Android SIG
Oak Park Library
9500 Bluejacket Street
Overland Park, KS 66214
Large Meeting Room

MAP

Wednesday,  August 27, 2025, 2:30 ~ 4:00 pm

If you have any questions that you want me to explore before the meeting, please let me know as soon as possible. As usual, bring yourselves, your devices, your questions, and your Android-loving (or not) friends to the meeting on Wednesday. We can all learn a bunch together.

Hope to see you there,

Bob Bowser
Android SIG Leader

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Bob Bowser convenes the Android SIG
bbowser@kcsenior.net

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SenCom is on Facebook. See the access instructions below to find our Facebook Group page (SenComKC).  Check it out!  Share your favorite SenCom moment or interaction.

To access the group page:

  1. Log in to your Facebook account.
  2. On your computer, click “Search Facebook” in the left-hand corner (to the left of the home icon, or on your mobile device, in the middle of the screen on top, then type SenComKC (not case sensitive).
  3. Search results should give you “Groups,” and under that, you will see SenComKC. To the right of your search results, you should see a “Join” button. Click the button to request to be a member of this Facebook group.
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*
 Volunteers Needed  *

SOS! NEEDED NOW! Volunteers to help our Board of Directors fill the board positions of Vice President and Hospitality Director. If interested, please email me or another Board Member. Our email addresses are on the “Board of Directors” page under the “About Us” menu. Remember, this is your organization; please help us keep it healthy and growing!!
LITTLE OR NO COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED.
Lou Risley, 913-298-0575 or sencomprez@gmail.com
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CDC information on the Coronavirus Outbreak →


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GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
17 August, 2025

Keep Devices Updated for Security!

Vulnerabilities in computers and other electronics are being discovered with increasing frequency, possibly because of artificial intelligence. New vulnerabilities are being discovered faster using AI, but hackers are also able to create and distribute malware faster by using AI. It is more critical than ever to keep our device firmware and software updated as patches are released. Some of the recent critical vulnerabilities discovered are listed below.

Lenovo BIOS Vulnerability:

According to Lenovo, the following models are known to be affected:

  • Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3 24ARR9
  • Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3 27ARR9
  • Lenovo Yoga AIO 27IAH10
  • Lenovo Yoga AIO 32ILL10
  • Lenovo Yoga AIO 9 32IRH8

The vulnerability rests in the Insyde BIOS firmware, which isn’t provided by Lenovo itself but rather the Taiwanese company Insyde. The patches for IdeaCentre models are available now and are expected for the Yoga models by September.

Insyde BIOS Vulnerabilities – Lenovo Support US

Dell Chip Vulnerability:

Dell has issued a warning about it, categorizing it as “critical” and stating that it’s a flaw in Broadcom BCM5820X series chips, which are mainly installed in Dell’s Precision, Latitude, and Pro laptops. A list of all affected devices can be found in Dell’s support article. It’s a problem with the ControlVault3 function, which is used to store passwords and biometric data, among other things, which is why the problem is particularly dangerous.

In the worst-case scenario, attackers could exploit the flaws to steal data and remotely execute malicious code. Due to the nature of the vulnerability, it’s also likely that stored passwords are no longer secure.

Archival Software Vulnerability:

WinRAR and 7-Zip both warned that updates have been released to patch recently discovered vulnerabilities. If you have these products in your list of computer apps, update them before using them.



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FOR~GO
(For Geeks Only)

By Joe Callison
9 December 2024

Windows 11+

If there are things about Windows 11 that bug you or you would just like to customize it beyond the built-in capabilities provided by Microsoft, take a look at https://windhawk.net. This collection of open-source customization mods may have just the features you wish Windows 11 had. A review of its capabilities can be found at Windhawk is one of the coolest Windows customization tools I’ve ever seen

If you would rather try a Linux distro that looks like Windows 11, take a look at three of the best possibilities at 3 free Linux distros that look and feel like Windows | PCWorld

Lastly, if you intend to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 eventually but have been holding off because of all the reported problems, I have just completed the updates on two different brands of laptops, both about 3 years old, and had no issues. The updates did take much longer than expected, and I took the precaution of creating system image backups before performing them. Interestingly, I have not really noticed any changes that stand out as of yet, perhaps because they are not AI PCs.
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SenCom gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for their support:

Google Fiber

City of Shawnee:
Parks & Recreation Department

Johnson County Library:
Central Resource, Oak Park



SENCOM IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT KANSAS CORPORATION
UNDER THE IRS 501(C)(3) RULES



 


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