Happy Holidays from the GVR Computer Club!
December 2017
GVR Computer Club Hours
Winter Hours are Now in Effect.
Monday-Friday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm - Sunday: Closed
CLOSED for the holidays: December 25-26, January 1
Next General Meeting: Tuesday, December 19 at 1:30 pm.
Topic: "All Mac"
presenter, Ernie Cox
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>> Interested in taking a free class? Click to view the class calendar.
>> Hands-on Classes are now offered. Click the image to enlarge.
It's easy to sign up for these classes; just click here to register.
You can practice registering by choosing 'On-line Registration Practice". Read the description of the class on its registration page.
>> From the Education Department
We are always looking for members willing to share their knowledge in any computer related subject. You do not need to have teaching experience, just a willingness to give. You will receive help! Contact Marge Clark (520-399-9336).
>> Attn: Mac Monitors
Click to view the Mac Monitor Calendar. To make changes, contact Kathy Arnold.
>> If you can volunteer some time to the Computer Club as a monitor, please contact Mike Kearns at gvrcomputerclub@gmail.com for more information.
>> Financial Report, as of October 31, 2017, provided by Jerry Ferris:
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Computer Club Financial Report |
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Balance on 09/30/2017 |
$ 80141.73 |
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Income |
$ 2007.50 |
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Expense |
$ 7577.49 |
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Balance on 10/31/2017 |
$ 74571.74 |
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When Computers Vanish
From Art Rotman, GVR Computer Club President
I read an interesting article the other day in USA Today. It began with the headline “What happens when computers around you all but disappear.” I was hooked. It went on to say that computers will not be disappearing any time soon but they are destined to become invisible to the eye but responsive to gesture, voice and movement.
This change has already begun: think Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home which are voice-driven smart speakers trained to be responsive to his or her master’s voice. They are the leading edge of what is being called “ambient computing,” a vision being driven by advances in artificial intelligence, speech recognition, language processing, machine learning and cloud computing. Scary stuff!
But wait a minute. Not to be left behind, your Computer Club is jumping right in. Well, we are at least intending to participate in this evolution. Soon we will have a demonstration/learning display in our lobby consisting of Amazon and Google smart speakers able to respond to voice commands. They will be capable of answering questions, play your favorite tunes, and even remind you to renew your membership (just kidding).
So especially if you are not familiar with these devices, come on over to the Club and listen and learn. It’s never too late. See you there.
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From the Tech Department
There has been a recent update by Microsoft in Windows 10 to graphic drivers that may be affecting screen resolution and the use of multiple displays for a select few computers. If you notice a change where your screen seems unusually large, or you can no longer use multiple monitors, contact our Tech department for possible solutions.
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It Could Happen to You!
From Dorothy Fitch, Green Bytes editor
I consider myself a reasonably savvy computer user, but a couple of weeks ago, all of a sudden, this screen opened up in a new tab of my Chrome browser, while I was reading an article in Windows 10 News.
(Click to enlarge the image,)
At the upper left of the screen was an official-looking Windows logo and bogus instructions to call their support number. If I had called the number, they would have told me I should pay them money to fix my problem, and then asked if they could take control over my computer to fix it, which I certainly would have known was trouble!
After viewing that screen, I immediately took these steps:
- I closed the browser. If you are unable to close it by clicking the X at the upper right corner, right-click the browser's icon in the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen and click 'Close window". But don't worry if you don't. You will soon be shutting everything down.
- I saved all my open documents and closed their applications.
- I ran MalwareBytes, which found no issues. (You can get the free version of this program, which is recommended by the Club, at www.ninite.com.)
- I shut down the computer, then turned it on again. (A Shut Down in this situation is better than just a Restart.)
I have had no problems since then. Remember that if you see a screen pop up like the one I saw, DO NOT call the support number. Having this happen is the most common problem experienced by Club users, according to the Tech Support team.
Just follow the steps I took and you (and your computer) should be fine.
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PDF from Last Month's General Meeting
At the November general meeting, we all learned a lot at Gene Komaromi's talk on free software. He has graciously provided a PDF of his slides so we can all keep track of the names of the software, what they can do, and how to get them. Even if you weren't at the meeting, you can take advantage of these great programs at a great cost (free!).
Click to view or save the PDF.
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Ernie's Mac Tips
How to take advantage of the iPhone X's wireless and fast-charging capabilities
Click to read this article.
The fastest way to unlock your iPhone X with Face ID
Click to read this article.
How to turn your iPad into the best digital photo frame
Click to read this article.
How to make a custom ringtone for your iPhone, with GarageBand on iOS
Click to read this article.
You can now view detailed App Store and iTunes purchase history on iOS
Click to read this article.
Tip: Having trouble with the URLs not working in the “Tips” above? Copy the heading of the story you want to read and put that into the browser. This also works if you can’t open an article in your favorite on-line news outlet.
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My Favorite Things
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
(from “My Favorite Things,” by Oscar Hammerstein / Richard Rodgers)
In The Sound of Music, Maria (played by Julie Andrews in the film version), a nun turned governess, sings of her favorite things to her seven young charges. I wonder how her list might be different if the story was set today, rather than immediately before World War II. Maria’s list is of simple things; would today’s Maria include tech items like smartphones and Facebook likes in a more modern list?
What would a list of today’s favorite technology items look like? And what constitutes a favorite? Is it something you enjoy (like 3D movies) or are merely dependent on and addicted to (perhaps smartphones)?
So, if I were to make a list of some of my favorite tech things, it would need to contain things that make me smile and feel happy (perhaps even after being bitten and stung). They don’t have to be tremendously useful (raindrops on roses aren’t), but should have few negative connotations. That can be a high hurdle for a lot of our technology, as it seems there is a downside to most of the tech we know and love.
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In the full article, the author writes about his favorite and not-so-favorite things and why: SmartPhones, Twitter, Drones, Facebook, Email, Maps, GPS, Productivity Software, Google Searches, Digital Music, USB Flash Drives, ChromeBooks, and Star Wars.
He closes his article with:
Gigabyte Flash drives and boxed sets of Star Wars
Chromebooks and Fitbits and Amazon Prime stores
Searches with Google (don’t switch me to Bing!)
These are a few of my favorite tech things
When the web’s slow
When my screen’s blue
When it’s filled with ads
I simply remember my favorite tech things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
(Apologies to R & H)
You really need to read the entire article. Just click here!
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Membership Renewal
Your 2018 GVR Computer Club membership dues are payable by the end of the year. To pay your dues, you can come to the Club and a monitor on duty will assist you, or you can complete the renewal form online and bring it or mail it to the Club.
Click here to download the fillable Membership Form.
(Use either Google Chrome or Internet Explorer to fill it out online.)
Print the form and bring it with your payment to the Club.
You can also mail the form and your check to:
GVR Computer Club
921 West Via Rio Fuerte Drive
Green Valley, AZ 85614
A Single Membership renewal costs $25, and a Family Membership costs $35.
If you have any questions, call the Club at 520-625-4508.
If you have a Single Membership and wish to add a person in your household to create a Family Membership, refer to the Membership Form for guidelines.
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