Toledo PC Users’ Group
A Forum for Personal-Computer Users — April, 2007
April Program: Cleaning out your Computer
Monday, April 2, 2007 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
Gaining membership and keeping membership, from APCUG
Grief and Deals
How does Windows handle USB devices?
Conversion Factors for your Digestion
TOLTBBS Information
TPCUG’s
Website:
http://www.toledopcug.net
Coming Meeting: Monday,
May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, August 27, October 1, November 5, December 3.
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 2007: 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. Send the message help for a list of accepted commands, or see our host for more.
The President's Message—
Rod Scher writes in the April "Smart Computing" that we need to forget and we need to start soon. We computer users spend a lot of time learning new things: new operating systems, new troubleshooting techniques, new hardware, new software, new versions of old software, and so on. This is part of what keeps things exciting and invigorating. There's always more to learn, to remember, to try. Nothing in technology stays the same for long. so it's always a scramble to keep up with the latest developments.
He suggests that some of us have only a finite (and steadily decreasing, apparently) number of functioning brain cells. He admits that he may have 11 left. When he gets down to six—which might be by mid-July, he will attempt to name them, but indicates they may be like cats and never respond to their names. Then to resume the topic?!?! which was……
He reasons that it is difficult to learn new technology because our brains are cluttered with old technology. For example, he still knows how to program a VCR, but he may never need to remember since it's in the new manual that may be different than the old way. This is taking up space in his brain along with remembering how to test and replace a vacuum tube. Of course, he doesn't need to know that, and where would he find a tube-testing station which was standard fare in every drug and hardware emporium in Am.
He continues to list the technology-related stuff for which he has no use—how to change a typewriter ribbon, double-clutch a car, tune the antenna on a CB radio; thread a reel-to-real tape recorder, place a tone arm on a vinyl record without scratching it, retouch a film negative; use a cassette-tape-equipped answering machine, rebuild a carburetor; use a slide rule, copy a document using a "wet" photocopier, adjust the hue, tone, and contrast on a color television set. In the meantime he laments the fact that for the life of him he can't remember how to add a network connection in Windows XP without looking it up each time. Apparently, too many people actually did figure that one out, so in Windows Vista they moved it again.
There are all those skills of dubious value that are using up his brain cells, when he is in no position to be wasting them. He indicated that his brain is also full of obsolete and irrelevant (but persistent) facts related to older computers that are there to confuse him when he's dealing with newer systems. How can he burn CD's and DVD's when he still remembers exactly how to connect and search a Commodore-1530 tape drive? There is the memory of how to exactly set an environment variable in a DOS batch file and have to consult a manual in order to invoke a simple Office macro? Why should he be expected to remember how to connect a laptop modem, when the last modem used came with an acoustic coupler? Further, how can he be expected to remember which one of four hard drives contains a specific application when vividly remembering how to "notch" the reverse side of single-sided deskettes so that one could save data on both sides? A technique that worked about 90% of the time, which meant that there was one chance in ten that Lotus-123 spreadsheet was reduced to random ASCII characters. Then again that was the 1-in-10 chance of that happening, apparently based on the proximity to a large magnet or on the phase of the moon.
Hmmmmm, does that mean that, considered, together, that was actually one-in-five chance, overall, of your spreadsheet self-destructing? Rats, he guessed he'd have to dig out his slide rule, because he couldn't remember how to us this fancy new calculator he was given. The above is paraphrased and consolidated.
Since the membership of the Toledo PCUG is composed of many members, who have snow on their roof (for some part of the roof is gone) and a few clinkers in the belly and numerically challenged brain cells, and the swift change in computer technology, we might have to go to weekly meetings or at least bi-weekly meetings or stare at the screen and wonder what key to punch or where to put the mouse arrow or turn the monitor up-side-down to see if it makes more sense. Now I'm confused, you're confused, the whole wold is confused. Thankfully, the meeting is this Monday night, same time, same place, and Lester will have a program to get us all unconfused. Lester, we are counting on you!! The whole world is counting on you. If you fail there will be total kaos or is that chaos all around the world!! {;~ ( }
Your Prez.—Floyd L. Miller
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 19:43 by F. Miller, pres.
The minutes were accepted.
The treasurer s report, printed in the March newsletter, was, subject to audit, accepted.
Roy Ballogg said that there are 14 members, twain of whose dues are due. He until now had not forwarded the editor this list because of the club s domain-name troubles. Eleven members were present.
- Feb
- 1659 Sándor Halász
- Mar
- 1672 Norman Richardson
- 1653 Lavern Curtis
- 1594 Henry Geiger
- 1653 Lavern Curtis
- Apr
- 1684 Dona Mellach
- 1596 Floyd Miller
- 1477 Roy Ballogg
- 1596 Floyd Miller
- May
- [1683 Richard Snyder]
- Jun
- Jul
Lester Miller said that he wants to get someone to talk about WiFi.
Old bizness:
Roy Ballogg asked who is not on the e-mail list. (Lester Miller) The relevant instructions in the newsletter are not right, aside from joining the list. [The editor consulted Jim Bell and put new instructions in.]
There was no new bizness.
The meeting was adjourned at 20:02. Lester Miller talked about Windows Vista.
Respectfully submitted by Sándor Halász, secretary
Treasurer’s Report
Balance Ending 2/15/07
Balance Ending 3/15/07
Steve Tryc, treasurer
Expired & Expiring Memberships
Apr
1684 Dona Mellach
1596 Floyd Miller
1477 Roy Ballogg
May
1683 Richard Snyder
Computer Investing Group
- Computer Investing Group, April 7, 2-4pm, Heatherdowns Library. Demo of BI's basic software package Classic for preparing Stock-Study Guides. No charge, no registration.
- Toolkit 5 & SSG All-Day Lab, April 21, 8:30am–3:30pm, Vanguard Vocational Computer Lab, Fremont. Hands on class on learning how to do a Stock-Selection Guide using the computer program Toolkit; details on our web page & in newsletter. $40 ($30 if 3 or more register together) including lunch. Must register in advance postmarked by April 14; use form online or in newsletter.
- BetterInvesting Regional Conference, May 11 (4pm) to May 12 (4:30pm), Marriott, Ypsilanti, MI. National speakers, dozens of great classes, company presentations, meals, etc. Early-bird discount on registrations by April 11; do it all for $60 (if 3 register together)! More info on web or newsletter, of course. This is like attending a mini national conference for a small fraction of the price & within driving distance!
- Annual Meeting & Dinner, June 13, 6pm, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania. New this year is a Portfolio Contest for our clubs with 3 prizes ranging from $25 to $100! Again, for rules, see web page or newsletter. Deadline is April 15 for submission of your club's March portfolio.
Results Of Bored Engineers
Some people have way too much time on their hands… Lady Hawke
- Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter: Eskimo Pi
- 2000 pounds of Chinese Soup make Won ton
- 1 millionth of a mouthwash makes 1 microscope
- Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement: 1 bananosecond
- Weight an evangelist carries with G~d: 1 billigram
- Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour: Knotfurlong
- 365¼ days of drinking low-calorie beer: 1 Lite year
- 16½ feet in the Twilight Zone make 1 Rod Serling
- Half a large intestine makes 1 semicolon
- 1,000,000 aches make 1 megahurtz
- Basic unit of laryngitis: 1 hoarsepower
- Shortest distance between two jokes: a straight line
- 453.6 graham crackers make 1 pound cake
- 1 million microphones make 1 megaphone
- 1 million bicycles make 1 megacycle
- 365 days make 1 unicycle
- 2000 mockingbirds make two kilomocking birds
- 10 cards make 1 decacard
- 52 cards make 1 deckacard
- 1 kilogram of falling figs makes 1 Fig Newton
- 1000 grams of wet socks make 1 literhosen
- 1 millionth of a fish makes 1 microfiche
- 1 trillion pins make 1 terrapin
- 10 rations make 1 decaration
- 100 rations make 1 C-Ration
- 2 monograms make 1 diagram
- 8 nickels make 2 paradigms
- 5 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital make 1 I.V. League
