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 The following presentations are currently scheduled for the indicated meeting:
Nov 30, 2024:
This will be a Business Meeting and SCPCUG member Chris Gaughan
was to give his presentation “Introducing the new SCPCUG
website.” Chris is scheduled to become the new SCPCUG WebMaster
on Nov 30, 2024.
Nov 16, 2024: At this Learning Center Meeting SCPCUG member Chris Gaughan was to give a presentation “Introducing the new SCPCUG website.” This presentation was postponed until the Nov 30, 2024 Business Meeting. This Nov 16 meeting became a Help Session for anyone with computer problems. Nov 2, 2024: New SCPCUG member Chris Gaughan gave a very interesting presentation on Google Tools - email, drive, calendar, and share a document. Oct 5, 2024: No presentation had been scheduled for this Learning Center Meeting but our SCPCUG President Dan Douglas surprised us at the meeting with an excellent presentation on Electric Vehicles. Seems Dan recently leased a new electric Kia and so was eager to tell us all about his first 60 days with it. Since Dan is a car aficionado he spoke in great detail for over an hour about his new pride and joy. There were many questions from the members which Dan easily answered. Download a PDF of Dan's Presentation here: http://www.scpcug.com/ElectricCarExperiences.pdf Aug 17, 2024:
SCPCUG President Dan Douglas and Membership Officer Linda Glassburn
discussed the Microsoft Edge Browser Secure Network. This feature
automatically uses a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for public
Wi-Fi. Privacy and security settings, tracking prevention, browser
data, and Microsoft Services will be reviewed. Jul 6, 2024: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a presentation on "Ripping a CD or DVD." If you brought your laptop that has a CD or DVD device and a blank CD or DVD you cold follow along. When you copy music, pictures, and videos from your PC to a blank CD or DVD, it's called "burning." When you copy music, pictures, and videos from a CD or DVD to your PC, it's called "ripping." You can use Windows Media Player to do both. When you rip music from a CD, you're copying songs from an audio CD to your PC. During the ripping process, the Player compresses each song and stores it on your drive as a Windows Media Audio (WMA), WAV, or MP3 file. Ripped files are automatically saved to the Music folder, but you can change the location using the options on the Rip settings tab. A Help Session followed the presentation. Two Download files of the presentation are available here: http://www.scpcug.com/rip cds 7 6 2024.pdf and http://www.scpcug.com/rip cds 7 6 2024.pptx. Jun 29, 2024: This was a Business Meeting followed by a Help Session. There was no Guest Speaker. Jun 15, 2024: SCPCUG Member Pete Vander Haeghen showed us how to make a Digital Checkbook Registry using a Spreadsheet Program such as Microsoft Office Excel or LibreOffice Calc. Jun 1, 2024: For this Learning Center Presentation Dan created a PDF with 13 News Item Topics. The Topic items are actuall links. Left clicking on any of them takes you to the actual article. Download the PDF at: http://www.scpcug.com/Misc News Item Topics 1June2024.pdf. Dan covered the following items at this meeting: Chrome report reveals which extension could be slowing down your browser the most, How to access the secret Roku menus (msn.com), How long does an SSD last? (msn.com), 10 beloved PC programs Windows 10 renders obsolete | PCWorld, and 5 Antivirus Software Brands to Avoid. Apr 27, 2024: Well known Best-selling author and SCPCUG member James O. Born gave a lecture on "How to Write a Novel" at the Central Public Library in Cocoa on Saturday April 27, 2024. This free event was sponsored by the Brevard Authors Society. Click this link for details: http://www.scpcug.com/April 27 2024 James O. Born.pdf. Apr 20, 2024:
SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a 1 hour and 30 minute presentation
on "PC Performance Tips." A PDF presentation file is
available for download or opening in your browser at: http://www.scpcug.com/PC
Performance Tips.pdf. Apr 6, 2024: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas discussed Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence program Copilot. Here are two presentation files which you can download or open in your browser: http://www.scpcug.com/copilot intro autopilot 4 2024.pdf. http://www.scpcug.com/microsoft copilot intro.pdf. In addition to the Copilot discussion a number of questions were asked about Internet speeds, routers, etc. Mar 30, 2024: This was our Business Meeting with Board of Directors elections. Gene Luke Vlahovic was elected SCPCUG Vice President replacing Larry Bennett. Meeting Minutes are available for download or viewing in your browser at: http://www.scpcug.com/March 30-2024 Minutes SCPCUG business meeting.pdf Mar 16, 2024: President Dan Douglas answered questions from the members such as "How do I add an attachment to an email.?" There was also a discussion on backups. If one does not have a backup and your hard drive fails it could get very expensive to have a recovery company restore your data. Dan mentioned a business that paid $1300 to have client data restored. Mar 2, 2024: President Dan Douglas used the White Board to discuss using the "Cloud" such as iCloud or OneDrive for the backing up of data. He suggested that several copies of computer data backups are needed and the use of different storage devices such as flash drives. If a large amount of data is backed up to the cloud it could take a very long time to download all that data when it is needed. This is one of the disadvantages of just backing up everything to the cloud. Jan 20, 2024:
President Dan Douglas showed 2 movies. One movie explained how
the old mechanical Hard Drives worked with great details on the
complexity of all the mechanical moving parts. The second movie
showed the simplicity of the new Solid State Hard Drives that
come with all new computers. Dec 30, 2023: This was a Learning Center Meeting only. The Business Meeting originally scheduled was cancelled due to lack of items to discuss. Dec 16, 2023: This is the day of our Annual Holiday Party in the Merritt Island Library Auditorium. There is no formal meeting. See the Special Events page for details. Nov 4, 2023: At this Learning Center Meeting our Club Membership Officer Linda Glassburn followed up on Dan's Oct 21, 2023 presentation by using the new white board to provide info on "End of Life" for various electronic devices including Smartphones. Linda said the average lifespan of smartphones is around 2.5 years. It could be even less for some devices – between 15 and 18 months. Bigger brands like Apple and Samsung tend to have longer lifespans than smaller companies. Here are the average lifespans for some of today’s most popular phones: iPhone – 4 to 8 years, Samsung – 3 to 6 years, Google Pixel – 3 to 5 years, and Huawei – 2 to 4 years. Linda also provided a website where you can select your phone and view if the phone model is still supported and/or discontinued. Checkout https://endoflife.date/. This link is also featured in the "1 New Link" section of the Nov 18, 2023 WebMaster Report. Oct 28, 2023: The Brevard Authors Society had the honor of presenting New York Times best-selling author, Mr. James O. Born, a traditionally published writer of award-winning mystery novels and the co-author of James Patterson's novels at the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Public Library in Cocoa. Jim Born is also a member of the Space Coast PC Users Group and a past SCPCUG Treasurer. Many of us attended his very educational and entertaining lecture. You can view a 58 min video of his presentation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjV3CSwhGAM. Brevard Authors Society membership is free. For additional information contact Gene Luke at genelukevlahovic@gmail.com. Gene is also a SCPCUG member. Oct 21, 2023: At this Learning Center Meeting SCPCUG President Dan Douglas had the first opportunity to use the new white board that the SCPCUG had requested. Our thanks to Library Area Director Janice Murray for getting us this portable white board. Dan gave an informal presentation on the capabilities and differences of various smartphones. He compared iPhones with Android phones with respect to things like cost, ease of use, security, etc. Sep 2, 2023: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a very informative 1.5 hr presentation on "Directory Structure of Files & Folders" or "How Stuff is Stored on Your PC & How to Find it!" You can download this Presentation at: http://www.scpcug.com/directory structure sept 2023.pdf. Also Note: If you missed Dan's Scamming Presentation which he gave at our June 17, 2023 Learning Center Meeting, he will be giving it again on Saturday September 9th from 2-4 PM at the Brevard Central Library in Cocoa. Details here: Scammer Presentation 9Sep2023.jpg Jun 17, 2023: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a detailed presentation lasting over an hour on Scamming. He covered: What is scamming? / Known scams / How to identify and detect a scam attempt / Resources to help with scams. There were many questions from the audience that Dan answered. He also had 16 GB PNY Flash Drives for sale for $5 (that served as a Funds Raiser for the club) which contained his entire presentation so there was no need to take notes. If you don't need another Flash Drive you can now download Dan's Scams Presentation at: http://www.scpcug.com/ScamsPresentation-June2023.pdf. Jun 3, 2023: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a demo presentation on How Microsoft Edge can be used as a Password Manager. This Learning Center meeting took place in the Library Conference Room and was attended by 17 people. Apr 29, 2023: This Learning Center meeting was combined with the Business Meeting. The Learning Center part took place after the Business Meeting. Next Business Meeting will be July 29. Jan 21, 2023: This Learning Center meeting was combined with a Business Meeting to elect new officers versus waiting until the end of April. No volunteers stepped forward. Dec 17, 2022: This is the day of our Annual Holiday Party in the Merritt Island Library Auditorium. There is no formal meeting. See the Special Events page for details. Dec 3, 2022: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas continued his presentation on Windows 10 and 11 System Settings. Nov 5, 2022: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas continued his presentation on Windows 10 System Settings starting with Multitasking. He also discussed some Windows 11 Systems Settings. It was noted that there are differences in the Setting formatting between Win 10 and Win 11. Oct 29, 2022: Web Master Curt Potsic chaired the Business Meeting and Learning Center Meeting. Discussions at the Business Meeting covered the need for a white board, need to raise funds for the Treasury, finding a newTreasurer, planning for the Dec 17 Christmas Party, need for new updated brochures, etc. Oct 15, 2022: Due to being in the Conference Room and not many attendees SCPCUG President Dan Douglas decided to postpone the continuation of his presentation of Windows 10 System Settings until Nov 5. Oct 1, 2022: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas continued his presentation on Windows 10 System Settings. This time Dan covered Settings for Storage and Tablet. Sep 17, 2022: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas continued his presentation on Windows 10 System Settings. He reviewed Display and Sound from the Aug 20 Learning Center Meeting and then continued on with a very detailed presentation on the Windows 10 System Settings for Notifications & Actions, Focus Assist, and Power & Sleep. Aug 20, 2022: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave a short presentation on Windows 10 Settings for Display and Sound at the Aug 20 Learning Center Meeting. Hopefully Dan will continue going through more of the Windows 10 Settings at future Learning Center Meetings. Mar 19, 2022: As a follow-up to SCPCUG President Dan Douglas' Feb 19 presentation on Window 11, this month Dan gave a 30 minute informative and somewhat complex presentation on the process of upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 even if your computer states it cannot be upgraded. Open the following PDF presentation data link in your browser or download the PDF at: http://www.scpcug.com/Win10to11Process.pdf. As another source of such information WindowsChimp has a 3 minute YouTube video "How to Upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Unsupported PCs?" at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B58goO8L4w. Note that Microsoft does not recommend doing this because you run the risk that Windows 11 might not perform correctly on unsupported hardware and Microsoft might stop updates for unsupported PCs in the future. Feb 19, 2022: At this Learning Center Meeting SCPCUG President Dan Douglas gave an excellent, very detailed, and informative presentation on Windows 11. Dan spoke for over 2 hours and answered many questions from audience members. Dan had a file that contained YouTube video links and the resource links that Dan used for the topics in his presentation. Topics included: What’s different from Windows 10, What computers can run Windows 11, Why would you want to upgrade, and Main uses of computers and changes from 10 to 11. Download a PDF of the presentation data at: http://www.scpcug.com/Win11PresentationOverview.pdf. Jan 29, 2022:
This is the 5th Saturday of January 2022. The previous Main Monthly
Meetings have been replaced with a Business Meeting on 5th Saturdays
of a month. Nov 18, 2021: The November Monthly Meeting.was both a Business meeting and a Computer Roundtable Q & A session moderated by SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan). A discussion was held on the 3 open BOD Officer positions (Secretary, Treasurer, and Learning Center Manager) currently listed as "Acting" with Barbara Mead and Dan Douglas doing double duty. Many of the details for our a Dec 18 Christmas Party were resolved. Linda Glassburn needs a RSVP by Dec 4. See the Special Events page for more on the party. Linda will also be working on updating the club's Bylaws. Meeting dates are also being revised for 2022. All meetings will now be only on Saturday with Learning Center meetings on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays and the Main Monthly meeting will now be called a Business meeting and take place on 5th Saturdays. There were also a couple of technical questions dealing with Hard Drives (mechanical vs. solid state) and Flashdrives. Oct 21, 2021: Our Guest Speaker this month was Mr. Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, an IT Security Expert and Avast! Software Representative, who gave his presentation "Is Cyber Security Really Important?" via Zoom. Bob had given this presentation on Jan 22, 2021 at the Deerfield Beach Computer Club meeting. Here is the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXhoR5EaZDs. The video 1 hr and 15 min long. Presentation intro is at 1 min 40 sec. Q&A with Bob starts at approx 38 min 37 sec. and ends at 1 hr 7 min. Near the presentation end at the 38 min point Bob offers the followin link: https://goo.gl/5v4sIQ. This link provides additional helful info (with links) such as: Instructions to successfully install Avast, Programs to Help Keep You Safe, Other Free Software to consider, Free Firewall programs, etc. Jul 15, 2021: This was another Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. DataDan gave a very informative walk through demonstration of Windows 11 with comparisons to Window 10. Jun 17, 2021: With the Merritt Island Public Library Auditorium renovations finally completed,.the June meeting was another Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. Discussion ranged from how one goes about doing Windows 10 Settings to what does Windows 11 have in store for us. Dan Douglas also gave us a somewhat detailed but very informative lesson on "Change Management." He talked about the various steps a company like Microsoft must go through in bringing about computer software changes. May 20, 2021: Meeting was CANCELLED due to No Library Rooms available. This was to be a Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. Merritt Island Public Library Auditorium renovations are running past the originally scheduled completion date of May 14. Apr 15, 2021: Due to Merritt Island Public Library Auditorium renovations a physical meeting was not possible. It was decided that our April Monthly Meeting be a ZOOM call. This was Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. Ten members attended. There was discussion about scheduling Covid-19 vaccine shots along with a few technical mentions such as LG Leaving the Smartphone Business, Windows 10 Ver 20H2 Nearing 30% Usage, Amazon Fire TV Adding 200 Free Live Channels, and Microsoft Killing Cortana on Mobile. There was also a question on "Why is Windows Update showing a 0x80070422 error?" Mar 18, 2021: Our March Monthly Meeting was a Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. The Q & A covered a variety of topics. Dan reviewed an AARP article on "What to Consider When Buying A New Computer." Other items discussed included Win 10X vs Win 10S differences, importing and exporting browser favorites or bookmarks, Win 10 Task Manager, security concerns with Anti-Virus programs and VPNs, etc. Feb 18, 2021:
Our Guest Speaker this month was Mr. Jere Minich
who is the Programs, User Group Relations Director of the
Lake Sumter Computer Society (http://www.lscs.us/)
and our APCUG Board of Advisors Region 5 (AL, FL, GA, SC)
Representative. Jere is also the author of the popular APCUG
column "Jere's Tech Tips for Windows, Android, and Linux"
(https://apcug2.org/jerestips/).
Due to COVID-19 concerns Guest Speakers have been hard to find.
We are very thankful that Jere agreed to be our first Guest Speaker
in over a year. Jere last visited us on Mar 21, 2019 and, as
in the past, gave two excellent presentations with great details
on Save Money on Ink and Tune-Up Your Windows PC.
Jan 21, 2021: Our January Monthly Meeting was a Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating. The Q & A again covered a variety of subjects such as VPN's (Virtual Private Network), Common Passwords and how fast they can be cracked, the Brave Browser, Smart Home with an Amazon Echo Flex, etc. Nov 19, 2020: Our November Monthly Meeting was a Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. The Q & A covered a variety of topics including: Amazon Alexa App now on the PC with Video/Audio Calling, PC sound problem, Malware Bytes new toolbar, System Mechanic not recommended, Get a Printer Selection box from a web page in your browser, Laptop hinges repair, PC Power Pushbutton problems, etc. Oct 15, 2020: Our October Monthly Meeting was a Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. Face Masks Are A Mandatory Requirement to attend our meetings.A few of the topics covered at our Q & A session included: Win 10 installation of ver 2004, scam phone calls, Artificial Intelligents (AI) assistants, smart homes, and PC statistics in view of COVID-19. Sep 17, 2020: Our September Monthly Meeting was another Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. The Q & A covered a variety of topics including: Pros and cons of Malware Bytes and Spybot, changes in Facebook apps and the Facebook website, Dashline Password manager and other password managers, how to find which browser extensions are installed and how they work together, the best way to copy something from an article, video editing apps using the free download Shotcut, backup techniques not using the cloud, etc. Aug 20, 2020: Our August Monthly Meeting was another Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. The Saturday Learning Center Meeting schedule is now finalized for the remainder of the year. Check the Learning Center page http://www.scpcug.com/learnctr.html for details. Face Masks are now Mandatory to attend our meetings. Beverages and snacks are not to be shared. The Q & A covered a variety of topics including: Win 10 Tips app, Laptop battery usage settings, Artificial Intelligence (AI) info, SCPCUG Journal PDF article links, etc. Jul 16, 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic (coronavirus) Guest Speakers are hard to find. Our July Monthly Meeting was another Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. The Saturday Learning Center Schedule meetings were discussed as the Library Conference Room is quite small for proper social distancing. The Saturday Learning Center Meeting schedule is now being finalized for the remainder of the year. For this July 16 meeting chairs were spaced out 6-8 feet apart. Per SCPCUG President Dan Douglas Face Masks are now a Mandatory Requirement to attend our meetings. Beverages and snacks are not to be shared. The Q &A covered a variety of topics including: File Explorer Checkbox, TV Menu Color Settings, Printer Page Size Settings, Compatible Printer Ink Cartridges and Printer Firmware, etc. Jun 18, 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic (coronavirus) all meetings at the Merritt Island Public Library were cancelled for March, April, and May. Monthly meetings have now been restored. Chairs are spaced out 6-8 feet apart. According to the CDC and WHO, face masks should be worn in public while keeping at least a 6 foot space between people. Beverages and snacks should not be shared. This was a Welcome Back meeting with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) presiding. A discussion and Q&A was held. Subjects included Microsoft Edge updates, Malwarebytes, and Zoom. Also the Board Of Directors Officers would normally have been voted upon during the March meeting but due to the pandemic, the group decided to go ahead with the same Board members in place until 2021. Feb 20, 2020: Lacking a Guest Speaker for February, we again had a Computer Roundtable Q & A session. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) and several other Officers were not present for various reasons. Web Master Curt Potsic chaired the meeting and addressed the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. Items discussed included: iCloud and DirecTV scams, what to do with an old cell phone, Price Match Policies of several retailers, forthcoming Windows 10X effect on customers now using Win10, Microsoft ceasing support for Win10 ver1809 in May 2020 causing customers with only 32GB C-drive devices to do a clean install of Win10 ver1909 or newer, WordPad Page Setup problem on certain computers after install of Feb 11 update to Win10 ver1909. Jan 16, 2020: Again we had no Guest Speaker so we held a Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. Much of the session, surprisingly, dealt with cell phones. There was much audience participation with people wanting to know about transferring contacts, apps, photos, etc. from an old phone to a new phone. Differences between Android phones and Apple iPhones were discussed as well as a comparison of Android and Apple App stores with the Microsoft Windows store. Also the differences in the handling of App, Operating System, and Phone Maker Hardware updates was a subject. Samsung, LG. and Apple iPhone differences were mentioned as well as Tracfones and there automated ease of activating and transfer of minutes, data, and texts without having to talk to a live person (an example of talking to Artificial Intelligence at work). Nov 7, 2019: There being no Guest Speaker for November, we held a Computer Roundtable Q & A session with SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderating this informal computer meeting to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. Several items discussed were how to print web browser newspaper articles, the role of Adobe Flash Player in various browsers, importing favorites or bookmarks in browsers, and Outlook unexpectedly sending the same email twice. Oct 17, 2019: Mr. Robert Hong of Apple runs the Apple Shop inside the Best Buy of Melbourne. He told us about the New Advancements in Apple’s Electronic Technology now available to the public. Robert talked about the new iPad Operating System (OS) and it's Simplicity, Security, Apps, Productivity, and Files. The iPad can do Microsoft Office and can now attach external storage devices via USB as well as use cloud storage. Next Robert discussed the iPhone 11 and the Pro version. He mentioned Features such as photos being easier to use, the iPhone works with any Apple device, and the Pro version having 3 lenses and significantly longer battery life. Then Robert talked about the Features and Benefits of the Apple Watch. It has a ECG (Electrocardiogram) sensor to monitor your heart, Fall Detection which calls 911 automatically if you do not respond in 60 seconds. You can also use the SOS Feature which calls emergency services (911). After the call ends, the Apple Watch alerts your emergency contacts that you made a call and sends them your current location. In addition the Apple Watch also has a Fitness Tracker and you can customize Notifications. In conclusion Robert opened it up for Q & A's. There were quite a number of questions from the audience, one of which was Apple Watch compatibility. The answer is the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone. It does not work with other Apple devices. Sep 26, 2019: Mr. Jeff Gilchriest presented an Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies Update. He discussed the definition of AI. It is an attempt to simulate how the human brain works. The goal is to make machines smarter and smarter. We have examples of AI in smartphones, self-driving autos, and games. AI uses algorithms which are a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations to complete a task. Jeff talked about how robots use algorithms to make decisions. AI involves learning, reasoning, and problem solving. Types include Machine Learning, Neural Networks, and Deep Learning. Facial recognition was discussed and how it is becoming more difficult to tell original videos from deepfake videos which has caused problems for sites like Facebook. At the rate AI is progressing, it is estimated we could get to full generalized AI in 6-10 years. The question becomes will robots or computers evolve through AI to the point that humans are no longer needed as machines become self-aware. Humans however have emotions, feelings, spirit, etc. AI systems presently do not. Aug 29, 2019: The scheduled Guest Speaker, Mr. Jeff Gilchriest, cancelled due to needing to prepare for the approaching Hurricane Dorian. He has been rescheduled for our Sep 26 meeting. Therefore, another Computer Roundtable Q&A session was held with SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderating . Questions were answered about the Control Panel, Power Options, Windows 10 Search, Microsoft's Tips page for Win 10 ver 1903, missing Tasbar Icons, the free program Belarc Advisor, etc. Jul 25, 2019:
This started as a another Computer Roundtable moderated
by SCPCUG President Dan Douglas. Several items discussed
were: Arlo security camera setup, cell phone service not working
in a house with a metal roof, HP laptop problem of it's keyboard
& mouse not working on Win 10 yet an external keyboard worked,
and Avast Antivirus vrs Windows Defender. Most of the session
was a presentation by Dan called "Top Ten Issues from
a PC Repair Tech Perspective" which is based on Dan's
personal experiences at his DataDan Computer Services store.
Jun 27, 2019: Not having a Guest Speaker this month, another Computer Roundtable Q&A session was held. SCPCUG President Dan Douglas (DataDan) was on vacation. Web Master Curt Potsic and Journal Editor Ron Ingraham addressed the member questions. Two items from Curt's Web Master Report drew a few questions: The Monster Multi-White USB LED Light strip (because of it's cheap price) and The Best Antivirus for Windows 10 (as people related their experiences with various Antivirus programs). A large discussion centered around Jere Minich's Tips item: Firefox to Block Third-Party Tracking Cookies by Default. Ron showed the group how to get to Jere's Tips on the APCUG website. Ron then demonstrated how to install the new Mozilla Firefox Browser. Curt and Ron next talked about how to configure the new privacy settings to block tracking cookies. Comparisons were made concerning privacy between the Chrome and FireFox browsers. May 16, 2019: This month we held another Computer Roundtable Q&A session with our panel of “experts.” SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderated this informal computer meeting to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. Among the discussions were questions about the best home security systems, APCUG's Jere's tips column, the coming Win 10 version 1903, an old hard drive slowing a WinXP computer, new solid state hard drives being faster and cheaper in price, etc. Dan wrapped up the meeting by explaining the computer BIOS (basic input/ouput system). He discussed what BIOS is and how to use it along with the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) battery. Apr 11, 2019:
This month's meeting started with SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan
Douglas (DataDan), giving a very informative Slide Show
presentation on "How to Use eBay." This raised
several questions resulting in a comparison to Craigslist and
Alibaba. Mar 21, 2019:
Mr. Jere Minich is the Program Director of the Lake Sumter
Computer Society and our APCUG Board of Advisors Region 5 (Florida,
Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina) Representative. As in the
past, Jere did another excellent and outstanding job by giving
us 3 mini-presentations on New Privacy Updates for Windows
10, Password Managers, and What is a VPN (Virtual
Private Network). He also included an Extra on Tips and
Hints. In place of just a short presentation summary here,
Jere was kind enough to provide us copies of all 4 presentations.
Feb 14, 2019: This month we held a Computer Roundtable Dialogue with our panel of “experts.” SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderated this informal computer meeting to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. As usual the subjects covered were both diverse and informative. They included: router leasing, sandboxing on PCs, Roku as a separate streaming device and built into a smart TV, the number of streaming channels on smart TVs, Wi-Fi range extenders, Wi-Fi speed required for streaming movies and it's dependence on the number of devices connected and in use (PCs, tablets, smartphones, TVs, smart home devices like smart plugs & bulbs, voice assistant speakers), etc. Jan 17, 2019:
Mr. Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, an IT Security
Expert and Avast! Software
Representative gave a very comprehensive and complete presentation
on "Protecting Your Digital Life." Bob covered
a multitude of things including: a Senior Social Security Scam,
the need to do Image backups to avoid Cryptolocker Ransomware,
changing admin router passwords, Wi-Fi Inspector on the Free
version of Avast Antivirus, tracking cookies, the new Avast Secure
Browser, VPN, 10 tips to protect against email hacks,, phishing,
Layered Protection, using a Password Manager, etc. Bob mentioned
that Avast has been business for 31 years and now has 430 million
users worlwide. Also Avast is now working on Smart Home Security.
It is presently in beta testing. Nov 15, 2018: This month another Computer Roundtable Dialogue was held with our panel of “experts.” SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderated this informal computer meeting to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. As in the past the range of subjects covered was quite diverse and informative. They inclued: what is a VPN (Virtual Private network), how to block spam, choosing default apps in Window 10, email default accounts, scam phone calls and caller ID, credit card hacking, etc. Oct 18, 2018: Mr. Gene Vlahovic, Director and Founder of the Brevard Authors Society, gave a presentation overview on How to Create a Free Website. Gene mentioned several free sites for building websites: Wix, Site123, Weeby, etc. Of those mentioned Gene prefers Weeby and walked us through some of it's features. He also took us to YouTube which has many videos on how to use Weebly. The video he highlighted is Beginner's Guide to Weebly which runs over 1hr 11min. Click the link HOW TO CREATE A FREE WEBSITE-with WEEBLY.docx to download a copy of Gene's presentation. Members might also want to consider the following articles in choosing a website builder: The best free website builder of 2018 | TechRadar and What Is The Best Free Website Builder Software? Sep 20, 2018: Mr. William Garcia of AT&T told us about the New AT&T Technologies and Services available for the Internet, TV and Phone. William has been with AT&T for 8 years helping customers and prospective customers locally. Many questions were asked by audience members which William readily answered. Some of the subjects covered were connection devices, Internet speeds vs number of connected devices, U-verse, DirecTV vs DirecTV Now, customer loyalty advantages, advantage of bundling services, Internet streaming, and the DirectTV skill for using your voice with Amazon's Alexa to control your TV. Aug 16, 2018: This month's Computer "Roundtable" turned out to be a little of everything. Web Master Curt Potsic gave a "show & tell" demo of a unique Tablet & Cell Phone Stand Holder made by Sime-On. Prices start at $6.99 on Amazon. Click Here for a YouTube video. Curt also told us about a $13.99 Smart Multicolored & Dimmable LED Light Bulb that works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Next, SCPCUG President Dan Douglas (DataDan) expanded on his Learning Center presentation on "How to Use Task Manager Effectively" in Win 7 & 10. The meeting concluded with DataDan answering questions ranging from using and installing Solid State Drives to explaining AP (wireless Acess Point) mode vs Router mode. AP mode is used frequently for installing smart plugs & smart bulbs. Jul 19, 2018: Mr. Gene Vlahovic, Director and Founder of the Brevard Authors Society, gave a very informative presentation on how to use a Free Simple Graphics Design program that members of the Brevard Authors Society, are using. This free open source program is called "Canva" and is extremely helpful in designing and creating an assortment of practical craft like posters, business cards, flyers, gift cards, birthday cards, certificates, magazines, newsletters, book covers, Facebook page, website pages and a whole lot more. The program cannot be downloaded and is only available for online use. Gene guided us through the basic procedure of registering and loging on as well as showing us a number of operating steps to create business cards, e-book covers, etc. When your creation is completed it can be downloaded for printing. Gene also recommended Bring2market.com, (contact person/email: Dallas Nesselroad <design@bring2market.com>) for ordering high-quality professional print jobs of your creation should you so desire. A copy of Gene's presentation is available for download as a MSWord document at: http://www.scpcug.com/CanvaPresentation.docx. Jun 21, 2018: Dr. Ben Dibiase, Director of Educational Resources and COO of the Florida Historical Society (FHS), gave a very informative presentation on New Technologies Making Florida Historical Artifacts Interactive. Dr. Dibiase first told us a little about the history of FHS. Founded in 1856, it is the oldest continuous historical society and is head quartered in Cocoa Village. (Additional information on FHS can be found on this page below. Look for the Jun 19, 2014 summary of the presentation by Dr. Ben Brotemarkle.) Dr. Dibiase then began speaking of the advances in recording of our historical artifacts using computer animation /social media topics. He spoke of tech and history intersecting, digitizing the past by scanning photos, artifacts, and historical documents. He talked about the Valley of the Shadow Project which is a digital history project about the American Civil War, hosted by the University of Virginia, detailing the experiences of Confederate and Union soldiers. He spoke about the Florida Memory website. FHS is also into Podcasting with their weekly Florida Frontiers radio and TV programs. Dr. Dibiase told us about use of Global Information Systems and 3-D modeling and simulation of artifacts, plus multispectral/hyperspectral imaging. Examples of 3-D modeling can be found on Sketchfab. One example he showed us was the Irma canoe (a wooden canoe discovered one day after Hurricane Irma battered the east coast of Florida, washing up on a shoreline road next to the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County. May 17, 2018: Ms. Theresa Adlam, a Victim’s Services Program Specialist from the Florida Attorney General Office’s in Orlando, gave an excellent and very informative presentation on Identity Theft plus Internet and Phishing Scam Dangers and told us how to protect ourselves from ID Theft. She provided a wealth of information and many handouts. We found out that nationally in 2017, Florida was #2 for ID Thefts with 31,167 reports and #1 for Fraud reports. Our local metropolitan area (Palm Bay to Titusville) ranked #44 for ID Theft and #30 for Fraud. Theresa talked about a vast array of items including: stealing ID's (by credit card theft, skimming credit reports, physical theft, hacking, shoulder surfing, etc), strong passwords (have at least 8 characters, mixture of upper & lower case letters, numbers, symbols, change every 3 months, different for various log-ins), getting annual credit reports, protecting yourself with a credit freeze (free July 1, 2018) rather than a fraud alert, and various scams designed to get your personal information (loan related, free holidays, lower electric bill, insurance coverage, anti-aging products, cemetary plots, tech support, romance, etc). She also said never use a debit card at a gas pump. Gas pump skimmers found in Florida have increased dramatically from 169 in 2015 to 654 in 2017. They are now very sophisticated bluetooth devices and 197 have already been found as of March 2018. Helpful links mentioned by Theresa included: www.IdentityTheft.gov, www.ic3.gov, and www.annualcreditreport.com. April 19, 2018: When our Guest Speaker failed to appear for his presentation on Scams and Phishing Traps, SCPCUG President Dan Douglas took over and told us about his experiences with repairing of customer computers at his DataDan Computer Services store. SCPCUG Vice President Larry Bennett and Journal Editor Rom Ingraham also related stories of people they had helped. Basically, if you receive a phone call saying they have monitored your computer and see it has viruses, hang up! They might even say they are from Microsoft. Microsoft will never call you and there is really no way for some unknown company to be specifically monitoring your computer. The same goes for pop-ups that suddenly appear on your screen saying your computer has viruses and to call a phone number to get your computer fixed. The message might even say not to shut down your computer as you will lose your data. It may even prevent you from doing a normal shutdown. These are all scare tactics to get you to spend money on their service. Dan says 70% of the time turning off power by pulling the plug will cause no harm. If you do call the listed phone number the person answering will want permission to access your computer to fix it and then want your credit card info, thus opening you up to ID Theft from an unknown source. If you do have a concern about viruses on your computer it is best to get it checked out locally by a trusted source. Mar 15, 2018: Robert Hong who runs the Apple Shop inside the Best Buy of Melbourne gave an excellent presentation on the New Advancements in Apple’s Electronic Technology. Robert is one of a select group of 600 Apple representatives across the country. He told us his shop can do Apple Care repairs and he is available for any questions or concerns people may have about Apple products. You can reach him at 321-258-3006 by phone or ROBERT_HONG@APPLE.COM by email. Robert told us about Mac Compatibility and showed us how Apple's Pages program is very similar to Microsoft Word and also allows for converting it's output to export in a number of different formats. He told us about Windows on Mac and that Mac was designed to last and perform with security, battery life, ease of use and great software. All Apple software and hardware is designed in-house which gives them greater control. Programs can be easily deleted as program files are all in one place and not scattered. Robert also told us about the Mac OS Features like Continuity, Handoff, Air Drop, Multilanguage Support, New Photo's App, and iCloud. Feb 15, 2018:
A Computer “Round Robin Question & Answer”
session was held with SCPCUG President, Dan Douglas (DataDan),
moderating. As in previous sessions a variety of subjects were
discussed including: Malwarebytes not wanting to run, Setting
up dual monitors using Win Key + P, Blank screen plus 2 beeps
may indicate RAM problem, VPN & the Opera Browser, Infopackets.com,
Passwords & Microsoft Accounts, New items coming to Win 10
per Microsoft Insiders, and Formatting Drives. Jan 18, 2018: Mr. Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, an IT Security Expert and Avast! Software Representative gave an outstanding and very detailed/informative presentation on the "Internet of Things" (IoT) and Security Software that he titled "If it's Connected, It needs to be Protected." View a 53 min video of this presentation recorded by the Deerfield Beach Computer Club on Jan 12, 2018 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAkPqYTp3_I. Bob also provided us with 3 pages of Follow Up Info that contains many helpful links to related free software. Get it at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YvAsiLdJdgjPpgQ1hWg4O6tdsLp8ZFu6uu33mO7rXP4/edit. For those that may be looking at setting up a Credit Freeze, Bob sent this link: https://youtu.be/1z7TY8l9oW0. Also if you go to Bob's Blog at http://bob3160.blogspot.com/2018/01/1-18-2018-space-coast-pc-users-group.html you will find 3 photos that Bob took during his presentation at our meeting. Nov 16, 2017: Mr. Jeff Gilchriest, owner of “Jeff to the Rescue” gave a very informative presentation on the Emerging Technologies relevant to the Internet and the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Jeff first gave us a brief history of his past in the motion picture and security industries and mentioned his latest company"Jeff to theRescue." Jeff said the IoT market is expanding dramatically. There are now 15.4 billion devices which will grow to 30.7 billion by 2020 and 74 billion by 2025. Next Jeff talked about the sensor market with “smart” devices that have embedded sensors and the ability to communicate with other devices essential to our well-being. Think critical health related implants that alert the wearer and designated health personnel of impending internal medical crises; robots with artificial intelligence that can detect the mood, voice patterns and body language of an upset child and sooth their emotions; to temporary intelligent wearables (like metal tattoos) and jewelry that can communicate with transportation hubs, banking center, TSA and Customs, security centers, and obtain notice of gate changes at airports, and instantly reschedule your itinerary, and provide gate information and ticketing all before the cascade of flight cancellations occur during weather delays at the airport. These smart devices can take many forms such as light bulbs, Nanny cams, kitchen devices (stove knob that senses burner hazards), doorbells, smartphones, self driving cars and trucks, wearables, etc. Bottom line is Artificial Intelligence and Connected Smart devices are about to disrupt our society and our current way of life. Oct 19, 2017:
Mr. Jere Minich, Program Director of the Lake Sumter Computer
Society, and APCUG Board of Advisors Region 5 (Florida, Georgia,
Alabama and South Carolina) gave a very comprehensive and detailed
presentation on the Updated iPhone and iPad Features using
the new IOS-11 Operating System. Jere started out by briefly
mentioning the Krack Wi-Fi exploit affecting Wi-Fi networks using
WPA or WPA 2 encryption. Jere than told us about APCUG
and the APCUG website
which features his Jere's
Tech Tips. A Power Point 8-slide copy of his APCUG presentation
is listed below. Jere than got into his feature presentation
on the Updated features for iPhone and iPad with IOS-11. He talked
about Compatibility, the new App store, Multitasking, Apple Maps,
Screen Shots, the New Control Center, Emergency SOS, a New Compression
Format that allows storing twice as many photos/videos, Notifications,
Live Photos of Video Calls, Saving Web Pages as PDFs, Siri being
More Natural and Expressive, IOS-11 Power Drain, and IOS-11 Problems
and Fixes. A Power Point 49-slide copy of his entire presentation
is listed below. Sep 21, 2017: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue was held with SCPCUG President, Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderating. As in previous sessions a variety of subjects were discussed. Use of a TV antenna rather than cable or satellite dish invoked the most discussion and partcipation. Other items included: Win 10 Update Notifications, the Equifax data breach, free open source software, Using the Windows key plus "P" for selecting Display options, and hospital robots. Aug 17, 2017: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue was held with SCPCUG President, Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderating. This was a very informative session covering a variety of subjects. Using the Update Assistant to update Win 10 was mentioned, along with an email box size problem, and researching the seller's history before buying a TV online. DataDan showed us how to configure Startup programs in Win 10 using Task Manager. Earlier versions of Windows used the MSCONFIG command. Services and memory usage were also discussed. Jul 20, 2017: After answering a few questions the July Roundtable turned into a very informative session on Artificial Intelligence (AI). We viewed an 18 minute YouTube video, "Amazon Echo Show Review," from the Twit TV's Screen Savers show featuring Leo Laporte and Megan Morrone. They concluded that Amazon's adding of a screen and camera to the original Echo made this the most impressive Echo device yet. Next, SCPCUG member Linda Glassburn gave a slide presentation comparing the Google Home and Amazon Echo devices. President Dan Douglas wrapped everything up by demonstrating his Amazon Echo Show (connected by using his iPhone as a Wi-Fi hot spot). Dan showed some of the Echo Show's features, answered a variety of questions from the audience, and all present were given an opportunity to ask questions of Alexa to get a "real life" feel for the quality of current Artificial Intelligence Technology. Jun 15, 2017: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue was held with SCPCUG President, Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderating. A problem with Internet speed differences by room locations within the house was discussed. A Windows 10 Cumulative Update failure was also talked about as well as a lack of C-drive space not allowing for windows updates. Dan also asked for computer related subjects anyone would like to know more about so he could do some teaching at future meetings. May 18, 2017: Mr. Enrico Iacobi gave an informative presentation on Windows Home Server which is based on Windows Server 2003 R2. It is a solution for homes with multiple connected PCs to have file sharing, automated backups, a print server, and remote access. The hardware and software is no longer new but is still available on eBay at reasonable prices. Enrico showed us how he uses his HP Media Server to store movie videos, music, photos, and other data files. He can share them between his various computers as the server stores everything in a centarlized location. His home server has a small form factor as it is basically a computer with several hard drives with specialized sofware, has no monitor/display, and uses a low cost x86 CPU with 4 external USB ports. It can do auto daily PC backups allowing for a simple restore. The server allows for up to 10 computers and 10 users. Expanding the storage is as simple as plugging in a new hard drive. Enrico's system runs 24hr/day and only uses 65 watts of power. Apr 13, 2017: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue was held with SCPCUG President, Dan Douglas (DataDan), moderating. Due to a lack of questions from the audience Dan discussed ransomware and told us about his experiences with repairing computers that had been infected with ransomware. SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham showed us how to install and run the free version of Malwarebytes. We wrapped up the meeting by celebrating Ron's birthday with a surprise birthday cake. Mar 16, 2017: Mr. Mark Kirschner of Magick Movers gave a very informative presentation on Television in the 21st Century and a review of the Phantom 3 Drone. Mark started with a little of Television's history and talked briefly about Digital Tuners and QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) Tuners. He suggested the website DisableMyCable.com for finding free and cheap alternatives to cable and satellite TV. Mark then went on to discuss HDTV antennas, TV on computers, YouTube Red, YouTube TV, Sling, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Roku, etc. Next Mark told us about his Phantom 3 Drone and showed us a variety of photos taken by his drone. He went over a few specs like battery life, charge time, flight height, and photo resolution. He also told us about learning to fly the drone and the need for some accessories. More info on the Phantom 3 is available at https://www.dji.com/phantom-3-standard/info. Feb 16, 2017: Mr. Roy Laughlin, a life-long Brevard County resident and expert on local history, gave a very complete and detailed presentation on Self Publishing. It is now possible and relatively easy by using a desktop computer, publishing software, photo software and the Internet. Roy started out by giving us a brief history of Rockledge & Cocoa based on his self published books. He then told us all about his experience with self publishing. Roy talked about research, dictation vs typing into a word processor, grammar matters, editing, using a drawing program like Adobe Illustrator, page layout, kerning to minimize pages, and finding a Professional Printing Service. After your book is printed you then have to promote it in order to sell copies. In summary, self publishing requires dedication as Roy estimated you would have to sell 1000 copies of your book for your efforts to pay back financially. Jan 19, 2017: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts' was held. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (Data Dan) moderated. Discussions included: Laptop battery heating; Smart TV's; Fraud Alert voicemail; Computer processor differences; Displays (no tuner) vs HDTV; Ransomware; Artificial Intelligence; etc. Nov 17, 2016: Ms. Stacey Kile of Computer Tutor gave a presentation on "How to Fully Use YouTube." Searching/locating content and how to create a YouTube account was discussed. How YouTube connects to your Google account was also discussed. Stacey showed us her YouTube channel and told us how she used Microsoft MovieMaker to create and edit videos for uploading to YouTube. In addition, Stacey told us about the social aspects of YouTube and how YouTube is a social network much like Facebook. In conclusion, Stacey reviewed YouTube as a whole, looking at history, and how to organize videos of interest you have found to share them with others. Oct 20, 2016: Ms. Theresa Ronnebaum, a Victim’s Services Program Specialist from the Florida Attorney General’s Office in Orlando, gave an excellent jam-packed presentation on Identity Theft and Internet Scams. Florida has now dropped to #3 in the nation for Identity Theft but we are still #1 for Fraud. Theresa discussed the top reported ID crimes (Government & Document Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Phone & Utilities Fraud, etc.) and told us Medical ID theft is on the rise. Common scams such as Money Transfer Requests, Telemarketing Fraud, Charity Scams, Emergency Scams (aka Grandparent Scam) and Online Romance Scams were mentioned. We were told ways to protect ourselves and ways to avoid scams. Theresa also told us the proper way to create and use passwords and about Credit Reports and using a Security Freeze. Information about protecting yourself is available online at http://www.800helpfla.com. Sep 15, 2016: Ms. Paige Giese gave a very informative and complete presentation on the "Personal and Business Potential of Social Media Platforms." This was an in-depth tutorial on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Each audience member was given a detailed 14-page handout. Paige covered items such as: The Power of the #Hashtag, Social Media Mistakes, Demographics of Social Media and Types of Content, How to Post and When to Post, etc. Snapchat and Pinterest were also discussed. She followed this outstanding presentation with a Q&A. All present should now feel more comfortable navigating and communicating on these social media platforms. Aug 18, 2016: Another Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts.' SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (Data Dan) moderated. Discussions included: Backing up 2 computers to OneDrive using the same Microsoft account; Alternate Windows log-in methods other than a password; Ink Cartridge Printer ink usage during cleaning cycles; How to sign out of Cortana to keep Cortana from tracking you; Groove Music not building music database; etc. DataDan also demonstrated his Virtual Reality headset. Jul 21, 2016: Another Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts.' SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (Data Dan) moderated. Discussions included: Ransomware does not affect OneDrive cloud storage; Deleting (uninstalling) Quicktime as an Administrator; Win 7 & Win 8 License Key usage; Removing SPAM; Win 10 Anniversary Edition changes; Waking a computer from Sleep mode; Having a class on Task Manager; etc. Jun 16, 2016: Another Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts' was held. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. As in the past much interaction took place. Discussions included: Purchasing a discontinued Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and its possible usage; Using a PS2 mouse with Windows 10; Malware and using the free Malwarebytes program; Being forced to Format a Micro SD card; etc. May 19, 2016: Another Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts' was held. SCPCUG President Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated. As in the past much interaction took place. Discussions included: Faxing from a PC; Earphones not working on an All-in-One PC; Linux OS; Credit Card Chips; Artificial Intelligence by Amazon Echo and new Google Home; etc. Apr 21, 2016: A Computer "Roundtable" Dialogue with our panel of 'experts' was held this month. A wealth of skills and knowledge present helped to answer and discuss various topics/problem areas. SCPCUG President, Mr. Dan Douglas (DataDan) moderated this informal computer meeting to address the audience’s computer issues/questions/problems. Many questions were asked ranging from Image Backups and UPS battery backup systems to the latest Win 10 updates and also about the upcoming Win 10 Anniversary Update. Mar 17, 2016: Ms. Stacey Kile of Computer Tutor gave a presentation on a number of "Educational Websites to Hone your Computer Skills." Stacey started with Free Online Learning at GCFLearnFree. This excellent site offers 125 tutorials, including more than 1,100 lessons, videos, and interactives, completely free. Topics include Technnology (Computers, Email Basics, Internet Basics, Windows, etc.), Living in The Online World, Microsoft Office, etc. Stacey then proceeded to show us How-To Geek - For Geeks, By Geeks which has Windows 10 Articles and YouTube for videos about about computer hardware and software. She mentioned using the filters for refining your search. Next were the sites Google Translate, How-To Help and Videos - For Dummies, Ninite - Install or Update Multiple Apps at Once, and of course Windows - Microsoft. This was a very informative presentation! Feb 18, 2016: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas moderated a "Computer Improv" similar to our May 2015 session. These sessions are based upon the desires of the audience. Members were encouraged to bring their computer problems. This session we had an extended discussion on "Ransomware." Dan told us about his experience with 2 client's computers that unfortunately had ransomware installed on them. Various Windows Backup programs, routers & wi-fi extenders, and a Windows Activation problem were also discussed. Jan 21, 2016: Mr. Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, an IT Security Expert and Avast! Antivirus Software representative, gave a very informative presentation on Internet Security. He told us about available software and gave computer security tips to protect our computers, tablets and smartphones from viruses, phishing attacks and identity theft? Bob told us about 8 signs that someone has stolen your ID and how to get free credit reports. He listed the 20 features of the free version of Avast, among them a Password Manager and Scan for Network Threats. Bob also compared Avast with other free Antivirus programs. Bob also talked about popup links and phone scams. He concluded by offering a link (http://goo.gl/5v4sIQ) that has additional information from his presentation including free Programs to Help Keep Us Safe, Free Imaging Software for creating System Image Backups, Free Firewall Programs, etc. Nov 19, 2015:
Mr. Jere Minich, Program Director of the Lake Sumter Computer
Society, and APCUG Board of Advisors Region 5 (Florida, Georgia,
Alabama & South Carolina) gave a presentation on IOS
9-What is New? He went through how the iPhone and iPad features
have been changed using the new IOS 9 Operating System. He discussed
how new multitasking features on iPads make it even more productive
and how Siri can do more than ever. Enhanced performance, battery
life, and security were also be discussed. Oct 15, 2015: This was Part 3 of the 3-part SCPCUG Presentation on Windows 10. Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham showed some of the return to Windows 7 changes in Windows 10. Ron also talked up Windows Secrets, Ask Leo, and Infopackets as excellent sources of Windows 10 information. SCPCUG President Dan Douglas then took over and answered questions from the audience. One question in particular dealt with activation problems using Product Keys from the original Operating System install. Sep 17, 2015: Part 2 of the SCPCUG Presentation on Windows 10 started out with Web Master Curt Potsic going through many of Windows 10's Privacy settings. Curt next demonstrated Cortana, the new Windows 10 Virtual Assistant. Curt randomly went through 5 pages of questions and commands to show the many unique capabilities of Cortana. Any member can email Curt and request the Cortana Command List. Curt also showed where the Speech Recognition program (originally in Windows 7) that allows voice navigation and dictation is still available in Windows 10. SCPCUG President Dan Douglas then took over to finish going through the many settings available in Windows 10. Windows 10 has more detailed settings, readily available to the user, than any previous version of Windows. Aug 20, 2015:
SCPCUG President Dan Douglas with help from Journal
Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham and Web
Master Curt Potsic presented Windows
10 - Installation Experiences & New Things (Part 1 of
3). The presentation covered Installation Options from Windows
7 & 8 Systems and from Windows XP/Vista/New/etc. Then Dan,
Ron, and Curt each told of their installation experiences. When
Dan asked how many of the audience had already upgraded to Win
10, half raised their hands. The new Start Menu and Edge browser
were covered along with questions about Win 10 privacy. The Snipping
tool was also discussed and demonstrated. Jul 16, 2015: Mr. Brentley Waugh from Staples Office Supply in Melbourne was our Guest Speaker. His presentation centered on giving us an advance look at Windows 10 (scheduled for release on July 29) and its New Features. He showed us the new Start Menu and new Notifications Sidebar. Brentley also discussed Virtual DeskTops, the Battery Saver feature, and Cortana (virtual assistant). Many, many, questions were asked by the very inquisitive audience. Questions ranged from preserving data files when upgrading to Windows 10 to what Antivirus programs Brentley preferred. Jun 18, 2015: Due to a death in the family Mr. Jere Minich, our APCUG Representative, had to cancel his scheduled presentation on “i-Pad 101.” Instead, SCPCUG President Dan Douglas tried to demonstrate the Amazon Echo, a voice assistant in the shape of a cylinder that helps you play music thru its Bluetooth speakers and answers questions about the weather, sports scores, etc. similar to other virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. We did get to hear Echo's pleasant female voice during setup but unfortunately she would not connect thru the library's Wi-Fi or a Wi-Fi hotspot from an iPhone. Dan then proceeded tell us about Echo's capabilities. Remainder of the session was a Q&A with most of the questions about Windows 10. May 21, 2015: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas hosted a "Computer Improv" similar to our February 2015 session. This month we were joined by several officers from the Brevard Users Group (BUG) (http://bugclub.org/) of Melbourne, Florida. Most of the discussion centered around various aspects of Windows 10 and it's Technical Preview. Other concerns and questions covered Microsoft Office alternatives, streaming from a computer to a Smart TV, Windows 7 not shutting down, etc. Apr 16, 2015: Mr. Ian Ginsberg from Satcom Direct in Satellite Beach, FL gave a very interesting and educational presentation on 3D Printing. It was a high level overview on the potential and capabilities of commercially available layer additive 3D printers and authoring/object creation software that is available. He discussed some of the advantages such as getting a rapid prototype, almost instant gratification, and unleashing creativity. Ian told us about the various types of 3D printing. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is the most common. He bought an assembled FDM 3D printer for $600. The Filament rolls that feed the printer cost between $15 and $80 and come in various colors, including a glow-in-the-dark version. Ian had a table full of items for us to examine that he had printed. He also told us about the various software programs used (some are free) for the creation of 3D objects. This very informative presentation generated many questions from the audience which Ian had no trouble answering. Mar 19, 2015: We originally had no speaker scheduled for tonight but then SCPCUG President Dan Douglas introduced his younger brother, Dr. Jonathan Douglas, who is visiting from Canada. Dr. Jonathan is a Psychologist in Canada and proceeded to discuss how he uses computers in his practice. It turned into an interactive Q&A as Dr. Jonathan discussed a variety of related subjects such as biofeedback, neurofeedback, variable heart rate, alpha and beta waves, dictation using Dragon Naturally Speaking, online client medical information, storing medical information in the cloud, using video software to talk with clients, etc. Feb 19, 2015: SCPCUG President Dan Douglas again hosted a "Computer Improv," similar to the sessions we had on Jul 17 and Aug 21 of 2014. We all sat in a circle and the discussion was based upon the computer questions and concerns of the audience members. Discussion items included: Lenovo security with Superfish Adware, Adobe Reader "recently viewed files list," Firefox Browser Adobe Flash versions, Kaspersky Anitivirus, places to buy printer ink cartridges, Microsoft Office, Libre Office, Acronis for backups, etc. As with the previous Improv sessions there was much dynamics and interaction among members. Jan 15, 2015:
Mr. Jere Minich, Program Director of the Lake Sumter Computer
Society and our APCUG Representative, gave a very
detailed and excellent a presentation (with 61 slides) on "How
to Save Money on Inkjet Printer Supplies." He covered
how printers really work, what one can do to save money on ink,
the most cost effective operation for a printer, trusted sites
for ink, and a recommended printer for home use. We learned about
the different types of ink cartridges and print heads, how cartridge
ink levels are actually determined, printer cleaning operations,
ink useage, cartridge refilling, etc. Nov 20, 2014: Apple Representative Robert Hong & Microsoft Representative Mike Faulhabier, both from Best Buy in Melbourne FL, gave tonight's presentation. Robert told us about the iPad and demonstrated communicating with Facetime. He told us about the iPad Air 2 (and using a fingerprint to open), iWorks, Apple pay, Find Friends app, and Apple TV. Robert said Apple strives to make things simple so they just work. They do this by controlling both the hardware and software. Mike told us about Windows 8.1, what he knows about the upcoming Windows 10, and all that is included with a Office 365 subscription. He said the Windows Store now has over 250,000 apps. There were many questions from the audience that both representatives had no problems answering. Oct 16, 2014: Ms. Stacey Kile of the Simply Seniors Computer Tutor Facility gave an excellent presentation on the Advantages & Pitfalls of “Cloud” Based Technologies. She started out by showing us a little of the Windows 10 Technical Preview and mentioned that Win10 can run on vintage 2003 computers. Stacey then proceeded to discuss the pros & cons of various cloud based storage such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and iCloud. She talked about cloud storage vs an external drive, the security and cost of cloud storage, and the physical location of the servers for cloud storage. Of note is the fact that backing up an entire operating system to the cloud takes a long time to upload and later download if disaster should happen. Sep 18, 2014: Instead of the scheduled presentation on the Advantages & Pitfalls of “Cloud” Based Technologies, Ms. Stacey Kile of the Simply Seniors Computer Tutor Facility told us about problems she has had with seniors getting viruses and falling for Internet Romance Scams. In particular Stacey told us about the Lana Brooke Romance Scam and the difficulties she had convincing a senior that he had been a victim of the scam. One has only to Google "Lana Brooke Romance Scam" to see images and read more about this scam from Africa. Aug 21, 2014: This month we again had a "Computer Improv" session similar to last month with SCPCUG President Dan Douglas moderating the discussion. And again it turned out to be very successful. There was great interaction by all participants and much information was exchanged. The discussions covered a wide variety of subjects and concerns including Windows Restore points, Windows Updates, Registry Cleaners, Office 2013, NeatReceipts portable scanner & software, a Nexus 7 display problem, etc. Members had so much to say that we actually ran out of time and had to stop the discussion due to the library closing for the evening. Jul 17, 2014: This month SCPCUG President Dan Douglas tried something different, "Computer Improv," based upon the desires of the audience members. It turned out to be a huge success! Dan had the audience members sit around in a big circle, introduce themselves, tell about their computer experience level, and state why they belonged to SCPCUG. Members were then asked what computer problems they were having. The resulting discussions brought out a surprising amount of dynamics and interaction between members in relating their experiences and knowledge. Discussions ranged from disc drives to random cursor movement in Microsoft Word to auto resupply of printer cartridges for $2.99/month. Everyone learned something. Computer Improv turned out to be a real life demonstration of the words on the SCPCUG logo, "Users Helping Users." Jun 19, 2014: Dr. Ben Brotemarkle, the Director of the Florida Historical Society and renown Florida “Today” newspaper columnist, updated us on the many aspects of the Florida Historical Society (FHS) and how they are preserving our history in a computer/social media age. FHS was created in St. Augustine in 1856 and moved to Brevard County in the 1990s. It is an independent non-profit and not a government agency. FHS has a library with thousands of rare books, documents, maps and postcards. It publishes a Quarterly Newsletter, publishes at least 4 books/year (approximately 12 of their 50 books are on Kindle), has a weekly radio magazine program, produces TV documentaries seen on PBS stations across the country, is on Facebook, and has an Archaeological Institute. Dr. Brotemarkle's very informative presentation was sprinkled throughout with snippets of Florida history. Also the FHS can use your help through volunteer opportunities for data entry, text editing, website design, and digitization. May 15, 2014: There was no presentation and no Monthly Meeting due to a power outage at the Cocoa Library in the late afternoon just prior to the meeting time. The speaker will have to be rescheduled. Apr 17, 2014: Ms. Theresa Ronnebaum, a Victim’s Services Program Specialist from the Florida Attorney General’s Office in Orlando, gave an excellent and very informative presentation on Identity Theft, Internet and Phishing Scam Dangers and how to protect yourself. She discussed various scams (vishing, phishing, online romance, lottery, etc.), Identity Theft (via the web, phone calls, credit card skimmers, medical records, etc.), and how thieves obtain personal info from obituaries, public records, and social websites. Ms. Ronnebaum also told us how to lock down our credit history. She said that Florida is #1 in the nation for Identity Theft. She also provided several handouts, Numbers to Know & Places to Go, Medical ID Theft, 10 Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud, and Free Credit Reports. May 20, 2014: Mr. Norbert "Bob" Gostischa of Avast! Software gave a very comprehensive and informative presentation on Protecting Yourself, Your Computer, and Your Identity. Bob told us about the many dangers on the Internet. Avast now protects 4.4 million computers in schools for free. Bob has used the Free Avast to protect his computers for 10 years. He suggested doing image backups once/week to an external drive. Bob said to update software ASAP, don't be click happy, use strong passwords, avoid P2P and pirated software, etc. Avast will continue to support Windows XP after the Apr 8, 2014 end date for Microsoft support but stated Avast cannot protect against Operating System flaws. He said it was best to keep XP computers offline. Bob went thru many things during his presentation such as 6 Signs of Infection, Top 5 Phishing Email Subjects, 8 Signs Someone may have Stolen Your Identity, etc. He also recommended additional free software. For much valuable related information to Bob's presentation go to http://goo.gl/7AhRh which also has a link to his YouTube videos. Feb 20, 2014: Mr. Dan Douglas of DataDan Computer Services in Cocoa FL, who does Computer Repair & Upgrades, gave an excellent presentation on the "Top 10 PC Service Issues" he encounters in repairing computers. He described each explaining the symptom, investigation, results, and remedy. Issues covered included: computer won't power on; computer starts to boot, then crashes; computer is running slow or hijacked; IE incompatible with web site; disk drive making noise or constant clicking heard; can't update new copy of Wim XP; need more disk space/memory/etc; Internet is slow or unreachable; migrate to new PC; attachments crash Outlook. All present were given a presentation handout which may prove helful in the future. Jan 16, 2014: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations presented "Picking the Right Backup Approach." Gene talked about the most common backup approaches (File, Online, Clone, Image) and explained the advantages and problems of each. He described why and where each type of backup should be used. He told us why an Image Backup is vastly superior to all of the others. Gene is a representative for Acronis Software and demonstrated Acronis True Image, their top backup product. He also briefly mentioned Acronis Disk Director 11 Home which is used for partitioning hard drives. Nov 21, 2013: Ms. Stacey Kile of Computer Tutor Facility presented “Dangers on the Internet and How to Spot Them.” Some of these are Junk Malware, Phishing Websites, Fake Links, Fake Browsers and Fake System Warnings. After the close of her presentation she answered questions from the audience. Oct 17, 2013: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham showed a video from APCUG with Leslie Bee of Appliant Technology describing software to Capture Streaming Media. This was a repeat of our Aug 15, 2013 presentation as the members present had not seen this video. Sep 19, 2013: Rick Ross & Jeff Smith of BrightHouse Networks, gave an informative and interesting talk on the benefits of BrightHouse’s new Home Security and Automation product. It is already available in Tampa and Orlando. They are now moving into Brevard County. The basic package consists of a touchscreen, wireless motion detector, 2 wireless window/door sensors, yard sign and window decals. Optional components are also available. BrightHouse can also build upon or take over your existing system. One requirement is you must have BrighHouse Internet service. After installation there is a flat monthly fee which varies depending upon how many BrightHouse services you have. You can also remotely control your system from an iPad, iPhone, or select Android devices. Aug 15, 2013: Due to a late cancelation by the scheduled Guest Speaker, SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham showed a 50 minute video from the APCUG 2013 Summer Virtual Technology Conference. The video was Capture Streaming Media with Applian Software by Applian Director of Marketing Leslie Bee. Leslie demonstrated Replay Video Capture, Replay Media Catcher, and Replay Music. She also talked about the Replay Capture Suite which contains those 3 programs plus 4 others. More information and a PDF handout at http://apcug2.org/content/vtc8. Jul 18, 2013: Due to a late cancelation by the scheduled Guest Speaker, SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham presented an introduction to Windows 8 and a brief review of Windows 8.1. Ron showed some of the basic features of Windows 8 on his laptop and then tried the video "Windows 8 . . . It's Here!" by Bill James from the APCUG Fall 2012 Virtual Tech Conference. Unfortunately audio would not sync with video so the Bill James video was not usable. Ron concluded by using a Windows 8.1 review by Onuora Amobi of Windows81.com as a reference to go through changes that Windows 8.1 makes to Windows 8. Jun 20, 2013: Mr. Todd Reed of "Peace of Mind" a computer repair and web development company gave a presentation on Adobe Creative Suite. Adobe Creative Suite is now called Adobe Creative Cloud with desktop applications for photography, video, audio, and design. Programs include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Acrobat XI Pro, etc. Creative Cloud provides some of the world's best creative tools, cloud storage, and access to new features and products as soon as they're released. It's now available as a subscription service with various annual or month-to-month membership plans. A free 30 day trial is also available. Todd told us about his past experiences with Adobe software and said that while their software is relatively expensive it can do anything you can think of and their excellent customer support is free. May 16, 2013: Mr. Norbert "Bob" Gostischa of Avast! Software gave a very informative presentation on Protecting Yourself, Your Computer, and Your Identity. Bob told us about the many dangers on the Internet and said to use image backups, update software as soon as updates are released, don't be click happy, have strong passwords, etc. He said to be cautious and careful as 5 million domains were infected in the last 12 months. Bob compared Avast Free with the other top free antivirus programs. Avast, unlike other antivirus programs, sends continuous virus signature updates as long as a person is online. We were told about the signs our computer could be infected and signs of Identity Theft. The corporate version of Avast is now free for schools and universities and is already protecting the computers and servers of 1600 schools. Bob also recommended other free software such as Malwarebytes, CCleaner, etc. For followup tips and info on his presentation go to http://goo.gl/7AhRh which also has a link to his YouTube videos page. Apr 18, 2013: A 48 minute YouTube video, "Save $$ withe Free Software" by Judy Taylour, from the APCUG Virtual Conference #3 session on May 5, 2012 was tonight's presentation. This excellent presentation identfied a large number of free programs and included their web links. Some of the programs members had not heard of before. The free programs talked about included: SIW-System Info for Windows, Shields UP!, Microsoft Security Essentials, avast!, Malwarebytes, Safe House, CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, DriverMax, Nitro PDF Reader, Nitro PDF to Word or Excel, FastStone Capture, Audacity, Applian-Freecorder 4, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, PhotoRazor, Symphony Lotus Office Suite, Google Drive, DropBox, CrashPlan, Bit.ly, Evernote, etc. Mar 21, 2013: Mr. Lance Jarvis, PhD, a volunteer of SHINE (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Elders), gave an excellent presentation on the new changes and updates to our nation’s health care system. He was very knowledgable in telling us how the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, will affect Medicare and other health insurance. We were first given a 15 question pop quiz to test our knowledge of the ACA. Mr. Jarvis then proceeded to explain some of the many changes coming in 2013 and follow-on years. The 3 year old 2700 page ACA is very complex and now consists of 80,000 pages of regulations which affects all Americans in both coverage and costs. Feb 21, 2013: Daniel Blucker, Lauren, David, and Chris from Best Buy in Melbourne FL and Best Buy Mobile in Merritt Island FL gave an informative presentation on the new Innovative Control Technologies of Touch & Voice offered by Windows 8 and Kinect. Using a Verizon HotSpot Router for Wi-Fi they showed how Microsoft Windows 8 Surface Tablet's touch capability can be used to control an Xbox 360 Kinect for navigation of Internet Explorer, Netflix, etc. Controller type Apps are also available for Android and IOS. Lauren also demonstrated how the Kinect responds to voice recognition and hand motion for navigation. She then demonstrated how using body motion one can do White Water Rafting as part of the realistic Kinect Adventures games. Daniel concluded by telling us about Best Buy's tech support and Geek Squad. Jan 17, 2013: A 52 minute YouTube video, Genealogical Research Tools in the Cloud by Jeri Steele, from the APCUG Fall 2012 Virtual Tech Conference was tonight's presentation. A Powerpoint Handout zipped file is available for download. In the video Jeri discusses 3 free cloud tools. WorldCat.org, the World's Largest Library Catalog, will help you find what you want in a library near you. It is a global catalog of library collections. Evernote will help you remember everything so you can act upon ideas, projects and experiences across all the computers, phones and tablets you use. Protopage is your Personal Homepage to use for quick access to all of your favorite things on the net from any computer or mobile phone. You can use it to read RSS feeds, keep bookmarks, sticky notes, and to share information. Nov 15, 2012: Dr. Ben Brotemarkle, Executive Director of the Florida Historical Society in Cocoa, gave a very interesting and informative presentation "Beyond the Theme Parks: Exploring Central Florida" which told us about the lesser known Florida attractions and destinations available for one to discover. Ben's 25 years of knowledge of Florida's history was amazing. He took us on a fascinating slideshow tour of various Florida cities, pointing out the many historical points of interest. He told us about things like how Orlando got it's name, Albin Polasek sculptures in Winter Park, the Fort Chistmas Historical Park, the Mount Dora Lakeside Inn, etc. Much information is available on the FHS website. There is also a weekly radio program called Florida Frontiers. Oct 18, 2012: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham demonstrated Windows 8 on his laptop. He showed us how to navigate around Windows 8 betweeen the Metro Apps and Classic Desktop. Ron then took us to the Windows Store to see the many free apps and several that he had installed. Ron showed us different types of apps & programs such as Bing Finance, Windows 8 built-in Speech Recognition, a Solitaire game, and a free word processor program called Jarte. Ron concluded by taking us to a set of free Windows 8 Tutorials (videos). Sep 20, 2012: Mr. Bob Kurtz of Titusville, who does computer repair from his home, was our Guest Speaker. He advertises on the Space Coast Craigslist under Computer Services and is known as "Computer Bob." Bob has been into computers for 25 years and demonstrated his expert knowledge when telling us about Upgrading your current Computers BIOS & Migrating Data to a New Computer. He said with modern computers, if your computer is running okay, then most likely there is no need to update your BIOS. He also talked about and gave a demo on the little known program in Windows Vista & Windows 7 called Windows Easy Transfer. A version for Windows XP & the lastest version for Vista can be downloaded from Microsoft. Using a special transfer cable, flash drive, or external drive this program makes it easy to migrate photos, videos, program settings and Windows settings from an old computer to a new computer. Bob noted that the programs installed on the old computer must be installed on the new computer prior to doing the Easy Transfer. Aug 16, 2012: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Learning Center Manager Ron Ingraham showed us the Windows Secrets website. He told us about their weekly newsletter which is available in free and paid versions. Ron took us to their online archive of past articles, talked about the authors, and reviewed the current issue. He showed how articles offer step by step info along with actual screen photos making it easy to follow and perform various Windows procedures. Ron also talked about the Microsoft Security Essentials, Malwarebytes, and SuperAntiSpyware software programs, all of which are highly recommended. He then told us about having a CD explode in his drive and showed a YouTube video of a similar event. Lucky for Ron his drive still worked after he removed the CD pieces. Jul 19, 2012: Mr. Jason Eaton, an Independent Web Developer, gave a presentation on Windows Media Center which is included with Vista & Windows 7 Home Premium editions. He showed us how easy it is to setup Media Center to work with a TV Tuner for recording and playing TV shows. A free program guide allows one to use your computer as a DVR. Media Center also serves as your music and photo libraries by finding all the media stored on your computer and plays DVDs and CDs. Jason recommended the free VLC Media Player which plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols if Media Center can't handle a file. For checking what's going on inside your computer Jason recommended Speccy which is a free System Information tool. Jun 21, 2012: Mr. Alix Desulme of A Touch of Geek Computer Repair and Tutoring gave a very informative and interesting presentation on the Advantages & Drawbacks of Laptops, Tablets, and Smartphones. He talked about processing power, screen sizes, weight, price ranges, portability, convenience, etc. of each. Some of the various operating systems and availability of apps was also discussed. There were a number of questions from the audience. Bottom line is a person needs to decide what he plans to use the device for before buying. A laptop provides much more functionality for the price at the expense of small size convenience. May 17, 2012: Mr. Charles Prince of Avast! Software gave an excellent and informative presentation on PC and Internet Security Technology. He told us about the increase of users (especially the young using Facebook) that are not aware of the dangers on the Internet. He defined terms like Malware, Spyware, Rootkit, Virus, Trojan Horse, Polymorphic Malware, etc. Charles talked about a gray area called PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) which could be good or bad depending on how the user defines them. For example, a Keylogger is bad if the user is not aware of it and an unknown source is stealing personal information but could be good if a parent is trying to oversee a child's surfing habits. We were given a number of tips for avoiding malware as malware had grown to 20 million samples in 2010. Avast now has over a million users in each of over 30 countries and has free versions for Smartphones and Tablets. There are over 190 million registered users worldwide. All members present received a free Avast Installation Disc CD-ROM and several door prizes donated by Avast were awarded to lucky members. Apr 24, 2012: Mr. Shaun Jensen, Assistant Manager of Staples-The Office Superstore in Melbourne gave us an excellent presentation on the new upcoming Windows Operating System, Windows 8. Shaun showed us by way of a "live" demonstration of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview what will be coming our way in the Fall. He showed the new "Start" screen for the Metro style apps that does away with the "Start" button and how easy it is to go from the Metro apps to the familar Classic desktop. Shaun explained how "Search" now happens on the new Start screen by just typing and how voice recognition works. He showed us the new "Charms" and Windows App Store. Shaun, by a quick demo, showed how copying files is greatly improved. More information is provided and simultaneous copying of several files is displayed in one window. The many questions from the audience were easily handled by Shaun. Mar 15, 2012: Lieutenant Tod Goodyear, Sheriffs Deputy of Brevard County Cyber Crimes unit, gave an excellent presentation on the Nature & Growth of Sexual Exploitation, Child Pornography & Internet ID Theft he has experienced while in cyber law enforcement and methods to avoid this kind of malicious use of the Internet. He talked about their child explotation investigations covering online enticement, sexting, distribution of child pornography, and cyberbullying. They are proactive rather than reactive with computer forensic personnel being very important in prosecution of these crimes. Tod warned us about chatrooms, and giving out too much info in places such as a Facebook profile. He said the ISPs and Facebook have been very cooperative is supplying information for investigations. He also warned us about Smartphones now having geo-tagging which embeds location info in photos. Such photos posted on the Internet can be used by child predators. Feb 16, 2012: Mr. John Meshelany, Jr. of Qualitek Services in Melbourne presented VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Technology Advances. VOIP is a technology for making telephone calls over the Internet. VoIP converts the human voice into digital data packets and supports real-time, two-way transmission of conversations. John told us and how you can save hundreds of dollars on phone communications by using VOIP. He told us about using Google Voice with an Android App to make free phone calls over WI-FI. John also discussed MagicJack, NetTalk, Vonage, and Bright House Phone. Prices and capabilities were compared. Jan 19, 2012: Mr. John Meshelany, Jr. of Qualitek Services in Melbourne gave an interesting presentation on the History of the Personal Computer. John started with the Intel 4004 4-bit chip, the world's first single chip microprocessor, introduced in 1971 and then took us through PC history. The Altair 8800 kit which appeared in 1975 was the first personal computer. He then made various stops in history talking about the rise of Apple starting with Steve Wozniak's Apple I which he and Steve Jobs sold for $666.66 in 1976, VisiCal the first computer spreadsheet released in 1979 for Apple II making the business industry take notice, Microsoft's rise to power in the 1980s, IBM clones, etc. Anyone wishing to know more can go to The History of Computers. Nov 17, 2011: Mr. Charles Prince of Avast! Software gave an excellent presentation on PC and Internet Security Technology. He discussed how malware can harm a PC by defining and explaining the differences for each of the various forms of malware (viruses, trojans, spyware, scareware, rootkits, adware, etc). Charles gave us tips for avoiding malware and talked about the growth of cyber crimes and rate of malware development. He also showed us a short list of free recommended programs. We were told that worldwide there are now over 160 million users of Avast! Software. All members present received free an Avast! Installation Disc CD-ROM containing Avast! Antivirus Free plus full trial versions of the professional and Internet Security versions. Download or view in your browser a PDF file of the Charles Prince Avast Presentation which includes instructions on How to Uninstall / Install Antivirus Programs and a Short List of Suggested Free Programs: AvastPresentation.pdf Oct 20, 2011: Mr. John Meshelany, Jr. of Xtreme Repairs of Melbourne gave a presentation on the new and lesser known features of cell phones and repair options that are currently available. Xtreme Repairs both sells and repairs cell phones. John talked about the unlocking of phones for use on different carriers and also jailbreaking. He spoke at length about the reduced cost for complete cell phone service, speech and text with no limits. John finished by taking questions from the audience regarding individual problems. Sep 15, 2011: Mr. John Meshelany, Jr. of Qualitek Services in Melbourne told us about the latest advances in Cloud Computing." John said Cloud Computing falls into two different areas, "Software as a Service" such as Google Docs or Office 365 and "Storage as a Service" such as Carbonite or Box.net. Cloud servers use multisite backups to safeguard your data. With Cloud Computing the user has no worry about updates and personal data files are encrypted for transmission. Access can be available from all your devices and Cloud Computing can be used for file sharing. Some common examples one may not be aware of as Cloud Computing include Gmail, Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa Online. Aug 18, 2011: Mr. John Meshelany, Jr. of RSCC Computers in Palm Bay gave a very informative presentation on the new and lesser known features of the free Linux Ubuntu 11.04 O/S with the new Unity interface. He showed us the new Launcher, the Dash, Workspaces, and the Ubuntu Software Center where thousands of apps both free and paid are available. John showed us how LibreOffice and Firefox are available in Ubuntu. He said we could try Ubuntu by installing it alongside Windows. Many questions were asked by those in attendance. Free Ubuntu 11.04 CDs from Canonical in Desktop and Server editions were available for attendees. More information about Ubuntu is available at Ubuntu.com. Jul 21, 2011: The Guest Speaker failed to appear so a brief Question & Answer session was held. Door prizes were awarded to all members in attendance. Jun 16, 2011: Lance P Jarvis, Ph.D. of SHINE (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Elders) gave an excellent presentation on "Understanding Your Medicare Insurance Options" and how SHINE can help us to choose the best plan. SHINE is a Florida State Health Assistance Insurance Program and not a representative of any insurance company. SHINE is run by volunteers and provides free one-on-one counseling and information to people with Medicare. Lance's talk included an update on new Medicare policies that affect Medicare beneficiaries. He told us how Brevard County alone has 30 prescription drug plans and that plans vary by location. SHINE can assist in finding the best plan for each individual. Lance took us to the web and showed us how we can compare plans at Medicare.gov under Medicare Plan Finder. Another useful website he told us about is Shiptalk.org. May 19, 2011: When our Guest Speaker failed to appear SCPCUG President John Murphy gave a short talk on Internet Security. A Question & Answer session was also held. Door prizes were awarded to all members in attendance. Apr 21, 2011: Mr. Todd Reed of T & S Consulting Computer Store gave an updated presentation on Malware, Spyware, and Virus Proliferation and how to avoid these threats. He gave each member a handout with a list of free safe security programs. His favorite free antivirus program is Avast but he also strongly recommended the paid version of Kaspersky Antivirus as it has the highest detection rate. Todd said most people would probably be okay with the free Microsoft Security Essentials and a router. Also highly recommended was the free CCleaner for cleaning the registry, caches, cookies, junk files, etc. There were many questions from the audience which Todd expertly answered. Mar 17, 2011: Joe Hurston of Air Mobile Ministries in Merritt Island, FL whose house was selected by ABC-TV for Extreme Makeover Home Edition which aired Feb 13, 2011 was to speak to us but instead was called to the help the Japan earthquake victims. Joe & his wife Cindy are now in Japan with 10 water purification units. His son Christian gave the presentation on various Green Technologies now available for the home. Christian told us about how 3000 volunteers built the new Hurston 3500 sq ft home in 107 hours. The home is a zero energy home with solar panels and a wind turbine used to generate electricity eliminating their monthly $400 electric bill. Christian also told us about the 20 lb water purification units which can generate 25 gallons of clean water per hour. They teach the local people how operate these units and then leave them in the disaster areas. The units can be powered by a 6 ft unrolled solar panel or a vehicle's cigarette lighter as well as normal AC power. Everyone can follow Joe Hurston's Japan relief mission on his Blog at http://dieunika.blogspot.com/. Feb 17, 2011: Frank Alicea and Nigel Golida from the hhgregg Appliances & Electronics store in West Melbourne, Florida continued their presentation from the Oct 21, 2010 meeting on 3D & 2D HDTV Technologies. There were many questions from the audience which they expertly answered. Questions related to the differences between Plasma and the new LED backlight HDTVs, price differentials between 3D & 2D HDTVs, edge LED vs full array LED backlight, etc. They also showed us the new Apple TV box and discussed it's capabilities. Jan 10, 2011: This was a Joint Meeting of Brevard Users Group (BUG) and SCPCUG held at the Central Baptist Church in Melbourne, FL on Monday Jan 10 to accomodate the speaker's schedule. Gene Barlow of User Group Relations discussed how to "Organize & Protect your Hard Drive" Gene first talked about organizing a large hard drive by partitioning it with Acronis Disk Director 11 Home. He discusssed the what, why, and how of partitioning and showed us how easy it is to create a partition. Gene then discussed protecting your computer with backups using Acronis True Image Home 2011. He recommends creating an image backup to a dedicated external hard drive. Gene talked about restoring an entire partition by booting from a True Image CD and demoed restoring an individual file. He also offered a free program called Acronis Drive Monitor which can be had by going to acronis.com and searching for "Drive Monitor." The program will inform you if your hard drive is failing. Nov 18, 2010: Ms. Stacey Kile of Simply Seniors Computer Tutor gave a presentation on the program "Recolored." This commercial software is used to color black & white photos. You can try it for free before buying. Stacy walked us through the program's tutorial and showed several examples of photos she had "recolored." She demonstrated how to color eyes and lips and told us about beginner mistakes. Stacey teaches a 2 hour class on the program for $10. Visit her website for futher information. Oct 21, 2010: Frank Alicea and Nigel Golida from the hhgregg appliances & electronics store in West Melbourne, Florida gave a presentation on the latest advancements in 2D and 3D High Definition Televisions. They told us about the differences between LCD, LED, DLP, and Plasma HDTVs and showed us that the newest HDTVs have the capability of accessing the Internet for content. They then demonstrated 3D TV using a Blue-ray DVD player as audience members passed around the LCD shutter glasses. The 3D effect is very impressive and the audience had many questions which were expertly answered. Sep 16, 2010: Mr. Kirolos CJ Tadrous of Comtek Computers of Cocoa, Florida presented "Windows 7 At A Glance." He told us the Windows 7 Operating System was an incremental update from Vista. CJ highlighted some of the new features such as Jump Lists, Program Thumbnails, Action Center, Problem Step Recorder, etc. He then told us about previous OS features that have been removed such as MovieMaker, Messenger, and Mail. Audience members had many questions which CJ answered with ease showing his in-depth knowledge of the Windows 7 Operating System. Aug 19, 2010: SCPCUG President John Murphy gave a presentation on setting up a new Encore 3G-enabled Mobile Broadband Wireless-N Router. John pointed out that it also has a WAN port so you are not limited to just a 3G cellular connection. You can also hook up to your home/office DSL or Cable Modem broadband internet connection. Another advantage is it can be used as a Wireless Repeater to extend your wireless LAN area of coverage. For members that missed this presentation a similar review/demo (not by John) is on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdH-XzH--E. Jul 15, 2010: Mr. Enrico Iacobi of Qualitek Services in Melbourne, an engineer with extensive experience, gave a most informative and entertaining presentation on How to Adapt Your Home Wiring to Accommodate the Digital Age Techological Innovations. Enrico covered just about anything one could think of such as music & video systems, networking, security systems, lightning & surge protection, emergency generators, sprinkler systems, garage door openers, powered attic fans, attic lights, etc. He discussed documenting one's wiring layout with drawings & digital photos, labeling of wires, proper placement of wires, and the necessary tools for installation and testing. Throughout the presentation Mr. Iacobi kept the audience interest at a peak level with his many stories. This provided for a unique learning experience that was also entertaining and laugh filled. Jun 17, 2010: Carol Frederick, Law Enforcement Liaison for LifeLock Inc. gave an excellent and very informative presentation on Identity Smarts: A Behind the Scenes Look at Identity Theft. She started by giving us some statistics such as how Credit Card Fraud is #1 in the USA. But in Florida Government Documents & Benefits Fraud is #1 followed by Credit Card Fraud. Carol then proceeded to tell us about how we are at risk due to dumpster diving, old prescription bottle labels, wallet & purse theft, change of address cards, unlocked mailboxes, shoulder surfing, etc. Skimmer device card readers, security ink pens, social networking with P2P sharing, phishing, and inconsistent state-to-state laws on providing your SSN were also discussed. Carol wrapped up by talking about ID Theft Protection Services such as Lifelock. Attendees were given a special code to get Lifelock at a 20% discount. May 20, 2010: Mr. John Meshelany Jr. of T&S Consulting in Palm Bay gave a presentation on the new Windows 7 Operating System and some of its lesser known features. He discussed how many drivers are available making for excellent compatibility and how one can even run old DOS programs. John told us about the Windows 7 Memory Footprint, Snap feature, Homegroups, new Taskbar, etc. Many questions about Windows 7 were answered in the Q&A session that followed. Apr 15, 2010: The evening's Guest Speaker failed to appear due to unforeseen circumstances. In place of the scheduled presentation SCPCUG President John Murphy gave a presentation on Computer Security. John took us to Brian Krebs' website Krebs on Security and specifically an article on "Removing Viruses from a PC That Wont Boot." He told us about creating a "rescue CD" by grabbing a free CD image from anti-virus vendor links (AVG Rescue, Avira Rescue, Kaspersky Rescue, etc.) listed in the article to make a burnable rescue CD that is based on Linux. Also 6 free subscriptions to Smart Computing magazine were given away as door prizes. Smart Computing has now dropped it's program of providing User Groups a free subscription for every 5 paid member subscriptions. Mar 18, 2010: The evening's Guest Speaker failed to appear due to unforeseen circumstances. In place of the scheduled presentation Bob Click (DealsGuy.com) told us what we had missed by not going on the Feb 26 Mar 01, 2010 FACUG Technology Conference Bahamas Cruise. An informative Q&A session on member computer problems was also held. Feb 18, 2010: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham gave a presentation on behalf of Sandhills Publishing. The presentation educated attendees about Sandhills Publishing's magazines and the Smart Computing User Group Program. Ron first stepped members through the February 2010 issue of Smart Computing Magazine. He discussed the various sections such as Cover Story, Reviews, Windows Central, Computers & Electronics, etc. Next, Ron talked about the value of SmartComputing.com and showed it's many features such as all issues of Sandhills Publishing's magazines (Smart Computing, PC Today, Computer Power User, First Glimpse) being available online with search capability and bookmarking with My Personal Libary. He also covered SmartComputing.com's Tech Support Center, User to User Q&A Board, User Group Program, and Smart People Computer Support. Each attendee received a copy of the February issue of Smart Computing Magazine and several members won 1-year gift subscriptions. Jan 21, 2010: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations presented the Importance of Computer Backups." Gene talked about the pros and cons of various types of backup, the best hardware to use for backup, and the recommended backup schedule. He demonstrated the two stage process of backup & restore for an incremental backup of his Windows 7 laptop using Acronis True Image Home 2010. Gene also talked about the new features of True Image 2010 such as online backup, non-stop backup, and virtual hard drive support. Nov 19, 2009: SCPCUG President John Murphy continued his presentation from June 22, 2009 on the "Fundamentals of Networking and Safely Accessing the Internet Through your Home Router." John first discussed how to remove malware when you cannot get rid of it within Windows. He talked about bootable rescue CDs using programs from 3 different companies. They use a different operating system such as Linux to allow access to the hard drive. The hard drive is scanned and the malware removed but this process can take 4-6 hours depending on hard drive size. John then demonstrated step by step how to setup a Linksys "n" router for wired and wireless home networking. Oct 15, 2009: Mr. Brian Bernard of Innovative Electronic Environments Company of Indialantic, FL gave a presentation on the new developments in the "Electronic Lifestyle Enhancement" Home Theater Digital Technologies that are currently available. Innovative Electronic Environments is a Leading Integrator in the I.T. World of home audio & video, with 2 generations of experience in the design, installation, and service of audio/video equipment and control systems. Brian outlined his background, growing up in Wisconsin, in a family that was in the audio business. He discussed devices the company has to combine all the business and entertainment installations in a home at a reasonable cost. Brian also demonstrated several remote control devices. Sep 28, 2009: Mr. Shaun Jensen, Assistant Manager of Staples-The Office Superstore in Melbourne gave an excellent presentation on the new Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System due to be released on Oct 22. Shaun first covered the many features of Windows 7 in a very comprehensive slideshow. He pointed out which features were new and which were an "easier to use" variation on Vista. A few of the many features he covered were Snap, Aero Peek & Preview, Jump Lists, Libraries, Home Groups, Blue Ray Support, and the Problem Steps Recorder. Shaun then demonstarted how many of these features physically look and work using an actual copy of Windows 7. Shaun's thorough knowledge of Windows 7 was readily apparent throughout and after the presentation as he easily answered many questions from the audience. All present received several "goodies" from Staples including a mini note holder, HP logo cap, ballpoint pen, mini stapler, and calender mousepad. Aug 24, 2009: Due to a family emergency our scheduled speaker cancelled just before the meeting. Bill Davis of imSolutions in Melbourne saved the day. He gave us a very informative presentation on the latest in Audio, Video, Lighting (AVL) Technology. His company provides custom Audio, Video, Lighting & Control solutions for both residential and commercial clients. Custom installations are provided for Boardrooms, Command & Control Centers, Home Theater, Conference Centers, Churches, Broadcast Studios, etc. Bill showed us the latest in LED Technology with a 30 watt colored spot light and discussed the future of LED Technology. A self-contained control panel for Home Automation was shown and acoustics for a Home Theater were discussed. There were many questions from the attendees. Jul 27, 2009: Mr. Jay Wherley of the Brevard BioDiesel organization gave a very informative presentation on the History of Bio-Fuels and the Pros & Cons of Energy Alternatives including biofuels and other evolving technologies. He discussed the future of energy and how it could change in the next 20 years. Jay pointed out that the current internal combustion engine is only 40% efficient with 60% of the energy wasted in heat and friction. The pros and cons of various energy options such as wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, nuclear fission, and biofuels were presented. Jun 22, 2009: SCPCUG President John Murphy presented "Fundamentals of Networking and Safely Accessing the Internet Through your Home Router." John first took us through the history of networking and showed us some of the hardware: crossover & straight through cables, network card, hub, network switch, router, etc. He explained the function of each and why it is important to have a router between your computer and Internet modem. John played some movies that showed IP Addressing and how computers recognize and talk to each other on a network. He closed by physically installing a router and walking us through it's setup procedure. May 27, 2009: Mr. Gary Harris of De Leon Technologies gave a most interesting and informative presentation on the history of the development of the NASA Space Suit and its evolving technologies. His firm runs the Space Suit Laboratory at the Space Studies Department of the University of North Dakota. Mr. Harris spoke for almost an hour and a half, holding the attention of the group the whole time. Although not directly related to personal computers, the technology in general was of interest to all. Apr 27, 2009:
Mr. John Smith of Smythe
& Associates Inc. gave a presentation on their new
hydro technology to obtain and filtrate Mar 23, 2009: Todd Reed was ill so John Meshelany from the Ingenious Technology Computer Store in Rockledge substituted. John told us a little about Phishing and then the floor was opened for a Q&A on all types of computer problems. There were many questions from the audience which John handled easily. John recommends the program Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware if one is unlucky enough to encounter the malware programs Antivirus 360 or Antivirus 2009. He also recommends using FileHippo for downloading free programs. If you get a virus, malware, or spyware that you cannot remove, Ingenious Technology will do it by giving your computer a Full Tuneup for a flat fee of $89 rather than charging an hourly rate. Feb 16, 2009: Lindsay Albers of Smart Computing Magazine first took us through various sections of the hardcopy magazine, showing us all that is offered. She then connected to the Internet and gave us a tour of the Smart Computing website. The website has over 300 issues of Smart Computing magazine dating back to 1992 when it was "PC Novice." That amounts to over 30,000 articles which can be searched, downloaded as an email, or placed in a Personal Library on their server. The website also contains many invaluable tools and a Q&A forum in which users answer user questions. Subscriptions are available to the magazine plus website or just the website alone. A subscription entitles one to free computer Tech Support and complete access to the website which also includes online editions of several other magazines they publish. All present received a complimentary issue of Smart Computing magazine, a pen, and a mouse pad. Jan 20, 2009: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations presented Backing Up Your Hard Drive using Acronis True Image Home 2009. Backing Up is the most important thing a computer user can do to protect their system and files. Gene showed us his backup schedule and a quick and simple backup process using True Image and an external drive. He also briefly demonstrated how to partition a hard drive with Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0. Nov 24, 2008: Herb Gilman, Sales Representative of HighTech HiFi in Melbourne, gave a presentation on the new developments in Automobile Bluetooth Integration and GPS Tracking Technologies. He talked about how GPS Tracking is different from GPS Navigation and how it is used in Auto Security Systems. Auto Security Systems will soon be tied to your cell phone for remote monitoring. There were many questions from the audience about these technologies. Oct 27, 2008: Ms. Stacey Kile of the Simply Seniors Computer Tutor Facility presented the Importance of Basic Computer Skills. Stacey showed us the differences in results with various Search Engines and discussed websites, like Military.com and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to use for specific investigative type searches. She also discussed finding disconnected relationships using social networking sites like Reunion.com, Classmates.com, MySpace.com, Facebook, etc. Stacey concluded by talking about how she backs up data. Sep 22, 2008: A Question & Answer session was held when our Guest Speaker failed to appear due to an auto breakdown. A number of door prizes were awarded. Aug 25, 2008: Officer Timothy Anliker, Sheriff's Deputy with the Brevard County Major Crimes Unit, presented Identity Theft. He discussed its nature and growth on the Internet and methods to avoid being a victim. He talked about the roles of Credit Bureaus, Lenders, and Individuals in combating ID theft. A number of statistics were cited such as ID theft is highest (29%) in the 18-29 year age group and that Florida is among a group of states with the most ID theft victims. An "Identity Theft" brochure with pertinent information was given to all attendees. Jul 28, 2008: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham gave a presentation on Phishing using several website quizzes that Vice President Larry Bennett had found. The quizzes are designed to test one's knowledge of this important subject. Sites used in the presentation were McAfee Site Advisor Spyware Quiz, SonicWALL Phishing IQ Test, and Reasonable Antiphishing Test. Jun 23, 2008: Scott McDonald of EasyPowerSellers, Inc, an eBay Power Seller, gave a presentation on On-Line Auctions and specifically eBay. He told us about some of the eBay Security Policy Updates to preclude scammers and showed us some of the ins and outs of how to buy and sell on eBay. He also showed us how to determine the true value of an article and how to narrow a search on eBay for specific articles. May 19, 2008: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham with the assistance of Chris Crisafulli from the Brevard Users Group of Melbourne, Florida gave a presentation on the Linux Operating System. They showed us the similarities of the free Ubuntu 8.04 Linux Desktop to a Microsoft Windows OS. Ubuntu fits on a single CD and comes with a host of programs most people use such as the Firefox Browser, Open Office Spreadsheet and Word Processor, Calculator, Music Player, etc. Chris Crisafulli is willing to help anyone interested in Linux get it installed and working on their computer. Apr 28, 2008: Mr. Todd Reed of the Ingenious Technology Computer Store in Rockledge gave a very informative presentation on Malware, Spyware and Virus Proliferation. He discussed how one gets these types of programs, what they to, and how to avoid them. Todd also outlined how Ingenious Technology goes about cleaning computers of difficult infections. In a handout he presented a list of some free safe security programs and discussed which he found most useful. The list included Avast, AVG, Hijack-This, Windows Defender, Spybot Search & Destroy, and C Cleaner among others. There was much audience participation with all questions easily answered. All present received a Tech CD from Ingenious Technology loaded with free programs to help keep their computer safe and secure. Mar 24, 2008: Ms. Stacey Kile of Simply Seniors Computer Tutor Facility gave a very dynamic and fast paced presentation on Advancements of Digital Photography Technology. This was a shortened version of her 3 hour class on Digital Photography using Windows XP and Vista. Stacey discussed how digital cameras work, dots per inch (DPI) for monitor images versus printing photos, quality and life expectancy of printed photos, archiving digital photos, etc. Mar 3, 2008: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations presented The Perfect Backup Approach. He recommended using an external hard drive and Acronis True Image 11 Home software for doing backups. Gene demonstrated how easy it is to use the program to do an incremental backup and subsequently to restore a file from a backup image. He discussed the three types of backup: full, incremental, and differential. The proper times and frequency to use each type was mentioned. Gene also demonstrated how to partition a hard drive use Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0. Jan 28, 2008: Brent Dietz of AuthenTec Corp gave an informative overview of Fingerprint Access Control for PC's, eliminating the need for passwords. Brent gave a brief history of AuthenTec. It was spun off from Harris Semiconductor in 1998 and is now the worlds leading provider of fingerprint authentication sensors for PC, wireless device, and access control markets, with more than 25 million sensors in use worldwide. He explained the unique patented sub-surface technology their sensors use that images below the surface layer of the skin to the live layer where the true print resides. Keyless door locks were also discussed. Nov 26, 2007: A Question & Answer session was held when our Guest Speaker failed to appear. A number of door prizes were awarded. Oct 22, 2007: Mr. Kirolos "CJ" Tadrous of Ingenious Technology in Rockledge, Florida gave a presentation on Why Upgrade to WindowsVista. He explained what makes Vista different from Windows XP, pointed out Vista's unique features, and described the differences between the various Vista versions. CJ explained Vista's hardware requirements and what one needs to know prior to upgrading. According to CJ, the best reason for upgrading is because Vista has much better security than previous Windows Operating Systems. CJ also demonstrated his detailed technical knowledge by easily answering many questions from the audience. Sep 24, 2007: Ms. Stacey Kile of the Computer Care Clinic Training Facility gave a presentation on their Classroom Computer Training Capabilities & Net Technologies. Stacey presented an overview of what classes are available and a quick look at some of the class material such as comparing Win XP to Vista and how IrfanView is used in the Digital Photography class. She also answered a variety of technical questions from the audience. Aug 27, 2007: James Thompson, President of the Florida Association of Computer User Groups (FACUG), presented the New World of Cyber-Society and Social Networking. He showed us how to open an account on craigslist to sell personal items for free vrs the costs involved on eBay. Using Photobucket or Picasa to include a photo of the item for sale was demonstrated. James then discussed the social aspects of sites like MySpace and Facebook. Jul 23, 2007: Chris Crisafulli of the Brevard Users Group in Melbourne, Florida gave a presentation on Linux Basics. Chris introduced us to the Linux Operating System and showed us a number of web sites that provide Linux information and free downloads of Linux programs like Ubuntu. He took us to Ubuntu Guide, Wine HQ, and CodeWeavers among others. Jun 25, 2007: Mr. James R. (JR) Staal of Azure Group Inc. gave a presentation on the capabilities of the new emerging Macintosh Computer and Multimedia Technologies. He went through the top 10 reasons for owning a Mac, gave a preview of the highly anticipated Leopard Operating System for Macs, and showed us the Safari browser for Windows. He also demonstrated how one can run the Mac OS X and Windows XP Operating systems side-by-side on a Mac computer without rebooting by using the Parallels Desktop program. May 29, 2007: Joe Hurston, President/CEO of Cartridge Source of America in Titusville gave a very dynamic, informative, and entertaining presentation on CSA's History, Products & Printer Technology. He explained how a laser printer works and how CSA has grown from a company that initially remanufactured printer cartridges to a company that now also offers printing services, refurbished computer systems, and a cutting edge water purification system deployed world-wide after catastrophic events. Joe then fielded questions from the audience. All in attendance received a discount coupon and free pair of sunglasses. Apr 23, 2007: Hitech Hi-Fi representative Archie Struthers discussed the latest technologies in Ipod Stereo Integration and GPS Navigation for automobiles. Many questions from the audience were expertly answer by Mr Struthers. Bluetooth, Hi-Definition Radio, On-Star, and various GPS systems are just a few of the many topics covered. Mar 26, 2007: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham demonstrated U3 Flash Drives and compared the available U3 programs vs. free Portable Apps programs available at PortableApps.com for use with ordinary Flash Drives. Feb 26, 2007: Jen Clausen and Marcy Kremer, Marketing Representatives for Smart Computing Magazine, a monthly computer magazine "in plain English." They walked us through all the current issue has to offer and then took us on a tour of the Smart Computing website with it's thousands of articles and many invaluable tools. A subscription entitles one to free computer Tech Support and complete access to the website which also includes online editions of several other magazines they publish. All present received a complimentary issue of Smart Computing, a pen, and a mouse pad. Jan 22. 2007: David B. Whittle of Webworking Services presented "Whittles Picks for the Digital Home - Quality Technologies and Products Anyone Can Use." He demonstrated or introduced products of general appeal to computer users, including Zip*Linq Retractable Cable Kits, Lenovo Customized ThinkPad Laptops, muvee autoProducer 6,and the Invisus PC Security Service. Nov 27, 2006: Serre Murphy, President of Net Fulfillment Technologies presented "Building a Website for Fun & Profit." He discussed and gave examples of what good and bad web pages look like. Serre next demonstrated their product, WebBuild Express, by actually building a web site and placing it on the Internet. WebBuild Express is a Windows-based development tool that enables users, especially those with little or no computer experience, to design and build powerful and graphically-rich web sites. All present received a CD-ROM with a 30-day fully functional free trial of WebBuild Express. Net Fulfillment Technologies, Inc. is located in Melbourne FL. Oct 23, 2006: James R. (JR) Staal of Apple Computer, Inc. presented an overview of the new Intel CPU based Mac's and the Mac OS X Operating System and it's many capabilities. A comparison was made to the Windows Operating Systems. Then Charles F. (Chuck) Grosvenor of CompUSA showed us how we could have a Mac computer with dual boot capability to boot into either Windows or the Mac OS X Operating System. Sep 25, 2006: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham demonstrated Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech programs built into Office 2003 & some OEM versions of Windows XP. Ron showed us how to check for these programs in Control Panel and how to install them. He also demonstrated the set-up and training process for speech recognition. We got to hear "Microsoft Anna," the new "natural sounding" default voice for Windows Vista. Ron concluded by demonstrating a free Text-to-Speech program called SayPad which can read e-books or any text document to you. Aug 28, 2006: Walter Brown & Robert Bearden from Best Buy in Melbourne, along with Jared Hunt from Magnolia Home Theater gave a short presentation on incorporating the Media Center PC into your Home Theater to create a Digital Multimedia System. Then, for over an hour, the team fielded many questions from the audience which covered a variety of tech subjects including HDTV capabilities, HDTV signal reception, widescreen computer monitors, recording CDs & DVDs onto a multimedia PC hard drive for transmission to all TVs in the house, etc. July 24, 2006: Will Wright of Rex TV in Titusville gave a very comprehensive talk on the Pros and Cons of the new Digital TV Technologies. The various types of TVs (LCD, Plasma, CRT, DLP) for High Definition Broadcasts were compared. Mr Wright was amazing in his knowledge of these technologies and fielded many questions from the audience ranging from the need for a maintenance agreement for projection TVs to the format war of Blue-Ray versus HD-DVD for new High Definition DVDs. June 26, 2006: Ronna & Scott McDonald of Treasure Boutique Gifts in Melbourne, a "power" eBay consignment business, gave a very informative and enlightening presentation on the Good, Bad, and Ugly of Buying/Selling on eBay type sites. Various scams and how this couple identifies them were discussed. The presentation covered the "in's and out's" of selling on eBay and how Ronna & Scott's 10 years of expertise can help those who wish to market their possessions on eBay. Ronna & Scott fielded many questions from the audience both during and after the presentation. May 22, 2006: Elgon Williams, Sales Manager for CompUSA in Melbourne gave a presentation on the new "Dual Core Processors." He discussed the history of AMD and Intel processors and the problems limiting processor speed which make it necessary to go to Dual Core. Elgon told us the speed of a single computer event could be increased by up to 70% with a second processor. Reference page 33 of the Feb 2006 issue of our Space Coast PC Journal for more information on Dual Core Processors. April 24, 2006: SCPCUG Web Master Curt Potsic demonstrated the latest version (3.98) of IrfanView, a very popular "free for personal use" image viewer/converter program with multimedia capabilities. Curt walked the audience through, Resize/Resample, Custom Crop, the Effects Browser, Inserting Text, and Panorama Creation for images. He also showed how to create a Slideshow with music and how to use IrfanView in conjuction with gathering information from web pages. IrfanView's multimedia capabilities were demonstrated by playing various audio and video files. Curt's favorite way of using Irfanview is to Drag & Drop a file on to Irfanview's Desktop Shortcut icon. The file loading speed of using this technique makes IrfanView the top choice as compared to other graphic viewers and music playing programs. March 27, 2006: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham presented Performance Trouble Zappers. This very informative Powerpoint presentation was originally given at the FACUG 2006 Spring Conference by Carl Loftstrom of the South Walton Computer Club, Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Some of the best diagnostic tips and tricks for solving computer problems were included in this presentation. Numerous Microsoft utilities and a variety of third party programs were discussed. These included PC Pit Stop, Toni Arts Registry Cleaner, manufacturer FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), PC Mechanic, and McAfee AVERT Stinger to name a few. Ron made copies of this 2.3MB Powerpoint file on member thumbdrives at the meeting. Members can also request a copy from Ron via e-mail. February 27, 2006: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations presented Internet Security and Hard Drive Protection. Internet Security focused on the many problems that end users face by connecting to the Internet. We learned about four main tools that every user should be running on their computer: Virus Protection, Spyware/Hacker Tool Protection, a Firewall, and Security Patches. For Spyware/Hacker Tool Protection Gene demonstrated Acronis Privacy Expert Suite 9.0. He also demonstrated WhiteCanyon MySecurityVault Pro which allows you to safely save ID and Password sets. Hard Drive Protection focused on how to organize your computer's hard drive for maximum protection. Gene explained the best way to backup hard drives to prevent serious loss of important files and demonstrated Acronis True Image 9.0. January 23, 2006: SCPCUG President Steve Rosenthal presided over a 45 minute presentation on How to Build Your Own PC. All of the various components: Motherboard, Processor, RAM, Hard Drive, etc. were discussed and it was shown how they all fit together to build a PC. A display table was available for members to see the Intel Pentium 4 Processor and Motherboard along with other components that will be used to build the Club's computer. November 28, 2005: Sergeant Jerry Goodyear from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force spoke on Internet Exploitation. His excellent and informative presentation covered the many aspects of his job ranging from Risks to Children (Exposure to Inappropriate Material, Sexual Explotation, Harrassment & Bullying) to information on Identity Theft. He cited a number of alarming statistics such as in 2003 there were 4.2 million pornography websites and 35% of downloads were pornographic in nature. Sgt Goodyear also recommended several websites for further information on Internet Safety: isafe.org, netsmartz.org, webwisekids.com, and missingkids.com. October 24, 2005: Meeting and Presentation cancelled. Library Closed because of Hurricane Wilma. Presentation by Tanya Lux, Product Specialist from Corel on Paint Shop Pro X and Photo Album 6 will be rescheduled. September 26, 2005: SCPCUG Librarian, Resource Center Manager, and Journal Editor Ron Ingraham gave a 41 minute presentation on Adobe Photoshop CS2 using a DVD supplied by Adobe which illustrated some of the unique new features now available. Adobe Photoshop CS2 software is the professional image-editing standard. Its groundbreaking creative tools such as "Vanishing Point" and "Spot Healing"help the user achieve extraordinary results. Unprecedented adaptability lets the user custom-fit Photoshop to the way the user works. Door prizes included an HTML Editor, several SCPCUG Tee-shirts, and a subscription to Smart Computing Magazine. August 22, 2005: Eric Christie, Sales Manager of Staples Office Supply in Melbourne with assistance by Catherine Melville, Staples Copy Center Manager discussed New Computer Technologies. They showed the new HP 8250 Photo Printer, a Acer Laptop, and a 5 Megapixel Kodak Digital Camera. Photos taken of attendees with the camera were printed on both HP & Staples Photo Paper and then compared. Staples Services and Customer Benefits were also talked about. All attendees received a Staples canvas tote bag full of a generous sampling of office supply products. July 25, 2005: Larry Junker & Christian Hurston of Cartridge Source of America (CSA) in Titusville presented Practical Printer Technology covering the field of ink jets, toner cartridges, dye-sublimation, thermal transfer and their applications in printing, copying, plotting, & faxing. The remanufacturing process was explained and security measures that should be considered prior to procuring a printing device were discussed. A water filtration system was also demonstrated. CSA gave away 10% discount coupons good on a next order to all attendees. One lucky person won a $25 gift certificate toward an order. June 27, 2005: Elgon Williams, Sales Manager for CompUSA in Melbourne discussed Technology Trends in Spyware/Adware & Viruses plus the newest technologies to combat both. The advantages/disadvantages of software & hardware firewalls was covered along with the effectiveness of detection & removal software for Viruses and Spyware/Adware. May 23, 2005: SCPCUG Journal Editor & Resource Center Manager Ron Ingraham demonstrated how to use the Space Coast PC Journal Archive CD-ROM, discussed the Library Wi-Fi System, and showed various features of the SCPCUG website. April 25, 2005: Office Depot of Merritt Island presented information on the three categories of their hottest selling items. Terry Blackman discussed Wireless Networking, Carl Drury discussed Digital Photography, and Matt Hyde discussed Cellular Phones & Systems. The discussions were informal and consisted mainly of questions from the audience and answers from the presenters. March 28, 2005: Carlos Del Campo and Jim Booth of Brevard Computer & Technology Services discussed the Latest Trends in Hardware -- CPU's, Hard Drives, Memory, Thumb Drives, LCD monitors, and the convertible Tablet PC which they used for their demonstration. They also discussed Wireless Networks & Security. Brevard Computer & Technology specializes in Small Business Support but also handles residential support. They are located in Melbourne and Suntree/Viera. February 28, 2005: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations discussed The Perfect Backup Approach, backing up your hard drive with True Image, a drive-imaging utility from Acronis Software. Gene also discussed a clever utility from Spearit Software called MoveMe. It helps users easily transfer all of their application programs, settings and data files from an old computer to a new computer. Finally, Gene talked about three wiping utilities from WhiteCanyon Software. SecureClean, WipeDrive, and MediaWiper permanently remove personal and private information from a hard drive. January 24, 2005: SCPCUG Club Photographer Robin Mills demonstrated Microsoft's free Windows XP Slideshow Program Photo Story 3 by walking us through how to put together a simple slideshow. Photo Story 3 is a easy wizard driven program with powerful panning and zooming controls that supports up to 300 photos per story. It provides for basic photo editing, text captions, 48 transitions, and soundtrack creation with both music and narration. Robin next showed us several finished slideshows, one of which he had burned on to a DVD. He also provided a handout with links for additional help. November 22, 2004: SCPCUG President Steve Rosenthal held an expanded Question & Answer Session. October 25, 2004: Marvin Lange of Comtek Computers II in Cocoa showed us a SOHO Appliance Server and Roll-Up Keyboard. The remainder of the time was a very informative Q&A session in which Marvin fielded questions relating to Broadband, Networking, Routers, Firewalls, Antivirus programs, Spyware, etc. Comtek Computers specializes in new & used systems, repairs, upgrades, and parts. September 27, 2004: There was no meeting and hence no presentation due to Hurricane Jeanne. August 23, 2004: SCPCUG President Steve Rosenthal held a Question & Answer Session and then gave a short presentation on Kim Komando's Book /CD-ROM "The 50 Greatest Secrets of Digital Photography." July 24, 2004: Michael Boonstra of the Brevard Library Genealogy Department gave an excellent informative presentation on Genealogical Research. He first discussed what the Brevard Library System has to offer. There are over 400 CDs and patron access is available to the two prime database subscription services, Ancestry and Heritage Quest. Michael then took us online for a tour of the USGenWeb Project. This is a free Genealogy Research website staffed by volunteers. It is structured to cover every state and county in the USA. Michael gave us a tour of the Brevard County GenWeb pages which have been up only two weeks and also showed us a number of the national projects available in the USGenWeb Archives. The USGenWeb Project website is certainly an important resource for anyone interested in genealogy. After this most fascinating presentation a Microsoft Learning Package which included a T-shirt was handed out to all attendees. June 28, 2004:
SCPCUG President Steve Rosenthal May 24, 2004: Ms Terry Edwards, founder of Auction Swap World Trade, and her partner Chuck Schuerger discussed ASWT.com, a new online trading forum. Their goal is to provide clientele with a website that has impeccable standards and affordable pricing, as well as being a caring arena to conduct business -- a place "Where people matter more than the bottom-line!" Terry and Chuck understand that the customer is the most valuable asset, and that customer participation will insure the success or the failure of this new online trading, buying, and selling forum. April 26, 2004: Mr Serre Murphy, President of Net Fulfillment Technologies, discussed "Spam: Why We All Get So Much and What to Do about It" and "Building Your Own Website: Why and How." Serre also demonstrated two of their products: BamSpam, a Web-based anti-spam service that enables parents to ensure that their children do not receive objectionable or inappropriate email and WebBuild Express, a Windows-based, WYSIWYG development tool that enables users, especially those with little or no computer experience, to design and build powerful and graphically-rich Web sites. CD-ROM's with a 30-day fully functional free trial of WebBuild Express were given out. Net Fulfillment Technologies, Inc. is located in Melbourne FL. March 22, 2004: Gene Barlow of User Group Relations discussed Approaches to Backing Up Your Hard Drive by using a well thought out backup plan and explored the many backup options available. Gene explained the advantages and disadvantages of various methods and favors using an External Hard Drive with a baseline full backup followed by incremental backups. For accomplishing this the program V2i Protector Desktop Edition v2 was demonstrated. Gene also spend a few minutes talking about hard drive security when replacing a hard drive, wiping a hard drive or giving away one of your old computers. In covering these security issues he talked about the programs Wipe Drive v3 and SecureClean v4. February 23, 2004: Steve Short and Ralph Bond, Consumer Education Managers for Intel Corporation, showed us how to use a powerful Personal Computer to preserve/digitize analog VHS and Hi8 home movie tapes. A variety of options, from external USB 2.0 connected capture boxes to PCI cards was discussed. Pinnacle's Studio 9 program for Video Capture/Edit/Burning was demonstrated. A display table highlighted other software programs and some hardware that can be used for Video Editing. January 26, 2004: David B. Whittle, author of "Cyberspace: The Human Dimension" and named by Working Woman Magazine as "one of America's most original technological thinkers," presented "Whittle's Picks - Quality Software Products Anyone Can Use." Mr. Whittle first discussed the new Intel Centrino processor, now being used in Laptops. He then demonstrated several software programs including 3D-Album DVD Suite, muvee autoProducer 3, PhotoVista Panorama 3.0, PhotoVista Virtual Tour 3.0, and activePDF Composer. Special User Group prices were available for these programs. November 24, 2003: SCPCUG member Ken Marple gave a presentation on "Genealogical Research" with emphasis on understanding the history of the period in which you are searching. He showed how the roles of Politics and Religion come into play. Ken also touched on the use of Internet based Search Engines like Google and local hard drive based Search Engine Programs for doing Genealogical Research. October 27, 2003:
Aaron Gee, Senior Network Engineer for Atlantic.Net
September 22, 2003:
SCPCUG First Vice President, Dave Nottingham demonstrated
a new gadget, a Blue Tooth headset for cell phones. Additionally,
Dave gave a presentation on Chemical Hazards E-Waste.
His very interesting and informative talk covered the rapidly
expanding e-waste chemical exposer hazards. August 25, 2003:
Keith Ennis from Voice
Factor/PCS, Inc. presented July 28, 2003:
Tammy Randolph and her staff from Staples
gave an June 23, 2003: SCPCUG First Vice President, Dave Nottingham demonstrated some of his favorite gadgets including Roomba the intelligent floor cleaner, Lexar media, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed card bus, the optical I Pen and more. He also gave a presentation on Arena simulation software and Mathcad software. The real hit was Roomba the IROBOT vacuum. April 28, 2003: SCPCUG Librarian, Resource Center Manager, and Journal Editor Ron Ingraham gave an informative presentation about the Kim Komando book "The 50 Biggest Computer Mistakes." Ron demonstrated the CD-ROM version and the Komando book was offered as a door prize. Details on the book's content are available at, http://www.komando.com/kk_estore_40/details.asp?prodID=41. SCPCUG Web Master elect Catherine Hall demonstrated how easy it is to manipulate pixels in Photoshop. Her presentation demonstrated how to move pixels, adjusting color, fix flaws, and cleaning up edges. Mar 24, 2003: SCPCUG member Jack Davidson demonstrated PowerDesk Pro 5.0, a powerful Windows Explorer alternative that provides a simple, fast, and fun way to organize and manage files, digital photos, MP3 music files and web images. Jack showed us PowerDesk's convenience and how it saves time. With very few clicks, Jack copied and moved files, color coded folders, viewed data files for which he did not have the source program, viewed graphics in several different ways, and explored the contents of compressed (zip) files without unzipping. PowerDesk gave Jack the power to customize his PC file management. View or download a four-page Comparison Chart of PowerDesk 5 vs Windows Explorer. This is a 21 KB PDF file. Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed to view this file. Feb 24, 2003: SCPCUG Guru David Nottingham briefly discussed the STS-107 Columbia Accident Investigation from an insider's point of view. A web site about Columbia mentioned by Dave can be found at http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/news/gra/gshuttle_disaster/flash.htm. David then hosted an Extended Q & A Session. Examples of How to Find Help Online were presented by using the Google Search Engine and by going to the web sites of HP, Microsoft, and Roxio. Jan 27, 2003: In view of Tax Season this presentation was about Tax Preparation Software. First, SCPCUG Treasurer Bill McCabe told us about the Tax Law changes for this year. Next, SCPCUG First Vice President David Nottingham compared the ratings of TurboTax, TaxACT, and TaxCut by CNet. The major portion of this presentation was given by SCPCUG Librarian, Resource Center Manager, and Journal Editor Ron Ingraham who demonstrated the free program TaxACT Standard 2002. Ron walked us through downloading, installing, and actually using the program by filling out a sample return. Ron also mentioned available online services like the IRS E-file program. TaxACT has an exclusive offer for User Group members. For members requiring only a Federal Return, get TaxACT Deluxe Edition for $6 (normally $9.95). For members requiring both Federal and State Returns, get TaxACT 2002 Ultimate bundle for $16 (normally $19.95). Note that these prices apply to downloads only. For a CD-ROM via mail, add an additional $5.95 for shipping & handling. Dec 23, 2002: SCPCUG Guru David Nottingham gave a very informative presentation on Digital Camera Basics. David started by discussing hardware (Camera Features and different types of Flash Memory for onboard Photo Storage). He then went into Transfer of Photos from the Camera, Photo Edit/Enhancing software, Photo Placement in Logical Folders, Copying Photos to CD-R, and Attaching Photos to E-Mail. Nov 25, 2002: Cartridge Source of America is a local Titusville company performing Toner Cartridge Recycling. Larry Junker told us a little history of the company and then Christian Hurston gave a very informative presentation, walking us through how Laser Printers work and all that is involved in the Toner Cartridge Recycling process. Oct 28, 2002: Microsoft representative Dr. Rita Oates showed us several of the latest products for the Holiday shopping season. Demos included Picture It! Digital Image Pro, Tablet PC, Pocket PC, and Age of Mythology game. Sep 23, 2002: SCPCUG Guru David Nottingham and wife Louise were back to discuss and demonstrate more of Adobe Premier 6.0 video editing software for creating Video Movie Memories. Aug 26, 2002: First, SCPCUG Guru David Nottingham gave us a technical rundown of the equipment used. Then, David's wife Louise gave an excellent presentation and demonstration on how to create Video Photo Montages (a video from a series of JPEG photos). Louise showed us the difference between a very basic video editing program like Windows Movie Maker (which only allows jump cuts or a dissolve for transitions) and a professional program like Adobe Premier 6.0 which offers titling, a large variety of transitions, adds motion to still images with zoom and rotation effects, and much more. Louise also showed us the many export options available for sharing of a montage. The presentation sample below only hints at the many possibilities.
Jul 22, 2002: SCPCUG Guru Dave Nottingham gave us a presentation and demo on Digital Photography using a Sony Palm with a 100 K pixels sensor, a Sony 3.3 Megapixel Digital Camera, and a Sony Digital 8 Camcorder. Dave showed us the roll Windows XP plays in making Digital Photography easier. The various formats of flash memory for storing digital photos were also discussed. Jun 24, 2002: Joel Martin and Nick Drake of our local Merritt Island Office Depot gave a presentation, complete with a 17-page handout, on Networking. They walked us through the steps for setting up a Home or Small Office Network with Windows XP. The handout included a Club Members only "$15 off a $75 Purchase" coupon. May 27, 2002: Frances Peake of Peake Database Associates demonstrated Alpha Software's Alpha Five, an award winning windows database software program that is in the same market as MS Access or FileMaker. Frances showed us some of the advantages of Alpha Five, such as ease of use and the ability to quickly build customized database solutions. Apr 22, 2002: SCPCUG President Mark Kirschner gave a presentation on Smart Computing, a monthly computer magazine "in plain English," the Smart Computing website, and their new publication Computer Power User magazine. Subscription to either publication entitles the subscriber to complete access to the Smart Computing website with nearly 14,000 articles and invaluable tools. For every five SCPCUG members that subscribe to either Smart Computing or Computer Power User the SCPCUG gets a free subscription. You must enter the following codes when subscribing for the SCPCUG to get credit. Smart Computing: 11642; Computer Power User: 307. Mar 25, 2002: Microsoft representative Mary Sue Halligan presented Windows XP and showed us how XP gives us the freedom to do what we want at home and at work--simply, reliably, and securely. Some areas covered in the presentation were Digital Photos, Entertainment, Communication, Connected Home, and Help & Support. Feb 25, 2002: Gregory Rhoads, Branch Sales Manager of the Melbourne Gateway Country Store told us about Gateway Computers and showed the Profile 3, a all-in-one space saving PC that features a 15" flat panel display. A Gateway laptop was also available for inspection. In keeping with a renewed effort to help those new to computing SCPCUG Guru Dave Nottingham went "back to basics" in demonstrating the many types of connectors a PC uses. Also many door prizes were won by lucky members as Dave cleaned out his closet of accumulated vendor software. Jan 28, 2002: SCPCUG Web Master Curt Potsic demonstrated EasyOffice 2001 and SCPCUG Journal Editor Ron Ingraham demonstrated PowerDesk 4 and using the Space Coast PC Journal Archive CD-ROM with Acrobat Reader's search capability. The free programs EasyOffice 2001 and PowerDesk 4 are featured in the February issue of the Space Coast PC Journal. |
presided over Intel's Presentation
in a Box on the Intel Pentium 4 Processor with Hyperthreading
Technology. This 20 minute multimedia CD presentation demonstrated
how Hyperthreading works and provided performance comparisons
of the Pentium 4 Processor with and without Hyperthreading and
between old and new processors. SCPCUG Journal Editor
Ron Ingraham then presented a 15 minute video showing
the process he follows each month for printing, stapling,
folding, labeling, and bundling the Journals ready for mailing.
A Intel blue LED key chain flashlight and a CD of the Hyperthreading
presentation were provided to all attendees. Also a Intel backpack
was the door prize.
gave
a fascinating and entertaining presentation about the Internet
and the services Atlantic.Net provides. Aaron's approach
was unique in that it came from a "Geek" that favored
the technical (rather than sales) side. Thus, we were treated
to an inside look at the Internet Service Provider that provides
complimentary Web Hosting for this SCPCUG website. In addition
to briefly touching on the history of Atlantic.Net, Aaron explained
how things like SPAM and Dial-Up connection problems are handled.
Atlantic.Net was started in 1994 by two University of Florida
students. With headquarters in Gainsville, today Atlantic.Net
provides residential services and high-speed Internet access,
Web site services, and telecommunications to small and medium-sized
businesses throughout the Southeast.
The Voice Factor Bundle,
the ultimate software package including Dragon Naturally Speaking
Version 7 Preferred Plus, and an upgraded high quality noise
canceling microphone, as well as another program called Text
Aloud.
informative presentation of Staples services.
SCPCUG members learned about Staples Business Rewards, frequent
discounts, copy/printing services and more. In addition, Tammy
Randolph brought a wide array of equipment including digital
cameras and printers. Her staff gave an informative presentation
of the equipment. Everyone at the meeting received a complimentary
Staples box full of pens, markers, paper, clips, CDs and more.