I received a letter in the post about my business offering online business registration. But there was something about it that set off red flags.

These companies will charge you extra dollars to renew your business name to cover their costs. But why would you want to pay an excess amount when you can do it yourself?

I looked at several online forums and discovered they used names like Online Business Registration Pty Ltd and Business Name Renewal, Registry Australia Pty Ltd, and BNRenewal.com.au.

Similar emails and letters from companies pretending to be ASIC may contain ransomware. Be careful with these and avoid clicking on any of the hyperlinks.

Letter from Online Business Registration

I received a letter from Online Business Registration. But it looked semi-professional and contained several errors.

• The date was incorrect.
• The business renewal date was at least one month too early.
• The web address was not a government one.
• It was not written on ASIC government letterhead.

It did clearly state that the letter was not from ASIC and the company is a private business registration services provider.

The cost to renew your business name using Online Business Registration:

• One year AUD$99
• Three years AUD$199

Letter from Registry Australia Pty Ltd

A few weeks later, I received a similar letter from a different Melbourne-based company called Registry Australia Pty Ltd.

The letter was more professional and didn’t contain errors. It clearly stated that the company was a private business registration service independent of ASIC.

It offered premium Australian-based phone and email support. You could also receive auto-renewal notifications.

The cost to renew your business name using Registry Australia:

• One year AUD$99
• Three years AUD$189 ($63 per year)

How to Save Money on Business Registration in Australia

It would be easy to pay the bill from one of these third-party companies. But you might as well save money and renew your business registration directly with ASIC.

• One-year renewal: AUD$42
• Three-year renewal: AUD$98

ASIC recommends you deal with them directly and you can use the official webpage: Renewing your business name | ASIC

The post Beware: Don’t Get Ripped off with Your Business Registration in Australia appeared first on Women Love Tech.

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Ballie is a small round robot created by Samsung. The robot is a true AI companion and promises to help you out around the home. (Pronounced Ball-E)

The spherical robot is a fun bright yellow colour – making it easy to find. It is about the size of a bowling ball.

Ballie works in synergy with Samsung’s SmartThings – an ecosystem that allows you to control and monitor your compatible devices through a single app to build a smart home.  As it rolls around the floor of your house, it can interact with various smart connected devices. It has a built-in projector (1080p) and spatial LiDAR sensors. This allows Ballie to display movies, video calls and messages on surrounding surfaces.

You can interact with Ballie using voice commands and a text messaging interface. It can display the day’s events, share weather updates, or project your favourite movie or TV show.

Ballie can connect to and manage home appliances. Therefore, the personal home assistant can be programmed to help and complete various tasks. For example, you could ask it to open smart curtains first thing in the morning.

Ballie can also autonomously drive around your house and learn from the user’s patterns and habits. As a result, artificial intelligence (AI) can suggest smarter and more personalised services. 

Jeremy Senior, Vice President – Consumer Electronics, at Samsung Australia, said “We’re thrilled to mark another year at CES, announcing a broad portfolio of products. Today, we are reinforcing that AI is about efficiencies – from ease of use to saving time and energy.”

“Ballie is mobile, smart and connected, equipped with a projector that will enable consumers to live more convenient and connected lives as it seamlessly integrates with their home through SmartThings.”

The promotional video shows Ballie feeding the dog with a smart pet feeder and turning on and off smart lights. You can view video updates of your pets or loved ones when you’re away from home.

It can display a video conference call on the wall using its projector and display a fitness video on the wall and ceiling (depending on the exercise).

The Original Samsung’s Ballie

Samsung’s Ballie was first introduced a few years ago at CES 2020. It originally was the size of a tennis ball and had a ribbed look. It was planned to be released in a range of different colours (blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple). The concept video showed Ballie turning on a smart TV, opening smart window blinds, helping with exercise, and recognizing its owner and pets.

The new prototype of Ballie has a sleeker look.  This version is larger, but still yellow. Since then, Ballie has been revamped with new advanced features to make the product more intelligent for everyday life.

When will Ballie be available?

There are rumours that Samsung Ballie will be available for sale later in the year, but this is yet to be confirmed by Samsung.

Ballie can enhance your exercise, working or relaxing activities to make your life at home more productive and enjoyable.

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If you want to get crafty then check out the Cricut Joy Xtra – the latest smart cutting machine by Cricut. It cuts, writes, draws, and foils, so you can make projects like full-colour stickers, custom cards, t-shirts, vinyl decals, and more.

Perfect for those who are looking to jump into the world of customisation immediately, it is ideal for makers, small businesses, and anyone with a side hustler.

You can make stickers, labels, customised t-shirts, and more, straight out of the box. You can create custom gear, merch, personalised gifts, labels and unique upcycled décor and clothing.

The Cricut Xtra Joy is easy to use if you follow the instructions and you can purchase a specially curated bundle which includes all the tools and materials you need to get started. It is best to use the app to load, press go (start) and unload your projects. This Cricut machine has no buttons. If you have used a Cricut machine before, you’ll find it easy to get the hang of.

If you don’t have a Cricut yet, I prefer the smaller one. It’s suitable for stickers and box labels. It suits the size of craft projects that I have been doing.

A mat is handy to use up small pieces of vinyl or craft materials.

It has a sensor that enables the Print then Cut functionality. As a result, you can create professional-looking, vibrant full-colour stickers, labels, tags, custom t-shirts, hoodies and business merchandise, signs, cards, and more.

Its A4 material size means Cricut Joy Xtra can perfectly cut out printed images on any standard inkjet printer. 

What can you make?

Cricut Joy Xtra comes with a variety of new accessories and materials, including the addition of new notable premium printables including Printable Sticker Paper, Printable Vinyl, Printable Waterproof Sticker Sets, and Printable Iron-On all in convenient A4 size.

You can create pro-quality stickers for planners, water bottles, laptops and phone cases, school folders, and more with new Printable Waterproof Sticker Sets.

You can use Printable Iron-On available for light and dark fabrics, to create professional custom clothing and merchandise.

With Printable Vinyl, users can make more durable custom stickers for journals, home décor, and home organisation and more!

Cricut Design Space

The Cricut Design Space is a central design platform where you can discover, create, customise, and share projects with other users.  

The software has regular updates with new and seasonal designs. It allows you to design professional-looking, full-colour stickers and personalise projects.

There is a limited range of designs available for free. You can import your own designs or pay for single designs. Alternatively, you can join up to a monthly subscription for more designs. 

What’s in the Cricut Xtra Joy Starter Bundle box?

The box contains everything you need to get started. The Cricut Xtra Joy box includes:

• Smart cutting machine
• Cricut Joy Blade with housing, Cricut Joy fine point pen
• Mini weeder
• Cricut Joy Xtra LightGrip mat
• Transfer tape, Smart Vinyl sampler, Waterproof sticker set.
• Smart Iron-On sampler and printable iron-on

You may like to buy a regular weeding tool. I like to weed the stickers while watching television. You can use the leftover vinyl as fancy sticky tape on presents.

If you have the larger Cricut, it’s good to use up all of your smaller pieces on vinyl on a mat.

Cricut Joy Xtra Features

The Joy Xtra is a smaller machine so it can easily fit on a bookcase. You can close the doors and it looks good.

• Sticker-making made easy. – There is an Easy Printables Sensor that recognises and precision-cuts around inkjet-printed images to create stickers and so much more.
• Compatible with new printable materials. –
  You can buy craft materials including new printable materials and new Smart Materials designed especially for Cricut Joy Xtra
• No design experience is required. – The user-friendly Cricut Design Space platform gives you access to thousands of easy-to-edit images and pre-designed templates.
• Cuts 50+ materials. – You won’t need scissors as the machine has the ability to precision-cut over 50 materials like vinyl, iron-on, printable materials, cardstock, and more. 
• Project Capabilities – You can use Smart Materials to cut a single image up to 1.2 metres long. Think repeated cuts, like stars and hearts, up to 6 metres long. With Cricut Joy Xtra, you can now create projects up to 21cm x 29cm on a machine mat. 
• Foils, writes, and draws. – You can use the Cricut Joy Foil Transfer Tool and Cricut Joy pens and markers. With Cricut Joy Xtra, you can foil, write, and draw in a variety of fonts, styles, and line weights.

Cricut Joy Xtra Comments

“Our mission with the Cricut platform is to inspire and empower makers,” said Ashish Arora, Cricut CEO. “We have more than eight million members who discover, make, and share their creations with one another, and they bring their designs to life through our platform with innovations like Create Sticker.

“From concept to design to creation, Cricut provides the holistic ecosystem of tools, from intuitive design software to creative hardware, to bring making to life, so anyone can truly make anything they can imagine,” said Nicola Dow Smith, Regional Head of Cricut.

“Whether you are an established small business, market stall casual, pop-up gift store, or looking to create a brand or side hustle, Cricut Joy Xtra will take your brand logo and packaging from, oh to woah!”

“If you are a teacher with a busy classroom, keen to create personalised, timely learning resources for your class on the fly, the Cricut Joy Xtra Starter Bundle has got you covered.  If you are a Uni student upcycling clothes or a parent creating last-minute dress-ups or making creative customised gifts for friends and family or to sell, the Cricut Joy Xtra Starter Bundle comes packed with all you need to bring your creations to life,” she added.

Conclusion

Cricut Joy Xtra cuts, writes, draws, and foils to make popular projects like full-colour stickers, custom cards, t-shirts, vinyl decals, and more. It allows you to make a wide range of craft projects for gifts, fun projects, or business or educational projects.

How to Learn More

You can join live workshops and on-demand courses available at Cricut Learn https://learn.cricut.com.

I like to watch YouTube and TikTok videos to get craft project ideas.

How to Buy

Cricut Joy Xtra Starter Bundle is available exclusively from Harvey Norman, Officeworks, and other retailers.

The post Cricut Joy Xtra Review: Get Crafty And Make Stickers, Cards, And T-shirts appeared first on Women Love Tech.

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Over the last few years, the level of online censorship has increased dramatically.

Sadly, words like misinformation and fact-checking have become a convenient way to suppress different opinions. If the news only presents a one-sided opinion, then how can science flourish?

As a result, people are moving off these heavily censored platforms to more liberal ones where freedom of speech and critical thinking is embraced.

Background

Censorship has played an important part in history from adding parental controls to keep children safe with classifications of mature themes and concepts, to persuading civilians to do what the government wants them to do and believe.  

People will accept different levels of content and imagery based on their backgrounds, education, religious beliefs and values. Different countries have different rules about what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Facebook and Instagram Censorship

Social media platforms use censorship to block posts in several different ways.

On Instagram, repeat offenders do get warnings like “You could lose access to your account in the future. Your content has been removed for going against our guidelines. Avoid losing access to your account, and the permanent removal of your posts, followers, messages and archive by following our Community Guidelines.” You’ll then be notified of what was removed which you can appeal.

Another warning reads “Your post has been removed. It goes against our Community Guidelines on harmful false information. Our guidelines encourage people to express themselves in a way that’s respectful to everyone. If you think we made a mistake, you can ask us to review our decision”. Surprisingly, the post was a screenshot of a news article from an Australian mainstream media website.

When you flag and report a post it is anonymous. We’re all self-policing each other to some extent.

Recently I was looking at photos on Instagram using the #brisbane hashtag. I started to report and block some dubious videos that were blurred out. Over a week I probably reported 50 accounts – all pointing to the same website that had zero relevance to Brisbane. I wasn’t being paid to moderate these, and it was a huge turn-off. I even stopped using Instagram. At a photography Meetup, the coordinator admitted that she’d seen a huge drop off in followers and most of her friends had left both apps.

When an account is shadow banned, then the owner might find their direct messages do not load. Some people say their account cannot be tagged (or shared) and their views are reduced by 75%. The page may not appear in search unless you type in the entire name correctly. One way to get around this is to add the account to your favourites.

Before you follow an account with several strikes against them, you might be prompted with a message like: “Are you sure you want to follow [bad-account-name]? This account has repeatedly posted false information that was reviewed by independent fact-checkers or went against our policy guidelines.” You can then select ‘Follow’ or ‘Cancel’.

There is the constant threat of being de-platformed. This is where a user is prohibited from sharing their views or being banned from a social media platform or application.

WeChat Censorship in China

Inside China, the best way information can be shared on social media is by using a VPN. Foreigners are usually the ones who can post, as they are able to leave the country if needed.

WeChat is one of the platforms that the Chinese authorities monitor closely. If you post something that they disapprove of your message will be removed and you’ll be warned that “Unable to view this content because it violates regulations”.  

An American I followed on Instagram who was living in lockdown in Shanghai had decided to stop posting as frequently. He said, “I now fear that leaving evidence of my reporting on the situation will affect my safety and well-being. For that reason, I will now delete all of my highlights from the past two weeks and I will no longer be saving stories on my profile”

There is a video based on WeChat clips taken in Shanghai about the lockdown conditions. It is called Voice of April. It has been blocked on WeChat but circulating on Instagram. Apparently, the residents shared the video, got censored, and then they created a new account and repeated the process all day long. Many of the residents are stuck in high-rise buildings unable to work and had to bulk buy groceries with their neighbors. If you posted anything mentioning the city or country, these are hidden.

Strategies for Avoiding Censorship

People have developed different strategies to get around censorship on social media.

• Code words – One way to get around the automatic filters is by using code words, so people talk about being waxed, juiced or the spicy flu. Other people black out words that will be detected and blocked.
• Self-censorship – you stop yourself from writing or posting for fear of ban, trolls or backlash. Several people have admitted to me that they have increased their self-censoring (This includes well-respected journalists). They think about what they’d like to post but are afraid of backlash from their followers, family, friends or coworkers. As a result, they don’t end up posting what they would like to.
• Some are account hopping – they get repeated warnings and can tell they are shadow-banned.  They know in advance that their account will be removed, so they prepare in advance and create similarly named ones. The community share new accounts and can stay one step ahead of the often-biased misinformation police.
• Take a break – Some users wisely take a break for a little while, so they can ride out the shadow ban with timing. 
• Tag team – Users know they might get a 24-hour bar, so people will take turns talking about controversial topics.

Point of view journalism plays an important role in showing in real-time what is happening. For example, the live streams coming from the protests in Victoria and Canada were shown to over 50 thousand people.

We will continue to see censorship online change and evolve while Artificial Intelligence and machine learning becomes smarter, and governments crack down on ‘bad behaviour’. 

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It’s time for the matters of the criminal case of Australian citizen Julian Assange to conclude. His wife Stella believes his treatment is “inhuman and cruel”.

Who is Julian Assange?

Julian Assange is a publisher and journalist who founded the WikiLeaks website. He is being charged by the United States with espionage. He is being charged with exposing the truth and whistleblowing on unethical behaviour and war crimes.

Many supporters believe that Julian is suffering political persecution. He has not received fair treatment or trial, and these matters need to be resolved swiftly.

What happened?

Some classified information was published on the WikiLeaks website, that included:

• Evidence of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan
• US National Security Agency spying on world leaders and UN representatives
• Abuse and torture at Guantanamo Bay and other sites

The United States and its allies committed war crimes. But the people who committed these war crimes were not investigated.

What is the Charge?

In 2019, The US Department of Justice’s federal grand jury charged Julian Assange with 18 counts of superseding indictment. These relate to his alleged role in one of the “largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States”.

The charge is based on “unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense”. These are classified as espionage charges under the Espionage Act.

The questions are:

• Where is the evidence that any person was harmed with the release of this information?
• Where is the evidence that the leak caused damage to the United States or their allies’ national security?
• Why was the classified material easy to access by Chelsea Manning who leaked the information?
• Have there been any legal repercussions to hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable for their unlawful actions?

The United States needs to take responsibility for ensuring confidential material is handled using adequate security protocols and cybersecurity data protection measures. The United States personnel who committed these war crimes damaged their own reputations.

Free Julian Assange Campaign Timeline

Julian is currently in Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom. He has spent the last four years in a maximum-security prison cell.

He is awaiting an application to appeal the extradition to the United States. If he is found guilty of these crimes, he faces a 175-year prison sentence.

In 2021, a UK Court decided to quash the decision to extradite Julian Assange to the United States. It was made on the grounds of his mental health and high suicide risk.

Last year, he suffered a mini-stroke and his health has continued to deteriorate. He has received limited consular help or diplomatic protection.

Recently, the press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was denied access to Julian Assange. He is entitled to visitors who can check on his health.

Importance of Julian Assange’s case

The legal case touches on the topics of democracy, free speech, truth, transparency, and open justice.

Journalists have an important role in documenting history and reporting on the news independently. In a democracy with free speech, they are responsible for creating content that is:

• Factually accurate
• Sources have been confirmed as experts or reliable
• Without undue commercial bias
• Based on statistical and research data that has not been manipulated

Julian Assange has received many awards for journalism including:

• Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism
• Sydney Peace Prize Medal
• Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism
• Index on Censorship prize
• Economist’s New Media Award
• Amnesty International New Media Award
• Gavin MacFadyen Award and many others.

The outcome of this court case poses a real threat to press freedom for journalists and media outlets around the world.

History of National Security Legislation

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, national security legislation has become stricter and threatens basic human rights.

For example, the Australian Government has passed over 100 pieces of legislation under the guise of ‘national security’. ASIS and ASIO can commit offenses or harm to others under these laws. These powers allow:

• offices, houses, and cars of journalists and citizens to be raided.
• anyone’s internet and mobile phone data to be downloaded.

This intimidating behaviour is a threat that will lead to journalists watering down factual stories and self-censoring the news. As a result, journalists feel that they can no longer go undercover to report.

Besides, some news outlets are constantly being threatened with defamation lawsuits. These are an attempt to silence the journalists and shut down public interest stories. These are common strategies used to control the narrative.

Issues about a Fair Court Case

Under the National Security Act, the courts can enforce many measures to keep court cases under secrecy.

Julian Assange and similar whistle-blowers face some unusual legal issues. His court case could be:

• Overseen by the US Attorney General
• Held in a closed court – where the public and media are banned
• Unable to have a special advocate
• Witness statements can be blocked due to the “risks to national security”
• A non-disclosure agreement may be enforced
• Restricted access to a private consultation with his legal team

There is a tendency for intelligence agencies to overclassify documents. These are examples of measures that allow court cases to infringe on human rights and facilitate untransparent processes.

Australian Whistle-blower Laws

There are many different reasons Australia’s whistle-blowers’ laws need updating. These legislative reforms are required to protect free speech, democracy, open justice, and the human rights of its citizens.

Whistle-blowers need protection when they go to an internal, independent regulator, media, self-publish, or an official lawmaker like the police or federal police.

There needs to be clarification about whistle-blowing:

• When do these rules apply?
• How do we enforce them?

Australia needs a dedicated and independent whistle-blower protection agency.

In addition, Australia’s current human rights laws are considered not as good as in America or the United States. Australia needs a Bill of Rights that includes freedom of speech. Many of these laws are considered out of date when compared with other countries.

Free Julian Assange Campaign goals

Many Australians support the return of Julian Assange to his home country.

“There is a widespread feeling that enough is enough,” says John Shipton, father of Julian Assange. “Julian’s physical health is in decline, he needs to be freed before it’s too late,” says Shipton, “I am doing what any parent would do when you have a child who needs your help.”

Under the Human Rights Act, Julian needs access to proper medical care and access to his legal team. He is entitled to due process, humane and fair treatment.

Julian Assange’s family and supporters believe his mental health will suffer in an American prison, and he is at risk of committing suicide.

There are ongoing demands for the Biden administration to drop the charges against the WikiLeaks founder.

Who will hold governments accountable for their actions and ensure any misconduct and wrongdoing is dealt with in a just and fair way?

How to Help Free Julian Assange Campaign

You might like to watch the documentary ‘Ithaka’. It follows John Shipton, the father of Julian Assange, and the fight for his son’s freedom.

View the current status at the Official Australian Website in Support of Julian Assange.

Sign the Amnesty International petition to “USA must drop charges against Julian Assange”

International journalists can add their names to the Speak Up for Assange campaign website.

#JulianAssange #JournalistsSpeakUpForAssange

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A technology journalist researches and writes articles about the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry.

They may specialize in reporting on the latest developments, innovations, and emerging trends. They might cover topics such as the latest gadgets, software, cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence, and the impact of technology on society.

They may write articles, and produce videos, podcasts, and/or social media content. This may include writing interviews, reviews, instructional how-to guides, company updates, research, and more.

A technology journalist may specialize in games, cybersecurity, consumer technology, or product reviews. 

Technology Journalist Skills

A technology journalist needs to have excellent writing and interpersonal skills. They will need to demonstrate critical thinking and be good at problem-solving. They need to feel confident when trying out and testing new products and software.

They will need a deep knowledge of the technology sector and the ability to keep up with a fast-paced and ever-changing industry. They may need to be able to explain complicated technical concepts in Plain English.

Personality traits needed are curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness. A technology journalist must be able to research and digest complex technical information and translate it into engaging and informative content for their audience.

Myers Briggs Personality Types for Technology Journalists

Sharon Carr, Founder and Senior Consultant, Career Smart Consulting believes the following Myers Briggs Type personalities are a good fit for technology journalists:

1. ISTP (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving): ISTPs are known to have excellent problem-solving skills, making them a great fit for technology journalism jobs. They are also detail-oriented, logical, and analytical, making them very good at proofreading, and building webpages and websites.
2. INTJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging): INTJs are known to be visionary and strategic thinkers, making them a great fit for technology journalism jobs where they can utilize their strong intuition to identify the most effective headings, eye-catching images, and interesting story angles. They are also detail-oriented, analytical, and logical, which helps them in designing multimedia elements which are efficient and user-friendly.
3. ENTP (Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving): ENTPs are known to be innovative thinkers, making them a great fit for technology journalism design jobs. They are also quick thinkers, which allows them to make decisions on the fly and react to user needs in real-time.
4. INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging): INFJs are known to be empathetic and insightful, making them a great fit for technology journalism jobs. They are also detail-oriented, analytical, and logical, which helps them in the designing and testing phases of a project.
5. ENFP (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving) with an interest in technology would be welcome addition given their natural flair for communication, curiosity openness to all things new and emerging.

Technology Journalist Training

Technology journalists typically have a journalism or communication degree. Some may also have a university qualification in Information Technology.

Additionally, experience in technology or science writing, and familiarity with digital media platforms, are also essential. It’s helpful to learn how to use a digital camera, and microphone, and edit videos.

As the ICT industry is constantly changing, it is important to stay up to date. You may like to attend webinars, meetups, and conferences. You can complete short courses with LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Google News Initiative, and Walkley Foundation professional development.

You may like to gain training in Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimisation.

Technology Journalist Jobs

You may like to look for a cadet or internship journalist position so you can gain some experience. Some people like to gain experience working on a community radio station or local website. Then you might like to specialize in technology journalism.

The job opportunities available for technology journalists today include working for large media companies, traditional newspapers and magazines, specialist tech websites, and independent media. Some technology journalists also work as freelance writers or consultants.

You’ll need to build up a portfolio with examples of your writing.

Journalism jobs can be found on Seek and news websites, including the BBC and ABC.

You may need to consider alternative similar jobs like social media manager, communications specialist, SEO writer, or technical writer.

The post What does a Technology Journalist do? Skills, Training, and Jobs appeared first on Women Love Tech.

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As a Melbourne Mum of two young screen lovers, Kate Curry was tired of looking at the kids wasting time hunched over their phones or iPads and staring into screens while playing on their PlayStation.

In addition, she was getting exhausted from taking the tech away, hiding it, and later finding shared devices uncharged. On top of that, there were devices and wires all over the house. Then there was the constant searching for someone’s lost mobile phone. 

Kate really wanted to keep the tech out of the bedrooms at night as well. Some of the older and more experienced parents she knows had experienced massive issues with this. 

So back in 2016, Kate decided to create her first model of the inchargebox tech charging station. It was only possible with the help of some fabulous, fun, creative, practical, and talented people, combined with many months of testing different materials and feedback from customers. 

The inchargebox is a lockable powered coated steel tech charging station that charges up to 10 of your devices at once. The station is perfect for iPhones. iPads. iPods, Kindles, smartphones, tablets, TV and gaming remotes, laptops, and more. 

It has evolved over the years to different sizes and colours and USB ports to suit the ever-changing devices! The box is available in mint green, unicorn white, gold, aqua blue, frog green, sunshine yellow, prince violet, pinkalicious, black, and more. 

You can place it on a coffee or side table, or the kitchen bench, as a family’s central charging station. You can also use them in the office or anywhere you’d like to lock away and charge the tech. It is used in homes, offices, hospitals, health practitioner clinics, school classrooms, boarding schools, sporting clubs, and many other locations across the globe! 

Benefits of the inchargebox:

• Using a lockable tech charging station can help set boundaries with tech usage.
• 5 to 10 charging port options
• Compatible with Apple, Hisense, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, LG, and Kindle. AU/NZ approved. SAA, CE, FCC, RoHS certified
• Keeps blue light screens and tech out of the bedroom for a better night’s sleep
• taking control of the tech clutter giving you back time and energy to all enjoy more of the fun and productive screen free things in life. 
• Setting up an inchargebox when they kids get their first devices is a great way to set good habits

The inchargebox now ships globally and has helped thousands of families and businesses create a healthier relationship with the screens! Free shipping in Australia. 

Inchargebox also sells fun blue light blocker glasses, limited edition boxes, alarm clocks, and mesh tech stands.

To order, head to the inchargebox website

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When you are working at home, it’s great to take a break and walk out to the mailbox. Or open the door and get a delivery from a subscription box company. Here are some of my favourites:

Aussie Biz Chic

A monthly subscription box with a learning hub and community for female entrepreneurs.  Each box contains a personal development or business book, and 4 to 5 stationery and lifestyle items to help motivate you and grow your business. Just subscribe by the 15th of the month at the Aussie Biz Chic website.

Cratejoy

Book lovers will love Cratejoy’s book subscription boxes. These monthly deliveries contain a curated selection of books and themed goodies. There are boxes devoted to kids, young adults, mystery and horror fans, personal growth, leadership and productivity, wellness and mindfulness and more.

Geek Gear

A UK-based business that sends monthly subscription boxes containing licensed and exclusive merchandise. Enjoy receiving boxes themed by wizardry, wearables, and wands – ideal for any Harry Potter fans. You might get prop replicas, exclusive t-shirts, or artwork. Order at the Geek Gear website. #GeekGearBox

Loot Crate

Loot Crate is a pop culture subscription service. These themed boxes are divided into pop culture (horror, anime, sci-fi), gaming, and film and TV crates. A crate may contain a wearable plus a t-shirt, comic book, household item, vinyl figure, and something useful.

You might be lucky enough to get your hands on a limited-edition crate like Avatar, artist Junji Ito, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and licensed merchandise. For more information, view the Loot Crate website.

Letters from Afar

I’m lusting after Letters from Afar. You’ll receive a letter from a fictitious 19th-century female explorer, Isabella Bird. The mail includes a letter, vibrant illustrations, field notes, and a map. You can learn about a new place each month. Join up at the Letters from Afar website.

ToykoTreat

If you love Asian candy and snacks, then the ToykoTreat might appeal. The box contains seasonal, exclusive, and limited-edition Japanese snacks that are only available in Japan for a limited time like Sakura Pepsi, Japanese Sake KitKats, and more. You’ll get 15 to 20 full-size Japanese snacks. There are several different plans, but you might like to start with a gift. Order via the TokyoTreat website.

Just be careful to read the terms and conditions and cancel any ongoing subscription or auto-billing agreements as your budget allows.

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A British journalist posted her concerns about the new teenage-face filter on TikTok.

The filter allows you to photoshop a teenage face onto your womanly body. It’s incredibly realistic and follows the face accurately.

These filters use augmented reality, so you can change the colour of your skin, or try out new hairstyles or lipsticks.

Did you know the teenage filter on TikTok has been viewed 311.6 million times?

Advantages of the teenage-face filter

• Hides wrinkles and blemishes without the cost of botox or plastic surgery
• Anecdotal reports that for people who are transitioning or identifying as nonbinary, trans, or fluid the visual imagery helps them see how they might have looked like as a teenager and have found the experience therapeutic

Disadvantages of the teenage-face filter

• Carefully curated images show unrealistic beauty standards
• Reinforces the stereotype that younger images are better
• May encourage a negative self-image and negative body image thoughts, and as a result trigger dysmorphia and eating disorders
• May facilitate catfishing and grooming behaviour online (as it allows predators to pretend to be fellow teenagers or impersonate children)

Research on Teenagers’ Online Behaviour

Social media allows teenagers to feel more connected, maintain friendships, access information and show their creative side. 

The Pew Research Center has found “Teen girls are more likely than teen boys to say they … use TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, while boys are more likely to use Twitch and Reddit. Boys also report using YouTube at higher rates than girls, although the vast majority of teens use this platform regardless of gender.” 

However, “38% of teens say they feel overwhelmed by all the drama they see on social media, while about three-in-ten say these platforms have made them feel like their friends are leaving them out of things (31%) or have felt pressure to post content that will get lots of likes or comments (29%). Another 23% say these platforms make them feel worse about their own life.” 

Solutions

• Require all social media apps to tag the filter being used or have a disclaimer at the start
• Disable some filters for anyone under 18
• Have open discussions with your teenager about these filters and how they feel after using social media.

The overwhelming majority of the comments on the post were negative and included words like disturbing, creepy, concerning, and messed up.

There is significant research that shows Social Media Filters Are Changing How Young People See Themselves and this leads to impacts on body image and self-esteem.

There are several groups who are helping to shape the laws and standards regarding safety and diversity in these emerging technologies, such as the Gatherverse community, Women in Immersive Tech and XRSI – XR safety initiative.

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Did you know that your coworkers can stalk you when you access and update shared documents in the cloud? 

While working collaboratively on a Microsoft Word document, a co-worker’s profile icon popped up. So I retreated and closed the document.

I decided to open another word document to work on. Within seconds she was in the same document. I did this a couple of times, and each time she closely followed my actions. So I gave up and worked on a different section. I felt a little bewildered, and I wondered how the person was doing it.

Over the weeks, it happened a couple more times and I dismissed it as a coincidence. We were supposed to be working collaboratively. 

One day, the behaviour intensified. She closely followed my movements opening a number of documents in the space of several minutes. The behaviour was intimidating. 

I mentioned it to someone else on the team, and started my story with “I don’t know if you’ll believe me”. I wasn’t sure what would motivate someone to resort to sneaky behaviour like this. The person was sitting only a couple of metres away from me. They could have easily come over and had a conversation if there were any issues. 

I don’t mind my manager keeping an eye on work and activities on my work computer. But a coworker overlooking my shoulder and viewing every keystroke in real time felt weird and creepy. 

Word Document Editing Modes

With most word editing documents you can change the editing mode settings: 

• Editing – edit documents directly
• Suggesting – edits become suggests. These are usually colour coded and marked with your name
• Viewing – edits are locked. You can only read or print the final document. This is ideal when copy requires going through an approval process. 

In Microsoft Word, you can track changes, lock changes and accept or reject suggestions from other staff members. 

Version History Pane

In addition, Microsoft 365 has a Version History Pane for any documents stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. The version history pane shows you when your file has been saved, and by whom. You can open and revert to older versions if needed.

Document Edit Notifications

Lastly, you can receive notifications right within Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, when coworkers you’ve shared your file with make changes, edits, comments, etc. 

You can turn on an alert in the Windows Action Centre or the Notification Centre, depending on your operating system and device. 

You can turn on email notifications in OneDrive when people make changes to your shared files by default.

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Google Pixel Watch has been designed with comfort and durability foremost so you can wear it all day and night.

The smartwatch features an attractive circular and domed design with a range of watchbands to suit all occasions. There are 19 customisable watch faces with the option to create your own design.

It is powered by Wear OS by Google. You’ll be able to access all of your favourite Google apps like Google Assistant, Maps, Wallet, Calendar and Gmail.

You can swipe from left to right to see your basic health statistics. Think steps, heart rate, exercise, sleep, agenda, weather, and maps. If you are familiar with Fitbit you’ll find it easy to use. There are 40 exercise modes to track your favourite workouts and all-day activities including steps, distance with built-in GPS and Active Zone Minutes, to help you push for that extra rep during workouts.

The default menu allows you access: Google Home, touch lock, torch, Google Wallet, aeroplane mode, Find My Phone (by ringing your mobile number), adaptive brightness, bedtime mode, do not disturb mode, cinema mode, battery charge and saver, settings and ring on.

You can use popular health and fitness apps like My Fitness Palm, Calm, Runtastic, Stava, Sleep Cycle, Adidas Running, and more.

My friend likes to use Google Maps on her watch to find out where she is going. You can use voice commands with Google Assistant to send messages, check the weather and control smart home devices. The weather app gives the current temperature, a high and low temperature for the day, and the current UV index.  

The Google Wallet lets you pay with your smartwatch anywhere that accepts contactless payments and Google Pay. Keep track of your to-do list and reminders with Google Keep.

You can listen to music via Spotify or YouTube Music. You can cache your favourite playlists with 32GB of on-device storage.

There’s an emergency SOS feature to alert emergency services or trusted contacts if you’re feeling unsafe or need assistance.

You can stay connected to your mobile phone via 4G LTE + Bluetooth/Wi-Fi on a compatible wireless plan, or via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi.

The watch is available in a champagne gold case with a hazel-grey active band, a matte black case with an obsidian black active band, and a polished silver case with a charcoal grey active band.

With a smartwatch that is packed with so many features, it’s okay to take your time learning the ropes. Just tackle one new app at a time. You don’t need to turn everything on at the beginning.

I’d recommend having a second charger, so you can charge it up when at work or at home.  

It’s a good size for my small wrist and hand and fits well.

The Google Pixel watch is attractive and practical. I like the wristband and traditional round face.

Where and when can you buy the Google Pixel Watch?

Google Pixel Watch starts at $549 (Bluetooth®/ Wi-Fi) and is available now from the Google Store, Officeworks and Harvey Norman. The 4G LTE version is available for $649 at the Google Store and Telstra. Accessory bands start from $69. 

About Google Pixel Watch

Google Pixel Watch is Google’s first full-featured premium smartwatch. A natural extension of the Pixel family, the Google Pixel Watch combines the smarts and helpfulness you know and love from Google with Fitbit’s health and fitness expertise, all in an elegant design. #teampixel

Help by Google. Health by Fitbit.

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The Signature M650 Mouse by Logitech is an affordable option and suitable for small to medium-sized hands.

Logitech Signature M650 Mouse Features:

• Silent touch (silent clicks)
• SmartWheel for easy scrolling
• 24-month battery life

“There are more than a billion knowledge workers in the world, and around half of them don’t use a mouse or have an entry-level or corded mouse with limited functions,” said Art O’Gnimh, vice president of the mainstream business for creativity and productivity at Logitech. “The Signature M650 offers a true Logitech signature experience with simple productivity functions that make working all day easier and faster.”

What’s in the box?

The packaging is easy to open. It contains one wireless mouse, a USB receiver, an AA battery, and user instructions. The leaflet covers safety, compliance, and warranty information. Open the cardboard for the setup instructions.

Mouse Setup

Just turn the mouse over and slide the bottom off. Here you will see the battery and USB bolt (toggle). Remove the white plastic bookmark. Make sure the button shows green. You’ll notice the mouse flashing.

There are two ways to connect your Logitech mouse to your device:

1. Use Bluetooth
2. Place the Logi bolt (toggle) in your laptop or computer

I had no issues setting up my mouse with a laptop.

Mouse Technology

The SilentTouch technology ensures that the other person won’t hear any clicking during a video call or meeting. There are 5 buttons: Left/Right-click, Back/Forward, and a scroll-wheel with a middle click.

The Logitech SmartWheel allows you have line-by-line control and fast scrolling, especially on long pages.

You may like to download the Logitech Options software from the Logitech website. This program is suitable for mice, keypads, and touchpads. Then you can customize the buttons with your favourite shortcuts.

The mouse feels nice under my hand and is a perfect size. It promises a natural fit for extra comfort during all-day use, and it delivers.

The wireless mouse is available in graphite black, rose pink, and off-white. It is available in two sizes and has a left-handed option.

Did you know Signature M650’s plastic parts are made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic? That is 64% for graphite, 26% for off-white and 26% for rose.

The Logitech Signature M650 Mouse is a comfortable and personalized mouse at a great price.

1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

Find Logitech mice and products at www.logitech.com

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