MIKE'S COMMENTARY THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST
MIKE'S COMMENTARY AND/OR BITS OF WISDOM Happy 80th Birthday Music legend B.B. King, shows one of his CDs during a ceremony Monday 09/12/05 at the Library of Congress in Washington. He was given a Living Legend award, more proof of his profound role in American music. Lucille Speaks Perhaps B.B. King's most identifiable trademark is his guitar Lucille. Lucille has been with B.B. since 1949. The story has been told many times before, but for those of you not familiar with the details, here it is ... Back in the late 1940's when B.B.'s career was in its infancy, one of his stops on the road was in Twist, Arkansas. It used to get quite cold in Twist in the evenings, and in order to keep the dance hall warm, kerosene was used for heat. A large barrel was placed in the center of the room and was filled about half way up with the fuel. The kerosene was then lighted to heat the room, a practice which was not uncommon in those days. One cold night in 1949, two men started fighting and knocked over the barrel of burning kerosene. The burning fuel spilled over the floor like a river of fire. Every one, including B.B., ran out the front door. Once outside, B.B. realized that he left his guitar, a Gibson acoustic, inside the inferno. He went back inside the collapsing building to save his guitar, almost losing his life in the process. The blaze that night claimed two fatalities. The next morning, B.B. discovered why the two men were fighting the night before. It seems as though they were fighting over a lady, and although he never met the woman, B.B. learned her name was Lucille. B.B. named that guitar Lucille, and also every guitar he has owned since that night, "to remind me never to do a thing like that again." More BB King plus his music at: http://www.worldblues.com/bbking/default.asp Its about time! This is valuable information and should be useful to all Pennsylvanians. Free credit report now available to consumers: If you are looking to buy a new car, a new home, or obtain renter's insurance, your credit report may affect whether you are approved and how much you will need to pay. Credit reports also can tell you whether you've become a victim of identity theft, an issue that is currently being visited by the state legislature. As of Sept. 1, you can receive one FREE COPY of your credit report every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, E! xperian and TransUnion. These companies are required to provide this service under a recent amendment to the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. How do I get a free copy of my credit report? The three nationwide consumer reporting companies set up one central Web site and toll-free telephone number for consumers to request their free report. You may request one free report per year from each company by: * Visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com * Calling toll free 1-877-322-8228 (TDD 1-877-730-4104) Why get a copy of my credit report? A credit report contains information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you have been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. By reviewing your credit report you can check the accuracy of your credit information, correct misinformation and guard against identity theft. You also can use your free credit report to determine ways to improve your credit score to secure lower rates and better loans. The Federal Trade Commission provides additional information on consumer issues, including credit, on its Web site or by calling 1-877-382-4357.
Happy 80th Birthday
Music legend B.B. King, shows one of his CDs during a ceremony Monday 09/12/05 at the Library of Congress in Washington. He was given a Living Legend award, more proof of his profound role in American music.
Back in the late 1940's when B.B.'s career was in its infancy, one of his stops on the road was in Twist, Arkansas. It used to get quite cold in Twist in the evenings, and in order to keep the dance hall warm, kerosene was used for heat. A large barrel was placed in the center of the room and was filled about half way up with the fuel. The kerosene was then lighted to heat the room, a practice which was not uncommon in those days.
One cold night in 1949, two men started fighting and knocked over the barrel of burning kerosene. The burning fuel spilled over the floor like a river of fire. Every one, including B.B., ran out the front door. Once outside, B.B. realized that he left his guitar, a Gibson acoustic, inside the inferno. He went back inside the collapsing building to save his guitar, almost losing his life in the process. The blaze that night claimed two fatalities.
The next morning, B.B. discovered why the two men were fighting the night before. It seems as though they were fighting over a lady, and although he never met the woman, B.B. learned her name was Lucille. B.B. named that guitar Lucille, and also every guitar he has owned since that night, "to remind me never to do a thing like that again." More BB King plus his music at: http://www.worldblues.com/bbking/default.asp
Its about time!
Free credit report now available to consumers: If you are looking to buy a new car, a new home, or obtain renter's insurance, your credit report may affect whether you are approved and how much you will need to pay. Credit reports also can tell you whether you've become a victim of identity theft, an issue that is currently being visited by the state legislature. As of Sept. 1, you can receive one FREE COPY of your credit report every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, E! xperian and TransUnion. These companies are required to provide this service under a recent amendment to the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.
How do I get a free copy of my credit report? The three nationwide consumer reporting companies set up one central Web site and toll-free telephone number for consumers to request their free report. You may request one free report per year from each company by: * Visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com * Calling toll free 1-877-322-8228 (TDD 1-877-730-4104)
Why get a copy of my credit report? A credit report contains information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you have been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. By reviewing your credit report you can check the accuracy of your credit information, correct misinformation and guard against identity theft. You also can use your free credit report to determine ways to improve your credit score to secure lower rates and better loans.
The Federal Trade Commission provides additional information on consumer issues, including credit, on its Web site or by calling 1-877-382-4357.
Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
*~*
The trouble with life is there's no background music.
KCNET CLASSES:
Beginner Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include an introduction to all parts of the computer, learning about the desktop, mouse features and operation, and features and operation of the keyboard. Also creating shortcut icons, using recycle bin, wallpaper and screen savers, toolbars and taskbars, drag and drop, using window features (minimize, maximize, resize, etc), control panel, accessing the different drives, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Intermediate Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include organization of windows programs, creating and organizing folders, file extensions, saving files from Internet, folder and file views, formatting floppy disks, installing programs, download programs from Internet, HTML email, uninstall vs delete, scandisk and defrag, email attachments, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Advanced Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include a review of the management of folders and files, an introduction to photo manipulation, introduction to web page creation, using the sound recorder, attaching recordings to emails, introduction to eyeball cams and Internet transmission, and an introduction to burning your own CDs. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
KCnet Users Group: (formerly know as "Senior Net Learners" most recently called "Advanced Class"). I wanted to call this class "The Abusers Group", but Sue would not hear of that. Attendees are persistent in their search for computer knowledge. They ask great questions and present interesting challenges. 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 Advanced 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. KCnet Advanced Class computer knowledge and Advanced Class computer skills are necessary.
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 CLASS SCHEDULE
PC Basics Class at KCnet Mondays & Wednedsays -- 12:00-2:00 PM September 19, 21, 26 & 28 Instructor: Wayne Smith
KCnet Users Group: Every Wednesday The starting time is 9:00 AM on this Wednesday September 21. We meet in Computer Lab 1 (The Big Room). Leadership is Mike Foust and anyone that wants to jump into the fray. Quite a day this past Wednesday. We got rollin' with some pics and movies from viewers
...then we took another wild tech ride. Among the many 'puter topics covered we...
...downloaded and installed the latest Google program, Google Desktop Beta 2. It is a doosie, actually a darn dandy program. It is intuitive, almost uncanny. The program is a desktop add-on designed to index all the files on your various drives and then list that info almost instantly when requested. I'll say this, Microsoft has a long way to go to match this program. It will list info about any subject saved on your computer and also search the web for additional info. Let's say you've saved a picture to Drive C but you can't remember where. Just type the name of the file and almost instantly Google will find it and actually show it to you. It will anticipate your likes and makes the current and saved info about that subject. It will do weather, music, graphics, news, email, stocks, etc. and present the info to you almost as soon as you boot and access. It updates the index while you are open and not busy. You have a choice of looks for the program. It uses very little resources. Read about the program and then download. http://www.google.com/downloads/ Choose Google Desktop 2 There is a lot more information and graphics in the Technical section of this newsletter. Click here to access the information.
...reviewed recent information about prefetch. The following sites will bring one up to speed and it might stir a bit more controversy. http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-08-08.htm#4 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000863.html http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html
This class often becomes idea swapping and we learn by sharing our many experiences and I'll tell you all again, that really happened this week. Thanks to all that brought in suggestions, asked questions, and helped with explanations.
OTHER KCNET CLASSES STARTING SOON Call KCnet 893-8111 to register
Investing Class Tuesday, September 27 at 6:00 PM $5.00 per session -- New attendees are welcome. Future sessions will be held on the last Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM. Next sessions will be: October 31, November 29, and December 27 Group Leader: Howard "Bud" Casselberry
WEB PAGE CREATION (BEGINNERS) Rescheduled to: September Dates to be disclosed later. Call KCnet at 893-8111. Instructor: Mike Foust
Music Creation Starting when four students register--call 893-8111 to register. Participants should be able to play a piano/keyboard by sight or ear. Instructors: Carsten "Jon" Ahrens & Mike Foust
Orientation to KCnet One-Session Class – No Charge for KCnet Members Third Wednesday of Every Month 6:00 – 8:00 pm Instructor: Bob Fenton
MAC User Group Meets 2nd Wednesday of each month Time is 4:30 PM Instructor: Clair Falls
For more class details and to register visit: http://www.kcnet.org/class/ Registration can be done online, simply click on the course you are interested in and enter the information requested. Registration can be done via phone 893-8111.
NEWS AND NOTES WITH SUE FOUST:
Now, while you have opened Internet Explorer or Netscape or any other browser you might use, Please go to www.kcnet.org. On the left side is a list of other KCnet links. The first one is Main Page; the second is Our Services. The eighth one is WebMail. Click on WebMail. Enter your username (the part of your name before the @kcnet.org or @psulink.net). Enter your password. Click on Options. Click on Personal Information. Enter your real name and e-mail address. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Right side, Click on Submit.
Now go to the upper right corner, click on Sign Out. Now click on the X at the top right corner. There, it’s done. That’s all you have to do to activate the new SPAM program. You may not notice any difference, right now. But when we turn off our existing SPAM filter next month, if you haven’t done this simple chore, you will not have a filter – you will receive at least twice as many junk e-mails as you receive now.
A letter was sent out to all of our members and, I wish I had a nickel for everyone who has asked me, “I don’t have to do anything about that WebMail, do I?” Now, don’t be offended, but Why do you think you got that e-mail from us?
Why are we changing? The Options are better for each individual person. You CAN go further into the program and set up some lenient or strict rules for your incoming mail. You CAN go into the program, look at your messages and delete those you don’t want to download into your computer. This is the ultimate way to treat mail if you have a dialup connection. You can save SO MUCH DOWNLOADING TIME. (Don't forget to purge the trash folder.)
In view of the fact that last week alone, KCnet’s mail server delivered 153,000 messages, but we refused nearly 252,000 SPAM messages and over 11,000 viruses, you can be glad the SPAM program is working. However, our license for the old program runs out next month and we feel the new one is better. It’s just that simple.
Thanks.
Incidentally, among those 11,000 viruses that came into KCnet’s server and were refused, there were 37 different, new viruses released this week. We recommend an anti-virus program for your computer, in addition to the one on KCnet’s server. There are reviews of the available programs, elsewhere in this newsletter.
eBay sales are increasing – don’t forget, if you have something packed away – a wedding gift you know you’ll never use, an old toy or game, a piece of china or crystal – bring it in. If you’d like to donate it, we’ll give you a letter for the IRS. If you would like to sell it, we’ll give you 75% of what we can get for it. We take pictures, describe the items, answer any questions sent from prospective buyers, collect the money, send the item and write you a check. In most cases, we just ask you to bring the item in to KCnet. Let me know if you have questions about our program. We’re servicing repeat customers, so I feel we’re doing it right!
Until next week...
KCnet Board Of Directors Officers: President Bill Raco, Vice President Bob Rolley, Secretary Jon Ahrens, Treasurer Don Miller and Past President Judy Yoho. Other members of the board: Carolyn Carl, R. Keith Kelly, Paul Korn, Donna Lannan, Amy Lapriola, Tom Livingston, Ray McGill, and Rich Wykoff.