PATACS Meeting Details Page

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Arlington & Fairfax Sessions -
Arlington Meetings in Person!
Fairfax In-Person Requirements
All Sessions Available via Zoom
Meeting Access Will Be Sent via Email

Win a 6 Month Membership Extension - Sign Up a New Member !

Details of Monthly Meetings

Not a Member? Want to Attend Our Zoom Sessions?
Arlington Email: arlmtgs(at)patacs.org Fairfax Email: ffxmtg(at)patacs.org

-Meeting - in Person and via Zoom
- See Above Banner
OPCUG Members Welcome! PATACS - Arlington
First Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 7 PM

Please Come Early & Help with Meeting Setup!
Meeting Location: Carlin Hall Community Center,
5711 S. 4th Street, Arlington, VA 22204
Zoom Session: Details Sent via Email
Using Zoom

Getting Started
with Google Docs

Jolyn Bowler, APCUG Rep
Hilton Head Island
Computer Club
(APCUG Workshop Video)
Google offers a wide range of services to its users. It is a terrific, simple, and easily accessible word-processing tool that rivals MS Word and LibreOffice Writer. Although I use both, my go-to is Google Docs. It offers an intuitive interface that lets users create documents easily without complicated setup. Being web-based, Google Docs eliminates the need for downloads, providing instant access from any device with internet connectivity. Two excellent features are the ability to create a PWA (Progressive Web App) that resides on my Taskbar. The other is the relatively new Document Tabs feature. It allows for multiple resources in one document, but in different Tabs. Your Google Drive automatically saves all your documents. Docs is also compatible with many file formats.

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Arlington Meeting Info & Maps

HAVE YOUR COMPUTER QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

The program planners for our First Wednesday PATACS meetings in Arlington are looking for topics that members would like to have explored or questions answered - this is your opportunity to have a say in topics addressed at this meeting. This is a smaller meeting than the Fairfax meeting, and it allows for much more interaction between members than is possible in Fairfax. And there's the post-meeting Pizza and Salad SIG, the post-meeting social at a nearby restaurant - another value-added feature of your membership! Please send your suggestions to our meeting program planners at arlmtgpgm@patacs.org.

Not a Member? Want to Attend Our Zoom Sessions?
Arlington Email: arlmtgs(at)patacs.org Fairfax Email: ffxmtg(at)patacs.org

OPCUG / PATACS Joint Meeting,
Saturday, April 18th, 1 PM 3rd Saturday
Meeting In-Person and Via Zoom - See Above Banner
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Tallwood, TA1
4210 Roberts Road, Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Fairfax Meeting Info, Maps Agenda / Meeting Info

In Person Requirements -
OLLI Health and Safety Protocols

Coffee, Soda and Individual Snack Packages will be available.

Pre-Meeting Slides

2026
Consumer Electronics Show
and Lots More!
Presented by Rob Pegoraro

My changing tech toolset: how I changed out notetaking apps only weeks before CES, the only way I regularly apply AI to my work, and my decision to fire Intuit from tax-prep work.
A year and change of Trump 2.0 tech policy: control-freakery at the FCC, dereliction of duty in Congress, and more thrilling news about the state of technology policy these days.
My sense of where self-driving cars are heading: I've now taken rides in Waymo, Zoox and Tesla vehicles without a human at the wheel, but that doesn't mean I'm universally sold on the concept.
Whither the Washington Post: what it's been like to watch the mothership steered onto the rocks, and how I've been going in finding replacement sources for local news.

Rob Pegoraro tries to make sense of computers, gadgets, the Internet, apps, and other things that beep or blink. He covers tech developments at Fast Company and PCMag, offers telecom and gadget guidance at Wirecutter and has contributed to the likes of AARP, The New Republic, Light Reading, and Ars Technica. A conference regular, he has spoken at Web Summit, SXSW and CES, among other events.
Until the spring of 2011, Pegoraro wrote a consumer-tech column and blog for the Washington Post during a 17-year stint that saw him write for almost every section of the paper, survive five CMSes and appear on the front page all of three times.
Pegoraro has a degree in international relations from Georgetown University (meaning, zero academic credentials to cover technology), has met most of the founders of the Internet and once received a single-word e-mail reply from Steve Jobs.

Learn in 30:
Mastering Windows 11: Keyboard Shortcuts
Presented by Frank Fota

Want to move faster and work smarter in Windows 11? Join us for an interactive presentation by PATACS Director at Large Frank Fota, who will demonstrate the power of keyboard shortcuts. You’ll discover how simple key combinations can streamline your daily workflow, minimize mouse use, and boost productivity across common tasks—from window management and desktop navigation to file organization and system controls.

This guided session organizes essential shortcuts into practical, easy-to-learn categories, helping you build lasting muscle memory for effortless efficiency. Whether you’re a casual user or a power user in the making, you’ll leave with tools to make Windows 11 feel faster, smoother, and tailor-made for you.