THE ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network November 2018
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THE ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network November 2018 WHAT’S INSIDE Page Andrew Cummins President, ICON Computer Users Group November & December [email protected] Program Schedules ………. 2 Greetings Word of the month …….…… 2 Interesting Sites to I hope all of you are having an enjoyable Autumn. Soon you’ll be en- Visit on the Internet ..…….... 3 joying another Thanksgiving dinner. And, then it’s Black Friday! Yep, it’s when the best sales of the year start. Not just are the prices nice, Minutes of October 13.....… 4 but there are new models across the tech gadget landscape. I tend to hold off on buying electronics until this time of year. It’s a good time to Lumens & LEDs……...….… 4 pick up some gifts for others and for yourself. Here’s an idea, bluetooth headphones. These are wireless head- How to Remove GPS and phones that you can use with your phone. The wireless aspect is a Other Data….………....…… 5 treat. You can also get these headphones in a style that uses bone conduction. These bypass your outer ear and middle ear. If you have Return of the Chromebook. 6 some hearing loss, you might try them and see if they help. If you wear an in-ear hearing aid, you can still use bone conduction head- phones at the same time. I tried them and was surprised with how nice Ubuntu 18.04 LTS………......8 they sounded. Computer Tutor—iPad ….. 10 One the most exciting categories is smart-home gadgets. These are becoming very useful, although the technology isn’t really mature yet. Ask Leo—Web & Internet.. 12 Start with a smart speaker, which you’ll use more than you expect. Add to that other gadgets which you can control with your smart speak- er, by speaking simple instructions. You can get a smart thermostat, Cards Sent ……..….……. 14 which will more than pay for itself through energy savings, plus there’s a utility company rebate. You can get a smart doorbell, gauge door Basic Computer Classes ... 14 controller, lights, cameras, various sensors, outlets and so on. ICON Membership. After Thanksgiving is always an excellent time to buy televisions, blue- tooth speakers, phones, smart watches, laptops and cheaper and bet- Applications …….………… 15 ter whatever electronics you’ve bought in the past. Many non-tech goodies are on sale, too. But, it’s not necessarily the best time of year ICON Officers ………...….. 15 to buy non-tech goodies. Announcements ……......... 16 The local paper that comes out on Thanksgiving Day has a many Black Friday advertisements to look though. And, check your favorite Mission Statement …...….. 16 shopping websites. You can do an Internet search for Black Friday Ads to find websites that post leaked advertising information, which will give you a head start on making your shopping list. It’s also fun to browse the deals. Go get something. Use it. Get familiar with it. Learn the benefits. Then bring it to ICON and show your fellow travelers. If you just want to spend five minutes telling about it, that’s fine. If you want a whole hour, that’s great! Andrew Cummins ICON President THE ICON November 2018 PAGE 2 Be sure to check the website before leaving home for any last minute changes Program Preparations for November 2018 Saturday, November 10, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1551 East Portland, (Red Room) 10:30 a.m. Digital Media SIG — 11:30 a.m. Brown Bag Lunch and 1-on-1 Help Desk 12:30 p.m. Mini–Seminar 1:45 p.m. General Membership Meeting Saturday, November 24, No Meeting Program Preparations for December 2018 Saturday, December 8, The Red Lobster, 2141 S. Glenstone Street Christmas dinner 11am Saturday, December 22, No meeting. Technology Word of the Month “Flickr” THE ICON November 2018 PAGE 3 Interesting Sites to Thought for the Day Visit on the Internet “For knowledge itself is power.” Nancy Preffitt ICON Member Ngpreffitt (at) juno.com ——Francis Bacon 11/18 FREE MICROSOFT APPS We’re all hepped up on Android and Apple apps and tend to ignore our computers except for “real” work. Well, Microsoft has all sorts of things that are free and will make your computer use easier. Microsoft Photos allows you to easily import your photos and videos from your camera or phone. Then you can edit them with a wide range of editing tools and even create slideshows. There’s a Share button so you can send your efforts to family or friends Click here to get the Microsoft Photos app for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 now. Movie Maker is an easy-to-use, free video-editing tool. Import video files in a number of formats to clip them, cut them and splice them. Trim them, highlight favorite moments and even add music. You can then show off your creation straight from the app. Click here to get this free movie editing app for Win- dows 8.1 and Window 10. Microsoft's old Essential Live Writer software has been converted to an open source download called Open Live Writer. If you’re a blogger – or would like to be - Windows Writer gives you a nice desktop program that links up with blogging sites and content management systems, like WordPress. You can create new posts with text, photos and videos, add maps and share your writing with the world. It also has the ability to archive old posts, in case something happens to your online service. Click here to download the free Open Live Writer. HELP WITH HARDWARE PROBLEMS When your computer starts behaving badly and you can’t figure it out, it’s time to call in the techs. The problem is that they always want to know numbers and names of things most of us don’t know exist. It will save you much stress and the tech much time if you can tell him what he needs to know. How, you ask? It’s easy, even if you never understand it! Just download Speccy which will check your computer and give you a detailed report on the CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, hard drive, optical drive and audio support systems. Plus, it gives you the information in one place. You can use Speccy to check for malfunctioning parts, too. It gives temperature readouts for each component that has a thermometer. https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy THE ICON November 2018 PAGE 4 Minutes of 13 October 2018 The Interactive Computer Owners Network met in the lower level of the Midtown Carnegie Library on Central Street. The meeting was called to order by president Andrew Cummins. Minutes were read by Mary Phillips. Motion to accept by Pat Duncan; second by Gary Geise. Treasurer’s Report was given by Shirley Emerson. Motion to approve by Dick Hoffman; second by An- drew Cummins. Old business: Andrew will confirm out reservation at Red Lobster for the Christmas party on Saturday, December 8. New business: Fourth Saturday meetings for November and December will have NO Meeting due to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. A consensus was reached that ICON will continue with two meetings a month whether or not the Apple Squires decide to meet with us. Adjournment. Respectfully submitted, Mary Phillips, Secretary LEDs and Lumens Mary Phillips, [email protected] One day recently, the big sixteen inch light fixture with two round fluorescent bulbs inside in our walk-in closet would not turn on. Now that light fixture is about ten feet high and re- quires a ladder to reach it. Also, it’s been up there for almost twenty years and “They don’t make ‘em an- ymore.” We went to the hardware store, Lowe’s, Home Depot and the Lighthouse Gallery. At the Light- house Gallery, we were shown LED fixtures – no bulbs, just replace the fixtures. I know my computer has a couple of LED lights that never have to be replaced, so I began some re- search. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor device that emits visible light when an electrical current passes through it. That’s also why they turn on instantly when the light switch is touched. My son tells me that the diodes don’t get very warm so they don’t burn out. Advantages of LED lights: Energy Efficient LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting such as fluorescent and incandes- cent lights. 95% of the energy in LEDs is converted into light and only 5% is wasted as heat. This is compared to fluorescent lights which convert 95% of energy to heat and only 5% into light! LED lights also draw much less power than traditional lighting; a typical 84 watt fluorescent can be re- placed by a 36 watt LED to give the same level of light. Less energy use reduces the demand from power plants and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. No Toxic Elements LED lights contain no toxic elements. Most offices currently use fluorescent strip lights which con- tain noxious chemicals such as mercury. This will contaminate the environment when disposed of in landfill waste. Disposal has to be arranged through a registered waste carrier so switching to LED avoids the cost and time implications required for compliant disposal – and helps to protect the environment from further toxic waste. Fewer lights Needed LEDs have a better quality of light distribution and focus light in one direction as opposed to other types of lighting which waste energy by emitting light in all directions, often illuminating areas where light isn’t required (such as the ceiling).