President’s Message

We mention this often, but it’s really important. When you request help from our First Level Support experts, the first thing they generally ask you to do is install TeamViewer so they can remotely assist you. Please help us by having TeamViewer already installed on your Windows or Mac computer. This is a very small app that does nothing until you open it in the event you have a problem. To install TeamViewer, follow the instructions found here.

Despite the pandemic, our club is in a good financial position, thanks to your continued membership and support in TAP and other volunteer activities, plus a few TAP grants. We continue to refurbish donated computer systems at a high rate and distribute these systems to deserving youth in our neighboring communities. Every time I go to our TAP facility, I’m reminded of how important this program is, as are all the volunteers who keep it running. To read the complete 2020 TVCUC Financial Statement, click here.

HELP NEEDED. The TVCUC is looking for a finishing editor to put final touches on education articles and PowerPoint presentations. If you are a good writer/editor and have a working knowledge of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, send us an email. This volunteer position does not require a lot of time and can be done on your schedule. Computing and technical skills are a plus, but not required.
— Larry McJunkin

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Technology Access Program (TAP)

As of April 30, TAP has placed 202 systems with qualified families in 2021. That brings our totals since 2007 to 8,547 systems, providing 12,713 children and youth with in-home access to computer technology. Using an average of 1.5 adults per household, TAP has provided computer access to over 25,000 persons. Inventories of both equipment to work on and finished product are at a good level. The heaviest demand recently has been for laptops and the supply of them to refurbish is low. TAP continues to need your contributions of equipment to refurbish. You are also welcomed to volunteer with TAP. It is not necessary that you be a computer guru. The written procedures explain the processes and are quite easy to follow. You can volunteer as much or little time as you want, based on your schedule, so why not give it a try.

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First Level Support (FLS)

We continue to have many support calls from members with Bellsouth and AT&T email accounts (including Yahoo). AT&T owns all these email services and now requires that users install a Secure Email Key for their email to function properly. AT&T based email is not the best email service option and if you’re using them, we highly recommend changing email service providers to one of the top free services below. Each has a simple method for importing your previous email and both have really great spam filters, ensuring your inbox contains only your email.

Was your browser just hijacked? We’ve been seeing a lot of issues with browser hijacking in Windows 10 recently. If you see a popup telling you to call a toll-free number for support, DO NOT call and definitely DO NOT pay! This is a simple case of ransomware that in most cases FLS can help you fix, or we’ll recommend a local repair service in some cases.

We still are not having FLS in-person meetings due to the requirement to have many people in a small room. But as we adapt to the CDC’s new guidance, we are considering a partial return to making house calls again. When we implement this, it will be in select instances and both the FLS team member and the person requiring support must both be fully vaccinated. For the most part, providing remote support with TeamViewer has worked very well and we will keep doing this in the future, regardless of the pandemic.

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Technology BYTES

New Windows 10 Update Focused on Quality
Microsoft recently stated it’s starting to roll out the latest twice-annual update to its Windows 10 operating system. It is not jam-packed with major new capabilities, but rather, it gives PCs a few more quality enhancements.

The company is continuing to take a more careful approach with its Windows business, which generates about 14% of the company’s revenue. With more than 1.3 billion devices running it, Windows 10 remains the top desktop operating system with 59% share in April, according to NetMarketShare data.

After introducing Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft has spent the last few years bulking it up with updates, such as tools for crafting three-dimensional objects, applying photo filters and specifying parts of speech on websites. Two updates came out each year, while Apple’s MacOS and iOS and Google’s Android got just one.

Microsoft dialed back the pace of development in 2019 when it issued a normal update in the first half of the year and followed it up in the second half with an update focused on performance. In 2020, as users migrated from Windows 7, the company repeated that strategy. Now another quality-oriented update is arriving with the release of the Windows 10 May 2021 Update, also known as version 21H1, for the first half of 2021.

Get Ready for a Rush of New Silicon Macs
Are you planning to get a shiny new iMac, or are you waiting for the next wave? If you’re waiting for something even newer, here’s what to expect during 2021, though still in the rumor stages.

When Apple announced its own system on a chip (SoC), the company said it would be a two-year process to completely switch its Mac lineup from Intel processors to Apple silicon. The switch started last November and continued with the announcement of the 24-inch iMac last month. But Apple is going to be putting the “pedal to the metal” on the transition by introducing a spate of new Macs across its lineup throughout the rest of 2021.

Apple will introduce a completely “redesigned” MacBook Pro this summer with 10-core CPUs
(eight performance cores and two efficiency cores), 16 or 32 graphics core options, a maximum of 64GB of memory, and an “improved Neural Engine.” The MacBook Pro will be available in 14- or 16-inch models with a MagSafe charger, an SD card slot, an HDMI port, and “more Thunderbolt ports” (the current 13-inch MacBook Pro has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports; the current Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro has four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports.) Apple is holding WWDC in early June, so we could get a look at the new MacBook Pro during the keynote on June 7.

As for the MacBook Air, that will likely follow the release of the MacBook Pro this summer and be offered in a new design in a variety of colors. Apple’s M1 Mac mini is in for some updates as well and Apple could be putting the improved SoC from the MacBook Pro in the Mac mini, which could end up being a model that replaces the current Intel-based $1,099 Mac mini. This new Mac mini would also have four Thunderbolt/USB-4 ports, up from the two on the $699 M1 Mac mini. The Mac mini’s release is less certain than the MacBook’s and could be delayed or even canceled. Read more here.

We Need Your Help!

The Tellico Village Computer Users Club (TVCUC) is very focused on helping you with your technology needs. We do this with our First Level Support (FLS), Technology Access Program (TAP), our Education Program, our website, newsletter and with other resources. This month we would like to ask for your help.

If you use Nextdoor, you’re part of a large community of Tellico Village property owners who use this social media network to find a good painter, handyman, plumber, or a contractor. But Nextdoor is equally as important for helping its users find and learn more about the TVCUC. For existing members of the club, it’s easy for us to forget there are many other residents in Tellico Village who don’t know about our club, and Nextdoor is a great way to tell folks about us and the ways we can help them sort out their technology issues.

The TVCUC has its own Nextdoor business profile, so the next time you’re on Nextdoor, please take a few minutes and search on ‘TVCUC’ and recommend us. All you need to do is click on the red heart. Alternatively, you can just click the following link to go directly to the TVCUC page on Nextdoor. Thanks so much!

Larry McJunkin, President

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Technology Access Program (TAP)

As of March 31, TAP has refurbished and donated 8,490 computers to deserving children and families in the local area. These computers have served 12,633 children, considering others in the household. We could not continue to do this without help from our members, grantors and the volunteers who give so freely of their time to refurbish donated computers.

TAP also hosted some board members of the United Way of Lenoir City for a tour of our facility and firsthand look at how we process donated equipment into the updated systems that are donated. TAP and United Way has a long-standing relationship and we’re proud to be one of their partners.

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First Level Support (FLS)

First Level Support fielded 55 calls during March. This is a little on the high side, indicating either more technology use by members during the pandemic, or it’s time to buy a new computer! FLS continues to use TeamViewer to help members solve technology issues remotely, but we need members to proactively install the TeamViewer software “before” a problem occurs.

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Education

We’ve created new education articles on Windows File Explorer and Hearing Loss Options, so check them out! We are working on a Password Manager presentation that explains the benefits and shows you how to use a password manager. Our First Line Support (FLS) team highly recommends using a password manager and their favorites are listed in this article. If you choose one of these Password Manager options and set it up on your computer, we will offer another Zoom presentation three weeks later to answer your questions and show you some of the advanced features of a password manager. If you have an idea for another type of useful app – let us know.

Margie Krafft, Education Chair

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Mac Users Special Interest Group (Mac SIG)

The Mac SIG held its 3rd Zoom presentation on its regular meeting day, March 22 and a final one before the summer break will be presented April 26. The SIG has grown to 199 households, more than 350 individual members. It’s great to see so many folks moving to a Mac—in fact, if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to make this switch, please join us at one of our Zoom meetings.

A survey of Mac SIG members yielded 48 responses, which we consider a good return (seeking 100% would be unreasonable, right!). Important in the survey was that Mac SIG members definitely want to continue with Zoom meetings and presentations, rather than in-person meetings. Also, we’ll continue with our schedule of six meetings per year (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep and Oct).
Karen Brown

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Finance

First quarter financial results are positive. Expenses are below the budgeted levels, and are less than revenues, which means that cash reserves are increasing.

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Technology BYTES

Inside the Glass Fiber Connecting our Digital World
All modern means of communication rely on glass, from the Gorilla Glass on our phones to the navigation screens in our cars. Most of the time, the glass is right in front of us, but when it comes to the Internet – whether it’s 5G, satellites, or WiFi – it’s easy to miss the 750,000 miles of fiber optic cables currently running under our oceans.

These tiny strands of glass carry our photos, emails, and video chats from our phones to data centers to friends and family all across the world. It’s through these hair-thin strands of fiber that we are able to instantly communicate to almost anyone, anywhere, and it all relies on a 5,000-year-old technology: glass.

Very little has changed in the way we use glass throughout its long history. It has always been a transparent and durable material through which light passes. And since light can travel quickly and at high frequencies while carrying loads of encoded information, a cable made of near-perfect glass is a secure medium to send all of our communications.

Microsoft Cloud PC Service
According to a new report from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is apparently gearing up to launch its Cloud PC service, which could arrive as soon as this summer. Foley states that she’s hearing the tech giant may be aiming for a June or July launch of the service. Reports on Microsoft’s Cloud PC service date back to last year, when the Azure-powered project was first rumored to be coming as soon as spring 2021. Now that spring 2021 is winding to a close, summer is the next best bet for any big announcements and service launches.

Details on the service are scarce, but ZDNet mentions that Microsoft plans to sell its new cloud service at a “flat per-user price.” It will be a managed Microsoft 365 experience, which makes sense given that its core functionalities are reportedly giving users remote access to a Windows desktop wherein they can utilize software such as the suite of useful programs that fall under the umbrella of Microsoft Office. The goal of this service is to provide users with an always accessible, always up-to-date Windows experience that will enable productivity from anywhere.

Apple’s Spring-Loaded Event
Apple’s special “Spring Loaded” event took place on Tuesday April 20, 2021. The show was streamed from the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. If you missed the big event, here’s what Apple announced:

• A stunning purple finish for iPhone 12 and 12 mini — The first thing to debut at the Spring-Loaded event was a new color option for iPhone 12 devices. Purple will now join black, white, red, green, and blue as the available color choices for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini phones. Along with the new color, Apple also unveiled a new batch of cases for iPhone devices that work with MagSafe wireless charging. The new purple iPhones can be preordered on April 23 and will begin shipping on April 30.

• Latest lineup of iPad devices — The new iPad Pro models will come with the same 8-core M1 chipset as the most recent MacBook Pro and newly announced iMac family. They will also be available with increased internal storage capacity – up to 2TB – plus Thunderbolt and USB4 support for the USB-C port – and 5G connectivity.

• A brand-new iMac desktop (finally) — It has a larger 24.3-inch display with a 4.5K retina display. The new iMac also runs on Apple’s all-new M1 chip. Best of all though, is the wide variety of colors available for the new iMac. The new iMac has two different price levels: $1,299 in four colors and $1,499 in all seven colors. Like the MacBook Pro 13-inch, all models feature the 8-core M1 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB storage but have either 7 or 8 core graphics. It also has a new wireless keyboard with integrated Touch ID.A new Apple TV 4K, that comes with the A12 Bionic chipset, as previously found in the iPhone XS and 2020 iPad. It also improves on the 2017 original by including support for high frame rate (HFR) video in 60fps. There’s also a new feature that works with your iPhone to calibrate the color settings on your TV by using the iPhone’s Face ID camera – and there’s a new remote. The new Apple TV 4K will be available to order from April 30 for $179 (32GB) or $199 (64GB).

• Apple AirTags — Apple finally launched its long-awaited AirTags to track your bag or purse…or anything. AirTag allows users to locate lost or stolen items. The existence of these devices has been widely reported on by the media and leakers for a couple of years now, but Apple’s held off on debuting them until now. They’re small circular discs, featuring Apple’s ultra-wideband tech, and they work with Apple’s Find My app, which is built into iOS and iPadOS.

President’s Message

I’d like to briefly talk about two things – passwords and passwords. And if I were to add a third thing, it would also be passwords. We have long recommended the importance of using a password manager to ensure the use of strong and randomly-generated passwords to protect your online accounts. Yet too often, our FLS team receives a support call about a problem caused by a lost password.

Sometimes, forgetting a password isn’t a big deal – just a simple matter of resetting it. But other times, like forgetting the password to the Administrator account on your computer, can be more problematic. In fact, this can often require you to wipe your hard drive, reinstall the operating system, and possibly lose all your documents and pictures, if they’re not properly backed up (yet another thing we wish everyone did more often).

Some of the best advice we can offer is to stay digitally secure. Don’t use your pet’s name as your one password for everything – use a password manager. For our best password manager recommendations, read the First Level Support article below.
Larry McJunkin, President

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Technology Access Program (TAP)

As of February 28, TAP has distributed 81 computer systems in 2021. This brings the all-time total to 8,462 systems distributed, serving 12,610 youths.

We are continuing to face a critical shortage of desktop computers to refurbish, although we still have a sufficient supply of finished systems. If you are upgrading your computer, please consider donating your old one to TAP to be refurbished and given to a deserving child or family.

To contact TAP please call us at (865) 332-5313. The TAP office is located at 244 Lakeside Plaza, Loudon 37774 (on Ritchey Road below the Thai Bistro restaurant).

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First Level Support (FLS)

FLS continues to help all our members with technology problems using TeamViewer, the remote-control software that lets us help you without coming to your home. You can make this a smoother process by installing TeamViewer on your computer “before” you encounter a problem. Learn about TeamViewer.

We often ask our members to do themselves a huge favor by using a Password Manager. Using your birth date coupled with your pet’s name simply isn’t a good idea – but if you still must do this, at least lie about your birth date and give your pet a fictitious name. Seriously, please consider using a Password Manager. They’re easy to use and some of the best ones are even free. We include a few we consider to be the best (for both Windows and Mac) in our Recommended Software article that you can read or download here.

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Education

The Education committee has been selecting article topics by using the results of the TVCUC Survey from last year and input from the types of calls received by First Level Support. We are also populating an archive of many “how-to” articles that pertain to the beginner and intermediate computer users.

If you have a technology topic you’d like us to research and write about, send us an email. We look forward to helping you continue to learn and be more confident in the use of technology.

Margie Krafft, Education Chair

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Mac Users Special Interest Group (Mac SIG)

We have now held two Zoom meetings, both available for viewing online. The January presentation on “Big Sur” is available to view or download here. February’s presentation on “Mission Control” and “Mac Basics” can be viewed or downloaded here. If you’ve never used the great features of Mission Control, be sure to watch.

Mac SIG members are asked to please respond to the meeting survey. It’s painless and I would truly appreciate your input—please!

The March meeting will be held Monday, March 22, 3:30 p.m., continuing the discussion of Mac Basics.

Karen Brown

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Finance

The financial situation with the club continues on a sound footing. Year-to-date spending is favorable to budget, and revenues are on target. Membership dues are essential to continuing the activities of the club. Considering the support provided by the FLS team, membership is probably the best $20 spent in Tellico Village. Tell your friends if they are not already members.

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Technology BYTES

What is the Next Generation of Windows?
Earlier this week, Microsoft dropped a brief yet tantalizing tease that something big is on the way for Windows by referring to what’s next as “the next generation of Windows.” Microsoft hasn’t used terminology like that since the debut of Windows 10 in 2015, and that was because Windows 10 was a new operating system replacing the previous one, backed by a huge marketing campaign focused on getting users to upgrade to the shiny new Windows. Read more…

Windows 10 Tips You Need to Know
Whether you’ve been using Windows 10 for years or have only recently upgraded, there are plenty of new and old tips, tricks and hidden features to learn that will make using your computer every day faster and smoother. Learning to be quicker and more productive on your computer may be especially appealing with so many of us doing so much from home due to the pandemic, or just spending more time on our computers in general. Finding the secret Start menu and saving battery power on your laptop with a simple trick are great ways to get more out of your machine. Read about these and more…

Apple Fortifies its Stand on Privacy in Apps
As part of Apple’s efforts to be more transparent about privacy on its devices and operating systems, the company recently launched a new webpage on its official website that shows privacy labels for all Apple-developed apps. This includes native iOS and macOS apps as well as other apps from the company available in the App Store. Apple apps already had the privacy labels since the feature was introduced in late 2020, but now users can find all this information in one place…

President’s Message

Since we are all still spending a lot of time at home, your club is beginning to add new interactive instructional articles and video presentations on our website to help relieve your boredom. Links to these articles and videos will begin appearing soon in the new “Education” section on our website. Along this line, the Mac SIG had its first Zoom presentation (on macOS Big Sur), which was recorded, and if you missed it, you can watch it here. We’ll have our first live Zoom presentation for Windows users in March, and we’ll send you a Zoom meeting invitation via email.

Some of you reading this still haven’t renewed your club membership for 2021. $20 a year is a great bargain, and it includes all members of your household. You will receive FREE technical support for software and operating systems on your computers, tablets and smartphones and you’ll help fund our Technology Access Program (TAP), which provides over a thousand computer systems annually to needy youth. To renew your TVCUC membership click here.

One last thing…if you would like to be part of the group of volunteers who make things happen in the TVCUC, we’re looking for additional help. You don’t necessarily have to be a geek or computer nerd. For more information on how to join our team, send an email to [email protected]

Larry McJunkin, President 

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Technology Access Program (TAP)

As of February 15, TAP has distributed 62 computer systems since January 1, 2021. This brings the all-time total to 8,407 systems distributed, serving 12,517 youths. We are currently experiencing a critical shortage of desktops to refurbish, although we have an adequate supply of finished systems. If you are thinking about upgrading your computer, please consider donating your old one to TAP. And if you would like to purchase a completely refurbished, high-end laptop or desktop, we are allowed to sell a portion of refurbished systems each year, with the proceeds going back to help fund the overall refurbishment effort. To take advantage of this offer, give the TAP office a call at (865) 332-5313.

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First Level Support (FLS)

Call volume continues to be relatively high and while we are still supporting members using TeamViewer, without making house calls, most of the calls are closed in a timely fashion. When we cannot handle a call or the situation calls for an in-home visit, we will try to recommend one of the several reputable businesses in the area that will do in-home computer support. If you have a problem, be sure to first attempt to solve it yourself by searching for YouTube videos or doing a Google search on the issue. There are many tools and videos available that we all use to solve issues as they arise.

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Education

We have several articles being written that will be on the website soon. They include:

• IRS Scams
• Ransomware
• Setting Up a New Windows PC
• File Explorer Explained

We are also working on some Zoom presentations. If you have technology topics you’d like us to write about, send Margie an email. – Margie Krafft, Education Chair.

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Mac Users Special Interest Group (SIG)

Mac Users SIG held its first Zoom meeting January 19 and marked it as a successful venture, one that we will repeat. The presentation on the Big Sur operating system was recorded and is available here. The second Zoom presentation is scheduled for Friday, February 26, 10 a.m., on the topic of “Mac Basics and Mission Control”.

The first session had 25 attendees and was received with enthusiasm, particularly by members who have not been able to attend our in-person meetings. The added advantage of the meetings being recorded gives many more members the opportunity to “sit in.” One member commented, “I had the time written down but forgot, so I watched the video. At least for Mac stuff I found this much better than a live presentation because it allowed me to stop the video and try out the different items.” — Karen Brown

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Finance

The financial situation with the club continues on a sound footing. The budget for 2021 has been established with monthly figures, and the January results were favorable to budget, with revenues exceeding expenses.

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Technology BYTES

The New Google Nest Audio is Already on Sale for $80
Only a few months have passed since Google launched its new Nest Audio, a smart speaker that falls between the Nest Mini and Home Max in the Google hierarchy. It is usually priced at $100, even at Walmart and the Google store, but right now you can save $20 and get the Google Nest Audio for only $80 at Best Buy.

The new Nest Audio stands 7 inches tall and comes fabric-wrapped in any of five colors (chalk, charcoal, sand, sky and sage). There’s a privacy button that mutes the microphone and it can connect with other devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It sounds better than the older Google Home speaker it is replacing, equipped with a 19mm tweeter and large 75mm mid-woofer. Overall, it’s a noticeable improvement and is a great value at $80. For now, this is a good chance to get the latest Google smart speaker at 20% off.

Apple Launches New App Store Privacy Labels
“Good on Apple” for making good on its promise to provide better transparency around iOS app data it collects with the launch of new privacy labels on the App Store.

The company first announced its intention to provide nutrition label privacy disclosures back in June during WWDC, and last month Apple disclosed that developers would have to provide this information by December 8th or risk losing the ability to update their apps. Now, following that deadline, Apple is launching the feature officially for all iOS device owners running the latest version of iOS 14.

Apple says the new labels will be required for all apps on all its platforms — that includes iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — and they will have to be up-to-date and accurate every time a developer submits a new update to the App Store. Apple is also holding itself to the same standard, something the company clarified last week when Facebook-owned WhatsApp criticized the company for an apparent inconsistency in its requirements before Apple said it, too, will provide labels for all its own software.

The company’s own first-party apps will all have the same disclosures on their App Store product pages. In the event an app doesn’t have an App Store product page because it cannot be removed, like the Messages app, Apple says it will be providing privacy label information on the web. Every piece of software on the App Store will also have its privacy label viewable on the web too.

Presidents Message

As we begin a new year after surviving a very difficult 2020, your club is hard at work to improve the technology aspect of your lives. The number of members requesting support has increased, so we are adding resources to the First Level Support (FLS) team. We also have a new list of Recommended Software and Resources (PC & Mac) to help keep you safer online (you can read more about this in the FLS section below). We also plan to start monthly Zoom presentations on topics you have requested, like online security, password management and how to avoid ransomware attacks. We will record these presentations and make them available on our website. And we are embarking on a new educational effort that focuses on providing new ways to keep you informed and make it easier for you to learn and work with today’s technology. 

The most important thing I want to address is membership renewal. For the first time in many years, the number of members we have at this point in January is fewer than in previous years. The number of Tellico Village owners has increased, the number of FLS requests has increased, yet TVCUC membership renewal has decreased. Perhaps the pandemic is to blame, or some members may have simply forgotten to renew their membership due to other concerns. We urge you to take a moment and renew your membership. Your $20 annual membership not only buys you peace of mind that you can call FLS anytime with your technology questions, but it also helps us continue the acclaimed efforts of our Technology Access Program (TAP). As a direct result of membership dues and corporate grants, last year TAP refurbished and provided 1,088 computers to 1,577 youth. Since the TAP program was created, they have refurbished 8,355 computers and served 12,460 youth! Many of these kids would not have a computer if not for you. Please renew your membership now to help us continue this valuable program, while at the same time assuring you have on-call FLS computer support whenever you need it. 

Larry McJunkin, President 

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Technology Access Program

TAP continues to grow under the guidance of Warren Sanders and Vince Alline. Last year was a banner year for TAP, with systems refurbished and youths served exceeding our expectations and setting new records. During 2020, TAP refurbished and distributed 1,088 computers (mostly desktops) which served 1,577 youths, setting a new annual record. This puts the total number of computers refurbished by TAP at 8,355, serving a total of 12,460 youths! 

Other on-going TAP efforts are six Linux laptops and 28 tablets being sent to Africa, with a need to send more to other destinations. TAP has forged a relationship with the Kiwanis Organization and is working with Covenant Health, Clayton Homes and Summit Medical in hopes to receive equipment these organizations may donate after they upgrade their computers in the future. 

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First Level Support

Many of the questions we are asked by members are about which software and other online solutions we recommend. Toward that end, we created a completely updated list of Recommended Software and Resources (PC & Mac) to help keep you safer online and to be more productive. While types of software are personal preferences, there are some applications and solutions you really need to install on your computer. The FLS and TAP groups have carefully evaluated several necessary options and we highly recommend them to you. In fact, these are the same applications and solutions we personally use on our own computers. Check out our list of recommendations. 

In other FLS news, we are adding more members to our team and our goal is to respond to your technology support requests as quickly as possible. If you need technology support, call the FLS Team at (865) 408-8223 or you can submit an email support request by clicking here (then click NEXT after logging into TellicoLife). 

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Education

Our newly appointed Education Committee Chair, Margie Krafft, is in the midst of “baptism by fire” as the club begins to shift focus to a more education-oriented organization. In addition to working on new educational resources we will add to our website, Margie is currently working on an article for which we have had many requests – How to Configure a New Windows PC. This in-depth tutorial will be posted on the Education page of our website later this month. If you have technology topics you’d like us to write about, send Margie an email. 

Microsoft to Add ‘News and Interests’ Feature to Windows 10

Microsoft frequently brings new features and visual upgrades to the Windows operating system. The company is now testing a big change to the Windows 10 taskbar, as it plans to add a new widget to the taskbar. The new widget, according to reports, has been made available to testers already and it will allow Windows 10 users to access a feed of news, stocks, and weather information straight from the taskbar. 

This new taskbar feature will pop out into a mini feed of content that can be personalized according to a user’s preference, including sports, news, headlines, and weather information. Microsoft is using its Microsoft News network to source news and content from more than 4,500 sources. The company has been curating this via its machine learning for the past few months and this feature will also learn a user’s behavior and show what news is relevant to them when they dismiss or like stories in the feed. 

Microsoft is testing the new feature with its Windows Insiders and it will likely roll out to all users later this year. The new taskbar feature will also require Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser to be installed on a PC. This also means that if users click any link, it will open in Edge. There will also be an option to disable this new taskbar feature, and Microsoft says that it will be an ad-free experience.

5G and Enhanced Connectivity

Faster and more reliable internet doesn’t just mean we can load webpages more quickly and spend less time waiting for videos to launch on YouTube. Each successive advance in mobile connectivity from 3G onwards has unlocked new use cases for the internet. 3G made web browsing and data-driven services useful on mobile devices, 4G led to the growth of streaming video and music platforms as bandwidths increased, and 5G, likewise, will open more doors in terms of what is possible. 

5G means that services relying on advanced technologies, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, as well as cloud-based live platforms will become a viable proposition, anywhere at any time. They also threaten to make cable and fiber-based networks redundant, with their need for us to be tethered to a particular location. This means if you have 5G service with your mobile phone carrier, you will no longer need an Internet Service Provider (ISP), like Spectrum. This is another reason ISPs like Spectrum are rushing to get into the mobile phone carrier business. 

In short, 5G and other advanced, high-speed networks make all the other trends in today’s technology available anywhere, any time. Your internet service will cost less with 5G, and it will be available anywhere you are by connecting your computer to your smartphone via a personal Hotspot. Imagine a road trip from New York to San Francisco and having high-speed internet service the entire trip.

The iPhone Accessory That Could Super-Charge Your Hearing

If you struggle to hear conversations in a bustling restaurant or busy supermarket, Noopl might just save you a fortune on hearing aids. This small iPhone accessory, launched at CES 2021, clips into the bottom of an iPhone. It has a three-mic array and beam steering, so that it can latch onto different speakers around a restaurant table, for example. 

It uses the head tracking technology built into Apple’s AirPods Pro to detect which direction the user is facing. So, when you’re looking directly at someone, their conversation is amplified by up to 15 decibels, whilst the background noise is reduced, allowing you to hear the speaker clearly. As someone else starts to speak and your gaze is averted towards them, so is the audio feed, with a circular graphic on the iPhone’s display pointing in the direction of the person who’s speaking. 

The primary use case is restaurants and supermarkets, with staff often wearing face masks that muffle their voices, making them harder to hear. Hospital rooms are another incredibly challenging situation. You can read more at https://noopl.com 

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Mac Special Interest Group

Hi, Karen Brown here – Thanks to all the Mac users who paid their 2021 TVCUC dues. We now number nearly 350 users in Tellico Village and represent more than 180 households. That, of course, is not all the Mac users in the Village, just the ones who belong to the TVCUC. If you have a Mac, but for some reason never indicated that when you paid your TVCUC dues, please send me an email to that effect. We have not held an in-person meeting since February 2020, but we are going to have a Zoom meeting on Friday, January 29 at 10 A.M. My understanding is that some of you are still in your pajamas at that time, but please join us anyway – just turn off your video! You should have received a “Zoom Invitation” with your regular monthly Mac SIG email. 

There is lots of talk about the new Apple ARM chip, M1. The most recent issue of Macworld reviews the M1 Mac mini as “the Mac with the best ever bang for your buck” and PC Magazine says this about it. So, if you are considering a new Mac, think about a mini ($669/$869) + display or an M1 MacBook Air ($999/$1249), or maybe even the M1 MacBook Pro 13” ($1299/$1499). Me? I have plans to upgrade my iMac as soon as the newly redesigned iMacs come out with an M1 chip later this year. Larry McJunkin has already upgraded to an M1 MacBook Pro and is blown away by its performance. 

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Finance

The club closed the year with a minor $562 shortfall to budget. Membership dues were down 30%, as was grant income, most likely due to the pandemic. But TAP expenses were reduced by discontinuing the practice of buying new printers to give away with refurbished computer systems. As a result, our club’s financial position remains strong, with over 12 months spending reserves.