Windows XP and "invalid boot disk" message

This happened to the partner of a work colleague on his main computer.

Absolute bummer!

"Oh crap", I thought, "this might need a repair install..... *groan*"

But all is not lost!

Reboot the PC with the original XP cdrom.
Move through the screens till you get to the point of installing Windows XP, or using the "Recovery Console"

DO NOT choose the 'R' option to use the Recovery Console.
Just press Enter to install XP. (Don't worry - this is what this post is all about....)

Eventually, after accepting the license agreement and such, you'll be presented with a screen that shows you the current XP installation.

Here's where it all went wrong for my work colleague's partner.

There were no options to select the current XP installation. Bad news I thought. His disk is crapped out - looks like a new disk at worst, a re-installation at best.

But NO!

Somewhere in that series of screens will be something that shows what the current Setup thinks is the current disk configuration, and the current XP installation.

In the case of my work colleague's machine, his *external* USB drive was showing up as Drive C:
His recently bootable internal hard drive was showing up as Drive D:, and there was no identifiable XP installation.

"This is not right", I thought.

SO! What to do?

....
....
...
....
....
....
....
....
....

Yes. Unplug the external USB hard drive and reboot.

Lo and behold and thanks to whatever diety you worship!

His Windows XP PC booted just fine and dandy.

Plugged the USB hard drive back in, and everything was back to normal.

Good stuff.

Debugging an activex dll called from a classic asp page.....

in the Visual Basicv 6 IDE used to work so easily before all the security updates from MS made it a lot harder.

I had an idea for a web app that I could run on my webserver here, but wanted the flexibility of single-stepping through my code in VB6 instead of having to put lots of response.write statements in the classic asp code.

Basically, calling an ActiveX DLL requires the following code in the asp page:

<%

Dim oObject

Set oObject = Server.CreateObject("Project1.Class1")

Response.Write oObject.DoSomething

Set oObject = nothing

%>

That's all the asp page needs to be - the rest of the code is in the Class1 module of the Project1 project. All fine so far.

So anyway, to be able to actually debug in the VB6 IDE, you need to follow the instructions here:

But I still couldn't get it to work. Here's my solution:

Put a breakpoint on a line of code in your AxDLL.

Start your project (Ctrl-F5)

Start Regedit.

Find the Project1.Class1 key in HKLM\Software\Classes

Right click it.

Select Permissions.

Click Add.

Type "everyone" (the everyone group)

Click Ok.

Select the Everyone entry.

Click the Allow checkbox to the right of the Full Control label.

Click Ok.

Browse to the asp file in a web browser.
With any luck, the VB6 IDE will now be active and you can step through the code.

Press F5 to continue running and return the result back to the asp page.

You should see your results.

Now, stop your project.

Refresh the RegEdit page.

See how the Project1.Class1 entry has disappeared? Bummer isn't it? You'll have to go through the process of granting Everyone Full Control each and every time you run your AxDLL project, but hey, its a small price to pay to get it to break in the IDE from your asp page.

Hope this helps someone, somewhere.

Oh! And by the way, this is only meant for development on your local machine. Once you've got the AxDLL finalised, you can then compile and register it for real on your web server machine. Once you've done that, you'll need to give full rights to the HKLM\Software\Classes Project1.Class1 key to IUSR_???? and the NETWORK service - I think. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Glenda will do it herself...

I have heard of Glenda Watson Hyatt before.

I decided to type out the first paragraph of her most recent blog post using just my left thumb, as Glenda does. So here goes: current time: 5:05pm.

"In this economic downturn, it's easy to ignore and forget individuals who are truly in need, those who are struggling to find food to eat and a warm place to sleep. But, this is exactly the time when they are in need the most, to know that they are not alone and that others still care."

Time now: 5:08pm. (Italics and inverted commas added by me at the end) - I have no idea how Glenda manages bold and italics in a blog post.

Anyway, it took me just over three minutes to type that one paragraph with one thumb.

If you think you're having problems, spare a moment to think about all the other people in the world who have way many more problems than you.

He finally did it!

The Nearest Book

"Again, nothing by itself is a huge matter, but it adds up, and it's all non-billable."

from The Software Developers Guide, 3rd Edition.

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall or on your blog.

Its a bit of fun.
Grab another book and do it again.

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Human beings are the most....

pathetic species on the planet.

Why?

The only thing that separates us from the animals is our brain.
So why does that make us pathetic?

A little story first.

I was just outside, having a glass of wine and a cigarette, looking the the rain falling into our pool. (Sorry I don't have a picture - my camera is crap at night-time)

I saw a frog swimming around in our pool.

I thought, "what a great life you have - no societal worries on your back (or on your mind)"

As long as that frog has breath, it'll just do what it needs to do to survive.

Think about that for a moment.

Imagine this:

Don't go to sleep in your bed tonight.
Try and sleep outside (regardless of weather) or even, in the closest hallway or corridor near your bedroom. That's right - no mattress, no blankets, no covering whatsoever.

At the very minimum, I can guarantee that you'll want to keep your socks on (let alone a t-shirt and/or shorts) - trust me - been there done that.....:)

I wonder how long you'll last before you have to come inside into the warmth of your home, or your bedroom, let alone your nice soft warm bed.

Ok, now its a new day. Go out into the sunshine all day - forget the sunscreen, the hat, the long sleeves.

Now go to bed outside in the elements - with only socks, shorts and t-shirt (or as you did the night before)

Wake up in the morning - go out with no sunscreen, hat or long sleeves.

Do this cycle for a week.

Are you beginning to get a picture here?

We humans are completely reliant on our brains to get us through - we cannot survive the way we're made, nor the way our skin is, nor any natural way that you can think of.

If we are left to the elements without protection, we die.

We die.

Its as simple as that.

Yet a little frog in my swimming pool will be there tomorrow morning, just like the birds who sing in the trees, just like the Christmas beetle that flew past me this afternoon.

Their lives may be a lot shorter than mine, but at least they live their lives in the best way they can - to survive and to adapt to their surroundings so that they do survive.

I thought that was pretty special.

Can you survive this current global financial turmoil?
Can you adapt to the challenges that face you?

How?, you ask?

Use your brain, I say!

Your brain is the most specialised instrument you have - don't waste it!
Educate yourself - start today!

You can do it! YOU CAN!

Get out from in front of the TV.
Go for a walk around your local suburb.
Look around you.
Opportunities abound!

They absolutely do - you only need to remove the blinkers on your eyes, and see the world in all its splendour to realise that you absolutely can make a difference - not only to your own life, but to everyone around you.

And your brain is the thing that will bring you abundance.

That small grayish lumpy thing that sits inside your skull is the absolute key to all your dreams. Nurture it, feed it, do anything you can for it to grow and show you a whole new way of living.

You have the capability - you do.

Now, get out there and make the most of each and every day - because you have the most powerful weapon ever bestowed on a human being: the human brain.

You can waste and destroy it, or you can treasure and grow it.

The choice is yours, and yours alone.

So are you willing to move from pathetic to outstanding?

I am.

Come and join the journey - I would love to have you by my side.

Get your head out of your...

asinine thinking.

Global financial crisis?

You work, don't you?
You actually have a job, do you?
And you're doing it tough?

OMG.

You have no idea of how people who have a very limited income survive.

And yet you whinge and bitch about how bad you have it.

I'll say it again - OMG.

Get over yourself.

I had the absolute pleasure the other day of helping a family friend buy a new laptop.

This friend is 86 years old.

Read that again.

86 years old.

I'm "in computers". I don't have a problem helping a family friend buy a new laptop. I'll put in a couple of hours to help this family friend.

What absolutely blew me away was the "compensation" that this family friend paid me.

I was quite willing to do this for nothing, however, I received a card, with an amount of money inside, from this family friend.

Now, understand this.

This is a family friend. Not a relative. No ties to the family at all. And who is 86 years old.

This family friend, 86 years old, still found the money to give me for the work I did.

So I ask: if someone, at 86 years old, who doesn't work, and has no other income source, is actually prepared to compensate me for my time, what does that say about the rest of you who do have a job, or own a business, or have some sort of income, and you need something done?

Why won't you spend your money?

Ok, so you don't know how to do a certain thing. Ok - I agree. (Hell, I don't know how to change a fan belt thingy on my V6 Magna) but do I try and do it myself?

No I don't.

I pay someone to do it for me.

Granted, there are a lot of "cowboys" out there (in every industry), who will make themselves out to be your saviour, but, get some references.

Ask for references. Phone those references. Make your own decision about who you pay for whatever service you require.

But - if you want to keep it in-house, remember this: you're still paying, in time if not in dollars, for someone to do the work. And when the work required is not what you're actually paying that person for, and the result takes a day or two to resolve, have you really saved yourself any money?

What if staff can't print?
What if staff can't access the Internet?
Can you really wait until someone on staff who "knows" something, actually gets around to getting in and fixing whatever problem you have? (And what happens when they have to admit to themselves that they don't really know how to fix said problem, and have to call someone else to help them? Just to save you a few dollars, or more importantly, to hide their inadequacy?)

Its a false economy. And what about out of hours? Do you really want to call someone in of a Sunday evening (who purports to know how to do stuff) at 9pm? Are you willing to compensate them for their out-of-hours time? Are they willing to give up their Sunday evening to help the organisation out, just because they "know" a thing or two?

Probably not on both counts.

Back to our family friend.

Given that our family friend found the money to compensate me for my time, (without me asking) I will now say: "If you want something done, I will charge you."

Our family friend found the money (without being asked) - why not you?

I guess it comes back to my old time rant and rave. Education.

If you want to save money, then go and educate yourself about how to do something.

If you don't want to educate yourself about how to do something, then be prepared to pay someone to do it for you.

If you want a "multi-skilled" workforce, you need to spend money on training (education).

If you don't want to, or don't have the time to educate yourself or your staff, then be prepared to pay someone to do the work you need done.

Just like our family friend did. And who is up and running, with no problems, in the first instance.

Because this family friend called on someone who knew what they were doing, and, at the end of the day, were prepared to pay for it.

Are you willing to do the same?+

DES, the Delivery Express System for Australia Post Parcel Contractors,

is now ready for release!

After months of getting the software ready for commercial release, its now available.

Visit its website at http://des.ath.cx:8080

If you know your local parcel contractor, please let them know (and let me know too, because if they sign up, you win too!)


Cheers all round for everyone I reckon.

Have you seen....

it all before?

"While it’s likely that some people in your audience have seen almost everything, it’s also quite likely that there’s nothing (nothing!) that everyone in your audience has seen. There are going to be people who don’t get this reference or that reference. There are certainly going to be people who, given the needle in a haystack culture we live in now, just haven’t seen the particular idea you’re riffing on."

Seth Godin - http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/11/seen-it-all-bef.html

And for me, this is the best part.

You now have an opportunity to tell your tribe about new stuff, stuff they haven't heard (or even dreamed of!) or stuff they thought was "so far out there".

Nothing is so far out there.

Form a tribe.
Be the voice of that tribe.
(People want to be led.)
Lead them!
Profit!

Can you get a tribe together?

Barack did it.

So can you!


Don't wait - start now!

You know, you really do have some good things going for you, whether....

you believe it or not.

Take me for instance.

I have never thought of myself as someone that others might want to hear what I have to say.

I have always, and I mean always, cowered in the back and tried to take the lowest profile.

In the last couple of days, I have put myself out there, and have had such great responses!

I just can't believe it!

For example:

• I am twittering with Robert Scoble who is in China no less (well, not without some problems)

• I am well on the way to becoming a "Compatriot" (a greyhair "consultant")

• I have an opportunity to become a "Geek on Call"

all because I put my "virtual" voice out there, contacted people, told them about myself.

People - you can do whatever the hell you put your mind to - truly - just get yourself out there.

Sign up for all the social media accounts you can find. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed...

Post your thoughts - interact with others.

You will not believe the contacts you will make.

And the best thing of all, there are others who think like you do! There truly are!

You are not an island - reach out to everyone else.

You'll be surprised (and pleased) where your online journey takes you.

Do it now - reach out with your virtual voice.

There are many who want to hear what you have to say.

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• China gags Scoble but blogging still lives

Thank you, thank you, thank you.....

Theodore Roosevelt.

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html

Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech:

"It is not the critic who counts;

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly;

who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds;

who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."


Well said.

We need more people like Roosevelt in this day and age.

Image via Wikipedia

I am really, really, really, really excited because...

I am working on something that I think will really fly.

I used to be an Australia Post Parcel Contractor, and with my background in computers, software and databases, I thought there must be a better way to sequence the parcels that I had to deliver than write them all down on a sheet of paper.

So I started with an Excel spreadsheet, where every location was on a separate sheet in the workbook, and every street was listed in delivery order within that location.

Each morning, I would print out my spreadsheet (20 or so pages), take them to the delivery centre, and then fill it all out with a pen. I would then take these sheets with me as I delivered the parcels, and then cross them off the sheet after delivery.

I thought there must have been a better way, and there was.

What did I have?

A big list of streets within my delivery area.
A set of locations - individual areas, connected by main streets within my delivery area, having a set of streets from the master list.
A delivery sequence, so as to minimise the time needed to visit each delivery point.

I came up with a computer program to help me with this, and I used it everyday from January 2007 to January 2008.

I am now in the process of finalising it for commercial release.

Its been a fun, if sometimes painful ride, (those van seats aren't the best !) but its almost ready to go.

So, if you're a parcel delivery courier, you might want to visit the website - regardless of where you live in the world.

Parcel contractors in Australia are paid per parcel. The cost for my system is just one parcel per day per month.

Keep checking the website, because I'll be putting more and more content there as the days go by.

Leave a comment here if you want to. I would love to hear from you.



What do you think?

If you really want to start a business on the Internet...

NOW is the time.

I've signed up for a no-cost training course called The Thirty Day Challenge #30dc

Its all done and dusted for 2008, but 2009 is looking to be massive!

Join Ed Dale, Dan Raine, Phill Mason, Caro and Robert Somerville (and all the rest!) and all the gang for a no holds barred, completely without cost training course on how to build an Internet business from the ground up.

And today's live broadcast from Ed hinted at much more to come!

So if you're looking to supplement, or even supplant, your current income, you simply cannot go past the 30DC

Check it out now.

Can you believe that these sorts of scam...

emails are still doing the rounds?

And worse still, that people are losing their hard earned dollars to them?

COME ON PEOPLE, WAKE UP!

If you ever, ever, *EVER*, *EVER EVER EVER* respond to crap like this, then you honestly deserve to be fleeced of every single last dollar you possess.

Whenever you get an email like this - DELETE IT.
I cannot be any more plain.

This is my education process to you.

I give it freely in the hope that you won't be fleeced by these.... well, this is a family blog.

Learn from this. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment.

(Gee - the name Rothschild should be enough to make alarm bells ring!)

Dear Friend,

This letter may come to you as a surprise due to the fact that we have not yet met. Firstly, I have to say that I have no intentions of causing you any pain.

My name is Mr. Lionel Meyer Rothschild, a European merchant. I have been diagnosed with Prostate and Esophageal cancer that was discovered very late due to lack of caring for my health. It has defiled all form of medicine and right now, I have only about a few months to live according to medical experts. I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone not even myself but my business.

Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people  and only focus on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I use to say to my self that if God should give me a second chance I would live differently from how I have lived. I was meditating on my hospital bed and something told me that God is giving me a second chance by keeping me alive though doctors said I
wont last long. I know my time is near, thats why I have willed and given most of my properties and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as some few close friends.

So far, I have been able to give alms to a few charity organizations in the U.A.E, London, Sudan, Zimbabwe I gave donations to the Global Fund for Children, GCF and I met two people over the internet that have successfully distributed my funds to charity organizations in their country. Now my health is deteriorating so badly, I really need you to help me distribute the last of my fortune. I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. You might be wondering why I did not pick my close relatives for this task, but I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and
donate the money there to a charity organization in Bulgaria. They closed the account but refused to donate the money to the organization, but instead shared the money amongst themselves. From the way they are acting around me, something tells me they want me dead so they can split my last remaining assets and money. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be content with what I have left for them.

The last of my money which is a huge cash deposit that I have with a
security firm will be put in your care if only you will agree and are capable of seeing this through. I want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatched it to charity organizations of your choice and let them know that it is I Mr. Lionel M. Rothschild that is making this generous donation.

I am writing this from my laptop computer in my hospital bed where I wait for my time to come. I pray for you to support and assist me with a good heart. I hope we can build a relationship based on trust because I want to do this by all means possible before I die.

But the choice is yours Please you can contact me through this email
address: 
Be blessed my beloved,
Mr. Lionel Rothschild.

I hate ads on my web pages so much, that...

I've decided to take control of my browser, and just not see them!

If you're running Windows, search for your hosts file.
(It may be in different places depending on your version, but its there. Click Search (wherever that is on your system) and just type "hosts" (without the inverted commas))

When its found, edit it with Notepad. You'll see something like:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost


At the end of the file, type in the following lines:

127.0.0.1 mjxads.internet.com
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pic.adbrite.com
127.0.0.1 ads.adbrite.com
127.0.0.1 banner.tattomedia.com
127.0.0.1 www.britepic.com
127.0.0.1 ads.socialmedia.com



with tabs (or at least one space between the 127.0.0.1 and the actual hostname)

Save the file.
Restart your browser.

Hopefully, you'll eliminate a good number of ads now.
Faster surfing - that's always good especially on a slow connection.

You can always find out other ad serving sites by looking at the source code of the web page, but I'll leave that as an exercise for you!

Let me know what you think.

Here's to faster surfing (which we'll need if the Australian Government goes ahead with its stupid mandatory internet filtering at the ISP level of sites it deems illegal or otherwise not in the best interests of Australians.....)

I was wrong...

about Barack Obama not winning the Presidency.

Congratulations sir.

Loved your use of social media to galvanise the voters.
That is what democracy is all about.

Global Cooling is Here....

so why are we embarking on a CETS? (Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme)

Global Cooling is Here

Now, I don't even pretend to understand the graphs and stuff on the website mentioned above, but its a damn sight more informative than our government simply "saying" that trading carbon emissions is the best way to stop global warming.

Honestly.

Think about it.

So a company has to pay to pollute.
If they're earning mega-bucks anyway, its just a cost to their business.
And the cost gets passed on to their consumers anyway!

Its really you and I who pay (eventually) for the pollution.

So.

Does an emissions trading scheme really help to reduce global warming?
I don't think so.

What do you think?

WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? This has got to be...

the biggest load of shit that I have heard in a long time.

McCain sends condolences to Obama | The Courier-Mail

Obama's grandmother, dying from cancer just hours before the US presidential elections.

I just don't understand.

Why not just after? Or a week ago? Or two weeks after?

Why just before?

If it looks like shit, and it smells like shit, it's very probably shit.

What do you think?

Here's a prediction - I really don't think that

Barack Obama will be President.

Why?

@Mobasoft: If what the zeitgeist points out is true, the establishment takes out Obama, and Biden takes over. Which makes sense to keep the status quo.

@Mobasoft: Four corporations own the entire media industry.

@Mobasoft: People are not put into positions of power in order to change things - they are put there to keep things the same. Sleep on it, it's true.

@Mobasoft: if 100% of us understood the first 20 minutes of this, oh what a vastly different place it would be - Zeitgeist Movie

@Mobasoft - Zeitgeist - Addendum

Monetary society? Might be good for some, but for most of us, no.... we don't stand a chance.

And even if Obama does actually become President, I really don't think he'll last too long....

This post was written on November 3rd, 2008, in Australia, by an Australian.

Some things just don't ring true.

Its no good saying "yeah, I knew he wouldn't get in" after the event....

I could be wrong, and I really hope I am, but..... I had to post this.

Educate yourself now.
Turn off the television news.
Ignore the daily newspapers.
Go to your local library.
Become an avid reader.
Talk to your much older folk.
Learn from history.

There is more going on in the world than you can possibly imagine.

ASK QUESTIONS - DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.

Self-education is the key.

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Have you seen....

Zeitgeist - Addendum?

At about 00:49:25, there appears this text:

"The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaida. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity... The country behind this propaganda is the US" Robin Cook Former British Foreign Secretary
who incidentally, committed suicide.

Or did he?



You decide.
You have the power to change what is going on.
You are not helpless.

Educate yourself.

Educate yourself now.

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If you're going to do anything at all, the only word you need is....

START!

I've been a big fan of Seth Godin for ages, after reading his "The IdeaVirus", published in Fast Company magazine so long ago that I don't remember. I'm sure I still have the issue somewhere, oh yes, here it is: August 2000




On Josh Spear's blog, http://joshspear.com/item/speartalks-seth-godin/, he talks with Seth about life, the universe and everything (well, almost)

One question and answer got me going:

JS: So, if you had a child, and he was about to embark on his/her first adventure in the digital frontier, what would your parting words be?

SG: Start.

I so wish I had given this advice to my kids when they were starting out.
Don't think too much, don't plan too much, (and as much as I hate paraphrasing another company) just do it.

So here's a new tag-line.

Just Start!

In these uncertain economic times, there's....

only one way you can possibly make any money.

And that is to "hitch-a-ride", so to speak.

Let me explain.

In 1849, miners in the California Gold Rush (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm)
needed supplies.... scroll down to "The Cost of Living" box.

Who were the suppliers to the miners?

Are you a supplier, or are you a miner?

Which would you rather be?

Someone who worked their fingers to the bone to eke out a living, or someone who saw an opportunity to provide much needed supplies and provisions to those seeking to make their fortune?

I know which camp I would rather be in.

There will always be miners, seeking that elusive fortune.
It stands to reason, there must also be suppliers for those miners.

If you have products or services that the miners need, who do you think will make money in the short term?

And when that gold dries up, go and find some other miners.

Its callous thinking, but so was the mindset of those who worked in investment banks and financial institutions, and who have put us in this current financial position.

So go get some of your own back.

The miners will always be there - they want the riches, but they'll need someone to help them along.

Vast opportunities exist, even in these uncertain times.

Let go of your fear, embrace change, educate yourself, and make a difference.

It is my fervent wish that you do so.

I was going to say "good luck" - but the luck we wish for ourselves, only happens when we actually take action.

I wish you all the very best in your endeavours.

You deserve it.

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Survive the Outbreak

There has been a lot of talk about interactive TV over the past few years.
It never happened because TV's don't let you interact (well, not simply)

But the Internet is completely different.

For example, we have a data projector connected to our PC which is connected to the Internet. We can see TV (via a TV tuner card in the PC), we can surf the web, we can play music via Windows Media Player (the PC is connected to our stereo) and see it all on the big screen.

The PC also has long leads for both mouse and keyboard (I haven't got around to wireless keyboard and mouse yet :) so I can sit on the lounge in front of a 6 foot TV screen and see everything!

But back to interactive TV / movies.

http://www.survivetheoutbreak.com/

is one such website that allows you to control the outcome of what you watch.
See the trailer below, then visit

http://www.survivetheoutbreak.com/

and try to survive!
Its great.




This is the future of entertainment people - trust me on this.
A lot has been said and written about this, but this is first example that has really got me involved (and I've been an Internet follower since 1997)

You will see more and more websites like this - all you need to do is revamp your viewing devices - get rid of that plasma or that lcd or that old standard CRT screen (TV or no) and install a data projector connected to your computer.

You'll get the *biggest* TV on offer for around $1500 (including pull-down screen) and you can use your existing computer as your media centre.

For example: I recently bought a new motherboard, 1.6 ghz cpu and 2 gig memory for AU$136.

$136!!!!!

If I didn't already have a "media centre pc", I'd be buying the following:

a) a 400w power supply (with case) - $<100
b) a TV tuner card (or USB tuner) - $<100

Put it all together, connect your Internet to this PC, and lo and behold, a complete digital entertainment environment for way less than $2000.

Way way way less than a plasma or lcd or what have you... and you can run so much stuff through it - make the PC the universe of your entertainment universe.

It *is* doable - its just the advertising from all the other "electrical retailers" that have you reaching into your back pocket for funds you don't really have - "x days interest free" - DON'T fall into their trap.

Let me say that again:

DON'T FALL INTO THEIR TRAP!

You can get the best entertainment centre for way way way less than what the major retailers are trying to sell you. Their advertising is very powerful, but you have the power too.

Do you know what it is?

It is the power to say NO.

If you have questions, I am here to answer them.

Go and have a look at

http://www.survivetheoutbreak.com/

and try to survive, and leave a comment.

Cheers
Brad

Love your children

I have been so slack in loving my children.

I miss them so much.

The old song lyric from Joni Mitchell

"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone? "

has never been more true...

Kids, I miss you, and love you more than I can say.

Googlewhacking

topological endomitirosis

A misspell of the second word but there you go...... :)

Try it - its fun

What is Googlewhacking?
Put exactly two search terms into Google and try to return just one result.

DIY Web Server site

Hmmm - I just can't decide to go with WordPress for the main site, or continue with the static PHP pages.

There are lots and lots and lots of themes for WordPress, but I just can't spend the time to download, install and activate every theme. Does anyone have any pointers to a really good one?
I like Mandigo, but.... hmmmm, some widgets only work on the blog template page.... hmmm.

Bradzo - Newly Licensed TV Doctor

Ok, so where's the nearest hospital?

Gotta get with those interns - stat!

:)

And as we wind on down the road...

Stumbling around the other day....

xkcd - A Webcomic - Classic

Haha! I knew it! We (baby boomers) are the best!
:)

Super fund loss

This really annoys me.

The last thing I did for money was delivering parcels for Australia Post. To do this, you have to create a company, register for GST and do all the other stuff that goes with all that.

Being a company director also means that you need to ensure you pay the 9% superannuation guarantee on behalf of your employees - in this case, myself and the other director of the company.

So we did that - I paid $3014 into my super fund to comply with the law. All good on that front - no trouble with doing that.

Today, I received my superannuation fund yearly statement for the year ended 30th June, 2008. I can see my deposit of $3014.73 - fees and taxes and charges took $452.21, leaving me with a nett of $2562.52.

All well and good I suppose.

But then, the next line item is:

Net investment loss -$1,800.86

leaving me with a nett increase of just $761.66 on my superannuation.

WOW! When I retire, that'll give me just 2.78 weeks of living on the single pensioner allowance of a measly $273.00 a week.

So for an entire year of working from 4:30am (yes, AM) to whenever it took to finish the days parcels, I managed to get an additional $761.66 into my superannuation. A whopping $14.64 a week.

I thought that super funds were supposed to earn you money over time.

Looks like the US subprime crisis is closer to home than anyone realises.

I wonder whether the executives of Lehman Bros and the like want to pay me the $1800 I lost because of the volatility of the share market, due largely to the crap decisions they took.

Thanks - you effectively ensured that I worked for $14.64 a week to help pay for my retirement, but you pocketed how many millions?

This kind of greed has got to stop. How much money do you "executives" actually need to survive day to day?

The gall of you is just incredible - how can you live with yourselves?

I am just disgusted with the lot of you.

All is not lost when you can do this...

If you thought the world was going to hell in a hand basket, this might ease things for you for a little while.

It brought a smile of wonderment to my face, and that's pretty rare these days.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

And I completely forgot!

arrr!
where's me buccaneers?
on me buckin' 'ead!

avast, me hearties!

Twitter Followers

I can't quite believe this.

Craig Beckta is following me on Twitter.

How bizarre is that? I didn't think I was worthy!

Craig is the author of "The Secret Affiliate Code"

Thanks Craig - I'm following you back now :)

DIY Webserver

Hi gang


It was fun, but DIY Web Server now has a new home:

http://diyws.ath.cx:8080

Check it out now! :)

Cheers
Brad

Mid life crisis

Hi gang

I'm having a mid life crisis - well, not one that includes buying fast cars, or leaving my wife for a younger woman....

I've finally realised what a great place the world actually is!

And am learning that each and everyone of us has something good to contribute to society, regardless of what it is.

And that people, the world over, are generally kind and good to one another.

And that, if you put yourself out there, you'll find that you can connect with all these good people, and lights come on in your life.

It does happen!

I admit - I don't get out much. A lot of my time is spent in front of the computer. But that time has allowed me to earn money doing what I enjoy - writing computer software.

I used to do a lot of that, but time has taken its toll. I'm not as fast as I once was, and there are other people who are coming up with stuff that just blows me away.

But the essence of that is this: while all these new things are very cool from a developers point of view, they don't make a blip on the radar of the very people who could benefit from this new stuff.

So, given my interest in trying to help other small businesses to at least survive (given these tough economic times) let alone grow, it gives me a chance to learn all I can about what is out there in cyberland, understand it, learn it and implement it.

Then, I can start promoting and selling these new things to other small businesses, at a reasonable cost - to them, and because I haven't had to spend my time developing new stuff, for me also.

Its a win-win situation, and one which I am really looking forward to.

So this is my mid life crisis - finally having the understanding about what I can offer the world, but how to go about it!

I am so excited by the possibilities, but it also drives me to distraction!
What to focus on first? What to learn, to give back to others?

I am in crisis, but I will get through it.

What about you? Where are you in life? Is there something positive you can show the world? If so, take the chance. You only live once - as someone famous once said - "Life is not a rehearsal" - forget the naysayers and dreamstealers.

Get out there and do it!

Here's to your success - in everything you do!

Bradzo has an epiphany...

I received an email today from some mailing list thing I subscribe to, and it told about signing up for an "exclusive, secret" interview with Tony Robbins.

In part, it said "Here is your rare opportunity to join Tony as he shares some of his most intimate and affecting life moments. But more importantly, he outlines the peak state achievable by all of us, the state of mind that can be triggered at will to generate the energy and momentum to achieve an extraordinary quality of life."

I really thought about this when I read it - and I realised that I'm always at that state of mind - its just that I don't take action!

So I thought I'd share my epiphany with you (and thanks Alex, I remembered your post immediately) - and its this:

No matter what we do in life, we can always achieve something special if we just get out there and DO IT

Life's short, right? You're a long time dead, right? What are people going to say about you in one hundred years time? Think about all the people that we still talk about today - Shakespeare, Mozart, etc.

They got out there, did what they LOVED, took the criticisms levelled at them, yet still, here we are, a hundred years later, and we still talk of them (and in the case of the above) still listen to their music, and read their books.

What does that say about finding mindset to just get out there and DO IT?

To paraphrase another well known personality, "I think there's something in that for all of us....." :)

One thing - if you haven't already, go and check out Oza's blog -
http://ozameilleur.com/blog/

Oza and Mudd always make me smile, and I can read the passion that just shines through - if we can all find this, imagine what a wonderful world we could be living in!

Say it once - say it again - who needs Tony Robbins!?!?!?!

I'd love to hear your comments.

Congratulations to Stephanie Rice

Stephanie Rice - World Record Holder and Gold Medallist - Beijing 2008.

4:35.11 in heat
4:29:45 in Final

6~ seconds!

Katie Hoff:
4:34.63 in heat
4:31.71 in final.

Katie took ~3 seconds off her heat time, but Steph took ~6 seconds off her heat time!

Brilliant performance!

Congratulations to all of you.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

QR codes revisited

Ok, I'll settle down a bit now... no use getting worked up - no-one gives a toss anyway.

So I went into my local newsagent yesterday, and saw the latest issue of the Trading Post.

Guess what was front and centre of the front page? Yep! a QR code!

I wish I had bought that issue to see what it was all about. Will try to get a copy this week.

Stay tuned.

Adobe Air looks like a really good platform on which to develop RIA's (rich internet applications)

I've downloaded the 60day trial and have created a very small browser based application that looks great and works like a dream. I will publish it soon so keep checking back here and I'll post a link to it.

You can also create desktop apps with it as well, and its also cross platform, so Linux, Mac and PC users can all use the same application. It increases your market reach which is something that I've been looking for for a long time.

If you use Twhirl, then you're using an application built with Adobe Air.

I will be paying very close attention to Air and see where it takes me.

http://www.adobe.com/products/air

Something to learn from our younger people....

Hi folks

Today I want to give some accolades to my step-daughter Georgia.

I have lived with Georgia since she was 11 - her mother (my wife Desley) and I met in 1999. We married in 2000, and Georgia was obviously living at home with her mum. Then I moved in as the "step-father" - well, as often happens we had a tumultuous relationship.

Well, enough of all that - Georgia has just grown and grown as a person and as a strong business woman. At just 20 years old, she has started her own business, and earns more than her mother and I combined.

http://www.georgiaclare.com.au

This current link goes to her recruitment agency page, but she has her hair extensions business too, but I can't find her hair extensions business website.

No matter - Georgia is just 20 years old, and she just gets out there and doesn't let *anyone* stand in her way of being successful! For someone in this day and age, I congratulate her, and wish I had her vision and passion and commitment.

We can all do this - we just need to let go of old preconceptions. Georgia just doesn't know how to fail - it isn't a word in her vocabulary.

If you get a chance, visit her website and send her a message.

Oza Meilleur

Hey folks

Want to be made happy?!

Check out Oza's blog.

http://ozameilleur.com/blog/

Visit and be happy!

QR Codes!

LOL!

Send me a message in reply to this one (above) !!!

Cheers
Brad

New Colour Scheme

Hi folks

Yep, I've changed templates yet again.
Just to keep it fresh, and you on your toes! :)

More later after I battle with Crystal Reports.

Hang on, maybe it isn't CR. Maybe its my database driver.

Currently using the SIB Provider from Marcio Wesley Borges that I bought
many years ago, and has been fine since, but no updates and sibprovider.com
doesn't exist anymore.

Perhaps its time to revisit ODBC - the free driver.

Will let you know how I go.

In the meantime, I'm having a glass of Shiraz - usually Merlot, but its the only open bottle! hah!

Thirty Day Challenge TV

Just watching the Thirty Day Challenge TV channel on Ustream.

Ed's got some great tips for Internet Marketing - if you've not signed up, go here,
and click the link you'll find there to take you to the signup page.


Everyone can do this! So can you.

http://30dc.ath.cx

Crystal Reports 9, Visual Basic 6 and Firebird

What is it with CR9?

All I'm trying to do is report on some records where my DATE_ADDED field is between two dates.

So I add a RecordSelectionFormula:

{DATE_ADDED} in date(2008,7,12) to date(2008,7,13)

but my OLE DB provider, Sibpro2.dll, gives me an error with the CONVERT function unknown.
I guess CR9 is generating a SQL statement that includes the unknown CONVERT function - probably valid if I'm using SQL Server (argh! Microsoft strikes again with non standard SQL extensions!) but I'm using Firebird.

Blah.

And I have to get this finished this afternoon.

The Thirty Day Challenge

I'm doing the Thirty Day Challenge this year.

I didn't do much last year, but this time I intend to attack it with a vengeance!
I want to make more money than I am now, and this is one way to do it.

The Thirty Day Challenge is all about teaching you the skills to market yourself, or your product online.

Go and have a look, and register - we're currently in pre-season, and the actual challenge starts on August 1, so there's not much time left to get yourself organised.

Go here and sign up - its free. Completely free training - your only cost is your time.

http://30dc.ath.cx/


To your success!

Chaos Trigger

Being a drummer from way back in the dim dark past, its only natural that my son would take over the sticks:

Introducing:

Chaos Trigger

http://www.myspace.com/chaostriggerau

Don't let the backgrounds and darkness etc bring you down - have a listen to their music - your head will eventually start nodding.....

And Chaos Trigger's music is actually - well, thoughtful, and structured, and has that "something extra" that a lot of metal bands simply don't.

Listen to Sciophobia for an example.

All in all, GREAT STUFF!!

I had the best time at their gig last Saturday 21st June 2008.

If you get a chance, go and see them.

Long time, no speak :)

Well folks, I'm back.

Out of the wilderness of a one man band, so to speak.

Got a j.o.b. A great job at that, but still, so few minutes at the end of the day to do what I really want to do.

No matter. Its all good.

So what's been happening with all you good people?
Leave a comment - I will respond.

Take care

Me.