With two daughters, at different Universities right now, one of my main tasks this year has been to figure out what their best options are for Internet connectivity.
Like many students in their second or third year, University accommodation is not an option (pity as you typically get an Internet connectivity as part of the rental package). So, they asked me to research what their best options would be. In summary, high capacity broadband and telephone line rental options for the houses they share with four or five other students.
Rather than you having to do the same thing, this article explains what to look for and my “best buy” given the requirements of;
high download capacity
– students are notoriously heavy users
free wireless router
– so that they can all access via laptops throughout the house
ideally free evening and weekend calls
– to call Mum and Dad for free – maybe!
MOST IMPORTANTLY no extended 12+ month contractual tie-ins
– as they will only be there for nine months of the year.
It’s easy to fix the plastic handle on your lawn mower – and cheap – less than a £5 via Amazon!
If you are reading this post you are probably where I was a week ago – your trusty mower not starting and the grass getting longer.
Bit of investigation revealed that the plastic lever used as part of the safety switch mechanism had finally given up the ghost and snapped.
You can see where mine had broken in the photo below.
No problem, quick search on Google and I came across a replacement handle for less than a fiver from Amazon (Atco/Qualcast/Bosch Switch Lever) including delivery.
Apparently this a standard part that fits a long list of lawn mowers going back decades.
All you need is a Philips screwdriver to un-screw the switch mechanism and switch cover to remove the original handle. Then prise off the old handle and put the new one in it’s place.
WARNING: JUST MAKE SURE THE ELECTRICAL PLUG IS DISCONNECTED AND THE POWER IS OFF FIRST!
Saved a fortune as to replace the model of lawn mower I have would have cost going on for £100 – champion.
We’ve all been there, Mum or Dad, brother or sister, mates or work colleagues struggling with their computer at home and they are on the phone asking for help. If only you could see what they are doing or could show them what to do whilst talking them through it – without getting in the car! Well there is a really simple FREE way for you to do just that from remote desktop support company, LogMeIn, called Join.Me.
So what’s Join.Me, well it’s a slick browser-based solution to instantly provide invitations to collaborate, meet, train, demo or show-off stuff to someone else. The free version allows you to easily
screen share
chat
file transfer
remote control
Even better, you can swap who’s sharing which screen – just what’s required to provide remote IT support to your struggling family member, colleague or friends.
With X-Factor 2010’s big vote coming up this weekend, why not support and promote One Direction’s chances of being the winners by distributing cryptic QR code’s at school, on the bus, anywhere potential voters might be lurking.
For more info on QR codes including how to make your own, check out the earlier posting, especially how to get the QR reader software for your SmartPhone, iPhone or camera enabled mobile.
To make it even easier for you to spread the word, download the A4 sheet of codes, print them off, cut them up and scatter them around to promote Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zain’s chances on Saturday.
When it comes to unusual and puzzling Christmas messages, why not send your friends and family season’s greetings in a high tech form this year.
You may have seen QR Codes on tickets at airlines, on packaging and parcels, but did you know they are dead easy to create yourself. And, industry experts reckon most modern camera phones are now compatible with the FREE downloadable software required to read the codes. So, there’s no excuse not to give it a try. In the tests I’ve done, there are certainly readers for all the common smartphone formats available such as the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Sony-Ericsson and Samsung mobiles in our household (and some of those are quite ancient models!).
) including delivery.
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