Sometimes you need a little help from your friends.
​One way to get computer assistance in Windows 10 is to use the already installed Windows program Quick Assist, under Start, Windows Accessories. 

Not a Windows person? Then you can use Google's Remote Desktop to get assistance. Install it, and Mac or PC, you can get somebody onto to your computer remotely to help with a problem.

Need to help a friend with a computer problem.  If you are both on Windows there is an easy solution while social distancing.

​​Quick Assist is a Windows 10 app. It allows someone you trust to take over your computer and help you solve a problem. To get started, your helper needs to launch the Quick Assist app, get a 6-digit code, and share that with you. 

• Give assistance
  • Select Start  > Windows Accessories > Quick Assist (or select the Start  button, type Quick Assist in the search box, then select it in the results). 
  • Select Assist another person, then send the 6-digit code to the person you're helping. (You will need to sign into Microsoft)
  • When they've entered it, select either Take full control or View screen.
  • Select Continue and wait for the person you're helping to allow the connection. 
• Get assistance
  • Select Start  > Windows Accessories > Quick Assist (or select the Start  button, type Quick Assist in the search box, then select it in the results). 
  • In the Code from assistant box, enter the 6-digit code you were given, and select Share sceen.
  • Wait for your helper, then select Allow in the window that displays.

Carol wrote about several ways to hold virtual meetings last week. If you use an iPhone, and your friends and relatives do too, then Facetime couldn't be easier. It's not for holding a meeting really, but I love doing Facetime with my family and I have to say, we've been staying in contact more and I get to see them all. So, silver lining of sorts.

The AVFD just held a special Coronavirus meeting with the department, and we encouraged everyone to use Google's Hangouts. I'm pretty new to this, so it was interesting to setup, test, and use. It went pretty well, and about a third of the department used it. We need to get better at that, and we will, but for a start, I was pleased. Hangouts says it allows up to 25 people to get into the meeting, which was perfect for us. Recording the meeting was not an option that I could find, except for the paid version.

It turns out that one of our members has a paid subscription to Zoom. We tried it out between ourselves and it worked great. Her version can record, not sure if it's because it's a paid version, but we'll likely switch to it for that feature. Otherwise, it seemed similar in functionality. 

This might be the time to try out one of these, or any of the others out there. You can do some business, or you can have a virtual family reunion, or at least a get together. Visit friends, family, neighbors, but please, stay home and stay safe. Just for now. Just until this passes, as it eventually will.

The internet affords us the ability to work and network remotely.  Many insurance plans will even pay for online doctor appointments.  Facetime and Skype are great ways to get one on one with your grand kids or coworkers. 

But what if you need to have a meeting with a larger group and you can't just wait for this whole pandemic to go away.   

Microsoft, Google, and Zoom are trying to keep up with demand for their now free work-from-home software.

Microsoft is offering anyone its premium version of Teams for free for six months and has lifted existing user limits on its free version. The premium Teams product was already available for no extra cost to those who pay for the Office Suite, and Teams had already been free for many schools.

Similarly, Google announced last week that it would offer its enterprise videoconferencing features — for example, larger meetings of up to 250 people and the ability to record — for free to G Suite and G Suite for Education customers through July 1, 2020.

Slack has always had a free version. Lately, it has been trying to get the influx of new users up to speed quickly by offering free webinars with live Q&As, consultations by phone, and information on working-from-home best practices.

​These are all programs that allow video conferencing, webinars.  

We had Tom Kumph and Jan Bachman over a few weeks ago.  They had both gotten new iPhones and Tom was showing us some of the capabilities.  I'm sharing a picture Tom took of me at our dining room table, no special lighting.  The quality of the pic was impressive if the subject was not.

If you are photographically inclined you might want to check out the New iPhones and Android phones and leave your camera at home on your next trip.

​Read
Get the Most Out of Your Fancy Smartphone Camera

You can even shoot in Raw on an iPhone.  For you non photography geeks that a format.
How to shot RAW on iPhone: The ultimate guide