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General Discussion / SLO Bytes Photo Group Report for September 2025

« on: September 14, 2025, 04:36:28 PM »

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

General Discussion / Free APCUG Wednesday Workshops Windows VM in Linux, more

« on: September 08, 2025, 08:10:18 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an APCUG announcement
Ralph Sutter

APCUG
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
September 10, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Using KVM/QEMU to Create a Windows 10 VM in Linux
Joel Ewing, President
Bella Vista Computer Club

Butt, Neck, Eyes, Oh My! Surviving Screen Time
Judy Taylour, President
SCV Computer Club

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/8NQEiEMSkE3WheteA

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. (see below). You only need to register once. On September 9, 2025, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
KVM/QEMU Virtual Machines Under Linux by Joel Ewing. How do you run multiple different PC operating systems at the same time if you don't have multiple computers? PC hardware today includes support for efficiently running an independent instance of an operating system as a "virtual machine" under another operating system. Virtual machines help try out different operating systems, supporting apps that only run under a specific operating system, and for testing potentially dangerous things in an isolated environment without exposing your primary system to security risks. The virtual machine appears much like a separate hardware platform to the guest operating system installed on it. Still, when running, it is merely an app executing on the host operating system. A guest operating system can only see and modify those host resources that have been explicitly granted to it. Guest virtual machines are supported under Linux, Windows, and macOS.
There are multiple ways to run virtual machines under Linux. This presentation will take a detailed examination of utilizing the "Virtual Manager" interface to define and manage a Windows 10 VM that leverages Kernel Virtual Machine (KVM) and Quick EMUlator (QEMU) support.
Suppose you avoid using a Windows 10 VM for higher-risk Internet activities, such as email or browsing the web, and instead use it only for running reliably tested local apps. In that case, it should be relatively safe to use that instance of Windows 10 well past its end-of-service date. On hardware that doesn't support Windows 11, this could provide an alternative migration path to Linux as your primary system, while continuing to use some favorite and essential Windows-only local apps in a restricted-use virtual machine that can be isolated from the Internet.

Butt, Neck, Eyes. Oh My! Surviving Screen Time by Judy Taylour. In our increasingly digital world, our bodies are paying the price for long hours spent in front of screens. This presentation explores the hidden toll of modern technology on physical health, focusing on common but often overlooked conditions, including Computer Neck Syndrome, Tech-Related Eye Strain, Mouse Shoulder Syndrome, Computer Back Issues, Butt Syndrome, and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

General Discussion / USB Color Code Chart

« on: September 05, 2025, 08:40:10 AM »

Hello All
Here is a USB Color Code Chart

I took a screen shot from here
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5cYeYnAepWA
Ralph Sutter

General Discussion / Google Lens - Use It on a PC with No Camera

« on: August 31, 2025, 07:34:22 PM »

Hello All,
I just created a tutorial that shows how I use the Google Lens app on my PC. Google Lens is usually run from a smart phone
However, by using Windows Snipping Tool on my PC or any other image capturing program, under a PC, MAC or Linux OS, you can use Google Lens to
Identify objects
Capture text
and many other operations

My tutorial can be viewed on my website at https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/google-lens.html

Ralph Sutter

General Discussion / Rasbperry Pi Imager

« on: August 27, 2025, 05:37:35 PM »

Hello All,
I recently discovered the Raspberry Pi Imager.
While the utility has been around for quite a while, this was the first time that I used it.
Use it to format the SD card that becomes the Paspberry Pi OS

This software works for PCs, MACs and Linux OSs as well as all generations of the Raspberry Pi

To format the SD from the Linux Terminal, use use the command sudo apt install rpi-installer

After formatting the SD card, whether inside a PC, MAC or Linux machine, simply insert it in your Raspberry Pi and turn the Pi on.

Learn more here
Information Page https://fleetstack.io/blog/access-pi-imager-from-terminal
YouTube demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntaXWS8Lk34

Ralph Sutter

General Discussion / APCUG Saturday Safari Workshop -Windows 10 EOL

« on: August 20, 2025, 08:34:08 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an APCUG announcement
Ralph Sutter

SATURDAY SAFARI WORKSHOP
August 23, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Windows 10 EOL, What?s Next?
Alan German, Meeting Coordinator
Ottawa PCUG

We took a quick poll at the 8/13 WW and
many attendees were interested in getting answers to their
EOL questions.
Ask your questions.
Attendees will have the answers.

REGISTER HERE ? https://forms.gle/66oqJdiTbmpoGkNW7

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. (see below). You only need to register once.

On August 22, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Windows 10 EOL, What?s Next? Windows 10 will reach End-of-Life, and hence the end of all support, on October 14, 2025. So, if you have a computer that is currently running Windows 10, what are you going to do?
In this presentation, we will discuss the various options, including carrying on using Windows 10, upgrading to Windows 11, and buying a new computer. However, there is another option. Move up to Linux. It?s free, it?s easy to use, and it works! We will look at Linux and see how it can be used, in conjunction with Windows 10, to keep older machines running for the foreseeable future.

Windows 10 EOL Q&A.
Ask your questions, attendees will have the answers.

General Discussion / Free APCUG Webinar - KVM Switches and Password Security

« on: August 11, 2025, 07:38:47 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an APCUG announcement
Ralph Sutter

WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
August 13, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Use a KVM Switch to Share Speakers
John Krout, Member, Author, and Presenter
Potomac Area And Technology Society

Are your Passwords Really Complex?
Why they don?t need to be ? and other stories.
JB Burke, President
Prescott Computer Society

Register here ? https://forms.gle/gJ3yNM7btgwnK61z6

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration (see below). You only need to register once. On August 12, 2025, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
John Krout - Use a KVM Switch to Share Speakers. This presentation introduces the KVM switch concept for connecting a keyboard, video monitor, and mouse to any of two or more computers on a desk, its practical applications, and how the presenter figured out how to switch his powered analog speakers using his new KVM switch. Even if only one computer is on a desk or table, sometimes you want to use the keyboard, monitor, and mouse with a laptop. You can use a KVM switch to connect the laptop to those devices.

JB Burke - Online Security Secrets - Are your Passwords Really Complex?
Why they don?t need to be ? and other stories.
By now we are all aware of the online threats ? phishing, smishing, malware & viruses, identity theft, fake websites, tech support scams, fake shopping sites ? the list goes on and on. And we know that an important protection is strong passwords. But do you know what makes passwords strong? It isn?t necessarily caps or numbers or special characters, though they play a part as well. This program will tell you the real story of strong passwords and beyond.

General Discussion / Free APCUG Wednesday Workshops POTPOURRI: FUN & GAMES

« on: July 21, 2025, 11:04:17 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an announcement from APCUG
Ralph Sutter
----

POTPOURRI: FUN & GAMES
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP

July 23, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Capturing the Skies: Fun Vacation Photography
John Krout, Member, Author, and Presenter
Potomac Area And Technology Society

PosterMyWall
Hewie Poplock, APCUG Representative
The Sarasota Technology User Group

Office Chair Butt
Judy Taylour
APCUG Speakers Bureau Member
President, SCV Computer Club

Stump the Techs
Do you have a tech question?
Our attendees will do their best to answer it.

Register here ? https://forms.gle/BAVhCN53Fs59hq6MA

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration.
(see below). You only need to register once. On July 22, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Capturing the Skies: A Presentation through Air Shows and Hot Air Balloons. Join John Krout for a visually stunning presentation on the art and technology of photographing some of the most thrilling and colorful events in the skies?air shows and hot air balloon festivals!
From the high-speed flyovers of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels to the vibrant beauty of balloon-filled mornings, this talk dives into the gear, techniques, and planning needed to capture unforgettable images. Learn how telephoto lenses bring you up close to fast-moving jets, and discover tips for shooting in unique atmospheric conditions, like coastal humidity that creates dramatic contrails and cockpit condensation.
He'll also share online tools for tracking air shows and balloon festival calendars across the US and Canada?perfect for planning your next photography adventure.
Whether you're a seasoned shooter or just getting into tech and photography, this workshop is for you!

PosterMyWall. Looking for a fresh and innovative way to promote your group? Hewie Poplock can't be with us in person, so we will learn how to use PMY to create flyers to publicize our meetings via his video tutorial.

Office Chair Butt AKA Dead Butt Syndrome. Are you experiencing Office Chair Butt? Do you even know what it is? Judy will discuss this topic and provide us with some exercises to complete.

Stump the Techs. Do you have a problem you need help with? Please ask the question at the workshop, and we will do our best to help you.

FYI, when I asked AI to give me a short description for the above presentation, this was the response: ?Do you have a problem you need help with? Ask the question at the workshop, and we will try to help you.
That?s a generous offer?thanks! I don't face problems in the way humans do, but I'm great at helping solve them. If I were to bring a "workshop-worthy" challenge, it'd be something like:

"How can we help more people embrace AI as a creative partner rather than just a tool?"

General Discussion / Notes from the SLO Bytes Photography Group Meeting of 07/13/2025

« on: July 14, 2025, 02:01:03 PM »

Hello All
Here are my Notes from the SLO Bytes Photo Group Meeting of 07/13/2025
Topic: Low Light Photography

Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with low light images of fireworks, windmills and indoor scenes illuminated by a Luci Light

Alan Raul shot many low light photos with an iPhone. He then demonstrated how he used the Photoshop Remove tool to eliminate reflections on a glass storefront window
Still within Photoshop, he used radial blur for dramatic effects. He also showed the possibilities of intentional camera movement with long shutter exposures

Kaye Raul shot low light images of the Grover Beach Library, Ramona Gardens Park, the Grover Beach Train Station, Old Juan's Cantina and the village of Arroyo Grande

John Waller caught deer grazing behind his house using his Samsung S25 phone.
Switching over to his Canon camera, he demonstrated Masking in Lightroom followed by shots of the night sky taken with his new 800mm Zoom lens and 2x extender

Stanford Brown, with his Samsung S22, offered low light images of a windmill, Christmas lights, a bird house and other objects.
Brown explored the Night Mode of his phone versus the Regular Mode. The Night Mode did a remarkable job of producing a clear, well-illuminated image

Ralph Sutter

General Discussion / Free APCUG Wednesday Webinars Virtual Machines

« on: July 14, 2025, 11:12:32 AM »

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

Introduction to Virtual Machines featuring Oracle's VirtualBox
Tom Burt, Vice President
Sun City Summerlin Computer Club

Roundtable
Everyone

REGISTER HERE ? https://forms.gle/yTGtoXEYSd6VYZRM9

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. (see below). You only need to register once.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Introduction to Virtual Machines featuring Oracle's VirtualBox. "Virtualization" has become an important way to get more out of your PC, Mac, or Linux desktop. You can employ virtual machines to run "legacy" applications or equipment that aren't compatible with the newest operating systems. You can also try out "beta" software and hot fixes without risking your production system. You can also consolidate old, small PC systems as virtual machines on a single high-end system.

This 1?-hour seminar will review currently available virtual machine technology, including what it is, the virtual machine managers available, and the strengths and weaknesses of each. We'll outline the step-by-step process of setting up an empty VirtualBox virtual machine, installing the Linux Mint operating system within it, and performing some optimizations to improve its performance. We'll also demo VirtualBox virtual machines running Windows 10, Windows 7, and Windows XP.

Roundtable Discussion.
How is your tech group navigating the new world of technology = AI?
Do you have any new presentation ideas?
What works with your group that might help another group?
Is your group experiencing officer burnout? How are you dealing with it?
What is your group doing to recruit new members?
And is there anything else you would like to talk about?

General Discussion / APCUG Wednesday Webinar-Why a Microsoft Account Matters: Backup, Sync & Backup

« on: July 07, 2025, 10:23:31 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-most of an article that I received today from APCUG.
Ralph Sutter

Why a Microsoft Account Matters: Backup, Sync,
and Seamless PC Setup!
Bill James, Speakers Bureau Member,
Advisor, Region 8

REGISTER HERE ? https://forms.gle/VvRpNK1f5VR1jVg29

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. (see below). You only need to register once.

On July 8, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Custom Text Tones for Your Smartphone. When you receive a text, wouldn't it be great if your phone could announce the sender's name before you even glance at it? Then, you can quickly decide whether or not to interrupt what you are doing to read the text.

Learn how to use your smartphone to record the name of a text sender, install that recording on your smartphone, and assign that recording to the text sender. Additionally, learn how to set your default text tone to Silent (Android) or None (iPhone) so that junk text and low-priority messages are not brought to your immediate attention.

Why a Microsoft Account Matters: Backup, Sync, and Seamless PC Setup! Using a Microsoft Account when setting up a new Windows computer offers a seamless and secure experience. It enables automatic backup through OneDrive, ensuring that important files, such as documents, photos, and desktop content, are safely stored in the cloud. The account also provides syncing across devices, allowing your personalized settings, browser data, and passwords to follow you wherever you sign in. From instant access to Microsoft services like Outlook, Word, and Skype, to enhanced security features like Windows Hello and device recovery, a Microsoft Account simplifies setup, improves continuity, and helps protect your data. It's an essential tool for maximizing the performance of your new PC.

General Discussion / Photos of the July 2025 SLO Bytes Pizza Party

« on: July 06, 2025, 08:34:58 PM »

Hello All,
SLO Bytes held its annual pizza party at Blaze Pizza Arroyo Grande on July 6th 2025
I have posted a link to the images shot by Alan Raul on the SLO Bytes web site at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/2025-pizza/2025-pizza.pdf
Ralph Sutter

General Discussion / APCUG Wednesday Workshops - Google Docs and Word Alternatives

« on: June 23, 2025, 12:34:41 PM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of a recent APCUG announcement
Ralph Sutter
===
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
June 25, 2025
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Getting Started with Google Docs
Jolyn Bowler, Resource Director and APCUG Representative
Hilton Head Island Computer Club

Office Smackdown
Chris Taylor, President and System Administrator
and
Alan German, Meeting Coordinator
Ottawa PCUG

Register here ? https://forms.gle/5PgfDCFTKwcsFjX57

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. (see below). You only need to register once.

On June 24, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Getting Started with Google Docs, Jolyn Bowler. Google offers a wide range of services to its users. It is a terrific, simple, and easily accessible word-processing tool that rivals MS Word and LibreOffice Writer. Although I use both, my go-to is Google Docs. It offers an intuitive interface for users to create documents easily without complicated setups. Being web-based, Google Docs eliminates the need for downloads, providing instant access from any device with internet connectivity. Two excellent features are the ability to create a PWA (Progressive Web App) that resides on my Taskbar. The other is the relatively new Document Tabs feature. It allows for multiple resources in one document but in different Tabs. Your Google Drive automatically saves all your documents. Docs is also compatible with many file formats. Please join me for a tour.

Office Smackdown: Alan German and Chris Taylor. Microsoft Office is widely used for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, but its cost can be high for personal users. This may become a greater concern if Microsoft, as is sometimes rumored, were to move entirely to a subscription-based, software-as-a-service model. One free and open-source alternative is the LibreOffice suite of applications, which closely mirrors many aspects of the Microsoft product. But how good is this free software, and are there any significant limitations to using LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office? In this presentation, we'll review the features of the major modules in both packages, with a specific focus on compatibility issues. Beyond the dollar savings, we'll examine whether the LibreOffice suite offers any significant advantages over Microsoft's offerings.

General Discussion / APCUG Wednesday Workshop-Geeks on Tour and Choosing a Linux Distro

« on: June 16, 2025, 08:50:33 AM »

Hello All,
This is a re-post of an announcement that I received today from APCUG
Ralph Sutter

June 18, 2025
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Tech Tips & Travel Tales from a World Cruise with Chris and Jim Guld
Geeks on Tour

Choosing the Right Linux Distro: Simplifying the Search
John Kennedy, APCUG Advisor for Regions 3 and 6

Register here ? https://forms.gle/FFEMMF77TFEQtQJv9

After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration
(see below). You only need to register once. On June 17, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.

Tech Tips & Travel Tales from a World Cruise with Chris and Jim Guld. Remember Chris and Jim from Geeks on Tour? Perhaps you followed their adventures teaching tech from an RV, or you've learned from their popular YouTube channel and online seminars. Well, they've embarked on their most exciting chapter yet: perpetually cruising the world aboard a residential cruise ship, the Villa Vie Odyssey!

Now, they're bringing their unique blend of expertise and adventure to our APCUG Wednesday Workshop series. In their presentation, "Tech Tips and Travel Tales from the Geeks on World Tour," Chris and Jim will pull back the curtain on what it's really like living on a ship while still sharing their best technology tips.

Get ready for fascinating stories and practical tech insights, including:
Panama Canal: A breathtaking time-lapse video.
Acapulco: How to master zoom lenses and slow-motion video with your phone.
Cabo San Lucas: Navigating new places with Google Maps Live View.
Living on a Cruise Ship: Essential tech for life at sea, like using a 2nd monitor on the go.
Ocean Crossing: The ins and outs of changing time zones with your devices.

Choosing the Right Linux Distro: Simplifying the Search. With hundreds of Linux distributions available, picking the right one can feel overwhelming. This short presentation explores two helpful websites that guide users through a series of targeted questions, factoring in technical experience, hardware specs, and personal preferences, to recommend the best-fit distro. Whether you're a Linux beginner or a seasoned user seeking something new, these tools can streamline your decision-making process.

General Discussion / Notes on the SLO Bytes Photo Group Session of 6/8/25

« on: June 10, 2025, 12:13:36 PM »

Hello All,
Here are my Notes for the SLO Bytes Photo Group Meeting of 06/08/2025
TOPIC: Learn or Improve a Skill and Demonstrate Its Use for Better Photos.

Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with images shot both with his Samsung S22 phone and Sony A7iv camera. He compared the closeup capabilities of each.

Alan Raul continued the same theme from last month, i.e., setting his Leica Q3 minimum shutter speed of 1/250 second and a maximum ISO of 3200. The camera uses the minimum ISO of 100 by default and adjusts higher if needed. The camera selects the best aperture to have the lowest possible ISO. His sample images were shot at the Pismo Beach sign and Avila Beach at the Friday Farmer?s Market.

Kaye Raul demonstrated Adobe Lightroom Presets. She applied them to Rose Parade Flyovers, and the Morro Bay stacks.

Stanford Brown used Polar Photo Editor to modify images of his grandmother?s house. He also experimented with Goggle Gallery for photos on his Samsung phone.
John Waller delved into astro photography with a free program called Sequator;
https://www.startools.org/links--tutorials/free-image-stacking-solutions/sequator Using photo stacking, he brought out more details in his images of the night sky.
He then applied Photoshop?s Object Find and selected parts of a photograph to modify colors.
https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/features/tips-tricks-object-removal.html

At the end of the session, Ralph referenced a link on the club?s website with recommended setups for Sony?s A7iv camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfxxkYOMsFc&ab_channel=MagicWeddingPhotographer

Our next meeting will take place on July 13, 2025. The topic is Low Light Photography

Here are the meeting dates for the rest of 2025
August 10
September 14
October 12
November 9
December 14

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

Ralph Sutter

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