. . . . Central Kentucky Computer Society Computer Clinic Special Interest Group . . . .

Computer Clinic - January

2012-01-03T10:30:00.001-05:00

Computer Clinic SIG will meet Jan 28^th at 10am

This meeting will be devoted to security on the Internet. We will cover new products that help with avoiding identify theft, use of secure passwords and use of public computers.

Consider the following issues:

First, how can you prove who you are to a distant website? How can you help a website avoid imposters that claim to be you?

Second, how can you make yourself use big, ugly secure passwords? It is well known that complex passwords should be safer but they are useless if you can't remember what they are.

Third, did you know it can be dangerous to use public computers (such as hotel “business centers”) for personal business? These can be infested with malware that records your userids and passwords as you browse the web.

We will cover new products that tackle these problems at the January Computer Clinic Special Interest
Group meeting.

Computer Clinic Group

2011-12-12T16:54:00.002-05:00

Our regularly scheduled meeting on Dec 24th will be cancelled. Our next meeting will be on the 4th Saturday in January.

November - No meeting

2011-10-31T15:45:00.001-04:00

There will be NO meeting in November - Happy Holidays.

Computer Census

2011-10-09T18:52:00.002-04:00

The topic for the Computer Clinic in October will be a review of most of the "kinds" of computers that you should have or at least know about.

We now have desktops, laptops, notebooks, netbooks, ipads, ipods, kindles, nooks, and a host of smart phones and other small gadgets. It is getting so overwhelming that you will soon need a computer to keep track of all your other computers.

At the meeting, Oct 22, 10AM till noon, we will itemize all these devices with some details about their functions, costs, benefits, etc.

We will probably have some time for a forecast of future directions. And, certainly, there will be time for questions.

Many of the models we will talk about would make cool Christmas gifts for the right person (including yourself).

Computer Clinic - Sep 24 meeting

2011-09-04T09:50:00.002-04:00

The September meeting will be a review of popular open source software applications. Most open source products originated under the Linux system but have been enabled to run on Windows or Macintosh systems.

August Computer Clinic

2011-08-21T20:28:00.002-04:00

The topic for the August meeting will be GnuCash - an open source, free software product that competes with Quicken and other financial software.

GnuCash runs on Windows, Mac and Linux and has a very complete tutorial guide to make it pretty easy to use. Of course, some standard bookkeeping knowledge is important, too.

The Clinic meeting will be Saturday, Aug 27 at 10AM.

PS. Also, I am looking for people who own iPads or other "Pad" devices (even Netbooks) that would like to help with a showdown presentation comparing as many of the models as we can find. This will be scheduled in the next few months as soon as we find participants. Email me at ckcsq (at) yahoo dot com.

July topic

2011-07-03T15:13:00.002-04:00

The topic for the July meeting on the 23rd will be Gmail (or Google Mail). There are some good points to using GMail and you may find that it would be better than the email service you are currently using.

We will discuss the various properties of GMail that make it somewhat unique among the email services out there. You may decide to switch or not.

Also, there will be some security issues to discuss.

2011-05-31T21:44:00.000-04:00

The Computer Clinic Special Interest Group will NOT meet in June.

Computer Clinic Group April meeting news

2011-04-03T20:06:00.002-04:00

The fourth Saturday of April will be the 23rd. The meeting will be from 10am till noon.

The topic will be How to Download Electronic Books from the Lexington Public Library. If you have a current library card you have access to electronic books from the library. But the process of using the website is not as straightforward or simple as it could be. At the meeting we will demonstrate searching and downloading both electronic print and spoken books.

You can read e-books on a Kindle or Nook device or on your computer screen. Reading books on a computer is a little uncomfortable but not too horrible - especially if the book is exciting.

Bring friends to see how to use this great resource.

2011-03-14T15:23:00.003-04:00

The next Computer Clinic meeting will be Saturday, March 26 at 10 am.

The topic will be a review of several impressive new websites appearing on some "best of the web" lists.

We will also take time to visit a few websites requested by the audience. So bring your favorite website and some friends who would like to join CKCS.

Get a Twitter account

2011-02-08T15:22:00.002-05:00

The Computer Clinic Special Interest Group will meet next on Saturday, February 26th at 10AM.

The topic will be Twitter - how to get an account, how to "follow" other Twitter accounts and, especially how to follow the new CKCS twitter account.

CKCS has setup a Twitter account with the goal of highlighting all the activities so nobody ever forgets to attend their favorite events.

Search, Search, Search

2011-01-12T09:13:00.002-05:00

The next Computer Clinic Special Interest Group meeting will be January 22 at 10am. The topic will be "Internet Search Sites other Than Google".

While Google has taken over a huge share of the search business it is not the only searcher on the Internet. There are several others and some of them have created interesting specialties.

There will also be time for questions and problem solving.

Computer Clinic December meeting

2010-12-05T19:20:00.002-05:00

The 4th Saturday of December falls on Christmas Day, so we will NOT meet in December.

Also, please enjoy the holidays and be ready for an amazing year of fun Clinic meetings.

Computer Clinic Group

2010-11-04T12:42:00.002-04:00

The 4th Saturday of November falls during the Thanksgiving weekend, so we will NOT meet in November.

Next topic: Barnes & Noble Nook electronic reader

2010-10-15T18:32:00.001-04:00

The Computer Clinic Special Interest Group next regular 4th Saturday meeting will be October 23rd.

The topic will be electronic book readers - devices used to help with reading books, thus eliminating the need to print books.

One model we will demo is the Nook reader from Barnes & Noble.

We are searching for members who will volunteer to demo an Amazon Kindle or other model.

The Nook has many features that make book reading very easy and comfortable.

Bring friends, computer problems and other ideas to discuss. We start at 10am and wrap up about noon.

2010-09-06T17:18:00.002-04:00

The Computer Clinic Special Interest Group will resume its regular 4th Saturday schedule on September 25.

We will discuss a class of software products called MindMappers which have several uses. There will be a demonstration of the free product called FreePlane.

MindMapping is used to collect information and keep it in an easy to use format that is quite different from a normal document. This idea and the software is usually pretty hard to understand until you see it. Then you will probably think of ways you can use it.

Bring friends, computer problems and other ideas to discuss. We start at 10am and wrap up about noon.

Summer vacation

2010-07-19T09:12:00.001-04:00

The Computer Clinic Special Interest Group will not meet in July or August. We will resume meetings with the fourth Saturday in September - the 25th.

Clinic June meeting on the 26th - Paint Shop Pro

2010-06-18T18:53:00.003-04:00

This month we are going to have an overview of Photo Shop Pro with Joe Dietz. We will demo a few capabilities of the software and show off a few very creative photos done by Joe and members of his classes.

Also we will explain the contents of our upcoming classes later in July.

May Topic: Buying a New Computer and more

2010-05-17T12:25:00.001-04:00

The next meeting is Saturday, May 22 at 10am.

Part of the meeting will be a discussion about buying a new computer. It has been just over six months since Windows 7 was released and by all accounts it is a big success. So this may be a good time to consider a new computer.

Another topic will be some forecasting about the future of computers and other electronics. Please bring some of your own forecasts to discuss with the group.

Are desktop computers doomed to extinction? Will netbooks, tablets and handheld computers take over the marketplace? What new invention is just around corner that we may just "have to have" within a year or so?

As Yogi Berra may have said, "Forecasting is tough, especially about the future."

April meeting news

2010-04-19T12:39:00.002-04:00

This month we will explore some of Google's lesser known tools in addition to some changes in the way searching works.

The meeting will be at 10am at the CKCS Resource Center in Lexington, KY, USA.

March meeting news

2010-03-12T17:05:00.002-05:00

This month we will demo the online file backup service named Mozy at mozy.com.

With this website and downloadable application you can backup as much as 2GB of data free. With pay accounts you can increase the GBs as far as you want.

This is a service I have been using for several years and it just keeps on working. I have had to restore files a few times and that is very easy.

For someone who is serious about an off-site backup Mozy is a good choice.

The meeting will be Saturday, March 27 at 10 AM. And there will probably be some time for other things, also.

Feb meeting cancelled

2010-02-18T09:47:00.001-05:00

The Feb 27th meeting of the Clinic SIG has been cancelled. We will resume in March.

Computer Clinic Group January Meeting

2010-01-20T13:24:00.002-05:00

Our meeting for January will be at 10AM on the 23rd. The topic will be Internet Online Shopping.
We will cover identity protection, shopping carts and anything else we can think of.

December meeting

2009-12-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

There will NOT be a meeting in December.

November

2009-11-08T13:30:00.002-05:00

There be NOT be a meeting in November.

October Meeting

2009-10-18T15:34:00.003-04:00

This month we will revisit Podcasting.

We will start by defining what a podcast is, then demonstrate how to find and play them.

As part of the meeting we will play parts of a few podcasts and demonstrate how subscriptions to podcasts work.

The meeting will start at 10AM, Saturday, October 24.

September meeting: Ning

2009-09-22T16:27:00.002-04:00

After studying Twitter and Facebook in a recent meeting, for September we will take a look at "Ning", another social network website.

Ning is different in that it is aimed at groups rather than individuals. So it is possible to create a Ning group just for CKCS members and restrict its use to those who are approved. On the CKCS Ning website, we can post photos, articles, audio/video files and more.

A Ning group for CKCS has been created and will be demonstrated at the next meeting on Sep 26th. All CKCS members will be invited to join.

August meeting - Some Security Tips and Tricks

2009-08-17T19:06:00.002-04:00

The August meeting will be Saturday, Aug 22 at 10AM.

We will discuss a method to create safe passwords that you can recreate when needed without having them written down.

Another issue we will cover is something relatively new called Flash Cookies. What are they? How good or bad are they? And do you want them or should you get rid of them?

There will probably be plenty more. Bring questions and problems.

July meeting

2009-07-11T15:03:00.002-04:00

The next meeting will be July 25. The topic will be MP3 Players and Windows Media Player software.

We will review the current version of Windows Media Player and how it can be used to interface to a MP3 player. It can transfer music and other sound files from CDs or DVDs or the Internet to a player and keep track of all the items in its data base.

Also, there will be a MP3 player auctioned to the audience right after the demonstration.

The meeting will start at 10AM. It is open to CKCS members and guests.

June meeting

2009-06-21T08:52:00.001-04:00

The next meeting is June 27th at 10AM. The topic will be Twitter and Facebook plus more about social networking on the Internet.

No meeting in May

2009-05-12T22:24:00.000-04:00

No meeting on May 23 - it is the holiday weekend. Come back on June 27.

April meeting - Tips On Buying A New Computer

2009-04-22T14:21:00.002-04:00

At the April 25 meeting we will survey some of the important variables to think about when buying a new computer. We will cover desktops, laptops and the new sensation "netbooks".

If you are thinking about a new computer bring your questions.

If your old computer is showing its age, it may be cheaper to buy a new one rather than invest more into an older one.

Don't forget - Saturday, April 25, 10:00AM.

March Meeting to demo Google Earth

2009-03-17T14:50:00.002-04:00

Our next meeting will be a demonstration of Google Earth.

The meeting will be March 28th at 10AM.

First, we will review the minimum requirements your computer must meet, then how to download and install Google Earth.

Once installed, the fun begins. You can view satellite photos of cities, countryside, even the ocean floor all around the world.

You can plan a vacation experience in such detail, you don't even have to go. Save your money and view the traffic jams from the convenience of your computer room.

February meeting to demo Picasa

2009-02-18T13:11:00.002-05:00

Google has recently released version 3 of Picasa, the photo management application. We will demo some of its features at the Feb. 28th meeting.

The meeting starts at 10AM and lasts about 2 hours.

January meeting agenda

2009-01-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

Hello group:

The topic for January is Internet Entertainment. We will search the Internet for music, movies, TV shows, radio broadcasts and anything else that may be construed as entertainment. After many years of being rather dry - the Internet is becoming a major source of entertainment.

Radio stations have been adding their broadcasts to the Internet for quite a while and that includes many new "radio" broadcasts that are Internet only.

The television industry has recently joined the party. Since YouTube provided a place for millions of amateur TV programmers, the commercial television industry has finally smelled the coffee. If there are any old programs you would like to watch, you can probably find them somewhere on the Internet for free. New programs are there, too.

While music has long been available on the Internet, the lawsuits by the industry have kept everything in turmoil and scared off much of the public. It now seems that a flicker of common sense has crept in and and music on the Internet is increasing. The smoke may be clearing soon.

Now the movie industry is also seeing the light and making movies available on the 'net. There are not many yet but they seem to be coming. It may take a while but many more movies are showing up. This is especially true of independent, non-conventional movies.

With the explosion of all these forms of entertainment, not all is top quality or even in good taste. But, with so many sources to choose from there should be something for everybody. Things are still quite messy, we need a Google-type company to collect all the pieces and make them easy to find and cross-reference.

The meeting will be Saturday, January 24, at 10AM until noon. Put it on your calendar now. If you have an old favorite musical composition, old radio or TV program, or movie write down the title - we will take some time to search for them during the meeting.

No meeting during holidays

2008-11-29T13:27:00.001-05:00

There will not be a Computer Clinic SIG meeting in December. Happy Holidays!

Come back on January 24 for our next meeting. The topic will be announced later - check this blog and the CKCS calendar.

2008-11-02T09:42:00.001-05:00

November meeting on the 22nd

2008-11-02T09:18:00.002-05:00

The next Clinic group meeting will be Saturday, November 22 at 10:00 AM.

Did you ever want to build your own web page? Or at least learn how to do it? Or, maybe, just watch while someone else does it? It does take a little bit of work.

At this month's meeting we will tackle the process of building an entry level web page. Anybody can do it and probably for free.

Most Internet Service Providers offer personal web page space free of charge for their customers. Their Terms of Service restrict the size and amount of data downloads, but they are excellent for beginners who want to learn how to create web pages.

We will demonstrate how to create a personal web page and how Internet browsers get your page to view on their computer.

Plus there is always time for problem solving and other questions.

No meeting in October

2008-10-16T20:39:00.001-04:00

There will not be a SIG meeting on October 25. Come back in November.

Computer Security - Topic for September

2008-09-11T15:41:00.003-04:00

The Computer Clinic meeting date for September is the 27th and the topic will be Computer Security. We start at 10 AM and finish around noon.

The meeting will review some recent developments in computer security issues and we will demonstrate some encryption software. There will also be a few other items including plenty of time for Q&A and problem solving.

No meeting in August

2008-08-02T14:14:00.001-04:00

The group will not meet in August. Next meeting will be the 4th Saturday in September.

July meeting will explore Zoho

2008-07-15T16:55:00.003-04:00

The July 26 meeting topic will be Zoho - a web based collection of office applications. There are about 20 different applications including word processing, spreadsheets and more.

Zoho is located at www.zoho.com. Anyone who wants to use zoho must create an account or can use a Google or Yahoo account.

Most of the applications are free for home users, some of the business applications have a charge but have free trials.

June meeting to study Vista vs XP

2008-06-24T16:48:00.002-04:00

The topic for the June 28 meeting will be a comparison of Windows Vista and Windows XP. We will review the most significant differences and search for the reasons why Vista has such a bad reputation. Is it possible that Vista is not really all that bad?

Also, we will have a schedule of Microsoft's support for various Windows releases and a few rumors about the next version of Windows coming someday.

Bring all your questions, opinions, problems and complaints. We will try to answer anything once. The meeting is Saturday, June 28, 10AM at the CKCS Resource Center at 160 Moore Drive, Lexington, KY.

Next meeting - May 24th

2008-05-17T14:15:00.002-04:00

Free software! Would you use free software if it came recommended by PC Magazine?

At the May meeting we will review and demo a few handy software products for Windows that were highlighted in the March 2008 issue of PC Magazine.

April meeting coming up on the 26th

2008-04-14T10:52:00.002-04:00

Don't forget the April meeting will be on the 26th at 10AM. The topic will be Google SketchUp and Gliffy. These are two web sites that can be used to make drawings. The drawings can range from very simple to pretty complex. Come and see how they work.

Also, there will some time for questions and answers. And whatever else might come up.

Demo of blog post at meeting

2008-03-22T10:21:00.001-04:00

This is the body of the post. We are posting this about 10:20 AM on Saturday, March 22.

See Freemind demo at March 22 meeting

2008-03-14T10:55:00.003-04:00

The main topic for the March Computer Clinic meeting will be "Freemind." This is an ideal product or tool for those people who have many activities and responsibilites and tend to forget something important now and then.

This handy, free software product is useful for managing projects, events and other activities. It allows a planner to record all the steps and tasks that will be needed and to put them in proper order. Freemind also provides attractive displays and printouts of its data.

Freemind is a little difficult to describe but once you see what it does, you will understand why it becomes a useful tool for those who have trouble "keeping it all together."

New Look

2008-03-06T14:24:00.003-05:00

I am still experimenting with the various templates and colors trying to find something that looks dignified enough for a group as important and distinguished as ours.

Quick note about the previous post

2008-02-24T19:09:00.002-05:00

The cut and paste of the text in the blog below did not work on the first few tries. When I pasted the text into the post window some HTML code was added automatically which was not wanted and caused the post to crash.

I don't know why this happened but after a few tries I found I could delete it and click on Publish Post again and it came out perfect.

This post was done the online way by typing directly into the post window as demonstrated at the meeting.

Offline blog post preparation

2008-02-24T18:57:00.001-05:00

This blog post was created using a text editor offline. The file was then entered in the blog window via cut and paste.

This will be a test of how it works.

But if you want to download more professional blog software look at WordPress or MovableType. Their software is a full blog design and management product that not only allows you to work offline but also to create a blog that is hosted on your website rather than theirs. Many corporations and professional organizations do it this way. For individuals using a hosted blog system like blogspot is easier and is free until your popularity grows.

Another product that is helpful for offline blog preparation is Windows Live Writer. I downloaded this and tried to run it on my Linux machine which runs some Windows software but it did not work. I have not had time to try it a Windows machine.

At February meeting - test add image

2008-02-23T10:25:00.002-05:00

This is a sentence to be entered just before an image.

February meeting

2008-02-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

This blog has been created to publicize the meeting which will be about how to create a blog. See you at 10:00AM on Saturday, Feb 23.

January news

2008-01-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

See if a link from the SIG calendar to here can work. Test 1 - try to link from ckcs.org to here. Test 2 - try to copy html from here to ckcs.org.

January setup.

2008-01-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

January meeting to cover blog searches. Learn how to find a blog for you.

This is a new post

2007-09-29T16:31:00.001-04:00

rewrite and repost

September Agenda

2007-09-15T18:01:00.000-04:00

Announcing:
The September topic will be video players and editors. Learn to play video files from DVD or online .

Then we will try to edit video using several free software products.

Test Post

2007-09-15T17:58:00.000-04:00

This is a test post.