When home computers first hit the market over thirty years ago all sorts of hobbyists and hackers (the good guy hackers, not the bad guy hackers) formed ad hoc clubs called computer users groups all over the fruited plane.

There were Atari user groups, Apple user groups, CP/M user groups and a myriad of others for every computer out there.  Weekly or monthly meetings shared computer tips, late-breaking news (remember the Internet as we know it would not emerge for another twenty some odd years) and all kinds of useful and even entertaining information.

As the 90s roared in with the Internet, computer users groups were shutting down left and right.  Why? Because who needed to get in the car and drive off to a weekly or monthly meeting when bulletin boards and forums on the Internet could provide much more information faster than ever before imagined?

A few notable exceptions to this technologically-induced extinction including the Brookdale Computer Users Group practically in my own backyard in Lincroft, New Jersey.  The Brookdale Computer Users Group (BCUG for shot) meets monthly and also runs a series of real and virtual workshops on topics such as Quickbooks, Internet Security, advanced data recovery and other topics of interest to everyone.

They’re running a special “recession buster” membership available to all new members through December 31, 2013.  What are the dues for your first year? A whopping $15.

For less than the price of a single computer book you get access to a group of computer experts and enthusiasts eager to share their knowledge with their members.  The May 2013 newsletter contains a particularly interesting article on how to use SMART to diagnose potential hard drive problems.  I can’t think of a single business owner who couldn’t benefit from critical information like that.

If you don’t want to or simply can’t attend the local meetings, no worries! The downloadable newsletter alone is worth the price of membership not to mention the online workshops and meetings they conduct throughout the year.

I’m signing up and you should to.  I have information to share.  Maybe you have things to learn.  Let’s win together.

Last week Classic Shell logged over 330,000 downloads.

Why?

Because Classic Shell transforms Windows 8 into the best version of Windows ever!

8 Different Classic Windows Interfaces Transforms Windows 8 into the PC of Your Dreams.

Let’s do some easy math:

Windows 8 + Classic Shell = The Best Windows ever.

Classic Shell gives you everything you’re used to — thanks to one of eight different “skins” you can choose to deliver a standard Windows Start Menu in Windows 8 — giving you the most stable, most reliable version of Windows you’ve ever seen.

With Classic Shell the new Windows 8 Metro interface is eliminated giving you everything you’re used to with older versions of Windows coupled with all of the new apps, features, power and stability of Windows 8.

You lose nothing but regain your sanity with Classic Shell for Windows 8. You’ll be proclaiming “What was once lost has now been found!” when you see your new Windows 8 Start Menu for the very first time.

You can Download Classic Shell for free but giving a donation of any sort would be the right thing to do.

If you’re like most Windows 8 users you’re sick and tired of all the different clicks and screens you need to get through to shutdown Windows 8.

Here’s a dandy little shortcut that will let you shutdown your Windows 8 PC in just two fast clicks right from your desktop or anywhere else you want a a rapid fire shutdown command:

1) Point to the location where you want to create the shortcut and do a single right click.
2) Click on New then roll the mouse over to shortcut and click on shortcut.
3) Copy and paste this — shutdown /s /t 0 — into the shortcut location and click next.
4) The shortcut name should be “shutdown” by default but you can name it anything you like.

Voila! Your new Windows 8 shutdown shortcut is ready to go. Just double-click it and *poof*! Your Windows 8 PC will shutdown right away.