Posts Tagged: ‘Miscellaneous’

April Fools Pranks (2025-04)

April 6, 2025 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 Baton Rouge.  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.

Remember, pranks are supposed to be for fun.  Use discretion when implementing them.  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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APCUG Workshop (2025-02)

February 9, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Would you like to learn about Chromebooks and what they can do?  Are you ready to use Gmail like a pro?  Do you know all of the methods for backing up your computer?  Want to find out how a Raspberry Pie works?  Would you like to never spend another dime on computer software?  Want to find out how your smart TV works?  Want to learn how to use a Ham radio?  Want to find out how to research genealogical databases?

Some of these topics have been presented at CCCC workshops, but other haven’t.  You can attend them and many more with your club membership.  Almost every Wednesday of the year, the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG) has a “Wednesday Workshop”.  Even if the topics of the week aren’t of interest to me, I almost always attend.  I’ve found that I almost always pick up a useful hint or tip.

All that is required to attend is an active CCCC membership and the Zoom application.  All you have to do is sign up for the APCUG mailing list.  You can easily join by clicking the link in the Clicker Classified section of the newsletter.  Clicking the registration link will open a form in your web browser.  Just enter your e-mail address, first and last name.  In the final block enter “Cajun Clickers Computer Club”. The full name is required.

Joining the list gets you invitations to all of the associations workshops.  These informational presentations are on Zoom They are usually presented every Wednesday and on one Saturday each month.  When workshops are scheduled, you will receive an e-mail with information on how to register and get Zoom login credentials.

You can also view the videos on YouTube.  Just search for APCUG.  I recommend listening live if you can.  I find it hard to believe that more of our members aren’t utilizing this great resource.  Maybe it is the same reason they don’t attend club workshops.

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.

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Is This The Year For Linux? (2025-01)

December 29, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s that time of the year again.  People stop overeating.  Retail spending goes down.  Naysayers tell us the world is going to end.  People make predictions on what will happen in the New Year.

One thing that gets predicted every year is that this one is going to be “The Year of Linux”.  I’m thinking that this is the year it may finally be true.  This is largely because Window 10 will no longer receive security after October 14.  There has not been a big move to Windows 11.  This is only partly because of the new hardware requirements.  Microsoft has moved many of the programmers from Windows OS to Copilot and other projects.  It seems that they don’t do very much Operating System in‑house bug testing anymore.  Instead, they farm it out to the “insider program”.  Could this be part of the reason why there are often so many problems when updates are released to the public?

Meanwhile, Linux continues to get better.  Many of the distributions have evolved to where they are stable and mostly error free.  There are many programs that run on Linux.  Even most Microsoft software can be used on Linux with the Wine compatibility layer.

Linux is a very secure system.  I can make this statement because Linux is open‑source software.  There are thousands of eyes constantly examining for security issues.  Like any OS, there are Trojans, viruses and back‑doors.  These are far fewer in numbers than Windows.  This is probably because there are far less installations of Linux.  When found, they are usually quickly fixed.

Since Windows 10 was released, there have been many vocal complaints about Microsoft “spying” on users.  The fact is that both Apple and Microsoft have always collected telemetry on usage data for years.  If you are concerned about this, Linux collects nothing, unless you specifically allow it.  Considering the size of the Linux user base, not many profit motivated companies build tracking applications for Linux.  Of course, web browsers track data the same on all operating systems.

Linux is highly stable.  If you’ve spent any time around Windows forums, you know that after a while the system starts to slow down.  The OS often needs to be freshly installed so that it will run correctly.  You do not need to do this with Linux, which runs exactly as it did when first installed.  There are many tales of Linux distributions that have been running for years without rebooting the computer.  Add this to the fact that Linux runs on a wide variety of hardware.  Like many users, I got my start in Linux by running it on old computers that would no longer easily run Windows.  Now I use it almost daily.

Windows updates have become more nightmarish in recent years.  Maintaining Linux is easy.  All of the variants have their own software repository.  These archives are used to update both the system software and installed programs.  There is no need to update third party software individually.

Linux is completely free and users do not need to pay for anything.  All of the basic software required by a typical user and even an advanced user are available.  Linux is only for geeks isn’t true anymore.  It has become user‑friendly and has a good graphical user interface (GUI).  You will find almost all the functionality that Windows has.

Finally, maybe the biggest reason for switching to Linux.  You can brag on the internet that you’re a Linux User.

That’s all for this month.  Thanks for reading.

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Christmas Gag Gifts (2024-12)

December 1, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Bah!  Humbug!  It’s that time of the year again.  All of the retailers are busy trying to figure out how to get our last nickel.  The little ones are all being extra good.  Instead of a simple greeting of “hello” and “good-bye”, people think they have to yell “HO! HO! HO!”  There always seems to be a song that every radio station plays over and over.  Thankfully, for the past few years, it hasn’t been about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

It’s also time for everyone to make their gift lists.  If you’ve got someone on your list that likes technology, I’ve got a few suggestions for things you might consider buying them.  If you were planning to get me something, I don’t need any of this stuff.

This Bluetooth Beanie Hat will replace your your headset or ear pods and will keep your head warm at the same time.

A steering wheel laptop desk is the perfect gift for someone that spends a lot of time in their car.  There isn’t any information on whether this can be used with a self-driving vehicle.

This Pedestal Stand Holder is the perfect gift for the geek who spends a lot of time in the room.  I can just imagine someone reaching for some paper and knocking the darn thing over.

ThxToms Flashlights Gloves would be a good gift for somebody.  I’m not sure who, but somebody.

If you’re looking to buy something for a gamer friend, check out these Finger Gloves.  You’d think they would make a Pro Version, which would cover all your fingers.

It might get awful hot during a Louisiana summer.  You could give some Air‑Conditioned Cooling Pants.  Accessorize them with these Air‑Conditioned Shoes.  I suppose the next thing will be Air‑Conditioning Hats.

This 32gb Thumb Drive is pretty thumby.  Too bad there isn’t a choice of fingers.

Although it is not really techy, who wouldn’t want The Official BS Button?  This would be even better if it had a rechargeable battery.

Sometimes the Gift Box can be better than the gift.

Thanks for reading.

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Using Google Services (2024-09)

September 1, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve had my Google e‑mail account since February 11, 2011.  Other than receipts from the Play Store, I estimate that I’ve received about twenty important communications.  The only other mail I get is e-mail from a club member who for some reason doesn’t use my club e-mail address.  I also get test mailings that I send to myself when I set up new e‑mail accounts.

Although I have side loaded a few applications, I almost solely use the Play Store to install apps on my phone.  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 of my devices, but I usually only use it for checking Gmail, accessing the Play Store, watching You Tube videos or testing code on my web site(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 lets 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 and 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 arch 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 a 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 which 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.
• Google Cloud Print allowed users to print from web, desktop, or mobile to any Google Cloud Print-connected printer.  It was more than ten years old.
• Google Podcasts was a podcast hosting platform and a podcast listening app.  After less than six years, it was discontinued just six months ago.

This short list is 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, news readers, social networks, messaging applications, web analytic programs, etc.  I wasn’t able to find any sites with an exact total of how many were discontinued.  A web search will find links to several sites that list the Google services and applications that are no longer available.

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.  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?

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.

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Questions I Get Asked (2024-05)

May 12, 2024 Posted by Tiny

One of the drawbacks about being a computer hobbyist is that family and friends think of you as tech support.  Over the years, I’ve been asked lots of questions about technology.  This month, I thought I’d share some of them with you.

The most asked question I get about Android phones is “Why does my screen go dark so quick?”  The answer is because the default ‘Screen Timeout’ is 15 seconds.  If you don’t touch the screen within that period, it goes to sleep.  This is done simply to conserve battery power.  To change, open Settings, do a search for timeout and change it to whatever you like.  Some phones have other features to stop the timeout.

I often get asked why Microsoft makes it so hard to keep track of the where the cursor is.  It is even harder to find if you use more than one monitor.  There are two things you can do to help with this.  Open Mouse Settings and then click Advance Settings.  Look for the check box to enable “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key”.  Enabling will allow the mouse location to be highlighted whenever you touch the Ctrl key.  In Advanced Options, you can also adjust the size of the cursor.  Most mouse manufacturers have settings where you can select mouse colors.  I like the setting where the cursor color changes to contrast with the screen background.

People often complain to me that their Windows machine starts really slow.  I always suggest that it is because they have a lot of programs that load on a Windows boot.  This is usually why it seems slow.  The easiest way to solve the problem is to open the Windows Task Manager.  Click on the Startup Tab and then disable programs that don’t need to be running all the time.

I forgot my password is a problem that is often unsolvable.  There are several programs you can buy to “crack” your missing password.  The problem is that they often do not work.  Nir Sofer is a software developer who has created hundreds of free utilities.  More than twenty of these are password recovery utilities.   If it is a website, there are usually options for recovering a password.  In most cases, you are out of luck.

I’m always asked, “What is the best web browser, password manager, graphics program, anti‑virus, word processor, etc.”  I usually respond by asking what is the best car to drive or where is the best place to buy a cheeseburger.  The real answer is that I don’t know.  Whats best for me isn’t necessarily best for anyone else.  I can only tell what I use and why.  My recommendation is to try the various programs until you find one you like.

Another frequently asked question is “Why do they call you Tiny?”  Unfortunately, I’m running out of column space and can’t answer it here.

Thanks for reading.

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April Fool’s Goodbye (2024-04)

March 31, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve heard it said that all good things must come to an end.  Unfortunately, sometimes it is true.  It is with great sadness that I must announce that I will soon be leaving Louisiana.  In 2005, when I relocated to Lake Charles, I planned to never move again.  After more than twenty years in the Navy, I lived in a lot of places.

Fast forward to 2018.  The grandsons had relocated to Livingston.  The wife wanted to be closer to them, so we moved.  I planned never to move again.

Another fast forward to 2023.  Those darn kids have up and resettled again.  They’ve moved to Rexburg, Idaho.  Other than being somewhere in Yankee land, I’m not sure where that is.  Circumstances are forcing me to relocate once more.  The Mrs. wants to move again.

Over the years, I’ve been in a lot of computer clubs.  The Cajun Clickers has definitely been one of my favorites.  The people are friendly, knowledgeable and put up with my idiosyncrasies.  What else could an old man ask for?

I guess I could make a really long commute every month, but that just doesn’t seem feasible.  Maybe I could be a “remote” member.  I could Zoom into the meetings and keep up with everyone by their articles that they write for the club newsletter.

I will be more than happy to continue writing articles for the newsletter should someone continue to edit the thing.  I won’t be leaving for a few months so there will be plenty of time to turn over my club Newsletter, Website and other duties to someone new.

This announcement will probably be the shortest Clicker article I’ve ever submitted to the Newsletter.  I hope that it will still be going strong next year in April.

Thanks for reading my April Fools article.

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Your Computer Club (2023-10)

October 1, 2023 Posted by Tiny

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.

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Will Artificial Intelligence End the World? (2023-08)

July 30, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Oh No!  The world as we know it is coming to an end!  At least that is what many people have been telling me.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here.  People are going to lose their jobs.  Deep fakes will be found everywhere.  We will not have any privacy.  We’re all going to be manipulated by algorithms.  I just hope that all this bad stuff doesn’t happen before I finish writing this column.

How many people will lose their jobs?  My guess is zero.  As with past technological advances, many jobs were created to replace those that were no longer needed.  The automobile caused the lost of much “horse work” employment.  We didn’t need blacksmiths, hostlers, saddle makers and many more.  There are hundreds of examples of this.  How many companies still make typewriters?  Try going to a store and buying a record album.  The list goes on and on.

Are fake objects going to be everywhere?  Probably.  If there is something of value, there will be a counterfeit of it.  Sometimes the fakes are even better than the originals.

We’re all going to lose our privacy.  I remember when I was a young boy growing up in a small town.  If I did something naughty, my parents would usually know about it fairly soon.  That darn telephone just took away all of my privacy.  The biggest difference now is that private information can be retrieved much faster than when Hoover’s FBI kept files on us.

Are we going to be manipulated by algorithms?  Aren’t we already?  Google maps tells what routes to take.  My writing program fills in many of my words after I type two or three letters.  Almost all of the things we watch, read or search for are recorded so that we can be advertised to.  The richest person in the world has so much privacy that no one knows who it is.

There have been so many other “end of the world” scares.  Remember Y2K?  That didn’t happen either.  I can tell you now that it was me that saved the world.  I changed the clock on my network time so that all of my electronics never did change to the year 2000.  After two years, when the scare was over, I finally allowed my clocks to update.

The decade of the 1980’s was going to be the end of the world several times.  It seems like everyone from Pat Robertson to the Jehovah’s Witnesses had proof positive that the “rapture” would be here soon.  Is it a coincidence that is the same era that personal computers started to become popular?  I can’t remember what George Orwell thought about it.

Wikipedia has a big list of dates that the world was or is going to end.  I’m not going to worry about the end of the world for a while yet.  Nostradamus made a detailed list of future predictions.  His prophecies end abruptly in the year 3797.  That’s when I’m going to worry.

Thanks for reading.

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Deciding on a Topic (2023-07)

July 2, 2023 Posted by Tiny

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.

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