New Synchro's for the Foz

Over the past couple of weeks, the Forester has been crunching into 4th gear above 90 km/h, and I've been trying to get to STi at Subaru Ducklands for about 3,000 km...

The car had it's 100,000 km service about a month ago, and 4,500 km have passed, with me thinking the Subaru has a 100,000 km / 3 year warranty, however the warranty is actually 3 years, Unlimited km!!!

One of the mechanics came for a quick spin with me, and agreed that yes, 4th gear synchro has in fact had it, and 3rd and 5th are a bit iffy...

It's booked in for the end of the month, to have all the synchro's replaced...

Next lot of work to be done, is front brake pads, which are nearly shot, and machining of the rear rotors, which are warped, due to being a non-ventilated rotor...

4WD and Camping Show

Just back from a day on my feet, wandering around Jeff's Shed at the 4wd and Camping Show...

Started off meeting Wayne and Fiona around 10.15 or so, and hitting the Nissan and Toyota stand first up... I reckon that the current Navara is rubbish in comparison to their new Hilux, which has pretty well confirmed I'm making the right decision when the Forester is up for replacement.

We split up a few times, when I got waylaid talking to various vendors about bits and pieces I am considering as possibilities, or definite "must have's" for my Hilux when I get it next April...

From talking to vendors, my Hilux build-up will look something like this!

Toyota Hilux Dual Cab Turbo Diesel D4D - in Sterling Silver
ARB Sahara Bar - colorcoded
ARB side steps - colorcoded
ARB rear step and towbar or the Kaymar equivalent- colorcoded
ARB canopy or hard tonneau - the jury is currently out as to which - also colorcoded
Tub liner - don't care which brand - probably from ARB
Warn Industries 9500 lb winch with plasma winch rope
Koni Suspension Upgrade - the other option is Bilstein, but their vendor rep wasn't very friendly


That's the base vehicle, how for the extra bits!!!

Autron Cruise Control
Autron Battery Management System
Couplertec 4WD Electronic Rust Proofing System
Counteract Paint Sealant - DIY
Counteract Fabric Protection - also DIY
Car Kit - to suit whichever phone I end up with next year
4WD Interiors Roof Console or Department of the Interior make a nice roof console also

And I'm sure there will be a few more goodies when the time comes...

A long time between entries

Wow, what a couple of months...

A week after the world lost Steve Irwin, Peter Brock died on a bad corner, during the Targa West Rally. Bathurst was, naturally a tribute to Peter Brock, with Team 888 winning the inagural Peter Brock trophy, with Craig Lowndes at the wheel...

On the personal front, I'm once again single, which was a bad thing at the time, but the right thing to do for the long term. It's not that I don't care, or have strong feelings, I realised I that we were both heading in disparate directions, with different goals to achieve in life...

On the work front, it's full steam ahead on the project I'm working on for Vic Roads, with some crazy, crazy hours being worked to make us look like shining knights, rather than rusty relics...

In the coming months, I'll be hitting the road, to visit every Vic Roads branch in Victoria, replacing the server that provides the platform for the licensing and registration system. That'll be fun, and heaps of time to see various parts of the state, and generally meet lots of new people...

I'll be endeavouring to be a little more attentive to getting some more regular updates happening, just in case anyone actually reads this blog!

Cheerio for now... :-)

RIP Steve Irwin

Born 22 February 1962, Essendon, Melbourne. Died 4 September 2006, Batt Reef, Queensland.

Like most people in Australia, I'm in a bit of shock about the death of Steve Irwin today whilst filming a documentary on Stingrays on Batt Reef, near the Low Isles group off Port Douglas.

Although most Aussies would say they have, at times been a little embarassed to be associated with Steve Irwin (through nationality), I don't, however, believe anyone could deny he did increase awareness of Australia's native animals through his Animal Planet program, and did wonders for Quarantine awareness, with his series of ads run on the TV





Details are pretty sketchy, and as per most media hype fairly judgemental, however it seems that Steve was diving, and doing filming of a stingray, and may have startled or cornered it, and was unfortunately spiked in the heart by the barb of the stingray.

Experts are saying, and I sincerely hope, that Steve Irwin's death was instantaneous.

Irwin was probably best known for his cry of "Oh, Crikey!", and for being "The Crocodile Hunter"...













Steve Irwin ran the Australia Zoo, which was started by his parents, who retired and passed the business to him in 1991. He began filming "The Crocodile Hunter" series in 1992. He married his wife Terri, a Vetinary Technician from Oregon,in June 1992, who became his manager, and between the two of them, they developed a business, thought to be worth $16 million per year.

Their first child, Bindi Sue was born in 1998, and their second, Bob (Robert) Clarence was born in 2003.











At a personal level, I had hoped to one day meet Steve Irwin, as we have an old family friend, who works at Australia Zoo, as their elephant handler. The elephants used to be circus elephants, and were relocated to the Zoo some years ago. My plans had been to visit the Australia Zoo in 2007, on my way to Cape York, which is currently in the planning phase ...







My condolences to Terri Irwin, and the kids, Bob and Lyn Irwin, and all the staff at Australia Zoo

"I spend my life with animals and nature not just because its what I enjoy (even though I do!), I do it because I believe in conservation, protection, and educating others about it's importance."
- Steve Irwin (1962 - 2006)

Steve Irwin, Australia will miss you

Windows Vista RC1

Hi Folks,



Have been looking for a new mobile for quite some time now, and I think Blaugh have summed it up perfectly!!!

Anyways, it's been a while since I've had time to blog anything... A fair bit has happened though... Mum has had neuro surgery to insert some carbon-fibre disks in her neck - all good! Fiona and Wayne are back from Japan - all good!

Even today, I'm not so sure that I have anything worthy of blogging, however I've installed Vista RC1 on a spare laptop, that I was given...

Thus far, on a P4 2.0 GHz processor, with 512 MB of RAM, I've managed to bluescreen it once (trying to install Firefox), but all else aside, it seems pretty stable ... little slow, but that's to be expected, as there will be heaps of bugcheck code in the OS...

I haven't been able to convince eTrust to install on it, so at this stage, I have no antivirus control - I'm hoping that the free edition of AVG will install on it...

... 5 minutes later ...

Well, AVG is installed, and up and running with very little issue... Even managed an automatic update - who says free software isn't a good thing!!! :-)

Now, onto other matters...

The Melbourne Storm, last night, took out the NRL minor premiership, which was already pre-determined 3 weeks back, when they were 4 games out... I feel kinda bad about the season gone, as I didn't manage to get to a game, despite best intentions, and going to every home game for 2 years, starting 3 years back, as well as going to a few games last year...

All things being well, I will go to the first round final next week, which is going to be a home game in Melbourne, played at Olympic Park

Will this be the Microsoft of the Future?

Found this today on Blaugh.com....

Poor Service = No Patronage

It must have been one of those days today... Firstly, I tried upgrading my laptop to the latest beta of Office 2007, given the upgrade on my desktop at work had gone so well...

BIG mistake - 4 1/2 hours later, I had a functional copy of Outlook 2003 back on the laptop (with a Send button), to be greeted with a wonderful e-mail from our Corporate Cards, advising I was late on my Amex bill...

Bit of a story behind that... Last month, my statement advised I owed Amex for a years worth of "Membership Rewards" program, despite having asked them last year to cease the membership... Fair enough, people don't do their jobs properly, or computers screw up, and it costs us money. I can handle that, so I logged into my Amex Online Services portal, to find that yep, no reversed charge. Whilst on the phone to the Corporate Services lady, who this time DID reverse the charge out, I decided to check out my personal card.

Interesting - my personal cards last 5 numbers apppear to have changed, so I ask the lady if she can take a quick look. She's only in corporate cards, but can transfer me to the personal cards area - fair enough, so she puts me through to a service desk somewhere in Asia.

After taking 5 minutes to work out that I am me, the conversation transpires:

Me: I'd like to inquire about the card ending in 21006 that appears in my online services portal - My card ends in 11006

Her: Oh, we issued you a new card, as you hadn't used yours for over 3 months.

Me: Actually, you issued me a new card in March, and I used it in April.

Her: Oh, well, you must have filled out a marketing offer, so we sent you a new card.

Me: No, I don't fill those out, as I only use my Amex for online purchasing.

Her: I don't understand. Please hold sir.

Me (thinking): got a winner here

Her (after 5 minutes): Yes sir, it appears that you requested a replacement card.

Me: No, the only card I ever had replaced was when my wallet was stolen in 1993.

Her: Oh, well... Can I place you on hold again...

Me: Why not?

Her (10 minutes later): Thank you for waiting, it seems that you requested a new card.

Me: Can I speak with your supervisor please?

Her: Can I help you with something else?

Me (thinking again - someone who understands the English language would be good): No thanks, just someone in a more senior position, to whom I can voice my displeasure.

So, after re-iterating my story again, and being placed on hold for at least another 20 minutes, I was still being advised that I had asked for a new card, filled in a marketing offer, or that the marketing people had sent me a new card, due to my not using mine in (now) 6 months! After the supervisor finally working out that she didn't know how to answer my question, she told me she'd look into it further, and call me back...

10 minutes later, I get a phone call from Dad... Amex had called for me at their house, despite having confirmed my mobile number 3 times... So I call back Amex, and she's gone home, my card is still on hold - although the operator I'm talking to now can activate the card I have in my wallet - how, I don't know, seeing as I've been told earlier that it was cancelled, and that all the senior staff are in a meeting, but someone will call me back (I'm still waiting 4 hours later)

Where to go from here?

Well, the way I see it - I get my personal Amex re-associated with their Membership Rewards program, I transfer all the points away from Amex, to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program, and cancel my personal card, and give my corporate card back.

And if ANYONE from Amex does ever decide to call me back, which I doubt will happen, I'll no doubt have to go through the entire process all over again.

To me, offshoring ANY kind of helpdesk to a service center where English is NOT the first language is a huge risk to a business.

The first person I spoke to was in Sydney, and spoke the same English I do, and understood my requirements 100%, and fixed my problem.

The following 3 people I spoke with are no doubt located in Singapore or Malaysia, and were struggling to understand what I was saying, let alone what I wanted.

The end result? American Express lose my custom, and I pass on the word as to how bad their customer service is.

Very disappointing, and I'd really like someone to yell at who has a sufficient grasp of the English language to understand my problem!

Krispy Kreme Opens in Melbourne

That's right folks, the doughnut that everyone used to go to Sydney for is finally available in Melbourne, just a short 15 minute drive from where I live...

For a chain that first opened its doors in New Orleans in 1937, they have taken Australia by storm, and I am quite surprised that Melbourne is only just getting it's first store now, after opening it's first Australian store in Penrith (West of Sydney) in 2003.

They are pretty good doughnuts, and I'm looking forward to getting my free "birthday dozen" from last year, which I got a coupon in the mail for, just for being a "Friend of Krispy Kreme"

I can't believe the hype around it though. Reports on the news tonight indicated that there was a traffic queue of over 1 km, with people waiting to buy their doughnuts, and I even read yesterday, that you could camp out over night, waiting for the store to open this morning, as the company was putting on entertainment, and providing bean bags, and the like for people to make themselves comfortable for the long haul...

Jen and I'll most likely mosy over on the weekend, or at least before the 30th of June, to pick up my free dozen... I had planned to organise a mini-cruise for the WRX Club for this weekend, to go and buy some, and see them being made, but figured it's best to do it in a few months when the hype has died down a bit...

Then again, when I look at these pictures, I'm tempted to go for a quick drive, just to see how long the queue REALLY is!!!

Boong Hunter

As politically incorrect as this site sounds, it has the potential to be an incredibly useful resource!

What it is, is a search engine, that appears to pull it's data from Telstra, whereby you can search by Surname, Street, Suburb, Postcode, etc, and it returns a listing of phone numbers matching your search criteria!

Boong Hunter

A Camping We Will Go

What a weekend!!

Jen and I started off with a bit of a lie in on Saturday... Well, Jen lay in, and I knocked together a batch of Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, which went down an absolute treat...

Once we both readied ourselves to actually do something outside, we head across to Grangers Camping World in Nunawading, with the purpose of buying a 5-man Caribee Challenge 6, which, despite the name, is a 5-man tent. The guy we saw at Grangers in Dandenong 2 weeks ago was at Nunawading (turns out he is the boss), and suggested we look at the Aussie 6, which is a geodesic design, rather than a 2-pole configured sleeping area, with a larger vestibule, and continuous floor. Once we looked at that, we decided the sleeping area was a bit small for a queen sized air matress, so settled on the Aussie 8!!! So far as I can tell, they are made under license by DMH. The closest I can find on their website is the Murray 6. I'll post some pics of our baby up once we try putting it up!

Last purchase at Grangers was an Oztrail Easy Table 4, which will fit in the vestibule of the tent, very nicely, with an armchair on each side, on those warm, mosquito friendly nights!

Lastly, at Grangers, we bought a stove top grille, which is non-stick, and will sit nicely on the cartridge stove. Quite a few of the www.offroadsubarus.com guys have bought them, and they work a treat, much better than a frypan.

Next, we were off to Anaconda, for a sausage in bread, and a wander, and to pick up a few more items!

Anaconda, for the uninitiated, is a lot like REI in the US, but a little smaller.

At Anaconda, we bought a Coleman Quilted Air QuickBed, which will take "Princess Camping" to a whole new level. We also picked up a 240 volt air pump, also by Coleman, which will run off the Waeco inverter, I picked up on eBay a couple of months ago.


Last, but not least, we bought a Coleman retro-styled rechargeable lantern, which will charge from the car, as well as mains. Very funky, and no gas, or mantles to burn or anything...

We're going to give everything a trial run, down at the farm over Easter...



Stay tuned for updates, and photos!

Fabulous Morning Clouds

As I left home this morning, I happened to look out to the South, and the colours in the sky, with the clouds were fantastic... Oh, and the colours have NOT been manipulated!!!

Instructables: step-by-step collaboration

Instructables: step-by-step collaboration

This is quite a cool website I just found while searching for something else...

It's a bit of a shame they don't categorise the contributions, but I guess that will come later...

Well worth the look, if nothing other, than to look, shake your head, and ask WHY???

So Many Desires, So Few Funds

Doing a bit of eBay browsing the other day, and came across an Ultrafuge Dagger Kayak, which is very similar to the Perception Craft Mirage that I used to paddle when I was at school...

Got me to thinking about how much I do miss my kayaking... Here in Langwarrin, I'd have good access to the surf down the back of the Mornington Peninsula, as well as the Patterson Lakes complex for a bit of upper body work... Maybe it will sell for a reasonable price, and I'll snipe it at the end, but I suspect it will go for a bit more than I can justify right now...

Yet another item to add to the wishlist... :-)

In the meantime, it looks like I will just have to keep running the usual track (work to the Shrine of Remembrance, round the Tan, and back) at lunchtime, to keep the recovery rate down...

Wise Words

To my line of thinking, this would have to be quote of the day:

Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have an “s” in it?

People.... Find something BETTER to do with your lives...

Who has the time to search Google Earth for obscure items such as this???

Perth's 'hovering car'

I've transposed the article, so it wont totally expire!



Eagle eyed users of the satellite imaging service Google Earth have spotted what appears to be a car hovering above the ground in a suburban Perth car park.

The photo is of a car park just off Honour Avenue at Point Walter in the affluent south western suburb of Bicton. The spot is a popular picnic location on the banks of the Swan River.

A number of cars are shown in parking bays and the vehicle in question appears to hovering above the ground nearby, its shadow clearly visible beneath.

Google Earth images are mostly taken by satellites - and sometimes by aircraft - within the past three years and there are no "live" images on the site.

The intriguing image was reported last week by the British IT news website, The Register.

One the the website's readers subsequently visited the very spot and sent in photos showing that there were no unusual structures there that could explain the phenomenon.
Other sceptical readers wrote in insisting the image was an optical illusion and was either a bus shelter, a pergola, a hole in the ground. One said it was obviously "Harry Potter and his friends on vacation".

Google Earth, launched last year, allows users to zoom across the planet and drill down to a height of about 300 metres. The program also has "tilt" function to give a side or angled view of an area or object.

Cars and boats are clearly visible at this level and in some areas, where even higher definition images are available, people can be seen.

The Google service has spawned a group of devoted followers who scour the satellite images for strange sightings. Users in the past have spotted a Stealth bomber parked on a runway in California, commercial planes in mid-flight and an image of what appears to be a ship on its side in a river estuary in Scotland.
The service has been critcised for giving terrorists a bird's eye view of sensitive areas, such as the Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney and Parliament House in Canberra.

It has also given stickybeaks an opportunity to peer into neighbourhood backyards and the home of the rich and famous.

(The hovering car can also been seen in this image on the Google Local service. People who have downloaded the free Google Earth software can see the car image here.)

Happy Australia Day

And today, we have received further recognition from Google of life outside the USA.

Happy Australia Day everyone! :-)

Now I'm Ready for an iPod

Apple have finally succumbed, and released a radio module for the iPod Nano, and iPod with Video...

iPod Radio Remote

About time, is all I can say, although it doesn't appear to be available from the Apple Australia store yet.

Now all I need is to be able to find a 4GB iPod Nano for the right price, although on further thought, I think an iPod Video 60GB is a better investment!!!

They were a bit cheaper in Japan, than here in Australia, but not worth the hassle if a warranty claim was required.

Tiny Power Supplies!

This would have to be without a doubt, the smallest PC power supply I've ever seen... A bit underdone for power, at 120 watts, but for a media centre PC, this would be grear!







picoPSU-120 12V DC-DC ATX power supply

Google Pack

Google have outdone themselves this time!!! Google Pack has been released, which allows users to download the following:

Google Earth - if you haven't used this yet, just get it!!
Picasa - Google's Photo Organiser
Google Pack Screensaver - havent played with this yet, but it uses your own photos for your screensaver
Google Desktop - personally, I don't like these indexing programs, but it's not bad... needs MSN history search ability though
Google Toolbar for IE - I reckon this is the pic of search toolbars


They've also bundled in non-Google apps, including:

Firefox - I use this in preference to IE
Norton Antivirus 2005 Special Edition - includes a 6-month update subscription
Ad-Aware SE Personal - another very handy app!
Adobe Reader 7 - I use the writer as a reader, but if you don't need to create PDF's, you do need to be able to read them!

Google Shares

GOOG: Historical Prices for GOOGLE - Yahoo! Finance

I remember, way back when Google floated on the US Stock Market, thinking "I really should buy some of those"...

They floated at $100 USD per share, and have risen steadily since, and at last trading, closed at $451.24 per share!

US Analysts have tipped that Google stocks will hit $600 USD, and become the most successful dot.com share ever!

Happy Year Year!!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, and all the very best for 2006.

New Years Eve was spent with Alex and Clarissa, watching the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition, from the beginning to the end.

We started around 2pm, which was really a bit too late, as we finished at 4.10am...

Tatts had a $32 million Superdraw last night, which we spent a bit of time planning our spending from...

For me?

An Aston Martin DB9 or DB9 Volante, for a weekend cruising / wedding hire car
Pay off the mortgage
Modify the Forester
Pay out Mum and Dad's mortgages
Go on a long holiday!

who says it never pays to dream... Will scan the ticket tomorrow at some stage...