Alan Turner - RIP

We are sad to report the death of Club member, Alan Turner, who passed away peacefully last week.
Alan was a winner of one of the Club's digital photography competitions in 2004

Our condolencies to his friends and family.

ALL MEMBERS

We are finding that a number of members email addresses are out of date on the Club's database. It would be appreciated if those members, who think that we may have an out of date address, please let us know the new one. You can either, click on to "Members" envelope at the bottom of the Club's Web site, Home Page, or leave a note for me at the Cash Desk.

Many thanks,
Mike Easter Membership Secretary

COMPUTER XABIA - OPEN DAY

The following event was CANCELLED due to the shop being shut!

Computer Xabia is opening its well stocked shop to Javea Computer Club members & friends on Sunday 10th. December from 10.00 until 13.00 for their personal shopping.

Coffee available.

The premises can be found on Avda. Juan Carlos by the 2nd. set of traffic lights on the road from the Port to the Old Town. Parking is usually available behind the shop or where the old Mayte shop used to be.

Further information from Cyril Greaves.

Desktop Wallpaper Photo Competition

Javea Computer Club Desktop Wallpaper Photo Competition

..To find the best Javea Computer Club Desktop Wallpaper photos

Rules etc.

1.Original photos taken by Club Members only
2. Subject matter: Anything in the Marina Alta
3. File size/format : Max 1Mb / JPG
4. Number of entries: up to 3
5. All Photos must have IPTC information embedded in them specifying:
Picture subject matter -- Where the picture was taken ---
What makes it special
(Tip: Use Picasa or Irfan View to add a Caption)
6. The Club must be given the right to use and distribute the photos (authorship acknowledged)
7. Photos to be submitted as JPG on CD or memory stick for transfer to the Club PC
8. Closing date 31st December 2006
9. Judging by Club Members in the New Year
10. Each Member can only win one prize

Valuable prizes! For further details please attend the talk on Thursday October 19th

Club buys new wireless microphone system

The Club has purchased new "dual channel" wireless sound system. This has a lapel mike (for a lecturer) and hand held mike (to pass around the room at question time). Since it works on a different channel to the old headset wireless mike system, we can have three wireless mikes on the go at once if required.

Freebies

...from Tony and Val Rampton
These free web sites are probably well known to everyone but we only recently found them - most interesting.

http://local.live.com

- easily find where you are - rather like Google earth but with close-ups of houses, gardens, etc. - Cor mate! - look what they've done to our old garden in England!!

www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listen_again
- listen to programmes within an hour of their broadcast; or from the past - like the Goon show, Hancock's half hour, Just a minute, etc.

www.about.com
- offering practical advice and solutions for every day living - part of the New York Times Co.

73 (Amateur Radio speak for Best Wishes) - from Tony and Val

Eric Kings - RIP

Computer Club member (and Bowls Club and Javea Player) Eric Kings passed away last week.
We send our our sympathies and condolencies to his family and friends.
Eric joined the Club in September 1999 - with the memorable membership number of 888

Club joins Microsoft Partner Program

The Club has succesfully become a Registered member of the Microsoft Partner Program. This enables us to buy licenses for Microsoft software for installation on our Club PCs at special rates (internal use software).

This will enable Club members to try out software such as Visio, Frontpage and Office 2003 on our Club PCs; and we shall also have access to server software so that we can improve the services provided by the Club's Local Area Network.

MEMBERSHIP

There have been a few occasions when the Club's Website has been used to collect email addresses for marketing purposes.

In order to protect our Member's details, your Committee has decided to remove Member's email addresses from the database. You will still be able to check when your membership is due for renewal.

Windows Vista Beta on Club Computer

We have installed the beta version of the next version of Windows ( Windows Vista) on one of the Club PCs. All members are invited to come and take a preview look at this new OS (due to be released sometime early in 2007). The Club PC is labeled "Aragorn" - it has a decent processor (Pentium4 2.4 GHz) but is a bit underpowered in the memory department (512MB - you really need 1GB or more for Vista). We'll try to get a memory upgrade so that we can all take a look at what this "aero" user interface is all about.

MEMBERSHIP

It would be appreciated if when you move, or change your email address, that you let us know.

Go to the Javea Computer Club at www.javeacomputerclub.org Home Page. At the foot of the page click on "Membership"and send us an email of your new details.

Hands-on Wordprocessing in June

On Tuesday June 6th at 10.00 am we begin a Hands - on Wordprocessing course for beginners. Bring your laptops along if you use them! This course will consist of 4 weeks. Each week there will be 1 hour of formal instruction followed by 1 hour of hands-on exercises. Members only!

TIPS AND TRICKS

If any members have discovered new software, tips or tricks, or anything relevent to computers and you would like to share the information with your fellow members, please contact one of the Committee Members. We are always pleased to have something new to share with others.

This is your Club and we are always looking at ways of keeping you up to date.

HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION UPDATE

HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION WILL SOON BE A REALITY – ARE YOU HD READY?
by Ted Adams

With the delayed public launch of Sky HD TV now scheduled for the end of May, early June, it is worth recapping the benefits of the new HD Service.

Firstly, HD TV is the world-wide future of TV viewing, with pictures four times as sharp and clear as current TV standards, giving you cinema quality in your own home. Picture refreshment using the Progressive Scan system eliminates ‘comet’s tail’ effects on your screen. HD TV also comes with Dolby Digital 5.1 discrete surround sound, to add depth and realism to concerts, sports, plays and documentaries. Via the Sky satellite for us in Spain, Sky, BBC and ITV will all be broadcasting in high definition shortly. With the BBC offering us the FIFA World Football Cup in HDTV in June 2006. This new visual experience is the future of television.

Sadly, Britain once again, lags behind much of the rest of the world. HDTV broadcasts began in Japan, the USA, Korea and Brazil several years ago, and after a slow start, HDTV is booming in these areas. The reason why the Sky launch has been delayed, is due to the worldwide demand for the vital MPEG4 compression chips.

Viewing in HD is an entirely new experience. Watching football, expect to be able to read the manufacturer’s name on the player’s shirt collar, with every blade of grass visible. And with stadium surround sound, only the bad meat pies, tepid beer and queues for the smelly toilets are missing!

Sports lovers will be able to view their favourite sports from their armchairs as never seen before on Sky Sports HD. The BBC will be broadcasting FIFI 2006 in HD, free-to-air on the Sky platform

Nature films from Discovery Channel and National Geographic are spectacular. Don’t be surprised if you cower behind your chair when the lion roars. Plays from the BBC and films from Sky Box Office and Sky Movies HD will virtually take you to the theatre. Rock and classical concerts, from Artsworld and Performance, come to life with the added advantage of surround sound. No longer are the performers a dot in the distance, they are right in your living room.

How then to receive these new channels from Sky and BBC? Firstly, an HD Ready flat panel display of at least 37inches, either Plasma or LCD is required to do justice to the superb programme content. Your existing dish, if you are currently viewing most of the programmes most of the time, should be adequate, but you will require a new double LNB and additional downlead.

You will need a new MPEG4 digibox, cable of receiving standard and high definition broadcasts, supplies of which should start coming to Spain late May and June. These boxes also contain a Personal Video Recorder, to time-shift one programme while you are viewing another.

Finally, even the most modest speaker surround package will add greatly to the ‘being there’ experience, or you could incorporate sound into your existing Hi Fi.

Sky are telling us that the HD experience will add £10.00 per month to existing subscriptions, although you will only be able to receive HD programmes within the Sky package you currently subscribe to. Of course, BBC and later ITV HD programmes will continue to be Free-to-Air via the Sky satellite.

In addition to those channels being broadcast on the Sky platform, Euro1080 continues to be the only high definition programme broadcaster with a very wide range of programme material. They too are switching to the MPEG4 format and will be making new Digiboxes available within the next two-three months. Existing Euro1080 viewers will continue to receive programmes for at least another 18 months. The future of High Definition TV in Europe is spectacular, with ASTRA whose satellites beam most of our TV programme, confident that within four years, there will be 100s of HD channels, many of which will be available to us in Spain.

High Definition DVDs. The DVD Forum backed by Toshiba-NEC are launching new Hi Definition DVD discs, and Sony are launching their own version, known as Blue Ray, or BD discs. Both say they will have players and discs in the marketplace, initially in Japan and USA by mid 2006, with Europe before Christmas 2006. Your HD Ready plasma or LCD will be able to display both or either of these formats when they come to Europe.

Ted Adams

Outlook express gmail can now be sent from Club

Our Clubhouse network server and firewall software has been reconfigured (thanks to Peter Bayliss).

This means that members who have gmail accounts can now send e-mail from POP software (e.g. Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird) using the Club's ADSL internet connection.

Founder member Sylvia Schofield, RIP

Founder Club member, Sylvia Schofield, died on April 5th, aged 89.
She was a very interesting person- see obituary in the Telegraph on-line

Much of her writing was using an Amstrad PCW; though she had problems making the switch to Windows, especially with her failing eyesight.

A few years ago she donated a collection of archeological items from Afghanistan to the Javea Museum.

5 Week Beginners' Internet Course

A 5 week Beginners Internet course begins on Tuesday April 18th at 10.00 am . There will be two, one hour sessions each week with a half hour coffee break. All members are welcome. This course will be mainly in a classroom format but with some "hands-on" exercises and there is a tutorial CD.

New Committee Members for 2006-2008

David Reed and Peter Bayliss were elected to join the Club Committee at the 21st AGM held on Thursday 16th February.

The rest of the Team is as before - less Sylvia Winterbottom

After 10 years on the Committee, our Sylvie chose not to stand again and she was presented with a glass paperweight bearing the Club Logo as a token of our thanks for her Committee work.

Thanks Sylvia!

Drop-off point for Ink Cartridge Refills

The Club has set up a pick-up and drop-off point for printer ink and toner refills using "Cartridge Direct" of Moraira. This service is for members only and cartridges can be left or collected at the Club House during Club sessions. The turnaround time is about 2 days. Please note that not all makes of ink cartridge can be refilled. So please check before you leave your empty cartridge and payment!

Special Interest Groups Web Pages

The clubs "Special Interest Groups" web pages have been updated and refreshed, why not click on the menu link and see what's in store. All the answers to questions you dared not ask .....................in all of the groups.
Go on, have a peek.

Windows Update

Windows Update disc (SP2 up to January 2006)

Make sure you're up to date, get your copy of Windows Update and save loadsa money by not having to dial up and download. Just get the disc (Free if you give us a blank)

Be safe, be secure and be quick.

New Beginners' Course in March

We are now organising the next Absolute Beginners Course. It will take place on Tuesday mornings from 7th to 28th March 2006, and registration (which is essential) is open now. The course is based on Windows XP (with a nod in the direction of those using earlier versions). As before, tuition will be in small groups of 3 or so plus a tutor either using a club computer, or with students using their own laptops.

We are preparing a different edition of the "Welcome" CD for new Club members. This edition will include tutorial videos on using a laptop. The current Welcome disc includes tutorials suitable for desktop users.