From michael at auzzie.net Sat Jan 6 14:21:30 2018 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 14:21:30 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 56: Crypto, Radio, Free Backup and More... Message-ID: In this edition: *Bitcoin and Crypto Info* *New Van coming?* *Life with Mike on FM92.1* *Antivirus Reminder* *Free Backup with Google.* *Managing Voice Messages?* *----------------------* Welcome to 2018! I hope your new year is going well for you. *Bitcoin and Crypto Info.* Since Caz and I have returned from Kangaroo Island I've had a number of people asking me about Bitcoin and the like. I was fiddling with Bitcoin back in 2011/2012, and made a few; but like many I ended up selling it as 'life' happened and I needed the money. (The value also didn't change for three years.) However I have a good understanding of how it all works and am back into playing with them again. I've done a short radio segment about how they work which you can listen to here . In short - it's just like sending cash in the mail, except it's faster. It has the much the same characteristics - non reversible, non-forgeable, etc. Most people are getting interested in cryptocurrencies now because of the massive increases in value they have been seeing collectively. For example, $5 worth of Raiblocks two weeks ago is now worth about $50. A few are actually using them for real-world transactions as well - the original intention. If you want to get started with them, two good starting places for Australians are btcmarkets.net and coinspot.com.au - but because there's a mad rush now it takes some time to get validated with these companies. (Over a week I think.) If you want to read about different currencies, a good starting place may be https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/ although bear in mind there is a lot of 'shilling' in there. I can't give investment advice, only opinions. They would be - Diversify. - The original Bitcoin (as per the white paper) is now called Bitcoin Cash - The current "Bitcoin" (SegWit) is controlled by corporate interests. - Traditional Blockchains (power-hungry) may be superceded by faster equivalents. - Don't 'invest' or gamble with more than you can afford to lose. - If you have more than $10K worth, learn about 'wallets' as exchanges can get hacked. - Harvest profits above a limit in case the whole market crashes. - USDT is probably a scam. If you want more info, email me or book a time and I'll meet with you to give you one on one training on how to safely handle cryptos or to explain how a particular crypto works. ---- *New Van Coming?* The Commodore is now up to 480,000km care of the six day return trip to Kangaroo Island and back. It's still working well, even the annoying glitch last month where I had to turn the air conditioning compressor by hand to get the clutch to enable has gone away again. Only problem now is the headliner is going all Priscilla on me. Last year I ran the experiment of having an office in Guyra. That has had mixed results - it's handy for having a place to work on machines other than at home; but it can also throw out my schedule or programming concentration if I get a number of walk-in customers. It's also in Guyra only which isn't much help when I'm stuck between jobs in Armidale. This year I am thinking of buying a long wheel base high-topped van and converting it to a mobile office as an experiment. (It will have other uses too.) That way I can pull over wherever between jobs and work in comfort on programming tasks or repairs without being geographically challenged. I already own all the gear to make it a solar powered office. I might keep the Guyra office too, but not sure yet. ---- *Life with Mike on FM92.1* Just for fun I am running a weekly radio show on Armidale's community radio FM92.1 on Thursday evenings 6-8pm. It's not tech related as they won't let me talk about tech due to their licensing restrictions as an NFP. More info at the Life with Mike Facebook page , and past copies temporarily available here while I consider whether its' worth paying the $270 licensing fee to podcast it. I am looking for guest presenters in the flesh, and possibly online via Spotify / Duo / Skype if the next experiment works. You can also SMS requests to 0412 111 921 ---- *Antivirus Reminder.* Just a reminder that Windows 10 has a built in antivirus that is usually 'good enough' so in most cases there's no need for a paid product. Also, in most cases Android and iPhone / iPad devices don't need antivirus as the apps are usually checked by Apple and Google before being listed on the relevant stores. ---- *Free Backup with Google.* Google recently released a new update to their Google Drive / Photos backup program that allows it to work as a free off-site backup for your files. It's better than Dropbox and OneDrive in that the backup component lets you pick any folders on your computer to back up, not just the dedicated 'Drive' folder. It's free up to 15GB of space, or beyond that $2.50 a week for 100GB. Some versioning available too in case you get one of those viruses that scrambles your files. This might be a suitable replacement for some people currently using the free CrashPlan which is shutting down in a few months. ---- *Managing Voice Messages?* These days about 70% of my requests for assistance come in via Email or SMS - which is quite handy as I can simply arrange them on the phone and archive them when complete. Short ones I can dictate a reply via my watch if I'm driving or hands are full. When work is busy, I tend to leave the voice messages until there's a quiet patch as it requires some time to go through each one, replay the bits that I couldn't quite make out first time, transcribe the name, number if it isn't logged, and schedule a return call. That's why my voice greeting suggests texting or emailing if possible. Funny how technology changes the way we do things. ---- Well that's it for another newsletter! Hope you have a great 2018 :) Cheers, Mike. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/l istinfo/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 Jun 10 14:15:17 2018 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:15:17 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 57 :) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: In this edition: *New Van Not Coming. Guyra Office remains :) * *Taming Windows 10 updates.* *Antivirus Reminder* *Free Backup with Google.* *Shameless Plug for in-home (human) Nursing Care. * *Nokia is good again. * *----------------------* What? Winter already? *New Van Not Coming. Guyra Office remains :) * Last newsletter I mentioned that I might get a van instead of having an office? Plans have since changed after the rent for my office in Guyra was significantly reduced, and work picked up again meaning there was less idle time between jobs. The relative crash of the crypto market also brought my 'on paper' worth back to a more modest amount, and has since then been mostly used up again supporting my extended family. So, yes, I am back to having an office in Guyra; which is handy to have even if I'm rarely there. ---- *Taming Windows 10 Updates. * Windows 10 can be annoying with the unexpected updates that occasionally break things or happen when you don't want them to. Most of the updates are done to make your computer less vulnerable to hackers and viruses, but sometimes they chew up a lot of your data, which can be a big pest if you're on a limited plan or using tethering. One simple way to prevent this happening is to tell your computer that you're using a 'metered connection.' It used to be the case you could only do that if you used Wifi, but you can now do the same with Ethernet (plug in cable or USB) connections. Windows will still fetch important updates for critical problems so you will still have some protection; and after some months it will start protesting that it needs more updates - which you can either ignore or deal with at a convenient time and place. For more info on how to do this, see https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/metered-internet-connection-windows-10/ ---- *Antivirus **Reminder.* Just a reminder that Windows 10 has a built in antivirus that is usually 'good enough' so in most cases there's no need for a paid product. Also, in most cases Android and iPhone / iPad devices don't need antivirus as the apps are usually checked by Apple and Google before being listed on the relevant stores. ---- *Free Backup with Google.* Google offers a free Google Drive / Photos backup program that works as an off-site backup for your files. It's better than Dropbox and OneDrive in that the backup component lets you pick any folders on your computer to back up, not just the dedicated 'Drive' folder. It's free up to 15GB of space, or beyond that $2.50 a week for 100GB. Some versioning available too in case you get one of those viruses that scrambles your files. Of course, there is the concern that Google has your files, and it's only as secure as your Google account; but for most people it is probably an acceptable risk. The ability to access your files from your phone might also be useful to you. It has unlimited photo backup too, with some handy features that may mean you no longer have to bother filing your photos, since it tends to know where they were taken and who or what is in them. It's nice to have your entire photo collection available on your phone, tablet, etc while travelling. ---- *Shameless Plug for in-home (human) Nursing Care. * My wife Caroline recently became unemployed when the lady she had been caring for privately full time passed away. We have registered her with a newish site called Better Caring - which allows you to book in-home nursing care more or less on demand. If you'd like more information, you can find her on http://bettercaring.com.au or via Facebook.com/CazziCare or phone 0490 116 984 First visit is free by the way. Better caring take care of insurance; and you can use NDIS / Aged Care plan funding to help cover the costs. --- *Nokia is good again. * Nokia now have a range of affordable ($350ish) smart phones. They are well built and seem to have the strong reception that Nokia was known for in the Symbian and dumb phone days. I've owned one for a few months and have been impressed by its build quality and reliability. ---- Well that's it for another newsletter! Hope you're keeping warm :) 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 michael at auzzie.net Wed Oct 10 23:17:48 2018 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2018 23:17:48 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 58 - A new hat + two arms, and an empty wallet! Message-ID: In this edition: *A New Hat + Two Arms* *New Offsite Backup options* *An Empty Wallet* *VHS to Memory Stick* *----------------------* I put on an extra hat... That makes four... *A New Hat + Two Arms* As of last month, I am now wearing an extra hat in the community. I am now Station Co-Manager at 2ARM - that's Armidale's Community Radio Station next to NERAM in Kentucky street. They installed a new transmitter a couple of years ago which covers roughly 70km radius of Armidale on FM92.1; or available to listen online . I'm sharing this role with Peter Crick since I can't afford to give it my full time attention. This means that on Thursdays and Fridays, I'm up in the Kentucky Street office from 11am to 1pm, often longer. Thus, Armidale customers are more likely to see me on Thursdays and Fridays, although it's pretty common for me to come back to Guyra on Friday afternoons. I still have a lot to do there, but we're making good progress. I now have the Program Guide updated ; and of course we're always looking for new presenters and sponsors. (30 second message reads cost $2 or less each, and community / NFP announcements are free.) And yes, it's all run by volunteers, nobody gets paid other than the radio techs and contractors. *New Offsite Backup options* There's a saying with computers that goes "A file doesn't exist unless it's in three places" Three places is overkill in most cases, but it is a good idea to have at least two copies in case your computer dies or disappears. Google's Backup and Sync is a great free option with unlimited storage for photos and videos; up to 15GB for other stuff - your files are copied 'into the cloud' which means you can access them from anywhere. If you need more than 15G they have reasonable pricing plans for more data. Microsoft Office 365 subscribers get 1TB included free. If you don't want to use the cloud, I also offer an offsite backup service from my Black Mountain server. This is done using open source software "Duplicati" - this encrypts your backup with AES encryptioin, then transfers them to my server via SFTP. This way, your files are scrambled with two different passwords before leaving your premises. Monthly Pricing for this service: Amount (GB) Normal NFP 0-49 $ 4.00 $ 2.80 50-99 $ 5.00 $ 3.50 100-149 $ 6.00 $ 4.20 150-199 $ 7.00 $ 4.90 200-249 $ 8.00 $ 5.60 250-299 $ 9.00 $ 6.30 300-349 $ 10.00 $ 7.00 350-399 $ 11.00 $ 7.70 400-449 $ 12.00 $ 8.40 450-500 $ 13.00 $ 9.10 If you'd like to take advantage of this service, let me know. Setup is free for this service. *An Empty Wallet.* Some of you might have noticed that it can take me a long time to source parts for you. Here's why. For the last two years I've been helping my father financially after he and his wife separated. Centrelink refused to give him his aged pension because of the shared assets and an outstanding tax bill. Thus, I've been his pension and more for much of the last two years while they negotiated selling the property. I was lucky with Cryptocurrency for a number of months, but now have exhausted all savings and am basically living week to week. We also had a few months where Caz was unemployed after her private long term patient passed away. The good news is the property has now been sold (or so I'm assured) and Caz is now happily working at Guyra and Tingha MPSes, so this difficult chapter should soon be over and I can get back to actually paying all bills on time and being able to buy and carry stock rather than playing the 'wait for someone to pay a bill so I can buy parts' game. It's been a long time since I was last 'poor.' The world can be difficult when this happens - banks, internet companies like to hit you up for $10 fees if a direct debit fails. (I have about 15 a month due to how I used to operate as an Exetel agent.) Job scheduling becomes inefficient due to need to return to clients at later dates when I have parts rather than stocking them. I've likely gained a bad reputation for taking too long to order things. It's also little things like having to check your bank balance before buying petrol, etc; and not being able to afford to fix the LPG computer in the car, so I end up paying 30% more each week for fuel than I should be - stupid stuff like that. Anyway, hopefully by Christmas things'll all be settled and I can get back to optimum efficiency again! In the mean time, I'm still enjoying being your IT guy, playing at the radio station and doing my weekly radio show Thursday nights @6pm. Thanks for your continued support! *VHS to Memory Stick.* One of my services is converting VHS videos to Memory Stick - that's right; I'm skipping DVDs these days as they're old fashioned. Most people have smart TVs, and with a memory stick you can also copy whole videos in seconds or share them on YouTube etc. Cost is $5 per video cassette, or $3.50 each if you tell me the duration you want recorded. Memory stick prices always vary, but you can usually get several videos onto each stick. Videos are converted to MPEG2 files on a computer for the best results I can get. --- Well, that's it for another newsletter! Hope life is treating you well :) Cheers, Mike. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at http://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: