December 1999 Meeting Report
by Howard L. Bonar
Secretary, Alaska Computer Society

The December 9, 1999 meeting of the Alaska Computer Society was held at the Anchorage Museum of Art starting at 7:10 pm.

Questions and Answers

How do you save Outlook Express E-mail files to a floppy disk? Highlight the message, Click on "File" then select "Save As". Send it to the A: drive with an appropriate name.

Windows error messages. Go to www.Microsoft.com/support. Click on "Home User" then choose your operating system. A list of categories will be displayed. Error messages are listed in alphabetical order by the first letter of the message. You can also enter your question in free text and get some answers.

What is Cold Fusion. It is produced by Allaire and is a web-page development tool similar to Java.

Warren reports problems getting Windows to shut down. He was referred to last month's meeting when this was covered in the presentation. Shut off all drivers and reboot in safe mode (press F8 when "Starting Windows" is displayed ) then turn them back on one at a time to find the bad one. (See last month's meeting report.)

A member reports the date on his computer went to 2099. He wasn't sure what he was doing when it happened. It looks like he's jumping the gun on Y2K problems.

A new security breech is reported in Win98. A new worm called Bubble Boy is infecting Outlook Express. It is turned on when you preview the message. Updates are available to combat it at Slipstick Systems at www.SlipStick.com. Also, Microsoft has a number of security upgrades for their products at www.Microsoft.com/support. Check the download lists for what's available.

A member ran a virus checker on his machine. In saving files during the process, some have disappeared. No further details given.

Main Meeting

The regular meeting called to order at 7:20 pm. President Gene White opened the meeting with a review of the Alaska Computer Society, its programs, and activities. He introduced the board members and SIG leaders present.

He repeated the call for a volunteer to take over as editor of the newsletter. One of our newest members indicated his willingness to give it a try. The Microsoft representative on hand offered to provide whatever software he would need to do the job.

The January 13th meeting will be at the Museum again. It will be a review of the scope and shape of the Internet, its future development, and our place in it. February will be the Digital TV/computer convergence in features and functions. Watch for meeting location.

Ed Caldwell reported on the membership cards. He did not have his card printer with him so could not issue cards to the new members at this meeting.

Mike Jacquot has taken over as Web Editor of the ACS pages at www.alaska.net/~acs. He has made substantial improvements and it is looking very good. Meeting announcements and meeting reports are posted as well as other information about ACS.

Door prizes for the evening were provided by Microsoft. Drawings were conducted using the presentation questionnaire sheets. Winners were:

Pandora's Box, 2 ea. - Keith Harlan and Sidney ?
Midtown Madness - Eric Tasher
Microsoft Works Suite 2000 - Holly Hawkins
Encarta Suite 2000 - Elaine Holte
Flight Simulator Professional - Howard Bonar
Windows 98 upgrades, 2 ea. - Kathy Palmater and David Hoffman
Age of Empires - Deanna St. Lewis
( I hope these are correct HLB)

The Presentation

Debbie Escher, Channel Marketing Representative for Microsoft's Home and retail Division made the presentation. She has been with Microsoft for four years and in this position since April. Her territory includes Alaska so we can expect to see her quite often.

A misunderstanding in her office about the subject of the topics to be covered caused her to come with much more than just games to talk about. Her talk covered a number of Microsoft products that would make great Christmas presents for any family (that has a computer ). She gave us brief snapshots of MS packages being offered.

MS WORKS SUITE 2000

First in the line for home users is Microsoft's Works Suite 2000 which includes an integrated data base, spreadsheet, calendar, address book, and word processor. Packaged with it for the holiday is Home Publishing Suite which includes Picture It 2000, a photo editor, and Greetings 2000. In addition, Word 2000, Outlook Express and Microsoft Money have been included in the holiday package.

HOME PUBLISHING

Home Publishing includes templates for making all kinds of documents including newsletters, greeting cards, e-mail greetings, envelopes, crafts, calendars, reports, banners, awards, business cards, and much more. Choose from 70,000 quality graphics, (Deluxe version has more) 10,000 project templates, 10,000 professional photos, 155 fonts, and more-- or add your own photos, artwork, and personalized messages. If that's not enough, check the Microsoft Works Web Site for Templates for various home publishing projects. It is located at www.Microsoft.com/works.

PICTURE IT 2000

With "Picture It", you can make many improvements to your photos. Crop, cut, rotate, or flip photos. Easily edit out picture defects such as red eye or scratches and dust. Replace entire backgrounds and add special effects or fancy text. After fixing and enhancing your photos, you can then output them to your printer, presentation slide show or to an Internet Web Page. Capture your photo from any source: digital camera, scanner, floppy disk, or the Internet. The Wizards guides you through every step and give you lots of options for enhancing your work.

MICROSOFT MONEY 2000 STANDARD

Money 2000 helps you manage your personal finances. It will help balance your checkbook, pay bills, bank online, create a budget, reduce debt, and more. The Setup Assistant asks a few simple questions to help you set up your accounts and budgets.

MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS

Provided as part of Internet Explorer, Outlook Express is easy to set up and use, and provides you with secure, personalized, and complete features that make creating, sending, and reading your e-mail easy. (Be sure and get the security fixes).

ENCARTA REFERENCE SUITE 2000

Includes: Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2000; Encarta Interactive World Atlas; Encarta World English Dictionary; Encarta Online Deluxe Free! Useful for all ages and college work. The "Deluxe" edition also includes World Atlas, Computer dictionary, and Roget's Thesaurus. Other versions and different packages are available.

ENCARTA ENCYCLOPEDIA

Learn about astronomy, history, science, mechanics, people and many other complex subjects. Stay current with new discoveries, achievements, and research through monthly online updates in the Encarta Yearbook. These are made available on the Internet each month from June 1999 to December 2000 at no additional cost.

New features include the Contents Page for displaying information, and the Pinpointer search engine for finding facts. A Dynamic Timeline allows you to create your own custom timeline based on information you find. The Curriculum Guide makes it easy to find relevant information based on the subject being researched and your grade level.

Encyclopedia Deluxe 2000 has 50% more information, including 42,000+ authoritative articles, 10,000 new historical archive articles, and 40+ million words. Experience more multimedia! Bring learning to life with more than 17,000 photos and illustrations, 170+ videos and animations, and 2,500 audio clips.

Online updates for Encarta Reference Suite 2000 are made available on the Internet each month from June 1999 to December 2000 at no additional cost. For more information, see www.Microsoft.com and search for Encarta.

ENCARTA INTERACTIVE WORLD ATLAS 2000

If you enjoy studying maps you will love this product. Explore the world from your desktop with Encarta Interactive World Atlas 2000. With more than 20 map styles and over 1.7 million place names, it provides eight times the detail of any printed atlas. It has more than 20 dynamic map styles including political, tectonic, ecological regions, time zones, and population densities.

Multimedia Maps, which display images, world music, flags, national anthems and more directly on the map add interest and excitement to exploring the world. Maps can be edited and exported for inclusion in reports and presentations.

ENCARTA WORLD ENGLISH DICTIONARY HOLIDAY BUNDLE

Microsoft announced a special limited time only edition Encarta World English Dictionary bundle for this holiday season. The Encarta World English Dictionary bundle consists of the newly released Encarta World English Dictionary in print form and the newly released Encarta World English Dictionary on CD-ROM.

Encarta World English Dictionary is newly written for this new age of global communications. It provides a broader definition of the English language as it is written and spoken in different English-speaking countries around the world.

It contains more than 400,000 references, word histories, and usage notes, including many new words and phrases. The Quick Definitions feature summarizes word meanings and Word Keys provide usage advice, word origins, synonyms, and more. The Pronunciation Guide respells words the way they sound. On the CD-ROM version you can hear words pronounced by a professional.

FLIGHT SIMULATOR - THE ULTIMATE GAME

This program may prove to be more fun than any fantasy game ever devised. With 3D scenery; a whole fleet of aircraft that ranges from a single-engine Cessna to the supersonic Concorde and including a Boeing 777-300, you can fly the world.

Several new cities including Boston, Chicago, Paris, Seattle, Tokyo, have been added to the detailed skyline views and a total of 21,000 airports world wide are included. The GPS navigation system gives professional training in getting from point A to Point B. Fly to anywhere in the entire world over scenic mountains, oceans, and through highly detailed cities.

You can download realtime weather reports covering the areas you are traversing, and the departure and destination sites for additional realism. With the click of a button, it re-creates the latest worldwide weather - including clouds, rain, thunderstorms, and wind - automatically.

True worldwide elevation data and 16-bit color graphics bring mountains, weather, seasonal effects, and famous landmarks to life.

It is so realistic that it can be a very valuable complement to formal flight training. A plane hijacker in Asia learned to fly a jetliner using Flight Simulator 98. He was successful in landing but was caught on the ground. FS 2000 Professional would give even more realistic training. It is being used by the military in their flight training programs.

Local Flight Simulator devotee David Goodworth reports that, through the years, many folks have been adding scenery and planes and such to the program to make the flying experience more realistic. For the last six years, Dean Salmon has been creating Alaskan scenery for FS. He has made cities like Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks come alive by adding many buildings. The default scenery is very good as far as the placement of terrain, runways, rivers and lakes, but landmarks and building are lacking. This is all free and can easily be downloaded and installed with little skill. Installation instructions are in the zipped file. For a better description of Dean Salmon and his work visit and get The Alaska scenery Update at www.Galaxies.com/Alaska/Alaska.htm. (This is also a great site if you are an astronomy buff)

PANDORA'S BOX

Appropriate for families from for 9 to 99. The Journey Begins when Seven mythical Tricksters escape from Pandora's Box to wreak havoc on the world. It's up to you to solve the puzzles, capture the Tricksters, and save the world from chaos.

Easy to play, yet difficult to master puzzles are progressively challenging. Rich graphics, music and animations provide a fun puzzle experience. The overall mission provides a purpose for completing the puzzles. Game play options allow you to follow the game's story line or jump directly to your favorite puzzle. Save Game feature allows you to start, stop and resume again where you left off.

THE AGE OF THE EMPIRES GAME

Starting from the Stone Age, using minimal resources, players develop their tribes into great civilizations. It's economics, warfare, strategy, and world dominion. How will you rule the world?

THE NEW MOUSE

Microsoft has come out with a new mouse line that solves the major problems with the traditional models. IntelliMouse Explorer uses a new optical sensor called IntelliEye. This sensor scans the surface beneath the mouse 1,500 times per second to accurately and track the smallest motion. All the optical sensor needs is a surface with a small amount of detail, including wood, plastic, or even your pant leg. It will stay precise because there are no moving parts and no maintenance requirements. A trackball version is also available.

KEYBOARDS

The Natural Keyboard Pro has been enhanced with a USB port in the back and 19 programmable buttons. A special Internet Keyboard keys has been introduced which offers One-Touch access to the Internet and more. It has 10 Hot Keys on a standard keyboard design that also includes a detachable palm rest. The Hot Keys allow you to browse the web, or check your e-mail directly from the keyboard. The included software allows you to customize your hot keys to make it work the way you want it to.

MICROSOFT WINDOWS 98 SECOND EDITION

The holiday offer is upgrade to Win98 Second Edition and get Play Pack CD, a new collection of Windows games. Windows 98 Second Edition offers some new and enhanced features relating to Internet access and hardware compatibility. It has support for the latest graphics, sound, and multimedia technologies, and promises the ability to easily add and remove peripheral devices.

FINAL COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS.

Windows 2000 business version will be on the NT Platform. The Home Edition will upgrade Win 98 2nd Edition. It is now called the Millennium but has no official release name. Use partition Magic 5.0 (or equivalent) whenever you want to set up multiple operating systems on separate hard disk partitions and get selectable boot-up.

Microsoft maintains a site for registering your software wants at www.WishList.MS.com.