Hello All,
Here is my report o the November 10th meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group

TOPIC: Transformations

Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html, of the Photography Group website
Sutter summarized the new content; Comparison of Image Viewers; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_image_viewers,
4K Slideshow Maker https://www.4kdownload.com/products/slideshowmaker/
and Pixabay; https://pixabay.com/

Then, using the Slideshow feature of ACDSee, Ralph showed transitions of ice, radish seeds, ramen, coffee beans and burning matches

Alan Raul followed with an illustrated history of Pismo Beach, its City Hall and Fire Station.
Next, he changed focus to the town of Pismo Beach.
Alan showed the group how he used the raw filter on jpg images to reveal details that were otherwise unavailable.
While the filter can't draw on the details present in true raw images, it offers opportunities for development beyond the scope of jpgs not using the raw filter.

John Waller showed the transformation of his fire-damaged house from bare walls to finished spaces. He then brought his camera outside and documented how his yard changed. He used progressive images of his fields to illustrate modern growing techniques of Ikeda Farms. Finally he went to the end of Grand Avenue and cataloged the changes to the beach from storm surge to recovery.

Kaye Raul used Adobe Lightroom for creating different views of the piers of Avila. She also captured changes in leaves, pumpkins, flowers and trees.

Stanford Brown presented Symbols of Transition featuring falling leaves, decomposing trees, blooming roses, acorns and Paso Robles skies.
He then narrated the evolution of his back yard from move-in many years ago to present day.

After everyone made their presentation, Stanford asked what photo editors each of us used and our recommendations for someone looking for a basic editor.
The editors commonly mentioned were Adobe Photoshop; https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
 Adobe Lightroom; https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/plans.html
ACDSee; https://www.acdsee.com/en/index/
and Luminar Neo; https://skylum.com/luminar

A consensus choice for light editing on PCs was Irfanview; https://www.irfanview.com/

Alan pointed out that both Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MAC operating systems have quite capable built-in photo editors.

The last meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group in 2024 will take place on December 8th beginning at 2:00 pm.
The assignment is to take your camera to the Embarcadero in Morro Bay and photograph whatever interests you.

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

Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
During the December 1st SLO Bytes General Session, we will conduct the annual Election of Officers.  All SLO Bytes members are eligible to run for any of the offices.
The positions are as follows
President
Vice President/Program Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Training Officer
All positions are open. The current officers have agreed to mentor anyone interested in assuming their position.
To learn more about the duties of each officer, point your browser to https://www.slobytes.org/officer-duties.html

Ralph Sutter
SLO Bytes Secretary

Hello All,
This is a re-post of the announcement that I received today from APCUG, SLO Bytes' parent organization
Ralph Sutter

ANNOUNCEMENT
We will also be electing Directors and Advisors. Bob Bowser and David Steward have agreed to another term as Directors and Bill James as an Advisor. If any APCUG group member would like to join the Board of Directors or Advisors, please send a short resume with user group experience by November 4 to 2025elections@apcug.org.
 
DIRECTOR  three-year term
The management of all the affairs, property, and interests of the Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors (BOD). The BOD is responsible for APCUG's day-to-day operation as well as for the performance of the organization in all areas of its work: 
       Attend one board meeting a month.
       Fulfill its mission statement.
       Make decisions in the best interest of the organization
       Prudent use of all assets
       Secure adequate financial resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.
       Adhere to legal and ethical standards and norms to advance its mission.
 
ADVISOR  two-year term
The Board of Advisors acts as a liaison between APCUG and member groups. Advisor responsibilities include: 
       Attend one board meeting a month.
       Regular communication with all groups in their region.
       Recommend new programs/benefits for APCUG to help groups better serve their members.
       Assist with user group problems. (Since Advisors are or have been officers in their group, they might have had the same
        problem(s) and can provide suggestions or have learned how other groups have handled the issue. They can also draw 
        on the experience of other BOD / BODA members.)
       Visit groups, if possible, in their region, making presentations, etc.
       Recruit new APCUG member groups.
2025 Election Committee

Hello All,
What follows is a re-post of an announcement that I received today from SLO Bytes' parent organization, APCUG
Ralph Sutter

Learning Linux Workshop
October 16, 2024
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET
 
Tour of Linux Mint 22
Tom Burt, Vice President
Sun City Summerlin Computer Club
 
Linux Desktop Workflow
Cal Esneault, President
Cajun Clickers Computer Club
 
Register here - https://forms.gle/TmBkogxVp5d35LaH7 
 
After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. On October 15, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.
 
Tour of Linux Mint 22
The Linux operating system has existed for a long time and is widely used on web and file servers. It has also continued to improve as an alternative to the Windows and MacOS desktop operating systems. With support for Windows XP, Vista, and 7, which are long gone from Microsoft, and Windows 10 support ending October 2025, Linux Mint 22 may be a viable alternative for keeping older computers useful while offering the security needed for web surfing.
 
Tom Burt?s presentation will tour the latest version (22) of the FREE Linux Mint ?distro? with the Cinnamon desktop. Mint is a full-featured operating system with a Windows-like desktop and many built-in applications and tools. We?ll be running Linux Mint in a Virtual Box virtual machine. Tom will look at Mint?s many features and demo several of the built-in apps. He?ll review the online repository of free Linux apps and demonstrate installing one or two. As time permits, Tom will also look at how to extend desktop Linux Mint to make it a network file, database, and web server comparable to Windows 10 Pro.
 
Linux Desktop Workflow
Cal Esneault will share a presentation where he will compare common operations of the GNOME, Ubuntu, and Mint desktop environments to each other and show similarities to Windows 11.

Hello All,
Today I received this announcement from SLO Bytes' parent organization, APCUG and am re-posting it here
Ralph Sutter

October 9, 2024
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

Working Together to Fight Fraud
Gema de las Heras, Consumer Education Specialist
 Federal Trade Commission
 
How Do I Report Financial Fraud
Judy Taylour, President
SCV Computer Club

REGISTRATION LINK - https://forms.gle/cYXNzoeLv5gSZGnU8
 
After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. On October 8, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.
 
Working Together to Fight Fraud. Join the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to hear about the most reported scams and how to spot and avoid them. Learn about the importance of reporting scams and where to get free fraud education materials in multiple languages from the FTC to share in your community.
 
How do I Report Financial Fraud? The U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline provides services to adults, age 60 and older, who may be victims of financial fraud. The Hotline provides callers access to experienced case managers who offer personalized support, assist with reporting suspected fraud to the relevant agencies, and provide resources and referrals to other appropriate services as needed.