The Apple IPad -My New Toy

 I am sitting on a plane, my apple IPad tablet on the tray table using a word application and touch screen keyboard to write this article. The screen is easy to read and typing off the screen is great.   Before boarding the plane I read all my email and started watching a free movie provided by Comcast. Once on board I no longer could get on Internet connectivity so I  have to wait to see the end of the movie when I get home.   

At some point during this trip I played a sad game of chess with my grandson but the chess board looked great on the IPad.  I read my E books that I ordered with my kindle and is available for the iPad. If I wanted to I could listen to an audiobook but I prefer to read. 

 For more entertainment during the flight I played card games, board and word games.. For my listening pleasure I have thousands of songs stored on the device. I just plug in my earphones, lean back, and enjoy.  I check my calendar to see what I have scheduled for this month and type any notes I need to add.

 My grandson is fascinated with how beautiful the sky looks from up here. He takes pictures and videos of it with the iPad. We open the picture editing program and make changes where needed, and when completed watch a slide presentation.   

 There are actually thousands of free applications available that i can download to my tablet.  I always can find something interesting to do, even while sitting on a plane. 

 My IPad is only one of many tablets available to choose from. My next article will be about the choices of tablets you have when looking to purchase this great and very portable device.

The E Reader Revolution

What do the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and Toshiba Biblio, have in common?  They are all part of the growing family of E Readers.  The online definition of an E Reader is “A handheld device specialized for reading electronic books”.  So instead of carrying one 3 pound book around with you, you can take 1000’s of books with your E Reader, which weighs about a pound.

You can purchase, share or borrow books on line via your E Reader or your computer.  Once downloaded, you can begin reading the book within minutes.  You are able to bookmark pages, underline paragraphs, or type notes while reading.  When a book or magazine is downloaded to your device it remains there for you to reference or read again.  Color has recently been added to some E Readers Screen.  This opened the door for children’s books, textbooks and magazines to enter the E Reader market.

There are millions of websites on the Internet (including Amazon and Barnes and Noble) which offer you free books to download. More and more libraries around the country are offering E Books to the residents in their community.  Eventually we will all be able to go online to our library and download all the books we want for free.  Unlike books you purchase, library E Books only remain on your E Reader for two weeks, after which they will automatically be deleted from your device.

As an avid reader I have spent hundreds of hours enjoying my Kindle.  I still love walking into a library or bookstore and to be able to browse through all those books.   However with my computer I enjoy browsing Amazon’s library to see all the E Books that are just a click away.

I'm My Own Grandpa

This is Song and Video by Ray Stevens.  Stevens recorded a series of hit records in the 1960s which were funny lyrics with catchy tunes.  You may remember some of his songs like,  "Ahab the Arab", "Harry the Hairy Ape", "Funny Man," the original recording of "Santa Claus Is Watching You", and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills".  The song that introduced Stevens to most of his fan base is a shortened version of "Ahab the Arab", which reached #5 on the Hot 100 in the summer of 1962.

This is a typical funny, yet possible, song with a video to help explain how, I'm My Own Grandpa.

 

 

Automatic Updates

Have you noticed the little icon that appears at the bottom right of the screen on the system tray informing you that there is an update from Windows?   Do you become concerned about security and are unsure of what to do.  Or do you avoid updating because you believe the computer will slow down while running the update. The reason Microsoft sends us updates is to revise security issues, protect against a variety of online threats and fix problems with the operating system.   Your PC will be safer and will run smoother if you keep up with the updates.

Since we're not all computer scientists we can't usually figure out on our own when an update is important. That's why we recommend leaving it to the experts -- when they say an update is required; it's probably a good idea to follow their lead.

One of the first things we look for when repairing a malfunctioning computer is whether the operating system's automatic updates are running.  Machines with virus’ or spyware generally have not been updated in awhile.

The good news is Windows is designed to take care of these updates automatically, if you let them. These automatic updates are much more convenient.  You don't have to remember to check for updates, or figure out what update is necessary.  All you have to do is turn the feature on. Updates will download and install in the background so you will be unaware of it and they're designed so they won't slow you down or interfere with other work. If you sign off and the update is interrupted, it will pick up from where it left off the next time you connect. Once the update has downloaded you will need to install it and sometimes reboot. The computer will guide you through it.

 To turn on Automatic Updates:

• Click Start, and then click Control Panel

• Click Automatic Updates

• Choose Automatic (recommended)

Operating system updates represent a crucial defense against the expanding collection of online threats, helping protect your computer, your files and your personal information so do those updates and installations regularly.

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Kaziah Hancock & Project Compassion

Kaziah Hancock has found a way to make sure the faces of our FALLEN SOLDIERS are seen and NEVER FORGOTTEN.

This is the story of an artist who paints portraits of our fallen hero's.  To date Kaziah has personally painted over 800 portraits of our soldiers killed in action as gifts for their families. With three other artists in her non-profit organization, Project Compassion (www.heropaintings.com), they have painted over 2,500 portraits.

Many talk about supporting our troops, Kaziah truly does.

On Line Banking

Banks have been offering customers the ability to bank online for over six years however less than 25 percent of Americans are banking online.  At some point, banking online will be unavoidable for all of us as banks continue to lower their operating costs.

Why are so many computer users still avoiding doing on line banking.  For many it is a security issue and for others it is the fear of using the computer to work with their money.  According to a Consumer Reports article on the subject, breeches of security have been rare. And, if a cyber crook steals your money, the bank is obligated to replace the cash just as it would if an armed robber stole the money. Most banks use a special encryption, which scrambles data in transit between the banks computer and yours. The banks also have firewalls and virus-detection programs.

There are many advantages to doing your banking online.  Most banks offer free online banking, which is a great tool to pay your bills.  You can check your balance and history, view or print online Images of your checks that have cleared or view your monthly statements. You can easily tranfer funds between eligible accounts and see which transactions have cleared And all this can be accomplished anytime throughout the month, at any time of the day or night from anywhere that you can access the internet.

So if you are on friendly terms with your computer you may want to begin manageing your money with its help.

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A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

The video shows amazing technology that is in development and some of which will be available in the next few years.  You may also notice that some of the TV shows and Movies out now are using some of what is shown in the video.   

It brings me back to when we dreamed of Dick Tracy's wrist radio, Color TV, Star Trek communicators and Electric Cars.  All of which we have today in one form or another.

Face The Facts - Part 2

Last time we wrote about what can WE do to get to the TRUTH using the internet.  First we should check the Subject, Title or Key Phrases of the E-Mail with www.truthorfiction.com or  www.snopes.com.  For further clarification, or if the two sites above do not have information on the rumor/statement, we said to check it with Google.  Now we will explain in greater detail how to get to the truth with Google and how to search a document or web site for specific words or phrases that were in the original E-Mail.

When the Google results appear look for web sites that are neutral, well known and respected such as www.mayoclinic.org. or www.webmd.com for health issues or for Security issues from the Norton, AVG or McAfee sites.

If you are researching a specific House or Senate Bill you can find the actual bill by searching with Google.  When the search results appear click the one from www.thomas.gov.  This is the Site of the Thomas Jefferson Library and is the best source.

Once on the Thomas page,  the Title should read BILL TEXT.  If it does not scroll down and click on Text of Legislation to get the Text page. 

Now, use the Find Option in the EDIT Menu, to Search through the bill for specific words or phrases stated in the original E-Mail.  During the debate on health care we were told in various Emails that bill provided FREE insurance for Illegal Aliens.  You should search each word separately  to find all the times they appear and you can see if supports the Email claim.

In FireFox the Find box opens at the bottom left of the window and in Internet Explorer in the Tool Bar area on the left.

We never said it was easy to verify what you read or forward, but as a Good Citizen we owe it to our Great Country.

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HotSheet.Com

Hotsheet is a web site that is like the Yellow Pages for the internet, listing sites by category.

The first thing you see is a Search Box that you can type your request into.  The difference is that you can choose which Search Engine to use, Google, Ask, Bing, Yahoo, by clicking the appropriate button.  Other search buttons include, Dictionary, Quote, Recipes and Movies. 

The listed Categories include News/Sports/ Travel, Shopping Mall and Tech among others.  When you click on a category you will see sites listed by sub categories.  For example if you are looking for the latest version of the Anti Virus program AVG, go to the Tech Category and under the sub category Anti-Virus click on AVG. 

Give it a try and you may like it as I do.

Face The Facts

The Internet can be a great source of information or propagator of lies in today’s busy world.  How many emails do you receive from a Chicken Little telling you “The sky is falling”?  If we believed half of them I would lock myself in the house and live in total fear.  I would have to watch out for a virus that is going to destroy my computer, sell all my stock because the market is going to crash tomorrow,  my social security will be gone within the next few years, the administration is going to tax me every time I purchase something,  and blah, blah, blah.

Ok, so what can WE do to get to the TRUTH using the internet.  First I check the Subject, Title or Key Phrases of the E-Mail with www.truthorfiction.com or  www.snopes.com.  These websites tells us the rumor/statement and whether it is true, false, or partially true and explains the facts in detail.  For further clarification, or if the two sites above do not have information on the rumor/statement, I check it with Google.  When the Google results appear look for web sites that are neutral, well known and respected.

If the Rumor/Statement is about a specific Congressional bill I look up the bill itself at, thomas.loc.gov, which is the Thomas Library of the Library of Congress.

We are responsible for the information we send to friends.  Just because we read it in an email does not make it true, even if it says that it was checked out with Google or Snopes.  If you do not have the time or inclination to check it out, for yourself, than don’t forward it to someone else.

As Winston Churchill said “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

Next month we will explain in greater detail how to get to the truth with Google and how to search a document or web site for specific words or phrases that were in the original E-Mail.

Deleting Folders and Files

In the real world you store your important paperwork is stored in manila folders in your filing cabinet.  This keeps you organized and makes retrieving paperwork easy.  Computers store all your files in the same manner.  These files can be documents, music, pictures or videos.  Folders can also store other folders, which may store more files and other folders.  For example, I may have a folder called Vehicle where I store all my vehicle maintenance information.  If I have three vehicles, such as two cars and one golf cart, I may decide to create three subfolders in the Vehicle folder so each Vehicle has its own subfolder.

 If I sell one vehicle and no longer need its folder, I can easily delete it.  First, I have to know where it is located.  All documents I save automatically go to the Documents folder.  I can open that folder from my Start menu by clicking on the Start Button and clicking on Documents.  I then locate the Vehicle folder and double click to open it.  I find the subfolder I no longer need and click once on it.  I then press the Delete Key on the keyboard.  The computer gives me a chance to change my mind by asking if I am sure I want to move the folder to the recycle bin.  I click on OK and the folder is sent to the recycle bin.  Deleting the Folder removes all files in it.

The process for removing individual files is the same.  Locate the folder it is in, click on it and press the Delete Key.  There is one important rule to remember when deleting files.  If the file is Opened you cannot delete it, so make sure the file is closed.

 For peace of mind it is good to know that you can retrieve the deleted item by double clicking on the recycle bin on your desktop, clicking on the folder or file, and clicking on Restore This Folder or File.

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Hoarding E-Mail

The TLC show “Hoarding: Buried Alive” delves into the lives of compulsive hoarders who are literally buried in squalor.  Boxes of “stuff” -- ranging from paper to clothing items to pieces of garbage -- clutter the hoarders’ homes, making it physically impossible to even set foot in rooms covered from one end to the other with years of accumulated (and frequently unused) goods.

Hoarding has now transferred to the digital world, where hoarders clutter their computers with an endless stream of downloads, old documents and folders.

 Many Email providers have limits to the size of your online Data.  Letters are relatively small in size by them selves, mine average 10k in size, but add 1 digital Picture and it adds the equivalent of 100 additional letters.  If you have thousands of letters in your inbox you may be approaching your providers limit.

  Clearing out your inbox is a good place to start. Delete all those emails that have been in your inbox for months. If you have emails that contain Pictures or Videos you can download them directly to your PC and then delete the letter from your Mail.

 The method of downloading and saving pictures that were Attached to your email can vary by provider.  Check your E-Mails Help for the proper procedure if you are not sure.

 In my AOL Mail when I click on the Attachment The Save Box opens.  The name of the file is shown, hilited in Blue.  You can type a new name that describes the file or leave it alone.  At the top is the Name of the folder the File will be saved in.  If you want to change the destination folder find it on the left and click on it and it will be listed at the top of the save box.  Click on Save and the file is saved to your PC.  You can now Delete the original letter the file came in.

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- Change your password.  If you suspect you account has been compromised, check your Sent folder for any emails that weren’t sent by you.  If you see any such emails, change your password immediately.

Help Prevent Computer Crashes

 We've come to accept it as a fact of modern life: a computer can Crash. PCs crash for a variety of reasons.

 Hard disk problems can cause your computer to crash or freeze.  This can occur when your disk gets filled up with unwanted programs, temporary files, obsolete system files and other such data.  To help prevent this you should use Disk Cleanup, regularly to clean up all unwanted junk files. Programs, such as Ccleaner will accomplish this in minutes.

 Upgrade your operating system as new releases and patches become available. Old software or newly released software will crash and burn more often, so watch for updates

Malicious infections such as virus, Trojan, worms, Spyware and Adware can get into your system through different sources and cause computer crashes.. To prevent these infections, it is essential that you have anti-Malware tools, such as Antivirus and anti-Spyware on your computer It is also important that you run regular full system scans to ensure that no malicious data exists on the computer, Update your virus protection software on a regular basis. Set your antivirus programs to automatically update to prevent infiltration by any new viruses.

 If you own a Desktop Computer and have it in a cabinet or on the floor you should periodically dust the back of the machine. The fan should especially be dust fee in that it keeps the system cool. Computers and electronics in general don't like heat. Dust blocks fans, which generally cool you CPU, video card and motherboard components. Dust also blocks fans and their airflow into and out of your case. Cool air needs to be brought into a case, and then the host air dispelled. If the airways are blocked, system temperature can rise quickly and cause problems with the system.

If crashes continue to occur, your computer may have problems that require more than a do-it-yourself diagnosis and repair.  At that point you may consider calling in an Expert.

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Library of Congress

For those who really want to know first hand what is contained in a congressional Bill Start Here.  This site is run by the Library of Congress and has the text of every Bill, past and pending.  You can view or download the entire bill.  You can even search for a Specific word or words in the text.

Try checking some facts you get in Forward E-Mails and you will be surprised at what you discover.

How to Make an Older Program Run in Windows 7

Many programmers design their software to run on a specific version of Windows, such as Windows XP.  When you purchase a new computer it comes with the newest operating system which is Windows 7.  Unfortunately some of your older programs may not be compatible with Windows 7  and refuse to work. If an older game or other program refuses to run under Windows 7, there’s still hope because of Windows 7’s compatibility mode. This mode tricks programs into thinking that they’re running under their favorite older version of Windows, letting them run in comfort.

If your old program has problems with Windows 7, follow these steps and you might get it to work.

1. Right-click the program’s icon and choose Properties.

2. When the Properties dialog box appears, click the Compatibility tab.

3. In the Compatibility Mode section, select the Run This Program in Compatibility Mode

4. Select the program’s desired Windows version from the drop-down list. Check your program’s box or look at its manual to see what version of Windows you want to use.

5. Click OK and then try running your program again to see whether it works better.

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104 Year Old Film Clip  of San Francisco

This  film was "lost" for many years. 

It was the first 35mm  film ever. 

It was taken by camera mounted on the front  of a cable car.

The number of automobiles is staggering for 1906. Absolutely  amazing! 

The clock tower at the end of Market Street at the  Embarcadero wharf is still there.  

Great  historical film!  Watch the scampering as Joe Public races away from autos, horses, cable cars and bicycles. 

This  film, originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet  streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on historical record, even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!). It was filmed only four days before the Great California Earthquake of April 18th 1906  and shipped by train to NY for processing. 

The Apple iPhone – A Great Smart Phone

We have been using cell phones since the 1990s. Now we use our iPhone which is not just a phone but is a smart phone. A smart phone is any mobile

telephone that combines voice services with advanced capabilities, which have some of the functions of a PC.

In addition to our cell phones, by the beginning of 2000 we used a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Palm Pilot. It was used to schedule appointments, and keep both a personal and business address book. With our Palm Pilots we were also able to play simple games such as solitaire. Well, technology has come a long way in a short period of time, and the Personal Digital Assistant and cell phone have combined to become the Smartphone.

There is never a moment to be bored, even when sitting in a doctor’s office, when our iPhone's are with us.

With the iPhone we can do the following and much more:

• Access the Internet

• Access our email

• Listen to music

• Read or listen to books

• Find the cheapest gas prices in our area

• Get the latest stock quotes

• Set the alarm clock

• Access the GPS system

• Read journals, blogs, newspapers and periodicals

• Watch You Tube

• Text message our friends and family

• Access Facebook

• Tweet on Twitter

• Play games such as board games, card games, casino games, arcade games, dice, and puzzles, word games, trivia, and strategy games

• Get maps and directions

• Use a calculator

• Get the weather

• Take pictures, view them as a slideshow, or transfer to a computer.

• Take videos

• Record messages and play them back

• Find a restaurant and access its menu before going out

• Look up movie timetables

The list goes on. The longer we have the device the more uses we discover for it. You don’t have to be a kid to have fun, especially with today’s technology.

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Never Send a Man to the Grocery Store

The Do’s and Don'ts of Creating Passwords

A few years ago the only password we needed to remember was the one associated with our email account.  Today more and more websites require you to create an account with a password to access it. From ordering airline tickets, to purchasing merchandise online, doing online banking, accessing the latest stock quotes, or belonging to Facebook or Twitter you have to come up with another password to enter the website.  

To help you untangle this password mess we offer some do’s and don’ts when creating a new password. 

Do’s

	Mix letters, numbers and symbols, and use case sensitivity (upper and lower case letters)
	The longer the better. Use passwords that are longer than 6 characters.
	Change your passwords at least every 60 days, cycling the numeric values up or down makes the new password easy to remember.
	Make only the letters in the first half of the alphabet uppercase.
	Put a symbol at the end of each password.
	Put a punctuation mark at the beginning of the password.
	Put two numbers that are meaningful to you in the middle of the password.
	Write your passwords down and put them in a place you will remember.

Don't:

	Don’t use words or phrases or numbers that have personal significance such  your date of birth. your name, , driver's license, telephone number or passport number.
	Do not save your passwords on your computer.
	Don’t use the same password for several logins, especially if they involve sensitive financial or other personal information.
	Don’t tell anybody your password.
	When registering on websites that ask for your email address, never use the same password as your email account.
	Don’t use sequences of numbers such as 12345.

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Eagle Cam

A pair of bald eagles arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, Botanical Garden in late fall 2003 to build a nest.  In early 2004 2 eggs hatched and fledged.  Since then new arrivals have come every year. 

In 2006 the Eagle Cam was operating allowing all of us to view a LIVE video of what is happening in the nest.  Since then we have been able to see the birth of our National Bird every year. 

The babies are still in the nest so you can watch them grow each day until June when they will fly away.

Windows 7 – Desktop Slide Shows

If you are like me you probably prefer to see something interesting as your background on your computer’s desktop. In the past we would entertain ourselves by setting our desktop background with a picture of a grandchild. However we did have to make sure if one visited it was their picture that was on the screen. Now with Windows 7 we no longer have that problem.  We now can run a slide show as our background (wallpaper) of whatever pictures we choose that are on our computer. 

The slideshow works similarly to past Windows Background but now you can set your desktop to switch between two or more pictures at specific intervals. You can determine how often the images change. The range goes from seeing each picture for 10 seconds before switching to the next picture up until switching once a day, with many choices in between. You can place the pictures in a specific order or choose to shuffle them so that they display in a random order. 

Besides being able to create slide shows from your own pictures Windows 7 comes with its own themes.  Each theme has a different desktop background, window color, sound and screen saver. 

Architecture: Features a desktop slide show if six alternating architectural images, the Twilight glass color and the Cityscape sound theme. 

Characters: Features a desktop slide show of six alternating artistic whimsical cartoon-type images. 

Landscapes: Features a desktop slide show of six alternating landscapes images. 

United States: Features a desktop slide show of six scenes of our country.

Nature: Features a desktop slide show of six alternating scenes. 

Dogs in Winter: Features a desktop slide show of six alternating pictures of adorable dogs. 

You choose all your themes in Personalization, which can find in the Control Panel. Remember this computer is your personal computer so personalize it to suite your fancy.

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Patrick Henry Hughes-His Dad's Hero

Born Blind and with Physical disabilities Patrick feels he is not disables at all.

The mind and body reach farther then we can imagine.

A very inspirational video.