Thursday, June 30, 2011

MyAnswers: Exchanging money to Thai baht in Doncaster today

The following MyAnswers solution 2109 is now available:

Today I helped a person exchange their Australian dollars to Thai baht. We shopped around and ended up saving around $50 or nearly 10%. Not bad for asking a few questions.



Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz

Office 365 now live in Australia

I decided to start reviewing Office 365 for both current and future clients. Interestingly, during the beta period Office 365 was being promoted as $6 a month for the Office 365 for professionals and small business, but now that it has been released, it is $7.90 a month in Australia. I decided to check the pricing in other countries and found the following:

Australia - $7.90 AUD
United States - $6 USD
Canada - $7 CAD
New Zealand - $9.25 NZD
Great Britain - £4 GBP

It is interesting to see the different pricing, but really in the end, it is all about what the product does for you and whether it is value for money or not for you.

I found setting up Office 365 was a bit cumbersome and may be beyond many users. If people take it easy and spend the time to learn then they’ll get there, but it isn’t as easy as setting up a Gmail or Hotmail account for example.

For those thinking you’ll get Microsoft Office 2010 type functionality and speed on the internet you really need to think again. You’ll get reduced functionality and slower speeds. But keep in mind this is not desktop software and there may be additional functionality that assists you in your business. For example having access to your documents and files from anywhere in the world without carrying around everything with you may be just what you need. Only you know what you need.

For me I’m looking at my needs and the needs of clients and will review Office 365 against people’s needs. The first step however is to review Office 365 to find out what it does do and what it doesn’t do. As I review various aspects of Office 365 I hope to share my experiences via the MyAnswers service (www.MyAnswers.biz). I’ve already identified a number of issues for myself. It is too early to tell if they are show stoppers, or whether it simply means a different way to work.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Templestowe Uniting Church is having a monster garage sale

Templestowe Uniting Church is having a monster garage sale starting on Monday, July 4... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Phyllis Chan and two daughters mourn Karmein in 1992

Karmein Chan, the 13-year-old schoolgirl abducted from her Templestowe home and murdered in 1991, will be near the top of the list, with police revealing they have new information about her killer.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Numbers will not add up for schools

Templestowe's Julie Pastore, who has a daughter in prep, said a lack of secondary schools was the topic on every parent's lips in the middle-ring suburbs.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Church wants Templestowe Arts Centre saved

Keith Anderson, chairman of the vestry of St Mark’s Templestowe Anglican Church - which built the Foote St church in 1900 - said it should be moved if the land were to be sold.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

PS. I personally think it will be unfortunate to see this local facility closed down which has been used by so many families in the area. We really need to think about whether there should be greater emphasis on facilities being more local or not. This will be a loss for Templestowe.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Roadworks on the corner of Foote Street and Williamsons Road Templestowe

I decided to see if I could find out more details on the changes occurring with the dedicated bus lane. The concern expressed to me by one resident was would it be harder or easier to get out of Hawtin Street and turn right into Foote Street.

VicRoads map of roadworks

As you can see three are now three lanes plus a bus lane that cars have to cross to turn right into Foote Street. Previously there was only two lanes. I really shudder to think how hard it will now be to get out of Hawtin Street. The bus lane shouldn’t make a difference because it should be largely empty at that point, but three lanes where two lanes was already very difficult will make this area very dangerous, particularly for those who wish to then turn left into Williamsons Road.

Some people think the KEEP CLEAR section is available for those who are exiting Hawtin Street and entering Foote Street. A neighbour told me they move into that section and was hit by a car. They were in the wrong as they were in a KEEP CLEAR section and that means to keep clear no matter which direction you come from.

Please take care when these roadworks are complete.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Friday, June 17, 2011

Roadworks at intersection of Foote Street and Williamson Road Templestowe

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As I was travelling West along Foote Street approaching Williamsons Road, I noted there was only one lane open. There was also a police car and fire brigade present.

The roadworks are expected to last until the 31st of July so if you're travelling along Foote Street you should take this into account.

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Travelling east you can see there is a change to the road conditions. One lane has been closed at the lights which could cause congestion with those turning left into Williamsons Road heading towards Eltham.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Practice Manager - Templestowe District Medical Centre

Templestowe District Medical Centre is currently seeking an experienced Practice Manager to join their team on a permanent full-time basis between Monday and Friday.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pressure on to fix Main Yarra Trail

According to Banyule Council minutes, Parks Victoria has an annual $1500 budget to maintain the trail, which runs between Burke Road, Ivanhoe, and Fitzsimons Lane, Templestowe.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

The Templestowe homestead

David and Beverly Jenkins, who are members of the Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society, applied to knock it down because the repair costs and restrictions of a heritage overlay deterred buyers.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Templestowe's Birrarung Park in Templestowe Lower

This article was about Templestowe’s Birrarung Park. The park is actually located in Tempelstowe Lower and is located on the border of Bulleen. Visiting the park during the drought was very disappointing. I took the children there to see all the birds and really it was little more than mud with not much life. When the water is present it really is a magical place. I hope the check the park out again in the near future.

Graham and Berilie Kane enjoy the revitalised beauty of Templestowe's Birrarung Park.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Welcome to our Centenarians Club to Mollie Nagel

And welcome to our Centenarians Club to Mollie Nagel, from Templestowe, who turned 100 on Monday.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Ambulance plan for Manningham stalls

Property manager Kate McDermott said Ambulance Victoria had hoped a purpose-built building in Doncaster East or Templestowe could be leased from a developer for the unit, but none was interested in the project.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Monday, June 13, 2011

Is your neighbour's solar panels pushing your electricity bill up?

I read this article which is from the UK and couldn’t help feeling the situation in Australia is much the same.

Who's paying for your neighbour's solar panels? You are
... Read More

I attended the local Manningham council bulk solar panel offer and one of the questions I wanted to ask was, “who is paying for the solar panels?” The answer I received was, “we all are”.

For me that creates the situation where those with enough money to install the solar panels puts the $5,000 subsidy onto everyone else. That doesn’t quite seem fair to me.

 

However there is a gotcha in there for everyone. Those who install solar panels are putting their own prices up as well. Yes they are saving some money, but not as much as they are lead to think they will, the increased prices from using time-of-day charging will put their electricity costs up, plus the future increases as a result of their subsidy will eat into their own savings as well.

Personally I think it would have been much better if the government had installed solar panels as larger projects where there would be economy of scale and the savings of doing larger projects would have meant a subsidy may not have been required. For example schools have very large unused roof space. Buying in bulk at government scale and negotiating on the labour for a larger scale job should have been able to achieve the same result for much less than many individual smaller jobs.

The bottom line is now we will all suffer increasing prices for years to come. For me the idea of taking other people’s money like this just doesn’t seem right. I’m not against solar energy, in fact I’m all for it. But it should be done as cost effectively as possible.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Monday, June 6, 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

Tip if you just miss the Smartbus 902 in WilliAmsons Road heading North

Today I went to catch the Smartbus 902 to Keon Park from Williamsons Road in Templestowe. Unfortunately I just missed the bus. It was 15 minutes to the next 902.

I'd theorised the 293 or the 901 if they came shortly after, might get me to Greensborough station before the 902, as the 902 goes via Eltham station. I decided to test my theory rather just waiting. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The next bus came shortly after and was the 293. I got on the bus and got off at Greensborough. I walked back to the stop for the 902 and after a short while along came the 902.

I thought I'd pass this tip on in case it helps others.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Chopper Read and Kate Neilson are performing in The Groomless Bride

MARK "Chopper" Read and Kate Neilson have found an unlikely meeting place - on the set of film The Groomless Bride.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Templestowe Reserve new club rooms

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For those who haven't dropped by Templestowe Reserve for a while, the has been quite a few changes with the most notable being the new club rooms which were built for around $3.2 million I believe.

If you're in the area take a moment and check out the new facilities.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au