Category: ‘Whatchamacallit’

Cleaning Out Evernote – Originally Published January 2018

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

One of the few programs I spend money on is Evernote.  I’ve used it for several years and find it indispensable.  As I write this, I’ve got 634 notes saved in 71 notebooks.  I’ve got eight notebooks just for SWLAPCUG stuff.  I’ve got one notebook where I save stuff that I want to check later.  I’ve been a little remiss in clearing out this notebook.  There is 66 notes that I have to take action on.  I thought this might be a good time to share some of my oddities with the club.

1. How to Use Your Laptop Like an External Monitor is an article from Make Use Of that I saved because I use multiple monitors.  After rereading it, I’m deciding that it’s too much trouble.  I’m deleting the note.
2. How to Disable the HomeGroup Feature in Windows (and Remove It from File Explorer) is a How To Geek tutorial.  I forgot that I had saved it almost a year ago.  I had made the changes on all my computers except the desktop.  It’s changed now and the note is deleted.
3. Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with ADB was a Make Tech Easier article with a good tutorial for using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).  I moved it to my Android notebook so that I’ll know where to find it when I need it again.
4. How to Connect Multiple External Monitors to Your Laptop is another How To Geek article that I thought would be useful.  After rereading it, I realized the advice was to plug the internal monitor into a port.  Another one for the trash bin.
5. Make Tech Easier had an article titled 5 of the Best Camera Apps for Android You Should Try.  I should delete this link to, but someday I’m going to try them.
6. ManualLib is a useful site for downloading manuals for just about everything.  Good thing I’m writing this article because I finally got the link moved from Evernote to my web browser links.
7. I saved this article from Android Central. Best Universal Lenses For Android Phones is a review of attachable camera lenses.  I was thinking about spending a little money and getting one.  After further reflection I decided not to waste my money.  My Canon camera takes better pictures.
8. I made a note on the Q4 Operating System.  I have computers with various Linux Distros, Windows 10, 7 and XP, and iOS.  I thought about trying this one, but deleted it.
9. Media Bias Fact Check is an online media outlet dedicated to educating the public on media bias and deceptive news practices.  I don’t remember where I originally found out about the site, but I put a link (right underneath Snopes) on my browser home page.
10. TV Series Finale is a site that I added to my browser entertainment bookmarks.  It keeps users up to date on whether a TV show has been renewed, canceled or put on hiatus.  There is also a lot of other television information on the site.

This is just ten of the actions I did.  I don’t usually let my “action” notebook get so bloated.  I guess I can blame it on spending too much time redoing the clubs’ website portal.  Most of the remaining notes I deleted.  There were a few that I have posted on the club forums.  There were some that will end up in a future newsletter Mindbender.  Out of the original 66 notes, I kept four for future action.

My next project is to review and clean out my seventy other notebooks.  That will probably be a good project for next month on the cruise ship.  I’ve got a feeling there will be more links posted on the club’s website.

Thanks for reading.

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My Christmas Wish List – Originally Published December 2017

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s that time of the year again.  What do I want to get for a Christmas present.  When I get asked that question, my answer is almost always the same.  Nothing!  I see no need to wait for a holiday.  If I want something and the price is right, I buy it.  Sometimes I buy even if the price is too much.  For those that want to know what is on my wish list, just continue reading.

I’ll admit that I spend a lot of time on my computer.  My desktop has four monitors which potentially increases my productivity.  I say potentially because there is usually a movie or TV program playing on one of them.  What I need to do is get rid of my desk and install the Emperor Work Environment.  I wonder who will buy me this and make my holiday great?

I’m not much of an audiophile. Most of my listening is to old radio programs, recorded television, sound effects, etc.  If someone were to buy me new speakers, I wouldn’t care much what type.  This is one of the few items where I would want a certain brand.  No it is not Sony.  I do think it would be fun to own some Schiit Speakers.  I would definitely spend a lot of time talking about them.

If someone is really desperate to buy be a useful gift, I would enjoy this BlackBerry Porsche Design cell phone.  It is a limited design that I would definitely be happy to demonstrate at a future club meeting.  Buying it through Amazon even gets you free shipping.

I could use a relaxing place to think about writing some more of these useless articles.  In the past, I’ve always done some of my best thinking while sitting in the bathroom.  I could see me using the Kohler Numi toilet.  Even their website is relaxing and soothing.

I haven’t worn a watch since I left the US Navy in 1989.  This Tag Heuer, titanium, splash proof, Android watch might change my mind.  You can buy it for me for a mere $3500.00.

I didn’t realize it before, but I’ve been waiting for years to get this useful item.  I wouldn’t be at all upset if someone wants to buy me a UFO Detector for my Christmas present.  I would definitely find a place on my computer desk for it.  That way I could immediately post alien abduction warnings on the internet.

I’ve been thinking of buying or building a new desktop PC.  If someone wants to buy me the OrionX Dual System Extreme Overclocked PC, it would be a great Christmas present.  This is definitely a machine that has plenty of power for me to play solitaire.

I know that no one is going to spend $30,000 on a gaming desktop for me.  That is alright though.  I would settle for a laptop instead.  I would be happy with a Luvaglio.  I would even consider changing from Windows and Linux to iOS if someone gave me this Apple MacBook Pro.

Sigh!  It was nice to dream of getting overpriced and probably useless Christmas gifts this year.  I’ll be realistic though.  I’m pretty sure this is what I’ll get.
Thanks for reading.

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Watching Television – Originally Published November 2017

November 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Creating my presentation for the club meeting this month gave me a chance to reflect on how my television viewing habits have changed in the last fifty or sixty years.  I remember when I was young and my father bought our first TV.  Although I don’t recall the make or model, I remember how big the box was for such a small viewing screen.  There were never arguments at our house on what to watch.  This wasn’t because of the lack of channels.  My father made the decision and the rest of us watched.

After I grew up and joined the Navy, there wasn’t much TV for me.  This was because of a lack of channels.  There wasn’t any of them in the middle of the ocean.  This was long before satellites.  We relied on friends and families mailing us VCR tapes of popular shows.  That is how I first watched Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, McHale’s Navy and many others.

Fast forward to the 1990’s when I briefly owned a satellite receiver.  The main thing I remember about the dish network is how the darn thing would be mostly static whenever we got a heavy downpour of rain or snow.  At the time, I was living in a really small town (population about 1500). The choices were dish or an over the air antenna.  This was also the era when I first put in a second phone line for the internet, but that’s a story for another article.

In 2000, four small towns in the area banded together and created The Community Agency (TCA). The TCA was (and still is) a locally owned municipality utility that provided high‑speed telecommunications service.  These included high speed internet, cable television and telephone service.  This was my first experience with broad band and that is all I’ve used for internet access since.

Today, I’m still using cable services.  My television in the living room gets all of the premium services: HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and the sports channels.  People that know me can tell you what a great pricing deal I have.  The funny part is that neither the wife or myself seldom watch any of these stations.

In my computer room, where I spend a lot of my time, I’ve installed two over the air antennas which I use to watch and record televison on Next PVR.  I get plenty of channels that I like and usually have a show running on one of the four monitors I have installed.  Sometimes I find myself watching so much television that I don’t get any reading done.  It can be a hard job keeping up with the vast wasteland.

If you’re wondering why I have bored you with this brief history of my television viewing experiences, it is because I’m hoping to entice you to come to this months club meeting.  I am going to demonstrate my latest TV viewing method.  I recently purchased a Roku Ultra.  I will also be showing some interesting web sites for obtaining free television and movies.  Come to the meeting.  I think you will enjoy learning about this technology.

Thanks for reading.

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Summer Reading List – Originally Published October 2017

October 8, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Ever since I learned how, I’ve always been an avid reader.  My parents didn’t have a television until I was about ten years old.  That never bothered me.  The library had a lot of entertainment.  In later life, when I was in the Navy, I seldom watched the ship’s movie.  I was busy finishing reading one more chapter of my book before lights out.  These days, I still read at least a dozen magazines each month.  I am usually reading three or four books at a time.  I’ve got my bedside book, bathroom book, digital book and an audio book for my morning walk.

This year I did something new.  I created a “summer reading list” of all the books I was going to read this past season.  I’ve never felt the need to do that before this year.  As I’ve gotten a little older, my memory is starting to slide a little.  I thought that a reading list would remind me of books I’ve wanted to read.

Now that we’re into October, I realize that I haven’t finished my reading list.  I thought I’d take a few minutes and share my books to read list with you.  These are all books that I haven’t yet read.  I’ve included the Amazon link for each title just in case anyone else would like to read them.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think any of them are available from the Parish library.

• The Manly Art of Knitting – The description says it all. Who am I to not read a cult classic.
• Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World – With a sixteen word title, this just has to be a great book.
• Winning Lotto / Lottery For Everyday Players – I’ll read this if I ever start playing the lottery.
• The 2009-2014 Outlook for Wood Toilet Seats in Greater China – I’ve been to China two or three times and never realized this was a problem.
• Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung – Confucius say, “Smooth words and fawning looks are seldom found with love. ”
• Much Ado About Nothing: The Restored Klingon Text – Shakespeare kind of looked like a Klingon.
• What’s Your Poo Telling You? – Sometimes I’m just overly curious.
• Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself – I’ve been thinking of taking up woodworking and this looks like an interesting first project.
• Reusing Old Graves – I need someplace to put those fancy coffins that I’m going to make.
• A Passion for Donkeys – I figure that any book that gets a five star rating on Amazon must be a good one to read.
• The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America – I just hate going to the Walmart parking lot.

I guess you’ve probably figured out by now that I don’t really plan on reading all of these books.  I will admit that I have read one of the books on the list.  I won’t tell you which one.  You can feel free to read any of them and post a review on our club website.
A final thought.  Looking at this book list, I’m reminded of one book that it makes me want to read it again.  It was one of Ray Bradbury’s best books.

That’s all of my thoughts for October.  My mind is empty again.  Thanks for reading.

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Android App Memories – Originally Published August 2017

August 8, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I recently read an article on Android Police – My Talking Tom squeaks and tickles its way to over 500 Million downloads on the Play Store.  The app My Talking Tom brought back some great memories.  It was one of the first apps I installed on my tablet many years ago.  I never played with the virtual pet, but I sure remember a much younger grandson manipulating it for hours on end.

That got me to thinking about other apps that I’ve installed over the years.  There are many like Nova Launcher that I’ve installed on every Android device I’ve ever had.  As I look through the list on my Play Store account, I see there are many others that I don’t use anymore.  Some of them evoke special memories just like that cat did.  Here are a few good (and some not so good) apps that I don’t use anymore.

The Dolphin Browser is a highly rated web browser that I used as default for many years.  I’ve not installed it in several years.

Clipper Plus is a clipboard manager for Android that automatically saves everything you copy.  It is another excellent program that I quit using.  I no longer do much writing on any of my mobile devices.  Type Machine is a similar app that I’ve outgrown.

When App Volume Control Pro was first released, I downloaded it almost immediately.  It supposedly changes the volume control on your Android device depending on what application is currently running.  I could never get it to work for me.

Pedometer is a highly rated step counting program.   I used it for about a week but found that it wasn’t very accurate.  I’ll keep wearing my OMRON pedometer on my belt.

SD Maid – System Cleaning Tool, Battery Widget, Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus, BatON and many other similar security apps no longer find their way to my mobile world.  I’ve found that the services they provide are usually not worth the resources that they use.

Sometimes a trip down memory lane can be a fun digression from the modern world.

Thanks for reading.

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Missing the Circus and Other Things – Originally Published July 2017

July 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Everyone knows how much I like technology.  One of the few things I don’t like about new technologies is how it has made many of the other things I like obsolete.  Does anyone still fly a kite?  Every now and then I see kites for sale in one of the local stores.  I can’t remember the last time I actually saw one flying in the air.  Like many other things, technology has largely replaced them with drones or virtual reality simulations. The days of going to the park and watching the kids showing off their kites are history.  These days, they’re playing with their tablets.

I recently lost another of my favorite activities to technology.  Never again will I be able to take my Grandson to a circus.  People are spending their money on other forms of entertainment.  Of course, the entertainment mostly relies on technologies such as fast internet to deliver movies, virtual reality, CGI movies, etc.

When I was younger, it was a treat to ride a train to the city for a day of shopping with my parents.  Although, you can still ride the train in some areas, modern technologies have made it more difficult.  In this modern age, we go everywhere in our high tech automobiles and airplanes.  Passenger train routes are limited in locations and times.  Never again will we routinely see a steam locomotive on the tracks.

My son in law and youngest grandson are X-Box fans.  In their house they have three of them.  I get a laugh when they play a game together.  Each of them is in a different room and they communicate either over headphones or by yelling across the house.  It makes me nostalgic for the old Atari console.  You hooked up your controllers and competed with a player in the same room.  I can’t remember the last time I played a game of cribbage, chess, monopoly, etc. that wasn’t on a computer screen.

I’m writing this column while sitting in a rocking chair on my back porch.  Porches are another thing that technology has largely made obsolete.  When we do sit on the porch, we seldom just sit.  Instead we are looking at our mobile devices.  I remember the days when the back porch was a place to sit, talk and just watch the world go by.

Have you heard that vinyl records are making a comeback among people that take their music seriously?  Today’s younger generation has no idea what a record, cassette tape, reel to reel, 45 RPM, etc is.  Almost all music is listened to online of downloaded as an audio file.  Technology strikes again.

Of course, technology has also replaced a lot of thing that I won’t miss.  I like having a large library on my mobile device.  Automatic transmissions make driving easier.  A computer in your pocket makes lots of things easier.  There is so much good that it almost sounds like a future column.

Thanks for reading.

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Downgrading My Phone? – Originally Published June 2017

July 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

A couple of years ago, I gave a demonstration at both computer clubs on replacing your computer using your Android phone.  At the time, I was using a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.  I connected a powered USB hub and was able to run USB drives, flash drives, mouse, keyboard, etc.  Everything worked fine.  I opened and edited several word files, spreadsheets, images and others.  Two years later, there’s quite a few reasons I don’t do those things much anymore.

Samsung has just released the Galaxy S8 for around $800.  Of course that is the minimum price.  The price will be much higher with more memory and needed accessories.  Many reliable rumors indicate that later this year, Apple will release the iPhone 8 for $1000 or more.  It seems that every year, smart phone prices increase much more than specifications.

In another year or so, I’ll be looking for a replacement for my Moto X Pure.  I’ve been thinking that when the time comes, my next phone isn’t going to be as “smart”.  One of the reasons is security updates.  Although Motorola promised timely security updates, they haven’t been reliable.  As I write this, my last monthly security update was December, more than four months ago.  They promised an Operating System update to Nougat.  After almost nine months, there is still no affirmation when or if I’ll get it.  I believe that is unsatisfactory for a phone that is only about two years old.

This is not just a Motorola problem.  All of the Android manufacturers do the same.  For a year or so, updates are frequent when you buy an unlocked phone.  If you buy through a carrier, your chances for needed updates are even worse.

Another big problem with using your smart phone is the applications situation.  Although there are mobile applications that work well, they don’t seem to be updated with new and useful features.  Many of them tend to be stripped down versions of their PC counterparts.  With the ever increasing power of mobile processors and graphics cards, this is unsatisfactory.  Part of the problem may be due to the different mobile app pricing process.  If an app is priced more than two or three dollars, it is often perceived as unacceptable.  These lower prices are often offset by “data mining” our private information.  Although this also happens with PCs, it is definitely more ubiquitous on mobile devices.

In the past year, I’ve been using my phone less and less for real production work.  Although I can readily edit word documents, there are many things that I just can’t easily do.  An example is scanning and editing old club Newsletters.  There’s a good possibility that my next “smart” phone will be a little dumber than my Moto X.

Thanks for reading.

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Choosing a VPN – Originally Published May 2017

May 4, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Should you be using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?  If you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network, the answer is definitely yes.  If you’re connected to your home network, you may or may not need to.  Personally, I connect to a VPN almost every time I connect to the internet.

Simply defined, a VPN extends your private network (internet connection) to a public network by creating an encrypted “tunnel”.  In effect, you mask your computer from places you visit when you are online.  A VPN will not make your online connection completely anonymous, but it will increase your privacy and security.

You’ve probably heard that your internet speed will slow down when you are using a VPN.  This is true, but in most cases, the slowdown is so negligible that you will probably not notice it.  Most of the slower VPN services are the “free” ones.  I have used a paid VPN for several years now.  There have only been a few times that I’ve cursed my downloading speed.

Many sites on the internet are restricted to certain locales.  By utilizing a VPN you can easily bypass them and appear to be browsing from a completely different place in the world.  If you do a lot of online shopping, you can often get a lower price by using your VPN.  Many companies offer different prices, depending on where you live.  I’ll let you determine the legality of doing these things.

There are many other reasons you might want to use a VPN.  I won’t bore you by trying to list them all in this article.  An internet search will give you a much more thorough and precise list.  Just remember, all VPNs are not created equal.  If it is free, find out what the real cost is.

Selecting which VPN to use can be the most difficult part of using a service.  Besides cost, some things to check is how many servers the company has and where they are located.  Many VPN providers just buy bandwidth from other companies and resell it.  Should the service go down, you might have a wait.  Another important thing to check is whether or not the provider keeps a log of your internet surfing.  Like many other things, this will vary among companies, so make sure you read the fine print.  If you want privacy, you don’t want a record kept of your internet browsing.  Be careful when reading online reviews.  Many of them are in reality paid for by the VPN service.  The article headline will usually be something like “The Best VPN” and then not do a comparison.  Another giveaway headline is something similar to “Get a Lifetime Subscription to ??? VPN For Only X Dollars.

I have one last suggestion.  Make one of your first search stops That One Privacy Site.  There you can find an excellent tutorial on how to choose your VPN.  The site doesn’t recommend a VPN but instead has an excellent, frequently updated chart of almost 200 services.  There are comparison columns for trustworthiness, affiliates, jurisdiction, logging polices, price and many more.

I’m wishing you some happy and secure online activities.
Thanks for reading.

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Paint.net – Originally Published May 2017

May 4, 2017 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

At last months meeting there was an excellent discussion about various graphics editing and manipulation tools.  I thought I’d take a few minutes and tell you about one of my favorites.  The program that I use most often for serious editing is Paint.NET, an open-source, free photo editing software program.  It was originally created as a college undergraduate student project in 2004, funded by Microsoft and was designed to replace Microsoft Paint, which was included in Windows.

The program has a simple, intuitive interface that is easily learned.  There is a large selection of tool that is easily and logically arranged.  Many of the tools are contained within their own window.  This allows users to set up their work space for their own convenience.

Paint.NET has many advanced features which include blurring, sharpening, the Magic Wand which allows for the selecting of regions of similar color and the Clone Stamp which is used for copying or erasing portions of an image.

Layers are another great feature of Paint.Net.  They allow you to add a layer on top of the background that not only allows you to add new items on top of others, but to edit them independently of the other layers.

The program has a large number of special effects.  These allow you to alter the appearance of your image.  You can use blurs, sepia toning, color level altering, ink sketch transformations, anti red-eye, distortions such as bulging, denting and pixelation.  The software has a huge following of users that are constantly creating and sharing other special effects and plug-ins.

If you’re like me, a great feature is unlimited history.  You don’t have to worry about making errors while you are editing.  You can make as many changes as want.  If they don’t look good, just undo and do over as often as you like.

There is also an active online community and forum.  They will give you any extra help that you might need.  You can also find several tutorials and guides.

Did I mention Paint.NETs best feature is the cost?  The price is free, although the authors will accept any donations.  Give it a try.  You might like it.  You can download Paint.NET by clicking the link.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLACUG extra, bonus perk; a little lagniappe.

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April Fools Pranks – Originally Published April 2017

April 7, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

April is here again.  I won’t make the same mistake I did last year when I wrote an April Fools column about leaving Lake Charles.  I sure got a lot of questions about why I was moving.  I’ve always been an April Fooler type of person.  It all started several years ago when I was almost born on April 1.

In this modern age, April 1 pranks almost beg to be played on someones computer.  Almost every one uses a laser mouse these days.  They can be easily disabled with a small piece of tape or a post it note on the sensor.  Many people won’t notice and will have a hard time figuring out why all of a sudden their mouse isn’t working.  You can confuse them even more by opening mouse properties in the control panel.  Change the mouse speed to the slowest setting will make any mouse activities an ordeal.

Another prank that has been around forever can still confuse even a veteran computer user.  Simply take a screen shot of your victim’s computer.  Then hide all of the desktop icons and replace their wallpaper with the screen shot.  Sit back and watch them click on icons that won’t load a program.

Another quick prank is to open Google’s home page in a browser.  Click on preferences and change the default language.  You’d be surprised at how many people this trick will fool.

All of the following pranks in this article have been tested on Windows computers.  I haven’t done any research to see if they will work on Apple’s Operating System(s).  It shouldn’t be to hard to find out if you’re interested.

Many users don’t know about sticky keys.  Sticky keys will change how the Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Windows Key will function.   When enabled, keys are serialized instead of operating together.  For instance, instead of typing “Shift – a” to capitalize, you would have to type “Shift”, release the key and then type “a”.  This key change will drive an unsuspecting victim crazy.  Sticky keys are enabled easily by pressing the “Shift” key five times in quick succession.

An evil prank that you should only play on someone that won’t beat you up is to cause their computer to shut down.  Right click on one of the icons on your victims desk top.  Type the following in the target box: %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 100 -c “Your Message Here”.  “Your Message Here” can be replaced with whatever message you like.  I use something like “That does not compute so I am shutting down” or “I’m sleepy.  I think I’ll shut down and rest now.”

Whenever your victim double clicks on that shortcut, their program will not start.  Instead, your message will display for 100 seconds (unless you change the number in the target box.)  Then the computer will shut down.

These computer pranks are all designed for the Windows operating system.  Although they are non-destructive, you run the risk of aggravating the user and making him or her possibly want to harm you.  Use them at your own risk.

Here is one last little April Fools that is easy to implement.  Surprisingly, even though it has been around for a long time, a lot of people don’t know about it.  You can try it out right now.

Press Ctrl-Alt-Down Arrow on your keyboard.

It would be nice if you fix their computer for them afterword, but who am I to tell you what to do?

Thanks for reading.

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