AB Computer Training

Beacon Lunches

2011-12-02T15:41:00.000+11:00

Last week AB Computer Training were privileged to help out as part of the Beacon's Polish Programme.

Beacon is a national non-profit organisation working in more than 120 secondary schools across all Australian states and territories. It believes every young Australian can develop an independent will to achieve personal success for themselves and their community. Beacon has an established track record of helping inspire and motivate students to either stay in school and increase their educational engagement and attainment or choose a positive pathway that enables successful transition to employment, further education or training.

The Polish Programme is designed to equip students with various social and presentation skills. As part of this, local business people are invited to lunch and sit with the students, giving them the chance to practice what they have learned, but also for businesses and potential employers to network with them and each other.

It was great to be able to meet so many young people committed to furthering their own education and social skills, and so many other businesses willing to help them in this. We look forward to taking part in further sessions with beacon.

More Than Facebook: The Time Is Right For Social Business

2011-11-02T08:55:00.002+11:00

More Than Facebook: The Time Is Right For Social Business - Forbes

"The era of social business is here and it is becoming clear just how transformative it will be.

But many are still asking, “What does social business really mean?”

'via Blog this'

Relax - For All Those Who Love Jigsaws

2011-10-29T11:56:00.001+11:00

10 Ways Non-Profits Can Benefit From Social Media

2011-10-25T08:23:00.001+11:00

10 Ways Non-Profits Can Benefit From Social Media | Social Media Examiner

This is a useful link for those of you associated with "not for profit" organisations. There are a lot of hints and tips around to help businesses make the most of social media, but this specifically is help for the "not for profit" sector.

A Useful Facebook Tip

2011-10-15T09:59:00.003+11:00

A while back Facebook changed the comments box so that pressing Enter submitted the comment (and they removed the 'Share' button'). This makes it very easy to accidentally submit a comment before you've finished writing it all.

If you realise you've done this, place your mouse to the top right of the box within the first few seconds after you've posted it. A little 'X' will appear labelled 'Remove'. Normally this just allows you to delete your comment, but for a short period after posting, if you click it it will open up the comment box for editing, and you can correct your error.

But you have to be quick :)

Having Problems In Windows 7? Record It!

2011-09-30T18:53:00.002+10:00

You're using Windows 7 and are having difficulties with something not working properly whenever you use it. Or a window popping up that you;re not sure about.

Wouldn't it be great if, rather than try to describe it to someone who is trying to help over the phone, or by email, you could show them what happens?

That's what the Problem Steps Recorder does.

Click 'Start', then in the little box at the bottom type 'PSR' and press 'Enter'.

A small window will open, which is the recorder. Click 'Start Record', and Windows will keep a record of everything you open, close, click or type until you tell it to stop. When you click 'Stop Record' it will prompt you to save a file; do this, and then you can email it to someone who may be able to help you.

Give it a try.

This Weekend

2011-09-23T08:24:00.002+10:00

Computer Fair Sunday, 25 September, at the Illawarra Credit Union Hockey Stadium, Unanderra.

The Illawarra PC Users' Group Incorporated, commonly known as Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, or IC

www.illawarrapcug.org.au

About Us The Illawarra PC Users’ Group Incorporated, commonly known as Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, or ICE, is a growing non-profit organisation of novices, experts, computer professionals and casual users that began in the 80's. We are based in Wollong...

September Offer

2011-09-22T15:50:00.001+10:00

Need help using your computer?

www.abcomputertraining.com

A reminder about our September offer.
2 for 1 remote assistance.
02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

Limerick Competition

2011-09-21T14:16:00.002+10:00

Up for grabs - $195 training package for the limerick with the most likes posted on our Facebook wall. It's not hard - have a go:)

http://www.facebook.com/ABComputerTraining

There was a young man from Mangerton
Who had never visited "Stumbleupon"
While surfing one day
He clicked and said Hey!
Here's something that I can waste time upon

Tip Of The Week

2011-09-20T17:02:00.002+10:00

I came across this useful nugget:

Type =rand(8,10) and press enter in Microsoft Word to automatically generate a bunch of text that can be used to test page formatting, fonts, etc. It also provides extensive information on how to format using Styles in Word.

Courtesy of Computer Hope's free computer help

www.computerhope.com

Free computer help and support. Answering all your computer related questions with complete information on all hardware and software.

LAST WEEKEND

2011-09-19T14:32:00.000+10:00

AB Computer Training added 6 new photos to the album Art And Design Spring Market 2011.

Art And Design Spring Market 2011

The Spring 2011 Art and Design Market

What's on this Weekend

2011-09-16T10:51:00.000+10:00

We will be dropping in to Art & Design Market which is on Sunday at Pioneer Hall, Wollongong. We saw a fantastic array of crafted goods the last time we went and are really looking forward to checking out what's on offer.

Art & Design Market

Cloud Computing

2011-09-15T12:14:00.000+10:00

Cloud Computing - Legal Issues For Service Contracts
An interesting piece if you are using "the cloud".
http://tiny.cc/e0oaj

September Offer

2011-09-15T10:49:00.000+10:00

DON'T MISS OUT
A reminder about our September offer.
2 for 1 remote assistance.
02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

Join us on Facebook

Limerick Competition

2011-09-14T14:12:00.003+10:00

SIXTEEN DAYS TO GO!

A reminder about our limerick competition this month. Write a limerick on our wall and get your friends to like it. The person with the most likes will win a 3hr training package.

Enter on our Facebook Page

Tip Of The Week

2011-09-13T10:42:00.001+10:00

Using Windows 7 and need to clear a clutter of windows from your desktop? Click and hold the top bar of the window you want to keep, and shake your mouse; all other windows will be automatically minimised. Shake it again, and they will all be restored.

Click and drag any window off the top of the screen, and it will be automatically maximised

Join us on Facebook.

Last Weekend - A Party With The Mafia

2011-09-13T10:40:00.002+10:00

Aside from a packed weekend of training and networking, AB Computer Training were, of course, involved with the Wollongong Pictorial Mafia's exibition at Project Contemporary Artspace this weekend. Here are a few pictures from the opening night party.

Mafia Opening Night
The opening night of the Wollongong Pictorial Mafia's exhibition at Project Contemporary Artspace in Keira Street - 9th September 2011 Evidence that just because you can take a nice picture for an exhibition it doesn't mean that you can't take rubbish blurry ones at any events you go to.

By: AB Computer Training

What's on this Weekend

2011-09-09T16:24:00.000+10:00

This Weekend

Come and see one of AB Computer Training's other talents. Alan is exhibiting photos as part of an exhibition by a group of local photographers at Project Contemporary Artspace in Keira Street, Wollongong.

Come and see us tonight (Friday 9th September) atthe opening night party from 6pm, or pop into the Gallery on Sunday from 11am until 1:30pm when Alan will be in charge and looking for diversion and coffee :)

http://projectgallery.org/art/?q=content%2Fshooting-gallery

Check out this facebook page!

2011-09-09T08:50:00.000+10:00

Check out this facebook page!

2011-09-08T15:04:00.001+10:00

A reminder about our September offer.
2 for 1 remote assistance.
02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

LIMERICK COMPETITION

2011-09-07T07:56:00.000+10:00

A reminder about our limerick competition this month. Write a limerick on our wall and get your friends to like it. The person with the most likes will win a 3hr training package.

A maid of Shellharbour it's said
Once thought that her laptop was dead
She gave it a poke
Said this is a joke
I'll just get a Mac book instead

2011-09-06T16:42:00.001+10:00

Right Clicking – Have you ever investigated the right mouse button? It’s rather a well-kept secret but it can open up a new world for you. All those tasks you found difficult and even those perhaps you couldn’t do, can be achieved with the right click.

Basically it gives you a context menu. This means the menu is different depending on what you have clicked on.
You can, in fact, right click on most things on your screen – task bar, tool bar, highlighted text, pictures, desktop etc.
Give it a try. You will get a list of options for the item you have clicked on. Copy and paste, Send to, Open with etc., etc.

You may try it out and decide you have far better ways of doing things but I think you may find that it gives you some options that you may find hard to find elsewhere.

2011-09-05T12:07:00.001+10:00

AB Computer Training has set up an account with Ping.

LAST WEEKEND

2011-09-05T10:22:00.000+10:00

by AB Computer Training on Monday, September 5, 2011 at 10:16am

We didn't make it to the computer fair at Berkeley but strolled down to Dapto markets on Sunday, which is just down the road from us.

It is a well known local weekly market but probably not a port of call for those of you looking for techno-bargains. There were a couple of stalls selling laptops and such like but the majority of the market is more like an enormous car boot sale. Some fresh produce and pet stuff - including two stalls selling birds and plenty of clothes - new and second-hand.

Worth a look if you're out for a Sunday morning stroll in the Dapto area.

This Weekend

2011-09-02T12:26:00.002+10:00

COMPUTER FAIR

Berkeley Sports Stadium ( Wollongong)
on Sunday,4th Sep 2011 at 10.00am
For those who have not been to a computer market before, a computer market is no different from any other market in that it is composed of stalls selling mainly computer gear. On sale are complete systems, hardware, software, accessories and peripherals, both second hand and new equipment.

Plenty of free off street parking is available directly outside and around the venue, and refreshments are available.

On Line Training - 2 for 1

2011-09-02T10:55:00.001+10:00

ON LINE TRAINING AND SUPPORT – Two for the price of one.

Two 1 hour support sessions for only $80 ($75 concessions) payable in advance by PayPal or direct deposit.
These sessions require you to have a reliable internet connection and either Skype or a telephone you can use while working on your computer.
Offer available till 30th September 2011.

Contact us on 02 4261 7737/0458983792 or email info@abcomputertraining.com to discuss your training needs.

Father's Day

2011-09-02T10:51:00.001+10:00

AB Computer Training to the rescue!

Stuck for an idea for Father's Day? We do gift vouchers! Give him a boost with his computer.

Just call 02 4261 7737 or email info@abcomputertraining.com

LIMERICK COMPETITION

2011-09-02T10:44:00.003+10:00

A young man from Woollomooloo
On Facebook for an hour or two
Wrote a limerick that scanned
And got so many fans
That he won a free lesson - it's true!

Yes, write a limerick (something involving computers or IT is what we are hoping for) on our Facebook wall, and get your friends to like it, and you can win a free 3 hour training package!

2011-08-30T09:47:00.001+10:00

TIP OF THE WEEK
Have you found an interesting article or cute picture on the internet that you would like to keep or copy?

You can highlight text and use right click to copy and paste the passage into a word processor such as Word.

Right clicking on a picture will allow you to copy the image or save it to your computer. However, some images are protected by disabling the right click. It is possible to get around this but involves accessing the page source which is another story…

2011-08-29T12:03:00.001+10:00

We attended the ICE meeting on Saturday and were treated to a demonstration of slide/negative/photo scanners.

The group has a wealth of expertise amongst the members so why not look them up. the next meeting will be on Friday, 9th Sep at 7.30pm.

The Illawarra PC Users' Group Incorporated, commonly known as Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, or IC

www.illawarrapcug.org.au

What's on this Weekend

2011-08-26T11:59:00.002+10:00

ILLAWARRA COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS meet tomorrow Saturday, 27 AUGUST, 1:00pm at Unanderra Community Centre

Topic for this week:-

Slide & Photo Scanners

This presentation will concentrate on the types and how to use them.
Many people have many photographic slides and negatives of family activities and want to be able to access them.

Presented by: Pat Colby

The Illawarra PC Users' Group Incorporated, commonly known as Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, or ICE

www.illawarrapcug.org.au

2011-08-25T18:48:00.001+10:00

ON LINE TRAINING AND SUPPORT – Two for the price of one. Two 1 hour support sessions for only $80 ($75 concessions) payable in advance by PayPal or direct deposit.
These sessions require you to have a reliable internet connection and either Skype or a telephone you can use while working on your computer.
Offer available till 30th September 2011. Contact us on 02 4261 7737/0458983792 or email info@abcomputertraining.com to discuss your training needs.

LIMERICK COMPETITION

2011-08-24T15:28:00.003+10:00

ANNOUNCING LIMERICK COMPETITION

Write a limerick involving some aspect of computers or IT. It could be based on a funny experience you have had with your computer. Post it on our wall and share it with your friends. The limerick that gets the most likes will win a 3 hour computer training package with AB computer Training.

Your friends will have to come to our page and like the page. They will then be able to like your limerick.

The competition will run till the end of September.

We look forward to reading your limericks. Here’s one to get you thinking.

I posted a photo online

And thought that it would be just fine

But I looked such a fool

And not at all cool

The blushes were certainly mine

I'm sure you can do better than that.

Video Ad!

2011-06-07T13:43:00.000+10:00

Enjoy:

Keyboard Shortcuts - Part 2

2010-11-22T13:57:00.003+11:00

Here's some more interesting things you can do with your keyboard. Unlike Part 1, these assume that you press two or three keys at the same time:

F4 + Alt shuts down the window you are currently in (don't try it whilst you're in this one)
F6 + Alt switches between multiple windows within the same program (such as a dialog box and the main window).
F10 + Shift is the same as clicking the right mouse button on an item; it opens the context menu.

Not all keyboard options use the Function Keys. Here's a useful set of keys to use if you're editing things:

Ctrl + C copies the selected text and places it in the clipboard.
Ctrl + X cuts the selected text and places it in the clipboard.
Ctrl + V pastes the text currently in the clipboard.
Ctrl + Z is used to undo the last action; useful if you make a mistake.
Ctrl + B makes the current text bold (in Word, Excel etc)
Ctrl + U underlines the current text (again, in Word, Excel, etc)
Ctrl + I puts the current text into italics.

More shortcuts in Part 3.

The Beacon Foundation

2010-11-16T09:57:00.002+11:00

The Beacon Foundation is a national non-profit organisation which helps develop and encourage students by encouraging them to engage in education, either through school or further training, and pursue positive pathways into employment.

AB Computer Training has been proud to assist their work in local schools by attending 'speed-careering' sessions, in which we talk to small groups of students about how our choices and education have influenced the career paths we have taken. Obviously most of our training work in IT is with adults, as teenagers tend to be fairly tech-savvy, but it's good to know that we can make a difference in other areas which are relevant to them.

To find out more about The Beacon Foundation, and how you can help them with their work, visit their website (linked above).

Keyboard Shortcuts - Part 1

2010-11-09T10:23:00.002+11:00

We often get asked about what various keys on the keyboard do. After all, if you're completely new to computers (as several of our customers are) the keyboard can be a daunting thing.

So we thought it would be a nice idea to show you a few interesting things you can do with those keys. Obviously we could just post a great big list, but who's going to read that in one go? Instead we'll post a few things every week or so. Some of them you may already know, but some of them may be of use. Give them a try; it's amazing what you can get your computer to do.

For now we'll just look at Windows, but Macs will have their day as well.

The commonest thing we get asked about are the Function Keys. These are the ones towards the top of your keyboard which are cryptically marked 'F1', 'F2', 'F3' and so on. There's a lot you can do with these, but we'll start with some simple uses. The tricky thing is that some keys do different things depending on what type of window you're just on your desktop.

F1 gives you access to Help, either for Windows or for whatever window you're currently in.

F2 puts you into rename mode if you have clicked on an icon or an item in one of your folders.

F3 brings up a box allowing you to enter search terms, either for the current window or for files on your computer if you;re on your desktop.

F4 repeats the last action if you are in Word. In Internet Explorer it opens up your address bar, listing the website addresses you've visited. See what we mean about different results depending on where you are?

F5 reloads or refreshes the current window; this works either in Windows Explorer (where it will reload the file list), or your favourite browser (where it will reload the current webpage).

F6 moves the cursor between different parts of your current window.

F7 opens the spell-checker in Word.

F8 is really only used when your computer is starting up to get you into Safe Mode. Best only used if you know what you;re doing.

F9 doesn't do anything in Windows itself, but may have use in certain programs.

F10 activates the Menu Bar ('File', 'Edit' and so on) for the current window. Once an item is selected, press the Down Arrow to display the menu you want.

F11 puts the current window into full-screen mode (no frames of menu bar). Press F11 again to return to a normal window.

F12 doesn't do anything in Windows but, again, may have uses in certain programs.

We hope that this is of some help. We'll be posting more keyboard shortcuts for you soon.

Trivial Pursuits

2010-07-26T10:41:00.005+10:00

AB Computer Training has been out and about, wandering the Illawarra and doing our stuff. So much so that we've been neglecting this blog, which is very bad of us.

So here's some pictures to liven things up.

A few weeks ago we took part in a trivia night, organised by the BNI Central chapter. It was to raise money for Angels of Hope; a not for profit community organisation, who in conjunction with Southern Western Sydney Illawarra Area Health Services, support mental health and suicide prevention programs in Illawarra school and community groups.

Being recent migrants we approached the idea of a trivia night with some trepidation; trivia can be very parochial, as we discovered when we had a Swiss couple on our team for a quiz back in the UK. However we acquitted ourselves with honour, and our 'local' knowledge was sufficient for us to be able to say how many stations there are on the London Underground (270, apparently).

We got a hamper for winning one of the rounds, and eher we are posing with it:

(Picture by Ela Photography)

Last week we exhibited at the Shellharbour Small Business Network's annual expo. It's the first time we'd done anything like this, and we found it an entertaining and educational evening.

Here's our stand just after we'd set up:

And here it is later in the evening:

Catherine and, more importantly, our logo, briefly appeared on WIN TV news as well.

So, as you can see, we've been very busy when we're not teaching or preparing lessons.

Helpful Tips #3 - How Much Stuff Can I Put On My Computer?

2010-05-20T09:34:00.004+10:00

Something we are regularly asked by customers is how much storage space they have on their computer. This is easy to check; click on Computer (on the Start menu, or maybe on your desktop), right-click on the C:/ drive and then click on 'Properties'. This will give you a display showing how much space your computer has, and how much is currently used.

(Note: These instructions might vary slightly between different versions of Windows.)

But what do the results actually mean? If I am using 50GB of 200GB, and so have 75% of my disk 'free', what else can I put on my computer.

A computer stores data in 'bytes'. In terms of a document, or piece of writing, such as this blog post, a byte is roughly one character - storing this letter 'A' is one byte. However even a simple document is larger, in terms of bytes, than the sum total of the letters in it; the document file also contains information about the document, such as formatting, modification dates and so forth. For example, a Word 2002 document containing the single letter 'A' is still roughly 20,000 bytes in size.

Bytes are abbreviated to 'B', so a 100 byte file will be displayed as 100B. 1024 bytes make up a kilo-byte (KB). So, in the above example, the Word document is roughly 20 kilo-bytes in size (20,000 bytes). Indeed, for most home use purposes it's easier to think of a kilo-byte as being 1000 bytes; the reason for it actually being 1024 is tied up in how the computer actually stores information, and involves maths, binary numbers and more complexity than most people are willing to bother with at this stage.

Anyway, if you see a file is 1.2KB, you know it's roughly 1200 bytes in size. Simple.

A mega-byte (MB) is roughly 1000 kilo-bytes (again, it's actually 1024), which makes it 1,000,000 bytes. So a 3.2MB file is 3200KB, or 3,200,000 bytes.

A giga-byte (GB) is roughly 1000 mega-bytes, or 1,000,000 kilo-bytes or 1,000,000,000 bytes. If your computer tells you that you have 150GB of free disk space, then it's roughly equivalent to 150,000MB or 150,000,000KB or 150,000,000,000 bytes. One hundred and fifty thousand million instances of the letter 'A' ...

All files on your are made up of bytes - pictures, music, videos, the various components of Windows itself. How many bytes in size a file is depends on what format it is in; a 3 minute piece of music, for example, may be 3MB if it's in .MP3 format, but 30MB in size if it's a .WAV file. A picture from your digital camera will vary in size depending on the resolution you use (and explaining resolution on cameras is a lesson in itself). So there are no set rules on how many 'songs', pictures, videos or so forth your computer can hold. If you consistently get something from the same source - pictures from the same camera, music from iTunes and so forth - then the size per minute, or per image, will remain fairly constant, which will help you calculate how much of your remaining space they take up.

But let's have a look at what you can hold on your computer, with some approximations. We'll assume that you have 150GB of free space remaining.

If you're storing movies, and each movie is roughly 1GB in size, you have room for 150 such movies on your computer (150GB/1GB).

If you're downloading music, and each piece is roughly 2MB in size for each minute, then you can hold 500 minutes of music per GB, or a total of 75,000 minutes of music. That's over 1000 albums, or 25,000 three-minute songs.

If your photos are about 1MB in size, then you can hold 150,000 of them - 1000 pictures fill 1GB of space, and you have 150GB of space.

In the examples above, a movie is equivalent to 500 minutes of music (about 140 'songs') or 1,000 photos. But, as we have said before, this all depends on your file formats; there's a lot of variation.

Finally, whatever you store on your computer's hard-disk, remember to take back ups, either to CD/DVD or to an external hard-drive. Nobody wants to lose their stuff, after all.

MAY NEWSLETTER

2010-05-03T16:04:00.005+10:00

Our May Newsletter is now available on our website at www.abcomputertraining.com.
It includes tips on how to keep your computer clean, shiny and working.

Snakes Alive!

2010-04-23T11:29:00.002+10:00

On 18th April AB Computer Training paid a visit to the Illawarra Reptile Show at Koonawarra. Thsi was a fantastic display of herpetology, with traders selling everything you need for the reptile in your life, as well as a show of the finest snakes, lizards and chelonians in the area.

You can see some pictures on our Flickr stream.

Hybrid At HARS

2010-03-31T20:33:00.003+11:00

Tonight AB Computer Training were visitors at the Illawarra Business Chamber's meeting at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Museum at the Illawarra Regional Airport in Albion Park Rail. The meeting was hosted by Toyota, who unveiled their new Hybrid Camry, which is soon to be built here in Australia.

The meeting was well attended, and we took the opportunity to network with other local businesses, whilst admiring both the cars, and teh historic aircraft which provided a backdrop to the event. Needless to say we took a few photos (click on them to see bigger versions):

What's under here?

It's the new Toyota Hybrid Camry:

See under the bonnet:

And a view from behind the wheel:

Catherine got to meet Illawarra St George Dragons player Matt Cooper:

There are other pictures on our Flickr stream.

Oh, and I promised to say hello to Libby Geen of Formula Training Solutions.

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS

2010-03-28T20:15:00.003+11:00

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS had their awards last Friday, 26th March. It was a packed house of some hundred and fifty people and there were four awards ranging from the Best Home Based Business to Young Business Woman of the Year.
A great networking event with business cards and literature being handed out by one and all. Some inspirational speakers and a good time was had by all. AB Computer Training were there as first-timers but I've no doubt that it will be an event we will be eagerly following, if not participating in, in future years.

ADA LOVELACE DAY 2010

2010-03-24T14:21:00.005+11:00

WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Everyone probably knows a woman in science and technology. It could be your GP, a teacher or your local pharmacist; however, the term does tend to conjur up visions of the likes of Madame Curie.

Today I would like to aknowledge the expertise and dedication of a scientist with whom I had a close association for a number of years - Barbara Taylor BVSc MRCVS. A Bachelor of Veterinary Science and a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons,her training must have taken at least five years to complete, but it is the compassion and empathy that she shows towards her patients and their owners that is a quality that is somehow lacking in the commonly held view of "scientists". Perhaps this is why one can probably reel off the names of a dozen or more male scientists but find it harder to think of females in the same role.

(Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging which celebrates women in science and technology. For more details, and to pledge your post, visit the Finding Ada website.)

Parking In Wollongong

2010-03-24T08:09:00.003+11:00

According to the Illawarra Mercury, it appears that the new parking meters in Wollongong's CBD are getting off to a slow start:

Shopper Shun Meters

In terms of clients we have little to do with central Wollongong, so this would not seem to be an issue for us at first glance. However, like any business, we do have odd jobs we need to do at banks and various stores there, so we do make short trips into the centre. Certainly knowing that timed spaces are not now occupied by people using them all day is going to be a plus; but really it's only the two hour spaces that are any use to us; for a one hour trip the car-park for Crown St. Mall offers better value. To be honest there's still a lot to be said for parking a little further down Kenny or Keira St if you can find a space; five minutes walk gets you into the centre, and the on-street is untimed and free. Certainly worth considering if you want an extended trip to the centre.

What is interesting is the comments that some of the pay stations are already not working. This is only the first week of operation. Are they untested, or just prone to breakdown?

Helpful Tips #2 - Passwords

2010-03-19T11:55:00.004+11:00

How secure are your passwords? If the answer is ‘not very’ then you could be leaving yourself open to risk from identity theft and fraud.

The problem is that short, simple password are, whilst easy to remember, open to attack by hackers using simple brute-force approaches to ‘guess’ password. And once a password is guessed, your accounts are open to theft and exploitation.

So what makes a password simple? Using consecutive keys on the keyboard is one example – the password ‘123456’, whilst easy to remember, is also easy to guess. The same is true for ‘qwerty’ (the first six letter keys on a standard keyboard. Indeed, passwords which make use of consecutive strings of characters are all equally insecure – ‘abcdef’ may not be a password made of keys which are next to each other on the keyboard, but it’s still an easily guessed combination.

As well as consecutive characters, using slang words, trivial phrases or words which can be found in the dictionary all have risks. Using the same password on multiple websites is also a risk.

A recent study revealed the ten commonest passwords currently in use worldwide:

123456

12345
123456789
Password
iloveyou
princess
rockyou
1234567
12345678
abc123

So how do you make sure that your passwords are secure?

Firstly, avoid passwords on the above list. In addition, avoid choosing passwords which make use of information which fraudsters can easily obtain about you – your date of birth, home address or even your mother’s maiden name.
Use different passwords on different accounts wherever possible.
Avoid using single words which are found in the dictionary (for example ‘princess’ in the above list). Some automated attacks simply crack passwords by running through lists of words from the dictionary. If you do use a dictionary word, use a long one.
It's a good idea not to allow your computer to remember your passwords. Even if no one else uses your computer, if it is stolen the thieves will be able to access your private information and even hijack your identity.
Mix up letters and numbers, and use the Shift key. Most systems use ‘case sensitive’ passwords, which means that they treat capital letters differently from small letters. Thus ‘ABCDEF’, ’abcdef’ and ‘AbCdEf’ are considered to be three different passwords. Some systems allow the use of characters other than letters or numbers – ‘&’, ‘%’, ‘?’, for example.
Make sure that your password is as long as possible; one more than eight characters long is good.
Change your passwords regularly. Once a month is ideal, but even every six months is better than never.
Use different user names and passwords on different accounts.

Phrases make good passwords – a line from a favourite poem, song or rhyme. If you just use the first letter of each word in the phrase, then that is even better; ‘Once a jolly swagman camped beside a billabong’ is an easily remembered phrase, and gives the password ‘Oajscbab’. Easy for you to remember, but hard for someone to guess. And note the use of the upper-case ‘O’ at the beginning.

Microsoft offers a password checker tool which can be used to check how secure they are.

Following these simple tips can protect you and your family from fraud and identity theft. And they’re all easy to implement.

Danger: Virus Targets Facebook Users

2010-03-18T11:35:00.002+11:00

Whilst I'm sure that you are all well aware of the dangers of spam mails telling you to click on attachments, if you are a facebook user it's worth being aware of this:

Facebook Password-Stealing Virus

On the subject of Facebook, the Daily Mail in the UK have got themselves into trouble over an article they published linking it to paedophile activity:

Facebook Threatens To Sue 'Daily Mail'.

Wings Over Illawarra

2010-03-18T09:36:00.004+11:00

Last month we attended the Wings Over Illawarra open-day at the Illawara regional Airport in Albion Park Rail. Like many others we were stuck in a long queue of traffic to get there; worse in our case as we wanted to go somewhere else first, so had to sit in a queue to get past the airport, then queue up coming the other way to get into the show. There was also a fair wait to get out of the event once you left the car park.

Anyway, the RTA and the police have raised concerns about the volume of traffic. Not sure what they can really do about it, though; the Princes Highway through Albion Park Rail has always been a bottle-neck, and will be until the deviation round the back of Albion Park itself is built. Our work with AB Computer Training means that we spend a lot of time on the road; if we make a trip through Albion Park Rail we have to allow for extra journey time because you can never tell how badly clogged up it's going to be.

The part about the distinction between an 'open day' and an 'air show' is interesting as well. Pedantic, but of importance to the organisers, I guess.

Helpful Tips #1 - Dismounting Memory Devices

2010-03-11T12:12:00.003+11:00

USB memory sticks/flash drives, wireless internet dongles, some cameras, MP3 players and certain other devices need to be properly dismounted from your computer. You should not just unplug them, as doing so can possibly corrupt the device and even data on your computer.

To dismount your device:
1. Click on the Unplug or Eject Hardware icon in the taskbar’s tool tray – this is the icon with the green arrow
2. Click 'Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device'. There may be more than one entry here if you have several devices connected to your computer. Usually you can tell which device is which by the name.
3. Once you click on 'Safely Remove USB Mass Storage Device' a notification balloon should appear to let you know it has dismounted correctly. Close it and unplug the drive.

If the drive will not dismount it may be because it is still in use on your computer. Check that any documents or files on the drive are not open in an application (for example, a document may still be open in Word, or an image in Photoshop). Check that there is not an explorer window open for one of the folders on the drive. In all of these cases close down the window, and try dismounting it again.

Sometimes even this is not sufficient. In this case you will need to log out of Windows, and then disconnect the device.

It is always safe to unplug a device whilst the machine is shut down.

Was this information helpful to you? Let us know - leave a comment below, or drop us an e-mail.

Go Hawks!

2010-03-11T12:09:00.002+11:00

The Wollongong Hawks are now one game away from the NBL title - tomorrow night in Perth they play their third game against the Wildcats.

Update: Why not combine watching the game with a evening out? Go and see it at West's Leagues Club, in Unanderra. Indeed, if you see us there we can discuss your computer training needs as well.

Are Year 9 Laptops Useless?

2010-03-10T08:05:00.005+11:00

This story in today's Illawarra Mercury is interesting.

Are the laptops rolled out to Year 9 students in NSW of no real use? Any laptop is obviously better than none, but if it's not possible to install useful software or peripherals on them, then just how much use are they? Access to websites is a tricky thing, of course. Take a site like the photo-hosting site Flickr. As a source of useful pictures for school projects its benefits cannot be denied. But there's also images there that are unsuitable even for your average Year 9 student. How do you allow acces to one but block the other? Or do you just block the site altogether?

It's a tricky problem. What do you think?

MARCH NEWSLETTER

2010-03-08T06:20:00.004+11:00

MARCH NEWSLETTER - Now available on our website at www.abcomputertraining.com. It contains lots of useful information on setting up a network and articles on initiatives encouraging seniors to get connected and even the Pony Express. Take a look!

Congratulations!

2010-03-01T08:11:00.001+11:00

Congratulations to the Wollongong Hawks, who won their ABL semi-final against Townsville, and now face Perth in the final. An amazing comeback for a team which, last year, looked set to disappear forever.

Wings Over Illawarra

2010-03-01T08:06:00.002+11:00

We had a great day at the Wings Over Illawarra airshow yesterday. Organised by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, this event showcases various historical and contemorary aircraft, with static displays, and spectacular exhibitions of flying. Top attractions were the restored Constellation airliner, the RAAF Roulettes, and an amazing display of aerobatics in an F18 Hornet.

Here are a few of the pictures we took:

Wings Over The Illawarra 2010

2010-02-26T11:33:00.002+11:00

On Sunday 28th February, the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) will be holding their annual 'Wings Over The Illawarra' event. We'll be there; why not track us down and say hello?

Details here.

Hawks Tickets Now On Sale

2010-02-25T09:49:00.001+11:00

Tickets are now on sale for the Wollongong ahm Hawks game three semi-final match against Townsville on Saturday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.

More details HERE

AB Computer Training, Cordeaux Heights

2010-02-24T16:38:00.001+11:00

Find us on True Local
AB Computer Training, Cordeaux Heights

2010-02-24T15:32:00.003+11:00

MORE FREE LESSONS - Vouchers are out there now offering FREE introductory lessons on:-
INTERNET, EMAIL, FACEBOOK, EBAY, WORD PROCESSING, CARD MAKING.

Watch out for vouchers at a venue near you or give us a call on 4272 3559.

FREE LESSONS

2010-02-22T17:26:00.006+11:00

Yes, that's FREE LESSONS!

Yes, for the whole of March 2010 we are going completely mad, and giving away free lessons. You see, we're so confident that you'll like the service we provide, that we're giving you a chance to try it out for nothing.

Choose from Beginner's lessons in - Windows, Google, Word, Excel, Powerpoint or Publisher*.

Find out about the other courses we offer at the same time.

Contact us on (02) 4272 3559, or email us at 'info@abcomputertraining.com' to book your lesson now.

*One lesson per person. Limited to residents of Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour and associated suburbs.

Central Parking

2010-02-20T10:43:00.003+11:00

I'm not sure how this is going to affect things for us, but Wollongong Council does seem to be making themselves unpopular.

Mind you, the idea of a city centre that doesn't charge for parking, even off-street, is pretty much unheard of in the UK. Parking in Australia's pretty easy generally speaking.

Hawks!

2010-02-19T08:07:00.003+11:00

Good luck to the Wollongong Hawks in their semi-final agianst Townsville tonight.

Full details here.

Branching Out

2010-02-17T09:52:00.004+11:00

SENIOR GROUP SESSIONS
We will be contacting local Day Care/Respite Centres with a view to offering group Computer Lessons for seniors.
We can set up an internet capable network at the venue and provide help and support. Lessons can be selected for the group or individuals.
Sessions could also be run on a drop-in basis offering the facilities of an INTERNET CAFE but with the addition of support staff on hand.
N.B. Telstra is offering grants to non-profit senior organisations to encourage seniors to make use of computer technology. More information can be found on their website www.telstraseniors.com.

FREE COMPUTER LESSONS

2010-02-16T12:51:00.002+11:00

LATEST PROMOTION - We are distributing vouchers for FREE computer lessons in selected areas. You may find vouchers at your local shops or coming directly to you in your mail box.
Vouchers entitle the holder to a choice of six "Beginners" lessons : Windows, Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint or Google. Lessons arranged at a time to suit you - just give us a call - 4272 3559.
DON'T WASTE IT - PASS IT ON Should you receive a voucher and not be able to make use of it, please pass it on to a friend or family member. The offer is open to everyone - the only rule is only one free lesson per person.
For more information on lessons and courses visit our website www.abcomputertraining.com.

Get A Taste Of Technology

2010-02-16T08:45:00.005+11:00

Starting on Friday 19th March is Wollongong Seniors Week.

As part of this event, advertised as 'Inspiring, Not Retiring', will be a number of sessions introducing seniors to the myseteries of technologies such as mobile phones, game consoles (the Wii, of course) and social networking.

So, once you're on Twitter or Facebook, why not look us up?

Hi

2010-02-16T08:36:00.001+11:00

Welcome to our blog!

AB Computer Training

Beacon Lunches

More Than Facebook: The Time Is Right For Social Business

Relax - For All Those Who Love Jigsaws

10 Ways Non-Profits Can Benefit From Social Media

A Useful Facebook Tip

Having Problems In Windows 7? Record It!

This Weekend

Computer Fair Sunday, 25 September, at the Illawarra Credit Union Hockey Stadium, Unanderra.

September Offer

Need help using your computer?

A reminder about our September offer.2 for 1 remote assistance.02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

Limerick Competition

Tip Of The Week

I came across this useful nugget:

Type =rand(8,10) and press enter in Microsoft Word to automatically generate a bunch of text that can be used to test page formatting, fonts, etc. It also provides extensive information on how to format using Styles in Word.Courtesy of Computer Hope's free computer help

www.computerhope.com

LAST WEEKEND

AB Computer Training added 6 new photos to the album Art And Design Spring Market 2011.

What's on this Weekend

We will be dropping in to Art & Design Market which is on Sunday at Pioneer Hall, Wollongong. We saw a fantastic array of crafted goods the last time we went and are really looking forward to checking out what's on offer.

Cloud Computing

September Offer

DON'T MISS OUTA reminder about our September offer.2 for 1 remote assistance. 02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

Join us on Facebook

Limerick Competition

SIXTEEN DAYS TO GO!

A reminder about our limerick competition this month. Write a limerick on our wall and get your friends to like it. The person with the most likes will win a 3hr training package. Enter on our Facebook Page

Tip Of The Week

Join us on Facebook.

Last Weekend - A Party With The Mafia

Aside from a packed weekend of training and networking, AB Computer Training were, of course, involved with the Wollongong Pictorial Mafia's exibition at Project Contemporary Artspace this weekend. Here are a few pictures from the opening night party.

What's on this Weekend

Check out this facebook page!

LIMERICK COMPETITION

LAST WEEKEND

by AB Computer Training on Monday, September 5, 2011 at 10:16am

This Weekend

On Line Training - 2 for 1

ON LINE TRAINING AND SUPPORT – Two for the price of one.

Two 1 hour support sessions for only $80 ($75 concessions) payable in advance by PayPal or direct deposit. These sessions require you to have a reliable internet connection and either Skype or a telephone you can use while working on your computer. Offer available till 30th September 2011.

Contact us on 02 4261 7737/0458983792 or email info@abcomputertraining.com to discuss your training needs.

Father's Day

AB Computer Training to the rescue!

Stuck for an idea for Father's Day? We do gift vouchers! Give him a boost with his computer.

Just call 02 4261 7737 or email info@abcomputertraining.com

LIMERICK COMPETITION

TIP OF THE WEEK Have you found an interesting article or cute picture on the internet that you would like to keep or copy?

You can highlight text and use right click to copy and paste the passage into a word processor such as Word.

Right clicking on a picture will allow you to copy the image or save it to your computer. However, some images are protected by disabling the right click. It is possible to get around this but involves accessing the page source which is another story…

We attended the ICE meeting on Saturday and were treated to a demonstration of slide/negative/photo scanners. The group has a wealth of expertise amongst the members so why not look them up. the next meeting will be on Friday, 9th Sep at 7.30pm.

What's on this Weekend

LIMERICK COMPETITION

Video Ad!

Keyboard Shortcuts - Part 2

The Beacon Foundation

Keyboard Shortcuts - Part 1

Trivial Pursuits

Helpful Tips #3 - How Much Stuff Can I Put On My Computer?

MAY NEWSLETTER

Snakes Alive!

Hybrid At HARS

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS

ADA LOVELACE DAY 2010

Parking In Wollongong

Helpful Tips #2 - Passwords

Danger: Virus Targets Facebook Users

Wings Over Illawarra

Helpful Tips #1 - Dismounting Memory Devices

Go Hawks!

Are Year 9 Laptops Useless?

MARCH NEWSLETTER

Congratulations!

Wings Over Illawarra

Wings Over The Illawarra 2010

Hawks Tickets Now On Sale

AB Computer Training, Cordeaux Heights

FREE LESSONS

Central Parking

Hawks!

A reminder about our September offer.
2 for 1 remote assistance.
02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

Type =rand(8,10) and press enter in Microsoft Word to automatically generate a bunch of text that can be used to test page formatting, fonts, etc. It also provides extensive information on how to format using Styles in Word.

Courtesy of Computer Hope's free computer help

DON'T MISS OUT
A reminder about our September offer.
2 for 1 remote assistance.
02 4261 7737/info@abcomputertraining.com

A reminder about our limerick competition this month. Write a limerick on our wall and get your friends to like it. The person with the most likes will win a 3hr training package.

Enter on our Facebook Page

Two 1 hour support sessions for only $80 ($75 concessions) payable in advance by PayPal or direct deposit.
These sessions require you to have a reliable internet connection and either Skype or a telephone you can use while working on your computer.
Offer available till 30th September 2011.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Have you found an interesting article or cute picture on the internet that you would like to keep or copy?

We attended the ICE meeting on Saturday and were treated to a demonstration of slide/negative/photo scanners.

The group has a wealth of expertise amongst the members so why not look them up. the next meeting will be on Friday, 9th Sep at 7.30pm.