Attendance
If you sponsored or are friends with someone in the group that has not been attending regularly, please reach out to them.   Some people just need a little TLC. The group suffers when members don't attend (and not necessarily financially).

Board Update
Members rotating off the board include: Nick Mawrenko, Joe Hesch, Jake Ulrich and Janice Jaicks and Althea Bussert.  Continuing board members: Ryan Bohlander and Mark Menasci.   Sandro Menasci will take over the Historian spot.

• Bob Busch nominated Joe Burr

• Nick Carr nominated Brad Green

• Jake Ulrich nominated Jeff Sutherlin

• Jeff Sutherlin nominated Nick Carr

• Sandro Menasci nominated  Barb Luther

Next week we will have speeches. 

Barb Luther will not be here next week so she gave her speech today.  "Why elect me?  I have a sense of humor that helps speeds things along.  Why not Barb?  I will be out of town during several meetings.  I do want to give back.  You all have been very helpful to me.  I also want to carry through on some ideas."

Current Board Members - There will be a board meeting next Friday after the regular meeting.  Please mark your calendars.

Question of the Day
Dollar cost averaging - Is it better to buy regularly on the way down or on the way up? 
There is no difference.  You buy up and down.  But don't buy or gamble more than you can afford.  You have to emotionally detach yourself if you are looking at the long term.  Probably the most important principle of investing is don't lose money!

FYI
Don't believe what you read in the news!  We are closing houses in Arizona.  If you want to upgrade now is the time.  Jeff Sutherlin can give you more information.

Social Event Update
We would like to have a wine, soda, appetizer event possibly on Saturday, August 27th at Janice Jaicks house.  She would like to have all of the members involved. 

Common Computers Issues, Mark Menasci
There are a lot of things out there affecting computers (hackers, viruses, spam, etc).  Today Mark went over things he runs into on a daily basis and how to prevent them.

Viruses - Easy things to do is set Windows updater to automatic.  Don't break out the credit card!  Unless it is your virus program asking you to renew.  Make sure the virus protection is up-to-date.  Microsoft Security Essentials and AVG are just a few free programs that work well.

Firewall - Windows has a built-in firewall.  Keep it on.  Zone Alarm is very powerful but can be annoying.  Most hackers are trying to use you as a zombie computer to attack bigger targets.  Or they will use your PC to host illegal content.

Router - Install a router even if you have only one machine.  It actually acts as a hardware firewall that will scan for attacks before it even reaches your computer. 

Wireless Security - Password protect your wireless connection so neighbors can't use it.  The FBI will be knocking on your door if your neighbors are using your connection to do illegal things.  WEP is older and easily hackable.  WPA can be hacked is well.  WPA2 has the best encryption. 

Attachments - Don't open them from people you don't know.  Even be cautious if it is from a friend as their addresses may have been hijacked.  One suggestion is to have this code that you and your friends share at the bottom of emails if you share a lot.  This way you know it is legit. 

SSL - Gives you more online protection.  Banks use it. 

Spam - Don't click on it.  Don't reply to it.  Don't click on the links.  Don't preview it in your mail program.  It is recommended that you turn off the preview pane. 

Battery Backup/UPS - So important and will save you a lot of headaches, especially during the monsoon. 

Data Backup - Don't back up to the same disc that crashes!  Carbonite and Mozy are two good online backups.  They make it very easy to restore after a crash or loss of computer.  Dropbox is also a handy tool that serves as a backup.

Date - Make sure your computer date is correct.  It is a simple thing that can cause a lot of chaos. 

Speed - Be careful not to tell Cox you run a business out of your home or they will try to charge you 3x more for their business plan. 

Disposal - Beat the heck out of it, dunk it in some water then put it in your closet.  This includes computers and copiers.  Of course if you lease the equipment, you might want to ask questions about security issues. There are companies that shred hard drives.

Synchronizing - All info stays backed up and synched across your systems (desktop, laptop, smart phone).