Several years ago, as phones were getting smarter and more powerful, I thought it would be a cool ide to make a computer that was powered by your phone. It turns out, some company did that, it was a flop I guess. Still, I thought it was a cool idea. Why not use your pone to power your tablet, your computer, your house, your car?
 
I saw a video about a product that makes a laptop from your phone. Or your Raspberry Pi. Or your tablet, or other stuff too. It’s not perfect, and the reviewer does a good job of explaining why it’s great, but not really. Still, I agree that there’s a future for this thing. If you like to tinker, or you like to try out weird new things, or if you’re stuck at home and want to social distance and distract from what’s happening in the real world, then this thing might be just the ticket.
 
It’s called  a NexDock. It is a laptop sized shell for your smartphone, and in theory at least, for your next smartphone too, maybe the one after that one, and also, other people’s smartphones, if you want to lend it out. You can also connect other devices into it, notably the Raspberry Pi. If you are familiar with those, then you might get a kick out of this thing. There is a new Raspberry Pi out too, so it’s worth checking out. (It’s a $35 computer, in case you’ve never heard of it).
 
The link is HERE. Check out the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIJAEcOL6sI
 
If you want to hear an English guy talk with a charming accent, then check out the video HERE. https://nexdock.com/

Congress has passed a federal stimulus package that will provide most Americans with a check to offset lost income due to the Covid-19 state of emergency.  Checks will be sent in a few weeks.  This means that you will receive a direct deposit check to your bank account (if your previously filed income tax return included that information) or a paper check that will be mailed to you. 
 
Scammers are already trying to take advantage of this situation. 
 
How to Spot a COVID-19 Federal stimulus scam:

• Government agencies will not contact you through social media, phone, text  or email.  Government agencies will not ask you to verify your personal information or provide banking details.  It is not “necessary” to provide this information in order to receive your stimulus check.  
• Government agencies will not ask for your social security number.   
• Government agencies will not contact you to get your funds “immediately” or “faster”. Government agencies will not ask you to pay a “processing fee”.   
• If a scammer calls or contacts you, don’t engage – hang up – delete the email – do not click on a link. 

 
WATCH OUT FOR:

• Government imposters – confirm websites from look-a-like website  Make sure it is a legitimate government website before believing any information provided to you. 
• When in doubt, assume it is a scam.

 
Government websites:             IRS:             www.irs.gov/coronovirus.
US Treasury:             https://home.treasury.gov/
 

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.