G'day Everybody,

I've been very quiet lately and there is a reason of course.
In June I had to relocate from NZ to Australia temporarily. I knew this for quite long time, but at the end everything happened very quick: they came, they packed everything and put it into a container then the next thing I remember we are already in Sydney. :) Our stuff arrived just 3 weeks after.

And now we are here, settled in slowly.
I am very busy in my work therefore I have not much time for blogging or checking the Forum, but I will keep going back sometimes.
I miss this community here. :)

Cheers,
Pete

Tomorrow night, Saturday 29 March, 8pm - 9pm, will be an important hour for those who are interested in raising awareness about our environment, when Earth Hour takes place in many cities around the world.


Please play your part by switching off and unplugging any computers, monitors, phone chargers, speakers, or any other electrical item at your desk, before leaving work. If you want to participate at home, you can switch off and unplug electrical items such as toasters, kettles, lamps, phone chargers, clocks, stereos, TV’s, DVD and video players. [Earth Hour organisers say that it's important that anything that is switched off is also unplugged as the device can still draw power if kept plugged in.] Go to www.earthhour.org if you want more information.

Let's make ALL BLACK!

After so many days of browsing the net about remote controlled electric helicopters finally I ordered one from Hong Kong.


I always wanted one, but never had it on the top of my wishlist.
So it was until last week when one of my collegaue bought a small Mosquito RC heli into the office and I tried it.
You can read some review about it here on Slashgear.
It's a small 2 channel rc heli, which is easy to fly and it's a very good start to step into the "world of rc helis".

This experience gave me the final push so I started to look for a bigger one to buy.
After reading many-many reviews, blogs, videos on Youtube I decided to go for the Lama, which they say is one the best 4 channel electric heli for beginners, easy to fly but it really needs a lot of practice. So let it be!

For aesthetic reasons I ordered an E-sky Lama V3, I just love its shape better then the V4.



It's a newer version with 2.4G remote control and digital servos.

I thought I let you know: these "machines" have been developed so much in the past few years, if you were looking to buy one: this is the right time! And they are cheaper then before, you can get a Lama on Trademe for around $150.

Finally here is a very good video about the Lama V3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikTHUPCvO54

UPDATE: it's "almost on the way as I had a little issue with an online shop in Hong Kong:
Paypal vs. credit card payment vs. fake online shops

UPDATE #2: Finally I've got a Lama V4 and it's great!! I am still learning how to fly, but so far so good.. :)

My collegue sent me this "gem", which seems to be an official response from Telecom NZ about the ADSL2 rollout and about speed.
Please check out the part I highlighted in their response.






Now I really want to know why we need ADSL2 if not for faster speed?
Or am I missing something here? If ADSL2 is not for speed then what benefit it will give?
Please advise. I am confused. :)

Read this great article from Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future



Don't forget to click on the calculator's picture. Is it familiar from the iPhone?

Why I am changing from Air New Zealand to Qantas?
What small things can make people change their mind when traveling?
Why Trans-Tasman flights are different from the International flights at Air New Zealand?



Here is my story:

I am traveling a lot, because of my work. Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Europe, Brazil and of course Australia just to name a few.



I am a member of Star Alliance's Frequent Traveller program and Air New Zealand is part of the Star Alliance. To be a member for any Frequent Traveller program, to keep and use the earned points for personal use is one of the many benefits of my company. That's why I kept Air NZ as a preferred company to flight with. To collect as many points I can and use it later for personal travel. But I am changing to Qantas now on Trans-Tasman flights. Why?



I am in the trap of my company's travel policy and Air NZ's strange idea of cheap Trans-Tasman tickets.
Somebody at Air NZ has decided to create a so called "smart saver" category sometime ago. This is the cheapest economy ticket at the moment and it is 83 dollar cheaper then the next category called "flexi saver". But with the "smart saver" you cannot earn Airpoints or miles for your Frequent Traveller membership. Doh! Unfortunately my company's travel policy clearly instructs the travel agency to book always the cheapest economy fare.



And here I am in the trap. I am travelling a lot nowadays to Australia, flying more then 2000kms there and 2000kms back and I don't earn nothing!! How "smart" they are! I mean Air New Zealand. I dont know if other companies do the same. At least I hope Qantas is not doing the same. Because I will fly with Qantas from now on and collect my points with them. Seems they appreciate their customers better. Or they just don't differentiate Trans-Tasman flights from International flights. Because this "smart saver" fare only exists on Trans-Tasman, Pacific and domestic flights at Air New Zealand.



This story is my story and others might have different opinions about it. I just wanted to share mine.



Finally some other thoughts about Air NZ:
- Thai fishcake and beef pie were pretty boring being the same choice for three consecutive weeks on NZ106 on Fridays evenings.
- If Singapore Air (and others) have already on-line check in a long time ago, why it is so hard to introduce this here on international flights? I know they have it on domestic ones. And they would save a lot of time at the check-in.

I just saw in the telly that a young Austalian genius (well, he said he is not genius just lucky) from Melbourne invented a new algorithm, which will make ADSL broadband connections 100% faster.

He is currently moving to the Silicon Valley, California to take a new job. John Cioffi "the father of DSL" has offered him a postion in his company to develop his idea further alongst other inventions.

The idea came up under the shower as he said (or as the media said), but it's not an accident.
He is Dr. John Papandriopoulos a 29-year-old PhD student from University of Melbourne, a researcher. He has already applied for two patents relating to his discovery.

At the moment the electromagnetic interference is the biggest threat to the ADSL speed.
Basically the new algorithm will minimise the interference on the copper line thus will increase the speed, which could be around 100Mbps.

After that what can I say: take minimum two showers per day buddy and bring the faster internet to the people! 

Yeah right. No more invite only. It's free.

Download it from here -> JOOST

After the Big Mac Index, which used to compare the purchase power in different countries now we have a new one called The CommSec iPod Index.

The Index has been made by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
They compared the price of the latest slim iPod Nano 4GB model in 55 different countries in October.

It's interesting to see that however the iPods are manufactured in China, it isn't the cheapest place to buy.
By the way in Brazil every imported product (Apple, Sony, etc) are very expensive because of the customs and state taxes.
Also how unfair that these things are always the most expensive in those countries where the average salaries and the GDP are the lowest comparing with the "West World".
New Zealand is just ten place away from the cheapest Hong Kong.

And here is the list starting with the most expensive (the prices are in U.S.Dollar):

1. Brazil $369.61
2. Bulgaria $318.60
3. Argentina $317.45
4. Israel $300.80
5. Peru $294.08
6. Chile $294.06
7. Malta $293.83
8. Egypt $269.10
9. Romania $266.60
10. Uruguay $260.00
11. Turkey $256.12
12. Hungary $254.50
13. Azerbaijan $252.11
14. Serbia $249.14
15. Croatia $245.41
16. Czech $242.54
17. Slovakia $234.13
18. Estonia $226.67
19. South Africa $226.60
20. Finland $225.82
21. France $225.82
22. Russia $220.32
23. Norway $220.20
24. Sweden $215.35
25. Belgium $211.62
26. Austria $211.62
27. Italy $211.62
28. Portugal $211.62
29. Ireland $211.62
30. Germany $211.62
31. Netherlands $211.62
32. Denmark $209.26
33. UK $201.92
34. Mexico $201.87
35. Cyprus $201.85
36. Luxembourg $201.12
37. Poland $200.52
38. Philippines $198.39
39. Spain $197.42
40. Greece $196.51
41. Switzerland $195.43
42. India $183.47
43. Malaysia $181.82
44. Korea $180.60
45. New Zealand $180.58
46. China $179.63
47. Pakistan $179.48
48. Australia $175.42
49. Thailand $174.89
50. Canada $169.68
51. Singapore $167.31
52. Taiwan $165.82
53. Japan $154.21
54. U.S. $149.00
55. Hong Kong $148.12
(Source: Apple, CommSec, Reuters)

Oh My! I am still Rolling on Floor Laughing (ROFL)..
This is one of the funniest video I saw lately and guess what is it about? Indian Call Centres!
Made by Andy Blitz and showed on Conan O'Brian's show.

Andy has problems with pop-ups and calls for the company's call centre. When he realizes that the lady on the other end of the phone is actually located in India he takes the first plane and brings his desktop to show her the problem. Very funny!!!



- - - - - - -

And here is another one about a similar topic, but something completely different:
A medieval helpdesk try to explain the new technology (a book!) to the user.
With English subtitles as it was made in Norwegia.



LOL!

(p.s. sorry if the videos was already posted on GZ somewhere in blogs or in forum threads.)

Download the latest Google Earth beta from here: Google Earth 

Start Google Earth and push the Ctrl+Alt+A combination to start the simulation. After the first flight you can start the program from the menu as well.

Look at me flying above Auckland. 



Auckland from a different view with more 3D buildings:



Here is me flying over New York with 3D buildings enabled (I also downloaded the WTC:



And this is above (or around) the Grand Canyon, USA



Take off from Katmandu (default airport) and discover the world from above or start from the current view already in the sky.

Easter egg or a new feature? Probably a new feature, because it has a user guide here. 

You can choose between two planes: F-16 or SR-22. Enjoy!

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Get your latest version from here:

http://maps.nokia.com/

You can download the latest Nokia Maps application (.sis) for your NSeries mobile (including N95 of course) and you can download and install the latest Nokia Map Loader software on your PC.

3 days free navigation trial included!

Improved view on your mobile:



In the bottom right corner you can see the map provider: either it's Navteq or TeleAtlas.

New Zealand is still listed under non-navigable maps unfortunately, but let's hope it will be changed with the planned map upgrades.

The site is saying also that the maps will be upgraded twice a year.

Let me quote that:

"The map data will be updated twice a year. You can check for map updates in the Nokia Maps application through Options > Settings > Network > Options > Check for map Updates. If there is a new release of map data, the application will prompt you to delete the preloaded map data. You can then download the new map data via mobile internet or Wi-Fi (data transfer costs may arise).

If the map data is updated, the application will display Your current maps are up to date.

If you do not avail of this functionality, the application will go on downloading data from the map data releases that were downloaded when using the application for the first time."

Great site with great content! Bring on the new maps Nokia!

Oh yes I forgot to mention: this application is for those who has built in GPS (like N95) or external GPS connected to use with their Nokia phones.


*UPDATE on 7.55PM 31/08/07:
 I had a little play with it and found the followings so far:

- My N95 didnt lock the satellites after the Nokia Maps upgrade. I had to restart the phone, after it worked fine

- The new Map Loader sw every time I start it says "There is a newer version available: 1.2.1. Then it starts downloading it and immediately stops with the following error message: "Downloaded file is corrupted. Try again later". Huh? After this incident the sw starts and the version number is 1.2

- It seems that the new version of Nokia Maps application doesnt have the tracking function any more. Bad news.

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As you might know I like playing online games. Actually I am addicted.
Besides the good PC (which I dont have at the moment) a good peripherial, like a mouse could do a lot to become a better player.

I used a Logitech MX-518, which has been already designed for gaming and then this year I bought a Razer Copperhead mouse, which is one of the best for this purpose (I think, from my experience).

I was not surprised when Microsoft co-operated with Razer and introduced the Habu mouse earlier. (which was tested by freitasm too here on GZ).

And now I am reading this on Reuters.com: 

Microsoft targets hard-core gamers with new mouse

 SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it plans to introduce a computer mouse designed for PC gaming, in an effort to capture a growing segment of the computer peripheral equipment market.
Microsoft's new SideWinder mouse, which will target hard-core computer video game fans, allows nearly 5,000 different adjustable settings, including weight, materials and touch.
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From the original Nokia Press Release:


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Internet speed is a long ongoing discussion here in New Zealand.
Some people are satisfied with their speed, but the majority are not.

Yesterday accidently I ran a speed test and the result was very impressive:


My speed has improved a lot. I ran the test at 7pm.
I remember half a year ago when I ran the same speed test at the same time it hardly went over 2Mbps and now I am over 4.

I am on a Xtra Broadband Pro plan, which is a maximum DL/UL speed plan.

Is it improved or I am just lucky to live close to the exchange? I wonder if New Zealanders are still disappointed with the speed they have or things have changed a little bit since this issue went public many month ago (or last year).

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I found a couple of interesting dates on the internet:

The first one is about a new movie release.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/

The movie has no title just a date. And check out the trailer. Very mysterious. What is it? Godzilla 2? Or something else?
One thing is for sure: it will hit on 18th of January, 2008.

* * * *

The second one is a webpage.Or a new service. Or a new product. Take a guess.
http://www.070829.com/

It is as mysterious as the other date. Might be a new cellphone. Or mobile service.
Will it be a big one? Whose product it is? (I know)
At least this one will be revealed on 29th of August, 2007 so you'll find out soon.

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I found this interesting article on BBC's webpage today. Their case like our case: you will never get what was advertised and it has to be regulated.

Broadband speed depends on how far you live from local exchange

There is a huge gap between advertised broadband speeds and the actual speeds users can achieve, research has shown.

A survey by consumer group Which? found that broadband packages promising speeds of up to 8Mbps (megabits per second) actually achieved far less.

Tests of 300 customers' net connections revealed that the average download speed they were getting was 2.7Mbps.

Which? has called on regulator Ofcom and Trading Standards to launch a fresh investigation into UK broadband.

Misleading ads

The speed tests were prompted by complaints from members of the public, unhappy with the speeds of their broadband connections.

In the last 12 months more internet service providers (ISPs) have offered services, promising speeds of up to 8Mbps.

FACTORS AFFECTING SPEED How many people are being served by your local telephone exchange How close you are to the telephone exchange (the closer, the faster) The length and gauge of the line from the exchange Electromagnetic noise from other lines in a cable or wiring within your home The modem you use

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has investigated several cases of misleading promotions, most recently asking Bulldog to make it clear in its adverts that speed was dependent on how far away from the exchange people lived.

It ruled that broadband providers could use the words "up to" 8Mbps when describing services as long as customers were likely to get close to those speeds.

The average speed achieved in the Which? trials was 2.7Mbps, with the lowest coming in at under 0.09Mbps, barely at dial-up rates, and the maximum only reaching 6.7Mbps.

"It is shocking that internet service providers can advertise ever-increasing speeds that seem to bear little resemblance to what most people can achieve in reality," said which.co.uk editor Malcolm Coles.

"If it's unlikely that you'll reach the advertised speed it should be made clear up front, so that you know with some certainty what you're buying," he added.

Lack of demand?

Ofcom told the BBC News website that it was monitoring the situation.

"If we get increasing complaints we may look at what more can be done. We are working closely with the ASA and it is very important that consumers know what they are getting and what they are paying for," said an Ofcom spokeswoman.

According to a Which? survey, done in conjunction with the speed tests, only one in 10 of its members thought that a broadband service advertised as up to 8Mbps would actually deliver the top speed.

Tim Johnson from analyst firm Point Topic believes that people are generally resigned to the fact that they are not going to get super-fast broadband any time soon.

"There is currently small demand for 8Mbps and we are in the early days for things that need that kind of bandwidth. The fact is that video generally is not served at those speeds even if you could receive it," he said.

A BT spokesman confirmed that 8Mbps would be a rarity for users.

"Virtually no-one will get it. The laws of physics start applying as soon as it leaves the exchange and you would have to live on top of the exchange to get the full 8 megabits," he said.

BT is currently upgrading its exchanges as part of its 21st Century Network (21CN) programme. It will allow for broadband speeds of up to 24Mbps and will start to be made available from early 2008.

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Here you go. This fella in Australia thougth that mobile phones are damaging his brain so he stole an APC (armoured personnel vehicle) and ran over 7 cellsites leaving absolut damage behind in Sydney on the weekend.

4 Telstra and 3 Optus sites have been damaged/demolished.
Nobody harmed in this rampage.

The story on Stuff.co.nz: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4129552a12.html

Photos taken by Glenn Miller for OZ media:








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I found this one quite funny on Youtube and I thought it worth to share.

It seems that the Sith Lord doesn't like when you are having a conversation on your mobile, especially not when you are in the middle of a show and I think he is absolutely right.. :)

Don't be a galactic nuisance!




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