internet norton security

Android comes to life in Barcelona

2008-02-12T03:36:00.011-08:00

Chip manufacturers expecting to see Android phones based on their chips on the market in the second half of this year Read More

So, now that Windows Server 2008 is released, what editions are available?

Here they are,

1) Windows Server 2008 Web

2) Windows Server 2008 Standard

3) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise

4) Windows Server 2008 Datacenter

And there is also an version for Itanium based systems.

Below is a comparison chart,

(Click to enlarge)

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The offer doesn't reflect cash flow, earnings potential, or recent investments in its advertising platform, says Yahoo Read More

There we have it. After months of rumours and speculation, it had to happen.

NVIDIA is to acquire Ageia!!!!

This may just push the market leader way ahead of AMD/ATi, but I've never seen any of Ageia's products actually helping graphics that much (except games which were specifically written).

NVIDIA Press Release: http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1202161567170.html

[Via Engadget]

Website of UK landmark hacked to serve malware

2008-02-12T03:36:00.009-08:00

Website of UK landmark hacked to serve malware
The actual code embedded on the site's web server appears to point to a server in Turkey, returning instructions directing visitors to the BBC website

Microsoft nixes Vista SP1 for IT pros until later this month

2008-02-12T03:36:00.007-08:00

Microsoft nixes Vista SP1 for IT pros until later this month
TechNet and MSDN subscribers remain out in the cold for now

Microsoft to end digital downloads for Vista upgrades
People wanting to upgrade will now have to visit their local retailer or contact Microsoft via post

ARM to show off Android platform next week at trade show
Several demonstrations of the mobile platform will occur at the conference, says Google

Massive mobiles from yesteryear.

2008-02-12T03:36:00.005-08:00

Well we all love the classic favourite "Brick phone"

(bad pics teken with Nokia 6275 as I cannot find real camera's charger! I'm buying a camera that takes regular AA's next time)

SEE! it's just massive.
Motorola brick sitting in intellicharge. (thanks NZBNW)

Wells it's just TOO portable.

This beast would give you a very sore arm rather quickly.

(1987 Mitsubish "Transportable") with Motorola brick on top. (thanks NZBNW)

Not big enough huh?

If there was one phone that makes any phone look "ultra sleek" then this is it.

(1967 Motorola Car Telephone that runs on a 16 channel Full Duplex system IMTS)

it's not the "brick" it's the original PAVING SLAB!

Circuitry is fully discreet! it was "fully transitorized" as most systems back then were still valve based.

This sucker is built like the Apollo 11 stuff, It's all shock mounted, through-hole eyelet and double redundancy PCB. The foam and casing has deteriorated over time but the internals look brand new.

This beast is Pre-cellular, but it was the first system to support direct dialling and full duplex operation just like a "real" telephone. Motorola have a sole old yellowed stock picture of one on their website but I'm wondering if there are any other actual devices around anywhere?

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Chip manufacturers expecting to see Android phones based on their chips on the market in the second half of this year Read More

I have Vista Business in one of my machines and thought of dual booting with Windows Server 2008. And the end result? - Excellent! I installed Windows Server on top of Vista and after installation of Windows Server 2008, the boot menu was shown with options to boot into Vista or Server 2008

Cool

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I just ordered a Dell XPS M1330 Product Red from www.dell.co.nz. I was holding out for the new Sony Vaio SZ (VGN-SZ79GN/C) but due to specs and price and the great online reputation of Dells XPS notebooks I have chosen the better over all deal. Now I just have to wait a week or 2 for it to arrive . . .

Blast from the Past! 025 N-AMPS mobile phone!

2008-02-12T03:36:00.003-08:00

And not just any N-AMPS phone, but a Phillips ISIS! (You can't get much info on it as well... so it has to be old!)

(Yep, I previously said D-AMPS, but found out it's N-AMPS)

Featuring:

20 Phonebook Contacts
3 Subtle Tones
1 Line LCD Monitor
Backlit Keys!
Runs on 4 AA Batteries! Perfect for those who are always on the move!

I've kept everything (except the box) and it still works, even all the contact numbers have been stored there... from 2000!

Ah, I can still remember how my dad used it. He would go into Settings, crank up the volume and play one of the mono tones, waking me up in the morning.

My mum still remembers how much he paid for it: $99.

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Previously, tvnz on demand used Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM to protect (and make people pay for) their content, but now will instead focus on a ad-based scheme to provide the programmes via streaming only.

Also reported is a portal for Mobile On Demand content with one of the mobile companies, and having content served up on the PS3 and Xbox.

"TVNZ surrenders to video pirates" - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10490999

Mozilla patches 11 Firefox bugs

2008-02-12T03:36:00.001-08:00

Mozilla patches 11 Firefox bugs
Firefox 2.0.0.12 fixed four vulnerabilities that Mozilla ranked "critical," one it pegged "high" and three each rated as "moderate" and "low"

Website of UK landmark hacked to serve malware
The actual code embedded on the site's web server appears to point to a server in Turkey, returning instructions directing visitors to the BBC website

Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008
Finally Microsoft announced that Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is now RTM

Thats all good, but, Vista SP1 wont be available to public until mid of March and also we beta testers, except for the Refresh 2 build, we havent recevied any builds for download. Many do believe that the Refresh 2 build is RTM.

I got this funny picture from Long,

Really funny

And one more thing is that Windows Server 2008 RTM images for both x86 and x64 are available in Connect for small period of time, but without product keys, lol. So, Go figure out how to use it without product keys
I hope there is minimum days for activating Server, but I haven't tried it out. It is also worth to note that x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 are now available in MSDN and TechNet subscriptions.

Adobe PDF exploit infects 'many thousands,' says researcher
Adobe credits New Zealand-based Security-Assessment.com, among others, for reporting the bugs

Joikuspot - turn your Nokia S60 device into a WiFi Access Point

While surfing the interw3b this morning I came across this very cool new Symbian S60 application. Once installed it allows your phone to act as a WiFi hotspot sharing it's GPRS/3G data connection via WiFi.

Now you might think this is nothing special but if you have an iPod Touch, PDA or laptop that has WiFi built it it allows you to connect to the internet when you're not within range of a WiFi network. WiFi is also significantly faster than Bluetooth for data transfers so if you're somebody who connects their laptop to their phone via Bluetooth there could be significant speed increases moving to WiFi.

This software is only very new and currently lacks any security which means your WiFi connection is wide open for anybody to leach but certainly shows a lot of potential!

www.joikuspot.com

Antivirus company's website downloads ... a virus
The iFrame technique used on the site has been seen in thousands of similar hacks over the past few months

Attending the 2008 Summer Road Trip - Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008
Cool, it is time for the Wellington IT professional crowd to get into the "2008 Summer Roadtrip".

This tour is coming to Wellington this 13 February, at the Paramount Cinema and will bring the latest information on Microsoft's new IT Pro software - includingWindows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Chris Auld and Jeremy Boyd, and Darryl Burling are touring the country (yes, driving all the way) showing off all the stuff in Windows Server (Virtualisation, IIS, etc), SQL Server (File Stream, Spatial data types & queries, etc) and Visual Studio (LINQ, CSS designers, etc).

In each location they will be joined by a local speaker.

When you register you enter the draw to win one of two server hardware, Windows Home Server software and more. And you get another entry in the draw if you invite a friend.

These are the remaining dates (click for more information on each event):

Wellington – Feb 13

Nelson – Feb 14

Christchurch – Feb 15

Dunedin – Feb 18

Invercargill - Feb 19

I am attending the Wellington meeting this week. I hear about 400 people are registered - so make an effort to show up - look for me there!

My iPod Touch 1.1.3 Jailbroken Gallery
Here are some shots of my Jailbroken iPod Touch running 1.1.3 after using the iJailbreak method I posted about the other day.

(Click the image to get to the gallery)

Summerboard is now working
Installer 'Main script execution failed' problem has been solved by doing this in SSH
cd /
cd Applications/
wget http://repository.apptapp.com/packages/System/Installer.zip
rm -rf Installer.app
unzip Installer.zip
chmod +s Installer.app/Installer
chown -R root:wheel Installer.app
rm Installer.zip
This downloads the latest installer.app. I fixed mine another way, by setting the correct permissions via ssh then updating installer within installer.
Runs very well.
Maps, Mail, Webclips, lyrics, Weather...etc All run perfectly

Windows Server 2008 - One full day with it :D
So, its been one full day with Windows Server 2008 now and have configured,

1) Active Directory Services

a) Created a new Domain Forest
b) Added Domain Users
c) Joined Vista machines to the Domain (right now 1, but more to come )

2) Configured .NET Environment

a) Installed IIS 7 (IIS 7 looks really nice than in Vista!)
b) Installed the .NET Environment (both .NET 3.0 and 3.5)
[ .NET 3.5 - you have to download and install ]
c) Installed WCF
d) Hosted my WCF Service in IIS

Still to install,

a) SQL Server 2005
b) WSUS for Windows Server 2008
~~[I am not able to get WSUS for Windows Server 2008 RTM, If anybody have any clue about that, please do leave your comment )~~
UPDATE: WSUS 3.0 SP1 is now RTM and available for Windows Server 2008!

Here are the Roles installed,

And Features installed,

Things are so easy with Windows Server 2008

More posts to come.....

Port shores up IT with virtualisation
'Event' spurs shift to VMware at Ports of Auckland

Avoid obsolesence, embrace Web 2.0: CIOs
Tech-savvy users want wikis, blogs et cetera

2008 IT spending forecast again cut by Forrester

2008-02-11T16:47:00.001-08:00

The worsening US economic situation has moved analyst firm Forrester Research to lower its expectations for US and global IT spending for the second time in less than two months Read More

Microsoft founder gives parting shot at UK conference Read More

Tech-savvy users want wikis, blogs et cetera Read More

Nokia launched an experiment that gave 100 drivers with GPS-enabled N95 mobile phones and test tried them on highways, enabling them to see the live condition of the highway (slow movement of the phone would mean slow traffic etc.)

No more need to watch live videos or listen to radios - this would be great in Auckland!

"Nokia turns people into traffic sensors" - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9868169-7.html
Related video - http://www.news.com/1606-2_3-6229829.html

Read More

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist:
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Implementation and Maintenace

Studying via Self-Paced Training Kit by Solid Quality Learning

Chapter 8: Managing XML Data is a killer...

Read More

Sony Ericsson has announced the XPERIA X1 Windows Mobile-based devices. Interesting news, since the company is a long time supporter of Symbian UIQ.

Very exciting news too because we all know how popular the Sony Ericsson handsets are and how well made they are.

The XPERIA X1 comes with GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA - and look at this user interface (video from Sony Ericsson, uploaded by Engadget):

Below are some pictures of this new device:

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It's not fair. I am the most misunderstood cat in the entire world. I try to be cute. I come into the house doing my little bbbrrrttt thing, meow meow, and the boss thinks I'm cute. Even the girl who adopted me thought I was beautiful. But once I was in the house, things turned out differently.

First off, I was lost. I can't remember who my first owner was, even if I ever had one. Somehow my beautiful long fur stayed clean and knot-free. But I found a nice house, so I thought, where they loved cats.

I made myself at home, even defending my new territory from other outsiders. But each time I came home with a few battle scars, they would grab me and drag me off to the vets. I even had my manhood taken away from me, but I still defend my territory. It's in me, you know. After eight years or so fighting for myself it doesn't go away easily. Even if they have turned me into a coward.

But let me talk about the household. First there's the boss. He's nice, he feeds me and pats me while I eat because I get scared in here sometimes. But he goes to work early and I am not allowed in the house once he's gone. Something about the missus not having to worry about us when she is screaming out the door, late for work, or screaming that junior is late for school. Again.

While we're on about her, the only time she seems interested in carrying me is when I'm trying to scare off the local wildlife at night. I have the ignominy of being carried by the scruff of my neck. Hey, I don't really want to scratch her eyes out. I mean, I think I got a bug last time I attacked her. Something about her just having had a tetanus shot... So, is it my fault she still has scars on her arm? She should put some face cream on it. It's supposed to work miracles, isn't it? Every so often she sneaks up on me and goes 'boogey' and I have to run away.

That oldest boy, he was a danger. He had two big dogs. What did they call them? American Pit Bull Terriers, as I recall. Only good thing about the missus was she said they had to go. They got rid of the 'bitch', and finally the dog went, too. Then we got rid of him, too.

The nice girl who adopted me also adopted two kittens. They bottle fed them, would you believe! Apparently, she owns Princess, too. But she moved out and ignores me now. Suppose I should be happy that I'm still here and the kittens are gone.

The boy is a big meany. Even princess doesn't like him. Fluffy loves him, though. The boy scares me. Sometimes he picks me up. He is the only person who puts me over his shoulder like a little baby. I think I am too scared to move.

There's another boy, but he's 19. He's okay, mostly he just ignores me, sometimes he will say hello.

Sometimes I get a little bit confused, and I think Princess is a stray cat trespassing so I have to chase her. Then the missus calls out 'bad cat' and Fluffy comes along to smack me. What do they think I am, a child? Then I forget that I'm not supposed to chase Princess, and I get into trouble all over again. That's not really a mean streak in my eyes, it's just me squinting in the sun...

I mean, Fluffy is allowed to chase Princess. Plus, he will lick her, and then try to scrag her. Plus he sits on her... Big fat lump. He covers her completely with his belly.

It's just so unfair being the 'ring-in', as they call me. If I knew there was anyone else who could love me as much as the boss does, I would leave. I know I wouldn't be missed by all the rest of them. Plus since they started combing my hair I get all sorts of knots in it. Maybe I should run away to be my old, beautiful self again.

Aaarghhh - what was that? Is that shadow lurking to get me? I am so afraid...

Boo Hoo.

See what they do to me? It was only a little sore. About 2cm wide...

And then they tell me this is another Fluffy only she's still in Australia.... Apparently she has real attitude. You can't even pat her without her going psycho. Good thing she stayed there with the other sister...

Read More

Adobe credits New Zealand-based Security-Assessment.com, among others, for reporting the bugs Read More

Our own state-owned company is being questioned over the fact that they've been helping the Myanmar (previously Burma) government by installing cell towers under a contract.

Our Prime Minister thinks it's "aiding democracy in Myanmar", while National Party MP Murray McCully says it's completely ridiculous. Even the Green Party has something to say.

Article - http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1570223
Video - http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1570661

Read More

Several demonstrations of the mobile platform will occur at the conference, says Google Read More

ARM to show off Android platform next week at trade show

2008-02-11T16:46:00.009-08:00

Several demonstrations of the mobile platform will occur at the conference, says Google Read More

Security researchers have tested the first prototypes of a secure authentication system that could one day replace PIN entry at cash points Read More

Firefox 2.0.0.12 fixed four vulnerabilities that Mozilla ranked "critical," one it pegged "high" and three each rated as "moderate" and "low" Read More

...At school, that is.

Every year, we take all our books etc to school for day one. Every year we take our art pack on the first day. (Every year our art pack is more expensive - what happened to last year's equipment???) Every year Art is NOT on the first day... (Three out of three years in a row...)

So far we have a South African english teacher with a weird name and even weirder/warped sense of humour. At least the boy thinks he's ok. Apparently he gave up a job as Principal to come to NZ to teach the wonderful students at 'The name is changed to protect us from legal proceedings' High. So no complaints after one lesson.

We don't have the head of the science department nor last year's teacher. Yay. Actually the 'Head' is quite lucky he doesn't have the boy!

We didn't bunk, as far as I know.

('Mum, how do you expect me to remember everything. I don't know who my teachers are.' Should I be suspicious?)

Didn't see any signs of fighting. Nup.

The hair gel didn't work - no spikes. How sad.

We were actually home (and answered the phone) when the mother rang at 4.30, requesting the leg of lamb be put in the oven, which was to be put on 350 degrees. (Very good, it is farenheit!) We listened very carefully to the mother's instructions - where to find the roasting dish and all...

We made an excellent joke about it being a small lamb, seeing that it fitted in the fridge.

Too bad we forgot to actually put the roast in the oven.

And that, gentlemen and ladies, is what fathers are for...

I didn't do it. Oh yeah, I forgot...

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I have been restarting my modem every morning for the last week now, and today I can see ADSL2+ is here!

So restart your modems everyone!

UPDATE: Looks like we are going to be completely switched on the 8th. Hang on tight!

Before...

... and after

But I'm still getting 7.6mbps...

Is there still something?

I'm using the Gen I DSL-504T (generic, NZ firmware V3.00B02.NZ.20060711). Does the restriction I've been hearing affect my one as well (I thought it only affected _TX Telecom ones)

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Google wants to do anything it can to stop Microsoft from getting one foot in the door, says source Read More

The bot grabs the CAPTCHA and sends it back to the spammer's server, where the image is somehow "read" and a clear text match generated, says researcher Read More

Just as a disclosure, I was invited - and accepted it - to join the Advisory Board of Hire Things. This is coming after years of watching a friend, Peter Torr Smith, creating the company and the service from the ground up, from concept to delivery.

The company wants to grow bigger and stronger, and for that they invited three people so far to be part of this board, with one or two other seats to be filled soon.

As an Advisory Board member I am not an employee, neither have authority within the company. The role is just what the name says - a panel of experts that advise the company management with their knowledge in different sectors.

It is a part time position with probably one or two meetings every month, but it's going to be great to be more involved in this business - an on-line business.

Report: Yahoo plans to reject Microsoft's US$44.6B buyout bid

2008-02-11T16:46:00.007-08:00

Report: Yahoo plans to reject Microsoft's US$44.6B buyout bid
The US$31-per-share offer "massively undervalues" the company, says source

Vodafone looks to mobile broadband
New tack taken in UK

It is... ummmm I think that it... colour
I have been thinking of a conflict I had sometime back, over colour.

I noticed a change in my mind and I thought about it.

To begin (for a long time) my faviourite colour was this

But some how a change happened and now I like this

more. I don't recall the exact point in time that this happen,
but the results are present. It's sad as I like blue alot too.

Yahoo said to beef up talks with Google
Google wants to do anything it can to stop Microsoft from getting one foot in the door, says source

LogLogic lands more funding
Logging tracker gains investment

Vodafone looks to mobile broadband

2008-02-11T16:46:00.005-08:00

Vodafone looks to mobile broadband
New tack taken in UK

I'm now engaged!
My partner and I just came back from a week away in Sunny Nelson and surrounding areas. The trip away was to go to a cousin's wedding in Totaranui (a lovely place, if not somewhat off the beaten track!).

On Tuesday of last week, I proposed to my partner of 1 1/2 years, and she accepted (all good!) :)
We are to wed sometime early next year in Napier.

LogLogic lands more funding
Logging tracker gains investment

Corporate IT systems 'not even halfway there': Gates

2008-02-11T16:46:00.003-08:00

Corporate IT systems 'not even halfway there': Gates
Microsoft founder gives parting shot at UK conference

2008 IT spending forecast again cut by Forrester
The worsening US economic situation has moved analyst firm Forrester Research to lower its expectations for US and global IT spending for the second time in less than two months

Mozilla patches 11 Firefox bugs
Firefox 2.0.0.12 fixed four vulnerabilities that Mozilla ranked "critical," one it pegged "high" and three each rated as "moderate" and "low"

LogLogic lands more funding
Logging tracker gains investment

Webcams pointing at traffic that are bookmarkable on mobile for you to "plan" or "avoid" a trip.
I use these religously. They will work on almost any mobile phone as they are just static update images.
Thanks to the developers for keeping it simple and avoiding piles of javascript pointed controlled dynamic images.

Manhinli did a blog how some N95 owners were in a trial to feedback the accelleration characteristics to plot how bad traffic was which is a great development idea and prompted me to upload these.

Wellington (by Citylink)

Courteney place
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/courtenay.jpg

Mout Victoria
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/mtvic.jpg

Aotea Quay + overpass
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/aotea.jpg

Terrace looking nth
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/terrace-north.jpg

Terrace looking sth
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/terrace-south.jpg

Zephrometer! Evans bay
http://www.citylink.co.nz/images/webcam/zephyr.jpg

Thanks Citylink, We really appreciate these cameras.

Auckland (by TransitNZ)

North Shore ALbany
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=1

North Shore Tristram
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=11

North Shore Northcote
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=12

North Shore Esmonde
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=13

North Shore Onewa
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=14

Central m way junction
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=15

Remuera Market road
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=16

Greenlane
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=17

Penrose Snarlup (currently DOWN)
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=18

Manukau
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=20

Alfiston Road
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=21

Auckland city
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=22

Western Springs
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=23

Te Atatu
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=24

Henderson East
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=25

Henderson West
http://www.trafficnz.info/ViewCameraImage.do?id=26

Same goes to Transit.

A beginners guide to DIY structured cabling in a new house - Part I
There has been quite a bit of discussion on Geekzone lately discussing structured cabling for voice, data & TV. There is a great thread here that talks about home wiring with GZ's resident expert cyril7 providing some great advice on the topic. As my family are currently building a new house (that is for sale if you're after a place in Lower Hutt!) I thought I'd give a quick DIY guide for anybody who's looking at options for a new house or renovating an existing one.

Now I must confess that I am no expert when it comes to wiring and I don't do this for a day job! I'm sure there are probably a few others out there who can probably give me a few tips or advice and correct me on some things! :-)

So why install a structured cabling system? My answer? Why would you not install a structuctured cabling system! Telecom have recommended now for several years that all new houses be wired with a minimum of cat5e cable in a star configuration back to central point to replace the conventional method of running phone cabling in series between jackpoints. There are still a surprising number of "experts" in the trade who are still stuck in the dark ages and continue to stick to this but the reality is no new home should be wired like this any longer.

With multiple phones, multiple internet connected PC's and cable or satellite TV now the norm in many homes a structured cabling system is a logical approach and also doesn't need to cost the earth - for an average new house the cost of an entire fitout consisting of cable (cat 5e and RG6), patch panel, and all sockets shouldn't cost you more than $500. Right now wireless is still nowhere near as fast as Ethernet for computer networking and cat5e cable can also carry a myriad of signals ranging from phone, ethernet right through to component video and HDMI with appropiate baluns. With the VoIP era also about to approach you've got to be crazy to not be prepared while you have the opportunity!

This is a 3 bedroom house with open plan kitchen and lounge with a semi detached dining room which could easily be used as a study or kids play area or converted into a bedroom. My plan has been to use 12 cat5e jackpoints around the house and F connectors for RG6 for TV in all rooms. This is all run back to a 16 way patch panel in a hallway cupboard. The lounge has 3 RG6 sockets allowing for a terrestrial aerial, satellite dish and a return feed so the output from your STB can be viewed on any other TV in the house.

Master bedroom: TV + dual RJ45 + single RJ45 next to bed for a phone
Bedroom 1: TV + dual RJ45
Bedroom 2: TV + dual RJ45
Dining/Study: TV + dual RJ45
Kitchen: Single RJ45 for phone
Lounge: TV + dual RJ45

The choice of a 16 way patch panel allows 12 sockets wired back to jackpoints with the last 4 jumpered back to the incoming phoneline so they can be patched as required. The incoming phoneline is terminated in a standard jackpoint on the wall (which also serves as a test point as required by Telepermit regs) and this is then connected to port 16 on the patch panel and jumpered across to 15,14 and 13.

This house will have TelstraClear cable service provided to it so there is no provision for a central ADSL line splitter however this could obviously easily be retrofitted if needed. If you're like most of the country and rely on ADSL for your broadband this is something you will want to factor in as it's so much simpler and tidier than requiring filters on every jackpoint that will have a phone on it.

This layout is probably about the bare minimum you would want to install in a house, it's certainly much cheaper to run extra cable when a house is being built than later on wish that you had done it so!

Choose a logical place to wire all your cable back to. A garage makes a great place but a hallway cupboard is really your only choice if you don't have an internal access garage. Remember to also install a power point nearby as you'll need this for your modem/switch and things such as a VoIP ATA. A wall mounted rack cabinet makes things look nice and tidy if you have space and remember that you may want to have your network running off a small UPS since they are so cheap these days so factor options such as this in when you're working out the dimensions.

So on with the pictures. First up is a quick view of the inside of the house with most of the electrical wiring now done.

Use 25mm drill bits for all wiring holes. Be wary of any structural walls if you're drilling multiple holes in the same beams - ask a builder for advice if you're unsure. Also remember that flush boxes need to be flush - if they stick out you'll have trouble attaching the jib to the wall. Also try and avoid running cable near power, if at all possible try and stay a minimum of 200mm away with the main cable runs. Running plugs on the opposite side of a stud is an easy way to keep cables seperate at the jackpoints. If you do need to cross power cables (and there are times where this can't easily be avoided) ensure the cables cross at right angles and do not run parallel to each other.

Use electrical tape to bundle cat5e cable together. While solid cable is fairly robust it is not invincible. Do not staple this cable or run it at extreme angles. Cable ties stapled to beams are a good way of attaching cable but again do not tighten these up fully as it could easily damage the cable.

Cable all running back to the hallway cupboard. RG6 coax and alarm cable is still to be run back to this same wall.

Well that's about it for part 1 - I'll update this as the work proceeds.

Dual booting Vista and Windows Server 2008??

2008-02-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

I have Vista Business in one of my machines and thought of dual booting with Windows Server 2008. And the end result? - Excellent! I installed Windows Server on top of Vista and after installation of Windows Server 2008, the boot menu was shown with options to boot into Vista or Server 2008

Cool

Read More

Seven of the 12 will be tagged with the company's highest threat ranking Read More

Management rather than procedures may be to blame Read More

Opera 9.5 demo video

2008-02-11T04:53:00.011-08:00

Opera 9.5 demo video
Opera Software has announced Opera 9.5, its new web browser version for smartphones. The software is not available yet, but it will be hosted at Opera Mobile sometime after the Mobile World Congress 2008.

In the meantime, there's a demo video available and shared below.

Opera Mobile 9.5

I am looking forward to having this installed on my Windows Mobile device.

Is just me or does it show all the features Internet Explorer Mobile should have had for the last few years already?

Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008

2008-02-11T04:53:00.009-08:00

Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008
Finally Microsoft announced that Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is now RTM

Thats all good, but, Vista SP1 wont be available to public until mid of March and also we beta testers, except for the Refresh 2 build, we havent recevied any builds for download. Many do believe that the Refresh 2 build is RTM.

I got this funny picture from Long,

Really funny

And one more thing is that Windows Server 2008 RTM images for both x86 and x64 are available in Connect for small period of time, but without product keys, lol. So, Go figure out how to use it without product keys
I hope there is minimum days for activating Server, but I haven't tried it out. It is also worth to note that x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 are now available in MSDN and TechNet subscriptions.

Call to governments to improve connectivity
A study ranking shows there is work to do to realise the benefits of ICT

Website of UK landmark hacked to serve malware
The actual code embedded on the site's web server appears to point to a server in Turkey, returning instructions directing visitors to the BBC website

Blast from the Past! 025 N-AMPS mobile phone!
And not just any N-AMPS phone, but a Phillips ISIS! (You can't get much info on it as well... so it has to be old!)

(Yep, I previously said D-AMPS, but found out it's N-AMPS)

Featuring:

20 Phonebook Contacts
3 Subtle Tones
1 Line LCD Monitor
Backlit Keys!
Runs on 4 AA Batteries! Perfect for those who are always on the move!

IT pros, remote workers admit to security lapses
Polls reveal less-than-optimum practices

Report: Yahoo plans to reject Microsoft's US$44.6B buyout bid
The US$31-per-share offer "massively undervalues" the company, says source

Fragile net a threat in today's wired world
Be prepared for outages, says Frank Hayes

Vodafone looks to mobile broadband
New tack taken in UK

Nokia N95s turn into live GPS traffic sensors
Nokia launched an experiment that gave 100 drivers with GPS-enabled N95 mobile phones and test tried them on highways, enabling them to see the live condition of the highway (slow movement of the phone would mean slow traffic etc.)

No more need to watch live videos or listen to radios - this would be great in Auckland!

"Nokia turns people into traffic sensors" - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9868169-7.html
Related video - http://www.news.com/1606-2_3-6229829.html

Antivirus company's website downloads ... a virus
The iFrame technique used on the site has been seen in thousands of similar hacks over the past few months

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Windows Mobile pictures and video

2008-02-11T04:53:00.007-08:00

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Windows Mobile pictures and video
Sony Ericsson has announced the XPERIA X1 Windows Mobile-based devices. Interesting news, since the company is a long time supporter of Symbian UIQ.

Very exciting news too because we all know how popular the Sony Ericsson handsets are and how well made they are.

The XPERIA X1 comes with GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA - and look at this user interface (video from Sony Ericsson, uploaded by Engadget):

Below are some pictures of this new device:

Opera Mobile 9.5

I am looking forward to having this installed on my Windows Mobile device.

Is just me or does it show all the features Internet Explorer Mobile should have had for the last few years already?

Is the iPhone killing Motorola?
Motorola's phones lack the coolness factor of apple's product

Rejoice, people of Howick! ADSL2+ is here!
I have been restarting my modem every morning for the last week now, and today I can see ADSL2+ is here!

So restart your modems everyone!

UPDATE: Looks like we are going to be completely switched on the 8th. Hang on tight!

Before...

... and after

But I'm still getting 7.6mbps...

Is there still something?

I'm using the Gen I DSL-504T (generic, NZ firmware V3.00B02.NZ.20060711). Does the restriction I've been hearing affect my one as well (I thought it only affected _TX Telecom ones)

TVNZ to remove downloads from tvnzondemand.co.nz
Previously, tvnz on demand used Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM to protect (and make people pay for) their content, but now will instead focus on a ad-based scheme to provide the programmes via streaming only.

Also reported is a portal for Mobile On Demand content with one of the mobile companies, and having content served up on the PS3 and Xbox.

"TVNZ surrenders to video pirates" - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10490999

Dual booting Vista and Windows Server 2008??
I have Vista Business in one of my machines and thought of dual booting with Windows Server 2008. And the end result? - Excellent! I installed Windows Server on top of Vista and after installation of Windows Server 2008, the boot menu was shown with options to boot into Vista or Server 2008

Cool

Encryption could make you more vulnerable, warn experts
The use of data encryption could make organisations vulnerable to new risks and threats, warn security experts

New Geekzone Blogs Windows Vista Sidebar gadget

2008-02-11T04:53:00.005-08:00

Thanks to Chaks, who developed a Geekzone Blogs Gadget for Windows Vista Sidebar. He was inpired by our Geekzone Forums Gadget for Windows Vista Sidebar, originally developed for us by Provoke.

If you follow the Geekzone blogs or forums and use Windows Vista make sure you download those gadgets.

If you are using Mac OS X or Konfabulator and would like to develop similar gadgets for these other platforms, please contact me.

Read More

Ok, dont ask me why and for what I am brining Vista Features to Windows Server 2008

The Vista Features includes things like,

1) Windows Media Player
2) Windows Flip 3D
3) Windows Aero Theme
4) Windows Mail
5) etc.,

By default this is not installed in Windows Server. To enable them, you need to add the Desktop Experience Feature from the Add Features wizard.

Here is a screenshot,

Read More

If you are in New Zealand and use Vodafone live! services, check the Mobile Wikipedia, developed by Instinct.

The service is a WAP interface to Wikipedia and can be accessed from Vodafone live! > Communities > The Answer Is Here.

A few comments though:

- I tried it using a Palm Treo 500v (screenshot) which is the first Windows Mobile Vodafone live! compatible handset. It all worked ok but the articles themselves were not showing any formatting If you test this with other handsets (Nokia, Sony Ericcson, etc) please leave a comment how the experience goes.

- Why didn't Vodafone use something like "Mobile Wikipedia" in the link, instead of "The Answer Is Here"? It would probably attract more attention.

Good luck with the new service.

Read More

Juniper Networks' CEO Scott Kriens talks to John Gallant and Jim Duffy Read More

I have been thinking of a conflict I had sometime back, over colour.

I noticed a change in my mind and I thought about it.

To begin (for a long time) my faviourite colour was this

But some how a change happened and now I like this

more. I don't recall the exact point in time that this happen,
but the results are present. It's sad as I like blue alot too.

Read More

The bot grabs the CAPTCHA and sends it back to the spammer's server, where the image is somehow "read" and a clear text match generated, says researcher Read More

Report: Yahoo plans to reject Microsoft's US$44.6B buyout bid

2008-02-11T04:53:00.003-08:00

Report: Yahoo plans to reject Microsoft's US$44.6B buyout bid
The US$31-per-share offer "massively undervalues" the company, says source

Begalet - Universal Personal Transport
This is so cool I want one.

From Scarab Aviation Labs based in Russia comes the Begalet - Universal Personal Transport.

It can be used on land, water and snow (with modification) and it can fly!

The craft weighs just 55Kg's when empty and can reach a maximum speed of 80kph on land and up to 160kph in the air (according to some reports). It seems to be a motorised paraglider but Scarab also have some fixed wing versions in development.

It uses a parachute in case of emergency landing when airborne and a bouyancy device to stop it sinking when on the water.

The engine delivers just 30hp with a range of up to 400km so it should be quite economical to run as well.

Microsoft responds to 'Save XP' petition
Microsoft has already delayed XP's demise by six months, says spokesperson

Microsoft slates 12 patches for next week
Seven of the 12 will be tagged with the company's highest threat ranking

Is a Yahoo/Google alliance better than Microsoft buying Yahoo?
The proposed $45 billion acquisition of Yahoo by Microsoft has created a tremendous amount of coverage, even in the main-stream media. Clearly, Yahoo as the world's most visited web-site, and Microsoft as the world's most successful ... (more in the full post)

iPod touch bug
Yes... there is a data leak that just happens (I've experienced it 5 times already.) Video podcast of the Macworld 2008 leaked into my list of songs... weird. To this point, I've been unsuccessful in reproducing this. This is confirmed as a 'intended' function, but I sure didn't place it in my favourite playlist, which made me think this is a leak. It comes and goes and also temporarily screws up my playlist as well. Can't watch this video? Click here.

Rejoice, people of Howick! ADSL2+ is here!
I have been restarting my modem every morning for the last week now, and today I can see ADSL2+ is here!

So restart your modems everyone!

UPDATE: Looks like we are going to be completely switched on the 8th. Hang on tight!

Before...

... and after

But I'm still getting 7.6mbps...

Is there still something?

I'm using the Gen I DSL-504T (generic, NZ firmware V3.00B02.NZ.20060711). Does the restriction I've been hearing affect my one as well (I thought it only affected _TX Telecom ones)

Brown Paper Packages Wrapped up With String...

These are a few of my favourite things.

Not when the dog bites, nor when the bee stings. However, here are some of my faves.

Favourite Book – the Bible. Favourite verse – Except the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it. (Psalm 129:1(a) - the book of Psalms chapter 129 and verse one, the first half of the verse…) Meaning, if God’s not in it, forget it. Probably what Gamaliel had in mind when he said ‘And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it – lest you even be found to fight against God.’ Acts 6:38 & 39. (Gamaliel was a great Hebrew teacher around the time of Christ, he actually taught the Apostle Paul. He was talking about the Apostles, and the Christian church in it’s infancy, soon after the Resurrection.

Second fave book – Chambers 20^th Century Dictionary. I haven’t gone looking for the 21^st century edition!!! When Junior comes along and asks what rardy rardy rah means, I tell him to go look it up. He wanders off in disgust – isn’t it funny that at fifteen he still thinks I know everything, which of course I almost do… After twenty minutes I can no longer stand it – I must know the answer. Out comes the dictionary. While I am on my merry way to the ‘R’s, I see other interesting words, like PROPUGNATION. (Defense.)

And other exciting things. Like Aardvark comes just before Aardwolf. What is it with these double a’s? there’s also Aasvogel – a South African Vulture. Of Course.

What’s the last word in there? Zythum. A kind of beer made by the ancient Egyptians. So when you are playing scrabble and some smarty places a “K” on a triple letter score to make ‘Ka’ (ancient Egyptian for spirit) go play zythum. Because it’s not a proper noun, is it!!!

I will be kind to you and not mention all the interesting Addenda…

I like scrabble, but I don’t often get to play. My best Kiwi friend and scrabble player is a bit busy for such things at present. My Aussie friends are too far away… I used to like chess, too, but junior is the only one who will play with me. He’s dangerous. His strategy is crush, kill, destroy. Take every enemy piece you can. Keep as many of your own as possible. (Should see him play age of empires…)

FOOD. It’s all good. Actually, I don’t really like seafood. Paprika chicken is my fave. Remember Big Al and the grey death? When I went to live with my mum she cooked this one up and it’s been my favourite, and, interestingly enough, my children’s fave, ever since. (H’m, maybe that’s not such good English, sounds as if the children were around when I was twelve!)

Why do they serve Strawberries and Cream at Wimbledon? Raspberries are far superior. If I hadn’t gone to Aussie this summer I would have planted a few raspberries. I am going to try to get around to planting some this year. Plants, not the fruit. I do have a bit of a green thumb, you know…

Chocolate!!!

Favourite Cat Breed? Himalayan Persian. We’ve had two, so far. Dog? Italian Greyhound. Just as sweet as a real greyhound but a bit cheaper to feed! (My great-Uncle Tom bred greyhounds. They were all called ‘Ike’. I’m going to get two – when junior leaves home – Ike and Ike…

Best car I’ve ever had? Hubby’s old Cooper S. Built for the NSW Police Force as a pursuit car. He used to race it, stacked it and only got around to fixing it seven years later so we could bring it back to NZ with us. So I could fly down the motorway when no-one was watching. It had a racing steering wheel, racing harness and eight inch long ignition key so you could start it again when it stalled in a race… Hubby has trophies, so it must have worked!!! Sold it when we had a family. Shame. No, about the car, silly, not the children.

Favourite TV? Morse, old Agatha Christies, Midsomer Murders. Nice Place, Midsomer, but you wouldn’t want to live there. Too many people die there. And Antiques Roadshow. I love to see their faces when they find out they are in possession of a small fortune. I want to take ‘big growlie’, my teddy to see how much he’s worth, and how old he really is. He was big al’s so I reckon that’s why I wasn’t forced to hand him over to my cousin to play with. And take home.

Speaking of said cousin, he’s my fave, too. I was eight when he was born. He apologises profusely for his mum’s ADD which meant she used to forget to bring stuff with her for their stays with us. And he swears he no longer has the other two teddies. Big Growlie was ‘Papa bear’, and the other two were Momma and Baby bear…

Should I mention favourite family trait? ADD/ADHD/Vagueness. We’ve all got it in my family. And, it seems, a bit in hubby’s family, too. He’s got it, too.

Favourite human beings – Hubby and the children… It’s our 28^th anniversary next Saturday. So he’s still number one human being in my mind.

And that’s that, until next time…

SHARK TANK
Tales from the world of ICT

At Kiwi Foo Camp 2008
I am in Warkworth (New Zealand) with other 150 technologists, developers, thinkers, writers, entrepreneurs participating in the second Kiwi Foo Camp, organised by O'Reilly's Nat Torkington and his crew.

It is an amazing mix of people and knowledge around here. Radio NZ is broadcasting live from the premises, discussions are going on almost around the clock - and this time we didn't get lost on the way here thanks to... technology (gotta love GPS, Google Maps Mobile and cellular data).

Talking about wireless data we have wireless LAN here, but you can imagine how a crowd of 150 technologists can quickly overload the tubes. So I am using my Telecom data card. I noticed that Telecom New Zealand has upgraded this site to CDMA EVDO since the same time last year, but Vodafone New Zealand still provides the same non-usable GPRS service around here.

The conversations around here are not NDA, but it's a matter of principle to only disclose things if you ask and receive a positive response.

I gotta go now for one of my sessions. Here are a few pictures from the opening:

Wikipedia on Vodafone live!

2008-02-11T04:53:00.001-08:00

If you are in New Zealand and use Vodafone live! services, check the Mobile Wikipedia, developed by Instinct.

The service is a WAP interface to Wikipedia and can be accessed from Vodafone live! > Communities > The Answer Is Here.

A few comments though:

- I tried it using a Palm Treo 500v (screenshot) which is the first Windows Mobile Vodafone live! compatible handset. It all worked ok but the articles themselves were not showing any formatting If you test this with other handsets (Nokia, Sony Ericcson, etc) please leave a comment how the experience goes.

- Why didn't Vodafone use something like "Mobile Wikipedia" in the link, instead of "The Answer Is Here"? It would probably attract more attention.

Good luck with the new service.

These are a few of my favourite things.

Not when the dog bites, nor when the bee stings. However, here are some of my faves.

And other exciting things. Like Aardvark comes just before Aardwolf. What is it with these double a’s? there’s also Aasvogel – a South African Vulture. Of Course.

I will be kind to you and not mention all the interesting Addenda…

Chocolate!!!

Should I mention favourite family trait? ADD/ADHD/Vagueness. We’ve all got it in my family. And, it seems, a bit in hubby’s family, too. He’s got it, too.

Favourite human beings – Hubby and the children… It’s our 28^th anniversary next Saturday. So he’s still number one human being in my mind.

And that’s that, until next time…

Read More

The bot grabs the CAPTCHA and sends it back to the spammer's server, where the image is somehow "read" and a clear text match generated, says researcher Read More

Previously, tvnz on demand used Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM to protect (and make people pay for) their content, but now will instead focus on a ad-based scheme to provide the programmes via streaming only.

Also reported is a portal for Mobile On Demand content with one of the mobile companies, and having content served up on the PS3 and Xbox.

"TVNZ surrenders to video pirates" - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10490999

Read More

Motorola's phones lack the coolness factor of apple's product Read More

People wanting to upgrade will now have to visit their local retailer or contact Microsoft via post Read More

Polls reveal less-than-optimum practices Read More

UK defense ministry to sell WiMax spectrum to buy ships

2008-02-10T17:15:00.011-08:00

Regulator allows sale of valuable spectrum Read More

Yahoo! Music Unlimited will be shut down in "the first half" of this year. Yahoo! Music site will still remain, but subscribers will be shifted on to RealNetworks' Rhapsody music service.

Now how many of these poorly executed music services have collapsed?

[Via Engadget]

Read More

Several demonstrations of the mobile platform will occur at the conference, says Google Read More

The first fruit of the Cognos acquisition is released Read More

Tech-savvy users want wikis, blogs et cetera Read More

Microsoft to end digital downloads for Vista upgrades

2008-02-10T17:15:00.009-08:00

People wanting to upgrade will now have to visit their local retailer or contact Microsoft via post Read More

Well we all love the classic favourite "Brick phone"

(bad pics teken with Nokia 6275 as I cannot find real camera's charger! I'm buying a camera that takes regular AA's next time)

SEE! it's just massive.
Motorola brick sitting in intellicharge. (thanks NZBNW)

Wells it's just TOO portable.

This beast would give you a very sore arm rather quickly.

(1987 Mitsubish "Transportable") with Motorola brick on top. (thanks NZBNW)

Not big enough huh?

If there was one phone that makes any phone look "ultra sleek" then this is it.

(1967 Motorola Car Telephone that runs on a 16 channel Full Duplex system IMTS)

it's not the "brick" it's the original PAVING SLAB!

Circuitry is fully discreet! it was "fully transitorized" as most systems back then were still valve based.

This sucker is built like the Apollo 11 stuff, It's all shock mounted, through-hole eyelet and double redundancy PCB. The foam and casing has deteriorated over time but the internals look brand new.

This beast is Pre-cellular, but it was the first system to support direct dialling and full duplex operation just like a "real" telephone. Motorola have a sole old yellowed stock picture of one on their website but I'm wondering if there are any other actual devices around anywhere?

Read More

New tack taken in UK Read More

The actual code embedded on the site's web server appears to point to a server in Turkey, returning instructions directing visitors to the BBC website Read More

Tech-savvy users want wikis, blogs et cetera Read More

...At school, that is.

Every year, we take all our books etc to school for day one. Every year we take our art pack on the first day. (Every year our art pack is more expensive - what happened to last year's equipment???) Every year Art is NOT on the first day... (Three out of three years in a row...)

So far we have a South African english teacher with a weird name and even weirder/warped sense of humour. At least the boy thinks he's ok. Apparently he gave up a job as Principal to come to NZ to teach the wonderful students at 'The name is changed to protect us from legal proceedings' High. So no complaints after one lesson.

We don't have the head of the science department nor last year's teacher. Yay. Actually the 'Head' is quite lucky he doesn't have the boy!

We didn't bunk, as far as I know.

('Mum, how do you expect me to remember everything. I don't know who my teachers are.' Should I be suspicious?)

Didn't see any signs of fighting. Nup.

The hair gel didn't work - no spikes. How sad.

We were actually home (and answered the phone) when the mother rang at 4.30, requesting the leg of lamb be put in the oven, which was to be put on 350 degrees. (Very good, it is farenheit!) We listened very carefully to the mother's instructions - where to find the roasting dish and all...

We made an excellent joke about it being a small lamb, seeing that it fitted in the fridge.

Too bad we forgot to actually put the roast in the oven.

And that, gentlemen and ladies, is what fathers are for...

I didn't do it. Oh yeah, I forgot...

Read More

I recall that when I got my first computer, a C=64 and the 1st time I saw the message,

"PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE"

If you don't know the C=64 Keyboard, it has three layers of keys. So each key had the standard character + two symbols. It took a few seconds before I realised that my computer didn't have a "ANY" key hidden and it was meaning any key at all.

This made me think, as I had my morning coffee, how cool it would be to have keys like that, based around a programming language. Keys like AND NOT, well the basic logic instructions, would it have made programming easer. Then I had some cake, looked a buda and thought up a fake interview...

Reporter to Nintendo, "Some say the DS is stealing peoples Souls."
Nintendo replies "Don't worry you will get it on a higher level"

Study ties cell phone use to sperm count

2008-02-10T17:15:00.007-08:00

Reports on the web of a three-year-old study that linked cell phone usage to men's fertility has created new interest in a follow-up study headed by the same Ohio-based researcher Read More

So, now that Windows Server 2008 is released, what editions are available?

Here they are,

1) Windows Server 2008 Web

2) Windows Server 2008 Standard

3) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise

4) Windows Server 2008 Datacenter

And there is also an version for Itanium based systems.

Below is a comparison chart,

(Click to enlarge)

Corporate IT systems 'not even halfway there': Gates

2008-02-10T17:15:00.005-08:00

Microsoft founder gives parting shot at UK conference Read More

It seems they changed the interface slightly (after the nearly day-long failure and short shut down after ):

First thing, they changed the logo to Vodafone/ihug - another sign of what's to come in April.

Now instead of having a frame on top of the mail page all the time, the interface covers the entire screen for once - or at least 700px down - so people with high res screens still have plenty of unused real estate.
But - it only just fits in a 1024px-wide screen - so people still on their aging 800x600 or 640x480 screens will have a very screwed up webmail interface!

Icons now have text on the right (now we know what they're for!) and the main items have been shifted up.

Things that need fixing / improving (some were already there when they upgraded their very old webmail system):

"Help" doesn't work (it worked before, the help page has disappeared)
If you select a message once, deselect it, and try to select the same message again, it will fail to do so - a reload of Inbox fixes it, or select a different message and select it again. (stupid)

Similarily, clicking "Select: All" selects, clicking it again looks like if they're selected but they aren't. Clicking it again doesn't "select all" no more.
The Mac-like search bar doesn't work (very stupid)
The password field screws up in IE7... the normal XP round password characters aren't there... strange...
The Vodafone/ihug logo is fuzzy and it doesn't blend in well (don't be lazy... make a better suited image!). It should also say 'webmail' under it - makes more sense when it links to the webmail interface and also reminds the user that they are in the webmail service.

But (and it's a very BIG BUT) - it's WAYYYYYY better than what they had before - it's definitely catched up to today's mail services. Long time customers of ihug were hoping for it to come for years.

Hope the guys from Vodafone see this and hopefully fix things up! It would make the experience just that little better.
(and if you can, reduce the number of failures and shut downs... that would be VERY helpful. )

Read More

The proposed $45 billion acquisition of Yahoo by Microsoft has created a tremendous amount of coverage, even in the main-stream media. Clearly, Yahoo as the world's most visited web-site, and Microsoft as the world's most successful ... (more in the full post)

Read More

This is so cool I want one.

From Scarab Aviation Labs based in Russia comes the Begalet - Universal Personal Transport.

It can be used on land, water and snow (with modification) and it can fly!

The craft weighs just 55Kg's when empty and can reach a maximum speed of 80kph on land and up to 160kph in the air (according to some reports). It seems to be a motorised paraglider but Scarab also have some fixed wing versions in development.

It uses a parachute in case of emergency landing when airborne and a bouyancy device to stop it sinking when on the water.

The engine delivers just 30hp with a range of up to 400km so it should be quite economical to run as well.

Read More

Tales from the world of ICT Read More

Finally Microsoft announced that Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is now RTM

Thats all good, but, Vista SP1 wont be available to public until mid of March and also we beta testers, except for the Refresh 2 build, we havent recevied any builds for download. Many do believe that the Refresh 2 build is RTM.

I got this funny picture from Long,

Really funny

And one more thing is that Windows Server 2008 RTM images for both x86 and x64 are available in Connect for small period of time, but without product keys, lol. So, Go figure out how to use it without product keys
I hope there is minimum days for activating Server, but I haven't tried it out. It is also worth to note that x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 are now available in MSDN and TechNet subscriptions.

Read More

I was asked this and didn't know the answer, as the boxes I have had always have unique mac address, so it was never a problem... however it was pretty easy to change as detailed below:

Telnet to the DM, and type the following commands:

cd /var/etc
rm init
echo \#!/bin/sh >> init
echo ifconfig eth0 down >> init
echo ifconfig eth0 hw ether xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx >> init
echo ifconfig eth0 up >> init
chmod 755 init
reboot

You need to change the xx:xx:xx to the mac address you want. Then the box will reboot... and the MAC address is changed. Easy!

iPod touch bug

2008-02-10T17:15:00.003-08:00

Mozilla patches 11 Firefox bugs
Firefox 2.0.0.12 fixed four vulnerabilities that Mozilla ranked "critical," one it pegged "high" and three each rated as "moderate" and "low"

Excellent customer service from amazon.com
When living in the UK we were frequent customers of amazon.co.uk, and always found their service to be outstanding. Having a bit of a book habit, which has over time developed into a DVD video habit (notably Star Trek), amazon was a great place to buy.

Since being back in NZ, I have used amazon.com from time to time (Star Trek again not surprisingly). My son has developed a CSI New York habit now, and for Christmas requested seson three - amazon.com being the cheapest (and only) source, I put in an order just before Christmas, of course realising it would not be here for the big day, but the boy was okay with that.
I surreptitiously ordered a couple of DVD movies, making the most of the shipping charges.

The CDINY and one of the movies arrived a few days after Christmas - excellent, really enjoyed Star Trek II: The Search for Spock, and the boy was happy with his New York forensics adventures.

But what of the other DVD movie?? After a couple of weeks I contacted amazon.com, email through the web site, asking where my package was. I got an email straight back, stating that the DVD had been "lost in shipping", and they would send a replacement via "expedited international shipping". They did bill me for the replacement, but promptly refunded the charge, leaving me with a couple of dollars profit from the exchange rates.

I was quite pleased about this. Although I had to wait for a bit longer, there was no interrogation, amazon just effectively said: "There has been a problem, don't care whose fault, we will put it right." Take note NZ companies!!?!

But it doesn't end there! A day after amazon sorted it out, guess what? - the DVD arrived (from the orginal order)!

I could have just not mentioned anything, but being the honest geek that I am, I emailed amazon.com again to let them know I had received the item. As the replacement had already been shipped, amazon suggested that I could either pay for the replacement or return it. I investigated returning it, and when I informed amazon that I didn't want to pay for the return shipping (why should I be out of pocket?) they turned around and said "just keep it with our compliments". They even suggested that I donate it to a library or somewhere similar - very civic minded!!?!

I now have two copies of Trading Places, which is a truly entertaining and very funny movie. Any suggestions as to a home for the replacement? Still in it's original packaging, bearing in mind it is a zone 1 DVD.

FryUp: Under pressure
Telecom posts uninspiring figures while TV3's Gadget Guy gives his day-job a name-check

Why get broadband?
For the many dial-up users out there, with the event of ADSL2+ and all the hype about wireless broadband and that, many have asked - why get broadband?

Well, ihug thinks that one of the reasons to get broadband (not ihug broadband, but broadband in general) is because they're "one of the great bits of Vodafone".

They are going to be Vodafone, so should we all disconnect our broadband connections then?

Bruce Schneier on vendor lock-in
Bruce Schneier, the famed security researcher, has commented on the dangers of vendor lock-in strategies in this article. The title is a bit misleading, since it mentiones the iPhone. But in the article itself the iPhone is just one example. He addre... (more in the full post)

Vodafone looks to mobile broadband
New tack taken in UK

Kordia under fire for working for the Myanmar government
Our own state-owned company is being questioned over the fact that they've been helping the Myanmar (previously Burma) government by installing cell towers under a contract.

Our Prime Minister thinks it's "aiding democracy in Myanmar", while National Party MP Murray McCully says it's completely ridiculous. Even the Green Party has something to say.

Article - http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1570223
Video - http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1570661

Microsoft slates 12 patches for next week
Seven of the 12 will be tagged with the company's highest threat ranking

A beginners guide to DIY structured cabling in a new house - Part I

2008-02-10T17:15:00.001-08:00

There has been quite a bit of discussion on Geekzone lately discussing structured cabling for voice, data & TV. There is a great thread here that talks about home wiring with GZ's resident expert cyril7 providing some great advice on the topic. As my family are currently building a new house (that is for sale if you're after a place in Lower Hutt!) I thought I'd give a quick DIY guide for anybody who's looking at options for a new house or renovating an existing one.

Now I must confess that I am no expert when it comes to wiring and I don't do this for a day job! I'm sure there are probably a few others out there who can probably give me a few tips or advice and correct me on some things! :-)

So why install a structured cabling system? My answer? Why would you not install a structuctured cabling system! Telecom have recommended now for several years that all new houses be wired with a minimum of cat5e cable in a star configuration back to central point to replace the conventional method of running phone cabling in series between jackpoints. There are still a surprising number of "experts" in the trade who are still stuck in the dark ages and continue to stick to this but the reality is no new home should be wired like this any longer.

With multiple phones, multiple internet connected PC's and cable or satellite TV now the norm in many homes a structured cabling system is a logical approach and also doesn't need to cost the earth - for an average new house the cost of an entire fitout consisting of cable (cat 5e and RG6), patch panel, and all sockets shouldn't cost you more than $500. Right now wireless is still nowhere near as fast as Ethernet for computer networking and cat5e cable can also carry a myriad of signals ranging from phone, ethernet right through to component video and HDMI with appropiate baluns. With the VoIP era also about to approach you've got to be crazy to not be prepared while you have the opportunity!

This is a 3 bedroom house with open plan kitchen and lounge with a semi detached dining room which could easily be used as a study or kids play area or converted into a bedroom. My plan has been to use 12 cat5e jackpoints around the house and F connectors for RG6 for TV in all rooms. This is all run back to a 16 way patch panel in a hallway cupboard. The lounge has 3 RG6 sockets allowing for a terrestrial aerial, satellite dish and a return feed so the output from your STB can be viewed on any other TV in the house.

Master bedroom: TV + dual RJ45 + single RJ45 next to bed for a phone
Bedroom 1: TV + dual RJ45
Bedroom 2: TV + dual RJ45
Dining/Study: TV + dual RJ45
Kitchen: Single RJ45 for phone
Lounge: TV + dual RJ45

The choice of a 16 way patch panel allows 12 sockets wired back to jackpoints with the last 4 jumpered back to the incoming phoneline so they can be patched as required. The incoming phoneline is terminated in a standard jackpoint on the wall (which also serves as a test point as required by Telepermit regs) and this is then connected to port 16 on the patch panel and jumpered across to 15,14 and 13.

This house will have TelstraClear cable service provided to it so there is no provision for a central ADSL line splitter however this could obviously easily be retrofitted if needed. If you're like most of the country and rely on ADSL for your broadband this is something you will want to factor in as it's so much simpler and tidier than requiring filters on every jackpoint that will have a phone on it.

This layout is probably about the bare minimum you would want to install in a house, it's certainly much cheaper to run extra cable when a house is being built than later on wish that you had done it so!

Choose a logical place to wire all your cable back to. A garage makes a great place but a hallway cupboard is really your only choice if you don't have an internal access garage. Remember to also install a power point nearby as you'll need this for your modem/switch and things such as a VoIP ATA. A wall mounted rack cabinet makes things look nice and tidy if you have space and remember that you may want to have your network running off a small UPS since they are so cheap these days so factor options such as this in when you're working out the dimensions.

So on with the pictures. First up is a quick view of the inside of the house with most of the electrical wiring now done.

Use 25mm drill bits for all wiring holes. Be wary of any structural walls if you're drilling multiple holes in the same beams - ask a builder for advice if you're unsure. Also remember that flush boxes need to be flush - if they stick out you'll have trouble attaching the jib to the wall. Also try and avoid running cable near power, if at all possible try and stay a minimum of 200mm away with the main cable runs. Running plugs on the opposite side of a stud is an easy way to keep cables seperate at the jackpoints. If you do need to cross power cables (and there are times where this can't easily be avoided) ensure the cables cross at right angles and do not run parallel to each other.

Use electrical tape to bundle cat5e cable together. While solid cable is fairly robust it is not invincible. Do not staple this cable or run it at extreme angles. Cable ties stapled to beams are a good way of attaching cable but again do not tighten these up fully as it could easily damage the cable.

Cable all running back to the hallway cupboard. RG6 coax and alarm cable is still to be run back to this same wall.

Well that's about it for part 1 - I'll update this as the work proceeds.

Read More

So, its been one full day with Windows Server 2008 now and have configured,

1) Active Directory Services

a) Created a new Domain Forest
b) Added Domain Users
c) Joined Vista machines to the Domain (right now 1, but more to come )

2) Configured .NET Environment

a) Installed IIS 7 (IIS 7 looks really nice than in Vista!)
b) Installed the .NET Environment (both .NET 3.0 and 3.5)
[ .NET 3.5 - you have to download and install ]
c) Installed WCF
d) Hosted my WCF Service in IIS

Still to install,

a) SQL Server 2005
b) WSUS for Windows Server 2008
[I am not able to get WSUS for Windows Server 2008 RTM, If anybody have any clue about that, please do leave your comment )

Here are the Roles installed,

And Features installed,

Things are so easy with Windows Server 2008

More posts to come.....

Read More

Yahoo has been having a few problems the last few weeks have to lay of 1000+ people.

Now Microsoft is saying, here is $44.6billion us for Yahoo. Will it happen? Quite a few people have been predicting that Microsoft was going to buy them back in 2006.

They are a good match, I wish them well and hope they can both learn from each other. Like everyone.

Could this mean a change back for Xtra from Yahoo back to Microsoft. I don't think so mate.

I have had a thing with Yahoo, ever since they broke flickr. I use to be able to generate Slideshows based or a group of TAGS ie user+tag1+tag2 It was great for working with alot of data, But they changed it to just one tag. meh useless

http://news.google.co.nz/news?q=microsoft+buying+yahoo

TechCrunch had a great repot on the numbers.

Oh I was impressed with a few threads on Geekzone this week, ok sometimes my mental illness become very noticeable and have have to sit back and remove my feet from my gob. But the read profecional jurno's entering into a debate was a thrill and then to cap it off for being there, in the public, Malcolm Dick, Co-founder of CallPlus talking. Wow, I think I had a bit of a reality shift on that one. For Mal to come into a public like was strangely cool. Great PR for the opening to the Slingshot/CallPlus Geekzone forum. Nice One Stu

Read More

The iFrame technique used on the site has been seen in thousands of similar hacks over the past few months Read More

I recall that when I got my first computer, a C=64 and the 1st time I saw the message,

"PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE"

Read More

Moving to open networks with end-point security is not so simple Read More

Bruce Schneier on vendor lock-in

2008-02-09T23:59:00.001-08:00

Windows Server 2008 Edition Feature Differences
So, now that Windows Server 2008 is released, what editions are available?

Here they are,

1) Windows Server 2008 Web

2) Windows Server 2008 Standard

3) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise

4) Windows Server 2008 Datacenter

And there is also an version for Itanium based systems.

Below is a comparison chart,

(Click to enlarge)

Bringing Vista Features to Windows Server 2008
Ok, dont ask me why and for what I am brining Vista Features to Windows Server 2008

The Vista Features includes things like,

1) Windows Media Player
2) Windows Flip 3D
3) Windows Aero Theme
4) Windows Mail
5) etc.,

By default this is not installed in Windows Server. To enable them, you need to add the Desktop Experience Feature from the Add Features wizard.

Here is a screenshot,

Microsoft responds to 'Save XP' petition
Microsoft has already delayed XP's demise by six months, says spokesperson

Are Dell, Google planning a phone partnership?
Sources claim that the two companies will reveal plans for a partnership on a mobile phone at the conference next week, says newspaper

Nokia N95s turn into live GPS traffic sensors
Nokia launched an experiment that gave 100 drivers with GPS-enabled N95 mobile phones and test tried them on highways, enabling them to see the live condition of the highway (slow movement of the phone would mean slow traffic etc.)

No more need to watch live videos or listen to radios - this would be great in Auckland!

"Nokia turns people into traffic sensors" - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9868169-7.html
Related video - http://www.news.com/1606-2_3-6229829.html

Finally! A more Sci-Fi like hologram than ever!
This is soooooooooooooooooo cool!

To promote the movie 'Water Horse: Legend of the Deep', Sony made a water and light hologram in Tokyo Bay.

Click on the image for a YouTube vid.

[via Engadget]

Begalet - Universal Personal Transport

2008-02-09T23:58:00.017-08:00

Begalet - Universal Personal Transport
This is so cool I want one.

From Scarab Aviation Labs based in Russia comes the Begalet - Universal Personal Transport.

It can be used on land, water and snow (with modification) and it can fly!

The craft weighs just 55Kg's when empty and can reach a maximum speed of 80kph on land and up to 160kph in the air (according to some reports). It seems to be a motorised paraglider but Scarab also have some fixed wing versions in development.

It uses a parachute in case of emergency landing when airborne and a bouyancy device to stop it sinking when on the water.

The engine delivers just 30hp with a range of up to 400km so it should be quite economical to run as well.

NVIDIA to Acquire AGEIA Technologies
There we have it. After months of rumours and speculation, it had to happen.

NVIDIA is to acquire Ageia!!!!

This may just push the market leader way ahead of AMD/ATi, but I've never seen any of Ageia's products actually helping graphics that much (except games which were specifically written).

NVIDIA Press Release: http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1202161567170.html

[Via Engadget]

Microsoft to end digital downloads for Vista upgrades
People wanting to upgrade will now have to visit their local retailer or contact Microsoft via post

You should follow Polar Bear Farm
During the Kiwi Foo Camp 2008 I had a chance to meet Layton Duncan. He's quite active on Geekzone, mainly in the Mac OS X Mobile forum, helping others with their iPhone and iPod touch questions and comments.

He is also involved with Polar Bear Farm and I think you should follow the company.

Why you should follow Polar Bear Farm? Because it's a New Zealand company creating application software for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

They are the guys behind the PBF Search and PBF ShowTime - this one brings video recording to the Apple iPhone.

I just wanted the guys added more posts to their blog - I know they were shoing off their stuff during the MacWorld but it would b good to hear more of their experience of going to that big show.

Microsoft responds to 'Save XP' petition
Microsoft has already delayed XP's demise by six months, says spokesperson

Telecom reports half-year earnings fall
Focus moves from separation to business, says CEO

Microsoft to hold Vista SP1 release for six weeks
Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft

Adobe fixes undisclosed vulnerabilities in Reader
Users urged to upgrade to the latest version

MIT: New mobile chip will boost energy efficiency by 10x
The new design is intended for use in portable electronics, such as cellphones, PDAs and even implantable medical devices

Uncertain times for leading NZ tech equities

2008-02-09T23:58:00.015-08:00

Uncertain times for leading NZ tech equities
All eyes on Telecom as it reports this morning

Microsoft responds to 'Save XP' petition
Microsoft has already delayed XP's demise by six months, says spokesperson

Microsoft to hold Vista SP1 release for six weeks
Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft

Telecom reports half-year earnings fall
Focus moves from separation to business, says CEO

Adobe fixes undisclosed vulnerabilities in Reader
Users urged to upgrade to the latest version

TheFreeNet - mesh wi-fi in Wellington metropolitan areas

2008-02-09T23:58:00.013-08:00

TheFreeNet - mesh wi-fi in Wellington metropolitan areas
During the last weekend at Kiwi Foo Camp I came across a very interesting project called The Free Net. Rod Drury went as far as saying this was one of the Best of Foo.

The whole idea is to use accessible wireless mesh repeaters to extend a wireless LAN (wi-fi) network and cover Wellington with free wi-fi. The Meraki solution was adopted by the project because they manufacture a few hardware options including an indoor version (pictured), an outdoor version and an upcoming solar battery-powered outdoor version.

Individuals and companies would "donate" part of their bandwidth to the project. Companies could subsidise this through advertising shown in a narrow bar on top of the webpages visited (I saw that and it's really not a problem).

The project is being initially sponsored by Webstock 2008 and Govis, who are creating a fund with their donations of NZ$5,000 and $9,000 respectively to purchase those devices and donate to individuals and companies who want to start sharing their networks.

This will be a lot of devices, since the Meraki indoors costs only US$49 and the Meraki outdoor costs US$99.

The whole thing is based on a "pay forward" concept where you don't charge others to use your bandwidth while you can use someone else's bandwidth for free.

The project established a 1 GB limit that any MAC address can use during the month which is a lot in a shared model aimed to be used only when you are away from your own network.

Hopefully with more people joining in all the traffic won't be going throug a handful of companies and individuals.

You don't need to donate your bandwidth though. You can donate the space and power required for these devices to run. Providing they are in range to another device then the network will be extended and Internet access will be provided through the shared gateways in the system.

At the end of the day you will be hard pressed to find individuals who can afford sharing their bandwidth in th current New Zealand broadband landscape. In this country there's no concept of "unlimited" bandwidth. People are still being charged in plans that go from a minimum of 1GB (yes, believe me), going through 5GB, 10GB and so on.

We are here on a 80 GB plan, for example, and only use about 60 GB a month. I would be happy to share the other 20 GB but there is currently no way to limit this on the project. You can limit the bandwidth throughput (to say 512 Kbps instead of the native 10 Mbps on my cable conneciton) but you can't limit the number of users.

There are other projects and products that allow people to share their Internet connections around, but none incorporate the mesh aspect of this project which means it does not require every single node to be directly connected to the Internet. You can have a look at FON (not available in New Zealand), Tomizone or Zenbu (both New Zealand-based businesses).

FON allows you to share your connection for free, while using other people's connections for free as well. Or to make it available for free to other people who share their connections, while charging "visitors" that do not share their own connections.

Tomizone and Zenbu both work on the same commercial view. You purchase a router with a modified firmware and can then establish your own hotspot service, charging people for access.

I would be much more inclined to use the FON model for example, to cover the basic connection cost, but wouldn't mind going completely commercial to cover all the costs.

What do you think?

Update improves encryption tool for al-Qaeda backers
However, messages that are encrypted using the tool should be relatively easy for law enforcement authorities to spot and track, says Secure Computing

Microsoft Mobile Notebook Initiative Solutions
A couple of days ago I received a press release from one of the companies exhibiting at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona... In the middle of the text there was this:

"Including Microsoft's new mobile notebook initiative solutions."

Believe me or not, I haven no idea what they are talking about - and I haven't got a reply through my channels.

So exactly what is this new thing?

Any ideas?

How to Upgrade iPod Touch To Jailbroken 1.1.3

2008-02-09T23:58:00.011-08:00

Hot off the heals of upgrading my 1.1.2 Jailbroken iPod Touch to 1.1.3, I thought I'd post a how to and some of my observations.

DRM Music files work.
Jiggling icon reorder works
Maps, Mail etc work. Positioning should work.
Your music and videos will stay, but you will lose all your old apps that are in /Applications. If they are in /Var/Applications they are safe.
Summerboard isn't compatible with 1.1.3 yet.
SSH access works.

How to:
Note: Turn SSH on before doing this, if it gets stuck in restore mode, use iNdependence to sort it out.
I did this using the new iJailbreakme method.

1. If you are running 1.1.1, upgrade to 1.1.2 using the okto prep method. Using 1.1.1 with this method causes DRM and other problems.

2. Install the latest versions of BSDsubsystem and Installer

3. Add 'http://ijailbreak.com/repo.plist' as a source in Installer (sources -> edit -> add)

4. Back up anything that you want to keep. This could easily go wrong and require a restore.

5. In installer there should now be a 'iJailBreakMobile' category, from that install 'iJailBreakMobile 1.1.2'. This will put a new icon on your springboard.

6. Set the iPod auto lock to NEVER.

7. Run 'iJailBreak' from your springboard. This will take some time, it downloads the entire iPod 1.1.3 update from Apple.

8. When it finishes, it should either reboot on its own, leave you with a spinning cog, or say process completed. If you get the latter two, reboot yourself by holding the sleep and home buttons at the same time.

9. Upon reboot you should be greeted with your new springboard, which will contain the basic applications and Installer.

10. Run installer and from the 'iJailBreakMobile' category, run 'iPod Touch Software Upgrade'. Or if that doesn't work, as it did for me, add the 'Apple Repository' to installer 'http://applerepo.com' and run their preparation patch.

11. Reboot, and you should have the jiggly icons, all the 'Premium' applications and the ability to add webapps to the springboard through safari.

If installer randomly crashes when installing applications, it's because you're out of space on that partition. I was getting

mv: /bin/: terminated with 1 (non-zero) status: Cross-device link

when trying to symlink and move applications. So use this guide.

This method worked fool proofedly for me. You may get a different experience. If things go wrong, force recovery mode and do a restore.

Read More

The iFrame technique used on the site has been seen in thousands of similar hacks over the past few months Read More

If you are planning the deployment of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 in your organisation or at home, here is a tip I got from a conference call with the Windows Vista team in Redmond: the last Windows Vista SP1 RC2 (build 1800) released to beta testers contains the same bits as the Windows Vista SP1 RTM announced a couple of days ago.

It means that for all of you out there planning compatibility tests, migration, etc you can safely use the RC2 as a base platform for testing.

Read More

I installed Windows Server 2008 in my Virtual PC hosted in my Vista Ultimate. Here is an walkthrough of the installation options and steps. One thing to note is that I did not enter Product Key and thus was taken to the screen of selecting which edition I want to install.

Another change I noticed from the Beta releases (I havent tried RC) is that the Administrator account was not given a password and we had to manually set it, but now, after installation, the first thing you are supposed to do is to set your Administrator account password

Read More

Users urged to upgrade to the latest version Read More

Everyone likes the Apple Mac’s Expose feature and wondered why Vista didn’t bring it on along with Windows Flip 3D

Well, today I found a function with my Microsoft Notebook Presenter 8000 Mouse that there is a function called Instant Viewer that does the same thing and you can bind any one of the mouse buttons to it (Thanks to David )! It works great and looks great! Wonder why this isn’t present by default in Windows Vista

Here is a screenshot,

(Click for full view)

Read More

Google says that Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo raises "troubling questions" Read More

I blew away XP on my eeePC and restored the original Xandros - great little OS in Easy Mode with iceWM. I also enabled advanced mode (a full KDE desktop) using pimpmyeee.sh (Google it - its a no-brainer quick way to enabled KDE). You can switch back ... (more in the full post)

Read More

Apple outsold Motorola and Microsoft in the US among smart phone vendors, say researchers Read More

Instant Viewer with Microsoft Presenter 8000 Mouse !

2008-02-09T23:58:00.009-08:00

Everyone likes the Apple Mac’s Expose feature and wondered why Vista didn’t bring it on along with Windows Flip 3D

Here is a screenshot,

(Click for full view)

Read More

The RTM versions of both operating systems can easily be found on BitTorrent tracker sites Read More

Users urged to upgrade to the latest version Read More

Telecom posts uninspiring figures while TV3's Gadget Guy gives his day-job a name-check Read More

It is unlikely that any other company could beat Microsoft's offer, say analysts Read More

Facebook links up with Vodafone on mobile platform

2008-02-09T23:58:00.007-08:00

The platform involves giving operators a set of technical specifications intended to resolve some of frustrating hang-ups when using Facebook on a mobile phone Read More

However, messages that are encrypted using the tool should be relatively easy for law enforcement authorities to spot and track, says Secure Computing Read More

Here are some shots of my Jailbroken iPod Touch running 1.1.3 after using the iJailbreak method I posted about the other day.

(Click the image to get to the gallery)

Summerboard is now working
Installer 'Main script execution failed' problem has been solved by doing this in SSH
cd /
cd Applications/
wget http://repository.apptapp.com/packages/System/Installer.zip
rm -rf Installer.app
unzip Installer.zip
chmod +s Installer.app/Installer
chown -R root:wheel Installer.app
rm Installer.zip
This downloads the latest installer.app. I fixed mine another way, by setting the correct permissions via ssh then updating installer within installer.
Runs very well.
Maps, Mail, Webclips, lyrics, Weather...etc All run perfectly

Read More

The critical bug have been worrying security experts for nearly a month Read More

One of the problems is an issue between the Air and some external monitors, says Apple's support site Read More

Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft Read More

Just in case you have been living under a rock today: Microsoft has approached Yahoo with a US$ 44.6 billion offer. The offer represents a 62% premium over the current Yahoo share price. Looks like a good deal for Yahoo's investors.

If this ... (more in the full post)

Read More

I have Vista Business in one of my machines and thought of dual booting with Windows Server 2008. And the end result? - Excellent! I installed Windows Server on top of Vista and after installation of Windows Server 2008, the boot menu was shown with options to boot into Vista or Server 2008

Cool

Read More

When 100,000 signatures has been collected, the petition will be presented to Microsoft Read More

It's actually yesterday, but nobody seemed to have actually celebrated the one year anniversary of Microsoft's latest OS.

"It's been a year already?"
Yep.

How were your thoughts on Vista over this past year? What do you want to make happen on Vista over the next year? What about the 'Wow' that they said that would start?

Your opinions everyone!

For late viewers, here are some of the marketing I still got in my drawer:

I love this one. Especially the view.

Ballmer rebuffs Google's anticompetitive charge

2008-02-09T23:58:00.005-08:00

Ballmer rebuffs Google's anticompetitive charge
Acquisition of Yahoo would enhance competition, says Ballmer

MIT: New mobile chip will boost energy efficiency by 10x
The new design is intended for use in portable electronics, such as cellphones, PDAs and even implantable medical devices

Google, Microsoft trade barbs over Yahoo bid
Google says that Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo raises "troubling questions"

Spammers' bot cracks Microsoft's CAPTCHA
The bot grabs the CAPTCHA and sends it back to the spammer's server, where the image is somehow "read" and a clear text match generated, says researcher

TVNZ to remove downloads from tvnzondemand.co.nz
Previously, tvnz on demand used Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM to protect (and make people pay for) their content, but now will instead focus on a ad-based scheme to provide the programmes via streaming only.

Also reported is a portal for Mobile On Demand content with one of the mobile companies, and having content served up on the PS3 and Xbox.

"TVNZ surrenders to video pirates" - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10490999

How to Upgrade iPod Touch To Jailbroken 1.1.3
Hot off the heals of upgrading my 1.1.2 Jailbroken iPod Touch to 1.1.3, I thought I'd post a how to and some of my observations.

mv: /bin/: terminated with 1 (non-zero) status: Cross-device link

Telecom reports half-year earnings fall

2008-02-09T23:58:00.003-08:00

Telecom reports half-year earnings fall
Focus moves from separation to business, says CEO

A beginners guide to DIY structured cabling in a new house - Part I
There has been quite a bit of discussion on Geekzone lately discussing structured cabling for voice, data & TV. There is a great thread here that talks about home wiring with GZ's resident expert cyril7 providing some great advice on the topic. As my family are currently building a new house (that is for sale if you're after a place in Lower Hutt!) I thought I'd give a quick DIY guide for anybody who's looking at options for a new house or renovating an existing one.

Now I must confess that I am no expert when it comes to wiring and I don't do this for a day job! I'm sure there are probably a few others out there who can probably give me a few tips or advice and correct me on some things! :-)

So why install a structured cabling system? My answer? Why would you not install a structuctured cabling system! Telecom have recommended now for several years that all new houses be wired with a minimum of cat5e cable in a star configuration back to central point to replace the conventional method of running phone cabling in series between jackpoints. There are still a surprising number of "experts" in the trade who are still stuck in the dark ages and continue to stick to this but the reality is no new home should be wired like this any longer.

With multiple phones, multiple internet connected PC's and cable or satellite TV now the norm in many homes a structured cabling system is a logical approach and also doesn't need to cost the earth - for an average new house the cost of an entire fitout consisting of cable (cat 5e and RG6), patch panel, and all sockets shouldn't cost you more than $500. Right now wireless is still nowhere near as fast as Ethernet for computer networking and cat5e cable can also carry a myriad of signals ranging from phone, ethernet right through to component video and HDMI with appropiate baluns. With the VoIP era also about to approach you've got to be crazy to not be prepared while you have the opportunity!

This is a 3 bedroom house with open plan kitchen and lounge with a semi detached dining room which could easily be used as a study or kids play area or converted into a bedroom. My plan has been to use 12 cat5e jackpoints around the house and F connectors for RG6 for TV in all rooms. This is all run back to a 16 way patch panel in a hallway cupboard. The lounge has 3 RG6 sockets allowing for a terrestrial aerial, satellite dish and a return feed so the output from your STB can be viewed on any other TV in the house.

Master bedroom: TV + dual RJ45 + single RJ45 next to bed for a phone
Bedroom 1: TV + dual RJ45
Bedroom 2: TV + dual RJ45
Dining/Study: TV + dual RJ45
Kitchen: Single RJ45 for phone
Lounge: TV + dual RJ45

The choice of a 16 way patch panel allows 12 sockets wired back to jackpoints with the last 4 jumpered back to the incoming phoneline so they can be patched as required. The incoming phoneline is terminated in a standard jackpoint on the wall (which also serves as a test point as required by Telepermit regs) and this is then connected to port 16 on the patch panel and jumpered across to 15,14 and 13.

This house will have TelstraClear cable service provided to it so there is no provision for a central ADSL line splitter however this could obviously easily be retrofitted if needed. If you're like most of the country and rely on ADSL for your broadband this is something you will want to factor in as it's so much simpler and tidier than requiring filters on every jackpoint that will have a phone on it.

This layout is probably about the bare minimum you would want to install in a house, it's certainly much cheaper to run extra cable when a house is being built than later on wish that you had done it so!

Choose a logical place to wire all your cable back to. A garage makes a great place but a hallway cupboard is really your only choice if you don't have an internal access garage. Remember to also install a power point nearby as you'll need this for your modem/switch and things such as a VoIP ATA. A wall mounted rack cabinet makes things look nice and tidy if you have space and remember that you may want to have your network running off a small UPS since they are so cheap these days so factor options such as this in when you're working out the dimensions.

So on with the pictures. First up is a quick view of the inside of the house with most of the electrical wiring now done.

Use 25mm drill bits for all wiring holes. Be wary of any structural walls if you're drilling multiple holes in the same beams - ask a builder for advice if you're unsure. Also remember that flush boxes need to be flush - if they stick out you'll have trouble attaching the jib to the wall. Also try and avoid running cable near power, if at all possible try and stay a minimum of 200mm away with the main cable runs. Running plugs on the opposite side of a stud is an easy way to keep cables seperate at the jackpoints. If you do need to cross power cables (and there are times where this can't easily be avoided) ensure the cables cross at right angles and do not run parallel to each other.

Use electrical tape to bundle cat5e cable together. While solid cable is fairly robust it is not invincible. Do not staple this cable or run it at extreme angles. Cable ties stapled to beams are a good way of attaching cable but again do not tighten these up fully as it could easily damage the cable.

Cable all running back to the hallway cupboard. RG6 coax and alarm cable is still to be run back to this same wall.

Well that's about it for part 1 - I'll update this as the work proceeds.

Finding Chuck Norris
I just got this on an e-mail, worth trying:

1. Open Google

2. Type "find chuck norris"

3.Click on "I'm feeling lucky"

Enjoy...

Spammers' bot cracks Microsoft's CAPTCHA
The bot grabs the CAPTCHA and sends it back to the spammer's server, where the image is somehow "read" and a clear text match generated, says researcher

Microsoft Mobile Notebook Initiative Solutions
A couple of days ago I received a press release from one of the companies exhibiting at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona... In the middle of the text there was this:

"Including Microsoft's new mobile notebook initiative solutions."

Believe me or not, I haven no idea what they are talking about - and I haven't got a reply through my channels.

So exactly what is this new thing?

Any ideas?

MIT: New mobile chip will boost energy efficiency by 10x
The new design is intended for use in portable electronics, such as cellphones, PDAs and even implantable medical devices

Microsoft to hold Vista SP1 release for six weeks

2008-02-09T23:58:00.001-08:00

Microsoft to hold Vista SP1 release for six weeks
Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft

My iPod Touch 1.1.3 Jailbroken Gallery
Here are some shots of my Jailbroken iPod Touch running 1.1.3 after using the iJailbreak method I posted about the other day.

(Click the image to get to the gallery)

Summerboard is now working
Installer 'Main script execution failed' problem has been solved by doing this in SSH
cd /
cd Applications/
wget http://repository.apptapp.com/packages/System/Installer.zip
rm -rf Installer.app
unzip Installer.zip
chmod +s Installer.app/Installer
chown -R root:wheel Installer.app
rm Installer.zip
This downloads the latest installer.app. I fixed mine another way, by setting the correct permissions via ssh then updating installer within installer.
Runs very well.
Maps, Mail, Webclips, lyrics, Weather...etc All run perfectly

Yahoo: Will any other suitors come a-courting?
It is unlikely that any other company could beat Microsoft's offer, say analysts

Apple fixes critical QuickTime bug
The critical bug have been worrying security experts for nearly a month

Facebook links up with Vodafone on mobile platform
The platform involves giving operators a set of technical specifications intended to resolve some of frustrating hang-ups when using Facebook on a mobile phone

Microsoft Windows Server 2008
I've just finished downloading Windows Server 2008 RTM from Connect. You will notice that MSDN and Technet only have the 64 bit version, while Connect lists all versions but only for the next 30 days.

It took only 29 minutes to download Windows Server 2008 32 bit. I am now going to use this to upgrade the test environment on a virtual machine. This is in preparation for the migration of our Geekzone production server from Windows Server 2008 RC1 to RTM.

We have been running Windows Server 2008 RC1 on Geekzone for almost three months now as part of an early adopters programme with Microsoft. The experience couldn't have been better.

During this time we had only a couple of updates installed, only one restart because of this and installed a second drive to mirror the system. Modifying the drive to a dynamic partition and creating the mirror did not require a restart (as I remember it needed on Windows Server 2003) and all completed ok.

I have heard comments from Geekzone users on how they feel the site has been more responsive in the last few month - and I've noticed this too.

If you want to find out more about Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 check the Summer Road Trip.

As for Windows Vista SP1... I am waiting for it to be available for download, ready to install on my laptop.

Microsoft to hold Vista SP1 release for six weeks

2008-02-09T09:23:00.001-08:00

Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft Read More

Apparently, Yahoo is "considering revisiting talks it held with Google several months ago", saying that Microsoft's offer of $31/share was under-valuing the company (it's still quite a lot though).

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1570564

Haven't seen much other news as searching around just pops "Microsoft + Yahoo! = Bad/Good for Google".

Read More

Analysts and developers weigh in on what the Yahoo-Microsoft deal could mean for programmers Read More

Apple outsold Motorola and Microsoft in the US among smart phone vendors, say researchers Read More

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist:
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Implementation and Maintenace

Studying via Self-Paced Training Kit by Solid Quality Learning

Chapter 8: Managing XML Data is a killer...

Read More

I blew away XP on my eeePC and restored the original Xandros - great little OS in Easy Mode with iceWM. I also enabled advanced mode (a full KDE desktop) using pimpmyeee.sh (Google it - its a no-brainer quick way to enabled KDE). You can switch back ... (more in the full post)

Everyone likes the Apple Mac’s Expose feature and wondered why Vista didn’t bring it on along with Windows Flip 3D

Here is a screenshot,

(Click for full view)

Google, Microsoft trade barbs over Yahoo bid

2008-02-09T09:22:00.013-08:00

Google says that Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo raises "troubling questions" Read More

Just in case you have been living under a rock today: Microsoft has approached Yahoo with a US$ 44.6 billion offer. The offer represents a 62% premium over the current Yahoo share price. Looks like a good deal for Yahoo's investors.

If this ... (more in the full post)

Read More

Here are some shots of my Jailbroken iPod Touch running 1.1.3 after using the iJailbreak method I posted about the other day.

(Click the image to get to the gallery)

Summerboard is now working
Installer 'Main script execution failed' problem has been solved by doing this in SSH
cd /
cd Applications/
wget http://repository.apptapp.com/packages/System/Installer.zip
rm -rf Installer.app
unzip Installer.zip
chmod +s Installer.app/Installer
chown -R root:wheel Installer.app
rm Installer.zip
This downloads the latest installer.app. I fixed mine another way, by setting the correct permissions via ssh then updating installer within installer.
Runs very well.
Maps, Mail, Webclips, lyrics, Weather...etc All run perfectly

Read More

The path to Windows Server 2008 has not always been a straight line Read More

Users won't get a crack at it until mid-March at the earliest, says Microsoft Read More

And not just any N-AMPS phone, but a Phillips ISIS! (You can't get much info on it as well... so it has to be old!)

(Yep, I previously said D-AMPS, but found out it's N-AMPS)

Featuring:

20 Phonebook Contacts
3 Subtle Tones
1 Line LCD Monitor
Backlit Keys!
Runs on 4 AA Batteries! Perfect for those who are always on the move!

Read More

Analysts and developers weigh in on what the Yahoo-Microsoft deal could mean for programmers Read More

Ojo videophone: can you see me now?

2008-02-09T09:22:00.011-08:00

Ojo videophone: can you see me now?
If you are one of the people who bought an Ojo videophone from Telecom New Zealand (announced down here back in November 2006) then start worrying.

It seems Worldgate is in the path to bankruptcy:

Accordingly, on January 30, 2008, the Company shut down its operations as a first step to winding down its business, which will occur if the Company is not able to secure payment of the monies believed to be owed and/or new financing. The Company continues to explore potential financing opportunities and is also pursuing legal recourse against the customer. Thus, bankruptcy may be coming shortly, which would be another black eye for the VoIP industry...

And just minutes ago I read on Engadget that the service has gone dark.

Is anyone here in New Zealand still using the Ojo through Telecom New Zealand?

New Geekzone Blogs Windows Vista Sidebar gadget

2008-02-09T09:22:00.009-08:00

New Geekzone Blogs Windows Vista Sidebar gadget
Thanks to Chaks, who developed a Geekzone Blogs Gadget for Windows Vista Sidebar. He was inpired by our Geekzone Forums Gadget for Windows Vista Sidebar, originally developed for us by Provoke.

If you follow the Geekzone blogs or forums and use Windows Vista make sure you download those gadgets.

If you are using Mac OS X or Konfabulator and would like to develop similar gadgets for these other platforms, please contact me.

Another music subscription service collapses
Yahoo! Music Unlimited will be shut down in "the first half" of this year. Yahoo! Music site will still remain, but subscribers will be shifted on to RealNetworks' Rhapsody music service.

Now how many of these poorly executed music services have collapsed?

[Via Engadget]

Microsoft-Yahoo deal: What about developers?
Analysts and developers weigh in on what the Yahoo-Microsoft deal could mean for programmers

Ballmer rebuffs Google's anticompetitive charge
Acquisition of Yahoo would enhance competition, says Ballmer

Windows Server 2008 Edition Feature Differences
So, now that Windows Server 2008 is released, what editions are available?

Here they are,

1) Windows Server 2008 Web

2) Windows Server 2008 Standard

3) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise

4) Windows Server 2008 Datacenter

And there is also an version for Itanium based systems.

Below is a comparison chart,

(Click to enlarge)

Windows Vista SP1 RC2 = RTM bits
If you are planning the deployment of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 in your organisation or at home, here is a tip I got from a conference call with the Windows Vista team in Redmond: the last Windows Vista SP1 RC2 (build 1800) released to beta testers contains the same bits as the Windows Vista SP1 RTM announced a couple of days ago.

It means that for all of you out there planning compatibility tests, migration, etc you can safely use the RC2 as a base platform for testing.

Update improves encryption tool for al-Qaeda backers

2008-02-09T09:22:00.007-08:00

However, messages that are encrypted using the tool should be relatively easy for law enforcement authorities to spot and track, says Secure Computing Read More

If you are one of the people who bought an Ojo videophone from Telecom New Zealand (announced down here back in November 2006) then start worrying.

It seems Worldgate is in the path to bankruptcy:

Accordingly, on January 30, 2008, the Company shut down its operations as a first step to winding down its business, which will occur if the Company is not able to secure payment of the monies believed to be owed and/or new financing. The Company continues to explore potential financing opportunities and is also pursuing legal recourse against the customer. Thus, bankruptcy may be coming shortly, which would be another black eye for the VoIP industry...

And just minutes ago I read on Engadget that the service has gone dark.

Is anyone here in New Zealand still using the Ojo through Telecom New Zealand?

Read More

A couple of days ago I received a press release from one of the companies exhibiting at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona... In the middle of the text there was this:

"Including Microsoft's new mobile notebook initiative solutions."

Believe me or not, I haven no idea what they are talking about - and I haven't got a reply through my channels.

So exactly what is this new thing?

Any ideas?

Read More

Finally Microsoft announced that Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is now RTM

Thats all good, but, Vista SP1 wont be available to public until mid of March and also we beta testers, except for the Refresh 2 build, we havent recevied any builds for download. Many do believe that the Refresh 2 build is RTM.

I got this funny picture from Long,

Really funny

And one more thing is that Windows Server 2008 RTM images for both x86 and x64 are available in Connect for small period of time, but without product keys, lol. So, Go figure out how to use it without product keys
I hope there is minimum days for activating Server, but I haven't tried it out. It is also worth to note that x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 are now available in MSDN and TechNet subscriptions.

Read More

The Mega-D botnet, which offers discounted sexual enhancement pills to users, delivers a whopping 30% more spam than Storm Read More

Hot off the heals of upgrading my 1.1.2 Jailbroken iPod Touch to 1.1.3, I thought I'd post a how to and some of my observations.

mv: /bin/: terminated with 1 (non-zero) status: Cross-device link

Microsoft slates 12 patches for next week

2008-02-09T09:22:00.005-08:00

Seven of the 12 will be tagged with the company's highest threat ranking Read More