Very short stop at Omeru Falls and a much needed swim in between errands. Pictures (as usual) posted to NUI.NZ
Omeru Falls
RIOT.IM & The social “Forum” feasibility project
A while ago, there was a project involving setting up some sort of Forum for arranging social events outside of Meetup and Facebook for a group of friends.
Webs Domains were purchased, web space was purchased and Multiple Examples were set up for evaluation including Oxwall, Adhoc BuddyPress, PHPBB3, Family Connections, and some cloud hosted services such as Google+, Google Groups, even a try of Meetup itself (Seriously derailed).
After capitulating last year and allowing myself to be assimilated into the Face-borg collective, I now have an understanding what they really meant by “Forum”, it wasn’t a web based forum at all that I assumed many were thinking of, it’s basically a chat / instant messaging program they were talking about.
After reviewing Slack, Mattermost, Tox Chat among others, came across Riot.IM / Matrix.org. The Riot.IM product appears to cover most of the main points I’ve been looking out for…
- Federated open inter-operable standard. (Can host your own server and get it talk to other servers), much in the same way Email is currently.
- Open Source
- Option to Encrypt the group chat.
- Option to make it private or public.
- Ability to attach pictures
- Emoji’s (All important to some)
The example chatroom I set up “Tarawera” seems to work okay on my Windows 10 Desktop using the Google Chrome Browser and also using the Riot.IM app on my Xperia Z2 Android device.
Now, apparently there’s voice chat available. There’s an Icon on the web-based interface for it, but haven’t tried it out yet,
In short, this is probably my best chance so far at trying to release the grip that the proprietary corporate platforms (Such as Facebook and WeChat) currently have on my friends for communicating with one another.
If anyone would like to try, please contact me and will send you an invite.
Fake Book Covers Prank
Interesting… Fake Book Covers on the Subway PART TWO
Ngaruawahia
Short little walk around Ngaruawahia and up to Hakarimata Summit again. This track gains around 300-350m elevation up mostly stairs. Popular with Waikato locals as an exercise and fitness training track.
Conditions were cloudy on the walk up to the summit, then later started clearing as I made my descent back down.
Wentworth Falls Hike Plan
A possible plan for double day hike. On the Eastern Side of the Coromandel Peninsula
Weather dependency… Will go if there is a little bit of showers, though if there has been a lot of rain preceding the chosen date, the hike will be cancelled. 
The main thing will perhaps be the drive there and back (which I don’t mind doing)
Keeping in contact with friends and Family at home and abroad
The often used line for people who sometimes quite vigorously defend (their use of) Facebook is that “It helps me keep in contact with Friends and Family far away (or overseas)!”…
Here’s the kicker, People I firmly feel were already freely doing that across the Wider general Internet way before the likes of MySpace and Facebook ever came on the scene.
Many people had their own Personal Homepages (at their ISP, colleges or elsewhere) or Personal Blogs and people would find each other by way of any number of search engines of the time, go to their page and flick them an email or sign their ‘guestbook’. (I know I have reconnected with many people I’ve lost contact with this way.),
RSS and ATOM standards were common place where people could subscribe to each other’s blogs or web pages, using any number of RSS readers and be able to keep abreast with articles from multiple sources, be it from their friends’ blogs, News media publication, or elsewhere in one place, (very much, I feel, in the same way how Facebook’s “newsfeed” operates today, but with far more granular control over what you wish to see than the Facebook newsfeed of today ever offered).
Another often used excuse for relying on facebook is “How can I share my photos with my family and friends overseas?”, Facebook is hardly the only medium or tool to do this. Again, your own blog could fill the same role with NUI.NZ as being my living example.
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It’s worth remembering that Facebook as a communication medium is entirely controlled by a single corporation whose natural overarching focus is to maximize profits for their shareholders and is not an inter-operable communication protocol with several (typically competing) providers like how Email is structured.
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If some people are serious about reducing their reliance on Facebook, are concerned as I am about the increasingly centralization of power to a few for-profit run silos, and are in favour of supporting open inter-operable web standards, I would kindly suggest that a regular Blog could fill that role as the first stepping stone.
Setting up your own personal blog I strongly feel needn’t be solely the domain of I.T. geeks. There are now blogging services which make it easy to get started as it is signing up for a Facebook Account.
There are several different blogging platforms, including B2Evoluation, WordPress, and many others. WordPress as a blogging platform seems fairly okay in my opinion… if you want a quick start, then suggest as an initial starting point signing up for a free account at wordpress.com at least as a stepping stone to get you on your way (it is very easy to sign up, as easy as it is to sign up for Facebook or any other social network).
Once you outgrow WordPress.com and/or you get sick of the adverts, you can then fairly easily move off on to your own self hosted WordPress blog at any web host of your choice once you’re ready.
What ever blogging platform you eventually get going with (Preferably an open source one that allows you to self-host in the future if not now), you can simply post links on your social media profiles (Faceborg, Google+, etc) back to your blog / homepage and have your blog / homepage as your main (web identity) hub and point of presence on the Internet in which to syndicate / share your content from. Much like what I do with on my own Faceborg Profile.
Destruction Gully Walk
Small group Explore around Destruction Gully Near Whatipu along the Manukau Harbour.
Fishermen were naturally edgy as we walked along the coast, evidently afraid that we might be fishery officers.
Pukekohe + Other Randoms
11th February 2017 – Random pictures with a walk around Pukekohe Hill and Waitangi Falls around the former Franklin District.
Waitangi Falls
Waitangi Falls
A paddling of ducks near Waitangi Falls
A paddling of ducks near Waitangi Falls
Pukekohe Hill
Pukekohe Hill
Pukekohe Hill
Pukekohe Hill
Pukekohe Hill
The only real unobstructed view from Pukekohe Hill
I still need to draw down the excessive annual leave racked up and travel overseas, somewhere, anywhere, for say a month.
Waitangi Weekend Hikes
Did two hikes over the weekend. One was an explore around Waiorongomai, near Te Aroha and a much refreshing stream hike down Piha Valley Stream.
Week Beginning 5th February 2017
Note: these are simply quick thoughts that have been jotted down. They have been categorized as “Insignificant” for very good reasons. Some of these points (each separated into their own paragraphs) may or may not be spawned into more substantial posts.
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Urban Exploration Politicking
[Spun out in to it’s own post, follow this link to view article]
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Unruly Tenant spray paints “FTP” on door
A good friend reports that his property in Turangi has been trashed with the Gates all gone and the Garage door spray painted with lets say “FTP” to be brief (No, not “File Transfer Protocol”, the other definition… involving the word police) What the hell was the property manager at the 21st Century Turangi office doing? Why was this tenant allowed to stay in the property for 4 whole months of rent arrears before my mate had to take matters into his own hand and demand to the property manager that the tenant be kicked out?
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P Epidemic
Growing alarmed within myself about the Prevalence of P Use in New Zealand.
Marawhara Hike Plan
A possible plan for a stream bash and Hike. North Piha, Waitakare ranges
Weather dependency… Will go if there is a little bit of showers, though if there has been a lot of rain preceding the chosen date, the hike will be cancelled. Not a safe one to do with torrential swollen streams.
The stream section is quite slow going. Expect to be in the stream for about 4-5 hours + Hike along Maungaroa ridge / Anawhata Road (About 2½-3 hours to end of Hetig Track where the stream section starts)
Green Grapes
Grapes overhanging a fence at a friend’s place in Papakura…
Grapes overhang Carl’s fence
Grapes overhang Carl’s fence
Grapes overhang Carl’s fence
Karangahake Trig Hiking Plan
Possible plan for a further out day hike from Auckland. Walk up Karangahake Hill. Moderate amount of hill climbing… More difficult if going anti Clock wise (Steeper)
Weather Dependency… Ideally, best done on a relatively clear day for the views.
Wairoa to Cossey
30th January 2017 – Wairoa Cosseys Track (one way involving car shuttle) Redux. Fairly easy walk through some pretty lush bush. Due to the ambient temperature of 27°C, still ended up hitting my heat limit a number of times. Hunua Falls upon our arrival was packed with people looking to cool off in the pool at the base of the falls.
Wairoa Cosseys Track, Hunua
Swing bridge at Wairoa Cosseys Track, Hunua
Wairoa Cosseys Track, Hunua
Hunua Falls
Wairoa Cosseys Track
Hunua Falls. Packed like a Zoo
Hunua Falls. Packed like a Zoo
Goldie Bush Mokoroa Stream Bash
Easier stream bash along Mokoroa Stream (Goldie Bush). Pictures uploaded to Mokoroa Stream Track album.
Beware, the trail head of this reserve now has parking enforcement at the Horseman Road End. Avoid parking on the side with the “No Stopping” / “No Parking” signs. Upon our arrival, we saw a Parking warden going around issuing tickets.
Changed Mobile Provider
I have since switched mobile provider with the change-over having occurred on Monday 16th January 2017. In short, was enticed by a better plan arrangement at Spark with more being offered at the same price point for my specific individual usage pattern. Continue reading “Changed Mobile Provider”
A walk through the forest before it’s deletion
When to explore Moirs Hill Walkway before the Pine Forest surrounding it gets deleted. Including an explore around Pohuehue Falls. Photos posted to NUI.NZ.
Walked to the Moirs Hill Road end, returned back the same way back to Beverley Price Loop Track and returned down the other way to complete the loop. Although several cars were parked there at the Pohuehue Car Park, I did not meet anyone on the trail itself… Most cars had just pulled off to have a rest.
Have to admit, struggled a little with 25°C heat which I found zapped my energy levels (hence, won’t be doing any hiking tomorrow as it has been forecast to be higher than that.).
The Pine Forest behind Pohuehue Scenic Reserve is going to be logged in preparation for expanding the Motorway North, hence the closure of Moirs Hills Walkway.
Total time spent on trail about 4 hours, includes a few bush bashes and side tracks (to explore).
Ihumatao Coastal Loop
A spontaneous and short ihumatao loop explore this afternoon…
On Digital Cameras
I’ve Been on the look out for a better camera to replace my Olympus TG-3 with it’s small sensor and in confession, rather frustratingly excessively heavy noise reduction (that you can’t disable)… something that is weather proof, can fit in my pocket, has a 1 inch sensor, acceptable low light performance, and has zoom.
After much searching, the conclusion that I’ve come to is that in the digital compact point and shoot camera market has almost completely stalled. Neither Olympus, Sony, Panasonic haven’t updated their Waterproof Camera line for something like 2-3 years, with the actual hardware itself hardly having shifted for the last perhaps five years (later models it seems simply predominantly had firmware updates and then sold as a new camera)
It appears Smart phones are eating up the space that was formerly occupied by compact point and shoot cameras. The problem this presents is that the middle ground between commoners who simply take photos for social media and more professional consumers is sorely uncatered for.
- Phone Cameras I feel are still lacking in the image quality department, while the likes of Samsung have done quite well, the others haven’t done so well. Additionally, They still lack optical zoom.
- I’ve tried lugging around a DSLR, it just doesn’t work (for me), the case is too large and is always bouncing around against my body.
- At the same time, the water proof compacts (the segment I’m looking at) seem to still be bundled with small sensors (unchanged from 5 years ago), rather over aggressive noise reduction you can’t turn off, and pictures that look all smudge except in the brightest of sunny days… Zoom in to this example here – and you will see what I mean
At the moment, In the absence of anything more suited to my present situation, will retain the TG-3, however, the camera is now well over 2 years old, has taken the best part of perhaps 30,000 snaps, and is already faulting out (Unable to Focus until power cycled / Crashes) on an increasingly regular basis, so am keen to find a possible replacement soon before it finally gives up the ghost completely.
Intel HD Graphics IGFX Display driver crashes
In my latest grief with my ASUS N550JV Laptop… Upon returning back home from my tramping (hiking) trip, I received “Display driver igfx stopped responding and has successfully recovered” (Event ID 4101) Over and over and over and over and over while trying to upload the photos from the aforementioned trip to my website.
Yes, the ASUS N550JV was giving me grief yet again. Though thankfully I think I’ve finally nailed this at least for the time being. In the end, it involved several hours of trying out many different drivers off of the Intel website and then testing whether or not the issue went away.
Continue reading “Intel HD Graphics IGFX Display driver crashes”