5:45 PM - optional pre-meeting dinner. If you have a suggestion for a dinner location, especially if you are one of the usual attendees, let Jim Dinkey know. With our move to Los Altos, we'll continue using Bella Vita until a better alternative is found.
7:15 pm General Meeting at the Los Altos Post 558 American Legion Hall, Click here for a map and directions to the American Legion Hall (it's across from Draegers Grocery Store, about a block off Foothill Expressway).
The MultimediaSIG meetings are the fourth Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Micro Center. Check the Audacity, free, open source software for recording and editing sounds, available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems is recommended for recording and editing audio. Refer to the FAQ. The Quick Reference for 1.2.4 is here. The Audacity Wiki is here. Several of the General Meetings have been recorded and converted to MP3 audio file ("podcast") using this application.
Later, the SIG will investigate video recording and editing.
If you are interested in learning about websites and HTML, SVCS has started a Web Design SIG, led by Maury Green ; for more information, click here to visit the SVCS website.
Due to low interest, the LinuxSIG has discontinued regular meetings, but Dick Delp and a small core will meet occasionally. Items of interest are posted to the LinuxSIG web page; . Also, Dick Delp and Bill Worthington are collecting Linux applications for inclusion on the club CD. Let them know if you have any suggestions.
The SPAUG LinuxSIG web page also has a list of Bay Area Linux resources for your use. If anyone needs information on Linux, or want to find the current status of the SIG,
A Digital Imaging SIG is sponsored by SVCS. Details are on the Internet. Please check it out if you're interested in any aspects of digital photography.
Meetings are the third Monday of the month at 7 PM, at MicroCenter (in the mall off Highway 101 near Great America in Santa Clara). The SIG covers digital photography, scanning, image editing, image management & printing, including recommendations for hardware and software. The presentation will be of general interest for Wannabes to Newbies to Old Pros.
You do not have to be a member of SVCS to attend, members of SPAUG are welcome. More information about DISIG can be found at:
www.svcs.net/disig/
For all members, and those of you who are not currently members, if you are interested in being on our mailing list, I ask that you
fill out the information form located at this link.
This information will help me in planning the meetings for the coming year to meet your interests.
Maury Green
If any member is interested in organizing and leading a SIG, contact our SPAUG President at . You can also poll member interest at the General Meeting.
If any members would like to suggest a SIG, bring it up at the General Meeting, and try to get an organizer/leader.
SPAUG has run a number of SIGs during the past year or so, and they have been well received. There are proposals for more, listed below, and we want member's input on which are favored. If you have other suggestions, we would very much like to hear them.
If any member is interested in suggesting an outing or trip, contact our SPAUG President at . He is thinking about possible trips for this coming year.
SPAUG has organized a number of popular field trips in the past, and more are possible. We welcome suggestions for trips; please pass on your ideas to Jim.
For a discount for SPAUG members, ask for the SPAUG Special Deal. Although their main business is Home Theater and Audio/Video Consulting and Installation, Palo Alto-located Alan Hutchings Installation also has the tools and expertise to run Local Area Network (LAN) cables throughout your house with CAT-5 or -6 LAN cables hidden between walls, beneath the floor or in the attic/crawl space, check the wiring to ensure it meets the specification requrements, and will install neat outlets available for quick connection. Now you really can network your computers! Share Internet access among several computers, share printers, scanners, storage devices, and other networkable devices. You can also wire a central server to act as a back-up storage device for all your networked computers, digital files, photos, and digital music files. Don't risk losing everything from a hard-drive failure. You can start the transition to a "converged" media center, uniting TV, VCR, DVR, DVD, CD, PC, iPod, etc.
Phone Alan at 650-325-4119 or 650-646-8090 for a free consultation to discuss your needs and dreams. There is a photo album here that can give you an idea of what is available. Alan recently gave a presentation at the SPAUG General meeting following Gary Sasaki's discussion of HDTV decisions available here. Alan has installed many flat screen TVs of many sizes and models; after installation, he tunes the color using a “Spyder”. If you have surround sound installed, he'll tune the audio output to put the “sweet spot” right where you usually sit. If you (or your spouse) want further work to make the system blend in with your room decor, he can help with that, too. [N.B. - disclaimer: Alan Hutchings is the son of Webmaster Stan Hutchings. Alan gained lots of experience installing home theater equipment for his dad, who would be glad to show you his system.]
Smart Computing will give SPAUG a free flyer for every 5 subscriptions from SPAUG members. Be sure to specify SPAUG from the drop-down list. Or you can call (800) 334-7458 to subscribe or renew and say you would like SPAUG (Stanford Palo Alto User Group) to get credit for your subscription or renewal. Smart Computing (www.smartcomputing.com), formerly called PC Novice, is a publication rich with useful, how-to articles, honest reviews, and a plain-English format that answers questions for everyone from the novice to the expert. There you'll find a searchable Index of Articles, along with a Hardware Reviews & Comparison Charts section, a Computing Dictionary, and a Directory of Web Sites.
Sandhills Publishing now offers FREE Tech Support to subscribers and non-subscribers. If you can’t find the answer to your computing question in the magazine or on the website, call (800) 368-8304 with your computing questions and our representatives will do their best find the answers you need!
Here's the current (April 2007) advice: “To ensure your group receives credit for new subscriptions and renewals, ALWAYS subscribe and renew using the Subscribe or Renew Today! feature available within the User Group portion of the Smart Computing Web site. From here your members can select your user group from the drop-down list provided to give your group credit for the order. Your members can also call (800) 733-3809 to subscribe or renew and inform the representative they would like to give your group credit for the order. Following these simple instructions will ensure that your group is getting as many FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS as it possibly can!”
Important! Subscribe to Smart Computing online here through the User Group section, and be sure to select Stanford Palo Alto User Group from the list. Or, if you subscribe to Smart Computing Magazine by phone (800) 334-7458 or mail, be sure to say you would like SPAUG (Stanford Palo Alto User Group) to get credit for your subscription or renewal. If you are asked, 8592 is the SPAUG code.
Smart Computing Magazine
120 West Harvest Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521
Need software, like Hard Drive Backup Products (Acronis True Image), Hard Drive Security Products, or Hard Drive Organization Products? Try Gene Barlow's User Group Store. To get the best price, use the special order code, for December 2006 it's UGNL1206. If this code doesn't work, contact Gene at or phone 435-652-3005, and tell him you're a SPAUG member who wants to buy with the SPAUG discount. He'll let you know what it is. Even better, he distributes a monthly newsletter to those that have subscribers, and includes the current code. You can subscribe at www.ugr.com/newsletters.html.
