Tinys World of Technology BS

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Are you getting the most out of the Cajun Clickers (or any computer club)?  Over the years I’ve been a member of several computer clubs.  The biggest change is that these days, it isn’t just about computers.  We also learn about cell phones, cameras, smart homes and much more.  Just a few months ago I learned about how we use electronics to predict and track our weather.  There are many reasons that I keep joining them.

The most important thing about computer user groups (clubs) is that they are full of people who meet to share information and to learn from each other.  All of them are informal groups with a common purpose of learning more about how electronics operate and can be used to better our lives.

A computer club offers 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, someone usually knows how to solve it.  If they don’t know the answer, they almost always know where to go to find out.

I’ve noticed that a lot of benefits of our club are not used by many of the members.  There hasn’t been a question asked on our Ask The Experts Google Group since October of 2022.  The General Discussion Group hasn’t fared much better.  There has been one posting in the last year.  The club also has a YouTube Channel and a Facebook Group.

Most of the monthly meetings have an attendance of around thirty members.  This is less than one quarter of the total membership.  There are usually empty seats at the club workshops.

Our computer group has a monthly newsletter.  I’ll admit that I like to run my mouth and the newsletter gives me a chance to write articles like this.  It also gives me a chance to learn about many other things by reading the the monthly columns.

Another under utilized club benefit are the many workshops offered on Zoom by the APCUG.  These cover a wide array of topics on most Operating Systems.  Some sample topics are Your Health and Technology, Cross-Platform Software, Backing Up with pCloud, Smart TVs, the Frugal Genealogist, and many more.

Computer user groups are a fun place to meet new people.  Since I’ve joined the Clickers, I’ve learned from a professional photographer, a tax accountant, a Better Business Bureau professional, a local television meteorologist, several writers, programmers, web authors, and more.

Where else can you get all of this and more for only $4.58 or less a month?  The annual membership fee is less than you would pay for one computer class almost anywhere else.

Thanks for reading.

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve spent the past two hours trying to decide what I should write about this month.  At first, I thought I’d remind everyone that schools have been dismissed for the summer and remind them to drive safely.  Then I remembered that when school started last year, everyone was reminded to drive safely.  I decided that wouldn’t be a good subject because some idiot would surely think that meant we didn’t have to drive safely the rest of the time.

Then I thought that maybe I could give some hints on how to use your computer more efficiently or how to use one of my favorite programs.  I immediately realized that I already try to do that in the various workshops I do both at the club and on Zoom.

I almost started to write things about computing that make me mad or don’t seem to be quite as they should be.  Then I wrote a paragraph about companies that make changes that make their product worse.  A second paragraph addressed the question of why we need so many file formats.  After starting to write about lousy tech name choices, I realized I was probably going to end up with an article about six pages long.

I finally decided on what to write about this month.  I’m going to take a few minutes and ask everyone to help make our computer club a little better.  How can you assist?

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.  Did you get some new hardware?  An article reviewing the equipment would be beneficial to everyone.

Have you found a great website that everyone should know about?  Heard a funny story that you can’t wait to tell everyone?  Why not share it with the entire club.  All you have to do is click the link on page two and send it to the editor.  I know him and that he will gladly use your submission.

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 our club.  They just might decide to join the club.  Then we could all benefit.

When he wasn’t busy helping me invent the internet, Vice President Al Gore said, “Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.”  I think that means this would be a good time for me to shut up.

Thanks for reading.