On the Vodafone support forum I was joined by fellow PocketWifi sufferers. There was a posting by M7D Vodafone advisor to load the normally automatic network values with some hard coded values:

Gateway = 192.168.1.1

Netmask = 255.255.255.0

DNS #1 = 203.21.113.40

DNS#2 = 203.21.112.40

Amazingly the hard coded values worked much better. The PocketWifi tended to connect successfully most times, but often I was getting the connection without internet access. Really pissed off, I phoned the Vodafone support. On their terminals the consultant said all should be good. I’d wasted close to an hour turning PocketWifi on and off. The consultant then said I should “reset” the unit. Take the battery cover off and find a sharp pencil to reset the PocketWifi.

With this knowledge, I found that I could fix the internet connection until 5/05/2012 when nothing would help as shown below.

PocketWifi reports no internet access

Next day after moving from East Brisbane to Hawthorne at around 11:45am, trying access Google or Yahoo mail using either Chrome or FireFox browsers failed dismally!!!

The signal level was still 5 bars as I’d had in East Brisbane earlier.

PocketWifi access reports time out

To get a local Wifi connection working, I had to remove the M7D Vodafone advisor hard coded values.
This Optus Wifi works all the time 24/7 without any worries much like the Amaysim broadband driving my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tablet broadband.

Reboot and disable the PocketWifi, the local Wifi connection works as expected.

Fine, take a drive back down to East Brisbane with the notebook, the PocketWifi connects but doesn’t connect the Internet!

Bugger, drive back to Hawthorne and try again. Everything works just fine.

Either the PocketWifi or local Wifi work without any worries!!!

Why didn’t Vodafone reply to to my forum message where I specifically said the Vodafone network is stuffed?

Why hasn’t Vodafone addressed the PocketWifi trouble at http://www.productreview.com.au/p/vodafone-pocket-wi-fi.html .

So now I just have to figure out how to get rid of my dodgy Vodafone PocketWifi contract.

Dropping the internet has already cost be two $42 online test fees. Brainbench and IKM don’t accept broadband connection dropping so often. They see this and an attempt to cheat the test.

AVOID VODAFONE BROADBAND !!! 

I will definitely get an Optus or Telstra broadband connection next.

Bookmark to:

Well here in Australia, whilst the country hasn’t been rooted like Greece etal, the country still depends on Europe for exports, tourists and materials.

Thankfully our mate China has kept our resource industry really busy. Behind the seens, China has been buying huge blocks of Agricultural land.

Now to the USA. Sure their reserve bank can print dollars, but doesn’t really help the average american. They’re not buying the Australian Holden cars or visiting our shores like the used to ;-(

The financial turmoil yanks devalued their currency so much so that they have more to get a single Aussie AUD

This mess have increased the number of jobless individuals like myself!!!

The companies that have been left standing have sacked hundreds workers. A good example is Quantas. The maintence staff wanted an increase tracking inflation. CEO said no, strike followed. Workers went back to work to pay the bills rent etc. Now a couple months later they’re been sacked!! Maintenance will now being done outside Australia where labor is cheaper.

With all the unemployed, finding the next job is so much more difficult.

The recruitment agencies – like Hays, Candle, Robert Half  – are now asking way too many questions.

Bookmark to:

Whilst dodging that puddle that’s guarding the driver side you grab the door handle and the f*** door is still locked!!!

Fumbling around for the remote again, the puddle that definitely wasn’t there when you parked the car, invades your sneakers. Jeans are now a mess. The socks are now soaked as the toes attempt an escape through the sneaker air vent.

So with a wet backpack busting your back, the remote gets pressed again and again.

The driver door stays locked.

Bugger! Now in desperation, I took the key – struggled – and finally found the slot that I’d never used since purchasing the Toyota Yaris five years ago.

With the rain still belting down, I started looking for an off street park near my unit.

Parked again, the Yaris remote ignored my wishes again.

Bugger!!!

The sudden loss of remote functionality seemed linked to the battery. Doing some research I found that the car-remotes should last about 5 to 10 years between battery changes.

Since I only use the car maybe once a week, I figured I should be closer to the 10 year interval.

1. Replace the remote battery is easy then supposedly all is sweet.
2. Replace the remote battery and then the remote must be reprogrammed?

So Friday morning I visited the Southside Toyota Service Department in Woolloongabba, Queensland.

They didn’t have a remote battery but could order it for $30AUD. When I mentioned to the salesmen that I really needed my remote, he suggested that I visit Jaycar Electronics Woolloongabba .

I asked for remote battery and got the expected Lithium CR2016 for only $2.95AUD.

From the following pictures should help the first time remote control virgin.

Yaris Remote Control opened up

Now applying a 5mm blade screw driver again…

The coin sized CR2016 battery

With battery replaced, remote light appears but still nothing happens.

The doors stay locked. F***, looks like I’m gonna have to follow the reprogramming steps that were posted by “CTScott” in the forum article http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20865 .

Slightly peeved, I hoped into the car using the actual key. Later I got to the organic markets and pressed the remote lock out of habit and the car locked!!!

Awesome!!!

Then later in the afternoon, I sent remote unlock – great. Got back to the off street park and sent a remote lock.

The Yaris ignored me. Do I have to reprogram or chuck and get a new remote?

Bookmark to:

The captain had said on the PA that only one cruise ship could do this trip at a time. He wasn’t kidding – the cliffs appeared to be within spitting distance !!!

Rocky water edge in New Zealand Fiordland

Along the way, the scenery was absolutely stunning! Next time I should remember to pack some rechargeable batteries ;-(

Fountain running down in the Fiordland

Unfortunately, we had leave the Fiordland for Port Chalmers, 20km from Dunedin.

Bookmark to:

Pacific Dawn top deck with pool, sunbeds and bar

The ship did rock a little, but no more than a Translink bus cornering while chasing the schedule or finishing the last late night service. Finally, trips are always better on the CityCat when it is turned into an overgrown jet-ski.

The rolling movement of the Pacific Dawn would be less if its breath were larger. The Royal Caribbean International Oasis of the Seas – the world’s biggest cruise liner ever built – is 47 meters whereas the P&O ship only has a width of 38 meters. The extra width probably removes the need for the horizontal stabilizers (and increased fuel consumption).

After three days at sea, without land in sight, New Zealand’s South Island Fiordland appeared in the mist.

Gently the ship Pacific Dawn slipped through the cliffs

Bookmark to:

She was mostly always right and that was just the right thing to do

So a day later, deposit paid, I was booked to take a cruise on the P&O Pacific Dawn from Brisbane across the ditch to New Zealand.

P&O Pacific Dawn cruise ship

More professional images can be found at http://www.cruise-australia.net/pacificdawn.htm

The Pacific Dawn is 70,000 Ton cruise ship (1991), with 11 decks and able to carry 2000 passengers. She has a couple sisters – Pacific Jewel (70,000 Tons, 1991), Pacific Pearl (63,500 Tons, 1987) and the oldest sister, Pacific Sun at 47,000 Tons built back in 1986.

For those who plan of taking a cruise, don’t rush. Boarding at Brisbane harbor was slowed down by a large number of the fossils with hearing aids, walking aids etc. strolling up the gang plank. A floating retirement village, that rocks them to sleep one might say

The other thousand of us without pacemakers cruised up the gang plank into boat, only to find the stores and pubs closed whilst docked in the harbor ;-(

Most of the staff on the Pacific Dawn are sourced from China, India and the Philippines. The entertainment staff do however appear to be from Australia. The nationality split is probably to save a coin and bump up the P&O Cruise profits. How un-Australian!

The woman was all drugged up. Every possible and potential sea-sickness cure was cruising through her veins. It was the law – there was just no way that she was going to be sea-sick.

Now initially, we were expected to depart from Brisbane at 2pm and then cruise for three days to New Zealand’s south island “Fiordland”.

Well, the Brisbane harbor master delayed the departure because of the wind.

Imagine that 70,000 tons of metal could be delayed by breeze. Doesn’t the ship have a couple monster diesel engines to push bulk around through the wave fronts or handle the occasional tidal or tsunami?

The Pacific Dawn left the Brisbane harbor about four hours behind schedule.

In a later post, I’ll cover cruising drug update and the cruise through the New Zealand Fiordland.

Bookmark to:

Though not exactly the same issue as the above link, I asked the local Lamborghini distributor why I often see them with the engine taken out?

Simple – the clutch or clutch sensor!!!

He had three Lambos in the shop for exactly the same reason.

It appears the clutch just doesn’t survive very long. I would think that Lamborghini would have fixed this issue years ago, but it seems not.

Maybe it is a way to keep the distributors busy?

Bookmark to:

One of the first things I noticed, was the totally relaxed the living environment. None the usual girl-boy shared space issues or conflicts. Being a player, she would regularly ask me – “What do think of her?“, “She’s so sweet. I could love her. Did you notice that bra?“.

Now that you’ve got situation framed, you’ll understand my surprise when I got an email that she’d met a Chef – a bloke – a tool at the bottom of the evolutionary chain !!!

Finally I had a chance to ensure that us blokes – could apply our tools She’d jumped her evolutionary fence.

She had to love this bloke.

She had to understand how great us blokes are.

Good food equals great sex. Dinning with a potential mate can tell you a lot about them. Just think about the words we use – spicy, gooey, steamy food. Now that should be telling u something.

This behavior probably comes from the stone age when the bloke would go pick up a mammoth for dinner (Maccers didn’t exist yet!!!). Meanwhile the Sheila would stroll down to Eden – picking up the fruit and veg (=prehistoric shopping without visa) – to ensure a well balanced diet .

While she washed the potatoes, he baked the chocolate cake from scratch. Together they’d sit around the cave fire on a tiger skinned floor enjoying dinner together. As the flames died and the night grew cold, the bloke snuggled up – (she’d taken the mammoth blanket!!) – looking for some bonded warmth. The rest is history.

And as you see, all really good relationships – boy girl – romance have started with a cave-made candlelit decadent dining experience.

So don’t just eat ur Chef – nibble slowly gently…
The desert that follows will be your laced aphrodisiac

But whatever you do, blokes – especially Chefs – don’t like girls that stick with a salad and then peck at it. If you tell your Sheila mates that the Chef bakes and offers them “samples”, they’ll be swooning around your catch.
If they swoon, get a leash for the Chef – spanking as required until well trained.

I await my lesbian mate response…

Bookmark to:

Since moving to Brisbane 5 years ago, I’ve had the pleasure to observe, admire and drool over some seriously gorgeous female bits. By this I’m referring to a nicely curved – shaped butt, luscious lips, legs that have the perfect shape and go on forever and of course boobs – breasts that are unbelievably inviting.

It is really great living in Brisbane – everyday I get to see at least one beautiful woman.  If I get to see a blond, all I need is a glimpse of a nipple to know if she is a real blond or a fake. Real blond nipples are pink in color while brunette nipples are browner.  Living with two women and then again with another two women has been an education

But…

I have to navigate my way through the city every day of the week, and as regular as clockwork, I get stonewalled behind a woman or two or three.

Now it is a known fact that women are unable to walk straight – they’re always drifting this way then that way and then there’s the sudden stop for no apparent reason. (In a rush, I almost rear-end a woman when she stopped suddenly!!!)

Easy. I just walk in the opposite direction to get around this female obstruction.

Complicating this is being stuck behind two women. Slipping around this obstruction requires a gear change.

Now we add handbags and the back-up handbags.

Suddenly the zig-zag female walk is covering a meter to the left and another meter to the right.

Initially I figured the sweeper arms were for balance – assuming she had a top heavy rack aggravated by the handbags.

Unfortunately, this is not true.

Women who are not well endowed and not carrying handbags still swing there arms sideways.

It took over a month of observation, sidewalk traffic congestion and dozens of female forms to formulate this measurable law of motion.

Whilst walking behind and admiring the curves wiggling and gyrating, measure the width of her hips with your eye.

Touching would be inappropriate ;-(

Now if her butt is 36 cm wide, take 36 cm from her spine to the left and 36cm right. This 72cm range is the bare minimum arm swing radius.

Adding handbags add further offsets to the arm swinging.

If you’re having a really bad day and she is C++ top heavy, the arms have to compensate for the shift in weight as the jugs swing this way and then that way.

Before commenting, take the time to admire and observe the female physique in motion.

Bookmark to: