Monx on Burwood Road

Food Review Uni 1 Comment

Well, I have some time to kill, so I’ve dropped into Monx to see what it’s like. First thing I found out was that I can’t get a student priced coffee until next week. The are waiting on a deal from their coffee supplier to bring it in.

First Coffee at MonxIt only cost $3 for a coffee, which isn’t to bad round here, but I’ll be interested to see what the student pricing will be like. *UPDATE* the student price for a coffee is a reasonable $2.50. The coffee wasn’t too bad either, I’ve had worse from Haddons, as good from HQ, as good from Mario’s… I’ll just have to see how it pans out.

The other cool thing about this cafe (as anyone that used to go to Ruby’s would know) is that I can access the Swinburne Uni WiFi, so I can type this up while siting on the couch.

Ahhh Uni life… 😉

The LaCie HDD Saga miniUpdate

Hardware No Comments

I received in the post yesterday 2x 2nd hand 300Gb Maxtor HDD’s that I purchased via ebay, and have installed them into the LaCie HDD Case. They had me a little worried at first, as when I plugged the LaCie into my PowerBook, nothing happened for a minute or two, so i tried plugging it into my MacBook Pro… Still didn’t do anything for a minute or so… Then the drives started spinning up (no idea why the delay).

I’ve formatted it once using Disk Util doing a “zero out data” erase (which took about 3 hours), and am now waiting for it to complete a “7-Pass Erase”… ETA 1 day 11 hours ATM.

I’ll see how it’s going later.

 

The LaCie HDD Saga… Numero Deux.

Hardware No Comments

Well, the 2 Seagate drives I bought didn’t work. :( I went back the next day and returned 1 and exchanged the other for a SATA version to put in my PC.

So I’ve also asked LaCie about the hardware, and what options I do have according to the spec’s of the components involved.

Posted: 4 March 2008 @ 00:00

I bought a 600Gb Lacie Bigger Disk Extreme Triple Interface a few years ago. It’s started clicking. I can read data off it to back it up, but if I try and use a file on the drive (eg playback a movie file) it doesn’t work. I realise that the drive is outside of warranty, but I do like the case (mainly cos of the 2x FW800 connections on it). I am wanting to find out if it is possible to go and purchase 2x IDE HDD’s and replace the ones in the case, so I can keep using it.

If I can do this, are there any limitations as to what I can do? eg, do I have to replace the drives with exactly the same type of drive (2x 300Gb Maxtor HDD’s), or can I use any 2x HDD’s? Are there any limitations of the Bridge Chipset that I need to know about before I purchase some replacement drives.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Griffmiester

to which I received the reply…

Posted: 5 March 2008 @ 00:00

Hi Griffmiester,

I’m sorry the drive is giving you trouble. You can replace the disks, but the maximum that particular bridge ever had on it was 1TB total (so, two 500 GB IDE disks.) Maxtor would be best for that bridge, but WD should also work. I don’t suggest using Seagate or Hitachi (they’re not bad at all, but they have had a few problems with our Oxford chipset RAID controllers in recent models. If you purchase drives that does have the problem, you would have to return them, which can be frustrating.)

Once you install the new drives, you should just need to format the drive.It’s best to do the “Zero out data” format in Disk Utility to ensure the bridge has full read/write access to the disk.

Thanks,

Patrick

So happily there is still something that I can do about using this external drive. :)

Further info to come as I install new disks into the case.

Failing LaCie 600Gb HDD

Hardware 2 Comments

Well it’s happening. My 3 year old 600Gb Lacie Bigger Disk Extreme Triple Interface is starting to fail.

I’ve been able to back up all the data that I needed off it, but it’s making a clicking noise, and it fails when you try and run data from the drive. By that I mean that if I try to playback a video from on the drive, VLC tells me that it isn’t a valid video file.

I’m now looking to see if I can pull the drive apart and replace the IDE HDD’s with new ones to get it going again. Why bother?… Well I do like the fact that the drive has 2x FW800 connectors on it.

I’ve pulled it apart, and fond that the current drives are 2x 300Gb Maxtor Drives. I wasn’t sure if there would be anything else to it than just buying drives and replacing them, so I asked the masses… Well Macktalk.com.au’s Forums anyway.

There were some questions answered, and some not. I still don’t know if any pair of new drives will work in the LaCie Case or not. There’s some doubt as to whether there is a firmware lock in the Bridge of the drive.

But I’ve gone out anyway to CentreCom and got 2 500Gb Seagate Drives. If they don’t work, as long as I return them in 7 days it’s all good.

I’ll let you know how it goes, and if there are any issues.

Masters of Technology – Day 1

Uni 1 Comment

Well, today’s the day.

I’ve had to get up at the crazy hour of 9:00am to make it to my first lecture (and only contact time for today) at 11:30am.

I made it… 5mins late, but I need to explain that. I stopped off to catch-up with @mattdelves at the Swinburne CU (other link) stand. No I’m not going to blame Matt that I was late, it was my fault. I was trying to get my Wireless access for Uni active, an cos I didn’t have access, I was getting him to look up the instructions for me. It didn’t get sorted, and I was 5mins late.

My first Lecture was for “Internet Technologies” which briefly translates as Why the Web and Internet are different, and why there are no current textbooks for this subject. Still couldn’t get internet access working… Interesting Intro lecture. The lecturer, Ken McInnes, pointed out that because the internet is always changing, so does the course. I started setting up Schoolhouse It seems to be a great program… If you are diligent with it. I’ll see how it goes.

I got my wireless working (that’s how I’m doing this at the mo.) by visiting a computer lab under the library (no it’s not dark and dingy, like in The IT Crowd), and getting one of the resident geeks to help me out.

Well I’m done for the day, and writing this. Tomorrow I get a MASSIVE break from 11:30 till 4:30… *sigh*

Changing ISP’s – Part ]|[

ISP No Comments

Is that it? Is it done?

I am now currently sitting at my MacBook Pro, typing this post, while using my NEW ISP connection… So I think it’s done.

The last stage has been the most annoying… Why? Well, it’s meant that I’ve been without a web connection at home from Monday till today. “So what” you say? It’s been a big deal for me, cos of lots of little things. Not being able to look up the weather using TheBom Widget. Not being able to use twitter to find out what’s going on with my @MTUB Buds. Not being able to find that song I’ve just heard on an ad.

So what’s happened now? Well I’m pretty sure I’ve easily blown through my Mobile’s Data plan for the month, both by using Bluetooth to update my emails on my laptop, to access twitter on the move, and to check what my new ISP’s connection status has been (it’s like a watched pot BTW).

After having Telstra come around on Monday and connecting up my new phone-line, I called TPG to get things in progress with having my ADSL2+ connection setup. “I’m sorry sir, but you need Telstra to update their database, so we can see that your line is connected”. *sigh* Give up till Tuesday.

Called TPG on Tuesday. things were looking good. They had actually got things going on their own, without my help/promptings.  his is where I found out what my username (not griffmiester.. it’s too long) is, and how to log in.Now we play the waiting game……. Waiting for Telstra to go back to the exchange and plug my phone-line into TPG’s ADSL connections.

By Thursday I got sick of waiting (Let’s play Hungry, Hungry Hippo’s), and called TPG to find out if they had an ETA from Telstra for when I was going to get connected. I am told that Friday is the day.

Friday: load website at work. Refresh, Refresh, Refresh… That pot’s still not boiling. Called TPG again, and they tell me that the Telstra Workorder says by 8pm!!! w00t!! I’ll have interwebs this evening.

I get home… 8pm… nothing… 8:30 I ring TPG. “According to our system you haven’t been connected yet. We are open till Midnight, so you can call back before then to check what’s going on”… Watch Sarah Connor Chronicles. 11:30 called TPG. “I’m sorry Sir, but Telstra haven’t been able to get it done during their work hours, and so it wont be connected until Monday” *sigh*… What can I do. No way of contacting Telstra to complain to them, cos I have no details…Waiting.

Sunday: after being out all day, I get home at about 7:45pm and notice that there is another light on, on my D-Link router… Strange… Telstra doesn’t work on Weekends… I’ll see what happens anyway.

I CAN HAZ INTERWEBS!!!!! 

Changing ISP’s – Part ][

ISP No Comments

Well, Stage ][ of changing ISP’s is under way.

I was wanting to port my home phone number across, and start over with Telstra (boo, hiss) as my Home phone… But, after being told that it was going to be a 2 month wait for Telstra to get the Block of Numbers that had my old home phone number in it ported across, sort of left me thinking… Nup. I’m not paying for another 2 months of connection with Letsgo.com.au. I mean would you pay an extra $40 a month to get the not quite same (no free local calls per month) service you’ve been getting for the last year. I didn’t think so.So this morning I took time off work, so I could be home during the 4 hours (from 8:00am till 12:00pm) when the Telstra Technician might turn up. He did turn up at 11:00am (only a 3 hour wait), and then it was all don and sorted within 15 mins.

My next issue is that I need to wait for Telstra to update their database to show that my new number is activated, and then I can contact an ISP about getting ADSL2+ reconnected…And there goes another week in the life of my home Internet account.  Well except for using my measly 20mb per month on my Mobile phone plan (which I’m stuck on for another ~16 months)*Sigh*

My New Uni Student Card

Uni No Comments

My New Uni Student Card

Originally uploaded by griffmiester

Today I went  in to Uni to get my New Student Card. When I got to the point where they were taking my photo, I was told to look down the barrel of the camera. I did, and when I heard her click the button on the computer I started moving away… Just as she said to “wait for the flash”. So I ducked back, just in time to get this as a result.

She asked if I wanted a different photo, but that I didn’t have to, there are no requirements of Not Smiling like in Passport and Drivers Licenses. I stuck with the photo, and I think I may have made her day.

That’s all. 

Changing ISP’s

ISP No Comments

I must say that when I bought my house, and got a phone-line and Internet a year ago, I never thought it would be this much trouble to change things over.

Here’s the ongoing saga.

When I first got my place, one of the first things I did was to try and find an ISP. I searched around using http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/ to see what was available on my exchange, and what was the best deal for me.

To cut a long story short, I went with http://letsgo.com.au/ cos they had a bundled deal (phone and ADSL2+) with a generous 60gb download limit, and no metered uploads and for only $70/month. There were a couple of issues with getting it connected up, but I’m not going into that here. The only thing to comment on with all that was that the Customer Service (while not perfect) was pretty good, and though they were in WA with their time difference, I was talking to actual Aussies.

FF to last week.

On Friday 1st Feb I was logging into the Letsgo members website, to check to see if I had been unshaped, and noticed that the pricing structure had changed, and I had an email telling me that my contract was finishing on Mon 4th Feb.  With the New pricing, I was going to have to pay $40 MORE per month for the service I was already getting, and they were going to change to a on/off-peak structure.

Time to jump ship.

I’ve looked around, and no one offers a bundle deal where the phone price is included in the Internet price. So I ended up concluding that getting a Telstra line, and then getting Internet with TPG’s ADSL2+ Super 2 deal was going to be my best option.

I called TPG to see if I could get their plan installed… I was just trying to do it as a fact finding call.  I was told that they couldn’t tell me, because my phone number couldn’t be confirmed on a Telstra Exchange (that’s what comes with getting a bundled phone from a small ISP in WA). I asked if they could provide me any information, based on my Neighbour’s phone number. Nup. Not a chance… That means I can’t even find out if I can get an account with them until I have changed over to having a Telstra Phone Line.

Next Problem.

I called Telstra to find out about porting my number over to them. The first guy I spoke to didn’t have too much of a clue, and had to keep putting me on hold, so that he could ask someone else. Eventually I was asked if they could give me a call back, to save me my time and phone call.

2.5 Hours later I still hadn’t heard anything, so I tried again.  The Lady who answered was very helpful and knowledgeable. this still was a 47 minute call.  Part of the reason it was so long, was cos I needed to get an account number from Letsgo so that Telstra could process the Porting of the phone number. This was further exacerbated by the Indian Call Centre that couldn’t understand what my username for my account was. Got it all sorted, and then arranged to get my number ported.

Oh, By the way, the earliest that Telstra will even contact me about changing the number is the 19th Feb (there’s a 10Business Day Cooling off Period), and then the next available date in the calendar isn’t until 29th Feb… 🙁

This whole process takes much longer than I would like.

Will let you know when I’m further down this slippery slope.

Hello world!

Uncategorized 1 Comment

Welcome to my new WordPress blog.  I’ve just created this, and my plan is to blog my experience of going back to Uni to study a Masters….  When I say “plan”, that’s a very loose usage of the word.

“A plan is a proposed or intended method of getting from one set of circumstances to another. They are often used to move from the present situation, towards the achievement of one or more objectives or goals.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan