Hello All,
Today I received this following announcement from SLO Bytes' parent organization, APCUG
Ralph Sutter

LEARNING LINUX WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
December 18, 2024
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET
 
Installing Linux on an Old Chromebook
Stew Bottorf, SIG Leader
Tampa Bay Technology Center

Run your own AI Chatbot
Alan German, Treasurer
Ottawa PC Users' Group
 
Register here - https://forms.gle/5SPxYnZudTUGSGiS7
 
After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration (see below). You only need to register once. On December 17, after registration closes at 6 pm Pacific Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link.
 
Installing Linux on an Old Chromebook. Like Windows, Chromebooks have their own "end of life" deadlines. The hardware is still good to go, but there's no support for it. Just like you can make a computer formerly running Windows run the Linux operating system to give it a new life, it's possible to add new life to a Chromebook by installing Linux. Join Stew as he guides us through the process he took to convert one of his old Chromebooks into a working Linux laptop. He'll share with us what he learned while installing Linux and additional programs and show us how easy converting the Chromebook to a Linux laptop can be.
 
Run your own AI Chatbot. We have all probably tried one of the many chatbots available over the Internet and have asked questions about everything from what is the capital of Uzbekistan to what can I make for dinner if I only have sausages, apples, and onions in the refrigerator? However, since we are computer users, we have also likely tried: How do I fix a slow computer, how do quantum computers work, or can you write a bash script to list the names of all the files in a folder and their sub-folders?
 
Some chatbots are free, while others require a monthly subscription. But how many will remain free? They all know everything (almost) and use Large Language Models (LLM). This requires massive computational power, high-end servers, and vast electricity. So, it all has to be paid for in some manner. But what if we could access a Small Language Model (SLM) that would only know about a particular topic of particular interest to us - such as programming in Python? And wouldn't it be nice if this tiny bot would run on our personal computer?
 
Well, look no further; such chatbots and SLMs are being developed, and in this presentation, we will take an introductory look at the technology. We will find that installing and using an SLM is easy, but the available hardware currently limits its utility. Nevertheless, it's an interesting exercise and may well point the way to a future with targeted chatbots running locally.


 



 



   



   

The attached PDF contains all the links discussed in the year 2024.

 - - Enjoy...

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