Hello All,
What follows are my Notes from the SLO Bytes Photo Group of 12/14/2025

Ralph Sutter began the meeting with favorite images from Boundary Waters, the San Juan Islands, Santa Cruz Island and from atop his kitchen counter. Ralph commented that all of the photos were taken with a Fuji waterproof camera or a Samsung S22 smartphone. None of them came from his Sony A7 IV mirrorless camera.

Alan Raul chose all his images from 2025. They included black and white stylized photos of architecture and shots with intentional camera movement. When working with his Leica, Alan prefers to set the shutter speed at 1/250th of a second and the ISO set to Auto.

Kaye Raul moved between elephant seals at Piedras Blancas to Yosemite's Half Dome. She also offered images of San Francisco landmarks, wind turbines and fishermen silhouetted against the sun setting on the ocean.

Stanford Brown included lots of people in his shots, closeups of babies, silhouettes, kids on bikes, hikers fording streams and raging rivers.

John Waller shared historical photos of his mother presiding over Arroyo Grande's Harvest Festival, his favorite childhood campsite, visits to Yosemite and Disneyland. John also captured an A10 airplane flying at the Santa Maria Air Show.

At the close of the meeting, Sutter called attention to his recent post on the Links Page entitled Show Your SmartPhone Images on Google Maps Pro with Irfanview  See https://www.slobytes.org/digital/documents/exf-irfanview.pdf

The next meeting will take place on January 18th, 2026, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom.
Please note that this is one week later than usual
The topic will be A Different Point of View Please share new images taken from a novel angle; below, above,inside of or outside of the conventional vantage point

See the Links Page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html for tutorials and other resources

Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
This is an announcement that I received today from APCUG
Ralph Sutter

APCUG
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
November 19, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am, MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET
 
Artificial Intelligence (AI): fun and helpful tips
Chris Taylor, President
Ottawa PC Users? Group
 
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Fu3F86M4vVz4xGpP9
 
 After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. You only need to register once. On November 18, 2025, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.
 
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:
Artificial Intelligence (AI): fun and helpful tips.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have exploded over the last few years. They can supercharge your web searches & help you find the most relevant information, generate images & videos from text prompts, summarize web pages, meetings, YouTube videos, & PDF files, assist with tasks in your programs, and help with creative writing, among other things. Chris Taylor from the Ottawa PC Users' Group will demonstrate how easily it can be done and how to avoid the dreaded "AI hallucinations." And you can do it all (well, most of it) for free.

Hello All,
This is a repost of an announcement from APCUG
Ralph Sutter

ANNUAL MEETING
11:30 am PT, 12:30 pm MT, 1:30 pm CT, 2:30 pm ET
 
Registration link -- https://forms.gle/n3F7rLA1dkVWb5dA6
 
After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. You will receive the encrypted Zoom link after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time on Friday, November 7.
 
DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU?RE AGREEING TO? UNPACKING PRIVACY POLICIES AND PROTECTING YOUR DIGITAL AUTONOMY, Al Williams
Every time we click ?I agree,? we may be handing over more than we realize. This presentation explores how privacy policies?often overlooked or misunderstood?can quietly compromise our personal information, safety, and autonomy.
We all want to protect our data, yet many of us unknowingly consent to its collection and use in ways that can lead to unwanted exposure. When our personal details are misused, it can erode our sense of privacy, limit our choices, and even influence our behavior.
By understanding what we?re agreeing to, we can take back control. This session will highlight the importance of managing what?s known about us, maintaining personal boundaries, and making informed decisions free from manipulation.
 
A WALK-THROUGH OF THE LATEST CHROMEOS, Bill James
Chrome OS has steadily evolved from a browser-centric lightweight platform into a full-fledged computing environment that blends web app agility, native app support, powerful cloud sync, and sleek device management. This latest version of ChromeOS continues that trajectory, with a focus on making your Chromebook feel faster, smarter, and more in tune with how you work, play, and connect.
 
While official public-release notes for this exact version are still sparse, we know from Chrome OS update tables that version 141.0.7390.134 has rolled out across a broad range of hardware platforms, signaling Google?s confidence in this build.
 
During our live walkthrough, you will see a very mature OS and how closely ChromeOS resembles and functions like a Windows computer.
 
USING GEMINI'S STORYBOOK TO ATTRACT PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS TO YOUR MEETINGS, Bob Gosticha
What a novel idea, creating storybooks to tell the story of your tech group or information about your typical general meetings, SIGs, etc., and uploading them to your home page. Joe Nowak demonstrated how easy it is to create a storybook at his AI-Assisted Storytelling workshop, "Discover a whole new way to create," on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Perhaps you would like to feature a series of storybooks on senior scams, or a series about the browsers that now incorporate AI? Bob will share his "Arthur and the Pesky Fly" storybook, which addresses pop-ups and Malware for seniors.
 
ANNUAL MEETING
11:30 am PT, 12:30 pm MT, 1:30 pm CT, 2:30 pm ET
 
Annual Meeting.
President?s report
Treasurer?s report
Election results for 2025 officers.
Member benefits
Discussion about member benefits
We will take a short Zoom survey about how APCUG can assist your group in 2026 and what its three major problems are.

November SLO Bytes General Session Notes
by Ralph Sutter

PDF Splicing Tools- PDF-TK free
https://www.pdflabs.com/tools/pdftk-the-pdf-toolkit/

PDF TK-pro https://www.pdflabs.com/tools/pdftk-pro/

Kevin Stratvert PDF Splicing Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmY1Z95Hthk

Macmost - How to Merge PDF Files on Your MAC:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKhTaPEqNDI

Leo Notenboom USB Cables, Devices and Chargers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD54dscsefw

Windows Phonelink; Copy images from a smarthone to a Windows 11 Computer - https://youtu.be/GAjQ3MINdoY

Making Greeting Cards with Word
Download my file, sutter-greeting-card-file.docx from https://slobytes.org/sutter-greeting-card-file.docx
You may see a warning that you shouldn?t open files from the Internet.  While this is good advice, the file is innocuous.
Open the file. 
For the faint of heart, I have added a .pdf version.  Get the file at
https://slobytes.org/sutter-greeting-card-template.pdf
Save the downloaded PDF where you can easily find it.   
Then open it with Word; (Open with/choose another application/Word). 
This tedious process worked for me but was certainly not necessary.
Now, in Word, select an image to insert on the front of the greetings card.
Insert that image into the document, placing it in the right-hand box.  Resize as necessary so that it fits
If you want to add a Created by tag, type it in the left-hand box.
Go down to the second page of the document.
Write your greeting on either or both boxes, editing as you would any other Word document
Save your work.
Print the two pages.  If your printer offers Print on Both Sides (duplex printing), choose that option, selecting Flip Pages on Short Edge.
If not, print the first page then reinsert it in the paper tray and print the second page on the back of the first page
If you would like to keep a digital copy of your work, save it to a known location as a .docx file.Trim the document and fold it in half.  Insert it in an envelope.  I sized it to fit snugly in an A2 envelope measuring 4.375"x5.75".

Irfanview:  https://www.irfanview.com/main_what_is_engl.htm
Download Irfanview:  https://dappcdn.com/download/graphic-apps/irfanview          
Also download Irfanview All Plugins for the same version: 
To expand Irfanview?s viewing capabilities, download the freeware program K-Lite Codec; https://codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

Sutter Irfanview Tutorials
Batch File Resizing in Irfanview  https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/batch-resize.mp4
Adding Borders to an Image    https://youtu.be/ddv0AmKs_rE
Creating a Video Slideshow with Irfanview    https://youtu.be/7EEkHF8Uik0
Showing Thumbnails in Windows for RAW Files with Irfanview https://youtu.be/__Yb-pYlcQ8
Inserting Text in an Image with Irfanview  https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/Irfanview-Add-Text.mp4
Configuring Irfanview to Play .mp4 Files  https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/irfanview-play-mp4.mp4
Some Irfanview Features Explored  https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/irfanview-features.html

Change the Order in Which Irfanview Opens Images
 https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/irfanview-display-order.html

Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
Here is my Photo Group Report that took place on 10/12/2025

Ralph Sutter began the meeting by sharing several images of the deer herd on his property.   
Sutter commented that the experience convinced him that he needs to get a longer lens.

John Waller captured images of animals in Upper Huasna Valley before heading to the Santa Barbara Zoo. 
He then headed north to the Central Coast Zoo in Atascadero and to Piedras Blancas for the Elephant Seals. 
Waller ended his presentation with several shots of his dogs.

Stanford Brown chronicled wildlife in Paso Robles including squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, hummingbirds and feral cats before adding dogs and domesticated cats. 
Like John, he also photographed the elephant seals of Piedras Blancas.

The next meeting will take place on November 9th, 2025, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom.
The topic will be Present a New Skill and Show How You Use It
The final meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group will take place on December 14 at 2:00 pm

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an recent announcement from APCUG
Ralph Sutter
APCUG
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
October 8, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET
 
Enhancing Your Genealogical Story with Social History
Sue Mueller, Genealogy Group Leader
Computer Users of Erie
 
AI Assisted Storytelling
Discover a whole new way to create!
Joe Nowak
Indian Prairie Computer Club
 
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/LewAVfr4suYaDBW68
 
 After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. You only need to register once. On October 7, 2025, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.
 
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS:
Enhancing Your Genealogical Story with Social History. Sue?s presentation covers:
?   What is social history?
?   Benefits of incorporating social history into your genealogy. 
?   What to look for.
?   Where to find social history resources. 
?   Adding this rich historical source, even if you don't have access to personal family diaries and stories. 
?   A few stories about social history in Sue?s family trees.
AI Assisted Storytelling. Discover a whole new way to create!
Joe will show us how to create and illustrate a narrated book in less than five minutes.
This game-changing technology is ideal for lifelong learners, teachers, parents, grandparents, and individuals with great ideas but limited time or artistic skills to bring them to life. Imagine creating an educational series that teaches tech skills and helps seniors avoid common scams, a personalized children?s book for a grandchild, or a custom read-along story.
The possibilities are limitless?and the best part? No design experience is required. All you need is your imagination and the desire to create something meaningful.

Hello All,
Here is my SLO Bytes Photo Group Report for the meeting of September 14th, 2025

Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with images of Shasta Caverns, moving to the San Juan Islands and ending with memorable gates along Huasna Road in Arroyo Grande California.

Alan Raul opted to take pictures of the Avila Beach area which is 5 miles away from his home. These included the incoming Cal Poly students braving the cold ocean water and rough waves, colorful outrigger canoes, pesty sea gulls eating Dorito chips and more. 

Kaye Raul explored Garden Farms near Santa Margarita.  There, she found a community BBQ, prickly pears, flowering trees, a small church, an impressive stone gate and a dilapidated pickup truck.

John Waller discovered Whale Rock Reservoir outside Cayucos.  Next, he proceeded to the Central Coast Zoo (formerly the Charles Paddock Zoo).  Next, he visited Gaviota Hot Springs and finally offered two shots of an offshore oil drilling rig.  First, he used a 120mm lens before switching to his new 800mm behemoth.

Stanford Brown focused on vineyards beginning with the Sirena Vineyard and continuing to the grounds of the Scultura Vineyard with its stylized animal sculptures.  Using only his Samsung camera, he delivered crisp images that rivaled those taken with high end professional cameras.

The next meeting will take place on October 12th, 2025, beginning at 2:00 pm. The topic will be Images of Animals.
Here are the meeting dates for the rest of 2025
   November 9
   December 14

Ralph Sutter