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

Smartraveller site and advertising links a need to register and travel insurance which isn't necessary.

I was quite surprised to see on TV last night an advertisement which implied people needed to register on the government's Smartraveller site with an implied connection to travel insurance. I just felt this was quite misleading.

I consider travel insurance to be a must when travelling overseas. Don't just take what is offered by the travel agent or they'll sting you. You can save hundreds by shopping around. Do check what the insurance offers/covers, because people may be surprised that some of those activities you're looking forward to may not be covered.

I noticed a well known credit card bragging about their travel insurance and shortly after I'd checked the free travel insurance you get with the credit card, I was approached in a shopping centre by a person flogging the card and saying how good their insurance was. However to me the level of cover was totally inadequate. Much to my surprise the credit card I currently have has excellent travel insurance cover so no additional cover may possibly be needed as long as I purchase everything using the credit card. However, before travelling I'll still want to make sure I'm covered to the level I think I'm covered for with the credit card. Insurance companies are always looking for ways to minimise making a payout, so make sure you understand what you are covered for.

As for registering and subscribing to the government's Smartraveller website, I just don't see the need and there is certainly no connection to the travel insurance you decide on.

By the way, don't trust those ads you see for cheap travel insurance when searching on the internet . I checked some out and their cheap offers to find they were nearly double what I could find elsewhere. You'll find after you search for travel insurance, ads keep popping up because that's how Google works. You a tracked for what you search for and as you move from site to site, sites displaying Google advertising will show you ads relating to what you've searched for, often many hours after you performed your search. Many people get freaked by this online tracking. As long as you are aware it's OK, but if you aren't, you may just get tricked with one of those overpriced "cheap" travel insurance offers.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Crown Casino offer - Selected main meails for $9.95 plus 5 hours of free carparking.

I noticed the advertisement on TV for the Crown Casino meal offer. As with ads on TV often you miss part of the information or the full details of the offer. I noticed the free parking but didn’t notice the meal part of the offer. To make it easier I decided to find out more information on the offer.

Enjoy a selection of satisfying mains for just $9.95... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Google reveals the difficult levels 33, 65, 97 and more in Candy Crush

If you think you’re stuck on a level on Candy Crush perhaps it may not just be you. Perhaps it is the designers of Candy Crush have made the level difficult to make you part with your hard earned cash.

Global Candy Crush Addiction Earns Game Maker $670,000 a Day... Read More

Interestingly if you type into Google, “Candy Crush level”, you’ll see a list of suggestions and you may not be surprised to see the level you’re stuck on is the same level as many others enquiring about. You can probably bet that many people will simply pay up to continue playing their game. Rest assured however you don’t need to. With a bit of reading by searching ‘Candy Crush’ on Google you’ll probably find the tip you need to progress to the next level. That’s how I helped one person who was stuck on level 33.

If you find yourself tempted to make a payment you should probably also ask if perhaps you may have become addicted. Those small amounts add up just like playing the pokies, and from what I’ve read, game developers are using the same techniques to make money as used by the pokies.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Approached by the developer of the Fuel Monitor App in Apple Store

I received an email from the developer of the Fuel Monitor App available in the Apple Store. Initially I thought this was simply spam. But the reality is if another business has a legitimate sales pitch should they be treated as a spammer. It is a hard call. Email is treated differently than snail mail. Of course the app developer could avoid the issue of being a spammer by sending a written letter. Then there is no question. Always be careful when approaching others using email that you have not had contact with. Even if you don't consider what you are doing is spam, they may.

I decided the offer of using their database (which contains figures for 60,000 vehicles) is not what the Petrol Cost Calculator is about. As the developer stated the user has to enter their figures manually and they usually don't know their information. However that is the whole point of the Petrol Cost Calculator. Of course you can look up the manufacturers figures. The government also provides such figures. But the reality is I don't believe figures are that useful. They are at best a guide. The problem from what I've read are tests are performed in a laboratory following a serious of test over short time intervals. Yep, that really equates to how we drive out cars – NOT. In addition I've read manufacturers even remove weight from the cars, such as the spare tyre, to improve the fuel consumption figures.

How you drive and where you drive will significantly affect your fuel consumption. How many passengers you have in the car will affect your fuel consumption. To me the best way to find out realistic figures is to perform some simple tests. Again the result is only a guide because the environment we travel in is quite variable, but they measure 'your' fuel consumption, in 'your' vehicle, as 'you' use it, and to me that is what I want to know. Not what someone else supposedly provides to the government as I simply don't trust that figure. I've seen the energy rating figure for two washing machines differ where in fact the physical machines were identical, except one was labelled 7 litres and the other 7.5. The energy figure used the information as provided by the manufacturer which means one machine was wrong.

It really isn't that hard to record the distance you travel on the back of the receipt for three tanks of petrol, average those figures and you then have a good estimate of your car, in the current condition, for how you drive. Not totally accurate, but a better figure than something determined in a laboratory. If you'd like to have a better estimate of the cost of using petrol in your car use the Petrol Cost Calculator and use the L / 100 km Calculator. If you just want to get a quick idea, check the government site, or even use and estimate and enter the figure into the Petrol Cost Calculator. No need to install yet another app in you mobile device. Just visit the Petrol Cost Calculator which you can find on the JustLocal site www.JustLocal.com.au.

Happy motoring.

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

Bank of Queensland Bonus Internet Savings account rate drops below special term deposit rates.

A while ago I decided to move funds from Bank Of Queensland's term deposit to the bonus interest savings account they offered. I'd watched the bonus interest savings account for some time and the rate offered exceeded the best term deposit rate. Today I checked and the interest rate offered on the bonus interest savings account has fallen below the lowest special term deposit rate.

I've found in the past you need to watch the rates Bank of Queensland offer. With the term deposits I found they'd vary the best rate so if you simply left your money in a 6 month term you could end up with a significantly lower rate. Every time your term deposit comes up you should review the rates for the various terms. Now with the bonus savings rate having dropped so far it is time to review whether or not you should reconsider using the term deposit if like me you've moved to the bonus interest savings account.

I hope this helps others improve their deposit return in this time of quite low rates.

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

Search Australia - Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. - Google Custom search blocked by Google.

Today I went to use Search Australia, as I have hundreds of times in the past month and nothing happened. I entered 'g' followed by the search term, which sends the request to Google, and the page just sat there. No results were displayed. Nothing happened at all.

Google for some reason as a result of something I had done decided to see if I was a real human or a robot. Unfortunately I couldn't see Google's message. I decided to use the mobile version of Search Australia (clicked on the link) and then I was presented with the following screen.

I then entered the characters as requested and was able to continue with my searches. If you find when using Search Australia and after pressing Search the page doesn't display any results, suspect that Google may have blocked you. Click on the link for the mobile version of Search Australia, perform a search and you may receive the test to check if you're human.

Alternately if you just want search results, use Bing or Yahoo by entering 'b' or 'y' before your search term.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Alert: Adobe Customer Care - Important Password Reset Information

I received an email today from Adobe Customer Care regarding resetting the password for use of their site. From what I've recently read, Adobe has been hacked and possibly up to 38 million users may have been affected.

Even though this does appear as a legitimate notification, as is my usual recommendation, do not click on a link to go to a website. Open your browser and then enter the website address you wish to go to. Even though this email may be legitimate, the next could be a fake email from a scammer.

If you do receive an email from Adobe and use the same password across multiple sites, you should reset your password on all sites and where possible and appropriate use different passwords for each site. The reason is if hackers have obtained the password file, there is a possibility it will contain your email address and your password and that combination is now often used across multiple sites.

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

Welcome to Big Brothers Pizza Bulleen

Looking for an excellent pizza at an excellent price. Check out Big Brothers Pizza in Bulleen. You can now find Big Brother Pizza on the Bulleen page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au/3105), or view the Big Brothers Pizza menu at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/big-brothers-pizza-bulleen/.

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

Last in Melbourne Cup 2013

It appears RUSCELLO, number 24 was last in the Melbourne Cup for 2013.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Search Australia updated to easily provide calorie content of food.

A common search we're carrying out at the moment is the energy content of different food. Yes, we're dieting, so it does help if you can work out quickly the energy content of different food. For example, how many kilojoules are there in an apple?

Interestingly Google provides this information. The information returned is in Calories, but multiplying by four (actual conversion is to multiple by 4.2) is fairly easy and gives an approximation of the energy in kilojoules. (Note the use of the upper case in Calories. I've explained this below.)

I decided to make it even easier for myself and those using Search Australia. If you now enter the letter 'c' followed by a space and then the food item, you'll get the Calories for the food. There is a selection option which enables you to vary the size of the food item.

So now if you want to know the energy content of an apple, just enter 'c apple' in Search Australia and there's your answer.


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

PS. When referring to energy content in kilojoules is easy. However, the terms calorie and Calorie are frequently interchanged and can cause some confusion. Calorie with a capital is 1000 calories. If the number you're expecting to see is out by a factor of a thousand then this is the reason. The energy content of food is often shown in Calories and kilojoules. If you see the energy content shown as calories, chances are it is an error and the word calories should have been capitalised. When we write about the energy content of food is it OK to use the word calorie, but do keep in mind when we are using the measurement of the amount of energy in a food item, we are usually referring to the Calorie value in capital 'c', because it is a more convenient smaller number. That is 1 Calorie equals 1000 calories. 1 Calories equals 4.2 kilojoules. 1 calorie equals 4.2 joules. 1 Calorie is also known as a kilocalorie.

12V car kettle product is a dud.

I continue to review products in terms of saving electricity and one product I thought would be worth testing was a 12V car kettle. I have a low wattage solar panel, regulator and 12V 38Ah battery which easily stores enough power to boil water for a cuppa. What better way to save money than using the sun to boil water for a cuppa.

I purchased a 12V car kettle and performed a test. For two cups of water it took around half an hour and for a single cup around 15-20 minutes. I don't know about you, but I don't think waiting 15-30 minutes for a cup of coffee makes sense.

I was hoping for a better outcome but really it makes sense. The car cigarette lighter is most likely only designed to take appliances using about 10 amps. That means we are probably using about 120 watts. A normal kettle runs at around 2000-2400 watts, or uses nearly 20 times the amount of power. Thus if it takes about 1-2 minutes to boil a cup of water in a kettle it would take 10-20 times longer in the car kettle. Had I known this at the time I wouldn't have bothered purchasing the car kettle. We live and learn.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.energycostcalculator.com.au
 

Use Weight Loss Maths to lose weight.

I've recently finished changing how the Weight Loss Maths sites is structured and updated the main page with the three main concepts behind losing weight and that losing weight doesn't have to cost you a cent. I lost 22 kg and part of my weight loss journey was to see if I could lose weight without any additional exercise. It's not that I'm lazy, it is just that I wanted to prove whether or not you could lose weight without changing your exercise routine. The answer is, yes you can. That doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise, just that you can still lose weight without building up a sweat. I'd also highly recommend activity as it will further increase the speed of losing weight once you have your diet under control.

I'm sharing my story and the tools I used to lose weight and your can find the information at www.WeightLossMaths.com.au.

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

Alert: CatchOfTheDay.com.au - Gift - 150 AU$

If you receive an email with the subject 'CatchOfTheDay.com.au - Gift - 150 AU$' you should delete it. It is a fake message containing the following.

CatchOfTheDay.com.au - Gift - 150 AU$
You have (1) new message.
Click here to get your 150 AU$ voucher
You can spend them on whatever you want on http://www.CatchOfTheDay.com.au.

The link does not take you to the CatchOfTheDay site.

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

Booking.yeah, booking.com commercial

Since I'd just booked some accommodation I decided to crosscheck the Booking.com site with another site I use. It turns out the price of the accommodation I checked was slightly more expensive on Booking.com.

If you're looking for accommodation through an online booking site, it only takes a few minutes to check the offers from others online booking sites. A good advertising campaign will get people to check out the site and many will book without checking the other sites. Make sure you look after your interests by checking a number of sites. Also keep in mind add-on costs such as booking fees and/or credit card fees. I let my guard down once with Expedia. Their prices seemed so good compared to Wotif.com, but Wotif included taxes upfront and Expedia gave a total cost and then added the taxes separately. Overall the prices were around the same but I felt tricked with the Expedia approach. That was my fault for not being thorough.

More recently when I booked I used a trick I learnt a while ago. It saved me $47.50 and I don't have to pay most of the money until I reach the hotel. I share the trick for clients in MyAnswers solution 2392, which can be found in the General section of MyAnswers.

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

MyAnswers: How to get a better price than Wotif, Expedia and other online booking services.

The following MyAnswers solution 2392 is now available:

Booked accommodation and saved $47.50 over Wotif's prices, including obtained a discounted night that wasn't available on Wotif. The prices also beat Expedia. I share how I often get better prices than the online services.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

I read a while ago Samsung was going to region lock one or more devices. If you're thinking about getting a Samsung device this may be reason not to.

The following article alerts people that Samsung are region-locking the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. To me this is one big incentive not to touch the device.

Sammy region-locks the latest version of its popular poke-with-a-stylus mobe... Read More

The problem is you never know in the next couple of years when you might travel to another region and you don’t want to end up carrying around a device that is locked in some way.

I don’t think many people are happy with region-locking of DVDs, but we got used to that from the dark ages. To start region locking devices to me is a concern. You never know if the device you have will or won’t work if you travel. I’ve also heard that Microsoft has region-locked their latest OEM version of Microsoft Office. How that will affect travellers I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be taking chances with region locked software or hardware if I could avoid it.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

McDonald's Drive Thru To Win unique letter combination won't be accepted. Error 'Sorry the code you have entered is invalid, please try again'

I decided to enter the McDonald's Drive Thru To Win competition since the receipt was just sitting there. Easy I thought. Just go to the website and enter the code. Of course I'll be signing my life away, but what the heck, it's a competition. I tried entering the code and I kept getting the error message 'Sorry the code you have entered is invalid, please try again'.

I decided something wasn't quite right but wasn't quite sure what. I decided to count the number of letters in the code I had and compare it to the code in the example. There was a letter short in my code. On closer examination I found the printed docket was missing a vertical strip on right. Given the printer used thermal printing technology, that means every docket printed using the printer at the Eltham McDonald's drive-thru would have had the same issue.

So if you find you're getting the error code 'Sorry the code you have entered is invalid, please try again', it may not be your fault.

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

How do Target Ticket USA prices compare with how much Australians are paying for renting online movies.

I noticed Target in the States has released a new service to sell and rent movies and TV shows. I decided to check out the pricing.

A new release movie from Quickflix or Apple iTunes typically costs around $5.99. If I select one new release movie as an example, such as Iron Man 3, the price on Quickflix is $5.99 (which looks like standard definition based on the size), on Apple iTunes the price is $6.99 for HD and $5.99 for SD. The price on Target Ticket is $5.99 for HD and $4.99 for SD. Tax in the States is usually not included in the price so I would assume tax needs to be added.

Allowing 10% for tax and adjusting for the current exchange rates would make the $4.99 SD price from Target Ticket equivalent to around $5.86 in Australian dollars. Given there is a charge when exchanging currencies it may actually be more expensive to use an overseas such Target Ticket if it was possible. Services like Target Ticket will normally be geo-blocked.

I did expect the Australian price to be greater, but this example shows we're currently close to parity. One advantage Target Ticket does have is they do offer lower prices on older movies and I can't find that with Apple iTunes.

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

How does E10 (ethanol) petrol compare with unleaded petrol?

I thought it would be interesting to run a few tests with E10 petrol (up to 10% ethanol) and compare the fuel consumption result with standard unleaded petrol. I'd read literature on the internet and found the following.

Ethanol has a lower energy content than standard petrol and thus it is expected you'll get less kilometres for the same amount of petrol. E10 petrol is typically around 3 cents per litre cheaper. The RACQ site states you should expect around a 3% increase in fuel consumption. Whilst we can simply believe what we read, I prefer to perform my own tests. The reason I want to perform my own tests is whilst ethanol has a lower energy content, E10 has a higher octane rating, and a higher octane level (95 as compared with 91 for unleaded) is associated with improved petrol consumption. Performing a series of tests will provide the information I desire.

Test 1 – City driving

Filled the tank with 45 litres of E10 petrol. The tank capacity is 60 litres. That means around 25% of the fuel is still unleaded.

I next filled the tank with 48.22 litres; the distance travelled was 462.7 km. 

This gives a fuel consumption figure of 10.42 litres per 100 km.

This result was unexpected. Normally I consistently fill up the tank with around 50 litres of petrol having travelled around 450 km, or around 11.11 litres per 100 km. I had used less petrol and had gone further. This is opposite to what I'd read on the internet and expected. Since ethanol has a lower energy content from the articles I read I was expecting to get less than 450 km, but instead achieved more.

This is the first test. I like to perform three tests and then average the results. Unfortunately the test was interrupted with the next tank being used for country driving. I will return to perform further tests for city driving.

Test 2 – Country driving

Filled the tank with 41.38 litres of E10 petrol; the distance travelled 531.9 km.

Fuel consumption  7.78 litres per 100 km.

I currently do not have any country driving comparison with standard petrol, but in the future I hope to perform additional country driving tests.

The litres per 100 km calculator is available at http://www.petrolcostcalculator.com.au/litres-per-100-km/ for those who wish to perform their own tests and calculations. As I complete further tests I'll publish the results on this page.

8 October 2013
Filled tank with 44.24 litres of E10; the distance travelled 412.6 km.
Fuel consumption 10.72 litres per 100 km.

9 November 2013

Filled tank with 48.97 litres of E10; the distance travelled 444.4 km.
Fuel consumption 11.02 litres per 100 km.

Based on the three test with the results of 10.42, 10.72 and 11.02 litres per 100 km the average fuel consumption for city driving for my Toyota Avensis is 10.72 litres per 100 km. The variation is 0.3 L / 100 km or 2.8% variation.

I'll now perform three tests for city driving using regular unleaded petrol.

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

PS. The result of the first city driving test is improved fuel consumption whereas the expectation was fuel consumption would be degraded. Further testing is now being done to verify this figure. I would suggest those using E10 perform their own tests.

Update: 5 January 2014
Three more tanks of petrol. City driving.
14/12/13  Unleaded 52.41 L, 495.1 km - 10.59 L / 100 km
22/12/13  Unleaded 49.86 L, 461.1 km - 10.81 L / 100 km
31/12/13  Unleaded 28.32 L, 266.3 km - 10.63 L / 100 km
Average 10.67 L / 100 km +/- 0.14 L / 100 km or 1.31% variation.

Based on this limited testing using my normal day-to-day city/suburban driving, the fuel usage difference between Unleaded and E10 is on average 0.05 L / 100 km. This is an increase in petrol usage of 0.46%, which is much less than the RACQ information.

Logically ethanol has around 30% less energy than petrol. Since E10 uses 10% ethanol that means E10 would have 3% less energy. Using E10 we should see an increase in fuel consumption per 100 km. We do see an increase but not by that amount.  In this test we saw an increase of 0.46%.

I suspect that whilst E10 does have less energy, the increase in the octane rating counters this to a degree and thus we don't see as great an increase in fuel consumption as expected.

E10 at the local service station is typically priced 3 cents a litre cheaper than unleaded fuel. At current petrol prices of around $1.60 a litre, 3 cents is a saving of 1.8%. This saving is reduced by the increased fuel consumption of 0.46% leaving us with a saving of 1.34%. Keep in mind there is no guarantee this saving even exists as the variance in the measurements exceeded this percentage, but if we assume this saving exists, how much saving a year would this mean.

First the petrol stations I use to purchase E10 don't take discount vouchers from the leading supermarkets. A voucher saving would exceed any E10 saving. But lets assume you don't use vouchers.

I do about 14,000 kilometres per year. Using the Petrol Cost Calculator I can determine I'd use an estimated $2,473 of petrol a year. A 1.34% saving would be $33 a year.

It has taken a while to get to this point in this testing and analysis, but since I don't consider a $33 saving over a year to be a  significant amount, and I always have a discount voucher available often far exceeding the E10 discount, it makes little sense to choose E10 over unleaded petrol from a service station which accepts discount vouchers. If the service station you use has both E10 and unleaded, and you're happy to use E10 and believe it won't adversely cause problems with your car,  then a small saving may be possible with E10.

Personally I am concerned United Petroleum doesn't promote greater fuel economy as a benefit of using E10 on their site. If the company selling the petrol doesn't see this as a benefit which can be promoted, then that begs the question why. I also have a lingering concern that since ethanol is hydroscopic (attracts water), and water can damage the fuel system, is there an increased risk to causing damage to the car. I haven't been fully convinced the additives may counter the issues but perhaps with more reading those fears could be allayed. The increased risk factor, small potential savings, and other ways to make greater savings using discount vouchers, does sway me towards not considering E10 in the future. You may come to a different conclusion.

The IV Sale program is now available on JustLocal free of charge.

Recently I used the IV Sale program to assist a person who wanted to collate and document their art collection and make the list of art available on the internet for others to see. In the past I've used a version of the IV Sale software to promote my own excess items. I decided to fix a few bugs and release the IV Sale program for others to use. The program is totally free and enables you to collate your list of items (complete with pictures) and then to make the list available on the internet.

A hidden gem in Google's Drive program enables you to use a Google Drive folder as a website. This feature has been utilised by the IV Sale program. You simply enter your items in the IV Sale program, view the web page, and your web page displaying your list of items is automatically updated to the internet.

Now you can keep your list of excess items conveniently located on your computer, update the list when desired and your items will be visible to others with no extra work on your part. How handy is that.

Visit www.IVSale.com.au and download the IV Sale program. You can also find the IV Sale program on JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au).

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

Congratulations to John for having your red light camera fine dismissed for the intersection of Williamsons Road, Doncaster Road and Tram Road.

I recently had to pleasure to support John in his quest to challenge the red light camera fine he received when turning right from Williamsons Road into Doncaster Road. The timing of the amber light was set to 3.0 seconds, where according to the guidelines the amber light should have been set to 4.5 seconds.

I was able to provide support by being present in court and also provided video evidence of the amber timing for both the 3.0 and 4.5 second periods.

What was particularly interesting was the actual infringement was not dismissed because that is outside of the court's control. However the magistrate does have discretion and a number of options. In this case the magistrate exercised his discretion to dismiss the fine. The demerit points still stand.

Congratulations John for standing up for your beliefs even thought it cost you a considerable amount of time and effort defending what you felt was an important principle.

Personally I think the Victorian Government, the police force and the commissioner have disadvantaged the community. The timing of the amber light was not set correctly and that has now been rectified. Those who were fined and received demerit points because of the incorrect timing should have had the fines refunded and the points removed from their records. The government's agents had incorrectly set the amber timing for those turning, but did not refund the fines or remove the demerit points for those turning who were booked. If the timing of the amber light was not considered incorrect there would have been no reason for the government to subsequently change the amber timing as they now have.

Should anyone require video evidence of the amber light for right turning vehicles on the 19th of February 2012 (when the setting was 3 seconds) and on the 8th of October 2012 (when the timing had been updated to 4.5 seconds), I am happy to assist by providing a copy of the videos for evidence. The videos are also available from YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/kelvineldridge).


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

Gmail spam - Integrated marketing help - Chloe Lee

Most days I receive spam from people using Gmail. Over the weekend I didn't check my email and 90% of the email was spam or malware. Whilst there's not much you can do about it, Google provides the ability to report spammers using their services. I doubt if Google do anything about it, but you can hope.

I use Search Australia to quickly go to sites I use and decided to add two sites for those wishing to report spam. The first is 'Gmail spam' and the other is a site run by the Australian government so you can report spam. Normally I really can't be bothered and simply hit the delete key, but every now and then I decide to stop being apathetic and submit the spam report in case it makes a difference.

If you receive spam email from a Gmail user and wish to report it, open Search Australia (you can find Search Australia on JustLocal – www.justlocal.com.au) and type 'gmail spam'. This will open Google's spam reporting page. Complete the details and hit submit. If you'd like to report spam to the Australian authorities then simply type 'spam' in Search Australia. This will open the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) site. I doubt if the Australian government can or would do anything with regards to spam sent from overseas, so probably best just to use the ACMA site for spam sent from Australian businesses. The good thing is most Australian businesses tend not to send spam, but a few do.

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

Set as Home Page option added to the Search Australia page.

Yesterday one user of Search Australia said another person had removed Search Australia as their home page. Search Australia was very useful to them because they found it very easy to locate catch-up TV. For catch-up TV, all they needed to do was to enter TV 7, TV 9, TV 10, or TV SBS into Search Australia and they'd go direct to the catch-up TV page for the respective TV station.

I decided rather than write out instructions and send them to the person, to make it easier for everyone I'd add a 'Set as Home Page' link to the Search Australia page. Now all a person has to do is to click on the link, select the option to set the home page, click OK and Search Australia is set as their home page. This only works for Internet Explorer, but since I recommend Internet Explorer as the default browser for clients, this is usually sufficient. If you have another browser, unfortunately you'll have to manually set Search Australia as your home page in the browser settings.

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

Oovie movie/Hoyts Kiosk $3.50 movie rental. Is it cheaper than paying $6 to watch a movie online?

I always find it interesting what leads us to re-evaluate our purchasing decisions. I recently returned a movie 16 minutes late to the Hoyts Kiosk and was subsequently charged another day. Totally my fault and those are the rules. But up until now, even though I'm an IT person and have set up a computer to watch catch-up TV on the larger television screen, except for a trial of Quickflix, I've not taken to watching movies via the internet.

However returning the movie started me to re-evaluate the real cost of hiring a movie from a Oovie/Hoyts Kiosk and the same would apply to renting a movie from a movie rental store. The question the becomes which is cheaper. Is paying $3.50 for a movie from a physical location cheaper than renting the same movie via the internet?

Of course the answers varies depends on your individual situation. If you are within walking distance of a rental store, or there every day for other purposes, then there is no additional cost in picking up and returning the movie. In my case however sometimes renting the movie requires two trips specifically for the movie, and sometimes one trip since the first trip may include shopping. The following are my costs.

Hoyts Kiosk rental fee: $3.50
Petrol: 5.9 km each way. Thus full return trip twice for pick up and return is  23.6 km.

Using the Petrol Cost Calculator the cost for petrol alone is $3.93 assuming petrol is price around $1.50 per litre.

The total directly identifiable cost for renting a movie from the Hoyts Kiosk is thus $7.43.

Whilst a car has fixed costs you can't avoid, there are variable costs such as the replacement cost of the car. There is only so many kilometres a car can drive before it needs to be replaced. Fixed costs such as rego, insurance are payable each year independent of how far the car is driven. Take the cost of the car (including finance), add the cost of items which wear such as tyres, and then divide by the number of kilometres you expect the car to last for and you'll find there is roughly an additional 20-30 cents per kilometre cost. If we include this cost the hidden cost of rental would be at least another $5.

The other cost is of course your time. For me this amounts to around 20 minutes each return trip.

Forgetting about the time aspect and additional car costs, you can see renting a $3.50 movie doesn't just cost $3.50. At a minimum for the cost of the movie and petrol it costs at least $7.43.

I decide to rent a movie via the internet for $6. The movie consumes around 1 GB of data. I have a 50 GB peak allowance (another 50 GB off peak) and I don't use that allowance which means for me the is no additional data costs. Thus the cost is just $6. But if I did apportion the data cost it would add around $1.

It really is hard to accept that a $3.50 movie ends up costing more than watching a $6 movie via the internet. The problem is how we compare immediate payment versus factoring in all the costs. We see the immediate cost of $3.50 is cheaper than $6 but don't generally consider the hidden costs.

Once you can accept the hidden costs and factor in all the costs, it works out that the total cost of hiring a $6 movie online is cheaper than the total cost of $3.50 for renting a movie from a Hoyts Kiosk.

Once you've set up your computer and online account, the time involved in hiring online is a fraction of the time involved in picking up and returning a physical DVD to a Hoyts Kiosk.

Often we don't do things we should until we get a bump. In this case the bump for me was the extra day fee. It was a bump I needed to have.

When you review the total cost of products and services you use also factor into account the hidden costs. Whether it is renting a movie, loaning a book from the public library, buying a printer for your computer, taking into account all the costs can lead to better decisions that can save you money over a period of time.

If you require assistance with your computer to connect to your TV to watch catch-up TV or online movies you're welcome to contact me.

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

Alert: National Australia Bank/NAB - Thursday, 12 September 2013 - Your account will be deleted in 2 hours

I've received a couple of fake emails from the NAB and felt I should warn others. These emails are fake and should be deleted.

The email I received was sent from Italy (most likely from a malware infected bot controlled computer) and the link in the email would take you to a Chinese domain.

The approach I use with banks is not to provide my email address to them. If they wish to contact me they can post a letter. That way all emails I receive from financial institutions I know are fake. There is only one bank I can't do this with and within the next few months I hope to discontinue using their services. I do use online banking and if banks wanted to they could easily use their online service to keep you informed of anything important.

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

Alert: BaDoink porn site advertised by CNET site pretending to be an Apple app.

This morning I checked a news article on CNET using my mobile phone. I'm using Feedly as a newsreader. I clicked on the link to the article and up popped the porn ad I shared previously. I then went back and clicked on the link for the article and a different porn ad appeared which I thought was interesting on technical merits.

What I thought was particularly interesting is the quality of the page and how well it mimics the Apple app store layout. It really is a very good copy.

This could easily be a scam which I think could trick many Apple users. All that would be required is an install button, make it free and people would click on the link providing their Apple ID and password. Provide a legitimate looking porn site as a web app and the user would be none the wiser.

This is very scary stuff as it shows how easy people can be tricked. That's a really worry.

It is standard for some sites to flick people across to the Apple App store and because people are very familiar with this behaviour they can easily be tricked.

If you get flicked across to an app from a website perhaps it is time to stop trusting that action. You may not actually be at the Apple App store at all. I recommend that people don't trust links in emails and to open their browser and then enter the site address. It would now appear this is the approach you should use with Apple and Android apps as well. Best not to trust links that pass you across to the App store automatically anymore.

Kelvin Eldridge
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

  

Jenny Craig Doncaster Target

I noticed an employment advertisement for Jenny Craig at Doncaster Target and thought "what the". I'd never heard of Target having Jenny Craig's services as part of their offering, but checking the internet it does appear to be the case. I suspect most people aren't aware either.

For those who are looking to lose weight but would prefer not to fork out their hard earned money, then check out the Weight Loss Maths site I set up to share how I lose weight when I want to. Really it costs nothing to lose weight. No expensive plans. No expensive diets. In fact it doesn't even have to take much time. I've explained in Weight Loss Maths the maths behind dieting (I've kept it simple and there isn't really much maths involved) so if you want to lose weight, now you can. You might find this hard to believe, but as part of my testing of the maths behind losing weight I deliberately did no additional exercise just to show you can lose weight from dieting alone. Read the articles I share and if one helps you achieve your weight loss goal then I'll consider I've been successful in sharing my knowledge with others.

Visit www.WeightLossMaths.com.au and save money and time as well as losing weight. Yes the site is free to visit and I don't sell anything. I'm simply sharing what I learnt which helped me to lose 22 kg in the hope that it assists others.

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

Alert: CNET mobile site compromised this morning with porn advertising.

This morning I check the newsfeed for a number of sites. Then unexpectedly as I clicked on the link to read the article on the CNET news site about "Linksys turns Wi-Fi up a notch with Smart Wi-Fi EA6900 router", the article appeared and then quickly disappeared to be presented with ad for porn. (The modesty editing is mine.)

It amazes me how easy it is for the nefarious to promote their material on the major media sites.

This is reminder to take caution with advertising which appears on web sites. I recently reported on scam work at home ads appearing from another media web site (International Business Times). I've seen people get scammed by clicking on ads on Google, so it is important that you take care with ads you see online and not assume that others have the necessary controls in place who are providing the ads.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if your have a computer problem. 

Local public libraries - should they go.

People regularly complain about how much they pay in taxes and government charges, but the bottom line is, if we want lower taxes then we have to accept less services from the government. One example is the local library.

We have state libraries, we have libraries at every tertiary educational institution and we have libraries at every school. Then we also have local public libraries. The problem is, since the money comes out of our taxes and rates we often don't think about the cost because we can't control it. I checked the information available on the cost for each person using the local library and the average cost averages at around $100 a year. I've borrowed one book over the past 10-20 years, so when you consider $100 per year, that was indeed a very expensive book. In addition the book was a government produced book which was developed using our taxes and could have just as easily been made available as an ebook.

With library users I suspect we could use the typical 80/20 rule, where 20% of those users generate 80% of the activity. That means most of the people using the library never get value from using the library. If you then add your cost and time borrowing and returning the book/s, the books you borrow for free aren't so free after all.

If you want free reading material there is a wealth of free reading material available on the internet. Amazon has between 30-40,000 free ebooks which is double the number of books you'd find at a typical suburban library. You can obtain the free Kindle Reader software for iPads, Android tablets and Windows and Mac computers. With a small amount of knowledge everyone now has access to a greater range of free resources than offered by their local library. Even if you do decide to purchase an ebook you'll often find it is cheaper than the cost of petrol travelling to and from the library twice to borrow and return a book.

In MyAnswers solution 2282 I share how to obtain free ebooks for your tablet device or Kindle reader. Normally you need a credit card to get free ebooks to your tablet or Kindle reader, but I explain how I obtained the ebooks for free without registering a credit card. That way you protect yourself from inadvertent credit card purchases.

Next time you're paying your rates stop and think for a moment. Are you getting value from your contribution towards the local library? There's a good chance you're not and your hard earned money is going to benefit someone else. Once I realised that having a library card could be inferred that I was one of the active users, I decided it was time to cancel the card. If you're not using the local library and have a library card perhaps you may think about cancelling it as well.

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

MyAnswers: Is participating in BNI Australia (Business NetworksInternational) worthwhile?

The following MyAnswers solution 2384 is now available:

Is participating in BNI Australia (Business NetworksInternational) worthwhile? In this article I share a summary of how much business was generated.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

Alert: High Quality 400gsm Business Cards - Print-AAMN - Australian Advertising & Marketing Network

Today I received a spam email with the subject 'High Quality 400gsm Business Cards' from 'Australian Advertising & Marketing Network'.

 

It is unusual for Australian businesses to use spam to promote their services which I think most people will feel is a good thing. Spamming is illegal in Australia and businesses which use the approach should be avoided. If a business is prepared to break the law to gain business it isn't a business you should use. In addition prices are listed plus GST, which again I believe is against the law.

I decide to check a couple of business card suppliers I've used in the past and the prices in the email are close to double I can get a thousand business cards elsewhere.

Don't purchase from spammers. There are plenty of good businesses out there that don't break the law to obtain business. If you find spammers based in Australia sending you unwanted emails you may wish to visit the government site http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/Stay-protected/My-online-world/Spam/reporting-spam-i-acma.

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

Watch out when using a Coles petrol voucher at Shell that isn't the standard four cents per litre.

I recently went to Shell in Doncaster East with a 40 cents per litre discount voucher. When the attendant processed the payment I noticed the discount was for $2 and not the expected $20. The voucher wasn't the best looking as it wasn't printed well at the register. But what did surprise me was the discount offer wasn't automatic and needed to be put in by the operator. This is the second time I've received an incorrect discount.

Make sure you know roughly the discount you expect to receive, particularly if it isn't the standard four cents per litre discount. Since I've been affected twice (in both cases I picked up the issue) I thought others may be missing out on the full value of the discount offer.

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

Alert: International Business Times promoting scam advertising - Theresa Andrews, Melissa Johnson.

In May I mentioned the Work At Home scam advertising. Today I was opened an article on International Business Times and as usual two windows pop up. A Facebook like page which is simply annoying. I accept annoying because I'm receiving a free service. There are advertising links all through the pages which again is all part of receiving something for free. However what caught my attention was the pop-up which appears in the background.

 

Yes it is the same photo of a mother and child I recognised from the previous work-at-home scams. The trouble however is the media site International Business Times is being used as a vehicle to spread scams and that could easily trick some people. In the past I've seen many people have their browser hijacked by clicking on ads even in Google, but now the scammers are getting their material promoted on media sites which is a worry.

If you see an unexpected pop-up even on a legitimate site, you now need to treat them with suspicion.

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

Gumtree visit statistic leads people to think more people are checking their ad than really are.

I assisted a client to advertise on Gumtree and they had received a few dozen visits to their ad. They were very pleased that people were reading their advertisement on Gumtree. I suggested to the client the number of visits may be being inflated so I decided to do some testing.

A visit on Gumtree it turns out is not necessarily someone viewing your ad. In fact people may not even see you ad, but are still included as visits.

It is very common for advertising businesses to use a technique to inflate the activity for a number of reasons. In the case of Gumtree, what is also included as a visit, is if you ad appears with a list of other ads. Anyone who visits a section of Gumtree where your ad also appears in the list of ads is considered a visit. Most people will not actually open and read your ad and I suspect many will not even notice it.

Gumtree should provide two statistics to assist advertisers. One number for where the ad appears and one number for people actually opening the ad to check out the ad. That way people will have a better idea on how their advertisement is working.

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