June 05

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 05 - 10 JUNE 2023

Hello and Welcome,

To all "Sydney PC & Technology Group Members"

To provide early notice, I wish to advise that I will not be nominating for any committee position beyond 2023, as I am now fast approaching my twilight years.

Having first joined the committee when our club still operated as a "limited company", I recall, with amusement, having to approve an amendment allowing members beyond seventy years of age to be committee members. How times change.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working, primarily as "treasurer", with various committees over many years, and wish to thank them for their continuous support during those years.

Regards,

— John Lucke

The SMSA is undertaking repairs to the first floor.

Dear Members,

The SMSA is undertaking repairs to the first floor, so our room is unavailable.

I have therefore cancelled the face-to-face part of our Main Meeting.

We will still hold the meeting online only. Here are the details:

SPCTUG Meeting Host is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: SPCTUG Main Meeting via Zoom
Time: Jun 6, 2023, 18:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting
https://­us02web.­zoom.us/­j/­88020­320636

Meeting ID: 880 2032 0636
Passcode: spctugmain

Alex has arranged for Chris Smith from TNT radio to talk to us, and Alex will have a look at WWDC23 (Apple's World-Wide Developers' Conference).

So we will see you online for the Main Meeting on Tuesday the 6th.

— Steve South

Meeting This Week

2023/06/06 — 18:00-20:00 — June, Tue — Main Meeting

Meetings Next Week

2023/06/13 — 18:00-20:00 — June, Tue — Programming

2023/06/17 — 14:00-16:00 — June, Sat — Web Design

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 Sydney PC 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. The following meetings are in July, September and November 2023.

ASCCA News:Tech News:

Google Considers Bizarre Smartphone Feature

See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on May 25 2023, at 01:05 pm EDT.

Google's next flagship phone will have a built-in thermometer if a leaked video is anything to go by. Right now, nobody knows why.

The leaked video appeared on the 91mobiles site and showed the thermometer sensor placed just below the camera flash. It comes from Kuba Wojciechowski, a Twitter user who regularly shares leaked images of upcoming devices and describes himself as "a slight nuisance to tech companies." (Source: 91mobiles.com)

Temperature Sensor on Pixel Phone

Google hasn't commented on the legitimacy of the video. However, 91mobiles says Google forced it to take down the video from YouTube by filing a copyright infringement claim.

Forehead To Temple Motion

The video shows a user taking their body temperature by pointing the sensor to their forehead and bringing it as close as possible without touching it. The user then presses a button and moves the phone to their temple. The device then vibrates when the process is finished and shows the temperature on the screen.

According to 91mobile, the device will also be able to measure the temperature of other objects though it needs to be clarified what users need to do to move the phone to get an accurate reading.

The sensor is exclusive to the Pro version of the Pixel 8. That's the most expensive version of Google's premium Android device. To put it into context, the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $US 899.

Although the temperature sensor is said to be genuine and present on some test models, there's no guarantee it will be in the finished product. Google will likely weigh up how valuable and accurate the sensor is and whether it justifies the extra cost for the handset. (Source: engadget.com)

What's The Point?

Exactly why users would want or need a thermometer in a phone is open to question. It could be helpful when a thermometer isn't handy, for example, checking a child complaining of a fever when out of the house. Another possibility is that it could be part of a regular fitness and health tracking program, though it's different from many people regularly tracking their temperature with home thermometers.

It could also be an alternative to dedicated devices for temperature checks at venues during future coronavirus outbreaks.

Read More »

Google Chrome's Reader Mode Has Been Quietly Removed

See the How-To Geek article by CORBIN DAVENPORT | @corbindavenport | MAY 26, 2023, at 3:42 pm EDT.

Google Chrome has offered a hidden Reader Mode for years, providing a simplified view of any web page you visit. Google announced a similar Reading Mode in March, and ahead of that feature's rollout next week, the original feature might be gone for good.

Reader Mode was first introduced as an experimental feature flag in 2019, after some experiments in Chrome for Android as far back as 2014. It added a reading button to Chrome's address bar on supported web pages (primarily articles), and when clicked, the page would switch to a simplified view with only the essential text and images. Notably, Reader Mode also hides most advertisements, which might be why it was never released to everyone — especially since nearly every other web browser has a similar feature already.

Google has let the feature flag expire a few times, including in last year's Chrome 101 release, but it was always extended again. This time, unfortunately, the expiration date was set to Chrome 112 and has not been extended. It has been over two months since the release of Chrome 112, and the flag hasn't been extended, so it's probably gone for good.

Google announced a new Reading Mode in March, which is scheduled to roll out to everyone in next week's Chrome 114 update. That feature also creates a simplified version of the current page, with more colour and font options than the original Reader Mode. Still, the simplified view is restricted to the sidebar instead of replacing the page.

You can get Reader Mode back by enabling the #temporary-unexpire-flags-m112 flag and then turning on #enable-reader-mode after that. However, Google warns that all the v112 flags will be permanently removed "soon," and Reader Mode may stop working.

Read More »

The First 14 GB/s SSDs Are Almost Here

See the How-To Geek article by CORBIN DAVENPORT | @corbindavenport | MAY 26, 2023, at 10:49 am EDT.

Large cooler for new SSDs

The best internal SSDs are becoming faster, largely thanks to the rollout of PCIe 5.0. Now, two new SSDs are pushing solid-state storage to the limit, with speeds beyond 14 GB/s.

TEAMGROUP announced a new SSD on May 24, the T-Force Z54A PCIe 5.0 SSD, which uses a new SSD controller from InnoGrit Corporation to achieve breakneck speeds. It's rated for sequential read speeds of up to 14 GB/s and sequential writes of 10 GB/s. That's double the read speed of the Samsung 980 Pro. However, performance will likely take a hit unless there's an adequate cooling solution, and TEAMGROUP showed off an all-in-one cooling solution just for the SSD.

One day later, on May 25, MSI announced its Spatium M570 Pro series SSD, based on the PHISON E26 SSD controller. MSI is promising read speeds of 14 GB/s and write speeds of around 12 GB/s. This drive also has a large cooler (pictured above), but this one is a simpler air cooler, and it needs to be clarified if MSI will sell the cooler with the drive.

MSI calls its SSD "the world's first 14 GB/s SSD." However, it was announced a day after TEAMGROUP's 14 GB/s SSD and months after Adata and Sabrent revealed they are working on drives reaching the same benchmark. It doesn't seem like any of these drives are available for purchase yet — we should save the "world's first" award for the model that shows up on store shelves first.

MSI and TEAMGROUP have not revealed pricing or availability information for their new drives. MSI will show off its drive at Computex 2023 next week, though.

Read More »

Fun Facts:

Sydney Opera House achieves Six-Star Green Rating

See the iTWire article by Gordon Peters | Friday, 26 May 2023, at 01:55 am.

Opera House wins Six-Star Green Rating

Sydney Opera House has become one of the first UNESCO World Heritage-listed buildings to achieve the Six-Star Green Rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

Honeywell, a Sydney Opera House Global Goals partner since 2021, announced the GBCA rating and the company's contribution to the achievement with the retrofitting of the Opera House with its "innovative, ready now technology to help support more sustainable operations and to reduce the building's environmental impact".

The Sydney Opera House is one of the first UNESCO World Heritage-listed buildings to receive the Six-Star Green Rating, which represents 'World Leadership' in environmental and social sustainability operations.

"This achievement is the result of continually improving the building's performance, reducing its carbon emissions and maintaining its carbon neutral certification," notes connected buildings solutions provider Honeywell.

Honeywell says that as a globally recognised performing arts venue and World Heritage-listed icon, the Sydney Opera House operates 24/7 requiring close collaboration between the company and the Sydney Opera House's safety, projects, and service teams. Together, they work to identify and implement solutions tailored to the unique needs of the building. This includes:

— Creating a technology system that monitors indoor air quality (IAQ) and relative humidity (rH).

— Integrating more than 20 disparate subsystems in the building to help improve safety, energy and water usage.

— Implementing several innovations, including electricity spot-price monitoring, extraction fan control in non air-conditioned (AC) areas and monitoring cold room doors that remain open for too long.

— Automating outside air control through real-time air quality data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

— Identifying potential energy-saving opportunities in the building, including installing more than 60 water meters and more than 800 electrical meters.

According to Honeywell, these strategies help enable automated responses and alerts to changing conditions, which supports operational efficiency and provides a safer and more comfortable environment for staff, audiences and visitors.

"Sustainability is in the Sydney Opera House's DNA. Architect Jørn Utzon incorporated sustainable design into the fabric of the building in the 1960s. As we approach our 50th birthday later this year, we continue to look for ways to build on this legacy by embedding sustainable thinking into everything we do," said Louise Herron AM, CEO of Sydney Opera House.

"Thanks to the long-term support from our Global Goals Partner Honeywell, the Opera House is working harder and smarter than ever before, and I'm thrilled to see this recognised in such a significant way. It's a testament to the power of meaningful partnerships in driving positive change."

"The Sydney Opera House takes a thoughtful and deliberate approach to minimise its impact on the environment while providing a world-class experience for its occupants — all while carefully protecting its UNESCO World Heritage-listed status," said Billal Hammoud, president and CEO of Honeywell Building Technologies.

"This requires a careful balance of technologies, and, most importantly, teamwork. The Honeywell team, who service and support the Sydney Opera House daily, closely collaborate with its engineering and sustainability teams to ensure the building systems perform efficiently. We work to find innovative solutions to meet well-defined goals."

Read More »

Meeting Location & Disclaimer

Bob Backstrom
~ Newsletter Editor ~

Information for Members and Visitors:

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