PAST MEETING PRESENTATIONS
PDF Files of Past Presentations
Backups and Cloud Storage
- November 1st Meeting. Computer backup—an absolute necessity. There are many options available today for backing up your computer. There are also many "places" (in the "cloud") to store your backups. Four separate presentations discussed some of those options:
Passwords Proxies and Protection
- September 6th, 2011 Meeting: The importance of selecting good password, and how to store them. Proxies application or appliance, and the uses of them. Security becomes more important today as the Internet becomes a larger part of our everyday life.
Lights! Camera! Music! Action
- June 7th, 2011 Meeting: This topic provides a brief look at the world of computer entertainment. There are so many audio and video formats these days that you have probably encountered, at least once, the need to change a format in order to listen or view the file you want. This presentation reviews a few of the available media conversion programs and includes a demonstration or two.
How to Convert Your LPs and Tapes to Digital Files
- October 5th, 2010 Meeting: Here are LINKS (no PDF files from this presentation) for more information on the conversion alternatives presented at the meeting:
Review of USB Turntables. Five different USB turntables are reviewed, along with selected software.
A Google search did not locate a similar review article for USB cassette decks. However, this article provides links to a number of individual reviews. The most current review is dated September 2009.
USB turntables and cassette decks can be purchased from a number of retailers online, including Amazon and Tiger Direct. If you prefer to buy locally, check some of the "big box" retailers such as Wal Mart or Costco.
For those of you happy with your current audio equipment, here are some links to more information on the other 2 gadgets discussed at the meeting:
Behringer U-Control, Model UCA202. This is a very simple piece of hardware (called a USB Audio Interface) that converts music to a digital file. No software is included, so you must use it in conjuction with something like Audacity (see below). You connect an output from your stereo amplifier to the input of this device, and connect the USB output to your computer. For more information on this device, connect to Behringer. This website also has links to free compatible software. You can buy it online (from Amazon, for example) at just over $30. If you want to buy locally, try a music intrument store rather than a computer retailer. You may have to visit that music store in person, as these devices may not be listed on the store's website. The Behringer device is one of a number of USB Audio Interface devices, each with differnt capapbilities.
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD. This device offers conversion capability for both VHS tapes and any source of audio, such as an LP (via a stereo preamp or amp) or a casette deck. Software is included, along with detailed instructions. There are a number of online sources for this device, including Roxio, Amazon and Tiger Direct. Shop around. Amazon currently (October 2010) has it listed for $50.
There are several free audio recording and editing software applications available. Probably the best known free software is an open source application called Audacity. If you want to create MP3 files, you need an MP3 encoder. The LAME MP3 encoder is available from the Windows download page of the Audacity website. For more information on using Audacity with turntables, connect to Audacity and Turntables.
Digital Gadgets
- September 7th, 2010 Meeting: The idea behind the Digital Gadgets presentations was to try and demystify the jumble of product choices and technology choices that confront today's consumers. A copy of the MP3 demo presentation and 3 supplementary digital gadgets articles are available with the links provided below:
Mobile Media This presentation provides the key information for creating MP3 music files and identifies some of the hardware and software that can be used to store and play MP3 files. You will also find a list of various types of music files.
What is this Thing Called MP3? In this article you will discover the many meanings of those 3 characters: MP3. Learn what you are giving up when you choose MP3 over some other choices.
Cell Phone or Hand-Held Computer: That is the Question You will have to decide for yourself the answer to that question. But in this article you will find a table that lists some of the more well-known devices and a few of their capabilities. You will also find many references that help you understand these devices.
The "e" and "i" Digital Gadgets There are many digital gadgets available today that have product names that begin with the letter "i" or the letter "e." In fact, there are so many of these gadgets, it can be a challenge to figure out what they offer—or at least how they differ from one another. This article will help you do just that.
eReaders and eBooks
- February 2nd, 2010 Meeting: Rick Mattingly and Chuck McJilton described the new eReaders, and demonstrated two of them. Connect to this link for a list of sources for eReader devices and also for sources of eBooks. This list (in PDF) was supplied by Rick Mattingly and edited and annotated by Mike Morris.
Backup Techniques and Tools
- March 3rd, 2009 Meeting. The meeting topic was Backup Techniques and Tools. Information is available from each of the three presentations:
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Click on Backup Techniques and Tools for the handout (PDF) provided with the topic introduction. It contains links to several free backup utilities, including the Advanced SystemCare application by IObit.com.
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Click on Acronis True Image for the handout (PDF) provided with the presentation on the True Image application, an image backup utility.
- Click on Reference Card for the source of the information provided with the Clonezilla presentation. Clonezilla is an open source partition or disk clone software application, suitable for the Linux and "Unix-like" operating systems. For more information, connect to Clonezilla. The application can be downloaded from SourceForge.
Create Mailing Labels Using Microsoft Word—A Tutorial
- November 4th, 2008 Meeting: Rick Mattingly, Jim Bragonier and Mike Morris demonstrate various software applications for creating mailing labels. Connect to this link for a Tutorial (PDF) on 4 ways to use Microsoft Word to create mailing labels.
Innovative Technology — It’s Never 2 Late
- October 7th, 2008 Meeting: Donna Gruis demonstrates the IN2L adaptive technology computer sytem. Connect to this link for a supplementary list (PDF) of Assistive Technology and Service Resources.
Using Outlook As Your Personal Information Manager
- May 6, 2008 Meeting: Mike Morris presents "Using Outlook As Your Personal Information Manager"
Connectivity, Remote Computing-Handout
Protocols and Connectivity Listing
- March 4, 2008 Meeting: Charles McJilton, Rick Mattingly and Jim Bragonier present "Connectivity, Remote Computing and Web Meetings -- An Historical Perspective with Demonstations"
Foolproof Burning CD's and DVD's
- February 5, 2008 Meeting: Guest speaker Erin Varao presents "Foolproof Burning CD's and DVD's -- An Outline and Tutorial of Burning Basics"
New Benefits for FRPCUG Members are Posted
- December 4, 2007 Meeting: Mike Morris presents "New Benefits for FRPCUG Members -- Membership benefits that can save you your dues!"
Desktop Publishing -- Choosing the Right Application
- October 2007 Meeting: Mike Morris presents "Desktop Publishing -- Choosing the Right Application"
Picasa Free Image Manager — Startup Manual
- September 2007 Meeting: Mike Morris presents a manual to Picasa use on Windows and Linux machines.(PDF format)
Meeting Topics from the Present Back to 1996
Meeting Topics — From the Present Back to 1996
- Find out what we talk about in our meetings. Here is a list of meeting topics going back to 1996.
