Alert: Order 21484298 Booked - Western Union Business Solutions Online FX for Corporate

Just received a couple of emails with the subject "Order 21484298 Booked - Western Union Business Solutions Online FX for Corporate". Attached is a file (Order Details - Western Union Online FX.zip) containing 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.

Alert: Mohammed Carr - DHL regional manager

I've received a number of emails today with the subject "DHL regional manager" using a variety of names. These are faked and attached to the email is malware with the filename "LABEL-ID-NY19032013-GFK78.zip". Most of the antivirus programs currently do not detect this 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.

Fuel Consumption Hyundai i30cw 2.0 A/T

I noticed a Hyundai in the shopping centre this morning with the Fuel Consumption sticker still on the window which I thought was unusual.

I created a Fuel Consumption Calculator recently which I designed so I could provide links including the value for cars. The following are links for the Hyundai.

Urban

Extra Urban

Hyundai i30cw owners can use these links to quickly determine an estimate of the cost of a trip.

If you'd like to create your own default link with your own values for litres per 100km and the cost of fuel all you need to do is the following:

1. Go to the Petrol Cost Calculator (www.petrolcostcalculator.com.au). You can also find the Petrol Cost Calculator on JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au).

2. Enter the value of litres for 100km and the price of fuel you'd like to use and press Submit.

3. The link in the address area of the browser now contains your default values. Bookmark this link and when you go to the Petrol Cost Calculator page all you need to enter is the distance as you'll already have your default values.

JustLocal is a service designed to help people promote their services locally. Knowing the cost of petrol which is usually a hidden cost, can often change where we shop and save us money. For example that return trip into the city cost time and money. Even the trip to the local library to get a free book may end up being far more expensive than downloading an eBook. Often there's a trip to borrow and a trip to return so free isn't so free may not be as free as you think. Crazy as it sounds but the cost of purchasing something on the internet from interstate and having it delivered may end up being cheaper than buying something you want from across town. At least with the Petrol Cost Calculator you can now make better decisions based on actual numbers.

Also don't forget petrol is just one of your car costs but it is the easiest to calculate and that to me is a start.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham, surrounding areas, and where possible, anywhere that I can assist via telephone, VoIP or using the internet. 
 

OzEfilter has now been moved under the Online Connections site.

The OzEfilter domain is being retired today and OzEfilter will now be available the Online Connections site www.OnlineConnections.com.au/ozefilter. You can also find OzEfilter on JustLocal at www.JustLocal.com.au.

OzEfilter is provided to clients to assist them with handling unwanted emails. OzEfilter shows a list of emails from people not in their contact list. The emails are on the mail server and can then be deleted directly from the mail server before the emails reach their computer, largely eliminating the risk malware, scam and spam safely away from their computer.

OzEfilter is designed to work with standard POP3 mail boxes.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Alert: Be careful when topping up Myki cards using the machines as the receipts are difficult to locate.

A while ago I topped up my Myki card at the Box Hill train station and I looked all around to find the receipt. The machine was curved so the receipt was placed further back than expected and was difficult to find.

When I pulled out my receipt I also pulled out receipts for a couple of other people. The one in particular that concerned me was for a young lady. On the receipt is most of her debit card number (excluding a few digits), the expiry date of the card, the type of account (savings), that it was a proprietary debit card, that she was a MS and her first and last name. Leaving a transaction receipt with a person’s first and last name to me is a concern and the design of the machine means the receipts aren’t obvious and could be easily overlooked.

Make sure you collect your receipt when purchasing Myki top ups using the machines.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Eastern Freeway slow from Bulleen Road

It's 7:45am and the traffic is backed up past Bulleen Road. Transit lane is travelling OK.

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

What is my IP address?

When you connect your computer to the internet you are connecting using a given IP (Internet Protocol) address which uniquely identifies your computer if you are connecting directly, or the group of computers if sharing an internet connections.

Over the years I’ve used the internet address when diagnosing a problem on a computer so I’ve found it handy to have the IP address available. Usually it takes a number of steps to determine the IP address for a computer so I decided a quicker way was to write an web app which would display the IP address for me. Now all I need to do is to go to the web address http://www.onlineconnections.com.au/myipaddress/ and I can determine the IP address. For convenience the IP address app will be available on the JustLocal site www.JustLocal.com.au along with my other handy web apps.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Windows Live Messenger closing down

It has been reported in the press that Microsoft will be closing down Windows Live Messenger and migrating users to Skype. Initially this was to occur on March 15^th 2013, but this has now been extended to April 8^th. An exception is Messenger won’t be retired in China at this time.

I’m not sure if will affect any clients as everyone I ask have already moved away from using Windows Live Messenger. In any case consider it a heads up if you’re still using Windows Live Messenger.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Samsung Galaxy S4 Australian release date.

The launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been confirmed as being in New York on the 14th of March. Those considering a purchase of a Samsung Galaxy may wish to wait and see what the launch reveals. If we look at the launch of the SIII it was unveiled in London on May 3rd, 2012 and then launched and made available in Australia at the end of May. I don't know what stock levels were like, but if the past is any indication, the delay until the S4 arrives in Australia won't be long.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

UPDATE: Since the launch the media has been reporting worldwide availability late April with some countries early May. Pricing has not been released officially, but media reports are indicating the price will be set marginally below the Apple 5 iPhone. I find that strategy interesting. It is a marketing strategy designed to appeal to those who feel a few dollars means the unit is better value and has little to do with the actual cost of manufacture. A great way to keep profits for Samsung (and Apple) high. 

Litres per 100 km calculator now added to the Petrol Cost Calculator.

Working out the standard litres per 100 km value for fuel economy can be a bit tricky so I decided to add a L/100km calculator to the Petrol Cost Calculator. You can find the L/100km calculator in the menu or you can go direct to the page http://www.petrolcostcalculator.com.au/litres-per-100-km/.

I hope you find it useful.


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

Qantas Frequent Flyer points aren't as good as they used to be.

I find it is pretty hard to complain when you end up with a Qantas Frequent Flyer reward after building up points for many years, but I thought I'd share this experience so others can make better decisions.

Years ago you'd earn the points and you'd pay nothing extra. Then Qantas introduced that you can use points and pay for taxes and additional charges, or use extra points to pay for the charges, in effect reducing the value of the points. I also noticed the number of points required for a trip had increased again reducing the value of points.

What did surprise me was the level of charges and I think it may surprise others, so I felt it was appropriate to alert others.

A return flight to Bali for two is 100,000 points. If you opt to pay the fees you'll end up paying a whooping $701.18.

If you check the specials for flights and accommodation to Bali, which come out each week in the newspaper, you'll find those charges are nearly as much as a return flight plus accommodation for six nights. Had I known this at the time I probably would have opted to pay for the package over using points as the accommodation was included. It's a hard call because often the travel agents advertise prices which are "from", which often isn't available when you want it. But of course frequent flyer flights may not be available when you want them either.

If you're building up points using the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, you may wish to review how many points you require and how much it is going to cost you in extra charges if you opt to pay for the charges, or you don't have enough points so have to pay the charges.


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

Alert: British Airways E-ticket receipts

An email with the subject "British Airways E-ticket receipts" is circulating which contains an attachment which is a HTML file, most likely to take you to a malicious site. It is not an e-ticket receipt.

You should delete these emails if you receive them.

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

Fuel economy Mazda, Toyota, Holden, Nissan, Ford.

I decided to compare the fuel consumption for the top selling vehicles in Australia for 2012 as shown in the list below. However when I went to view Mazda and Toyota specifications, to me the fuel consumption figures were pretty useless. A few years ago the figures provided were basically for city and country driving. Now the figures are combined into a single overall figure and that can make it harder for consumers to make an informed decision.

1. Mazda3 - 44,128
2. Toyota HiLux - 40,646
3. Toyota Corolla - 38,799
4. Holden Commodore - 30,532
5. Holden Cruze - 29,161
6. Hyundai i30 - 28,348
7. Toyota Camry - 27,230
8. Nissan Navara - 26,045
9. Toyota Yaris - 18,808
10. Ford Focus - 18,586

The Toyota Hilux (WorkMate 4x2 Single-Cab Cab-Chassis Petrol Auto) interestingly has a combined fuel consumption of 11.5 L/100km, which to me is quite high. Overall I find it best to measure your own fuel consumption. Fill your tank completely a couple of times and record the distance travelled using the trip meter and the litres used. Then average the results. I like to measure a figure for city consumption and another for country driving. Once I have those figures I can use the Petrol Cost Calculator I wrote to get an idea as to the cost of driving a given distance. Keep in mind the fuel economy reduces as the car ages so over time you may wish to recheck your fuel consumption.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

142 Park Street South Melbourne (The Biz Hotel) - The Block 2013 (corner Eastrn Road & 71-73 Eastern Road)

Based on reports on the internet, the next series of The Block in 2013, after The Block All Stars, will take place at 142 Park Street South Melbourne. The building is known as the Biz Hotel  and based on the description by the real estate agents appears to include corner of Eastern Road & 71-73 Eastern Road South Melbourne.

Interestingly the advertisement for the sale of the property are also two semi-detached townhouses. The building is a six storey Motel.

If this is indeed the next location for The Block in 2013, it should make for an interesting twist.

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

Don't be tricked by real estate agents saying over a thousand visitors have viewed your property on the internet.

It makes me shake my head when I hear a real estate agent saying a property has had over a thousand visitors on the internet. Most of those visitors, if they exist at all, aren’t interested in your property and thus that number is close to worthless.

The only real way you could get a reasonable number as to the number of people who potentially may be interested in your property is to log the visitors and have access to those logs. Then by analysing those logs you may have a chance to get a real indication. Keep in mind that a third of traffic on the internet are often robots indexing pages. Then you have a consider number of people harvesting information for republishing, or collecting for other purposes such as trying to sell related services to people selling properties. Then you have other agents checking out competitors properties and then you have the agents themselves who may be referencing the information multiple times a day.

In the end the reality is there are only a few hundred properties sold a year in a postcode area and if you had 2-3 buyers for your property, the market would be booming and you’d get a great price.

The best way to get real information from the internet is to have gain access to the logs relating to your property.  For one real estate agent I set up a site which was linked to from advertising on realestate.com.au next to sold properties. The agent paid $700 for the advertising. During the time the only visit they had was when realestate.com.au set up the advertisement for them. So if you hear figures of thousands of visitors to view your home on the internet, I’d treat the information and the agent with suspicion. It’s just a sales pitch. If you want real information I’m more than happy to set up an image and if you get the image linked to from the online advertising site, I can provide you with real statistics on how many visitors there are viewing the image. Using real information helps you make better decisions and the internet now provides the tools which can cut through the marketing hype.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Alert: BOGO Funding - IMG spamming emails

I received a couple of emails with the subject “New AU & NZ crowd funding site coming soon...” send by the IMG Marketing Group Ltd. One of the emails addresses only appears in code and not made public which means it has been harvested.

The IMG Marketing Group Ltd is a spammer. Even if BOGO funding is legitimate, any business that uses spammers I would recommend is a business you should avoid.

I’d recommend that you delete any emails from the IMG Marketing Group Ltd and by association disregard anything regarding BOGO Funding.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Fuel consumption Toyota Avensis

When I purchased the Toyota Avensis I’d get around 500km by topping up the tank with 50 litres of petrol. Five years later I now get around 450km which provides and indication of how the fuel economy of a car decreases over time even with regular log book servicing.

To use the Petrol Cost Calculator you need to determine your fuel usage. The standard used is litres per 100km. For the Toyota Avensis the fuel economy is 11.11 litres per 100km. I explain in the notes for the Fuel Cost Calculator how to determine the litres per 100km value. If you use the same approach with your car you can then plug in your values into the Petrol Cost Calculator and determine the cost of petrol for a trip.

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

In the site log for one of my sites today I noticed Google image robot (Googlebot-Image/1.0) trying to access images that aren't even on my site.

I recently set up the site www.PetrolCostCalculator.com.au as a calculator for others to access and determine the cost of petrol for a given distance. What was weird is that when I checked the logs for the site I see entries such as /images/numbers/red/9.png with the agent string being Googlebot-Image/1.0. The Google image robot can’t find the files because they aren’t there and in fact they’ve never been there.

At first this was a concern as how could Google possibly think those files exist on my site when no such files ever existed.

The answer to this perplexing problem is provided in MyAnswers solution 2320 which can be found here.

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Alert: Re: End of Aug. Stat. Required

I’ve received a couple of unusual emails which are obviously malicious in intent and thought it would be a good idea to warn others.

The emails have the subject “Re: End of Aug. Stat. Required” and have an attachment which aims to appear as an invoice. The body of the message is:

Hallo,
as reqeusted I give you inovices issued to you per jan. (Microsoft Internet Explorer).
Regards

CHARMAINE Conn

As you can see the poor English is a good indication the email may not be legitimate. Also the name changes in each email. The attachment is a html file which has a coded routine in it making it difficult to read, but in essence, if you run the web page the end result is there is a reference to a site with a Russian domain. I didn’t investigate what the site was about.

I’d suggest deleting these or similar emails.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.

 

Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 is now available for Australians.

Exciting news.

Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 has now been released by Microsoft and is available for download. I’ve downloaded and installed Internet Explorer 10 and also installed the preferred Australian English spelling file I provide to clients and it works as expected. Now thousands of secondary spelling variations which exist in the standard Australian English dictionary provided by Microsoft, will be marked as spelling errors. Now “mom” for example will be marked as a spelling error, as will the many “ize” spelling variations, American spellings and errors I’ve identified in the standard dictionary.

At last the preferred Australian English spelling can now be made available to Internet Explorer 10 users on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.

In the next couple of days I’ll update the instructions for Windows 7, but for those who can’t wait, go to http://www.australian-dictionary.com.au/internet-explorer/ and purchase a copy of the preferred Australian English spelling file. The steps to install the file are the same.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Online Connections

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.