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Computer User Group

Google Earth – The Dime Tour – Video Tip – September 2008

If you have high speed Internet and haven’t tried Google Earth, give it a try. Even if you aren’t a geography buff, you will find Google Earth to be a fascinating resource to try out. Google Earth is another free product from Google that combines their excellent searching skills with a fully interactive globe. You can search for street addresses, points of interest, historical locations and then layer on other geographic information to your liking. You must have a high speed Internet connection because the application relies on that connection to pull in the information you want from Google’s servers.

The newest version of Google Earth also adds Google Sky which lets you look into the heavens from your desk and learn and enjoy the starts, planets, and whatever other gassy objects are up in the sky.

Watch my short introductory video about this great product, then go try it for yourself. If you already use Google Earth, leave a comment below and tell me what you like and what you do with Google Earth.

Google Sightseeing
Map of Strange on Google Earth
Google Map Pedometer

Word Processing and Spreadsheet Basics – November 2007

After getting off the “grid” this year with our meetings and covering some very different territories, I decided to go with a mainstream topic today. In today’s meetings, we discussed some word processing and spreadsheet basics.

Our site has a plethora of word processing tips (mostly Microsoft Word), and you can find them all by clicking here.

For spreadsheets, you can just search for spreadsheets in our search engine.

Blogs and Blogging – October 2007

Definition



The word blog derived from web + log. Blogs became well known during the 2004 election process, but have been around since at least 1999. They started out as simple online diaries comprised of primarily text entries sorted by date…newest to oldest. Gradually, they morphed into full fledge web sites containing images and video along with the written information.


What is the purpose of a blog?

Introduction to Ubuntu Linux – September 2007


I have written much about Ubuntu over the past six months, but today was my first public presentation of this fantastic operating system. Because it is different, many computer users tend to look upon it with eyes of confusion, but after discussing the possibilities and the opportunities with Ubuntu, those confused eyes turn to eyes of intrigue.

Getting people to think about an alternative to Windows and computing as we know it today were My only goals for today’s user group presentation. If you missed it, or you attended, here are some links to Ubuntu articles here at HelpMeRick.com and elsewhere:

All Q&A Session – July 2007

I don’t do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire “topic” can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of today’s topics included:

Internet Options – Are you paying too much? – February 2007

In today's group, we discussed the plethora of options available to most computer users for Internet access. As part of the discussion, we looked at 'bundled packages' of Internet, phone, and TV from cable and phone companies. If the presentation isn't playing already, click the Read More option at the end of this article.

Open Office 2.0 — FREE Alternative to Microsoft Office

In today's meetings, we downloaded, installed, and worked with Open Office. The FREE altnernative to Microsoft Office. To read why the software is free, read this information from their web site .

OpenOffice programs are completely compatible with Microsoft Office programs and allows you to read, edit, and create Office documents without owning the Microsoft Office suite. Here is a list of the programs and their functions in Open Office:

Open Office icons

Discover MORE on Google

Most web users are familiar with Google as a search engine – that is a website that helps you search the web for other pages related to a given search topic.
What most people don't know is that Google has many more hidden powers. Many of these powers are as spectacular as the traditional search engine itself.To discover everything that Google has to offer you must look below the search box.

Google Options

Web – Click here for a standard web search for website related to the search topic

Images
– Click here to search the web for pictures related to a search topic

Groups – Click here to search discussion groups about a given topic

News – Click here to search almost all major news sites about a given topic

Froogle – Click here to search many major stores (online and off) for price and product information on a given item

Maps – Search the US and the world for addresses, directions, businesses, etc

Desktop – Search your own computer for files using Google search techniques (requires a download and install)

MORE – This is where the real magic takes place!

Go there now and discover the wonders of Google.