Google Maps - Back in Time
Linda asked about how to see earlier views in Google Maps. We discussed this back in June 2022 - see the relevant blog:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2022/06/
I think you can only do this on the web version rather than a mobile app. Select the area you want to see and go to Street View. At the top left, it show the date of the image and, if other dates are available, you can select those.
Windows 10 Extended Support - Extended
Support for Windows 10 officially ended on 14th October 2025. However, they offered the ESU (Extended Security Updates) program to provide those vital security updates, initially for 1 year up to October this year. We discussed this last year, most recently last October – see the relevant blog:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2025/10/
However, they have now, with few in any announcements, extended this for a further year up to 12th October 2027. You can still enrol in the ESU in one of the following 3 ways:-
- Use Windows Backup to sync your PC settings to OneDrive,
- Redeem 1000 Microsoft Reward Points (go to bing.microsoft.com), or
- Pay $30.
To enrol in the ESU program go to:-
- Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update
- Select Enrol Now
Note that you need to be signed in with a Microsoft Account (as opposed to a Local Account).
See this Microsoft page for full details:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates?r=1
Also, this Ars Technica article from 25th June this year has further comment:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program
US Government Blocks Fable 5 – Then Unblocks It
Last month we discussed Anthropic’s new powerful AI model called Mythos. It was so powerful that it’s initial release was limited to a collection of software manufacturers in a process called “Project Glasswing”. I mentioned that, on 9th June, Anthropic had just released “Fable 5” – an AI based on Mythos but with strong restrictions (“guard rails”). However, a few days later, the US government instructed Anthropic to suspend Fable 5 due to “security concerns”. See this Ars Technica article dated 13th June for more details:-
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/anthropic-shuts-down-fable-mythos-models-following-trump-admin-directive/
Anthropic had previously fallen foul of the US Defence Department when it refused to allow its products to be used for either mass surveillance or autonomous warfare. Anthropic is currently in a legal dispute with the Pentagon. Could this be why the Trump administration has effectively banned the release of Fable 5?
However, subsequently, the US Administration has lifted the block – see this article dated 1st July from Ars Technica:-
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/after-spooking-trump-into-safety-testing-anthropic-ai-models-get-global-release/
It seems that Anthropic have added further “guardrails” and resolved (some of) their issues with the US government. Some reports have indicated that these extra protections built into Fable have significantly limited its capabilities for legitimate work.
Android 17
Android 17 is being released. As usual, Google Pixel phones will be the first to get it, with other manufacturers following in a few months. See this Ars Technica article for more details:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/android-17-starts-hitting-pixel-phones-and-watches-today/
Pixel 11 Phone
And on the hardware side, it looks like Google will announce the next new phone in their Pixel series, the Pixel 11, at an event in New York on 12th August (which is also the date of the next Computer Club meeting). See this brief article from Ars Technica yesterday:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/googles-pixel-11-launch-event-is-set-for-august-12-with-possible-price-increases/
Apple Announces Price Increases
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, that they will be increasing prices significantly. This is mainly due to the increased cost of memory and storage chips, which are in extremely high demand to build new AI data centres. See this Mac Rumors article for more:-
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/17/apple-increasing-prices/
Nice of Tim Cook to announce this bad news before he leaves the job and is replaced as Apple CEO by John Ternus in September.
iPhone in 2276 Time Capsule
As part of the USA’s 250th birthday (which they like to call the semiquincentennial), a time capsule has been sealed to be opened again on the 500th anniversary. One of the items included is an iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’m not sure what they will make of it when they open the capsule in 2276! It will look very primitive by them, I imagine. Seems unlikely that the battery would survive that long – it might have burst into flames and destroyed the other contents of the capsule!
For more about the time capsule, see the America250 website:-
https://america250.org/time-capsule/
Search Engines – Google Alternatives & AI
The traditional (i.e. pre-AI) search engine looked for key words. They used software called a crawler or spider to continually roam through web pages and create an index of words and their locations (by web address). This Wikipedia page has a timeline of search engines:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_web_search_engines
As you can see, Google was not the first search engine. The “Google.com” domain was registered in September 1997. There have been many other since then, although Google has a dominant position in terms of market share. However, note that many other “search engines” actually use the indexes created by Google or Bing. This article from SoftMaker considers some Google alternatives:-
https://www.softmaker.com/en/blog/friday-chat/blog-google-alternatives
AI can now help us with searching. The conventional Google search now puts an AI summary ahead of its actual search results, but you can also click/tap “AI Mode” to access its Gemini AI and ask questions in natural language. Many other companies offer AI chatbots that attempt to answer your questions including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Anthropic’s Claude, Perplexity, etc. This PCMag article lists some AI search engines:-
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-ai-search-engines
AI will give answers based on information it finds. It can make mistakes and even invent things, so, if it is important, do further research to verify the details.
Traditional search engines such as Google and Bing are free to use. To finance them, they incorporate adverts – you have to be careful not to confuse and advert with the real search results. Search engines such as Kagi (kagi.com) are paid-for (although there is free trial) and therefore don’t have adverts. AI chatbots usually have a free tear, but you can pay to get access to the latest AI model, memory so it can recall your previous conversations and more time if you ask it to perform complex tasks.
Many people will search from the browser’s Address Bar; this will use whatever search engine is enabled in the browser’s Settings. If you are not sure how to change the search engine in your particular browser, just search for instructions! Alternatively, if you want to use, say, Kagi, just go to:-
https://kagi.com/
You can, of course, set a Bookmark/Favourite for your chosen search engine, making it quick and easy to access with delving into Settings.
Dave mentioned NotebookLM, another Google product, which you can access at:-
https://notebooklm.google/
In particular, you can upload document, videos, audio file, etc to NotebookLM and then ask questions, get a summary or find connection just based on the data you have uploaded.
By uploading documents to any AI service, you can get responses just based on those document which reduces the likelihood hallucinations.
Dave mentioned the use of "operators" in a Google Search, such as the "-" sign, double quote marks, etc. We will perhaps explore these further next time.
Google Photos Search
Linda has an issue with the Google Photos app on her iPhone SE. The Search icon goes to a "Terms and Conditions" screen about using AI, but there seems to be no way to accept these terms or continue. We did not have a solution to this issue.
Next Session
Wed 12th August 2026 at 2pm by Zoom
