Taking Care of Your Computer for Free -- Hands on Windows Bootable Backups -- Talk at the Kinnelon Library Wed Nov 28 at 7PM

To Boot or Not to Boot, That is the Question

OK, Which Offers Better Protection?

Anyway, I will be giving a talk at the Kinnelon Public Library, this Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7 PM, which is the 8th of 9 such talks this year, a month apart, on the subject of taking care of your Windows PC, new or old, with special attention in Part 8 to:

Bootable Backups

1) Why You Need Them

2) How to Make Them

3) Where and How to Buy Backup Drives and Drive Cases.

4) Why You Should Buy Your Own Drive and Case and not a Pre-Packaged External Drive

5) How to Get Up and Running after a System Drive Failure in Just a Few Minutes.

And, As Always we will have our Open Mike period at the end of the talk and demo, so you can find out why your computer isn't doing what you want:

Ask Your Questions about Your Computer and Computer Related Problems, such as:

1) Is my machine too old? When do I need a new machine?

2) How can I "pin" that program to my Taskbar, and what is a "Gadget?"

3) Why does my computer ... ?

4) If you have a laptop with a problem, bring it along and we'll take a quick look.

5) Questions and on-the-spot diagnosis will be limited by the time available!!!

All of you Kinnelon and North Jersey people, and everybody else, are welcome to come.

Call the Kinnelon Library at 973 838 1321 and reserve a spot.

See you there!

~Ted

PS: This talk pertains to PCs running Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP

Photo Credits: http://www.emergingrunner.com/2011/06/barefoot-but-for-my-shoe.html
and http://www.vtarmynavy.com/belleville-boots.htm

Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction 2012: Start Bidding Now!

Last week, while I enjoyed the Kinnelon Library - aka the only warm and connected refuge around - Ron Leavesley invited me to come preview the 2012 Artistic Delights featuring our very own artists. The artwork had just been hung despite all of power mess.

[Have you seen this wonderful article about Ron? It's titled Know Your Neighbor: Busy Volunteer Spends Time at Kinnelon Library.]

You need to check Artistic Delights 2012 out!

You'll find over 60 beautiful oils and watercolors all of which you can bid on in a silent auction now through Thursday, November 29, 2012.

Here are details!

A Fine Arts Silent Auction Featuring Area Artists

ARTISTIC DELIGHTS 2012

This Fine Arts Silent Auction is sponsored by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library and managed by the CLL, source of the artistic talent!

This fine arts, silent auction featuring area artists is sponsored by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library…. It is an exceptional opportunity to acquire quality fine art done by area artists while supporting the Friends at the same time. Your bid determines the selling price… It is that easy.

The auction will feature a variety of oil paintings and watercolors.

Artwork will be exhibited at the Library from November 5 through November 29 for you to review and bid.

Wine and Cheese Reception and Silent Auction results: Thursday, November 29. The reception starts at 7 PM, but you can still bid until 8 PM. You do not have to be present to be a winner.

If you've never participated in a silent auction, here's what's involved.

• Obtain a bidding instruction sheet and bid number. 
• Use that number to enter you bid on any of the Silent Auction artwork. 
• Bid numbers and information will be available at the Library’s circulation desk starting Monday, November 5 and up to and including the night of the auction.

I hope you'll check out the artwork, bid on as many of the art pieces as you can, then attend the reception on November 29th!

By the way, how are you enjoying the return to power and almost-normalcy? Ted and I went for a walk this afternoon and the contrast with last week was eerie. Twisted trees, snapped telephone poles, remnants of wires and phone pole debris along the roadways, some snow, warm weather, trunk-or-treating at the high school, ...

Be well.

Surviving Sandy in Kinnelon

What a week it has been since Sandy made landfall in New Jersey!  I hope everyone in Kinnelon has made it through and is back on the power grid.

Hats off to the Kinnelon Office of Emergency Management which has maintained a flow of information via Facebook.

Hats off, too, to the Kinnelon Nixle system for getting information out via text and email.

I'm really grateful to the New York Sports Club in Butler for a marvelous shower on Thursday evening.

I'm incredibly appreciative for the warmth and community that the Kinnelon Library offered on Friday and Saturday - not to mention free WiFi, power and running water.

NorthJersey.com published photos of the devastation in West Milford. Zillions of trees and power lines down.

[I shared some of my digital survival tips in another blog article titled 10 Digital Marketing 'Still Climbing Out' Tips: Bathroom Blogfest 2012.]

Have a great Sunday. Stay warm and safe.

Best,

C.B.

P.S.: To put Sandy into perspective, SlideShare has published the following  Crowdsourcing and curation by SlideShare community helps distribute news and photos of superstorm Sandy.