Author: Bluesdigital Web Services

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🌠 Perseid Meteor Shower is Back! ☄️

The display could produce up to 100 meteors an hour, as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust.

The shower should be visible across the UK from around sunset on Monday until the early hours of Tuesday. However, the best time will be from midnight.

The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.

The meteoroids from the comet are mostly no bigger than a grain of sand. They burn up as they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 36 miles per second. As a result, they produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.

Jess Lee, astronomy education officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “This shower is known for a particularly high rate of meteors (up to 100 per hour if we’re lucky) and particularly bright meteors.

“This year, due to the current phase of the Moon, the sky should be dark enough for many of the shooting stars to be visible.”

If you do want to spot some meteors, try to go out after midnight.

Go as far from any streetlights as you can, to an area with lots of the sky visible if possible. It’s then just a case of getting comfortable, looking up, and waiting.

She added that the best view of the shower would be in areas that had clear skies. Also, it would be best in areas that were away from light pollution.

Ms Lee said: “If you do want to spot some meteors, try to go out after midnight, as far from any streetlights as you can, to an area with lots of the sky visible if possible.

“It’s then just a case of getting comfortable, looking up, and waiting.”

The Perseids are named after the constellation of Perseus, because if you trace the meteors back across the sky they appear to have come from that area.

Expert tech support, even under the stars! ✨

Whether you’re trying to capture the perfect long-exposure shot on your PC or just need your home tech to run as fast as a shooting star, Bluesdigital is your go-to for Newtown computer services. We’re here to make sure your hardware never lets you down!

Get in touch: ☎️ Call: 01686 610 106 📱 Text: 0783 222 7823 📍 Visit us: Frolic House, Newtown (Right between the Medical Practice & Driving Test Centre)

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🌌 More pretty JWST Images… 🚀
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📷 Bluesdigital Newtown Photos 🏛️

Since first opening up shop back in 2006, I have been collecting old photo’s of Newtown.

Thanks to the great generosity of my customers, it has grown to 2,245 images at last count!

If anyone would like the entire collection of old photo’s of Newtown, I would be happy to share them.

Feel free to pop in to the shop with a memory stick, or I can email you a WeTransfer link if that’s easier.

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Tiny Lights, Big Love: Charity Event Posters for a Heartfelt Evening
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Royal Mint starts turning e-waste into gold

The Royal Mint, maker of the UK’s coins, has begun processing electronic waste to extract gold from it.

The company has built a large industrial plant on its site in Llantrisant in Wales. It removes the precious metal from old circuit boards there.

They are using the gold for jewellery first, then for commemorative coins later.

E-waste, which includes anything from old phones and computers to TVs, is a rapidly growing problem. The UN says 62m tonnes were thrown away in 2022.

The latest report estimates that our global ‘mountain’ of discarded tech will grow by another 33% by 2030.

The new plant will process about 4,000 tonnes of e-waste each year

At the Royal Mint plant, piles of circuit boards are being fed into the new facility.

First, they are heated to remove their various components. Then the array of detached coils, capacitors, pins and transistors are sieved, sorted, sliced and diced. After that, they move along a conveyor belt.

Anything with gold in it is set aside.

“What we’re doing here is urban mining,” says head of sustainability Inga Doak.

“We’re taking a waste product that’s being produced by society and we’re mining the gold from that waste product and starting to see the value in that finite resource.”

The machinery sorts and separates the different parts of the circuit boards

The gold-laden pieces go to an on-site chemical plant.

They’re tipped into a chemical solution which leaches the gold out into the liquid.

This is then filtered, leaving a powder behind. It looks pretty nondescript but this is actually pure gold. It just needs to be heated in a furnace to be transformed into a gleaming nugget.

“Traditional gold recovery processes are very energy intensive and use very toxic chemicals that can only be used once, or they go to high energy smelters and they’re basically burnt,” says Leighton John, the Royal Mint’s operations director.

“The groundbreaking thing for us is the fact that this chemistry is used at room temperature, at very low energy, it’s recyclable and pulls gold really quickly.”

There’s no shortage of e-waste for the Royal Mint to target. The UN’s 2024 e-waste report, external, places the UK as the second biggest producer of tech trash per capita. The UK is beaten only by Norway.

“Our aim is to process over 4,000 tonnes of e-waste annually,” says Leighton John.

“Traditionally this waste is shipped overseas but we’re keeping it in the UK and we’re keeping those elements in the UK for us to use. It’s really important.”

The Powder collected at the end of the process – pure gold!

Four thousand tonnes of e-waste should generate up to 450kg of gold, which is worth about £27m at current prices.

This shift into the waste business is a big change for the Royal Mint.

For more than a thousand years, it has been the UK’s official coin maker.

But with cash use dwindling, e-waste is a new way for the government-owned company to make money. It is also a way to save jobs.

“We needed to diversify,” explains CEO Anne Jessopp.

“And given that less people are now needed to make coins, actually it was an ideal opportunity to move people across [to e-waste processing]. This way, we could keep jobs for those people.”

Circuit boards contains many different materials that could be re-used

As well as recovering gold, the company is also looking at what to do with all of the other materials. It is separating these materials out from the circuit boards.

They contain a number of different materials including aluminium, copper, tin and steel. They’re also investigating whether ground up boards could be used by the construction industry.

Don’t let your old tech go to waste! 🖥️🛡️

While we aren’t melting down gold here at Frolic House, we are experts at “mining” more life out of your current machines! Before you consign a slow PC to the recycling bin, bring it in. A simple upgrade or a professional system clean-up can often make an old computer feel brand new again.

For honest, reliable Newtown computer services, we’re right here to help you get the most out of your tech.

Get in touch: ☎️ Call: 01686 610 106 📱 Text: 0783 222 7823 📍 Visit us: Frolic House, Newtown (Between the Medical Practice & Driving Test Centre)

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💻 Refurbished Laptops 💻
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🐕Dogs enlisted to rewild parts of the UK🌳

‘Man’s best friend’ is becoming an ally of nature too thanks to a novel rewilding project in southern England.

Dogs wear leaky backpacks full of wildflower seeds as they roam a site just outside Lewes. They ‘mimic’ an ecological role that wolves vacated after humans drove them to extinction in the 18th century.

Wolves unwittingly collected seeds in their fur and deposited them all over the UK, creating new colonies of plants. Now Lewes’ dogs are doing the same. This is thanks to an initiative run by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust and the Wilderlife rewilding platform.

The idea is believed to have started in Chile, where people used dogs to disperse seeds following devastating wildfires. Dogs can cover larger distance than their owners and often explore areas that are hard for humans to reach.

Project manager Dylan Walker said: “This has been such a joyous experience. Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside, so we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars.”

Source: POSITIVE NEWS

Planting the seeds for better performance 🚀💻

Just like these dogs are improving the natural landscape, we can improve your PC—one seed at a time. Whether it’s planting a fresh Operating System to get a clean start, or “rewilding” an old machine with a memory upgrade, we can help. Take advantage of our Newtown computer services to make your tech lush again.

Get in touch: ☎️ Call: 01686 610 106 📱 Text: 0783 222 7823 📍 Visit us: Frolic House, Newtown (Right between the Medical Practice & Driving Test Centre)

Did you know?

In computing, a “Seed” is actually a real thing—it’s the initial value used to start a process or generate random data.

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📰 Rich & Janet’s Review 📖
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iPhone Users take note…

An image of the Apple Logo

Apple is now warning users in 98 countries of potential mercenary spyware attacks.

The message sent to the affected users says:

“Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID.”

In the same message, Apple says that it is very likely that the person in question is being specifically targeted because of what they do or who they are. And, although there is a certain margin of error, the user should take this warning seriously.

Mercenary spyware is used by governments to target people like journalists, political activists, and similar targets, and involves the use of sophisticated tools like Pegasus. Pegasus is one of the world’s most advanced and invasive spyware tools, known to utilize zero-day vulnerabilities against mobile devices.

On the website that explains Apple threat notifications and protection against mercenary spyware, it specifically mentions Pegasus:

“According to public reporting and research by civil society organizations, technology firms, and journalists, individually targeted attacks of such exceptional cost and complexity have historically been associated with state actors, including private companies developing mercenary spyware on their behalf, such as Pegasus from the NSO Group.”

Apple has sent out similar notifications multiple times a year since 2021 but doesn’t disclose how it determines who to send them to, since that might aid attackers in evading future detection.

Amnesty International urges those that have received such a notification to take it seriously.

Amnesty’s Security Lab offers digital forensic support to potential victims like human rights defenders, activists, journalists and members of civil society.

If you are a member of civil society, and you have received an Apple notification, you can contact Amnesty International and request forensic support using the Get Help form.

Whether you’ve received that notification or not, every iPhone user should make sure they have the latest updates, protect the device with a passcode, use multi-factor authentication and a strong password for Apple ID, only install apps from the Apple Play store, use a mobile security product, and be careful what they open or tap on.

People that have reason to believe they might be individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, can enable Lockdown Mode on their Apple devices for additional protection.

“Lockdown Mode” does the following:

  • Blocks most message attachments
  • Blocks incoming FaceTime calls from people you have not called previously
  • Blocks some web technologies and browsing features
  • Excludes location from shared photo’s and removes Shared Albums
  • Blocks wired connections when the device is locked
  • Blocks auto-joining non-secure WiFi networks
  • Blocks incoming invitations from people you have not previously invited
  • Blocks installation of configuration profiles you may require for work or school

How to turn on Lockdown Mode on iPhone or iPad

Open the Settings app. Tap Privacy & Security. Scroll down, tap Lockdown Mode. Tap Turn On Lockdown Mode. Read what it does and tap Turn On Lockdown Mode if that is what you want. Tap Turn On & Restart, then enter your device passcode.

🛡️ Is Your Digital Life Under Lock and Key?

While most of us won’t be targeted by state-level mercenary spyware, the basic principles of digital defense apply to everyone. If your iPhone or computer contains irreplaceable data—from family photos to business accounts—now is the time to ensure it’s safe.

At Bluesdigital, we don’t just fix hardware; we protect your digital world. If you’re worried about security, need help setting up Lockdown Mode, or want to secure your data with a “fail-safe” backup system, we are your local experts for Newtown computer services.

Don’t wait for a warning notification to act.

  • Data Recovery: If the worst has already happened, we can help retrieve your vital files.
  • Secure Backups: We’ll set up a robust system so your data survives even if your device is compromised.

Secure your tech today: ☎️ Call: 01686 610 106 📱 Text: 0783 222 7823 📍 Visit us: Frolic House, Newtown (Right between the Medical Practice & Driving Test Centre)

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Mid Wales Loft Services
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Global Tech Outage 19-07-24

Oh dear…Major IT outages are hitting industries across the world, and in Newtown Too! (Morrisons, Nidec) With airlines, broadcasters and supermarkets amongst the many who are affected.

This is happening after the Banking issues on the 28th of last month, messing with transactions & the last Microsoft Azure/Bing explosion we reported on here, back in May this year.

Bing’s API is down…

If you are off shopping, it might be worth taking a little cash today

All Bluesdigital systems are currently working:

  • Payment Systems & Banking ✔️
  • Web & Email Hosting Services ✔️
  • Mobile & Fibre Internet Services ✔️
  • Print Services ✔️

UPDATE: 22-07-2024

Looks like things are slowly returning to normal. I’m still hearing of a few problems from customers using the English NHS and access to patient records, along with some Airport/Travel delays, but overall, pretty good considering the initial impact of one AntiVirus program update.

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Reflections | A collection of poetry

I’ve recently had the pleasure of helping to produce this lovely book of poetry by Hilary Mary Davies.

“The Welsh landscape, culture and language is world renowned for its richness and beauty which has been an inspiration for hundreds of artists and poets over centuries. This collection of poems reflects this inspiration by the author, Hilary Mary Davies’ rural childhood in Glamorgan, her life dedicated to Secondary and Primary Teaching and subsequent retirement in Llandinam, Mid Wales.”

Trystan made a really good job of compiling Hilary’s poems in an easy to read A4 “Perfect Bound” Book, with nice Glossy Covers, and it’s turned out lovely!

If you would like a copy of this limited edition, contact Trystan: trystandavies@hotmail.com or call 01686 688 706

✨ Have a book, poetry collection, or personal project you’d love to preserve or see in print?


From professional book scanning services and high-resolution digitising to layout, printing, and perfect binding, we can help bring manuscripts, poetry, memoirs, and family histories to life — or safely preserve them for the future.

📘 Book scanning • Short-run printing • Perfect-bound books & brochures
📍 All produced locally, right here in the shop

🏠 Pop in to see us at Frolic House, between the Medical Practice 🏥 and Driving Test Centre 🚗
📞 Call 01686 610 106 | 💬 Message 0783 222 7823

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📓 Poetry & Memories 🖋️
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💻 My perfect computer….💻

Great question this morning:

“If you had: No financial limits, No eco concerns, and Abundant physical space, ie, where to keep it…What computer that is available today, would you buy for home or Bluesdigital or both and why?”

Hmmm, Well first off it would be for work, as I don’t really use a computer anywhere else, and my little iPhone does me fine when I’m not here.

Next, “Off the Shelf” or Custom Build………..

The Case: iONZ KZ-X1. A Sturdy little case that is plenty big enough for my needs & easy to chuck in the boot of the car, for a bit of LAN Party action at home. Available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3xOM9ql

Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e. Gold rated, with plenty of grunt. Also very flexible with all those connections. More than double what is needed, but that means smooth cool running, with lots in reserve. Good deal on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3VVQPCR

Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-P. No Frills, Fast Chipset, Nuff Said!

Grab one from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/462nyLf

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900. 12 Cores /24 Threads & Lot’s of Mhz = lots of flexibility for doing the chores of Video/Image editing & all done using the minimum of power, keeping everything cool & dandy.

Good prices on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3W2vSG6

Memory: CORSAIR VENGEANCE. 96GB (2x48GB) of some of the best DDR5 memory on the market. Stability is everything with your work PC, and this over specced’ RAM is just the ticket. Of course you can find on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3VVVRzf

SSD #1: Corsair MP600 ELITE 2TB. Top of the range performance for my “Windows” Drive, and plenty of room for all my junk. On Amazon here: https://amzn.to/45XBwy7

SSD #2: Lexar NQ790 4TB. As a “Work” Drive, Healthy speeds & lots of capacity are a must. Find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3xP9Pef

Graphics Card: Sparkle Intel Arc A580. Any Gamers reading this will probably raise an eyebrow at my choice of graphics. But this 3rd Gen Intel has fantastic video processing, great Photoshop support & is plenty fast enough for any casual gaming if required. Prices are finally starting to come down on these rare card’s, so head over to Amazon if you want one: https://amzn.to/4f1VgEH

With a Parts list just over £1,600.00…… “How long till my birthday?”

Ready to build your own powerhouse? 🛠️💻

If you’re looking for top-tier Newtown computer services, look no further! You can grab this exact “Birthday Wishlist” spec via the Amazon links above and build it yourself, or get in touch if you need a hand with a custom setup. 🚀

Whether you’re chasing those 12 Ryzen cores or that massive 96GB of RAM, I’m here to help you get the best performance for your pound. 💷✨

Find us here: 📍 Bluesdigital | Frolic House (Right between the Medical Practice and the Driving Test Centre!) ☎️ Call us: 01686 610 106 🛍️

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🆓 Another Free to a Good Home ! 🆓 Viewsonic VX1932