PREVIOUS TPCUG PROGRAMS

We make computing fun and easy!

THIS MONTH'S PROGRAM   FUTURE PROGRAMS

PREVIOUS  FEATURE PROGRAMS

November 20, 2008

FastStone Image Viewer  – Al Rankell, TPCUG Member

Al demonstrated his experience with FastStone Image Viewer, an image browser, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats. It has a nice array of features such as image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, color adjustments, musical slideshow and much more.

TAKING WEB PAGE CREATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL - Larry Gross, TPCUG Member
Larry Gross showed how to use KompoZer, a free WYSIWYG web authoring editor to improve the look of your web pages by using tables to position graphics and text where you want them.  He also showed how to add background textures and simple “rollover” links.  The use of simple style sheets to assure a visual uniformity to text content was also demonstrated.

October 30, 2008

SNAGIT Screen Capture Software  – John Roy, TPCUG Member

John showed how software allows you to capture anything you see on the screen. You can capture a region of your screen, text from a window, the contents of a tall page that scrolls, all the images on a Web page, etc.  .

INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL COMPUTER HARDWARE WITH A CUSTOM BUILT COMPUTER EXAMPLE - Peter Basel
Peter provided a walk through the major hardware components in a personal computer.  A custom built, over-clocked (4.25 GHz) Pentium Dual Core computer was used as an example.  Emphasis was placed on the motherboard, chip sets, and the "brains" of the system - the Pentium processor. 

September 25, 2008

Creating PDF Files with novaPDF and other Software – Al Rankell, TPCUG Member

Al showed that Adobe Acrobat is not the only software available for creating PDF files.  He reviewed novaPDF software, other PDF printer drivers, and creating PDF files with office suites.

Flash Animation - Larrow Garrett , TPCUG Member
Since its introduction in 1996, Flash has become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages. Larrow  introduced us to this format.

USE OF COMPUTERS IN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS - Kristophek Seluga, Technology Associates
Kristopher Seluga, M.S., P.E., is a forensic engineer and partner at Technology Associates and has investigated hundreds of accidents. He presented the application of scientific based computer simulations and animations to civil and criminal litigation, including their use as courtroom exhibits using animations from actual cases. He  also discussed the distinction between animations and simulations, as well as the value and limitations of both.

August 28, 2008

SPECIAL PINNACLE EDITION – Heather Little, Pinnacle Sales

Heather provided an overview of Pinnacle's complete family of products that let you view and share digital content in more ways than ever before. She then provided an in-depth demonstration of Pinnacle Studio v12 including: how to get your videos into your PC, basic editing (cutting/cropping, adding titles, transitions, voice over narration, sound effects and background music) and more advanced features like chroma keying and picture-in-picture.

July 31, 2008

Mail Merge and Labels – Jean Rabinow, TPCUG Member

Jean showed us some of the mailing tools available in Microsoft Word. While most of us may not have a business application to send out hundreds of mailings, the tools can be very helpful for personal applications.

Security Analysis Using Excel – Remy Papp, TPCUG Member

Remy showed us how he uses Excel to analyze the stock market by evaluating holdings and how to get a more realistic appraisal of the acquisition you may be  contemplating. He  ruminated on the topic of Security Analysis and presented a possible framework on an Excel spreadsheet he is working on for your appraisal and free use

June 26, 2008

Cell Phone Cameras – Joe Netzer, TPCUG Member

In today’s world just about everyone owns a cell phone. If you own a cell phone then it is almost a certainty that it has a built in camera. Having this camera available for photos and even video provide great opportunities for those times when you don’t have your dedicated camera with you. Joe Netzer, our Treasurer, talked about and demonstrated some of the ins and outs of your phone camera.

COMPUTER SECURITY – Paul Keenan (HCC Professor)

An unprotected computer can be infected with viruses or spyware within twenty seconds of connecting to the Internet. All computers need effective anti-virus and spyware programs as well as software and hardware firewalls. In addition, computer users must recognize and protect themselves from "phishing" attacks and dangerous e-mail attachments. Paul discussed the different types of malware and how to protect against them. Related topics such as the security risks inherent in wireless home networks wasl also discussed.

May 29, 2008

APCUG 2008 Conference Report – Joe Netzer, TPCUG Member

On May 17^th and 18^th the first Membership & Leadership Conference of Eastern Regional Groups in over 10 years is being held in West Nyack NY. While all User group members have been invited we will have three officers in attendance. Joe will report the conference highlights to the membership.

 
Custom Built Computer - Pete Basel, TPCUG Member

Pete  discussed and demonstrated his hand built high performance PC. Membe were able to view the hardware and ask questions. If interest is high Pete will make a full presentation on PC hardware and/or how to build a PC.   

ROXIO EASY MEDIA CREATOR – John Roy, TPCUG Member

Roxio has been around for many years as a premier CD/DVD burning utility. While it still stands tall in the burning world it has emerged into full featured media suite. The suite has many tools for working with audio, photo and video. John provided insight into many of these neat applications.

April 24, 2008

TACKLING NAGGING COMPUTER QUESTIONS WITH HUMOR -  Bill Roman , TPCUG Member
Bill is owner of Number Crunchers Unlimited, a computer support and repair company based here in Trumbull that specializes in bringing computer power to small businesses and individuals. He presented a free-wheeling discussion on how to keep your computer in its best shape. He took any and all P.C. related questions from the audience and provided a list of recommended free software.  

March 27, 2008

Novice Essentials - Photo Cropping - Jerry Goldstein, TPCUG Member
Jerry  showed how to make a make a better photo using basic cropping with software you already have. He used MGI Photo Suite 3, Arcsoft Photo impression, HP Photo Image Zone, his cellphone, and various digital camera's software.  The idea is that you can use whatever software that is available on your computer to do basic cropping and improve a picture.


MY ATTORNEY,  MYSELF - Attorney Jerome Goldstein, TPCUG Member
Jerry gave an overview of available software and web sites that let you be your own lawyer. He presented  the benefits and pitfalls of being your own lawyer via your computer and listed a number of useful web sites.

February 28, 2008

Novice Essentials - John Roy , TPCUG Member
John  addressed the computer basics that many computer users take for granted. While the items discussed are familiar to the seasoned computer user it  exposed the novice to the essentials necessary to survive in the computer world.

DATA SECURITY  -  Joseph Stage (SVP, Corporate Development) of Grid Data Security

The presentation  focused on the security issues associated with passwords and the various alternatives that exist in today’s world and how companies are dealing with it  He showed how his company’s application will protect a person's identity while using passwords to log into various sites on the web. The presentation  concluded with a hands on opportunity for members to use some PC's preconfigured for testing authentications/logons.

January 31, 2008

Miscellaneous Search Engines & Directories - Al Rankell , TPCUG Member
Although Google handles more than half of all web searches, Al described other available search engines & directories and how to use them.

FINANCIAL SOFTWARE -  Caren Schwartz  of  Time & Cents Consultants LLC , TPCUG Member

Are you prepared for April 15th or are you digging through shoe boxes to find the information for your accountant? Would you like getting ready for tax day to be less painful next year?  Caren showed how to use Quicken software in order to be better prepared next year, if you start now.

Caren is the president of Time & Cents Consultants, LLC, a software consulting firm specializing in helping small businesses manage time, money and information. She is a QuickBooks Advanced Certified Professional Advisor, a Certified Consultant for Peachtree, Timeslips, Amicus Attorney and Amicus Accounting, and a Certified Independent Consultant for Time Matters, Billing Matters, PCLaw and HotDocs. Caren is also a member of the Intuit Speakers Bureau.

Return to top

November 29, 2007

Treacyfaces - Joe Treacy, President Tracyfaces.com
Treacyfaces, Inc. is a worldwide designer and marketer of unique, original typefaces, offering fonts at treacyfaces.com The company's founder and president, Joe Treacy introduced us to fonts and how Treacyfaces has set a gold standard of font design and production over the decades.

WHAT'S NEW WITH COMPUTERS - Adam Gitow of  Computer Works  in Monroe, CT

Adam  covered many aspects of new computers. Items such as what are today’s technology choices for motherboards and processors, memory, video and sound boards to name a few. If you are in the market for a new computer what are the important hardware purchase considerations. What Windows operating system should I consider is it all Vista now or is WinXP still an option?

October 25, 2007

Fan Films: Way Beyond Youtube - Jerry Goldstein, TPCUG Member
Film fans create short films you can watch on line for free. These are professional level films made by creative film makers outside the Hollywood studio system. Jerry  discussed some film sites he finds interesting that include movie spoofs and short films using both claymation and live actors. These are done using professional quality production. Its niche is giving budding film makers a forum more professional than Youtube level.

3-D VIRTUAL TOURS - Steve Domyan, Design One

3-D Virtual Tours provide a way to view buildings that are still in the blueprint stage or under construction. Because of computer technology it is possible to “walk through” a proposed building design. Steve Domyan's company, Design One of Norwalk, CT creates virtual tours from architectural designs before the buildings are physically built. Steve founded Design One in 1995 after working for Intel as an applications engineer for seven years.

To create a virtual tour Steve uses some of the hardware and software technology he helped Intel’s customers create. Design One has produced 3-D virtual tours for such prestigious clients as R.D. Scinto of Shelton, CT and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.  Steve  be showed us some of the techniques involved in using 3-D software to produce photo realistic 3-D animations.

September 27, 2007

Tips on Improving Your Internet Browsing Experience - Al Rankell & Herb Yanowitz, TPCUG Members
Tips were presented on: "Phishing" E-mail messages, Opening docx & other Microsoft Office 2007 Files Without Using Office 2007, and Checking for Software Updates.

ONE PERSON'S VIEW OF MAINTAINING A SYSTEM - Jamie Yates of DACS [Danbury Area Computer Society]
There always seems to be a lot of questions on how to maintain a system. What software to use? How to do backups? What to do to protect a system? How to solve problems that may crop up when the system slows down or when strange things occur while sitting at the keyboard?

Jamie discussed how he protects and backup his systems: including  insight how he tailors his systems, the tools he uses, and how and when he performs backups. He  also discussed viruses, spyware, firewalls and router settings for wireless networks. 

July 26, 2007

Creative Element Power Tools -   Larry Gross, TPCUG Member
Larry presented a brief insight into this suite of over 30 useful Windows tools and settings.  Included are: bulk renaming of files,  bulk changing of file dates,  easy creation of  file folders, easy modification of file type right-click edit & open attributes, and comparing folder contents.

BUYING AND SELLING ON EBAY - Jerry Goldstein , TPCUG Member
Jerry presented a program on eBay, the leading on-line auction website, at which people from all around the world buy and sell goods and services. The eBay community includes over 40 million users, and is the most popular shopping site on the Internet when measured by total user minutes. Jerry gave an overview of how eBay works, including: auctions & bidding, how to register & buy, how to sell an item, etc.

June 28, 2007

Screen Capture - Al Rankell , TPCUG Member
Al showed how to use the Print Screen Key and software already installed on your computer to: Save error messages, Eliminate need to write things down, Save pictures from your screen, etc.

BLUETOOTH - Alan Abrahamson
Alan explained in a non-technical manner what Bluetooth is, how it works and how one can use it. Bluetooth is a method of interconnecting mobile phones, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices, via an automatic short-range wireless connection. A Bluetooth connection has many interesting features that can simplify our daily lives. 

May 31, 2007

Computer Tips and Techniques - John Roy , TPCUG Member
John presented a selection of computer tips and techniques.that can be aplied to your own personal computing needs.

MYSPACE WEB SITE - Robert Wannagot, Chief Probation Officer for the State of Connecticut presented a program on the attractions and dangers of MySpace, the social networking web site. MySpace.com is a wildly popular web site where teens can find each other, and sometimes find trouble. You may never have heard of this site, but most kids have.

April 26, 2007

Smart Computing Magazine - John Roy , TPCUG Member
John  gave a presentation on Smart Computing Magazine and Website. It is written in simple language and is a source for computer troubleshooting, common problems, and tips.

OPEN OFFICE   - Bill Hart  of FCUG  [Fairfield County Computer Users Group]
Bill spoke about OpenOffice, a free office suite that is  comparable to, and can exchange files with, Microsoft Office. The components of OpenOffice are: Writer [ word processor], Calc [spreadsheet], Impress [presentation program], Draw [vector graphics editor], and Math [creating & editing mathematical formulas].

March 29, 2007

Computer Storage Devices - Shane Schmidt of Pexagon Technolgy, Inc.
Shane discussed various storage devices and their advantages and disadvantages.

GOOGLE REDUX, NOT! [Google Goodies that you may not be aware of]   - Jamie Yatesof DACS [Danbury Area Computer Society]
discussed some of the many Google offerings including: Google Dsktop, Google Alerts, Google Earth, Google Toolbas, Google Calendar, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Gmail and Picassa.

February 22, 2007

Meeting cancelled due to weather.

January 25, 2007

Browser Wars:  David  vs Goliath [Opera vs Internet Explorer 7] - Al Rankell, TPCUG Member

SHARING & PRESERVING MEMORIES  - John Roy, TPCUG Member
The presentation addressed various methods of sharing and preserving your treasured photos and videos. The focus was using your computer to create photo and video CDs and DVDs.

Return to top

December 14, 2006 - HOLIDAY PARTY

November 30, 2006

How to Purchase a Digital Camera - Charles Partridge, TPCUG Member

HOW TO BUY A NEW COMPUTER - Bill Roman, TPCUG Member
Bill (computer consultant & owner of Number Crunchers Unlimited) explored what you need to know about  buying a new computer.  He covered topics such as: where to buy, how much computer to buy, desktop vs. laptop,  Windows Vista, etc.

October 26, 2006

E-mailing Attachments - Al Rankell, TPCUG Member

HOME & SMALL OFFICE NETWORKING - Adam Gitow, President and Owner of Computer Works in Monroe
Adam explored home and small office networking. He provided a behind the scenes look at actually getting that web page to your computer and securing wireless networks.

September 28, 2006

Printing From An Internet Page - Al Rankell, TPCUG Member

COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN & VISUALIZATION – Scott Yates, an architect for over 15 years displayed some of his work, using software such as AutoCAD.

August 31, 2006

Mail Merge & Form Lettters - Bill Vaniotis, TPCUG Member

FINANCE PROGRAMS - Caren Schwartz, TPCUG member and professional in this area with her own business
Caren made a presentation on Financial Management, including: Introduction to Financial Management, Why QuickBooks/Quicken is better than other methods, and Differentiating QuickBooks and Quicken.

July 27, 2006

E-mail Etiquette & Tips - John Roy

WHY I SWITCHED FROM FILM TO DIGITAL - William Barnett (Managing Consultant - The Graphics Design Place)
Bill has many credentials in the world of photography including, exhibits, awards,, TPCUG Member judging, teaching and publishing. He presented the many reasons why he switched from film to digital photography.

Return to top