CyberCoyote - January 15, 2009

NEWS and NOTES
Smart Computing

Two representatives from Smart Computing magazine were here from Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln, Nebraska. It seemed they were happy to be here for more reasons than one. ;-) I find that Smart Computing is a very useful magazine. I'll let their website speak for what they covered today. If you subscribe, start here, and half way down the page select "Happy Trails Computer Club" as the User group so that our club get's credit for your subscription. (We get a free subscription to give away each time 5 more members subscribe.)

Web feed notes

I failed to explain the details of feed subscription during the demo. It's a simple process, but it can be the most confusing thing about feeds if you've never done it before. So I updated the demo notes, and added a page on subscribing to feeds.

Also, I found some good information from Google on using Google Reader, a list of all the RSS feeds at The New York Times, and podcasts from Slate.

TECH TOPICS
How to install extensions in Firefox

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a screenshot worth? In this case, six screenshots pretty well cover what happens when you install Firefox extensions (add-ons). [a few tips]

Speaking of screenshots

If you're curious about Windows 7 and how it will look and act, the How-to-Geek has a splendid sequence of Windows 7 screenshots that will give you a good idea. I've downloaded the first Beta release of Windows 7 and intend to try it out, but don't expect a report like the one from How-to-Geek. :-) [Download the beta until January 24. This first beta is set to die on August 1, 2009]

Microsoft Help and Support

There's too much information on the Internet and even at Microsoft. Most of it is low grade ore, and it's hard to find the nuggets. I often bookmark and/or point to specific Microsoft articles, but I just realized that I'm not in the habit of making Microsoft Help and Support one of my first stops. You might want to also.

WEB PICK
Which came first? The galaxy or the black hole?

Astro-physicists have learned that virtually all big galaxies (ours is pretty big) have black holes at their center. Now the answers are coming out about this chicken-or-egg question. That jet that looks like a blue flame would wipe out any life that it happens to be aimed at if it's closer than a few thousand light years.

ODDS and ENDS
Have you had your flu shot?

I couldn't resist this photo, so I'll give you a link to the Weekly Flu Map to justify including it. :-)

Cornered

Sign of the times.

The Vanishing Point

An interesting set of photos with a common theme.

That's all, folks.