From michael at auzzie.net Sun Jan 2 22:35:45 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:35:45 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 33 - Welcome to 2K11 :) Message-ID: <4D206311.5050608@auzzie.net> *In this edition: * /First Newsletter for 2011 - a mixed bag./ *Assorted News: * Happy New Year :) * * Exetel adding $10 to most ADSL plans :( Cheapest way to get Telstra Mobile Broadband without a contract. Google Maps for Mobile Mobile Radio Media Players: bye bye VCR and DVD? *General Ramblings: * How a Modern Car could be reprogrammed to kill you. (The Attack iPod) Scaring off the tech-unsavvy? *Entertainment: * Bluebirdy Blues II and the Banana Split Reinstalling Windows. (With a circular saw.) HOME MOVIE: Electric Mower Still A Goer. Videos: Spitting Goat, Angry Professor, Ladder Goat. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Happy New Year :)** *Welcome to 2011. You made it! 2010 worked out pretty well for CCC. Work was pretty consistent throughout the year, with an income to match. The only memorable drama really was the 60% Exetel pay cut, but then when you're an agent for a reseller of another person's product, you can't always expect to be on an winning ticket. For about three years it was a significant part of my daily work, amassing about 300 or so connections in that time. This has slowed to one or two a month now as the big players have at last started offering realistic prices. Happily, while the Exetel line of work has faded, I have seen a significant increase in programming jobs for a few assorted businesses; and since programming is often quite a lengthy, consistent job, it really helps the cash flow along and provides some interesting challenges. I don't think I'd want to be a programmer full time since it results in long hours of isolation and excessive junk food consumption, but mixed in with computer repairs it works out well. The biggest challenge in 2011 is likely to be time management - both for work and home life. There's only one of me after all :) During peak busy times I have to accept that sometimes I can't return everyone's call in time so occasionally customers resort to other support people out of necessity or impatience. Where possible, I SMS people to advise what's happening when, since it's quite easy to quickly send out an SMS while waiting for a computer to do something - but SMS messages to landlines are still a bit hit and miss. I still refuse to talk on the phone while I'm working on another person's job - if you're paying me to do something for you, then you deserve my attention :) *Exetel adding $10 to most ADSL plans. (Not Mobile Broadband plans.) *Not the nicest start to 2011, but then price rises are never a welcome thing if you're the one paying the bill. Exetel's adding $10 a month to most older plans from February. Their reasoning being that when they sign you up, they receive a discount from their provider. Those discounts, which they passed on in their plan pricing, have all run out now, so most residential plans are now costing them money. There is some truth to that too based on what I've learned of their costings over the years. This increase will make them about the same price as most competing providers now, so you might want to shop around or consider changing to a different system altogether if these increases take you beyond a comfortable price point. The cheapest alternative would probably be TPG if you want to keep ADSL, although there are rumours that their network might be overloaded and thus a bit slow at times. I've not experienced this yet, but then I'm not a TPG customer; and the few I have seem to be OK still. For Armidale customers: TPG do ADSL2 at rates much cheaper than Exetel. For some, BigPond is a reasonable choice now as well, slightly hampered by their 'light user' and 'heavy user' plans with nothing in between. You might want to check out http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/ which lists all the different ISPs in Australia. Also, if you're a VoIP user, PennyTel has some decent rates for VoIP. (9c untimed landlines, 10.5c per min to mobiles.) *Cheapest Way to get Telstra Mobile Broadband without a contract? *At present there exists a strange anomaly in Telstra pricing. It is currently, potentially cheaper to use your phone as a modem instead of one of those 2 year contract USB sticks. Compare http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/browsing_packs.html with http://go.bigpond.com/wireless/ and note that the prices on the latter include a $20 discount already. For example, at the cheaper end of the scale $10 vs $40 for a 1GB service with no bundled other services. There is one *massive *caveat however: The former has an excess rate of* $250 *per gigabyte on the cheaper plans whereas the latter has no excess - it slows down instead. What that means is that you really, _really _have to keep an eye on your usage if you're on that plan. At least they generally SMS you when you get to your limit. So, if you want mobile broadband without a contract, you can add one of those to your Telstra mobile. If you don't have a Telstra mobile, you can sign up for a $10 a month casual mobile phone plan and add one of the browsing packs to it. Then, either stick the SIM card in a suitable mobile phone, or you can obtain one of hundreds of orphaned BigPond USB modems that BigPond so idiotically and wastefully declared to be unusable if you ever left them. I've tested it and it works, but again if you're using a USB modem make sure you know how the SMS messages will appear on it. You can also use some of the free usage meters at http://alternativeto.net/software/networx/ *Google Maps for Mobile *Just a quick note that Google Maps for Mobile V4 is available. It will work on most modern Nokia, BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile phones. The reasons it is useful? 1 - It (Sort of) works without needing GPS built into the phone. Those StreetView vans that took all those photos last year also noted who had wireless routers in their houses, and since each router is uniquely numbered, they can use this to tell you roughly where you are. 2 - Detailed, up to date navigation. You might already own a GPS, but the maps might be out of date. For example, can it find "Range View Road" in Armidale? It's way too expensive to upgrade the maps in those old GPSes. Fire up Google Maps on your phone and odds are it will know the new road. (Not always, but more likely than your old GPS.) What it won't do... It doesn't hold all the maps in the phone, you need Internet on the phone to use it; and if you don't have a Google phone, it won't talk to you to tell you where to turn. You have to read the instructions on the screen instead. You can get it from http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/ Side note: Most Nokias will let you download maps for other countries for free so you don't need the Internet to use them when overseas. *Mobile Radio? *Now that internet on the phone is suddenly cheap, it's practical to play around with the Internet Radio on your phone. For example, on my old Nokia there are over 10,000 radio stations listed. (Yeah I know, too many really!) It's fun being able to pick any country in the world, more or less, and tune in. And since it's Internet radio rather than normal radio; you don't need an antenna (headphones) to use it.* *Yet another thing for you to fiddle with while sitting on the dunny during the holiday break. * *Note that on some older handsets you may need to go through the time-consuming process of upgrading the firmware before you can find Internet Radio listed. In some cases you can also just go to your favourite radio station's home page and listen from there. Note also that listening might drain your battery in under two hours in some cases, so keep you car charger handy :) *Media Players: bye bye VCR and DVD? *Many of you* *who have purchased a new TV or set top box recently might have noticed a USB port on it. On some sets it is useless, but on others it is quite useful. For example, many TVs and Set Top Boxes now allow you to plug a USB thumb drive or hard drive (both available for under $50 these days) and use it to record and / or play back TV shows and other video files. Some will even allow you to select shows on the EPG (the TV guide button on your remote control) and select which shows you want to record so you can watch them later. Note however that some recordings are not interchangeable between sets and / or your computer; so research before buying if this is important to you. This used to be a feature of really expensive hard disk recorders / PVRs only a year or two ago, but now it's becoming quite common. Home Media Players are improving too. DSE has a new one available: http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XH1208/wdtv-hd-live-media-player - which will also handle Internet Radio, YouTube, and perhaps most useful of all, it will also play ISO files. (ISO files are copies of an entire DVD - earlier models required you to painstakingly convert your DVDs to another format - but not any more!) This means no more scratched DVDs for the kiddies :) I now provide these instead of DVDs when converting customer home movies to DVD because hard drives are generally far more reliable than home-burnt DVDs, and it allows the customer to rename the videos to something recognisable when I fail to read the last century handwriting. By the way they're also handy if you're one of those people that brought a HDD camcorder but then realised how difficult it can be to make a DVD out of the resulting files. Of course as mentioned in an earlier newsletter, almost all modern flat screen TVs will double as a big screen for your laptop using one or two cables. Heck, even many mobile phones will connect straight to the TV now and let you watch DVD quality movies from them. Technology keeps creeping along... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *How a Modern Car could be reprogrammed to kill you. (The Attack iPod)* .. or why you might not be able to trust you new car. As you know, computers can get viruses and worms if you're not careful. Modern cars are similar, but have the advantage that they're usually kept closed so the hacker can't get in. However, times are changing. Many modern cars are now fully computerised, meaning that most parts are communicating with each other, or at least listening for instructions from the car's computers. You make suggestions only. If you're not into mildly scary stories you might want to skip this post. While modern cars do have some security measures to protect their computers, according to this paper - http://www.autosec.org/pubs/cars-oakland2010.pdf - they are not particularly strong and can be broken in a week or less if a person can access the car physically, perhaps wirelessly, or with an attack device hidden in the car. Or, it could be a maliciously programmed add-on, such as your nice shiny new 'attack iPod' that cracks the car's security codes while playing your tunes. Once the security has been broken, the car can be programmed to do all sorts of whacky things, from relatively benign stuff like honking incessantly or displaying rude message on the dashboard, to the worst case figure of turning off all the lights and the brakes and leaving the motor going in gear while you're driving along, or perhaps just locking one wheel's brake to send you off into a ditch. You don't normally hear of such incidents occurring but it is apparently possible to program the car in such a way that it can do one of these evil things and then immediately reboot so that all traces of the hack are gone, making it look like some dolt just drove into that buttress on purpose! Aah well, all good fun for those of you who love a good conspiracy theory :) Another example of this is at http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/08/cars-hacked-through-wireless-tyre-sensors.ars The good news is that the equipment to do the hacking is currently rather expensive, so unless you've really cheesed someone powerful off, you're unlikely to be attacked any time soon. (And if you drive something ancient like me, they'll have to resort to more traditional means!) *Scaring off the Tech-Unsavvy?* Last month I had an irate phone message from a lady because I hadn't called her back to help hook up a dvd player or set top box. And in a way she was right - I hadn't called back after probably three messages spanning two weeks. Remember earlier I mentioned programming? That week I had a 9 hour programming day that threw the rest of the week into a bit of a slow-down. When I get bogged down like that, most customers are advised by SMS or email; but with no mobile or email address on record for her I put off calling her just a bit too long. (Occasionally I use the Telstra Talking Text service to SMS landlines as well, with mixed results - that service is complete disgrace when it encounters an answering machine, leaving just the last few words of the text if you're lucky. It's a rather half-a**ed service.) I find it generally easier to negotiate times electronically with customers rather than over the phone because it allows me time to think and thereby schedule jobs in a realistic time frame and physical location; trying to avoid those Armidale --> Guyra --> Armidale --> Guyra --> Home days. (Or in other words it's hard do say no I can't be there right away.) On the plus side, she did learn how to do it herself (red, white and yellow wires into red white and yellow holes). Many pensioners get sizable discounts from me, but as a result I tend to de-prioritise them over business and standard residential customers. Also since I don't own a $5,000 antenna tuning / pointing device, or have facilities and the desire to fiddle with elevated TV antennas, some TV jobs are never a certainty and are thus avoided compared to more certain repairs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * **Bluebirdy Blues II and the Banana Split* (Yes, you've read down to the silly section!) Well, after 25 years, the carbie on the Bluebird decided to play up, so in December that part of it went down to the Carbie Holiday Spa in Taree for a rebuild. I was all set to share the Commodore with my other half, but then one of our friends unexpectedly decided to lend us her '90s "Chicken Car" -- aka Toyota Camry. She had a nice shiny new vehicle and this one, which I have dubbed Banana Split for its colour scheme, was surplus to her needs at that time. Being the first time I've driven a 5 speed manual in 10 years, it was just like doing my driving test all over again :) (I couldn't do the driving test in the three speed manual Kingswood back then because the seat belts didn't meet safety requirements for the examiner.) This briefly put me into stealth mode again -- which always happens when I change vehicles... People never expect to see me in something different. It was amusing for example a few weeks ago when a customer decided that rather than ringing me, she'd sit behind my car and wait for me to return. An hour passed, she walked away briefly, and when she came back I was gone. Amusingly for me -- less so for her -- I wasn't even driving that car that day! Aah well, I fixed her computer later that week once I knew she actually wanted to see me! Now, the newly-polished Banana Split is back to its stress free life under a tree in Armidale. I generally budget on around $1,000 to $2,000 a year to keep the car going, although I may soon have to consider changing vehicles when the 'bird gets too tired. (If the tranny or motor die, it's probably time to give up.) In the mean time I'll wait and see if the Leaf or the MiEV get cheaper, as I'd rather be driving an EV. Speaking of the Nissan Leaf -- an electric car with 150+km range per charge -- I asked a worker at the local Nissan dealer when they'd be getting one and I think he said not in 100,000 years. I'm not sure if that means he thinks they won't be suitable for our area, they won't be making enough to meet demand, or simply that they don't like the idea of an EV. (I didn't quiz further.) Meanwhile, on Friday the Bluebird decided it was the end of the year when it conked out 2km from Guyra after the last job of the year. (It'd run for two seconds then die.) NRMA soon got it going again by shoving a rag down its neck and revving it - my first ever NRMA callout. (I thought it was the fuel pump gone or a vapor lock since it was the hottest day in ages.) Hopefully not a sign of things to come in the new year! Slowly the Bluebird may become Grandad's Axe as parts are replaced. *Reinstalling Windows. (With a circular saw.) *IT consultants might be hard to find at times, but they're nothing compared to builders. Builders by the nature of their work can spend days on one job, so often they're in short supply. I had queued one up about mid last year to put a new window into a wall at home, but as Christmas drew nearer it was clear that he wasn't able to get here any time soon - probably due to all the rain this year. So after a bit of Googling and asking around, I decided to do it myself. After a few days of dramatic hammering and sawing - particularly when trying to cut 7cm deep posts with a 6cm deep circular saw - the final result was satisfying. http://picasaweb.google.com/CCCMikey/ReinstallWindows I'm not sure that I'd want to be a builder for a living. Or a mechanic. But in small doses it's fun when time permits it. Trading time for money is often more efficient when possible. *HOME MOVIE: Electric Mower Still a Goer. *It's hot today. What better time to sit back, relax, enjoy the holiday and spend an hour making an infomercial for YouTube? You can watch it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzCykeDET2o Now that the $134 electric mower is over a year old, it's time to review how it's gone. And one word comes to mind. Reliable. Unlike the $500+ Rover in the shed, the electric mower started immediately when plugged in after a 6-8 month break. And now after all that rain and not mowing for a month, the grass was knee high. No problem. Just takes a bit longer and blocks up now and then, but it's much easier and safer to unblock an electric mower compared to a petrol one - no spinning blade waiting to remove an overly adventurous hand. http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_ozito-ecomow-electric-mower_2060.aspx - has a two year warranty. *Spitting Goat, Angry Professor, Ladder Goat. * Some funny videos for your amusement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp0Bt2cbcc8* *-* *a man arguing with a goat, in Spanish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbzJTTDO9f4 - 1/3rd of class discovered cheating on exam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggB33d0BLcY - caution: swearing, animated violence. Game player with maniacal laugh. -- Well that's it for another newsletter :) Hope your 2011 is a happy one! Cheers, Mike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Cool Country Consulting & Auzzie Internet http://www.auzzie.net/ccc MSN: michael at auzzie.net Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Skype: cccons Yahoo: lispbourke -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Sat Mar 5 20:07:31 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:07:31 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 34 - My laptop is a shovel. Made by Toshiba :) Message-ID: <4D71FD53.40401@auzzie.net> *In this edition: * /Discussing recent scams, how to spot a fake virus warning, new wireless broadband plans, where to recycle old computers, and a new currency that looks interesting./ *Assorted News: * Recent Phone "Windows Virus" Scams.* * New cheaper wireless broadband plans. How to spot a fake virus warning. Where to recycle old computers and TVs, buy parts for old computers, or get a cheap computer. XBMC - Media Player software *General Ramblings: * BitCoins - an interesting new 'open source' global currency. New way to do your tax Paragon Go Virtual - save $$$ by putting your old computer /inside/ your new one. My thoughts on people who "Won't Use a Computer" *Entertainment: * Bluebird Upgrades III I'm Getting Old - radio station for over '30s... The EvilTron * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Recent Phone "Windows Virus" Scams.** *Some enterprising 'so and so's have figured out another way to get money out of people. So far only one customer has fallen for it, but many others have heard from them. Basically, out of the blue someone will call you saying your computer has a virus, and that they can fix it for you. They'll probably direct you the "Event Viewer" (Start - run - eventvwr.msc) where there are almost always a few red 'error' messages that are almost always nothing to worry about, but are easily used to convince you there's something wrong. They'll then get you to allow them into your computer to rummage around remotely. Some of them will sell you unnecessary software. Others will pinch your personal data and saved passwords for their own purposes. Some may leave your computer set up so they can acess it again at a later date, so be sure to get it checked by a real tech of you've been bitten. I'm pleased that so many of you have heard from them and not fallen for it. I really recommend not answering the phone these days - use call screening on your answering machine instead. Resist that urge - be rewarded with less telemarketers :) *Some new Wireless Broadband plans. *Exetel has just released some new Wireless Broadband plans that will suit those of you who are heavy users of wireless already and keep running into your limit. The new plans are: 5GB per month for $25, 9GB per month for $35, 12GB for $50 and 18GB for $75. Excess is $60 per GB. These compare reasonably well against Telstra's NextG browsing packs at http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/browsing_packs.html and even the playing field again... All come with a one year contract unfortunately, but you know me - I'm usually happy to let you try before you buy for a short time. Outdoor Antennae are available but pricey at $150. The speed is likely to be 5-10% slower than the premium plans as they are routed differently. I have one on order for testing so I can confirm this next week if anyone's interested. *How to spot a fake virus warning.* * *About once a week I'm called out to someone whose computer is telling them it has 18 viruses and won't let them open anything. This is almost always due to a 'fake antivirus' product that they've been tricked into installing. You can see hundreds of examples of these at http://www.google.com.au/images?q=fake+antivirus&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1113&bih=605 Of course, the best way to avoid these is to use some form of ad-blocker such as AdBlock Plus on Firefox. However, the easiest way to spot one of these fake warnings is because it doesn't mention the name of your antivirus product. If you get a real virus, your antivirus program will pop up a warning, and the warning will bear the name of the antivirus product you're using. Here's an example for Microsoft Security Essentials (The "Green Castle" one.) https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_NLoFolZ2mFo/TXHbuTwXhBI/AAAAAAAAFDM/Lh46DpIPNVk/s800/Fullscreen%20capture%205032011%2054328%20PM.jpg Here's an example for Avast (The "Orange Spinning 'a'" one) https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_NLoFolZ2mFo/TXHcbbw2kCI/AAAAAAAAFDY/6KD231EM7vQ/s800/Fullscreen%20capture%205032011%2054639%20PM.jpg Notice how in each case, the top left window title shows the name of your antivirus product, and not something they've made up :) If you see one of the fake ones, just close that window without clicking on the message. The good news is that most of these fake antivirus products are relatively easy to kill by restarting in "Safe Mode" (Pressing F8 repeatedly when turning the computer on), clicking start - (run) - msconfig; and unticking the last entry in the "Startup" tab. *Where to Recycle old computers and TVs for free, buy secondhand computers and replacement parts cheap. *Recently the garage, and part of the car port, reached critical mass with old computers that were beyond their useful lives; so I decided to research where to dispose of them. I had heard of some place in Uralla, but a quick Google search turned up the Armidale branch of "Computer Bank New England." - see http://users.tpg.com.au/cbne/ (There's also one in Inverell and Uralla.) This place could also be referred to as the TV graveyard. Imagine an area half the size of a tennis court covered in pallets of old TVs and stereos basking in the sun before being stripped down by volunteers for recycling. (Pictured in the video below :) ) Into electronics? Go there, buy most things $5 each... There are things in the sun that shouldn't be. If I was older and retired, I think I know where I'd be :) Lots of stuff to fiddle with there. But I have to earn a substantial crust still, to pay off the house... Anyway, if you have old computers, printers, laptops, TVs, DVD/VCRs and small appliances with motors that you're pretty sure are past their useful life; this is probably the place to go. They are also worth a call if you need a replacement power cord for your laptop / router, some more RAM for your old clunker at a really cheap price, etc or you want a cheap secondhand computer faster than 2GHz. (Computers priced from $30 to $100, and flat screens for $50 or less I think.) I'm a regular visitor there now so feel free to ask me for more details and I'll found out when there dropping off more old TVs and the 20 remaining 486/pentium1s that are currently nesting near the Kingswood. One thing they really lack is decent signage; so here's a youtube video (straight off the DashCam) that shows you how to get from the front gate around to the CBNE office. (Mon, Wed, Fri.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmLjHcvtnZ4 *XBMC - Media Player Software. *I'm currently mucking around with XBMC on the home "TV" computer. It's a free program that turns your computer into a media centre. The two best features are the 'already watched' list that keeps track of the shows you've already seen, and the ISO playback feature that lets you play a copy of a DVD directly from an ISO file. It's available for Windows, Mac and Xbox. - http://xbmc.org/download/ . Reminder: Almost all new laptop have an HDMI port so you just need an HDMI cable to connect it to your TV for that big screen experience. HDMI Cables should cost no more than $25 - try Jaycar, opposite Dick Smith for the cheapest HDMI cables I've seen so far. (5 metres, $25 from memory.) * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *BitCoins - an 'Open Source' global currency based on Cryptography. *Here's an interesting concept. Transfer money direct to other people without using a bank. No fees. No regulation. No controlling body. As you probably know, Banks can print more money if they feel a need to, potentially devaluing a currency. People also mine Gold, and it has a value. Well, some smart buggers have written a new distributed computerised and secure system called "BitCoins" Practically, you can buy, sell and trade BitCoins which are stored on your computer. These BitCoins are protected by Public Key Cryptography, which is similar to the stuff you already use to safely access Internet Banking sites, etc - technology that is known to be extremely secure. Of course, it's early days yet and the value of these coins has not settled down. At present, they're about $1 each. The system is also completely anonymous - something I couldn't care less about but which will likely interest money launderers and really irritate any government that wants to charge taxes based on financial transactions. If I understand it right, a BitCoin is basically a 'calculation' that took a computer, typically many days, to create. As a result it would take an almost impossibly long time to reverse it - and mathematically it may not be possible at all. The BitCoin system currently generates about 50 new 'coins' every few hours - with each average computer (my laptop) currently taking ten years of constant running to make a bundle of 50. The system is designed to max out at 21,000,000 BitCoins around 2032, with the growth rate declining to that point. (The days of easy mining have probably passed - I'm late to the game.) 21 million doesn't sound like enough for a worldwide system, but they are divisible down to eight decimal places which should resolve that problem. It's up to about six million so far in its seeding phase. There's a lot of interesting discussion about this online - see the FAQ page at http://www.bitcoin.org/faq and read articles and comments at http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/ and http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/ For the time being, you can think of it as being a worldwide "PayPal without Fees" as that's probably the easiest way to relate to it. Oh, and since a modern computer with a fast video card can "Mine" for BitCoins at least an order of magnitude faster than my laptop; this is where my comment "My Laptop is a shovel." came from - see http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/fxrse/generating_bitcoins_now_financially_impractical/ for more on my own thoughts to that end. One other thing this might revolutionise is the concept of Micro Payments - paying small amounts for low value high frequency services where existing systems are too expensive due to fees, etc. (Pay 10 cents for a song, 50 cents for a tv show, etc - things that attract too many fees and headaches at the moment.) Want to try it out? My BitCoin address is 1PB9eRmPHp8sMKRGYqYMzefYBmbFU67KMN - what's yours? :) *New Way to do your taxes? *As you probably know, I don't like paper. I don't like books. They flop around. I can read a screen better than a book :) Luckliy, most of my work and transactions happen online, so I already have most transactions taken care of. There are however, a number of transactions - post office, groceries, small items, etc that I pay for in cash and thus don't leave me an electronic trail. This year I'm trialling a different system - each receipt is photographed using a digital camera, then summarily dumped in a tub. These are then relatively easily (for me) sorted on the computer by date, shop, etc making for easier retrieval and transcribing. Even then, I'm a bit behind the times doing it manually because ... Yes - there is software out there now for the iPhone, and probably others too, that will automatically read the receipt using the camera and store it in your accounting software for you - see http://www.iphoneappindex.com/2010/05/28/receipts-2-0-released/ as an example. *Paragon "Go Virtual" *One thing I detest is over-priced software with lock-ins to keep you paying exorbitant amounts to keep using it or put it on a new computer. Common culprits are accounting programs and some farm management software. Case in point - a customer with an 8 year old laptop that's battling on running some farm mapping program. Same customer has a brand new computer, but the people who wrote the farming program want about $3,000 to sell a new version that will work on his computer. Well, I've done it manually several times before, but now Paragon has released a program that makes the process of converting a real computer into a virtual one much easier - called Paragon Go Virtual. See http://www.paragon-software.com/home/go-virtual/ for more on that. Basically, the process involves removing the hard drive from the old computer, connecting it to a new computer, running the process to copy the drive to the new computer and modify a few settings so that it will still boot as a separate 'virtual machine' on the new computer. There can be complications of course, such as not being able to print if you have a really old version of windows and a really modern printer - although there are many workarounds. Typically it takes about two hours for me to convert a real machine to a virtual one - with occasional failures in the process that can take ages to sort out. (Blue screens are a possibility if the old computer uses unusual system drivers.) Some software is also smart enough to spot the change and refuse to work, but most don't notice the change. So, if you're stuck with a legacy program that you want to use trapped on a computer that's near death; it might be worth a shot :) *My thoughts on "I won't use a computer" people. *There is a very simple analogy for people who say they won't use a computer, and don't want to learn. The same thing happened with cars. Even today you can choose not to learn how to drive a car; and in many cases you can get by just fine. The same is true with computers. However, the world has evolved to the point where it would be quite hard not to have a vehicle to get around - and just as we can walk 15km town if necessary, they can walk to the bank for every transaction they want to make in the modern world. It is a valid choice; and I'll readily admit that many people don't need a computer. If I lived and worked in Armidale, I wouldn't need a car either. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Bluebird Upgrades III *Now with a rebuilt carbie and a new (much quieter) starter motor, radiator, serviced transmission and a dodgy-brothers resprayed bumper, the Bluebird is approaching Grandad's Axe status :) Excluding the carbie rebuild that was necessary due to rubber diaphragms perishing over the years, the rest are preventative maintenace and reinvestment. Since then, all's good. I must say, the Old Armidale Road and Toms Gully Road are getting entertaining 'tho - the recent rains have made holes that are almost too deep to pass - but it's fun picking your way around these scenic obstacles. Shiny Carbie pic at https://picasaweb.google.com/CCCMikey/Assorted02#5580501825693521778 *I'm Getting Old - Radio Station for the Over '30s. *It's funny how as you get older you tend to stop wanting new music. For those of you with a proclivity for older music, try this Adelaide radio station - http://player.arn.com.au/cruise1323.aspx - you might hear some of the songs that were on the radio as you were growing up - admittedly peppered with Adelaide news, ads for water filters, dementia and funerals. *The EvilTron. *Not sure if you can get these in Australia yet, but nonetheless they are a guaranteed way to make yourself unpopular: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/c427/ /This fiendishly small device features six creepy sound choices perfect for frightening your "friends" and co-workers. Simply choose your favorite sound (or use the random mode), place it in a dark hiding spot and watch the madness begin. Sounds: # Something unsettling creaking # Unidentifiable scratching sounds # Gasping last breath # Sinister child laughing # Eerie whispering of 'hey, can you hear me?' / Isn't technology fun :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2011 is a busy year so far as usual :) Response times are still under 48 hours for most jobs excluding set top boxes and other complex or uncertain outcome jobs. I am considering setting up a daily SMS message broadcast for people who have called an not received an answer as some days it's hard to get back to everyone in time. Cheers, Mike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Cool Country Consulting & Auzzie Internet http://www.auzzie.net/ccc MSN: michael at auzzie.net Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Skype: cccons Yahoo: lispbourke -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Mon Apr 25 16:43:35 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:43:35 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 35 - Tidbits. Message-ID: <4DB51817.3060902@auzzie.net> *In this edition: *Not a great deal of news, but a few ramblings and stories. The most useful item for most people will probably be how to back up your important stuff on the Internet for free.* * * **Assorted News: * Free and easy Offsite Backup with DropBox. *General Ramblings: * Read the Guyra Argus an Armidale Express online What is a 3D Printer? Desktop, Laptop or Tablet? Android Tablet $299 until May 5... Shopping Online vs. Shopping Local. Longer Passwords and LastPass? *Entertainment: * Bluebird gets new look. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Free and Easy Offsite Backup with DropBox. *There is a saying in IT that a file doesn't exist until it exists in three places. However, most people tend to have their files in one place only, or maybe two. The question to ask is 'what would happen if my computer blew up or my office / home burnt down?' The computer hard drive dying is about 6% chance per year. The house burning down is thankfully much lower than that! Backing up to Memory Stick / USB drive / Thumb Drive / whatever they're called today is the most common way to back up, and it's probably good enough as long as you remember to do it :) Well, here's another way. It's free and it's been around for years. It's a program called DropBox. When you install it on your computer, any file you put in the DropBox folder is copied onto a private spot on the Internet. If you have more than one computer, that file will also appear on the other computer automatically. In practice, you probably only have a couple of really important files. Quickbooks, MYOB, CashBook Plus, etc. All you would need to do is put the backup into the DropBox folder and bingo - your file is safe on the Internet in case your computer goes bang and takes the office with it. There are many other programs that will do a similar thing. Dropbox is just one of the easiest to set up. Free from http://www.dropbox.com Reminder: I also offer a managed offsite backup feature with version control through CCC for prices starting at $10 a month. Also, as mentioned later in this newsletter - a longer password or a passphrase is recommended since it's the only thing protecting your DropBox files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Read the Guyra Argus an Armidale Express online* Doubtless you already know that you can read most newspapers on the Internet, but perhaps thought that the Guyra and Armidale ones were too small? Well, they're not :) Read the Guyra Argus main articles free at http://www.guyraargus.com.au/news/local/news/ Read the Armidale Express main articles free at http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/news/local/news/ *What is a 3D Printer? *We're not too far away from the day when you can say "I want one of those" and your computer prints a real one for you. Or perhaps you have one part and need another identical one? Print one :) A reasonable article about this is at http://www.reghardware.com/2011/03/31/wtf_is_3d_printing/ and there's plenty more on Google. Pictured there for example is a working bicycle printed out of nylon, as well as dentures. You can also print edible chocolates, etc :) http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/12675/3d-food-printer.html .. and once you've eaten too many of those, you can soon print a new, working kidney! http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidney.html .. and a replacement bone if you broke one... Amazing stuff. Of course, we are talking about printers here. You know, those bastards that occasionally take paper and turn it into a torn mess, or refuse to stop when asked... *Desktop, Laptop, Netbook or Tablet? *One of my customers is planning a trip overseas to some lesser-known places for a while, and wanted some mod cons such as GPS, Book Reader, Email, Internet, etc. The GPS part was easy. Her Nokia Mobile has that built in, and crucially supports offline maps so she doesn't need Internet access to know where she is. (An advantage that up until very recently only Nokia had.) My normal answer to the rest of the desires is "NetBook." As well as giving her all the book reading and email / internet capabilities, it would also be a worthwhile replacement for her 7 year old laptop. She liked the now old 8.9" Netbook I have, but we were both surprised to find that nobody makes a netbook in that size any more - they're all 10" or larger. (Strange to think the Netbook I bought new only last year is already a museum piece!) Tablets were another option - but hey, they were still around $600 to $1,000 - too expensive to consider. Nonetheless I pointed her at the Samsung Galaxy Tablet shown online at Dick Smith as $588 with the suggestion to check out the other retailers. Next day I get an SMS to say "got one for $299 at Harvey Norman". One visit to said customer, and about an hour later it was all set up with email, internet, GPS, a couple of offline map programs, standard GSM phone, Amazon's Kindle software, Angry Birds and Skype. So it's now a very real question for people. Do you need a laptop, or would a tablet computer - AKA 'fondleslab' suit you better? What you get with a tablet? * Email, anywhere there's Mobile or WiFi reception * Internet, anywhere there's Mobile or WiFi reception * An always up-to-date GPS, with or without Mobile or WiFi reception. * A Video and YouTube player (that can connect to your TV too.) * A reasonable still and video camera * An Internet Radio player * All your music collection in one gadget * Contacts and Address Book, syncable. * A games machine * A mobile phone - albeit comically large * 5-10 hours battery life * A word processor * A spreadsheet * A book reader with almost instant access to 900,000 books. * A Skype phone with teleconference capabilities. Other features can be added for free or small amounts by buying apps - for example, an accounting program. What don't you get? * Viruses (yet) * A big screen * A traditional keyboard or mouse * Traditional Accounting Software * Easy ability to print. (Some Bluetooth printers might work, not tested. But why print?) * Something that stands still in the upright position. (Note: most of the above also applies to any Android-based Mobile Phone.) So, for many people there's a strong chance that a tablet computer - or even just a mobile phone - will do all you need without the learning curve that applies to standard computers. As the price for these devices drops, they're becoming ideal 'first computers' for people new to the Internet. Note - I haven't mentioned the Apple iPad or iPhone here - they are similar to Android-based tablet and phone devices, but the more I use both the more I see the iPhone as a 'co-dependent on iTunes' Apple-controlled marketing device. They're OK, but in my mind just a little 'retarded' in some of the ways they perform. I suspect that Android (Google) vs Apple (iOS) will be like Windows vs. Mac - I may yet be proven wrong however as Android too does have some rough edges here and there. Poor Nokia dropped the ball some time ago, and from what I hear Windows Phone 7 is still a problem child. I sell SIM cards for them all if you need one - phone and Internet. *Samsung Galaxy Tab $299 *Harvey Norman sold out of these on Saturday at 3:01pm care of yours truely - and apologies to one of my customers who tried to buy one at 3:02pm and couldn't! They're still available at Telstra - see http://www.telstra.com.au/bigpond-internet/mobile-broadband/mobile-tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab/ - cheap because they're an older model about to be superseded. *Shopping Online vs. Shopping Locally In Store. *You may have recently heard Gerry Harvey complaining that he was having trouble competing with online sales? This kind of backfired as it encouraged people who hadn't already done so to have a look at what they could get online. Myself included. But it's not always guaranteed to be a better price. Some retailers, such as http://www.applicancesonline.com.au/ and http://www.dell.com.au/ are purely online. Most retailers are hybrids, such as Dick Smith,Harvey Norman, RetraVision, Bing Lee. Many of the hybrids are behind the game. Dick Smith (http://www.dse.com.au/) is probably the best of the four above as their website lists exactly what's in stock in which store. RetraVision Armidale is probably the worst, having a website that at time of writing http://retravisionarmidale.com.au/ shows a two page catalog with no products; and confusingly has a second website http://armidaleretravision.com.au/ that lists a couple of stereos you can buy online and that's it. Harvey Norman is a bit better having a few products listed at http://www.harveynorman.com.au/ but there's no guarantee that what's listed there is present in your branch. Bing Lee's website looks OK at http://www.binglee.com.au/ but they're confusing to deal with since they tend to 'negotiate' on price, you can't compare them readily to the others. (For example, a freezer listed as $479 will come down to $429 the moment you look at it in the presence of a customer service rep.) There's nothing wrong with these retailers - except perhaps for some of the sales people. Apparently Dick Smith has a "horrbile rude little man' according to one customer, and Harvey Norman has a 'salesman that gives me the creeps' according to another; but in my experience they're all just unique humans with their own ways. Only one ever annoyed me by making up info that I knew was wrong. I'll regularly wander through all four when shopping for customers needs. My recent personal experiences: Bought a freezer for $399 + $79 delivery from Appliances Online since similar sized ones where available were $600+ without delivery. It arrived OK without issue. On the other hand, I also made the mistake recommending a Dell NetBook to a customer in comparison with others; not realising that there was up to a one month wait on them. Surprisingly it turned up a week later. Surprisingly it was also dead on arrival. Surprisingly a Dell Tech Support person arrived two days later to fix it. Surprisingly, he didn't have the parts. Then came Easter so we'll wait and see what happens next. A bit of a negative for Dell, as my other purchases with them have been good. I'm also always buying replacement laptop screens at a rate of one a fortnight from eBay, and am yet to have a problem other than slow delivery from Honkers. (Hong Kong ;-) ) And then, there's the $197 NetBook from last year and $299 Tablet from this year, both at local retailers. Sometimes the real world deals are as good or better than the online ones. So, there's a debate. Do you save 20% or so on Retail and forego the customer service, or do you buy something locally with a markup? You decide :) But if you do shop online, the one key tip I have is to research before you buy. The counter point is 'what is your time worth' - what are you sacrificing in order to spend time researching. The Dell NetBook fiasco is an embarrassment I should not have caused. *Longer Passwords and LastPass? *As more and more of our stuff ends up online, it is often just our password that protects us from hackers. But we all hate passwords. There's a new problem too. Computers are getting faster. Given the chance they can break simple passwords very quickly now. See http://www.lockdown.co.uk/?pg=combi&s=articles for example. Generally, the longer the better. So perhaps consider using a phrase such as 'the dog smells' rather than 'rascal' - 400 years to crack is much longer than ten seconds. .. and then if you don't want to have to remember all those passwords, you can use a free program called "LastPass" which will remember them all for you and protect them with a master password. See http://lastpass.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Bluebird gets a new look. *I've had a few 'fun' things on the queue for the Easter break. One was to add LED lighting to the Bluebird. Since it's one of those colours that 'blends into the road' I'm conscious that it's a bit hard to see in overcast conditions. However it's also one of those evil cars that will happily let you leave the lights on when you get out so you come back to a dead battery. Queue $10 worth of bits from eBay and a few hours of glueing, screwing and soldering and here's the result: http://tinyurl.com/bblights - although I should have scraped those juicy dead bugs off first! As far as I know it's a legal modification, seeing as it's white in colour, but time will tell. The RTA site isn't clear on LED lighting. I have seen a couple of Armidale vehicles breaking that rule with red and blue illumination at the front. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another newsletter. I now own a FondleSlab - primarily for experimentation and programming - so if you want to see one in real life, flag me down :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Cool Country Consulting & Auzzie Internet http://www.auzzie.net/ccc MSN: michael at auzzie.net Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Skype: cccons Yahoo: lispbourke -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Mon Jun 6 11:12:02 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:12:02 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 36 - Bugs are about, and other stuff :) Message-ID: <4DEC2962.5010903@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** * Not much :) Just some updates re. Viruses and Skype. * **Assorted News: * Unexpected increase in virus activity. Skype goes feral for some. ACA reviews the Microsoft Calling scam. *General Ramblings: * I win a bunny... SwitchWise - cheaper power? A $100 tablet, might be OK... BitCoin goes Bonkers. *Popular Internet and Phone Prices.* *Entertainment: * A car that plays LPs.* * Ignored by six and a half police. Prado takes on Bluebird, Wins. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Unexpected Increase in Virus Activity. *I'm starting to see more 'viruses' these days compared to months ago. This is not in itself of great concern, but some recent viruses have started to cross the line between being annoying and being destructive. The biggest problem at the moment is that I can no longer give you sure-fire tips on how to deal with them, because there is almost nothing I can say that will be guaranteed to tell you how to accurately recognise a virus; so for the time being I am changing my recommendation to the following: /*If you see anything on your screen appear out of the blue claiming you have more than one virus, press the power button on your computer to turn it off. (Or tell your computer to shut down.) If the message reappears after turning the computer back on, you probably need help. * /(You can safely close any documents you have open before doing so, but do not click any other message on the screen.) Why do I say to do this? Well, the majority of viruses (technically Malware, true viruses are rare) aim to trick you into installing a fake antivirus program. They can do this by bringing up an animated picture that makes it look like you have viruses. The problem is that even this animated picture might be booby-trapped so that the close button is actually an install button - and there's no guaranteed way to know. The other reason for saying this is because there's nothing stopping the virus from guessing what antivirus program you have and making a window that looks identical. I don't think they're doing that yet but it's only a matter of time. They certainly pick very convincing names these days. */"But what if I have a virus scanner?"/* They often don't work. To recognise a virus they need someone to have seen that virus before and reported it. That takes time, and these new scams change their name and design daily. /*"Why do people make these things. Haven't they got anything better to do?" */No. Imagine you were unemployed and hungry. Imagine you had no job prospects, but endless time to spend on the computer. It's very rare that you'll be able to dream up the next FaceBook or Twitter to make some money, so there's a chance that you too will lose your moral fabric and start buying these viruses in kit form, customising them and raking in the money. The underlying problem is overpopulation and underemployment. /*"What else can I do?"*/ Well, apart from ignoring the social engineering attacks, the most important thing is to keep your computer and the programs you use up to date. The good news is that Windows will generally take care of itself in this department; but you're still responsible for keeping Flash and Java up to date. (And remember, if you're not using Java, best to uninstall it. The only common program using it these days is FrostWire.) If you don't want to have to care about keeping anything up to date, the best solution is to install Google Chrome and let Windows take care of doing its updates automatically on shutdown. (Chrome automatically keeps all its plugins such as Flash up to date without needing your help.) The most secure setup I know of for Windows however is to install Firefox along with the NoScript addon. Doing so makes browsing to new pages a bit annoying as you have to manually trust each page if you find bits of it not working. That said, if you mostly visit the same sites regularly it's not too much of a drag. Apple computers are still largely immune to traditional viruses, but are no longer immune to the Fake Antivirus problem with a new one called MacDefender raking in the dough from unsuspecting Apple users. On Windows, the most common activities for the latest bugs are the following: 1 - Hide all your icons and your files. 2 - Disable your wallpaper. 3 - Removes all the icons from your start menu 4 - Kill any program you try to open, including your antivirus 5 - Stop your Internet access. 6 - Possibly actually delete some programs - one instance of this so far. 7 - Possibly actually delete your start menu programs completely - one instance of this so far. 8 - Possibly install a rootkit Occasionally they do not kill the antivirus completely, and the antivirus strikes back a few days later after an update and kills the malware - but rarely do they fix all the rest of the mess. Rootkits are most problematic component - if you get a rootkit on your computer it can then be invisibly operated by a third party and that activity will be invisible to your antivirus. Typically it means you think you get rid of the bug, then another one pops up in short order. These can often only be removed by scanning the computer's hard drive via another clean computer - a time consuming process. In rare occasions, the damage may not be recoverable and the computer has to be reloaded from scratch. Other options for being more secure: Buy a Mac. (Not my favorite computer system, but it was designed to be secure from the beginning of OS X.) Install Ubuntu or use a Ubuntu live CD. (It's like a Mac, but runs on an ordinary PC - can run on the same computer as Windows without having to wipe Windows.) If you don't like installing updates all the time, try Chrome on Windows as it updates both itself and Flash invisibly. Use your phone or tablet / pad for web browsing since there aren't yet many viruses for these. Tablets and Phones will be a target in the future, but in most cases Apple / Google can remove programs remotely without your help if they are discovered to be malicious. Android was designed from the beginning to 'sandbox' each program so that they can't do more than you gave them permission to do when you installed them. (They ask when you install - for example "Use GPS, Access Phonebook, etc".) The iPhone relies more on Apple / Steve Jobs vetting each program that is submitted to the App Store, whereas Android will let anything in initially. Mind you, Apple is so greedy in demanding 30% revenue from every developer and sale they make through their app, that I can't condone using them. *Skype goes Feral for some. *Skype is in the process of being purchased by Microsoft, but that isn't finalised yet. In the mean time, Skype seems hell-bent on destroying itself. Some customers have had Skype add a gaming system to their computer uninvited. Others have had trouble with Skype shutting down randomly or refusing to open at all. Skype has also upgraded to version 5 and changed the interface to a horrible mess with advertising all over it. For the time being, if you're having any of the above problems I recommend uninstalling Skype, and then reinstalling an older version from http://filehippo.com/download_skype/7592/ (Your account and contacts are unaffected.) I don't know what the future holds for Skype. Microsoft has a tendency to buy-and-destroy, but that's not always the case. It's rumoured that they only bought it to stop their rivals, such as FaceBook, from getting it. *ACA Reviews the Microsoft Calling scam. *I get about one call a week from customers who have been contacted by scammers claiming to be from Microsoft. Here's a video from the ACA that explains the tactics. http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/investigations/8250275/call-centre-scammers ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *SwitchWise: Cheaper Power? *As power bills continue to rise, it might be time to shop around for a cheaper provider. Here's a website (there are others) that lists all the providers and if you type in the figures from your last bill it will estimate what you could save with a different company. I haven't made the jump yet, but it's tempting - especially since my home is heated with electricity :) Site: http://switchwise.com.au/ My Example: http://i.imgur.com/7QsFL.png Note: It might be worth reading up on the providers too. The ones with two or less stars are apparently known to be troublesome. *I Win a Bunny... *About a month ago I called in to the old "Guyra Neighbourhood Centre" while killing time between jobs, and checked out their renovations. In doing so I apparently entered a draw to win a large stuffed rabbit, and about a week later I get an email to let me know that hoppingus maddius is ready to be picked up. I enjoyed the companionship of the 40cm tall stuffed floppy eared bunny simulant for a while, but having an already full house decided it would have a more useful life elsewhere - and thus donated it to the Guyra Hospital. Hopefully it will make the life of some kids happier. Nice to see the Guyra NHC, now rebranded as "The Hub" has secured some money to keep trading for a while. I don't know much about what they do, but did see them in the Guyra Argus this week at http://www.guyraargus.com.au/news/local/news/general/towards-the-future-at-the-hub/2168540.aspx Bunny Pic at http://imgur.com/1mt9U *A $100 tablet, might be OK... *A few of you have seen the Galaxy Tablet I'm carting around and using daily, and those of you who have asked have been disappointed that they're not currently available at their $299 price. Well, I see Big W is flogging a $100 tablet that, while certainly not as good as the Galaxy, would still be good enough if you want to get started in the Tablet world. Like the Galaxy, this one also works as a phone and an "Internet Anywhere" seven inch slab, so if you want Email on the go without carting a laptop around, it could be OK. You could also use it as an MP3 player, a cheapo Camera, possibly a Skype phone, and an endless supply of games - educational and otherwise, etc. I haven't seen what store stock is like. According to http://apcmag.com/notebookhunter/deals/optus-my-tab-incredibly-cheap-7in-resistive-screen-tablet.htm it's available until 17th June. Not sure what Optus is bundling, but odds are the TPG $1 per month 10 cent per minute mobile SIM plan or the $20 per month 5 hour or 1.5G ratio plan would suit this device for most people. (Note that it probably doesn't work on Telstra's network, so if you're planning to go bush, it might not suit.) I'll probably grab one just to play with later this week. Oh, by the way according to http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1707085&p=24 it will play Angry Birds - which is free on Android's App Market :) *BitCoin goes Bonkers. *Two newsletters ago I talked briefly about a new 'currency' called BitCoins. Recently, PayPal banned buying and selling them through PayPal, and there have also been several reviews of the BitCoin system in the media. When I wrote about them, one BitCoin was worth about 80 cents. They're now up to abour $15. Of course, there's no guarantee that the system won't come crashing down, but nonetheless it's fascinating to watch :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Popular Internet and Phone Prices. *Here's a listing of the most likely popular Internet and Mobile plans currently known by myself. All figures are approximate, and town availability is based on likely service quality as well as availability. No guarantee is made to the accuracy of this data, as it is a rough guide only. Install / setup fees may apply. Figures are monthly. /*ADSL*/ ADSL1 ADSL2 Guyra Armidale Exetel $34.50/100G $39.50/50GB Yes Yes 6/12 month contract, no excess fees. TPG $30/5GB No Yes 18 month contract, no excess fees. /*Mobile Internet */ Mobile Internet Guyra Armidale Exetel $25/5GB Yes No 12 month contract, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $1 + $27.50/GB Yes No No Contract Telstra $10/1GB Yes Yes No Contract, Massive excess fees. Requires existing phone plan. Warning on Usage. /*Mobile Phone (optional internet.) */ Mobile Phone Guyra Armidale TPG $1 + 10c/min Yes Yes Internet $27.50/GB, No Contract Telstra $50 for 6 hrs Yes Yes Includes 1GB Internet, No Contract, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $20 for 5 hours Yes Yes Or ratio up to 1.5GB offsetting calls, No Contract, Massive excess fees. Warns on usage. *A Car that plays LPs *Well, actually it's a van. They surely wear the records out quickly, but are nonetheless amusing to watch! They're a Japanese toy from the '70s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwkhBiROQ4&feature=related * Ignored by six and a half police... *So far the LED Lighting I added to the Bluebird has passed the eyes of six and a half police people. (One I know was off duty.) There hasn't been any mad skidding of tyres and sudden U-Turns as they've passed me by, so I guess it's a case of so far so good. https://picasaweb.google.com/CCCMikey/VarnishingTheNissan#5598312809404653906 *Prado takes on Bluebird, Wins.* On a less positive note, someone backed into my car and left a relatively benign dent. Surprisingly they also owned up to it. Since the time to repair is apparently four days, it will be a while before I get it sorted. It's nice to know that the other person owned up and I will send them a gift when it's all resolved. http://imgur.com/a24Rb ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another newsletter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Kean *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cccmikey at gmail.com Wed Aug 17 23:25:41 2011 From: cccmikey at gmail.com (Michael Kean) Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:25:41 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 37 - Still here... Message-ID: <4E4BC155.3010403@gmail.com> *In this edition: ** *A long delay between newsletters! Life has been busy. * **Assorted News: * Google Plus NBN Connections available. Mobile phone and Tablet Manufacturer Sue-Fest wars... Virus activity drops. *General Ramblings: * Fix It. Fix it with FIRE! Why there are no leaves. (Leafs?) *Popular Internet and Phone Prices. *Cheap mobile plan for Exetel customers. *Entertainment: * BlueBrRrRrRrd Rotary Presentation. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Google Plus! A Facebook alternative. *I'm not a fan of Facebook. I find it so infuriating getting emails from facebook saying "You have notifications pending." They could just as easily email me whatever they're trying to tell me, rather than trying to get me into their walled garden to see what's going on. So, I was naturally quite pleased to see Google introduce a new thing called "Google Plus." Google Plus is sort of like facebook, but has a few features that make it somewhat more useful and easy to understand. /*Circles. */On Facebook, most people generally have 'friends.' (There are non-obvious ways of grouping them.) However, in real life most of us have groups of people we chat with. Friends, Family, Work colleagues, confidants, etc; When adding your 'friends' to Google Plus, you're asked to put them into groups. What this means is that when you write or share something, you can easily choose which groups get to see it. /*Email Friends. */What I personally think is the best feature of Google Plus is that it allows you to add friends to your circles who you know will probably never bother to sign up for Google Plus, and yet you'd still like to keep them up to date. When you post a message to a group that has people that are not signed up to Google Plus, it will also email the same message to those people - unlike Facebook. /*Multi-People Video Conferencing.*/ Another great feature is the "Hangout" feature - which allows you to have an online video chat with multiple people at once - kinda like Skype but without having to install anything. This feature could be very handy for businesses and families. Mind you, I'm not really into social networking as such - perhaps because I don't have a gregarious social life! So, I'm not really in a position to give a full run-down on it, but if you're curious about it, find out more at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqDr7CFmZQand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC_M6PzXS9g .. and if you want an invite, let me know. :) http://plus.google.com/ *NBN Connections Available. *People regularly ask me what I think about the NBN. I'm of two minds about it. At present, most people in towns can already get what I consider 'enough' speed on the Internet - that is, enough to watch simple Internet TV services, or 1.5mpbs. Some can get as high as 16mbps. However, traditional broadband can only go up to about 6km from a phone exchange before dying. In theory NBN connections should not be affected by distance, and so should be able to go much faster. On the positive side, it's a bit like when the original phone system was put in. It probably cost a lot of money to do, but has been useful in ways that weren't even considered back then. When you still had the rotary dial telephone you probably never thought that it would soon be able to show you high definition movies on demand! Installing the NBN should provide a similar scope for technological improvement. It'd be hard to justify it as a short-term project given it largely duplicates what we have now with ADSL, but in the medium term the benefits should outweigh the costs, assuming it's rolled out efficiently. On the negative side, when properly provisioned, mobile / wireless broadband can provide quite reasonable speeds without the cost of digging up the streets. It is probably the more financially viable and practical option for rural areas, and wireless technology continues to improve speed-wise. Similarly, there are of course people stating that they can't get fast enough Internet to run their businesses; but generally I disagree. It'd just cost more to get multiple links and spread the load. (A decent NextG service can get upload speeds faster than ADSL at distances further than ADSL for example, but at potentially higher cost.) The most likely benefit to home users will be movies and TV on demand. Not great news for the Pay TV companies mind you! Anyway, with that said I am pleased to advise that I can provide NBN Internet Connections via Exetel at reasonable prices - something I didn't think would ever happen. See the prices at http://www.exetel.com.au/residential-fibre-pricing-mainland.php *Mobile Phone and Tablet Sue-Fest wars... *Last newsletter I mentioned I had purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Last week, Apple decided they were so annoyed by the success of these Android tablets that they went to court to get an injunction preventing Samsung from selling their latest 10 inch version in Australia, claiming it looked too similar to their golden child - the iPad. Then a few days later they did the same for the whole of Europe. .. and then a few days later again they did the same with Motorola. In an unexpected twist, Google then purchased Motorola's Mobility division. The whole drama is largely due to America's relatively out-of-control patent system - Google initially wanted to keep out of the wars, but being attacked so viciously by Apple presumably gave them no other option than to play the same game. (Google owns the Android operating system that is used by Motorola, Samsung and many other companies - it competes directly against Apple's products with over 500,000 new customers per /day/.) It's ironic that Samsung makes many parts for the iPad, and Motorola owns many patents pertaining to mobile phone radio technologies. The latest bit of excitement is that it appears the evidence Apple provided was rather misleading. Unless it was an old stock photo,they appear to have resized a photo of a Galaxy Tablet (which is somewhat longer and narrower than the iPad) in order to make it appear to be identical. They also brought up a sub-screen with icons rather than the default screen to make it look identical to the iPad's antiquated appearance. See http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/apples-evidence-in-european-galaxy-tab-injunction-was-seriously-misleading-as-in-false/ for the juicy bits - or Google for more. These tablets are likely to be the hot Christmas item this year; so the race is on! Hopefully the prices come down a bit by then too. *Virus activity drops... *Last newsletter I mentioned that there were lots of bugs getting around. So far in August I've seen almost no viruses at all. Nice to see a bit of peace again! Microsoft has also released a handy 'run from a stick' virus scanner that gets rid of some of the hard-to-kill rootkits. See http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Fix it. Fix it with FIRE! *Either this weekend, or some time soon, I am going to attempt to repair a laptop by cooking it. .. more specifically, by cooking one faulty part to see if I can repair it. Many newsletters ago I wrote about the nVidia flaw that meant many HP, Apple and other laptops met with untimely deaths. I now have a small collection of these - some really nice ones; and one still belonging to a customer who has given me permission to try out this radical method of repair. Basically, it involves figuring out how long it takes solder to melt on a coin using a hot air gun, and then to repeat the process by aiming the gun at part of the laptop. Reports are that it works sometimes, and other times destroys the machine. See more about it here: http://hackaday.com/2011/02/24/heat-gun-gpu-reflow-fixes-laptop/ - Hopefully I don't have an "IT Crowd" moment like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUmrqVHdaQ&NR=1 *Why there are no leaves. (Leafs?)* You might also recall in a previous newsletter, I was surprised when a Hardman Nissan worker said "No Leafs here in 100,000 years" or something like that. Recently the Bluebird took me back there due to a new ailment - see below - and while chatting I asked what was happening with the Nissan Leaf. (An all-electric car with 150km+ range.) Apparently they require three phase power to charge - and as many of you will know; getting the power connected to a new property can be hideously expensive - and getting three phase power connected is often a similar cost - sometimes approaching that of the car itself. Hence, we don't really see any in Australia sadly. Technically, the batteries are presumably wired in series so the total voltage is over 300 volts, and as a result 240 volts is not enough to charge them directly. Oh well, I'll just have to keep the 'bird alive a little longer then... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Popular Internet and Phone Prices. *Here's a listing of the most likely popular Internet and Mobile plans currently known by myself. All figures are approximate, and town availability is based on likely service quality as well as availability. No guarantee is made to the accuracy of this data, as it is a rough guide only. Install / setup fees may apply. Figures are monthly. /*ADSL*/ ADSL1 ADSL2 Guyra Armidale Exetel $34.50/100G $39.50/50GB Yes Yes (Mostly) 6/12 month contract, no excess fees. TPG $30/50GB No Yes (Mostly) 18 month contract, no excess fees. /*Mobile Internet */ Mobile Internet Guyra Armidale Exetel $25/5GB Yes Not recommended 12 month contract, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $1 + $27.50/GB Yes Not recommended No Contract Telstra $10/1GB Yes Yes No Contract, Massive excess fees. Requires existing phone plan. Warning on Usage. /*Mobile Phone (optional internet.) */ Mobile Phone Guyra Armidale TPG $1 + 10c/min Yes Yes Internet $27.50/GB, No Contract Telstra $50 for 6 hrs Yes Yes Includes 1GB Internet, No Contract, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $20 for 5 hours Yes Yes Or ratio up to 1.5GB offsetting calls, No Contract, Massive excess fees. Warns on usage. *Cheap mobile plan for Exetel ADSL customers.* If you're an Exetel ADSL customer (and possibly a wireless customer, not confirmed) there are some new mobile phone plans out. In summary, $15 a month for approx. 6 hours talk time + 1.5GB internet, $29 for double that, or*$39 for 33 HOURS* on the phone plus 5GB. These have to be the cheapest plans around. These use the Optus network. Apparently this offer only lasts until the end of August - although they did say the same thing in July. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * BlueBrRrRrRrd* The poor thing gets a hammering. 400k a week, stop and start driving, doors opened ten times a day at least. It's no wonder then that the poor 26 year old gets a few quirks. Not that it doesn't get pampered with new parts - radiator, carbie, brake cylinders, batteries, bearings, plugs, leads, distributor etc in the last few years :) The most exciting recent quirk was the Magic Roundabout trick. One day driving in the rain at night, I came up to the roundabout at the top of North Hill on the highway - and since I was planning to go straight, I didn't bother brakeing much. I was then somewhat surprised half way through when the car decided to dart off to the right of its own free will! Naturally I steered out of it, thought "WTF" and carried on. (Cars don't normally steer harder than you ask - they usually do the opposite.) Anyway, it turned out later that the front left wheel was apparently capable of turning inwards by about 15-20 degrees of its own volition, but in normal driving conditions this wouldn't happen. This issue I had resolved by Hardman Nissan replacing some part in the steering rack - although since then she likes to walk from side to side a bit on the gravel so I guess an alignment is in order now. Of course, not to be outdone it developed another party trick - a gutteral rumble in the back of the vehicle at 50kph. Rather annoying since almost every town has a 50kph limit! Aah well - took it to Ian Inman who replaced three uni joints. The surprising result? No more rumble at 50. Damn thing moved up to 90 instead! (and 70 down hills just for amusement.) To make it even more amusing, the rumble at 90 is close to the resonant frequency of the car and perhaps more surprisingly, the resonant frequency of my digestive system! Hardmans replaced a wheel bearing in an attempt to fix it, but I think they were fooled by the ever-present midget slapping at the axle with a thong sound that lives on the left rear wheel. I'm not sure if I'm proud to say the midget survived the swap. It was already booked in with Inman again at this time anyway, so I took it back for another go - possibly surprising them by setting up shop in their waiting room with my laptop and tablet catching up on some web design work. (Previous time I kicked back watching Knight Rider episodes on the tablet.) Unfortunately he advised that he couldn't fix it - at least not without some expense; and he kindly took me out to show me what he believes to be the problem. I must say it's a strange feeling to be standing under your own car while the wheels go around above your head! It appeared that there was 1 to 2 mm of left-right motion on the rear tail shaft (damn thing has two) as it turned - or in other words it's no longer balanced. Now, I'm not sure if I unbalanced it. There was a time about a month ago where I was in a hurry to get to a property on dusk, and while entering the property I didn't notice one of their home-made speed humps... but I think that was after the rumble had begun anyway - so it remains a mystery. Suffice to say that for the time being I am living with it and considering my options. These include the mythical Hose Clamp trick: http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/galaxie-pages/485681-hose-clamp-method-balancing-driveshaft.html , trying to find a place that balances them, or finding a second hand tail shaft somewhere. Being an '85 model, that might be a challenge. In the mean time, I just have to avoid doing 90. 100 is fine - but hills get their revenge! The biggest fear is that it could be in the diff. Another midget perhaps??? *Rotary Presentation *I've been asked by Guyra Rotary to do a 20 minute presentation roughly along the lines of "Technology and The Future" on Wednesday 31st around 7pm at the Guyra Bowling club. I plan to cover in brief topics including Internet TV (iView), 3D printing and Health, tablets and smartphones (hopefully with projector demo), changing face of News, and stuff like that. I think visitors are welcome, but not sure as I've never been involved in such a meetup before. If you want to know, let me know and I'll find out. I'm not affiliated with any charity or religious organisations, but do provide discounts to NFPs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another newsletter.Sorry it's a bit late! Lots of programming work this last month. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Kean *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cccmikey at gmail.com Sun Oct 9 13:46:35 2011 From: cccmikey at gmail.com (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:46:35 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 38 - Landline Killer! Message-ID: <4E910B0B.1090102@gmail.com> *In this edition: ** *Very short newsletter... * **Assorted News: * Landline Killer! More tablets coming... *Popular Internet and Phone deals* *General Ramblings: * Dead Bird Power. Defensive Driving Course * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Landline Killer! *This plan kills everything else for value. $39.90 per month for unlimited local, national and mobile calls _from a mobile phone._ That's $40 a month to talk as long as you like to anyone anywhere in Australia, from a mobile phone! Heck, landline rental alone almost costs that much. This is from a company called Amaysim, who's been around for a while now. I don't have any relationship with them. The bad news? It uses Optus' towers; so the coverage is not as good as Telstra, but unless you live out of town it's not a problem in Guyra / Central and elevated Armidale. (I have antennae that might help outliers) There's no contract, and you can get it prepaid or postpaid. It also includes 4GB of Internet a month. Most modern mobile phones have the ability to work as a wireless hotspot as well, so you could potentially press a button on your phone and have internet access on all your laptops / desktops - but of course bear in mind 4GB won't go far if you like watching video on the Internet. So, for many people it could be 'good bye landline' and for some 'good bye VoIP' Anyway, check it out at http://www.amaysim.com.au/mobile-plans/amaysim-unlimited.html - and if you want to see what others are saying about them, check out the independent website http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/?action=threads_search&f=114&q=amaysim - and if you need a new phone, you can buy prepaid Optus handsets outright from places like Harvey Norman for prices starting from $20 for a basic phone. What's the con? Well, they charge for calls to 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers - so before calling any of those, look on the Internet for the company's overseas equivalent number instead - starts with +61, as that will be free. *More Tablets Coming. *I'm sure there's going to be a tablet price war come Christmas. See http://www.reghardware.com/2011/08/27/ten_budget_android_tablets/ for a hint of what's already happening. Since then, Amazon has announced a $200US one as well - http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-fire-tablet-unveiled-7-inch-display-199-price-tag/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Popular Internet and Phone Prices. *Here's a listing of the most likely popular Internet and Mobile plans currently known by myself. All figures are approximate, and town availability is based on likely service quality as well as availability. No guarantee is made to the accuracy of this data, as it is a rough guide only. Install / setup fees may apply. Figures are monthly. /*ADSL*/ ADSL1 ADSL2 Guyra Armidale Exetel $34.50/100G $39.50/50GB Yes Yes (Mostly) 6/12 month contract, no excess fees. TPG $30/50GB No Yes (Mostly) 18 month contract, no excess fees. /*Mobile Internet */ Mobile Internet Guyra Armidale Exetel $25/5GB Yes Not recommended 12 month contract, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $1 + $27.50/GB Yes Not recommended No Contract Telstra $10/1GB Yes Yes No Contract, Massive excess fees. Requires existing phone plan. Warning on Usage. /*Mobile Phone (optional internet.) */ Mobile Phone Guyra Armidale TPG $1 + 10c/min Yes Yes Internet $27.50/GB, No Contract Telstra $50 for 6 hrs Yes Yes Includes 1GB Internet, No Contract or 2 yrs with free phone, Massive excess fees. No warning on usage. TPG $20 for 5 hours Yes Yes Or ratio up to 1.5GB offsetting calls, No Contract, Massive excess fees. Warns on usage. Amaysim $39.90 for unlimited hours Yes Yes Includes 4GB Internet. Excess fees if exceeded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Dead Bird Power.* I have decided to take the risk and sign up for Dodo Electricity. Dodo was known to be one of the worst Internet Providers in Australia for some time, but during the early '00s I was using them as a wholesale dialup port provider without incident. Since they're about 15% cheaper than Country Energy on my last bill, I've decided to give it a shot. The key difference is that they charge you monthly for your usage, even though they still read the meter quarterly. This could confuse some people; but I'm OK with it. Side note: My Winter power bill was $1100. I use electric heating exclusively. My summer bill is typically about $500-$600. A neighbour says he spends $1200 a year on wood for heating. Others say similar figures for gas heating. Admittedly we only heat the rooms we're in to 17 degrees, using halogen and fan heaters - but it seems hard to get a heating bill less than $600-$800 per year in Guyra unless you have your own wood supply? *Defensive Driving Course. *For a treat, I went on a one-day defensive driving course in Grafton, via Wheel Skills. It was quite entertaining - I even came second in the race! (Three seconds behind the leaders who took equal first.) And being in the oldest vehicle (in this case the '95 commodore) I had to be taught differently to the others since I have no ABS. Since odds are most of you will never do a driving course, here are some pointers form it: 1 - It's good to steer in a manner where your hands never cross to the opposite side of the wheel - a technique they call push-pull steering. Apparently it allows faster turning in an emergency and prevents you getting crossed-up. There is a technique to it, so I'm not sure if it's safe to try it without tuition. 2 - Ideal distance between you and vehicle in front is currently two seconds; although personally I still stick to three since I'm used to driving older vehicles that take longer to stop. (For me, as a rough gauge it's far enough away that I can't read their license plate.) 3 - In a modern ABS car, planting your foot on the brake will stop you fastest, and it will feel like you're standing on a grinding gear. 4 - When sitting, it's best to be positioned so that even with your foot hard on the brake or accelerator, your knee is still a little bent. That way if you do hit something, you knee will buckle instead of your hip. 5 - (My favourite from the course!) If you have a tailgater, double your distance to the car in front. That way if something happens in front and you need to stop, you can brake much more gently giving the idiot behind you time to also brake. (But if it's a semi, all you can do is get off the road to let it pass.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that was a short newsletter. I've been fairly busy, and there isn't a huge amount of news. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Kean *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Sun Nov 27 21:57:19 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:57:19 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 39: Radiation, Reception and Phones. Message-ID: <4ED2178F.8050206@auzzie.net> *In this edition:* Find out about phone radiation, and find an easy way to fix bad mobile reception. /Advance apologies to customers who hate phones!/ *Assorted News:* Fix For Bad Indoor Mobile Reception Control your phone from your PC Update on Radiation and Tumors and the like. Amaysim reminder. *General Ramblings:* Oh CommonDoore ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Fix For Bad Indoor Mobile Reception.* Many people in rural properties - like myself - run into issues with indoor Mobile Phone reception. In these cases, there's usually a window that you go to if you want to make a call or get a text. Well, here's a handy solution. http://dicksmith.com.au/product/F7899/9950bt-dect-c-less-phone-twin-pack-w-answering-machine-and-bluetooth Basically, it's a cordless phone that talks to your mobile phone. Here's how it works. 1 - Put your mobile phone in that special spot in your house where you get reception - could even be in the car kit or a nearby shed. 2 - Put the base station of this cordless phone within ten metres of your mobile phone. Now, whenever someone calls your mobile, you can take the call on one of the cordless phones. And you can walk around your house or property and continue talking. You can also make mobile calls from it, and as a bonus it'll suck the address book from your mobile into your cordless phone. The range is quite good - I've tried walking 100 metres away from a solid brick home without losing reception. It will handle two mobile phones simultaneously, as well as your normal landline. It also has 'big buttons.' I have a loan unit if you wish to try it out for a few days - just let me know and I'll meet you at my Guyra or Armidale office to pair your mobile with the cordless phones. *Control your Mobile Phone from your PC.* In line with the above - what if you want to send and receive text messages but you don't want to have to go to where your mobile phone is? Well, there are programs that will let you do that from your PC - for example http://www.ct-designs.de/android/remotesms/ will let you send, receive and view your phone SMS messages from your computer and https://market.android.com/details?id=justPhone.remotePhoneTrial - which lets you dial numbers directly from your computer - particularly useful if you want to use a hands-free bluetooth ear piece. *Update on Radiation and Tumors and the like.* Well, we often hear rumours such as "hey your phone will give you cancer" and then "no it won't" by various media. I don't have any clear evidence to back either party and haven't done any serious research, but must admit I'm relatively skeptical of claims that mobile phones, WiFi, Microwaves, etc will kill us all. (I've been eating Microwaved food for 20 years without issue, made lots of phone calls, etc.) However, here's a few simple tips to help you alleviate or work around your concerns. /*1 - How far does the signal have to go?*/ This is probably the biggest consideration if you're worried about radiation sources. A cordless phone only has to go about 100 metres, but a mobile phone is potentially up to 50km. Thus, you need to be much more concerned about mobile phone radiation than your personal cordless phones, WiFi devices, Bluetooth devices etc. Now, if you live in town and have five bars, again you don't need to worry much - the mobile phone only uses as much power as it needs to get to the tower, and if that tower is close then the radiation is minimal. However, once you get down to two or one bars of reception, your phone has to use full power, resulting in a hot phone and a rapidly flat battery while on calls. /*2 - How close is your phone to you?*/ Another useful thing to know is that the radiation drops off rapidly the further you are from the phone. Holding the phone one inch away from you reduces your radiation exposure to about 1/16th of what it would be held up against your ear. (See potentially scaremongering article at http://labrat4sar.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/whats-sar/ ) /*3 - Other ways to keep the radiation down?*/ Here are some simple tips: - use the Speakerphone button when possible. (Most phones have a Spk. or Loudsp. button that appears during a call.) You can then hold the phone a few inches away from you. - use Bluetooth ear pieces, etc. You can then have the phone away from your head, and body if you like, up to 10 metres. - at home, use something like the Bluetooth phones mentioned in my first story in this post. *Amaysim reminder:* Last newsletter I mentioned a mobile phone plan $39.90 a month for unlimited calls and texts within Australia. With brand new mobile phones available from $49, and those Bluetooth cordless phones with big buttons as above, it's cheaper than ever to get rid of the Landline. Oh, and for those people who complain that calling a mobile phone is too expensive? That's their fault, not yours! You can just call them back :) ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Oh CommonDoore* Well, now that my other half's taken up a new job complete with company car, I have commandeered her LPG Commodore. 11 litres/100km - about $9. That's about half the running cost of the Bluebird. Assuming nothing goes wrong with it, it's a handy saving! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for this rather short newsletter. I've been a bit busier than usual! I'll probably get another one out before Christmas - which ain't far away now. Hope you've all had fun buying eBay gifts, etc. Note that if you want to have them delivered directly to your friends, you can change the address in eBay. This applies to overseas eBay sites too - which all use your same eBay login details. Other popular sites for wasting money include: http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/ http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/ ... but both of those sites can occasionally be slow to send stuff, so get to it soon! (My helium-filled R/C Flying Fish arrived in three days however!) Cheers, Mike. *Old Editions* You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/I You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net Michael Kean *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Mon Dec 5 00:28:40 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:28:40 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 40 - New Invoices, Temporary Reduction to Trading Hours. Message-ID: <4EDB7588.4060109@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *New Invoices, Temporary Reduction to Trading Hours. * **Assorted News: * New Invoices Temporary Reduction to Trading Hours** * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *New Invoices. *My accounting system was initially written by myself in 1999, shortly after I first commenced trading in Bourke as "Mike's Computer Consultancy." Since then it's seen many small changes, but the process for sending statements was painfully slow and as a result was usually put off for later. Then of course, there'd be 100 statements to print and fold, followed by 100 envelopes to try to goad through the printer without jamming, etc. To alleviate that annoyance, I've written a small change so that the accounting system now includes what it /thinks/ is the account balance whenever an invoice is written, along with a count of how many invoices it /thinks/ is due. Payments are usually processed once a month, just before processing the Exetel accounts; so it is possible that it might say there are invoices owing that have actually been paid. *Temporary Reduction to Trading Hours. *On Friday evening (2/12) my partner had a very sudden onset illness resulting in an ambulance trip, and is now hospitalised for at least two weeks. As a result, I'll be operating on reduced hours - probably 10am to 2pm weekdays - in order to balance work, home and to help keep her sane. My apologies for the hassle. The good news is that she will likely make a full recovery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Old Editions *You can find old editions of this newsletter on the CCC Blog. http://auzzie.net/cccblog/ You can also subscribe or unsubscribe at http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Kean *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Sat Dec 31 17:14:03 2011 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:14:03 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Small bargain: Cordless phone to fix your mobile phone reception. $108 a pair. Message-ID: <4EFEA82B.7090007@auzzie.net> G'day all :) Just a quick note. Last newsletter I mentioned some cordless phones that pair up with your mobile phone so you can make mobile phone calls without holding your mobile phone. These were normally $170. Until 2/1 they're available for $108 for a pair instead. See http://www.dicksmith.com.au/product/F7899/9950bt-dect-c-less-phone-twin-pack-w-answering-machine-and-bluetooth The reasons you might want one? 1 - You can put your mobile somewhere it gets reception and the cordless phones take over. Solves or reduces dropouts. 2 - You want to take up a good mobile phone plan, or already have one, but have trouble with the small buttons or touch screens on new phones. 3 - You're scared of radiation from mobile phones. 4 - You're hard of hearing and your mobile's too quiet. (These have hands free.) My apologies for the spam if you didn't want to know about these! Cheers, Mike. If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, you can unsubscribe by clicking here: http://auzzie.net/mailman/listinfo/ccc-news_auzzie.net -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Proprietor, Cool Country Consulting.* Trading Hours: 10am to 8pm weekdays. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel: 02 6775 0239 Fax: 02 8212 9582 Mob: 0427 644 825 Chat contacts: WLM: michael at auzzie.net Skype: cccons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: