COVID-19

Global, national, and local COVID-19 numbers and trends

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Masks

 

Earthquake tracker – why not 🙂

 

Free Stuff

  • PluralSight – Build in-demand tech skills without leaving your house. Get free access to 7,000+ expert-led video courses and more all month long.
  • Audible
    • 100% Free Classic and Kids Books
      • For as long as schools are closed, we’re open. Right now, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.
      • All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet.  Explore the collection, select a title, and start listening.
    • Free 30 Day Trial
      • Free membership for 30 days with your choice of 1 audiobook + select Audible Originals.
      • After trial, get 1 audiobook and free Audible Originals each month from a rotating selection.
      • Exclusive guided wellness programs.
      • You will get an email reminder 7 days before your trial ends.

Video Conferencing

I recommend using WebEx, Microsoft Teams, or FaceTime due to their security and ease of use.  Google is an excellent forth place option, and I am currently unaware of any significant security issues with it.  The list below provides a little information on each of the products and what I know today about the free versions (as of 4/12/2020).  This information changes rapidly, so please consult the individual company websites for up-to-date information.

  • WebEx
    • Extremely secure – Owned by Cisco
    • Free Features
      • Free features
      • Up to 100 participants in each meeting
        (Up from 50)
      • Meet as long as you want
        (Up from 40 min limit)
      • Call-in for audio
        (in addition to existing VoIP capabilities)
      • Unlimited number of meetings
      • Desktop, application, file & whiteboard sharing options
      • Video conferencing features
      • Webex Teams collaboration features
      • Mobile features
      • Security features
      • Online support

 

  • Skype  – that you use at home is excellent for smaller businesses of up to 20 employees. It is free to use unless you want to buy credit to make calls to landlines and mobiles.

 

  • Microsoft Teams

    When it comes to calling, meetings, and screen sharing, free and paid versions of Teams share a bit. Teams free and paid both let you have guest access, 1:1 and group online, and audio-video calls as well as unlimited chats and search. Naturally, both free and paid Teams plans also let you enjoy real-time collaboration using your favorite Office apps on Office on the web. Features like background blur are common across both free and paid plans, too.

    In both tiers, you’re also able to have Channel meetings and enjoy screen sharing. However, the free version of Teams doesn’t have access to scheduled meetings, meeting recordings, or phone calls, and audio conferencing. These three features are only available in the paid version of Teams.

    Finally, there’s the administrative stuff. Naturally, Teams paid is the only plan which has access to certain administrative tools. The list includes tools for managing users and apps, usage reporting, financially backed uptime, as well as configurable user settings and policies. Teams paid plans also have phone and web support around the clock and additional compliance and security features. On that front, the list includes: Single sign-on to all Office 365 apps and services, and enforced multi-factor authentication.

    If you’re hoping to keep a paid-tier of Microsoft Teams once your six-month trial ends, we’ve got a more in-depth guide as to which Office 365 plans include Teams for no added cost. These plans range from $5 per user with an annual commitment or all the way up to $12.50 per user.

    Keep it tuned to OnMSFT for news and information and guides about all things related to Microsoft Teams. And, check out our Microsoft Teams news hub for more.

  • FaceTime 
    • iOS & Mac OSX only (iPhone, iPad, iMac and Macbook(s)
    • Best know for one-to-one chats, but group functionality exists
    • To use Group FaceTime video calls, you need iOS 12.1.4 or later, or iPadOS on one of these devices: iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro or later, iPad Air 2 or later, iPad mini 4 or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, or iPod touch (7th generation). Earlier models of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that support iOS 12.1.4 can join Group FaceTime calls as audio participants.
  • Google Hangouts
    • The free version of Hangouts only supports video calls with up to 25 participants.
    • Works with iOS and Android phones

 

  • Google DUO
    • Quick one-to-one video chats (like Facetime but for Android and iOS)

 

  • Zoom (Not recommended)
    • Free Version
      • 40 Minute Meetings (Some locations and Schools have been granted longer run times)
    • Cons:
      • Serious security risks and breaches have occurred
        • https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-500-000-zoom-accounts-sold-on-hacker-forums-the-dark-web/
          • If you must join, it is recommended that you call into the provided phone number and not join via the app or video conferencing.
          • The password should be changed immediately (4/12/2020).
      • Bullet List of Issues
        • Here is the bullet-item summary:
          • HHS, FBI, H-ISAC advise against the use of Zoom for Healthcare
          • Windows passwords of attendees available through the chat feature
          • Encryption weaknesses route audio and video through China, encryption keys generated in China and legally obligated to be provided to Chinese authorities
          • The account of one major US health care provider for sale on the dark web (4/6/2020)
          • Over 500,000 Zoom accounts for free or for sale on the dark web (4/13/2020)
          • Zoom bombing allows malicious users to hijack meetings, lockout presenters, share inappropriate content and audio
          • Attackers planning ‘Zoomraids’ on social media
          • Bug bounties offered for Zoom zero-days, $5,000 – $30,000 on dark web
          • Zoom client on Mac can enable Webcam without user’s knowledge
          • Zoom meetings can be DOS’d by malicious Mac users continually grabbing meeting focus from the presenter
          • iOS Zoom client sent attendee user information to FaceBook – Class action lawsuit filed and state AG’s investigating
          • Zoom is being sued in California for Privacy and Security issues
          • New York Attorney General is examining the privacy practices of Zoom
          • Zoom misrepresented end-to-end encryption, Zoom and other middle-men able to view audio and video
          • Google announced Tuesday it’s employees cannot use Zoom on their laptops
          • April 6, New York City public schools banned Zoom meetings, and other school systems were reported to be doing the same.
          • Facebook data-sharing
          • Incomplete end-to-end encryption
          • Known vulnerability which allows malicious actors to access users’ webcams.
          • Zero-day Mac camera and microphone access without attendee knowledge
          • Zero-day Mac client allows malware installation
          • Attendees’ names, email addresses, photos and status collected and made available to other attendees within same email domain (ex: @gmail.com)
          • Zoom added Consumer features without following secure design practices
          • In-app surveillance, tracks when users set focus on other windows
          • User data used to look up LinkedIn data and shared with other meeting attendees, even when connecting “anonymously.”
          • The encryption algorithm is weaker than advertised AES 256-bit, is AES-128 bit and uses ECB mode which preserves patterns
          • Brute-force method to obtain meeting information, default meeting password functionality may not be working
          • Private meeting recordings available online, no login required
          • Zoom Consumer and Zoom Healthcare solutions appear to be identical architecture – no extra protection for Zoom Healthcare customers
          • Zoom banned by multiple organizations – Google, New York City Dept. of Education, Clark County School District (Nevada), SpaceX, NASA