MEMBERS! - Long Beach IBM Users Group

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group January, 2005 

Elected Officers 

President ..................Betty Colston 

president(at)lbibmug.com..597-4273 

Vice President ....... Mike Wallters 

vp(at)lbibmug.com ..................... NA 

Secretary/Editor Mitchel Chesney 

editor(at)lbibmug.com.......437-7471 

Treasurer ..................Terri Epport 

treasurer(at)lbibmug.com ........... NA 

Board of Directors 

Director............... Mike Whitlinger 

mwhitlinger(at)hotmail.com............. 

...........................................925-3636 

Librarian ............. Clark Utterberg 

utterberg(at)aol.com ..........634-2896 

Long Range Projects Jerry Clarke 

jerryclarke(at)verizon.net ..496-1270 

Membership Chairman.Jim Wells 

membership(at)lbibmug.com............ 

...........................................439-7114 

Photographer ....Mildred Sherreitt 

NA .............................................. NA 

Program Chairman ..... Art Borges 

programs(at)lbibmug.com .591-0162 

Raffle Chairman ..........John Craig 

lbjcraig(at)aol.com.............429-3351 

Refreshments....Georgia Hennessy 

NA .............................................. NA 

We need someone to help Georgia 

Anyone interested should e-mail: 

president(at)lbibmug.com 

Special Projects... Nate Brightman 

nate(at)lbibmug.com..........427-5123 

WebMaster ....... Michele Amrhein 

webmaster(at)lbibmug.com....... NA 

Volunteers 

Advertising ........ Mitchel Chesney 


Asst. Programs.............. Win Lovie 

janwin5140(at)aol.com......597-1404 

Back Table Co-ord. ....... Bill Perry 

NA .............................................. NA 

Co-Librarian........Helena Bouchez 

helenabme(at)verizon.net ........... NA 

Club Apparel ..... Mitchel Chesney 


Club Directory 

All area codes are 562 unless noted. 

SIG (Special Interest Group) 

Leaders 

Acrobat ...............Mitchel Chesney 

mitchelc(at)earthlink.net... 437-7471 

Computer Help ........Jerry Clarke 

jerryclarke(at)verizon.net . 496-1270 

Fourth Tuesday....... Betty Colston 

bcolston(at)ix.netcom.com597-4273 

PhotoShop ...............Wayne Miller 

jobshopper(at)att.net......... 426-9056 

WinZip..................... Betty Colston 

treasurer(at)lbibmug.com . 597-4273 

Members to Members 

These are members willing to 

answer other members questions. 

Please remember THE TIME. Not 

too early, not too late. Also keep in 

mind, some volunteers still work 

during the day. If you have experience 

with any program (even 

if it’s already on this list) and are 

willing to help members, please 

contact editor@lbibmug.com. 

Adobe Acrobat... Mitchel Chesney 

437-7471 

dBase ...................Clark Utterberg 

634-2896 

Family Tree Maker ........... Mervin 

........................................... Crowser 

860-4961 

Genealogy .......... Mervin Crowser 

860-4961 

Word Pro........................Jim Wells 

439-7114 

MS Publisher ..... Mitchel Chesney 

437-7471 

Networking................Jerry Clarke 

496-1270 

QuickBooks ............. Betty Colston 

597-4273 

RC Tycoon 1 & 2Mitchel Chesney 

437-7471 

Seekeasy ............ Fred Sparrevohn 

799-1577 

Windows ............. Mike Whitlinger 

925-3636 

~PAGE 2~ 

Articles for publication in the Interface 

are earnestly solicited. Please submit all 

articles via e-mail to the editor by the 

third Wednesday of the month. You 

may also send it on a disk to our mailing 

address marked “Attention Editor”, or 

you may bring it on disk to a general 

meeting or SIG meeting. Please include a 

phone number and/or e-mail should there 

be any difficulty in reading the disk. 

Submissions may be presenteded using 

any popular word processing program or 

as plain ASCII text (i.e. e-mail) file. Do 

not attempt to format your article, 

except for bolding and italicizing. 

Instead, focus on writing a clear, 

organized, grammatically correct article. 

All items submitted for publication are 

subject to editing and we reserve the 

right to refuse any material for 

publication. Unless otherwise indicated, 

all submissions become the property of 

the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group. 

Submissions cannot be returned unless 

an appropriate envelope and sufficient 

postage are provided. 

Articles in this issue of the Interface may 

be reprinted in any other not for profit 

newsletter without expressed permission 

(except for those copyrighted) without 

prior permission, provided proper author, 

title and publication credits are given. All 

other rights are reserved. 

Neither the Long Beach IBM Users’ 

Group, its Board of Directors, officers, 

nor members makes any express or 

implied warranties of merchantability 

and/or fitness for a particular purpose. 

Opinions provided by newsletter articles, 

or by speakers, members or guests who 

address LBIBMUG meetings are 

individual opinions only, and do not 

represent the opinions of the Organization, 

its Board, Officers, or Members. 

All opinions and information should be 

carefully considered and neither the 

Long Beach IBM Users’ Group, its Directors, 

Officers, nor Members shall be 

liable for any incidental or consequential 

damages in connection with or arising 

from the furnishing or use of any 

information or opinions. 

Brands and products referenced herein 

are the trademarks or registered 

trademarks of or are copyrighted by their 

respective holders where applicable.


MEMBERS ONLY PRIZE FOR JANUARY 

Nero 6 Ultra Edition 

Nero 6 Ultra Edition: The ultimate CD/DVD burning 

suite. Go beyond the everyday rip and burn with this 

new, complete set of media tools. With the Nero 6 Ultra 

Edition, you can: 

• Archive your song collection in MP3 

• Make a DVD from your holiday home videos 

• Make a photo CD or slide show 

• Playback all your digital media files 

• Make a backup of your personal data 

• Legally recode your DVDs using Nero Digital 

The Nero 6 Ultra Edition is your all-in-one solution to 

data, audio, video, photo, and backup. Ahead Software 

has combined their best applications to satisfy all your 

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center for all tasks. 

Now you can capture, edit, author, and burn your photos 

and home videos without buying different software 

packages. 

It's simple, it's reliable, it's cost-effective. 

And now you get even more with your Nero 6 Ultra 

Edition! 

Nero Recode 2 provides top-quality audio and video for 

your home theatre! You can make backups of noncopyrighted 

DVDs without any visible loss of quality. 

You can fit a whole movie on a normal blank DVD (4.8 

GB) and still enjoy the same great quality as well as 5.1 

Dolby surround sound. 

~PAGE 3~ 

But Nero Recode 2 takes DVD backup even a step further. 

With Nero Digital, the world's fastest MPEG-4 encoder, 

you can now convert DVDs to Nero Digital files 

and fit an entire movie on only one CD. Get the future 

of audio and video compression and recode your DVDs 

today! 

Applications included in Nero 6 Ultra Edition: 

• Nero Burning Rom 6 

• Nero Express 6 

• Nero Vision Express 2 

• Nero ShowTime 

• Nero BackITUp 

• Nero Mix 

• InCD4 

• Nero SoundTrax 

• Nero Wave Editor 2 

• Nero Cover Designer 

• Nero Tool Kit 

• Nero Recode 2 

• Nero Digital 

Progressive Prize Give-A-Way #10158 

Long Beach IBM Users Group 

Financial Report December 1 through December 31, 2004 

Beginning Operating Funds $1,748.03 

Beginning Scholarship Funds $1,619.90 

Beginning Petty Cash $24.23 

Total Beginning Funds 

Income 

$3,392.16 

Membership Dues $230.00 

Raffles $151.00 

Refreshements $34.52 

Total Income 

Expenses 

$415.52 

General Meeting Hall $208.85 

SIG Room $165.31 

Operating Expense $182.24 

Total Expenses $556.40 

Net Income -$140.88 

Month End Operating Funds $1,609.20 

Month End Scholarship Funds $1,619.90 

Month End Petty Cash $22.18 

Total Ending Funds $3,251.28


NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR COMPUTER USERS 

By Ira Wilsker, 

APCUG Board of Directors 

This is the season when we are often 

asked about our New Year’s resolutions. 

We may want to lose weight, 

be a better worker, better family 

member, or other virtuous improvements, 

but we should also resolve to 

be better cybercitizens and practice 

“Safe HEX”. 

Here are some suggested resolutions: 

1. Update antivirus software at least 

daily – new viruses, worms, and 

Trojans are appearing at a rapid 

pace, with an estimated 12,000 new 

ones appearing in 2004 alone. New 

viruses can spread around the world 

literally in minutes, so antivirus software 

that has not been updated at 

least daily may be worse than no 

antivirus software at all. 

We may have a false sense of security 

using non-updated software, believing 

that we are protected from 

the current crop of viruses, so we 

click on any interesting e-mail attachments, 

and insert that questionable 

floppy in our computers, a dangerous 

practice. Considering that 

there are a variety of free antivirus 

products available, and commercial 

antivirus software is reasonably 

priced (especially after rebates), 

there is absolutely no reason why 

not to have current antivirus software 

that is updated at least daily. 

2. Spam mail – Delete them without 

opening them, period. As 2004 came 

to a close, estimates are that up to 

80% of all email is spam. Never purchase 

anything that is advertised by 

spam email. Never click on a link in 

spam email, as many links may load 

Trojans on your computer, or result 

in identity theft. Never disclose any 

personal information such as account 

numbers, passwords, social 

security numbers, PIN numbers, etc. 

in response to an email, even if it 

says that your account will be threatened 

if you do not click on the link. 

This illicit and criminal practice is a 

method of identity theft called 

“phishing”. Many who market via 

spam mail are scammers and thieves 

who make unverifiable claims about 

their products, sell pirated software, 

or who will take your hard earned 

money and send nothing useful back 

in return. 

3. Never click on a popup ad. While 

many are legitimate sellers, many 

are also scams. As long as we click 

on them, and sometimes make purchases, 

the popup purveyors will 

continue to plague us with their material. 

4. Practice good e-mail etiquette, 

also called “netiquette” – If forwarding 

emails to others, do not simply 

hit “forward” and enter names from 

your address book. Having a lot of 

headers, those lines of others’ email 

addresses and routing information, 

as well as a lot of “>” (greater-than) 

symbols makes email difficult to 

read. Strip off any useless header by 

highlighting and deleting them, and 

delete the “>”. 

Another beneficial piece of netiquette 

is to be sure that attachments 

are reasonable in size. Since many 

newer digital cameras can take 

poster-sized images; users should 

reduce the size of emailed images to 

a reasonable size, such that they can 

be easily viewed. It would also be a 

good idea to save the image in the 

universal JPG or GIF formats, rather 

than the sometimes-default BMP 

format, as the JPG and GIF formats 

~PAGE 4~ 

greatly compress the file, making it 

a much smaller download. I sometimes 

resent receiving a digital 

photo taken at 2560x1720 or larger, 

when trying to view it. Recently, 

someone proudly sent me a 4 

megapixel photo of his new grandchild 

to view on my 800x600 monitor. 

When I first loaded the image, 

all I saw was a huge eye, and with 

red-eye at that. Not just was the file 

size huge, and slow to download, 

but the image was several times the 

size of my screen, requiring me to 

scroll to see the image. 

5. Do not forward Hoaxes and Urban 

Legends – These may be cute, 

or we may feel that we are really 

warning others about some perceived 

threat, but please check out 

any email which says “forward this 

to everyone you know” as it will 

most likely be a hoax or urban legend. 

Sites such as www.snopes.com 

are excellent resources to debunk 

hoaxes and urban legends. Be aware 

that you can not get rich, or get gift 

certificates by forwarding emails, 

and that the poor dying kid in Georgia 

wanting postcards has long since 

recovered. Save yourself some potential 

embarrassment and email 

bandwidth, and refuse to forward 

these messages without first verifying 

their authenticity. Smart people 

can be duped too, so do not automatically 

trust the sender. 

6. Kill Spyware – According to 

many cyber security experts, spyware, 

software that can gather and 

send information of the users’ activities, 

may be a greater threat than 

computer viruses. Spyware is used 

to steal passwords, account numbers, 

and other personal information, 

as well as generate obscene popup 

ads, redirect purchases and searches, 

(Continued on page 5)


RESOLUTIONS 

(CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) 

and several other undesirable acts. 

Also referred to as “malware” spyware 

is dangerous. 

Microsoft, never first on the bandwagon, 

is now in the process of attempting 

to purchase one of the antispyware 

software companies. While 

there are several decent commercial 

anti-spyware products on the market, 

there are also some excellent 

free ones, such as Spybot Search and 

Destroy www.safer-networking.org 

and Ad-Aware SE 

(www.lavasoftusa.com). Never respond 

to the scam popup ads that tell 

you that your computer is infested, 

and click here … many of those supposed 

anti-spyware products are 

scams themselves. 

Install legitimate anti spyware software, 

update it and run it at least 

weekly. 

7. Participate in National Cyber Security 

Awareness Month - October 

2005. Put it on your calendar and go 

to http://www.staysafeonline.info/ to 

find out how you and your User 

Group can participate in this important 

event. 

All of the resolutions above are necessary, 

and easier to keep than losing 

weight. 

There is no restriction against any 

non-profit group using this article as 

long as it is kept in context with 

proper credit given the author. The 

Editorial Committee of the Association 

of Personal Computer User 

Groups (APCUG), an international 

organization of which this group is a 

member, brings this article to you. 

The Year is 1904 

~PAGE 5~ 

100 YEARS AGO 

This may boggle your mind! The year is 1904, one hundred years ago. What 

a difference a century makes! Here are some US statistics for 1904: 

• The average life expectancy in the US was 47 years. 

• Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub. 

• Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. 

• A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00 

• There were only 8,000 cars in the US, and only 144 miles of paved 

roads. 

• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. 

• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily 

populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California 

was only the 21st most populous state in the Union. 

• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. 

• The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. 

• The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. 

• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist 

$2,500 per year. 

• A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year. 

• A mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. 

• More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home. 

• 90% of all US physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended 

medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press 

and by the government as "substandard." 

• Sugar cost four cents a pound. 

• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. 

• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. 

• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or 

egg yolks for shampoo. 

• Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country 

for any reason. 

• The five leading causes of death in the US were: 

1. Pneumonia and influenza 

2. Tuberculosis 

3. Diarrhea 

4. Heart disease 

5. Stroke 

• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, 

and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. 

• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30! 

• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented. 

• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. 

• Two of 10 US adults couldn't read or write. 

• Only 6 % of all Americans had graduated high school. 

• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at 

corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, 

gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, 



The December general meeting was 

a gala event. Santa’s elves Judy and 

Rachel Clarke arrived early to 

decorate the tables with Christmas 

garland and candles. 

Refreshments included delicious 

Christmas decorated cookies from 

Judy Clarke, pies from Bake-n- 

Broil courtesy of Robert Briggs, 

Pizza donated by Mitchel Chesney, 

and other candies, cakes and nuts. 

Vivian Fitzgerald graciously hosted 

the refreshment station while our 

Georgia cruised down to Mexico. 

Other elves busily set up three computers 

and two printers for a special 

raffle, and our John Craig filled the 

regular raffle table with numerous 

WebEyes v 2.2.7 

from Ion Systems 

Thomas Gardner 

Member, LBIBMUG 

WebEyes is an Internet Explorer 

Plug-In that allows you to adjust text 

size instantly and eliminate the need 

for scrolling on any Web site. WebEyes 

takes information from the 

source page of a Web site and displays 

this information in a new WebEyes 

browser window (Internet Explorer 

browser). Icons on the menu 

bar of the WebEyes window allow 

you to easily increase or decrease 

text size from 4 to 144 pts. You may 

also eliminate scrolling by clicking 

the “Read Like a Book” icon – a real 

time saver for viewing long documents. 

You control how you read, 

with single or multiple columns, and 

you can change the font to your favorite 

one for easy viewing. 

Minimum system requirements are: 

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or 

WHAT YOU MISSED! 

prizes to choose from such as a paper 

shredder, Nero6 Ultra Edition 

and a MS Optical Wheel Mouse. 

Santa helper Jerry Clarke hosted 

Santa’s Gift Bag with a wrapped 

(we thank Judy for hours of wrapping) 

package for every person attending. 

Members and guests alike each received 

a Santa bag of candy. 

Radiant Frames demonstrated the 

lighted frames they manufacture for 

digital images. Amazing what a little 

light does to a photograph. 

The Progressive Prize Give-A- 

Way member number was hidden 

just above the Membership cam- 

MEMBER SOFTWARE REVIEW 

higher, Microsoft Windows 98, 

2000, ME, XP, or NT. WebEyes will 

not presently run with Netscape or 

on a Macintosh. Since WebEyes is a 

Plug-In it uses an extremely small 

amount of space on your hard drive 

– only 1.3 MB. I installed WebEyes 

without encountering any problems. 

In addition to the previously mentioned 

restrictions WebEyes does 

not support printing (although you 

may print from Internet Explorer), 

and this is a huge drawback. I am 

printing documents off the Web all 

the time, so I cannot even imagine 

using a Plug-In that will not allow 

me to directly print out what I am 

“surfing”. 

Also Web Eyes does not support any 

scripts (e.g. Java) with its “Read 

Like a Book” feature turned on. WebEyes 

claims that your email address 

and registration information 

will never be sold to any company 

or individual, and that you will not 

receive any pop-up advertising be- 

~PAGE 6~ 

paign winners’ photo in the December 

Newsletter. It was 10202 

Roberta Raymond who was not in 

attendance. Roberta you missed 

winning the solar calculator mouse 

pad. It will be one of two prizes in 

the January Give-A-Way. Watch for 

the member number hidden in the 

January Newsletter. 

The President’s Coupon Winner, 

Nate Brightman, took home a 

white stuffed bear holding a $15.00 

CompUSA Gift Card. 

Fifty-four members and guests attended 

the festive event and guest 

Weldon Freezell joined as a new 

member. Welcome and thanks to 

all for a superb celebration. 

cause of installing WebEyes. 

I encountered another problem of 

my own doing while tinkering with 

Web Eyes. I noticed that after installing 

WebEyes I had quite a bit 

less working space on my computer 

screen. This was because I had toolbars 

for Google, MSN, Windows, 

and WebEyes all showing at the 

same time. Having all of these tool 

bars open simultaneously left me 

with 33% less space in which to 

view applications. Something had to 

be turned off and it was WebEyes. 

A SPECIALTRIP 

(CONT.) 


he said, "Now I know where I saw 

you, it was on the LBIBMUG web 

site." I said, "Hello, Robert Kelley." 

He said, "That's me." I told him I 

received his check and he is in our 

Membership database. I invited him 

to our Sept. 15th General Meeting. 

We continued to talk computers and 

everyone enjoyed a great trip.


MESSAGE (Cont.) 


of office. As a leader in the Club, 

you have to opportunity to work 

with the team serving on the Board 

dedicated to the success of the Club 

through an education forum, assisting 

Members with computer purchases 

and system upgrades and 

well as special events. We will need 

your name for the slate by the March 

General Meeting. The election will 

be by ballot in April. 

On behalf of the Board, I wish you a 

happy, healthy, and prosperous New 

2005. Have you made your New 

Year’s Resolutions, written them 

down and committed yourself to the 

victorious completion? 

DECEMBER RAFFLE WINNERS 

AskSam SurfSaver 2.3...................... Don Chorpenning 

Gel Mouse Pad...................................Michele Amrhein 

Image Expert 2000.....................................David Mann 

MS Optical Wheel Mouse........................Frank Gesicki 

Nero6 Ultra Edition .................................Robert Briggs 

SereneScreen 3D Virtual Aquarium .... Ralph Salisbury 

The Fast and the Furious Car Racing CD..David Mann 

Windows XP Annoyances (Tip Book) ...... Terri Epport 

Member Only Prize 

Paper Shredder ............ Joan Dolgenow 

A MOUSE TALE 

By Fred Sparrevohn, LBIBMUG 

I have a Logitech Cordless Mouse 

that I have been very happy with but 

for one exception. Many times the 

curser would not move properly 

when I would move the mouse. It 

had a jerky movement and it seemed 

like the mouse had an intermittent 

connection with the computer. It 

turned out that the ball was sliding 

on the surface of the mouse pad. I 

took a ball out of a mouse that was 

not being used and discovered it was 

considerably heavier than the ball in 

my cordless mouse. 

After putting the heavier ball in the 

cordless mouse, it has worked flawlessly. 

I assume this same problem 

Blessings & Best Wishes……. could be fixed on other mice. 

100 YEARS AGO (Cont.) 


and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." (Shocking!) 

• Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant 

or domestic. 

• There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US 

• And this was forwarded from someone by e-mail without typing it myself, 

and presented to you in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it 

may be like in another 100 years ... it staggers the mind. 

~PAGE 7~ 

NOMINATING CHAIR 

The Nomination Chair for the 2005- 

2006 Officers’ election is Wally 

Rothbart. Please contact him at 

(213) 627-9791 with your nominations 

or interest in running for President, 

Vice President, Secretary or 

Treasurer. 

Regards, 

Betty A. Colston, LBIBMUG 

President 2004-2005 

RAFFLE ITEMS 

These are items scheduled to be raffled 

at the January General Meeting. 

10 Blank Slim CD Cases3 

Amplified Speaker System 

Broderbund ClickArt Presentation Graphics 

Intel 3 Zipper Bag 

Online Investing Hacks (Book) 

SecureClean 4.0 

XL T-Shirt 

WELCOME 

MEMBERS! 

New Members: 

Welden Feezell 

Renewals: 

Nate Brightman 

Jerry Clarke 

Judy Clarke 

Rachel Clarke 

Donald Chorpenning 

Pat Magas 

James Mallek 

Rosemary Peterson 


Nero6 Ultra Edition


This is an important note that applies 

to most of these tips: Please use 

caution (and frequent backups) 

when editing the registry! 

Backup and Restore Your OE 

Mail, News and Settings 

Copyright 2004 - Doug Knox 

Manual Backup: 

Your safest bet is to move the OE 

Mail Store to a new folder, on a different 

partition, if available and export 

a few Registry keys to back up 

all your settings. 

1) In Outlook Express, go to Tools, 

Options, Maintenance. Select the 

Store Folder button. Change the 

location of the OE Mail and 

News store folder to a 

drive/partition/folder that will not 

be affected by the uninstall or reinstall. 

This is especially true if 

you plan to reformat the system 

drive. You will be prompted to 

log off/back on, or reboot, do so. 

For a small utility that will locate, 

and optionally open your mail 

store folder, click here (Find and 

Open the OE Mail Store) 

2) Do a Find on *.wab and copy all 

WAB files to a folder on the same 

drive/partition you used in Step 1. 

This can even be the same folder 

that you moved the Mail Store to 

(recommended). 

3) Open Regedit and go to 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Softw 

are\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab 

File Name. Modify the value to 

point to the folder you copied 

your WAB file to. 

NOTE: If you only have one available 

partition, complete steps 1 

through 3. Then backup the contents 

of the folder(s) that you moved the 

Mail Store and WAB files to. This 

can be to floppy media, CR-R/RW 

or whatever you prefer. 

WINDOWS TIPS AND TRICKS 

4) Now export the following 4 Registry 

keys to a location that will 

be available after your reinstall, 

or whatever (a floppy will work 

for the REG files). If you're going 

back to a Windows 9X OS, you 

need to ensure you select 

Win9x/NT4 in the Save as type 

pull down. 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Softwar 

e\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager 


e\Microsoft\Outlook Express 


e\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File 

Name 

5) Uninstall XP and/or reinstall your 

desired OS. 

NOTE: DO NOT open Outlook Express 

until you completed this procedure 

6) Recreate the folder(s) you used in 

steps 1 and 2, making sure the 

path is the same. NOTE: If you 

were required to backup your 

Mail and WAB files to other media, 

you can restore them now. 

7) Open Regedit and delete the 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identi 

ties key. 

8) Locate the 4 REG files you exported 

in Step 3 and import them 

into the Registry. 

9) Open OE and enjoy. 

Note: Your passwords for mail and 

news accounts will have to be reentered. 

These are not saved in the 

Registry. 

How to Share OE over Multiple 

Operating Systems 

Start in Win98, open OE and use 

tools/options/maintenance to move 

the OE store folder to a share drive 

(*Note*, this drive must use the 

same drive letter in both OS's, while 

Win98 will not allow you to reletter 

drives, WinXP will, so plan accord- 

~PAGE 8~ 

ingly). 

Once you have it moved to a "share" 

drive, click Start, Run and enter RE- 

GEDIT. Navigate to each of these 

keys and do a file/export of the key 

to the share drive (call each whatever 

you wish): 






For the address book: 



Name 

Once this is accomplished, restart in 

WinXP. Before starting OE, open 

REGEDIT and go to: 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identitie 

s Right click on the Identities sub 

key and select Delete. Then locate 

the 4 REG files you exported in the 

steps above and double click each 

one to import them into the XP Registry. 

Answer yes to the import 

prompt. 

Note for the personal e-mail: If 

you're exporting the keys from XP 

to 98, then you need to ensure that 

you select Win9x/NT4 in the Save 

as type dialog. After completing 

this, OE should open up with the 

same settings, folders, mail, and 

news as you had in Win98. 

Note: This works in reverse as well 

if you prefer to use the WinXP settings, 

however, when you export 

and save the WinXP registry keys, 

you must change the file type from 

.reg to Win9x/NT4 reg file. 



WINDOWS TIPS AND TRICKS (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 8) Note2: If you use Signatures, you 6. You can now expand the Hive 

How to Share OE should put them in a text file and you just loaded and make any 

(Mail/News/Address Book) be- change OE's settings to use them. needed changes. 

tween Users in Windows XP Signatures are often corrupted dur- 7. When finished, highlight this 

If you don't mind having Signatures, ing the import. This is due to the Hive again and go to File, 

Rules and all the other settings the Unicode storage of the signatures in Unload Hive. 

same, this method works. 

the Registry. 

NOTE: You MUST unload the 

Hive prior to logging on to the users 

Sharing the Outlook Express Ad- account. Otherwise XP may have 

dress Book in Windows XP trouble loading the user's profile. 

From the user account that is already 

set up: Click Start, Run and enter 

REGEDIT 

Locate the following 4 branches of 

the Registry: 








Name 

Right click on each branch above 

and select Export and save the REG 

files to your hard drive. For each 

account you want to have the same 

mail settings, log into that account. 

Click Start, Run and enter REGE- 

D I T . L o c a t e t h e 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identitie 

s branch, right click it and select Delete. 

Next open Windows Explorer 

and locate the 4 REG files you 

saved above. Double click each one 

and answer yes to the import 

prompt. 

Now you can open OE in any of the 

User accounts, and all the settings, 

accounts, will be the same. This 

was tested with the Mail and News 

Store on a FAT32 drive. I can't guarantee 

it will work on an NTFS drive. 

Note: You will need to re-enter the 

passwords for mail and news group 

accounts. 

While logged on to the user's desktop 

that has the address book you 

want to use: Click Start, Run and 

enter REGEDIT: 

N a v i g a t e t o 



Name 

Note the path to the WAB file in the 

(Default) entry. Log into the other 

desktop and open REGEDIT there. 

Navigate down to the same location 

as above. Double click the entry for 

(Default) and make it match the entry 

for the first user. 

Editing the Registry 

for "other" Users 

From an account with Administrator 

level access 

1. Click Start, Run and enter RE- 

GEDIT 

2. In Regedit, highlight the 

HKEY_USERS key and go to 

File, Load Hive. 

3. Use the File Open dialog to go 

to the Documents and Settings\ 

folder, where 

is the account you 

wish to modify. 

4. Highlight the NTUSER.DAT 

file in this folder (usually a hidden 

file) and select Open. 

5. You'll be prompted to enter a 

"Key name". You can use whatever 

you wish, but I use the 

User's logon name. 

~PAGE 9~ 

Changing Drive Letters 

in Windows XP? 

When you add drives to your computer, 

such as an extra hard drive, a 

CD drive, or a storage device that 

corresponds to a drive, Windows 

automatically assigns letters to the 

drives. However, this assignment 

might not suit your system; for example, 

you might have mapped a 

network drive to the same letter that 

Windows assigns to a new drive. 

When you want to change drive letters, 

follow these steps: 

1. Right-click My Computer, and 

then click Manage. 

2. Under Computer Management, 

click Disk Management. In the 

right pane, you’ll see your drives 

listed. CD-ROM drives are listed 

at the bottom of the pane. 

3. Right-click the drive or device 

you want to change, and then 

click Change Drive Letter and 

Paths. 

4. Click Change, click Assign the 

following drive letter, click the 

drive letter you want to assign, 

and then click OK. 

5. You won’t be able to change the 

boot or system drive letter in this 

manner. Many DOS-based and 

Windows-based programs make 

references to a specific drive letter 

(for example, environment 

variables). If you modify the 

drive letter, these programs may 

not function correctly.


COMPUTER SHOWS 

Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 

www.lacomputerfair.com 

Pomona 10A to 5P 

$7.00 Admission 

Fairplex Exposition Complex. Exit 

Highway 10 at Fairplex Drive. Go 

North to McKinley Ave. Turn right. 

Turn left on White Ave., Go to gate 

14. Annual Pass Holders save $3 on 

Preferred Parking in Pomona. 

Jan. 8 & 9 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Feb. 5 & 6 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Mar. 5 & 6 (Sat. & Sun.) 

————————————— 

TRW Swap Meet 7A to 11:30A 

www.trwswapmeet.com 

Free Admission Free Parking 

Corner of Aviation Blvd. and Marine 

Ave. Exit 405 at Inglewood, turn 

North then left at Marine. At 3rd signal, 

turn left into parking lot. Last 

Saturday of every month, rain, shine 

or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 

www.acpsuperstore.com 


1310 Edinger, Santa Ana 8A to 2P 

Exit the 55 at Edinger, go west location. 

Jan. 30 (Sun.) 

Mar. 27 (Sun.) 

NOTICE: All information above is 

from their web sites. Shows and 

prices may be changed or cancelled 

at any time. We only list admission 

and parking fees where known. 

MEMBER BENEFITS 

Companies that offer discounts to 

User Group members: 

Ink and paper supplier Klassic Specialties 

is offering a User Group special 

to our Members. When you 

place an order through their website 

at www.KlassicSpecialties.com, 

they will give a discount on certain 

products and will give a rebate to 

our Club based on Members’ purchases 

which will be sent to us 

every other month. Just shop as you 

would normally and then on the Enter 

Billing/Shipping Information 

page, enter LBIBMUG in the Fund 

Raising Discount box. 

Webworking Services - email 

orders@webworkingserivces.com 

3D-album Picture, muvee autoProducer 

3, PhotoVista Panorama 3.0, 

ActivePDF Symphony, ZIP*LINQ 

Iolo technologies products - website 

www.iolo.com/downloads.cfm System 

Mechanic 4, Macro Magic, 

Search and Recover 

Book "Web Search Garage" by Tara 

Calishain - www.phptr.com/apcug 

(use code APCUG for 30% off) 

TechSmith - website 

www.techsmith.com Camtasia Studio/Snagit 

Actual Tools - website 

www.ActualTools.com/usergroups 

Actual Windows Minimizer, Actual 

Transparent Window. 

Studio Line Photo 2 - website 

www.StudioLine.biz Solution for 

imaging needs. 

Preclick - website 

www.preclick.com (use 

codeSWUSER04 for 25% off) 

Preclick Gold Photo Organizer 

~PAGE 10~ 

SPECIAL INTEREST 

GROUPS (SIG’S) 

Computer Help: Receive help with 

software and hardware conflicts, 

memory problems and general 

computer maintenance and trouble 

shooting. Ask questions and get 

answers to computer related topics. 

You do the work as you learn about 

your own computer-with personal 

advice from experienced members. 

Don’t forget your software! Jerry 

Clarke and Mike Whitlinger are 

regularly helping members trouble 

shoot problems! 

BRING CANS 

Please bring ten or more aluminum 

cans to each meeting to help build 

up our treasury. Only CRV soda and 

beer cans, please. We appreciate the 

interest of members in can 

donations, however, please do not 

bring glass jars, steel cans or Slim 

Fast cans. These cans were refused 

and the others must be in large 

quantities to be redeemed. 

Cans collected from Members came 

to $15.12. 

Total for the year 2004 is: .$236.65 

IMPORTANT! 

Even 1 or 2 cans help! It only takes 

about 15 for a pound. Please do not 

put any other type of aluminum cans 

in with soda or beer cans. Cat food 

aluminum cans are OK but pay a 

different rate and must be separated.


PhotoShop: This popular SIG is lead by 

Wayne Miller. He helps members get the most 

out of their digital images. Wayne always 

comes prepared with handouts for attendees. 

The class cycles and will re-start from the beginning 

soon. 

Linux: Some Members are looking for alternatives 

to PC’s & Mac’s so John Craig & Dick 

Wescott are doing this SIG to help learn the 

basics or troubleshoot any problems you may 

be having. IMPORTANT: This SIG starts @ 

2:00 P.M. and runs till about 4:00. Please call 

first to be sure they don’t have a last-minute 

change. John 429-3351 or Dick 429-4382. 

Fourth Thursday SIG: In January, the topic 

will be backing up and restoring files. If you 

have an idea for a subject, contact Betty Colston. 

Friday Social & Computer Help: At this 

SIG, Members can get help on simpler computer 

issues or just stop by to chat! 

Check the calendar EACH month. 

And don’t forget to check the website for 

last minute updates. 

Changes happen! 

91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 


GROUPS (SIG’S) (CONT.) Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 

SIG’s start at 7:00 P. M. (unless noted) at 

Trinity United Methodist Church, Room 6 

5730 South Street, Lakewood, CA 90713 

Del Amo Ave. 

SIG Meeting Map 

Bellflower Bl. 

South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 

6 

13 

20 

27 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

7 

14 

Valentine’s 

Day 

21 

28 

~PAGE 11~ 

4 

11 

18 

25 

1 

8 

15 

22 

28 

January 

5 

12 

Board of 

Directors 

19 

General 

Meeting 

February 

2 

9 

Board of 

Directors 

16 

General 

Meeting 

23 

Computer 

Help 

6 

Linux @ 2 

13 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

20 

Linux @ 2 

26 27 

Computer Back-up & 

Help Restore 

Linux @ 2 

3 

Linux @ 2 

10 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

17 

Linux @ 2 

24 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

7 

14 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

21 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

28 

4 

11 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

18 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

25 

1 

New 

Year’s 

Day 

8 

15 

22 

29 

5 

12 

19 

26


Individual Membership [ ] Family Membership [ ] Change of Address [ ] 

Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 

First Name: ________________________ Additional Name 1: ________________ 

Additional Name 2: __________________ Additional Name 3: ________________ 

Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 

Phone: (___) _______________________ Occupation: ______________________ 

E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 

(A basic e-mail address is required. If you do not already have one we will help you obtain one.) 

Please fill out completely and return it along with a check for $35.00 for an individual membership or $45.00 for a 

family (up to four people) membership Payable to “Long Beach IBM Users’ Group”. Family membership includes 

the main membership, your spouse and/or children, for a total of up to four who all reside at the same address. If you 

need membership cards or receipts returned by mail please include a self addressed and stamped envelope, 

otherwise we will be unable to send them by mail. Payment may also be made at the Membership table at any of our 

General Meetings. 

Make checks or MO payable to Long Beach IBM Users’ Group. 

Please don’t send cash. 

For membership payment only, please address to: 

For all mail other than Membership Payments, address to: 

Long Beach IBM Users’ Group 

5460 Del Amo Boulevard, PMB 517 

Long Beach, CA 90808 

Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 

East Anaheim Street 

East 7th Street 

GENERAL MEETING MAP 

N 

405 Freeway 

Stearns Street 

Atherton Street 

Greenbrier 

East Pacific Coast Highway 

Bellflower Boulevard 

General Meetings are on the the third Wednesday of each 

month and are open to the public free of charge. They are 

held in the International City Masonic Lodge, 5155 East 

Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA 90815 at 7:00 P. M. 

~PAGE 12~ 

Long Beach 

IBM 

Users’ Group 

LONG BEACH IBM USERS’ GROUP 

Attn.: Membership 

252 Bennnett Ave. 


President’s Drawing Coupon 

Member’s Name 

__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to December General Meeting 

to be entered in the President’s Drawing for a 

$10.00 CompUSA Gift Card 

& Microsoft T-shirt

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group February, 2005 

Interface 

THE AWARD-WINNING MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE LONG BEACH COMPUTER CLUB 

A NON-PROFIT 501 (C)(3) ORGANIZATION 

INCREASED KNOWLEDGE THROUGH SHARING - - - “SYNERGISM” 

WWW.LBIBMUG.ORG WWW.LBIBMUG.COM 

PRESIDENT: BETTY COLSTON EST. 1984 EDITOR: MITCHEL CHESNEY 

February, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 2 Price $2.75 

By Betty Colston, President 


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

The Members of the Board are 

working on several projects already 

this year. The Club has received two 

Table of Contents 

Club Directory ...........................2 

Members Only Raffle Item........3 

Special Raffle.............................3 

Financial Report.........................3 

More Power To You ..................4 

What You Missed!.....................5 

Computers of the Future ............6 

Linux Expo ................................7 

Nomination Chair ......................7 

Welcome Members ................... 7 

February Raffle Items ................7 

Why Can’t I Open This File?.....8 

Computer Shows......................10 

Member Benefits......................10 

SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 

large donations of computers, parts, 

and accessories. Thanks to Member 

Beverly Bethune for recommending 

the Club to be a recipient from her 

attorney’s office. 

Fred Wade was instrumental in having 

several computers donated to the 

club this week. Jerry Clarke and 

Mike Whitlinger have been the coordinators 

arranging for pick up, storage, 

testing and refurbishing. 

A Welcome CD for new Members is 

in the works. Jerry Clarke has for- 

~PAGE 1~ 

(Continued on page 6) 

In honor of the Memory of our longtime 

Review Materials Chairman 

George Matthews, the Long Beach 

IBM Users’ Group recently made a 

donation to the George Matthews 

Memorial Fund at Trinity United 

Methodist Church in accordance 

with the wishes of his family. 

Below is from the Thank You card 

A NOTE OF THANKS 

FEBRUARY MEETING 

"Digital Cameras for 

Complete Newbies" 

Have you recently acquired a digital 

camera, or perhaps already own one, 

but have been frustrated in attempting 

to set up or use its features? If 

so, then the "Digital Cameras for 

Complete Newbies" Workshop presentation 

is for you. The Digital 

Photo Guy, aka Lee Otsubo, presents 

Digital Camera Workshops for 

regular people who simply want to 

know how to use their digital cameras 

and get more out of their digital 


the Board recently received from the 

Church: 

The contribution to the Trinity 

United Methodist Church in memory 

of George Matthews will go to 

improve the sound system at the 

church. George was a long time 

member of LBIBMUG and he is 

deeply missed. 

GENERAL MEETING PRESENTATION 

February 16: ..Digital Cameras for Complete Newbies with Lee Otsubo 

March 16: ......... Making Movies in Windows XP with Ray Rittenhouse 

If anyone has ideas or suggestions for future presenters, please e-mail any 

information you have to Program Chairman Art Borges at: 

programs@lbibmug.com














...........................................925-3636 







...........................................439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 








Volunteers 






NA .............................................. NA 








Leaders 























437-7471 


634-2896 


........................................... Crowser 

860-4961 


860-4961 


439-7114 


437-7471 


496-1270 


597-4273 


437-7471 


799-1577 


925-3636 

~PAGE 2~ 


























































MEMBERS ONLY PRIZE 

Dell Color Printer 720 

Product Highlights Performance for Everyday Printing 

• Printing speeds up to 13 ppm (pages per minute) in 

black and 8 ppm in color (actual print speeds will 

vary with use) 

• 4800x1200 dpi resolution allows for impressivelooking 

documents in color or black and white 

• Produces prints in a variety of sizes and shapes including 

envelopes, banners 

• 4 Color — 1 Black Cartridge and 1 Tri-color Cartridge 

(Cyan/Magenta/Yellow) included 

• Comes with Dell Picture Studio Software — Paint 

Shop Photo Album and trial version of Paint 

Shop Pro 8 

• Saves valuable work space with its sleek, compact 

design 

Experience Easy Use and Installation 

• Save time with effortless set-up and installation 

when purchased with a new Dell PC 

• Includes setup placemat for quick and easy setup 

• Comes with simple, intuitive cartridge recycle program 

• With the Dell Ink Management System , your 

printer notifies you when you are low on ink 

• Embrace tested technology with uncomplicated 

USB ports 

Award-Winning Dell Service and Support Staff 

• Get help virtually anywhere, anytime with 1-Year 

24x7 toll-free tech support 

1-Year Advanced Exchange Service 

Order More Ink Conveniently 

• Get direct link to www.dell.com/supplies to order 

more ink 

• Buy ink without leaving your home or office and 3- 

5 day shipping charges are included at no extra 

charge! 

• No searching for the right ink cartridge in retail 

stores 

Create impressive-looking documents in color or black 

and white with the Dell Color Printer 720. This printer 

produces professional looking brochures, posters, greeting 

cards or flyers with resolutions up to 4800x1200 dpi 

(dots per inch). It delivers print speeds of up to 13 ppm 

in black, and 8 ppm in color for A4-sized documents. 

~PAGE 3~ 

SPECIAL RAFFLE 

This month we will be holding a special raffle for a 

Sears® air mattress with pump. 

This item was donated to the Club by Sears through our 

Program Chairman Art Borges who worked there for 

many years. 

Michele Amrhein will be handling these tickets so 

please be sure to visit her. 


Financial Report January 1 through January 31, 2005 



December Recycle $15.12 

December Member Renewal $35.00 



Income 

$3,301.40 



Recycle $53.74 


Total Income 

Expenses 

$406.03 



Fundraising $8.12 

Operating Expense $10.81 


Net Income $45.23 




Total Ending Funds $3,346.63 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


By Bill Garfield, wdg@hal-pc.org 

HAL PC Magazine, 

November 2004 

Hal-pc.org 

One cause of computer data loss is 

the momentary power failure. It’s 

been said the potential for damage to 

your computer or the data that’s on 

it falls into two general categories; 

damage that has already happened 

and damage that will eventually happen. 

If you've ever considered a 

backup power supply for your computer 

and not really understood the 

lingo, or even wondered what size 

you need, this article may help. 

The technical definition of a "UPS" 

is an Uninterruptible Power Source. 

These vary both in size (capacity) as 

well as in quality and features. Most 

of the cheapies out there serve only 

as a minimal barebones backup 

power source while others provide a 

filtered, pure sine wave output, over 

voltage & under voltage (brownout) 

protection, as well as surge protection. 

As with most any product, features 

vary and you get what you pay 

for. 

Choosing the right UPS depends on 

what you expect your standby power 

system to provide. Most of us would 

be satisfied with a small unit around 

400-VA, just big enough for our PC 

and monitor, to save us from those 

annoying momentary flickers or allow 

us to perform a quick orderly 

shutdown if the power happens to 

stay off for more than a few seconds. 

Other computer “addicts” might 

want to be able to continue using 

their computer for as long as possible. 

The difference is in the VA ratings, 

how much load you plan to put 

on it and of course, your budget. A 

small unit sufficient to carry you 

through those brief momentary flick- 

MORE POWER TO YOU desk lamp, two separate 2 GHz tow- 

ers and keep you going for a couple 

of minutes during a brief outage can 

actually be found for less than $50. 

Expect to pay more for higher capacity 

and longer run times. There 

are also 3 general types: 

1. The basic UPS with little or no 

surge protection and no brownout or 

over voltage protection which simply 

switches over and picks up the 

load in the event of a power interruption; 

2. An advanced model which adds 

over voltage protection and 

3. High-end professional grade systems 

which provide pure sine wave 

and constant voltage output 

(brownout & over voltage protection). 

You’re apt to find little price difference 

between the “a” and “b” variety, 

so when shopping, always look 

for one that includes surge protection 

built-in. The good news is 

they’re becoming very affordable. 

Surge protection is expressed in 

“Joules” and the more, the better. 

You’ll want at least 800 Joules of 

surge protection. 

The small $50 variety UPS will operate 

most home computers (CPU 

and monitor only) for only a couple 

of minutes. If you plan on including 

your printer and a small desk lamp, 

or need a little more time, you'll 

need something a bit larger than the 

bare bones model. For the average 

computer user, a 600 VA (about 

$100) model will provide around 15 

minutes run time (depending on actual 

load). Just remember, size 

(capacity) equates to cost. My 1400 

VA model cost $400, but it will 

keep my entire desktop going for 

over an hour. That includes a small 

~PAGE 4~ 

ers, 19" LCD monitor, flatbed scanner, 

router, DSL modem, printer, 

powered speakers and the answering 

machine. (I really hate having to reprogram 

my answering machine) 

Watts vs. Volt-Amperes (VA), what 

do the numbers mean? I’m not going 

to get technical here, buy many 

years ago everything to do with 

electrical power was expressed in 

watts. This made it easy for the layperson 

to understand because we 

could all relate to the various wattage 

appliances and light bulbs in our 

homes. But then somewhere along 

the way electrical product manufacturers 

started playing the numbers 

game, expressing things in a brand 

new term, "Volt-Amperes" or just 

VA. Unfortunately, watts and voltamperes 

are not interchangeable 

terms. You’ll need to know the approximate 

average conversion factor 

(1.6). What this means is 100 VA 

equals approximately 60 watts. 

That’s not precisely accurate, as 

there are other things thrown in to 

complicate the formula, but still using 

a conversion of 1.6 should get us 

inside the ball park. 

Complicating things, nowhere on 

the back of your computer or monitor 

or desk lamp, etc. will you find a 

VA rating. All of the appliances, 

computers, etc. in our homes and 

businesses are still rated in watts. 

A good rule of thumb when selecting 

a UPS is to buy twice the capacity 

you actually need. This is for two 

reasons; First of all, having extra 

capacity ensures that we're always 

operating down in the comfort zone, 

well within the sweet spot of the 

manufacturer’s design curve. Secondly, 

it gives us that extra margin 



to allow for plugging in something 

extra that we overlooked or maybe 

adding something later. When sizing 

your UPS requirements, add up all 

of the wattage ratings of everything 

you plan to plug in, then double it 

and multiply that total by 1.6. This 

will give you the "VA" rating of an 

appropriately sized UPS for your 

application with plenty of reserve. If 

your math works out to be somewhere 

between two UPS models, opt 

for the larger of the two, affordability 

notwithstanding. 

Exercise the battery? No, never. The 

battery experts say not with a UPS. 

However, purchasing and installing 

a UPS doesn't necessarily mean that 

you'll always have reserve power 

available. Everyone knows that all 

batteries eventually fail. However, 

there’s really nothing we can do to 

extend the life expectancy of our 

UPS. In my experience I have found 

that the capacity of my hefty 1400- 

VA UPS dwindles down gradually 

over time and loses about 20% of its 

reserve capacity (run time) per year. 

In fact, batteries in many UPS systems 

sometimes fail a lot sooner 

than expected due to over use. A 

UPS is not a portable power system 

like a generator. Rather it’s an 

“emergency” system designed to be 

used only in brief, intermittent situations. 

Certain rechargeable batteries 

like those used in cellular phones 

need to be exercised. However, this 

is not the case with the sealed leadacid 

(or gel-cell) batteries used in a 

UPS. The battery in a conventional 

UPS is very similar to a car battery, 

which can easily be damaged by 

deep-cycling (running it all the way 

down). We also know that our car 

battery will eventually one day fail 

to start our car, regardless of how we 

baby it. Preventing this inconven- 

MORE POWER TO YOU (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) ience means periodic replacement of 

the battery before it fails. 

Replacing the battery (or batteries) 

in a UPS system can sometimes be a 

daunting task. Some models have 

an access panel on the bottom making 

it relatively easy. Alas, I’ve 

never found one of these easy-access 

panels on many of the inexpensive 

models and they’re not that common 

even on the more expensive models. 

It’s obvious that battery replacement 

wasn’t on the top of the manufacturer’s 

design criteria. In fact, in 

some UPS units it is clear the manufacturer 

never intended for the battery 

to be a “user-serviceable item”. 

However, with varying amounts of 

manual dexterity, muscle and some 

common sense electrical safety precautions, 

all UPS batteries can usually 

be replaced for about 1/4 of the 

replacement cost of a whole new 

unit, provided you can do it yourself. 

By the way, finding a replacement 

battery isn’t always easy. 

Around Houston, Fry’s Electronics 

and Altex carry them, so does Interstate 

Battery. Just avoid surplus/ 

Fifty-five members and guests filled 

the room to hear the ABC’s of Microsoft 

Office, the topic of education 

for the January General Meeting. 

Chris Dominguez facilitated with 

handouts that included 10+ pages of 

keyboard shortcuts for MS Word, a 

comparison of the features and costs 

of the different edition and a superb 

presentation on the basics of operation 

for which product to use for 

your projects. 

Roberta Raymond claimed the President’s 

Drawing Coupon prize and 

took home the $10.00 CompUSA 

Gift Card along with a Microsoft Tshirt. 

~PAGE 5~ 

salvage stores 


In closing, I don't want to recommend 

any specific brand UPS in this 

article. If you’d like to email me I’d 

be happy to point you toward my 

personal favorite. Actually they're 

all pretty good and vary mainly in 

features (and cost). Also, when 

shopping for a UPS you may notice 

that none of the stores selling them 

carry replacement batteries. That’s 

no accident. The reason I'm told is 

that there is very little market for the 

batteries. They can sometimes be 

difficult to replace and the task of 

replacing batteries brings with it 

some EPA concerns regarding disposal. 


non-profit group using this article 

as long as it is kept in context with 







Our own Michele Amrhein gave a 

demo of printing a single page of the 

newsletter or any document file. 

This quick tip will be very useful. 

We even got a bonus tip on how to 

print it in B&W to save on color ink. 

The Progressive Prize Give-A-Way 

winner was not in attendance. James 

Mallek you missed out on winning 

two items. The number was printed 

just above the financial report in the 

January Newsletter. Be sure to 

watch for your member number. 

There will be three items in the prize 

for February. 

See you in February on the 16 th .



matted an exciting slide show. Be 

sure to check it out … you may find 

yourself included. 

Member benefits continue to increase. 

The website now has a Member 

Only section that includes special 

offers from manufactures and 

retail outlets. One of our newest 

partners is CompUSA. The business 

services division has provided some 

By Pim Borman, Web Editor & 

APCUG Representative 

SW Indiana PC Users Group 

For the last 40 years or so computer 

chips have closely followed Moore’s 

Law, which states that the number of 

transistors doubles every 18 months. 

The corresponding increase in computing 

performance has been enormous, 

but chip manufacturers are 

beginning to reach the physical limit 

of miniaturization. Intel’s latest chip, 

“Prescott,” with 125 million transistors 

an improved version of the 55million 

transistor Pentium 4, was 

delayed by production difficulties 

and proved to be only marginally 

faster. Cramming more transistors in 

a certain area by reducing their size 

leads to increasing electrical leakage 

problems and crosstalk; it also increases 

heat generation. 

Some recent microprocessors consume 

over 100 watts, generating 

more heat per square centimeter than 

a laundry iron on the cotton setting 

(W. Wayt Gibbs, writing in Scientific 

American, November 2004, 

pp.96-101). Increased computation 

speeds have to a large extent also 

been the result of clever changes in 

computer architecture that allow the 

chip to execute multiple instructions 

for each clock tick. We are finally 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (Cont.) 

very good discounts. 

E.C. Van Der Eecken has created a 

message board. This is similar to our 

old Bulletin Board (remember 

those?) Be sure to visit and leave 

him a message. There is a link from 

the Club’s web site. 

Membership is growing and we 

thank you for sharing the Club’s 

brochures and appreciate you telling 

COMPUTERS OF THE FUTURE 

reaching the inevitable end of 

Moore’s Law. 

Intel has already announced that it 

will no longer distinguish its microprocessors 

by clock speed, which is 

after all only part of the system’s 

performance characteristic. In addition, 

starting next year, all Intel 

chips will have not one but two 

“cores” that allow higher computation 

speeds through parallel processing. 

AMD already has such chips. 

There is nothing new about fast 

computing with parallel processing 

computers; the fastest computers in 

the world are now built using thousands 

of processors that operate in 

parallel to perform specific operations, 

such as playing world champion 

chess. But all current software 

for home and office use will have to 

be rewritten. 

Many users, as well as software 

companies, may decide it is not 

worth the hassle. If you have an upto-date 

computer it probably responds 

faster to your inputs than you 

can provide them, unless you are a 

game freak or use industrial-strength 

graphics or database programs. 

Customers will be better served by 

improved security and simplified 

operations. 

~PAGE 6~ 

your friends and family about the 

organization. Every new Member 

brings some additional expertise to 

the combined knowledge of the 

group. We learn from each other. 

The Club is an excellent resource of 

computer expertise and a fun social 

event too. 

Regards, 

Betty A. Colston 

Not by coincidence, W.Wayt Gibbs 

also wrote an article in the same issue 

of Scientific American (Nov. 

2004, pp. 80-87) about future computers 

using photons (light) instead 

of electrons (electricity) to perform 

computations and connections between 

the cpu and memory storage. 

There are many technical problems 

to be solved as yet, including the 

challenge to bring the cost down, 

but it seems likely to be the computer 

technology of the future. Photons 

move many times faster than 

electrons and do not significantly 

generate heat. All the rest is engineering 

detail! 

Pim Borman Bio: 

(swipcug@sigecom.net) is Web Editor 

and APCUG representative for 

the SW Indiana PC Users Group, 

Inc (http://swipcug.apcug.org). This 

article appeared in the November 

2004 issue of the P-SEE URGENT, 

newsletter of SWIPCUG 









member, brings this article to you.


If the recent publicity about more 

security holes in Internet Explorer 

and Windows in general have you 

nervous about your on-line computing, 

there's hope. Maybe Linux is for 

you. 

Are you interested in Linux, but not 

sure where to start? Start at The So. 

Cal Linux Expo! It will have booths 

manned by various Linux User 

FEBRUARY MEETING (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 1) to your photos. Throughout the pres- 

photos. 

entation, Lee uses humor and lively 

anecdotes to emphasize important 

points. 

The "Digital .Cameras for Complete 

Newbies" Workshop provides brand 

new digital camera owners (i.e., 

"newbies",) and digital camera owners, 

in general, a practical introduction 

to digital camera terminology 

and features. 

Lee will take the mystery out of using 

a digital camera by telling you to 

"do this, do that; push this, pull 

that." You will also learn some 

photo composition tips so that you 

can quickly and easily add "pizzazz" 

NOMINATION CHAIR 



Rothbart. 

Please contact him at (213) 

627-9791 or let him know at a General 

Meeting with your nominations 

or interest in running for President, 

Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer. 

Regards, 



Progressive Prize 

Give-A-Way 

#10824 

After the presentation, Lee will have 

several digital camera-related, multimedia, 

instructional CDs available 

for sale at a special Long Beach 

IBM PC User Group discount. CDs 

are also available for sale at The 

Digital Photo Guy web site: 

www.thedigitalphotoguy.com 

Biography: 

Lee Otsubo, has combined the skills 

and experience he gained during his 

LINUX EXPO 

Groups, all eager to show you something 

cool about Linux. There will 

be presentations on various facets of 

Linux and Open Source Applications. 

Some presentations will be on 

beginner topics, for the new or prospective 

Linux user. 

The Expo (SCALE 3x) has been expanded 

to two days. It will be held 

February 12th and 13th, 2005, at the 

WELCOME 


New Members: 

Joseph Francis 

Chuck Sherwood 

Lois Sherwood 

Pam Sherwood 

Renewals: 

Beverly Bethune 

Terri Epport 

Warren Morton 

Roberta Raymond 

Howard Walters 

~PAGE 7~ 

career as an engineer, marketing executive 

and assistant professor to 

create the popular "The Digital 

Photo Guy" Workshops and multimedia 

CD product series. 

Lee likes to photograph sports, particularly 

professional bicycle races, 

and flora and fauna, including an 

often uncooperative housecat named 

Alf, near his home in Escondido, 

CA. Contact Mary Raver, (Lee's 

Chief Administrative Officer, aka 

" h i s w i f e " , ) a t 

mfr@thedigitalphotoguy.com or 

visit www.thedigitalphotoguy.com 

for additional information. 

Los Angeles Convention Center. 

As a special incentive to Windows 

users, we've arranged for a discount 

for you. Order your ticket 

o n l i n e a t h t t p : 

www.socallinuxexpo.org, and use 

discount code PCUG for a 50% 

discount on a full-entry pass. Don't 

delay, though. Come and share in 

the excitement! 

RAFFLE ITEMS 

These are items scheduled 

to be raffled at the 

February General Meeting. 

Blue Squirrel's PopUp Stopper 

Cypherus Security Software 

Intel 3 Zipper Bag 

PNY 128 Meg USB Flash Drive 

PPP Connection Sharing Software 

Smart Computing Encyclopedia Set 

The Healthy PC (Book) 


Dell Color Printer 720


By Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D. 

Member of the Sarasota Personal 

Computer Users Group, Inc., 

Florida 

There are times in every computer 

user's life when the computer seems 

to be deliberately trying to increase 

your level of frustration. One of 

these little moments is when you 

receive a file from an associate and 

no matter what you do, you can't 

open it. The file can be a document, 

a picture, a spreadsheet or any number 

of other types. So why does this 

happen? And what does it have to do 

with these things called extensions 

or suffixes? 

Believe it or not, every file name on 

your computer has a three digit suffix. 

I know if you have never used 

any OS other than Windows you 

may never have seen this suffix or 

file extension. But they really do 

exist. If you open "My Computer" or 

Windows Explorer, select "Tools" 

from the menu. Then click on 

"Folder Options" and in that window 

click on "View". In this list some 

items are checked and some are not. 

If there is a check mark in the item 

"hide extensions for known file 

types", remove it. Then click on 

"apply to all folders". You will get a 

message telling you that the change 

will occur the next time you open a 

folder. Now open up any folder and 

look at the array of file extensions. 

Go from folder to folder and see 

how many different extensions you 

can find. 

So now you see that the number of 

different extensions seems to be limitless. 

Or at least enough to bring on 

some confusion. Why is there such a 

proliferation of these three figure 

suffixes? Let's look again at the 

"Tools" menu and "Folder Options". 

WHY CAN’T I OPEN THIS FILE? 

This time click on the tab for "File 

Types". The upper window lists 

"Registered file types". Now scroll 

through the list until you find 

"Adobe Acrobat Plug-in file". This 

has an extension of API and in the 

lower window you find a short explanation 

as to which program can 

open this file. In this case, Adobe 

Acrobat. Keep scrolling down 

through the list. You will probably 

Believe it or not, 

every file name 

on your computer 

has a three digit 

suffix. I know if 

you have never 

used any OS other 

than Windows you 

may never have 

seen this suffix 

or file extension. 

But they really 

do exist. 

find the BMP suffix. This is a picture 

file and usually opens with Microsoft 

Paint. However, on my computer 

it has been associated with IrfanView, 

a graphics viewer. Keep 

scrolling to get an idea of all the different 

file types and their extensions. 

If you click on enough different file 

types you will notice that each type 

is generally, but not always, associated 

with an application. When you 

click on the change button, the pre- 

~PAGE 8~ 

ferred application is listed at the top. 

You can change this to another application 

but then double-clicking a 

file of that type may result in a error 

and it won't open. Applications such 

as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, 

Microsoft Works, Excel, etc., can 

only open files that were created by 

them unless they have the appropriate 

translator for the document. 

This goes back to the reasons for the 

file suffixes. The suffix tells Windows 

what application is needed to 

open a particular file. Every application 

capable of creating files uses a 

different format for the file header 

and body information. This formatting 

allows Word, for example, to 

open a document that has specific 

margins, type face, printer assignment, 

etc. The same is true for other 

applications. 

Let's take a look at some of the definitions 

associated with the file structure 

of a Word file. 

"FIB (File Information Block): The 

header of a Word file. Begins at offset 

0 in the file. Gives the beginning 

offset and lengths of the document's 

text stream and subsidiary data 

structures within the file. Also stores 

other file status information." 

"DocFile: A Word docfile consists 

of a main stream, a summary information 

stream, a table stream, a data 

stream, and 0 or more object streams 

which contain private data for OLE 

2.0 objects embedded within the 

Word document." 

"Document: A named, multi-linked 

list of data structures, representing 

an ordered stream of text with properties 

that was produced by a user of 

Microsoft Word." 



WHY CAN’T I OPEN THIS FILE? (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 8) when you attempt to open the file. files. If yours can't, then you need 

"DataStream: The stream within a Every graphic format has a different something like IrfanView, a free file 

Word docfile containing various structure and may not always open viewer. 

data that hang off of characters in in your photo software. 

the main stream. For example, bi- 

So the answer to the original quesnary 

data describing in-line pictures The most common formats used on tion is: you either don't have the ap- 

and/or form fields." 

the web are GIF and JPG (jpeg). plication installed on your computer 

However, these are two very differ- or you don't have the application 

From these descriptions you can see ent formats. GIF is a compressed associated with the file you are try- 

that a Word document has a very format that is referred to as a ing to open. Now, if you know the 

specific structure that has to be read "lossless" compression. In other application that created the file and 

and interpreted in a specific way. words, you don't lose any detail in if you have it on your computer, you 

Other applications can't read a Word the process of compres- can solve the problem. You only 

file unless they have a translator for sion/decompression. However, GIF need to associate the file with appli- 

it. Even then, the translation may not can not use more than 256 colors. cation. To do this open "My Com- 

accurately reflect the content and That makes it less usable for color puter" and select the "Tools" menu 

format of the original file. 

photos than other formats. However, and "File Options". Click on the 

for web page logos and other small "File Types" tab and then scroll to 

graphics, GIF is ideal. The file size the file extension for the file you 

is small, so transmission time over want to open. Click on "Change" 

the Internet is quite short. 

and select the application you want 

to use to open the file. 

Another file format is that of database 

files. In a dBASE file, or a 

FoxPro file, the first byte identifies 

the version that created the file. 

Consequently, older versions can't 

read files created with newer versions 

of the program. For a number 

of years Microsoft created similar 

problems in Word documents by 

changing the file format every time 

a new version of Word was released. 

Another application that has it's own 

file formats is Microsoft Works. 

This application can create text 

documents, database files and 

spreadsheets. None of these files can 

be opened by other programs. The 

interesting thing is that Works can 

save files in Word format, WordPerfect 

format or RTF (rich text file). It 

can even open most of these formats. 

But Word and WordPerfect 

are unable to read files in the native 

Works format. 

Another problem exists with picture 

(graphic) files. Although your web 

browser should be able to read the 

most common formats, they have to 

be associated with the browser. If 

they are not, you will get an error 

Photographs can be sent by e-mail 

using the JPG format which is very 

compressible. Jpegs can be compressed 

to 10% of their original size 

which greatly reduces transmission 

time. However, the greater the compression, 

the greater the loss of detail. 

Jpegs are a "lossy" format. The 

detail that is lost by compression can 

never be recovered. If the picture is 

important, you should always keep 

an uncompressed master in a safe 

location. 

Another "lossless" graphic format is 

TIF or TIFF (tagged image file format). 

This is the best format for 

color pictures and should be used to 

save the master copy of important 

photographs. The major problem 

with TIF files is that they are very 

large. Much larger than jpegs. For 

example, a file from a digital camera 

was 526 KB in its native format. 

When converted to TIF and compressed, 

it took up over 6 MB on the 

hard drive. However, not every 

graphics program can read TIFF 

~PAGE 9~ 

All of this discussion assumes that 

the file has not been corrupted. Even 

minor damage to the header of file 

can keep it from being opened. 

Transmission of files between computers 

is always subject to possible 

damage. Now maybe those undamaged 

files can be opened with a little 

less frustration. 

Dr. Lewis is a former university & 

medical school professor. He has 

been working with personal computers 

for more than 30 years. He 

can be reached via e-mail at 

bwsail@yahoo.com. 












Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 










Mar. 5 & 6 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 2 & 3 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 23 & 24 (Sat. & Sun.) 

————————————— 









or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 






May. 29 (Sun.) 












































Preclick, Picture Your Lifetime - 

website www.preclick.com (use 

code SWUSER04 for 25% off) Preclick 

Gold Photo Organizer. 

~PAGE 10~ 
















BRING CANS 












to $30.00. 

Total for the year is: ............$30.00 

IMPORTANT! 








GROUPS (SIG’S) (CONT.) 






soon. 









Fourth Thursday SIG: This series of SIG’s 

will have a variety of topics based on Member 

input. Betty Colston facilitates. If you have an 

idea for a subject, contact Betty. 








91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 





Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 


6 

13 

20 

27 


6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

7 

14 

21 

28 

~PAGE 11~ 

1 

8 

15 

22 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

February 

2 

9 

Board of 

Directors 

16 

General 

Meeting 

23 

Computer 

Help 

March 

2 

9 

Board of 

Directors 

16 

General 

Meeting 

23 

Computer 

Help 

30 

3 

Linux @ 2 

10 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

17 

Linux @ 2 

24 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

3 

Linux @ 2 

10 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

17 

Linux @ 2 

24 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

31 

Linux @ 2 

4 

11 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

18 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

25 

4 

11 

18 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

25 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

5 

12 

19 

26 

5 

12 

19 

26



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









(One Coupon Per Membership) 


__________________________________________ 



$10.00 Sears Gift Card

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group March, 2005 

Interface 






March, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 2 Price $2.75 

By Betty Colston, President 


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

Membership in this Club offers 

many benefits as well as opportunities. 

The elections will take place at 

the April General Meeting. This is a 

leadership opportunity for any of the 





Configure a Basic PC.................4 

WUGNET ..................................5 

Free Online Tax Prep & Filing ..6 

Nomination Chair ......................7 


February Raffle Winners ...........7 

February Raffle Items ................7 

Tech News .................................8 

Media Player 10.........................9 



SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 

four offices of President, Vice President, 

Secretary, or Treasurer. All 

interested Members, please send 

your intent by letter or e-mail to our 

Nomination Committee Chair, 

Wally Rothbart by March 15 th . 

Wally will be presenting the list of 

nominees at this months meeting. 

New joining Members will now receive 

a Welcome CD with the club’s 

history, Newsletters, Officers and 

much other information. Tell your 

friends, neighbors, and co-workers. 

Any current member that would like 

a copy, see Jerry Clarke, the author 

and producer of this outstanding collection 

of Club information. 

Six months from now, the San 

Diego Southwestern Computer Conference 

will happen again. It is three 

days of computer education, software 

give-a-ways, sharing of experiences, 

great food, great check in 

prizes and much more. Start planning 

now to attend this spectacular 

event. It is more than worth the 

~PAGE 1~ 



All of our Members and Guests in 

attendedance thoroughly enjoyed 

Lee Otsubo’s presentation on Digital 

Camera’s for Newbies. 

The Progressive Prize Give-A- 

Way winner was in attendance but 

left early and missed the drawing of 

his name. Dick Cohen you missed 

out on winning three items. Don’t 

forget folks, you must be present at 

the end of the meeting to win! The 

number was printed at the bottom of 

page 7 in the February Newsletter. 

Be sure to watch for your member 

number. There will be four items in 

the prize for March. 

• Solar Powered Calculator Mouse 

Pad 

• MS Plus pack with MS T-shirt 

• File Rescue Software 

• Surprise (see at General Meeting) 

Thanks to Sears and our Program 

chairman, Art Borges, one lucky 

Member also walked out with a 

brand new air mattress with an automatic 

pump. 


March 16: ............. How to Make Movies with XP by Ray Rittenhouse 

April 20:..................................... XP Tips & Tricks with Bill Littenberg 

















...........................................925-3636 







...........................................439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 








Volunteers 






NA .............................................. NA 








Leaders 























437-7471 


634-2896 


........................................... Crowser 

860-4961 


860-4961 


439-7114 


437-7471 


496-1270 


597-4273 


437-7471 


799-1577 


925-3636 

~PAGE 2~ 


























































Streets & Trips 2005 

Introducing a backseat driver you’ll be glad to have 

along. Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 is like a trusted 

friend who knows the road ahead. Whether looking for 

that new restaurant just across town, or the fastest route 

to a vacation getaway two states over, you’ll find easyto-use 

tools to help you customize your trips just the 

way you want them. 

Drive Confidently with Vital Data 

Right at Your Fingertips 

Streets and Trips 2005 features 5.4 million miles of local, 

city and highway roads across the United States and 

Canada, plus 1.8 million Points of Interest to help you 

find the hotels, ATMs and restaurants and other services 

you need along the way. Steer your way around lengthy 

detours and delays by downloading free, current Road 

Construction information before you leave the house. 

Customize Your Trip Planning 

Know how long your trip will take and how much it will 

cost before ever getting behind the wheel. From calculating 

your fuel costs based on your driving style and 

current cost of fuel, to specifying how many stops you 

want to make and when, Streets and Trips 2005 lets you 

customize maps and routes based on your own driving 

preferences. Snap-Routing lets you make convenient 

drag-and-drop routing adjustments, and Drive-time 

Zones quickly show you how far you can travel within a 

set amount of time from any spot on the map—perfect 

for planning side trips on your vacation. Use the Optimize 

Routes and Stops feature to find the most efficient 

route to reach multiple destinations. Add information to 

your maps where you can easily see it using the map 

drawing and annotation tools—arrows, texts, highlighting, 

freehand drawing, and more. 

Easy To Use and Take Along 

Streets and Trips 2005 includes Pocket Streets for your 

Pocket PC and the New! Pocket Streets for Smartphone, 

giving you easy access to your maps on your notebook 


~PAGE 3~ 

PC, Pocket PC or Smartphone without needing an Internet 

connection. 

See How We Outshine Online Map Services 

Online map services are a great start, but they can’t 

compete with the full capabilities offered by Streets and 

Trips 2005. For starters, online map services require 

Internet access—with Streets & Trips 2005 you have 

immediate access to detailed maps and directions without 

having to connect online. What’s more, the maps 

you create are considerably more detailed and customizable 

with Streets and Trips 2005—thanks in part to the 

multiple route capability and one-way street designations 

that many online sites don’t provide. Combined 

with the ability to customize routes and import contact 

information from Outlook, Excel and other database file 

formats (offerings not provided by online map services), 

it’s easy to see why Streets and Trips 2005 outshines the 

online options. 


Financial Report February 1 through February 28, 2005 





Income 

$3,346.63 


Donations $252.00 



Total Income 

Expenses 

$552.76 



Fundraising $12.50 







HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY 

HAPPY EASTER


By Gabe Goldberg, APCUG Advisor 

& Columnist, AARP Computers 

and Technology Website 

Configuring a Basic User's PC 

Don't be alarmed by the high-falutin 

word "configuring". It just means 

deciding what components -- otherwise 

called "parts" -- will perform 

various PC functions. It's like olddays 

car buying: reviewing a dealer 

checklist to pick dozens of individual 

features, from radio to power 

steering to disc brakes and more. 

The good news is that almost any 

current PC with a printer and Internet 

connectivity will handle mainstream 

requirements. That means 

that a generic Windows PC is usually 

adequate -- but you should upgrade 

if you'll do anything challenging 

or exotic. 

Just as when buying a car, the first 

step in buying a computer is deciding 

what you'll do with it: e-mail, 

Web searching/viewing, word processing? 

Financial work with 

Quicken? Digital photography? Simple 

games? Ultra-demanding tasks 

like high-end games and digital 

video editing? 

Just as when making any major purchase, 

a small investment in learning 

pays off for years. Before buying a 

PC, learn the basics: -- take a class, 

buy a book, attend local computer 

user group meetings, consult Web 

sites, read technology magazines at 

the library. 

As you look at applications' system 

requirements (processor speed, 

RAM size, hard drive storage capacity, 

video card speed and memory, 

etc.) note differences between minimum 

and recommended specifica- 

CONFIGURE A BASIC PC ter standard or optional warranties 

tions. Vendors are often too optimistic 

-- and that's being charitable -- 

about what's needed for their software 

to run productively. It's much 

safer, and not much more expensive, 

to buy at least the recommended 

choices. In fact, I usually buy a little 

more power than I need. This bumps 

cost just a little and it avoids future 

problems and upgrades. Purchasing 

this way greatly extends a PC's life 

and makes it more compatible with 

future innovations, at least for a 

while. 

Remember that as PCs evolve, a 

range of choices is always available, 

from bleeding-edge new to borderline 

obsolete. An equally valid – and 

more economical -- approach to con- 

Unknown-brand 

machines can be reliable 

… or risky. 

figuring is finding the current technology 

"sweet spot" the point where 

cost, performance, compatibility, 

and useful life are in balance. 

A key decision is whether to buy a 

brand-name system or an unknownbrand 

machine, have a PC built to 

order, or build it yourself. Choices 

for laptop computers are much more 

limited: brand-name systems dominate, 

trailed by a few off-brand 

manufacturers. There are no build-ityourself 

options, though manufactured 

systems can be customized 

extensively. 

Each purchasing choice has advantages 

and advocates. Brand-name 

systems can be evaluated and compared 

by consulting references such 

as Consumer Reports magazine, are 

available everywhere via catalog or 

online shopping, and may have bet- 

~PAGE 4~ 

(often worthwhile for quick service 

and peace of mind). But brand-name 

systems sometimes suffer from using 

commodity parts vs. best-quality 

components. 

Unknown-brand machines can be 

reliable money savers or risky acquisitions. 

I'd only buy such a system 

from a trusted store with a flexible 

return policy. I favor having PCs 

built to order by small local shops 

with established reputations, offering 

maximum flexibility and consultation 

during design. And I've enjoyed 

watching my PCs take shape 

as they're assembled from a tableful 

of parts! 

Some people build their own PCs, 

often with training and mentoring 

from computer user group volunteers. 

This demystifies system innards, 

greatly facilitating diagnosing 

and repairing problems and upgrading 

components. Build-to-order and 

build-yourself allow specifying 

brand-name parts for improved performance 

and reliability. 

No matter where you purchase, look 

carefully at monitor choices. Traditional 

CRT monitors prices have 

declined, allowing buying larger devices 

with better resolution. And 

newer/thinner/lighter LCD panels 

offer a powerful -- though sometimes 

less flexible -- alternative. 

Visit stores to compare brands and 

models and explore settings to 

match your preferences. 

Decide how you'll back up your 

software and data. Choices include a 

second -- perhaps external or removeable 

-- hard drive, writable optical 

media such as DVD, and tape. 

The first two are most often used, 



CONFIGURE A BASIC PC(CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) you'll use the software provided. As 

with each having unique advantages. 

Follow your backup plan regularly; 

nothing ruins a day like losing 

months or years of can't-be-replaced 

data, not to mention having to reconstruct 

all your software. 

Small choices can make large differences 

in productivity and comfort. 

For example, mouse technology has 

advanced far beyond the traditional 

two-button wired device. Mouse alternatives 

include trackball and 

wireless devices, gadgets with many 

extra programmable buttons, wheel 

mouses allowing horizontal/vertical 

scrolling, etc. Considering how 

much time you'll use your pointing 

device, it's worth spending a little 

extra money to have the device that 

suits you best! 

Windows offers many choices for 

easing use -- enlarging type, making 

keyboarding easier, providing special 

audible and visual cues, etc. Accessibility 

options are found in different 

places -- usually via Control 

Panel or the Start menu. It's worth 

exploring these to tailor your PC to 

your individual preferences. Similarly, 

small add-on programs can 

greatly improve a PC's comfort factor. 

Remember that Windows is 

highly configurable: you can change 

how it looks and operates. As you 

become familiar with your new PC, 

explore options/settings/preferences. 

Just as you wouldn't insist on driving 

a car with seats and mirrors exactly 

as they came from the dealer, 

don't be captive of Microsoft's 

initial settings! 

Name-brand computers usually include 

software bundles. Vendors 

shout about how valuable they are 

and how much money you're saving 

on them -- but that's only true if 

soon as you have your machine, examine 

pre-installed software and 

remove anything you know you 

won't use. Then defrag your disk 

and then install the programs you'll 

use. These simple steps will make 

your machine run better by decluttering 

it. 

Finally, If you understand how to do 

this, use built-in tools such as 

MSCONFIG to chop out unneeded 

services started by default when 

your system boots. 

Software bundles often include junior-grade 

versions or limited-time 

trial copies of critical tools such as 

anti-virus and anti-spyware software. 

For system reliability and security, 

upgrade these to full versions 

and subscribe to update services. 

Not much else in modern life besides 

computers keeps getting faster/ 

better/cheaper. And it's not hard to 

find or build a computer that meets 

needs for several years, runs reliably, 

and doesn't break the bank. 

This article appeared originally on 

AARP's Computers and Technology 

Web site, . (c) AARP 2004. Permission 

is granted for reprinting and 

distribution by non-profit organizations 

with text reproduced unchanged 

and this paragraph included. 










~PAGE 5~ 

WUGNET 

By Bettie Cummings Cook 

SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. 

swipcug.apcug.org 

www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/ 

downloads/wugnet.mspx is the web 

site of WUGNET. On this site are 

the Microsoft picks that demonstrate 

the highest standards available today 

in shareware for Windows XP. Just 

for the record, freeware is free and 

shareware is generally free to try but 

you are on your honor to send the 

compiler a fee or a contribution. 

Yes, you can use them as long as 

you please without sending a nickel 

for them but I encourage you to support 

the persons who unselfishly 

provide good shareware programs. 

A number of the programs will develop 

into large, well-known products 

or become incorporated into 

new system programs. To cite a few 

old examples that did so: PKZip, 

Brother's Keeper, Checkit, XTree, 

and TweakUI. I purchased these as 

shareware programs a number of 

years ago for five dollar each. To the 

credit of the shareware compilers, 

their programs have continued to 

operate from Windows 3.1 thru 

Windows XP. So, for the most part, 

they are good investments. 

Twenty-five of the best picks for 

Win XP are featured with links to 

downloadable sites. Everything from 

utilities to games. I was intrigued by 

one called Ink-Saver. It adjusts the 

amount of ink flow from cartridge to 

printer and causes those expensive 

ink cartridges to last a little longer. 

Check it out for dependable sources 

that have MS approval. 

Bettie Cummings Cook is the Editor 

of the SW Indiana PC Users Group, 

Inc. (SWIPCUG). This article appeared 

in the 2005/01 issue of the P- 

See Urgent, SWIPCUG newsletter.


By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of 

Directors 

IRS and “Free File Alliance” 

Again Offer FREE Online Tax 

Preparation and Filing 

It’s that time of year again. Our 

mailboxes are brimming with W-2’s, 

1099’s, and other ubiquitous indications 

of our daily financial lives. 

Preparing our forms 1040, 1040A, 

and 1040EZ are typically not our 

favorite annual right of spring. This 

year, the fine folks at the IRS and 

their partners, the “Free File Alliance” 

are again offering their free 

online federal income tax preparation 

and electronic filing services. 

Unlike past years, where only selected 

groups of people, such as students 

or military, could utilize the 

free services, this year there are free 

services available for almost all federal 

tax filers. 

The main IRS website at 

www.irs.gov has at the top: “Free 

File. Ever missed a good thing and 

regretted it? Don’t miss Free File. 

Millions of eligible taxpayers can 

use Free File — a free online service 

that let’s you prepare and file your 

tax return electronically. It’s smart, 

free and fast. Don’t miss it!” According 

to the IRS, about 6.5 million 

people took advantage of the opportunity 

last year. 

The process is relatively easy. The 

first step is to enter the IRS Free File 

website at www.irs.gov/app/freeFile/ 

jsp/index.jsp/ where the various filing 

services offered by the Alliance 

can be viewed, and eligibility for 

each can be determined. Eligibility 

determination for each service is the 

second step listed. Some of the 15 

resources listed have a maximum 

“AGI” (adjusted gross income) ceil- 

FREE ONLINE TAX PREP AND FILING 

ing. Others will only prepare forms 

1040A or 1040EZ online, while 

some others will prepare taxes for 

residents of specific states. Other 

members of the Alliance will prepare 

and e-file taxes for free based 

on age, often under 25 or over 60, 

while others (such as H&R Block, 

TaxAct.com, and TurboTax for the 

Web) have no restrictions on who 

can use the free services, and are 

available to all. After the free preparer 

is selected, the user will be 

directed to a non-IRS website to 

complete the online preparation. The 

taxes are calculated, and proper 

forms are electronically filed with 

the IRS using a secured link. An ac- 

Some individuals will 

question their personal 

privacy when entering 

this data onto a private 

company’s website. 

knowledgement is automatically 

generated via email notifying the 

filer that the return has been accepted 

or rejected. 

The IRS notes that several of these 

companies also offer a fee-based 

online preparation service, and the 

only way to be assured to get these 

services for free is to link to them 

directly from the IRS Free File website, 

and not directly to the company 

websites. It should also be noted that 

these companies do not generally 

prepare state income taxes for free, 

and that there may be a charge for 

preparing state income taxes, but 

users referred from the IRS site are 

under no obligation to incur any tax 

preparation expenses for the preparation 

and filing of federal income 

taxes, provided they were originally 

eligible for the services. 

~PAGE 6~ 

Electronic filing by these free resources, 

or other similar commercial 

resources, has several advantages, 

according to the IRS. Some of these 

benefits are that it takes less time to 

prepare online than on paper, refunds 

can be processed much faster, 

returns are more accurate (provided 

accurate information is entered), and 

acknowledgement of receipt is generated 

so you know the return has 

been filed, and other tangible and 

intangible benefits. The IRS also has 

a statement that the software used by 

the providers for the free service is 

“comparable” to the software used 

by these preparers for their commercial 

(paid) clients. 

The IRS is well aware that not all 

taxpayers have internet access, so it 

is arranging for such groups as 

churches and community associations 

to provide the internet access 

so as to promote the widest possible 

use of the free service. The IRS is 

also supporting such volunteer 

groups as Volunteer Income Tax 

Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling 

for the Elderly (TCE). 

Some individuals will justifiably 

question their personal privacy when 

entering this data onto a private 

company’s website. The IRS has 

approved the security and privacy 

policies of the participating companies, 

and all of the providers must 

also have a recognized third-party 

privacy and security certification. 

Information provided to these companies 

can only be used for the 

preparation of income tax forms, 

and no other purposes not explicitly 

authorized by the user. The IRS will 

monitor all of the providers for compliance, 

and the companies are required 

to promptly alert the IRS if 

any privacy or security problems are 



FREE ONLINE TAX PREP AND FILING (CONT.) 

encountered. The IRS has set 

up an email address with the 

F r e e F i l e A l l i a n c e a t 

helpdesk@speedymail.com, where 

anyone can get technical assistance 

about the Free File website, or 

resolve issues with any of the listed 

providers. Any user who is not 

satisfied with the selected free provider 

is free to try another provider 

that he may qualify for. 

The Free File Alliance is a result of 

the IRS' Restructuring and Reform 

Act of 1998, which in part has a 

goal that 80% of all returns are to be 

filed electronically (e-filed) by 2007, 

and requires the IRS to make available 

to taxpayers free online filing 

options. 

Last year (2004) saw 6.5 million efiled 

returns, and the IRS hopes to 

triple the number this year. That still 

leaves many millions more that will 

have to e-file in order to reach the 

2007 goal. The 15 companies listed 

that are providing free filing services 

are a good step on the path of meeting 

the IRS’ goals. 

Progressive Prize # 10489 

FEBRUARY RAFFLE WINNERS 

Blue Squirrel's PopUp Stopper ..................... Don Pelke 

Cypherus Security Software .............Name Not Legible 

Intel 3 Zipper Bag.............................. Michael Wallters 

Leather Lpatop Case ................................ Cheryl Miller 

PNY 128 Meg USB Flash Drive.........Mitchel Chesney 

PPP Connection Sharing Software ..........Wayne Miller 

Smart Computing Encyclopedia Set.......... Terri Epport 

The Healthy PC (Book) ..................... Michael Wallters 


Dell 720 Printer..........Lonnie Bingham 










NOMINATION CHAIR 



Rothbart. 

Please contact him at (213) 

627-9791, e-mail him at 

T7Pwallyr(at)aol.com or let him 

know at a General Meeting with 

your nominations or interest in running 

for President, Vice President, 

Secretary or Treasurer. 

The slate of candidates will be presented 

at the March General Meeting 

with elections held in April. 

Regards, 



~PAGE 7~ 

PRES. MESSAGE 

(Cont.) 


modest registration fee. Watch for 

more information to follow. 

Thanks to all of our members that 

attended the last meeting. Your support 

is most appreciated. See you on 

New Members: 

Gudrun Holland 

Alan Holt 

Paul Ichino 

Barbara Schmaeling 

Joyce Schmaeling 

Phil Schmaeling 

Renewals: 

Ralph Bellini 

Clark Utterberg 

Janice Lovie 

Winston Lovie 

RAFFLE ITEMS 


at the March General Meeting. 

50 Blank Memorex CD Disks 

Automatic Paper Shredder 

FM Auto Scan Radio 

InterVideo DVD Copy 

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 


SecureClean Scanner 

WELCOME 


Windows XP Guide (Magazine) 


Microsoft Street & Trips 2005


By Sue Crane, VP/Editor 

The Big Bear Computer Club 

www.bbcc.org 

The search engine wars get more 

interesting by the week. Google is 

partnering with some of the world's 

most prestigious universities to 

make it easier for Web users to scan 

the schools' vast library holdings. 

The collaboration of Google and research 

institutions that include Harvard, 

the University of Michigan, 

Stanford and the New York Public 

Library is a major stride in an ambitious 

Internet effort. The goal is to 

expand the Web beyond its current 

valuable body of material and create 

a digital card catalog and searchable 

library for the world's books, scholarly 

papers and special collections. 

Meanwhile, Yahoo is adding local 

traffic information to its maps service, 

including roadwork and accident 

reports as well as the approximate 

speed at which traffic is proceeding 

along specific roads. The 

service, part of Yahoo Maps, will 

offer accident reports and road construction 

information for about 70 

U.S. metropolitan areas. The service 

will also provide driving speed information 

for about 22 of those areas. 

The traffic information is layered 

on top of a map at the user's 

request. Icons are used to indicate 

accidents or construction, while 

color codes are used for the speed 

information. And America Online is 

testing a Web-based e-mail service 

that will compete with Yahoo Mail, 

Microsoft's Hotmail and Google's 

Gmail. the beta service for America 

Online's free Web-based e-mail is 

available to AOL subscribers only. 

But it will eventually be offered to 

the public for free. 

With a floating screen, Mitsubishi’s 

Scopo due next year will truly be a 

TECH NEWS 

portable computer!. This headset 

with an eye-sized, eye-level LCD 

creates the illusion that a 10-inch 

display is in front of the viewer. The 

Scopo comes with a belt-carried unit 

with a CPU to process images and 

video. It can be attached to a cell 

phone, video player, or other device 

Two Japanese companies, Toshiba 

and Memory-Tech, say they've developed 

the world's first DVD that 

can be played on both standard and 

high-definition DVD players, using 

Intel's products for 

the digital home and 

office in 2005 will 

give consumers and 

IT managers more 

capabilities than just 

raw performance... 

the HD-DVD format. HD-DVD has 

the backing of the DVD Forum. 

You can get anything on eBay -- 

except justice. That's what one disgruntled 

litigant found when she 

snarkily offered a New York City 

judge for sale on the popular auction 

site. Even though the highest bidder 

offered more than $100, she found 

out the hard way that crime doesn't 

pay. And the judge was not amused. 

Residents of 13 western states can 

check all three of their credit reports 

for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. 

The Midwest will come on stream 

on March 1, the South on June 1, 

and the East on Sept. 1. Previously, 

you had to buy this information 

from the three credit reporting companies: 

TransUnion, Experian and 

Equifax. The three reports can vary. 

That's why all three, and not just 

~PAGE 8~ 

one, are available. Check your credit 

report online at: 

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ 

cra/index.jsp. 

The California Energy Commission 

unanimously approved standards to 

be phased in beginning in 2006 that 

would require household appliances 

including televisions, VCRs, DVD 

players and cell phone chargers, to 

run on one to three watts. Even 

when idle, such appliances now 

typically gobble up two to 10 watts. 

Commissioners estimate that compliance 

with the new guidelines will 

save commercial and residential 

power customers more than $3 billion 

over 15 years. 

iBrattleboro.com is at the forefront 

of Web publishers delivering local 

news. What's is that they are relying 

on local residents. The idea is that 

citizen-generated content lowers 

costs and creates more loyal audiences. 

One intriguing experiment 

started in May when the Bakersfield 

Californian launched a community 

Web site called the Northwest Voice 

(www.northwestvoice.com). The 

site has no paid writers except for a 

lone editor. It employs only four 

people full-time, gets most of its 

content from readers. Last month, 

the J-Lab Institute for Interactive 

Journalism at the University of 

Maryland announced a $1 million 

grant program to fund what it calls 

"micro-local" Web news experiments 

around the country. Funded 

by the Knight Foundation, each initial 

grant will amount to $12,000 

and go to nonprofit groups creating 

community news sites. 

Microsoft is setting an example for 

customers as they introduce a second 

security measure for their inter- 




nal networks: smart cards for every 

employee. By the end of 2005, tens 

of thousands of telecommuting Microsoft 

employees will be issued the 

cards, which will be required to log 

on to the company's networks. 

President Bush signed a new fouryear 

ban on state and federal taxation 

of Internet connections. The 

latest version of The Internet Tax 

Nondiscrimination Act expands the 

original dial-up definition of access 

to include DSL, cable modems and 

wireless Internet connections. The 

bill blocks states from differentiating 

for tax purposes between dial-up 

and broadband hookups. 

Intel's products for the digital home 

and digital office in 2005 will give 

consumers and IT managers more 

capabilities than just raw performance, 

and the company plans to 

highlight those products. Earlier this 

year, Intel canceled two single-core 

desktop and server designs and announced 

plans to accelerate the development 

of dual-core processors. 

Intel is planning to design and market 

its desktop processors in platforms, 

similar to the way the company 

brought the Pentium M processor, 

a new mobile chipset and new 

wireless capabilities to customers as 

part of the Centrino platform. Intel 

expects to bring 64-bit capabilities 

to its desktop processors in the first 

half of 2005 (Microsoft's 64-bit 

Windows XP operating system is 

scheduled to ship in the first quarter 

of next year). In 2006, Intel will 

bring out the Bridge Creek and 

Averill platforms for the digital 

home and digital office. These platforms 

will feature Intel's security 

and virtualization technologies that 

it highlighted at recent Intel Developer 

Forum conferences. Microsoft's 

TECH NEWS (CONT.) 

next update to the Windows operating 

system, code-named Longhorn, 

will be required to take advantage of 

the hardware-based security and virtualization 

technologies that Intel 

plans for 2006. 

A report from U.S. Pharmacopeia 

(USP), a nonprofit group that sets 

standards for the drug industry, says 

that as more hospitals have implemented 

automated systems for administering 

drugs’ the number of 

errors associated with them has 

risen. Kenneth Kizer of the National 

Quality Forum says: "Technology 

offers great opportunity to reduce 

errors, but it's not a panacea. You 

can't just throw a computerized system 

in and expect that everything's 

fixed. It has to be done right. The 

technology is only as good as the 

people who use it." 

Microsoft next year plans to host its 

first developers conference dedicated 

to the Microsoft Office System, 

underscoring the company's 

strategy to make Office a foundation 

for customized business applications. 

The conference will take place 

Feb. 2 through 4 in Microsoft's 

home town of Redmond, Wash., and 

will feature Microsoft chair Bill 

Gates as its keynote speaker. The 

company said Monday that it expects 

about 800 developers from 

independent software vendors, consulting 

partners and corporate customers 

to participate. 










~PAGE 9~ 

MEDIA PLAYER 10 

By Chuck Guion, Editor 

Rockport Computer Users’ 

Group, Inc. 

www.rcug.net 

Microsoft has a new Windows Media 

Player 10 (WMP10) available 

now. Go to www.microsoft.com/ 

windows/windowsmedia to 

download it. It was designed for 

Windows XP. It does not have any 

help files, but there is an article: Using 

Windows Media Player 10 on 

the web and you can download it at: 

www.microsoft.com/windows/ 

windowsmedia/mp10/ 

usingplayer.aspx. 

You can use WMP 10 to listen to 

music on CDs, MP3s, MIDI, Wave, 

etc. You can play CD’s and DVD’s 

(if you have a DVD drive on your 

computer) with the program. You 

can also use it to watch your home 

movies, film clips, etc. 

You can also use the Internet to find 

more information about a CD or 

DVD; i.e. the Album and the Artist. 

You can quickly Rip from a CD to 

your computer as well as use different 

Formats for doing this. 

You can also burn your own CD’s. 

Most of the music CD’s that you 

buy have only one or two songs you 

really like. With WMP10 you can 

pick and choose your favorite songs 

from several CD’s and put them on 

one Master CD. Isn’t that great & 

it’s free! 

You can also organize your digital 

media collection. The program will 

even tell you where you can buy 

your favorite albums! All in all, I 

think it is a great program and it is 

free! About the only disadvantage is 

not having any help file. 

Group.



Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 










Mar. 5 & 6 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 2 & 3 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 23 & 24 (Sat. & Sun.) 

————————————— 









or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 






















































~PAGE 10~ 
















BRING CANS 












to $22.50. 


IMPORTANT! 














soon. 




















91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 





Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 


6 

13 

20 

27 

Easter 

7 

14 

21 

28 

~PAGE 11~ 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

March 

2 

9 

Board of 

Directors 

16 

General 

Meeting 

23 

Computer 

Help 

30 

3 

Linux @ 2 

10 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

17 

St. 

Patrick’s 

Day 

24 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

31 

Linux @ 2 

4 

11 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

18 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 


1 2 

3 

Daylight 

Savings 

Begins 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

April 

6 

13 

Board of 

Directors 

20 

General 

Meeting 

7 

Linux @ 2 

14 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

21 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

27 28 

Computer Linux @ 2 

Help 

25 

8 

15 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

22 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

29 

5 

12 

19 

26 

9 

16 

23 

30



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 










__________________________________________ 



$10.00 Sears Gift Card 

Pen & Pencil Set

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group April, 2005 

Interface 






April, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 4 Price $2.75 

Thanks to the good people at Sears 

and our Program Chairman, Art 

Borges, one lucky Member walked 

out with the second of two donated 

brand new air mattresses with an 

automatic pump. 

Ray Rittenhouse presented the XP 

feature that allows you to make your 

own videos. With a little patience, 

and a fair amount of time in the beginning 

one can develop videos with 

animation, titles, music and more. 

X-Pack 2 for Windows XP is required. 

Jim Wells, our Membership Chairman, 

implemented a new drawing. 

Fred Wade was the first winner of 

the Registration check in drawing. 



Nomination Committee Report..2 



Tech News .................................4 

Important Numbers....................5 

Annual Yard Sale.......................5 

Getting Good Tech Help............6 


March Raffle Winners ...............7 

April Raffle Items ......................7 

Google’s New Gmail .................8 



SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


Be sure to sign in at the registration 

desk for the April prize drawing. All 

you need to qualify is to be a Member 

and check in. 

Don Pelke won the Rescue software 

for the Members’ wearing Badge 

drawing. 

Mildred Sherreitt won $10 and a pen 

set in the President’s coupon drawing. 

Myron Partridge #10489 was the 

Progressive Prize Give-A-Way hidden 

member number. Myron you 

missed out on winning four items. 

Be sure to watch for your member 

number and you must be present at 

the end of the Meeting to win. There 

will be five items in the prize for 

April: 

• Solar Powered Calculator Mouse 

Pad 

• MS Plus pack with MS T-shirt 

• File Rescue Software 

• Compact Disc Cleaner 

• Pen & Pencil Set 

~PAGE 1~ 

PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 

By Betty Colston, 

President 


IBM Users’ 

Group 

I am always 

amazed at how 

fast a term goes 

by. It seems as though we just 

started a couple months ago. It has 

been a great year. I have learned so 

much about the administration of the 

club. There are many hours behind 

the scene that are donated by devoted 

members keeping the club active 

and successful. It is the combined 

efforts, wisdom, and dedication 

of loyal members that develop 

new ideas, enhance old ideas, and 

provide time and talent throughout 

the year. 

Many thanks to the officers, chairman, 

newly joined members and the 

regular attending members. Your 



April 20:..................................... XP Tips & Tricks with Bill Littenberg 

..............................................................Plus Spaghetti & Chili Cook-Off 







president(at)lbibmug.com. 597-4273 


vp(at)lbibmug.com...................... NA 


editor(at)lbibmug.com ...... 437-7471 

Treasurer ................. Terri Epport 

treasurer(at)lbibmug.com............ NA 



mwhitlinger(at)hotmail.com ............. 

.......................................... 925-3636 

Librarian .............Clark Utterberg 

utterberg(at)aol.com.......... 634-2896 

Long Range Projects.Jerry Clarke 

jerryclarke(at)verizon.net.. 496-1270 



.......................................... 439-7114 

Photographer ... Mildred Sherreitt 

NA .............................................. NA 


programs(at)lbibmug.com 591-0162 


lbjcraig(at)aol.com............ 429-3351 


NA .............................................. NA 




Special Projects ... Nate Brightman 

nate(at)lbibmug.com......... 427-5123 

WebMaster .......Michele Amrhein 

webmaster(at)lbibmug.com ....... NA 

Volunteers 



Asst. Programs ..............Win Lovie 

janwin5140(at)aol.com ..... 597-1404 

Back Table Co-ord.........Bill Perry 

NA .............................................. NA 

Co-Librarian ....... Helena Bouchez 

helenabme(at)verizon.net............ NA 






Leaders 











PRESIDENT’S 



support to the club is greatly appreciated. 

It is election time again and I encourage 

you to attend the April 

meeting to cast your vote for the 

team for 2005-2006. Together, we 

can continue to have education, 

training, support, and fun. You are 

the club and you make the success 

of the club a benefit to all. 

Thank YOU, 


NOMINATION REPORT 

The Nomination Committee Chairman, 

Wally Rothbart presented the 

Nomination Report for the 2005- 

2006 Officers’ election at the March 

General Meeting. 

The slate of candidates are: 

President .................... Betty Colston 

Vice President..........................Open 

Secretary............... Mitchel Chesney 

Treasurer.......................Terri Epport 

Nominations from the floor for all 

offices will be taken on election day, 

April 20th. Your vote counts! 

~PAGE 2~ 


























































Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2005 

Our most comprehensive learning resource and The #1 

best-selling encyclopedia brand that changes with the 

times, Microsoft Encarta Reference Library Premium 

2005 is the smart place to start information searches; for 

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Built by incorporating our popular Encyclopedia 

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New! Just for kids 

With new encyclopedia content tailored to kids 7 to 12 

years old, new Encarta Kids uses loads of pictures, large 

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and discovery. 

New! An online math tutor 

Available through a free subscription to MSN Encarta 

Premium through October 2005, the new Math Homework 

Help service helps give students the confidence to 

tackle even the toughest math assignments—always at 

their own pace—from basic multiplication to linear 

equations*. 

In addition to Online Math Homework Help, the free 

subscription to MSN Encarta Premium provides students 

with access to Encarta content and tools from any 

PC. 

New! Get there faster 

Our new Encarta Search bar helps you find the information 

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Bring learning to life 

Topics vividly expressed through 3D virtual tours, animation, 

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child’s interest and aid learning retention. Rich, dynamic 

multimedia content just makes learning more 

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Homework done already? 

Instead of homework avoidance and excuses, our 

Homework Center guides students from the first step 

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Homework starters, literature guides and learning tools 

help give your child a leg-up. 


~PAGE 3~ 

Always current 

Containing over 63,000 articles from trusted sources, 

we keep the information fresh and accurate by prompting 

you online article updates. With just a click, the information 

automatically downloads to the proper article 

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View nature and science in action 

Our natural world is brought to life with exciting videos 

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tracking the evolution of birds, to theories of life on 

Mars, Discovery Videos provide unique insights that are 

sure to leave lasting impressions. 


Financial Report March 1 through March 31, 2005 





Income 

$3,449.69 



Recycling $22.50 



Total Income 

Expenses 

$699.00 



License/Permit $25.00 







Attend the April Meeting 

It's Time to Vote!


By Sue Crane, Editor, Big Bear 

Computer Club, CA 

www.bigbearcc.org 

Molecular Computer Would Be 

Faster, Smaller & Cheaper. 

Researchers from Hewlett-Packard 

have created devices called crossbar 

latches that can be used to perform 

calculations in microprocessors, the 

same function silicon transistors 

now have. Crossbar latches--which 

consist of a grid of microscopic 

wires linked by molecules at their 

intersections--are far smaller and, 

potentially, far cheaper to make because 

they are produced using processes 

more like inkjet printing than 

the etching processes required for 

today's chips. HP has already shown 

how crossbar latches can be used in 

memory. "This is the final piece of 

the puzzle for building a molecular 

computer," said Phil Kuekes, senior 

computer architect and primary inventor 

at HP's Quantum Science Research 

(QSR) unit. 

New Laser Chip 

Intel has created a chip containing 

eight continuous Raman lasers by 

using fairly standard silicon processes 

rather than the somewhat expensive 

materials and processes required 

for making lasers today. The 

lasers emit a continuous stream of 

light that can then be modulated, or 

chopped up, into a stream of impulses 

that can represent data. Cheap 

optical parts could not only lead to 

faster computers but also to less expensive 

and more accurate medical 

equipment. 

Faster Hard Drives 

Dataslide proposes to abandon hard 

drive rotation in favor of vibration. 

A new prototype drive has a rectangular 

plate coated with magnetic 

storage material. A second plate 

TECH NEWS 

hovers above with an array of lithographed 

heads on its surface. The 

lower plate vibrates from side to 

side at 600 times per second, a process 

that delivers data 10 times faster 

than a15,000 rpm rotating disk 

drive. Dataslide envisions tweaking 

the product to increase the vibration 

to 100,000 a second -- equivalent to 

a disk rotating at 12 million rpm. 

Your Cell Phone Could Infect 

your Car! 

A report by IBM Security Intelligence 

Services predicts that viruses 

spreading to mobile phones, PDAs 

and wireless networks could infect 

the embedded computers that in- 

A prototype drive 

has a rectangular 

plate coated with 

magnetic storage. 

creasingly are used to run basic 

automobile functions. The average 

new car runs 20 computer processors 

and about 60 megabytes of software 

code, raising more opportunities 

for malfunctions. 

New Technology Could Bring 

Sight to the Blind 

A small camera mounted on spectacles 

and connected to the optical 

nerve could restore the sight of thousands 

of people suffering from deterioration 

of the retina, European scientists 

said Monday. The technology 

could also help people with the retinal 

disease macular degeneration, 

which can lead to loss of fine-detail 

sight and which is one of the leading 

causes of visual impairment in the 

United States. A camera mounted on 

glasses sends images to an electronic 

device implanted behind the 

eye and stimulates the optic nerve, 

~PAGE 4~ 

which passes the information to the 

brain. 

Edible origami by Canon? 

The Canon i560 inkjet printer doesn't 

just print menus Moto restaurant 

in Chicago; it prints menus you can 

eat. Homaru Cantu, the executive 

chef, prints menus and many other 

items onto edible starch-based paper. 

Instead of using the typical 

CMYK inks--cyan, magenta, yellow, 

and black--Cantu has filled the 

cartridges with edible solutions. 

Think SSSB: sweet, sour, bitter, and 

salty. Cantu uses combinations of 

these four liquids on the edible paper 

to create dishes unlikely to be 

found anywhere else, such as "baked 

map of Alaska" and a type of maki 

sushi that he wraps in flavored paper 

bearing images of sushi, instead of 

seaweed. 

Antispam Tools Initiate 

New HIV Vaccines 

At the Conference on Retroviruses 

and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, 

workers for Microsoft Research 

said they have been using database 

and antispam software to identify 

previously unseen patterns in genetic 

mutations of HIV. The researchers 

said their work illustrates 

how medical experts can use machine-learning, 

data-mining and 

other software methods to sort 

through millions of strains of HIV 

and improve vaccines. By seeking 

out genetic patterns that could be 

used to train a person's immune system 

to fight the virus, they are already 

making headway, the researchers 

said. The group reported 

that the first of its proposed vaccine 

designs is already undergoing laboratory 

testing. 

Databases Charged as Lax 



CONFIGURE A BASIC PC(CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) of many Hollywood stars. 

With Personal Information 

After the huge security breach by 

ChoicePoint, releasing personal information 

of 145,000 individuals 

earlier this month, Senators Charles 

Schumber and Patrick Leahy have 

requested hearings, declaing. "It's 

time to turn some sunshine on these 

developments so the public can understand 

how and why their personal 

information is being used," 

A Schumer spokesman claimed that 

a researcher at a major corporation 

not involved in investigations was 

able to get the complete social security 

numbers from Westlaw’s information 

database using the “People- 

Find” feature. Other companies have 

recently acknowledged that they 

may have inadvertently left consumer 

information unprotected. 

The payroll records of at least a 

dozen companies were exposed to 

the Internet by a flaw in the online 

W-2 service of PayMaxx. A flaw in 

the PayMaxx Web site exposed the 

financial information of customers' 

workers, the payroll-services firm 

acknowledges. In addition, cellphone 

service provider T-Mobile has 

dealt with ongoing security problems 

that have led to the publication 

of celebrity Paris Hilton's personal 

information and the phone numbers 

Microsoft Authentication 

Changes Again 

Customers who find themselves reinstalling 

Windows XP should be 

ready for a headache: Microsoft will 

no longer support activation over the 

Internet for PCs with Windows preinstalled. 

Intended to curb stealing 

and selling of Certificates of Authenticity, 

the new security measure 

will initially be limited to the Windows 

XP software preinstalled on 

systems shipped by the top 20 PC 

sellers. 

Battlestar Galactica Available 

for FREE Download! 

In an unprecedented move, The 

SciFi channel has made Episode 

'33' (Season 1 Episode 1) of Battlestar 

Galactica (season 1 hasn't 

even concluded) available for free, 

uncut and commercial free, online at 

SciFi.com. Also available are deleted 

scenes from the series. 










~PAGE 5~ 

IMPORTANT NUMBERS 

Important Long Beach Phone Numbers 

Emergency................................. 911 

Police Non-Emergency..... 435-6711 

Airport Noise Abatement . 570-2678 

Animal Control................570-PETS 

Apartment Watch.............. 570-7160 

Business Watch ................ 570-7326 

City of L.B. Info. .............. 570-6555 

City Council...................... 570-6801 

Code Enforcement ............ 570-6328 

Fire Prevention ................. 570-2560 

Gang Hotline .......... (866) 426-4847 

Gas Emergency................. 570-2140 

Graffiti Hot Line............... 570-2773 

Graffiti Tip Line ............... 570-7122 

Health Dept. ..................... 570-4000 

Housing Rehabilitation Loans ......... 

.......................................... 570-6808 

Narcotics Abatement ........ 570-7488 

Narcotics Tip Line............ 570-7125 

Neighborhood Watch........ 570-7229 

Noise Abatement .............. 570-4126 

Sidewalk Hotline .............. 570-6264 

Special Refuse Pick-ups ... 570-2876 

Stray Shopping Carts....................... 

................................ (800) 252-4613 

Street Lights...................... 983-2000 

Street Potholes Hotline..... 570-3259 

Street Sweeping................ 570-2890 

Tree Trimming.................. 570-2700 

Water Emergency ............. 570-2300 

All telephone numbers are area 

code (562) unless otherwise noted. 

Annual Yard Sale! 

We will be holding our annual Yard sale soon. Anyone who wishes to make donations 

of items should contact any Board Member to arrange delivery or pick-up. 

Items may also be brought to any SIG or General Meeting. We are also earnestly 

seeking volunteers to help at the sale itself. Even if you can’t stay long or carry 

things, every helper is needed and appreciated. Contact President Betty Colston if 

you can help.



and Columnist, AARP Computers 

and Technology Website. 

ggoldberg@apcug.net 

Using computers and technology 

means having questions and problems. 

But you can't get answers and 

solutions without asking the *right* 

questions. A little preparation can be 

a big help in solving annoyances, 

mysteries, and disasters. 

How to Report Tech 

Problems to Get Answers 

The more we use computers and 

technology, the more questions we 

have and problems we need solved. 

But it's hard to get answers and solutions 

without asking the *right* 

questions and describing the problem 

at hand. We're specific when 

visiting the doctor or auto mechanic: 

we describe what's wrong and when 

it began. We may even imitate the 

noise our car makes for the mechanic. 

But when faced with computer oddities 

and malfunctions we sometimes 

revert to unhelpful generalities such 

as "My email is broken" or "My 

printer stopped working" or "I get an 

error when I start Word". Problem 

reports such as these don't allow diagnosing 

a problem; at best, they 

elicit a response like "Tell me 

more". 

It saves time to collect as much information 

as possible before asking 

for help. As a bonus, gathering problem 

details and considering relevant 

factors can often allow solving problems 

oneself! 

Just as a doctor or mechanic needs 

details, someone analyzing a computer 

problem must know the environment 

in which it occurred. So 

GETTING GOOD TECH HELP 

describe your computer (hardware/ 

software/networking/application/ 

etc.) to provide context. Mention 

your operating system (Windows 

98/ME/XP, Mac OS, Linux, etc.), 

what version of what application 

failed (Internet Explorer 6.0, MS 

Word XP, etc.), what Internet connection 

is used (dial or cable/DSL), 

and any other details that may help. 

Don't omit details -- it's better to 

have too much information than to 

miss a crucial factor. Sometimes it's 

worth capturing screen images 

showing a problem; tools for doing 

this will be described in a future article. 

Just as a doctor or mechanic 

needs details, 

someone analyzing a 

computer problem must 

know the environment 

in which it occurred. So 

describe your computer 

to provide context. 

Other important steps in describing 

symptoms and getting help are: 

Distinguish facts from guesses and 

interpretations. 

If an error message was issued, 

write it down, word-for-word. Then 

check it for accuracy. (Often searching 

Google for the error message 

text or a distinctive chunk -- entered 

in quotation marks -- will yield information 

on a problem.) 

Note what you did just before the 

problem occurred and whether anything 

else odd happened since you 

last rebooted and before the problem 

~PAGE 6~ 

at hand. 

Mention whether the problem happened 

before, and if so how you resolved 

it. 

List whatever (hardware, software, 

settings, network, *anything*) 

changed recently. 

Explain if you attempted to solve the 

problem and what resulted. 

(Remember that rebooting often 

cures problems, though without explaining 

them.) 

Note where you've already looked 

for information (product manual or 

Help, company Web site or FAQ, 

etc.). 

Reread your query imagining you 

know nothing about the problem 

except what's in the query. Add 

what's missing that someone else 

needs to know in order to help. 

To help friends or service personnel 

respond to your question -- and to 

let the question be filed and found -- 

use a meaningful Subject line, not 

Help!, Urgent, or Question. Describe 

the context (e.g., Windows 

XP) and the problem (e.g., Windows 

Update never finds new patches). 

To help your helper help you -- 

Be clear about your overall goal, 

don't focus on an intermediate step 

you think is necessary -- you may 

distract someone into addressing 

how you're trying to do something 

rather than what you actually want 

to do. 

Ask for help in the right/best place. 


Web board


GETTING GOOD TECH HELP (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 6) Eric Raymond -- an influential 

start> hosts many people with deep 

and diverse experience who are most 

generous with their time offering 

help and advice. And the Internet 

hosts thousands of mailing lists 

and newsgroups specializing in 

every imaginable topic. Searching 

for find the best place to pose a 

question will get you better 

and more complete answers and 

avoid your seeming like a novice for 

posting out-of-place queries. 

As you work with an individual or a 

group, collaborate -- don't try to 

overpower them. Be respectful, not 

belligerent; don't make them feel 

stupid even if you feel they are. 

They may have missed a detail, you 

may not have conveyed the whole 

story. 

If you're working with someone at a 

company help desk, don't try to "pull 

rank" based on age or experience or 

professional credentials. Mention 

past interactions with the company, 

emphasizing positive outcomes. 

Finally, a longish document from 

MARCH RAFFLE WINNERS 

50 Blank Memorex CD Disks..............Helena Bouchez 

Automatic Paper Shredder...................... Cindy Hansen 

FM Auto Scan Radio ....................E.C Van Der Eecken 

InterVideo DVD Copy................................... Bill Perry 

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.........Name Not Legible 

Search and Recover ...................................... Natu Patel 

SecureClean Scanner ........................Name Not Legible 

Windows XP Guide (Magazine)............ Joseph Francis 


Microsoft Street & Trips 2005 .............. 

........................................Joseph Francis 

leader of the "open source" (shared 

software development) movement – 

at http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/ 

smart-questions.html provides useful 

tips, though it's a little too harsh 

in places for my taste. But his comments 

on how to ask questions and 

where to seek help are interesting 

and helpful. 



Web site, . (c) AARP 2005. Permission 

is granted for reprinting and 

distribution by non-profit organizations 

with text reproduced unchanged 

and this paragraph included. 










~PAGE 7~ 

WELCOME 


New Members: 

Daniela Kanz 

Bill Lee 

Renewals: 

Art Borges 

Wendy Blanchard 

Lucille Chesney 

Mitchel Chesney 

Paul Chesney 

Stéphane Chesney 

Vivian Fitzgerald 

Darrell Hunt 

Marie Lange 

Wally Rothbart 

Mike Whitlinger 

RAFFLE ITEMS 


at the April General Meeting. 

Amazon Hacks (Book) 

CD Laser Lens Cleaner 

Crazy Talk 

Cypherus Security Software 

Flip Top Calculator 

Links Extreme (Golf Game) 

Mastering Internet Video (Book) 

Rolodex Card File 


Microsoft Encarta 2005


By Richard Johnson, Member of 

TUGNET, CA 

www.tugnet.org 

The two most useful features of 

Gmail are (1) its huge storage capacity, 

which essentially eliminates the 

need to delete messages, and (2) a 

lightning-quick search facility, allowing 

the user to retrieve any message 

almost instantly. 

Gmail also touts its unique labeling 

system, that replaces other email services’ 

folders (for filing incoming 

messages), its “conversation” grouping 

of messages, and its lack of banner 

ads or pop-ups. In this writer’s 

opinion, the value of the labels is 

overblown. To label incoming messages 

is time-consuming and on the 

whole not particularly helpful. Unlabeled 

messages may be retrieved 

easily either from the main window 

(with the “Search Mail” button) or 

with Gmail’s advanced search 

(accessible via “Show search options” 

on the main window). This 

writer uses the advanced search routinely, 

for finding messages. 

It should be noted that Gmail is not 

ad-free. It’s just that the ads are text 

ads (similar to the ads on Google’s 

search pages). 

At this time a Gmail user can receive 

HTML mail but send in plain 

text only. For security purposes, 

graphics are excluded by default 

from incoming messages, and you 

can vary this instruction on a message-by-message 

basis only. 

Spam Control 

Gmail features its own rudimentary 

spam filtering system, discussed in 

greater detail below. While imprecise, 

this system cannot be turned 

off. Although you can create your 

AN EXAMINATION OF GOOGLE’S GMAIL 

own additional filters, the only way 

to stop Gmail from diverting legitimate 

mail to its spam folder is to 

add the sender to your contact list. 

(You can do so either directly or by 

marking a “Spam” message “Not 

spam.”) At this writing Gmail still 

follows a quirky protocol under 

which bounce messages are diverted 

to the spam folder. 

Should You Switch? 

Gmail is not for everyone. You 

should not switch to Gmail: 

• if you find Web-based email just 

too slow, 

• if you want pictures on your incoming 

messages, and don’t 

While both Gmail 

and Outlook Express 

are free but there are 

various reasons for 

choosing one over 

the other. 


want to have to bother with 

Gmail’s one-click instruction (to 

include graphics) for each such 

message, 

• if you need to be able to compose 

messages in HTML, 

• if you don’t want to have to periodically 

check the spam folder 

for legitimate mail or bounced 

messages, 

• if you prefer to read in your inbox 

all incoming mail, even mail 

that might be spam, or 

• if you’re happy with what you 

have, and feel it’s not worth the 

trouble to notify folks of your 

new address. 

You should consider switching to 

~PAGE 8~ 

Gmail 

• if you’d rather not fuss with setting 

up folders for messages that 

you’ve read and want to keep, 

but still want to be able to retrieve 

such messages speedily, 

• if you like Web-based email 

such as Yahoo Mail or Hotmail, 

but are fed up with the banner 

ads and popups you encounter, 

• if you don’t want to have to decide 

which incoming messages 

to keep and which to delete, 

• if you’ve ever wanted to view an 

old incoming message only to 

realize that you’d permanently 

deleted it, 

• if you presently use a disk-based 

system like Outlook or Outlook 

Express, and don’t want the hassle 

of backing up your messages 

to protect against their loss in a 

disk crash, 

• if you find your present email 

filtering scheme too complicated, 

or 

• if you like the idea of grouping 

related messages in 

“conversations,” for easier reference. 

Gmail Compared to Outlook Express 

Nearly all new Windows computers 

come bundled with Microsoft’s Outlook 

Express. This fact may explain 

the overwhelming preponderance of 

that program among users. Both 

Gmail and Outlook express are free. 

But although price is not one of 

them, there are various reasons for 

choosing one over the other. 

Storage 

There are pluses and minuses to using 

a Web-based email system like 

Gmail, with respect to storage. A 

plus is that since messages are 



AN EXAMINATION OF GOOGLE’S GMAIL (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 8) that it includes outgoing as well as overridden by the user’s action ei- 

stored on the Web, they’ll always be incoming messages. A Gmail quirk ther manually to add messages to 

accessible to the user, regardless of is that while a user’s draft will be the spam folder or to remove them. 

any hard disk catastrophes. More- found in All Mail, messages that This action by the user will continue 

over, an accumulation of large num- Gmail considers spam will not. to affect all messages from the same 

bers of stored messages will not af- 

sender. 

fect either the available disk space Gmail’s “labels” or keywords, can at 

or speed of access. (However, Inter- least in theory facilitate a message Further Considerations 

net access—especially dial-up—can search, in addition to the usual Any retrieved Gmail message will 

be uncomfortably slow, compared to search criteria (sender, subject, date be accompanied by other messages 

disk access.) 

range, etc.). Multiple labels may be in the same “conversation.” You can 

assigned to one message. 

think of this as your girlfriend’s 

One minus with a Web-based sys- 

bringing her female cousins along 

tem is that the provider’s server will As would be expected with a system with her on every date. It may be 

accommodate only a limited amount created by Google, searching for convenient if you want to relate to a 

of storage—typically much less than messages is lightning-fast. This cousin, but you need to remember 

will easily fit on a user’s hard drive. rapid retrieval of messages actually who is the girlfriend and who is the 

So the user may find older messages renders Gmail’s labeling system cousin. Whether Gmail’s 

simply gone. This distinction is largely unnecessary, in this writer’s “conversation view” is a positive or 

turned around by Gmail—which view. 

a negative is a call you’ll have to 

allows a gigabyte of storage, and in 

make. 

fact discourages the user from delet- 

Spam Diversion 

ing any messages. 

Gmail has been criticized for having Gmail out of the box will not notify 

an insufficiently sophisticated spam you when you have a new message. 

blocking system. It’s actually miles Keeping your Gmail window open 

ahead of that of Outlook Express— won’t tell you anything unless you 

but OE users often can use spam refresh the page. And even with a 

controls supplied by the Internet fast connection, refreshing can be 

Service Provider. For this writer, tediously slow. You can download 

Gmail’s system is more than ade- the Gmail Notifier, but only if you 

quate. 

use Windows 2000 or XP (or a later 

Windows version). 

Filing 

With any email system, sent messages 

may be retained in their own 

mailbox. The conventional way of 

filing an incoming message for later 

reference is to move it from the inbox 

to another mailbox of the user’s 

choice. This is the filing system 

used by Outlook Express. The user 

may need to create anywhere from a 

few new mailboxes to dozens, with 

names like “Purchases,” “Events,” 

“Subscriptions,” “Bills,” “Software 

reference,” “Confirmations,” etc. A 

simpler choice might be to send all 

such saved messages to a “Hold” 

mailbox. 

Gmail has revolutionized email filing. 

(In its terminology, it doesn’t 

even offer filing!) Rather than send 

it to a particular mailbox, the user 

simply “archives” the message. Archived 

messages in Gmail go to “All 

Mail,” which is just like the “Hold” 

mailbox referenced above, except 

Gmail controls spam by means of 

(1) message filtering—similar to 

that of Outlook Express, and (2) 

spam blocking. 

With either Gmail or Outlook Express, 

the user can set up filters to 

bypass the inbox and send the subject 

messages directly to “Trash” 

[Gmail] or “Deleted Items” 

[Outlook Express]. Outlook Express 

also has a “Block sender” option to 

keep those senders’ messages from 

reaching any mailbox. 

Using its own criteria, Gmail will 

divert incoming messages to its 

“Spam” folder. This criteria can be 

~PAGE 9~ 

Additional points will become apparent 

with use. For example, a minor 

annoyance is Gmail’s closing 

your history/favorites/search sidebar 

whenever you click on a link in a 

message. The best way to make up 

your mind about Gmail is to try it. 












Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 










Mar. 5 & 6 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 2 & 3 (Sat. & Sun.) 

Apr. 23 & 24 (Sat. & Sun.) 

————————————— 









or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 






















































~PAGE 10~ 
















BRING CANS 












to $22.50. 


IMPORTANT! 














soon. 




















91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 





Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 


1 2 

3 

Daylight 

Savings 

Begins 

10 

17 

24 


1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

4 

11 

18 

25 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

~PAGE 11~ 

5 

12 

19 

26 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

April 

6 

13 

Board of 

Directors 

20 

General 

Meeting 

May 

4 

11 

Board of 

Directors 

18 

General 

Meeting 

25 

Computer 

Help 

7 

Linux @ 2 

14 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

21 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

27 28 


Help 

5 

Linux @ 2 

12 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

19 

Linux @ 2 

26 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

8 

15 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

22 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

29 

6 

13 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

20 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

27 

9 

16 

23 

30 

7 

14 

21 

28



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 










__________________________________________ 



Flash Drive

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group May, 2005 

Interface 






May, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 5 Price $2.75 

Good food, fun, education and the 

election of your new officers. 

Our new welcome member CD, designed 

and created by Jerry Clarke 

with input from many members, was 

running on the screen just before the 

meeting began. Version 2 will be 

out for members shortly. 

The Spaghetti and chili cook off 

turned into a royal buffet with salad, 

chips, pies and cakes. Thanks to all 

who brought food to share. I hope 

no one left hungry. Jerry Clarke 

walked away winner of the best 

chili. 

Bill Littenberg shared tips and 

tricks for XP along with a handout 





Selling on eBay..........................4 

2005 User Group Conference ....5 


Hoaxes and Urban Legends .......6 


March Raffle Winners ...............7 

April Raffle Items ......................7 

Digital Camera Modes...............8 



SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


members could purchase for $5 to 

use for future reference. 

Tom Haworth joined us for the 

meeting. He was back in town from 

the desert. Members enjoyed visiting 

with him and we appreciated his 

help. 

The members voted to dispense with 

the ballot vote, having only one candidate 

for each office and declared 

the nominees elected. President 

Betty Colston, Vice President Richard 

Wescott, Secretary Mitchel 

Chesney and Treasurer Terri Epport 

took office immediately. 

Natu Patel went home with five 

items from the Progressive Prize 

Give-a-way. May starts and new 

progression. Remember to check 

through this newsletter and if you 

find your membership number 

printed, bring the newsletter to the 

front desk to claim your prize. 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




Members, we 

thank you for 

your vote of confidence 

to elect our new officers. It 

will be my honor to serve you for 

yet another year with a super team 

of leaders and educators. Some of 

our team leaders are returning for 

another term and we will have some 

new Members on the Board. We 

will be announcing the Directors at 

the General Meeting after the 

elected officers have approved the 

appointments. 

Our annual Rummage/Yard/Garage 

sale is set for the 20th of August, 

2005 at the super location on South 

Street, The Trinity United Methodist 



May 18: ........................... Compliance & Security Delivery Techniques 

...............................................................With Cipher Trust’s Paul Coles 

June 15:............................................................................. John Retterath 








Vice President ...Richard Wescott 







Advisor.......................Jerry Clarke 




.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 




Review Chair..... Thomas Gardner 

curtis1(at)msn.com .................... NA 





Volunteers 







VOLUNTEERS WANTED to help 

assemble computers to be sold at the 

Garage Sale starting at 2:00 PM Saturday 

May 21st, 2005 in the SIG 



room at Trinity United Church, 5730 

South Street, Lakewood. 


Leaders 









PRESIDENT’S 



Church. We are very blessed to have 

the church lawn again. We will begin 

set up on Friday the 19th. All 

members are asked to help. There 

are many ways to help. We will 

need people to set up and price, accept 

sales from early shoppers, answer 

shoppers questions and of 

course transport the goods that sell 

to bring funds to support the club’s 

needs for the future. This annual 

event has been a successful event 

year after year and has allowed the 

club to continue without raising 

dues. Let’s rally together to have 

another flourishing success. Between 

now and the 20th the club 

needs a volunteer or several volunteers 

to share making arrangements 

for donation pickups. Please contact 

myself or Jerry Clarke if you can 

help. 

We will be planning special events 

for the near future. Suggestions are 

welcomed. Contact any officer or 

director with your ideas. Together 

we will have a tremendous year. 

Blessings, 


~PAGE 2~ 


























































Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2005 

A company famous for its first-class image-editing program 

expands the brand with an image-management 

utility or toolkit for organizing, finding, touching up, 

and sharing shots from your digital-camera collection. 

Despite The Matrix Reloaded opening this week, there's 

no need to say, "Whoa, deja vu": This may sound like 

Adobe Systems' Photoshop Album, reviewed here in 

March, but it's also Paint Shop Photo Album from Jasc 

Software, maker of Paint Shop Pro. 

In fact, Paint Shop Photo Album ($49 boxed, $45 

download) has a longer history than Adobe's entry in the 

booming thumbnail-browsing and red-eye-fixing arena; 

it's version 4 of the program formerly known as After 

Shot. And between its well-polished interface and deft 

borrowing of some sophisticated Paint Shop Pro editing 

features, it's an excellent option for anyone trying to 

keep track of the PC equivalent of a desk drawer full of 

drugstore photo envelopes. 

Every Folder Tells a Story 

At first glance, Paint Shop Photo Album looks like an 

ordinary file manager with a folder or directory tree at 

the left and a pane for previewing zoomable single images 

or any of three sizes of thumbnails at the right. The 

program refers to folders as albums; if you use it to 

download images from your digital camera, it stores 

them in an album bearing today's date by default. 

However, the normal browsing view is only one option. 

Tabs along the left of the screen let you examine file 

information, adding a title and description or seeing the 

image data stored by your camera, or switch to a customizable 

tree of nested keywords (such as Weddings, 

then Steve and Joyce, then Receiving Line or Reception) 

and check boxes. The latter make it easy to tag or 

classify images by photographer, location, subject, or 

whatever. 

You can search for images across folders using either 

keywords or combinations of album and image names 

or descriptions. 

Handy everyday features include group renaming of 

cryptically numbered digital-camera shots -- renaming a 

dozen images as Backyard Party 001, Backyard Party 

002, and so on. If you want to share your shots with 

friends or family, you can upload them to Shutterfly or a 

similar online service; create an e-mail message with 


~PAGE 3~ 

automatically downsized, modem-friendly attachments; 

or turn a group of images into an on-screen slide show 

with an MP3 or WAV soundtrack plus simple displaytime, 

transition, and title-screen options, then turn the 

show into a Video CD for playback in DVD decks. 

Paint Shop Photo Album also excels at printing images, 

with a long list of print templates ranging from contact 

sheets to 8 by 10's or wallet-size. After you choose a 

template, you can drag images onto it in any order you 

desire, choosing whether to rotate or shrink each one to 

fit its allotted space and adding headers, footers, and 

captions as you like. 


Financial Report April 1 through April 30, 2005 



Prior Month Income - Library $3.00 


Total Beginning Funds $3,788.76 

Income 




Refreshments $48.70 

Total Income $315.02 

Expenses 



Software to Raffle $40.42 

Advertising/Club Promotion $10.81 








Congratulations New Officers! 

Good Luck!


By Dorothy Alexander, Executive 

Member 

Sarnia Computer User’s Group, 

Canada 

www.scug.ca 

The first thing you should do is to 

look at the eBay site 

http:\\www.ebay.com (American 

site) or http:\\www.ebay.ca 

(Canadian site) and register with 

them. When you start selling on 

eBay they credit you with $10.00 to 

your eBay account to get you 

started. You then need to reimburse 

them using any of the following; 

credit card, money order, cheque or 

direct bank withdrawal from your 

account. You will need to decide on 

a user name and password with the 

auction house. 

If you are planning to use Bid- 

Pay.com (Western Union) it is advisable 

to register with them. If you 

are going to use PayPal you need to 

register with them also. 

You should look to see what your 

type of item is selling for and see if 

there is an interest in it. Make a note 

of the category that the other items 

were listed under that were similar 

to your item you wish to sell. For 

additional fees you can list in more 

than one area. 

Take a picture of the item. It is a 

known fact that it sells better with a 

photo. You are allowed one photo 

(not be over 250 kb) of each item 

with Ebay. Each additional photo 

costs five cents. After you take your 

photo you should scan it, remove 

unwanted backgrounds and size it. 

Make sure to save the photo. Save to 

an appropriate folder for easy access. 

I have a digital photo folder 

and a sub folder called “Ebay photos”. 

SELLING ON EBAY 

You are now ready to log onto Ebay. 

You need both your user name and 

password to do so. Location prompt 

is next. You can enter Sarnia or simply 

say Ontario or name of choice. 

The next prompt asks if you want it 

listed regionally. The reply is “DO 

NOT LIST REGIONALLY”. The 

reason is that this is for U.S.A. not 

Canada. Then the next thing you 

type in is Canada in the appropriate 

box. 

Now you indicate how many days 

the sale will be. You can choose 3, 5 

or 7days. There is an extra 0.10 

charge for a 10-day advertisement. 

Mark if you want a RESERVE price 

Give your item a 

title. The aim here is 

to make it so attractive 

that everyone 

will read it! 

on item and enter the amount. There 

is a charge for this (see below). 

Sometimes this is a good idea for an 

expensive item that you definitely 

have a certain price in mind that you 

want to get. If there is a reserve 

price put on it you can start it low to 

get the bidding going. If you do not 

want to put on a reserve price start it 

just around the amount of money 

you would be willing to sell the item 

for: e.g. $49.99 if you wanted at 

least $50.00 for item. 

The rates to list on eBay are: 

Listing Price Cost to list 

01 to $0.99 0.30 

$1.00 to $9.99 0.35 

$10.00 to 24.99 0.60 

$25.00 to $49.99 1.20 

$50.00 to $199.99 2.40 

$200.00 to $499.00 3.60 

~PAGE 4~ 

$500.00 and up 4.80 

Cost to put on Reserve 

$1.00 to $49.99 1.00 

$50.00 to $199.99 2.00 

$200.00 & up 1% of reserve 

Commissions are charged on the 

selling price and are as follows: 

$25.00 or less 5.25% 

$25.00 to $1000.00 5.25% on 1st 

$25.00 then 2.75% on balance 

$1000.00 plus 5.25% on 1st $25.00, 

2.75% on balance up to $1000.00 

then l.5% on balance above 

$1000.00 

Give your item a title. The aim here 

is to make it so attractive that everyone 

will read it! Decide how you 

want to word your advertisement. 

Your description should be quite 

detailed as to what you have to offer. 

Next choose the category best 

suited for the item you wish to sell. 

Make sure to totally describe the 

item (including flaws, tears, cuts (in 

other words everything). If it is a 

garment it is a good idea to measure 

it, even if you know the size. Give 

details as to how you want payment 

for the goods and instructions in regard 

to shipping and handling. State 

if you will accept checks or what 

kind of payment you wish. 

All items are paid for in U.S.A. dollars 

unless you go on EBay Canada 

or specify otherwise. Make this as 

descriptive as possible to avoid the 

goods being returned for misrepresentation. 

You can choose font size, 

colour, etc. when you are doing this. 

This is all loaded into your ad with a 

prompt to see if you wish to check it 

for spelling or errors BEFORE completing 

the ad. 

These are the additional charges for 

special services 



Home Page featured $99.95 

Feature Plus in category 19.95 

Highlight 5.00 

Bold 2.00 

Gallery 19.95 

Buy It Now 0.05 

SELLING ON EBAY (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) for you, either Positive or Negative. 

The next question you need to answer 

would be if you want a counter 

on your ad. There is no charge for 

this and it lets you know how many 

people have actually looked at your 

item. Then you will be asked if you 

will accept escrow. I do not personally. 

I indicate that I will ship worldwide 

as I have a lot of my sales go 

abroad. After you have filled out all 

the areas necessary you can get a 

preview of what you have filed in to 

confirm that you are happy with it. 

After all is OK click continue. They 

will tell you how much money you 

have left in your account before you 

click that you do in fact want your 

ad to be activated. 

Now a screen will come up telling 

you were your ad is located and announcing 

that the sale has begun. 

You will get an e-mail, almost immediately, 

giving you the status of 

your account and listing cost of the 

ad that you just placed. 

When your sale has been completed 

the buyer can put in a FEEDBACK 

You will see a star following your 

name. The colour changes at different 

levels and the number shows that 

there has been that many feedbacks 

entered for you. Most of the customers 

do this, but occasionally some do 

not. Of course you strive to get a 

positive feedback and not a negative 

one. New sellers have sunglasses 

after their name alerting the public 

that they are new to Ebay. 

You can revise your ad but it has to 

be done prior to anyone making a 

bid on it. You can add additional 

information that you may have forgotten, 

at any time. It will be posted 

beneath your description in the ad. 

If you do not sell an item you can 

re-list it for the sale again. If it sells 

the second time you get this listing 

fee returned to you. 

GOOD LUCK! Have fun. 










~PAGE 5~ 

2005 USER GROUP 

CONFERENCE 

The 12th Annual Southwest Computer 

User Group Conference will 

be held from Friday evening, August 

5 through Sunday, August 7 at the 

Town & Country Resort & Convention 

Center in San Diego, CA. Activities 

will include: workshops on 

Saturday and Sunday; vendorsponsored 

presentations & meals; a 

Vendor Faire; numerous prize drawings; 

as well as up close and personal 

time with participating vendors. 

In addition, attendees will receive 

a T-shirt and Welcome Bag. 

Attendees will have an opportunity 

to interface with user group leaders. 

Town and Country is offering Conference 

attendees a special group 

rate of $99.00, single or double occupancy. 

For reservations, call their 

toll-free reservation number (1-800- 

77-ATLAS). To obtain the Conference 

rate, please identify yourself as 

attending the Southwest User Group 

Conference (by July 24). Or go 

online: www.towncountry.com click 

on Group on the left-hand side 

(under Make a Reservation). 

Registration deadline is: 

July 15 - $40.00 

July 22 - $50.00 

July 29 through start of conference - 

$75.00 


We will be holding our Annual Yard Sale on August 20th. Anyone who wishes to 

make donations of items should contact any Board Member to arrange delivery or 

pick-up. Items may also be brought to any SIG or General Meeting. We are also 

earnestly seeking volunteers to help at the sale itself. Even if you can’t stay long 

or carry things, every helper is needed and appreciated. Contact President Betty 

Colston if you can help.


By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director 

and Columnist, The Examiner, 

Beaumont TX 

iwilsker@apcug.net 

Current Hoaxes and Urban Legends 

WEBSITES: 

http://www.snopes.com 

http://urbanlegends.about.com 

Some of us find them cute, entertaining, 

exciting, and fun, while others 

of us find them embarrassing, 

irritating, and a waste of time. Many 

forward them believing that they are 

doing good, or warning of harm, or 

forward them because they came 

from an allegedly reliable source. A 

few are so convinced of their truth 

that I am explicitly requested to put 

them in this column, or announce 

them on my radio and TV show. 

What I am referring to are the 

hoaxes and urban legends currently 

circulating on the internet that many 

of us seem to love to forward to everyone 

in our email address books. 

Many of these hoaxes and urban legends 

have a grain of truth or logic in 

them, while many others are totally 

lacking any basis in fact, yet many 

of us still enjoy forwarding them 

without a second thought. 

In order to avoid embarrassment I 

strongly recommend that everyone 

tempted to forward such emails 

should check out their validity prior 

to another mass send to all we know. 

There are several excellent websites 

that compile information on these 

emails, and a quick check can save 

us from the embarrassment of sending 

out a hoax, and preserve our personal 

credibility. 

If we find that the interesting email 

is indeed true, we should still consider 

not forwarding them to every- 

HOAXES AND URBAN LEGENDS 

one, as many of our intended recipients 

may not find our interests to 

their likings, and may even be offended 

that we consumed their valuable 

bandwidth and time. Typically, 

when I receive one of these from an 

acquaintance, if I am not already 

familiar with it, I check it out; if it is 

true (a minority of the time), I may 

choose to selectively forward it only 

to those that I think may be interested 

in the topic, but I never send it 

to everyone in my address book. If it 

is false, I usually reply back to the 

sender that it is indeed false, and 

A common topic of 

these questionable 

emails is virus warnings. 

For this reason, 

most of the major 

antivirus software 

publishers also compile 

lists of hoaxes, mostly 

virus related, on their 

websites. 

include a link documenting the 

falsehood. Some emailers are so humiliated 

that I caught them in an inaccuracy 

that they reply in anger 

back to me, despite the incontrovertible 

fact that it was they who 

had sent the bogus email. 

To verify the authenticity or falsehoods 

of these oft forwarded emails, 

I use two primary, and several secondary 

resources. Primarily I use the 

excellent and comprehensive urban 

legends resource of Snopes, at 

www.snopes.com. Well organized in 

an easy to navigate menu format, 

along with a competent search engine 

makes Snopes an excellent 

~PAGE 6~ 

choice to check out the validity of 

questionable emails. 

My other primary resource for 

checking the legitimacy of potential 

hoax emails is urbanlegends.about.com. 

This site is frequently 

updated with the latest 

hoaxes in circulation, and can reliably 

document their validity. 

A common topic of these questionable 

emails is virus warnings. For 

this reason, most of the major antivirus 

software publishers also compile 

lists of hoaxes, mostly virus related, 

on their websites. I utilize 

these sites as secondary resources. It 

is also notable that old hoaxes and 

virus warnings never seem to die 

out, and periodically reappear. 

One that has been documented to be 

in circulation for over six years, but 

is again currently making the rounds 

in mass emailings is the “It takes 

guts to say Jesus” virus hoax. This 

email, in several iterations, warns 

that according to CNN, AOL, 

McAfee, and other reputable resources, 

that there is an email circulating 

with a virus that can not be 

detected by contemporary antivirus 

software and that if you open the 

email, your computer will be effectively 

destroyed. 

Every one of the hoax and antivirus 

websites list this as a hoax, yet 

countless copies are being forwarded 

by well intentioned people 

trying to warn their acquaintances. 

Some of the variations even go on to 

state that while it may be false, it is 

so important that it is being forwarded 

anyway. 

Another similar email warning that 

does have some validity is the one 



HOAXES AND URBAN LEGENDS (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 6) our cell phones, consuming our 

that says “I've Got Your E-mail on 

My Account”. It goes on to warn 

that someone is using “your” email 

account to spread a virus, and I have 

received 10 copies of it, all with 

your email address and ISP in the 

header. The email then says, “I have 

copied all the mail text in the windows 

text-editor for you & zipped 

then. Make sure, that this mails (sic) 

don't come in my mail-box again.” 

Attached to this dire warning is a 

file, commonly named 

“your_text.zip”. If opened, the file 

will infest your computer with the 

Sober.N worm. If it infects your 

computer, Sober.N will terminate 

the antivirus and firewall software 

on your computer, rendering it vulnerable 

to further attack, and then 

forwarding itself to everyone in your 

address book! This Sober.N warning 

is the exception to the rule that most 

warnings of this type are bogus. 

Another dire warning, which I am 

receiving multiple copies of, is the 

warning that a directory of cell 

phone numbers is being compiled to 

enable telemarketers to call us on 

APRIL RAFFLE WINNERS 

Amazon Hacks (Book)......................Name Not Legible 

CD Laser Lens Cleaner....................................Kathy R. 

Crazy Talk.........................................Name Not Legible 

Cypherus Security Software .............Name Not Legible 

Flip Top Calculator.............................. Ralph Salisbury 

Links Extreme (Golf Game) ......................... Fred Waid 

Mastering Internet Video (Book)..................... Steve K. 

Rolodex Card File................................ Ralph Salisbury 


Microsoft Encarta 2005......................... 

.............................. Rosemary Patterson 

valuable supply of limited minutes. 

This hoax, which is now circulating 

for the second time, is listed by several 

sites as one of the top hoaxes in 

circulation. The grain of truth in this 

is that most cell phone carriers are 

instituting a “411”directory service 

of cell phone numbers, this list will 

emphatically not be for sale to telemarketers. 

To see the latest hoaxes in circulation, 

as well as the ones in widest 

distribution, check out the hoax and 

urban legend websites, or the website 

of your favorite antivirus software. 

You may find some of the 

hoaxes actually quite entertaining, 

and wonder how intelligent people 

could fall for such silly emails. 










~PAGE 7~ 

YOU MISSED (Cont.) 


Other winners included: 

• Registration Check In Drawing - 

Wellington Delseba 

• Badge Drawing – Darrell Hunt 

• President’s Coupon Drawing – 

E. C. Van Der Eecken 

Don’t miss the May 18th General 

Meeting. 

WELCOME 


New Members: 

None 

Renewals: 

Helena Bouchez 

Thomas Gardner 

Joe Lopez 

Gary Tanaka 

Michael Wallters 

RAFFLE ITEMS 


at the May General Meeting. 

Board Games 

eBay Hacks (Book) 

Foldable Headphones 

Leather Laptop Case 

Massager (Battery Operated) 

Parker Ball Point Pen 

Photo Imaging Paper 



Paint Shop Photo Album 4


By Larry Horn, Editor & Review 

Coordinator 

pcugsj@comcast.net 

PC Users Group of New Jersey 

www.pcugsj.org 

Digital Camera Scene Modes - 

What are all those symbols for? 

You went out and purchased a digital 

camera for Christmas and now 

you have to learn how to use it. The 

instruction book mentions “Scene 

Modes” and you see a lot of funny 

icons on one of the dial of your camera 

so what are they and what do 

they do? The picture on the right is 

from an Olympus D8060 digital 

camera, so yours will probably look 

somewhat different but they are generally 

similar. 

The first thing to remember is this a 

still a camera and you get a picture 

by having the right amount of light 

hit the film or light sensor in a digital 

camera. You do this by adjusting 

the size of the lens opening 

(Aperture), or the length of time the 

shutter is open (Shutter Speed ). 

How you adjust the two of these in 

tandem will create a different picture. 

Without going into a long photography 

course, I will briefly explain 

what each of these does. 

The Aperture controls how much 

light is hitting the sensor at any instant 

and the depth of focus. If I 

want everything in the picture to be 

in focus, both near and far objects, I 

will choose a small aperture. If I 

want selective focus, for example 

taking a portrait with a blurred background, 

you adjust the camera the 

other way. 

The Shutter Speed controls how 

long the shutter is open so the light 

can get to the sensor. For a sporting 

DIGITAL CAMERA MODES 

event where you want to stop the 

action, you would use a short shutter 

speed but if you want to burl the 

movement to imply motion, you 

would use a longer shutter speed. 

You would also use a very long 

shutter speed for night shots with 

motion you want to capture like fireworks. 

How does this relate to Scene 

modes? In its Default setting, the 

camera guesses at the best exposure, 

adjusting the Aperture and Shutter 

Speed without really knowing what 

you are taking a picture of. It goes 

for an average setting. By selecting a 

“scene” on your camera, you are 

telling the camera what you are taking 

a picture of so it can make a better 

choice of how to set the camera. 

It generally gives more accurate and 

pleasing results than the default 

Auto mode. 

What are some of the more common 

Scene Modes? I have listed them 

below and apologize for not drawing 

the actual icons but my art work is 

not that good. 

P Program or Auto: This is 

the default where the camera 

makes all of the settings 

based upon an average. 

A Aperture Preference: Here 

you set the aperture accord- 

~PAGE 8~ 

ing to the effect you want and 

the camera sets the appropriate 

shutter speed. 

S Shutter Preference: You set 

the shutter speed - fast for 

sports or slow for a motion- 

blur effect and the camera sets 

the appropriate aperture. 

M Manual: With this setting 

you select everything with no 

help from the camera. Reserve 

this for experienced users 

who want to get creative. 

• My Mode: This is an Olympus 

term which lets you set 

everything manually and then 

save those settings. This is 

useful if you are frequently 

taking pictures in a set location 

and lighting setup. 

An example would be if you 

frequently sell items on eBay 

and want to include pictures 

so you set up “stage” where 

you take your pictures and 

want to easily remember the 

correct settings. 

• Movie: Many digital still 

cameras can now take short 

movies limited in length by 

the size of the memory card. 

They are low resolution and 

generally limited to only 1 or 

2 minutes or less. 

• Night: This sets a slow shutter 

speed to capture the available 

light and may also allow 

for the use of flash for a subject 

close to the camera. 

• Landscape: This setting is 

self-explanatory. 




• Action/Sports: This is really 

a shutter priority mode setting 

a high shutter speed to freeze 

the action. 

• Portrait: Used for taking pictures 

of people with the background 

blurred. 

Play: This us usually a triangle 

similar to the play button 

on a CD player. It is used to 

view the pictures you have 

taken on the LCD screen. 

• Macro: You would use this 

setting to take close-up pictures. 

Some cameras, like my Nikon Cool- 

Pic 4100, do not have all of these 

icons on the main dial but rather 

have a setting that says SCENE 

which brings up a menu on the LCD 

screen where you can set them. The 

Nikon even has scene modes for 

Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, 

Museum, Fireworks and others. 

The Nikon also has an additional 

feature they call Assist Modes. 

These modes actually place lines 

over the image in the LCD screen to 

assist you in positioning the subject 

in a more pleasing way and/or line 

things up for panoramas or architecture. 

You might even find a Burst or 

Multi-Shot mode for firing off a set 

number of pictures in rapid succession. 

I used this to get some great 

action shots at a bull riding competition 

last year. 

I suggest that you pick up a good 

book on basic photography when 


DIGITAL CAMERA MODES (CONT.) 

you get your camera. Even with the 

camera’s help, good pictures require 

the picture taker to understand the 

basic principals of photography and 

graphic composition. 

We have reviewed several in the 

Cache. Digital or Film, it is still 

photography. Additional suggestions: 

The first thing to remember 

is this a still 

a camera and you 

get a picture by having 

the right amount 

of light hit the film 

or light sensor in a 

digital camera. You 

do this by adjusting 

the size of the lens 

opening (Aperture), 

or the length of time 

the shutter is open 

(Shutter Speed ). 

• Check camera and printer 

manufacturers’ web sites. They 

frequently have lessons and tips. 

◦ Kodak is an example. 

Go to: http:// 

www.kodak.com 

then click on the Taking 

Great Pictures 

box on the top of the 

page. 

◦ Olympus also has 

lessons which are 

~PAGE 9~ 

more geared toward 

their cameras for examples 

but they are 

still informative. 

h t t p : / / 

olympusdigitalschool.com/ 

photo_lessons/ 

index.html 

• I like a monthly magazine 

called PC Photo (http:// 

www.pcphotomag.com) 

• PC World Magazine (http:// 

pcworld.com) has newsletters 

that are very informative. 

(http://www.pcworld.com/ 

resource/newsletters) One of 

the newsletters by Dave 

Johnson was the inspiration 

for this article. 

I hope I have given you some 

enlightenment as to what Scene 

Modes are and what they do. I encourage 

everyone to read their camera’s 

manual to see what is available. 

Then use the Scene Modes because 

by telling the camera what 

you are doing, the camera will use 

that information and do it for you. 

You don’t have to know the details 

of how to adjust the settings. The 

end result is more successful pictures 

that you will be proud of. 












Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 










May. 14 (Sat.) 

Jun. 4 (Sat.) 

Jul. 9 (Sat.) 

————————————— 









or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 






















































~PAGE 10~ 
















BRING CANS 












to $10.91. 


IMPORTANT! 














soon. 











input. This SIG is on hold for June. 








91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 





Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 


1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

~PAGE 11~ 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

May 

4 

11 

Board of 

Directors 

18 

General 

Meeting 

25 

Computer 

Help 

5 

Linux @ 2 

12 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

19 

Linux @ 2 

26 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

6 

13 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

20 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

27 

7 

14 

21 

Assemble 

Computers 

for 

Yard Sale 


5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

June 

1 

8 

Board of 

Directors 

15 

General 

Meeting 

2 

Linux @ 2 

9 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

16 

Linux @ 2 

22 23 


Help 

29 

30 

Linux @ 2 

3 

10 

17 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

24 

28 

4 

11 

18 

Assemble 

Computers 

(if 

needed) 

25



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 
















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 



N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 

East Pacific Coast 

B 





~PAGE 12~ 









Provide the April Newsletter page number for the following: 

1. Retroviruses & Opportunistic Infections - page ____ 

2. Both Gmail & Outlook are free - page ____ 

3. Discovery Videos provide unique insights - page ____ 

4. How & why personal information is used - page _____ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to May General Meeting 

to be entered in the President’s Drawing. 

Surprise

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group June, 2005 

Interface 






June, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 6 Price $2.75 

JUNE MEETING 

The presenter for the June General 

Meeting will be one of our own 

Members covering the ever changing 

computer security area. He will 

tell us what to watch for assuring a 

secure computer session. Five areas, 

specific solutions, and low cost or 

no coast solutions will be emphasized. 

John Retterath brings to the Club his 

experience with databases, schedulers, 

projects, and computer security. 

He has worked with the military, 

businesses, education, and is currently 

training local government employees 

on Microsoft Office 2003. 






Search Engine Tips ....................4 

Important Numbers....................5 




Raffle Winners...........................7 

Raffle Items................................7 

Record Cassettes to CD’s ..........8 

HandiApped Independence........9 

A Success Story .........................9 



SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


Learning that there are many compliance 

and security laws in place to 

protect your personal information 

from theft. Our speaker, Paul Coe, 

explained how & why these laws 

protect you and what is available in 

the computer industry for businesses 

such as banks with financial information 

or medical industry with 

your health information. 

The President recognized the Officers, 

Directors, SIG Leaders, and 

other frequent Volunteers for their 

dedicated service in 2004-2005. 

Each one received a small token of 

appreciation. Each was tailored specifically 

for the individuals receiving 

recognition (such as a calculator 

for Treasurer Terri Epport for example). 

The value of their service far 

surmounts the gift. 

Refreshments included cheese and 

crackers plus a pepperoni pizza for 

the 47 Members and Guests attending. 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

THANK YOU – THANK YOU to all 

the Officers, Directors, SIG Leaders 

and regular Volunteers that pulled 

together as a team creating a very 

successful year for the Club. 

To the elected Officers, Vice President 

Mike Wallters, Secretary and 

Newsletter Editor Mitchel Chesney 

and Treasurer Terri Epport, it has 

been my pleasure to work with each 

of your in your respective office for 

the club. Mike created and implemented 

our membership campaign 

early on in the year and by year end 

the club has gained 13 new single 

members and three new family 



June 15:...................................... John Retterath on Computer Security 



programs(at)lbibmug.com















.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 










Volunteers 









Leaders 










JUNE MEETING (Cont.) 


will have a second item added to the 

package of 12 “Post-It Notes” that 

were not claimed in May. Be sure to 

look for the Member number published 

somewhere in this newsletter. 

You Membership number is located 

on your badge and any notice you 

receive from the Club by e-mail. 

Donations for Annual Garage Sale 

will be collected. Please let Richard 

Wescott know that you have brought 

items or if you need items to be 

picked up. 

Don’t forget to bring in those aluminum 

cans. They really do add up and 

help the Club offer the great benefits 

you’ve come to expect. 

The officers and directors that were 

absent at the May meeting will be 

recognized for their dedication during 

the 2004-2005 term. 

Coming Soon…. 

An E-Waste Tour 

Photo Contest 

Social Event 

Keep in touch… don’t miss out on 

these exciting activities. 

~PAGE 2~ 




fourth Wednesday of the month. You 
























































members. Mitchel tirelessly continues to put out a 12page 

newsletter and keep the minutes of the Board meetings 

up to date for us. Terri helped to raise funds by selling 

raffle tickets around the room and keeping us current 

on our financial activities. 

Appointed Directors were loyal in attendance at the 

Board meetings and General Meetings making my job as 

President a true joy. 

Program Director Art Borges arranged for a variety of 

presenters that provided outstanding education to our 

members. 

Membership Director Jim Wells has kept brochures at 

CompUSA all year as well as tracking membership renewals 

and drawing back our people that forgetfully allowed 

their membership to expire. 

Raffle Chair Director John Craig kept our raffle table 

filled with an assortment of selections encouraging members 

on the buying of winning tickets. 

Special Events Director Nate Brightman always reminded 

us that every soda can was worth money and to 

bring them to the club instead of throwing in the trash. 

Website Director Michele Amrhein traveled the world 

and still kept the Club’s Website current and fun to visit. 

Librarian Director Clark Utterberg with his assistant 

Helena Bouchez revised and updated our library tutorials 

making the library a more attractive benefit to the 

members. 

Refreshment Director Georgia Hennessy and son David 

provided a varied selection of refreshments with the help 

of Vivian Fitzgerald. 

Photographer Director Mildred Sherreitt snapped most 

of our members right into the photo book for all to enjoy 

in the years ahead. 

SIG leader Wayne Miller taught our photo bug Members 

about color, resolution, printing and much more in 

an ongoing photo SIG. 

Thank YOU, 


~PAGE 3~ 

WHAT YOU MISSED! (CONT.) 


Jerry Clarke reported that our storage space is almost 

filled already for our Annual Garage Sale. Donations 

are still needed. 


• Badge Drawing – Art Borges 

• President’s Coupon Drawing – Joe Frances 

• Progressive Prize Give-A-Way – Not Claimed 

Keep watching for your number! 

Don’t miss the June 15th General Meeting. 


Financial Report May 1 through May 31, 2005 





Income 

$3,710.49 


Yard Sale $230.00 




Total Income 

Expenses 

$647.41 




Member Give A Ways $21.64 



PO Box Rental $60.00 







We Are Seeking Yard 

Sale Donations


By Richard Johnson, Member of 

TUGNET, Granada Hills CA 


Search Engine Tips and Tricks 

Part 1: Google 

I don't have to tell you about 

Google, which has for many years 

been the search leader. Aside from 

the quality of its searches, a big plus 

is that all Google's paid listings are 

clearly distinguished, and do not 

even appear in the same part of the 

page. This is unfortunately not the 

case with other search engine services 

such as Yahoo, which intersperses 

undifferentiated paid and 

unpaid listings. 

Newbies will want to know they can 

initiate a Google search at 

www.google.com. All the services 

I'm recommending here, most of 

them from Google but a few from 

other sources, are entirely free. 

Google Toolbar 

If you don't already use the Google 

Toolbar, you're missing a terrific 

navigational aid. Its features are 

really too numerous to detail here, 

but I find especially useful its ability 

to readily: 

• bring up a parent Web page, 

• search within a website, 

• find pages similar to what you're 

looking at, 

• find sites linking to that page, 

• translate a page into English, 

• browse by name (if you don't 

know the URL), 

• highlight search terms on the 

page, 

• find on the page your search 

terms or any other terms (more 

handily than with your browser's 

SEARCH ENGINE TIPS 

“Find” function), 

• fill forms, and 

• block pop-ups. 

(There are better pop-up blockers 

and form fillers, but Google's may 

suit you fine.) 

The toolbar enables most of the 

standard Google tasks, including 

some described in the next section. 

Not only are all these tasks easily 

accessible, but also you won't have 

to re-type your search terms (for example, 

when you search for an image 

after a standard search). 

I strongly recommend version 3, 

which adds many useful tools, the 

If you don't 

already use the 

Google Toolbar, 

you're missing a 

terrific navigational 

aid. 

best of which will allow you to 

spell-check what you've typed on a 

Web form by clicking a toolbar button, 

bring up a map page (using the 

impressive new Google Maps--see 

below) just by clicking on an address, 

and track a delivery by clicking 

on its tracking number. 

Since it's still in beta, version 3 is 

not publicized, and won't automatically 

replace your present Google 

Toolbar. To get it, go to 

www.toolbar.google.com/T3. Other 

Google Goodies: Google Maps and 

Google Local 

Google has recently introduced its 

own map system, that's head and 

shoulders above the competition. It's 

~PAGE 4~ 

available as a stand-alone service at 

http://maps.google.com and as an 

adjunct to the more established 

Google Local, at 

http://local.google.com. 

Compared to other online maps, the 

area of a Google map is huge, taking 

up more than half the screen, and 

expanding to fill any additional 

space (for example, if you move to a 

full-screen view). Zooming (in or 

out) is very quick, and re-centering 

is instantaneous. A new feature 

brings up a birds-eye view if you 

click on “Satellite.” 

Google Maps and Google Local are 

now pretty much the same service: 

A page brought up by Google Maps 

has a link to “Local Search,” which 

provides the local data on the same 

page; and a page brought up by 

Google Local includes the map 

(which, although smaller, can be 

expanded with one click). The local 

data includes the names, addresses, 

phone numbers, and websites of 

businesses, and, often, third-party 

reviews (like restaurant reviews). 

You can now get to Google Maps by 

typing a location in the standard 

Google search bar. And you'll find a 

link to Google Local at the top of 

every page of Google search results. 

The Best of the Rest 

The following are, in my experience, 

the most useful (or most interesting) 

of Google's non-standard services. 

You do not need the Google Toolbar 

to employ them: 

Google's image search at 

www.google.com/imghp, touted as 

the Web's most comprehensive, indexes 

(according to Google) over 



SEARCH ENGINE TIPS (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 4) The Google Directory at d o w n l o a d e d f r o m 

880 million images. 

http://directory.google.com com- http://desktop.google.com. Unfortubines 

the Open Directory Project nately, it's available only for users of 

Google will give you a business ad- (the Web's largest human-edited di- Windows 2000 and Windows XP. 

dress and phone number. The easiest rectory) with Google's proprietary 

way is through the ResearchBuzz! ranking system. Use of the directory Gmail, which on March 31 started 

f o r m a t is helpful to narrow down what offering rich text formatting, has as 

www.researchbuzz.org/archives/001 might otherwise be an overly broad of April 1 doubled its storage capac- 

408.shtml. 

search. (This tool is also available ity to a whopping 2 gigabytes. 

from the Google Toolbar.) 

Gmail is not yet open to the public, 

Google will bring up one or more 

but invitations can be obtained from 

definitions for nearly any word. In Google Answers at various sources, including this 

the Google search box just type http://answers.google.com/answers writer. 

“define:” (without the quotes), fol- is a paid research service--but users 

lowed by the word of interest. This are free to browse previous answers, Note that without re-typing you can 

service is now multi-lingual. which can be quite helpful. 

extend your standard Web search 

not only to Google Local but also to 

Reverse phone directory. In the Weather forecasts are easily ob- Google Images and Froogle (as well 

search box type the area code and tained by typing in the Google as to Google Groups and Google 

phone number (with a space be- search bar the word “weather” fol- News), by clicking on links at the 

tween them), and there's a good lowed by the city of choice (for ex- top of every results page. Or you can 

chance you'll bring up at the top of ample, “weather canoga park.”) The skip the Google entry page and go to 

the results page not only the person forecast will speedily appear at the X t r a G o o g l e a t 

or company name for that number, top of a page of search results. www.xtragoogle.com for a selection 

but also the address. 

of twenty Google tools, all tied to 

one search box. 

Google offers special searches, limited 

(for example) to U.S. government 

or to Microsoft. Go to 

www.google.com/options/specialsea 

rches.html. 

For those who like to purchase 

through the use of catalogs, Google's 

catalog search is at 

http://catalogs.google.com. 

Google will enable you to view a 

page that's been removed from the 

Web. Look for the “Cached” link 

after the description of the page in a 

search result. (Or click the Page Info 

button on the Google Toolbar.) This 

function will give you access to 

many closed-down sites not yet 

available via the Internet Archive. 

(The Internet Archive -- not a 

Google service -- is at 

www.archive.org.) 

Froogle, a comparison service for 

online shopping whose listed vendors 

pay neither for inclusion nor 

placement, is at 

http://froogle.google.com/froogle. 

Google Print gives you access to 

books' contents and lets you search 

within those books. Look for the 

“book results” entry in standard 

search results, accompanied by the 

Google Print logo. 

Google Suggest, at 

www.google.com/webhp?complete= 

1&hl=en, appears and acts like the 

standard Google search, except that 

as you start typing your search request, 

Google types its own suggestions. 

These could save you time 

and also point you to related 

searches. 

Google Desktop, to search files on 

your own computer, can be 

~PAGE 5~ 

Google Tips 

Toolbar Tips 

Use Alt-G to enter search terms in 

the search box. For your news 

search, don't enable the separate 

news button, but instead use the 

Search News option in the dropdown 

Search the Web menu. That 

way you'll be able to use the Alt-G 

shortcut to enter your news search 

query, and to use the same query for 

news and general Web searching, 

without retyping. 

When using the word-find function, 

hold down the control key to find 

the exact whole word, and similarly 

use the shift key to move backwards. 

Other Google Tips 

For academically oriented results 



ANNUAL YARD/ 

GARAGE SALE 

August 20th, 2005 

• Donations Wanted 

• Helpers Wanted 

• Storage Space Needed 

• You are our best advertisement 

– tell your friends. 

We are gathering all the throw-aways 

from any willing donors to be 

stored until the day of the largest, 

most exciting, and well attended Annual 

Yard/Sale ever. It will cover 

more space, have more quality 

items, and need more helpers than 

ever before. 

Please save all the time you can donate 

(even 1 hour is a help) on Friday 

the 19th for hauling (if you have 

a truck or van) pricing and set up 

and on Saturday the 20th for more 

pricing, answering questions and 

collecting monies from happy buyers 

who have just found their treasure 

of the day. For donation pick up 

contact Richard Wescott. To sign up 

for this great day of fun, laughter, 

and comradeship that keeps the club 

success intact contact Jerry Clarke. 

Questions, comments, suggestions, 

and complaints contact the Betty 

Colston. 


CONFERENCE 






























July 15 - $40.00 

July 22 - $50.00 


$75.00 







Colston if you can help. 

~PAGE 6~ 

SEARCH ENGINE 


TIPS (Cont.) 

(often the most useful), try typing 

site:edu either before or after your 

search terms. This will eliminate 

commercial sites, and limit results to 

those from educational institutions. 

Although Google now implements 

“stemming” (automatically searches 

for variants of words as well as the 

words themselves), you can cover 

still more bases by using the tilde 

[~] symbol right before a search 

term (leaving no space). This will 

tell Google to use synonyms as 

search queries. For example, a 

search for ~food ~facts will turn up 

cooking information. 

Don't worry too much about misspelled 

words. With any search engine, 

a search query with a misspelling 

might get you some good results 

that you wouldn't see otherwise! 

Google will suggest a corrected 

spelling along with its search results, 

but if the initial search comes up 

empty will correct the spelling on its 

own and re-run the search. 

Google will ignore some common 

short words (like a, on, and by) in 

your queries. The best way around 

these so-called stop words in most 




SEARCH ENGINE TIPS (CONT.) 

cases is simply to enclose the phrase 

in quotes, which will force Google 

to search only for the phrase as 

given. (A phrase search will of 

course come in handy on other occasions 

as well.) Otherwise, you can 

precede a suspected stop word with 

the plus sign (for example, +on). 

Google recognizes the OR operator, 

or, in its stead, the vertical line. 

So if you're seeking search results 

concerning cats or dogs (but not 

both), you could type “cats OR 

dogs” or “cats | dogs” [without the 

quotes]. Use the minus sign right 

before a search term for “not.” 

(“Animals -dogs” [without the 

quotes] would ignore dogs in the 

search.) For complicated queries, 

you can if necessary group search 

words within parentheses. 

Instead of clicking on the main link 

at the top of each Google search result, 

try clicking on the word 

Cached. The page that will come up 

will now have your search words 

highlighted. (Don't use this tech- 

MAY RAFFLE WINNERS 

Board Games..................................... Joyce Schmaeling 

eBay Hacks (Book)....................................... Don Pelke 

Foldable Headphones............................. Joseph Francis 

Leather Laptop Case ............................Helena Bouchez 

Massager (Battery Operated)........................ Fred Waid 

Parker Ball Point Pen............................ Darrell C. Hunt 

Photo Imaging Paper..........................Vivian Fitzgerald 

Search and Recover ...........................Vivian Fitzgerald 


Paint Shop Photo Album 4.................... 

................................... Vivian Fitzgerald 

nique if you need to see the most 

recent page revisions.) 

Google supports word wild cards. 

That is, you can in your query use 

the asterisk [*] as a stand-in to represent 

any word. (This won't work in 

Google for parts of words.) 

Richard Johnson is a writer and editor, 

and founder/administrator of 

FREE FOR ALL The Skills Pool, a 

29-year-old membership organization 

(http://theskillspool.org). He is 

a volunteer with TUGNET Help- 

Contact for assistance with Internet 

Explorer, Outlook Express, and 

Gmail. You may reach him at 

rj@theskillspool.org. 










~PAGE 7~ 

WELCOME 


New Members: 

None 

Renewals: 

Carole Adamson 

Bob Benjamin 

John Craig 

Loren Hunter 

David Sharp 

Carey Sharp 

John Sims 

Steve Kreischer 

Eric Sherreitt 

Mildred Sherreitt 

Glenn Syrop 

Jim Wells 

Richard Westcott 

RAFFLE ITEMS 


at the June General Meeting. 

Card Games (14 Games) 

Cocoa For One Set 

Crazy Talk (Picture Animation Software) 

Expandable File (6 Pockets) 

Family Tree 

Nylon Garment Bag 

Rails Across America (Strategy Game) 


Padded Stadium Chairs (2)


By Bob Elgines, CRCC Editor, 

elginesz@rraz.net 

How To Record Your 

Cassette Music to a CD! 

Most of the equipment you already 

have includes the Soundboard and a 

Cassette player. Next of course 

things needed are a recording program, 

such as Musicmatch Jukebox 

and a cable to connect your cassette 

player with your computer. This basic 

Jukebox software is available 

free at: www.musicmatch.com (go 

to JUKEBOX tab and click on “Free 

Jukebox download”, it is over 24 

MB in size) The cable is made up of 

1/8” Phone Plugs (RS 274-284c) and 

a three wire shielded cable. This cable 

can be purchased or made on 

your own. (Some of the older cassette 

players will use a larger ¼” 

Phone plug.) 

Now we are ready to setup your 

computer and programs. Connect 

your cable between the 

“Output” (might be labeled Headset) 

of your Cassette Player and the 

“Line in” of your computer Sound 

board. 

Do a right click on your Speaker 

icon located on the right hand side 

of the task bar. Select (or left click) 

“Adjust Audio Properties”, click on 

“Audio”. Under “Sound Recording” 

click on “Volume”. Select “Line in” 

and set the input level at approximately 

20%, this may have to be 

changed later, so you can leave this 

on the screen if you wish. 

Next activate Musicmatch Jukebox, 

then go to “Options”/ “Recorder” / 

“Settings”. Set “Recording Format” 

to WAV, “Recording Source” to 

LINE IN. Now click on “Advance”, 

set “Fadeout” to 1, and under “End 

RECORD CASSETTES TO CD’S 

of Record Notifications” uncheck 

“Play sound” & “Eject CD”. Click 

OK 

On the bottom left click the red 

“Record” button. Another window 

appears with a number “one” on the 

right. You can click on here and 

change the name now or do it later. 

If you are going to record the complete 

side of the cassette under one 

file then name it now, otherwise if 

you are going to record one track (or 

song) at a time then you can change 

the name later. 

Now play your cassette to check out 

the input level for no distortion lis- 

We are ready to roll, 

start your player and 

press the “Record” 

button on the lower 

left window. When 

the song is over 

press the “Stop” 

button 

tening to it on your computer speakers. 

If it is to loud and there is distortion 

then reduce the input level or 

the volume out of the player. Rewind 

the cassette. 

We are ready to roll, start your 

player and press the “Record” button 

on the lower left window. When 

the song is over press the “Stop” 

button, then press “Record” again 

because the next song will start 

within a second or two. The press 

“Stop”, continue this until each song 

is recorded from the cassette. 

Now we have them in the computer, 

let’s name each one, but keep the 

~PAGE 8~ 

names short. Use “Windows Explorer” 

and go to “My Documents” / 

“My Music”/ “Artist” / “Album”. 

Here you will find your recordings 

and you can rename them by doing a 

right click on each one. After you 

are finished, exit, go to your CD recording 

program such as “EZ CD 

Creator” or “Nero”. Now you can 

grab all of the recordings you made 

and make an AUDIO CD. (Do not 

record any faster then 8X, because 

most players will not accepted anything 

faster) 

Another method can be used and 

that is by using MP3 sound files. If 

you covert from WAV to MP3 files, 

you can put up to 150 (or more) 

songs on a CD instead of just 15. To 

covert the WAV files bring up your 

“Jukebox” program. Go to “File” / 

“Convert”, then select your Source 

folder that contains your music files. 

Select “Source Data Type” and set 

to WAV, then click on “Select all”. 

Next select your Destination folder 

and select your “Destination Data 

Type” setting it to MP3. Click on 

the start button and it will now make 

MP3 files out of your selected WAV 

files. 

After you are finished, Exit, go to 

your CD recording program and record 

your MP3 files on a CD as data 

files (do not make an audio CD), 

this MP3-Data CD will now play in 

a DVD Player or computer capable 

of having over 150 songs. 











By Frank Petrie, Freelance writer, 

Macsimum News contributor, 

Curmudgeon 

I am a Mac user. I am a reviewer for 

Macsimum News and numerous 

newsletters. I also suffer from multiple 

sclerosis. 

Recently, I allowed my boneheaded 

pride to 'cometh before eight falls,' 

resulting in a four day stay at the 

Bland Food Hotel. When I returned, 

I viewed my environment with new 

eyes. I realized that I needed to pace 

myself in a more efficient manner. I 

was pushing to hard. 

So, I started to monitor my daily activities 

and evaluate the layout of my 

house. First, I noticed that I used 

about 80% of my energy getting 

across the carpets. Wasted energy. I 

had set my drinking glasses out of 

reach, my food on pantry shelves 

that were too high. More wasted 

energy. And on and on. Clearly I 

had to completely rethink my procedures. 

What did I do the most? Where did I 

create paths? How can I create an 

environment to facilitate my independent 

lifestyle without unnecessarily 

wasting energy getting to 

things?While thinking about this, 

something triggered a memory of a 

visit to the 1960's NYC World's 

Fair. At the GE Pavilion, they predicted 

that in the future (probably 

the late 80's) we would all have robotic 

servants to take care of our 

common household chores. Remember 

Rosie on The Jetsons (ask your 

Grandmother)? She looked somewhat 

human and wore a hat and 

apron. Aaaah - the future! 

As fate would have it, this memory 

came flashing back as I was watch- 

HANDIAPPED INDEPENDENCE 

ing TV. The Honda commercial, 

where robotics arms were spot welding 

chassis on the line, came on. 

Wait a tick! At the GE Pavilion, 

function followed form. So our servants 

were anthropomorphic. But 

the commercial proved that the exact 

opposite was true - form had followed 

function! The welding robots 

didn't look like my uncle in overalls, 

after all. They were big, hulking 

steel arms, working 24/7! Quick - 

switch gears. Enter my daughter. 

She is an avid fan of those shows 

where friends exchange houses for a 

weekend to renovate one or two 

rooms. Once I told her about what I 

had been doing since my return from 

the hospital, she was all aglow. Here 

was her big chance to do like the TV 

shows without the fear of someone 

destroying her room. 

Well, obviously, I use my computer 

the most, so this would have to be 

the focal point of my renovation. 

What I hadn't counted on (although I 

wasn't really surprised) was that 

most of my life, work and play involved 

my computer. Then it hit me! 

My computer was my robot! It 

helped me shop, pay bills, keep 

photo albums, and talk to people 

face to face. It saved my failing legs 

a lot of mileage. My computer/robot 

is an important part of my independent 

lifestyle. 

This will hopefully be a series that 

goes beyond the ergonomic charts 

that we have all seen, and instead 

focus on hardware and software 

(including OS X's Universal Access) 

that can benefit the handicapped 

(and the baby boomers who will 

soon slide into retirement). We'll 

revisit our workspaces, look at special 

mice and keyboards, the benefits 

of Bluetooth and dictation software 

for those with arthritis or dex- 

~PAGE 9~ 

terity problems. In short, how to layout 

your office for maximum workflow 

and the least amount of physical 

discomfort. 

So, here's your first assignment. For 

the next several weeks, keep a mental 

or physical diary of your habits 

and routines. Perhaps your computer 

and bills don't have to be in that 

spare bedroom way in the back of 

the house. Notice where you spend 

most of your time, where your paths 

intersect most and such. Once we 

have our information at hand, we'll 

get to work. Good luck. Oh and 

please post comments. Let's begin a 

dialogue and share ideas. Reach me 

at phranky@mac.com, Subject: 

HandiApped. 

A SUCCESS STORY 

The storage area in the SIG room 

was becoming over crowded because 

of the many donations received 

by the club. In an effort to get 

organized and prepare for our annual 

garage sale, Mike Whitlinger and 

Jerry Clarke held a Saturday repair 

session in hopes of getting three or 

four of these computers operational. 

The turn out was overwhelming and 

some members had to be turned 

away. With all the members present, 

we were able to complete the setup, 

configuration and pricing of twelve 

computers. There are another five or 

six computers that just need final 

testing and software installation to 

be complete. These should easily be 

completed during the normal course 

of SIG room operations. These computers, 

along with the rest of the 

goods being collected should make 

this year’s garage sale one of the 

best ever. Speaking for the club, 

Mike and Jerry want to thank all 

those who participated and made 

this a very successful endeavor.



Computer Fair 

(408) 778-5200 










Jul. 9 (Sat.) 

Aug. 7 (Sat.) 

Aug. 27 (Sat.) 

————————————— 









or Holiday. 

————————————— 

ACP Swap Meet 

(800) 366-3227 





Jul. 31 (Sun.) 

Sep. 25 (Sun.) 
















































~PAGE 10~ 
















BRING CANS 












to $19.87. 


IMPORTANT! 













soon. 




















91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 






Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 

5 

12 

19 

26 


1 2 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

6 

13 

20 

27 

4 

11 

18 

25 

~PAGE 11~ 

7 

14 

21 

28 

5 

12 

19 

26 

New 

Member 

Summit 

June 

1 

8 

Board of 

Directors 

15 

General 

Meeting 

July 

6 

13 

Board of 

Directors 

20 

General 

Meeting 

27 

Computer 

Help 

2 

Linux @ 2 

9 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

16 

Linux @ 2 

22 23 


Help 

29 

30 

Linux @ 2 

Word & 

Excel 

7 

Linux @ 2 

14 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

21 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

28 

Linux @ 2 

3 

10 

17 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

24 

8 

15 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

22 

29 

4 

11 

18 

25 

9 

16 

23 

30



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Provide the May Newsletter page number for the following: 

Give more accurate and pleasing results - page ____ 

Numerous prize drawings - page ____ 

Adding a title and description - page ____ 

Authenticity or falsehoods - page ____ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to June General Meeting 


$10.00 Gift Card

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group July, 2005 

Interface 






July, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 7 Price $2.75 

JULY MEETING 

Pixifun: Digital Creations for Everyone, 

a box presentation which will 

be presented by Wells DaSilva a 

Member who has volunteered to review 

and share this fun program on 

the 20th. Be sure to mark your calendar 

to attend and learn about Pixifun. 


will have a third item added to the 

package of 12 “Post-It Notes” and 

Electronic Caller ID that were not 

claimed in June, although the winner 

who’s Member number appeared in 

the Interface was present. Be sure to 



Your Membership number is located 




Computer Hysteria: CRASH! ....3 


RSS Feeds..................................4 

Watch Movies with Movielink ..5 



Tech News ................................ 7 


Raffle Items................................7 

Welcome Members ....................8 

Protecting Your Passwords........9 

Bring Cans ...............................10 


SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


The complexity of computer security 

paled as John Retterath took us 

on the journey of basic computer 

rules of protection. The first line of 

safeguarding your computer is to 

keep your operating system and 

software applications updated. The 

difference between Viruses, spyware, 

adware, firewalls and pop-ups 

was explained. Forty-six Members 

including two Guests attended this 

informative session. John is a member 

of our group and we thank you 

for sharing your expertise. 

Refreshments included a BIG 

chocolate cake donated by Georgia 

Hennessy in honor of son, David’s 

birthday. 

The Annual Garage Sale is on track 

and we are still taking donations. 

We have additional awnings this 

year so we can have more shade for 

the computers to be sold and most 

importantly YOU, the Members donating 

your time and talents to this 

worthwhile event. We expect to 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

It is now officially summertime and 

beautiful southern California continues 

to gift residents with enjoyable 

weather. We are all hoping this continues 

through August, especially 

for our Annual Garage/Yard Sale on 

Saturday the 20th. Set up begins on 

Friday, the 19th with additional 

awnings to provide shade for our 

volunteers. We thank you in advance 

for what ever time you can 

donate, even just an hour or so 

helps. Jerry Clarke has a sign up 

sheet for helpers to indicate what 

they are comfortable doing. 



July 20:............................................ Pixiefun by Member Wells DaSilva 

August 17:....................Camera Presentation with Michael Hernandez 

September 21:.................................................... John Upton on E-Waste 


















.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 










Volunteers 









Leaders 









JULY MEETING (Cont.) 


on your badge and any notice you 

receive from the Club by e-mail. 

Donations for Annual Garage Sale 

will be collected. Please let Richard 

Wescott know that you have brought 

items or if you need items to be 

picked up. 

Please bring in any aluminum cans 

you may have laying around. These 

may be dropped of by the front of 

the General Meeting Hall, just to the 

left of the stage. Special Projects 

Chair Nate Brightman takes them to 

a recycling center for us. Your donations 

brought the Club a little over 

$200.00 last year. 

The officers and directors that were 

absent at the May meeting will be 

recognized for their dedication during 

the 2004-2005 term. 


• New Member Summit – July 

26th @ the SIG room. 

• E-mail set up & use 

• An E-Waste Tour 

• Photo Contest 

• Social Event 



~PAGE 2~ 


























































COMPUTER HYSTERIA: CRASH! 

By Berry F. Phillips, Member of the Computer Club 

of Oklahoma City and a regular writer for the 

CCOKC website and the eMonitor 

bfpdata@gbronline.com 

Crash! Crash! That was the sound of Stephen King's 

sledgehammer bashing the car that hit him while jogging. 

Perhaps he thought Christine from his earlier horror 

novel had come back to haunt him! 

Crash also strikes terror in the hearts of computer users. 

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project 

approximately two thirds of Americans use the Internet 

and about 87% of them through connections in their 

homes. While there is no research data on the number of 

computer users that cannot master their computers, there 

is evidence of anger and frustration with computers that 

could escalate into what one psychologist calls 

"computer rage." 

University of Maryland Professor Kent Norman says, 

"Men and women are taking out their frustrations on the 

computer and unfortunately, sometimes misdirecting it to 

other people." Norman, who directs the Laboratory of 

Automation Psychology and Decision Processes at the 

University, conducted an online survey where twenty 

percent of the respondents admitted they dropped a computer 

on the floor out of anger. They described smashing, 

microwaving, and cursing their computers. One claimed 

he threw his laptop in a fryer and several claimed to have 

shot hardware. 

The study further suggested computer users were most 

annoyed by: e-mail snafus including spam, waiting while 

a computer completed a simple task, having to redo 

something because of a glitch and having to upgrade obsolete 

programs. Microsoft ranked high on the list of objects 

of ire. With the increased popularity of wireless networks, 

DVD players, and game systems, the possibilities 

of irritations are almost endless. 

You can lower your cyber blood pressure by taking some 

preventative medicine. Increase your knowledge to make 

yourself a more-informed user. Join the Computer Club 

of Oklahoma City and network with other computer users 

and learn from their experiences (misery loves company!). 

Do NOT go on the Internet without a regularly 

updated and weekly-maintained complete computer security 

system including antivirus, anti-spyware and fire- 


~PAGE 3~ 



Just prior to this great event is the exciting, educational 

and prize winning 12th Annual Southwest Computer 

Users Group Conference in San Diego on August 5-7, 

2005. Registration by July 15 is $40.00 for the full 

event including meals, a T-shirt, and welcome bag valued 

at more than $40. Drawings for software and other 

computer accessories are on going throughout the forum. 

Hotel reservations at the Town & Country Resort 

& Convention Center are available at the special rate of 

$99.00 per night until July 24, 2005. Contact me for a 

registration form or go to the website swugconf@usa.net 

or www.swugconf.org 

Blessings to all, 

Betty 


Financial Report June 1 through June 30, 2005 





Income 

$3,595.22 






Total Income 

Expenses 

$312.97 


Insurance $317.00 









Annual Yard Sale - August 20, 2005 

Seeking Yard Sale Donations 

Call Richard Wescott for Pick-up 

429-4382


By Greg Lenihan, Editor, 

Pikes Peak Computer Application 

Society, CO 

http://ppcompas.apcug.org/ 

I believe I am an information junkie. 

I get more e-mail and subscribe to 

more newsletters than I can read. 

And yet I'm still searching for more. 

A few months ago, around the time 

of the presidential election, I discovered 

the world of Blogs (or Weblogs). 

These are online journals 

where authors post opinions and 

commentary and often link to the 

articles they are discussing. These 

often track back to more Blogs, and 

more authors worth reading, and before 

you know it, you can spend a 

good deal more time than you can 

afford searching for obscure opinions 

and facts. 

After collecting a number of these 

sites as favorites in my browser, it 

became difficult to keep up with 

them every day. There are all kinds 

of subjects to choose from, but my 

favorites are news sites, political 

sites, and especially--technology 

sites. Most of these sites had or 

icons, which I knew had something 

to do with "feeds," so I decided to 

find out how to obtain the reader 

software necessary to subscribe to 

these feeds (or “channels”). 

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication 

or Rich Site Summary. RSS is 

a text-based format (XML, actually) 

that contains various tagged items 

like a title, summary, and a link to a 

URL. Instead of you having to continually 

go from site to site to see if 

there have been updates posted, 

these sites are able to “feed” their 

updates to you. All you need is a 

news reader or what is called an 

RSS “aggregator.” This is a program 

that collects and organizes these 

RSS FEEDS 

feeds periodically so you can read 

them when you want. Then you can 

subscribe to these sites and automatically 

get these new postings. It's 

like creating favorites or bookmarks, 

except you don't have to continually 

go there. They come to you. 

I started by going to 

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520- 

10088_7-5143460.html to read reviews 

and to gather recommenda- 

Instead of you having 

to continually go 

from site to site to 

see if there have 

been updates posted, 

these sites are able 

to “feed” their updates 

to you. All you 

need is a news 

reader or what is 

called an RSS 

“aggregator.” 

tions. I found more options and 

more reviews of readers at 

http://email.about.com/cs/rssfeedrea 

ders/tp/top_rss_windows.htm. There 

are many different readers; some 

free, some not, with different goals. 

Some are standalone, others work 

with Internet Explorer, and one 

worked with Outlook. But the one 

that caught my eye was free and did 

not require a software installation. 

Bloglines (www.bloglines.com) is 

Web-based, which means I can access 

it from any computer with an 

Internet connection. I could be at 

home, at work, on the road, and I 

~PAGE 4~ 

could still get my info fix. 

The signup was quick at the Bloglines.com 

site. I was just asked for a 

username (e-mail address), password, 

time zone, and language. A 

confirmation message is then sent to 

your e-mail account. You simply 

click on a link they provide, and 

you're confirmed. In addition, the 

site posts the top Blogs people enjoy, 

and with the click of a button 

you can subscribe. Of course, you 

are not limited to their selections. 

Any Blog or site with an RSS feed 

can be added to your aggregator. 

That is how you can use those XLM 

icons. If you click on one you'll see 

a lot of tagged text, much like 

HTML. But it supplies the link that 

enables you to subscribe by pasting 

this link into your aggregator. 

Once you have your aggregator and 

get it running, all that is left is to 

find sites or Blogs whose content 

you are interested in. The site where 

you obtain your aggregator will 

probably offer you a number to 

choose from. To get an idea of what 

is out there, go to 

www.blogstreet.com/search.html 

and see the number of topics to pick 

from. I frequently subscribe to 

something that looks interesting and 

if it is not what I expected, it only 

takes a matter of seconds to unsubscribe. 

But actually right now, I 

have more feeds than I have time to 

read. 











By Sherry Zorzi, APCUG Advisor 

and Director of Cajun Clickers, 

Baton Rogue, LA 

www.clickers.org 

szorzi@apcug.net 

Link to digital movies 

with Movielink 

While Blockbuster and Netflix 

(www.netflix.com) battle it out for 

your entertainment dollar, a new 

online player just may sneak around 

t h e m . M o v i e l i n k 

(www.movielink.com) allows you to 

order and download recent movies 

on a pay-for-view basis. 

The movies are downloaded to your 

PC for viewing there, or on a TV 

connected to the PC, or on your laptop. 

The cost is about $5 for a recent 

release, but some offerings are 

as cheap as 99 cents. You have 30 

days after download to watch the 

movie. You are renting the movie, 

though, for a 24-hour period which 

means that once you click “Play”, 

you have only the next 24 hours to 

watch (and re-watch, if you like) the 

movie. You can buy additional 

viewing time at a reduced rate. 

While visiting the Demonstration 

Digital Home at the Consumer Electronic 

Show in Las Vegas in January, 

I got a coupon for a free 

download from Movielink. I visited 

Movielink’s, website as soon as I 

got home and decided to give it a 

try. The selection of movies is pretty 

good and includes most of Blockbuster’s 

Top Ten Rentals. 

Before downloading a movie, you 

must register with Movielink. They 

are not overly intrusive, asking only 

for name, email address, sex, and 

age during the registration process. 

You will, of course, probably want 

WATCH MOVIES WITH MOVIELINK 

to deselect the opportunity to receive 

a free email newsletter from 

Movielink. 

Movielink installs Movielink Manager 

software onto your computer, 

which controls the download and 

playback of the movies you order. 

You should read the End User License 

Agreement carefully, since it 

does give Movielink and its partners 

(RealNetworks and Microsoft) the 

right to push upgrades and updates 

to you without asking permission. 

That might be a deal-breaker for 

some – indeed, it almost sent me 

running for the hills. But for the 

The movies are 

downloaded to your 

PC for viewing 

there, or on a TV 

connected to the PC, 

or on your laptop. 

sake of you, the reader, I bit the bullet 

and signed on the virtual dotted 

line. 

The download took about 25 minutes 

on my Cox cable internet connection 

and proceeded smoothly. It 

was several weeks before I had a 

chance to view my movie. When I 

clicked “Play”, though, the media 

player would not load the movie so I 

went to their website for help. The 

live chat feature of Movielink’s 

website worked beautifully. I was 

very quickly connected with a technician 

who reset my account and 

had me re-install the Movielink 

Manager software. Within minutes 

everything was working fine. 

The video quality of the movie was 

excellent. Watching a movie on the 

~PAGE 5~ 

typical PC, though, is much different 

from watching one on the typical 

TV. My computer screen is a 17 

inch LCD flat screen. The image 

was beautiful but much smaller than 

my TV. I don’t have a top of the 

line sound card nor great speakers 

on that particular computer either, so 

the audio was acceptable to me 

while not outstanding. Next time 

I’ll probably download my movie to 

a different computer in my home – 

one that has a top-notch video card, 

a top-notch sound card, and an awesome 

Surroundsound speaker set 

that includes a huge subwoofer. 

I’ll probably rent from Movielink 

again. I’m intrigued by the possibilities 

of instant access to the movie 

of my choice without leaving home 

or waiting for it to be mailed to me. 

The service would be even more attractive 

to me if it offered a monthly 

subscription deal and if it allowed 

me to transfer my rental to the device 

of my choice, including my 

Pocket PC and other computers on 

my home network 

Movielink and other services like it 

may not overtake brick-and-mortar 

rental stores like Blockbuster or 

online CD rental services like Netflix 

overnight. But it’s a worthy opponent 

and will become more and 

more of a threat as more homes connect 

their TVs to home entertainment 

PCs. Give it a try. 











WHAT YOU 

MISSED! (CONT.) 


have approximately 20 complete 

computer systems for sale by August 

20 th . Tell your friends, family and 

co-workers. 


• Badge Drawing – Michele Armhein 

• President’s Coupon Drawing – 

Don Pelke 

• Progressive Prize Give-A-Way – 

Not claimed (the winner was 

present, but failed to find their 

number in the Newsletter) 

Don’t miss the July 27th General 

Meeting. 


CONFERENCE 






























July 15 - $40.00 

July 22 - $50.00 


$75.00 







Colston if you can help. 

~PAGE 6~ 

COMPUTER HYSTERIA: 

CRASH! (Cont.) 


wall software. (Not having the 

money for commercial applications 

is no excuse as there are several excellent 

freeware security software 

programs available online. Often 

forgotten is a good registry and unnecessary-file 

cleaner that has automatic 

backups, which can substantially 

reduce your crashes. Defrag 

weekly if needed and scandisk at 

least once a month. Do not forget to 

make an emergency boot disk. 

Finally, in case of a crash, do not 

panic. Write down what you did immediately 

prior to the crash, and any 

instructions you receive from your 

computer. Make sure you have been 

taking fruit to lay at the feet of your 

computer guru or lay money on your 

friendly computer tech. The life you 

save may be your own computer. 

SOS stands for Save Our System! 











By Sue Crane, VP & Editor, Big 

Bear Computer Club, California 

Sue.crane@charter.net 

Homegrown Star Wars, 

with Big Screen Magic 

Three years ago, graphic artist Shane 

Felux came home with a digital 

camera newly purchased on eBay 

and gave his wife Dawn a deadline: 

three months to write a 40-minute 

Star Wars script. Now, countless 

volunteer hours and $20,000 later, 

comes the release of "Star Wars: 

Revelations," one of the most ambitious 

amateur films ever made and 

now the “toast of the Internet.” The 

new Star Wars film is slated for release 

May 19. http:// 

www.panicstruckpro.com/ 

revelations/revelations_main.html 

Let the games begin 

RoboGames, formerly Robolympics 

launched at San Francisco University. 

650 entrants from 15 countries 

gathered to show their stuff in several 

categories from Sumo to Soccer. 

Ultimately, the goal is to create robots 

that can do more tasks that normally, 

only humans can do. 

RAFFLE WINNERS 

Card Games (14 Games)....................... Wally Rothbart 

Cocoa For One Set..................................Wells DaSilva 

Crazy Talk (Picture Animation Software) 

............................................................... Joseph Francis 

Expandable File (6 Pockets) ................. Wally Rothbart 

Family Tree........................................... Darrell C. Hunt 

Nylon Garment Bag...........................Michele Amrhein 

Rails Across America (Strategy Game)........ Don Pelke 


Padded Stadium Chairs (2)................... 

................................... Vivian Fitzgerald 

TECH NEWS 

Odd-shaped Robots Do More 

Than Housework. 

Engineers at IRobot certainly see 

house cleaning as a legitimate use of 

robots, although the company's 

popular Roomba Intelligent Floorvac 

vacuum-cleaning robot is disc 

shaped, not human shaped. Although 

the company has collaborated 

with toy-maker Hasbro on a 

life-like doll, military robots have 

long been their focus. Military robots 

don't have a lot in common 

with the walking, talking robots of 

science fiction movies. They're 

shaped more like mini tanks or golf 

carts than like humans. PackBots, 

for instance, have tracked wheels to 

navigate rough terrain and weigh 

about 40 pounds. 

Get Your LCD 

Monitor or TV now! 

Material makers are limiting production 

as a reaction to 2004 trends, and 

this could lead to a shortage later in 

2005. Glass substrates used to 

manufacture large-size thin film 

transistor LCD panels are likely to 

be 8 percent to 10 percent short of 

demand and the shortage of color 

~PAGE 7~ 

filters used in fifth- and sixthgeneration 

LCD plants is projected 

to be between 7 percent to 12 percent 

toward the end of 2005. 

Paralyzed man controls his PC 

and TV using thought alone 

Cybernetics - the fusion of human 

beings and technology - is helping 

one paralyzed man control his environment 

by connecting his brain to 

his PC. Quadriplegic ex-American 

football player Matthew Nagle is 

using a system that converts his 

thoughts into actions on a computer. 

Nagle's brain is connected to his 

computer by the BrainGate system, 

which thought impulses using a sensor 

implanted in the motor cortex of 

his brain. Now, neuroscientists 

monitoring his progress hope he will 

soon be able to use the system to 

control other devices including electric 

wheelchairs. 

Talk to your TV! 

Agile TV aims to 'change the way 

people watch TV' via the creation of 

its voice-controlled TV remote. The 

Promptu remote is designed to re- 

RAFFLE ITEMS 


at the Next General Meeting. 

2 Button Mouse (PS2) 

Aerobics For The Mind 

Book Lite (Battery Operated) 

Computer Tool Kit 

Discovering Your Hard Drive 

Mastering Windows Registry 

Small Supply Organizer 

Web Design (Book) 



Aero Deluxe Inflatable Twin Bed


TECH NEWS (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 7) will come in three flavors, one of 

place a conventional remote control 

and includes a "Talk" button and a 

built-in microphone, together with 

an infrared receiver used in conjunction 

with an existing cable box. 

3D without glasses 

Toshiba plans to bring color 3D displays 

to video game arcades late 

next year -- and there'll be no need 

to don special goggles. The company 

will market the wide-angle 3D 

displays for video arcades in the second 

half of 2006, and extend the 

technology to applications including 

family TVs by 2010. 

Electronic Pill Boxes 

Two health companies have teamed 

up to distribute an electronic pill box 

that does much more than help patients 

organize their medicine. The 

Med-eMonitor reminds patients 

when to take medicine and makes 

patient-specific inquiries about 

health measures like blood glucose 

levels, side effects or just general 

well-being. The device sends this 

information to a secure Web server, 

where practitioners monitoring a patient's 

care can see the information 

and intervene quickly if the patient 

stops taking medicine or reports illeffects. 

The Web server also updates 

the device with new alerts, like upcoming 

doctor visits or changes in 

dosages. 

RealNetworks Launches 

Napster Challenger 

Streaming-media giant RealNetworks 

has launched an updated version 

of its Rhapsody subscription 

music service to challenge competitors 

such as Apple Computer's 

iTunes and Napster To Go. The new 

Rhapsody, which offers subscribers 

access to more than 1 million songs, 

which is free and provides 25 song 

downloads each month. 

Longhorn to Support Handwriting 

and Touch Screens 

Microsoft plans to include touch 

screen functionality as a feature of 

the operating system in the next version 

of Windows, code-named 

Longhorn, in addition to support for 

pen-based input that Microsoft currently 

offers in Windows XP Tablet 

PC Edition. Longhorn will also include 

a new document format that 

rivals Adobe's PostScript and PDF. 

Progressive Prize #10265 

Two health companies 

have teamed 

up to distribute an 

electronic pill box 

that does much 

more than help 

patients organize 

their medicine. 

VoIPs to get 911 Access 

VoIP companies still can't successfully 

route a 911 call to the right 

emergency calling center or provide 

emergency operators with the 

caller's phone number and location, 

but Verizon Communications, the 

largest of the Baby Bells, said it 

plans to open its 911 emergency 

calling infrastructure to providers of 

Net-based phoning and Qwest Communications 

International struck a 

deal with Vonage for access to 

Qwest's 911 infrastructure. The developments 

are major for all Netphone 

operators, including cable 

operators, AT&T CallVantage and 

Net2Phone, which are facing mounting 

pressure to 911 services. 

~PAGE 8~ 

A Word to President Bush 

After U.S. students earlier this 

month made their worst showing in 

the 29-year history of the ACM International 

Collegiate Programming 

Contest, David Patterson, a computer 

science professor at the University 

of California, Berkeley, and 

president of ACM has a suggestion: 

"(Our presidents) meet the winners 

of the football championship (Super 

Bowl), right?" Patterson says. "Gee, 

wouldn't it be wonderful if the presidents 

would meet the winners of the 

programming contest?". The top 

U.S. school finished in a tie for 17th 

place, while students from China's 

Shanghai Jiao Tong University took 

the top honors. 










WELCOME 


New Members: 

Ana Cabo 

Renewals: 

Michele Amrhein 

Fred Salisbury 

Ethel Ogden 

E. C. Van Der 

Eecken


By Gene Barlow 

User Group Relations 

Copyrighted April 2005 

The internet plays an important role 

in our lives today. Almost everything 

we do has an internet possiblity 

to it. We can access our bank 

accounts over the internet. We can 

pay our bills and loans using the 

internet. Every business that we 

have an account with lets us access 

our account and update our records 

over the internet. We can purchase 

airline tickets, reserve hotels, and 

rent cars over the internet. Each of 

these offers us personalized accounts 

to make these tasks easier to do. We 

can even buy groceries, tickets for 

movies, and order our prescriptions 

over the internet. How much easier 

it is today to do all of these things 

with our internet access. Of course, 

having access to these internet accounts 

requires that we set up a private 

ID and password for each of 

them. A typical user may have 20 or 

30 of these account IDs and passwords 

to keep track of. So, while the 

internet has made our life easier in 

many ways, keeping track of these 

security codes has gotten harder to 

do. 

Some users will try to bypass these 

methods set up to protect their privacy 

and personal information. To 

avoid keeping track of many codes, 

some individuals will use the same 

ID and password on all of their accounts. 

This is certainly not very 

secure. Once these common codes 

are discovered, they open up the 

hacker to all of your personal accounts. 

Others will write their codes 

down on yellow sticky notes and 

paste them to their computer display. 

This is also not very secure. Anyone 

that walks by your computer will see 

these codes and be able to get into 

PROTECTING YOUR INTERNET PASSWORDS 

your private accounts without any 

problem. The real solution is to set 

up difficult and different passwords 

for each of your accounts and keep 

these in a very secure place. That is 

exactly what WhiteCanyon's My- 

PasswordVault helps you do. 

MyPasswordVault is a database program 

that stores its information on 

your computer in an encrypted format 

so that nobody can find this file 

and see all of your codes. You still 

need to remember a password to 

gain access to MyPasswordVault, 

but all of the rest of your codes are 

guarded safely inside the vault. So, 

when you need to access an account 

on the internet, you simply open up 

MyPasswordVault , find the ID and 

Password for that account, and copy 

and paste it into your account access 

fields. You will be able to safely and 

quickly access the many accounts 

that you have set up on the internet. 

This is a great software utility that 

will let you safely and quickly enjoy 

all of the advantage of using the 

internet for your financial transactions. 

MyPasswordVault is offered by 

WhiteCanyon software at the list 

price of $25. You can purchase this 

valuable product at the user group 

discount price of just $17. Look for 

it in our User Group Store at 

www.usergroupstore.com and click 

on any of the yellow "Buy Now" 

buttons to get to our secure web order 

form. Complete the form including 

the special user group code of 

UGNL0405 and submit it. You may 

share this discount offer with your 

immediate family and close friends. 

These prices are not available to others 

not involved with a user group. 

I hope this month's newsletter has 

made you aware of an exciting new 

~PAGE 9~ 

software offering from User Group 

Relations to make your computer 

usage more productive. Let me 

know if you have questions about 

anything in this newsletter by sending 

me a note to gene@ugr.com. 

Thank you for your attention. 

Gene Barlow is the president of 

User Group Relations, a consulting 

firm specializing in promoting computer 

products to the user group 

community. He has over 40 years of 

experience with computer systems. 

He worked for IBM for 34 years in 

various technical and marketing positions. 

He managed IBM's user 

group support organization when 

IBM introduced the IBM PC till he 

retired 14 years later. In this role, he 

helped hundreds of user groups get 

started and is sometimes called the 

Father of User Groups for his involvement. 

He was the first sponsor 

of the Association of PC User 

Groups and was a guiding influence 

on this organization for many years 

and funded many special projects 

for them. When he left IBM, he set 

up his own consulting firm and has 

represented many software clients to 

the user group community the past 9 

years. He currently represents Optimal 

Access, Acronis, WhiteCanyon, 

and Spearit software companies and 

their exciting products. He is an outstanding 

speaker, writer, and helper 

of end users and loves working with 

user groups. He may be contacted at 

gene@ugr.com. 





















































SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG’S) 

Computer Help: 

Receive help with software and 

hardware conflicts, memory 

problems and general computer 

maintenance and trouble shooting. 

Ask questions and get answers to 

computer related topics. You do the 

work as you learn about your own 

computer-with personal advice from 

experienced members. Don’t forget 

your software! Jerry Clarke and 

Mike Whitlinger are regularly helping 

members trouble shoot problems! 

PhotoShop: 

This popular SIG is lead by Wayne 

Miller. He helps members get the 

most out of their digital images. 

Wayne always comes prepared with 

handouts for attendees. The class 

cycles and will re-start from the beginning 

soon. 

New Member Summit: 

President Betty Colston will be facilitating 

this new SIG that will help 

new Members learn what the Club 

has to offer them and to find out 

what they are looking for from us. 

Linux: 

Some Members are looking for alternatives 

to PC’s & Mac’s so John 

Craig & Dick Wescott are doing this 

SIG to help learn the basics or troubleshoot 

any problems you may be 

having. IMPORTANT: This SIG 

starts @ 2:00 P.M. and runs till 

about 4:00. Please call first to be 

sure they don’t have a last-minute 

change. John 429-3351 or Dick 

429-4382. 

Making Movies with 

Windows XP: 

You liked it as a Presentation, you’ll 

love it as a SIG. Ray Rittenhouse 

returns to help Members learn about 

making movies with Windows XP. 

~PAGE 10~ 

He will be doing two SIG’s in July 

and we may be able to talk him into 

more if attendance is good, so mark 

your calendars and be there! 

Friday Social & Computer Help: 

At this SIG, Members can get help 

on simpler computer issues or just 

stop by to chat! Need help installing 

a new video card or hard drive? 

Want to add a CD-R or DVD drive? 

This SIG should work for you. 

Mitchel Chesney leads. 


BRING CANS 












to $27.40. 

Total for the year is: ..........$110.68 

IMPORTANT! 








91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 




Looking For Leaders: 

The Club is always interested in new SIG’s to 

add to our Calendar. If you are knowledgeable 

in any program or computer related subject 

and would like to start one, please contact a 

Board Member. You need not be an expert. 

We generally categorize our SIG’s two ways, 

Teaching SIG’s and Learning SIG’s: 

1. A Teaching SIG would be where the 

Leader is more comfortable with the subject 

and can teach it to others while hopefully 

learning more themselves. Our Photoshop 

SIG with Wayne Miller is a perfect 

example of this type of SIG. 

2. A Learning SIG is when those interested 

aren’t very familiar with a subject but have 

someone willing to open the SIG Room 

and lock up. In these SIG’s Members exchange 

what they’ve learned and gather 

new information from others’ experiences 

while taking advantage of our SIG Room 

benefits like a DSL line. Our Linux SIG 

would fall into this category. 








Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 


1 2 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 


7 

14 

21 

28 

4 

11 

Movies 

with 

Windows 

XP 

18 

Movies 

with 

Windows 

XP 

25 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

~PAGE 11~ 

5 

12 

19 

26 

New 

Member 

Summit 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

New 

Member 

Summit 

July 

6 

13 

Board of 

Directors 

20 

General 

Meeting 

27 

Computer 

Help 

August 

3 

10 

Board of 

Directors 

17 

General 

Meeting 

4 

Linux @ 2 

11 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

18 

Linux @ 2 

24 25 


Help 

31 

7 

Linux @ 2 

14 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

21 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

28 

Linux @ 2 

8 

15 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

22 

29 

5 

12 

19 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

26 

9 

16 

23 

30 

6 

13 

20 

27



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Provide the June Newsletter page number for the following: 

Traveled the world - page ____ 

Clicking on links at the top - page ____ 

Interface with user group leaders - page ____ 

Exciting activities - page ____ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to July General Meeting 


6” Two Speed Table Top Fan

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group August, 2005 

Interface 




WWW.LBIBMUG.ORG BLANK SPACE WWW.LBIBMUG.COM 


August, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 8 Price $2.75 

AUGUST MEETING 

Our very own SIG Leader Wayne 

Miller will be giving a presentation 

at our August 17 th meeting. He will 

be discussing many of the possibilities 

available to you through the 

magic of Digital Photography and 

we hope you will join us for this 

wonderful educational presentation. 

As many of our Members are already 

aware, Wayne has been the 

Leader of our Photoshop SIG for the 

last couple of years and it has been 

our most popular SIG during that 

time. 


begins anew in August. Be sure to 



It’s in a different location every 

month. Your Membership number is 




First Phishing, Now Pharming...3 


“Human Engineering”................4 

Dual-Core Processors ................5 



Review-Firefox & Thunderbird 9 


Raffle Items................................9 

Bring Cans ...............................10 


SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


Many of our Members braved the 

warm weather (actually hot) to turn 

out for the July meeting and were 

treated to ice cream at the refreshment 

window. 

Jim Wells, Membership Chairman, 

recognized long time loyal Member, 

Art Borges with a ten year pin. Five 

year pins were given to Winston & 

Janice Lovie, a Family Membership 

and John Craig, Raffle Chair. 

On the other end of the scale, new 

Member Wells DaSilva stepped up 

to the microphone with a presentation 

from Pixifun products. Wells 

was very well prepared with the 

power point presentation on the 

screen, sample products to view and 

a complete description of the items 

offered by the manufacture. A very 

shy daughter handed brochures to 

each member. Pixifun offers products 

for photo fun – Key chains, 

magnets, badges, CD labels. If you 

were not in attendance, you missed a 

superb speaker. 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

The complexity, vastness, and sometimes 

confusing world of electronic 

technology continues to offer challenges 

and inspiration to the user. 

No matter what your interest, there 

is a product on the market to consider. 

Window shopping on the 

internet is almost an overwhelming 

experience. I recently put in a search 

and in seconds the results were over 

96,000. Have you ever calculated 

how long it would take to view all 

those options? 

On the positive side, the internet 

opens an unlimited wonderful world 

of knowledge. 



August 17:...................Member Wayne Miller on Digital Photography 



















.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 










Volunteers 









Leaders 









AUG. MEETING (Cont.) 


located on your badge and any notice 

you receive from the Club by email. 

This will be your last opportunity to 

bring to bring Donations to a General 

Meeting for the Annual Yard 

Sale since the Sale will be held on 

the following Saturday with set-up 

starting around 10:00 a.m. on Friday 

morning. Please let our Yard Sale 

Coordinator Richard Wescott know 

that you have brought items or if 

you need items to be picked up. 

Hope to see you there! 


• Annual Yard Sale, Saturday, 

August 20, 2005. 

• Hardware SIG – Wednesday, 

August 24, 2005. 

• New Member Summit – 

August 30th @ the SIG 

room. 

• Practical Management of 

Digital Images – September 

SIG 



~PAGE 2~ 


























































By John Pearce, 

Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, 

Colorado Springs, CO 

First, there was phishing trying to collect personal information. 

A newer attack called pharming is trying to do 

the same thing in a more technologically sophisticated 

way. You need to be on guard but neither phishing nor 

pharming should keep you away from the Internet. Let’s 

take a quick overview of both. 

Phishing starts with an e-mail, typically from a financial 

institution, with a message that some dire consequences 

will happen if you don’t immediately verify your account 

information. A web site link is conveniently provided 

for you in the e-mail. The provided link is to a web page 

that looks like the real web site but is actually a web site 

controlled by the bad guys. The fraudulent web page 

asks you to enter credit card and billing information or 

possibly user name and password information. You can 

imagine what the bad guys are going to do with the information 

they collect. 

Pharming is a way for the bad guys to redirect your web 

browsing to a site which they control. Pharming is also 

known as DNS (Domain Name System) cache poisoning. 

DNS is what converts human friendly names like webboard.apcug.org 

to numerical addresses like 

192.160.122.122. The bad guys want to impact the largest 

number of Internet users possible so ISP’s and large 

corporations are the most likely targets of pharming attacks. 

One goal is to download spyware or adware to 

your PC. 

Protecting yourself from phishing attacks is as simple as 

ignoring the e-mail. All but one of the dozen or so 

phishing e-mails I have received have been from banks 

where I don’t have an account. In that case, delete the email 

and go on with your life. If you have an account 

with the financial institution and are concerned, use the 

telephone and ask to speak with their Internet security 

department. If you go to the web site to login, type the 

web site URL into the browser – do not use the link provided 

in the e-mail. 

Protecting yourself from pharming attacks takes a little 

effort. Start by keeping your browser updated with all 

the security patches. Next, you should be sure the padlock 

icon is displayed on any page where you enter personal 

information such as username, account number, or 

FIRST PHISHING, NOW PHARMING 

~PAGE 3~ 

password. The padlock icon indicates you are connected 

to the legitimate owner of the URL and the data 

you enter is protected by SSL encryption during transmission. 

The bad guys would have to know the private 

key of the site in order to make the padlock appear. 

You can view the security information by double clicking 

the padlock icon on your browser. You can also use 

a tool like SpoofStick to confirm the URL of the web 

page you’re viewing. 

Two other exploits are worth a quick mention. The first 

is an instant messaging worm that changes the content 

of the hosts file on your PC. This is effectively the 


Financial Report July 1 through July 31, 2005 



Paypal Confirmation Deposit $0.23 



Income 

$3,162.17 






Total Income 

Expenses 

$518.07 




Hardware to Raffle $43.08 




Merchant Card Account $125.23 




ANNUAL YARD SALE 

AUGUST 20, 2005 


DONATIONS WANTED, HELPERS 

WANTED, SHOPPERS WANTED


By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; 

Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, 

Texas’ Radio Show Host; 

Police Officer 

iwilsker@apcug.net 

You receive the following urgent 

email from someone you will likely 

know with the subject line “Finally 

Captured! You open this intriguing 

email and see the message: "Turn on 

your TV. Osama Bin Laden has 

been captured. While CNN has no 

pictures at this point of time, the 

military channel (PPV) released 

some pictures. I managed to capture 

a couple of these pictures off my 

TV. Ive (sic) attached a slideshow 

containing all the pictures I managed 

to capture." Attached to the email is 

a file “Pictures.zip”. Eager to see 

the proof that the number one most 

wanted person in the world has been 

captured finally, you click on the 

attachment. No photos appear, so 

maybe you click on it again. It is 

now too late, because that first click 

on the attachment rather than opening 

a zip file and displaying the photos, 

planted a nasty backdoor Trojan 

on your computer, Nibu.D. Through 

a process known in the industry as 

“Human Engineering”, an innocent 

victim was tricked into installing 

unwanted software onto his computer. 

In this particular case, the 

Nibu.D backdoor just installed a 

“keylogger” intended to capture 

usernames, passwords, account 

numbers, and other sensitive information. 

Nibu.D is also listed by Norton as a 

“bank info scarfer”, a type of malware 

that explicitly looks for banking 

information when entered, and 

sends that information to parties unknown. 

If you were one of the 

countless victims of this trick, and 

have since opened the attachment 

DONT FALL FOR “HUMAN ENGINEERING” 

and unknowingly installed Nibu.D, 

you have done online banking, 

checked your credit card accounts, 

logged onto EBay or other shopping 

sites, your personal information may 

have been compromised, and you 

may become a victim of identity 

theft. 

Every day for the past several weeks 

I have received some apparently urgent 

emails seemingly from my 

internet service provider (ISP). 

Variations of Mytob 

in have made it to 

the top of the threat 

lists compiled by 

antivirus companies. 

In one recent day, 

antivirus company 

Sophos reported that 

over half of all new 

virus infestations detected 

were variants. 

They come addressed from 

“administrator”, “support”, 

“customer service”, or some similar 

official sounding individual at the 

ISP. They carry dire warnings in the 

subject line that my email account 

will be or has been suspended for a 

variety of infractions, ranging from 

failure to follow an unspecified rule, 

sending excessive spam, or some 

other major infraction. The poorly 

worded message is “Once you have 

completed the form in the attached 

file, your account records will not be 

interrupted and will continue as normal” 

and has a 65k attachment 

“document.zip”. Another slight 

~PAGE 4~ 

variation refers to following directions 

in a file ranging from 43k to 

65k in size with the file name 

“instructions.zip.” I depend on my 

email, reading and sending dozens 

per day. Email is important to me, 

and since it is from my ISP, I go 

ahead and click on the attachment. 

Bad choice; one or more of the dozens 

of variants of the Mytob worm 

is now infesting my computer, possibly 

killing or deactivating my antivirus 

and firewall software, preventing 

access to antivirus and other 

helpful websites, and creating a multitude 

of new threats to my cyber 

safety. Once the computer is infected, 

Mytob searches the hard 

drive for address books, and sends 

infecting emails to addresses found, 

geometrically increasing its distribution 

and degree of damage. 

Recently, variations of Mytob in aggregate 

have made it to the top of 

the threat lists compiled by antivirus 

companies. In one recent day, antivirus 

company Sophos reported that 

over half of all new virus infestations 

detected were variants of Mytob. 

Mytob is a product of a group 

of miscreants going by the name 

“HellBot”, who have allegedly 

stated that they are trying to develop 

some type of “SuperBug”, according 

to a recent article in Computerworld. 

On some days, several versions of 

Mytob have appeared; in recent 

months, slight variations have appeared 

so rapidly, that Mytob has 

spread more quickly than antivirus 

companies’ ability to protect against 

it, leaving even recently updated 

antivirus software vulnerable to attack. 

Mytob, first discovered in February, 

and its many variants, are especially 

nasty based on what they do. One 



By Timothy Everingham, 

Member of TUGNET, California 

teveringham@acm.org 


Both Intel and Advanced Micro Devices 

(AMD) are screaming, “Dual- 

Core Processors are Coming.” They 

say they are the future of microprocessors 

for computers. With both 

companies planning to introduce 

these processors in the next few 

months it is important to understand 

the significance of this development. 

So what is a dual-core processor? 

Basically it is two microprocessors 

on the same integrated circuit or 

chip. Having more than one processor 

in a computer has been around 

for a long time. It is normal for servers 

to have them. Multiprocessor 

workstations (high end desktops) are 

used mostly for scientific, engineering 

and digital content creation for 

TV and movies. Dual-core is not 

Intel's hyperthreading that is on its 

Pentium 4s, which lets the operating 

system think it has two processors 

rather than one. In a dual-core processor 

there are two actual processors, 

each one having its own L1 & 

L2 caches. 

Why are we going to dual-core processors? 

One of the main reasons is 

heat. The higher a processor's clock 

speed, the more heat it produces. 

The 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 did have 

heat problems. Of course what we 

have been doing is just put more 

than one processor on a motherboard 

to increase performance beyond 

what you can get with a single processor 

(The general rule has been that 

adding a second processor improves 

computer speed by 60% over a single 

processor of the same speed). 

However, to make this more cost 

effective, similar, use less space, and 

DUAL-CORE PROCESSORS ARE COMING! 

reduce power requirements putting 

two processors together on one chip 

is better. This is especially true in 

the desktop and notebook markets. 

As we move to high-definition TV 

resolution video on computers the 

need for the average computer to 

have very high processing speed 

will appear, leading to dual-core 

processor computers being dominant 

a few years from now. But can you 

upgrade your current system to a 

dual-core processor? If you have an 

AMD socket 939 motherboard you 

can upgrade to an AMD Athlon 64 

dual-core processor with only a 

Why are we going 

to dual-core processors? 

One of the 

main reasons is 

heat. The higher a 

processor's clock 

speed, the more heat 

it produces. 

BIOS upgrade. The same is true for 

AMD Opteron socket 940 motherboards 

for Opteron dual-core processors. 

Intel said last fall that some 

Intel LGA 775 motherboards would 

be able to use their dual-core processors, 

called “Pentium D”, but they 

now say the first generation of them 

will have to use a modified LGA 

775 socket. This of course means 

getting a new motherboard. 

For an application program to take 

advantage of multiprocessor systems 

both the operating system and the 

particular application you are running 

have to have the ability to use 

more than one processor (multithreaded 

program). If the operating 

~PAGE 5~ 

system is able to take advantage of 

more than one processor, but the 

applications you are running are not; 

you may get different applications 

running on different processors, but 

each will only use one processor. 

Windows 98 & ME are designed for 

only one processor, so they can only 

use one processor even though there 

are two processors on one chip, real 

or virtual. Windows XP Home can 

use only one processor chip, but up 

to two processors on that chip. Windows 

XP Professional is designed to 

use up to 2 processor chips and up to 

2 processors on each chip. Novell's 

SUSE Linux is already ready for 

dual core processors, and Red Hat 

Linux soon will be. Both are multithreaded 

and multiprocessor chip 

operating systems. 

Most current multithreaded application 

programs are mid-high end scientific, 

engineering, CAD/CAM and 

digital content creation programs. 

This includes video editing and 2D 

and 3D animation and image creation/editing 

programs. However 

there are some home applications 

that already have this multi-treading 

capability, such as the Adobe Premiere 

Elements video-editing program. 

The first programs for the 

home user to go multithreading 

should be content creation/editing, 

multimedia, and games. There 

seems to be an expectation by Intel 

that the transition over to most programs 

being multithreaded will be 

three years from now. However, 

some software companies base the 

licensing fees of some or all of their 

programs by the number of processors 

using the program. The question 

then becomes will software 

companies start charging licensing 

fees per processor core on the current 

per processor chip? Right now 




and Columnist, AARP Computers 

and Technology Website 

Though the Windows operating system 

isn't usually dangerous, it includes 

a special "Safe Mode". This 

is a handy way to boot a PC to investigate 

and fix problems. You may 

have read advice about when to use 

this, and even how to run it. But 

scarce and fragmented Safe Mode 

information can make it sound more 

exotic than it is. 

Windows XP books' indexes provided 

surprisingly few entries for 

"Safe Mode". I found the best coverage 

in two O'Reilly books 

[www.oreilly.com], "Windows XP 

Pro: The Missing Manual" and 

"Windows XP Home Edition: The 

Missing Manual". Naturally, Google 

found a gazillion hits. But they're 

mostly "just the facts" writeups targeting 

people who already know 

"what" and "why" and just need 

"how" information. So this article 

provides background for this built-in 

Windows facility. 

Over the years, as it became more 

powerful and reliable, Windows 

grew significantly from its slender 

1992-era Version 3.1 self. There's no 

free lunch; learning new tricks required 

more software. But that complexity 

gets in the way when problems 

occur. Just as doctors rarely 

diagnose patients through heavy 

winter coats, Windows needs to shed 

layers to expose problems' causes. 

Safe Mode slims Windows down, 

only loading and running specific 

pieces needed for basic operation. 

So your video display looks strange 

in Safe Mode because Windows 

doesn't load the monitor's specific 

driver program. This lets you re- 

BETTER SAFE (MODE) THAN SORRY (CONT.) 

cover from problems caused by 

buggy drivers you may have just 

installed. There are other restrictions: 

you likely can't get online and 

may not be able to print. But Safe 

Mode lets you perform tests, fix 

problems, and install/uninstall programs. 

If you think your PC may have a 

virus or spyware, it's worth installing 

the antidote in Safe Mode, since 

some malware prevents installing 

DUAL-CORE PROCESSORS ARE COMING! 

(Continued from page 5) core processors. They will improve 

it looks like the trend says no. Microsoft 

has already said for its programs 

that are licensed on a per 

processor basis it will continue doing 

so and not go to a per processor 

core basis. Also to consider in upgrading 

both Intel and AMD systems 

you may have software you 

have to activate that logs the system 

components. Upgrading processors 

and motherboards can cause these 

programs to say that this is now a 

new computer you are running the 

program on, which you are not authorized 

to do, and refuse to run. 

This could include your operating 

system. Check with your program's 

publisher/manufacturer to see what 

their policy on this is. Home and 

office use policies effectively have 

been known to be different. 

So when will these marvelous dualcore 

processors appear? For Intel it 

will be the second quarter of 2005. 

For AMD it will be mid-2005 for 

the high level Opterons and second 

half of 2005 for the desktop Athlon 

64s. As normal the price should 

originally be high, but then drop significantly 

over time. 

We are moving this year to dual 

~PAGE 6~ 

anti-virus software. If installed antivirus 

software can't remove a virus, 

Safe Mode may let it succeed. 

(Some experts recommend always 

running virus/spyware scans under 

Windows in Safe Mode.) If defragmenting 

your hard drive 

[www.aarp.org/learntech/computers/ 

howto/Articles/a2004-06-16defrag.html] 

never finishes, Safe 

Mode may remove programs that 

keep interrupting it. And it lets you 


the speed of computers, and reduce 

the related heat and power requirement 

issues. They will be originally 

for those high-end power users, but 

over the next few years they could 

easily become the norm. They will 

be in a computer store near you later 

this year. 

Timothy Everingham is CEO of 

Timothy Everingham Consulting in 

Azusa, California. He is also Chair 

of the Los Angeles Chapter of ACM 

SIGGRAPH. He is also part-time 

press in the areas of high technology, 

computers, video, audio, and 

entertainment/media and has had 

articles published throughout the 

United States and Canada plus Australia, 

England, & Japan. Further 

information can be found at http:// 

home.earthlink.net/~teveringham 












DONT FALL FOR 

“HUMAN ENGINEERING” (CONT.) 

factor in common is the ability, as 

mentioned above, to deactivate or 

destroy the antivirus software and 

firewall installed on the infected 

computers. It also blocks access to 

security websites that may provide 

information and utilities to kill Mytob. 

This malware may also prevent 

the running of the free online antivirus 

scans, which could (if allowed 

to run), detect and remove Mytob, 

making it a self-protective piece of 

malware. Some versions also lower 

or remove other security settings on 

the computer, making it even more 

vulnerable to attack. Some versions 

also may install spyware, adware, 

zombies, or other undesirable software, 

as well as broadcast over the 

internet that the infected computer is 

vulnerable to further attacks. Trend 

Micro, the provider of the online 

free antivirus scan Housecall 

(housecall.antivirus.com), and PC- 

Cillin antivirus software, has stated 

that some variants of Mytob use the 

infected computers as a source of 

revenue for HellBot by placing adware 

and spyware on the infected 

computer. 

Nibu and Mybot are just two of the 

thousands of currently circulating 

viruses, worms, and Trojans. Netsky, 

Bagel, Sober, and their many 

variations are a major threat to our 

computing security. As the virus 

writers continue to make more productive 

(for them) and destructive 

malware, it is now more imperative 

than ever that we all keep our antivirus 

software updated constantly. 

Be suspicious about emails even 

from known sources, and check out 

any suspicious email from possibly 

known sources by checking directly 

with that source prior to opening the 

email or any attachments. 

As I have pleaded in the past, we 

must be responsible for our own cybersecurity. 

SOURCE: (NibuD) 

http://people.ists.dartmouth.edu/ 

~gbakos/img/osamamail.jpg 

---------------------------------- 

SOURCE: PERSONAL EMAILS 

(Mytob variants) 










WELCOME 


New Members: 

Betty Norton 

Renewals: 

Betty Colston 

Robert Halliday 

Floyd Luher 

Wayne Miller 

Natu Patel 

Robbin Shadduck 

Fred Wade 

~PAGE 7~ 

BETTER SAFE 

(MODE) (CONT.) 


erase files that Windows normally 

says are in use (though only do this 

when you're sure what you're doing). 

Windows XP defines two kinds of 

user accounts: "administrator" and 

"limited". An administrator can install/remove 

software, change settings, 

etc., while a limited user can 

only run programs and use facilities. 

Even if only one account is defined, 

a secret companion called Administrator 

is available. Booting in Safe 

Mode lets you access this account, 

handy when normal accounts won't 

work -- for example, uninstalling 

software that doesn't want to leave. 

Enter Safe Mode by repeatedly 

pressing F8 as your PC boots, just 

after BIOS information displays; 

then select Safe Mode from the options 

list. Leaving Safe Mode is simple 

-- just reboot via the Start button 

and your usual procedure; Windows 

will return looking normal again, not 

holding a grudge for being run in 

diagnostic Mode. 

Here's an important point: It's worth 

practicing booting into Safe Mode 

when you're relaxed and your PC is 

working properly. Consider running 

a PC in Safe Mode to be like starting 

your car's engine with the hood up at 

a service station. It's routine; there's 

nothing alarming about it. But just 

as you wouldn't want to open the 

hood for the first time (Where *is* 

that latch release?) when something 

is wrong with your car, you 

shouldn't first use Safe Mode when 

you're already worried about a PC 

problem. 



WHAT YOU 

MISSED! (CONT.) 


The Annual Garage Sale is quickly 

approaching and we are still taking 

donations. Thanks to the members 

that brought their discards to become 

the treasure of some happy 

yard sale shopper on Saturday, August 

20 th . Please mark your calendar 

and join us for this exciting event. 

Yard sale helpers wanted and very 

much appreciated. 

Winners include... 

• Badge Drawing – Richard 

Wescott 

• President’s Coupon Drawing 

– Mildred Sherreitt 

• Progressive Prize Give-A- 

Way – Mike Whitlinger 

See you at the August 17 th General 

Meeting. 

1 ST PHISHING, NOW 

PHARMING (Cont.) 


same as DNS cache poisoning. The 

other exploit is domain hijacking 

which is done by manipulating the 

domain name registrars. Domain 

hijacking is what happened to Panix, 

a New York ISP, in January. 

Being aware of phishing and pharming 

along with a little care and caution 

will keep your web browsing 

safe from the bad guys. 










BETTER SAFE (MODE) THAN SORRY (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 7) There is no restriction against any 

And a PS: It's sometimes hard picking 

between a dozen competing 

books on a topic. A helpful technique 

for evaluating choices is 

searching for a few topics -- like 

Safe Mode -- in the books' indexes 

and judging them on coverage. 

This article originated on AARP's 

Computers and Technology Web 

site, www.aarp.org/computers, and 

is copyrighted by AARP. All rights 

are reserved; it may be reproduced, 

downloaded, disseminated, or transferred, 

for single use, or by nonprofit 

organizations for educational purposes, 

with attribution to AARP. It 

should be unchanged and this paragraph 

included. Please e-mail Gabe 

Goldberg at gabe@gabegold.com 

when you use it, or for permission to 

excerpt or condense. 










~PAGE 8~ 

PRESIDENT’SMES- 


SAGE (Cont.) 

Have you ever wondered what those 

three letters at the end of the file 

name mean? To the new user this 

seems like learning a whole new 

language. Those three little letters 

are called the file extensions. A file 

extension defines the file "type", eg 

text file, executable file, database 

file or graphic file. I found three 

websites (there are probably hundreds) 

that offer lists of file extensions. 

http://www.webopedia.com/ 

quick_ref/fileextensions.asp site is a 

comprehensive list of data formats 

and their file extensions. 

http://www.stack.com/file/ 

extension/ offers Various File Formats 

and How to Deal With Them 

http://www.ace.net.nz/tech/ 

TechFileFormat.html claims to have 

Almost Every file format in the 

world! 

Perhaps even the technology savvy 

will find some usable information 

on these sites. 

Happy seaching……… 


Betty 

This Is It! 

Our Annual Yard Sale on August 20th. Anyone who 

wishes to make donations can contact any Board 

Member for arrangements. We still need volunteers 

to help at the sale. Even if you can’t stay long or 

carry things, every helper is needed and appreciated. 

Contact President Betty Colston if you can help.


By Thomas F. Gardner 


Firefox and Thunderbird Garage 

is a 357 page soft cover book published 

in 2005 with a suggested retail 

price of $24.99. The ISBN number 

is 0-13-187004-1. It is coauthored 

by Chris Hofman, Marcia 

Knous, and John Hedtke. 

Firefox is a powerful new Internet 

browser from the Mozilla Foundation 

that runs on Windows, Mac OS 

X, and Linux. It has an incredible 

array of features that help you 

browse faster, safer, and more effectively, 

including a built-in popup 

blocker, text zooming, tabbed 

browsing, built-in search tools, and 

live bookmarks. Thunderbird is a 

stand alone email and news application 

that offers numerous ways to 

manage your email. Both Firefox 

and Thunderbird are really free and 

can be downloaded by logging on to 

either of the following internet sites: 

http://www.mozilla.org or http:// 

www.firefox.com. For years users of 

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer have 

been barraged by regular and fre- 

REVIEW-FIREFOX & THUNDERBIRD GARAGE 


2 Button Mouse (PS2)..................................Joe Francis 

Aerobics For The Mind.............................. Terri Epport 

Book Lite (Battery Operated) .................... Terri Epport 

Computer Tool Kit.................................. Mike Wallters 

Discovering Your Hard Drive.................Viv Fitzgerald 

Mastering Windows Registry ......................Joe Francis 

Small Supply Organizer.................... Joyce Schmealing 

Web Design (Book) ................................... Terri Epport 


Aero Deluxe Inflatable Twin Bed 

......................................Helena Bouchez 

quent requests to download the most 

recent “fixes” or “patches” to correct 

possible security breeches. Firefox 

and Thunderbird were designed to 

thwart the problems that have infiltrated 

Internet Explorer. 

A word of caution! If you install 

Firefox, it is not recommended that 

you remove Internet Explorer because 

it is deeply integrated with the 

Windows operating system. It’s 

easiest and safest to leave it on your 

system. Removing Internet Explorer 

may destabilize many parts of your 

Windows system unnecessarily. (So 

you now ask, “Why install Firefox 

and Thunderbird in the first 

place?” Only you can decide for 

yourself if you really want these extra 

programs on your hard drive.) 

The book is well organized with 

thorough and logical chapters on 

getting through the features of these 

programs (and there are a lot!). 

Chapters deal with bookmarks, 

BLOG’s (a weB LOG or online 

journal), spam blocking, phishing, 

keyboard and mouse shortcuts, 

popup blocking, junk email controls, 

~PAGE 9~ 

and theme downloads. The book includes 

a nice glossary just before the 

index. Many new and quickly forgotten 

acronyms are located here. 

I downloaded Firefox from the web 

site and had it up and running in 

about 2 minutes. The program lets 

you import bookmarks, history, 

preferences, internet options, cookies, 

browsing history, saved passwords, 

and favorites from Internet 

Explorer or other programs. Next it 

is possible to set your home page, 

fonts and colors, default browser, 

and connection preferences. Many 

old and some new features are included, 

and it will take some time to 

browse through them all. 

My favorite chapter in the book is 

“Websites to Waste Your Time 

With.” Several pages of websites to 

various interesting categories such 

as Cartoons and Movies, Music, Silliness 

and Entertainment, Science 

and Technology, Words, News, and 

Other Websites. I plan to spend a lot 

of time checking out some of these 

sites. All in all, a very interesting 

book with much to be learned. 

RAFFLE ITEMS 



12 in 1 Flash Memory Card Reader 

Crazy Talk (Add voice to digital pictures) 

Creative Toolkit 3 CD Set 

Discover the World 3 CD Set 

Linux Desktop Garage (Book & CD) 

Pixifun Photo Key Ring Kit 

Stainless Steel Swiss Knife 


Sony 256 USB Flash Drive













which will be sent to us every 

other month. Just shop as you would 

normally and then on the Enter Billing/Shipping 

Information page, 

enter LBIBMUG in the Fund Raising 

Discount box. 




























Receive help with software and 

hardware conflicts, memory 

problems and general computer 

maintenance and trouble shooting. 

Ask questions and get answers to 





your software! Jerry Clarke and 

Mike Whitlinger are regularly helping 

members trouble shoot problems! 

PhotoShop: 

This popular SIG is lead by Wayne 

Miller. He helps members get the 

most out of their digital images. 

Wayne always comes prepared with 

handouts for attendees. It will be on 

hiatus while Wayne follows a career 

opportunity abroad. We will keep 

you updated on the status of this informative 

SIG. 

New Member Summit: 

President Betty Colston will be facilitating 

this new SIG that is designed 

to help new Members learn 

what the Club has to offer them and 

to find out what they are looking for 

from us. 

Linux: 

Some Members are looking for alternatives 

to PC’s & Mac’s so John 

Craig & Dick Wescott are doing this 

SIG to help learn the basics or troubleshoot 

any problems you may be 

having. IMPORTANT: This SIG 

starts @ 2:00 P.M. and runs till 



change. John 429-3351 or Dick 429- 

4382. 

Fourth Thursday SIG: 

This series of SIG’s will have a variety 

of computer related topics based 

~PAGE 10~ 

on Member input and suggestions. 

Betty Colston facilitates. If you have 

an idea for a subject, let Betty know 

what you’d like to see! 






Want to add a CD-R or DVD drive? 

This SIG should work for you. 



BRING CANS 












to $17.91. 


IMPORTANT! 








91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 














and can teach it to others while hopefully 

learning more themselves. Our Photoshop 

SIG with Wayne Miller is a perfect 

example of this type of SIG. 






new information from others’ experiences 

while taking advantage of our SIG Room 

benefits like a DSL line. Our Linux SIG 

would fall into this category. 








Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

~PAGE 11~ 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

New 

Member 

Summit 

August 

3 

10 

Board of 

Directors 

17 

General 

Meeting 

4 

Linux @ 2 

11 

Photo- 

Shop 

Linux @ 2 

18 

Linux @ 2 

24 25 


Help 

31 

5 

12 

19 

Yard Sale 

Set-Up 

12:00pm 


4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

September 

7 

14 

Board of 

Directors 

21 

General 

Meeting 

1 

Linux @ 2 

8 

Linux @ 2 

15 

Photo- 

Shop on 

hiatus 

Linux @ 2 

22 

Fourth 

Thursday 

Linux @ 2 

28 29 


Help 

26 

2 

9 

16 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

23 

30 

6 

13 

20 

27 

3 

10 

17 

24



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Please list the item you liked best about the July Newsletter 

_____________________________________________________ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to August General Meeting 


$10.00 Gift Card

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group September, 2005 

Interface 






September, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 8 Price $2.75 

SEPT. MEETING 

John Upton from Electronic Waste 

joins us in September. He will have 

the E-Waste truck available for electronic 

discards and give us a presentation 

on the process of disposing of 

electronic equipment. Please remember, 

this will ONLY be for computer 

e-waste, no televisions, microwaves, 

batteries, paint or ink cartridges will 

be accepted. John will have a sign 

up sheet for a tour of the facility that 

processes E-Waste. If you are interested, 

be sure to check in with John 

for the date. 


continues from August with the 

photo software not claimed and an 

additional item to be added for September. 

Be sure to look for the 

Member number published somewhere 

in this newsletter. You membership 

number is located on your 




Review-Norton Security ............3 


Wi-Fi Availability......................4 

How Spammers Get Addresses..5 

Search Engine Tips Part 2..........6 


Beware of Do Not Call ............. 9 

Bring Cans ...............................10 


SIG Calendar...................... 10-11 


Fifty plus members and several 

guests attended the August General 

Meeting and browsed the free table 

filled with literature, trail versions 

and other free items received at the 

Southwest User Group Conference 

in San Diego. Copies of the Welcome 

CD from the Conference were 

on hand for the members that 

wanted one. 

Our own Member and SIG Leader 

Wayne Miller filled in for the absent 

scheduled presenter. On last minutes’ 

notice, Wayne challenged us 

and stretched our learning with a 

technical presentation on colors, 

how digital images use color, and 

the technical side of the manner in 

which the printer uses the color info 

to print a color photo. 

We brought back the Question & 

Answer session with Jerry Clarke 

facilitating. 

Georgia and Vivian were on hand to 

keep the refreshments well stocked. 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

A Great Big THANK YOU to all 

the Members that donated treasures, 

discards, and encouraged friends and 

family to donate items for the Annual 

Fund Raiser Yard Sale. 

I am thrilled to report that it was our 

greatest success to date. More than 

1,000 hours went into gathering, 

storing, pricing, loading, unloading, 

and setting up for the event. Sears 

donated a 12’ by 20’ awning tent 

thanks to our Program Chairman, 

Art Borges. To date we have raised 

$5,072.50. While setting up on Friday 

the 19th, we sold $1,952.00 before 

we even opened for the Satur- 




October 12:.................................................Intel featuring Dave Whittle 









president@lbibmug.com... 597-4273 


vp@lbibmug.com ....................... NA 


editor@lbibmug.com ........ 437-7471 


treasurer@lbibmug.com ............. NA 



jerryclarke@verizon.net ... 496-1270 


mwhitlinger@hotmail.com............... 

.......................................... 925-3636 


Utterberg@aol.com .......... 634-2896 


membership@lbibmug.com.............. 

.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 


programs@lbibmug.com .. 591-0162 


lbjcraig@aol.com.............. 429-3351 


NA .............................................. NA 



president@lbibmug.com 


curtis1@msn.com ...................... NA 


nate@lbibmug.com........... 427-5123 


webmaster@lbibmug.com ......... NA 

Volunteers 




helenabme@verizon.net ............. NA 

SEPT. MEETING (Cont.) 


badge and any notice you receive 

from the Club by e-mail. 

Coming Soon: 

• Hardware SIG – Wednesday, 

September 28, 2005 

@ SIG room. 

• e-mail SIG – Tuesday, 

September 27th @ SIG 

room. 

• Practical Management of 

Digital Images – September 

SIG 

• Intel General Meeting 

Presentation with Dave 

Whittle in October. 

Don’t forget to check the Website 

for more info, last minutes changes 

or new additions. 


WHAT YOU MISSED 


(CONT.) 

A special thanks to those Members 

that brought their treasured discards 

to Richard Wescott’s truck for the 

Annual Garage Sale on Saturday, 

August 20th. 

Winners include... 

• Badge Drawing – Natu Patel 

• President’s Coupon Drawing 

– Joesph Frances 

• Progressive Prize Give-A- 

Way – Not Claimed 

See you at the September 21st General 

Meeting. 

~PAGE 2~ 


























































NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2005 & SYSTEM WORKS 2005 

By Thomas F. Gardner 


Review article – Norton Internet Security 2005 and 

Norton SystemWorks Premier 2005 

Norton Internet Security 2005 and Norton System Works 

Premier 2005 were both provided as boxed products in 

their original retail package complete with a 70+ page 

instruction booklet and installation CD. Also supplied 

was a packet of material including a news release, product 

background, quick start guide, and a corporate fact 

sheet from Symantic plus more - an additional 56 pages 

in all. 

It seems that people are very polarized when it comes to 

Norton products. They love them or they hate them. I do 

know of one computer themed radio talk show that does 

not recommend Norton products. I have used Norton 

Utilities ever since I stopped using a product called PC 

Tools many years ago. I have also tried other antivirus 

software programs but have always let the product lapse 

when the trial ran out. It seems that I always return to 

good old Norton, my tried and true product. 

Norton Internet Security 2005 provides comprehensive 

protection against today’s most prevalent Internet threats, 

including viruses, worms, and Trojan horses as well as 

hackers, privacy threats, spam email, and inappropriate 

Internet content. This product combines Norton Anti- 

Virus 2005, Norton Personal Firewall 2005, and Norton 

AntiSpam 2005 into one seamless integrated software 

suite. Norton Internet Security 2005 protects users from 

suspicious inbound traffic such as Sasser and Blaster, 

reassures users with automatic alerts and security status 

information when outbreaks occur, and protects against 

email spoofing and email fraud scams. Norton’s Outbreak 

Alert notifies you about high level Internet threats. 

The LiveUpdate feature downloads new protection updates 

automatically or manually. 

Norton SystemWorks Premier 2005 is the ultimate all-inone 

solution for protecting files and preventing and solving 

PC problems. Norton SystemWorks Premier 2005 

includes Norton Antivirus, Norton Utilities, Norton Go- 

Back, System Optimizer, Symantec Recovery Disk and 

additional advanced problem-solving tools. CheckIt Diagnostics 

gives you a fast thorough evaluation of your 

PS’s hardware. GoBack allows users to undo serious 

computer problems by returning to a time when it was 

working properly and data was intact. 

~PAGE 3~ 

Product activation if required on both of these products 

to ensure authenticity. This means that you must enter 

the product key within 15 days of installation or the 

product will stop working. 

Norton Internet Security 2005 and Norton System- 

Works Premier 2005 are scheduled to be available in 

late August and September respectively. The suggested 



Financial Report August 1 through August 31, 2005 






Income 

$3,107.86 


Yard Sale $4,652.50 





Total Income 

Expenses 

$5,127.12 



Contributions/Scholarships $250.00 


Member Benefits $50.00 


Total Expenses $1,924.79 

Net Income $3,202.33 






THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE 

WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS 

FOR AN EXCEPTIONALLY 

SUCCESSFUL YARD SALE



Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont 

TX: Radio Show Host 

WEBSITES: 

http://www.jiwire.com 

http://intel.jiwire.com 

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com 

Recently, one of my daughters 

called me from a major city, and 

asked me where she could find some 

free “hotspots” or wireless “Wi-Fi” 

locations where she could get free 

broadband wireless internet access. 

She gave me her street address, and 

within moments I found several 

nearby locations where she could 

access the internet for free using the 

wireless “802.11b” PCMCIA card 

she had with her notebook computer. 

She told me which hotspot she selected, 

and I gave her the “SSID”, or 

“Service Set Identifier”, a simple 

code, usually a name, that identifies 

a local hotspot. 

I recently purchased a new notebook 

computer for another daughter, and 

this computer came with an Intel 

Centrino chipset, which provided 

integral wireless internet access, 

where ever available, whether at 

home or on the road. As she travels 

around town, at school, or away 

from home, she can likely access the 

internet at high speeds. 

I travel extensively, and always take 

my notebook computer with me, as I 

often find it necessary to check my 

email, find restaurants, or locate 

other information on the internet. 

Through experience, I have found 

that many hotels, restaurants, airports, 

and other locations offer wireless 

broadband internet access either 

for a fee, or for free. Now before I 

leave home, I check a website 

www.jwire.com, or its twin sister 

WI-FI WIRELESS AND NETWORK AVAILABILITY 

site supported by Intel, intel.jwire.com, 

to determine what 

wireless access is available enroute, 

or at my destination. 

Jwire.com is one of the leading interactive 

directories of publicly 

available wireless internet locations, 

typically using one of the industry 

standard 802.11 protocols. Standardization, 

as well as substantial 

downward compatibility, has ensured 

that almost all computers 

equipped with 802.11 type wireless 

internet hardware can effectively 

communicate at broadband speeds. 

As I type this, Jwire is listing almost 

Through experience, 

I have found that 

many hotels, restaurants, 

airports, and 

other locations offer 

wireless broadband 

internet access either 

for a fee, or for free. 

70,000 public access wireless hotspots 

around the world. The Intel 

companion site lists almost 

30,000 wireless hotspots in the U.S., 

and about 40,000 international wireless 

hotspots. According to the Intel 

site, the top U.S. cities for public 

wireless are New York City with 

over 550 public access locations, 

followed by Chicago (434 public 

wireless locations), San Francisco 

(412), and Seattle (320). Texas is 

well represented in the top 10 most 

“unwired” cities with 309 public 

hotspots in Houston, 250 in Austin, 

and 192 in Dallas. California is 

listed by Intel as the state with the 

most public access with over 5000 

~PAGE 4~ 

locations, followed by Texas with 

almost 2000 hotspots, Florida with 

about 1800, and New York with 

over 1600 public hotspots. It should 

be emphasized that these numbers 

are only the wireless sites that allow 

public access, either for free 

(sometimes with some strings attached) 

or for a fee, and does not 

include the millions of sites that are 

private wireless networks. The listing 

also does not include many of 

the hotel chains that offer free wireless 

access to registered guests. 

Many of the free sites listed are local 

restaurants, some hotels, many airport 

terminals, RV parks, and other 

locations. All it takes to access these 

totally free and public sites is the 

SSID of the wireless host and appropriate 

hardware; the Jwire sites list 

the SSID’s of the public sites. When 

the wireless access on the notebook 

computer is activated, the wireless 

networks within range can be identified, 

and if accessible, the SSID can 

be entered, and connections established. 

It is important that from a 

personal security standpoint, these 

public connections are not often encrypted, 

and can be “sniffed” or 

picked up by anyone with suitable 

equipment; sensitive information, 

passwords, banking, and other critical 

information should never be sent 

on an insecure public network. 

In addition to the free sites, there are 

many thousands of publicly accessible 

but commercial (fee based) hotspots, 

often in coffee shops, restaurants, 

hotels, bookstores, some airport 

terminal areas, and other locations. 

These hotspots either require a 

subscription to a service, such as a 

cellular phone company or other 

third party, or a daily or hourly fee 

for access. Generally, since these 



FIGURING OUT HOW SPAMMERS GET E-MAIL ADDRESSES 

By Dave Gerber, 

Dave’s Bits & Bytes, A Periodic 

Newsletter for the Members of the 

Sarasota PC User Group and the 

World!! 

Director, Sarasota PCUG, Florida 

www.spcug.org 

Spammers employ a variety of 

methods to acquire e-mail addresses. 

Some methods take advantage of the 

e-mail addresses readily available on 

the Internet, whereas others employ 

different levels of trickery, from harvesting 

to outright stealing. 

Harvesting from the Internet 

Spammers (and their assistants) utilize 

a technique called harvesting to 

acquire e-mail addresses. While harvesting 

requires a lot of bandwidth, 

it is ingeniously simple: Simply 

download the right pages from select 

Web sites and extract the e-mail addresses 

that are there for the picking. 

Some of the tools and sources employed 

in harvesting e-mail addresses 

from the Web include the 

following: 

Web spiders: 

Spammers employ Web crawlers 

and spiders that harvest e-mail addresses 

from Web sites. It's common 

for Web sites to include mailto: 

URL’s as well as unlinked 

user@domain addresses. Put your email 

address on a Web site, and 

you're spam bait. These spiders are 

not unlike the spiders and Web 

crawlers used by Yahoo, Google, 

and others that scan the Internet's 

Web sites in order to keep Web 

search indexes fresh. Except that email 

address harvesting spiders are 

up to no good. And where do these 

spiders get domain names? With 

over 90 million .com domains in existence, 

it's easy enough to just guess 

domain names in order to come up 

with quite a few. 

Newsgroups: 

It's a straightforward task to harvest 

e-mail addresses from Usenet newsgroups: 

Just pull in a big news feed 

and extract the e-mail addresses with 

a simple shell or Perl script. Newsgroup 

volumes are still increasing 

exponentially — at a rate of at least 

several gigabytes per day. This 

means lots of e-mail addresses are 

there for the taking. Any spammer 

with enough bandwidth can slurp up 

all those bits and just sift out the email 

addresses. 

When a user submits 

(an unsubscribe) request, 

they know 

that the address is 

valid. Do you think 

they'll actually stop 

spamming a known 

valid address? 

Groups, blogs, and 

discussion boards: 

Yahoo! and Google have their 

groups and mailing lists, many of 

which make their members' e-mail 

addresses available. There are thousands 

of blogs and discussion boards 

out there, too, that contain easily 

acquired e-mail addresses. 

Test messages: 

In this method, spammers send test 

e-mails to recipients whose addresses 

they simply guess — socalled 

test e-mail messages sent to 

addresses like service@, info@, 

test@, marketing@, security@. 

Spammers at one time could reliably 

~PAGE 5~ 

conclude that, if they receive no 

"bounce-o-gram" back from the domain, 

that the e-mail address must 

be legit. This is because e-mail servers 

used to routinely send nondelivery 

receipts (NDRs) back to the 

sender of a message sent to a nonexistent 

address. But that ain't necessarily 

so any more: More servers are 

opting to stop sending NDRs. 

Unsubscribe links: 

Many spam messages include an 

opt-out or unsubscribe link so that 

the recipient can request not to receive 

more spam. However, often 

the real purpose of unsubscribe links 

is to confirm a valid, active e-mail 

address. 

Malware: 

Spammers sometimes use Trojan 

horses, viruses, and worms to extract 

e-mail addresses from individual 

users' computers. If massmailing 

worms can extract the contents 

of a user's e-mail address book 

for the purpose of propagating spam, 

then it's easy to perform the same 

extraction and simply send the list 

back to the hacker's lair. This would 

probably be easier, in fact, because 

this activity is far less likely to be 

detected than a mass-mailing worm. 

Unsubscribe requests: 

A good number of spam messages 

contain "unsubscribe me" links that 

a user clicks to opt out. However, 

many spam operators actually continue 

to send spam to e-mail addresses 

submitted to "unsubscribe 

me" links. When a user submits such 

a request, the spammer knows that 

the address being sent is a valid email 

address. Do you think they'll 

actually stop sending spam to a 

known valid address? Not on your 

life! 



By Richard Johnson, member of 

TUGNET, California. 


rj@theskillspool.org 

Part 2: Beyond Google 

As helpful as is Google, it's a mistake 

to overlook the other search services. 

There's nothing wrong with 

turning first to Google (or another 

search service of your choice). It's a 

good idea, however, to pick out and 

bookmark at least a few competitors, 

for special situations. A good place 

to start is the search comparison 

chart at www.infopeople.org/search/ 

chart.html. 

Both MSN Search and Yahoo! 

Search have undergone major recent 

changes, and both merit special attention. 

MSN Search 

(search.msn.com) now affords access 

to Encarta Encyclopedia, with a 

two-hour “free pass” that will be renewed 

with every new query. Check 

out also its Near Me option (akin to 

Google Local), that will point you to 

services and events in your area or 

another area you specify. 

Yahoo! Search (search.yahoo.com) 

has brought out My Web to track 

past searches. My Web will save 

both the links and the actual pages 

(so you'll still have access should the 

page be removed from the Web). 

Yahoo will organize these saved 

pages as bookmarks. For details, go 

to myweb.search.yahoo.com/ 

myresults/benefits. 

Many of the following search tools 

are in beta, and so may become even 

more useful after further development. 

All are free to individuals. 

Comparing and Augmenting 

Search Results 

You might be surprised to learn that 

SEARCH ENGINE TIPS PART 2 

if you compare the top ten results 

from any two search engines, fewer 

than half of those results will likely 

be found at both. An excellent way 

to see what either Google, Yahoo, or 

Ask Jeeves comes up with (that your 

standby didn't!) is to use the Jux2 

tool, at www.jux2.com. 

Yagoohoo!gle (yagoohoogle.com) 

presents side-by-side Yahoo and 

Google results. 

Another way to go is to type in your 

query at Topic Hunter 

(www.topichunter.com), and then 

click on the names of any of the sixteen 

search engines Topic Hunter 

supports. 

Brainboost asks you 

for plain-English 

questions 

Copernic Meta is the free successor 

to what formerly was a fee-only 

download. A Windows Deskbar or 

browser toolbar will facilitate simultaneous 

searches on multiple search 

engines. www.copernic.com/en/ 

products/meta 

Special-Purpose Search Engines 

Shopping 

When it comes to shopping, the 

Web can do far more than take your 

money. To help you decide how to 

spend it, a new search engine still in 

beta, Become (www.become.com), 

zeroes in on buying guides and 

product reviews (although you will 

find merchant links also, generally 

farther down). 

Once you have a better idea of what 

to buy, you'll want to use one of the 

multitudinous price comparison 

sites. Pricing Central 

~PAGE 6~ 

(pricingcentral.com), acts like a 

clearing-house, utilizing the resources 

of many price search engines. 

For books, music CDs, and 

videos, AddALL (www.addall.com) 

and Books Price 

(www.booksprice.com) figure in 

shipping costs for your location. AddAll 

has a slightly larger bookstore 

database, but Books Price will calculate 

costs for multiple purchases. 

If you like to shop by catalog, take a 

look at Catalog City 

(www.catalogcity.com). For specials 

at local brick-and-mortar establishments, 

try Cairo (www.cairo.com) 

o r S h o p L o c a l 

(www.shoplocal.com). 

Other Special-Purpose Engines 

For straightforward answers to simple 

questions, check out Brainboost, 

at www.brainboost.com. Promoted 

as an “answer engine,” Brainboost 

asks you for plain-English questions 

(not search words), and its results 

are answers, not links. (A link will 

accompany each answer, for further 

research.) Another popular tool for 

factual information is Answers.com 

(www.answers.com), which deemphasizes 

links even further and 

gives more extensive answers. An 

optional free download lets you 

bring up Answers.com results by altclicking 

any word on your screen, 

on or off the Web. 

For deciphering acronyms, you can't 

do better than Acronym Finder 

(www.acronymfinder.com), with 

definitions for over 398,000 acronyms. 

Optional tools (for various 

browsers) will allow you to view a 

definition almost instantly. 

To take advantage of Amazon's 

Search Inside the Book capability, 



(Continued from page 6) demobar.html 

you may want to use A9 Search, at 

http://a9.com. (A9 also features 

search history tracking.) 

For news there are many good 

choices. BBC News at 

news.bbc.co.uk is excellent for international 

news, as is World Press at 

www.worldpress.org. For old news 

(as early as 1990) without the fee 

charged by other sources, try The 

Seattle Times, at archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/ 

web/index.html. For the most up-todate 

news, AlltheWeb Advanced at 

snipurl.com/eljf is excellent, and 

will let you sort and filter results 

prior to your search. CNN.com 

(www.cnn.com) and the revamped 

Yahoo! News (news.yahoo.com) are 

good general-purpose news sources. 

Most or all of these allow you to set 

up news alerts to email you of new 

developments in issues of interest. 

Toolbars 

These days almost every search engine 

and its cousin have an associated 

toolbar for free download. In 

addition to the Copernic Meta toolbar 

(covered above), a few you 

might want to consider are: 

Y!Q DemoBar. I really like this one, 

in part because it's small enough to 

fit easily on the same line as my 

Internet Explorer address bar. (To 

squeeze it onto that line you may 

want to “unlock” the IE toolbar, using 

the right-click menu, and shrink 

the address bar. You can adjust Y! 

Q's size, using its options menu.) 

The DemoBar's sole function is to 

enable context-based searching. 

Clicking it will yield results related 

to page text you've highlighted, optionally 

modified by text you've 

typed in its search box. 

yq.search.yahoo.com/splash/ 

SEARCH ENGINE TIPS PART 2 (CONT.) 

Earthlink Toolbar. This is available 

to anyone (not just Earthlink subscribers). 

Its major innovation is its 

Scamblocker option, to guard 

against phishing. It also offers a 

Google search box, a pop-up 

blocker, and clickable changing 

news headlines. Like Y!Q, it can be 

shrunk down to fit on the same line 

as your address bar. 

www.earthlink.net/home/software/ 

toolbar 

MSN Toolbar. Features pop-up 

blocking and search term highlighting. 

Can be expanded to implement 

desktop search and form filling/ 

password management. toolbar.msn.com/default.aspx 

A9 Toolbar. Gives you the ability to 

add notes to Web pages. Also includes 

pop-up blocking, search history 

tracking, online bookmark creation, 

search term highlighting, and 

site info. (Some have found it difficult 

to use.) toolbar.a9.com 

Yahoo! Toolbar. The big brother of 

the Y!Q DemoBar. Includes the DemoBar's 

functionality, and in addition 

facilitates Yahoo's My Web 

(see above) and spyware protection. 

beta.toolbar.yahoo.com 

Google Addenda 

Overall, the best search engine is 

still Google. (See Part 1.) Here are 

nine more Google tips and tricks: 

An adaptation of Google Maps will 

search for rental and for-sale housing 

around the country, in a price 

range you specify. For each result 

you'll be told whether a picture is 

available. Then if you choose you 

can link to the original listing 

(which is from Craigslist). Go to 

~PAGE 7~ 

www.paulrademacher.com/housing. 

Google's Search by Number feature 

will give you information about 

numbers you type in the search box. 

The most useful example of this was 

covered in last month's article-entering 

a phone number to use 

Google as a reverse directory. But 

other numbers can also yield valuable 

information. For instance, entering 

just the area code will bring 

up a link to a map of the area. You 

can also get information by entering 

UPS, USPS, and FedEx tracking 

numbers, Vehicle Identification 

Numbers (VINs), and even UPC 

codes. 

The Google Calculator can do anything 

your stand-alone calculator 

can do, and a lot more. It's especially 

useful for conversions, by employing 

the operator “in.” For example, 

to find the number of teaspoons 

in two cups, you'd type “teaspoons 

in 2 cups” [without the quotes] in 

the Google search box. For myriad 

other uses go to www.google.com/ 

help/calculator.html. 

The best way to use Google News is 

via its Advanced New Search, at 

snipurl.com/elhs. This allows you to 

sort by date, limit by news source or 

location, specify the date range, and 

easily modify your search in other 

ways. 

When typing a phrase into the 

search box, as with other search engines, 

you enclose the phrase in 

quotation marks. To save yourself 

keystrokes when there's no text following 

the phrase, omit the ending 

quotation mark. (Google will fill 

that in for you.) 

Google Maps (covered in Part 1) can 




WI-FI WIRELESS AND 

NETWORK AVAILABILITY (CONT.) 

pay services require some type of 

access code, they are slightly more 

secure than the free public sites, but 

are still usually accessible to a 

hacker with commonly available but 

illicit software. Again, it is a good 

practice not to type any sensitive 

personal information while on a 

publicly accessible wireless network. 

Some of the commercial hotspots 

offer “WEP”, or wireless encryption 

protocol, which makes it 

more difficult for unwelcome third 

parties to listen in on internet communications, 

but the methods for 

cracking WEP have been widely 

published, and are now only considered 

to provide marginal security. 

One warning about wireless internet 

access; it is illegal to access a wireless 

network without the consent of 

the owner, despite the fact that studies 

have indicated that about 80% of 

all private wireless networks, both 

workplace and home based, are not 

adequately protected, and can easily 

be picked up and accessed by anyone 

who wants access. A popular 

hacker method of gaining “free” 

broadband internet access is driving 

around town with a notebook computer 

with 802.11 hardware, and 

logging the wireless networks 

found, with those same networks 

often broadcasting the SSID necessary 

for access. This practice is 

called “wardriving”. In major cities, 

marks are drawn on sidewalks and 

the outside walls of buildings in a 

similar escapade, “warchalking” 

where SSID’s and other relevant 

information is written for all to see, 

and access. Locally, in a security 

demonstration, a security consultant 

drove around the business district of 

town, and logged hundreds of wire- 

less networks, 80% of which were 

easily accessible, as they were not 

properly secured. These included 

such sensitive locations as banks, 

law offices, retail stores, medical 

facilities, and other choice locations 

for hackers to penetrate. 

Use the Jwire sites to find wireless 

access, as I do, but be totally aware 

of the risk and security implications 

of broadcasting critical information. 

There are a variety of hardware and 

software utilities that can be utilized 

to harden wireless access, and some 

of those will be discussed in a future 

column. 










WELCOME 


New Members: 

Larry Sommars 

Jan Smith 

Renewals: 

Lonnie Bingham 

Frank Gesicki 

Diana Lejins 

~PAGE 8~ 

HOW SPAMMERS GET 

ADDRESSES (CONT.) 


Buying and stealing addresses 

Among spammers and e-mail address 

brokers, e-mail addresses are a 

traded and sold commodity. If you 

know where to look, you can purchase 

CDs and downloads containing 

e-mail addresses by the hundreds 

of thousands or millions. 

And of course, everyone has heard 

the stories of Web sites that collect 

your e-mail address and promise not 

to sell it (ha!). But they sell, trade, 

or give away e-mail addresses anyway, 

even when their privacy policy 

says they won't. A few high-profile 

companies have been prosecuted 

and/or fined for this practice. 

Business and service provider e-mail 

lists are also stolen and sold to 

spammers. In mid-2004, a former 

AOL employee was charged with 

stealing 90 million screen names 

and 30 million e-mail addresses 

from AOL and selling them to a 

spammer for $100,000. This is not 

an isolated case, but it is a noteworthy 

one because of the size of the 

heist. So much for privacy, eh? 

Listen to Dave’s Bits & Bytes radio 

show archives at 

www.davebytes.com; subscribe to 

his newsletter by sending an e-mail 

to dave_bytes@comcast.net. 











PRES. MSG. (Cont.) 


day sale. Because of this success, we 

have the means to continue with our 

community services benefiting local 

students, our Members, and other 

organizations as voted on by the 

Board. 

It is through the past combined efforts 

and generosity of our dedicated 

members that we were able to donate 

8 complete computer systems to 

special education schools students 

during the months of July and August. 

A new family to the Club, Karey & 

David Sharp sent a recommendation 

to sponsor a kid for a camp program. 

The Board agreed and we sent a donation 

of $250.00 for the “Send a 

Kid to Camp” through the California 

Community Foundation. 

I find tremendous pride in seeing the 

Members of this Club share with 

each other in their experiences and 

learning and give even more to the 

youth of our world that will become 

the leaders of tomorrow. 

Congratulations! It has been a great 

summer for the Club. Watch for new 

and exciting events on the way….. 


Betty 

SEARCH ENGINE TIPS PART 2 (CONT.) 


be re-centered by double-clicking, 

but more useful is the user's ability 

to drag the map area--thousands of 

miles if necessary! 

In using Google Local (also covered 

in Part 1), be sure to click on the 

links for the establishments of interest, 

to disclose useful data about 

them (which can vary considerably). 

Also: You can limit your Google 

Local searches as you please. For 

example, you might enter 

“restaurant inexpensive view,” to 

find a low-cost restaurant with a 

good view. 

Google's new My Search History 

will from any computer let you view 

by date or easily find anything 

you've ever searched for after signing 

up. Together with each of your 

past search queries you'll find the 

links you used from that search's 

results. (Cf. Yahoo's My Web, 

above.) For details, go to 

www.google.com/searchhistory/ 

help.html. 

Some of you who attempted to implement 

the minus sign as a stand-in 

for NOT, in accordance with the 

suggestion in Part 1, may have had a 

problem resulting from the line 

break in the printed article. This will 

be resolved if you make sure there's 

Beware - Do Not Call Registry 

~PAGE 9~ 

no space between the minus sign 

and the (following) search term to 

which it applies. 

I've been asked why in Part 1 I described 

how to use Google to find a 

business but not a residence. The 

answer is that the syntax for locating 

a residence is rather complicated. 

You'll find it at www.google.com/ 

help/features.html#wp. Three points, 

though: (1) The necessary elements 

must be typed in the order given. (2) 

Don't insert extra elements (like a 

street address, even if you know it). 

(3) In spite of what Google lays out, 

don't bother inserting commas between 

the elements. Note that both 

the business and residence search 

will include handy Google Maps 

links with your results. 





(http://theskillspool.org). 










Some folks are receiving emails telling them that the telemarketers will be calling their cell phones beginning 

September 1 st and they should call a 866 number to register their cell phone. THIS IS A SCAM. If your wish 

to register for the Do Not Call List, go to the National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov You may 

register up to three numbers at one time. An email address is required and you will receive an email back for 

each number with a link for you to click on to complete the registration. After 31 days, if you receive a telemarketer 

call (must be selling goods or services), you may file a complaint. For more information go to 

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/dncalrt.htm


















Discount box. 




























.Ask questions and get answers to 





your software! 

Movie Night: 

This month we will be starting 

something new where Members can 

watch a movie on our SIG Room 

projector. We. Will be selecting the 

movie at the September 14th Board 

Meeting so please come by and give 

us your suggestions. 

Linux: 

John Craig & Dick Wescott are doing 

this SIG to help learn the basics 

or troubleshoot any problems you 

may be having. IMPORTANT: This 

SIG starts @ 2:00 P.M. and runs till 



NORTON REVIEW 

(Cont.) 


retail price for Norton Internet Security 

2005 is $69.95 and $99.95 for 

Norton System Works Premier 

2005. Upgrades for current users 

will be available at a lower price. 

These products will offer award 

winning support and a 60-day 

money back guarantee. Watch for 

instant and mail-in rebates from local 

software vendors because they 

are commonly available for these 

types of products. In the past there 

have been rebates in the amounts 

that make the product actually free. 

A representative from Symantic is 

scheduled to speak at one of our upcoming 

general meetings, and any 

more specific questions regarding 

these two products could be answered 

at that time. 

~PAGE 10~ 

change. John 429-3351 or Dick 429- 

4382. 

Fourth Tuesday SIG: E-Mail 

Betty Colston facilitates. This month 

will be on E-Mail. 








BRING CANS 












to $17.91. 


IMPORTANT! 








91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 




PhotoShop Elements 3 

Until Wayne Miller returns, Nate Brightman 

will be helping Members with this exiting new 

variation. 











and can teach it to others. Our Photoshop 

SIG falls here. 






new information from others’ experiences. 

Our Linux SIG would fall into this category. 








Del Amo Ave. 



South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 

N 

I-605 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

~PAGE 11~ 

6 

13 

20 

27 

E-Mail 

September 

7 

14 

Board of 

Directors 

21 

General 

Meeting 

28 

Computer 

Help 

1 

Linux @ 2 

8 

Linux @ 2 

15 

Photo- 

Shop 

Elements 

Linux @ 2 

22 

Linux @ 2 

29 

Linux @ 2 

2 

9 

16 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

23 

30 

Movie 

Night 

Cartoon 

Festival 


1 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

October 

5 

12 

Board of 

Directors 

19 

General 

Meeting 

6 

Linux @ 2 

13 

Photo- 

Shop 

Elements 

Linux @ 2 

20 

Linux @ 2 

26 27 


Help 

7 

14 

21 

Friday 

Social & 

Computer 

Help 

28 

3 

10 

17 

24 

8 

15 

22 

29



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Please list the most beneficial acticle in the August Newsletter 

_____________________________________________________ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to September General Meeting 


A $10.00 Value

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group October, 2005 

Interface 






October, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 8 Price $2.75 

OCT. MEETING 

Dave Whittle from Intel joins us in 

October for an update on the latest 

Intel developments and others interesting 

topics. Dave was a presenter 

at the San Diego Users Group Conference 

in August where Intel was a 

Sponsor (see pg. 3 for more details). 


begins continues from September 

with the photo software and the 

power tape measure not claimed. 

Steve Kreischer’s number was in the 

September Newsletter. 

We will add another item for the October 

meeting. Be sure to look for 

the Member number published 

somewhere in this newsletter. Your 




Digital Home Plus Intel .............3 


Secure Password Practices.........4 

Silent Computer Attack .............5 

Copying Files a New Computer.6 

Bonus Article .............................7 


Raffle Winners for August.........9 

Raffle Winners for September ...9 

Raffle Items................................9 

SIG Equipment Sale...................9 

Bring Cans ...............................10 


SIG Room Closing...................11 


Our members generously donated to 

the “help the hurricane victims 

fund” with donations of $175.00 to 

add to the club’s donation of $500. 

Nate Brightman, a 30 year member 

of the American Red Cross will represent 

the club in presenting a check 

from the Long Beach IBM Users 

Group to the American Red Cross. 

Approximately 40 members attended 

the educational presentation 

by John Upton from E-Waste. His 

presentation was informative, detailed 

and yet to the point. John, 

along with his partner arrived in the 

E-waste truck. Several members 

placed their discarded electronics in 

the truck before the meeting started 

and during the break. 

Joe Frances showed a video had prepared 

for our enlightenment of the 

SIG’s in process that he put together 

with a software product called Neo 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

Are you benefiting by your Membership 

in the Club? Long Beach 

IBM Users’ Group has been in existence 

for more than 20 years. In the 

early years, when a Member purchased 

a new computer, they needed 

help to set it up. 

Today, buying a new computer and 

set up is often just color coded. You 

plug the blue into the blue, the yellow 

into the yellow and the green 

into the green, turn it on, and start 

entering data or reading email. 



October 12:.................................................Intel featuring Dave Whittle 

November 16: .............................................................................Symantec 

December 21:................................................................... Holiday Special 

January 18:............................................................................... Genealogy 

February 15:........Member Mitchel Chesney for BYO Intel Computer 





















.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 





curtis1@msn.com ...................... NA 





Volunteers 





OCT. MEETING (Cont.) 


Membership number is located on 

your badge and any notice you receive 

from the Club by e-mail. 


for more info, last minutes changes, 


Coming Soon: 

• Sale of computers and 

other items from the SIG 

Room, Saturday October 

22 from Noon till 5:00pm. 

• Symantec Presentation for 

the November General 

Meeting. 

• Our famous Holiday Special 

in December - YOU 

could be our Big Winner! 

• Build Your Own Intel 

Computer in February 

(contact Mitchel Chesney 

for details and to order 

your BYO from PC Club). 


for more info, last minutes changes 


WHAT YOU MISSED 


(CONT.) 

Book. He even added music. Members 

were entertained before the 

meeting began and Joe shared more 

neat uses of the software at the end 

of the meeting. 

The question and answer session 

stimulated a lively discussion 

amongst the Members. 

See you at the October 21st General 

Meeting. 

~PAGE 2~ 


























































ENJOY WHITTLE’S PICKS FOR THE DIGITAL HOME PLUS INTEL 

Are you enjoying the digital revolution that is transforming 

your home? In the ideal digital home, PCs and consumer 

electronic devices are not only protected against 

Internet security threats, but work together to deliver 

digital media such as pictures and video and music to the 

parts of your home where you want it. Enabled by innovation's 

rapid pace, you can reinvent your lifestyle, waste 

less time, and have more fun. The possibilities for managing 

your own digital and enjoying content digital entertainment 

are more engaging than ever before. On Intel 

based systems, you can now take pictures and videos 

with digital cameras and camcorders, add your choice of 

background music, and just a few moments later share 

them with family and Friends via e mail or CD or even 

by DVD, displayed on our television sets in "home theaters." 

This month LBIBMUG is hosting a presentation by 

David B. Whittle, author of "Cyberspace: The Human 

Dimension" and named by Working Woman Magazine 

as "one of Americas most original technological thinkers." 

Dave's been a leader in the PC revolution since 

1979, and an opinion leader in the PC industry since his 

days as OS/2 Evangelist at IBM in the early '90s. Most 

recently, he's been writing for Smart Computing. Now 

he's bringing to you his favorite discoveries from recent 

trade shows in order to show new products that open up 

new horizons of possibility or solve problems you might 

be facing. 

Would you like a brief took at the latest hardware and 

software technologies available for the digital home? Are 

you looking for a new laptop but don't know what to look 

for? Interested in building your own PC? Would you like 

to have software that takes your digital photos and video 

footage and almost magically transforms it into a movie 

on DVD or CD that is a surprising delight to watch? Do 

you want to easily but dramatically show all of the digital 

photos in any given folder while the song of your choice 

plays in the background? Ever wish you could rise above 

ordinary flat snapshots of those special places you visit 

and have an immersive, 3 dimensional picture of the 

place so you can revisit the scene looking in any direction? 

Most importantly, do you ever feel as if there is 

more to know about Internet security than you're being 

told? Are you tired of being your own Internet security 

expert? Would you be interested in a service that brings, 

for a very reasonable monthly fee, comprehensive Internet 

security to your PC and peace of mind to you? If you 

answered yes to any of these questions, then you won't 

~PAGE 3~ 

want to miss Dave Whittle's presentation at our next 

monthly meeting! 

Dave will introduce some of his favorite technologies, 

products, and services that solve real problems for real 

people and can help make life a little bit or a lot better 

for each of US. "Whittle's Picks" are hidden gems from 

companies large and small, old and new, with outstanding, 

innovative offerings including Intel 

(www.intel.com), muvee Technologies 



Financial Report Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, 2005 






Income 

$6,310.19 







Total Income 

Expenses 

$710.20 


Contributions/Scholarships $675.00 

Administrative Supplies $11.00 

Member Give A Ways $85.01 


Total Expenses $1,188.07 







THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS 

TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR 

THE HURRICANE VICTIMS


By Gabe Goldberg, 

APCUG Advisor and Columnist, 

AARP Computers and Technology 

Website 

Simple Password Practices Keep 

PC and Online Data Secure 

Password dilemma: We can't live an 

online life without them, but if 

they're too numerous to remember, 

they encourage unsafe practices. 

What to do? 

First, basics. A password is just the 

key that opens a computer lock. It 

may gain access to a newspaper's 

online edition, protect banking records, 

let you bid on auctions, open 

a frequent-flyer account, or do anything 

requiring verified identity. 

Some Web sites assign passwords; 

most allow choosing them. Rules for 

selecting passwords are easy to find 

but are often impractical. Don't use 

easily guessed familiar names or 

words; use letters and numbers and 

special characters? OK. Avoid anything 

related to facts about yourself? 

Makes sense. Don't share passwords 

with anyone? Good advice. Change 

passwords periodically? Oops, it's a 

memory test 

[http://www.evalu8.org/staticpage? 

page=review&siteid=8906]. Use 

unique passwords everywhere? Hm, 

that takes a *lot* of passwords. 

Don't write them down or store them 

in a computer file? Tilt! 

Maintaining passwords is a nuisance. 

So some people use one password 

for everything -- a bad idea, 

since sharing or compromising one 

access opens them all. Password hierarchies 

are common: use one password 

for financial matters, another 

for commerce, and one for trivials 

SIMPLE, SECURE PASSWORD PRACTICES 

revealing your sensitive e-mail/ 

password combination to junk Web 

sites. 

But don't use a common password 

for all e-commerce sites 

(amazon.com, buy.com, etc.) since 

they're occasionally hacked. And 

treat sites like PayPal as financial 

rather than e-commerce. And don't 

just guess which password you used 

on a site; some sites lock accounts 

after just a few failed logins. 

As passwords proliferate, it's common 

to store them in a computer 

file. And having too many siteassigned 

passwords guarantees the 

need to record them. But please, 

So some people use 

one password for 

everything -- a bad 

idea. 

don't call the file "passwords.txt" 

and don't use the word "password" 

in it. The paranoid and geeky encrypt 

such files, but that risks losing 

the file by forgetting the encryption 

key. 

You can print and save registration 

pages, but that leads to bulky files, 

cumbersome to search and requiring 

updating. Some people use an address 

book or print lists of sites and 

accounts, then handwrite passwords. 

But that still needs updating, and 

can be lost, destroyed, or found by 

someone untrustworthy. 

If you have multiple email addresses, 

note which you use on a 

given site, since that's often the key 

for logging in or receiving password 

reminders. 

such as newspaper sites. That avoids Progressive Prize #10844 

~PAGE 4~ 

Hackers use special software to attack 

logins, applying dictionary 

word lists and other guessing techniques. 

Passwords are described as 

"strong" (hard to crack) if they have 

at least eight characters, include upper/lower 

case and punctuation characters 

and at least one digit. So even 

if you use a memory aid for remembering 

passwords -- such as words 

from a poem -- convert them to 

strong passwords in a way that only 

you 

will know. 

High-tech devices can add security, 

but they're usually used only in business 

settings; they include biometric 

devices which check fingerprints or 

eye structure and random logon-key 

generators. 

Software password managers are 

more practical. These record and 

secure passwords and then auto-fill 

online logins. Good ones offer a 

"don't remember/don't ask" option to 

avoid recording info about sensitive 

sites. Encryption is desirable but not 

mandatory; it should be possible to 

secure the password manager itself 

with a master password. 

Many managers are free, some are 

bought, and common software such 

as Web browsers and e-mail clients 

often includes it. Google returns 

many hits related to "password manager" 

and classy software site Tucows 

[www.tucows.com] numbers 

300 such tools. Before installing 

one, make sure it supports your software 

applications, especially if 

they're non-Microsoft. 

Many people don't secure home 

computers -- but consider cleaners, 

workers, friends wandering through, 

perhaps even having permission to 



ANOTHER SILENT ATTACK ON OUR COMPUTERS 


Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, 

Texas’ Radio Show Host; 

Police Officer 

WEBSITES: 

http://research.microsoft.com/rootkit 

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/ 

freeware/rootkitreveal.shtml 

http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight 

http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/ 

rootkit.shtml 

At the recent computer security 

symposium in Corpus Christi, one of 

the speakers mentioned something 

that I was vaguely aware of as a 

threat. The threat is considered as a 

silent attempt to invade our computers 

for the purposes of installing 

viruses, Trojans, worms, or other 

malware devices. This silent threat 

may be used by terrorists to launch a 

coordinated attack on our infrastructure, 

steal our personal information, 

or otherwise wreak havoc. So insidious 

is this threat that it would sound 

like the content of an urban legend, 

yet it is documented as real. Imagine 

a threat that would be undetected by 

the current antivirus, firewall, and 

anti-spyware software, yet be so 

powerful as to effectively take over 

our computers, without our knowledge. 

This threat, formerly considered 

solely as an unproven concept, 

is now known to be real. This threat 

is also now implicated in taking over 

countless computers. This contemporary 

threat is known by the innocuous 

term “Rootkit”. 

A rootkit is defined on the Sysinternals 

website as, “ … the mechanisms 

and techniques whereby malware, 

including viruses, spyware, 

and trojans, attempt to hide their 

presence from spyware blockers, 

antivirus, and system management 

utilities. There are several rootkit 

classifications depending on 

whether the malware survives reboot 

and whether it executes in user 

mode or kernel mode.” The security 

software company F-Secure expands 

the definition with, “Rootkits for 

Windows work in a different way 

and are typically used to hide malicious 

software from for example an 

antivirus scanner. Rootkits are typically 

not malicious by themselves 

but are used for malicious purposes 

by viruses, worms, backdoors and 

spyware. A virus combined with a 

rootkit produces what was known as 

full stealth viruses in the MS-DOS 

environment.” 

Microsoft, and others, 

have acknowledged 

the threat and 

are now beginning to 

produce software 

that can detect and 

destroy the rootkits 

on our computers. 

Because rootkits are currently very 

effective at hiding malware from our 

antivirus and anti-spyware scanners, 

it is quite possible or even probable 

that our computers are infected, despite 

repeated scans with properly 

updated software. 

Microsoft, and other vendors, have 

acknowledged the threat and are 

now beginning to produce software 

that can detect and destroy the rootkits 

on our computers. The software 

is still in its infancy, and lacks the 

ease of use, automation, and attractive 

graphical interfaces that we are 

used to with our antivirus software. 

It is inevitable that as word of the 

~PAGE 5~ 

rootkit threat spreads, and more 

computers are identified as having 

stealthy rootkits hiding viruses and 

other threats, that the small current 

crop of rootkit detecting software 

will improve, and other competitors, 

probably the major antivirus vendors, 

will join the fight. If rootkit 

technology continues to spread, the 

current crop of generally excellent 

computer security suites from the 

likes of Symantec (Norton), 

McAfee, Panda, TrendMicro, and 

others will be forced to add rootkit 

protection to their respective suites, 

or face competitive obsolescence. 

Fortunately for us, there are a few 

rootkit detectors already available, 

mostly for free! This first generation 

of products still needs much refining 

to enable the average person to scan 

for rootkits with ease, but they are 

still a very good first step. There are 

a few rootkit detectors available 

which are currently free. One 

“RootkitRevealer” is from a company 

known for its excellent and 

often free software, Sysinternals. 

This software uses a patent-pending 

technology to detect rootkits, and is 

currently available for download at 

www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/ 

freeware/rootkitreveal.shtml. RootkitRevealer 

will run on almost any 

Microsoft operating system, NT4 

and later, which includes Windows 

2000, and XP. 

Another rootkit detector is from F- 

Secure, a well-known computer security 

company headquartered in 

Finland, with offices in the US and 

elsewhere. F-Secure’s product is 

“Blacklight”, available as a free beta 

(pre-release) version until July 1. 

Blacklight can be downloaded at 

www.f-secure.com/blacklight. 



By Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D., 

Sarasota PCUG, Florida 

www.spcug.org 

Why Can’t I Just Copy My Programs 

to My New Computer? 

Let’s start this with a discussion of 

imaging software. Something that 

many of us use to backup our hard 

drives. Imaging software makes a 

very complete “bit-mapped” copy of 

your hard drive. Bit-mapping means 

that everything contained on the 

hard drive is being copied, usually to 

a compressed file. Generally, imaging 

software also backs up open 

files, those that are currently in use 

on your computer. Most, but not all, 

regular backup software can only 

make copies of files that are not in 

use at the time of the backup. Thus it 

is very easy for a standard backup to 

miss some files or to produce a 

backup of your hard drive that is incomplete, 

especially with regard to 

files currently in use by your Operating 

System (OS). Imaging software 

overcomes this problem. 

So when you buy, build or upgrade 

to a new computer, why can’t you 

simply use your image file to transfer 

all of your programs and data 

from one computer to another? The 

basic answer is related to the difference 

in hardware between the two 

computers. If you are just replacing 

a hard drive in your computer, you 

can use the image file to move everything 

to the new drive. Some imaging 

software allows you to 

“clone” the old hard drive to a new 

drive. That is, providing both drives 

are connected to the same computer. 

However, when you change to a new 

computer with a new motherboard, 

CPU, chipset, USB ports, sound and/ 

or integrated video are different and 

require new drivers. 

The image file contains a complete 

COPYING FILES TO THAT NEW COMPUTER 

copy of the Registry that has all the 

settings needed to connect to your 

hardware. It also has all the settings 

for the software installed on your 

hard drive. These settings are references 

to the files on your hard drive 

that are absolutely essential for the 

proper operation of both hardware 

and software. On Windows versions 

prior to WinXP/Win2K, the registry 

was contained in two files: system.dat 

and user.dat. In Windows 

XP this has changed greatly. The 

So when you buy, 

build or upgrade to 

a new computer, 

why can’t you simply 

use your image 

file to transfer all of 

your programs and 

data from one computer 

to another? 

registry is now found in files in hidden 

folders within the System32 

folder and the Documents & Settings 

Folder. Presumably this is to 

prevent users from deleting vital 

files. You can examine the Registry 

by running “regedit”. However, it is 

not advisable to make changes to the 

Registry unless you are a very experienced 

user. It is quite easy to 

corrupt the Registry and find that 

your computer will not run. 

The Registry has five main branches 

in WinXP/Win2K. In earlier versions 

there were six. These are identified 

as keys. The most important 

are HKEY_ CLASSES_ROOT 

which has all the file types used by 

your software; HKEY_ LO- 

CAL_MACHINE which contains all 

~PAGE 6~ 

the information on the hardware and 

software in your computer. 

So if you used the image file to 

transfer everything from your old 

computer to your new computer you 

would overwrite the Registry settings 

for the hardware and preinstalled 

software on your new computer. 

This would very likely prevent 

it from completing a boot-up. It 

is really not practical to try to selectively 

transfer items from the Registry 

on the old computer. This would 

introduce other problems. I did a 

search in the registry for items related 

to one application. The search 

found 128 entries. This may not 

have been all of them. Considering 

the number of programs you might 

have on your hard drive, the total 

number of entries to be transferred is 

mind-boggling. 

Another example, the Windows 

folder contains many Dynamic Link 

Library (DLL) files that are associated 

with the particular version of 

Windows you have been running. 

There are also many shared DLL’s 

used by Windows and your application 

software. How do you know 

which ones should be transferred 

and which ones will create problems 

with your new OS or your new software. 

Finally, the motherboard, 

chipset and CPU in your new computer 

require driver files that are 

specific to them and very likely are 

quite different from the drivers used 

on your old computer. 

Faced with this problem, what do 

you do? The most commonly used 

solution is to dig out all the original 

disks for your application software. 

Find the serial numbers and/or other 

information needed to do a new installation 

on your new computer. 



COPYING FILES TO THAT NEW COMPUTER (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 6) tings, etc between your old and new 

Once you have the programs installed 

you can transfer the data files 

for each application. This gives you 

a clean install for your software and, 

if the programs are compatible with 

the new OS, you will have no problem 

running your applications. 

This, however, can be a long and 

tedious process. Also, what happens 

when you can’t find the original program 

discs? Maybe it was download 

and you didn’t keep the install file or 

make a copy of it. Or maybe you 

can’t find the serial numbers you 

need to install some of your programs. 

Then you have to ask the 

software manufacturer for help, providing 

you registered the software 

when you first installed it. There is 

another option. 

I got into all this because I have just 

built a new computer and needed to 

transfer all, or most all, of my software 

to a new computer. I had used 

two different transfer programs in 

past upgrades and found them to be 

somewhat lacking in both accuracy 

and speed. Since my new computer 

is running Window XP Pro I also 

looked at the “Transfer Files & Setting” 

Wizard. This transfers the 

Internet browser and e-mail settings 

between the two computers, providing 

you are using Internet Explorer 

and Outlook or Outlook Express. It 

will also transfer the contents of 

your “My Documents” folder. It will 

not transfer any applications. For me 

this was useless, since I don’t use IE 

or OE. 

In my searching for possible solutions 

I found a program called 

“Move-Me” from Spearit Software. 

It is the first transfer program I’ve 

found that uses network connections 

to move programs, data files, set- 

computers. It can also use the USB 

ports or the parallel ports. These are 

much slower than a LAN connection. 

Move-Me also works with removable 

media that can be read by 

both computers. Now before you get 

too excited, this is not a free program. 

It will cost you $39.95 for the 

Internet download version. You can 

download a trial version that has all 

the information and help files. It just 

will not do any transfer until you 

enter the serial number. That you get 

only after paying for it. The only 

thing that makes me nervous about 

the whole process is that you have to 

turn off your software firewall and 

virus checker during the serial number 

validation process. This validation 

requires that you be connected 

to the Internet. In my case I still had 

a hardware firewall in my router, but 

that’s not always sufficient protection. 

But I went ahead and ran the 

software. (You know the saying 

“Fools rush in……) 

Yes, it did work, but with some 

glitches. First let me say it transferred 

over 12 gigabytes of programs 

and data from the old to the 

new in just over 1.5 hours. Now that 

is a definite time saving. I had estimated 

it would take me more than a 

day to reinstall all my software and 

move the data files. Only a couple of 

applications and my external devices 

needed to be reinstalled after the 

move. By that I mean printers, scanner 

and external drive. The big exception 

was the Bookmarks for Firefox 

and the e-mail address book and 

mail settings for Thunderbird. Those 

I had to transfer manually. Once I 

found the instructions on the 

Mozilla websites, the setup went 

quickly. 

The point of all this is, if you buy a 

~PAGE 7~ 

new computer, try to get the dealer 

to transfer your old software as part 

of the deal. If you do it yourself, a 

file copy won’t work. You need special 

transfer software like Move-me 

or Aloha Bob’s PC Relocator. However, 

if you don’t have a LAN connection 

between your computers, 

expect to spend 1 hour per gigabyte 

for a USB 2.0 transfer and much, 

much more time with a parallel port 

transfer. 

Dr. Lewis is a former university & 

medical school professor. He has 

been working with personal computers 

for more than thirty years. He 

can be reached via e-mail: bwsail at 

yahoo.com. 










BONUS ARTICLE 

I came across a great article in the 

October 8th Independent Press Telegram 

on Flash Drives that I thought 

Members may have missed and 

wanted to reprint it in the Interface. 

Unfortunately, the Associated Press 

must charge for reprint rights, 

(which was $300.00 in this case) but 

they do allow a link to the article for 

free so you can click on the link below. 

The article is called Flash 

drives make any computer 

“personal”. By Brian Bergstein. 

Enjoy! 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/ 

V/VIRTUAL_DESKTOPS? 

SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME 

&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



SIMPLE, SECURE PASSWORD 

use the computer. Suddenly security 

becomes more appealing. If you 

handle money online, check banking/financial 

sites occasionally for 

unauthorized transactions. 

Remember that you may occasionally 

need access to secure sites while 

away from your computer. You can 

copy passwords to a thumbdrive or 

PDA or simply print them, but remember 

that they're powerful keys 

and must be protected. Before traveling, 

check your passwords so 

you're not surprised on the road. If 

you leave your computer running, 

you can access it remotely via tools 

such as GoToMyPC. 

On business-owned PCs, separate 

personal from work-related material. 

Determine whether your office has 

policies for personal computer use 

and monitoring of computer activity. 

Some businesses install keystroke 

loggers which can capture passwords 

before they're encrypted. And 

remember that system administrators 

can often defeat security measures 

as part of their job, so you may 

not want to store sensitive personal 

material at work. 

Work and home PCs both need disaster 

preparation, so family members 

or colleagues can access what's 

needed in an emergency. Workrelated 

passwords and instructions 

can be stored securely so they're 

available but can't be secretly used. 

For home computers and facilities 

such as e-mail and finance, remember 

that many ISPs and companies 

have privacy policies prohibiting 

revealing information to family 

members, even in cases of illness or 

PRACTICES (CONT.) 

death. Instructions and important 

passwords should be stored with essential 

family records. Note that 

changing situations may require special 

care -- for example, a divorce 

might motivate tight security. 



Web site, [www.aarp.org/ 

computers]. (c) AARP 2004/2005. 

Permission is granted for reprinting 

and distribution by non-profit organizations 

with text reproduced 

unchanged and this paragraph included. 

Please e-mail the author, 

Gabe Goldberg, at 

[gabe@gabegold.com] when you 

print or post it. 










WELCOME 


New Members: 

Barry Jackson 

Renewals: 

Robert Briggs 

John Killian 

Wesley Peck 

Fred Sparrevohn 

~PAGE 8~ 

SILENT COMPUTER 

ATTACK (CONT.) 


I have recently tried both products, 

and I personally found Blacklight 

the easier to use. It seemed effective 

at detecting and eliminating rootkits. 

Microsoft will shortly be making 

available its rootkit detector, the 

“Strider GhostBuster”, details at research.microsoft.com/rootkit. 

Persons unknown who wish to do us 

harm, either at a personal level such 

as stealing our account information 

and committing the crime of identity 

theft, or the impersonal level, such 

as cyber terrorists intent on shutting 

down our critical infrastructure, may 

use the rootkit technology to bypass 

our otherwise necessary defenses. 

Until such time as the integrated 

computer security suites catch up 

with this threat, I will now have to 

add a rootkit detector to my recommended 

list of essential computer 

security utilities, alongside antivirus 

software, a good firewall, and a spyware 

detector. It is also imperative 

that all four of these utilities be frequently 

updated to ensure a reasonable 

degree of personal security. We 

will also have to add rootkits to our 

vernacular of cyber threats, along 

with the now ubiquitous terms 

“virus”, “spyware”, and “hacker”. I 

shudder to wonder what may be 

coming down the pike next. 











PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE (CONT.) 


While this simpler set up has made it 

possible for even the total novice to 

set up a new computer, it has 

changed the need for the Users 

Group to assist. In today’s market 

we look for new ways to provide 

benefits to our Members. We ask for 

your input, suggestions, and comments. 

Some of the results are the photo 

shop SIG which has been so well 

attended by many of our members 

under Wayne Millers leadership. 

During Wayne’s absence, Nate 

Brightman (a retired professional 

photographer) will continue the 

photo shop SIG using a software tutorial 

for PhotoShop Elements. 

In response to the request for an email 

class, the SIG started on the 

27th and will continue as long as we 

have interested Members. 

Your suggestions are welcomed. If 

you have a need that you think the 

club can supply help, instruction, or 

mentoring, please let us know. We 

are searching for more ways to make 

available benefits to enhance your 

computer knowledge and use. 


Betty 

RAFFLE WINNERS FOR AUGUST 

12 in 1 Flash Memory Card Reader.......................................Robert Briggs 

Crazy Talk (Add voice to digital pictures) .......................... Don Berryman 

Creative Toolkit 3 CD Set .............................................. Don Chorpenning 

Discover the World 3 CD Set .............................................. Don Berryman 

Linux Desktop Garage (Book & CD)............................... Mitchel Chesney 

Pixifun Photo Key Ring Kit..................................................... Terri Epport 

Stainless Steel Swiss Knife....................................................Robert Briggs 


Sony 256 USB Flash Drive ...............Mitchel Chesney 

RAFFLE WINNERS FOR SEPTEMBER 

3 Digital Photo CDs....................................................................Art Borges 

Insulated Drink Holder ............................................................... Fred Waid 

Large T-Shirt ...................................................................... Wally Rothbart 

Microsoft Works 7.0.........................................................Mitchel Chesney 

PHP-NUKE Garage (Book)....................................................... Joe Francis 

Portable LED Book Light..........................................E.C. Van Der Eecken 

StudioLine Photo 2 ....................................................E.C. Van Der Eecken 


100 Blank CD-R Disks............................. John Killian 

SIG Equipment Sale! 

As many Members are now aware, we will no longer have access to our longtime 

SIG Room facilities at Trinity United Methodist Church on South Street. 

We will be selling much of the SIG Room equipment on Saturday, October 22nd 

since we have nowhere to store them. The money collected will help us to 

purchase more modern equipment when a new SIG venue can be located. 

~PAGE 9~ 

RAFFLE ITEMS 



5-in-1 Casino Game / Calculator 

5 Pack Push-out DVD Box 

Home Networking Annoyances (Book) 

Discover the World 3 CD SetInsulated Drink Holder 

Money Matters 3 CD Set 

Portable LED Book Light 

Tool Kit 


PNY 256 USB Flash Drive


















Discount box. 


























DIGITAL HOME PLUS INTEL (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 3) battery life. 

(www.muvee.com), 3D Album 

(www.3D Album.com), iSeeMedia 

(www.iseemedia.com), and the Invisus 

PC Security Solution (http:// 

myinvisusdirect.com/usergroups). 

See exciting new possibilities from 

these companies and learn how the 

digital revolution can enhance your 

life. You will come away from this 

meeting entertained and informed. 

Dave will provide time for questions 

and will bring valuable door prizes, 

informative handouts, and actual 

product for sale at significantly discounted 

prices arranged exclusively 

for user groups. If you'd like to take 

advantage of these special prices at 

the meeting and take product home 

with you, remember to bring cash, 

check, or a credit card. See you 

then! 

INTEL 

The Intel Centrino mobile technology 

brand is your assurance that 

you're using innovative and reliable 

technology to deliver those benefits 

most prized by mobile professionals: 

breakthrough mobile performance 

and battery life, thinner, lighter, 

cooler designs, and integrated wireless 

LAN (Local Area Network) 

connections. With Intel Centrino 

mobile technology, you don't need 

to study a technical manual or bring 

along special equipment to connect. 

That's because Intel is working with 

hardware and software developers 

and wireless service providers with 

the goal of delivering an integrated 

wireless mobile computing experience. 

Intel has expanded its history 

of innovation with new notebook 

capabilities designed specifically for 

the mobile world. Now you can 

work, play and connect without 

wires. And choose from a whole 

new generation of thin, light notebooks 

designed to enable extended 

~PAGE 10~ 

Intel Hyper Threading Technology 

enables desktop systems with the 

right processor, motherboard, BIOS, 

and operating system to deliver 

many of the benefits of having two 

processors in your computer including 

smoother multi-tasking performance 

for many of today's demanding 

digital home applications. 

And, if you're looking to Build Your 

Own PC, visit us in February and 

find out how Intel can help! 

BRING CANS 












to $74.76. 


IMPORTANT! 








SIG Room Closing 

• Our long time use of the Trinity United Methodist room for our SIG room comes to an end (see their letter below). 

• Trinity has noticed us that we have to be out of the room by the 30th of November. 

• If anyone knows of another location that could be used for our SIG room, please contact Betty Colston. 

• While searching for a new location, we may hold some SIG’s in Members homes as we have in years past. 

• Pay very close attention to the calendar, which will show the remaining SIG activities for October and through the 

Board Meeting on the 9th of November at the Trinity location. 

• I want to assure you that computer help from Club Leaders will still be available in the interim by e-mail and telephone. 

~PAGE 11~



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 








Make checks or MO payable to LBIBMUG. 


For Membership payment only, please address to: 









Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 




91 Fwy. 

Artesia Bl. 

Parking 

SIG Room 

Del Amo Ave. 

SIG Sale Meeting Map 


South Street 

Ocana Ave. 

Woodruff Ave. 





Please write in a topic you would like to learn more about 

_____________________________________________________ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to October General Meeting 


A $10.00 Value 

N 

I-605

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group November, 2005 

Interface 






November, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 11 Price $2.75 

NOVEMBER 

MEETING 


continues from October with the 

photo software, a 16ft power tape 

measure and a package of 52 HP 

recordable CD’s were not claimed 

and an additional item to be added 

for November. Be sure to look for 

the member number published 

somewhere in this newsletter. You 

membership number is located on 


from the club by e-mail. 

Symantec has just informed us they 

will not have a Speaker available for 

November but will work with Art 

Borges on a date for early 2006. Instead, 

we will put on an in-house 

presentation on the new DSL Service 

available at the Meeting Hall 




Member Benefits........................2 

The Missing Part of Upgrades ...3 

Financial Report ........................3 

New Spyware Warnings ............4 

Thanking User Group Leaders...5 

29 Useful Bookmarks ................6 

How To Print Screen Shots....... 8 

Welcome Members ..................10 

Raffle Winners for September .11 

Raffle Items..............................11 

Bring Cans ...............................11 


Two Guests attended with thirtyeight 

Members for the October presentation 

by Dave Whittle representing 

Intel. We watched a video defining 

the new dual core processing 

that is the latest and greatest from 

Intel. It also compared some of the 

differences that allow it to perform 

faster than hyper-threading. The 

technology continues to exceed itself 

faster than the average person 

can learn about the newest equipment. 

The video helped to clarify 

the inner workings of both hyperthreading 

and dual core processing. 

Dave introduced the Members to 

three photo software products: 

The first was ‘muvee auto Producer’ 

for editing photos and grouping 

them into what appears to almost be 

a video from still photos. 

The second was IcSeeMedia 

PhotoVista Panorama 3.5 software 

~PAGE 1~ 


PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 


President 




T h e P r e s 

says…….. 

The long used SIG room has come 

to an end. We have emptied the 

room and sold most of the equipment 

to raise funds to purchase a 

new computer or laptop that will 

better meet the needs of the Club for 

the changes needed in the manner in 

which we provide SIG room services 

to the Members. 

We extend heartfelt thanks to the 

Trinity United Methodist Church for 

allowing us to use space for our SIG 

room and their lawn for our Annual 



November 16: .................................................. Member Demonstrations 


January 18:............................................................................... Genealogy 

February 15:........Member Mitchel Chesney for BYO Intel Computer 





















.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 





cutis1@msn.com ....................... NA 





Volunteers 







User Group Members: 














Discount box. 













T e c h S m i t h - w e b s i t e 


A c t u a l T o o l s - w e b s i t e 











~PAGE 2~ 


























































CABLES: THE MISSING PART OF UPGRADES 

By Timothy Everingham, TUGNET, Granada Hills 

CA 


teveringham@acm.org 

When you are in the process of building a new computer 

or upgrading one; you may just think you have to only 

buy the component parts such as CPU, motherboard, 

case, power supply, RAM, video card, hard drives, and 

CD/DVD player or writer. However, what a lot of people 

don't think about are the cables to connect all of these 

together. Many people have gone to the computer store 

or swap meet and when they get to install a part they realize 

they don't have the cable or adapter needed and 

have to take the time to go out again to buy it. Thinking 

through your computer purchase cabling needs before 

you leave home, or at least before you leave the computer 

store, can save you the hassle and time of making 

that additional trip. If you have to order from a catalog 

and have it shipped to you days may be lost before you 

can complete your installation. 

These days motherboards do come with a lot of cables, 

but are they the right ones for your application and are 

there enough of them? We are in a transition from the 

EIDE interface for hard drives and CD/DVD players and 

writers to the SATA interface. With EIDE cables you 

have up to two drives on a parallel cable that are flat ribbons 

or twisted into a round cable; but SATA drives are 

connected via thin serial cables that have one for each 

drive connecting directly to the drive controller, usually 

on the motherboard. If you have a floppy drive you will 

need a cable for that too. So far I have only been talking 

about data cables, not power cables. SATA drives also 

have different power cables than EIDE drives. Also CD/ 

DVD players and writers some times have different 

power connectors than EIDE hard drives, sometimes using 

a floppy drive type power connector. Also, if you 

have a mid to high level 3D video card you may have to 

plug in one or two power connectors because they need 

more power than what they can get from the motherboard, 

and the power connectors for PCI Express video 

cards are different than those for AGP video cards (There 

are two different type of connectors for AGP cards too). 

Then there are the different connectors for case fans. 

Also a lot of newer motherboards are connected to the 

power supply via a 24 

pin connector instead of the more traditional 20 pin. 

Some 24 pin motherboards can have you just plug in a 20 

~PAGE 3~ 

pin plug, but others do not recommend that. Then of 

course we get into the audio cables for your CD/DVD 

player/writer to plug into the sound card or sound circuit 

on the motherboard. You also may need USB or Firewire 

(IEEE 1394) cables for within the case to get them 

from the motherboard to the sockets or external ones to 

get them out to your devices. 

So how do you find out what cables you need? If possible 

you can look at the parts themselves or the box they 

come in. There is the visual of the connectors and information 

on the part or box about what the part needs. Be 

wary however on just taking it from the visuals. Some 

cables that have the same type of connectors at their 

ends are rated differently on speed or other factors. An 

example of this is EIDE data cables. Typical rating for 

Happy Thanksgiving 



Financial Report October 1 through October 31, 2005 





Prior Month Expense -$62.12 


Income 





Special Event Sales (SIG Room Equipment Sales)$270.00 


Expenses 


Member Give A Ways (19" Flat Pnl. Mon.) $316.59 










Linda Gonse, ORCOPUG 

(Orange County IBM PC Users’ 

Group) Nibbles & Bits editor 

editor@orcopug.org 

www.orcopug.org 

If you read my past Notepad articles, 

you know how I feel about spyware. 

This month, I was reading a paid 

online newsletter by Brian 

Livingston, when I ran across an article 

which is excerpted below. 

This news is really outrageous. Consumers 

actually seem only to be 

pawns in this spyware assault that 

benefits those who have committed 

themselves to making profits using 

unethical methods. 

I’d like to enlist the aid of other 

newsletter editors and newsletter 

columnists, to alert members and 

others to this insidious menace. We 

shouldn’t “get used” to it. And, we 

shouldn’t be silent about it. We deserve 

better. In fact, as citizens, we 

should protest this blatant invasion 

of our privacy, and the vandalism of 

our personal property. 

Update Windows Media 

Player to avoid surprises 

Late in 2004, computer experts noticed 

that a popular Windows Media 

Player video file was actually a silent 

delivery mechanism infecting 

millions of PC users with spyware. 

On Jan. 3, 2005, security researcher 

B e n E d e l m a n , 

www.benedelman.org/news/010205- 

1.html, revealed what was happening 

to people who played this video 

file in WMP. After clicking the OK 

button on a single, legitimatelooking 

“browser update” dialog 

box, “My computer quickly became 

contaminated with the most spyware 

NEW WARNINGS ABOUT SPYWARE 

programs I had ever received in a 

single sitting,” he said. 

Edelman counted an amazing total 

of 31 programs that had silently 

been installed, without even displaying 

a license agreement. These included 

adware from 180solutions, 

CoolWebSearch, Ezula, ISTbar, and 

many other adware companies, he 

said. (A July 14 report by Brian 

Livingston, coauthor of Windows 

2000 Secrets, and Windows Me Secrets, 

said that Microsoft’s AntiSpy- 

There is profit in allowing 

spyware to 

be distributed with a 

desirable product. 

ware beta program stopped recommending 

the removal of programs 

by 180solutions, Ezula, and some 

other adware companies to the dismay 

of spyware experts.) 

Microsoft initially said the misleading 

dialog boxes were using a “bydesign 

feature” of WMP, which 

wouldn’t be changed. The company 

then reversed course, telling eWeek 

h t t p : / / w w w . e w e e k . c o m / 

article2/0,1895,1752247,00.asp in 

January that a patch would be available 

by mid-February. 

~PAGE 4~ 

I’m not pointing to Microsoft as 

THE one to blame for spyware. But 

rather saying even a legitimate company’s 

product can be the source of 

spyware. There is profit in allowing 

spyware to be distributed with a desirable 

product. 

Ben Edelman also noted on his website 

that, “As in my prior video of 

spyware installing through security 

holes, www.benedelman.org/ 

news/111804-1.html my records 

make it possible to track down 

who’s behind the installations — 

just follow the money trail, as captured 

by the “partner IDs” within the 

various software installation procedures. 

When one program installs 

another, the second generally pays 

the first a commission, using a partner 

ID number to track who to pay. 

These numbers make it possible to 

figure out who’s profiting from the 

unwanted installations and, ultimately, 

where the money is going.” 

So, who can you trust? Don’t say the 

antispyware makers. Several are on 

the payroll of companies who struck 

deals to be delisted as spyware! 

Apparently, many businesses can’t 

resist the opportunity to make easy 

cash. It is up to the customers—US, 

YOU and I — to resist being har- 


Playing a video file in Windows Media Player can launch 

a dialog box that looks official but installs spyware.


HOW TO THANK YOUR USER GROUP LEADERS 

By Phil Shapiro, member of the 

Capital PC User Group, Virginia 

Macintosh Users Group, Washington 

Apple Pi, Young Hackers and 

Scholars Libre Users Group 

If you have found benefit in belonging 

to a computer user group, there 

are many ways of thanking the leaders 

of the group. Sure, you can always 

walk up to them after a meeting 

and shake their hand. But there 

are more meaningful things you can 

do, too. 

You can thank them by moving the 

club forward in countless small 

ways. You can drop off membership 

flyers at the local computer stores 

and public libraries. You can offer a 

smile and encouraging word to people 

who show up to meetings. 

You can answer questions on the 

club's email list. You can ask questions 

on the club's email list. 

(Questions are as valuable as answers.) 

You can exhibit patience 

with computer beginners -- answering 

their questions in ways that 

benefit them the most. 

You can offer some computer item 

you're no longer using to another 

member of the club. (If you're giving 

away commercial software, make 

sure you delete the copy on your 

own computer.) 

You can also spread the word about 

the club around town. Be careful not 

to oversell, though. When I explain 

about the benefits of the local user 

group, I spell out honestly what the 

club can offer and can't offer. You 

would be doing no-one any favors if 

you raise false expectations in the 

minds of prospective club members 

only to have them find we can’t deliver. 

You can write an article for the 

club's newsletter. Articles can be on 

almost any topic you think would 

bring value to club members. You 

don't need to be a computer expert 

to write an excellent article. Computer 

beginners have lots of important 

and interesting things to say. "In 

the beginner's mind there are many 

possibilities, but in the expert's there 

are few." 

You can talk to your local public 

librarians about the benefits you've 

encountered in your user group. Librarians 

are the intellectual hub of 

any community. You want them to 

Club leaders are not 

paid a dime. They do 

it because they get a 

thrill from seeing 

people help each 

other, from people 

increasing in their 

learning and computer 

confidence. 

be able to pass on information to 

anyone who inquires about computer 

user groups. You might even 

give them a video showing one of 

your user group meetings in action - 

- so they can better visualize and 

describe the meetings to other community 

members. 

And now here's some unexpected 

ways you can thank the leaders of 

the club. You can show up to the 

club meeting with an unexpected 

door prize. Perhaps buy a pair of 

new computer speakers. Some headphones. 

A computer microphone. 

(Note Macs use different micro- 

~PAGE 5~ 

phones than Windows computers. 

Mac users usually use a USB microphone.) 

Stop by a bookstore and buy a copy 

of a new how-to computer book. Or 

purchase a modest Amazon.com gift 

certificate as a door prize. 

Offer to be a "club driver" - - so if 

someone calls the club and says 

there is a sick child or adult who 

could use a computer at home, you'll 

be there to deliver that donated computer 

on behalf of the club. Bring 

homemade cookies to club meetings 

(being careful not to leave crumbs 

for the next people using that meeting 

space.) 

Offer to be a "computer mover," so 

that if someone in the club isn't able 

to move their computer from one 

room of their house to another, 

you'll be there to help them do that. 

Or be the modem rescue person, so 

if someone's modem got zapped by 

lighting, you be there the next day 

and connect a replacement modem 

for them. If they ask you why you 

did that, tell them that you value 

them being connected. 

You can start a scholarship program 

for five families/year in your community. 

Interested families could 

apply to the club to get a donated 

computer and 1/2 off the annual 

dues of the club. (For the first year.) 

By doing so you're building a ramp 

to club membership, you're helping 

the community and you're creating 

new ways for club members to engage 

in outreach and publicity. 

Get creative in how you thank the 

leaders of your computer club. Behind 

the scene many hours of work 

go into making computer clubs 



By Richard Johnson, TUGNET 


The Web is a marvelous resource, 

and most of us come nowhere near 

tapping its full potential. I've attempted 

here to list 29 websites that 

without any necessary downloading 

provide exceedingly useful free nonspecialized 

services and tools, that 

require no particular knowledge except 

how to navigate the World 

Wide Web. 

1. Time Cave www.timecave.com 

2. Memo to Me 

www.memotome.com 

Using these two email reminder services 

you'll never forget another upcoming 

activity or event. Time Cave 

allows you to schedule incoming 

messages by interval (so many 

hours, days, weeks, months, or even 

years away) as well as by date and 

time. Memo to Me allows editing of 

content and date. With Time Cave 

you can choose your own subject 

line and send reminders to others, 

but Memo to Me will charge you for 

those features. On the other hand, 

Time Cave charges for the ability to 

repeat messages (monthly, weekly, 

etc.), standard with Memo to Me. 

3. Way Back Machine 

www.archive.org/web/web.php 

Is a website you're seeking no longer 

around? If it was active as late as 

1996, you'll probably find it easily in 

this huge archive. 

4. Centerwatch Clinical Trials 

www.centerwatch.com 

Gives information on more than 

41,000 active clinical trials in which 

you could participate. (Some compensate 

you handsomely for helping, 

along with free medical monitoring.) 

Includes a notification service, for 

29 USEFUL BOOKMARKS 

trials in areas of your interest. Also 

describes the newest drug therapies. 

5. Objectgraph Dictionary 

www.objectgraph.com/dictionary 

A combination standard dictionary, 

technical dictionary, and thesaurus. 

(There's also a dictionary of chemical 

elements, of rather limited interest). 

A unique feature is the site's 

ability to “read your mind” if you're 

not sure of the word you're thinking 

of -- or its spelling -- or if you just 

want to save typing. 

6. Myway email www.myway.com 

An excellent Web-based email provider 

with an exceptionally clean 

interface (no banner ads or pop-ups). 

Unlike the case with competitors 

like Yahoo mail, Myway will respond 

to support inquiries. (It also 

has a terrific weather page -- see link 

#7 following.) [If you prefer Gmail, 

equally clean-appearing, I can get 

you an invitation -- see my article in 

the March Keywords.] 

7. Myway weather 

weather.myway.com 

The best weather page on the Web. 

Even though its weather information 

is from weather.com, you'll see 

when you use it that the interface is 

much cleaner (and loading therefore 

faster) than if you were to bring up 

either weather.com or one of its 

competitors. You can personalize 

the weather according to your home 

town or zip code; the page you'll 

want to bookmark is that personalized 

page 

8. Past Weather 

www.weather.com/activities/other/ 

other/weather/yesterday.html 

Use this site to compare today's 

forecast with yesterday's weather. 

There's also interesting historical 

data and a graph showing the 

~PAGE 6~ 

weather for the past seven days. The 

past weather information can easily 

be compared with the forecast from 

Myway weather (link #7), which 

derives its data from the same 

source. 

9. Furl www.furl.net 

Bookmarking is useful, but what do 

you do when you find that a bookmarked 

page has disappeared (left 

the Web)? Or maybe it's still there, 

but -- as with many newspaper sites 

-- you can't read it without going to 

a paid archive. This won't be an issue 

if you've Furled the page. Furl 

allows you to create a set of special 

bookmarks that can be easily 

searched or browsed -- or shared 

with others -- but whose contents are 

permanently stored on your hard 

drive. (If you feel the need to save 

parts of a page, try Net Snippets 

Free at www.netsnippets.com/basic. 

This does require a download.) 

10. Gold Star Events http:// 

snipurl.com/bl9o 

Gold Star enables admissions to a 

large variety of live California productions 

at 50% off or better. After 

your (free) registration, you'll receive 

regular email notices of welldescribed 

shows in the zip code areas 

of your preference. There's a 

small per-ticket service fee, usually 

between $3 and $7. 

11. Password Generator http:// 

mistupid.com/computers/ 

passwordgen.htm 

Random characters compose the safest 

passwords. This tool will create a 

password with random characters 

according to your specifications. On 

your instructions, will even avoid 

ambiguous characters [o and 0, 1 

and I]. 


Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group 

29 USEFUL BOOKMARKS (CONT.) 

November, 2005 

(Continued from page 6) highlighted. Choose the Web ad- 23. Kids-in-mind www.kids-in- 

12. Zap2it www.zap2it.com dress of a neighborhood theater, to 

mind.com 

With Zap2it you can check out both see what plays are coming up. Or Metacritic is an excellent source for 

TV and movie schedules. Various see every new installment of a fa- movie critiques. For each film, it 

options let you permanently personvorite newspaper column, without arranges its large variety of reviews 

alize each set of listings, to give you having to buy the paper. 

from most to least favorable, and 

just the information you need, in the 

then tabulates the opinions, for an 

format you prefer. 

18. GovBenefits.gov http:// overall “metascore.” (Additional 

govbenefits.gov 

Metacritic pages cover videos, mu- 

13. Acronym Finder A source of information on over 400 sic, and games.) For evaluating 

www.acronymfinder.com government-funded programs that movies for children, or if you have a 

Don't be baffled by acronyms and extend benefits for which you may concern about violence, sex, or pro- 

abbreviations you encounter on the qualify, including compensated volfanity, Kids-in-mind will rate and 

Web and elsewhere. This sit e offers unteering. Features a confidential describe each film's content in those 

definitions for over 398,000 such questionnaire designed to point you three areas. 

terms. Optional downloading of any to the most likely matches. 

of a number of search tools (for vari- 

24. CardRatings http:// 

ous browsers) will allow you to view 19. AddALL www.addall.com 

cardratings.com 

a definition almost instantly. Use this site to find the very best This site maintains information on 

price for a book you want to buy. over 700 credit cards, and will sug- 

14. Restaurant health ratings (LA Unlike most other comparison sites, gest the best cards in a variety of 

County) http://lapublichealth.org/ it figures in shipping costs for your categories --low or no credit, no an- 

rating 

location. Links will take you to nual fee, low interest, rewards/ 

Avoid traveling to an appealing res- pages for magazine subs, music rebates, etc. 

taurant only to find that its health CDs, and videos. 

rating is below the level with which 

25. The California Patient's Guide 

you're comfortable. 

20. jux2 www.jux2.com 

www.calpatientguide.org 

Jux2 lets you receive and compare A well-organized and extensive 

15. Translation Wizard search results from two or three dif- guide to Californians'' health care 

www.faganfinder.com/translate ferent search engines, or see what rights, and what you can do if 

The Translation Wizard uses other you're missing from your regular they're compromised. Assembled by 

sites' services to ease the process of search results. (According to the medical, legal, and consumer ex- 

finding a translation -- that other- site, competing search engines typiperts, and published by the Foundawise 

might require visiting ten or cally share fewer than 4 out their 10 tion for Taxpayer and Consumer 

more sites to find the language of top results.) Still in development, it's Rights. 

interest! It also has a neat button to currently limited to Google, Yahoo, 

identify a mystery language. and Ask Jeeves. 

26 CheckFree 

www.checkfree.com 

16. Anybirthday http:// 

21. Medem Medical Library There are a host of good reasons for 

anybirthday.com 

www.medem.com/medlb/ paying your bills online. It saves 

A fun site that can divulge your medlib_entry.cfm time, saves the cost of stamps, re- 

friend's birthday or even tell you Searchable and browsable medical duces the chance of late payment, 

where to mail the card. 

library, organizing contributions extends the time in which you can 

from 45 medical societies. Features use your money, cuts down clutter, 

17. TrackEngine 

a complexity indicator for each arti- eliminates the danger of checks lost 

www.trackengine.com cle, from “introductory” to in the mail, and facilitates tracking. 

Notifies you via email of changes in “professional.” 

With CheckFree you'll be able to 

Web pages that you select. You can 

pay many or most of your bills 

preview the changes or view the 

22. Metacritic 

online, and the service is free to the 

whole page via email, with changes www.metacritic.com/film 


~PAGE 7~


HOW TO PRINT SCREEN SHOTS THANKING LEADERS 

By David Garcia, President, Little 

Blue PC Club, Northglenn, CO 

petitbleu@comcast.net 

Have you ever wanted to print out 

what you see on your monitor 

s c r e e n? T his i s c a l l e d a 

“Screenshot,” and there are several 

software packages on the market 

that allow you to do just that with 

various degrees of sophistication. If 

you don’t need that sophistication, 

you can easily use Windows to get a 

screenshot. Just follow these instructions: 

1) Press the Print Screen Key 

(PrtScr) on the keyboard. 

2) Click Start, then click Run. 

3) Type “mspaint” (without the 

quotes) in the Run box and 

click OK. 

4) In Paint, click Paste in the 

Edit menu 

5) Click Print Preview in the File 

menu. If the screenshot is cut 

off, you may want to change 

the printer setting to print in 

Landscape mode. 

6) Click Print and close Paint. 

You’re done! 

You can also save the file if 

you like: 


and a few other items. 

For December… Holiday Special 

Meeting will have surprises and a 

drawing for a 19” Flat Panel Screen. 

Tickets for the drawing can be obtained 

at the December Meeting by 

bringing a new unwrapped toy valued 

at a minimum of $10.00. One 

ticket per toy. Toys will go the to 

Fire Department for distribution to 

needy children for the holidays. 

1) Click “Save” in the File menu 

2) Browse to the folder you want 

to save the file in so that the 

folder name is in the “Save 

In” box. 

3) Type a file name for the 

screenshot; use JPG in the 

“Save as Type” box and click 

Save. 

Article rights are reserved. This article 

may be reproduced, downloaded, 

disseminated, or transferred, for single 

use by nonprofit organizations 

for educational purposes, with attribution 

to David Garcia. Little Blue 

PC Club, Northglenn CO. It should 

be unchanged and this paragraph 

included. Please e-mail David Garcia 

at littlebluepcclub@comcast.net 

when you use it, or for permission to 

excerpt or condense. 










NOVEMBER MEETING (Cont.) 

Coming Soon: 

• Genealogy presentation in 

January. 

• 

• Build Your Own Intel 

Computer in February 

(contact Mitchel Chesney 

for details and to order 

your BYO from PC Club). 


for more info, last minute changes 


~PAGE 8~ 


(CONT.) 

work. Club leaders are not paid a 

dime. They do it because they get a 

thrill from seeing people help each 

other, from people increasing in 

their learning and computer confidence. 

Surprise them in the ways you say 

thanks. You may even want to say: 

"I'm ready to work. I'd like to offer 

my time to help." 

A grateful handshake is a good starting 

point. A grateful action is an appropriate 

follow-up. Actions speak 

louder than words. 

Find a need. And then fill it. 

The author has benefitted from the 

generosity of people in computer 

user 

groups for the past 20 years. He is 

r e a c h a b l e a t h t t p : / / 

www.digitaldivide.net/profile/ 

pshapiro and pshapiro@his.com 

This article was inspired by the actions 

of the Macintosh Business Users 

Society of Greater Philadelphia 

in starting an award program for students 

at the University of the Arts in 

Philadelphia -- where this user 

group meets. Somebody in that club 

is thinking outside of the box in excellent 

ways. 












Fund Raisers. We wish them blessings 

in their new growth. 

Computer help will still be available 

to Members through e-mail, phone 

calls and possibly even the web site. 

Educational studies will continue in 

a fresh format that the Board is still 

working in the planning stage. Details 

will be provided to you as 

available. 

The Club will be sending more 

timely material through e-mail notices 

on a more frequent basis. The 

Newsletter will continue bringing 

news, education, and announcements. 

The Board welcomes innovative 

ideas, locations, and volunteers for a 


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (Cont.) SPYWARE (Cont.) 

SIG room. You may contact any 

Board Member to share your 

thoughts. All are appreciated. 

Meanwhile let’s enjoy the holiday 

season. This month we can be 

thankful for the countless blessings 

this Club has experienced over its 

numerous years of existence. The 

long time faithful Members bring 

comprehension, know-how, and 

technology, and the new Members 

keep us inspired. We have much to 

be thankful for. 

Come out and share with your fellow 

Members at the November 

meeting. 


Betty 


WHAT YOU MISSED! (Cont.) 

that takes the still and combines 

them into a near circle vision on the 

screen. 

Lastly 3D Album Picture Pro DVD 

Suite for a vast number of display 

styles and techniques that end in a 

stand alone CD playable by friends 

and family that you might send to. 

Also mentioned briefly was the upcoming 

Build-Your-Own computer 

presentation we will be having at the 

February General Meeting. Members 

will be able to place orders 

through Member Presenter Mitchel 

Chesney at that meeting for a near 

top of the line computer at special 

pricing negotiated through PC Club. 

Please note, you must go through 

our Group as it’s not on their site. 

The refreshment counter was graced 

with awesome chocolate fudge from 

Carol Williams, a lemon cake from 

Howard Walters & wife and Chocolate 

Halloween Candy from Mitchel 

Chesney. Thanks to Georgia 

Hennessy and Vivian Fitzgerald for 

maintaining the supplies and hosting. 

The Badge Drawing went to E.C. 

Van Dereecken and John Sparrevon 

took home a three drawer counter 

top storage unit for the President’s 

Coupon Drawing. 


grows by a container of 52 blank 

CD’s. Unclaimed by the listed winner, 

we will add item four for the 

November listing. Be sure to look 

for your member number in the 

Newsletter and then CLAIM the 

Give-A-Way. 

See you on November 16th. 

~PAGE 9~ 


vested as a money crop. Make no 

mistake, we are the only ones who 

care about customer rights or privacy. 

I’ve been reminded that keeping 

Windows updated may help to prevent 

spyware installations. But, this 

is the real world. Not everyone 

drives with a seat belt fastened, 

stays alert while standing at an 

ATM, or keeps Windows updated. 

Even if we only write a paragraph a 

month about any new spyware advance, 

program, or experience, etc., 

it will be good. We need to keep reminding 

our members, our vendors, 

and our lawmakers that this is something 

we DO NOT want. 

If enough ruckus had been raised at 

the beginning, spyware might have 

been stopped in its tracks. Don’t 

make this mistake twice. Raise a 

ruckus now! And, keep raising it 

until spyware is declared dead— 

dead wrong! 




















CABLES: THE MISSING PART OF UPGRADES (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 3) Power Supply Standard, ATX12V 

these cables is 33, 66, 100, or 133 

MHz. In with EIDE components 

hooked together it is the slowest 

component that sets the data the data 

speed on the EIDE bus. If the EIDE 

drive controller cannot communicate 

with the drives at one speed because 

the cable is not capable of handling 

data transmission at that speed without 

errors, the controller will drop 

the speed of the entire EIDE data 

bus. As such having EIDE components 

rated at 133 MHz and connecting 

them together with a cable only 

rated at 66 MHz greatly increases 

the risk of the drives data transfer 

operating below 133 MHz. You also 

get into issues of it may be the right 

type of cable; but has the wrong 

connectors at the ends, which you 

can run into with Firewire (IEEE 

1394), USB, and other cables. Other 

sources for this information are the 

manufacturer's website or those of 

online retailers that sell the part. 

You may have to look at the parts 

manual to find information about its 

power connectors. However, how do 

you get to see the manual before 

buying the part? Many manufacturers 

have the manual to their parts on 

their website in PDF format so you 

can just download the manual. This 

is sometimes the only way you can 

easily find out whether a motherboard 

needs a 20 or 24 pin power 

connector or it can take either. From 

these same sources you can also find 

out what cables come with a part. 

You should look at the power supply 

you are going to use or if you can't 

examine it, probably because you 

have not bought it yet, find out the 

specifications. There are different 

ATX standards for power supplies, 

with ATX 12V 2.01 being the latest 

(For additional information read 

“More Performance: The New 

2.0” at Tom's Hardware Guide 

www.tomshardware.com. Look at 

what connectors it has and how 

many of each (20 or 24 pin, P4, and 

EPS motherboard connectors, 4 pin 

Molex for 5.25” format EIDE drives 

and some fans, floppy drive, SATA, 

auxiliary, and PCI Express video 

card. Depending on what you find 

and your needs you may need power 

splitters or adapters. Many older 

power supplies do not have SATA 

drive power connectors, but only 

those that are used for EIDE (Be 

aware that some SATA drive power 

adapters do not have a +3.3V connection, 

which is required by some 

drives). Only some of the recently 

introduced power supplies have a 

PCI Express video card power connector. 

If you have enough components 

in your system where your 

present power supply may not be 

able to handle the load, it might be 

better to get a new power supply 

which has the newer type of connectors 

you need. 

One thing you also should consider 

is how your cables will affect airflow 

in your computer. May people 

use round EIDE cables rather than 

flat because of this issue. The good 

use of cable ties can help with this 

problem. Especially if you live far 

away from a computer store, are using 

online retailers, or going to a 

computer swap meet that you would 

have to pay again to reenter it is especially 

important to be sure you 

have all the cables you need for your 

computer upgrade or building project. 

Researching what you need 

ahead of time can prevent wasting 

time and money and increasing your 

frustration. May you have the cables 

you need, and not buy cables you 

can't use. 

~PAGE 10~ 

Timothy Everingham is CEO of 

Timothy Everingham Consulting in 

Azusa, California. He is also Chair 

of the Los Angeles Chapter of ACM 

SIGGRAPH. Timothy is also parttime 

press in the areas of high technology, 

computers, video, audio, 

and entertainment/ media and has 

had articles published throughout 

the United States and Canada plus 

Australia, England, & Japan. Further 

information can be found at 

h t t p : / / h o m e . e a r t h l i n k . n e t / 

~teveringham. 










WELCOME 


New Members: 

Greg Janes 

Renewals: 

Terri Epport 

Dennis Hennessy 

Georgia Hennessy 

Amy Mann 

David Mann 

Don Pelke 

Janice Sparrevohn 

Ric Sparrevohn


29 USEFUL BOOKMARKS (Cont.) 

(Continued from page 7) 29. Google Maps http:// 

payers. 

maps.google.com 

Head and shoulders above the com- 

27. Bug Me Not 

petition, these maps are much larger 

www.bugmenot.com and far easier to configure. Zooming 

This site and the one following save in and out is quick as a bunny, and 

you time and trouble while helping re-centering is instantaneous. You 

you cut down on spam. Bug Me Not can locate by category businesses in 

keeps on hand log-in data the map area, along with their phone 

(passwords with user names) for a numbers. Note that (at least as of 

huge number of sites that require this writing) these maps are not im- 

registration. If you want access to plemented in the regular Google 

such a site (like latimes.com), but search results, which still point you 

don't want to bother registering, just 

visit the Bug Me Not site and log in 

only to Yahoo and MapQuest maps. 

easily. 






a volunteer with TUGNET HelpContact 

for assistance with Internet Explorer, 

Outlook Express, and Gmail. 

Y o u m a y r e a c h h i m a t 


28. Spam Bob http://evilwire.luvfeed.org/cache/1269 

Spam Bob offers a choice of three 

email addresses that you create, to 

protect your privacy. Anything@spambob.org 

is a phantom 

address, messages to which disappear 

into the ether. Use anything@spambob.com 

if you'll want 

to check on a reply message. (This is 

handy for registrations that require 

confirmation.) And you may want to 

use anything@spambob.net for all 

your correspondents. Mail from 

each such “net” address can be forwarded 

to you, and if it starts generating 

spam, just cancel the forwarding 

order! 


5-in-1 Casino Game / Calculator .................. Fred Waid 

5 Pack Push-out DVD Box............E.C. VanDerEecken 

Home Networking Annoyances (Book) .John Retterath 

Insulated Drink Holder .........................Ralph Salisbury 

Money Matters 3 CD Set ........................... Terri Epport 

PC Hardware Annoyances (Book)...........Robert Briggs 

Portable LED Book Light.................Georgia Hennessy 

Tool Kit....................................................Robert Briggs 


PNY 256 USB Flash Drive 

.................................... Michael Wallters 










~PAGE 11~ 

BRING CANS 












to $17.91. 


IMPORTANT! 






different rate and must be separated 

from other types of aluminum. 

RAFFLE ITEMS 



Large Format Calculator 

Medium T-Shirt 

Paint Brush Kit 

PC Hardware Annoyances (Book) 


Pixifun Photo Key Ring Kit 

Tote Bag 


Sony 256 USB Flash Drive



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Please tell us what you use your computer for the most often. 

_____________________________________________________ 


__________________________________________ 

Sign, cut out, and bring to November General Meeting 


A $10.00 Value

Interface The award winning monthly newsletter of the Long Beach IBM Users’ Group December, 2005 

Interface 






December, 2005 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 12 Price $2.75 

DECEMBER 

MEETING 

Food, Toys, Photos, and more… 

Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls & Pie will be 

the holiday gift to you when you attend 

the December General Meeting. 

Santa’s Raffle table will be loaded 

with extra selections to choose 

which item you want to place your 

chance on. Join us for computer accessories, 

household, personal items 

and more. 

One of the handsome fireman from 

the Long Beach Fire Department 

will be on hand to tell us just how 

the “Spark of Love” Toy Drive 

benefits the needy children for the 

holidays. Bring one (or more) new 

unwrapped toy valued at $10.00 or 




Member Benefits........................2 

Chasing the Internet...................3 

Financial Report ........................3 

IE Tips and Tricks......................4 

The New, the Best & the Worst.6 

What to Eat for the Holidays .....8 

General Meeting DSL............... 8 


Why Join a User Group?............9 

Digital Photo Tips......................9 

Raffle Winners & Items...........10 

Name This Holiday Song.........11 


Forty-two Members braved the 

“floor under-repair” conditions at 

the lodge to listen to Jerry Clarke 

demonstrate the newly connected 

DSL line for the benefit the Members. 

Some Members arrived with 

their laptops and found quick and 

easy access to the internet. 

The refreshment were hosted by 

Vivian and Joyce as they took over 

for Georgia, who had become ill on 

her drive to the lodge that night. 

The Badge Drawing for Patriotic 

Design Paper went to Don Choppenning 

and Vivian Fitzgerald took 

home a Borders $10 Gift Card for 

the President’s Coupon Drawing. 


grew by a sport water sipper. Unclaimed 

by the listed winner, Michele 

Amrhein, we will add item five 

for the December meeting. Be sure 

to look for your member number in 

the Newsletter and then CLAIM the 

Give-A-Way. 

See you on December the 21 st . 

~PAGE 1~ 

PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 

Betty Colston, 

President 




The Pres 

says…….. 

The Holiday Season is already in 

full swing. No doubt you have had 

the opportunity to view the decorations, 

lights, and sale prices for 

goods and services. The advertisers 

are very effective at enticing the 

buyer to over spend the budget. Be 

diligent – check prices and details – 

be certain you are comparing equal 

values per store ads. 

Take time to absorb the messages 

received on the colorful artistic 

cards as they arrive in your mail 

box. Enjoy the talent of the artists, 

the sentiment of the writer’s script, 

and most of all the sincerity of the 
























.......................................... 925-3636 





.......................................... 439-7114 


NA .............................................. NA 






NA .............................................. NA 





cutis1@msn.com ....................... NA 





Volunteers 







User Group Members: 














Discount box. 


























~PAGE 2~ 


























































By Gabe Goldberg, 

APCUG Advisor; Columnist, 

AARP Computers & Technology Website 

A long-ago famous and favorite I Love Lucy episode 

[www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/ 

showid-1038/epid-15119/] showed Lucille Ball and 

sidekick Ethel facing an ever-faster conveyor belt delivering 

chocolates for them to wrap: they couldn't keep 

up. The Internet sometimes makes me feel as though I'm 

at the wrong end of that conveyor belt. 

I confess that I don't always reduce online interruptions 

and information coming at me. I'm not yet a recovering 

info-junkie, so this article is definitely "do what I say, 

not what I do" advice. 

The Internet is like the accelerating candy conveyor 

belt. There's more content (online newspapers, portals, 

Web rings, etc.) and more forms of content (e-mail initially, 

then Web sites, mailing lists, blogs, streaming 

audio/video, downloadable music, Web cameras, etc.) 

But even with today's pace of change, whether we do it 

deliberately or just let it happen, we create our own 

online experiences. So we can make it fit our needs and 

change it when necessary. I've sometimes resisted dropping 

e-mail lists because I once liked them. That's silly: 

my and your most precious resource is time. 

So I'll share time savers: 

Tell people what you're interested in; if they scan online 

and offline resources for you, you don't have to. 

Tell people what you don't want! If you don't want 

jokes, motivational sayings, political news, etc., cancel 

your subscriptions by asking people to stop sending it. I 

like jokes, I like technology, I'm interested in politics. 

But some people just aren't on my wavelength. 

When you send e-mail or reply, don't send unnecessary 

copies. Encourage people to not copy you unless you 

need to know or do something about the topic. 

When replying, trim what you quote to essential matter 

and (especially) encourage others to do the same for 

you. Bloated and repetitive reply-reply-reply notes 

waste time while you look for what's new! 

CHASING THE INTERNET 

~PAGE 3~ 

If you send common replies or send periodic e-mail 

such as club meeting notices, use templates (stored copies 

of pre-formatted e-mail) so you can just fill in details 

but needn't enter text repeatedly. 

Use e-mail and spam filtering. Most e-mail software can 

automatically route spam to a special folder (and, of 

course, I'd like to route spammers to a special place). 

Some spam filters learn what's spam based on what you 

flag, so their accuracy improves over time. My spam is 

increasingly filtered, and no real e-mail is filtered. You 

can also set rules for routing e-mail into folders for easier 

reading and management. 

Based on rules I've defined (special keywords in e-mail 

subject and sender fields), my e-mail is put in folders 

Happy Holidays 



Financial Report Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, 2005 


Beginning Scholarship Funds $125.23 

Merchant Card Account $1,400.00 



Income 





Security Deposit from Trinity $100.00 


Expenses 


Member Give A Ways (19" Flat Panel Monit $16.59 










By Richard O. Johnson, TUGNET 

rj@theskillspool.org 

Internet Explorer, despite inroads 

made by Firefox and other browsers, 

overwhelmingly remains users' 

browser of choice (perhaps because 

it comes bundled with all new Windows 

computers). The following 

pointers are designed to help you get 

the most out of your use of Internet 

Explorer. They're written with IE6 

in mind, although most will apply to 

earlier versions, and some may apply 

to other browsers as well. 

Use keyboard shortcuts 

My regular readers will know that to 

increase efficiency I strongly encourage 

the use of keyboard shortcuts 

in preference to the use of the 

mouse. Here are my favorite IE keyboard 

shortcuts: 

• Use Alt-Home to bring up your 

home page. 

• Use Ctrl-H to open or close your 

history pane. 

• Use Ctrl-I to open or close the 

Favorites pane. 

• Use Ctrl-B to organize your Favorites 

• Use Ctrl-N to duplicate the active 

page in a new window. 

• Use Ctrl-F to find a word, partial 

word, or phrase on the current 

webpage. 

• Use Backspace (or Alt-Left) instead 

of the IE Back button, to 

navigate back. 

• Use Alt-Right to navigate forward. 

• Use F11 to toggle full-screen 

mode. 

• Use Alt-D to move to the address 

bar. (Or use Ctrl-O, and 

you won't need the address bar! 

See “Other” Tip 3, below, for 

details.) 

• Once in the address bar, use Enter 

to bring up the specified web- 

INTERNET EXPLORER TIPS AND TRICKS 

page or Ctrl-Enter to first surround 

what you've typed with 

“www.” before and “.com” after, 

and then bring it up. 

• Use F5 or Ctrl-F5 to refresh a 

page. It's a good idea when refreshing 

to routinely hold down 

Ctrl (whether you're using the 

keyboard or the mouse), to bypass 

the IE cache and give you a 

more effective refresh. 

Optimize the toolbar 

Unless you maintain only a dozen or 

so Favorites, you'll want to take full 

advantage of the Links option for 

the IE toolbar, which you activate 

with the right-click toolbar menu. 

Drag the Favorites you'll want to 

have most prominent into the Links 

section of the toolbar. Using the 

Remember that if 

your security restriction 

interferes with 

the proper viewing 

of a page, Windows 

will let you know. 

right-click Properties menu of each 

“Link,” you'll probably want to assign 

it a unique icon and, to save 

space, rename it to a shorter form. 

Tip: You can save additional space 

by shortening the “Links” title on 

the toolbar. Unfortunately, simply 

renaming the “Links” folder won't 

work. You'll need to open the Registry 

Editor, by choosing Run from 

the Start menu and typing regedit. 

After pressing Enter, drill down to 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software 

> Microsoft > Internet Explorer 

> Toolbar. On the right-hand 

side you'll see LinksFolder- 

~PAGE 4~ 

Name=“Links.” Change the word 

within the quotation marks to a onecharacter 

name you'd like to use instead, 

perhaps “.” or “+,” and close 

the Editor. (Use extreme caution, as 

making a wrong entry in the Registry 

Editor can have dire consequences!) 

You should unclutter the toolbar by 

instructing it to “Remove” nearly all 

the toolbar buttons. These not only 

occupy valuable space but can actually 

interfere with efficient browsing 

(by discouraging use of the keyboard 

shortcuts described above). 

You get to the Remove command 

via “Customize,” on the right-click 

menu. Of the built-in IE toolbar buttons, 

the only ones I recommend 

displaying are those for Size and 

Back. All the other button functions 

can better be facilitated via the keyboard 

or by other means. (For a 

complete list of IE keyboard shortcuts, 

go to http://snipurl.com/bskn. 

The reason for keeping the Back 

button is its associated pull-down 

menu.) 

Keep IE secure 

It goes without saying that you need 

to keep IE fully patched, perhaps 

with the use of Windows Update or 

Microsoft Update. But what of the 

Internet Explorer security settings 

(accessible via Tools > Internet Options 

> Security)? 

In the “Internet Zone”--the default 

zone for a webpage--it's prudent to 

be more rather than less restrictive. 

(Better safe than sorry!) The easiest 

way to go is simply to move the 

“Default Level” slider to High. Or 

you could use the “Custom Level” 

to make a determination for each 

setting. In that case you may want to 

consult a guide such as the one at 



www.techspot.com/tweaks/ie6/ie- 

5.shtml. 

Remember that if your security restriction 

interferes with the proper 

viewing of a page, Windows will let 

you know--although most often 

you'll be able to view the page just 

fine notwithstanding what Windows 

says. To remove the restriction for a 

given page, you can add that page to 

your “Trusted” sites, against which 

the restriction won't ordinarily apply. 

(You may have to refresh the 

page after adding it.) To simplify 

moving webpages to your trusted 

list, a free program is available at 

www.geeksuperhero.com/ 

zones.shtml. 

An alternative method does not require 

you to move all such sites to 

the Trusted zone. For this you'll 

need the laudable Push the Freakin' 

Button software, available at modest 

cost at www.tlhouse.co.uk/ 

PTFB.shtml. With PTFB in place, 

use IE's Custom Level to choose 

“Prompt” instead of “Disable” for 

every feature except any that you're 

absolutely sure you'll never want to 

use. Then instruct PTFB to push the 

“No” (disallow) button when the 

prompt appears. Should you decide 

to permit the feature in question, you 

can with a double click disable 

PTFB, and just as easily re-enable it 

when done. 

A good (free) test to assess your IE 

vulnerability may be found at http:// 

snipurl.com/ietest. 

Other tips 

1. To execute a link in a new window, 

hold down Shift. 

2. Is IE acting strangely? You can 

often fix it by using the IE Repair 

utility accessible via Add/ 

INTERNET EXPLORER TIPS AND TRICKS (CONT.) 

Remove Programs (in the Windows 

Control Panel), upon selecting 

“Microsoft Internet Explorer” 

and then “Add/Remove.” 

3. You can dispense with the address 

bar, by using Ctrl-O to 

open a webpage or other location. 

You can then completely 

hide the address bar (using the IE 

toolbar's right-click Customize 

function) or shrink it down to its 

title only (having first 

“unlocked” the toolbar, also with 

the right-click menu). Losing the 

address bar will eliminate the 

temptation to go there with the 

(less efficient) mouse, and can 

free up space that may be better 

put to other use. On the downside, 

you'll also lose the functionality 

of the Ctrl-Enter address 

bar shortcut (see Keyboard 

Shortcuts, above). 

4. You might be able to save considerable 

time if you bypass your 

home page (start page) when you 

don't need to see it. Here's how: 

Enter “about:blank” [without the 

quotes] in the IE address bar, to 

create a blank quasi-webpage. 

Then use Right Click + F to turn 

that page into a Favorite, and 

drag the new Favorite's icon into 

the Quick Launch section of 

your Windows task bar, before 

deleting the Favorite. You may 

want to assign a different icon to 

your new IE shortcut with the 

use of its right-click Properties 

menu. (You can use this same 

technique to set up a “secondary 

home page” instead of a blank 

page.) 

Add-ons 

Useful IE add-ons, free except as 

noted, include: 

~PAGE 5~ 

• Google Toolbar, at toolbar.google.com, 

which enables 

too many useful features to even 

hint at here. Highly recommended. 

• Favorites Search, at 

www.dzsoft.com, which lets you 

speedily locate a Favorite, no 

matter how many you've stored. 

• Y!Q DemoBar, at 

yq.search.yahoo.com/splash/ 

demobar.html, which enables 

context-based searching. This 

can easily be squeezed onto the 

same line as the IE address bar. 

• ieSpell, at www.iespell.com, 

which will quickly spellcheck all 

the text you've entered in any 

Web form. 

• A d d a B u t t o n , a t 

www.harmonyhollow.net/ 

aab.shtml, which will let you fit 

more buttons onto the IE toolbar. 

These buttons can open documents 

and applications (not just 

websites) and don't require 

space-consuming displayed 

names. Shareware, $11.95 






a volunteer with TUGNET (The 

User Group NETwork) HelpContact 

for assistance with Internet Explorer, 

Outlook Express, and Gmail. 

He welcomes feedback, at 












Collected by Pim Borman 

SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. 

swipcug@sigecom.net 

Hard Drive Too Small? 

If you think a 500 GB is still not big 

enough, help is on the way, in what 

seems to be an obvious way. If you 

think of a room filled with people all 

stretched out on the floor, you can 

cram in a lot more folks if you have 

everybody stand up, right? As it 

turns out, the magnetic elements on 

current hard drives are lying down 

on the job, but now several manufacturers, 

including Hitachi and Seagate, 

have figured out a way to make 

the lazy critters stand up on the disk 

and squeeze them closer together. 

It must be easier said than done, 

considering how long it took to implement 

this technology, but now 

Seagate is announcing a new 2.5” 

minidisk, named Momentus, that 

will hold 160 GB, 20% more than 

the highest-capacity 2.5” drives currently 

available. It sounds like 

magic, and the name, Momentus, 

suggests that Harry Potter had something 

to do with it. The new disks 

will be shipped early next year. Seagate 

anticipates that regular hard 

drive capacity will jump to 2500 GB 

(2.5 TB) in 3-5 years. (PC Magazine, 

8/9/05) 

How Much Is That 

Program in the Windows? 

In the good old days, when you purchased 

the latest version of MS- 

DOS you were free to install it on as 

many computers as you owned, and 

many a copy was shared with friends 

and neighbors as well. That has 

changed, as we all know, and many 

expensive programs can now only 

be installed on a single computer, 

whether we like it or not. 

Large commercial programs used in 

THE NEW, THE BEST AND THE WORST 

the business world have usually 

been licensed per seat, based on the 

number of computers the program 

was installed on. Some small engineering 

companies that obtained a 

single copy of expensive Autodesk 

and used it on multiple computers 

were fined and lost their use of the 

program when they got caught. 

As CPUs have been getting faster, 

computer productivity has gone up, 

to the benefit of the users. Although 

most providers have increased their 

license fees to some extent as the 

programs improved, fees have 

mostly continued to be charged per 

seat or per CPU. 

Now the trend to faster computers is 

to increase the number of CPUs on a 

single chip instead of making single 

ones faster, and some software companies 

want to charge their fees on a 

per CPU basis. They are mainly 

concerned about the many backroom 

computers used as servers 

dishing out data over computer networks 

to employees. Oracle and 

IBM have been in the forefront of 

the pricing battles, but seem to be 

compromising on an individual basis. 

Microsoft has unexpectedly 

taken the side of the users and licenses 

its software at the same cost 

for single-core or multiple-core 

processors. That may have something 

to do with the threat of Linux 

and its Open Source programming 

model that is looking more and more 

attractive to many businesses as the 

cost of Windows-based software 

keeps increasing. (The Economist, 

7/16/05, thanks to Louis Ritz) 

Too much security? 

Recently I had occasion to help 

someone straighten out the connections 

between their computers and 

the router. The router had been set 

~PAGE 6~ 

up by an expert, using all its available 

security features. Unfortunately, 

he left behind a jumble of 

notes about procedures and passwords 

that seemed to be incomplete 

or wrong. In the end all we could do 

was reset the router and start over 

again. That made me think about 

how much security we really need. 

Most of us live in homes with 

maybe two locks on the front and 

back doors, possibly with an added 

bolt for extra security at night. That 

will keep most amateur burglars out, 

but a determined crook will find a 

way to get in anyhow. So be it, 

unless you live in a big city apartment 

where it is smart to live behind 

a steel door with multiple locks set 

in a reinforced frame. 

The same goes for routers. To keep 

occasional snoopers out of your network 

takes only a few simple 

changes to be made on the router’s 

access page. 

• Replace the default password 

needed to access the set up 

screen with a secure one that is 

easy to remember (an old street 

address is good, as it contains 

letters and numbers). Also 

change the default user name, if 

your router lets you. 

• On the wireless access page 

change the SSID name to a secure 

one. 

• On the same page uncheck the 

option to broadcast the SSID 

name. 

Forget about all the other security 

options, including WEP or WPA 

encryption, unless someone could 

have good reason to spend lots of 



THE NEW, THE BEST AND THE WORST (CONT.) 

(Continued from page 6) name. If found, open the CAB file in 

time and talent guessing your setup 

information and ruin you in doing 

so. Just because it can be done doesn’t 

mean anyone will actually go to 

the trouble! Just make sure to write 

down the user name, password and 

the SSID. And if you forget anyway, 

it only takes a few minutes to reset 

the router all over again. 

Windows Tips and Tricks 

The June 28, 2005 edition of PC 

Magazine carried a large number of 

Tips and Tricks for Windows, 

mostly contributed by PCM’s lead 

analyst Neal Rubenking whose articles 

and advice I have been following 

almost as long as I have been 

using computers. Try to get hold of a 

copy to see for yourself. Here are 

some that caught my eye. 

If an error message indicates that a 

system file is missing or corrupted 

you may be able to recover it from 

the Windows disk. You DID get one 

when you bought your computer, did 

you? Else ask the manufacturer for 

one - you paid for it! Insert the Windows 

system disk and select Search 

from the Start menu. Use the name 

of the file you are looking for, but 

replace the last character of the extension 

with an underscore, e.g. 

Notepad.ex_ instead of Notepad.exe. 

Make a note of where you found it 

and then use some good, oldfashioned 

DOS command to expand 

that file and install it on your hard 

drive where it belongs. Use Start… 

Run and in the window that pops up 

type (for this example, assuming 

your CD ROM is labeled D :) expand 

D:\Setup\Notepad.ex_ 

C:\Windows\Notepad.exe and that 

should do it. In some cases the missing 

file is stored in a compressed 

CAB file. You can find out by repeating 

the search with the full file 

Windows Explorer and simply drag 

the missing file to its location on 

your hard drive. 

Another handy tip concerns access 

to Windows in its Safe mode, such 

as might be required to remove a 

virus infection. The manual tells you 

to hit F8 or DEL (depending on the 

make of your computer) during start 

up, right after the initial boot sequence 

completes, but before Windows 

starts loading. In practice, 

there is only a fraction of a second 

during which you must do this, and 

it may take many repeats before you 

finally get it right. With a USB keyboard 

it is impossible to do at all, 

since the keyboard won’t be active 

yet at the required moment. If you 

miss and the system boots up in the 

full-fledged Windows mode, press 

Start…Run and type msconfig followed 

by the Enter key. Choose the 

BOOT.INI tab and check the / 

SAFEBOOT box. Now XP will reboot 

in Safe mode until you repeat 

the procedure and uncheck the box. 

Recovered Printer Cartridge 

The other night I set out to print a 

first birthday picture of our blackand-white 

Cocker Spaniel, Bonnie. 

As the picture emerged from the 

printer, an older HP-812C, the top 

half looked OK but the bottom half 

was faded red. Clearly, one or two 

of the three colors in the color cartridge 

were depleted. Just because of 

such happenings, I always keep an 

extra cartridge on hand, in the refrigerator 

to keep it fresh. That may 

have been a bad idea. 

I installed the spare cartridge, 

aligned it, and printed out the picture. 

The black snoot of the dog 

came out looking distinctly bluish. 

Back in the image editor I darkened 

~PAGE 7~ 

the black parts of the image and 

printed it out again. Same result, distinctly 

bluish. Continuing the next 

evening, a test page indicated that 

the yellow color of the cyanmagenta-yellow 

cartridge was not 

printing. I used the printer’s utilities 

to clean the cartridge and to prime 

the inks, without luck. I took the 

cartridge out and carefully cleaned 

the print head with 90% pure rubbing 

alcohol, still without success. 

I was ready to give up on the cartridge 

and buy a new one when one 

more possibility occurred to me. I 

double-bagged the cartridge in two 

ZipLoc bags and immersed it for 20 

minutes in a pan of hot tap water. 

That did the trick, Bonnie printed 

out just fine. From now on no more 

storing of color cartridges in the refrigerator! 

AdSubtract, Good Bye! 

For years I have used AdSubtract to 

block nuisance ads while browsing. 

These days ads are no longer just 

nuisances, as some are harmful and 

require stronger counter-measures. I 

still have AdSubtract on my older 

system, but its update button is no 

longer active. A Google search indicates 

that Intermute, AdSubtract’s 

parent, has been acquired by Trend 

Micro. AdSubtract has been combined 

with TrendMicro’s SpySubtract 

Pro to form Trend Micro Anti- 

Spyware 3.0, which is only compatible 

with Windows XT or 2000. 











What to Eat for 

the Holidays? 

You better not drink, you better not smoke, 

Better not eat that sausage and yoke: 

South Beach is coming to town. 

They’re making a list and checking it twice, 

Marking which foods are naughty and nice: 


They know what you’ve been eating. 

They know about those fries. 

They know if you’ve been fat or thin, 

So you better not touch the pies. 

Oh! You better get fit, you better get cool, 

Better eat beans and lettuce this Yule: 


American Health Magazine, 1984 (Pritican 

changed to South Beach) 

For those Members who didn’t make it to the 

November General Meeting, LBIBMUG can 

now offer its Members wireless DSL access at 

our General Meetings. 

You can now bring your laptops equipped with 

WiFi (either a card or if you have a newer laptop 

it may be built-in. 

If you have any trouble just ask a Board Member 

for help. 

~PAGE 8~ 

DECEMBER MEETING 

(CONT.) 


more to exchange for a ticket to win 

the 19” Envision Flat Panel Screen. 

Our own Nate Brightman will be 

giving you three simple tools to 

spruce up your holiday photos. He 

will be demonstrating the ease of 

editing photos using the software 

‘Elements”. 


continues from November with the 

photo software, a 16ft power tape 

measure, a package of 52 HP recordable 

CD’s, and sport water sipper 

were not claimed by member Michele 

Amrhein (her number was posted 

in the NL) Additional item will be 

added for December. Be sure to look 

for the member number published 

somewhere in this newsletter. You 

membership number is located on 


from the club by e-mail. 


for more info, last minutes changes, 


WELCOME 


New Members: 

None 

Renewals: 

Richard Dolgenow 

Jon Fults 

Ruth McMclure 

Stanley McMclure


WHY JOIN A USER GROUP? 

From APCUG Nov issue of NOOZ 

Consumers Trust Each Other More 

Than Advertising. Among one of 

the many benefits of belonging to a 

User Group is the ability to talk with 

members who use a program or 

product you are interested in purchasing, 

or to have it demonstrated 

by a vendor or group member at a 

meeting. User Group members are 

not hesitant to share their computer 

knowledge with even total strangers 

and are often asked by friends and 

relatives for advice regarding computer-related 

purchases. The below 

information, taken in part from an email 

from Andy Marken, Marken 

Communication, affirms that User 

Group members are influential in 

the electronics industry. 

The "2005 Consumer-Generated 

Media (CGM) and Engagement 

Study" a new study of consumer behavior 

by Intelliseek Inc., reports 

that consumers are 50 percent more 

likely to be influenced by word-ofmouth 

recommendations from their 

peers than by radio/TV ads. Consumer 

trust toward traditional advertising 

is being challenged by growing 

confidence in consumergenerated-media 

(CGM), and the 

recommendations of other consumers. 

The research also finds important 

correlations between consumers 

who regularly skip over or delete 

television or online ads and those 

who create, and absorb consumergenerated 

media (defined as experiences, 

opinions and advice posted 

on the Internet by consumers for 

others to read and share). "Active ad 

skippers " are 25 percent more likely 

to create and respond to Internet 

message boards, forums and blogs. 

Intelliseek CEO Mike Nazzaro said 

"The advertising landscape is... forcing 

marketers to broaden and redefine 

the concepts of media, influence 

and audience reach. If consumergenerated 

media is the most effective 

and trusted form of advertising, 

it's critical that marketers begin to 

measure, manage and influence it..." 

Key findings from the analysis: 

- Word-of-mouth behavior among 

"familiars" trumps all forms of advertising 

and is more trusted than 

news or "expert commentary." 

- Positive word-of-mouth from a 

personal acquaintance carries just as 

much impact as negative word-ofmouth. 

- Consumers are on track to post 

close to 2 billion comments on the 

Internet by the end of 2005. 

- Key industries susceptible to GCM 

influence are health/medical, auto, 

electronics, video games and music. 


sender. 

PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE (CONT.) 

This month the Club gives you the 

chance to reach out to the less fortunate 

through our first ever toy drive 

to sponsor the Long Beach Fire Department’s 

“Spark of Love” project. 

Bring a new unwrapped toy valued 

at $10.00 or more to exchange for a 

ticket to win the 19” Envision Flat 

Panel Screen. No limit to the number 

of toys to bring. 

Take pleasure in the gift of family, 

good friends and new acquaintances. 

Savor the season; it is a time of love, 

joy, and exciting festivities. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, 

and Blessings to all, Betty 

~PAGE 9~ 

DIGITAL PHOTO TIPS 

By Nate Brightman, Spec. Projects 

LBIBMUG 

Three Mouse Clicks to Great 

Digital Photos! 

That’s all it takes using Photoshop 

Elements 3 or 4. O.K., maybe four 

clicks if people are in the picture. 

And the nice thing is that it is all 

done on one screen—no complicated 

things to remember. True, with Photoshop 

Elements you can do things 

that are almost miraculous, but I 

won’t be showing that, mainly because 

I haven’t learned to do those 

things. My demo is for those who 

are only interested in turning bad 

photos into good photos and good 

photos into great photos. 

The biggest problem with digital 

pictures comes from the fact that the 

flash is only effective to ten feet, and 

with no light colored walls, flash 

pictures are mostly way too dark. 

That happens, too, when shooting 

outdoors in poor lighting conditions, 

Three clicks of a mouse and those 

pictures became very good shots. 

You may want to bring a sheet of 

paper and a pen to take make a note 

of the three or four steps, or just 

bring a half sheet of paper, the notes 

will be very limited. 

If you have friends who use a digital 

camera, this would be the meeting 

you should invite them to attend. 











CHASING THE INTERNET (Cont.) 

(Continued from page 3) (there's peer pressure at all ages!); 

such as AARP, Lists, To-Read, and 

Travel. This lets me organize e-mail 

time, prioritize my reading and answering, 

and sometimes catch up by 

deleting an e-mail category I don't 

really need to read. And the best part 

is that I avoid interruptions of each 

note arriving, since routing takes 

place silently and invisibly. 

Set discussion mailing list subscriptions 

to "digest mode". This groups 

list e-mail into fewer/larger notes, 

sent occasionally, sometimes once/ 

daily. This has two benefits: it eliminates 

many interruptions, and it 

greatly reduces the temptation to 

answer list notes, since by the time 

you see something someone else has 

likely already answered it. 

Pick times during the day to handle 

e-mail, read favorite Web sites, use 

instant messaging, etc.; ignore it all 

at other times. This allows focusing 

on tasks at hand, reduces frenzied 

multi-tasking (trying to do many 

things at once), and lets you actually 

finish things you start! 

Don't be trapped by time-wasting 

habits. Use technology that matches 

your needs; change it for yourself, 

not because people urge you to 


AM/FM Radio .................................. Don Chorpenning 

Large Format Calculator............................... Fred Waid 

Medium T-Shirt ................................ Don Chorpenning 

Paint Brush Kit .................................. Vivian Fitzgerald 

PC Hardware Annoyances (Book)...... Fred Sparrevohn 

Portable LED Book Light............................ Joe Francis 

Pixifun Photo Key Ring Kit............... Vivian Fitzgerald 

Tote Bag........................................................Art Borges 



....................................Joyce Schmailing 

adopt changes such as broadband 

Internet that save you time but be 

selective in what it brings you. 

Recognize that the conveyor belt 

always wins the race and focus on 

what really matters -- most of 

which, after all, isn't even online. 

This article originated on AARP's 

Computers and Technology Web 

site, www.aarp.org/computers, and 

is copyrighted by AARP. All rights 

are reserved; it may be reproduced, 

downloaded, disseminated, or transferred, 

for single use, or by nonprofit 

organizations for educational 

purposes, with attribution to AARP. 

It should be unchanged and this 

paragraph included. Please e-mail 

Gabe Goldberg at 

gabe@gabegold.com when you use 

it, or for permission to excerpt or 

condense. 










~PAGE 10~ 

BRING CANS 












to $17.91. 


IMPORTANT! 






different rate and must be separated 

from other types of aluminum. 


RAFFLE ITEMS 



Double Leather Laptop Case 

Draw 3 Drawing Program 

PC Hardware Annoyances (Book) 



Quicken 2003 

StudioLine Photo 2 


Speaker Phone w/ Call ID, Calc. & Calen.


NAME THIS HOLIDAY SONG - Answered by ____________________________________________________ 

1. Approach all you who are steadfast.____________________________________________________________ 

2. Ecstasy toward the orb.______________________________________________________________________ 

3. Hush, the foretelling spirits harmonize. _________________________________________________________ 

4. Quiescent nocturnal period. __________________________________________________________________ 

5. Hey, minuscule urban area of southwest Jerusalem. _______________________________________________ 

6. The autocratic troika originating near the ascent of Apollo. _________________________________________ 

7. The primary carol. _________________________________________________________________________ 

8. Embellish to corridors. ______________________________________________________________________ 

9. I’m fantasizing concerning a blanched yuletide. __________________________________________________ 

10. I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent, unshaven male in a crimson disguise. ________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

11. During the time bovine caretakers supervised their charges after dark._________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

12. Travel to the high place to relate it. ____________________________________________________________ 

13. The thing manifested itself at the onset of a transparent night. _______________________________________ 

14. What offspring abides thus? __________________________________________________________________ 

15. Removed in a bovine feeding trough.___________________________________________________________ 

16. Valentine, the roseate proboscis wapiti. _________________________________________________________ 

17. The slight percussionist lad. __________________________________________________________________ 

18. Father Christmas approaches the metropolis. ____________________________________________________ 

19. Seraphim we aurally detected in the stratosphere. _________________________________________________ 

20. Creator, cool it, you kooky cats._______________________________________________________________ 

21. Desired gift of dentures. _____________________________________________________________________ 

22. Snowy season’s imaginary place.______________________________________________________________ 

23. Icy personage._____________________________________________________________________________ 

24. Noel time, less than a fortnight. _______________________________________________________________ 

25. European monarch of kind character.___________________________________________________________ 

26. Tinkling glockenspiel. ______________________________________________________________________ 

27. We possess a miniscule spinner._______________________________________________________________ 

28. Permit it to flurry. __________________________________________________________________________ 

29. Ringing bellow boulder. _____________________________________________________________________ 

30. Ate luminous tapers. ________________________________________________________________________ 

31. Castanea kernels being changed by heat near an exposed inferno. ____________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

32. Our Group bids thee a joyous anniversary of the birthday of Jesus. ___________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

33. Heed felled seasonal Douglas fir. ______________________________________________________________ 

34. “Anna Mary Robertson” Moses was overtaken by a rangifer tarandus._________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

~PAGE 11~



Last Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ 



Address: ___________________________________________ Apt: ____________ 

City : ______________________________ State: _______ Zip: ______ - _______ 


E-Mail address: _______________________________________________________ 















Lakewood Bl. 

Clark Avenue 

Masonic Lodge 




N 

405 Freeway 



Greenbrier 







~PAGE 12~ 









Happy Holidays – May Your Celebration Be Blessed 

_____________________________________________________ 


__________________________________________ 



A $10.00 Value

MEMBERS! - Long Beach IBM Users Group

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