User blog: Stuart Mealor

Wild sex in the sanctuary

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:39:46 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

[By DAVE BURGESS - The Dominion Post (New Zealand) | Saturday, 01 November 2008]

The first tuatara eggs have been laid in the wild on mainland New Zealand in more than 200 years.

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary staff accidentally unearthed four leathery white eggs during maintenance work near the sanctuary's predator-proof fence.

It is believed to be the first confirmed mainland nest since the 1700s when tuatara were wiped out by egg predators, especially rats.

Sanctuary conservation manager Raewyn Empson said tuatara were seen mating in April last year. "We knew of two suspected nests but didn't want to disturb them to confirm whether or not they contained eggs.

"[This] is the first concrete proof we have that our tuatara are breeding. It suggests that there may be other nests in the sanctuary we don't know of." She said the discovery "takes the cake" in what has been achieved at the sanctuary.

It is likely that there are more than four eggs in the nest as an average clutch is 10.

The tuatara could hatch anytime from now till March and would care for themselves.

Old Muscat

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:19:24 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Old Muscat is quite picturesque.

Muscat at night

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:17:26 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Muscat at night - quite atmospheric

Omani keyboard

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:13:00 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Luckily, most people in Oman also speak English in addition to Arabic...
... I'm not sure how good my typing would have been otherwise

SQU sign

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:09:46 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Items like this at Sultan of Qaboos University remind you quickly you are in the Middle East...

SQU

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:07:08 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

This week I was presenting at the first Moodle Moot in the Middle East in Muscat, Oman.
The event was organised by and hosted at the Sultan of Qaboos University (SQU).

Emirates Airlines

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:04:24 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I have found over the years that Emirates Airlines is the best.
They have some older planes, which are very average.
But most of them, the newer ones, are fantastic.
The in flight entertainment system, called 'ICE' is the best - its excellent.
And the staff on my flight from NZ to Muscat Oman spoke 10 languages!
When the cabin lights were dimmed I noticed stars on the ceiling - very nice indeed.

Bangkok Novatel bedroom

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:00:12 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

...not what I was expecting in the bathroom...
a view straight into the bedroom... interesting...

Bangkok Novatel

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:57:58 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I rate this hotel as 9/10 - virtually perfect facilities and service.
This is the reception area... quite impressive.

Cuddle a Koala day

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:06:04 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

OK, so it's not an official day!
(Or maybe there is one in Australia?)

When I first visited Oz around 10 years ago I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (the first and largest Koala sanctuary in Australia).
I cuddled a Koala called Conner then.
This time cuddled Berkely!

First Moot in the Middle East Gulf region

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:03:55 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I'm really proud to be involved in this!
I think a number of Middle East countries, given their strong economies, will be a large growth region for Moodle use over the next few years.
Nice to be in there at the beginning seeing the unique and varied challenges for this region of the world.

LearnX Australia 09

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:23:34 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

After a number of years threatening to go to the biggest training conference in Asia-Pacific, next I'm going... in fact - there I am down the bottom ! Nearly famous these days! lol

Loomsters

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:16:17 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Do you know what a Loomster is?
I didn't until a few months ago.
This is 'slang' so not in dictionaries apparently!
It's the 'longest chip in a serving'
As you can see, we have found one that is longer than a fork!
(But because forks vary in length we will use credit cards from now on).

Sand carving

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:14:13 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Saw this today in a Mall in Glenfield (Auckland) - very cool !

Universities in New Zealand

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:03:30 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, this backs up what I've been saying.
Further and Higher Education institutes in NZ are too busy patting themselves on the back instead of actually getting out there and competing effectively on the world stage.
Sure, there are 'pockets of excellence' in New Zealand.
But there needs to be far more done.
Amalgamating some of the Polytechnics would be a good start.
And merging a couple of the Universities a positive step.
Too much money, much of it used on assets such as buildings, with half empty classrooms.
Re-think required for NZ Ltd.
Will it change with the next government? Probably not.
This is one of the times I am really unhappy to be right.

Looking forward to Moodle Moot in Roma

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:22:33 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I left Europe 7 years ago, and haven't been back - despite lots of travel to other places.
So presenting at the Moodle Moot in Rome (Roma) is fantastic! (although with my flights in and out I'm only going to have two evenings free - and they will probably fill up with meetings - but it's still good to go eh?

Open ICDL for OLPC

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:29:56 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

OK, well this is quite a challenge...

I would really like us (HRD Moodle Partner) to contribute to the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) initiative. But we don't have the programmers internally to contribute code, so what can we do? As we are authorised by ICDL to provide International Computer Driving Licence training in Moodle (the only organisation in Asia-Pacific to have this!) I am thinking we should create an ICDL curriculum for the OLPC environment - so teachers in these areas can certify.

As a first stage we have had the OPENICDL project approved (see screenshot) - cool !

Now we've got to put our thinking caps on...

Teens and Technology

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:48:41 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

USA survey.
Like we sooooo didn't know this you know?

I mean like it's not totally rad. Duh.

93 percent say internet rather than TV.
71 percent say texting rather than instant messaging.
69 percent say magazines rather than blogs.
65 percent say Mac rather than the PC.
57 percent say Facebook rather than MySpace.

Vodafone continue ripping off Kiwis

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:18:40 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

OK, so we all know and accept New Zealand Telecom abuse their position of power.
But it seems that Vodafone are sadly little better.

The new Apple iPhone was launched yesterday as:
$200 for the 8Gb model on a 24 month contract at $250 per month with 1Gb of data.
That's $6,000+ over two years!
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/iphone/8gb-black.jsp
I'm sure/hope this page will be changing soon

Compare this with what I found in San Francisco last month...
$400 (USD) for the phone, and $20 (USD) a month for unlimited data.

Not only does New Zealand have to cope with one of the worst telecoms infrastructures in the OECD, but also the telecoms companies continuing to exploiting their positions.
What them wriggle on NZTV:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/CampbellLive/tabid/367/articleID/62352/cat/84/Default.aspx

Skype getting ahead of itself...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:33:17 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well you know I like Skype.
OK, so the Apple Mac version has hardly any free extensions.
And the Linux version lags even further behind.
But I did find the following quite amusing... see image...
It can now telling me I will miss a call tomorrow !

Browsers and security

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:29:19 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Here's an interesting graph - which shows how insecure people are when on the internet.
Of course, Microsoft Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser by people who know nothing about computers, so that's why it is so high.

[Source: www.barhackademix.net]

Maths

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:36:31 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

This made me laugh... why did I never think of that at school?

Molly photo

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:03:26 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

It was pretty difficult to get a good photo of Molly.
Her black bits were so, well, black(!) that she faded in against backgrounds.
Hopefully you can see here she was 'classical looking'

Molly

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:52:38 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Molly RIP 19??-2008
Molly was a wild cat and rescued from Parnell in Auckland.
She lived with us for 5 years and got more and more confident and friendly over the years.
Everyone said she had classical good looks.

Moodle Majlis in Muscat Oman

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:21:22 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well I'm really quite excited to be a guest at the Moodle Majlis in Muscat, Oman, at Sultan Qaboos University - I feel it's quite an honor!
I'll have to do a day's reading on money, transport, food, customs, protocols, etc.
October is going to be busy with lots of international travel!

Vodafone $1 a day for 10Mb

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:23:00 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Can this be true?
That's what my txt message said... so I called the information line.

From July 28th
Low casual rate for data on mobile
$1.00 a day for upto 10Mb !
+$1.00 Mb over the allowance of 10Mb

I'm guessing this is in readiness for the iPhone launch in NZ?

This is what it cost before this change:

Mobile data plans for your mobile

If you regularly use your mobile for email, online applications or web browsing, you should get onto a Vodafone mobile data plan. All of them come with included megabytes, which you can match to your requirements to ensuring you get the best possible value.

BlackBerry devices have their own BlackBerry email and web plans.

Are these mobile data plans for me?

These plans are designed for use with handheld devices, for example:

If you regularly use your mobile for email, internet or company network access.
If you occasionally use your mobile to connect your computer or laptop to the Internet. (If you're regularly using your mobile to connect your laptop or home computer, see our high-speed mobile broadband plans).

How much do they cost to add to an existing On Account mobile plan?

Plan	Monthly access fee	Included data	Additional Cost per MB	Type of Usage
Casual	$0.00	0 MB	$11.25	Very occasional email or internet access.
Mobilise Data 3MB	$11.25	3 MB	$2.25	Check your inbox about once per day and read short emails.
Mobilise Data 15MB	$21.38	15 MB	$1.69	Check your inbox several times daily, read and write brief emails.
Broadband Starter	$39.95	200 MB	$0.50	Always on mobile email (including Microsoft Exchange Mobile ActiveSync) and web browsing. Occasional use of your phone as a modem*.
Broadband Everyday	$59.95	1 GB	$0.50	As above but with regular usage of your phone as a modem.
Broadband Pro	$79.95	3 GB	$0.50	Heavy regular usage of your phone as a modem.

All prices include GST and are subject to change at any time without notice.

Martin at Moodle Moot San Francisco

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:01:42 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Last week I was at the Moodle Moot conference in San Francisco.
One of the biggest audiences I've seen at a Moot - maybe 300+
This is Martin getting ready to dazzle everyone

Journey to San Francisco

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:07:13 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I'm at the Moodle Moot in San Francisco this week.

I finally watched Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring) on the flight.
What did I think?
As I expected - disappointing. Yes it was visually impressive.
It didn't engage me as much as the book when I was young.
Characters were fairly weak.

I also watched a very funny (and clever) kids movie - Horton hears a Who (from Dr Suess' book)
http://www.hortonmovie.com/site/index.html
It's definitely one of those kids films that works on an adult level also, and the musical finale is very clever indeed.

Sunflower competition

Tue, 20 May 2008 08:33:55 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Myself, Haidee and Pat had a sunflower growing competition.
Everyone laughed at mine at first.
But... in the end... I had the best flower (in the middle).
Haidee's was 2nd best.
Pat's effort is on the right.
Ahhhhh, bless.

Laleh Seddigh

Sat, 17 May 2008 20:54:04 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I saw a very interesting story on "Sunday" - a great current affairs TV programme here in New Zealand. The story was about Laleh Seddigh - a young female racing driver in Iran.

I used to do a bit of racing back in the Isle of Man, and if I had a daughter I would have no problems supporting a girl in a male-dominated sport like this. But of course, in Iran, Laleh has many cultural barriers to overcome - and is not always successful.

I'm not sure whether I warmed to this story because Laleh is, let's be honest, a very attractive young lady. Or maybe there are echoes of Danica Patrick and the Indy Car series (Danica created history on 19th April 2008 by winning the Japan Indy 300 - the first female driver to ever win an IndyCar race! http://www.danicaracing.com)

Maybe it is even simpler than that. Maybe I just like her because I always like the 'rebel' who pushes the limits

Anyway, check out her site: http://www.lalehseddigh.net/

Dinner

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:30:57 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

When I first got my iPhone I added an app that basically encouraged everyone to take a photo of what they were eating. I had this today...

Sign of the times

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:35:06 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

And this sign I don't understand at all.
Although I love its sense of urgency.
I wonder how many cars screech to a halt,
As weary motorists 'panic' buy' cheese?

Just a sign

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:36:09 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

When I travel from Auckland to the Bay of Islands (quite a frequent drive) I often pass this sign.
I didn't know Silver Fern and Ponga was the same thing.

End of season on The Rock

Tue, 06 May 2008 08:39:59 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

The Rock in a bit of an institution in Bay of Islands.
Thousands of visitors to NZ have been on it.
Peter and Stacee (neighbours) have now sold it.
This was the end-of-season party. Very nice

A great venue for Moodle Moot NZ08

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:30:44 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Last week I visited the Eastern Institute of Teachnology (EIT) in Napier, Hawkes Bay.

This was the first opportunity to meet Joyce Sietzinger and the EIT Moodle Moot committee.

I have to say that the EIT campus is a really nice location for the conference - with great facilities and rooms - it's going to be a joy for delegates !

International Space Station

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:51:41 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

The International Space Station passed over New Zealand twice this week - and was clearly visible. In fact it sped across the sky from horizon to horizon in about 3 minutes!

It looked like a VERY bright star moving.

Unfortunately the photos aren't as a good
You can just about make out a brighter pixel in the lower right quadrant! lol

Camping and haircut

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:51:05 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I spent the night camping in a tent.
Honey (the cat) came to wake me.
Previously that day I had availed myself of the worst haircut of 2008 since Rowan Atkinson created Blackadder.

New cacti flowers 1

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:58:01 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Yes, I know it's sad, and not in keeping with the rest of my personality - (e.g. I hate gardening) but I think cacti are so cool - and I'm always amazed at their flowers (when they actually flower!).

Here's some photos of a couple of recent ones...

And a final one

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:57:40 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

And a final one

And another...

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:57:03 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

And another...

Police in concert at Western Springs

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:23:42 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, last night we went to The Police concert at Western Springs in Auckland.
To say it was awesome is an under-statement.
Rates as highly as Simple Minds did
I'm not into the Rolling Stones, so the only 'supergroups' left to see are U2, Genesis (if they do a tour) and possibly Yes(?) - although I have seen Rick Wakeman, and of course he lived in the Isle of Man at the same time as I did.
Photos from my iPhone (most were too shakey).
If you get the chance to see them - don't think about it - just GO!

Green lipped mussels

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:19:21 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

These photos are for Dave - he loves them.
They are good for supple joints apparently.
In the UK they are soooo small.
In NZ I get some from my next door neighbour that are too big to fit in a pot!

Superbowl XLII

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:44:40 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

There is a saying in America Football...
"Offense wins games, Defense wins Superbowl"
Never was this proved more true than this year's Superbowl between the New England Patriot's and the New Year Giants.
New England have had the perfect season - 18 wins and no losses - that's every game of the regular season and the play-offs to the final.
Only the 1972 Miami Dolphins have previously won every game of the season and the Superbowl.
The New England Patriots have won the superbowl 3 times in the last 7 years.
And now a perfect season.
So they had to win the final right?
Wrong.
Amazingly.
The New York Giants defense was awesome against a Patriot's offense which is high-scoring in the extreme.
And the Giants offensive line were on top from the beginning to the end, giving Patriot's quarterback no time.
The New York Giants' thrilling win over the New England Patriots was the most-watched Super Bowl ever, with 97.5 million viewers. More people watched Sunday's game than all but one American television broadcast ever, the "M-A-S-H" finale in 1983, which was seen by 106 million viewers.

Diet

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:12:53 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Some advice from a doctor.

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise . Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: You're not listening....Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable. It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! !

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, 'Woohoo, what a ride!'

Moodle Moot NZ08

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:45:27 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, this is fairly good evidence that I must be completely mad.

HRD have agreed to organise the Moodle Moot in New Zealand in 2008 (after doing it in 2007). Well, we are a Moodle Partner so need to do some hard work now and again!

To be honest, organising last years event was an absolute pleasure.
(The administration that goes with it was an absolute nightmare - but we learned a lot).

So, it is with great pleasure I can note that the Moodle Moot NZ08 will take place on 8th-10th October, and will be hosted by Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) Hawke's Bay. Joyce Seitzinger (e-learning advisor at Hawke's Bay) will be acting as the venue coordinator (she must be mad too!).

Catalyst IT (the other Moodle Partner in New Zealand) are proud to be a major sponsor once again, and we look forward to their input and some great presentations and workshops!

We've also got someone by the name of Martin Dougiamas coming ... you may have heard of him? Quite knowledgeable about Moodle apparently...

Here we go again...

Kawakawa train

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:50:18 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I've always liked trains - it's a boy thing I think?
I really like going to Wellington from Auckland on the Overlander.
And I used to take the steam train from Port Erin to Douglas in the Isle of Man at least once a year (maybe more often if I had visitors).
- Did you know the Isle of Man trains were used in the Thomas the Tank movie?

Not far from Paihia is a town called Kawakawa, and they have been restoring a train and track ever since I've been here, and I'm suer longer. I've never seen it move before - then yesterday there it is in the middle of the road! Cool

The future...

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:59:44 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Most of the time I find reading web forum and message boards fairly uninteresting.

I fell across this post today and it did make me think...

Very interesting news: There's a new computer company coming soon. It will make Microsoft seem like any other software company, and it will make Apple seem like just any other computer maker. We will have an implementation of the Internet (still a free database with no owner), with features that not even Internet2 can surpass or equal. Its a software company. Its a hardware company. it does wide-range cellular wireless internet, satellite communications, very cheap handheld computers which are as powerful as their wire-based predecessor processors, and more. I will not release any more information than that I will be the president of the company, and it will start (hopefully) between January 2015 and December 2035, and this is so new information that I dont have a company website or 800 number. And I am only 12 yrs. old.

[Source: http://douweosinga.com/projects/googlerandomimage]

Open air cinema

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:51:24 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Last night we went to the open air cinema in Paihia.
To watch the Simpsons movie.

iPhone the most Googled word in 2007

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:53:59 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I wonder if Britney Spears (whoever she is?) or Pamela Anderson (I have seen Baywatch) are sad that the most searched for name on Google this year is "iPhone" ?

The editors at tech.com.uk report that Google Zitgeist 2007, the “list of the most popular search terms it processed in” 2007 “has just been made public and, as expected, is topped by everybody’s favourite gadget, Apple’s iPhone. The iconic device was the fastest-rising search term both globally and in the US, which is where most of Google’s stats are drawn from.”

Of course, as you are probably completely bored of hearing about, I got my iPhone before Christmas, but I think a few more people will get their's in the New Year...

According to Jonny Evans (Macworld), “iPhones are the most popular mobiles on the Christmas wish lists of 13 to 25-year-olds in the US.” As he explains, “the statistics drawn from the survey of 1,175 Gen-Y consumers are a ’bellwether for up-and-coming consumer trends,’ said Murtaza Hussain, chief executive officer at Peanut Labs.”

TIME - iPhone is THE device of the year

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:49:50 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

OK, so I was right
...and you ll wondered why I was banging on about how good my iPhone is !

Saying that iPhone “changed the way we think about how mobile media devices should look, feel and perform,” Time Magazine put iPhone at the top of its list of “Top 10 Gadgets.” iPhone’s design, Time says, “is exceptional inside and out: It’s got a slick glass-and-stainless steel case and an elegant touch screen loaded with eye candy. It’s an iPod and a 2-megapixel camera. Images and video clips display vertically or horizontally—they reorient themselves depending on how you hold the thing. When the phone detects a wireless network within range—your own home wi-fi set up or somebody else’s—it lets you tap once to connect, and then proceed with your Web surfing, Google mapping, emailing and other activities.”

My Apple iPhone now working in NZ on Vodafone

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:15:02 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, I did it (with some help from a techie with a second pair of eagles eyes!)

After much downloading, hacking, and spending of $$$'s I've got my Apple iPhone working on Vodaphone in New Zealand.

Using the TurboSIM and cutting the Vodafone SIM seemed very easy - but the actual amount to cut was critical - the Vodafone SIM is slightly different proportions to the original AT&T card, so that caused problems getting TurboSIM to accurately align.

So, was it worth it?

Oh yes!

Just the way it displays the history of SMS messages is fantastic - it looks like a Skype / IM conversation on screen - very usable.

I'll post an update after I've been using it for a month

iPhone and TurboSIM

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:13:56 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, I got my TurboSIM.

So, I spent a couple of hours hacking my phone back to firmware 1.1.1.
And then Jailbreak.
And then upgrade to 1.1.2
And then hacked (errr physically cut!) my Vodafone SIM.
But it doesn't seem to line up as the iPhone reports "No SIM"
Hopefully after some peer analysis tomorrow it will be going!

I've got an iPhone

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:12:43 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Yep, arrived yesterday and I managed a whole two hours before unwrapping it.
Spent 8 hours trying to hack the firmware, but it's the new 1.1.2 and very difficult.
Lots of restores, downgrades, patched and resets, but basically couldn't get it working.
So, back in the box for a few days till I have more time.
Got to find my iPod Touch again now ! ......

iPhone from Tauranga

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:12:14 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Well, my friend didn't bring me an iPhone back from the UK
She couldn't buy one without a contract.

So I decided to buy one online from the UK Apple site.
I've still got a UK credit card and friends to use as the delivery address.

However, you can't buy one on the site with a contract either!
So GBP279 becomes GBP515 (!) with an 18 month contract - around NZ$1,500 !
I saw one in Auckland for sale at Parallel Importers for $1,100 and thought that was too much - but $1,500!

So, off to ToshComputers of Tauranga.
They are buying them direct from the USA (not sure how?) and selling in NZ for $899+GST.
Bargain.
Put my order in, now waiting...
Next shipment due early next week...

Living with an iTouch

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:11:35 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

So I bought an iPod Touch two weeks ago.
I am still impressed with it.
How much?
Well, I am ordering an iPhone from the UK next week!

280 quid
= NZ$750
+ postage

I'd never carry an mp3 player around with me.
I'd never carry a digital camera around with me.
I'd never carry a PDA around with me.
But, put all that in a phone (which I do ccary around with me), with WiFi, sync'ed contacts and calendars, and it's something I don't want to live without.

First time I have been excited leading up to Christmas in years !

iMovie and VisualHub

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:10:49 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

A couple of people have asked how we created the movie clips use in the MoodleBites courses.

We used iMovie on an Apple MacBook Pro laptop - it has the built in i-Sight camera which works quite well (although the microphone sound isn't great). Also, important to remember to turn down the speaker volume when recording, otherwise you get feedback or at least the high frequencies being picked up again.
Adding the titles and soundtrack are added in iMovie (although Garage band could do the same job).
The file was exported as a 320x240 .mov file.
We then used VisualHub for the Mac to convert the .mov to a flash video format .swf
This is really easy - just drag and drop!

Voila !

Telecom Xtra - worst ISP 5 years running

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:10:29 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

OK, this is a sad excuse for a well thought out blog entry. Having been frustrated by Telecom, and the governments complete inability to manage Teresa Gatting, it's so pleasing to see Xtra publically embarassed. This, despite their constant rhetoric and marketing machine spin that would have us believe (as if anyone still does) that they are doing a great job of helping NZ become a first-world country in terms of broadband and connectivity. We're not.

Media release: ISP survey reveals unprecedented dissatisfaction with broadband

5-Nov-2007

Consumer's latest ISP survey of almost 10,000 internet users has revealed unprecedented dissatisfaction with Xtra and internet services in general in New Zealand.

The survey found Xtra was rated the worst ISP by consumer.org.nz subscribers for the third year running. Less than half of Xtra subscribers were happy with its service. Only 42 percent rated Xtra's performance as "good" or "very good" overall, and this number dropped to a meagre 36 percent after Xtra's highly publicised Yahoo Bubble email fiasco. 25 percent rated Xtra's performance as "poor" or "very poor", by far the greatest level of dissatisfaction with any ISP in New Zealand.

Consumer CEO Suzanne Chetwin says that while Telecom has repeatedly mentioned improving services for broadband users, that hasn't translated into the reality for most consumers.

Broadband users have been promised so much in terms of faster speeds, larger data caps, and cheaper pricing. But our survey shows that most customers think they're getting a rough deal. And compared with overseas, there's no doubt they are.

The story from Telecom has been, 'Just wait, faster broadband is coming. Wait a little longer.' But the deadline is always pushed out - a year, two years, or the latest statement from Telecom is that faster broadband will be available to everyone in around four years' time. Customers are tired of paying exorbitant prices while waiting for things to improve.

Telecom was forced to repay around $8.5 million earlier this year to subscribers on its Go Large plan. The Commerce Commission investigation initiated by Consumers' Institute found that customers had been misled regarding unlimited download speeds and unlimited data usage.

In addition to Xtra's poor performance in the survey, many customers of other ISPs, such as Orcon and Slingshot openly criticised Telecom for their ISP's performance.

Other common complaints in the survey included poor customer service, long waits for technical support, and the difficulty of changing ISP.

Of the 16 major ISPs in New Zealand, the top ranking provider was Inspire, with 94 percent of its customers happy with its performance. Inspire has rated as the best ISP for four years in a row. Actrix and Maxnet also rated extremely well.

Our survey should encourage the good providers that they're on the right track, and spur the poor providers into improvement.

Broadband customers are starting to vote with their feet. As LLU rolls out and more choice is available to customers, some ISPs should be very scared about how they've treated their customers.

Executive Director of InternetNZ, Keith Davidson, agrees and says the results of our survey are very useful.

"Internet users are getting more sophisticated in their ability to differentiate providers on the basis of quality of services, a distinct change from not so long ago when price was the prevalent differentiation point."

NZ Polytechnic and University websites are shameful

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:09:27 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

It's Sunday afternoon.

I'm watching V8 supercars on TV while trying to find e-learning courses in New Zealand, you know, like a prospective student would.

Today I looked at Massey, UNITEC, and Lincoln University.

I'm now a curious mixture of angry and dismayed.

OK, so Massey score a point for listing papers as Web-support or Web-enhanced.
However, they don't get the the bonus points because there is no explanation of what these mean.
Yes, you know, I know, but are you seriously expecting a prospective student to know ???
With no link to an explanation ?

As for the elusive web-based... I could find nothing.
And I mean nothing.

So after the TEC eCDF, Growth and Innovation, government TeLRF etc. what do we actually have?
Well, we've got more web 'portals' than you shake a stick at.
We've got various groups of interchangeable people floating around and popping=up for lunch in groups such as DEANZ, TIANZ, FLLINZ...
We've got e-learning standards, models, frameworks.
We've got people measuring and auditing.

But you know what we don't have?
We don't have results.

Despite all the efforts (read funding) and people slapping each other on the back in self-congratulation, Polytechnics and Universities in New Zealand should be hanging their heads in shame.

It's not ALL their fault.
What type of world is it where government funds e-learning collaboration and development, and then says to Polytechnics they can't sell their courses outside their region ???
Yes, they can still sell overseas.
But why can't they provide courses in other NZ areas ?
We don't live in bubble.
Or do we ?
Someone, somewhere, should be thrown out onto the street for such stunningly stupid policies.

This regional protectionist strategy only works so far.

And potential students can increasingly select a real online e-learning course from Australia, or the UK for example.

When the quality and flexibility of a course matters more to the client than the 'student loan', NZ Polytechnics and Universities will drop like dominoes.

I won't be crying.

Freemind updated

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:06:31 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

I noticed that Freemind is updated to version 0.9.0 Beta on 21st October.

I still think this is the best cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) mind-mapping tool.
The only downside being that it does require Java to be installed.
Even so, it's not too slow.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Wink

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:04:58 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

Wink is a piece of tutorial and presentation creation software that allows you to capture the screen and create .swf files (Flash).

It's primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc).

Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc. and generate a highly effective online tutorial.

These can be easily embedded in Moodle as it has a built in multimedia filter that recognises flash ccontent.

http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

It's FREE for Windows and Linux

Freemind

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:04:46 GMT

by Stuart Mealor.

When it comes to Mind Mapping tools there are quite a few out there osuch as the commercial MindManager, Inspiration, MindGenius, Visual Mind and MindMapper.

None of these are hugely expensive, but none of them are also multi-platform and Open Source as with Freemind.

FreeMind is written in Java, so it will run on almost any system, as long as that system has a Java runtime environment (JRE).

Features:

Fully functional following of HTML links stored in the nodes, be it www links or links to local files.
From very early versions, Freemind supports folding which is its essential property.
Fast one-click navigation, including folding / unfolding on one click and following links on one click at the same time (you don't have to make choice between fast following of links and fast fold/unfold). You can move the map by dragging the map's background as well as using mouse wheel.
Undo
Smart Drag'n Drop, including the possibility to copy nodes or copy style of nodes; dragging and dropping of multiple selected nodes; dropping of texts or list of files from outside
Smart copying and pasting into, including pasting of links from HTML or structuring the pasted content on the basis of the number of leading spaces in a line; pasting of lists of selected files
Smart copying and pasting from, including plain text and RTF (MS Wordpad, MS Word, MS Outlook messages).
Export of map to HTML, with folding
Find facility, where found items are shown one by one as you do "find next", and the map is unfolded only for the current item.
Possibility to use and edit long multi-line nodes; even with newlines
Possibility to decorate nodes with built-in icons, colors and different fonts.

Versions of Freemind are available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux (Debian .deb and Suse RPM based).

The link to Freemind is on sourceforge.net
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Other free mind mapping applications are Thinkgraph (Windows), VYM - View Your Mind (Mac OS, Linux, FreeBSD) and Semantik(for Linux only, previously known as Kdissert).