May 23 & 24, 2026 Show Notes
Swiftsure / US Memorial Day / 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
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
anywhere you get your podcasts
Your crew this weekend:
Gary Beyer
Guest co-host
Owner, Tesseract Computers
Store +1 778-430-5099
The 81st Swiftsure International Yacht Races are happening this weekend off the Victoria waterfront, with some 100 boats participating.
You can track the progress of the boats on the Swiftsure Race Tracker…
Here's a screen-capture from 11:45am showing the fast progress of the yachts…
If you want to watch a replay of the race starts, CHEK News uploaded it to YouTube…
1) Watch out for a new round of scam Purolator 'unable to deliver package' texts
The emails, as shown in the screenshot, come in the form of an AI-generated picture of words, which the scammers are using in an effort to get by the filters that took for scam/spam words.
The texted image claims Purolator was unable to deliver your package because a signature was required and no-one was available.
You're urged to hold your finger on a link, and then have your bvrowser take you to that embedded address, which is a fake Purolator website hosted overseas…
If you tap on "Request Redelivery", you'll be asked to provide your credit card info to pay for a 59-cent “ Redelivery Service Fee "…
…and if you provide that credit card info, within minutes, overseas scammers will start using your card info to buy lots of stuff online which they can then quickly turn around and resell — until your credit card company gets suspicious and cancels your card.
NEVER tap or click on links or buttons in texts or emails like this!
Another clue that this is a scam is that it does not refer to you by name, it does not say who the package is from or what it is, and does not give the delivery address.
If you're expecting a package and it hasn't arrived, use the tracking info that's in your purchase confirmation emailed from the online merchant, to find out where it is.
2) Watch out for new scam refund texts claiming to be from ICBC
This is not a new scam — and this latest variant of it isn't even a very good one.
You get a text like the one shown in the screenshot shared by Peter in Kelowna.
The poorly-worded text hits that you have money coming to you and urges you to tap on the link to get it before it expires.
If you follow the instructions and go to the link in the texts, you'll be taken to a real-looking (fake) ICBC website, where you'll be asked for your personal info. No matter what info you put in (you can see what I entered below), it'll take you to a page showing that you have a substantial refund coming — usually a very specific number in the $200 range —with a button to tap on to get that money.
That button takes you to a (fake) webpage listing all the banks and credit unions, and if tap on yours, it'll take ytou to a (fake) log-in page that looks lust like the real one, expect the address at the top will be wrong…
If you type in your Client Card or username and password, you'll be giving overseas scammers direct access to your bank account!
NEVER interact with text messages or emails like this!
ICBC will NEVER text you.
4) Canadian class-action lawsuit filed against Apple over 'Sirigate' after $250 million settlement in USA
If you had/have an iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or iPhone 16, stay tuned — you may be eligible for some money , if Apple does what it recently did in the USA and settles a class-action "Sirigate" lawsuit.
In the USA, Apple recently agreed to a $250 million out-of-court settlement to deceptive marketing allegations, namely that when Apple promised a new AI-powered version of “Siri Intelligence" two years ago, it knew it wouldn't be able to deliver.
The expectation is that 36 million Americans who have or had an iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or iPhone 16 model will get compensation of between $25 and $95 USD per iPhone.
A matching class-action lawsuit has now been filed here in Canada by the Consumer Law Group (see link below). It remains to be seen if Apple will settle out-of-court, or try to fight it, but analysts think Apple will settle. Similar lawsuits are pending in other countries around the world.
Consumer Law Group / Groupe des droit des consommateurs
Apple iPhones 15 and 16 AI Canadian Class Action | Consumer Law Group Class Actions Canada
Consumer Law Group has filed a class action against Apple Inc and Apple Canada Inc with regards to allegations of deceptive marketing and advertising of the
5) Repeating from last week: emails about payment for Packaged Bread Pricing class-action settlement are real
If you registered to get a share of the multi-million-dollar Canadian bread overcharging class-action lawsuit settlement, you should get your payment shortly. I got mine this week (see screenshot below). Check your email (including your Junk Mail) for confirmation…
If you didn't give the lawyers your bank account info for auto-deposit when you applied for a share of the settlement months ago, your email will give you an interac link to deposit your money.
6) If you made a Best Western hotel reservation since last October, hackers have stolen your reservation info
BWH Hotels, a major global hospitality chain operating thousands of hotels around the world, notably under the Best Western brand, has confirmed a cyberattack and losing sensitive customer data.
The company says the attack began back in October, but wasn't spotted until April 22. By then, the hackers had stolen a LOT of sensitive data, including people’s names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and postal addresses, of a yet undetermined number of people.
Reservation details, including reservation numbers, dates of stay, and special requests, were also stolen, but the chain says credit card info was NOT stolen, because that info is storen encrypted on separate servers.
If you're a Best Western customer, be very suspicious about any communications from the company, especially if you're asked to provide any info, such as confirming an upcoming reservation.
Also, change your BWH Hotels account password.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Google Pixel 10: $51/month all-in, at Freedom Mobile this weekend
If you want a great new Android phone, Freedom Mobile has a great sale on the Google's latest flagship phoine, the Pixel 10, this weekend: get the phone for just $1/month for 24 months when you sign up for their $50/month 175GB/month Canada/USA/Mexico plan with 10GB/month "Roam Beyond", for a total of just $51/month, this weekend only.
At the end of two years, either return the phone, or pay $336 and keep it. As the Pixel 10 costs $1099 if you buy it outright,you're saving $739 if you keep it.
Freedom Mobile is the only carrier still offering great mobile deals
Flanker brands — Fido, Virgin+, Public Mobile, and Koodo — have all changed their wireless plans, cutting data and raising prices after a short-lived price war dominated by Freedom Mobile.
Last month, the flanker brands rolled out $40/60GB plans, but now those deals are gone. They've now all upped their rates while cutting or entirely removing CAN/US/MEX options.
Fortunately, Quebec-based Freedom Mobile, which is owned by Quebec-based Vidéotron, is still offering deals, although their rates are not as great as they were a few weeks ago...
Freedom's plans all include Canada/USA/Mexico calling and data roaming, but also include a monthly allotment of "Roam Beyond" data good in 120+ countries, as well as unlimited calling in any included country and back to Canada. The best part is, all the plans are available to current customers as well as to new customers.
Freedom's coverage is also the best of the big four carriers, because the agreement that saw them sold by Shaw when Rogers bought Shaw, allows Freedom customers to roam seamlessly at no charge onto the networks of Rogers, Telus, and Bell when they're beyond the reach of the fast-growing network of Freedom towers. That deal will continue for seven more years to give Freedom time to build-out its nationwide network.
Save big on new models of refurbished Eco-Tank printers at London Drugs
We're big fans of the refurbished Epson Eco-Tank printers which are exclusive to London Drugs, and come with a full one-year warranty. Many of you bought a refurbished ET-2850 for more than $200 off the price of a new unit, and we've had virtually no problem with them. The 2850's and its bigger cousin, the 3850, are now all gone, but Epson is now providing newer refurbished models, also at hefty savings…
London Drugs stores are carrying three models, all of which come with bottles of ink, enough for literally three years of printing for most people, and two of them are on sale this weekend…
ET-2988: $210 (reg. $400) which prints wirelessly only, 100-sheet tray
extra $30 saving this weekend
ET-3958: $250 (reg. $530) which can print wired/wireless has ADF, 250-sheet tray
extra $70 saving this weekend
If you bought one last weekend before they went on sale, take your receipt back to the store and they'll refund you the difference!
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) Transit buses here and in most of BC now (finally) support credit card/debit card tap-to-pay
Transit riders here in Greater Victoria — and most of the rest of BC — can finally pay for their bus journeys by tapping their credit cards, debit cards, or smartphone wallets.
When BC Transit began trying out the Umo fare payment system on Victoria-area buses in the spring of 2023, it anticipated that it'd bring in mobile wallet, credit, and debit card payment by the time the system was fully rolled out across the province.
But it ended up taking about three years for BC Transit and Umo to make that happen.
Until now, riders who didn’t pay with cash had to use a Umo card or a Umo app on their smartphones.
The rollout was delayed because BC Transit had to replace outdated magnetic stripe technology on 900 buses, plus figure out how to redo the payment systems for dozens of transit systems across the province, which took time.
It was also Umo’s first time rolling out a contactless payment system here in Canada, and BC Transit had to make sure it was following our more-rigorous industry standards for credit-card compliance.
Umo is a unit of the California-based transit and defence company Cubic Corporation, which also designed and operates the Compass payment system used by TransLink in Metro Vancouver.
The UMO app and UMO cards are not going away — they're still your best option if you're buying a daily or monthly pass.
11) Streaming services here are being told to contribute 15% instead of 5% of their Canadian sales to a Canadian production fund
But US-based streaming giants like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon are already appealing in court the 5% requirement that was imposed two years ago.
Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and other online streaming services operating here in Canada will see their mandatory contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content triple under new rules announced by the country’s broadcast regulator.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has set a new 15% contribution rate for online broadcasters, now up from the 5% base rate introduced in 2024.
The increase means major streaming platforms earning more than $25 million annually in Canadian broadcasting revenues will now direct a significantly larger share of their income toward Canadian and Indigenous programming, including French-language content and news.
The CRTC framed the move as a matter of fairness, arguing that online broadcasters should shoulder a greater share of the system they profit from. Traditional broadcasters such as CTV and CBC will soon lower to a 25% contribution standard (currently it’s 30-45%) meaning the gap between legacy and streaming players, while still huge, is narrowing.
The regulator says the combined contributions from all broadcasters are expected to stabilize funding at more than $2 billion annually.
As it stands, the likes of Apple, Amazon, Netflix and other global streaming platforms are challenging a federal order. The 5% they are supposed to pay has been set aside in a trust pending the outcome of their appeal.
CTVNews
CRTC says streamers must pay three times as much for Canadian content
The CRTC issued a new decision requiring digital streaming giants to pay three times as much of their Canadian revenue towards the broadcasting system as before, as the United States continues to mark the Online Streaming Act as a trade irritant.
12) Heads-up if you're going to Switzerland: the Swiss are joining the EU's digital EES (Entry/Exit System) starting next month
Switzerland is not part of the EU, but it has decided to join the Schengen-zone nations in using the EU's new EES (Entry-Exit System) starting June 12.
This means you'll have to have your passport, face, and fingerprints scanned and registered on arrival, and then you'll have to re-scan them at a second set of kiosks before being admitted.
The EES system is free, and your scanned info will be valid for five years, or until your passport expires, in which case you'll have to re-register with your new passport the next time you visit any EU country.
When the EES was first implemented in April, the lack of enough scanning stations led to lineups of in some cases three to four hours.
Under pressure from nations such as Spain and Greece which add lots of weekend holidays cancel plans, The EU agreed to allow border officials to go back to the old passport inspection-and-stamp system if lineups got longer than half an hour, and that seems to have largely solved the problem.
However, as each country and airport is different, it's recommended you make sure any connecting flights or trains are not scheduled to depart till at least two hours after you arrive for the first time in one of the countries using EES.
The following European countries are using the EES:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden — and Switzerland starting June 12.
There is, as yet, no EES in Cyprus and Ireland. Travelers’ passports are still being manually stamped.
15) If you use Google's Gemini AI, you'll likely notice that it's responding a lot faster now, and with better answers
Google’s has just released its newest Gemini model, dubbed Gemini 3.5 Flash, and says its four times faster than some other leading AI engines.
Gemini 3.5 Flash is now powering both the Gemini app and AI Mode in Google Search.
In addition, Google says it's retooled Gemini using what it calls "Neural Expressive"language…
The interface now features fluid animations, vibrant colors, new typography and haptic feedback.
We’ve also integrated the Gemini Live conversational experience directly into Gemini. Now, you can seamlessly switch from typing a quick question to diving deep into a free-flowing conversation — and back again — without missing a beat. We also re-engineered the mic so you can tap and talk through a complex idea at your own pace without getting cut off mid-thought. And soon, we’ll start offering regional dialects, allowing you to choose a voice that truly resonates with you.
Finally, we’re using the power of our Gemini models to make responses more engaging and easier to understand. Instead of throwing a wall of text at you, Gemini now designs tailored responses in real time — incorporating rich imagery, interactive timelines, narrated videos and dynamic graphics.
Google says an even-faster Gemini 3.5 Pro will be released next month.
16a) If you only got the short form Canadian Census, Tod Maffin has created a long-form Census questionnaire with brilliant questions!
Tod Maffin is the former broadcaster turned digital strategist who organized the hugely-popular "Nanaimo Infusion" events that invited Americans (especially American health-care workers) to visit Nanaimo and consider relocating here.
His latest project is to create a long-form Census-style questionnaire with the kind of questions you likely wished the real Census included, 70 questions in all, questions such as…
- How do you pronounce "kilometre" — KIL-o-meter, or kil-OM-eter?
- What is the correct indoor temperature for a Canadian home in the winter?
- What do you call a knitted hat — a tuque, a toque, or a beanie?
- What's the thing you sit on in the living room: a chesterfield, a couch, or a sofa?
- Best Canadian snack food: butter tarts, Nanaimo bars, ketchup chips, poutine, or Hawkins Cheezies?
- Does ketchup belong on Kraft Dinner?
- How long does a 'quick trip' to Canadian Tire take: under 15 minutes, 15-30 minutes, between 30-60 minutes, or more than an hour?
Try the questionnaire yourself, and have a good laugh, at Census.TodMaffin.com
16b) In just one sentence, what do Americans want us here in Canada to know? The answers are surprisng, and heartwarming
When Tod Maffin launched his "Long-Form Census For Nerds" survey (above), he realized that his free Far And Wide Newsletter has thousands of followers in the USA, so for them, he put in an extra question, inviting them to spell out, in just one sentence, what they want us here in Canada to know.
Tod created a wesbite where the more than 1800 responses he initially got from Americans, scroll by, one every five seconds. It's at incoming.TodMaffin.com, and it's very insightful…
17) If you want free software to create and edit documents and spreadsheets, we recommend LibreOffice — with some tweaks
If you don't want to pay for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (now called Microsoft 365, formerly Microsoft Office), you could use Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc., but many of you'll have enough files that you'll to pay for more Google Drive cloud storage. Plus, using Google Docs, Sheets, etc., requires you to give Google and their dozens of partners access to your documents and spreadsheets, which they happily data-mine.
If you're not comfortable with that, your best bet is to use the LibreOffice software suite from the non-profit Document Foundation in Germany. It's free, very similar in layout to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and for the most part, compaible with Microsoft Office files.
But because LibreOffice is created by volunteers who have a passionate dislike for Microsoft, there are some key changes we recommend you make after installing it, so it'll be more familiar for both you and others you share files with!
First of all, watch out for scam versions that come with malware — only get LibreOffice from the people who make it — The Document Foundation — at LibreOffice.org/download.
Once you download and install it, we recommend you make a few key changes…
- Open LibreOffice Writer (their equivalent of Word) and change the default file format from .odt to the standard .docx format used by Word. To do this, click on Tools, Options, Load/Save, General, and change the drop-down Always Save As option to Word 2010-365 Document (*docx)…
- Next, scroll downate to the settings father down the same screen for LibreOffice Writer, then General, and change the Measurement unit to Inch, and Tab stops up slightly to 0.50"...
- Next, click on View right below the LibreOffice Writer General setting you're on, and check the box on the right for Vertical Ruler…
- Scroll down a bit farher to the Basic Fonts (Western) setting, and change all five categories of fonts from the default Liberation Serif (which is exclusive to Libre Office) to Calibri, which is recognized by all other Office programs, and also the most-readable font, so your documents won't look strange if you share them with someone else…
If you're a senior, or will be sharing documents with others who are seniors, we suggest you also change the default font size to 14 points, except for Heading, which should go to 18 points, to make your documents more easily read by people whose vision isn't as good as it used to be!
When you're done making these changes, click on Apply at the bottom-right of the Options pop-up, and then on OK…
5. If you use Spreadsheets, open LibreOffice Calc, go to Tools, Options, Load/Save, General, and change the Default File Format Always Save As option to Excel 2010-365 Spreadsheet (*xlsx), which is the standard Office spreadsheet format…
When you're done making these changes, click on Apply at the bottom-right of the Options pop-up, and then on OK…
6. If you work with PowerPoints, open LibreOffice Impress, go to Tools, Options, Load/Save, General, and change the Default File Format Always Save As option to PowerPoint 2010-365 (*pptx), which is the standard Office PowerPointt format…
7. When you're done making these changes, click on Apply at the bottom-right of the Options pop-up, and then on OK…
19) iPhone Crash Detection saves the day after car plunges 330ft off the side of a mountain
A British woman has credited her iPh one with saving her life after it automatically called emergency services when her car left the road and slid 330 feet down a mountainside.
The woman lost control of her vehicle on a winding road in scenic Denbighshire, UK. It then rolled down the hill before bursting into flames moments after she was able to escape.
Emergency services arrived at the scene 20 minutes later, including a mountain rescue team and firefighters. Both had been alerted to the accident by the woman's iPhone and its automatic Crash Detection feature.
Crash Detection is a feature built into all modern iPhones and Apple Watches, and has been saving lives for years. It was first introduced alongside the iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra.
The feature uses sensors to detect severe car crashes and then sounds an alarm and displays an on-screen alert for 10 seconds. If the alert is not dismissed, Crash Detection automatically places a call to emergency services.
What makes the feature so vital is its ability to send first responders right to the crash site. Crash Detection shares the device's location and the device owner's Medical ID if one has been set up.
Crash Detection has proven to be particularly important in crashes where the driver has been rendered unconscious. In these instances, Crash Detection has been able to summon emergency services long before they might otherwise be called.
2`) 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.
22) Kathryn's Paleontology News Item of the Week: Tylosaurus rex — an enormous new underwater marine reptile they're calling "TEX"
Paleontologists have discovered an enormous new species of Tylosaurus, a sea lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. Measuring up to 43 feet (13 metres) long—the size of a humpback whale — this 80-million-year-old apex predator is among the biggest known mosasaurs.
They've named it Tylosaurus rex, or “king of the Tylosaurs,” a name that comes with an iconic abbreviation, "TEX", which is also being called "The Knob Lizard King".
Amelia Zietlow, a paleontologist at the History Museum at the Castle in Wisconsin, and her colleagues announced the new underwater terror in the latest journal Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. The finding helps paleontologists better understand the evolution of these enormous sea lizards, including how and when separate lineages of them achieved success as massive marine monsters.
"Buon Compleanno" to good friend Diane from Saanich, who's celebrating a milestone birthday by exploring Italy, and "Feliç Aniversari" to my best friend Rick, who's celebrating his birthday with our friend Zack, visiting Barcelona!
They all switched to Freedom Mobile to take advantage of Freedom's "Roam Beyond" service, which is letting them use their phones overseas just like at home, at no extra charge.
Diane says having unlimited calling and no-charge roaming data is proving an especially huge help as she and a friend explore Italy, as they've rented a car, and are using Apple Maps to guide them.
Homework videos (a.k.a. "time well wasted"!)
Check out our new YouTube Favourites playlist #2:
Our original Favourites playlist maxxed-out at 5000 videos; it's here…
Videos start at #40, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more tech news items above!
40) Watch the Starbucks video released last year demo'ing their AI-powered inventory system — which they've now scrapped, because of too many errors…
(Watch it make an error, missing a syrup bottle, at the :49 mark!)
41) Watch Friday's maiden flight of SpaceX's powerful new 3rd-gen Starship spacecraft, including new high-quality live onboard video via Starlink…
Watch the Starlink satellites start to deploy at 48:30, and then watch the GoPro video from onboard the last two satellites to be deployed, relayed back to Earth via Starlink, for the first time ever, at 1:06:38.
42) Watch a demo of the just-released GoPro "Mission 1" action cameras…
43) Watch designer Kate Canales showcase the accidental brilliance of makeshift signs…
44) Watch Sarah McLachlan join 2500 Choir! Choir! Choir! singers at Toronto's Massey Hall for a special version of her classic, "Angel"…
45) Watch Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, and Stephen Colbert end "The Late Show" with a special "Jump Up/Hello Goodbye"…
46a) Watch the full 2026 Eurovision Grand Final from Vienna…
46b) Watch what happens behind the scenes during the broadcast as the crew incredibly quickly changes the set from act to act in just 45 seconds…
46c) Watch a recap of everything that went wrong during Eurovision 2026…
47) Watch Frank Moyo show how to easily learn and remember the most common phrases and greetings in Italian…
We took Natsuki, our Grade 10 international homestay student from Osaka in Japan, kayaking in Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet, her first time in a kayak, and despite not liking open water, she loved it!
We had an awesome picnic on the hidden beach at beautiful Tod Inlet, around the corner from Butchart Gardens, in Gowlland/Tod Provincial Park…
Sofia, our other international homestay student, from Madrid, got to go surfing and bear-watching for the first time, up at Long Beach, as part of the Saanich International Schools Program trip…
Despite living in the home of Real Madrid, Sofía has never been to a football (soccer) game in person, so last Sunday, I took her to see Pacific FC play Inter Toronto at Starlight Stadium in Langford…
Last weekend, my friend John and I took Sofía to watch the Victoria Day Parade, the first big community parade they'd ever seen, and she was especially impressed by the diversity of the entries…
We encourage the girls to invite the new friends they've made here to join us for dinner, and we all help cook, which is a lot of fun…
Here is a picture of Kathryn's six-year-old Pomeranian dog, "Ghost" sleeping next to her in the C-FAX studio…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…