How to calculate litres per 100 kilometres for your car.

The problem with using the stated litres per 100 kilometres for your car is it may not reflect the true cost of running your car. If what I've read is correct the measurements are very well specified and performed in a lab. Now if you drive your car in a lab then the figures will probably work for you. But the reality is how you drive, the environment in which you drive will affect your fuel consumption. In addition I've noticed that a car that is well maintained and just a couple of years old will have increase fuel consumption by up to 10%. That's a huge difference.

The best thing to do is to measure your own fuel consumption over a number of tanks. One series of tests for driving around the city and another for country driving. Then you'll have a better fuel consumption figure that measures your consumption for you and your car.

To help with the maths of working out litres per 100 kilometres I've written a calculator which can be found at http://www.petrolcostcalculator.com.au/litres-per-100-km/. This is part of my Petrol Cost Calculator.

To work out you litres per 100 kilometres you simply need to enter the distance travelled in kilometres for the petrol used in litres. To do this fill up your tank as far as possible (without overflowing) and then reset your trip meter to zero. Next time you fill up again fill up as far as possible and then record the litres and the distance on the trip meter. If you do this three times you'll have a pretty good average of your petrol usage. You can then use that figure to help determine the fuel cost of travelling distances (using the Petrol Cost Calculator) and that can be handy when deciding whether or not to take public transport, or for a holiday, whether it is better to drive, fly, or take some other form of transport.

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

Alert: St George - account e-statement

The aim of this email is to highlight the continuing problem of legitimate sites which have been compromised by a third party who have then installed malicious code on the site. This means any site can potentially be used for malicious purposes such as infecting computers, phishing attacks and identity theft.

The following is the body of the email.

Your St.George Internet Banking Profile Has Been Blocked.
Kindly activate your St.George OnLine e-statement please "LOGIN"

The word LOGIN is a link to a page on a UK site. The site which could be any site has a web page added in the folder "Scripts/stgeorge/stgeorge/stgeorge/stgeorge/stgeorge/stgeorge/". The owner of the site will initially not be aware their site is now delivering a malicious page. The email was sent from New Jersey in the United States.

If you receive such an email you should delete it. If you receive an email with a link to a site it is best to open your browser and type in the address. Every day with the internet someone is literally attacking all of us. Only you can protect yourself and your interests so please take appropriate care.

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 Apple ID has been Disabled for Security Reasons!

Tonight I received an faked email with the subject "Your Apple ID has been Disabled for Security Reasons!".

The link in the email is for an Australian domain where the site runs WordPress and has been compromised. The email was sent from Brazil.

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: Westpac New and Improved Database

Today I've received three faked Westpac notifications and I felt I should warn others. The emails all have the subject "Westpac New and Improved Database".

Two of the emails came from Germany and one came from Canada. When I check where the links go to (using a secured computer – don't use your usual computer) it would appear they are sites using WordPress which have been compromised and infected with malicious content. Whilst I couldn't get to see the actual screen a user would be presented with, it could be designed to collect users' logon information or data for identity theft.

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.

The Block 2014 location at Dux House 47 O'Grady Street, Albert Park

It would appear the location for the next series of The Block in 2014 may be Dux House which is at 47 O'Grady Street, Albert Park.

Dux House was sold for a reported $5.9 million.

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

How much does it cost to make a will?

I've often thought about how much it costs to make a will. A while ago I decided to put my own will together using examples I found in "how to make your own will" kits. I was very happy with the result and other thought it looked very professional. Perhaps I'd missed my calling.

 

So yes you can make your own will and it can cost nothing. The problem however is you don't if what you have created is acceptable or not.

 

I can't help wondering why the government doesn't simply provide a simple to follow website for making a will. The laws are created by the government and when something goes wrong we end having to deal with legal professionals who often charge hundreds of dollars an hour. I suspect there are mistakes that people make with wills, although I've seen people make mistakes with contracts who have retained the services of legal professionals, so nothing in the end is really guaranteed, but we can minimise the risk.

 

JustLocal advertises the services of a couple of legal businesses that can make a will for you and I'm happy to pass on your details if you'd like to contact me.

 

I'm a pretty much do-it-yourself type person, but I do appreciate and call in professionally skilled people as and when required. My personal preference is to work with professionals where I do the work that doesn't require the professional skills and marry that with paying for professional advice when required. A professional crosschecking what you've done is a great way to have peace of mind.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Alert: Amazon Gifts- Take full advantage of "Free Weekend" - Shopping Bonus

Just received a faked email from Amazon Gifts with the subject "Take full advantage of "Free Weekend" - Shopping Bonus". The body of the email contains the following 150 AUD bonus shopping offer which of course is not real.

Amazon.com Customer Notice

Take full advantage of "Free Weekend" with our 150 AUD shopping bonus. Amazon.com
is rewarding some of it's lucky customers. Given our successful colaboration, your account has been
declared eligible to receive a 150 AUD gift.

Please follow the link below and insert the required information in order to receive your gift.

The location the email was sent from was Germany.

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: MoneyGram - Payment notification email

I received a faked MoneyGram email tonight  with the subject "Payment notification email" and the body of the message as follows.

Revenues notification email
This is an automated email - please do not reply!

Dear customer!

You are receiving this email because of you have been received the money.
It may take a some time for this transaction to appear in the Recent Activity list on your account page.

Payment details
Transaction sum: 430 USD
Transaction date: 2013/08/02

There is a link in the email which if clicked would take you to a page on a site ilpaindia(dot)org and not a site related to MoneyGram. The email had been sent from India.

Since this was a faked email with malicious intent I decided to check the site (using  a secured computer which couldn't get infected) and determine the nature of the scam. Unfortunately the site wasn't responding which probably indicates a large number of people visiting the site as a result of the mass mail out. Pity.

In this situation the site has usually been compromised and contains malicious code, often to infect a computer when visited or to collect user information for those who are tricked into submitting their information. Without accessing the site I can't tell.

You should delete these emails. Don't click on links in emails you receive but instead a safer approach is to open your browser and enter the site address.

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

Whirlpool knowledge base article links a to site infected with malware

The problem with surfing the internet is often you can end up at a site which has malware. This week I removed malware from one client's computer which resulted from them surfing the internet.

I was researching IPTV services using Google and one page which displayed in the search  results was a Whirlpool page (http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/internet_television) . I went to the page and found the link to PC TV Software. I followed the link as most people would but then Windows Defender warned there was malware. It should be kept in mind this isn't a page when anyone can post but is a page which is part of Whirlpool's knowledge database.

The lesson here is make sure you are running antivirus software on your computer. You may wish to consider alternative techniques when researching and surfing the internet.

A client recently infected their computer when they visited a fellow recruitment agency's site who was a friend of theirs. The site remained infected for close to a week by the time I was called in to remove the malware from the client's machine.

The only time I've recently infected my computer was when I used software from the SourceForge site which I've visited for years. SourceForge wasn't infected, the program I downloaded wasn't infected, but the site the program took me to after it launched had become infected. I even scanned the program using multiple tools to ensure the program was clean of malware but I did not anticipate the program would open an infected page or in fact had expected it to open a page. The problem with open source software is developers need to make money and sometimes the techniques they use such as taking you to a page which isn't expected, can leave you open to exposure. I removed the malware (a couple of hours work) and then went to the Microsoft App Store and downloaded an app which provided the same functionality. An approach I now consider to be much safer than SourceForge.

Whirlpool is in the top 100 sites in Australia and is thus frequented by a huge number of Australians. A link on one of their knowledge base pages to an infected site is a real concern.

There are lessons that can be shared from these situations. Generally when I'm researching I reboot my computer using a secure disk (used by the American armed forces) which protects my computer from infection. (This disk is available to clients once I make sure it works on their equipment.)

Whilst it is extremely convenient to research using the computer you're currently on, perhaps it may now be prudent to use an older second computer that doesn't offer the same exposure, or to use the secure boot disk approach I use if appropriate.

The lesson I learnt from the recent infection was that some of the sites I've trusted in the past may not be as trustworthy as they could be. Microsoft's app store being more trustworthy than SourceForge was not expect. Finding a link on the Whirlpool site which took me to an infected site was unexpected, but now I will be more cautious when using Whirlpool.

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

Alert: NAB Account Information

I received an email this morning with the subject "NAB Account Information" which I suspect is a malicious phishing attempt. The email has a faked Australian sender's email address but the email was actually sent from Georgia Asia. I'd never heard of Georgia Asia before so it was interesting to look up where Georgia Asia was.

You should not click on links to banking or financial sites in emails you receive. Emails are often faked and malicious. Instead visit the site by opening your browser and entering the web address for the site. Clients using my Search Australia search engine can simply enter the commonly used names of the bank and go direct to the bank site.

You should delete emails like these. If you do get tricked contact your bank immediately.

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

Alert: Bank Of America - statement of expenses

I received a faked email pretending to be from the Bank Of America for a statement of expenses. Attached to the email is a zip will which contains a malicious executable program. The body of the email contains the message:

Bank Of America
Hello.
There is your report (attached) by 07/30/2013.

You can unsubscribe from emailing at you account setttings.
Please contact us if you have any questions on the report.

If you receive a similar message you should delete the email as it is malicious and is currently not detected as malicious by most antivirus programs.

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

Alert: Bendigo Bank Limited - You have: 1 new Secure Email

I received a faked Bendigo Bank Limited email today with the subject "You have: 1 new Secure Email" and the following text in the body.

An attempt to access Bendigo e-banking was
denied. Please "Logon" now.

If you do not remember trying to access Bendigo
account, Click here: "That was NOT me".

This email was sent from Canada which is another indicator it is malicious. The email does have an Australian email address but this has been faked.

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.

iPhone 5 Electic shock feels like sensationalism for self promotion.

There is no doubt that people have to be careful around electricity, but the headline associating the iPhone 5 with electric shock is simply playing to misreported information that has recently been appearing in the press.

iPhone5 Electric Shock: Australia’s Electrical and Communications Association Spearheads Campaign to Raise Safety Awareness... Read More

To my knowledge there has been no incidence of an iPhone 5 causing electric shock in Australia. Recently there was a report in the press of a New South Wales women being hospitalised due to an electric shock associated with an iPhone, later follow up reveal it had nothing to do with a mobile phone.

Be careful with the articles you read because you’ll end up believing what is basically false information being spread in the press. Yes you can buy low cost chargers on eBay and other overseas sites and they may be dangerous. Make sure if you’re saving money there isn’t a cost associated with that saving.

What would really help is if the list of devices where people have received electric shock was itemised and grouped so we could see where the largest risks are.

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

Alert: ANZ - ONLINE - LOCKED OUT (03) 8400 4610

Similar to the scam email I received last week with a New South Wales number, today the email had a Victorian number. The following is the text of the message.

Your online account will be limited. Please call our office immediately at: (03) 8400 4610 to restore your access! Thank you.

The country of origin of the email was Spain. The email had a faked Australian email address.

It does make me wonder how scammers get the telephone numbers and what the telcos are doing about it. I know when I reported scammers calling on my Optus telephone line Optus wasn't interested. These scams can only occur with the services provided by the telcos and if the telcos aren't prepared to do anything about it they should be held accountable.

You should delete these emails.

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

Myki readers on Smart buses often not working

With all the talk about fare evaders you'd think the government would want their Myki readers working reliably. On Saturday I was on one bus on Doncaster Road and the Myki readers on the bus weren't working. Then later that day I was on another bus from Box Hill and again the Myki readers weren't working.

Not only is the government losing money by people not paying to use the bus, but the time wasted as people stand there trying to get their card to read and then trying each machine without luck wastes everyone's time. I saw another women in Nunawading recently trying to get her Myki card to register and the driver got frantic and told her to just get off. The bus driver was running about 8 minutes late an considering the buses are scheduled every 15 minutes that's running considerably behind schedule.

The government is putting a lot of money into dedicated bus lanes inconveniencing drivers, yet how much time is wasted with people having to touch on and off, as well as revenue lost when a considerable number of machines are not working when they should.

Here's another Myki reader which had crashed and was showing the program screen. (Sorry about the low quality image.)

 

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

Alert: Western Union Critical Update

If you receive an email with the subject 'Western Union Critical Update' which includes an attached file "Translink Critical Update.zip", you should delete the email. The attachment is malware.

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

Googe Nexus 7 2 technical specifications

Whilst the marketers like to market the experience devices bring, the bottom line for me when comparing devices is often the technical specifications. I found it hard to find the technical specifications for the Google Nexus 7 2, but found this page (http://www.google.com/nexus/7/) provided what I wanted. I hope others find the site useful.

For me Google devices don't allow me to get rid of my Windows applications so I consider it an additional device. I felt the older Google Nexus 7 looked a bit clunky because of the wide bezel. This model appears to have reduced the bezel so it will be interesting to check out when it arrives in-store.

I already have an Acer 10" Android tablet which sits idle most of the time, so if a tablet does tempt me it has to help me replace at least some of the functionality I require from a Windows based notebook.

What I did like about the Google device compared with Apple iPad Mini and Microsoft surface tablets, is it includes GPS and compass facilities.  To get GPS on an iPad Mini means moving up to much more expensive devices. What I feel is missing is the ability to plug the tablet into the TV via HDMI. The real problem for me with Google Android devices is they simply aren't up to scratch in terms of software. Many sites which work with Google Chrome on the desktop/notebook, simply don't work on an Android tablet, including Google's own sites.

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

Australian women hospitalised by electric shock from her Apple iPhone - Reports are this didn't happen.

I read the following article which started me thinking about how something like this could possibly happen. I’m not qualified in electronics, but have an interest in electronics so my knowledge is limited.

Fresh safety fears after warning issued in Australia when woman is 'hospitalised by electric shock from her phone'... Read More

Firstly the incident has been confirmed that the electric shock was not due to an Apple iPhone or mobile phone, but there is no mention as to what appliance was involved.

Giz spoke to a Ambulance NSW representative this morning who confirmed that the woman was transported to hospital for reasons that were not a result of burns or shocks related to mobile phones.... Read More

To my mind when charging an iPhone the cable carries 5V which isn’t sufficient to cause an issue. The charger however converts 240V to 5V and if somehow the 240V reached the 5V circuitry, it may be possible. I then found two sites which provided interesting information with regards to the safety of low cost chargers. Some of the low cost non-branded chargers separate the 240V from the 5V circuit with under 1mm of space (whereas 3-4mm appears to be recommended) which means they probably wouldn’t be considered safe.

The following article discusses the Apple iPhone charger and you can see there are safety features built into the design including a resistor which fuses in case of catastrophic failure, keeping the voltages separate.

Apple's diminutive inch-cube iPhone charger ... Read More

Other good charges will likely have good safety features as well, but those without branding or certification should be probably be avoided.

I particularly liked the following site because it shows a couple of chargers where the voltages are separated by less than 1 mm showing one potential problem with some low cost chargers.

USB Power Supply/charger Test... Read More

The problem I’ve found with the media is often in haste the information we receive can be quite disconcerting. If I didn’t read additional articles with regards to the Australian woman being hospitalised due to their mobile phone, I would have been concerned as to what the safety issue was and I’m sure this may have scared many people. In fact I’m probably sure there are scammers right now putting together fake hoax emails ready to send out to people suggesting they forward them to their friends due to the safety issue.

Recently, sadly, a Chinese person reportedly did get electrocuted whilst using their mobile phone, but we can only guess as to what the cause was.

Always be mindful that any device with a rechargeable battery poses a risk as does the 240V power supply. Watch out if devices get hot and certainly there is a problem if the device delivers a shock.

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

Search Australia mobile version now available for iPhone

Search Australia is now available on the iPhone so you can have the great single keyword access to the most popular sites Australian's visit, or add your own keywords to go direct to the sites you want. Search Australia uses the Google search engine to provide search results but limits the default results to be pages from domains using .au. You can still quickly search Google, Yahoo or Bind using the single first letter followed by a space and then what you're searching for.

To add Search Australia to your home page on your mobile do the following:
Go to http://www.justlocal.com.au/search/samobile/
Select the forward option in the icons at the bottom of the screen

Select Add to Home Screen

Change the text to Search

Press Add

 

Search Australia is now available from your Home Screen.

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

Aldi Lumina hot water urn power usage.

On the weekend we borrowed a Lumina hot water urn for a group that was having a Christmas in July get together. For me this was also an opportunity to check out the Lumina hot water urn in terms of energy usage. Those who had read my posts will know we've reduced our electricity to under half our previous usage, a massive saving, simply by investigating our usage around the home. A few gadgets and changes in our habits is all it took. The main tool I used was the Energy Cost Calculator which I used to help determine the cost of using appliances and whether or not it was better to replace certain devices. For example is it better to replace low energy lights with LED lights or not? Is it better to replace the old TV with a new low energy TV? The Energy Cost Calculator gave me the information I needed to make better decisions.

One area that can consume far more energy than people realise is the humble kettle. Yes boiling that kettle multiple times per day can end up costing as much as running the refrigerator. So for me this was an opportunity to review the energy usage of the Lumina hot water urn which had been purchased from Aldi.

The Lumina hot water urn has a stated capacity of 8.8 litres and is rated at 2,000 watts. There is a on/off switch, two lights indicating heating (red) and keep warm (amber). There is also a dial where you can set the temperature from 30 degrees up to 110 degrees. (Water boils at 100 degrees.)

My first test was to fill the urn with around 4 litres of water and set the temperature to 30 degrees. This would show me how it worked. The red light came on and the energy being used was 2,050 watts, after around three and a half minutes the water had reached the temperature and the amber light came on indicating the urn was now in "keep warm" mode. In "keep warm" mode the urn uses approximately 170 watts.

The second test was to set the urn to 110 degrees, boil the water, check to see the water would keep boiling and then reduce the temperature setting to 95 degrees, at which point the urn went into "keep warm" mode". Once the water cools to below 95 degrees I suspect the heading mode will turn back on.

From this we can see the urn really has two modes. It is either on heating mode with is fully on at around 2,050 watts, with the aim to heat and boil the water, or on "keep warm" which is around 170 watts and is designed to heat the water sufficiently so that it simply doesn't cool down too quickly. With heat escaping to the surrounding environment the urn will at some point need to switch back into heating mode.

Many people leave hot water urns on all day which means they are using energy continuously whether or not people need to use the water. Heating a full urn for a single cup of coffee is obviously a considerable waste of energy. For a single cup of coffee boiling just the amount of water you need, when you need it, is faster and certainly cheaper than using an urn. Urns however are handy appliances to have around when you need to make hot drinks for a large number of people at the one time.

Out of interest, if you had the urn running for 10 hours a day in "keep warm" mode (this isn't logical as the water will need to be brought back to the boil on a regular basis) then we can see the minimum cost over a year would be around $160. The real cost over a year would be significantly more. For most people if you only boil the water you need and turn a kettle on before you go to get your cup and ingredients, chances are the water will have boiled before you're organised.

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