Oct - Big Blue and Cousins

Are Monsters Getting into your Computer?
— Participate in University of Victoria Computer Security Study
Sea Lions in the Mist — Digital Camera Photo Shoot
GeoCaching — Hi-tech Family Adventure
Windows Media Center Edition
Big Blue and Cousins
T h e G r e a t e r V i c t o r i a P e r s o n a l
C o m p u t e r U s e r s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n
October 2004
Vol. 21 No. 8
$2.50

October 2004
New!
Big Blue & Cousins
Office 2003 Courses
With the recent purchase of 11 licences for Microsoft Office 2003
Professional, BB&C is now able to offer its members and CAP participants
courses in the most popular business software in use today. Stay tuned to our
web site, www.bbc.org, for details and start times.
Courses currently offered or pending include:
• Adobe Photoshop
• Photoshop Elements
• Windows Basic
• MS Word
• Adobe InDesign
• Macromedia Flash
• Web Build with PHP
• MS Excel
• Dreamweaver
• Genealogy
To register or inquire about our courses go to www.bbc.org and click “Courses” or email
training@bbc.org
BB&C Supports the Federal Community Access Program
The Community Access Program (CAP)
is intended to help members of the public
who need occasional use of a computer to
communicate via the internet and to gather
information for studies or business. Basic
computer work such as preparing a document
in Windows and saving it to a participant
provided floppy disk or CD is also possible.
We have two computers at our clubhouse
dedicated for CAP use. They can also be used
for retrieving and sending mail from personal
web accounts such as Hotmail and Yahoo.
Participants will usually find help from
friendly club members. The only requirement is to sign in with the Member In Charge for the day.
Two spaces in all courses will be reserved for CAP participants. (Normal non-member course fees
will apply.) Participants may even consider joining Big Blue and Cousins when they discover the
knowledge and other resources available to members at such little cost.
Regular Open House hours are Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoonss and Tuesday mornings. Courses for registered students as
scheduled. Check the CAP hours on the calendar page of this issue for exact times.
2 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
Club News
New MS Office Courses/CAP 2
Officers 4
Calendar of Activities 5
Members' News 7
Sea Lions in the Mist 12
Cover Story 20
Membership Form 22
Grant Fuller PCVM for October 23
Send Submissions, Notices, and Comments to
editor@bbc.org
Deadline for submissions: See calendar on page 5.
Published monthly, except January and July. Printed by Fotoprint, Ltd., 975
Pandora Avenue, Victoria BC. © 2004 by Big Blue and Cousins: The Greater
Victoria Personal Computer Users’ Association. All Rights Reserved. Except
where an author has specifically restricted copy permission, permission is
granted for republication of articles by not-for-profit organizations provided
publication and author credit is given and a copy (or URL) of the publication is
forwarded to our address or to editor@bbc.org. Opinions expressed are those
of the author and not necessarily those of Big Blue and Cousins.
www.bbc.org
Credits for this issue
Editor: Les Benson
Cover: Grant Fuller
Newsletter Staff
Director and Graphics Grant Fuller
Editors Hu Filleul
Les Benson
Stacey Falconer
Charlene Brown
File Services Byron Davies
Graphics Stacey Falconer
Arlene Bolokoski
Distribution Cal Woods
Advertising Mary Mohr
Members’ News Mary Davie
Volunteer of Month Heidi Bada
Features
Fotoprint’s
Fotoprint’s 9110
Network Imaging
System excels at
producing frequently
revised or updated
materials:
• accepts postscript files
and portable document
(PDF) files created in
Adobe Acrobat
• unparalleled image
quality — far superior
to conventional
photocopying
• holds detail as fine
as a single-pixel wide
• creates outstanding
halftones
• prints up to 11” x 17”
on a variety of stocks
including cover
• full in-house bindery/
finishing
• produces on-demand
at photocopy prices.
• There’s no minimum
order — you can order
exactly the quantity you
need right now,
because it costs less
right from the start!
October 2004
Photoshop for Right-Brainers 6
VoIP 7
It's About Time 8
Geocaching 10
Two Screen Capture Programs 11
Chameleon 15
Windows MCE 16
Dial us up!
Using the DigiMaster System
can save you a lot of time!
By sending your electronic
file to us on the net at
www.thequickprinter.com
you can Print-on-Demand
right from your desk.
It’s about time!
www.thequickprinter.com
975 PANDORA AVENUE • P. 382-8218 • F. 382-9952 • E. INFO@THEQUICKPRINTER.COM
3

October 2004
Douglas
WELCOME
Big Blue & Cousins is a club for computer enthusiasts.
If you’re new to computing or new to this club, here are
some ideas to help you get involved and connected.
Our Newsgroups Set up your email program to access
the various topics and exchange information. Here’s
how... go to www.bbc.org and then to the help page,
then services > newsgroups.
The Clubhouse Open Saturdays, and Sundays from
12 to 4pm, and Tuesdays from 9am-4pm. Drop in,
meet people, use the computers and visit the library.
Computer Courses Highly qualified volunteer
instructors offer courses in a wide variety of software
programs. The fees help pay the rent and keep the computers
operating for use by members.
SIGs ... Special Interest Groups These are smaller
groups within the club that have a common interest,
mostly in software. There are other members who build
their own computers so you’re likely to find expert help
for most of your needs.
Buddy System We have members helping members
troubleshoot computer problems, either person to
person or by email. If you can help, join the team, if you
need help, send your SOS to Clark, president@bbc.org.
Monthly Meeting This is where you’ll meet the most
members, hear speakers address all aspects of the computer
world, win prizes, even get in on the pre-meeting
dinner where the conversation will likely involve
computers.
BIG BLUE & COUSINS
Blockbuster
#202
3371 Oak St
Enter here
for BB&C
Oak
Saanich
McDonald's
Priority 1
Computer
Services
Parking
Fairway
Market
Blanchard
CLUBHOUSE: 202-3371 Oak St.
Victoria, B.C., Canada V8X 1R2
Phone: 382-3934 (voice), 382-7470 (dial-up)
Big Blue
and
Cousins
Executive
2004
Secretary
Heidi Bada
secretary@bbc.org
Webmaster
Les Benson
webmaster@bbc.org
Publicity
John MacGregor
publicity@bbc.org
President
Clark Mohr
president@bbc.org
Treasurer
Ron Kehn
treasurer@bbc.org
Systems
Mike Thompson
systems@bbc.org
Training
Mary Mohr
training@bbc.org
Big Blue & Cousins
Vice President
Joan McIlmoyl
Cleghorn
vp@bbc.org
Clubhouse
Vicky Dillaun-
Calhoun
clubhouse@bbc.org
Membership
Rolande Kimmons
membership
@bbc.org
Publications
Grant Fuller
publications
@bbc.org
4 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
www.bbc.org
October 2004
October 2004
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
3
12-4pm
Social & CAP
10
12-4pm
Social & CAP
17
12-4pm
Social & CAP
24
12-4pm
Social & CAP
31
12-4pm
Social & CAP
4
10:00am
Seniors SIG
11
Thanksgiving
10:00am
Seniors SIG
7:30pm
Monthly
Meeting
18
10:00am
Seniors SIG
7:00pm
Executive Mtg
25
10:00am
Seniors SIG
7:00pm
Systems
October 2004
5
9am-4pm
Social & CAP
10:00am
$Genealogy
7:30pm
DTP
12
9am-4pm
Social & CAP
10:00am
$Genealogy
19
9am-4pm
Social & CAP
10:00am
$Genealogy
26
9am-4pm
Social & CAP
7:00pm
Genealogy
6
10:00am
$Photoshop
Advanced
1:00pm
$Photoshop
Elements
13
10:00am
$Photoshop
Advanced
1:00pm
$Photoshop
Elements
20
10:00am
$Photoshop
Advanced
27
10:00am
$Photoshop
Advanced
Monthly Meeting
7
10:00am
$Word for
Windows
1:00pm
$Adobe
InDesign
7:00pm
$PHP/MySQL
14
10:00am
$Word for
Windows
1:00pm
$Adobe
InDesign
7:00pm
$PHP/MySQL
21
1:00pm
$Adobe
InDesign
7:00pm
$PHP/MySQL
7:30pm
Newsletter
28
1:00pm
$Adobe
InDesign
7:00pm
$PHP/MySQL
1
7:30pm
$Excel
8
10:00am
Camera SIG
7:30pm
$Excel
15
7:30pm
$Excel
22
1:00pm
Printmaster
7:30pm
$Excel
29
7:30pm
$Excel
Monthly Meeting
Second Monday of each month
at Traveller’s Inn City Center
1961 Douglas Street, 7:30 pm
October 11 TBA
November 8 TBA
December 13 Christmas Dinner
2
12-4pm
Social & CAP
7:00pm
$Windows
9
12-4pm
Social & CAP
16
Newsletter
Deadline
12-4pm
Social & CAP
23
12-4pm
Social & CAP
30
12-4pm
Social & CAP
5

October 2004
Photoshop for Right-Brainers
by Al Ward, reviewed by Charlene Brown
It has been said that artists are the only people in their
right minds, because the right side of the brain is the
source of visual imagination and creativity. It’s probably
only been said by artists themselves, but it has been said. If
you’re an artist — a.k.a. “right-brainer” — you will like this
book. Some of it, anyway.
Part 1, Tools and Techniques of the Trade, comprises an
excellent, four-chapter ‘workout’ on Photoshop tools. They’re
not talking about lassoes, erasers, and magic wands here — if
you need a workout on
those, you may not be
ready for this book. This
is about blending modes,
layer masks, the High
Pass filter, extraction tools
and displacement maps.
The demonstrations of
how to use these tools are
straightforward and practical,
and not written in
that odd language (probably
left-brained) that
Adobe manual writers
use. A CD is included, so
you can work on the same
pictures as the author, if
you want to. I have just one question about these — why, after
patiently extracting every hair of a moose from every pixel of
its background, does he leave the silly metal tag on its ear?
When you finish Part 1, you are well-prepared to undertake
the projects in the remainder of the book. And, because
the introductory chapters feature useful explanations of how
each of the tools achieves specific effects, you will be ready to
experiment with your own ideas.
Part 2, Digital Intensive: Photography as Art, presents a
wonderful collection of sometimes fantastic projects. My
favourites were all in Landscapes and Nature, or the chapter
with the self-explanatory title, Going Beyond Canned Filters.
Two of these projects used, among other things, the
Color Dodge blending mode on an inverted copy of the
background layer. In Adding an Image to Clouds, I wondered
why, after rendering a truly ethereal white ‘pencil’ sketch, he
super-imposed it on a cumulus cloud, when it cried out for
nimbus, but that’s beside the point. I followed the procedure
as described in Photo to Line Art: Sketching, to produce the
portrait of Grant Fuller in this issue of this newsletter (page
Big Blue & Cousins
23), and was pleased with the result.
Using the Color Dodge blending
mode would not have been my first guess as to how to achieve
the desired effect in either of these projects.
I also liked the look of the results of two procedures
— turning portrait photographs into realistic ‘oil’ paintings,
and turning posed photos into ‘vector art’ cartoons in the
Japanese Anime style — and I decided to try one with a picture
of my own. I couldn’t find a suitable portrait to work on, but
I did have a ‘posed’ photo
of my granddaughter, so
I tried the Anime procedure
and really had fun
with it! As it turned out,
the explanations of how
the tools work to achieve
specific effects lured me
off in all directions, and
I soon digressed on various
tangents, ending up
with a cartoon that wasn’t
particularly ‘Anime.’ But it
was certainly a ‘style.’
I’d have to say, by the
way, that there seemed to
be a little bit of ‘how to’
missing in that procedure — after trashing my entire swatches
palette before doing a limited palette drawing, I wasn’t sure
I could get all those colours back. I know how to do it now,
because I belong to BB&C and I was able to ask two other
members, Stacey Falconer and Dave Hamer. But I think Photoshop
for Right-Brainers should spell it out for other readers
who aren’t so lucky.
Other projects I especially liked detailed how to produce
reflections on rippled water, refractions through curved glass,
metallic effects, macro art, and a merging of photo, paint and
texture — not unlike industrial design rendering, which the
author calls Industrial Art.
Although many of the remaining projects — Dark Art,
Goth, Alien Boy, Wicked Child — were not to my taste, I
think this book is well-written, entertaining, useful, and
worth the price.
Author: Al Ward
Publisher: Sybex
ISBN 0-7821-4313-X
336 pages, plus CD
$69.95 Cdn.
6 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
Voice over Interent Protocol
Recently I had the opportunity to take part in a trial
of Yak Communications VoIP program. The definition
is Voice Over Internet Protocol or it may also be
called IP telephony.
My initial trial lasted about a month. VoIP allows you to
make telephone calls over a data network like the internet.
VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a
digital signal that travels over the internet then converts it
back at the other end so you can speak to anyone with a regular
phone number. When placing a VoIP call using a phone
with an adapter, you will hear a dial tone and dial just as you
always have. My trial was limited because I was assigned a
Vancouver number so anyone locally in Victoria had to dial
long distance to get me. I did make numerous long distance
calls and apparently, the quality of the calls was the same as if I
had used my Telus landline. When I called locally to Victoria,
I had to dial long distance but they are now offering numbers
in Victoria so when my replacement system arrives, I will be
able to call without dialing the 1-250 prefix.
The service is now available as Yak WorldCity VoIP . It
offers free local and long distance service over a broadband
internet connection (either DSL or Cable) in Canada, the
United States, China, and Hong Kong. With Telus, I had no
extra features but Yak includes Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call
Forwarding, and Three-way calling. The price for the service
is $24.95 per month.
One added benefit of an internet phone is portability.
When I go to Alberta next summer, I will be able to plug it
into my cousin’s ADSL line and use it as if I was still in Victoria.
Of course that means all those annoying calls I escaped
by being out of town will follow me. When you sign up for
the service, you can specify an area code that is not local. So if
all you family and friends were in Toronto you could choose
Toronto’s 416 area code.
We discussed this in the clubhouse a few times and the
main drawback that was pointed out was that if your internet
connection goes down, so does your phone service. Since I
use cordless phones, I already lose my phone if the power
goes out.
The cost of service to other countries is very reasonable.
As an example Great Britain or Australia are 3 cents a minute.
The charge goes to 30 cents for a cellular number in Britain
and 26 cents for Australia.
Signing up for the service is via a web based form or you
can call a toll free number. The billing procedure is obviously
based on the cell phone concept. There is an initial sign up
fee of $39.95 and a monthly fee of $24.95 per month so my
www.bbc.org
VoIP— My Internet Telephone
by Ron Kehn
October 2004
initial debit with tax was $74.32. If one decides to terminate
the service contract early, there is a $60 charge.
You simply plug a cable from your modem to the
adapter then plug your computer (any router or hub) into
the adapter. There are two telephone jacks so you could install
a fax machine or a second phone. It is not necessary to have
your computer on to use the phone but you must leave your
internet connection on. This product does not work with
dialup internet connections.
Members’ News
by Mary Davie
A
warm welcome to new members Rex Murfitt, Elaine
Bright, Fred Kimmons, L. Fortier, Joanne Reilly and
Jacqueline Price. We hope you enjoy “the Club” as
much as we do.
William Hetherington has been under the weather lately and
we hope he is feeling better and back at the clubhouse soon.
Vesta Stevenson
If you visit the BB&C on
Tuesday or Saturday, you are more
than likely to see long-time member
Vesta Stevenson at a computer and
visiting. Vesta was one of the first
members I met at Big Blue. Ten
years ago, there were not so many
women members and Vesta made
a point of being in the Club on social days to make
sure that other women would feel comfortable and
would have a knowledgeable female to talk to.
She has continued this tradition and we thank
her for it. Beside her interest in Computers,
Vesta has a great talent for crocheting and
(I think) knitting. She has made some
of the most beautiful toques and last
week brought in a dozen to be given to the
homeless and needy of our community. We hope
that the women who receive them will not only feel
physically warmer but will also feel the warmth of having
something new and beautiful to wear. Thank you, Vesta.
If you know of someone in our club who is ill or has had
something interesting happen to them, which we would all like
to know about, please let me know at mdavie@islandnet.com.
7

October 2004
Helping your Computer keep time
It’s About Time
by Les Benson
One of the unsung benefits of the internet is the is
the ability to synchronize a computer clock with
very accurate time services.
Canada’s official time service is provided by the National
Research Council, inms-ienm.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, in Ottawa. The
NRC provides good time related information including an
accurate clock that you can compare your computer clock
with to perhaps convince you to install a time synchronization
program. time5.nrc.ca/webclock_e.shtml
Other countries provide similar services. The US official
time site, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology
www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/index.html), is particularly
impressive. As well as detailed time information and resources,
it also offers a free time synchronization program.
Nistime
Nistime is the time synchronization program offered
by NIST. Source code for it and more advanced
programs are also available. Nistime is small (261
kb), and like other programs discussed below, configures automatically
to your computer’s system setting for time zone
and Daylight Saving Time. Seven US time sites are offered
in the menu and other sites can be added.
Nistime’s excellent help screens explain the basic limitations
of time services in straight-forward language. Users are
encouraged to choose a time server as close as possible for
best results and use the (newer) Network Time Protocol that
measures the round-trip delay of each calibration cycle and
is potentially the most accurate protocol for ordinary use.
Note however, this NTP protocol is not available on some
time servers, including the nearest server to Victoria that I
could find--time-nw.nst.gov (131.107.1.10) at Microsoft,
Redmond, Washington.
Nistime provides two important notes applicable to all
internet time synchronization programs:
“On most Win 3x, 9x 2000 and Me systems, the time cannot
be set more accurately than to the nearest second. ... Windows
NT has more sophisticated software support ... but the hardware
is usually not much better.”
“...the time displayed in the program window is derived
from your system clock and not from any messages from NIST. It
will be correct ONLY if you have recently queried a server and
used the data from the server to adjust your clock.”
Nistime will not automatically query a time service more
often that once an hour. However, given the limitations of
Big Blue & Cousins
home computer hardware, that should be quite adequate for
most home users.
All this may soon be obsolete. NIST recently announced
chip-scale atomic clocks “These atomic clocks are stable enough
that they neither gain nor lose more than ten millionths of a second
over the course of one day and are paving the way for atomiclevel
timekeeping in portable, battery-operated systems such as
global positioning receivers and wireless communications.”
Chronograph 4.0
Chronograph is a shareware program with a configurable
presentation for your desktop. Simple
instructions for its use are presented and it can be
configured to automatically synchronize the time every 10
minutes. It also uses the more accurate NTP protocol.
Chronograph can also work as a time server to allow you
to synchronize your PC’s clock not only to NIST servers but
to any computer on your LAN. It will also support dial up
internet connections.
Shareware $19.95 US. A free demo version is available
at www.altrixsoft.com.
SymmTime
Another time program worth considering is the free
SymmTime particularly if you want to display clocks
for multiple cities on the desktop. (I chose Victoria,
GMT, and London for the screen shot on the facing page.)
While SymmTime received only a “four cows” rating at
Tucows (www.tucows.com/sync95_default.html), it appears
to be the most popular of the twenty-five programs listed.
8 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
(Neither Chronograph nor Nistime made the Tucows list).
Get SymmTime from Tucows.
Tardis and K9
Tardis is an advanced and mature utility for “synchronizing
time using internet-based Atomic Clocks, networked
timeservers, GPS, radio clocks, and by listening
for time broadcasts over a LAN”. I started using Tardis soon
after I installed my first internet dial-up connection. Clocks
on older 286 computers, or mine anyway, were notoriously
unreliable and even a periodic dial-up synchronization was
helpful.
From the Tardis History page: “The idea for Tardis came
about way back in 1994 when...
www.bbc.org
Chronograph 4
the company’s Technical Director,
became frustrated with the way his
PC’s clock drifted. ... Having completed
the utility, which he named
“Tardis” after the time machine in
the 1960s cult sci-fi series ‘Dr Who’,
he decided to make it available as
shareware via the Internet.”
(Incidentally, it looks like the
BBC will be resurrecting Dr Who.
For more information on Dr Who
and the Tardis time machine see
www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/tardiscam/intro.shtml
— much more
interesting than this rather dry
discussion of ways to keep your
computer clock reasonably accurate.)
Tardis can act as both a server
and client for the supported protocols.
That is, it can get the time
from a timeserver and then make
the time available to local clients.
When running on a central server
(Windows 2000, 2003, XP Pro),
Tardis can act as a master time
source for the domain by running
the appropriate version of Tardis with the smaller K9 on the
other workstations. The K9 program (named after Dr Who’s
Another Opinion
Chronograph 4.0 for Windows
is software that will
accurately set your computer’s
time for you according to one of eleven
NIST time servers in the US.
Why should we worry about our system
clock being accurate in the first place? One good
reason is being able to rely on the time stamps
within your system logs. If your system clock
is out by a few minutes, you might not be able
to tell your ISP when an intrusion happened
or when an email was transferred.
Chronograph 4.0 is very quick and easy
to set up. It has a clean, easy to understand
interface, and with a few extra clicks it can
customized to run automatically. It can also be
set to act as a time server for other computers
on your LAN. You cannot pick your own source
server such as time.nrc.ca, however.
Brad Crockett
October 2004
robot dog) is a small program that runs in the background
and will synchronize other LAN computers, including Linux
machines with the main time server. www.kaska.demon.co.uk/
k9.htm. Also see www.ntp.org for Linux NTP time servers.
K9 is not normally needed for home networks.
Tardis can be set to query the time as often as once a
minute — but that seems excessive to me — I find a check
every two hours is sufficient. Tardis
also provides interesting ancil-
lary information like estimated
clock drift.
A pdf file, included with the
program, provides more detailed
information on Tardis and shows
how to connect various external
devices to obtain millisecond accuracy.
Tardis is shareware, $20
US. (There is also a version for
Win 3.x.)
Summary
So which is best? Well, Nistime
is free and has superior help
screens. SymmTime is also free
and can display clocks for several
locations on your desktop.
Chronograph has a fancy display
and, like Tardis, can act as a time
server for network computers and
offers dial-up connections. Tardis
seems to be the most advanced
and configurable of the bunch.
However, any would do — as
would most of the programs on
the Tucows website listed above.
As for me, I’ll stick with Tardis if
only for the Dr Who connection. Besides Tardis has served
me well over time.
9

October 2004
Geocaching
by Randy Esdon
Recently I was asked if I had any new items that I
would be willing to write about for club’s newsletter.
Normally I talk about some sort of utility, or security
item related to Microsoft Windows. This time, I would
like to share information about my new hobby that is sort of
computer related and also gets me out of the house for some
exercise. Basically what I’m talking about is geocaching.
Geocaching has been described in many ways. I prefer
to think of it as hiking with a goal to reach. Others seem
to think that it’s a treasure hunt. The funniest description
that I’ve found is that a geocacher uses government bought,
multi-billion dollar military hardware to look for Tupperware
in the woods. Overall geocaching is hiking and using a GPS
unit to locate a hidden item or discover a new place. The
item/places are known as “caches”. These caches might be a
container that holds a log book, and perhaps some items that
cachers can trade for. Sometimes these caches are just great
places to discover about your local area. I know that some of
the places I’ve discovered so far would make great areas for
family picnics.
Now how is this all tied into my computer you ask? Well
first off, there is a site on the web called: www.geocaching.com.
This is the main site where most geocachers log the caches
they have hidden and track those they have found. Anyone
can go to this site and enter their postal/zip code or their
geographic position (lat/long), and be given a list of geocaches
nearest to where they are. Just in the Victoria, BC area, there
are over 500 registered geocaches to be found. Most of those
are pretty straight-forward and easy to find. Of those I have
found most have been hidden just off well used pathways on
public property. Don’t get me wrong not all caches are easy;
in fact some can be an extreme workout. Needless to say that
each cache listed has a difficulty rating associated with it.
The next and most important part of geocaching is the
use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to find the item.
I purchased my GPS from www.gpscentral.ca. They seemed to
have the best prices and I also saved on not having to pay PST
since I was purchasing the GPS over the phone from British
Columbia and they reside in Alberta. This made a huge savings
since the unit I bought was an expensive top of the line
handheld made by Garmin. There are several manufacturers
of handheld GPS units, but when selecting a unit I found
that it came down to just two manufacturers, Garmin and
Magellan. My research showed that these two companies not
only provided the most support for their units, but their units
are also the most supported by third party software/hardware.
When choosing my unit, I decided that I wanted the unit to
have mapping capabilities and be able to connect to my com-
Big Blue & Cousins
puter via my USB port.
This really reduced my
choice of units and also
increased the minimum
price I would have to
pay. Mind you these
were my choices and for
someone to get into this
sport, they only require
a base GPS unit that
costs less than $150
CDN.
From geocaching.com I downloaded a packet of caches that
I wish to find. This packet was created based on the start location
(my postal code) I entered on geocaching.com’s website. I
next downloaded a free program called the Geocaching Swiss
Army Knife (GSAK) found at: www.gsak.net. This program
allows me to sort and keep track of the caches I’ve found /
hidden and also allows me to upload this information to my
handheld GPS or back to Geocaching.com’s cache log. I’ve
also acquired the map software of Canada, sold by Garmin
www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/mgCanada.jsp that
works with my handheld GPS. This mapping software allows
me access to detailed road information for anywhere in
Canada from my PC. It also allows me to download these
detailed maps to my GPS so that I can follow the road to the
closest access point to the cache I’m searching for. Sometimes
following the GPS using its internal compass (i.e.: as the crow
fly’s) has caused me to bump into things I could have bypassed
if I had first used a map and located the nearest access point
to the cache. The next item I use in conjunction with my
GPS for geocaching is my Sony Clie (Palm OS based PDA).
I carry my Sony Clie around loaded with the notes I’ve taken
on each cache that I plan to find. Several times I have referred
to my PDA for information about the cache so as to get a
hint of where exactly it is hidden. The GPS is only good to
within 3 meters. Sometimes the cache is so small that a hint
is required to find it. I really hate searching for hours only
to find out that if I had the downloaded notes, I could have
found the cache within minutes of getting to its location.
So far I have found geocaching to be fun and very educating.
I’ve been learning about GPS’s, cartography and basic
math associated with them, using geocaching software, and
I’ve been discovering some real neat areas of Victoria that I
never knew existed. The best part of geocaching is the exercise
I get and the bonding that happens with the people I go
geocaching with. Geocaching is one of the greatest family
oriented sports ever invented. Should you desire to learn more
about geocaching check out the following websites for more
information about geocaching in Victoria before purchasing
any hardware or software. www.geocaching.com/faq/, www.
bcgeocaching.com, and www.vigps.com/
10 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
www.bbc.org
Two Screen Capture Programs
by Hu Filleul
I know we have had articles in the past about how to
capture graphics from your screen but I have seen some poor
quality graphics come in with newsletter articles and this is
not necessary if you have a good Capture program. There are
two that I use, Corel Capture 9 and Snag It 6.
Corel Capture 9
This program is included with Corel Draw 9 and
is installed as a Graphics Utility along with Corel
Trace 9. You can find it by going to Corel 9 from
your start menu. Then, just follow the arrow to Graphics
Utility and then Capture 9. You can, of course, place a shortcut
icon on your desktop but I did not bother as I only use
it occasionally.
A good thing about this program is that it is fairly simple
to use. All you have to do is pay attention to the four controls
illustrated in Figure 1. There is no Help file and you don’t
need one.
Source gives you a wide range of options in selecting how
much of the screen you want to capture. I generally use the
Rectangular Area option shown in the graphic because it gives
complete control over the area to be captured.
Destination allows you to select the exact folder, and file
name where you want your capture to go. This is the control
I have the most trouble with as I tend to forget to check it
for every capture. Once you initiate the program to capture,
you can do multiple captures with the Hot Key but if you
do it just overwrites the last file name you set. I recommend
doing a separate setup for each capture.
Activation allows you to set the Hot Key and gives you
a number of default options plus User Defined. I just use the
default option F7 key and check all of the boxes.
October 2004
Image allows you to set what type of capture you want
from RGB 24-bit, through Greyscale 8-bit to Black and White
1-bit. The other most important control it gives you is setting
the resolution of the capture. Fotoprint, our printer, likes to
receive our images at a minimum of 200 dpi in order to get a
clear print. If, however, you are going to do a complete screen
capture of a RGB 24-bit image at 300 dpi, I guarantee that
you will have a huge file. It is necessary, therefore, use some
discretion about what settings you use. The menu also allows
you to set the scale of the capture upwards or downwards so
this helps in controlling file size.
Snag It 6
I
won’t write
m u c h
about this
program as the
information
below that I
captured from
their website
www.techsmith.
com pretty
much covers
its capabilities
which are much more versatile than Capture 9. If you need
this versatility, I recommend SnagIt 6 and, no doubt, ver 7.
TechSmith’s SnagIt 7.0.3 ($39.95 direct), the most expensive
of the dedicated screen-capture applications, is also the most
versatile. It can grab an area you’ve outlined in freehand with
your mouse pointer. It can scroll through a document or web site
and capture the whole thing, not just the portion that fits on your
screen. It can even grab images from DirectX apps (including PC
games) or record an AVI video of your screen movements. And if
you capture words, SnagIt converts them to editable text. All this
sound complicated? It’s not. SnagIt is remarkably intuitive and
includes plenty of tools for editing captured images.
11

It’s the middle of August. We have had no rain since
March. The daytime temperatures have been breaking
records until August 21 st , the day we had scheduled a
cruise to Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Overnight the
rain arrived in buckets.
Was the trip going to
be cancelled?
Many called to
check. Yes, we were going,
rain or shine. On
and off rain all morning
only slowing to a drizzle
by departure time of
1pm. Fortunately the
boat, the 41-foot cabin
cruiser Fantasea (see
next page, bottom) has
a closed cabin and the
open upper platform
was tarpaulin enclosed.
It will be our pho-
Digital Camera SIG Photoshoot
Sea Lions in the Mist
by Ken Beattie
Ken Beattie
tography platform for the three-hour cruise. We were relatively
dry with the rain only dripping through the cracks
and joins.
The cruise was arranged by The Land Conservancy (TLC)
society as a fund-raiser for their bid to purchase the Sooke
Pot Holes lands. The Pot Holes were the subject of a
previous photo shoot {August 2004].
Excitement was running high as a dozen of our
members prepared for the departure. On our way out of
the Victoria harbour, we got a waterside view of many of
the tourist attractions. Our keen photographers captured
images of the Undersea
Gardens, The
Empress, Fisherman’s
Wharf and others.
On reaching open
water, a big disappointment
arrived in
the form of dense fog.
Visibility dropped to
150 feet (46 meters)
or less. The radar and
depth sounder were
activated for safety.
The tour guide that
was to have joined
us from Pearson College
radioed that it
was unsafe for them to try and meet us with their Zodiac
inflatable.
Just another minor disappointment — expert commentary
on the wild life we might see cancelled by the fog.
Fortunately, one of the TLC volunteers who had taken this
trip before offered to fill in.
Despite the disappointments, we were having
a great time. On board were supplies
for coffee, hot tea and trays of snacks.
The choices were appropriate for a sea
cruise — smoked salmon, several cheeses,
caviar and crackers. We quickly forgot
the outside world.
Suddenly the engines slowed and
fear showed on the faces of those who
had said they could not swim. However the
captain called out that we had arrived. Sure
enough, we could just make out the now unused
lighthouse of Race Rocks through the fog. On
the starboard side were more rocks covered with
Lykel Hoekstra
Background image by Lykel Hoekstra

obbing shapes. As we edged closer, the shapes became
sea lions barking and pushing one another. Some of
their arguments carried on into the water with great
splashes and antics.
The side curtains were rolled up and the camera
toting SIG members lined up, snapping away. Our
co-operative skipper slowly turned the boat around so
each side got the best views of the sea lions. The limited
visibility gave us three problems; the low light, the fog
hiding the animals, and also fooling the auto-focus.
While trying to focus on the fog instead of the animals,
my auto focus was unable to pick any setting. The only
option was to change to manual and set the distance
near infinity. We were perhaps 100 feet or so from the
rocks and visibility was only about 100 feet. The shots
we were taking were just inside the edge of the mist.
The photo of the sea lions on the left has been enhanced
by adjusting the contrast and then removing JPEG artifices.
(The original is overlapping.).
This change gives an idea how much can be done to
salvage a poor original due either to
shooting conditions or
even a mistake made
Rolande Kimmons
by another photographer (never our own, of course).
Remember, it is possible to recover information from a dark
underexposed picture but not from an overexposed one.
Just as we were ready to head back, along came a whale
watching group. All done up in bright yellow survival suits
and looking very cold. We waved from our warm cabin
and wished them well in that boat that looked so little as it
disappeared into the fog.
Each of us now took time to look at our camera LCD
panels to review our images. We showed of off our best
to the others in our group and compared results and
techniques. Anita Dodd showed off her homemade splash
protector made from a sealable plastic bag. Her idea is good
as electronic cameras are susceptible to moisture just like

film cameras. Saltwater and salt air
are very corrosive and that is bad for
the electronics.
Anita discovered that it is better to
use a bag that has no white writing area
on it as that blocked her viewfinder. Still,
it is an inexpensive way to protect your
camera from unforeseen mishaps.
Later, on our return, a foghorn
pealed close by causing me to jump. It sounded right
on top of us but in the fog it is so
hard to tell how
close sounds
might be.
The denser
XwaYeN— Race Rocks
Marine Protected Area, Victoria
This very special place, called XwaYeN, was
established as an ecological reserve in
1980. www.racerocks.com.
See more images from this and other BB&C
Digital Camera Special Interest Group
Photo-Shoots at
www.bbc.org/activities/camera.html
John Mason
air makes sound travel faster than normal. Looking
around I saw the
nose of the MV
Coho (the Port Angeles
WA to Victoria
ferry) pierce the fog.
Our skipper was unconcerned,
as he had
been watching the radar image of the ship moving on
a path that would pass by us on the port side.
Here is where a quick start up and recycle time on
a camera is valuable. I was able to get three shots as
the Coho passed us.
The journey was coming to a close. We had overcome
the elements to get pictures of wildlife in its own
habitat. Not suitable for National Geographic perhaps
but still very satisfying. Best of all, when we docked
the ground slowly stopped rocking and the flowers
were still in bloom to welcome us home.
Background image by Anita Dodd
Ken Beattie
Lykel Hoekstra

Big Blue & Cousins
www.bbc.org
Chameleon
October 2004
expertise, capture an image you want to put into another image, copy
it, paste it in place and press Chameleon. Done! That is all you have
to do. You will see the image you have pasted change as it melts itself
by Anita Dodd
into where you placed it.
The project shown on this page, was started from our Race Rocks
photo shoot, where we could hardly see the Sea Lions because of
the fog. I had taken several pictures of the Sea Lions on the Coast
of California a couple of years ago where they were birthing their
young — hundreds of them. The big fellow that I selected, had just
won a battle for his harem, and was letting out a victory yell. I selected
it, added one of the “ladies” along with him, and placed it on the rocks
with the other animals, pressed Chameleon, and it just melted into
the rest of the picture.
I had called the Race Rocks background picture “the boy’s club”
as the naturalist had told us that only the males came here, while the
“little women” were bearing their young. I wonder what they would
think if they knew a “lady” had snuck into their midst.
I think Chameleon would be very useful both for
Chameleon, I love it! As a first time review-
experts in Photoshop and other picture manipulation
er and contributor to our magazine,
programs, as well as for beginners
bear with me. I am far from an expert on
like me.
this program; however, I have been having a lot of
I have only just started
fun with it. I asked to review this program because
the basics with this program,
I do a lot of collage work — it has always been “cut
and am looking forward to work-
and paste,” literally, with scissors and glue. When I
ing with more of the tools in Cha-
read about this program, it seemed like it would be
meleon. Stay Tuned! I may have more
an ideal tool for me to learn how to use.
to say later.
It says it is a plug in! Well, the knowledgeable, know what
a plug in is, but for me, and probably others, I did not really
know what that meant. When I downloaded the program, I
could not find it at first, so I had to go to the help section,
and found out, it was under filter, Akvis, and then Chameleon.
Click on it and there it is, melting into your picture.
I tried Chameleon out on several projects, and am amazed
how easy it is to use. You can quickly, and without a lot of
The program AKVIS Chameleon plugin
is compatible with the following digital photo
software — Adobe Photoshop (tested with v.
5, 6, 7, CS) and Photoshop Elements (tested
with v. 1.2), Jasc Paint Shop Pro (tested with
v. 6.02, 7.04, 8), Ulead PhotoImpact (tested
with v. 8). You can use Chameleon 10 days free
of charge! akvis.com/en/index.php
15

October 2004
Adventures with a Multimedia PC
using WindowsXP MCE
by Paul Thomas
Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) is
the most fully featured version of all the Windows
operating systems available for a home
PC. A superset of the Windows XP Professional platform, it
is touted to deliver superior power, reliability, networking
capabilities, and security, plus specially enhanced capabilities
for digital ‘entertainment’.
Windows XP MCE cannot be purchased as a stand-alone
operating system software. Nor can one upgrade to MCE
from other versions of Windows. It really doesn’t do anything
that one couldn’t do from non-MCE versions of Windows,
except to provide the much greater convenience of a single,
integrated, unified, full-screen interface for controlling a very
broad array of multi-media functions such as TV, Personal
Video Recording, movies, music, digital images, games, and
radio.
This ease of access is provided by a non-removable button
icon, labelled “Media Centre” (MC) which appears on
the Start Menu, just below the “Internet Explorer” button.
Clicking on this button provides unified viewing, browsing
and searching, via a cascading set of sub-menus. This button’s
utility obviates the need for learning and navigating through
multiple controls and interfaces. Menus and commands are
consistent across all digital media and easily navigable using
a mouse and keyboard. Perhaps the supreme advantage of the
MC button is that it facilitates remote-control interaction
from across a room.
About 6 months ago, I was in the market for an additional,
high-quality TV set. I also wanted a notebook computer.
After some window-shopping, I obtained the use of
a notebook that had been pre-configured with a TV tuner.
Now TV tuners can be obtained as peripheral attachments for
any decent, current-generation desktop PC, for about $80.00
and up. Some high-end graphics cards even have TV tuners
built into them. I discovered that when such are purchased
as part of a desktop PC configuration, Windows XP MCE is
usually thrown in, provided that the manufacturer had contracted
for the necessary licensing arrangement with Microsoft
Corporation. There are presently about 17 PC manufacturers
that have this arrangement, including Dell, Gateway, HP, Alienware
and Toshiba. Microsoft requires these manufacturers
to configure their Media Centre PCs with such hardware and
software as will deliver “advanced computing and rich digital
entertainment experiences”. Such PCs therefore entail mid-to
high-end processors, high-capacity hard drives, a CD-ROM
Big Blue & Cousins
/DVD drive, and/or CD RW/DVD RW drive(s), advanced
graphics and audio capabilities, plus a remote control in addition
to the mandatory networking connectivity.
At the time that I got a chance to test a multimedia Toshiba
notebook with TV tuner, there were only about three makes of
notebooks equipped with TV tuners available in the stores.
What I mainly wanted on the multimedia side of things
was:
• a desktop-replacement notebook ;
• a light high-end portable TV set that I could carry
anywhere around the house;
• a personal digital recorder that would enable me to
watch or record TV programs in its own resizeable
window while being able to do other work on the
computer;
• the capability of being able to cut my saved TV
programs to CD or DVD;
• to convert my library of VHS video-cassette tapes
to DVD;
• to play digital files (movies, photos) by connecting
my notebook to my old CRT TV console;
• to burn old 33 RPM vinyl records to CD;
• to play images taken with a digital camera, as a slide
show;
• to play rented DVD movies.
After some preliminary experimentation I was able to do
all of the above. I say experimentation decidedly, as I found
both the Media Centre on-line manual and printed bookletmanual,
rather on the thin side when it came to explanation.
At the same time, the intuitive doing, by trial and error was
usually much easier than trying to decipher excessively terse
instructions and unintelligible diagrams.
Let me give an instance. As I use a cable modem, Shaw
Cable very kindly and gratuitously gave me a coaxial cable
splitter and two 6-foot lengths of coaxial cable (a package
normally worth $25.00). I then split the coaxial cable that
runs to my cable modem, so that I could run signals to my
modem and to the notebook at the same time. The notebook’s
TV tuner had a port for that express purpose. This configuration
works simply for the reason that Shaw uses the same
cable to run both TV signals and Internet traffic.
To operate the TV tuner, simply boot up the PC, leave
the Internet cable modem on, go to the Windows Start menu,
16 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
click on the Media Centre button and respond to the global
menu categories that present themselves, as shown below.
Clicking on the TV icon brings up the submenus that
can be seen in the next image, namely: Recorder, Guide, Set
up TV signal ...Display Settings, Audio.
Recorder works like the recording settings on a VHS
VCR. Here, one can specify a recording schedule, i.e., the
times certain programs are to be recorded, the channels, storage
defaults, drive to be used, how long the recording should
remain on the hard drive, and so forth. Four recording-quality
settings are provided as follows:
• Fair: 1 GB/hour;
• Good: 2 GB/hour
• Better: 2.5 GB/hour
• Best: 3 GB/hour
Guide works like an electronic version of TV Week, or
what one sees by way of TV program listings on Shaw Cable
17. For this feature to work, one follows a setup wizard which
asks for postal code, permission to install cookies at medium
Internet security settings. I found that my MCE Guide did
www.bbc.org
October 2004
not recognize Canadian postal codes which are a mixture
of letters and numbers, unlike the American ones which
are all numeric. Instead I got an error message saying that
my code was invalid. I was quite happy with this outcome
as I did not want to run my PC at low security settings and
have unknown persons monitor my viewing and recording
habits so that they ”could better serve” me. It should be noted,
however, that all viewing and recording can still be done at
the highest security settings without the need to set up the
electronic program guide.
Set up TV signal simply activates a wizard which asks
whether one is using cable, an antenna, satellite dish, wireless,
or whatever and proceeds to configure accordingly.
...Display Settings has to do with varying screen aspect
ratios, pixel resolution and colour calibration.
A wizard helps to such display settings as video contrast,
color hue, brightness, and height-width proportions.
Audio enables Secondary Audio Program (SAP), i.e., voice
over commentary when watching a foreign language program.
Closed captioning (CC) is also available from this button. One
way of using CC is to couple it to the mute button on one’s
viewing screen. That screen may be reduced in size while one
is working on an Excel table in another window. With mute
on, sound can then be made to appear as text, like subtitles
in a film. Thus one could have watched the recent Canada-
Finland hockey game, with sound off, but with running text
commentary indicating who had scored the latest goal.
Comparable submenus are available for all the other
media icons indicated in Figure 1, namely General, Music
Radio, DVD and Pictures.
General deals with parental control to set passwords,
program ratings; autoplay options, notification sounds, animation
and transition effects. Music will be self-evident to
anyone using MP3 and various downloading services. Radio
provides options that are very analogous to the TV options by
way of electronic program guides, recording scheduling and
so forth. DVD establishes defaults for DVD movie viewing
plus more sophisticated viewing controls than obtain in the
Windows Media Player that comes with WinXP Home Edition.
These controls include a skip function and four different
speed-settings for Rewind and Fast Forward. Pictures enable
one to manipulate images, create albums, produce slide
shows — but only if these images are stored in the My Pictures
folder. This may be a very convenient negative, because
some persons consider that the default folders that Windows
provides are more susceptible to hacker attacks.
Some practical issues and caveats
TV viewing and the remote control device. When a
live TV program is running on screen, channel selection is
obtained by clicking on up-down brackets similar in appearance
to < >, but along a vertical axis. Thus, if one is viewing
channel 2 and wishes to go to channel 45, one would have to
click the up bracket, 43 times. One can only input channel
17

October 2004
Big Blue & Cousins
45 directly, if one uses the remote control device, which is Only drive D was skipped as it was the CD/DVD drive.
similar in size and functions to a remote control device for Fortunately, when recording actually took place, it took place
a conventional TV set. However, the MCE remote is not a on my original choice, namely drive G.
universal remote and will only work on the MC PC.
Transferring a saved file to a CD or DVD can also be
The MC remote has a numerical keypad to punch in problematical. The DVD writer I was using could only handle
TV channel numbers directly and volume as well as mute DVD- (read as DVD dash) formats; and not DVD+ (read
controls. Also to be had are all the buttons one would asso- DVD plus). The first time around, I tried to use DVD+ blanks
ciate with a conventional VCR, such as play, record, rewind, because they were on sale. When they didn’t take, I first thought
etc. There are, however, some additional buttons unique to that the software (Drag ‘n Drop CD/DVD Creator) wasn’t
MCE remote-control devices. These access My Pictures, working. I later discovered by trial and error, that although the
My videos, My Music, My Pictures, and More INFO. It is software could handle either +/- formats, it was the hardware
such additional buttons that render a MCE configured PC, that was incapable of doing both. Having said all this, I should
an “entertainment Centre”. In practice this works out quite point out that there are now some more recent, DVD equipped
elegantly when guests are visiting, since one can place the MC PCs whose hardware will handle + and - .
notebook on the buffet, or on a coffee table, and remotely Another issue, with some burning software, is the need
run a slide show, music, catch up on the hockey game or to specify whether the burning protocol to be used is Joliet
whatever, while people are imbibing their drinks. To top off or ISO 9600. Some software (e.g. Roxio) will make the
these features, the MC remote at its centre also contains a selection automatically. Mine did not. Even then, one still
navigator pad — akin to a game-pad, comprised of arrows has to be careful in the selection of CD and DVD blanks for
pointing in the four cardinal directions. These move the burning. I found that data CDs did not seem to accept music
cursor to navigate within Media Centre Windows. A central files, but that in point of fact software issues were usually at
OK button has the same function as Enter on a keyboard to stake. That is to say, some software is more restricted in the
activate one’s selection.
file formats it can handle. For example, I had some old .wav
Recording issues
Before one can record a TV program, storage space and
quality settings must be specified. Recording has to take place
on the hard drive. That means that one cannot record directly
to any removable media. The finished recording can be transferred
to most (but not all) removable storage media, such as
CDs, DVDs or memory cards. One can not pre-specify the
folder where the file will record, but one can later rename the
file and move it to a folder of one’s choosing. Storage space
is specified as a percentage of the drive where the recording
will occur. This proved to be an inconvenience for me. I had
configured the MC PC into several logical partitions. Win
MCE did not recognize these partitions. Thus, if I indicated
that I was allowing up to 35% of Drive G to be used for
recording, Win MCE applied the figure of 35% across all of
my drives. It created a temp recording folder on each drive
and allocated 35% of drive C, 35% of drive E and F as well.
files that I transferred from another machine. I was not able
to burn them, until I installed Roxio 5 (which will work with
Windows XP, only after patch-fixes are downloaded).
When TV recordings are saved on an MCE PC, they
are saved in a new file format called DVR-MS. DVR-MS is
an MPEG2 file that includes metadata about the recorded
program to be stored. It is not currently possible to edit these
DVR-MS files. However, some third-party software manufacturers
have applications that support the conversion of
DVR-MS files into other formats. In my preliminary trials I
found that I was unable, at first, to cut such a file to a DVD
or CD disc. A techie friend, however, showed me that the
file needed some prior manipulation before it could be saved.
Another solution emerged when he used his own software to
burn the TV segment to a CD. It was some time before I also
discovered that some TV broadcasters use content protection,
a fact that was not indicated in the documentation and
manuals that came with the MC PC. This was something that
I learned from the Microsoft web site. In effect, broadcasters
can set copy protection flags to indicate that a program is
subject to content protection. When Media Center detects
that this flag is set, it will protect the content by limiting the
ability to copy and distribute the program. These protected
files can be watched only on the Media Center PC that originally
recorded the content, and not on another PC.
Workaround paradox — create a VHS tape first
On one experimental occasion, I recorded the same TV
program to both the MC PC and also, via an old TV set, to
a VHS cassette. My thinking was as follows: “I have never had
an occasion where I could not create a VHS tape of a TV program
18 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
that I could view on a TV set. And such tapes can be distributed.
Can I cut such a tape to a CD?” I found that indeed I could,
even in a situation where I could not burn the same program
when it had been recorded on the MC PC directly.
The instructions provided for hooking up a VCR to an
MC PC are unnecessarily complex and the various cables
that are provided are not nec-
essary. All one has to do, is to
plug the RCA cable running
from video-out on one’s VCR,
into the video-in port of the
MC PC. The original TV set
doesn’t have to be turned on,
and no connections to it is
necessary because one doesn’t
need to view two TV sets
simultaneously when transferring
a VHS tape. In effect, the PC becomes the replacement
TV set where one can watch the VHS tape playing as it
records. One can even do other work on the PC if so desired.
Indeed, as it is possible to simultaneously plug the co-axial
cable that had been running to the old TV set to the antenna
port on the PC (which is not the same as the video-in port),
a future experiment will be to see if I can watch the VHS
transfer in one window and a live TV program in another.
Burning vinyl LP music records to CD
It is the portability of the notebook that seems to be the
leading factor here. I have a magnificent six-foot long stereo
cabinet of ancient 1960s vintage with a (then) high-end Kenwood
200 watt amplifier, and a top-quality (even for today)
built-in turntable with a Schure magnetic cartridge in mint
condition. Previously, because of the location, massive size
of the stereo ensemble and non-portability of the turntable,
I was not prepared to run connecting wires through several
rooms in my house, in order to hook up with my desktop
PC. Now, I once again ignore the complex directions provided
by the MC PC documentation and simply connect
the headphone jack from the stereo ensemble to the line-in
port on the notebook using a standard, RCA stereo cable,
with a jack converter at the notebook end. A sufficiently
lengthy cable with gold-plated connectors can be had for about
$15.00 at most electronic supply shops. One then runs the
software — Roxio, Nero or whatever (according to the file
formats) and makes the recording firstly to the PC’s hard drive
(preferably), and then burns to CD. Pops, scratches, hisses
and other noises can be removed by the software. In my view
the outstanding digital audio editing program is Audacity.
This is an absolutely free, open-source program which does
not throw popup ads in one’s face. I downloaded my copy
from audacity/sourceforge.net/. If this link is no longer active,
go to Google using the search terms: audacity, digital audio,
software and you are likely to find other sites that have free
archival copies of the program.
www.bbc.org
“In my view the outstanding digital
audio editing program is Audacity.
This is an absolutely free, open-source
program which does not throw popup
ads in one’s face. ”
October 2004
Non-support for removable hard drives.
The Toshiba MCE PC that I used would neither read
from, nor write to, removable hard drives. I found this to be
an inconvenience for general computing. When an earlier
desktop PC bit the dust, wanting to save all my old data, I
removed and enclosed its hard-drive into a case that could
be plugged into a new PC via
a USB 2 cable. This removable,
portable hard drive can
be connected to virtually any
PC sprouting an unused USB
port. However, the notebook
PC I used would not accept
it and this fact is stated in
the documentation. I suspect
that a major reason may lie in
Microsoft MCE’s inability to
‘control and monitor’ such devices. Toshiba seems to regard it
as a ‘security’ issue.
Non-support for certain Norton products
Current MC PCs often have hyper-threaded processors,
which Norton’s software interprets as multi-processors. Norton’s
documentation gives a list of products that will not work
with multi-processors. Norton Anti-Virus, for example, only
partially worked on the Toshiba.
In summary
I tend to regard a multimedia PC loaded with WinXP
MCE more as a superior communications and educational
tool, than as an entertainment device or ‘happiness machine’.
Hence I have not tested all of its entertainment possibilities,
nor do I anticipate doing so. I have not even begun to exhaust
all the possibilities of interest to me; but so far I have found
the MCE — multimedia PC combination more than adequate
for all the things that I like to do. I have recently moved
into digital photography and anticipate doing considerable
experimentation in that area. In that regard I expect that the
software that I use, and my skill at using it, will be of far
greater import than the operating system used.
19

October 2004
Cover Story
Security
by Grant Fuller
Help! The paranoids are after me! Is it
possible to hear so much about the
dangers of being on the internet or leaving your
computer unattended that we just stop caring? Sometimes I
think the overload provided by the media fear mongers creates
such a feeling hopelessness
that we tend to
give up and say, “I can’t
beat them, why even
try?”
Yes, there are plenty
of security risks whenever
there is money to be made
and as long as there are
people willing to work
harder at stealing it than
earning it, those risks will
be there. We need to keep
this in perspective.
I find this tabloid
style reporting particularly
annoying. A recent
story in “USA Today”
offered their description
of a cyber attack by saying
that some invisible
coding is being sprinkled
on Internet Explorer and
it records login attempts
at financial institutions.
That’s enough to send me
home to pull all my plugs
out. By the way, they
qualified the article by
saying that no bank customer
had complained.
We get the same from TV and other media and it clouds
the real concerns. Yes, there are continuing attacks by harvesters
and viruses but there are many sensible solutions that allow
us to have some peace of mind. Some basic protection is the
anti-virus programs as well as a firewall. There are good free
ones available which require a bit more computer savvy as a
rule, than the commercial ones, but the commercial products
are quite reasonably priced for the job they do. Unless you
are a financial institution or harbour highly classified docu-
Are Monsters Getting into your Computer?
You are invited to participate in the
UVic Computer Security Study
—Participate in University of Victoria Computer Security Study
Sea Lions in the Mist—Digital Camera Photo Shoot
GeoCaching—Hi-tech Family Adventure
Windows Media Center Edition
(See ad on facing page)
Big Blue & Cousins
ments, you probably won’t be the target of
sophisticated attacks. The most likely damage will come from
vandals and random germ spreading which can be shielded
by the afore mentioned programs.
The most common household problems come from clicking
on buttons on un-
Big Blue and Cousins
T h e G r e a t e r V i c t o r i a P e r s o n a l
C o m p u t e r U s e r s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n
October 2004
Vol. 21 No. 8
$2.50
reliable websites which
download little programs
to track activity that may
be useful to marketers.
They may confirm email
addresses for spammers
and provide other saleable
information. These
programs may not qualify
as a virus but can be
found and removed by
anti-ad programs like
“Ad-aware Personal”
(www.lavasoftusa.com).
Another common error is
opening an email attachment
before checking the
extension. Know your
acceptable extensions
and for any strangers, go
to filext.com/ and look
them up.
There are new security
methods being
explored all the time
including an interesting
study at the University
of Victoria to allow a
computer to know who
is using it. This will be
important for anyone who uses a computer that is accessible
to others. We will likely be publishing the results when
available.
Meanwhile, enjoy using the internet and keep a sense of
perspective on the possible dangers. We would not walk down
dark streets at night with money sticking out of our pockets
for fear of being attacked by the bad guys but we seem to
be alarmed when we find those same unsavoury characters
lurking in cyberspace.
20 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
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www.bbc.org
October 2004
Service Contracts
Repairs
Upgrades
Software
Accessories
Tutoring
Networks
RETAIL WHOLESALE LEASE
MANUFACTURING OVER 800 SYSTEMS A YEAR
www.dticomputers.com
For quotes and questions email us at dataimage@pinc.com
Sidney - 9775 Fourth Street
between Beacon & Bevan 655-0928
Colwood - 1848 Island
Highway 474-0521
Victoria - 906 Yates Street
at Quadra beside 7-11 388-9991
University Heights
Shopping Center 380-1362
21

October 2004
Big Blue & Cousins
Please use our on-line form linked from www.bbc.org or visit our clubhouse and use a club computer for
immediate action. If these preferred methods are inconvenient, use this form, but there may be a delay in
processing your application of up to about a week.
Membership Application Form
Big Blue and Cousins
202-3371 Oak Street
Victoria BC Canada V8X 1R2
❏ New Member ❏ Change Address ❏ Renewal - Member#______
Regular Membership:
❏ Adult: $50
❏ Student: $30 (Student ID required)
❏ Junior: $30 (Under 18 at time of joining)
❏ Corporate: $100
Name:_______________________Date of Birth: (if Junior Member) ___/___/____
Address:____________________________________________________
City:_____________________Prov: _______ Postal Code: ___________
Phone (Home):____________(Office):_____________Email:_______________
Associate Memberships: $15 each
(Must be members of a Regular member’s immediate family and living in same
household or members of an organization represented by a Regular member.)
Names and passwords:
________________________ ____________________________
________________________ ____________________________
(Attach additional sheet if more than four Associate memberships requested)
Please select an initial password for our free email, newsgroups and to access
members-only web pages. (Not required for renewals or address changes.)
Password:____________
The password you entered is not secure. Please log on to our database bbs.bbc.
org/members/updateinfo.php and change it as soon as possible. Your logon username
on our system will be assigned to you. Unless the username has already been
assigned to another member, it will be your first initial followed by up to seven
characters of your last name. You will also be given a BB&C internet email address
at username@bbc.org
Regular Membership: ($50, $30, or $100) _______
No of Associate Memberships: ___ x $15 = _______
Total _______
Paid by: ❏ Cash (if at club house) ❏ Cheque ❏ VISA/MC
Please make cheques payable to: Big Blue and Cousins
VISA/MasterCard #:__________________________ Expires: ___/____
Signature: ___________________________ Date:_____/_____/____
May 2004
Discounts for Members
The following businesses extend special discounts to
all members of Big Blue and Cousins. To qualify for
the discounts, you must show your membership card
at the time of your purchase. Some restrictions may
apply. (All are voice phone numbers and are in area
code 250.)
Access West Recycling 479-1177
10% off any recycled product.
Anounce Printer Works 474-1901
10% on service and recycled products.
Best ColorVideo Services 744-4111
10% off Video Duplicating, Format
Conversions, Film-Video Transfers.
Bolen Books 595-4232
10% off computer books.
Chapters 380-9009
10% off computer books
Columbia Typewriters 475-3518
Substantial discounts on bulk items.
CompuLease 388-7114
10% discount on all regularly priced items.
CSP Internet 953-2680
10% discount on Internet service.
Half-Price Computer Books 361-4846
10% discount.
ICUC Video Connections 598-2555
5% off all computer video accessories
Intertrek 370-7001
15% discount on Internet service.
Ionaire 380-6449
15% to 30% off all Ionaire products.
Islandnet 383-0096
15% off undiscounted Internet time purchases.
Oceanside 744-9549
$1.75 per hour for Internet service.
Pacific Coast Net 380-7322
10% discount on any Internet service.
Pacific Digital 383-2230
5% disc. “Splash” colour and 1200 dpi bw printing,
10% on software and service.
Pangco Electronic Services 475-0001
10% discount on any electronic equipment repairs.
Includes computers and monitors. Free estimates.
Sneakers Computers 474-6615
10% off all software.
Snowden Books 383-8131
10% off computer books, magazines and Used
Software.
Tecnet Canada 475-6066
Bring equipment in for repair - free preventative
maintenance check.
Members only, see:
bbs.bbc.org/members/discounts.php for
discounts for BB&C members from ACD
Systems, Adobe, Microsoft, O’Reilly, Pearson
Technology, and PowerQuest.
22 www.bbc.org

Big Blue & Cousins
www.bbc.org
President's Choice Volunteer of
Month, October 2004
Grant Fuller
by Heidi Bada
Grant is the club’s Publications Director. He joined
the club in 2000 soon after buying his first computer.
Global concern about the millennium change
then left Grant uncomfortable being a new computer owner.
He persisted in giving the computer a shot and let his background
in document layout drive his activities in the club.
Grant joined the late Nozer Dadachanji as an assistant instructor
in Adobe Illustrator. They were a “good team”, Grant
recalls. “He taught me a lot about that program.” Now Grant focuses
on the newsletter, for members of the club and community
that like to have it in hand despite its online availability. Grant
says the club has a “strong gang” producing the newsletter.
He has led a beginner web SIG, an eBook SIG, and will
teach InDesign, the program the club uses to produce the
newsletter.
He is a dedicated artist in and away from the club. His watercolour
painting workshops Grant teaches take him up Island,
to Calgary and many other western Canadian cities.
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October 2004
He spends little of his
time at the clubhouse. When
he does attend, he works
almost exclusively on newsletter
activities. He appreciates
Mary Mohr handling
newsletter ad sales, leaving
him free to work solely with
content.
Grant’s history of design
work includes 17 years of
working on Sears catalogues.
“It’s my life”, he says. He is
accustomed to working with
and solving design and image
problems. When computers came into the offices, he recalls coworkers
fearing them. They soon shared “it might not be so bad”.
Meanwhile Grant saw many benefits to having a computer for
design work, and accepts now that the industry was changing
and design work will be done by far fewer people today.
Grant left design work in 1984 to become a full time artist.
He enjoys using digital cameras because he never liked waiting
in line to have five rolls of film developed at a time.
Grant Fuller shows how a little effort produces a lot of
enjoyment for many club members.
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23

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Panasonic 1.44 MB Floppy Drive Panasonic 1.44 MB Floppy Drive Panasonic 1.44 MB Floppy Drive
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Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition LG 12X DVD-/+R Drive LG 12X DVD-/+R Drive
Antec SLK2600 Chassis 16" 300W Panasonic 1.44 MB Floppy Drive Panasonic 1.44 MB Floppy Drive
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Microsoft Works 2004 (OEM) $89.00 Norton Antivirus 2004 $69.00 NEC AS125F 22" Flat CRT Monitor $729.00
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40052039
October 2004
Big Blue & Cousins
The Greater Victoria Personal Computer Users’ Association
202-3371 Oak Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8X 1R2
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