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Tampa Bay Computer
Society Bulletin

6/8/2003

This document is available online.
Note:  Some hyperlinks are lost when I convert
this web page to a plain text email.

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Contents

1) 911 Cell Phone Service

2) TBCS Classes

3) SIG Stuff

4) Educational Opportunities - Office Freebies at Microsoft

Maps to our Resource Center & General Meeting:
http://tampa-bay.org/maps.htm

1) 911 Cell Phone Service

I've heard it rumored that the AAA (American Automobile Association) has a very cheap cell phone service.  Don't try calling them and asking, however, they are not in the cell phone biz.  I suspect I know why this rumor is so persistent, however.  There is a company that provides refurbished cell phones that are capable of making 911 calls and the name of the company is AAA Communications.

Normally I would not reward a company whose choice of names I find a bit dubious (because of the AAA) by giving out their contact info, but I believe it's warranted in this case because some TBCS members may be interested in using their service.

AAA Communications refurbishes used Motorola cell phones and sells them for $45 to $70.  It's not necessary to sign a service agreement with a cell service provider if you only want to use the phone for emergencies.  You see the FCC has mandated for years that cell phone service providers MUST pick up any 911 calls and forward them to a 911 call center.  This permits you to toss the phone and a cigar lighter adapter (so you don't have to worry about keeping the phone charged) into your glove box ready to connect to 911 if you have an emergency.

It's possible that you don't need to purchase one of these phones.  If someone donates a phone whose service contract is defunct, you could possibly take their old one and use IT in an emergency.  I say "possibly" because I can't guarantee you that the cell provider won't deny you service because they see an old number in the phone that has been deactivated or is flagged as stolen.  In other words, this could be somewhat risky.

There are also groups across the country collecting, refurbishing, and distributing cell phones for free to targeted groups like abused women, etc.  In our area, I believe you can donate your used cell phones to Religious Community Services (RCS) specifically for this purpose.

I'm done researching this.  I may publish a follow-up if others provide me more info, but I'm merely passing on what little I've learned so that those who are interested can pursue.  The website for AAA Communications is: http://www.911phone.net/

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2) TBCS Classes

Last chance to sign up for Basic Word Processing which starts this coming Wednesday.  Dennis Schulman's teaches this hands-on course that takes place in our computer lab in 4 sessions over the next 2 weeks.  That's a total of 8 instructional hours at a total cost of $40.  Using a word processor competently is absolutely a fundamental computer skill.  The skills you will learn in this class will apply to writing emails and editing text in almost any program you might use.  The classes will take place from 1 to 3 pm on June 11, 12, 18, & 19.

Two of Jim Boynton's courses take place this week; followed by two more next week.  Each costs $10 and lasts for 2 hours:

Stan Ashbrook's Photoshop course is coming in August.  Stan leads the 2 most popular SIGs in our stable (Photoshop & Photoshop Elements).  Stan is a popular instructor because he has a knack for clearly explaining the subtleties of Photoshop to others.  While his SIG is free, the advantage of taking this class is to build a foundation in the basics of Photoshop via a structured curriculum.  Stan's teaching this at bargain-basement prices and we may never be able to get him to teach it again (I had to do a lot of arm-twisting).  Don't be left out - sign up now.  Click on the link in the following paragraph in order to get more information or sign up.

You can see our current classroom schedule and register online by surfing over to: http://tampa-bay.org/classroom.htm

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3) SIG Stuff

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Microsoft has extensive support for their Office applications available on their website.  There are all sorts of downloads and educational resources available for free there:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/templategallery/ has an extensive list of templates available (business cards, calendars, invoices, newsletters, business plans, resumes, training manuals, etc.).  Just download and modify for your use.

http://dgl.microsoft.com/ has thousands of pictures, jpegs, and animated gifs that you may download and insert into your documents.  It has a searchable interface to assist you in finding the proper graphics readily.

http://office.microsoft.com/ProductUpdates/ has all the software updates you need to bring your Office applications up to snuff.

http://office.microsoft.com/Assistance/default.aspx drop by the Assistance Center for a wide variety of how-to articles, tips, and quizzes on your favorite Office applications.

You should know that once you've spent your hard-earned dollars on Microsoft's flagship product, you have more goodies available out there on the Internet at Microsoft's website.  There is so much there that I don't even have time to look at it all.  I bet everyone could find things that they need or can use.

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See you at the Resource Center,

Doc (Dave Dockery)
Director of Education for TBCS

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