First Year

 I am aware that our web site has been stagnant for the last six months.  I have now completed our JargonBuster! I thought too that I might briefly summerise, on the site, the first year of our life. You will find the link on the home page. I would like to follow this up in future with a periodic summary of our activities.

I have been very pleased with the way our meetings have been going, but we can always do better. All suggestions are welcomed, and an anniversary is a good time for a reappraisal of our activities. So, on Friday bring along any fresh ideas you might have.

Ken

Beware the Grandies

When Jean wrote about the update to the Copyright Act I suspect most folks yawned and said "nothing to do with me".
Unfortunately, the way the act works, if your internet connection is used for illegal downloads, you get the blame. "The sins of the children are visited on the parents". If you receive three infringement notices you may be liable for a fine of up to $15,000 and/or six months loss if internet connection.
All is not lost, you have a friend out there. Have a look at the website 3strikes.net.nz and you will find out more about the act as well as some sound advice about what to do if you receive one of the dreaded infrigement notices.
Better still, have a stern talk to those grandkids of yours.
Ken

A Winter Hello

Hi From Queensland,
Just a hello from the winter sunshine. I used the smartphone to take the picture, crop and resize it, and then to upload the blog!
See you soon,
Ken

Update to copyright ACT- Copyright Act 1994 No 143 (as at 01 September 2011), Public Act

Please find attached a brief explanation about the use of section 22 of the above Act (updated 1 September 2011)

ATTRIBUTION-NO DERIVATIVE WORKS (BY-ND)
You are free:
• to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
under the following conditions:
• Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author
or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of
the work).
• No Derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
• For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this
work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
• Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
holder.
• Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights.

Jean O'Boyle

Friday Meeting 2nd September 2011

Hi Everyone. This week we will be talking about getting connected to our
Blog so we can interact more online.

This will involve getting a Google email account, which is free and does
not take over from your existing email setup.
We can also discuss filtering out unwanted emails and using the
automatic addressing tool that should be operational in your email client.
Managing Skype and contact lists. Ian could give us an update on the way
to get Skype to recognise everyone in your address book.
A short discussion on the film that is showing this week on Sky. "The
Social Network".
Bernie may enlighten us on why Outlook Express is not included in
Windows Seven and what the alternatives are.
Something for everyone. Come along and join in the group. See you Friday
at 9 a.m.

Cheers

Colin

Meeting for Friday the 24th June

Hi Everyone,

Ken's on a plane, Colin is one bike rack less and $21 richer due to our TradeMe excursion and this will be the last meeting for me until September. I'd like to thank you all for your efforts over the last few months and for your solid support to get our Club off the ground and running. Without the members support and interest we would not have got the Operators support. We thank Sandy and Terry for supplying the equipment that allows everyone in our Village to have access to the World Wide Web.
Being part of a group like Ocean Shores Computer Club also carries a few responsibilities and this week we will have a hands on for all club members to work the stations so that we can be of help to others who may need a hand to get online for the first time. For all its frustrations, hiccups and downright cussedness, the computer is here to stay and it is our link to the world and all our children and friends that are in it. Let's learn what we need to, to make our computer life a more fulfilling experience and then let's help someone else learn it too.

Cheers

Colin

Meeting for Friday 17th June

Thank you everyone for your participation in last weeks meeting. We are working toward having all the computers installed this week and the TV working again. We will also have a third computer installed in the Library. This will be the last meeting that Ken can attend and next week will be the last meeting that I will be there. We will be back in September. Over the next two weeks we should spend some time working with the set up that we have so most of the group will be able to assist any new comers to the village with how things work. See you Friday.

Colin

Secure Website posted by Joyce Murphy

What is the difference between http:// and https:// ?

The main difference between http:// and https:// is, it's all about keeping you secure. HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure". If you visit a Website or webpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://

This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular 'unsecure' language. In other words, it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the Website. If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.

This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an Http website ! But, if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a Secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.

If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://. If it doesn't, you should NEVER enter sensitive information such as a credit card number..

Random Thoughts - Office on a Stick

Many of us regularly leave our home to travel, leaving behind our computer and with it the records, programs and information it contains. It doesn't have to be that way.
If you put 'Portable Apps' on your memory stick, you can carry all your programs and your info with you. This free Suite comes with over a dozen programs, including the Firefox browser, better than Internet Explorer in the opinion of many. As well there is the full Open Office Suite which will read all Microsoft Office documents. Throw in some games and sundry other utilities and that is most of what you might ever need.
You also get a little extra protection from potential nasties  on the host computer. Open a gmail account to house your address book and it is almost like being at home

Gone Phishin'

Just a Reminder
The scammers are still working the phones as evidenced by Les Carolls report last week. Remember if any one calls and says they are from Microsoft, or indeed any one at all that asks you to go to your computer and access it.    

DON'T DO IT.

Templates for Microsoft

This is the website that gives you access to the Templates we were using in last Fridays meeting.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010152732.aspx
On that page you will find on the left hand side if you scroll down a link ( My Programs ) that will allow you to see separate templates for the program that you use, be it Excel, Word or  Power Point etc. Select the programs that you use, they will then move to the left and then at the bottom of the page click save. Once that is done any of the templates that you then inspect will be for your programs and won't include any of the others.

One Picture = One Thousand Words

OSCC

While it is true that everything you would ever want to know is now available, it isn't always easy to find! Now, on the Club computer you will find a folder on the Desktop which you can identify by the Club Logo, view it to the left. Inside the folder is a shortcut to those folders and files specific to the club, each bearing the same logo. At present there are 3 folders although more may be added. They are;

• Downloads; Contains files to featured programs which you might wish to put on your memory stick to install on your own computer.
• JargonBuster; Files for you to work on.
• Cash Book; A link to our club finances.

 Ken

A Bit About A Blog

There's a bit of a buzz about a Blog these days at the club!

Fair enough, it is a new concept for all of us including me so let's keep it simple.

There are a few of ways of keeping up with what's new.

1. Make http://oceanscompnz.blogspot.com/ one of your favourites and check it out regularly. Better still, make it one of your home pages, (ask how at the meeting).
2. Open a GMail account, set up your igoogle page and the blog will come to you.
3. Complete the 'Follow by Email' box, top right.You will receive an email seeking your confirmation and after that you will be notified daily of any new blogs.

Being a registered GMail user gives you special rights, number 2 above being one of them. The second right is the ability to 'Comment' on the blog, i.e. Ask additional questions, suggest further topics etc.

That way, the blog will become a regular forum for the club.

I'm sure you will have lots of questions to ask about all these matters on Friday.

Sorry, Colin - you will have to give the answers as I will be otherwise engaged this week.

Ken

Random Thoughts - Good Intentions

Over the years I have received many emails, often from friends, warning me of some new computer risk. Sometimes they come with a complete set of instructions as to how to remove a file (probably harmless or even essential) from your computer, often they warn against opening an email with a specific subject, e.g. Osama bin Laden. Almost always you are asked to warn everyone in your email address book of the danger.

My only advice is to ignore such emails, delete them.

That isn't to say that risks don't exist out there, but you should use normal, basic precautions to protect yourself.

• Have an up-to-date Anti-Virus program on your computer.
• Don't open emails from unknowns, just delete or mark them as 'spam'.
• Use your common sense - if it seems too good to be true IT IS!

Above all don't spread the word to your friends.

Ken

Weekly Review

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to all that sent in their broadband speeds. We have compiled a list of Internet Service Providers and their published connection plans and what bang you should be getting for your buck.

Ken has introduced us to the world of blogging by setting up a Ocean Shores Computer Blog and we will explore that in this session.

Microsoft has purchased Skype for 8.5 Billion US. We'll talk a little about how apps. can grow from an idea and no revenue to be worth billions. Please bring to the meeting any contacts that you would like to have on Skype. We need either their email address or their Skype name.

We can also discuss the closing down of analogue television and what that means to us.

From the discussion last week about special interest groups Ken has put together a class for Photo Editing.

Below I have listed the Club presence on the web.

Ocean Shores Computer Club Web Site

https://sites.google.com/site/oceanscompnz/

Ocean Shores Computer Club email

oceanscompnz@gmail.com

Ocean Shores Computer Club Blog

http://oceanscompnz.blogspot.com/

See you Friday at 9 a.m. and bring your requests for the format of next weeks meeting. Thank you.

Cheers

Colin

First Thoughts

This is the initial post in our Computer Club Blog (short for Weblog).

It will be used to expand on topics mentioned in our Friday meetings and maybe random thoughts that arise from time to time.

Ken