Meetings

Mar 14, 2021 – SIG-Computing: Is Cyber Security Really Important?; SIG-Linux: AntiX and Puppy Linux Distros

by

Sharan Kalwani, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

We will be using zoom for this meeting. This link will be active on day of meeting.

Click here to register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will also receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

Members will also receive an e mail on the day of the meeting, with the link and any further details and instructions about how to log on to the meeting.

Election of the Chairperson for SIG Computing and SIG Linux will be conducted by voice vote. All members are eligible to nominate suitable candidates. If you are interested, please let us know at the meeting.

When: Sunday, Mar 14, 2021, at 1:15 P.M. (Daylight Saving Time Today!)
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic: Is Cyber Security Really Important?

Presented by Norbert “Bob” Gostischa

Join Bob Gostischa as he guides us towards secure Cyber Security practices. 

Paying attention to Cyber Security is more important today than it has ever been. COVID-19 has exposed many more vulnerabilities than in prior years. More of us are now working from home, many children are learning from home, and many of us have added more IoT devices to make our lives easier. These devices present their own dangers which need to be addressed. 

Bob points out the dangers and offers suggestions that will aid in keeping you secure. Using the right programs and apps can help keep you safe and secure as well as reduce your privacy exposure. Using free programs and apps whenever possible to accomplish this goal is an added bonus and this presentation includes information on many recommended free programs.  

Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, after a successful career in banking, enjoys his retirement as an enthusiastic IT security expert, most notably for Avast; the creator of Avast Antivirus software. Bob has been helping with security-related and general computer issues since 2004. He has contributed over 44,000 forum interactions.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Mar14, 2021 at 1:30 P.M.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

SIG-Linux Topic: AntiX and Puppy Linux Distros

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Sharan will share details of AntiX and Puppy Linux distros this month.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

When: Sunday, Mar 14, 2021 at 3:00 P.M.

Feb 14, 2021 – SIG-Computing: Intro to Digital Accessibility; SIG-Linux: insights from a Linux/Free & Open Source conference

by

Sharan Kalwani, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

We will be using zoom for this meeting. This link will be active on day of meeting.

Click here to be connected to the meeting. Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

Members will also receive an e mail on the day of the meeting, with the link and any further details and instructions about how to log on to the meeting.

Election of Officers and Board Members-at-Large. All ballots received by Jan 17, 2021 were tabulated by Julie Comptois.

The following members were elected to the open positions.

Sharan Kalwani as President, Richard Jackson as Vice President,

Brian Brodsky as Treasurer, Julie Comptois as Secretary,

Sikander Rashid and Michael Rudas as Board Members‑at‑Large.

When: Sunday, Feb 14, 2021, at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic: Intro to Digital Accessibility

Presented by Erica Braverman

Erica will present an introduction to Digital Accessibility
– What is digital accessibility?
– Why is it so important?
– Assistive technologies
– Examples of accessible HTML
– Next steps/where to learn more

 Erica Braverman has a certificate in UX Design from UCSD. She manages the accessibility testing program at Knowbility, which is an Austin-based non-profit dedicated to the development of an accessible digital world.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Feb14, 2021 at 1:30 P.M.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

SIG-Linux Topic: insights from a Linux/Free & Open Source conference

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Sharan will share some insights from a Linux/Free & Open Source conference – called FOSDEM (Free & Open Source for Developers Meeting). that he attended. Also several amazing things, which he found there.

Next month he will resume the monthly discussion of distros.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

When: Sunday, Feb 14, 2021 at 3:00 P.M.

Upcoming Topics

by

SIG Computing:

Aug 10, 2025: Quantum Computing Architectures: Feynman’s “Wonderful Problem”

 In the 1980s, Richard Feynman articulated that any computer hoping to properly simulate nature would have to be quantum mechanical, since nature is not classical. Over 40 years later, we are still trying to solve this, as Feynman described it, “wonderful problem.” In this talk, I will describe the capabilities a quantum computer can enable in technology and scientific discovery and why it is fundamentally different from classical computing. I will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the many quantum computing architectures all vying to achieve the ultimate goal of fault-tolerant quantum computing. 

Alex Burgers received his PhD in Physics from the University of Michigan and worked as a postdoc at Caltech and Princeton. Alex became an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Michigan in fall 2022. His work focuses on building quantum technologies using neutral atoms. He has research grants funded by the Army, Air Force, and DARPA, and has received the NSF CAREER Award.

 

Proposed SIG Linux topics by S Kalwani : dates TBD

  1. Comparison of video conferencing platforms
  2. Network tools on Linux – part 1
  3. Network tools on Linux  – part 2

Jan 10, 2021 – SIG-Computing: Free Software; SIG-Linux: ZorinOS

by

Sharan Kalwani, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

We will be using zoom for this meeting. This link will be active on day of meeting.

Click here to be connected to the meeting. Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

Members will also receive an e mail on the day of the meeting, with the link and any further details and instructions about how to log on to the meeting.

Election of Officers and Board Members-at-Large. Based on the nominations in the Dec 2020 meeting, ballots were mailed to all members. All ballots must be mailed in. The closing date for receipt of completed ballots is Jan 17, 2021.

The open positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and two Board Members‑at‑Large. You can also write in any member including yourself for any of the positions.

When: Sunday, Jan 10, 2021, at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic:  Free Software

Presented by John Kennedy

Learn about many alternative programs that you can get for free to do your computing tasks. Many of these programs are cross-platformed (meaning they have versions for Windows, Macs, and Linux) so it’s easy to share files with just about anyone. 

John Kennedy is the APCUG Advisor, Regions 3 (includes Michigan) & 6 along with being the APCUG Zoom Host/Moderator, and Co-Chair of the Linux SIG/Help Desk for the East Central Ohio Technology User Club. 

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Jan10, 2021 at 1:30 P.M.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

SIG-Linux Topic: ZorinOS.

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Last month we did Linux Distros revisited. In each month (starting in 2021), we plan to discuss one of the distros mentioned in the December talk.

For January we will be checking out ZorinOS. Touted as an alternative to Windows with a similar look and feel, ZorinOS comes in 4 flavors: Lite, Core, Education and Ultimate (the latter qualifies for paid support).  I chose the Education version since I am a teacher-at-heart. This should be fun! Feel free to email any question beforehand so we can  tailor the talk to your tastes!

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

When: Sunday, Jan 10, 2021, at 3:00 P.M.

Dec 13, 2020 – SIG-Computing: Tune Up Your Windows PC; SIG-Linux: Linux distros revisited

by

Sharan Kalwani, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

We will be using zoom for this meeting. This link will be active on day of meeting.

Click here to be connected to the meeting. Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

Members will also receive an e mail on the day of the meeting, with the link and any further details and instructions about how to log on to the meeting.

Nominations for Officers and Board Members-at-Large. We will be taking nominations for candidates to run for our 2021 Officers and Board of Directors at the beginning of our meeting.

The open positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and two Board Members‑at‑Large. You can nominate any member including yourself for any of the positions. Please consider running for these positions.

When: Sunday, Dec 13, 2020, at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic:  Tune Up Your Windows PC

Presented by Jere Minich

Free up space, adjust and clean up. Update, Uninstall, and perform other simple tasks to ensure the PC runs at peak performance. This can be done anytime as it requires no special tools or in-depth computer knowledge to complete. All of these tasks have been performed on numerous PC in the past with positive results.. 

Jere served for more than 20 years as a computer operator and instructor in the Navy. After retirement, he moved with Joyce to Leesburg, Florida.

Currently, he teaches classes in Windows 10, iPad, and iPhone, at the Leesburg Library, and at the college for the Lake-Sumter Computer Society. He holds numerous Technical Webinars for User Groups across the country.

He is a member of the APCUG Speakers Bureau, APCUG Advisor for Region 5, (jminich@apcug.org), and is a frequent presenter for APCUG Virtual Technology Conferences. (VTCs)

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Dec 13, 2020 at 1:30 P.M.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

SIG-Linux Topic: Linux distros revisited

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

It has been 2 years since we last looked at Linux distros. It is time to revisit it again and see what has changed since then.
Also we will share a list of what others are recommending to try out based on a variety of criteria which is the beauty of Linux – there is always something for everyone. And if you don’t like it – one can create yet another distro!

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

When: Sunday, Dec 13, 2020, at 3:00 P.M.

Nov 8, 2020 – SIG-Computing: Home Automation – An Introduction; SIG-Linux: eBPF (a Linux kernel tool)

by

Sharan Kalwani, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

This link will be active on day of meeting

When: Sunday, Nov 8, 2020, at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

Click here to be connected to the meeting. Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

We will be using zoom for this meeting.

Members will also receive an e mail on the day of the meeting, with the link and any further details and instructions about how to log on to the meeting.

SIG-Computing Topic:  Home Automation – An Introduction

Presented by Bill James

This presentation shows how Home Automation technology allows us to control our connected devices and appliances from a central hub using our Smartphone or Tablet. The presentation will explain how we can set up a system using widely available home automation devices. Are you worried about home automation devices listening in on your conversations? Wonder if your devices can be hacked and don’t know how to keep them from being hacked? Bill will answer these questions and more in this presentation, maybe making it a little bit easier to take the first step to automate your home and get a better price for it when you sell. 

Bill James is Vice President of the Computer Club Of Oklahoma City.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Nov 8, 2020 at 1:30 P.M.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

SIG-Linux Topic: eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter)

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

In all of the previous editions of SIG-Linux, only once have we briefly spoken about the Linux kernel itself and in another episode about the vast suite of performance/monitoring tools.
In the November 2020 brief session, I will introduce you to a new software tool for the Linux kernel called eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) , which started life as bpf (now called “classic” or cBPF), which has now excited developers, and spawned a movement of its own. It will be brief but fun. In 2021 we can dive more into it, and also expect more Linux kernel stuff (ver 5.xxx  onwards) as well.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice. Click on link shown above.

When: Sunday, Nov 8, 2020, at 3:00 P.M.