Blog

The thoughts, opinions, happenings, and just plain ramblings of a seemingly boring person.

Technology

Plexing with a NUC

Categories Geekery, Technology

Intel NUCFor the past 6+ years, a WDTV has served as the trusty media player for our living room: firstly playing stuff off an external hard drive, and then off our NAS.

Although the latest one is still going strong after almost 4 years, I recently saw a Plex Home Theater setup running on an Alienware Alpha, and was impressed at the great visuals and easy experience of the platform, as well as the 'on deck' items when watching through a series.

Despite the Alienware Alpha being an impressive living room gaming PC, it is way overkill for what … Read more →

Windows 10 Tech Preview

Categories Rants, Technology

Windows10-StartMenuAfter receiving the 'Free Upgrade!' notifications this week, I downloaded and had a quick peek at the upcoming Windows 10.

After my scathing preview of the Windows 8 Beta, which although slightly over the top but still mostly accurate, it was interesting to see what Microsoft was going to do after the very lukewarm reception of that iteration of their OS.

Although the .1 update made Windows 8 stomachable, it seems that for Windows 10 they've gone and made it what I think Windows 8 should have been all along.

Sound familiar? It's pretty much what I said for … Read more →

Back to Cable & New Router

Categories Geekery, Internet, Technology

Asus RT-AC68UIt took almost three months of laborious, will-testing, patience-stretching torture, but I have finally bested the beast. We are now back on Telstra cable as our internet connection.

The reason for the move back to Telstra (whom I have no love for), was initiated by TPG's takeover bid for iiNet (owner of Internode), which the iiNet board has recommended. There aren't many companies in the world that I would say I am mortal enemies with, but TPG is one (and the only other would be Samsung).

Although I have loved the five years I have spent with Internode, there … Read more →

New Mouse (G502) & Avenging Again

Categories Movies, Technology

Logitech g502-proteus-coreIt's been a while, but now I have the excuse of taking care of a new life and attempting to get some sleep at the same time! 😉

I bought a new mouse this week. My last mouse, the G9x, has performed superbly over the past four years. However, recently the rubber coating on the mouse has started to oxidise and get sticky, so I thought it was time for a new one.

I picked up the Logitech G502 on sale for a very cheap $49, and it hasn't disappointed. It's amazing how much cheaper these top-tier mice have … Read more →

Three Days Without Internet

Categories Internet, Technology

Keep calm there is no internetThis past week, we were without internet for a full three days. It doesn't seem like much, but I can't remember a time in the past 10 years that we were completely without our main internet connection for so long (disregarding temporary connection performance issues).

I'm not sure what caused it, and despite Internode's (my ISP) best efforts, Telstra haven't given any explanation as to why my whole phone line was unceremoniously disconnected. Internode were great throughout the whole ordeal, keeping me informed every day (sometimes multiple times), and proactively noticing another Telstra stuff-up before I did: Telstra originally only … Read more →

Me and My Pebble

Categories Geekery, Technology

My pebble watch on my wristI've wanted a Pebble smartwatch for a while, but the price (US$150+) had always put me off. They recently dropped the price to only US$99, which was right in my ballpark, so yay!

I think it's the perfect device for me. Although I like the idea of a fuller featured smartwatch, like the various Android Wear devices now being sold, I definitely do not like the prices (at well over US$200), or the fact that you need to charge them almost every day. I have enough trouble remembering to charge my phone!

The Pebble platform and development community has matured … Read more →

Surface Pro 3

Categories Geekery, Technology

Microsoft Surface Pro 3Our portable computer, the laptop known as Viktor, has been getting on a bit this year. At four-and-a-half years old, it's definitely into the senile years of its technological usefulness.

I started looking into getting a replacement earlier this year, initially looking at ultrabooks, but after Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, it seemed perfect for what we wanted.

We got the i5 256GB model (of course with a Type Cover), and after using it for a couple of weeks, I believe that it is the almost perfect compromise between a tablet and a laptop.

But that's the thing: … Read more →

Workrave: Keeping On Top of the Pain

Categories Life, Technology

WorkraveLast year I was diagnosed with fybromyalgia, which added another condition to my growing list of statistically improbable health issues. Of course one of the worst things you can do when you have any muscular problem is sit at a computer all day, as well as for most of the evening. Lucky I don't do a lot of that then! (ha)

Part of the problem is that moving around helps me to not get too sore, but if I'm concentrating on something (either at work or at home), I only remember to move around after I am sore, and … Read more →

Trying Out Online Backups

Categories Geekery, Internet, Technology

Crashplan logoI first published my backup rant almost 7 years ago, and my catch-cry for anyone who owns a computer and cares about some data (i.e. everyone), is that there are no excuses when it comes to backing up important data.

To quote a wise man from the end of that post:

If your digital belongings are really that important to you, you should guarantee that only the most inconceivable of disasters should be able to rob you of them; anything less is negligence.

Since that post, only the medium and frequency of my backup regime had changed: weekly backups … Read more →

Getting the Joystick Out for BF4

Categories Gaming, Technology

BF4 Joystick In the past couple of weeks I have really gotten started on BF4. These early days are always a bit of a slog trying to upgrade weapons, classes, and vehicles, but it has been fun nonetheless.

One thing that I have always sucked at across all the Battlefield games, is flying aircraft. I always tend to struggle flying with the mouse, mainly because it is really hard to find a neutral 'centre' point, especially with the helicopters.

The best way to fly is, of course, with a joystick. So I thought "screw this", let's give it a go.

I dusted … Read more →