Ccmag2007 12

Founder & Editor-in-Chief Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com VP of Operations Michael Hewitt - mike@ccmag.com Contributing Editors Dr. J.D.
Doc Watson, Terry Wilhite, Yvon Prehn, Nick Nicholaou, Walt Wilson, Jim Vanduzer Kevin A. Purcell, Ross Gile, Donald Stratton, Ben Woelk Copy Editor Gene Pearson Corporate Home Office
Mailing address: Delivery address: PO Box 319 Belton MO 64012 311 Manor Dr. Belton, MO 64012
Applying Tomorrows Technology to Todays Ministry

Volume 19 December 2007 No. 12
Cover Story - Page 7
A Good Volunteer is Hard to Find...

by J. Kevin Weinhoeft
Phone: (816) 331-8142 FAX: 800-456-1868 Copyright 2007 by Christian Computing, Inc.
Special Feature - Page 24
The Internet Protection Agency
All Rights Reserved
by Chris Duff
Page 3 Page 4 Page 6
by Donald Stratton
Editorial
2008 Our 20th Year of Publishing CCMag

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by Steve Hewitt
CCMag NewsBreif Press Releases Inside the Box

To Quad.. or not to Quad
Page 9
Wordsearch Word Tech Talk
Join the WORDsearch Upgrade CELEBRATION Sale

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by Bob Dasal by Dr. J.D. (Doc) Watson
Page 11
The Top Ten Tune-Up Tips
Page 12 Page 18 Page 22 Page 26 Page 28 Page 31
Internet Ministry
Islamic Militants Leveraging the Web

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by Walt Wilson
Christian Computing is a registered trademark of Christian Computing, Inc. Written materials submitted to Christian Computing Magazine become the property of Christian Computing, Inc. upon receipt and may not necessarily be returned. Christian Computing Magazine reserves the right to make any changes to materials submitted for publication that are deemed necessary for editorial purposes. The content of this publication may not be copied in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Christian Computing, Inc. Views expressed in the articles and reviews printed within are not necessarily the views of the editor, publisher, or employees of Christian Computing Magazine, or Christian Computing, Inc.
Music & Multimedia
Vista and Multimedia? NOT!
Ministry Communication
by Terry Wilhite by Yvon Prehn
Christmas Goodies Resources For Church Communicators

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Higher Power with Kevin

Great Geek Gifts
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by Kevin A Purcell by Scott Howard
Scott Howards HotPic

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www.ccmag2.com/2007_03/2007_03editorial.pdf
December 2007
Christian Computing Magazine
editorial
Steve Hewitt - steve@ccmag.com
Our 20th Year of Publishing CCMag
2008
irst let me wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas. As we prepare to finish 2007, I am excited about 2008. We are beginning our 20th year of publishing CCMag, and this time next year, we will be announcing the location of our birthday party as we reach 20! And, as we prepare for 2008, we are launching several NEW services related to our mission statement of Applying Tomorrows Technology to Todays Ministry.
this venture. This new ministry will be a true non-profit, and the purpose of this new ministry will be simply to spread the Gospel to the un-churched in a new and exciting way, with zero ability to earn any money (grin). So, it will either be operated by volunteers, or we incorporate as a non-profit and seek donations. I am sharing all of this because I know if you are still reading this editorial, you are probably a dedicated reader of CCMag. Join me in praying as I announce this new ministry next month, that God will call out those who are supposed to join me in this exciting new venture. It truly has the ability to shake the world and present the Gospel to multiple millions within months! Again, have a Merry Christmas. And may I encourage you to share the wish for a Merry Christmas with everyone you come in contact with this month!
First, next year we will begin placing comparison feature charts online. For many years, in October, we have published a Church Management Software (CMS) feature chart. However, as the number of features have grown, and the number of companies and products have grown, a print feature comparison chart is simply not able to fit on paper. Therefore, we are working on a comprehensive feature chart that we can put online with detailed descriptions of features, and room for all of the products and services available. We hope to launch our first chart in the first quarter of 2008, and are working with a programmer to create a second version that will enable visitors to list the features they deem important, and have the program develop customized charts that will only list the companies that meet the search criteria. Once we have finished with the CMS feature comparison chart, we plan to do the same for a variety of products such as Bible study software, worship presentation software, filtering software, etc. Second, we are having a video created that we feel many churches would like to use in worship or Bible study. We will be releasing this video to all of our present readership and encourage them to share it with other churches. It will be our first test of viral marketing. The video will be given away for free, and hopefully as it is shared across the Christian community, it will help spread the word about CCMag and our free subscriptions! Third, I have been given an exciting new vision for a new ministry. I promise it will not distract from what I do here at CCMag, but it is something separate from the basic mission of CCMag. This new ministry will have the ability to present the message of Christ to millions of the un-churched, and do it within a short time period. Of course it will use technology, but while the technology it will use is readily available, no one has thought to use it in the way I have lead to do. So what is it? I am not ready to say in this issue, but will explain it next month (January 2008 issue). When I explain this new ministry, I will be asking for help from those that are led to join me in Christian Computing Magazine December 2007
Online Coupons Lead To Phishing Attacks The bad guys are hard at work this Christmas season. Watch out for emails containing coupons. Many of the actual coupon offers are legit, but some are creating emails that LOOK like the real deal, but when you click on the coupon, you are taken to a fake site in order for someone to steal your ID and credit card account information. If you receive an email with a coupon that looks like something you really want to use, open your browser and enter the retailers real site and see if you can navigate to the coupon offer to assure it is real. A security expert from IBM states that they discovered over 867,000 phishing scams in the third quarter of this year, and Brian Trombley, a product manager for computer security firm McAfee Inc., said holiday phishing scams are shaping up to be an extraordinary problem this season. For more information, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22119051/ Will ASK Search Engine Beat Google Because of ID Security? There is little doubt that Google is the search engine of choice for most. However, Google still retains your search data on their servers for up to 18 months, and some are concerned about a proposed merger between Google and DoubleClick, which is a leader in creating click ads. ASK has come up with a new way to attract customers to their search site by offering them the ability to control their search history. They are launching a new service called AskEraser, instantly giving their visitors the ability to remove all of their search history information from their records. Some search engines claim this is a bad idea because in keeping search result records, they have a record if criminal activity took place. For more information, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7138260.stm Digital Picture Frames for Christmas Digital picture frames might be a hot item this year for Christmas. More and more people are into digital photography, and a digital picture frame is a great way to show off your photos away from your computer. Prices for a 7 frame have dropped to $49 and $59 if you shop around, however prices vary depending on how pictures get into the frame. Some frames allow for a USB connection or memory card, while some work via WiFi if you use that within your house. I have also seen some that use a transmitter USB similar to what is used for a wireless mouse. However, these will have a limit to how far away they can be from your computer. In addition, some frames have the ability to access music files and play them in conjunction with your photos, and some are even able to play video clips. Last year, at Walmart, they had two digital photo frames for sale and they were under lock-and-key. This year they have over half-dozen models out and running. On the high side, one picture frame at 22 is marketed at a price over $1,000. For more information, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22014505/ Airline Boarding Passes Move Ahead Again We have come along way from having to pick up your ticket in order to fly. Now most people can download their boarding pass and print off their own e-ticket. However, Continental is using their new Cell Phone ticket for those flying out of Houston. Once you purchase a ticket, a special barcode graphic is downloaded to your cell phone or PDA. By simply showing your cell phone screen to a scanner, you will be able to access certain gates. Passengers will still need a photo-ID to actually board. What if your cell phone battery goes dead? There will be kiosk available where you can enter your data and receive a print out. The purpose for electronic cell phone passes is that they are harder to forge and they save paper. There are still problems being worked out, such as what to do for those people who dont have a cell phone, or for those that have one phone for a couple or a group, but this seems to be the way things will be going. For more information, visit http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-12-04-electronic-boarding-pass_N.htm 4
December 2007 Christian Computing Magazine
I Got My Wii For Christmas, Here Are Tips For Getting Yours Wii from Nintendo might be the hottest item for Christmas this year. The only problem is that after a year on the market, they are still hard to find. As soon as a store receives them, they are sold and off the shelf. 1. Start asking friends AROUND THE COUNTRY to watch for Wiis being sold. When they are stocked, a line will form and they will quickly sell out. However, a friend of mine (Nick Nicholaou) noticed a Wii line at a Best Buy in California and quickly called me. Today, I received my Wii shipped to me from my friend. 2. Do not plan to purchase one from online retailers. Everyone seems to be trying this. When Amazon.com received 1,200 Wiis for sale last week, they were all sold in less than 10 minutes. 3. Your best shot is to talk to the people in the electronics department. Ask them to tell you when it is that they seem to be stocked, and then hang out. For more information, visit http://www.wired. com/gaming/hardware/news/2007/12/get_wii Cell Phones Converging To Internet Access Devices? Cell phones have continued to add abilities such as digital cameras and GPS tracking. However, the most important ability they have added may actually overtake the main purpose that the cell phone was created for, talking. Accessing the Internet on your phone is becoming increasingly important. While many phones can offer some level of access, most consumers are not happy with the end results and want fast connections, more access and a better screen. Cell phone companies have worked to increase some services and access using EVD to increase speeds. Services have also included sending text messages that can originate from the web, downloading ring tones and songs, and posting pictures to the Internet, sent from your cell phone. However, it is obvious from the success of the iPhone, consumers want more. They WANT a small portable device that is functional, and colorful, to access the Internet .When the iPhone went on sale in the USA, many people around the world bought them and used them for their Internet access, even though phone conversations were not possible. There are now two interesting developments. First, Google has announced they will be coming out with a mobile Internet service that will work with many cell phone and mobile devices. The service will provide Google search, and Google applications directly accessible from mobile devices. Second, Verizon has just announced that they are opening up their network to outside developers of mobile devices. The goal will be to open up Verizons network and break through what is called the walled garden. The walled garden refers to the present structure where each cell phone company offers specific services to their customers related to Internet access, but these services are not available to other networks. This does not mean that Verizon will be able to use the iPhone on their system. There are two basic standards for cell phone use and Verizon, along with Sprint and Alltel, use CDMA, while the most popular used worldwide is GSM (used by AT&T and the iPhone.) Verizon will publish technical standards for developers in early 2008 and evaluate devices to make sure they are network compatible. This means that as soon as they release their information, separate companies can begin developing mobile devices, even a knock-off of something like the iPhone, with WiFi, keyboard, MP3 Player, etc. that can be sold separately, but work with the Verizon network if customers want to add a phone service to the device. 2008 may be the year of the decline of the phone. Instead of Internet access to share email, songs, pictures, text messages, etc., as an add-on to the cell phone, adding a cell phone service will be an add-on to the more valuable Internet access mobile device.
Christian Computing Magazine December 2007
Press Releases
AdvancedMinistry 3.0 takes dynamic church web design and content management to the next level Electricurrent is pleased to announce the official release of AdvancedMinistry 3.0 the third generation of its online product that originally launched in 2002. The latest version focuses on building community through blogging, podcasts, video streaming and more. Additionally, in the latest iteration of this platform, special attention has been paid to SEO (search engine optimization) to ensure that clients of AdvancedMinistry are found in major search engines like Google and Yahoo. Founded in 1996, Electricurrent has assisted hundreds of ministries throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K. with their creative and technology-based efforts. Some of their clients include Youth Specialties, Pure Life Ministries, Teen Challenge, Crown Financial, Biola University and The Salvation Army. In August of 2000, they began a journey to create AdvancedMinistry an online solution that would assist churches and ministries in building and maintaining an effective website at little or no cost. The official release of AdvancedMinistry came in March of 2002. God has taken us on an amazing journey, says Ray Majoran, CEO of Electricurrent. Its incredible to see how far the product has come since Version 1.0, when we first endeavored to offer ministry-based organizations an inexpensive content management solution. Our team is very excited about the latest version; we believe it will change the way that churches reach their communities. From a web perspective, AdvancedMinistry handles everything that you would expect out of a content management solution: the ability to create your own pages, take donations, podcast, blog, send newsletters and more. But the distinctive heart of AdvancedMinistry lies in the tools it provides to help ministry-based organizations create and maintain a consistent, high-quality media campaign. For example, with Christmas approaching, AdvancedMinistry enables you to create a Christmas campaign for your church or ministry. With the click of a button, you can change your entire website to a Christmas theme and then download and customize corresponding PowerPoint templates and bulletin shells to go with it. When Christmas is over, you can simply revert to your original theme, or switch to a completely different theme. The system also allows you to upload your own JPEG or Flash headers that correspond with your ministrys brand. AdvancedMinistry has the power to change the way that you do ministry. As a key component of Electricurrents mandate, they have worked to offer a free version of AdvancedMinistry to those who cant afford an elaborate solution and advanced versions for those who need something more powerful. For more information, please visit www.advancedministry.com/ccmag Innovative Online Calendar Start-Up CalendarCompanion.com TGL, Inc., an internet solutions corporation, has launched a new product called CalendarCompanion.com, an effective web-based, real-time calendar application designed to improve organizational communications. CalendarCompanion.com displays scheduled events based on user-defined categories, and includes a vast number of options including email reminders. More importantly, it includes a content management system that is easily operated by non-technical administrators. We are excited about the leading-edge technology that Calendar Companion offers, says Bob Cassidy, founder of TGL, Inc. This technology allows organizations to integrate CalendarCompanion.com with their organizations website without having to purchase, install, or download any software. Our progressive email system enables organizations and members to stay tuned into the latest scheduled events by event reminder emails that are auto-generated based on preset user preferences. Organizations and users will be drawn to the customizable features and ease of navigation that encompasses CalendarCompanion.com. Managing event details is as easy as 1, 2, 3 with a unique and simple management system. This system allows administrators to insert a description of the event that includes text, graphics, web links and contact information. Certain events can even be set to private giving the organization control over which events people or staff can view using unique password privileges. Whether you are managing the communications of a church body, communicating the season schedule for a sports team, or organizing and maintaining the employee work detail for a restaurant, CalendarCompanion.com will be sure to offer you a hassle-free, value-priced product that will enhance your organizational communications. www.CalendarCompanion.com also gives users the ability to seamlessly integrate their organizations calendar with SermonCompanion.com, a TGL Inc. product for churches that are looking for a clean, cost-effective way to offer their church audio sermons online. TGL Inc is a pioneer in the development of innovative web solutions, based in Swartz Creek, MI.
December 2007
cover story
J. Kevin Weinhoeft - jkwgroup@comcast.net
A Good Volunteer
is Hard to Find...
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man. Mark 10:45
n todays online world, people now expect that their church is communicating with them with the speed and need that they get in the world. With the advent of online banking, online bill paying, email, and instant communication via texting, the way the church does ministry has changedforever. In addition, recent data shows that people under 30 years of age seldom carry cash or checks, and the majority of their purchases are conducted with a debit or credit card. So, is your church passing the collection plate on Sunday? If so, more often than not, these younger people are passing it along, as they dont have cash in their wallet to drop into the plate! In other words, if you want these people to tithe, online giving is probably the best vehicle to engage them in their support of your ministry. And of course, if a church is not online with a compelling web site, they may not
has been called upon to be Jesus with skin on. Students love to volunteer, too! My guess is your ministry has students that are stepping out into your community as well, by organizing food drives, collecting clothes for the needy or maybe helping in the local shelters. By the way, how do students get their information? Well, its not in your church bulletin! Its via your web site, emails and for sure through text messaging! SignUsUp to Serve is like having someone available round the clock to manage your volunteers. Using the Internet and your own web site, you
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be missing the opportunity to communicate with their congregation, but they are missing the opportunity to reach nonbelievers and new members. The bottom line is most visitors will state that they found your church by searching for a church online or a drive by. (Yes, Yellow Pages advertising is so 80s!) The truth is the local church cannot and would not exist without volunteers. Volunteers come from all walks of life. They include the mom that helps out with the infants on Sunday morning, the single dad that teaches the 5th grade Sunday school class, to the banker that makes million-dollar decisions during the week, who steps up to help families in trouble with their finances, by teaching a class on one of his free nights during the week. Of course, the list goes on and on, and probably each of us reading this article have either volunteered or benefited from a volunteer who is there for you, as he or she
can now organize and share volunteer service opportunities with members and visitors through your web site. Users can easily identify specific opportunities to serve and then register where interested. SignUsUp to Serve will even take care of sending out reminders and thank you notes. We live in a 24/7 world. Perhaps its time for your ministry to consider a new way to recruit and maintain your volunteers? Is it time to meet them online at home, at work, and even through their mobile phone? (In 2008 SignUsUp will introduce text messaging into their Serve application.) If so, heres a quick review about SignUsUp to Serve: - Easily integrates into ANY web site! Create departments and volunteer service details specific to your ministry - Provide contact information, descriptions, and volunteer requirements for each service area - Allow volunteers to self-register--without staff ever losing control - Report on volunteer involvement, demographic information, and more - Supports automated e-mail and voicemail options for managing reminders and other timely communication needs SignUsUp church management applications also include: Online Donations, Online Store, Special Payments, Online Event Registrations, Ticketing and Serve. In addition SignUsUp also offers turnkey kiosk solutions. SPECIAL OFFER SignUsUp is here to serve you! In fact, SignUsUp is so excited to serve your ministry that theyll give a 60-day free trial of SignUsUp to Serve! Yes, thats right, in just a few days you can begin recruiting and signing up volunteers through your own web site, without any software to install on your network or computers! For more information or a free demo, visit www.signusup.com or email info@ signusup.com or call 800.347.7106.
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inside the box

Donald Stratton - Donald@PowerNotebooks.com
To Quad...
or not to Quad
ith Intel and AMD both now offering Quad-core desktop options, and notebook options sitting in the pipeline for the first half of next year, plenty of computer enthusiasts are wondering whether the time is right to upgrade to a Quad-core processor.
What Can Quad Core Do For You? The biggest question is whether you will see any advantages from using a Quad-core processor, especially when it is apparently running at a lower speed than cheaper dual-core processors. The answer depends entirely upon how you use your system. Just as with dual-core systems, having 4 cores makes multi-tasking a breeze. With more cores to handle individual application threads, multi-tasking power users will certainly be able to eke out a little bit more day-to-day performance, but the multi-tasking boost is not nearly as important to most power users as the multi-THREADING performance, which allows a single application to take advantage of all four cores. There are a lot of high-end professional applications that are able to take advantage of a quad-core system, including Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Lightwave 9, and Adobe After Effects. In these sorts of professional applications, you can expect to see at least a 25% improvement in performance over faster dual-core processors, which is significant enough to take notice. Some reports have indicated much more significant performance boosts. Is The Game The Thing? High-end gamers dont have it quite as peachy as cutting-edge professionals. Currently, the number of games with native quad-core support is miniscule (Unreal Tournament 3, Supreme Commander, Half-Life: Episode 2, and Crysis are four of the biggest). Many developers are still playing catch-up with dual-core support, and most games currently available benefit Christian Computing Magazine December 2007
much more from the faster, less expensive dual core processor than they do from having four processing cores. In the small number of games that do take advantage of quad-core processors, the processors are invaluable for improving game performance, and, given the recent trends of the gaming industry, it wouldnt be too far off to assume that Epic Games Unreal Tournament 3 engine and Valve Softwares revamped Source engine will be used heavily in future games, increasing quad-core support by virtue of their ubiquity, but gamers need to be aware that a quad core processor is more of an investment for the future, rather than an upgrade for present performance (except for the big four mentioned above). Do You Need It? Right now, the primary market for quad-core processing is the professional user. Professional applications have been taking advantage of multiple threads ever since the first dual-processor Intel Xeon motherboards were released, so professional applications have a significant head start over the rest of the computing industry when it comes to utilizing multi-core processors to their fullest. For the professional user, especially in 3D design and modeling, and audio, image, and video editing, the upgrade to quad-core is a must have; this is the next big upgrade for the high-tech professional. For the high-end gamer looking to build a gaming system that is future-proof, quad core also makes sense. Even if there is a slight performance hit with games right now, games will start to benefit more and more from a quad-core processor. For the average gamer, quad core is still something best approached with a wait-and-see attitude. It may be the future, but it is not the present. There are faster dual-core processors available that cost less and give equal or better performance in everything but the bleeding edge of entertainment applications. For the every-day computer user who is not into gaming and does not work with professional-grade applications, a quad-core processor probably would not even be noticeable without a half-dozen different applications running at the same time. As with the average gamer, there are faster, less expensive dual-core processors that will give a better bang for the buck.
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December 2007
wordsearch word
Bob Dasal - bdasal@wordsearchbible.com
Upgrade CELEBRATION Sale!
Join the WORDsearch
ORDsearch is having a TREMENDOUS SALE to celebrate the release of the latest version of its Bible software, WORDsearch 8 (WS8). For a limited time WORDsearch is offering half- price on many of its electronic books and tremendous savings on its most popular packages.
Cross Reference Explorer Library Organization Word Searching Improvements Instant Verse Study Parallel Bible Window Improvements Turabian Footnotes If you are a WORDsearch 7 user you can upgrade to WS8 for only $39.95. For NEW users we have SPECIAL introductory packages at tremendous savings. Examples of the savings are: The $49.95 Thompson Chain-Reference Bible Library is on sale for just $34.95. The $199.95 Thompson Chain-Reference Leaders Edition is now only $149.95. The $499 Topical Teaching Library is only $249.95. The $498 60,000 Sermon Illustrations is SALE PRICED for $99.95 The POPULAR $29.99 New American Commentary is sale priced at $14.99 a volume. Books by John Butler, Warren Wiersbe, John MacArthur, H.A. Ironside, J. Vernon McGee, Tony Evans, and many others are discounted. WS8 is fast! WORDsearch has always been noted for its search speed, and WS8 is no exception. Testing shows it substantially faster than all major competitors. There is FREE Technical Support Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. All you pay for is the call to 512-835-6900. Also available is FREE Webinar Training. Training times are found on the WORDsearch website. To check out the complete listing of one-half off electronic books and packages go to www.wordsearchbible.com or call (800) 888-9898. Current users will want to take advantage of the opportunity to grow their library through the celebration half-price sale. WORDsearch 8 is fully compatible with Microsoft VISTA and XP, and with books purchased for WORDsearch 7 and Bible Explorer.
WS8 has only been available for a few weeks and already users are excited about its many new and improved features. Here is a sampling of comments. John Gillis writes, WS8 is the most feature-rich update of a desktop software package I can ever remember seeing. While half a dozen or so new productivity tools are the meat of the upgrade, my favorite innovations are several robust and powerful functional enhancements to the old Parallel Bible and Personal Bible Notes windows, making these newly transformed tools absolute essentials for my lesson prep and daily study of the Word. Ken Hill says, Open Book lets you quickly find any book in your library, documents, and downloaded Community documents. You are not limited to the first letters of the books title. Open Book finds resources on any word in the title or by the authors name. To open either Strongs Concordance or NASB Concordance, simply invoke Open book and type concord then choose the one you want to open. Type strong and you can choose from Strongs Concordance, Strongs Dictionary, or the book Tabernacle of Israel by James Strong. And Mark Skoda writes, WORDsearch 8 has some wonderful improvements over version 7. The search functionality is terrific! The collections allow for quick topical searches and the footnoting feature is a dream for reference and study. The internal browser is a home run and I have already put all of my study links into my favorites. Here is a short list of additions and improvements you will find in WS8. Topic Explorer Integrated Web Access
December 2007
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tech talk
Dr. J.D. (Doc) Watson - docwatson3228@qwest.net
The Top Ten
Tune-Up Tips
oy, did I get into a controversy the other day when I thought to myself, I wonder if its really necessary to change the oil in my car every 3,000 miles? After a little Internet research, I then thought, Sorry I asked. Some say youre an idiot if you dont because youll destroy your engine, others that youre a dumb sheep if you do because its just a plot by the oil companies, and still others say, Just buy synthetic. Whatever! I guess Ill just stay a sheep (which is Biblical anyway). What I do know, however,
is that you should keep your PC tuned, so in this two part series, well look at the top ten tips for doing so. 1. Check/Update Security Software and Settings Security software is often only as good as its last update, and if you fail to update often enough, it actually becomes worthless. Depraved minds continue to create new viruses and unethical merchants continue to flood us with spam and malware (see my Malware Mayhem article, June 2007). Yes, most anti-virus and other security software automatically update, but its a good idea to make sure those auto-settings are on and to keep tabs on when they do update. Most enable you to easily check when they last updated. As I write this, for example (11/10/07), I checked my AVG anti-virus installation and found that it updated on 11/9 and ran on 11/10 at 5:00 AM. Also on the matter of security is checking for Windows Updates, which includes patches to repair potential security holes and other stuff. Back in my October column (Windows Weirdness), I mentioned Windows unconscionable habit of rebooting your computer without 12 your consent after doing an update. Just to repeat briefly, go to Control Panel > Automatic Updates, and then select the Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them option. You should also check your firewall at this time. A firewall blocks outside sources from connecting to your computer. Most enable you to allow exceptions or just block everything, the latter of which you might want to do, for example, in less secure locations, such as when youre using your laptop in a hotel or airport. If youre using Windows built-in firewall, go to Control Panel > Windows Firewall > General and make sure its turned on. You can also go to the Exceptions tab and specify exceptions there. If youre using a more robust third-party firewall, refer to the manufactures documentation. 2. Remove Unused Programs Without even looking at your computer, I can pretty much guarantee that there are programs installed on it that you either no longer use or no longer need. Such programs not only consume disk space but can also slow down performance if they load automatically. Most proChristian Computing Magazine
December 2007
December 2007
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grams today come with their own uninstall program, so just peruse your Program menu and uninstall what you dont need. Another approach is to open Control Panel and then open Add/Remove Programs. Now just select a program and then click the Change/Remove button. (In Windows Vista, go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, select a program, and then click Uninstall.) As Ive mentioned in this column before, you can also use the System Configuration Utility to specify which programs load at startup. Many applications indiscriminately put files on your computer. Even more annoying are the ones that load programs into RAM without your knowledge during a Windows launch. This not only wastes memory but also increases startup time. Press Windows Key+R (or select Start > Run), type msconfig in the Run dialog box, and press Enter (or click OK). Now uncheck any program you do not want to launch at startup. Click OK and the changes will take effect the next time you start Windows. Obviously, dont disable a startup program if you dont know what it does. 3. Remove Temporary and Other Unwanted Files This tip is actually an umbrella for several and is at least four-fold. First, there are all sorts of junk files on your computerguaranteed. This includes temporary files and folders, backup files, temporary Internet files, and the files in your Recycle Bin. They are just wasting space. Windows Disk Cleanup utility will clean most of these for you. Select Start > Programs, System Tools Disk Cleanup, and the click OK in the dialog box that appears. The utility will now gather info and then display the Disk Cleanup dialog box. The Recycle Bin will probably not be selected, so click it if you want it emptied and then click OK. Voila! Now, this deletes all those pesky files, right? Wrong. Press Windows Key+F (or select Start > Search > For Files), click the All files and folders option, type *.tmp,*. 14
chk,~*.* in the All or part of the file name box, verify that Local hard drives appears in the Look in box, and then click the Search button. Once all the files are displayed, press Ctrl+A to select all the files (hold down the Ctrl key and click on any you want to keep) and then press Delete. If some wont delete, this means they are in use. Second, if you are an AVG antivirus user, when this great product encounters a locked or corrupted file during a scan, it copies the file to a temporary directory (such as Windows\Temp) and gives it the .T$M file extension. These files are supposed to be deleted automatically, but some versions of the program (especially the free one) fail to do so. Just do another search for these using *.t$m and then delete them. Third, you can also clean up your Desktop. I actually detailed this tip back in September 2007 (Hot Tips 33; http://www.ccmag2. com/2007_09/2007_09techtalk.pdf), so I wont repeat it here. I mention it, however, because its an integral part of your clean up. Fourth, you can also clean up your Outlook Express mail folders. OE doesnt actually delete a message from a folder when you click Delete or even move it from one folder to another. It simply marks it as deleted. As a result, the files that store all these messages get huge. If you want to see yours, open Windows Explorer and use the following location on my computer as a guide: C:\ Documents and Settings\Doc\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\ {31391EF3-B3AC-4F12-94D8DC2DA45E9526}\Microsoft\Outlook Express. Obviously the Doc name will be different on your PC, but this will help you look. Here youll see .dbx database files, each named to correspond to the folder names in OE. For example, start by right-clicking on the
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Deleted Items folder in OE and empty it. Now select File > Folder > Compact (or Compact All files if you just want to do them all now). This will free a lot of space. If you want to see how much, just press F5 back in Windows Explorer to refresh the listing and notice the difference. 4. Run Check Disk to Fix Disk Errors It has always puzzled me why the boys and girls at Microsoft cant just leave things alone. A case in point is that Scandisk no longer exists. Replacing it is, no kidding, Check Disk (CHKDSK) a throwback to the old DOS days (which actually doesnt exactly break the heart of an old DOS hound like me). This checks a disk for file-system errors, locates bad sectors, and optionally recovers readable information. One way to get to this is to open My Computer, right-click on drive C:, select Properties, the Tools tab, and then the Check Now button. Figure 1 shows a check already in progress. Leaving the two options unchecked only checks the drive for errors; it doesnt fix anything. Selecting Automatically fix file system errors tells the utility to repair file-system errors that it finds. Selecting Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors instructs the utility not only to repair file-system errors, but also to locate and identify bad sectors and recover readable information. In both cases, you need to close all files before running these options. If the drive is currently in use, a message asks if you want to reschedule the disk checking for the next time you restart your computer. Your drive is not available to run other tasks while the disk is being checked. If you prefer, you can use the command line version, CHKDSK. In the Run dialog box (press Windows Key+R), enter either cmd or command to go to a command prompt (Ill tell you the difference between these later.) At the prompt, typing chkdsk with no switches checks the disk but does not repair anything. Entering chkdsk c: /f /r automatically fixes any errors encountered (/f) and locates bad sectors and recovers readable information (/r). Like the GUI version, using these switches will display a message that says it cannot run because the disk is in use and asks if you want to schedule it to run on the next restart. It has to lock the drive to correct errors. Figure 2 shows what will happen on your next boot. (BTW, enter exit to close a command line window.) The /f switch requires a little more explanation. Since repairs usually change a disks file allocation table and sometimes cause a loss of data, CHKDSK sends a confirmation message similar to the following: 10 lost allocation units found in 3 chains. Convert lost chains to files? If you press Y, Windows saves each lost chain in the root directory as a file in the following format: Filennnn.chk. When CHKDSK finishes, you can check these files to see if they contain any data you need. If you press N, Windows fixes the disk, but it does not save the contents of the lost units. Be warned: using this switch on a large drive might take an hour or more, and it does not relinquish control until its done. In other words, you cant use the computer during this time and you must not interrupt the check. For those users out theresuch as system administratorswho want more on CHKDSK, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/chkdsk. mspx?mfr=true. Additionally, for more on the new /C and /I switches, which are used on NTFS drives, go to: http://support. microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;187941. So why use this version instead of the GUI version? One reason is that this version displays a little more information than the GUI version. For another, it seems to be a little more precise. When I ran the command prompt version on my machinethat is, just chkdskit reported that there were problems with the file system, while the GUI version did not, falsely leading me to assume that there werent any. At any rate, whichever version you choose, Microsoft recommends 16
running a disk check once a week, which I think is good advice. Since I mentioned it above, what is the difference between command and cmd? While both of these are command interpreters, the difference is actually significant. Command.com is the old DOS command interpreter. It creates an instance of the old DOS, including 640k base memory, no long filenames, and so forth. Its there for the sake of legacy programs. Cmd.exe, on the other hand, launches a Windows NT command shell, which is much more powerful. It includes more environment variables, long file names, a more extensive batch language (for example, add the /? switch to pushd, popd, for, set, and if to see some of this additional power), and command line editing (like the old DOSKEY program did), which enables you to recall the commands that have been entered at the prompt, edit them, and so forth. Additionally, its also multi-threaded and gives you access to NT services. Well conclude next time with the rest of our Top Ten.
Read CCMags Review of our LogosGiving Service!Visit Windows Hot Tips 3 and www.ccmag2.com/logos/0205coverstory.pdf More Windows Hot Tips 3 covers all the tips and other stuff presented in my column from January 2004 to January 2007 (including graphics). Order yours today (it will be greatly appreciated). Like its predecessors, it makes a great quick reference because its divided into sections, each of which contains related tips. There are two other booklets in this Hot Tips series, Windows Hot Tips 1 and 2. A single copy of each is $6.50 (sorry for the rise in price, but printing costs demanded it). Bulk prices are: $6.00 for 2-9 copies of the same title and $5.50 for 10 or more copies. If youd like to help with costs (not required), add 50 cents for any number of booklets you order. Docs Giant Utility Collection on CD is still postage paid at $14 (2-5 copies $13 each, and 6 or more copies $12 each). Send orders to: MicroManuals; PO Box 235; Meeker, CO; 81641. Thanks to all of you who have already supported this project! God bless.
December 2007
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internet ministry
Walt Wilson - waltccm@aol.com
Islamic Militants
Leveraging the Web
slamist militants are becoming more skilled at market targeting. They are aiming at specific audiences, including women and children, and Western societies (mostly in Europe) are struggling to find a response. Those were the findings from a conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, attended by leading experts on Islamist radicalization.
cern about militant grooming of children on the Internet. The head of Britains MI5 spy service has pointed out that teenagers have been implicated in terrorist-related activities. Weimann said al Qaeda was also targeting women, which presents an online manual, presented in pink, educating them on the role of a female suicide bomber or mother to a jihadist martyr. The question is how to counter such messages. Mohamed Bin Ali, an expert from Singapore, told reporters: It is important to produce counterWeb sites. If they produce one Web site, we need another Web site to counter it. But Johnny Ryan of the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin said that governments lacked the resources and Internet skill to fight the battle on the Web, so that role needed to be played by the public and religious leaders. If there are fallacies in the simple narrative of the West has been against Islam for hundreds of
One of the most alarming trends we found on the Internet recently is what we call narrowcasting, said Gabriel Weimann, professor of communications at the University of Haifa in Israel which monitors 5,800 militant Web sites. Instead of broadcasting like Al Jazeera trying to reach the biggest possible audience the approach is to slice the audience into segments and target each with specific tactics. Terrorists are using the Internet to focus on children, very young children, to attract young people to the ideology and later to the way of terrorism. When they target children, they do everything any commercial advertiser would do. They use comic books, storytelling, graphics, movies, competitions, prize-winning and so on, Weimann added. While this kind of communication to young children is not allowed in the US, it is openly available on Islamic militant websites. Western security officials are expressing con18
December 2007
years then you have to educate the public. It certainly follows that Christian leaders must also play a lead role in countering the messages of radical Islam. The European Commission this month proposed that all 27 EU member states should make it a criminal offense to incite terrorism over the Internet or use the Web for militant recruitment and training. The US is not considering such a plan. Here at home, the US has taken a hands-off approach. On the topic of Internet management, we continue to stick our head in the sand hoping it will all go away. Some well known al Qaeda-linked Web sites are hosted by U.S.-based companies, including one forum which recently published a manual on how to kidnap Americans. Go figure. We continue in our failure to protect ourselves under the wrapper of freedom of speech. Restricting the bad guys should never constitute denial of constitutional rights as the liberals mistakenly claim. Counter-terrorism officials claim freedom-of-speech laws prevent them for shutting down such sites. One can only ask, will we ever learn? Weimann said different types of extremist sites required different approaches. Some Web sites should be kept monitored; some Web sites should be hacked because they are teaching how to use weapons, and explosives. Some have to be blocked and stopped. Europe is ready to manage the threat. From his computer keyboard at his London home, student Younes Tsouli used the Internet to spread al Qaeda propaganda, recruit suicide bombers and promote Web sites that encouraged the killing of infidels meaning non-Muslims. The Moroccan-born student and two accomplices were among the first to be jailed in Britain for inciting terrorism over the Internet. In September, a Scottish student described as a wannabe suicide bomber was imprisoned for eight years for owning terrorism material and distributing it as content on Web sites. Both of these cases are examples of what European authorities believe is the dangerous and growing role that the Internet plays in spreading extremist propaganda and recruiting sympathizers to Islamist militant causes. But can the West censor radical Web sites? The threat has prompted much talk from governments of the need for action. The European Commission urged the EUs 27 states to crack down on militant
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sites. The Commissions proposal states that the Internet now being used by Islamic terrorists as a virtual training camp. New Yorks police chief described the Internet as the new Afghanistan. That supported the view of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who points out that potential recruits no longer needed to travel to al Qaeda camps. They can train themselves over the Internet, he said. US liberals disagree about what should actually be done and express serious doubts about what would be effective. They are critical of any attempt to contain the evil of terrorism but as usual have no plan to offer in response. Dr Akil Awan, of the Royal Holloway, University of London, offers the liberal view of an academic: It would be morally questionable to censor jihadist Web sites that present an alternative world view. Since the Internet is global and not just a US political issue most of the serious discussion is taking place in Europe. Additionally, the US is not taking a strong public position on the issue of protection because of our cultural (and liberal) sensitivities and misinterpretation of the First Amendment. Radical preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed, banned from Britain after the government ruled that he was not conducive to the public good, in the aftermath of the July 2005 London bombings said, all of this is nothing more than a campaign against Islam. I dont think what they are doing is going to stop the Islamists or the Muslims from conveying the Islamic message, Bakri stated by phone from his home now in Lebanon. Despite his exile from the UK, Bakri, who gained notoriety by calling the September 11 hijackers the Magnificent 19, has continued to communicate with followers via Internet chat rooms. It is also clear that militant Islamists dedicate significant resources to getting their message out online. Rick Warren has pointed out that al Qaeda means network and asks the question why should only the bad guys have a network? Why dont Christians have a network?
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music & multimedia

Terry Wilhite - ccmag@terrywilhite.com
Vista and Multimedia? NOT!
word to the wise; if youre looking to use Windows Vista for multimedia purposes, do not! At least not right now. Almost a year since Vistas shrink-wrapped roll out, youll be hard pressed to find audio, video, and MIDI drivers for your favorite devices and applications. (A driver is a software bridge that allows peripheral devices such as printers, digital cameras and digital audio mixers to communicate with ones computer.)
Vista so were relegated to either equipment not working or the latency rising to unacceptable responses using WDM drivers. One of the things aging make that maturing will do to you (among many) is to not be so quick to adopt new software upgrades, espe cially upgrades to Operating Systems (OS). But I found myself needing a new designated desktop multimedia computer for my studio. Although positioned as a multimedia computer and my new buy certainly is based upon the plethora of varied audio/video inputs, digital TV tuner and quad core processor the driver unavailability is startling. A writer for PC Magazine says that a year since its roll-out, Vista still does not work with more than half of the PC peripherals on the market. Who is to blame: the application developers, peripheral manufacturers or Microsoft? My
It has infuriated me to no end that devices such as my Tascam US-122, a analog/digital audio converter, is dead on arrival with Vista no Vista drivers available. So is my Mackie Onyx audio mixer with Firewire card. No Vista drivers. For now, I can forget using it as a analog to digital audio interface for recording. How about my tried and true (with Windows XP) favorite little USB MIDI heirloom, my Midisport 2X2 MIDI interface that connects my keyboards to my computer? No Vista drivers. Anybody who does audio to any serious degree on a PC knows the value of using an ASIO driver. ASIO drivers, unlike Windows WDM drivers, are known for their very low latency. For example, in the case of MIDI, the time between when a synthesizer key is pressed to the time a sound is heard, is a matter of latency. ASIO drivers dont work with Windows 22
December 2007
answer; I dont care! It is totally unacceptable that we find ourselves in such a predicament. I can easily recall stability issues with the release of a new OS, but I cannot recall the depth of delay ever with an OS that Ive experienced with the release of Vista. While applications may in fact run in Vista, I do know for a fact, that the majority of audio, video and MIDI drivers powering third party devices like those I named at the outset, still do not work with Windows latest OS. Of course, they will one day but its not Today! I can tell you that the value of my three-year-old XP Pro (with Service Pack 2) laptop has gone up considerably in my book over the past few weeks that Ive been experimenting around in Vista. Ive got the best of the best multimedia software loaded on my XP machine, with drivers to a multitude of my favorite multimedia tools, equipment and gadgets. Looking back, Windows 95 on its best day was hit and miss when it came to being stable enough to perform multimedia task. On the other hand, Windows XP was solid as a rock post Service Pack 2, and software companies seemed to be able to turn out fairly trouble free drivers that were also as stable. Vista? We dont know if its stable or not because the multimedia drivers needed to do the job dont even exist. Now how brilliant is that? Im confident that these deficiencies will one day work themselves out but when? What do we do between now and then, especially if we need a new computer? Something hopefully were all good at pray!
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special feature
Internet Protection Agency

Chris Duff, President/CEO Internet Protection Agency www.ipatoday.com
The
he Internet is an important and powerful resource that can enrich our lives. But it also poses new and evolving dangers to our children. Children are increasingly targeted by online sexual predators and abused online by those who are producing child pornographic images. Internet predators and child pornography are profound evils that exploit children, shatter lives, and rob youth of their innocence.
The Internet Protection Agency founders and cyber cops Chris Duff and Toby Aguillard are haunted by the evils of online exploitation as they continually patrol cyber space. The explosion in the production and trafficking of child pornography and the staggering numbers of Internet predators hunting our children online is nothing short of an epidemic. Duff and Aguillard established the Internet Protection Agency as a means of fighting these evils and combating this epidemic. The cyber world is saturated with cowardly villains hiding in the shadows of the Internet who are preying on our children daily. These child predators find their prey easily in part because an entire generation of todays children is growing up in the digital age without guidance. At an early age we teach our children not to play on the street, but we have failed to teach todays generation of keyboard children about the dangers of playing on the Internet. In the course of their cyber investigations, Duff and Aguillard have learned that Internet predators are taking advantage of our failure as adults to teach Internet safety to our children. It is also clear that measures taken by law enforcement are not enough to deter the predatory behavior. Everyone must join the fight to protect our children. Duff and Aguillard established the Internet Protection Agency to inspire responsible adults to face the new brutal threat that is posed to our children through the Internet. The IPA seeks to provide parents with access to the tools and information that they need to effectively protect their families and to provide law enforcement agencies with proper training in online predator investigations. Child Pornography New technologies have significantly contributed in the increase in the proliferation and severity of child pornography. The Internet has provided child pornography collectors with an easily accessible and seemingly anonymous means for collecting and distributing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Some of these collectors are producing their own images, using children that they have met online. In their work as child exploitation investigators, Duff and Aguillard have witnessed the images of child sexual abuse that are distributed over the Internet gradually become more disturbing, more graphic, and more sadistic, and they increasingly involve younger and younger children. Social Networking or Blogging Sites Sites such as MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, Facebook, BlackPlanet, and others where people can meet and interact have recently exploded in popularity. The majority of the activity on these sites is legal
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and can be positive. However many children, particularly teenagers, are not aware that they are putting themselves in danger by giving out too much personal information and communicating with people that they have only met online. The amount of personal information that is unwittingly displayed by children makes social networking sites a playground for predators who seek to harm our children. Other dangers to children in these sites include inappropriate content, cyber-bullying, and identify theft. Internet Predators New technologies have also significantly increased the risk of our children being sexually solicited by predators. The child predator no longer has to spend his time near the playgrounds, schoolyards or other places where children can be found. He can simply log on and find an entire generation of children at his disposal. Recent law enforcement efforts have revealed an increasing number of online enticement cases nation-wide where predators contact children online and arrange to meet at a designated location for the purpose of making sexual contact. Online predators are also exposing our children to sexually graphic conversation, images, and videos. The Internet, for all of its good and valuable purposes, has become a tool for evil in the hands of those who seek to exploit and abuse our children. Duff and Aguillard believe that there is no gray area when it comes to protecting children, and every adult shares in this responsibility. The IPA will continue in its mission to establish a culture of zero tolerance towards Internet child predators and child pornography. Please visit our website at www. ipatoday.com
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ministry communication
Yvon Prehn - yvonprehn@aol.com
Resources For Church Communicators

hristmas is a time for gift-giving, and one of the best gifts I can give all of you who faithfully read my column is a list of some resources for church communicators of which you might not be aware. Following is a variety of annotated resources in a variety of areas from clipart and image editing, to a great source for youth related logos and t-shirts, to high-end studies on writing for websites and many other areas.
Clipart and related links Christian Book Website, for clip art deals www.christianbook.com This website has all kinds of clipart packages including denominational sets and ones that are no longer nationally distributed including denominational packages, historical packages and all kinds of things. However, what is odd about this section is it is a bit hard to find on the website itself. They dont have a category for clipart on the home page, you need to type clip art into the search box for the offerings to come up and then a HUGE list of many pages appears. One of the best programs, that used to be sold all over, but is very hard to find now, is the ClickArt Publishing Suite III, for only $29. It not only has lots of good church clip art; but, it also includes the WMF Image Editor which is a great image editor for clipart in the WMF format. Image, clipart editing WMF Image Editor www.companionsoftware.com If for some reason, you dont want to buy another clipart set, you can buy this image editor by itself. This link is a source for WMF Image Editor, a great little program that allows you to edit clipart that is in the WMF format Windows Metafile Format. It allows you to break apart clipart, delete parts, rearrange parts, and re-color parts. Most of the clipart you download from the www.microsoft.com site is in the WMF format. You can do so much more with this than you can with the image editing that comes with MS Word or MS Publisher. When working with this program I usually have two windows openit is so much fun to take apart a complex piece of clip art and save little parts of it for use in various projects. The ClickArt Publishing Suite III described above site is also in the WMF format. If the image is not in WMF, you can convert it into WMF through Snagit, the following program. Snagit www.snagit.com I LOVE THIS PROGRAM! With it you can clip out and save anything that appears on your computer screen anything from a section of a page to a website or any part of it. In addition to the screen capture function, Snagit also has some pretty powerful image editing toolsyou can use it to crop, enlarge, reduce, apply a number of image filters including posterize, pixelate, solarize, add noise. Christian Computing Magazine
Christmas Goodies
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December 2007
These filters give you end results that are similar to what you get if you apply filters in Photoshop. The difference is that Snagit is a $39 program and SUPER easy to use and Photoshop. well, Photoshop never has been described as easy. You can also use it to convert clipart from one format to anotherfor example, if you snag something that is in a jpeg or eps format and you want to edit it in WMF Image Editor, you can convert it to the WMF format simply by saving it in that format in Snagit. One caution: Little Snagit has no conscience. If you capture an image that is not legally yours to use, no warning pops up saying better check with the copyright owner on this! You have to keep an eye on little Snagit. and only capture and use images that it are legal for you to do so. If you really want something you see on the web, but you dont know if it is legal or not for you to use it, ask.
Website advice It is no secret that I am not a huge fan of overFor Volunteer training, info, etc. designed websites with lots of graphics and little useEnergize ful content. My thoughts in this area have been greatly http://www.energizeinc.com This is a secular site, but it is one of the best resources influenced by the two resources below and I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to do something of Ive ever come across with great advice for anyone who value with their website rather than display the latest Flash works with volunteers. It contains many articles, books, resources, and an online newsletter, etc. Their newsletter is graphic you are playing with. great and full of ideas. Gerry McGovern www.gerrymcgovern.com For your youth group The source for a newsletter on writing and content Uthstuph management for the web; McGovern is a secular guru on www.uthstuph.com sensible web content creation and his brief newsletters This site is wild and crazy and a wonderful company for very edgy designs for youth groups. It is available in a contain much that is useful for church communicators. variety of prices depending upon the level of customizaJakob Nielsons USEIT tion. http://www.useit.com An extremely basic and very sensible sitea recent For Blogging article relates a study that shows the comparative benefits If you want to try this tool to communicate, but dont of long vs. short articles on the web. know where to begin, these two will get you started. Blogger is free, but how do you use it? Lynda.com (www. The Links section of my website, www.thelionsvoice. com, of course has much more, but the ones above are lynda.com) has a wonderful tutorial that will walk you some of my favorites. PLEASE, if you have resources rethrough step by step on setting up and starting a blog. lated to church communications, let me know and Ill pass them on in future articles, my seminars and website. Blogger Have a wonderful, joyous Christmas! www.blogger.com A free and beginner site for blogging. www.lynda.com has a tutorial on Blogger Christian Computing Magazine December 2007
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higher power with kevin

Kevin A. Purcell - kevin@kevinpurcell.org
Great Geek Gifts
hristmas is just about here. Have you got all your shopping done? There are probably one or two people on your shopping list who are selfdescribed computer geeks and you dont know what to get them. Maybe someone on your list is not a geek yet, but you know they are getting a new computer for Christmas and you want to find something to go with it. Here are a few ideas of Great Geek Gifts for Christmas.
expensive so give their cheaper cousins a look if they dont fit your budget. A New Version of Old Favorite Software Sometimes we dont feel like upgrading software because the old version does just fine. But newer versions offer some new functionality or are less buggy. Sometimes the only reason to upgrade is you now have a Vista computer and the old version doesnt work. Do some homework and find out what software your recipient uses that needs to be upgraded. Give them the newer version theyd love to have but wouldnt buy themselves. Some possibilities could be Nero or Easy CD burning software. Both recently released newer versions. Another would be Adobes excellent photo and video editing tools. Photoshop and Premiere Elements just released versions 6 and 4 respectively and I love them. They have a new look and work great even on Vista. Some of the new features make them worth the upgrade price. Buy them together and save. If you have more money to spend, then give them that new version of Microsoft Office. Are they a student, teacher or do they have kids in school in their home? Office 2007 has a student version for only $149.99 and less if you look online carefully. Of course WordPerfect is still around and has a new version as well. You can even give them a free program called OpenOffice. Burn a CD for them and call it a High
A Better Mouse I know that your geek probably already has a mouse and the person getting a new computer will get one with it. Every laptop has a pointing device of some kind. But remember this; the three things that you use most on your computer are your monitor, your keyboard and your mouse. Yet those are some of the last things we consider when buying a system. Computer manufacturers often throw in some cheap $5 ball mouse or the lowest quality optical mouse available. So upgrade it. You can get a combo set that comes with both a nice keyboard and a mouse. I love Logitech (www.logitech.com) and I would love a Cordless Desktop Comfort Laser. It is a cordless keyboard and mouse combo set that comes with a natural keyboard, split for a more comfortable typing experience. The mouse is one of their better ones. If you only want a new mouse, the MX Revolution series is the Mercedes of Mice. For the road warrior with Bluetooth in their notebook, try the Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000. It is small and fits nicely in a computer bag. It has a nice, hard, clear, plastic carrying case for the mouse and dongle. On the bottom of the mouse there are buttons useful for making presentations. It even has a laser pointer. If you already have Bluetooth on your laptop you can set it up so that you dont even need the dongle. With a power switch to save battery life, this is the perfect mouse for a road warrior who does presentations or even if they dont. I love mine. These are a little more
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Tech Christmas card. These are just a few ideas. If they enjoy games, look at my column from last month for some Christian video game ideas. Bible Study Software If you have a pastor on your list or someone who likes to study or teach the Bible, then they can always use a few books for their collection. Why not give it to them digitally? Find out what program they use and give them an updated version of that software. Next month I will be taking a look at PC Study Bibles newest version. If they use an older version of that package then upgrade for them. Also WordSearch has recently updated as well. Another option is to get a new collection of books for them. But make sure you get something for the program they already have. If they are not using Bible Study software, then introduce them to it. A great way to do this is get them a copy of e-Sword which is free to download (www.e-sword.net). Or for a small donation they will send an install CD with most of the best resources on it. Then, unlock some of the more modern translations like the New American Standard Bible or the New International Version which will soon be available for e-Sword. Cool Tech Toys Everyone wants an IPod or something like it. If they dont already have a multimedia player get them one. Of course the most dominant player in the multimedia player market is Apples IPod. They are easy to use and work great. You can buy content from their ITunes store or add your own via CD ripping. Load a disk in your computer and ITunes will import it for you. But remember that Apple isnt the only game in town. Microsoft just entered this market with a product called the Zune. The earliest versions were panned by most reviewers, but Ive heard great things about their newest versions. Other companies make players too like Samsung and Sandisk. For many, a PDA is the way to go. I am talking about a Personal Digital Assistant with software from either Microsoft or Palm. Today there are fewer of these available that dont come as part of a phone. But if your friend or family member has an old phone and would enjoy a PDA try getting them one of the great new Smartphones. You are somewhat limited by their service provider. And if they are a Windows person you can go with either a Windows Mobile version or a Palm version. If they are Mac only people you can still go with either but save them some pain and stick with Palm. You dont need extra software to sync with their computer. Smartphones are expensive, but I like my Palm Treo 700w and cant live without it. Digital Camera Im a photo nut. I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi which is a serious camera. But today, unless you are really into this stuff, you dont need one of those. So go with an inexpensive model. There are three categories of digital camera. The Digital SLR models are for the serious photographer. Inexpensive point and shoot cameras will have at least a 3X optical zoom lens. Ignore the digital zoom because it degrades the quality of your pictures. Tell the person to turn off the digital zoom feature when they open the camera and load the batteries. Nearly all of these cameras will shoot in some kind of video mode and provide at least three or four modes for things like outdoor, sports, portrait or close up macro shooting. Dont spend more than $150 for a basic camera. If your budget is bigger and you think your recipient has more advanced needs, you can spend more but ask the sales person why the camera costs more. Usually it is something like a higher resolution, which you will see in the megapixel rating or MP for short. No matter what they tell you 6-8 MP is enough for simple needs. If you plan to only print 4x6 prints you dont need anything higher even if you crop the photos. If you want to print 8x10 pictures you may want more MPs. A 10 MP camera can theoretically print at photo quality on paper larger than 8x10. But if you crop out half the photo, it may degrade the quality a little. Finally, go with a name associated with Photography like Canon or Nikon. Ive also used a Sony camera and had great results. I personally dont like Kodak cameras and Polaroid is not the same company anymore. They only license their name to others so you are not really getting a Polaroid. The second category is the higher end cameras with high zoom lenses, usually 10 or even 12 times zoom (10x or 12x when measured against 35mm equivalent lenses). These are nice and will cost closer to $300-$400 or more. These will often have more advanced shooting modes and mimic the expensive cameras like my Rebel. They also usually offer a movie mode. Again stick with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic or Olympus. If the camera is at your local department store or electronics store in a clear plastic wrap for under a $100 then be wary. These are usually poor quality cameras that feel like a good deal but will make your recipient frustrated when all their photos are very soft or too blurry. Storage Almost everyone using computers needs more storage. This will be especially true as you start to take pictures, edit video, or download free software. Bible software programs can take up a lot of space too. So look around for an external hard drive for extra storage or backup. They are coming way down in price. USB drives are more ubiquitous than Firewire. And more computers have USB ports to spare than have Firewire. I personally prefer Firewire but I would still go with USB unless you
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know that your recipients computer can take a Firewire drive. Also consider a USB Flash drive, also called a Stick or Thumb drive. I have about three of these ranging from 256 MB to 4 GB. They are great for carrying around your most often used files. And if you read my Nov. 2006 article on free software as a gift you can learn how to set up a drive with some cool software to give your recipient a fully functioning office on a thumb drive. Cheaper Gift Ideas Well, I hope Ive given you some ideas and pointers. If you want another great gift giving idea go to our web site at www.ccmag.com and look for back issues. Search for the November 2006 issue and find my column. As I mentioned previously it is all about making a free CD or Flash drive of freely downloadable software that you can legally give away. I still think that your favorite geek would enjoy that much more than a silly card or a cheap necktie. Finally, if you want to get them something but dont want to spend as much money as the above suggested gifts might cost, try a few Internet services. Get them an account with Mozy (www.mozy.com), which is an online storage account. I have a free account but am planning to upgrade to a pro account which lets you backup all your files. The amount of storage is unlimited if you pay just $4.95 a month or less if you buy a years worth. If your recipient would only want to backup their pictures then go with a pro Flickr account from www.flickr.com. They have just recently added some online photo editing capabilities that make the site really useful for casual photographers. Are you buying for a movie fan? Try a Netflix gift certificate. Netflix is a great service that Ive used for years and gifted to others. You sign up and put your favorite movies in a list called a Queue. Then they send anywhere from 1 to 8 DVDs out to you at a time depending on your account level. It costs anywhere from $5 to $40 a month. You keep the movies as long as you like and return them in the postage paid envelope. In less than 5 days you will have your next movie or movies on the list. You can also buy previously viewed films for as little as $5.95 if you have an account; and, the person can even watch movies online. Other great gifts are gift certificates that can be used online at places like Amazon, Christianbook.com, or really any place you like to shop. Finally, how about making a gift to a charity in someones name? My wife and I have set up a foundation and the proceeds from it will go to my denominations International Mission Board. You can learn about that at my web site at www. kevinpurcell.org. If you want to learn how I did it send me an email. If your friend or loved one seems to be a person who has everything, why not give a gift in his or her name. Find out what is important to them and give to one of their favorite charities. All of my family and friends know they can give me a gift by giving to my foundation instead of me. And their gift will help spread the Gospel literally until Jesus returns.
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December 2007
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hope everyone is having as good of a Christmas season this year as I have been. Besides the fact that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, I believe the unique family traditions are what I look forward to the most. I will not go into our family traditions, as I am sure others will fill me on this one, for fear that I may be pestered and ridiculed for months to come.
I work for a college/seminary and they are the ONLY college technology magazine out there that covers all aspects. The news and reviews are very good and they dont pour a bunch of junk on you. You can take advantage of their newsletters, print magazine, or there website to keep up with the latest in higher education technology. I really like the Event Calendar that they provide which highlights different conferences coming up and gives you a link to their site. www.albertmohler.com is the personal site of Al Mohler, which I am sure many of you know him or know of him. Dr. Mohler has a very nice site and if you notice he has his blog setup easily so that people can go right to it from his header menu on his main site by clicking on a very easy to recognize tab labeled blog. I am not trying to be sarcastic here but just wanting to make a point of how important it is for something to be easy to find on a site as many people will only look for a short time before they give up and Dr. Mohlers site is a great example of what I would call a good site when it comes to accessibility. You may also
I wanted to share with everyone what has been going on with me this month as I have prepared myself for this months selections. Originally, I wanted to concentrate this month on some Christian colleges that have some great blogs setup from their website. As you will soon find out, I did not end up doing this as I was shocked to discover that most of the colleges that I spent time checking sites for didnt have blogs linked from their main site. Actually, I only came across one college that had blogs easily accessible from their main site. This is a hard thing for me to grasp, given the huge success that other professionals have seen from the blogosphere including politics and business. I find the lack of blogs within college institutions both encouraging and discouraging. Discouraging in that there is so much potential not being used yet, but encouraging in that I think a lot of institutions are just around the corner from having something like this implemented. I am hoping that within the next 6 months we will all see more blogs on these college sites. I think there would be interested people wanting to read blogs coming from faculty, alumni, students, or their favorite IT guy, from any college out there. I realize that a lot of faculty may have their own blog setup but what about the benefits of the institution having blogs setup to help benefit the marketing of their website as well as the great dialog that comes from the multiple blog setups. My plan is to come back to this in several months and to see where progress has been made in this area. We will see what happens. www.campustechnology.com is the site I decided to start off with considering that I just wrote about it. I have not been a reader of their site and magazine for very long but it is now one of my favorite resources given that Christian Computing Magazine December 2007
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want to check out his radio page if your interested in downloading some of his radio broadcasts in mp3. www.useit.com is the personal site by the one and only Jakob Nielsen. Jakob is probably most known for his incredible wisdom of usability on the Internet. Jakob has 79 patents which are mostly ways to make the Internet user friendly. Needless to say with all the articles written up about him, he is looked to worldwide as a leader in the Internet arena. Take some time to check out his site. He has his main page divided in half with the objects on the left being permanent content and the objects on the right news. Jakob pushes the concept of permanent content, which the way I understand it is content that is quality and not quickly outdated so it can be looked back on for a long while and still be beneficial. At least that is what I would call quality permanent content. Jakob does a great job at creating strong content and doesnt spend time fooling with graphics on the site which in turn also gives the readers, that still are not using broadband, a quicker response time. www.nathandiehl.com is the blog by, yes you guessed it, Nathan Diehl. Nathan is the publications director at New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, Indiana. Yes!!! I found a fellow Hoosier. Nathan is a reader of Christian Computing Magazine; but most importantly, Nathan likes to be able to reach out to people. I dont know this for a fact but I am guessing by the graphics on his blog that he may even be a coffee fanatic. He posts on various happenings from experiences at NHCC, news, and personal thoughts. If you contact him, make sure you congratulate him on his 30 year milestone. www.evangelicaloutpost.com is a great blog by a Christian man, Joe Carter, covering culture, politics, and religion. I have found this blog to be a huge success if you are referring to the popularity of it within the Christian circles. Joe has a great gift of writing and never ceases to keep me pulled into his posts. I am sure many of you will even find your blog or website listed in his blogrolls but I assume that there will always be some out there that will find this as a new resource. I am hoping we will find some interesting articles in the near future from Joe as he has taken the position of research and rapid response communications for the Mike Huckabee campaign. Come to find out, Joe and I have several things in common. We both are Christian, have been veterans, enjoy watching football, and have been inspired by reading a book by Hugh Hewitt. Keep up the awesome work Joe.
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