Alert: ANZ Bank - Important Notice: 3rd attempt failed !

I've received a couple of fake ANZ Bank alerts today. You can quickly tell these emails are fake by checking the actual site the link will go to. Not all email clients enable you to check the actual link, but products like Outlook and Windows Live show you the link address when you hover over the link text.

If you receive an email with the subject "Important Notice: 3rd attempt failed !" you should delete it.

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

Nokia Lumia 620 Australia release date

Tonight I noticed a Harvey Norman ad on the internet for the Nokia Lumia 620, white 8GB. The date of release is 22nd of February.

What also caught my eye was the price of $276. Previous pricing I've read had the Nokia 620 at $329RRP.

<<< photo missing >>>

This isn't a recommendation for the 620, but I just wanted to let others know if this mobile interests them.

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

McDonald's Monopoly Australia rare pieces 2013

For those interested, I’ve now listed the rare pieces in the comments in the following blog post.

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

Advertising for free using Google Drive for web hosting

The internet provides plenty of ways to advertise your business for free. There are of course compromises you have to make such as if you advertise in a free service, chances are if someone finds your listing then they’ll also be presented with rather large ads from your competitors. Google now provides free space and if you know how to use it, you can use it to advertise for free.

I decided to take Google’s service for a spin. I modified one of my programs which enables anyone to create a list of items for sale, share, loan, or even giving items away. The program enables you to include pictures of items. The beauty with the Google services is I can enter items into the program, click on a button to generate the page for the internet and Google’s services will automatically upload the new page and pictures almost immediately.

As an example, this link is to a site which displays a list of books I’m happy to loan to family, friends and clients.

Google provides free space on the internet and I know of a very good free program you can use to create your site, so now people can literally advertise whatever they want for free.

The beauty of JustLocal is JustLocal has been designed to link to and promote your page on the internet. The sites JustLocal links to often get a very good position in Google which increases traffic to the site. JustLocal’s main advantage is businesses outside of the area can’t advertise on a local page and thus smaller local businesses don’t lose business to bigger businesses with deeper pockets for advertising.

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

Microsoft online store advertising Windows 8 Pro for $399 and no other options.

I’ve decided to remove the Microsoft online store from JustLocal. I provided access as a convenience and as an affiliate link. But I’m concerned that someone will inadvertently pay $399 for Windows 8 Pro when it is still available in retailers for under $60 for the upgrade.

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

Alert: You have (1) new ecard!

I've received a number of emails to different accounts with the subject "You have (1) new ecard!" which contains a link that has been disguised using bitly.

If you click on the link (which I suggest people don't) you'll go to a site where you'll receive a message that someone is interested in you.

<<< photo missing >>>

Guess what, they're interested in me too and probably tens of thousands of others.

Hopefully by sharing this email someone may avoid being scammed.

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

Alert: Work At Home & Make Money, Make money online

Today I received five emails with the subjects "Work At Home & Make Money" and "Make money online".

The body of the email contains the following:

"I actually make over $6,347 a month working from home."

- Karen James

There is a link. Checking the site the domain was registered on the 24th of January 2013 and the information stated "Service Provided by Center of Unkranian Internet Names".

The emails came from Chile, Brazil, Germany, US and New Zealand.

In hard times it may be tempting to check out one of these emails but you shouldn't. There are enough warning bells here that this is nearly certainly a scam. You should delete this type of email should you receive one.

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

McDonald's Monopoly rare pieces 2013

Over the years we’ve played a number of collect the pieces from McDonald’s but never won a prize other the a food voucher. That’s OK because in the end it’s just a promotion and some lucky people end up winning and that’s their good fortune. It’s pretty obvious the rare pieces are only printed the number of times for the prize but the other pieces could be printed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of times. It doesn’t take long to collect two pieces of the same type and that’s a good indication they aren’t the rare pieces.

So here’s the pieces we’ve collected more than once.

Mayfair
Angel Islington

Because Mayfair is one two, that means Park Lane is the rare piece.

If you’ve got multiple pieces of the one piece feel free to let others know. In the end it almost certainly won’t affect your chances of winning, but at least you’ll know if you’ve got the rare piece or just one of the many.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Providing home and small businesses with cost effective advertising.

UNITED STATES 2013 MONOPOLY UPDATE

I noticed McDonald's Monopoly2013 has started in the United States. The following are the rare pieces.

(20) Mediterranean Avenue
(15) Vermont Avenue
(3) Virginia Avenue
(1) Tennessee Avenue
(40) Kentucky Avenue
(2) Ventnor Avenue
(15) Pennsylvania Avenue
(2) Boardwalk
(4) Short Line

There is information which indicates Boardwalk is on a Big Mac.

Good luck.

Alert: Western Union - Security Measures.

I received an email this morning with the subject "Security Measures" which supposedly came from Western Union.

The email is a fake and if you receive one of these emails you should delete it.

If you check the link you'll find the address goes to a Canadian domain. The email headers (usually hidden but available) show the email was sent from France. These are obvious clues the email is a fake and likely to be a phishing scam.

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

Aldi digital caliper

I must admit I tend to give Aldi products a hard time. I keep buying their specials but I take into account that probably about a third of the time they don’t work. E.g. a PVR which lasted six months. An evaporator which lasted a few hours. A 7” tablet which didn’t work. Equally however they’ve had some good bargains. I remember purchasing a memory card which was half the price of everyone else at the time, so I tend to forgive them probably more than I should.

I did purchase the Aldi caliper and have to say I’ve used it a couple of times recently and to me it has paid for itself. The first time I used it the batteries had gone flat. No biggie as I could still read the measurement from the scale. Recently I’ve had to measure a number of items and the LCD display makes it very easy to check the measurement. That’s enough patting Aldi on the back;-)

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Supporting small business with cost effective local advertising.

Car Parking Tullamarine Rates February 2013

I just dropped into Tullamarine airport in Melbourne and thought it might be useful to check out the car parking rates. Below is a picture of the Short term car parking fees and the Multi-level long term car parking fees.

The fees aren't cheap but still, the fees can be cheaper than the cost of a return trip by taxi for us. Luckily our family likes to help one another so there is usually someone more than happy to drop of or pick up. But at least if for some reason someone is not available, knowing the fees can be useful.

Also keep in mind there is another large parking area which can accommodate long and short term car parking and there are probably a number of businesses in the area providing similar services.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Helping small business with cost effective local advertising.

 

Alert: Australian Taxation Office - Refund Notification

Received another malware email today with the subject “Australian Taxation Office - Refund Notification”. There is an attached file “ATO_TAX_Refund_218928DHBSJ.zip” which contains malware.

If you receive this type of email you should delete it.

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

When buying a new Windows 8 computer/notebook/hybrid/tablet be aware of the processor.

A while ago I was in a computer retailer and a customer asked about the processor for a new computer. The sales assistant said don’t be too concerned about the speed. To me that was a major concern. The problem with getting advice from a retailer is they only make money if they can sell you something, so if there is an issue with something they’ll often gloss over the issue or change the conversation away from the issue so the customer forgets.

Right now I’m seeing quite a few portable/tablet type devices being advertised in the market. They look very good but then when I check the specs they have a pretty average performing processor. The problem is a higher performing processor consumes more energy and that means a shorter battery life at this stage with the current technology. With portability we want a longer battery life. I know I certainly do.

In the past underperforming processors were largely kept to the bottom end of the market with the cheap prices. But now with tablets and hybrids, you could end up with a computer that barely runs as fast as a 4-5 year old computer.

One service I have provided clients is to review the specifications for the computer they are thinking of buying. Often this gives clients peace of mind they’re making a good purchase, but in other cases it has meant they’ve decided not to purchase. For example a student was being offered a cheaper notebook and a more expensive lighter notebook through their school and the parents contacted me for advice. The more expensive notebook was actually far less powerful. With that knowledge they were able to make a better informed decision. Another example is a person was buying a notebook on special at Dick Smith. It ended up the notebook couldn’t write to CDs let alone DVDs (this information wasn’t clearly stated) which meant the notebook wasn’t suitable.

The small cost for advice at the right time can end up helping us make better buying decisions and in some cases, help us avoid buying a dud. Just ask yourself next time when you’re buying something, “is the advice you’re getting in your interest or the interest of the person selling?” If you need help, make sure you have someone in your corner you can trust.

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

Free Stuff For Family And Friends now live.

Ever had the feeling you’d like to give away your excess items to family and friends. I decided to do just that and use technology I know to make it easier and also show others how easily it can be done.

I decided to set up a blog called FreeStuffForFamilyAndFriends. I know quite a few tricks of using a blog so that made it relatively easy. The advantages of the approach I’m using are:

1. I can take a photo of an item on my mobile phone, send the photo to the blog and the item is immediately available.
2. I can provide an email address to family and friends and they too can list their items.
3. If people want to be automatically notified when a new item is added it is easy to add them their email address or use the RSS feed.
4. I can monetise the site using Google advertising and earn a little from complete strangers anywhere in the world.

The best part is if family and friends find items they’d like I free up some space and the item goes to a good home.

If you’d like assistance in setting up a blog to promote your excess items to your family and friends (or for any other purpose) this is another service I’m happy to provide.

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Alert: You have received a secure message - National Australia Bank

I’ve received a number of emails with the subject “You have received a secure message”. The attached file “SecureMessage.zip” contains malware which is not currently detected by most antivirus software packages. Don’t open the attachment. You should delete these emails.

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

 

Nokia 620 Australian release date

When Nokia released their Smartphone range in around October 2011 they didn’t start shipping them to Australia until around March 2012 and by June 2012, anyone buying the new Nokia mobiles found they were effectively superseded devices. Microsoft had orphaned the devices as they wouldn’t be able to be upgraded to the Windows 8 Phone operating system. I doubt anyone really wants to know the mobile they bought three months earlier for nearly a thousand dollars was obsolete.

Things appear to have settled down now. Microsoft seem to have their Windows 8 Phone operating system where they want it. Nokia have a number of devices, but what interested me was the budget version of the Nokia 620 I noticed that was launched later in 2012 but not yet mentioned in Australia.

I’m really over spending $600-$800 for a mobile phone which is superseded in six months and if you want to use the latest software and features you need to buy a new handset. With nearly all the smartphones now we simply don’t know when Apple, Google or Microsoft will bring out a new operating system which won’t work on our rather expensive mobile phone. Since there is no certainty the only certainty you have is the choice you make and for me that means spending less to get what I need now.

The Nokia 620 has been announced as part of Stephen Elop’s visit to Australia and will reportedly be available mid-February for $329. The Nokia 620 is now promoted on the Australian Nokia web site as coming soon where you can also read the specifications.

The Nokia 620 is just one of many options for mobile phone buyers.

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

 

UPDATE: The Nokia 620 doesn't have the ability to operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot. For my use this rules this device out.

MyAnswers: Aldi Bauhn DVD Maker quick summary

The following MyAnswers solution 2308 is now available:

Aldi Bauhn DVD Maker quick summary. I purchased the Aldi Bauhn DVD maker to convert old mini VCR tapes holding our old family movies to digital format for storing on a hard disk. I share what I found.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
MyAnswers
(An Online Connections service.)

Cost of petrol to drive a given distance.

The other day I was at Bunnings to buy a curtain wire. I needed a 2m wire. When I went to the local Bunnings they didn’t have the 2m wire in stock which was $3.90, they only had the 5m wire at $6.90. As I went out to the car to drive to the next closest Bunnings I thought, is it better to pay the extra money, or is it better to drive to the next closest Bunnings.

Whilst we could argue all day over the cost of running a car, for me the cost of petrol is the immediate direct cost and all other costs are either fixed costs or variable indirect costs. All the fixed costs and most indirect costs of owning a car are already sunk once you decide to buy a car. So the only easy figure to use is the cost of petrol.

I thought for me having a quick calculator for the cost of petrol usage could come in handy. Paying more for an item in one location rather than paying less in another location which is further away often isn’t intuitive for people, but if people have some facts the decision becomes much easier.

I decided to write the Car Cost Calculator and make it available on the internet.

So should I have paid more or gone to the other Bunnings?

The distance to the other Bunnings was 13km and then 11km home. So the shortest route was around 24km. Using the Car Cost Calculator the cost of petrol is estimated to be $3.73. So forget about wear and tear on the car and the time involved, the cost of petrol alone would have been more than paying for the longer wire. So I went back inside and purchased the longer wire and returned home.

Out of interest I decided to check the cost of driving to the local shopping centre which is roughly a return trip of 7.6km. The petrol cost is $1.18. The cost of zone 2 Myki fare is $2.42. For every additional person who goes to the shops with me the Myki cost increases whereas the petrol cost increase is minimal. By the time I walk to the bus stop I’d already be at the shops. For short distances and trips where there are more than one person the cost of petrol is much less than a Myki fare and far more time efficient.

The Car Cost Calculator isn’t meant to be an fully costed tool but a quick and easy tool for myself and others who wish to check the cost of petrol usage for a given trip.

Enjoy,

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
JustLocal – Cost effective advertising for local businesses.

Alert: Melbourne Mom woman making Earns $6,795/Month Part-Time. (Work-at-Home-Digital)

I received an email today from a person I hadn’t contacted for quite some time. The email had no subject, a link to a site and her full name was the only content.

I decided to check out what my friend had sent me, but I was suspicious. The link took me to an article on what looked like the CNBC news site. The article was titled “Melbourne Mom woman making Earns $6,795/Month Part-Time”. (Please note that I didn’t use my regular computer. I used another device which I felt was unlikely to get infected should the site be a malware trap waiting for me to access the site.)

Further investigation showed the site was a fake site designed to look like the CNBC new site.

The concern for me is for my friend. Her name is very unusual and for me to receive an email from her, could indicate that one of her email accounts has been hacked and that a scammer has access to her contact list. The last time I saw my friend use this email address was over five years ago. The email address is a yahoo.com.au email address.

This type of attack is very concerning. The attack is very targeted aimed directly at a person’s contact list. We tend to trust communications from our friends, but this is an example of why even emails from friends and family should be treated with suspicion.

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

Aldi indoor bike trainer

I thought I'd let others know, if you are thinking of buying one of these units, which goes on sale next Wednesday, keep in mind you need smooth tyres. If your tyres have deep tread the trainer is far too noisy.

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