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March 10, 2016

Bits & Bytes

Expand your mind with free online tutorials

Anyone interested in learning something new or expanding an already existing knowledge base can find information in the form of online tutorials. Our topic today is free tutorials on a variety of subjects and ways to learn. Following are some websites that provide training courses or programs to meet your interests, and they’re all free.

Malware and Your Computer

“Malware,” a term used to describe malicious software, is most frequently used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software. Viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, key loggers, and worm programs are all examples of malware. Malware is used or created by hackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.

Free software that works well

Today’s software applications can boggle the mind and the pocketbook, but it may not have to be that way. Good alternatives to some purchased software apps are available for many common tasks. Here are some popular programs that work well and are free.

What is PayPal?

We should be very careful using a credit card to pay for merchandise on the internet. One way help us do this is through PayPal, a service that enables you to pay for products and services purchased on many internet shopping sites, as well as send money to others and accept payments for items you sell on eBay or on other websites–all without revealing your financial information.

It’s a mouse, but don’t be afraid

This mouse is your friend and nothing to be afraid of. It sits there alongside your keyboard to help you do things easier and faster than with some key commands and does a whole lot of other things you could never even do before. Let’s get better acquainted with your mouse and learn how it can work for you.

Buying new on eBay can save money

Most people are aware that eBay is the equivalent of an online garage sale where people can buy and sell used items. Actually eBay is much more than that. There are many great buys in new items as well as used.

Getting Started with Computers

Times change, and people change with them. Almost everywhere you look today, someone is using a personal computer. First introduced in 1975 as a kit, the PC is now over 35 years old.

What’s Up, Mac?

Many Sun City residents have asked Computer Club members, “What is a Mac?” It is not just a big hamburger, and it’s also more than just a computer. If, when you hear “Apple” you think of a fruit, or the words “Safari,” “Snow Leopard,” or “Lion” make you imagine the continent of Africa rather than computers, you’re not alone. These words all also reference Apple (formerly Apple Computer, Inc.) in one context or another. For instance “OS X Lion” is the newest version of Apple’s operating system – an upgrade from “Snow Leopard” – that uses the latest “touch pad” and “swipe” technology as well as the more conventional mouse and keyboard.

Smart Phones

Each Christmas season, the movie “A Christmas Story” is played for everyone to enjoy. Most of us remember the days when a Daisy “Red Ryder” BB gun or American Flyer was the gift to have under the tree. This year every kid age 6 or older was more likely to have been looking for a smart phone. Over the 2011 Christmas weekend, 3.7 million Android phones were registered, and 108 million iPhones were sold in 2011 throughout the world.

Tip 6: Emailing

Electronic Mail or email, as it is most commonly known, began in the early 1970’s and quickly spread across the business world. Email as we know it today was mostly advanced with the internet and became popular when individuals began digitally communicating with each other on a time independent basis. Email also provides the mechanism for sending a message to multiple recipients at one time, allowing for an even more efficient communication tool.

Staying safe in the information era

These are dangerous times. People are seeking to obtain your valuable information. If you feel you don’t have any information of value, you would be wrong. Your personal information is of great value to those looking to steal your identity.

Spreadsheets: The Gem of Home Record Keeping

With any mention of spreadsheets, one may immediately think only of accounting budgets and finances. That’s a bad rap for spreadsheets, which are actually the most versatile tool for keeping all sorts of home records on the computer.

What to do with your vacation pictures

With summer travel winding down, many of us will have a camera full of digital pictures of sights seen and other family fun events. In order to better enjoy them, we need to get those pictures off the digital camera and into our computer, organize them into albums, fix them up a bit, and—most important—share them with our family and friends.

External USB Hard Drives

We all know that hard drives crash. The issue is not if your hard drive will crash, but when it will crash. For years the solution was to install a second internal hard drive in your computer and back up your data on the alternate drive.

Tip 1: What to consider when buying a computer

As the first column in a planned series of articles brought to you by the Sun City Huntley (SCH) Computer Club, this is aimed at readers who may be novices or have never had a computer. Numerous topics as well as information for more seasoned users will follow in future articles, and will include listings of free training classes and other services available to all club members.