"Foggy Dew" KCNET NEWSLETTER 03/02/03 MIKE'S COMMENTARY THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE KCNET RENOVATION PROGRESS NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST MIKE'S COMMENTARY: I am refusing to write or talk about snow any more this spring, I hope. I do not want to think about frolicking in, playing with, plowing, shoveling, sweeping, scrapping or deicing it. I do not want to take or see anymore pictures of it, or sing about it. As far as I'm concerned it does not exist. In fact, if you think about it, **** is a four letter word and you know what that means. As Beretta would have said, "and that's the name of that tune!" And Lily Tomlin would have followed with, "PhhhhhhTh, and that's the truth!!!" Hey! On the lighter side. This is a classic. I'm getting psyched for St. Patrick's Day. Plus I have a ton of Irish graphics and midis to use and only two more Newsletters. So here we go. Oh, Ken Condo reminded me about it with this piece. Ken was not the bricklayer. ~"The Bricklayer's Lament", an Irish Pub Song"~ Dear Sir: I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put "Poor Planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient. I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when weighed later were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 240 lbs of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3, accident reporting form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley which I mentioned in Paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground-and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope. New Definitions Sent by Irish Rose, Rosemary Bednarczyk ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle. BEAUTY PARLOR: A place where women curl up and dye. CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people. CHICKENS: The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead. COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours. DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out. EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation. GOSSIP: A person who will never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage. HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage. INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper. MYTH: A female moth. MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better. RAISIN: A sunburned grape. SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time. SKELETON: A bunch of bones with the person scraped off. TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction. TOMORROW: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today. YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed. WRINKLES: Something other people have. You have character lines. Subject: Dogs Bud Casselberry sent this one. I suppose most of these dogs are setters, Irish Setters. "The reason a dog has so many friends is that it wags its tail instead of its tongue." -Anonymous "Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." -Ann Landers "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." -Ben Williams "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Josh Billings "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andy Rooney "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." -M. Facklam "If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." -James Thurber "A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." -Robert Benchley "I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner "Dogs need to sniff the ground; it's how they keep abreast of current events. The ground is a giant dog newspaper, containing all kinds of late-breaking dog news items, which, if they are especially urgent, are often continued in the next yard." -Dave Barry "If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise." -Unknown "Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -Robert A. Heinlein KCNET CLASSES (Keep Checking for Schedule) BEGINNERS: This is a very basic six session course in computer techniques for the internet. There is a per course charge of $20.00 for KCnet members and $25.00 for non KCnet members. The class size is limited. Pre registration is required. Call 893-8111 or come in to KCnet to register before the next sessions. The class will meet at the Central Mountain High School until the new classrooms are available at KCnet. Skills taught in the beginner classes include mouse techniques like drag and drop, plus very beginner basics for email and browsing the Web. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it is very difficult to retain information without practice. You really would not try to learn to play the piano with out actual keyboard time. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE COURSE CONTENT FOR BEGINNERS INTERMEDIATES: This is a six session course for those who have mastered beginner skills. There is a per course charge of $20.00 for KCnet members and $25.00 for non KCnet members. The class size is limited. Pre registration is required. Call (893-8111) or come in to KCnet now to register for the next sessions. The class will meet at the Central Mountain High School until the new classrooms are available at KCnet. A ton of info is packed into the six sessions. This course is designed for those who "think they know but don't" and especially for those who "want to know" more. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE COURSE CONTENT FOR INTERMEDIATES ADVANCED: (used to be called "Senior Net Learners"). The cost for this class is $0.00 for members of KCnet and $2.00 per session for non KCnet members. There is no set format for the sessions. Occasionally we will take a specific subject and do a detailed study over a period of successive weeks. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The folks that have been attending for awhile are always happy for a review and in most cases new or better ways to do things will surface. Questions stimulate in-depth exploration with the usual result being an understanding of how and why. We welcome new attendees from the Intermediate sessions and our forever growing KCnet membership. This is an advanced group and we cover a lot of territory. We are kind of free flowing. You never know what will transpire. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it sure helps with the learning curve. Intermediate computer knowledge and Intermediate computer skills are necessary. This group meets at the Ross Library in Lock Haven until the new classrooms are available at KCnet. OTHER CLASSES: CLICK HERE FOR ORIENTATION - BEGINNERS - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED CLICK HERE FOR SCANNING - MAC- GENEALOGY - WEB PAGE - EXCEL - WORD - DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - PHOTO MANIPULATION - OTHER SPECIALTIES THIS WEEK'S BEGINNER-ADVANCED CLASS SCHEDULE: We have geared down class offerings because of the extensive renovation project now in progress and projected to conclude in May. BEGINNER: Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 weeks fifth and final session March 4 and 6 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm Instructors: Mike Foust and Heather Newman Cost is $20 members and $25 non-members. Classes will be held in a Central Mountain High School computer lab. Call KCnet 893-8111 to be placed on the list for the next Beginners. INTERMEDIATE: Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 weeks March 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 26 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Instructor: Mike Foust and Heather Newman This class is full. Call KCnet 893-8111 to be placed on the list for the next class. Cost is $20 members and $25 non-members. Classes will be held in a Central Mountain High School computer lab. ADVANCED CLASS: We are meeting temporarily at the Annie Halenbake Ross Library in Lock Haven. http://www.rosslibrary.org/ The next session is Wednesday 03/5/03 @ 9:30 AM Show up and be surprised. Bring questions and suggestions too. The Ross Library is located at 232 West Main Street, the corner of West Main and Third Streets in Lock Haven. It is in the next block to the old Lock Haven Sr./Jr. High School complex. The start time is 9:30. The library does not open until 9:00 and we will need some setup time each Wednesday so we will start at 9:30 and finish when we finish, just like at KCnet. Enter from the West Main Street entrance. Steps to the third floor are to the left and just before you enter the main part of the library. An elevator is also available for those that are stair step challenged. It can be accessed by slightly veering to the right while crossing the entree room. Please park on the street instead of the parking lot so that regular library patrons will not be inconvenienced. We may have our usual refreshments at break (hint, hint) and of course coffee during the sessions. Food, man we had some good food. Speaking of refreshments and weather we know that winter is actually over because Peg Masden came to class. We have not seen her since before Christmas. We are glad she is back for a couple of reasons, we missed her and she brought some luscious cupcakes. John Laubscher took time from his plowing and 'putering to make some lively tasty sausage balls. These were definitely a cold weather tidbit. Don Miller supplied an assortment of crackers, and someone brought some spicy potato chips. I drowned all that with coffee. We had an interesting session this week. We discussed programs that cause conflicts and error messages for some computers when installed. Some of these programs continue to be problems even after they have been uninstalled. Norton' s 2003 full blown suite, System Suite which is commonly called Clean Sweep, and Turbo Tax. All of these have caused problems for many users. Symptoms include auto dialing for updates at will, controlling the home pages, causing mini crashes, and interfering with normal shut down procedures. What a pain. We decided that if we are afflicted with any of the aforementioned problems we would do scan disk and defrag. If the problem persists we would look for these programs and disable them on startup or uninstall them. This procedure has repeatedly worked for others. We also played with a program that cleans up email messages and other text. It gets rid of the >>>> that appear in front of each line of text in emails that have been forwarded in addition to many other editing features. The program is called ECleaner. It works really well and it is Free. You can download it at: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6492,00.asp All prior class rules will be followed in this library location such as, suggest a subject or ask a question and we will explore. There is no advanced registration for this group. Attendance is free for KCnet members, however non KCnet attendees are charged $2.00 per session. Intermediate computer knowledge and Intermediate computer skills are necessary to SURVIVE in this class. BEGINNER - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS The Beginner Group Course Content The first session is a demonstration of the various parts of the computer. We actually take a computer apart and show the various components. We describe the computer memory, mother, sound and video boards, hardware, software, connections, peripherals, keyboards, mice, speakers, modems, etc. Students do hands on in all six sessions starting with turning the blasted beast on. We learn about the desktop and mouse control. Following lessons get into the internet and how to use the browsers to find information. We learn about Web and email addresses, domains, sending and receiving mail, forwarding and replying to email, bookmarks, address books, and a touch of Hyper text Markup Language (HTML). There is always time for questions and general exploration. The pace is what the student makes. The Intermediate Group Course Content: We mess around with the desktop, rearrange icons, change backgrounds, create screen savers, learn to make shortcuts on the desktop, learn a bunch of ways to access the hard drive and discuss how our computers resemble a file cabinet in its organization. We learn a little bit about extensions like .gif, .wav, .mid, .txt, .doc, .jpeg, .exe, and dot de dot de dot... just to name a few. We discover what special programs are already installed on our computers to help us see these special extensions. We make folders and subfolders on the hard drive. We copy and paste files into these folders. We learn the difference between cut/paste and copy/paste. We learn how to copy/borrow graphic and midi files from the internet and save them to the new folders we make. Then we copy and paste files from floppies to the hard drive, we move files from the hard drive to a floppy disk. We take floppies home with graphics and midis on them to put on the hard drives to use with email. We investigate the difference between uninstall and delete for programs and files and when it is appropriate to do either. We learn how to do a "Thorough" Scandisk, Defrag. and Cleandisk. We become proficient with Bookmarks and Forwarding messages. The final week we will get into HTML in email. So look out because we will be terrorizing our friends with neat souped up emails. Yep!, we definitely learn enough to be verrrrry dangerous er creative. AND...WE HAVE FUN!!!. The Advanced Class Content: You name it, we'll discuss it. KCNET RENOVATION PROGRESS: Click on photo to enlarge New windows on the KCnet side. New lighting and the new suspended ceiling for the H&R Block side. Sara McCoy posts additional photos pertaining to the renovation project accessible from the KCnet home page . Updates are posted as the project progresses. http://www.kcnet.org/construction/index.html NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST: Only one more Friday! The front windows, the glass doors, the ceilings and lights – all those necessary items have been installed on the front, lower floor of the KCnet Building. The renovation project for the front part of KCnet's building at 18-20 East Main Street in Lock Haven will soon be finished. Monday, the carpet in H&R Block will be installed; Tuesday, the tile floor in KCnet will be installed. By Friday, we will be moving into the front part of our new quarters! We can’t wait. It’s been a trying time for everyone - for H&R Block and KCnet patrons who have had to traipse through snow, ice and parked trucks to find the back entrance of the building – for the employees who had to put up with cramped and shared quarters (or eighths) – and for Phillips Dance studio’s dancers, families and teachers who had to move from their hardwood floor in the second floor facility of the KCnet Building to a cement floor in the YMCA. It is almost over. Our stored furniture won’t be delivered until March 17th, so we won’t be completely back to normal until sometime that week, but please plan to drop in to see us. It is beautiful! The change-over to the new server has begun. Rob Harrington, our Network Operations Center Administrator, is installing the programs that will eliminate some of the spam and most of the viruses that are irritating most of us. We’re looking forward to that improvement, too. And I guess this leads into the fact that whenever there is change, there is something to blame. Lately, we have had people tell us that ever since we changed to the new system, they have had this or that problem. WE HAVE NOT SWITCHED OVER TO THE NEW SYSTEM. The new servers are being prepared for the switch, but as of this date, nothing has been done with member accounts. Problems are most often caused by noise on the line (more prevalent in the wintertime) or by your own system being overwhelmed by requests to run so many programs at one time that your modem just says “I’m outta here” and hangs up. Gone is the day that 64 megs of memory will run anti-virus, system tools, and animated pictures on the Internet. Modems are touchy. If there is interference on your line, the modem interprets it as a signal to hang up. Someone told me yesterday she can sometimes hear noise and even other voices on the line. Someone else told me he keeps getting “kicked” off KCnet and so does his neighbor, so it’s not just him. Don’t expect a digital modem to put up with noise. Call your phone company and ask them to please check your line. They don’t have to provide lines that support digital transmission, but if you feel there is a problem with the line, and if you are persistent, they most likely will check it out. Oh, and one more thing to check. If your modem jack is plugged into anything besides a single jack in the wall, unplug it – only temporarily – plug directly into the wall and see if you still have the problem. It could simply be a bad splitter or surge protector. If you’ve done the preliminary tests and are still having disconnect problems, please call us and let a technician assist. Ray McGill, owner of Nittany Travel, is the President of KCnet; R. Keith Kelly is Vice-President; Judy Yoho is Secretary and Donald C. Miller of North Bend is Treasurer. Other members of the board are Fred Bierly, Donna Gebhardt, Earl Keen, Amy Lapriola, Paddy O’Hara-Mays, William Raco, Bob Rolley, Rick Vilello, and Dave Winkleman. Return to top of this page. SENIOR NEWSLETTER HOME PAGE VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES TRIVIA QUOTES CUTIES KCNET SENIORCENTER.NET HOMEPAGE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES 2003, 2002, & 2001 KCNET NEWSLETTER MEMBER PAGES
KCNET NEWSLETTER 03/02/03
MIKE'S COMMENTARY THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE KCNET RENOVATION PROGRESS NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST
MIKE'S COMMENTARY: I am refusing to write or talk about snow any more this spring, I hope. I do not want to think about frolicking in, playing with, plowing, shoveling, sweeping, scrapping or deicing it. I do not want to take or see anymore pictures of it, or sing about it. As far as I'm concerned it does not exist. In fact, if you think about it, **** is a four letter word and you know what that means. As Beretta would have said, "and that's the name of that tune!" And Lily Tomlin would have followed with, "PhhhhhhTh, and that's the truth!!!"
Hey! On the lighter side. This is a classic. I'm getting psyched for St. Patrick's Day. Plus I have a ton of Irish graphics and midis to use and only two more Newsletters. So here we go. Oh, Ken Condo reminded me about it with this piece. Ken was not the bricklayer.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when weighed later were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.
Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 240 lbs of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs.
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3, accident reporting form.
Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley which I mentioned in Paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience.
At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground-and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body.
Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope.
New Definitions Sent by Irish Rose, Rosemary Bednarczyk ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle. BEAUTY PARLOR: A place where women curl up and dye. CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people. CHICKENS: The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead. COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours. DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out. EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation. GOSSIP: A person who will never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage. HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage. INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper. MYTH: A female moth. MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better. RAISIN: A sunburned grape. SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time. SKELETON: A bunch of bones with the person scraped off. TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction. TOMORROW: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today. YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed. WRINKLES: Something other people have. You have character lines.
Subject: Dogs Bud Casselberry sent this one. I suppose most of these dogs are setters, Irish Setters. "The reason a dog has so many friends is that it wags its tail instead of its tongue." -Anonymous "Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." -Ann Landers "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." -Ben Williams "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Josh Billings "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andy Rooney "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." -M. Facklam "If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." -James Thurber "A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." -Robert Benchley "I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner "Dogs need to sniff the ground; it's how they keep abreast of current events. The ground is a giant dog newspaper, containing all kinds of late-breaking dog news items, which, if they are especially urgent, are often continued in the next yard." -Dave Barry "If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise." -Unknown "Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -Robert A. Heinlein
KCNET CLASSES (Keep Checking for Schedule) BEGINNERS: This is a very basic six session course in computer techniques for the internet. There is a per course charge of $20.00 for KCnet members and $25.00 for non KCnet members. The class size is limited. Pre registration is required. Call 893-8111 or come in to KCnet to register before the next sessions. The class will meet at the Central Mountain High School until the new classrooms are available at KCnet. Skills taught in the beginner classes include mouse techniques like drag and drop, plus very beginner basics for email and browsing the Web. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it is very difficult to retain information without practice. You really would not try to learn to play the piano with out actual keyboard time. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE COURSE CONTENT FOR BEGINNERS
INTERMEDIATES: This is a six session course for those who have mastered beginner skills. There is a per course charge of $20.00 for KCnet members and $25.00 for non KCnet members. The class size is limited. Pre registration is required. Call (893-8111) or come in to KCnet now to register for the next sessions. The class will meet at the Central Mountain High School until the new classrooms are available at KCnet. A ton of info is packed into the six sessions. This course is designed for those who "think they know but don't" and especially for those who "want to know" more. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE COURSE CONTENT FOR INTERMEDIATES
ADVANCED: (used to be called "Senior Net Learners"). The cost for this class is $0.00 for members of KCnet and $2.00 per session for non KCnet members. There is no set format for the sessions. Occasionally we will take a specific subject and do a detailed study over a period of successive weeks. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The folks that have been attending for awhile are always happy for a review and in most cases new or better ways to do things will surface. Questions stimulate in-depth exploration with the usual result being an understanding of how and why. We welcome new attendees from the Intermediate sessions and our forever growing KCnet membership. This is an advanced group and we cover a lot of territory. We are kind of free flowing. You never know what will transpire. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it sure helps with the learning curve. Intermediate computer knowledge and Intermediate computer skills are necessary. This group meets at the Ross Library in Lock Haven until the new classrooms are available at KCnet.
OTHER CLASSES: CLICK HERE FOR ORIENTATION - BEGINNERS - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED CLICK HERE FOR SCANNING - MAC- GENEALOGY - WEB PAGE - EXCEL - WORD - DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - PHOTO MANIPULATION - OTHER SPECIALTIES
THIS WEEK'S BEGINNER-ADVANCED CLASS SCHEDULE:
INTERMEDIATE: Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 weeks March 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 26 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Instructor: Mike Foust and Heather Newman This class is full. Call KCnet 893-8111 to be placed on the list for the next class. Cost is $20 members and $25 non-members. Classes will be held in a Central Mountain High School computer lab.
ADVANCED CLASS: We are meeting temporarily at the Annie Halenbake Ross Library in Lock Haven. http://www.rosslibrary.org/ The next session is Wednesday 03/5/03 @ 9:30 AM Show up and be surprised. Bring questions and suggestions too. The Ross Library is located at 232 West Main Street, the corner of West Main and Third Streets in Lock Haven. It is in the next block to the old Lock Haven Sr./Jr. High School complex. The start time is 9:30. The library does not open until 9:00 and we will need some setup time each Wednesday so we will start at 9:30 and finish when we finish, just like at KCnet. Enter from the West Main Street entrance. Steps to the third floor are to the left and just before you enter the main part of the library. An elevator is also available for those that are stair step challenged. It can be accessed by slightly veering to the right while crossing the entree room. Please park on the street instead of the parking lot so that regular library patrons will not be inconvenienced. We may have our usual refreshments at break (hint, hint) and of course coffee during the sessions. Food, man we had some good food. Speaking of refreshments and weather we know that winter is actually over because Peg Masden came to class. We have not seen her since before Christmas. We are glad she is back for a couple of reasons, we missed her and she brought some luscious cupcakes. John Laubscher took time from his plowing and 'putering to make some lively tasty sausage balls. These were definitely a cold weather tidbit. Don Miller supplied an assortment of crackers, and someone brought some spicy potato chips. I drowned all that with coffee. We had an interesting session this week. We discussed programs that cause conflicts and error messages for some computers when installed. Some of these programs continue to be problems even after they have been uninstalled. Norton' s 2003 full blown suite, System Suite which is commonly called Clean Sweep, and Turbo Tax. All of these have caused problems for many users. Symptoms include auto dialing for updates at will, controlling the home pages, causing mini crashes, and interfering with normal shut down procedures. What a pain. We decided that if we are afflicted with any of the aforementioned problems we would do scan disk and defrag. If the problem persists we would look for these programs and disable them on startup or uninstall them. This procedure has repeatedly worked for others. We also played with a program that cleans up email messages and other text. It gets rid of the >>>> that appear in front of each line of text in emails that have been forwarded in addition to many other editing features. The program is called ECleaner. It works really well and it is Free. You can download it at: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6492,00.asp All prior class rules will be followed in this library location such as, suggest a subject or ask a question and we will explore. There is no advanced registration for this group. Attendance is free for KCnet members, however non KCnet attendees are charged $2.00 per session. Intermediate computer knowledge and Intermediate computer skills are necessary to SURVIVE in this class.
The Intermediate Group Course Content:
The Advanced Class Content:
KCNET RENOVATION PROGRESS:
Sara McCoy posts additional photos pertaining to the renovation project accessible from the KCnet home page . Updates are posted as the project progresses. http://www.kcnet.org/construction/index.html
NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST:
The renovation project for the front part of KCnet's building at 18-20 East Main Street in Lock Haven will soon be finished.
Monday, the carpet in H&R Block will be installed; Tuesday, the tile floor in KCnet will be installed. By Friday, we will be moving into the front part of our new quarters!
We can’t wait. It’s been a trying time for everyone - for H&R Block and KCnet patrons who have had to traipse through snow, ice and parked trucks to find the back entrance of the building – for the employees who had to put up with cramped and shared quarters (or eighths) – and for Phillips Dance studio’s dancers, families and teachers who had to move from their hardwood floor in the second floor facility of the KCnet Building to a cement floor in the YMCA.
It is almost over. Our stored furniture won’t be delivered until March 17th, so we won’t be completely back to normal until sometime that week, but please plan to drop in to see us. It is beautiful!
The change-over to the new server has begun. Rob Harrington, our Network Operations Center Administrator, is installing the programs that will eliminate some of the spam and most of the viruses that are irritating most of us. We’re looking forward to that improvement, too.
And I guess this leads into the fact that whenever there is change, there is something to blame. Lately, we have had people tell us that ever since we changed to the new system, they have had this or that problem. WE HAVE NOT SWITCHED OVER TO THE NEW SYSTEM. The new servers are being prepared for the switch, but as of this date, nothing has been done with member accounts.
Problems are most often caused by noise on the line (more prevalent in the wintertime) or by your own system being overwhelmed by requests to run so many programs at one time that your modem just says “I’m outta here” and hangs up. Gone is the day that 64 megs of memory will run anti-virus, system tools, and animated pictures on the Internet.
Modems are touchy. If there is interference on your line, the modem interprets it as a signal to hang up. Someone told me yesterday she can sometimes hear noise and even other voices on the line. Someone else told me he keeps getting “kicked” off KCnet and so does his neighbor, so it’s not just him. Don’t expect a digital modem to put up with noise. Call your phone company and ask them to please check your line. They don’t have to provide lines that support digital transmission, but if you feel there is a problem with the line, and if you are persistent, they most likely will check it out. Oh, and one more thing to check. If your modem jack is plugged into anything besides a single jack in the wall, unplug it – only temporarily – plug directly into the wall and see if you still have the problem. It could simply be a bad splitter or surge protector. If you’ve done the preliminary tests and are still having disconnect problems, please call us and let a technician assist.
Ray McGill, owner of Nittany Travel, is the President of KCnet; R. Keith Kelly is Vice-President; Judy Yoho is Secretary and Donald C. Miller of North Bend is Treasurer. Other members of the board are Fred Bierly, Donna Gebhardt, Earl Keen, Amy Lapriola, Paddy O’Hara-Mays, William Raco, Bob Rolley, Rick Vilello, and Dave Winkleman.
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