October Meetings 2022
Oct 6, 2022 - How to Transfer photos from iPhone to Windows Computer, Email Basics,
Fake Amazon Reviews,
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you have to put up
with the rain, but never click on unknown links, ever!"
- Dolly Parton
Club Questions
Fake Amazon Reviews,
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you have to put up
with the rain, but never click on unknown links, ever!"
- Dolly Parton
Club Questions
Transfer iPhone Photos to PC
In the old days (say, 10 years ago), you didn't have a lot of options on how to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Windows computer. Nowadays there are at least two different ways to achieve that goal, making it much easier to use an iPhone outside of the Apple ecosphere. Either by using a cable to connect your iPhone to your PC or by using iCloud, you can move your photos around with relative ease. To learn more about how to transfer iPhone photos to a PC, take a look at this article.
In the old days (say, 10 years ago), you didn't have a lot of options on how to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Windows computer. Nowadays there are at least two different ways to achieve that goal, making it much easier to use an iPhone outside of the Apple ecosphere. Either by using a cable to connect your iPhone to your PC or by using iCloud, you can move your photos around with relative ease. To learn more about how to transfer iPhone photos to a PC, take a look at this article.
Email: Back to Basics
Email is a mainstay of Internet use, it allows us to communicate digitally with friends, family, business and more. There are some basic rules of the email road though, for example there are certain characteristics that are required for any email address (hint, one of them is "@"). You can send emails to one person, or to many people, you can use a specific signature on all your emails or you can include images or files in your emails. For more on the basics of what constitutes an email, take a look at this article. And for more info on email etiquette, take a look at the email etiquette video here.
Email is a mainstay of Internet use, it allows us to communicate digitally with friends, family, business and more. There are some basic rules of the email road though, for example there are certain characteristics that are required for any email address (hint, one of them is "@"). You can send emails to one person, or to many people, you can use a specific signature on all your emails or you can include images or files in your emails. For more on the basics of what constitutes an email, take a look at this article. And for more info on email etiquette, take a look at the email etiquette video here.
Fake Amazon Reviews
Amazon is arguably the biggest online shopping site, and one of the features on each product are the user reviews. The online product reviews can help you to decide whether or not to buy the product, but how reliable are the reviews? Fake Amazon reviews have become a problem for the mega shopping site, but cleaning up all the fake reviews is harder than you might think. To learn more about how to spot fake reviews and avoid getting duped, take a look at this article.
Amazon is arguably the biggest online shopping site, and one of the features on each product are the user reviews. The online product reviews can help you to decide whether or not to buy the product, but how reliable are the reviews? Fake Amazon reviews have become a problem for the mega shopping site, but cleaning up all the fake reviews is harder than you might think. To learn more about how to spot fake reviews and avoid getting duped, take a look at this article.
Oct 13, 2022 - Finding Free Wi-Fi Anywhere, Common Texting Abbreviations,
How to Backup Windows 11,
"True friends stab you in the front.
fools click on unknown links."
- Oscar Wilde
Club Questions
How to Backup Windows 11,
"True friends stab you in the front.
fools click on unknown links."
- Oscar Wilde
Club Questions
Finding Free Wi-Fi Anywhere
Our lifestyles have become more and more dependent on having a good internet connection, but what happens when you're out and about, away from your home Wi-Fi? In this guide, CNET gives you a quick rundown on how to quickly get online using a hotspot, and how to find free Wi-Fi anywhere in the world. (You can also learn how to tell if your Wi-Fi is slow due to internet throttling, and how to speed up your Wi-Fi.) To learn more about finding free Wi-Fi anywhere, take a look at this article.
Common Texting Abbreviations
The Internet, and all its users, have their own little world going on, and if you want to get in on it, you need to learn the language. Texting has been around for a few decades now, and in the early days of texting, abbreviations were a necessary part of texting. These abbreviations have evolved over the years and become the slang language of the Internet. To learn the 120 most common texting abbreviations, take a look at this article (which includes a helpful video).
How to Backup Windows 11
Windows 11 has Backup and Restore functionality built right in. While it’s not as easy as backing up your Android phone, it’s still quite easy to use and works well enough not to require a third-party app. The Backup and Restore tool in Windows 11 is tucked away in the Control Panel. If you’re familiar with Windows because you’ve used the earlier operating system versions, then you’ll find this tool even easier to use. You’ll need an external drive to save the backup. To learn more about how to backup you Windows 11 computer, take a look at this article.
Windows 11 has Backup and Restore functionality built right in. While it’s not as easy as backing up your Android phone, it’s still quite easy to use and works well enough not to require a third-party app. The Backup and Restore tool in Windows 11 is tucked away in the Control Panel. If you’re familiar with Windows because you’ve used the earlier operating system versions, then you’ll find this tool even easier to use. You’ll need an external drive to save the backup. To learn more about how to backup you Windows 11 computer, take a look at this article.
Oct 20, 2022 - What are Smartphone Widgets and How to Use Them? Mobile Malware and How to Get Rid of It, The Differences Between Malware and Virus',
Best Laptops Under $500 for 2022,
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,
and did I mention last week about not clicking on unknown links."
- Oscar Wilde (again)
Club Questions
Best Laptops Under $500 for 2022,
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,
and did I mention last week about not clicking on unknown links."
- Oscar Wilde (again)
Club Questions
What are Smartphone Widgets?
Widgets may sound like funny little things based on the word alone, but they can be convenient, useful tools when you need quick access to information. You’ll find widgets on most mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablets. Popular mobile platforms such as Android or iOS will make use of widgets, though they may do so in different ways. It may be helpful to think of widgets as things that work with dedicated apps in order to show you more focused information. You can also see some of that information without needing to open the app itself. This can save you some time, and it can cut out any unnecessary information in which you might not be interested.
To learn more about how to use widgets on Android, take a look at this article. And to learn more about using widgets on iOS, take a look at this article.
Widgets may sound like funny little things based on the word alone, but they can be convenient, useful tools when you need quick access to information. You’ll find widgets on most mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablets. Popular mobile platforms such as Android or iOS will make use of widgets, though they may do so in different ways. It may be helpful to think of widgets as things that work with dedicated apps in order to show you more focused information. You can also see some of that information without needing to open the app itself. This can save you some time, and it can cut out any unnecessary information in which you might not be interested.
To learn more about how to use widgets on Android, take a look at this article. And to learn more about using widgets on iOS, take a look at this article.
Mobile Malware Explained
Mobile malware is malicious software that is specifically built to attack mobile phone or smartphone systems. These types of malware rely on exploits of particular operating systems (OS) and mobile phone software technology, and represent a significant portion of malware attacks in today’s computing world, where mobile phones are increasingly common. Within the general category of mobile malware, certain kinds of smartphones are targeted more often than others. Industry research shows that an overwhelming majority of mobile malware targets the Android platform, rather than other popular mobile OS systems, like Apple’s iOS. Various types of mobile malware include device data thieves and device spies that take certain kinds of data and deliver it to hackers. Another type of mobile malware is called root malware, or rooting malware, which gives hackers certain administrative privileges and file access. There also are other kinds of mobile malware that perform automatic transactions or communications without the device holder’s knowledge. But there are things you can do to protect yourself from mobile malware, if you are an Android user, take a look at this article. And if you use iOS, take a look at this article.
Mobile malware is malicious software that is specifically built to attack mobile phone or smartphone systems. These types of malware rely on exploits of particular operating systems (OS) and mobile phone software technology, and represent a significant portion of malware attacks in today’s computing world, where mobile phones are increasingly common. Within the general category of mobile malware, certain kinds of smartphones are targeted more often than others. Industry research shows that an overwhelming majority of mobile malware targets the Android platform, rather than other popular mobile OS systems, like Apple’s iOS. Various types of mobile malware include device data thieves and device spies that take certain kinds of data and deliver it to hackers. Another type of mobile malware is called root malware, or rooting malware, which gives hackers certain administrative privileges and file access. There also are other kinds of mobile malware that perform automatic transactions or communications without the device holder’s knowledge. But there are things you can do to protect yourself from mobile malware, if you are an Android user, take a look at this article. And if you use iOS, take a look at this article.
The Difference Between Malware and Virus
We often talk about malware and virus' in the same way, but there are some basic differences. Below is a simple description of each, to dig a little deeper into their differences, click on either of their titles to open a new page with more detailed information.
1. Malware :
Malware is a program designed to gain access to computer systems, normally for the benefit of some third party, without the user’s permission. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware and other malicious programs.
2. Virus :
A virus is a malicious executable code attached to another executable file which can be harmless or can modify or delete data.
We often talk about malware and virus' in the same way, but there are some basic differences. Below is a simple description of each, to dig a little deeper into their differences, click on either of their titles to open a new page with more detailed information.
1. Malware :
Malware is a program designed to gain access to computer systems, normally for the benefit of some third party, without the user’s permission. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware and other malicious programs.
2. Virus :
A virus is a malicious executable code attached to another executable file which can be harmless or can modify or delete data.
Best Laptops Under $500
For those of you searching for a budget laptop, look no further than the lists below. You won't find any Apple products on these lists, but there are a wide variety of Microsoft based laptops and Google Chromebooks that can fit the needs of most thrifty shoppers. As always, it's best to check thru all the "best of" lists and see which models show up consistently. Happy Shopping.
CNET's Best Laptops Under $500
Tom's Guide's Best Laptops Under $500
PC World's Best Laptops Under $500
Tech Radar's Best Laptops Under $500
DigitalTrend's Best Laptops Under $500
Oct 27, 2022 - How to Organize Your Smartphone Photos (iPhone & Android), How to Change Site Permissions, iCloud Explained, BuzzFeed's 21 Super Interesting Websites,
"Sure, that unknown link is safe to click on, trust me."
- Beelzebub
Club Questions
"Sure, that unknown link is safe to click on, trust me."
- Beelzebub
Club Questions
Organize Your Smartphone Photos
Smartphones have amazing cameras which leads us to take more and more photos, but what's the best way to organize your photos on your phone? How do you use the albums feature? If I have the same photo in two different albums, does it take up twice as much space? Does my Phone automatically organize my photos? Never fear, these questions and many more are answered for iPhone users by the iPhone Photography School, for more information, take a look at this article.
And if you're an Android user that means that you most likely use Google Photos to organize your pics. For a complete rundown on how to make best use of Google Photos, take a look at this article.
iCloud Explained
Apple's cloud service, iCloud, is not quite the same as Dropbox or other cloud services, but after some possible initial confusion, iCloud can be easily understood and works wonderfully within the Apple ecosystem. For a complete explanation on how iCloud works and how you can best use it, take a look at the video below.
Apple's cloud service, iCloud, is not quite the same as Dropbox or other cloud services, but after some possible initial confusion, iCloud can be easily understood and works wonderfully within the Apple ecosystem. For a complete explanation on how iCloud works and how you can best use it, take a look at the video below.
How to Change Site Permissions
What are "site permissions" you might ask, they are what websites your Android device allows/doesn't allow you to view on your device. For example, let's say you want to go to FCC-Computer.club and your device is blocking you from visiting that site, telling you that it's a malware concern. We of course know that's not the case (that site is this site, the site for the FCC Computer Club). You have a couple of options in allowing your device to let you go to this site. To learn more about changing your site permissions, take a look at this article.
21 Super Interesting Websites
It's been a while since we had one of these articles, but there are so many weirdly wonderful websites out there that it seemed like it was time to look at a few more. This list comes from BuzzFeed and includes some truly out there websites. It was posted way back at the start of the pandemic, and some of the links no longer work, but the sites that do work, still hold up. Some of them are helpful, some are just for fun and others are downright strange.
BuzzFeed's 21 Super Interesting Websites.
