Community Technology Centre

Vale Ron Lardner

ctcoberon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:48:38 +0000

Before Ron moved to Oberon, his jobs involved plenty of international travel, conferences, business entertaining and the like, but while in Oberon, there were far fewer social appearances, the Council and Duckmaloi Volunteer Bushfire Christmas parties were among the few he attended.
When Ron and Veronica moved in to Ponderosa, Ron embraced this new life with his usual enthusiasm and attacked the new situation with his normal intelligence and analytical approach eg – several in depth conversations with locals on the best implement to kill or relocate snakes.
Ron (and Veronica) were always welcoming and their insistence on a cuppa or a beer with any and all helpers around the house made everyone feel comfortable – even though the job time might be doubled!.
Ron had been a volunteer for the Oberon CTC since before the centre first opened it doors.
Ron helped put the submission together that succeeded in Oberon gaining a CTC, he was around to help arrange the opening and maintain the community’s interest in the CTC.
As many people would know, Ron has assisted a lot of locals with their computer issues and training whether they were experienced or novice computer users.
Ron is well known in the community as ‘that guy that can tweak my computer and show me how to keep up to date’ – which he did with the minimum of fuss and always with a smile.
Ron ran one of the most popular courses at the CTC – digital photography, the waiting list started building for his next course before he had finished the current one!
As well as digital photography, Ron ran courses on computer security and maintaining your computer.
Every Thursday afternoon the Advanced Computer Users group met at the CTC. Ron had co-ordinated this group from the outset.
The group covered the whole range of activities from installing a graphics card to using the latest release of various software.
The Oberon CTC also has a weekly column in the Oberon Review which, for the last 5 years, Ron has composed.
Ron also prepared and published a booklet called PC Users Guide – which the CTC distributed at cost to local community members.
Ron kept the CTC “humming along” and we really appreciated the significant time that he put into the centre – all on a voluntary basis.
He will be sadly missed by all. Our thoughts and condolences are with Veronica and her family and Ron’s family.

Courses at the CTC November 2009

ctcoberon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:51:11 +0000

MYOB

Central West Community College is offering a MYOB course at the Oberon CTC. It will involve 4 full days of training – $350 per person (based on a minimum of 8 participants) OR 7 sessions x 3 hours – $485 per person (based on a minimum of 8 participants). The cost includes: all travel for trainer and a comprehensive manual and students files (on thumb drive) for each student. At this stage the trainer is available on most Wednesdays

Computer Basics

This is Is a self-certifiable course which comprehensively introduces the beginner and near beginner to IT literacy. It introduces the learner to the very basic concepts of computing and teaches how computing can be an everyday feature of life and work. Computing is an important part of everyday life in the twenty-first century. From music and photos to banking and communicating, computers have changed the way we work and live. The first module of the Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum introduces you to the fundamentals of computing, explains the components of a computer, explores operating system basics, and shows you how to use a mouse and a keyboard. The courses are self paced and are offered on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. The cost is $5 for 2 hours

Internet Basics

The Internet can connect you to people, information, and resources around the world. It shows you how to connect to the Internet, browse Web pages, navigate Web sites, use search engines, and exchange e-mail with others. The courses are self paced and are offered on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. The cost is $5 for 2 hours

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)

All the courses are self paced. The Word 2003 course is to introduce the user to the fundamental principles of using and to provide an understanding of the power of word processing system. The Microsoft Access 2003 course will enable you to use and create a database. The Microsoft Excel 2003 involves learning the basics of creating, editing, and saving worksheets. The MS Outlook introduces to this messaging and collaboration application within the Microsoft Office suite of programs. It helps you to organize and share information and to communicate with other people especially e-mail. The Microsoft PowerPoint course is designed to give the user the ability to produce professional-looking presentations. The self paced courses are offered on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. The cost is $5 for 2 hours

You are quite welcome at your local CTC (48 Ross St – we share with the Visitor Information Centre) for all your online needs. We have a high speed internet connection, up to date computers, friendly staff and a quiet atmosphere. Please contact the CTC on 6329-8210 for any online course needs, in-house courses and computer maintenance. Please visit our website www.ctcoberon.wordpress.com for more information.

Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?

ctcoberon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:49:58 +0000

TechSoup has a good little article discussing the pros and cons of upgrading visit http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page12222.cfm

Briefly they say:

Make sure your hardware will support Windows 7;
Make sure your programs will run on Windows 7

If you are upgrading from Windows XP - You can’t upgrade directly. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not provided Windows 7 with the capability to upgrade directly from Windows XP. The explanation is that so much has changed between Windows XP and Windows 7 within the operating system kernel itself, the Registry, the drivers, etc. that trying to get from Point A to Point B just won’t work. That isn’t as horrible as it sounds. Frankly, although in-place upgrades are convenient, experts always recommend doing a fresh install when moving to a new operating system in order to ensure the best performance and overall experience. Visit here http://www.cnet.com.au/upgrade-windows-xp-to-windows-7-339299114.htm for more information.

If you are upgrading from Windows Vista – If you’re upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 it should be a fairly easy install. You can do what’s called an in-place upgrade as long you install the same version of Windows 7 as you have of Vista. For instance, if you have Windows Vista Home premium you can upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium.
Visit here for more information http://www.cnet.com.au/upgrade-windows-vista-to-windows-7-339299167.htm

TechRepublic has a also has a good article on planning and preparing for the migration. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=1000&tag=nl.e101 .

Food, Food, Food

ctcoberon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:26:39 +0000

A smart way of spending your money on food to balance your diet and your food budget – FOODcents aims to teach people how to get value for money and achieve a balanced diet. The FOODcents model recommends spending money across the food groups in set proportions, spending the most on fruits, vegetables and plain cereal foods. Spending with FOODcents ensures that most money is spent on the foods we should eat most of and least being spent on the foods we should eat least. Visit http://www.foodcentsprogram.com.au/ for more information, recipes, how to Eat Smart and how to Shop Smart.

The Oberon Council has a FREE online Food Handling Course, which can be used to help obtain employment in the hospitality area and also assist in voluntary work in school canteen, meals on wheels etc.” Visit http://www.oberon.nsw.gov.au/environment.html and click on the Food and Health link. The training program is a self paced user friendly program covering all aspects of food premises safety and is recommended for all persons working in food premises.

Some interesting sites when you are looking for that particular recipe are http://www.taste.com.au/ – which brings together Australia’s leading food magazines in one essential website. Their aim is to make it easy for you to find inspiration or the recipe you want to make a great tasting meal and http://www.oldaussierecipes.com/ – Old Australian food recipes, cooking and delicious meals the old time way in Australia.