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This evening I had a pleasure to attend to my mother’s “broken” computer. “Oh, the internet doesn’t work — I can’t access my e-mail”. You know, the usual statement you really don’t want to hear. Trouble-shooting is a pain in the arse, and it’s one of the most least interesting tasks you can perform.

I jump on to her computer to start the trouble-shoot process. Immediately, I realise that someone has loaded a new operating system on the machine. Low and behold, it’s a counterfeit copy of Windows Vista. WTF? This machine was previously installed with Ubuntu Linux, an OS that my mother is most familiar with. Furthermore, she also purchased a new ADSL modem on the recommendation of whoever “fixed” her computer. Funnily enough, the internet is *still* broken. My mother explained that the “tech” took the computer and returned it to her as-is. I’ve always stressed the importance of contacting me first, but she usually relies on the advice of her [misinformed] friends. Admittedly, my mother and I aren’t particularly close — it’s not often that we talk.

At any rate, if the “tech” had bothered to diagnose anything, he’d have noticed that there is no sync between the ADSL Modem and the ISP. Wouldn’t that clearly indicate an issue with the hardware, phone line, telecommunications company; or the ISP? I’m unable to conclude how wiping a perfectly legitimate Ubuntu installation in favour of Windows Vista would “solve” her internet connection issues. I also found that he had replaced the DVD+/-RW optical drive with a CD-R optical drive. To top matters off, he had incorrectly configured the resolution for the display.

In addition, he’s wiped all of her e-mails and family photo’s. Way to go, moron. He also recommended that mother should purchase a new computer, because her existing machine is incapable of utilising Vista to it’s maximum potential. Again, WTF? FYI, it’s an AMD Athlon64 something something, with 1GB of RAM and a 80GB HDD. Mother browses the web, reads her e-mail and occasionally chats on IM. Vista… yeah right.

I’m so angry at this tech. Now I have to wipe her computer and install Ubuntu Linux again. At least installing Ubuntu Linux is 10x easier than Windows.

I’m a night owl. On a typical day I’m up until approximately 1-2am, before waking up between 10-11am. Unfortunately, this is not how the “real world” functions, and it results in clashes. I have an incredible “To-Do” list, that only ever seems to pile up, rather than being completed. In an attempt to become more productive, I’ve decided to go to bed early so that I can get up between 6:30 and 7am.

Previously, I had been very reluctant to break the habit until last night. Our entire neighbourhood lost power at 8pm, I had no idea what to do. My work and entertainment revolves around computers and the Internet. I was completely lost. It was that boring that I took the dog for a walk.

At around 9pm, the power had not returned and I was unable to complete what I was working on. Finally, I gave up and went to bed. This has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

This morning I woke up at 6:30am, and it’s been one of my most productive days in a long time. I managed to complete an entire XHTML/CSS slice (Including cross-browser compatibility testing) in under five hours. Admittedly, if it was my design (Or a well thought out one) it would have been under three (That’s another story). In addition, I managed to complete other tasks on my “To-Do” list and make time for friends and family in the evening.

To be honest, I’m looking forward to getting up early again tomorrow for another productive day.

I arrived back from the city on Friday afternoon with a big, brown box.

After carefully removing the seals, I encountered another big box.

A peek inside.

Low and behold, a wrapped iMac.

Introducing my Apple iMac, featuring a 24″ display. The back is as elegant as the front.

First boot, it works!

After relocating my desktop computer and cleaning the work desk, my iMac sits nicely.

Specifications:

• 24″ LCD Display (1920×1200)
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz
• 2GB DDR2 667
• nVidia 7300GT
• 250GB SATA 7200RPM HDD
• Built-in bluetooth, wireless and webcam

I purchased the iMac with the intention of becoming my workstation. I place an emphasis on work. The display is amazing, it’s insanely huge and the colours are vibrant. I haven’t had any difficulty adjusting from my dual 17″ LCD displays, an issue that I was concerned about.

Ultimately, I’m more than pleased with my purchase. If you’re interested in additional pictures, you can take a look here.

Towards the end of 2006, my brother opted to import a vehicle from Japan. Finally, after six months of waiting he arrived from central Queensland late this morning in his 1997 Toyota Chaser.

Typically, I’ve never shown much interest towards cars as I favour motorbikes. None the less, I can still appreciate an aesthetically pleasing, fast and well built vehicle. This is certainly how I’d describe my brother’s car. He has a few surprises planned. I’ll ask him to share more information later. In the mean time, you may be interested in viewing the gallery album.

The other night I had the pleasure of attending an exhibition held by a client at their premises. As apart of the exhibition, they were seeking to display a slideshow of their products. I agreed to supply and configure a display on the condition that Bottlebrush was permitted to advertise at regular intervals. After an agreement had been reached I arranged for a brand new high definition 40″ LCD television. The entire slideshow was configured on my iBook.

Over 200 people attended the exhibition! There was food and wine going around, lots of speeches and general socialising. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and it was a great experience. However, it would be unfair to take all the credit for myself. My father’s company, BJ’s Sound & Lighting kindly provided Bottlebrush with the display free of charge. Furthermore, this could not have been achieved with out the help of Dennis, an employee of BJ’s.

Whenever somebody meets Trixie for the first time, they always assume she’s a he. I’m not entirely sure why, perhaps because of her bark. “Ear piercing” is how a mate once described it. None the less, the family loves her all the same. Anyhow, she’s had the same collar for approximately 8 years and on the weekend my father decided to purchase her a new one.

When I walked into the lounge and noticed that her collar was purple, I immediately exclaimed “It’s a girl dog!”. The colour purple on a pet is usually associated with a female. Now, when people meet Trixie for the first time will they will correctly identify her as a female.

It’s official. I’ve registered “Bottlebrush Web & IT Solutions” as my business name with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. In addition, I’ve purchased the domain name “bottlebrush.net.au” which was approved earlier this afternoon and now contains a temporary web site. Tomorrow I’m going to see if I can get business cards printed, and what options are available to me.

I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m not exactly sure where I want to take it. It’s like driving along a street, and reaching a T-Intersection. You can’t continue along, you need to make a choice and either go one direction or the other. To date, I have completed about 50% of my Commerce degree at uni. After barely completing last semester, I’ve decided to put my degree on hold for six months, and explore alternate options.

For the past five or six years, I’ve been experimenting and learning web site and graphic design. I’m familiar with XHTML/CSS and Adobe Photoshop. I’ve always thought it may be possible to derive a sustainable income from providing web solutions to small and local businesses. However, I’ve never taken the idea seriously enough to make anything of it… until recently. My family and friends are well aware of my capabilities and have often encouraged me to embark on this route.

Last Tuesday, an employee from my father’s company informed me that somebody he knew was in need a website for their new organisation. Contemplating the idea, I felt that it may be time to take this option seriously. I contacted the organisation, and managed to arrange for a face-to-face consultation. I figured this would be the most appropriate method for deriving information. After all, I’m providing them a solution that is customized for their organisation. This is very important.

After speaking with the organisation and hanging up the phone, I immediately realised I had nothing “Professional” to wear. Typically, I’m a jeans and t-shirt person, and on special occasions I’ll wear a collared shirt with a nicer pair of jeans. I’ve never had the justification to wear leather shoes, or a nice pair of trousers. Now with this potential new client, I did have the justification. I slapped on some clothes, and visited the local shopping centre.

I already owned a nice collared shirt, which I took to the professional dry-cleaners to have it steam-pressed. I can iron, but long sleeved collared shirts are very difficult to get perfect. Next, I got a long-needed hair trim before finally searching for a nice pair of trousers and shoes. After spending about an hour looking around, I finally came across a nice pair of black, pin-stripped trousers that were around $60. Furthermore, I had to get them altered, as they were a tad too long. This was an additional $16. In total, my new trousers cost $76. Lastly, I required a nice pair of leather shoes. After visiting several shoe stores, I discovered a pair that I was happy with. They were black, glossy and I picked them up for $65 from $130.

The end result.

In addition, one of my mates recently returned from overseas, and picked me up a very nice looking Amarini watch. It’s probably not genuine, but it looks great Cheers Riz.