: - Introduction to Ubuntu - PDF file

John Kennedy: - Presentation Slides: Free Software - 7MB PDF file

John Kennedy: - Free Software Listing w/ clickable links - PDF file

PC Clinic: - Comments - PDF file


Mentions: Comparisons of Security Software (Anti-virus, anti-malware) Web Page

November 19th Meeting

Lorrin Garson - Recovering from a Double Computer Failure - PDF file


Dennis Courtney - The Cloud: What's In It? What's In It for Us? PDF file


Atlantic Magazine: Hacked - A Cautionary Tale about Cloud Reliance


September 17th Meeting

Gabe Goldberg - Negotiating and Creative Griping for Favorable Technology Outcomes
Based of Four Articles appearing here:

The Slickdeals Approach to Cable Company Negotiations
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1886352

Creative Griping Makes Friends and Brings Rewards
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=162601&t=1979348

Negotiating with your ISP -- speeds/features/software myths vs. realities
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?p=34995606

Dealing with customer support, reporting problems, getting answers
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2553641

Kathy Jacobs - Tips & Tricks for PowerPoint 2010 29MB PPTX file

August 20th Meeting

Geof Goodrum - NOAA Web Sites - PDF file      MP3 Narration file

Lorrin Garson - Nifty Bits and Pieces - PDF file      MP3 Narration file

Resources Mentioned During Meeting -
Sources for freeware / shareware / trialware software - tested for malware:
http://www.download.com
http://www.tucows.com/software.html

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) application programs:
Ipswitch ws_ftp - via download.com - also does SFTP
BitKinex - via download.com - also does SFTP, WebDAV
WinSCP - via home site - SFTP, FTP, others

April 16th Meeting

Gabe Goldberg: Favorite Utilities - HTML/Browser file

Gene Barlow: Hard Drive Organization and Backup -
Discounted software order form for group members.

Print out, complete, and mail in - or, order on-line.

March 19th Meeting

Geof Goodrum - Internet Radio and Pandora

PDF File

2010

December 11th Meeting

Lorrin Garson: Laptop Theft PDF file

August 21st Meeting


Genealogy - Chuck Roberts' Handouts (Zipped file)
      Extracing contents of a zipped file - How to: Reference

Chuck's Handout (PDF file) from a 2004 presentation on Genealogy

Discount Web Link for Roboform Password Manager

June 19th Meeting


Lorrin Garson - Effortless Encryption for Anxious Users - PDF file (2.7 MB)

Truly Deleting Files - PDF File

April 17th, 2010 Meeting

Lorrin Garson - About Those Electronic Book Readers: PDF File

January 20th, 2010 Meeting

Gabe Goldberg - Favorite Web Sites: Browser file - html

2009

December 12th, 2009 Meeting

Chuck Roberts: Securing Your Home Network - PDF File

November 21st, 2009 Meeting

Geof Goodrum - Online Shopping
Presentation - 10 slides, active web links: PDF file, 87KB

October 17th, 2009 Meeting

Dan Feighery's Digital Photography
Presentation - 84 slides: PDF file, 9 MB

September 19th, 2009 Meeting

Chuck Roberts - Home Wireless Networking and Security

Setting Up Wireless Networking
Securing Wireless Networking
Networking Basics - Part A
Networking Basics - Part B
Networking Basics - Appendix

PC / TV Convergence
Rod Zumbro - BluRay Players and Streaming Netflix Downloads
From OLLI site: http://olligmu.org/netflix/netflix1.htm

Steve Bass's TechBytes Newsletter: Stream Movies from Your PC to Your TV

August 15th, 2009 Meeting

Mark Mabee - Windows 7 - Large PDF files, > 1MB
Part I       Part II

Skype Correction - At this time: All Skype to Skype calls are free. Calls between Skype and landline or cell phones have a fee attached.

July 18th, 2009 Meeting

Tom Hady - Digitizing Your Slides: PDF file

Gene Barlow - Acronis Products: PDF file - Order Form w/ User Group discounts


May 9th, 2009 Meeting


Gabe Goldberg: A Little PC Cleaning Pays Off

Gabe's article on this topic: PC Cleanup Pays Off

Related article - Gabe says "Follow the warnings!" A Clean PC 7.46 MB file

Gabe mentioned this repair shop: Keystone Computers

March 21st, 2009 Meeting


Photoshop Elements 7, LightRoom2, High Dynamic Range Photography

Presentation by Chuck Roberts PDF File

February 21st, 2009 Meeting

Products discussed:
Radio Shack Indoor Antenna

RCA ANT1500 Flat Multi-Directional Indoor HDTV Antenna (ANT1500)

Zenith DTT901 DTV Converter Box

Zinwell 970A DTV Converter Box

Solid Signal's Converter Box Page

Digital TV Conversion information resources - see July 19th, 2008 meeting info, below.

Help from Q & A Session:

Q: My computer's slowing down - what should I do?

A: Make sure all your security software is up-to-date, both with program updates and anti-virus and malware definition files, and you're regularly running scans of all your files - i. e. full scans, not just "quick" scans. You should have a software firewall (other than the one that comes with Windows - you can only run one firewall, and one AV program at a time), anti-virus, and anti-malware protection. You can use a security suite, which combines these functions into a package, or individual products.
See: http://www.wacug.org/protection.html
which shows ratings of security products from various magazines.

Perhaps you've got too many programs running at the same time, chewing up memory, and causing your computer to constantly swap programs to and from your hard drive to free up memory. (Increasing memory is generally one of the easiest and cheapest ways to speed up your computer.) Get a copy of Mike Linn's Startup Control Panel, which, when installed, becomes an Icon in your Control Panel. This program allows you to selectively turn off items that run when your computer starts up. Many of them can be safely disabled.
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

You can use the libraries of processes from Uniblue Software to determine what programs you might wish to keep from running at system startup, and which may be associated with malware. http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/

Uniblue offers products to scan your computer and make suggestions to speed it up. They offer an on-line speedup scan, and Registry Booster, a product to clean your Windows Registry. Similar products are available within Symantec's Norton Utilities and System Works packages, and from PC PitStop's Optimize. Be careful to use products in this arena from reputable sources - check with magazine web site reviews for appropriate candidates.

January 17, 2009th Meeting


Lorrin Garson’s Presentation on the Amazon Kindle electronic book reader. PDF File (17.6 MB)

Smart Computing Magazine’s User Group Program

Our group is now ready to start earning free subscriptions! The unique code numbers for our user group are as follows, for the noted publications:

Smart Computing: 12642

CPU: 926

PC Today: 564

Directions from Smart Computing:

As part of our User Group Program, we will track any subscriptions that are submitted using these code numbers and for every five paid subscriptions we receive from your group, we will give WACUG a free subscription. Please note that our totals are calculated quarterly. Your group can use this free subscription as a door prize, raffle prize, gift, etc. Members, friends and family of your group can order subscriptions in one of two ways:

1) Visit https://www.smartcomputing.com/secure/membership.asp complete the online order form and choose your group out of the drop down box.

2) Call (800) 733-3809 and order from one of our friendly customer service representatives. Be sure to mention your group's code numbers to ensure your group will receive credit for the order.

Help from the Q&A session & End of Meeting cards:

Q: How do I manage all my passwords?

A: Try Roboform, an inexpensive program that solves password issues. Free trial is available (only holds ten passwords)

http://www.roboform.com/

Follow this link for a special WACUG / OLLI discount:

http://www.roboform.com/php/pums/rfprepay.php?lic=wacug_rf&buydirect=yes

Q: What's a "Home Page"?

A: The initial page of a web site. Think of an organization chart. The home page is the equivalent of the "top dog" on the org chart. Everything flows down from that, via links.

Q: What laptop should I buy?

A: How much money you got? But seriously - this is the topic for about 30 minutes of a meeting. Here's the basics: As the weight of the laptop decreases, the price increases. As weight decreases, the computing power and functionality may decrease. Is this computer a desktop replacement? Remember, that to save battery power, most laptops have slower hard drives than many of us are used to in desktop machines. That can be highly frustrating for some users.

If you're a photographer, and want to seriously manipulate your images with Photoshop, a suitable laptop will probably be heavy, and expensive. If you're a videographer, or a hard-core gamer - "Dude - yer gonna pay nasally for this laptop!" And, you're gonna be buff from carrying that sucker!

That said - because of Moore's Law, and the ever-increasing power of computers, and corresponding reduction of prices, you can get a powerful laptop for a reasonable price. For example, thanks to careful shopping by John West, OLLI acquired an excellent laptop for their Reston classroom this fall for $500, getting a sale price reduction of $180.

And we've put the cart before the horse, because the basic question about any computer purchases hasn't been asked and answered - "What are you going to use it for?" If the answer is to just get your email when on vacation, a so-called "net book" may be perfect, but not the answer if you wanted to burn the vacation photos to CD or DVD, because to keep the weight and size of this mini-laptop down to around two pounds, and the size of a thin book, there's no optical drive. Everything's a tradeoff, in the world of laptops.

So, what to do? Here's a web site that may give you some ideas: http://www.pcworld.com/products/computers/laptops.html


    X0-1 One Laptop Per Child

  • September 13, 2008

    One Laptop Per Child - Presentation by Michael Coyne
    PDF file








    Digital TV

  • July 19th, 2008

    Kurt DeSoto - Get a Free Digital Television

    Kurt's Presentation on DTV Transition - pdf file
    Converter Box Coupon Program - pdf file
    An online source for coupon eligible Converter Boxes, antennas, etc: SolidSignal.com


    Bring a CD-R or Flash Drive to a Meeting for 50 MB of data and presentations on this topic !


    Digital TV Transition Resources

    http://www.dtv.gov/

    http://www.antennaweb.org

    http://www.DTV2009.gov

    http://www.dtvanswers.com

  • June 2008 Cursor

    Paul Howard - Keeping Up Column
    Digital TV Stations Received - List for Oak Hill, VA

  • March 15th, 2008

    Lorrin Garson - HP MediaSmart Server

    Lorrin's presentation as a PDF file - 7 MB
    A hardware and software implementation of Microsoft Windows Home Server

  • October 13th, 2007

    Gabe Goldberg's Gadget Grab Bag

    Gabe's List of Wonders, Trinkets and Toys - pdf file




    Digital Image Workflow

  • September 15th, 2007
    Presented by Chuck Roberts:
    Basic Workflow for Processing Digital Images

    Chuck suggests printing out this file and bringing to 9/15 meeting PDF File

    Chuck's presentation - PDF File












    Utilities - August 2007

  • August 18th, 2007 -
    Presented by Chuck Roberts:
    Acronis Disk Director Suite 10
    Acronis True Image Home 10

    Chuck's presentation - PDF File

    These hard drive partitioning and hard drive backup software packages
    are available at a discount to user group members from:
    User Group Relations



    Presented by Paul Howard
    RoboForm

    Password Manager, Form Filler - http://www.roboform.com/
    Discount Offer for RoboForm

    Power Desk Pro 6

    File Management utility from Avanquest
    Check here for possible discounts



    Meeting Notes

    from Aug 18th, contributed by a member.



  • July 21st, 2007 - Presented by Geof Goodrum:
    Sony's Play Station 3

    PS3 Feature List - PDF file

    The PlayStation 3 Home virtual world video is at
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZY2vwlh5-g

    There are some related videos (e.g. Sony presentations at E3) linked
    below the video.

    Info about the Folding@Home project is at
    http://folding.stanford.edu/

    The Official PlayStation 3 web site is
    http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3

    Terra Soft Solutions/Yellow Dog Linux v5.0.2 for PS3
    http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/


  • May 12th, 2007 - Presented by Lorrin Garson
    Challenges of Travel Photography - (presentation on periodic CD - coming soon!)


  • May 12th, 2007 - Presented by Chuck Roberts
    Camera RAW and Digital Asset Management -- PDF file

    From Meeting Discussions

     One Member's Approach to Backup - External web site link


  • April 21st - Presented by Bill Walsh
    DVDs of Quality - The Burning Issues

    PDF Document


  • April 21st - Presented by Geof Goodrum -
    Internet Shopping Comparison Sites

    Presentation File - Acrobat format        Open Office Impress File




    Circuit Board from Spectrum Display box

  • March 17th, 2007 - Presented by Bill Walsh

    Exploring the Radio Spectrum - the Other Ether

    Bill Walsh provided a fascinating demonstration with visual displays of the radio frequency spectrum. Click: here











  • March 17th, 2007 - Presented by Geof Goodrum

    Streamin' Screamin' Audio

    Internet Radio Presentation      PDF File      Open Office Impress File


    Passport to World Band Radio      From Amazon

  • November 18th, 2006 - Presented by Geof Goodrum
    Links for Help in Avoiding Hoaxes, Fraud, and Email Problems


  • October 21st, 2006 - Tell a Story on DVD

    Presented by Chuck Roberts
    Special Handout        Presentation Slides

    One of the topics of this discussion was the conversion of older video images (VHS tape) to digital. Member Bill Ackerman described a Sony Digital Video Camera Recorder he uses for analog to digital conversion - a Model No. DCR-TRV38. In the manual under the section "Viewing Images With A Computer" it is identified as: "CAPTURING IMAGES FROM AN ANALOG VIDEO UNIT ON A COMPUTER"      - Signal convert function.
    This camera allows the user to connect an analog video source to the camera; it is converted by the camera electronics to a digital video output stream out the firewire connection, which can be transferred to a computer for a recording and further processing. It is not necessary to "record" this digital stream on the camera's media to obtain the conversion function.

  • September 16th, 2006 - Converting Vinyl Recordings to Digital Media

    Digital Audio Essentials cover Local Author Bruce Fries - Resource page (PDF file)
    Bruce's book from O'Reilly Publishing: Digital Audio Essentials


  • April 15th, 2006   Cybercorder 2000


    Bill Walsh demonstrated a program by Skyhawk Technologies that allows use of your computer as an audio recorder, either directly off the internet, or via the audio input jacks, to make recordings at specific times, such as you would program a VCR or DVR to do. Skyhawk Technologies web site. Skyhawk has set up a 20% coupon. To use it, just order from the following link:
    https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=3293-1&ss_coupon=SKYH-70W3

    It can also be done by ordering through the order form, using snail mail. Just include a check for $19.96 and reference coupon SKYH-70W3. The order form link is at http://skyhawktech.com/orderform.html

  • March 2006 - Photography, Digital Photography, and Photoshop Elements 4,
    presented by Chuck Roberts     PDF file of Chuck's Presentation
    Photoshop Elements Techniques - Resources / UG for PSE

    Mentioned at the meeting
    - Keep your CDs and DVDs safe by labeling them with a marker that won't harm the data:
    Staedtler Lumocolor CD/DVD Marker Pen (317CDWP4BK)

  • January 2006 - Computer Networking
    Networking, Part II script - PDF file - 224k
    Networking, Appendix, Pt. 1 - PDF file - 1.1 meg
    Networking, Appendix, Pt. 2 - PDF file - 1.2 meg
    Home Network Diagram PDF file 30K

  • November 2005 - Home Computer Networking - Chuck Roberts
    Networking, Part I script - PDF file - 180K
    Networking Diagrams A - PDF file - 54K
    Networking Diagrams B - PDF file - 23K

  • Nov & Dec 2005 - Intel "Build Your Own Computer" Seminars, Parts I & II
         Slides, Scripts, and Intel tech data will be placed on 12/05 CD of the month


  • September 2005 - Useful Software Utilities

    Route 1 Pro Buttonbar
    Bill Walsh, WAC's director of meeting services, introduced the group to Route 1 Pro, a "button bar" replacing or enhancing the standard Windows interface, providing access to applications, documents, and information at the single touch of a button. The program provides quick, easy access to your programs and files, and includes a powerful scripting language, complete with full documentation, allowing you to consolidate tedious operations into a single click. http://www.creativelement.com/route1pro/

    Application Mover Screenshot
    Bill discussed another useful program from Funduc Software. Application Mover is a tool that relocates installed programs from one path to another on your hard disk. Application Mover takes files found in the path specified in the 'Current Path' field and moves them to the 'New Path' path. Application Mover scans the windows registry for references to files located in the 'Current' field and changes those references to the 'New' path. Application Mover also scans all windows shortcuts in the Start Menu and adjusts path references to the new program location. http://www.funduc.com/app_mover.htm

    Application Mover Screenshot Cursor editor Chuck Roberts demonstrated FileLocator Pro, a utility program that allows you to search your computer for "that file or information" you know you saved somewhere. FileLocator Pro does not consider any file too small or insignificant to examine. Major features include: ZIP, RAR, CAB, PDF Word Doc file searching; Active Scripting support for search customization; LAN/WAN network drives searching (UNC support); and the ability to export search results in Text, CSV, HTML, or XML format. http://mythicsoft.com/flpro/default.aspx




  • August 2005 - Intel Digital Home Experience, presented by Bill Walsh

  • July 2005 - Geof Goodrum and Chuck Roberts: VOIP Internet Telephony
    • Presentation Slides in PDF format


  • February '05 - Geof Goodrum: Alternate Browser and Email Software
    Mozilla Suite     FireFox     Thunderbird
    Netscape
    WAC member Lance Cutlar's web site - Justaguy.org

  • November '04
  • September '04 - Geof Goodrum: Setting Up and Securing your Home Wireless Network

  • April '04 - Bill Walsh
          TClock Taskbar Utility

  • February '04 - Chuck Roberts
          Hard Drive Backup

  • February '04 - Paul Howard
          Smart Computing Tips - Color, 504K PDF file
          Smart Computing Tips - B&W, 60K PDF file
          Smart Computing Subscription Program

  • January '04 - Chuck Roberts
          Genealogy

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