Embedded Files
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 12 - 17 AUGUST, 2024
Hello and Welcome,
Meeting This Week
2024/08/17 — 14:00-16:00 — August, Sat — Web Design
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86141133224
Meeting ID: 861 4113 3224
Passcode: WebDesign
Meeting Next Week
2024/08/20 — 10:00-12:00 — August, Tue — Tuesday Group
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
----------
Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
----------
ASCCA News:Tech News:
Aussie Broadband just launched a new budget telco that promises more affordable NBN plans — with a slight catch
See the TechRadar article by Max Langridge | Published August 1, 2024.
Buddy Telco
Buddy Telco offers Aussie Broadband service with a few less frills
When shopping around for the best NBN plans, you'll likely look at how much a plan costs. For example, there can be a massive variance between the cheapest and the most expensive plans on each speed tier, but you might feel the cheapest providers won't offer a reliable service.
Buddy Telco is a new NBN provider aiming to offer everything the best. It's an offshoot of Aussie Broadband, similar to Telstra-owned Belong, where it uses the core Aussie Broadband infrastructure but strips its offering back to basics to be priced lower than its parent company.
In other words, Buddy Telco sells just NBN services. It doesn't sell hardware such as modems, so you'll need to provide your own, and there's no telephone customer support. Instead, all troubleshooting is handled via online live chat powered by AI technology via a web browser or smartphone app. If the AI chatbot can't solve your problem, you will eventually be connected to a human to fix it.
Here's what the price difference between Buddy Telco and Aussie Broadband on the popular NBN 50 tier looks like:
Broadband Plans
With at least 15 Mbps | Filters
#1
Buddy Telco Buddy Telco Value nbn — Unlimited
nbn® 49/16 Mbps
Unlimited Data
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
#2
Aussie Broadband Aussie Broadband Value nbn — Unlimited
nbn® 49/16 Mbps
Unlimited Data
$89/mth
Min. cost $89
Buddy Telco currently only supports fixed-line NBN services, so if you connect via fixed-wireless or satellite, there is a better provider. The telco does state on its website that it doesn't support the latter two "yet", so support may come in the future... but don't hold your breath.
It's an exciting proposition, and Buddy Telco has launched when prices across the NBN were increasing. NBN Co raised its average wholesale costs to internet service providers (ISPs) from July 1, 2024, by around AU$3 per plan. As you'd expect, ISPs have generally passed this extra cost onto consumers, with most NBN providers we monitor having increased their plan prices by approximately AU$5p/m since the change went into effect.
It's worth noting that while Buddy Telco promises value-oriented NBN plans, it's not the cheapest provider other than on the very fastest NBN 1000 tier, where it's cheaper by up to AU$70 a year. Buddy Telco currently has yet to offer an NBN 250 plan, either.
Taking the popular NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans as examples, this is how Buddy Telco compares to the cheapest providers on each tier:
NBN 50
Buddy Telco — AU$75p/m
Mate — AU$55p/m (first six months, then AU$75p/m)
Flip — AU$64p/m (first six months, then AU$74.90p/m)
NBN 100
Buddy Telco — AU$75p/m (first six months, then AU$85p/m)
Flip — AU$69p/m (first six months, then AU$79.90p/m)
Spintel — AU$71p/m (first six months, then AU$81.95p/m)
It hopes to convince customers to switch to its service because it uses the Aussie Broadband network, which regularly performs well in official reporting conducted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). But Aussie Broadband is also lauded online for its high level of customer service, which isn't coming to Buddy Telco.
Avoid the AI Apocalypse (and Spying) By Switching to Linux for Free
See the How-To Geek article by Brad Morton | Published August 8, 2024.
Linux Mascot, Tux
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Products everywhere incorporate AI, leading to privacy breaches and creating junk AI output.
Many generative AI-enabled products record your input and activity, risking your privacy and theft of content.
Make AI opt-in by switching to Linux. It's free!
Every other app and service relies on AI functionality to entice weary users or satisfy shareholders. Sometimes, AI features work well. It often results in junk output (at least for now) and a privacy nightmare. Here's how Linux can help you escape the AI apocalypse.
Everyone Is Adding AI to Their Products and Services
I'm no curmudgeon: Generative AI is a fantastic new technology. Anyone with the hardware should try hosting their AI chatbots and image generators to learn how they work and prepare for the future. It's the haphazard application of AI, without any thought for users, making products worse than I object to. For example:
Windows Recall: A Windows 11 feature that would have recorded everything you do on screen (including passwords, bank accounts, everything) and then fed it to a chatbot. It was so derided that Microsoft pulled the update containing it (Windows Recall was recalled).
Air Canada: An AI-powered chatbot for Air Canada told a traveller they could get a discounted bereavement fare. The discount did not exist, so Air Canada was sued, and lost.
Humane AI Pin: This one wasn't even an existing product ruined by AI—it's a device specifically designed and built to interact with AI, and it was so bad it risked randomly catching fire.
This effort to add AI to everything continues despite users' trepidation. Windows, MacOS, and iOS are all ploughing ahead with new AI features at no cost to you. This raises the question of how they plan to profit from it (hint: the answer is probably by monetizing the data you feed to them).
For AI to Work, It Needs to Scrape Your Data
Generative AI isn't pushing the limits of creativity; it's just an algorithm that mashes together data on which it's been trained. That means generative AI needs a constant stream of new information to work with to stay up-to-date.
Initially, this was provided by scraping the public internet (arguably stealing real people's content in the process). But that's no longer enough, and each AI vendor wants unique data that puts them above the competition. And they want it from you.
When you interact with an AI, it records your input. This isn't so much of a problem when you're just firing questions at a chatbot for a laugh, but it could be a huge problem when the AI feature is baked into your operating system. If you aren't careful about what you agree to when an app or system update is installed or buy a new device, your activity is potentially recorded for AI training.
This doesn't just make AI output unoriginal; it's a massive privacy issue: how can you be sure some details of your private life that have been submitted to an AI platform won't be used to generate someone else's short story, business email, to create images, or just revealed to the public outright?
Take Control Back By Switching to Linux
Kubuntu Linux
I've griped enough about AI privacy, so what can you do? The answer is short.
Take control of your computing experience by switching to Linux, the 100% free, open-source operating system. Major Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora don't have any AI baked in. If they do in the future, you can uninstall it or switch to a different Linux distribution. If you want to use AI-enabled tools, you can choose not to be forced to.
The open-source community that develops Linux applications is notoriously privacy conscious, so if your favourite app decides to force new intrusive features on you, you can usually find a safe alternative (for example, LibreOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, without online services and AI integrations).
Privacy is more difficult on mobile devices, as only some widely available open-source mobile phones and tablets exist. But at least your PC can be your own private, AI-free oasis.
Smart Glasses Don't Need AR or Social Media — Just Give Me a Camera
See the How-To Geek article by Joe Fedewa | Published August 4, 2024.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A camera on smart glasses would allow for quick photo taking, especially for parents who want to be present in the moment.
Many smart glasses currently on the market are overcomplicated with additional features beyond just the camera.
Major tech companies like Google, Apple and Samsung are responding to the demand for simple camera glasses that allow for easy and quick photo-taking.
The concept of "smart glasses" emerged with Google Glass in 2013. Since then, there have been numerous iterations of glasses with augmented reality, heads-up displays, AI, and social media connections. While cool, I still need a camera on my face.
Why a Camera on Your Face?
First, I should explain why I want a camera on my face. I'm the type of person who likes to take many photos, and I don't just take them to take them. I love looking back at old pictures. I regularly open Google Photos and scroll back through time to see what I was up to on this day a year ago, two years ago, etc.
I'm also a parent, so a large chunk of my photos and videos feature my son. Most parents would agree that it doesn't feel great to be behind a phone while you're doing something with your kids (which is why Apple's original Vision Pro demo video was so odd). That's what's so appealing about glasses with a built-in camera. I could tap the frame to capture what I'm looking at and stay present in the moment.
Speed is another thing to consider. I'm pretty good at launching the camera app quickly and snapping a photo with my phone — Android makes that easy — but there's no question I'd be even faster if the camera was already out and pointed at the subject. All of this is to say that a camera on my face would be handy to have in certain situations.
Smart Glasses are Overcomplicated
Now, I'm fully aware that smart glasses with cameras exist. Most of them include cameras. The problem is there's always much more going on beyond the camera. I've yet to see an established brand release a pair of glasses with a good camera—and nothing else.
Snapchat Spectacles are a good example. The main point of Spectacles was to take photos and videos without pulling out your phone. You could capture moments more efficiently, stay present, and keep your hands free. However, while the captured media could be exported to use elsewhere, the videos were in a weird round shape with a white frame unless viewed in the Snapchat app.
Facebook's Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are a similar story. You must use them with the Facebook View app which requires a Facebook account. Exporting photos and videos to your phone is better than the Spectacles, but this is a product tied to Facebook, and you're paying at least $300 for it. No thanks.
Some of the other top smart glasses available right now include the XREAL Air 2, which is stuffed with augmented reality and tiny screens; the Razer Anzu, which has speakers; and the VITURE Pro XR Glasses, which have the same features as the XREAL. However, all these glasses try to do too much.
Wanted: A Good Pair of Camera Glasses
While the aforementioned smart glasses don't appeal to me, I'm not saying they're wrong. There's a market for all sorts of exciting gadgets — I wish there were one for simple camera glasses. Even something like Google's failed "Clips" camera would have been much more relaxed without all the extra fluff.
If you search for "camera glasses" on Amazon, you will find only glasses with a camera. However, they're usually ugly, from no-name brands, and almost too simple. No, I do not want a microSD card in my glasses. I'd love for a big tech company to tackle the problem.
How cool would it be if Google made "Pixel Glasses" with a nice camera and automatic uploading to Google Photos? I'd be as happy if Apple or Samsung tried to pull off the same thing. I think the average person would rather be able to take photos without constantly pulling out their phones than strap a screen three inches from their eyes.
Fun Facts:
Unclutter your Computer Room; Get a KVM
What is a KVM?
KVM stands for "Keyboard, Video, and Mouse." It's an extremely useful gadget that allows you to run two or more computers without two or more Computer Screens, Keyboards or Mice.
When you get your second computer, almost everyone will want a separate set of peripherals for each. It's alright to fit them onto a work area as big as a kitchen table.
But we must think of a better solution when you need a third computer, and your table will take little more.
Well, you can walk around the table to get to the backs of the computers. You could switch cables from the first to the second and third computers. This works for a while, but merely moving USB cables inevitably means you get the plug UPSIDE DOWN every second time you try it. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Finally, you get into the habit of looking at the computers' back panel and realising that the white (or whatever colour it is) band always goes to the side where the Motherboard is located (usually at the left). Now, you think you've solved all the problems.
You still have cables everywhere and two giant computer screens on the table.
A Better Way
Now, back to the KVMs. You look for prices on Amazon and see 2-way, 4-way and 8-way versions with prices ranging to several hundred dollars. I've seen Enterprise versions running to $6,000 and more.
I bought a 4-way KVM several years ago, but I didn't need it immediately, so I half-unpacked the unit and then forgot about it.
Now, when I have three computers on the one table, I think, "I can clean up the clutter and use the 'old' KVM." After reading the little manual booklet that came with it, I tried to collect all the pieces. All goes well, but I can't find the Power Unit. I encountered another small (5V) power unit, but the barrel connection was too large for the KVM socket.
What?
I spent most of a day searching through collections of cables, keyboards and mice to no avail.
The next day, I started moving furniture, too. HURRAY! I found a small power unit under the coffee table where a power board connected to a tall reading lamp, a Raspberry Pi showing YouTube on the large TV Screen, and a cordless phone.
I tried plugging the power unit into the KVM and it worked!
I took the precaution of reading the grey-on-dark-grey information on the power plug before making the connection. It said 5.3 Volts, which is precisely what the unit wanted. And it worked.
5v Charger
5.3v Charger
It is such a relief to have a cleaner desk or table with just one screen, keyboard, and mouse.
Switching from machines 1, 2 or 3 is just a matter of tapping the right silver key.
It also connects microphones and speakers, so that's an advance on earlier KVMs.
Going BIG
For those who need a 16-way connection via four KVMs with four 4K screens, see ATEN's 16-way Ethernet-connected option:
16 Computers Daisy-Chained with 4 KVMs
Amazing — 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.
Sydney PC & Technology User Group's FREE Newsletter — Subscribe — Unsubscribe
Go to Sydney PC & Technology User Group's — Events Calendar
Are you changing your email address? Would you please email your new address to — newsletter.sydneypc@gmail.com?
Disclaimer: We provide this Newsletter "As Is" without warranty of any kind.
The reader assumes the entire risk of accuracy and subsequent use of its contents.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse