Members of The Elkhart PC Users Group(EPCUG) were recently the instruments of goodwill in a community service effort by its members. Computer parts and software were donated and assembled during a “Build a Computer” session held at the Primerica Financial Services office in Goshen, Indiana. Members worked with various computer components, testing for functionality and compatibility as they were installed. Upon completion, the computer systems will be donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, LoveWay Inc, and other possibilities.

It is hoped that each of the five systems will be complete with a variety of fully installed software, printers, and monitors. While the majority of the construction of the systems was completed at the October 30 session, there was still an outstanding need for two monitors, three operating systems, and other software to round out the systems. Although these are not ‘state-of-the-art’ units, they will be certainly sufficient to enable a student to get that ‘extra 10 points’ for turning in a typed essay or report.

Most of the donated components came from members of EPCUG, but there were community participants also. Since the group will continue to collect components in an effort to build more systems, they hope for a response from the community in donating for future sessions. Businesses and individuals upgrading their systems are encouraged to keep this in mind and contact any officer for information.

The Elkhart PC Users Group is a community-based nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses learn about their computers. National corporations such as Microsoft, Corel, and Intuit are often on the program to present the latest developments in the computer industry. Other meetings include presentations by local computer businesses such as Mapletronics of Goshen, Bolt Computers of Elkhart, and Xcel Computer Systems of Osceola on specific programs or hardware components.

At each monthly meeting, there is always a 10-20 minute section where members can share their individual questions and hopefully get them answered by someone with experience in that area. Questions that do not get answered are submitted to the organization’s newsletter. EPCUG’s newsletter is mailed free to members, and membership’s only requirement is to attend at least one meeting a year. Copies of their newsletter can be picked up at several local businesses, libraries, and computer stores. The editor publishes a variety of informative articles ranging from instructions on how to install, to information on what MAY/MAY NOT be a virus, as well as local community information and computer product reviews.

At different times during the year, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) hold instruction/information classes. These topics have included Genealogy, the Internet, New Users, and Windows 95. Their sessions are generally six months in length, meeting once a month, separate from the general meetings. They are led by individual members with knowledge in those areas, or are hosted and taught by local businesses, and are free to members.

Once a year, at a combined November/December meeting, 15-20 computers are brought in and set up at the general meeting. Individuals demonstrate games, software, and hardware, and members can get a hands-on look at many of the newest possibilities for Christmas presents.

A Users Group is no stronger than its membership. And the strongest membership is one where each member contributes time and/or talents. Your attendance at the meetings is of great value to you and to the group. Perhaps you will know the answer to a question asked at Q and A. Or perhaps you will have a question, which someone else is afraid to ask. Your asking will benefit that person and probably others.

To encourage attendance at the general meetings, a record will be kept of each month’s attendance beginning with the December meeting and continuing through the December 2000 meeting. All members attending ALL of these 12 meeting will be eligible to participate in a drawing for a CASH PRIZE of $100.00. Officers and Directors appearing on the EPCUG Officers list in this newsletter are not eligible for the drawing.

This prize is being donated by the Membership Director. If there are no members eligible for the drawing, the money goes to the EPCUG treasury. I personally hope there are at least 100 members in the drawing.

Would you like to participate in this year’s Showcase? If you would like to possibly receive a free peice of software or two, consider bringing your computer to the November/December meeting. We are working to attract more software vendors than we currently have computers to showcase their products. This means, that if you bring your computer, we would give you a peice of software to demonstrate, and at the end of the night, the software is yours to keep. In some cases we may have the software ahead of time for you to learn it beforehand, but some of it may not come in until the last minute, and you will show and learn at the same time. No one is expecting any fancy presentations, just allow others to learn the software with you while you explore it.

If you are interested, please contact me directly by phone or by email to let me know what kind of system you have as soon as possible.

If you are planning on bringing computers, parts, software, whatever to the Showcase/Swap Meet, could you please give me a call with a list? I would like to compile a list for Doyle to put in the newspaper, but can’t do that without your help. Remember, you can’t sell if there aren’t buyers, and we can’t attract buyers if we don’t have anything to promote their interest.

This article will be a rambling mish-mash of information because I have not had my usual amount of time to put this article together. My job in computer sales, to put it mildly, has had me on the run for the last few weeks.

First, I would like to openly apologize to our newsletter editor, Sherry, for being late again in getting her my article. I even got an additional week because of factors beyond my, or Sherry’s, control. Even with the additional time, I was still just able to get this article sent to her at the last wave of the conductor’s hand, on the last slow freight rolling out of town, at midnight, just ahead of an angry mob.

Second, I wish to welcome back to the board, Joanne Patrick, who has taken up the reins as Program Director from Russ Burke. For those of you who have not heard, Russ is moving to Tennessee to be near his son and grandchildren. I want to personally wish Russ Godspeed on his travels and peace when he is settled in his new home. The board and I accepted Russ’s resignation with regrets, and again wish him well. Russ has been a bulwark on the EPCUG board with his planning, communicating, and contacting speakers for our general meetings.

Now, on to the good (???) stuff. On November 8th, it was announced that Microsoft has released Service Pack 6 for Windows NT 4.0 for unspecified Y2K problems. There are also new patches for Windows 95, Windows 98, Office 95, Office 97, and a host of other Microsoft products. There are those out there who will start bashing Microsoft and how late they were in bringing out the patches.

Microsoft has lots and lots of company. In their November 8th Delta Report, the Infoliant Company, located at www.infoliant.com, showed that 155 products moved from compliant to non-compliant in October. There are a total of 232 negative changes to the Y2K standings in this report. There is still more, as 118 manufacturers removed from their web page and/or from their packaging, the explicit (and required) Y2K disclosure information.

What does all this mean? Simple. Those who thought they were ready early and have been resting on their efforts, better get off their backsides and start working again. Software they thought was ready is not ready. Patches that were thought to fix everything did not. Software that was promised to have an upgrade that is Y2K ready will not be out in time. All in all they, and you, will find themselves in a whole new ball game where there are no rules.

As always, the best thing to do is to keep checking that your current software status is still Y2K ready, and keep loading the software patches to keep the software Y2K ready. I offer you a piece of military (Air Force) advice, “Keep your head on a swivel, because what you can see can not hurt you.” Keep looking for those Y2K notices.

I am glad that I did not burn the CD-ROM disks for those who requested them, as they would be waiting for the next set to be burned with all the new changes. I was going to fall on my knees and beg forgiveness for not getting them burned for the last EPCUG meeting, but I guess a divine power kept me too busy so as not to waste resources.

The people who were at the computer assembly project on October 30 saw an example of a hardware Y2K fault. One of the computers steadfastly refused to start, despite the best efforts of several of our members. It continued to indicate a ‘Display type mismatched’ error no matter what was changed. It was discovered that the date in the computer was set to 2000. When the date was set back to 1999, the system started just fine, thank you. The motherboard’s BIOS chip can not be flash upgraded, and is soldered on so it can not be replaced easily. It is my belief that this system was tested for Y2K and failed, so it was “donated” to EPCUG, and it was a great learning tool. There are several options that are being considered for this system, before it is given away.

“And now,” borrowing from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “for something completely different...”

From three different sources, I have received notices that there is a new type of email computer virus called Bubble Boy, which can infect your computer without opening an attachment. One of the announcements targeted Microsoft’s Outlook and Outlook Express as the quintessential devils in this matter because they have a message preview when you click on a message. It also bashed Microsoft because of its “complete lack of regard of security, only wanted to rape consumers with slipshod products that fail to offer even the slightest amount of anti-virus protection.” The author happens to work for a company that makes a loader program for Linux. Surprised?

It is unfortunate that this first report was so one-sided because Lotus Notes, Eudora and Eudora Pro, and Netscape’s Navigator and Communicator programs all “pre-load” the messages when you make cursor selection, and this includes clicking on the message to DELETE it. When the message is loaded into memory, even to be deleted, the Bubble Boy virus will infect your computer. Only Windows 95 and Windows 98 can be infected, as the virus attaches to your config.sys file, and Windows NT does not have one.

The early reports had laid the fault at Microsoft’s feet. Well, while I am not the greatest fan of Microsoft, I do consider myself a supporter, but if you read the original press release, it is so full of falsehoods that it is beyond belief. One Microsoft employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the press release on the Bubble Boy virus has more errors and falsehoods than the Japanese response delivered after the attack on Pearl Harbor had begun. The Microsoft bashing has been picked up in the press, mainly because of the recent ruling in the case brought by the Department of Justice. And some people wonder why Microsoft feels it is under attack?

The Bubble Boy virus is a variation of a UNIX computer virus that has been around about three years, and UNIX browsers did not have ANY security features included to stop the virus. Only a good anti-virus program that does a memory sweep stopped the virus from creating havoc. The other (and best) way to protect yourself is to have an anti-virus program installed and keep the definitions up to date by downloading the new upgrades often.

And in conclusion...

The combined November / December meeting on December 2, has been revised and updated to more closely match our members. There will be games to be sure, but there will be other things for our members. Chris Fendt will be bringing a racing game, complete with steering wheel and foot pedals for those who would like to find out if they really want to spend the money on them. Sherry Nisly is working on gathering software to be demonstrated on other computers. She hopes to have one system loaded with nothing but games for children. From pre-school through elementary, both educational and just plain fun.

Marty Mielke and Elizabeth Fox are heading the swap meet. Members are free to bring items to this meeting that they wish to sell or trade, but be aware that everything must leave the room that night, and I do not have a semi-tractor trailer to carry “left over” equipment to my huge warehouse. If you are bringing something, please be ready to take it home if it does not sell, even if you want to give it to EPCUG. We can pick it up later if we can not take it that night.

Jim Pressler and Pat Fawley are in charge of refreshments. That’s right, I said refreshments. Popcorn and other “clean” snacks will be available. This also means that we need to sweep the meeting room and the hallway and still be out by 9:15.

Mark Meidel, Chris Fendt, and I will have scanners, color printers, and digital cameras so you can have photographs converted to digital files that you can send to relatives over the Internet or make your own Christmas cards. Bring your family and for a few bucks get a picture taken. While the photos will not be as good as those taken by a professional, it gives you a chance to try out these technologies, and puts a few bucks into ECPUG’s coffers.

As your new Membership Director, I would first like to thank you for your support. I also want to thank Sherry for the fine job she has done for the past two years, under some difficult situations.

For instance, each month, she had to go through the membership list, member by member to update the date of attendance. She then added an asterisk after each name to indicate the upcoming lapse of membership. The problem with that system was the great amount of manual labor for her and the fact that members did not know the date of lapse until shortly before the fact.

SO, NO MORE ASTERISKS!!! Instead, a small date following your name indicates the date of lapse for your membership. The membership is automatically extended to 1 year after your last recorded attendance. Easier for me, better for you.

Are you one of the several people who have had trouble understanding exactly what you are supposed to do to get on the email list for EPCUG? Don’t give up, there’s hope and an alternative!

Simply send me a personal email, and I will get you on the list, answer your questions, help you understand how things work, and take care of what needs to be done!

The mailing list is an extremely viable tool for the group. A method by which you the members can be reached instantly by the officers. An avenue for questions about your computer, and source for continuous learning as you read others questions. So, ask your questions, post your answers, read other’s information, learn and grow with each solution. Take the time to get on the list, and be ready to gather information and knowledge.

Go to the EPCUG home page and click on the e-mail list link, or go directly to the signup page at:

www.epcug.org/signup.html

Fill out the form and then

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS on the ThankYou page

which you will be sent to after you submit the form.

The EPCUG E-Mail List is set up to aid EPCUG members in helping each other, and for occasional messages from the Board of Directors. A place to ask questions, share news, and discuss other computer related topics.

If you have JUNO or the web page does not work for you (some older versions of AOL don’t) or you are not sure what is supposed to be done next, or you just don’t understand what it says, send an email directly to the list manager (that’s me) at:

owner-epcug@epcug.org

A paperless office? Is that really possible? Is that what we want?

Jeff Nelson and Dave Groff from Bolt Computer Systems presented an energetic and persuasive program telling us it certainly is possible and in many settings highly desirable. They gave us visions of putting all the paper stacks in boxes and sending them off to the storeroom.

It’s true that it is not right for all offices, but it could be far more effective than we now imagine. The people at Bolt have made this a priority and now offer a program called LaserFiche. One of their presentation signs told us, “we take the cabinet out of filing.” Their focus is to utilize the power of computer driven document management to save time and money.

Increasingly large businesses, government offices, cities, towns and municipalities are turning to computer managed documents. The most obvious benefit is saving space, but it also saves a great deal of time eliminating a lot of filling and retrieving. It has the potential to save the cost of hiring people to move all those pieces of paper in and out of drawers or in and out of boxes.

The heart of the matter is a software program prepared to accept scanned and digitally photographed materials that become searchable through any criteria you want to define. The examples presented were police records of car accidents. The officer’s report written at the scene is scanned into the program and can then be retrieved through record number, officer name, driver’s name, street name, or whatever criteria best suits the need.

Some programs have the capability of blacking out selected portions that would only be available to individuals with the appropriate password. It is possible to highlight items in a variety of colors and each color could be assigned to a person specifically looking for that information. There are several programs on the market with a variety of capabilities. It may even require the blending of two or more programs to provide a fully functioning retrieval system to meet many needs.

To illustrate the Key Word possibilities they had all of Shakespeare’s writing available and asked someone in the audience to suggest an obscure quote from one of his plays. The quote was typed in and called for and very quickly found. The numbers are astounding. Endless amounts of documents can be scanned in and then retrieved easily and quickly. One CD-ROM can contain the information held in a 4-drawer filing cabinet.

There are safeguards that ease the fear of losing important information. For instance, daily onsite backups, and backups kept off site, assure that you would not lose more than one day’s entries. Only designated individuals would be able to edit or delete material.

The truth is computers tend to generate more paper not less, as we were told, but a careful analysis of the office’s needs and a closer look at the computerized document management possibilities could mean the year 2000 is the year we clean up the paper clutter.

Jon Slough opened the meeting with approximately 75 members present and 8 new attendees. Our 1999-2000 officers were introduced, and President Jon announced that Russ Burke, Program Director, for the past two years would be moving to Tennessee. We are grateful for the fine work Russ has given EPCUG and we wish him and his wife the best. Joan Patrick volunteered to fill this position for the club. A motion to accept her as Program Director was made and seconded. A call for the motion was asked for. Jon Slough asked for those in favor, and those opposed. The motion passed unanimously. Joanne is a past member of the board and we are fortunate to have her assume this responsibility.

Marty Mielke, Treasurer, reported that we have $1512.00 balance and we have some expenses such as newsletter printing, postage and post office box to be paid yet for the month.

Membership Chairman, Larry VanOsdol, requested that every member should now be sure to check off their name as they arrive. If you have perfect attendance you will be eligible for the drawing of $100 at the December meeting of 2000. “Awesome”!!!! Larry is rewriting the database program in order to facilitate the mailing of our newsletter to all the membership. If you are not receiving the newsletter, come to our next meeting and get back on our list.

Jon Slough announced that the club will hold a “computer building session” Saturday, October 30th from 11- 4 p.m. at the Primerica Financial Office in Goshen. Our purpose is to build computers that would be satisfactory for the Boys and Girls Club of America to use for term papers etc. He urged everyone who had cards, boards, memory chips, monitors, software, mice and keyboards that were laying around to donate to the club to help out some youth. Members will be working on this project from time to time to service youth in our community.

‘SHOWCASE SPECTACULAR’ is going to be held December 2 at 7:00 PM at Crown Industries. You will have the opportunity to see new applications, games, have a picture scanned or your picture taken and take it home as a file on a disk. Are you interested in swapping an item or donating an item to be sold by EPCUG? If you desire to sell that “board” etc., a 10% donation fee will be retained by EPCUG. So come on over and have a great evening with the EPCUG members and don’t forget to bring your friends.

SIG GROUPS - GENEALOGY - Gloria Savill, Co-Leader, will meet Saturday, November 13 at 10:00 AM at the Elkhart Public Library at 300 S. 2nd St. INTERNET GROUP - Mark Meidel, announced that this group would probably start up after the first of the year, meeting on the 3rd Tues. of the month.

Jon Slough introduced Jeff Nelson, President of Bolt Computers who in turn introduced David Groff, Certified Digital Image Architect, who gave a presentation on “The Paperless Office” document management which is definitely going to be up and coming procedure to efficiently run offices in the future. The amount of paper growth per year in the majority of our offices is growing at a rate of 6% each year and we are spending 20% of our time physically handling this paper.

The question is: Does shuffling the paper pay the bills or working with the information that is ON the paper? Bolt Computers is helping municipalities, cities and companies find a more efficient and practical process in managing their documents through the “LaserFiche” application.

LaserFiche can manage from 16 thousand to 12 million images depending on the version that is recommended for your use. The documents are scanned and held in non-editable exact images. You can search for a document by a key word and it will take you to the text immediately. If you misplace a document/title or can’t remember you still can locate with a single word or a group referring to the content. Your electronic filing is quality controlled, verified and absolutely secure. Security access is determined by your needs and information can be blocked out according to who uses the document. One copy will reside on the network server. You can preserve this information on a CD and take it with you or store it in another place.

Document management through digital imaging is here to stay and “LaserFiche” is a dynamic concept in this field. The smallest version of LaserFiche runs in the area of $600. Bolt Computer is one of the very few companies in the area equipped and trained to meet the demands for planning and efficiently handling the documents of a company

DOOR PRIZES New Member Winner - Linda Opaczewski - $35 Gift Certificate - EPCUG Bonnie Munson - Learning Windows 98 - EPCUG Joan Patrick - Math Blaster - EPCUG - Donated to Boys/Girls Club.

Jon and I must have made an impression on the audience at the meeting when twisting arms for a review of the meeting, because two wonderful reviews made their way to my mailbox. I would like to thank both ladies, and commend their very well written articles. Lo, that I could get them to just take turns (smile). But Pat will have other duties to attend to, and Bonnie’s health prevents her from attending through the winter months.

One of the things that neither Jon nor I apparently made clear was the fact that we are not looking for one steady, regular author for the review article. What we are looking for is 8-11 people to take 1-2 meetings and review them. This review really does not need to be anything more than what you would write a friend who could not attend. If you would go home or maybe in the next day or so, after the meeting, sit down and pretend I had not attended, and write me a letter telling me about it. I will make sure that all the fine points are attended to, such as names of presenters and programs. Specific points and features of the product being demonstrated are not necessary, either. Just an overview.

Look back through some of the past issues, and re-read some of them. All we want to do is make sure that those who are not present have an idea of what went on, and what they missed out on. It’s a chance to say thank you to the presenter and give some of the highlights of the meeting. It’s a chance to make those who did not attend, wish they had. That’s all that is being asked for.

Special writing talents are not required. This is not a professional magazine that needs intensely high level writing. We are a group of computer users whose goal in getting together is to help each other learn and understand our computers, while perhaps learning a point or two ourselves in the process. Keeping that goal in mind, please consider volunteering to sign up for 1 or two meetings during the next year. If when your turn comes around, you really feel it is going to be a subject which you cannot deal with, simply let me know, and I will get someone else to give you a hand, or I will myself. A joint effort is often less scary than a solitary project.

Please, consider giving me a hand with this facet of the newsletter. I work very hard to make sure that you have a publication that you can be proud to share with your friends and associates. I try to make sure it is something that will teach you, and entertain you a bit at the same time. But, I cannot do it all by myself. Since none of you volunteered to come to my house to proof the final copies and layouts, I’m asking that just a few of you help out where you can.

Also, please remember me when you are surfing the Internet and come across an interesting website. A one or two line description and the URL sure makes my day. I want to be sure to thank Joanne Patrick and Dale Parrot for their contributions this month. Even just 1 or 2 from a few others makes my job easier. Of course, if someone would like to take it on as a full focus, I certainly would not object either!

I hope you are enjoying reading this newsletter as much as I enjoy putting it together for you. I feel like I am making a difference in the lives of others if I can help them learn more about their systems, or perhaps bring a chuckle with the humor.

These tips and tricks are offered online periodically at the website of PCUG, the PC Users’ Group of Jacksonville http://www.pcug-jax.org/index.html and are reprinted by EPCUG with express permission. Any reprint requests must be directed to PCUG. All copyright © reserved.

STARTING AT THE START BUTTON

• To start a program or document move the mouse pointer over the Start button and click the left mouse button.
• You’ll see that Windows 95 has listed your programs on the Start menu. To start a program left click Programs then the program you want to start.
• You can start a recently used document by left clicking Documents then the name of the recently used document.
• You can find documents or programs by left clicking Find then Files and Folders. Enter the name of the document or program in the Named box.
• Get Help or demonstrations by left clicking Help.
• Shut down Windows by left clicking Shut Down and making sure “Shut down the computer?” is selected.

DESKTOP ICONS
Some icons appear on the desktop by default. The icon for My Computer and Recycle Bin are in this category. You can create icons on the desktop which are shortcuts to programs or files. You can then use these shortcut icons by double left clicking them to open the programs or files that they point to. To create a shortcut for a program on your desktop:

• Using the Windows Explorer (not the Internet Explorer) or My Computer, locate the program for which you want to create a shortcut.
• Left click the program to select it.
• Right click the program, choose Copy.
• Right click the desktop and choose Paste Shortcut.

THE PROMOTER
Webmasters! Subscribe to The Promoter for the best affiliate programs and latest web tools. Send a blank email to mailto: thepromoter-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thepromoter.listbot.com

FREE JOKES AND MORE
Sign up for The Humor News to receive a weekly mailing of the funniest stuff on the web, including jokes and great humor sites. Also has a variety of free stuff! Send a blank email to mailto: thehumornews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thehumornews.listbot.com

FREE CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES
Sign up for The Free Contest News to receive a weekly mailing of the latest contests and sweeps. Win prizes ranging from t-shirts to cash to exotic dream vacations! Send a blank email to mailto: freecontestcity-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://freecontestcity.listbot.com

CDROMS BY MAIL!
Subscribe to CD-Roms by Mail for the latest CD-Roms. Send a blank email to mailto: cdromsbymail-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://cdromsbymail.listbot.com

FREE SCREENSAVERS BY EMAIL
Subscribe to The Screensaver News for the latest free screensavers and free desktop programs. Send a blank email to mailto: thescreensavernews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thescreensavernews.listbot.com

FREE NEWSLETTERS FROM ZMEDIA
Free stuff, humor, business, etc. http://www.zmedia.com/?ref=clutter

FREE2TRY DISPATCH
Get tons of free stuff every week! http://www.websponsors.com/cgi-bin/ad_click.cgi?userid=2417&offerid=388

GET CHEAP STUFF!
Subscribe to The Cheap Stuff News for coupons, gift certificates, and great bargain deals. Send a blank email to mailto: thecheapstuffnews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thecheapstuffnews.listbot.com

FREE MOVIE STUFF!
Subscribe to The Reel News for free and cheap movie stuff & updates on coming attractions! Send a blank email to mailto: thereelnews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thereelnews.listbot.com

FREE DOWNLOADS!
Subscribe to The Download News for hot downloads, including MP3s, Games & Software. Send a blank email to mailto: thedownloadnews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://thedownloadnews.listbot.com

THE FREE STUFF NEWS
A daily dose of freebies! I have really enjoyed it, and have found some real neat stuff. To subscribe, write to mailto: thefreestuffnews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit http://www.freeclutter.com

EFAX.COM
Free personal eFax number with no setup fees, per page charges, or hidden costs. Faxed documents emailed as attachments can then be viewed, printed, or forwarded. Also offers a FREE voice-to-email service using the same number. Possible alternative to a second phone line? The number issued is not in our area code, but it might not make a difference if the persons sending the fax or voice message is not local anyway! With some long distance services you may need to use a 1010*** number. They also have ‘For Pay’ service enhancements. Most of this is unnecessary if your modem is a fax/modem. Also, in reading through the Terms of Service agreement, I did note that you must use the eFax number at least twice a month to keep it, otherwise they will terminate your account. http://www.efax.com/index.html

GATOR - Online password help
“Gator is a nifty online companion that automatically fills out web forms and remembers your login names and passwords. When you’re confronted with a login, registration or order form online, Gator pops up and fills in the form for you with just one click. This can save you a lot of typing and brain-racking if you use a number of sites that require logins, or if you’re a frequent online shopper. Tired of typing in the same information dozens of times when making online purchases? Gator will optionally store your personal information (such as name, address, and credit card number) in an encrypted file on your computer, and then fill in your order forms. If you’ve heard about “digital wallets” and wondered what they were, this is it. You’re in control of the information that goes in or out of Gator, and your personal information is never given out to any third party. I’ve been using Gator for a while, and I really like it. Every time the little green guy pops up and asks if he can fill in a form for me, I’m glad I took the time to download him. (Gator works only on Win95/98/NT systems.) Tourbus riders can get $100 worth of discount coupons for popular online shopping sites when they download Gator. http://www.tourbus.com/gator.sht” —Bob Rankin, The Internet Tourbus

CLICKTHEBUTTON
A free, unique price comparison service that can be accessed from your desktop while you are browsing many leading online stores. Check this out! Download the software they give away (average time, < 1 minute). It will put a ‘button’ next to the clock on your computer (or in your Apple Menu if you use Macintosh). Once you have the button, go to your favorite book, movie, music or toystore on the web and find a product you like. Then, ClickTheButton! and see a list comparing the price of your selection at several top online stores. http://www.clickthebutton.com/

The scanner you buy is a hardware device. It will usually come with two kinds of software; one a photo or graphic processor for handling graphics, and the other an optical character recognition (OCR) package for recognizing characters from printed matter.

Scanners will do two different jobs:

• they scan graphics, either in color or in black and white, and place the graphics into files for your computer, or
• they read documents and turn them into files that your word processor or text editor can process.

Resolution

Resolution is generally described in “dots per inch” or dpi. Unfortunately there is a great deal of confusion in the term as it applies to screen, scanner, and printer. A screen resolution of 800 x 600, typical of 15" monitors, applies to maximum pixels displayed, where a pixel is the smallest visible unit on the screen. Such a monitor has an actual horizontal screen size of about 10.5". At 800 pixels divided by 10.5", its resolution is about 75 dpi.

Scanner resolution is a specification that describes the maximum number of dots that can be sent to the computer. Since there is a practical maximum of about 300 Charge Coupled Devices that can be mounted on the scanner light bar, any claimed resolution that exceeds 300 dpi must be interpolated. That’s not necessarily bad, but it does depend partially on the quality of the scanner software.

Printer resolution is also expressed in dpi, but can be misleading since printers must place a series of dots on the paper to create the illusion of shades of gray or, for color printers, to show variations in color. A 600 dpi laser printer may place anything from 0 to 600 dpi on a line to express 256 shades of gray from white to black.

You choose the resolution you wish when you scan material. Do not assume that you should scan everything that will be printed at the same maximum resolution of your printer, i.e., if you have a 600 dpi printer, don’t assume you should scan at 600 dpi. Here are some suggestions for choosing scanner resolution.

When scanning gray scale or color images, using either a color or a black and white printer:

• with a 300 or 360 dpi printer, use a scanner resolution of 50 to 100 dpi.
• with a 600 or 720 dpi printer, use a scanner resolution of 100 to 150 dpi.
• when scanning black and white images or for OCR, use the full scanner resolution.

Handling Graphics
At minimum, if your scanner software permits - and most do - adjust the image level or tone before sending your graphic image to your photo enhancement program. Then, if necessary, use a sharpening filter. An Excellent Source of Information on the Web:

* Wayne Fulton’s “A Few Scanning Tips” - http://www.scantips.com

Do you know someone who lives in another area or state, that is getting a computer for Christmas? Is this going to be their first computer, and you really wish you could give them a boost? Well, there is a very special present that would be the perfect compliment for them.

A membership in their local computer user group! Unlike EPCUG, most UGs charge annual dues. But you could make a gift of the dues to that new user this year. What a great accent to that new computer!

Check the APCUG website to find the UG nearest your friend or relative, and then make out a check for the amount of the group’s annual dues. Send this check to the new user along with directions and information on the User Group. You just might get voted the most favorite Santa on their list!

www.apcug.org

Intel has launched its Pentium (r) III processor with faster clock speeds and a handful of new features. And you should hear them howl.

Why, Intel had the absolute nerve to include an encoded serial number in their chips, and every privacy freak and anti-government lunatic has come out against this disgrace. They are even threatening a boycott! Whoop-de-do! Makes me want to go right out and buy a handful.

Now, to be painfully honest, if anyone had a hidden agenda against Intel and was looking for a reason to slam the company, then this issue is made in heaven. I’ve certainly got a right to this hidden agenda, myself. I’ve never forgiven Intel for “redeploying” me a few years ago. But much as I’d like to show further evidence of their stupidity, I just can’t go after them on this issue.

You see, folks, there is no such thing as privacy on the Internet. Repeat after me. There is no such thing as privacy on the Internet.

And Intel’s embedded super-duper, encrypted, secret serial number and mark of the devil is not going to change that fact by one iota.

Now, the anti-Intel crowd would make you believe that this secret code, which any six year old will supposedly be able to figure out, will allow criminals to empty your bank accounts, will let Mike Wallace and the “60 Minutes” crew into your bedroom, and will be the end of life as we currently know it.

Duh! Guess what. General Motors and Ford have been putting serial numbers on cars for more than half a century. Boeing has a serial number on every aircraft it makes. Check out that Sears washer and dryer in the laundry room and you’ll find serial numbers. Why, every single dollar bill has a serial number. Let’s just boycott money! That’s it: if you are opposed to serial numbers, just send all your money to me, c/o Computer Bits. I’ll makes sure that those troublesome serial numbers never bother you again.

One state legislator in Arizona, unable to find any real issues, announced that he was going to try to issue legislation prohibiting Intel from making the P-III. Makes me want to move back to Oregon.

A spokesman for one of the East Coast chapters of the ACLU went so far as to explain that the serial numbers would keep bulk e-mailers from pursuing their constitutional right to do direct mail marketing. And therein lies the clue to the hue and cry.

Folks like you and me have nothing to fear from the P-III serial number. It is nothing more than a form of picture identification. No different than when you show your driver’s license when you try make a purchase by check. I’ll tell you who is in great fear of the serial number: the cyber-abusers out there. After all, the spammers are scared to death that their providers will start using the serial number to identify the source of that last 500,000 messages, in order to shut them down.

The slimers who break into your home, office or apartment and steal your computers are worried, because the resale value of a computer with no microprocessor is about nil, and if legislators are smart, they will require that the microprocessor serial number be checked on all pawned computers. I guess the thought of a national registry of stolen computers based on the microprocessor serial number will put a real damper on the hot computer market.

The pornographers, who send you those messages with innocent-sounding subject lines and a half-dozen porno links, are worried. The “make money fast” and pyramid schemers are worried. The folks who will make you an overnight millionaire are worried. The unregistered “Internet stock brokers” are worried.

Frankly, I hope that every e-mail provider starts to demand positive, system-level identifications of its users before allowing them to send e-mail. Then, and only then, will the spam and the pornography stop showing up in my mailbox, in your mailbox and in the mailbox of your children.

Worried about privacy? Allow me to ruin your day. There are more than half a dozen Internet sites where I can enter your name and a partial address, and I will get your complete name, address and telephone number. What’s that, you have a post office box? No problem, I can do an electronic reverse lookup on your telephone number via several sites, and your real address will turn up. Armed with your name and address, I can write to any number of state agencies, find out how much of a mortgage you have, who holds your mortgage, and how much you pay in property taxes.

I’d be willing to bet that I can find a social security number in there somewhere, and with that, I can simply pull a credit report on you. Now, tell me again how an encoded serial number on the microprocessor in your PC is going to expose your private life to the harsh light of day?

There is no privacy on the Internet. Get used to it. Live your life accordingly.

This issue is known by the acronym UCITA, Uniform Computer Transactions Act. It has been railroaded through NCCUSL, the National Conference of Commissioners on State Laws, and is being submitted to all the state legislatures who are expected to “rubber stamp” it.

It removes all requirements of disclosure for the vendor and prohibits lawsuits for damages by the purchaser. Actually, renter would now be a better term. For the money paid, they receive no rights to anything.