Canon 85mm f/1.8

I have recently purchased (but yet to recieve) a lens on eBay which I hope will help me take great photos of my kids.

It's an 85mm focal length prime lense with a maximum f-stop of 1.8 which will give fantastically soft backgrounds and allow for very low light shooting.

You can find a review here:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/canon-ef-85mm-f-1.8-usm-lens-review.aspx

I really like the extremely narrow depth of field this lens produces. You can see in the picture below that whilst the eyes are perfectly focussed the ears are already showing fuzziness. It works well to draw your attention straight into the eyes. Even the picture above, one eyelash is very sharp whilst the other is fuzzy.

My Bossy Son

I had an interesting experience last week whilst picking up my son (3yo) from daycare. I had collected him and was looking around for his drink bottle. After spotting it, I told him to pick it up. Just at that moment another boy was approaching the same place and my son said to him, "Michael, pick up my drink for me" (his exact words).

Needless to say I was a little astounded at my sons attitude to others, more so that the boy complied without a word which made me think my son had done this before and not been noticed.

I questioned him about it but he wasn't too willing to talk about it. I just don't know if he was imitating us when we ask him to pick up things at home (yes, sometimes our things not his) or if he was just enjoying being bossy. Whilst my son has been bossy at home I had never imagined him behaving this way at day care.

What do you do? We explained that this was not the way to treat his friends at kindy (as we call it) and even if Michael complied without complaint, it wasn't ok to treat him like a servant and that he (our son) should be picking up his own drink not getting others to do his bidding.

I know in a family we ask each other to do things all the time but in a social setting it can be different. It isn't wrong to ask someone to do something for you but I think the thing that irked me was that both my son and Michael were standing right in front of the drink and my son choose to be lazy and get someone else to pick up the drink for him.

Perhaps this isn't really a problem but I don't want my son to be that kind of person.

What do you think?

The Meter Man Came

Well the meter man finally came. I got to learn what was in that mysterious cupboard outside our unit. I also found out that our hot water meter doesn't work. Who knows how long we've been getting free hot water but there's no way for them to work it out so they can't back bill us.

Unfortunately, for the gas it wasn't so easy. The meter worked, it just didn't report back to the utility properly and it was way out. So, no doubt, my next gas bill will be horrendous and they'll be pricks about it. The good side is the hot water will remain free until the man comes back to fix the meter which considering we've been in the place almost 3 years and this is the first time someone has come to check the meters are working...

Perhaps we can argue someone else was living in the until up until now?

Anatomy of a Paypal Scam

Over the course of the last few days I have been the target of a PayPal scam. This was one involving a car I have for sale online. The gist of the scam is detailed here.

The first part that threw me was the perpetrator was claiming to be on a oil rig, having no phone access but working Internet access.

"thanks for mailing back,i am a petroleum engineer and i am on rig right now.i am buying this as a birthday gift for my dad,i've been trying to reach you but i discovered that our  phone is currently scrambled due to the bad weather please bear with me .I can only pay through paypal at the moment as i dont have access to my bank account online,but i have it attached to my paypal account and this is why i insisted on using paypal,i will like you to send me your paypal email so i can deposited the money."

I gather this was a ploy so that I could only contact him via the Internet and not speak to him in person. The mobile number he gave just rang out with no voice mail.

The next step was that the car had to go to Darwin which is a long way from where I am and that he couldn't pay for the pickup agent from his location.

He offered extra money above the price of the car to cover this if I could just wire the extra money to his pickup agent in the UK (never mind the issue of using a pickup agent in the UK to move a car in Australia).

The clincher came the next morning when a fake PayPal email came saying money had been transferred into my account (it hadn't) but to release the total value I had to prove that I had sent the money to the pickup agent.

The email looked fake. Checking the headers (View Original in gmail) gives:

Received: by 10.216.15.8 with SMTP id e8mr41876wee.59.1282688603259; Tue, 24
 Aug 2010 15:23:23 -0700 (PDT)
Sender: mark.markspencer.spencer8@gmail.com
Received: by 10.216.170.140 with HTTP; Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:23:23 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:23:23 +0200
X-Google-Sender-Auth: ovZN1dj6pw_bFlMm7Z5wEsKi3LQ
Message-ID: 
Subject: ****Regarding Your Payment****
From: "service@paypal.com" 

If you have dealt with Paypal before you know that notifications for instant payments
come from the person doing the payment, not from PayPal. I did a search for Mark Spencer  and variations on that name appear with many scams. If they were smart it would be an alias but lets not presume too much here.


During my long conversation with the scammer (yes he wanted to chat too) it was
evident that he didn't understand English that well and didn't get that he'd been sprung.

me: I should tell you I work in IT. This sounds too much like a scam to be 
anything 
but.

Jayceon: but?

I sent the original email on to the advertising agency who confirmed it was definitely a scam. I also forwarded the fake PayPal emails to PayPal so that they can investigate. I don't expect anything to come from this but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

I have a full chat log plus all the original emails if anyone is interested.

iPhone4

Were you one of the silly people up at midnight clicking away trying to order a new iPhone4 over the 'net? I was. It was silly.

Couldn't get through between midnight and 1am so gave up. Tried again at 6:30am and still couldn't get through. Finally managed to order one at 7:30am.

I was very surprised to see the expected delivery date of 2nd of August considering they stated the phones were already on back order. I think that means the paltry initial allocation from Apple had run out but we all know that was deliberate so they could say in the media that they'd sold out. No company in their right might would deliberately under cater with such a hot product. I presume Apple has plenty of iPhones tucked away and will delivery them rapidily once the hoo har settles down.

That's my hope at least.

I'll update you all as to how far past the 2nd of Aug it is when my phone actually arrives.

I'm also still waiting on my 2in1 microSIM which they promised by the 29th of July!

Oh well.

Is Sexy a Bad word/

My son came home the other day with a new phrase, 'Sexy man'. I can only assume he's heard one of his teachers at kindy talking about someone and decided to repeat it. That or perhaps from a song? I couldn't get it out of him (who can at 3?) but I guess it doesn't matter.

Now, I never wanted to be parent to use the phrase "you're too young" though by any stretch he is to be using that phrase. I would much prefer to give him a real reason as to why daddy thinks he shouldn't use that word. I feel I get a much better response from him when I give him a solid reason he can understand rather than a brush off.

The "you're too young" just seems like a cop  out or makes me feel like a lazy parent.

I guess my issue is trying to articulate to a 3yo what is bad about the term sexy, at least coming from a 3yo but I just couldn't do it on the spot.

I just feel my argument of 'just because' doesn't hold enough weight and as a parent I need to give solid reasons for 'no' if I want them to have any affect.

Do you have any ideas? Comment below on what you think.

Thanks.
A new Dad

Passed CCNP ROUTE

Yay, another exam another day.

See my post here.

Such an adrenaline rush it was, I was really pumped this morning, what with the cold and the caffine and then the adrenaline rush of sitting the exam. I guess all of that is good for blood flow to the brain, just have to deal with the come down on the other side. At least I have something took look forward to when I get home! 

My Phones gone bung

Yep, my beloved iPhone has lost it's most useful function, the home key. Whilst everything else works the face that a) only one thing runs at a time, b) the method of switching between them is borked, means that the functionaility of my phone is vastly reduced!

The only way I can switch between apps is to reboot. I did manage to find an install link via a website which took me through the app install. But that only gets me from the browser back.

Guess who'll be getting an iPhone4 quicksmart!

Don't get technical

My three year old found a DVD of Up in the computer today. Instantly he wanted to watch it on the TV, that's ok, it's watchable. The thing is, the DVD was from the Blu-Ray version which included a copy on DVD. I found myself trying to convince him that we should use the other disc (i.e. the Blu-Ray version) but was having trouble translating my purely technical argument into 3-year-old style logic.

Turns out it doesn't translate well and in the end I relented.

It made me think about his descision making process. He wanted to play the DVD because it had a different picture on it than the 'other' disc. Even once it was in the machine, he was excited because the menu was different, thus new.

Whilst it may be said that 3 year olds are easily influenced they can also be finicky.

This whole story would be a lesson in how not to negotiate with your three year old, or when to know you're fighting a lost cause, if it were not for the fact that the DVD stopped working part way through and we had to revert to the 'other' disc.

It wasn't me, I swear!

ANZAC Perspective

For all the effort that goes into commemorating ANZAC day, I feel a little disconnected from it all. I guess ANZAC is supposed to be something that _most_ people have some history with. Yes, I do too but it goes so far back that it's hard for me to relate to.

I certainly haven't had any experience of way, but neither did my dad nor his dad. I have to go back four generations to find anyone in my family that went to war. This distant relative only went reluctantly and only for a short period, not really the war hero.

Does that mean we should march? I just don't feel it. I would feel like a fraud even though my dad has his service medals. I guess if my dad had fought then I would feel more connected to it but both him and his father were primary producers during the relavent wars and thus excempt from any conscription.

Am I the only one that feels this way? Perhaps it is a good thing. I'm sure as more and more generations roll forth, more and more people will have little connection with the 'great' wars of yesteryear. Heaven forbid we have any more but certainly...

lest we forget

Get away from her you Bitch...

I want one:


This looks way cool but I'm sure it will be ages before average joe's can get into one.

Hot Stuff

Many years ago we had an admin girl who's strong point was not details. She accidentally ordered 10kg of drinking chocolate instead of a much smaller quantity. Needless to say, many years later, our small office of 5 people are still working their way through this 10kg.

Recently, I've been a bit crook and have discovered a nice combination to make use of this choccy. I take one teaspoon of instant coffe (eww I know), one teaspoon of drinking chocolate, add sugar and milk and you have caffine and energy boost all in one.

Yes I know it's a mocha but to me it's not real coffee but it's still drink able.

So very Tired

Children who routinely get up at 6:30am can make you very tired. Did you know?

Hey, if you didn't know that you should check out my lazy parents website. Full of hopefully useful tips.

Though now that I think about it, there's nothing in there about kids that wake up frightfully early. I'll have to add that in.

ITs scary out there

Yes, I finally did IT... well ok, perhaps I'm not being transparent but I applied for a job last night. Way out of my leage of course but still enthralling to do so. It's a people manager role which is where I'm a bit soft but it's strong on technical skills so that part I should be ok. Just need to brush up on my Cisco voice stuff.

Wish me luck, applications close 5th of Feb so I imagine I won't know anything until after then.

Nicks Swimming

Nick is learning to swim! He has just started swimming lessons just days before his 3rd birthday.

Kays and Kays

If you have been reading you will no doubt recall that I was going to go for a drive on Friday to get my lease kilometres back into shape.

Well it was a successful day by all accounts. The drive down was nice, the Macquarie valley was extremely verdant and a interesting road to drive on. It is a tight twisty narrow road yet has semi-trailers travelling on it. The bends are so tight that you have to stop before each turn if there is a truck coming the other way. I almost got taken out by one.

The corners get worse when you get the the single lane section. Even normal cars have to cross over to the other side to get around the inside of the hairpins! It amazes me that semi trailers are allowed to use this road but I guess it is a great link between the Hume highway and Wollongong.

Once we were up in the highlands the mist and fog rolled in. I only wish I had fog lights on the car so I could legitemately use them! The pies at the famous Robertson Pie shop were ok I guess. The chicken curry could have had more bite to it. Oh well, I guess when you cater for the masses you don't want to offend anyone. Bit like Oporto's warning you about the chillie in their chillie burger or McDonalds warning you that coffee is hot.

Anyway, the trip was good. On the return leg I travelled up the M7 and on approaching the M4 realized that it was only 2:30pm and I still had time to kill. I could either go home and laze on the couch for a couple of hours or I could keep on driving. Considering the whole point of the day was to rack up kays, I chose the latter option.


View Larger Map
So on I went, down the M4, up to Glenbrook in the Blue Moutains, the turning off at Springwood to take the long route back via Hawksbury Heights and Richmond to Windsor. This is the way that my family always used to take from the Northern Beaches to the Blue Mountains before the M2 existed. It's a lovely scenic drive but took 2hrs rather than the 1hr 15mins that the freeway takes.

All up a very good day with a total of 425kms added. So now I'm not very far behind at all and saw some lovely country side in the process.

Crazy Card Canasta

Ok, that was a little forced alliteration.

I am in the process of trying to get rid of my credit cards in favour of Visa Debit cards instead. Doing this has highlighted how many different places you hand out this information to and how much fun it is to change it.

So far I have, eToll, iTunes, eBay and the phone company to start with. Each with a different process I'm sure. Then there are more things like my domain company and the online shopping website.

When you think about it, all these sites all have your credit card details (though I'm not sure about the shopping website). I used to only deal with sites that didn't store your card details but these days that is much more difficult. It would be nice if sites had to give you the option of not storing your card but alas there is no such law in place.

Oh well, for now we just have to trust them. I guess an encrypted website is better than nothing but it's still easy for users to get complacent and ignore warnings about a websites security (e.g. their invalid certificate) because our security software trains us to just blindly click on stuff.

So my TODO for tomorrow is to try and change my credit card details with all these people and do it without loosing my temper or signing up for any new value adds.

Wish me luck.

Making Plans

In an effort to blog more often as per my new years resolution, here is todays entry.

As you may know I was looking at Macquarie Pass as somewhere to drive to. Well I have made the arrangements and am taking next Friday (15th) off to do the drive. Google maps says it will take roughly 2hrs each way but the pass is pretty steep narrow and popular so who knows if I will get stuck behind someone going real slow or not.

In other news I've finally mailed off my application for trade access to TLE. This is part of my dream to freelance as someone who does network wiring for peoples houses. I've done three so far. Just need to get people to pay me for doing it (i.e. more than just parts). The TLE part of the dream is for access to discounts when buying parts.

It's all part of ze plan!

A Difficult Choice

I have made a new years resolution to blog more...

I am coming up on ten years in my current job. Logic says its time for a change but after ten years, change is a difficult thing to contemplate. I have the problem of having reasonable job satisfaction coupled with the nagging sensation that I could do better. Add to that the fact that I can't easily define my current position and it makes the thought of changing jobs daunting.

I have considered network engineer, generic manager, project manager and can't think of what else.

Any ideas? I had been waiting for my boss to move up the food chain but I fear he's in the same boat as me, likes what he does, reluctant to move and just in a cushy place.

I have recently acquired my CCNA Security specialization but I just can't see work rating that worth of a pay increase considering I'm not a network engineer.

Oh the pain of it all.

The joys of a lease

So I have a leased car. Yes, I'm behind on my kays and looking for somewhere to go to chew up the miles.

The other weekend we were in Mittagong doing the very same things. After getting back I was checking the maps (as I do) a noticed a lovely squiggly line not far from there.

Turns out this squiggly line is a popular road for people on bikes and I've found several videos on YouTube showing how great a road it is.

So my next mission, take the freeway down to Wollongong and then up the road to Macquarie Pass and on to Robertson for a famous pie!

Sounds like a plan?


View Larger Map

On a Whim

On a random suggestion whilst having guests over the other night for a low key new years I have registered the domain lazyparents.net with a tagline of "For Parents who couldn't be arsed".

My theory is there are lots of things parents find difficult to discuss with their kids that they know they should. This is much more than just education about sex. Things like where is heaven and why does Granny smell funny.

So, I play to find or create some content and see where it leads me.

Any suggestions?