MyAnswers: Exchanging money to Thai baht in Doncaster today

The following MyAnswers solution 2109 is now available:

Today I helped a person exchange their Australian dollars to Thai baht. We shopped around and ended up saving around $50 or nearly 10%. Not bad for asking a few questions.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz

Wedding ring lost at Safeway at Doncaster Shoppingtown on June 8th.

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- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Returning an Apple iPad 2 to the Apple store in Doncaster

I decided last night with much reluctance that the iPad 2 wasn’t for me. Every day I would be switching from the iPad 2 to a netbook to do things the browser on the iPad 2 wouldn’t allow me to do. It wasn’t just because a site ran Flash, but also because sites aren’t supported by the browser and sites flip to a mobile version which in some cases aren’t very good or provide limited functionality.

For me the iPad 2 was not the device I needed. I wanted to replace my current netbook with the iPad 2. All I really needed was the Safari browser the same as the desktop version and that would have worked for me. I would have gained the better battery life, the portability and the much better presentation of the iPad 2. But I found too many restrictions in the browser and too many of the sites I use on a daily basis did not work. I didn’t expect that. The iPad 2 is an excellent device with many good features which will suit many people.

To Apple’s full credit they accepted the return of the unit (which was slightly outside of the 14 day period) and provided a full refund. You can’t ask for a better outcome than that.

Thank you Apple.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Ambulance plan for Manningham stalls

Property manager Kate McDermott said Ambulance Victoria had hoped a purpose-built building in Doncaster East or Templestowe could be leased from a developer for the unit, but none was interested in the project.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Is your neighbour's solar panels pushing your electricity bill up?

I read this article which is from the UK and couldn’t help feeling the situation in Australia is much the same.

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I attended the local Manningham council bulk solar panel offer and one of the questions I wanted to ask was, “who is paying for the solar panels?” The answer I received was, “we all are”.

For me that creates the situation where those with enough money to install the solar panels puts the $5,000 subsidy onto everyone else. That doesn’t quite seem fair to me.

 

However there is a gotcha in there for everyone. Those who install solar panels are putting their own prices up as well. Yes they are saving some money, but not as much as they are lead to think they will, the increased prices from using time-of-day charging will put their electricity costs up, plus the future increases as a result of their subsidy will eat into their own savings as well.

Personally I think it would have been much better if the government had installed solar panels as larger projects where there would be economy of scale and the savings of doing larger projects would have meant a subsidy may not have been required. For example schools have very large unused roof space. Buying in bulk at government scale and negotiating on the labour for a larger scale job should have been able to achieve the same result for much less than many individual smaller jobs.

The bottom line is now we will all suffer increasing prices for years to come. For me the idea of taking other people’s money like this just doesn’t seem right. I’m not against solar energy, in fact I’m all for it. But it should be done as cost effectively as possible.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

How I obtained an iPad 2 from the Apple store at Doncaster Shoppingtown

I decided I needed to obtain an iPad 2 for a specific business purpose. Yeah, I know, that sounds like a pretty flaky excuse, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Based on talking to staff at the Doncaster store I was told the best time to come in was around 11am. It was just before 11am so I left for shoppo. I waited in the store, no one approached me, so I approached an assistant. I asked the questions. "Do you have any stock of the iPad 2's?" To my surprise the answer was "yes". "But do you have the 16GB iPad 2 in black with 3G?" I asked. Again the answer was "yes".

So out came the credit card. They do have a process which is to look after people which is good. It took a while but I left with the IPad 2 working and connecting to the internet. It was about 80% charged so it was immediately useable and was used that day to contact a client whilst on the road. Certainly much easier than typing on the iPhone.

The trick to roll up at 11am worked for me. Perhaps it will work for you.

This by the way isn't an endorsement of the iPad 2. You should review the iPad 2 against your requirements. If the iPad 2 were my only computer, it would not be suitable for me. But for the purpose for which I purchased it, it will do a very good job.


- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Jordan Ismail, 17, and George Katsaris, 16, are going to the the 2011 Global Young Leaders Conference

SCHOOLMATES Jordan Ismail, 17, and George Katsaris, 16, are getting a head start on the rest of Australia’s future leaders.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Two cameras on Manningham's borders in Middleborough Rd at the Eastern Freeway

Two cameras on Manningham’s borders in Middleborough Rd at the Eastern Freeway, Box Hill North, and at the intersection of Doncaster and Gardenia roads, Balwyn North, generated 16,970 fines worth $2.9 million and 8990 fines worth $1.5 million respectively.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au