Diablo Blue
The Newsletter of the Diablo Valley PC Users Group
AT&T U-verse via Fiber to the Premises
Presenter: Ken Mintz, AT&T
AT&T U-verse is a suite of Internet Protocol-based products and services, including television, broadband internet, and VOIP telephone service. U-verse uses fiber-to-the-node and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology to obtain speeds up to 25 Megabits/second to the user's home. AT&T's offering goes beyond current bundled television, internet, and telephone services by offering features like a DVR that can record up to four shows at one time and is programmable from any web-connected computer.
Ken Mintz, Area Manager of External Affairs for AT&T Services, Inc. will tell us about this new series of service options being rolled out nationally. He will also let us know about planned availability in Contra Costa County.
This month's meeting will be interesting and informative, and will give DVPC members a peek into what will be coming in the near future for digital High-Definition TV, high-speed internet access, and advanced VOIP telephone services. We'll see you on Thursday, May 7, 2009 in room H109 at Diablo Valley College.
NOTE: Diablo Valley College charges $2.00 for parking, and 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.
DVPC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
by Tom Krauss, DVPC
Due to Phase VII (or is it VIII?) of the Mildwurm Home Construction Project, our usual site for the Board meeting was not available. For that matter, neither was our esteemed President. Alan was spending the evening at home experiencing the joys of manual labor first hand.
Mel graciously allowed herself to be coerced into providing a backup site. So I studied Google maps, memorizing the turns off Bollinger Canyon Road to get to her home. Unfortunately, I skipped the part about how far to drive on Bollinger from the freeway. As the major and minor cross streets slipped behind me and I neared the end of the bright lights of the shopping districts, a mild sense of panic arose. Had I missed turn?
Being electronically challenged, I do not have a Garmin or other such device to guide me. As a former Boy Scout I have always relied on maps and the stars. Unfortunately, it was too early for stars, and the maps were in the trunk. But the last major cross street proved to be the one I wanted, and I arrived only four or five minutes late.
Words can not describe the feelings of betrayal as I was greeted by the early arrivers (Ron, Mel, Richard, Nick and Barry) with the taunt that they had actually voted on something! As best I can recall it has been nearly a year, if not longer, since we did that much work at a Board meeting and I was not prepared for the shock.
Everyone was talking at the same time about the vote: who seconded, who voted, was it valid and so on. Although I asked repeatedly what the vote was about I received no answer. Either they forgot, or they never knew in the first place. I suspect the latter is the case. It is not clear to me precisely who moved, who seconded or who voted which way. In fact, the next morning there was a flurry of emails discussing the vote, but still no clear indication as to what was voted on. Apparently there were new bylaws enacted, but the legality appears uncertain per one of Dick’s emails: ”Unfortunately according to the new bylaws we passed into effect, we did not have a quorum. Can the new bylaws then be in effect? I would hate to lose that sweet bonus now due us (those who were in attendance)”
Mel summed it up perfectly: “I just got home and have read all the emails that are going back and forth. I am pleased to see that I made a stand, am looking out for the good of the people, I know that the future will be brighter for the actions that we took last night, and we now will see positive gains. OK, so some of us don’t know what by-laws are; and, in fact, we actually didn’t specify any. However, simply knowing that we, as a group, are willing to put our principles on the line for DVPC should be enough.” Obviously, she has political aspirations. And talent.
So whatever happened, I for one am reassured. I am certain all members will sleep easier knowing what their Board of Directors was able to accomplish in a mere five minutes once they put their minds to it.
The rest of the meeting was anti-climactic and I won’t detract from the vote by continuing, not even with the Port-a-Potty stories.
Links to Interesting Online Articles
by Ron Ogg, DVPC
Here are links to some interesting articles I've found online. Check them out!
Nick Chase, DVPC — Photo Manipulations by Erik Johansson
Erik Johansson, a young talented artist from Sweden, creates remarkable images by digitally modifying photographs that he took himself — this is what people mean when they say an image has been "Photoshopped"...
Read more
cnet news — Windows 7 beta upgrade won't be easy
Those who want to move from the beta version of Windows 7 to the upcoming "release candidate" version will be able to do so, but it is going to take some work...
Read more
Microsoft — Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5
The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.5 contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Windows 7, Windows Vista®, a Windows Update, or a new version of Windows® Internet Explorer® in your environment...
Read more
cnet news — Tax-free Internet shopping may be at an end
If a little-known but influential alliance of state politicians, large retailers, and tax collectors have their way, the days of tax-free Internet shopping may be nearly over...
Read more
ZDNet — Will Windows 7 be Microsoft's biggest business hit ever?
Windows 7 is on track to be Microsoft’s most successful business OS release ever...
Read more
Computer Shopper — Save Money on Inkjet Cartridges: The Ultimate Guide
Reduce your printing costs with these 15 strategies for saving...
Read more
PCWorld — Why Metered Broadband Wouldn't Work
Maybe nobody else is sad that Time Warner Cable has (for now) abandoned its foray into consumption-based Internet service pricing, but I am. I was all set for the company to become the poster child net neutrality--a topic that is hard for many people to understand--and why it really matters...
Read more
PCWorld — Netbook or Ultraportable: Which Is Best for the Job?
Netbooks are starting to look like ultraportable laptops, while some ultraportables are beginning to resemble netbooks...
Read more
ZDNet — DoD Gates: We're always under cyberattack
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States is "under cyberattack virtually all the time, every day" and that the Defense Department plans to more than quadruple the number of cyber experts it employs to ward off such attacks...
Read more
DNSstuff.com Offers Trusteer Rapport
DNSstuff.com Press Release
Proven online banking security technology now available for all the sites users log into.
Newburyport, MA - Thursday, March 19, 2009 – DNSstuff.com (www.dnsstuff.com) today announced in partnership with Trusteer that it is offering Rapport, a tool that protects your transactions from being tampered with and private information from being stolen, through its website, dnsstuff.com.
Rapport is an easy-to-use browser plug-in that provides users with a secure connection to any online site they log into, protecting their most valuable online assets - login credentials. "Any tool that secures the connection between your desktop and any site you have to log into is truly a real benefit. Protecting your user credentials should be every consumer's top priority, Rapport makes that automatic! Rapport is proven, lightweight and effective," said Paul Parisi, CTO at DNSstuff.com.
Malware is growing at an alarming rate. Today, malware programs are capable of bypassing the most advanced authentication and security controls implemented by most websites. If this occurs, your most vulnerable assets are at risk including your login credentials. Rapport protects login credentials and transactions, from desktop to website, even if a computer is infected with malware.
How it works
The Trusteer Rapport product secures personally identifiable information (PII) when users conduct business online with financial institutions and other goods and services providers. It acts like a vault inside a user's web browser to protect online transactions from malicious software resident on customer computers, prevents redirection to fraudulent websites, and locks down communications during transmission.
Rapport protects users against the following forms of attacks: Man-in-the-browser, Man-in-the-middle, session hijacking and screen capturing.
Added layer of protection
When it comes to identity fraud, even antivirus software and firewalls aren't enough. That's because criminals can easily bypass these defenses, to prey on your login details. Rapport shields your online details and safeguards your identity. It works in tandem with your antivirus and security software.
Pricing and availability
DNSstuff Rapport will be available on March 23, 2009. You can download it for free and protect up to 3 websites. Pricing starts at $29 per user for unlimited site protection. Volume pricing is available by contacting sales@dnsstuff.com
About DNSstuff.com
DNSstuff is often the company IT professionals turn to for help in configuring, monitoring and resolving email, internet and connectivity issues. These on-demand tools and alerts services reduce downtime and minimize domain vulnerability. DNSstuff solutions combine the effectiveness of command line tools with the efficiency of point tools. DNSstuff.com users are a uniquely large, knowledgeable and trusted community of IT professionals, and its resources are featured in several authoritative books on the Internet which can be found at www.dnsstuff.com.
About Trusteer
Trusteer enables online businesses to secure communications with their customers over the Internet and protect personally identifiable information (PII) from a user's keyboard into the company's website. Trusteer's flagship product, Rapport, allows online banks, brokerages, healthcare providers, and retailers to protect their customers from identity theft and financial fraud. Unlike conventional approaches to web security, Rapport protects users' PII even if their computer is infected with malware including Trojans and keyloggers, or is victimized by pharming, phishing attacks. Trusteer is a privately held corporation led by former executives from Cyota/RSA Security, Imperva, and NetScreen/Juniper. For more information visit www.trusteer.com.
Creating Tags — Vista and Windows 7 trick
by Jay Ferron, Tulsa Computer Society
Do you have problem finding the pictures or videos that you have taken?
You can use a feature called "TAGS" — which allows you to organize by adding a descriptive label (TAG)
Steps are as follows;
- Double click on a picture and when the files open go to the INFO pane
- Click on "add TAG"
- Add the new tag (Name, subject, or anything that you search by)
- Your picture or video now has a tag that you can search on.
Dreamweaver CS4 and CSS Style Sheets
by Don Singleton, APCUG
I have been building web sites since what seems like the Jurassic Period, by hard coding the HTML myself. I have a good friend that has been building web sites using Dreamweaver for about the same length of time (since version 4). Neither of us ever convinced the other our way was better. I did not even switch to Dreamweaver when I got a free copy with CS2. While my friend was working on her Dreamweaver CS4 review she discussed some of the new material with me, which prompted me to download the trial of Dreamweaver CS4, and I got interested enough in it that I decided to do a review of it.
Many web sites do not make much use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), but they are the wave of the future, and if you do not have any CSS on your site, Dreamweaver can provide you with sample style sheets. It is not easy to find the information, because Dreamweaver has switched from the normal “in program/offline” Adobe Help Center menus I was used to in Photoshop CS2, to online help at www.adobe.com/support/dreamweaver/ and community.adobe.com/help/, and whether you find what you want depends on exactly what you enter in the search box.
Using the sample Dreamweaver style sheets it indicates:
- Open the CSS Styles panel by doing one of the following:
- Select Window > CSS Styles.
- Press Shift+F11.
- In the CSS Styles panel, click the Attach External Style Sheet button.
- In the Attach External Style Sheet dialog box, click Sample Style Sheets. The Sample Style Sheets dialog box appears.
- Select a style sheet from the list box. As you select style sheets within the list box, the Preview pane displays the text and color formatting of the selected style sheet.
- Click the Preview button to apply the style sheet and verify that it applies the styles you want to the current page. If the styles applied are not what you expect them to be, select another style sheet from the list, and click Preview to see those styles.
- By default, Dreamweaver saves the style sheet in a folder named CSS just below the root of the site you defined for your page. If that folder does not exist, Dreamweaver creates it. You can save the file to another location by clicking Browse and browsing to another folder.
- When you find a style sheet whose formatting rules meet your design criteria, click OK
To elaborate on the above, in the Attach External Style Sheet dialog box
Click on Sample Style Sheets and you will get
The first three give you the basic font set for your site (Ariel, Times, or Verdana). Whichever you select will cause a line to be added, such as C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\CSS\Level1_Verdana.css.
There are seven color sheets, like C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\CSS\colors2.css; their color combinations are somewhat strange, but at least they do show you the major changes you can make to your site with just a few tweaks to the style sheets. I would have preferred a few options that maybe were a little more subtle, but were something that people might want to actually use.
For forms you have four choices: Accessible (Arial style sheet rewritten to use accessible measurements (ems)), Arial, Times, and Verdana), which ever you select will cause a line to be added, such as C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\CSS\Level2_Verdana_Forms.css. The same is true for Full Design (C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\CSS\Accessible_Design.css). Link Effects has a separate style sheet of its own: C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\ web site\CSS\a_tag_effects.css. And there are four for text. C:\ don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\ CSS\Level2_Verdana_Text.css.
You don’t have to select one of each, and if you do, there may be some conflict, but CSS resolves that conflict by using the last specification it sees. Dreamweaver will add each of these as separate sheets, but if you want to can combine them all into one style.css sheet by cut-and-paste the styles from each file into a single file.
I did not care for their color combinations in the seven color sheets, but I went ahead and selected Full Design: Verdana, Yellow/Green which is C:\don\_Tulsa_High_Tech\web site\CSS\Level3_3.css.
Let us now fix it:
Click on the yellow background color:
and I can select whatever shade I like. Ditto for foreground color.
Once you get setup with CSS, Dreamweaver has a Validate (File, Validate, Markup) capability to let you know whether your code is following the rules:
On the first error they point out I am using the deprecated HTML <center> tag. Deprecated means something that is going to be made invalid or obsolete in future versions. It may work now, but you should get out of the habit of using it, because sometime soon it may not work. They are correct.
In my code which used to not use CSS, I used the <center> tag because that was the way in HTML to center something. But with CSS, that is a job for the CSS code. So I delete the <center> and </center> tags, which also gets rid of the Malformed tag error (I was missing the close bracket on my “img src” statement). Layout in CSS uses the Box Model. If I want to center all images I can do it in the CSS “img src” specification, but I don’t want to do that. I could use a rule with “text-align: center;” but that centers text. The proper way to center a specific graphic in CSS is to put it a <div>...</div> box with a rule to center it. I created a rule:
.tophead {
width: 725px ;
margin-top: 40px;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
}
and applied it to a <div> tag:
<div class=”tophead”>
<img src=”tulsahightech.
png” alt=”” width=”721”
height=”126”>
</div>
The “margin-left: auto; marginright: auto;” centered the graphic box and at the same time allowed me to include a “margin-top: 40px;” to pull it down a little so it does not overlap the JavaScript menu I have at the top.
The error on line 27 was eliminated by changing the “p” into a “br”, since I really did not have a paragraph there, I just wanted a line break before the JavaScript code. I can’t tell what they are complaining about on line 29 so I highlight that error and click the “i” for more information
and learn “The tag: “img” has an XML style closing syntax for an empty element even though version: “HTML4” is not an XML tag language. [HTML 4.0]”. I am not sure how to fix that; the code was provided by Site Meter, and it works, so I will just live with the validation error for now.
In addition to helping a non CSS site get started with CSS, Dreamweaver has many tools to help you develop CSS as you build your site.
The Related Files feature displays all the documents associated with your current page (whether CSS, JavaScript, PHP or XML) in a bar along the top of your primary document. You can click any related file to edit its source in Code View while viewing the parent page in Design View. Changes made to the related file code are immediately reflected in Design View.
The Code Navigator pop-up window shows you links to all the CSS code sources that affect your current selection. A click in either Code or Design View brings up the Code Navigator, which displays CSS rules and their definitions.
The New Features documentation from Adobe says they Implement CSS best practices without writing code. The new CSS tab in the Properties panel shows the styles for the current selection as well as all the applicable CSS rules. Hover over any property to view a tool tip with no-jargon English explanations of CSS principles. New CSS rules can be created and applied in the Properties panel and stored in the same document or an external style sheet. Dreamweaver CS4 even gives you control over the specificity of your rule: Just click Less Specific or More Specific in the updated New CSS Rule dialog box to target your style precisely.
I wish there was a little bit better documentation on this new feature. I am sure it is very powerful, but I don’t really know how the new Properties Panel is supposed to work.
I work with Dreamweaver in the Classic layout
but they offer App Developer, App Developer Plus, Coder, Coder Plus, Designer, Designer Compact, and Dual Screen. If you click on the links in the HTML version of this article you can see what each of these other layouts looks like, except Dual Screen. I only have one screen on my laptop.
The list price of Dreamweaver CS4 by itself is US $399.00 with upgrades starting at US $199.00, and it is a part of their Master Collection, Design Editions, and Web Editions, but not the Production Premium.
A trial version of Dreamweaver CS4 is available from Adobe.com.
I highly recommend Dreamweaver CS4 for the web developer.
Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8
by by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX
Microsoft has released the latest iteration of its ubiquitous browser, Internet Explorer version 8 (IE 8). This browser is for all versions of XP and Vista, and is a 16.1mb download for XP.
I had tried one of the early beta (pre-release) builds of IE 8, and was impressed by its features and speed, a substantial improvement over what I felt was a lethargic Internet Explorer 7. Now I have downloaded and installed IE 8 on all of my computers, and my first impressions of it are quite positive. I have been using Firefox, IE’s major competitor, almost exclusively for several years. I was not alone in using Firefox instead of IE, as Firefox has been taking market share from IE for years as it has generally offered more speed, features, and security than IE. Now with IE 8, Firefox has a worthy competitor which has added features, speed and security to challenge the gains made in the marketplace by Firefox.
Within minutes of its release, I downloaded the new version of IE 8 on my work computer. I went directly to Microsoft’s IE website at www.microsoft.com/ie to download IE 8. Microsoft identified my operating system, and proceeded to connect me to the proper variety of IE 8, which I downloaded.
The installation process was smooth, with several informational windows appearing with install options. One of the first windows to appear was a statement that the IE 8 install utility was going to download the latest version of Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, and scan my computer for malware prior to the installation of IE 8. My computer was free of any detected malware, and the installation continued. A reboot was required in order to complete the IE 8 process, which I allowed. After the reboot, a small window appeared displaying the setup sequences of the new software. Subsequent windows offered me the opportunity to install add-ons, and select default search engines. IE 8 imported my selections from IE 7, and asked if I wanted to keep my IE 7 defaults and use them in IE 8, which I did. The final window displayed correctly identified that I had other browsers installed on my computer, including Firefox, Opera, and Safari, and asked if I wanted to import bookmarks (favorites) and feeds from them; I selected yes, and data was imported from my other browsers into IE 8, making them immediately available on that platform.
IE 8 did indeed load faster than IE 7 ever loaded, and web pages appeared to load faster, but I have no empirical data to corroborate that.
IE 8 is more feature rich than IE 7, and in many ways appears to emulate the finer points available in Firefox.
One feature in IE 8 that offers improved possibilities is “Accelerators” which provide quick access to information by simply highlighting a word, phrase, address, or other item on a webpage. If the proper accelerators are installed, then appropriate information in the form of maps, web searches, translations, email, blogs, and other relevant resources and outputs are immediately displayed.
Another interesting feature in IE 8 that may be of interest to many users is “Web Slices”, where the user can automatically monitor desired information, displaying updated information as it becomes available.
Web Slices can monitor auctions, sports scores, weather, stock quotes, and other dynamic content, and can directly provide that updated information, without user intervention. If a Web Slice is available on a web page, a green icon will appear in the top right corner of the page; clicking on this icon will add the “slice” to the favorites bar, enabling real-time tracking of the selection. When new information is available about the selected web slices, the relevant web slice will be highlighted. Clicking on the highlight will take the user directly to the updated information.
IE 8 offers a “Smart Address Bar” which displays recommendations as a web address is typed in the address bar.
The suggestions are distilled from the browsing history, favorites, and previously selected feeds, as well as Windows Live Search. If a single word is typed in the address bar, the Smart Address Bar will reach out and try to match the term against domain names, making web surfing faster and more efficient.
I frequently go online to show my L.I.T. students information on the web. Sometimes the fonts on the web pages are so small, that students in the back of the classroom can not view the displayed content. IE 8 solves that problem with its enhanced zoom feature, “Improved Zoom”. This feature improves the resolution and readability of a webpage, while maintaining the desired layout. Clicking on VIEW – ZOOM allows the user to zoom in or out on a webpage, from 50% (zoom out, smaller text, more information displayed) to 400% (zoom in, larger text, less information displayed).
Web surfers are often concerned about their personal privacy while browsing on the net.
IE 8 offers a feature, “InPrivate” that allows the user to control the protection of his personal information while online.
When selected, InPrivate deletes the browsing history, temporary internet files, filled forms, cookies, usernames, and passwords when closing the browser, leaving no traces of browsing or search history on the computer.
Sometimes a website appears to crash the browser while being viewed, shutting down all of the opened tabs, and requiring a reloading of the browser. IE 8 offers “Automatic Crash Recovery” where if the content in a tab crashes, the other opened tabs are unaffected, such that other opened pages are not closed or lost unexpectedly. IE 8 will attempt to recover the lost tab once it has identified and resolved the problem.
Phishing, identity theft, and web-borne malware have become endemic, and a threat to web users. IE 8 includes a “SmartScreen Filter” which incorporates anti-phishing tools to protect the user from imposter websites designed to trick the user into entering his personal information.
The SmartScreen Filter also incorporates sophisticated anti-malware capabilities to help prevent web-borne adware, spyware, and other dangerous software from installing itself on the users’ computer. If a dangerous website is opened and detected, the address bar and window will turn red on the page, and a prominent warning will be displayed on the red background. Other protection is provided by a cross site scripting (XSS) filter, which can detect and protect from malicious code execution while online, providing additional protection. A cute feature, which can help protect from phishing and identity theft is “domain highlighting” which highlights the domain name in the address bar, with the remainder of the address string in gray, displaying the true identity of the website.
Internet Explorer 8 is much improved over version 7, with improved security and enhanced features. Users of earlier versions of IE should upgrade to IE 8. Users of other browsers should give IE 8 a try, as they may be pleasantly surprised. Even though I have been a loyal Firefox user for several years, I will be using IE 8 far more than I ever used IE 7.
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).
Hindsight is Always 20/20
By Walt Parsons, DVPC
This was one of those situations where after all is said and done you kick yourself for not thinking of the eventual solution right away.
For a week or so my DSL service has been slow and eventually was not able to connect. After puzzling over the diagnosis that came up saying that my computer is not configured to work with DSL but with no hint of what needs configuring.
So here were my steps to solve the problem.
- Remove the router and connecting directly to the DSL Modem from the desktop. Results — No change.
- Run the cord from the DSL modem to my laptop. Everything tests okay (TOK). Conclusion — The DSL part of the circuit is OK.
- Reattach the desktop to the DSL modem. Still no change. Cannot connect to the internet.
- Go through the routine of powering down both the computer and the modem. Repower the modem and after the modem settles down turn on the computer. No change.
- Tear out some hair, make a cup of coffee and prepare for a long sessions with the Techies in India. Changed my mind.
- The light bulb came on. What part of the setup had I not tested or changed out? Of course, the cord from the modem to the desktop computer. So I changed out the cord.
- Roll of drums and a fanfare of trumpets... it fixed the problem.
- Kick myself for not thinking of doing that in the first place.
- Repeat step 8 for as often as needed.
- Make note to self. If the DSL service becomes poor or I cannot connect to the internet, swap out the cord between the desktop PC and the modem — FIRST!!!!!!!
- Write article for Diablo Blue.
Electronic Waste — Where to Dispose of It
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC
Here's a list of ewaste donation sites in Central Contra County County. 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, and to dispose of unneeded pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications. If you know or learn of others, please let me know with the location, hours, and website URL.
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.
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 Drugstores
www.rightaid.com
Orinda, Walnut Creek
Radio Shack
www.radioshack.com
Danville, Walnut Creek
Check websites for store hours
Rechargeable Batteries
Right Aid Drugstores
www.rightaid.com
Check website for store hours
Where to Dispose of Unneeded Pharmaceutical and Over-the-Counter Medications
Walnut Creek City Hall
www.walnut-creek.org
1666 North Main Street, Walnut Creek
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Sheriff’s Substation
2500 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez
Sheriff’s Field Operations Building
1980 Muir Road, Martinez
All locations: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Look for the green Pharmaceutical Disposal bin
To ensure privacy:
Transfer pills to a plastic bag before depositing them,
then remove personal information and recycle your empty pill containers.
Remove the labels from liquid medication bottles and enclose the tightly sealed bottles in a sealed plastic bag to prevent spills.
For more information, phone 1-800-646-1431 or visit www.centralsan.org or www.wastediversion.org.
Please don't flush your drugs!
How and Where to Recycle or Dispose of Other Household Waste Items
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
The CCCSD has a two-page Disposal Guide for Central Contra Costa County brochure that can be viewed online or printed. This handy guide tells how to dispose of common household waste in safe, simple, and environmentally healthy ways. Click on the link below to access the brochure.
www.centralsan.org/documents/Brochure_Disposal_Guide.pdf
This brochure requires Adobe Acrobat Reader; you can download and install the latest version of Acrobat Reader by clicking the icon below.
Photoshop Elements SIG Meeting Program
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC
The Adobe Photoshop Elements SIG meeting will be held on Thursday, May 21, 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.
Please email Peggy for further information and/or directions.
In a follow-up to the April 16th Elements SIG, below are the websites that had downloadable “actions” that were show at the meeting. Have fun!
Panosfx — PSE Freebies — downloadable for Elements 3-7: http://www.panosfx.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=184
Video showing installation:
http://www.scrappersguide.com/info_el7.html
Picture frames, crystal ball: http://www.shutterfreaks.com/Actions/elements7/FreeElements7Actions.html
Barry found these websites that do actions online:
http://photofunia.com/ only handles photos up to 2MB
http://www.dumpr.net/
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/badge.php makes identity badges
http://photo2text.com/ coverts photos into text
Windows SIG Meeting Program
by Walt Parsons, DVPC
The Windows SIG meeting will be held on Monday, May 4, 2009. Ron will demonstrate Process Explorer, a Task Manager replacement with lots of additional information; and Ashampoo Office 2008, an inexpensive office suite similar to Open Office.
We're still looking for an new location for our meetings. The Windows SIG meetings have been held in the Community Room at the Concord Police Station, but a change in the lobby hours means our meetings have to start at 6:30 p.m. so we can be finished and out of the Community Room by 8:00 p.m.
Until we have our new meeting location, assume that we will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Concord Police Department. If we are able to arrange the new meeting location, Walt will send an email with updated information, and this item in Diablo Blue and on the DVPC website will be also be updated. Be sure to check before coming to the meeting this month!
The Daily Dilbert Cartoon
by Scott Adams
- Where We Meet
- Diablo Blue Password Access
- Watch for Updates! added to the TOC in red.
- Board Meeting Minutes
- Links to Interesting Online Articles
- DNSstuff.com Offers Trusteer Rapport
- Creating Tags — Vista and Windows 7 trick
- Dreamweaver CS4 and CSS Style Sheets
- Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8
- Hindsight is Always 20/20
- Electronic Waste — Where to Dispose of It
- Photoshop Elements SIG Meeting Program
- Windows SIG Meeting Program
- The Daily Dilbert Cartoon