March 21 & 22, 2026 Show Notes
Start of Spring Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
on C-FAX 1070 in Victoria and
on CKFR AM 1150 in Kelowna
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm PT
on C-FAX 1070 only
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
anywhere you get your podcasts
Your crew this weekend:
1) If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, Apple has rushed-out a small but critical security patch
The patch — 26.3.1 (a) — is being delivered by a new method called Background Security Improvements, which is designed to update more devices sooner.
The update fixes a hole in Apple's WebKit which can enable hackers to gain access to your device.
Your iPhone, iPad or Mac may already have it installed, but if not, here's how to get it:
On an iPhone or iPad:
- tap on Settings
- scroll down to Privacy & Security and tap on it
- scroll all the way down to Background Security Improvements and tap on it
- you should see 26.3.1 (a) and if it's not already installed, scroll down and tap on Install
On a Mac:
- click on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of your screen
- click on System Settings
- in the left column, click on Privacy & Security
- scroll down to Background Security Improvements and click on it
- toggle on Automatically Install if it's not already on
- if 26.3.1 (a) or 26.3.2 (a) is there but not yet installed, click on Install
Here's why we always encvourage you to keep your iPhones and other devices up-to-date…
2) Watch out for another round of scam emails claiming to be from Shaw stating that emails are being held pending a security check
The emails, as shown in the screenshot below, are coming from accounts @currently.com, which is a Texas-based web-portal for AT&T customers.
The email encourages you to click or tap on a "Verify Your Account" link so your emails will continue to be received and sent…
The link takes you to a fake Shaw Webmail log-in page hosted on the WixStudio platform in the USA…
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.
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 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 about frozen cryptocurrency accounts which supposedly could be yours
The emails usually (but not always) come from @gmail.com accounts, such as the one shown in the screenshot below from "Tech Talk" listener Sam. They're a modern-day version of the "Nigerian Prince" emails we used to get in decades past. They claim to be from someone at a financial regulator such as the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, and invite you to contact them to claim a substantial amount of money in frozen Bitcoin (this one says 3.2 BTC, which would be $310,000 CAD at today's rate)…
The FCA Register link in the email is for a Bryan (not Brayan) Pearson, who works in auto-financing at the Carlton Car Centre in Nottingham in England, and the email address they want you to click on is a scam reversed version of the real Blockchain support website which is support.blockchain.com…
If you were to send an email to the address they provided, the overseas scammers would get back to you and request you send them scans of ID to confirm your identity, and after numerous emails back and forth, they'd confirm that they could 'unfreeze' the Bitcoin and trransfer it to you, but you'd have to pay a fee for some part of that process.
If you were to pay the 'fee', you'd never see the money again.
NEVER interact with emails like this!
5) Loblaw's (owner of Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, PC Optimum, T&T, and more) has suffered a cyberattack
Loblaw's, the Canadian retail giant which owns Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, PC Optimum, T&T Supermarket, No Frills, Joe Fresh, President's Choice and other brands, has confirmed that a “criminal third-party” gained access to a portion of its system and made off with customer info, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses.
Loblaw claims its current investigation suggests that highly sensitive data, such as passwords, health info, and credit card numbers, was not compromised. The company also noted that PC Financial accounts do not appear to be impacted by this specific hack.
However, the leak of names and contact info often serves as the first step for scammers to launch more sophisticated phishing attacks against customers.
As a result of the breach, Loblaw has triggered a security protocol that automatically logged every customer out of their digital accounts. To regain access to PC Optimum or other Loblaw digital services, users are now required to log back in.
This is far from the first time Loblaw has struggled to keep customer data under lock and key. The company has a documented history of security incidents that have left shoppers frustrated:
- PC Optimum Point Theft: For years, the PC Optimum program has been plagued by “points poaching,” where hackers gain access to individual accounts to spend thousands of dollars worth of rewards at the till.
- LifeLabs Breach: Through its ownership of Shoppers Drug Mart and various health ventures, Loblaw was indirectly linked to the massive 2019 LifeLabs breach, which saw the personal data of millions of Canadians exposed.
- PC Plus Points: Back in 2017 Loblaws’ PC Plus saw points stolen from members and full password resets also took place.
More recently, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada concluded PC Optimum account data was never immediately deleted once a customer closed their accounts, with data being held onto for too long by Loblaw.
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
Loblaw Forces Customer Logout Following New Network Data Breach | iPhone in Canada
Loblaw has notified customers that it is currently investigating a cyberattack on its IT network. The company confirmed that a "criminal third-party" gained access to a portion of its system and made off with basic customer information, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses. As a result of the breach, Loblaw has triggered a security
Tech Deals This Weekend
Freedom Mobile is offering 80GB/month Canada/USA/Mexico + 5GB/month "Roam Beyond" international service for $30/month
Freedom Mobile, Canada's 4th national carrier, has rejigged its plans again, and for a limited time is offering an unadvertised $30/month plan which gives you unlimited Canada/USA/Mexico calling and international texting, plus 80GB/month of 5G data in Canada/USA/Mexico plus 5GB/month of 5G "Roam Beyond" data in 120+ countries, as well as unlimited calling in the country you're in, and back to Canada.
This $30/month rate is guaranteed for 24 months — but you have to ask for it — it's not shown on their website.
This is a no-contract plan, so you can cancel at any time if your life circumstances change.
Saturday morning update: to stay ahead of competitors, Freedom has boosted the data in their $40/month plan to 150GB/month which is not reflected in the new rate plan below…
If you're staying in North America, Freedom Mobile is offering a 25GB/month prepaid Canada/USA plan for $20/month
For a limited time, Freedom Mobile is offering a six-month prepaid plan that gives you unlimited Canada/USA calling, unlimited international texting, and 25GB/month of Canada/USA data for $120 — which works out to just $20/month.
If you don't need that much data, or if you don't plan to call or visit the USA, Freedom is also offering prepaid annual plans that give you unlimited Canada-wide calling and texting, plus 20GB of data for $129/year, or plus 40GB of data for $159/year.
That works out to $10.75/month for the 20GB plan or $13.25/month for the 40GB plan.
Fido, Koodo, Virgin+ and Public Mobile are all offering 80GB/month Canada-only for $35/month, or Canada/USA/Mexico for $5 more
For a limited time, Rogers-owned Fido, Bell-owned Virgin+, and Telus-owned Koodo and Public Mobile have all reduced the prices of their 80GB/month Canada-only talk and text plans by $15 to $35/month.
The Fido plan includes unlimited international calls to 27 countries, and 500 international texts per month, while the Koodo and Virgin+ plans include unlimited international texting. Public Mobile's plan includes 250 monthly international long-distance minutes to China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, and the UK.
The Fido, Koodo and Public Mobile plans do not include tethering, while the Virgin+ plan does allow tethering.
For $5/month more ($40/month), all three carriers are also offering 80GB/month Canada/USA/Mexico plans.
Koodo's offer is good till March 31; Public Mobile's offer expires on the 25th, and the Fido and Virgin+ plans are "for a limited time".
$100 off Ultrahuman Air gold smart ring at London Drugs
Ultrahuman's popular Air smart ring, which is said to be the world's most comfortable sleep-tracker, is on sale this weekend at London Drugs stores for $379, a $100 saving.
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) If you're flying internationally, make sure the name on your passport precisely matches the name on your reservation
If your airline ticket is booked under a name that's even one character different from what's on your passport (such as omitting a middle name or misspelling a name), the airline won't let you fly, because they can't check your name against no-fly lists and other databases.
This is especially important for people with multiple middle names, or hyphenated last names.
If your full name is too long to fit on your passport, the key is what's printed on the first line of the machine-readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom of your passport ID page (the three letters just before your surname are the country code; CAN for Canada, GBR for Great Britain, etc.)…
If your reservation is under a name that's different from what's printed in the MRZ at the bottom of your passport, you won't be allowed to fly.
- If you have a name that is hyphenated, the hyphen will be omitted in the MRZ area of your passport and replaced with a > and your ticket should not have the hyphen either.
- If your full name with middle name(s) is too long for the max. 39-character limit of the machine-readable zone of your passport, your middle name(s) will be truncated, and your reservation should reflect that shortened character limit as well.
- For example, Adrian Alexander Morrison MacDonald-Smith would have the second middle name truncated and show as…
P<CANMACDONALD<SMITH<<ADRIAN<ALEXANDER<MORRIS
- If you spot a mismatch after booking a flight, most airlines will allow you to fix it within two hours at no charge. After that, they may require you to cancel your booking and make a new one with the correct spelling, which may cost more.
- If your flights were booked by a travel agent, they are responsible for paying any additional cost of rebooking you, unless you gave them the wrong info when you asked them to book you.
14) Telus has launched a new AI Smart Home Assistant which is says can control thousands of devices
Telus is rolling out a new AI-powered assistant designed to act as a single brain for the modern connected home. The company claims the new tool, called the Telus SmartHome Assistant, solves the common headache of having to flip between dozens of different apps to control lights, cameras, and thermostats from different brands.
The system uses generative AI to build a custom interface on the fly based on what a user asks for. It can process voice commands, photos, and video feeds to handle tasks like troubleshooting a broken appliance or checking if a dog walker arrived on time. If a user asks to turn off the TV during homework hours, the AI will visually build the automation on the screen so the homeowner can quickly tweak or confirm the schedule. Telus proudly says it is designed and powered in Canada.
According to Telus, the platform can unify more than 2,000 different device models into one app. Dwayne Benefield, Chief Product Officer at Telus, says their goal is to move away from the fragmented experience of using multiple logins for different pieces of hardware.
The assistant is currently being released only for Telus SmartHome+ subscribers, rolling out in the coming weeks. The turn-key service is for those who don’t want to set up and manage their own smart home devices, and want to pay for it. In the next few weeks, Telus plans to add internet management features, which will allow users to control Wi-Fi performance and set screen time limits for family members through natural conversation.
The service is available to Canadians now through the Telus SmartHome+ app. To attract new users, the company is offering up to $125 off smart devices and half off install for those who sign up for a two-year commitment.
iPhone in Canada | Canada’s source for Apple, telecom, tech news, and deals
Telus Launches New AI Smart Home Assistant to Control Thousands of Devices | iPhone in Canada
Telus is rolling out a new AI-powered assistant designed to act as a single brain for the modern connected home. The company claims the new tool, called the Telus SmartHome Assistant, solves the common headache of having to flip between dozens of different apps to control lights, cameras, and thermostats from different brands. The system
15) Apple's new MacBook neo just broke launch-week records
Following the release of the all-new MacBook Neo, CEO Tim Cook confirmed in a post on X that the company has just seen its best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers…
The MacBook Neo, which hit shelves last week, was launched alongside updated versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. While those models typically appeal to existing users looking for an upgrade, the Neo was designed from the ground up to attract a different crowd. Starting at just CAD $799, or CAD $699 for students, it is the most affordable laptop Apple has ever released.
For years, the entry-level laptop space has been dominated by Windows PCs and Chromebooks. With the MacBook Neo, Apple is finally competing directly in that price bracket. The device features a durable aluminum design and a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, bringing a premium feel to a category often filled with plastic alternatives.
Under the hood, the Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same silicon found in recent iPhones. While it is fanless and runs completely silent, it doesn’t lack power for everyday tasks. According to Apple, the Neo is up to 50 per cent faster for basic productivity than the leading Intel Core Ultra 5 PCs. It also boasts up to 16 hours of battery life, making it a strong choice for students and remote workers who need to stay mobile.
The enthusiasm mentioned by Tim Cook is being reflected in shipping times. Just over a week after its debut, many configurations of the MacBook Neo are already showing delivery delays. Analysts had predicted high demand, but the scale of interest from first-time users seems to have exceeded expectations.
While the specs are impressive, the real story is about accessibility. For many people, a MacBook was always a “someday” purchase due to the high price of entry. By cutting that price nearly in half compared to previous base models, Apple has opened the door for a new generation of creators and students.
17) Microsoft is promising changes are coming to Windows 11 to make us like it more
Windows 11 is an operating system that many people use but that few enthusiasts seem to love, either because of recent high-profile bugs or the steadily increasing flow of annoying add-ons, notifications, “helpful” “reminders,” and ads for other Microsoft products and services that coat most of the operating system’s virtual surfaces.
The VP of Windows says they're listening, and has posted a short list of specific changes the company will begin rolling out to Windows Insider Program testers between now and the end of April.
Chief among those improvements is a fix for a major taskbar regression that Windows 11 introduced back in 2021—starting soon, Windows 11 users who want to mount their taskbars to the sides or to the top of their display will again be able to do so.
Microsoft is also promising to make its Copilot AI assistant stop popping-up in so many annoying places, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad.”
Microsoft is alson testing less-disruptive Windows updates that would give users more opportunities to (temporarily) skip them; a “faster and more dependable File Explorer,” “quieter defaults” for the Widgets pane, and better descriptions for the various Windows Insider Program channels and improved mechanisms for sending feedback to Microsoft.
Beyond these specific short-term changes, a broader laundry list of goals, includes more reliable operation for Bluetooth and USB peripherals, faster and more accurate search, reduced memory usage, and improving responsiveness and performance for bedrock Windows components like the Start menu, taskbar, and File Explorer.
18) Google's Gemini AI assistant can now be used across Google Drive apps like Google Docs and Google Sheets
Google has just added a powerful new "Ask Gemini in Drive" feature to its suite of Google Drive apps (initially in the USA only, but coming later this year to users here in Canada and other countries).
In Google Docs, when you select your sources, Gemini can now pull relevant info from your files, emails and the web to securely connect dots and uncover useful insights.
- Get to a first draft instantly: Simply describe what you want Gemini to create in the side panel or new bottom bar — like "draft a newsletter for our neighborhood association using the meeting minutes from my January HOA meeting and the list of upcoming events" — to get a customized first draft that draws from your relevant files.
- Polish and perfect: Ask Gemini to refine sections, strengthen your message and build on your ideas. Highlight specific sections or edit your entire doc at once with a prompt like "make this doc more professional while keeping the tone energetic."
Gemini in Google Sheets now acts as your collaborative partner that creates, organizes and edits entire sheets, from basic tasks to complex data analysis — just describe what you need.
- Make spreadsheets more easily than ever: Just tell Gemini what you’re working on — like "organize my upcoming move to Chicago. Create a checklist for packing by room, a contact list for utilities and a spreadsheet to track moving company quotes from my inbox" and it will set up the entire project for you, drawing on relevant details from your own emails and files. Have an existing spreadsheet that needs a little love? Gemini can also help build it out, adding tables, dashboards and more.
- Fill in missing data: For more complex tasks, you can now populate tables even faster 1 by using "Fill with Gemini" to instantly generate custom text, categorize data and summarize data or access real-time information from Google Search. For example, if you’re applying for college, you may have a tracker for all of your application details. Instead of needing to manually research the due date, tuition and more information for each school, you can populate column headers for the information you want, then drag down to let Gemini fill in the table for you based on relevant information from the web.
Gemini in Google Slides acts as your design collaborator. It generates professional layouts, fully editable diagrams and entire presentations from scratch — handling the design and formatting so you can stay focused on your story.
- Create a fully editable slide: With updates to slide generation, you can now ask Gemini to create a new slide in your deck that aligns to your overall theme and pulls context from your files, emails and the web.
- Edit collaboratively: If a slide isn't quite right, you can simply ask Gemini to help edit like "make this match the colors of the rest of my deck" or "make this more minimal."
19) Tinder plans to let AI scan your Camera Roll to help you find a better match
Dating app Tinder has started testing a new AI feature that scans through your camera roll to find interests, suggest your best photos for your profile, generate photo insights (short summaries about you), and help Tinder find more similar and compatible matches.
Tinder’s new AI photo scanning system will scan everything from scenic views to family memories, and even sensitive documents, to put together new profiles on the dating platform. While this new feature will be tested in Australia this month, users may not feel completely comfortable with AI going through personal photos saved to their devices.
This new feature received backlash, mostly over the privacy aspect. Some users fear it could leak sensitive photos or be used for data collection or ad targeting. However, Tinder says “it’s up to you to figure out what you’re comfortable sharing back with Tinder.” According to Tinder, the feature is completely optional, and you can control what photos are actually being posted. Tinder also says only some analysis happens on your device, and biometric data (face matching) will not be permanently stored.
Tinder’s goal for this new AI photo scanning feature is to fix the main issue in online dating: ‘swipe fatigue.’ Users of online dating apps will often step away from the app due to poor swiping results.
With this new feature on the platform, Tinder hopes AI can show fewer but better matches, make profiles more accurate and keep users engaged on the app. This transition highlights a major shift for dating platforms, with more dating apps turning into AI matchmakers instead of your classic swiping.
This new AI-powered Tinder feature is curently being tested in Australia.
20) Jury finds Elon Musk owes damages to Twitter investors because of his nasty tweets before he bought the platform
A jury in California has determined that Elon Musk misled investors in Twitter via public statements that depressed the price of the company’s stock ahead of Musk’s purchase of the service. Because this was a class-action lawsuit, Musk is likely to owe damages to a huge range of investors—payments that may ultimately reach billions of dollars.
In the lead-up to Musk’s ultimate purchase of the social media platform, he made a number of comments on the platform itself and while appearing as a guest on a podcast, largely focused on the alleged prevalence of bot accounts on the platform. This raised fears that the deal wouldn’t go through and depressed the price of Twitter’s shares, causing some investors to sell shares at a depressed price during this period.
A number of those investors started a suit that was certified as a class action, claiming that the statements defrauded them and that Musk made them intentionally as part of a larger scheme. The jury rejected arguments about this larger scheme but found Musk liable for the tweets.
While damages have yet to be determined, lawyers for the plaintiffs reportedly say that they could ultimately reach as high as $2.6 billion USD.
Musk is separately in talks to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil lawsuit accusing him of waiting too long in 2022 to disclose his initial purchases of Twitter so he could buy more at low prices before investors saw what he was doing.
In February, Musk’s rocket and space exploration company SpaceX bought his artificial intelligence company xAI, which housed X. The purchase created the world’s most valuable private company, worth about $1.25 trillion at the time.
CTVNews
Jury finds Musk liable to Twitter shareholders in fraud lawsuit over US$44B takeover
A U.S. federal jury found Elon Musk liable on Friday for claims he defrauded Twitter shareholders by trying to drive down the social media company’s stock price so he could renegotiate or back out of a US$44 billion takeover in 2022. The verdict from a jury in San Francisco federal c
21) The writer denies it, but her publisher has yanked her horror novel after multiple allegations of AI use
Shy Girl, a horror novel by Mia Ballard, was one of those buzzy books that leapt from self-published prominence into full-on trade publication. Until this week, that is, when publisher Hachette pulled the book from the UK market and canceled plans to bring it to the US.
The move came after a New York Times investigation suggested that AI had been used in significant parts of the work.
This is one of the first major AI controversies to hit the world of traditional trade publishers, where the old-school gatekeepers still largely ban AI—at least for drafting. (Outlining, edit feedback, plot suggestions… all of these are far murkier.)
Whatever actually happened in this situation, publishing is likely to see similar disruptive patterns to those roiling the music industry right now, where tools like Suno are increasingly used to crank out songwriting demos and even (at least on places like Spotify) fully AI-produced music. Many artists resist such AI use, but plenty of ordinary people don’t care. Their view seems to be: If the music sounds good—or good enough—what difference does it make where it came from? And, frankly, how different is super-glossy pop from the kind of thing Suno turns out?
In the case of Shy Girl, despite numerous claims that AI writing sucks and that it can be easily identified, plenty of readers enjoyed the book and even promoted it online. That may both terrify and horrify actual writers, but it remains a reality they’ll need to face.
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.
24) Kathryn's Paleontology News Item of the Week: paleontologists have found a Triassic crocodile that may have walked on two legs
Kathryn's joke of the week:
Why can’t a Tyrannosaurus rex clap?
Because it’s extinct.
Researchers have described a new species called Sonselasuchus cedrus, — an early relative of crocodiles, not a dinosaur — that lived about 220 million years ago during the Late Triassic.
Fossils found in what is now Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona suggest the animal started life walking on four legs, but as it grew older it likely switched to walking on two.
Despite being on the crocodile branch of the reptile family tree, it actually looked a lot like an ostrich-looking dinosaur, with a toothless beak, large eyes, and hollow bones.
Sci.News: Breaking Science News
Triassic Crocodile Relative May Have Learned to Walk on Two Legs | Sci.News
Fossils from the Chinle Formation of Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, the United States, reveal that Sonselasuchus cedrus, a species of shuvosaurid that lived about 215 million years ago (Triassic period), likely began life walking on four legs before shifting to a bipedal stance as it matured.
Bonus!
According to a recent press release, the world's largest dinosaur isn't going anywhere. The World's Largest Dinosaur in Drumheller continues to be a major attraction and remains structurally sound after a recent assessment. The review confirmed that the landmark is safe for visitors and will continue welcoming tourists. Local organizations, including Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, highlight its importance to the region's tourism and economy. The site remains open, with ongoing maintenance ensuring it can be enjoyed for years to come.
A special 'Aloha' to our hoa (friends) in Hawai'i who are enduring catastrophic flooding from a second Kona low; we're thinking of you.
The North Shore O'ahu beach town of Haleʻiwa
The North end of Kīhei on Maui
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…