SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGs)
GENERAL SIG INFORMATION:
The Special Interest Group (SIG) is on the leading edge of action for the Front Range PC Users Group. The idea of the SIG is to bring people of similar interests together to see what happens. It's as simple as that. This page is to chronicle the activities and experiences FRPCUG members that are involved in the SIG's.
SIG SCHEDULES:
-
Digital Imaging: Second Tuesday of the month in Activity Room 1 (AC 1) at the Fort Collins Senior Center from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
-
Saturday Morning Shop Talk: Every Saturday (except major holidays) in the lobby of the Fort Collins Senior Center from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
-
Technology: Third Thursday of the month at Blue Bird Manufacturing, 1421 Webster Ave. Fort Collins, CO, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
- Web Development: Currently, web development discussions usually take place at the Saturday Morning Shop Talk sessions, and via email. To participate, visit one of the Saturday sessions, and/or contact member Chuck McJilton (cdmcjs(at)gmail.com).
In addition to monitoring this page for SIG schedule and topic information, schedules for all FRPCUG events can be viewed in the FRPCUG Google calendar. There are two links to this calendar on the FRPCUG homepage (and on this page). One is the dodecahedron calendar image at the upper right corner of the page. The second is the Graphical Events Calendar link in the right side panel of the page. Schedule information is also available in the HTML Newsletter, and in the PDF Newsletter.
DIGITAL IMAGING SIG
The Digital Imaging SIG was established to help anyone with a digital camera. Topics can include cameras, scanning or software. Software discussions are NOT limited to any one program, and have, in the past, included Picasa, IrfanView, GIMP, Photoshop Elements and Photoshop (among others).
-
The next meeting is on Tuesday, April 13th at 7:00 PM in Activity Room 1 (AC 1) at the Fort Collins Senior Center.
The topic: TBD
If you have a question regarding any aspect of photography, whether it is camera or software related, send your question to me and it can become a topic for a meeting (you can remain anonymous if you prefer). Send your question (or suggestion) to me at twriterext(at)gmail.com.
-
Airline Battery Restrictions
Did you know that certain types of batteries are restricted from airline carry-on baggage? Here are 2 links on that topic: 1) Lithium Batteries Banned (see especially the posted messages dated 01/02/08); and 2) Battery Regulations.
-
Information on the "Megapixel War"
There are two excellent articles available on the internet that discuss the issue of digital camera megapixels:
Megapixel Myth.
This article is very critical of the way camera manufacturers sell their cameras, and provides a convincing argument for the effectiveness of (relatively) smaller megapixel numbers.
Megapixel Race
This article starts with a quote from a manager of a major camera manufacturer: "Twelve megapixels is, I think, enough for covering most applications most customers need."
You will find in this article a brief discussion of other camera specifications (such as sensor size) that are more important in today's cameras.
If you already have a digital camera, you will find these articles provide support for the choice you made. If you are considering buying a digital camera, you will find an answer to "how many megapixels is enough?"
SATURDAY MORNING SHOP TALK
The Shop Talk sessions are a means for FRPCUG members to share questions and successes with each other, and to provide assistance to the community at large. These sessions are located in the Senior Center lobby on Saturday mornings in order to make that help readily available to the public. Anyone wanting to participate in these learning events is welcome.
TECHNOLOGY SIG
The Technology SIG is one of the longer running SIGs in the club and is run by Charles McJilton. The meeting content varies greatly depending on the issues and problems brought by the members for resolution. The group is a consolidation of one-time active, previous groups including the HTML and Website Development, Networking, and Linux Interest groups.
Significant topics include internet connections, networking in offices (of members), computer security and the installation of computer security software. Activities include tasks such as improving networks, adding wireless connectibility, exploring voice over internet protocols (VOIP), and researching new Linux applications. The group is not limited to the various versions of the Linux operating system, however. Discussions of the Unix and Windows operating systems are within the charter of this group.
In the past, Technology SIG help included locating good component matches to order and build an optimized computer. That included contributing to the evaluation of various combinations of CPUs, motherboards, memory and video cards.
WEB DEVELOPMENT SIG
The FRPCUG web development activity has involved cascading style sheets (css), html and xhtml coding, and Java script calls to date sensitive images. All of which result in a very interesting learning experience.
The FRPCUG website is the result of many years effort by a growing number of people. It is "morphing" from a strictly HTML format to a Cascading Style Sheet format. We hope to include more photos, and update the graphics, build on content of the past and encourage the membership to take a more active part in it's maintenance. Current work on the web is guided by the Web Development Worksheet on the frpcug.pbwiki.com. Please check it out and leave your comments if you're inclined.
Currently, FRPCUG web development is achieved on an informal basis. However,all participants are open to the expansion of this task into a SIG that will extend the topic to include web site develoment in general. That goal is consistent with the educational purposes of FRPCUG.
Investigate this further at the "Shop Talk" sessions Saturday mornings at the Senior Center lobby, or, at the monthly meetings.
