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.
Apr 2023
A journey through the world of HiRes music
Greg Eden Digital music is digital music, some say. No, there is a very wide spectrum of quality. If you […]
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: […]
Humans have been predicting eclipses for thousands of years, but it’s harder than you might think
Sabine Bellsted The coastal town of Exmouth in Western Australia is due to experience one of the most spectacular astronomical […]
Member of the RACV? Get an extra 5c off per litre of petrol at all EG branded Ampol service stations.
Greg Eden Great, but how do we get that scan code down to the servo? You could just waste a […]
Most people already think climate change is ‘here and now’, despite what we’ve been told
Ben Newell A quick search on the internet for “climate change images” readily yields the familiar photograph of a lone […]
Online stumble-ons
David Stonier-Gibson Just a few of the interesting things I stumbled on this month … Progress in 3D printed homes. […]
Our next Monthly Meeting is on Wednesday 3rd May 2023
This will be run as a “hybrid” meeting, meaning we will be in person in the Borrett Room at the club but […]
Owning an EV means much to learn
Greg Eden You have many things to consider. First you have to stop thinking like a petrol car owner. I […]
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 […]
Publishing Information
The newsletter of Melbourne PC User Group Suite 26, Level 1, 479 Warrigal Road Moorabbin 3189 Office hours 9.30am – […]
Mar 2023
April monthly meeting
The April 2023 monthly meeting will be next Wednesday, 5th of April. This will be “in person” at our […]
ChatGPT could be an effective and affordable tutor
Anne Trumbore, University of Virginia Imagine a private tutor that never gets tired, has access to massive amounts of data […]
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 […]
Darwin awards
Yes, it’s that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honouring the least evolved among us. […]
Free Tutorials – How to use Smartphones, Tablets and Computers
Geoff Amor Over the past 12 months Committee member Stewart Gruneklee has started a training program for people struggling with […]
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. […]
Futurists predict a point where humans and machines become one. But will we see it coming?
John Kendall Hawkins, Philosopher, University of New England Sandy Boucher, Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science, University of New England […]
Online stumble-ons
Some interesting things I’ve stumbled into recently roaming the Internet. Do you know any languages other than English? This site […]
Robots are performing Hindu rituals – some devotees fear they’ll replace worshippers
Holly Walters Visiting Lecturer in Anthropology, Wellesley College It isn’t just artists and teachers who are losing sleep over advances […]
Three years into the pandemic, it’s clear COVID won’t fix itself. Here’s what we need to focus on next
Michael Toole Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute Brendan Crabb Director and CEO, Burnet Institute On March 11 2020 the […]
Using Google
A little bit of frivolity. Did you know that Google Search has a few extras built in? Well, a lot […]
Feb 2023
All Melbourne PC User Group members now have Google Workspace. So what?
Greg Eden, grege@melbpc.org.au The transition is complete. Our email is working. Our johnsmith@melbpc.org.au accounts are functioning in Outlook or Thunderbird. […]
ChatGPT – Product warrantees & consumer law
I quite often see posts on social media that suggest the poster is blissfully unaware of their rights under Australian […]
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 […]
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. […]
ChatGPT: students could use AI to cheat, but it’s a chance to rethink assessment altogether
Sam Illingworth Associate Professor, Edinburgh Napier University ChatGPT is a powerful language model developed by OpenAI that has the ability to generate human-like […]
Device transmits radio waves with almost no power – without violating the laws of physics
Zerina Kapetanovic7-8 minutes This experimental setup shows an ultra-low-power wireless communications device that could one day be used in tiny […]
Digital Transducers: What?
Phil Sorrentino, Contributing Writer, The Computer Club, FL Computer Input Devices are transducers. They convert the user’s physical actions into […]
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: […]
Facebook and Instagram are bombarding young people with targeted alcohol, gambling and unhealthy food ads
Alliance for Gambling Reform https://www.agr.org.au/ Facebook and Instagram are bombarding young people with targeted ads for alcohol, gambling and unhealthy food, […]
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 […]
How to maximise savings from your home solar system and slash your power bills
Wasim Saman Soaring electricity prices have made 15% of Aussies think about installing solar panels, a recent survey found. Another 6% were already […]
March monthly meeting guest
The March 2023 monthly meeting will be a hybrid (Zoom or Room) meeting. Our guest is Brendan Lewis. Title = […]
President’s Report February 2023
As this is my first President’s Report for 2023, I’d like to begin by wishing all members a Happy New […]
Publishing Information
The newsletter of Melbourne PC User Group Suite 26, Level 1, 479 Warrigal Road Moorabbin 3189 Office hours 9.30am – […]
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 […]
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 […]
From The Editor November/December 2022
Hugh Macdonald So like they say all good things must come to an end, and with my recent decision to […]
From The President November/December 2022
Hugh Macdonald Welcome to my very first president’s report in PC Update. To recap I became president at the […]
Interesting Internet Finds
Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often encounter things I think might interest other user […]
Not everything we call AI is actually ‘artificial intelligence’. Here’s what you need to know
George Siemens, University of South Australia In August 1955, a group of scientists made a funding request for US$13,500 to […]
Revisiting Chromebook
Hugh Macdonald I’ve used a Chromebook in the past and the premise of its operating system, Chrome OS is a […]
The dawn of AI has come, and its implications for education couldn’t be more significant
Vitomir Kovanovic, University of South Australia The release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot has given us a glimpse into the future […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In disasters, people are abandoning official info for social media. Here’s how to know what to trust
Stan Karanasios, The University of Queensland and Peter Hayes, CQUniversity Australia In an emergency, where do you turn to find […]
Interesting Internet Finds
Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often encounter things I think might interest other […]
Why are there so many data breaches: A growing industry of criminals is brokering in stolen data
James Martin, Deakin University and Chad Whelan, Deakin University New details have emerged on the severity of the Medibank hack, […]
September 2022
DOTW Highlights
Roger Brown DOTW has made the transition to SPACES Perhaps we should first remind readers about what exactly DOTW is […]
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 […]
Foxtel Cancellation, Network Switch Failure and Lifetime Warranty
Steve Stubberfield This is my story about how cancelling our Foxtel subscription lead to a network switch failure and what […]
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 […]
Interesting Internet Finds
Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often run across things that might be interesting to […]
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 […]
The Tesla Optimus robot is not very impressive – but it may be a sign of better things to come
Wafa Johal, The University of Melbourne In August 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the electric car manufacturer was planning […]
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 […]
August 2022
Book Review: How To Stay Smart In a Smart World
Tim McQueen How to stay smart in a smart world Gerd Gigerenzer Allen Lane 312 pp. Gerd Gigerenzer is Director […]
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 […]
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 […]
Even if TikTok and other apps are collecting your data, what are the actual consequences
Ausma Bernot, Griffith University By now, most of us are aware social media companies collect vast amounts of our information. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Posters with Canva
Caden and Nathan Kang Nowadays, many flyers and posters are created and shared online. Canva is an online program that […]
Publishers vs the Internet Archive: why the world’s biggest online library is in court over digital book lending
Joanne Gray, University of Sydney and Cheryl Foong, Curtin University Earlier this month, the Internet Archive asked a US court […]
Taking Technology Too Personally
Greg Skalka When I was growing up, there seemed to be more universal and unifying experiences in our lives related […]
Zooming
Barry Horn They’re calling a meeting and said I should go but I’m stuck at home, there’s a virus you […]
June 2022
Did you bring it with you – the cloud is always with you
Phil Sorrentino There is just so much room on your phone for pictures, videos, music, and such. So, what if […]
DOTW Winners April 2022
Roger Brown DOTW is a lighthearted look at some of the sillier events of the week which has been posted […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Interesting Internet Finds
Steve Costello While going through more than 300 RSS feeds, I often run across things that might be interesting to […]
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”. […]
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, […]
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 […]
So this is how it feels when the robots come for your job: what GitHub’s Copilot ‘AI assistant’ means for coders
Ben Swift, Australian National University I love writing code to make things: apps, websites, charts, even music. It’s a skill […]
Spaces Highlights April 2022
Dennis Parsons Google Spaces, a replacement for Yammer With Melb PC moving away from using Microsoft services for the general […]
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 […]
Bitcoin
The Other Side of the Bitcoin By David Kretchmar, Computer Technician, Sun City Summerlin Computer Club https://www.scscc.club In the April […]
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 […]
Editorial April 2022
From the president (and editor) David Stonier-Gibson Zooming into the future While we still live in the shadow of Covid, […]
Green Hydrogen
Australia plans to be a big green hydrogen exporter to Asian markets but they dont need it Andrew Blakers, […]
Monthly Meeting May 2022
May monthly meeting special guest Our monthly meeting for May is on Wednesday 4th at 7pm. This will be held […]
Reflecting on Linux as my daily driver
Using Linux as my daily driver Hugh Macdonald I initially wrote an article of October 2020 where I announced I […]
Start a New Habit in ’22 – Back Up!
By Kurt Jefferson, Editor, CKCS Newsletter. https://ckcs.org/ As we start a new year, it’s a great time to start a […]
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 […]
East SIG Report – February 2022
East SIG Report – February 2022 Neil Muller Host Paul Woolard opened the February meeting, (our first for 2022), again […]
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 […]
Free Tutorials – How to use Smartphones, Tablets and Computers
Free Tutorials – How to use Smartphones, Tablets and Computers Committee member Stewart Gruneklee has taken the initiative to start […]
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, […]
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 […]
Potential Problems Ahead For Users of Three Popular Web Browsers
Potential Problems Ahead For Users of Three Popular Web Browsers By Kurt Jefferson, Editor, Central Kentucky Computer Society Three of […]
Tiny satellites are changing the way we explore our planet and beyond
Tiny satellites are changing the way we explore our planet and beyond Shane Keating, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Oceanography, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Editorial February 2022
Hugh Macdonald Hello and welcome to another edition of PC Update and welcome to another year in the life of […]
How to become a Linux expert by installing Arch
Roger Brown You too can amaze your friends and colleagues by becoming a LINUX EXPERT who runs the very best […]
How To Delete Your Social Media Accounts
Sharon Horwood, Deakin University For more than a decade we’ve been deeply immersed in a love affair with social media. […]
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 […]
Mandatory logins for ABC iview could open an intimate window onto your life
Michael Cowling, CQUniversity Australia Last week, the ABC announced it will begin to track the viewing habits of all users […]
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 […]
Monthly Meeting February 2022
The November 2021 Monthly Meeting was held online on Wednesday 2nd February 2022, with about 90 members in attendance via […]
Using Google Workspace
Greg Eden Part 1 – Document scanning and OCR Can you use your Android phone as a document scanner? Yes. […]
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 […]