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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 19 - 24 JUNE 2023
Hello and Welcome,
Closure of HSCC (Hurstville Seniors Computer Club)
10TH June 2023.
Dear Member,
The purpose of this letter is to notify you that the closure of HSCC was officially gazetted as being closed on the 5th of May, 2023.
As part of our closure and as a registered organization, we had to advise Service N.S.W. where we would like our surplus funds to go. We nominated ASCCA to receive our surplus funds, and Service N.S.W. accepted.
On behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank you for being a part of our computer club and for all your support over the years.
We wish you well in the future and trust you will keep on computing.
Kindest regards.
PAMELA SAMUELS.
PAST PRESIDENT HSCC.
Meeting TODAY
Hi Everyone,
Our Web Design meeting is today, the 17th June at 2 pm. I have had bronchitis most of this month, so I have cancelled our face-to-face meeting for Saturday, but we will be online.
This month we could look at AI and see if we can use it to build websites.
I have looked at ChatGPT and have a free version, but its functionality seems limited. I found another free AI, and that did draft a web page. We can also look at a few articles on what AI can do.
So I hope to see you all online this Saturday.
Topic: SPCTUG Web Design Meeting
Time: Jun 17, 2023, 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82634658712
Meeting ID: 826 3465 8712
Passcode: webdesign
— Steve South
Meeting This Week
2023/06/20 — 10:00-12:00 — June, Tue — Tuesday Group
Meeting Next Week
2023/07/01 — 13:00-14:00 — July, Sat — Penrith Group
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:
What Is a GaN Charger, and Why Should You Buy One?
See the ReviewGeek article by ANDREW HEINZMAN | @andrew_andrew_| JUN 12, 2023, 5:00 pm EDT.
Key Takeaway: Most USB chargers use silicon semiconductors. Gallium nitride (GaN) is simply a power-efficient alternative to silicon. It allows a charger to achieve a small size without reducing charging speed or thermal performance. A GaN charger is ideal for travelling or powering several high-wattage devices, such as laptops.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) Charger
When searching for a new USB power adapter, you may have a few options with gallium nitride (GaN) technology. These charging bricks are expensive. But due to their reduced size and increased charging ability, a GaN charger may be your ideal purchase. It could help you save money in the long run.
What's Wrong With the Charger You Already Own?
The basic functionality of a USB charger is straightforward. First, the charger takes AC power from your wall. Then, it runs that power through a conversion process, and it spits out the DC signal expected by your phone, laptop, or tablet.
Semiconductors are responsible for this power conversion process. And, like most electronics, USB chargers use silicon semiconductors — the cheapest and easiest option. Unfortunately, silicon-based USB chargers can't always keep up with our demands. Our phones used to charge at 5 watts, but most models now exceed 20 watts. And laptops, which currently charge over USB-C, can often hit a maximum charging speed of 100 watts.
A silicon-based USB charger can achieve 100 watts. But reaching such a speed comes with a few drawbacks. High-wattage USB chargers are often quite large, as they need to contain heat sinks and other components that keep the temperature down — silicon semiconductors can get pretty hot when pushed to the limit. These chargers also tend to have just two ports, which won't work at full speed when used simultaneously.
Nobody wants a massive power brick. And if you're spending money on a fancy high-speed charger, you may want it to have more than two ports. That's where gallium nitride (GaN) chargers come into play.
GaN Chargers Are Compact, Powerful, and Cool
Gallium nitride is a manufactured semiconductor that can withstand higher voltages than silicon. According to Texas Instruments, it's also about 80% more power-efficient than silicon. So, not only will a GaN charger give you higher charging speeds, but it'll also waste less electricity in the form of heat — no need for a massive, heat-sink-filled design.
Brands like Anker began selling GaN chargers in 2020. And at that time, the most significant selling point was the charger size. Customers were amazed that such a small charger could deliver the same power as their MacBook's massive charging brick.
Now, charging speed and connectivity are the main selling points for GaN. Instead of buying a sizeable silicon-based charger with only two ports (with a shared throughput), you can buy a GaN charger with four, five, or even six high-speed charging ports. Some options stick out of the wall, while others have a long power cable and can sit on your desk.
The problem, of course, is the cost. High-speed chargers are expensive, and GaN technology adds to the price. But a GaN charger can save you money. You can buy one GaN charger to power all your devices, including your phone, laptop, and tablet — no need for multiple high-speed chargers and power strips.
Should You Buy a GaN Charger?
While it may seem like a luxury item, a GaN charger is a worthwhile investment for anyone with several devices. It'll power your phone, tablet, and laptop without taking up too much space. Plus, they're future-proof, because GaN chargers are intended for high-wattage devices. A GaN charger won't be "outdated" or "too slow" anytime soon.
Of course, GaN chargers are mainly intended for laptop users. And this is an important point — the power brick that came with your laptop is probably very slow. The M1 MacBook Air, for example, can charge at 45 watts but comes with a 30-watt brick (it's a very efficient laptop, hence the relatively low charging speed). If you're a laptop user, a two-port GaN charger is an intelligent investment, as it'll help you reach your laptop's maximum charging speed without taking up too much space at the outlet.
Some people don't need a GaN charger; if you only have a smartphone and a Kindle, you won't see any significant benefit. And, of course, those who already own a bunch of power adapters probably don't need a new one.
You can also buy power strips with built-in USB GaN chargers for what it's worth. And these power strips may offer the best of both worlds — a compact form factor, future-proof charging speeds, and a few handy outlets for any electronics you may need to plug in.
Anker GaNPrime 65W Charging Station
With a retractable power cable, two integrated outlets, and three USB ports, the Anker GaNPrime 65W Charging Station is great for office work or travel.
Fitness Tracker 'Heatmap' Dubbed Privacy Risk
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on June 13 2023, at 02:06 pm EDT.
Researchers say a feature in a jogging and running app called Strava makes tracking down a user's home address possible. However, they make a weak argument about how plausible and successful an attack would be.
Strava lets users track their fitness activities, including running routes. Since 2018, the app has included a "heatmap" feature that shows areas where many users are active. It will let people spot well-used running routes that may be useful for their needs.
The feature has already been criticized after revealing routes US military personnel used on foreign deployments. This produced outlines of bases and showed which public areas runners used, indicating they (perhaps incorrectly) felt those places to be safe.
Strava already has privacy measures to protect users who post their routes through the app to share their progress. For example, the first and last one-eighth of a mile can be automatically obfuscated from routes.
Heatmap Can Be Revealing
However, researchers at North Carolina State believe the heatmap feature can undermine this advantage. That's because, in some locations, such as where somebody is the only regular Strava user, just one person's activity may be enough to show up on a heatmap. (Source: anupamdas.org)
They researched heatmap data in three areas and used automated software to determine which "heatpaths" began and ended at residential addresses. They cross-referenced this with public Strava data showing when users had begun and ended activities such as runs.
Using publicly shared names on Strava profiles, they attempted to identify individuals by their addresses. They then compared this with publicly available voter registration data to check if they were correct.
Success is Limited
While the method worked in principle, the practical success rate was just 37%. Even that somewhat overstates the effect, as success was classified as getting an address to the nearest 100 metres. In many densely populated areas, more is needed to identify a specific home.
The researchers make a good point: "The ability to identify the home address of Strava users violates user privacy. It demonstrates that seemingly anonymous data is not truly private and can leak information about users."
However, it's unclear at best that this could reliably be used for malicious purposes, such as by a stalker who wanted to find someone's home or figure out their regular running routes.
Either way, the researchers have one key tip to increase privacy beyond measures such as not using Strava at all or using a fake name and no profile pic. They note users can go to the Privacy Controls section of the app settings and change the Edit Map Visibility to hide more of the start and finish of each activity, up to a maximum of one mile. (Source: connectthewatts.com)
Fun Facts:
Western Digital NAS drives flash 'warning' after three years even if nothing's wrong
See The Verge article by Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.| Jun 14, 2023, 8:54 am GMT+10.
A Synology DS920 Plus NAS system that accepts 3.5-inch drives
like Western Digital's. Image: Sean Hollister / The Verge
Western Digital hard disks used inside Synology NAS units are giving warning notices just for being powered on for three years.
If you've owned an HP laser printer like I have, you've probably replaced a toner cartridge just because the printer warned you it was depleted. But buried in the printer's settings is a way to override the message and continue printing 100, 200, or even an indefinite number of sheets — because shocker: the toner is actually still good despite the alert.
That "low toner" warning is similar to what owners of some Western Digital storage drives say they're seeing with its hard drives and diagnostic software. Ars Technica reports many Synology users are dealing with warning alerts that the Western Digital hard disks they're using in their NAS are bad. The Synology alert is triggered because the Western Digital disks' WDDA analytics — internal SMART data that reports usage stats and monitors health — seem to be set by the manufacturer to flash a warning after it's been powered on for three years.
In March, user andrewilley on the Synology-focused forum SynoForum found the warnings happened to two of their drives, both running for approximately 26,400 hours, or a few days after three years. On top of that, the user notes the warranty for the drives also expired at the three-year mark. And last month, YouTuber SpaceRex pointed out that these warnings can get people to miss real issues like reallocated sectors.
Some say that Synology could be at fault for signaling the alarms on its product to react to Western Digital's timer and hoping users buy that company's disks instead. But tech YouTuber SpaceRex doesn't think so. He found that Western Digital's documentation that's valid for Synology's NAS system software DSM 7 or later (DiskStation Manager) indicates to flag for drive replacement as a recommended action at the three-year mark.
Being on for an extended period of time alone, much like a printer only counting how many sheets of paper ran through it (and not how much ink was actually used), is at best an arbitrary reason to indicate a drive is in bad health and needs to be replaced. We reached out to Western Digital to learn more about why the drives are set this way but haven't heard back at the time of publishing.
The Synology subreddit has had discussions about how to disable WDDA and thereby ignore the warning to use all Synology features again. However, right now, the subreddit is part of the Reddit blackout to protest the company's intense monetization of APIs, marking all threads private.
Western Digital has made some other eyebrow-raising moves before. The company was sued due to sneakily refreshing some of its Red NAS drives with shingled magnetic recording (SMR) ones that can hold more data per disk by overlapping data at the cost of write speed and longevity. Also, SanDisk, which is owned by Western Digital, recently had its Extreme Pro portable SSD go on an erasing spree for some users, and Western Digital's own NAS devices with cloud services went down earlier this year due to a security breach.
Comment from YouTuber SpaceRex:
Western Digital has ben caught again with anti consumer practices on their NAS drives. This time they are marking some of their drives which have had more than 3 years of power on hours as 'warning' within Synology DSM (this is right after their 3 year warranty runs out). This can cause tons of issues within DSM, as actual warnings, such as too many relocated sectors, will go unnoticed. This is not the first time WD NAS drives have had serious anti-consumer behavior, the most notable was them secretly shipping *SMR drives as NAS drives.
*See Wikipedia: Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) is a magnetic storage data recording technology used in hard disk drives (HDDs) to increase storage density and overall per-drive storage capacity. Conventional hard disk drives record data by writing non-overlapping magnetic tracks parallel to each other (perpendicular magnetic recording, PMR), while shingled recording writes new tracks that overlap part of the previously written magnetic track, leaving the previous track narrower and allowing higher track density. Thus, the tracks partially overlap similar to roof shingles. This approach was selected because, if the writing head is made too narrow, it cannot provide the very high density fields required in the recording layer of the disk.
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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