Category: ‘Clicker’

Why I Like Computer Clubs (2018-11)

July 11, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

You may not know me (yet) as I am one of the newest members of the Cajun Clickers Computer Club.  I thought I’d take a few minutes and tell everyone why I’ve joined the club.  Of course, I’m assuming that the Club Newsletter Editor thinks this article is worthy of printing.

Over the years I’ve been a member of several computer clubs.  There are many reasons that I keep joining them.  The most important thing about these computer user groups (clubs) is that they were full of people who meet to share information and to learn from each other.  All of them were informal groups with a common purpose of learning more about how computers operate.

Computer clubs offer a lot of knowledge and experience.  It’s almost like having tech support with a native English speaking support staff.  No matter what problem you may have, there is usually someone that knows how to solve it, or where to go to find out how.

A computer user group gives you something better to do than sitting at home staring at the wall.  The meetings are a fun method of learning something new.  Even though I’m fairly knowledgeable on many aspects of computing, there are many times I that I learn a new tidbit.  In the few months since I’ve joined the Cajun Clickers, I’ve learned from a professional interior decorator, an author and a Linux guru.  I’m sure the future will bring me more of the same.

Most computer groups have a monthly newsletter.  These are usually filled with in‑depth, informative articles on various aspects of computers and other electronics.  I’ll also admit that I like to run my mouth and newsletters often give me a chance to write about something that I like to talk about.

Computer user groups are a fun place to mingle and meet new people  Since joining the Cajun Clickers, I’ve been introduced to and joined another unrelated organization.

Where else can you get all of this and more for less than five dollars a month? The annual membership fee is less than you would pay for one computer class anywhere else.  Sometimes, that means we teach each other how to use Windows 10.  Other times, it means teaching how to use the Internet more effectively, to use a photo editing programs, how to take digital pictures or how to research your family tree.  These are topics for ordinary people, not things for programmers.

Now that I’ve told you why I like the Cajun Clickers, I’m going to take a few more minutes of your time and suggest how you how you can help make our computer club even better.

Why not contribute an article to this newsletter?  Do you have a favorite program that you think would be useful to other computer users?  Take a few minutes and tell everyone about it.  Not only that, but the editor will likely appreciate it too.

Why not bring a friend to one of our monthly meetings?  You can impress them with how smart you are by being a member of the club.  They just might decide to join and then everyone would benefit.

Have you found a great website that everyone should know about?  Found a great deal on a new computer?  Heard a funny story that you just can’t wait to tell?  Have a computer question that can’t wait for the club meeting?  Why not post it on the club’s Facebook Page or Google Groups.  It only takes a few minutes and is just the thing that could generate more interest in the club.

Thanks for reading.

Useless Gadgets (2022-07)

July 10, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Back in the last century, I had a nifty little electronic gadget on my key ring.  It did only one thing.  If you pushed the button, it would indicate if there was a wireless network in range.  Back then, most networks weren’t secure and it was easy to get online.  Electronic gadgets have come a long way since then.  Many people have their favorite gadget, everything from a remote control to a robot that vacuums the floor.  Even the military has gadgets they use to blow up things.  In my opinion, many of them are useless.  There are many new technologies others have that I just don’t care about.

By now I bet you’ve figured out that this article is going to be about some high-tech devices that I can live without.

The cell phone might be one of the most annoying gadgets ever.  I got my first cell phone in 2005 when I first moved to Louisiana.  My daughter added the wife and me to her family plan and gave us both a phone.  Even people that can’t live without a cell phone would have to admit that they are often annoying beyond human endurance.  The photos and movies they take can lead to all kinds of problems.  They can be awful scary.  When driving, you have to watch out for the cell phone packing motorist.  When carrying one, you have to worry about being tracked.  When using one, you have to worry about the controversial possibility that the thing is slowly cooking your brain.  There isn’t a whole lot of privacy any more.  Don’t you just love it when you’re at a meeting and someone’s cell phone rings?  After all of the ranting, I have to tell you that I’ve put myself in a position where I can’t live without the darn thing.  If an incoming call is not in my contacts list, it goes straight to my voice mail.  I don’t need to sign up for the National No Call Registry.  If I don’t know who is calling, I just don’t answer the thing.  A while back, I received an e-mail that closed, “Sent from my mobile phone.  Please excuse any typos.”  As Colonel Potter often said on MASH, “Horse hockey!”.  (Once he changed it to “Cow cookies”).  I’m sorry, but I am not buying in to the notion that I should forgive poor grammar, bad spelling, or indecipherable texting because the sender is using a gadget with a lousy keyboard.

You don’t see electronic pagers much anymore.  The last time I saw one, I was at a restaurant.  They paged you when it was your turn to give them some of your money.  Talk about making you feel important.  “Dr. Tiny, we have your table prepared with some surgical instruments.  Please come to the check in counter.  We’re finished testing your patience level.  Don’t forget to return our useless gadget.”

Speaking of useless gadgets, how effective can a battery powered robot that automatically vacuums the floor be?  Can that Roomba do a good job as small as it is?  Maybe if you got one of those robot doggies, you could use your Roomba as a robot doggie pooper scooper.

I’m still undecided whether or not I like dedicated e-readers.  My tablet has e-book software that works pretty good for me.  The advantages that I miss out on are being able to read in bright sunlight and a much longer battery life.  Since I am seldom out of the shade for very long and I’ve got plenty of electric outlets, I’m not too worried.  I don’t have a dedicated e-reader, but with my tablet I can not only read a book, but write one, listen to the radio and play a game or two.

If I could take a poll of all the club members, I wonder how many would have a useless gadget in the junk drawer next to a key chain camera or a clapper.  That’s it for this month.  I’ve got to finish searching the internet for a new gadget.  I’ve been looking for a Swiss Army Knife with USB and Bluetooth capabilities.  I want one that will tell me if I need to sharpen the tools.  I sure hope I can find one that is upgradeable.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Belarc Advisor (2022-06)

May 29, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve got a lot of programs that I use to upkeep and maintain my Windows computers so that they operate smoothly.  To help me do this, it is important to know substantive information about my different machines.  I get much of this data by using Belarc Advisor.

The Belarc Advisor displays a detailed profile of your installed software, hardware and security vulnerabilities in a Web browser.  The Belarc Advisor is licensed for personal use only and is not permitted to be used for any commercial or government purposes.

Belarc Advisor scans your PC and builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware in the form of an HTML report that you can view in your browser.  This information includes local drive volumes, memory modules, printer information, installed licenses, installed software, multimedia information and much more.  All of your PC profile information is kept on your PC and is not uploaded to any web server.

After installation, you simply need to run Belarc Advisor and wait until the initial analysis of the computer system is completed.  This process may take time, depending on the speed of your computer, number of peripherals, programs installed, etc.  Once the analysis is completed, Belarc Advisor will display in your default web browser a Computer Profile Summary.  This is generated as an HTML file and can be stored on your computer.

Depending on the number of the programs installed on your system, the length of the page and the amount of information will vary from computer to computer.  Belarc Advisor identifies and reports the following information:
• CPU(s) installed on your motherboard
• Motherboard make, model, and serial number, plus BIOS data
• Hard drive and optical drive data, including total capacity and free space, as well as volume details like the drive letter and file system
• Total amount of RAM, plus number of modules installed
• Mapped network drives
• Local user and system accounts, last logon time stamps, and locked/disabled status
• Installed printers and which port each is using
• Storage controllers
• Video card and monitor make, model, and serial number data
• USB, eSATA, and similar controller data
• Sound card or other audio hardware
• Anti-malware program installed program and definition version data, last scan time stamp, and current status
• Group policy data
• Service tag of the computer model, and possibly a support link to the manufacturer’s website
• Networking, Bluetooth, and other communication hardware and protocol data

One of my favorite features is in the Software Versions and Usage report section.  There you can check the last time that you have opened any installed program.  This can help you decide whether you might want to uninstall old, unused software.

I run the program every month or so.  That way I always have a fairly up to date report of my system(s).  The information doesn’t usually change too much.  I haven’t included any screenshots of my computers.  You can find many pictures with an internet search.

I like this program and have been using it for several years.  After installation, it only uses less than 7MB of space on my hard drive.  Belarc Advisor runs on Windows 11, 2022, 2019, 10, 2016, 8.1, 2012 R2, 8, 2012, 7, Vista, 2008, 2003 SP2, XP SP3.  Both 32‑bit and 64‑bit Windows Operating Systems are supported.  The license allows for free personal use only.  You can download Belarc Advisor from this link.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Relying on Google (2022-05)

May 26, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Like many other users, I have several Google e‑mail accounts.  Like my hundred or so other e‑mail addresses, I use them for specific reasons.  Other than receipts from the Play Store, I estimate that I receive about four important communications each week.  Much of the mail I get is sent from me for testing or archiving.

I’ve used Android phones since November 2012.  Although I have side loaded a few applications, I almost exclusively use the Play Store.  I occasionally use Google Search when Bing or Duck Duck Go doesn’t give me satisfactory results.  I have the Chrome browser installed on all my devices.  I usually only use it for accessing Google Services or testing code on my website(s).

Is this because I’m wary of the company tracking me so they can advertise?  Not really.  All companies do this.  Many are much more nefarious.  Is it because I don’t like Google?  Not at all.  They have some fine services and most of them work very well.

So why don’t I rely on Google for many of my day‑to‑day needs?  The answer is simple.  The service might not be available in the future.  Am I concerned about nothing?  Probably not, but let’s take a look at some Google services that are no longer available:

• Inbox by Gmail was an email service developed by Google. It was officially released to the public on May 28, 2015. Inbox was shut down by Google on April 2, 2019.
• Google+ was an Internet‑based social network that was launched on June 28, 2011. This was Google’s fourth foray into social networking. It experienced strong growth in its initial years. The service was discontinued on April 2, 2019.
• Picasa was an image organizer and viewer for organizing and editing digital photos. There was an integrated photo sharing website. It was originally created by a company named Lifescape. In July 2004, Google acquired Picasa and began offering it as freeware. It was discontinued on March 15, 2016. Picasa Web Albums, a companion service, was closed on May 1, 2016.
• Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google. It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices. It was discontinued on August 20, 2018.
• iGoogle was a customizable Ajax based start page or personal web portal launched by Google in May 2005. It was discontinued on November 1, 2013.
• Google Reader was an RSS feed aggregator operated by Google. It was created in early 2005 and launched on October 7, 2005. Google Reader grew in popularity to support a number of programs that used it as a platform for serving news and information to people. Google closed Google Reader on July 1, 2013.
• Google Health was a personal health information centralization service (sometimes known as personal health record services) by Google. It was introduced in 2008 and discontinued in 2011.

This short list includes only a few of the more popular Google services and programs that have been discontinued in the past.  There are hundreds of others, including web authoring, newsreaders, social networks, messaging applications, web analytic programs, toolbars, etc.

Almost without fail, every time Google kills something, you will find a lot of articles on how important it was.  There are always many suggestions on what to replace the Google product with.  They seem to forget that Google is a business and offered the services in exchange for user information, which can be sold to advertisers.  When the service is no longer profitable, it gets shut down, no matter how popular it is.

That is the main reason why I don’t use Google for things that are important to me.  What if someday Google G‑mail is no longer profitable?

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

VuePrint – Since 1995 (2022-04)

March 27, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Everyone has their favorite image viewer program.  Let me tell you a little bit about mine.  I’ve been using VuePrint as my default viewer for more than twenty years.  When I first started using the program, it was shareware that sold for ten dollars.  Five years ago, the author quit updating VuePrint and released the program as freeware.  It was originally released in 1995 and hasn’t been updated since 2007.

You may wonder why I keep using such an old, outdated program.  The answer is simple.  It is very fast and it still works better than most other image viewers.  It isn’t an image editor, but you can crop images, convert image formats and reduce the size of images for e‑mailing.

The program does one thing very well.  If you’ve got a lot of images, you can browse through them extremely fast.  Just press the space bar for the next image or the backspace key for the previous image.  Press the “t” key to view thumbnails.  Press “d” to delete the picture.  It’s easy and fast.

Other minor functions are the typical ones found with most image viewers.  You can flip, rotate, mirror, adjust contrast and brightness, etc.  You can also use the program as a movie viewer, but it’s not the best.  After all, it hasn’t been updated for fifteen years.

The program was originally coded for Windows XP.  Every time there is a Windows update, I expect the program to no longer function.  It still works perfectly with Windows 11.  If you’ve got a lot of pictures to edit, I’ve found that this program is great at quickly viewing and deleting the bad ones.  Then you can edit as needed in your graphics editor.

Did I mention that this program is fast?  If you’ve got a lot of pictures on your hard drive, why not download it and give it a try?  Even though it is an old program, I think you might find it useful.  You can download VuePrint here.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Gizmo’s Is Back (2022-03)

March 16, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I finally found some time to do an update on one of my websites.  Like many other sites, I have a favorite links page.  I immediately noticed that I still had a link for Gizmo’s Freeware.  I knew I needed to delete it because the site closed down in 2021.  It was a sad time for everyone that likes excellent freeware programs.

In 2008, Ian “Gizmo” Richards launched the Tech Support Alert Website.  It featured reviews and links to freeware programs in several categories.  Programs were reviewed by volunteers.  There was an active forum with comments and suggestions from readers.

One of the great things about the site was that there wasn’t any advertising.  It was funded solely by donations from users.  I remember several times there were pleas for extra funds to keep the site going.  Disclaimer: I usually sent what I could afford.  In later years, donations were no longer enough to pay costs and Google ads were incorporated.  In March of 2021, Google Ad Sense canceled their advertisements.  It was announced that the web site would shut down in July.  The site shut down and a farewell page was posted.

I’m glad that I rechecked the link.  Gizmo’s is back online.  It has been renamed “Gizmo’s Best” and has a new web interface.  I’m surprised that I haven’t seen any mention of this happy fact on any of the many tech news sites that I read.

There aren’t as many reviews or programs listed as on the old site.  At first this was a little upsetting, but on further thought, I agree.  Many of the programs on the old site were outdated and no longer available.  The site still lists the ones it has in the same categories: Android, IOS, Linux, MACOS and Windows.  There is a new category for Reader’s Best.  The “Free Wallpaper of the Week” is still on the site.

If you remember how great Gizmo’s Freeware was, give the remake a try. You can find it at Gizmo’s Best (techsupportalert.com).

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Buying an Android Phone (2022-02)

January 30, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Every time I do an About Android Workshop, I’m asked for recommendations of which Android phone someone should buy.  My answer is always the same, “I don’t have the slightest idea.”  Depending on individual needs, buying the “right” electronic device is a decision that every person has to make for themselves.  This is the same advice that I give for buying or using almost anything: computers, cars, software, whiskey, etc.

What I can do is give my opinion on various products.  When I do, I usually mention that what is good for me isn’t good for everyone.  Apple iPhones are arguably the best that you can buy.  They aren’t for me.

If you’re buying an Android phone, the main thing to keep in mind is that Android is Open Source software.  This means that any individual or company can modify it to suit their needs.  This often results in “fragmentation” of the market.  Manufacturers can modify Android to add their own unique programs.  Cell carriers can do the same thing.  The Android Operating System on two phones of the same make or model can be different from each other.

If you’re in the market for an Android phone, there are several things you can look at before deciding what to buy.  There are many hardware decisions to make.  How important is it to have a SD card?  What is the best screen size?  Which processor should you get?  How unbreakable is the screen?  What sensors are in the phone?  Sadly, many people don’t answer these important things.  The only thing that concerns them is “How much does the phone cost?”

I can tell you about my personal preferences when I buy a new phone:
1) What is the manufacturer’s position on updates?  Google provides security updates on a monthly basis.  Some manufacturers don’t provide the updates.  Others may update several months later.  There have been instances of makers promising updates and then changing their schedules.
2) What is the return policy?  It seems like every time a new phone is released, there is some problems.  Often, all of the phones aren’t affected.  I want to know that if I get a lemon, I can easily replace it
3) An absolute must have in my phones is an NFC sensor.  Near Field Communication is what allows you to exchange date without contact.  The most common function is using phone for payments.  It was available on Android long before Apple Pay.  I went without the feature for a couple of years and realized how important it was to me.
4) I’ve also gotten to appreciate a fingerprint sensor.  Not all phones have one.  I’ve found that it is the easiest method for unlocking a phone.
5) How much memory does the phone have?  I used to only buy phones with an SD card slot.  I’ve found that it is not a big thing for me anymore.  I can easily store and read files on many of the cloud services.

I always buy my phones unlocked.  This simply means that they are not tied to any carrier.  Not only do I avoid having the provider bloatware installed on my phone, my monthly phone bill also is smaller because I am not paying for a “free” phone.

In conclusion, please remember these are my opinions.  I’m making no claim that they are best.  If you’re buying a new phone, make a list of what you need it to do.  Then research and find the one that’s right for you.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Cruising Again (2022-01)

January 2, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’m writing this article on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.  I know the pandemic isn’t over, but the wife and I like to cruise and we’ve been getting a little antsy sitting around home.  We haven’t been gone out much for the last two years.  I feel fairly safe here.  Before boarding (a Carnival ship), all passengers were required to have proof of vaccination.  A negative Covid test two days prior to boarding had to be shown.  Masks are required on elevators and while waiting in lines.

Don’t worry. This article is about technology, not cruising.  I’ve been reflecting on how technology has changed since the wife twisted my arm and took me on our first cruise in 1991.  Way back then, a ship required one or more tugboats to push it to the dock so they could moor.  Modern cruise ships have an interesting technology.  Thruster pods in the bow and stern of the ship can rotate 180 degrees and maneuver the ship to the pier.  To me, it is amazing to watch a ship move sideways without a tugboat pushing it.  These pods also enable the ship to do a complete turn in the harbor before mooring or getting underway.

Cell phones were not all that common thirty years ago.  On the modern cruise ship, they are a necessity.  The dining room has hardly any menus.  If you want to see your meal choices, you need to check the app on your cell phone.  Speaking of eating, the first time we went to the dining room, we had to wait for a seat.  Turns out that patrons are expected to make a reservation.  The ship then notifies you when your table is ready.  You need your phone for many other things such as viewing the ship’s schedule, booking shore excursions, locating places on the ship and many others.

Besides the official photographers, I only saw two people with actual cameras on the ship.  I’m sure there were more, but almost everyone just used their cell phone camera.  Another thing that has changed over the years is how many people are using some type of e‑reader, I‑Pad or other tablet.  There were some passengers with an actual book that was made out of paper.  It seemed to be a real oddity.

Sadly, there is one technology that definitely has not changed or improved.  I’m an internet junkie and subscribe to the ship’s ISP package.  It is a satellite service and is often intolerably slow.  When I e‑mailed the Clicker Quizzler to Pat, it took about six minutes to send.  When I’m at home, I start to get frustrated if I have to wait for six seconds.  At least I’ve been able to slowly follow some of my favorite sites.  We’re cruising during Christmas week, so I’m not missing much.

I hope everyone had a be-yule-tiful Christmas.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Windows 11 First Impression (2021-12)

November 21, 2021 Posted by Tiny

I feel so left out.  I bought a new laptop with Windows 11 installed.  I haven’t had any of the problems I’ve been reading about on many of the tech sites.  In fact, I’ve had only one problem that I couldn’t find an answer for anywhere on the internet.  I even asked about it in the recent APCUG Windows Q&A.  They couldn’t answer it either.  I’ll tell you more about it later.

So far, all the programs I’ve installed have worked without any problems.  That includes some that haven’t updated since Windows XP days.  I had no difficulties changing defaults on any of them.  My links open with Firefox just like they’re supposed to.  I can only assume that other users might not be setting up their preferences correctly.

The biggest change in Windows 11 is the start menu.  I like using the tabbed start in Windows 10.  I know there are programs that will let me go back to what I prefer.  I’m obstinate enough to learn the new method like I did when I updated from Windows 7 to 10.  I’m already realizing how to move icons to suit my usage.

The other big change is one that I’m afraid I will never get used to.  Ever since it first became available in Windows 95, I’ve kept my task bar on the left of my screen.  I think it makes a lot of sense to create extra space for scrolling.  Almost all monitors are wide screen and you get more screen space with the task bar on the side.  I believe that in the future, Microsoft will re‑enable this feature.  If not, I’ll probably be doing a registry hack.

I haven’t tested most of the other new features.  I have never had an interest in using Widgets.  I know that many people do and I’m glad they have that ability.  I’m glad they are easy to disable.  It’s the same thing for running Android Apps on my Windows machine.  Another reason is that I don’t much care for the Amazon App Store.   I did connect my Android phone in Windows 10.  About three hours late, I disconnected it.

I mentioned that I had only one serious problem with Windows 11.  My battery would drain whenever I put the computer to sleep.  It was frustrating to wake Windows and find that the machine had shut down because the battery was empty.  I couldn’t find any sites on the interest that addressed the problem.  I was beginning to think there might be some defective hardware.  I finally solved the problem by using an old trick I learned back in the 1990s.  I reinstalled the operating system.  Since then, my laptop sleeps with no problems.

Do I recommend Windows 11?  I’ll just say that I’m not updating my desktop computer yet.  Windows 11 runs smoothly and efficiently.  Unless you have a compelling reason to upgrade, Microsoft will support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

Astronomy Web Sites (2021-10)

September 20, 2021 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

By now, all members of the Cajun Clickers hopefully have had their electricity restored.  Hurricane Ida did an excellent job of depriving us of many of our modern conveniences.  For me, there was a benefit to help allay the lack of air conditioning.  There wasn’t any light pollution.  The night sky was clearly visible.

It seems that space and astronomy stories are in the news almost every day.  Even if you discount the billionaires mucking things up, there are many exiting things happening.   We have been exploring our solar system in depth, especially Mars.  Deep space telescopes are finding many new planets orbiting distant stars.  Scientists are speculating that many of them might even be habitable.

Now that we’re getting back to normal, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a telescope to view the heavens.  Planetarium software will allow you to view stars as if you were actually looking at the sky.  All you need is a computer with a decent graphics card.  There are several free planetarium software programs that can bring the skies to your monitor.

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium program that shows the sky in 3D.  If you have a compatible telescope you can use the program to control it.  The program runs on Windows, Linux and MacOS.  There is also a portable version.

Celestia is a multi-platform Planetarium software available for free.  It lets you explore the Solar System along with the vast expanses of the Universe.  Celestia does not restrict you to view objects from Earth’s point of view.  You can go to a planet, a star or galaxy to view it from a different perspective.

SkyChart is another open source cross platform program.  It also will control a computerized telescope.  There are many deep space images with more being frequently added to the data base.

C2A is a freeware program that has an excellent data section next to the sky image display.  The program is very intuitive and easy to use. It is available for Windows only.

WorldWideTelescope has an interesting “Guided Tours” feature.  Each of the tours takes you on a multimedia trip through some aspect of the night sky.  You can either download the program for windows or view in a web browser.

Although I’ve gotten older and don’t have a telescope any more, I still enjoy exploring the universe with these websites and programs.  If you’re interested, give them a try.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.