June - Quad Cities Computer Society

QBITS
Quad-Cities Computer Society
Newsletter for June 2014
Volume 32, number 5
563-265-1728
www.qcs.org
QCS:
Monday June 2nd
7:00 PM
@ Moline Viking Club
Geeks on Tour
presented by
Jim & Chris Guld
Jim and Chris will be invited also
to participate with the QCS Digital
SIG in the GeoCache/Photowalk to
be held at Black Hawk College on
May 31st.
____________________________
QCS Review:
The Scary New
Face of Identity
Theft….and What
You Can Do
Presented by Tim Henry,
United Bankers’
Bank Managing Agent,
Bloomington, MN
tim.henry (at) ubb.com
James Dingman,
President BankOrion
Computers have become a integral part of the way we live in the
21st Century, but there are downsides to their power and conveni-
QBITS June 2014
Dianne Johnson
Jim Dingman
Tim Henry
Judi McDowell
United Banker's
QCS
BankOrion
BankOrion
Consumer
President
Bank Management
President
Agent
Agent
Photo courtesy of Vicki Wassenhove QCS webmaster Digital SIG leader
ence: Identity Theft. James
Dingman, President of the BankOrion, and Tim Henry from United
Bankers' presented to us an overview of the identity hazards in the
marketplace and the ways we can
keep our identify free from misuse.
Jim, briefly described the history
of BankOrion. It was established in
1890 and just within the last 20
years has expanded to Aledo, Annawan, Cambridge, Moline, and
Bettendorf. This bank has a 400
million dollar portfolio, and employes around 100 people. He observed that their conservative business philosophy and close ties to
the community have enabled
BankOrion to remain prosperous. In
today's business and personal climate BankOrion, within the last
year, has begun to provide identity
The QCS is a member of
theft services to their clients. He introduced Tim Henry who has been
working in the area of identity theft
for United Bankers' for over 15
years.
United Bankers' is a Correspondent Bank which offers specialty services to Banks across the county
and Identify Theft protection is one
Views and opinions expressed
by presenters do not necessarily
reflect those of the
Quad-Cities Computer Society.
Monthly meetings are open
to the general public.
1
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have the newsletter sent to you
electronically instead of by US
Mail, notify:
Patty Lowry,
QBITS co-editor
(563) 332-8679
such service.
Most of us are aware of credit
card fraud that is reported in the
news. Tim said this fraud represents
only about 40 % of the identity
theft that occurs. The remaining
60% of identity theft can occur in
other portions of our life where our
identity is compromised and becomes the currency for thieves.
[email protected]
He noted that another misconcepQBITS
tion
is that we can't be held liable
Published monthly by the
for the loss. Another misconcepQuad Cities Computer Society
c/o Dave Tanner
tion: identity theft can be prevented
3449 - 52nd St
100%. If a person or company
Moline, IL 61265
makes this claim, it is a false one;
webpage: www.qcs.org
no one can prevent it 100% of the
Co-editors
time.
Joe Durham
Target has been the most [email protected]
Patty Lowry
worthy victim of identity theft in
[email protected]
the news. Millions of their customThe Quad-Cities Computer Society
ers' credit cards were compromised
or QCS is an Iowa nonprofit
and the head of Target has resigned
organization for charitable, scientific,
because of it. The company's efforts
and educational purposes primarily to
to correct the problem, and reclaim
educate the public concerning the
advantages and disadvantages of
their good corporate name continmicrocomputers and to publish a
ues.
newsletter for distribution to members,
There are 5 common areas where
area libraries and educational
identity theft is committed:
institutions. The QCS is recognized as
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and
educational organization by the IRS.
Copyright QBITS copyright © 2014 by
the QCS. All rights reserved.
Subscriptions are included in cost of
membership. Reproduction of any
material herein is expressly prohibited
unless prior written permissions is
given by the QCS. Permission to
reprint material contained herein is
granted to other non-profit personal
computer groups provided the full
attribution of the author, publication
title and date are given, except that
articles with Copyright notice in the
header indicates article may be
reproduced with the express written
permission of the author ( or other
indicated copyright holder). Brand or
product names are trademarks of their
respective carriers. As a typographic
convention we do not so identify as
such.
2
1. Driver's license fraud
2. Social Security Number
fraud
3. Medical insurance fraud
4. Character fraud
5. Financial identity theft
In addition to our Social Security
Number, our drivers' license is a
common form of identification is
many areas of commerce, job seeking, and credit. If you lose it or
someone steals it, they can readily
apply for credit, or a job in your
place. Or someone could open a
credit account in your name.
If the thief committed a crime
with your identity, you could accidentally be arrested on outstanding
warrants that are in your name
falsely. So it is wise to guard your
drivers' license closely.
Social Security Number theft is
another area of concern. It is used
in many areas of our lives: credit,
medical records, employment, insurance and many more. Tim mentioned that we should never carry
this card with us. Find a way to
memorize it.
He related that an employee at
United Bankers' had their SSN#
stolen and someone in Texas was
filing a W-2 forms in his name and
filing taxes with his identity. It has
taken this person 5 years to clear
the misuse and confusion, and he
has had to begin the process of getting an entirely new Social Security
number.
Another life area that can be compromised is our medical insurance
information. Once someone has
these identifying numbers they can
obtain medical services fraudulently in your name. With the high
price of medical procedures the
total sums can mount up quickly.
Also the misuse of prescription
drugs is an emerging problem and
with medical identity knowledge,
thieves obtain these items easily.
Character identity fraud is another area of vulnerability. Our reputations can be destroyed, passports
fraudulently issued, or your job applications can be denied.
Financial identity theft can misuse your credit card, bank account,
utility payment, or phones.
Overshadowing these areas of
compromise is the large number of
areas where our data is stored. In
these instances the breach of identity is oftentimes out of our control.
Tim said there are ways of managing identity theft for free and
there are places that offer identity
QBITS June 2014
theft protection on your behalf by
subscription.
The Federal Trade Commission
has a site that you can visit for free
for help:
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
(1-877-IDTHEFT)
(1-877-438-4388)
You also have the legal right to
order a free credit report once a
year from each of the three major
credit companies.
Equifax
Experian
TransUnion
www.annualcreditreport.com
(1-877-322-8228)
Tim, mentioned that when you do
so and as you examine the report,
look for changes in your credit history, and changes in your previous
addresses. These will tip you off
that someone has been attempting
to misuse your credit.
Also if you discover that someone
has misused your credit card or you
have lost your credit card, be sure
to report that theft to your credit
card financial institution before 60
days have elapsed otherwise you
could be held accountable for the
loss.
There are four subscription services that help you deal with identity theft:
Monitoring Services
Resolution Services
Restoration Services
Scanning Services
Monitoring Services simply issue to you a letter or email notifying you that your credit reports
have been accessed or changed. It is
up to you to actively remedy the errors or misuse that is discovered.
Resolution Services will tell you
QBITS June 2014
what to do and who to contact when
identity theft occurs. It is wise to
ask them if they seek a limited
power of attorney from you. If they
do not, then they can't act on your
behalf, you essentially have to do
all of the work. This question is a
good way to find out if they are
misrepresenting their services to
you in ads or communication.
Restoration Services provide the
greatest amount of work. They will
seek from you a Limited Power of
Attorney and then work on your behalf to restore your identity and
credit by contacting all the compromised agencies and legally correcting the misuse and errors.
Scanning Services are a new
product in the identity protection
industry. In addition to legally
working on your behalf like restoration services, they actively scan all
public records to make sure that
your identity has not been compromised or misused.
Tim mentioned that each of these
services is priced in a range of
monthly fees. Consult the financial
institution of your choice to see if
they provide any of these services.
As an example BankOrion
provides IDTheftSmart
www.idtheftsmart.com/
as part of their banking services in
two forms:
IDTheftSmart which offers
IDTheft Counseling and IDTheft
Restoration.
And
idINTERGRITYSCAN
which provides a full scan of the
other 60% of identity theft threat
and scans other areas of your identity for misuse.
As Tim and Jim fielded questions
from the audience, Jim explained in
answer to one, that in most cases
the Bank ends up bearing the loss
of any credit fraud that occurs on a
customers account. As a result the
Banking industry takes identity
fraud seriously and works with its
customers and the industry as a
whole to make financial information as secure as possible as a way
of minimizing their exposure in the
marketplace.
For example in the Target store
episode BankOrion chose proactively to replaced several thousands
cards of their members that were
Target users. At this stage they don't
know if they were compromised,
but BankOrion wanted to preempt
any attempt by issuing new credit
cards.
In answering another question,
Tim noted that he prefers using
credit cards to debit cards as debit
cards take funds directly from your
checking account. Whereas a credit
card allows you to peruse a
monthly statement and notify your
financial institution immediately
and you do not bear the financial
burden. On other hand, in Jim's
opinion, a pin based debit card is
more secure than a signature.
Members in the audience mentioned the option of using a credit
card with a preloaded set balance.
Whereupon Tim mentioned that if
you travel outside of the country it
is a good thing to tell your financial
credit card institution that you will
be abroad.
The QCS would like to thank Jim
and Tim for their fine presentation.
Jim brought from BankOrion a bag
of gifts for each person in the audience which contained a mouse pad,
pen, notepad, a microfiber cloth and
brochures describing their identity
theft customer service option.
--continued on next page--
3
Using Picasa for
Blogger Pictures
by Chris Guld
There are lots
of posts on
Picasa’s official
support forum
goo.gl/Oi53vD
from people
upset that the “Blog This!” feature
of Picasa is no longer working.
That doesn’t bother me at all. Even
though I’ve kept a Blogger.com
blog since 2003, and used Picasa
for almost as long, I’ve never used
the BlogThis! feature to get my
pictures from Picasa to Blogger.
coming from your web album. So,
maybe you won’t make the mistake
of deleting that album from Google
Plus. Many people don’t realize that
their Blogger pictures are actually
stored in your Picasa Web Albums
(now Google Plus Photo Albums.)
If you used the BlogThis! button
(when it used to work) your
pictures were stored in a Web
Here’s how I do it
Album named the same as your
1. Upload from Picasa to a named
Blog. If you delete (or even
Web Album in Google+ Photos
rename) that album from Google
(what used to be called Picasa Web
Plus Photo Albums, you have
Albums)
deleted the picture that was
showing in your Blog.
2. From Blogger, use the “Insert
Image” button and choose “From
Picasa Web Albums” Find the
‘Devils Tower Album’ and select
the pictures
Don’t Delete the Web Album
When you do it this way, you are
very aware that your picture is
4
All your Best Pictures are in
the Web Album
Sometimes I’m not interested in
scrolling thru all the text on my
Blog, I just want to look at all the
pictures I took. In our RVing
lifestyle, we’re taking pictures all
the time, so I upload the best ones
into albums by month. Sometimes a
special event like ‘Cruise to Alaska’
deserves an album all its own, but
normally I have an album for each
month. In a month where we
traveled a lot, I might have 1-200
pictures, like last September when
we started the month in Nevada and
ended in Florida. If you click the
link you will see all my pictures for
that month. You can even click on
one picture to see it full screen,
then click on the option for Slide
Show. Some friends might not want
to read all the text in your Blog, but
they love browsing thru your
pictures.
Only the Pictures Needed to
Tell the Story go in the Blog
In that same month – September
2013, I wrote 6 blog posts and used
68 of the pictures from the Web
Album. So, I have my choice of just
looking at pictures: 157 pictures in
the September 2013 Web Album;
OR reading the Blog posts that
include 68 of those exact same
pictures.
Tutorial Videos
If you are a Geeks on Tour
member, you can watch tutorial
videos on this topic:
•blog05a.Adding Pictures from
the Web #275
•pics42.Upload Photos to the Web
#122
•pics52.Picasa 3.9 and Google
Plus Sharing #287
QBITS June 2014
This tip brought to you by Geeks on
Tour
Geeks on Tour is a membership
website with hundreds of Tutorial
Videos on topics of interest to
travelers, such as managing digital
photos with Picasa, Route-Planning
with Streets and Trips, and sharing
your travels with a website using
Blogger or with friends on Facebook.
You can subscribe to our free enewsletters, goo.gl/LMttx5 or become
a paid member goo.gl/FMtr2E and be
able to view all of the videos in the
Learning Library.
_______________________________
Cybernews!
By Gary Stanley
gary.stanley.net
The hottest news of the day is
the warning about Microsoft's
Internet browser. The news was so
big that Homeland Security issued a
warning to the public. It's not the
first time Microsoft has had IE
browser problems. It's been going
on sporadically for years. Here's the
latest warning! goo.gl/HuoWs4
The best bet is to use Firefox or
Google's Chrome Browser. Firefox
is more user friendly than Chrome
and it just released a new version. If
you'd like to use it you can
download it here. goo.gl/u8Ykf9 If
you'd like to try Chrome get it here.
goo.gl/F32x53
Security problems are getting
worse by the day! Target was the
big news last month. Yahoo has
been having problems with their
email for months and if that's the
email client that you are using it is
advised to change your password.
Now it's AOL's turn. AOL is asking
users to reset their passwords as it
investigates a recent flurry of spam
emails. The story from PC World.
goo.gl/FfxFF1
You should know this about
QBITS June 2014
passwords. Never use the same
password for all your accounts!
That only stands to reason because
if one of your accounts is
compromised they all will be. If
you are using weak passwords it is
strongly suggested to change them.
Make them long with a
combination of letters, and
numbers. For obvious reasons never
use a word that is easy to crack,
such as your name, address, etc.
Some accounts will ask you to
answer a security question if you
try to sign in and forget your
password. Never use your Mother's
maiden name or your birthday.
That's just another way of feeding
them personal information. Use
something like your first dog's
name instead.
Don't register products or
programs. For example let's say
you purchased a new printer. At the
end of the installation process the
software will ask you to register.
They'll want to know everything
about you and it's none of their
business. They especially want your
email address so they can sell it to
other vendors and that is one of the
biggest causes of spam! There is no
good reason to register any product,
so skip that part.
Regular readers of Cyber News
may get tired of me harping about
backing up your files, but I'll never
quit. You should have an external
hard drive so as to back up your
documents, photos, music, browser
favorites, and your email contacts.
Some people think it is safe to back
up to their internal hard drive, but
what good will that do if the hard
drive crashes? Recently one
morning I turned on my computer
then opened Windows Live Mail
only to find that all my saved mail
folders and my entire contact list
was gone! I couldn't believe my
eyes and have no idea how it
happened. External hard drive back
up to the rescue and in minutes
things were back to normal. I would
have been in serious trouble
without that preparation for
disaster.
Now that people are being
forced to migrate to Windows 8.1
from Windows XP, I will start to
give monthly tips on the new
operating system. The biggest gripe
is there is no start button, which we
have been accustomed to since the
beginning of time. You can get
things back to normal by installing
a third party start button called
"Classic Shell." Download and
install it here.
www.classicshell.net/ After the
install right click on the start button
and click on "Settings." First, put a
check mark next to "Show all
Settings." Click the "Controls" tab,
scroll to the bottom and put a check
mark next to "Right click opens
Win+X menu." Lastly click the
"Windows 8.1 Settings" tab and
under "Disable active corners" click
on "All." Click OK at the bottom
and you're finished. Now you're
back to some old time familiarity!
Another dumb thing that
Microsoft pulled was the omission
of games in Windows 8 that we
have played forever. The most
popular have been solitaire, spider
solitaire, and freecell. You can get
the Windows 8 version of those
games, but they didn't make it easy.
Go to the Metro section and type
"Microsoft Solitaire Collection"
then click Install. You can right
click on the game and choose 'Pin
to Taskbar" so you have easy
access. Another option is you can
play most games on the web, but
you must be careful because of lot
--continued on next page--
5
of Internet game sites are
dangerous. Here is one
www.netives.com/ that has been
tested to be safe. Make sure you
save it to your favorites so you can
get to it when needed.
I have written "An Open Letter
to Microsoft" on my Blog about
Windows 8. They just didn't do
things right this time and most
everyone who has had a taste of it
would like to ask "why did you do
this?" Why did they take away what
we've been used to for all these
years? The advancement in
technology is one thing, but
Windows 8 was certainly a giant
step backwards for desktop users.
Read my Blog. garystanley.blogspot.com/
Let me warn you again about
what I call "Piggy Back Installs."
This refers to programs that are
embedded in other programs that
you install. If you're not diligent
during the installation process
you'll end up with an application
that you don't want. The worst
offenders are browser toolbars. Be
sure to uncheck any unnecessary
options when you install a program.
A lot of people leave their
computer on 24/7, but is that the
best policy? One thing to
remember is you'll only get updates
on certain programs including the
operating system when you turn-off
or restart your machine. Probably
the best thing to do is to turn off
your computer each night before
retiring and at the end of the year
that will even save you money.
Love is everywhere! Love is real
life. Love is in the movies. Love is
in music. Love is mentioned in the
Bible over 1,200 times! Watch this
short video goo.gl/epRaJf of an
epic love story between a guy and
the girl of his dreams through the
6
ages.
If you would like to be notified
each month when a new edition of
Cyber News is posted, you can use
the "Subscribe to our Mailing List"
below. Your email address will be
shared with absolutely no one!
Live with Passion, in a Constant
State of Joy, and with an Attitude
of Gratitude!"
Disclaimer: The information presented
in Cyber News is researched and is
believed to be accurate. We cannot
guarantee that all the information will
work on your particular combination of
hardware, software and user skills. All
information herein is offered as-is and
without warranty of any kind. Neither
Stanley Computing nor its contributors
are responsible for any loss, injury, or
damage, direct or consequential,
resulting from your choosing to use
any information presented on this web
site. Gary Stanley or dba Stanley
Computing has not been compensated
in any way for any product
endorsement.
_______________________________
High Definition
Earth Viewing
ISS Science
for Everyone
goo.gl/BJrOXi
VIEW ON USTREAM
goo.gl/BRknOJ
Science Objectives for
Everyone
The High Definition Earth
Viewing (HDEV) experiment
places four commercially available
HD cameras on the exterior of the
space station and uses them to
stream live video of Earth for
viewing online. The cameras are
enclosed in a temperature specific
housing and are exposed to the
harsh radiation of space. Analysis
of the effect of space on the video
quality, over the time HDEV is
operational, may help engineers
decide which cameras are the best
types to use on future missions.
High school students helped design
some of the cameras' components,
through the High Schools United
with NASA to Create Hardware
(HUNCH) program, and student
teams operate the experiment.
Science Results for Everyone
Information Pending
This content was provided by
Susan Runco, M.S., and is
maintained in a database by the ISS
Program Science Office.
____________________________
New Internet Rules
Could Cost You
Once again, there is extreme
pressure on the FCC to change the
rules of the Internet. That pressure
is being brought by the large corporations in the communications industry, such as Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc. Perhaps the key issues
are that these corporations want to
change the pricing structure of the
internet, and control access speeds
to selected websites (among other
issues).
According to the website freepress.net: "[The new rules]. . .
would give Internet service providers the green light to implement
pay-for-priority schemes that would
be a disaster for startups, nonprofits
and everyday Internet users who
cannot af ford these unnecessary
tolls."
That website provides a way to
QBITS June 2014
make your voice heard on this issue.
Here are a number of other links
that you can use to explore this issue and make yourself an informed
consumer (and decided for yourself
what makes sense):
* Net Neutrality
http://www.publicknowledge.org/
issues/net-neutrality?
gclid=CJTum96lpL4CFa1FMgodPGgAGA
* The Solution to the F.C.C.’s
Net-Neutrality Problems
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2014/05/tomwheeler-fcc-net-neutrality-problems.html
* FCC's new net neutrality rules
opposed by 100+ internet
companies (update: vote still on
schedule)
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05
/07/fcc-net-neutrality-rulesunder-fire/
* 10 Senators Blast FCCProposed Internet ‘Fast Lane’ Net
Neutrality Rules
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/09
/10-senators-blast-fcc-proposedinternet-fast-lane-net-neutralityrules/
* Al Franken’s crusade to stop
Comcast and save media
http://www.cnet.com/news/alfrankens-crusade-to-stopcomcast-and-save-media/
copy to review when desired. One
of my favorite sources for this free
information is the online web service at MakeUseOf.com, which
currently has 125 free e-books
available to download, as well as
thousands of pages of other interby Ira Wilsker
esting content, including over
30,000 articles.
WEBSITES:
On the "about" page at
ebooks
MakeUseOf.com
www.makeuseof.com/pages/
(makeuseof.com/about), it says,
"MakeUseOf is a leading destinaGenealogy
tion for digital productivity tips and
goo.gl/nm8ycc
your guide to cool stuff on the Internet. Online since June 2006."
Tablet buying
According to the statistics on this
goo.gl/0nHK9O
page, MakeUseOf.com has, "250k
Facebook Fans, 500k Subscribers,
ios7
70k Twitter Followers, 60k G+
goo.gl/oG30Xs
(Google+) Followers, 12m Monthly
Visits, 32k Articles, 329k ComSmartphones
ments." One of the most popular
goo.gl/xfUFrl
features offered is a frequently updated compendium of free e-books,
Gutenberg
currently totaling 125 titles on a
goo.gl/BDj0uU
multitude of hardware and software
topics, as well as books on how to
www.gutenberg.org
make the best use of online serm.gutenberg.org - Mobile
vices. Almost all of the books can
website
be freely viewed online, downLet's face it. Most of us really do loaded for free in PDF and ePub
not know how to fully make use of formats (ePub is a widely used
the hardware and software that we
format compatible with most dedicuse on a regular basis. Sure, we
ated e-readers), or available for incan likely perform normal tasks,
expensive purchase (mostly 99
and maybe discover a new tweak or cents) in Kindle format from
feature, but our hardware and soft- Amazon.com.
If you want still more informaThe listed books are generally
tion, use: new fcc rules on net neut- ware are often more capable than
current in their content; some of the
rality as a search criteria in your fa- we know. There are lots of websites,
online
guides,
and
commertitles are a little dated, but still convorite search engine.
cial books available that might im- tain valuable and useful informaAnd don't forget that the
prove our insight, but sometimes
tion that is likely still applicable to
freepress.net link above makes it
today's users. Since many people
easy for you to be heard on this is- one of the best resources for us to
improve
our
computing
and
smart
do not always use the newest and
sue.
device satisfaction might be a free
latest versions of hardware and
e-book that we can download and
software, some of the older titles
read on our device as we need guid- may still provide substantial insight
ance, or can print so we have a hard both to those users, as well as to
QBITS June 2014
125 Free E-Books
to Help You With
Your Computer,
Smartphone, or Life
--continued on next page--
7
those with the newer versions of
hardware and software.
While many of the titles listed are
technical in nature, many others are
more for personal enhancement and
benefit. One of the first of the free
publications that I downloaded was
the "Research Your Family Tree
Online" by Christian Cawley. I
chose to download the 34 page
book in the free PDF format as I
can easily view it on any of my
devices. This e-book, published in
December 2013, consists of seven
chapters and an appendix which explain how to use your computer to
uncover your ancestors, explains
the different software that can be
used to track your genealogy, online genealogy resources, shows
how to most efficiently utilize Ancestry.com, using online research
for offline discoveries, putting family history on multimedia, and
"Your Family History Is Waiting To
Be Discovered." The appendix is a
compendium of applications, online
research websites, desktop genealogy software, and the industry
standard GEDCOM genealogy file
format that can be used to exchange data between most of the
software utilities and online file
sharing services.
In 2013, according to several
published reports, worldwide sales
of tablet computers may have
passed laptop computer sales, and
by 2015, tablet sales may pass the
combined sales of laptop and
desktop units (Source: idigitaltimes.com/articles/17881/2013052
8/tablet-vs-laptop-sales-androidsamsung-apple.htm). While a
little dated, the e-book
"MakeUseOf Tablet Buying Guide:
Summer 2013" has hints, tips, and
recommendations on purchasing a
tablet computer. This 23 page
8
book, written by Joshua Sherman,
and published in August, 2013, explains the different types and features of tablets, the different operating systems commonly used on tablets, and a directory of tablet manufacturers. For anyone thinking of
purchasing a tablet, this free ebook, available as a free PDF or
ePub file, or as an Amazon Kindle
download for 99 cents, has a wealth
of information that might ease the
purchasing process by providing
the potential buyer with useful,
easy to understand information.
One of my coworkers recently
entered the 21st century by purchasing a new iPhone, which replaced the much simpler "dumb"
cell phone that he had been using
for several years. His new phone
uses iOS7, an operating system that
he is totally unfamiliar with. I will
be recommending that he download
"Your Guide to iOS7", by Tim
Brookes, dated September, 2013
(goo.gl/oG30Xs). This 20 page
book has five chapters that cover
"Getting Started With iOS 7", new
features of iOS7, updates, instructions on how to use the integral
software and additional apps, and
other practical information. Another
related series of e-books include basic, intermediate, and advanced
levels of "How to Use Your
iPhone".
Before my coworker purchased
his new iPhone, it might have been
beneficial for him to have read the
e-book "Smartphone Buying Guide,
Winter 2013" by Joshua Sherman
(goo.gl/xfUFrl). This 21 page
book in four chapters, explains the
factors to consider before purchasing a new smart phone, gives details on the different operating systems available for smart phones,
discusses the phone manufacturers
and carriers, and finally compares
and contrasts many of the most
popular models available. While
new models of smart phones are
constantly being introduced, a
quick check of the carriers' websites
showed that many of the models
listed in this "Winter 2013" buying
guide are still being sold by the major carriers and independent sellers.
While this MakeUseOf list of ebooks is impressive, with its 125
titles, one of the newest of the
available e-books is a guide to what
may arguably be the largest source
of public domain e-books available,
Project Gutenberg. According to
the listing, "Project Gutenberg is
one of the largest and most well
known, but before we examine the
nuts and bolts of the site, we need
to take a moment to examine the
concept of “public domain”, which
is the whole bedrock of the Gutenberg site." At present, Project
Gutenberg has over 45,000 books
that have been scanned by volunteers around the world, and then
each converted into one or more digital formats. The e-book published by MakeUseOf, "Project
Gutenberg: More Than Just Free
Books" (goo.gl/BDj0uU), by Mark
O'Neill, published in April, 2014, is
23 pages in seven chapters that explains the principles of public domain, instructions on how to use the
website at www.gutenberg.org and
the mobile site at m.gutenberg.org,
the selection of available digital
formats, the availability of many of
the books in audio format, how
contemporary authors can utilize
the self publishing portal, how to
become a volunteer proofreader for
Project Gutenberg, and a listing of
recommended books to familiarize
the reader with the resources and
formats available. Included in this
QBITS June 2014
guide are links to many other
sources of free e-books, including a
large selection of free e-books in
Amazon's Kindle format.
There are e-books covering many
other subjects including how to
make money online; guides to Microsoft Office, Gmail, Firefox, Photoshop, Windows 8, Illustrator, and
several other software titles; an ebook about BitCoins; Facebook privacy; and dozens of other topics.
Since all of these e-books are free
in either PDF or ePub format, or
available on Amazon in Kindle
format for a nominal sun (typically
99 cents), most people will likely
find a lot of useful and interesting
information on the free e-books on
MakeUseOf's website at
makeuseof.com/pages.
____________________________
Book Review:
Galaxy S4 The
Missing Manual
The book that
should have
come with the site
by Steve Costello
Boca Raton Computer Society,
Inc. President/Editor
brcs.org/
editor (at ) brcs.org
(reprinted from the May 2014 issue of
Boca Bits the Newsletter of the Boca
Raton Computer Society)
Disclosure
I received this through the
O'Reilly User Group Program at no
cost, and decided to review it, as I
have a Sprint Galaxy S4 and want
to get the most out of it.
Review
The book is divided into five
QBITS June 2014
parts:
PART I - THE BASICS
If you've had your S4 for a while,
you should at least skim this part to
make sure you are aware of these
basics.
PART II - THE BUILT-IN
FEATURES
This part deals with taking
pictures/videos, music
management, GPS, the calendar,
and more.
Well worth the investment of time
and money to get the most out of
your Samsung Galaxy S4.
____________________________
Nuggets from Nuvo
by Joc Nuvolini
(reprinted from the May 2014 Issue of
Bits of Bytes the newsletter of the
Pike's Peak Computer Application
Society)
I picked up a Lepow Moonstone
6000 Power Bank at CES. It is a
PART III - THE GALAXY S4
portable power bank used to charge
ONLINE
your cell phone, bluetooth device,
Learn about networks, hotspots,
tablet, etc. The unit comes with a
email, getting apps, etc. with you
cable with a USB connector at one
S4.
end and a micro-USB connector at
the other that can be used to charge
PART IV - ADVANCED
the Moonstone 6000, as well as
FEATURES
charge your device.
How to synch/transfer files,
The unit has one micro-USB invirtual private networking (VPN),
put port for charging the Moonvoice control, settings list, different stone and two USB output ports for
connections/accounts, and more.
charging your device(s). One has a
1200mA common mode output, the
PART V - APPENDIXES
second a 2100mA quick charge outSetup and sign up, accessories,
put. The capacity of its Li-Polymer
troubleshooting and maintenance.
battery is 6000mAh. The current
sale price at the Lepow Website is
NOTES
$19.99. For more information, visit:
lepowglobal.com/products/moonNote 1:
stone/.
"This book happens to be written
ChargerLeash is a device that was
based on the Samsung Galaxy S4
not shown at CES this year but was
sold for T-Mobile phones, so it may sent to me after the show by its proslightly differ from what you see on moter. It can be seen at their
phones from other carriers." Quoted http://www.chargerleash.com Webfrom the Frequently Asked
site. It is a 3-foot long cable that
Question box on page 27.
will charge and/or sync devices.
The cable has a USB connector at
Note 2:
one end and a micro-USB connectMy S4 is for Sprint, but for the
or at the other suitable for charging
most part things are the same.
cell phones, blue tooth devices, and
There are some different default
tablets.
apps of course.
In the middle of the cable is a
device that contains an LED and
Conclusion
beeper. If the device you are char--continued on next page--
9
ging is disconnected from the cable,
Officers 2014-2015
the LED turns red and shortly
Elected Officers
thereafter, the device beeps. This is President
Judi McDowell
(309) 314-1780
[email protected]
supposed to remind you not to
Vice President
Ralph Drexler
(309) 755-8138
[email protected]
Secretary
Darlene Norton
(309) 798-1085
[email protected]
leave the cable behind when leavCorresponding SecretaryShari Peterson
(563) 468-1658
[email protected]
ing your hotel, or to alert you if
Treasurer
Dave Tanner
(309) 764-6455
[email protected]
Directors at Large
Jack Bocarosa
(309) 787-0688
[email protected]
someone disconnects your device
Jim Buche
(309) 755-4893
[email protected]
while its charging in a public charMarie Drexler
(309) 755-8138
[email protected]
Susan Peterson
(309) 721-7048
[email protected]
ging area.
Emily Smith
(309) 794-9320
[email protected]
The device works as advertised if
Diana Wolf
(309) 797-5413
you disconnect the device from the
charging cable, but it does not if
Director Past President Patty Lowry
(563) 332-8679
[email protected]
you unplug the cable from the charDirector/SIG Leader
ging supply. I have an issue with
Beginners
Jim Kristan
(309) 755-8277
[email protected]
the pricing.
Genealogy
Len Stevens
(563) 359-9672
[email protected]
Digital (coordinator)
Vicki Wassenhove
(309) 787-2239
[email protected]
The model I have is $22.99,
Internet
Ted Huberts
(309) 792-9470
[email protected]
There are two Apple models at
Office
Judi McDowell
(309) 314-1780
[email protected]
Larry Stone
(309) 787-5574
[email protected]
$26.99 and $34.99. There is another Personal Computing
QBits
Joe Durham
(309) 764-5570
[email protected]
model with multiple charging tips
Appointed Officers
for $34,99. You can buy a USB-toMembership Director
Susan Peterson
(309) 721-7048
[email protected]
microUSB charging cable from
Program Director
Ralph Drexler
(309) 755-8138
[email protected]
Amazon for under $2.00. I found
Public Relations Dir.
Melinda Missman
(309) 235-7579
[email protected]
Publicity
Joe Durham
(309) 764-5570
[email protected]
one ad that offered 10 three foot
Financial Committee
Mel VanderHoek
(563) 505-9661
[email protected]
USB-to-micro-USB cables along
APCUG Representative Patty Lowry
(563) 332-8679
[email protected]
Membership Records
Susan Peterson
(309) 721-7048
[email protected]
with a 110 VAC to 5 VDC USB
Web Master
Vicki Wassenhove
(309) 787-2239
[email protected]
charging device for $9.95 plus ship- QBITS Newsletter
Joe Durham
(309) 764-5570
[email protected]
Patty Lowry
(563) 332-8679
[email protected]
ping. It doesn’t seem like a very
Mailing
Patty Lowry
(563) 332-8679
[email protected]
cost effective solution to me, even
Resource Manager
Judi McDowell
(309) 314-1780
[email protected]
though it came with a gift of a
mono hands-free phone headset, a
service has been added since 2012,
$4.39 value on Amazon.
____________________________ there is 2G and 3G access. It is considered on the of the 7 engineering
marvels of the world. One can catch
MEMBERSHIP CORNER
a ride in London and have dinner in
Chunnel
Membership dues are payable
Paris!
20 years Old
July 1st each year and expire
The boring machines have been
the following June 30th.
left on site as they were too large to
It is worthremove.
Individuals $30
while to note
There continue to be explorations
Family
$40
that this train of connections between other globPayments
can
be
made in
tunnel connec- al points: Sicily and Italy, connectperson
at
a
meeting
or
tion between
ing the Gibraltar straits. Man's imamailed to the treasurer
Britain and
gination and technological reach
David Tanner
France has
continues to expand and dazzle.
3449 – 52nd Street
been operating goo.gl/rUhG2c
Moline, IL 61265
regularly for
20 years. In
the year 2013 there were
10,132.691 tickets sold. Cellphone
10
QBITS June 2014
BCL
CRA
EDC
Locatio n Ke y
Lib ra ry of Bu tte rwo rth Home
Craft Roo m o f Butte rwo rth Home
Ed u cation Ce n ter o f Bu tte rwo rth
MVC
OAK
ORC
Lo ca tion Ke y
M olin e Viking s Clu b
Oa k Ro o m of Bu tte rwo rth Ho me
Orchid Roo m o f Bu tte rwo rth Ho me
BUTTERWORTH HOME
8h St & 11th Ave Moline, IL
EDUCATION
CENTER
OF BUTTERWORTH
QBITS
June
2014
7th St & 12th Ave Moline, IL
11
Quad Cities Computer Society
c/o Dave Tanner
3449 - 52nd St
Moline IL 61265
Moving? Send an
address change to:
[email protected]
This Month in QBITS ....
Geeks on Tour
1
QCS Review: The Scarey New Face
Of Identity Theft... And What You Can
Do About It
1
Using Picasa for Blogger Pictures
4
Cybernews!
5
High Definition Earth Viewing: ISS
Science for Everyone
6
New Internet Rules Could Cost You 6
125 Free E-books for Help With Your
Computer, Smartphone or Life
7
Book Review: Galaxy 4 The Missing
Manual
9
Nuggets from Nuvo
9
Chunnel 20 years Old
10
QCS Membership Corner
10
QCS Officers 2014-2015
10
QCS Meeting Dates
11
QCS Map Directions
11
12
Monday
June 2nd
7:00 PM
Geeks on Tour
presented by
Jim & Chris Guld
@
Moline Viking Club
1450 41st St, Moline, IL 61265
QBITS June 2014