Sikander Rashid

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

At the last meeting, among other things, we briefly discussed how to add a GUI using Tkinter. This month we are having a special guest, Jeff Pynnonen, who will demonstrate programming in Python on a $30 Raspberry Pi computer. Jeff has been using a Raspberry Pi for a number of years. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to attend.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 2:00 P.M.

General Announcements

Richard Jackson, vice president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

Note: Nominations are being taken for the position of SIG Computing Chair for 2018. This is open to all members. Please send your nomination (or self nomination) to board@semco.org or president@semco.org (either one will work)!

The election will be conducted during the March 11 meeting.

When: Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing Topic:

Blockchain Introduction: What it is and what can it do?

Presented by David Smith

Most people have heard about bitcoin. Experts predict Bitcoin will be worth anywhere between $0 and $1,000,000 per coin in the future. What experts do agree on is blockchain, the technology enabling bitcoin, is a breakthrough that will have many uses in the future.

Cryptocurrencies are a new and growing industry. People with cryptocurrency knowledge are in high demand. Come to this presentation and learn if this industry is something that interests you.

David Smith will explain what blockchain is and how it works in a way all attendees can understand. After explaining the basics Smith will explain design features and trade offs of different blockchain architectures. Then he will cover current and future applications of blockchain technology.

David is founder and Managing Director for the Bitcoin Strategic Trading Fund. He participated in the initial token sales for Simple Token, Civic, and Ethereum.

Prior to focusing on full time investing he founded two consultancies and was the Chief Technology Officer for multiple software product startups including some blockchain products.

David is an early investor in Bitcoin. He has been interviewed for media like: WILX News 10, Michigan Business Rap, Lansing State Journal, Consumers Digest, WKAR Current State, Michigan Business Network, Detroit Free Press, Lansing Business Monthly, Lansing Area Capital Gains, NBC Chicago, CBS MoneyWatch and USA Today.

David has written on Bitcoin for Benzinga.com (syndicated to Yahoo Finance) his personal blog Bitcoin Bulls, and has given over a dozen presentations on bitcoin including the inaugural events of Coin Congress (Singapore), CoinAgenda (Las Vegas), and Congressional Bitcoin Education Day (Washington DC).

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.

Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux Topic:  Cancelled for March

Presented by:

Our presenter had to cancel the SIG Linux presentation due to a family illness.

The following is a write up FYI, of the topic (Shotcut), which is tentatively rescheduled for the April meeting.

When: Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to continue reading the book for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to attend.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 2:00 P.M.

General Announcements

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

When: Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing Topic: Time to take notice of OneNote:

Presented by Hermine Turner

Hermine Turner is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and President of the Detroit IT User Group.

Hermine will present the many faces of One Note, Microsoft’s FREE premier notetaking software with features that simplify the ability to capture and share the information for your personal use, in school or in business.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.

Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux Topic: – Cinelerra, an open source video editor:

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Our SIG-Linux Chair Sharan Kalwani will give us a full review of various Linux  video editing tools. He will continue in the series to look at the next video editing tool on his list- in the FOSS world.

Cinelerra is one of the more sophisticated editing tools and has an interesting web site as well. Developed by folks in the professional video editing field, it was one of the earliest 64 bit NLE tools (2002?). Seems to have been inspired by Adobe Premiere and AVID, we will check out its features

When: Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to continue reading the book for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to attend.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 2:00 P.M.

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

Note: Ballots for the election of officers and directors will be mailed out shortly to all members. Please bring your completed ballot to the meeting.

Ballots can also be mailed in (details will be available on the ballot).

When: Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing Topic: Google G Suite : Presented by Tom Allen

Tom Allen is a retired engineer with a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

Google G Suite is a collection of applications to perform office automation and information sharing tasks.
Google G Suite is available for free for non profit 501 c3 organizations such as SEMCO. If fact SEMCO has a Google G Suite account and the benefits of the account are available to SEMCO members.

This talk will describe Google G Suite with some emphasis on how SEMCO members can use it.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.

Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux Topic: Open Shot- a free and open source video editor: Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Our current SIG-Linux Chair Sharan Kalwani will give us a full review of various Linux  video editing tools. He will continue in the series to look at the next video editing tool on his list- in the FOSS world.

The OpenShot Video Editor is a free and open-source video editor for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, and Windows. The project was started in August 2008 by Jonathan Thomas, with the objective of providing a stable, free, and friendly to use video editor.

When: Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

Note: Nominations for officers and directors will take place at the General Meeting.

When: Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing Topic: Tips for Staying Safe Online and Preventing Identity Theft: Presented by Bob Gostischa, Avast Evangelist

Norbert “Bob” Gostischa, after a successful career in banking, enjoys his retirement as an enthusiast IT security expert, most notably for Avast Software.

Avast is the creator of Avast! antivirus software. The Avast website has a discussion and help forum, where Bob has been helping with security-related and general computer issues since 2004. He has contributed over 35,000 forum interactions.

This presentation will cover: Computer (Windows and Mac), tablets and Smartphones. Join presenter Bob Gostischa, as he explains the dos and don’ts and, what you need to know to stay safe on your devices and the internet.

Learn to use the tools that make visiting the Internet safe and enjoyable. It really isn’t important what you use to get to the Internet.

• It’s important to use the right tools once you get there
• It’s important to exercise caution when visiting the Internet
• It’s important to avoid the dangers found on the Internet

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.

Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux Topic: Video editing tools on Linux: Presented by Sharan Kalwani

Our current SIG-Linux Chair Sharan Kalwani will give us a full review of various Linux  video editing tools. The first video editing tool we will start with is AVIDEMUX. Avidemux is a free and open-source video editing program designed for video editing and video processing.  It is written in C++, and uses either GTK+ or Qt for its user interface. It is available on non-Linux platforms as well such as Mac OS and Windows. It supports both 32 and 64-bit versions (meaning beyond the 2 GB file size range).

When: Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.
When: Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing
Topic: What’s Hot for the Holidays: Presented by Richard Tapaninen

Richard Tapaninen of the Micro Center computer store will review the hottest current technology offerings and explain how they work.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.

Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux Topic: Today’s BSD Operating Systems: Presented by Michael W. Lucas

BSD is the grandparent of modern Unix systems, providing inspiration
for everything from Linux to AIX and Solaris. We’ll be talking about
the modern BSD variants, their features and drawbacks, and their
communities. When should you consider a BSD for your project?

When: Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to continue reading the book for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to come.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 2:00 P.M.

*** Note:  New Meeting Location ***

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.
When: Sunday,September 10, 2017 at 1:15 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Computing
Topic: “Cover Your Tails!” and/or “Tails Bootable Linux Workshop,”  Presented by John Gallias and Breanna Hamm:

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.
When: Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

SIG-Linux
Topic:  “Continuing Discussion of Tails Bootable Linux.”: Presented by: John Gallias and Breanna Hamm

We will continue our discussion of Tails Bootable Linux and have our Question and Answer session..

When: Sunday,September 10, 2017 at 3:00 P.M.
Where: Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
Meeting Room 2 (in basement). Ask at Front Desk.
Map to meetings at Bloomfield Township Library

Free Wi-Fi available. Our thanks to Bloomfield Township Public Library, for providing our meeting space!