Meetings

Richard Jackson, vice-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 this 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.

When: Sunday, May 9, 2021, at 1:15 P.M. Detroit Time
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic: Password Managers

Presented by Judy Taylour

What is a Password Manager and why we Should use one? How does it work? Why should I have one? Why am I so resistant to using one? How safe are they in the Cloud? Will a password manager sync between my devices? Free vs. yearly fee. Can I use it as a source for my digital asset manager to close my accounts?

Judy Taylour is a member of the APCUG Speakers Bureau and a 33-year member of the Santa Clarita Valley Computer Club where she serves as President, Editor, and Webmaster. She was co-facilitator for the Southern California Regional User Group Summit (SCRUGS), a group of computer clubs in Southern California that met together quarterly for over 20 years to share ideas and presenter information, solve problems, etc. She spent 23 years involved with the Southwest Technology Conference held in San Diego for 20 years and three additional years at Cal Poly Pomona, serving as co-chair and chair. Judy taught adult education tech classes for 22 years through her local high school district and is a member of the Pierce College Computer Applications and Office Technologies Advisory Committee that meets annually to suggest courses and hardware for the next school year. Judy is a firm believer in life-long learning.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 1:30 P.M.

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

SIG-Linux Topic: Cancelled for this month

Presented by

This portion of the program is cancelled for this month.

Also: Questions and Answers cancelled.

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

When: Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 3:00 P.M.

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

We will be using Zoom for this meeting. Register in advance for this meeting using the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvce6grz8qGdyZenMWbknhMmKkQP8Rq01-

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Zoom doors open at 1 PM. Please join the meeting about 1:00 PM or later.

This will be a joint meeting starting at 1:30pm ET, with SEMCO and CFCS (Central Florida Computer Society) sharing the same time slot. After introductions by both clubs, Hewie will start his Evernote presentation

When: Sunday, Apr 11, 2021, at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Meetings will be on line until further notice.

SIG-Computing Topic: “Evernote – What it is & how I use it for 2021”

Presented by Hewie Poplock

Evernote is a note-taking application that allows you to quickly capture your notes in different formats, whether is audio, images, or simple text. Its structured system of notebooks and tags makes it easier to safely store your information and find them later again through a powerful synchronization across your devices.

Best features include: the web clipper to save snippets or whole pages from the web, a powerful handwriting search, rich editor, templates, document scanning & much more.  Evernote works on Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Chromebooks, and the Web. 

Hewie Poplock of the CFCS Windows SIG (WinSIG) is a member the APCUG Speakers Bureau.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

When: Sunday, Apr11, 2021 at 1:30 P.M.

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

After Hewie’s presentation competes, between 2:45 & 3:00 PM ET, the meeting will shift to the SEMCO Linux SIG

SIG-Linux Topic: Testing the AV Linux Distro

Presented by Sharan Kalwani

For April we will try something more ambitious – testing the AV Linux distro on a retired MacBook. Sharan will present the results of his efforts – good and bad.

From distrowatch.com: “AV Linux is a versatile, Debian-based distribution featuring a large collection of audio and video production software. Additionally, it also includes a custom kernel with IRQ threading enabled for low-latency audio performance.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation.

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

When: Sunday, Apr 11, 2021 at 3:00 P.M.

When: Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 2 PM. CANCELLED

Rick Fink will talk about the Host Pres SQL database that will be used with his game program.

All are welcome to attend.

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

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.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 2 PM.

Rick Fink will talk about the Host Pres SQL database that will be used with his game program.

All are welcome to attend.

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

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.

When: Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 2 PM.

Rick Fink will talk about the Host Pres SQL database that will be used with his game program.

All are welcome to attend.

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

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.