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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 27 JANUARY - 01 FEBRUARY 2025
Hello and Welcome,
This Weekend
Australia Day
This (long) weekend is the AUSTRALIA DAY Weekend.
Dates are Saturday, Jan 25th (TODAY), Sunday, Jan 26th (AUSTRALIA DAY) and Monday, Jan 27th 2025.
There are (free) Fireworks at the Harbour Bridge and (tickets) for the Australia Day Live! Concert at the Opera House Forecourt on Sunday.
Have a Good Weekend.
Meetings This Week
NO MEETINGS
Meeting Next Week
2025/02/04 — 18:00-20:00 — February, Tue — Main Meeting
SPCTUG Zoom Main Meeting
Time: Tuesday 4th February, 2025, 18:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84608773479
Meeting ID: 846 0877 3479
Passcode: SydPCMain
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
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Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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ASCCA News:Tech News:
Can a Smartwatch Help You Quit Smoking?
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on January 17, 2025, at 01:01 pm EST.
Quitting Smoking with Help from Friends
Imagine a device that not only tracks your health but also actively supports you in overcoming one of the most challenging habits to break — smoking. Researchers are now exploring how smartwatches, equipped with advanced sensors and AI-driven apps, can provide personalized, real-time interventions to help people quit smoking more effectively.
How Smartwatches are Different from Traditional Methods
While traditional approaches to smoking cessation, such as reminders or support messages sent to your phone, have shown some success, they come with limitations. Messages sent at arbitrary times may miss the moments when temptation strikes hardest. Worse, these messages are easy to ignore, especially if the phone is silent or tucked away.
On the other hand, smartwatches are worn on your wrist, making them much more challenging to overlook. Their motion sensors and constant connectivity offer a unique opportunity to detect, respond to, and even prevent smoking behaviours at precisely the right moments.
Personalized Intervention
Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a groundbreaking app designed for smartwatches that could revolutionize smoking cessation. (Source: bristol.ac.uk)
The app uses the smartwatch's motion sensors to detect specific arm movements associated with smoking, such as lifting a cigarette to your mouth. Once detected, the watch delivers an immediate intervention in three ways:
Vibrations: a subtle vibration catches your attention without being intrusive.
Encouraging Messages: these might remind you of your goals, offer motivational quotes, or congratulate you on your progress.
Behavioural Feedback: the app provides real-time stats, such as how many cigarettes you've smoked or even how many drags you've taken that day, making the impact of your habit visible.
This personalized approach ensures that the support you receive aligns with your most vulnerable moments, increasing your chances of success.
The Science Behind It
The concept isn't just a shot in the dark. Previous studies have shown that technology can play a decisive role in breaking addictive behaviours. For example, text-message-based programs have successfully supported people in quitting smoking and drinking by providing accountability and a sense of community.
However, these programs lack the precision and immediacy a smartwatch can provide. This new technology offers a more tailored and effective solution by addressing the limitations of timing and user engagement.
What Do Test Results Show?
An initial trial with 18 participants revealed promising results. Participants were generally receptive to the technology, appreciating its innovative approach and ease of use. (Source: theguardian.com)
However, the study also highlighted areas for improvement:
Message Variety: users noted that repetitive messages became less effective over time, suggesting a need for diverse and dynamic content.
Technical Issues: some participants experienced delays in alerts, underscoring the importance of optimizing the app for speed and reliability. Researchers recommend conducting larger, long-term studies to measure the app's effectiveness in helping people quit smoking and maintain their progress.
Smartwatches and Smoking Cessation
Quitting smoking is not just about resisting cravings; it's about changing behaviour and mindset. A smartwatch can be a constant companion, keeping you accountable and motivated throughout your journey.
Here's how it could fit into a broader quitting strategy:
Tracking Progress: seeing tangible proof of how many cigarettes you've avoided can reinforce your commitment.
Alternatives: smartwatches can suggest quick, healthy distractions, such as walking or practising deep breathing exercises.
Integrating Support Networks: the app could connect with friends, family, or online support groups to share milestones and receive encouragement.
Potential Impact
If smartwatches can consistently deliver timely, personalized interventions, they become indispensable in smoking cessation. They address a significant gap in current methods, and offer the potential to integrate seamlessly into daily life, making quitting more manageable and less daunting.
What's Your Opinion?
Have you ever used technology to overcome an addictive habit? Do you think a smartwatch could make a difference in quitting smoking? Do you have any concerns about it?
Comments
1990s version — Submitted by Dennis Faas on Fri, 17/01/2025 — 13:54.
There was a 1990s version of this called "LifeSign" that had promised to help you quit smoking through "behavioural interventions" by having the device first learn your habitual times, then it would make you smoke during non-habitual times. This somehow translated to making you want to quit. I can't say if it ever worked (I never tried it), but I remember there being infomercials about it. The same device was reinvented later as the "QuitKey", which looks like a key fob that attaches to your key chain.
Microsoft Office Apps Soon Won't Be Supported on Windows 10
See the How-To Geek article by Christian Zibreg | Published on January 16, 2025.
Windows 10
Microsoft will stop supporting Office apps on Windows 10 beginning October 14, 2025, coinciding with the operating system's upcoming end of support.
"Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported after October 14, 2025, on Windows 10 devices," the company announced today. The apps will continue working after the cutoff date, but there are no guarantees. The end of support means that Microsoft will stop updating Microsoft 365 apps for Windows 10 systems, and there could be some repercussions. LibreOffice and other alternatives will likely support Windows 10 longer, or you can keep using the web app versions in a supported web browser. The recent standalone Microsoft Office 2024 package is available for Windows 10 and will be supported for at least a few years (Microsoft doesn't have an exact end-of-life date right now).
Indeed, according to Microsoft's support page, these apps might have "performance and reliability issues over time". "To use Microsoft 365 applications on your device, you will need to upgrade to Windows 11," the company noted. If you choose to do that, all Microsoft 365 features and security updates will continue working as usual, and your Office apps will continue receiving updates with new features, fixes, and security patches.
Microsoft 365 is already unsupported on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. Microsoft ended support for Windows 8 on January 12, 2016, and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023.
The company has been telling people still using Windows 10 that 2025 will be "the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh." However, that might be a problem because your PC hardware isn't eligible for Windows 11 due to Microsoft's non-negotiable hardware requirements. However, that didn't stop the company from telling folks to buy a new PC via fullscreen prompts in Windows 10.
Windows 10 End of Support
Anyone not upgrading to Windows 11 before support ends puts their computer at risk. The support page states, "After support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025, it will become vulnerable to security threats." To help with that, the Windows maker introduced an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for those wanting to stay on Windows 10. Under the program, the privilege of keeping your Windows 10 PC updated with security updates up to 2026 will cost you $30. However, businesses can purchase up to three years of extended Windows 10 updates. If you choose to pay for access to critical security updates past the cutoff date, your Windows 10 PC will not become utterly vulnerable after support ends.
"I believe that one of the most important pieces of technology people will look to refresh in 2025 isn't the refrigerator, the television, or their mobile phone," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, said at CES 2025. "It will be their Windows 10 PC, and they will move forward with Windows 11."
Source: Microsoft
Systemic breaches of consumer law lead to a $1.5 million fine for Kiwibank
See the iTWire article by Gordon Peters | Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 14:37.
Kiwibank Breaches Consumer Law
New Zealand state-owned bank and financial services provider Kiwibank has been fined $1.5 million after pleading guilty to systemic and long-running breaches of the Fair Trading Act that led to 35,000 customers being overcharged a total of $6.8 million.
Commerce Commission Deputy Chair Anne Callinan says the offence was serious and resulted from a raft of failures in Kiwibank's systems.
"There were long-standing flaws in Kiwibank's systems and processes that led to these breaches, some of which likely date back to Kiwibank's inception in 2002," Callinan says.
"Banks must have processes in place to ensure consumers are getting a fair deal, and consumers would reasonably assume that banks wouldn't make errors of this sort."
"The Commission expects banks to invest in the systems that support their compliance obligations so they get things right for consumers."
The Commission prosecuted Kiwibank for 21 criminal charges under the Fair Trading Act for making misleading representations to its customers about its services, "which Kiwibank did not provide on the stated and agreed terms."
The Commerce Commission notes significant failures in which Kiwibank did not provide the services as agreed regarding five customer issues. Kiwibank failed to:
• provide agreed discounts and interest-free periods to customers who had entered into package benefit agreements
• correctly calculate customers' regular repayments when customers request changes to their loan in particular circumstances
• ensure that customers were switched to repaying loan principal (as well as making interest payments) at the end of agreed interest-only periods
• provide agreed discounts on the overdraft interest rates payable by home loan customers
• charge the correct amounts of various fees to specific loan customers
"These failures were caused by errors in Kiwibank's electronic systems and a lack of quality assurance checks to ensure that staff knew how to carry out the processes required and that these processes were being followed correctly," Commissioner Callinan says.
Kiwibank first identified the issues and reported them to the Commission. Kiwibank has contacted and apologised to customers and is progressively refunding $9.2 million in remediation.
Kiwibank was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on 26 November.
Fun Facts:
Australia Day in Sydney (Sunday, Jan 26th 2025)
See the Transport NSW News article.
Australia Day at the Opera House
There are plenty of ways to mark Australia Day, with events happening around the city throughout the day and evening.
No tickets are needed to watch the fireworks and maritime show at the Circular Quay Foreshore, but arriving early is best to secure a good spot. Tickets are required to access Australia Day Live! Concert at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
Double demerits this Australia Day long weekend
Double demerits this Australia Day long weekend
Drive safely during this long weekend period. Double demerits run from Friday, Jan 24th, to Monday, Jan 27th. Get caught speeding, using a mobile phone illegally, or not wearing or incorrectly wearing a seatbelt or motorcycle helmet this long weekend, and you'll face double the points.
L1 Dulwich Hill Line weeknight closure
L1 Dulwich Hill Line weeknight closure
From Monday, 27th to Wednesday, Jan 29th, the L1 Dulwich Hill Line will be closed nightly from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. for trackwork and maintenance.
Alternative transport options, including L1 replacement bus services or regular bus services, should be used.
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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