How much energy is used to make a new aluminium can and a recycled aluminium can?

Good information on the internet can be quite tricky to find and also often it is difficult to verify the information with regards to the energy used to make a new aluminium can. I decided to focus on the following information which references the CSIRO because if the reference is correct, the information is likely to be better.

CSIRO calculate that the embodied energy (all the energy used to make the material) for aluminium is 211 GJ per tonne... Read More

Based on the CSIRO calculation of 211GJ per tonne, where a tonne is 1,000kgs, this gives us 211MJ per kg. The next step is to use the figure from 2005 (www.aluminium-cans.com.au) where an aluminium can weighs 14.7g giving us 68.03 cans per kilogram. Thus the amount of energy to create a single new can is 3.101MJ.

A common unit of measure for costing electricity is kWh. MJ or mega joule is an amount of energy, whereas kWh is the amount of energy used over an hour. One joule per second is one watt. To determine the energy used to make a single can we take 3.101MJ and use the energy over an hour. There are 3,600 seconds in one hour. Thus 3.101MJ/3600s gives us 861Wh of energy usage or 0.861kWh.

This is a good figure because we can now plug that figure into the Energy Cost Calculator which shows if we used this energy in one hour at domestic rates, the cost per can for the energy would be 22 cents. Of course an aluminium smelter wouldn’t pay this type of money. I don’t know what they pay but it would be at a considerable discount.

The next figures of interest is that in 2005 71.3% of cans were recycled and it only costs 5% of the energy to create a can from recycled material as it does to create a new can. Thus if only using recycled cans the cost of energy at retail rates would be 1.1 cents. If using 28.7% new cans and 71.3% of recycled cans which means at domestic electricity prices the average cost of electricity to produce at can would be around 7.1 cents. I can only guess the rate aluminium smelters pay for their electricity, but I suspect it would be in the order of half to a quarter of what a consumer would pay. Thus an average can would cost perhaps 2-3 cents to create.

In summary the energy used to manufacture a new can is around 861Wh and the energy to make a can from recycled cans would be around 43Wh.

I hope others find this information interesting.

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

Petrol Cost Calculator now live

The Petrol Cost Calculator is now live and available on the main page of JustLocal, or directly at http://www.petrolcostcalculator.com.au.

JustLocal is about encouraging people to buy local, but ultimately people shouldn’t be disadvantaged by buying local. I remember one business saying they charge customers more because they’re local and pay staff less because they’re local. To me that was poor logic. Eventually customers will look around for a better price and staff will look around for a better job.

Often however we end up shopping all over the place without thinking about the hidden costs. It is quite difficult to determine the costs of using a car because many of the costs are incurred whether the car is used or not. The one cost which is easy to determine is the cost of petrol for a trip. At least knowing that cost can assist in making better decisions.

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

 

Mobirewards.org pop-up on the Apple iPhone and how I bypassed the problem is explained in MyAnswers solution 2316.

Today a pop-up for Mobirewards.org appeared on my iPhone and the only option available was to click on OK. In the MyAnswers solution 2316 (click here to obtain the solution) I explain the steps I took to bypass the pop-up which was stopping me from using the browser on the Apple iPhone.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Qantas Cash - Take care when loading currencies with BPAY

A few years ago I had a bad experience with BPAY. I paid late one night before a long weekend. My credit card payment was late so I was expecting to pay interest. What I wasn't expecting was additional banking fees for late payment. The reason is whilst I paid in the Friday, it was past the banks cut-off time for the day which I didn't know. Thus the payment didn't get processed as having been paid until the following Tuesday. The late payment was due on the Monday, but because the BPAY transaction didn't go through until the next banking day I was charged a late payment fee.

That taught me an important lesson. You have to allow plenty of time if you make a payment by BPAY. Pay on a weekday before the banks cut-off time and things are OK. But pay after the cut-off time, particularly before weekends or public holidays and it could take days before the money arrives.

What concerns me with Qantas Cash is the first line of their "Brief snapshot of benefits" which is, "Load up to 9 different currencies simultaneously via BPAY".

BPAY states available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is, but the transaction doesn't occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For example load money late on Thursday before Easter and the money may not be available until possibly Thursday the following week.

A considerable amount of travel is done around public holiday and weekend periods. You don't want to think you have transferred money when it actually may take days before it is available to you.

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

Check the spelling of a word using Word Check for free.

To my knowledge, the Word Check tool I've created and provide for free on the internet, is the only tool which enables people to check the Australian English spelling of a word and then easily look up the meaning of the word. In addition, Word Check is the only online tool to provide the preferred Australian English spelling.

Many people will dismiss the importance of good or even reasonable spelling. The following article shows that 54% of recruiters frown on poor spelling (second to profanity at 61%) on the social media sites of potential candidates

Want a job? Check the spelling on your Facebook profile... Read More
If you're not sure of the spelling of a word, check the spelling using Word Check, which is available at http://www.australian-dictionary.com.au/wordcheck/.

Two other tools you may find of interest are the preferred Australian English spelling for Microsoft Office and the preferred Australian English spelling for Internet Explorer 10. When spelling really matters, using the preferred Australian English spelling will give you the best result. The preferred Australian English spelling is only available from Online Connections. I created and maintain the preferred Australian English spelling because to me it matters.

So for those who wish to keep their online presence as professional as possible and increase the chances of landing that ideal job, add the preferred Australian English spelling to Internet Explorer 10 and update your social media sites knowing you're using the preferred Australian English spelling. Since the preferred Australian English spelling is only available for Internet Explorer 10, those using Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari will be at a disadvantage and for you that's a bonus.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Ring Road roadworks closes section this weekend.

There is no doubt the roadworks on the M80 Ring Road can be frustrating.

This weekend the section of the Ring Road between Sydney Road and Pascovale Road heading west, will be closed from 8pm Saturday night until 5:30am Monday morning.

I read the roadworks are costing $2.2 billion and expected to take 8 years to complete.

Why the government has to do upgrades in both directions and on most sections, even though they are unrelated, makes no sense to me.

I've lost faith in the Ring Road sometime ago. I find you never know if you'll end up at a dead stop or not and that can be pretty stressful. Without notice or an signs, they blocked to exit to the airport and their detour signs led to nowhere.

I can't help feeling one section at a time, on one side at a time, would have caused far less inconvenience and made it far easier for drivers to plan for.

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

RSPCA Burwood adoption fees.

I have to admit I was quite surprised to see the quite expensive adoption fees for animals from the RSPCA in Burwood. The fees came to my attention because a couple of pensions I know decided they'd adopt a dog rather than purchase one from a retailer . Once they found out the price that put a stop to that idea.

I had a guinea pig and it was be a lovely pet. The price for a guinea pig at $50 if I'm correct, far exceeds the cost from the pet shop at Greensborough.

I have to wonder how many unwanted animals end up getting put down because of the adoption fees.

If you're thinking about a pet make sure you think long and hard about the commitment and the cost. Not just the upfront cost, but the ongoing cost including the unexpected and very high Vet costs if required. We sat in a vet recently and the people we saw were all getting charged $300 or more. Our two visits cost us around a $1,000. So make sure you're ready for the commitment and the cost. A pet becomes a very special friend.

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

The Personally Controlled eHealth Records System letter arrived today.

Today in the mail I received a letter regarding The Personally Controlled eHealth Records System initiative by the Australian Government. The idea of having our health records centrally located concerns me on a number fronts.

Recently we saw (blog post on February 8th 2013) the Australian Tax system had been infiltrated by criminals. We've seen the most technologically advanced companies in the world compromised. Anything can be hacked. In addition real humans are involved and if we listen to the homeland security stats where 3% of the population aren't allowed onto aircraft and up to 10% would be stopped, if we think about the large number of people employed by the many government agencies, some of those people will be involved in criminal activities.

We're not only limited to our borders. The exchange of information between government organisations from different countries occurs and we have no idea how that can affect us.

Personally I'd prefer to be able to get a full copy of my records for my own storage. I appreciate there are advantages of having the information centrally stored, and in an ideal world that would be great, but this isn't an ideal world.

Some people will see the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Each person will have to decide for themselves if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 705 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Offence or offense?

Recently for some reason, I thought about the spelling variations offence and offense. I don’t know why, but I wondered how confusing the spelling of this word could be. We are so used to seeing similar words such as licence and license, that it would be easy to use the incorrect spelling. Luckily the situation in Australia is very clear.

The spelling in Australia is offence. Offense is the American spelling.

Interestingly, if you perform a search using Google for just pages from Australia, for “I took offence” and “I took offense”, the number of results returned are 33,300 and 162,000 respectively. That means a staggering proportion of over eighty per cent of pages on Australian sites are using the incorrect spelling.

If you’re in doubt about the correct or preferred Australian English spelling of a word, you can use my Word Check tool located at http://www.australian-dictionary.com.au/wordcheck/. If you’d like to use the preferred Australian English spelling with Microsoft Office or Internet Explorer 10, you can find products on the Australian Dictionary site www.Australian-Dictionary.com.au.

Kelvin Eldridge
Creator and maintainer of the preferred Australian English spelling dictionary.
www.Australian-Dictionary.com.au

 

UPDATE: The results from Google just didn't feel right. I decided to redo the test using my Custom Search Engine (which uses Google services) and limits pages to domains ending in .au. The search engine can be found at http://www.justlocal.com.au/search/australia/. This test shows most pages use the correct spelling. Not really sure what Google is then displaying when it comes to pages from Australia.    

Koalaing suggested by Ellen DeGeneres

This morning I noticed on the morning show a grown man jumping on the back of another and thought how silly it was and how someone could easily get hurt.

It turned out Ellen in her show has asked her viewers to send in videos of themselves "koalaing" to promote her upcoming visit to Australia.

Here is a link to Ellen's video on koalaing.

Have fun koalaing, but do be careful and don't hurt yourself or anyone else.

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

Alert: You've sent a payment - service@paypal.com.au

Shortly after reviewing the malicious email with the subject "Your American Express Statement is now ready to view", I then received a couple of emails with the subject "You've sent a payment". These are fake transactions made to appear to come from PayPal.

What was interesting is the domains used for the links in these emails was the same as the American Express emails. That means these emails are most like attempting to use the Adobe Flash Player download approach to infect a users machine.

Currently most of the antivirus programs do not detect the downloaded file as malware. The only protection you have is you and common sense. Unfortunately some people will get tricked.

Take care on the internet as in this day and age we are being attacked everyday by someone trying to scam us in some way. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date, be suspicious with emails and when using the internet be cautious. 

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

Alert: Your American Express Statement is now ready to view - American Express On-line Services

I received three emails today with the subject "Your American Express Statement is now ready to view". These are obviously malicious in intent, but what I thought was interesting is the links in each went to three different domains. This isn't just one email but a number of emails with a slight variation.

I decided to check out what would happen by clicking on the link. Please note I don't do this using my computer as I normally would. I set my computer up in a secure manner using a special boot disk (also available to clients) which means my computer won't get infected or changed should I click on anything malicious.

What was then quite concerning is by clicking on the link the site popped up a message to download and update Adobe Flash Player. Checking the file reveals the file contains malware. I don't know if this was a modified version of Flash or just a file which if run would infect the computer. It does open the question in my mind have users downloaded and installed a modified and infected version of Flash. The version was 11.2 whereas the current legitimate version is 11.6.

If you are in doubt remove and reinstall Flash directly from the Adobe site.

If you receive any similar email you should delete it. I suggest that if you do receive an email with a link, don't click on the link, but go to the web site and check the information from their. If you do inadvertently click on a link in an email or a web page and you start getting requests to install something don't. Close your browser just in case.

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

Australian cattle dog driving electric car.

When I saw this news article I couldn’t help but think about Herding Dog Training. Herding Dog Training enables dog owners the opportunity to experience a fun new activity with their dog and participate and learn how to herd sheep. With training in Melbourne East Herding Dog Training is convenient to Melbourne dog owners.

Now I really don’t think Charlie of Herding Dog Training can help your dog to drive an electric car, but herding sheep is another matter.

To check out Herding Dog Training and their videos click here.

To check out the Australian cattle dog driving an electric car click here.

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

Alert: Qantas Telephone Sales Australia - Itinerary And Travel Details

I received a couple of emails this morning with the subject "Qantas Telephone Sales Australia - Itinerary And Travel Details". Attached to the each email is malware which isn't currently detected by most of the antivirus programs people in Australia generally use.

The attachment is designed to appear to be a PDF with a filename of "QANTAS7769043.pdf.exe" or similar. By default in Windows, you won't see the .exe in filenames.

I suggest changing the default setting in Windows so the filename extension is visible. Doing this can provide a better clue that an attachment is malware.

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.

Petrol Cost Calculator

If you want to work out the cost of petrol for a given trip, try the Car Cost Calculator.

Car Cost Calculator

As an example I worked out the return trip to my bank was 9.3km. If I plug this distance into the Car Cost Calculator, the cost of petrol for the trip is $1.45.

Much less than the bus and takes about 15 minutes compared to 1.5-2 hours by bus. Also since most of the buses run around nearly empty, the car is more efficient than the bus.

Don't forget to plug in the cost of petrol and your fuel economy as explained on the page. Also in the notes I explain how you can save the bookmark to use you default values.


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

Re: 1000000% New - 10000% Easy

Received another spam email with the same content but different subject (Re: 1000000% New - 10000% Easy). I wrote about these emails in the following post today.

 

http://justlocal.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/alert-conspiracy-why-wallstreet-brokers.html

I'd recommend that you 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.

Re: $70 EVERY 60 Seconds

Received another spam email with the same content but different subject (Re: $70 EVERY 60 Seconds). I wrote about these emails in the following post today.

 

http://justlocal.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/alert-conspiracy-why-wallstreet-brokers.html

I'd recommend that you 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.

Alert: You were meant to fail..But I won't let you

Received another spam email with the same content but different subject. I wrote about these emails in the following post today.

 

http://justlocal.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/alert-conspiracy-why-wallstreet-brokers.html

I'd recommend that you 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.

Alert: Conspiracy: Why Wallstreet brokers make 2 Million a day, Conspiracy: Why the Banks and Wallstreet wants you to fail - derdondetes.com

Today I received five emails all with the subject being different. I've never seen a mass mailing (potentially scam, phishing or malware) where the subject has changed in every case but the body of the email remains the same. Changing the subject makes it harder for people to check the internet to see if an email is a potential threat.

The subjects were:

Conspiracy: Why Wallstreet brokers make 2 Million a day

Conspiracy: Why the Banks and Wallstreet wants you to fail

Re: $70 every 60 Seconds...  Really?

You were fooled about Forex and Stock Market

"CheatingTheOdds" - Bank secrets revealed

These emails came from Argentina, Mexico (x2), Chile and Colombia.

The domain derdondetes.com is registered to a company in South China.

 

The body of the message starts with the following:

"You probably have never even heard about

this before (its that GOOD)

It's a new website that's already

got over 5,000 people making $70 Every 60 Seconds"

There is a link which goes to the domain derdondetes.com. The site is a typical high pitched sales site which I highly suspect is some form of scam and may even be malicious with the potential to infect your computer. I didn't try to find out, but I'd advise others not to click on the link.

I'd highly recommend that you delete these emails.

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

UPDATE: I decided to follow through the links using techniques which minimise risk. Whilst I didn't complete the registration, based on the information provided, I was able to glean this is more than likely an invitation to participate in binary trading. This almost sounds like the old roulette red/black strategy where you keep doubling until you win, except in the stock market. Unfortunately often a run of the wrong choice can break you, or the cumulative losses to the win means the win is minimal.

MetEye from Bureau of Meteorology being launch late February/March 2013

I've found the weather app which comes with the Apple iPhone to differ quite significantly at times from the Bureau of Meteorology, so I remove the app and put a bookmark on my home screen direct to the BOM site.

I noticed the following on the BOM site today.

"MetEye: A whole new way to view your local weather
Scheduled Release Date: Late February or March 2013 *

From late February or March 2013, the Bureau will release its new MetEye map viewer and Local Weather web pages.

MetEye provides a whole new way to view your local weather, giving the latest weather and forecasts out to 7 days ahead, for any location."

Because I live in Melbourne I've only really been interested in Melbourne's weather. It is good to see the BOM is going to provide localised weather easily accessible to more Australians and perhaps even travellers. Not certain if this information is already provided in some way, but if it is, in a quick search I couldn't find it.

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