Back to Mac

Posted on 2 December, 2010 by Justin Fox

So I got the call from Jing today and it looks like my PC is officially dead. He’s going to be able to backup my files, which is cool but the PC itself needs a new motherboard and I’m not sure I want to dick around with that.

I’m going to miss that PC. It went hard for 3 years without any problems (well the video card did die under warranty but that was an easy fix).

I’m currently working on Christina’s old Mac Pro and whilst buying more ram for it is tempting (it’s only got 1gb of ram) I’m thinking that it’s not worth the time and hassle as it’s an old computer (2006).

A new iMac with decent options (8gb ram, upgraded i7 chip, 2TB drive and 3yr warranty) costs $3500.

For that money Jing could build me a PC twice as powerful and with 2x30inch monitors too.

In the end I ‘ve gone with the iMac. I just hit that buy now button (I suppose I’ll cry about it later). I’ll miss my dual monitor set-up but hey I’m already liking this mac keyboard (it’s the non-wireless one with the numerical keypad, much nicer to use that the thin wireless one that comes with the new iMac). I’ll be sure to bring my Microsoft Intellipoint mouse across too as I’m addicted to using the multiple buttons on it.

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Blue screen of death

Posted on 1 December, 2010 by Justin Fox


Fuck me.

Last night I clicked on a suspect link in an email from someone I know. The email message was “Check this out:” and a link. I thought clicking a link would never hurt. It brought up a pharmaceutical web site and I shut the window not thinking anything more of it.

This morning I was greeted by a windows warning box (which might have been a pop-up window) saying I had infected files and that I should restart. I ignored it but found that I wasn’t able to run Firefox so I restarted.

Boom.

A virus scanner called “Think Point” greeted me after my login screen and it prompted me to scan my disk for errors. On the laptop I googled “Think Point” and found that it indeed was a virus. I followed steps to delete it (using malware programs) but in trying to fix it I got the blue screen of death and no matter what I tried the PC just never recovered from there.

I dropped the PC off at Jing’s shop and hopefully he can save my working files but I’ll definitely be losing all my applications, most likely all my email settings, browser bookmarks, FTP details etc… this is going to be a massive pain in the ass.

Thinking about moving back to Macs but a specced up iMac for $7k? You’ve got to be kidding me. My PC is 3yrs old and with it’s RAID hard drive set-up I think it’s faster than Christina’s brand new iMac! A new PC that would be even faster than my old one would cost $2k.

No-one to blame but myself really. I feel depressed. Haha. Awesome.

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Beast!

Posted on 29 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Just spotted my beast on Felix’s Flickr. I really want to put my full cage back in!

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Bicycle Christmas Tree

Posted on 27 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Spotted at the Harbour.

Cycling in the city. Sydney’s got it going on!

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Mia Maw Maw

Posted on 27 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


So hard to get a shot of her with her big eyes on!

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Beer surprise

Posted on 26 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Thanks Byron!

Christina and I did a training session with Frenchie today (he’s a friend from the VWGolf Forums). He killed us both. We then dropped in to Jamie and Richies to re-shoot some Modern Pet products and on our return home we both ran for the fridge to find a 6-pack of my fave beer + this little note Byron left us. What a guy!!!

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ADA Iwagumi update

Posted on 26 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Automatic top-off in operation.


25litres of top-off water should last a few weeks (or more). I’ve got to make a cabinet or shelves to hide this gear (and get those powerboards away from potential spillage!).


Surgical like gear to help prune and plant.


Black background installed to hide all the hang on back filter.

I’ve taken a leaf from the advanced world of Marine Aquariums and I’ve semi-automated the ADA Iwagumi’s evaporation situation. When the water level drops from evaporation the filter starts making splashes, for a planted tank running C02 this water surface agitation wastes valuable C02 so I have to keep the water level very high. Instead of having to top up the tank every day I’ve installed an automated top-off system. It’s basically a float switch connected to a small pump in a bucket of fresh water. When the water level drops it activates the pump which pumps water into the display until the level I set it at (full to the brim almost!).

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Velovixens!

Posted on 25 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Photo by Cirkel.

A while back Grant from MC Cyclery (that’s his girl Miki 2nd from the left) put me on to his mate Christian who I’ve done some web work for. Christian needed some web tweaks and I spotted this shot on his site yesterday. 4 Sydney girls +his summer gear +a bike = so much win!

Visit: The Velovixens Thread at Bikes Move Us (170+ pages strong!).

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Hemianthus Callitrichoides

Posted on 25 November, 2010 by Justin Fox


Pearling.


Tank in situ.

I’ve been looking to create a lawn effect for the ADA tank. The idea is to make the rocks look like huge mountains. After much hunting I’ve managed to source some South American HC (Hemianthus Callitrichoides) which is amongst the smallest of plants. I’ve killed a lot of plants in the past, far from green fingers. Fingers crossed I’ll keep this stuff alive though!

I had the C02 running and it finished in 2 nights (it’s meant to go for months at a drop or so/second). Yup I had a BIG leak somewhere. In a hurry I dropped in to see Barry at B&C Aquarium this morning and he went all out to help me find the leak, fix it and fill up my bottle too (he’s a top guy especially considering I didn’t buy the C02 gear from him!).

I still need to hunt down a G12 150W 8000k bulb, this bulb is a lottle too purple for my liking as it’s meant for a marine set-up. Finding the right bulb is proving impossible though. No one has one in the country and the only place that does know of themwill not bring just one in from Japan (min. order is 50!). I also still need a black background. and I’ve yet to tidy up all cabling with white cable tidy.

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Ordinary Extraordinary – Quiet Achievements & Heroic Feats

Posted on 22 November, 2010 by Justin Fox

I’ve been working on this project with Caryn Gillespie for the past few weeks. Caryn and I used to do a lot of pro-bono work together (I always saw it as stocking up on good Karma!). It’s been a while since we’ve worked on something together and when she called me up with this idea I was sold straight away.

The project is called “Ordinary Extraordinary”. The concept is simple; to feature every day people who are doing extraordinary things. One photo and one person’s acknowledgement. Initially Ordinary Extraordinary will be a gallery event up north but it will continue on as it’s own project online.

Here’s the call out (please pass this on!):

Do you know anyone extraordinary? Is there someone you would like to acknowledge? This is your opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge people who make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

Quiet achievements and heroic feats equally welcome!

Visit: http://www.ordinaryextraordinary.com.au

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