HOLIDAY GIFT-GIVING

We Still Do Software, Folks!

Even though Quidnunc is building its reputation for excellent computer hardware and Internet service, we would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that
WE STILL DO SOFTWARE! Computer games are still popular and there is a diverse range of excellent educational software available - and software makes excellent Holiday gifts!

Why buy software when I can get it free on the Internet?

There was an interesting story on NPR one morning about the drop in sales of educational software for children. This is attributed largely to the prevalence of free things on the Internet. Parents might be interested to know that there is a tremendous value in the computer software, as it does things the Internet programs do not. For example, programs that help with reading, spelling, math skills, and learning the alphabet for pre-schoolers all have the ability to track the child's progress and even respond with appropriate exercises in areas where the child indicates a weakness.

Quidnunc will have a wide selection of applications for children available in time for your holiday shopping!

Traveling abroad? Software can help you with foreign languages.

One of my favorite discoveries over the years has been the things that I can learn from a CD on a computer. I'm planning a trip to Italy next Spring and my wife and I will both be using the Instant Immersion language CD so that we can do more than ask "Where is the restroom?" when we get there.

While we will have the most popular language series in stock at Quidnunc, we also have ready access to a diverse range of languages, ranging from Afrikaans to Zulu.

Finance, music and geography software for Holiday gifts

If you are still doing your home finances, on paper or an Excel spreadsheet, you REALLY should check out Quicken. We have software to help you compose music, to help you transfer your vinyl records to your own CDs, to make the Internet safer for your children, and to entertain you with games for the family. We can even help you learn to keyboard faster (you know — type!) We also offer an excellent series by National Geographic, which includes maps, exploration, astronomy, and other fascinating titles, with prices ranging from $10 to $50.

Security and back-up software

Losing all our most precious computer files is something we all hope won't happen to us, but many of us fail to back-up the files we can't live without. These holidays, consider giving your loved ones the means to back-up their computer data and protect their cherished memories.

Meet Eric,
Quidnunc's Buyer

Eric is our buyer at Quidnunc, and following is Eric's very helpful list of the latest and greatest video games to help you with your Holiday gift-giving.
 

Hot Video Games List By Category

Online Games

(Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games)

These are persistent world games where each player controls a character who is caught up as a hero in a loose storyline which is usually set within either the fantasy or science fiction idioms. The hero is given goals which often involve interactions with non-player characters, slaying evil minions, finding or creating objects relevant to the game world, or any of a myriad other options. As a character completes the quests she has accepted, she gains experience and escalates in power, often gaining new and more powerful skills. MMORPG's are the most popular style of video game being played today because as a player you can interact with thousands of other players from around the would at any one time. Besides the initial cost of the software, these games also require a monthly cost (usually $10 - $15 per month) to play because the content of these games is always expanding and improving.

Here is a brief list of popular titles and recent releases:

** no monthly charge if you are already paying the monthly charge for City of Heroes

Strategy Games

(Real-time Strategy, Turn-based Strategy, Simulation)

Strategy games, more often than not, are like computerized board games. As the player, you are trying to employ a mix of sound reasoning, good decision making, and a bit of luck to win the game. High score always rules, and the story, if any, is always secondary to the tactics involved in each move you make. Real-time Strategy (RTS) games involve quick hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to think on the fly because the decisions that you make unfold as you give the orders - but so do your opponents. Therefore it is imperative that you be one step ahead at all times. Turn-based strategy games tend to be longer games (several hours) and involve more forward-thinking and allow for

Featured in this newsletter:

· We Still Do Software
· Hot Video Games List
· TECH TIP
· 11th Anniversary Open House
· Quidnunc reopens on Sundays
· Media Center PC
· Other Gift Ideas

Also:
Coupons

11th Anniversary
Open House

We would like to extend our special thanks to all our customers that joined us for our Eleventh Anniversary Open House and Celebration. Congratulations to Christie Karis, who won the drawing for the LCD Monitor prize.

Quidnunc reopens on Sundays

Beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we will once again be open seven days per week. Our Sunday hours are from 11 am to 5 pm.

The friendly staff at Quidnunc would like to wish you a safe and wonderful Holiday season and a prosperous new year!

Media Center PC

Have you ever wondered what a "Multi-media computer" was all about? Quidnunc now has one on display. Come see what it looks like to get live TV on your computer, record a TV show, play your entire music collection and burn your own CD or DVD, all using a convenient remote much like the one for your existing TV.

Other Gift Ideas for the Holidays

The hardware items we expect to be in greatest demand this Christmas are jumpdrives, LCD monitors, and speakers. Come to the store for a demonstration of various speaker systems. You would not believe the sound quality you can get today from a $30 set of speakers with a sub-woofer. When I opened my store 11 years ago you would pay $200 for sound of this quality.

Quidnunc also offers upgrades to DVD Burners, and a range of printers that do better quality faster — for probably half of what you paid two years ago.

We also stock scanners for those hard-copy photos that you want to convert to digital files.

We have the full realm of wireless networking components, and the back-up equipment you need to protect your most important files.
 
 

Holiday Gifts galore
for the computer users
in your Life!

Here is a brief list of popular titles, recent releases, and upcoming (pre-holiday) titles:

Adventure Games

(First Person Shooter, Puzzle Games, Classic Role Playing Games)

These adventure games differ from the MMORPG style games listed above in that these games do not "persist" online, though there might be online variations to the game - usually small amounts of people (up to about 64) playing at once. First Person Shooters (FPS) are a popular style of game where you lead a character though a complex story which is usually based around a violent theme (hence "Shooter.") Guns and other weapons of destruction are the name of the game, with some emphasis on solving puzzles and tactics. In online play, small teams are often set up to play games like Capture the Flag. Puzzle games are much less violent versions of these games, where solving mysteries guide your character through the story. Role playing games (RPG) are similar in that you are leading a character through a story, but the character also gets more powerful as the story goes on, much like a classic table-top role playing game. These games tend to be very detailed graphically, so the newer games usually need the latest graphics cards in order to function optimally.

Here is a brief list of popular titles, recent releases, and upcoming(pre-holiday) titles:

Just as with a car, sometimes you can save a trip to the repair shop with routine maintenance. The following are good tips from one of our favorite business referrals.

TECH TIP: How to safely clean a computer

by Lorraine Damman of Lorraine's Computer Training.

[From Bill — the following are for Windows XP but, except for the restore point, there are similar routines in other versions of Windows.]

Before doing anything that changes your computer - whether it be installing or uninstalling a program or cleaning your computer, first do a system restore point. Go to Start/all programs/accessories/system tools/system restore.

Weekly Clean temporary files off the computer Go to Windows Explorer by double clicking on the MY COMPUTER icon. Right click on "Local Disk C" or the "C" drive and left click on Properties. Click on the "Disk Cleanup button" A window will pop up asking you to wait while it calculates the amount of disk space you will save Next, a window like the one at right will pop up. If you click once on a phrase such as Down-loaded Program Files, you will get a brief description in the "Description" area. Put a checkmark by each of the files to be cleaned and then click ok. Depending on the number and size of the files, you may have to wait a while and then you will be back to the original screen and the temporary files will be cleaned.

Check to see if your computer has too much stored on it

Go to Windows Explorer by double clicking on the MY COMPUTER icon. Right click on "Local Disk C" or the "C" drive and left click on Properties. Look at the circle graph and notice how much free space you have. That is the pink area on your screen. In the diagram on the right it shows that this computer has 82.5GB of free space out of 111GB. If you see that your computer is almost completely full as shown on the graph at the left, then there is a danger it could crash and you will lose everything. In this case, I would uninstall programs that you might never use. I would back up and then delete large documents and pictures.

You can also use the more options tab under disk cleanup to clean your computer of things that are no longer needed.

For more serious problems - a more deep cleaning of your computer

Error Checking:

1. If your computer begins to act up - slows down, or freezes, I would check your computer for errors by running scan disk first and then "disk defragmentation" next.
2. Go to Windows Explorer by double clicking on the MY COMPUTER icon and Right click on "Local Disk C" or the "C" drive and left click on Properties.
3. Click once on the Tools tab and then once on the "Check Now" button
4. At the new window be sure that "automatically fix file system errors" and "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" are checked
5. For Windwos XP you will be told that the error checking program cannot run until windows restarts. Click ok.
6. Restart your computer (start/turn off/restart)
7. Plan to set aside about 1/2 to 1 hour for this program to work. After you restart your computer, this program will run 6 steps before continuing on to show the desktop.

Disk Defragmentation:

1. On the same window as the error checking button is a button for disk defragmentation.
2. At this new window, first click on the analyze button at the bottom of the window and it will tell you if you need to defragment your computer.
3. If you do need to defrag the computer, then click on defragment.
4. A program will run that will clean up the computer's organizational scheme. In the future it will be easier for the computer to find and open more quickly any document or file.

Save Quidnunc postage and trees!

Get this newsletter by email and prevent at least one postal worker (and maybe Bill) from developing a bad back. To subscribe, send us an email — we currently distribute nearly 2,000 of these newsletters electronically.

We will recycle old computers, printers and monitors for a nominal fee of $15/computer or monitor, and $5/printer.

Remember to bring in empty ink jet and laser toner cartridges. Keep them out of the landfills!

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What Now? The Official Quid'·nunc Newsletter
Published by Quid'·nunc...
The friendliest Computer, Software & Internet Store in Greater Seattle

4522 California Avenue SW, Seattle WA 98116
Located at the mid-block crosswalk between Alaska and Oregon Streets

Hours:  Mon-Fri 9-7 · Saturday 9-6 · Sunday 11-5

Tel: 932-8795. Fax: 932-8183. Email: click here for contact information

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