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2005 Users' Group Newsletters

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2004 Archive


DECEMBER 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER         http://lo-clc.org

A meeting on December 14th at 1:00 p.m. at the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Acorn Room, may influence our future activities.  The City of Lake Oswego would like to find out how residents over the age of 50 envision their life and how their vision might influence related programs, services, facilities and public policy.  The vision created by the residents of Lake Oswego will be an important consideration for decision makers as they consider the future effects of current planning.  PLEASE RSVP to DEBRA CARLINE at 503-635-3758. 

 

We received another thank you letter from Jerry Trageser.  Their address is 111 Merlin Drive, Hummelstown, PA 17056.  Phone 717-683-0175.

 

Our Chair, Victoria Short Baum, has returned from the New Orleans disaster area of Katrina.  I am certain that they wanted her to stay indefinitely to help with computer input.  But, she is ours, and we have her back. 

 

Now, we need volunteers to help strip the hard drives of unwanted information to give space for new things.  Also, control over misuse of the printers by individuals.  If you have the know-how and free time, please volunteer.  Also, Warren needs help with calls from people wanting to donate used equipment.  We cannot overload one or two people in these projects when we have so many of you who are very knowledgeable and have a few hours that could be well spent doing this.  The IMAC co-leaders would like help from you IMAC people with the program schedule, finding people to present.

 

Don’t forget to let Mary Lou know about your volunteer hours [email Mary Lou]

 

PC USERS’ GROUP:

Our programs were scrambled this month.

  • On November 7th, Bob Guyan presented a program on Picasa which you can download free www.Picasa.com .  It has good support but no manual.  It will build an index and no moving or copying are involved.  The program will go through your computer and pick up all pictures.  You can make a slide show or put a picture on your desktop.  
  • November 14th Victoria talked about her trip to Louisiana. You can read her journal and see pictures on her web site
  • November 21st the program was on Mail Merge presented by Dick Steingraber.  He showed us how to set up a Data File from the database file of names and addresses using WORD.  Then, you had to set up a Label File.  You can also use this for sending out letters or announcements.  We had fun with Dick today because things do not always go right when you are presenting.  They did at home, but not here. 
  • November 28th was a Question & Answer session.  These are always good because you learn something new or something that you had forgotten.

IMAC USERS’ GROUP:

November 10th, Paul Sleeper hosted a Question & Answer session.  This is always a good session because you can bring your problems and the group will help you solve them.

 

The November 24th session was canceled because it was Thanksgiving Day.  For the Calendar of Events going on at the Apple Store in Bridgeport Village, go to http://www.apple.com/retail/bridgeportvillage/month/200511.html   We may visit them again for one of their presentations.

 

SIG:  The DIGITAL CAMERA GROUP will be working on Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 using Jim Calvert’s program.  You will be notified of the next meeting, or you can check the calendar at our website:  http://lo-clc.org

          INVESTMENT GROUP on November 18th, Dan Deymonaz of Wedbush/Morgan Securities spoke on “The State of the Market”.  It is possible that the market may go sideways for the next five years.  It is a good group to take part in.  The next meeting will be December 16th at 10:00 a.m.

 

PC USERS’ GROUP DECEMBER SCHEDULE—Mondays at 9:30 a.m.

December        5            LIBRARY PRESENTATION—SEARCH ENGINES by                                          Todd Feinman      

December      12           INTERNET SECURITY UPDATE, presented by Victoria                                         Short Baum                    

December     19           QUESTION & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid--45                                         minutes Followed by PC USERS’ GROUP HOLIDAY                                                PARTY,

IMAC PEOPLE INVITED

December     26           Canceled—see calendar

 

IMAC USERS’ GROUP DECEMBER SCHEDULE—2nd and 4th Thursdays at                                12:30

December       8          Not available—you will be notified

December     19          PC USERS’ GROUP HOLIDAY PARTY—you are invited

December     22          Not available—you will be notified

 

HOPING YOUR CHRISTMAS IS MERRY AND HAVE A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

 

KAY KERR, your editor


NOVEMBER 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER         http://lo-clc.org

 

October has been quite a month.  We lost our Chair, Jerry Tragaser, who moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania to be near his children and grandchildren.  It has been reported that Jerry and Vivian arrived in Hershey with no problems.   He was sent away with a great party in the Computer Learning Center and in the Adult Community Center.  We wish them well but we will miss them.

 

Victoria Short Baum has taken over the reigns of the CLC and we will all help in the transition.  There may be some changes as each person has his own style of leading a group but with everyone’s cooperation, we will carry on to keep this great organization going. 

 

If you have volunteered in teaching a class or assisting, leading a special interest group, working at the Farmers’ Market or any other volunteer hours given to the center, please report the amount of hours that you have worked in doing the project and preparation for it to Mary Lou Solid.  She has also set up a folder for reporting these hours.  The folder is on the table as you enter the room.  This information is needed to show the city that we are active and generous of our time

 

PC USERS’ GROUP:

On October 3rd, Cheryl Vencil of the Lake Oswego Library presented a program about using the Internet for genealogy work.  Address for the Library’s genealogy page is www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/special/genealogy.htm or you may go to the Library’s Homepage www.lakeoswegolibrary.org .  Then click on Special Collections, and then Genealogy.  Some links from their website:

Genealogical Forum of Oregon --  www.gfo.org

Ancestry.com – www.ancestry.com

Cyndi’s List – www.cyndislist.com

Ellis Island – www.ellisisland.org

Family History.com –- www.familyhistory.com/main.asp

Family Search(Latter-day Saints) -- www.familysearch.org

Genealogy.com – www.genealogy.com

U. S. Census Bureau – www.census.gov

Vital Records – http://vitalrec.com

The Lake Oswego Library has started a Genealogy group which you might be interested in.  They also have information about other groups in the area.

October 10th, Peter Gruber, Global Community Solutions Manager for Intel, spoke to us about Intel’s involvement in the United States, Middle East and South America.  He is responsible for day-to-day program operations worldwide and building relationships with internal and external fellow travelers. 

 Spreadsheets, Part 2 on October 17th was presented by Dick Steingraber.  He showed how it can be set up and added to or subtracted from and how it changes.  We have a class for this if you are interested.  This can also be used in setting up a chart for names, addresses, etc.

 

October 24th we heard about the problems after hurricane Katrina.  Bob and Dar Young told us about their experience as Red Cross volunteers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the early days after the disaster.  Their topic was “Assisting Victims of the Hurricane’s in Louisiana Through the American Red Cross, Setting Up Communication Systems and Assisting With Healthcare.”  Bob is a Ham radio operator and Dar is a nurse.  They feel that the news did not report conditions as they were only highlighted the bad ones. 

 Prior to Katrina, they had taken a series of disaster training classes, so they were ready to go.  Their comment on returning home:  “We feel that we received much more than we gave and we are proud to have been with such great American volunteers who were joined by other volunteers from Canada, Central America, Europe and Asia.”

 

They feel that everyone should take advantage of these disaster training classes to be ready in case of any type of disaster or emergency. 

Question & Answer session on October 31st was good, as always.  You learn something from other people’s questions.  www.Komanda.com  is a good website for information.  There is a monthly newsletter available.  You might set up a separate e-mail address for these articles. 

 

IMAC USERS’ GROUP:

On October 14th, Evelyn Metzger presented information on investing on line.  She recommends

www.Quantumonline.com  .  There is no fee and it is a gateway to investor information on line.  They have a Quick Start Page, Glossary of Income Investing Terms, Income Investing Basics, Income Tables. 

www.vanguard.com   The Vanguard Group, Inc. has Mutual Funds and ETF”s, Fund list by asset class.  Go to personal investors site.

www.biz.yahoo.com      Yahoo Financial Research

www.morningstar.com   Morningstar information and articles

www.fool.com   The Motley Fool has lots of information and a few chuckles

www.wife.org  Women’s Institute for Financial Education

 

The MONEY MAGAZINE is written in regular language and is a good source for information.  SMART MONEY is also good.  It is published by the WALL STREET JOURNAL.  She likes EARL SCHWABE for investing because they have a live person you can talk with 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  $2500 is the minimum investment at Charles Schwabe and Fidelity.  Muriel Siebert & Co. has no minimum.

 October 28th, Carol Higgins gave us TRAVEL TIPS.  A handout gave many good sources to use when looking for low fares and hotels:

www.SouthwestAirlines.com 

www.expedia.com

www.orbitz.com

www.cheaptickets.com

www.travel.com

www.travelocity.com

www.AirGorilla.com

www.priceline.com

www.bookingbuddy.com

www.LasVegas.com

www.Reno.com

www.GrandCircleTravel.com

 Carol and Evelyn would like help in keeping this group going.  We all have busy lives, but if some of us would assist, we can have a good group.  I for one would be unhappy if this group disbands.  If you do not like what is being done, pitch in with some suggestions and give it a boost.  They would appreciate your help.  E-mail addresses are:

Carol Higgins                            cahigg2@earthlink.net 

Evelyn Metzger             evelynm@spiritone.com 

 

To see the new calendar of events and free classes at the Bridgeport Village Apple Store, go to www.apple.com/bridgeportvillage.com

 

SIG GROUPS:

DIGITAL CAMERA Group on October 17th is working with ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 3.0, using the lessons that Jim Calvert worked up on a free CD.  Bring a blank one if you want the CD.  NEXT MEETING, NOVEMBER 21ST AT 12:30 P.M.

 

INVESTMENT GROUP Group on October 29th  Jim Liu presented “Introduction to StockCharts.com, a stock charting web site”.   NEXT MEETING:  NOVEMBER 25TH AT 10:00 A.M.  (Check the calendar for any date changes.       http://lo-clc.org )

           

PC USERS’ GROUP NOVEMBER SCHEDULE (Mondays at 9:30 am)

November          7            Picasa, Bob Guyan

November       14           Victoria's report on volunteering with the Red Cross in Louisiana

November       21           MAIL MERGE—SENDING OUT  YOUR GREETING  

                                      CARDS THE EASY WAY presented by Dick Steingraber

November      28            QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid

 

IMAC USERS’ GROUP NOVEMBER SCHEDULE (2nd and 4th Thursdays at 12:30 pm)

November     10             Not available at this time—you will be notified.                                            

November     24            THANKSGIVING DAY, no meeting            

 

.SIG GROUPS—SEE ABOVE

 

MONDAY MINIS—first Monday of the Month

December 5            Search Engines continued                      11:15--12:15          $5

 

TUESDAY TUNE-UPS—first Tuesday of the Month

December  6          Word Processing Tips (details)             10:00—11:30          $6   

 

WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS—first Wednesday of the Month

December 7          Buying a Digital Camera                       9:30--12:00               $10

 

Victoria Short Baum has been in Louisiana with the American Red Cross since October 13th and will return November 7th.  To read her diary of this adventure, go to http://shortbaum.com/Journal.htm                                

 

Have a great month.  Learn a lot.  See what the Computer Center has to offer you; check the calendar   http://lo-clc.org      Celebrate VETERANS’ DAY and have a bountiful THANKSGIVING.  Don’t eat too much turkey.  Enjoy.

 

KAY KERR

OCTOBER 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org

Have you been reading the TIP OF THE WEEK on the above web site?

SOMETHING NEW IN THE LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER

  • MONDAY MINIS —First Monday of the month, these one-hour mini-classes will provide hands-on follow up to subjects discussed at Users’ Group that day.
    • OCTOBER 3, 2005, from 11:15 to 12:15--GENEALOGY
  • TUESDAY TUNE-UPS—First Tuesday of the month. One and one-half hour refresher sessions designed for students who may have taken a course in the subject but want to tune-up their skills with some hands-on instruction
    • OCTOBER 4, 2005, 2:30 to 4:00--BEGINNING SKILLS
  • WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS—First Wednesday of the month. Two and one-half hour in-depth sessions on topics of interest to those who want to improve their knowledge in a particular area.
    • OCTOBER 5, 2005, 9:30 to Noon—DESKTOP PUBLISHING

    Check the web site classes for prices of these mini classes.

    PC USERS’ GROUP:

    • There was no PC Users’ Group on September 5th because the Center was closed the Labor Day Holiday.
    • On September 12th, Jerry Trageser and Wally Helm presented their knowledge of DVD’s. Victoria will probably have information on this in the Resources section of our web site above.
    • The September 19th session on DVD’s Part II was postponed. Instead Jerry read a brief history of the Computer Learning Center, how it was started on May 14, 1996, and how it grew. That, too, will be in the Resource section of the web site. Bob Brown reported that he wrote to Microsoft and they donated the operating system we used at that time. From there, we enjoyed an anniversary party with food and beverages and visiting and reminiscing. Jerry will be leaving us this month as he is moving to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to be near his children and grandchildren. As a parting gift, the CLC presented him with a beautiful Bulova clock/weather station combination. We will miss him.
    • We had a good Question & Answer session on September 26th. Discussed the various anti-virus software (again, check the Resources section for information on the web site), Spyware, Adaware. Some software is free, i.e. Grisoft which can be downloaded. Spent time discussing some digital photography programs. Here, too, Picasa.com is free and a simple but good program.

    IMAC USERS’ GROUP:

    • During the September 8th session of the IMAC Users’ Group, Paul Sleeper talked about his computer experience through the years. He showed us how to set up a screen saver. We also discussed e-mail.
    • Our presenter on September 22nd was Patrick Evans of the Apple Computer Store at Bridgeport Village Shopping Center. He discussed new products available at their store. Told us about Firefox which is a free web browser. We had a Question & Answer period, which included information about files and folders. He invited us to bring our problems to the store and usually their service is complimentary—no charge.

    DIGITAL CAMERA SIG: Met on September 19th. Jim Calvert worked on Adobe Elements 3.0 using his lesson plan. Distributed was a CD with Copies of his lessons.

    INVESTMENT SIG: Discussed how to make a decision on a stock, mutual fund or ETF that you want to buy or sell.

    PC USERS’ GROUP OCTOBER SCHEDULE:

    • October 3 LIBRARY PRESENTATION: GENEALOGY presented by Cherill Vencill
    • October 10 COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS presented by Perry Gruber of INTEL
    • October 17 SPREADSHEETS—PART 2 presented by Dick Steingraber
    • October 24 INTERNET SECURITY UPDATE presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • October 31 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS presented by Mary Lou Solid.
      It is also Halloween. Come in costume if you dare.

    IMAC USERS’ GROUP OCTOBER SCHEDULE:

    • October 13 INVESTING ON THE INTERNET by Evelyn Metzger
    • October 27 APPLEWORKS

    (Note: YOU ARE ALWAYS INVITED TO JOIN THE PC USERS’ GROUP FOR PRESENTATIONS THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN.)

    Special Interest Group October Meetings

    • Digital Camera Group will meet on October 17th at 12:30.
    • Investment Group will meet on October 28th at 10:00.

    KAY KERR, your editor


    SEPTEMBER 2005--LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS' GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org

    This is September, have you taken any classes to learn new things with your computer lately? Check the Web Site above and see what classes you might be interested in learning. The Special Interest Groups (SIG)—Digital Camera and Investment Groups (no money involved, just knowledge) have room for more people. We have to keep our brain working and learn new things to keep it active and young. This is good medication to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

    The Lake Oswego Adult Community Center will be closed from August 29th through September 5th for cleaning.

    Survey from Renee

    Renee would like some feedback from our users, students, teachers, and miscellaneous hangers-on, about our presentations and classes. Please take a moment to fill out and submit the Survey located on this web page at: http://lo-clc.org/Survey.htm. It will not take long and will be very helpful to us as we plan future offerings. When you click on the Survey link it will open in a separate browser window. Just click Submit at the bottom of the survey page to submit your responses and then close the completed survey window to return to this newsletter.

    Classroom News from Victoria

    We are offering some new teaching/learning opportunities this fall starting in October

    • Monday Minis (one hour the first Monday of the month after Users' Group to follow up on Users group issues. Subjects to be announced later. $5 for members, $8 for non-members)
    • Tuesday Tune-ups (1.5 hour refresher courses for students who need to brush up on their skills but can not find the time to repeat an entire class series. See Classes for subjects and dates. First Tuesday of the month. Time may vary. $6 for members, $10 for non-members)
    • Wednesday Workshops (Two and one-half hour in-depth sessions on topics of interest to the more advanced user, or for those trying to improve their knowledge in a particular area. Workshops may be hands-on or lecture/demonstration, depending on the subject. See Classes for Subjects and dates. First Wednesday of each month: 9:30 to noon. $10 for members, $20 for non-members.)

    The Evening Classes we offered this summer generated some interest so we are offering a couple this fall as well: Maintenance & Security on November 8, 9, and 10, and Outlook Express on December 6 and 8, all from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

    We are adding a free typing tutor program to the Classroom computers. You should find the Type Faster icon on the desktop for the ACC# user. Those of you who might need to brush up on your typing skills are encouraged to come in and practice during open lab (every Wednesday from 12:30 to 2:00.)

    Remember to keep track of our schedule on the CLC Web page. Everything you ever wanted to know is included so make sure to mark it as one of your Favorites.

    PC USERS’ GROUP:

    • On August 1st, Lucas Manfield, a student at Lake Oswego High School who has donated time in the Computer Learning Center this summer, presented a program on LINUX. This is a new operating system and can be downloaded for free.
    • Steve Anderson, a Jesuit High School teacher, presented a program on MULTIUSE PRINTERS AND TROUBLESHOOTING TRICKS on August 8th. We learned new things.
    • August 15th was a QUESTION & ANSWER Session hosted by Mary Lou Solid. These are always good sessions. Many questions were answered with good information.
    • Todd Feinman, Reference Librarian of the Lake Oswego Library (503-675-2535), was our presenter on August 22nd. Topic was INTERNET SEARCHING BASICS AND LIBRARY RESOURCES. He showed us how you can find a poem if you only had a few words. He also gave us a list of search engines that we might use in searching the internet. Some of them are: [You can find the complete documentation from Todd's presentation here. Victoria]

    The Lake Oswego Library Web Site is www.lakeoswegolibrary.org, which will give you their location and hours of operation. There is a link to the library web page, along with links to the City of LO, Parks & Rec, and the ACC, on the left menu bar on the CLC home page.

    CLC Administration

    Our present Chair of the Computer Learning Center is Jerry Trageser who is moving to Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October. He made the announcement that Victoria Short Baum was nominated by the Advisory Board and has agreed to be the new Chair of the Computer Learning Center but not forever. She has given the Center endless hours of service throughout the past few years and it is hoped that she can count on the generosity of everyone to help her. We have many faithful, talented people who can keep our Center alive and vital with new ideas. The Lake Oswego Adult Community Center will be hosting a goodbye party for Vivian and Jerry on October 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and you are all invited. Our Anniversary Party will be September 19th during the PC Users’ Group Session.

    Tip of the Week

    Our CLC Tipmaster provides a weekly tip on the CLC home page to address issues or questions that may be of interest to CLC students and users. Tips are archived in the TIPS ARCHIVE.

    TIP of 8/28/2005—The only thing better than free is something you don’t have to pay for. The photo-editing program PICASA from GOOGLE qualifies on both counts. It locates all your pictures on opening, sorts them into albums and organizes them by date, plus more. It may not have all the bells and whistles of more costly programs but…it’s free and it may be all you need. Go to www.Picasa.com for a free download. Then join our Digital Camera SIG, which is also free.

    Special Interest Groups

    • IMAC USERS’ GROUP:
      • August 11th session was great. Dale Conley, who is Librarian at Newberg High School and works with students on Mac computers daily, brought his son and ten IMAC lab top computers for us to work on. The session was enjoyed by all.
      • August 25th was a field trip to the Apple Computer Store in the new Bridgeport Shopping Village in Tualatin. We saw the latest in IMAC computers and the other accessories available to users. They are offering many free classes at their store. Come to the next session and get a schedule.
    • Digital Camera/ Photo Processing SIG: Met on August 22nd. Jordon Sleeth of Advance Camera spoke on accessories for Digital Cameras and photo processing.
    • INVESTMENT SIG: On August 26th, George Wagner shared his expertise and methods in researching a stock. You can use Yahoo Finance.

    PC USERS’ GROUP SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE:

    • September 5 CENTER CLOSED—Labor Day Holiday
    • September 12 DVD’S—PART 1 presented by Jerry Trageser and Wally Helm
    • September 19 DVD’S—PART 2 presented by Jerry Trageser and Wally Helm
      We will also celebrate the CLC's 10th anniversary at the September 19 meeting
    • September 26 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    IMAC USERS’ GROUP SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE:

    • September 8 To Be Announced
    • September 22 Presentation by Apple Store

    SIG: Digital Camera will meet on September 19th at 12:30

    Investment Group will meet on September 30th at 10:00

    KAY KERR, your editor


    AUGUST 2005--LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS' GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org


    PC USERS’ GROUP:

    • July 4th was a holiday so the Center was closed.
    • On July 11th, Morgan Anderson (morgan.anderson@intel.com), Education Relations Manager for Intel’s Oregon site, was our presenter.
      • She is responsible for Intel’s outreach and education policy for K-12 schools and universities. Her topic included activities that seek to encourage students in elementary and secondary education to pursue careers in high tech. Intel’s Hillsboro site is their largest site worldwide, which employs 15,500 people. They have invested 11 billion dollars in Oregon. Their engineering staff is predominately PhD’s.
      • Intel values higher education and its employees have volunteered many hours to help improve education in Oregon through their Volunteer Matching Grant program and equipment donations. They also have a “Teach to the Future Program” to help teachers integrate technology into their curricula. There is no charge for this 40 hour training program. She explained how she worked with sixth grade students programming “Roamer” the robot. The Users’ group did well programming him to go between chairs and under the table with minor effort.
    • Our Question and Answer session this month was on July 18th. The question of the day was “When was the FAX machine invented.” Mary Lou stated that it was patented in 1833 but not used until 1857, picture only using tin foil. In 1902 the optical scanner was invented. We have come a long way with FAX.
      • Some of the questions asked: When your computer won’t shut down, hold the Power button down for at least four seconds. If all else fails, pull the plug. If you are having problems uninstalling software on your computer, follow the directions that Victoria has set up in Resources in the website above. Also, you can go to Google and search for what information you need. Many more items were discussed. You always learn something from these sessions.
      • Victoria announced the Wednesday Workshops coming up. The first Wednesday of each month will be a two to three hour workshop on certain topics—buying a new computer, buying a digital camera, setting up new computers, how to use your digital camera, nuts and bolts of hooking up to internet, desktop publishing, etc. Watch the CLC Calendar for dates. Victoria’s MORE WINDOWS CLASS has been renamed to VICTORIA’S WINDOWS SECRETS. The first session will be on Monday, August 8th at 2:30. There is room for you, so please sign up.
      • A GOING AWAY PARTY for Jerry and Vivian Trageser is scheduled on Wednesday, October 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Adult Community Center and you are all invited.
    • On July 25th, Dave Park introduced Bruce Wooley of Nike, whose topic was CONTINUITY PLANNING—disaster planning as related to supply chains, etc. The example was the Seattle earthquake in 2001. Shown were ways of securing your office equipment to withstand an earthquake, backing up your critical data and storing it outside the building. Also make sure you are adequately insured for possible disasters. You should establish an out-of-town person for everyone to contact who will know how people are if there is an emergency. That one person will relay information to other members of the family.

    IMAC USERS’ GROUP

    • On July 14th, Dick Hamilton presented a session on digital cameras. He is a retired Oregon City schoolteacher who donates many hours as an IMAC instructor in our Computer Learning Center. One tip he gave—Do not erase from your camera any pictures until you have seen the pictures on the screen. Also, do not save every picture you take, only the best ones. NEVER ALTER THE ORIGINAL PHOTO. He set up a slide show with music. You can copy music from your own music CD for yourself without breaking the copyright law. Now, if you IMAC people were not there, you missed a good session.
    • July 28th was a presentation by Claudia Taylor who shared her knowledge of some of the keyboard shortcuts and making up flyers.

    Digital Camera SIG met on July 18th. Jim Calvert discussed how to use Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 3.0 to produce a slide show and other applications.

    The Investment SIG met on July 29th and Chuck Mansfield discussed RETIREMENT INCOME PLANNING. We also looked at some of the planning tools on the internet.

    PC USERS’ GROUP AUGUST SCHEDULE:

    • August 1 LINUX—Learn a new and free operating system, presented by Lucas Manfield, a very knowledgeable Lake Oswego High School student
    • August 8 MULTIPLE PRINTERS AND TROUBLESHOOTING TRICKS, presented by Steve Anderson, a Jesuit High School teacher
    • August 15 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS, hosted by Mary Lou Solid
    • 8/22 – TENTATIVE PRESENTATION FROM OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, Portland State University – Manoj K. Garg
    • NOTE: DURING THE LAST WEEK OF AUGUST, 8/29, AS WELL AS LABOR DAY, THE CLC WILL BE CLOSED. WE WILL RESUME PROGRAMMING ON 9/12/05 WITH A TWO PART DVD PRESENTATION FROM JERRY & WALLY.

    IMAC USERS’ GROUP AUGUST SCHEDULE:

    • August 11 Presenter will be Dale Conley who is Librarian at Newberg High School and works with students on Mac computers daily.
    • August 25 We will visit the new Mac store in the new Bridgeport Shopping Village. They will give us a presentation there. Let us know on the August 11th session if you are going with us.

    SIG: DIGITAL CAMERA will meet on August 22th at 12:30. (rescheduled from August 15th)

    INVESTMENT will meet on August 26th at 10:00 am

    KAY KERR, your editor


    JULY 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org

    We have had great attendance in our PC and MAC Users’ Groups. We all learned something from the presentations that we can put to use. If you have a topic that would be good for the group, let us know. If you would like to do a presentation, let us know. Have you been reading the TIP OF THE WEEK on the above web site?

    The Farmers’ Market has been good exposure for the Computer Learning Center. There have been many customers, found some volunteers for the Center. We need some more of our people to help with the table on some Saturdays. Check with Mary Lou Solid.

    The Computer Learning Center has several pieces of donated equipment for sale at low prices (computers, monitors, printers, scanners—PC and MAC). Some at $95, $25 or $50. These have been renovated and are in good condition. If interested, you may call Warren Brune at 503-646-5713. The Center will accept Pentium 3 and newer computers for resale. If you have older equipment in good condition, the Center will accept donations for needy families.

    If you have taken a class in the Computer Learning Center, you may repeat it at half price.

    PC Users Group

    • On June 6th, Dick Steingraber gave us a great presentation on the use of SPREADSHEETS. He showed how engineers use them in their work, using formulas, to make their jobs easier. Spreadsheets can be used for group addresses, inventory, schedules, etc.
    • OPEN OFFICE INSTEAD—how to make the transition, was the subject on June 13th and presented by Victoria Short Baum. Open Office is a free software program—operating system--which is somewhat equivalent to the Microsoft Office program that has Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. There is a MACINTOSH version that can be downloaded. There will be a two-session Open Office class in November
    • June 20th was IPOD AND ITUNES—all about audio presented by Bob Guyan. This was something new to many of us. Amazing that you can walk around with about 5,000 tunes, quite a selection of music. You have to be organized to handle this. An IPod costs about $300. You can also put talking books on it.
    • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS was the program on June 27th hosted by Mary Lou Solid. She usually starts with a question or puzzle for us. This day it was about Abraham Lincoln. She read a few paragraphs and asked us who wrote it. Victoria had the answer.

    We discussed refilling cartridges at half the cost instead of buying new ones. Several people said it was better to wait and have your own ink jet refilled instead of getting someone else’s. Most people thought that you get more ink in the refilled one than in the original one.

    Talked about the wireless mouse with the wireless computer. Someone had trouble with the wireless mouse when the laptop went to sleep. The laptop will return to the original place, but the mouse will not. We were told that the mouse had a button, usually on the top, that you had to push for the recovery, sometimes it might be on the bottom

    Discussed the new Dell computers. Opinion was that the medium priced might be better computers than the least expensive. You get what you pay for. Thought that the support system is not up to snuff.

    MAC Presentations

    • On June 9th Charles DeVore talked about the different operating systems, Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, OS X. The newer operating systems require more RAM. He recommends that you do your research first, back up your data onto a CD, before changing systems. Be sure to put dates and information on the CD with permanent ink what data is on the CD.3
    • June 23rd was a QUESTION & ANSWER session. Sybil Maticich showed how to change the background on your desktop. She said you can go to http://lo-clc.org to Lake Oswego Library and find what you want from Special Collections or other categories, copy and paste in the control panel under appearance. (This may not be accurate as I am a PC user. Kay)

    The MAC Users’ Group will be going as a group to the new MAC store in Bridgeport Shopping Center, Tualatin. If you are interested, let Evelyn or Carol know so you can meet them there. Viola Bishop has volunteered to help send MAC Users’ Group information to the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, me, and others. If there are others who will help Carol and Evelyn with other chores, let them know.

    Every Wednesday we have an Open Lab session starting at 12:30 p.m. We have PC volunteers but no MAC volunteers. We are still looking for a volunteer--maybe several people would like to share this duty. Let us know and we can put it on the calendar. You do not have to be an expert. Did you know that people who give of their time and talent by volunteering live longer, happier and healthier lives?

    PC USERS’ GROUP JULY 2005 SCHEDULE: (Mondays at 9:30 a.m.)

    • July 4 Holiday--INDEPENDENCE DAY--Center is CLOSED
    • July 11 INTEL AND THE COMMUNITY—working together to improve education in Oregon, presented by Morgan Anderson of INTEL
    • July 18 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid
    • July 25 CONTINUITY PLANNING—disaster planning as related to supply chains, etc., presented by Bruce Wooley of NIKE

    MAC USERS’ GROUP JULY 2005 SCHEDULE: (2nd and 4th Thursdays at 12:30 p.m.)

    • July 14 Not available
    • July 28 Not available

    SIG GROUPS:
    DIGITAL CAMERA-- July 18th at 12:30 a.m.
    INVESTMENT GROUP—July 29th at 10:00 a.m.

    The SIG groups are open to all computer users. Most of the information in the Digital Camera or Investment Group is for everyone.

    Digital Camera/Photo Processing SIG was June 20th. Mark Fitzgerald of "The Digital Darkroom" was the speaker. Mark is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop. He discussed some of the key features of Adobe's Photoshop Elements 3.0. It was an exciting program.

    In the Investment SIG, George Wagner hosted a Question & Answer session on June 24th. He showed the history of several stocks. Best markets now are probably housing, energy and retailing.

    Check the class schedule and see if there is something new you would like to learn. There are a few evening sessions on the calendar. Keep learning and keep your brain young.

    KAY KERR, your editor


    JUNE 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org

    Did you know that we are having some evening classes in June and July? Go to the website above for more information. June 7, 9, 14 and 16, MORE WINDOWS (4 session class) will be taught, June 15, FILES & FOLDERS (1 session class). These are from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We are trying some evening classes to see what the interest is.

    PC USERS’ GROUP:

    • On May 2nd, Wally Helm and Mary Lou Solid presented a program on COMPUTER HARDWARE. Wally went through and showed us the working parts and how to replace or add some. Drivers can be downloaded from website. Also discussed was using several printers. Floppy disks are available for laptops as external equipment. You may use the Computer Learning Center to convert floppy information onto a compact disk.

    When opening your computer to work on it, you must first ground yourself for safety by touching the metal box itself, which is grounded. Gary Sharp showed us a safety device—antistatic wrist strap—wrist bracelet, which should be used when repairing computers. You can tell if your computer battery is low by checking your clock to see if it is losing time. Wally says that your computer should not be on the floor as it could suck in dust.

    • INTERNET SECURITY UPDATE by Victoria Short Baum was the subject of the May 9th Users’ Group session. Go to the website above and click “Resources and Security.” Run an update on your anti-virus programs to see if you have the latest updates installed. Remember that our website provides several free software programs that are available. Most programs do not conflict with each other.
    • May 16th was a most interesting session by Syd Kanitz on her experience with GOOGLE. Because she is a newspaper reporter, her name and personal information was in Google. Among other sites, you can find her and Ardis Stevenson in the Lake Oswego Review, “Two on Time.” She worked to get most of the personal information removed. It is surprising how much information is available to the public about people.
    • QUESTION & ANSWER session on May 23rd was hosted by Mary Lou Solid. If you are making labels, Avery has a free software program on their website. It will guide you on how to use their brand of labels. There are other free software programs available with American Greetings, Hallmark, etc. Maxene Olson recommended Calsgallery.com which helps make slide shows, scenery. You can go to Google for some of this also. Question and Answer sessions cover much information from the group. If you are having a problem, bring it to one of these and the group will help you work through it.
    • Because of Memorial Day holiday and the Center being closed, there was no PC Users’ Group on May 30th.

    MAC USERS’ GROUP:

    • On May 12th, Jerry Tregaser presented a program on BROWSERS, Internet Explorer, Netscape, others. He talked about the address bar, button-bar, favorites, etc. How to customize or change the home page.
    • Pat Gates presented APPLEWORKS on May 26th. She did a very comprehensive study on the software. Explained many features on how it works.

    If you have something you would like to share with the group, let Carol or Evelyn know about your presentation. We all learn more by sharing. This group is progressing nicely. If you would like to help with ideas, programs, etc., talk with Carol or Evelyn.

    We would like a volunteer MAC user to be at the Wednesday lab to help other MAC users who have problems. You do not have to be an expert, just an average user. The lab is from 12:30 to 2:00.

    FARMERS’ MARKET: The Computer Learning Center has a space at the Farmers’ Market, not every week, and we are looking for people who would like to host a morning or afternoon session. Let Mary Lou Solid know if you are interested. Her e-mail address is: mare1013@comcast.net. Or, you may drop in on Monday morning for the Users’ Group and sign up. Dates are: 6-4, 6-11, 6-18, 7-9, 7-23, 8-13, and 9-10.

    PC USERS’ GROUP JUNE SCHEDULE: (Every Monday starting at 9:30 am)

    • June 6 SPREADSHEETS presented by Dick Steingraber
    • June 13 OPEN OFFICE INSTEAD—How to make the transition, presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • June 20 IPOD AND ITUNES—All about audio, presented by Bob Guyan
    • June 27 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS, hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    MAC USERS’ GROUP JUNE SCHEDULE: (meets 2nd and 4th Thursday at 12:30 pm)

    • June 9 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS with a five minute report from each attendee on how they use their computers
    • June 23 Topic not available at this time

    SIG GROUPS:

    • June 20 Digital Camera SIG at 12:30
    • June 24 Investment SIG at 10:00

    We want to thank all attendees for carrying the excess chairs back into the adjoining room. Everybody helps makes the job easier.

    KAY KERR, your editor


    MAY 2005—LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://lo-clc.org

    PC Users' Group Presentations in April

    • On April 4th, Bob Eick did a presentation on ZONE ALARM FIREWALL. Before installing this software, you must turn off as many programs as you can on your computer. It is security software. You only need one firewall.
    • ALTERNATIVES TO MICROSOFT. was presented by Victoria Short Baum on April 11th. She demonstrated OPEN OFFICE and others.
    • April 18th, Victoria presented DESKTOP PUBLISHING giving hints on how to make your writing more professional looking. She recommended a booklet which is presently out of print but may be found at Powell’s Bookstore or eBay. It is PC IS NOT A TYPEWRITER by Robin Williams. A hint brought out that underlining is not in use now; instead use italics or bold type.
    • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS was hosted by Mary Lou Solid on April 25th. One thing discussed was the difference in the various blank CD’s. Bob Guyan demonstrated the Auto stitch program which allows you to make a panorama of several photos. www.autostitch.exe. These are always good sessions. You learn new things or recall some things you have forgotten.

    Users' Group Archive: Links to presentation materials and other follow-up info from Users' Group meetings are located in the Users' Group Archive on this web page.

    DIGITAL CAMERA SIG: Next meeting will be MAY 16TH at 12:30 P.M. Bring a photo or questions on problems you have been having.

    INVESTMENT SIG: On April 29th, Dave Park gave a presentation on a newsletter service: SOUND MIND INVESTING. It has a lot of good information for people who do their own investing. Information is available on www.soundmindinvesting.com. Next meeting will be May 27th at 10:00 A.M. Everyone is invited. (Check the calendar page on http://lo-clc.org in case this is rescheduled.)

    Don’t forget about the Computer Lab on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:00. We have a volunteer PC user who can usually help if you are having a problem. The lab is looking for volunteers to help MAC users as well. If you would be interested in volunteering, send an e-mail to the Webmaster or come to the Computer Learning Center.

    PC USERS’ GROUP MAY 2005 SCHEDULE: 9:30 TO 11:00 a.m.

    • May 2 HARDWARE INFORMATION presented by Wally Helm and Mary Lou Solid
    • May 9 INTERNET SECURITY UPDATE presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • May 16 GOOGLE SEARCHES—GOOD OR EVIL presented by Syd Kantiz
    • May 23 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid
    • May 30 Memorial Day holiday—CENTER CLOSED

    The new MAC Users’ Group is coming along. It is held the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 12:30 to 2:00 P.M. All MAC users are welcome.

    • On April 14th, Victoria Short Baum did a presentation on MAIL MERGE IN APPLEWORKS. We also had a Question & Answer period.
    • OS X SYSTEM, an operating system was presented by Walter Bell. If you have been lax, you can go to Apple.com and download the combined updates. A combined update takes in all the updates you may have missed. If you are on dial up, you will want to do it at night while you are sleeping. With DSL or Cable, this is not a problem unless you do it at a busy time.

    MAC USERS’ GROUP MAY 2005 SCHEDULE: 12:30 TO 2:00 P.M.

    • May 12 BROWSING THE INTERNET presented by Jerry Trageser
    • May 26 APPLEWORKS presented by Pat Gates

    If there is some topic you would like for a MAC group session, let Carol or Evelyn know at your next meeting and maybe they can find someone to do it. If you would like to present a topic, they would be glad to hear from you.

    We are looking for more students for our scheduled classes. Lack of students has caused some class cancellations. Remember the saying, IF YOU DON’T USE IT, YOU WILL LOSE IT. This is especially true of our brain and capacity of learning new things. Keep it young.

    Before I close, I want to tell you about a new place to get your printer cartridges refilled. It is RAPID REFILL INK: 503-226-3465. My black cartridge refill is about half of a new one. One of their drop boxes is at Palisades Thriftway Market in Lake Oswego. They pick up on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I do not know what time. Your cartridge is returned on the next pick up date. There is also the place at Progress Plaza near Washington Square 503-641-4559 where you can get the cartridges refilled while you wait for about the same price.

    KAY KERR, your editor


    April 2005--Lake Oswego Computer Users' Group Newsletter
    Lake Oswego Adult Community Center http://lo-clc.org

    This is April, have you taken any classes to learn new things with your computer? Check the website above and see what classes you might be interested in learning. The Special Interest Groups (SIG)—Digital Camera and Investment Groups (no money involved, just knowledge) have room for more people. We have to keep our brain working and learn new things to keep it active and young.

    If you have been a volunteer, as many of us are here in the Computer Learning Center, Warren and Jerry would like you to sign up and attend the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on April 5th at 11:30. Be sure to make your reservation with Rose Ann. It is one way for the Computer Learning Center (CLC) and the Adult Community Center (ACC) to recognize the generosity of our CLC family, meaning all of you. Many of the staff from City Hall come over to serve the luncheon, including the City Manager and Mayor (sometimes). When we let them say thanks to us, it serves to strengthen the bond of support between the city and the ACC. Call other volunteers and encourage them to sign up for this.

    On March 7th, Jerry Trageser presented a program on restoring your computer after windows crash – BSOD and other exotic events/on line tech help.

    Todd Feinman gave us an update from the Lake Oswego Library on March 14th. Their website is www.lakeoswegolibrary.org which will give you their location, hours of operation, what is available, place items on hold, renew what you have checked out, etc. Have fun, go check it out. If you go to http://lo-clc.org you will find that our Webmaster has put a library link there.

    On March 21st, Dr. Margaret Morris and Dr. O’Dell, Clinical Psychologists working for Intel, presented a program on Proactive Health, a research program that they are working on. The group was surveyed with some of the elements of her research. They shared an older lady’s needs using the computer to alert her when to take her medicine, etc. and how a family member can monitor her from afar.

    Questions and answers was hosted by Mary Lou Solid on March 28th. It was quite a program. The quiz of the day was: What is the difference between a hare and a rabbit? Do you know the answer? Newborn rabbits have no fur, are blind and helpless. Newborn hares have fur and their eyes are open. The Belgian hare is a rabbit and the jackrabbit is a hare. Kent Pothart brought in some silicon parts from which silicon wafers are made. These came from Wacker Siltronics. Talked about the anti-virus programs, you should have only one working at a time. If you upgrade Norton 2005, you will need to uninstall the old one before installing the new one. Victoria thinks that Windows XP Pack 2 should be installed with automatic download or you may be in trouble later. Question & Answer sessions are always good and you usually learn something new or refresh your memory with something that you forgot.

    When sending out e-mail to a group of addresses, Victoria thinks we should use the BCC so that someone cannot use our addresses illegally.

    The Adult Center is having a trip to Intel on April 21st from 9:00 to 3:00. The cost is $21, which includes van, escort, tour and lunch. Membership in ACC is required. If interested, make your reservation now.

    PC Users’ Group April Schedule: (meetings are 9:30 to 11:00)

    • April 4 Use Of Zone Alarm On Your Computer (What Is It, What Does It Do, How To Download And Install And How To Handle Temporary Shutdown) presented by Bob Eick
    • April 11 Alternatives To Microsoft presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • April 18 Desktop Publishing presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • April 25 Questions & Answers hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    The MAC Users’ Group is progressing. There is a need for volunteers to step up and help Carol Higgins and Evelyn Metzger with this project. We would like a group of 7 or 8 people to be involved. You do not need to be a computer whiz, only a willing person.

    On March 10th, Evelyn Metzger presented Desktop Basics. Victoria Short Baum helped with the program. The meeting scheduled for March 24th was canceled. Because of school spring break, many were not able to be there.

    MAC Users’ Group April Schedule (meetings are 12:30 to 2:00 on the second and fourth Thursday)

    • April 14 Mail Merge In Appleworks to be presented by Victoria Short Baum.
    • April 28 OS X system presented by Walter Bell.
    • May 2 Browsing The Internet presented by Jerry Trageser.
    • May 26 Appleworks presented by Pat Gates.

    Jerry Trageser reports that the MAC users now have the platform monitor as well as the projection screen to work from. Walter Bell upgraded the G3 tower with memory and OS software. This should help the Users’ Group presentations.

    KAY KERR, your editor


    MARCH 2005— LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://www.lo-clc.org

    Do not forget to check the Computer Learning Center Web Page (http://www.lo-clc.org) for all the latest in classes and up-to-date news.

    On February 7 th, we started the month with Tony Salvador of Intel presenting the program of HOW PEOPLE NOT LIKE US USE & DON’T USE TECHNOLOGY. He is a Human Factors Design Engineer and works in the area of Applications Research where his job is to invent new products, services and businesses using the lives of ordinary individuals as inspiration. He talked about how technology is used or not used in various villages and cities on three continents, which gives a better understanding of how technologies are conceived, made and utilized.

    WIRELESS NETWORKS was presented by Wally Helm on February 14th. Now you can use your laptop outside the Lake Oswego Computer Learning Center using the wireless Wi-Fi.

    February 21 st was a holiday—Presidents’ Day and the Center was closed.

    February 28 th was a QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION hosted by Mary Lou Solid. Many good questions were discussed.

    PC USERS’ GROUP MARCH SCHEDULE: (Meetings are 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.)

    • March 7 RESTORING YOUR COMPUTER AFTER WINDOWS CRASH – BSOD AND OTHER EXOTIC EVENTS/ON LINE TECH HELP presented by Jerry Trageser
    • March 14 UPDATE FROM THE LAKE OSWEGO LIBRARY presented by Todd Feinman
    • March 21 PROACTIVE HEALTH presented by Margaret Morris from Intel
    • March 28 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    The MAC USERS’ GROUP is progressing slowly. I hope everyone will have patience with us during this beginning process as we are not professionals, just people like you who are generous in giving their time and effort with you in mind. I know you will all benefit from it and be glad that you helped in the process. Our meeting dates are the SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAYS of the month. Because we had classes scheduled before we started the MAC USERS’ GROUP, the time for sessions in MARCH will be 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. In APRIL, the sessions will return to 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

    We want to thank Pat Gates for her excellent presentation to the group in January. Charles DeVore of the Portland Macintosh Users’ Group gave a presentation on their organization and had a QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION in the last part of the meeting on February 10 th. The Portland Group has a $42 annual fee, which includes free basic series of Macintosh classes. You may contact them at 503-224-4289 or college@pmug.org. We encourage you to take advantage of this, but please continue coming to the Lake Oswego Computer Center MAC Users Group also. Our small group is more compatible for exchange of information.

    Carol Higgins did a presentation on February 24 th. We tried to set up volunteers to help with the MAC GROUP but did not accomplish this. I hope that many of you have been thinking how you can help. A sheet with possible volunteer positions was given out at the meeting. Let Carol and Evelyn know which of these might interest you. You might like doing a program on your favorite use of your computer. Maybe introduce a game or special project that you are working on.

    Several PC users joined us during this meeting to inform you what their position is in the PC Users’ Group. Jerry Trageser is Chair of the PC Group, Victoria Short Baum is the Webmaster* and helps teach classes, etc. Renee Sloan helps with scheduling speakers and Kay Kerr does the monthly Newsletter and takes notes during the Advisory Board Meeting.

    MAC USERS’ GROUP MARCH SCHEDULE: (March meetings will be 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.—in April they will be 12:30 to 2:00 again.)

    • March 10 DESKTOP BASICS presented by Evelyn Metzger
    • March 24 BROWSING THE INTERNET presented by Jerry Trageser

    KAY KERR, your editor

    * http://www.lo-clc.org On the Home page, go to the Groups Page (scroll down to the MAC Resources box) and the calendar. Here you will find the next two MAC Users’ Group meetings on the web site. Victoria has included more information in Resources for MAC Users.


    FEBRUARY 2005--LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS' GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER http://www.lo-clc.org

    TURBO TAX was presented by Jerry Trageser on January 10th. The basic program costs $19.95. Many of the computer stores are offering rebates on the TURBO TAX. If you purchase the deluxe program for $39.95, the state tax program is free and that will include one electronic filing. The premier for business use program costs $59.95. This is good with Quicken. The Turbo Tax information will go on to Form 1040. For more private filing, it was decided not to send it in electronically because there is a certain amount of risk. The tax package reminds you what to include, your investment costs of buy and sell. The package is tax deductible. If you made a donation to the Tsunami disaster before January 31, 2005, you may deduct it in your 2004 filing.

    January 17th was a holiday, Martin Luther King Day, so, there was no Users’ Group Meeting.

    SECURITY ON THE WEB was presented by Victoria Short Baum on January 24th. You may go to http://www.lo-clc.org/Resources.html#pests where you will find a wealth of information regarding Pests and Ads, also, Security Information.

    Victoria wrote: “Surfing the internet is like hanging out in groups during cold season. You are going to pick up something you don't want. Anti-virus software does not block advertisers and others from dropping stuff on your computer that may report personal information back to its handler without your knowledge. More malicious pests can record your key strokes” “Products are on the market that can help keep your computer clean and safe from pests.”

    “Security has become a vital issue for computer users. Links provide information about this issue from various sources.”

    January 31st was a QUESTION & ANSWER session hosted by Mary Lou Solid. The session began with more information about computer security by Victoria. Then many questions were presented by the group. This is always a good session because we all learn from other’s questions.

    Jerry announced that FREE GEEK has a learning program where if you volunteer your time repairing equipment, possibly the 5th or 6th one is yours. They donate the repaired equipment to children who cannot afford a computer. Let the Center know if you are interested to go on the tour.

    PC USERS’ GROUP FEBRUARY SCHEDULE: (Meetings are 9:30 to 11:00 am.)

    • February 7 Tony Salvador of Intel will present a program on HOW PEOPLE NOT LIKE US, USE & DON’T USE TECHNOLOGY
    • February 14 WIRELESS NETWORKS presented by Wally Helm
    • February 21 Holiday—PRESIDENTS’ DAY—NO USERS GROUP
    • February 28 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    DIGITAL CAMERA/PHOTO PROCESSING SIG: February 14 at 12:30 pm. LEARN ABOUT DIGITAL CAMERAS

    ON-LINE INVESTMENT SIG: February 25 at 10:00 am

    Our MAC USERS GROUP is progressing nicely. Scheduling of meetings requires working around the present class schedule. We hope this has not inconvenienced you. As people learn about it, this will grow in size. I know that it will be a benefit to all MAC users who attend. .

    MAC USERS’ GROUP SCHEDULE:

    • February 10 12:30 pm QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
    • February 24 12:30 pm
    • March 10 2:30 pm
    • March 24 2:30 pm
    • April 14 12:30 pm
    • April 28 12:30 pm
    • May 12 12:30 pm
    • May 26 12:30 pm

    Mark your calendars--THESE ARE ALL THURSDAY DATES.

    There is so much to learn. We have a wonderful facility, let’s keep taking advantage of it.

    KAY KERR, your editor


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    JANUARY 2005--LAKE OSWEGO COMPUTER USERS' GROUP NEWSLETTER
    LAKE OSWEGO ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER
    http://www.lo-clc.org

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Time to make resolutions to learn new things, take classes, enjoy your computer. 2004 was a great year and 2005 will be even better. 2004 brought us a new projector, many interesting speakers, an outstanding website, some new instructors, a MAC Users’ Group, a table at the Farmers’ Market, an Investment Group and Digital Camera Group and Our Unsung Hero—Victoria Short Baum. Our Computer Learning Center is a gold mine for keeping us young and active. Go to the website and review the Calendar and Class Schedule. If you can’t find the class you want to take, let Warren Brune know.

    On December 6th, Dick Steingraber presented MAIL MERGE. It is extremely helpful this time of the year for addressing Christmas Cards. If this is something you would like to learn, look for the class in the schedule. It is probably taught in the MS WORD class.

    A QUESTIONS & ANSWERS session was a short part of the December 13th session, hosted by Mary Lou Solid. Some time was taken up trying to solve the square with the red X in the middle in some e-mail received. Then, we had our first HOLIDAY GET TOGETHER from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Good food and good attendance. It was fun and gave us some time to socialize. Thank you to the members who prepared the party for us.

    This was the last meeting of the year 2004. WE WANT TO WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY, PROSPEROUS AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

    JANUARY USERS’ GROUP PROGRAMS:

    • January 3 NO MEETING
    • January 10 TURBO TAX presented by Jerry Trageser
    • January 17 NO MEETING -- HOLIDAY (Martin Luther King Day)
    • January 24 SECURITY ON THE WEB presented by Victoria Short Baum
    • January 31 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS hosted by Mary Lou Solid

    JANUARY MAC USERS’ GROUP

    • January 13 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS and get acquainted day

    We are excited about the MAC USERS’ GROUP and hope it will grow with time. I am certain that it will be beneficial to all who participate. Carol Higgins and Evelyn Metzger are willing to co-chair. Walter Bell has wanted this for some time.

    If you are fortunate enough to be taking a trip or cruise soon, with dial-up e-mail you are okay, but with cable, you might have to check where you will be and what is available.

    Also, if you are changing your e-mail address, please notify us of the change so that our mailing list will be accurate. Please include your old and new address.


    KAY KERR, your editor

     

 
         
 


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