From thesaurus.com:
| Main Entry: | attic |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | space under the roof of a house |
| Synonyms: | garret, loft, sky parlor, top floor |
I expected better from you, Australian media. Why have I not been drowned in bad foil insulation puns yet?
Well, the title says it all.
The paper feed rollers have decided to go on strike, so hopefully the technician at SameDay Laser can coax them back into working condition again.
Gotta lug the the silly thing to Artarmon sometime next week 
I forgot to take pics while installing the CISS (as per the last post), so here’s my 2nd chance…
Epson Stylus Office TX300F
Seeing as there aren’t many reviews for the Epson Stylus Office TX300F, I’ll throw my opinion out there. Skip to the end for the summary. *See footnote. These are the only other ones I’ve been able to find on the internet:
Then there’s this moron (click to see profile/other reviews) who posted a review on Dick Smith Electronic’s website:
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/XP8303
You’ll notice he gives sparkling 5/5 reviews to EVERY single product, and goes into hardly any relevant detail… he’d be great working in the advertisement industry, the way he writes up products. Sadly enough, people actually get suckered in and purchase products based on his reports. *See footnote
——————————————————–
Scathing comments aside, back to the printer.
Bought the TX300F from Dick Smith on special for $98, normal price was $128. It’s a standard multifunction printer – print, copy, scan but can also send and receive faxes as well. It also has a auto document feeder which is useful for batch copying or scanning documents. I also got a 3 year extended warranty through Dick Smith which sweetened the deal – it even covers wear and tear! Assuming I take the printer back when it breaks, that’s 2 printers for $54.
The printer uses Epson’s DURABrite pigment based ink – 73N series of cartridges (TO731N, TO732N, TO733N, TO734N) or an optional 73HN high capacity tank for black ink. These cost around $16 each, depending on the store of purchase, so it’s $64 for a complete set of ink cartridges. Calidad does offer drop in compatible cartridges – these come in a set of 4 + 2 free magnetic photo frames for $36. Unfortunately, these are the new micro-chipped ink cartridges, so refilling is more complex than drilling a hole and squirting ink in. (Dedicated 3rd party re-fillable cartridges or a CISS will have to be purchased).
In short, the Epson TX300F was disappointing. It takes quite a while to start up and shut down. Print quality and speed were a big let down for an otherwise worthwhile printer. Typical of most Epsons, draft mode is unreadable, but standard and high quality modes take much longer to print documents. While not unbearable slow, it IS noticeable compared to most modern inkjets. Text is crisp, but image quality is fairly average, on par with most $40-60 Canon/HP printers. Photo printing was painfully slow, at over 2 minutes per image. Comparable Canon/HP printers typically take ~45 seconds. Once again, this slow speed doesn’t translate into improved image quality. The TX300F is much better off as a small business workhorse than a home printer.
I cannot comment on scanner image quality, not knowing much about calibration or colour accuracy. Copying however works well, and apart from the speed, have no complaints. The user interface and menu are fairly intuitive, although the “are you sure you want to shut down” question bugs me. I do not have a fax service, and thus unable to test or use the scan function.
Typical of most sub $180 printers, the build quality is fairly mediocre, hence my joy at picking up extended warranty including wear and tear. Printer weight and size is fairly average, so it should fit in the existing space of you already have a multifunction. Being a office printer, it doesn’t have a built in memory card reader, or EXIF based USB printing. This printer comes with a USB cable, RJ11 phone cable and IEC power cord. Disappointingly, there was no sample pack of photo paper.
The software package included with the printer is fairly lightweight compared to other brands. The Epson supports Windows 2000 or higher (including 7) and Mac OS 10.3.9 or later. Apart from the printing drivers, a basic scan utility is also installed and a printer status monitor that sits in the system tray. I’m not a fan of this, but it can be disabled.
——————————————————–
Should you buy this printer? Canon PIXMA All-in-one printers with fax and ADF functionality are available for ~$125-140, can print faster and have higher image quality. At it’s RRP of $149 AUD, it’s not worth it, but on discount, as a document printer, it’s worth considering.
I’ll be fitting a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) to this printer, something that is MUCH easier to do on this Epson than comparable Canon models – one of the reasons I bought this printer despite it’s drawbacks. I’ll detail the installation process, and list ink/cartridge/CISS suppliers in the next post. (A CISS is a giant external tank for a printer, which supplies ink to the print heads via a series of tubing.)
Pros:
Mediocre:
Cons:
*I am not affiliated with DSE, Epson, News Limited, PC World, GGG or DaleB545 in any way. Opinions expressed in this article are purely my own and written for my personal amusement. If you incur any losses as a result of comprehending and/or following the advice of this post, you hold the author free of any indemnity or damages claims. Please see the complaints page for more information. If you disagree with any of this, please leave this website immediately and clear your browser’s cache.
Wow. 2 months without a post.
I stumbled across this little gem a few days ago:
Australia Post TELeGRAM
The TELeGRAM combines new age demands with
old world charm to offer you a quick, convenient
way to send a message that matters.Create your messages on-line, select from a range
of images, and we print and post a hard copy of
your special message to any delivery point within Australia*.*Terms and conditions apply.
See terms and conditions or call 13 13 18.When it’s special, send a TELeGRAM.
Ordered on-line, delivered by mail.
Check it out at: http://www.auspost.com.au/telegram/
So, apparently you can choose from 12 templated TELeGRAM card thingies (the usual stock images – candles, bottle of champagne, rose with 2 hands, balloons, artistic spirals, love heart shaped cloud, baby hands, lush green tress, flower, roses, sparkler and plain white.) Not even an option to upload your own image.
You type in your message, agree to some legal waffle, press send and you can send that special message to that special person from the laziness of your chair.
All for the charming price of $4.50.
On the website, one of the images reads:
“Some messages are too important for a phone call, and too special for e-mail.”
THEN GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS, PICK A CARD YOURSELF AND DELIVER IT IN PERSON.
Do these look the same to you?
Well, that’s the only conclusion I can draw after Apple’s latest round of lawsuits in Australia.
Apparently Apple doesn’t want Woolworths to use their new fresh food logo any more, as it infringes upon the Apple trademark. So that means re-branding all their stores, staff uniforms, trucks, advertisements, product labels and so on. Apple is pissed as Woolworths filed for a blanket trademark, which could in theory allows it to use its stylised ‘w’ on electrical goods and computers, putting them in competition with each other. Given that Woolworths has already followed their US and UK counterparts in offering mobile phone plans, MP3 download credit and phones, I guess Apple might be worried.
But really – is that what Apple’s legal department comes up with, after 14 months of deliberation? “Uh, your logo is a ripoff of ours.”
*snort*
In other news, Apple is also suing Poison Apple, a music festival promoter who’s trademark is a bitten apple atop crossed bones, and Foxtel, as their new pornography channel’s “Adults Only” logo is an apple with an arrow and devil’s tail.
What else will they come up with next? Banning the Granny Smith Festival? Commission on any fresh produce store that sells apples? The local fruit market manager is quaking in fear…
Jaycar / Electus seems to have stocked up on surplus HDMI cables and are flogging them at dirt cheap prices:
$9.95 for a 1.8m 1.3b compliant HDMI cable – 99.99% pure copper, 24k gold plated with triple shielding. And if you buy 4+, the price drops to $6.25ea, or $5.60 for 10+
Now that’s a bargain, unlike the $129.99 Monster THX bullshit all the retailers seem to flog… like really, unless your running a 50m HDMI cable in the vicinity of a 75W FM radio transmission tower, you don’t need quad shielded, 99.997% purity OFC copper, hand terminated with 99.99% purity silver solder, Teflon dielectric, Kevlar reinforced, 24K gold plated earth first connectors, patent pending strain relief THX certified HDMI cables.
Click here for details.
And now, put your hands together for everyone’s favourite ISP!
Dodo, Dodo, Internet that flies,
For nine-ninety cheap a month,
Connect yourself with Dodo!
And they’re back! Not content with being one of the most complained about ISPs in Australia, or offering the most ridiculous plans and outrageous terms & conditions, comes Dodo Electricity & Gas!
Dodo Electricity & Gas
For when your electricity and gas supplies just ‘aint unreliable enough. Do you want:
Well you’re in luck, as here comes Dodo to the rescue.
Ok, well not really. They haven’t started offering those plans yet, but it’s a scary thought. And yes I am aware they have a PDF available listing the supplies and rates in Victoria. But it IS fun to pile shit on Dodo – not like it’s undeserved anyway.
*Excessive use of Dodo gas and electricity resources is a breach of the FairConsumption policy. Dodo is a reseller of AGL (natural gas) and Energy Australia (electricity). Excessive use is defined as 1. Electricity or Gas consumption of more than 5kWh or 150kJ per day 2. Use of more than 750W of electricity between the hours of 1 am and 6:30am 3. Using Dodo gas for barbecues or hot water boilers. Dodo Electricity & Gas is for residential use only. Customers who use Dodo Electricity & Gas for business purposes may be asked to purchase a private generator and LPG tank at the customers expense. Dodo will try to meet a 65% availability for electricity and natural gas services, but blackouts and supply loss are not guaranteed.
OMG. KFC is ditching the use of palm oil and switching to a canola-sunflower blend.
Ripped shamelessly from the Sydney Morning Herald’s website:
The following March, Yum! told the Herald it had been using palm oil “for many years” and had no intention of converting to a healthier cooking oil, despite a directive by the then assistant health minister, Christopher Pyne, that the fast food industry draw up plans to phase out ingredients such as palm oil and report back in six months.
Yesterday, Yum!’s managing director, Albert Baladi said any delay in changing to a healthier oil was due to difficulty in overcoming a number of problems.
“The most important thing we had to do was ensure continuous supply [of an alternative oil], then that the oil delivered the same taste our customers expected. These are not things you can turn on or off with a switch,” he said.
Along with the switch to a canola-sunflower blend for cooking, KFC has now also made a commitment to reduce the salt content in its food across the board by 10 per cent.
The company will reportedly spend $35 million introducing the menu changes, including a $10 million campaign to market the new grilled chicken products.
Fair enough, I guess, but if the chicken taste any different 3 months from now, I will (as with other KFC lovers across the nation) have an immediate hernia. I want the security of knowing that when I rip into a piece of KFC chicken, that I’m swallowing oily, unhealthy, artery clogging fatty food. :@
Guess that’s just me though, as healthy eating junkies are celebrating at the news, just like they did when Mars Confectionery reduced the size of all of their products (without a corresponding reduction in price) by 11% a few weeks ago, hence the retarded 42.5gm sized packs of M&M’s.
Woo! Swine Flu is coming to a person near you!
Or so the snake oil peddlers want you to think anyway. There seems to be no end of pharmacies selling “Swine Flu masks” on the cheap, or selfish idiots that stockpile anti-virals so that people who require them are unable to acquire them as they’ve been sold out. Also, I declare Jihad upon the unscrupulous GPs handing out Tamiflu prescriptions by the hundred to make some extra moolah.
Anyone for a dose of Swine Flu and MRSA preventing herbal supplements? Click here.
That looks just as effective as a dose of multivitamins twice a day, which would probably be cheaper.
Seeing as we’re in such a swine-ish mood, why not buy a few souvenir T-Shirts? Available here.
Speaking of snake oil peddlers, I never ceases to amaze people who buy “Magic Ceramic Water Filters”, guaranteed to filter out the secret chemicals added to the water supply by our governments to give citizens cancer, as a method of population control.
Same with “magic power magnetic bracelets” and shaman amulets to ward off terrorists. (Would a AK-47 not be more effective?)
I’m about to fork out $49.99 to buy a set of audio tapes developed by the Shaolin monks, which supposedly help cure common colds with the recorded auditory signals developed over countless millenia in temples and now available as a limited edition CD set with free gift if I buy now within the next 10 minutes.
Ohhh, I can’t wait… 
Anyone wanna talk me out of it? I accept THX/Monster speaker cables as donations.
The Japanese seem to pioneering the way for weird and wonderful USB flash drives – take the Sushi inspired storage devices for example (http://gizmodo.com/archives/sushi-usb-flash-drives-023561.php)
(I’m a too lazy to upload pics, so follow the links (they open in new tabs/windows))
Actually wanted to buy a few of them while I was in Japan last year but couldn’t justify paying the 40% markup to purchase a rice and seaweed adorned flash drive. Also wanted to take a few pics too, but the security guard was giving me the take-a-photo-and-i-will…-politely-gesture-you-to-leave-as-I-don’t-speak-good-English look.
Fosfor has a top 10 list of weird USB flash drives – (http://gadgets.fosfor.se/the-top-10-weirdest-usb-drives-ever/)
In ascending order of wackiness
SanDisk, OCZ, Corsair, Lexar etc etc have all got in on the game and made their own themed storage devices (ducati motorcycles, caution tape, XBOX themed and so on) but newcomer to flash storage manufacturer Lacie takes the crown for style and functionality. Introducing the new Lacie key range: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/02/lacies-new-sally-struthers-approved-usb-key-drives/
Shock proof, fast read and write speed and some models support expansion via Micro SDHC cards.
Still waiting for someone to produce a Cockroach flash drive though…
Edit: Everything USB has a giant collection of reviews on everything USB related, news articles, software etc. Check it out http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/Storage/USB_Flash_Drives.htm Not the most complete portal of information nor the most technical, but good for starters.
Yay! This blag is PCI certified…
WTF, is probably what you are thinking? More on this to come later…
I do like fancy meaningless certificates, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. All I have to do now is slap it on every php and static html page I can find and surely, my e-peen will grow in size – much more quickly and cheaper than using the snake oil sold by the charlatans over at AMI, with their nasal spray technology bullshit.
Edit: So what is PCI DSS? It is a set of requirements for a certification given to a website to guarantee that it has made attempts to enhance payment/transaction data security, or simply – there’s no blindingly obvious security holes that allow the website to be hacked and your particulars accessed. You can read about all this waffle and the requirements at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml . (Was it really necessary to use https 256-bit AES encryption for a public website? I’m detecting more e-peen wagging here.)
PCI DSS certification services range from $1.95US (Nate McFeters promises not to hack your website), to McAfee’s HackerSafe service for $250USD to Qualys for $1000USD. They’re supposed to verify the integrity of your website and show visitors that it has not been compromised, but in practice, they are about as effective as placing smiley stickers on your server to ward off script kiddies.
Well, I wanted to get in on some of this uber certification action but can’t afford to pay some corporation for the privilege for having their logo plastered on my website. Enter Scanless PCI – http://www.scanlesspci.com/. PCI DSS certification for free! How could I resist… 
Bleh, no point creating 4 separate posts for 4 small issues so here they are amalgamated into one:
1) As is the inevitable fate of all blogs, Russian spammers have found Blag Akismet has been installed to filter out SPAM comments… (Those Russians really need to try harder – “nice blog ————- (url to mp3 website) – by default, most blogs should block their comments anyway, without the need to install anti-spam plugins but no harm done beefing up security)
2) Coles, the supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers which supports terrorism has stopped selling “Pacific” branded 50-pack made in China ultra unhealthy packed with MSG spring rolls
3) Looks like the 301 redirect worked! Google, MSN/Live, Yahoo, Netcraft and Alexa have started crawling this new URL
4) Wiki’s are so freaking annoying to set up and maintain!!! Especially mediawiki (what Wikipedia uses), being one of the most un-user friendly pieces of software ever created by man.
Recent Comments