From the Tutors desk:

New members may not know that it is Club policy, that, before enrolling in an intermediate or advanced level course it is necessary to be conversant with the basic skills in Windows.

Ask the Enrolling Officer for the sheet Prerequisites for Advanced Courses to check your skills level.

Apart from learning your way around in Windows, the tutorials Windows 1 and Word-processing 1 cover the essential subjects of creating and manipulating folders and files.

Without these and other basic skills, one would become lost in a higher level course or, if your tutor spent time bringing you up the course level, your fellow course participant would loose course time.

Greg Hood Tuition Officer

From the Editor/Webmasters desk:

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there…

Do you love the movies and travel? If you do then this is the site for you and it is free to join, the benefits are great.

Attached is information about a free Seniors Club Online (SCO) Take advantages of the many offers.  ASCCA is happy to recommend this opportunity to you!   Seniors Club Online is a new loyalty and recognition program offered by Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL)  Australia's leading entertainment, hospitality and Leisure Company.  It’s free to join.   

To join all you need to do is click on this link www.seniorsonline.com.au and follow the prompts, this link has also been added to your clubs website page for you just go to the opening page of the newsletter and click on the link button.

Month check your newsletter you may find the articles of interest and useful, and a little something to help brighten your day so just enjoy... Elaine

Remember that this Month the elected committee will, at their first meeting, elect the four Office Bearers, that of the  President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary

For Sale (Computer)

Details are :

Computer with Windows XP, 200GB hard drive, 2GB RAM, Pentium 4 CPU

+ Canon iP4300 colour inkjet printer and 5 ink cartridges

+ Canon N1220U Flat-bed Scanner

 The computer was rebuilt in the past 18 months with a new motherboard and hard drive.

All working well.  Price $200 for the lot. Contact Phil Aubin,  4954 3563 (Phil is a committee member and one of our tutors)

Please Note: Have you advised us that you can now receive emails etc, if you have not been receiving your newsletter from us here at Computerpals then we have not been advised that you now have internet access, or the email address that we have is incorrect if this is the case then Please send an email: boblanie@bigpond.net.au with your full name, in the subject line and I will correct it…. For postal newsletters inform Judy Garland on 49452042 or judyg7@bigpond.com

For member’s information, I thought this might be useful, Paul Callaghan is a local who sells reconditioned computers at reasonable prices…(based at Wallsend).
He has complete Pentium 4 computers, Monitor, mouse & keyboards included starting from $80 and up to $200 and Pentium III computers from $40, Paul says “I get great pleasure from being able to supply people with computers at cheap prices, I also offer 1 months replace or repair warranty to computer purchases as well as any advice that may be needed” he has computer parts available. LCD monitors 17" from $90, 19" from $100, and repairs from $10.00.
For anyone interested contact Paul Callaghan his mobile number is 0421 930 827. this is not an endorsement it is only for your info/advice.
 

For your information: If you ever need this service the following members of your club are Justices of the Peace.

 Names                                                 Locality                                                             Phone No  

Ron Howard                                Charlestown                                                          0249432580

Elaine Miller                               Swansea                                                                0249711356

Robert Miller (Bob)                     Swansea                                                                0415461930

Edward Felstead                        Swansea                                                                0249714001

Computer Tips/Help.

OpenOffice Suite.

First, the word “Suite” should clue you in that it's a set of productivity programs – so, just like the Microsoft stuff you've got word processing, spreadsheets, etc...you ask why you'd want this one. In a word – FREE. (too download and easy to install) .

So, let's see... you know to buy a program like Microsoft office or some other office suite would make your jaw hit the floor when you see the price.

Instead, here's a free suite of programs that does a lot more than just the basics with no sticker price shock to suffer through. it will do all you require and then some.
 

You may wonder why you'd want something like the OpenOffice Suite when everyone you know uses Microsoft... won't that cause compatibility issues?

The answer to that is no!

These programs are compatible with their MS counterparts and these programs will save files in some Microsoft formats. Okay, so if you're still with me, let's get to it.

Start at the website www.openoffice.org
 

When the site comes up click “I want to download OpenOffice.org”

“Download Now” will start the process. It may take several minutes to download – when it's done locate the downloaded file (starts with “OOo”) in your downloads folder (or whatever location you saved it to).

Double-click on the setup file and follow the installation wizard.

Soon enough you'll be done and ready to explore your new programs. ~April

Since the last tip covered where to download OpenOffice and why you might want to use it, I thought that it might be a good idea to go over what you're getting with that download.

There's a list of the actual component names (found in my Windows Start menu): Then click on openoffice.

As you can see you've got quite a lot here, let's take a look at your new OpenOffice.org programs:

Writer is your word processor. (Compatible with MS Word)

Calc is your spreadsheet program. (Compatible with MS Excel)

Impress is the program for creating presentations. (Compatible with MS PowerPoint)

Base is your program for creating and maintaining databases of information. (Similar to MS      Access – but I could not find a way to save a file in an actual Microsoft format)

Draw is a program that will allow us to create logos, flow charts, drawings, etc... (While I haven't had much time to investigate this one it seems to me that you have a lot of options and could easily create many of the types of things we do with MS Publisher.)

Math is a program designed for the creation of equations and formulas... obviously, math related symbols and setups are available here.  

At any rate, there's a quick overview of what you've got in your new OpenOffice Suite of programs. There's a lot of work to do for all of us when it comes to exploring and learning not just the basics but all the “cool” stuff too. ~ April

Bonus Extra's

Alt Key Menu Letters

In just about every program you use, you may have noticed that the toolbar at the top (the one with File, Edit, View, etc.) has underlined letters. The “F” in File has a little underline the “V” in View and so on...

Well, if you press your Alt key and a corresponding letter...For example: Alt+T

Poof! The Tools menu opens! So press Alt+F for file, Alt+E for Edit, Alt+V for view - anything with an underlined letter should work.

I like this method, because after the menu opens I can use the arrow keys to move and select what I want! Give it a try today! ~Andrew

 I Like That One!

So, if you've done an image search on Google lately, you've probably noticed that they've changed their format around a little bit. Instead of just thumbnail images, if you put your mouse over an image it expands a bit, giving you a larger view.

You may also notice a link that says “Similar”.

How this comes in handy is if you're looking for a particular image, but want to see what else is out there that has like traits. So, if the image in question has a color scheme you like or the picture is taken at a certain angle, you can just click Similar and bring up more results that fit your criteria.

For example, I found a picture of a laptop: Then I clicked Similar: wow that’s quite useful! Try it for yourself,  ~Andrew

Just for laughs.

Got my son an iPhone for his birthday the other week and recently got my daughter an iPod for hers.  

I was dead chuffed when the family clubbed together and bought me an iPad for Father’s day.

Got my wife an iRon for her birthday. It was around then the fight started......

Remember.... Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open

LAKE MACQUARIE SENIORS PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER 2010

All events are free for people aged 55 years and over, however bookings are required (please phone to reserve your place Date/time description of session location)

September

Tuesday 7 Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces - Do you have limited Morisset 4921 051710.30am - space in your garden or courtyard? Learn how easy it is to Multipurpose12.30pm plant and grow vegetables in portable containers. This is an Centre, Meeting interactive session, participants will take home a small ready Room 2 made garden of vegetables for a small cost of $4. Presented by Men’s Health Peer Education.

Tuesday 14 or 21 Computer Basics - An introduction to computers for the Edgeworth 4921 07079am - 10.30am absolute beginner - no experience required. Library

Thursday 16 Moving into Residential Aged Care and Retirement Charlestown 4921 070711am - 12 noon Villages - This session will give an overview of the legal Library issues associated with moving into aged care or buying into a retirement village. Presented by Lou Pirona of Turnbull Hill Lawyers .

Wednesday 15 Ancestry.com - A guide to using ancestry.com to trace Toronto 4921 070710.30am - your family history. Library11.30am

DID YOU KNOW?

Council has undertaken a program to introduce the MLAK system to some of its amenities for people with a disability. MLAK is a universal lock and key system that allows people with a disability access to public facilities including accessible toilets and liberty swings, 24 hours per day. The introduction of the MLAK system restricts usage to eligible persons and organisations and assists Council to maintain accessible amenities to a high standard.

Eligibility for purchasing a MLAK key is restricted to people with a disability, who have a letter of authority from their Doctor or a Disability Support Group Organisation indicating that they need access to facilities. Disability Support Group Organisations should provide a letter on its letterhead outlining its role and reason for requiring a MLAK key when purchasing.

Keys can be purchased from a member of the Master Locksmiths Association for approximately $12. For more information contact 4921 0517.

Members please note: That the newsletter is prepared 10-14 days before each monthly meeting to allow time for printing/postage & delivery.

All or any tips from http://www.worldstart.com are used by permission  DISCLAIMER:  This Newsletter is issued “As Is” without guarantee of any kind. Any use by the reader of the Tips, suggestions or advice is at your own risk

Remember to always visit your clubs website http://www.cust.idl.com.au/cpeastlake/

The ASCCA Newsletter is available to our members. www.ascca.org.au  (or see your club website link)