Google Photos and WordPress

Just ranted on my other blog about Google Photos and WordPress. See rant here . I have been patiently trying to seamlessly access my Google Photos to use on this and another blog. Happy to use the WordPress interface but the whole photo thing is becoming a pain. A single image on a self hosted blog works fine. See sample below, the wine was nice. Otherwise I really like Google Photos and WordPress just wish they would get on better.

Nearly had another rant when this wouldn’t publish. Seems the site was auto-updating a plugin.

Addit: Now to add insult to injury the photo alluded to above is saved by alt text. The image itself is gone .

Wine Glasses with a Sunset Backdrop
Sunset at the bar

A Tale of Three Companies Part One

Imagine that you buy a product from a reputable company and the item is also a reputable brand. I bought a Toshiba air conditioner from Origin Energy in May last year. They hook you in with the interest free terms and a 5 year warranty.. Well so far so good. Then comes the air-conditioning unit’s baptism of fire. About 5 months after the installation in November 2009 we noticed a problem. During an unseasonal burst of hot weather early in the season the head unit in the family room was leaking. We had water running down the wall. This little episode took 5 weeks to fix! The heat wave had long passed long before the air-conditioner was repaired.  The verdict was a failed installation.

5 weeks to fix.

The next episode started in May this year. It is winter in the land down under and despite the travel brochures it does get cold. Perhaps it is not as cold here as elsewhere but we still need heating. The air-conditioning unit gradually stopped heating effectively. We dutifully worked our way through the manual as we thought we were using the unit incorrectly. We are sitting in our family rooms with jumpers on and blankets over our laps to keep warm in front of the telly. The telly is no substitute for a heater.

Then we decided to call the Origin Energy to organise a warranty repair. This is about one year after the purchase. I am told that Origin Energy doesn’t sell Toshiba air-conditioners!  I have to convince them that I bought it from them. They eventually gave me a number to ring for warranty work. Then starts the inevitable phone tag; no you need another department, no they aren’t here today they promise to ring back; we didn’t install the unit. Despite promises nobody rings me back.  I call back and convince them that they have come out and repair the unit under warranty. Mecair, the warranty company, eventually relent agree to send someone out this cant be done for two weeks. The guy who comes out, says some part needs replacing and we will be contacted when they get receive it. He can’t even find the compressor unit on the roof. No card is left or any work report in short nothing. A week passes by and I call Mecair to see what is happening. They can’t find any record that they came out here in the first place! Mecair take another week to confirm that they called at our house. They now want proof of purchase before ordering the part, which of course I supply and then wait………………….

It is now five weeks since we called Origin Energy.

Contact The Owner

I had an interesting experience trying to report a fire that was deliberately lit on a roundabout near our house. The fire had been deliberately lit the kindling was still there as were the matches that had been used. The fire itself was put out by 0ne of our neighbours.

The next day I attempted to report the incident to the police. After I explained the above they asked me if this occurred on my property. I explained that this occurred on a roundabout! On an intersection. The upshot was they would not take a report. However if I let the “owner” of the propery know then they could be able to make the report. The owner of the property is of course our local council. When I asked if the police keep crime statistics the mantra was repeated.

I was not expecting a massive CSI style investigation or indeed and actual attendance but simply to report the incident. I can only conclude if the police don’t take the report then the incident never

occurred and therefore keeps the stats in shape. We do however live in an area where there are regular of grass fires toward the end of the school year.

A photo of the “property” for your viewing pleasure

Spring Has Sprung Early

All the climate change worriers out there should be good and worried its expected to be 27 degrees today. If we get there it will be a  new record high for 15th August in Adelaide. What most people overlook is that we only have actual records for the last 100 or so years. So today maybe the highest recorded temperature for this day who knows what the actual highest temperature was  is is too come.

The hayfever sufferers certianily know that the northerlies are blowing today………sniff sniff

Drug Rehab Serbian Style

I saw an article on BBC world news about a drug rehab program on in Serbia. You can see the original article by clicking here including a video. A man is seen being beaten with a shovel. The article goes on to say that this centre is being run by the Serbian Orthodox church. These religious backed centres never ceases to amaze me. In the name of religion every perversion imaginable is perpetrated. The press has been full of countless stories of excesses committed in the name of any deity you care to think of.

This is however an new take on rug rehab. Do these people think that they can beat drug addiction out of people? It makes almost as much sense as a good exorcism.