September Meetings 2023
September 7, 2023 - Apple's WWDC 2023 - New Tech Coming in the Next 12 Months - What is Marco Polo?
"Bernard may have left the building, but I'm still not clicking on any Unknown Links." - Computer Clubber
Club Questions
"Bernard may have left the building, but I'm still not clicking on any Unknown Links." - Computer Clubber
Club Questions
Apple's WWDC Event 2023
It's that time again, time for Apple to showcase its unwavering commitment to innovation and user experience. This annual event serves as a platform for Apple to unveil its latest advancements in technology, software, and hardware. With a global audience of developers and enthusiasts eagerly watching, Apple introduces groundbreaking features across its ecosystem, cementing its reputation as a leader in the tech industry. If you're any kind of an apple enthusiast, you won't want to miss this event, to find out more about where to see it, and when it will be online, take a look at this article. Or for a list of all the upcoming tech conferences, take a look at this article.
New Tech Coming
As long as we're looking at what new products Apple has to offer, let's take a look at a whole bunch of new tech products, from phones, to headsets to cars, fr0m a variety of companies. Coming in the next 12 months is a myriad of new gadgets that are wild and wonderful, some that will amaze, but all of them a sign of the constant growth the tech industry makes every year. Take a look at Tech Radar's take on the best new tech gadgets.
As long as we're looking at what new products Apple has to offer, let's take a look at a whole bunch of new tech products, from phones, to headsets to cars, fr0m a variety of companies. Coming in the next 12 months is a myriad of new gadgets that are wild and wonderful, some that will amaze, but all of them a sign of the constant growth the tech industry makes every year. Take a look at Tech Radar's take on the best new tech gadgets.
What is Marco Polo?
Developers, Joya Communications, describe the app as a video messaging app for people who are busy. It's for those who maybe either can't align their time with the people they're trying to keep in touch with to have a regular FaceTime or Skype call or live in a completely different time zone. Rather than have a live, real-time face-to-face conversation with the person you're talking to, you record your video message as part of a conversation, and the other person can either watch it live in real-time as you're recording, or watch it later, and then respond when they have the time. To learn more about Marco Polo and how to use it, take a look at this article.
Developers, Joya Communications, describe the app as a video messaging app for people who are busy. It's for those who maybe either can't align their time with the people they're trying to keep in touch with to have a regular FaceTime or Skype call or live in a completely different time zone. Rather than have a live, real-time face-to-face conversation with the person you're talking to, you record your video message as part of a conversation, and the other person can either watch it live in real-time as you're recording, or watch it later, and then respond when they have the time. To learn more about Marco Polo and how to use it, take a look at this article.
September 14, 2023 - What is USB-C? - Four Major Browsers Attacked - Tech Leaders Endorse Artificial Intelligence Regulations
"Don't click on unknown links, Smash, SMASH them!!" - The Hulk
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Club Questions
"Don't click on unknown links, Smash, SMASH them!!" - The Hulk
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Club Questions
What is USB-C?
Apple announced on Sept. 12, 2023, that it plans to adopt the USB-C connector for all four new iPhone 15 models, helping USB-C become the connector of choice of the electronics industry, nine years after its debut. The move puts Apple in compliance with European Union law requiring a single connector type for consumer devices. USB-C is a small, versatile connector for mobile and portable devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones. It transfers data at high speeds, transmits video signals and delivers power to charge devices’ batteries. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. The C refers to the third type, following types A and B. To read more about USB-C connectors, take a look at this article.
Apple announced on Sept. 12, 2023, that it plans to adopt the USB-C connector for all four new iPhone 15 models, helping USB-C become the connector of choice of the electronics industry, nine years after its debut. The move puts Apple in compliance with European Union law requiring a single connector type for consumer devices. USB-C is a small, versatile connector for mobile and portable devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones. It transfers data at high speeds, transmits video signals and delivers power to charge devices’ batteries. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. The C refers to the third type, following types A and B. To read more about USB-C connectors, take a look at this article.
Four Major Browsers Attacked
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browser have all released patches for CVE-2023-4863, which is a vulnerability that allows hackers a way into your device. Once exploited it can lead to system crashes and arbitrary code execution, where hackers can gain control over an infected device. If you use one of the mentioned browsers, take a look at this article.
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browser have all released patches for CVE-2023-4863, which is a vulnerability that allows hackers a way into your device. Once exploited it can lead to system crashes and arbitrary code execution, where hackers can gain control over an infected device. If you use one of the mentioned browsers, take a look at this article.
Tech Leaders Endorse AI Rules
All the big tech leaders were at a closed-door meeting in Washington recently, all talking about AI (artificial intelligence) and whether or not it needs to be regulated. The leaders, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg among others, loosely endorsed the idea of government regulations for AI, but there is little consensus on what regulation would look like, and the political path for legislation is difficult. To read more about the AI meeting, take a look at this article.
All the big tech leaders were at a closed-door meeting in Washington recently, all talking about AI (artificial intelligence) and whether or not it needs to be regulated. The leaders, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg among others, loosely endorsed the idea of government regulations for AI, but there is little consensus on what regulation would look like, and the political path for legislation is difficult. To read more about the AI meeting, take a look at this article.
September 21, 2023 - UPDATE YOUR BROWSER NOW - How to Get Rid of Pop Up Ads - How to Clear Browser History
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to Never Clicking on any Unknown Links! " - Abraham Lincoln
Club Questions
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to Never Clicking on any Unknown Links! " - Abraham Lincoln
Club Questions
Update Your Browser Now!
I mentioned this same issue last week, but it has gotten worse, a severe vulnerability has been found in libwebp, a code library used to render webp images, reports Stack Diary. Webp is a popular image format used by many sites on the Internet – but also by apps and some other software that use web views – and the vulnerability can be used, among other things, to run malicious code on affected devices. Worse yet, it is reportedly being actively exploited by malicious attackers.The vulnerability has been labelled CVE-2023-4863 and is considered extremely serious. Major browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave have already released security fixes. To make sure you have the latest version of a browser, go to Help > About (browser name) in its options menu. If a new update is available, it should then download automatically. Please update your web browser(s) now to keep your information safe.
I mentioned this same issue last week, but it has gotten worse, a severe vulnerability has been found in libwebp, a code library used to render webp images, reports Stack Diary. Webp is a popular image format used by many sites on the Internet – but also by apps and some other software that use web views – and the vulnerability can be used, among other things, to run malicious code on affected devices. Worse yet, it is reportedly being actively exploited by malicious attackers.The vulnerability has been labelled CVE-2023-4863 and is considered extremely serious. Major browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave have already released security fixes. To make sure you have the latest version of a browser, go to Help > About (browser name) in its options menu. If a new update is available, it should then download automatically. Please update your web browser(s) now to keep your information safe.
How to Get Rid of Pop Up Ads
Pop up ads are annoying and we all hate them, but just like spam emails and texts, they can be difficult to get rid of safely. It is safe to remove them and there are lots of third party apps that will promise to get rid of pop ups for you, but these apps can come with their own issues, like wasting you battery, or tracking you unnecessarily. But there are solutions that can be found within your settings on your smartphone. For more on how to stop pop up ads on your Android device, take a look at this article. If you are using an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac Computer) take a look at this article. Or if you would like to have a dedicated third party app to block ads for you, take a look at Tom's Guide for the best smartphone ad blockers.
Pop up ads are annoying and we all hate them, but just like spam emails and texts, they can be difficult to get rid of safely. It is safe to remove them and there are lots of third party apps that will promise to get rid of pop ups for you, but these apps can come with their own issues, like wasting you battery, or tracking you unnecessarily. But there are solutions that can be found within your settings on your smartphone. For more on how to stop pop up ads on your Android device, take a look at this article. If you are using an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac Computer) take a look at this article. Or if you would like to have a dedicated third party app to block ads for you, take a look at Tom's Guide for the best smartphone ad blockers.
How to Clear Browser History & Cookies
Clearing your browser history on your computer, tablet or smartphone is important for several reasons: privacy, security, performance, and it can help stop websites from tracking you online. In summary, regularly clearing your browser history is a good practice to protect your privacy, security, and computer's performance while also reducing the personalization of online content. Best of all, it's not that hard to do and you don't need any third party apps to do it. If you use an Apple device, take a look at this article. And if you're an Android user, take a look at this article. Or if you'd just like to know how to clear your browser history on any of the major browsers, take a look at this article. Or if you'd like to set up your Google Chrome browser to automatically delete your browser history after each time you use it, take a look at the video below. Or if you use Firefox or Edge and want to have your history/cookies deleted after each use, take a look at this article.
Clearing your browser history on your computer, tablet or smartphone is important for several reasons: privacy, security, performance, and it can help stop websites from tracking you online. In summary, regularly clearing your browser history is a good practice to protect your privacy, security, and computer's performance while also reducing the personalization of online content. Best of all, it's not that hard to do and you don't need any third party apps to do it. If you use an Apple device, take a look at this article. And if you're an Android user, take a look at this article. Or if you'd just like to know how to clear your browser history on any of the major browsers, take a look at this article. Or if you'd like to set up your Google Chrome browser to automatically delete your browser history after each time you use it, take a look at the video below. Or if you use Firefox or Edge and want to have your history/cookies deleted after each use, take a look at this article.
September 28, 2023 - How to Handle Your Spam - Apple's Latest Update: iOS 17 - How to Search This Website - ChatGPT Now Recognizes Images for Searching
"If I had a nickel for every Computer Club member that clicked on unknown links, I'd be broke " - Computer Club Teacher
Club Questions
"If I had a nickel for every Computer Club member that clicked on unknown links, I'd be broke " - Computer Club Teacher
Club Questions
How to Handle Your Spam
The fight against spam never seems to end. Spammers constantly change their tactics to get noticed, and email services and their users constantly try to stem the incoming deluge. Spam filters help, but manual ones can catch false positives, and automatic filters don't always get it right. That means you can end up with junk in your inbox—or perhaps even worse, miss something from someone important because it's been identified as spam. To learn more about how to manage your spam, take a look at this article.
The fight against spam never seems to end. Spammers constantly change their tactics to get noticed, and email services and their users constantly try to stem the incoming deluge. Spam filters help, but manual ones can catch false positives, and automatic filters don't always get it right. That means you can end up with junk in your inbox—or perhaps even worse, miss something from someone important because it's been identified as spam. To learn more about how to manage your spam, take a look at this article.
iOS 17 is Out Now
Apple's latest operating system is now available to the general public, if you have an iPhone X or later, your phone is eligible for the upgrade. There is also iOS 17 for iPads. As with all new Apple operating systems there are several new features and lots of security updates. To learn more about what's included in this latest update from Apple, take a look at the videos on our video page, or take a look at this article.
Apple's latest operating system is now available to the general public, if you have an iPhone X or later, your phone is eligible for the upgrade. There is also iOS 17 for iPads. As with all new Apple operating systems there are several new features and lots of security updates. To learn more about what's included in this latest update from Apple, take a look at the videos on our video page, or take a look at this article.
How to Search This Website
I guess this article has been a long time coming, but knowing how to use the search function on this website allows you to access all the information within it. There are currently over five years of Club Notes that you can search thru covering a wide range of tech topics. If you have a tech question, it's probably been covered at some point by the Computer Club. Using the search function on this site is easy. At the bottom of every page there is a search box located at the right side of the page. Simply click your cursor in the search box, type your search and click the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the box to start the search. When searching, please keep in mind that our search engine isn't the most sophisticated, it's best to keep your searches short, two or three words at most. And when you get your search results make sure to scroll thru them all, as your best answer might not be at the top of the list. When you find a search result that looks promising, remember that the search link only takes you to the month the answer was posted, not the week. You will need to scroll down thru the weekly entries to locate your answer. And if you don't find what you're looking for, you might try modifying your search words and try again. Below is an image of the search box that resides at the bottom of every page. The arrow indicates where you type your searches.
ChatGPT Recognizes Images Now
OpenAI is rolling out new functionalities for ChatGPT that will allow prompts to be executed with images and voice directives in addition to text. The AI brand announced on Monday that it will be making these new features available over the next two weeks to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users. The voice feature is available in iOS and Android in an opt-in capacity, while the images feature is available on all ChatGPT platforms. OpenAI notes it plans to expand the availability of the images and voice features beyond paid users after the staggered rollout. To learn more about how you can use an image to find answers on ChatGPT take a look at this article.
OpenAI is rolling out new functionalities for ChatGPT that will allow prompts to be executed with images and voice directives in addition to text. The AI brand announced on Monday that it will be making these new features available over the next two weeks to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users. The voice feature is available in iOS and Android in an opt-in capacity, while the images feature is available on all ChatGPT platforms. OpenAI notes it plans to expand the availability of the images and voice features beyond paid users after the staggered rollout. To learn more about how you can use an image to find answers on ChatGPT take a look at this article.
