We went and visited the different areas of Kazakhstan this evening, and it only took just over an hour…
OK, not entirely accurate, we actually went to the big map of Kazakhstan that features models of famous buildings, land marks and geographical land marks. You walk around the area, and can get an idea of just where certain features are in relation to others. We went last year with Mum & John, but as Alex had obviously not seen it before, we also hired a guide to point out the interesting features.
Anyway, we walked all around, and then went to the section under cover that details some of the new developments near the Presidential Palace etc.
Jul 05 2007
Took A Quick Tour Round Kazakhstan
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Jul 02 2007
Goodies From Home
As you may have noticed, I have not posted a great deal this past week, mainly because Alex is over here on holiday, and so I used that as an excuse to take a short vacation from the normal daily postings. Hope my loyal readers don’t mind, and that any newcomers will have considered coming back to check for new info…
Anyway, Alex’s luggage was somewhat weighed down by a new router/modem/wi-fi access point. I originally had two, which did not make sense at the time, as I was on dial up access to the internet since moving to Kazakhstan. So, my Mum got one of them for her place (apart from anything else, it is easier to trouble shoot a piece of hardware when you have actually used one before 😉 ), and the other one went to the in-laws, so they could use their PDA downstairs to browse the web. It might never happen, but I liked to give them the choice in the future.
Anyway, the Netgear DG834PN that I ordered seems to do the job, and has a few more toys for me to learn how to use.
Oh, and the little blue flashing LEDs help 😉
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Jun 21 2007
Vodka Not Equal To Champagne
At least in terms of exclusiveness, according to MEPs (Members of the European Parliament to my American readers). They have judged that spirits made from different ingredients can still be called vodka.
Why the champagne reference? Well here in Kazakhstan, the situation is the same as it was a while ago in Europe – pretty much any fizzy wine can call itself Champagne. However, in Europe at least, the grapes have to come from a certain region, and strict rules apply to the production process before a wine is allowed the pretige of having champagne on the label.
MEPs from the Nordic and Baltic states had asked for the legal definition of vodka to be tightened even further than originally proposed, to only include spirits made from potatoes or grain. The manufacturers will need to note on the label what the drink is made from, if not spuds or wheat, but there will be no minimum font height/percentage.
Vodka producers in Western Europe (Britain, Germany and France mainly) will be very happy that spirits made from grapes, citrus fruits and sugar beets can still be called vodka.
Russia is of course the world’s largest producer of vodka, but if the Nordic definition had been applied, Britain would have been kicked out of second place.
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Jun 12 2007
Gwen arrives in her new home
Mum and John have just got their new puppy home. Gwen is apparently a real delight – she got John up at 4.30am as she decided it was time to play!! She’s one chilled puppy, who seems to have forgotten she is supposed to be traumatised by the separation from her mother.
I can’t wait to see her this Christmas, when Ira and I will hopefully be back in the UK. (Obviously our family and friends will also be a welcome sight, but Gwen sounds so adorable…)
As soon as I get some photos of the puppy, I’ll post them up here for everyone to see.
Jun 08 2007
Teacher May NOT Be Going To Jail
Following on from the previous article, I thought I’d post this link to a BBC report on an American teacher who has now got a new trial underway.
The original charge? That she gave cause to a room full of school children to see pornographic images on a computer!
So where is the link between that and the Spy Sweeper product I mentioned earlier? It now looks like the PC in question may have been infected with ad ware, which coudl mean that the no criminal act was carried out – just the normal levels of ignorance so often found with PC users. If the PC had been protected, it is quite likely that the pop up adverts would never have been produced, a class full of children wouldn’t have been asking their parents difficult questions (but Mum, why did she have that banana there?), the PC would have been working more quickly on the internet, and most importantly, the teacher herself wouldn’t now be facing the possibility of 40 years in prison!
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Jun 04 2007
Tiscali – Still A Bad Idea
Way back when, I worked for an ISP (Affinity – the first company to go bankrupt and owe me wages) that fronted the technical support, customer service, and in some cases, network hardware for many ISPs in Britain. For a while, we provided support for Tiscali customers. You often found them to be a little less eloquent that other ISP’s customers – they would get very annoyed if we asked for more information than simply stating “it don’t work”. That said, I’d never wish their current levels of service on anyone, not even the worst of the moaners we had.
According to the Register, Tiscali have clarified their provided e-mail service to customers – It is free, so stop moaning if it doesn’t work!!! Even during the worst days at Affinity we didn’t use that sort of line on customers…
With the company attempting to ensure customers stay with them for the minimum length of their contract, and not use e-mails disappearing as an ‘excuse’ to leave, and their public relations approach on forums, I’m glad I never recommended them to anyone.
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May 29 2007
The Rasterbator
Problem : A blank space on your wall & a picture too small to fill the aforementioned space
Solution : The Rasterbator!
OK, despite the juvenile name, the page linked to offers a free service. You supply the photo, they produce a multi-page PDF file you print out, and stick up on the wall.
As is so often true in life, it is the simple approach that wins the day. You can either use the service online, where you’ll need to keep the uploaded picture to a maximum size and resolution, or you can download the (still free) program, and run the process locally, on your own machine.
This post is NOT sponsored, I just liked the service, and thought people (especially John) might be interested enough to try it out. Let me know what you think.
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May 26 2007
Life Continuing Probability Rises!
Long term readers of this blog will remember from previous posts on driving in Kazakhstan that crossing the road, especially in front of our flat is a scary experience.
Well today I noticed that cars were seemingly randomly slowing down and even stopping on the road, with people crossing. As I couldn’t see a policeman anywhere, I couldn’t figure out what was going on till the daylight disappeared – it looks like they have installed a proper pedestrian crossing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This may not seem like much to any American or British readers, but trust me, go ask Mum, John, Nick, Dad or ChrisD if you need to hear just how much things differ over here… I’ve said it before, imagine a UK motorway with no central barrier, and even the zebra crossing at the other end of the road doesn’t cause drivers to stop – if you are lucky, they will slow down enough for you to wonder about the driver in the next lane across. No more 🙂
Please excuse the low quality piccie, it is night time without a flash, and zoomed in – I’ll try and get a better quality picture tomorrow daytime. Slightly better quality picture now 🙂
May 14 2007
Chinese English Russian Translator
Ira’s Dad has returned from China, and we went to see him and mum-in-law this evening. As well a nice silk duvet, Igor (Lorsha’s Dad) bought me a little electronic translator.
The model is REC-3510V. Just as soon as I figure out how to change the MENU language from Chinese to English, it will be even easier to use 🙂 It has pretty large vocab, and reads out the words if you tell it to. I’ve played around with it a little, but until I know what I’m actually clicking on, it is a bit hit and miss.
If anyone out there has one of these, and can tell me how to change the interface language, I’d be really grateful. There is a manual for it, but the English section is a little shorter than the rest, and the instructions tell you to click a button to use English instead. However, you need to already be in a certain sub-menu for this to work…
By the way, no this isn’t a really convoluted sponsored post, I really would like some help 🙂
[edit]
OK, update on the situation, I’ve now figured out how to do it. For the purposes of any search engines ever finding this, and therefore hopefully helping other owners out, this is
How to change the language on a REC-3510V from Chinese to English or Russian
(without having to be able to read Chinese 😉 )
Turn Power on, if not at the root menu, click the ‘Return’ key (bottom left on keyboard) until you are.
Select the bottom right icon with the cursors, and press Enter
Press Enter again, to select the 1st item
Scroll down to item 5 (bottom of this particular screen) and press Enter
Select the 3rd option and Enter for English menus, or the 2nd option and Enter for Russian menus.
Thats it all done 🙂
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