Andy chats about the latest technology and interesting websites each week with Nerissa Pace on the "Talking back the night" radio show, heard across Australia.

 
Top 3 websites –
www.youtube.com
It’s an understatement to say that the world is obsessed with sharing videos on the web…so youtube have just held their own awards for the best videos online.

http://www.americaninventorspot.com/
It’s amazing the amount of crazy inventions that never make it stores and here’s a great place to see some of them.

http://www.microwavecam.com
This website comes from the “don’t try this at home” category…it’s full of video clips that show different items being ‘cooked’ in a microwave.

Feature Chat – Digital Television - more info at http://www.dba.org.au/
As I mentioned last week I’ve just moved into a new house…and like most people, the first thing I’ve set up is the TV…and like many I’ve also discovered that the TV reception isn’t that great.
Solutions…call out Mr Antenna, or a similar business and maybe get some improvement…or look into Digital TV.

The short version of the story is that by getting a digital TV tuner you can forget any reception problems because with a digital signal the picture is either perfect or not there at all…no fuzziness or ghosted images.

Also for those with wide screen TVs, many shows on digital free to air TV are also in wide screen (like my favourite CSI)The other benefits of digital free to air TV broadcasts is that each station has a number of channels…mostly it’s just a program guide, but there is additional programs on some of the stations…such as the ABC.

All you need to get started is a ‘set top box’…you may have heard of these and seen them in electronics retailers like Harvey Norman or Dick Smith.Basically a standard definition set top box will set you back from around 80 dollars – and you don’t need to use a special aerial, it just plugs into your current socket on the wall, then into your TV.

If you have a newer TV that supports high definition, you can look at a high definition digital tuner…but these will generally cost hundreds more.

 
Win a copy of McAfee Total Protection!
Wednesday (March 21) on Talking back the night with Kym Ferguson, listen out for an interview about 'Protect your PC' week.
McAfee Australia have supplied 5 copies of McAfee Total Protection - for your chance to win, simply email winmcafee@andywells.com and along with your full name and address details, name the person from McAfee who is being interviewed.

The first 5 entries will recieve a copy of McAfee Total Protection (3 user licence) valued at AU$159.95 - winners will be notified by email.

 
Top 3 websites (all about moving house!)

http://movingservices.com.au/
This website is a part of Australia post and as well as information and application forms for re-directing your mail from your old house to your new one…you can also have Australia post automatically notify many organisations of your change of addess or have your utilities connected with a free online service.

http://www.emove.com.au/
I found this website was handy to get removalists to contact you to discuss quotes, they can also help wth dis-connections and connections of gas, electricity, water…even Internet access.Their moving checklist is the most comprehensive that I was able to track down online.

http://www.propertyguide.com.au/editorial_index.asp?fn=012_moving_house.txt~moving_house!
There are plenty of real estate websites in Australia, and most will have a section with tips on moving house.I had a scan through propertyguide.com.au and found that the tips on moving house were easy to find.

Feature Chat – How to deal with SPAM!
The amount of SPAM…or junk email…arriving in inboxes around the world is increasing…in fact spam email makes up around 78 percent of all email globally!
So with SPAM on the way up, I thought this might be a good time to talk about the options available to help stem the flow of junk into your inbox.

Prevention: As the old saying goes…”Prevention is the best medicine”…and for SPAM that’s true!Chat rooms, news group postings, web forums and personal websites are all scanned by spammers looking to add addresses to their database, so what you need to do is think twice before you post your email address somewhere.

This also means using caution when making contact with a company on the web that you are unfamiliar with. Consider using a disposable email address for this sort of contact (check out yahoo mail who have this as an option).

Your next line of defence is your internet service provider who should offer some sort of server based spam filtering solution. This means that junk email is blocked before it even reaches your computer. You will need to check with your service provider to see what level of protection is offered…also give them a call if you are getting a LOT of spam.

As this stage you can also look at a software based SPAM filter on your computer which will automatically put the offending messages in a junk folder so you’re not exposed to them. Good anti-spam software will quickly learn what is and isn’t spam so your friends won’t end up in the junk folder.

Last resort: Get a new email address.If things really are out of control, getting a new email address may be the only thing that will give you piece of mind.

Again, be careful who you give the new address out to and ask people not to include your address in group emails.

 
Top 3 websites
http://wordsmith.org/anagram/
Here’s a website where you can have a bit of fun with words!
I punched Kym Ferguson into the Anagram website and got interesting results like “Frogmen Yuks” and “Sore Funk Gym”.

http://www.oceangram.com
If you’ve always wanted to send a message in a bottle but don’t live near the ocean this website is there to help you out…for free.

http://lastminute.com.au
At Lastminute.com.au you can buy what they call ‘experiences’…like learning to fly a helicopter, deep sea fishing, dancing lessons and plenty of things that you’ve never thought of doing.

Feature Chat – Finding the right Broadband Internet plan

Hands up if you’re still using a dial-up modem to connect to the internet….well I’ll have you know that now Broadband Internet users now make up the majority of those surfing the web at home in Australia…in fact the Australian Bureau of statistics says that the number has doubled in the past 18 months…so I’d say we are officially in a broadband boom.

What does this mean? Well it’s a great time to either connect to the internet for first time and enjoy all the rich content available…or hunt around for a better deal or service that suits your needs.
Many of the entry level monthly plans are between 20 or 30 dollars a month, just those plans really are only suitable if you’re just doing basic email messages and a bit of web surfing as the data allowance (that’s the amount you can download ) is usually quite small.
Also those entry level plans tent to be slower…but still many times faster than the old dial up internet.

Now for anyone already on Broadband…that’s ADSL, Cable or even Wireless, there’s a great website that you can use to see if there’s a better deal out there.

Check out www.broadbandchoice.com.au and you can search internet service providers in your area and line up their plans side by side….also it may be useful to check out the user forums on the website to get feedback from other users about their experiences with various service providers…nothing like word of mouth!

Happy websurfing…it’s a lot better when it’s faster!

 
Top 3 websites
www.joesgoals.com
We all dream about the things we would like to accomplish. The best way to achieve those dreams is to set goals. But sometimes we need a little help meeting our goals.
The Joe’s Goals is set up to help you do that.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/testyourpet/new_owner.shtml
If you think you have a smart pet, here’s an online test to see if you’re right.
This isn’t just for cats and dogs…there are tests for birds, horses and even fish!

http://www.googlestore.com
How does google make money…well from their adverstising of course…but then there’s the Google gift shop!Talk about conversation pieces…the google store has all the usual corporate wear like hats and t-shirts, but I also quite liked the google number plate holder…or how about a flashing colour stick pin.

Feature Chat – Motorola’s simple new Mobile phone...the MotoFone @ $69

I get to check out a lot of new mobile phones and each seems to have a new feature which may not be something that everyone will use.

Last week Motorola dropped in a sample of their latest mobile…but it was quite the opposite of what I was expecting.

It’s called the MotoFone…and it’s a slim and quite good looking handset, but in terms of features it’s very basic.

There’s no camera or music player built in…this mobile phone is made for making phone calls, sending text messages…and it can be used as an alarm clock (a must feature I reckon)

A standout feature of the MotoFone is the large clear display which can easily be read whether you’re in bright sunlight or a dark room.

Naturally this sounds like a good handset for anyone getting a mobile phone for the first time…which is how Motorola are look at it…they’ve even built in voice prompts to help new users learn to use the handset.

Another market the Motophone is aimed at is people who have nice expensive phones that they perhaps don’t want to take with them when they go out for the night or on holidays…because the Motophone is so inexpensive it’s less of a risk if you happen to lose it or have it damaged.Speaking of which…the price!

The Motofone sells for $69 at optus outlets, so yes for the moment it’s locked to the optus network.All up it’s a good looking phone that does the job…and the price is right too!

Get more info at www.motorola.com.au or www.optus.com.au/mobile