Diablo Blue

The Newsletter of the Diablo Valley PC Users Group

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February 5, 2009 MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Alan's CSS Report
Presenter: Alan Mildwurm, DVPC

It's that time of year again: Alan's Annual CES Report. Every year, at great personal inconvenience (not to mention expense), Alan abandons his family to travel to Las Vegas and the CES show. He does this because he's always looking for freebies from the consumer electronics vendors who populate the booths in a number of venues at the show. In Alan's case, "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas" does not apply. He brings back all of the goodies he was able to abscond with so he can show them at our February DVPC meetings. At this month's meeting Alan will amaze us with the newest gadgets and tales of his Las Vegas adventures. So, be sure to come to the DVPC meeting at 7:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of this month.

This meeting will be fun, interesting, and informative. Alan might even have something neat for our raffle. We'll see you on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at Diablo Valley College.

NOTE: Diablo Valley College has parking permit dispensers that take dollar bills as well as nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar coins, and will at some time in the future take credit cards. Note that these parking permit dispensers do not make change.

Where and When We Meet

DVPC monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Diablo Valley College In Pleasant Hill, California, on the Main Campus located at 321 Golf Club Road. We meet in room H109 in the Humanities Building. See the campus map on the About DVPC page for driving directions, parking information, and how to get to room H109. Remember: there's a $2.00 parking fee, payable at the ticket machines in each lot. These ticket machines take dollar bills and quarters, but do not give change so be sure to bring correct bills and/or quarters to buy your parking ticket. Place the ticket face up on the driver's side of your dashboard.

We have a Networking Table from 6:30 to 7:00; if you have something to sell or trade, need technical help, or just want to exchange views, visit the Networking Table. The regular monthly meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. with Random Access where you can ask questions or report on technical problems, followed by a presentation by our guest speaker. Also, as usual, we'll have SIG news and some of our usual great door prizes.

Driving Directions:
680 Northbound:
Exit at Willow Pass Road
At the end of the exit ramp turn left onto Willow Pass Road
Continue on Willow Pass Road to the second signal and
turn right onto Contra Costa Blvd.

680 Southbound:
Exit at Concord Ave.
At the end of the exit ramp turn left on Contra Costa Blvd.

Direction into the Campus:
Continue on Contra Costa Blvd. to the signal at Golf Club Road and turn into Golf Club Road. At the second entrance into the campus turn left then immediately right to parking lot 7. Turn left into lot 7. Park (but don't use parking spaces that are reserved for faculty and staff only), then purchase a parking permit (see Parking Fees below) and put it on your dashboard. Click on this link (www.dvpc.org/about.html) to see:
> a detailed DVC map showing parking and our meeting room
> a map for driving to DVC
> an aerial view of the DVC campus

Parking fees:
On the Pleasant Hill campus parking permits are $2.00 per day. You can purchase permits at the parking permit machines marked with a red star on the maps on the DVPC website. Parking permit machines take nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar coins. Note that these parking permit dispensers do not make change. DVC parking permits are required Monday through Friday at all times that classes are in session. That includes the times that DVPC meetings are held! Do not park in metered or faculty/staff spaces.

You need to purchase a parking permit and place it face up on your dashboard so it is clearly visible through the windshield. If you attend classes at DVC and have a campus parking permit, you can use it when you attend DVPC meetings.

Some members park (for free) in the College Park High School lot across Viking Drive from the DVC campus. Do so at your own risk!

Parking violations:
Be sure to purchase a parking permit! Fines range from $35 for parking in a regular space without a permit, to over $275 for illegally parking in a space reserved for the handicapped.

Parking alternatives:
Some members carpool and share the parking fee; they park at Sun Valley Mall, have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the mall, then take one car to the meeting. Some members park in the lots in front of College Park High School, which is across Viking Drive from DVC. Remember: if you decide to use any of these parking alternatives, you do so at your own risk!

Diablo Blue Password Access
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

You will need the monthly password to access the current issue of the newsletter. If you are a paid-up member of DVPC you'll receive an email message, usually on the Weekend prior to the meeting, with the password.

As each month's issue is uploaded, it's placed in a password protected folder on dvpc.org. When you click on the link to go to the newsletter, a dialog box will be displayed asking for the password from the email message. The password is case-sensitive; either copy it from the email message or make sure you type it correctly.

As we add the current month's newsletter, the password on the prior month's newsletter will be removed so anyone coming to the DVPC website can access older issues of Diablo Blue.

If you have any problems accessing a password protected newsletter, please email webbie@dvpc.org.

Watch for Updates!
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

With our new method of producing and publishing the monthly Diablo Blue newsletter, we can easily add updates to each month's issue. If an article is updated,the word Updated will be added in red

When we add a new article "mid-month" the entire entry will be shown in red in the Table of Contents.

President's Message
by Alan Mildwurm, DVPC

          Happy New Year! Wow — old news already. Hopefully you remembered that we cancelled the January meeting. We have asked the college to provide the security videos to see if anyone did show up. There is a rumor... (apparently the shadow looked like Walt).

          Shortly after the 1st I attended CES. This was a very different show. They always are, but this one particularly so. Normally, APCUG, our umbrella user group organization, holds it general meeting just preceding CES (and long ago Comdex) with its own several day program of speakers, round tables and demonstrations.  This being my 15th year attending, I have gotten to know several officers from other clubs and enjoyed the opportunity to talk “computer club” with them. We share similar issues and problems — and often there would be some good ideas that spring from these meetings.

          APCUG realized that they were losing money (and I don’t mean a little) and decided that instead of holding the annual meeting in Vegas preceding CES they would hold regional meetings around the country (and world) to give more people the opportunity to attend and save itself money. So this was a very different CES with the absence of APCUG. Happy to say, I still ran into several friends from other clubs who, like me, came anyway.

          I have read that attendance was down 22%. I believe that. The show space also seemed smaller. (I was told 3 football fields less than last year). Still more ground to cover than can be done in four days. There is no doubt in my mind that there were fewer participants and attendees. This year, I stayed at the Sahara. The only good thing I can say about it is that it has its own monorail station. I didn’t eat there because the restaurants looked tired and unappealing. With Press credentials, I got my breakfast and lunch covered at the show, so that was not an issue. (My point is, if going to Vegas, stay at a nicer place!)

          The Show had a distinctly subdued feeling. We like to categorize things- if I was going to sum up CES 2009 in one word, it would be: ‘green’. In previous years, I know I have used descriptors like: ‘multimedia’ (way back!), ‘networking’, ‘hi-def’, and ‘convergence’.  This year was all about saving the environment: using less power, alternative power sources, recycling, etc. One press announcement was printed on recycled paper with wild flower seeds embedded in it so that you can plant the card after the show! Don’t get me wrong — there was still ultra-hi-def; new cameras, new cell phones and lots of other things to get excited about. And of course, Windows 7 which looks very, very good.  On the other hand, many companies that traditionally exhibited at CES were not there,

          All in all, a very different experience. Will I go to CES 2010? Probably — I won’t stay at the Sahara (even with its monorail stop). There is already talk that CES 2010 will be significantly smaller. CES didn’t have the death pall that Comdex had in its last year, but it sure wasn’t like years ago. Understandable in this economy.

          Obviously companies were less generous in their evaluation copies but I still managed to bring some new stuff home. Gone are the days when I could fill 2 empty suitcases with stuff! I’ll bring some of that stuff to the February meeting and show you what’s new.

          See you at the February meeting!

DVPC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
by Tom Krauss, DVPC

The first Board meeting after the frenetic holidays was a quiet one. Business covered consisted primarily of filling in the speaking schedule for the next few months, and that was done pretty quickly and painlessly. There were the usual digressions and discussion, but no one got wildly excited, voices were not raised and pretty much only one conversation at a time took place.

So now we know who the agitators and trouble makers on the Board are: Barry Brown, Richard Curry and Jim Lundgren. These three were absent, and it seemed for the better. The real surprise was that Charlie was present. I would have bet money that he was a major disruptive force, but this meeting seemed to disprove that.

Actually, I’m just kidding about Barry, Dick and Jim being disruptive forces at our meeting. I think we all know that the blame for disjointed and fractious meetings goes to that source of everything else that is wrong in the world, Global Warming. I’m finding it harder and harder to comprehend how we survived just a few short years ago without Global Warming to blame for all the ills of the world and problems in our life. Now when you get a flat tire or your kid needs orthodontia or your toilet won’t stop running or your dog pees on the carpet or your bank charges you $30 for a payment that’s one day late and then goes deep into your other pocket for bailout money or your brother-in-law needs to stay with you for six months…it’s due to Global Warming.

With all the terrible things going on because of Global Warming, it’s certainly reassuring that by merely turning the thermostat down a degree or two I can make a difference in the world.

I’ll bet all those people back in the ‘70’s who had us scared of Global Cooling sure feel pretty dumb now for getting it wrong! And I know the politicians, bankers and CEOs who didn’t understand their businesses, bankrupted their companies and are now frantically laying people off in order to save their own jobs, why, they sure are happy for Global Warming taking the heat off of them. (That’s sort of a play on words: “Global Warming taking the heat off them…”  Get it?)

Anyway, you have to admire the people who can come up with one number for the temperature of the earth for one year (“Remember 1995? 67.4 degrees Fahrenheit”). I can check the temperature every day for three months and not be able to tell if we are in a hot spell, cold spell or just within the normal fluctuations from day to day. But these geniuses can. They can spot an ice age coming from centuries away. And especially the revenue opportunities that follow. The way some of them talk and act is reminiscent of Joseph McCarthy.

Links to Interesting Online Articles
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

Here are links to some interesting articles I've found online. Check them out!

Art Bonwell, DVPC — Hudson River providing a safe landing
I received this from a friend of mine and thought you would like to see it. It is a PowerPoint presentation which will automatically change slides every 15 seconds, or you click on the navigation buttons to advance the pictures or go back. I have no idea where my friend got this. Just absolutely amazing. We've tested the slideshow and it works in Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8; FireFox; Opera; Chrome; and Safari. (This is a large file, so if you have a slow connection you might not want to click the slideshow link)...
View this slideshow

YouTube — Run USB Through Phone Lines
If you need to connect a USB device to your computer and they are separated by a large distance, you've probably found that long USB extension cables are expensive. Here's a way to make your own connection using an inexpensive 4-wire phone cord and a short USB extension cable...
Read more

InfoWorld Online — Hold those robo calls
The founder of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry offers tips on how to stop those unwanted automated robo calls, including how to remove your phone number from Google...
Read more

CNET news — Steve Jobs taking medical leave of absence
Jobs will step down as Apple CEO while he recuperates from a medical condition disclosed earlier this month; COO Tim Cook will stand in...
Read more

Ask Bob Rankin — USB Turntables
It seems the death of vinyl has been greatly exaggerated. There are lots of USB turntables available now, and they are perfect for the task of playing those classic vinyl records via your computer...
Read more

Trend Micro — RUBotted (beta)
Malicious software called Bots can secretly take control of computers and make them participate in networks called “Botnets.” RUBotted monitors your computer for suspicious activities and regularly checks with an online service to identify behavior associated with Bots. Upon discovering a potential infection, RUBotted prompts you to scan and clean your computer...
Read more

CIO Magazine — Lessons Learned from People Who've Quit Google
For some former Google employees, the company's reputation as a high-tech Shangri La didn't live up to the reality of what it was like for them to work there. Those alumni's experiences joining the company illustrate important lessons...
Read more

ComputerWorld — Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1
Release Candidate 1 of Microsoft's IE8 offers faster performance, better searches, more security and enough stability to be truly useful...
Read more
Download IE8 RC1 here

Electronic Frontier Foundation — HP Color LaserJet Uses Tracking Codes
The magazine Government Computer News called out the HP Color LaserJet CM3530 printer's use of tracking codes...
Read more

Identity Theft
by Patti Emmerling

It's important that we all protect ourselves from identity theft. In this article by Patti Emmerling you'll find a list of tips to protect your identity. Thanks to Walt Parsons for obtaining approval for us to publish this article.

---

Shred everything. Use a cross-cut shredder. They cost roughly $40.00 at Target, Wal-Mart or other stores. IMO, $40.00 is well spent versus the cost of trying to get your identity and credit cleared.

Peel labels off of magazines and check inside the magazine or catalog — shred the labels and the order page from the catalog (it usually has all your information on it).

Anything with your name and address on it — shred it.

Packages which are delivered from UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, etc — pull off ALL the labels and shred them, including the bar code labels.

When making purchases in stores, gas station, etc. — do not leave your card with anyone. Many times the cashier will ask you to leave your card inside while you pump the gas. Leave and go somewhere else! If they can’t charge a certain amount and give me back my card, I shop elsewhere. In addition, I always use the credit card option, never a debit card option. This way I am not entering my PIN into their machines. When using a debit card, you should ALWAYS tell them this is a credit transaction. If they tell you they don’t do the credit option, shop somewhere else!

Purchases online — always use a credit card, never a debit card. If there is a dispute, the credit card companies will usually credit the amount back to your account immediately while waiting for the dispute to be resolved. If you are using a debit card, the banks on the other hand, will NOT credit your account until the issue is resolved (and they take their time doing so).

If you are moving, all the moving boxes you so nicely wrote on describing the contents and your name — make sure you get a black permanent marker and scribble out all the writing before disposing of the boxes. In addition, if you purchase items such as TVs, cameras, computers, etc., do not throw the box away in your trash receptacle — take it to the dump yourself. Not only are crooks out there dumpster diving for your personal information, they are also checking to see what you may have in your home. This was some very good advice provided to us by our local police department and our alarm company.

Stay alert! Too many times we just go in somewhere, hand over a credit or debit card and we don’t even watch what the clerk is doing. Heck, most people don’t even look at the receipt before they sign it — I witness this every time I’m out shopping. So again, stay alert!

Advanced System Care Free V3 — Software Review
by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director and Columnist for The Examiner, Beaumont TX

WEBSITES:
www.iobit.com
www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

One of the most frequently asked questions on my weekly radio show (KLVI 560AM in Beaumont, TX, Mondays, 6-7pm) has to do with improving the performance of a sluggish computer. One of the utilities I most recommended was the free version of IObit’s Advanced Windows Care – Personal Edition, version 2. Recently IObit released an upgraded and updated utility renamed Advanced System Care Free V3, which IObit claims has over 10,000 improvements and updates. Being a fan of system improvement utilities, I had to download and install this new version, replacing the older version 2 that I have been happily using for about the past 18 months.

Going to the IObit website at www.iobit.com, and downloading the new software was an easy experience, as I was given the choice of multiple download sites. I selected one of the Texas mirrors of MajorGeeks, a major download service, where the download counter of this new version indicates that over 1.5 million copies of this new version 3 have been downloaded from MajorGeeks alone. The download was about 7.6 megs in size, and downloaded remarkable fast for a download that size, to the credit of the bandwidth available at the Texas MajorGeeks website. Once downloaded, I clicked on the file to install it, and it recognized my older version 2, which it replaced. I was given the choice of language, and “skin” (background color scheme), and selected the white (really a soft light blue) as the easiest to read.

Once the install was complete, I chose to run the program. I was displayed a clean fresh graphical interface that on the left of the window gave the choices “Maintain Windows”, “Diagnose System”, “Utilities”, and “Home”. Whichever icon is selected opens the right half of the window. For my first test of the software, I chose to Maintain Windows. I was offered a check-box selection of “Spyware Removal”, “Registry Fix”, “Privacy Sweep”, and “Junk Files Clean”. I selected all of them and clicked on “Scan”. In just a few minutes, Advanced System Care Free V3 detected 20 items it labeled as spyware (all were tracking cookies), 66 correctable errors in my registry, 29 privacy issues, and 394 megs of junk files that could be deleted. I prefer to not blindly follow what is found, so I clicked on each of the findings to review what was found. After some minor tweaking, I decided to accept what was found, and clicked on the “Repair” icon. In just seconds, all of the corrections and deletions were carried out.

Selecting the “Diagnose System” icon, I was given the now familiar check boxes for “System Optimization”, “Security Defense”, “Disk Defragment”, and “Security Analyzer”. I checked all except Disk Defragment, as I had just recently defragged my hard drive using IObit’s free standing and excellent disk defragmentation utility, and wanted to save the time, despite IObit’s claim that the integral defragmentation utility is up to 10 times faster than some other competing products. System Optimization detected about two dozen “system bottlenecks” and corrected the system settings to improve performance. The Security Defense feature can immunize the computer against thousands of malicious websites, illicit tracking cookies, browser hijackers, dialers, and other malicious software. Security Analyzer examines running programs to detect and disable any malware that may be currently running on the computer.

The Utilities selection offers 20 distinct utilities to tune-up the computer and its applications; examine the security settings and backup critical system files and settings’ and “Admin Tools” which includes an uninstall utility, as well as my personal favorite, a startup manager to identify and control what programs startup when the computer is booted. By cleaning up the startup, the computer will run faster, boot quicker, and have fewer conflicts, because fewer programs will be automatically loaded. Under the Tune Up tab, I found that FireFox (my preferred browser) can be optimized for maximum performance.

The “Home” icon displays program version, database updates, most recent scan, user account (free or paid “Professional” account), and the cumulative results of the scans that had been performed. The center “Care” icon automatically runs the system optimization utilities, as a one-click performance improvement function.

As is to be expected, IObit has a comparison chart that compares the features of Advanced System Care Free V3 with its software competitors, both free and commercial. The features listed on the chart are “All-in-one secure, repair, clean, and optimize”, “Optimize and speed up PC and Internet”, “Complete registry care”, “Security features”, “1-click solution”, and “Price”. This software is compared to seven major competitors (1 free and six commercial), and comes out feature rich compared to the competition. To be fair, some of the products listed have features and capabilities not included with Advanced System Care Free V3, but comparing system utilities and clean up programs, this program compares very well.

It is inevitable that users will ask why IObit would give away software this powerful; the reason is that IObit clearly wants the satisfied user to upgrade to the Pro version, which has more features and capabilities, and is currently on sale online for $19.95 (regularly $29.95) directly from IObit. The Pro version has additional performance improving features, a deep registry scan that roots out many more useless registry entries (the Pro version detected over 3000 useless registry entries on my computer, compared to only 66 in the free version), additional tune-up features to both improve hardware performance and web speed, and free technical support.

The excellence of Advanced System Care Free V3 has been recognized in the media with several awards, including high ratings from ZDnet, Tucows, Softpedia, Download.com, PC World, PC Magazine, and other publications. Download.com claims that Advanced System Care Free V3 is its number one most downloaded system utility, with about 9.5 million downloads, even though it has only been available for the past several weeks.

For those wanting a powerful, and feature rich utility to improve computer performance, the free version of Advanced System Care Free V3 would be a very good choice. For those who want additional features and capability, the Pro version, currently on sale for $19.95, would be a very good choice.

This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (iwilsker (at) apcug.net).

System Information for Windows — Software Review
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

I found System Information for Windows (known as SIW) in the PC World Daily Downloads email newsletter on January 13. Here's what Steve Bass says about it:

You can ask the SIW tool anything about your PC--it'll give you a list of regional settings or scheduled tasks, or which DLLs are loaded and which are shared. How about which video and audio codecs you have installed, or details about your network or open ports? SIW has everything, offering lists that you can easily access from toolbar shortcuts or from a panel with a hierarchy list.

The amount of information available from SIW is comprehensive; in fact, it's almost overwhelming. There's no other tool that I've found that gives you so much detail about your PC software and hardware. Despite the amount of information, it's well organized with a sidebar menu and a toolbar from which you can select the subset of information you're interested in.

SIW Screen Shot

SIW is available in several versions. For personal use, SIW is free, with lifetime free updates. It supports Windows NT, 98, 2000, Me, XP, XP Tablet PC Edition, Vista; Windows Server 2003 and 2008. There's a standalone version (you can copy it to a USB key and run it on any computer), a U3 version (for U3 USB keys), and an installable version. Commercial Technician and Business versions are also available.

The freeware versions of SIW can be downloaded at www.gtopala.com/siw-download.html.

Note: If you download the standalone version, you should also download the Control Panel Applet for SIW at www.gtopala.com/siw-tools/siw-cpl.html. This will give you an icon in Control Panel from which you can run SIW on your own PC without having to find where you copied the SIW Standalone program file. Save the siw.cpl file in the Windows/System32 folder. To use SIW from the Control Panel double-click on System Info for Windows.

Making Tax Preparation Less Taxing for Quicken Users
by Bonnie Biafore, O'Reilly

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Free ROI Training Webinar Series
By Jan Pigeon, ROI Training, Inc.

There is a free ROI Training Webinar series that may be of interest to members of DVPC who are interested in advanced technological topics. 

These programs are designed and presented by our leading subject matter experts in their respective fields. The schedule is as follows:

•     2/5……Increase Productivity with .NET and Language Integrated Query (LINQ)

•     2/10….Why Should My Organization Upgrade to Windows Server 2008?

•     2/12….Benefits of Exchange 2007

•     2/18….Benefits of Windows Server Virtualization

In these tight times, any learning experience that can be attended for free is a good thing!

Those interested in attending may register on-line at http://www.trainingbyroi.com/webinars.html.

We trust you will find the ROI Training Webinar series to be both insightful and engaging!

Performing Better Searches
by Sharon Housley, VP Marketing for FeedForAll

Performing and perfecting search engine results can save web surfers lots of time and energy. Understanding the nuances of searching allows researchers to immediately drill down and locate the information they are seeking, without having to wade through a myriad of irrelevant search results in the process. The increasing complexity of search engines has made understanding search engines a necessity for those who spend any amount of time online. The following search tips are standards that will work in most of the major search engines.

How To Find What You Are Looking For?

As the popularity of the Internet grows, more and more results are returned for even the most obscure search phrases. In order to save time, web surfers need to increase their search relevancy. It is advisable to use multiple search terms to produce better search results. Searchers should use specific words and phrases to find what they're are looking for, while filtering out irrelevant and unwanted results.

In searching, more usually means less. Using more keywords in a search will help qualify the search and make it more specific to what you are looking for. It is all about striking a balance; more search terms will reduce the number of search results, but those results will be more accurate. Remember that you can always refine the search further if there are too many results returned in the initial search.

Capitalization Is Irrelevant

The major search engines ignore capitalization. Upper case and lower case search phrases will deliver the same results.

Order Matters

Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are entered into the search box will affect the search results. The most important terms should appear first in the list of search words.

Word Stemming

Major search engines will provide results that use word stemming. Word stemming includes variants of the terms that were searched for. For example, searching on the term fish in a major search engine will generate organic search results that also contain the terms fishing, fishes, and fisher.

Exact

Using quotations around a search phrase will generate search results that contain only that specific search phrase, exactly as it was entered. For example, searching on the exact phrase "rocking horse" in a major search engine will only generate search results that contain the phrase rocking horse. The results will not include any results that contain "horse rocking" -- even though both terms appear, they do not appear in the proper order for an exact match.

Do Not Include

Adding a (-) negative/minus sign before a search term will filter the results so that they contain the first term but not the negated word. For example, entering the search phrase horses -rocking into a major search engine will return search results about horses but not about rocking horses.

Must Include

If you want search results that only include a specific word, just type a (+) plus sign in front of a search term. The results produced will always contain that term. For example, conducting a search horse + carousel will result in all search results that contain carousel, and may include horse as well.

Similar Words

Adding a (~) tilde character in front of a search word will generate search results that not only include the specified search term, but will also include all words considered to be related to the original search term. For example, using the search term ~soda will result in organic search engine results that not only include soda, but also include pepsi, pop, cola, coke, bottle, and soft drink.

Either Or

Adding an OR parameter between two search terms will result in search listings that include either the first or the second word in the search results. For example, searching on the terms soda OR bottle will generate search results that may contain both terms soda bottle or it will produce results that contain either soda or bottle but not both in the same search listings.

Advanced Searches And Segmented Searches

Many search engines allow you to specify the type of content you wish to search in. For example, you can often search just news articles, just blogs, or just images. If you are looking for a specific type of media, segmenting your search can be helpful. Searches can be conducted to locate webpages that contain a specific language, or a specific file type (i.e. pdf, rss, etc). Simply use the search engine's advanced search option and select the content, language, file type, etc to filter your search results.

Search Meta Words

Meta keyword searches give search engines special instructions. When the meta search words are used, a specific type of search is conducted. Here are some of the most common meta search terms...

define: When define: is used at the beginning of a search word or phrase, the search engine results will be a definition of the word or phrase.

site: When site: is entered in the search box, followed by a domain, the search engine locates all documents within a specific domain and all of its subdomains. This is an easy way to get a rough idea of the number of pages indexed on a domain.

link: When link: is used and followed by a URL, the search results will include all the web pages that are indexed by the search engine which contain links to the specified URL.

inurl: When inurl: is used, followed by a keyword or phrase, the search results will include links to web pages that contain the specific keyword or phrase in the urls themselves.

intitle: When intitle: is searched on in conjunction with a keyword or phrase, the search engine locates search results that contain the specified keyword or phrase in the web page title.

Web surfers can save large amounts of time and energy by optimizing their search techniques with these helpful tips.

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll (www.feedforall.com) software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll (http://www.recordforall.com) audio recording and editing software.

This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (Sharon (at) notepage.com).

InternetVue PC2TV — A Hardware Review
by Alan Mildwurm, DVPC

A wireless video/audio extender from Addlogix!
www.internetvue.com

          The way we access home entertainment is going through a quantum shift. I am not just speaking about the switch to digital television occurring in Feb of next year. (If you haven’t heard about that yet, please read my article in a previous newsletter.—by the way, where have you been?) Traditionally, we got our home entertainment over the air thanks to the rabbit ears on top of our TV. I need not discuss the changes in transmission and quality which have slowly evolved since the 1950s.  We also began to get some ‘choice’ in the process. In addition to changing the channels we began to have the ability to maintain our own library of entertainment (VCR, DVD) and could select from different premium (channel) packages as we went from over the air broadcast to cable or satellite reception. To me, however, the most recent shift-perhaps even bigger than the digital shift- is the fact that a new repository of entertainment is beginning to compete with cable, satellite and over the air broadcasting. The new medium is the internet. In addition to YouTube (www.youtube.com) there are many websites that make television shows and movies available. All legal and free. Check out: www.hulu.com; www.sling.com  just to name a few. So when you can’t find something to watch on your 500 channels of cable or satellite TV, switch over to the net!

          So now there is a new source of entertainment content and delivery, coming across the net, direct to your computer. Of course, many of us have purchased Hi-Def TVs with surround sound and like to watch our shows on those big screens as opposed to our computer monitors. The problem is to get the material from your computer onto your big screen TV. One method is to add a Home Theater Personal Computer and connect it to your big screen for this purpose. This requires another computer and all the issues that entails. There is a more economical solution: the InternetVue PC2TV which allows you to stream what is on your PC to your TV wirelessly. There are a few different models of this product distinguished by their output ports. The 2020 has component and composite outputs and the 2100 has VGA and DVI-D output. I have been using the 2020 which also comes with a remote (and cables). The unit has several modes as shown below. In the photo mode, it can achieve 720p, however in the video mode it runs at 480p. The 2100 can handle higher resolutions.

          The InternetVue 2020 looks like a small router. It has both a Wi-Fi antenna and a RJ-45 Ethernet port. I assumed that I could plug the unit into my home network (I have an outlet by the TV) and connect the appropriate cables to my TV and stream from my desktop which is also on my network. That doesn’t work! Even though my desktop is hard wired on the network, I had to attach a Wi-Fi dongle to my desktop so that it could stream wirelessly via the dongle to the InternetVue receiver. You need a wireless enabled PC (hence the dongle on my desktop machine) to link to the 2020 OR connect an Ethernet cable directly from the PC to the unit.  Obviously, using a Wi-Fi enabled laptop is the way to go. The setup went relatively easily although for reasons I am not sure, it was not as intuitive as I would have thought due to having to install the Wi-Fi dongle on the desktop. Curiously, I never saw some of the setup screens that the manual displayed for the unit when connected to the TV.  (Yes, I cheat and read the manual—a great way to learn about features of the product.) Nonetheless, after installing the Wi-Fi dongle, I got it working without any problems and it worked perfectly.

          I then decided to install the software on my laptop and experiment with different TVs to check reception, etc. The picture and sound quality were very good with no loss as a result of the transmission to and through this unit. Bear in mind, it is not sending hi-def or surround sound but it was perfectly watchable and enjoyable. Once I figured out how to get it set up, it worked fine. I tried it on a few computers and hooked it up to several TVs. I did find that sometimes when I tried to make the ‘hulu’ screen expand to full screen on the computer, the picture on the TV would freeze although audio would continue. Escaping out of that command would solve the problem and resume the video with no problem. The remote works fine but it is slow in reacting- which gets annoying. These are probably my biggest issues with the unit.

          The MSRP for this is about $150.00- this reflects a recent price cut from $250.00. With more and more entertainment content on the net, this device could see a lot of use. It is a pretty basic unit: whatever is on your PC screen appears on your TV. This unit shares some traits with the AppleTV but they really are different devices. As mentioned, with this, you can see anything that is on your PC but you must use the PC to control content. On the AppleTV, which has storage ability, you can control what you are doing from the AppleTV but your content is ‘governed’ through iTunes and certain other sources like Flickr (www.flickr.com) and MobileMe (www.apple.com). (Having said that — wait for my review on Boxee!)
Of course, I did see many new TVs at CES with built in net connections. These sets are just now hitting the market and are a bit pricey. This unit can be used with any TV with standard composite or component inputs. Now your big screen can access 500 channels AND the internet—and there are still nights with nothing on!

The 2020 specs are:
1 set (3x RCA) Component video outputs (Y-Pb-Pr)
1 RCA Composite video output (CVBS NTSC)
1 stereo audio output
1 Ethernet (RJ45) socket
Minimum System Requirement:
Pentium 4 or M > 1.8GHz with 512 MB RAM
(Intel Core Duo with 1GB RAM recommended)
802.11b/g or RJ45 Ethernet interface
Operating System:
Windows XP Home / Pro with SP2
Windows 2000 Pro, SP4
Windows Vista (mirror mode only)
Video Resolutions:
    480p, 60/75 Hz refresh rate, 24 bit color depth –video mode
    720p, 60/75 Hz refresh rate, 24 bit color depth-photo mode
    

The 2100 specs are:
Available Interfaces:
1 DVI-D output
1 HDB15 VGA (RGBHV) output
1 stereo audio output
1 Ethernet (RJ45) socket
Minimum System Requirement:
Pentium 4 or M > 1.8Hz with 512 MB RAM
(Intel Core Duo with 1GB RAM recommended)
802.11bg or RJ45 Ethernet interface
Operating System:
Windows XP Home / Pro with SP2
Windows 2000 Pro, SP4
Windows Vista (mirror mode only)
Video Resolutions:
    640x480, 60/75 Hz refresh rate, up to 24 bit color depth
    1024x768, 60/75 Hz refresh rate, up to 24 bit color depth

 

Electronic Waste — Where to Dispose of It
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC

Here's a list of ewaste donation sites in Central Contra County County. If you know or learn of others, please let me know with the location, hours, and website URL. Be sure to check the websites to determine what they will accept. We've included sites where you can recycle single-use and rechargeable batteries

Computers and Electronics

Hauling Pros Recycling Center
www.dumpmytv.com
73A South Buchanan Circle
(on the left behind S&S Roofing)
Pacheco, CA 94553
925-682-8987
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rapid Recycle
www.rapidrecycle.net
110 Second Ave., South B-1
Pacheco, CA 94553
925-671-8008
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

E-Waste Events
www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/recycle/options/e-waste.htm
See website for dates, times, and locations of events

Recycle for Breast Cancer
www.recycleforbreastcancer.org/dropoffanytime.htm
31 Beta Court, Suite C
San Ramon, CA 94583
800-315-9580
7 days a week excluding holidays 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A completed donation form is requested at the time of donation; this form can be downloaded from their website

e-Recycle OnUs
www.erecycleonus.com
1271 Boulevard Way
(at back left corner past East Bay Art and CTA)
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
925-934-1515
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Electronic Waste Management
www.noewaste.com
E-Waste recycling events at Diablo Valley College
321 Golf Club Road
(in DVC overflow parking lot across from north side of main campus)
Pleasant Hill, CA
866-335-3373
First Saturday of every month (except holidays)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where to recycle Batteries

Single-Use Household Batteries
Longs Drugs
www.longs.com
Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Lafayette,
Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek, San Ramon
Right Aid Drugstore
www.rightaid.com
Orinda, Walnut Creek
Radio Shack
www.radioshack.com
Danville, Walnut Creek
Check websites for store hours

Rechargeable Batteries
Right Aid Drugstore
www.rightaid.com
1997 Tice Valley Boulevard
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
925-932-0568
7 days a week
Check website for store hours

Photoshop Elements SIG Meeting Program
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC

The Adobe Photoshop Elements SIG meeting will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the home of Peggy Johnson in Concord, CA.

We cover and discuss the Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software programs, along with other photo and video manipulation programs. As usual, check out the Elements SIG pages at www.bkbrown.net for all the latest news, information and tutorials.

The Photoshop Elements SIG usually meets on the third Thursday of each month, but can vary; check each month's announcement for the date of that month's meeting.

Please email Peggy for further information and/or directions.

Windows SIG Meeting Program
by Walt Parsons, DVPC

The Windows SIG meeting will be held on Monday, February 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Ron will demonstrate FocusMagic, plus Quick Notes for Windows XP and StickyNotes for XP and Vista — two ways to sort-of accomplish the same thing. Walt’s demonstration is that old favorite, To Be Announced.

The Windows SIG meetings are held in the Community Room at the Concord Police Station. See the detailed directions on the DVPC SIG News page.

The Daily Dilbert Cartoon
by Scott Adams