Free ebooks from Microsoft Press!!

Microsoft Press offers books designed for the different ways you learn.  They cover a range of Microsoft technologies from  Windows Service to Office 2010, Security and programing.  Many of the free ebooks available are offered in three formats:  PDF, Mobi (Kindle) and ePub.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2012/05/04/free-ebooks-great-content-from-microsoft-press-that-won-t-cost-you-a-penny.aspx

or

http://goo.gl/Xb2qJ

LCCUG Picnic - August 5 - Lakeview Park

Annual LCCUG Picnic

1-5pm 

West Shelter Lakeview Park

2pm speaker from the Parks System

July 13-14 Convention in Canton

A great opportunity to network and learn more about Computers!

APCUG Convention July 13 - 14  in Canton  http://camug2012.apcug.org/

Registration   http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2813048905/efbnen

Tentative schedule   http://camug2012.apcug.org/schedule.htm

Free Area Concerts & Festivals 2012

I gathered a list of links to free events to attend this summer in our area.  I would like to share it here.  If you know of any similar events, leave a comment.

Vermilion : Concerts in the Park   --   7 pm every Sunday starting in July.

https://sites.google.com/site/vermilionohiochamberofcommerce/concerts-in-the-park

Also in downtown Vermilion
3rd Thursday, Music, Flowers and a Sunset
May 17th-September 20^th   6pm-Sunset

This webpage Includes Music Under the Stars Sunday evenings at Lakeview Park in Lorain

And Sunday evenings on Mill Hollow 2012 Summer Concert Series Vermilion

Many other Lorain County Parks events are  listed there as well:

http://www.metroparks.cc/events.php

LORAIN - At the Black River Landing in Lorain there will be Labatt Blue Black River Concerts twice a month all summer from  8-11pm

                http://www.lorainportauthority.com/labatt_blue_black_river_concert_series

I am also adding a link to  Nature Boat rides offered at the Landings …the only thing on this list that costs money:

http://www.lorainportauthority.com/calendar

downtown Elyria, in  Ely Park on Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. throughout the summer. . Bring your lawn chair, lunch, sit back, listen and ENJOY!

http://www.cityofelyria.org/department/parks/summer-concert-series/

Oberlin 2012 Summer Concert Series Tappan Square Clark Bandstand Fridays
 June 29 – August 3 7pm

http://www.oberlin.org/pdf/2012-summer-concert-flyer.pdf

new in Downtown Amherst this year - Walkin' on Wednesdays

Second Wednesday of Each Month, June through September

Enjoy family-friendly entertainment while strolling the streets of the historic district. Shops, restaurants and businesses will be open late! Plus its FREE!

A list of Lorain County Festivals is maintained by LorainCounty.com at

http://www.loraincounty.com/Festivals/

DNS Malware Problem to check on

Web could vanish for hordes of people in July, FBI warns

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57418276-83/web-could-vanish-for-hordes-of-people-in-july-fbi-warns/

If your computer is infected with the DNSChanger virus, your summertime Internet activities will be seriously curtailed -- as in buh-bye. But a special Web site can help you fix the problem.

by Edward Moyer  April 21, 2012 5:30 AM PDT

The FBI is warning that hundreds of thousands of people could lose their Internet connections come July, unless they take steps to diagnose and disinfect their computers.

The problem is related to malware called DNSChanger that was first discovered way back in 2007 and that has infected millions of computers worldwide.

In simple terms, when you type a Web address into your browser, your computer contacts DNS (or Domain Name System) servers to find out the numerical Internet Protocol (IP) address of the site you're trying to reach, and then it takes you there. DNSChanger fiddled with an infected machine's settings and directed it to rogue servers set up by a crime ring -- servers that handed out addresses to whatever sites the ring chose.

As a U.S attorney said in an FBI press release, the crooks "were international cyberbandits who hijacked millions of computers at will and rerouted them to Internet Web sites and advertisements of their own choosing -- collecting millions in undeserved commissions for all the hijacked computer clicks and Internet ads they fraudulently engineered."

Late last year, however, the FBI disrupted the ring and seized the rogue servers. And since so many infected computers relied on the servers to reach the Internet, the agency opted not to shut them down and instead converted them to legitimate DNS machines.

Running the machines costs the government money, though,so they're being switched off in July. If your computer is infected with DNSChanger then, the Web -- for you -- will no longer exist.

The DNSChanger Working Group (DCWG), the body set up to oversee the servers, has created a Web site to help you diagnose your machine and, if necessary, remove DNSChanger. You can check it out atwww.dcwg.org. And it's probably not a bad idea to do so sometime before, say, July 8 (the DCWG says the servers will be shut down the following day).

Learn to help Index the 1940 Census

The 1940 U.S. federal census will be released via free ditial images Monday, April 2, by the National Archives and Records Aministration.  This census includes the names people who made up the "Greatest Generation".

The Lorain County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will welcome guest speakers Dorothy Titera and Rae Ann Houshton of Family Search on April 9 at the North Ridgeville branch library to discuss and show how easy it is to participate via home computers in the indexing project of the 1940 U.S. Census.

The women also will demonstrate indexing proujects of thousands of other genealogy based records stored on microfilm in Salt Lake City.  As records are indexed they are made available as free digitized images at FamilySearch.org.  Members of the Lorain County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Soc iety will be among the volunteers participating in the indexing project. 

The public is invited to attend this free program. . Membership in the genealogical society is not required to attend.  Social time begins at 6:30 pm with the program and meeting beginning at 7 pm

The library is at 5700 Bainbridge Rd, N. Ridgeville

For more information, call Jean at 440-949-5167 or Pete at 440-967-8002.

Investigating Online

Occasionally, I like to explore these kinds of websites.
Once and awhile I want to "check up on a person" and other times I want to see what is online ab out myself.

http://websearch.about.com/od/peoplesearch/tp/peoplesearch.htm

After seeing what is out there about yourself, you might want to try to remove it.  Here is a site with information on that  http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/10/18/call-kurtis-how-do-i-get-my-personal-info-removed-online64970/

This recent story in the Plain Dealer talks about Zillow and Trulia websites with real estate informtion.
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/real_estate_companies_are_tryi.html

Take a closer look at a neighborhood
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/
http://spotcrime.com/

Be your own detective for local information:
http://www.loraincounty.com/probate/

http://www.loraincounty.com/clerk/

http://www.loraincounty.com/auditor/register/ 

Interesting summary of how information is accumulated
http://abine.com/people_guide.php

http://www.pcworld.com/article/227461/why_is_people_search_so_lame.html

Search Social Networks
http://www.brighthub.com/internet/google/articles/116670.aspx

How do the Information brokers get our information?
http://timesleader.com/stories/FTC-seeks-law-to-shed-more-light-on-data-brokers,129841


Popular People search websites
http://pipl.com/
http://www.spokeo.com/

do you have a site you have used?  Leave a comment to share it....

sandee

Ebooks and ereaders

Links about ebook readers
from the February 22, 2011 presentation

ebooks4lccug.pbworks.com

http://www.lccug.memberlodge.com/weblinks Click on ebook presentation

Any ebook/ereader questions
president@lccug.com

Send any questions to president@lccug.com

APCUG’s Annual Photo Contest for 2011

the APCUG (Association of PC Users Group) is sponsoring an upcoming photo contest.

Get your camera ready, the annual APCUG Photo contest will soon be announced. Somewhere inside of all of us is a creative genius just waiting for the chance to grab the spotlight……and we want you to have that chance. There will be multiple chances to win….including……professional judging and our own “Photo Idol” chosen from the ‘best of the best’, so grab those cameras and start shooting! Announcement coming soon!

Watch here for more details!

Net Neutrality

Have you been hearing about net neutrality and wondering what it is all about.

This webpage Who Can Be Against Net Neutrality, Privacy Rules?
will help. It offers information on connectivity speeds worldwide and privacy concerns.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Photo Contest

2011 Fourth Annual Plain Dealer Travel Photos Contest

Photographers, who must be at least 18 and residents of Ohio, have until Friday, Feb. 25, to submit their entries. Up to three photos in each category may be entered.

Photos will be judged using several criteria, including originality, creativity, composition and photography skill, said Bill Gugliotta, the Plain Dealer's director of photography, who will supervise the judging.

For more details http://www.cleveland.com/travelcontest/


Last year's winning photos were a diverse group -- including a serene scene of a bamboo raft on the Li River in China, two men playing chess at The Arcade in downtown Cleveland and a gleaming Brooklyn Bridge at night. Winning photographers included a doctor, a teacher and several college students studying abroad.

The winning photos from 2010 can be found http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2010/04/photography_contest_winners_ar.html

Test My ISP

Participate in a test project and earn a modem.

“ FCC's "Test My ISP" campaign to get a very detailed view of what broadband speeds/latencies/jitters/dropouts/etc that users across America are getting. They'll use this information to set new requirements for ISPs, both in marketing (advertising speeds as "UP TO" ) and in products (so far as I know).

Basically, sign up, and if you are one of the 10,000 chosen, they will ship you a "White Box" router (they said the term "Black Box" was already taken by the airlines lol) designed by a company called SamKnows and actually made by NetGear. This will NOT monitor your traffic or collect ANY data that you transfer! You plug this into your modem like you would any other router/switch, and then plug your actual router/switch into it. “ ( http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/30024-42-campaign-test )

For more information:

http://stopthecap.com/2011/01/18/calling-all-test-my-isp-participants-and-those-who-want-to-be/

Weather Links from Mark McKinley, FAA

Web links from our January 11, 2011 meeting on weather:

The National Weather Service - http://www.weather.gov

• (From there click on the map over northern Ohio and that will bring you to the website for one of the 122 Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) around the nation and from there you can click on the map over the location of interest and obtain a seven day forecast.
• Digital forecast images are available from those WFO websites such that you can see variations in the forecast fields of high/low and 3-hourly temperatures, relative humidity and dewpoint, wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts, snowfall in six-hourly increments, precipitation (liquid) amounts, cloud cover, and probability of precipitation from place to place. That information can be viewed by click on the maps under the National Digital Forecast Database banner.)

An alternate to the above that allows viewing of the forecast area boundaries - http://www.srh.noaa.gov
(the additional tabs on the top of the page will permit viewing of the Center Weather Service Unit and River Forecast Center websites)

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction - http://www.ncep.noaa.gov

This NCEP web location has links for the following:

1. the Aviation Weather Center (for in-flight advisory information and pre-flight weather information including pilot reports)
2. the Climate Prediction Center (long-range seasonal outlooks up to 13 months into the future)
3. Environmental Modeling Center (the source for numerical weather prediction models)
4. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (location for finding current analysis and forecast weather maps)
5. Tropical Prediction Center (also better known as the National Hurricane Center - providing advisories on tropical storms and hurricanes)
6. Ocean Prediction Center (tells you how large ocean waves should be, should you being cruising the high seas or you just wish to see how the weather map looks on the other side of the world)
7. Space Weather Prediction Center (for alerts on geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms and radio frequency blackouts).
8. Storm Prediction Center (for Severe Thunderstorm Watch and Tornado Watch information as well as convective outlooks as well as having a nice national radar mosaic and information on wild fire potential).

Satellite imagery can be found via the National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service
http://www.goes.noaa.gov

Radar - http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/

Historical information is archived at the National Climatic Data Center - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Camera Club in Oberlin

Camera Club is a group of photographers who exachanges ideas, experiences and discuss topics presented by teachers and professionals.

The Firelands Association for the Visual Arts Group is open to experienced photographers and those wanting to learn. Camera Club is open to ages 13 and older and meets from 6:30 to 8pm the first and Third Tuesday of the month at 39 S. Main St. A six-month membership is $35.

(Morning Journal 1.17.11 - B2).

Download music free - Lorain Public Library System Offers Free Downloadable Music From Its Website

If you have a library card from the Lorain Public Library System, you are able to take advantage of a new service that recently became available. Music lovers are now able download music for free from Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists.


Called Freegal, this new service will allow Lorain Public Library System to increase the size and diversity of its music collection by offering access to hundreds of thousands of songs.


Under the terms of the agreement, library patrons who have a library card issued by the Lorain Public Library System can download three Sony Music tracks in the MP3 format weekly at no direct cost. To use the Freegal service, go to the Lorain Public Library System’s website at www.lorainpubliclibrary.org and click on the Freegal button.


“Sony Music has an incredibly expansive and popular catalog and we are really excited to partner with them on this, a very important product for libraries,” said Brian Downing, co-founder of Library Ideas.


The Lorain Public Library System provides library service through its Main Library in Lorain, the South Lorain Branch, Avon Branch, Columbia Branch, Domonkas Branch in Sheffield Lake, North Ridgeville Branch and the Bookmobile.

New Promising things from Microsoft

The flipside: Five things Microsoft is doing right in 2010

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=5016&tag=nl.e101

Tech Sanity Check
by Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief

The article discusses how these Microsoft applications have it right:

Office Web Apps
Automatic Mobile sync
Free antivirus and malware protection
Outlook 2010
SharePoint

Top-10-resources-for-computer-troubleshooting-advice-remote-help

MakeUseOf presents to you a list of websites and forums where people are willing to help you get your computer fixed.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-resources-for-computer-troubleshooting-advice-remote-help/

Free Microsoft Help!

A reminder from APCUG -
Did you know that Microsoft in the US will give free 7 by 24 support if you computer becomes infected with malwareyou. You just need to call 1-866-pcsafety (yes more that 7 numbers but you will remember the number that way).

http://blog.mir.net/2010/01/free-support-for-virus-malware-and.html

Windows 7 & Vista "God Mode"

Here is a tip on CNET:

Create a new folder (desktop is fine) and then rename it exactly the following --

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}


After renaming, double-click on the folder and it will open to reveal one-stop shopping for access all of the operating system's control panels from within a single folder!

NOTE: Works on 32-bit Vista and Windows 7 but is said to crash 64-bit versions.

Original CNET story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10423985-56.html--

Got a new computer? Install these nine programs right away

Start your new PC off right with high-rated free software.

New computer? Feed it a healthy diet of powerful software.

By Chris Gaylord Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor / January 7, 2010

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech-Culture/2010/0107/Got-a-new-computer-Install-these-nine-programs-right-away