APCUG’s FREE 2020 Summer Virtual Technology Conference (VTC37)

Thank you to all of our presenters, we all enjoyed your presentations — it’s always fun to learn something new.

Mary Frances Rauch, East Central Ohio Technology Club
I wanted to comment on the variety of excellent voices that do presentations for us. They are clear, direct to the point, and have a friendly tone that draws one into listening carefully to “what comes next.”

Today’s VTC offerings were excellent. It is beyond my comprehension why everyone in all the clubs across the USA are not glued to their chairs listening to new, exciting, informative, current tips and info that could make their online experiences easier and more helpful.

Thanks for giving such a big part of your life to helping us to help others coming up through the ranks.

Jay Ross, TUGNET

Track 2 Session 1  Rob Truman
Rob presented well and the information presented was good. This is not an easy task when it comes to Microsoft Office 365. So many changes and way too often.

Track 2 Session 2  Passwords
Kenneth was OUTSTANDING! An excellent speaker, with even better content. I am downloading Bitwarden before the end of the day. I love it that it is Open Source.

Track 2 Session
Avram was easy to listen to.The man knows his computers. I wish him much success with his book release.

Helaine Cummins, TUGNET

Passwords, Kenneth Tubaugh
I learned so much!  I have about a million passwords and now I’ll have to rethink tons of them  It was great being able to ask questions live and get the answers right away.  Thank you for making these presentations available to us.

Chat Box
FreeNAS – A Great Choice for a Home Server,  Don Arrowsmith
Fascinating info. Thanks!  I’ll have to watch the recording of this presentation later, while waiting for Part 2 !!!

Excellent presentation – I plan to dive into FreeNAS 100% going forward.

Chat Box
Chromebooks for Geeks, Bill James
Thank you for doing this because we rarely get any training about Chromebooks, and I absolutely love my CB so please do more.

Bill James overcame the noise of jets flying over his house to describe “Chromebooks for Geeks”  I have been diving into my Chromebook more with the extra time Covid-19 has given all of us and found a lot of useful information in Bill’s talk. Of particular value was his listing of apps that extend the utility of this machine.

Peter Hess, President, Dayton Microcomputer Association, OH
Fundamentals of Microsoft 365
Because of another commitment which ran late, I was not able to see as much of this as I would have liked. What is did see was excellent and I will revisit this on the APCUG’s YouTube channel after it is posted.

Solve Your Password Management Problems, by Kenneth Tubaugh. Very nice, but he said that his 45-minute talk today had actually been reduced and summarized from a 1.5 or so hour talk. I would like to hear a 1.25-hour version at one of our General meetings with some more examples of what he talked about. Note from Judy: Kenneth will be giving two Wednesday Workshops on Solving Your Password Management Problem. The second workshop will be hands-on where attendees are welcome to download Bitwarden to their computer and work along with Kenneth while he downloads and sets up the program.

And, after the Chromebooks presentation, I saw the end of Avram Grossman’s ‘Keep your Personal Computer running like new” talk. I will be going back to that when I see it posted on the APCUG’s YouTube channel.

John Fair, President, Computer Users of Erie
Ron Brown gave a great follow-up to “Saving Your Life with Technology” in his part 2 of the same name. Our club had used the part 1 YouTube video for part of a program on the subject. Ron is an excellent speaker, knows technology and his background as a physician gave us a unique perspective in both the program and in his answers to questions at the end of the session.

Since I have been a LastPass user for over two years and have been an advocate for password managers within our club, I was looking forward to what Keneth Tubaugh had to say about the subject in “Solve Your Password Management Problems.” He  thoroughly covered the subject from passwords to hackers to the password manager options. We will use the YouTube video when it come out to reinforce the subject within our club. He almost has me convinced to switch from Last Pass to Bitwarden — almost.

Bill James overcame the noise of jets flying over his house to describe “Chromebooks for Geeks”  I have been diving into my Chromebook more with the extra time Covid-19 has given all of us and found a lot of useful information in Bill’s talk. Of particular value was his listing of apps that extend the utility of this machine.

Yomar Cleary, Big Bear Computer Club

Fundamentals of Microsoft 365 – Rob Truman
Rob did an excellent job in explaining Microsoft 365 and the various subscription packages available. I had no idea on all the benefits Microsoft 365 has that I actually went into the website and reviewed all the plans. Great information!!

Solve Your Password Management Problems – Kenneth Tubaugh
After listening to Kenneth’s presentation, it made me think twice on how I manage my passwords. I do have a password manager I use, and it keeps asking me if it can create a password. I am afraid I won’t know it if I am on another computer, but he explained how it works. He covered a lot of information but went a little fast for me to make notations; I’m glad the videos are uploaded to YouTube.

Patricia Hill, President, Computer Booters of Sunlakes, AZ

Fundamentals of Microsoft 365, Rob Truman
This was an excellent overview of Microsoft 365, formerly Windows 365.  Rob explained the 365 subscriptions (Personal and Family) and the apps available in each.  He compared Microsoft 365 (subscription) with Office 2019 (one-time purchase) and thoroughly explained the differences as well as current pricing. This was an extremely informative presentation and I learned a lot.

Solve Your Password Management Problems, Kenneth Tubaugh
Kenneth started out describing how passwords are stolen and how we can keep ourselves safe on the Internet. He gave an informative presentation on password management – both free and fee-based. Descriptions included benefits and options.

He did an excellent job and was able to answer all the attendee questions.

Ray Baxter, President, Payson Computer Meet-Up Club, Payson, AZ

Avram Grossman “A PC User’s Guide for Avoiding the Grief of Losing your Information”
I really enjoyed this presentation and the way it was presented. I only wish I had seen  this earlier as a week before I opened up my desktop to change an HDD to an SSD, and made the mistake in my office to use a spray can of electronic duster. The dust was now out of the computer case and all over the carpet and elsewhere.

August 15, 2020

TRACK 1

1:00 PM ET

Saving Your Life with Technology, Part 2
Ron Brown, Program Chair, Silvercom Computer & Technology Club

This is a continuation of Mary’s story, who is a fictitious senior, widowed and lives in a resort in Mesa, Arizona. She has a fall at night that results in a broken hip from an undiagnosed heart problem. In Part 1 covered the importance of knowing what your heart rate is and the many devices that can monitor and record it. Part 2 focuses on fall detection, emergency notification, and home automation to ensure safety for a senior living alone. Ron will discuss how to set up a home network, the Echo Show, Google Nest, and the new Zoom all-in one home appliance.

Saving your life with wearable technology Part 2, Ron Brown 8-15-20 APCUG VTC

YouTube Link

2:00 PM ET

“FreeNAS – A Great Choice For A Home Server”
Don Arrowsmith, President, Philadelphia Area Computer Society

This presentation details how Don replaced his aging Windows Home Server 2011 system.

FreeNAS-A Great Choice For a Home Server, Don Arrowsmith 8-15-20 APCUG VTC

Q&A – Arrowsmith – FreeNAS – A Great Choice for a Home Server

YouTube Link

3:00 PM ET

Chromebooks for Geeks
Bill James, Vice President, Computer Club of Oklahoma City

A Chromebook does the things that many people want a computer to do, better and faster than any other laptop, regardless of price. It is the most secure portal to the web that has ever been built because of super-fast updates and sandboxing. A Chromebook can pair with your Android phone and be used for messaging and video calling. It is perfect for anyone who wants to grab a laptop, sign in, and spend an afternoon watching Netflix or shopping online. You can also use it as a terminal to connect to your Windows PC or Mac. Chromebooks are Fun! Learn more from this informative presentation.

Chromebooks for Geeks. Bill James 8-15-20 APCUG VTC

Q&A – James – Chromebooks for Geeks

YouTube Link

TRACK 2

1:00 PM ET
Fundamentals of Microsoft 365,
Rob Truman, Webmaster, Computer Booters of Sun Lakes

An overview of the many useful apps included in the Microsoft 365 subscription. Rob will also review the various subscription packages available along with what discounts are available. He will also provide a feature comparison of Microsoft 365 to Office 2019 and provide some tips on picking which one is right for you.

Fundamentals of Microsoft 365, Rob Truman 8-15-20 APCUG VTC

Q&A – Truman – Microsoft 365 Essentials

YouTube Link

 2:00 PM ET

Solve Your Password Management Problems
Kenneth Tubaugh. Educational Services Director & Program Coordinator, Columbus Computer Society

“Password theft is a serious problem. The websites and apps that you use are under attack every day. Security breaches occur, and your passwords are stolen. When you reuse the same passwords everywhere, hackers can easily access your email, bank, and other important accounts.” Stay Safe with a Simple Password Manager. “Security experts recommend that you use a different, randomly generated password for every online account that you create. But how are you supposed to remember and keep up with that many passwords? Bitwarden Password Manager helps you create and manage secure passwords so that you can get back to enjoying your life online.”

Solving Your Password Management Problems, Kenneth Tubaugh 8-15-20 PCUG VTC

Q&A – Tubaugh – Solve Your Password Management Problems

YouTube Link

3:00 PM ET

A PC User’s Guide for Avoiding the Grief of Losing your Information
Avram Grossman, CTO E-Novative. Author, Keep Your PC Running Like New.

Many of us in the IT profession seem to have very few problems with our own personal computers and laptops. Yet our clients seem to get a dizzying assortment of computer errors and issues. What is the difference between our computers and the computers our clients use?

As a colleague once said, “Computers don’t break themselves, People do it.”

  • Are you treating your computer with the respect it deserves?
  • Do you fear your computer because you don’t understand how it works and what it is doing?
  • Are you not sure what is the best way to use your computer and do you know how to avoid losing your information?

Keep Your PC Running Like New, Avram Grossman 8-15-20 APCUG VTC

YouTube Link