Newsletter Comments from SCScompA

Newsletter Date: January 31, 2002

Welcome to my monthly newsletters.

I apologize for being very late this month. It is not a good way to start off the year. Although the above date says "January 31, 2002" this newsletter is not fully completed and it is the third week of February as I add this to the Web site.

However, I want to get the enclosed information in-progress, so I put it out in its current format.

I don't know, yet, what the rest of February will bring -- and when I will complete this January newsletter and then put out a February newsletter -- but, in any case: Read on!

Not having the newsletters available until after mid-month is getting to be a habit. I guess we will have to assume from now on they will not be ready until near end-month. In any case, browse the following and feedback any comments. Thank you, in advance.

If you have not seen the December 30 2001 newsletter please take a look at it in its final format when you have a chance.

I encourage you to browse earlier SCScompA newsletters if you have not already done so, and to send me any comments/questions/concerns that you may have regarding material presented in these newsletters.

I hope you all are having a good start to 2002.

Let's begin, as usual, the newsletter with a couple of scanned (I use a Microtek ScanMaker V6upl) comics.

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Some People Just Don't Get the Point!

He heard, but did not hear the real background to the comment. I guess we all have been in this situation sometimes!

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A Final Paper

I wonder how the teacher responded to the latest entry.

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I wish you success with your use of home computing systems.

Contact me regarding any matter in this newsletter that causes you concern or you want to otherwise discuss.

Regards,
Dave Shogren
eMail to: SCScompA@aol.com

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Expansion on Examples of the Top Five Enjoyable Things I Use my Home PC For

Last month I summarized, as I do once in awhile in these newsletters, what I use my home PC for. Last month I mentioned how I respond, as-of December 2001, to the question: "What are your top five activities on your PC"? Such an answer is a "moving target", since our enjoyment/use of a home computer changes as applications, needs, and other factors change over time. However, I believe it valuable for the home computer user to every year-or-so document what are his/her top uses of a home computer system for a number of reasons, including: If the application on your PC is important to you -- and, you know you use it often -- why not consider upgrading that application to its latest version? Why? To ensure you have the recommended application's maintenance applied as well as ensuring you are taking advantage of the application's latest features/offerings. I realize that sometimes the rule: "Never change something that is not broken" applies to your favorite/mast-used PC applications -- but, I am inclined to upgrade and test/implement key applications on a yearly-or-so basis. Just ensure you test/have a backup-to-the-original-version procedure in place when you upgrade. Some PC-knowledgeable person can assist you in this regard if you are uncertain. For your top/most-used applications, you may have data that is input (such as a Word document or a spreadsheet set of data) and you have not recently backup up on external media (such as a set of floppy disks, an external ZIP disk, or a CD/RW disk). Taking the time to identify your key applications and the application's data can remind you to backup externally that data. Knowing the key applications you use can assist you in planning for your "next" home computer. As time moves along you (probably) will upgrade/change your home computer system. Knowing what applications are important to you can help in sizing/planning for the expense of an upgrade. If you do not take the time to, on a regular/yearly-or-so basis, identify your key/important/most-used applications: If you are faced with any of the matters such as the above -- you might not know what you use! In any case, take the time once in awhile to document/know what applications are important to you as a home computer user. Here was my December, 2001, response: The Top Shogren-Uses of the PC/laptop: "One" being most enjoyable and most-used. eMail, Internet, take advantage to America Online's offered panels/pages/support. No question about this. I not only enjoy use of this entire topic -- but, I spend the second-most time per day in this area. FreeCell and Bridge Baron -- and Hoyle Card Games (especially Hearts) Although I know home use of the PC/laptop should be -- and, is -- something that is of concrete value to a family: I have to admit I "relax" by using FreeCell often and Bridge Baron nearly as often. I use other games -- including Hoyle Card Games (especially Hearts); but the above two games I use on a regular basis. I am a little surprised that I list this topic as my second favorite -- but, I have to be honest! Use of Word documents for: Summarizing matters I want to share with other family members and friends, work/etc. documents, and text processing in general. I spend the most time in this area. In addition to using Word for my own use, I work with other family members in putting together documents/letters/memos for our use. Viewing/manipulating/sharing with others photographs (scanned and digital camera output) and other scanned items. I do this regularly. In increasing frequency -- and, I learn a little more each time I use my image processing program (Paint Shop Pro). I cannot emphasise enough that I encourage you to save/show/modify/improve your photos and other scanned and/or digital items related to your family. If not now: Eventually -- you will be happy to have easy access to the information. Use of other applications that are installed on my home PC/laptop. The three used the most are: PaintShop Pro (Image processing and primary tool that interfaces with my scanner) PowerPoint (Presentations/discussions) Lotus Organizer (Address book, Appointment Scheduling) Use of HTML (HTM, Web browser displayable information) I do this on a regular basis. Remember: You need not have the HTM-use information on the Internet/Web -- you may use the technique for local showing on your own PC/laptop. I use this especially for displaying a series of pictures taken for a special day and/or vacation. I next showed brief examples of using some of the above, and I want to complete that set of examples in this month's newsletter. Those of you who are experienced in these areas, just browse along! eMail, Internet, take advantage to America Online's offered panels/pages/support: Discussed last month. See the end-December 2001 newsletter if you are interested. FreeCell and Bridge Baron -- and Hoyle Card Games (especially Hearts) Discussed last month. See the end-December 2001 newsletter if you are interested. Viewing/manipulating/sharing with others photographs (scanned and digital camera output) and other scanned items. This is a large topic. It is not easy to put, into a monthly newsletter, sufficient information on this topic to do it justice. In each of my newsletters I show examples of how I view/manipulate/share with other family members and friends topics in this area. Discussed last month. See the end-December 2001 newsletter if you are interested. Use of Word documents for: Summarizing matters I want to share with other family members and friends, work/etc. documents, and text processing in general. I intended to update this area this month -- but, simply ran out of time. Example panels will be added in upcoming newsletters. Use of HTML (HTM, Web browser displayable information) I intended to update this area this month -- but, simply ran out of time. Example panels will be added in upcoming newsletters. Use of other applications that are installed on my home PC/laptop. The three used the most are: PaintShop Pro (Image processing and primary tool that interfaces with my scanner) PowerPoint (Presentations/discussions) Lotus Organizer (Address book, Appointment Scheduling) I intended to update this area this month -- but, simply ran out of time. Example panels will be added in upcoming newsletters. I hope that the above discussion gave you some ideas for your home use of your PC/laptop -- especially if you are new to the topic. Don't hesitate to contact scscompa@aol.com with any comments on the above or for any related discussion.

This Month's Example of Viewing Scanned and/or Digital Camera Pictures using HTM (Web page) parameters.

In most of my newsletters, I show a few examples of using an HTM-type approach at sharing photographs or other material including scanned images with family/friends. This month I discuss/show examples of: Using a Digital Camera. This month's example briefly discusses "Why I sometimes get a picture result out of focus". Scanned item and an example of HTM (HTML) USEMAP implementation. This month's Great Golf Hole. To see this month's example click on: This Month's Photograph Examples from SCScompA. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Don't hesitate to contact scscompa@aol.com with any comments regarding the above or for any related discussion.

Miscellaneous Comments Regarding Home Computer Use Matters that Came Up in November

Miscellaneous Matters. What Home-Use Operating System do I recommend? I have mentioned a number of times that I currently run my home computer system using Windows 2000 Professional. I have had very good service/luck with that operating system as a home user. Customers I have worked with recently are beginning to use Windows XP. For them, I have recommended and have worked with them using XP Professional. As of now, I am recommending customers give strong consideration to Windows XP Professional. Remember, you can "easily" dual/multiboot (different operating systems co-exist) your recently-configured/installed home computing system -- if you need to for certain applications. Some of you are, as you read this, thinking: "How can he say that! I do not want my home computing system to be dual/multi boot and more complicated than with one operating system!!!". OK. Ignore this comment -- but, keep the comment in mind and ask for assistance someday if you find some application that requires a specific operating system. Someone will help you, if help is needed. What Do I Recommend for use as a Home Use eMail/etc. Support Application -- and, what version of that application do I use? I am still running America Online Version 6. The primary reason is that I have found a couple of reasons to remain with version 6 on one of my home systems. I want to remain on the same AOL version with all my home computing systems and for that reason I am currently staying at Version 6. I have, as of now, no reason to tell a customer of mine to remain on AOL Version 6. The upgrade is painless -- with the exception that it requires more installation disk space than I would like it to. This additional disk space is often only a problem/concern with laptops that have not been upgraded/replaced in the last two years or so. Let me know if you are using America Online V7 and have any positive/negative comments. Web Radio and USA Major League Baseball. Amazing -- but, USA's Major League baseball season is coming up soon. Time passes by very quickly. In any case, I am pleased that the USA's Major League baseball will for at least one more year include the Minnesota Twins. I will be listening to many Minnesota Twins' games using Web radio -- assuming that Major League baseball once again puts them online as they did last year. Last year I chose Real Networks as the supplier of the Web radio support at a cost of around $30 USA for the year's 162 possible games plus playoffs. Let me know if you hear, before I do, what the cost will be in 2002 -- and, who will be the supplier for 2002 USA's Major League baseball. I am going on the assumption that Real Networks will be one of those suppliers -- and, I will check with them early April when the USA Major League baseball season begins for 2002. External backup for home computer users. This topic will be repeated and left in subsequent monthly newsletters under the following "Maintenance" item. However, I wanted to make a few specific comments on this topic as part of this February 2002 newsletter. I often remind you, in these newsletters, to backup your user-data. I assume you do that on as regular schedule as you feel comfortable. This month, I would like you to think about storing your backed-up user data on an external site. Why do I say this? Well.... the storm season is approaching in the USA and unfortunately there will be some home PC users who are affected by wind, water, etc. As your use of the home PC system moves forward, I suspect more and more of you have user data that if you had to recreate that data from scratch -- you would not be pleased. I am not talking, here, about recreating your system and application software. You can/will "easily" recreate or replace your system/application environment. However, your user data (if important to you) is often not easily rebuilt from scratch. In some cases, you may feel that printed reports are sufficient for use in a major/disaster rebuild of your home computing systems. OK. That is your choice -- assuming that in a major disaster situation you have printed reports. However, I recommend that you backup your key user-data on external media -- and, once in awhile store that external media "offsite" in case of a major disaster at your home. I realize this sounds extreme -- but, I recommend you take the time for offsite backup of your user data every six months or whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Where? Perhaps at a friend or relative's house whom you trust will not be bothered by the material. I even know of some users who place the backup data once a year-or-so in a safe deposit box. Offsite backup is not a casual matter to either ignore or "manage". However, I recommend you do it if your home computer system involves user data that you do not want to start from scratch recreating. If you are uncertain how to backup your user data, take the time to identify those reports and other sets of information that you believe are important to your home computer use and discuss this matter with someone who is sufficiently experienced with computing use that he/she can assist you. It is important that, prior to having this discussion, you identify what application and set of reports or other information is important to you. The "important" information need not be financial or similar. It may include items such as: Scanned pictures/images that you would not like to have to rescan. Pictures from your digital camera that you have on your PC system and that are no longer available on your camera -- and, that you feel are "important" to you. Word documents or other similar "reports" that you or other family members have placed on the PC that are not easily re-created. For example, a family member may have placed some schoolwork on the PC system and would appreciate sometime in the future reviewing/looking at the material. Often, we do not know when this "sometime" may come. Perhaps, even, many years down the road. HTM (Web displayable" files or something similar that we have created and used on our home PC system and we would not like to recreate. Although we hope that a disaster would not destroy all of our in-house backup data, and we certainly in a disaster situation have more important things to be concerned about than home computer system's user data: However, if we have offsite backup of that data each six months or year -- or, whatever we are comfortable with: Terrific. It may save us, eventually, some time and frustration. We hope that we never have to use the offsite backup data. We are, for sure, certain that someday we will have to use our backup data. We, just, hope that we never have to use our offsite backup. If we do have to use the offsite backup: We hope that we have some offsite backup data to use! Some Web pages used this past month: This is a repeat from previous months. I don't have anything particular to add at this time. As a reminder, to those of you who are new to my newsletters, I use the following regularly (I am intentionally not making the following information clickable. Just enter the addresses into your Web browser's "go to" field if you wish to go there now. Perhaps use copy/paste from this Web page's following information). In any case, for information, my most-used Web pages this month include: Search engine of my choice: Primarily, Google: http://www.google.com USA Newspaper (Minneapolis Star Tribune): http://www.startribune.com/ Europe Newspaper in English (Edinburgh Scotland, Scotsman): http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/ Europe Newspaper in German (Zurich Switzerland): http://www.tages-anzeiger.ch/portal/tagi/portal.htm America Online's support for: "Business News", My Portfolios", "Movies" (Reviews), "Top News". Weather: http://www.intellicast.com/ There are, naturally, other Web pages I used as the month went by -- but, the above I use on a daily basis. Let me know what Web pages you use on a daily basis. Maintenance Matters. Once again, nothing "dramatic" came up this month maintenance-wise on my systems. As a reminder, however: Backup any of your user files / folders that contain information that you do not want to recreate. Remember: Your PC and/or its hard disk will break... You will have to, eventually, (probably at the worst possible moment!) recreate your user-data from your backup media. Backup your key user-data on external media -- and, once in awhile store that external media "offsite" in case of a major disaster at your home. I realize this sounds extreme -- but, I recommend you take the time for offsite backup of your user data every six months or whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Where? Perhaps at a friend or relative's house that you trust will not be bothered by the material. I even know of some users who place the backup data once a year-or-so in a safe deposit box. Offsite backup is not a casual matter to either ignore nor "manage". However, I recommend you do it if your home computer system involves user data that you do not want to start from scratch recreating. I use a ZIP disk as my backup media. I backup daily any file I work on (such as a Word presentation) more than 1 hour. I backup monthly all my user files/folders. I backup monthly all other family member's user files/folders that are on my PC. I remind other family members who use our family PC that if they want more-than-one-month backups of something they are working on, they need to ask me to back up specific files/folders. The latest McAfee XDAT (file for use by McAfee in identifying viruses) I have downloaded and installed use virus definitions 4.0.4185 dated 02/06/2002. I recommend that whatever virus protection service you use, you check at least once a month for virus updates. Have a good, maintenance-free time until we talk again. Contact SCScompA if you have any comments or questions about the above.

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FreeCell Game/Deal of the Month

We continue, in our household, doing FreeCell deals from 1-to-32000! We will NOT accomplish this task. We know that. However, as we go along in our for-fun-effort, yet frustration... I will mention once in awhile specific FreeCell deals we find challenging. Note: If you are running your PC on Windows 98, it is possible you have to specifically install FreeCell. Just install Accessories/Games. Let me know if these FreeCell games and the number of times we had to restart to solve the deal is about what you find. If you are going to attack deals 1-to-32000 and want to interact with us in that regard, let me know what thousand-or-so you are going to start with. We have completed deals through 2000. Now, we are attacking 2001-to-3000 and I would recommend you start with 3001! At the rate we are going (a little more than 100 deals a month) it will only take us 22 more years to complete the 32000 deals without your help. If you let us know what you have completed, it will take us less time! I am adding to this column in the newsletter a few "special" games that we found during the month. Deals we completed in one start and view as "easy"-but-still-fun games this month: FreeCell Deal Numbers: 2049, 2051 Other deals we found interesting-and-not-too-hard this month (number of times to restart is in parentheses): FreeCell Deal Numbers: 2052 and 2053(1) A different type of deal was: FreeCell Deal Number: 2054. Number of times I had to re-start to complete in lost-count moves: 3 Deal 598 continues to be the most difficult one we found in deals 1-2000. Deal 1123 is the easiest deal, in our opinion, that we have found so far, with 2018 being second-easiest in our opinion. Another easy one is 2034. Let me know how YOU do! If you want to see our list of FreeCell Deals 1-thru-what we are working on now and our comments on how many times we had to restart the deal to find a solution, let me know -- or click on: SCScompA FreeCell Table of Completed Deals

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To contact me about anything on this Web page, please: send mail to: SCScompA@aol.com

Or send snail-mail to:

SCScompA
P.O. Box 58223
Raleigh NC 27658
USA

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