By Doug Mullis, Secretary, Tampa PC Users Group
dmullis@tampabay.rr.com

Bob LaFave started the Windows SIG portion of our meeting at about 6:35 pm in the Pepin Training room by telling us that Windows XP has a program for transferring files from your old computer to a new computer. It is the Files & Settings Transfer Wizard. You must have the Windows XP operating system on both computers to use it.

Bob then demonstrated the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, a service available online to scan your computer and determine what upgrades it needs to be compatible with Windows Vista.

Nancy Cottrell asked about adding USB ports to her computer. Bob suggested she get a four-port powered hub at a computer store. When Nancy said she has been camping on her neighbor’s wireless network, she was advised her neighbor, by having an unsecured network, is exposed to hackers. Wireless networks should be secured and only authorized access permitted.

Another member was having trouble with his cable provider’s Internet access. Several suggestions were offered, all of which had been tried except “change your provider because they are a bunch of dummies”.

At 7:00 pm, Bob turned the meeting over to president John Witmer for the business portion. John thanked Bob for conducting the SIG portion of the meeting and introduced the officers present, stating that our vice president and our member at large are vacationing. Joseph Weaver, Richard Brooks and Dirk Vallo were introduced as guests and welcomed to our group. Two new members were introduced and also welcomed, Sam Christy and Jean Gillespie.

John announced next month’s speaker would be Elizabeth Mueller from the Hillsborough Public Library System. Don Patzsch had suggested this presentation as he heard it at the Brandon Group. A member also asked that she tell us about their e-book service.

Jim Purcell reminded us of our arrangement with Amazon.com wherein books and other computer supplies are not only discounted, but also the group gets a percentage of the sale. You have to access Amazon from our home page for us to get the credit. Bob LaFave said that newegg.com is also an online site with good prices.

Doug Mullis recalled that, at last month’s meeting, Bob LaFave asked if anyone was interested in a session on backing up their hard drive. It seems before a response was heard another question was presented. Except for Doug, no one spoke up this time either.

Another member asked about replacing her printer with an “all in one” device (printer, scanner and copier) costing around $100. Merle Nicholson responded that he bought one several months ago and is happy with the performance. Bob made a pitch for the new low-priced laser printers. Although not color, they are fast and you get many, many more copies before having to replace the cartridge.

At 7:15 pm, John introduced our speaker for the evening, one of our own members, Merrill Friend, to show us what he has been doing with Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0.

Because of his investment in camera and lenses, Merrill uses his Minolta X 700 film camera for taking color slides. He then scans the slides into digital format and is pleased with picture quality.

Merrill says it is important to first adjust dimensions of your images, maximizing resolution rather than simply cropping. After that, there are all kinds of things you can do. Editing your images is fun, but time-consuming.

Merrill showed us things he has learned, such as doing panoramic views, adding or removing people or items, enhancing sky color, clouds and lighting. One particularly nice image was a Rocky Point causeway scene where he had created a mosaic on white foam board, leaving a grid between each picture element with the effect that the scene was viewed through a multi paneled window. A panoramic riverside view with majestic oaks was also beautifully backlit and refreshing. You could feel the shaded air cooling with the retreating summer sun.

Merrill did admit to having the expert assistance of Creative Color Inc., located on E. Cypress St., with some of his work. They don’t come cheaply, however. He showed us price comparisons of photo services for varying sizes and numbers of printed pictures. Shipping usually is additional, so use a local service. To have anything framed, you’d better carry a sack of money, or learn how to do your own.

John thanked Merrill for the interesting presentation. We did not have any door prizes to raffle off this evening; however, attendees were reminded we had chocolate chip and Oreo cookies, Starbucks coffee and bottled water.

The meeting adjourned about 8:20 pm. u