From michael at auzzie.net Sat Feb 18 17:11:59 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:11:59 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 41 - Maps, Pirates, Paranoia? :) In-Reply-To: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> References: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> Message-ID: <4F3F412F.8000302@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *A bunch of stuff to make up for the delay since last newsletter :) * **Assorted News: * The Piracy Wars - My take on it all. NBN Connections in Armidale now available with Exetel Hiding from Google? Duck Duck Go! *Handy Tips: *Tell me where you are - How to share your exact location with Google Maps. Sell things Slowly - at QuickSales. DropSync * Entertainment?: * The Energy Problem: A new short documentary reviewing our old friends, Peak Oil and Exponential Growth. * Shop: *WiFi Galaxy Tab for sale. Cheapo Tablets New and Secondhand Phones. Dell Dual Core laptop, 1G RAM, high def LCD $180, or $210 with new battery Wanted: Old working mobiles. *General Rambings *ExeBoss Gone :( New Invoices work well! Partner recovered :) * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The Piracy Wars - My Take on it all. * /Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. I make no guarantee that any of these services mentioned are in fact safe to use./ ///I//don't condone outright piracy, but have few qualms about downloading a show if it was just on TV recently and my PVR failed to record it./ /I am also very pleased about the Optus TV Now outcome. Piracy for Profit is wrong. No two ways about it./ -- * *You've probably recently heard of various 'piracy-busting' ideas such as SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA. From my limited understanding of them, they're no-evidence-needed heavy handed ways of killing off entire sites if one copyrighted piece of information is reproduced there without permission. Recently, a shady company called MegaUpload was shut down - and fair enough too since the people running it were clearly profiteering from copyright infringement. He made several million dollars . Generally speaking, Piracy largely exists because there is a demand for movies, music, games, etc that is not always conveniently or affordably met by supply. Content producers have a tendency to only make their content available in certain countries / regions. People would often be willing to pay for the same content if it could be found legally and for a reasonable price. In some cases it also exists because of "DVD Region Restrictions" that try to prevent you playing a US DVD (for example) in an Australian player; or more recently because people get irritated when they put a DVD or Blu-Ray in and are forced to watch unskippable ads and FBI warnings. Delayed releases in certain countries relative to others also tends to drive it. As an example of where a company is doing things right, look at Steam . They allow you to buy many computer games over the Internet. It generally doesn't matter where in the world you are. Other companies doing it half-right are Amazon and iTunes. I say only half-right for two reasons. Both Amazon and iTunes still have regional restrictions; meaning you often can't buy a book or movie because you live in Australia instead of the US for example. iTunes also gets another strike for being overly restrictive about what you can read iBooks on. (You can only read them on an iPad or iPhone - you can't read them on your computer! Compare that to Amazon's Kindle program that you can use on iPhone, Android, iPad, Laptops, Desktops, NetBooks, other phones..) /Please don't buy iBooks./ /*Why Piracy can't be stopped. */Some of you have heard of "torrents". These were invented many years ago around the time when Napster was killed. They are one of the most popular methods of obtaining music and movies without paying for them. There were two problems with torrents however. 1 - They required a central site listing all the torrents, for example The Pirate Bay . 2 - They are public - others can potentially see what your broadband connection is downloading . The problem with having a central site of course is that it can sometimes be taken down - as happened with Napster. The problem with others seeing what you're downloading is more to do with litigation of course - something that rarely happens in Australia yet, but those days might end soon. * /Workarounds? /*Naturally, people always find ways around perceived problems. For example, to avoid the 'central site' problem, a program called Tribler was invented. Rather than searching a central site for whatever it is you want to download, it asks the other computers nearby if they have it. Doing this reliably is a technical challenge of course, but it seems to be working. Another workaround is to "move to another country." There are many VPN services out that will do this. VPNs will generally move your Internet connection to another country. Mullvad for example will pop you up somewhere in Sweden - which will be amusing since suddenly Google will be Swedish . Since the connection between you and the VPN provider is usually a secure one, it's somewhat more difficult for anyone to see what you're sharing - largely solving the 'public' problem number 2 from above. VPNs are also commonly used by people in countries where censorship is a problem, and are a common tool for businesses who want to link two remote offices together; so they aren't inherently used for nefarious purposes. /*Conclusion:*/ So, in conclusion, if content providers refuse to make their content available worldwide at a fair price; people will pirate it instead - provided the effort required is not too steep. Some artists have already figured this out, and have decided to forego the middlemen and market directly to the public - sometimes quite profitably ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *NBN connections now available in Armidale with Exetel. *Some parts of Armidale now have NBN availability via Myself and Exetel. Click Here and enter you street name to see if it's available there. Pricing starts at $35 a month . Disclaimer: I earn 7.5% ongoing commission if you sign up with me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Paranoid? How to Hide from Google. *I'm not really worried about what Google knows about me - otherwise I wouldn't be using Gmail. However, I understand that some people would rather Google didn't know what they were searching for. You can somewhat reduce this by using an alternative search site that doesn't track what you search for. A popular example is Duck Duck Go ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Tell me where you are - How to share your exact location with Google Maps.* Do you live in a place that's 'turn left after the overtaking lane, follow road three kilometers, turn right over grid, left fork? Do you have to spend ages telling someone how to find you? Do you end up faxing them a mudmap? Well, those days might nearly be over! Here's how to share your exact location to someone via email, so they can see your exact location on their mobile phone GPS. If you're clever you can even work out how to put it in your email signature! Note: Unfortunately, using Google Maps is sometimes buggy and it gets stuck at "Loading..." Note also - if you have an Android phone, skip to Option 3 and take your phone outside - it's easier! 1 - Go to http://maps.google.com.au/ 2 - Type in your address, or an address nearby. /*Option 1 - Send an approximate match:*/ This option send them an unannotated map. 3 - Arrange the map so your location is centered on the map 4 - click the "Link button" 5 - Right-click the Address, choose Copy. 6 - In your email, right click and choose "Paste" 7 - Send the email :) The recipient will get the same map in the same position; you'll need to let them know to go to the centre of the map. /*Option 2 - Send an Exact Match. (Educational only - not working at time of writing.) */3 - Sign in if not already signed in. 4 - Type in your address, or an address nearby so you can drag the map to the right place. 5 - Click More -->> Move Marker. 6 - Drag the marker to the exact spot you want it. 7 - Click on More --> Send 8 - Enter the details, and click Send. (Try sending to yourself.) Note - at time of writing, only one out of twelve attempts to send the email actually went. You can use the 'Google Plus' "Share" link instead. This will work with Android devices, but I don't know about iPhones. */Option 3 - Send where you are right now./ *If you have an Android phone or tablet with GPS, you can use the app " Here I am 2 " to create an exact link and send it by email or SMS.**There is probably something similar for iPhone.* * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Sell Things Slowly, at QuickSales! *You've all heard of eBay. eBay's good, but if you want to sell something that's hard to sell, it can be a pain as you end up repeatedly paying listing fees. Quicksales doesn't have a listing fee, so you can take obscure items that you know someone will want, and list them there pretty much indefinitely without cost. You do of course pay a fee at sale. Unfortunately they only have about 10% of the traffic of eBay, but it's better than nothing! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * DropSync* Got an Android device and want to sync some documents between it and your computer without having to plug anything in? DropSync works with Dropbox to synchronise one or more folders between your computer and your device. One common use is to sync your phone photos automatically to your computer. Of course, be aware that if you're syncing large files, this might count as internet usage on your device. *//* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The Energy Problem *There seems to be significant evidence that our lives will change somewhat when we run out of oil, or when we overpopulate the planet, or when people decide a trillion dollars is too much debt. I don't have the answers to these larger problems - the general consensus of which appears to be 'get ready to live off the land again.' A new documentary called "There is No Tomorrow (2012) " has been created that presents most of this stuff fairly concisely. If you prefer a non-animated docco covering exponential growth, this one's not bad either . Note: I haven't done any research on the validity of either of these shows - you can read debates here and here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Shop *I currently have the following items available for sale: 1 * Lightly Used Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" WiFi only, $300 1 * Lightly Used Uniden "deaf and /or blind person " cordless phone, $45 5 pairs of Telstra Bluetooth Cordless phones, $120 a pair (or can do single $80, Triple $150) 4 * Huawei Ideos X1 Android Moblile Phones $85 each Dell Dual Core laptop , 1G RAM, high def LCD $180, or $210 with new battery I have also recently purchased one of these 7" tablets for a customer, and was relatively impressed with the value for money: ($150) I also purchased a $40 Dash Cam , and have been pleased with the results. (It's a camera that you put on your windscreen, and it records whenever the car is moving, etc.) *Wanted: *Any old working Bluetooth-capable Mobile Phones for recycling or re-homing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ExeBoss Gone :( *The manager of Exetel, John Linton , died about a couple of weeks ago. His son, James, seems to be keen on carrying on the show :) *New Invoices Working Well. *The "Account Balance" feature I recently added to my invoices has been working well, discovering a few payment issues from both myself and some customers. *Partner Recovered :) *Last newsletter, I mentioned that my parter had been unwell. She is back to normal now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another Newsletter! Hope your 2012's going well for you so far! 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 * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Mar 18 14:20:34 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:20:34 +1100 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 42 - Cheap computers, new antivirus, and looking for a cot. :) In-Reply-To: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> References: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> Message-ID: <4F655482.9000201@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *Just a weird assortment of stuff. * **Assorted News: * A secondary Virus Scanner that works... Business server owners: Small "Remote Desktop" threat coming? *Handy Tips: *Possible way to save small amounts of money with Internet Banking. Cheap computer setups for under $700 Phone and Laptop batteries often $30 or less. * Shop: *WiFi 7" Galaxy Tab for sale. Two more reconditioned laptops for sale shortly. *General Rambings * Cot needed, for a week over Easter. Kambrook home automation / power saving units. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *A secondary virus scanner that works... *After a few quiet months, it seems viruses are becoming an intermittent problem again. Over the last few weeks I've had a few computers come in with assorted ailments. The most common symptom has been a virus which takes over "Google". Every time you search for something on Google it would redirect your results to something completely unrelated, resulting in income for the virus writer, and annoyance for the computer's owner. The first time I struck this virus, I ran five common antivirus programs through it, and none of them could find anything. I gave up, wiped and reloaded that computer. When the same virus turned up again on another computer, this time I had the luxury of more time available to research the problem. I found a link to "HitMan Pro " which I'd never heard of before; gave it a run and in under 10 minutes it had found the cleverly hidden bug and removed it. Normally you shouldn't run two antivirus programs at the same time as they can end up fighting with each other. However, HitMan Pro is designed to work in a way that should be compatible with all virus scanners; so if you want a 'second opinion' on if your computer is clean or not, try it out. If it finds something you can activate the free 30 day trial. You can download it from http://www.surfright.nl/en/downloads *Business owners: Potential "Remote Desktop" threat coming?* Just a small heads-up that a vulnerability was recently discovered in the Remote Desktop server software that could allow other people to hack your server. See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-020 In most cases, servers are protected by a firewall and will be updated automatically; but I'm aware of a few customers who are not using VPNs on their Remote Desktop and have it exposed to the internet, and thus could be at risk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Possible way to save small amounts of money with Internet Banking.* Here's my personal strategy on saving small amounts of money with my bank, the Community Mutual group. Other banks might be similar or better. Note: I'm not an accountant or in any way qualified to give financial advice! /*Strategy 1 - Finding a High Interest account.*/ This is probably pointless if you have money owing on either a credit card or a home loan with ready redraw capabilities, since it probably makes more sense to put any spare money into those items due to their higher interest rates. However, assuming you do have a few grand kicking around in on-hand savings, you might want to research what high interest bearing accounts are around. For example, the CMG's S30 account will give you 3% interest on any amounts less than $10,000. Granted that's not much money, and probably only keeps up with inflation, but it's better than nothing, and since it's not tied up in any way you can still get to it at will. It's also 'safer' than playing the stock market, etc. /*Strategy 2 - Sub Accounts. */One thing that surprised me about CMG after switching from a standard bank was that you could create 'sub accounts'. You can take money from your main account and transfer it into these sub accounts online. I don't know if this is common for other banks and credit unions. In my case, I opened a few sub accounts, then via Internet Banking, I customised the names to things like "Tax", "Health", "Electricity", "Auto" etc. Then, also via Internet Banking I created scheduled transfers of small amounts each week / fortnight / whatever into these sub accounts; such that when those bills come due the right amount of money is already 'reserved' for them. One of these sub accounts is also linked to a Visa Debit card, which means that if my credit card is ever compromised, they can only get whatever is in that sub account. Another nice thing about sub accounts is that if you ever have a SHTF moment and run out of money on the main account, the sub accounts are raided to cover the debt. This is useful for me since I have about 80 direct debits a month for about 2 grand, and a moment's inattention could cost me a tonne of 'direct debit dishonour' fees. (Of course,my situation is probably a bit unique, but I imagine some small businesses have similar risks.) Not all banks or accounts would necessarily function the same way. /*Strategy 3 - Combine the two. */Since you can readily rename sub accounts, and you have a high interest earning account as well, you can be cheeky and periodically move the money from the sub accounts into the high interest account, renaming them as you go with whatever their balance should have been at the time you raided them. It's a bit fiddly, but for a couple of hundred a year saving it might be worth it. *Cheap Computer Setups for under $700 *I used**to be a fairly regular Dick Smith customer, but recently Bing Lee seems to be beating them pretty well on entry level computers. In the last month I have set up three new computer systems for customers, each for under $700 in parts. These have been with relatively low-end dual core or Core i3 computers with 2-4GB of RAM running Windows 7 and Office Starter 2010. In all cases they've been primarily for basic office work which is not particularly demanding. Each has had a 21.5" screen, a cordless keyboard and mouse. The unexpected element of this is that all of these have been laptop computers, in use as desktop computers. The biggest advantage of this setup is that you get two screens - the laptop's own screen plus the 21.5" one next to it. This means you can have your email open on one screen, for example, while working on the other screen in your accounting programs or on the Internet, etc. And since you're using a full size keyboard and mouse your experience is the same as having a desktop computer. Other advantages: * Uses less power than the average desktop * Power cord readily replaceable if it breaks * If it has an HDMI connection, easy connection to a TV to watch online movies, Internet TV, iView, etc. * Built in battery backup Main disadvantages * About 20% slower to boot due to lower speed hard disk relative to desktop. * Need to pick it up every six months and blow the dust out of the fan vents. * Less USB ports. (But add $40 7 port USB hub to solve.) * Easier to steal. So, if you like desktops because of the bigger screens, or you don't like laptops because of those finger pad thinggies, there is an affordable solution. Especially since flat screen monitors are coming in under $200 these days. Of course, you do also get what you pay for, but sometimes having the fastest / newest available is not necessary. These machines are all about the same speed as the laptop I still use daily. *Phone or Laptop batteries often $30 or less. *Do you have a laptop with a dead battery, or an older phone that just turns off mid-conversation? You might want to go to eBay and type in your model number plus the word battery. Many laptop batteries can be found for around $30, and many phone batteries for around $10 - including postage. Of course, these are possibly of questionable quality, so review the seller's history and ratings first; and be aware of the slightly higher risk that your device might go up in flames unexpectedly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Shop: *In addition to the 7" Samsung Galaxy WiFi only currently for sale for $300, I will also have two more laptops available shortly. One HP DV6000 dual core with Windows 7, Office 2007, 30 min battery and slight yellow tint to screen due to age for $150. Also, possibly a Compaq Presario CQ61 for $150 with Vista, 2GB RAM - still awaiting parts for its reconditioning but seems like it will be a good computer too. I'll throw in a three month warranty on 'em. If you have any laptops less than 8 years old that are in some way 'broken' and you want to see if they're sellable, or you just want to get rid of them, let me know :) All reconditioned laptops are first securely wiped of their personal contents. Just like human organ donation, sometimes laptop parts are transferable. (My Toshiba laptop now has a Packard Bell screen!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Cot needed for a week over Easter break... *Heh - I bet some of you got excited and thought I was starting a family! That's not a priority for me since in my mind there are already enough people in the world; but my sister decided a couple of years ago to invest in one :) She, her partner and her now two-year-old kiddliewinx (not that's not her real name) is coming from the UK to visit for a few days over the Easter break, and I don't have a suitable sleeping vessel for such an item. (Well, actually there are a couple of wooden trunks, but I imagine that removing the solid wooden lid would not be deemed appropriate!) So, if you happen to have a spare child sleeping accommodation vessel that will house a genus Human @ ~730 days old, I'd be interested in renting it. My father will also be visiting - so if you see him don't be fooled. I haven't found a delorean! Failing that, I can grab one on eBay, but not sure what to do with it afterwards... I'm sure I'd come up with something 'tho... Massive version of Mouse Trap?? *Kambrook Home Automation units. *If you've visited my home / office before, you've probably noticed how many things are automated. For example, the lights, the stereo and heater come on as you walk in various doors depending on which room you're in, etc - but the heater will only come on if all doors are closed first and it's less than 17.5 degrees. Yes, I like gadgets. There are a couple of devices you can buy that can help save on power usage. Bunnings sell a 'pack of three' switched power units with a remote control for $30. Using these, you can plug in one or more devices and be able to turn them on and off with the remote. In my case, I have six printers on one button (why I have six printers I don't know - I don't print anything any more) - the dishwasher on another button, a bug zapper on another, the entire craft room on another, the bedroom stereo and tv, set top box, vcr on another, etc. The idea being of course that you can shut down all power to things you're not using, rather than leaving them on standby or having to reach for the power switch. Another product which I've only seen at Crazy Clarkes so far is a power board for about $20 which has one master and three slave sockets. The idea being that when you turn on the master device (a TV for example) the other devices are then switched on as well. This would be mostly useful for a TV with several other gadgets attached such as DVD, BluRay, Games, VHS, Satelite boxes, etc, or could be used with a computer to automatically power up the printer, modem, etc. Of course, if you're really into home automation, there are much more advanced systems you can buy - this is entry level stuff. *Change providers? *Also a reminder that you can get a comparison of electricity providers on sites such as Switchwise.com.au . My experiment with Dead Bird power (Dodo) has so far been OK, albeit a bit slow to change over, at 21.9c/kwh ex GST vs 26.2c/kwh ex GST on Origin, approximately. The paying ahead caveat doesn't worry me, but it might worry you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for another newsletter - this one a little early since I'm running out of time to order a child containment vessel. Happy Easter for the religious among you, Happy Chocolate Scoffing day for the rest of you :) *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 Apr 15 19:45:55 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:45:55 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Easter eggs good. Lung eggs bad. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi :-) Just a quick note to let you all know I am still temporarily off work due to an annoying case of the flu or something similar that has rendered me about as useful as a cowbell on a windmill. Apologies for delayed replies to messages, and for the continuing delay in sending out the exetel accounts. Speaking of which, if you're in an NBN area I've been advised there are agent only plans available with $30 signup cost instead of $100, and double the usage for no extra cost. Of course, with their recent slashing of other agent offerings I'm not confident of anything they promise. We get $5 a month on the agent NBN plans apparently. Other things for your amusement: http://www.firstworldliving.com/ a site with many silly products. https://www.librarymixer.com/ is a brand new thing that lets you legally share your files with your friends, apparently. I've not had time to test it yet. The catch is that if you lend a file to a friend, it is deleted (I think) from your computer until they return it to you, thus mirroring the real world experience of lending a physical object. (Nothing stopping you from saving a copy of course, it'll be interesting how this pans out. It was written by a lawyer.) Family visit went well. Thanks for the SEVEN cot offers :-) They left on Thursday. Only casualties so far are an ornamental frog with a broken leg, a missing digital egg timer, and some green pebbles from an empty ornament. (And perhaps my immune system.) Anyway, will likely be back on my feet again soonish. In the mean time feel free to leave message on my mobile and email, and I will process them in due course. Note the mobile is not near me most of the time. Cheers, Mike. ----------------------------------------------- Sent via an Android Tablet. Minor grammatical errors may be present. Michael Kean - Cool Country Consulting. http://coolhelp.com.au/ Tel. 0427 644 825 / 02 6775 0239 10am to 8pm Weekdays. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From geoffwbishop at bigpond.com Thu May 3 11:43:45 2012 From: geoffwbishop at bigpond.com (Geoff Bishop) Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 11:43:45 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] website Message-ID: <143786E6FF1544A88F7D49A2342928F1@GeoffPC> Hi Michael, I would like to create a relatively simple website for my local Church. Can you give me some tips, ideas etc etc to help me get started. Being a non profit organisation cost is important. Regards, Geoff Bishop. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at auzzie.net Sat May 12 22:45:45 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 12 May 2012 22:45:45 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 43 - NBN in Armidale and surrounds :) In-Reply-To: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> References: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> Message-ID: <4FAE5B79.8080009@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *Fast Internet, Fast Computers, Hot Heads, and a Black Cat... * **Assorted News: * Finally over the Singapore British Australian Flu bug. NBN Wireless (and Fibre) now available for much of Armidale... *Handy Tips: * Low Tech Winter Tips. Make your computer four times faster? DIY Websites. *Other Stuff: *Who wants to buy an exercise bike? (or sell a Treadmill.) Cancelled my Merchant Facilities - free swipe machine materials to first responder! * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Finally over the Singapore British Australian Flu bug.* * *As many of you noticed, I was off crook for a week or so with a bug that turned me into a bit of a zombie. Back on deck now and catching up fairly well. The family visit went very well, bar everyone getting sick! *NBN Wireless (and fibre) now available for much of Armidale...* A few days ago I was going to send out an email to let you all know that NBN is now available wirelessly in Armidale and some surrounding areas. However before doing so I thought I better run the text of the proposed email via Exetel in case I had any facts wrong. They amended it (with the text in red) causing it to sound a bit more advertorial than I intended. So, in the interest of keeping the distinction clear, here's the email back from them, with their edits in red :) Just a quick note to let you know that it is now possible to get onto the NBNNetwork via Fibre and Fixed Wireless connections in Armidale and some surrounding areas. To see if you're in a covered area, check out http://www.nbnco.com.au/rollout/rollout-map.html (Type in Armidale) At this stage, I can do NBN Wireless connections via NBN's Retail Service Provider - Exetel at a guaranteed 12Mbps down 1Mbps up speed. Two plans available: Smaller one: $100 to get started, $35 a month for 50GB of Internet per month, on a 12 month contract. Larger one: $30 to get started, $47.50 a month for 100GB of Internet per month, on a 12 month contract. If you are happy with these options and ready to order, NBN will visit your premises to install hardware and carry out some speed tests to ensure that you are eligible for the service and the speeds mentioned, after you have submitted an order which I am happy to assist with/can do on your behalf.If they can't get the fibre speeds mentioned on the planthey won't proceed with the order. (Hooray - no more standing on the roof for me!) If you want, you can also get rid of your landline ("naked service")and keep your existing number as a VoIP service, with $5.00per month minimum costwhich includes 60 calls to all landlines within Australia . This willrequire a special telephone or box worth about $150-$250. Otherwise, all you might want is a WiFi router which I get for around $50 each.AVoIP service offers real value for money compared to a standard telephone line (which normally costs $25.00 a month for line rental (excluding any call charges which are generally 15 -- 20 cents per call or per minute) with calls to local and national numbers as low as 10 cents a call. Plus Exetel VoIP to VoIP is free. Give me a call or an email if you want more info, etc. Note that the larger plan is only available via myself as an Exetel agent. Disclaimer: I'd earn about $5 a month from Exetel if you sign up with me (Agent N040), in exchange for which I would be your first person to contact if you had issues.(or perhaps -- ordering through an Exetel agent (myself) will give you the opportunity to contact me directly for any technical assistance and I can also provide on-site assistance and setup. Cheers, Mike. I should mention that there are other plans available if you can get fibre - see the normal ones here , and the agent-only ones here . You can check if you address is covered for fibre here. Note that the NBN Wireless plans are 'fixed wireless' which means an aerial on your roof, as opposed to 'mobile broadband' that you get with Telstra and Optus. The main advantage of NBN Wireless over Optus or Telstra's wireless is likely to be the guaranteed speed. If you can't get the NBN Wirelessly or via Fibre, you will eventually be able to get it via Satellite, but I don't know when that will be happening. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Low Tech Winter Tips.* Now that the cooler weather is almost upon us, I'll revise a couple of ways of saving money at home on heating. They are a little unconventional, but then so am I ;-) */1 - Crack out the bubble wrap./ *OK I've covered this one before. By simply spraying your windows with a mist of water then applying some bubble wrap to the inside, you create a poor man's version of double glazing. This also means you don't have to be so fussy about closing up the curtains, so you can enjoy the natural light. Example here . Note that the bubble side faces the glass. */2 - Make Your Own Sunlight?/ *As you might recall I'm a big fan of Halogen heaters since they radiate heat towards you rather than trying to heat an entire room, and use half the power of a fan heater on high. This year I am trying a new trick for keeping warm cheaply. An Outdoor Halogen Work Light! As you can see in the example picture here - I've positioned a 500 watt work light above the couch where I mostly relax, watch TV, type up daily accounts, and write these newsletters. This provides a bright amount of light as you'd expect, but also radiates a pleasant warmth, which you can see Prado (the black cat) taking full advantage of. Naturally you'll want to make sure the light is not too close to anything flammable. It might also clash with your home decor! *Make your computer four times faster? *Well, four times faster is a little subjective; but probably realistic. Inside your computer is probably a part called a hard drive. Inside it is a disk spinning around at somewhere between 5400 and 7200 RPM. There is also a head that reads and writes the information. It's works a bit like a super-fast record player. As a result, they have a speed limit typically around 80 MB per second. (Pretend it's a car speed limit if that's easier!) They also slow down to about 5-10MB per second when you ask them to do two things at once - which happens quite a lot inside a computer with all those updates going on in the background, virus scanners, etc (Just like driving around town in a car, lots of distractions.) You can now buy a thing called a Solid State Drive. It basically performs the job of a hard drive, but with a more-or-less constant speed limit close to 500MB per second. (Or 500km/h if you're still thinking about cars! Always on the freeway...) It does this by replacing the spinning disk with stuff similar to what you find in memory sticks and thumb drives. Now, they're still relatively new tech at this stage, and are priced to match; but if you have a computer or laptop less than about 6 years old that is starting to slow down; it could be the best thing you can now buy for it to speed it up. Here are some example prices and sizes . It usually takes about 30-60 minutes to install, depending on how much stuff there is to copy from your old hard drive onto it. Those technically minded might be wondering about CPUs. Well, roughly speaking CPUs are for 'thinking' whereas hard drives are for 'doing.' An SSD won't make your computer 'think' any faster, but it will be much faster at 'doing' anything that involves moving data back and forth on the drive. Looking at the Internet mostly involves a fair bit of both. If you want to know when your computer is 'doing' stuff as opposed to 'thinking' - look at the hard drive light. When it's on, it's busy (mostly waiting) for the hard drive to do stuff. (The hard drive light is the one that's flashing all the time, although some new laptops have done away with it; and apple chucked theirs away in the '80s.) *DIY Websites. *As many of you know, I offer web hosting from $4 a month, and basic web page creation services. While the simplest website system I offer is probably WordPress, and I am moderately proficient in Joomla, you might also like to check out a competitor called SquareSpace . Their rates start at $8 per month, and you can have a two week free trial with no money down to see if their system is any good for you. Their website building system is simple to use, and for a beginner who wants to do it all themselves could perhaps be better than what I have to offer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Exercise Bike for Sale. *Now this might be a tough one. It seems to me everybody has an unwanted exercise bike hiding in their sheds or out on the verandah. (I've even got a horrible old one locked up in the back, back shed - grabs on each rotation.) But, I'm looking to upgrade to a treadmill and there ain't enough space in the house. (Unless I chuck out something that isn't mine...) So, feel free to make an offer on this good Exercise Bike . It's probably got about 50km on the clock so it's still a baby. (Hey - I take the dog for a run every night on the real one - don't judge me! hehe.) And if you have an electric treadmill to sell let me know. *Cancelled my Merchant Facilities - free swipe machine materials to first responder!* Well, 10 years or so ago, the Commonwealth Bank set up a service for me so I could take payments via Credit Card. However, I'd be lucky if I did one or two a month, so to save on the fees and hassle of having to hand write every transaction, I have cancelled the service. As a result, I have about 50 debit vouchers, 50 merchant summaries, a few merchant envelopes and 20 credit vouchers free to anybody who wants them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, another newsletter done. Business is going pretty well at the moment. *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 May 12 23:20:25 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 12 May 2012 23:20:25 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Oops! Even IT guys make mistakes. Message-ID: <4FAE6399.2000400@auzzie.net> Bugger. You probably just received an email regarding setting up a website for a church, shortly followed by Newsletter number 43. Normally, if you reply to the newsletter it comes straight to me, but for some reason his email was addressed to the newsletter itself. (Bizarre.) Then of course, I should have paid attention when processing the "accept this message" queue in the mailing list software, but I didn't read it carefully since nobody usually writes to that address other than me. I realised after I clicked it of course - since it's just like when you press delete on a file and then realise it was the wrong one. My apologies to all for this (rare) stuff up! I'll have to give him a free plug! (And blame the UK Singapore Australian flu for making me a bit dumb.) His business is Custom Concrete and Masonry. He's in Armidale. From what I can find on the Internet: "Custom Concrete & Masonry are a Concrete Contractors operator providing a wide range of products and services including concrete, steel mesh or cement." Services: Coatings, Edging, Stamping, Stencilling Address: 23 Faulkner St Armidale NSW 2350 Phone: (02) 6772 4702 Mobile: 04 20655055 I don't know what church it was. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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 Jun 3 14:41:52 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:41:52 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 44 - Free Offsite Backups & More... In-Reply-To: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> References: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> Message-ID: <4FCAEB10.1040604@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *Free Offsite Backups, The 'Fat' Diet, Free Music, Speakers for your Bike & more... *Handy Tips: * Free Offsite Backups! Automatic Photo Transfer from Phone / Tablet to Computer. The Mystery of Free Music *Other Stuff: * The "Fat" diet? Web hosting review pending... Sick again! *Shop *Bluetooth Stereo Speakers for your Bike, etc. Play your iPhone, Tablet or Android music wirelessly to your stereo. * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Free Offsite Backups!* If you have the following things, this might be of interest to you: 1 - A computer (Windows or Mac) with important files on it. 2 - A reasonable Internet connection. 3 - A friend who also has a reasonable Internet connection, or you own a home and work computer. There is a great program available that lets you securely and automatically have a copy of your files sent to your friend's computer or your home computer, and vice versa if you like. And since you're using your own computers, it's free to do. (Possible internet costs excepted - check your plan.) This free program is called "CrashPlan" and you can find out more at http://www.crashplan.com/consumer/crashplan.html They do have a paid version as well, if you want to back up to their servers; or you're welcome to back up to one of my servers in Black Mountain for $5 per month up to 100GB. The only advantage of using my server instead of theirs is that I can probably get your data back to you on a hard drive faster than you can download it. PS - your backups are password protected, so if you back up to another person's computer they cannot access your files. *Automatic Photo Transfer from Phone / Tablet to Computer. *Do you own an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android phone. (Android phones come from HTC, Samsung, Sony, Motorola primarily.) I've mentioned before a free program called DropBox that lets you share files between multiple computers. Another new feature it has is that you can have it automatically copy your photos from your phone to your computer when you take them - either via WiFi when at home or via the mobile phone network. The main advantage of this is it means you don't have to hunt for a cable to copy your photos off, and the second advantage is that it means you probably won't lose (all) your photos if your phone is lost or stolen. You can get it free for your PC at https://www.dropbox.com/ and for your phones via the same website or their App Store / Play Store icons. *The Mystery of Free Music! *Something strange has happened in this world. You can now go to YouTube , type in almost any song or artist, and listen to them for free. My best guess is that Google uses their ads to compensate for the costs; but it's still a bit of a mystery how they get away with it. Anyway, a common question I then get is 'how can I save this song onto my computer / phone / iPod'. And it's surprisingly simple, if perhaps a bit devious. 1 - Install Firefox if you don't already have it. 2 - Install "Youtube to MP3" if you want to save just the music 3 - Install "Video DownloadHelper" if you want to save the video. Note: These are examples only - there are several other addons that can do similar things PS - Note that many old TV Shows are also available in full on YouTube too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * The "Fat" diet?* I regularly listen to a Technology Podcast called SecurityNow by Steve Gibson. It helps me to keep up to date with what's going on with computer security etc. He is also a bit of a 'health nut' and likes to do scientific experiments on himself. One recent experiment was to see what would happen if he went onto a diet that removed almost all sugars. The way he explains it, the body will preferentially process sugars for energy, but was pre-designed to run on fats prior to our age of harvesting grains, etc. When he deprived himself of sugars, after a few weeks his body suddenly switched to converting fats for energy instead, which manifested in a few ways: 1 - Suddenly his urine smelt funny. 2 - Suddenly, greater stamina when exercising since converting fat produces 70% of the carbon dioxide that converting sugars does. 3 - Suddenly, full after eating relatively small portions of food. (No longer always tempted by food.) 4 - His Tinnitus buggered off 5 - His blood pressure dropped. You can watch the video presentation about it here: http://twit.tv/show/twit-live-specials/124 I haven't researched it further myself yet. Note that making such a drastic change should be done with some form of medical supervision. *Web hosting review pending. *I offer web hosting as part of my business. However, the prices and plans haven't changed in three or more years. It looks like I can move to a newer server soon which will have much more space than the current one; so hopefully by the time the next newsletter comes around I'll have some more attractive plans! *Sick Again! *Sheesh, When I was younger I almost never got sick. This year I seem to be breaking all the records! As of 6:30 Saturday night I can no longer keep food or water down. Hopefully the plumbing gets itself sorted soon! The frequency of detonation is reducing so hopefully I'll be right by tomorrow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Bluetooth Stereo Speakers for your Bike, etc. (Play music wirelessly from phone or tablet.) *A few months ago, one of those 'bargain of the day' sites (probably http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/ or http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/ ) had a small set of speakers for sale, down to roughly $30 + postage. They're usually around $120 retail. So, I took the gamble and grabbed a set; since I'd long planned to fit speakers to my daily dog-run electric bike. Since then I have been very impressed by their sound, given that they're not much bigger than a clenched fist. I've thrown everything from PowerGlove to Beethoven at them and have not been able to fault them. They sound is pretty rich, clear yet with decent bass production that you wouldn't normally expect to get out of something that small, and they are satisfyingly loud if you want them to be. A few days ago, they were listed again at $30 + postage, so I grabbed four sets, which I now have up for sale at $40 each. (Yes, I'm quite the greedy retailer!) So, if you; or someone you know, is one of those foolish people who rides a bike while wearing headphones; these could be just for you. The sound is in front of you so you can still hear if a car comes up behind you. And there's no need to worry about annoying people with your music since they're quite directional - and besides there are noisy bastards with Harleys - your 6 watt speaker ain't going to compete! Oh, forgot to mention they double as a hands free kit as well. I'll carry a set with me in the car in case you want a demo. *Play your iPhone, Tablet or Android music wirelessly to your stereo.* Do you keep your music on your Phone? Do you like listening to online radio? Do you like 2AD but can't get decent AM reception? This might interest you. One of my suppliers sells a number of adapters from about $85 that you can plug in to your stereo. These will then pair up with your phone or tablet, so that you can play your music through your stereo even though the phone is in your hand / pocket, etc. Note: 2AD has stopped working on TuneIn radio for some reason, a few customers have asked about it but I haven't chased it up yet. If you only listen to it because your a Lawsie disciple, you can get your fix at 2SM instead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, another newsletter done. Business is going pretty well at the moment. *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 Jul 1 20:38:18 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:38:18 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Some very sad news. Message-ID: <4FF0289A.1080906@auzzie.net> Hello Dear Friends. It is with great sadness that I write to let you know that my partner, Val, has been diagnosed as having a tumour on one of her lungs, and another on her brain. They were not visible a few months ago when she had her stroke. She needs assistance to walk, has lost partial use of her right leg and arm, and takes between 4 and ten times as long as usual to communicate. She has resigned from work. Biopsy in Tamworth on Tuesday before we can work out a path for treatment. Almost overnight, I have changed from IT Consultant to nearly full time carer. I regret that there will likely be significant delays in responding to your calls for help. Please treasure your loved ones - things can change so damn quickly :'( She does not deserve this. I will probably start posting updates to https://twitter.com/cccmikey when I am able. Kind Regards, 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 Jul 9 14:16:42 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:16:42 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Update on Val's condition, work, etc. Message-ID: <4FFA5B2A.904@auzzie.net> Hi all :) Sorry I've been a bit slow getting in touch with you all regarding Val's condition. Having been thrown into a 24 hour care role with added sleep deprivation has not left me much time or energy to fiddle with emails. Today we have some family members visiting from Sydney, so I'm getting my head above water again and catching up :) Firstly, thank you all for your more than 100 responses offering kind thoughts, suggestions, help, etc. I have replied to a few of you, but neglected many so far. Rest assured I did read your emails. I am in better spirits now, and while I know the prognosis for broncho alveolar carcinoma is generally not great, I'm reasonably confident that we'll give controlling it our best shot. She is now retired and out of all debt, so that's a big stress off her mind. (Anyone who knows her knows she works too hard!) I'm currently, slowly reading "AntiCancer - a new way of life" - for inspiration at least, if not information. A select group of close friends have been receiving daily text messages advising how Val has been going. *If you would like to receive a copy of these daily messages by email or SMS, write back to me to let me know. (Usually sending one or two per day.)* So far, she's been in and out of hospital a few times. She had somewhat lost, and now mostly regained use of her right hand, leg and some cognitive ability. The cancer was found in her lung, with spots apparent on her spine, and one in her brain. The biopsy results came in last Friday, and tomorrow we're off to see an oncology specialist in Armidale who will likely refer us to a Sydney specialist. She's greatly improved over how she was last week, with the exception of a sore throat. Hopefully that's nothing too serious - I too have managed to get yet another 'cold' since this all started - but at least this time it's just an annoying runny nose type, not a 'wear you out' type. So far as how my business is going - well it's a bit up in the air at the moment. I'll likely start doing a few hours a week when we have visitors here. At present the best alternative I can probably recommend is Armidale Computers, 67712712 as they are not overly expensive. Amac (67712266) is probably a reasonable second, but will probably charge more than I. Best to contact me by email, and if I fail to reply in a reasonable time frame, write again. It's easier to coordinate that phone messages at this point in time. Val has also asked for "dignity of risk" which is where you allow a person to do stuff they want to, even though there is a risk in doing so. (In her case, it's mainly being left to do things herself without me standing immediately by lest she falls over.) That's a bit of a load off my mind since it means I don't have to feel guilty just in case something bad does happen, and it probably helps her too. Anyway, once again thanks to you all for your support. Special thanks to Ian and Dianne Bibb for supplying some pre-cooked soup and other food, Angela Sole (National Trailers) for helping supply a massive pie and quiche, and Lesley Colley for providing support, accommodation in Armidale when the days got too long. So far I've only managed to blow up one egg in the microwave - they go bang even if you have them open before hand - and also set a teabag on fire when I tried to make a cup of tea without the requisite water. Cheers, Mike. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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 Tue Jul 17 11:48:36 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:48:36 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 45: Cheap computers / Internet TV boxes, and a free cat... Message-ID: <5004C474.2080103@auzzie.net> G'day all :) *Cheap Computers.* Just before my world was turned upside down, I had received a donation of about 7 computers and screens from Bald Blair Primary - I guess they have so many laptops now that they no longer needed them. I took them back to the office, reloaded Windows, and set them all up ready to go. 2.6Ghz. They're small IBM computers not much bigger than a VCR. If you have a flat screen TV and broadband, you might be interested in snapping one up for use as an iView / YouTube / Internet TV / Media Player box. They're all ready to go - just add a cordless mouse and keyboard and you can enjoy TV On Demand for free. You can also attach a USB Hard Drive to play all those movies the kids have, etc. You can also store your DVD collection in them. Pricing: Older Pentium 4 model with 512M RAM = $40 Newer Pentium 4 model with 1GB RAM = $60 Large square 17" LCD = $35-$50 depending on condition. *Free Cat... *Back in 2009 a kitten appeared from nowhere and ran into our house. She's been here ever since. Our other cat, Prado, wasn't too impressed; and for the first two years she'd attack Maddy (the kitten) whenever she could. Recently, Maddy has outgrown Prado and turned the tables, and I've had to take Prado to the vet twice now to get her face repaired. So, I need to re-home Maddy. She's an unusual cat - quite solid, with an attitude. Prefers to eat dog rolls rather than canned fish, and likes milk. She's a desexed female, black and brown tortoiseshell in appearance. Probably a good farm cat. Here's some photos... https://plus.google.com/photos/116830952460629218664/albums/5765947546363448129 If you want to give her a try, let me know :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, that's it for this newsletter. Still doing fairly short days only at the moment. 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 -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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 Aug 25 13:34:28 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:34:28 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] Assorted News 46 - New Web Hosting and Remote Assistance options, Val update. In-Reply-To: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> References: <4F3F3C14.9000205@auzzie.net> Message-ID: <503847C4.70807@auzzie.net> *In this edition: ** *New Web Hosting and Remote assistance options, plus an update on what's happening with Val. * Assorted News:* New Web Hosting plans Get a Web Site? * Availability News**: * When and Where can you get help? The WA Wildflower Holiday: 5th to 19th September *Shop * Office 2010 Home and Student. Donortec - cheap stuff for Not for Profit businesses. *Other Stuff: *Val's Current Condition * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *New Web Hosting Plans. *I'm pleased to announce some new web hosting plans, much cheaper than the existing ones. These new 'economy' plans are on a different server that is cheaper for me to provide but has a lower service level guarantee, so I can pass these savings on to you. Web site space 0.5GB 1GB 2GB 3GB 4GB 5GB 10GB Traffic unlimited <-- <-- <-- <-- <-- <-- Price per Month *$4* *$5* *$8* *$10* *$12* *$14* *$20* If you have an existing hosting plan with CCC, you are entitled to a free 1GB on this new server as well. This can be useful for things like hosting larger files or mailing lists, etc, and would be set up as a subdomain off your existing site. If you want to move your entire existing site, there will be costs involved since there's no automated approach to move between servers. I can quote you on that however :) I have moved my website http://coolhelp.com.au/ to this new server so you can check the speed. Unlike many cheap hosting providers this server is in Australia - important for speed when you have more complex websites. *Get a Web Site? *If you haven't already got a website, I can help with that. Costs are typically $15 per year for a site name, $4 a month for hosting, and construction costs typically start at around $50. The sites I build these days are ones that you can edit yourself online, without needing extra programs on your computer - and of course you can also email the updates to me and I'll do them for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *When and Where can you get help? *Due to my partner's current condition I am spending quite a bit of my time as a home help / handyman / chauffeur. As a result, it's difficult for me to get away and provide the on-site assistance that I used to provide. Unfortunately this has meant passing on some work to Armidale Computers 67712712 or Lorraine's Computer Services (Uralla based) 0429600064 since I only have about 2-3 hours a week for site visits in Guyra and Armidale. The good news is I can still help with some issues remotely using my Remote Assistance options - that 'magical' process where I can operate your computer from anywhere. I've updated these options on my "Remote Assistance" page. I've also added an icon there that shows if I'm available to help / chat with right now, since I have some bizarre hours! (The chat feature uses Skype, or you can just call / text 0427644825.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The WA Wildflower Holiday.* Before Val became sick, she and a friend had signed up for a two week guided tour of the wildflowers of Western Australia. We feared she'd have to cancel it, but our oncology nurse seems quite happy with the idea of her going on it despite her ills. As a result, I've been added to the booking so it looks like I too will be getting to see the other side of Oz! This is from 5th to 19th September. Of course, there is some concern about how well Val will cope with this, given that she often has very limited physical energy; but we've planned for that. One of her sons has rustled up a posh-looking wheelchair (along with some other handy gear such as 'spiderchair' - a swivel chair that sits on the bath tub for those combo shower-baths that some of us have) care of his Coffs Harbour contacts; and we can take that with us - so looks like I'll get to push /her/ around for a change! Some of the legs have multi-night stays in the same hotel too so if we need to take a day off that's easy enough; or worst case I can hire a car. And yes, we do have cancellation insurance just in case - but I remember when my Aunt who suffered a similar condition traveled here for a couple of weeks from Sydney despite protests from the local A&E when she had an issue with a sore throat - she had a great couple of weeks nonetheless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Shop Office 2010 Home and Student Edition: *A customer thought he needed it, so I picked it up at DSE for him. But after I opened the packaging we discovered that he already had what he needed. So, if you want a genuine copy of Office 2010 Home and Student - CD version (which means you can stick it on up to three computers) you can have it for the discounted price of $129 *Donortec - Cheap Stuff for Not for Profits. *Heh - well, while my income has taken a bit of a hit; I'm still a for-profit business. I still have my income streams from Exetel, web hosting, website updates, offsite backups and other remote assistance tasks; and no longer need to pay off the house. But I digress... A few times I've stumbled on customers who use Donortec - and they get some incredibly cheap prices. The last one needed Microsoft Access, and turned out they could get Office 2010 Pro for just $30. So if you're a legitimate NFP, check them out. Much cheaper than retail. http://www.connectingup.org/donortec/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Val's Current Condition: *Just a quick update. She has just started her second round of Chemo. The results of this should be known in the next couple of weeks. She has the classic lethargy that Chemo brings, plus some weight gain care of the steroids used to control inflammation associated with the brain tumour. She sleeps well at night, plus an hour or two in the middle of the day; and eats enthusiastically. She still does some of the things she enjoys such as attending occasional Monday and Wednesday night painting classes in Armidale; visiting and being visited by friends; and of course gardening. Hooray for the sunny weather! My own condition is pretty reasonable. While it's of course concerning and at times painful watching Val's condition, I find some enjoyment in helping her out with the gardening, the chauffeuring, the household defragging. There's always something to do. I'm getting enough sleep and food most days and am in reasonable health as far as I can tell :) After 7 weeks Centrelink finally got her pension organised, which helps a little too. Thank you all for your support during this time! * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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 Sep 29 22:12:21 2012 From: michael at auzzie.net (Michael Kean) Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2012 22:12:21 +1000 Subject: [CCC News] What's Happening with Val & CCC? Message-ID: <5066E5A5.4030904@auzzie.net> Hi All :) Just a quick note to let you know what's been happening lately, and what's happening into the near future. Val and I had a good two week holiday in WA. Unfortunately we both picked up bugs while over there, eventually seeing me wheel Val into ER at Coffs Hospital last Tuesday morning. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and is making a reasonable recovery from that while also receiving radiotherapy. (She's still admitted to hospital, I am staying at the lodge on the hospital grounds.) I continue to battle with the bug which seems quite happy to live with me rather than getting stuffed - better than it was a week ago when I was the 'walking dead', but annoying that my body seems happy to 'ignore' it rather than fight it off. I may end up getting medical help. I'm getting little work done at the moment, instead being an almost full-time carer; so my apologies for any unanswered calls. I'm afraid CCC is not doing much other than web site and email support at the moment - largely due to a lack of time but also due to a full plate. The final radiotherapy session is likely to be this Tuesday, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to leave then. Time will tell. Val is making a reasonable recovery, but there was some talk about them transferring her to Armidale hospital instead. I haven't had time to tidy up the photos of the holiday, so they're all in one jumbled mess at https://plus.google.com/photos/116830952460629218664/albums/5786541610631437953?banner=pwa - there are some videos to follow. Hope you're all well! Cheers, Mike. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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: