Amazon, not only books!

Until recently, I thought that Amazon was about books. OK, well it was for a long time I think :-) Looking at their site now there are many different products available from music, computers, electronics, home and garden and pets through to clothing, sports equipment, tools and automotive product. Sort of like ebay and other similar sites I guess. I know that Amazon has been around since 1994 and online since 1995. Wikipedia suggests that the name Amazon.com was chosen because the Amazon River is the largest river in the world, and so the name suggests large size, and also in part because it starts with 'A' and therefore would show up near the beginning of alphabetical lists.

Originally it was named Cadabra, Inc., but the name was changed when it was discovered that people sometimes heard the name as cadaver! Amazon has now established separate websites in countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and China and it provides international shipping to many countries for some of its products. Further information about the availability of their products can be found on their website.

I like the below text which has been extracted from the Amazon website. It shows that Amazon is committed to reducing their environmental impacts, read on...

At Amazon, we're constantly looking for ways to further reduce our environmental impact. Online shopping is inherently more environmentally friendly than traditional retailing. The efficiencies of online shopping result in a greener shopping experience than traditional retailing. This study explains some of the benefits of the online shopping model. © 1996-2010, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Bruce Dale - National Geographic Photographer

This is an incredible story about National Geographic staff photographer Bruce Dale...hope you like it
I tried to embed the html code but looks like I need to learn how to do it. Anyway, for now, enjoy the story.

Nothing but interesting and cool stuff here!: VoIP Telephone Services

Nothing but interesting and cool stuff here!: VoIP Telephone Services

VoIP Telephone Services

I thought I should post some comments about my VoIP provider here. I have been using engin as my provider for the last 3 1/2 years without any major outages or technical issues. Some minor problems such as configuring routers and firmware updates have been completed by remote log in by an engin technician. Most times this has taken less then 5 minutes. It's a shame that I can't bundle my internet service with them also. Apparently my local exchange, where I live now, does not have ports available for competitors, so I have to use Telstra. What I can say that in the 3 1/2 years I have used engin is that there have only been two incidents which prevented me from using it. The first was because of a power failure and the second was because the internet provider at the time (Optus) had some major equipment failure. I think this is exceptional because the engin device I have has been running 24/7 since I installed it. Well done engin!

More on Lake Pedder

As an update to the previous post about Lake Pedder and the Lake Pedder Restoration Committee, I have recently published a short article about the Restoration of Lake Pedder. Check it out for yourself and feel free to comment. Cheers, Kevin

iPods and other i-devices

So far we have iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad...I wonder what's next. I am sure there are other niche markets that Apple could step into. Recently I have been using some of these i-devices and I am impressed that they just do what you want them to, no questions asked. Has anyone ever had any issues with them. I know that the first iPhone did not support bluetooth but later versions now have it, is that right? I have also heard that the latest iPhone has some antenna issues. Apparently, the casing forms part of the antenna and any transmitted RF energy leaks to your hand. However, I understand this is easily resolved by fitting a silicone skin. Overall though, I like the i-devices I have used. Can't wait for the next release from Apple.

Red Bubble Portfolio

Keep a lookout on my Redbubble site. I have been scanning some of my old 35 mm images on my repaired Canon MP 990 printer. It takes a while to scan but I think the quality (and resolution) is excellent from the scanner. Not so good is the printer...well the printing quality is excellent but the ink consumption is average. However, the ink tanks are small compared to other printers I have seen. Other features such as the wireless connectivity and the ability to save as pdf files and the built in USB port are good features. It has received some good reviews and it seems that most people who own one are happy with it. Overall, I think it was a good purchase...anyway, the kids love it!

Red Bubble Portfolio

Keep a lookout on my Redbubble site. I have been scanning some of my old 35 mm images on my repaired Canon MP 990

Species of the day

Amongst the endless number of web pages appearing on a daily basis, there are always some that take your interest, well at least for me. I found the IUCN Species of the Day website from a link on another blog. I first learnt of the IUCN and its categories for rare and threatened species in my undergraduate years in Tasmania while I was studying at the University of Tasmania. The link to Species of the Day, gives a good overview of the IUCN Red List and also links to initiatives for threatened species recovery, news articles and images of threatened species. More information about the categories used by IUCN, can be found here.

Fender Guitars

I think the history of Fender guitars is an amazing journey and I often wonder where they found inspiration to develop what is now, probably a global household name. Especially for us Fender owners:-) I wonder if Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Freddie Travares thought that the Fender guitar would eventually have a global presence when they made the first one in 1954. Fender guitars have certainly stood the test of time. The info on Wikipedia for Fender gives a good account of the history and other details such as the different models available, signature series and notable Stratocaster players, sadly I do not appear on the notable players list...yet! One thing about Fender that has caused some concern, particularly to Stratocaster owners...yes, me included, is the numbering system that relates to date of manufacture. While it is relatively easier to figure out in late model guitars, around 25 years ago when I purchased my Stratocaster, there was some confusion about this, particularly for those manufactured in USA. I have seen a number of guides and books about determining age from serial numbers but they always give a range of values rather that a specific year. I guess one day I might be able to figure this one out. Keep watching here and if I ever find out how, I will post it here!