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Pixmania : avoid like the plague!

Dec 8

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I’ve been screwed over by pixmania, and I feel like blogging about it.

In July I ordered something from pixmania.ie – a USB to SATA/IDE Converter Cable. Its a little thingie that connects SATA/IDE harddrives to your PC – like a disk enclosure without the enclosure part. It cost me €15 euro. A bargain I thought. How wrong I was.

The thing worked on arrival, but failed within 10 minutes of being used. I returned it straight away (end of July) at my own cost (they claimed they would refund postage costs if I sent them a receipt for postage, but I sent it and never received a refund). In September, I got an email back saying that I the item had arrived in the returns depot, and been ‘accepted’. In supplier speak this means it was merely delivered to the returns depot. By October I had still received no updates on the status of the return. Then in November I received a replacement unit, with no explanation or documentation. “Great” I thought to myself. “It took almost 4 months to process and replace this single, small item, but at least I now have a working one”.

A few weeks later, the replacement unit failed. It had been used approximately 3 times at this point (its not something one would use every day afterall). I tried to return this replaced unit only to discover that the item was still marked as ‘accepted’ by the returns depot. The item status was never updated. There was no way for me to return it.

Their customer service is a bad joke.

Trying to log in to www.pixmania.ie threw a password error, even after recovering the correct password through their own password recovery system. It was only possible to log into www.pixmania.CO.UK. No email addresses are listed on the site for direct email. Contact forms are hidden away and obfuscated under confusing category names (”for partners”, “suggestions?”, “join our team!” etc). When found, they only allow a maximum of 700 words, and despite filling in my complaint under several categories, I never got a reply. I have tried emailing fotovista (pixmania’s parent company), and the pixmania press department, also to no avail.

I logged in again a week or so later to discover that the original order is now marked as in ‘preparation’. Underneath this it says ‘Your package is ready to be sent’. Next to the USB/IDE cable, it now says ‘Discontinued Product’. Both items in the order also show 0 items waiting for delivery. This is further evidence that the side is designed to be misleading and confusing, to discourage users from attempting to avail of any kind of after sales service.

I tried complaining to the National Consumer Agency who told me :

The registered business address for www.pixmania.ie is in France and therefore where consumer complaints relate to companies located outside the Republic of Ireland but within the EU, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Dublin can most appropriately handle your query.

Fine. I contacted the ECC (www.eccireland.ie) who were very helpful, but informed me

[]…we depend on the willingness of a trader to co-operate to resolve complaints.

Obviously that’s not going to work, since they couldnt be bothered to answer my emails. At this point, I’ve spent too much effort trying to get a refund for something that only cost me €15 and I’d feel a bit of an eejit chasing it up. However, I’m sure I’m not alone in my experiences with pixmania, so I thought I’d tell my story to warn people away from this dishonest company.

So to sum up, Avoid Pixmania this christmas!

Email campaign to save O’Connell Street!

Nov 10

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A friend sent this around this morning. A last ditch effort to get the John Gormley to intervene in the debacle which is the reopening of O’Connell Street, Sligo to traffic. It’s a plan that has no merit, no benefits, and no support from anyone.

Here’s the letter:

Please copy this message below and email it to minister@environ.ie to save our street..

Put O’Connell Street Sligo reopening to traffic in the subject box and add your name to the bottom of the letter before you send.

Also, don’t forget to put today’s date!

Mr. John Gormley T.D.,
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Custom House,
Dublin 1

10th. Nov. 2009

Dear Minister Gormley,

I kindly request your immediate and urgent support to address the issue of the proposed reopening of O’Connell Street, Sligo to traffic.

This decision is due to take effect on December 9th, 2009.

On Monday November 2nd, the Sligo Borough Councillors made a decision to remove all mention of the Pedestrianisation of O’Connell Street from the 2010-2015 Sligo Environmental Development Plan.

• Sligo as a Gateway City has a strategic objective of pedestrianisation of the City Centre. This decision has ignored the strategic development of Sligo which has been designated a Gateway by Government under the National Spatial Strategy and has benefited from sustained public investment in critical and enabling infrastructure.

• This decision has passed despite being contrary to current and previous Development Plans and National Spatial Strategy.

• This decision has ignored the majority of submissions made during the consultation period into the planning process:
- 60 submissions opposing the removal of the pedestrianised street
- 1 submission was signed by 2850 persons, as opposed to 2 submissions supporting the opening of the pedestrian street to traffic signed by 100 people. This constitutes a 96.5% majority in favor of keeping the street pedestrianised.

• This decision has ignored the business community of Sligo (including Sligo Chamber of Commerce and the O’Connell Street Traders Association) who fully supported the retention of the pedestrian.

• This decision has ignored the expert advice of the following professionals employed by the state:
- City Planners
- City Engineers
- County Managers Report

• This decision bypassed the legal consultation process. Sligo Borough Councillors, including the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Jimmy McGarry, announced publicly that the decision to open O’Connell Street to traffic was already made. In the September 9th issue of The Irish Times, the Mayor is quoted as saying

“It’s all systems go, all green lights,” said the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Jimmy McGarry. “The street will be open to traffic on December 9th.”

• This defies the legal planning process under the 2000 Planning Act. Therefore the decision and proposed Development Plan made on November 2nd does not constitute legal process and defies the public’s right to due consultation and transparency on this matter. This is a clear violation of the Planning Act and has eroded the citizens’ faith in public consultation.

• The Borough Councillors have repeatedly failed to provide any valid argument or professional reports justifying removing O’Connell Street as a pedestrianised zone. They have also failed to provide any documented evidence of significant citizen support for this de-pedestrianisation.

I kindly request your immediate support in addressing this matter.

Yours,

Fog in Doorly, Saturday Morning, October 17th 2009

Oct 22

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Fog by the river in doorly

Fog by the river in doorly

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Deal or No Deal : Tesco Edition

Oct 21

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Am I getting a good deal? How do I tell??

Am I getting a good deal? How do I tell??

Cloud Photo: Laser Strike

Oct 19

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Laser Strike

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Using a K750i Without a SIM Card

Oct 19

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I have an old Sony Ericsson K750i which has been lying around the house for a while. It’s got no sim and the joystick is broken so its useless as a phone, but I’ve been using it as a spare charger for my new phone – a newer but less featured SE v630i which takes the same battery

I really miss the camera on the k750i – it’s got autofocus, macro mode and an LED flash/light, and its always produced a better image than the newer v630i camera.
I’ve looking for a way to keep using the handset. I tried getting a spare SIM card, but the phone is locked to vodafone and they charge for new SIM cards.

Then recently I found a forum thread on how to flash the k750i to be a w800 – a phone which was launched around the same time, identical hardware but released under the walkman branding and with different firmware. The w800 can function as an MP3 player and camera without a SIM card! Viola! Just what I was looking for – and I could even use the original DCU-60 USB cable that came with the phone.

This is the forum thread, but I’ve extracted the important bits in case it happens to be down. Here’s all I had to do to flash the k750i to a w800

Before u start
1. A phone needs two things FLASH and MAIN. These are the operating system for ur phone. The files for any of the models can be found from www.topsony.com. But u need registration. The FLASH file will be something like W800_R1BC002_FS_EMEA6.bin and MAIN something like W800_R1BC002_MAIN_EU_EMEA.bin.
2. EMEA indicates the software type and the above supports for India tested by myself. For others u will have to download others like (W800_R1BC002_MAIN_EU_EMEA_RED49 & W800_R1BC002_FS_EMEA2)
3. W800 stands for the mobile model for which the software is and R1BC002 is the type of FIRMWARE (Something like software version).
4. Full package can be found at http://rapidshare.com/files/12706205…oW800.rar.html
5. or search for this file at www.4shared.com “K750toW800” it also contains the full package. I have used this its free.

The rapidshare link is corrupted here, bit searching k750toW800 led me to the right file quickly enough. =)

Unpack the rar file using WinRAR.

The package includes:

XS++: This program is used to flash you phone’s firmware. This also lets you check your CID number.

Gslide: This program converts W800 CID36 firmware to CID49, to make the firmware compatible to K750 CID49 phones. CID36 users need not use this.

W800 Firmware: Your Main and File System files. Your W800’s operating system files.

USB Flash Driver: The driver you need to enable your phone for flashing through USB cable. These drivers are NOT (I repeat NOT) the same ones you get on K750 PC suite CD

Flashing should be done in this order
1) Flash FS
2) Customize FS
3) Flash MAIN
Because in XS++ the flashing has to be done in following order only because of a bug.

STEP1: Installing USB Flash Driver.

Turn off your phone. Remove SIM and memory card, and re-insert battery. Do not turn ON.

Inside K750toW800 folder, goto XS++ folder and open the program. now click START. While pressing and holding the ‘c’ button on your phone’s keypad, insert USB cable. Windows will detect a new hardware and ‘Install new hardware’ wizard pops up. Release the ‘c’ button. In the wizard, click ‘no, not at this time’ and next. Choose to install from a specified location and click next. Under ‘search for the best drivers to install’, check ‘include this location in the search’. Under ‘browse’, choose the path to the unpacked folder you downloaded and select the folder USB Flash Driver. Now click next and let the windows install the driver.

After installing the driver, close XS++ and disconnect phone and turn it off in case it has switched on. Remove battery for 2 seconds and re-insert it (to refresh your phone). (Removing and re-inserting is usually required once u disconnect in any step)
Now your phone is ready to be flashed.

CHECKING CID NUMBER

Again open XS++, click START, and insert cable while pressing ‘c’ the same way as before. Your fone gets detected and on the left side of the screen, you get the detailed info of your phone including the EROM CID number.

If you have CID 36, then goto STEP2 and go directly to STEP3. Do not close XS++ or unplug your fone.

STEP2:

Now, you know you have a CID49. So the CID36 firmware has to be converted to CID49.
A. Open Gslide. for flashfile, click ‘…’ and select the file named ‘W800_R1BC002_MAIN_EU_EMEA.bin’ inside the W800 Firmware folder. Inside ‘output’ type in the path… C:MAINFLASH.bin. Now click ‘Process’.

B. After sliding process is completed, again click ‘…’ for flashfile and select file ‘W800_R1BC002_FS_EMEA6.bin’ inside the same folder. Under output type in C:FSFLASH.bin and hit process. Close the whole program after sliding completes.

Now there will be 2 files in C: drive using Gslide. MAINFLASH.bin and FSFLASH.bin

STEP3: Flashing FS.

• For CID36: Your phone is already detected by XS++. Under Select Firmware, check Flash File System, and then click ’…’ , now select the file ‘W800_R1BC002_FS_EMEA6.bin’ inside W800 Firmware folder. Hit flash… the flashing process is now initiated. After completion of 291 blocks, it will say either ‘done flashing’ or hang at ‘finishing flash’. Don’t worry about it. Close the program and unplug phone. Again take-out and reinsert battery to refresh. Goto STEP4.

• For CID49: Inside XS++, Under Select Firmware, check Flash File System, and then click ’…’ , now select the file ‘FSFLASH.bin’ in the C: drive which we generated from Gslide. Hit flash to start flashing process. After completion of 291 blocks, it will say either ‘done flashing’ or hang at ‘finishing flash’. Don’t worry about it. Close the program and unplug phone. Again take-out and reinsert battery to refresh.

STEP4: Customizing FS.

Common for CID36 and CID49: Again open XS++ and connect the phone same way as we did before. Now check Customize File System and then select phone model ‘W800’, select CDA and region ‘EMEA_6(CDA102430/6)’. Hit Flash. It will ask you whether you want to use ‘breakin’ or ‘brute-force’. Click ‘yes’ for breakin and strictly follow instructions on the left side of the screen. It will ask you to connect and re-connect phone 2-3 times by press and hold ‘c’ method. Do not panic at any point here, just follow the instructions carefully on the left. At the point when it says ‘FS activation’, wait for 3 minutes. After completion, close XS++ and unplug fone. Refresh by re-inserting battery.

STEP5: Flashing MAIN.

• For CID36: Open XS++ and again connect your phone the same way. Under Select Firmware, check Flash Main, and then click ’…’ , now select the file ‘W800_R1BC002_MAIN_EU_EMEA.bin’ inside W800 Firmware folder. Hit flash… the flashing process is now initiated. After completion of 291 blocks, it will say either ‘done flashing’ or hang at ‘finishing flash’. Unplug your phone and close XS++.

• For CID49: Open XS++ and again connect your phone the same way. Under Select Firmware, check Flash Main, and then click ’…’ , now select the file ‘MAINFLASH.bin’ in the C: drive which we generated from Gslide. Hit flash… the flashing process is now initiated. After completion of 291 blocks, it will say either ‘done flashing’ or hang at ‘finishing flash’. Unplug your phone and close XS++.

STEP6: Final steps

Now, insert your SIM and memory card and turn on the phone, wait for sometime as the phone takes time loading from a brand new firmware. It will say phone staring don’t panic it will take some time as the new software has to be initiated.

With that all done (and it only took like 5 minutes including the time spent installing things) I now had a w800 in a k750i shell. Unfortunately it would only fire up to a menu which let me choose either Phone mode or Player mode. Phone mode was selected by default and would allow me to do nothing without a SIM Card, and selecting Player mode with the broken joystick took several frustrating attempts. Even then it wouldn’t start that properly either. Back to the forums.

A few searches later and I had my solution. When the menu appears, simply lock the phone and open the camera shutter – this will start the camera app. And it works!

Thanks to a few minutes of searching, downloading and flashing, I now have a working standalone 2.0MP Autofocus camera from my broken k750i, which I can use as a quick document scanner thanks to the macro mode!

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Where RSS feeds come from

Oct 13

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posted this a while back on twitter…

DSC00637

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Why to Vote YES on Lisbon

Sep 13

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Perceived ‘No’ Arguments

“We Lose a commissioner – We Lose our Voice”

This is misleading. Not every member state will have a commissioner all the time. They will be rotated. The EU is growing all the time, and we just can’t have as many commissioners as there are states.

However, the commission is only one part of European decision making. The other parts are the Council, made up of all the European governments, and the Parliment, made up of MEPs. Officially, the Commissioners are supposed to be neutral anyway, not representing their country but making decisions for the greater good of Europe. Technically we don’t really have a voice here, we just nominate someone to the job who must set aside their nationality.

Furthermore, under Lisbon the Council will be given more power over the Commission. We will still have a permanent voice here. We will also have our MEPs in the parliament.

“Wages will go down”

This is just rubbish. There’s nothing in Lisbon about minimum wages. Minimum wage is a matter to be set by each member state. This does not change under Lisbon. It’s simple scare-mongering

“Abortion Will Become Legal”

Again, there’s nothing in Lisbon about this. The law in Ireland regarding the right to life is guaranteed unalterable by the Maastricht Treaty

Reasons to Vote YES

To Help the economy

A lot of people are cynical about this one, but the fact is that a Yes on Lisbon would increase the stability of Europe, and allow it to react better to crises such as the current global recession. A No on lisbon will leave Europe reeling, and at an impass, something we can’t afford right now.

To Strengthen Workers Rights

Lisbon strengthens workers rights, ensuring the right to paid maternity leave and to fair and just working conditions. It also protects against unfair dismissal.

To Help Fight Climate change

The Treaty of Lisbon adds explicit sentences stating that combating climate change and global warming are targets of the Union

Who’s For Lisbon?

Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, The Labour Party, The Green Party, The IFA, SIPTU, The Catholic Church. You might not trust some of those groups, but if Lisbon was really a bad thing don’t you think the opposition (Fine Gael, Labour) would be at the throats of the Government about it?

Who’s against it?

Sinn Fein, COIR. COIR are a front for the extreme anti-abortion group, Youth Defence. In both campaigns they’ve put up misleading posters making outrageous claims and reprinting out-of-context quotes as fact.

Withdrawing

Finally, if all the worst nightmares of the No campaign actually happen, we can leave the EU. Lisbon finally introduces the ability for a member state to legally leave the EU which has been impossible thus far. If we vote No, not only do we cripple the EU and make our country the most hated place in Europe, we also won’t be able to leave.

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Democratic Doodles

Jul 24

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Time to vote on what I should work on next… I can’t decide!

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One Wheelie Bin = Ten Months

Jul 23

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Our wheelie bin is almost full, for the first time since I moved to my new house last October! Here’s how we managed that:

Reducing

Well, its hard to ‘reduce’ in this country, but we do what we can. When I buy veg I usually forego the plastic bags if I can manage it (they only get chucked anyway). I bring my own shopping bags like everyone else, but other than that, there just aren’t too many ways to reduce the amount of rubbish one accumulates without simply reducing the amount of stuff you buy. If anyone has suggestions of course, I’d love to hear them. You often hear green blogs in the US and elsewhere talking about getting ‘refils’ on things, but its not something thats really been embraced here.

Reusing

We get the most use out of fast food containers – ie the plastic boxes you get from takeaways. Great for freezing, reheating, taking lunch to work, putting screws in – infinitely reuseable. We use larger plastic packaging (from things like bags of potatoes) as bin bags for the kitchen. When the container is smaller, you will put less into it. If you have a giant bin in the corner with a big black bag in it, it will fill up in no time. We reuse plastic bottles where possible, jars of course get reused a fair bit, especially honey jars with plastic screwtops.

Recycling

Cardboard, glass, paper, plastic, tin, steel, fabrics. All recyclable. The trick to getting the most out of recycling is to clean food containers before dropping them in the recycling bin – that way you can store them in a shed for the inevitable weeks before u get time to go to the recycling centre. And DO go to the centre if you have one nearby. A lot of stuff is not accepted in the collection bags despite being recyclable. Our local recycling centre even accepts soft plastic packaging and wrapping.

Composting

My folks have a large compost bin to which I make a weekly contribution. All the leftovers that don’t feed the dog go to the bin (although to be honest she spends a lot of time trying to dig a tunnel through the compost pile anyway, looking for rats).

The biggest impact has been the composting and recycling. I’d love to do more re-using, and I’m always on the lookout for new ways to use things, but most of the containers end up being recycled. Composting and recycling handles between 80-90% of our waste. The contents of the wheelie bin thus far are mostly things which are (to my knowledge) non recyclable, such as broken cups or plates, light bulbs, aerosol cans, etc.

A bin bag for a wheelie bin costs around €10, and without composting or recycling i’d say we would need to put out a bin at least once every month. So far thats a saving of €100, and a saving of a couple of tons of landfill every year. It’s also been very educational, seeing what can be recycled, seeing how much waste a household creates, and how much can avoid the wheelie bin.

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