tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37214354340565821072024-02-20T22:25:40.727+08:00ITmaze NomadsITmaze is traveling around rural and remote Australia and has done since January 2003. We connect to the 'net with a 2m Satellite Dish which provides us with broadband connectivity where ever we go. The link is a 1Mbit down, 256Kbit up and uses Gilat's SkyBlaster VSAT technology which connects us to the Optus B3 satellite on a geostationary orbit at 152° East. Our Internet feed is from DragNET.
This BLOG tells our travel tales...Onno Benschophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836861200283011886noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-63521851637025992652012-01-04T09:00:00.002+08:002012-01-04T09:16:16.619+08:00CISCO doesn't want any customersWell, the joy of communicating with CISCO today has taught me that arguably the largest communications company really doesn't want any more customers. Their systems are clearly not up to the task and it takes a person who is intimately familiar with their product line-up to actually select a product.<br /><br />It all started with a quote from one of my suppliers who recommended a CISCO881W-GN-A-K9. I took a look at it and it appears to be a desktop device, not a 1 ru like I need. Mind you getting that confirmed is pretty hard, entering the device model into Google gives me the CISCO Router Guide, but even that doesn't actually tell me what the form-factor is for this specific device.<br /><br />Google Images gives me several options, some of which appear to look like units that might be able to be installed into a rack using external mounting brackets, but no further information about this unit and rack-mounting was readily available. The search also returns desktop WiFi base-stations, just what I'm looking for - not.<br /><br />I thought I'd look at the CISCO online offering, perhaps they have something like a product selector. Sure, if you know intimately which particular flavour of VPN you require and what kind of WiFi you think you need, but selecting on form-factor doesn't seem to factor in the CISCO Feature Navigator.<br /><br />I found the CISCO Product Adviser, only to be unable to locate the recommended device. Thinking I might have been quoted a product that is EOL, I searched, apparently confirming that, only to find that the device I'm looking at is the replacement for another EOL product, which still features in the Product Adviser - now over 6 months old.<br /><br />I thought I'd contact CISCO direct, spent some time looking for a local phone number, found a 1800 number in Australia and dialled it, only to get an engaged signal. Dialled it again, selected End-User Pre-Sales and after waiting for 3 minutes, was put through to a voice mail system for one particular person. Lovely.<br /><br />During the on-hold time I was advised that I could do an online-chat if I clicked on the Product Menu, so I did. No such luck. It might well be there, but I can't find it.<br /><br />The online map office locator didn't work and I couldn't find offices in the Asia Pacific. So, instead I dialled Australia's Head Office, spoke to the receptionist, who didn't know what country I was in and then attempted to put me through to the pre-sales team, only to be told that she also got voice-mail. I asked to speak with the pre-sales team leader, only to be told that I could only do that if I knew them by name.<br /><br />I then asked to speak with her team-leader who went around the same merry-go-round and then told me that I couldn't speak to anyone anywhere.<br /><br />This makes no sense. All I want is a router. I want it to fit in my rack and I'd like to speak with the manufacturer of the device.<br /><br />I'm going to look at other brands, CISCO, don't bother, they clearly don't care.Onno Benschophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836861200283011886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-67149019662709721852010-12-18T08:39:00.001+08:002010-12-18T12:32:51.666+08:00PayPass hacked?Wireless Pickpocketing demonstrated on the street using PayPass technology:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.wreg.com/wreg-electronic-pickpocketing-story,0,6289527.story">http://www.wreg.com/wreg-electronic-pickpocketing-story,0,6289527.story</a></li>
</ul><br />
After watching the video or reading the transcript you may have a few questions:<br />
<ul><li>Is this really a compromise?</li>
<li>Is PayPass hacked?</li>
<li>What about my liability?</li>
<li>Why all the fuss?</li>
</ul><br />
There are several views to take on the information in the story. The <a href="http://media.trb.com/media/acrobat/2010-12/57740867.doc">banks have responded</a> and their take is that PayPass technology is secure.<br />
<br />
That all depends on your definition of secure.<br />
<br />
Lets get things straight, this video shows that without your knowledge, participation or assistance your card details can be retrieved. In some cases your name as well. Unlike handing your card to a shop-employee, where you're aware of the potential for compromise, you can be walking down the street and have your card read.<br />
<br />
The banks almost universally point out that this does not compromise the verification code physically printed on your card and they go on to say that you cannot make a transaction without such a verification code. Of course, that's how it's intended to be, but the reality is that there are thousands of merchants who can and do transact without a verification code, so the banks are telling a half-truth at best.<br />
<br />
So, to answer the first point, yes, this is really a compromise.<br />
<br />
<br />
On to the second point, does this mean that PayPass is hacked?<br />
<br />
Well, yes and no. The methodology used does not appear to actually create a PayPass level transaction, there is no information about this in the story.<br />
<br />
However, there is no information the other way either.<br />
<br />
The reader shown in the video appears to be a standard PayPass reader connected to a computer. Once you can monitor the link that has been created between the card and the reader, the next level of compromise is orders of magnitude simpler.<br />
<br />
There are countless hacks in the wild today that rely on the ability to see the information as it flows. This video doesn't show a transaction being processed, but that doesn't mean that it cannot happen, or that it hasn't happened already.<br />
<br />
The thing to take away from this is that the probability of a full-blown untraceable compromise has just shot up and the likelihood of it happening is much higher.<br />
<br />
<br />
What about your liability?<br />
<br />
If you printed a t-shirt with your credit-card details on it, your bank is unlikely to protect you against any unauthorised transactions since you didn't protect your card details. This video shows the same level of exposure, only this is invisible.<br />
<br />
Some commentators attempting to detract from this story are saying that the only type of transactions that can be made by this level of exposure are the same as can be achieved by reading the magnetic strip on your card, and that may well be true - depending on what information is available from the chip on the card.<br />
<br />
These same commentators miss the salient point, that your card can be read without you <i>ever</i> knowing - well, until the information is used that is.<br />
<br />
<br />
Why all the fuss?<br />
<br />
If the bank maintains that PayPass cannot be compromised - which is what they're saying today, then by definition, any transactions have to be made by you. If PayPass is hacked and fraudulent transactions are made by someone else, the bank can decline to protect you on the grounds that in their opinion the system is secure, and thus you made the transaction.<br />
<br />
A system such as PayPass relies on all elements being secure. If one part of the chain breaks, the whole thing falls apart.<br />
<br />
This video shows that the ends are fraying.<br />
<br />
<br />
What can you do?<br />
<br />
Fundamentally, this system is broken. No amount of sugar-coating can make it otherwise. Talk to your bank and make them aware of your concerns. Be aware that many bank employees are completely unaware of any issues with this technology and that many happy PayPass users exist today. Unfortunately, the same could be said for smokers 40 years ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-25136755032203853112010-10-14T17:23:00.000+08:002010-10-14T17:23:53.219+08:00PayPass - what's the problem?The system is encrypted, the bank says it cannot be hacked and my funds are protected against unauthorised use if I abide to their terms and conditions.<br />
<br />
So what's the big deal, why not chill out and deal with it - or even change banking institution?<br />
<br />
First of all, this idea is broken. It's broken on more levels than I can count. I've only been highlighting some of the issues.<br />
<br />
Here's some scenarios to consider:<br />
<br />
<b>Scenario 1:</b><br />
What if someone hits me over the back of the head to get my card because it's as good as cash. Does the bank protect against that?<br />
<br />
Suggestions have been made that thieves aren't interested in $100. My experience of theft - as in being a victim of theft - tells me that any amount of free cash is desirable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scenario 2:</b><br />
What if someone manages to make a clone of my card. The bank can claim that any purchase made with that cloned card is in fact my card, and thus I'm liable for a purchase made on that cloned card - I have no recourse because according to the bank, I made the purchase with my card. Since I still have my card, I cannot claim it was stolen.<br />
<br />
The bank claims that cloning isn't possible, but I've been in the IT industry too long to rely on such an assumption. There is a good financial incentive to clone a card. Since this system uses RFID, a wireless techology, people can access my card just by being in range with a strong enough antenna.<br />
<br />
This means that my card can be cloned without my knowledge or participation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scenario 3:</b><br />
If this technology takes off, then the number of transactions on a credit card statement will increase significantly. Typically this means that less people are likely to sit down and check every single transaction on their statement, making it easier for fraudulent transactions to slip through.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scenario 4:</b><br />
To deal with the increased volume of transactions, the bank could create "smarter" software to detect fraudulent transactions.<br />
<br />
This means that you might have other side effect issues like getting on a plane in the morning and trying to pay for a taxi at your destination in a different country.<br />
<br />
The bank might decide that you have never been to Nepal and that this transaction is fraudulent. With real-time banking making inroads, this makes it likely that the transaction will be caught in real-time, making it impossible for you to pay for your completely valid taxi-ride from the airport to base-camp.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-21781661495147902552010-10-14T07:57:00.003+08:002010-10-14T14:47:38.029+08:00PayPass - not so new kid on the blockIt seems that the Commonwealth Bank has been <a href="http://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/news/media-releases/2006/050406-news-tap-n-go.aspx">playing with PayPass since 2006</a>. I don't recall ever seeing any information about it, and only in the last couple of months have I seen TV advertising and seen readers sprouting like mushrooms in my neighbourhood.<br />
<br />
There are others who have been <a href="http://westcoastsuccess.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/visamastercard-paypass-a-new-wave-of-credit-theft/">raising concerns since 2009</a>. Note that the statement on that page about Mythbusters <a href="http://consumerist.com/5045633/mythbusters-host-retracts-rfid-censorship-comments">has been retracted by Adam Savage</a>.<br />
<br />
There is also a <a href="http://www.zdnet.com.au/contactless-eftpos-and-google-privacy-risks-339300464.htm">ZDNet Patch Monday podcast</a> (from 4'56" until 14'33") that discusses PayPas and PayWave (the Visa version of the Mastercard PayPass). They state $35 as the limit, which appears to be incorrect, I've been told $100. The podcast discusses some of my concerns - those to do with authentication and hack-ability. It also raises concerns about customer risk assesement, legal issues related to Card (Not) Present transactions, etc.<br />
<br />
The podcast also goes on to discuss issues related to checking your statement, which contactless payments will make harder, since you're unlikely to get a receipt and the number of transactions per statement will increase markedly, making it even harder to spot an unsolicited transaction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-32112797278110597512010-10-13T08:39:00.000+08:002010-10-13T08:39:54.819+08:00VM WorkstationHaving now used my virtual workstation for many months, I can provide a meaningful update about the whole thing.<br />
<br />
For those who want some background <a href="http://blog.itmaze.com.au/2009/05/workstation-virtualisation.html">I wrote about what I'd like to achieve</a> a while back. I ended up running VMware Fusion on a 17" MacBook Pro.<br />
<br />
First of all, it works. I use my main virtual workstation all day every day. Deployment was as simple as creating a disk image of my ThinkPad, putting it on my MacBook drive and pointing VMware at it.<br />
<br />
My only beef are three persistent bugs with VMware Fusion:<br />
<ol><li>Sometimes the keyboard doesn't work when I resume my workstation image. A keypress results in a beep. The only work-around is to go from full-screen to single window with Command-Option-Return and then maximizing the window to full-screen again. This is a PITA since my Gnome Toolbars then "helpfully" move around and don't get put back where they were.</li>
<li>When I wake the workstation, sometimes for no particular reason the network is off and I need to re-enable it.</li>
<li>I've stopped sleeping my MacBook with VMware running because there is a nasty bug that somehow causes VMware to freeze which results in data-loss - very unhappy. So now I quit Fusion, and then sleep my MacBook. Not ideal.</li>
</ol>Things that work.<br />
<ol><li> I have the ability now to snapshot my workstation, or development server, or client image, or whatever and do an upgrade or driver install and then roll it back with no pain.</li>
<li>I am running this with 3 external monitors and it just works. I'm using the DVI port and 2 x USB-DVI adapters with 3 x 1080p screens (Toshiba PA3768) - which also rotate - niiice.</li>
<li>I'm using Afloat to keep a VM window floating above my "normal" desktop, so I can use Ubuntu as my workstation full-screen while still keeping an eye on another VM.</li>
<li>My backups are using Time Machine on a sparse bundle drive, which VMware doesn't notice. So all my VM images are stored on this drive and Time Machine just backs up the sparse-bundle file.</li>
<li>I pulled out all the apps from OS X and created an OS X guest machine where I can run iTunes etc. Sound is still buggy on this guest, but I'm working on that.</li>
</ol>All in all, this has proven to be a little nerve racking in the early days, especially with the data-loss issue, but my productivity has increased no-end and I can say that this is a vast improvement on running my workstation on bare-metal for many many reasons.<br />
<br />
Now if I had a few more hours in the day I could get back to doing more productive stuff for the Ubuntu Server Team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-13455656870905169732010-09-28T07:52:00.000+08:002010-10-15T05:57:23.456+08:00CBA PayPas - the second responseDear Mr Benschop, <br />
<br />
I have again referred this matter to our Credit Card Product Team, the response is as follows: <br />
<br />
Thank you for outlining your further concerns about the security of contactless payments, such as MasterCard PayPass. PayPass is a feature enjoyed by the majority of our customers due to the payment flexibility and convenience it provides PayPass has been designed to be as secure as other payment methods, such as magnetic stripe transactions. You will continue to be protected from liability on unauthorised transactions as long as you continue to adhere to the Conditions of Use. <br />
<br />
We do not recommend any attempt at manipulation of your card plastic. <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
<br />
Commonwealth Bank <br />
{redacted}<br />
Customer Experience Consultant <br />
<br />
Rapid Resolution Team <br />
<br />
<a href="http://commnet.cba/rbs/service_sales/customer_relations/index.asp">CBA Group Customer Relations</a><br />
Group Sales & Service Support Team <br />
Level 19, 150 George Street <br />
Parramatta NSW 2150 <br />
P: 1800 805 605<br />
F: 1800 028 542Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-85475534947758219672010-08-09T13:10:00.001+08:002010-10-15T05:57:23.458+08:00CBA PayPas - my email to the bankDear {redacted},<br />
<br />
{redacted}<br />
<br />
In response to your email, you are correct that I am not happy with the response provided as it did not in any way address any of the concerns I raised on the phone with you and your colleague.<br />
<br />
I'll state again, this time in writing, what the concerns are.<br />
<br />
I am concerned about PayPass from a personal safety perspective. I'm concerned that you as a bank have created a personal security issue for me that I cannot remove or reduce. You did this without my permission and you provide no way for me as a consumer to opt-out, decrease my exposure or remove any such concerns.<br />
<br />
You have advised me that PayPass allows for individual transactions of up to $100 per transaction. In addition you advised me, there is no limit on the number of transactions allowed. This means that in effect I am carrying in my wallet the total credit limit of my card in cash. This means that anyone observing that I have a PayPass card has the ability to gain access to those funds without my authorisation or participation.<br />
<br />
The unlimited access to funds that the PayPass system represents provides ample incentive for the criminal element to become interested.<br />
<br />
My concern is not the funds which you keep telling me are protected; my concern is my personal safety if force was used to obtain my card without my permission. If I need to spell it out, a thief could sit in a coffee shop and observe that I have a PayPass card. They can follow me out the door and take my wallet from me and have unlimited access to my funds. Common sense continues to prevent me from carrying large amounts of cash and I'm not prepared to start now.<br />
<br />
In addition, the access need not even be forceful or physical as outlined above. Since PayPass uses RFID technology, access could be achieved using wireless access and a few dollars of equipment. 30 minutes on the Internet gave me several research papers and suggestions on how this might be achieved and examples were available showing access to such cards. I have found several scenarios which allow unfetted access to my card. With no limits on the card, there is ample incentive to develop solutions to circumvent any security measures. Just because Mastercard says that it cannot be hacked, doesn't make it so.<br />
<br />
I've been in the IT industry for too long to believe that security through obscurity is sufficient and I expect better from my bank.<br />
<br />
<br />
In addition the the above, I also asked you what the impact would be of disabling the RFID chip in my card, by inserting my card into a microwave or power drill.<br />
<br />
I look forward to your response.<br />
<br />
<br />
Kind regards,<br />
Onno BenschopAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-87224551166078832852010-08-06T15:33:00.000+08:002010-10-15T05:57:23.459+08:00CBA PayPas - the responseDear Mr Benschop<br />
<br />
Thank you for your call, which to this office 30 July 2010. In regards to the issues you have raised regarding the PayPass function on your credit card, I have requested review from the product area and they have provided a response as follows: <br />
<br />
PayPass functionality is included with all CBA issued MasterCard credit and debit cards, and cannot be turned off. However if a customer would not like to use the technology, they can continue to sign/enter a PIN through the terminal, and can simply avoid tapping against PayPass readers. <br />
<br />
PayPass is an extremely secure payment method, and is not more vulnerable to fraud than any other form of payment (such as signing for transactions). <br />
<br />
Mr Benschop, I understand that you have already been provided with this response and that you will not be happy with this decision. <br />
<br />
If you wish to discuss this matter further please contact me <br />
<br />
Regards<br />
<br />
<br />
Commonwealth Bank <br />
{redacted}<br />
Customer Experience Consultant <br />
<br />
Rapid Resolution Team <br />
<br />
<a href="http://commnet.cba/rbs/service_sales/customer_relations/index.asp">CBA Group Customer Relations</a><br />
Group Sales & Service Support Team <br />
Level 19, 150 George Street <br />
Parramatta NSW 2150 <br />
P: 1800 805 605<br />
F: 1800 028 542Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-53624786454380938452010-07-30T14:16:00.001+08:002010-10-14T05:55:11.028+08:00CBA PayPasToday I found out that the Commonwealth Bank has a new "feature" called PayPass or Tap 'n Go. I'd recently seen it advertised on TV and wondered what the implementation was like.<br />
<br />
The idea behind this technology is that you can make a transaction without needing to sign or enter your PIN when making a purchase. You just wave your card in front of a reader and the transaction is complete. There is no physical contact between your card and the reader - in fact you don't even need to take your card out of your wallet. <br />
<br />
I learnt the following:<br />
<ol><li>The transaction limit is $100 per transaction.</li>
<li>There is no limit to the number of transactions.</li>
<li>You cannot set a limit.</li>
<li>You cannot opt-out.</li>
</ol>I contacted the bank customer service team via phone to confirm what I learnt. Initially there was some discussion about the $100 limit, but this was finally confirmed.<br />
<br />
I asked the bank why I was unable to limit my exposure to this "feature" since I was concerned about my personal security as well as issues relating to RFID. The bank's response was: "You don't need to take your card with you, you can just leave it at home."<br />
<br />
I asked to escalate the call and ended up speaking with a team leader in the Rapid Resolution Team who after some discussion began to understand my concerns and they created a case for me.<br />
<br />
I've been promised a response in writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-2394655713580284312009-07-09T15:55:00.002+08:002009-07-09T15:58:45.470+08:00VMware guest time sync under OSXTo sync time without needing VMware tools, you can run a cron job every minute that syncs with the OSX time daemon.<br /><br /><ol><li>Determine the IP address that OSX uses for the VMware network</li><li>Add a cron job in the guest that runs<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ntpdate -s {ip address}</span></li></ol>I'm running this in Ubuntu 8.10 under OSX 10.5.7 VMware Fusion 2.0.5.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-1763933551795093642009-06-26T16:43:00.003+08:002010-10-13T08:19:44.167+08:00A letter to VMwareIn case there is any interest in improving your client interaction, my customer interaction with your company today: <ul><li> I was advised by an Apple technician to update my 6 day old copy of VMware Fusion 2.0.4 - I'd installed the shipped copy 2.0 an hour earlier - to 2.0.5 because it would fix the issue I was having. </li> <li> After agreeing to a licence, I downloaded 2.0.5 , which when I installed it, asked me to agree to yet another license. I've now agreed to the one for 2.0, the one to download 2.0.4, the one to install 2.0.4, the one to download 2.0.5, the one to install 2.0.5 - despite having to actually login to my profile before I can even begin the download - have your lawyers not got anything better to do? </li> <li> The problem was not resolved, and since I had a spare 15 minutes, and despite several hours of research to resolve the issue over the weekend, I thought I'd phone support since I have 30 days support when I bought VMware Fusion. The website indicated that support was available in Australia from 7am to 7pm EST, so I launched the white pages, did a national search for VMware, found your Perth Office number and dialled it. </li> <li> The telephone number in the electronic white pages shows a phone number for VMware in my local town of Perth, Western Australia. Only it is no longer connected. </li> <li> The electronic white pages do not show the 1800 number for telephone support. </li> <li> When I contacted the Sydney number, a long distance call, I asked to speak with technical support. I was provided with the 1800 number. </li> <li> I dialled the 1800 number, chose technical support, workstation, fusion, and then got a message telling me that it was closed - even though your web-site tells me that it's open from 7am to 7pm EST (or Sydney time) </li> <li> When I contacted the Sydney number again, I was put through to technical support where I spent 7 minutes on the phone with a lady who didn't speak much English and turned out to be in licensing support. All she could tell me was that I didn't own any copies of VMware - my bank disagrees. </li> <li> When I contacted the Sydney number again, I was put through to licensing again, who put me through to technical support. The gentleman who answered was in Canada, but could not provide telephone support. He actually called me back on my phone so we could have a conversation on your dime, rather than mine. It transpired that your registration process had not registered my product. I was advised to speak with licensing support. </li> <li> I tried to license my copy of VMware Fusion on the web - no success, not a valid serial number, despite the fact that the serial number was written on the CD sleeve and that it had happily been used by the application as a license key. </li> <li> I dialled the 1800 number and chose licensing support. I spent 13 minutes discussing the merits of your web-form when finally the gentleman was able to license my copy of VMware Fusion. I wanted to ask about why my VMware workstation license wasn't visible, but the call had already ended. </li> <li> I dialled the 1800 number in an attempt to speak with customer service, no such option. </li> <li> I tried to license my copy of VMware Workstation on the web - no success, not a valid serial number, despite the fact that it was copied from an email you sent me. </li> <li> I dialled the 1800 number and chose licensing support. I spent 15 minutes attempting to license my copy of VMware workstation. The gentleman advised me to contact the sales team "to swap the key". </li> <li> I dialled the Sydney number, but they had gone home, despite that the web site says that it was open for another hour and a half. </li> <li> I dialled the 1800 number and chose the sales team, where I got the global voice mail for VMware USA. </li> </ul>You can just imagine how much fun I was having. I then tried to lodge a support call on the web. <ul><li>The web-form tells me that the maximum length for the description is 2000 characters, but when I pasted 1908 of them, it told me that there were too many. </li> <li>The web-form has the ability to upload files, and even has sections describing what files are smart to upload, only OSX doesn't exist, nor does VMware Fusion. </li> </ul>So, all in all, I've now been at this since 14:16. It's now 16:35. Whom do I bill for the $355 dollars in time this has cost me, let alone the cost in phone calls, which I'm not looking forward to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-35279376503491057002009-05-20T06:36:00.008+08:002010-10-13T08:21:22.994+08:00Out of the mouths of babes...<p>My 73 year old mother in law sent me some Australian Computer humour which I thought worthy of sharing around - not so much for the humour but for the fact that she was thinking of me with a twinkle in her eye at the time:</p><h4>Australian Computer Terminology</h4><table style="clear:none !important"><tr><td>LOG ON:</td><td>Adding wood to make the barbie hotter. </td></tr>
<tr><td>LOG OFF:</td><td>Not adding any more wood to the barbie. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MONITOR:</td><td>Keeping an eye on the barbie. </td></tr>
<tr><td>DOWNLOAD:</td><td>Getting the firewood off the Ute. </td></tr>
<tr><td>HARD DRIVE:</td><td>Making the trip back home without any cold tinnies. </td></tr>
<tr><td>KEYBOARD:</td><td>Where you hang the Ute keys. </td></tr>
<tr><td>WINDOW:</td><td>What you shut when the weather's cold. </td></tr>
<tr><td>SCREEN:</td><td>What you shut in the mozzie season. </td></tr>
<tr><td>BYTE:</td><td>What mozzies do. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MEGABYTE:</td><td>What Townsville mozzies do. </td></tr>
<tr><td>CHIP:</td><td>A bar snack. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MICROCHIP:</td><td>What's left in the bag after you've eaten the chips. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MODEM:</td><td>What you did to the lawns. </td></tr>
<tr><td>LAPTOP:</td><td>Where the cat sleeps. </td></tr>
<tr><td>SOFTWARE:</td><td>Plastic knives & forks you get at Red Rooster. </td></tr>
<tr><td>HARDWARE:</td><td>Stainless steel knives & forks - from K-Mart. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MOUSE:</td><td>The small rodent that eats the grain in the shed. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MAINFRAME:</td><td>What holds the shed up. </td></tr>
<tr><td>WEB:</td><td>What spiders make. </td></tr>
<tr><td>WEBSITE:</td><td>Usually in the shed or under the verandah. </td></tr>
<tr><td>SEARCH ENGINE:</td><td>What you do when the Ute won't go. </td></tr>
<tr><td>CURSOR:</td><td>What you say when the Ute won't go. </td></tr>
<tr><td>YAHOO:</td><td>What you say when the Ute does go. </td></tr>
<tr><td>UPGRADE:</td><td>A steep hill. </td></tr>
<tr><td>SERVER:</td><td>The person at the pub who brings out the counter lunch. </td></tr>
<tr><td>MAIL SERVER:</td><td>The bloke at the pub who brings out the counter lunch. </td></tr>
<tr><td>USER:</td><td>The neighbour who keeps borrowing things. </td></tr>
<tr><td>NETWORK:</td><td>What you do when you need to repair the fishing net. </td></tr>
<tr><td>INTERNET:</td><td>Where you want the fish to go. </td></tr>
<tr><td>NETSCAPE:</td><td>What the fish do when they discover the hole in the net.</td></tr>
<tr><td>ONLINE:</td><td>Where you hang the washing. </td></tr>
<tr><td>OFFLINE:</td><td>Where the washing ends up when the pegs aren't strong enough.</td></tr>
</table>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-1205125483873992452009-05-13T09:53:00.002+08:002010-10-14T05:58:16.724+08:00Workstation VirtualisationI'm a long-time software developer. I have a ThinkPad R52 from August 2005, the last of the IBM's. I'm in need of new hardware. Since upgrading from Ubuntu 7.10 I've been unable to properly virtualize anything (VMware went away). I want to keep running Ubuntu but am fed up with fixing hardware issues. A suggestion made to me was to buy a PowerBook Pro and virtualize my desktop.<br />
<br />
The idea is to run a stock standard OS X PowerBook and then run my normal Ubuntu Desktop as a virtual machine. Since I'm also writing software and testing all manner of strange configurations, I can then also simply virtualize all the other things, such as Ubuntu Server installations, various pre-release versions of Ubuntu, specific client configurations, etc.<br />
<br />
Most articles I read talk about running Windows on OS X, and I'm really not interested in that - other than to export my accounting data out of MYOB.<br />
<br />
My personal experience of VirtualBox under Ubuntu is less than stellar. A virtual machine that crashes *ever* is not an example of a tool that I want to run in production. That's akin to a hardware failure and a cause for the return of said hardware.<br />
<br />
I need to be able to run this workstation with an external monitor, have a full monitor view of my workstation, run other tools on the other monitor. There will be times that I expect to run my virtual machine across both monitors.<br />
<br />
I expect that the OS X side of things takes care of wired and wireless networking, battery management, sound and bluetooth connectivity, but I don't want to run OS X applications, other than the virtualization tool of my choice. I might even launch terminal once or twice :)<br />
<br />
Am I opening up a whole can of worms trying this, or are there people who have gone down this path and come out the other end with a better understanding of what is what?<br />
<br />
I should note that there was an initial suggestion that I run Ubuntu natively on the PowerBook hardware, but then I'm back to where I started, dealing with crappy hardware issues, video drivers, wifi chip-sets, sleep and battery issues, screen resolution, dvd drives, etc.<br />
<br />
I'm not interested in migrating to OS X, I have more than enough work just keeping abreast of what is happening within Ubuntu and Ubuntu-server.<br />
<br />
While my CPU demands are not going to be significant - I don't compile much, I'm also not going to be running a high-volume web-server or a database. I cannot stand editors that take 30 seconds to load or many minutes to search for files, so there is an expectation that disk i/o is snappy and that I'm going to be able to stay with the same virtualisation tool for some time.<br />
<br />
The actual tools I use on a daily basis are:<br />
Thunderbird, Firefox, Eclipse, bzr, svn, cvs, mysql, apache, ssh, grep, find<br />
<br />
Things I expect to work are:<br />
sound, networking, dvd burner, external usb devices<br />
<br />
Any comments, suggestions, recommended reading materials or hardware that I can trial this on?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-13490945350577820022009-05-12T16:26:00.002+08:002009-05-12T16:34:35.372+08:00IronPort integration - crapHere's an email I sent to senderbase after banging my head on a brick wall for nearly two days with their closed-loop spam solution. You get on the list for some reason, but there's no way to get off. iiNet's solution to the problem is: "Wait and see." - as in, give it 24/48 hours from some nebulous start point, rinse and repeat.<br /><br /><blockquote>As an IT administrator of a mail system I crashed into your solution yesterday morning at 7am. A local ISP has implemented IronPort hardware and uses senderbase.org as it's block list.<br /><br />The ISP's response is: "That's not our problem."<br /><br />Your site tells me that the reputation for my server is "poor", but doesn't indicate what caused that ranking, nor does it help me determine what to actually do about this.<br /><br />The server in question sends out two email messages, once a week, to three addresses, namely, me - the administrator, and the owner of the server - using two of his own email addresses - one of which is operated by the ISP.<br /><br />You've created a wonderful closed loop solution that does nothing for legitimate operators of mail services and makes it simple for the owner of the IronPort hardware to just drop problems caused by your implementation into the too hard basket.<br /><br />I'm not impressed and as an IT consultant will not recommend your solution to any of my clients in SME/Gov.<br /><br />I'm not going to hold my breath, but in case you're actually interested in resolving the issue, the ISP is iiNet in Australia, the trouble ticket number in their system is: 60416585</blockquote><br /><br />I'll not waste your time telling you about the various pieces of advice provided by iiNet, suffice to say that the problem is not because the email account is on a dynamic IP address because it's on an ADSL link. Or should the support technician have advised me that it was because of another BOFH reason, say: "<em>BOFH</em> excuse #246: It must have been the <em>lightning</em> storm we had (yesterday) (last week) (last month)"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-30339218549481689042009-04-20T14:26:00.008+08:002009-04-20T15:13:22.481+08:00In search of the perfect IDEToday I spent a fair few hours banging my head against a stone wall and seeing little benefit from the experience. It came about because I was fed up with Eclipse and I needed a new IDE.<br /><br />Over the years I've spent many hours writing software - since this is where I derive my income from, you'd think by now that I'd have the perfect development environment and all would be sweet - if only.<br /><br />In ancient history, I used a Macintosh and BBEdit. This is back in the days of the early 1990's - and I'm pretty sure that there was a stint of using MPW, the Macintosh Programmers Workbench - and I recall Borland Turbo Pascal before that.<br /><br />In the "ye-olden days", I used Windows NT and Notepad. It served me well, until I started wanting to open multiple files and doing stupid search and replace things. BBEdit didn't exist for Windows and I found after much hunting Edit Plus II. I must confess that this is the first piece of software that I used for less than 10 minutes and purchased on the spot. It was also one of my first online purchases as I recall.<br /><br />After much hair pulling I moved away from Windows to Linux - initially Debian, and after several years, Ubuntu.<br /><br />Edit Plus II didn't manage to come with me, it wasn't for the want of trying either! I tried all manner of things, but it didn't play well any more. I found nedit. It worked well, was *fast*, and stable, launched within seconds and was my all-purpose editor everywhere - then it stopped being maintained and I couldn't compile from source and it died.<br /><br />I moved over to gedit, which over the years has become slower and slower. It has poor functionality compared to a real editor and most infuriatingly sometimes takes over 2 minutes to launch - not something I enjoy *ever*.<br /><br />During this time I found out about version control. CVS was installed on my workstation and my productivity sky-rocketed. I found LinCVS which could integrate with nedit and later gedit and had other ways of interacting with my projects which were getting larger and larger.<br /><br />LinCVS seemed to die a mysterious death - I think it went commercial, but it no longer seemed to work, couldn't do anything other than CVS and was discarded.<br /><br />After much searching during which time I played with gphpedit - which didn't highlight colours properly and had a non-responsive developer and a stagnant bug list, I bit the bullet and finally installed Eclipse.<br /><br />Now Eclipse promises to be the garden sink of software development, and after todays experience with Netbeans, I can confirm that there are many things to like about Eclipse. Unfortunately there are more things to dislike.<br /><br />Eclipse integrates with all manner of tools - this is excellent, but trying to make anything work involves trying to find a place to get support in such a way that the answer is not "dunno" - which seems to be the case for most things I have run into.<br /><br />Eclipse uses plug-ins that do stuff and it seems to be grouped into projects that provide functionality, but trying to understand what each project does and looking for bug reports is a never ending process. For example, lets say that you want to upload your project to a web-server - something which you'd think was pretty straight forward. Under Eclipse there seems to be no "normal" way to do this. You need to either do it manually yourself, or you need to install a synchronisation framework, then an ftp framework, then you can do it. But not with scp. Then you need to install something called RSE, Remote System Explorer which seems to be built around the notion of remote controlling the server on the other end - and all I wanted to do is upload a file via scp.<br /><br />I tried getting bzr working with Eclipse, tried to get spell checking working, tried to get the debugger working with PHP, tried to run sites locally without installing a complete LAMP stack locally - something which I'd done in the past, but then involves needing to keep track of local LAMP configuration settings and making your code deal with varying paths, or if not that, then deal with changing dynamic host names to make your local development machine look like the remote host for the purposes of debugging. Of course you could just upload each change across the network - something that Eclipse is happy to do for you, but there is no understanding that you might not have your server on the LAN, and that its somewhere on the Internet.<br /><br />So with all that frustration, let alone huge memory footprint, poor copy/paste, etc. it was again time to look for a better IDE.<br /><br />Yesterday I installed Netbeans. I needed to update a website for a client, about 30 odd changes, pretty simple and straight forward. Nice little project to try a new IDE with.<br /><br />That was a bad idea.<br /><br />Well, let me put it another way. Netbeans is crap.<br /><br />I ran the latest PHP version, not even packaged in Ubuntu - which I hate - because it means that as root I need to install something that never cleans up after itself if it gets removed. I installed 6.5.1 from the netbeans site.<br /><br />If Eclipse is giving me heaps, Netbeans is worse.<br /><br />No spell checking; double-click means something different depending on where on the file name of a document you click - rename, open, diff; there is no way to open an image editor from with Netbeans, so I need to have the same folder open twice, once in Netbeans, and once on the desktop; right-click on the filename of a list of selected files causes none to be selected; upload can only upload all files, not just the 2 you changed; upload is FTP only; integration with SVN returns all manner of cryptic errors and no indication on how to fix things; importing into SVN didn't work and required me to learn SVN to run the manual commands to make that happen; an ASP file full of HTML is not recognised as containing HTML; the HTML editor does not do smart-tag complete, so starting a <p> only offers you the closing tag, even if the text that you want to enclose is already there - meaning that you need to cut the text, start the <p>, finish the </p>, then paste the text - like I want to do that when I'm converting a wordprocessed document into HTML - yuk!<br /><br />I'm not impressed with any IDE I've found yet and Netbeans is yet another one to hit onto the slag heap.<br /><br />Why is it so hard to find an IDE that can do these things:<br /><ul><li>Has a syntax aware editor</li><li>For HTML and CSS has the ability to switch between Source and Display view</li><li>Allows me to rename a function and have the rest of the source be updated accordingly</li><li>Have a spell-checker that understands the difference between a variable name and a string</li><li>Has integrated version control that speaks to anything I need to</li><li>Can update via whatever file system/remote access protocol I need</li><li>Can edit images, databases, PHP, HTML, CSS, perl, C, C++, bash and .htaccess - and has syntax checking for those<br /></li><li>Runs on a machine with 1.5Gb of RAM without hogging all the RAM</li><li>Launches within a reasonable time</li><li>Has the ability to track time while I'm writing software so I can bill the client accordingly</li><li>Has the ability to quietly do backups in the background so I can get on with writing code</li><li>Understands regular expressions for both the find and the replace box</li><li>Can deal with any external linux command I can throw at it</li><li>Doesn't run under JAVA</li></ul>You'd think that I wasn't asking that much. I don't need an integrated news reader, or email, or a calendar, or any other crap. I have applications that are perfectly capable of doing that.<br /><br />I write software. I want to do that without needing to re-invent the wheel every time I need to achieve something. Most of what I write above, I can do from the command line. Yes, I'm capable of runnig vi. Next thing I might go back to running screen on a text-only console, perhaps with green or even amber letters on ablack background.<br /><br />Seriously, why is this so hard?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-38637846916121207832009-04-16T08:58:00.003+08:002009-05-12T16:59:25.425+08:00Eclipse bzr integrationThere is a plugin for Eclipse called <a href="http://bazaar-vcs.org/BzrEclipse">bzr-eclipse</a>, you can <a href="http://bazaar-vcs.org/BzrEclipse/Installation">install</a> it within Eclipse simply enough, but it also requires that you install a bzr plugin called <a href="https://launchpad.net/bzr-xmloutput">bzr-xmloutput</a>, which isn't packaged for Ubuntu Intrepid.<br /><br />I'm not a believer in dropping files across my file system and will try many things before untarring something into my system. Packages are there for a reason, and I'm not about to try and break things by fixing them if you know what I mean.<br /><br />Fortunately, bzr-xmloutput is packaged for Jaunty, but it requires python-central that is of a later pedigry than the current one in Intrepid.<br /><br />So, this worked for me:<br /><ol><li>Download <a href="https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/i386/bzr-xmloutput">bzr-xmloutput</a> (<a href="http://launchpadlibrarian.net/23295467/bzr-xmloutput_0.8.3-0ubuntu1_all.deb">Jaunty package</a>) and <a href="https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/i386/python-central">python-central</a> (<a href="http://launchpadlibrarian.net/24748336/python-central_0.6.11ubuntu6_all.deb">Jaunty package</a>) from Jaunty.</li><li>sudo dpkg -i python-central_0.6.11ubuntu6_all.deb bzr-xmloutput_0.8.3-0ubuntu1_all.deb</li></ol>If you're doing this, it's likely that the versions here are <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> the latest, so make sure you check that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-89496357749172374152009-04-14T15:26:00.004+08:002009-05-12T16:59:19.825+08:00CIFS VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -22Last week I upgraded a Gutsy 7.10 server to Hardy 8.04.<br /><br />Today I got a report that a mounted drive was missing.<br /><br />Turns out that the ip=hostname part of an /etc/fstab line works in smbfs, that is, if you've defined the hostname in /etc/hosts, but under cifs, it doesn't work.<br /><br />In addition, it seems that smbfs uses a fallback when a user authentication fails and falls back to the guest user, but cifs doesn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-75306673085549500682009-04-03T16:57:00.003+08:002009-05-12T16:59:15.193+08:00mount: could not find any free loop deviceJust tried to mount a bunch of .iso images I'd made from backup cds so I could hunt for a missing photograph without needing to continually swap cds. I ran out of loop devices, that is I got this error:<br /><br />mount: could not find any free loop device<br /><br />Here's how I fixed it thanks to <a href="http://svn.rpmforge.net/svn/trunk/tools/mrepo/docs/loop-devices.txt">this article</a>.<br /><br /><u>Creating extra loop device entries</u><br /><br />Also make sure you have enough devices available. You can<br />check how many you have by doing:<br /><br />ls -d /dev/loop*<br /><br />An easy way to create more, is by doing:<br /><br />for i in $(seq 0 255); do<br /> mknod -m0660 /dev/loop$i b 7 $i<br /> chown root.disk /dev/loop$i<br />done<br /><br />You can have up to 256 loop devices mounted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-76443773563635055582009-04-03T07:34:00.004+08:002009-05-12T16:59:12.625+08:00xserver-xorg-video-intel independent destopsI'm running Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex. I moved from Gutsy where I was running the i810 driver which allowed me to have independent desktops so I could have a number of independent workspaces on each of my two monitors.<br /><br />The i810 driver has been removed and is now considered depreciated.<br /><br />The intel driver does not support two independent desktops. The <a href="http://wiki.debian.org/XStrikeForce/HowToRandR12">XStrikeForce page on RandR</a> states that: "[there are] [n]o more multiple independent desktop[s]". There is a whole discussion about the intel driver and RandR.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I hit on the idea of opening up a virtual screen on the second monitor.<br /><br />Using tsclient, I can connect to the localhost using XDMP, and as long as I've allowed local connections and multiple logins, I can connect. However this only works with Xnest, not Xephyr.<br /><br />I wrote a <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/tsclient/+bug/217798">tiny wrapper script</a> that substitutes the geometry call with screen and it magically works.<br /><br /><h4 id="VI.6.Nomoremultipleindependentdesktop"></h4>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-7321107161752785052009-03-30T12:57:00.004+08:002009-05-12T16:59:29.987+08:00Shared MYOB installationAccording to MYOB support you cannot run a shared installation of MYOB, that is you cannot run it from a server.<br /><br />I beg to differ.<br /><br />This is what I did to make MYOB Premier v12 work on a shared drive:<br /><ol><li>Install MYOB on each workstation - this is so that the various bits and pieces that MYOB installs into the Windows directory are there. This step may well prove to be optional, but I didn't want to tempt fate.</li><li>Copy the C:\MYOB folder to a server drive.</li><li>Map the folder on the server to a drive for each workstation.</li><li>Update the short-cuts in the Start Menu to use that drive and to start in that drive and to point at the application on that drive. (I updated one, then copied the whole shortcuts folder to the server and replaced all the workstation copies with that folder.)<br /></li></ol>This will allow you to share your forms and letters across multiple users. I suspect there are issues with multiple users updating the same form at the same time, but in my case this was not going to be a problem.<br /><br />All users need full read/write permission to the drive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-86043695449193417012009-03-15T09:36:00.003+09:002009-05-12T17:00:26.250+08:00Thunderbird, Google Calendar under Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10To make Google Calendars visible and editable under Ubuntu Intrepid, you need to install three things:<br /><ol><li>sudo apt-get install libstdc++5</li><li>Download <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2313">Lightning</a> (v0.9)</li><li>Download <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4631">Provider for Google Calendar</a> (v0.5.1)</li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-71271953925562737522009-01-08T15:49:00.000+09:002010-10-13T10:10:02.827+08:00Satellite Internet SuspendedHard to believe but today I've officially suspended my Satellite Internet connection, packed up the dish and am now connected to the 'net with a Telstra (Netcomm) Bigpond Home Gateway (3G9WB).<br />
<br />
My costs stayed roughly the same ($130p/m), but instead of a 1024/256 kbit link and 10Gb of data, I now have a 7/2 mbit link with 10Gb of data.<br />
<br />
I've got a high-gain antenna attached to my gateway and set-up is now a case of plugging in the modem to 240 volt power and waiting 30 seconds for the modem to boot - beats the hell out of unpacking and building a mount, pointing a dish and setting up the electronics.<br />
<br />
It's the end of an era. The Gilat gear has stood me in good stead for many years, been stable and reliable and despite Optus' best efforts at poor customer support, their technicians in the BOC still have my full respect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-24697933396202782422008-10-07T14:39:00.006+08:002009-05-12T17:00:21.070+08:00The Information DelugeToday I realised why I'm feeling buried by the various companies that supply me with products and services – it's because I am.<br /><br />Case in point.<br /><br />Last week I received five letters from my bank. Most of the content was not applicable to me, was of no interest and hid the real information in between all the other paper.<br /><br />Here's what I got – all on the same day:<br /><ol><li>Direct marketing material about an insurance product. It came in an envelope on its own with a cover letter, an application form, a deduction authority form, a return envelope, a financial services guide and a 20 page product disclosure statement.<br /><br /></li><li>A credit card statement which contained a cover letter, the actual statement, an advertisement for a service that I already have enabled and a flier attempting to entice me to make me a fashion princess – never mind that I'm a bloke, have been all my life – no intention to change either.<br /><br /></li><li>An account statement, consisting of several pages of transactions, a warning notice on the second-last page and an advertisement for a good cause that the bank would like me to be interested in.<br /><br /></li><li>Another account statement, very brief, single page, but the back has the same advertisement for the same good cause that I am still not interested in.<br /><br /></li><li>And finally, an actual letter from my bank advising me that a service I requested has now been activated – never mind that the lead time is two months, but that's not really what this is all about.<br /></li></ol><br />So, in among this wad of paper – I've not gone to the trouble of actually counting pages, but there are many – there lurked some actual things that required action. I won't go into detail about what needed doing, suffice to say that some records needed updating.<br /><br />Now, this is just one service provider, my bank, on one day. It's true that I don't receive that much postal deluge from my bank each day, but the important information was hidden among all the other things I don't care about and seem to have little control over.<br /><br />Multiply this little experience with the same deluge from my telecommunications provider, my superannuation fund, the taxation department, my frequent flier membership, etc. You get the picture.<br /><br />I also run a business and get all manner of “information” sent to me from “suppliers” and other sundry sources. It's a veritable forest just arriving at my door.<br /><br />There's the additional 300 or so emails a day, but strangely enough, I seem to be able to wade through those a whole lot quicker than I can through the marketing muck that arrives in the post.<br /><br />Enough whining already. What can be done about this feast?<br /><br />Well, my idea is this. Perhaps my service providers could have a think about what they're sending out and find ways of actually managing the information flow. Huh?<br /><br />Ok, what if the bank were to take note of how many letters it sent me in any given period, let's say a month. During that month, there are going to be things that have different levels of importance, both to me and my bank. At the level of where the information gets transmitted into the postal system, the bank needs to put in place a means to throttle the information flow.<br /><br />The result of this is that I can have a better chance to absorb the information sent to me. Think of it as the way that teachers disseminate information, one chunk at a time.<br /><br />In addition to this management of the actual flood to my door – remembering that my bank is only one of those, there are other things the service provider could do to help me manage the flow.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why are all my statements not sent in the same envelope?</span><br /><br />I have several accounts with the bank. I get an envelope with a statement for each account – even if the accounts are linked. This is ludicrous.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why are pages and pages wasted with duplicate advertising?</span><br /><br />If you give me some information – in the form of advertising on one of my accounts, then it is silly to say the least to print out the same information for each account.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why is advertising and information on the same statement at all?</span><br /><br />I store all my statements, each comes with a helpful “page 1 of x”, and if I were to just throw out the advertising, then the statement would be missing a page and I wouldn't know if it was an actual statement page, or just advertising – so I store this rubbish – for seven years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why is a product advisory shipped with all the things I need if I were interested?</span><br /><br />I am bombarded with fliers, forms, disclosure statements and other rubbish when that information could be simply referred to in the cover letter and provided on-line with no need to cut down trees to send it to me and for me to throw it in the bin, mostly sight unseen.<br /><br />True to form I contacted my bank and attempted to impart my insight – with mixed success. The initial response was “I'll remove you from the direct marketing list” – while kind, it wasn't really what I was hoping to achieve. I then was told that the bank understood what I meant and that they would use the feedback to improve their services. In the mean-time I was directed to their web-site to do my research there. Ah well.<br /><br />Perhaps other service providers will take this on-board and perhaps the world might see flying pigs one day too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-3109456639619568452008-09-19T12:53:00.002+08:002009-05-12T17:00:14.733+08:00ThinkPad R52 - Firmware UpdateUsing Ubuntu Gutsy, updating the firmware is:<br /><ul><li>Download the DVD firmware - the .iso<br /></li><li>Download the HDD firmware - the .iso<br /></li><li>Download the BIOS firmware - the non disk version<br /></li><li>Download the Embedded Controller firmware - the non disk version<br /></li></ul>The BIOS and the Embedded Controller firmware need to be made into an .iso like this:<br /><ul><li>cabextract {filename}</li><li>mkiso -b {filename.IMG} -o isoName.iso {filename.IMG}</li></ul>This will give you four .iso files - burn them to disks, boot them one at a time - done.<br /><br />The instructions on the IBM site say, update the BIOS before updating the Embedded Controller.<br /><br />Useful links:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-58931#bios">http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-58931#bios</a></li><li><a href="http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/BIOS_Upgrade_Downloads">http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/BIOS_Upgrade_Downloads</a></li><li><a href="http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-62282.html">http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-62282.html</a></li><li><a href="http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-63596">http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-63596</a></li><li><a href="http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-59379">Lenovo Support & downloads - BIOS Update (Non-Diskette) - ThinkPad R52 (1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1958), T43 (1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876)</a></li><li><a href="http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-59439.html">Lenovo Support & downloads - Embedded Controller Program (Non-Diskette) - ThinkPad R52 (1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1958), T43 (1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876)</a></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3721435434056582107.post-23302427824708352322007-09-13T22:15:00.000+08:002007-09-17T13:41:52.361+08:00World Solar ChallengeIt's official.<br /><br />I've been asked to continue to maintain the web-site for the World Solar Challenge again this year in Adelaide. I'll be flying out to assist with the build of the Media Center, then keep the web-site up to date during the 20th Anniversary event which sees 55 teams driving from Darwin to Adelaide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com