the newsletter for sonoma county’s mac and …short video. unfortunately, my it guys at work...

Club Benefits and Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2President’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Actual Computer Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4The Gutenberg Bible and Fonts . . . . . . . . . . .5

Printed Word... Fonts by Stephanie Clark . . . .6SanDisk Digital Photo Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . .10Membership Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11SRJC Classes at High School . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Table of Contents

The Newsletter for Sonoma County’s Mac and Windows Users January 2004 Vol.1 No 1

Happy New Year

Apple, the Apple logo and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Tucson Macintosh Users Group is an independent user group and has not been authorized, sponsored or otherwise approved by Apple Computer, Inc.

Web Images Downloaded; courtesy of Robert Savannah, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html

OFFICERS FOR 2003-2004

President Veda [email protected]

Vice President Beth [email protected]

Secretary Stephanie [email protected]

Treasurer Joan [email protected]

Newsletter Kathy [email protected]

Members-at-Large George [email protected]

Jeannette [email protected]

BOARD MEETINGS

Usually following General Meeting. Opento all members. Call 935-6690 for furtherinformation.

MEMBERSHIPS

S.V.C.G. Annual Membership: $20.S.V.C.G. Family/Couple membership: $30(residing at same address). Membershiprenewals are due and payable at the beginningof each year.

GENERAL MEETINGS

S.V.C.G. meets second Saturday of eachmonth at Sonoma Public Library, 755West Napa Street; hours: 9:30AM to11AM unless otherwise notified. Meetingsfree; guests welcome.

ABOUTTHISPUBLICATION

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter is published

monthly by Sonoma Valley Computer Group. Desktop pub-

lishing services donated by Kathy Aanestad. Call: (707)

935-6690, email [email protected]. © 2004, SVCG.

ONLINE NEWSLETTER:http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.htmlCopyright © 2004, SVCG. All rights reserved. Sponsored by

our local ISP, DataProfessionals, on 19480-8th St. East.

MAILING ADDRESS:Sonoma Valley Computer GroupPO Box 649El Verano, CA 95433

SVCG UGBenefitsBenefits to being a member of theSonoma Valley Computer Group areO’Reilly Press, PeachPit Press, andNewRiders Press giving you a 20% ormore discount on all their books andsoftware! For more information, pleasecontact Kathy Aanestad at 935-6690 oremail at ‘[email protected]’.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, SVCG belongs to theApple User Group program wherebymembers can purchase Apple productsat a savings. Contact Kathy Aanestadfor user ID and password in order toaccess their online site. We need mem-bers help with finding contacts for PCuser group offers so that they can beincluded in the newsletter postings.

DonatingUsedComputerEquipmentThe URL listed is for the ComputerRecycling Center. All of the info need-ed (and then some) is listed on the site. http://www.crc.org/

Thanks to Wayne Till for that tip.

❂

Library NeedsSVCG VolunteersSonoma Regional Library received six newflat-screen, high-speed, Gateway public-access computers gifted by Friends of theSonoma Valley Library. These machinesoffer access to the Library Catalog, InternetResources, Microsoft Works, and SuperSearch Interlibrary Loan. Although the“front-end” screen format looks a little unfa-miliar when recalling the old terminals, theadvanced search-limiting and sorting capa-bilities far surpass what was previouslyavailable. Those with questions, as well asthose reluctant to try new online commandprotocols, are invited to ask LibraryReference staff for help and guidance. Forthe fearless patron, there is an online WebPac user Guide to the Library Catalog.

In the near future, the Library hopes to enlisttutorial support from another SonomaValley community resource - the SonomaValley Computer Group. Any SVCG mem-ber who can spare even one hour to tutorpatrons on the new computers is encouragedto call Stephan Buffy at 996-5217.

Let’s put the PR in partnership. SVCG is inpartnership with the Library. Our affiliationhas been a significant factor in our ability tocontinue as a computer club. Now we havean opportunity/responsibility to step up anddo something for the Library. They haveasked for volunteers to help train patrons inthe use of the new computers. If you canspare as little as an hour or more, the Librarystaff will be happy to acquaint you with the

system so you can helpother patrons. This maybe in the form of smallgroups of patrons atone time.

The Library needs ourhelp. Please give theman hour of your time.

Thank you.


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEby Veda Lewis, [email protected]

Library internet hot spot?Great news! It is our understanding that the Sonoma Valley Librarymay soon have wireless internet access available for patrons. Thiscould take place within the next month. Those of you who regular-ly attend meetings are well aware that internet access would greatlyimprove our meetings. We will finally be able to do a session onsearch engines, while using search engines live on-line!

Our fingers are crossed and we look forward to integrating liveinternet access using laptops with wireless networking cards(Airport on the Mac). Our club surveys have repeatedly shown thatthe number one interest of club members is the internet and email. When implemented, this upgrade will finally allow us to answerthose sticky questions about opening attachments by show and tell.

2003 Wrap-up-As I write about the prospect of wireless internet access at thelibrary, it takes me back a bit, thinking about club activities in 2003.

Tech speak-Do you remember when the transparency projector was the mostsophisticated asset that the club had? Just about a year ago, we pur-chased the computer projector from the North Coast MacintoshUsers Group (NCMUG). For $500, we purchased a well-usedmachine that NCMUG originally purchased as a refurbished unit.What a difference it has made to our meetings, to be able to projectthe computer screen.

Many, many thanks to Kathy Aanestad who has used her iBook (andcomputing knowledge) to demonstrate this year. With the transitionfrom the club iMac and the se and screen limitations, we have beenable to cover much more in the club demos.

The switch to mini-meetings of Mac faithful and Windows users atthe start of our meetings has really helped to put the ‘group’back inuser group. The discussions have been quite lively and well-received.

Club spirit-At the beginning of the year, we moved through a minor crisis, butour dedicated members came out in support of keeping the clubalive. That spirit has come to the surface again, as volunteers havecome forward to run the club’s MacWorld Expo booth at MosconeCenter on January 6th. (If you’re at the event, come by and see usat Moscone Center, booth 2445 in the South Hall, across from theInternet Café.)

The Digital Art Show was another milestone for the club. We

put on our second annual event. It was a success, but welearned a few more lessons this year. This project could reallyuse the help of a member who would be willing to pull togeth-er a small group to start working now on next year’s event.Although the space is limited, there are ways to bring in moreartwork and a wider variety. Publicity (early and often) wouldhelp the event and get the word out about our club. If youwould be interested in working with the board on this com-mittee, let a board member know.

2004!-What are your computing goals for 2004? As most of us areaware, computer chips run more and more of our lives. As Iwrite this article, I’ve been eavesdropping on a television showabout modern casino slot machines. They are essentially pro-prietary computers complete with their own firewalls and elec-tric charges to prevent tinkering.

In 2004 I’m focusing on mastery of a few key skills, ratherthan familiarity with a diversity of applications. As budget cutsdot the landscape, my job takes me head first into the creationof e-learning training modules. It is imperative that I make thetransition from knowing that a computing task can be done, todoing those things. True mastery, I’m finally convinced, is notan individual endeavor. It requires a team effort. To that end,I’m making sure that I’m on the same page as those I need tohelp me accomplish my goals.

In 2003 I learned enough about Adobe Premiere to create ashort video. Unfortunately, my IT guys at work don’t use thatprogram. They are Ulead VideoSuite users. So, this year, I’mswitching over to VideoSuite so we can speak the same lan-guage and I can get their help when I need it. Heck, I may beable to help them too.

The new year may be a time to see if this strategy could workfor you. Regardless, when you set your computing goals,remember to figure in your support team in your plan.

Upgrading-If your hardware is fine and you need to upgrade your skills,there are still opportunities around the valley for doing that.Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), Sonoma Valley AdultSchool, and Vintage House all have course offerings. Budget

President cont’d on Pg. 11

Actual Computer StoryActual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Supportemployee with a caller:

"Ridge Hall computer assistant; may Ihelp you?""Yes, well, I'm having trouble withWordPerfect.""What sort of trouble?""Well, I was just typing along, and allof a sudden the words went away.""Went away?"

"They disappeared.""Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?""Nothing.""Nothing?""It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type.""Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?""How do I tell?""Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?""What's a sea-prompt?""Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?""There isn't any cursor, I told you, it won't accept anything Itype.""Does your monitor have a power indicator?""What's a monitor?""It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does ithave a little light that tells you when it's on?""I don't know.""Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where thepower cord goes into it. Can you see that?""Yes, I think so.""Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's pluggedinto the wall."".......Yes, it is.""When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that therewere two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?""No.""Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find theother cable."".......Okay, here it is.""Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into theback of your computer.""I can't reach.""Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?""No.""Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean wayover?""Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle - it's because it'sdark.""Dark?""Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is comingin from the window."

"Well, turn on the office light then.""I can't.""No? Why not?""Because there's a power outage.""A power... A power outage? Ah, Okay, we've got it licked now.“Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff yourcomputer came in?""Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."

"Good. Go get them, and unplugyour system and pack it up justlike it was when you got it. Thentake it back to the store youbought it from.""Really? Is it that bad?""Yes, I'm afraid it is.""Well, all right then, I suppose.What do I tell them?""Tell them you're too stupid toown a computer."


Images downloaded from Google.com search


THE GUTENBERG BIBLE

If it were not for Johannes Gutenberg, where do you think you’d benow with your computing experience? Think about the thousandsof fonts/type that we have to select from... thanks to Gutenberg andallthose who followed him... like Hermann Zapf. Yes, that is a realname. Read all about it by Stephanie Clark on Page 6 in “ThePrinted Word.”

I went to www.google.com and typed in ‘Gutenberg Bible’. Of themany URLs that it searched, I selected: http://prodigi.bl.uk/guten-bg/background.asp. Following are some info and images I found.

In the mid-fifteenth century Johannes Gutenberg invented a way ofmechanising the production of printing type, as distinct from indi-vidually engraved or cast letters. This was the beginning of themass production of books. The Gutenberg Bible was printed inMainz around 1454-5. It is the first major book printed in the west.We have reason to believe that about 180 copies were printed andsignificant parts of 48 copies still survive.

The British Library has two completecopies of the Gutenberg Bible and asmall but important fragment of athird copy. One copy, printed onpaper, was transferred in 1829 to theBritish Library with the library ofKing George III (1738-1820), shelf-mark: C.9.d.3,4 = IC.55. The otherc o p y, printed on vellum, was

bequeathed by Thomas Grenville (1755-1846), shelfmark: G.12226= IC.56.

In March 2000, ten researchers and technical experts from KeioUniversity in Tokyo and from NTT spent two weeks in The BritishLibrary creating digital images of the two Bibles and the other relat-ed items. The British Library is grateful for the support receivedfrom its Japanese partners.

The digitisation aims to provide: • Wider access to material which needs to be protected from

frequent handling • High-quality substitutes for the original copies of the

Bibles • Improved conditions for comparison of the two copies

The digital images can be compared more easily than the physicalbooks themselves. The possibility of comparing the two copies isvaluable because no two copies of the Gutenberg Bible are exactlyidentical.

The Bibles were not ready for use when they came off the press;rubrication, large capital letters, and decoration were still to beadded. This accounts for further differences between all existing

copies of the Gutenberg Bible. The lavish decoration in theKing's copy, printed on paper contrasts with the much plainerinitials supplied in the Grenville copy; this is surprising as theGrenville copy is printed on vellum, a much more expensivemedium than paper. The fragment, printed on vellum, comesfrom a copy apparently decorated in England.

Close up of the lower left corner of the page below

One of the Gutenberg Bible pages

THE PRINTED WORDby Stephanie Clark

FROM HANDMADE TO DIGITAL, 550 YEARS OFPRINTING WORDS

THE GUTENBERG BIBLE, below,was produced in 1454 by Johannes Gutenberg; theinventor of“movable type”.180 copies were printed, andparts of 48 survive. SOME WERE PRINTED ONPAPER AND SOME ON VELLUM which is a morelong-lasting parchment made of highly polished skins ofsmall animals.

BBC and BRITISH LIBRARY WEBSITEGUTENBERG BIBLE GOES ONLINE

Electronic copies of the books were posted onthe British Library's website (in cooperation with Japan) on Wednesday, NOV 22, 2000

YOU CAN PRINT “Gutenberg Bible”in Google - click on 3rd item listed.

This will give you fascinating history of thebeginning of printing plus all the intrigues and problems of doing business in the 1400s

Descriptions of early attemptsto print, illuminating, lawsuits involved, a very personal history of the times.

It’s a wonder Johannes Gutenberg was able toinvent mechanizing the production of printing type whatwith the distracting sideshow hounding him in his per-sonal life: Papal committee and Royals interference,disputes about settlement of his father’s will plus moresuits regarding nonpayment of his annuity, sued for bro-


ken promise of marriage, other legal disputes aboutinventions and legal default of debts.

STILL THIS MASTERPIECE INVENTIONOF PRINTING STARTED A REVOLUTION INE D U C ATION AND THE SPREADING OFLEARNING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

Today we have computers, copiers, scannersand all the tools to do our work with printed wordsand pictures. It has been just a short leap from thetypewriter which served well for years but if anyonehas ever had to produce a project on the typewriterand start a new page for each revision or correction,there is an instant respect for the invention of thecomputer.

TYPES OF TYPE

TRADITIONAL PUBLICATIONS and book pub-lishers stick to using one serif type only with boldand italics for effect.(This is TIMES)

Other modern publishers use a wider rangeof type for whatever effect they want within artisticlimits. They can be powerful tools for getting acrosstheir message.

SANS SERIF TYPE has no “hooks” is plainand is harder for the eye to interpret.HELVETICA & are SANS SERIF TYPEVery pure, very simple.

SERIF TYPE has “hooks”on the letterswhich experts say makes for easier reading.TIMES & SERIF TYPE with enough small extensions to each letter forthe mind to easily, and quickly, identify eachfrom another.

How you read a book, a newspaper or anyprinted matter is not by casual design. Just as eachpublication has set guidelines as to the material used,so are there firm rules as to how the material is setout to perform.

And there are hundreds, maybe thousands, ofthese forms called “type”:

When you read the New York Times, you arereading a type called “TIMES”

Other magazines and books will use

CHICAGO, COURIER, GENEVA, HELVETICA,PA L AT I N O, APPLE Chancery, C H A R C O A Letc.

As much time is given to choosing the type for a publication as is given to the choice of the cover.

◗❈❁▼✛▲ ❇❏❉■❇ ❏■

This is ZAPF DINGBATS. Yes, the crazy odd-look-ing symbols above are actually a font.

It is universally used without a thought of itshistory.

Imagine my surprise when I saw in Vanity Fair,January 2004 a picture of Hermann Zapf,, below, theoriginator of the type named for him.

★✥✲✭✡✮ ✺✡✰✦, or Hermann Zapf, pictured abovein his studio in Germany in Autumn 2003, is one of the20th centuries most important type designers.

“Hermann Zapf, 85, started his career as aphoto retoucher at age16. His deep interest in calligra-phy - which he taught himself- led to his apprentice-ship with a series of German typographers and punchcutters. He designed his first typeface, Gilgenhart,when he was 20. Since then he has designed 200 more,including PA L ATINO, MELIOR, ITC ZAPFC H A N C E RY, and ZAPF DINGBATS and writtenManuele Typhographicum, 1954, a landmark study oftypography”

“Today many of his fonts are standard on per-sonal computers”


AN ELEGANT FONT BY ZAPF

Computers today come with a varied assort-ment of fonts included.

Others can be purchased online for free or bypayment.

You can make a special order to have a fontmade up with your own handwriting, and if clever,can do this yourself with a Wacom tablet and stylus.

There are proprietary fonts, or type, wellknown that are made up for companies, and actual-ly serve as icons, such as Coca Cola, AmericanAirlines etc. that give immediate recognition of theproduct or service.These are generally copyrighted.

(article compiled for BUZZ magazine 2004)

WHAT’S NEWSDEFENSE DEPARTMENT CHOOSES BLACKBOARDThe U.S. Department of Defense has signed a three-year contractwith Blackboard to provide e-learning technology to theDepartment of Defense Educational Activity (DODEA).Technology from Blackboard already underpins eArmyU, theonline learning program of the U.S. Army. DODEA, which oper-ates 22 K-12 schools for military personnel, will eventually pro-vide the Blackboard tools to 75,000 students worldwide, thoughinitially it will only be available to 500. Using the e-learning plat-form is expected to allow dependents of military personnel tocontinue their studies in a consistent manner, even if parents aretransferred to other locations.Federal Computer Week, 26 November 2003h t t p : / / w w w. f c w. c o m / f c w / a r t i c l e s / 2 0 0 3 / 11 2 4 / w e b - b l a c k - 11 - 2 6 -03.asp

DVD JON HITS ITUNESJon Lech Johansen, known as “DVD Jon” for the application hewrote to decrypt DVDs, has found a way to break the encryptionof Apple Computer's iTunes and has posted the program online.Johansen faced a lawsuit from the movie industry over theDeCSS program he wrote at age 15 to play DVDs on a Linux-based computer. Johansen, of Norway, was acquitted in Januaryof charges that by posting DeCSS online, he violated Norwegiancopy-protection laws, though prosecutors have appealed that ver-dict. The new program, called QTFairUse, recently showed up ona Web site operated by Johansen accompanied by the message“So sue me.” The program, which is available as an open-sourceapplication, defeats Apple's copy protection by opening a filelegitimately but then creating a parallel, unprotected file. Theresult appears to be a perfect copy of a music file without anyrestrictions on trading or playing, though the files that are creat-ed cannot be played without additional software.CNN, 27 November 2003h t t p : / / w w w. c n n . c o m / 2 0 0 3 / T E C H / i n t e r n e t / 11 / 2 7 / i t u n e s . c o d e . a p / index.html

COLLEGES ADAPT TO STUDENT POWERCONSUMPTIONAs students show up at colleges and universities with larger andlarger numbers of electrical appliances, many institutions arehaving to make substantial and sometimes expensive changes toaccommodate the growing demand for power. Penn StateUniversity, for example, has seen its electricity usage rise from 27million kilowatt hours in October 1996 to 33 million in Octoberthis year; the university spends about $1 million a month on elec-tricity. Many institutions are upgrading dormitories with moreoutlets, new electrical panels, and rewired fuse boxes. WrightState University spent $500,000 to upgrade electrical services atone of its dorms to cope with students bringing computers, print-ers, scanners, stereos, TVs, and other appliances to campus.Some argue that rising demand for electricity results more from

campus facilities, such as larger and more numerous computerlabs, than from student usage. Andrew Matthews of theAssociation of College and University Housing Officers-International noted that many existing dorms were built in the50s and 60s and were not constructed to meet current electri-cal demands. MSNBC, 26 November 2003http://www.msnbc.com/news/995816.asp

NEW COMPUTER WORM A FRIEND OF SPAMMERSA new e-mail computer worm appears to be the work of spam-mers trying to defeat anti-spam forces. The W32/Mimail-Lworm replicates as do other worms, by e-mailing itself to thosein an infected computer's address book, but it also sends a sec-ond message promising delivery of a CD with pornographiccontent. The link to supposedly prevent delivery of the CD infact sends an e-mail to one of eight anti-spam organizations.Steve Linford of the Spamhaus Project said his organization isbeing flooded with complaints from computer users whobelieve Spamhaus is responsible the CDs. In addition, theworm can turn infected computers into drones that can be usedin denial-of-service attacks against the same eight organiza-tions. Security experts commented that this latest worm pro-vides further evidence that virus writers and spammers areworking together. Reuters, 2 December 2003http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3925183

PROPOSALS TO CHARGE ISPS FOR MUSICDOWNLOADSAn organization representing songwriters and other copyrightholders in Canada is arguing to the Canadian Supreme Courtfor a tax on ISPs to compensate copyright holders for lossesdue to file swapping. A similar tax already exists for blank cas-sette tapes and CDs. Canadian telecommunications companiesand ISPs are strongly opposed to the idea, saying they simplyprovide a mode of communication and should not be responsi-ble for collecting “royalties” for the content that uses their net-works. In the United States, the Distributed ComputingIndustry Association (DCIA) has floated a similar proposal,though the DCIA’s goes further. Under its plan, ISPs wouldmonitor network traffic and charge file traders a surcharge thatwould compensate record companies and other copyright hold-ers. The DCIA model would make music content similar tothat of cable television, where users could subscribe to certain“channels” of music. The DCIA, which represents peer-to-peercompanies, hopes to offer a total of three possible businessmodels for online music distribution, from which a “criticalmass of ISPs, music companies, and software companies” canchoose one to pursue. CNET, 4 December 2003http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5113638.html

FEDS AUTHORIZE FUNDING FOR NAN-OTECHNOLOGY RESEARCHPresident Bush this week signed a bill authorizing $3.7 billionfor research into nanotechnology, the study of manipulatingmatter on an extremely small scale. The 21st Century


Nanotechnology Research and Development Act provides for anational program of research into the fundamentals of using nano-scale components in products for areas including manufacturing,health care, computers, and national security. The legislation alsoestablishes an advisory board of industry and academic representa-tives. The board will determine short-, medium-, and long-termgoals for nanotechnology research and will work to establish per-formance metrics for the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a col-laboration of 13 federal agencies. Internet News, 4 December 2003http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3116431

BLACKBOARD TO GO PUBLIC?Speculation has increased lately about the possibility that e-learn-ing company Blackboard will go public. The company seemed ontrack for an initial public offering until the bottom fell out of thetechnology economy in 2000. The company has negotiated thedown economy with investments from various companies, includ-ing America Online, Dell Computer, and Microsoft, and recentlysaw its first quarterly profit. Reported recent contacts between thecompany and investment bankers have restarted talk of an IPO forBlackboard. CEO Michael Chasen remains tight-lipped about thepossibility of taking Blackboard public, but he admitted that thecompany “has always closely watched the public markets to see ifit makes sense.” Washington Post, 4 December 2003h t t p : / / w w w. w a s h i n g t o n p o s t . c o m / w p - d y n / a r t i c l e s / A 3 3 2 4 0 -2003Dec3.html

IBM ADVANCES NANOTECHNOLOGY CIR-CUIT DESIGNNanotechnology researchers at IBM said they have created poly-mer molecules that can be used to build memory chips much small-er than current techniques allow with silicon chips. A nanometer isabout 1/10,000 the thickness of a human hair, and nanotechnologyresearchers are working to manipulate materials at the molecularlevel. IBM’s polymers arrange themselves in patterns on a siliconchip, offering the possibility of making smaller chips than can bemanufactured today. The polymers created by IBM have the poten-tial to replace current optical processes to etch patterns onto siliconwafers, a process for making smaller and smaller chips that isexpected to reach its physical limit in about a decade.San Jose Mercury News, 8 December 2003http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7441257.htm

AT&T TO OFFER INTERNET-BASED PHONESERVICEAT&T will become one of the largest entrants so far in the marketto provide phone service using Internet technology. The nascentfield already includes several players, but none with the clout andcustomer base of AT&T, the nation’s largest provider of long-dis-tance service. Prices have not been disclosed, but AT&T’s servicewill reportedly be similar to those plans offered by others: unlimit-ed local and long-distance calling for a fixed monthly fee.Customers must have high-speed Internet access and must be inone of the largest 100 metro areas of the country. Quality ofInternet phone calls is said to be comparable to that of traditionalphone lines, though it can be affected by Internet traffic and power

outages. The shift to Internet technology for phone service islikely to prompt discussions and potential changes in the waythe telecommunications industry is regulated. Currently AT&Tpays $11 billion in fees each year to local companies for accessto their lines, but phone calls carried as data streams are notsubject to the same fees. Companies such as Verizon argue thatAT&T should be forced to continue making such payments,regardless of the format of its phone traffic.New York Times, 11 December 2003 (registration req’d)h t t p : / / w w w. n y t i m e s . c o m / 2 0 0 3 / 1 2 / 11 / t e c h n o l o g y / 11 P H O N . h t m l

BIG-TIME SPAMMER ARRESTED UNDERTOUGH VIRGINIA LAWOne spammer has been arrested--and another is expected toturn himself in--under a strict new Virginia law. The lawallows the state to prosecute spammers outside Virginia if theysend e-mail that even passes through the state on its way else-where. Because Virginia is the home of America Online, morethan half of the world’s e-mail passes through the state. JeremyJaynes of North Carolina was arrested this week and will beextradited to Virginia to face charges that he used deceptiverouting information in commercial e-mails, preventing recipi-ents from identifying the source of the messages. The Virginialaw makes such actions illegal, and the volume of e-mail sentby Jaynes makes the crime a felony. The other suspect, RichardRutowski, also of North Carolina, is expected to surrender.Both are listed on Spamhaus’s top-ten list of spammers. Thetwo men face up to five years in prison on each of four felonycounts. Internet News, 11 December 2003http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/3288131

WEB SITE ADDRESSES STUDENTS ANDIDENTITY THEFTCiting what it said is a greater vulnerability among collegestudents, the U.S. Department of Education has launched aWeb site (http://www.ed.gov/misused/) designed to educatestudents about the dangers of identity theft. Roderick R. Paige,the secretary of education, noted that most college studentsreceive many credit card applications, which are often not dis-posed of properly to prevent identity theft. Paige also com-mented that many students do not carefully check credit cardstatements for fraudulent charges, allowing identity theft tocontinue for months before it is even noticed. The new Website offers tips on how to prevent having personal informationcompromised and provides information on contacting variousagencies to report identity theft. Chronicle of HigherEducation, 12 December 2003 (sub. req’d)http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/12/2003121202n.htm

CONGRESS PASSES ANTI-SPAM BILLCongress this week passed the CAN-SPAM Bill after fouryears of working on federal legislation to address the growingproblem of unsolicited e-mail. Under the terms of the bill, e-mail marketers are prohibited from using deceptive subjectlines and false return addresses, and they must provide validpostal addresses and opt-out mechanisms in e-mail messages.


Violators face fines of up to $6 million and prison terms of up tofive years. Officials from California oppose the new law because itpreempts a recently passed state anti-spam law that includes stricterprovisions than those of the federal law. The California law wouldhave required marketers to obtain prior consent before sending anycommercial e-mail to individual users. Some consumer groups saythat the federal law, which goes into effect January 1, will not resultin significantly less spam for most users.New York Times, 9 December 2003 (registration req’d)http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/09/technology/09spam.html

REPORT CARD ON GOVERNMENT SECURITYA report card released by Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) on federalagencies’ information security shows continued weakness in mostof the 24 agencies included. Although the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission, the National Science Foundation, and the LaborDepartment saw their grades rise appreciably from last year’sreport, 14 agencies had grades below C-minus, and eight failed.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)received a failinggrade, which Putnam attributed to the agency’s having been creat-ed very recently. He said he expects big improvements next yearfrom DHS, which “should be the leaders.” Only five agencies havecompleted inventories of critical information technology assets,which are required by the Federal Information SecurityManagement Act. Putnam said it was “disturbing that 19 of theagencies are still out of line.” Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), chairman ofthe House Government Reform Committee, said, “Clearly, our goalof making computer security a constant management focus has notbeen met.” Federal Computer Week, 9 December 2003h t t p : / / w w w. f c w. c o m / f c w / a r t i c l e s / 2 0 0 3 / 1 2 0 8 / w e b - g r a d e s - 1 2 - 0 9 - 0 3 . a s p

Digital Photo Viewer

Jeff Blum spoke to the group in December about a new product bySanDisk called the Digital Photo Viewer. He has since purchasedthe unit and will demo it at our January meeting. I went online toget some info and found the following.

Now viewing and sharing digital photos is as simple as watchingTV. SanDisk, the world leader in flash data storage, introducesDigital Photo Viewer-- the fastest, easiest and most convenient way


to view and share digital photos with family and friends. Justinsert your memory card and the slide show begins. All in thecomfort of your living room, family room, den, or any otherplace people like to watch TV.

Memories are made to be shared...with family and friends.SanDisk makes it easy, in more ways than one.

• Easy to use (simply plug it into the TV, sit back and enjoy) • Easy to learn (no PC, laptop or software required) • Easy to view (the bigger the TV screen, the bigger thephoto)

• Easy to move (carry it from room to room--it goes any-where)

•SanDisk’s Digital Photo Viewer comes with a uniquecombination of innovative features.

•Compact (about the size of a VHS tape, 32 x 144 x 103mm) and lightweight (take it anywhere)

•Convenient (the best way to show digital photos in thehome)

•Compatible (supports all popular digital camera mediaformats, including CompactFlash® Type I and II,SmartMedia™, Memory Stick®, SD™ andMultiMediaCard)

• Supports JPEG files (the most common form of file for-mat used by digital still cameras) at resolutions up to 6megapixels

•Displays multiple languages (English, French, Spanish,German, Italian, Chineseand Japanese)

•Composite and S-video output; also switches betweenNTSC and PAL formats

•Automatic Slide Show Delay (from 0 to 60 seconds; offersfast photo-to-photo load-ing time)

•Remote Control (view multiple pictures in preview mode,delete, rotate and zoom)

•Backed by SanDisk’s industry-leading two-year warranty.


cuts have affected SRJC course offerings, but it is a great deal, if youcan find what you want and enough students enroll to make it happen.Recruit your friends to attend too. Classes start soon.

Speaking of upgrading skills, I’m looking forward to our Februarymeeting, where we have tentatively planned a session on networkingour computers. Willy Smith (Tom Schenck’s grandson), has volunteeredhis father, Jim, to show us how this is done.

Save often, and have a great New Year.— Veda Lewis

From Barbara Heiman:Computer Classes at Sonoma Valley High School begin January 19thIt’s time to register for SRJC computer classes to be taught at SonomaValley High School, room J6, for Spring, 2004.

WEB PAGES — HTML, is a beginning hands-on introduction to usinga Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) to design Web pages whichwill be displayed on the World Wide Web. Students will use HTML tocreate web pages that have the following elements: text in various sizeand colors, links, lists, background color and patterns, graphics, andtables. Principles of color, line and design as they apply to screen pre-sentations will be included.

CIS 58.51A, Section 7444. 1.5 units, Windsor Green instructing. M 6-8pm, 01/12 - 03/15, DREAMWEAVER, BEGINNING, is a hands-oncourse that focuses on learning Macromedia Dreamweaver, the most

c I give permission to use this info in the club roster whichis for members only

New Applicant Renewal (expiration date on label)

c Use information below c Use the name and address label on Page 12

Name: ____________________________________Address:____________________________________

__________________________________________Home Phone:________________________________Work Phone: ________________________________E-mail Address:______________________________

. Send c $20 (individual) c $30 (family) check to:

Platform: c Mac c PC c WinNTOperating System: c OS 8x c Win3 c Unix

c OS 9x c Win95 c Linuxc OS X c Win98 c WinME

Computer Make/Model: __________________________

How did you hear about SVCG?

cclass c club member c newspaper c newsletter

User Level: c Novice c Intermediatec Advanced c Expert

Sonoma Valley Computer GroupPOB 649El Verano, CA95433

widely-used web-authoring tool used to create professionalwebsites. Topics include new site creation, editing and main-tenance of an existing site, image, text and file insertion, andusing tables and layers. Previous knowledge of HTML isrequired (CIS 58.51A).

CIS 58.62A, Section 7445, 1.5 units, Karen Sallee instruct-ing. M 6-8 pm, 3/22 — 5/17, ADOBE PHOTOSHOPUPDATE focuses on the newly released Photoshop CS(AKA Photoshop 8), Topics will include managing imagelibraries with the new file browser, enhanced image correc-tion with 16-bit images and the histogram palette, creatingand editing type on a path, working with layer comps, usingthe filter gallery, customizable keyboard shortcuts, andmore.

CIS 180.11, Section 7446, 1 unit, Cr/NC only. BarbaraHeiman instructing, Sat 9 am — 1 pm, 01/17 - 02/07.To register by telephone, call Santa Rosa Junior CollegeAdmissions and Registration at 778-2415. To register online,go to www.santarosa.edu, and click Register. For specificcourse information, call the Computer and InformationSciences Department at 527-4778 or Barbara Heiman phone778-3958 or email [email protected].

Happy New Year

Sonoma Valley Computer GroupPOB 649El Verano, CA 95433

Place LabelHere

Postage

for Mac and Windows Users

HappyNewYear

the newsletter for sonoma county’s mac and …short video. unfortunately, my it guys at work...

Documents