Hello, and thank you for listening to the Chris Smith Show on TNTRadio.live! Chris is on every day from 3pm to 5pm AEDT, and I have the honour and pleasure of speaking with Chris after the 4.30pm news every Wednesday until just before the 5pm news.
Here are the topics we spoke about today, first the short version, and after that, the longer version with all the details (or links to where you can find more).
Luke Millanta’s AI Friend of Foe exhibition at Questacon – details here!
Here’s the short version:
1. A reminder – Google will start deleting inactive Gmail accounts from next month – if you have more than one Google Gmail address, for whatever reason, and you haven’t logged in for a while, accounts that haven’t been logged into for two years will start being deleted from next month – taking all their emails and data form Google Docs and Google Drive with them.
2. Optus update: what was the cause of the 14 hour outage that was still ongoing as we spoke this time last week?
3. The Australian Signals Directorate has released its new Cyber Threat Report for 2023 – what are the shocking highlights, and where can people download the full report?
4. In the world of operating systems, most people know of Microsoft Windows, and Apple’s Mac OS (pronounced Oh Ess), but there’s also Linux, which is free to use and modify, and one of its popular flavours is called Fedora, which in version 39 is now over 20 years old.
5. NVIDIA launches its next-generation AI chip, the H200, which is an upgrade over the chips ChatGPT uses to train its most advanced GPT-4 model, so how much better are these new chips?
6. Google Australia and Sydney Airport have today launched Indoor Live View at Sydney Airport in an effort to make navigation smoother and more convenient at Australia’s largest airport – sounds like it’s just in time for the coming Christmas travel rush?
7. Reports say Apple is prepared to infuse AI into all of its operating systems when they launch in September next year – this news sounds like it was inevitable, right?
8. Logitech begins pre-orders for its “Reach” camera, which we spoke about a couple of months ago, and which promises to be the ultimate 2-in-1 webcam and overhead camera – what are the details again?
9. Home security camera comny Arlo has released its second generation Essentials range, which is their affordable option, so what else has improved?
Longer version with all the details:
Luke Millanta’s AI Friend of Foe exhibition at Questacon – details here!
1. A reminder – Google will start deleting inactive Gmail accounts from next month – if you have more than one Google Gmail address, for whatever reason, and you haven’t logged in for a while, accounts that haven’t been logged into for two years will start being deleted from next month – taking all their emails and data form Google Docs and Google Drive with them.
Here is the official Google Blog about it from May 16 2023, and here’s the News.com.au article.
2. Optus update: what was the cause of the 14 hour outage that was still ongoing as we spoke this time last week?
Optus has officially updated the world on what happened, stating it “received changes to routing information from an international peering network following a software upgrade”, with a news report stating this “international peering network” parter was actually the Optus parent company, Singtel.
Optus says the “outing information changes propagated through multiple layers in our network and exceeded preset safety levels on key routers. This resulted in those routers disconnecting from the Optus IP Core network to protect themselves”, and this required Optus staff to reconnect or reboot routers physically, sending people to locations across Australia, rather than doing this remotely, reportedly because Optus was relying on its own now offline network to connect to these routers, rather than having a separate network which allowed access to these routers even if the main network was down.
Engineers have criticised Optus for not having a system that checked and filtered out incorrect routing information from external sources before blindly trusting it and propagating it across its network.
One of the reasons suggested as to why this information was not immediately released last Wednesday is because the Optus owners, Singtel, were in town last week when this was all happening, and not only did it seem to be something caused by their Singapore-based staff, but Singtel’s Chief Technology Officer, Jorge Fernandes, was in charge, with newspaper reports saying Jorge Fernandez left his previous employer, the Canadian phone comapny Rogers, after it was hit with an almost identical outage to Optus, with the Rogers outage having affected 12 million users for about 15 hours.
No doubt a lot of work is being done at Optus and Singtel to make sure a similar situation can never happen again, and phone companies around the world are checking their systems too, so they don’t inflict their users with similar hours-long outages.
3. The Australian Signals Directorate has released its new Cyber Threat Report for 2023 – what are the shocking highlights, and where can people download the full report?
You can download the free report in full here from the Australian Government’s Cyber site.
– There were nearly 94,000 cybercrime reports submitted to ReportCyber, an increase of 23% compared to the 2021-22 financial year. On average, one report is now received every 6 minutes.
– The top 3 types of cybercrimes reported by individuals were identity fraud, online banking fraud, and online shopping fraud. These 3 cybercrimes accounted for 52% of all reported cases by individuals.
– You can better protect yourself online by staying informed about current cyber threats and using best practice advice to minimise risks.
Learn the basics of cyber security at cyber.gov.au and read the latest ASD Cyber Threat Report 2022-23 for guidance that will help you improve your cyber security practices. You can download the ASD Cyber Threat Report factsheet for a summary of the key cyber threats impacting individuals and steps you can take to better protect yourself.
4. In the world of operating systems, most people know of Microsoft Windows, and Apple’s Mac OS, but there’s also Linux, the open source alternative that anyone can see the source code to and investigate for themselves.
There are many versions and flavours of Linux, with Ubuntu one that many people listening would have heard of, but another well known version is called Fedora, which entered version 39 last week, twenty years and one day after the very first version emerged onto the scene.
In the early days, Linux was championed by those who wanted to an operating system free of ownership and control by Microsoft, Apple or anyone else, a system that could be freely tinkered with, even changed and improved, with all the changes you wanted to make to be freely shared back with everyone else.
Two decades later, and we find that Linux operating systems haven’t conquered the desktop, but they are in wide use in data centres, Linux is the foundation of Android which powers the majority of the world’s smartphones, and it is more than mature enough to use on your desktop or laptop as a very capable alternative to Windows or Apple.
Linux also has a well stocked App Store with virtually every type of app you can think of, and free at that, and its system requirements are much lower than compared to the requirements of windows 11 or the latest MacOS, which are best used on computers no more than about 5 years old, while Fedora and other Linux flavours will happily work on computers from a decade ago or older.
You can experiment with Fedora at FedoraProject.org for yourself, you can run in it a virtual machine (so it is running as a second computer while you are running Windows or Mac OS), you can boot it from a USB stick, and you can install it. You can also check out Ubuntu.com to see what Fedora’s biggest competitor is doing.
5. NVIDIA launches its next-generation AI chip, the H200, which is an upgrade over the chips ChatGPT uses to train its most advanced GPT-4 model, so how much better are these new chips?
The previous chips NVIDIA offered are called the H100, costing up to $40,000 each, with thousands of them used inside the computer systems that power ChatGPT and other generative AI solutions The new chips are called the H200, and they come equipped with more and faster memory, with the improvements and enhancements meaning the H200 works nearly twice as fast as the H100, and which will no doubt be the foundation of the GPT-5 system that ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI is already hard at work on developing.
6. Google Australia and Sydney Airport have today launched Indoor Live View at Sydney Airport in an effort to make navigation smoother and more convenient at Australia’s largest airport.
This new AR (Augmented Reality) feature has launched as Sydney Airport prepares to welcome millions of passengers in the peak Christmas travel period – see the full blog post from Google here.
To summarise Indoor Live View:
– Within Google Maps, Indoor Live View uses augmented reality (AR) to help passengers and visitors get their bearings and find their way around Sydney Airport’s three terminals (T1, T2, T3)
– It provides navigation from the train station, directions to check-in counters, gates, lounges, baggage carousels, dining and shopping precincts, restrooms, ATMs, restrooms, ticketing offices and more.
– Arrows, directions and distance markers are superimposed on the phone camera view, so people can spend less time figuring out which way they should be headed
– Visitors can also select the ‘Wheelchair accessible’ preference to find wheelchair, pram and suitcase friendly paths. They can also turn on audio navigation prompts, in addition to visual cues.
– Live View is powered by a technology called global localisation, which uses AI to scan tens of billions of indoor Street View images to understand someone’s orientation and help.
– Sydney Airport is the first Australian airport to launch Indoor Live View on Google Maps.
– Whether you’re departing or landing, the new feature is now available on Android and iOS.
7. Reports say Apple is prepared to infuse AI into all of its operating systems when they launch in September next year
It has been a big year for AI, with ChatGPT first bursting onto the scene in November last year, and AI now a standard feature of Windows 11, and being infused into all of Google’s services, and as we explained a couple of weeks ago, also built into Qualcomm’s SnapDragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is the chip that all the major flagship Android smartphones are using.
Now it’s Apple’s turn, with Apple usually not being the first to launch anything, but usually last – although when Apple launches its technology, it normally gets that technology right.
As we spoke about recently, Apple is now spending millions of dollars per day to catch up as quickly as it can in the AI race, so this time next year, the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and more will be heavily influenced by AI, and we’re likely to hear plenty more about Apple’s advances in this area over the next few months as we get closer to the big iPhone 16 launch in September 2024.
8. Logitech begins pre-orders for its “Reach” camera, which we spoke about a couple of months ago, and which promises to be the ultimate 2-in-1 webcam and overhead camera – what are the details again?
Logitech Reach is the next-gen show-and-tell camera that picks up what you put down. Seamlessly switch between tabletop and presenter modes, so you can explain concepts and share experiences in more immersive ways than ever.
A 2-in-1 full HD webcam & overhead camera for creators, gamers, educators, & professionals.
Currently on sale via crowdfunding platform Indiegogo for 35% off, the regular price is $399 US dollars, but the crowdfunding price is $259 US. For Australians, the price is $398, with the regular price set listed as $614, although this will presumably be lowered to $599 once it comes to the market.
See the Indiegogo campaign and video here!
9. Home security camera comapny Arlo has released its second generation Essentials range with better cameras, faster set up and more, making it easy for anyone to set up a home camera security system at their home, office or anywhere else! Please tell us about the new models.
The lineup includes a new standard Essential Outdoor Camera, as well as a new Essential Indoor Camera with an automated privacy shield. The new Video Doorbell also offers head-to-toe 180-degree field of view.
The new Arlo Essential Cameras and Doorbell include:
Essential Outdoor Camera (2nd Generation)
Check-in and take action quickly when motion is detected around your home with the EssentialOutdoor Camera, featuring a 130-degree viewing angle, colour night vision, noise-cancelling audio and an integrated spotlight to rid any unwanted guests.
· 130-Degree Viewing Angle: Keep an eye on what matters most with a wide field of view
· Integrated Spotlight: Shine a light on your yard to ward off unwelcome visitors
· See More at Night: See videos in colour rather than traditional black and white for better identification
· Noise-Cancelling Audio: Hear and speak to visitors with clear, two-way audio
· Integrated Siren: Trigger your siren automatically, or manually from the Arlo app
· Weather Resistant: Designed to withstand heat, cold, rain, or sun
· Easy Setup and Install: Easy DIY installation with wire-free setup and mount
· RRP of A$159 for a single camera kit.
Essential Indoor Camera (2nd Generation)
Stay connected to what’s happening inside your home and keep your private moments yourswith Arlo’s Essential Indoor Camera featuring an automated privacy shield. Check-in on your home, family or pets anytime with two-way talk and night vision.
· Automated Privacy Shield: Keep moments private at any time by closing the shield directly through the Arlo Secure App
· 130-Degree Viewing Angle: Keep an eye on what matters most with a wide field of view
· Noise-Cancelling Audio with Two-Way Talk: Hear and speak to visitors with clear, two-way audio
· See at Night: View critical details even without a light with night vision
· Integrated Siren: Trigger your siren automatically, or manually from the Arlo app
· Easy Setup and Install: Plug in and connect directly to Wi-Fi and install anywhere
· RRP of A$129 for a single camera kit.
Video Doorbell (2nd Generation)
See more at your front door and greet guests from anywhere right from your phone with the ArloVideo Doorbell, featuring two-way audio, night vision, and an integrated siren.
· Video Call: Answer the doorbell directly from your phone so you never miss a visitor
· Visitor Messaging: Have your guests leave a voice message if you’re unable to answer the door, while listening remotely at your convenience
· Get the Full Picture: See a person from head to toe and packages on the ground with 180-degree field of view
· See at Night: View critical details even without a light with night vision
· Integrated Siren: Trigger your siren automatically, or manually from the Arlo app
· Weather Resistant: Certified to withstand heat, cold, rain, or sun
· RRP of A$229
