Monthly Archive for August, 2006

How to hire a great software developer

Published
by
Ben Balbo
on August 22, 2006
in Work Life
. 0 Comments

Rob Walling writes about Personality Traits of the Best Software Developers. If you’re hiring a developer, here are some questions you should ask (paraphrased from Rob’s article):

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If they are pessimistic in the short term (the software’s going to have lots of bugs) and optimistic in the long term (but the software will be perfect) then they’re on your short list.

Tell me about a time when you found the source of a problem. Most people find ways around problems, but don’t identify the source. Great developers identify the source.

Do you save for retirement? Rob suggests you work this in during discussions of your company’s retirement plan. If they do plan for the future of their lives, you can bet they’ll be able to plan for the future of the software.

Can you see anything wrong with this code? Make an obvious misspelling in a short code sample and ask if they see anything wrong - the best developers have an acute eye for detail and will cringe at $user->getEmailAddrres()!

Warning: Domains Australia Pty Ltd

Published
by
Ben Balbo
on August 21, 2006
in Domains and Hosting
. 0 Comments

It seems a domain scammer out there has caught the eye of auDA (the Australian domain name administrator).

I’ve received these dodgy letters from Domains Australia Pty Ltd before and ignored them. They send letters to owners of .au domains and offer to register the .net.au equivalent. The letter itself can be confusing and might be assumed to be a renewal notice, but the wording is clear enugh not to be able to get the company into trouble with the law.

The thing that has, however, caused consern is that they charge exorbitant amounts for the .net.au: $225. I charge $66 for .net.au domains and even MelbourneIT only charge $140!

And after charging the $225, it seems that some domains dfon’t even get registered!
The other concern is that Domains Australia Pty Ltd offer a free MP3 player on some of these letters, which also have been reported to not materialise.

New Zealand Domain Registration Ltd, owned by the same guy, have sent out similar letters.

The full email I received:

You are receiving this email because your email address is listed as the registrant contact address for a .au domain name. Please do NOT reply to this email.

auDA has become aware that Domains Australia Pty Ltd is sending letters and/or faxes to some domain name registrants offering to arrange registration of the net.au equivalent of the registrants com.au domain name for $225.

The letter is headed .DOMAIN NAME AVAILABLE. and some versions of it offer a free MP3 player with each registration.

auDA has received numerous complaints which indicate that; 1. despite the net.au name being paid for, it is NOT being registered and 2. registrants are NOT receiving the .free. MP3 player.

Based on the complaints received auDA is concerned that the letters may mislead people into believing that they are renewing their existing com.au domain name when in fact they are purchasing a new net.au name.

Further, consumers should be aware that $225 for a net.au domain name is significantly higher than prices charged by auDA accredited registrars and their resellers.

Domains Australia Pty Ltd is a company controlled by Blair Rafferty, the brother of Chesley Rafferty. It is NOT an auDA accredited registrar nor is it a reseller of an auDA accredited registrar.

auDA has previously successfully taken legal action against Chesley Rafferty and companies controlled by him under the Trade Practices Act.

If you have paid Domains Australia Pty Ltd and the domain name has not been registered or you have not received the .free. MP3 player and you wish to lodge a formal complaint, auDA advises that you immediately contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) either by lodging an electronic complaint at http://www.accc.gov.au/ or by faxing it to their Canberra office on (02) 6243 1199. Alternatively you may wish to contact your State based fair trading or consumer affairs office.

A similar mass mail out has also occurred in New Zealand. New Zealand Domain Registration Ltd, owned by Blair Rafferty, was recently exposed on a New Zealand television program Fair Go. To view this video please http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/816241.

For more information see http://www.auda.org.au.

Anti-tailgater bumper sticker

Published
by
Ben Balbo
on August 16, 2006
in Random
. 1 Comment

As some of you may know, I hate tailgaters!

I’ve been thinking about making a bumper sticker type thing for my bike, and probably for the car too. I quite liked If you can read this, I can slam on my brakes and sue you, but thought it might be a bit provocative and may actually affect my legal right to do so.

Here are two I’m seriously considering though:

Your tailgating intimidation is wasted on my cruise control - according to one guy in the US who had this sticker, it dramatically reduced the number of tailgating incidents.

The closer you get, the slower I go - this is a tactic I actually employ, for two reasons. Firstly, if I slow down, they are more likely to overtake and can do so more easily. Secondly, it created a greater space between me and the vehicle infront of me, giving me more time to slow down in an emergency and reduce the likelihood of being hit in the rear. For some unfathomable reason though, I still create 10km tailbacks on the highways when all other lanes are empty. Some people just don’t know how to overtake, I guess.

On that note, ever notice that people join highways and get into the lane they want to be in at the end of their journey? They’ll happily sit in the middle lane because 7km down the road the left lane merges with it. This only serves to save them the hassle of changing lanes later, and meanwhile causes pockets of congestion where people have to navigate their way round drivers travelling at the same speed in all lanes, because it’s more convenient for them. Selfish bastards.

OSV publishes Catalog of Free and Open Source Software for Small-Medium Enterprises

Published
by
Ben Balbo
on August 16, 2006
in Open Source
. 1 Comment

Open Source Victoria has prepared this catalog of open source software for small-medium enterprises. Within it, we have researched and provided a synopsis on a range of software which we believe will be beneficial to many businesses and small public-sector organisations.

Download Catalog of Free and Open Source Software for SMEs report (PDF, 7MB)

Help Stop the Bloodshed in the Middle East

Published
by
Ben Balbo
on August 14, 2006
in Politics
. 0 Comments

Right now a tragedy is unfolding in the Middle East. Hundreds of civilians have died in the bombings in Lebanon, Israel and Palestine and the death toll is rising every day.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for an immediate ceasefire and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has joined Annan in calling for the deployment of international troops to the Israel-Lebanon border. This is the best proposal yet to stop the violence, but for it to succeed other global leaders need to get behind it immediately.

I have just signed a petition urging regional and global leaders to speak out and support Kofi Annan’s proposal. If people around the world can persuade their governments to unite in demanding a ceasefire, all sides in this conflict will be pressured to stand down. Can you sign the petition too?

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org

The petition will be sent to key regional and global leaders and publicized in major newspapers in the Middle East, US and Europe. With enough signatures we can help pressure our leaders to stop the violence.

Thanks!