I recently prepared a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation for my main county library to show at their branch in a public gathering. It's been years since I've used PowerPoint. My older version saves files in the PowerPoint ppt file extension, instead of the newer pptx.

What did I do? Google Drive to the rescue. The video / audio mix you'll see below, called How to Freeze and Unfreeze Credit Reports, was produced by me in Camtasia Studio.

The Camtasia Studio MP4 video was uploaded to the Google Drive and inserted into Google Slides, (their free online 'PowerPoint' clone). I exported the Google Slides, saving the file using the Slides extension pptx.

Now I had the PowerPoint file ready for PP. Here's the original MP4 video.

The Bad Guys

Why would you want to freeze and unfreeze your credit information? How about trying to impede third parties from accessing your private details and opening accounts using your info!

Unfortunately, data breaches rule! According to TechCrunch, the online newspaper, 1 billion personal records were stolen in 2024.

Who has been hit?

• United Health Care
• Coinbase
• GrubHub
• Hertz
• AT&T

That's just a few. Names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and social security numbers are captured and sold into the dark web by the bad guys.

Sometimes, it is not the fault of the companies. Almost all of them use third party technology providers who are exploited by weak security leaks.

By freezing your credit bureau report, no one can open a credit related account using your info. If you freeze and unfreeze online, the bureaus will complete your request within one hour.

Do it by phone and it is somewhat more difficult. Do it by snail mail, and it takes much longer.

Have a major expense coming your way that will need a new credit application? Unfreeze your account with the three bureaus for maybe a week, then freeze them again when your new buying process is completed.

The American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition

I was lucky enough to attend this year's ALA conference in Philadelphia June 26 - June 30. 30,000 were expected. 14,000 plus authors, library workers, educators, exhibitors, and book supporters showed up.

Here I am in the exhibition hall pointing to my book Powerhouse Radio: Rough Roads, Radiance, and Rebirth; My True AM - FM - Satellite and Audio Streaming Survival Story that was on display during the conference.

The image below is conference guest George Takei (Star Trek), talking with Meg Lemke of Publisher’s Weekly about his WWII internment experience, and his new book "It Rhymes With Takei."

Bonus: Here's another short segment of my interview on Black Authors Matter TV. I call this segment Audiobook Dance. For even more background, read my expanded Audiobook Assembly Anecdotes To Learn From.

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