"Fix This Now” - The Indianapolis Star Devotes Entire Front Page To Editorial Blasting The GOP Gay Hate Law

The Indianapolis Star has had enough.  They dedicated their entire front page on Tuesday morning to a scorching editorial calling on Gov. Mike Pence to “stop clinging to ideology or personal preferences; to focus instead on fixing this”.  The editorial went on to address Pence saying “Governor, Indiana is in a state of crisis.  It is worse than you seem to understand.  You must act with courage and wisdom …..You must ensure that all Hoosiers have strong protections against discrimination.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 – Front Page of The Indianapolis Star

Here are just a few of the reasons why the editorial board of the Indianapolis Star and many other business leaders in Indiana are extremely worried about this hate law and Governor Pence’s tone-deaf reaction to his bigoted decision to sign this bill into law. This is not going to end well for Governor Pence.  The good news is he’s finished on the national stage – good riddance!

Thanks for visiting!

I’m Running Windows 10 Preview Build On My Laptop – It’s Coming This Summer And Looks Good

Windows 10 could be on a computer near you as early as this June but almost certainly by the end of this summer. With that news I thought I’d better get a bit of a head start on Windows 10 to see what it looks like, how it works and how it compares to Windows 8.1. To do that, I joined the Windows Insider Program and was soon able to download the latest Windows 10 Preview Build and install it on my laptop computer which I don’t use much while we’re not RV’ing.

Running a Preview Build of Windows can be tricky as explained by Microsoft:

“The Program Services include experimental and early prerelease software. This means that you may experience occasional crashes and in rare cases data loss. To recover, you may have to reinstall your applications, the operating system, or re-flash your device. Using the Program Services on some devices may impact your warranty (check with your device provider). By participating, you agree to frequently backup your data.”

The new Windows 10 – one and only desktop display with the Start button

OK, then.  With those dire warnings in mind I nevertheless plunged ahead and followed the simple steps to replace my perfectly good Windows 8.1 with the experimental and perhaps flaky pre-release build of Windows 10.  Basically, I just selected the option to install Windows 10 then sat back and watched for about an hour or so as my laptop downloaded files, shutdown and restarted several times until at last it told me Windows 10 was finalizing settings and I would soon be set to go.

A new comprehensive Notifications Panel replaces the awkward Charms Bar

Finally, I was at the familiar Windows sign-on screen where I keyed in my 4-digit PIN and with that I went directly to the new Windows 10 desktop.  It has the old familiar Windows 7 style Start menu but it also displays fully customizable Window 8 tile icons too.  From the start menu, you have access to all of your apps, most used apps and other functions just like you did with Windows 7.  If you prefer the Windows 8 look then that’s easy to display with just a click but you still stay on the same desktop and don’t get sent off into never, never land.

A new Settings App looks ready to replace the jumbled mess Control Panel

Windows 10 features a new Settings App that’s a combination of the Control Panel from Windows 7 and Settings from Windows 8.  Even though Control Panel is still included in this Windows 10 Build, I’m betting the jumbled jumbled mess it grew into over the years will be replaced by the new, clean, functional Settings App.  It’s very simple and clear and I liked it a lot.

Cortana is a voice activated assistant similar to Apple’s Siri

The Taskbar now has a search box with a microphone that brings up Cortana which is Microsoft's voice-driven assistant that works similar to Apple’s Siri. You can ask questions out-loud, and Cortana will answer by serving up relevant results. Cortana has an integrated search capability, meaning she can search your hard drive to bring up things like documents, specifics apps, or photos from a certain month. She can send emails for you too. Or, if you don’t want to talk to Cortana then you can type in the Search Box and It'll look online and across all your Windows 10 devices..

Cortana in action doing web searches

There is much, much more to Windows 10 than the few things I’ve mentioned here but the biggest news to me is how simple it is to use. I don’t think anyone will find this new OS confusing at all.  It is very similar in function to Windows 7. This is going to be a “free upgrade” to Windows 10 for all Windows 7 and 8 users (for 1 year).  It will be installed automatically by Windows Update shortly after Microsoft releases Windows 10 this summer.  Be aware and be ready!

Thanks for visiting!

Six Times Pence Refuses To Say That Law Won’t Allow Discrimination

Yes or No?  Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was asked 6 times on Sunday morning by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to answer the question “if, under the law, it would be legal to refuse service to gay customers and six times Pence refused to answer.”  I watched in disbelief as Pence unwittingly continued to dig himself deeper and deeper into the hole he started by signing this bigoted hate law on Thursday. I found myself at a loss for words (really!!) in trying to explain what I had just witnessed.  However, a staff writer for Daily Kos, Barbara Morrill summed it up perfectly:

By Barbara Morrill – Daily Kos Staff

In the annals of damage control that did more harm than good, Indiana's Gov. Mike Pence has truly set the new standard. Appearing on today's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" to defend and "clarify" Indiana's new right to discriminate law that he eagerly signed last week, Pence—and this is putting it kindly—crashed and burned.

Six times Stephanopoulos asked if, under the law, it would be legal to refuse service to gay customers and six times Pence refused to answer. And when asked outright if "you [Pence] think it should be legal in the state of Indiana  to discriminate against gays or lesbians … it's a yes or no question," Pence's astonishing (and eye roll-inducing) answer was, "Hoosiers don't believe in discrimination." So there you go.

And while Pence continued to peddle the notion that he'd support efforts by the Indiana legislature to "clarify" their new license to discriminate, when asked if making the LGBT community a protected class would be considered, Pence said no, that he wouldn't push for that, that it's not on his agenda and that it's "not an objective of the people of the state of Indiana," and then flat-out said, "We're not going to change the law" and that "I stand by this law."

So, given all this, what was the real purpose of Pence's announcement that they'd seek to have this legally-enshrined bigotry clarified? Beyond insisting that Hoosiers were really nice people and that their only concern was to "strengthen the foundation of the Constitution"? Apparently it was to let everyone know that Pence has been reaching out to business leaders and cooperate leaders to "correct the gross mischaracterization of this law." Because that's the real bottom line.

I have a feeling it’s not going to be a good week for GOP Governor Mike Pence or for the state of Indiana either. Pence has deliberately stepped in “dog-poop” and instead of just scraping it off is now intent on taking his foul smelling bigotry into the living rooms of folks across the country and the world by appearing on TV.  The good news – he’s no longer a viable candidate for the GOP presidential nomination. Nobody, not even the GOP, wants a candidate with dog-poop on his shoes!

Thanks for visiting!

Dumb And Dumber: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence To Introduce New Bill To Try And ‘Clarify’ His Anti-Gay Hate Law

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, burned by a fast-spreading political firestorm, told the Indianapolis Star yesterday that he will support the introduction of legislation to “clarify” that Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not promote discrimination against gays and lesbians.  The RFRA act was dumb, bigoted and hateful. Seeking to clarify it instead of repealing it is dumber and only reinforces the fact that the law was, in fact, hateful and Pence now knows it.

In his interview with the Star, Pence acknowledge that Indiana’s image — and potentially its economic health — has been hurt badly by the controversy.  No kidding?  This isn’t the 1950’s….what exactly did he expect?  Governor’s can’t sign laws that legalizes the oppression of groups of citizens some groups don’t like. Pence still insists that the intense blowback against the new law is the result of a “misunderstanding driven by misinformation.”  If that were true then why are you trying now to introduce legislation to clarify it?  You should be ashamed.

The religious reps witnessing the signing of a hate bill – incredible!

Pence’s backtracking came about on the same day that Angie’s List CEO Bill Oesterle announced that his company will abandon a deal with the state and city to expand the company’s headquarters in Indianapolis because of RFRA’s passage. Osterle is a Republican and it’s a sign that the damage from the RFRA debacle could be extensive.  Hopefully, the damage will be to whatever fantasy Gov. Pence was dreaming up to seek the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination.  He can kiss that dream goodbye no matter he does with his hate law.

Gov. Pence appears to be completely tone-deaf regarding signing his bigoted law.  When asked about the strongly negative reaction this has brought him and his state, he replied “I just can’t account for the hostility that’s been directed at our state,” and even more telling that his team didn’t see it coming.  That’s no surprise as Pence continues to insist, against all evidence, that the law is not about discrimination.  Really?  How sad he can’t recognize this.

I’m puzzled as to why so many Christians support this bigoted law

Whatever is in the new proposal to ‘clarify’ the hate law, it will no doubt be a real doozy and predictably stupid.  Hopefully, true Christians who have also had their credibility damaged by this will find the courage to stand up and speak out strongly and publicly against this discriminatory law. Pence is using religion as his excuse for signing this legislation and so far Christian groups who should know better have been strangely silent. Why is that? 

Perhaps the best reaction to Gov. Pence’s decision to sign this bill into law came from former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer who vetoed a similar bill as one of her last acts as Arizona Governor.  She said “even I wasn’t dumb enough to sign a bill like that.”  Too bad for Gov. Pence that he didn’t consult with former Gov. Brewer before torpedoing any future national political hopes he fantasized about.

Thanks for visiting!

Would Jesus Hate Gays As It Seems Indiana’s Religious Right Does?

Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Pence, tellingly behind closed doors, signed into law a hate bill that protects business owners who refuse service to gay and lesbian customers on trumped-up religious grounds. This Sharia-like law allows Indianans who are sued for discrimination to cite their religious beliefs as a defense.  It’s plainly a case where so-called Christians can use their bigoted personal beliefs to discriminate against not only gays but anyone else they claim offends their religious freedom. Does anyone who believes in Jesus Christ agree that Jesus would support this law?  Is this “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?

Indiana is making Arizona look liberal

Why is it that these cases of discrimination always seem to be brought in the name of religious freedom?  What do so-called evangelical Christians have against people who are our brothers, sisters, family members, friends, fellow-workers, ministers, priests, nuns and many others who are nothing more than law-abiding, hard-working, good citizens. It boggles the mind that these Republicans, and make no mistake, it’s always Republicans, who promote these hate laws, want to take society back to the 1950’s and shamefully use their supposed religious views to justify it.

Putin or Pence?  What’s the difference?

What next for these bozos?  Will it be separate “straight and gay” water fountains?  Bathrooms?  Back of the bus?  It amazes me that folks who profess to being Christian and believe that “Jesus loves everyone” continue to vote for politicians who oppose everything that Christianity is supposed to stand for. To me, these folks are nothing more than “bumper-sticker” Christians. Forget that – they’re really just hypocrites who think they are better than the minorities they piously despise.

Apple CEO warns Arkansas about approving similar law to Indiana

Apple CEO Tim Cook is now calling on Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison (R) to veto an anti-gay "religious freedom" bill making its way through the state legislature in the aftermath of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s decision. Hutchison is trying to bring new technology companies to Arkansas.  Good luck with that if he signs this bill into law.  The CEO of Salesforce said Thursday his company was canceling its programs in Indiana over the law. The CEO of the ratings website Yelp said his company wouldn't expand into states that had laws like Indiana's – and the list of companies planning to boycott Indiana and similar states is growing hourly.

Gov. Pence is considering a bit for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) was pressed by a radio host on Friday to say if something happened in Indiana to justify signing an anti-gay religious freedom bill into law. Pence said "I'm not aware of cases and controversies.”  What then could possibly be his motivation for signing such a bigoted law?  Well, how about the fact that he’s considering joining the “clown-car” in a bid for the  2016 Republican presidential nomination?  Pence is putting his own personal ambition ahead of his state because, I suppose, he believes this is what Jesus would do if he were Governor.  

Thanks for visiting!

Wonderful Reunion Visits With Our Little Mason

Paulette and I couldn’t wait to see Mason again after our long 3 month stay in Palm Springs.  On Wednesday evening, we picked up a pizza and took it over for dinner to share with Carrie and our little man.  Out “little man” seems to have grown a foot and is well on his way to becoming a little boy.

“It’s sure great to have you home again, Grandpa”

Mason was as happy to see his Grammy and Grandpa again as we were to see him.  It was absolutely terrific to see his wonderful smile and to see how excited he was as he ran around his home showing us all his toys and playthings. 

I was so busy trying to hold and give Mason hugs that I totally forgot to take any pictures that night.  These ones are from the day after when I drove down for another visit and to spend more ‘bonding’ time with my little grandson.

It sure was fun and we’ll be seeing lots of Mason over the coming months as we take him on hikes, to summer beaches and, of course, to our home where he can run around and play in our big backyard (once I get the 2-feet long grass cut)!!

Sorry, Grandpa…I kinda messed up Mommy’s laptop!

Mason decided to try and improve his Mommy’s laptop by moving some keys around.  I managed to get a few of them back on o.k. but these ones have the snap connectors pulled off.  No problem….I’ve ordered a new keyboard ($20) and it’ll be as good as new once Mason and I put it back together.  I’ll give him the old keyboard and he can practice removing the chic-let keys on it.

Thanks for visiting!

A Fairly Adventurous Drive Home With 2 Tire Blowouts

In our 8 years of RV’ing, including this year, I’ve always dutifully subscribed to Good Sam Roadside Assistance prior to heading south for the winter.  Until our trip home from Palm Springs a few days ago, I’ve never had the occasion to give them a call.  That changed last Friday and Saturday as we had 2 tires blow just hours apart while driving on the I-5 between Bakersfield and Stockton, CA.  It was just a tad nerve wracking but all turned out well and we arrived home safe and sound.

We lucked out with very little damage to the fifth wheel

Here’s the tick-tock of our adventure last weekend as best I can remember:

Friday, Mar. 20/15, 7am:  We bid farewell to the Sands RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs and headed west on I-10 to I-210 then turned north on I-5 and up over the “Grapevine” heading north to Canada.  We were on our way home!

Friday, Mar. 20/15, 11:20 am:  Cruising along north of Bakersfield on I-5 south of Coalinga, I suddenly heard a very loud ‘pop’ and looking in my driver’s side view mirror I saw one of the 5’er tires had blown.  I remembered not to slam on the brakes but instead carefully drove off the freeway to the side as far as I could.

After the shock of our very first tire blowout receded a bit, I found my Good Sam Roadside Assistant card and called them. They said they would have a tow-truck to us, hopefully, by 1:30pm.  I was kind of doubtful about that as we were in the middle of nowhereville.

Other than the shredded tire, the damage to the 5’er was fairly minor.  The vinyl wheel well skirting was blown half-off and flapping in the breeze so I unscrewed the few remaining screws and took it off.  There was also some minor damage to an aluminum/sheet metal panel the wheel well skirting was attached to but that was about it.  I guess we were very lucky there at least.

Friday, Mar. 20/15, 12:30 pm:  It was over 90F and big trucks and cars were whizzing by us on the I-5.  I was resting with my eyes closed while Paulette had her door open and her head down while doing a bit of sewing. Suddenly, I heard her let out a scream.  I turned to see a California Highway Patrol Officer standing by her door – he had pulled up behind us and walked up to the passenger door unseen and unheard. All Paulette saw was a man standing there and it scared the living daylights out of her.  I think the officer was a bit surprised by her scream as well.

A few minutes later, I carefully exited the truck and walked around to the passenger side and all of a sudden the officer loudly announced “please take your hands out of your pockets so I can see them”.  I hadn’t even noticed my hands were in my pockets but I quickly took them out, raised my hands and said “o.k., just don’t shoot me” as the officer’s hand was on his gun.  Good grief!!

He turned out to be a nice guy and asked if we needed any help or assistance. I told him we were fine and after a brief chat he got back in his cruiser and left.

Friday, Mar. 20/15, 1:30 pm:  Right on schedule, the tow-truck showed up and the driver quickly went to work removing the shredded tire and wheel and installing our spare which was full-size and brand new. He was all done in 20 minutes and by 2:00pm we were back on the road and headed for the Kit Fox RV Park in Patterson with just one stop to make to buy a new spare tire – just in case.

Before the tow truck driver left I asked him if he knew of a tire shop up the road where I could buy a spare tire as I didn’t want to risk driving without one. The tires on our rig (Power King) were on it when I bought it but I’ve always been a bit suspicious of  them even though they have performed well, had lots of tread left and I check the tire pressure daily.  The tow-truck driver told me of a small tire shop not too far up I-5.

Friday, Mar. 20/15, 2:45 pm:  We arrived at Jose Rodriquez’ tire shop where I made a deal with him on a used Goodyear tire for $50,  He quickly mounted it on the rim of the tire that had blown.  I bought a used tire because I had already decided to buy a complete new set of Michelin tires in Stockton following our Friday overnight stop in Patterson as by the time we got to Patterson, safely, all the tire shops there would be closed.

Saturday, Mar. 21/15, 8:00am:  We unhitched the truck and drove into San Francisco to visit and have breakfast with our daughter and her husband who had just moved there a short time ago.  We had only planned a quick trip as we wanted to get to Stockton on Saturday before the tire shops closed. By the time we got back to Kit Fox and back on the road it was close to 2pm. I was really looking forward to to getting to America’s Tire Shop in Stockton for a brand new set of Michelin’s.

Saturday, Mar. 21/15, 3:00pm:  Absolutely unbelievable!  Just 10 miles south of Stockton, I heard another ‘pop’ on the same side of the 5’er and saw that another one of our original tires had blown out. I pulled over and was relieved to see that other than the tire being flat there was no other damage to the rig.  It wasn’t a real bad blow-out but bad nevertheless. I called Good Sam again.

This time they had a tow-truck to us in 30 minutes.  The guy didn’t have a bottle jack and had a heck of a time lifting the side of the rig with his manual 3-ton jack.  It took him a full hour to get the old wheel off and put the used Goodyear tire I had just bought on the rig.  With that done, I slowly pulled out and headed for America’s Tire in Stockton just 10 miles away and holding our breath out of fear another of our original tires might blow.

Saturday, Mar. 21/15, 4:40pm:  We pulled into America’s Tire and it was booming even though they closed at 5pm.  No problem.  The manager quickly had his guys working on replacing all of our tires and we were out of there and back on the road in just over an hour with brand new Michelin tires.  I’m sure glad I had phoned ahead to let him know what tires I wanted and to make sure they had them in stock. What a difference. Amazing.

Our new Michelin LTX-MS/2 – LT235/85/R16 tires

The rest of our drive home was blessedly uneventful. The new tires, a slightly larger size than our originals, ran quietly and smoothly.  The tires I bought are Michelin LTX-MS/2 – LT235/85/R16.  They are the same LTX-MS tires I’ve always had on my Silverado Diesel and I’m very happy and confident with them.  I paid $180 each for the 4 tires.

Wednesday, Mar. 25/15, 9:00am  Back home, after phoning our Insurance company to put a claim in, I pulled the 5’er over to the Arbutus RV dealer to see about getting the repairs done. The service manager told me he had an exact same 5’er as ours with the exact same damage in for repair just 2 months ago following a blow-out. After inspecting our rig, they confirmed that the only damage done was the 2 easily replaceable panels and they’ll arrive from Heartland in about 3 weeks or so. 

I feel pretty lucky as it could have been much worse.  Most importantly, no one was hurt and the damage to the rig was minor stuff which can be easily repaired. The original tires on our 5’er were Power King brand. If you have them on your RV then be forewarned – they are Chinese “bomb” tires I’ve heard about.  After 3 prior trips south with these same tires and no problems whatsoever, I was pretty confident they’d be o.k. for this trip prior to my plan to replace them before next year.  Obviously, I was wrong about that. 

Anyway, we’re home safe and sound, a bit lighter in the wallet, and looking forward to having the repairs finished sometime in April.  All in all, I guess we can’t complain as this is the first time we’ve ever had a breakdown of any kind. Live and learn. I learned a lot, made some good decisions along the way, so it’s just another experience to chalk up for future reference. I’m already looking forward to our next RV’ing trip this July.

Thanks for visiting!

Thou Shalt Not Kill - Except By State Executions

Last week, the state of Missouri executed Cecil Clayton, a 74-year old man who suffered from dementia, had an IQ of 71, and was missing a significant part of his brain.  He was the tenth person to be executed in the USA in 2015 (4 in Texas, 2 in Missouri, 2 in Georgia and 1 in Oklahoma). 

Verifiable executions have taken place in these countries during 2015:

United States of America	Afghanistan
	China
	Iran
	Indonesia
	Jordan
	Pakistan
	Saudi Arabia
	Somalia

Utah’s firing squad execution chamber

There are still 32 states in the US with the death penalty on the books. Utah's Republican Governor, Gary Herbert, just signed a bill to bring back the firing squad. I wonder if this complies with "the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society,"  For my part, I would not want Canada to be in the same company of blood-lust as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and those other countries who perform state executions. Others, I know, disagree.

Thanks for visiting!

First Canadian As USA President? Where Are The Birthers? Ted ‘Calgary’ Cruz Says He’s Signing Up For Obamacare

We arrived back home to Canada yesterday to hear the horrible news that one of our former citizens, Ted “Calgary” Cruz, has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to run for President of the United States.  The great news though, and how ironic, is that Sen. Cruz told CNN's Dana Bash on Tuesday that he will sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act -- a law he has been on a crusade to kill.

Ted Cruz:  "We'll be getting new health insurance and we'll presumably do it through my job with the Senate, and so we'll be on the federal exchange with millions of others on the federal exchange," .

How very Canadian of him!  Asked whether he would accept the government subsidy available to lawmakers and congressional staffers for their health care coverage through the ACA, Cruz said he will "follow the text of the law."  (Translation:  Yes, of course he will accept the subsidy).

Where are the Birthers?  Ted Cruz is signing up for Obamacare

Cruz's wife, Heidi, is going on an unpaid leave of up absence from her job at Goldman Sachs to join Cruz full time on the campaign trail and therefore he will no longer be covered by her employer’s health insurance plan. In another delicious bit of ironic justice it was GOP Senator Chuck Grassley who was responsible for pushing an amendment to the Affordable Care Act that requires members of Congress to receive insurance through Obamacare unless they’re able to obtain coverage from another source.  Grassley, wrongly, thought Democrats would reject this rule.

In another ironic twist that shows the blatant hypocrisy of so many right-wing wacko birds, Cruz was born not in the USA, but right here in Canada.  Calgary, Alberta to be exact. That fact is not in dispute as Sen. Cruz only recently renounced his full Canadian citizenship.  So, where are the nutbar birthers who claimed that President Obama was ineligible to run for President because they alleged he was born in Kenya?  In fact, Obama was born in Hawaii as his birth certificate proves.

Here’s the real hypocrisy.  Ted Cruz was born in Calgary, the son of an American mother and Cuban father. Even given the Tea Party fantasy that Obama was born in Kenya, then he too would have been born to an American mother (Ann  Durham born in Kansas) and a father born in a foreign country. That would have made Obama, by definition, an American. The GOP birther crazies are hypocrites because if Cruz is qualified to run there can be no argument that Barack Obama was not qualified in the same way.  Instead, most right-wingers are giving Cruz a “free pass” on the subject.

Except, of course, for the ultimate nutbar – Trump the Bozo.  Donald is openly questioning Cruz’s credentials and right to run for President because he was born in Canada.  The 2016 GOP presidential clown car is filling up fast and they will loading the fridges with bottles of seltzer water as with clowns like Cruz, Walker, Perry, Carson, Trump, Santorum, Huckabee and a few others they will be hard pressed to keep the fridge full at all times.

Ted Cruz’s chances to win the GOP nomination?  Zero!

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

You'll be able to see this meeting live on
your computer: On Tuesday April 14th at 7pm. 
Click on:  https://www.dropcam.com/p/g5PGQK

                    (This
one link works on all CKCS broadcasts)

          If your screen goes black, just
click on the above link again.

 

Look to the bottom right of the screen and: Turn
your sound up, and click on the double arrows for full screen.

Please
click on: ckcslex@gmail.com and tell us
if you watched this broadcast, we need to know.

 

====================================================

 

 

            4 14 15  Printing, Folders, and Default Options*

 

Dear
Classmates, 

Microsoft's
Windows is the most-used software in the world. It runs on over 90 percent of
all computers in existence. 

Our
Windows Class will meet Tuesday April 14th at 7 pm and

after
class questions, we will discuss and demo Printing Options, Folder Options, Default Options, how to create a desktop shortcut to a web site, the best
options in Windows Explorer, etc..  

We Will Also Demo Windows 8.1 Tips. 
Windows 10 will arrive this summer. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of
computing.

                                                        

Joe Isaac    

========================================

Please
remember Windows 8.1 is 88% Windows 7.

These
items will be the same in Windows 7 and Windows
8.

 

1. Printing Options: Portrait, Landscape, Two-sided, print black
or color only, Print Last Page First. 

2. Folder Options: Single or Double Click, Show all folders,
Display or Hide different files or folders. Make new folders. Show File
extensions like .doc or .jpg. 

3. Default Programs, which programs open which File extensions

.doc
.jpg etc… 

4. OneDrive, Save some Files and Folders there, save space on your hard
drive. Create a link and whoever you send the link, can open the File or
Folder. Great idea if you can use it. I love it. 

In Windows
7 it is Windows Explorer In Windows 8.1 it is named File Explorer

And contains
all your files and folders and drives. From
here you can Copy, cut, create, delete, find, move, save, shortcut, zip and
unzip Files. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Suggestions for your new Windows 8.1 laptop: 

Go to http://www.ckcs.org/joetips.pdf   click on WINDOWS 8.1 TIPS.

 ----------------------------------

Q. How do I know if I have a 32 bit or 64 bit Windows?

A. Start, Control Panel, System.

(It also tells you Processor chip speed and amount of RAM.)

 

32 bit is like a 4 lane highway carrying
data, 64 bit is like an 8 lane highway carrying
twice as much data.

----------------------------------

Q. How do I add to the Send To
menu.

A. Click the Start button and type shell:sendto  in the search box, hit Enter.  Click on File, New, Shortcut. Browse until you
find the program and click on it.

----------------------------------

SNIPPING TOOL
(greatest thing since sliced bread)

No matter where you are, Internet, word document, email you can draw
a rectangle around what you want and save it as a .jpg file.

 Type Snip in the Start Search box, then hit Enter, left click and drag to
capture any part of the screen. Then click on the Floppy Icon at the top to
save.

----------------------------------------

Are you getting what
you pay for? Check your Internet Speed.  

http://pcpitstop.com/internet/bw.asp?internetspeedtest=
 

http://speedtest.net/

---------------------------------------- 

From
Bill Rauth: SLIDES FOUND AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS...             

The
pictures are so clear and the color is so vibrant, it looks as though they were
taken just yesterday.                       

http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

--------------------------------

 

From
WorldStart:

Windows 8.1 is really
confusing me. Can you explain what: an App is and do I really need it? Can I
compute casually with APP?

An app is simply a program.
Microsoft likes to mess with our minds.

--------------------------------

 

Q. Hi, I haven't been able to open the newsletter.  I've never
had trouble before,  What do I need to do.  I love getting these,
they are very helpful

Thanks,

 

A. I have done nothing differently, maybe your file association is
off.

Can you open other .doc files? I assume you have Microsoft
Office.

 

Any way you can: 

1. Go to:  http://www.ckcs.org/joetips.pdf 
and click on any date.  All my emails are
here.

2. If you need a free Word Processor.

LibreOffice is similar to Office 2003 and install, run, and save files on
the local hard drive. CNET gives LibreOffice 5 stars.

http://download.cnet.com/LibreOffice/3000-18483_4-75337651.html
 

 Response:

Thank you Joe,

I was able to get it on the site you sent me.

Thank you so much for all you do for so many people

(Thank you so much for the kind words. It means so much to me.)

--------------------------------

Q. We recently purchased a new computer with Windows 8.1

operating system. We could use some training and or

guidance Windows 8.1 along with guidance and training in

Photo Gallery. Thank you for your helpful assistance.

 

A. Go to Control Panel and do Windows Update.

For Windows 8.1 TIPS go to:

http://www.ckcs.org/joetips.pdf
 

and at the top click on WINDOWS 8.1 TIPS

Under that you will find Windows Live Photo Gallery tips.

It will help you a lot. If you have specific questions

please email me.

 Response: Joe: What are the requirements to join your group?

I found your tips to be informative and helpful. I will

have more questions as I work through the tips and apps.

Thank you very much.

A. I have a class the 2nd Tuesday each month at 7 pm for an

hour or so.

This is our web site: http://www.ckcs.org/
 

These are all our meeting schedules:

http://www.ckcs.org/calendar/meetingcal.shtml
 

 

If you wish to join:

http://ckcsweb.web.iglou.com/other/onlineap.htm
 

We
would be delighted to have you as a member.

--------------------------------

WiFi, connects to the internet wirelessly
using microwaves in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands

--------------------------------

 

Sent:
Wednesday, March 11, 2015

To:
'Joe Isaac' ; 'Undisclosed-Recipient:;'

Subject:
RE: Basics and Common Things Review*

I
knew about most of this, but the GodMode. 
Way cool.

Thanks

--------------------------------

Q. Sent:
Tuesday, March 10, 2015

To:
Joe Isaac

Subject:
new computer

Enjoyed
watching you live tonight from my home computer!  Good information!

 

I
may have to go ahead and get a new computer. 
I have windows 7 now and my computer is not doing too well these
days.  I have had it 4 years.  So I am looking to buy a new computer and
maybe take Mike’s windows 8.1 class that starts April 1st!

I
need your great list of what to be sure and get on a new computer.  I like a laptop and I have only had HP’s.

 Any
tips you provide will be greatly appreciated!

Thank
you,

 

A. SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR NEW Windows 8.1 Computer.

                          Windows 10 may
be out this summer. 

(The speed of your new computer is
going to be a lot faster than your old one.)

Processor: Latest
generation Intel core i3, i5, i7 processor or AMD equivalent.

Memory:  4 to 8GB DDR3

Ports:
Should have both USB3 and USB2 Ports (USB3 is10
times faster than USB2)                                                                                                      

Hard Drive: 500GB or 1TB  

In addition to the above, a 256GB Solid-State Hard Drive: (SSD) This is an
expensive option but it has lightning speed.

Webcam: if a Laptop. 

LCD Monitor: 15.6" or 17” for a Laptop, for a Desktop 24". 

DVD-RW Drive: To burn CD's or DVD's. 

Digital Media Reader: For your Digital Camera memory stick. 

Windows Defender Antivirus program: comes with Windows
8.1 so you don't need Norton or McAfee. Windows Defender is a great
Antivirus program.

 As soon as you get online with your new
computer go to Control Panel and click on Windows Update. This will update your antivirus and
all Microsoft Programs

 Please go to:  http://www.ckcs.org/joetips.pdf 

and click on WINDOWS
8.1 & Windows 10 TIPS 

If you have a question please email
me:  joeisaac@twc.com

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