in this issue Views From the Top From The Font Upcoming Meeting Topics WINTIPS Special Interest Group (SIG) May Board Minutes Snaps to a Long Time Member Jakob Nielsens AlertBox Web Potpourri

Polly owns a successful graphics design and illustration business and has major advertising agency experience. Most of her accounts are national. She will also talk about what types of photography works in today's tough market. She owes her success to being able to integrate her design with the computer, plus an ability to think creatively and she has talent. She's a graduate of Ringling School of Art, one of the country's premiere art schools.

Views From the Top

Richard Kinkel, President

By the time you receive this newsletter, Memorial Day will have passed and the Summer Season would have officially started. Judging by the hot temperatures it seem summer started the middle of May. Anyways I hope everyone had a nice three day weekend.

So I don't run out of things to say in this column, I will start effective in this column, to pass along a computer tip that will help everyone, even some of our more experienced computer members improve the performance of their computers.

Therefore this month starts the first tip. I'm giving our membership this assignment. Report back to me at the next general meeting. Here it is: I want everyone to do these two items: 1). Go to Control Panel / folder options / view tab / and bullet show hidden files. Then go to C:/documents and settings / current user / local settings / temp and delete all the files in that folder. There may be one or two files you won't be able to delete. Don't worry about them. If there is a file that looks suspicious go to the PCCC Forum and ask if this file is bad. And be sure to un-bullet the show hidden files box.

Next 2) defrag your hard drive. Go to start/programs/accessories/system tools/disk deframentor and start that utility. Don't laugh, and say I know what that is; I don't need to defrag my hard drive. Just do it Now I want everyone to do this. The above instructions are for the WinXP OS. You can perform the same functions with WinME/98 but the steps are different. Good luck.

Now for some club business-we have a fantastic slate of programs scheduled for the remainder of the year. Starting in June we have Polly Furr who's a graphic designer talking about computer graphics. July is our swap meet, so be sure to bring plenty of computer items to sell / or swap. August we have a professional web designer from Manifest Web talking about web development. September Paul Reiss will get someone, probably from IBM to speak. October Jack LaPointe will line up the program for us that month, very impressive. So be sure to send in your membership dues if you haven't done so yet.

Well happy computing, and don't forget your assignment, got that Bill?

Go to the PC Club's Website

	From The Font
Keith Wales, Sr. Hi!! Well we made it back from Florida and we did not go near a computer store, or book store although Pam took some awesome pictures with her new digital camera. But enough personal, the club I see is at just under 30 members as of the last Board Meeting. We were over fifty at the end of fiscal year. Hopefully some of the former members who are still getting the News Letter will see what great progarm we are having and come back and Re-Up. Speaking of Programs, the July Program will be our annual Swap Meet. For any who have not been it is a time to clean out your garage or basement or around the desk in your office and bring those no longer used items in. Remember Your "Junque" may be Someone else's Treasure. The rule are few you have to be a member to get FREE table. If you are not a member the charge for a table is $15.00 which also pays for your membership and then the table is FREE!! I am going to hold a slot open in next month's newsletter for anyone who wants to send me a list of the articles you are going to bring. Just drop me an email at the address below with your list, no prices please. Well time to move on I hope to be at the June meeting but my BOSS is in town so who knows. Editor Bytes & Bits »

	Upcoming Meeting Topics
June Trends in Graphics Polly Furr, Computer Graphics Specialist July Annual Swap Meet and Gabfest August Web Design We will have an outside speaker

	WINTIPS
Goodbye -- Hello Bill Barnes, PCCC What do you do when you walk away from your computer? At the end of a presentation, someone asked why I used Hibernate rather than Shutdown before I put my laptop away. The answer turned out to be "habit ... personal preference ... no good reason." As is often the case with me, I had deep logical arguments that don't really amount to a strong reason. What you do at the end of the day depends on your specific circumstances, and even then may not really matter. Let's start by looking at how the options available from the Shutdown menu on the Start button leave your computer. Note that the exact results of some of these conditions may depend on settings in Windows or your computer's hardware. Standby shuts down most of the accessory electronics, using just enough power to maintain the contents of working RAM memory. To come out of Standby, you press the power or standby button, or sometimes just touch the mouse or press a key and you're working again exactly where you left off as soon as the monitor comes on. Usually, after a certain time in Standby, your computer automatically wakes up enough to go into Hibernate. Standby consumes a small but finite amount of power. If the power fails (or your battery runs down), you will lose the contents of your memory and any unsaved data. Hibernate saves the contents of working RAM memory to the hard disk and completely shuts down the computer. When you press the power or standby button, the computer performs a quick hardware check and restores the RAM from the hard disk. It takes somewhat longer to restore the 512 MB of memory than coming out of Standby, but you still don't have to open any programs or documents. Hibernate consumes no more power than when the computer is fully shut down. (If your Windows XP Shut Down screen does not give a Hibernate option, try holding the Shift key.) Log Off forces all of your open programs to close, usually prompting you to save any open files. To resume your work, you must log back on with your username and password and reopen any programs or files you want to use. While in Log Off mode, the computer is fully awake and can perform many background tasks including receiving network commands or network printing. Log Off draws full idle power for the computer. Restart performs a Log Off, and then proceeds to shut down the computer and automatically reboot it. Although the computer may not completely power off (I have been told some viruses can survive a Restart), it does close Windows, forcing it to complete some tasks that Windows often does not bother to do while it is running. Restarting Windows reinitializes many conditions that may have been temporarily modified during the last session or completes some program installations or scans. During the restart process, the computer is off the network and does not perform or remember any background operations. Restart leaves you at the Log On screen, just as if you had performed a Log Off. Shut Down performs a Log Off and closes Windows, then shuts down all the electronics. When you press the power button, the computer performs a full hardware test and boots Windows anew. Shut Down consumes the least amount of energy possible without pulling the plug. Other idle options. Most computers are configured out-of-the-box to perform some power saving functions to comply with Energy Star regulations when you just walk away from them. They may, in sequence or concurrently, activate a screensaver, shut down the monitor and hard disc, and move on to standby or hibernate. These settings are available from Power in the Control Panel or from the Screen Saver tab of the Display Properties (right-click the desktop). The monitor will also shut itself off after a period of no signal from the computer. Why choose one option over another? Your personal choice depends on how you use the computer, your patience waiting for it to boot, and your paranoia as to energy use and security. Here's what I do and why: My desktop computers I never turn off. They're always ready within seconds to check my mail or the weather as I run out of the house. Network services such as printing and file access are always available. Background functions such as virus scans and automatic updates are scheduled for late night when they won't distract me. These computers are protected from internet hacks by firewalls, antivirus and antispyware programs and devices. At work, my data and administrative rights are protected by a password- protected screensaver. Depending on sthe stability of a specific system, I may perform a Restart at the end of the day and leave it at the logon screen. My laptops are set for aggressive power conservation when running on battery. This typically means they shut down the screen and hard drive after a minute of nonuse and go into Standby at 5 minutes. They also automatically go into Standby when I shut the cover to carry across the hall. When I unplug a laptop and put it in its case, I typically choose Hibernate. I used to just shut the cover and let it automatically progress to Standby and then Hibernate. However, when I activated a BIOS password on my personal laptop, it interrupted this tactic. To hibernate, the computer actually has to wake up, at which time it waits with the screen on until I enter the BIOS password. Of course, that's a long time when it's in the trunk on a 300-mile drive. You should also start with Hibernate if your battery is not sufficient to hold memory in Standby for 30 - 90 minutes and then go through the waking process. What should you do? If you're on a corporate network, management definitely needs access to your computer overnight. A less formal network may still use your computer to access printers or the internet. Even alone at home, some scans and updates are automatically scheduled for odd hours. If you shut off your computer when finished, be certain you know what these actions are and regularly perform them manually. The downsides to leaving your computer on are that it consumes a finite amount of power and puts out a significant amount of heat. Activating automatic power saving features can alleviate this drawback while still giving you a speedy startup. A password-protected screensaver will protect your work in process from prying eyes. There is no electronic reason to shut down your computer. The mechanical life of the components of a computer far exceeds their functional life. Along with the obvious advantages of an always-on internet connection, there's an increased chance of being found and used by hackers. Be sure you are making use of firewalls, virus, and spyware protection. Check out your vulnerabilities with the ShieldsUP utility at www.grc.com . Of course, electronic burps always happen and you might just trip over the power cord. Always save your files when you so much as reach for the telephone. Protect your computer with a good surge protector or battery UPS. And do shut down your computer, ideally at the surge protector, when you leave for the weekend or thunderstorms are around. You might even want to pull the plug because there's no surge protector better than 10 inches of air. (c) 2004 Bill Barnes

	Special Interest Group (SIG)
Special Interest Group Next week will be our SIG week and we will have several during that week. The schedule is as follows: Office SIG Monday, June 14, 2004, 7:00pm CompUSA, South Boulevard and I-485 Digital Camera SIG Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 7:00pm CompUSA, South Boulevard and I-485 Internet SIG Thursday, June 17, 2004, 7:00pm CompUSA, South Boulevard and I-485 Keep watching the SIG Listings for the announcement of the beginning of the NEW: WEB DESIGN SIG Coming soon to a location near you. SIG Calendar »

	May Board Minutes
Pat Rogers, Secretary IN ATTENDANCE Richard Kinkel, President, Pat Rogers, Dr. Paul Riess Bill Barnes, Bob Carroway, Dewey Williams, Loren Dobosy, President Richard Kinkel, start the meeting at 5:40PM 1) Bill Barnes motion to approve minutes, Loren Dobosy second the motion 2) Topics For June Meeting : Graphic , for the June meeting a laptop and a projector will be needed. 3) Topic For July Meeting: Swap-Meet 4) Topic for August: Web Design 5) Dewey Williams was recognized by Shepherds Center of Charlotte. 6) Publicity Report: Dobosy suggested name tags for executive members. 7) Bob Carroway, will find out about name tags and cost. 8) Bill Barnes, Program Report: Topic for the Month of May, 04 , Office 2003 or Q&A , for the Month of June Graphic and Swap-meet for the Month of July. 9) Bob Carroway, Membership Report: 28 + members. 10) Dewey Williams, Webmaster Report: Website is fine May Treasurers Report Beginning Balance............................$2552.51 Transactions ...................................+296.68 Current Balance...............................$2849.19 Submitted By Pam Wales Join the Forum! »

	Snaps to a Long Time Member
Bob Carraway PC3 Membership Chair and Shepherd's Center Volunteer On behalf of The Shepherd's Center of Charlotte I would like to recognize Dewey Williams for the construction of our new Website. Dewey designed and built the Center's first ever website. The senior citizens of Charlotte now can learn of the many services offered by the center, with ease from their computers at home. Dewey was presented with a letter of appreciation and a stipend this week for his volunteer work and support over the past few months. It is great to see a member of the Personal Computer Club of Charlotte spending his time is support of the community and senior citizens in particular. The Shepherd's Center is a nonprofit interfaith organization by and for senior citizens in the Charlotte area. Thank you, Dewey, for all your hard work!

	Jakob Nielsens AlertBox
Submitted by Dewey Williams Thirty Years With Computers Summary: Since I started using computers, they've become almost a million times more powerful. Although big computers can be alienating, their evolution generally leads to a better user experience. I started using computers in 1974 when I was still in high school. My first computer took up an entire room and yet had only five kilobytes of RAM (that's 5K, not 5M ). Punched paper tape was the main form of data input, and the operator console was an electric typewriter. No screens, no cursor. The CPU ran at a speed of about 0.1 Mhz. Despite its primitive nature, this early computer was much more pleasant to use than the monster mainframe I was subjected to a few years later when I started at the university. The early, simple computer couldn't do much, though I did design a few text-based games for it. Still, it was a single-user computer -- basically a PC the size of a room. When you used it, you had total control of the machine and knew everything it did, down to the spinning and whirring of the punched tape. Although the bigger, newer mainframe had an actual CRT screen, it also had obscure commands and horrible usability. Worst of all, it was highly alienating because you had no idea what was going on. You'd issue commands, and some time later you might get the desired result. There was no feeling of mastery of the machine. You were basically a supplicant to a magic oracle functioning beyond the ken of humankind. People who started using computers after the PC revolution have no idea of the miserable user experience that centralized computers imposed. Even the worst PC designs feel positively liberating by comparison. For me personally, the experience of moving from a small, relatively transparent computer to an oppressively large and opaque one marked the start of my passion for usability. I knew that it could feel good to use computers, and I wanted to recapture that sense of empowerment and put humans back in control of the machines. For the field in general, it's worth remembering the downsides to centralized computing. We must take steps to keep users in control as we grow the power of the network. It's essential that we keep a strong front end to balance out improved back-end features. What 2034 Will Bring If I keep up my exercise schedule, I stand a good chance of experiencing computers thirty years from now. According to Moore's Law, computer power doubles every 18 months, meaning that computers will be a million times more powerful by 2034. According to Nielsen's Law of Internet bandwidth , connectivity to the home grows by 50% per year; by 2034, we'll have 200,000 times more bandwidth . That same year, I'll own a computer that runs at 3 PHz CPU speed, has a petabyte of memory, half an exabyte of harddisk-equivalent storage, and connects to the Internet with a bandwidth of a quarter terabit per second (peta is 1015, or a million giga; exa is 1018, or a billion giga). The specifics may vary: instead of following current Moore's Law trajectories to speed up a single CPU, it's likely that we'll see multiprocessors, smart dust, and other ways of getting the equivalent power through a more advanced computer architecture. But users shouldn't have to care about such implementation details. By 2034, we'll finally get decent computer displays, with a resolution of about 20,000 x 10,000 pixels (as opposed to the miserly 2048 x 1536 pixels on my current monitor). Although welcomed, my predicted improvement factor of 200 here is relatively small; history shows that display technology has the most dismal improvement curve of any computer technology, except possibly batteries. Utilizing Hardware Improvements How could anyone use petabytes of memory and terabits of bandwidth for personal needs? Hard to imagine now, but I don't think we'll have any trouble putting the coming hardware cornucopia to good use. We'll use half the storage space to index all our information so that we can search it instantly. Good riddance, snoozy Outlook search. We'll also spend a big percentage of the computer power on defense mechanisms such as self- healing software (to root out bugs and adapt to changing environments) and aggressively defensive virus antibodies. We'll need such software to protect against "social engineering" attacks, such as email that purports to come from your boss and asks you to open an attachment. Computer games in 2034 are likely to offer simulated worlds and interactive storytelling that's more engaging than linear presentations such as those in most movies today. For this new entertainment, the simplest accomplishment we need is artificial actors rendered in real time in high-definition animation. Adapting stories to individual users will be much harder. Once solved, the resulting user interfaces will be much more appealing to a broad market than current computer games, which typically feature convoluted gameplay and simplified worlds. Even without full AI, computers will exhibit more signs of agency and work to defend their owner's online interests rather than sitting passively, waiting for commands. Richer interaction styles are also likely, both in terms of gestures, physical interfaces , multi- device interfaces, and the long-awaited decent high- resolution flat screen. Certainly, our personal computer will remember anything we've ever seen or done in both cyberspace and meatspace. A complete HDTV record of every waking hour of your life will consume 0.01 EB, or 2% of your harddisk. Science fiction authors do a better job than I of speculating on future advances and the implications for human existence. However, one thing is certain: the transition from punched tape to the Web and megapixel displays is merely the first and smallest part of the evolution of user interfaces. If we keep human needs in mind and harness the increased computer power appropriately, there will be great and exciting things ahead in our field. Subscribe »

	Web Potpourri
SETI From: Dr. Paul Riess Last year, SETI@home was granted 24 hours at the Arecibo observatory to reobserve the best "candidate" locations detected by volunteers running the SETI@home screensaver. We were able to observe 226 points on the sky, including many of the best SETI@home candidates, others found by the SERENDIP project, and some interesting astronomical objects including known planetary systems and external galaxies. We sent the data from these observations to SETI@home volunteers (that means you!), and when the results came back we scanned them for signals similar to the candidates. We expected that, due to random noise, the scores of about 10% of candidates would improve. In fact, no matching signals were found for most candidates and therefore their scores got worse. The exceptions were Gaussian candidates with a wide frequency window; about half of their scores improved, but this is an artifact of the way SETI@home detects Gaussians. This is an excerpt from the SETI Newsletter if this sounds interesting the link at the bottom will take you to their Web Site. You to can listen for ET to phone home. Editor Send me your favorite sites and you to could be in the spotlight next month. SETI @ HOME »

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