Photography & Computer News
March 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

• VIRUS WARNING !
• Photo of the Month: Sea Gifts
• Photography News
• Computer Tip: Computer Maintenance
  
• Computer Tip: Deleting Files and Recycle Bin Tips

VIRUS WARNING
A new, very dangerous virus was released in the last 24 hours. If you receive any email that claims to be from Delta with an attachment that seems to be an itinerary for a free flight (or any flight you have not booked), do NOT open it. It contains a trojan (a type of virus) and will infect your computer. A more detailed explanation of this virus can be see by clicking here.

Dave Woodsmith, owner of Action One Computers, warns "I've gotten more infected computers into the shop lately than ever before in the history of my business." 

Most malicious infections are spread via email or pop-ups. Please protect yourself and practice safe computing as outlined in last month's article (click to read it).

PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

Sea Gifts
Barefoot Beach
March 3, 2009
Visit my photography blog for more Photos of the Month

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 ALL our artist's work and show location maps, be sure to visit the Side Street Artists web site.

Lorraine Weiss	Francoise-Marie Thein	Patty Kane	Patricia Canfield	Sara Long

This month, I'm proud to say there will be nearly 20 outstanding local artists at the show, such as Lorraine Weiss, a local jeweler who works with semi-precious stones, sterling silver and vermeil and has devoted herself to creating wearable works of art.

Internationally-acclaimed sculptor Francoise-Marie Thein, whose sculpture works can be found in private, corporate and public collections in the U.S., Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Japan, Ireland, Bermuda, will be displaying her newest work in fused glass and polymers.

Also at this show will be local acrylic and watercolor artist, Patty Kane, and Leigh Herndon who creates one-of-a-kind silk sarongs, scarves, wall hangings, and custom silk garments—direct dye painting, batik, and rozome (Japanese kimono design techniques).

Sara Long, another fabric artist, is an award-winning watercolorist and creative seamstress, whose jackets have won prizes at recent Naples Quilter's Guild and Southwest Florida Quilt Association shows. And Patricia Canfield will be joining us, displaying her gorgeous hand-painted, kiln-fired tiles.

Ellen Pritts creates gorgeous works of fused glass art as well as "functional" pottery. Hand-turned, custom wood pens created by Ira Gold use wood from around the world, including rare woods from the Middle East.

These are just a few of the nearly 20 local artists joining me at Side Street Artists this month, including more acrylic, watercolor, and portrait painters, glass artists, wildlife photographers, and jewelers. Again, I'm in awe at the amazing talent that lives right here in Southwest Florida. Please help me support them by attending Saturday's show!

Leigh Herndon	Ellen Pritts	Ira Gold

For myself, I am (finally!) selling my new DVD, Footprints Along The Way, hot off the M.E. Parker presses last month. 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.

Again, this show 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 ALL our artist's work and show location maps, be sure to visit the Side Street Artists web site.

COMPUTER TIP: COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

There are several maintenance chores you can perform that will help your computer purr along like it is supposed to. For instance, did you know that a full RECYCLE BIN can cause your computer to slow down? Or that a full TEMPORARY INTERNET CACHE can also slow it down? And a lot of files and folders stored on your desktop can also make it really want to drag its feet. Here are a few things you should be doing at least monthly:

1. Run Disk Cleanup monthly.
   Click here to view handy instructions from Microsoft about how to use this little utility that comes with every version of Windows (sorry, this is not a Mac utility). There's even a demo video you can watch. Here's a tip, though: be sure you double click on your RECYCLE BIN icon on your desktop to view the files you've deleted in case you've accidentally deleted something you didn't want to delete. Once the recycle bin is emptied, it's difficult to get files back. Here's the cool thing: Disk Cleanup both empties your recycle bin AND cleans out your temporary internet cache.
   
   
2. Keep your desktop tidy.
   Be sure that all files and folders are stored in the My Documents folder (called DOCUMENTS on Windows Vista). It's ok to have shortcuts on the desktop...they're very "lightweight" and won't bog things down. You can tell a file apart from a shortcut because shortcuts always have little arrows in the lower left corner of the icon.
   
   
3. Back Up.
   If you don't have a backup method in place - or have never backed up - and you have files (including photos, music or word processing documents), you are just tempting fate. There's nothing worse than a computer crash (or theft) and to lose everything that is valuable to you on the computer. If you don't have a backup method, be sure you contact me to schedule an appointment to help you set one up. It can be done in just one hour (including training). It can save a lot of heartache if disaster should strike. If you do already back up, don't forget to do it regularly and often!

COMPUTER TIP: DELETING FILES & RECYCLE BIN TIPS

Deleting files from either the desktop or any folder on your computer is pretty simple. One thing you should know about, though: when you delete a file from these areas (this does NOT include deleting email), Windows puts all deleted files into the recycle bin. This is a great safety net! If you accidentally delete a file you really wanted to keep, simply go to the recycle bin and "restore" it.

For a great tutorial about using the recycle bin and deleting files, click here. It's never too late to clean up your desktop or your My Documents (or "Documents" on Windows Vista) folder!

I'm always looking for new topics to cover that interest YOU, the reader! If you have ideas, just click to send me an email, or give me a call at (239) 498-0480.

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, March 7!  I hope to see you there!

Until next month, thanks for reading!

M.E. Parker