Tellico Village Computer Users Club

Non-Profit Community Computer Interest Group

Computer Sale by TAP

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Need a New Computer?

How about a desktop or laptop PC that has been completely refurbished by the TVCUC Technology Access Program (TAP)?

At the beginning of each year we are allowed to sell a limited number of the systems refurbished by TAP but they sell out very quickly. For a fraction of the cost of a new computer you can have one that runs like new. And the best part – what you pay goes toward funding more refurbished computers that are repurposed to needy youth and folks who might not otherwise have a computer.

Contact the TAP Group at:
244 Lakeside Plaza in Tellico Village
(in same building as Thai Bistro, around back)
Phone: (865) 332-5313

TAP in the News

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Warren Sanders, co-chair of the Technology Access Program (TAP) was interviewed by WBIR (Channel 10) TV as part of their “Heartwarming” series. TAP is a huge part of the TVCUC and we applaud the efforts of Warren, Vince Alline (TAP co-chair) and all the volunteers who selflessly give their time to support TAP.

View TV News Story

Mac SIG December

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Happy holidays to you, no matter what you are celebrating—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza. We hope to have a Zoom meeting in January and will keep you informed.
— Karen Brown

The following is about the update to Big Sur…
New Things To Check Out In macOS Big Sur 11.1
There are a few new features in macOS 11.1 you should know about. There are new News app widgets, a new default search engine option in Safari, and improvements for running iOS apps on M1 Macs. 

For those of you who use Mac Mail, there are some really good tips in this video.
20 Mac Mail Tips And Tricks
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the the Mac Mail app. Learn how to customize the sidebar, redirect messages, markup images and PDFs and much more.

How To Edit Videos In Mac Photos
MacOS Big Sur adds the ability for you to adjust, filter, crop, rotate and trim videos right in the Photos app, without needing to go to iMovie or Final Cut Pro. You can use the same editing techniques you use for photos, but applied to an entire video.

How To Get Notifications Under Control On Your Mac
Take control of the notifications that appear at the top right corner of your Mac’s screen and in Notification Center. Learn how to use the notifications, including hidden functionality like replying text messages right from the notification. Then find out how to turn them on, off, or modify them to fit your needs.

If you use Messages at all, this is a must see.
What’s New In the macOS Messages App In Big Sur
The Messages app has several new features in Big Sur, including inline replies, mentions, pinning conversations, custom icons and names for group conversations and more.

10 Mac Apple Menu Tips and Tricks
The Apple Menu gives you access to some primary system functions. There are some hidden features of the Apple Menu as well as other was to access the functions there. 

Mac Basics: Using the Finder’s Four Views
Learn how to use the Finder’s four views: Icon, List, Column and Gallery. Each view has its advantages in different situtations. 

Karen Brown

Mac SIG November 2020

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Big Sur has been released and this video is just a brief tour of it. Right now plans are for a Zoom meeting in January to cover Big Sur in depth. Let’s hope that works our for us! 

One of our members reports that Acronis online backup was inoperable after he installed Big Sur (but he has had problems with that following updates of other operating systems).

Larry McJunkin & I can report that we have had no issues, although I did have to call AppleCare to get my Messages app to (continue to) communicate among devices—so drop me a note if you have a problem with that.

— Karen Brown

Everything That’s New In macOS Big Sur
Watch as I quickly give an overview of virtually everything new in macOS Big Sur. That includes more than 70 new features big and small.

Does a Time Machine drive need to be always on with a Mac?
You can use it intermittently, but don’t forget to plug it back in!

10 Quick and Useful iPhone Tips
Here are 10 simple iPhone tips. Learn how to Print As PDF on your iPhone, never miss a message, set custom vibration patterns, offload apps to save space and much more.

Financials

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With TAP expenses being about 85% of our budget, making the decision to not include a printer with every system allowed us to stay under budget. The lowest price we purchased printers for last year was $19, most being much higher. For the 862 systems we gave away, printers costs were $16,378 of our TAP expenditures. We were only able to purchase 150 printers for $19. Printers are the single largest part of TAP’s expense. And with over 925 systems given away so far this year, we had to start limiting the number of systems that contained a printer because the current printer cost is over $50.

Most importantly, changes were made to reduce our costs and not impact the TAP product and we did not exceed the 2020 Budget. We are currently $9,000 below projections for grants and donations, which is offset largely by TAP reducing printer costs by $12,000. Our 2021 Budget accounts for these expected changes and is $11,000 lower.

Current and 2021 budgets are available at:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NCpRjW6oh5bT6eO2nlVl7fyzrcl0Ty7F/view?usp=sharing

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Meetings

Meetings are cancelled because of the pandemic Based on member survey results, the TVCUC Board … READ MORE