2009
Meetings and Events
Making
Cards and "Things" for Christmas
What's New for Christmas
Notebook Computers
The NEW and Upcoming Printers
Picasa
GPS: Trails and Pictures
Linux
Taking Pictures at Dusk
Open Office
Podcasts
Basic Picture Enhancement
Creating in the field
How To Create A Photo Slide Show From Your Old 35mm
Slides and Photos
Cyber Risks
Manual control of your camera
GIMP: A free Photo Editor
Getting Connected
Preserving Your Past Through Photography
You're infected! Now what?
How to work with digital images using Photoshop
How to Pick the Perfect Device
Colour: How we see it and how it impacts our world.
Backing up Your Data
What's New for Christmas @ Japan Camera
Making Cards and Things for Christmas
DECEMBER
Tuesday, December
1, 2009
Making Cards and "Things" for Christmas
Paul
Mather, BUG President
Paul will show
us how to make cards and other paper products for Christmas.
He will show us how to use common software or specialized programs and
websites.
Use your own
photos for calendars, books, cards and other paper products.
Learn how to make gifts or decorations for all your holiday celebrations.
What's New for Christmas
Rebekah d'Amboise
& 
See the latest
features in digital cameras, specifically with the HD video that many
of them have now.
Rebekah will talk about other great gift ideas like digital frames,
scanners, dvd transfer equipment, digital printing, photobooks, calendars
and greeting cards.
and more ........
Notebook Computers
Parts of a laptop.
What separates one laptop from another.
What to look for when choosing a laptop.
First run setup on a new Windows 7 laptop.
Security for your new laptop.
Care of your new laptop
Aaron Weston
Since 1984, computers have been Aaron's passion. It all started with the Vic 20, followed by the Apple II. By 1986 Aaron was programming games and applications in BASIC on the Commodore Pet. Aaron has built his reputation on service excellence. He brings with him 24 years of proven experience covering many aspects of the field, including teaching, tutoring, programming, website design, management, computer repair, sales and support. He is pleased to see other computer companies follow his lead to put emphasis on service by providing a"we fix it or it's free" ™ repair guarantee. He also understands the importance of availability and open lines of communication.
The NEW and Upcoming Printers
New and soon
to be released Inkjet printers.
https://smartsolutions.lexmark.com/ssds/index.jsp
Advantages on their new ink tanks systems and the amazing CPP (Cost PerPage)
- New innovative web-enabled
printers and the practical use
- Mono and Coloured Laser Printers
- And many more...
Ray Aguilar
Ray's education took him
to Seneca to pursue the field of Engineering but along the way found
a passion in sales driven positions and started shifting his interest
to Electronics and Gadgets and purchased his first used Laptop.
He worked with Dell Computers and filled his time working with and collecting
Cellphones and PC's.
Ray now works as Lexmark Canada - District Sales Manager - Central Ontario
for Futureshop, Bestbuy & Staples (Printer Category)
There are alternatives to Photoshop Elements. Picasa is a free program See how it can help you find, edit and share your photos.
Don Komarechka
Don has been a passionate technology enthusiast since his earliest memories. Taking apart home electronics at the age of five, an understanding of "how things work" has been a part of his life for many years. He is knowledgeable about the inner workings of modern-day digital cameras and all areas of digital cameras and digital imaging. After pursuing photography as a hobby, Don has come to understand the basic rules of taking great pictures and how to relate this understanding to everyday life.
GPS: Trails and Pictures
Paul will show us his GPS
and what it can do. He will also touch on car GPS units.
He will also show us how we can record the location on our photos and
put our GPS trails on Google Earth.
Taking Pictures at Dusk
Most people put away there cameras at dusk. Pictures after sunset can be extremely exciting and beautiful. Come and get some tips on how to open up the night. You are welcome to join our speaker in a walkabout after the meeting, to practice what you learned. Bring your cameras and tripods.
Note: This outing is not a club activity and participation is voluntary and independant from BUG.
Don Komarechka
Don has been a passionate technology enthusiast since his earliest memories. Taking apart home electronics at the age of five, an understanding of "how things work" has been a part of his life for many years. He is knowledgeable about the inner workings of modern-day digital cameras and all areas of digital cameras and digital imaging. After pursuing photography as a hobby, Don has come to understand the basic rules of taking great pictures and how to relate this understanding to everyday life.
Linux
Shawn Conroy will be showing us the Linux operating system, which is an alternative to "Windows". It is a popular alternative as it is free and yet quite powerful.
This presentation is available for view at:
http://www.semanticcomputing.ca/blog/presentations/a-brief-history-of-linux
AUGUST
2009
Open Office
When one thinks of office programs, Microsoft Office comes to mind. This very expensive software has a competitor that is absolutely free. See what Sun Microsystems Open Office can do and how it interacts with the Microsoft version. We will be looking at the word processor, spreadsheet, database and the present ion modules.
PAUL MATHER
Paul, an executive member of BUG has been using computers since the early 80's starting with the TRS Model One. He has been a systems manager and technical specialist where he developed many automated systems. Paul will be showing us the suite focusing in on the spreadsheet.
DAVID JACKSON
David, an executive member of BUG has been using computers since the early 80's and is one of the founding members of BUG. He has created and maintains several databases for organizations. David will be showing us the database features of Open Office.
MIKE CLARKE
Mike, an executive member of BUG maintains several web sites and has been experimenting with Linux. He will be showing us the word processing module, open office text. The open office collection is about integrating the various modules so that each can work seamlessly with the other. Also, a comparison will be made with the Microsoft Office System .
6:00pm
- Meet at the "Spirit Catcher" on Barrie lakeshore (across from bus
station) for walking tour to take pictures
7:30pm - Return to Library for meeting.
JULY
2009
Podcasts
There is a lot of media on the web that is available. Mostly people think of music but there are all sorts of media and information that is available. With the development of RSS the process of acquiring information that you want has been simplified. This session will show how RSS works and how to access a wide range of podcasts using iTunes, iGoogle and other programs.
PAUL MATHER
Paul, an executive member of BUG has been using computers since the early 80's starting with the TRS Model One. He has been a systems manager and technical specialist where he developed many automated systems. His interest in podcasts began because he spent many hours on the bus and wanted more to listen to than just radio with poor reception
Basic Picture Enhancement
There are some basic and routine processes to take, in Photoshop Elements to enhance your pictures. These basic enhancements will bring your pictures to life. After we look at some of the pictures that were taken, Paul will take a few of them and show how they can be made even better!
PAUL MATHER
Paul, an executive member of BUG has been taking pictures from a very young age. In high school he was the school photographer for the year books. He has given talks on photo restoration and giving your old photos a new life. Paul has used Photoshop for a few years, and has provided lessons on its use.
JUNE
2009
Creating in the field
Creating in the field is designed for photographers willing to discover the thrill of photography through seeing, interpreting and capturing the world around us. Largely using found objects in the field, this seminar will explore alternative approaches, techniques & many tips to help us improve visual design awareness.
Rob Kennedy
Passionate and enthusiastic about photography, Rob’s focus is architectural and abstract nature themes.
In nearly twenty years as a professional touring and recording musician, Rob has combined his love for music, travel and photography in places as diverse as the American southwest, the Middle East and Zimbabwe.
For the past 6 years he has lead visual design workshops in Ontario while continuing studies of Central Americas architecture, landscape and culture.
How
To Create A Photo Slide Show
From Your Old 35mm Slides and Photos
This presentation will provide an overview of the steps required to create an attractive and interesting slide show from your slides and photos. Using the Video Editing Program entitled Ulead Video Studio 11 you can add narration, text, music and transitions to enhance your slides and photos.
EARL WILKINS
Earl, a member of Barrie Users Group, has been involved in various aspects of photography and training for over 50 years. As a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, he served as a Photographic Technician from 1954-1982 and as a Training Development Officer from 1982-89. For the past 20 years he and his wife have had the opportunity to travel around the world and have amassed an extensive photographic collection of their travels.
MAY
2009
Cyber Risks
What's out there in cyber
space, from predators to cyber bullying.
We will look at the common areas where things go wrong and discuss practical
strategies to prevent online criminality and victimization.
Robyn
MacEachern
Sgt. - Youth Issues
Crime
Prevention Section - Investigation Bureau
(705) 329-6299
Robyn began her career with the OPP in 1994, and was posted to Hornepayne, Ontario. She transfered to Bancroft where she worked General Law Enforcement, Criminal investigations Unit, and Community Services and Media. Robyn was seconded to the Ontario provincial ViCLAS Centre in Orillia prior to being promoted into the Business and Capital Planning Section in 2005. In 2006 Robyn became the Youth Issues Coordinator in the OPP Crime Prevention Section, a brand new role in the OPP. A focus of the position is addressing issues of Online criminality and victimization through enhancing frontline investigative ability, and public awareness and education. Robyn is married to an OPP officer and is the mother of 2 children.
Learning
to See:
Manual control of your camera
We will learn how to take our camera off of "automatic" and understand the basics of aperture and manual control.
Don Komarechka
Don has been a passionate technology enthusiast since his earliest memories. Taking apart home electronics at the age of five, an understanding of "how things work" has been a part of his life for many years. He is knowledgeable about the inner workings of modern-day digital cameras and all areas of digital cameras and digital imaging. After pursuing photography as a hobby, Don has come to understand the basic rules of taking great pictures and how to relate this understanding to everyday life.
APRIL 2009
GIMP:
A free Photo Editor
We will have
a presentation about GIMP,
a free alternative photo manipulation program.
Melvina and Elizabeth will provide a demonstration; where to find it
on the net, features and how to use some simple tools in the program.
Melvina will lead a discussion on the survey taken at the February meeting.
After coffee, we will have a show of member images, allowing input from the members who supplied the pictures.
Getting Connected
With Bell Internet, get everything you need for a complete online experience. With a wide selection of service, they have a solution to meet your needs. The choice is yours, from basic email to streaming video, online gaming and more. Not to mention a line up of enhanced services and award winning security.
Topics to Be Covered: Internet Types, Email, Webmail, & Windows Live Messenger, Wireless Home Networking, Free Wi-Fi @ Starbucks, Security Solutions and Personal Vault, Bell Video Store & MSN Music Store, Promotions.
Jeff
Alward
Jeff has worked as a sales representative with Bell
for nearly 2 years. Prior to that, Jeff was with a local computer company
that provided network support and hardware sales. Jeff has programming
experience in Visual Basic, Html, Java and ASP. He currently works out
of the Barrie Power Centre location.
MARCH 2009
Preserving Your Past Through Photography
A photograph is the closest thing we have to time travel in this day and age. It’s capable of transporting us back in time and allowing us to relive our memories. It brings meaning to our lives and it helps our children to understand their past.
Mary Stanton
Mary, an independent business owner who helps people reconnect with their memories. Mary partnered with Creative Memories in 2006 with the desire to help teach the importance of preserving the past, enriching the present and inspiring hope for the future while offering solutions to every photo need. From personalized individual consultations, to workshops and weekend long retreats, Mary introduces products and activities that re-establish connections to your past.
After a successful career in sales, Mary wanted to start her own business and her love of scrapbooking and digital photography drew her to partner with Creative Memories. Mary is no stranger to preserving memories. She has spent over 20 years creating memory books and celebrating life. As a mother of 2 wonderful children and a grandmother of 2, soon to be 3 grandchildren, she and her family treasure their photographs.
You're infected! Now what?
Recently, we have heard of many people falling prey to computer attacks from viruses, trojans, worms,etc. In many cases people lost important data and had to refort their drives. There are ways to avoid this!
Aaron will discuss the anatomy of an infection, threat removal, introduction to new tools, possible and likely scenarios and additional protections in the aftermath. No one can afford to miss this important session!
Aaron Weston
http://www.npinc.ca/
Since 1984, computers have been Aaron's passion. It all started with
the Vic 20, followed by the Apple II. By 1986 Aaron was programming
games and applications in BASIC on the Commodore Pet. Aaron has built
his reputation on service excellence. He brings with him 24 years of
proven experience covering many aspects of the field, including teaching,
tutoring, programming, website design, management, computer repair,
sales and support. He is pleased to see other computer companies follow
his lead to put emphasis on service by providing a"we fix it or it's
free" ™ repair guarantee. He also understands the importance of
availability and open lines of communication.
FEBUARY
2009
Tuesday,
February 10, 2009
How
to work with digital images using Photoshop
A presentation using videos from the Digital Camera Magazine on how to work with digital images using Photoshop. The meeting after the break will be digital images shown by members of the group.
Tuesday,
February 3, 2009
How
to Pick the Perfect Device
Data Devices or "Smartphones" are not just for email anymore. With the fastest and largest network in North America, Bell clients are able to do more things in more places. This presentation will show you how our wide selection of 3G smartphones work with our leading edge high speed applications and great rate plans. With hands on demonstrations you will learn how smartphones can make your work and personal life more organized and fun. Presentation will cover Email, contacts and organizer, media such as camera, camcorder, mp3, video, satellite radio and live TV, GPS Nav, maps, weather, sports, web browsing, rate plans, data plans, and combo plans.
Tiffany
Grant
Tiffany has been involved in the telecommunications industry
for over 5 years. She worked for Rogers Wireless as a retail and corporate
account sales rep for 4 years and joined the Bell team in July of 2008.
Tiffany's experience in the industry has been an asset to Bell as she
works out of our Georgian Mall location as a Retail Sales Rep and Small
Business Prime.
Janet
Restrup
Janet has been with Bell for over 9 years now and joined
the Barrie Power Centre location a year ago. She has had the opportunity
to work at different Bell locations across Ontario and represent a variety
of client types from individual consumers to Small and Medium Business.
In her spare time she likes to keep up on the latest computer technology
which adds to her wealth of knowledge in the industry.
JANUARY
2009
Colour
– How we see it and how it impacts our world.
The physics
and chemistry of colour, the human physiology of the eye and psychology
of colour.
Charlie has
presented at our meetings in the past as his demonstrations on light
and colour are "enlightening". See how light and colours interact and
create illusions. This presentation will be of special interest to those
interested in photography and graphics.
Charlie Carswell
Charlie Carswell, who is Elizabeth Gillan's brother, is the son of Prof. Edward Carswell, professor of architecture and originator of this talk. He grew up in Toronto and attended U of T and U of Waterloo for post graduate work in nuclear physics. He taught physics in Scarborough for 32 years. He also does what he describes as "unique chalk art". His brushed stenciled art work appear more like miniature water colours. Summers are spent at Go Home Bay. It is there that the watercolor painting and the impact of nature made their profound influence on Charlie and his father.
As usual, our members will be showing their photographs on our display table and there will be plenty of time for discussion.
Tuesday,
January 6, 2009
Backing
up Your Data
David will show us how important our data is and how easy it is to loose it. Equipment is replaceable but those thousands of photographs, stories, family trees and financial information is not replaceable. Even the most experienced computer owner has lost data and procrastinates when it comes to backing up data.
Don't find yourself in this situation, come and hear how backups can become routine.
David Jackson
David, our current Vice-President and technical advisor has over 25 years of computer experience and is often called upon to help people with their computer hardware problems. He has rescued many people faced with lost data but also has provided advice so that they do not find themselves in that situation again, as "recoveries" are not always possible.