Wilma Culton, principal at Serpell Primary School for the past 15 years

A TEMPLESTOWE primary school principal has been recognised as one of the state’s leading educators at the Victorian Education Excellence Awards this month.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Templestowe resident Julie Pastore

PARENTS campaigning for safer walking access to Serpell Primary School are outraged after being ignored in the Manningham Council budget.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Dom Chambers decked out for his magic routine

His card shuffling show will be projected on to a screen at the Northcote Town Hall venue during performances on July 12-14.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Afternoon at Mia Mia Aboriginal Art Gallery

On Saturday June 2^nd from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, curator and founder of Mia Mia will be providing a guided tour of the gallery, outdoor carved wood sculptures, boomerang throwing and didgeridoo playing. The event is free.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require assistance with your computer.

 

Is outdoor dining creating a dangerous situation for locals at Templestowe Village shops?

<<< photo missing >>>

The other day I went to purchase a loaf of bread at the Templestowe Village shops. I pulled up in the parking and the family seated watched carefully as I pulled in. They were sitting so close to the kerb it didn't feel right. The outdoor diners were occupying three shopfronts, two of which were not restaurants.

In order to get to the footpath I had to walk behind all the parked cars.

My concern is if I were a young child getting out of a car, would I be careful enough walking behind the cars. Would a young child even be seen. To me this is just wrong and dangerous.

I've read somewhere there needs to be 60cm of space to the kerb Cars often pull up until their tyres touch the kerb with the front of the car well over the kerb and paving. There is rarely enough space in front of cars to walk past safely.

This to me is an accident waiting to happen.

The greed of shopkeepers wanting extra business and council wanting extra fees is putting people's safety at risk.

Take care around the parked cars.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Templestowe Park Tennis Club members Diana Mayne, David Wright and Neville Wright

Templestowe Park Tennis Club members Diana Mayne, David Wright and Neville Wright have penned the club's 100-year history... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Firefighter Robert McKie wants a slow winter

Templestowe leading firefighter Robert McKie said it was important residents were conscious of the fire hazards winter presented.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

The roundabout intersection at Fitzsimons Lane and Porter St, Templestowe

The roundabout intersection at Fitzsimons Lane and Porter St, Templestowe, was ranked sixth in the RACV’s 2010 Redspot Survey.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Manningham sensor 'landmine' explodes

The in-ground sensors are well hidden. Here is an example of where safety should have been considered first. The sensors should be clearly marked with bright paint surrounding them? Many local residents would not know the sensors are buried into the road and unless you knew what you were looking for, you wouldn’t even notice them.

WORKSAFE is investigating underground parking sensor “landmines” throughout Manningham after a device exploded and injured a workman in Templestowe last week.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

MyAnswers: Which is the best virus checker please?? The one that you would use??

I regularly repair clients computers as a result of a virus infection. The anti-virus software I install is free and based on my testing of over a week, where I ran multiple programs on multiple computers against new viruses from the internet, the program performed best. I also found the program was light-weight in that it didn’t adversely affect the performance of the computer. I’ve found a number of commercial programs severely affect computer performance or usability.

Because clients often don’t have to then renew their existing anti-virus (which didn’t catch the malware) the cost saving often pays a considerable portion of the support call.

Today I was asked the question “Which is the best virus checker please?? The one that you would use??”, so I created the MyAnswers solution 2221 which provides the details of where to get the software and what I do when installing the software.

The solution is now available to all clients. This really is an excellent opportunity to install a good anti-virus program in your business and home computers. The software I install on client machines.

The one limitation is it based on the licensing, you can only install the software on up to 10 machines in a business. Above that you need to look for another solution.

As part of my ongoing testing to find new ways to assist clients MyAnswers solutions are now provided to clients on a pay-what-you-want basis. If it doesn’t assist then clients don’t need to pay.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Boatshack Fish & Chips Templestowe

You can now find the menu for Boatshack Fish & Chips Templestowe on the JustLocal page for Templestowe (www.JustLocal.com.au/3106). The Dinner for 2 looks interesting.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
(An Online Connections service.)

 

 

Founder Colin McKinnon-Dodd said the gallery's third five-year lease at the publicly owned property had recently ended

OPERATORS at Mia Mia Gallery have urged the public to back a campaign to keep the indigenous site at Templestowe’s Westerfolds Park.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Doncaster Rail Study: Options divide community

I often think about the prospect of rail to Doncaster and often for me it doesn’t seem to make sense. One argument is we are the only municipality without a heavy rail line. Does that really matter? We have a line to Eltham to the North and a line to Box Hill to the South. I’m sure there are other areas around Melbourne that need to travel further to their rail line in a municipality that has one.

Where is the parking? Parking at existing stations is inadequate so are we to expect parking at new stations will magically be any better. Certainly paid parking at Shoppingtown would kill parking in that area for train travel and free parking would create a conflict with paid parking at Shoppingtown.

Interestingly I thought the comment was probably the best aspect of the article. The commenter suggested a light rail (tram) from Doncaster to Box Hill. That made me think about the Balwyn tram line and how it finishes in the middle of nowhere. On a Sunday to get from the end of the tram line to Shoppingtown can take hours between buses. That simply doesn’t make sense. That isn’t a public transport system that people will use.

Why not extend the Balwyn line to Shoppingtown and then to Box Hill to create a loop.

For me the missing element of public transport is a bus from The Pines in Doncaster East along Foote Street, Templestowe Road to Heidelberg Station. As it is now the delays caused by multiple buses means it isn’t a timely way to travel yet it would knock of a considerable amount of time having to go to Eltham first.

The biggest bottleneck is the bridge joining Bulleen and Heidelberg. If the Greensborough ring road was extended to East Link much of the traffic would be removed from that area making it much better for public transport. As it is now, buses are delayed with the heavy traffic.

What is really missing is for politicians to use public transport. If they did we’d have the best system in the world. As it is they make decisions on public transport they wouldn’t even use themselves. Force politicians to use public transport and we’d get some real world decisions being made.

Ultimately however JustLocal is about getting people to think about doing more locally. Do we really need a heavy rail system? If we put the same amount of thought and funding to create local jobs the need for heavy rail systems to the area and for much of the car traffic is reduced. Remember according to council figures only 15% of people regularly use public transport which means 85% don’t use public transport.

Next time you’re thinking about buying a product service think about buying local. Make sure you don’t get tricked by businesses outside the area with bigger advertising budgets. Use a local business. Buy locally if you can. Build a stronger local community and we’ll reduce our impact on the environment, save time and resources and heavy rail just won’t seem so important.

MANNINGHAM residents have failed to back any one of the three rail options proposed by the Doncaster Rail Study.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Actors in the WSC mini-series Howzat! re-create the roles played by John Cornell, Paul Hogan, Dennis Lillee and Austin Robertson

IN A palatial 1970s house in Templestowe that appears to have been snap-frozen in time, Howzat!, a piece of Australian television history that could only have been made for Nine, is being filmed.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Porter Street, Templestowe, finally reopened to traffic after erosion threat contained

Templestowe’s Porter Street (West) has reopened to traffic for the first time in eight months after works to reinstate the footpath.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Domestic violence survivor Debbie Marshall is starting her own social support group

A TEMPLESTOWE domestic violence survivor has started her own social support group to save women from the “hell” she once lived.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Templestowe Rotary held a memorial service for 650 school children from all over Manningham to honour the Anzacs

Organiser of Templestowe Rotary’s service for schools, Keith Anderson, said that because of some quick thinking, the event was easily moved from High St Memorial Reserve to the nearby Templestowe Activities Centre.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Offenders broke into a home in King St, Templestowe, on Tuesday

Tuesday’s burglary comes after 10 similar crimes were committed in Bulleen, Templestowe, Doncaster and Warrandyte on the weekend of April 20-22.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Buy a Windows 7 PC, upgrade to Windows 8 for free (or perhaps for a small fee)

If you’re thinking about buying a new Windows 7 PC, keep in mind that Windows 8 will be released later this year. So that people keep buying PCs and the market doesn’t grind to a halt, Microsoft usually provides new PC buyers with a low cost upgrade opportunity to the newer operating system when it is released.

For example, when Windows 7 was scheduled for release on October 22^nd in 2009, for those purchasing a new PC from July 1^st 2009, Microsoft provided the opportunity of a free upgrade to from Windows Vista to Windows 7. I’m not sure if there was a small cost involved, such as a delivery fee and there were also conditions which applied.

The aim of this post is to remind people of what occurred in the past if they are looking to purchase a new PC with Windows 7. By waiting a short while they may be able to also have access to a lower cost copy of Windows 8, giving them a computer they need now, plus a saving on Windows 8 which will last them for the years to come.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Tattslotto popular at Templestowe Newsagent

OK. I can't remember the last time I punted on Tattslotto, but it is very popular tonight. The queue in the newsagent snaked right around the shop.

The agency is open and taking entries up to the close at 7pm.

A person I spoke to in the queue said Eltham was closed.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Delays in Fitzsimons Lane Templestowe

Went to drive from Templestowe to Eltham The traffic is currently banked up near the Shell service station in Templestowe. Don't know why, but should avoid if possible.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Alert: Clicking on a Google ad and my anti-virus popped up warning me it was cleaning the computer.

Tonight whilst doing a computer support related search in Google, the usual three ads appeared at the top of the results. I clicked on one of the ads which then went to the site and my anti-virus program popped up and stated it was performing a cleanup. The page had the Exploit: HTML/IframeRef.Z.

The anti-virus software states “This program is dangerous and exploits the computer on which it is run.” The item was located in the Temporary Internet Files.

I often say to people it is now possible to infect your computer by visiting sites on the internet. Some infections are time consuming and costly to remove.

The problem is this link is a Google advertisement. That is a concern.

I had another person who was looking for a map of Bendigo Hospital and clicked on a Google ad. The link asked the person to install a program which they did. The program changed the person’s search engine so that when they search, they got a over a screen full of ads and didn’t realise they were ads.

Another person wrote to me because they’d been tricked into using and paying for what they thought was support from Canon. It was titled Canon Support, but it wasn’t Canon. The problem wasn’t fixed but they still ended up paying.

If you’re using Google you should be just as cautious with the ads Google presents as you are with any sites presented in the search results.

Today I’ve personally experienced going to a site with my anti-virus program reported could have infected my computer. That is a real concern.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Red light camera on corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road, money spinner for the government and a warning to locals

The following article shows just how much money the government is raising from the red light cameras in the area, and in particular the red light cameras at Shoppingtown.

A NEW red light and speed camera outside Westfield Shoppingtown in Doncaster has generated $1.27 million in fines in three months - more than $14,000 a day.... Read More

I’d like to share a warning for drivers who are turning right from Williamsons Road in front of Shoppingtown, into Doncaster Road. When turning right most people will move with the flow of traffic, but what happens if the car in front of you stops in the middle of the intersection for no reason. You are then trapped behind the car. You’ve entered the intersection whilst the light was green. Whilst we are always watching for poor driving behaviour of others and take appropriate care, if is very difficult to plan for the incompetence and stupidity of other drivers. Once the car decides to move what do you do. Move ahead and clear the intersection, or sit slightly in the intersection.

What most people don’t realise are the sensors aren’t before the line cars stop at, but they are after the line. Hence if you’ve moved off and you need to stop because of the driver in front stops, your rear wheels may be on or before the sensors. If you move your car the traffic camera will go off and snap two pictures of you. If you don’t move your car you may slightly annoy others and be placed in a dangerous situation, but will the cameras go off? A very difficult choice.

A person I know who lives out of the area was faced with exactly this choice. Their rear wheels on or before the sensor and blocked whilst the turning light remained green, waiting for the driver who obviously didn’t know what they were doing. Another driver to the left of the stopped car also stopped in the intersection because of the and unpredictable behaviour of the driver. No one knew what the car was going to do. Was it trying to move across multiple lanes whilst in the intersection so it could go down Elgar Road? No one knew. The car did move off after the lights changed and went into the bus lane heading west along Doncaster Road.

The person I knew was not speeding at all. Entered into the intersection as we all would whilst the turn arrow was green.

The result was three demerits points and the easiest $305 dollars the government has ever made.

In hindsight, had the person I know simply sat in the intersection and not moved they may not have set off the sensors and not incurred a fine. I consider that would have been potentially more dangerous and not appropriate.

I wonder how many people now focus on the traffic lights rather than watching the surrounding traffic. If you don’t watch the lights very closely now, with the government so eager to raise money through fines, you can easily be out of pocket $305 and be on your way to losing your licence through what most people would not consider their fault.

The government is always talking about the research they perform, but I wonder what the research is, on how much fines should be. At what point does a fine become a disincentive to people to stop speeding? Above that it is just revenue raising. A local business person once said to me they have no problem with fines. Whilst they’re fining others they’re not putting their taxes up. Whilst true, I don’t consider excessive fines for revenue generation to be fair on the general public.

A question I have is: how many people are getting fined whilst turning right from Williamsons Road into Doncaster Road in similar situations?

In the article the first three lanes caught 2,958 drivers and the other three lanes only caught 1,322. Are the first three lanes including the two right turn lanes? These are usually people who are moving at low speed with the right turn arrow. Not the so called speedsters Acting Sgt Mark Wickman keeps an eye out for on the intersection of Williamsons and Doncaster roads as stated in the picture in the article.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

PS. It should be noted a request for reconsideration was lodged but denied by the driver.

Commander David McCurdy and Station Officer Dave Rankine.

TEMPLESTOWE'S $3.7 million fire station will be officially opened on Sunday and you’re invited. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Shell Templestowe petrol 157.9

Just filled up at Shell Templestowe for 157.9. Noticed the price of petrol at the 7/11 in Lower Plenty next to McDonald's in Yallambie is still 145.9.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Computers solutions in the MyAnswers database now available for purchase at a price you decide.

I like trying new approaches and enjoy seeing how people like or don’t like the approach. There is no right or wrong way to do things, just better ways. I always learn something when I try something new.

The MyAnswers database is a database of my notes on problems I’ve solved for clients and the solution to the problem. I use the solutions frequently myself and for assisting my clients. This saves myself and clients a lot of time and given time is money, that means a financial saving for clients.

I created the MyAnswers database so clients could request solutions to problems and use the DIY approach. If people can solve their own problems with a little assistance then why not. Clients can request solutions they are interested in from that MyAnswers database. If the solution doesn’t help them there is nothing to pay. If the solution solves their problem, I now let clients decide for themselves how much they wish to pay.

Check out the solutions at MyAnswers. There are a large range of solutions covering many aspects of IT, and some areas of interest to me. Because of my nature I often investigate things which interest me that aren’t IT related and I’m happy to share what I learn from those investigations as well.

You can find MyAnswers at www.MyAnswers.biz.  Please note the solutions are only available to clients. It is only because of the support of clients that the bills are paid each month. I hope and trust clients take advantage of the MyAnswers service to help them solve their problems themselves and in doing so, increase their knowledge, have some fun and at the same time, save some money.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Bolton Street Medical Centre - Eltham Ridge Medical Centre

We know the Eltham Ridge Medical Centre as the Bolton Medical Centre. The advantage the Eltham Ridge Medical Centre offers for those in the Templestowe/Eltham area is they bulk bill. The obvious advantage if you need a medical certificate for work is the out-of-pocket saving. Most doctors in the area are now charging around $60 for a consultation and the Medicare rebate is only around $35. That’s a saving of around $25 and quite a bit of time saved going to a Medicate office to the rebate back.

I don’t know of any other medical centre in the area which bulk bills. The others that used to bulk bill in the area have since ceased to bulk bill everyone and now just bulk bill only certain patients.

This post is not an endorsement of Eltham Ridge Medical Centre. It only points out they bulk bill if that is of use to others.

Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.justlocal.com.au/

Google now tracking potentially 10-25% of Australians on the internet

The other day I was checking the statistics for a page on my site. I’m able to see what people searched for in Google and thus why they came to my site. I find this to be useful information. But lately I’ve noticed for the keyword a value of “(not provided)” started to appear, and more recently, on some pages this had become a considerable portion of the traffic.

I decided to investigate. Initially I didn’t know what may be causing the keywords used from not being provided. A bit of research indicated That recently Google decided to stop passing on keywords for searches on their overseas sites and more recently that was implement in Australia.

Knowing how and why people get to your site is quite important information and can assist you to make better decisions and where to direct your efforts. But if Google hides this information in effect, all you really know is they came from Google but you don’t know why.

Now what started to concern me even more, if what I read is correct, is the keyword is not provided if people are logged onto a Google service. The concern here for me, is Google is now able to identify and log an individual’s activity on the internet without them being really aware and I’m inadvertently assisting Google by using their services.

For example, most people will accept that if they perform a search that Google knows about the search. What may not cross their mind is, if they are logged onto a Google service, the searches can be associated and tracked to them. From what I see people don’t even realise they’re logged on to a Google service when they’re searching because they don’t make the connection with Google’s internet search and Google’s other services. I’d even suggest many people forget they are logged on. For example, many people use Gmail. They log on and then don’t log off so that when they open the Gmail site there are their emails ready for them to read. People at work are using the internet all day for work and during the day flip over to check their email.

In addition people are using other services such as YouTube and again remain logged on. Google have a range of services including their Android mobile phones, all potentially logging the activities of an individual without them realising it.

Even when you’re not thinking you’re using a Google service you may be. When you visit a site with advertising is that advertising provided by Google (as it is in many cases), are you being tracked. I’d guess you are. When you view a YouTube video, a Picassa photo, a page that has Google’s services embedded such as their analytics, are you being tracked? I’ve done searches on Google early in the day to visit a site later in the day, and found Google has remember what I searched for at the start of the day and provided ads later in the day based on the search I entered.

I was at a customer’s the other day and signed them up for hosting. When they went to a site with Google advertising that wasn’t related to hosting, there was a hosting ad in the middle of the page. Both the customer and myself was quite shocked to see the obvious tracking occurring, but had I not been there the customer would not have realised, as most people won’t realise.

The page that I originally noticed this keyword “not provided” message has today received 3,407 unique visitors. Of those 91.73% came from Australia and 12.24% produced keyword “not provided”, which from what I gather means they were logged onto a Google service at the time. In other words, 382 Australians were being individually tracked, or over a year that would be 4,000-5,000 people. That’s just from my site. What about the millions of other Australian sites.

Most of us don’t yet understand what is being done with our data or how it can, or even is affecting us. I don’t even know. As an example however, a while ago I searched for travel insurance and the usual ads appeared at the top of the page promoting super discounts and special offers. I decided to check them out. Most were around $700 or more for what I wanted. I then went and got a quote from the company I’ve previously used (I researched a number of companies a while ago) and ended up with insurance for around $450.

If Google knows what you’re doing and interested in, advertisers can use that to their advantage and present you with what looks like good offers, but in fact you end up paying more. The power of tracking you gives away your bargaining position. You’ve told the company already what you are interested in and since they know they have an interested buyer, you’ve lost your negotiating position and can easily pay more than you should or could. When you look at an advertisement in a newspaper they don’t know who you are and generally have to offer a much better proposal to you to get your interest.

The concern I have is Google is gathering too much information on us individually and not just as an anonymous pool of user statistics. How that information is used we aren’t fully made aware of. I’ll leave that to people’s creative imagination to come up with how they think their data could be being used both for good, and perhaps to their own disadvantage.

As an example I read about a leading GPS company overseas that uploaded data from people using the GPS unit. The authorities purchased the data and used the data to determine where people would speed and then they were able to book more people who were speeding. The people using the GPS units ended up potentially creating the situation where the fine they received only occurred because of the information they had themselves provided. Their own information from a service they were paying for had been used against them.

Whilst I can’t change the world, a change I will now make across the JustLocal site is to remove the Google Search facility. JustLocal has been designed to make it very easy to find a business in the local area. You don’t need to search. You just need to go to the postcode page and then click on the logo for the business you are interested in. Trying to find a local business in Google is often close to impossible. You’re more likely to get a list of directories than the business itself. JustLocal solves this problem by providing single click access to a local business advertising on JustLocal. In addition we don’t track what people do.

If you’re concerned about being tracked on the internet there are a couple of things you can do.

1. Make sure you log off any online service you are using when you finish. Don’t leave it logged on in the background.
2. Think about using Bing and Yahoo search as well as Google. If you split your searches evenly Google only sees a third of what you are doing.
3. Make sure you don’t have any toolbars from installed in your browser that may be tracking your searches.
4. Think about varying your use of browsers. Keep in mind Chrome is produced by Google and Firefox receives over 80% of their income as a result of searches using Google.
5. Install all three search engines in Internet Explorer. On my Fun With Search page (www.justlocal.com.au/clients/search-fun/) I provide links which enable you to easily install Yahoo, Bind and Google as search engines in Internet Explorer. You can then easily vary which search engine you use.
6. If you have an Android mobile phone or tablet it is very difficult not to use a Gmail account. It is possible. For a while I used the tablet without having any Google account. Only when I need to download an app would I re-enter the account and then delete it again after. You can use an email account that isn’t a Gmail account for your email. You can also log on to web based services from a Smartphone rather than use the built-in apps.

Right now over 90% of Australians search using Google. Giving a single company, no matter which company it is, access to all your online activities I don’t believe is the best idea.

As JustLocal grows and I have the resources available, I hope to remove the Google services I’m currently using and further reduce the ability for Google to track JustLocal users. This blog entry for example uses Google’s blogger. Sorry. I do this for business reasons and will be able to change once JustLocal’s momentum reaches a certain point. I look forward to that day.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au