Photography & Computer News
February 05, 2009

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to February's Newsletter. There's a lot to cover in this issue, so let's get going!

IN THIS ISSUE

• Photography News
• Group Classes
• Virus/Malware Warnings
  
• Five Ways To Save Money

Sanibel Lighthouse in early morning fog

PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS: Side Street Artists is growing every month! Our art fairs are held on the first Saturday of each month - the next one is Saturday, March 7, from 10 am - 5 pm at the Bonita Shores Club just off Bonita Beach Road. For more information about this show, including examples of our artist's work and show location maps, be sure to visit the Side Street Artists web site.

For myself, I'll be (finally!) selling my new DVD, hot off the M.E. Parker presses just this week. This DVD has over 350 of my photographs from all across America, set to music and motion. From waterfalls to glacier, whales to alligators, owls to puffins, and deserts to beaches, this DVD offers a colorful journey through some of this nation's most diverse and unique ecosystems. Visit humpback whales breaching off Alaska's Barren Islands. Explore autumn splendor across the Pocono, Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. Wind down wild trails from Alaska to Florida and watch the blush of earth tones stain the Arizona desert at sunset. I've been hard at work on this DVD for months now. I hope you'll come by and watch a demo of it at the show. Stay tuned for a short clip of it on my photography web site!



GROUP CLASSES: I've been getting a few requests for another schedule of group computer classes. Last season, I offered several months of schedules and sadly, I didn't have a single person sign up. I'm going to give it a go again this month and have tentatively set up the following schedule:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17:
10:00 - 12:00:  Introduction to Digital Photography ($50 per person)
12:30 - 1:30:  Introduction to Picasa (learn to import, organize and edit your photos with this free software) ($35 per person)
2:00 - 3:00:  Introduction to Micrsoft Word 2003 ($35 per person)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18:
10:00 - 11:00:  Fun With Picasa (learn to make collages, photo CDs, email, and web albums) ($35 per person)
12:00 - 1:00:  Introduction to Computer Skills (Windows)  ($35 per person)
2:00 - 3:00: Introduction to the Internet (Web email such as Gmail and web browsing) ($35 per person)

All classes have a limit of 4 students and are held at my office off Bonita Beach Road. All students receive handouts with notes for the entire class (you don't have to take notes!).  If you are interested in attending one of these classes, please call 498-0480 to reserve a spot. If you have a suggestion for a new class, I'd love to hear it, so give me a call!



VIRUS WARNINGS: Dave, the owner at Action One Computers in Bonita Springs, and his wife, Shawn, have written a helpful article about protecting your computer from viruses and spyware. He's been getting a fair number of computers in for repair lately that have been infected with malware (malicious software), that infects your computer from a pop-up ad. Needless to say, if you are using the Web and you get a pop-up window about anything, don't click on it! This is a must read article! Thanks to Dave and Shawn for this information!

Viruses: Not on my computer!
by Action One Computers

In the past few months we are seeing more and more viruses on our customer’s computers.  I would like to share with you some ways you can protect your computer. While nothing is foolproof, there are several things you can do to help keep viruses from infecting your system. 

Antivirus Software
First make sure your computer has an antivirus program installed.  We recommend AVG 8.0 by a company called Grisoft.  You can down load this for free.  Go to ActionOneComputers.Com and under the “Resources” tab go to “Software Links.”  Click on the “AVG free” to get to the page to download their free version of AVG 8.0.  The free version contains all you need to keep your computer protected.  The pay version just gives you a few more bells and whistles. 
Note:  Most computers only allow one version of antivirus software running at a time. For example if you already have antivirus software, like AVG, on your computer, installing another could cause conflicts. 

Anti-Spyware Software
The next thing you should have to protect your computer is an anti-spyware program. For this we recommend a program called “Ad-aware” by Lavasoft.  They do have a free version that you can download but it is a little confusing getting it from their web site.  If you have your system in for other repairs, ask us to put on Ad-aware for you, at no cost. 

Safe Surfing & Computing Habits
Here are a few things to watch out for while you are surfing the web.  There are viruses that are downloaded to your computer if you press the “X” to close.  If any pop up appears that you did not ask for, close it via the task bar at the bottom of your screen.  Right click your mouse in the task bar over the item you wish to close and press close.  This way you are not touching any area of the pop up with your curser. 

Using Google.com as your search engine is also good because it supports AVG and will scan a web site before you open it. When the web page with search results appears, Google will have a green check mark next to the safe sites after AVG scans them.

Another good habit is to read all messages that appear on your screen before you click OK or ACCEPT.  Many of us have a bad habit (myself included) of just clicking any button to get rid of the annoying message. 

Don’t forget that it is essential to keep your computer current with Microsoft, antivirus and spyware updates. 
Many of us love the funny emails passed on from one friend or family member to another.  The more often a message has been forwarded, the higher the risk of it being infected with a virus.  You may trust the sender but they may not know there is a virus attached.  Sometimes it is best just not to open these emails, and simply delete them.

While all these help, nothing can completely protect you.  If by chance you end up with a virus remember, we are here to help.  We can usually remove the virus and preserve your data.  We NEVER remove data without your permission.  A computer repair place that tells you they have to wipe your data, to fix the virus, is just looking to do it the quick and easy way. 

Be sure to contact Action One Computers at 498-2855 if your computer needs help! You can also find a lot more handy information at the Action One Computers web site.



FIVE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY: It's a time for tight budgets everywhere. Hopefully, something here might help you with yours.

1.  Impose the "one year" rule:  Sell stuff you haven't used in the past year, or donate it to a charity for a tax deduction. If you'd like to sell something, CraigsList.com is a great place to sell it for free. This can really save money over eBay, who charges for their auctions. Craigslist is also a great place to buy "pre-owned" instead of new.

2.  Comparison shop online before you buy something. This not only saves you gas, but you can often scout the best local vs. online prices. Web sites like PriceGrabber.com and NexTag.com help you comparison shop among online stores. Or print coupons from web sites. I do this all the time for Borders. A fast way to see if there's a coupon for a specific item or store is to do a Google search for it. You can also visit Coupons.com to see what coupons are available for a wide variety of items and print them on your own printer.

3.  Get a library card. Your public library not only has great books (both old and hot off the press books), but DVD movies! You can check out DVD movies instead of renting movies at Blockbuster. It's convenient and supporting our local libraries is always a good thing.

4.  Turn off your premium TV channels and get Netflix. Netflix offers a huge number of movies for very competitive monthly rates, as well as having hundreds that you can watch online.

5.  Have a picnic instead of dining out. I love supporting my local restaurants, but this is one side of my budget that has sadly shrunk to nearly nothing. We live in such a wonderful location, and a picnic on the beach at sunset can often offer a much more memorable ambiance than a crowded restaurant. Want to know what time sunset is? Visit TimeAndDate.com! Need inspiration for your picnic? Visit The Picnic Site! Need to find the local weather report? Visit Wunderground.com for one of the best web weather sites. Be sure to check out the WunderMap for your area.

Just a few ideas for trimming your budget. If you have any great tips of your own, email  them to me, and I'll be sure to include them next time!

Well, that wraps up another issue of my newsletter. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Side Street Artists art show this Saturday, February 7!  I hope to see you there! Until next month, thanks for reading!

M.E. Parker