Short Answer: usually. Most of the time an extended warranty on IT gear (and many household appliances) is a waste of money. Here’s why: Bathtub Failure Curve IT equipment has a “bathtub” failure curve. High initial failure rate, followed by years of no issues, and then a growing failure rate as the gear wears out. … Read more
This graph shows a summary of the Australian Government Spending as given by the ATO for 2022 / 2023. All figures in $AUD billions. Does not include spending by State Governments. The two stand out numbers are the massive amounts spent on Welfare and Health. Australia looks after its elderly and less fortunate. Welfare works … Read more
So, bought this industrial strength fan at Bunnings, and noticed dozens of comments that the mounting diagram is not to scale. So I have sorted that out. I scanned it in, enlarged it to the correct dimensions, and created a PDF of the diagram. A4 Paper Template This template is designed for A4 size paper … Read more
cleanbuttons.com – Create clean buttons for free! Clean Buttons have 3 distinct types Primary Buttons move things forward. Like Start, Save, Buy, Add to Cart, Download, etc. The color of this button should draw the eye and reward clicking. Secondary Buttons either cancel the current action or are added extras. Like a cancel button or settings button. … Read more
OK, so you want to copy or move a bunch of files – probably from one drive to another, and Windows File Copy is a pain. Or you want your own custom backup onto an external drive. Robocopy is a utility that was part of the Windows Resource Kit, but since Vista it has been … Read more
I wanted a small wireless keyboard to use on my media PC in the lounge room, so I bought one of these mini keyboards (with touchpad) on ebay. It cost about $10. Although the item said it was in Sydney, it took two weeks to arrive and I’m sure it came from China. However the … Read more
I like a completely blank desktop. But recycle bin clutters it up and it isn’t obvious how to get rid of it. Fortunately it’s easy enough to banish the recycle bin – it’s just a few clicks. But it’s not intuitive. Here’s how to remove the recycling bin from your desktop in Windows 10: 1.Right … Read more
I wrote this to help an older friend who was scammed. Those cretins are very, very good at what they do, and extremely convincing. They hone their scripts over thousands of calls until they know just what to say to convince you to let them access your computer. So, here is my attempt at a … Read more
Erasing files, formatting a drive, even deleting a partition does not wipe the actual data from your hard drive. If you want to sell your computer (or completely clean it after malware) you need to make sure the data is actually destroyed and completely nuke the drive. Here’s how. When you erase a file on … Read more
I purchased one of these sets a few months back from Bunnings and fitted them to my shower. The manual isn’t available online, so I have scanned it and included it here. I quite like them. They have a really nice solid and quality feel about them. The ceramic half turn valves work well. The … Read more
In 2012 we bought a second hand Territory, and within a day, the latch holding the dash compartment closed broke, and it was stuck open. I tried my local Ford Dealer, who wanted $500 to replace the whole compartment. So instead, I bought a 3D printer, and printed a replacement clip. I kept printing them … Read more
When it comes to projects – IT or building, there’s one quote I keep coming back to: “Time, Cost, Quality – Pick Two” Kevin McCloud repeated this mantra often on Grand Designs, and while he was referring to ambitious building projects, it holds true in IT as well (and much of life). If watching Kevin … Read more
PSST! You want to save 20% off Google Apps (G Suite)? Are you in Australia? Only for new G Suite customers. Sorry. Sign up to Google Apps using this link: https://goo.gl/XqqtP5 Then, BEFORE you put any payment details in (you have 14 days), email me (daniel@bingtastic.com), and I’ll reply with a code to give you … Read more
A simple table listing and comparing all the Legendary and Epic shop gear and equipment you can buy in the stores in Age of Empires Online. Age of Empires Online (AOEO) lives again! It may have been cancelled by Microsoft, but thanks to Project Celeste (https://www.projectceleste.com), you can play Age Of Empires Online again – … Read more
So – Windows 10 PC, using OneDrive, and the next day after a Windows Update, One Drive is gone. There is a very simple fix: Hold the Windows Key and tap R Copy and Paste this into the Run dialog box, exactly as is appears below: %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\Update\OneDriveSetup.exe Include the % signs and everything. Then click … Read more
So I bought a couple of these Fire Pro fire alarms (smoke alarms) from Bunnings. I realised I never keep the installation manuals for these things, so In case I needed them later I scanned the manual. It’s the cheapest photoelectric smoke alarm in Bunnings, powered by a standard 9V battery (NOT a 10 year … Read more
I bought a Hisense 120L bar fridge. Manual below. In early 2018 our huge old westinghouse died, and it was kind of handy to have a second fridge downstairs, so I thought I’d try a bar fridge. As a second fridge I gambled and bought one of the cheapest out there, and it is so … Read more
Below is the manual for the pump based vacuum suction cup shower caddy and soap holder that Bunnings sell – “Fusion-Lock” brand I think, but the pump instructions are branded EVOVAC. The attachments have a one way valve and it comes with a blue / teal pump that allows you to remove some of the … Read more
I bought an Arlec Rialto Tower Fan (ATF212) at Bunnings in Brisbane (Australia). I wish I hadn’t. Here’s the link to the item. For summer 2017 we wanted a new fan for our bedroom. It was advertised as having “seven quiet speeds” and sleep mode and so on, so I thought it would be ideal. The … Read more
The Problem: If your webhost uses litespeed to speed up your websites, an unintended side effect is it caches MySQL SELECT queries. In my experience it only cached them for 45-60 seconds, but a one minute delay after you add data (like a shopping cart) is not good! The Test: First of all run … Read more
Simple 2017 / 2018 Australian Tax Calculator Calculate approximate tax payable for the financial year 2017 / 2018 ending on 30 June 2018 for Australian Residents. Income (after deductions): $.00 Approximate Tax: $0 Tax Breakdown Income$ Marginal Rate% Base Tax$ + Medicare Levy*$ – Low Income Offset$ = Approx Tax$ Please note: … Read more
Simple 2016 / 2017 Australian Tax Calculator Calculate approximate tax payable for the financial year 2016 / 2017 ending on 30 June 2017 for Australian Residents. Income (after deductions): $.00 Approximate Tax: $0 Tax Breakdown Income$ Marginal Rate% Base Tax$ + Medicare Levy*$ + Temp Budget Levy$ – Low Income Offset$ = Approx … Read more
Here’s a simple calculator to convert Volts, Watts and Amps. They form the power triad, or the electrician’s triangle Volts Watts and Amps Calculator Converter Watts = Volts x Amps Watts = Volts x Amps Watts = Volts x Amps | Volts = Watts / Amps | Amps … Read more
The Problem WordPress seems to limit the file upload size to 2Mb. You see a message like this: Maximum upload file size: 2 MB You may also receive an error like this: filename.jpg exceeds the maximum upload size for this site The Solution Assuming you are using a web host (and not your own dedicated … Read more
i Before e Except After c? I was trying to teach my seven year old how to spell some words, when I came to an ie word, and hauled out the old “i before e” mantra. But hold on – what about height? Or weird? or science? Looking into it a little more, it’s an … Read more
So you’ve bought a new Windows 10 PC (or nuked your PC), and want to put a bunch of programs back on it again like Chrome, GIMP, Malwarebytes, Skype, Steam, VLC, iTunes, etc. There is a very simple way to do this: ninite.com Ninite.com allows you to tick the boxes for the programs you want … Read more
Australian Price: $299 (Officeworks, Kogan) I’ve had one as my main phone for a couple of months, and I love it. If you would like a nice plus sized phone, but just can’t justify $1,000 for a Samsung or iphone, then get this phone. This isn’t a review from someone who used it for a … Read more
Fix with Step by Step Instructions By default Skype (and other voip call programs) reduce the volume of systems sounds when you are in a voice chat. This is rather annoying when you are playing a game and chatting to friends. Fortunately it is easy to turn off. The trick is, it isn’t a Skype … Read more
If I had followed my own advice, I would not have been scammed. Here’s what I advise businesses and home users to do to stay safe from scams: Interrogate Inbound. Emails Evil. Activate Antivirus. Powerful Passwords. Suitable Security. Preventative Procedures. Careful Companies. Begin Backups. Interrogate Inbound Treat everything inbound as a scam until proven … Read more
For the first time in 20+ years in IT I fell for a scam. I actually clicked on a link in a scam email. Malwarebytes saved me (it is awesome – see why here), but that was the first time I have ever clicked on a scam email link. In my defence, it was the … Read more
In a word – no. But that shouldn’t stop you using them anyway. As a cloud developer I encourage people to use the cloud, despite the risk. Because it’s like the rest of life – everything has a risk attached. Driving a car, catching a plane, cooking your dinner – all these activities carry an … Read more
One of my all time favourite bushwalks. Beautiful rainforest, flowing creek, inspiring views and crisp mountain air, with a challenging climb at the end – all on a well maintained path. Read more on BeautifulBushwalks.com
When your computer is switched on, the first thing the motherboard does is run a Power On Self Test, or POST. This is run by the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) on the motherboard, not by Windows – Windows hasn’t even started to load yet. If there is a problem with say faulty RAM or … Read more
The Problem: Printer won’t scan across the network. Printer error says “Set the computer to scan” when you try to scan from the printer. Canon Pixma MG6150 (or other MG Series Printers with network scan). Windows 10PC (new or reinstalled). Printer has scanned in the past over the network, whether cat5 or Wifi. The … Read more
This is just horrible. An 89 year old lady on the Gold Coast lost $200,000 in late 2016 to a fake police scam. Here is a news article about it: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/…/woman-89-loses-200000-to-… Scammers are specifically targeting retirees like this lady, and telling them they are from the police, and that someone has attempted to take money … Read more
I Have a Very Happy Spath! Yes, that is a photo of my Peace Lily. No, it’s not plastic 🙂 I’m usually a brown thumb – I’ve certainly killed way more pot plants that have thrived under my care, but this one is amazing. Maybe it’s just a great specimen? I can’t take the credit … Read more
SSD = Telsa Model S. Normal HDD = furniture truck. My Windows 10 PC was running unreasonably slow in February 2017. It was only a year old, so usually I would do a format reinstall, but instead I bought a 1Tb Intel SSD hard drive and did a fresh install of Windows 10 onto the … Read more
Use MyGovID Instead After 27 March 2020, you can’t use AUSkey to access ATO services. You need to use MyGovID instead. See the ATO website for further information: https://www.ato.gov.au/Tax-professionals/Services-and-support/Working-online/AUSkey/ Previous Information I will leave this here in case there is any reason it may be helpful in the future, or in case the ATO allows … Read more
The Problem: Windows 10 using One Drive for your files. You just did a format re-install of Windows or you have a new PC. You want to copy your One Drive files to your new PC / new install of Windows. The Solution: You could just install One Drive and let it sync from … Read more
The Problem: Windows 10 user folder is the first 5 letters of your email address (e.g. danie instead of Daniel) You want to change it (because I hate being called danie) The Solution: This is going to take a while and a fair bit of messing about. The sooner you do this after installing Windows … Read more
The Problem: You add an additional hard drive to your Windows 10 PC. You can see the hard drive in the BIOS (when you press DEL as the computer first boots up). You go into “Disk Management” (Right click Windows Start Icon – Disk Management) and drive does not appear in Disk Management. You go … Read more
So I bought an Aqua Systems Electronic Digital Tap Timer at Bunnings in Brisbane (Australia). Here’s the link to the item. The main advantage of digital tap timers over the manual ones is that you can set a watering schedule lasting a week, instead of a daily schedule. I wanted my pot plants watered twice … Read more
Are you making a car part or a novelty item? Car part = ABS, novelty item = PLA. I print a dash latch to suit Ford Territory cars that I have sold over a thousand of (bingtastic.com), and I only use ABS Filament. But ABS isn’t always the best choice. If you are making prototypes … Read more
So you’ve got a WordPress blog, and you allow readers to comment… Welcome to comment spam hell. Doesn’t matter how small your site is, it takes no time at all for spammers to spam spam-filled comments of spammy spam spam. Honestly, who buys medicine from dodgy Russian websites anyway? Obviously enough people to warrant more … Read more
BYOD = Bring Your Own Device BYOD is being rolled out in high schools in Australia, and parents ask me which computer to buy. There are a lot of factors to consider, and budget. Personally I don’t like to over invest in any computers as they are quickly obsolete and have a tendency to die … Read more
This Question Has a One Word Answer… I am often asked what is the best virus protection? Malwarebytes. As a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and programmer who has fixed hundreds of infected PCs over the last 20 years of running my own IT company, it is the only product I can recommend. Every other product … Read more
The Problem: Windows 10 PC (probably upgraded from Windows 7 or 8) Network is connected (Wifi or Cat5) Yellow exclamation mark on network icon saying internet is not connected Attempting to do a network repair fails Wifi or Ethernet adapter has an autoconfig IP address (169.x.x.x) ipconfig/release then ipconfig/renew results in “File Not Found” The … Read more
How old is my Australian Made Beale Piano? Enter your serial number below to find out. Your Beale Piano was made sometime between 1893 and 1976. We inherrited a Beale piano and wanted to know its age. So after some digging I found a table of serial numbers and year of manufacture. Turns out our … Read more
.htaccess is your friend Using .htaccess to block directory listings, specify a home page and do custom error handling are all explained below. If you’d like some background on .htaccess or see examples of the rewrite rule: Overview of .htaccess Rewrite Rule with examples and cheat sheet Block Directory Listing Decent web hosts have this … Read more