GNURADIO needs a urgent overhall

From the GNURADIO website: "GNU Radio has a steep learning curve", Fuck off, what it really means is:

GNU Radio is porly written / implemented / not user fiendly / has too many obscure install options and is designed to simply waste your time.

Furthermore the build-gnuradio script is fucking stupid.  It will ruin your system, beware.  Best to stick to the deb packages if you are on Debian.



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Get back the Black Bar Toolbar on Google

Why do Google remove efficient mouse based UI's for favor touch screen based UI's on PC platforms?  After the trouble everyone was having with the Google Compose in Gmail, this is another nail in the coffin.

The issue access to apps like "Drive",  "Calendar", "News", etc is NOW restricted by the need to navigate a grid all the way on the right side of the screen.  This focus stealing design is no way efficient and only tailors a user experience for touchscreen users.
What used to be "Look, Point, Click" is now, "Scroll Right, Click, Look, Read, Click".

Great F*ckin Work

There is a solution for the new time robbing issue:
Install Stylish from Userstyles.org or from FF Addons page.
Install Google black nav bar returns from the Userstyles.org page.

On a serious note, these stop gap solutions just to gain user efficiency is wearing thin.  And it is of a similar road to being frustrated with all the baggage tolerated using Microsoft Windows products, which lead to finding alternatives.


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Firefox Progress of Ongoing Downloads Revert to old style

Once again, like the pdf thing that Mozilla did a while back.  The new download window:

• Takes up a whole tab
• Cannot be resized
• Blocks any bookmarks on your bookmarks toolbar

Unfortunately the only fix to the old style, aka, before FF21 is to do two things:

• Revert from private browsing (Preferences > Privacy > History > Custom Settings)
•  Open about:config and toogle browser.download.useToolkitUI to TRUE

Un-tick private browsing :(

The analogy is that private browsing does not remember any downloading history, so the browser.download.useToolkitUI change will not show any downloads in the old style list.



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Ghostery, it's better than nothing or is it

Ghostery is probably better than nothing but several facts exist.

1. Ghostery filters are updated by Ghostery company Evidon, Inc themselves.  This feel a little closed source for me, it means that they could white list some trackers if they felt like. 
2. Ghostery is closed source, they claim that you can look thought their xpi package to see what is inside it, but that is like M$ asking their someone to look into their exe file to see what is inside.
3. You may not disassemble or reverse engineer Ghostery for any purpose other than reviewing the code for personal edification, so much for trying to be open source soon...
4. Participating in the GhostRank program (default)  This is a no-brainer.
5. Merger, Sale, or Reorganization of Evidon
   If Evidon should ever file for bankruptcy, or have its assets sold to or merged with another entity, information Evidon receives from you, from the Website, is an Evidon asset and may be transferred.
6. And this: http://venturebeat.com/2012/07/31/ghostery-a-web-tracking-blocker-that-actually-helps-the-ad-industry/
   
   "After all, the thinking goes, many ad networks sell their advertisements via real-time bidding, so they often lack a clear idea of where their tags are appearing. In short, online ad networks are just as hungry for information about web users as they are for data about themselves. Ghostery gives them that information."
   "This gives Evidon a clear target market and even clearer plan of attack: Use Ghostery users to build the tracker database, then turn around and license the data to ad networks who can use the data to bolster their own efforts."

So in essence, the use of Ghostery is helping ads networks find better and more covert ways to track you online presence and these guys are using you to make a nice little database....
I'm not bothering to go any further and look at the chatter on the wire, do not install it.  Stick with adblock-lite +Fanboy Adblock List + Tracking List + Annoyance Block List.

If you still don't get it, too bad your a sad panda.

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Dodo Australia wins worst prize for crappy service 2012

It is about time they got their medicine.  In early 2012, I wrote a how to on getting money back from Dodo's prepaid 3G internet.  Simply because it was impossible to use.  Slow and not completely loading pages all time time.  Oversubscribed, according to their technical staff.

The article goes on to say how the CEO of Dodo was absolutely gutted
HELLO, SHOULD OF HAD YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND, YOU DESERVE TO FEEL ABSOLUTLEY GUTTED.

You just lost the game!

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/dodo-rated-worst-brand-of-the-year-by-product-review-consumers/story-e6frg6n6-1226534393828

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Complaining to Coles Supermarket via Twitter Complaint AU

A while back Coles opened up a Twitter account (@Coles) which got flamed from the start.


They immediately abandoned it and it was desolate for some time, but it now seems that they are responding to their tweets trying to fix their "customer service".

Using twitter to complain is a great way to vent your anger publicly, everyone can troll though the previous tweets and see what a others are complaining about.

Apart from twitter, there are other ways to complain, all of which are good to follow up on your public complaint with private details, such as name and address.
https://www.coles.com.au/Coles/Coles-Feedback.aspx
Online.CustomerCare@coles.com.au
1800 455 400

@auspost is another well supported twitter page, where hundreds can complain and the rest of us can look down on Australia Post's performance.

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Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS Drive Fail Not Spinning Up

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS hard drive is not spinning up, turning slowly.

The fault was the drive was not rotating up to full speed and then ticking constantly.

Opening the drive, I found out why:

Head is missing from this Seagate Barracuda

Full of dirty ground up filings

Soiled dust filter

This website explains the phenomenon of the platter coating coming off and confirms that these drives suck so many ways!

Here is some photos of another drive of the same model.  This one has a bearing issue, constant squealing.  A good reason to avoid these drives!

p.s the 720011 and the 7200.12 are also plagued by others problems.  Best to stay away from them as well...
http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-Barracuda/Barracuda-7200-11-firmware-What-we-know/m-p/16763
http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-Barracuda/Seagate-7200-12-500GB-ST3500410AS-problems-and-reallocated/td-p/71000


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Arch linux is impossible to install for the beginner, don't wate time on it

"Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple."

Thats statement is so full of shit!

It is noting but a terror to install, even if you downloaded the iso and 'burnt' it to a usb key, you have fuck all chance of installing on a host system without downloading everything again.  As of August, Arch has dropped theit automated install (Arch Installation Framework), forcing users to go back in into the dark ages of fdisk and parted...

And to add insult to injury, if you do not have a internet connection, you cannot install.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_Guide

Fuck that, don't waste time with arch.

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Do Not USE GMX email to backup gmail!

If you are searching on a way to automatically backup gmail on a third party web email provider, stay away from GMX.com

Not only is there no default setting for https but its "mail collector" only gets mail from gmail's INBOX ONLY.  To add insult, they recommend that email in remote emails accounts should be moved into the inbox so that their mail collector works properly.

Q. Can messages be retrieved from subfolders of my third party account?
A. Mail Collector only retrieves messages from the inbox of your third party account. If necessary, please deactivate any filter rules for sorting messages in those accounts, so that all incoming messages will remain in your third party account's inbox.

To delete your GMX account, follow the setting from here.
http://help.gmx.com/mail/settings/myaccount/details/delete/

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Linux Mint 13 So much Better than Ubuntu 12.04

Ever since Ubuntu released the Unity desktop, I have been fighting a battle to not be forced into the fucking stupid Unity newfag hipster crap new default interface.

As a PC-Thug, I demand stability, productivity, power use and a customisable interface.

Installing gnome 3 ppa on Ubuntu 12.04 was a waste of time, basically what I got was the bloody leftovers from someone else's backyard abortion.  Not good enough.

Checking the Linux Mint 13 Mate 1.2 looked promising, so I tried it out using a live USB drive.  Burnt the ISO to the hardrive using unetbootin.
I was suprised to see very little extra bloatware installed.  No twitter crap, status updates.  Basically nice clean slate to build on.  Also being built on Ubuntu, it is very easy to pick up.

After installing it on a second partition, a few thing can be tweaked to make it look like the old Ubuntu (11.04), getting rid of the green colour was the first thing, then a few more tweaks to move the panel to the top got things looking familiar.

I suggest you try Mint, and get satisfaction.  Thank you Ubuntu for the memories.



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Never buy IINET branded gear second hand, unsupported. Belkin F1PI242EGau

Here is a example of a pass-the-buck case.  A Belkin F1PI242EGau voip gateway that was especially made for iinet, iinet.net.au

iinet - connect - fuck

The problem was the wireless was not working and it would constantly reset.  Reflashing the firmware did not do a thing.  When Belkin was contacted, they said that they do not support iinet products anymore and to call iinet.  When iinet was called, those fucks would not help anyone that did not have a account with them.

Escalating the issue with Belkin, they asked for the product to be returned via the Belkin Return Program.  But it does not work for residents outside the U.S.

Never buy iinet branded / co-branded products secondhand.  Poor support, big headache!

Fuck Belkin and Fuck iinet.

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How Australia Post is Killing Online Business auspost fail

Australia Post, the dog of the logistics world have announced another rate increase.

3.8% across the board, and there is a catch....  The abolishment of the 0-250g parcel category and expanding this to 0-500g.  This means that anyone selling small light stuff online will have to pay/charge alot more for postage.

Australia post is so happy that the parcel business is pulling them out of the shit but they still stab us in the side to watch the blood flow.  It is impossible ATM to compete with free imports post from China.

What a failure you have become, Australia Post!  Do this now!

• Stop wasting time accepting bill payments over the counter, no one needs this anymore, we all have bpay, credit cards and other quicker methods these days.
• Stop selling crap like sewing machines, set top boxes and books in your store.  The name of the company is Australia Post, i.e Australia = Australia and Post = Post
• Focus on ways to automate your parcel acceptance and delivery, the self serve automated kiosk is a good idea, but no doubt you will find some way to fuck stuff it up for everyone.
• Start educating your staff and have them perform within a tight KPI, anybody can see that the staff are brain-dead and cannot give a damn.  If they fail to perform, get rid of them.

Newfag using a Automated Kiosk

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How to get your money back from Dodo Wireless Broadband! 3G [WIN]

Ugly fuckin' bird!

Dodo 3G is oversubscribed and has become hella slow, slower than dialup.

Meanwhile, the consumer has to pay for failed uploads / downloads for substandard service.

Calling their Australian Indian call center will not help if the tower is congested.  So the next step is to demand MONEY BACK.


This worked for me on my prepaid 3G broadband.  Do your homework first by following these steps.

• Calculate what percentage of unused data you have left and calculate this against the initial data purchase price as the basis of refund
• Fill out the online service support form at http://response.dodo.com.au or Google "Dodo complaint" to find the page link
• State to Dodo that you wish to seek a refund based on the usable data left on your account.
• Mention that the service is slow, unresponsive 3G broadband AND you will complain to the TIO if they don't refund (complain anyway)
• Also state that you have previously contacted their technical services, tried differed hardware, different location but all to no avail.

If they don't not contact back in two days, contact them by phone and go through the standard loop of tech support, followed by escalation.  Finally state that you will require a refund for the crap service.

They will eventually credit back a refund and in 10 minutes your modem will be - no service.  Bye bye 3G Dodo aka Optus Shite.

It is time to make the Dodo extinct!



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Bankwest AU Deposit ATM's are nowhere to be found in PERTH

What a pathetic bunch of pricks Bankwest (BWA) is.


There is a lack of deposit ATM's, yes the money used to put money INTO the bank in Perth.
This is because they have quietly closed branches or moved services to Australian Post offices or places called "Community Branches".  None which are open outside office hours.

Have a look for yourself, there is only one BWA Deposit ATM in the Perth CBD and none in East Perth.

And before you can say "aren't Commonweath (CBA) ATM's the same as BWA ATM's", well they are not, no deposit option is available for a BWA customer using a CBA ATM.

Bankwest is Fail - Believe it


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Australia Post Calculator is FAIL on mobile devices cannot enter height

Why cant these fuck's get it right.

I cannot enter height dimensions for sending a parcel.  If you cannot get you core business right than you should move onto selling cheap rubbish like crap DVD palyers and Set top boxes - oh wait, nevermind

Fuck you Austpost!  Your prices are too high and your retail model is inefficient.  Get rid of the stupid staff and have customers post in their own parcels.  The technology is there to measure / weigh boxes automatically at a point of sale environment.  But knowing the way you guys go about things, you will just fuck it up.

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DODO 3G is slow as hell in Perth 2011

Dodo Prepaid

Long latency time (waiting over 1 minute occasionaly)
Frequent drop outs
Constant retrying (3G, 3G, 3G, 3G..... then H)
Full Signal Bars but noting, even in the CBD and tried with multiple modems

Fuck Dodo and Fuck Optus.  What used to be good is now Shit!

Complaint to the shitty tech service, asks for them to log into to your dashboard, but they can't because the connection never connects....

Forget it, try someone else, no more DODO.



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Operation Repo TV Show FAKE

Kill it with Fire

Everyone probably knew this one already.

Some of the acts were unbelievable and somewhat staged.  Then came the day when Matt was Tasered.  The Taser was shot at him, the wires went past him and hit the ground.  Then in the next scene, he was convulsing on the ground but with both wires attached to his chest.



Then he claimed he pissed himself, showing off his piss stained jean shorts.  So if it was a re-enactment, it was very realistic.

So, some google research later, many people are stating that the show is a fake, sighting the disclaimer at the start of the show - "The stories that are portrayed in this program are based on real events. The names of the characters were changed in order to protect their identities... and some honor".



Fake, Fail, and no longer watching.

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Paypal Katie is Hot

Paypal Katie: What a laugh.

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Mobile Paypal Sucks, Crippled, Ugly, Stupid and FAIL

Why the hell do idiots make mobile sites that are fuckin shit!

Mobile Paypal is the stupidest site ever.  You cannot do anything on it and worst of all, they is no way you can opt out and go to the full site!


I already hate the way paypal fingers sellers on ebay so I am not pulling any punches here. 

Every paypal transaction incurs a fee to the seller, it is like a 3% tax, then there is the ebay fees to follow.

For ebay sellers, the best thing to do is avoid using paypal altogether.  Advising buyers that they will have their money refunded or the postage of their item will be seriously delayed if they want to use paypal service.

Fuck Paypal

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Missing items for sale on Ebay, difference between ebay.com and ebay.com.au

Same seller, difference between .com and .com.au

Even buying things is a chore on ebay...

Nothing available for sale...

Items available for sale...
If you cannot see it, how could it be there?  Sometimes it pays to try ebay.com before ebay.com.au
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