Saturday, October 27, 2012

Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro upgrade is not a straight forward upgrade for all Windows 7 editions.

I decided to buy the Windows 8 Pro upgrade from the Microsoft Online Store this morning. I have an older development machine I’d like to install Windows 8 Pro on. The machine is currently running the trial version of Windows 8 Enterprise Edition which expires after three months. I opened my notebook and went to download. From the first screens presented on the Microsoft Online Store I couldn’t just buy and download Windows 8 Pro and then burn it to a disk. The screens take me through the steps of checking my machine and at this point I decided I’d rather go to Officeworks and buy Windows 8 Pro on special for around $9 more. I’m hoping the special also includes the DVD so I don’t have to spend the time downloading and burning a DVD.

The problem I find with downloading programs is things can and do go wrong. When I support people I take into account people have a range of skills. If things go wrong for me, then they’ll go wrong for others and really, I want people to have the best experience they can, given what technology often puts us through. On a number of occasions when I’ve assisted people who have downloaded their software, they don’t have a copy of their software to reinstall when there is a major problem. This means to fix the problem they have had to buy the software again. In other situations people have lost their product key, or the product key is in their emails on their computer which is no longer working. People should have a copy of their software and their product key stored separately to minimise the chance of having to incur additional costs and delays.

One big surprise for me was the following statement on the Microsoft Online Store.

“If your PC is running Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium, your files, programs and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8. If your PC is running Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will need to reinstall your programs. Some features such as touch may require a new PC. To check compatibility, visit your PC manufacturer’s website and check out www.windows.com/upgrade to run the Upgrade Assistant to check for compatibility and get more details on system requirements.”

To me an upgrade is you insert the disk, run the program, the upgrade occurs and you continue working. This is generally relatively easy for anyone who is comfortable working with technology. Having to reinstall all your programs is much more time consuming. You never know if you’ve got all the disks, the licence numbers and even if some of the programs such as drivers will even work. Reinstalling your software can often wipe existing data for some applications and that is pretty scary if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve often reinstalled Windows and then spent hours downloading and updating drivers for sound cards, video cards and other devices in the computer. An upgrade to a new version of Windows can mean some of your peripheral devices don’t work and may never be able to be used again with your upgraded computer.

What surprised me and I didn’t know, even though I’ve spent numerous hours researching, installed Windows 8 Release Preview, installed Windows 8 Enterprise Edition, and attended a Microsoft day-long seminar, that the upgrade will only work easily with Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium. I mostly now support micro and small business clients (as well as home users) and for business I’d always recommend the Pro version of Windows. People buying Home editions would often bring a computer into a large business or government environment wanting to use their computer for work, but couldn’t because it couldn’t connect to their network at work. There were also other features missing in the Home edition. Thus it was safer to purchase the Pro edition of Windows.

Now every one of those computer running the pro edition of Windows 7, will now effectively have to do what is nearly a complete reinstall of their computer. That is a very costly exercise if you are using an IT consultant to upgrade your computers. I wouldn’t upgrade a machine without first doing a review of the machine, determining what programs and data the user has on their machine, performing a backup of their hard disk, and then installing the new operating system, reinstalling all their applications, bringing across their data and then fixing any issues that have been created, such as drivers for hardware or peripherals not working. This could easily be a $300-$500 (or more) cost per machine. I personally find it hard to justify putting that amount of money into an older machine.

Windows 8 is not a simple upgrade anymore and it is now an upgrade you need to think seriously about. If you have to pay $300-$500 to upgrade an older machine, that sum of money could easily go a long way towards the cost of purchasing a new machine. With a new machine at least you know the machine has been designed to run the new operating system. You don’t have to try to fix things that didn’t work in the upgrade. Because your data is still on your old machine you can take your time to migrate your data and applications. I often leave the old decommissioned machine with the client for two weeks just in case something they hadn’t realised the was something on their old machine they needed to be migrated and now doesn’t work on their new machine. Then after that period the old machine can be cleaned and reused in another part of the business.

As an extra tip I don’t generally buy the Office software licence with the machine as that software can only be used with that machine. I purchase the more expensive stand-alone version of the Office. That enables me to use the software on two machines (a desktop and a notebook) and to transfer the software to a new machine. (I’ll need to recheck the licence to see if this still applies.) I’ve had clients who have had their computers stolen. The insurance companies won’t pay for the software and the software is only licensed for the machine that was stolen. The client can’t use the software on the new replacement machine and are thus out of pocket hundreds of dollars. I’ve also confirmed this with Microsoft.

Until today I didn’t realise that only the Home editions of Windows 7 will be a relatively straight forward upgrade exercise. That means for me, the majority of machines could potentially be equivalent to a reinstall and that is a much more time consuming and thus expensive exercise. Many of those who purchased a machine recently running Windows 7 with a $14.99 upgrade to Windows 8, will probably now be regretting they didn’t just wait and buy a new computer and save themselves the time and energy required to upgrade. I’ve recommended that my clients defer purchasing machines until after Windows 8 ships. Retailers who just wanted the sale would have been pushing out machines and not advising clients of the time and effort to upgrade. Consultants who have advised clients to purchase a Windows 7 machine and then to later update may get some agro from their clients. Some consultants would have done this knowingly to obtain additional support work and others would not have known the upgrade wouldn’t be a simple upgrade.

I’m posting this article to all my blogs including my Online Connections blog (www.blog.onlineconnections.com.au) and also each of the JustLocal postcode blogs I maintain, to ensure people I support now know if they are thinking of upgrading to Windows 8, there is more work involved than previously anticipated.

If you’d like to be kept informed with technology related news, most news is posted to my Online Connections blog (www.blog.onlineconnections.com.au). For clients I also provide the MyAnswers solution database where I post problems and solutions I find when working with clients. This enables me to share solutions between clients reducing the costs overall for all clients. You can keep updated on new solutions on MyAnswers by looking at the Recent solutions posted. I expect to post quite a number of issues and solutions relating to Windows 8.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham, Templestowe Lower, Lower Plenty, Doncaster East, Montmorency, Bulleen, Warrandyte and Research with no travel or call-out fee. For suburbs outside this area travel time is chargeable.
 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Windows 8 release date in Australia is today. Windows 8 Pro upgrade available now.

Windows 8 Pro upgrade is now available for download from Microsoft’s Online Store for $39.99. There are a number of things you should keep in mind.

1. Whilst at $39.99 the Windows 8 Pro upgrade is a bargain compared to previous upgrades, if you have an ageing computer think about whether it is best to save the money and put it towards a new computer, or to install Windows 8 Pro to keep your existing computer going and use the latest version of Windows.

2. Keep in mind Windows 8 is very different from what you are used to. At first this will be frustrating for most, but as with all past changes, once you get used to it, it won’t really matter.

3. Around 10% of older computers I’d estimate won’t be able to be upgraded. I estimate there will be over 100 million computers currently being used worldwide which won’t handle the upgrade. Check Microsoft’s refund policy, or the policy of the store where you purchase the software. The system requirements stated on the Microsoft web site do not take into account many computers which exceed the minimum requirement cannot install the Windows 8 upgrade. This is based on testing the Windows 8 Preview Release and I don’t believe this has changed.

The Microsoft Online Store provides a link to the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant which you can use to test if your computer can install Windows 8. I’d recommend running the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant before purchasing the Window 8 Pro upgrade. On the netbook computer I use (it is around three years old) 11 issues were found and one was quite serious.

4. Keep in mind only upgrading from Windows 7 is what we’d normally consider a real upgrade. Windows Vista and Windows 8 will require reinstallation of your applications and isn’t an upgrade to me. My concern here is people running the upgrade on a Vistra or Windows XP machine will end up with a machine where there programs won’t run if they don’t understand how the upgrade works. I’d suggest Windows XP and Windows Vista users consider the upgrade to be like a fresh install. If you had to do a new install of your computer what do you need to save first.

5. You should perform a backup of your data (including programs you may have download and any settings your programs may store) before you perform any upgrade to your computer.  

I’m suggesting to my clients they should purchase the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro even if they don’t install the upgrade right now. Until January 31st 2013 you’ll be able to buy Windows 8 Pro via download for $39.99. After that date the price will most likely revert to the very expensive upgrade prices of past, which means it may no longer be worth upgrading an older machine. This of course may change and Microsoft may decide to keep the upgrade prices at a reasonable level, but I wouldn’t count on it. Based on what I’ve read the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro on DVD could cost as much as $290. To me it doesn’t make sense to pay that much money to upgrade an older machine when that money could go to a new and faster machine.

You can buy Windows 8 Pro upgrade from a retailer, or save some money and download the upgrade from the Microsoft Online Store. The upgrade from a retailer will cost around $20-$30 more. I’m not sure at the moment, but I suspect the retail version may include a DVD. You should check if the DVD is included in the purchase from a retailer.

As I find issues with Windows 8 I’ll add the issues and solutions to MyAnswers for clients. I’ve already identified and documented a shortcoming of Windows 8 Mail which largely stops me from using Windows 8 Mail and may stop others.

Most importantly, do run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant first to make sure upgrading your computer won’t cause you any grief. Well, no more grief than normal.

If you forget where you can download the Windows 8 upgrade, the Microsoft Online Store is available on the main page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au). JustLocal is an advertising service I’ve created to help local businesses advertise cost effectively.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

NOTE: The link to the Microsoft store above is an affiliate link. Purchasing using this link means I receive a commission but does not affect the price you pay.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Eastern freeway at at crawl from Chandler Highway to Hoddle Street

Getting a lift into the city this morning via the Eastern freeway. The T2 lane is travelling well but all the other lanes are a crawl and often stopping.

I'm told this isn't unusual. How people put up with the daily grind of this trip is beyond me.

By focusing on working locally I'm now lucky enough to avoid such a frustrating trip. With the occasional job or seminar in the city I can usually avoid the congestion.

Think local for work, but if you can't, perhaps find company and use the T2.

If you need help building up your local business consider JustLocal and help yourself and help build a stronger local community.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

PS. On the freeway two cars were in the emergency lane with the bus attempting to move into the traffic. On Hoddle Street near the freeway exit, police, fire brigade and ambulance were at the scene of an accident. A motor bike was pinned under a four wheel drive. Hoddle is light after the accident.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Compulsory voting for council elections but...

When I attended the session for independents at the last state election, one statement that quite surprised me was that voting was compulsory for those over seventy, but the person said they wouldn't enforce it.

Now I see the following for the council election.

<<< photo missing >>>

To me this just seems absurd. Surely they should just make voting optional for over 70's.

I assisted one elderly person who was hysterical thinking they'd have the wrath of the government on them if they didn't vote and had no clue what the information in the postal vote meant. If you've tried to read and understand what the government sends out for the state election, you'll find it quite verbose and difficult to understand.

At a time when we should make it easier for the elderly, or in fact all people, the government makes it harder in their own interests.

First Julia Gillard redefines the meaning of misogyny and now compulsory doesn't mean compulsory.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Big Switch Projects run by Gavin Gilchrist blog spamming.

Tonight I received a comment on my blog on the article “One Big Switch on The Project” (http://justlocal.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/one-big-switch-on-project.html). The following is the comment. I’ve changed the link at the end so it now fails.

“I recall correctly on The Project they said there was a three year contract. I for one wouldn’t want to be locked into such a long term contract. beec

What I thought was interesting is the person who created the comment had taken a section of the blog I’d written and made it very relevant to the blog. I check each comment because 95% plus of comments are blog spam and it is usually easy to tell from what has been written, or there is a link to promote another site in the comment. In this case because it reflected what had been said in the blog post it could have easily tricked me to release the comment. The link however made it look suspect. This is one of the techniques businesses are using other people’s blogs to promote themselves.

When I checked my logs this comment was entered by someone in Pakistan. The link however is for an Australian site so the spam has been outsourced. Here is a copy of part of the log.

Host: 59.103.212.199

  •  

/images/XXXX (removed)

Http Code: 200

Date: Oct 20 04:48:18

Http Version: HTTP/1.1

Size in Bytes: 28944

Referer: http://justlocal.blogspot.com/2012/05/one-big-switch-on-project.html

Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:15.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/15.0.1

NOTE: The time is based on the hosting provider which is in the Houston Texas. The comment was received at 8:52pm Melbourne local time which is four minutes after the site was visited confirming this is the relevant log entry.

My guess is Gavin Gilchrist at Big Switch Projects has probably had his web developer to do some Search Engine Optimisation. I recently had a mobile vet in Melbourne do the same thing. When I contacted the vet they didn’t have a clue their web developer was using blog spamming to promote the vets  business.

Be careful of the companies you use to promote your business. If they aren’t behaving ethically this will reflect on your business. Blog spamming is still spam. Using other people’s sites and resources and thus creating work for them to remove the spam is not appropriate. If you read this Gavin please stop blog spamming.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Friday, October 19, 2012

Google search Australia and Google advertising has now been removed from JustLocal.

Recently Google updated their search algorithm which resulted in my dictionary page going from the number one position in Google when people search for “Australian dictionary” to nowhere to be seen. That means around a thousand people each week using my free Australian English dictionary service will no longer find a free Australian English dictionary service. If Google can do that to me so easily, they can do it to any business.

I’ve also noticed that between 25% and up to possibly 40% of searches coming to my site have no search term, which means people are logged onto a Google service and whatever they search for is being tracked to them individually.

These actions concern me. I don’t want to encourage people to put time and effort into creating a presence in Google search results when any time, effort, or money they outlay, could easily end up being wiped away so easily. I’m also very concerned about the privacy of Australians. Over 90% of Australians use Google for searching with 25-40% of those having their search activity tracked to them individually. I’ve read this information can be handed to law enforcement agencies without a court order. How this information is being used by others is not known to us and for me that is a concern.

Whilst I can’t stop using all Google services, I’ve decided at this point to remove Google advertising from my site and the Google custom search engine.

JustLocal has been designed to provide single click access to businesses in an area. Something which is very difficult and time consuming with a search engine. For example, a very popular fish and chip shop called Shark Tank Seafood opened a few months ago in Templestowe. My blog entries appear in Google’s search results, but the page with the menu at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/shark-tank-seafood-templestowe/ cannot be found. If you visit www.JustLocal.com.au/3106 (the page for Templestowe), you can access the Shark Tank Seafood menu with a single click.

JustLocal offers single click access to local businesses. Google offers endless searches with no guarantee of finding what you want.

By continuing to include Google’s custom search in JustLocal, people will continue to unproductively search for local businesses often being presented with large overseas businesses, or business not in the area with deep pockets to advertise. Once people realise there is a better way to find a local business using JustLocal, JustLocal will grow to service locals better. Shark Tank Seafood receives over a hundred views of their menu a month as a result of JustLocal’s efforts to promote them. That’s a lot of potential business.

 

Thank you for your continued support and I trust JustLocal assists local businesses and residents.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Help to build a stronger local community through stronger local businesses.

Alert: CatchOfTheDay.com.au - Ipad 3 Limited Offer

Just received the message with the subject "CatchOfTheDay.com.au - Ipad 3 Limited Offer".

This is a fake and should be deleted immediately. Don't click on the link.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Australian dictionary for Microsoft Office.

The Australian dictionary available in Microsoft Office is often criticised for including American spelling, but what isn’t generally known, is the real problem is the dictionary includes multiple ways to spell the same word, such as organise and organize.

For years I had no clue as to which was the correct spelling and I find most people are in exactly the same situation. It turns out it isn’t so much which is correct, but which is preferred in Australia. If the preferred spelling isn’t used, many people think the American spelling is being used and that the writer can’t spell correctly. For students this can mean a reduction in their marks and for businesses the perceived lower quality of their writing, could lead them to miss out of valuable sales. Often it is the small differences which makes one presentation better than another. Don’t let your spelling be the reason you lose marks, that next sale, or even your dream job.

The solution is very easy and cost effective. I’ve produced an Exclude file you can load into your computer which will mark the secondary spelling of thousands of words as spelling errors, which means you end up using the preferred Australian English spelling without a second thought.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Reports from people they can't find the free Australian dictionary using Google

Until recently over a thousand people a week were able to search for and find the only Australian dictionary which provided the  preferred Australian English spelling for free. It appears Google may have updated their search algorithm which has caused the site to disappear from their search results.

Unfortunately there is nothing I can do. If even a small percentage of people who used the dictionary provided a link to the page this would let Google know they feel the page is important. My logs unfortunately suggest almost no one bothers to provide a link, but people use the dictionary and disappear. That’s normally OK but unfortunately without giving something back such as a link Google is not able to tell how important the dictionary is to others.

I’ve found Google as a search engine is getting worse and worse. They provide distorted results pushing their own agenda to the top and (maps, local listings, etc.) and more recently people find their own pages and pages they’ve visited closer to the top which makes them think they are doing better in Google results than they are.

I find it quite amazing how Google operates. Over 50,000-100,000 people a year have been using the dictionary I provide and now people can’t find it.

 

If you want to find the dictionary you may wish to use Bing. The page is the second in the results. A better approach is to use JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au) where you’ll find the Australian Dictionary plus many of my other tools.

Sorry to everyone for the inconvenience. Unfortunately I can’t control what Google does and you never know when they are going to change things. Best to bookmark the page if you’re using a desktop computer or if you’re using a mobile phone, add an icon to your home screen.

It is always possible the page may return to Google search results. I’ve seen pages disappear and return in Google in the past. With Google you never know what to expect.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Creator and maintainer of the preferred Australian English spelling dictionary.

Microsoft Windows RT tablet Australian release date. Now availabe for pre-order on Microsoft online store.

Microsoft Windows RT tablet will shortly be made available to Australians and has now been added to the Microsoft online store (see note below) for pre-orders. A link is also provided from the main page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au) to the Microsoft store.

I would advice my clients to think carefully about purchasing a Microsoft Windows RT tablet and have produced MyAnswers solution 2262. MyAnswers solutions are available for clients on a pay-what-you-wish basis. If the solution gives you value, you decide how much you wish to pay.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

NOTE: The link above to the Microsoft online store is an affiliate link which means a commission is received for purchases. This does not affect your purchase price. As a consultant I believe I have an obligation to advise clients on any indirect revenue generated so clients can make the best decision for themselves.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

American English spellcheck dictionary

I’ve now released an American English spellcheck dictionary (www.american-dictionary.com) which is similar in operation to the Preferred Australian English dictionary. Often when you find a word you feel may not be spelt correctly, such as jewelry, being able to easily check the reason is because it is an American spelling can be quite handy.

Renée  Purdie of Rising Star Designs and Communication (www.risingstardesigns.com.au), has offered to edit the dictionary as new words and found and require investigation and validation. Also to remove existing words people may not feel are correct.

If you find words which you feel should be added or removed from the American dictionary please let me know.

Please enjoy.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Friday, October 12, 2012

Netbank logon problem. Blank page displays instead of username/password screen

Netbank logon problem. Yesterday I was called out to assist a client with a couple of problems. One caused by the Telstra 4G dongle (but that’s another story) and another was they couldn’t log on to the Commonwealth’s netbank system.

The symptom was that shortly after clicking on the logon button, the logon screen would appear either as blank, or go blank shortly after. This was a difficult and time consuming problem to solve. Given that the Commonwealth Bank would be having hundreds of people having this problem, I am often surprised and disappointed the Commonwealth Bank doesn’t publish a solution for customers.

The solution to this problem is now documented in MyAnswers solution 2260.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Thursday, October 11, 2012

JustLocal welcomes International WISE COUNSEL

I’d like to welcome David Bird, the Founder and Managing Director of International WISE COUNSEL.

David is Australia's longest standing "Pitch Doctor". Established 1980 (formerly Communication Dynamics Pty. Ltd.). Consults with clients to win bids through proposals, tenders and presentations. Documented 85% plus success rate over last 15 years. Coaches the skill sets for winning business such as proposal writing, business presentations; business development skills etc. Also coaches for specific business opportunities e.g. keynote speakers, conferences "road shows" & AGMs. In demand as business speaker and MC for conferences. Testimonials abound & client list is the Who's Who!

Testimonial

David is an outstanding Master of Ceremonies. I have seen him at numerous conferences and seminars, in which he has displayed a highly engaging style that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds. David integrates his own professional expertise and fine-tuned communication skills with just the right amount of humour to create great flow and continuity throughout a conference agenda, and refresh and focus the audience. David is sharp, witty and adds value to the agenda - I recommend David most highly. June 17, 2011
1st Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, General Manager Integrated Talent Management

You can find David Bird on the Melbourne 3000 JustLocal page or visit David’s web site at www.wise-counsel.com.au.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Will the government automatically refund red-light camera fines and demerit points they weren't entitled to?

Eight red-light cameras have now been shown to have an incorrect timing for the amber light causing thousands of motorists to be fined and lose demerit points.

The cynic in me wonders whether the government will show integrity and refund the money and points they weren’t entitled to. If the government requires people to lodge some form of request they know full well there will be a large number of people who won’t be bothered and many who simply won’t even realise. A way to gain revenue I do not consider to be ethical or appropriate.

For those who were fined at the red-light camera on the intersection of Doncaster Road, Manningham Road and Tram Road I’ve posted videos of the traffic lights as they were when people were fined when the amber timing was set to 3 seconds, and after they’ve been corrected which shows the amber light at 4.5 seconds.

Manningham Road, Doncaster Road, Tram Road Red-Light Camera. Amber Traffic Light set at 3 seconds

Manningham Road, Doncaster Road, Tram Road Red-Light Camera. Amber Traffic Light set at 4.5 seconds

The first picture is taken 0.5 seconds after the light turns red which would indicate anyone with a fine of up to 2 seconds may be entitled to a refund.

The details of the red-light cameras which were not set to AustRoads guidelines are the following:

Terminal Drive & Centre Road, Melbourne Airport
AustRoads guidelines: 3.5 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 16 Nov 10 - 24 Jan 12

Doncaster Road and Williamsons Road/Tram Road, Doncaster
AustRoads guidelines: 4.5 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 5 Oct 11 - 7 Aug 12

Fyans Street & Moorabool Street, South Geelong
AustRoads guidelines: 4.0 secs
Actual time: 3.5 secs
Incorrect amber period: 11 May 10 - 24 Aug 12

High Street & Mahoneys Road/Keon Parade, Thomastown
AustRoads guidelines: 4.5 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 20 Oct 11 - 26 Sep 12

Warrigal Road & Centre Road, Bentleigh East
AustRoads guidelines: 4.0 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 1 Aug 10 - 16 Aug 12

Heatherton Road & Gladstone Road, Dandenong North
AustRoads guidelines: 4.0 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 29 Dec 04 - 16 Aug 12

Foster Street and McCrae Street, Dandenong
AustRoads guidelines: 4.0 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 18 Oct 10 - 16 Aug 12

Stud Road & High Street, Wantirna
AustRoads guidelines: 4.5 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect amber period: 28 Dec 06 - 23 Aug 12

Whilst I haven’t confirmed (as I was not able to get through on the Fines Victoria telephone line) you should review your fine with regards to the time difference and keep in mind the first picture is taken at 0.5 seconds after the light turns red. Thus I suspect you should be able to add the 0.5 seconds to the time difference between the AustRoads guidelines and the Actual time.

In an ideal world the money and points should be automatically refunded. Being far from an ideal world it would be prudent to lodge a submission for a refund of the money and points.

There is still no guarantee the government will be refunding anything, just that the situation will be reviewed.

My own experience at the Manningham Road/Doncaster Road intersection is that during the time whilst the amber light timing was incorrectly set it created a very dangerous situation for drivers. Whilst approaching the lights at normal speed, well below the 70kph speed limit, the amber light changed so quickly you have to brake much harder than normal which could easily cause a car behind to crash into the rear of a vehicle. I believe the intersection should also be reviewed for crashes which may have occurred as a result of the amber light timing being incorrectly set.

Please let others know about the situation at the intersections mentioned above. The number of people who have been incorrectly fined could easily be in the tens of thousands and may be someone you know. They may not have even mentioned being fined as many people are embarrassed by being fined. In this case they could have easily been fined for something which was not their fault, but the fault of VicRoads, if VicRoads is in charge of setting the timing for the amber light.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Quotes for car insurance aren't enough to cover the cost of a replacement car.

Quotes for car insurance where you receive an agreed value or a market value may not be enough to purchase even the lowest priced replacement car from a dealer if you car is written off, based on information from the car valuation sites.

I generally cover my car with comprehensive insurance. I expect that I'll be out of pocket for the excess should I be in an accident.

However what I didn't expect is that if a car is written off that the insurance wouldn't cover the car so you would be able to purchase a similar aged second hand car from a dealer.

I'd highly recommend that you check your insurance policy and see what you'd be paid should your car be written off. Now check the car valuation sites to see how much it would cost you to buy the same age, make and model car.

In many cases people will be out of pocket thousands of dollars. Without realising it the standard amount agreed to in insurance policies is often well below what you'd have to pay to get a replacement car from a dealer, whether you have an agreed value or market value policy.

Don't wait until you're in an accident. Make sure your policy covers you for what you expect. Whilst I haven't been in an accident, when I found out that the insurance I've been paying generally won't cover me as much as I expected. It really means you have to check if the insurance premium you are paying is worth the money.

To put this into context, if you take what you'd be paid by the insurance company less the excess, you may only have about half the money you need to put you back into a similar car. Most people take out insurance to cover themselves so if they are in an accident they are not worse off. Make sure your insurance covers you and don't fall into this trap.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Monday, October 08, 2012

Stud Road & High Street, Wantirna red light camera

The Government has asked Victoria's Road Safety Camera Commissioner, His Honour Judge Gordon Lewis, to broaden his investigation into the issue of amber light timing at red-light camera intersections after a VicRoads review identified seven additional sites that were found to be inconsistent with the Austroads guidelines. – State Government Victoria Fines site.

Stud Rd & High St, Wantirna
AustRoads guidelines: 4.5 secs
Actual time: 3.0 secs
Incorrect Amber period: 28 Dec 06 - 23 Aug 12

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Free ebook for Android - Assegai magazine

Recently I assisted a couple of people with their Android tablets they purchased from Aldi. They wanted to download eBooks to read on their tablet. The surprise is they couldn’t download a free eBook unless they provided their credit card details, which they didn’t want to do.

I asked Renée Purdie, the creator of the Assegai magazine, if she could produce a copy of her magazine for use on tablets which Renée kindly did.

If you’re looking for a magazine to read on your tablet check out the Assegai magazine at http://www.risingstardesigns.com.au/images/folio/assegai-issue1-page-view.pdf.

Thanks for your time and assistance Renée.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer assistance.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Alert: Deals Direct Australia - DealsDirect.com.au - Free voucher

I've received a number a faked emails targeting Deals Direct customers.

The email is offering a 100 $AU gift to trick people to click on the link in the email.

<<< photo missing >>>

You should delete these emails.

Please let others know about this fake offer.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Thursday, October 04, 2012

A Medical Dictionary - A Medical Dictionary is a spellchecker for medical words using Australian English

A Medical Dictionary is an Australian English spellchecker consisting of medical words. Medical words are often difficult to spell correctly and this often makes the words difficult to look up. By providing a spellchecker of medical words, if the word is spelt incorrectly, a number of words will be suggested.

 

A Medical Dictionary is a new service for users of the Australian English spellcheck dictionary and can be found at the following address www.amedicaldictionary.com.au.

Please enjoy.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Apple iPad Mini release date rumours.

For those who would like an Apple iPad, but feel it is too big, Apple is rumoured they are about to announce the new Apple iPad Mini.

The rumours are the iPad Mini will be announced on the 17th of October with shipping starting in early November.

I find Apple launches to be interesting. The 17th of October is a Wednesday. The iPhone 5 was released on a Wednesday. If by chance the same launch strategy and timetable occurred for the Apple iPad Mini, it would mean the launch would be announced on the 17th of October with pre-orders starting on Friday the 19th of October. Shipping would start on Friday the 26th of October. However I’ve read rumours of early November for shipping to start so it is hard to tell.

The problem I’ve seen in the past is people are not aware of products which may be just around the corner. I recall Carrie Bickmore from The Project purchased an iPad 2 shortly before the iPad 3 was to be launched. Retailers often won’t let you know of a pending launch because that reduces the chance of a sale. A shop assistant at Freedom Furniture recently told me her sister just bought a new iPhone 4S on a two year contract from Telstra two weeks before the new iPhone 5 was launched and wasn’t happy. Those lucky enough to know about my blogs would have known about the forthcoming release of the iPhone 5 for some months. Perhaps this post may help people know about the possible forthcoming launch of an iPad Mini.

Of course this is just speculation at this stage as Apple does not comment on future products.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require assistance with your computer.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Bus stop relocation for routes 305, 318, 905, 906, 907 and 908.

On the Smartbus 905 I noticed a bulletin which read the following:

"Bus stop relocation for routes 305, 318, 905, 906, 907 and 908. Effective Tuesday 25th September 2012 until further notice.

Due to construction works, the city terminus for bus routes 305, 318, 905, 906, 907 and 908 will be relocated east of Lonsdale Street, near the corner of King Street."

Allow extra time for the walk to the station and a brolly for Melbourne's often unpredictable weather.



Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Smartbus 905 Williams Street/Lonsdale Street didn't even attempt to stop.

I was waiting on the bus seat and saw the 905 Smartbus as it was approaching the intersection (some 50 metres away) so got up and walked towards the stop. The bus didn't even make an attempt to pull in or slow down. There is a bus lane which it didn't even move into.

So now I stand at the stop and every bus stops.

I would have thought if you're sitting on the bus stop seat and then get up as the bus approaches you'd think it would stop at the bus stop. Not so.

Little wonder public transport users think the system isn't good enough.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.