From michael at auzzie.net Sun Jan 15 17:27:18 2017 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2017 17:27:18 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 54: Changes :) Message-ID: <587B1646.7010708@auzzie.net> *In this edition: Two years since the last newsletter?! New Office in Guyra WiFi Calling vs Telstra Repeaters 4G note for Guyra. Double Data offer on Telstra Prepaid. Unlimited calls Mobiles $25 a month Unlimited calls Landline $40 a month. ***Now accepting Visa and MasterCard* - you can too :) Google Photos ChromeCast and Reflector 2 ****Wedding in February :) **Tilly. * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Two years since the last newsletter?! *Yes, it's been a long time! Newsletters take hours to type up, and as I mentioned in my last newsletter (you could be forgiven for forgetting LOL) I have been posting more on Social Media (fun ) (serious ) instead as new services appear. However, there is enough news at the moment to warrant a full newsletter. Also, I've been busier than usual now that I've resumed working with the Tomato Farm. (Programming, not picking LOL - I lost the ability to do complex work for a while there after Val left us.) Yes I know, excuses, excuses. So, what's new? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *New office in Guyra. *I now have an office in Guyra, as well as my home office in Black Mountain. Of course, I'm not always there because most of my work is still on the road; but it's handy nonetheless - and Roy Jones is pretty generous so far as rent is concerned. (Mind you, I do get hunted out now and then when the carbon monoxide makes its way through the roller door!) This office is at 2 Bradley Lane, off the side of Guyra Exhaust Tyre and Battery service. It's a bit shabby on the outside at present but it'll do. Apparently it used to be a laundry years ago, and Roy had a plan to sell hot dogs out of it a bit later - which might explain the American style lino and the big Elvis painting on the wall! Of course, since I'm often not there it's better to arrange a time if you want to meet there - perhaps via SMS or Facebook Messenger . For deliveries and pickups I still use CT Electrics instead as they are usually open. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *WiFi Calling vs Telstra Repeaters. *This section is only of interest to people who live in areas with bad mobile reception. Up until recently, the only way to improve mobile and thus mobile broadband reception to all the phones in your home was to buy an expensive Cel-Fi Repeater for prices starting at $950, plus $150 or more for an antenna for the roof. These generally work pretty well provided you can get some reception outdoors. Telstra is now slowly rolling out a new feature that some other countries have had for years, which they call "WiFi Calling ." The idea is that your mobile phone will still make and receive calls even if you have no mobile phone reception; provided you are connected to a WiFi network instead. (Yeah you'll probably have to read that a few times to understand it.) For it to work you need a home WiFi network; which most people have these days care of NBN or assorted Mobile Broadband services. And you need a compatible phone and Telstra service. At present, the only compatible phone is the Samsung S6 / S6 Edge; but I'm sure that will change soon. Also, at present it won't work on Telstra mobile broadband services - one could guess for arcane financial reasons? As this feature becomes more common, it will be quite handy for people who currently suffer from having no mobile reception at home. You can find out more here, here and here . I rang the Telstra shop today and they hadn't even heard of it; and don't know anyone actually using the service yet. If you happen to own an S6 or S6 Edge on Telstra, I'd be interested to meet up and test it. (My Note 3 is too old for such frivolities.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *4G Note for Guyra. *Getting accurate information about 4G coverage is difficult as there are several new frequencies used - some that used to be TV stations. After some trial and error I think I've determined that Guyra uses 700MHz for their newer 4G services, and 850 for the older services. Not all 4G (LTE) phones can do 700MHz so they won't get 4G in parts of guyra whereas others will. Armidale seems to have the more common 850MHz throughout town. I am yet to try using outdoor antennas to get 4G further out - have some customers that want to go that way if possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Double Data offer on Telstra Prepaid. *Telstra's Prepaid mobile broadband is often a confusing thing. To add to that confusion, there are now two different 'offers' - the older offer that many are on had plans up to $140 for 16GB for two years. The newer offer maxes out at $150 for 20GB for one year, or 40GB if you recharge on or before 13th February. That's a pretty good deal I think, although the old one let you use the credit to also buy stuff on Google whereas the new one doesn't. If you're currently on the old offer, you can change to the new offer but might lose existing credit; so you might be better off buying another SIM and using that instead. Also, if you feel cheeky you might be able to get half of your old credit back using the t-cashback app. Some people wonder how I keep up with all these changes? Whirlpool is one of my sources :) Other carriers have decent mobile data plans too - see sites such as WhistleOut . 70 gigs $80 a month, 15 Gigs $45 a month, etc etc; 39 companies compared. Then there's the unlimited mobile phone calling plans... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Unlimited calls Mobiles from $25 a month* If you're paying more than $25 a month for your mobile phone, and you don't use a heap internet and you own your handset; you're probably paying too much! Need Telstra Reception? Own your own phone? Check out Aldi's prepaid Value Pack offers. The $35 plan has 6GB of Internet too, which is usually enough for most people. You can share it from your phone to your computer too. Setup is simple, just buy a SIM card, fill in the details on the website and you're usually ready to go ten minutes later. You can keep your mobile number. Aldi now supports Global Roaming. Woolworths Mobile has similar offers that include handsets and repayments; although these days you can get a fairly decent handset for under $200 . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Unlimited calls Landline $40 a month.*. If you're paying more than $40 a month for your landline, including calls, you're probably paying too much! Check out Dodo's Unlimited Landline . Yes, Dodo is a stupid name, but they've been in business for many years and were acquired by M2 Wholesale years ago. For most people, the concerns with changing their landline company is 'what happens when my line breaks.' Technically the line still belongs to Telstra so it's Telstra's job to repair it, but you need to get past Dodo's support to arrange that. One thing I do like about Dodo (and some other companies including Telstra ) is that you can use their "Live Chat " feature when you need help, rather than being on hold and struggling to understand international accents. While you wait for replies you can go off and do other things, as your computer will play a sound whenever they reply. Also, pay $10 extra per month for no contract, and you can always dump them and head back to Telstra if you're not happy. Both Aldi and Dodo also have excellent international call plans as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Now accepting Visa and MasterCard* - you can too :)* Usually if you go to your bank and say you want an EFTPOS machine, they'll set you up on a plan that will cost you at least $30 a month. PayPal (and OfficeWorks) sell a Bluetooth Credit Card machine for $49. You then pay about 2% on transactions, and no other monthly fees etc. The money goes into your PayPal account, which you can then transfer into your own bank account or use for other online purchases. What's the catch? It doesn't do EFTPOS. It only does Visa and MasterCard. Still, most people have a Visa or MasterCard these days, including the debit varieties. Oh, also it takes about a minute or so between turning it on and logging on to your Paypal account before it's ready; and occasionally the damn thing won't connect first go. Still, no monthly fees :) There is an alternative product and company called "Square". They sell a small gadget called the "Square Reader " for $19 which plugs into your phone's headphone socket. It lets you swipe credit cards or read the chip to process payments at similar rates. More convenient than the PayPal option*, *but doesn't do tap and go. They do have a tap-compatible unit too for $59. I haven't tried a Square reader yet, though I have heard from other customers that they are good. As an end user though I might feel more comfortable with the PayPal model since it has a pin entry pad, which 'feels' more secure than having to hand the customer your phone for them to enter their PIN for transactions over $35. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Google Photos. *You've probably heard of iCloud before - a handy thing but limited to 5GB unless you pay Apple money. Well, Google has done one better and now offers free unlimited photo and video storage via the Google Photos app on your phone. (Works with iPhones and iPads and Windows too.) It's quite handy because it means that no matter where you are, you have access to all your photos from all your devices; without having them stored in your phone or tablet, taking up space. And of course, if you lose your phone you won't lose most of your photos. Also there are other handy features such as being able to search for 'things' (dog, cat, car, etc) and places; plus now and then Google will make albums of trips you go on, and stitch together panorama photos for you. You might already be using it and not know - go to https://photos.google.com/ to find out. Or you can add it to your iPhone or Android Phone (Samsung, HTC, etc.) or PC / Mac . One important thing though! When you use this service - especially the first time you install it on your computer - all your photos will be copied into the cloud. That could be a lot of uploads; so if you're on a Mobile Broadband or small Satellite plan etc, you might want to wait until you can get your computer or phone to a free WiFi or a neighbour's ADSL or Wireless NBN. Your photos are secured with your Google password. If this worries you, you can enable Two Factor Authentication which means you need to get a text as well as use your password to log in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Chromecast and Reflector 2. *A Chromecast basically turns almost any TV into a Smart TV. It allows you to watch YouTube, NetFlix, your own Photos and Videos, and movies you've downloaded, wirelessly on your TV. They're $58 to buy and fairly easy to set up. They will work with both Android and Apple devices, as well as your PC. For the rare few that use a Home Theater PC instead of a TV, Reflector 2 emulates a ChromeCast and Apple AirPlay, allowing you to stream music and video from your phone to your PC and attached speakers. You could use Bluetooth of course, but in larger homes WiFi will give better coverage. Add an FM transmitter and you can do your whole house :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Wedding in February :) *On 11th February starting at 11am, Caroline and I are getting married in the gardens of the old Teacher's College, followed by a reception with three course meal and assorted music upstairs at the Armidale Bowling Club. We have a fairly tight budget, so we've had to limit our guests to our closest 45 - most of whom have already RSVP'd. If you want to come along to the wedding ceremony you're welcome to as that part is free! However if you want to come to the reception afterwards, it costs $110 each and we need to know a week in advance so the bowling club can provision the tables etc. (They have a capacity of 110 people so there's plenty of space, but it's a kinda pricey three course meal with all the table dressings and other features. Should be fun though :) ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Tilly. *Some of you have probably seen Caroline and I with our fur child - Tilly. Those of you who have know me for over ten years might remember Heppie, the Border Collie / Kelpie cross that used to travel everywhere with me in the Kingswood. Tilly's a King Charles Cavalier - which generally means she's a bit more clingy than bigger dogs although she's getting better as she gets older. It's been a bit too hot lately to bring her out much, and usually Caz or I are home. However Caz is about to start a new job which might take her away from the house more often, so I might be in the market for a cheap Ute so she can be a proper farmer's dog! (Except 1/4 scale.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another newsletter. Let me know if you found it useful :) Cheers, Mike. You can subscribe or unsubscribe athttp://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Mob: 0427 644 825 Messenger: http://facebook.com/coolcountryconsulting -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Sun Mar 19 23:10:38 2017 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2017 23:10:38 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Avoid Southern Phone for now. Message-ID: <58CE753E.1030908@auzzie.net> Hi :) Just a quick note to please avoid joining Southern Phone at the moment. I've encountered a couple of customers, and reports online, that they are having significant issues with provisioning new services; and their helpdesk / support system is constantly engaged, etc. See http://www.productreview.com.au/p/southern-phone.html I normally wouldn't bother singling out a bad provider, but they are still actively advertising on daytime television. There are cheaper Australian providers with functioning call centres. Feel free to ask me what's good at the moment. Cheers, Mike -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Mob: 0427 644 825 Messenger: http://facebook.com/coolcountryconsulting -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Tue Apr 4 19:45:37 2017 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2017 19:45:37 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] No mobile reception at home? Telstra and Optus now have WiFi Calling. Message-ID: Hi all :) Just a quick update on WiFi calling. WiFi calling lets you make and receive mobile calls when you have no mobile phone reception, by using your home WiFi connection. (Satellite, ADSL, hotspots, etc) It's built in to some newer phones, and available as an app for Optus customers on older phones. *Telstra supported phones: (Calls only)* Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge *Optus supported phones: (Calls and texts)* iPhone 6 (all varieties) iPhone SE iPhone 7 (all varieties) Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge Most other Android and iPhones supported using the WiFi Talk app, but the app has a poor user rating. --- These are only available on post-paid plans at this time. I expect this will change in the future. More info: *Telstra:* https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Announcements/Telstra-Wi-Fi-Calling-FAQ-s/ba-p/619260 *Optus:* http://www.optus.com.au/shop/mobile/network/coverage/wifi-calling Cheers, Mike. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/ listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cccmikey at gmail.com Sun Aug 13 19:44:59 2017 From: cccmikey at gmail.com (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2017 19:44:59 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 55: Power prices, Ad Blocking, Crypto Trading, Steem. Message-ID: In this edition: *Power Prices* *Ad Blocking on Android and Computer** * *Getting Started with Cryptocurrency Trading.* * - Steem, the facebook alternative that pays you to post.* *Vodafone 4G Mobile Broadband usable.* * * *----------------------* * * *Power Prices.* * * Power prices have generally gone up. There is a government-run site you can use to check some of the best offers. It's at https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ When using my last bill as an example, it listed Mojo Power, Simply Energy and Energy Locals as some of the best options. One problem is that this site doesn't know all the discounts that are available - for example Simply Energy has an 8% NRMA member discount option. My recent experience with these three companies: Simply Energy, every bill had problems from day one, but they were good at accepting corrections. They might have improved since I left. Mojo Power: Sounded good on paper, promising 'wholesale rates' plus a monthly fee. However, their 'wholesale rates' turned out to be only slightly less than the non-discounted retail rates with the other providers. (27.9c/kwh vs 28.3c/kwh). Bills are estimated monthly. Energy Locals: Too soon to tell. Waiting for first meter reading. "The Project" on channel 10 also has a site https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/sick-of-getting-screwed which lists some alternatives. Whatever you opt for, avoid getting tied in to a contract. *----------------------* * * *Ad Blocking on Android and Computer** * * * Ads while looking at websites can be quite annoying. Ads on Android mobiles can be incredibly annoying as they make pages jump around and load slowly. They can also appear in games, etc and trick you into thinking there's a problem with your phone. */Block ads on the computer./* */ /* The easiest way to block ads is to use Chrome or Firefox, and add the "uBlock Origin" extension. This will add a small icon top right which is a red shield with a number on it. Occasionally the ad blocker will stop pages from loading properly - click the red shield icon followed by the 'power' button to disable it for that page. You can also do this for any page you want to allow to display ads; as this is often how pages make money. Rogue ads however are a significant source of malware, so it's generally better to block them. For Google Chrome - Click Here. For Mozilla Firefox - Click Here. */Block ads on an Android Phone. (Samsung, HTC, Sony, etc...)/* */ /* There are a few options to block ads on Android, including free ones. The fastest one is AdAway - which is free, but it requires you to have Root access. If you don't know what root access is, you probably don't have it, and on most phones it's hard or impossible to get. The best alternative I know is AdGuard . It's not free, costing $12 for a year or $36 for lifetime; but you can try for 14 days free. (Actually, I think you can use it for free if you only want to block ads in webpages, whereas the paid version blocks all ads.) Naturally, Google isn't fond of it, so you have to 'side-load' it rather than using Google Play Store to get it. They talk you through that. *----------------------* *Getting Started with Cryptocurrency Trading.* * * This last few weeks I've had three separate customers ask me for help buying cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, etc. I've been playing with them since 2011 so have a fair understanding of how they work, how trading and investing works, etc. Without getting technical, it's a bit like the stock market; but you don't need to know much to have a play with it. You just buy the ones you like, and sell them if you don't want them any more. I guess it's kinda like a cross between gambling and investing. You can also use them as actual currency with a limited but growing number of retailers - they are a universal currency after all; but it's early days yet. Most cryptocurrencies are just like cash in that you can send them to someone else. Imagine sending someone a $5 note in the mail. You don't have it any more. The other person does. The serial number on the note is unique and can't be forged. There was no bank involved, but you did pay a small amount of 'postage' or freight. There's also no way for you to get it back once you've sent it. Most of them have special features that make them unique. OK a bit more technical now. Bitcoin, the most well known cryptocurrency has in the last week it has jumped from $4,000 each to $5,200 each, up from $700 a year ago. (See charts here .) Note that you can buy and own fractions of a bitcoin. Of course, there's no guarantee it'll keep going up; and since 1st August there is a new version (a 'fork') called Bitcoin Cash which is technically superior to the current Bitcoin, but significantly less well known. It might end up taking Bitcoin's place if Bitcoin becomes crippled by the current version's seven transaction per second limitation and other issues; so there might be some real volatility soon. Bitcoin tends to get a bad reputation in the media because it's irreversible. That's why the scammers like to use it for their ransom payments - but cash is the same; and can be used for good or for bad. Then there's other popular ones such as Ethereum which ties in a thing called "smart contracts", Zcash (which can make the amount sent invisible to observers), Dash, Monero, Neo, Steem, etc. All with their unique pros and cons, and just like the stock market they have a unique identifier such as ETH, ZEC, MON, STM. *Steem*, by the way is a Facebook Alternative that pays you if you write something that other people find interesting, I've had a go, but I'm not interesting enough! (I made about $30 from a few hours of creating content.) You can take a look at it by clicking here . If you're a writer / blogger, or have a special interest there's no harm in having a play. The only thing to beware of is that you generally can't delete what you post there, since it's stored forever in a blockchain. Also available on Android as an app called eSteem . One way to get started playing with cryptocurrencies is via the Australian exchange called CoinSpot . You can join for free, and will immediately have a wallet for many popular cryptos. However, if you want to use real (fiat) money to buy them, you'll need to go through the amusing process of getting verified by them. This is because of Australia's anti money laundering laws, etc. One caveat with Coinspot is they use a thing called Poli Payments - a program created by Australia Post many years ago to enable instant transactions from Banks to Suppliers. To use it you need to log in to their site with your Internet Banking number and password. Naturally that sounds bad - normally you should never do that, right? The only reason they do this is to that they can create the transaction on your behalf and thus credit you the money immediately rather than the usual 1-3 day wait. Since it could be a security risk; you might want to use a different bank to your primary one. A couple of workarounds if that sounds too onerous: Use CoinJar instead to buy Bitcoin, then convert it to another currency at Coinspot. Or get in contact with me directly and pay me to buy it on your behalf and send it to you, for a small charge. A few quick tips. 1 - Never leave large amounts on an exchange - they can get hacked. Use a wallet app on your phone or PC to store low to moderate amounts. I recommend "Coinomi " for Android as a good option. You will probably be given a twelve word password which allows you to retrieve your wallet at any time even if the phone breaks etc. 2 - Never buy more than you can afford to lose. This market is incredibly volatile, and while it seems likely that cryptocurrencies are here to stay, they can be quite prone to manipulation, political infighting between developers, software issues and hacking. My personal approach has been to put spare change from my wallet into it. I've had to draw down on it a few times though so I'm not rich ;-) 3 - General investment rules probably apply such as 'it's better to diversify than to pick just one', 'have a strategy to take part of your profits during ascents if you're a long term investor', 'don't borrow money to invest', etc. 4 - I don't fully know the tax implications. I suspect you're meant to declare profits from investment in cryptocurrency as 'other income' but I'm not 100% sure as the laws have been changing. The ATO appears to class it as a form of bartering. If you'd like a one on one lesson, I can offer these for $35 for 30 minutes plus travel. Note that I am definitely not an expert on these, and as far as I know there's no law that I have to have a certification as I'm not a financial planner. Kids with expensive gaming computers may be able to 'mine' some cryptocurrencies using the program NiceHash . It is barely profitable though considering power prices; but can be a fun learning exercise. I have six old computers (without screens) on a remote power switch that I use to heat the lounge instead of running a heater, at a 30% net saving compared to running a heater alone. Click here to see the what a massive mining operation looks like - I don't necessarily recommend this company though as I don't know enough about them. *----------------------* * * *Vodafone 4G Mobile Broadband usable.** * * * Just a quick note that the Vodafone 4G service appears to be relatively usable in Guyra and Armidale town areas. A SIM only option currently exists with $25 for 10GB of mobile broadband and 180 days expiry. This is useful in 3G and 4G / LTE iPads and Tablets for example. *----------------------* Well, that's it for another newsletter! All is well in CCC land at this time, work is plentiful. A reminder that it's better to email or SMS me rather than call me as I can easily track these from my phone and smartwatch. Voice messages are checked during quiet times only. 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