Thursday, August 25, 2011

Easy low cost photo books

I recently produced a photo book of our holiday and couldn’t help feel that others may be interested in creating their own photo book.

The problem I’ve found in the past is the time involved in creating a photo book can be days, and if you have a lot of photos, you have to cut the number of photos back otherwise the photo book could easily cost $200.

I’ve now created an approach which enables me to automate creating a photo book from a large number (small number as well) so I can create the majority of the photo book in a few minutes and then dress the photo book up with the final touches. I produced a photo book containing 410 photos on 134 pages in under an hour for around the cost of a standard 20 page book.

If there is interest and I can find a way to make my program available to others I’d be happy to consider the options.

For example:

Would you be interested in attending a short course which would enable you to learn the software (it is very easy) and ask some questions?

Would you prefer a do-it-yourself approach with printed or web based instructions?

If you are interested let me know and if there is enough interest I’ll put something together.

For me the ability to put together quickly and at relatively low cost some photo books opens up some great possibilities.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for support if you have a computer related problem.  

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Four MacBooks were taken during a break-in at Templestowe Valley Primary School

And four MacBooks were taken during a break-in at Templestowe Valley Primary School about 4am on August 1.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with computer problems

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Are you paranoid that your computer might be infected with malware?

If you’re paranoid that your computer might be infected with malware you probably have good cause. The problem is there are so many businesses out there, both legitimate and not legitimate, who try to change your computer without you quite realising what they’re doing or why.

It could be as simple as installing Acrobat Reader where you end up with the Google Toolbar installed. Acrobat most likely makes money by bundling Google’s Toolbar, Google gets to monitor the sites you visit which helps them make money from advertising and you’re computer just gets another piece of software installed it doesn’t need. That’s a legitimate business tactic although one I wish they didn’t use.

Next you have the site which changes your default search engine as I’ve seen with Firefox users. The search engine looks like Google but it isn’t. The site creates a front end to Google’s search engine so it makes money if you click on ads. You’ve been tricked and you’re browser has been hijacked. Because Firefox makes most of its income from Google, unlike Internet Explorer, where it is easy to change the default search engine, the average user will have difficulty removing this search engine and my logs show quite a few people reaching my site have been infected or tricked. You might just be starting to think the world is conspiring against you.

Then you have the malware writers. It can be as simple as visiting an infected site and your computer is infected. One person I know had their mortgage offset account cleared out of thirteen thousand dollars.

If you have shared computers and your children frequently search the internet (who doesn’t) then you run the risk of your computer being infected and often you won’t know it has occurred. The problem is if you then do things which require a username, password or pin number, that information could be recorded and sent to others without you knowing. To be quite frank, I advise all my family not to use any computer other than mine to do internet banking because I can’t be sure their computers haven’t been infected. I know they have in the past.

As a result of talking with a concerned client, I decided to investigate and see if there was a way to boot a computer from a CD and provide the user with a secure environment. As it turned out I was able to locate software used by American soldiers whilst overseas and can now make that software available to clients at a relatively low cost. The only tricky aspect is getting your computer to boot from the CD when a CD is present. This is a standard feature of most computers but isn’t generally known by the average users. Unfortunately changing the setting can vary from machine to machine, but once set up it works like a dream.

I can see a number of possible uses.

1. You want to do your internet banking and want to make sure you start your computer and know that even if it is infected, you’re session is secure. That’s exactly what the software can do. It doesn’t require anything from your hard disk and doesn’t update your computer. Every time you start the computer using the CD everything is clean.

2. Your children have infected your computer as a result of surfing the internet and that cost you a bucket of money to fix and you’d prefer not to go through that again. When your children want to surf the internet get them to boot their computer using the CD and they can surf the internet to their heart’s desire and even if they do comes across malware, only the current session is affected and once the computer is restarted the malware will be gone.

3. You own a business and don’t mind letting your staff surf the net or do their online banking during breaks but are concerned they could infect your computers, or worse, an infected computer clears out their bank account leaving you potentially liable. I’ve read this cost one business around $10,000 in legal fees. Give staff and CD and let them boot the computer. Your computer is safe and so are they.

4. You want to use a friend or relation’s computer whilst travelling to do internet banking. Yes. I’ve been there. The ANZ screwed up my automatic payments when I went overseas so I was forced to use a computer I didn’t know to make payments and it was really stressful. The secure boot CD would have given me peace of mind.

5. How many times have I had to fix a business computer after a staff member has worked on the weekend and brought in their child and the computer was used to occupy them. Yes. Very costly. Boot the computer with a secure boot disk and the computer can again be used to occupy children without concern or pressure they could do something wrong.

There are many uses for a secure boot disk. Clients are welcome to contact me if you’d like a secure boot disk. There is a small charge for the disk ($9.95 plus postage if required) but if you need support to set up your computer so it can boot from the CD, there would also be a small charge for the time involved.

For me this is a great opportunity for clients to minimise the risk associated with the internet. Nearly all malware infections now come from the internet. If you use a secure boot disk when accessing the internet the chances of infecting your computer are greatly reduced.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

   

Monday, August 22, 2011

Melissa Cakes Templestowe Lower for Sale

MELISSA CAKES, 43-45 PARKER STREET TEMPLESTOWE LOWER... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with computer problems

Loretta De Stefani has become attached to Romsey

After 27 years in Lower Templestowe, Loretta and her husband, an industrial chemist, decided it was time for a tree change.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Critical alert: Telephone call from scammer purporting to be from Service of Windows Operations James Stevenson. Issue: Illegal copy of Windows.

Only moments ago I received a call from a person called James Steveson who said they were from Service of Windows Operations a section of Microsoft. He informed me  they had detected an illegal copy of Windows on my computers. He wanted me to go on my computer. My computers are legitimately licensed so I knew immediately the caller was a scammer.

I asked for his telephone number so I could call him back. He provided an address of 75 Ressdale Street but I was not able to obtain any further information and I’d be certain this information isn’t legitimate. By asking for the a number to call them back on this would provide an ability to trace the caller. The caller knows this so hung up.

I reported the information to Optus (my telephone service provider) but it requires three calls for them to take action. There does not appear to be anything in place to protect consumers so each consumer has to effectively look after their own interests.

In this case the caller appeared to be using the telephone directory information to contact me.

Should you receive any unsolicited call from overseas letting you know you have a problem on your computer it is almost certainly a scammer.

Please take care.

 

Kelvin Eldridge

www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Local businesses need to start thinking of their customers as potential suppliers

When people ask me about JustLocal and what I’m doing, I have a couple of examples I share to highlight the issues I’ve found and if people start to think about them I’d like to change the situation a little.

I ask people do you refer others to businesses you’ve used and the answer is more often yes.

I then ask these questions.

Do you shop at the local businesses?

The answer is always yes.

Do they know you at the local businesses?

The answer is often yes.

Has a local business asked what you do?

The answer is always no.

Has a local business given you any business?

The answer is always no.

Why do I ask these questions. The reasons is simple. This is the same experience I’ve had. I regularly refer people to businesses I’ve used. I use the businesses regularly and say hello to the business owners. They never ask what I do and it has been 15 years since a local business that I purchase products and services from has given me any business.

Local businesses I have no doubt add valuable services and facilities to the community. But if the only purpose of a local business is to profit from the locals and then spend their profits elsewhere, what they are really doing long term is damaging the local community and not making it stronger. As people realise local businesses by their actions are only there to profit off the local community, the loyalty of locals will, if it hasn’t already, disappear, and people will see the best action for themselves is to look after themselves. Why not, everyone else appears to be.

To me this is a sad outcome. As a business I look at my customers as my potential suppliers. If I can pass on work or referrals to my customers and I believe it is appropriate and ethical to do so, then I’m happy to help those who help me.

To all local businesses I ask you to start asking your customers what they do and if they can provide a product or service you need then take a chance. Get a local to provide the product or service and if that local is one of your customers even better. You’ll not only help strengthen the local community but you’ll also build loyalty.

Kelvin Eldridge

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Joon No's Taekwando

The siblings (Daryl and Kanica May) - who train at Joon No’s Taekwando in Templestowe - returned from Malaysia at the end of July after competing at the 2011 International Taekwando Championship where Daryl placed first and Kanica third in their age divisions.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Monday, August 15, 2011

Doncaster Shoppingtown area computer repairs

If you live near Doncaster Shoppingtown and you are after someone to help you with your computer or computer related problem, then consider calling Online Connections. Online Connections is local (based in Templestowe) so you get friendly local service and best of all, there’s no call out fee.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Friday, August 12, 2011

Melissa and Gary Karatjas made a vow.

Chloe Karatjas, 4, shows her big sister, Mia, 10, how her heart surgery scar has nearly healed... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Should phone towers be built near childcare centres?

MANNINGHAM Council’s support for a Warrandyte phone tower has been labelled inconsistent after revelations plans for a Lower Templestowe childcare centre were quashed because of a similar tower.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Lower Templestowe's Fr Gerard McKernan

Fr Gerard McKernan is opposed to the idea of priests breaking the confidentiality of confession to report child abuse. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Is it Templestowe Lower or Lower Templestowe?

A local recently said to me it frustrates her how people refer to her area of Lower Templestowe as Templestowe Lower. I completely understand as I regularly see both the place names used.

A search of the internet shows references to Templestowe Lower to be around twice that of Lower Templestowe. The official place name according a Victorian government site is Templestowe Lower. There is no Lower Templestowe registered as a place name.

Whether you live in Templestowe Lower or Lower Templestowe there is one thing you can count on. If you need computer support Online Connections can help, is local and doesn’t charge a call out fee cutting the cost of computer support. If you need assistance with your computers contact us via email at sales@onlineconnections.com.au or call 0415 910 703.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Monday, August 8, 2011

JustLocal search engines now cover surrounding postcodes

In order to make the JustLocal search engines for the postcodes covering Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Bulleen, Warrandyte, Eltham, Lower Plenty and Montmorency of great use to locals, the search engine for the postcode now includes businesses in the adjoining postcode areas.

What this means is those in Templestowe can now search from over 900 businesses making it easier to find products and services in Templestowe or the surrounding area.

It was felt the number of businesses we have been able to identify as having web sites in the area would not provide enough variety in the results returned for the search to be really useful. In addition we were asking people in an area to search up to seven different search engines and logically that will simply not happen.

Let us know how you go with the new approach.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au


Manningham parking fines double

Mr Molan said the main area where people were fined was around Manningham’s 45 primary and secondary schools at drop off and pick up times. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Friday, August 5, 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011

Computer repair Templestowe Lower - Beware of telephone scammers

I read this article where people are receiving calls from people offering unsolicited computer support over the telephone and another article where one in twenty New Zealanders are falling for the same scam at around a cost of $200 each.

The scam involves a cold telephone call from a computer company who claim to be offering to clean up one’s computer. The name of the company was so complicated that I didn’t catch who they were.... Read More

When I read this it amazes me. There is really no reason for anyone to deal with any computer support person over the telephone. We offer businesses and residents of Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Lower Plenty, Montmorency and Eltham onsite computer support with no call out fee and a money back guarantee. There is no need for remote support and for people to provide others access to their computer. You meet the person who will fix your computer.

Dealing with a person unknown is always a bit of a concern, but to deal with someone who rings out of the blue, who you’ve never met, have no idea of the business or even if they’re from the business they say they are is simply a disaster waiting to happen. I feel really sorry for the people who fall for these scam artists when all they really need to do is to find someone local they can trust.

If someone rings you from out of the blue your scam radar should be working overtime. The only reason someone will ring you is to profit from you. So look after your own interests. They are certainly looking after theirs.

Please take care when receiving any unsolicited telephone call or unsolicited email offering your computer support services.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au