Getting Comfortable With The Basics

Program Archive 2017

The Gadget Gurus – Everyone welcome! We do not have any prerequisites, just come, ask questions about previous presentation session topics, or any other tech questions you might have. Bob, Susan and/or Glenn will be at the Clubhouse for one-on-one assistance with your computers, smartphones, cameras, tablets, etc. Bring your tech issues and enjoy. 


April 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm – Navigating Google, Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Wallet, Docs… – Google provides Internet services that let you search the web, create blogs, send email, word processing, spreadsheets, video chat, and publish web pages. Google has social networking tools, organization tools, and services for mobile devices, Google Wallet card, and even Google-branded merchandise. Type With Your Voice – You can type and edit a document by speaking in Google Docs. Note: This feature is only available in Chrome browsers.

May 1, 2017 at 7:00 pm – Use Google Photo To Manage Your Digital Pictures – All your photos organized and easy to find. Photos on your computer or smartphone are backed up safely, organized and labeled automatically, so you can find them fast, and share them how you like. Google has built in some clever tools for sharing photos as well – drag to select a few shots, and with a couple clicks, you can create a web album too . Free unlimited storage, automatic backup, and fun editing effects make Google Photos one of my favorite tools for managing photos to share with friends.
A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.  –  Chris Hadfield.ca

May 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm –  – Upgrade Your Old Spinning Hard Drive With A Solid State Drives (SSD) – If your Windows 10 computer takes a long time to boot up, that's likely because it runs on a regular hard drive. This is also the case of most older computers. Replacing that hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD) will make the machine run much faster. – I have replaced the spinning hard drives with Solid State Drives (SSD) in all of my legacy computers, the startup speed improvement is stunning.

June 5, 2017 at 7:00 pm – Online Shopping – Everyone loves saving money and online shopping makes it easy. Back in the pre-internet age, if you wanted to save a few bucks, you either had to visit several stores to compare prices or spend an entire Sunday afternoon cutting coupons.

June 19, 2017 at 7:00 pm – Streaming Video Your Best TV Entertainment Value – Streaming video is content sent in compressed form over the Internet and displayed by the viewer in real time. With streaming video or streaming media, a Web user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Instead, the media is sent in a continuous stream of data and is played as it arrives. The user needs a player, which is a special program that uncompresses and sends video data to the display and audio data to speakers. A player can be either an integral part of a browser, a set-top box or built into a Smart TV.

July 3, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Cloud Computing, Create Documents & Spreadsheets Online – You don't need to buy Microsoft Office! Create basic documents from scratch or start from a template. You can easily do all the basics, including making bulleted lists, sorting by columns, adding tables, images, comments, formulas, changing fonts and more. And it's free.

July 17, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Backing up data – why you need to do it! – Data loss can happen in many ways. One of the most common causes is a physical failure of the media the data is stored on, in addition, MalWare can infect your system and corrupt or encrypt files. You probably have everything saved on your PCs hard drive. That hard drive will not live forever. To quote one of the tech geeks I follow, “there are only two types of hard drives – the ones that have failed and the ones that will fail.”  Low-Cost Wireless Providers – Ting is a new mobile phone service that caters to people tired of dealing with complicated billing plans from carriers like AT&T or Verizon. Their slogan is ‘Mobile That Makes Sense’.  Project Fi is a new wireless service that Google is launching to offer mobile service directly to users.The most innovative aspect of Google Fi is its pricing: Google Fi includes unlimited international texts, Wi-Fi tethering to use your phone as a hotspot, and access cellular coverage in 120+ countries.

July 31, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Use strong passwords – Your passwords are the keys to your internet life. Use strong passwords and keep the bad guys out.   LastPass Free Password Manager – Stop using the same password for all sites – Now you can finally use long, complex, different passwords for each site and no longer need to worry about forgetting them. You can stop storing passwords in the browser’s password manager – Browser password managers are not only non-portable across computers, but it is also a major security risk.

August 14, 2017 at 7:00 PM – What is a Chromebook? – A Chromebook is a new type of computer designed to help you get things done faster and easier. Powered by Google's Chrome OS™, and featuring built-in, up-to-date virus protection along with Google apps and services like Gmail™, Google Calendar™, Docs and Google Play™ (plus thousands more in the Chrome Web Store™). Unlike traditional PCs, Chromebooks update themselves automatically for free, so you always have the latest and greatest version, while your stuff stays safe with Google Drive™ online file storage that's automatically backed up. And Chromebooks play nicely with your other devices—your phone, tablet or another computer—so you can stay in sync with your day from wherever you are.

August 28, 2017 at 10:00 AM – What's a Podcast? The new on-demand radio and video service. Podcasts can be videos or audio only, I personally mostly listen to audio podcasts. They can be played from a web browser like Chrome or Safari but the best experience is to get some type of podcast management app for your phone or tablet. I use a podcast player Pocket Casts app.

September 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Let's Look At Mobile Apps –  If you have a smartphone or another mobile device, you probably use apps. To play games – Get turn-by-turn directions – Access news, books, weather, and more. Apps are easy to download and often free, mobile apps can be so convenient that you might download them without considering how they’re paid for or what information they may gather from your device.
A mobile app is a software program you can download and access using your phone or tablet.

October 2, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Back To The Basic – And the "basics" aren't just for beginners.  You always hear something new, or something that you have forgotten because you haven't used it for a long time. And we always appreciate having experienced users in these sessions to contribute their experience and knowledge to the group.  Find out all the things you can do when you "right click" on the mouse – or the things you can do from the keyboard without the mouse.

October 16, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Google Photos Assistant Is A Must Have Tool – One of the best features of the Google Photos app is Assistant. Ther's lots to learn in Google Photos, but the new Assistant feature is here to help.If you want to check up on the status of your photo backups, see the latest Creations that Google Photos has made for you, be alerted of space to be freed up on your device, Assistant is here to help. It's just a tap, swipe, or click away from your photo library, and it'll keep you in the loop with what's going on in the Google Photos world. It's an all-in-one notification center for everything that's happening with your photos, and it's quite useful. Here's how you use it.

October 30, 2017 at 7:00 PM – ICE = In Case of Emergency – Use your mobile phone as an identity bracelet. ICE stands for "in case of emergency," and it's what emergency responders have been taught to look for if someone needs medical attention. What if that person is you? Where is your ICE info? One of the most accessible and most convenient places to keep emergency information is on your smartphone so that someone can see it without having to unlock your phone. Make sure you and everyone in your family have ICE info on their phone.

November 13, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Remote Support for Windows, Mac, and Android phones and tablets. – We have implemented a software system/tool to remotely connect to your computer. This allows us to provide remote help installing a program, using an application, fix a problem… With TeamViewer Quick Support or Chrome Remote Desktop tool, you can allow me to remotely connect to your PC. No installation is required, you download then run the web application by clicking one of the icons below.

November 27, 2017 at 7:00 PM – Computer & Internet Security – Simple tips to reduce your exposure to spyware and viruses: – Stop using Windows as an administrator. Use it as a limited user instead. – Use Google Chrome as your web browser. It's free and far more secure. – Don't use Java, unless you know you need it. – Don't click on links in an email. – Only get software from the original vendors. – Keep the antivirus software up to date. – Be careful of what gets installed, and be careful what you click on. 

 

 

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