GPS on the iPhone

I don’t think I had previously blogged that I bought a new iPhone back in July. Its the 3G[S] (“S” apparently stands for “speed”, making it much faster than the previous 3G iphone, which I never owned. Its much faster than my 2G). But the phone isn’t what I want to post about. Its about GPS applications.

I’ve done a kind of roundup of the available apps in Australia, and posted that at Mactalk forums, so I am not going to repost here.

I will be posting about the relative performances of Some of the apps from time to time, though, and in the spotlight are the Tomtom and Sygic applications, both of which have had major overhauls this week

Tomtom:
Major upgrade with latest maps, text to speech, improved accuracy, updated IQ routes, the latest safety camera database, and audible over-speed warnings. The audio warnings are now customisable, but notably absent is the ability to warn for particular other POIs, as is standard in the Tomtom dedicated devices.

There is also an additional menu item called “Help Me” which addresses security and safety, by placing you on a map and giving two button options, one to phone for help and one to drive to help Phone for help gives all nearby Police, doctor, hospital, roadside assistance (NRMA in Australia) and at the top of the list, Emergency services which is 000 in Australia, 911 in the US and whatever in other countries. These values are automatically added according to your location. Its a nice touch.

Sygic
Major upgrade to latest maps, improved safety camera database and separation of redlight cameras from speed cameras. As always all POIs can be warned for, as well as cameras etc, and overspeed warnings.

I Quit!

I quit my job. That is, I reverted to my previous role as a casual RN in the mental health system. I found that working as I had been had become completely untenable for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I had burnt out. I don’t mean that in its lighter sense, being sick of the job (though there was that) and the environment (which played a massive role)… I am talking about the burnout that creeps up on you and you don’t even notice. The kind that makes you think you are the only one who can do something, who’s right for a particular client, who understands better than anyone. I was forced to face my shortcomings and realised that there was no alternative… I reached my physical and emotional limits.

I will be retiring from the workforce entirely, once the mortgage is paid off. I’ve been wrecked for way too long.

Camera stuff again

Back in February, I was muttering about selling the Pentax. I’d been having a lot of issues with my wrists… anyway, when it came down to it I couldn’t do it. The K200D is a bloody excellent piece of kit for an entry level camera and the others I was considering are not weather-sealed. There are lots of advantages in Pentax.

So I had a fit of the buys the other day and have ordered from DCW a brand new lens from Tamron, an 18-250mm. It will be an all-purpose lens for those days I dont want to be dealing with lens changing. Seems like thats all the time, of late. I had considered buying another bridge camera (nikon P90, or maybe the new Olympus SP590) but either would cost not much less than the lens I’ve now ordered… and although 250mm is half the focal length I could have got with either of the bridge cams, I’ll have the same flexibility, with a MUCH better end result.

So..its me and the Pentax…and my wrist braces. Oh what the heck, it doesn’t matter, in the grand scheme of things. And the shots are great I’m happy. Keep yer Canon and Nikon, I’m a Pentaxian!!

This is the last accepted entry to the Pentax gallery.

Moved again

Glad I kept this subdomain. I’m giving up the hamarana.com domain and the hosting. 10 years is long enough and I’m just… over it… I’ll put a link into the current webspace and over the next 8 months or so people can change their bookmarks and google can find me again.

Its enough to be here, now.

Australian Democrats: Back again

“Keeping the bastards honest” is a phrase which I think everyone is probably aware of. I know I have treasured Don Chipp’s words ever since I heard him speak in Sydney, many, many years ago. Time, and change, meant that the Dems lost their way: they fell from favour in the electorate and were seen as a nothing party. I confess that when Natasha Stott Despoja left politics, my faith in the Dems capacity to keep the bastards honest was savagely shaken.

The thing is, the Dems can only do what we, the electorate, let them do. And the electorate let them down.

So, here we are some time down the track and they have, like the proverbial Phoenix, risen from their own ashes. It seems there’s a new team (as well as some of the older members) and they have made membership much more accessible to everyone… only $25 p.a. for full membership. Its a good deal if you ever thought you might get involved.

They/we (yes, I have joined again) have forums, a facebook group, and probably a lot more I haven’t yet discovered. They have become more accessible than any other political party I am aware of, and are very keen to hear ideas and comment on policy from the membership. So the forums are a fantastic thing if you cannot get to meetings (which are mostly held in the capitals)

Seriously: if you are as totally fed up with the antics of the Aussie federal and state governments, and you wish you could make a difference… don’t just think about it: DO IT NOW!

Important Dem Links
Join the Dems on the secure webpage
Get Involved in activities
Join the New Dems website to access forums (anyone can do this, but you need to specify whether you are friend, foe or member – see, they are very inclusive)
NoInternetCensorship
Bastardwatch
Dems facebook page

Its worthwhile…

Australian Native Mynah

The shot above is one I am quite proud of. I was out with my friend Gary in Brooklyn, and we went to an area where there were a few people picnicking, but generally there wasn’t much to disturb the local wildlife. The little mynah came down and landed in a young tree quite close to where we were standing, and placed itself conveniently close for a shot. I still had to zoom to 300mm, but it was an excellent result.

A larger version can be seen on my Redbubble site

It has also been accepted to the Pentax Gallery, along with another I expected would be rejected.

Modafinil

[This post has been re-dated to twelve months from the original, since its still generating comment: I have comments set to autoclose at about a year]

You might wonder what the change of direction is about, here.. Modafinil? WTF?

Here’s the story: Some months ago, my friend Chris told me that he had been prescribed this new drug, Modafinil, and that it was making a huge difference to his life. He was able to get on and do what he must, he joined a gym and started a weightloss program which turned out very successfully, and he was trying to persuade me to give it a shot as well. I was reluctant until I thought it through.. Chris and I both suffer from OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and so we are unable to obtain Modafinil on the PBS, because its only prescribed for provable narcolepsy here in Australia (unlike the US where both of us would be eligible, because of OSA). Instead, we have to pay $120 or thereabouts per month, in order to stay awake long enough to do what we need to. (I’ve gone with getting it from overseas)

For various reasons I was looking at the Medicare Site today (actually contemplating getting credentialled and getting a Provider Number and going to work for a GP instead of doing what I currently do) and noticed the PBS link. So I looked in there and saw the link to Modafinil. Followed the link and found out just how hard it is to get prescribed, even if you do have Narcolepsy. I found it really hard to believe what I was reading: even if you are a narcoleptic, you can’t get Modafinil if dexamphetamine will do. Here’s a quote from the site

Authority required
Initial treatment

Initial treatment, by a qualified sleep medicine practitioner or a qualified neurologist, of patients with narcolepsy where:

1. therapy with dexamphetamine sulfate poses an unacceptable medical risk or
2. intolerance to dexamphetamine sulfate of a severity necessitating permanent treatment withdrawal develops

WHAT THE….? The Australian Government prefers that you take amphetamines than a drug which is a) not addictive, b) wont give you a high and c) can be withdrawn immediately with no side effects. You just have to wonder who runs the PBS Authority show down there in Canberra.