Regina Brett on Typing

"Smartphones could spell the end for typing as we know it"
 Regina Brett wrote in the March 20 Plain Dealer.
Regina calls it exactly the way I see it.  She ponders the merits of touch typing that we learned when we were in school and how that is not valued any longer.  Then she remarks that, lik me, she is not able to text with her thumbs as the young people of today can do.

Interesting observations!


http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2013/03/smartphones_could_spell_the_en.html

Computer Scam - beware

Local computer users have been receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or a large computer company offering to help you with your computer.  Please do not talk to these callers - it is a scam.

For more information see this Plain Dealer story  http://www.cleveland.com/consumeraffairs/index.ssf/2013/03/three_calls_you_should_never_t.html

Windows 8 Resources

The links to the resources we mentioned at the Windows 8 program can be found here:
http://www.lccug.memberlodge.com/weblinks#Windows8
they include the link to the YouTube videos I suggested

FYI - The speaker I used during program was the HDMX Jam Wireless Portable Speaker.  http://www.hmdxaudio.com/products/jam-wireless-portable-speaker.html 

Windows 8 Links

The links that were referred to at the March 12  meeting can be found at the members' page at http://www.lccug.memberlodge.com/weblinks .  At the top of that page is a link to the Windows 8 section near the bottom.  The links to the YouTubes Sandee selected on learning to use Windows 8 are at the very bottom there.

Links from January Meeting

We reviewed websites that are posted on the member's page "Presentation Weblinks and Useful Info" section of the club's Member's Page.  You can go directly there by using this link:
     http://www.lccug.memberlodge.com/weblinks

You will find links from other LCCUG presentations at that webpage.  You will also find information posted by Micky.  This is information that he is frequently is asked about.  This is a great resource and you will find it useful to be familiar with the kinds of things that can be found here.

The favorite links that we looked at during the Janaury meeting can be found there at the link in red named 01/08/2013 presentation web sites  or you can go directly there by using this link:
http://justpaste.it/lccug_websites  .

Update to Windows 8 Deadline

the following is an email sent out to all members on January 20:

Windows 8 Pro upgrade pricing will jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is about to become a lot more expensive. An upgrade of Windows 8 Pro will go from costing $40 in a promotional offer to a much more expensive $200 at the beginning of February.

While the price of Pro jumps up considerably, Microsoft will offer an upgrade to a more basic version of Windows 8 for $120. That’s still quite a bit more money than the $40 offer — and you get less features.

Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2013/01/18/windows-8-pro-upgrade-pricing/#Wxpxb8y3gjGx18Ic.99 

So should you upgrade?  

Here is an excellent article on making that decision:

http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-decide-should-you-upgrade-to-windows-8-7000008186/

In that article David Gewirtz of Zdnetcom  gives some basic reasons on why you should upgrade now or should you  wait.  He considers which operating system you are currently using and gives you good suggestions on how to decide.

I found it particularly useful to read what he said about Windows XP:

I'll put this quite simply: if you're running an XP machine and you're reading email or browsing the Web, you need to upgrade immediately. XP is enormously vulnerable to exploits, you can't run Internet Explorer later than IE8, and your PC is a calamity waiting to happen.

So you should upgrade to either Windows 7 or Windows 8. Period. Now, as it happens, it's probably actually a better choice to upgrade to Windows 8. First, again, you can get the Windows 8 Pro upgrade for only $39.99 and any Windows 7 upgrade will cost you more.

The upgrade link is at:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/buy  

Remember if you buy it now, you don’t have to install it till later if you prefer to wait.

Reminder if you have a new computer purchased between June 2 and January 31, that had windows 7 PC you are eligible  to upgrade to Windows 8 for $15, you need to register before the end of the month.
(Read more at the venturebeat.com  link above._) 

Also useful might be this free ebook from Microsoft that you can download called  Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals.  http://tinyurl.com/ccoy84g

Should you upgrade to Windows 8?

I thought this story about upgrading to Windows 8 to be very helpful
http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-decide-should-you-upgrade-to-windows-8-7000008186/

David Gewirtz of Zdnetcom  gives some basic reasons on why you should upgrade now or should you  wait.  He considers which operating system you are currently using and gives you good suggestions on how to decide.

I found it particularly useful to read what he said about Windows XP:

I'll put this quite simply: if you're running an XP machine and you're reading email or browsing the Web, you need to upgrade immediately. XP is enormously vulnerable to exploits, you can't run Internet Explorer later than IE8, and your PC is a calamity waiting to happen.

So you should upgrade to either Windows 7 or Windows 8. Period. Now, as it happens, it's probably actually a better choice to upgrade to Windows 8. First, again, you can get the Windows 8 Pro upgrade for only $39.99 and any Windows 7 upgrade will cost you more.

Food for thought!

sandee

Antivirus Makers Must change their Strategy

The New York Times has an interesting article called "Outmaneuvered at Their Own Game, Antivirus Makers Struggle to Adapt".  This article explains how current antivirus makers can't keep ahead of the  viruses being written today.  The antivirus companies are trying to go in a different direction in order to survive.  Interesting reading.

http://tinyurl.com/atqgbof

TVs and Computers - How it's changing

Here is the link to the power point I used at the November 13 meeting.  It is saved as a PDF and hopefully everyone can access it.    TVs and Computers is a big subject that is changing faster than we can get a handle on it.  Hopefully this presentation will give it some clarity.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxVp1c6R1nzhV2ZwRzNiWFBQYnc

email me if you have questions   president@lccug.com.

October 2012 Meeting - Smart Phones & Tablets

Eric Barnett gave a great presentation at the Tuesday meeting.  A copy of his presentation (including the YouTubes he referred to) can be found @ ....
http://prezi.com/-9eod0qzgmoc/android-vs-iphone/?res_nr=10&sis=2738818155

I put together a list of websites with more information about comparing Android and iPhone smart phones.  It also includes several websites that compare iPads and Kindle Fires.  The website that Eric mentioned with information on comparing laptops is also listed. Check these out @...
http://d.me/lccug/Oct2012

Make Use of Guides

Below you will find over 50 high quality guides covering wide variety of topics. From a dummy guide to build your own computer to an easy encryption guide. All free. Enjoy! Share them with everyone! 

To download them you just need a password. Simply subscribe to the MakeUseOf Newsletter using your email below to get it. The password will be instantly emailed to you once you have confirmed your subscription. 

(That's not all! You will also get access to MakeUseOf Cheat Sheets) 


http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download

How to get Windows 8

You'll find the $39.99 offer for Windows 8 at:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Jun12/06-01MSWindowsPR.aspx

I've you're buying a new computer you can get Windows 8 for even less. Here are the details:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-outlines-revenue-recognition-for-the-windows-upgrade-offer-156276065.html

Information shared by 7-10-12 meeting presenter, Bob Gostischa

AVAST - Online Security Presentation

To learn more about avast! Antivirus, simply go to: http://www.avast.com
To download any of Avast's Software, simply go to:  http://www.avast.com/download-software

To take advantage of the special 40% discount on the paid versions that I offered during the presentation, simply go to:   http://Coupon_Security_Buy_Links-Bob.html

If you where lucky enough to win the Avast Rescue CD,  you can download instructions for it's use from: http://goo.gl/qd1CQ    If you didn't win, and are interested in the product, it can also be downloaded from there.

Instructions to successfully install avast! 7:
01. Download  to a folder you can find or to your Desktop the product avast!7 Free:
       setup_av_free.exe  (Do Not Run at this time)

02. Download the REMOVAL TOOL for your current Anti Virus Program by following the Guide offered here:
       How do I remove old third-party antivirus software before installing avast!?
       Click on this link, find your current Antivirus Program and follow their instructions.     
      
 The removal tool for avast! Antivirus (should you ever need it) : http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility

03. Once these 2 programs are saved to your computer in a folder that you can locate or,
       to the desktop and, you can easily identify these 2 files, DISCONNECT FROM THE INTERNET
04. Go to the Control Panel > Select add/remove >  (Programs and Features in Windows 7)
       select your current antivirus program and select uninstall. (Allow it to uninstall all features of the program)

05. Reboot your system.

06. Run the removal tool for your old Anti Virus Program saved in step #2

07. When the tool finishes running, again Reboot your system and Reconnect your Internet connection.

08. Install avast!7 Free by running the program downloaded in step #1

09. Shut down your system -- wait 10 seconds -- Start your computer.

10. Avast!6 Free will now be installed and will update it's virus database.

11. Register your new avast!7 Free product by selecting the Register Now button.
       If you need more help, get it from here: http://www.avast.com/registration-free-antivirus.php


12. Once this is done, you'll be ready to enjoy the new product as much as I already have for many years.

The links to the other 4 programs I mentioned at the end of the presentation can be found at:
     Malware Bytes Anti Malware (MBAM) : http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
     Ccleaner : http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/
     CcEnhancer: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5014-ccleaner-enhancer-ccenhancer.html
     WinPatrol : http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

Click here to access this document online.
If you found this presentation helpful, please let your friends in other clubs know that it's
available totally free of charge and without any strings attached.

See where I've done Presentations lately: (and pictures from his presentation to LCCUG)
http://bob3160.blogspot.com/

Thanks for having me at your meeting.  If you're truly ambitious, letting my boss Jana at Avast know what you thought of the presentation would also be nice. ( If you didn't like it, it's still OK to let her know that too. )

You can write her at tomasikova@avast.com. Please put Bob's avast! Security Seminar in the Subject line.    (Attach a CC to me: bob3160@gmail.com  Thanks)


Have a great day,
Bob  Norbert (Bob) Gostischa
505-250-1089

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