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The Monthly Edition Of The k-Byte Newsletter |
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| V. 26, No. 12, December 2009 | Users Helping Users |
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The Monthly Edition Of The k-Byte Newsletter |
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| V. 26, No. 12, December 2009 | Users Helping Users |
Contents
Meeting Previews on Page 6
December: Election & Annual Holiday Party
January: Windows 7
Quote of the Month
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his
influence stops.
Henry Adams [1907]
Election
The candidates for FRPCUG offices are:
After many years of service, Don Anderson, Jim Bragonier and Virgina Febinger decided not to run for re-election. The group owes these individuals many many thanks for their past service. Plan to attend the December meeting to thank them in person and to vote for the new candidates.
Yes, it is important to cast your vote for all candidates, even those running unopposed. All candidates have volunteered their time for the Senior Center classes, or the Shop Talk sessions, or General Meeting presentations, or FRPCUG web site maintenance or SIG activities or other FRPCUG activities (or all of the activities). Therefore, all candidates have earned a show of support from the members. If you cannot attend the meeting, you can submit an absentee ballot via email up to eight (8) hours prior to the election. Send your email to Contact(at)frpcug.org (use the link on the FRPCUG web site home page).
Program:
The December meeting will start with a short (20 minute) entertainment segment presented by the traveling arm of the S.O.A.P. (Slightly Older Adult Players) troupe from the Senior Center.
This program was created especially for FRPCUG with songs, jokes and verses relating the season to computer users.
It will be a "spirit lifter." There will be 7 performers, some in costume. Bring your family and friends and plan to arrive right on time to enjoy this special performance!
We will then hold the election, which should take about 10 minutes. That leaves an hour and a half for conversation—about anything related to computers, or about anything at all.
Sandwiches and (non-alcoholic) beverages will be provided. Any member is welcome to bring cookies or other holiday treats.
There will be no keyword graphic raffle at the December meeting. The next raffle will be at the January meeting.
Published monthly, k-Byte is the official newsletter of the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group (FRPCUG): our mailing address is PMB 152, 305 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.
Opinions expressed in k-Byte are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the group or its members. Publication of information in k-Byte constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither k-Byte, nor its officers, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on computer-related topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Send your contribution to the editor via e-mail attachment or submit on disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Copyright and Trademark Information
k-Byte is copyrighted ©2009 by the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group. The k-Byte logo and the Front Range PC Users Group logo are Trademarked by the Front Range PC Users Group. Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit users groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in k-Byte without prior permission, provided that: a) proper author and publication credits are given; b) that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to k-Byte at the above mailing address, or emailed to contact(at)frpcug.org; and c) any additional instructions/restrictions contained in the article are followed. User groups wishing to exchange newsletters with FRPCUG are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
Disclaimer
IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, HP, Dell, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Microsoft, Dell Inc., or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller. Acceptance by FRPCUG of donated products or services from suppliers, or inclusion of a supplier in the FRPCUG Partner list does not imply that any continuing financial support is received or expected by FRPCUG. Nor do such activities imply an endorsement of either the supplier or product or service. Such information is made available to members as a service. Use of any product or supplier found in this publication, or any FRPCUG publication, is at the sole risk of the user.
About FRPCUG
FRPCUG is an independent nonprofit computer society, so incorporated with the State of Colorado and open to anyone interested in Windows, or UNIX/LINUX microcomputers. Its purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum of mutual benefit for members of the micro-computer community. FRPCUG holds a monthly meeting and conducts various special interest groups (SIGs) and seminars. Members have voting privileges, subscription to k-Byte newsletter, and access to SIGs and selected seminars. Annual dues are $25 for individual/family membership ($20 for students) and $50 for corporate/group membership.
Courtesy of APCUG
by Berry F. Phillips, Computer Club of Oklahoma City, http://www.ccokc.org/
Sony has decided to accelerate the 3D industry by selling 3D televisions globally by the end of 2010. The formal announcement is to be made by Sir Howard Stringer, Sony chief executive, they not only plan to sell 3D Bravia television sets, but to make Sony's Vaio laptop computers, PlayStation 3 games consoles, and Blu-ray disc players compatible with the technology. He is expected to tell the audience, "Today, 3D is clearly on its way to the mass market through technology, distribution, and content." Analysts expect early 3D TVs to cost several thousand dollars.
This will be welcome news to the electronics industry to boost sales in the future since high definition television has reached its peak. Hyundai is producing early 3D sets for the Japanese market, and Panasonic has announced plans for products. British Sky Broadcasting has indicated it will introduce a 3D satellite channel in the UK next year.
The consumer electronics industry has not yet agreed on a single 3D standard which might create a format war similar to VHS and Betamax or Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Sony has opted for "active shutter" technology, using electronic glasses containing tiny shutters that open and close rapidly in synch with the television image to create a 3D impression. Cinema 3D uses "polarization" technology with simpler glasses which works when viewers are at a certain angle in a theater but is less suitable for home viewing.
Relax, your high definition TV will not become obsolete for a few years! (My thanks to Financial Times Ltd. for most of the information used in this article).
The Front Range PC Users Group Board of Directors sends best wishes for a happy holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all members and their families.
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by Mike Morris, Front Range PC Users Group, http://www.frpcug.org
Hello again. This is the Old Analog Guy with Part 2 of my story about joining the Facebook generation.
I need to warn you that I am a novice at this social networking phenomenon—just in case it isn't obvious.
In Part 1 I described the various privacy controls offered by Facebook. In this segment I want to (try and) describe (to the extent that I understand them) the two primary pages of a Facebook account:
Here is a view of my Home Page:
Here is a view of my Profile (Wall) page:
So . . . what is the difference?
Both have the "What's on your mind?" field. Both have messages that I have posted and that "friends" have posted (although the list is not the same).
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook): "A user's Wall is visible to anyone who is able to see that user's profile, depending on privacy settings." The Wall can include both text and attachments. Well . . . OK, but that is an unsatisfactory explanation (to me) of the difference between the Home Page and the Wall.
One difference between the two pages is the list of "friends" on the left side of the Wall. If I click on a photo (or name) of a "friend" in that list, I am connected to that "friend's" Wall (not to that "friend's" Home Page). In fact, as best as I can determine, I can't connect to a "friend's" Home Page, only that "friend's" Wall. So here is how I see the difference between these two pages (based on my testing, with results potentially different if privacy settings are different):
Do you follow all that? I think I have the mechanics of using these two pages correct. However, as I said in my Facebook post, the logic of using two pages—especially the logic regarding what is displayed (or not displayed) on each page—still is not clear to me.
According to the Wikipedia article:
"One of the most popular applications on Facebook is the Photos application, where users can upload albums and photos. Facebook allows users to upload an unlimited number of photos, compared with other image hosting services such as Photobucket and Flickr, which apply limits to the number of photos that a user is allowed to upload. ... Another feature of the Photos applications is the ability to "tag", or label users in a photo. For instance, if a photo contains a user's friend, then the user can tag the friend in the photo. This sends a notification to the friend that they have been tagged, and provides them a link to see the photo."
If you look at my Home Page, you will see that one of my "friends" "was tagged in a photo." It wasn't MY "friend" that did the "tagging." It was a "friend" of MY "friend," but I received notification, as did, presumably, all of MY "friend's" "friends." That message only appears on my Home Page, not on my Wall. Actually, I am not sure why it is displayed on any page of my Facebook account, since I have disabled everything in the "News Feed and Wall" privacy options and in the "Applications" (Photos is an "Application" which I have not installed) privacy options, and limited everything in the "Profile" privacy options to "Only Friends." I suspect I don't completely understand those privacy options.
I need to stop here. Just describing how this thing works starts short circuits in my brain—after all, I am an Old Analog Guy. I will try to describe, in Part 3, how you find "friends," for those who need more friends, and for whom "old fashioned" telephone and email contacts are not sufficient.
I will end this story with references to some very interesting information on just how pervasive social networking has become—in all age groups of the population.
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December General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on: |
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Day
Tuesday |
Date
December 1st |
Time
7:00 PM |
| Meeting Agenda | |
| Time | Topic |
| 7:00 to 7:20 | Entertainment |
| 7:20 to 7:30 | Election |
| 7:30 to 7:40 | Break |
| 7:40 to 9:00 | Conversation, Food and Beverages |
To check on FRPCUG events in 2010 using a familiar graphical calendar format, connect to the 2010 Graphical Events Calendar
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January General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on: |
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Day
Tuesday |
Date
January 5th |
Time
7:00 PM |
| Meeting Agenda | |
| Time | Topic |
| 7:00 to 7:15 | Announcements |
| 7:15 to 8:00 | Open Forum |
| 8:00 to 8:15 | Break |
| 8:15 to 9:00 | Windows 7 |
See you at the meetings!
Get full membership benefits. If you are not a current member, download and complete a Membership Application. Mail the completed application and your payment to the address listed, or better yet, bring the application to the next meeting.
The election of FRPCUG officers is scheduled for the December meeting. Please read the article on Page 1 of this issue for more information. After the election, sandwiches and beverages will be served to help stimulate conversation about all things related to computers. Bring your family and friends to share the conversation and food.
The January meeting will provide our first look at the new Microsoft Windows operating system: Windows 7. Are there any new features? Can you upgrade from XP? Did Microsoft avoid the kinds of problems it encountered with Vista? Plan to attend the January meeting for answers to these and other questions.
Digital Imaging SIG
The Digital Imaging SIG is a forum for discussion of digital imaging hardware and software. The meetings are held every 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Senior Center Lobby. The meeting format is informal, using the Shop Talk sessions as a basis. For more information, contact Mike Morris at twriterext(at)gmail.com.
New Technology SIG
The New Technology SIG provides advance support for all PC related operating system and telecommunication issues. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month at Bluebird Manufacturing Inc., 1421 Webster Avenue, in Fort Collins. For more information, contact Chuck McJilton at 970-493-2987.
Shop Talk
One-on-one assistance. Drop in to the Senior Center lobby on any Saturday (holidays excepted) from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Board Meeting
FRPCUG's executive board meets on Wednesday of the week following the General Forum meeting. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held at 7:00 PM in the Staff Board Room of the Fort Collins Senior Center.
For a view of FRPCUG activities in 2010, in a traditional graphical calendar format, connect to the Graphical Events Calendar
Here is a summary of FRPCUG activities and other important dates for the next two months:
December 2009
1 General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
5 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
8 NO DIGITAL IMAGING SIG MEETING
9 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
12 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
17 Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
19 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
25 Christmas Holiday
26 No Shop Talk
January 2010
1 New Year's Day Holiday
2 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
5 General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
9 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
12 Digital Imaging SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
13 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
16 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
21 Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
23 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
30 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Photo Gallery
This month's featured photographer:
Michael Broekstra using a Sony DSC-W80 Camera.
Sunrise Through The Fog
Camera Settings:
Mode = Auto, F Number = 10.0, Exposure time = 1/500 seconds, Focal Length = 8.70 mm
ISO = 125, White Balance = Auto, Scene Capture Type = Night scene
Copyright © 2009 by Michael Broekstra. All rights reserved. Send requests for copies/reprint permissions to kbyte(at)frpcug.org
Pamela Tabak receives numerous computer-related questions via e-mail and during classroom presentations. She selects those she feels are of common interest to most members and forwards them to us for publication.
Pamela invites members to ask their questions at http://tinyurl.com/ask-pamela. More often than not you will receive and answer within 24 hours.
QUESTION: I have blank pages at the end of my WORD document that I cannot delete. Please help!
ANSWER: You can delete a blank page in a Word document by deleting the page break which is the point at which one page ends and another begins. Microsoft Word inserts an "automatic" page break for you, or you can force a page break at a specific location by inserting a "manual" page break at the end of the page. You can also combine two pages by deleting the page break between them.
Make sure you're in NORMAL VIEW which is a view that shows text formatting and a simplified page layout. Normal view is convenient for most editing and formatting tasks. On the VIEW menu, click NORMAL. If nonprinting characters, such as paragraph markers (¶) are not visible, click SHOW/HIDE on the Standard toolbar, and then do one of the following:
To delete a page manually:
To delete a blank page at the end of the document:
To delete a page break placed before a specific paragraph:
QUESTION: I have a list of names in an Excel Worksheet and I would like to split the information into two columns. Is this possible?
ANSWER: Yes it certainly is possible and simple to implement.
In order to split a column of text in Microsoft Excel follow the steps below:
Click on DATA and select TEXT TO COLUMNS:
Now place a check mark in the box marked OTHER and insert a period in the white box to the right of the check mark as shown at right:
Click FINISH and your columns will look similar to the example shown at right:
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FRPCUG CONTACTS
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Telephone Area Code 970
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| Title | Name | Work Phone | Home Phone | |
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FRPCUG Officers |
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| President | Rick Mattingly | 613-8968 | rickmatt(at)q.com | |
| Vice President | Don Anderson | 482-0943 | doande(at)gmail.com | |
| Treasurer | Virginia Febinger | 498-2127 | gingercln(at)comcast.net | |
| Secretary | Jim Bragonier | 221-5500 | 484-9061 | james.bragonier(at)comcast.net |
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k-Byte Staff |
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| Editor-in-Chief | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| Features Editor | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
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Other Contacts |
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| Membership Coordinator | Jack Linder | 663-2151 | jack(at)frpcug.org | |
| Technology SIG Leader | Chuck McJilton | 491-1011 | 493-2987 | cdmcjs(at)gmail.com |
| Digital Imaging SIG Leader | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| Publicity | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| FRPCUG Fax Line | 493-1408 | |||
| FRPCUG Home Page w/ E-Mail | http://www.frpcug.org | |||
| FRPCUG Officer E-Mail | board(at)frpcug.org | |||
| Library Request E-Mail | library(at)frpcug.org | |||
The Fort Collins Senior Center is located at 1200 Raintree Drive. This site is situated at the northwest corner of the Shields and Raintree Drive intersection, on the north side of the Raintree Shopping Center, and just west of the bank building on the corner of Shields and Raintree (see map at right).
Check the marquee at the main entrance for directions to the specific meeting room.
