[CCC News] Assorted News 57 :)

[Michael Kean]

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
<https://www.google.com/drive/download/backup-and-sync/> 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
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