Show & Tell

The Lenawee PC Users Group met Monday,  November 17th, at  7:00 PM, in the Lenawee County Library meeting room.   Twenty-two people enjoyed sharing each other's latest projects in the world of personal computers and technology.

Phil Smith discussed methods of backing up your computer hard drive with a second internal or external hard drive.   He explained that it was good insurance against viruses, hardware failure, or user error.  With the prices of hard drives becoming very inexpensive, the hard drive has replaced floppy disks and CD-ROMs as the backup medium of choice.
Phil also demonstrated a remote control, battery powered, helicopter that he skillfully flew around the meeting room to everyone's delight.  Phil, who uses his electronic skills in his hobby of model airplanes, said that this helicopter is available in hobby shops for about one hundred thirty dollars.  The twenty dollar models that appear around Christmas time are hard to fly and are nowhere near as maneuverable as the model he demonstrated.

Ken Filter demonstrated his programmable talking thermostat.  Ken is blind and therefore he really enjoys any device that has the capacity to talk.  It would come in handy if your thermostat is located in a dark hallway, as it is in our house.  Most important, it can explain all of its functions, so when you lose the instruction book, it can tell you how to reprogram the device.

Paul Hover proved he is up to date on green technology by showing the group a wide selection of low energy light bulbs.  These included various types of florescent bulbs that have a standard Edison base and fit any light socket.  He also showed us the light bulb of the future, LED (Light Emitting Diode) that give off bright light but almost no heat.  This makes them extremely efficient compared to the standard incandescent bulb which gives off far more energy in the form of heat rather than light.  Paul mentioned a couple of websites that sell LED light bulbs and assorted materials.  These websites are:  http://xrl.us/ox6uf and http://xrl.us/ox6uj and others on eBay.

Bob Warwick latest purchase is an USB port wireless connector  used for older computers that are not wireless enabled. This particular one was a bargain from Meritline, http://xrl.us/ox6uq  Some of his favorite websites for bargains are http://www.meritline.com or http://tigerdirect.com.  For online purchases he recommends and uses a credit card with a low charging limit.

The LPCUG meets monthly on the third Monday at 7:00 P.M. in the Lenawee County Library meeting room and everyone from the computer novice to the expert is welcomed. The club website can be easily be found simply by Googling the “Lenawee PC”.  Anyone with an interest in learning more about computers are invited to attend the meetings.    We usually have a question and answer session and main program.  Come join the fun!