Tourism Australia under fire for misleading ad

I just read the following article on The News.com.au site and can't help but feel disappointed our tourism authority has to provide us and potential overseas visitors with misleading information. This just isn't necessary or even desirable in my opinion.

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/news/tourism-australia-under-fire-for-misleading-scene-in-new-ad/story-e6frfq80-1226384329446

Walking along a beach in a romantic scene with a bottle of wine, where it is illegal to do so and no ranger present, where there should be one. Great scene but pure fantasy.

My own thought about the ad was concern for the unsupervised child patting a small kangaroo. Kangaroos can be dangerous.

We shouldn't exaggerate. It will simply leave a bad taste for visitors. Australia has more than enough to offer that we don't need to exaggerate.

I was at Monkey Mia where a younger lady from France was quite bitter that she'd been led to believe she could swim with the dolphins. I'd somehow got the same impression so she isn't alone. The difference is I'd done research beforehand which meant I knew what to expect. I'm sure the young lady will return to France and let many others know of her disappointment.

Tourism Australia shouldn't be producing material which isn't of the highest standard and professionalism.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

North Balwyn computer repair and support

The other day I received a support call from a resident in North Balwyn.

Normally support to North Balwyn would incur travel time, but because they made the effort to contact me, I decided to help with no call-out fee.

The person had a problem that their computer was running slow. I checked the computer and it was infected with malware.

This time the malware was relatively easy to remove, but it does take some time. I could see the client was concerned about time, so I set the time limit to one hour. Normally I would suggest allowing for up to an hour and a half. I usually fix the upper limit to an hour and a half for residential clients as I don't believe people should be spending hundreds of dollars to fix an older computer. Often this results in writing off some time, but I'm happy with that as the client ends up with a clean computer at a cost effective price.

Whilst waiting for the software to remove the malware the client also mentioned their daughter's computer was running slow. I said I was happy to check it out whilst we were waiting. The computer was also infected with malware. I started the software to clean the second computer.

Whilst the computers were being cleaned I checked their preferred browser which was Firefox. On both computers the Firefox search feature had been hijacked. The client removed and reinstalled Firefox but it made no difference. Internet Explorer had no problems which they were happy to use. I find it much quicker and easier to fix problems with Internet Explorer because of the features built into Internet Explorer.

Nearly every computer I come across where people are using Firefox, have their Firefox search feature hijacked. People don't even know it has happened.

It felt good when leaving the client. For one hour of support time they now had two clean working computers.

During the month of June, if you live in North Balwyn and require assistance with your computer, give me a call, mention this article and there will be now call-out fee.


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

CVC Studios Doncaster East Camera Skills course starts next week

Would you like to find out how to make the most of your digital camera?
To learn about the rules of photography and how you can take great photos, then book now to start on June 12^th
Four Tuesday evenings and a group field trip
Limited numbers
Course run by professional photographer Des Pitfield in the CVC Studios.

CVC Studios can be found on the Doncaster East page www.JustLocal.com.au/3109.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Make sure your spelling is correct when doing presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Recently I attended a trade show where a number of people gave presentations. One person was a leading business coach and I’d guess they were being paid a very healthy fee to present. As I sat listening to his presentation and reading his slides there it was. A spelling error.

The problem is once you see a spelling error in the presentation your mind immediately wanders from the presentation.

To be fair, this wasn’t completely the presenter’s fault. None of us are perfect spellers and we tend to rely on our spellcheckers to pick up typos and spelling errors. In this case the presenter was obviously using Microsoft software for his presentation, because the spelling error is an error in the Microsoft spellchecker dictionary.

I produce an Exclude file which can be used with Microsoft Office products. The Exclude file helps people to determine if they are using the preferred Australian English spelling. There are thousands of Australian English words which can be spelt two or more ways and Microsoft’s spellchecker dictionary correctly enables people to use their chosen spelling. It is just that most people don’t know there is a preferred Australian English spelling. In addition, there are a number of errors in the Microsoft spellchecker dictionary which are also corrected with the use of the Exclude file.

Given the cost and time involved of preparing for the presentations and travelling to multiple cities across Australia, for just $10 this error could have been avoided.

For those who are interested the word used was “fulfillment” which is the American spelling. This spelling is allowed if Australians are using Microsoft software, but the correct spelling is “fulfilment”.

 

You can obtain the Microsoft Exclude file from the JustLocal site (www.JustLocal.com.au) or use the direct link http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/mswordexcl.

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

Is Facebook leeching images from other sites? (facebookexternalhit/1.0 )

I noticed in my logs over the last couple of days entries with the agent value “facebookexternalhit/1.0 (+http://www.facebook.com/externalhit_uatext.php)”, where all that is being accessed from my site is an image file.

To me this is a concern. It indicates Facebook is using material from my site in their site possibly without permission.

The problem is I don’t think there would be any problem if there were two way traffic, but all I see is Facebook using the material from other sites. I watched the other day as a person shared a link from my blog. Facebook automatically, without the user doing anything, included a picture from my blog in the Facebook site. The more material Facebook includes in their site the less likely people are to visit the source site to find out more information.

There is a trend with the major online businesses to use the material from others’ sites in their own site. Google does this in their search engine where people can see an image of the site without leaving Google.

If you have a small business you want and need others to visit your site. If all Facebook does is use a copy of material from your site in their own site, the chances of any traffic to your site diminishes to almost zero. You also have no idea how your images are being used on the Facebook site.

Since I’ve not seen any traffic coming from Facebook after many dozens of copies of my image being used, I felt the best thing to do was to block Facebook IP’s from using my site. So far I’ve identified the IP ranges of 69.171.*.* and 66.220.*.*. If you’re using a cPanel based hosting site you can easily block access to your site for a given range of IP address.

Before blocking sites you should review your logs and make sure you’re potentially not losing traffic generated by the online services. Services like Facebook which use your material without giving a benefit in return for me is an easy decision to block. They are simply using your material created at your expense for their own benefit.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Microsoft's Windows 7 to Windows 8 upgrade offer on new computers.

As mentioned recently on the Online Connections blog, Microsoft usually makes an upgrade offer to purchasers of new computers so they can obtain the new operating system when it arrives and sales of existing machines don't dry up while people wait.

Microsoft have now made the following announcement.

"Beginning June 2, 2012, Microsoft will roll out the Windows Upgrade Offer in 131 markets, including the U.S. and Canada. Consumers who buy eligible Windows 7-based PCs through Jan. 31, 2013, can purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of $14.99 (U.S.) during the time of the promotion."

I would suggest waiting until you have a firm offer in writing and make sure you get an "eligible" PC, whatever that may mean.

My own preference is if you can wait for a new computer, then I'd prefer to wait. In fact I'd even suggest wait a while until after new computers with the new operating have been on the market for a while. That way you're likely to know about any serious bugs. I also prefer to get a computer I know has been designed with the operating system in mind and not an older computer. Keep in mind the latest Intel processors are also being released now. Having the latest processor with the latest version of the operating system is a good place to be, if everything works as it should.

I remember Windows Me and advised all clients not to buy it. Windows Vista was also a sluggish operating system and where possible clients stayed on Windows XP. I'm hoping Windows 8 isn't a dud by having its dual nature with Metro.

For those who need a new machine now, this is a timely offer. Personally I'm not going to be in a hurry and will take my time with a new purchase.

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

Water Tunnel Car Wash Templestowe

JustLocal welcomes to the Water Tunnel Car Wash in Templestowe to the JustLocal service. Everyone is so used to searching now, they find it hard to think there may be an easier way to find a local business. Now there is. JustLocal provides single click convenience to the site of local businesses. No more searching. Just go to www.JustLocal.com.au/3106 and click on the Water Tunnel Car Wash logo and you’re there in two clicks. No more wasting time searching.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

 

MyAnswers: A list of the Everyday Rewards items from Woolworths

The following MyAnswers solution 2223 is now available:

A list of the Everyday Rewards items Woolworths now offers Everyday Rewards card holders a special price which is a discount of 20% or more.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Blog menu item now changing to News

You’ll notice the word blog starting to disappear from the JustLocal pages. There are a couple of reasons.

The word blog is a bit dated, may not be understood by non technical people, and JustLocal is set up to link to any local site for news and that site may not always be a blog. The word News conveys the idea of up-to-date information which is what the News menu item is about.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
JustLocal is Just Local

 

MyAnswers: Which is the best virus checker please?? The one that you would use??

I regularly repair clients computers as a result of a virus infection. The anti-virus software I install is free and based on my testing of over a week, where I ran multiple programs on multiple computers against new viruses from the internet, the program performed best. I also found the program was light-weight in that it didn’t adversely affect the performance of the computer. I’ve found a number of commercial programs severely affect computer performance or usability.

Because clients often don’t have to then renew their existing anti-virus (which didn’t catch the malware) the cost saving often pays a considerable portion of the support call.

Today I was asked the question “Which is the best virus checker please?? The one that you would use??”, so I created the MyAnswers solution 2221 which provides the details of where to get the software and what I do when installing the software.

The solution is now available to all clients. This really is an excellent opportunity to install a good anti-virus program in your business and home computers. The software I install on client machines.

The one limitation is it based on the licensing, you can only install the software on up to 10 machines in a business. Above that you need to look for another solution.

As part of my ongoing testing to find new ways to assist clients MyAnswers solutions are now provided to clients on a pay-what-you-want basis. If it doesn’t assist then clients don’t need to pay.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Boatshack Fish & Chips Templestowe

You can now find the menu for Boatshack Fish & Chips Templestowe on the JustLocal page for Templestowe (www.JustLocal.com.au/3106). The Dinner for 2 looks interesting.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
(An Online Connections service.)

 

 

MyAnswers: How to get around Windows formatting 40GB drive to 32GB using FAT32.

The following MyAnswers solution 2219 is now available:

I have an old 40GB 2.5" drive I want to format using FAT32. Windows will only allow me to use 32GB. How do I use the entire drive?

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Border Collie Training - Have you considered Herding Dog Training for your Border Collie

According to Wikipedia "the Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep".

If you own a Border Collie, it may interest you to check out Charlie Brincat's site www.HerdingDogTraining.com. Charlie runs herding dog training classes in Melbourne for dog owners who'd like to experience the opportunity to train their dog to herd sheep. Charlie provides a number of videos on his site to share the fun he and others have in their herding training classes.

A link to Charlie’s site is also provided on the main page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au).

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Buy a Windows 7 PC, upgrade to Windows 8 for free (or perhaps for a small fee)

If you’re thinking about buying a new Windows 7 PC, keep in mind that Windows 8 will be released later this year. So that people keep buying PCs and the market doesn’t grind to a halt, Microsoft usually provides new PC buyers with a low cost upgrade opportunity to the newer operating system when it is released.

For example, when Windows 7 was scheduled for release on October 22^nd in 2009, for those purchasing a new PC from July 1^st 2009, Microsoft provided the opportunity of a free upgrade to from Windows Vista to Windows 7. I’m not sure if there was a small cost involved, such as a delivery fee and there were also conditions which applied.

The aim of this post is to remind people of what occurred in the past if they are looking to purchase a new PC with Windows 7. By waiting a short while they may be able to also have access to a lower cost copy of Windows 8, giving them a computer they need now, plus a saving on Windows 8 which will last them for the years to come.

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

Alert: Spring Offer : Apple Discount Card

I received an email today with the subject “Spring Offer : Apple Discount Card”. This is a scam and you should delete these emails immediately.

Normally I wouldn’t comment on a basic scam like this because most people now recognise the scam. But I’ve found Apple users since they haven’t been attacked as much as PC users aren’t as used to such scams. For example the Birthday Gift Voucher aimed at iTunes users saw this blog go from around 100-200 users a day to over 6,000 in a couple of days.

I hope this post helps Apple users.

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

Alert: Clicking on a Google ad and my anti-virus popped up warning me it was cleaning the computer.

Tonight whilst doing a computer support related search in Google, the usual three ads appeared at the top of the results. I clicked on one of the ads which then went to the site and my anti-virus program popped up and stated it was performing a cleanup. The page had the Exploit: HTML/IframeRef.Z.

The anti-virus software states “This program is dangerous and exploits the computer on which it is run.” The item was located in the Temporary Internet Files.

I often say to people it is now possible to infect your computer by visiting sites on the internet. Some infections are time consuming and costly to remove.

The problem is this link is a Google advertisement. That is a concern.

I had another person who was looking for a map of Bendigo Hospital and clicked on a Google ad. The link asked the person to install a program which they did. The program changed the person’s search engine so that when they search, they got a over a screen full of ads and didn’t realise they were ads.

Another person wrote to me because they’d been tricked into using and paying for what they thought was support from Canon. It was titled Canon Support, but it wasn’t Canon. The problem wasn’t fixed but they still ended up paying.

If you’re using Google you should be just as cautious with the ads Google presents as you are with any sites presented in the search results.

Today I’ve personally experienced going to a site with my anti-virus program reported could have infected my computer. That is a real concern.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

The Biggest Loser: Margie Cummins, Brenda Hunt, Alex Zorzi, Kasey Cheesman

I decided to use the BMI/BMR calculator I wrote to determine the BMI for The Biggest Loser contestants: Margie Cummins, Brenda Hunt, Alex Zorzi and Kasey Cheesman. The contestants details at the start of the series were:

Name, Age, Height, Sex, Weight
Margie Cummins, 34, 175cm, Female, 159.1kg
Brenda Hunt, 40, 172cm, Female, 120.8kg
Alex Zorzi, 50, 162cm, Male, 161.6kg
Kasey Cheesman, 26, 171cm, Female, 132.8kg

Using the BMI/BMR calculator, the BMI for each of the contestants at the start of the show was:

Margie Cummins: 52
Brenda Hunt: 41
Alex Zorzi: 62
Kasey Cheesman: 45

All contestants were Obese Class III.

The contestants now weigh:

Margie Cummins: 98kg
Brenda Hunt: 78.5kg
Alex Zorzi: 96.6kg
Kasey Cheesman: 83.2kg

Margie now has a BMI of 32, which Obese Class I. Margie is getting very close to moving into the range of overweight.

Brenda now has a BMI of 27. Brenda is now overweight and no longer considered obese.

Alex now has a BMI of 37, which is Obese Class II.

Kasey now has a BMI of 28. Kasey is now overweight and no longer considered obese.

The following is where each contestant stands in overall weight-loss percentage to date.

Name, Weight, Weight loss to date, Percentage lost
Alex Zorzi: 96.6kg, 65kg, 40.2%
Margie Cummins: 98kg, 61.1kg, 38.4%
Kasey Cheesman: 83.2kg, 49.6kg, 37.3%
Brenda Hunt: 78.5kg, 42.3kg, 35%

Currently the biggest loser of weight in order are: Alex, Margie, Kasey and Brenda. Alex has a significant lead which will be very hard to beat, but it is still a close game.

I’ve produced three calculators which may assist others in their weight-loss journey. The BMI/BMR calculator which shows you where you are and which I used to determine my energy intake in kilojoules. For those who prefer calories, there are 4.2 kilojoules in a calorie. Divide kilojoules by 4.2 to determine the corresponding calorie value.

The second calculator is an Exercise Energy Calculator. This really shows people how much time you should exercise to work off the energy consumed. A real eye opener for most people. For e.g. a choc chip muffin from Coles is around 1,800kj’s. Check to see how long you have to exercise to burn off the energy and you’ll start to see how important diet is in reducing weight.

The third calculator I call the Work It Off Calculator. I wrote this so that should I not be able to resist that treat, this would show me how long I would need to exercise to burn off the energy consumed. Once you know the effort you need to make to burn off that moment of desire, you start to think twice.

You can find all three calculators on the JustLocal page www.JustLocal.com.au.

I find the maths behind weight loss to be easy and clear once you know the information. Once you know the maths, losing weight can be very easy.

For my own weight loss journey I decided to test if it was possible to lose weight without any additional exercise above normal activity. I was able to lose 22kg as a result of dieting alone. No food was off limits for me and all I did was measure the energy content. Very simple, but it does take focus. I would however suggest get a balanced diet in order and exercise and you’ll lose weight more easily. Also seek guidance from a qualified medical practitioner. (The information I share here is only my experience and is not meant to be taken by others as advice.)

Congratulations to the contestants and everyone who is meeting their weight loss goals.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au (An Online Connections service)

Sarina Lea Cowle & Associates

JustLocal welcomes Sarina Lea Cowle & Associates. Sarina Lea Cowle & Associates provide professional services in the areas of: Workplace Relations, Commercial Law, Succession Planning and Estates, and Mediation and Dispute Resolution.

Sarina Lea Cowle & Associates can be found on the Heathmont postcode page www.JustLocal.com.au/3135.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Computers solutions in the MyAnswers database now available for purchase at a price you decide.

I like trying new approaches and enjoy seeing how people like or don’t like the approach. There is no right or wrong way to do things, just better ways. I always learn something when I try something new.

The MyAnswers database is a database of my notes on problems I’ve solved for clients and the solution to the problem. I use the solutions frequently myself and for assisting my clients. This saves myself and clients a lot of time and given time is money, that means a financial saving for clients.

I created the MyAnswers database so clients could request solutions to problems and use the DIY approach. If people can solve their own problems with a little assistance then why not. Clients can request solutions they are interested in from that MyAnswers database. If the solution doesn’t help them there is nothing to pay. If the solution solves their problem, I now let clients decide for themselves how much they wish to pay.

Check out the solutions at MyAnswers. There are a large range of solutions covering many aspects of IT, and some areas of interest to me. Because of my nature I often investigate things which interest me that aren’t IT related and I’m happy to share what I learn from those investigations as well.

You can find MyAnswers at www.MyAnswers.biz.  Please note the solutions are only available to clients. It is only because of the support of clients that the bills are paid each month. I hope and trust clients take advantage of the MyAnswers service to help them solve their problems themselves and in doing so, increase their knowledge, have some fun and at the same time, save some money.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

One Big Switch on The Project

I noticed the One Big Switch promotion on The Project the other night. I decided to check out the One Big Switch web site to see how their offers compare with what I’m currently receiving in terms of electricity rates.

I have to say I’m very disappointed. There are no rates to be seen, not even examples of group purchases they’ve made. There is no real information by which a person can make a decision from what I can see. This feels like a very well organised press campaign.

Consider looking at ways to reduce your electricity usage. I’ve reduced our electricity usage by 50-60% by making some very simple changes in usage habits. It is extremely easy to do. Yes, if you’re squandering your money by using electricity unwisely you can save money with a discount. But reduce your usage and you’ll find you save much more and the discount doesn’t make as much difference.

If 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. I couldn’t find any information on the One Big Switch site which could answer even that question.

To me the One Big Switch site looks more like a site to capture people’s email addresses so they can continue marketing to them, which is very common marketing technique used on the internet. Make what looks like a good offer, or even give away something for free, which in turn helps to create a marketing database.

Personally I’d rather deal with a business that was upfront with what they were offering. More than happy to consider offers if you simply present the information for me to review.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au