Open !

Just got my latest Open Office . Org newsletter....
Couple of interesting reads caught my eye, the first being Michael Dell's personal use of Ubuntu Linux and the second being "Microsoft's Men in Black" article , with regard to lobbying politicians in Florida to reject the adoption of OO.o's open document standards in preference to Microsofts product.
The first is of particular interest to me as I have been a Ubuntu advocate for a while now, and with the CEO of Dell now using it personally we may soon see Dell PC's being shipped with this Operating System as an option? Ubuntu as I have stated previously, is an excellent Linux Distribution that has a level of refinement and simplicity of installation unmatched by other mainstream distros.. It just works, without fuss! and without needing intimate Linux knowledge to get it going.
...and the Men in Black...just typical of the monopolisation practices of Microsoft, and highlights part of my reasoning behind not wanting to pay for / reluctance to use its products. I'm more than happy with Open Office. It does all I want...and its FREE ! (and yes its compatible with Microsoft written documents so you can still exchange documents with your "non open source enlightened" friends)

Open source rules!

...lets blame global warming?

The Weatherman said there would be showers in the Yeast!,... must've been a Brewers /Bakers warning!
then there's the "Graziers Alert"...look out for those rampant graziers!
and of course we cant forget the early morning Frogs...
;-)

Can't see the Forest(er) for the trees ?

...well, it's just that i haven't taken a decent photo with the digital camera of my new car yet..so the image quality aint that good coz I took this photo with the mobile phone the day I picked it up ...and the shade from the tree makes it a bit hard to see the car well...I've enhanced the "fill lighting" with Picasa, so it's not too bad, but I'll post a better photo once I've got one

cecil

New Blogger?

Finally switched over to the new blogger .....guess i'll have to see whats different about it...

cecil

Killer Joules

I finally get the joke now...with that "Biggest Loser" show...
The host of the Australian version is "Ajay Rochester"
Rochester is a brand of Carburetor for car engines,... otherwise known as "Carbs"
Carbs are the bane of any dieter....

...Well...I thought it was funny anyway

Go west young man!

The Princess Bride and I made a snap decision to venture out to Dubbo for a couple'a days to take the Potholes to the Western Plains Zoo....
We left in the wee hours at sunrise on a Monday and had a fairly good run out to Dubbo, stopping for morning tea at Dunedoo.
After luncheon we visited the Old Dubbo Gaol...Mick was fairly scared to walk through the cell buildings, but other than that we all enjoyed learning about the prison system of the early colonials.

We then ventured out to Traintasia, a little model railway hobby shop that has an impressive working model railway setup to look at. Jimmy D is train mad! and was very impressed!

On Tuesday we arrived at the gates at 9:05 am and made our way in for our first day at the zoo...
We elected to drive our car around the zoo, safari style, although one can ride a bike or hire an electric buggy...Most of the animals were out and about, despite the hot weather, which was adelight to all, and we managed to catch feeding time for a lot of them on the way around...

The best thing about this zoo, is it's designed so you can get uninterupted views of the animals in a more natural looking enclosure. We left the zoo after lunch and headed back to the caravan park so the "potholes" could have a swim, then had a rest before heading over to my Brothers place for a barbeque dinner with his family.

Wednesday was our biggest day, leaving early (6:20am) to be at the zoo for a guided early morning walk. This was recommended by John (my brother) and was well worthwhile as we went behind the scenes on the walk, guided by a zoo volunteer, who had heaps of stuff to talk to us about the animals etc on the way round!!...even hand fed the Giraffes!

The walk was topped off by a cooked breakfast at the zoo restaurant....and no, the captives are not on the menu!

After breaky we left the zoo, packed up at the caravan park and headed to Parkes to see "the Dish", well worth the effort to see, with a very nice visitor centre, and excellent cafe with fantastic blackberry jam scones....yum!..recommended!

We then proceeded home via Wellington and Gulgong, (the ten dollar note town), not that going that way really saved us any time but Michelle had never seen Gulgong and its really narrow streets....
In all a very educational few days, enjoyed by all....

Camping is intense.....well... in tents anyway!

Took two of the potholes camping for their first time the other week. We borrowed a friends "big" tent as my 25 yr old A-frame hiking tent would not have been big enough...The elder of the two had been looking forward to a camping trip for yonks, but his 1 year younger sibling wasn't so keen and took a little encouragement ("you're going!").

I decided to take them to the Watagan Mountains, which are not too far from home, and have plenty of camping grounds to choose from. We set up camp in "The Pines " camping area, which was quite serene and appeared better kept than others nearby we looked at.
The boys were excited and couldn't wait to erect the tent, (we had put it up in the front yard days before as a trial run so we knew how it went together!) and we had it assembled in no time!
As it has been very dry I didn't expect there to be a lot of water in the creek, as was confirmed on our afternoon hike down to the swimming hole, with just a trickle of water flowing, so we continued our trek east for a while, enjoying the shady track through the forest. On our return the first sign of discontent was apparent...with..shock horror ..the Pit Toilet!.."I can't sit on that toilet! I'm scared I might fall in!" Mikey exclaimed "and it smells!"....It took several trips and some convincing to get "the job" done...oddly enough his younger brother had no real issues with the pit toilet!

Dinner was a fairly easy sausage sandwich affair cooked on the gas stove and dessert was chocolate pudding made in the drinking cups with cold milk from the esky. Yum! and a nice warm hot chocolate at suppertime....it was fairly cool at night up there!
The lads were itching for me to light the gas light, as they had never seen one before, and pestered me until sunset, when I finally felt it was dark enough to warrant ignition! They were heaps impressed by the light output and were happy that it shed enough light to make them feel safe from predators around the camp...lol:-) Mind you, were none too happy when I extinguished it to do some star gazing later in the night!!
They slept well in the tent (phew!) and I was only disturbed once in the night for a "tinkle"...
I woke around 7:30 am and they around 8am...Breaky was full on bacon n eggs n juice,... nothing like a cooked breakfast to kick start the day!
That morning we went on a hike of a few k's up to the picnic grounds and around in an arc following tracks and roads back to the campsite. "Jimmy" was not really impressed with all the walking and was ready to "go home" well before we arrived back at camp!
We packed up the tent and crammed all the gear back in the "family truckster" and headed off to take a leisurely route home looking at Boardinghouse Dam and some spectacular lookouts on our way back.
I think they'd do it again (they said they would) and next time I'll take them to the beach to camp and we'll take "Herbie" our five year old as well to see how he goes....

Holiday Motorists ! ( a breed of their own)

The annual Silly Season on the roads has hit us...and out of hiding have come all the incompetent, got their licence at woolies, motorists...and the, "yeah, she'll be right for the trip" type who's car only putt-putts to work n back, who you invariably see ...broken down, hood up etc. with a clueless look of despair flagging down help..
.The run down the freeway has given the ol car a major coronary....
"you want me to go 110?....after all this time?... and I havent been over 70 for over a year?...you sure?...cough cough...what about my coolant that hasn't been changed for years! all these kids and luggage sure are heavy!!....and the sludge, er oil! or lack of it should I say!.. and why am I pulling to one side I hear you curse?...um..perhaps before you loaded me with a ton of people and accessories you should have checked my tyre pressure......
...and road rules? what are they...we're on holidays!, we're allowed to drive with no peripheral vision and no consideration for the other motorists, we have to get to our destination as quick as we can! there's last years record we have to beat!
You see them....bucket hats are a giveaway!, poorly levelled caravan hitching is another, drifting in and out of lanes without indicating, trying to u-turn to go back to the exit they missed...
A bloke has his work cut out, just keeping clear of these idiots to go somewhere to get his work done!
Can't wait for it to be over...I'm over it!

ho ho ho

Christmas comes but once a year, and yes, my fridge is stocked with beer!

...Ahh, another year nearly over, and the potholes are quite exited at the impending visit of the Jolly Fat Man. ..no political correctness here...;-)
I tend to think the 8 and 9 year olds have it figured, but they will still happily sit on the old buggers knee for a photo. The youngest "Herbie" (5) ..well.....this was the first year he actually sat on Santa's knee and smiled, last year he frowned and sat off to the side, and previous years, the Princess Bride or Tim have had to sit in on the shoot just to get him to co-operate...mind you he's been a stubborn l'il bugger for a few years now, but his first year at infants school in Joeys (early learners) has improved his social participation mildly. (still some way to go here!).

All 3 got good school reports this year, which is a relief considering some of the discussions with the youngest pair's teachers over the year....|-( I mean, they aren't bad kids, .. we try not to stifle their individuality..we don't want them to all be the exact same product so to speak...but some teachers just don't seem to know how to cope with kids who are a little off centre to the "norm"..but other teachers can take their nuances and run with them for outstanding results...

Miss Elle has had a full on year with her "rent a toddler" (daycare) job and deserves a good break....as nice as some of the little tikes are, there always seems to be one having an off day or terrorising the others or sent to daycare with a contagious disease loosely disguised with panadol so the parent thinks they can get to work that day....(or worse still have a day off to themselves)

Tim (..our ex-pothole..now a fully fledged Pitts), appears to be making forward progress this year, with regular weekly visits for a chat over dinner..still hard to contact during daylight hours, he keeps a mainly nocturnal schedule of online gaming (World of Warcraft ), participating in "raids" as part of the "guild" he is a member of.

I've taken on some contract work that has been pretty full on in the weeks up to Christmas, which has been a bit of a shock to the system, seeing as though I haven't been out in the field on a daily basis for 12 months plus...

Well, here's to stuffing ourselves stupid over Chrissy, Watching the Yacht Race and Boxing Day Test, eating leftovers for a few more days, have a brief pause, drinking ourselves to oblivion on New Years Eve...and then tackling 2007.... YAY!!!

Contractural Obligation

Just won some subcontract work for a major IT service provider...
Start an orientation on Thursday.
Should keep me busy, although, it is working in the same area of IT that I have spent my whole IT Career in, the Retail and Financial sectors, so I am very conversant, so to speak...
I'll still be doing the PC repair / upgrade and ADSL Sales side of my business as the sub-contract work is going to be in varying amounts, due to sharing the workload, for the equivalent of 6 months of the year, with another local sub-contractor.
Should get me out of the Princess Brides hair a bit more often!!!!

hasta la VISTA baby

...sorry , couldn't think of any thing else or more appropriate to call this post.
I am currently exploring "windows vista", discovering its nuances etc. A necessary evil in my line of work as an IT tech.
I have installed it twice now, onto my trusty "testbed" PC, first time upgrading from XP Pro to Vista and then a performing a clean install...
hmmmmm, my initial recommendation....don't bother trying to upgrade...back up your files and start with a clean install...
Why?..While Vista managed the upgrade reasonably well, and no files were lost, it took a long long long time to do it! and the end result was a little sus. I did run the Vista ready program beforehand so i had some idea what to expect it would have a problem with both hardware and software wise. What I didn't count on was a few little driver errors that seemed to relate to hardware my PC just did not have!!!
I then tried a clean install and by comparison it was heaps quicker and the end result was much much better...no apparent issues (as yet!) ..other than it trying to "hibernate" my PC , which it did... but I could not wake it up.!!!....well yes I did...with a power reset.@#$%!!!..have to look into that one...I've dissabled that function temporarily..lol.

AND concurrently with all this, (dual booted) on the same box I have installed the latest Ubuntu Linux 6.10 (Edgy Eft), which by comparison has been blissfully simple and no-fuss.....say no more!

Hit em high, hit em low....again

Back in May I had a stab at "low irritant" fly spray ......
Today it's "fast knockdown" fly spray....
What's the go with THAT!... Again I say, if the li'l bastards are annoying you, you don't want them to have a quick death....let 'em suffer I say!! ...a long, drawn out, painfull cessation of life will serve the buggers right for pestering you!
AND...how do they know you've gone and got the spray?????, I mean the minute you leave the room to get it and come back, THEY'VE GONE!!!!!, nowhere to be seen!!!! Damn annoying that!
I must be warped..but there is something amusing about that blowfly you just sprayed desperately trying to get out through the window, buzzing incessantly, banging its head continually on the glass etc..............lol............
I'll get you , you little b@st@rds!!!!

Rain

Good to see some good soaking rain , the grass was looking a little worse for wear, and not growing anywhere near its usual spring rate. Can't complain about the lack of mowing though !!

of pills and ills

The Doctor is changing my "Happy" medication...its been a while since they did it last time but apparently the effect of the pills I've been on (max dosage and all) tends to become a little ineffective after long term use....no crap! tell me something we hadn't sort of noticed here ourselves!
Oh well , I should probably be gratefull they are trying an alternative, I just hope I'm not too unbearable to live with while the new ones "kick in!"...

..oh yeah...and I'll still rattle more than the car! (Because of all the pills!!!)..lol

more power

I just noticed this morning the blender has "more power" than our vacuum cleaner! ...admittedly the old electrolux is from the era when stuff was built to last a lifetime, so was probably a hot unit in its heyday...
perhaps i can convert the blender into one of those cyclonic vacuums..........

In Business !!....

Well I did it....I got myself an ABN, so now I'm officially a "sole trader". I'm going to be fixing PC's, upgrading PC's, building / selling PC's, removing virii and mal/spyware, advising people on appropriate computer security and also selling broadband accounts and netcomm modems etc through eXetel as an agent.

My Advert

Current step is getting the word out there..have made my own business cards, have "tear-off" posters ready to go up at the shops and will have to investigate an ad in the "local rags".
Might look into a listing on the web through those business listing sites but not so sure on whether they are successful at generating business...besides which I have to make a web site for my business yet...next on the to do list.
As for a business name? at the moment I'm trading under my own name but I have the paperwork to register a name when I come up with something suitable...I have a couple on the short list but not 100% sure yet....
So if you know someone who could use my services.........

cheers
geoff

I know how they feel now!

It has been said this week of Steve Irwins death, that children the globe over have felt his passing deeply, as he was a larger than life icon, seemingly immortal, idolised by the young ... well I must admit I was saddened by his passing but obviously not as much as some of the young'uns around here..I know of some kids who were too upset to go to school the following day after hearing the news...
But now after hearing of Peter Brocks passing I can truly relate to their feelings...I was a young lad when Brocky was in his heyday, and to me as a "car mad" boy he too was an invincible rolemodel. I remember fondly laying on the floor in front of the tele for hour after hour watching him race at "Bathurst", only leaving the room in the ad. breaks. I must admit I teared up when I saw the news article on Sky News, thinking this just cannot have happened!, not Brocky!, not"Peter Perfect"!, my most admired racing car driver of my youth!, my inspiration to be a good driver when I grew up.!!

Rest in Peace Steve and Peter, you will be sadly missed by all, may your legends live forever.

What Should I use then?

I am sometimes asked by people about software for their PC, particularly people I have helped reload software for after suffering some form of attack from malware etc....and from the cost concsious user, who like me, don't have a lot of cash to waste on expensive software!
so I have pieced together my recommendations....

Geoff's Recommended FREE Software for your Windows PC

Whether you just want to stay with Windows or you just have to run a Windows box for particular software you need, or just want to steer clear of expensive (Microsft office) and dangerous (read Microsoft OE and IE) software on your windows PC, I recommend and use this software on the Windows Boxes here at home......

Mozilla Firefox, Browser. Open sourced browser, less vunerable to attack than Internet Explorer and is FREE

Mozilla Thunderbird, Email. Open sourced Email program. Does not automatically open your mail when it downloads (as does Outlook Express when preview pane is enabled) which gives you an opportunity to screen for junk etc, has goodies like a “learning” junk mail filter . it too is FREE

Open Office 2, Office package. Open sourced office suite, compatible with Microsoft Office file formats, but its FREE! and works well. Can export your documents in PDF format also.

Zone Alarm, Firewall, award winning , far superioir to windows firewall. Basic firewall version is FREE. (can upgrade for a cost to higher levels of protection.)

AVG Free, antivirus software. Excellent FREE antivirus software. Has email checking.

Adaware and or Spybot Search and Destroy, to find and help you control adware, malware, spyware etc

All this software is free and hence fully legal to run on your PC without having to pay licencing fees or upfront purchase costs, and they all do an excellent job!, Better still if you use Firefox, Thunderbird and Open Office, you will be far less exposed to common exploits aimed at Billy Gates (Microsoft) software.

other free utilities you may wish to try are...

The GIMP, image manipulation software, FREE

Picasa, photo management software from Google, FREE.

Nvu, web page creation software, FREE

Be Security Wise. Of course there is no substitute for being vigilant and taking a close watch on what you are downloading and opening. Always look for the original software publishers download site if possible as some third party download sites will often add their spyware and malware to the download. Running a good firewall will protect you not only from attempts to access your PC from the outside world, but also help stop any spyware you may have on your PC from sending data back out from your PC to the writers of the spyware. Keep your windows installation up to date with security patches....enable automatic updates if you have a legitimate windows installation.

cheers
and Happy Personal Computing
Geoff

Dads Day

Well!... its just after 10:30 on Fathers Day, and do i feel spoilt!
Greeted in bed this morning by the "potholes" (pre-pubescent Pitts) with the sunday paper and a coffee, then a load of cards and pressies...."whacko!" as my old man used to say!
I share a love of dogs with my dad and my grandfather, having a Border Collie named Holly, now going on 11 human years old. (77 in dog years?) She can now support my favourite footy team the Eels with me as I got some Eels gear for her for Fathers Day. Holly the Collie now looks smart in her new Eels collar and ID tag, we can go for a walk with her new Eels Leash, can play frisbee with her new Eels dog frisbee...(She just loves playing frisbee and with balls) and have a feed from her new Eels dog bowl....Hmmm you don't think it was all meant for me?..perhaps the bowl is actually for me when I'm "in the doghouse" so to speak ;-)

After the pressies it was time for a good 'ol cooked breaky, bacon, eggs (sunny side up and runny please), mushroom, tomato, hash browns, toasted english muffins and a home made iced coffee......and finish reading the paper.

so far so good....an excellent morning! might go and have a cuppa now in my new Eels coffee cup i got as well...Happy Fathers Day!

BLACKHAWKS WIN THE GRAND FINAL!

Yes they did it!, Mikes soccer team, the Warners Bay Blackhawks, have won the Grand Final today.
They are now both Premiers AND Grand Final Winners for then 2006 season.
It was another tight match against "Lake Macquarie" going into extra time after no result at the full time whistle....they then managed to score in the first 10 minutes of extra time coming out victors 1-nil.



CONGRATULATIONS ON AN EXCELLENT SEASON BOYS !!!!!

Many thanks and Top Marks to the boys coach Lee, who has taken the team ahead in their abilities "leaps and bounds" through this season.




My "Pothole" Mike with his Premiers Trophy and Grand Final Winners Medalion.