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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 24 - 29 APRIL 2023
Hello and Welcome,
Travel to Anzac Day Services 2023
See the Transport NSW article detailing ANZAC-Day planning.
On Anzac Day, Tuesday, 25 April, transport services will run to a Sunday or public holiday timetable with additional early morning bus and train services running across most of the network for those travelling to Dawn Services or the March. Where possible, all buses heading towards Anzac Day services will be wheelchair accessible.
Use the Trip Planner to plan your trip with the most up-to-date travel information.
If you're planning to attend the Sydney CBD Dawn service or March, additional details and travel information are available on the event page:
— Sydney CBD Anzac Day event page.
Free travel for veterans and families
Travel on public transport is free for members and ex-members of the Australian Defence Force; this also includes their carers; and the spouses, children and grandchildren of deceased service personnel; the spouses, children and grandchildren of living war veterans.
Free travel recipients are required to wear the Australian Defence Uniform, display service medals; carry a letter of accreditation on the letterhead of a branch of the RSL or other recognised ex-services organisation; or present a war widow's gold card.
This entitlement allows free travel on Anzac Day on Tuesday, 25 April 2023, on the following public transport services:
— Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity services (non-booked services bounded by Bomaderry, Nowra, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone and Dungog stations).
— Sydney Metro North West line services.
— Sydney Metropolitan and outer Metropolitan bus services.
— Rural and regional bus services.
— Sydney Ferries.
— Sydney Light Rail services.
— Newcastle Transport operated buses, ferries and light rail services.
Note: an additional train station access fee applies for travel to or from Domestic and International Airport stations. The access fee is not covered by the free fare travel entitlements.
Meetings This Week
NO MEETINGS
Meetings Next Week
2023/05/02 — 18:00-20:00 — May, Tue — Main Meeting
2023/05/06 — 13:00-14:00 — May, Sat — Penrith Group (MEETING)
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
First Saturday 13:00-14:00 — Penrith Group
Second Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Programming
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
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Go to the official SydneyPC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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Penrith meetings are held every 2nd month on the 1st Saturday from 1-2 pm. — next meetings: May, July and September 2023.
ASCCA News:Tech News:
New electric vehicle strategy — can our electricity infrastructure cope?: Monash University expert
See the iTWire article by Gordon Peters | Wednesday, 19 April 2023, at 8:43 pm.
GUEST OPINION by Dr Roger Dargville: The federal government's electric vehicle strategy, which includes new fuel efficiency standards and battery recycling, is very welcome news, but Australia needs to remember that the country's electricity grid and charging infrastructure are "currently not sufficiently equipped to handle a significant uptake of electric vehicles", according to one expert from Monash University's Energy Institute.
Dr Roger Dargville — one of two experts from Monash University commenting on the electric vehicle strategy — says it is essential to consider that as the number of EVs on the road increases, Australia "will require more electricity generation to meet the additional demand caused by electric vehicles."
However, "If we rely solely on our traditional energy generation systems and fossil fuel energy, we will not reap the full benefits of increased EV adoption," Dr Dargville warns.
"We need investment in the required infrastructure to support EV uptake. This includes not only charging infrastructure but also the development of a smart grid that can handle the increased demand for electricity with high penetration of renewables and the creation of policies that incentivise private investment in EV charging stations."
"The government must prioritise the development of sustainable supply chains for EVs. This means ensuring that EV production and disposal are environmentally friendly, with measures in place to reduce the carbon footprint and minimise the waste generated during the process."
"The government also needs to consider the potential benefits of supporting a local EV manufacturing capacity. If we rely too heavily on imports, it could affect the cost and availability of EVs in the country."
"Lastly, the government needs to create demand for EVs among drivers. This can be achieved through education campaigns, incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies, and regulations promoting EV adoption."
In another comment, Dr Adel Toosi of the Monash Faculty of Information Technology said: "This is a positive step towards promoting the adoption of EVs while also ensuring that we address the critical issues that come with it such as inadequate charging infrastructure, rise in electricity demand, energy management and battery recycling."
"Almost 17 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector. Better fuel efficiency standards and battery recycling will reduce our carbon footprint and help us manage the increasing amount of e-waste generated by EVs and reduce their environmental impact. This strategy will go a long way in supporting Australia's transition towards a more sustainable future."
"Moving towards sustainable futures is essential. There may be high upfront costs to transitioning to sustainable transport systems, including charging infrastructure and more expensive vehicles (at least in the short term), but this will reduce transport costs in the long run."
"It is more important than ever to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and work towards improving the supply and affordability of clean transportation such as electric vehicles and better fuel efficiency standards. Overall, investing in sustainable practices is not only necessary for the health of our planet, but it also has the potential to benefit us economically in the long run," Dr Toosi concluded.
Suspect in Finnish psychotherapy centre blackmail hack arrested
See TheRegister article by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle | Wed 8 Feb 2023 | 06:30 am UTC.
Suomi sentence is expected for shrink records theft.
French police have arrested a 25-year-old Finnish man accused of hacking a psychotherapy clinic, stealing more than 22,000 patients' therapy notes, demanding ransom payments from them and leaking this very private info on a Tor website.
The suspect, arrested on February 3, remains in French custody while he awaits extradition to Finland. While the Finnish police didn't release the man's name, infosec journalist Brian Krebs reports that he's Julius "Zeekill" Kivimäki, who has previously been convicted of "tens of thousands of cybercrimes."
Finnish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in October 2022. At the same time, Kivimäki was "arrested in absentia" by the Helsinki District Court for aggravated attempted extortion, aggravated computer break-in and aggravated dissemination of information violating personal privacy, according to the local cops.
The court will hold a new remand hearing once Kivimäki is sent back to Finland. "The aim is to interview the suspect as soon as possible," Marko Leponen, chief detective inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement. Leponen is leading the investigation.
Back in October, Psychotherapy Center Vastaamo admitted the data breach after patients' stolen details started appearing on the dark web.
"In recent days, the blackmailer has published sections of the information he obtained during the hacking," the Helsinki-based clinical chain said at the time. "Now the blackmailer has begun to approach the victims of the breach with blackmail letters demanding a ransom."
The now-ex-CEO of Vastaamo, Ville Tapio, was later charged with data protection offences, and the psychotherapy centre declared bankruptcy.
Oddly, when Vastaamo came clean about the stolen data in October 2022, the breach was over three years old.
Company chairman Tuomas Kahri told the local newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish) that "no information has been leaked since November 2018". He added, in a statement on the clinic's website first issued last week, that "it is likely that our system [was also] infiltrated between the end of November 2018 and March 2019."
Patients were reportedly blackmailed for €200 each, and the price tag jumped to €500 if the initial demand wasn't paid within 24 hours, according to Krebs. Besides publishing names and contact details, which other cybercriminals could use for identity theft, the miscreant threatened to leak patients' therapy session notes.
Law enforcement and security researchers estimate that the crook stole between 32,000 and 40,000 patients' sensitive information. As of October, 22,000 victims had reported the crime to the police.
Kivimäki also had the dubious honour of being named one of Europol's Most Wanted Fugitives last year.
Fun Facts:
Welcome to SyberMath on YouTube
SyberMath is a fascinating YouTube Channel devoted to explaining mathematical puzzles.
SyberMath on YouTube
Welcome to the official YouTube channel of SyberMath.
I love solving Algebra, Calculus, and Number Theory problems that are fun and challenging.
Even though I taught math for a while, I do not consider myself a mathematician. I love to solve math problems for fun because math is FUN.
Suppose you're looking for fun and somewhat challenging problems but not for rigour and serious math or a Math Olympiads, Math Competitions, SAT, and JEE aspirant. In that case, you've come to the right place!!!
I introduce more than one method to solve a problem if possible. I also include graphs made with Desmos whenever appropriate and sometimes show solutions from Wolfram Alpha.
My audience's proficiency in math and intellectual insight continually amazes me.
I also have a secondary channel for shorts and lecture videos: SyberMathShorts.
Follow Me on Twitter: SyberMath.
Happy Solving and Happy Watching!!!
Here are a few fun puzzles to try:
Evaluating An Algebraic Expression | Two Ways:
Given: x + sqrt(x) = 1,
Find the value of x + 1/sqrt(x).
...
A Polynomial Equation | x^12 = (x - 1)^12
Solve x^12 = (x - 1)^12.
...
A "Hexic" Equation | x^2 + (4x^3 - 3x)^2 = 1
Can you Solve x^2 + (4x^3 - 3x)^2 = 1?
...
And many more.
The Channel is full of very good math(s) and is very entertaining.
So, you will have many hours of challenging puzzles to solve.
— Ed.
Meeting Location & Disclaimer
Bob Backstrom
~ Newsletter Editor ~
Information for Members and Visitors:
Link to — Sydney PC & Technology User Group
All Meetings, unless explicitly stated above, are held on the
1st Floor, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.
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