Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Meetings Are On The 4th ...cugr.apcug.org/PDF/MB200801.pdfDoor Prizes are $30 Cash, 100 CD-R Spools, and 1 Lighted Tool kit with FM Radio Tuesday, January

Door Prizes are $30 Cash, 100 CD-R Spools,and 1 Lighted Tool kit with FM Radio

TTTTTuesdayuesdayuesdayuesdayuesday, January 22, 2008, January 22, 2008, January 22, 2008, January 22, 2008, January 22, 2008

In This Issue Of The MotherboarIn This Issue Of The MotherboarIn This Issue Of The MotherboarIn This Issue Of The MotherboarIn This Issue Of The Motherboard…d…d…d…d…EDITOR’S CORNER

Judi Ball ................................... 2CONNECTING WITH WEBCAMS

NAPSA ...................................... 2CLUB CHRISTMAS PICS

CUG .......................................... 3GOOGLE SEARCH BAR AND YOURTELEPHONE NUMBER

Sandy Berger ........................... 4BITS AND PIECES

Rush Blodget ........................... 5USER GROUP INFORMATION

APCUG ..................................... 5

MULTI MEDIA SIG UPDATE & TIPJane Quinn .............................. 6

HERE’S TOUCHING NEWS: TOUCH-SCREEN MONITORS

NAPSA ...................................... 6MORE CLUB CHRISTMAS PICS

CUG .......................................... 7ONLINE CONSUMER HELP

Ira Wilsker ................................ 8SAITEK OPTICAL PHOTO MOUSE

Jan Fagerholm......................... 9WEIRD WINDOWS BEHAVIOR

Sandy Berger ......................... 10

CUG CalendarCUG CalendarCUG CalendarCUG CalendarCUG Calendar

General meetings are at the Redding Municipal Library, 100 Parkview Ave, off Cypress.Official Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugr

For more information call any Board member listed on Page 2.

One free ticket to each member at the door!Club Business and Program Presentation 6 PM, coffee and tea available in Library Cafe

Check at the Greeting Table for your name tag and please leave it in the Tag Box when the meeting is over.

CUG Board Meeting1 PM Monday,January 28

at Jack-In-The-Box, Dana Drive

MULTI-MEDIA10 AM, Saturday, Jan 26

WINDOWS & MORE11:30 AM, WednesdaysJan 16, 23 30, Feb 6, 13

DTP SIG2 PM, Wednesdays

Jan 16, 23 30, Feb 6, 13

SEE BACK PAGE FOR MORE SIG INFO

Volume 2008, Number 01 http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugr January 2008

Meetings Are On The 4th Tuesday Now!Linux PC System & How A Common UserCan Benefit From Linux With Its 23,362

Free Packages of Software!by Colly Lord

And Time Allowing, Bruce Roth Will Do A Q&ATo Include A Fun Time Of Sharing Your PC

Related Christmas Presents With The Rest Us.

Page 2 THE MOTHERBOARD January 2008

Editor’Editor’Editor’Editor’Editor’s Corners Corners Corners Corners CornerIt’s your club. Your input is of value to us…

Club InformationClub InformationClub InformationClub InformationClub Information

Club MentorClub MentorClub MentorClub MentorClub MentorsssssMS Windows Bill Ball 98, ME, XP [email protected], Software 275-4632DTP; Judi BallGraphic Prgs 275-4632Photo Editing [email protected] Word, PowerPoint Jane QuinnMovie, Maker 2, DVD Prgs. 365-0825Digital Image Pro [email protected]

New Users Bob Rice 357-2143, Anytime [email protected]

MS Windows Darold WrightPhoto Delux 222-1781 [email protected]

New Users Dorothy KirkPaintShop Pro 246-9661, Anytime [email protected]

Club Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugrClub Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugrClub Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugrClub Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugrClub Website: http://users.snowcrest.net/ibmpcugrMembers volunteering to help members!

BoarBoarBoarBoarBoard of Ofd of Ofd of Ofd of Ofd of Officerficerficerficerficers and Directors and Directors and Directors and Directors and Directorsssss

MotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboard Newsletter Stafd Newsletter Stafd Newsletter Stafd Newsletter Stafd Newsletter Staffffff

MotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboard Newsletter Pd Newsletter Pd Newsletter Pd Newsletter Pd Newsletter Policies and Deadlinesolicies and Deadlinesolicies and Deadlinesolicies and Deadlinesolicies and DeadlinesThe Motherboard newsletter is publishedmonthly by the Computer Users Group ofRedding, PO Box 494778, Redding, CA96049-4778. The CUG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Subscriptions areincluded in the $25 annual membershipfee. The purpose of the newsletter is toinform members of upcoming events andprovide information about the use of IBMcompatible computers.Disclaimer: Neither the CUG, its Offi-cers, the Editor, nor the newslettercontributors assume any liability fordamages incurred due to the use ofinformation provided in this publication.Reprints: Articles from this newslettermay be reprinted by other user groups ifcredit is given to both the author, CUGand the Motherboard. Mail a copy of thenewsletter where the article is reprinted

to the Editor at the address in the firstparagraph of this text.Personal Ads For Members:Requirements are:1. Advertiser must be a member.2. The item must be computer-related.3. The ad must be received by editor J.Ball by the monthly date of the boardmeeting. Sorry, no exceptions.Other terms must be approved by theclub’s Board of Officers and Directors.Article Submissions: All articles and re-views must be submitted to J. Ball bythe Monday of the monthly Boardmeeting (see Page 1 for date.) Sorry, noexceptions.Motherboard Editor reserves the rightto make corrections and deletions in allarticles in the interest of grammar, style,and space.

Judith E. Ball [email protected] 275-4632Rush Blodget Bits And [email protected] 241-4754Mary Montague [email protected] 365-6414

Mary Montague [email protected] 365-6414Anna Lee Horton [email protected] 222-5521

Belva Sullivent President, Greeter, Name Tag [email protected] 241-9926

Bruce Roth Vice Pres, [email protected] 247-7306

Darold L. Wright Past [email protected] 222-1781

Mario Quinn [email protected] 365-0825

Margaret Martinovich Secretary, Director, [email protected] 241-6378

Jane Quinn Dir, Vendor Contact, SIG Leader

[email protected] 365-0825

Eugenia Goodman Director, Membership [email protected] 221-7723

Anna Lee Horton [email protected] 222-5521

Bill Ball Director, SIG [email protected] 275-4632

Judi Ball Editor, Director, SIG [email protected] 275-4632

Lyle VanNorman [email protected] 242-0925

Bob Rice [email protected] 357-2143

I sure hope you didn’t miss this party.I know the weather was rainy, but it hadlessened by the time of the meeting andwasn’t raining when we packed up andleft about 8:30 pm.

The room was warm, the refreshmentsbrought in by members were great andplentiful, and the gifts were abundant.We had fun with the drawing and as Iheard several times over, “There’s somuch to choose from, I don’t knowwhich gift I want!”

Then we finished up with severalmembers taking the floor and mic andtelling funny experiences and jokes! Isure hope you were there with us!

Don’t forget about our changing tothe fourth Tuesday of the month now.The Library is accomodating CUG withthe full conference room on theseTuesdays. And it seems to work for most.

Hope to see you there.Judi Ball

(NAPSA)—The Logitech webcamtechnology saved the day for Elizabethwhen an obstacle arose for a plannedbaby shower with her daughter Judie.Judie was unable to make a trip homebecause her doctor told her not to travel.Elizabeth decided to host the eventanyway — and use her laptop for an ex-tended video call so that her daughtercould be there, visually and virtually.

The guests took turns visiting withPhillips from afar, they played traditionalshower games together, and Elizabetheven opened the packages and showed

Connecting WithConnecting WithConnecting WithConnecting WithConnecting WithWebcams Is NotWebcams Is NotWebcams Is NotWebcams Is NotWebcams Is Not

That DifThat DifThat DifThat DifThat Difficultficultficultficultficult

Continued on Page 10

January 2008 THE MOTHERBOARD Page 3

PCUG Christmas PartyPCUG Christmas PartyPCUG Christmas PartyPCUG Christmas PartyPCUG Christmas Party

There was a fuller table than can beseen in the picture! All was good andmost consumed by the end of theparty. Thanks to all for the goodies!


WelcomeWelcomeWelcomeWelcomeWelcomeNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberJoe Quibill

And Renewals And Renewals And Renewals And Renewals And Renewals

Judi & Bill BallEugenia GoodmanPhil GrahamJames HughesDale Inman

Patricia LarsenShirley ParkerAlice PringleHenry RollandMarge Stewart

Chuck & Ginnie WallJosie Cozens & Donna

Whitlock

IBM/PCUGIBM/PCUGIBM/PCUGIBM/PCUGIBM/PCUGMEMBER WEBSITESMEMBER WEBSITESMEMBER WEBSITESMEMBER WEBSITESMEMBER WEBSITES

Publicize Your WebSiteHere for FREE!

(Members Only Please)

DAVE & BECKY HEMPwww.c-zone.net/dochemp/

JACK MCAULIFFEReal Estate Broker

www.realtyphoto.com

KITTYSTONE PERSIANSLynn Johansonkittystone.com

MEXICAN-TOURSwww.mexican-tours.com

Lyle [email protected]

QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATIONMary Ann Czermak

www.documents-examiner.com

REDDING REAL ESTATERick Goates

www.reddingrealestate.net

RON COLE JR.www.houseofspecialtygifts.com

Obtained from APCUG with theauthor’s permission for publication byAPCUG member groups.

If you know someone’s telephonenumber, how hard would it be to find thatperson? Well, with Internet resources, itcouldn’t be easier. Type any telephonenumber into the Google search bar andyou will quickly be given the name andaddress that relates to that number. Evena bit scarier is the fact that right next tothe name and address is the word “map.”Just click on that word and the locationin question is marked with a big greenarrow on a detailed map. One more clickand you can see the building with thataddress from a satellite view.

I say this is scary because it is. Thisinformation may be put to good use byfriends and relatives, but in the handsof a stalker or a criminal, it can behighly dangerous. Imagine how easy itwould be to find a woman who livesalone in a rural area. Or think about achild who might innocently give out histelephone number and have a pervertbe able to find their exact location soeasily.

If you think that you are exempt fromthis because you have an unlisted orunpublished number, think again.Google states, “Our phone and addresslistings are gathered by a third partyprovider, which collects telephonedirectories and other public recordsavailable elsewhere on the web.” It isthe “other public records” that might getyour telephone number into theselistings. They use everything from publicutility records, court records, and pro-perty records, to business records. Iwas able to easily find the names andaddresses of several people who haveunlisted telephone numbers.

Because of privacy complaints,Google has initiated a way to beremoved from this reverse telephonelookup. Just search for your telephonenumber in google and click on the linkwith your name. You will be taken toanother page with an obvious removallink.

Yet, if you want to remove your nameand address from the entire Web, youshould be prepared to settle in for a long,tedious task. Removing my telephonenumber from Google was easy. Unfor-tunately, I quickly found more than adozen other places that had my telephonenumber listed including Yahoo, InfoSpace,Intelius, AnyWho, and addresses.com.Each one of these has a different methodfor removing your name and number, andoften the process is quite convoluted. AtYahoo, there was an obvious “Removemy Listing” link. But the link went to theYahoo help pages, which were not at allhelpful. It took me about 30 minutes ofsearching to find the correct removal link.http://phone.people.yahoo.com/py/psPhoneSupp.py

Although most of the major searchsites did not have listings for cellphones, I found that I could get thenames and addresses for many cellphones numbers at Intelius for just$14.95. Getting your name and addressout of Intelius is even more complicatedthan removing it from some otherwebsites. To opt out of Intelius theyrequire that you fax them a copy of yourdriver’s license or a notarized formproving your identity.

Even if you take the time to eliminateyour name and address from all thedirectories that you find today, youmight appear in some new directorytomorrow. Yet, if you want to guard yourprivacy, it may be worth the effort toeliminate yourself from as many of thedirectories as possible. It may also betime to realize that a simple thing like atelephone number can now lead to morepersonal identification than you everimagined. Perhaps we need to startguarding our telephone number ascarefully as we do our social securitynumber.

This article has been provided toAPCUG by the author solely forpublication by APCUG member groups.All other uses require the permission ofthe author (see e-mail address above).

GoGoGoGoGoogle Search Bar Andogle Search Bar Andogle Search Bar Andogle Search Bar Andogle Search Bar AndYYYYYour Tour Tour Tour Tour Telephone Numberelephone Numberelephone Numberelephone Numberelephone Number

by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS.com,www.compukiss.com, [email protected]


Bits And Piecesby Rush Blodget; IMB/PCUG of Redding, [email protected]

TIVO HD James Derk, the computer columnist

for Scripps-Howard News Service in arecent article states that he recently triedTivoHD and thinks it is great except thatit does not work with Satellite, and thatone must purchase a CableCard from thecable company to decrypt the digitalsignal and pay them a monthly fee.

He states that the quality of the HDsignal is breathtaking; however, installationwas quite a problem. After a prolongedfailed effort he had to call the cablecompany technician to complete it.MICROSOFT PLANS

The next version of Windows, whichwill be called “Windows 7,” is scheduledfor release in 2010. A beta version ofInternet Explorer 8 is due to be released

in the first half of 2008. The first servicepack for Windows Vista is due out inthree months (SF Chronicle TechnologySection Dec 31, 2007)STORM WORM

According to a SF Chronicle computercolumnist a holiday worm termed theStorm Worm, programmed to take effectduring the Xmas season, was turnedloose at various times during the pastyear and will probably continue its attackduring the first week of January 2008. Itis sent in the form of fake Christmascards and e-mail with links to infectedWeb sites (SF Chronicle Dec 29, 2007).NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR

All support including upgrades andsecurity patches on this venerable brow-ser will be discontinued by Time Warner

AOL on Febru-ary 1 of this yearalthough down-loads will still beavailable. Mi-crosoft InternetExplorer nowholds 90% ofthis market (SF Chronicle Dec 29, 2007).NEW 500 GIGABYTE DRIVE FORLAP-TOPS

Hitachi has announced the develop-ment of a 500GB drive for laptop com-puters. It is stated that this drive will hold175 feature length movies, or 125,000four-minute songs. Asustek computer ofTaiwan will sell a laptop with two of thesedrives and a total capacity of oneterabyte.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008 1:03 PM PT Posted by Steve Bass

Sell Your Old PC (or Other Devices) to Costcohttp://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/006142.html

Do you have an old PC in the closet? Here’s a way to get rid of it: Sell it to Costco.Costco, the big-box retailer, has contracted with Greensight to recondition or recycle your old, but still working, PC. They’ll

pick up the tab on shipping the PC to them and pay you for the computer. [Thanks to Brad from Atlanta for this amazinglygood tip.]

It gets better: They’ll also take notebooks, MP3 players, LCD monitors,camcorders, digital cameras, game consoles, and phones.

It’s gets better yet: There’s no trade-in value, but if you have an old CRT,printer, or fax machine, Greensight will recycle it for you and pay to ship the itemto them.

The catch: You get “paid” with a Costco cash card. If you’re not a Costcomember, you can use the cash card towards the membership fee; members canuse the card to buy merchandise.

THE DETAILSChoose the device you want to trade in and answer their questions on an

online form. Providing details about the device takes about five minutes. At theend of the process, Greensight will tell you how much the trade-in is worth.

Of course, there’s a good chance you won’t remember the exact componentsor CPU speed, so the amount may change once the machine is inspected. Ifyou’re not happy, the company will return the PC to you at no charge.

I have to tell you, you’re not going to get rich. I priced a 1.2GHz Pentium IIIwith a 40GB drive and 1GB of RAM and picked up $18. But hey, that pays for alunch and I didn’t have to schlep to a city-run electronics recycling center.

Greenlight promises they’ll either recondition and sell the entire PC (or justhand-picked parts), or recycle the good parts into raw material. Nothing, theysay, will end up in a landfill.

You can read through their FAQ for more details.

User Group Information From APCUGUser Group Information From APCUGUser Group Information From APCUGUser Group Information From APCUGUser Group Information From APCUG


Multi-Media SIG UpDateMulti-Media SIG UpDateMulti-Media SIG UpDateMulti-Media SIG UpDateMulti-Media SIG UpDateby Jane Quinn

Weekly S.I.G. Group meetings are every Thursday at the Senior Center in Anderson from 1 – 3 pm. Meetings this month areon January 17, 24, 31, February 7 &14. Only members will be able to use the club’s laptop to burn their DVD movie projects.

Our next Multi-Media monthly meeting is on January 26, at my home from 10 am to noon. For directions contact me [email protected] or phone 365-0825.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, at this meeting we shared gift giving ideas, fun holiday free stuff and some personalachievements. I love creative presents people make by using their talents. And amazingly, we have some very talentedpeople in our group. I am constantly surprised by their generosity and their ability. Many of our computer enthusiasts silentlyhone their craft, then volunteer their time and talents all around our community.

Mike Doyle brought his Christmas gift idea. He had taken some family photos and made them into photo stamps usingsoftware he purchased at Costco. They looked fantastic. And the actual cost was much less purchasing the coupon throughCostco than the post office. The website is, photo.stamps.com/Store.

Donna Whitlock created beautiful note-cards and luggage tags from photographs of nature and landscapes she had takenduring the year. She is a talented award winning photographer and has shared her knowledge of taking quality professionalphotos with us. She used this site, www.PhotographersEdge.com, for her gift ideas.

We shared fun websites that use your photos to send greetings via e-mails. These websites are a mix of Funny Flash videos, car-toon animations, and pictures. You can post, share, and store even your favorite jokes. The first website to mention is Elf Your Self,www.elfyourself.com. At this site you become a dancing elf’ in costume. You can add as many as three others with you, plus add avoice message. The second website is Smilebox, http://smilebox.com/playEmail. Here you create boxes of gifts and the e-mailrecipient gets to choose the gift to open. The last one to mention is JibJab, www.jibjab.com/, where you can put your face in a holidaymovie. For example, you and your friends can become the stars in a spoof of “It’s a Great Life.” Send someone a new year’s cheer!

Dick Marx created a great DVD movie for his “high school reunion“ using photos from the Shasta Historical Society. For asmall fee he was able to purchase 60 photos from their achieved files and view their website at www.shastahistorical.org. Witha mix of his old Redding school photos, those from the historical society, and adding new photos of the same landmarks andbuildings, his movie was very entertaining. It was fun to see the vintage clothing, such as suspenders, ties, long skirts, andfunny hairstyles. We also heard the popular songs from that era, saw downtown Redding as it looked then and now. It was sucha great project. Thanks, Dick, for sharing!

We did accomplish some work this day. Using Picasa 2, we could enhance a photo by using tools in the Effects panel. The“Glow” and “Soft Focus” editing effects let you create softer photos. Or in this case, we wanted to blur the image of a stranger inthe foreground and shift the focus to the loving couple in the background. It worked great! That website is http://picasa.google.com/

Until next time, as usual our meeting will follow the Club Meeting on January 26. Till then keep taking pictures and movies!

(NAPSA)—If you’re like most Ameri-cans, you don’t even realize how oftenyou turn to touchscreen technology to getthings done. From ATMs to grocerystores, touchscreens have taken theplace of keypads, giving people controlwhere they want it—at their fingertips.Today, an increasing number of busi-nesses in a variety of sectors, includingretail, entertainment and transportation,give people this power through interactivekiosks and displays. From point-of-serviceordering systems at delis to point-of-infor-mation kiosks in museums, touchscreensare easy, fun and intuitive to use. In someplaces, the possibilities for touchscreensare just being discovered.

A single retail outlet today mighthouse thousands of products on itsshelves, and differentiating between

Here’Here’Here’Here’Here’s Ts Ts Ts Ts Touching News: Touching News: Touching News: Touching News: Touching News: Touchscreouchscreouchscreouchscreouchscreen Monitoren Monitoren Monitoren Monitoren Monitors Can Make Life Easiers Can Make Life Easiers Can Make Life Easiers Can Make Life Easiers Can Make Life EasierFor Companies And Their CustomerFor Companies And Their CustomerFor Companies And Their CustomerFor Companies And Their CustomerFor Companies And Their Customersssss

products or finding the right one can bea frustrating process. However, withinteractive displays, consumers caneasily research and compare differentproducts while they shop and leave thestore with their desired product inhand—or order their desired product andhave it delivered.

With touchscreens, consumers arealso able to add their own personal twist

to the product of their choice. Touch-screens give consumers the best ofboth worlds—they can try on sneakersor test drive a car and then use aninstore display to design a unique colorscheme for their sneakers or choose apersonalized feature set for their car.

Companies that provide interactivetouchscreen displays for pointof-purchase, point-of-sale and point-of-information uses, such as PlanarSystems, help make the technologymore accessible and affordable. With awide variety of retail-ready options—including stand-alone monitors thatintegrate with existing computer sys-tems and monitors that can be em-bedded into kiosk frames—touch-screens bring the shopping experienceto customers’ fingertips.


More Party PhotosMore Party PhotosMore Party PhotosMore Party PhotosMore Party Photos



WEBSITES:http://www.consumer.govhttp://www.recalls.govhttp://www.usa.govhttp://www.ready.govhttp://www.annualcreditreport.comhttp://www.ftc.gov/idthefthttp://www.consumer.gov/military

President Bush has requested that allfederal agencies make it easier for con-sumers (the general public) to locate andutilize information on federal websites. Insome cases a variety of federal agen-cies have pooled their resources andinformation, and compiled the data ineasy to use websites that representseveral agencies in one place. Some ofthese integrated federal websites areconsumer.gov, recalls.gov, and usa.gov.

Consumer.gov is probably the premierfederal website for comprehensiveconsumer information. The tabs acrossthe top of the page lead directly to suchconsumer topics as food, product safety,health, home & community, money, trans-portation, children, careers & education,and technology. The perimeter of the pagecontains icons and links which directlyconnect to specific government services.

One of the icons links to “OnGuardOnline” which says, “OnGuardOnline.govprovides practical tips from the federalgovernment and the technology industryto help you be on guard against Internetfraud, secure your computer, and protectyour personal information.” There isanother link for “Consumer Sentinel”which contains comprehensive informa-tion on fighting and preventing fraud andidentity theft.

One link that I have personally usedand strongly recommend leads to the“National Do Not Call Registry” (donotcall.gov) where you can enter yourhome and cell phone numbers, and pro-hibit most telemarketers from calling.After activation, if a telemarketer doescall, there is a link to enter a complaint,which may lead to a substantial fineagainst the telemarketer.

You have probably seen a TV com-mercial hawking free credit reports, butthe fine print and disclaimer advises thatthe credit report is only free with a paidsubscription to a credit monitoring ser-vice. It just so happens that congress hasrequired that all Americans are entitled toa genuinely free credit report once a year,without the strings or necessity of payingfor a credit monitoring service. This freeservice is overseen by the Federal TradeCommission (ftc.gov), and linked to theconsumer.gov website, or can be reacheddirectly at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Many of us have had concerns aboutour children’s safety while online, andconsumer.gov has a linked resource forthat purpose as well. The FTC has creat-ed an online child safety website “KidzPrivacy” which is a childish looking web-site that will appeal to kids of all ages.On this site are resources for kids, adults,the media, and teachers.

We are all faced with higher prices atthe gas pump, and we generally do notlike it. There are scammers out therepromoting a variety of miracle productsto dramatically improve our gas mile-age, but there are also several legitimatetasks we can undertake to save gas.Consumer.gov obliges with an iconlinked to an FTC website “SavingMoney at the Pump.” This is a cute,interactive website with several tips thatwe may find useful and money saving.

There is a pandemic of identity thefttaking place which is costing our societytens of billions of dollars per year, withmillions of victims of identity theftannually. Consumer.gov has a link tothe central repository of identity theftprevention and information services,which is administered by the FTC atwww.ftc.gov/idtheft. On this site is a linkto report identity theft, steps to follow ifa victim, information on preventing theft,and other useful resources.

Many of us are inundated with pre-screened credit card offers, and invitationsto purchase insurance. For those who wantto reduce or end this unsolicited and oftenunwanted mail, there is a link to “Pre-screened Credit Offers.” On this site isinformation on how these prescreenedoffers work, and how to stop them. For

those who want to stop these prescreenedoffers, the FTC says, “Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com for details.” Thatwebsite and phone number are operatedby the three major consumer creditreporting agencies, and they will ask forpersonal information, but promise that itwill be treated confidentially.

Hardly a day goes by where we do nothear on the news about some consumerproduct or food item being recalled for asafety or health reason. Occasionally wealso hear about massive automobilerecalls to correct some safety deficiency.There is an icon and link on this site to acentralized database on recalls which iscontinuously updated. This connects to asite recalls.gov, which is a joint ventureof several government agencies that areinvolved in consumer recalls. Categoriesof recalled products include consumerproducts, motor vehicles, boats, food,medicines, cosmetics, and environmentalproducts. What I find especially useful andinformative on this website is the list of“Recent Recalls.” There are six smallwindows on the recent recalls page thatlist the latest recalls from the ConsumerProduct Safety Commission, Food andDrug Administration (FDA), National High-way Traffic Safety Administration, Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA), Depart-ment of Agriculture (USDA), and theCoast Guard. Personally, I check this siteregularly, and sometimes find that I havea recalled product in my house.

Some of the other useful links on theConsumer.gov website are to specializedwebsites such as ready.gov and usa.gov.Ready.gov is a website sponsored by theDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS)that has resources about home andpersonal safety in a variety of threateningscenarios. Also included on this DHSwebsite is information for businesses con-tinuity, and child safety during disasters.USA.gov is the central clearing house forall federal agencies. It uses a simple menuhierarchy that eases the location of de-sired information. Topics are compre-hensive, and include such helpful itemsas government benefits and grants,

Online Consumer Help From The Federal GovernmentOnline Consumer Help From The Federal GovernmentOnline Consumer Help From The Federal GovernmentOnline Consumer Help From The Federal GovernmentOnline Consumer Help From The Federal Governmentby Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host, [email protected]

Continued On Page 9


money and taxes, consumer guides, andmany other topics. This site can be a goodstarting point for someone looking forsomething to do on the internet.

Military personnel and families may findthe link to “Military Sentinel” a very usefulresource. According to the website,www.consumer.gov/military, “MilitarySentinel is a project of the Federal TradeCommission and the Department ofDefense to identify and target consumerprotection issues that affect members ofthe United States Armed Forces and theirfamilies.” Included on this website is infor-mation on specific identity theft problemsfaced by military families, financial scamsagainst military personnel, and othermilitary specific information.

Other links on Consumer.gov are to the“Consumer Action Handbook,” www.consumeraction.gov, and information that thedisabled may find helpful at www.disabilityinfo.gov.

The website at Consumer.gov is a gold-mine of consumer information that is freefor the taking. I suggest that everyoneshould periodically visit this website andreview any informational resources thatmay be of personal interest and benefit.

This article has been provided toAPCUG by the author solely for publi-cation by APCUG member groups. Allother uses require the permission of theauthor (see e-mail address above).

ONLINE CONSUMER HELPContinued From Page 8

Obtained from APCUG with theauthor’s permission for publication byAPCUG member groups

The Bullet Points: The Saitek PhotoMouse is a desktop optical USB mousethat you can insert your own photos into.The photo area is illuminated. The mousefeatures 3 buttons and a scroll wheel.

What’s in the Box: Mouse, UserManual with photo cutting template.

The Review: A mouse review? Hey,don’t laugh – it’s a perfectly good mousethat, as it happens, you can customize

Saitek Optical Photo MouseSaitek Optical Photo MouseSaitek Optical Photo MouseSaitek Optical Photo MouseSaitek Optical Photo MouseMake YMake YMake YMake YMake Your Perour Perour Perour Perour Personal Computer More Personal Computer More Personal Computer More Personal Computer More Personal Computer More Personalsonalsonalsonalsonal

by Jan Fagerholm, Mouse Maven, Assistant Editor and VP Membership, www.pcc.org, [email protected]

is 4.5 ft. long and reaches my floor-bound tower machine easily. Its ovaloidshape arches my fingers sufficiently toprevent inadvertent mouse clicks, aproblem with mice that are too small ortoo flat. In other words, its functionmatches its form, so you will keep itafter the novelty wears off.

Just in time for the holidays, thePhoto Mouse makes a good stockingstuffer for the modern techno-intensefamily. Its fit and functionality takes itbeyond its novelty value: in the long runit’s a very usable mouse. Get one foryourself, then be generous: treat theother computer-using members of yourfamily. They may like it so much thatthey’ll put your picture inside. . .

to make it a personalized desktopaccessory. The photo part is the novelty,but first let’s see the mouse.

Saitek makes a full l ine of PCaccessories, including a wide selectionof pointing devices with different talents.The Saitek Photo Mouse is a perfectlygood medium-sized USB optical mousethat fits my hand well and performsbetter than most optical mice that I’veused. It tracks well on a variety ofsurfaces, which not all optical mice do.The ultimate test is to place it on amirror, and even here it tracks accur-ately. The only surface that it is flakyon is those artificial wood grain coatingscommon to student desks and con-ference tables, but, hey, every otheroptical mouse I have has the sameproblem. Put a piece of plain paper underthe mouse and it works fine.

Okay, the gimmick here is the abilityto place your own photograph inside theilluminated area where you may gazeupon it to your heart’s content. This partis strictly manual labor with an assistfrom the paper template for fitting thephoto. Being a deep dish computer geek,I find reverting to “cut and paste” usingpaper and scissors real, um, 20thCentury, y’know? The User Manualrefers to an EPS template that can bedownloaded from their Web site, but Icouldn’t locate it. Undaunted, I scannedthe paper template into Photoshop andmade a mask out of it. Opening thedesired photo, then pasting the templatemask into the photo made it possible toresize and orient the image for bestcropping in the mouse-shaped template.Beats the buttons off the User Manual’sadvice for the paper template that, “youmay have to try [printing the image] afew times before the subject appearsexactly where you want it.”

The Photo Mouse is as much adesigner item as a mouse, and ispleasingly crafted in modern silver andblack, with a blue LED in the scroll wheeland a white LED illuminating the photoarea. There are 5 teflon pads on theunderside which help it move smoothlyon less than perfect surfaces. The cord

This article has been provided toAPCUG by the author solely for publi-cation by APCUG member groups. Allother uses require the permission of theauthor (see e-mail address above).



Have you ever been completelydismayed by your computer? Does itseem to do unusual things that you can’ttrace back to any of your actions? Well,you are not alone. This happens to allcomputer users. In the computer world,unusual things sometimes happen. Hereis a list of some weird computer behaviorand how to combat it.ICONS DISAPPEAR

Right-click on any open area of thecomputer desktop, then chose “ArrangeIcons By.” If your icons have accidentlybecome hidden there will be no check-mark in front of Show Desktop Icons. Justclick that option and your icons willreappear.UNUSUAL WINDOWS APPEAR

Windows has a lot of keyboard short-cuts that can be accidently accessed. Forinstance, when I started this column, Iwanted to hit the Shift key and the letter“h” for the word Have. However, my fingerslipped and I hit the Ctrl key and the letter“h” instead. A window popped up askingwhat I wanted to Find and Replace, whichis not at all what I intended. If this everhappens you to you can usually just closethe pop up window, but occasionally youhave to look a little further into whathappened. For instance, when working inMicrosoft Word, it you accidently hitCtrl+N, a new window will appear makingit look like you just lost your entire docu-ment. If you look closely you will be ableto figure out that all you have to do isclose the new window and the documentyou were working on will reappear.

If you can’t figure out what happened

or you get caught in a loop, restartingyour computer will usually bring youback to normal.LOST TOOLBARS

As noted before, an errant key presscan cause a problem. This time the culpritis one of the F keys. Accidently pressingthe F11 key can make the toolbars dis-appear. This is often used as a featurewhen you want to show something in whatthey call “full screen mode”. If thishappens to you, just press F11 again tomake the toolbars return.THE TOOLBAR MOVES

Have you ever had the toolbar thatusually appears on the bottom of thescreen show up on the side or top of thescreen? There is an easy way to get itback where it belongs. Just place yourcursor right next to, but not on, the Startbutton. Then hold the mouse button downand drag the toolbar back where it belongs.DRAMATIC SLOWDOWN

A dramatic slowdown can mean thatyour hard disk is filling up. The computeruses the hard disk as sort of a scratchpad when it computes, so when yourhard drive starts to fill up, it can slowthe computer down significantly. Clickon My Computer and highlight the drivecalled Local Disk (C:). Look at theDetails area to see how much space isfree. You should have at least 10% ofyour hard drive free. If you don’t, a harddrive cleanup is in order. Delete unne-cessary programs and backup old filesand photos to an external drive or CDso you can delete them from the harddisk. You can use the Disk Cleanuputility to empty the recycle bin anddelete unnecessary temporary files. Toaccess it, click on Start, choose AllPrograms, then click on System Tools

where you will find Disk Cleanup listed.It will walk you through the cleanup.Once your hard disk has more freespace, you computer will perk upconsiderably. You might also considerdefragging your computer to speed itup. The Disk Defragmenter utility is inthe System Tools area. Remember thereare other things like viruses and spywarethat can also slow down your computer.NO SOUND

Sometimes the sound gets muted bymistake. Look at the taskbar at bottomof the screen. In the right hand side youwill see a small icon that looks like aspeaker. If it has a red X on it, the soundhas been muted. Click on the icon, thenclick to remove the checkmark in frontof the word Mute. If you don’t see thisicon, go to the Control Panel and chooseSounds or Sounds and Audio Deviceswhere you will find a place to uncheckthe Mute option. Many laptops and somedesktops also have a volume button onthe keyboard which you can use to muteand unmute the speaker.MOUSE SHUTTERS

If your mouse is hard to control oracting erratic, it may need a cleaning.An optical mouse with a flat bottom justneeds a cleaning with a damp cloth. Ifyour mouse has a roller ball on thebottom, remove the ball and clean therollers inside the mouse with a Q-tipsoaked with isopropyl alcohol.

Hope this gets you through some ofthose weird Windows moments in yourlife.

This article has been provided toAPCUG by the author solely forpublication by APCUG member groups.All other uses require the permission ofthe author (see e-mail address above).

WeirWeirWeirWeirWeird Windows Behaviord Windows Behaviord Windows Behaviord Windows Behaviord Windows Behaviorby Sandy Berger, compukiss.com, [email protected], www.compukiss.com

WEBCAMSContinued From Page 2

them to her daughter, on-screen. Eliza-beth said. “It was as if we were in thesame room.”

There are a growing number ofenthusiastic webcam owners who areusing the technology to make a betterconnection over great distances.Computers are more powerful and

webcams are more affordable (Logitechoffers webcams that range in price from$29 to $129). Faster Internet access hasdramatically improved the quality ofvideo, while the applications for webcamshave become easier to use. Some of thebest applications, including MSN Video

Conversation and Skype, are free.“Phone calls, instant messaging and e-mail are great for daily communication,but sometimes you just want to see the

face of that special friend or familymember when you are talking to them— especially during the holidays,” saidGina Clark, Logitech’s director of productmarketing for Internet communications.“It’s so easy to actually see and talk toloved ones using video calling. Oncepeople try it, they won’t go back to onlymaking phone calls.”

For more webcam and video callinginformation, visit www.logitech.com.


Name(s): _____________________________________________________Address: _____________________________________________________City:________________________________ State: _________ Zip: _______Home Phone: __________________ Business Phone: ______________ ___E-mail Address: ________________________________________ _____ __Date: __________

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Membership ApplicationIBMPC Users Group Of Redding

MotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboarMotherboard Newsletter Contributord Newsletter Contributord Newsletter Contributord Newsletter Contributord Newsletter Contributors…s…s…s…s…Our local contributors help tremendously to pay for the function-ing of our club. As club members please do what you can tosupport their businesses. Visit or call their businesses, be apatron if possible, and tell them you saw their business card inthe club’s newsletter.Also, if you have or know of a local business that would like toadvertise in the Motherboard, please give them the editor’s phonenumber for the details of becoming a Contributor.

MAIL TO: IBM/PC Users Group of Redding,P.O. Box 494778, Redding, CA 96049

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Breakfast - Lunch - DinnerWednesdays - All You Can Eat Spaghetti


IBM/PC Users Groupof ReddingP.O. Box 494778Redding, CA96049-4778

Bill Ball [email protected]

WindowsWindowsWindowsWindowsWindows&&&&&

MoreMoreMoreMoreMoreSIGSIGSIGSIGSIG

Wednesday — 11:30 AMJan 16, 23 30, Feb 6, 13

Wednesday — 2 PMJan 16, 23 30, Feb 6, 13See map below for meetingplace.

DTP andDTP andDTP andDTP andDTP andGraphics Art SIGGraphics Art SIGGraphics Art SIGGraphics Art SIGGraphics Art SIG

Judi Ball [email protected]

Do you have an interest in creating DeskTopPublishing projects, such as flyers, businesscards, logos, newsletters, etc., or art andphoto editing and manipulation? We have aninformal forum, so bring a question, problem,project and we’ll all work together to solve it. Basic Windows knowledge of copy andpaste is a must.

Why Join AWhy Join AWhy Join AWhy Join AWhy Join AComputer GroupComputer GroupComputer GroupComputer GroupComputer Group?????

1. Benefit from a common interest in a personal(and costly) investment: Your business orpersonal computer.

2. Enjoy more of that investment by learningmore about it.

3. Share tips and tricks, as well as new andold ideas.

4. Become exposed to a variety of newhardware and software without salespressure.

5. Receive an informative monthly newsletter.6. Have access to various club func-tions and

all Special Interest Groups (SIGs).7. Find out that no one needs to be alone and

helpless with today’s computer technology.

Saturday — 10 AM, Jan 26

At Jane Quinn’s Home, contactfollowing for information:

Includes Digital Cameras, BurningMusic CDs, and DVD Movie Making

Multi-MediaMulti-MediaMulti-MediaMulti-MediaMulti-MediaSIGSIGSIGSIGSIG

Jane Quinn, [email protected]

Weekly SIG 1 - 3 PMAnderson Sr CenterJan 18, 25 Feb 7, 14(Only members will be able to use theclub’s laptop to burn their DVD movies.)

4th Tuesday4th Tuesday4th Tuesday4th Tuesday4th Tuesday Monthly Meetings Are At Monthly Meetings Are At Monthly Meetings Are At Monthly Meetings Are At Monthly Meetings Are AtThe RThe RThe RThe RThe Redding Libraryedding Libraryedding Libraryedding Libraryedding Library

1100 Parkview Ave.,1100 Parkview Ave.,1100 Parkview Ave.,1100 Parkview Ave.,1100 Parkview Ave.,off Cypress and to the right of City Hall.off Cypress and to the right of City Hall.off Cypress and to the right of City Hall.off Cypress and to the right of City Hall.off Cypress and to the right of City Hall.

We will be in the Community RWe will be in the Community RWe will be in the Community RWe will be in the Community RWe will be in the Community Room, which is to the leftoom, which is to the leftoom, which is to the leftoom, which is to the leftoom, which is to the leftof the main library door.of the main library door.of the main library door.of the main library door.of the main library door.A variety of drinks are available at the Cafe just outsideA variety of drinks are available at the Cafe just outsideA variety of drinks are available at the Cafe just outsideA variety of drinks are available at the Cafe just outsideA variety of drinks are available at the Cafe just outsidethe meeting room on the left.the meeting room on the left.the meeting room on the left.the meeting room on the left.the meeting room on the left.

Documents

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Meetings Are On The 4th ...cugr.apcug.org/PDF/MB200801.pdfDoor Prizes are $30 Cash, 100 CD-R Spools, and 1 Lighted Tool kit with FM Radio Tuesday, January