Jan. 24 & 25, 2026 Show Notes
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Terry Sirup
Computer Tech and Store Sales Manager at Priority 1 Computers
3960 Quadra, across from White Spot
Terry@Priority1.ca
store +1 250-475-7510
1) Watch out for scam emails that claim to be from Microsoft advising that your email will be decativated if you don't take action
In the past week, many of us have received one or more of these emails, most of them, coming from @aol.com addresses, as shown in the screenshots below…
As well as coming from @aol.com addresses (AOL is the oldest email provider in the USA that's still operating), the emails all use slight variations of Microsoft and Outlook (such as M!crosoft or 0utlook) in an effort to evade junk mail filters. The emails are also poorly written.
NEVER click on links in emails like this!
The links take you to fake Microsoft log-in pages hosted on servers in Paris…
…if you give them your email address and password, the hackers will immediately gain access to your email account, and they'll then start sending an email to everyone in your address book, asking if they shop on Amazon.
The scammers will also download a copy of all your contacts and create a new email address that is one letter different from yours, and they'll use that if you catch onto the scam and lock them out of your account.
Anyone who replies will be asked (by the scammers posing as you) to buy Amazon gift cards for one of your relative's birthday. The explanation they give for the request is that your credit card has been compromised and is being replaced, but the replacement won't be here for a few days and her birthday is tomorrow.
If any of your contacts agree to do this, the scammers posing as you will send them the supposed email address of the birthday relative along with a greeting, and ask them to buy the gift cards online and send them to the relative with the greeting on your behalf.
The email address of the relative is actually owned by the scammers, and when the Amazon gift cards digitally arrive, they'll immediately use them to buy stuff that they can quickly sell online.
If anyone ask you to buy gift cards on their behalf, it's a scam.
If you don't believe us, phone or text (do NOT email) the person making the email request, and ask them.
To prevent scammers from getting into your email account if you get tricked into giving-out your password, go to your account settings and turn on two-factor authentication. Once you've done that, anytime you want to access your emails on a new device, you'll be sent a code by text to your mobile phone to confirm its you, which the scammers won't be able to do.
2) Watch out for scam emails claiming to be from Shaw about a mandatory email upgrade happening within a few days
These emails, which are not well-written, are being sent by overseas scammers either using @gmail.com email accounts, or compromised @shaw.ca accounts, and claim they'll be closing old mailbox versions on Jan. 31st, and urge you to check for an update, as shown in the screenshots below from listeners Jeff and Sylvia…
The scammers are clearly not aware that Rogers bought Shaw in April of 2025, and the few remaining places where you'll still see the Shaw name are branded…
In the actual emails, if you were to mouse over the "Check For Update" or "Update Now" link they want you to click on (or hold your finger on it on a phone or tablet), you'd get a pop-up revealing that that link would take you to a fake Shaw webmail log-in page that looks like one of these screenshots…
If you provide your @shaw.ca email address and password, overseas hackers will then immediately do several things…
1) they'll forward a copy of all your incoming emails to themselves at a gmail.com address
2) they'll create a 'rule' that also immediately moves all incoming emails and all Sent emails to your Archive folder. That way, if your friends start emailing back asking if you've been hacked, or confirming that they do shop on Amazon, you won't see any of those emails.
3) they'll download a copy of your Contact List and one-by-one, start emailing everyone on the list, asking if they buy Amazon gift cards. (see the Microsoft scam above)
4) they'll create a new email address that's one letter different from yours, so they can continue emailing your contacts if you detect the scam and change your Shaw email password.
NEVER click on links in emails like this!
This week alone, I've helped four people who fell for this scam.
Their well-meaning friends and relatives from here to Australia collectively bought $3700 in Amazon gift cards, and only $300 of that was able to be recovered.
This scam is only possible because two-factor authentication for @shaw.ca email accounts is not provided by Rogers. If 2FA was provided, the scammers would not be able to access your email even if you got tricked into giving them your password, because they'd also need a code that would be texted to you.
Rogers has already ceased allowing the creation of new @shaw.ca accounts, and has shut down all @shaw.ca business email accounts, and is expected to soon give notice that they're doing the same with @shaw.ca consumer accounts. So, if you're still using an @shaw.ca email address, please get someone to help you migrate to a new email service!
3) Watch out for scam emails offering to donate a used baby grand piano to a worthwhile organization
This is a very creative new scam which, at first glance, seems quite legitimate.
The well-written email shown in the screenshot (shared by Cst. Barb Zwaan at Saanich Police) is being sent to community groups, churches, private schools, seniors centres and retirement homes…
Note that the sender is using two different email addresses — which is always a warning flag.
Also, there's nothing in the email to indicate in what city the sender, and the piano, are located.
So, what's the scam?
Anyone who replies will quickly get an email back with pictures of the baby grand piano, and an explanation that they are one of several potential recipients, and a request for more info about how the piano will be used, and usually also a request for a picture of the setting, and sometimes a picture of someone holding up their ID — all to make the potential donation sound genuine.
If that info is sent, "Andrea' will then email back to explain that the piano (worth several thousand dollars) is in a nearby city, and asking for the recipient to send them money by eTransfer or PayPal to pay for the cost of having piano movers deliver it. In some cases, they'll ask for the money to be sent 'directly' to the piano movers, and that request will be accompanied by a Facebook link and contact info for the "movers'.
If you send money to the piano donor or to the movers, you'll never hear from them again, as the 'movers' are the scammers.
NEVER send money in advance.
If you're going to give your credit card info, make sure the movers actually exist, and that the contact info you have for them is real, and not a phone number or email for someone pretending to be them.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Public Mobile has cut its rates in half, but only if you sign up this weekend
Competition is (finally) starting to show results when it comes to mobile plans for Canadians who call and/or travel to the USA and Mexico: Telus-owned Public Mobile has launched a half-price weekend flash sale which beats all other carriers…
Be aware that these Public Mobile plans do not let you use your phone as a cellular hotspot, and also do not include Wi-Fi Calling.
The Public Mobile weekend flash sale comes after first Fido and then Virgin+ both cut their 60GB Canada/USA/Mexico plans to $49/month for this weekend…
…and that prompted Freedom Mobile to cut their 60GB Canada/USA/Mexico plan to $39/month till end of business on Monday, and to also up the data to 70GB/month…
Freedom has also cut the prices for its plans which include 120-country "Roam Beyond" service…
Business-grade refurbished Lenovo Windows 11 laptops and desktops for $599
When Priority 1 Computers re-opens on Monday after the weekend, they'll have a limited quantity of refurbished Lenovo laptops and desktops for just $599.
The Lenovo M920S ThinkCentre desktop PC's and t490 ThinkPad laptops are powered by 10th-gen Intel Core i5 processors, and come with new 1TB NVMe SSD's and 16GB of RAM, and Windows 11 Pro.
Priority 1 Computers is inside the business plaza at 3960 Quadra Street, across from White Spot.
London Drugs has huge discounts on 2025 gaming headsets
The HP H320GS gaming headset is $40 (reg. $150). while the Sony InZone H5 gaming headset is being cleared-out for half price — $100 instead of $200, while they last at London Drugs stores.
$100 off Samsung's Galaxy Tab A11+ at Staples this weekend
Staples has Samsung's latest Galaxy Tab model, the A11+, on sale this weekend for $250, a $100 saving.
It has an 11" screen, and a boosted MediaTek Dimensity 7300 CPU and GPU, 6GB of RAM, and comes with 128GB SSD but has an SD card slot so you can expand storage up to 2TB.
It runs on Android 16 and includes the full suite of Google Gemini AI tools.
Other stores will price match if you ask.
StaplesCanada
Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ Tablet - 128 GB - Grey
With a boosted CPU and GPU, Galaxy Tab A11+'s AP Performance is consistently kept optimal for whichever purpose it is serving. Whether for smooth gaming, instant streaming, maximizing work productivity or efficient multitasking, the Galaxy Tab A11+ enables effortless usage. The Galaxy Tab A11+ offers ample memory and storage capacity. If needed, you can even expand storage up to 2 TB with a microSD card. Fueled with 25 W charging power, Galaxy Tab A11+'s Super Fast Charging is built to sustain
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) Here's proof of how dramatically RAM and SSD prices are rising
For months now, analysts have been warning us that the massive demand which AI data-centres are creating for memory chips — both RAM and SSD's — is going to create severe shortages, and that that's going to rapidly push prices waaay up. Now, here's some proof.
Using the Internet Wayback Machine (an online repository of billions of website snapshots at Web.Archive.org), I reviewed snapshots of the website of major Canadian computer component retailer MemoryExpress.com and here's what I found…
In November of 2024, here are prices for three popular SSD's…
From two months ago, in mid-December 2025, here are screencaps of the same SSD's…
..and from yesterday, here are current prices for the same SSD's…
The larger drives are in the most demand, so they've gone up the most. A 1TB SSD has jumped from $90 to $230 — an increase of 155% — in just 14 months!
If you want a 4TB NVMe SSD, be sitting down for this…
March 2025
Now
This is why we've been encouraging you to buy computers, tablets, phones, and any other electronics that have digital memory, now when you spot deals, because as these RAM and SSD components work their way through the supply chain, prices are going to shoot way up.
11) Federal Court of Canada says TikTok can continue operating here for now; also, a TikTok USA deal has been finalized
Canada's federal court has overturned a government order to close TikTok's Canadian operations, allowing the short-form video app to continue operating for the time being.
In a short judgment on Wednesday, federal court judge Russel Zinn set aside the order and sent the matter back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for review. He did not give any reasons.
Meanwhile, TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, has finalized a deal to set up a majority American-owned joint venture company to avoid a USA ban on the popular short video app used by more than 200 million Americans.
The agreement provides for American and global investors, including cloud computing giant Oracle, private equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, to hold a stake of 80.1% in the new joint venture, while ByteDance will retain 19.9%.
Here’s everything that the new US-owned TikTok spinoff plans to do, per the news release:
As the above paragraphs make clear, much of what’s changing will happen behind the scenes. The new US company will be responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of its users, but that likely won’t come with visible changes.
However, one big area TikTok is expected to change involves the content users see. That’s because the new company will “retrain, test, and update the content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data.”
This change could potentially lead to more relevant recommendations for US users, but it’s also very possible the opposite will happen and the app’s quality will reduce over time.
12) Microsoft's January Windows 11 Updates fix a raft of security holes, but also break Outlook Classic and Sleep Mode for some
More than 100 security holes are fixed by Microsoft's January security updates for Windows 11 users, which is great, but for the first time in a long time, the update is also causing big problems for people running the soon-to-be-retired Outlook Classic software if they have any POP email accounts.
The update crashes Outlook Classic, and also breaks Sleep Mode, and replaces some desktop backgrounds with a pure black background.
Microsoft is scrambling to develop a fix, but in the meantime, is suggesting a choice of two workarounds if your computer is affected…
1) Uninstall the problem update, which is KB5074109 — but the downside with this is your PC will be vulnerable, as hackers now know about the security holes which the Update patches, or…
2) Use the Outlook Mail app, leave your PC on, and put up with a black desktop background
13) Rogers is facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly regularly running unauthorized credit checks on virtually all its customers
Rogers is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company regularly runs credit checks on “virtually all” customers without obtaining their consent.
According to details published by law firm Sotos, Rogers and Rogers Bank repeatedly run soft credit checks on Rogers Communications customers without authorization. Sotos notes that Rogers says these credit checks are done to see if customers could get a Rogers-branded credit card, and they weren’t for regular credit assessments or account issues. (Some Rogers customers have been sent a Rogers Bank credit card even though they never applied for one.)
Moreover, Rogers allegedly continues to conduct credit checks even after the plaintiffs told the company to stop. The lawsuit alleges the credit checks violate Canadian privacy laws and breach contracts with the company’s customers. Without clear permission, a credit check is an invasion of privacy, the lawsuit claims.
While the class-action lawsuit works its way through the courts, lawyers with Sotos are urging all Rogers customers who don't want credit checks done on them to notify Rogers of that…
More info on the class-action lawsuit is here…
Sotos Class Actions
Rogers Credit Check Privacy Breach - Sotos Class Actions
This proposed privacy breach class action is brought against Rogers Communications Inc. and Rogers Bank for their practice of conducting soft credit checks on Rogers Communications customers, without their consent to determine if the customers should be pre-approved for a Rogers Bank credit card.
14) If you don't have a mobile phone but need to receive a text message, try the free Temp-Number.com website
If you need to receive a text message and don't have a mobile phone, or if yours has been lost or has run out of battery, here's a free solution: Temp-Number.com.
Temp-Number.com is a website based in Las Vegas that allows you to pick a mobile number in the country of your choice (58 countries), and be able to read text messages sent to that number.
In exchange for it being free, text messages that are sent to the number you choose can be read by anyone on that same webpage, so don't use the service to get sensitive personal info like credit card numbers or addresses. It's okay, though, to have a security code sent to one of these numbers, because others who see the code won't know what account the number is for.
Texts sent to the numbers are usually visible for about seven days, but they may disappear faster on numbers which get more use that others. You're allowed to use as many of their phone numbers as you want, and you can receive as many SMS as you want.
15) Starlink has slashed its Canadian rates and is also now offering free satellite dish and hardware to Canadians
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service just got a lot cheaper for Canadians, which could make it a more compelling offer.
Following a limited trial last year, Starlink has slashed its residential plan price from $140/month to just $70/month, and added additional plans at higher speeds (naturally, with higher costs). Starlink’s residential plans are as follows:
- $70/month 100Mbps.
- $110/month 200Mbps.
- $140/month ‘Max’ plan offering speeds up to 400Mbps plus a free Mini Kit for travel.
Along with the reduced plan costs, Starlink is offering free hardware (a $400 saving) for residential customers in select areas of Canada. Victoria, Vancouver, and the Okanagan appear to be included in those areas, but that can change, so if you're interested, check Starlink's website at Starlink.com/ca/residential
If you're not a fan of Elon Musk, unfortunately, it looks like it’ll be a while until there are any viable alternatives. Amazon has its Leo service, which is supposed to launch sometime this year, but Starlink still has significantly more satellites in orbit than Amazon does. There are also some Canadian solutions, like Telesat and Terrestar, but those are both years away from offering service.
16) OpenAI is bringing ads to ChatGPT, and not just to the free version, but also to the paid ChatGPT Go version
OpenAI says it's about to start including ads in its extremely popular AI chatbot, saying the move is necessary to help fund the massive cost of running and improving the service.
The company says it will bring ads to both the ChatGPT Go and Free tiers. Go was recently released, and costs $11/mo in Canada.
Instead of massive pop-up ads, the company says it plans to test ads at the bottom of ChatGPT answers when relevant, based on the conversation, as shown in this screenshot…
OpenAI claims that Ads will be clearly labelled and separated from the chatbot’s answer.
OpenAI didn’t offer a specific timeline for ads across the two tiers, but said testing will begin in the USA (not Canada for now) over the next few weeks. For now, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise will all remain ad-free.
17) Apple is apparently going to have an AI chatbot like ChatGPT this fall, in addition to a much more powerful Siri this spring
Even if Apple executives have brushed off the idea of a Siri chatbot in the past, a new report from a reliable source suggests that is exactly Apple's plan with the new Gemini-trained assistant.
According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple will develop Siri into a full chatbot interface to compete with ChatGPT. It'll be revealed during WWDC 2026 in June, and launch as a feature in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.
While Apple plans to release an improved version of Siri and Apple Intelligence this spring, that version will use the existing Siri interface. The big difference is that Google’s Gemini models will power the intelligence. With the bigger update planned for OS 27, the OS 26.4 upgrade to Siri and Apple Intelligence due in March sounds more like the first step to a long overdue modernization.
Gurman reports that the major Siri overhaul will “allow users to search the web for info, create content, generate images, summarize information and analyze uploaded files” while using “personal data to complete tasks, being able to more easily locate specific files, songs, calendar events and text messages.”
The big question will be how Apple creates a Siri chatbot and maintains prtivacy without sacrificing speed. The new Siri coming in March will run on Apple Private Compute clud, which will be trained by Google's Gemini LLM, so Google doesn't get any info back from Apple users.
The Siri chatbot now expected this fall may have to run off Gemini's LLM in order to be able to quickly give answers about current events like sports scores, news, and weather.
18) Apple is apparently working on an artificial intelligence wearable that looks similar to an AirTag
Apple is said to be working on a new Siri-powered AI pin, but what it'll do and whether anyone wants such a thing is still very much unknown.
Citing unnamed people familiar with the AI pin project, The Information claims that it's still in its early stages. It also goes on to explain what the AI pin actually looks like. But what it will do is another thing entirely.
The report claims that the new device is about the size of an AirTag, which we're all familiar with. But it then goes on to say that it will have not one, but two cameras, along with three microphones, space for inductive charging tech, and a speaker are all said to be present. Oh, and a battery.
22) 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.
23) Kathryn's Paleontology News Item of the Week: before there were trees, we now know that there were ginormous mushrooms!
Joke: What happened when Freddie Fungus and Alice Algae met for the very first time?
They took a lichen to each other!
new research is shedding light on a strange giant 400 million year old species, Once thought to be a giant mushroom, scientists now think it may not fit anywhere on the tree of life.
Known as Prototaxites, some specimens grew as tall as a seven-storey building. They looked like enormous, branchless tree trunks rising from the ground at a time when forests didn’t yet exist.
And for nearly two centuries, researchers debated whether Prototaxites was a plant, fungus, or algae. But new studies show its internal structure and chemical makeup doesn’t match any known group of living organisms.
This discovery suggests that early life on land was far stranger — and far more experimental — than scientists once believed.
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week", from Toronto…
Voomed
'Dead Funny' - Funeral Home Morbidly Looks For New Business By Asking Canadians To Text & Drive
A billboard in Toronto is causing drivers to question the ethics of Wathan Funeral Home who proclaim in huge letters "Text and Drive." The idea is that the more people who text and drive the more people who will meet their end, and so is a way for the company to drum up new business. But, before you get morally outrage
And so it goes…