SeniorNet Rotorua (Inc)

SeniorNet Rotorua (Inc)
Member of N Z Federation of SeniorNet Societies
October 2014
Chairman
Bruce Scott
Patron
Roma Cook
Secretary
Betty Milligan
Treasurer
Denise Weatherall
Committee
Alan Armstrong
Don Gray
Bert Harris
Harry Hicks
Barrie Pinfold
Rodney Runciman
Dennis Walsh
Pauleen Wilkinson
Course Co-ordinator
Barrie Pinfold
Course Tutors
Alan Armstrong
Tony Baker
Dave Clough
Dave Daniel
Faye Donnelly
Bert Harris
Harry Hicks
Betty Milligan
Rodney Runciman
David Thornley
Glenise Turkington
Denise Weatherall
Technician
Dave Clough
Membership
Pauleen Wilkinson
Manuals
Rodney Runciman
Webmaster
Alan Armstrong
Postal Address P O Box 2090 Rotorua
Greetings fellow members.
In the absence of Bruce Scott - our Chairman - I have offered to put pen
to paper.
(Actually it is fingers taping on the keyboard - these days.)
My very first introduction to computers was - with Telecom - back in the
early 1990’s.
A promotion within the ranks, had me on a six week training course in
Hamilton - to learn how to use a computer. It was very scary for someone
like me; technology was almost a foreign word.
There was no Power Point presentation; just a large easel with strange
drawings on large pieces of paper. The tutor pointed at the drawings with a long wooden pointer - and explained each component before flipping the page. (Reminded me of my arithmetic lessons in primary school;
I didn’t cope very well with those either). This was my introduction to the
computer world. Back in Rotorua, the big - cumbersome - computers
awaited. I was lucky to have two staff with much younger brains… so I
was able to communicate with the public face to face.
Thank goodness the Founders of SeniorNet had the foresight…
How lucky are we - at Rotorua SeniorNet’s Learning Centre - to have
such a well equipped and, warm, friendly ambience to work in. Plus - the
added bonus of a classy lounge in which to hold our monthly gatherings.
We have a great bunch of volunteer tutors who give of their time and are
willing to impart their technical knowledge. They all deserve a huge THANK YOU.
Pauleen.
Public Relations Officer.
Our next meeting will be held on
Wednesday the 8th October
Our Guest speaker Is
Rhonda Tickelpenny
Custom Solution Liason Officer
Rotorua District Council
To speak about
The– RATES REBATE SYSTEM
Are you eligible
We Welcome the Following
Members to our Club:-
Mary Woodside
Jan Fieldsend
Lina Finau
Maureen Callaghan
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COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE NAME
COST SESSIONS
Computer Awareness
TUTOR(S)
Harry Hicks
Bert Harris
Denise Weatherall
Bill Verney
PHONE
DETAILS
349 0072
343 7232
A course for beginners
348 9924
347 9377
Free
4
Windows 8 Basics
$5
1
iPad Get Started
$10
2
Alan Armstrong
Android Tablets
$10
2
Denise Weatherall
Bert Harris
348 9924 Beginners' Guide for Galaxy
343 7232 Tablets
Basic Word
$20
4
Betty Milligan
Allister McGregor
348 8117
Create professional documents
348 8220
Open Office Text
Writer
$10
2
Rodney Runciman
345 8629 Freeware alternative to MS Word
Card Making
$20
4
Glenise Turkington
345 9669
Make personalised greeting cards
easily
Computer
Maintenance
$5
1
Dave Clough
348 2759
Keeping your computer troublefree
Digital Cameras
$10
2
Lloyd Oliver
347 6437 Learn about your digital camera
Email
$20
4
David Thornley
Dave Daniel
349 3719 Composing, sending and receiving
345 4052 email
Windows 8 Mail App
$10
2
Alan Armstrong
Lloma Gates
349 6344 Get-started workshop on Win 8
357 4037 email
Facebook Basics
$10
2
Alan Armstrong
Denise Weatherall
349 6344
Get started on Facebook
348 9924
Files & Folders
$15
3
Denise Weatherall
348 9924
Genealogy
$20
4
Bert Harris
Internet Explorer
$20
4
Alan Armstrong
349 6344 Getting the most from the Internet
Photo Editing
FastStone
$20
4
David Thornley
349 3719 Enhance and edit digital photos
Scanning
$10
2
Dave Daniel
345 4052
Saving Your Data
$10
2
Dave Clough
348 2759 Backing up files to external drives
TradeMe
$15
3
Denise Weatherall
For users upgrading an earlier
version
349 6344 Basic how-to's of Apple's iPad
File & Folder structure, finding,
organizing and moving folders.
343 7232 Organizing your family history
Getting the most out of your
scanner
348 9924 The 'how-to' of on-line auctions
THESE COURSES ARE OCCASIONALLY AVAILABLE WHEN REQUIRED
Desktop Publishing
$40
8
Betty Milligan
348 8117
Make your own brochures and
pamphlets
MS PowerPoint
$40
8
Tony Baker
345 7607
Slide shows that deliver the
message
MS Excel Spreadsheet
$40
8
David Thornley
349 3719
Spreadsheets are powerful
calculators!
Memoir Writing
$15
3
Dave Daniel
345 4052 Publishing your life history
The course you want not listed? Please tell us.
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October 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
1
10am Tutors
Thu
2
Fri
Sat
3
4
10
11
2pm
Photo Editing 4
5
6
10am
Scanning 1
7
10am
Back-Up 1
8
9
10am Executive
2pm
Monthly Meeting
12
13
10am
Scanning 2
14
10am
Back-Up 2
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27 Labour Day
28
29
30
31
More courses may be added during the month and will appear in the on-line timetable.
November 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
10am
Tutor Workshop
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
2pm
Monthly Meeting
4
WEBMASTER NEWS
http://www.rotoruaseniornet.gen.nz
"Ain't Nothin' That I Haven't Sung About" - Bing Crosby
I think this is my 78th monthly column (losing count) and I often
struggle for new topics. Still plenty of techie stuff I could write about
except it's not of much general interest. I try not to be boring, but it's a
while since anyone told me "I liked your column in the Newsletter" so
I've been wondering about that.
Light on the horizon! The Federation recently sent us a whole swag of
Windows 8 video tutorials. The perfect gift for tutors with a full work-load
and very little time to learn anything new. The club does have two Win 8
laptops we swap around to practise on, but that's only scratching the
surface and none of us yet have the expertise to answer more difficult
questions. And we're human - there's not much reason to learn new
material if you already know 5 good ways to do something, and mastering
the sixth will take time that's in short supply. That will change as more of
us buy new PC's, but nobody throws good equipment away just because
some marketer says it's obsolete.
I've looked at some of the Federation’s tutorials which are excellent for
home study, and I've put a few that should be popular on our website.
Click the Support button then the new Windows 8.1 button to open the
page where they are. To use them you need to install a free VLC viewer
and there's a "click here" link for doing that near the top.
There are 68 tutorials altogether (over 18 hours' viewing) which we
haven't assessed properly yet, so can you help us please? There's a link
in the red line on that page to a survey form where you can tell us what
you thought of any you looked at and what others you want to try. We'll
promote whatever you like best and add more as they’re needed. There's
a complete list lower down that page except they're filenames whose
exact content isn't always clear, and we haven't viewed them all yet.
Setting up links will take time because each one requires two lines of
code, so we'll start with those you ask for.
Almost all my learning comes via the Internet these days, and knowing
how to find the best among many sources is a really useful skill to have.
Rodney and I are running an Internet browser class some time soon, with
one or two places left for anyone who wants to improve their on-line
experience. Knowing how to use a browser is only the beginning!
Alan Armstrong
Webmaster
5
Dave’s Corner
I hope this isn’t you or me.
SENIOR DRIVING
As a senior citizen was driving down the motorway, his car phone rang,
answering, He heard his wife’s voice urgently warning him “Vernon, I just heard
on the news that there is a car going the wrong way on the M25
Please be careful.
“Hell” said Vernon “Its not just one car it’s hundreds of them”
*******************************************************************************************
Microsoft’s last update
“A small number of customers experienced problems with a few of the updates. As soon as we became
aware of some problems, we began a review and then immediately pulled the problematic updates, making these unavailable to download. We then began working on a plan to rerelease the affected updates.”
So should the updated patch solve the problems with the previous update? Yes—and no. Microsoft previously released security update 2982791, which was the update that was pulled a week ago. The new
update is labeled “2993651,” and should replace 2982791. As part of that process, Microsoft advised
users to manually remove update 2982791 through a process of rebooting and deleting certain files.
Unfortunately, patching the previous patch won’t solve the problem. Microsoft still recommends that
you uninstall security update 2982791 through the process outlined above, which includes wading
through the system registry.
“Customers do not need to uninstall the expired 2982791 update before applying the 2993651 update;
however, Microsoft strongly recommends it,” Microsoft says. “Customers who do not remove the expired
update will retain a listing for 2982791 under installed updates in Control Panel.”
In other words, you don’t have to uninstall the patch—but yes, you pretty much have to.
Fortunately, if you did experience crashes, uninstalling the old patch and applying the new one should
solve the problem. if If you didn’t have any problems, you should still do it anyway..
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From the Course Co-ordinator.
We have a couple of requests for a Card Making Course. Tony Baker has offered to run this
course in November if there are a sufficient number of people interested. He will be using a programme from Hallmark which is a free download off the Net. The Club has a print shop programme which you can also use for free. The fee for the course will be $20. If you wish to do this
course please send your registration with the fee to the Secretary.
As Our Chairman is away on an overseas trip at the moment the committee have taken the time
to fill in the gap.
At the last monthly meeting it was asked how many of you would be interested in learning how to
make the most of your Smart Phone. About a dozen raised their hands but to date no one has
come forward. We have a person willing to come along to and instruct members on the use of
their Smart Phones but we need to know numbers attending so we can set a time date and
venue.
We have had a complaint from the Regency Park Management about parking. When attending a course at the learning centre please park in the car parks but not in front of or
on the paved area at rear of the main building. The staff have difficulty getting into the garages.
REAL ME
Why do you need RealMe?
As more services come on board with RealMe, your online interactions will be simpler with no need to turn up in person with identity documents and your needs will
be more easily met as important life events occur - such as health, financial planning and taxes, retirement and changes in your living situation. By 2017 the aim is
for 70% of New Zealander’s transactions with government to be completed in the
digital environment.
How do you get RealMe?
It’s easy! To get a verified RealMe account get started online on
www.realme.govt.nz and enter some of your details, then visit a participating PostShop for them to take your photo, and in no time at all, your identity is verified.
There’s a step-by-step guide on the RealMe website. And once you have your verified RealMe account, you are in control. RealMe relies on permission from you to
share any of your information, and most important - you can see where, when and
to whom you have provided information through.
7
HOW TO REGISTER FOR A COURSE
First: make sure that you are in fact a paid-up member of Rotorua SeniorNet. If you aren’t, apply
for membership!
Then, when you have decided what course you want to take, fill out one of the Registration forms
that comes with your Newsletter (or get one from the Club Website:
(www.rotoruaseniornet.gen.nz), and post it to the Secretary, Rotorua SeniorNet. PO Box 2090,
ROTORUA. 3010. (Please don’t just turn up on the first day of the course that you’ve
learned about from the Club Website! That creates problems for everyone.)
Once the Course Coordinator has checked that:
a.
there are enough people wanting to do the course; and
b.
the tutor(s) are available for that day, and
c.
the rooms are available,
you will be contacted to see if that date and time works for you.
When all this is in place, the course can get under way.
You can (but you don’t need to) send money in when you first register for a course (it may take
some months, or even longer in some cases, to get adequate numbers for a course).
But when you are notified that the course is ready, you have to
make sure that your money has been sent in before you can start.
Please note: the fact that a course is advertised on the Website timetable does NOT mean that
places are necessarily available. Often the course is full before the course is shown on the timetable. Check with the Course Coordinator first.
A Clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory
Where there is a will there is a relative
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SeniorNet Rotorua Incorporated
Course Registration Form
First Names ........................................................................ Last Name ..........................................................
Phone No ..............................
Address ................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................... Post Code ................
Mobile .................................
Email ...................................................... @ ............................................... (for newsletter) or No email yet
(please advise changes)
Best time and way to contact
me .......................................................................................................................................................................
Information required for TEC and ACE funding (please tick all that apply:
Age: 55-59 years
60+
years
Ethnicity:
NZ European
Windows version
Word processor:
XP
MS Works
NZ Maori
Vista
Pasifika
Windows 7
Word 97
Asian
Windows
Word 2000
Word
Other
8
2003
Word 2007
Open Office Writer
Email program:
MS Outlook version ............
Outlook Express
Windows Live
Mail
Our Courses are built around Microsoft Windows so members should have Windows-based home
computers and relevant course programs to get maximum benefit from courses provided.
Introduction to Computers Course:
Already Done
Currently Doing
Require Exemption
It is essential students have adequate basic computer skills before they take part in courses other
than the Introduction to Computers Course which is provided without further charge to new members
of the Club. Exemption from this requirement can be granted to people who can show they already
have good computer experience.
Please hand in this form with payment at a Monthly Club Meeting or post with your cheque to: The
Secretary, Rotorua SeniorNet, PO Box 2090, ROTORUA 3040.
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Signed ............................................................................................... Date .....................................