There is no doubt that people have to be careful around electricity, but the headline associating the iPhone 5 with electric shock is simply playing to misreported information that has recently been appearing in the press.
iPhone5 Electric Shock: Australia’s Electrical and Communications Association Spearheads Campaign to Raise Safety Awareness... Read More
To my knowledge there has been no incidence of an iPhone 5 causing electric shock in Australia. Recently there was a report in the press of a New South Wales women being hospitalised due to an electric shock associated with an iPhone, later follow up reveal it had nothing to do with a mobile phone.
Be careful with the articles you read because you’ll end up believing what is basically false information being spread in the press. Yes you can buy low cost chargers on eBay and other overseas sites and they may be dangerous. Make sure if you’re saving money there isn’t a cost associated with that saving.
What would really help is if the list of devices where people have received electric shock was itemised and grouped so we could see where the largest risks are.
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
iPhone 5 Electic shock feels like sensationalism for self promotion.
Alert: ANZ - ONLINE - LOCKED OUT (03) 8400 4610
Your online account will be limited. Please call our office immediately at: (03) 8400 4610 to restore your access! Thank you.
The country of origin of the email was Spain. The email had a faked Australian email address.
It does make me wonder how scammers get the telephone numbers and what the telcos are doing about it. I know when I reported scammers calling on my Optus telephone line Optus wasn't interested. These scams can only occur with the services provided by the telcos and if the telcos aren't prepared to do anything about it they should be held accountable.
You should delete these emails.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Myki readers on Smart buses often not working
Not only is the government losing money by people not paying to use the bus, but the time wasted as people stand there trying to get their card to read and then trying each machine without luck wastes everyone's time. I saw another women in Nunawading recently trying to get her Myki card to register and the driver got frantic and told her to just get off. The bus driver was running about 8 minutes late an considering the buses are scheduled every 15 minutes that's running considerably behind schedule.
The government is putting a lot of money into dedicated bus lanes inconveniencing drivers, yet how much time is wasted with people having to touch on and off, as well as revenue lost when a considerable number of machines are not working when they should.
Here's another Myki reader which had crashed and was showing the program screen. (Sorry about the low quality image.)
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Alert: Western Union Critical Update
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Googe Nexus 7 2 technical specifications
For me Google devices don't allow me to get rid of my Windows applications so I consider it an additional device. I felt the older Google Nexus 7 looked a bit clunky because of the wide bezel. This model appears to have reduced the bezel so it will be interesting to check out when it arrives in-store.
I already have an Acer 10" Android tablet which sits idle most of the time, so if a tablet does tempt me it has to help me replace at least some of the functionality I require from a Windows based notebook.
What I did like about the Google device compared with Apple iPad Mini and Microsoft surface tablets, is it includes GPS and compass facilities. To get GPS on an iPad Mini means moving up to much more expensive devices. What I feel is missing is the ability to plug the tablet into the TV via HDMI. The real problem for me with Google Android devices is they simply aren't up to scratch in terms of software. Many sites which work with Google Chrome on the desktop/notebook, simply don't work on an Android tablet, including Google's own sites.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Australian women hospitalised by electric shock from her Apple iPhone - Reports are this didn't happen.
I read the following article which started me thinking about how something like this could possibly happen. I’m not qualified in electronics, but have an interest in electronics so my knowledge is limited.
Fresh safety fears after warning issued in Australia when woman is 'hospitalised by electric shock from her phone'... Read More
Firstly the incident has been confirmed that the electric shock was not due to an Apple iPhone or mobile phone, but there is no mention as to what appliance was involved.
Giz spoke to a Ambulance NSW representative this morning who confirmed that the woman was transported to hospital for reasons that were not a result of burns or shocks related to mobile phones.... Read More
To my mind when charging an iPhone the cable carries 5V which isn’t sufficient to cause an issue. The charger however converts 240V to 5V and if somehow the 240V reached the 5V circuitry, it may be possible. I then found two sites which provided interesting information with regards to the safety of low cost chargers. Some of the low cost non-branded chargers separate the 240V from the 5V circuit with under 1mm of space (whereas 3-4mm appears to be recommended) which means they probably wouldn’t be considered safe.
The following article discusses the Apple iPhone charger and you can see there are safety features built into the design including a resistor which fuses in case of catastrophic failure, keeping the voltages separate.
Apple's diminutive inch-cube iPhone charger ... Read More
Other good charges will likely have good safety features as well, but those without branding or certification should be probably be avoided.
I particularly liked the following site because it shows a couple of chargers where the voltages are separated by less than 1 mm showing one potential problem with some low cost chargers.
USB Power Supply/charger Test... Read More
The problem I’ve found with the media is often in haste the information we receive can be quite disconcerting. If I didn’t read additional articles with regards to the Australian woman being hospitalised due to their mobile phone, I would have been concerned as to what the safety issue was and I’m sure this may have scared many people. In fact I’m probably sure there are scammers right now putting together fake hoax emails ready to send out to people suggesting they forward them to their friends due to the safety issue.
Recently, sadly, a Chinese person reportedly did get electrocuted whilst using their mobile phone, but we can only guess as to what the cause was.
Always be mindful that any device with a rechargeable battery poses a risk as does the 240V power supply. Watch out if devices get hot and certainly there is a problem if the device delivers a shock.
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Search Australia mobile version now available for iPhone
To add Search Australia to your home page on your mobile do the following:
Go to http://www.justlocal.com.au/search/samobile/
Select the forward option in the icons at the bottom of the screen
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Aldi Lumina hot water urn power usage.
One area that can consume far more energy than people realise is the humble kettle. Yes boiling that kettle multiple times per day can end up costing as much as running the refrigerator. So for me this was an opportunity to review the energy usage of the Lumina hot water urn which had been purchased from Aldi.
The Lumina hot water urn has a stated capacity of 8.8 litres and is rated at 2,000 watts. There is a on/off switch, two lights indicating heating (red) and keep warm (amber). There is also a dial where you can set the temperature from 30 degrees up to 110 degrees. (Water boils at 100 degrees.)
My first test was to fill the urn with around 4 litres of water and set the temperature to 30 degrees. This would show me how it worked. The red light came on and the energy being used was 2,050 watts, after around three and a half minutes the water had reached the temperature and the amber light came on indicating the urn was now in "keep warm" mode. In "keep warm" mode the urn uses approximately 170 watts.
The second test was to set the urn to 110 degrees, boil the water, check to see the water would keep boiling and then reduce the temperature setting to 95 degrees, at which point the urn went into "keep warm" mode". Once the water cools to below 95 degrees I suspect the heading mode will turn back on.
From this we can see the urn really has two modes. It is either on heating mode with is fully on at around 2,050 watts, with the aim to heat and boil the water, or on "keep warm" which is around 170 watts and is designed to heat the water sufficiently so that it simply doesn't cool down too quickly. With heat escaping to the surrounding environment the urn will at some point need to switch back into heating mode.
Many people leave hot water urns on all day which means they are using energy continuously whether or not people need to use the water. Heating a full urn for a single cup of coffee is obviously a considerable waste of energy. For a single cup of coffee boiling just the amount of water you need, when you need it, is faster and certainly cheaper than using an urn. Urns however are handy appliances to have around when you need to make hot drinks for a large number of people at the one time.
Out of interest, if you had the urn running for 10 hours a day in "keep warm" mode (this isn't logical as the water will need to be brought back to the boil on a regular basis) then we can see the minimum cost over a year would be around $160. The real cost over a year would be significantly more. For most people if you only boil the water you need and turn a kettle on before you go to get your cup and ingredients, chances are the water will have boiled before you're organised.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
The winnner of The Block 2013 wins by $4,000.
I find it fascinating how well The Block and associated companies kept last night's auction results for The Block close to their chest. The auction as previously mentioned was held on the 27th of July.
So far a couple of clues have been released on the internet.
The winner wins by a slim margin of $4,000. Those who are astute will realise whilst this doesn't tell you who the winner is, as the show goes along you may be able to work it out, unless the last apartment auctioned is the winner.
The apartments would have been in the top five apartment sales this week. If you look at the current top five apartment sales they are $1,325,000, $935,000, $925,000, $850,000 and $810,000. These don't include The Block apartments so if all sold and were in the top five, that would mean they went for over $1,325,000.
So full credit to the media control for the producers of The Block. How much of this information is correct will be interesting to see once the results of The Block are known.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
UPDATE: As the auctions complete this page will be updated.
Alisa + Lysandra, Reserve $1,140,000, Bid $1,435,000, Profit $295,000 - SOLD
Trixie+Johnno, Reserve $1,400,000, Bid $1,605,000, Profit $205,000 - SOLD
Madi+Jarrod, Reserve $1,310,000, $1,601,000, Profit $291,000 - SOLD
At this stage we can tell the winners are Alisa+Lysandra if the $4,000 difference is correct.
Bec+George, Reserve $1,265,000, Bid $1,507,000, Profit $242,000 - SOLD
Kim+Matt, Reserve $1,205,000, Bid $1,455,000, Profit $250,000 - SOLD
The total proceeds from all apartment sales is $7.603 million. The reported purchase price for the property including two additional properties was $6.71 million. There is still the ground floor apartment to be sold.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
New breath analyzer knows if you're burning fat
I noticed an article on a new breath analyser which can help determine if you’re burning fat. I couldn’t help feel the researchers were missing an important aspect in their testing of the device which leads to one of two conclusions. Either the device is not sensitive enough and thus not as useful as it could be, or that researchers did not test an important fourth group of test subjects.
New breath analyzer knows if you're burning fat... Read More
The groups that were tested were: no change to diet and exercise, light exercise for 30-60 minutes a day, light exercise for 30-60 minutes a day and restrict calorific intake (dieting). The missing group is those who dieted and didn’t exercise.
A while ago I worked out the maths behind weight loss and as a result lost 22kg without any additional exercise. If the breath analyser cannot pick up the burning of fat through dieting alone it would indicate it isn’t sufficiently sensitive. The fourth group should have been an obvious group to include in the test.
The good outcome however is people can see that if they do nothing then obviously they won’t lose weight. With light exercise alone they may not lose weight either. From what I’ve seen when overweight people look at joining a gym, they are usually sold on losing weight and that won’t necessarily happen.
Once you understand the maths behind weight loss it becomes clear what is needed to lose weight and where to put your efforts.
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Alert: Environmental corporation searching for representatives worldwide.
"Environmental enterprise searching for representation internationally
5% commission on 200K cash flow originated from promotion and sales of proprietary research articles"
It occurred to me I hadn't blogged about this group of emails and I receive three today.
I checked the past four of these emails to see where they had been sent from, using the hidden headers in the email and not the senders email address which is often faked. The countries they had been sent from were: Tehran, United States, Tanzania and Thailand. It is pretty obvious when the same email is being sent from multiple countries it is a scam of some type.
I don't know what the scammers are after. It may be your contact details or it could simply be if you get tricked into replying they then lead you on an elaborate scam and in my consulting work I've seen quite smart people who have been tricked scammers.
If you receive unsolicited emails they are spam and chances are most are from scammers. You should delete unsolicited emails. Your curiosity could cost your a lot more than you think.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Alert: Australian and New Zealand - You have 1 new message. MSG ID: (8SJJA8DAHSKDA71)
"Your online account will be limited. Please call our office
immediately at: (02) 8417 2641 to restore your access! Thank you."
Most people associate Australian and New Zealand with the ANZ bank. The unusual aspect is the NSW based telephone number. I have seen overseas businesses use Australian number so don't assume you'd be talking to someone in Australia.
The email was sent from the Netherlands in Europe and is almost certainly a scam.
You should not call the number. This is a good reminder to all of us that even if something looks like it could be an Australia number we can't assume it isn't a scam.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
An interesting new product from Google called the Google Chromecast (not currently available in Australia)
This morning I read about a new gadget from Google called the Chromecast which I thought was interesting.
Google Chromecast makes all TVs smart... Read More
The Chromecast plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and provides streaming direct to your TV from the internet or from your Google Chrome browser on your computer. I have to say some of the information is a bit ambiguous as to how the device operates, but in time I’m sure the fact from the fiction will become clear. At $35USD it could be a good device which adds value to your TV experience. It will be very interesting to find out what it does or doesn’t do.
The Chromecast is not currently available in Australia according to the online Play Store. I suspect the easiest way to find out if it becomes available in Australia is to watch the Play Store.
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Commonwealth Banks new site confuses users accessing NetBank.
To find NetBank you need to select Products in the menu and then Online Banking when the menu pops down. There is no mention of NetBank in the main menus. If you click quickly you'll go to the product page and if you look towards the bottom you'll find Online Banking. There is also a direct link to NetBank at the very bottom of the page.
I thought this was a pretty strange redesign of the Commonwealth Bank's site. Over 20% of customer reach the Commonwealth Bank as a result of searching for NetBank and based on my own use of banking sites, the main feature I'd use would be the online banking service. In fact most of the time it is the only feature I use. To not have such an important service with a link prominent on the main screen for user convenience is unusual. It almost feels like the old supermarket trick where milk is at the back of the store, and since everyone needs milk they need to go through the store and in doing so may purchase other products.
My clients now have access to Search Australia as their default search engine and some have Search Australia set as their home page. To get to NetBank all they need to do is enter netbank into Search Australia and they'll go direct to the online banking page. If your bank doesn't have direct access to their online banking page, with Search Australia you can set up your own keyword for your online banking page and go direct to the page. Select My Keywords on the Search Australia page and add your own list of favourite sites.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Gmail tabs and how to turn them off
If you don't want the tabs to appear, at the right of the tabs is a plus (+) sign. Click on the plus and you'll see the settings for the tabs. Deselect the tabs except for the Primary tab (which you can't deselect) and click Save and the tabs will be gone. You can also turn the tabs off or on in Settings via the Inbox section.
I wonder what others think of Google's new tabs?
Personally I like to have one location where I can check all the emails rather than jumping all over the place. I've noticed quite a few businesses not seeing important emails because they end up in a spam/junk folder and as a result turn the option off. I should say I don't use Gmail on a regular basis but I do see the confusion that happens with clients when unexpected changes happen.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
PS. Just received the email from Google about the change.
Coles flybuys - Is 500 BONUS POINTS worth royally celebrating? Turn it into dollars and then you'll know.
Interestingly this reminded me of a travel technique I once used to convert the money to our currency and it works really well for flybuys. The technique is cover the last two digits (in effect divide by one hundred) and then halve the number.
So remember. Cover the last two digits and then halve the number. That's the value of the points in dollars.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
MyAnswers: Google's Blogger statistics produce huge numbers compared to other methods to collect stats. Why the difference?
Click here to obtain the solution.
Click here for related solutions.
Kelvin Eldridge
MyAnswers
(An Online Connections service.)
Government initiative - A Plan For Australian Jobs
I decided to read the information which shows the plan at a glance and to me there doesn't look like a plan, simply the bundling of existing projects such as education, transport infrastructure and the NBN as summarised in the following quote from the government's website.
"That's why we are investing heavily in education and skills and in critical infrastructure like the transport system and the high speed National Broadband Network."
Unfortunately I didn't see anything which would indicate a new initiative that would make any real difference. Perhaps others will see it differently.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Nokia Lumia 625 (with 4.7" display) now on Nokia Australia website
I noticed an overseas press release for the Nokia Lumia 625 and wondered if the device was on the Australian Nokia site and it was. That’s usually a good sign that things are moving. As with all mobile phones you should review the specifications against your individual needs.
Nokia Lumia 625... 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.
Business Works in Camberwell using blog spamming to promote their business.
Business Works is located in Camberwell so whilst it is possible with our multicultural society that someone in their business is making a legitimate post on another companies blog, it isn't likely. I'm all for legitimate posts but when the sole aim is to add links back to a site to promote themselves I do not call this ethical and honourable behaviour which Business Works claim on their site is important to them.
So how can you tell if it is blog spam. The IP address for the person who wrote the post. In this case the IP address was 182.185.196.221, which is based in Pakistan. It is fairly obvious that Business Works has outsourced their blog spamming to a business located in Pakistan.
Don't make this mistake for your business. All those SEO emails you get every day are spam. If you fall into the trap of using a spammer then chances are you'll pay once for them to spam on your behalf and a second time when it damages your business reputation.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
