October E-Newsletter
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. As always, we appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Please send your thoughts, comments or questions to newsletter@gmavt.net.
The Green Mountain Access Team
~ Adam, Amanda, Eric, Jess, Kris, Phil, Richard, Seth and Scott
Company News
Sign-Up For Our "Let’s Talk Wi-Fi – Tips, Tricks and Solutions" Webinar!
We often don't think about the increasing number of devices that we are connecting to our Wi-Fi networks. Laptops, smart phones, tablets, gaming devices and smart TV's all connect to the Internet via your Wi-Fi network. What you think may be a speed issue, may actually be limitations in your Wi-Fi network.
These free webinars are designed to give you some great tips on making sure your Wi-Fi is working properly in your home or business. For your convenience, these will be online webinars that you can watch on your computer from the comfort of your home or office.
To RSVP for a webinar, click on the appropriate link below to indicate which webinar you would like to attend.
Win a $50 Gift Certificate To Hatchet Tap & Table
Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name every month for your chance to win. Congratulations to Linda Parent of Hinesburg who was last month's winner of a gift card to Sugarbush Golf Club. This month we have another great local prize, a $50 gift card to Hatchet Tap & Table in Richmond. To be entered into the raffle, simply click the link below and leave your name and contact information. The drawing will take place on October 21st.
Click here to enter for your chance to win
Looking To Improve Your Wi-Fi Coverage And Experience? We Have Solutions...
Introducing eeros, our new Whole Home Wi-Fi offering that uses multiple access points and TrueMesh technology to cover every nook and cranny of your home in powerful and reliable Wi-Fi. With the eero app, you can set up your system in under 10 minutes. Start by plugging an eero directly into your modem, then the app will walk you through placing additional eero Beacons in your living room, bedrooms, kitchen, hallways, and more to bring Wi-Fi to every inch of your home. If your residence requires a more advanced set up, please ask about our professional, turn-key installation option.
Why eeros?
- Better Coverage -
Whole Home Wi-Fi improves coverage throughout your home using multiple access points to improve coverage and eliminate dead-spots.
- Parental Controls - With the eero app in hand, you can see what’s happening on your network, set parental controls, check device usage, share your network with friends, or even pause the internet.
- Easy Self Installation - The eero setup process is quick and simple. Once your Home Wi-Fi System is up and running, eero takes care of its own troubleshooting and updates. No more manual router resetting.
- How Much Does It Cost? Our eero Whole Home Wi-Fi solution starts at $10.90* per month for two eero Wi-Fi access points, or $15.95* per month for three eero Wi-Fi access points, which cover most installations. You can also choose to purchase your eero package from us.
At Green Mountain Access, we offer a full range of residential and business class Wi-Fi solutions from leading manufacturers including AirTies, Eero, Ubiquiti and Ruckus. Our Whole Home Wi-Fi uses multiple Access Points placed at strategic locations around your home to expand coverage, eliminating
dead spots, and providing great performance for all of your streaming devices.
Want To Learn More?
For more information, watch our video below or visit http://www.wcvt.com/services/wi-fi/residential to learn more about our Whole Home Wi-Fi or business Wi-Fi solutions. You can also give us a call at 800-496-3391 or send us an email and we'd be happy to discuss our solutions with you.
*Whole Home Wi-Fi equipment requires Green Mountain Access high-speed Internet service and a modem/router.
WCVT In The Community
WCVT To Host Children's Halloween Party In Bristol On Friday, October 25th
Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom and the Bristol Recreation Department are once again teaming up to host the annual children's Halloween party on Friday, October 25th from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. at Holley Hall in downtown Bristol. The event is free of charge and open to children of all ages. There will be music, activities, and refreshments. At 6:00 p.m. there will be a costume parade, followed by a free showing of The House With A Clock In Its Walls back in Holley Hall at 7:00 p.m. Parents or guardians are asked to accompany their children.
WCVT Hosts Annual Fall Blood Drive
Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom recently sponsored its annual fall Red Cross blood drive in Waitsfield, Vermont. According to Eric Haskin, President and CEO for WCVT and event organizer, “We collected a total of 33 pints and I would like to personally thank everyone who came out and donated blood. I also want to thank all of our employees who volunteered their time to help make the blood drive a success."
Thanks For Visiting Us At The Bristol Harvest Festival
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit our booth at the Bristol Harvest Festival. It was another great year with Kris staffing our booth. We truly enjoy meeting our customers face-to-face and what better place than at a great community event such as the Harvest Festival. See you next year!
Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom provides each employee with sixteen hours of community service time yearly to be used on local service projects. If your organization has a project in the making and is looking for help, contact Lorraine Keener at 496-8379 or lkeener@corp.wcvt.com to discuss the possibilities of WCVT participation.
Community Events
2019 Huntington Arts And Crafts Festival – Saturday, October 5th- Huntington
The Huntington Valley Arts and the Huntington Town Hall are hosting a day of art, crafts, music and food in Huntington. The event will take place from 10:00am to 5:00pm at the Huntington Town Hall in Huntington Center. Twenty local artists and handcrafters will have work on display. Local music is scheduled in the afternoon and lunch will be available from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit https://townhall.huntingtonvt.org/artfest/
Mad Dash, Sunday, October 13th - Waitsfield
The Mad Dash, sponsored by Sugarbush Resort, includes a 5k run race, a 10K run race, a 5K walk and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield kid’s fun run. Every participant is welcomed by our many volunteers and receives an event shirt, a healthy lunch, refreshments and great entertainment. There are raffle prizes to be won along with a silent auction featuring an assortment of great items from local valley businesses. The run/walk course takes you through beautiful countryside on local roads with scenic views, farms, a covered bridge and colorful meadows. For more information or to register, visit http://www.madriverpath.com/mad-dash.php.
East Charlotte Tractor Parade – Sunday, October 13th
The 19th annual East Charlotte Tractor Parade will take place on Sunday, October 13th at 1:00 p.m. This is a great event with up to 200 tractors parading down Spear Street in East Charlotte. There will be an open air market with food and crafts, a kid's area with free games, free parking with hay-ride shuttles, and a whole lot of fun for the entire family. For more information, click here.
Tutorial / FAQ
Scam Alert - Beware Of Social Security Administration Scam
The Social Security Administration (SSA) scam is the number one scam reported to the FTC right now. People filed nearly 73,000 reports about Social Security imposters in the first six months of 2019, with reported losses of $17 million.
Social Security numbers are the skeleton key to identity theft. And what better way to get someone s Social Security number than by pretending to be from Social Security?
This scam is often executed via robocall. The recording may provide a number for you to call to remedy some supposed Social Security problem, or you may be told there is good news about an increase in your benefit. You could also receive an email that appears to be from SSA and instructs you to click a link to register for a free service that protects you from Social Security fraud. In all cases, what the scammers are after is your name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
Follow these precautions to guard against identity theft stemming from the SSA scam:
~ Hang up if someone calls you out of the blue and claims to be from SSA.
~ Set up a My Social Security account online https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount and check it on a monthly basis for signs of anything unusual, even if you have not yet started collecting benefits.
~ Don't assume a call is legitimate because it appears to come from 800-772-1213, the SSA s customer service line. Scammers use spoofing technology to trick caller ID.
~ Never give your Social Security number or other personal information to someone who contacts you by email. SSA never requests information that way.
Stay informed and stay vigilant!
FAQ Short Tutorial / FAQ - What Is A Deepfake Video?
Question: I've heard the term "deepfake videos" in the news lately. What are they? How and why are they made?
Answer: A deepfake is a technique for human image synthesis based on artificial intelligence. By using this technique, creators can show real people in videos doing and saying things they never did.
Deepfake videos are designed to intentionally mislead people. While they can be used for entertainment and satire on TV and social media (where it's usually identified as such), deepfakes are more often produced by people with an ax to grind, an agenda to promote, or an urge to troll.
They're created by using two competing AI systems -- one is called the generator and the other is called the discriminator. Basically, the generator creates a fake video clip and then asks the discriminator to determine whether the clip is real or fake. Each time the discriminator accurately identifies a video clip as being fake, it gives the generator a clue about what not to do when creating the next clip.
Spotting a deepfake video can be challenging, but watch for the following characteristics:
~ Face discolorations
~ Lighting that isn't quite right
~ Badly synced sound and video
~ Blurriness where the face meets the neck and hair
We often say "seeing is believing." But in the case of deepfake videos, that idiom doesn't prove true.
Sites of the Month
Good News Network
An antidote to the negativity in most media, this site features only positive news stories. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
Care.com
Find helpful articles in the categories of Parenting, Seniors, House & Home, and Pets. https://www.care.com/c/
Organized Home
Time for fall cleaning? Get a chore checklist plus tips on cutting clutter and organizing. https://organizedhome.com/
More...
Must See Videos - A Couple Amazing Videos You Don't Want to Miss
Balloon Artist Will Blow You Away
Masayoshi Matsumoto creates amazingly intricate animals using only balloons, creativity, and extremely nimble fingers.
Revolutionary Goo Absorbs Shock
D30 goo is used inside football helmets to protect players from head traumas as well as inside motorcycle helmets and shoes.
Crafty Ideas
Pumpkin Decorating Without Carving
This video offers seven ways to decorate pumpkins using stencils, markers, paint, gold leaf, and more.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2019/1910_VIDEO_H1_Crafty.htm
Dress Your Door for Halloween
Greet trick-or-treaters with a spooky display using inexpensive materials including black garbage bags.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2019/1910_VIDEO_H2_Crafty.htm
Popular Apps
Skillshare
Learn on the go with this app. It offers more than 25,000 classes to fuel your creativity and career. https://www.skillshare.com/
Rome2Rio
Find the best way to get from point A to point B, anywhere in the world, using just one search. https://www.rome2rio.com/
Goodbudget
This budget tracker for the modern age uses a virtual form of the envelope budgeting method. https://goodbudget.com/
Cooking Demo
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Fresh pumpkin is blended with potatoes, carrots, and more to produce this delicious soup for fall dinners.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2019/1910_VIDEO_E1_Cooking.htm
Salted Caramel Apple Slab Pie
This dessert is quick and easy to prepare. It's also a perfect way to use the apples from local orchards.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2019/1910_VIDEO_E2_Cooking.htm
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