11 April 2024 - Eclipse

Bob's Bytes #320, "The 2024 Eclipse and More!"

Topics of the Day:

• News & Comment
• StarShip Q Correction
• 2024 Solar Eclipse
• Passkeys
• Joey’s Glove
• Free Software
• PatchMyPC
• Bonus: DB
• Revo Uninstaller

 Links:

• Ned Milbrandt Obituary <link> A good friend of all of us in the Surfers.
  
• The DearMoon Project <link> Artists & influencers will fly to the Moon
  
• Tim Dodd, the “Everyday Astronaut” <YouTube> <Home Page>
• SpaceX Starship info <link> Can't fault Elon for not thinking big!
  
• 2024 Interactive Eclipse map <link> Click anywhere for that location
  
• National Museum of the US Air Force <link> If you like Air&Space, go there.
  
• Their Eclipse event <link> 100,000+ people expected!
• Eldora Speedway <link>  Tony Stewart's best dirt track in the US
  
• Ashton-Tate's dBase <link> I spent multiple man-years programming and using this alone with the Clipper complier
  
• Passkeys <link>  Better security than passwords & 2nd factor! <link>
• GRC's SQRL <link> Better than Passkeys, but 🤕 that ship sailed and sunk
  
• Joey's Gloves  <Jalopnik> <Penalty> "If you're not cheating, you're not trying!"
  
• 5 Way to Keep Your Windows 10 PC Alive <link>  Not my recommendations!
• PatchMyPC <link> Best way to install common free Windows apps
  
• IObit's Driver Booster <link> Or just use PatchMyPC to install
  
• Revo Uninstaller <link> Or just use PatchMyPC to install

Note! Because of my embedded videos of the Eclipse, this is a large 1.5 MB download.

4 Apr 2024 - Satellites

 Given by our own John Fennel ...

21 March 2024 - Pollinators!

 A Workshop by Yvonne Settle

The Monarch Butterfly cycle of life ...

14 March 2024 - Free Software Part II

 Topics & Links of the Day:

• SpaceX's Starship Integrated Test Flight 3 occurred this morning.  Itgot much farther than LTF-2.  Still lots of work to do.  Mars is a long way off, but the first steps have been made.
  
• Crew8 arrived at the International Space Station, it's getting crowded there. Crew7 returns this week. The ISS has been continuously occupied for 23 years and counting.
  
• Marcus House does a great job in reviewing and giving the details of all space activities. Phenomenal close-up videos, better than any news channels.  Here is his channel on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MarcusHouse  Check them out!
• Buy Microsoft Office:   <link>  Scroll down for the one-time, use forever 2021 version.
• Or, use the free On-line Office with a Microsoft Account:  <link>
• Or, LibreOffice is 100% free and does all the same things as Microsoft Office:  <link>
• Thunderbird is the best email client for Windows, and it's free:  <link>  It also does contacts and calendaring.
  
• The best way to look at Photos is IrfanView. <link> Fast opening, reviewing, minor edits, and slide shows.  Handles all formats transparently.
  
• The best way to look at Videos is is VLC. <link> Fast opening, reviewing, and flipping through multiple ones.  Handles all formats transparently.

 

7 Mar 2024 - Free Software

Topics of the Day:

• DelDot is having another meeting on the Old Baltimore Pike / Battle Drive intersection.  {link}  The Pencader Museum is against it.  Next meeting: Glasgow HS, March 25th, 5:30pm.
• There is a webpage {link} to report power outages.  Bob used the DelMarVa Power App to report his one-house outage.  (A device on the pole to his house failed, they fixed it in 4 hours)
• Check out O'Reilly Auto Parts part #121G {link}
• "In the beginning" AT&T Bell Labs wrote UNIX which they would only sell {link}.  Richard Stallman {link} thought "Information wants to be free" and wrote the free GNU. And that lead to Linux {link}.  Everything now seems to be based on Linux.
• What's the best browser is like asking what is the best car.  All have there advantages, except Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  Don't use IE.
• Different Browsers are like different models of cars to go to the same place.  Does it matter if you take a Ford or Chevy to go to the Walmart?  It shouldn't, where you are going, the web site, is more important.  Though I like my Toyota Prius and FireFox!
  
• How to security store, retrieve and use Passwords?  Use a Password Manager.  We like the free BitWarden.  {link}  Use an extension in your browser to automatically fill-in your saved passwords.

15 Feb 2024 - Movie Maker & YouTube Upload

Title of this one originally was 'Free Software' but things changed.  But you can also consider Movie Maker and YouTube 'Free Software!'

Topics of the Day

• News and Comment
  
• Freebies from the Tech Club
• BitLocker follow up (it's still not visible)
• The Digital News Journal - a good deal
• DelDot tries to fix the Cooch's Bridge Intersection
• What you need to create, and upload (or "publish") a video to YouTube
• Windows Live Movie Maker (2012)
• Quicky Demo
• Uploading to YouTube

Links for those that don't want to hunt for them in the presentation:

• Popglory Smart Watch <link>
• Delaware OnLine website <link>
• News Journal Special Offers <link>  $1 for 6 months!
• DelDot Cooch's Bridge Road Project <link>
• DelDot Cooch's Bridge Road Workshop <link>
• To submit comments to the above proposal <link>
• Major Geek's Windows Live Movie Maker 2012 download <link>
• YouTube <link>  (duh!)
• Bloom's YouTube Channel <link>
• "Snow" - the quickie video created and uploaded during the presentation <link>
• A good example of what can be easily done with WLMM
  

 

Update:

• Another link to the WLMM created demo video:  <link>
• And here's a link to a iMovie demo video done with the same input files for comparison:  <link>

I did the iMovie one in 10 minutes even though I'm not comfortable on an iMac like I am on Windows.  I've never used iMovie before, it's very comparable to WLMM in ease of use though has many more features. The biggest challenge was figuring out the Apple way of doing things vs. the Windows way.  Example: there is no “Save Movie” in iMovie; it’s “Share.”  <grin>  Took me awhile to find that.

As expected, YouTube detected my use of copyrighted material, specifically the sound track. That means it can't be monetized, I can't receive money for uploading it.  It was blocked in one territory, "Russia." 

-bb 

 8 Feb 2024 - "Red Solo Cup"

Topics of the Day

• News & Comment
• Freebies, Pushy Microsoft
• Keeping Secrets
• Incognito / Private Mode, Browser Extensions (Part 1 - 18 Jan)
  
• Individual Files, Bitlocker, 7-ZIP & VeraCrypt (Part 2 - Today)
  
• Download/Save YouTube Videos
• Upload/ Publish YouTube Videos (Saved to next week)

Links of the Day 

• A Google Chrome warning about Microsoft from Mozilla.  <link>
  
• Microsoft repeatedly using harmful design to influence users into using Edge.
• Best AI Image Generators (ZD Net) <link>
• A project for you: Create a new "Senior Surfers" logo with these!
• 7-Zip for encrypted Zip Files <link>
  
• VeraCrypt, best folder and device encrypter ever! <link>
  

 

Lastly that poignant video by Toby Keith, "Don't Let the Old Man In" suggested by an idea from Clint Eastwood, with scenes from Eastwood's "The Mule."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE 

 A History of U.S. Currency

Dr. Mark Bendett

Given February 1st, 2024

 

 Mark brought an impressive number of sample from his collection:

 Even a $1000 Bill!  (Cropped here to keep the secret service away.  :-))

First!

My first presentation of 2024, the 315th to the Senior Surfers.

I can't promise, but will try to post all presentations here that I receive.  2023 was a challenging year.

Topics of the day:

• News & Comment - Freebies, Falcon9, Microsoft, Intel, EVs, Malwarebytes, OneDrive Close-out
• Mail Merge - Documents, Emails, & Labels
• Keeping Secrets - Incognito / Private Mode, Browser Extensions 

There's more to "Keeping Secrets" (a title that makes me giggle) that will be saved till next time.

Links:

• Which EV Charging Network is Cheapest? <link>
• Cost of electricity by State <link> (way lower than my experience!)
• Want OneDrive be Gone?  <link>
• 6 Apps to Watch Free TV <link>
• That 7" screen for your Car for Apple Carplay or Andrioid Auto <link>
• Best Privacy extension for Browsers <link>
  

In the Mail Merge demo, we had an hand-out (available <here>) and some sample files available here: <name list>, <base doc>, and <Labels>.  Note if you open these, they probably will report that they don't see the data source document ("xlist.xls"). Direct them to wherever you downloaded that file (which is the name list) and they should be happy.