Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

One-minute survey can help expand broadband access across Washington

Tuesday, August 4, 2020


The Washington State Broadband Office and state Public Works Board last week launched a comprehensive mapping initiative to identify gaps in high-speed internet service and areas of broadband infrastructure needs. This is part of the state’s effort to ensure universal broadband access in Washington by 2024.

This is a first-of-its-kind survey to collect broadband access and speed data at this level of detail. The data collected will provide the foundation for achieving the state’s long-term goal to provide quality, high-speed broadband access to everyone in Washington. 

COVID-19 has shown how crucial broadband access is for people who need to work, learn or access health care online.

The first step is for Washington residents to perform a one-minute access and speed survey found at broadband.wa.gov

Using the easy-to-follow instructions and a simple link, anyone can complete the speed test at home using any computer or mobile device.



Read more...

AG Ferguson: Frontier Northwest will pay $900,000 over hidden fees, misrepresentation of internet speeds

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Impacted Washingtonians will be eligible for financial restitution 

OLYMPIA — In the latest action of his office’s Honest Fees Initiative, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Frontier Communications Northwest will pay $900,000 to the State of Washington.

The payment resolves an Attorney General’s Office investigation that Frontier Northwest did not adequately disclose fees when advertising and selling its products, and misled subscribers about internet speeds it could provide. Frontier’s unlawful deception impacted thousands of Washington consumers.

The Attorney General’s Office began its investigation into Frontier Northwest in 2018 after receiving more than 600 complaints about the company. The investigation included reviews of Frontier Northwest’s website and advertising as part of the office’s Honest Fees Initiative.

As part of the legally binding agreement, the internet, phone and television provider is ordered to clearly and conspicuously disclose all fees. To resolve Ferguson’s investigation, Frontier Northwest is also required to be transparent about its available internet speeds. The Attorneys Office will set aside the majority of the $900,000 payment to provide restitution to impacted customers.


“Broadband access is integral to our daily lives,” Ferguson said. “The current pandemic has only amplified its importance. Knowing the true cost and speed of our internet connection is essential to make an informed decision about a service that connects us to our work and to each other. Companies must be able to deliver what they promise, at the price they advertise.”

Ferguson asks Washingtonians who believe they have received bills that include undisclosed fees to file a complaint with his office.

The Attorney General’s investigation focused on Frontier Northwest’s failure to adequately disclose fees during sales of cable, internet and phone services since 2016. For example, the company charged as much as $3.99 — nearly $50 per year — for an “Internet Infrastructure Surcharge,” without adequately disclosing the surcharge in its advertising.

The binding agreement also addresses Frontier Northwest’s misrepresentations to consumers about the internet speeds it could offer, and its failure to deliver speeds and service it had advertised.

As part of the agreement, Frontier Northwest will pay the Attorney General’s Office $900,000, the majority of which will be set aside for restitution for impacted Frontier Northwest customers. 
There will be a claims process to determine eligibility for restitution. The Attorney General’s Office will announce details of the claims process when they are finalized. 
Washingtonians who have filed complaints with the Attorney General’s Office about Frontier Northwest will be directly notified of the claims process.

In addition to paying $900,000 to Washington, Frontier Northwest is required to clearly disclose fees and surcharges in its advertisements. It is also required to make clear and conspicuous disclosures in advertising about the internet speeds it is able to offer. In addition, it must stop charging its “Internet Infrastructure Surcharge.”

Frontier Northwest is also required to clearly disclose to potential customers:
  • The monthly base price of the services
  • The estimated amount of taxes, fees or other recurring charges for the services
  • The amount of each one-time fee, or fee charged only on the customer’s first invoice, for the purchased services, including activation and installation fees and equipment purchases
  • Any applicable cancellation or termination fees

Within three business days after a sale, Frontier must send the customer an order confirmation that clearly sets forth the pricing and terms and conditions of service.

In May of this year, Northwest Fiber purchased Frontier Northwest. As a condition of the sale, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a sale agreement that requires Northwest Fiber to invest $50 million to improve and expand Frontier’s broadband infrastructure. If the company fails to fulfill that commitment, the legally binding agreement includes up to 18 additional requirements on Frontier.

Assistant Attorneys General Daniel Davies, Heidi Anderson and Lynda Atkins, in addition to former AAG Tiffany Lee, handled the case for Washington.

Honest Fees Initiative
Ferguson is calling on Washingtonians to check their bills, and, if they believe they contain hidden fees, to file a complaint at the Attorney General’s website here. For more information on filing complaints, visit www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.



Read more...

North City Tech Meetup: Pick a Peck of Points

Thursday, July 2, 2020


North City Tech Meetup: Pick a Peck of Points
Presented by Glenn Fleishman

Monday July 6, 2020
Online Zoom Meeting 7 to 9pm

Free and open to everyone

Pick a Peck of Points

Many measures of digital type owe their origins to late-19th century changes in metal type design and manufacture—and a type foundry fire that led one firm to make changes that reverberated throughout the industry.

Point sizes, a common baseline, character widths, and more originate before 1900, but still prove useful in digital design, whether for screen or print. Glenn Fleishman digs into type history and ties it into our present day in his talk.

Glenn Fleishman writes about modern technology and printing history from his home in Seattle. He's a senior contributor at Macworld and writes for the Economist, TidBITS, Fast Company, and many others. Glenn has written dozens of editions of books in the Take Control series. He's currently building 100 tiny type museums.


ZOOM Meeting Link HERE
Meeting ID: 883 1737 3728
Password: 678188


The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month at one of our local libraries: Lake Forest Park, Shoreline or Kenmore. People of all levels of interest and experience are encouraged to attend. There is always time for introductions and discussions. Skip the traffic and join with your fellow north-enders once a month for interesting presentations and discussions.

For the time being all North City Tech Meetups will be online using Zoom.

You can visit the Meetup.com page for each month’s topic.



Read more...

Cartoon by Whitney Potter: Prayer

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Not that this applies to anyone associated with the Shoreline Area News...



Read more...

Back online: T-Mobile voice and text restored after 11 hours

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Starting just after 9am PST and continuing throughout the day, T-Mobile experienced a voice and text issue that intermittently impacted customers in markets across the U.S.

Fire and police were concerned because residents were unable to call 911. The county issued a list of the regular phone number to call to access the dispatch center for each city.

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert explained that "This is an IP traffic related issue that has created significant capacity issues in the network core throughout the day. Data services have been working throughout the day and customers have been using services like FaceTime, iMessage, Google Meet, Google Duo, Zoom, Skype and others to connect. 
"I can assure you that we have hundreds of our engineers and vendor partner staff working to resolve this issue and our team will be working through the night as needed to get the network fully operational."

At 10pm PST T-Mobile announced that all services were restored. "We again apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience."



Read more...

North City Tech Meetup: Get Plugged in with an Electric Car

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Mark Schiller
North City Tech Meetup: Get Plugged in with an Electric Car

Presented by Mark Schiller on Monday, June 1, 2020, 7-9pm. Free and open to everyone

Online Zoom Meeting link

Meeting ID: 862 7573 0875
Password: 067493

Get Plugged in with an Electric Car

Join the thousands of people saving money and having fun driving an electric car.

We’ll cover how they work, how and where to charge them, costs of ownership, what’s available, incentives to purchase, and generally what to consider when getting plugged in.

Mark Schiller is a former vice-president of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and a big believer in the many, many benefits of EVs be they cars, motorcycles, airplanes, bicycles, or kids toys. EVs are the future of transportation.

Mark is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, AF Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. He has 30+ years in IT as a developer and project manager. He has owned a Nissan Leaf since 2013 and put solar panels on his house in 2012. He’s worked for the City of Seattle for the past 15 years as an IT project manager. He has been researching EVs, building codes, charging, over the past 8-9 years.

More information about the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association HERE

The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month. For the time being all North City Tech Meetups will be online using Zoom.

Visit the Meetup.com page for each month’s topic.

Next Event: July 6, “Pick a Peck of Points” Glenn Fleishman will be discussing typesetting, fonts, both historical and modern and practical uses for computer users.



Read more...

North City Tech Meetup: Financials for Fundraising

Friday, May 1, 2020

North City Tech Meetup: Financials for Fundraising, 
Presented by Andrew Klein
Monday, May 4, 2020, 7-9pm, Zoom Online Meetup,
Free and open to everyone

Join the Zoom Meeting at this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/950946884
Meeting ID: 950 946 884

Financials for Fundraising

At the core of any equity-based fundable startup is a business model that shows Exponential growth and a large market. Without a grounded financial model, the proverbial hockey-stick growth slide is just vapor-ware. By understanding your key financial foundations and your cash-flow projection, you get a better grasp of the numbers at the base of your business.

Andrew Klein, Zccounting.com c: 425-213-6530
text "Buck": 360-218-7433, @andrewsklein
linkedin.com/in/andrewstevenklein/
Andrew Klein from Zccounting will walk through the basic information and reports that you should have a good handle on before you seek outside funding.

Andrew Klein is the founder and managing partner at Zccounting.com. He has been working with startups and emerging growth companies for over 15 years as a founder and as an outside advisor for both the entrepreneurial team and their investors. 

In this capacity he has managed the strategic operations, company exits, and funding of companies in a variety of industries with specific expertise in SaaS, Healthcare, Hospitality and Consumer Products, and Energy/Construction. 

Companies with Andrew's direct involvement have raised almost $100 million in deals including debt and equity. 

He also has a strong passion for entrepreneurship and connecting people together as shown in his involvement as a TechStars Alumni, mentor at 9Mile Labs Accelerator, teacher at General Assembly, Nomics Capital, and in running the meetup group Cigars and Startups. He holds a BS in accounting and an MBA focused on entrepreneurial finance both from Seattle University

The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month at one of our local libraries: Lake Forest Park, Shoreline or Kenmore. People of all levels of interest and experience are encouraged to attend. There is always time for introductions and discussions. Join with your fellow north-enders once a month for interesting presentations and discussions.

You can visit the Meetup.com page for each month’s topic.
NOTE: During the Coronavirus pandemic our meetings will be held online, using Zoom.

Upcoming Events (online): Get Plugged in with Electric Cars by Mark Shiller (repeat due to coronavirus), June 1, 2020



Read more...

Tech Meet-up's presentation on the Epidemiology of COVID-19 available online

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Marguerite Pappaioanou, DVM, PhD,
Captain USPHS (Retired)


On April 6, 2020 the North City Tech Meet-up held a virtual meeting on the epidemiology of COVID-19.

The speaker is an epidemiologist with over 35 years’ experience working to improve global and U.S.public health in the areas of disease surveillance, prevention, and control of emerging zoonotic and other infectious diseases, global health security, food safety and security, and antimicrobial resistance.

Marguerite Pappaioanou, DVM, PhD, Captain USPHS (Retired) has been volunteering her services to Public Health during this pandemic.

The recording of the meeting is on YouTube

The presentation slides can be seen HERE



Read more...

Shoreline Recreation hosts online Xbox Fifa 20 tournament

Tuesday, April 14, 2020


City of Shoreline's Youth and Teen Development Program is hosting an online Xbox Fifa 20 tournament. 

First games will be played on Friday. 

The tournament will be bracket style and results will be posted on our Instagram account. 

For more information, contact Waldo at 206-373-1239 or at wnambo-ojeda@shorelinewa.gov



Read more...

Continuing Education online through Shoreline Community College: Getting Things Done in Windows 10 (Begins 4/20)

Sunday, April 12, 2020



Online Class! Getting Things Done in Windows 10

Since 2015, Microsoft has refined Windows 10 over eight major updates.

Become a Windows 10 whiz as you discover features that will improve your productivity and comfort with the system.

Get things done and customize Windows 10 to your needs aided by Brian Boston, a 30-year Windows support professional!

Long-time readers will remember Brian's tech columns for the Shoreline Area News under the tag Tech Talk.




Read more...

North City Tech Meetup April 6 with presentation on Novel Coronavirus outreach

Saturday, April 4, 2020

The North City Tech Meetup Group
Online Meetup Announcement

Monday, April 6th, 7 to 9 PM

Novel Coronavirus Outreach

Presented (online) by:

Marguerite Pappaioanou, DVM, PhD
Captain USPHS (Retired)

(See below for information on how to attend the Zoom meeting.)


This presentation will provide an overview of what we know, as of early April 2020, about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 (the disease), its epidemiology, and Seattle King County Public Health’s Community Mitigation response.

What we are learning about this new coronavirus and the disease it causes increases day by day, and community mitigation guidance, accordingly, is revised based on new information (e.g., the Governor's Stay at Home Stay Healthy Order).

The presentation will include what we know about the virus, the disease, the outbreak and pandemic, and provide an overview of the most up to date community mitigation guidance as of the day of the presentation.

Note from host: This is intended to be a more detailed presentation on the spread of the novel coronavirus and epidemiology in general, not just another “how to stay safe” presentation.

Marguerite Pappaioanou, DVM, PhD
Captain USPHS (Retired)

Dr. Pappaioanou is an epidemiologist with over 35 years’ experience working to improve global and U.S. public health in the areas of disease surveillance, prevention, and control of emerging zoonotic and other infectious diseases, global health security, food safety and security, and antimicrobial resistance.

She currently is serving as a volunteer, Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Specialist, with the Public Health Seattle King County COVID-19 Community Mitigation Branch.

From 1983-2016, she served as an epidemiologist at the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in malaria prevention and control,
HIV seroprevalence surveillance, directing the USAID funded global capacity building Data for Decision Making Project, directing CDC’s support of the Guide to Community Preventive Services, as Associate Director for Science and Policy in CDC’s Office of Global Health, co-coordinating CDC's response to SARS, Monkeypox, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks, and as CDC's Liaison to FDA for Food Safety.

As Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota (2005-2007), she led a large NIH- and CDC- funded research program focused on surveillance for avian influenza and other emerging zoonotic infectious diseases at the human-animal interface.

From 2016 to present, she has served as Affiliate Professor and Associate Director of the Center for One Health Research in the School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, at the University of Washington.

She has authored and co-authored numerous publications, including as co-editor, the IOM/NRC Committee report “Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response for Emerging Zoonotic Diseases”.

In addition we will be joined by (at least) two Covid-19 survivors who will share their experiences in catching, living with, being quarantined with it.

ZOOM MEETING INFO:

This is a scheduled Zoom meeting.

  • Topic: North City Tech Meetup - Novel Coronavirus Outreach
  • Time: Apr 6, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
  • Join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/331876118
  • Meeting ID: 331 876 118


When you click on the above link your browser will ask you to allow it to open the Zoom Launcher. Click on the "open" button (exact text will vary depending on your browser). Then simply follow the directions.

Please anticipate that the first 5 or 10 minutes will be spent fiddling with the technology, please be patient, it's our first time.

Dial in audio by telephone may or may not work as Zoom is experiencing particularly heavy loads right now, so use your computer audio if at all possible.

Please see this link for information on how to dial in for audio

The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month at one of our local libraries: Lake Forest Park, Shoreline or Kenmore. People of all levels of interest and experience are encouraged to attend. There is always time for introductions and discussions. Skip the downtown traffic and join with your fellow north-enders once a month for interesting presentations and discussions.

Note: For the foreseeable future the North City Tech Meetup Group will be meeting online using Zoom. We look forward to the resumption of physical meetups when safe.

Upcoming Events (online):

  • Financials for Fundraising by Andrew Klein, May 4, 2020
  • Get Plugged in with Electric Cars by Mark Shiller (repeat due to coronavirus), June 1st, 2020




Read more...

Comcast free wifi hotspots and two months free internet to low income households

Thursday, March 19, 2020


From Dave Watson
Comcast Cable President and Chief Executive Officer

“During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans as possible stay connected to the internet – for education, work, and personal health reasons,” said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable Chief Executive Officer. 
“Our employees also live and work in virtually every community we serve, and we all share the same belief that it’s our Company’s responsibility to step up and help out.”

Comcast is taking steps to implement the following new policies for the next 60 days, and other important initiatives:

Xfinity WiFi Hotspots Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. A map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots is here.

Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.

Internet Essentials Free to New Customers: As announced yesterday, it’s even easier for low-income families who live in a Comcast service area to sign-up for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program.

New customers will receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. Additionally, for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service was increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase will go into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward.

Pausing Our Data Plan: With so many people working and educating from home, we want our customers to access the internet without thinking about data plans. While the vast majority of our customers do not come close to using 1TB of data in a month, we are pausing our data plans for 60 days giving all customers Unlimited data for no additional charge.

No Disconnects or Late Fees: We will not disconnect a customer’s internet service or assess late fees if they contact us and let us know that they can’t pay their bills during this period. Our care teams will be available to offer flexible payment options and can help find other solutions.

News, Information and Educational Content on X1: For those with school-age students at home, we’ve created new educational collections for all grade levels in partnership with Common Sense Media. Just say “education” into your X1 or Flex voice remote. To help keep customers informed, we also have created a collection of the most current news and information on Coronavirus. Just say “Coronavirus” into your X1 or Flex voice remote.

24x7 Network Monitoring: Underpinning all of these efforts, Comcast’s technology and engineering teams will continue to work tirelessly to support our network operations. We are monitoring network usage and watching the load on the network both nationally and locally, and to date it is performing well.

For an current overview of everything we are doing for our Xfinity customers, click here.



Read more...

Get Plugged in with an Electric Car - North City Tech Meetup Monday

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Get plugged in with an electric car
North City Tech Meet Up on Monday

North City Tech Meetup will hear from Mark Schiller on Monday, March 2, 2020 from 7 - 9pm at the Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline 98155

Free and open to everyone.

Join the thousands of people saving money and having fun driving an electric car. 

We’ll cover how they work, how and where to charge them, costs of ownership, what’s available, incentives to purchase, and generally what to consider when getting plugged in.

Mark Schiller is a former vice-president of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and a big believer in the many, many benefits of EVs be they cars, motorcycles, airplanes, bicycles, or kids toys. 

EVs are the future of transportation. Mark and his family have owned a Nissan Leaf since 2013. He has given the talk you'll be hearing tonight many times in the past.

The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month at one of our local libraries: Lake Forest Park, Shoreline or Kenmore. 

People of all levels of interest and experience are encouraged to attend. There is always time for introductions and discussions. Skip the traffic and join with your fellow north-enders once a month for interesting presentations and discussions.

Next Event: April 6th, Andrew Klein of Zccounting will present “Financials for Fundraising”.



Read more...

North City Tech Meet-up: Blockchains in the Northwest

Monday, February 3, 2020

Tuesday, February 4, 2019, 7 - 9pm at the Lake Forest Park Library, Town Center at Lake Forest Park (lower level), 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. Free and open to everyone.

Representatives of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) will present on how blockchains are used by northwest based companies, large and small.

Arry Yu, Chair and Nick Ellingson, WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council (CBC) program director will present on Blockchains in the Northwest.

For more information on the CBC, here’s the link to Cascadia Blockchain Council, (which includes Arry Yu bio)

A blockchain is a database that is shared across a network of computers. Once a record has been added to the chain it is very difficult to change. To ensure all the copies of the database are the same, the network makes constant checks. We’ll share with you the presentation we recently did with investors/policy makers in our 2019 roadshow in how we’ve been talking about blockchain with them.

Learn more about blockchains here

Learn about the Cascadia Blockchain Council, who/why/how/what/where. We recently completed our 2019 Impact summary, so we will share what we did in 2019, as well as plans for 2020. In particular, we will share what companies in the Cascadia (Pacific Northwest) are doing when it comes to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

We recently announced a partnership with Canada in a blockchain accelerator. (Press release here). We are working on an industry council focused on supply chain. We also recently finished a roadshow in 2019 educating policy makers and investors and can share with you what we learned about their perspectives when it comes to this space. Happy to answer any questions and please come with your brains!

RSVP (optional)

The North City Tech Meetup is a free meetup, usually the first Monday of each month at one of our local libraries: Lake Forest Park, Shoreline or Kenmore. People of all levels of interest and experience are encouraged to attend. There is always time for introductions and discussions. Skip the downtown traffic and join with your fellow north-enders once a month for interesting presentations and discussions.

Upcoming Event March 2, 2020 – Get Plugged in with an Electric Car, (Shoreline Library)



Read more...

Frontier communications seeking bankruptcy to restructure

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Frontier Communication in Stamford CT

Frontier Communications, which serves a large section of northwest Shoreline, is seeking bankruptcy protection from its creditors while it restructures its debt.

According to an article in The Seattle Times, "in May it announced plans to sell broadband assets serving 350,000 residential and commercial customers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana for more than $1.35 billion as part of its debt-reduction efforts."
"Creditors have been pushing Frontier for a restructuring plan, and the Norwalk, Connecticut-based company has warned that bankruptcy might be the result."




Read more...

Rob Oxford: This is a text, this is only a text

Monday, November 18, 2019

m-o-r-k--a-n-d--e-g-g-s
By Rob Oxford

I am not a “texter”. There, I said it!

It’s obviously a generational thing or quite possibly because my fingers are a bit too fat?

Whichever the case may be, a good ol’ fashioned telephone conversation is my preferred mode of communicating. I’m also proficient with smoke signals and enjoy a nice hand-written letter in cursive, but that’s an article for another time.

Now I will admit that in certain situations, the ability to send a quick message containing just a few words or a short sentence can be extremely beneficial. For instance, “pick you up at 8,” “be home by 10,” “milk and eggs,” or “call me”…I use the last one a lot.

I’m ok with these. They’re short, to the point and extremely difficult to misinterpret. In fact the worst that can happen is that you stop by the store and after grabbing a dozen eggs, ask the cashier where you can find the mork?

Don’t look at me, I thought it was some kind of leavening agent.

The written word can be confusing. Especially if you’re overly sarcastic like me. A meaning can be misconstrued, a point not articulated correctly, a joke can be taken out of context. Just spend a day on Facebook and you’ll see what I mean.

It’s just so much easier to pick up the phone. That is unless you’re a Millennial at your Grandparents' house and theirs is a rotary phone or you have long-winded relatives like some of mine.

Such is the case when a question I thought could be easily answered like “can we bring anything for dinner?” turned into a complete recitation of the entire Thanksgiving meal that was to be served. Afterward, in the overly sarcastic manner which is my custom, my response was “So, basically the answer is no?” At which point I regretted not sending a text.

LMK - NVM

Then there’s the acronyms. Who came up with these? Are these taught in school and is it required learning or a 2nd semester elective?

Obviously, some have been around for decades. We know that AKA means “Also Known As.” FYI means “For Your Information” and BYOB, well that one had better not be used in any of my kid’s text messages. At least not for a few more years anyhow or MMW…”Mark My Words”, there’ll be some explaining that needs to be done.

There’s no question these “codes” are meant to befuddled and confuse parents.

We’ve all witnessed our teens or twenty-somethings, fingers flying across their phone’s keypad. Until doing research for this article, I literally had no idea how they could possibly type so fast and have it be legible. There had to be a manual. “Texting for Dummies” perhaps?

“Voila!” May I present the definitive guide to texting shorthand.

HTH, “Hope This Helps”?

Now I get that some people just don’t like talking on the phone, which is precisely my reason for calling certain relatives, those I alluded to above, as infrequently as possible. However, sometimes it is necessary.

For example, my brother John has a smart phone but has never sent a text. He wouldn’t know how. If I want to stay in touch with him, I have to call... which I do about once a week. John has been around a long time and literally has no desire to learn about new technology. In fact, he often tells me about his friend Alexander. You remember, the one who said “Mr. Watson come in here, I want to see you”?

First patented by Mr. Bell in 1877, we’ve come a very long way since the invention of the telephone. From the electric telegraph to Morse code, soup cans with string tied between them and even “speaking tubes” which in some cases are still used today.

My friend George suggested we just revert to using Semaphores (from the Greek word sema, meaning sign and phero, meaning to bear), a system of conveying information using a series of flags or paddles.

Although I’m quite sure in doing so he was merely applying the same sarcastic tone for which I am well known.

Instead I’ll continue to use the same “hunt and peck” style of texting I have adapted when writing my articles. In the meantime, if you prefer just pick up the old “Blower” (British slang for the Telephone) and shoot me a call at BR549.



Read more...

Computer Class: One-on-one Computer Help at the Shoreline Library

Monday, November 4, 2019

Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 11am – 1pm
Computer Class: One-on-one Computer Help
Public · Hosted by Shoreline Library

Do you have computer or software questions?

Volunteers are available for 30-minute one-on-one appointments. Call 206-362-7550 to make an appointment. You may bring your own laptop, but TechTutors cannot provide hands-on or hardware assistance.

If registration is full, please check back in the days before the event as spots often open up at the last minute. You may also want to come on the day of the event and see if a spot opens up due to a no-show.



Read more...

Workshop: Technology for Seniors

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Jacqueline Cook will present an overview of current technology and how technology can improve the quality of life of seniors.

She will answer all of your questions. Anyone interested in buying an iPad or Tablet or upgrading their cellphone, should attend this program.

This is a one-time presentation - please drop by the Senior Center to register and pay. Limited to 12 people.

Day:                       Wednesday, October 30
Time:                     1:00pm – 2:00pm
Cost:                      $5 per person    *Limited to 12 guests
Location:               Conference Room                       

The Senior Center is the southernmost building on the Shoreline Center campus, 18560 1st Ave NE, 98155.



Read more...

Android tablet and smart phone classes at the Senior Center

Friday, September 27, 2019

Smartphones can do things
besides make phone calls
Frustrated with your ANDROID Smart Phone and/or tablet? 

Wondering how to send emails, text, research the internet, etc.? 

Join the ANDROID Smart Phone Class or Tablet Class that begins Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the Shoreline - Lake Forest Park Senior Center, 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline 98155.

Each class consists of 3 sessions, each 1 hour long. The participants determine the class content. 

Come with your list of functions/features you wish to use in your device. 

Suggested topics:
  • navigate screens
  • taking and storing photos
  • how to find the right App
  • getting your questions answered on the web
  • how to talk to and see your grandchildren in real time
  • placing audio/text books on your device
  • select music to listen to
  • enlarge print audio option for all text and much more

ANROID Smart Phone Class

Day: Wednesday, October 2, 9 and 16
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Cost: $20 Senior Center Members $25 Non-Members
Location: Conference Room
Instructor: Jacqueline Cook

ANDROID Tablet Class

Day: Wednesday, October 2, 9 and 16
Time: 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Cost: $20 Senior Center Members $25 Non-Members
Location: Conference Room
Instructor: Jacqueline Cook

Classes are limited to 6 participants/class to provide personal attention to each student. Payment must be made at time of registration; we do not take names over the telephone.



Read more...

Wormable Microsoft vulnerabilities need to be fixed immediately

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Newly discovered "wormable vulnerabilities" in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services need to be taken care of immediately.

Microsoft has released a set of fixes for Remote Desktop Services that include two critical Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities.

Like the previously-fixed ‘BlueKeep’ vulnerability, these two vulnerabilities are also ‘wormable,’ meaning that any future malware that exploits these could propagate from vulnerable computer to vulnerable computer without user interaction.

The affected versions of Windows are Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and all supported versions of Windows 10, including server versions.

Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008 are not affected, nor is the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) itself affected.

It is important that affected systems are patched as quickly as possible because of the elevated risks associated with wormable vulnerabilities like these, and downloads for these can be found in the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Customers who have automatic updates enabled are automatically protected by these fixes. 



Read more...
ShorelineAreaNews.com
Facebook: Shoreline Area News
Twitter: @ShorelineArea
Daily Email edition (don't forget to respond to the Follow.it email)

  © Blogger template The Professional Template II by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP