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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 13 - 18 MAY, 2024
Hello and Welcome,
May 2024 Main Meeting
With Alex flying home to Canberra during this meeting, he had thoughtfully prepared a video presentation in advance. His topics included the latest Samsung 85-inch QN 900D Smart TV, iPad Air, Claude AI, Google AI, and more. Click the link below to view it now.
This meeting included the AGM reports from 2023 and the election of committee members for 2024:
Stephen South, Ron Ferguson, Clare Perry, Alex Zaharov-Reutt and Anthony Robinson.
We wish them all well.
Watch the 19m24s Video by Alex.
— John Lucke
Meetings This Week
2024/05/14 — 18:00-20:00 — May, Tue — Programming
2024/05/18 — 14:00-16:00 — May, Sat — Web Design
Meeting Next Week
2024/05/21 — 10:00-12:00 — May, Tue — Tuesday 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 next scheduled meetings are in July, September and November 2024.
ASCCA News:Tech News:
Apple unveils new iPad Pro, iPad Air models
See the iTWire article by Sam Varghese | Wednesday, 08 May 2024, at 12:22 pm.
The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes
Apple unveils new iPad Pro and iPad Air models.
Apple has unveiled new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, with both 11-inch and 13-inch devices on offer.
The Pro is built on an M4 chip, while the Air has an M2 chip. The iPad Pro has four storage options: 256GB, 512Gb, 1TB and 2TB.
The company did not hold back on the hype surrounding the Pro model, claiming it would be a "compelling device for AI."
The new iPad Pro is claimed to have Apple's most potent Neural Engine, capable of 38 trillion operations per second, or 60x faster than the first Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic chip.
The Neural Engine has machine language accelerators in the CPU, a high-performance GPU, more memory bandwidth, intelligent features and powerful developer frameworks in iPadOS.
The release of the new iPad Pro comes after Apple reported that iPad sales brought in US$5.5 billion (A$8.36 billion) for the three months ending on 30 March, a sizeable fall from the US$6.6 billion for the corresponding period a year earlier.
Apple also released a new Apple Pencil Pro.
The company said customers could order the new iPad Pro right away, and 29 countries will have stock by 15 May.
It said the 11-inch iPad Pro would start at US$999 for the Wi-Fi model and US$1199 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
The 13-inch iPad Pro starts at US$1299 for the Wi-Fi model and US$1499 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Both models will be available in silver and space black finishes.
The new iPad Air with M2 can be ordered today in 29 countries, and the stock is expected to begin arriving on 15 May.
The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space grey, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.
The 11-inch iPad Air starts at US$599 for the Wi-Fi model and US$749 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at US$799 for the Wi-Fi model and US$949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
Here's Why I Have More Than One Power Bank (And You Should Too)
See the How-To Geek article by CORY GUNTHER | PUBLISHED May 6, 2024.
Power Banks
Power on the go, and more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Multiple power banks provide power when you need it most, whether in emergencies or daily life.
2. Power banks have countless uses beyond charging phones, such as laptops, lights, and gaming devices.
3. Affordable portable chargers come in various sizes, ensuring gadgets stay charged and making them a versatile and cost-effective accessory.
Power banks are a nifty accessory for your phone, but these little portable chargers offer more than extending your social media sessions. Since everything runs on batteries these days, so I have more than one power bank. Here's why you should, too.
There are endless tech accessories, many of which you'll likely regret buying. But when it comes to portable power banks, the more the merrier. They're cheap, come in various sizes, and can quickly recharge AirPods, keep a laptop running, and everything in between.
Power When You Need It
My phone can run through its entire battery in under a day, and the same goes for my smartwatch. Then, if I forgot to charge my earbud case before leaving the house, it could be depleted, too. Those are just a few of the many daily essentials, and that's before considering any other reasons people buy something like a 20,000 mAh portable power bank.
We've all experienced that anxious feeling after noticing a battery is about to die. It is crucial to recharge all my gear at a moment's notice and have power when I need it. A power bank could be a lifesaver in an emergency or power outage.
You're all set if you have a power bank and a compatible charging cable. As a bonus, they're also great for helping friends and family. My wife's iPhone is always running low, and she often asks me for a power bank before heading off to work. Thankfully, I have a rotating collection in different capacities and will lend her whatever is available and fully charged. Furthermore, she's notorious for losing her charging cables, so my new go-to is the Anker Nano (5,000 mAh) with a built-in Lightning connector. It'll fully recharge her iPhone, and she can't misplace the cable. It's a win-win.
Whether you forgot to charge something overnight, are busy travelling, or are experiencing a power outage, you'll want to be like me and have a collection of power banks.
They Have a Wide Variety of Uses
Nowadays, our phones have bigger batteries and faster charging, and you can quickly charge them almost anywhere. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a power bank or two. I own upwards of ten, even if one or two are slightly older models reserved as a backup.
Portable chargers (aka power banks) have a wide variety of uses. The internal lithium-ion battery can power or charge all sorts of things, especially considering that most power banks have many USB output ports. Those include USB-A or USB-C with power delivery, and some of the bigger models even have a 120V AC outlet on the side. It's not just about mobile devices, though.
I use power banks as emergency power for my work laptop while travelling, to power string lights while camping, to run my portable projector for backyard movie nights, or to keep the Nintendo Switch running. My wife has a battery-powered heated jacket that runs on a 10,000 mAh power bank. I even have a rugged, water-resistant portable charger on the patio to top off my trusty old rechargeable flashlight that doesn't hold a charge very well anymore.
You can use these little bricks of on-demand power to run a VR headset and Xbox controller during all-night gaming sessions, and my Hulkman 20,000 mAh portable power bank can even jump-start a dead car battery. Now that's useful!
Power in All Shapes and Sizes
As mentioned above, the best portable chargers come in various shapes, sizes, and port options.
You can get a tiny 5,000 mAh that can fully charge your phone once and quickly fit in a pocket or purse. Get a slightly bigger 10K option and have it ready, or toss a hefty 26,800 mAh portable battery in your backpack and be prepared for any situation. If you need endless power, get something big, but know it'll be large, heavy, and take up a lot of space in your bag or suitcase.
10,000 mAh power banks are the ideal size. Most high-end smartphones have a 5,000 mAh or smaller internal battery, meaning a 10K bank will give you nearly two total charges. More importantly, they're lightweight, thin, about the size of a smartphone, and affordable. I have two of the latest Anker Powercore 10K, featuring a USB-C in/output and a regular USB-A port for other cables.
Another solid option is one of the many 20,000 mAh power banks from Anker, Mophie, or UGREEN. They're not too big or too small and deliver enough power to keep all your gear charged for the week or give you juice to spare when you lend it to a family member.
We recently reviewed the UGREEN 20K power bank, which delivers 100W output power. It's strong enough to run a MacBook and Nintendo Switch or charge multiple mobile devices.
They're Cheap and Effective
We're all feeling the pinch on our wallets these days. Everything is expensive. If you want to avoid droping $1,200 on a new smartphone because your old one doesn't stay charged throughout your work day, grabbing a $20 portable power bank with a 10,000 mAh battery is a great idea.
Power banks are affordable, easy to use, and highly effective at ensuring enough juice for our battery-powered phones, tablets, watches, earbuds, and more. They're handy for day-to-day activities and perfect for emergencies. I always have one charged up in every vehicle, just in case. You never know when you'll need it.
Once you buy a portable power bank or two, you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner.
Psychotherapy practice hacker gets jail time after extorting patients and publishing personal therapy notes online
See the MalwareBytes article by Pieter Arntz | Posted: May 2, 2024.
Therapy
On October 30, 2020, I started an article with the words:
"Hell is too nice a place for these people."
The subject of this outrage focused on the cybercriminals behind an attack on the Finnish psychotherapy practice, Vastaamo. Because it was a psychotherapy practice, the records contained extremely sensitive and confidential information about some of the most vulnerable people.
Sadly, the attacker did not stop at extorting the clinic but also sent extortion messages to the patients, asking them to pay around $240 to prevent their data from being published online. And that was a first — not just demanding a ransom from the breached organization but also from all those unlucky enough to have their data on record there.
The attacker demanded the company's €400,000 ($425,000) ransom. When it refused to pay, he emailed thousands of patients asking for €200 and threatened to publish their therapy notes and personal details on the dark web if they didn't pay. He ended up publishing it anyway.
As a result of this cyberattack and the extortion attempts:
1. Vastaamo's board fired the CEO because they held him responsible for knowing about the breaches and shortcomings in the psychotherapy provider's data security systems.
2. Vastaamo's owner, who bought the practice a few months after the second breach but was not informed about it, began legal proceedings related to its purchase.
3. Vastaamo had to shut its doors because it could not meet its financial obligations.
4. The Finnish government contemplated expanding the options for individuals to change their social security number in certain circumstances, such as the aftermath of a hacking incident.
5. At least one suicide has been linked to the case.
Now, the attacker has been convicted. 26-year-old Julius Kivimäki has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison. Kivimäki, known online as Zeekill, was one of the leading members of several groups of teenage cybercriminals that caused chaos between 2009 and 2015. One of those groups was the infamous Lizard Squad.
At 17, Kivimäki was convicted of more than 50,000 computer hacks and sentenced to a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended because he was 15 and 16 when he carried out the crimes in 2012 and 2013.
Despite the conviction, the Vastaamo case is not over, as civil court cases are now likely to begin to seek compensation for the victims of the hack.
We don't just report on threats — we help safeguard your digital identity.
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Use identity protection to protect your and your family's personal information.
Fun Facts:
The Dark Side of Helping Others | 13 Surprising Ways It Can Harm You | Buddhist Zen Story
See the 31m31s Youtube video by Buddhism Hub | Published 23 Apr 2024.
As Gautama Buddha once wisely said, "You, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Helping Others
These words remind us that while helping others is undoubtedly noble, neglecting our well-being can lead to unforeseen consequences.
Today, we're delving into a topic that's often glorified but rarely scrutinized. In helping others in a world where kindness is celebrated, and altruism is praised, it's easy to overlook the potential downsides of constantly extending a helping hand.
Join us as we unveil the hidden perils of helping others, illuminating thirteen unexpected ways it can actually undermine your well-being.
From the psychological burden of the martyr syndrome to the gradual erosion of personal boundaries, we'll navigate the intricate landscape of altruism and self-care in our interconnected world. So, lean in, broaden your perspective, and get ready to redefine the essence of compassion.
Very thought-provoking — Ed.
Meeting Location & Disclaimer
Bob Backstrom
~ Newsletter Editor ~
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