Telstra HTC Mozart Review 20101130 (5th Day)

The Camera

(Don't get the wrong impressions, this photo WAS taken BY ME with a DSLR camera NOT the Mozart) - but it is simple photo and shows what the Photo Enhancer on the HTC Mozart can do. - I beleive I like it!

The Original.............

Antique Look.............

Vintage Look.............

Bleak.............

Basic Frame.............

Cold Look.............

Warmer.............

Lively.............

Twilight.............

Glimmer.............

Over Exposed.............

Sepia.............

High Contrast.............

Cinnamon.............

Auto Enhance.............

So if a good photo ever wanders past your nose, you can tweak it like this and like I said, I'm liking what I see!

(A good news post!)

If you are on Twitter, follow the banter at #TelstraWP7

Telstra Exchange

6th Day Review

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

Telstra HTC Mozart Review 20101129 (4th Day)

If I refer to something in a prior post – just pick up the tag TelstraWP7 down below this post and you can refer to all the posts I’ve made regarding the HTC Mozart WP7 Phone.

The battery life is seriously deficit; I know a ‘fix’ is on the way, from Telstra, but still.

I can’t for the life of me – get Calender from Outlook, anywhere near the phone and I refuse to do it manually. I’ve downloaded Zune, I’ve downloaded Live Mesh and nowhere can I can any kind of program that will seamlessly connect the contents of my Outlook (and thus my Nokia phone) to this phone – I sure as hell can’t find it.

Another problem (for me) is the inability to tether to my laptop. I’ve ALWAYS used my phone, instead of a dongle, ever since Adam was a boy and this is a HUGE hurdle for me. I don’t want to carry more technology to do stuff that previously one handset was able to do.

The last two posts reviewing the HTC Mozart seems to be full of complaints, can’t be a good start, perhaps because I’m not a gamer, nor do I listen to music, nor do I take many photos with my phone. I use the phone book, the calendar, the alarm, and the internet AND tethering abilities.

I think part of my problem is that my phone is a tool not a toy and used accordingly. I don’t listen to music, nor watch videos from my phone, my kids have always been forbidden from playing with my phone without my express permission. I often play a game (Bejewelled, or similar) but more than not just THAT game. I’ve had this Nokia for 12 months and only downloaded one game and nothing else.

One thing I was concerned about was the fragility of the phone, it seems not to be of a concern, the phone is well weighted and smooth to handle, it’s of a weight I can appreciate. I dislike light phones, because I never know which pocket it’s hidden it!

I am going to spend the next 24-48 hours playing with the phone and trying to find some more positive things, I’m sick of complaining. There are good aspects of the phone, I just need to uncover them.

Saturday night I changed the APN to read Telstra.iph, at the same as doing that I noticed that I had NO Telstra coverage! Serves me right for living 40km from Melbourne CBD!

Since then, the battery life has vastly improved, so that is something. The average Joe shouldn’t have to do this though.

If you are on Twitter, follow the banter at #TelstraWP7

Telstra Exchange

5th Day Review

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

Wall-E – The Movie, The world that could be….

.............If we allow it to be.

My reason for writing this post, is that I was watching this movie on the weekend with my 13yo and even he realised there is a grain of truth in. Are we smart enough to save ourselves now? Or do we have to wait 800 years for a saviour?

W.A.L.L.E. = Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class.

Walle is a trash compaction unit, left behind after Earth was evacuated due to people just using and abusing and throwing away. Humans are evacuated as a temporary measure until the WALL-E units can clean up the planet and allow the humans to return.

Unfortunately 5 years after taking to the skies, earth was deemed too toxic for humans to return, so they stay in space and with a sedentary lifestyle, turn into fat humans, unable to move and only living because computers do everything for them, from making decisions, to bringing them food, to clothing them and making them scared of the real world.

When Eve is sent down to the Earth to see how things are going, she finds WALL-E and then a seedling, once Eve detects the seedling, she shuts down, hiding the plant, and calling for a ship to come and pick her and the plant up.

WALL-E hitches a lift and makes it back to the mother ship. The Auto-pilot of the Mother ship realises that the plant signifies life and by declaring WALL-E a threat and stealing the plant, the autopilot almost derails humans returning back to Earth.

Eventually the humans realise that being obese and reliant on robots/computers is not good nor healthy for them and make a change.

What I’m getting at, are humans being too consumer orientated, prepared to settle brand-new straight out the box and not fix something that is broken, rather throw it out and get a replacement?

Are we becoming too reliant on computers to feed us, warm us, monitor us, coach us, entertain us and pretty much do everything except spoon the calorie laden food into our mouths and wipe our butts (Although I believe you can buy a toilet seat that does that!)

Have we lost our sense of who and what we are? Have we lost the ability to think for ourselves, have we lost common sense. Are we so stupid that we can’t think for ourselves anymore.

Think it about – watch the movie WALL-E, it might have been made in 2008 and it might be animated, but look, listen and pay attention – there IS A MESSAGE THERE.

How I became a HTC Mozart WP7 handset reviwer

I'm not sure of the pre-requisites of being successful applicant to the program, I don’t have a Facebook account that I use, I do love Twitter and pretty much live on it. I do have a blog (here), which is where I intend to post my thoughts and feelings.

I entered the selection process via the Telstra site, on impulse and before you know it I’m told I’m in!

I work mainly in the Construction Industry, I’m not related to anyone in the IT industry nor do I work for any IT companies. I’m not a programmer, I’m not a journalist, I’m not a reviewer. I work full-time, playing with book keeping ‘stuff’. Oh and I’m female – there have been whispers that it’s a bit of a boys club!

I didn’t agonise over the wording of my application, my fingers just took to the keyboard, and I pressed enter without really thinking.

If you haven’t already figured it out – I’m a veteran Nokia user and didn’t know the first thing about HTC – I thought for sure that would rule me out from any sort of review process.

But here I am with a ‘free’ handset and making comments according to my likes and dislikes – and you have to put up with 2 weeks of me agonising, dreaming, wishing, threatening to kill "IT” <-- as I refer to the handset! You can follow my thoughts, my rants and my praises here:- TelstraWP7 Label

Telstra Exchange

4th Day Review

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

Flooding in and around Whittlesea, Melbourne 28th Nov 2010

Flooding in and around Whittlesea on the 28th November 2010, taken by myself about 8am



Near the Whittlesea Showgrounds - road is submerged, the SES are in the showgrounds trying to figure out what to do - water would be 1-2foot deep at a guess and more rain is predicted.


Cades Road, we were warned not to continue - a ute and horse float nearly got washed off the road, they were lucky to get through.

This is in Upper Plenty tree across the road, not the first that we had seen

Upper Plenty again - you can see where the water had rushed across the road, leaving debris behind

McGavins Road, just off Wallan Road in Upper Plenty - would appear that the road has been undermined/pinned. That lump in the water is where the road should be and is not.

Grants Road, this is the 'swamp lands' as referred to by many locals and is acting accordingly

This is Selkirk Road, Eden Park - this is the first time I have seen this section of road underwater in 14 years, normally it goes over at the creek. (taken by HTC Mozart Camera Phone)

Yan Yean Road, Opposite the Growling Frog Golf Course, the amount and speed of the water is visible against the power pole. (Taken by HTC Mozart Camera Phone)

Yan Yean Road, looking east towards the entrance of Growling Frog Golf Course, water across the road and several holes of the golf course under water. (Taken by HTC Mozart Camera Phone)

My favourite photos of the week

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

Beach art - taken at Apollo Bay, Victoria early one morning
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100919)
This photo has NOT been cropped

Footsteps in the sand - taken at Apollo Bay, Victoria early one morning
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100919)
This photo has NOT been cropped

Beach art - taken at Apollo Bay, Victoria early one morning
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100919)
This photo has NOT been cropped

Bee in flight

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photoshopped on this blog, cropped yes, photoshopped NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please visit Redbubble, perhaps there is something there you would like to purchase. Refer the photos below!

Telstra HTC Mozart Review 20101127 - (2nd day)

If I refer to something in a prior post – just pick up the tag TelstraWP7 down below this post and you can refer to all the posts I’ve made regarding the HTC Mozart WP7 Phone.

I charged my battery last night before I hit the sack. At 9am I’m already down to ¾ of the battery life. There is supposed a fix coming out – but I’m finding it difficult to justify, having to carry a charger around just to use the phone, may be a problem sometimes.

Some discoveries I’ve made
You can listen to the ring tone you want to allocate to someone’s ID simply by pressing an arrow, takes a little while to get used to.
The ‘Map’ function is cool! Plug in where you want to go it and it takes you from here to there. (Trick – zoom in AND you can actually see buildings etc) Magnificent!
You can ‘pinch’ the screen when looking at photos, and other screens and zoom in and out etc.
By pressing the windows symbol – you can activate the voice commands, COOL!
I like the predictive text, when texting, it shows the words, including plurals and all you have to is ‘pick up’ the word with a long press.

Some things I dislike
The power button (which is also the wake button) is too sensitive, and when I pick the phone up – I often turn it off!
The disconnect call button is on the screen, rather than what I’m use to as a button down the bottom
The handset gets quite warm, when used for extended periods of time.
The Maps function, although lovely to use – requires someone to touch the screen every minute to stop the phone going into sleep mode. Found this annoying.

I have found a manual for a HTC “Mozart” and WOW - I’m learning some stuff! I don’t understand why there is no manual supplied with the Mozart. Hubby did say that kids don’t need manuals, the instructions are born with them, but for old farts like me – I like manuals!

I’ve just handed the phone over to my 13yo – this could be interesting. Hubby was right – they are born with the manual imbedded in the psyche. It’s sad. He took to it like fish to water. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Today has seen me with a moments thought, that I felt like Tom Cruise in Minority Report, standing in front of a screen, and ‘flicking’ stuff around to find out more information, Not sure if that is good or bad!

That’s todays’ ‘lesson’ over – I’ve always had problem selecting a new phone, can take me 2-3 months to decide which one, this time I bit and bit BIG and I think I might be coping.

If you are on Twitter, follow the banter at #TelstraWP7

Thanks for listening to the rant! – Maybe tomorrow brings smiles

Telstra Exchange

3rd Day Review - How I became a Telstra Reviewer

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

Telstra HTC Mozart Review 20101126

Picked up the phone today – The HTC Mozart WP7 handset to be precise.

You had to be there to appreciate it – but I couldn’t even get the phone out of the box!

Yes I know – you can start rolling your eyes now.

I’ve finally managed to get the phone out of box, I turn it on, enter my PIN and go from there. In the first 5 minutes I was ready to throw it against the wall (well window) but I’m sure you know what I mean. It was so foreign to what I’m used to. Long presses, short presses, slide this, slide that. Really really confusing for a veteran Nokia user. Even though my phone is touch screen, it’s a Nokia E97.

Alright – sitting down with the others and trying to absorb everything. I figure out how to get the weather (cool pictures actually) and when raining you get a windscreen wiper swiping across the screen!

Tried to download twitter via the wireless network, but I couldn’t for some reason, everyone thought a problem with network congestion. So left it at that, figured I would try again later.

That was about as far as I got – although I did ‘kind of’ mention that if anyone could crash this ‘thing’ (as I was calling it) It would be me!

Still couldn’t get much happening, although I did learn that if the phone rings and you didn’t want to answer BUT you didn’t want to have to listen to it ring – you just flip the handset face side down and it’s silenced!

I also learnt that if you are on a call and want to go to loud speaker, you again flip the handset face side down and it automatically switches over to loud speaker COOL.

Another thing I’ve had trouble adjusting to is the touch screen, with the Nokia any implement can be used to touch the screen and make commands work. Pens, pencils, fingers, finger nails, they all worked, with the Mozart it’s only flesh and blood, so ONLY skin – found that very hard to adjust to – but getting used to it. The buttons are small, BUT not too bad.

So I get home and decide to plug into the home network, enter in the 26 digit WEP key. Get it wrong twice, but finally get it right. Try to download Twitter again, still won’t work. – something HAS to be wrong.

I call a support team member, we go through a hard reset and get it to work YEAH, I can tweet from my new phone.

Twitter downloaded, now to download Tetris, another favourite pastime of mine. Get 75% through the download and the battery dies *cries*

I go and get the charger from the magical unopenable box (refer above), plug into 240v and nothing, no lights nothing to indicate charging, not charging *cries*
Try the USB port, same thing *cries even harder*

Turns to Twitter, and viola, the brains of the party, told me to remove the battery and see if that works. *happy dance* It works – I now have a phone that is charging.

So from the last 5 hours I’ve learnt:-
1. Nokia users need some patience to relearn old skills
2. How to reset/reboot a mobile phone (never done with Nokia)
3. Have to remove the battery to recharge (Reason unknown)
4. The battery life is quite short (I hope it beds down)
5. I’m enjoying the challenge, but will I enjoy the phone? Only time will tell

If you are on Twitter, follow the banter at #TelstraWP7

Thanks for listening to the rant! – Maybe tomorrow brings smiles

Telstra Exchange

2nd Day Review

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

25 Reviewers Announced – Telstra Windows Phone 7 Social Review

Squeeeee – I thought it was true, but had to wait until today to confirm that rumour was truth!

I’VE BEEN SELECTED AS A TESLTRA SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEWER OF THE HTC MOZART W7

I’m still in shock. I’m not sure how many people applied, but I believe I was lucky to be selected, lucky due to sheer numbers.

For the next week or two – you’ll have to put up with me loving/hating/adoring/admiring/squeeing and generally driving everyone nuts about the HTC Mozart. Don’t worry I‘ll still be ranting about everything else in-between, Just posting twice as much. I hope!

I know very little about the HTC Mozart – in fact I’m a renowned Nokia lover, having used nothing else for the past 10-15 years.

It’s going to be a very interesting time and I’m more than a little excited to be part of the new style product reviews.

I purposely haven’t done any research, nor have I looked for any reviews of said product. I want to do this alone and make it a full ‘newbie’ user experience for both you and me.

I’m not afraid to speak my mind, as I think my regular followers are aware.

So let the fun begin

Telstra Exchange

1st Day Review

“I have been given a HTC Mozart with Windows 7 Phone by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my own user experience and personal opinion and are not made on behalf of Telstra.”

Why I need a rocket launcher

People are so inconsiderate. I really have trouble understanding sometimes where manners have gone.

Two examples yesterday had me picking my jaw up off the ground – one more so than the other.
We took the boat out. We used different ramp facilities to normal, both for the area and from where we normally launch.

Launched the boat no problems, the launch was easy, facilities good (by other standards), a tad pricey, but hey, you pay for what you get, the problem was in the retrieval of said boat.

The moorings were full – that is 4 boats, either coming in OR out. There were two boats behind us in the water – waiting also to retrieve their boats. One had the audacity to call out and say, “are you waiting?” we replied “Yes” – No sooner had we said that, than he cuts around us and ties up at the END of the pier – this is frowned upon because it prevents a straight in approach and you have to go around to moor and then proceed with a retrieval. Remembering this is all done is fairly shallow water and tight confines, which could make for expensive repairs to one or more boats IF something goes wrong.

Example number two – same thing, comes from behind, but cuts in front of TWO boats and moors closest to the ramp, so this operator has cut off both ourselves AND the next person in line (with the trailer coming down the ramp) – so now you have a bottle-neck IN the water and ON the ramp.

We finally got in and loaded and out of there, but we won’t be returning. We prefer the ‘working class’ ramps, at least people there have manners and the ability to wait their turn. Share their stories and give a hand.

Does rudeness or lack of manners come from having money or too much of it? – or does it come from having no money and pretending you do? I don’t know – but I do know that those with less, certainly have more when it comes to being polite and having manners.

As hubby said, if I’d had a rocket launcher I would have used it – just to show others watching in dismay that we too agreed with their unsaid words and looks of disgust.

My Favourite Photos of the Week

Taken by me for your enjoyment


Sunset - taken in the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne
(20101112)

Sunset - Taken in the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne
(20101102)


Neglected Park Bench (20101015)


Ducks on a pond (20101107)

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photoshopped on this blog, cropped yes, photoshopped NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please visit Redbubble, perhaps there is something there you would like to purchase. Refer the photos below!

Update - Telstra (17th November 2010)

I have phones again (well phone) as only one of the two landlines I have into the premises wasn’t working.

The phones went out on Saturday – well I knew there was a problem at 11am – so not sure exactly when they went out.

You can follow the story here:-
Telstra - How Many Thefts, How Many Deaths Before you are accountable?
Update - Telstra (16th November 2010)
So currently the Telstra case is closed for voice calls.

I enquired about the ADSL option, since I was rocking boats and as I was told the 11th November 2011 would be the date available for me to access ADSL.

Question - I asked some questions, namely IS ADSL available to me at my address and at what speed?
Answer – (Part 1) I’ll have to check both those. You can’t have ADSL+2 but you can have ADSL+1. The speed will be 8mb
Question – I can have 8mb? WOW, that’s fast. Better than I have now. What’s the slowest speed that I would get up here?
Answer – Let me check that. Well under the terms of contract the minimum you would/could receive is 110kb
Question – Can you tell me what the speed would be where I am?
Answer – There are many factors that determine the speed, from hardware, to asset/infrastructure issues.

I left it at that – although technically I could be saving $20.00 a month by bundling (well initial costings anyway)

I did some checking when I got home, only to discover some interesting facts.

My main voice line ‘might’ accept ADSL (Not ADSL+2), as per the wording from the Telstra Site - The following broadband option(s) may be available for: 03 XXXX XXXX
My data line – says – (well it depends on the mood of the Telstra site) – one attempt said sorry, NOT available, the next attempt said ADSL (not ADSL+2) may be available – who to believe? The human or the machine? Did the machine feed the human garbage, or has a human fed the machine garbage?

It was suggested wireless is the way to go – firstly the amount of data used, it’s not a viable option, secondly if I can’t maintain a stable 3.5g mobile connection, how the hell can I run a 24/7 internet connection without drop-outs?

So I’m back where I started, with 2 x working phone lines and a working internet connection. (Well I had the 2nd phone line AND internet connection working all weekend) that’s not the point.

As at 17.11.2010 Case closed………………………… (or is it?)

Update - Telstra (16th November 2010)

Refer to this post for the beginning of the story Telstra - How Many Thefts, How Many Deaths Before You Are Accountable?

I rang Telstra last night and was advised that someone was coming out to the premises on Wednesday, my first reaction was WHY wasn’t I told, that means I have to be home. It was explained to me that no, this time my presence wasn’t required. The ‘coming out to your premises’ was the wording that caused me to lose the plot. It implied I had to be there, it implied that I hadn’t checked my handsets were unplugged blah blah blah. I’m so over arguing with service providers. Did you know that I have both the power and telephone service provider numbers stuck the back of my phone in BIG writing, so it can be easily read in times of emergency?

I’ve checked with the all the elderly neighbours, they have phones, which is a relief; it means I don’t have worry about them.

In the conversation last night, with the Telstra rep, I was told the problem was a “Power Fade Imbalance” I checked with several people (in the industry) and they’ve not heard this term before. Professor Google doesn’t know the meaning either (and yes I tried Inbalance also)

I was speaking to an ex-employee of Telstra last night and they’ve advised me to contact both Telstra (special division within) and the Telecommunications Ombudsman in relation to these ongoing problems. The reasons behind NOT doing it before is due to personal reasons and that I can only deal with so much ‘garbage’ both mentality and physically and I’ve had a lot of it in the last 13 years. From bad car accidents, to a permanently broken leg, bushfires, working full-time, family life, a very patient husband, business closing, and that is the big stuff.

The failing/failed telephone service is just another hurdle I’ve had to deal with. I can’t take on the world, and one person against many rarely wins any battles.

But like a mother grizzly, when my children are threatened I will attack and that is the stage I’m up to now, when I can’t communicate with my children when I need/want to then I get upset and that is the ONLY reason I am going to take this fight up a notch.

I reiterate THE FOLLOWING event is in no way Telstra’s responsibility BUT my heart was in my mouth and I’m sure yours will be when you read it I Was Never So Scared.

We may only live 40km from the CBD – but sometimes I feel like we live in Outback Australia, the only thing missing from my emergency equipment is a radio network (Which wouldn’t be too hard to set up considering just over the hill is a HAM radio operator) and I have a generator in case of power failure.

(Please note as at 17th November 2010, phone service has been re-instated)
Updated - 17th November 2010

I’ve was never so scared

**Reposted from other blog - This was natural causes, nothing Telstra could do about it, BUT.......... it shows the emotion, when vulnerable people can't be contacted by telephone.......... and the emotions that those who can't reach them suffer. Further to my blog post Saturday - How many thefts, how many deaths before telstra are made accountable? and no telephone service AGAIN

It was Thursday, the 26th November 2009, a storm warning was issued for Melbourne, I had been talking to people about a dust storm and then decided to check the BOM site for weather warnings. A storm warning had been issued, and no sooner had I sighted the warning, than it was upon us.

I rang my daughter, she is about 30km further north than where I am located and told me that she was okay but thinks the house had taken a direct lightening hit, as the door frames had turned blue and although she was shaken, she was okay. It was absolutely bucketing and windy. She was hanging up the phone to mop up the water that had entered the house. I was unsure as to how the water had entered to house. That was the least of my concerns.

I tried to ring back some 5-10 minutes later to check how everything was going and there was no answer. Tried the mobile. No answer. My heart is in my mouth. I’m sure as a parent – you are feeling worried also.

Ringing, ringing, ringing, no answer. Getting more worried as the seconds tick past. Start ringing the neighbours. No answer there either, start ringing the mobiles. No answer. I am seeing my house going up in smoke, with the neighbours trying to rescue my daughter.

I hit the panic button and ring my husband, telling him to get home NOW. There is no answer on any phones, the neighbours aren’t answering, the house was flooded. My imagination is running well and truly in overdrive.

Can’t leave work, the nation-wide servers have crashed, the phone system is down. Everyone is panicking!

Finally people from the street start calling/texting. Daughter is okay, the house is fine. 50mm of rain in 15 minutes,. Nothing could be heard apparently. Landlines are down, minor flooding, not sure about the roof, but daughter is alive.

(I had images of her, laying on the floor in a pool of water, dead)

By the time I get home, some 5 hours later, water cleaned up, roof not holed, one landline down, the other the only working one in the street. Neighbours are queuing up to use the phone to report the faults. It’s now Monday mod-morning and still no landlines, or internet.

But everyone is alive and well

(Update - phones re-instated Tuesday, apparently the lightening literally fried the wires in the ground, only left strands not bundles of wires! Still no strike site visible, but was extremely close)

My Favourite Photos of the week

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

Who stole the runway?
Bird - Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100906)

Check out those feet, they are amazing!

Bird - Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100906)

Bird-Little Black Cormorant(Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)

Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100906)



A view from the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne
Taken with a Nokia D3000 (20100905)

 

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photoshopped on this blog, cropped yes, photoshopped NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please visit Redbubble, perhaps there is something there you would like to purchase. Refer the photos below!

Telstra, how many thefts, how many deaths before you are accountable?

It’s raining, you know how I know it’s raining? Not because stuff falls from the sky, but because my bloody phone is not working again.

I shouldn’t be so selfish – it’s not just my phone, it’s the whole street. The 80yo widower, the 75yo couple with severe health problems, the 35yo with the 2 young children, the 60yo with epilepsy.

They are the people I worry about. Not me – I have a mobile phone an old copper line (my main line), and a pair gain telephone line (newer type), they do not. The only reason I have the pair gain is because I was told I couldn’t get ADSL, I had a 2nd line installed to enable access to the internet, which in itself was a nightmare and I had to wait 3 months for.

This problem is not something that’s just occurred. This problem has been occurring for the better part of 50-60 years. I know this because the first line installed on the street, was connected to the property I own. There was a husband and wife living here before me, they built the house soon after WWII.

I’m not sure exactly when – but the husband passed away in his sleep. The wife went to pick up the phone to call the doctors, no phone service.

The wife (an elderly lady by this stage) had to go the nearest neighbour some 500m away to place the call. So much for modern conveniences.

I’ve given up trying to record the number of times the phone lines don’t function, but I do know that Cup Weekend, about 2003, we had no phones for two weeks. I remember this because my neighbours house was robbed. Then when my boat was stolen, (about 2001) we had no phone lines (the police didn’t believe us) Then in the summer of 2004 I was forced to go to work with broken leg because I couldn’t drive and the phones were up and down and you couldn’t rely on them. Don’t bother with mobile phones, reception is piecemeal at the best of times, Bouncing off towers in South Yarra, Whittlesea, Kalkallo and even Mentone sometimes.

Internet? – if it wasn’t for friends of mine, I’d still be on dial up, I was told I could not have ADSL until ………… wait for it……………. 11th November 2011. That’s still 12 months away and that was 4 years ago!

So back to the present……………. We’ve had rain, I know that, you know that. My husband and I went out for the day, leaving my teenager at home doing homework/study for upcoming exams. We rang home at 11am, only for the phone to ring out. We rang the
2nd line, he was unable to hear it due to closed doors. We had to ring his mobile to get a response. In 2010 that is not acceptable. I thought telephony services were a basic service to be expected to be available as long as you pay the bill.

Not for 10 houses in a small area less than 50km from the CBD of Melbourne.

The problem is so bad – that at one stage our house (street) was on a level 2 complaint – which meant that I had direct access to the technician and all I had to do was call the mobile number.

Telstra, if you want to know what the problem is, check the pits out the front of 101 and 151, bucket out the contents, dry the lines out and we should have service again. Remedial action would involve ensuring water CAN NOT get into the pits in the first place.

Give me back my phone, give me back my connection to the outside world, now I have to wander down the street, giving my sons mobile to the 80yo, give my husbands phone to the 75yo (I think they’re home). Telstra don’t care, so I have to.

And next time I have to call the police using 3 mobile phones, I should sue Telstra for the time and cost involved in getting the billing break-down because the police don’t believe me when I say that the phone isn’t working.

Telstra you suck, oh and you owe me a credit or two for service NOT provided over the last 14 years or so.

Yours sincerely

HS

Update 16th Nov 2010 - http://itaintalwaysmylife.blogspot.com/2010/11/update-telstra.html

My favourite photos (MID-week special) Bee Smashed on Pollen

Sorry for normal program interuption - but this one I HAD to share



You're going to have to enlarge the photo, just double click on it - check out the bees 'face'



Bee collecting pollen is the technical name for this look! Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photoshopped on this blog, cropped yes, photoshopped NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please visit Redbubble, perhaps there is something there you would like to purchase. Refer the photos below!

Twitter – what you don’t want your neighbour to know

Many people have fun on Twitter*, some people for business, some people for pleasure, some people because they can.

The reasoning behind Twitter* usage is as varied as the weather in Melbourne, AU.

People are constantly complaining about privacy, about lack of it, about information sharing, be it too little, or too much, both in the real world and online and yet many of these breaches are due to the person posting something directly, not others.

Twitter is a wonderful knowledge base, a good way to find information out, that may be too difficult to locate otherwise. Twitter is a great way to touch base with people of similar interests or even ethics and morals. You adjust your followers accordingly.

This post came about when I was having a conversation with someone on Twitter and I made the comment, I treat Twitter like a www neighbourhood. What I don’t want my neighbours to know, or my parents, or my employees, I don’t utter a word on Twitter*. Because that would be like telling the neighbourhood gossip something that I didn’t want anyone else to know.

Another issue to consider is that Twitter, Twitpic and Yfrog (and other applications) have built into their terms and conditions (same as Facebook) that any photos you post can be used by them, at their whim. So if you have an image that ‘could’ be embarrassing sometime in the future, don’t post it – It’s not worth it.

When posting ANYTHING to the internet, anywhere, not just Twitter*, that information, stays there forever. It doesn’t take a genius to find information that you think you’ve deleted. One person can copy that information and then post it everywhere. You can delete something, but unbeknown to you it has previously been copied.

I like Twitter, I like the speed of it – I like the fact I can pop in and out without missing too much. I like that conversations can go over a period of days, without , missing a beat.

One photo, one mistake, one career, one mistake. Can have life time roll on effect.

Don’t tell Twitter* and you won’t be telling your neighbour, you won’t be telling the world

Enjoy, but don’t share with others, what you wouldn’t share with your neighbour

**Replace the word Twitter with any other social website and the same analogy applies.

My favourite photos of the week

Taken by me for your enjoyment

Sea Gull Landing - Taken with a Nikon (20100829)
This photo has not been cropped

Seagull in Flight - Taken with a Nikon (20100829)
This photo has not been cropped

Seagull in Flight - Taken with a Nikon (20100829)
This photo has not been cropped

Seagull in Flight - Taken with a Nikon (20100829)
This photo has not been cropped

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photoshopped on this blog, cropped yes, photoshopped NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please visit Redbubble, perhaps there is something there you would like to purchase. Refer the photos below!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! (or is it?)

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a "Holiday ".*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, cheques and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Myers the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Target and Woolies and Coles*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Gillard!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith;*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate "Summer Break" under your "Dream Tree"*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, Not Happy Holiday!*
*Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!*

(The earliest reference I can find to this, is December 2006) if anyone knows the origins, I'm happy to attribute)