APCUG Reports
January-March 2008

The Central Iowa Computer User Group (Ankeny, IA) held a Christmas Extravaganza and Pot Luck. After feasting on many holiday delights, members shared tips and tricks on how to make things run smoothly in Windows. They also talked about some utilities to help make life a little easier and then broke out into SIGs to cover topics such as listening to podcasts and how to help others use remote access programs. One recent general meeting was on “Looking Under the Hood of a Computer and What You Can Do Once Inside.” Members got a tour of the inside of a computer, had a demonstration on how to clean and maintain a PC, and discussed some software for keeping a PC in good health.

Interactive Computer Owners Network (Springfield, MO) members got together in December for their annual holiday party. ICON is getting ready for its third annual March of Technology Expo, which will be held February 28-March 2, 2008 at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Topics presented at recent general meetings included “Hot Technology for Gift Giving (Dave’s Top Ten Tech Gadgets)”, “Taking Great Pictures of Children”, and “Desktop Ergonomics.”

Since ICON was formed, its purpose has been “Helping members and the general public use their computers more effectively.” General meeting programs are planned to challenge members, stretch their knowledge, and expose them to new and upcoming technology that affects their lives. Most of the SIG topics during the last three years have been in response to requests from members. They have covered fundamental knowledge and skills so that members can best use their computers and related technologies.

Last fall, the La Crosse PC Users Group (La Crosse, WI) offered its members presentations on “Making Maximum Use of Photo Software for the General User”, “Using Information Technology at a Major Health Facility”, and “Featured Holiday Toys and Door Prizes.” Upcoming topics include “To Blog or Not to Blog?”, “Administrative and Instructional Technology in Education”, and “Computers in the Newsroom.” The group has reached out for presenters from various individuals and organizations, including the University of Wisconsin, the director of the county IT department, the CIO of the area’s major medical center, local retail stores, consulting firms, private and technical colleges, state government agencies, and a newspaper reporter.

On the LCPC’s website, the meetings page is now database-driven and will automatically be updated after each meeting. The intent is to keep the site up to date without having to manually update it each month. More features will be added in the future, including showing the next meeting topic on the left side of every page so that members and visitors will always be able to find the next meeting topic.

The Madison PC Users Group (Madison, WI) invited a member of the local Macintosh Users Group to do a presentation on the latest Apple products, including the iPhone, new iMacs, iPods, iLife ’08 (digital lifestyle product suite), and iWorks ’08 (Apple’s office suite). At another general meeting, the group featured a presentation on “High Tech and Computers in Model Railroading.” A member of the local division of the National Model Railroading Association briefly covered the hobby of model railroading, talked about the advances in electronics over the years, and reviewed software and hardware interfaces for operating model railroads. The group also had a presentation on “Preventing Identity Theft” from a representative of the Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection. He reviewed how identity theft occurs and provided simple tips on how to protect yourself online and keep your personal information alive. The office also works to assist people and organizations who have been victims of identity theft. The office was created as a resource center for individuals, businesses, law enforcement, and government on issues of privacy protection and identity theft. The office is an agency of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The Mid-Nebraska Users of Computers (Grand Island, NE) had a presentation by Holly Hopkins from Smart Computing magazine who gave an overview of the magazine and website. A recent newsletter lists some websites for locating interesting facts and historical information on Hall County and the state of Nebraska. One history book that was originally published in 1920 and then reprinted a few years ago is out of print. However, it is one of the books in the public domain that Google is scanning and making available on the Internet.

The Milwaukee Home Users Group (Milwaukee, WI) reported that people who had requested Microsoft vouchers for the antitrust verdict had received them. Those who had requested a cash refund had not yet received them as of mid December 2007.

The Northeast Wisconsin PC User Group (Appleton, WI) has a business card document on its website that is available for download as a quick and easy way to distribute and share information about the group. The card has date, time, and location information for the group’s general meetings, as well as email addresses for several officers. Recent meetings have included presentations on free photo editing programs, Desktop Calendar, Magentic by Incredimail, Post-it Notes by 3M, Image Comparer, Process Explorer (an improved Task Manager), and CPUZ (a utility that gives you info about your system, motherboard, memory, and memory speed).

NuCom, A Computer User Group (Springfield, MO) is a family-oriented group with a goal of reaching, teaching, and keeping its members interested and active. Recent monthly membership meetings looked at digital cameras and how to find files on a computer.

After the U.S. Postal Service increased postage costs in May 2007, the Twin Cities PC User Group (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) faced an increase to 97 cents to mail their newsletter. However, they noticed that other user groups were spending only 58 cents and appealed to USPS for equal treatment. USPS checked and found if the group folded the newsletter tightly to half size, it would be less than one quarter inch thick and qualify for the lower cost. The group is now saving half of its monthly expense on first class mailing. Recent general meetings have covered wireless networking and CyberPower System’s new line of UPS products.

The Wisconsin All-computer Users Club (Milwaukee, WI) held its annual holiday party in December, which featured barbecued pork, Italian and Polish sausages, and various dishes to pass that were brought by members. The new PDA SIG is off to a good start with opportunities for members to get more adept at using their Palm, Pocket PC, and other PDA devices. The group started posting notices of its general meetings on Craig’s List. WAUC continues to provide a CD of the Month to its members for a minimal cost. Each issue of the monthly newsletter, WAUCtalk, provides detailed proceedings of what happened at the general and SIG meetings for people who missed attending a meeting or for future reference.