OPCUG Past Programs

 

Club Presentations

 

Year 2010

"Really Good Free Stuff” by Jack Frantz

Our general meeting presentation on Monday, May 17th was an extensive presentation of "Free Stuff" available on the internet.

The world of freeware is perhaps larger than the world of commercial software. The presentation covered where to look for free applications to meet your needs, both for your desktop and “in the Cloud.” The latter is an increasingly popular venue where the software remains on a web page and you do your work there. The output can be saved in the internet, accessible only to you or your designee, and/or in your computer.

Cloud computing has the advantage that the software is always the latest version and your work can be accessed by you or your designee from any computer anywhere in the world.

The presentation demonstrated the download and installation for desktop and how to register for Cloud applications. Numerous links for a broad spectrum of applications are provided. There are many dedicated programmers working to help you; try it out.

Five categories of free programs were covered with links On the Ground and In the Cloud for each category.

The homework assignment was for club members to thoroughly investigate those links of interest to them.

If you would like to download the PowerPoint slides as shown at the meeting, click here: Free Stuff Slides

If you plan to print the material with six slides to a page in black and white, click here: Free Stuff Handout

 

"Converting Your Analog Music (vinyl records and tape cassette recordings) to Digital CDs and DVDs”

Our general meeting presentation on Monday, April 19 covered the topic "Converting Your Analog Music (vinyl records and tape cassette recordings) to Digital CDs and DVDs” by Gary Caldwell.

Gary covered how to use a free software program named Audacity 1.2.6. This program can also improve the quality of the old recordings. Audacity is a freeware classic that has been used and improved by audio practitioners for years.

If you would like to download the PowerPoint slideshow click here: Audacity Presentation.ppt

If you would like to download the handout click here: Digital Sound Pass-Out.pdf

 

The Power of the Right Click and Other Tips

The March 15th meeting Gordon Ramsey presented a program on "The Power of the Right Click" and some other tips for making better and more efficient use of your computer. Many new users often ignore the “right click” of the mouse. In addition to allowing you to operate your computer in a more efficient manner, it provides a gateway to many options and muchinformation about your system. The handout is available here: The Power of the Right Click and Other Tips

 

Income Tax Preparation Software

In the general meeting on Monday, February 12, 2010, Bob Stinson covered commercial off-the-shelf income tax preparation software with a brief review of various programs available plus a closer look at Turbo Tax and its "Interview" tool. Electronic filing was also discussed.

 

Excel (& Other Spreadsheets) - Not Just for Bookkeeping

The January 18, 2010 General Meetingl featured Mike Noble (a most experience practitioner) covering the most helpful spreadsheet and financial data processing of Excel. Color slides of the presentation is available by clicking: Excel (& Other Spreadsheets) - Not Just for Bookkeeping

For those wishing a more complete treatment, Mike will be teaching the Oakmont Computer Learning Center class (see their listings).

 

Year 2009

 

The Magic of Mail Merge

The October 19th, 2009 General Meeting presented The Magic of Mail Merge which covered preparing personally addressed letters to be sent to a group of people and labels for addressing the envelopes used to mail the letters. The process was demonstrated using Open Office, Microsoft Word 2007, Word 2003 and Works.

A black and white version of the slides is available by clicking: Mail-Merge.pdf . For the outline view of the presentation, go to: Mail-MergeOutline.pdf. Both documents contain links (underlined) to direct your browser to the named internet web page and give step by step directions.

 

Graphic Graphics

November General Meeting Monday, November 16

Computer graphics was the subject of the program to be presented in two parts:

The first was presented by Jack Frantz on Paint.NET, a free photo-editing program that, although it does not have all the “bells and whistles” of Photoshop, is still quite capable and easier to learn. The program was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by senior students under the sponsorship of Microsoft and continues to be maintained by MIT.

The second free program was presented by Gary Caldwell on Inkscape.org, which provides illustration type graphics capability. This program is used to make highly stylized headlines, greeting cards, place mark tents, clip art and anything that benefits from total freedom of placement of objects without the constraints of word processors. Be prepared for a wonderful new world to be opened to you.

 

Windows 7 - Is it for You?

That is the title of the presentation given to the club by Gary Pickering on September 21. The entire presentation, including a number of items for which time did not permit coverage, are provided. The document contains numerous links to videos on various aspects of Windows 7 as well as slide shows and text discussions.

Go to Gary's website called Senior eSolutions.com. If you wish to determine the issues involved in installing Windows 7 on your computer, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx. Download the file offered and run it on your computer. It will present a report of any issues, even minor ones, connected to the installation of the new system.

 

Nintendo Wii Fitness for Seniors

The General Meeting for May, 2009, presented and demonstrated by Gary Caldwell, Wii Sports and Wii Fit were the two segments of the program. Wii Sports covers Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. Wii Fit sets a baseline, does record keeping and handles Training, Yoga, Aerobics,Balance and Strength Training The handout which contains useful information for those interested in going further can be downloaded at: Nintendo Wii Fitness Program for Seniors.pdf

 

The Wonderful World of Google

The club meeting on April 20, 2009 featured a presentation by George McKinney demonstrating many of the features and programs available at Google. Google has expanded to include a vast reservoir of important information and techniques.

The handout is available by clicking on: Google-AQuickGuide2009.pdf and the PowerPoint slides used are available, four to a page by clicking on: Google2009presentation.pptx . It's worth making some extra effort to obtain skill in using Google.

 

The TV Set and the Computer Converge

That was the title of the program at the general meeting on March 16, 2009. There is much TV available on the internet and it becomes increasingly practical to do the viewing in the TV set in your living room. You need a fast, better than 1.5 MHz, internet connection for best viewing. The slides give numerous links that tell the story. Click here: TheTVSettheComputerConverge.pdf

 

Making the Most of Your Computer

The program on February 16, 2009 covers twelve steps to take with either a new or an older computer to obtain the best results. The slides along with all the internet links are available by clicking on: MaketheMostofYourPC.pdf

 

Computer Maintenance and Security

Computer Maintenance and Security was the subject of the club meeting on January 19, 2009. Many valuable links to useful web sites are included in the handout which can be found by clicking on: ComputerMaintenanceNotesHandout.pdf