From Iain re. Article in Wired: the key messages are that Perplexity is becoming more commercialised and that the CEO thinks that AI “agents” are the future:
Despite the furor, Perplexity today says that its service gets 650 million queries per month and is said to be chasing investment that would value the company at $18 billion. The company is pushing AI assistants for mobile devices and working on its own web browser. In April, Motorola announced that Perplexity would come bundled with its new Razr Ultra phones. Last month the company partnered with PayPal to make it easier for users to buy products using its assistant. Samsung is also said to be in talks to possibly include Perplexity on its devices, according to a report from Bloomberg. (Perplexity declined to comment on this after the interview).
David W: This is great information. The explanation of cognitive changes in normal aging caught my attention. Both in terms of my profession and personal experience. I reserve morning when I’m fresh for financial matters, for example. Dividing attention refers to going back and forth between stimuli. I’m pretty certain the Trailmaking Test, created for enlistees in WW1, is open source. It’s a very good tool for assessing seniors cognitive health.
Iain: This is an interesting example of the genie being put back in the bottle. Drivers prefer physical controls to touchscreens in cars and studies have shown that they are safer. The safety regulators are now encouraging a return to physical controls for basic driving functions.
David W: I enjoyed the article. I’m interested in the interaction between normal aging and technology. Something to be aware of is that multitasking is a myth. The mind processes only one stimulus at a time. It divides and shifts attention back and forth and does so less quickly as we age. The interface that works fine at 22 may not be suitable at seventy. Because of this I never use the phone while driving.
Nearly half (~47%) of student-AI conversations were Direct—that is, seeking answers or content with minimal engagement. Whereas many of these serve legitimate learning purposes (like asking conceptual questions or generating study guides), we did find concerning Direct conversation examples including:
Provide answers to machine learning multiple-choice questions Provide direct answers to English language test questions Rewrite marketing and business texts to avoid plagiarism detection
I’ve been using Perplexity to the exclusion of any other search engine now for about a month and have had no need as yet to do deep research – but perhaps I’ll now give it a try. If anyone would like to do a comparative test of Gemini or ChatGPT, that would be interesting.
Not just Perplexity, but ChatGPT too … you can talk to Perplexity from WhatsApp https://lifehacker.com/tech/you-can-now-talk-to-perplexity-ai-directly-from-whatsapp
Watching o3 guess a photo’s location is surreal, dystopian and wildly entertaining Watching OpenAI’s new o3 model guess where a photo was taken is one of those moments where decades of science fiction suddenly come to life. This link should show Open AI acting like Sherlock Holmes and deducing the location shown in a photograph. Impressive and worrying in equal measure!
In the early hours of this morning a hacker from America tried to get into my Microsoft account. I am pleased to say he / she was unsuccessful. I have decided to close the account (I am a Mac user). It’s important to check “recent activity” on your account. You’ll be surprised to see a string of (hopefully) unsuccessful sign-ins, and from which countries.
Nita’s WhatsApp Hack
My what’s app has just been hacked and wondering if there is anyone here that can help me as I have no idea how I can get all my groups n messages back
I have not backed up on iCloud so that is not an option
I have not linked onto my laptop either so cannot access on laptop
What else can anyone suggest to get my account and messages pls
I replied …
You have few options left I’m afraid. Your messages are stored on your phone, that is the primary message store, so if you haven’t backed up your message store, there is little you can do – as I understand it – to recover your account.
This is what Claude told me, using the text you typed above …
I’m sorry to hear your WhatsApp account has been compromised. This can be stressful, but there are steps you can take to recover your account and possibly your messages.
Here’s what you can do:
1. First, try to regain control of your WhatsApp account by verifying your phone number again. Open WhatsApp and follow the verification process.
2. If you’re locked out completely, contact WhatsApp support through their official website or app.
3. Unfortunately, without a backup (either on iCloud or Google Drive), recovering past messages is very challenging. WhatsApp doesn’t store your messages on their servers once delivered.
4. For your groups: once you regain access to your account, you may still see your groups listed, though you might not have the message history.
5. Ask friends or family members who are in the same groups if they can add you back to any groups you’ve been removed from.
6. For future protection, I’d recommend enabling two-step verification in WhatsApp settings once you regain access.
7. You should also consider changing passwords for any accounts that might share similar passwords to your compromised account.
Would you like more specific information about any of these steps? Have you been able to verify your phone number again in the app?
… and Perplexity …
If your WhatsApp account has been hacked and you don’t have backups on iCloud or a linked laptop, follow these steps:
Log Out All Linked Devices: Open WhatsApp, go to “Settings” > “Linked Devices,” and log out of all unknown devices.
Re-register Your Account: Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp. Enter your phone number to receive a verification code via SMS. This will log out the hacker as WhatsApp allows only one active device per account.
Two-Step Verification: If a PIN is requested and you didn’t set it up, the hacker may have enabled two-step verification. You can reset the PIN via the “Forgot PIN” option if an email is linked to your account.
Contact WhatsApp Support: Email support@whatsapp.com detailing the situation with “Lost/Stolen” in the subject line for further assistance.
Recover Messages Locally: If using Android, check local storage under Internal Storage/WhatsApp/Databases for backups (e.g., msgstore.db.crypt14) and restore them during reinstallation.
Inform your contacts about the hack to prevent further misuse of your account.
Nita replied …
The email account is compromised as cannot change my password
I think I am back up having reinstalled the what’s app
Just need to check other social media accounts if compromised
AI and cataracts. Hi, I’m finding all sorts of ways to use Chat GPT. Yesterday I asked it to find me some private clinics that offered cataract surgery near Cardiff and to give me some idea of the prices, and it did just that. In seconds. I could have found the same information trawling through websites but this is so much quicker.
Are there any subscription services that we use which we really rate – eg Amazon Prime, or blogs (Medium, Substack), news, music, film and software eg apps, OpenSource etc. we use; and have people given up subscriptions to print media?
Iain writes …
“One topic which you may discuss is digital subscriptions. I think that it’s interesting to compare the cost of digital and non-digital. I have a family Apple One subscription which costs about £40 a month and feels very expensive. However my wife and I like to enjoy reading real newspapers with a cup of real coffee in the morning. The South Wales Echo subscription is £50 per month and The Guardian is £70. This makes Apple look good value (for once !)”
I advocate subscription services, as an alternative to advert-funded services, or services where you can avoid adverts by paying a subscription eg itvX (but not YouTube as I use Magic Lasso to get round there adverts)
I pay for services that provide value and essential added services eg Apple One with Family sharing and iCloud+ (but not Apple News+ at the moment), NordVPN, WonderWatt (to control Battery Charging using Octopus Agile)
I pay for services that provide extra facilities, eg Pocket, Feedly, Google Drive, Amazon Prime Video (but annoyed that you now have to pay more to get adverts removed)
I pay for open-source services that I rely on eg Signal
I pay for services where there is no other option eg Adobe Photography Plan, Vimeo, Ancestry, NowTV (for access to Sky Sports as well), IFTTT
Useful devices, presents – things we’ve got, or would like to have
Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2 as hearing- aids
How long should we expect our “devices” to last? Is there a best before date, or do not use after date?
Do you have to take the latest update – even when your device could take the upgrade?
Presentation meeting in March – How much Privacy do you need/want? Invite others from u3a??
What subscription services do you use and do you value them (Iain)? It could be services (eg Amazon Prime), blogs (Medium, Substack), news, music, film and software eg apps, OpenSource etc. And have people given up subscriptions to print media etc
Ideas for future meetings (Stella)
Since it’s the season for gifts, we could ask members to recommend any devices or gadgets they have purchased this year.
I believe we have several keen photographers in the group, and members might be interested in learning about the latest digital cameras and how much they have evolved since the Kodak era.
We could also discuss the features that members find helpful or frustrating on their devices.
We might consider a talk on the latest technology in musical instruments. Phil is an expert on this topic and may enjoy sharing his knowledge with us. It could be a fun session!
Restrictions on use, legal impositions and “Best Before or Not After” for software/hardware
Digital terminology
Invite to join the Steering Group (Stella)
My bits and pieces
DM – Apple Pie
Apple’s anti-trust case with UK government over its Mobile platforms (iOS and iPadOS)
Bear in mind that a parallel enquiry has been launched into Google.
I think that this is what the Americans call an “anti-trust” investigation. It’s not uncommon in the tech world (eg the break-up of AT&T into regional companies) and in the economy generally e.g. railway and oil companies when they became dominant.
Economists tend to think that monopoly is bad by definition but I think that there’s an argument to be made that Microsoft, for example, has stimulated economic growth by creating a worldwide standard for personal computing and allowed companies to avoid unnecessary costs in transferring data between incompatible architectures.
Me
I agree. Whilst often saying derogatory things about Amazon and Google, I would defend the way they do business. They are not clandestine in their approach. Amazon make very little out of their online retail, but massive profits out of AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Google don’t attempt to hide that they are an advertising and marketing company (unlike Meta) and provide some very good tools (some chargeable) which you can construct your own privacy around – should you wish to.
I’d further add, just how do these anti-competitive folk think that innovation is funded, and isn’t it justifiable to protect some of your intellectual property rights?
The argument only holds true in relation to preventing new entrants to a market. I would argue that any person seeking to challenge Apple/Google (Android) would be wise to look at what happened to Nokia and Microsoft phones and seriously consider whether they can really compete.
Taking it one stage further. Even with the zillions of dollars that Google is prepared to hand out to make Google search the preferred search engine on Apple’s Safari browser, can one really say the general public is that interested – they just want to “Google it” – a masterstroke in marketing.
What is actually uncompetitive in this case is the reasoning for the “slush money” being given to Apple – it’s to stop them developing their own search engine!
Jonathan
I asked Google Gemini ” are apple and google anti competitive and, if so, is that a bad thing”. Here is the reply
Whether Apple and Google are anti-competitive is a complex question with no simple answer. There are arguments to be made on both sides.
Arguments for anti-competitiveness:
App Store dominance: Both Apple and Google operate dominant app stores on their respective mobile operating systems.
They have significant control over which apps are available to users and the terms under which they can be offered. Critics argue that this allows them to stifle competition and favor their own apps and services.
Default search engine agreements: Google pays Apple billions of dollars to be the default search engine on Safari. This gives Google a significant advantage in search, as many users stick with the default option. Critics argue that this harms competition and consumer choice.
Bundling of services: Both companies bundle their own apps and services with their operating systems, giving them a leg up over competitors. For example, Apple pre-installs its own browser, email app, and music service on iPhones.
Data collection and usage: Both companies collect vast amounts of user data, which they can use to their advantage in various markets. Critics argue that this gives them an unfair competitive advantage.
Arguments against anti-competitiveness:
Innovation and consumer benefit: Both companies have driven significant innovation in their respective markets, benefiting consumers with new and improved products and services.
Competition exists: Despite their dominance, both companies face competition in various areas. For example, there are alternative app stores and search engines available.
Focus on user experience: Both companies argue that their practices are aimed at providing the best possible user experience, even if that means limiting choices in some areas.
Is it a bad thing?
Whether anti-competitive behavior is a bad thing is also a complex question. Some argue that it stifles innovation and harms consumers by limiting choice and driving up prices. Others argue that it can lead to greater efficiency and innovation, ultimately benefiting consumers.
Ultimately, the question of whether Apple and Google are anti-competitive and whether that is a bad thing is a matter of debate. It is important to consider all sides of the issue and weigh the potential benefits and harms before drawing any conclusions.
A BBC response if ever I heard one.
Time machine
Restarting your MacBook
Update of devices for security issue
Invites app for iCloud+ users
Transcribing audio to text in Notes app
Switching-off Apple Intelligence
Using external drives on your Mac
DM – Hardware and Software
How to send large files
How to share files between Mac and Windows
Copilot invading Word docs
Extracting images from PDF files
Battery swelling
Recovering a deleted file
DM – Easy PC
Increase in subscription costs for Office 365
DM – Artificial Intelligence
The arrival of DeepSeek (from Iain)
“Author unknown.
Nevertheless, an interesting read.
Deep seek is on the news every where, for people like me who are not so well informed , I thought this message which I received from a friend, is very very useful. I am sharing it below for those who are interested :
Finally had a chance to dig into DeepSeek’s …
Let me break down why DeepSeek’s AI innovations are blowing people’s minds (and possibly threatening Nvidia’s $2T market cap) in simple terms…
First, some context: Right now, training top AI models is INSANELY expensive. OpenAI, Anthropic, etc. spend $100M+ just on compute. They need massive data centers with thousands of $40K GPUs. It’s like needing a whole power plant to run a factory.
DeepSeek just showed up and said “LOL what if we did this for $5M instead?” And they didn’t just talk – they actually DID it. Their models match or beat GPT-4 and Claude on many tasks. The AI world is (as my teenagers say) shook.
How? They rethought everything from the ground up. Traditional AI is like writing every number with 32 decimal places. DeepSeek was like “what if we just used 8? It’s still accurate enough!” Boom – 75% less memory needed.
Then there’s their “multi-token” system. Normal AI reads like a first-grader: “The… cat… sat…” DeepSeek reads in whole phrases at once. 2x faster, 90% as accurate. When you’re processing billions of words, this MATTERS.
But here’s the really clever bit: They built an “expert system.” Instead of one massive AI trying to know everything (like having one person be a doctor, lawyer, AND engineer), they have specialized experts that only wake up when needed.
Traditional models? All 1.8 trillion parameters active ALL THE TIME. DeepSeek? 671B total but only 37B active at once. It’s like having a huge team but only calling in the experts you actually need for each task.
The results are mind-blowing:
– Training cost: $100M → $5M
– GPUs needed: 100,000 → 2,000
– API costs: 95% cheaper
– Can run on gaming GPUs instead of data center hardware
“But wait,” you might say, “there must be a catch!” That’s the wild part – it’s all open source. Anyone can check their work. The code is public. The technical papers explain everything. It’s not magic, just incredibly clever engineering.
Why does this matter? Because it breaks the model of “only huge tech companies can play in AI.” You don’t need a billion-dollar data center anymore. A few good GPUs might do it.
For Nvidia, this is scary. Their entire business model is built on selling super expensive GPUs with 90% margins. If everyone can suddenly do AI with regular gaming GPUs… well, you see the problem.
And here’s the kicker: DeepSeek did this with a team of <200 people. Meanwhile, Meta has teams where the compensation alone exceeds DeepSeek’s entire training budget… and their models aren’t as good.
This is a classic disruption story: Incumbents optimize existing processes, while disruptors rethink the fundamental approach. DeepSeek asked “what if we just did this smarter instead of throwing more hardware at it?”
The implications are huge:
– AI development becomes more accessible
– Competition increases dramatically
– The “moats” of big tech companies look more like puddles
– Hardware requirements (and costs) plummet
Of course, giants like OpenAI and Anthropic won’t stand still. They’re probably already implementing these innovations. But the efficiency genie is out of the bottle – there’s no going back to the “just throw more GPUs at it” approach.
Final thought: This feels like one of those moments we’ll look back on as an inflection point. Like when PCs made mainframes less relevant, or when cloud computing changed everything.
AI is about to become a lot more accessible, and a lot less expensive. The question isn’t if this will disrupt the current players, but how fast? One of the reason of market fall across the globe”
AI to help in breast cancer diagnosis
Daisy – the granny AI spambot
Mistral ‘Le Chat’ French AI chatbot
ChatGPT as a summariser
Pete’s summary from Chat GPT …
1. Online scamming is a global industry – It is vast, sophisticated, and growing rapidly, with criminal networks operating across borders.
2. “Pig butchering” is a major scam method – Scammers build fake relationships with victims, emotionally manipulate them, and then convince them to invest in fraudulent schemes.
3. Scamming is more dangerous than the drug trade – It operates beyond the reach of law enforcement, lacks regulation, and is highly scalable.
4. Criminal compounds run large-scale scam operations – Many scams originate from compounds in Southeast Asia, where trafficked workers are forced into scamming.
5. Advanced technology enables fraud – AI-generated voices, deepfake videos, and cryptocurrency help scammers operate anonymously and make their schemes more convincing.
6. Scammers exploit human emotions – Victims fall prey to scams due to loneliness, fear, greed, and trust in online relationships.
7. The economic impact is massive – Billions of dollars are stolen annually, affecting individuals, businesses, and economies.
8. Law enforcement struggles to keep up – Scammers move money and people across jurisdictions faster than authorities can track them.
9. International cooperation is needed – Countries must collaborate, working with banks, tech companies, and social media platforms to combat online fraud.
10. Public awareness and education are crucial – Governments should implement stronger warnings and educational campaigns to prevent people from falling victim.
… followed up with …
Pig butchering (shā zhū pán, 杀猪盘) is a sophisticated online scam that combines financial fraud with emotional manipulation. The term comes from the idea of “fattening up” a victim (the pig) before eventually “butchering” them for financial gain.
How It Works:
1. Initial Contact: Scammers approach victims through dating apps, social media, or even random text messages pretending to be a wrong number. They gradually build a friendly or romantic relationship.
2. Emotional Manipulation: Over weeks or months, scammers gain the victim’s trust, often pretending to be wealthy and successful. They encourage casual financial discussions, showing off their supposed investment profits.
3. Fake Investment Opportunity: Once trust is established, scammers introduce the victim to a “lucrative” investment, usually involving cryptocurrency or forex trading. They direct the victim to a fake but professional-looking website or app where they initially see small returns.
4. Encouraging Bigger Investments: As the victim gains confidence, they invest more money, sometimes even taking out loans or draining savings. The scammer keeps reinforcing the illusion of profits.
5. The Exit (Butchering Phase): Eventually, when the victim tries to withdraw funds, they encounter delays, extra fees, or are locked out entirely. The scammer then disappears, leaving the victim financially devastated.
6. Trafficking Connection: Many pig-butchering scams are operated from compounds in Southeast Asia, where trafficked workers are forced to run scams under threat of violence.
Why It’s Effective:
• Long-term manipulation: Unlike quick scams, it relies on slowly building trust.
• Emotional exploitation: Victims often feel emotionally invested, making them less skeptical.
• Convincing fake platforms: Sophisticated websites mimic real investment sites, making the scam seem legitimate.
• Cryptocurrency anonymity: Crypto transactions make it difficult to trace stolen money.
This type of fraud is one of the fastest-growing online crimes, with billions of dollars stolen worldwide each year.
DM – News and Updates
Screen time doesn’t necessarily cause “brain rot”
UK government demands access to Apple’s end-to-end encrypted messages on iCloud
“I’m keeping my powder dry on this one. I’m not totally sure what my position is. On one side I’m a strong advocate for privacy, and therefore support for Apple’s stance. On the other, I feel the large techno. companies don’t do enough to control the nefarious use of theIr platforms. Apple by not having their own search engine, nor social network, nor indeed their totally owned operating system (being based on Unix) can quite justifiable hold their hands up in horror and say – “it’s not me guv” – but they do provide a platform in iCloud which is a safe haven for the material of “bad people”.
There must be a solution that satisfies both the individuals right to privacy, the states right to protect the greater good, and the corporations right to sell products that the individual wants/requires.
I don’t use the encrypted offering on iCloud+. Why do/should I need it? In many ways it gets in the way of usability.
Instead of blanket bans/prohibitions, why not a more nuanced approach, where the user is required to apply for the use of such a service on the basis of recognising (with their agreement on a case-by-case basis) that they agree to give-up total privacy upon lawful request.
This would prevent the possibility of fishing like intrusions, trawling through private encrypted data in the hope of finding something. As we all know, preventing one thing – in this case on iCloud would just shift the data somewhere else, and who would suffer? The honest user of course who had a valid reason for encryption.”
DM – Scams, privacy and security
“I’ve just come off the u3a Trust Zoom call on “Staying Safe Online”. Any one else watch it apart from Ian???
Some points I made notes of.
1) Seriously distrust QR Codes – the scams are much more than just parking meters, and can be quite sophisticated [I forget the example quoted]
2) I must buy a RFID Screening device for my “man bag”, and others should check whether their wallet/purse/handbag has one supplied in the bag. I was quite shocked at my ignorance on this one and how open I might be to scamming from a passing stranger.
3) Added to this, get a Faraday cage like device to put my passport in – much more sensitive info on that than I’d been aware of.
4) I like to think I wouldn’t fall for an ATM skimmer – a device on the front of an ATM cash dispenser, but I’ll be much more vigilant when using any device I don’t know.
5) The speaker, and now I, stress just how important it is to keep your email password secure. I’m going to reviewing mine again as a result, and just because one hasn’t been pwned doesn’t mean I shouldn’t change it. I’m using the Apple iCloud Keychain these days which generates passwords for me and holds them securely “in the cloud” in the same way as a password manager does. An incentive for me to double-check.
6) The risk of leaving your Facebook profile unprotected was highlighted. So, even though I don’t use Facebook/Instagram – I should either delete my account -not a bad idea, or go through the security/privacy settings with a fine-tooth comb. Same applies to Google. [This could be worth a blog post probably, when I’ve researched what the most appropriate settings should be.]
12:03
7) Lastly, and one I’ve never thought of doing, but now I will most certainly – switch off WiFi when I’m away from a known and safe network. These would be ones where you have to provide authentication to access the network, or behind your home router. It’s just too convenient to not switch-off WiFi, but as I reported last week … you don’t need a VPN when using your cell network – it’s secure; the cost of using mobile data is coming down – use that allowance and only connect to WiFi when you have to authenticate to an encrypted service.”
Ian …
“Overarching message:
Human beings are the point of weakness!
Action points-
1. Turn off WiFi on phone when leaving home. Unencrypted free WiFi that the phone will automatically connect to makes you vulnerable (even in hospital waiting areas).
4G/ 5G mobile data is encrypted, thus safe.
2. Your email password is your greatest vulnerability.
Emails are most frequently used as usernames on websites.
Once an email password is hacked they gain access to your entire contact list and work through using the ‘forgotten password’ facility to reset passwords and gain access.
Secure email accounts with very strong passwords (combination of at least three words + capitals, numbers and characters).
3. PW managers- a couple of things to consider. (a) may only work on one device, not multi-platform (b) protect master password.
4. Email scams-
Checking senders’ email address on desktop/ laptop is easy (hover).
Not so on phone (requires double tap to reveal; be careful).
5. QR codes can be intercepted + they are capable of altering settings on phones.
Be very cautious (esp with cafe menus and the like).
6. Websites
Links to actual websites may not appear at the top of Google searches.
Third parties often pay Google to get their website (intermediaries) to the top of the list. Looks like the real thing unless you read the fine print. Using them results in extra, unnecessary charges.
7. Never let your credit card leave your hand. Be very suspicious of card machines that “don’t work” or require a second swipe (skimmer’s ploy).
8. As David mentioned use RFID blocking cards in your wallet, use RFID blocking pouches to protect your passports (all your personal and government-held data is in your passport chip), and use Faraday cages to protect your keyless entry car keys.
In David’s absence the meeting was led by Jonathan and Phil.
Amazon and Online retailing
Jonathan introduced the topic of online shopping offering a number of reasons why we might want to moderate our shopping with Amazon. His primary concern was the impact of Amazon, and other online retailers, on our local shopping centres – such as the loss of over 1000 bookshops in UK since Amazon came on the scene. He mentioned his many efforts over the last year or so trying to persuade members of the U3A’s Ukulele Group to first try our local music shops rather than Amazon on the basis of “ use it or lose it” . And the reason he had raised it here now was news that we have now lost it – in the form of Gamlin’s music shop in the City Centre – due to close the following day!
Rather than summarising Jonathan’s main points here ( and to avoid accusations of bias! ) he has taken Ian’s advice in asking AI for “ reasons to consider alternatives to Amazon “. Gemini’s conclusions are reproduced below!
There was a healthy discussion in response which was almost universally in favour of shopping with Amazon! Jonathan just hopes that members will remember that “ other retailers are available”!
Reasons to Consider Alternatives to Amazon (Gemini AI)
While Amazon offers convenience and a vast product selection, there are several reasons why some people choose to shop elsewhere:
Ethical and Environmental Concerns:
Worker Treatment: Amazon has faced criticism for its treatment of workers, including long hours, low wages, and demanding quotas.
Environmental Impact: The company’s rapid growth and reliance on shipping have raised concerns about its carbon footprint and impact on packaging waste.
Anti-competitive Practices: Some argue that Amazon’s dominance in the market can stifle competition and harm smaller businesses.
Supporting Local Economies:
Community Impact: Shopping locally can help support your community by keeping money within your area.
Personal Relationships: Building relationships with local businesses can provide personalized service and a sense of connection.
Privacy and Data Concerns:
Data Collection: Amazon collects a significant amount of customer data, which can raise privacy concerns.
Targeted Advertising: The company uses this data to personalize ads and offers, which can be intrusive for some.
Product Quality and Authenticity:
Counterfeit Products: While Amazon has measures in place to combat counterfeit goods, there is still a risk of purchasing fake or low-quality items.
Alternative Shopping Experiences:
Supporting Independent Businesses: Shopping from smaller businesses can help promote diversity and innovation.
In-Person Shopping: Visiting physical stores can provide a more immersive and tactile shopping experience.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to shop with Amazon is a personal one. By considering these factors, you can make an informed choice that aligns with your values and preferences.
Apple “Notes”.
Phil briefed the group on the Notes app available on Apple devices along with further anecdotes about life with an electronic can opener.
“With Notes, you can capture a quick thought, create checklists, sketch ideas and more. And with iCloud, you can keep your notes updated across all of your devices.”
Any other business
Tony mentioned a laptop problem he had and asked for advice on how to fix it. “We will fix your PC “ was the universal reply!
39 Lambourne Crescent, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CF14 5GG.
Well, it seems a long-time since I last wrote up some notes of a meeting. They are probably of more use to those who didn’t attend rather than those who did!
Anyway we had 17 members – including one new member (Sue) – which was a good number for a meeting that Ian pointedly advised me was taking-place actually before the programmed date for meetings to start! I must have had it in mind to get a meeting in before my absence on the 26th September. I advised that we would have to start with a meeting fee of £3 to cover the cost of hiring the room, but if we built-up a surplus we could hopefully reduce it, or have a “free” week!
I advised that my adventure with smart home and energy was still ongoing and that I’d updated the notes I’d prepared for the last meeting on September 6th with our experience of changing the Octopus tariff we were on. I also reported that the next project was to examine the possibility of installing a smart emersion switch. There are not many of these to choose from as they require a 16amp circuit from the distribution box, but it is a relatively easy DIY job to swap out the old clockwork time switch and replace it with a smart one. Why would we want to do that? Well, With Octopus Agile they have plunge pricing which means that on occasion they pay you to take electricity from the Grid, and there’s always cheap electricity from 02:00 to 05:00 every day. More about that later on … possibly!
We have replaced the front windows with triple glazing and that did create quite a lot of extra work, and did involve a limited amount of redecoration. Worth it though if not financially, then at least heatwise!
I also reported on the horror show that I’d had to go through with having to migrate all my domains and websites from one provider to another. An anxiety raising process which I’m glad is behind me, although I suspect there will be a couple of glitches ahead.
I then invited members to send me ASAP any ideas for subjects to discuss over the next few months, and one came up in the course of the meeting – we will look at TVs (and home entertainment in general) before Christmas. I also asked for volunteers to facilitate the next meeting as I wouldn’t be available. I’m pleased to say that Phil and Jonathan have agreed to do a joint show on smart watches and online retailing (esp. Amazon) – as usual I’m sorry to be missing it. More about that in the email I’ll be sending after finishing the is post.
And so I handed the meeting over to you. Here are some notes …
Ian was approaching the point where he was about to buy a replacement iMac with a M3 chip. Good choice. I reported that I’d also suggested two other alternatives – purchasing a monitor and a) buying an Apple MacMini, or b) buying a laptop. Both of these could be used with existing keyboards and mice. We also touched on the Refurbish Store that Apple puts machines/equipment on that is either off their current store offering, or alternatively has been returned to be re-packaged. Possibly only due to damage to the original packaging. These have a warranty/guarantee and are a much “safer” way of buying slightly older equipment at discount, rather than buying second-hand.
Anne asked what is Javascript, and should she install it – as it was being requested by a an online learning website. Phil assured her that it was entirely safe and was just additional code that made a website work better. She also reported what appeared to be a glitch on a NHS website where she couldn’t enter her personal details as it precluded anyone over the age of 70 putting a DoB in!! The general consensus was this must be a glitch. Sianed provided some very valuable additional information to the meeting about why you couldn’t get a root canal filling done at your local dentist unless they were registered endodontists, and gave the subtle advice that it was probably better to go private rather than wait for a NHS appointment (2 years) as it might well be done by a student (who she might be supervising). [At this point I related the experience I’d recently had of discovering that a Flip video camera I had purchased back in 2007-9 didn’t allow me to set the date beyond 2020 – built-in obsolescence in firmware even thought the device works perfectly.]
Tony raised a number of interesting points. He’d just been prompted that his service supplier was retiring 3G, and was happy that he’d been able to move to 4G. Was this always to be the case? Well no. The number of 3G masts were decreasing, the number of 5G ones increasing. Eventually, you’ll not be able to use a 3G phone, and will need to get one that uses 4G. You should never need the bandwidth that 5G gives you – mainly high-resolution video streaming and gaming, and it won’t be retired in the majority of our lifetimes. What is interesting is that 3G (introduced in 2001) will disappear before 2G.
He also felt that it was probably time to “retire” his iPhone XR – and he’s probably right (see this article).
… and thought that perhaps it was time to replace his current HP Pavilion laptop and asked for recommendations. I suggested Dell as a reliable (but unexciting) choice, Phil suggested Acer and Asus were good, others felt that HP were good. I suggested that it must be a very personal choice and it would be best in this case to go to Currys/PC World and get some advice remembering that you shouldn’t buy a machine that has low RAM as RAM is more important than the new whizzy processor.
Finally he praised the “outrageously” good Octopus Customer Support but was frustrated by the billing linked to smart meters. I advised that this resolved itself after a short while. At this point Ahmed reported issues with getting his gas meter changed to a smart meter by Octopus. [There’s a lot of pressure on smart meter installations at the moment, so perhaps the work had got “lost”. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.]
Chris asked for help in getting old negative film into digital format. I advised that I had a Veho slide scanner that I was very happy with. Phil (after the meeting) shared this YouTube link.
Sheila was also thinking about replacing her iPhone 11, so the link above may help her come to a decision. She also caused much mirth and hilarity by describing her robot vacuum, which Stella then augmented by her own experience. Obviously a lot of fun to be had! She also suggested that all members not on Smart Meters should read their meters before 30th September before the new energy pricing came in.
Stella was thinking of replacing her TV, which prompted me to suggest I did a session before Christmas on TVs (and home entertainment generally).
Ralph was having real problems with the billing/invoicing from his energy supplier – Ovo. They suggested they owed him over a £1000, and he knew that not to be the case. Phil suggested strongly that he write to the company, and if a satisfactory response was not received to write to Ofgen. [On reflection, I would suggest MoneySavingExpert and Citizens Advice as well.]
Jim had purchased a new external SSD (2Tb) for his laptop (Lenovo – not recommended) as the 1Tb one he had for back-up was now full! Perhaps a session on Back-up and Archiving might be a good idea???
Lynette and Yvonne were both also considering replacing their iPhones – perhaps it might be a good idea to have a session on that. I can’t widen it to Android as I don’t have any experience of those devices. I suggested that the iPhone 14 (still a current model at c.£599 would be a good choice, but again see the link above).
Renee reported that she’d been quite impressed by her use of the AI software Perplexity in producing sensible answers to well-crafted questions.
Sue reported that she was somewhat unhappy with a recent upgrade she’d done to her Samsung phone, but was very concerned at the rise of scams, and in particular one that had hit her daughter hard.
Ahmed – I have just one word in my notes CostCo, but I can’t remember why? Please help and I’ll update.
Fred was continuing his journey out of health setbacks and was now “enjoying” the results of successful cataract operations on both eyes so hoped to be able to see his screens better soon 🙂
All the time had then be spent so I didn’t have time to do an update on News items. If I had I’d have highlighted the following links which are on Flipboard.
Ian has shared articles from The New York Times – you can get a free registration to read, and Iain has shared articles from Medium – which again you can get free access to (I believe). He also encouraged me to subscribe to Benedict’s Newsletter, which has some interesting points each week.
Another theme over the summer has been the conflict between Big Tech – Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google – and government. Huge fines being imposed, and requirements (particularly from the EU) to change the way that companies operate. Some of it good, some of it perhaps ill-thought out. Another session maybe – perhaps a debate???
There were more links I’d bookmarked to discuss – but they’re all on Flipboard, so please go and have a look at what your fellow members have added, and become a contributor yourself. It’s very easy to add articles to the Thought grazing magazine.
Iain and Phil hosted the meeting. Thanks to Iain for providing these notes …
My brief notes area as follows:
Amazon Fire Tablet review
Phil Edwards gave an amusing but thorough review of the Amazon Fire tablet family. His conclusion was that were perfect for consuming eBooks and videos etc. This is especially true for people who have an Amazon Prime account. The tablets are particularly cheap during Amazon’s Prime Day sales. The combination of low price and reasonable functionality made them “shiny enough” in Phil’s view.
Iain King reviewed the articles added to Thought Grazing since the previous meeting.
AI Bias: with data and without
Iain King showed a couple of pictures generated by AI for a poster for the Llandaff Over 50s Club. The Secretary of the Club was not pleased with AI’s representation of Llandaff’s Over 50s. Iain drew attention to the book Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. This highlights how an absence of data disadvantages women in a wide range of fields e.g. medicine, car safety etc. The absence of data on which to train AI risks exacerbating this disadvantage.
… and he added this Postscript – “(Typed on a Linux PC !)” – congratulations!!!
We had the pleasure of a presentation on Linux, Raspberry Pi, VPNs, KODI and Geolocation from Dave Williams (our American cousin). Here is the outline of the talk he gave us. I should have recorded it – an oversight!
X86 LINUX
* Define OS
* Interface between the “guts” and apps
* Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds as a college project
* FOSS (free and open source)
* Many distros, I used Red Hat, SUSE in past.
* Ubuntu (Zulu for humanity toward others). Provides a good selection of apps.
* Xubuntu good for older machines
* More secure from malware than windows, I zealously update and I’ve never had a problem
* War stores. No longer so nerd-centric. Apps easy to install with APT and SNAP.
* Unless your name is Harrison don’t dual boot! Install on that old PC in the basement.
* David and Paul dog and pony show
* https://fullcirclemagazine.org/
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WyNjt_hbQ
RASPBERRY PI SBC
* Single Board Computer, ARM architecture like phones
* Raspberry Pi is a type of SBC, developed to teach kids to code
* Became popular with computer enthusiasts for projects (eg robotics)
* HTPC limited to two channels
* I use a version of Ubuntu developed for Raspberry Pi
* https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi
* https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/
VPN
* Virtual Private Network, I use NordVpn
* I always use for bootleg
* Geo Location
* Easiest way is to use as browser extension
* https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-vpn
KODI
* Can be used to hack media
* Requires add-ons
* Real Debrid to access restricted media $17 USD 180 days
* Watch in real time or download
* Security concern with Raspberry Pi
* https://troypoint.com/best-kodi-addons/
Geolocate
* Requires VPN, easily applied through browser extensions
* CBC (Canada)
* SBS on demand (Australia)
* I suggest creating a ‘throwaway” email address
* create an account
* log in
The talk led to a lively discussion with many interruptions from yours truly. We then were able to examine the Raspberry Pi that Dave had brought with him, and the three machines running Linux (Ubuntu) that Phil and I had brought along. Two of my machines were “new” in 2008, one of which has still a functioning battery. That’s quite some achievement for a laptop and to see them running up-to-date software – eg LibreOffice, Firefox, Brave and Thunderbird is testament to the usefulness in prolonging the life of old machines. One of my laptops was running Windows XP in dual-boot mode – again an indication that if you’re careful with your internet activity, old machines are not necessarily redundant.
One of our discussion meetings. Several apologies received. We discussed whether we wanted to continue to use Sight Life if they put the cost of room hire up. Sheila commented that the room hire rate was comparable with other city centre options. We noted that some venues were free, but that none had the capacity, room layout, WiFi and screen that we required for successful meetings. It was noted that some members were prepared to pay £2.50.
We noted Jim’s spoof notifications of Argos and Dell deals, and wondered how any one could expect to get something for nothing. Phil did however comment that if you traded in a Kindle, and did so on the right date with Amazon, you might just approach getting a new one for Free. [It’s also worth remembering that Curry’s/PC World offer a £5 voucher (or cash ???) for old IT equipment.]
We then went through news items – all up on Flipboard, so not links on this page. We focussed on the legal issues surrounding “big tech” both in the EU – the Digital Markets Act and AI legislation, and the US DoJ going after Apple for anti-trust and monopoly reasons. Many commentators have reported that this will be unlikely to be successful and could be drawn out over many years – by which time, things may have changed. Some of us expressed the view that if we were happy to pay more, and happy to accept the closed garden of Apple, then we should be allowed to retain the status quo. Ralph highlighted the need for a level playing field and if there were monopolies these should be challenged. Phil drew the analogy of a car that had limits on what size tyres you could fit. Was this a restrictive practice??
Ian led several discussion points on developments in AI, including advances in breast-cancer diagnosis, the change in permitted usage for military purposes with the acceptable use of Open AI software, and the very good online sessions provided by u3a – details of which are given below …
‘An introduction to AI chatbots’, Thursday April 4th, 3.30 pm, and ‘AI News’, Thursday April 11th, 3.30 pm – which unfortunately clashes with our next meeting. Please book via u3a Online Learning Website.
… you’ll probably be amazed at what’s available online from u3a – I’ll try and write a post for the Cardiff website to point members to these resources.
We discussed whether hardware suppliers (in this case Apple) should be bound to give details of what an Update contains, in the light of some concern that the latest release (v.15.4.1 of iOS) has little or no information on the security issues it seeks to resolve. Ralph suggested that this was a wise move, as if you said what you were trying to fix then it might encourage the bad “players” to try and test the weakness on unpatched devices – I’m not so sure. I think there’s an ethical duty on suppliers to state why you should do something and not just say “do it”!!
Phil then in the discussions that followed told us about his attendance at a Bill Bailey concert where he played all manner of electronic and digital musical devices including BlueTooth Ribbon Bells and a laser harp. He also told us that AI was used to create a response to a verse in shanty tunes.
Ralph enquired whether I’d changed my views on cookies, as he’d heard alternative advice recently. I sheepishly had to admit that although I maintained the view that cookies were generally harmless and were there to improve your browsing experience, that I’d recently chosen to reject cookies and had been able to continue viewing the website. So, my position has changed. If you just want to drop into a website on a one-off basis, there’s no benefit in selecting cookies, so try accessing the site after saying”no”. Sometimes however sites require you to switch off ad blockers, if that’s the case you need to make a decision on whether you want to proceed, or not.
Sheila raised the perennial problem of email hacking, spoofing and phishing. There’s been a few strange emails recently which seem to come from a valid address, but are not from the person, and which surprisingly don’t have a “payload”, ie click-here to do something. I will try to get to the bottom of this, but it’s very strange.
