Monday, August 11, 2008

Software helps psychiatry students treat mental illness

Software helps psychiatry students treat mental illness
Interactive software allows students to watch scenarios

Freeview and HDMI cables for $23 vs $90!
We've got Sky, but decided yesterday to get a Freeview box to get the additional Kids channel plus more importantly at the moment - to get the extra Olympic channel.

The other benefit of getting Freeview HD is that we'd finally be able to make use of the HD capability of our Sony Bravia V-Series tv.

I have to admit that I didn't spend a lot of time researching the options, but the Zinwell ZMT-620HD @ $399 seemed a reasonable deal. For a short time I contemplated putting a card into my media PC, but I wanted something that "just goes" versus something that *may* involve updating drivers, upgrading my PC (because it may be underpowered) etc. etc.

Overall, I'm impressed with the ease of setup.
Plugged it in, selected the auto-scan option and was running within 2 minutes.
The clarity is amazing - although as somebody mentioned on TV recently, the problem is now that you see what people (eg presenters) really look like (flaws and all) - which may not be a good thing in some cases!
The Electronic Program Guide (EPG) is very good, although I have had a few issues where I couldn't get it to come up (might be bad batteries in the remote).

Note: We already had an appropriate antenna, so all I needed to do was unplug the antenna cable from the TV, plug it into the Freeview box, then use another cable from the Freeview back to the TV.

My only gripe would have to be the lack of HDMI cable with the box!
Kinda makes sense that if you're buying an HD Freeview box that you want HDMI??
They included component and composite, but no HDMI.

I asked at the store that I got the Freeview box from about HDMI cables and got the usual "Oh, you'll need the $90 HDMI cable then". From what I've read (after googling "HDMI cable scam"), it appears this is common around New Zealand.

Personally, I went to Dragon PC (www.dragonpc.co.nz) and grabbed a 3m HDMI cable with Lifetime warranty manufactured by Dynamix - for the grand total of around $23!

Now back to the olympics....



Local vs Hosted Servers
When dealing with IT companies especially the smaller ones, most of them recommend getting a local server.  Why is that?  Well the short answer is because they make a-lot of money out of it.  When quoting all they show is the purchase costs and maybe the setup costs.  Left out of the pricing is hardware and software upgrades every 2-3 years, electricity, backup costs and the killer is on-going support. 

Cost Generally Not Included In Server Quotes

·         Server replacement every 3 years or so
·         Operating system upgrades – purchased every year or two
·         Technical time required to update operating system service patches
·         Hardware failure “fixes” for PCs and servers
·         Antivirus software updates – purchased every year
·         Technical time to update antivirus software
·         Technical time to manage the removal of viruses caught by antivirus software
·         Managing changes to the setup/physical location/profiles of PCs
·         Technical time to manage spy ware – load software, clear files
·         Technical time to perform backups, remove tapes off site
·         Disaster recovery plan implementation
·         Air conditioning & UPS to manage the server
·         Data corruption repairs
·         Electricity for onsite servers

I am not against having a local server as at times it is the ideal solution however for a lot of small to medium enterprises a hosted solution is far more beneficial and cost effective.  Hosted server services have the benefit of fixing your IT expenditure, back up is automated and you get additional benefits like being able to access your software and files from anywhere with a PC and a broadband connection. 

Also covered with a hosted server solution is disaster recovery and business continuity protecting your data from earthquake and fire to accidently deleting that file that you really need. 

An Information Week article states "The security company unveiled a study this past April showing that 33% of respondents said they believe a major data-loss incident involving accidental or malicious distribution of confidential data could put them out of business. The study, called Datagate, is based on a survey of more than 1,400 IT professionals at companies with at least 250 employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia."

With a hosted solution you have tighter controls on your data, reducing the risk of theft or a malicious attack.

The flip side of having a hosted terminal services solution is that if you have a slow internet connection there can be a delay from when clicking and something happening, which can be frustrating at times and the biggest risk is not being able to access your files and software at all if the internet connection goes down, however these risks can be mitigated with redundancies.  Although these risks exist, a lot of businesses are seeing the benefits outweighing the risks and moving to hosted solutions.

Dan Ballard is an IT Consultant for Horizon Pacific and specializes in providing technology services and solutions to small to medium businesses.  0800 485 465



Refurbished Laptop experiences from Apple Online
I had posted this a while ago on the forums but I feel it's as much a review/blog post and thought I would also update it with my long term experiences.

Recently purchased a refurbished MacBook Pro via Apples online store.
I was a little unsure of how 'refurbished' my new laptop would be - is it second hand? is it a lemon from someone else?
If there was one reason I could be reasonably sure of quality is that all refurbs come with the standard 12 month international warranty and Applecare can be added at anytime in the first 12 months. Giving you 3 years total hardware coverage available anywhere in the world. The cost of Applecare does increase the price by another $495 - and it's a must have. My last MacbookPro purchase was a 17" 1st Gen MacBookPro - and after 2 years of problems has the whole machine replaced via Applecare. Although not perfect, the service from Apple was complete and I feel you do get a more complete warranty cover than other Notebook brands.

Anyway, back to the refurb, I had heard stories that some people recieved units in America with (*gasp*) fingerprints on it but over all found an almost new computer. Apple was listing a current generation 15" Macbook Pro (2.4Ghz C2D Penryn, 2gb, 200gb HD, 8600GT 256MB) listed at 22% off the RRP.
No matter how 'used' the computer could be, these models were only introduced 6 months ago, I knew the machine couldn't be that beat up. So I ordered the computer.
It was 4.06pm on Monday.
It arrived 10.31am Tuesday (yes the very next day).
From Sydney!
Seriously scary service! I've order things from Auckland and they've taken longer to arrive. Shipping is done via TNT and all the necessary taxes are dealt with on Apples end. A paper reciept arrives a week later via the snail mail, funnily enough my credit card was charges as 'iTunes New Zealand'.

As it's a refurb, the unit came in a nondiscript whte box, with the computer surrounded in some solid yet basic padding and a long white Apple branded box (with all the standard cables/DVD/clothes inside).
Leopard was installed by default (as it is on all refurbs from Apple).

I took the computer out and it looked mint. I gave it a smell, it smelled brand new (you know the smell). It looked brand new. To be honest you wouldn't know it wasn't a fresh out of the box orginal if I threw it in a similar box.
The battery was brand new (as was the power adaptor) and showed 1 charge.

I don't need to take you on a full review of the comp, I've written this to pass on my experience of Apple Refurbishments more than cover a 15" MacbookPro.  So I got what seems to be a brand new $NZ3200 laptop for $2499 - A real bargin. I would highly recommended this way to get a good deal on a Mac. If you want to see what current deals are available look for the link on the bottom left side of the site - there's plenty of iMacs, Macbooks/MacbookPro's and even Air's and AppleTV's.

And finally, what's broke? theres a couple of slight issues

The left side USB port isn't quite flush with the casing. This is inside the case not outside, and the plug still fits all the USB cables I've tried, so it as much an aesthetic (and microscopic) issue.

Also I've had a total of 4 occourances of a strange banding in the bottom of the screen similar to the pic below. It isn't life threatening and looks likely to be software more than hardware. I could kick up a fuss and get it replaced but for now it's just not a biggie.

MacBook Pro liney's from Apple Discussion user 'Docfilm'



Since buying this my flatmate also took advantage of the same deal (15" MacBook Pro) and his came in exactly the same state - a seemingly brand new laptop and a lower price.



Datasquirt share price plummets
Company tracking to plan, says director

Our travel card safer then cracked version, says Snapper
Snapper based on a later-generation chip, says company

More reasons not to buy an iPhone: Remote wipe of 'unauthorised' applications
As if anyone still needs another reason to know that buying an iPhone is a really bad idea, here is another one: Apparently, Apple can remotely wipe any applications that it doesn't agree with. On your iPhone. Without you having a say in it.


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