(Seniornet South Newsleter No6)

A computer is a machine which can do things really fast -like making you angry Greetings for the New Year and welcome to the first edition for 1999. Here's hoping it will be a good one for all of us. As you will have noticed we have changed the format of the Newsletter. Much of the credit for this goes to Darrin. His guidance and assistance have been greatly appreciated. Feedback in the form of suggestions and comments will, as always, be gratefully received. Did you notice the stamped envelope this letter arrived in? Courtesy N.Z. Post. Our application for a postal grant was successful and 200 envelopes, worth $330, duly arrived. Once again a generous sponsor has smiled upon us and helped reduce the drain on finances. Barry has been persuaded to contribute details of the Internet course to this edition, a valuable addition you'll agree. He is anxious for as many people as possible to try out his programs.

Ask your tutor for details of Darrin's Microsoft 'quick reference pages, handy list of shortcuts which eliminates lots of the clicking with the mouse. Just after we have mastered the art. My thanks to all our regular contributors for making my job putting this humble offering together, the pleasant pastime it has become. I close with this comment from one P.Munro.'The computer has changed the way we do business. Rather than bothering with elaborate excuses we just say;-" the computer is down"Happy Reading,

I CAN REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN-

A HARD DISC was more likely to be a medical complaint

DESK TOP PUBLISHING was a book about publishing

SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS was a chamois leather The only

BUSINESS GRAPHICS you saw in an office were on the staff toilet wall

COPY PROTECTION

meant hiding your exam. paper from the kid next to you

A DROP DOWN MENU was one you accidentally knocked of the restaurant table

A MULTISYNC MONITOR was the kid in charge of the washroom

AN APPRECIATION

SENIORNET SOUTH operates entirely on the goodwill of those members are prepared to volunteer their time and experience for the benefit of others. Those who are serving us in this capacity are; DARRIN CHRISTIE, NGAIRE CUCKOW, VALMAI EVANS, WINNIE GRANT, ANDREA JONES, BRUCE JONES, JOAN MARTIN, ARCHIE McDONALD, BARRY STUCK, ALAN SWALLOW, JINA TANGNEY, LESLEY WILLIAMS, GUY HARRIS was with us up to the end of 1998.

WELCOME TO THE FOLD PAPAKURA. Congratulations and best wishes for the future to Papakura SeniorNet, the latest (?) center to establish. We look forward to a long association with you.

WITH what I trust was an enjoyable Christmas behind us we can all settle down to a New Year. One, which opened like all, the others but which will close like one in a thousand. Here's hoping all the surprises turn out to be pleasant ones. It ismy pleasure to report that, once again, the Invercargill Licensing Trust has favored us with a grant to purchase P.C. No 6. $2,500 was applied for, $2,500 was granted.(To think some people oppose the Trust). The new machine, a much more powerful one than the other five, has now been installed and is boosting our Internet capability. A big vote of thanks to Barry for the many hours he spent, during the break, getting the course organized and Winnie and Valmai for preparing the course notes. We are indeed fortunate to have so many members who generously donate their time to carry out the essential administration duties. Valmai for arranging the courses, Winnie for keeping the books and paying the bills, Bruce for taking responsibility for course notes and floppies, Darrin for regular maintenance,Doris editing this newsletter and David Meridith for technical advice Our dependence on their extra contribution to keep SeniorNet running cannot be overstated. TO those with unpleasant memories of suffering two uncomfortable hours the worst of our chairs, the news is good. They have been replaced with two new ones - you should never have to suffer again. YOUR co-operation would be appreciated in planning new courses. We feel that many areas of computing are being overlooked and are anxious to correct this. Please give some thought to the questions on the enclosed flyer and then tick the boxes. Thank you for supporting SeniorNet over the past year and trust we can count on it again in 1999. Happy Clicking

If architects designed buildings the way programmers wrote programs' then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization

Hello once again. Our first term classes have got off to a very satisfying start. Most classes are well attended. I trust that all members are enjoying the experience, and gaining knowledge and confidence from their chosen courses. The booking list for Term 2 is beginning to fill and I would encourage everyone to think about their next challenge. Remember the more classes you take the more you benefit from your annual subscription. The 'learning curve' suffers when you take a few weeks break. Ring me at 215-9293 and discus it. While existing courses are still the backbone of SeniorNet, much thought is going into establishing new ones. These have been listed on the enclosed 'flyer' we would appreciate your co-operation in completing and returning this. It will help our future planning. Publisher 98 is proving to be popular with those involved. This is the one to take if you want to have fun while expanding your artistic talents. Some interesting Valentine cards came out of the last session. Now let's see what Easter inspires. Database and Spreadsheet add a separate dimension again to computing. Often neglected these two are capable of storing and supplying important personal information at the touch of a button. Essential where memories are already overflowing with much more important things. Barry continues to improve his Internet course. This is one of the great growth areas in modern communications. The possibility of a Genealogy course is being investigated. Workshops dealing with the 'rats and mice' of computing are long overdue and is being addressed. Darrin is working on this possibility. Watch this space. Which is all very fine but finding tutors is always going to be a major problem. So, if you have enjoyed the SeniorNet experience so far how about changing places and passing on your knowledge to others. You don't have to be an expert, willing is enough. Happy Computing,

SeniorNet groups exist throughout New Zealand. Here is a list of them Auckland, Christchurch, Levin, Rotorua, Upper Hutt, Huapai, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Invercargill, Masterton, Kelston, Havelock Nth, Napier, Tauranga, Kurow, North Shore, Kaitaia, New Plymouth, Thames, Wanganui, Pakuranga, Kapiti, Nelson, Ngatea, Warkworth, Remuera, Keri Keri, Dunedin, Timaru, Wellington, Whangerei,

SENIORNET SOUTH (INC) ESTABLISHED 1997 Through the generosity of; N.Z. Lotteries Grants Board, Community Trust of Southland, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Telecom New Zealand, The Tindall Foundation, Microsoft, N.Z. Post,

AN OFFER WE CAN NOT IGNORE Microsoft has invited SeniorNet groups to apply for donated Microsoft products. We have responded to this generous offer and requested 3 Software packages and extra licenses to operate them on all six P.C.'s. A reflection of the encouragement SeniorNets are receiving from sponsors.

SECRETARY'S SECTION: WOULD BE ASSISTANT TUTORS. If someone taps you on the shoulder and asks you to become a tutor, please give it your serious consideration - That quotation, from Wellington SeniorNet's newsletter, was written by their Chairman. IN common with many other tutors, who went through W.P.1 & 2, I was asked if I would help out as an Assistant's assistant. It was amazing how much more I learnt during this process of helping others. A teacher I am not, but I did enjoy the satisfaction gained from playing the part and making new friends. After my first class I went home, poured myself a large class of red wine, collapsed in a chair and thought "Never again". However confidence and enjoyment grow with experience and now I look forward to each class. I realize that people have other commitments and interests but couldn't YOU just find a couple of spare hours in your busy week to donate to SeniorNet? You will be enabling at least five other people to take those first critical steps along the path toward computer literacy. I look forward to signing you up.

HOW WELL DO YOU read the inserts that come with your monthly accounts? Telecom's February issue contains a news item promoting SeniorNeniorNet

S-MAIL IS THE METHOD used to send a letter, which seems to go at a Snails pace when you want to send mail to your family overseas. Remember those Christmas cards you posted to the U.K. in October? SINCE July 1998 about 45 SeniorNet South students have learnt how to communicate with their families overseas using the electronic mail which is part of our Internet course. USING POWWOW, a safe communication program, students are able to use 'live voice' to chat to others around the world. This is in addition to the regular topics taught as part of our Internet course. THE WEBSITE used for this course was created by my son and I about a year again. To date our total 'hits' are in the region of 30,000, Average daily hit count is 125 a day. THE SENIORNET homepage is hosted on this website with about 12 pages dedicated to SeniorNet South including SeniorNet Gossip ChatCommunity, Interactive Computer Quiz, Photo Album and SeniorNet Webring.

HAVING Completed W.P. 1 & 2 the Internet course is well worth taking up to obtain full advantage of the international potential of your computer. You met some very, very interesting people I can assure you. I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY to acknowledge all the assistance received from Winnie in teaching the Internet classes. Her input and sense of humor gives the course a special 'zing'. BEST REGARDS.

GIFT VOUCHERS A REMINDER The beginning of a new course term is a good time to pass one of these over to a friend or relation. It could be just the push needed to get them into computing If your own sub is about due why not drop a few hints in the right quarters that a voucher would be most acceptable? You might just be providing a solution to someone wondering 'What to buy?' See Winnie our treasurer for your needs.

MURPHY'S LAW OF COMPUTING GAMES 1) Never play computer games with children or teenagers, unless you enjoy being humiliated. 2) Your score of a "shoot-em-up" or "platform" game will decrease in inverse proportion to your age. 3) When children go into a computer shop they always head for the most expensive games. AND AT WORK 1) Salesman; This computer will cut your workload by 50%. Office worker; That's great, I'll take two of them. 2) I've got this great new printer for my computer, it can produce 250 pages a minute. It certainly cuts down on the paperwork. 3) "With a computer we can now do a full eight hours of work in just one hour. Of course, it takes seven hours to figure out what we did. Sign on the door of a bankrupt shop,"Opened by mistake" Seen on job vacancy sign; "Help wanted. Must be telepathic. You'll know where to apply".

SINGULAR PLURALS Now if mouse in the plural should be, and is, mice, Then house in the plural, of course, should be hice, And grouse should be grice and spouse should be spice And by the same token should blouse become blice?