Meeting | Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners

Posts Tagged: meeting

Announcements — 4 Comments
1
Apr 09

Advanced Linux Meeting next week

First off, I need to stress that this new group has no affiliation what-so-ever with the Grand Junction Computer Users Group, and also need to stress that it is for advanced hobbyists only.

Last week, I met with Joe Mason last week who is very interested in this idea of starting an Advanced Linux Users Group. The conversation and information overwhelmed me, but also inspired me on how much more I want to learn about Linux. He agreed to lead the first meeting with an introduction to Linux distros and Linux lingo, etc. Then, as a group, we can discuss how we want to proceed with future meetings. Lastly, for those attending, if you bring a laptop that you would like to have Linux installed on, we can install Linux (a choice of distros will be available) on as many as time allows. Just make sure that the laptop doesn’t have any data on it that can’t be lost.

Details for the first meeting are:

When: Thursday, April 9 from 12:00-1:30pm

Where: Main Street Bagels downtown in the back meeting room. They have wifi there, but require that we spend a minimum of $30 while using the room

Who: Advanced Linux users only, and those that want to become advanced at using Linux

If you have any questions, leave a comment here or contact Joe. He has setup an initial web site for the group that has his contact information.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 13 Comments
5
Feb 09

I want to be a Linux geek

Microsoft drove me into the world of Linux and its various flavors including Mint, Puppy, PC Linux OS, Dream, Damn Small, gOS and many more. This trek started two years ago (can you correlate that time frame?) and my veracity for learning it hasn’t ebbed one bit. In fact, I find the world of Linux more compelling every time I sit down and learn more about it. I’m writing this article from my Asus EeePC that runs a Linux derivative and its performance impresses me every time I use it.

I’m writing this article, however, to try and drum up some local support here in Western Colorado to start a Linux/Ubuntu users group. Everything I learn about Ubuntu and Linux comes from experimenting, using, and reading. I learn the best from watching others who are more knowledgeable than I. And thus the shout out for Linux nerds and wannabes like me. I can pick up more information and skill in one hour spent talking and watching a bigger geek than me than a whole week schlepping through online manuals, books, and bulletin boards.

I think many people learn the same way. Most of us seem to absorb more through demonstration and conversation than from solo learning. If you live in Western Colorado, specifically Grand Junction area, and would be interested in meeting once a month or so to learn and share information about Linux, please comment below and lets see where this project might take us.

Photoshop Restoration in Elements

Tips and tricks for restoring old photos and removing blemishes digitally

Meeting notes from 02-26-08

Tools needed:

A good scanner

For prints, almost any scanner will do pretty well, but if you are doing small photos, slides or negatives, you will probably want to go with a nicer Epson scanner such as the Epson Perfection 4490. These scanners offer transparancy scanning for slides and negatives as well as very high 4800 dpi resolution for well under $200.

Scan all images at 600 dpi. The smaller the photo, the higher the resolution. Scan slides and negatives at the highest optical resolution possible (4800 dpi in the case of the Epson mentioned above).

After you have scanned the image in, you will want to save it under two different names such as, “original” and “restored.” This provides a backup incase you need to go back to the original file.

There are two tools that you will use often in Photoshop Elements while restoring photos – the Healing Brush tool and the Clone Stamp tool. Both do essentially the same thing, but the healing tool blends and repairs the photo a little better.

For tips in Photoshop on how to use these tools, you can press the F1 key while using Elements for some very handy tips and tutorials.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — 1 Comment
31
Jan 08

What is a blog?

I am sure that this isn’t the first article posted on this topic at HelpMeRick.com, but hopefully it will be the most complete.

There are three ways to define blogs: As news, as journals and as a ventilation system for people who want to be important.

In fact you could easily draw a vin diagram showing how most blogs overlap.

Blogs as News:

Blogs are websites that allow users to build and post to as easily as they send an email. This means that factors like web design, and computer literacy are of little importance.

Think of blogs as an online diary that the world can read. Why wait for a newspaper or turn on the TV for news when there is most likely someone in the middle of the action posting updates as the event is taking place? Does it really matter whether the reporter is on the payroll of a news organization if they are providing real news in real time?

This is why the traditional news outlets are trying to take action to limit the definition of blogs (and talk radio) as “the press.” Otherwise a teenager with a camera phone may (and often does) get the scoop on a story over a larger outfit like CNN or FOX.

Blogs as Journals:

Journaling is where blogs really shine for individual users. Since blogs are open web pages, they allow a single person or small group to get a mass message out easily.

If you are the president of your home owner’s association and need to post updates to meetings and announcements, a blog is the perfect place to do it.

If you take long vacations and tire of writing mass emails, creating a blog can be a great alternative.

Blogs are regular websites. Anyone you invite can view your blog at any time. Visitors can also leave comments and questions if you’d like. You can even set up a blog for multiple contributors.

Blogs are an excellent for any kind of newsletter or announcement list.

Blogs as Ventilation:

Opinions are like nose holes (or so the saying goes) everybody has one.

The most popular use for blogs is ranting. When you have a strong opinion about something and you keep getting told to go away, create a blog.

You can write on your blog day and night and invite others to read it. Once in a while this type of blog really takes off and becomes a “news” blog. Most of the time though, vistiors will happen across your blog as they are googling other topics.

HelpMeRick.com is technically a blog. We are a combination. Rick writes informative and timely stuff and I complain.

Computer User Group — 2 Comments
14
Nov 07

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.

DP Hardware — No Comments
28
Aug 07

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scanning

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scanning*

*but weren’t sure who to ask.

Every scanner works a little differently, but these terms and tips should help you through the process.

TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Image Editor – This is any program that allows you to manipulate an image. Some titles include Adobe Photoshop and Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft PictureIt, and MGI Photosuite.

Scanner Driver – This is the software that allows your scanner to operate. Some scanners such as Visioneer and HP come with bundled software that tries to do too much, all you really need is your scanner driver and preferred image editor.

Import, Aquire, Get Photo – Depending on the Image Editor that you use, the name for this function will vary. This function allows you to scan you image directly into the image editor vs. using the proprietary software that came with your scanner, i.e. Visioneer Paperport.

Prescan or Preview – This function, again, depends on the software that your scanner uses. Clicking on this option allows your scanner to do a quick scan of what is laying on the scanner. This is done prior to the actual scan.

Scan – This is the final step in scanning an image. After you have drawn a box around the subject that you want to scan. If you scanned directly into your image editor, the image will immediately appear in the desired program, no dragging and dropping necessary.

TIPS:

1. Dust off your scanner – use canned air.

2. Scan at a high resolution if you plan to manipulate the image.

3. Don’t let the scanner do all the work. Save tweaking for the image editor

4. 72 dpi for email, 300 dpi for printing, 600+ dpi for manipulating.

5. Don’t forget to close your scanner driver after you have scanned the image.

SHOPPING FOR A NEW SCANNER

1. 600×1200 minimum
(most available today are at least 2400)

2. Ignore the "Gimmick Buttons" – I don’t mean don’t buy a scanner WITH them, just don’t buy a scanner FOR them.

3. Epson scanners generally provide the best results for scanning transparencies.

4. More expensive scanners often come with more software and may be more durable, but not necessarily better image quality.

THE BASIC SCANNING PROCESS

1. Open your image editor or other photo program.

2. Select the Acquire, Import, Scan or other option that opens your scanner driver.

3. Once your scanner software opens, make sure the resolution is set to at least 300dpi.

4. Click on the preview or prescan button.

5. The image will show up, but it has not officially scanned yet.

6. Draw a box around the area you want to scan by putting the mouse arrow in one corner of the image – holding down the mouse button – and dragging diagonally to the opposite corner.

7. Once you are happy with the selected area, click SCAN.

8. Close your scanner software and the image will be available to save and/or tweak in your image editor opened in step 1.

Links from this month’s meeting

Scanning Tips and Tricks

DP & the Internet / Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
24
Jul 07

Shutterfly Studio – Online photo services

What good are digital photos if you can’t share them?

Shutterfly.com is a great website for sharing your digital photos online, but where Shutterfly really shines is what you can do with them offline.

To get started with Shutterfly, you will need to setup a free account. It’s easy and takes less than five minutes. Once you have setup a free account, you can begin uploading your pictures into online albums. These albums will not only help you manage your photos, but you can also share them with anyone you wish.

Shutterfly began as an online develper. 4×6 prints are only $.12 each and they can print all the way up to 20×30″. 15 free prints are provided just for setting up an account. Usually, prints will arrive in the mail in less than a week.

In addition to ordering prints, Shutterfly provides dozens of other options. You can make calendars, Tshirts, coffee mugs, posters, aprons, gift boxes, etc. Two of our favorite photo products are collage posters and gift books.

Shutterfly Studio is a free program that walks you through creating a colllage poster as large as 20×30. The poster can include a single photo or hundreds of photos. Adding photos, moving photos and creating text boxes is extremely easy. A dozen or so layouts are also provided for a very professional looking product.

We also talked about CafePress at the meeting this month. CafePress is a site that allows you to sell photo items on your website. All items have a base price and you can determine the markup. You keep anything over the base price.

Internet Tips — 3 Comments
13
Jul 07

Expand and share your knowledge with web forums – Video Tip

Web or Internet forums will forever change the way you gather information on the Internet. Individuals, organizations, and large companies setup forums to provide a meeting place for people with common interests and goals. Individual computer users like you and I generate 95% of the content/information in a web forum. The rules are pretty simple; if you have a question and it hasn’t already been answered, post a question to the forum, readers see it and respond if they have the answer. Of course, if you see a question that you know the answer to, by all means jump on board and answer it!

Depending on the topic and the reputation of the forum you visit, questions can get answered in as little as five minutes but rarely go more than 24 hours without an answer.

In today’s video tip, I explain how to:

Search for forums that interest you
Search for information in a forum
How-to post questions in a forum

The collective knowledge of Internet users is overwhelming and invigorating. Watch the video below to see how helpful using web forums can be…and again, you may have invaluable help for someone else as well.

Computer User Group — No Comments
11
Jul 07

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:

Creating a “Life Poster” from digital photos with Shutterfly’s software (hint to Adam for future topic)
Installing and using Ubuntu (the embers are smoking)
Why Picasa DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY PHOTOS and where to find a photo’s true location
Sorting your email address book
Creating, modifying, and deleting Microsoft Word templates
Printing problems
Keyboard shortcuts for closing windows or programs (Alt + F4)
Web 2.0 questions (carry over from last month’s topic)
Setting download speed preferences for watching videos in Real Player, QuickTime or Windows Media Player
What is Active X and why you might need it or use it.
Transferring and viewing photos on the road without a laptop
Showing the “address bar” in Windows Explorer windows
MSCONFIG – deciphering what to uncheck and what not to check
Defrag – Does it cure all computer woes? (Hint: NO) I revealed that with my last computer (which I used for more than four years), I can only remember defragmenting my computer twice…and that computer is still running strong for a neighbor who also never defrag’s on my advice.
Installing Windows XP on a new computer that came with Vista
FREE Internet phone calls – Skype, Skype phones at Radio Shack
Are Uninterubtable Power Systems (UPS) a good idea
Securing a wi-fi network
Using an older computer on a wi-fi network
Is AVG better than AdAware (hint: they fight different bad guys)
Drawing lines on a graph made on graph paper with horizontal, vertical and 45 degree grid lines
Backup questions
How to clear the address bar in the browser window
Downloading pictures to Picasa
Creating Picasa web albums
Emailing photos from Picasa
Breakdown of pricing of Ubuntu systems sold at Dell
Instant messaging programs – Trillian (communicates with all systems), AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk
Creating a CD in Picasa
Woot!

These are just the main questions that I could think of, but aren’t you kicking yourself now for not coming to the meeting?!

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 5 Comments
25
Jun 07

Castellini on Computers is Morphing…for the better

As I look back over the past few years, I am very proud of the progress Adam and I have put into the site. My goal from day 1 for our web site and show, and Adam adopted the goal when he joined me nearly 7 years ago, was to provide the easiest to understand and most practical computer advice on the web, radio, or anywhere. I believe that we have succeeded in meeting that goal and continue to improve upon that goal every single day.

After months of consideration, we agreed that we can do even MORE for our web site visitors, show listeners, and computer users yet to visit the site if we focus our energies on further enriching the site's content and offering new ways to interact with us and the site.

We cannot express our gratitude enough to all the wonderful listeners and web visitors who helped nurture the show and supported the show since the beginning. We still thoroughly enjoy doing the show and helping computer users, but we hope to be able to reach even MORE users by bringing our show to our web site and hopefully create a grass roots movement that spreads the news about our easy-to-understand and practical content to all corners of the universe.

Leaving the radio air waves is not an end for us, but rather an exciting new beginning for us to offer MORE of what you like about our show and site. Spread the news to all your friends, family, and colleagues that Rick and Adam, Castellini on Computers, and HelpMeRick.com is alive and well and will continue to offer the best computer advice found anywhere via any medium.