Microsoft is adding a new security feature in the May 2019 Windows 10 update (also known as update v1903). Windows will warn you if you are connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot that is using WPA or TKIP encryption. These old encryption methods have long been known to be ineffective and easily bypassed using freely available software from the Internet. As I said in this video from last September, if your home router doesn’t have WPA2 or newer encryption, go get a new router. You are simply not safe. For now, Windows will let you connect, albeit with warning. In the future, look for Microsoft to remove the option to connect to an insecure Wi-Fi hotspot altogether.

For more information on Wi-Fi safety, watch this video.

Internet safety experts recommend the use of password manager apps to generate strong passwords and to store those passwords securely.

This instructional YouTube video gives an overview password manager software.

Here are some other helpful hints for protecting your passwords:

• Every account you create should have a unique password.
• Enable a lock screen on all devices on which you use a password manager so that the unique passwords you have created are not able to be accessed by someone other than you.
• Password managers can alert you to data breaches that affect sites that you have an account for.

For more updates about internet safety subscribe to the Oasis Connections YouTube channel.

Apple, Google and Microsoft have been moving away from passwords for the last few years. Microsoft’s May 2019 version will move users one step closer to eliminating passwords. Use of Personal Identification Numbers or PINs is recommended instead of Passwords.

The Oasis Connections classes Introduction to the Computer, Meet the Computer and Windows 10 all include instructions for creating a PIN so you’re ready to help class participants set one up!

Pundits and social media watchers are calling it the first viral trend of 2019, and anyone participating on Facebook over the weekend couldn’t miss it.

But make no mistake: Facebook’s How Hard Did Aging Hit You? Challenge is ageist, and dangerously so. The campaign looks harmless, but actually encourages social media users to participate in and perpetuate a tired and negative narrative about the process of getting older.

The challenge involves inviting your Facebook friends to share two photos of themselves: one from when they started using the social media platform and a current photo. The user then posts the two photos side by side and shares. A typical passage of time between profile pictures is about 10 years or so.

On the surface, such an exercise could be considered just a harmless, even fun, walk down memory lane. To those who participated and did so in that spirit, that’s wonderful.

But as a leader in the field of productive, healthy aging, I encourage a closer look at what’s really happening with this viral campaign. What lies just beneath the surface is a collective and problematic failure to engage in important conversations about the many ways we grow, evolve, learn, and indeed face challenges as we all age.

Facebook misses the mark here by perpetuating a negative narrative about aging not only to those of us who are “of a certain age and beyond,” but to everyone using the platform. It’s not simply about offending older adults.  A 2018 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults indicates that Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform, with 68% identifying themselves as users.

By accepting an invitation to consider a question that starts from a negative conceptual launch pad, How Hard Did Aging Hit You? and answering that negative question with physical evidence, there are only two outcomes, and neither of those do anything to shed a nuanced light on aging. Those who take the bait on this have two options once they have invited hundreds of their closest Facebook friends to compare the two photos: commiserate and be a good sport about some good-natured ribbing on how much someone has changed physically over time—more gray hair, a change in weight, added wrinkles—OR accept congratulations for holding the aging process at bay, at least in photos (which can be problematic exercises in self-presentation in general, a topic beyond the scope of this conversation). Where does one go from there, especially since aging is a process that cannot be avoided? Avoid taking photos? Stop looking at photos from the past?

A more interesting and helpful campaign that would have impact on people of all ages  would be something that gives participants a mechanism to take stock in changes that have occurred over time and allows space for more complex explanation and thought. Would people participate if invited to describe how they’ve grown over the last ten years? How the triumphs and challenges they’ve experienced over time have changed their perspectives on themselves, their work, their personal missions, their relationships with others? The question that Facebook should be asking is not How Hard Did Aging Hit You? but How Have You Improved Over Time? Or better yet, How Are You Getting Better As You Get Older? The latter implies a natural process and a moving forward with hope and a plan of action.

To those who helped this campaign go viral and feel like you have a better story to tell about all that went on between the two snapshots you shared, I encourage you to go back to that post and add some context. Share what’s happened to you during that span of time, what you learned from it and how you plan to go forward, what you have to offer right now.

Paul Weiss is President of The Oasis Institute, a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 40 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org.

He was stationed in Papua, New Guinea near the Coral Sea, the site of many epic battles in 1942, and John Hubert, 97, has been able to share his stories in a powerful way, thanks to tech prowess he’s gained by taking computer classes offered by San Antonio Oasis and the City of San Antonio.

“Mr. Hubert proudly wears his WWII cap to the ‘Intro to Computers’ classes he takes through our Connections program,” says Brenda Schmachtenberger, executive director of San Antonio Oasis. “Like many of the countless other older adults who take these technology classes, he’s using his skills to do everyday things like paying bills online and he’s also making a difference by serving others in the community.”

One of the skills that Hubert learned through Oasis Connections classes was how to use Google Earth software, which allowed him to give his classmates and instructor a virtual tour of exactly where he was stationed so many years ago.

“Older adults across the country who grew up in the age before the internet are improving their confidence in using technology through Oasis Connections digital literacy classes designed just for them,” says Amy VanDeVelde, Technology Education Manager at The Oasis Institute, a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and volunteer engagement. “Many older adults perceive technology as a barrier, but by taking our classes, we know that technology can be a powerful tool to fight social isolation and allow continued independence and engagement.”

To date, over 120,000 older adults in 120 locations across the country have enrolled in Connections classes, which cover a variety of topics, including instruction on personal computers and the internet, Facebook, tablets and smartphones. The curriculum is updated regularly and available in Spanish.

Veterans across the Oasis network making an impact through Oasis

Hubert is not the only U.S. veteran making important connections through Oasis programs.

Volunteer Connections instructor Eddie Dextraze shares a similar story about a “wow” moment that took place in one of his Oasis classes at the Broward County Library in Hollywood, Florida.

“I looked up and noticed this man in the class who seemed overcome with emotion,” he recalls. “Naturally, I went over to see if I could help and then discovered what he was doing. He was a veteran of World War II and had been a prisoner of war in Germany. All that time, he’d never been back to that town and here he was, thanks to learning this new technology, able to stand right in front of the place he’d been imprisoned, right there on the street at the front door. Everyone in the class was moved as he shared the moment with us. It was really something.”

Tom Henry has been teaching for the past 42 years. Tom was introduced to Oasis as an instructor in 2007, a couple of years before he retired. He enjoys teaching and once he retired in 2009 he set his sights on expanding his role as an instructor and volunteer for Oasis. In 2017 Upstate Oasis Executive Director Cindy Woods asked Tom if he would be willing to think outside the box to be the first Oasis instructor to livestream a class other Oasis locations.

Tom initially felt that this would be a fun and interesting. “We have had conversations here in Syracuse about linking with other Oasis Centers to share programs as a sort of future dreaming exercise. I did not expect to be the guinea pig and actually see it happen. What an awesome opportunity!”

On June 26, 2017 Tom and Cindy worked with the Upstate team to offer Travels with Tom: Temples, Volcanoes and Food: Italy and Malta. “Cindy and her team did a lot of the pre-work to make the class available for livestreaming. She did give me a tough assignment though: on the day of class she made be stay IN my box—literally. When I teach I am rather animated and I tend to move around a lot. But because of filming I had to stay more still. Cindy taped off a box on the floor and told me I needed to stay put during my class. That was really the hardest part of the entire experience.”

Henry went on to say that he was learning as he was teaching the livestreamed class. “I looked over at the computer screen and I could see that there were people in San Antonio, San Diego and St. Louis tuning in and was momentarily distracting as I wrapped my head around that.” He loves Oasis and he viewed this opportunity as his next lifelong adventure.

To see ‘Travels with Tom Henry’ visit the Oasis recorded class channel.

Companies (including Oasis) that accept and process online credit card payments will soon move to a more secure Internet protocol. This industry-wide move provides increased security for both industry and consumers. Oasis is ready for the change. Here’s what you need to know about the mandated updates that take place as of June 30, 2018.

What will you have to do?

Chances are you won’t have to do anything if you are using a current version of Windows and the current version of your favorite browser. All major browsers will automatically update to use the new standards. If you get a message that your browser is trying to update, grant permission and you’ll be ok. Chrome and Firefox install updates when you close and open them. In Windows 10, Internet Explorer and Edge update with Windows updates.

If you’d like to check your browser’s capabilities, or if after June 30^th you get a message that your browser is using “TLS 1.0 or below”, here is what you can do.

Download a third-party browser

If you are shopping and run into an issue, first try a different browser. If you only have Internet Explorer and/or Edge, try Chrome (the world’s most popular browser) or Firefox.

• Download Google Chrome at https://www.google.com/chrome/.
• Download Mozilla Firefox at https://www.mozilla.org/.

Updating your browser

All major browsers automatically update when new features or security patches are available. If you want to double-check that you are fully updated (and the most protected), use the instructions below.

Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer (IE) in Windows 10

Both Edge and IE update through the Windows update process. To manually check for updates:

1. Click Start , then Settings .
2. Open Update & Security , then Windows Update and click Check for updates.

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) in Windows 7

1. Open Internet Explorer, then click Settings .
2. Click About Internet Explorer.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome updates automatically when you close and reopen the browser. To manually check and initiate an update:

1. Look at the More  button at the top right. If it’s colored green, orange or red there is an update available.
2. To update, click More , hover over Help, then click About Google Chrome.

You’ll need to relaunch Chrome after an update. The current build is version 66.XX

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox updates automatically, but you can check manually as follows:

1. Click Menu , then Help ? and select About Firefox.
2. Firefox will automatically check for and download updates.