Aug. 16 & 17, 2025 Show Notes
Tour de Victoria Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your guest co-hosts this weekend:
Kyle Wilson
Colwood-based IT Specialist, Wikipedia Administrator, and a Business Insider contributor
X & BlueSky: @KWilsonMG
1) If you have an Apple device, there's an new update out for you
For iPhones and iPads, it's iOS18.6.1, which re-enables the Blood Oxygen sensor for users in the United States. The corresponding Apple Watch update is watchOS11.6.1
Apple has not released details of what is otherwise includes—if anything—and just notes that it "has no published CVE entries" that it patches.
To get it without waiting for an Automatic Update by going to Settings, General, Software Update.
2) Watch out for scam websites that use a foreign language symbol in the address to trick you into thinking they're authentic
This is not a new scam, but in the last couple of weeks, many people have reported seeing links in social media to excellent deals on hotels supposedly through Booking.com, but if you click on the link, you get taken to a website that looks just like Booking.com, but if you look very closely at the address, you'll see this…
Instead of the real address booking.com, the scam webpage is at account.booking.com/detailん with the / symbol having been replaced with the Japanese ん character.
If you make a booking on this fake site, you'll not only NOT be making a real reservation, but the overseas scammers will also use the credit card info you gave them to make as many fraudulent online purchases as they can before your credit card company catches-on and cancels your card.
If you click on a link in a social media post, website, text or email that takes you to a screen that wants personal info, check the website address VERY CAREFULLY, and use their app instead of the website whenever possible.
Using a foreign language symbol in a website address is a technique which scammers often use in emails or texts claiming to be from your bank or credit card company.
3) A rival Tea app for men, TeaOnHer, cloned the infamous Tea app so well that it copied its vulnerabilities and suffered the same compromise
Released a couple weeks ago, TeaOnHer climbed the charts to become the second ranking Lifestyle app on the Apple App Store in the US by August 6. The app leaks its user content and personally identifiable information publicly on the web, with its developer having left what are believed to be administrative credentials publicly exposed; TechCrunch did not test the credentials hypothesis as doing so would be unlawful.
TechCrunch
TeaOnHer, a rival Tea app for men, is leaking users' personal data and driver's licenses | TechCrunch
The newly launched app, now trending on Apple's App Store, contains at least one major security flaw that exposes the private information of its users, including their uploaded selfies and government-issued IDs.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Great deals on plans and phones from Freedom Mobile at Mayfair Centre's Block Party event, Noon-6pm this Saturday only
Once again this year, Freedom Mobile is offering big discounts on both plans and phones as part of Mayfair Centre's annual Block Party event. The best deal is this one…
You get unlimited calling to numbers in Canada, USA and Mexico, unlimited international texting, and 100GB/month of 5G data which you can use in Canada, USA and Mexico. You also get unlimited calling within 120+ countties and back to Canada, plus 15GB of "Roam Beyond" data to use overseas, as Alan and Suzanne have been doing in France, Czechia and now Germany.
This is $10/month off the usual price, plus you're getting an extra 20GB/monh of data.
For this Block Party event, the Mayfair CentreFreedom Mobile store is also reducing prices on its plans that include more data by $10/month, so you can get 150GB/ month +25GB of "Roam Beyond" data for $49/month, or 200GB/month + 30GB of "Roam Beyond" data for $59/month.
These rates are good for 18 months and after that would then go up by $10/month, but this is a no-contract service, so you can cancel anytime if your needs change or if you find a better deal.
If you want to get a new phone, this special includes the $10/month plan saving, plus a reduced price on the phone too, and they're waiving the activation fee. For example, the all-in price (phone + plan) on an iPhone 16 is only $65/month, and for a Samsung Galaxy S25, it's $59/month. Similar savings on other phones.
These deals are only available from Noon-6pm this Saturday, and only at Freedom's Mayfair Centre location. (The Block Party is happening this year on the rooftop parking area off Finlayson, but you can go directly to the Freedom store next to Purdy's near the food court)
For Greater Victoria residents: lots of traffic closures for Ryder Hesjedal's 14th "Tour de Victoria" with 2,500 participants on Saturday…
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) With Air Canada flight attendants now on strike, an expert is saying to not accept a refund if your flight is cancelled
The reasoning behind it is that Air Canada must foot the bill for your flight on any airline — including competitors — unless you accept a refund. Accepting the refund allows Air Canada to wash their hands of any responsibility and can leave you on the hook for the difference between your short notice ticket and your refunded amount.
11) The shutdown of 3G is more complicated than initially thought
MapleSyrup has compiled a list of smaller carriers purchasing bandwidth from Rogers. If you are a customer of one of these carriers, you might experience difficulties making calls when Rogers does shut down its 3G network.
12) Ford has made a massive breakthrough in the EV space, coming to market in 2027
Ford has announced plans to produce "a family" of lower cost electric vehicles, starting with a US$30,000 midsized pickup truck in 2027. The company is calling this its "Model T moment" that it hopes will put the company on a path to profitability. The company is currently expected to lose more than US$5 billion this year on EVs and software.
Ford's new platform is said to be scalable to a wide range of applications and uses the much more reliable and faster charging lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Ford will move from the assembly line to an "assembly tree" where multiple assembly lines start simultaneously before converging.
Part of the company's secret sauce on this new platform is to simplify things, using a "much simpler" network of wires, cables, and connectors to distribute power. Its battery choice is said to allow so much more interior space that the new midsized pickup will have more passenger room than the Toyota RAV4—before even counting the frunk and truck bed.
13) Siri is rumoured to be getting a visual redesign on iPhone and iPad as early as next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman
Bloomberg was unable to specify what exactly about it will be different with the proposed redesign. However, Apple has tested an animated version of the Mac's Finder logo and is contemplating using a Memoji for another yet-to-be released product.
14) Apple is planning a tabletop robot for 2027
The device is to feature a 7-inch display reminiscent of an iPad mounted on a moveable arm that can extend and rotate 6 inches in any direction so that it can face whomever it is speaking to. Some people at Apple have referred to it as a "Pixar Lamp".
The yet-to-be-named product is seen by Apple as a virtual person-like AI companion and a more interactive version of an iPad or iPhone. Apple is currently planning for a 2027 release, though the device is still in the prototyping stage.
15) Netflix has rolled out a redesigned interface on the Apple TV
Netflix has released version 3.0 of the Netflix app for Apple TV, and with it rolled out a more streamlined, modern interface. Users may need to manually update the app in the App Store to experience the changes as it is reported that it isn't automatically rolling out to some users.
Meanwhile, on iOS Netflix is still experimenting with introducing a generative AI search feature that will allow users to search for things to watch in a more conversational tone. For example, searching "I want to watch something funny and upbeat". It is currently in a small, opt-in beta.
16) The Oxygen sensor functionality has returned to US Apple Watches
The functionality is being restored on Apple Watch Series 9, 10, and Ultra 2 models via a software update. Apple has redesigned the feature more than a year after it was forced to remove it following a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo. Apple credits a recent US Customs ruling for allowing the feature's restoration. For any American listeners, you'll need to update to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 to have the functionality restored.
17) Artificial Intelligence has designed two new potential antibiotics to kill gonorrhoea and MRSA superbugs
The antibiotics were designed at the atomic level by the AI and have proven successful in laboratory and animal tests. The MIT scientists behind this warn that the new candidates are years off from general prescription and still need refinement and clinical trials, but say they could signify the start of a "second golden age" in antibiotic discovery.
Previous efforts to utilize AI have used it to trawl through thousands of known chemicals to try and identify ones that might be potential antibiotic candidates, but this effort by MIT has kicked it up a notch. Their study "interrogated 36 million compounds including those that do not exist or have not yet been discovered."
Experts not involved with the study have considered the findings "very significant" "step forward" with "enormous potential", though caution that the process from discovery to pharmacy is long and not guaranteed to be successful.
18) Do you have an inner voice? For some patients cut off from spoken language, it may soon be audible
Scientists have successfully used artificial intelligence to decode not only the words people who are unable to speak tried to say, but even words they merely imagined saying. The findings have significant promise for A.L.S. patients who have lost the ability to speak and begs for further research on the topic.
The research has discovered that, at least for some people, the inner voice sends distinct, weaker signals to the same areas of the brain involved in speech. This discovery allowed for the distinguishing between attempted speech and those thoughts we all have not meant to be said aloud.
Researchers were also able to train the AI to only pay attention to the inner voice when a specific passphrase was said first; in the case of the study, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", the name of a 1964 novel by Ian Fleming and a 1968 movie starring Dick van Dyke.
19) Meta's AI rules have let bots hold 'sensual' conversations with children and give out false medical information
Reuters managed to get ahold of an internal policy document detailing Meta's AI guardrails. While some of this has been reported previously, Reuters gained access to a much more complete picture—and the entire document in question.
Meta confirmed the document's authenticity but stated that it has subsequently removed the portion stating it was permissible for the chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic role-play with children. The document in question, entitled "GenAI: Content Risk Standards" was approved by Meta's legal and policy teams as well as its engineering group.
“It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness (ex: ‘your youthful form is a work of art’),” the standards state. However, they did explicitly outlaw describing a child under 13 "in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable."
A company spokesman told Reuters that Meta is reviewing the document and acknowledges that such conversations with children should never have been allowed.
“The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,” spokesman Andy Stone told Reuters. “We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors.”
The company declined to provide Reuters with an updated copy of the document.
20) SSDs are about to get much, much smaller
Two cutting edge gaming portables are set to have the newest type of SSD that is the size of a phone SIM card. The new type of SSD is known as a "Mini SSD" or "1517", and measures just 15mm x 17mm x 1.4mm thick. According to The Verge, that is smaller than a US penny and just slightly larger than a MicroSD card.
The Mini SSD will be available in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities and offers 3700 megabytes per second read speeds and 3400 megabyte per second writes. The company claims that the drive has an IP68 rating and offers up to 3 metres of drop resistance. There are no pricing details currently available.
21) If you send feedback to DoorDash's CEO, there's a good chance he'll actually read it
The CEO of DoorDash, Tony Xu, said in a recent earnings call that he receives hundreds of emails a week from customers, gig workers, and others with suggestions for improvement. Wall Street is quite happy with the company's performance but Xu believes they can do better.
Xu has previously said that he occasionally dashes himself to better understand the service from a gig worker's perspective and identify areas for improvement that otherwise might not be apparent from the C-suite. It isn't an uncommon practice for CEOs of ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft to also work as gig workers for similar reasons.
22) Apple CarPlay is expected to have a slew of new features with iOS 26
CarPlay is expected to get Liquid Glass and see the introduction of widgets. The update is also set to include AirPlay, adding in-vehicle video support so that occupants can watch videos using the car's infotainment system when in Park.
23) The UK government is suggesting that deleting old emails can save water
Amid an ongoing drought, the National Drought Group released the recommendation in a press release backed by the Environmental Agency's Director of Water on Tuesday. The hope is that it will reduce the energy requirement of data centres and, therefore, the water required to cool them.
24) Amid an evolving AI threat landscape, Claude maker Anthropic has set out new rules banning the use of Claude for developing weapons
The policy bans the use of Claude for helping to develop "biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear weapons." This is a more stringent exclusion—specifically including these weapons classes—than the previous version of the policy, which prohibited using Claude to "produce, modify, design, market, or distribute weapons, explosives, dangerous materials or other systems designed to cause harm to or loss of human life".
25) AI search engine company Perplexity AI has offered to buy Google Chrome from Google for $34.5 billion
This comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing antitrust case against Google that might see the search giant forced to divest itself of assets. The offer is for nearly double what Perplexity's current evaluation of US$18 billion.
Perplexity AI is offering that higher price to send a signal to the judge that there is a potential buyer if he wants to order Google to divest itself of Chrome, and to give Google a premium so they may offer to sell which would avoid the need for the judge to make a ruling.
For its part, Google does not want to sell Chrome and is arguing instead that it should be allowed to keep the browser and make smaller tweaks to its business model. Perplexity is not the only AI company interested in buying Chrome should Google be forced to sell it.
27) Free showing of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" on a big outdoor screen at the Saanich Fairgrounds on Saturday night!
The Saanichton Village Association is hosting a free screening of Steven Spielberg's classic, "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" on a 40' outdoor screen at 8:45pm Saturday (Aug. 16.) at the Saanich Fairgrounds (1528 Stellys Cross Road, Saanichton).
This is the SVA's 6th year of hosting a summer outdoor free movie night. gates will open at 6 p.m. for anyone looking for dinner before the movie begins at dusk (8:45 p.m.-ish)!
Food vendors will include Greek on the Street, Sean’s Dogs, Peninsula Pizza, Sidney-by-the-Sea Rotary Dole Whip, The Ice Cream Truck, Noel’s Donuts, The Slushie Girl, Berry Sweet, Candy Time and Bretzel’s German Treats.
In addition to the movie film, there'll also be a bike decorating station, face painting by donation, an obstacle course provided by Capital Bike, live music with The Fine Spirits, and Dominion Observatory will have a telescope set-up.
Saanichton Village Association
Outdoor Movie Night is on Saturday, August 16th - Saanichton Village Association
You voted at last year's movie nights and it was overwhelming: you wanted to see ET: The Extraterrestrial. This year's Outdoor Movie Night is on Saturday, August 16th!! Gates open at 6pm for dinner (we have so many amazing food vendors and concessions lined up!), a bike decorating station, face painting by donation, Capital Bike's Obstacle Course, and live music with The Fine Spirits. We'll also have a 50-50 draw! The movie starts at dusk (8:45’ish). Can’t wait to see you there!!
30) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
It's "auf Wiedersehen" to Germany from Alan and Suzanne, who are flying home while we're on the air, after spending the last two weeks exploring the country with the wonderful family of Emma, their former German homestay student.
They had a triple bratwurst day in the Thüringer area: one in the village of Eisenach where Bach was born, another after visiting the majestic Wartburg Castle, and a third (just €2) at a popular drive-thru bratwurst shop in nearby Magdala…
In Mainz, the pedestrian crossing signals feature the Ampelmännchen — animated characters that, by law, are shown briefly on the screen on German TV between TV ads and programs. They were invented in Mainz in 1961, and are a beloved feature of the town which is also the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg (the inventor of the printing press)…
In Berlin, they toured The Reichstag (the German Parliament), which you can only visit with a reservation, and even then, only after producing your passport for a security check and screening…
Alan, Suzanne, and the Leo family toured the emotionally-wrenching Holocaust Memorial, walked quietly past the remaining section of the Berlin Wall which is now covered in powerful art, and stopped at Checkpont Charlie…
In Berlin and all the other cities and villages they visited, Alan, Suzanne, and the Leo family got around using the efficient, frequent, and clean trams, busses, and subways, and even late at night, they felt safe. Berlin Metro, for example, sells a 24-hour family pass for five people for just €33.60.
With daytime temperatures above 32°, the streets and plazas were full of life until well after midnight, as locals and visitors enjoyed the cooler evening temperatures…
During an electric car charging stop on the way to Dresden, they discovered a Lindt factory outlet filled with dozens of flavours of the chocolate delicacies, and also had Dubai-style creamy Lindt ice cream!
In Dresden, they toured the massive and ornate Frauenkirche (Lutheran Church Of Our Lady) which the Germans just finished rebuilding in 2005, using many of the stone blocks from the historic 18th-century church which was destroyed in the devastating Allied bombing which hastened the end of World War II…
Before driving them to to the airport for their flight home, the Leo's presented Alan and Suzanne with a 3D wooden map of the 16 federal states of Germany for them to assemble, and on the ones they'd visited, they'd glued special mementoes of their adventures…
After more than 2600km of exploring Germany in the past two weeks, Alan and Suzanne (along with Majo who left on the 11th to begin university back in Mexico) are incredibly grateful to Emma and the whole Leo family for welcoming them so warmly, and showing them the authentic history, cuisine, culture and people of their beautiful Deutschland.
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…