I share this information in case it helps the next generation of IT students and those starting in the IT industry.
In 2003 I was interested in OpenOffice.org and put the software on around 60 machines. Myself and my family also used the software. I didn't like that there wasn't an Australian English dictionary so I developed one. What I didn't realise is the approach I took was to bite me in the end.
The project lead said to grab an existing dictionary and start from there. I took the UK dictionary and spent most of the next two weeks solid, editing the dictionary. I needed to remove over 30,000 words and then start adding words. You'll note that at no time did I or anyone consider the person who previously developed the British dictionary.
I released my work as LGPL so other IT people could benefit and I had a belief that when I help others, others would help me. Apart from a couple of people who helped a bit at the start with words, over the next few years a handful contributed a word or two. All the rest of the work was done by me consuming hundreds of hours.
I decided to try to make money from my work by charging a small fee which is OK with open source software. I was often abused as many open source users consider it their right to get everything for nothing.
Then a contributor of the Firefox project took my work and called it their own. Changed my licence by finding a loophole in the LGPL licence. Rather than contribute to my work they simply forked it. Firefox, an $80 million dollar business benefited from my work and gave nothing back.
Next I asked Google Chrome to add Australian English to their browser so I could provide my work. To their credit I found a developer who provided the software required for me to produce the dictionary in the correct format. Then the Google Chrome developers came and grabbed a copy of my work and included it in their project and gave nothing back. Now a $21 billion dollar business was benefiting from my work.
Finally Opera came along and told me they were using my work. I asked why all the projects simply leeched my work and gave nothing back. The response was it is open source after all.
An OpenOffice.org user then decided to take the Firefox files and even though I'd put hundreds of hours of work into the files, minimised the credit to me as a minor contributor.
The total income I received by various methods of trying to raise income including voluntary donations was around $150 over six years.
I estimated there was probably around a million users of my work and my daughter once said, imagine if you had $1 for each user dad. Even less would have enabled me to continue developing my Australian English dictionary work and reduced my consulting work.
I'm now building a completely original Australian English spellcheck dictionary which contains the preferred Australian English spelling.
So in around seven years of contributing to the open source community and with most of the major projects using my work, the income from open source has amounted to around $150.
I now focus my work on commercial work and commercial programs. Most of my clients use commercial software.
Once I realised I had fallen into the trap early on of taking from others with the original UK dictionary and not giving back to those who gave, I tried to make amends by apologising and also offering assistance if wanted.
I hope that by sharing this story others can benefit from my experience. Of course it is only my experience and others may have had a different experience. I am in a different situation as I am self employed and the time I put in to open source is a cost against my income. Others who may be supported by an employer's salary will have a different experience and need.
Regards,
Kelvin Eldridge
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How to add Google Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Tasks and Google Reader to your Apple iPhone Home Screen.
I've now written instructions on how to add the Google applications to your Apple iPhone Home Screen and as you can see, they look pretty neat. The solution is in MyAnswers 2018.
Kelvin Eldridge
Link: Apple Store Australia
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Free apps for iPod Touch - Metlink
The thought of being able to quickly obtain public transport information on the iPod Touch came up in conversation in our family. I decided to investigate.
I quickly located and installed the Metlink app. Because I'd used the Metlink web site I suspected there would be an app and it was easy to find by searching for Metlink.
My first impression of the MetLink app (which is free) is it was terrible. I couldn't work out what to do. I used it for a few minutes and felt it was useless to get anything I wanted. Later that night I decided to give it another go.
I pressed the Next 5 icon at the bottom which gave me a screen. I searched for Templestowe which gave me a list with streets, so this time I was making progress.
I live in Templestowe so the bus stop I was interested in was Williamsons Road in Templestowe. I went to bus stop list for the W section and there was no Williamsons Road at all. I decided to scroll to the top and do a search. There at the top in section 2, was 252 Williamsons Rd - After - Templestowe. Route 902/293/364. Who would have guessed that! Now at least I could start doing something.
I checked and the only direction was towards Doncaster. I wanted to check out the times heading for Eltham. It took me a bit of time, but the bus in the opposite direction was under Foote St/Williamsons Rd - Templestowe. Route 902/293.
At this stage I thought perhaps I should have searched for the street in the first place. I typed in the street and nothing appeared. Oops, I'd typed in Williamsoms Road. My bad as they say. I fixed the m to an n so it was correct and searched again. Nothing again. I thought don't tell me I have to enter "Rd" and not "Road". Yep. I had a list of streets again. I can't believe they'd do that. It makes sense that both "rd" and road" should work. I later tried just Williamsons without Rd and nothing appeared. Metlink certainly need to work on their search routines.
I also can't believe once you've found the road there isn't a way to just flip and to get the buses going in the opposite direction.
I decided to add this stop to my favourites. I thought that should be easy. Click on a button. Nope. I had to go through favourites which presented an enormous number of streets to scroll through. I just gave up at that point.
I think Metlink have taken something that should be much simpler to implement and made it far more difficult than it should be. I can't help feeling the normal web site is much better than their app and a printed timetable much friendlier, although a printed version will date when you least expect it and that will cause grief.
One other thing I noticed was a sync button to get updates. The updates totalled around 35MB. Whilst this review is for the iPod Touch which only uses wireless, if you use the iPhone with data and only had a small plan, I can see how apps will really chew up the data. At least Metlink let you know how much data is involved.
Overall this app doesn't impress me as it could be so much better. I'd say it is very unfriendly. At this stage I can make it work using the Next 5 icon and will in time add the entries required to the favourites.
Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.justlocal.com.au/
Tags: ipod touch apps, apps for ipod touch, best apps for ipod touch
I quickly located and installed the Metlink app. Because I'd used the Metlink web site I suspected there would be an app and it was easy to find by searching for Metlink.
My first impression of the MetLink app (which is free) is it was terrible. I couldn't work out what to do. I used it for a few minutes and felt it was useless to get anything I wanted. Later that night I decided to give it another go.
I pressed the Next 5 icon at the bottom which gave me a screen. I searched for Templestowe which gave me a list with streets, so this time I was making progress.
I live in Templestowe so the bus stop I was interested in was Williamsons Road in Templestowe. I went to bus stop list for the W section and there was no Williamsons Road at all. I decided to scroll to the top and do a search. There at the top in section 2, was 252 Williamsons Rd - After - Templestowe. Route 902/293/364. Who would have guessed that! Now at least I could start doing something.
I checked and the only direction was towards Doncaster. I wanted to check out the times heading for Eltham. It took me a bit of time, but the bus in the opposite direction was under Foote St/Williamsons Rd - Templestowe. Route 902/293.
At this stage I thought perhaps I should have searched for the street in the first place. I typed in the street and nothing appeared. Oops, I'd typed in Williamsoms Road. My bad as they say. I fixed the m to an n so it was correct and searched again. Nothing again. I thought don't tell me I have to enter "Rd" and not "Road". Yep. I had a list of streets again. I can't believe they'd do that. It makes sense that both "rd" and road" should work. I later tried just Williamsons without Rd and nothing appeared. Metlink certainly need to work on their search routines.
I also can't believe once you've found the road there isn't a way to just flip and to get the buses going in the opposite direction.
I decided to add this stop to my favourites. I thought that should be easy. Click on a button. Nope. I had to go through favourites which presented an enormous number of streets to scroll through. I just gave up at that point.
I think Metlink have taken something that should be much simpler to implement and made it far more difficult than it should be. I can't help feeling the normal web site is much better than their app and a printed timetable much friendlier, although a printed version will date when you least expect it and that will cause grief.
One other thing I noticed was a sync button to get updates. The updates totalled around 35MB. Whilst this review is for the iPod Touch which only uses wireless, if you use the iPhone with data and only had a small plan, I can see how apps will really chew up the data. At least Metlink let you know how much data is involved.
Overall this app doesn't impress me as it could be so much better. I'd say it is very unfriendly. At this stage I can make it work using the Next 5 icon and will in time add the entries required to the favourites.
Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.justlocal.com.au/
Tags: ipod touch apps, apps for ipod touch, best apps for ipod touch
Thursday, September 16, 2010
MBT shoes/runners
If anyone is interested in hearing feedback on MBT shoes, Graeme shares his experience on his blog at http://www.graemeeldridge.com/. Currently the MBT shoes are located in Thailand. One can only wonder where they'll go next.
Kelvin Eldridge
Kelvin Eldridge
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
How do I turn off Google Instant which autocompletes what I enter?
Some people have expressed they aren't happy with the distraction of the Google Instant feature and would prefer to type in search criteria without autocomplete.
You can turn Google Instant off via the settings link on the Google page, but sometimes I think leaving the default settings standard, means if others use the computer they aren't confused as to why it works differently than expected.
With my clients in the past, they'd often set up Google search as their home page. I showed them this wasn't necessary as modern browsers have a search field at the top right. The good thing is the search field doesn't do the autocomplete (except it does show you the history if you did a similar search).
Even better is you can select a different default search engine and if you want, have multiple search engines available. I find many Australians prefer to set the default search to be pages from Australia yet this isn't easy to do in Google. By setting the default to pages from Australia, we reduce the number of results significantly and they tend to be more relevant.
If you visit my Fun With Search page you can install Google Search with the default as pages from Australia. No more autocomplete and as a bonus you obtain pages from Australia as the default.
Kelvin Eldridge
You can turn Google Instant off via the settings link on the Google page, but sometimes I think leaving the default settings standard, means if others use the computer they aren't confused as to why it works differently than expected.
With my clients in the past, they'd often set up Google search as their home page. I showed them this wasn't necessary as modern browsers have a search field at the top right. The good thing is the search field doesn't do the autocomplete (except it does show you the history if you did a similar search).
Even better is you can select a different default search engine and if you want, have multiple search engines available. I find many Australians prefer to set the default search to be pages from Australia yet this isn't easy to do in Google. By setting the default to pages from Australia, we reduce the number of results significantly and they tend to be more relevant.
If you visit my Fun With Search page you can install Google Search with the default as pages from Australia. No more autocomplete and as a bonus you obtain pages from Australia as the default.
Kelvin Eldridge
HP's WebOS and Windows 7 Slate
At the start of the year it appeared clear that HP would be producing the Windows 7 Slate as Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPad. Then things changed and HP purchased Palm's WebOS operating system. It appeared Windows 7 Slate from HP was effectively dead. Nothing was confirmed or denied and the silence on Windows 7 Slate has been deafening.
For a while we could only guess HP would be focusing on its own WebOS based tablet device. To me that was a strategy that could be an issue. I sell HP products, but in the end it is because they run the Windows operating system, not because of HP alone. So going it alone is in my mind a very big gamble for HP.
Based on an interview at DEMO10 with HP's Phil McKinney it does appear there will be a Windows 7 Slate device coming out later this year and a WebOS device coming out early next year. (Click here to read the article.)
I think that is a good approach by HP. Incremental change is often more successful. A good Windows 7 Slate device which enables me to have to mobility of Apple's iPad device and access to my Microsoft based applications is what I need for my business. I just hope the device delivers and does so at a competitive price to the iPad. If the price isn't right, Apple's iPad will continue to become entrenched in the marketplace at Microsoft's loss of market share.
For those thinking about buying an Apple iPad or a netbook, now is probably a time where you should wait if there is no urgency to make a decision. Between now and early next year the indications are there will be a good range of devices to choose from. Of course the devices won't have a track record and Apple has the advantage of providing a known entity that you can plan around. Many of the devices will come and go very quickly and you don't want to be left with equipment that will be orphaned in just a few months. Desktops, notebooks and netbooks are currently safe choices. The Apple iPad is a relatively safe choice for specific users' need, but it will soon be feeling pressure on a number fronts, by a number of companies with deep pockets. The next safe choices may not become apparent until the middle of 2011.
Now is a good time to be a little prudent if you have the luxury of time on your side. The good thing is this will be an interesting time in the area of technology.
Kelvin Eldridge
For a while we could only guess HP would be focusing on its own WebOS based tablet device. To me that was a strategy that could be an issue. I sell HP products, but in the end it is because they run the Windows operating system, not because of HP alone. So going it alone is in my mind a very big gamble for HP.
Based on an interview at DEMO10 with HP's Phil McKinney it does appear there will be a Windows 7 Slate device coming out later this year and a WebOS device coming out early next year. (Click here to read the article.)
I think that is a good approach by HP. Incremental change is often more successful. A good Windows 7 Slate device which enables me to have to mobility of Apple's iPad device and access to my Microsoft based applications is what I need for my business. I just hope the device delivers and does so at a competitive price to the iPad. If the price isn't right, Apple's iPad will continue to become entrenched in the marketplace at Microsoft's loss of market share.
For those thinking about buying an Apple iPad or a netbook, now is probably a time where you should wait if there is no urgency to make a decision. Between now and early next year the indications are there will be a good range of devices to choose from. Of course the devices won't have a track record and Apple has the advantage of providing a known entity that you can plan around. Many of the devices will come and go very quickly and you don't want to be left with equipment that will be orphaned in just a few months. Desktops, notebooks and netbooks are currently safe choices. The Apple iPad is a relatively safe choice for specific users' need, but it will soon be feeling pressure on a number fronts, by a number of companies with deep pockets. The next safe choices may not become apparent until the middle of 2011.
Now is a good time to be a little prudent if you have the luxury of time on your side. The good thing is this will be an interesting time in the area of technology.
Kelvin Eldridge
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Backup software, Windows backup, Data backup
I've known for a couple of years, since Windows Vista came out, my clients need to replace Windows XP Professional backup with another product. The backup program from Windows XP Pro has not been migrated to Windows Vistra or Windows 7.
Over many months I've been reviewing backup programs for potential use by my clients. My clients have been using Windows XP Professional backup for quite a few years and it has been excellent. I really wish Microsoft had made the effort to provide this software on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Unfortunately backup in Windows Vista wasn't at all suitable and backup in Windows 7 has limitations which make it unsuitable. I've evaluated most of the software programs in the market at this level and so far they've not met my requirements. All that is really required is for the software to be able to perform a backup like Windows XP Pro.
The program that I'm currently evaluating is CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5
. I've found the program to be easy to use and whilst it is marginally slower than Windows XP backup (I haven't tested the speed without compression on), it has features I've wanted that work, that didn't work in Windows XP backup.
CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5 has met my own requriements for my business and so I've purchased a copy for my business. This enables me to test the backup program in a live production environment before a client uses the program.
At $36.39 (it is currently discounted 20%) it isn't about the money. What is important to me is the program is reliable and can handle my clients' needs. Clients that range from a single person business, up to roughly 20 users. So far CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5 has done what I've required from it and done it well.
For smaller businesses it is possible to use zip and file copies to perform a backup, but what I find is a backup program provides a structured approach to backup, which is far more productive. To perform my full backup I only need a couple of steps to complete the backup, plus I get a verification done at the end, which confirms the backup has worked. Zip and copy strategies don't provide this extra level of assurance and have other limitations which is why I don't recommend zip and copy strategies to clients.
If you're interest in a backup program, download the trial and give CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5 a go. If you like Windows XP Pro backup, you'll like CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5.
I will be sharing more information with clients in the MyAnswers solution I am currently writing when the article is complete.
Kelvin Eldridge
Disclosure: Should you click on the Cyberlink PowerBackUp 2.5 and purchase the software I receive a commission.
Over many months I've been reviewing backup programs for potential use by my clients. My clients have been using Windows XP Professional backup for quite a few years and it has been excellent. I really wish Microsoft had made the effort to provide this software on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Unfortunately backup in Windows Vista wasn't at all suitable and backup in Windows 7 has limitations which make it unsuitable. I've evaluated most of the software programs in the market at this level and so far they've not met my requirements. All that is really required is for the software to be able to perform a backup like Windows XP Pro.
The program that I'm currently evaluating is CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5
. I've found the program to be easy to use and whilst it is marginally slower than Windows XP backup (I haven't tested the speed without compression on), it has features I've wanted that work, that didn't work in Windows XP backup.CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5
has met my own requriements for my business and so I've purchased a copy for my business. This enables me to test the backup program in a live production environment before a client uses the program.At $36.39 (it is currently discounted 20%) it isn't about the money. What is important to me is the program is reliable and can handle my clients' needs. Clients that range from a single person business, up to roughly 20 users. So far CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5
has done what I've required from it and done it well. For smaller businesses it is possible to use zip and file copies to perform a backup, but what I find is a backup program provides a structured approach to backup, which is far more productive. To perform my full backup I only need a couple of steps to complete the backup, plus I get a verification done at the end, which confirms the backup has worked. Zip and copy strategies don't provide this extra level of assurance and have other limitations which is why I don't recommend zip and copy strategies to clients.
If you're interest in a backup program, download the trial and give CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5
a go. If you like Windows XP Pro backup, you'll like CyberLink PowerBackUp 2.5.I will be sharing more information with clients in the MyAnswers solution I am currently writing when the article is complete.
Kelvin Eldridge
Disclosure: Should you click on the Cyberlink PowerBackUp 2.5 and purchase the software I receive a commission.
Monday, September 13, 2010
IE9 beta release date - Get read for a more beautiful web
Today I saw my first banner ad promoting the IE9 (Internet Explorer 9) beta release date which is on the 15th of September. Keep in mind our clocks are ahead of America, so the 15th of September is often the morning of the 16th for us in Australia.
If you run some form of web site it will be a good idea to get a copy of IE9 and check the compatibility of your site. There isn't any rush as it is a beta. Only a small section of your client base might be affected and since they are using beta, it is to be expected.
Whilst I'm ever hopeful that Microsoft will include spellchecking in their browser I'm not being optimistic. I can't believe Microsoft is so behind the market and oblivious to what I think is an important function of any modern browser. It doesn't surprise me when I constantly see Microsoft using American spelling in their promotion to Australians (e.g. software license)but one day they'll hopefully realise the importance of localising their software to more closely suit the country they are selling to. Fingers crossed this functionality is included.
Internet Explorer 8 was a good improvement on IE7 and most of my users found IE8 was much quicker. Windows 7 is a significant improvement over Vista. Let's hope they've kept the same momentum going for IE9.
As I find issues with IE9 I'll share them via MyAnswers.
Kelvin Eldridge
If you run some form of web site it will be a good idea to get a copy of IE9 and check the compatibility of your site. There isn't any rush as it is a beta. Only a small section of your client base might be affected and since they are using beta, it is to be expected.
Whilst I'm ever hopeful that Microsoft will include spellchecking in their browser I'm not being optimistic. I can't believe Microsoft is so behind the market and oblivious to what I think is an important function of any modern browser. It doesn't surprise me when I constantly see Microsoft using American spelling in their promotion to Australians (e.g. software license)but one day they'll hopefully realise the importance of localising their software to more closely suit the country they are selling to. Fingers crossed this functionality is included.
Internet Explorer 8 was a good improvement on IE7 and most of my users found IE8 was much quicker. Windows 7 is a significant improvement over Vista. Let's hope they've kept the same momentum going for IE9.
As I find issues with IE9 I'll share them via MyAnswers.
Kelvin Eldridge
Micorosft Windows Phone 7 date appears set for announcement
I'm interested in seeing Windows Phone 7 in action and it appears the launch date for an event in New York is October 11th.
It appears each of the current mobile phone producers want to be the single point of providing apps for their phones. This enables them to get a cut of each app sale. I'm not a fan of this approach as I don't feel I should have to release a product via an app store if I want to provide an app for my clients. Why pay a percentage when really I'm the one generating the business? I'm hoping Microsoft's new phone becomes the developers phone and again gives developers some control over their destiny. I'm not sure this is going to happen.
The issues I've seen so far is Windows Phone 7 lacks copy and paste (a feature I use regularly) and isn't true multi-tasking. It would have been nice if Microsoft enabled Visual Basic developers to develop for Windows Phone 7, as that would have reduced the learning curve for millions of developers and an immediate point of entry into mobile phone development.
If we look at the cost to develop for the iPhone for the average developer, it requires a Mac and for me, a steep learning curve to learn Objective C. Given the average return for a developer of apps for the iPhone, I can see a lot of developers never making a return for their time and effort whilst Apple makes hundreds of millions of dollars. I was hoping Microsoft would have made it easier for developers, but sadly I think that isn't going to be the case and there will be a need to learn Silverlight.
Having said this, whilst the Windows Phone 7 isn't what I would have liked, but that's OK. It will still be good to see what Microsoft has produced and to see how the market responds. To me choice is a good thing and Microsoft will shortly give us another mobile phone operating system to chose from.
Kelvin Eldridge
It appears each of the current mobile phone producers want to be the single point of providing apps for their phones. This enables them to get a cut of each app sale. I'm not a fan of this approach as I don't feel I should have to release a product via an app store if I want to provide an app for my clients. Why pay a percentage when really I'm the one generating the business? I'm hoping Microsoft's new phone becomes the developers phone and again gives developers some control over their destiny. I'm not sure this is going to happen.
The issues I've seen so far is Windows Phone 7 lacks copy and paste (a feature I use regularly) and isn't true multi-tasking. It would have been nice if Microsoft enabled Visual Basic developers to develop for Windows Phone 7, as that would have reduced the learning curve for millions of developers and an immediate point of entry into mobile phone development.
If we look at the cost to develop for the iPhone for the average developer, it requires a Mac and for me, a steep learning curve to learn Objective C. Given the average return for a developer of apps for the iPhone, I can see a lot of developers never making a return for their time and effort whilst Apple makes hundreds of millions of dollars. I was hoping Microsoft would have made it easier for developers, but sadly I think that isn't going to be the case and there will be a need to learn Silverlight.
Having said this, whilst the Windows Phone 7 isn't what I would have liked, but that's OK. It will still be good to see what Microsoft has produced and to see how the market responds. To me choice is a good thing and Microsoft will shortly give us another mobile phone operating system to chose from.
Kelvin Eldridge
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Farang in Thailand visits Koh Samui staying at hotel Tango
I've been to Thailand twice and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to stay for longer than the usual one to two weeks, you can follow Graeme's adventures as he shares his experiences from an Australian's perspective.
As I understand it the locals refer to us white people as Farangs. The term isn't considered derogatory and we consider it a bit of fun. You can follows the adventures of a Farang in Thailand at http://www.GraemeEldridge.com/.
Thanks for sharing your travels Graeme. I'm sure others will find them interesting as well.
Kelvin Eldridge
PS. If you'd like to keep Graeme in Thailand longer then support him by purchasing from these businesses and we'll all continue to get some great insights into life in Thailand. Graeme's page is sponsored by JustLocal. Helping people to live their dream.
As I understand it the locals refer to us white people as Farangs. The term isn't considered derogatory and we consider it a bit of fun. You can follows the adventures of a Farang in Thailand at http://www.GraemeEldridge.com/.
Thanks for sharing your travels Graeme. I'm sure others will find them interesting as well.
Kelvin Eldridge
PS. If you'd like to keep Graeme in Thailand longer then support him by purchasing from these businesses and we'll all continue to get some great insights into life in Thailand. Graeme's page is sponsored by JustLocal. Helping people to live their dream.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Alert: Notification of probable compromised website (AusCERT
If you receive an email with the subject Notification of probable compromised website (AusCERT you should investigate further.
One of the services AusCERT provides is to let site owners know if their site has been compromised. A very common approach for malware distribution is to hack sites and use other people's sites to distribute malware. A notification from AusCERT is worth taking seriously and investigating further.
In this case we were asked to confirm whether an email from AusCERT was legitimate or a fake. We found the site had been compromised and action was required.
Keep in mind it is always possible for malware writers to pretend to be from AusCERT, so you should exercise caution with such emails
If you are not confident, you should contact a suitably skilled computer professional to assist.
Kelvin Eldridge
One of the services AusCERT provides is to let site owners know if their site has been compromised. A very common approach for malware distribution is to hack sites and use other people's sites to distribute malware. A notification from AusCERT is worth taking seriously and investigating further.
In this case we were asked to confirm whether an email from AusCERT was legitimate or a fake. We found the site had been compromised and action was required.
Keep in mind it is always possible for malware writers to pretend to be from AusCERT, so you should exercise caution with such emails
If you are not confident, you should contact a suitably skilled computer professional to assist.
Kelvin Eldridge
How do I create a Restore Point in Windows 7?
MyAnswers solution 2014 covers how to create a restore point in Windows 7. This came up as a result of one person needing to install an older driver to solve their problem. Before installing software which may potentially cause your computer problems, it is a good idea to create a restore point.
MyAnswers solutions are free to JustLocal advertisers. This means JustLocal advertisers not only get to promote their business with a money back guarantee, but they can take advantage of solutions in MyAnswers which could save their business many times the cost to advertise on JustLocal.
MyAnswers now contains nearly 2,000 solutions to problems I've solved for clients as part of my consulting activities. Real solutions to real problems. I use the solutions in MyAnswers to regularly save clients money and time. JustLocal advertisers can now take advantage of the solutions in the same way as my clients do.
Kelvin Eldridge
MyAnswers solutions are free to JustLocal advertisers. This means JustLocal advertisers not only get to promote their business with a money back guarantee, but they can take advantage of solutions in MyAnswers which could save their business many times the cost to advertise on JustLocal.
MyAnswers now contains nearly 2,000 solutions to problems I've solved for clients as part of my consulting activities. Real solutions to real problems. I use the solutions in MyAnswers to regularly save clients money and time. JustLocal advertisers can now take advantage of the solutions in the same way as my clients do.
Kelvin Eldridge
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Apple Doncaster Shoppingtown
I enjoy going to the Apple store in Doncaster Shoppingtown, but sometimes I wonder. When I get service the people are very friendly. Sometimes though it takes a while to get service. Recently a neighbour went in to check about getting their Apple iPhone screen replaced. I believe it was a Saturday. They were told they needed to make an appointment. When they went to make the appointment the next appointment was on the following Thursday. They weren't particularly happy. The price was going to be around $200-$300 to get the screen replaced which only had a minor scratch. They decided to take it to another place in Doncaster Shoppingtown and had the screen replaced in a couple of hours for $99.
Often I think "why don't I just buy from the Apple store in the internet". Last Saturday we went to Shoppingtown and trying to get into the car park was so bad (a common experience) we got out as fast as we could and went to Ringwoord instead. With the Apple online store there is no travelling time, no struggling to get a car park, no waiting for a person to serve you, and from what I can see, free shipping. Sounds pretty good to me to place the order and then simply wait for the Apple product to arrive. For my next Apple purchase I might just give the Apple online store a go.
The new products that have caught my attention from Apple are the Apple iPod Touch and the Apple TV. I'm really only curious about the Apple TV at this stage. I find I get most of my information from the online site, but I still like to check out what the products look like which is where the store still comes in handy.
Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.justlocal.com.au/
Often I think "why don't I just buy from the Apple store in the internet". Last Saturday we went to Shoppingtown and trying to get into the car park was so bad (a common experience) we got out as fast as we could and went to Ringwoord instead. With the Apple online store there is no travelling time, no struggling to get a car park, no waiting for a person to serve you, and from what I can see, free shipping. Sounds pretty good to me to place the order and then simply wait for the Apple product to arrive. For my next Apple purchase I might just give the Apple online store a go.
The new products that have caught my attention from Apple are the Apple iPod Touch and the Apple TV. I'm really only curious about the Apple TV at this stage. I find I get most of my information from the online site, but I still like to check out what the products look like which is where the store still comes in handy.
Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.justlocal.com.au/
Maxing tax deductions for travel
I've found quite a few people who run their own business are often not clear on what they can and can't claim for travel expenses. I read the following article and thought others may benefit from the information provided.
Maxing tax deductions for travel
Kelvin Eldridge
Maxing tax deductions for travel
Kelvin Eldridge
Monday, August 30, 2010
New iPod/iTouch range
For those interested in the iPod range I've read Apple with be having an event on the 1st of September. Now is a good time to wait a short while to see what the announcement will bring.
In particular it will be interesting to see the features of the new iTouch range and how they differ from the current offering. Last time I looked at the iTouch range I decided the entry level unit's processor was a bit of a gamble and with the release of iOS4 that has been shown to be the case.
The newer models because of their dearer prices, made it a harder decision between an iPhone and an iTouch. My main desire wasn't a phone, but a portable computer with a reasonable browser. The 3G data capability plus the GPS of the iPhone, meant the iPhone was what I ended up buying. Even though I didn't feel the camera on the iPhone was up to scratch (3 megapixel and no optical focus) it has proven to be quite handy. One feature I found very useful whilst travelling overseas was the compass. Data roaming is extremely expensive to using the maps would have costs a fortune (I've heard of people paying hundreds of dollars in data charges) but armed with a free map from the hotels and the compass it was much easier to get around.
Strangely I find that when in the northern hemisphere with the sun being in the southern sky, it means my sense of direction, which is usually very good, was sometimes quite poor. The compass was used regularly. Of course the iPhone is a very expensive compass, but it was handy.
The camera was also very handy for taking quick snaps of schedules and public transport timetables. Sometimes I even took pictures to remind me of the location I needed to return to. It is amazing how things start to look the same whilst travelling.
Whilst I could have purchased the middle of the range iTouch at $399, the extra features of the iPhone 3GS 16GB unit at $879 were very useful. I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store with the iTouch range.
Kelvin Eldridge
Tags: ipod docking station, ipod fm transmitter, ipod 80gb, 30gb ipod, itouch keyboard
Link: Apple Store Australia
In particular it will be interesting to see the features of the new iTouch range and how they differ from the current offering. Last time I looked at the iTouch range I decided the entry level unit's processor was a bit of a gamble and with the release of iOS4 that has been shown to be the case.
The newer models because of their dearer prices, made it a harder decision between an iPhone and an iTouch. My main desire wasn't a phone, but a portable computer with a reasonable browser. The 3G data capability plus the GPS of the iPhone, meant the iPhone was what I ended up buying. Even though I didn't feel the camera on the iPhone was up to scratch (3 megapixel and no optical focus) it has proven to be quite handy. One feature I found very useful whilst travelling overseas was the compass. Data roaming is extremely expensive to using the maps would have costs a fortune (I've heard of people paying hundreds of dollars in data charges) but armed with a free map from the hotels and the compass it was much easier to get around.
Strangely I find that when in the northern hemisphere with the sun being in the southern sky, it means my sense of direction, which is usually very good, was sometimes quite poor. The compass was used regularly. Of course the iPhone is a very expensive compass, but it was handy.
The camera was also very handy for taking quick snaps of schedules and public transport timetables. Sometimes I even took pictures to remind me of the location I needed to return to. It is amazing how things start to look the same whilst travelling.
Whilst I could have purchased the middle of the range iTouch at $399, the extra features of the iPhone 3GS 16GB unit at $879 were very useful. I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store with the iTouch range.
Kelvin Eldridge
Tags: ipod docking station, ipod fm transmitter, ipod 80gb, 30gb ipod, itouch keyboard
Link: Apple Store Australia
Sunday, August 29, 2010
New MyAnswers computer solutions posted.
Cuurently I am trialling providing MyAnswers as a free value add service to JustLocal advertisers. The advantage of MyAnswers solutions is they are documented solutions that I provided to a number of clients. The solutions are made available for free to clients of Online Connections and advertisers on JustLocal.
Chances are if someone else is experiencing a problem then you might also end up experiencing the same problem. Now you can have the problem answered for free and that can save a lot of money.
2012 - I'm using Vista (32 bit version) and Windows Media Player and when I go to play a wav file which was from a telephone message, Windows Media Player can't play the file. When I go to download the plug-in I get the message "You've encountered error message C00D10D1 while using Windows Media Player." and I'm informed the codec is missing. The code required is DSP Group True Speech (22).
Microsoft Vista
2011 - How to create you web site icon for an Apple iPhone
Apple iPhone
1903 - How can I stop printing the header and footer when I print pages from the Internet? I use Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer
2010 - How do I print from Outlook 2010?
Microsoft Outlook
2009 - How do I turn on overtype when I press the INS (insert) key in Word 2010 using Windows 7?
Microsoft Word
2008 - When I delete emails using my Gmail account on the Apple iPhone 3GS with iOS4 it now archives and doesn't delete. Is this a bug?
Apple iPhone
2007 - How to set the Apple iPhone with iOS 4 to British spellchecking which is better for Australians.
Apple iPhone
Kelvin Eldridge
Chances are if someone else is experiencing a problem then you might also end up experiencing the same problem. Now you can have the problem answered for free and that can save a lot of money.
2012 - I'm using Vista (32 bit version) and Windows Media Player and when I go to play a wav file which was from a telephone message, Windows Media Player can't play the file. When I go to download the plug-in I get the message "You've encountered error message C00D10D1 while using Windows Media Player." and I'm informed the codec is missing. The code required is DSP Group True Speech (22).
Microsoft Vista
2011 - How to create you web site icon for an Apple iPhone
Apple iPhone
1903 - How can I stop printing the header and footer when I print pages from the Internet? I use Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer
2010 - How do I print from Outlook 2010?
Microsoft Outlook
2009 - How do I turn on overtype when I press the INS (insert) key in Word 2010 using Windows 7?
Microsoft Word
2008 - When I delete emails using my Gmail account on the Apple iPhone 3GS with iOS4 it now archives and doesn't delete. Is this a bug?
Apple iPhone
2007 - How to set the Apple iPhone with iOS 4 to British spellchecking which is better for Australians.
Apple iPhone
Kelvin Eldridge
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Welcome to Aussie Mortgage Masters
Aussie Mortgage Masters are the experts in finding you the right loan. Aussie specialises in a wide range of home financial services including home loans, personal insurance, car and personal loans. Compare hundreds of mortgage and home loans at the one stop loan shop. Aussie's accredited Mortgage Advisers represent a multitude of home loan brands, including all major banks and non bank lenders.
You can find Aussie Mortgage Masters on the postcode page 6030 which covers the areas of Clarkson, Merriwa, Mindarie, Quinns Rocks, Ridgewood, Tamala Park in Western Australia.
Check out Aussie Mortgage Masters if you need a loan.
Kelvin Eldridge
Additional tags: loan calculator, mortgage broker, car loan calculator, personal loan calculator, equity loan, mortgage refinance, refinance loan, unsecured loan, refinance mortgage, loan calculators
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Free calls to USA and Canada for 2010
The cost to call Australia is 2 cents (USD) per minute and Google gave me a 10 cent credit so I gave it a go. The call quality was good for me, but the person on the other end felt there was a delay. I found during the call we would talk over each other which is a good indication there is a delay. As long as you slow down you can have a good chat.
In Australia local calls are not timed and generally cost around 25 cents. However for short calls paying 2 cents (USD) for a minute (charged in minute intervals) you can even save money on local calls.
What interested me is the cost to call mobiles in Australia is 14 cents (USD). The cost to call mobiles in Australia is quite high. For example I notice on mobile plans (calls to other mobiles) cost 35 cents or more for the flagfall and 80 cents to a dollar per minute. That means I can talk for around two minutes and it wouldn't have cost me as much as the flagfall.
As long as I have a WiFi connection this might be an excellent way to save money calling mobiles. I was recently in Greece on holidays and from the main square in Athens there is free WiFi. That means it may now be possible to call mobiles in Australia from Athens for 14 cents (USD) a minute and that's a great way to stay in touch on holidays.
Those who are lucky enough to have contacts in the USA and Canada should be able to make calls from Australia for free.
Australian telephone companies (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Three, Virgin etc) will find the future hard as the younger generation realises all it takes is a netbook and wireless access and call costs become a fraction compare to the cost of their mobile phone. Yes it isn't as convenient, but for many the savings they can make on their mobile phone could pay for their next holiday overseas. I know I'd prefer to travel than to spend the money on telephone calls.
Using one service I can already send SMS messages for 12 cents (which appear to come from my mobile) and now being able to call mobiles for 14 cents (USD) a minute may give me a cost effective way to call mobiles, subject of course to Google's service delivering the quality of service needed. It will be interesting to check out Google's phone service.
Enjoy,
Kelvin Eldridge
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
TIP: Moderate comments on your blog.
If you decide as a business to create and maintain a blog it is a good idea to enable comment moderation. That is you review and accept comments rather than automatically accept comments.
The majority of comments I receive are thinly disguised attempts at marketing. The concern I have is some of the sites attempting to market themselves may be malicious sites. Rather than potentially expose my readers to malicious sites, I review each comment.
For example today I received the following comment.
Earning money online never been this easy and transparent. You would find great tips on how to make that dream amount every month. So go ahead and click here for more details and open floodgates to your online income. All the best
If this was an email it would have been considered spam. But as a comment on a blog, it is up to the owner of the blog to make sure this type of material does not see the light of day.
Just to show how many blogs have been seeded with this comment I decided to perform a check on a phrase in the comment to give me an indication of how many blogs have this comment. I selected the words "more details and open floodgates to your online income." and performed a search on the phrase.
The results were:
Google: 339,000
Bing: 570,000
As you can see this is just one example of a single blog comment. I receive quite a few of these type of comments and I'm sure others do as well. With over half a million blogs seeded with this one comment, it is easy to imagine there are billions of comments that have been added to blogs which have no direct relationship to the content of the blog.
A very common ploy marketers use is to compliment a blog and say they'll let others know. We all like a comment so it is easy to be tricked. If you then check out the link to the person writing the comment you'll see it is trying to promote a site or a business. These people aren't interested in your site. Their only interest is to find sites which will help promote them. If a comment doesn't specifically relate to content in your site, chances are it is marketing.
If you own a blog, or thinking of setting one up, I highly recommend you moderate comments and look after the interests of your readers.
Kelvin Eldridge
The majority of comments I receive are thinly disguised attempts at marketing. The concern I have is some of the sites attempting to market themselves may be malicious sites. Rather than potentially expose my readers to malicious sites, I review each comment.
For example today I received the following comment.
Earning money online never been this easy and transparent. You would find great tips on how to make that dream amount every month. So go ahead and click here for more details and open floodgates to your online income. All the best
If this was an email it would have been considered spam. But as a comment on a blog, it is up to the owner of the blog to make sure this type of material does not see the light of day.
Just to show how many blogs have been seeded with this comment I decided to perform a check on a phrase in the comment to give me an indication of how many blogs have this comment. I selected the words "more details and open floodgates to your online income." and performed a search on the phrase.
The results were:
Google: 339,000
Bing: 570,000
As you can see this is just one example of a single blog comment. I receive quite a few of these type of comments and I'm sure others do as well. With over half a million blogs seeded with this one comment, it is easy to imagine there are billions of comments that have been added to blogs which have no direct relationship to the content of the blog.
A very common ploy marketers use is to compliment a blog and say they'll let others know. We all like a comment so it is easy to be tricked. If you then check out the link to the person writing the comment you'll see it is trying to promote a site or a business. These people aren't interested in your site. Their only interest is to find sites which will help promote them. If a comment doesn't specifically relate to content in your site, chances are it is marketing.
If you own a blog, or thinking of setting one up, I highly recommend you moderate comments and look after the interests of your readers.
Kelvin Eldridge
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The best diet is NO diet!
This morning I was thinking about how much exercise it takes to burn off the food we eat and I couldn't help but come up with the slogan, "The best diet is NO diet".
By "NO diet" I mean simply saying NO will often help you more to lose weight than trying to exercise off that treat.
For example a choc-chip muffin from Coles contains around 1,800kJ in energy. If you were to eat such a muffin how long would would you need to exercise in order to burn off the muffin? It takes a second to say NO, but now if you use the Energy Exercise Calculator you can work out how much time you will need to exercise.
If I use the figure of 93kg as the weight and go for a walk (4kph) you'll find it will take over an hour and a half to burn off the energy. I don't know about you, but to me that's a very long walk. A few minutes of pleasure eating a lovely choc-chop muffin and you then need to walk for an hour and a half, or you could simply say, "no thanks".
Next time you're thinking of a high energy treat, think about using the "NO diet" diet. You'll find you lose weight faster.
Check out the Energy Exercise Calculator and work out how much exercise and what type of exercise you can do to burn off those treats you love. Once you understand the connection between energy content in food, and energy expended through exercise, you'll see why many people who exercise alone find it difficult to lose weight. To me the best way to lose weight is to get your diet in order and then exercise for the benefits of exercise, plus exercise will help to you to lose weight faster.
Kelvin Eldridge
PS. You can find the Energy Exercise Calculator on the main page of JustLocal (http://www.justlocal.com.au/).
By "NO diet" I mean simply saying NO will often help you more to lose weight than trying to exercise off that treat.
For example a choc-chip muffin from Coles contains around 1,800kJ in energy. If you were to eat such a muffin how long would would you need to exercise in order to burn off the muffin? It takes a second to say NO, but now if you use the Energy Exercise Calculator you can work out how much time you will need to exercise.
If I use the figure of 93kg as the weight and go for a walk (4kph) you'll find it will take over an hour and a half to burn off the energy. I don't know about you, but to me that's a very long walk. A few minutes of pleasure eating a lovely choc-chop muffin and you then need to walk for an hour and a half, or you could simply say, "no thanks".
Next time you're thinking of a high energy treat, think about using the "NO diet" diet. You'll find you lose weight faster.
Check out the Energy Exercise Calculator and work out how much exercise and what type of exercise you can do to burn off those treats you love. Once you understand the connection between energy content in food, and energy expended through exercise, you'll see why many people who exercise alone find it difficult to lose weight. To me the best way to lose weight is to get your diet in order and then exercise for the benefits of exercise, plus exercise will help to you to lose weight faster.
Kelvin Eldridge
PS. You can find the Energy Exercise Calculator on the main page of JustLocal (http://www.justlocal.com.au/).
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