Coles flybuys - Save 40c per litre on fuel - Coles

Every time I receive a Coles flybuys activation offer I shudder.

The problem is it is only a matter of time until a scammer duplicates the Woolworths Everyday Rewards and Coles flybuys offers in a scam email. Because all you need to do is single click to activate the offer, all a scammer needs to do is to craft a flybuys offer with a click which goes to an malicious site and the computer could get infected.

Last week I repaired an infected computer where the business went to a fellow Australian recruitment site which was infected. The computer had remain infected for around a week so anyone visiting may have had their computer infected. Millions of sites right now are infected and used by scammers to infect people's computers. All that is required is that you visit the site. In this case the client went to the site after searching for the business using Google.

If like hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of Australians you receive activation offers pause for a moment. Check the link you are about to click on (most browsers can display the actual site address of the link – don't trust what you read on the screen as it can be faked) and make sure the link will take you to the site you expect to go.

To me it is only a matter of time until we have a massive malware outbreak because Coles and Woolworths are regularly sending out offers where people don't need to read much and only need a single click.

Make sure you check the link before clicking.

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

The Block 142 Park Street South Melbourne auction date

I drove past The Block at 142 Park Street South Melbourne the other night and noticed the auction date which I thought some people may be interested in. The auction date is Saturday the 27th of July 2013.

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

How to set up Gmail with a business domain to work with Outlook 2010.

Today I set up a client so they could access their Gmail (which uses a business domain) to work with Outlook 2010. The client had previously been advised to use an approach which synchronises folders but this is not necessary as once you know the correct settings. Outlook handled Gmail as required by the client.

In MyAnswers solution 2349 I share both approaches and some tips I determined along the way.

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

Is Windows Defender built into Windows 8 good enough?

I regularly test new malware and in the past I found Microsoft's Security Essentials to be very good compared with other antivirus programs. In fact I found it significantly better than other products and would recommend Security Essentials to clients.

More recently I've become a little concerned with Microsoft's Windows Defender antivirus solution built into Windows 8. Now the antivirus software is built into Windows 8, Microsoft has to make sure it is leading edge. Unfortunately from what I can see is it not leading edge.

Today around six and half hours ago I received an email with the subject "Australian Taxation Office - Refund Notification" which had malware attached. Microsoft at this time does not detect the malware even though quite a few other programs do.

In addition Windows Defender was updated nearly 10 hours ago and I had to manually apply the latest update, something which most users will not know how to do.

Overall if Microsoft are serious about protecting users, they need to improve their performance in this very important area.

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 new Telstra bill for account 4755201644938 is attached

I've received a number of emails with the subject "Your new Telstra bill for account 4755201644938 is attached" or similar. Attached is a zip file of the form "TRPB_1_9562502156.zip".

If you receive similar emails they are malicious and the zip file contains malware designed to appear to be a .doc file, which could trick people into thinking it is a Microsoft Word document. It isn't a Word document but a malicious executable file.

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 default price increased to $1.50

The default petrol price for the Petrol Cost Calculator is provided to make it easier to make a quick estimate for the price of using petrol for a given distance. Today I decided to increase the default price to $1.50 as the price of petrol is currently floating in the $1.50-$1.60 range.

The problem for most of us is we don't factor in the cost of using our cars when we take even a short trip. I doubt if most of us even think about the cost when we fill up the car, except to think it is getting quite expensive. Next time you're filling up your tank of petrol think about the cost and how it relates to the hours you spend working each week. Hours of your life you'll never see again.

For example let's say you earn around $20 an hour and it costs around $60 to fill up your car. Because you pay tax and the Medicare levy, you need to earn around $90 to pay for $60 of petrol. That's around the first half day of your working life simply to top up the car.

The motor car is still one of the most convenient forms of transport we have today, but it does come at a cost. Working out how much your trips are costing you and making it real, may help you work out better ways to use your time and money. Because public transport is so heavily subsidised sometimes public transport may be more cost effective even if it isn't as time effective as the motor car. The only way to know is to do the sums and then work out which mode of transport is best for you.

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

Has your browser been hijacked?

I regularly clean up people's computers and in most cases they don't realise their browser has been hijacked. It doesn't matter if they're using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox, the result is the same. When they open their browser they see a page which is similar to the Google search page but it isn't Google's site. When they go to search they get search results which again look similar to Google search results but aren't quite the same.

The reason is they've visited a site, clicked on a link and had their browser hijacked. Many free programs people install such as free antivirus programs (and even paid programs) also hijack the browsers search engine.

For me the fastest and easiest browser to repair is Internet Explorer. Change the home page and change the default search engine, delete the offending search engine and the problem is fixed (as long as they computer isn't infected with malware). This is all done using options provided in Internet Explorer from the tools menu.

Because it is so easy using Internet Explorer and support is money to clients, most clients are more than happy to have Internet Explorer cleaned and stop using Chrome and Firefox.

One technique I used in the past was to create a Search Engine add-in which simply went straight to Google. Then when I visited clients I could look at the search engine and know that if it was still the same search engine I'd installed, their browser had not been hijacked. I used the same technique last night with a family friend and realised just how easy it made things for them. I set the home page to my Search Australia page and their search engine to use Search Australia. Visually they can now instantly see their browser hasn't been hijacked. They don't have to use my search engine but having it there gives them peace of mind. If it is changed they know they've somehow had their search engine/home page hijacked and that means they've either installed a new program, which they didn't realise would hijack their home page and search engine, or they've got and infection and need to call me. Either way they can see immediately.

To install Search Australia as your default home page in Internet Explorer open Internet Explorer, go to www.JustLocal.com.au/search/australia, then select Tools (press the ALT key to see the menus if they aren't visible), select Internet Options and click on Use current. To set Search Australia as the default search engine click on the link "Add to Internet Explorer" on the Search Australia page, select "Make this my default search provider" and click Add. This now means the home page is set to a known page and the search engine is set to a known default. Any change means something unexpected has happened to the computer and the computer should be checked.

It should be noted that I created Search Australia to provide more localised searching based on Australian domains and nominated keywords. Google ads do appear and in the spirit of full disclosure I do receive revenue from Google. For me however Search Australia provides a search engine that gives me the results I want and enables me to quickly fix family and friends computers which is often done in return for a simple thank you.

If you think your browser may have been hijacked a quick way to find out is to enter the word "test" and check the resulting search results page. Often there will be other business names on the page and the website address in the address bar won't be a Google address. Open your browser and go to www.google.com.au and again enter the word "test". If the results differ there's a good chance your browser has been hijacked. (This assumes you're searching from Australia. If you're reading this article from another country use the Google domain for your country.) Sometimes you won't be able to get to Google's search page at all which means your browser has been hijacked.

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

Mazda 3 Fuel Economy.

I decided to make it easier for people who purchased one of the top 20 selling cars in 2012 to determine how much it costs to travel a certain distance using the Fuel Cost Calculator.

The top selling car for 2012 was the Mazda 3. What surprised me was even for the same model car, variations in the car leads to quite some difference in the fuel economy. The following are links for the Mazda 3 in various configurations to the Petrol Cost Calculator.

Mazda 3 SP20 2.0L 4cyl, Auto 6 speed Sedan – Urban, Extra Urban
Mazda 3 SP20 2.0L 4cyl, Auto 6 speed Hatch – Urban, Extra Urban
Mazda 3 2.0L 4cyl, Man 6 speed Hatch – Urban, Extra Urban
Mazda 3 2.0L 4cyl, Man 6 speed Sedan – Urban, Extra Urban
Mazda 3 2.0L 4cyl, Auto 5 speed Hatch – Urban, Extra Urban
Mazda 3 2.0L 4cyl, Auto 5 speed Sedan – Urban, Extra Urban

What I find interesting when looking at the fuel economy of different variations is according to the governments Green Vehicle Guide site (where the figures for Urban and Extra Urban come from) there is no difference between a hatch and a sedan. This does make me wonder if this is correct. In the past I've found government ratings to be flawed.

For example there was a 7.0 litre and 7.5 litre washing machine and the energy rating for the 7.5 was better yet both were built identical. The only difference was the label on the machine and this was done for sales and marketing purposes. So the figures provided by the government's energy rating system used the published 7.0 litres specification and not the actual specification.

If the Urban and Extra Urban fuel economy ratings are measured using equipment whilst the vehicle is stationery then there is no factoring into account for the different body designs. It would be interesting to see what difference if any there would be between a hatch and a sedan.

Also interesting is the fuel economy for a 6 speed manual is about 5% better than for a 5 speed automatic for urban travel but expectedly little difference for extra urban.

The real surprise is the SP20 which turns the engine off when at lights resulting in approximately 29% better fuel economy. Interestingly according to the government's Green Vehicle Guide there is a difference between the hatch and the sedan with the hatch being 0.1 L/100km less fuel efficient. That's unusual and makes me curious as to what the result would be in a real world test. Based on an automatic being heavier than a manual, in a static test we would expect a manual to be more fuel efficient. In a similar vein a hatch is heavier than a sedan so again we'd expect the static test to show a sedan as being more fuel efficient than hatch. I do wonder if this would be the same outcome in real world testing where factors such as wind drag and driver gear changing may impact fuel economy.

For those driving Mazda 3s however, I hope you find the Petrol Cost Calculator useful.

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

Are internships and volunteers taking jobs away from themselves?

I can’t help but be concerned with the number of volunteer and internships positions being held by hopeful students (and even possibly retired people).

Internships: The Australian experience... Read More

The problem is volunteering does not guarantee anything and based on this article plus my own observations, people are working for many months and don’t even get considered for a position. If people didn’t volunteer and didn’t do internships companies would be forced to employ people and that would create jobs.

As an example I read once read there were something like 57 volunteers working at Melbourne Zoo where there are 7 zookeeper positions. If each person puts in 4 hours a week that’s equivalent to around 6 full-time jobs or many more part-time jobs which would otherwise be required. I can’t help wondering how many zookeepers leave each year. If one leaves each year that’s 56 people who miss out.

Some businesses will use work experience as the labour for their business. When people volunteer for months performing the same task often they’re doing the job a paid employee would otherwise do.

Whilst I think it is great that retirees perform volunteer work for their own benefit and interests, my concern is they could be doing someone out of a job. I’m sure if retirees thought about it, if it was their grandchild that they put out of a job they’d never consider it.

Some limits need to be put into place to ensure our young people aren’t being used. Free labour may help the bottom line for large businesses and government organisations, but is it the best we can do for the next generation.  

- 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: Your Trip Details Lancaster Gate Hotel, London - expedia.com

I've received five emails with the subject "Your Trip Details Lancaster Gate Hotel, London" which have been designed to be malware but somehow they don't seem to have been created properly. The attachment should appear as "trip details 659076658.PDF.exe" but instead appears as an untitled text file in some email clients or as text attached to the body of the email in other email clients. The file  "trip details 659076658.PDF.exe" is the general form of malware pretending to be a PDF file.

Due to the email being malformed there is unlikely to be much impact but you should delete these emails in any case.

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

Super, Your Money, Your Future, government superannuation promotion.

The government is heavily promoting its push to increase the super rate contributed by employers. For me there are a couple of issues which I think people should know.

Earlier in my career we were paid a salary plus super. Super was a bonus you didn't think about. The employer paid it. However a few years ago I noticed a surprising change in how the salary of young people was stated. Your salary was $X including super. Yes that's right. We'd gone from the salary being salary plus super to salary including super which in real terms is a drop in salary. My concern is, does this mean that as the government increases compulsory super the only real losers. For salary earners the super is coming out of their salary and thus the amount of money they have available to pay off their own bills including their home loans is reduced.

The second issue is the government loves to tell people how much that great bonus will be. Their latest online site states the changes will mean, if you're 30, earning around $70,000 a year, you'll get an extra $105,000 if you retire at 65.

First let's see. Isn't the retiring age increasing to 67!

More importantly that whopping great bonus of $105,000 is in today's dollars, but in 35 years time how much will that be worth. The problem is inflation. Each year as prices go up the buying power of our dollar goes down. For example in 1998 Julia Gillard bought her home in Altona for $140,000 and today 15 years later you'd pay around $600,000 to purchase a similar house which shows how $140,000 today could buy about a quarter of what it did in 1998.

The question then is how much would $105,000 in 35 years buy in today's terms. To find out you need to use a Present Value Calculator which I've written an made available on my apps page www.JustLocal.com.au/clients/apps, or directly at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/present-value-calculator/. The only question really is what the interest rate or rate of inflation you'd like to use. I'd suggest around 4-5%. The government aims for 2-3 but since 1970 the average has been 5.8% so 4-5% is a good indicator.

So how much will you be able to buy in 35 years? Something in today's terms worth around $19-$26,000, or roughly the price of a small car. Yep. That's it. A car.

To me the main thing is to understand that large sums today sound impressive but time reduces large numbers to rather insignificant numbers. If you don't understand this when you retire chances are you'll be very disappointed.

Have some fun with the calculator. See how things you buy today compare with things your parents may have bought decades ago. For example, in the mid 70s, (around 1975) a new Ford Falcon cost around $3,000 and I think teachers were paid a starting salary of around $5,000. A basic Ford I think costs around $30,000 and teachers earn around $50,000, so relatively speaking, they've kept up with general inflation (but not property which has increased faster). So does the calculator work as a reverse time machine. Enter the teachers salary today, for 38 years, 5.8% (the average inflation rate) and you end up with $5,868 which is pretty close. The car is $3,521, which again is pretty close.


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

Tullamarine freeway exit to M80 Ring Road closed

Around midnight, going from the airport along the Tullamarine freeway, the M80 Ring Road exit (which goes to Greensborough) was closed.

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

Julia Gillard's home address in Altona.

I regularly blog about privacy issues and the internet in the desire to inform people as to what is possible now because of the internet and the data collected on all of us, either via information we publish ourselves (e.g. social networking, visiting websites), or that others publish about us (e.g. the media, family tree information). At least if people know what information is being published about them the knowledge may assist in them looking after their own interests.

As an example I recently saw the news headline about Julia Gillard returning home to Altona. Based on information relating to Julia Gillard published on the internet it was possible to fairly quickly locate her home, see her home using Google maps and even see a more recent picture of her home with the front fence.

Before the internet the general public would not have had access to any of this information and now it is readily available for everyone with some basic internet search skills.

Whilst it may feel a bit freaky to some people, if you haven't done it before, perhaps now is a good time to check what information is readily available on you. A quick way to check just Australian sites using Google, then Google, then Yahoo and Bing, is to use the Search Australia page I created. To see just pages in Australia (which use Australian domains) just enter the phrase you'd like to search for. To use Google, Yahoo, or Bing, enter the letter g, y, or b, followed by a space and then your search phrase.

If there is one lesson I've learnt from the information on the internet it is, never use your mother's maiden name as a security question with any of the services (e.g. bank accounts) you use. Genealogy information is readily available on the internet for all to see and that includes those people who may wish to hack into your accounts. To use Search Australia click here. Also don't forget you can make Search Australia your default engine  by clicking on the Add to Internet Explorer link and selecting the option.

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

Alert: Dr. OZ Newsletter - 5 Easy Ways for Weight Loss

By now you'll probably have received numerous spam emails about "green coffee beans" and their benefits using the good name of Dr OZ.

You should delete these emails.

The two I received today were sent via two difference ISPs in Peru and contain links to Polish domains. This should be enough of a warning these emails are some form of scam.

If you are interested in researching green coffee beans or anything else, don't click on a link from an unsolicited email. You are simply asking for trouble. Always open your browser and then start searching. You may still end up at a scam site, but the risk is significantly reduced.

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

Alert: Kindly Review The Attached Document !!!

Today I reviewed an email the person had received from a friend. The email appeared to have also been sent to a large number of their friend's contacts as well.

The subject contained "Kindly Review The Attached Document !!!" and the body was as follows:

 

"Please view the document I uploaded for you using Google docs. Click here to view <URL REMOVED> , I have to attach it in the message body due to the content....All email account work with Google Docs."

Clicking on the link would have taken a person to a fake log on screen designed to trick people into thinking they were logging on to a Google service. The intent most likely being to trick people into providing their Gmail username and password.

If you receive such an email you should delete it.

If you've found that your contacts let you know that you've sent them such an email it is likely your Gmail account has been hacked either currently or in the past. The contacts reviewed in this case indicate it would have been the sender's contact list. Change your Gmail password and if you use the same password elsewhere, change the password everywhere you use it. It is good practice not to use the same password across different services. Also send a follow up email to your contacts advising them that if they did receive such an email from you it was a fake. If they did provide their username and password details they should also take the action mentioned above.

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

Choice should not be encouraging consumers to bypass restrictions companies put into place.

I’ve read twice that Choice is encouraging Australian consumers to find ways around overseas companies that geo-block. That is companies block access to services based on the location of the consumer.

Consumer lobby group Choice has encouraged Australian consumers to find ways around the Netflix geo-block so that they can use the service in Australia, but the legality of the bypass remains questionable.... Read More

Whilst we may not be happy with geo-blocking encouraging consumers to work around systems that companies put into place I don’t believe is the way to go. We don’t know the full picture and this paints Netflix rightly or wrongly as a bad company. Worse though is it paints Choice as an unprofessional organisation and that is not the impression Choice has built up over the years.

The bottom line is if a company doesn’t provide you with access for some reason or another don’t further encourage them by paying them. Vote with your money. There are other suppliers in the market so spend your dollars with companies who are looking after your interests.

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

How much does it cost you to borrow a book from a public library?

I was reading a report on the economic value libraries bring to the community and one section of justification which I thought was weird is the logic behind the hidden cost of travelling to and from the library both in time and cost. This is valued as a benefit to the community. The logic being that if people are prepared to incur the cost they must be getting a greater benefit and this that is part of the value of a public library.

Travel costs – this method estimates the value of time, cost and effort that library customers incur in getting to and in using public library services. in essence, this method assumes the value derived by customers must outweigh the costs incurred, otherwise customers wouldn't make the visit.

Personally I see this is convoluted logic. The problem that I see is people don't realise their time cost and the cost of using their vehicle or public transport to travel to and from the public library. If they did they may decided there is a better way to get the resource they want rather than use a public library.

For example our closest public library is about 3 km away which is a return trip of 6 km. Fuel usage alone (using Fuel Cost Calculator) is 93 cents. It I visit the Doncaster library this would be nearly $2. This is just the cost of petrol. If you use the ATO figure for car usage at around 70 cents a kilometre conceivably the real cost of using a car to travel too and from the library could be as much as $4-$5. Now if we add the time and put a value on the time free isn't looking quite so free. Would you go to the public library and pay $5 each time you borrowed a book. I think the answer would be no for most people.

The problem is the cost is hidden for most people. We've made the time and cost of travel so indirect we often don't see we're incurring the cost. There is almost no connection between borrowing a book and having the money taken from your bank account or even the time you spend at work earning the money.

For reports justifying this cost as a benefit to me greatly inflates the value public libraries bring to the community.

Personally I think we're all emotionally tied to the concept of local libraries because we've grown up with them. Every household in the community pays for the public library whether they use it or not through their rates and taxes. The reality is I've borrowed one book in well over a decade. The book was a government produced book and overseas the same material is made available online for free. I suspect I'm probably paying around $50 a year in taxes to have a library available when I want to use it, so I've probably contributed $500-$1,000 which makes this a very expensive book indeed.

Next time you're using a free service perhaps factor in your travel costs and your time. You'll be surprised at how much free services are actually costing you.

For those who are looking for alternatives keep in mind there are hundreds of thousands of free books available on the internet. Even paying 99 cents for an eBook is probably going to cost you less than borrowing a free book from a public library. I've seen a number of people swap books between them which I think is a great way for people to help each other and create community spirit. In the near future I hope to put my collection of books online to make it easier for family and friends to access and borrow books they don't even know I have.

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

Example of how the old Victorian Fire Services Levy was applied by AAMI

I’ve never really thought much about the Fire Services Levy simply because we have no choice but to pay it. If you take out home insurance it is part of your premium. In my earlier post the Fire Services Levy came to my attention because I received a partial refund as AAMI had calculated the premium incorrectly, although the refund raises the bigger issue of, how long have I been over paying. However as part of checking the Fire Services Levy AAMI to their credit provides the following page.

Removal of the Victorian Fire Services Levy (FSL) From Your Insurance Premiums... Read More

In AAMI’s example you can see the Fire Services Levy set at 30% and then GST is added at 10% (a tax on a tax) and then Stamp Duty is applied (a tax on a tax on a tax). In the example the amount of taxes collected is a staggering 36.5% of the home insurance premium.

For those interested I’ve written a Fire Services Levy calculator which is available at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/fire-services-levy-victoria/.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Fire Services Levy Victoria calculator now available.

I decided to write a Fire Services Levy calculator to assist those who wanted to know what their Fire Services Levy will be, which will also enable them to compare the new levy to their current insurance policy. You can access the Fire Services Levy calculator using the following link http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/fire-services-levy-victoria/.

Fire Services Levy - Victoria... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Woolworths Weekly Specials - OMG Desserts

Be careful of Woolworths specials. We picked up two OMG Desserts and I noticed afterwards the special hadn't been applied. The special is for OMG Desserts, but according to the shop assistant it isn't all OMG desserts.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au