Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

ISSUE FIVE

MAY 2013

Changes at the top

But rules
stay the
same afer
lively AGM
discussion
THERE were changes
at the top as a number
of new officials were
appointed at the
Computer and Camera
Groups Annual General
Meeting.
But the well-attended meeting
was dominated by a lively
discussion on rule changes
which had been proposed by the
outgoing committee.

Outgoing Group Chairman Barrie Allington addresses the Annual General Meeting.

YOUR NEW COMMITTEE

The key proposal was to abolish

the post of overall Group
chairman while linked to that
was a minor change to the
voting rights of members coopted onto sub committees.

Group Chairman/ Treasurer

Camera Club Chairman
Computer Club Chairman
Membership Secretary

Outgoing Group chairman Barrie

Allington told the meeting that
he was not in agreement with
the move, saying: An overall
Group chairman acts as a focal
point for contact with the UKCA
Council.
And he pointed out that there
could also be conflicts of
interest, when it came to
purchasing equipment for the
Computer or Camera Clubs.

David Wesson
Keith Wright
Liz Unwin
Liz Watson

Ordinary Members:
Roy Calver, David Brindley, Carol McAllister Responsible
for the Annual Photographic Competition, Barbara Boozer
Assistant Event Co-ordinator, David Whinyates Newsletter
Editor and Publisher.
From the floor, Barbara Reid
commented: If we have no
overall chairman, the Group
could quickly morph into
separate groups.

The majority of speakers felt that

there remained a need for the
Group to retain a co-ordinating
presence and point of contact
with the UKCA Council.
And when the proposal was put
to the vote it was
overwhelmingly rejected by the
members present, leaving the
possibility of an extraordinary
AGM in order to vote on the
amendment on sub-committee
members voting rights.

Huddle: Committee members discuss the implications

of the vote against changing the Groups rules.

INSIDE: Crazy for Crete

A Bridge too far

Rejection of the motion meant

that the Group would retain an
overall chairman and David
Wesson was elected to the
position, replacing Barrie
Allington. David also retains his
role as treasurer.

Member Profiles

Earlier Jim Crowe and Keith

Wright had presented their
annual reports on the Computer
and Camera Club activities over
the past year.
Jim, who was retiring as
Computer Club chairman,
commented: Both the
Computer and Camera Clubs
have proved extremely popular
and a great chunk of this has
been thanks to Barrie Allington.
Liz Unwin, who was elected as
the new Computer Club
chairwoman, proposed a vote of
thanks to Barrie, who told
members that although standing
down as Group Chairman, he
would remain an active member
of the Group, even though he
planned to spend more time in
the UK.
Secretary Liz Watson reported
that overall Group membership
now stood at 109 while, in his
role as treasurer, David Wesson
reported a cash balance of
1,159.79, compared with
554.23 in the previous year.
Three new committee members
were elected Barbara
Boozer, Carol McAllister and
David Whinyates. David Brindley
and Roy Calver remain on the
committee

Hints, tips and much more

Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

A Bridge too far...

THE IDEA was to visit
three of Cyprus famed
Venetian bridges when
Camera Club members
set off on the first
photographic field trip of
the year in April.
But heavy rain the previous day
meant that, even armed with
four wheel drive vehicles, the
dirt road trip to the bridge at
Roudia was judged a bridge too

Welcome...
IM delighted
to have been
given the
exciting
opportunity
of editing
and
publishing
the Group s
Newsletter and hope to build
on the excellent job already
done with the early editions
by Liz Watson.
My aim is to publish every
two months with news,
features and reports of
interest to members of both
the Computer and Camera
Clubs. And Id welcome any
feedback and contributions
hints, tips, news from
members which can be sent
to me at
iamdadid@cytanet.com.cy
I hope you enjoy this new
edition.
- DAVID WHINYATES

ISSUE 5

far by the not-so-intrepid

adventurers.
Following an early morning start
from the UKCA clubhouse, the
21 members followed a route
prepared by field trip organiser
Liz Unwin to Omodos where
there was time for a snapshot
tour of the picturesque village
and a coffee before setting off in
convoy for the Venetian bridges.

picnic lunch, before

returning to Pafos.
Thanks go to Liz for
organising another
successful field trip
and she will be
showing and
judging the photo
assignment pictures
at a meeting in the
near future.

Members were challenged not

just to photograph the bridges,
but also to seek out pictures of
lace, a stone cross, a dam and a
river ford.

Top: The
field trip group
at Kelafos.

First stop was Elia Bridge where

the members spent a good half
hour negotiating slippery slopes
in search of their assigned
pictures.

Right: Keith
Wright, Roy
Calver and
Carol McAllister
with cameras at
the ready in
Omodos.

On then to the more easily

accessible Kelafos Bridge for
more photos, followed by a

Why not join us on Facebook?

THERE is now a group for us
on Facebook!
At the moment its a closed
group, so quite private. This
means that non-members can
see the group but
cannot see who the groups
members are and cannot
see posts. You can request to join the group
(so please do) and a
member of Admin currently myself and Liz
Watson - will sign you
up.

be interested in this and

some of you will not. All I can
say is... please have a look.
If you dont have a Facebook
account, I will be doing a talk
on this on May 24th .... dont
knock it till youve tried it !

I know some of you will

Whos it for?.. Any member of

the UKCA Copmputer and
Camera Group, past or
present.
We can exchange ideas and
info, ask questions, use it as
a forum, as a way to show our
photos, even ask for
critiques if you wish.
Theres lots of potential
so the more members the
better! Check it out at:
http://www.facebook.com/
groups/357922107662161/

- Roy Calver
MAY 2013

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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Just crazy
for Crete
ON April 21, eight of us
set off from Pafos to
Chania with Ryanair.
No complaints with the
airline whatsoever
we took off on time and
landed on time, what
more can you ask?
Two taxis took us to the Arkadi
Hotel. We got there in time to
grab a late lunch and have a
wander round the town before
meeting up for dinner later.
Our first port of call was the
beautiful Venetian harbour
where you can see the old
houses with their typical blend of
Venetian and Turkish elements
changing colour according to the
time of day and the angle of the
sun.
Chania has so much character
and history to it. Wandering
through the narrow side streets
is a delight, so much to see.
Day Two and after breakfast we
took two taxis to Aptera, which is
an ancient city, dating back to
the Minoan era and is one of the
most important archaeological
areas in Crete.

Liz Watson
reports on a
memorable
Camera Club
field trip to a
fabled Greek
island
Aptera is also in one of
the most impressive
locations in Crete,
situated high on a plateau
surrounded by olive
groves with a fantastic
view in all directions,
including Itzedin Fortress,
the Cretan Sea, Souda
Bay, the valley of
Apokoronou, the Akrotiri
peninsula and the White
Mountains.
There is so much I could write
about Aptera but you will just
have to go yourselves.
Day Three and we hired a large
taxi to take us all out together.
For me, this was probably the
most moving day.

We saw such a lot, but what will

stay with me forever is our visit
to the Suda Bay War Cemetery,
which is maintained by the
Commonwealth War Graves
Commission. Half of the graves
are unmarked and there are
servicemen from all of the UK,
New Zealand, Australia and
many other
countries buried
there.

Above: Typical narrow

street in Chania.

Below: The moving

Suda Bay War Cemetary.

Bottom: the Roman

Cisternin surpringly
good condition

We had a fantastic
trip and thanks has
to go totally to Liz
Unwin for doing a
fantastic job and
also to my fellow
travellers, I much
enjoyed your
company.

We also visited the Monastery of Aghia

Triada Tzangarolon (above) which was
absolutely fascinating and the statue of
Spiros Kayales (right), the rebel who, in
1897, when Crete was being bombarded
by ships from England, France, Russia,
Germany, Austria and Italy, turned his
body into a flagpole when a cannonball
ISSUE 5

MAY 2013

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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Your guide to
Windows 8
keyboard
shortcuts
Steven Sinofsky
rolls out Windows 8
shortly before his
sudden departure
from Microsoft last
November.

Windows pains?
YOU can quickly and
easily shut down
your Windows by
placing a shortcut
icon on your start
screen. Heres how to
create and place a
Shut Down shortcut
icon on your Start
screen and Task Bar.
Just follow these
simple steps:
Right-click on your desktop
and move your cursor to
New.

TECH TALK

Windows 8 hasnt exactly been

greeted with great enthusiasm by the
computer world. In the first of a new
series of computer advice pages,
Derek unravels some of the secrets of
Microsofts new operating system
the blank box underneath
the type the location of the
item.

You will notice a Shortcut

tab placed next to the
General tab. Click it.

Press Next.

In the next step click on the

Change Icon button located
at the bottom of the
shutdown properties dialog.

A number of options will be

displayed.

This will open another

window.

Click on the Shortcut tab.

Type in a name for the

shortcut in the blank box
underneath the words Type
a name for this shortcut
and click Finish.

A shortcut menu will be

displayed.
Type in shutdown/ s/ t/ 0 in

With Derek Noronha

A warning box will appear.

Click OK.
Next select an icon image of
your choice, right-click on
the shortcut and click Pin to
start beneath the Open file
location option.
You can place your shut
down shortcut anywhere on
your Start screen by
dragging the icon.
Additionally, if you want your
shutdown shortcut to be
displayed on the taskbar as
well, repeat all the steps.
Type in shutdown/ r/ t0 in
the blank box underneath
the Type the location of the
item (when it asks you to
type the location of the new
shortcut).
Lastly, right-click on your
shortcut and select Pin to
taskbar.

ISSUE 5

MAY 2013

WINDOWS 8 has been specially

designed for Touch Screen
tablets, but the majority of us will
still be using the latest operating
system by Microsoft on our
conventional desktops and laptops. But for those who have the
latest operating system, heres a
list of some basic Windows 8
keyboard shortcuts:

Charm Shortcuts:
Press Win + C to open Charms.
Press Win + K to open Charm
Devices.
Press Win + I to open Charm
Settings.

App Shortcuts:
Press Win + Z to access App options.
Press Ctrl + Tab to browse
through your app history.
Press Win + to snap an app to
the left side.
Press Win + Shift + to snap an
app to the right side.
Press Win + Tab to switch between running apps.
Press Alt + F4 to close an app.

Desktop Shortcuts:
Press Win + D to open Desktop.
Press Win + to peek through
your desktop.
Press Win + B to go back to
your Desktop.
Press Win + Q to search for
Apps.
Press Win + F to search for
files.
Press Win + E to launch the
explorer.
Press Win + L to lock your PC.
Press Win + M to minimize the
size of your Internet Explorer
window or your current window.
Press Win + Print Screen to take
screen shots.
Press Ctrl + Esc to go to the
Start screen.
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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Lost UK
TV? Try
Filmon
for size
AS many members will know UK
TV has been somewhat curtailed
in recent months.
First of all those with satellite dishes can no
longer receive the UK terrestrial channels of
BBC1, BBC2, ITV, C 4 and C5 via their
satellite dish.
Finally over the past weeks SKY News has
vanished from our screens.
Some SKY channels are still available in
some areas around Pafos via the dish. I
understand that during the afternoon in
Pegeia some of the SKY Sports channels
can be viewed.
I am not an expert and any advice given
here is only as a result of my own
experience. I live in Chlorakas and can get
SKY Sports occasionally but it is intermittent.
I am a SKY subscriber in the UK and have a
dish here. I can receive a number of other
channels such as Gold, Music and
Yesterday etc. I cannot receive the prime
channels however.
To solve this problem, UK TV can be
obtained via a computer either directly or
connected to the TV set.

Cant get BBC or ITV on

Sky anymore?
In the first of two articles
PETER GILLARD looks
at FilmonTV. In the next
issue he explains how to
use a VPN to connect to
UK catch-up TV sites
If you wish to view on the TV it is essential
that your TV be HDMI ready as the signal
from the computer to the TV is via an HDMI
lead. There is another way, using a VGA
lead but this needs a separate sound
connection.
Of course the computer must also have a
facility to connect an HDMI lead. In the case
of a desk top computer without this facility a
connection can easily be fitted by a
computer company, such as Computer SOS

in Chlorakas, for a small fee. The HDMI

leads, depending on length, are also
available in most TV and Computer outlets
at a minimal cost.
Many laptops also have an HDMI outlet but I
understand that one cannot be easily fitted
to a laptop without such a connection. I
understand Computer SOS charge about
60.00 to fit an outlet.
Once you have set up your system either by
directly viewing your computer or on the TV,
which I prefer, you can then connect to a
website called FilmOn.com.
Download it and make it an icon on your
desk top. Then open the program and you
will see numerous channels which are
available including BBC1, BBC2, ITV, C4
and C5 plus many other English and foreign
language programs. This program is free.
It is a bit of a fiddle initially and you will need
a reasonably fast broadband connection to
avoid buffering - 8mb ideally - but it will
eventually connect providing you with
access to all your favourite channels.

INSPECT A GADGET

View TV and upset

the cat from the comfort of your sofa
ONE of my favourite gadgets (and
one of the most used) is my mini
handheld keyboard with touchpad
and laser light.
Like many of you, I watch the TV via
Filmon with my TV running from my laptop via the HDMI cable.

The main unit has an internal rechargeable battery and to charge it you connect
it to a USB charger or via a USB cable to
the computer.
The small touch pad gets a bit of getting
used to but once mastered, it is very easy
to use.

It responds to a double tap (equivalent to

This is where the device really comes into pressing the left mouse button) but the
its own as it becomes my virtual remote
left and right buttons are there as well as
control.
the arrow keys.
With this I can change channels and alter The laser light is useful for doing
the volume form the comfort of my sofa.
presentations or highlighting things. It
As you can see from the photo, there is a can also drive the cat crazy chasing the
light!
small attachment that goes into the USB
port. This is the receiver. There is no
need to load any drivers as the computer
recognises the device and sets it up.
ISSUE 5

With Barrie Allington

There are a number of variations available Just have a look on my favourite

site, Ebay.
MAY 2013

The cheapest I have seen is

8.99 + 3.95 p&p, from China. If you want
to have a look, here is the link:
http:www.ebay.co.uk/ itm/Mini-Handheld2-4G-RF-Wireless-Keyboard-KeypadTouchpad-With-PC-Computer-Remote/290804816879pt=UKComputingComputer
ComponentsKeyboardsMice&hash=item4
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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

How did they

do that?
In each issue
well be
looking at the
winning
picture from
the latest
Bi-monthly
photographic
competition
and asking
the winning
snapper to
tell the story
behind the
picture

Its Carnival Time

THE winning April Bi-Monthly

picture was taken at the Limassol
carnival in March this year.
This was an opportunity for me to try out
my new Pentax K5 camera body.

All the images were captured in RAW,

something that I have done since first
owning a digital camera with RAW facility.
Having taken photographs at numerous
carnivals before, this time I had the idea to
try to capture the feeling of the carnival by
introducing movement into the picture. This
is something that I havent achieved in the
past and, looking back, most of my
carnival pictures look quite static.

Can
anyone help?
DAVID OWEN writes...
I have a Cytanet email address and
whilst I have "synchronised" my account
on my tablet with that on my other
devices, principally my laptop, I have
found that "sent emails" from my tablet do
not appear on the other devices.
Has any member found the solution for
this? If so could we all have details
because I am sure that the members
buying tablets and who use Cytanet are
facing this problem.
I believe that this "problem" does not
occur with Hotmail, Gmail, AOL etc.
ISSUE 5

I came up with the idea that I would use a

slow shutter speed that would show any
movement as a blur, but by using a small
burst of flash from a flash gun on camera it
would freeze any movement close to the
camera.
As you will appreciate there is a lot of trial
and error when trying out something
different and the delete button once again
came into its own.

The lens I used, which is one of my

favorites, was a 12mm to 24mm zoom lens.
In this particular shot the lens was set at
14mm, quite a wide angle which requires

the subject to be very close to the camera

to fill the frame.
The image was worked on in Photoshop. I
used a graduated filter which gave the
effect of a gradient darkening of the sky
while the saturation was reduced which
gave the whole of the image a muted
colour effect.
Then, by the use of layers, some of the
colour was reintroduced into certain
important areas of the picture.
The camera settings for this particular shot
were: aperture f22; shutter speed 1/25th
second and the ISO was set at 200.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE

Planning
to buy
on-line?
Shop
safely
with
these
top tips...
MAY 2013

Use PayPal its very

secure

Check that the company

April wnner: Keith Wright

a padlock image next to the
address can normally be
trusted more than those
starting HTTP.

you are buying from will ship

Keep your browser up to
to Cyprus
date by applying security
Beware of high postage
updates.
charges and the possibility
Avoid banking and other
of import duties on items
financial transactions on
purchased outside the EU.
public wi-fi facilities such as
Beware of adverts on
internet-cafes or airports.
shopping sites they have
Be password savvy its
been known to download
recommended to change
Trojans, logging software
them every six months and
and other nasties.
dont use the same pass Shopping sites which have word for all web sites.
web addresses starting
- Barrie Allington
HTTPS (S= Secure) and have
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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Getting to know you

Barbara
Boozer

David
Owen

Home Village:

Partner:

Tala.

Filomena Owen.

Birthplace:

Home Village:

Long Beach, California.

St George (Agios Georgios).

Previous occupation:

Birthplace:

Lecturer in English.

Leigh, Lancashire, England.

Before I came to Cyprus:

Previous Occupation:

I lived in Hong Kong for 30

years working at The
Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Retired Loss Adjuster.

Before I came to Cyprus:

I started out living on the Peak and worked my way down

to sea level, living on a 47' trawler in the Discovery Bay
Marina before leaving for Cyprus in October 1998.

Hobbies/Interests:
Photography, reading, travel, cooking - especially Asian
food - entertaining and being entertained by friends. I'm
also interested in learning to use the computer more
efficiently but it is slow progress. Another interest - of
necessity - is investing.

Since 1983 I have lived overseas, mainly in the Middle

East but also in Lagos Nigeria (1985/7).
In 1991 I opened a small loss adjusting practice (oneman band) in Dubai and travelled quite a lot to
neighbouring countries including Qatar and Oman. I
retired to Cyprus in 2006.

Hobbies / Interests:
Computers, photography, reading, football and sailing.

MEMBER PROFILES

Liz
Unwin

Margaret
Wright

Partner:

Partner:

Bill Crawford.

Colin.

Home Village:

Home Village:

Pegeia.

Mellisouvnos.

Birthplace:

Birthplace:
Glasgow, Scotland.

Coventry.

Previous occupations:

Previous occupation:

Hairdresser, Post Office

clerk, building society teller,
make-up artist.

Careers advisor.

Before I came to Cyprus:

Before I came to Cyprus:

I lived in Manchester. For the last five years of my

working life I recruited and trained mentors to work with
children in school.
I have lived in Cyprus for ten years and wouldnt want to
live anywhere else!

Hobbies/Interests:
Photography, IT, travel, parchment craft, Editor of Newsletter for Cancer Patients Support Group, Pafos.
ISSUE 5

MAY 2013

I lived in Dubai in the 70s,Scotland and England in the

80s then moved to Hong Kong. Colin is an airline pilot so
weve travelled extensively. We have three children and
five grandchildren. Daughter lives in Hong Kong and one
son and family in Singapore so we visit there often.

Hobbies/Interests:
Stage One Theatreset painting, design and make-up photography, cooking, reading, travel, keep-fit, walking.
Page 7

Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Why size matters

Its said that size doesnt matter,
but when sending digital images for
on-screen projection at the Camera
Club it most certainly does.
Images must be resized to a
maximum of 1mb (or 500kb for the
Bi-monthly competition) with the
longest side no more than 1400
pixels. Heres a step-by-step guide
to how to do it in Photoshop...

Open your picture in Photoshop,

click on Image and then click on
Image Size in drop down menu.

TUTORIAL:

How to resize pictures in Photoshop

2
The Image Size
dialogue box
opens. Change
Resolution to
72dpi and then
change Image
Size so that the
longest side of
the image is no
more than 1400
pixels. Then click
OK.

ISSUE 5

Next click on File and

select Save As... In the drop
down menu.
The Save As dialogue box will
now open.

In the Save As... dialogue

box go to File Name and
rename the picture to
ensure the original stays
as shot. Click Save.

MAY 2013

The JPEG Options dialogue

box opens. Under Image
Options adjust the Quality
so the image size is below
1mb (500K for Bi-monthly)
and click on OK to save.

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Bytes & Pics

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKCA PAFOS COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP

Make a date!

ARTICLES FOR SALE

GOSSEN Lunasix F Flash and
light meter with case. With
printed instructions. Great
condition. 60.

PROLIN
lighting tent.
Made of hard
wearing
plastic. Zips
together and
stored rolled
up in its own
case. 40.

PAPHOS International Sailing Club

(PISC) have again invited the Club to be
the official photographers for their
Regatta but the date has now been
amended with the event taking place on
the weekend of Friday 21- Sunday 23
June at Agios Georgios.
The days will start at about 10am when
boats will be prepared for launching so
therell be lots of activity to photograph
there, followed by launches and races.

for photographing the action as it

happens.
Rolls, snacks, drinks etc. can be
pre-ordered from the kiosk (let Liz
Unwin know if you want to order
anything) or you can take a picnic.
Anyone is free to go and watch the
event, but ideally Liz would like to have
a team of people so that Club members
can work 'shifts' to cover the events.

There will be a lunch break about 1pm

and racing continues into the afternoon
with boats returning around 3pm and, on
Sunday, presentation of prizes, trophies
etc from about 3pm.

If you are interested in taking part please

let Liz know, either by email to
liz.unwin@gmail.com or by putting your
details and availability on the form at the
registration desk at Computer and
Camera Group meetings.

For anyone wishing to photograph the

racing offshore there will be the
opportunity to go out in the safety boat

Members who have already signed-up

are asked to contact Liz to confirm that
they are still available on the new dates.

COMPUTER & CAMERA GROUP PROGRAMME

May 22
May 29
June 5
June 12
June 19
June 26
July 3
July 10
July 17
July 24
July 31
ISSUE 5

Home Networks/ Wi-Fi

Basic video editing/ Movie maker
Photographic Guest Speaker
Computer Q&A/ group discussion
Bi-Monthly Print Competition
Recording on Vinyl
SLR v Compacts/ Camera Settings
Crete field trip/ Regatta photos
Camera Club group discussion
Skype/ Facebook
Quiz

May-July

Derek
Pete & Janine
Dr. David Sparrow
Liz Unwin, Derek, Jim
Barrie & Ray
TBC
TBC
TBC
Roy, Barrie, David B
Margaret Wright/ Roy
TBC
MAY 2013

NISSIN di622
flash dedicated
to Canon
Digital. Guide
number 44M @
iso 100. Full ettl compatible.
Great flash gun
(sells for 120
new). 75
LASTOLITE white and gold
reflector. A few marks but does
not affect its use. In its own case.
Lots of fun trying to fold it up
afterwards! 15.
CONTACT BARRIE ALLINGTON
ON 977 65256 FOR ALL THE
ITEMS ABOVE.

AMAZON
KINDLE
e-reader
(original
model)
preloaded
with over 80
books.
Complete
with luxury
leather case/
stand and charger plug and lead.
Excellent condition. 60 ono.
CONTACT DAVID WHINYATES
ON 976 48436
Page 9