As spotted on Digg…

Here’s a Microsoft error message:

Your password must be at least 18770 characters and cannot repeat any of your previous 30689 passwords. Please type a different password. Type a password that meets these requirements in both text boxes.

As they say you’re only as good as your password….

With all the recent discussions on Rod’s blog about Mobile pricing, some respite may soon be on the way. Telstra Clear have publically announced that they are launching soon. Hooray, hopefully we’ll get some competition.

Here’s what I’d like to see.

• Hygiene factors: Good Coverage, good quality sound and sim card compatibility, good customer service, and a good website so that I can customise what I need.
• Flat SMS rates 5c max for both Domestic and International ($10 txt has been out for years - Stop bundling and just set a lower cost.)
• Realistic pricing structure for SMS services - 5-7% royalty based on volume
• Data bundles $25 for 1Gb or $1 per 10 Mb adhoc
• Release Cell Tower ID’s so that we can unlock the world of location based services

What do you want to have from your Mobile provider?

Having worked with Rails for the past few weeks, I have discovered that it is awesome fun. So, when I encountered the time_select method of the DateHelper classes, and found that it outputs two drop downs for a single time (hours and minutes, three if you include seconds), I was not too happy.

Therefore I made a plugin for a single select for time. Time Picker is a plugin that gives you a nice view helper function for picking times.

So to install :

script/plugin install svn://rubyforge.org/var/svn/timepicker/trunk

or

svn propset svn:externals 'timepicker svn://rubyforge.org/var/svn/timepicker/trunk' vendor/plugins

This plugin is still quite alpha, so please use it and feel free report any problems or suggestions to me.

On Prime TV, last night there was a programme from the BBC looking at the people’s personality types. It was a really thought provoking show and essential viewing for any manager or anyone else that wants to get the best out of their people. Understanding people’s differences is the key to creating a better workplace. I would recommend that everyone should take the test, as the more you know yourself -  the more you can achieve.

It was really interesting to see just how different the personality types are, especially when they mix together to complete some tasks.

There are 16 personality types that they highlighted: Big Thinker,Counsellor, Go-getter, Idealist, Innovator, Leader, Mastermind, Mentor, Nurturer, Peacemaker, Performer, Provider, Realist, Resolver, Strategist and Supervisor.

You can take the test online at the BBC website - What am I like to find out for yourself. (The site also has some other interesting surveys on Memory, Can you spot a fake smile ? and art and personality.)

According to the the test, I’m a mastermind.

Summary of Masterminds

• Visionaries who put energy into achieving their goals
• Prefer to work independently and dislike inefficiency
• Think of themselves as logical, thorough, and bright
• Values practicality and common sense above ideas and theories

I’m not sure that I totally agree with the Introvert / Extrovert rating. But it seems to be pretty bang on.

What type of personality are you ?

Tomorrow, the Codeblacks battle for glory against the Australian team (webabies???) in the full code press. (This challenge should be called the “Blediscode Cup”)

Zef is over covering the action. Hopefully, he’ll be using the traditional commentary, “Full credit to…” and “It was a website of two halves…”

The big question is will they be doing the haka before kick-off ? And what will be the Australian reply???

There’s a lot of coverage on the web, Youtube , flickr , the official blog, codeblacks blog and the WIPA blog.

Go the Codeblacks, do us proud.

You’ve got a new phone line. You can now reach us at:

Phone: +64 4 910 3100
Fax: +64 4 910 3100

This week, both Nokia and Mattel have had to issue product recalls.. Nokia have had to recall 36 million BL-5C batteries and Mattel are recalling 19 million toys because of the lead paint. Some of the toys have been sold in NZ and date back to 2003. Here is the pdf with information on the affected toys from NZ.

Respect to both companies for fronting up and recalling the products. It takes a lot of guts to admit you’ve made a mistake. Unfortunately, the markets will not like the news.

All these recalls remind be me of Tyler Durden’s speech about recalls …..

JACK (V.O.)
I’m a recall coordinator. My job is
to apply the formula. It’s a story
problem.

TECHNICIAN #1
Here’s where the infant went through
the windshield. Three points.

JACK (V.O.)
A new car built by my company leaves
somewhere traveling at 60 miles per
hour. The rear differential locks up.

TECHNICIAN #2
The teenager’s braces around the
backseat ashtray would make a good
“anti-smoking” ad.

JACK (V.O.)
The car crashes and burns with
everyone trapped inside. Now: do we
initiate a recall?

TECHNICIAN #1
The father must’ve been huge. See
how the fat burnt into the driver’s
seat with his polyester shirt? Very
“modern art.”

JACK (V.O.)
Take the number of vehicles in the
field, (A), and multiply it by the
probable rate of failure, (B), then
multiply the result by the average
out-of-court settlement, (C). A
times B times C equals X…