PC Update

PC Update is the Melbourne PC User Group magazine/newsletter. The first issue of PC Update appeared in March 1984 under the title MELB-PC.

The name was changed to PC Update in September of the same year and has remained unchanged ever since. The magazine has won a number of International Awards.

PC Update has been published in various formats, firstly as a printed newsletter, then a printed magazine, then an e-magazine, and currently as a e-newsletter.

Publishing Information

Apr 2023

East SIG Report – March 2023

Neil Muller After welcoming members to the March meeting of East SIG, host Frank Maher outlined the night’s agenda below: Presentation 1: Q&A with George Skarbek Presentation 2: Latest SCAMs to be aware of by Dave Botherway Presentation 3: Recover… Continue Reading…

Online stumble-ons

David Stonier-Gibson Just a few of the interesting things I stumbled on this month … Progress in 3D printed homes. An article in The Conversation  https://theconversation.com/3d-printing-promises-to-transform-architecture-forever-and-create-forms-that-blow-todays-buildings-out-of-the-water-198954 Artificial intelligence: Have we already passed human level IQ? An article in The Conversation… Continue Reading…

President’s Report April 2023

Hugh Macdonald, President Dear members, It’s somewhat crazy to believe that we’re already a quarter of the way through the year. I hope the month of April has been good for all of you. Thanks Peter Bacon Peter Bacon was… Continue Reading…

Mar 2023

April monthly meeting

  The April 2023 monthly meeting will be next Wednesday, 5th of April. This will be “in person” at our clubrooms. Please make sure you have secured your raffle tickets at the door and are seated before 7pm. Our MC, Peter bacon, will… Continue Reading…

Colonizing the Cosmos: Astor’s Electrical Future

publicdomainreview.org /essay/colonizing-the-cosmos Iwan Rhys Morus During America’s Gilded Age, the future seemed to pulse with electrical possibility. Iwan Rhys Morus follows the interplanetary safari that is John Jacob Astor’s A Journey in Other Worlds, a high-voltage scientific romance in which visions of… Continue Reading…

Darwin awards

Yes, it’s that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honouring the least evolved among us. Here is the glorious winner: When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up… Continue Reading…

From The Editor and President March 2023

Hugh Macdonald David Stonier-Gibson is enjoying a nice jaunt around New Zealand so I’m back in the editor’s chair temporarily. This month, we’ve got a good selection of articles on ChatGPT, space, robots, some little known tips on using Google,… Continue Reading…

Online stumble-ons

Some interesting things I’ve stumbled into recently roaming the Internet. Do you know any languages other than English? This site gives an indication of how difficult various languages are to learn. https://thelanguagenerds.com/2019/map-reveals-how-long-takes-to-learn-different-languages/ Apple’s enormous profit margins on iPhones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GZWn5Z1BTY Want to know… Continue Reading…

Using Google

A little bit of frivolity. Did you know that Google Search has a few extras built in? Well, a lot of extras but we will just look at a few. Open a Google search page on your computer and type… Continue Reading…

Feb 2023

ChatGPT as a programmer?

David Stonier-Gibson Does ChatGPT have any use in computer programming? I took it for a spin. I saw something online about a fellow who used ChatGPT to write a WordPress plugin for his wife. Well, I barely know what WordPress… Continue Reading…

ChatGPT: God, religion and so much more

This ChatGPT conversation blew my mind. For one thing it without doubt blows the Turing Test out of the water. It is a 2-way conversation between my good friend, an Italian/Canadian/American named Fred, and ChatGPT. Fred has Christian faith, but… Continue Reading…

Digital Transducers: What?

Phil Sorrentino, Contributing Writer, The Computer Club, FL Computer Input Devices are transducers. They convert the user’s physical actions into commands that the computer can understand and use. Technically speaking, a transducer is a device that converts one form of… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report – November 2022

Neil Muller After welcoming members to the November meeting of East SIG, host Frank Maher outlined the night’s agenda below: Presentation 1: Q&A with Georg Skarbek Presentation 2: Reducing Vulnerability to Scams by John Swale Presentation 3: Man-in-the-Middle Scams by Dave Botherway… Continue Reading…

From the editor’s keyboard

  So, I’m back to editing the newsletter. Hugh Macdonald became President, and I have taken this one burden off his shoulders. But it’s in a much changed format, as pioneered by Hugh. I hope I’ve managed to cobble it… Continue Reading…

March monthly meeting guest

The March 2023 monthly meeting will be a hybrid (Zoom or Room) meeting. Our guest is Brendan Lewis. Title = “A story on Old people in America and Artificial Intelligence” Brendan Lewis is a seasoned technology leader with extensive experience… Continue Reading…

November/December 2022

Easily Accessible Dictation Software

Hugh Macdonald I’ve never really given much consideration to dictation software before. I’m the kind of person who likes to think as I type and I feel like if I’m dictating something then I’m breaking the concentration I like to… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report October 2022

Neil Muller After welcoming members to the October meeting of the East SIG, host Frank Maher then outlined the nights agenda below:  Presentation 1: Q&A with Georg Skarbek Presentation 2: Current Scams and Preventions by Dave Botherway Main presentation: Multimedia home… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often encounter things I think might interest other user group members. The following are some items I found interesting.   What To Do If You Forget Your Android Phone’s… Continue Reading…

Revisiting Chromebook

Hugh Macdonald I’ve used a Chromebook in the past and the premise of its operating system, Chrome OS is a great one. It’s a very lightweight operating system that doesn’t require premium CPUs, extensive amounts of memory, or large amounts… Continue Reading…

October 2022

Buying A New Computer

David Kretchmar From time to time, every computer specialist is asked, “What computer should I buy?” The answer is usually, “What do you intend to do with it, and how much can you afford?” This article addresses the major decisions… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report September 2022

Host Frank Maher welcomed members to the September Zoom meeting of the East SIG. Frank then outlined the nights agenda below: Presentation 1: Q&A with Georg Skarbek Presentation 2: Tuning Windows 11 – Personalisation and Privacy issues Main presentation: Electric Commercial Aircraft by… Continue Reading…

Flatpaks with Linux Mint

Cal Esneault Linux software is installed using pre-compiled “packages.” The traditional method, called dynamic packaging, separately installs the main application and additional supporting sub-components (“dependencies). Mint uses the Debian package management system and provides a graphical Software Manager program to… Continue Reading…

From The Editor October 2022

Hugh Macdonald Welcome to the October 2022 edition of PC Update. This month our two main feature articles are about buying a new PC and using Flatpaks in Linux. It’s always fun buying a new PC, whether it’s a laptop… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello   While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often encounter things I think might interest other user group members. The following are some items I found interesting during May 2022.   Amazon Dropping MOBI Support On… Continue Reading…

September 2022

DOTW Highlights

Roger Brown DOTW has made the transition to SPACES Perhaps we should first remind readers about what exactly DOTW is meant to be. Precisely what the acronym “DOTW” stands for has been shrouded in controversy over the years but in… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report August 2022

Neil Muller Host John Swale opened the August meeting, again via Zoom. After welcoming members, John outlined the nights agenda below: Presentation 1: Q&A with John Hall Presentation 2: Google Maps Tips and Tricks Main presentation: “Ransomware Protection” by Dave… Continue Reading…

From The Editor September 2022

Hugh Macdonald Hello and welcome to another edition of PC Update. This month we have a couple of interesting articles from members. There’s one from Steve on his experiences of cancelling Foxtel and on the way discovering that his network… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often run across things that might be interesting to other user group members. The following are some items I found during August 2021. Internet Problems? Here’s How To Tell… Continue Reading…

My First Encounter With Linux

Stewart Gruneklee The personal computer operating systems that I have used over the years started with Digital Research DR DOS in the mid 1980’s and then Microsoft’s DOS followed by various versions of Windows starting from version 3.11 up to… Continue Reading…

What is multi-factor authentication

Jongkil Jay Jeong, Deakin University; Ashish Nanda, Deakin University, and Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Deakin University Data breaches are becoming commonplace in both small and big tech companies. The most recent victim was Australian telecommunications company Optus, resulting in unauthorised… Continue Reading…

August 2022

East SIG Report July 2022

Neil Muller Host Frank Maher opened the May meeting, again from home via Zoom. After welcoming members, Frank outlined the nights agenda shown below: Presentation 1: Q&A with John Hall Presentation 2: Best free VPN by Trevor Hudson Presentation 3:… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report June 2022

Neil Muller Host Frank Maher opened the May meeting, again from home via Zoom. After welcoming members, Frank outlined the nights agenda which is shown below: Presentation 1: Q&A with George Skarbek Presentation 2: Creating Short custom URL Links Presentation… Continue Reading…

From The Editor August 2022

Hugh Macdonald Dear Readers, Firstly my sincere apologies for not getting an official issue out in July. The June issue came out belatedly in early July and I lacked the energy to get another issue out by the end of… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello How to Fix Bluetooth Pairing Problems https://www.techlicious.com/how-to/how-to-fix-bluetooth-pairing-problems/ This post title is self-explanatory. I recently switched cell phone carriers and got new phones since then I have had intermittent problems connecting to some Bluetooth devices. I think you will… Continue Reading…

Posters with Canva

Caden and Nathan Kang Nowadays, many flyers and posters are created and shared online. Canva is an online program that allows you to create posters, flyers, videos, cards, and even social media posts and share them with other people in… Continue Reading…

Taking Technology Too Personally

Greg Skalka When I was growing up, there seemed to be more universal and unifying experiences in our lives related to technology. Today, we had much less tech, but it served us well and was more common in its applications… Continue Reading…

Zooming

Barry Horn They’re calling a meeting and said I should go but I’m stuck at home, there’s a virus you know. They said not to worry, we’re going to Zoom, it will all be on-line, you can stay in your… Continue Reading…

June 2022

DOTW Winners April 2022

Roger Brown DOTW is a lighthearted look at some of the sillier events of the week which has been posted weekly in the Chit Chat group in Yammer. From the start of June, this poll will transfer to Spaces as… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report April 2022

Neil Muller Host Paul Woolard opened the April meeting, again from home via Zoom. The first presentation of the night was by George Skarbek presenting his usual Q&A segment. This month there were only two questions, the first resulted in… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report May 2022

Neil Muller After 15 years as convener of East SIG, Paul Woolard has decided to retire from the role. On behalf of all members present, new host Frank Maher, thanked Paul for his many years’ service to the Melbourne PC… Continue Reading…

From The Editor June 2022

Hugh Macdonald I’m back and so is PC Update after a one month unscheduled hiatus. I do apologise about that. I took back the reins from David Stonier-Gibson, thinking I’d be right to produce the May issue, but had some… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often run across things that might be interesting to other user group members. The following are some items I found during August 2021. Internet Problems? Here’s How To Tell… Continue Reading…

It’s 2022. Why do we still not have waterproof phones

Ritesh Chugh, CQUniversity Australia While manufacturers have successfully increased the water-repelling nature of smartphones, they are still far from “waterproof”. A water-resistant product can usually resist water penetration to some extent, but a waterproof product is (meant to be) totally… Continue Reading…

Locate files and folders instantly

Jasmine Blue D’Katz I have been watching Tech for Seniors for several months, and like attending our monthly club meeting, I learn about different programs available to make using my computer easier. Recently, during his Evernote presentation, one of the… Continue Reading…

Monthly Meeting July 2022

David Stonier-Gibson The July 2022 monthly meeting will be on Wednesday 6th July via zoom only: Click here to join meeting on Zoom a little before 7pm. Our MC, Peter bacon, will start at 7pm sharp. Guest segment: The Nordic… Continue Reading…

Spaces Highlights April 2022

Dennis Parsons Google Spaces, a replacement for Yammer With Melb PC moving away from using Microsoft services for the general membership we’ll shortly be closing down Yammer as the host for our Online SIG. It was recently announced after a… Continue Reading…

April 2022

Beer Wine Spirits

Beer and spirits have more detrimental effects on the waistline and on cardiovascular disease risk than red or white wine Researchers are working to tease apart how various alcohol types contribute to weight gain and disease risk. Brittany Larsen, Iowa… Continue Reading…

Bitcoin

The Other Side of the Bitcoin By David Kretchmar, Computer Technician, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club https://www.scscc.club In the April 2021 edition of the Gigabyte Gazette, I contributed an article titled “Bitcoin – the New Gold?”. I stated that “Gold… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report – March 2022

Neil Muller Host Paul Woolard opened the March meeting, again from home via Zoom. The first presentation of the night was by George Skarbek presenting his usual Q&A segment. Q. I have a hard drive with 5 partitions on it… Continue Reading…

Editorial April 2022

From the president (and editor) David Stonier-Gibson Zooming into the future While we still live in the shadow of Covid, there are clear signs we are emerging back into the world. But it will be a different world. Within Melb… Continue Reading…

Green Hydrogen

Australia plans to be a big green hydrogen exporter to Asian markets – but they don’t need it Andrew Blakers, Australian National University and Cheng Cheng, Australian National University In its latest budget, the federal government has promised hundreds of millions… Continue Reading…

Monthly Meeting May 2022

May monthly meeting special guest Our monthly meeting for May is on Wednesday 4th at 7pm. This will be held as a hybrid. You are encouraged to attend at Moorabbin in person, or if you’d rather stay home you can… Continue Reading…

March 2022

An open letter to Scott Morrison

An open letter to Scott Morrison On March 15 the full federal court ruled that the  federal environment minister, Sussan Ley does not have a duty of care to protect young people from the climate crisis when assessing fossil fuel… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report – February 2022

East SIG Report – February 2022 Neil Muller Host Paul Woolard opened the February meeting, (our first for 2022), again from home via Zoom. The first presentation of the night was George Skarbek presenting his usual Q&A segment. Q. For… Continue Reading…

Editorial March 2022

Editorial March 2022 David Stonier-Gibson Hugh Macdonald is temporarily indisposed, so I am holding the editor’s quill for him until he’s back onboard. More precisely: I’m curating the content, and Stephen Zuluaga is doing the online posting part. Here is… Continue Reading…

Make a Wi-Fi QR Code Using Android

Make a Wi-Fi QR Code Using Android John Krout, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society Instead of forcing family, friends, and user group members to type a long, convoluted password to access Wi-Fi, use your Android phone to make a… Continue Reading…

Monthly Meeting April 2022

Monthly Meeting April 2022 David Stonier-Gibson With a federal election on the horizon, there is much speculation about the large number of independents putting their hands up in predominantly government held seats. At the last election in 2019 Tony Abbott… Continue Reading…

February 2022

Club Notices February 2022

A Commodore 64 challenge for Melb PC Harry Lewis Melb PC was approached recently by local poet Ted Holmes.  Between 1999 and 2001 Ted published three volumes of poems.  For publication at the time he presented his publisher with 3.5″… Continue Reading…

East SIG Report November 2021

Neil Miller Host Paul Woolard opened the November meeting, again from home via Zoom. The first presentation of the night was George Skarbek presenting his usual Q&A segment. With most members on their computers during the latest lockdown, many questions… Continue Reading…

Editorial February 2022

Hugh Macdonald Hello and welcome to another edition of PC Update and welcome to another year in the life of Melbourne PC User Group. I’m sure I wrote something similar last year, but we can only hope that this year… Continue Reading…

Interesting Internet Finds

Steve Costello Nearby Share On Android: All You Need To Know https://joyofandroid.com/nearby-share-on-android/ If you are an Android user and want to know about Nearby Share, check out this post. I don’t use it myself, but not because of anything in… Continue Reading…

Member Fiction: How The World Is Run

George Wright There was once a leader of a country who wanted to be safe from atomic attack so he asked another friendly country to provide a facility to protect them. Unfortunately the facility could not be constructed in the… Continue Reading…

Monthly Meeting February 2022

The November 2021 Monthly Meeting was held online on Wednesday 2nd February 2022, with about 90 members in attendance via Zoom. Guest segment: Zero to One Million Hits in 14 Days A discussion with Sue Barrett and Jobst Schmalenbach around… Continue Reading…

Using Google Workspace

Greg Eden Part 1 – Document scanning and OCR Can you use your Android phone as a document scanner? Yes. As a way of copying old photo prints? Yes. Is it as good as a stand alone scanner? Probably not,… Continue Reading…

Yammer Highlights January 2022

Dennis Parsons Linux Frank plugged his Kobo eBook into his Linux computer but couldn’t get it to connect properly. The reader was showing as connected on the reader but the computer wasn’t seeing the reader at all – it wasn’t… Continue Reading…