Welcome to the September 2009 Edition of Cyber News, an ad free, spam free online magazine emanating from Stanley's Studio in Phoenix, Arizona. In Cyber News we'll try to pass along some useful tips and information about your computer, the Internet, computer products, digital photography, other related topics, and some stuff that's not related at all. If just one thing you read here can help you in your computing life then it's all worthwhile. Last month I wrote that California led our readership with 199 cities. Within 48 hours the towns of Hemet, and Watsonville pushed the count to 201. Thanks California for leading the pack, but more importantly thanks to each one of you for taking an interest in this column. Another fall season has rolled around with schools back in session and all the other things that are associated with this time of year. May I pass along a reminder to be especially careful in school zones so as to guard the lives of our younger generation. Of course if you are the least bit interested in photography, this is a wonderful time of the year to take pictures. I was recently turned on to www.vistaprint.com where I ordered some business cards. It seems to be a one stop web site where you can order just about anything for doing business. Creating my cards was actually very easy and fun, although one thing that bugged me was placing the order. There were pages of other offers that you had to muddle through before consummating the deal. That aside, processing was fast, efficient, the price was more than fair, and delivery was even made ahead of schedule. I will admit that I ended up ordering a couple of T-shirts that I had no intention of doing.
It was mentioned last month that I ordered a little black box that enables us to watch Netflix movies The movies actually come down our high speed Internet connection then sent to our wireless router, picked up by the little black box and fed to our big screen TV in another room. Now that we have had a chance to use this gadget for over a month I can report to you that it really works great! Here's the link again incase you're interested. Of course you don't have to purchase the black box if you just want to watch Netflix movies on your computer. Dale from San Diego, who is also a computer consultant, sent me a You Tube video about the increase in brain cancer thought to be caused by cell phones. I encourage you to watch this, and part two when the first one finishes. Now you have been informed and can make your own decision as to how to use your cell phone. I should have written about this a long ago but a recent email brought it back to my attention. Some of you have a high speed connection to the Internet and are still using and paying for AOL. In other words you have two paths to the Internet and that is not cost effective. Some customers have told me they don't want to dump AOL because they would have to change their email address. Actually you can cancel your account and keep your AOL email address for free. Getting rid of that extra account is a simple process. Call AOL and cancel your account. This is the hardest part because they will promise you the moon if you stay with them. Step two is to use your built-in Microsoft browser to surf the net. Step 3 is to either use web mail or configure Outlook Express for your AOL account.
More technology also brings more danger areas. I mentioned a couple of months ago that your chances of having an accident while driving have increased because of people texting on their cell phones. Another danger is using wi-fi spots in hotels, coffee shops, or airports. If you occasionally access the Internet this way, you might want to watch this video for safety tips. You'll have to watch a very short commercial first, but it's worth your time. A couple of months ago I mentioned that I had tried Facebook but didn't get too excited about all the trivialities. I'm beginning now to wake up that social networks are here to stay. Are sites like Facebook a fad, or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Is email on the way out? Click here for some very interesting facts! Also you might like to read about "10 ways to stay out of trouble when you post to a social network". Beware of piggyback installs. More times than not these days when you install a program it will try to install another program that you probably don't want. Vendors pay other vendors to do this. Two of the most common offenders are Yahoo and Google toolbars. During the install watch for these piggyback programs and uncheck the unwanted application's box before clicking on "Next." My wife and I do a lot of camping in the wilderness, mostly in Northern Arizona. Many a night, we along with friends have watched the sky in total awe sometimes for hours sighting satellites and meteors. There are thousands of satellites circling the earth and are not that hard to spot. One night we even saw the shuttle trailing shortly behind the space station. It's difficult to wrap your mind around what you are experiencing. If you think watching the stars with your naked eye is something, what happens when you point the Hubble Space Telescope to a seemingly blank patch of sky? This is an incredible view that will take you to the edge of the universe. You can watch this video in HD and in full screen, and if this doesn't set your mind wondering, nothing will!
If you have never heard of Kim Komando, it's about time you meet her. She lives in Phoenix and probably knows more about computers than I'll ever know. Her weekly three hour computer talk show is heard on 450 radio stations and probably on one near you. Check out Kim's website where you can get lost in computer information! Microsoft's
Movie Maker has always been a great application and the best part is
that it's free! Is your computer masculine or feminine? Find the answer to that question on my Blog. We are living in an age of superior creativity. We are born with abilities to create and technology has greatly enhanced this field. Here's a short video of a winning entry in a University of Copenhagen science competition, which is creativity personified! You've heard of the term "Photo Shopped," which simply means that a picture has been manipulated. I have often taken my pictures and altered them, some just slightly to give them a special effect such as in my "Photo Effects" Gallery. Some of my pictures have been drastically altered as in my "Photo Art" Gallery. Here's a site that I know you will enjoy where animals, insects, and birds have been altered with some pretty amazing and funny results!
Check
out my photos that I've taken from around the world. You'll
find over
1,100 pictures in 38 different galleries. We have had over
242,000 views on our Photo
Site,
thanks in part to Cyber News readers! Love is especially expressed in weddings. As our society has changed, expressions of love are expressed in many different ways. Here is one such special occasion that attendees will not soon forget!
Remember you can read previous editions of Cyber News by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page. You can also search previous editions of Cyber News by typing key words into the search box. If you would like to be added to our mailing list (absolutely not shared with anyone) just click here. You will be notified when each new edition is posted. Since spam filters seem to be getting stricter our notification may end up in your spam folder, so be sure to check that occasionally for any important email that may have ended up there. Cyber News is a permanent web site, so you can put it in your "Favorites" and refer to it anytime. Secrets of Safe Computing are outlined below. Please don't ignore them. Read each point and be sure to follow the advice as outlined in System Maintenance. Just a few minutes of work each month will go a long way in keeping your computer running smoothly. Thanks for being here. Stay Positive and remember, YOU can make a difference. "Live life with passion, in a constant state of joy, and with an attitude of gratitude!"
Disclaimer: The information presented in Cyber News is researched and is believed to be accurate. We cannot guarantee that all the information will work on your particular combination of hardware, software and user skills. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Stanley Computing nor its contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use any information presented on this web site. |
Read
my opinion about some inkjet printers, but picture Andy Rooney from
Sixty Minutes saying it. Have you ever tried to print a simple
document using just black ink, but the printer refuses to cooperate
because one of the color cartridges is empty? What's up with
that? My Canon printer has
six cartridges, one black and five color. I can understand, if I
try to print a color picture and one color cartridge is empty that I
would get a message to replace it. But come on Mr. Canon, aren't
you holding me hostage? If all five colors are empty shouldn't I
be able to print a simple black and white document without going to the
store to buy color cartridges?
Warning:
Surfing
the Internet can be hazardous to your computers health! Be
careful when clicking on any web site link. Sometimes you think
you're going to a certain site, but it's counterfeit. It may look
exactly like the real thing but it's fake and that's where the trouble
starts. Example: If you think you're going to Facebook, make
sure it says facebook.com in your browser's address window. If
it's fake it will read something different, and then it's time to vacate
the site!
If
you see a laptop at your favorite computer store and it touts a
battery life of 5, 6, 7, or 8 hours, is this really the truth? The
answer is no and in reality you can count on about 50% of what is
advertised. Find out why from 
Photo
Tip of the Month: When transferring pictures from your
camera's card to your computer, be sure you use the copy
command. Once transferred, double check to make sure all photos
are on your hard drive. Once this is established you can format
the card in the camera for a fresh start. Now you are only half
finished as you are living dangerously with only one copy of your
pictures. Back-up to an external hard drive so that you're not
sorry if your computer crashes. I recently upgraded an older drive
with a new Seagate 1.5 terabyte external drive for only $120, and it
came with excellent back-up software. Now I admit, that's a very
large capacity but I'm thinking of the future. Of course you can
purchase a smaller one for a lot less money. The point is; DO
IT! 
If
you think a friend or family member would enjoy Cyber News, don't
hesitate to let them know about it. An easy way to do this is to
right click on the web address in the address window of your browser and
choose copy. Open your email program and a new email.
Address it, and in the body of the message right click and choose paste.
That creates a link and when your friend receives the email he or she
simply clicks on the link and it will take them directly to Cyber News. Of
course you can do that with any web page.
