I've had Netcomm's  NP285 Ethernet over Power (EoP) units running my home network for  two years now and can say that they are very reliable but a bit slow. There arn't that many reviews of them, so I thought I would write an overview for anyone considering using Ethernet over Power.

Click 'Read More' for the full review.

I have had the DG834N NETGEAR Modem Router for some months now. I bought it hoping to get greater  wireless range, however while it provides a better quality connection, I did not really get much of a boost in range. This is disappointing as the Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology is meant to radically improve wireless range and quality. Also I had to wait for and install the latest firmware on my unit before it would work correctly with Windows Vista (After spending an hour talking to the support guy! who couldn't fix the problem or tell me an update was on the way).

Click 'Read More' for pics & conclusion.

I have recently been watching the TV show 'The Apprentice'. It is an elimination reality TV show, however the contestants are all given business/entrepreneurial challenges which they must attempt in two competing groups or 'businesses' (the losing group/business loses a person who is 'fired'). If you are thinking of going into business or creating a start-up the show gives massive insight into group dynamics under 'business' stress and I recommend you watch it (also the movie 'Startup.com' provides some similar insight).

In each episode of the show Donald Trump gives an entrepreneurial tip. I have distilled them here for easy consumption:

Episode 1. Location, location, location.
“I have always thought that location is important but the people behind the deal are much more important than the location. I would much rather have a really smart talented guy doing the deal in a not so good location, than an idiot doing the deal in a great location, because you'll make money every time.”

Click 'Read More' to see the tips for the other 13 episodes.

A5 Spirax notebooks now come pre-printed with lines for the date. This is really great for me as I often forget to date the page when I take notes from clients. So now there is a prompt on the page it's going to be hard not to date every page!

Ok so I may be a bit crazy about A5 notebooks but I do use them to take down all of my ideas, to-do lists and notes. My point here would be that some people waste a lot of time developing their own complex notebook systems using expensive moleskin notebooks when they should really just keep it simple (Spirax notebooks are about $2, molskins are around $16 - AUD).

I just write ideas and notes down as they happen and if my to-do list gets too messy or full I re-write it. Re-writing the list also provides an opportunity to re-prioritise and drop tasks (fresh pages keep things tidy and give you a record of the past). As for finding things you will be surprised how fast you can scan through a 300 page notebook. If you want to call what I do a system then call it a RISC system (Seriously check out the links, you would need to carry an instruction sheet to remember all the steps!).