Aug. 30 & 31, 2025 Show Notes
Saanich Fair / Classic Boat Festival / GreekFest (2 of 2) / Labour Day / Long Weekend Edition

🎙️ Show airs
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Alan Perry
Host
Technology Tutor
iPhone +1 250-589-2926
Terry Sirup
Computer Tech and Store Sales Manager
Priority 1 Computers
3060 Quadra, across from White Spot
Terry@Priority1.ca store +1 250-475-7510
David Jones
1965 - 2025
The owner of "Your Technology Solution Computer Service", David was a dedicated and popular computer tech and tutor, and a regular guest on "Tech Talk".
David passed away suddenly this week from a heart attack.
He would've turned 60 in October. Our deepest condolences to his wife, Brenda.
The Podcast
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Security and Privacy News
1) Watch out for scam emails supposedly from Outlook warning that your device is at risk
Watch out for scam emails like the one in this screenshot, claiming that your device is at high risk of being infected with viruses.
The emails are coming from overseas accounts (this one was from an address @iwbza.com) and have lots of bold red words and symbols.
If you hover your mouse over the "How to remove virus" or "Security Check" buttons, or hold your finger on either of those buttons on a phone or tablet, you'll get a pop-up showing that they'll take you to a web-page at semimaration.ro — that's in Romania.
Those links go to a fake Microsoft sign-in page, where scammers are hoping you'll type in your email address and Microsoft account password, so they can immediately begin stealing your identity and money.
NEVER click on links in emails or texts like this!

2) If you get an email about a Canadian Auto Parts Class Action Settlement payout, it's not a scam — it's legit!
We told you last winter that the courts had approved a second settlement in a $78 million dollar class-action case alleging automotive parts price-fixing, and encouraged you to file a claim if you had bought one of the vehicles that were made with the parts in question between 1998 and 2016.
"Tech Talk" listener Murray says he finally just received his money — $55.82 — as part of the settlement!
If you're included in this second (of three) rounds of the class-action, you should have received an email from the Claims Administrator at Ricepoint, the law firm spearheading the case.
The email gives you important instructions on how to deposit your money if you do not have Interac Auto-Deposit set-up for your bank account, so check your junk mail folder!
Several other auto-parts makers have yet to agree to settle, so there's still a potential third round of money to be paid out.
To find out if you had one or more of the vehicles affected by the remaining third round, check out the Canadian Auto Parts Class Action website:

www.autopartsettlement.ca

Auto Parts Class Action

This website has been established to provide general information related to the proposed settlement of the case referred to as Auto Parts Class Action.

3) Watch out for online crypto-currency scams that appear to be endorsed by PM Mark Carney and the CBC
This professional-looking scam from overseas is flooding social media platforms and websites, and looks exactly like a news story on CBC's website…
The only real clue is that the website is NOT the CBC, but a page at MomentBeat.com/m09sjs which is a website registered in Reykjavik, Iceland!
The fake news story includes numerous links to a supposed crypto-currency initiative called CanFirst which PM Carney supposedly announced in response to the Trump administration tariffs…
The CanFirst links on the webpage all take you to a website called QuickSmartInvest.com which is hosted on NameCheap.com and registered in Reykjavik, Iceland…
If you fill in your contact info, overseas scammers posing as Government of Canada CanFirst agents will call you within minutes and encourage you to invest a mimimum of $250.
If you give them your credit card info, within minutes, the scammers will be using your card info to buy items online which they can quickly resell.
ALWAYS check the website of any purported news story to make sure it's real, and NEVER provide your personal info regarding anything financial without checking first with someone you trust!

CBC

Yellowknife woman warns of cryptocurrency scams after losing $26K | CBC News

A Yellowknife woman says she is out $26,000 due to a cryptocurrency scam that involved a fake news story.

4) We've created a separate set of "Common Online Scams to Avoid" Notes, which you'll find on our Show Notes home page, and also in the menu-bar at the top of any Notes page.
Feel free to bookmark that page, as we'll keep updating it with screenshots of the latest scams!
A link to those Notes is here: https://Tech-Talk.ca/scams
5) Canada's Privacy commissioner says Google isn’t complying with ‘right to be forgotten’ requirement
The federal government says Canadians have “the right to be forgotten” online, but Google is refusing to comply.
Canadian Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne says “individuals have the right, in limited circumstances, to have certain information about them de-listed so that it is not displayed in search engine results when their name is searched online".
While he says a “careful balancing act” must be maintained between privacy rights and the right to freedom of expression, he says the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) requires Google to de-list the offending articles so they won’t show up in search results with the individual’s name, but the tech giant still hasn’t complied.
Google, for its part, says the company is reviewing the report but remains “strongly of the view that consideration of a so-called ‘right to be forgotten’ must be appropriately balanced with the freedom of expression and access to information rights of Canadians, the news media and other publishers, and therefore should be determined and defined by the courts.”
The Commissioner says his office is “considering all available options” to secure Google’s compliance with PIPEDA.

www.priv.gc.ca

News release: Privacy Commissioner finds that Canadians have a right to have information de-listed from online search engine results in limited circumstances

In a digital era where a vast amount of information is readily accessible online to anyone, an investigation by Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne has found that individuals have the right, in limited circumstances, to have certain information about them de-listed so that it is not displayed in search engine results when their name is searched online.

Tech Deals this Long Weekend

Back-to-school sale on refurbished Lenovo laptops and desktops: $629 and $549 at Priority 1 Computers
Priority 1 will have a limited quantity of business-grade Windows 11 Pro laptops and desktops on sale when they reopen on Tuesday after the long weekend:
  • Lenovo T14 refurbished 14" laptop, powered by an Intel 10th-gen i5 processor, with 16GB of RAM, a new 1TB NVMe solid-state drive, and a one-year warranty: $629
  • Lenovo m920s refurbished desktop PC, powered by an 8th-gen Intel i5 processor, with 16GB of RAM, a new 1TB NVMe solid-state drive, and a one-year warranty: $549
If you want data transferred from your current PC, that's $199 and includes 30 Days of free remote support.
Available starting Tuesday while supplies last at Priority 1 Computers at 3960 Quadra Street.

An (unusual) second chance for great deals on plans & phones from Freedom Mobile at Camosun College next Tuesday & Wednesday
If you missed the excellent deals from Freedom Mobile at Mayfair Centre's annual Block Party earlier this month, you have two more chances this coming week: Freedom Mobile will be offering the same deals to students at Camosun College's Interurban campus as part of the college's "CamFest" welcome event for new students, but we checked, and anyone who shows-up on Tuesday or Wednesday between 10am and 2pm can also get the deals. Here's the best 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 did in France, Czechia, and Germany.
This is $10/month off the usual price, plus you're getting an extra 20GB/monh of data, and Freedom will waive the usual $45 Activation Fee.
For this event only, Freedom is also once again 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 (iPhone + plan) on an iPhone 16 is only $65/month,on an iPhone 16 Pro it's $78/month, and on the iPhone 16e it's $60/month, and for a Samsung Galaxy S25, it's $59/month.
To snag one of these deals, take your photo ID, phone and credit card and head to Camosun College's Interurban campus (4461 Interurban Road in Saanich), between 10am and 2pm this coming Tuesday or Wednesday (Sep. 2nd and 3rd), find a place to park (you have to pay to park), and head to the Freedom Mobile tent at CamFest in the middle of the courtyard behind the entrance.

Cineplex is offering $5 movies and $5 popcorn this weekend
Wrap up your summer with Cineplex’s $5 weekend.  For two days only —Saturday August 30 and Sunday August 31 — enjoy $5 general admission tickets and $5 small popcorn at any Cineplex movie theatre here in Canada.
You can also upgrade your $5 general admission ticket to any premium experience for an additional cost.

Cineplex.com

Cineplex.com | $5 General Admission Tickets*

Looks like you're using an unsupported browser. Cineplex.com may not work as expected.


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) The plan is pricey, but Telus is now including international roaming in 68 countries at no extra cost in its top plan
Telus has now (finally) become a major player in the international roaming sector, with its new "5G+ Complete Explore" plan, which gives you 250GB/month of 5G+ data (speeds up to 2Gbps) in Canada and 68 other countries, as well as unlimited global texting and calling to, within, and back to Canada from those same 68 countries…
  • U.S. Destinations: The U.S. (including areas of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).
  • Mexico/Caribbean: Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks & Caicos.
  • Central & South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru.
  • Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, U.K.
  • Asia & Middle East: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.
  • Oceania: Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.
The only catch, if you can call it that, is the price — $95/month, or $80/month if you're a Telus Pure Fibre home internet and TV subscriber…
You have to ask for it or hunt online for it if you want one, but Telus is now offering a 30-day Europe Travel Pass, in addition to their 14-day one, along with a 14-day Asia Travel Pass and 7-day Travel Passes for the USA and Mexico.
The Telus 30-day Europe Travel Pass is $60 — only $10 more than their 14-day one, so just $2 a day, much better than their $16/day roaming rate if you don't have a travel pass! The 14- and 30- day Telus Europe Travel Passes both give you unlimited calling in whatever European country you're in and back to Canada, plus unlimited global texting, and as much data roaming in Europe as you have on your Canada plan. Here are their other Travel Pass rates…
To find the Telus 30-day Europe Travel Pass, sign into your My Telus account on their website or on the My Telus app, go to the Travel tab, type in any European country in the Search box, and scroll down to see the 14-day and 30-day options. These passes are also available to Koodo customers.
Rogers and Fido now offer International Travel passes, which work in 185 countries…
Rogers/Fido have USA Travel Passes for $50 for 14 days or $60 for 30 days, and yes, they include Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix).
By comparison, Freedom Mobile's "Roam Beyond" plans let you use your phone for calling, texting, and data-roaming n 120+ countries, and their rates are quite a bit less. But Freedom's plans come with a much smaller amounts of non-renewing roaming data: 15GB for $49/month, 25GB for $59/month and $69GB for $69/month.
If you need more data, you can add 5GB for $30 or $50 for 10GB.
11a) Carry-on luggage sizes have now been standardized for most of the world, but 60% of popular carry-on's will be a bit too big
The good news is that with the start of 2025, airlines here in North America and Europe (and also more and more other countries) have finally agreed to standardized carry-on luggage size limits, so if your carry-on fits on one airline, it'll fit on all of them.
The bad news is that the new standardized size — 56cm x 40cm x 23cm (22" x 16" x 9") is a slight bit smaller than about 60% of carry-on's in use today.
If your carry-on is too big, airlines will start requiring you to pay to have it checked, although initially, they'll likely check it for free till the new size limits become commonly-known.
In addition to the new standardized size limit, the carry-on weight limit is also being standardized: 10kg (22 pounds). If your carry-on is heavier than that, you may be required to either remove some items, or pay to have it checked.
Here are the old size and weight limits for 64 airlines prior to the standardization

UpgradedPoints.com

Carry-on Luggage Size Chart for 64 Major Airlines [Dimensions, Sizes]

We detail the most popular airlines' carry-on restrictions, including the size and weight of a standard carry-on by cabins.

The new standardized carry-on size and weight limits are the only change for travellers in 2025.

11b) Rules governing pocket power-banks and portable electronics carried onboard planes (in carry-on's or personal items) have also been standardized
  • The new rules require that all portable electronics must have enough power to be turned-on if requested by security screening staff. If your laptop or tablet doesn't have enough power to be turned-on, you can be required to leave and charge it up and return for re-screening, or to leave it behind.
  • There's a new 20-device limit on portable electronics being carried aboard per person
  • According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), power banks with a capacity of up to 100 watt-hours (Wh) are allowed in carry-on baggage. Most power banks of 20,000 mAh or less will be within this limit. (Read on for the formula to use to be sure.) Spare batteries are strictly prohibited in checked luggage for safety reasons. These guidelines align with the regulations set by the FAA and TSA for domestic flights, ensuring consistency in safety measures.
  • If your power bank exceeds 100 Wh but is within the 101-160 Wh range, you can carry up to two spare batteries in your carry-on, though airline approval may be required.
  • Batteries larger than 160 Wh are not permitted in either carry-on or checked baggage and must be transported as cargo in compliance with IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations. 

Anker

Can You Bring Portable Chargers On a Plane? 2024 New Rules

Can you bring portable chargers on a plane? Find out what the FAA and TSA say, plus tips for international flights and checking battery watt-hours.

To check if your battery pack complies with regulations, you need to convert mAh to Wh using a simple formula: Watt-hours (Wh) = (Voltage (V) × mAh) / 1000
For example, most power banks use lithium-ion batteries with a typical voltage of 3.7V. If you have a power bank with a capacity of 10,000 mAh, the calculation would be:
Watt-hours = (10,000 mAh × 3.7 V) / 1000 = 37 Wh
So, yes, you can bring a 10,000 mAh power bank on a plane, as it falls below the 100 Wh limit.
Similarly, if you have a 20,000 mAh protable charger, it would be approximately 74 Wh. This is also within the allowed range for carry-on luggage.
New: as for laptops, the airlines strongly encourage you to put them in your carry-on, not in checked luggage, both for anti-theft and fire safety reasons. That said, they are still allowed in checked luggage, but extra rechargeable batteries are expressly prohibited in checked luggage…

www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca

Laptop computers - CATSA

In order to be screened, laptop computers must be removed from carrying cases and laptop bags and placed in a bin. Check with your air carrier for restrictions on the use of these and other electronic devices during your flight.

12a) Air Canada cancelled flight reimbursement claims may take two years; it'll be much faster to take the airline to Small Claims Court
If you had an Air Canada flight cancelled during the recent strike and had to pay for a new flight yourself, the Canadian Transportation Agency says it could take two years or more for your reimbursement claim to be dealt-with!
The CTA had a backlog of 85,000 claims before the strike began, and expects that number to more than double once all the people who were affected by the Air Canada strike file their claims.
Air Canada was supposed to rebook people on another flight at no additional cost, even if that was on another airline, but most people who had flights cancelled say that never happened, and they were forced to book their own flights, often days later and at much higher prices.
The CTA says you can file a claim with them for reimbursement for the replacement flight and hotel and meal expenses, but because it'll literally be years before that claim is dealt-with, travel experts say you'd be better-off filing a Small Claims Court case against the airline, which will likely be dealt-with here in BC within three to four months, possibly even sooner if your claim is for less than $5000.

CTVNews

Air travellers face lengthy backlog in resolving complaints through CTA

Air Canada customers looking to lodge a complaint with the regulator over their experience during the recent flight attendants’ strike should prepare for a wait.


12b) If you have a Europe flight cancelled or delayed, ReFly.org will handle your fight for compenation — for a 1/3rd cut of the money
Under EU laws, if a flight within or from Europe is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled, you're entitled to between €250 and €600 ($400 to $960 CAD) in compensation from the airline.
But, because the process of applying-for and getting that money is often frustrating and time-consuming, British-based ReFly.org is offering to handle it all for you, in exchange for a hefty cut of the money you get.
You simply fill-in the info on their website on what flight was delayed or cancelled, and Refly will quickly confirm if you're eligible for compensation, and if so, how much. They'll then offer to file the claim on your behalf, in exchange for you agreeing to let them keep about 1/3rd of the money if they're successful. You don't pay any money upfront; they send your share of airline compensation via bank transfer, and say 98% of cases are successfully concluded with two to six months.
If you've had a flight within or from Europe cancelled, check out the ReFly.org website to see if you're eligible for compensation…

ReFly. Compensation for delayed and canceled flights.

ReFly. Compensation for delayed or canceled flights

ReFly. Compensation up to €600 per passenger for delayed or canceled flights in the last 3 years. We cover all costs with a 98% success rate.

13) A Canadian passport is now ranked as being more-powerful than a USA passport
Canadians have one of the most powerful passports in the world, now ranking ahead of the United States in an annual global index by U.K.-based consultancy firm Henley & Partners.
Canada came in 8th place in the 2025 list, down from 6th last year and tied with Estonia and the United Arab Emirates. This is ahead of the American passport, which slipped to 10th place this year.
One of the recent changes that has affected Canada’s ranking is because China and Brazil now both require Canadians to get a visa before visiting.
The top-ranking country is Singapore. That’s because its passport holders have visa-free access to the most global destinations included in the list, at 193 destinations.

Henley & Partners

The Official Passport Index Ranking

The Henley Passport Index ranks the strongest and weakest passports globally. Research is conducted by our research department. Explore our ranking.

14) We've updated our collection of Travel Tech Tips!
There are now more than 40 of them, and they're in a separate Travel Tech Tips notes, which you can find on our Home Page, or on the toolbar at the top of any of our Notes.
You can bookmark them, as we update them often, at Tech-Talk.ca/travel-tech-tips.
15) It's official: Apple will unveil its new iPhone lineup and more on Tuesday, September 9
The rumours were accurate: Apple will unveil its newest flagship iPhones and more in a livestreamed event at 10am PT on Tuesday, September 9. You can watch it on YouTube or on any Apple device.
The latest indications are that Apple will unveil a new iPhone Pro model, a super-thin iPhone Air model and a folding iPhone, but not a new base-model iPhone. The thinking is that that model will be unveiled in the new year, replacing the current entry-level iPhone 16e.
Some think the new iPhones will bear the iPhone 26 name, to match the numbering change of Apple's new operating systems to 26 (instead of 18) to match the coming year.
Apple is also expected to unveil AirPods Pro 3 and possibly a new version oif its popular AirTags, as well as giving a date when its new operating systems will be released, likely within a week.

AppleInsider

AppleInsider.com

Apple's annual iPhone event is being held on September 9, 2025. Here's what you can expect to be announced during the "Awe Dropping" event.

AppleInsider

AppleInsider.com

Apple's thinnest-ever iPhone 17 Air could have a truly 'awe dropping' design. But will buyers be willing to compromise on cameras and battery life to get it?

16) After 37 years on Canadian TV, The Family Channel will soon disappear
Toronto-based media company WildBrain is set to shut down four of its channels, including the iconic Canadian network Family Channel.
WildBrain says The Family Channel (family) which has been available here in Canada since 1988, Family Jr. (preschool), WildBrainTV (six to 15) and Télémagino (French-language kids) are all “no longer commercially viable”.
WildBrain confirms that it has been unable to secure licencing deals with Bell and Rogers. The former had already removed WildBrain’s channels amid a dispute, leaving Rogers as their sole carrier. Now, WildBrain says Rogers will drop the channels at some point in the coming months.
This comes after WildBrain filed an appeal with the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), arguing that it was at an “undue disadvantage” in its dealings with the telecom giants. Ultimately, however, the CRTC sided with Bell and Rogers.

Investors - WildBrain

WILDBRAIN PROVIDES UPDATE ON ITS TELEVISION BROADCAST BUSINESS

Toronto – August 25, 2025 – WildBrain Ltd. (“WildBrain” or the “Company”) (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, provides the following update with respect...

17) Freedom Mobile has raised the prices of its low-cost prepaid annual plans, but is now including more data and faster 5G speeds
Quebec-based Freedom Mobile has increased the prices of its prepaid annual wireless prices, but now they include more data and run on 5G+ instead of LTE.
The new rates are $129/year (a $10 increase), but that now includes 20GB of 5G data, so that works out to $10.75/month. The former plan included 15GB of slower LTE data. The former $139/year plan with 30GB of LTE data has been replaced with a plan that costs 159/year = $13.25/month, a $20/year increase), but which includes 40GB of 5G data.
For people that only want to make phone calls here in Canada and text, Freedom also offers a $99 a year plan which includes unlimited Canada-wide calling, unlimited incoming text messages, but outgoing texts cost five cents per message, and $15 per 1GB of add-on data.

MobileSyrup

Freedom Mobile adds 5G, raises prices of prepaid annual plans

Freedom Mobile has increased the prices of its prepaid annual prices, but now they include more data and run on 5G+ instead of LTE.

18) If you're a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscriber, there's an important change you should make, to avoid a 45% price-hike!
If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal of Family subscription (which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive), Microsoft has quietly upped the renewal price by 45% to pay for the addition of CoPilot Pro artificial intelligence features. Those powerful features are impressive, but most people will never need them.
There's a hidden way to downgrade your subscription back to the previous price of $79 CAD for 365 Personal and $109 CAD for 365 Family — but you have to make the change before your subscription renews, or you'll be charged the much-higher price of $115 for 365 Personal and $145 for 365 Family.
To do the downgrade, sign into your Microsoft account at Account.Microsoft.com, click on Subscriptions, then click on Manage, and where it shows your Microsoft 365 subscription, click on "Cancel subscription", and you'll see a screen that looks like this…
Click on "Switch plan", and then click on "Buy", and it'll downgrade you, and when your subscription renewal comes up, it'll renew at the old price.
Important: if your subscription is not set for Auto-renewal, you won't get the option to downgrade.
To remedy that, click on the Turn on Auto-renewal button, put in your credit card info, and once it confirms that your subscription is set for auto-renewal, then click on “Cancel subscription” and then on "Switch plan" and choose the downgrade.
Terry has another tip: once you've downgraded back to the original lower price, you can save more money by going to cancel your subscription again, at which time Terry says Microsoft will offer you two months free if you do not cancel, so your 12-month subscription becomes 14 months!
19a) If you use Microsoft OneDrive, we recommend you throw a hidden switch to keep all your files resident on your computer
This way, if the internet goes out, or if you're using a laptop somewhere without Wi-Fi like on a ferry or a flight, you'll still have access to all your files.
OneDrive is a superb cloud backup tool from Microsoft, but the default setting on a Windows PC or a Mac is to have your files stored on the cloud to save space, and when you go to open a document or picture, it quickly downloads it from the cloud…and that won't work if you're not online.
As a result, we recommend you open OneDrive (click on the tiny white cloud icon in the bottom-right of your screen), click on Settings (gear icon), click on Sync and Backup, and then scroll down to and click on the hidden Advanced Settings option. Choose the option Download All Files which will turn off Files-On-Demand, and confirm
If you don't have enough space on your drive, we suggest you get a larger SSD (solid-state drive) installed, so you can keep all your stuff resident on your PC, with a copy on the cloud.

support.microsoft.com

Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows - Microsoft Support

Learn how to use OneDrive Files On-Demand to sync your OneDrive files and save disk space in Windows 10.


19b) Microsoft OneDrive app on phones and tablets stops working after 30 days of you not accessing it
The Microsoft OneDrive app will automatically upload all the pictures and videos on your phone and/or tablet into a Windows or Mac computer.
It also gives you access on your phone or tablet to all the content stored on your computer.
To protect your privacy, the OneDrive app now stops that uploading and access after 30 days of you not opening it. You'll then have to re-type your Microsoft account password to re-enable it.
To avoid this, every time you return home after taking pictures and/or videos on your phone or tablet, just open the OneDrive app on your mobile device, and tap on Photos. It'll then automatically upload them to OneDrive and download those pics and videos into your computer.
20) If you ship items to customers in the USA, packages are now subject to 35% customs duties — even if the value is minimal
For many years, the USA has had a "De Minimis" exemption rule, which allowed businesses — especially Canadian small businesses — to ship items to customers in the USA duty-free as long as the items were worth less than $800.
That exemption expired this past Thursday night.
That means items shipped to customers in the USA from outside the USA — including from online businesses here in Canada — are now subject to hefty duties, and brokerage fees. In most cases, that duty will be 35%, but brokerage fees can push the total importation cost much higher.
An item that cost $100, for example, with now be hit with $35 USD in duties, and potentially another $20 in brokerage fees, so it'll cost the American buyer $155 in total, a move that's going to really hurt small businesses that have a lot of American customers.
Because of this short-notice change, postal services and shipping companies in more than 25 countries have temporarily halted shipping business packages to the USA.
Canada Post was going to do that too, but has announced that it's instead made a deal with American package processor Zonos, who will collect duties and brokerage fees from package recipients in the USA and pay the duties to the US Customs and Border Protection agency.
Important: this change affects businesses, not individuals. The $100 duty-free exemption for gifts sent by individuals to Americans remains in effect, at least for now.

CTVNews

Canada Post will use third-party duty processor after U.S. de minimis expires

With the U.S. de minimis duty exemption soon to expire, Canada Post says that it will be on-boarding a third-party technology provider to help ensure shipments 'continue moving smoothly across the border.'

21) Where to recycle small home appliances and tools for free
You can take electronics for recycling for free at Return-It bottle depots, and to stores like London Drugs, but what about small appliances and power tools that are not fixable?
You can now take them for recycling for free at 230 locations across BC, including 10 locations in Greater Victoria, and 9 in Kelowna. You'll find a list of what you can recycle, and where, at ElectroRecycle.ca.

ElectroRecycle

Recycle Small Appliances and Power Tools in BC - ElectroRecycle

Recycle more than 400 small appliances and power tools for free at over 230 recycling locations across BC. See what's accepted.

22) We've compiled all our tech tips and solutions (four dozen of them, so far) into one indexed set of "Tips and Solutions" Notes which you can find on our home page.
You can also get to them by going to Tech-Talk/ca/faq
23) 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.

tech-talk.ca

Our Favourite Apps

Add all your loyalty cards, collect rewards, get personalized offers and pay with your phone!

24) Listen to three hours of tunes with introductions all by Dr. Johnny Fever from "WKRP in Cincinnati"
If you were a fan of the 1980's TV show "WKRP in Cincinnati", you'll love this: the brilliant crew behind the AwPhooey.com website has woven-together all the DJ breaks by Howard Hessman as Dr. Johnny Fever into a three-hour radio show…

Aw Phooey

WKRP: Johnny Fever

Homework videos (a.k.a. "time well wasted"!)
Check out our YouTube Favourites playlist, which has more than 4800 videos:
Videos start at #40, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more tech news items above!
40) Watch Sweden's historic and iconic 600-tonne Kiruna Church go on a two-day journey 5km down an Arctic road to a new home to save it from collapse…
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41) Watch Fred Mills and the B1M team show why the 2032 Summer Olympics are being called "the Hot Mess Olympics"…
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43) Watch how more than 120 million tonnes a year of bananas are grown, harvested, and processed…
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44) Watch how AI news videos are blurring the line between real and fake reports…
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This weekend's edition of "Tech Talk" was recorded on Friday, allowing me to spend the long weekend with our new homestay students from Spain and Japan, showing them around Victoria, and taking them to events like the Saanich Fair, GreekFest, and the Classic Boat Festival.
15-year-old Sofía arrived on Monday from Madrid in España (Spain)…
…and Natsuki joined us on Wednesday from Osaka in Japan; they'll both be in Grade 10 at Parkland Secondary down the road from us in Sidney.
お誕生日おめでとう (Happy Birthday) to anime-loving Natsuki, who turned 16 on Friday!
Sampling their first fudge, empanadas, and New Zealand-style ice cream at the Sidney Night Market…
Learning about lawn bowling (a sport they'd never seen or even heard-of before) from Lorne at the CP Lawn Bowling Club behind the Old Spaghetti Factory…
We welcome Sofía and Natsuki, and also the hundreds of other international homestay students who have just arrived to study here in Greater Victoria!
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…