99 cent iTunes movie Julie and Julia in Summer Rentals

When there's not much to watch on, TV checking out specials on iTunes can be a cost effective option to driving to a video rental store and the subsequent trip to return the video the next day. Few people add the cost of petrol and wear and tear on the car to the cost of a video rental. We hadn't seen Julie and Julia and thought it might be worth checking out. As it turned out Julie and Julia was a reasonable movie and well worth the 99 cents.

If you're looking for Julie and Julia you can find it in the Summer Rentals section along with some other older movies.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Ph: 0415 910 703

Herald Sun - You have reached your weekly Guest Access limit of 5 FREE ARTICLES

I find it interesting when news sites put barriers up for readers which try to get people to register their details. The news sites have paid advertising which should be paying for the content and making the site profit. Those who find value in the service will subscribe, but those who have to yet again provide their contact details to be on yet another mailing list, may in fact be put off using the site and that doesn't help advertisers.

It is very easy to search for an article using a search engine, and if the article is news, it will appear across a number of sites. Technically it is also trivial to get around the free article limit and takes no real skill. You can use more than one browser to extend the free number of articles, clear your cache, or operate your browser in private mode to bypass the limit.

Somehow I think the news sites need to become a little more creative in how they obtain new subscribers.  

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Ph: 0415 910 703

Biggest Loser Ararat is the location for Victoria's most obese town.

We're now seeing advertising for the next Biggest Loser project which will focus on the town of Ararat. According to a Herald Sun article I read, 59.2 per cent of the residents are obese. I find this figure to be highly unlikely and more likely the figure relates to people being overweight or obese.

I think it would be interesting if the second most overweight town decided to diet for a period of 12 weeks and then compare the difference in results between the two towns. Sometimes with television shows it is hard to separate what is entertainment and what is useful information.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Ph: 0415 910 703

The preferred Australian English spelling dictionary now available for Apple's MacBook Air and Mac computers using OS X.

If you're not happy with the spelling suggestions made by Apple's built-in Australian dictionary you're not alone. Most people don't like American spelling suggestions (which are secondary spelling variations in Australia).

Previous dictionary products I've supplied for Mac users have only worked with Microsoft Office products Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but not Outlook. Outlook use Apple's built-in dictionary and not Microsoft's dictionary. Now Outlook users on the Mac can have the preferred Australian spelling.

You can find the preferred Australian English spelling dictionary for Mac OS X at http://www.australian-dictionary.com.au/mac/. 

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.Australian-Dictionary.com.au
Ph: 0415 910 703

Ringwood Shopping Centre (Eastland) Chistmas Shopping Hours 2013

The following are the 2103 Christmas trading hours for Ringwood Shopping Centre (Eastland).

21 Dec Sat - 9 am - 6 pm
22 Dec Sun - 10 am - 6 pm
23 Dec Mon - 9 am - Midnight
24 Dec Tue - 8 am - 5:30 pm
25 Dec Wed - Closed (Christmas Day)
26 Dec Thu - 8 am - 9 pm (Boxing Day)
27 Dec Fri - 9 am - 9 pm
28 Dec Sat - 9 am - 5 pm
29 Dec Sun - 10 am - 5 pm
30 Dec Mon - 9 am - 5:30 pm
31 Dec Tue - 9 am - 5:30 pm
1 Jan Wed - 10 am - 5 pm (New Year's Day)

Happy shopping.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au 

Chadstone Shopping Centre Christmas Trading Hours 2013

The following are the 2103 Christmas trading hours for Chadstone Shopping Centre.

21 Dec Sat - 8 am - Midnight
22 Dec Sun - 8 am - Midnight
23 Dec Mon - 8am - staying open
24 Dec Tue - open from previous day - 6 pm
25 Dec Wed - Closed (Christmas Day)
26 Dec Thu - 7 am - 10 pm
27 Dec Fri - 9 am - 9 pm
28 Dec Sat - 9 am - 6 pm
29 Dec Sun - 10 am - 6 pm
30 Dec Mon - 9 am - 5:30 pm
31 Dec Tue - 9 am - 5:30 pm
1 Jan Wed - 10 am - 6 pm (New Year's Day)

Happy shopping.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Alert: Your iCloud storage is almost full. You are currently using 4.8 GB of 5 GB total storage.

I received an email tonight with the subject 'Your iCloud storage is almost full.'. I couldn't help think, was this a scam email or a legitimate email. I checked all the links in the email, the headers for the email and the IP address from where the email was sent from, which was registered to Apple. So yes, this was a legitimate email.

I was surprised to see I'd used up nearly all my iCloud storage. I actually thought I'd disabled most of the iCloud features but apparently not. Time for me to go in and first delete some unwanted material on my iPhone which has been uploaded to iCloud. Then I'll disable the features I don't want to use with regards to iCloud, so hopefully the problem won't occur again. It turned out I had the iPhone backup set to use iCloud. I deleted the backup and the incomplete backup that had been created in iCloud. I do however use other techniques to backup my devices so it is important to make sure you backup your devices so you can at least recover the data that is important to you. 

This is actually a good marketing strategy for Apple. Those who don't manage their use of iCloud will end up purchasing more storage thinking they need it. When you look at a basic iPhone it has 8 or 16GB or storage. The 5GB will easily be consumed backups and you may not even know it is happening. It also means there's data usage from your internet access plan you've used that may or may not impact the cost of your internet service. Whilst it does take some effort, it is important for you to know what each feature of your device does and how that could affect you.

What also concerns me is this is an automated message in a standard format. Once spammers/scammers see messages like this they'll create fake messages to trick people into taking some action. If you receive any such messages from Apple treat them with suspicion. It only takes a moment to infect your computer or to share your personal or credit card details.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for IT support.

Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe and the surrounding areas.

Alert: Woolworths - Bringing Christmas Together! Win 50$

If you receive an email from Woolworths congratulating you and offering you $50 to participate in a survey you should delete the email. It isn't legitimate. The body of the email starts with the following and contains a link which is designed to look like a Woolworths site, but takes you to another unrelated site. 

Congratulations!

You have been selected by Woolworths Online Department to take part in our quick and easy reward survey.
In return we will credit $50 to your account - Just for your time!

I'm always amazed how every day we are approach by scammers on the internet. The flow of scams never seems to abate.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 if you require computer support.

Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe and the surrounding area.

Alert: iTunes Support - Update your account Apple

If you receive one of these emails you should delete it. It is a malicious email and is not from Apple.

This is a copy of the type of email notification you may receive from Apple. This is how scammers trick people. If you ever receive an email from Apple don't click on a link in the email (unless you have no option) but go to the site by opening your browser and entering the site address.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Myki weekend cap to increase to $6. Two hour tickets to now be two hours and not rounded to the next hour.

Two changes to the Myki users need to be aware off.

Myki cap will jump from $3.50 to $6,... read more. 

The first is the Myki cap for weekend travel will increase from $3.50 to $6. The second is the two hour ticket will be two hours from the time you touch on and no longer be rounded to the next hour. Both of these benefits have encouraged me to use the public transport system in the past and to travel by public transport on the weekend rather than using the car. At $6 that benefit has now gone and I'm unlikely to use public transport in preference to the car. This is of course revenue raising by the government.

This is an interesting tactic by the government. It is very similar to how businesses operate. If you have a captive market you can increase your prices and people will still use the services. The drop in use is often much less than the increase in profit. Similar to how the government increases the price of cigarettes and whilst some people stop smoking, the revenue increase exceeds the loss by those who stop using the product or service. 

The bottom line is potentially a 71% increase for weekend travel and could require some people to purchase a second two hour trip/all day trip, where previously it would not have been be required. 

As an example a quick return trip from Templestowe to Hawthorn takes about 3 hours on a weekend (40 minutes by car) and could be done using either a two hour trip with the right timing or the $3.50 cap. Whilst this is not time efficient, it can be cost efficient. Now I wouldn't hesitate to simply use the car. A trip for two using public transport on the weekend was OK in terms of cost, even it wasn't particularly convenient or time efficient. Now I'll simply use the car. 

If I seem to recall correctly, when Myki was introduced the $3 all day weekend maximum was a selling point over the Metcard. I can't recall the old prices, but I have a feeling in just a couple of years the Myki benefit for weekend travel has now gone and Metcard may have had cheaper options such as the Sunday Saver.

From the article I was not able to ascertain when these changes will start, but believe these changes will take effect from the 1st of January 2014.

Kelvin Eldridge

Dr Albert Tsai and the Meridian Medical Centre are now live on JustLocal.

I'd like to welcome Dr Albert Tsai to the JustLocal service. You can now find Dr Albert Tsai and the Meridian Medical Centre on the Bentleigh East postcode page (www.JustLocal.com.au/3165) of JustLocal.

For those looking for Dr Albert Tsai, the Meridian Medical Centre has recently moved to 74 Mackie Road in Bentleigh East.

Dr Albert Tsai services include acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, cupping and fertility treatment. For information on services provided by Dr Albert Tsai visit the Meridian Medical Centre website.

Kelvin Eldridge
JustLocal – Helping locals find local businesses.

www.JustLocal.com.au
An Online Connections service.

Alert: New Voicemail Message from Cbus, Bulla Dair Foods and Centro Property Group.

This morning I received three emails (to different email addresses) with the subject 'New Voicemail Message'. The email contains an attachment 'VoiceMail.zip' which contains an executable program.

You should delete these emails as the attachment is malware.

The body of one of the emails started with the following: 'You have been left a 1:09 long message (number 1) in mailbox from "Cbus" 07516326347, on Monday, November 19, 2013 at 07:29:02 AM'. As you can see this email pretends to be a voice mail message from Cbus. The other two emails pretended to be voice mail messages from Bulla Dairy Foods and Centro Property Group. The company and telephone number changed for each email.

I tested the attachment and only Sophos currently identifies the attachment as malware and all the other commonly used antivirus programs are not yet aware of the malware.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Be careful with Dell delivery times. This is a good reminder to be mindful that not all deliveries will make it for Christmas.

I assisted a client with an order for a Dell computer on the 22nd of November. The computer was to be delivered within the next 10 days. An email was received on the 26th of November confirming the delivery would be on or before the 2nd of December.

On the 2nd of December at 2:55 pm an SMS was received requesting a response for delivery on either the 10th of December, the 11th of December, or to receive a call. I decided to receive a call to make sure I speak to someone on behalf of the client. To receive an SMS on the expected date of delivery stating a different time is terrible customer service. The client waited around all day for the delivery and Dell sent the message to me and not the client. Dell had recorded my details as a secondary contact.

I find it staggering that well before Christmas Dell can't deliver within the 10 days they advise. That will now make it 18 days until a delivery is expected, and at this point, there is no guarantee the delivery time won't be adjusted again. This isn't a purchase for Christmas, but if it was, there would be a concern regarding delivery.

This is a good reminder as we approach Christmas that a lot of people will be disappointed when they don't receive items they've ordered for Christmas. At this time it is perhaps a good idea to start thinking about buying from bricks and mortar shops rather than online, and make sure they actually have stock on hand. Placing an order in a shop is no more of a guarantee that you'll receive an item as placing an order online. I recall waiting for an order for months from the Myer Store and months from a distributor for an Epson colour laser. If it isn't in stock, in the premises, chances are you may not get the item in time.

Kelvin Eldridge 
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Ph: 0415 910 703