Toledo PC Users’ Group
A Forum for Personal-Computer Users — November, 2006
Digital Photography, by Floyd Miller
Monday, November 6, 2006 at 7:30 PM, UAW-Local-14 Hall, Jackman & Northover (between Laskey & Alexis Rd), Toledo, Ohio.
In
This Issue ...
TPCUG Data
From the Prez
Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Membership Expirations
Computer-Investing-Group Meeting
Montana Cowboy
What is DRM?
WMF Security Hole
APCUG conference, in Las Vegas
TOLTBBS Information
TPCUG’s
Website:
http://www.toledopcug.org
Coming Meeting: Monday, December 4.
The Toledo PC Users’ Group
P.O. Box 13085
Toledo, OH 43613
Officers
President: Floyd Miller
Vice-President: Rick Snyder
Treasurer: Steve Tryc
Secretary: Sándor Halász
Standing Committees
Computer Shows: Steve
Tryc
Librarian: Open
Membership: Roy Ballogg
Programs:
Lester Miller
Public Relations: Lavern & Eugene
Curtis
Complaint Dept.: Helen Waite
SIG Leaders
Internet SIG: Jim Bell ............ 419-877-1109
Statement of Intent: The Toledo PC Users’ Group is a not-for-profit corporation, formed to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information regarding the use and enjoyment of personal computers.
Affiliations: TPCUG is a member of APCUG (Association of Personal Computer User Groups), which provided the APCUG logo.
Meetings:
Meetings are generally held the first Monday of each month, at
UAW-Local-14-Hall, 5411 Jackman Rd., Toledo, OH. In the event of
emergency, members may be reached during meetings at a pay phone in
the hall, 419-473-9571.
Visitors are always welcome at monthly
meetings!
Executive-Board meetings are generally held
after the regular monthly meetings.
Membership: Dues are $25. per year. To obtain an application, call any officer or member.
Moving? Notify the Membership Chair to redirect your newsletters.
Copyright 2006: The Toledo PC Users’ Group, the publisher of this newsletter, is a not-for-profit organization. Although it asserts a copyright for the newsletter, permission is granted to reprint this publication in whole or in part for any noncommercial use, with credits acknowledged.
Newsletter Deadline is the 15th of each month. All members are encouraged to contribute articles and reviews for this newsletter. Submissions may be made by email to the editor.
Advertizing: Business cards (2”×3½”) will be run in three issues for $5. Commercial ads: $10 for ¼ page; $20 for ½ page; $30 for ¾ page; $40 for full page. Larger ads are run in two issues from a graphics format, JPEG or GIF or … Members may place free ads for the sale of computer-related personal items on a space-available basis. Contact editor for details.
Production Notes: This newsletter was compiled with Microsoft Word 6 for Windows, Open Office 1.1.5, Brief, and Notepad.
TPCUG Mailing List: If you are on the Internet, keep in touch with club doings by subscribing to the TPCUG mailing list: Send e-mail to “tpcug-request@toltbbs.com” with only “subscribe tpcug@toltbbs.com” in the body of the message. You will then receive communications sent to the list through e-mail.
The President's Message:
A look ahead for PCUG'ers will include a look at many articles and adds and possible new hardware as we jump into the Christmas Season and the new year. Finally after a delay of nearly 2 years Microsoft's Vista will hit the market by January of the new year. Its requirements may be a shock to your computer and maybe to your check book or credit card resulting in a hole in your bank account.
Install Vista, Buy Graphics Card
By Bruce Gain | Also by this reporter (02:00 AM Oct, 17, 2006)
Microsoft's Windows Vista is nearing completion for retail distribution in January, but many buyers will discover that a stand-alone graphics processor or card is required to reap its full benefits.
Intel and Advanced Micro Devices have already talked up their CPUs' importance in Vista's features and OEMs have begun touting "Vista ready" PCs before the operating system's release. But it is now more apparent with the recent release of the latest beta version of Vista, called Release Candidate 2 (or RC2 for short), that a simple CPU with an integrated graphics processor will not always be good enough. A separate graphics processor, usually reserved for the gamer set, is almost always needed to take full advantage of Vista's graphics capabilities for the most graphics-rich version of Vista, or Aero, on what Microsoft calls "Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs".
Officially, you can run a stripped-down version of Vista without a video card in a PC or a stand-alone graphics processor in a laptop—but you might not want to.
"To realize the charm and brilliance of Vista, the user has to have a decent graphics card, because otherwise it looks like crap: It is all washed up and the colors look bad", said Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research.
A PC needs an 800-MHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM and an integrated graphics processor that can handle Microsoft's DirectX 9 graphical interface just to run Vista, according to Microsoft. For a PC that is Windows-Aero-ready, the requirements are more stringent. A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC for Windows Aero needs at least a 1-GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM, DirectX 9 graphics, 128 MB of graphics memory and pixel shader 2.0, which means an external graphics card or processor is almost invariably required.
During a Wired News test, an HP Compaq 8430 laptop with a 2-GHz Intel T2500 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and a stand-alone ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor with 256 MB of video memory could handle the RC2 version of Aero. Vista's graphically intensive features worked well and the operating system's glasslike windows and icons were nice to look at, but in this writer's opinion, a 3-year-old version of SuSE Linux's operating system is just as beautiful.
With the stand-alone ATI graphics processor disabled during the test, the images became glitchy and the resolution poor. Attempts to play a video file with Windows Media Center did not work. The laptop's integrated graphics processor was just not good enough to handle the load by itself.
However, the TV-recording function of Windows Media Center did not work when the graphics processor was enabled or disabled, which might represent one of the bugs Microsoft hopes to fix before Vista's release date in January. But as Microsoft says, a graphics engine with at least 128 MB of memory is required to record TV with Vista.
When installing Vista, the operating system automatically assesses your system and adapts itself to your PC's CPU, memory and graphics-processing capabilities. But as our test showed, Vista on a PC with a 2-GHz CPU and 1 GB of RAM with a stand-alone graphics processor disabled does not look that great and certainly does not deliver what Microsoft calls a full "Vista experience".
For PCs without the requisite graphics capabilities, adding a graphics card will be enough to take advantage of Vista's graphics; however, investing $100 in a graphics card for a $500 PC just for the operating system will probably not make sense for most users.
When vendors begin their mass rollout of PCs with Vista installed next year, most systems shipped will still not be able to run the Aero version of Vista without the added expense of a graphics card, according to Peddie.
Some users may not opt for Vista's power even if they have a high-end PC with the requisite graphics engine.
"Even with a (high-powered graphics processor), Vista extracts performance and more battery life, so it is pretty yet costly in terms of machine resources", said Nathan Brookwood of Insight64. "With a notebook environment when you are not plugged into the wall, you may very well want to turn off the extra graphics because your battery is going to get sucked up."
Vista's power-hungriness represents a shift in Microsoft's approach compared to when the company launched Windows XP, and before that, Windows 95, which was introduced more than 10 years ago. Both operating systems offered a range of more graphics-oriented user interfaces compared to their predecessors, but they did not require significantly more processing and graphics computing power.
"If you are a reseller, Vista is probably good news", Brookwood said. "If you are a customer or someone who buys hardware in order to run software, preferably with (graphically intensive) interfaces, it will be frustrating."
From Wired News
More from WIRED NEWS
(and also Fox News):
Vista will be the first major overhaul in five years of the operating system, which sits on 90 percent of the world's computers and accounts for nearly a third of Microsoft's total revenue. The follow-up to the current Windows XP offers upgraded security, translucent windows for easier scrolling and can display and record high-definition television on the computer. It also allows the user to search for information on the PC and across the network.
It is assumed that all you "big kids" will survive Halloween and will want to get away from all those final political adds and all the final push of adds and analysis on election eve. What better place in all the world would one want to be than at the November PCUG meeting on the 6th. Since the program is going to be on Digital Photography, I would suggest you bring your digital cameras to share your camera and experience—things you have learned, photo programs that have worked for you, on-line sources. That ought to provide enough grist for and interesting time together.
AS ALWAYS: "Visitors are welcome and members are expected."
Your Pres., Floyd L. Miller
See this, too. Editor
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 19:38 by Rick Snyder, v.p., in Floyd Miller s absence.
The minutes published in the newsletter were accepted.
The treasurer s report, with balance $1094.32, was accepted. The hall-rent is paid through December.
There are 15 members, 8 present, one visitor, Jim Fowler. An old member, Bob Thomas, joined anew.
Lester Miller has teaching-program in mind for November, maybe a video, but nothing scheduled. More of Floyd Miller s digital photography was suggested.
The Internet SIG, as usual, meets by Jim Bell in Whitehouse on the third Monday at 7pm, car-pooling from the Asbury church at around 6:30pm.
R. Snyder talked also of the investment group, to which, too, he belongs. It is part of a much bigger investment group.
There was no old bizness.
New bizness:
Steve Tryc brought up the year-2007 meeting schedule, and asked Roy Ballogg whether he once more would call the union-hall and take care of it.
Steve Tryc brought up also the Christmas program, but it was agreed that at the November meeting the bulk of it would be planned.
The meeting was adjourned at 20:03, and followed by a talk on HTML by the secretary.
Respectfully submitted by Sándor Halász, secretary
Treasurer’s Report
Balance Ending 9/15/06
Balance Ending 10/15/06
Steve Tryc, treasurer
Expired & Expiring Memberships
NOVEMBER 2006
1382 Lester Miller
1506 Steve Tryc
1668 Lawrence Russell
DECEMBER 2006
1686 Don Barosci
1687 Nestor Alverez
Computer Investing Group
“Judgment Day”—SSG Advanced
Oct. 25, 2006, Wednesday, 6:15–8:30 pm
Holland Branch Library, 1032 South McCord Rd., Holland, OH
Cost $15, REGISTER BY Oct. 18, 2006
So, you took the SSG Class, and now you are ready for the next level. In this class, we will present a short refresher of the Basics, and then help you learn more about making “Judgments”—finding and assessing the many bits of information that factor into your opinion of any stock you are studying. Beginners will gain the knowledge and confidence to make good and reasoned stock picking decisions, while experienced investors will get the chance to refresh and expand on their judgment techniques. After all, you can never know too much about a company in which you want to invest your hard-earned dollars!
It is strongly recommended that you have a good understanding of the Stock-Selection Guide.
You may use the registration form found in the Fall newsletter which was mailed to you or go on line to print it out. Go to our web site, http://www.betterinvesting.org/chapter/nwohio. Click on “Judgment Day—SSG Advanced”. Click on “NW Buckeye Registration form”. Use “Judgment Day—SSG Advanced” as the program name.
Please direct questions about registration to Event Registrar, Marilyn Adams, 2331 Mill Race Court, Holland, OH 43528. E-mail to contact@nwbuckeye.betterinvesting.net, Telephone: 419-865-6061
Reminder of the address of our chapter web page for more info at
all times: http://www.betterinvesting.org/chapter/nwohio
Maps of the locations of these events are located there.
Montana Cowboy
A Montana cowboy was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.
The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?" The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image-processing facility in Hamburg (Germany).
Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC-connected Excel spreadsheet with e-mail on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves".
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves", says the cowboy. He looks on amused as the young man selects one of the animals and stuffs it into the trunk of his car. Then the cowboy says to the young man.... "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give my back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?" "You're a (favorite brat employee) for the U. S. Government", says the cowboy. "Wow! That's correct", says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required", answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows... this is a herd of sheep."
"Now give me back my dog."
Dottie J.
Forwarded by our president—Tools make no worker.
What is DRM?
DRM technology
is a growing problem for all computer users, by extension all of
society. DRM is typically used to restrict individuals' use of their own copies
of published works. To enforce these restrictions, DRM software, and now
hardware, must monitor and control computer users' behavior. Frequently it
reports on what it sees.
WMF Security Hole
By means of which an outsider can gain control of one s computer....
Windows Meta File Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows WMF "SETABORTPROC" Arbitrary Code Execution
Microsoft Testing WMF Hole Patch
APCUG-matters
APCUG conference, in Las Vegas
Excerpts from the web-page:
Our 2007 Annual Conference is off and running. Registration is open, and our schedule of events is almost complete. The conference starts on late Thursday afternoon, January 4th and ends on Sunday afternoon, January 7th.
Registration:
Between Oct. 16th and Nov 30th
After Nov 30th