I get very irate when I see peoples gullibility by clicking apps to see who has been viewing your Facebook Profile. Thousands of people have been attracted to webpages and Facebook apps which claim to be able to give you an analytical insight into who is viewing their Facebook profile.

OMG See who is viewing your Facebook Profile

You may have seen many messages such as “OMG… I can’t believe this actually works! Now you really can see who views your profile!” or “See who views your Facebook profile in real-time!”

These are ALL Scams – Please do not click the links to these Facebook profile apps, as you cannot see who views your Facebook profile.

Facebook Official Statement (via their Privacy section)

Can I know who’s viewing my profile (timeline) or how often it’s being viewed?
No, Facebook does not provide a functionality that enables you to track who is viewing your profile (timeline), or parts of your profile (timeline), such as your photos. Third party applications also cannot provide this functionality. Applications that claim to give you this ability will be removed from Facebook for violating policy. You can report applications that provide untrustworthy experiences.

What do these apps do?

To gain access to the secret behind the scenes data of who is viewing your Facebook profile you may be asked for personal information, you may need to take surveys and you may even be asked for your mobile number (which could be used for God knows what).

The information from these Apps is not true

I know of one Facebook user who died in 2011 but the Facebook profile is still active. This person was listed as recently viewing and being on of the “Top 20 viewers” of another person’s profile. This person was Tagged in the photo as having viewed the other persons profile; which is not only upsetting for the family of the deceased but also very bad behaviour from the writers of the App.

These apps determine the people who viewed the other peoples profiles by randomly selecting people from the friends list (which the third-party app now has, as it was granted access by the person who tried the Who’s looking at your profile app)

Staying Safe on Facebook – These Facebook Profile Apps Don’t Work !

These “Who’s viewing your Facebook Profile” app  scams don’t work. These Facebook apps are not malware, spyware or clickjacking, purely gullibility of Facebook users.  Think about what you are doing, (1) you are giving the Facebook App access to your profile (2) This app now has access to your data (3) the app can write on your wall when ever it wants.

Share this News with others!

Please share this page on Facebook to warn your Facebook friends about these stupid and unproductive apps. There are share links below for Facebook, Twitter and other Social Networks.

Do you remember the Daleks from Dr. Who? Well according to this fantastic viral, the Dalek from Dr.Who will be making a return, but this time at your local spa. The stresses and strains of daily life will float away as the dalek relaxation tape for humans plays in the background.

Have a look and enjoy !

Next time you go to the spa, just remember the Dalek Relaxation tape … relax …. then laugh out loud !

As a recent Mac convert (having used PC’s for the past 21 years) this story was of interest to me. I was under the impression that Macs were very resilient even impervious to viruses and trojans but it seems this is not the case.

What is the Malware which infects Apple Macs?

The Mac has been promoted as being safer than PCs when it comes to viruses, trojans and other Malware and the Mac continues to grow it’s market share, however this now means that hackers and virus writers are now trying to target Macs in an effort to create larger series of botnets on PCs and Macs. This latest ‘Attack on the Mac’ is the face Flash installer called the Flashback Trojan. The Flashback Trojan is a nasty piece of work , malware, designed to steal personal information by pretending to be the Flash browser plug-ins. A Russian antivirus company called Dr.web estimated that over 600,000 Macs are now infected with the Flashback Trojan Malware as a result of unwitting Mac owners installing the software, all the time thinking it was the Flash plug-in for their browser. Apple haven’t bundled Flash with their mac product for a while now so many people, estimated to be about 6,500 infected macs in Ireland alone.

What happens if I have the Flashback Trojan?

ckily there are ways you can find out if you have the Flashback Trojan infecting your machine. There is also much more information on this malware on CNet which is where I first heard of this. I have tested my Mac and I’m clean thankfully. I still think the Mac blasts the PC out of the water for performance and usability, so I’m undeterred by this increase in targeted Mac viruses and I’m sure Apple will soon release a fix for this via their Software Update program me.

Read the Article about the Flashback Trojan in full with ways to find out if your Mac is Infected : Click here

With the household charge deadline set as 31st march, NO campaigners asking the government to back down on the contreversial €100 household charge, under 700,000 households have actually paid.

The Household Charge, which they say is going to improve  services in Ireland … many are still unconvinced, saying why should we pay another tax? Have your say on the €100 household charge here…

Are you going to pay the €100 Household charge?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The concept of Project365 is a way of documenting your life or your photography by taking a photo every day for a year. With the new 5 and 8 MegaPixels camera phones this project365  concept is becoming more popular and images are shared on social networks such as Facebook. I tried Project365 in 2010 and didn’t get far, due to not having the focus  or time, to post a unique photo every day.

This year I decided to post a Photo per week in Project52. That way I can maintain some quality within the photos posted rather than just posting any old photo.

What is Project52?
Every week, for one year (52 weeks), I will be taking a photo and posting it online, at shanemcdonald.me, My PhotoBlog.

Photos of what?
The Photos will be of anything ; whatever I am around or whatever I find interesting.
I will be using a DSLR at all times unless I am travelling when I will be using the iPhone 4S which has an excelent camera.

Week 1 of Project52
You can see the first post at shanemcdonald.me by clicking here.

Follow my PhotoBlog on Twitter @shanesphoto or my main account @smcdonalddotorg

Happy New Year to all the visitors to this website and thank you to the 931,000 people who visited this site over the past year.

Wishing you a very Happy 2012 !

Looking back at the year that was on my website, 2011 was the year Google Panda visited my site, Twitter and Facebook had an impact on search and website traffic, and an overall increase of 21% on traffic from 2010.

2011 looks like hitting 690,000 unique visitors and 1.8 Million Page Views.

20 The Most Popular Pages on the site

1. Piano Chord Shapes : 198,647  pageviews
2. 420 Chords – ChordMap : 152,515 pageviews
3. Guitar Chords :  51,751 pageviews
4. Learn To Read Music : 50,402 pageviews
5. Easy Music Transposer : 42,333 pageviews
6. Queen Album List / Discography : 34,164 pageviews
7. Chordmap Italiano : 33,584 pageviews
8. Learn Types of Music Notes : 32,594 pageviews
9. How to Transpose : 32,199 pageviews
10. Shanes Queen Site Homepage : 31,194 pageviews
11. Guitar Chord Bm : 27,729 pageviews
12. Guitar Chord List : 27,131 pageviews
13. Piano Chord C Major : 24,666 pageviews
14. Bohemian Rhapsody Chords : 24,075 pageviews
15. How to Fix and iPhone / iPod Touch, with a Frozen Safari App : 23,121 pageviews
16. Homepage :  20,130 pageviews
17. Guitar Chord of Bb Maj 19,159 pageviews
18. Piano Chord of C  : 16,702 pageviews
19. Piano Chord Variations in C :  14,552 pageviews
20. Piano Chords in Spanish : 13,443 pageviews

Top 10 Pages on the Blog

1. How to Fix and iPhone / iPod Touch, with a Frozen Safari App : 23,121 views
2. Flight Radar Vs Plane Finder iPhone Apps : 8,615 views
3. Blog Homepage : 1,683 views
4. Fix an iPhone or iPod Touch which Won’t Start : 1,570 views
5. iPhone 4 expected in Ireland in Early June : 762 views
6. Irish Language – What a Waste of Time  : 642 views
7. Top 5 Things to Do in Singapore : 592 views
8. UFO Spotted over Copacabana Beach : 572 views
9. Goalkeeper Saves Penalty and Celebrates as Ball Rolls in to Goal : 548 views
10. NDrive – iPhone Sat Nav App : 360 views

Google Panda Update Visited the Site

Google Panda is a change to the Google’s search results ranking algorithm.This change reportedly affected the rankings of almost 12 percent of all search results, my site was affected in October with traffic dropping by about 60%. Below is the output from Google Analytics which shows the dramatic drop in traffic during that time – thankfully traffic was come back up towards normal levels.

I originally posted this back in 2009 but I have updated the post with some new information. Its the first day od December and this is the first of the Christmas links.  I found this excellent video greeting and message from Santa on 23rd December 2009 and thought it was a really well designed system.

Simply provide the information and you can amaze your kids or young children (or older people who don’t understand technology) – it is very well done!

The Portable North Pole system allows Santa to talk to you and to deliver a personalised video with details of what that person asked for. You can also save and buy the video later if you want.

It is really excellent. To get your personalised Santa video go to http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

if you have a WordPress blog then you will be aware that from time to time plugins and WordPress itself require occasional updates to be processed. These updates fix security flaws and often provide extra functionality, all of which lead to a better and safer WordPress experience.

However, many people forget to update, leaving these security holes open to potential exploits. Once a WordPress blog is open to these exploits, the site is then open to being comprimised by a faceless hacker.

There is an excellent WordPress plugin called WP Security Scan which can help by prompting you to what might be wrong with your sites WordPress installation. Many website attacks are caused by automated tools which try and determine software versions before launching exploit code. WP Security Scan removes your WordPress blog version in order to discourage some attackers and to mitigate virus and malware programs which rely on software versions.

WP Security Scan checks your WordPress website/blog for security vulnerabilities and suggests corrective actions such as:

• Passwords
• File permissions
• Database security
• Version hiding
• WordPress admin protection/security
• Removes WP Generator META tag from core code

You can also visit the WebsiteDefender Blog for more information.

If you haven’t updated your version of WordPress, then do so now!
If you haven’t installed WP Security Scan, thats ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I recently setup a poll for the Best Movies of the 1980′s but TV Adverts from the 80s are some of the most memorable. From a finger of fudge to the Milkybar kid, those songs are still engrained on peoples memories. … well if you grew up in the 80s that is!

There’s a great one on the final set of videos (2nd last advert) … “You never know what’s around the corner, so Don’t Run” … what was that selling?

Anyway, I have placed some videos of Television Adverts from the 80′s below … whats your favourite advert? I might create a poll around this at some point.
Do you remember any of these?

The 80′s gave us some great films and TV, so much so, films like Flashdance have had recent remakes, rumours of 3D re-releases of Top Gun 3D and TV series such as the A-Team have had a 21st century production.

So the question is, what are the Top 20 Films of the 80′s ? This poll will run until 31st December 2011 and the shortlist of films is as follows ; Aliens, Airplane, Back to the Future, Batman, Beverly Hills Cop, Blade Runner, Cocoon, E.T., Flashdance, Ghostbusters, Naked Gun Series, Platoon, Radiers of the Lost Ark, Star Trek Series, Star Wars Series, The Breakfast Club, The Terminator, Top Gun, When Harry Met Sally and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Vote for your favourite 80′s film below

You can select up to 3 answers for your Top 3 Films!
If you have any other suggestions please leave a comment …

Having stayed 2 says in the comfort of the Te Anau lodge we were next headed to Queenstown.

This won’t be a huge post as we only spent one night in Queenstown. It’s an amazing drive so leave some time for stopping to admire the view. The small town of Kingston is an ideal stopping point – set on the banks of Lake Wakatipu ; it makes for a great excuse to stretch the legs and take some photos. There is a train there but when we were there the train was not in operation.

Where to Stay in Queenstown

We stayed at the Distinction Nugget Point Boutique Hotel & Spa about 10 minutes drive outside of Queenstown (Booked on Booking.com iPhone app which is a handy app to download). The hotel wasn’t overly full as it was heading towards low season, but it was very nice, with antique furnishings. The Spa is very good and has a large pool. The highlight was the view from the room, an amazing vista overlooking a canyon. At night you can see the milky way extend between the peaks of the two hills, and due to the lack of light pollution this view around 2 or 3am is worth getting up for. There are plenty of hotels and hostels in the town which might be more to your liking if you are after some nightlife or if you are with a group as it takes about 10 minutes to get in from Nugget Point.

What to See in Queenstown

Queenstown has a lot to offer, as it is a very scenic place on the banks of Lake Wakatipu. The quay side or lake side is very picturesque and worth taking some time to walk around. There are also many cafes around there so you can enjoy a snack also.

Queenstown, The Lakefront

When you arrive in Queenstown, one of the first things you will see is the cable cars heading up to the Skyline complex. If you are approaching from Arthurs Point direction the Skyline complex actually looks like a UFO in the dark as there are no surrounding lights and looks quite cool just perched in isolation on the peak of the hill.

Accessed by scenic gondola or cable car the Skyline Queenstown is the “Must See” attraction during any visit to Queenstown. You will get stunning views of the spectacular lakes, Coronet Peak, and The Remarkables mountain range. You can also eat while taking in the view at the Skyline Restaurant, recently voted the restaurant with the best view by Trip Advisor. More Casual dining is available in the Skyline Cafe.

While you are up there if you want you can take in the Skyline Luge which has you hurtling down the winding downhill Luge track. If you are feeling more adventurous you can try a tandem parapente flight. If you are feeling less adventurous you can simply shop in the Skyline Souvenir Gift Shop. Don’t forget to bring your camera if you are visiting the Queenstown Skyline Observation deck as the views are not to be missed.

View from the Viewing point in Queenstown, New Zealand

Other areas around Queenstown

Before leaving Queenstown, you have to visit Arrowtown. Arrowtown is a lovely little town, almost like a frontier town from the old west. Not to be missed, stunning in Autumn.

Queenstown is a very nice town, ideal for extreme sports if you are into that. Probably worth spending more than one day here but its a place I would certainly go back to.

Finally, one hour out side Queenstown on the way to Fox Glacier you will find Puzzling World which is an amazing series of visual tricks of the mind which will leave you confused. If you want something to puzzle your world then visit Puzzling World in Wanaka.

If you have a WordPress blog and you don’t already have WordPress Stats installed, do so now and activate your Jetpack configuration while you are at it. WordPress Stats give a great insight into your blogs performance.

What you get with WordPress Stats…

• The past days traffic
• Recent search queries
• Top Posts clicked
• Referrers
• plus Incoming and OutGoing Links

WordPress Stats on ShaneMcDonald.org

I was able to see that June 21st 2010 was the busiest day on my blog with the blog post iPhone iOS4 Released Today – What Time GMT will iOS4 be released for Ireland and UK?? getting 485 hits on that day and the overall blog getting 889 hits that day.

The top 5 keywords on this site in the past 30 days are
iphone safari frozen , 353 hits
safari frozen on iPhone , 168 hits
ipod safari frozen , 114 hits
iphone 4 safari frozen , 71 hits
flight radar , 24 hits

The best month this year for the blog section of my site was June and July which raked in 7,400 page views per month.

What all these stats mean for your blog?

Analysing your web stats can help with your overall SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as you can link words as anchor phrase keywords to posts or static pages which relate to that phrase. So if you are selling iPhones and you have a static page on your site with the latest iPhone5 models for sale, you could write a blog post discussing the merits and new features of the Latest iPhone5 which you have for sale and then link the word iPhone5 to the static page. By then monitoring the performance of the your website stats (both WordPress Stats and Google Analytics) you can see how well your post is performing and further tweaking may be required in order to get your page or blog post into the top 5 on Google or other search engines.

There is no point in having a site if you don’t check in monthly (or more often) to see how the performance of your site is doing. If things drop of a small bit it may simply the cyclic nature of your sector. If things drop off big time there may be a serious issue with your site e.g. you have been blacklisted or a section of your site may be hacked. Stats Programs allow you to check in and see how the site is doing and WordPress Stats is ideal if you have a WordPress Blog.

Where can I get WordPress Stats?

Visit wordpress.com and search for WordPress Stats. JetPack and a WordPress account will be required – all of which are free. Enjoy!

In the past 3 days I have being getting a lot of traffic from a site called Unexplained-Mysteries.com (http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=214475) and their reference to a ghostly pair of legs which I took a ghostly photo of in Prague about 10 years ago. (see ghost photo below)

The Arguments – is it a Fake or Long Exposure?

• One person commented it was  a fake created through long exposure - I don’t think 1/2 s is long enough for this, also no deliberate attempt was made to attempt to deceive people or try to create a fake ghost picture.( I was simply there taking a photo of my friend coming down the steps.)
• One person said it is somebody running - how can you run with stiff legs?
• One person said you would not notice if others were around - the area in question was enclosed and guards were locking-down for the evening (castle gates closed at 10:30pm and the guards would not let us in, which is why we had to take out photos here), plus after the photo was taken and we actually saw the ghostly legs on the camera’s digital view-screen we checked around to see if others were around. Nobody!

The strange thing was that at the time, this image was visible on the cameras digital viewfinder and we had repeated views of it that night, trying to explain what it was, well in advance of the photos being downloaded to the computer.

Do you believe in Ghosts? Have you ever taken something strange like this?…

It remains one of the strangest photos I have ever taken.

Following on from the Twitter there was a Hash Tag of #ReplaceMovieNamesWithVoldemort which asked you to replace movie names with Voldemort to come up with new and exciting or funny movie titles. The previous Twitter HashTag was #ReplaceMovieNamesWithBacon (I think it was trending) as was #ReplaceAMovieNameWithBacon which was a similar concept except you replaced a movie title with the word bacon.

I have included some of my #ReplaceMovieNamesWithBacon movie titles in the list below… Enjoy!

Top 10 “Replace Movie Names with Bacon” Movie Titles

Star Wars: Episode V – Bacon Strikes Back
American Bacon
A Clockwork Bacon
For a Few Bacons More
No Country for Old Bacon
Million Dollar Bacon
How to Train Your Bacon
When Harry met Bacon
Bacons and Aliens
War of the Bacon

Recently on Twitter there was a HashTag of #ReplaceMovieNamesWithVoldemort which asked you to replace movie names with Voldemort in order to come up with new and exciting or funny movie titles.

I have included some of my #ReplaceMovieNamesWithVoldemort movie titles in the list below… Enjoy!

Top 25 “Replace Movie Names with Voldemort” Movie Titles

The Voldemort Redemption
The Good, the Bad and the Voldemort
Voldemort’s List
Voldemort Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Star Wars: Episode V – Voldemort Strikes Back
Citizen Voldemort
American Voldemort
Saving Private Voldemort
Voldemort of Arabia
A Clockwork Voldemort
To Kill a Voldemort
Voldemort Goes to Washington
Die Voldemort
For a Few Voldemorts More
No Country for Old Voldemorts
Kill Voldemort: Vol. 1
Million Dollar Voldemort
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Voldemorts
Finding Voldemort
V for Voldemort
Twelve Voldemorts
How to Train Your Voldemort
When Harry met Voldemort
Cowboys and Voldemort
Rise of the Planet of the Voldemorts

I have observed this happening 3 times to me in the past month. On the iPhone , go into Settings > General > Usage and you may find that your Cellular Data Outgoing (3G or Edge) usage is showing up as 4Gb and incoming data usage set as 4.1Gb.

I have managed to save a screenshot of this weird iPhone cellular data glitch (see below)

Apparently this iPhone error is happening to many others and thankfully my Vodafone account is only showing a few hundred Meg being used and not 4Gb (or 8Gb as this is the second time this month that the data miscalculation has appeared on my phone).

Some (I did a bit of research on Mac Rumours website and there are others with this problem) are blaming one of the bits in the software which, out of a 32 bit system is causing the upper limit of the cellular data usage to be reported … or something along those lines.

Hopefully this cellular data usage glitch fixed by Apple soon in the next iPhone update…. either that or I really did use 4.1Gb!

Continuing on the review of all things good in the south island of New Zealand I have outlined some of the best things to do an see in and around Te Anau and Milford Sound.

The Drive from Dunedin to Milford Sound has a few areas of interest. Firstly, if you are looking for a spot along Highway 1 to stop and stretch the legs and grab a bite to eat, Gore, is the place. Strange name but it’s a nice town with plenty of cafés to help you on your way. Get back on the road along highway 94 and you will have stunning scenery all the way to Te Anau (watch out for the sharp right turn just after Lumsden which continues highway 94). One nice stopping point is a place called The Key which is about 35km (25 mins) after Mossburn. This area has stunning views of Mount Hamilton. Te Anau is then only 20 minutes from this point.

Mount Hamilton Panorama from The Key - Near Te Anau, New Zealand

Te Anau is a lovely little town, with a great character. There are plenty of accommodation options in Te Anau but by far the best place to stay in Te Anau is Te Anau Lodge located on 52 Howden St, Te Anau, this former nuns home is now a fantastic accommodation option. We called George, the owner, from Dunedin , having found it on TripAdvisor and arranged our accommodation – very friendly and helpful.

Te Anau Lodge - Excellent Accommodation in Te Anau

On arrival at Te Anau Lodge we were given a tour of the house and it’s facilities. The view alone was worth staying here for. It is a stunning property, very clean and very well managed. Hard to believe it’s not your home when you stay here. Rooms are bright and airy with great facilities. The staff are so helpful and nice. Breakfasts include a buffet area with cereals and fruit plus a hot option is also available cooked to order by George himself. We stayed here two nights and leaving this sublime spot was very difficult. The Te Anau lodge was one of the highlights of our trip. (Only for the TripAdvisor iPhone app we may never have found it!)

While in Te Anau we did some trips. Glow Worm caves are located on the lake and trips can be arranged at the lakefront marina. The glow worm caves are stunning if you have never seen them before.

Further afield is Milford Sound. It’s a bit of a drive but the scenery along the way is stunning – lucky if you get there at all with all the scenic points and at one point you drive through a mountain tunnel. Leave early in the morning around 8am to avoid the coach busses coming from Queenstown (also speeds at some points drop to 25kph so you have to take it handy).
You will also get morning mists if lucky. A “MUST SEE” are the Reflective Lakes which mirror the mountains in the water. An amazing effect. (see some of the images at the foot of this blog post)

On arriving at Milford Sound you have many options including cruises on the sound, or scenic flights. We decided to take a cruise which lasts around 90minutes. You get to see waterfalls, the vast cliffs which surround the sound plus if lucky seals and dolphins.

The Te Anau and Milford Sound area are very scenic and 2 days would be a minimum stay in this area in order to see everything.

Next Stop… Queenstown.

Reflective Lakes on the Way to Milford Sound

Massive Waterfall in Milford Sound - to the right of the falls you can see one of the cruise ships.

I decided to track how much I use each app just as an experiment to see which iPhone apps I frequent most often. The results are quite interesting.
(You can click the graph to the right to see the results–> )

I did this little experiment while I was on Holiday in the south island of New Zealand, which is why apps like Booking.com and TripAdvisor are on the list. (These 2 apps got us some of the best accommodation in New Zealand and would be worth downloading if you don’t already have them!)

So what were my most used iPhone Apps?

In first place, top of the heap was the Facebook App. This was interesting since I’m not really somebody who would do too much on Facebook, however, it seems I check in on the app quite a bit to see whats going on.

In 2nd Place was the Sky News app, one of the best news apps I have used. 3rd place saw yet another Social Media app, Twitter, which I am getting quite into now and enjoying using … maybe even more than Facebook for the interactive nature of it. 4th Place, Classic FM which is great to relax to and the iPhone app for Classic FM delivers very high quality radio straight to your device. 5th place sees,Grrr, Angry Birds which I really got into while on the long haul flights. The rest you can see for yourself. Feel free to add a comment about which apps you most use.

The Most used iPhone App Table

The test was carried out over a 2 week period in May 2011 and over 300 app uses were logged.

Timaru Gardens

Timaru is a great stopping off point between Christchurch and Dunedin. We ate in a nice cafe on Stafford Street – the only place open on a bank holiday. One of the points mentioned in the Rough Guide was Timaru Gardens. These botanical gardens are splendidly maintained, with a good few walks around a lake and tree lined hillocks.  There are also some roses to be seen during the summer months and Timaru also has an annual rose festival. It is certainly worth stopping in Timaru for these gardens – great for stretching the legs en-route to Dunedin.

Moeraki Boulders

The Moeraki Boulders are located about 76km north of Dunedin. These huge spherical stones are located on a stretch of Koekohe Beach near Moeraki on New Zealand’s Otago coast. These large boulders are what are known as septarian concretions exposed through shore-line erosion. They originally formed as ancient sea-floor sediments during the early Paleocene, over 60 million years ago. They are amazing to see and worth visiting – best though if the tide is out!

Accommodation in Dunedin: 315 Euro Hotel, Dunedin

Once you arrive in Dunedin, you may need accommodation. The 315 Euro Hotel is a nice hotel located up an alley, so might be hard to find. The checkin was handled very well and we checked into a studio room which was nice, bright and airy. It included facilities such as hairdryer, tea coffee facilities, and a small kitchen area. There was lots of space in room and it had Sky TV which was nice. Other facilites in the complex included a sitting area just inside the main doors and a laundry (handy when travelling). The only negative is that the curtains in the room could be a bit thicker!

Link: http://www.eurodunedin.co.nz/

Monarch Wildlife Cruises – Peninsula Cruise

One of the best ways to see of the Otago Peninsula and it’s wildlife is by taking a cruise on the Otago Harbour. We went with Monarch Cruises – located on the wharf just behind the chinese Gardens in Dunedin. This Wildlife Cruise includes the spectacular Taiaroa Head and a scenic Otago Peninsula bus tour. You should also pay the extra few dollars for the guided tour of the award-winning Yellow Eyed Penguin Reserve, Penguin Place. Worth Doing !

Link : http://www.wildlife.co.nz/tour_two.html

Chinese Gardens Dunedin

The Chinese Gardens in Dunedin are of an authentic Chinese design and was built by the Dunedin Chinese Garden Trust has built the Garden and upon its completion, handed over to Dunedin City Council.  The Garden is an example of a late Ming, early Ching Dynasty Scholar’s Garden, surrounded by a four metre perimeter wall and features a lake with traditional walkways and stonework. The design of the Chinese Garden was laid out to use authentic Chinese materials and was built by a team of craftsmen from Shanghai. Hand-made wooden buildings, hand-made tiles, lattice-work and hand-finished granite paving stones adorn these authentic exquisite gardens. The Chinese Gardens are open from 10 am to 5 pm, 7 days per week and 7pm to 9pm on Wednesdays.

Link : http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/dunedin-chinese-garden

The Beautiful Timaru Gardens

When we were getting married we were looking for a waterford wedding photographer with a difference. We spotted some wedding photographers online which had portfolios which were, to say the least not great. I hate those wedding portfolios which had the groom way in the distance or the groom in silly poses.

We eventually found the wedding photographer who was different and was obviously excellent at his job, Keith Sullivan from InFokus Photography Studio Waterford.

Our wedding photos were amazing and we got 8 wedding books and some framed prints which is exactly what we were after. He did an amazing job and we have very fond memories of the day and of working with Keith.

If you are looking for a Wedding Photographer in Waterford , Kilkenny, Wexford or Tipperary then visit InFokus or click the links on this page.

Copthorne Hotel Commodore Christchurch Airport, New Zealand – Hotel Review

We had originally planned on staying at the Copthorne Central in Christchurch, but following the Christchurch earthquake in February, we had to move our accommodation but still wanted to stay with the Copthorne group hotels – as we had great experiences when staying with Copthorne and Millennium Hotels in the North Island last year.

On arrival at the hotel, the Duty manager, Jaimie, sorted out our reservation and walked us to our room, as well as showing us the facilities in the room. I have stayed in many hotels and even in 5 star hotels I have rarely seen such a level of service and friendliness on check-in. We were well impressed with everything and were blown away by the welcome and the level of comfort at this hotel. Airport hotels are normally just a place to rest your head after a long flight but this hotel is actually comfortable and a delight to stay in.

The room was excellent, very comfortable bed, the room was large, bright, clean and airy. Air conditioning was very good with tea coffee facilities and a great bathroom. There was even a little welcome note on your bed welcoming you to the hotel – which was nicely done.

The breakfasts are served in Pattersons restaurant in the hotel and are very well presented with a lot to choose from. There is also a hot tub and covered pool (which we did not try on this occasion … but it looked nice). There is also a nice garden area with a fire where you can enjoy a drink in the open air if you so wish.

The complex is very secure and safe with key cards required after a certain time to access the main accommodation building and then again at your floor.

We actually stayed twice at this hotel, once on arriving into Christchurch from Singapore and again the night before leaving en-route to Cork via Bangkok/London.

The Copthorne Hotel Commodore Christchurch Airport, New Zealand is a great hotel within 5 minutes of Christchurch International Airport, ideally situated for you to start or end any trip to New Zealand. I would certainly stay here again and hope to visit Christchurch and the South Island of New Zealand again very soon.

Official Hotel Website : http://www.commodore.net.nz/

We stayed at the Singapore Fairmont Hotel during a 3 day trip to Singapore. The Fairmont Singapore hotel is ideally located in a central part of town, only 15 minutes walk from Clarke Quay. It is situated very close to all major entertainment and shopping districts and there is even a multistorey shopping mall within the hotel complex. The Fairmont Hotel offers 769 luxurious guestrooms and suites, a collection of 16 distinctive restaurants and bars.

On check in we got a complimentary mango juice, which was very welcome after the 11 hour flight from London. The bags were brought to the room for us, 5 minutes after we had checked in and got to the room. The heat and humidity in Singapore can make you feel quite uncomfortable, but the hotel is very well air conditioned and you don’t feel like you are in a hot country.

The rooms are luxurious with a comfortable bed, luxury bathroom and aromatherapy bath products. Our room came with a balcony and the views are stunning from the tower we were in, the 22nd floor looked over the Singapore Bay, where we could see the Singapore Flyer, the amazing Marina Sands Hotel and towards the city centre.

Breakfasts are served in 3 different restaurants but the Asian Market Cafe was the best, with a large selection of foods from typical continental breakfast fare to Chinese steamed dumplings (which I had a good few of as they were very tasty).

In addition, guests of Fairmont Singapore have access to the Willow Stream Spa, one of the largest spa facilities in Asia, offering the best in spa and fitness services. Treatments are very reasonable and the facilities and therapists are excellent.

The concierge staff were also excellent and most friendly – they helped us book a city tour of Singapore as well as organising for our luggage to be held while we awaited out trip back to the airport.

It is an amazing hotel and would certainly return here.

http://www.fairmont.com/singapore

You Tube Clip of the Hotel

Singapore is an amazing place and having recently visited the city I have outlined some of the Top 5 things to do when visiting Singapore.

Flight Simulator Experience

Take command of a Boeing 737-800 in this 100% realistic flight simulator. The cockpit is exactly as per the 737-800, with overhead panel, auto-pilot etc. You get full instruction from your co-pilot who is fully trained and can help you get the most from the flight sim experience. This simulator is exactly the same as pilots use for flight training and you can choose from over than 20,000 worldwide airports and use the same operating procedures as the real airlines. No experience necessary as full instruction will be provided.You can get 30 minute to 2 hour flights, and if you do this, you should really get the DVD which is only S$20 extra.

I did the 30 minute flight from Hong Kong international to Kai Tak (now decomissioned as an airport but was one of the most iconic landings in recent flight history). I then had time to do a touch and go at Dublin Airport followed by a Full Stop Landing. (However the Traffic Collision system onboard, TCAS, told me that I came with 1km of an inbound flight which wuld have been frowned upon in real life). Thanksfully, all my landings were completed successfully and I was told to perhaps consider taking some lessons as my insructor said flight skills were very good. I hope to upload some of the flight video very soon…
Visit http://www.flightexperience.com.sg/ for details of this excellent attraction.

Take a City Tour – Tour East

When in Singapore you should do a guided tour of the city. The reasons are two fold, (a) its a very busy city and it would be hard to cover everything if you were only in the city for a short time and (b) it can get quite hot and getting from one sight to the next via an airc-onditioned bus is most welcome.
The tour company we used was Tour East and the sights covered the Mer Lion (which is an icon of Singapore and was stupidly converted into an eyesore of a hotel while we were there), you also got to see the Thian Hock Keng Temple and Chinatown. we then visited a Local Handicraft Centre (which we didn’t like, its a bit commercial but some might like it). One of the highlights is visiting the National Orchid Garden located within Singapore Botanic Gardens – you get 45 mins here but if you didn’t stop at the handicraft centre you could easily have over an hour here. The final stop is at Little India, a bustling Indian hub within Singapore. If you want you can pay a little extra to take in the Singapore Flyer (a giant wheel similar to the London Eye … see below)
Visit http://www.toureast.net/singapore/sight_sin1.html for details of the Tour East Singapore Tours

Eat in a local restaurant and a walk around Clarke Quay

Tne of the best things about Singapore is the excellent local food. There are many restaurants around Clarke Quay, and this becomes a buzzing nightlife area after 6pm. Its nice to walk the circuit before you make your decision on food as all tastes are catered for, from Indian, Japanese, Italian and Chinese food, Look for the restaurants with the most locals. We found the Jumbo seafood restaurant. Excellent food, try the fish in ginger and spring onion. .
Check out http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg for details

Ride the Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest observation wheel and is a stunning 165m high. (30 metres taller than the London Eye). As the wheel turns, you get visual 360 degree view of Singapores landscape and historical landmarks. With views of the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Merlion Park, Empress Place and the Padang. It is good in the day but best around Sunset – the ride takes 30 minutes and if you time it right you can get day and dusk views of the city from the Singapore Flyer.
Visit http://www.singaporeflyer.com/ for details

Get a fish pedicure while you have a Back massage

On Level 2 of the Singapore Flyer comples you can get your feet sorted by tiny fish and get a back massage as this is happening. The fish foot spa is where Doctor Fishes or “Garra Rufa”, give you a pedicure you won’t forget. The back massage is excellent and reflexology is also provided in this area … don’t forget to try out the chinese tea if you are there for a while.
Details : Kenko Reflexology and Fish Spa, Located at: Level 2 of Singapore Flyer Complex, #02-08 : Tel: (65) 6565 0303 :: Open Daily from 10am – 11pm

Singapore by Night from the Fairmont Hotel

Singapore is a fantastic place to visit and if you are planning to go there and you are looking for a good hotel, then the Fairmont Singapore is worth looking at…. I will post a review of this hotel soon !

Everyone who has a site wants loads of FREE Hits to their site. One of the biggest draws to any site I ever built was one with April Fools Day Pranks and Tricks. The site at shanemcdonald.com, which originally was an Alumni site and later became a jokes and fun site, had a page called April Fools Day Pranks. This was uploaded in 2006 and got reasonable traffic in that year. It was only in 2007 that I saw the traffic grow and it peaked in 2008.

In 2007 I got over 45,000 unique visits in 3 days and the hosting company (Host***** … I’m not going to name and shame them) shut the site down and would not let me retrieve the files. They shut it down just because it got too much traffic – needless to say I moved away from them asap as they were rude and did not accept any explanation.

In 2008, April Fools Day , the site traffic peaked and I got 101,000 unique views in 3 days. Luckily the site stayed up. 2009-2010 the site had a security breach but it is back up this year and will be interesting to see what traffic it gets this year.

The link is here – April Fools Day Pranks – The site is not the great site it once was but it is still there as an old timer getting a few hundred page views a day.

These April Fools Day pranks are just fun and I don’t advocate the pranking of people who might not have a sense of humor or who might take it too seriously…. April Fools Day has occurred for many decades, have fun but be sensible! The pranks contained on the link above are just humourous to read and I do believe number there are certain ones like #14 which are harmless.

The person who helped create the internet concept, Paul Baran, has died aged 84.

In 1961, engineer Paul Baran sold a revolutionary communications method called “packet switching” to the U.S. Department of Defense. However he was not the only engineer who worked on the project.

This amazing new comms system became the foundation of Arpanet – a network of interlinked nodes which would keep functioning even if one note was wiped out. This Arpanet went on to become the foundation of the Internet and is still the way your Facebook messages get posted and how e-mails are delivered to your inbox today.

When I first started using the Internet back in 1993, web browsers were relatively new. The first browser I uses was Mosaic and used the Gopher Protocol as there were few good websites which could be accessed via http.

Today we have Internet on everything , phones, laptops, ipods, … LG even have a fridge with an Internet panel. Without Paul Baran we may not have had such a great invention
We pay tribute to him.

Paul Baran (April 29, 1926– March 26, 2011)

Do you love computers and technology as well? Consider taking an IT online course.

The Imperial Gardens Chinese Restaurant is located on the Cork Road about 5 minutes walk from the College Street WIT Campus at Manor Village.

I had been here twice before and decided to put a small review of the restaurant on the site, as its a very nice restaurant. The Imperial Garden offers an unrivaled selection of Chinese food prepared in what is claimed is “the biggest Chinese food kitchen in Waterford”.

My most recent visit I had the Early bird special which was four courses for only €18.50 which was very good value. I had the Crispy Wan Tan for the starter and the Roast Duck with Ginger and Spring Onion, perfectly cooked and tasted great. Portions are very decent but perfect enough that if you do finish everything you are not overly full. The staff are very friendly and give you plenty of time between courses to relax. Its also good to see that they stock some more unusual drinks including Aloe Vera drink which is very refreshing and if you haven’t tried it, give it a go.

The real traditional Chinese decor is very nice and they were playing Chinese Pop Music which is always a plus … I hate going to a Chinese or Indian and hearing James Blunt or Westlife. The traditional music really adds to the atmosphere.

Contact Details:

Imperial Gardens Chinese Restaurant,
Unit 1, Manor Village, Cork Road, Waterford.
Phone : 051-583690
Facebook
Web : http://www.imperialgarden.ie/

The next version of the Apple iPhone OS, iOS (version 4.3) is due for release very soon.
So When is the iOS 4.3 due for release. Well dates point to some date between  Feb 28th and March 2nd!

The next version iOS4.3 is going to make your excellent iPhone into a fantastic iPhone.

Some of the features which will come in iOS 4.3 are outlined below.

iOS 4.3 has New Camera Effects – iOS 4.3 gives iPhone users some new and improved camera functionality. such as  X-Ray Effects, Kaleidoscope style & Tunnel of Light.

iOS 4.3 brings a Better Keyboard – A new and improved touch screen keyboard will be available. The new keyboard will have an improved GUI with new key style and translucency. It will also allow for better responsiveness.

iOS4.3 allows AirPlay For Third Party Apps – play music, video and photos via compatible devices, such as your Apple TV, Mac or other iOS compatible devices.

NEW in iOS4.3 Find My Friends – The new ‘Find My Friends’ system is a new Social Networking system from Apple, integrating with MobileMe.

iOS 4.3 features Personal Hot Spots – This feature seems to be quite amazing … and apparently it is true. The New iOS 4.3 will allow the iPhone to have the ability to convert its 3G reception into a personal wireless hotspot, so if you need to connect your Laptop to the web, you may be able to use your iPhone running iOS 4.3 to do so.

iOS 4.3 features: Multi-touch gestures - One of the most exciting features of the iOS 4.3 release is the addition of multi-touch gesture controls (mainly to be used on iPad) which will allow a feast of new motion commands with four and five finger pinch, swipe and flick gestures all supported – similar to what Apple has on their MacBooks. This is a feature which could spell the end for the circular “House” button.

iOS 4.3 will also improve the graphical layout of the iPhone making a really stylish phone something which everyone will want to have.

The new Release of iOS4.3 is coming soon and hopefully we can use the new OS and experience new features and improved functionality.

Love tech? Make it your career! Learn more at
online engineering degree

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In the face of economic doom and gloom, it seems luxury accommodation options in Australia are on the up. With several newly-opened hotels doing booming business and more luxury lodges and hotels planned for this year, I’ve taken a look at what visitors down under can look forward to in 2011.

A major part of the success of the Australian hotel trade is the lengths that it will go to in order to provide truly experiential luxury holidays to upmarket clientele. Secluded luxury lodges and private island accommodation is on the increase as hoteliers realise that what their clients want is a unique vacation experience, away from the crowds and large hotel resorts.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable Australian holiday off the beaten track, then private lodges are the way to go. They’re popping up all over the country, with the most sought after in 2010 being Sal Salis at Ningaloo Reef on the Western Australian coast, the Hayman Island private island resort in Whitsundays and Saffire, the new lodge on the Freycinet Peninsula of Tasmania.

Those looking for something more traditional will find no shortage of uber-luxury accommodation options either. Major openings in 2010 included the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, the Pinctada Cable Beach resort on Broome, the Chateau Elan at The Vintage in Hunter Valley and the six boutique Art Hotels in Melbourne. Each Art Hotel is themed around the work of a different Australian artist, and they’ve been creating quite a stir.

Looking ahead to 2011, visitors to Sydney can look forward to the much-anticipated opening of the Park8 on Castlereagh Street. Part of the 8Hotels boutique mini-chain that includes the Kirketon and Diamant, Park8 is located in the old Central Park Hotel, just a block away from the beautiful Hyde Park. Expect loft-style living, minimalist décor, the latest technology and the last word in luxury city accommodation. With just 36 rooms in Park8, each and every one of them has been lovingly designed to appeal to luxury holidaymakers.

If you’re planning a luxury getaway down under and you’re looking for low cost flights to offset the high cost hotel bill, the internet’s the best place to search for travel bargains. Try flight specialist sites like DialAFlight for up-to-the-minute deals on flights to Sydney, Melbourne and other major Australian cities.

I downloaded 2 Aircraft Tracking iPhone Apps which allows you to track the position, height, speed, Squawk Code, Aircraft type, heading, source, destination and Aircraft Registration, plus much more.

These amazing iPhone apps are brilliant if you are interested in aircraft or just want to know where a plane in the sky is heading.

So Which one is better, FlightRadar24 or PlaneFinder (Harry Hill would normally do ‘FIGHT’ at this point but I’m going to look at the 2 apps and do a proper review…In no particular order)

Flight Radar 24

This was the first app I downloaded. The main features were full flight tracking plus visual tracking where you could hold the iPhone camera up to the sky where there was an aircraft and it would point to it with identification. The Augmented Reality makes it possible to point the camera to the sky and view aircraft information and all the details regarding air traffic over you.

The accuracy is stunning – I actually grabbed a pair of binoculars when a Lufthansa 747 was reported over Waterford, and it was indeed the aircraft mentioned on the iPhone App. Amazing.
Check out http://www.flightradar24.com/ for more details.

PlaneFinder

I downloaded this app just as a comparison as this one showed actual photos of the aircraft in question and also allowed for sharing of the spotted aircraft on Facebook etc.

The screen shot above shows the same Aircraft which was spotted in the Flightradar24 App.

PlaneFinder does almost everything that FlightRadar24 does, but I find that there are certain functions you can achieve such as advanced filters, e.g. show all aircraft above a certain height, speed or indeed of a certain airline.  I also found some aircraft not listed on FlightRadar24.
More information on PlaneFinder can be found at http://my.pinkfroot.com/

How do these iPhone Aircraft Tracking Apps Work?

These apps only show information regarding aircraft which are equipped with ADS-B transponders. About 60% of the passenger aircraft and some private aircraft have an ADS-B transponder installed.

The Flightradar24 and PlaneTracker apps use a network of ADS-B receivers around the world. These ADS receivers get plane and flight information from the aircraft with ADS-B (Broadcasts) and sends this information to a main server. These apps simply collect the ADS data and displays this information on the iPhone Apps map. However only aircraft within the coverage area of the ADS receivers are visible – so if you are in USA you may have limited visibility as these apps are mainly covering Europe. Current coverage is approx 90% of Europe. However, there is also limited coverage in USA, Australia and Middle East.

App Problems?

Both Apps require WiFi or a 3G connection to work. If you only have a cellular data connection you may get 1 or 2 aircraft showing up but the app won’t work to it’s full potential – so ensure you have 3G turned on.

The only problems I saw was one aircraft which was a ghost image of itself – i.e. for example an aircraft D-GBHF was showing up side by side but it was the same aircraft. Could have been a glitch.
However the most fun glitch I saw was an aircraft which had a recorded cruising speed of zero knots – clever trick!

Flight Tracking Apps – Conculsion

Both apps are excellent in the way the aircraft are displayed plus the refresh rate and the accuracy is very good on both apps.

PlaneFinder retails at €3.99 in the App Store

FlightRadar24 reatils at €2.39 in the App Store.

FREE Versions of these iPhone Apps are available also.

If you have any comments regarding these apps please comment below!

The iPhone 4 is only out under a year and already iPhone 5 is being discussed. Rumours are surfacing that a new iPhone 5 might have, whats called a ‘wave and pay’ functionality and also says that the iPhone 5 is due out later this year.

This was news to me, as the hype and celebration which came when the iPhone 4 came out in 2010, I didn’t expect any new iPhone releases (apart from software updates) for a good while.

Apparently the new payment technology which is rumoured to be included in this new iPhone, is based on a technology called ‘Near Field Communication’ which can be used to pay by placing a device, such as an iPhone, within 10-12cm of a POS. This system stores financial data and links specific devices. Initially I though it would be using RFID but this new technology is more secure than that.

Before you start planning your payment via iPhone, the Apple corporation has declined to comment on any new developments on the new iPhone5 – so is this all guesswork or is it based on facts?

Well Apple already has your credit card number via iTunes so technically it could be linked in that way – you pay using NFC on your iPhone and your iTunes account credit card is charged. The downside is that all the retailers wanting to use this iPhone payment system, would have to have a NFC reader in order to pay in this way. Also, if your iPhone is stolen its a less secure risk than if your wallet is stolen. I think there may have to be a pin based system on the phone to authorise the sale.

Either way its exciting news for iPhone fans and we will have to wait and see if 2011 brings a new iPhone and a new way to pay for your goods and services.

The Dordogne region, in the south of France is ever popular with holidaymakers from UK and Ireland. Even the French lovel to holiday in the region, full of outdoor pursuits such as cycling, canoeing, and coultry walks. If you have ever considered renting a self catering holiday home or gite in the Dordogne region, you will know that there are many luxury holiday homes in the Dordogne region.

Most luxury self catering holiday homes in France come with a swimming pool and other luxury features, such as microwaves, laundry facilities and even games rooms which can make your holiday more enjoyable and somewhat a home, away from home.

One company Sarlat Holiday Homes / Dordogne Villas Direct, run by a lovely Irish woman called Bernadette, offers you luxury holiday home rentals in the Dordogne (Sarlat/Vitrac) regions of France.

When you rent a holiday home from Sarlat Holiday Homes / Dordogne Villas Direct you are in direct contact with the owners of the property, so you can be ensured that we will want to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.

The Dordogne is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable and beautiful areas of France. By booking a reputable holiday home / villa company you yourself can best enjoy what the region has to offer and your self-catering holiday villa can be a home away from home, with memories to last a lifetime.

Click here to visit the Sarlat Holiday Homes / Dordogne Villas Direct website.

Do you use the alarm on your iphone to wake up for work? Warning … The alarm clock of the iPhone is not working since 1st January, 2011. A similar issue arose in November with a similar bug in the iOS which affected the alarm clock on the iPhone.

The iOS iPhone Alarms issue affects once-off alarms only! It does not affect countdown timers or repeating alarms. Therefore the solution to fix the iPhone Alarms issue is as follows;

1) Start the Clock app and click Edit to edit an existing alarm. Or indeed add a new alarm with the + symbol.

2) Edit the alarm so you have a Repeating Alarm, eg. Select Repeat for Mon to Fri if you want a weekday alarm… i.e set your repeat interval.

3) Now press Save to save the alarm.

You should now have something like this.

That’s it. In this way you can fix the iPhone Alarm bug through a change on alarm settings. Some sources say it should fix on it’s own on Jan 3rd 2010. Lets see!

Don’t forget to share your thoughts on this issue, in the comments area below.

I decided to do a quick SEO review of the website now that 2010 is over.

The following is a list of the top 50 pages on shanemcdonald.org for 2010. You can see the page details, page views and unique pageviews / visitors on the post below. I will also be publishing the top 25 SEO Keywords for the site (might extend it to the top 50 keywords for 2010). These will be uploaded in the next few days.

Top 50 Pages on ShaneMcDonald.org for 2010

Source : Google Analytics – ( Date Range 1st Jan 2010 to 31st December 2010 )

Happy New Year to you all and I wish everyone the best for 2011.

Hope you have a good one !

I just want to wish a Happy Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all my friends, family and to the 751,000 visitors to my website over the past year. Hope you have a very enjoyable holiday season.

Track Santa on Christmas Eve with the NORAD Santa Tracker.

This is an excellent website … sorry Santa Tracker … if you want to see where Santa is on Christmas Eve. You get a count down to Christmas and you can go back each day to receive updates from Santa and the North Pole.

On Christmas Eve you can get a Live Positioning Location of Santa’s Location around the world as he delivers presents … probably by some sort of Santa UFO.

You can even track Santa on Google Earth

Click the link below to visit the Santa Tracker
NORAD Santa Tracker

Related Link : Santa Train

This post is a continuation of the review of my recent trip to New Zealand and includes details of Lake Taupo on the route to Rotorua, including Where to Stay, What to Do, Where to Go and where to eat along the way.

While we were staying at Lake Taupo, we decided to take the boat ride on the lake to go and see the Maori carvings at Mine Bay which are only accessible by water. The day was windy and the lake was rough, and our boat, “The Ernest Kemp”, was very small but warm and comfortable. It didn’t help that the Captain of the vessel kept referring to us as ‘brave souls’, which was not appreciated – but the dark humour after a while took our minds off the waves on the lake. After about 50 minutes of very rough water we arrive at the carvings which were very impressive.

Lake Taupo Maoir Rock Carvings

Moving on from Lake Taupo we were told of major waterfalls only 2 minutes north on the N1 (to the right), and was only a 5 minute further drive. This was of course, Huka Falls. These rapids were amazing (see below) – roaring waters cascading down a narrow channel. resulting in a huge waterfall.  At Huka Falls, the Waikato River which is usually about 100m across, is squeezed through a 20m wide gorge and over a 20m drop. Every second over 200,000 litres of water gushes down through the gorge and shoots out over Huka Falls by about 8 metres.

Huka Falls, Just outside Taupo

Having left the falls we were driving north once again on the N1 and I spotted “Craters of the Moon – 500m on left” and decided to give it a go. These were well worth stopping for. It is a spot where the earths crust is so thin, you get bubbling mud, steam vents and a landscape which Sméagol from Lord of the Rings would be at home in.

Craters of the Moon

Back on the road again we were heading for Rotorua on the N1 – note there are not many places to stop for food or sightseeing between the two locations. We were lucky to find a BP station near Kinleith, to refuel the car and ourselves.

Theres not much between the two locations and we reached Rotorua in decent time and checked into the Copthorne Hotel which had great views of Lake Rotorua and the Polynesian Spa. The one thing you will notice in Rotorua is the smell of sulphur in the air. Now, its not as bad as I had expected, but it is noticeable. Some people describe it as a rotten egg smell but I don’t think the smell was that bad.

View from the Copthorne Hotel, Rotorua

Having not had much food consulted the guide book and headed for the ‘Pig and Whistle’ which used to be a police station but is now a gastropub. The food was very good, atmosphere was not great as it was very quiet with only 8 or 9 other tables full.

Next morning we tried to go to the Polynesian Spa but that’s when the smell was too much for us. Apparently at certain times the smell is worse than others. Instead we decided to take a trip on the old paddleboat which was docked on the lake. It was a very enjoyable one hour trip around the lake with history and other details being announced over the speakers onboard. Te and coffee was also free on the ship.

After that we headed to Whakarewarewa reserve which is a Maori town, and they show you around the town, the geysers, the hot pools and give you an insight into the history of the area. Whakarewarewa, “The Thermal Village”, is an area not to be missed in Rotorua as it shows history combined with how these people are living today in an area where the earths crust is so thin, you can feel it by sitting on the ground. Whakarewarewa is definitely worth seeing. You also get to see a Haka and get your photo taken doing it – I’m not uploading my photo of this however!

Whakarewarewa Village

Later that evening we attended a Hangi (Hang-yee) which is the Maori feast at the Mitai Maori Cultural Experience. The food is cooked by the Mitai tribe, underground as is the tradition, using the thermal heat from the earth. Before the meal there is a cultural show, including songs, dance and another Haka. A really good evening and one of the best tour-dinner-show combos I have been on, apparently the Mitai experience is the best in the area. There is a night safari after the meal and you have a chance to see glow worms (at least we would have if some little runt didn’t keep turning on his flash light) and you get to see a Kiwi closeup.

Rotorua is a lovely place, with lovely people … a bit smelly due to the sulphur in the air (not as bad as I expected) … but there is plenty to do in a 2-3 day stay.

Next stop Bay of Islands….

Recommended Links:

• Pig & Whistle, Rotorua
• Millennium Hotel, Rotorua, NZ
• Whakarewarewa “The Thermal Village” – Rotorua, New Zealand
• Mitai Maori Village Cultural Experience
• Huka Falls
• Official Craters of the Moon Website
• Copthorne Hotel, Lake Taupo (Google Maps Entry)
• Ernest Kemp, Lake Cruise, Lake Taupo, NZ

It has never been more important to insure your luggage when you go abroad. Recent statistics from the European Commission reveal that, on average, one piece of luggage is lost for every 64 passengers who travel by air.

Although the airlines themselves often provide a certain amount of compensation in the event of baggage loss, they can only reimburse you for lost items in your luggage for which you have receipts, and then only up to a maximum of £800 if your baggage is lost for longer than 21 days. When the suitcase first goes missing, some airlines will provide you with around £50 to cover essentials. However, if you have your luggage insured, you can expect a bigger payout, with fewer hassles.

Unfortunately, the recent financial crisis has led many customers to take cost-cutting measures, and some savvy customers have noticed that you can save money on your travel insurance by adding luggage insurance cover to your home contents insurance policy.

Many home insurance policies include cover for your possessions when they are out of the home. In fact, some home insurance policies provide more comprehensive cover in the event of the loss of luggage than is offered as standard with most travel insurance policies. Customers can save often save up to 25% off their travel insurance bills by opting to exclude personal belongings and baggage cover.

However, the section of a home contents insurance policy that covers personal possessions outside of the home is usually a cost option with most policies, and may work out more expensive than dedicated travel insurance. Be aware that no two home contents insurance policies are the same – you should always check the small print of your policy to see if you are adequately covered before opting to exclude anything from your travel insurance cover.

Of course, many travellers may not even be aware or may have forgotten that they’ve included luggage cover in their home insurance policy when taking out travel insurance. Check your paperwork thoroughly in order to avoid paying for the same cover twice – but make sure you are covered.

Use a reputable firm for your holiday cover. Take a look at the Santander website for some useful information and online quotes for travel insurance.

I noticed a huge jump in website traffic over the past 2 days, with over 2,550 visitors yesterday. I did a bit of checking on Google Analtyics and found people searching for Snow related keywords – the top 4 snow related searches were “Snow Forecast Ireland”, “Will it Snow in Ireland”, “Weekend Snow Ireland” and “Snow Ireland”.
These searchers were picking up on a post which I had uploaded way back in January 2010 – http://shanemcdonald.org/myblog/2010-01-08/snow-coming-ireland-could-grind-to-a-halt-this-weekend/.

Interesting to see how a blog post from 11 months ago can increase website traffic by between 10-15%. Using keywords in your post, Tags, Categories and using an SEO Plugin call help to optimise your Blog Posts in this way.

The Worst May be Over

Apparently though the worst of the snow is over (according to met.ie), we will have Snow showers affecting eastern counties will die out for a time early tonight (Thursday 2nd Dec). The severe ground frost setting in after dark is going to lead to ice on untreated surfaces – which will create major problems tomorrow morning for commuters. There is a chance of snow with Rain and sleet arriving in the northwest and west overnight and spreading southeast possibly turning to snow in many places, giving further accumulations before Friday morning.

Friday will have sleet and snow affecting many places Friday morning but clearing east by early afternoon. The weekend is mainly cold with a few showers, some hail sleet and snow.

The South East has been badly affected and when all this snow thaws, watch out for the floods !

I have just launched a PhotoBlog, I decided that although I use Flickr and Picasa for storing photos, I wanted something extra for displaying photos and discussing everything to do with Photography.

The link is www.shanemcdonald.me

ShaneMcDonald.me PhotoBlog (screenshot)

Is it PhotoBlog or Photo Blog?

When doing my research I was curious to the naming – is it “Photo Blog” or “PhotoBlog”. Using Google Insights for Search and Google Trends I was able to see which was most used.

It turns out that PhotoBlog is a growing search term which is 2 or 3 times more popular than “Photo Blog”.

If you are doing SEO work and you have a photoblog then this information might be useful …

Hope you enjoy my site – still only a few posts on it but I hope to have at least 15 posts by the end of the year,

Going to New Zealand? This rough and brief travel guide will show you What to Do, Where to Go, Where to Eat and What to See traveling between Wellington and Lake Taupo in New Zealand.  Continuing on from Wellington on our way to Lake Taupo we were traveling along the N1 on the North Island of New Zealand visiting small towns such as Foxton, Bulls, Taihape on the way to Lake Taupo where we had already booked accommodation.

Amazing Scenery on Route N1, from Wellington

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The first town we reached was Foxton. This is off the main road, but the guide book said it was a lovely town so we decided to take a look. Foxton is like a step back in time, not in a bad way or behind the times, rather Foxton has manged to keep the old town look and feel in a nice way.

Windmill and Tram in Foxton, New Zealand

The main feature is the Windmill which was brought over from Holland, bit by bit and build by people who had never built a windmill before – by reviewing the plans for the structure. There are horse drawn tram rides, an electric trolleybus, old style streets – I was told there are plans to make Foxton a hub of activity with kayaking, walks and other things to do. We enjoyed about 2 hours here before getting back on the road, taking a nice coffee and snack in the cafe near the Windmill.

From here we traveled back on the N1 again and on passing through a town called Bulls we just had to stop and take some photos. The shops are all BULL Oriented, e.g. the local realtor / estate agent has “live-a-bull” as his tag line, the town hall centre has “soci-a-bull”, and so on to Taihape where we had decided to take lunch.

Fun signs in the town of Bulls, New Zealand

Taihape is another very nice town, almost like small town America, worth taking an hour or so to enjoy, plenty of nice cafes to take a snack in.

The town of Taihape, New Zealand

On the last leg to Lake Taupo, back onto the N1 we go via the desert road, part of which is a military area, with an amazing landscape.

As soon as you see Lake Taupo for the first time you will have a few opportunities to stop into the left and enjoy many of the viewing areas, with incredible vistas of the lake. I’m sure there have been an accident or two with drivers looking at the nice view and not the road. Its still another good hours drive to Lake Taupo – so far its been about 6 hours since leaving Wellington.

Lake Taupo, Viewing Point with Snow-Storm moving in

After about 45 minutes we enter into Taupo and arrive at the Millennium Hotel which sits on the waterfront with amazing views of the lake. The Millennium Hotel also has a really nice outdoor heated pool, no problems using it in winter as it is quite warm. The restaurant there is very nice and we enjoyed a buffet there on arrival – only $39NZ per person which was very reasonable.

Lake Taupo with the Mountains covered in Snow.

We later found out that the desert road was blocked by snow and we made it to Lake Taupo with 4 or 5  hours to spare before the snow trapped people on the desert road.

Lake Taupo – To Be Continued … ( Lake Trip to Maori Carvings & Craters of the Moon… )

This picture of an amazing Cloud Formation which I spotted when driving alond the desert road in New Zealand (the N1 road towards Lake Taupo). Its like something from the start of War of the Worlds or the new alien feature, Skyline.

Amazing Cloud Formation spotted in New Zealand - Looks like a UFO is just about to break through the clouds...

Below is a close up of the clouds shows the weird formation which I had never seen anything like before.

Close-up of the weird cloud formation

Weird eh?

I’ve downloaded a few new iPhone Apps and might review a few in the coming weeks.

The Top 10 iPhone Apps which I have downloaded in the past month (in no order)

1. Setanta Sports iPhone App (with Live TV Coverage in App Purchase)
2. Capcom Arcade – Video Game App
3. Peter Dixons Pocket Announcer – Soundboard App
4. VLC – Media Player App
5. Old Booth – Photography App
6. LightMeter – Photography App
7. Celebalike – Photo Celeb Comparison App
8. GS Lite – GreenScreen App
9. FIFA 11 – Soccer / Video Game App
10. RF 10 – Soccer / Video Game App

Out of all these I’m using FIFA 11, Pocket Announcer, Capcom Arcade and Setanta Sports the most.

I might do an iPhone App review of some of the aboev apps in the coming weeks.

Going to Wellington, New Zealand? This rough and brief Wellington travel guide will show you What to Do, Where to Go, Where to Eat and What to See in Wellington, New Zealand.  Wellington is a lovely little city, much nicer than the business oriented Auckland – Wellington is one of the nicest places we visited in New Zealand and is a place where the pace of life is as nice as the people you meet there !

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On arriving in Wellington it was a real change of pace from the metropolis of Hong Kong and the city buzz of Sydney. One of the first things you notice is the quaint / small town feel you get from the moment you leave the airport. Some very nice sculptures along the way also. We were staying at the Copthorne Hotel in Oriental Bay – a hotel which was so nice we stayed at the Copthorne / Millennium Group Hotels during our whole stay in New Zealand.

Wellington, New Zealand - View from Cable Car station near Botanical Gardens

Wellington is a great place for relaxing – the pace is not that of a capital city which of course it is. Our first stop was the botanical gardens, as it is on a hill which overlooks the city – get the cable car to the summit (not the type of cable car which you might think – more of a vernicular).

Flowers in the Wellington Botanical Gardens

The view is stunning and there are plenty of walks which should keep you going for 2-3 hours. The restaurant in the Botanical Gardens is really good and service very fine meals, hot drinks and desserts. not to be missed also is the observatory which has a 3D projection tour of the night sky which is a very relaxing way to spend a half hour.

Alien Toilets? - Fun Sign at Wellington Observatory

Food in Wellington is not a problem. Cuba Street is one of the places where you can find good food at any time. One of the places we tried was Simply Paris, 181 Cuba Street. Welcomed by a french waiter, the food was excellent and the ambiance was very authentic – would certainly return here if in Wellington again.

If you are looking for a good view of Wellington, you should try going up to Mount Victoria which has an observation point giving a 360 degree vista on the area. Out hotel said we could walk it but if you do walk it, bring oxygen, as it is a fairly strenuous hike !

View from Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand

If you want to do something more cultural, the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa located on the sea front is worth going to. About 4 floors of artifacts, pictures, videos and interactive exhibits (many of them stuffed which I didn’t like too much) – it is a great way to get to know more about New Zealand and the Maori people who inhabited New Zealand before the white people colonised the islands. There is a restaurant here which is quite nice – the main courses were decent and very tasty but the seafood chowder which we got was not really chowder but some sort of seafood broth – I like my chowder but it was not great. They do however do a good coffee / cappuccino!

Look out in Wellington for the variety of sculptures – many of which are moving in the wind. The best of them all is the Smarties which is located along one of the main streets ( which you can see on Google Street View by clicking here)

We really enjoyed Wellington and would certainly return. A relaxed city with lots to do, good food and nice people – you don’t find that every day.

From here we hired a car, and progressed up N1 route North, visiting Foxton, Bulls, Taihape, en route to our final destination Lake Taupo.

Going to Sydney, Australia? This rough and brief Sydney travel guide will show you What to Do in Sydney, Where to Go in Sydney, Where to Eat in Sydney and What to See in Sydney Australia. Sydney is a place to be savoured – enjoy Sydney when you are there as you will miss it when you leave!

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Sydney is a place which is like a second home to me. I spent a year working here in 2003, working in both Sydney and Melbourne … but Sydney is by far a nicer city (no offense to Melbourne but there is much more to do in Sydney and winter in Melbourne is fffreezzzing). In Sydney, there is plenty to do, weather is always decent enough that you can get out and about.

Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport at Sunrise

Arriving in Sydney, you will be about 30 minutes drive from Sydney at Kingsford Smith Airport. Cabs and Airport transfers are easily accessible. A Taxi will cost between $30-$50 depending on where in the city you are going and what time of day it is. Transfers would be a bit less at between $13 and $20 depending on the company. We stayed in Sydney for 2 whole days, arriving late on a Monday evening in the middle of a monsoon and leaving on the first flight Thursday morning as sun was just coming up.

Sydney Harbour as seen from the AMP / Sydney Tower

One of the key things about Sydney is the sheer number of areas you can enjoy a walk, from Circular Quays, the Rocks and Botanical Gardens to Darling Harbour and Hyde Park. The Rocks is a really quaint area full of olde world charm and some olde worlde cafes. You can continue through to Circular Quays, perhaps catch one of the many ferries which service Balmain, Darling Harbour, North Shore, and as far a field as Manly. If you are looking for food, check out City Extra – their fish and chips is really good as is the chicken pie which is served with a hot baked roll. From Circular Quays, you can walk into the Botanical Gardens which hugs the waterline looking out over the bay, with excellent views of Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The walkway extends around to Woolloomooloo Wharf … if you still haven’t eaten go straight to Harrys Pies (Harrys Cafe de Wheels), a small cart based pie shop with the best pies and best mashed potato in Sydney. If you haven’t taken the route to Woolloomooloo you can continue through the Botanical Gardens to the Domain and on to Hyde Park. This walk is easily followed but worth taking 3-4 hours over as the views are spectacular.

People Walking over Sydney Harbour Bridge

In the city you can enjoy the views from the Sydney Tower, formerly called the AMP Tower. The AMP logo is still displayed on the tower but it seems to have been rebranded. When we were there we almost missed the entrance as the whole area is being renovated. From the tower you can get views as far as the airport and beyond … some days you can see as far as the Blue Mountains. If you are really adventurous you can climb Sydney Harbour Bridge (not on your own please, don’t start scaling the bridge and telling them it was my idea – it is a paid guided excursion with safety equipment). The only disadvantages are that you can’t bring a camera, you can’t decide to take a bathroom break and once you start out its about a 2 hour round trip – also not great for those with vertigo. We didn’t do this, instead took a helicopter trip with Cloud9 Helicopters from Bankstown Airport (phone 02 9771-3654) – well worth the money.

The main shopping areas extend from Pitt Street down around Town Hall also don’t miss Paddys Market in Chinatown which has excellent deals and is great for getting some fresh fruit, great deals on t-shirts and holiday clothes. While you are in Chinatown, you could get a really nice Chinese meal. If you are looking for a nice restaurant, go all the way as far as the Chinese arch in Chinatown and look for the Golden Harbour – Maria and the staff at the Golden Harbour will look after you and the food is always really nice. Yum Cha is also served early in the day.

Fruit Bats sleeping in the Botanical Gardens

Later in the evening there is plenty to do in the city. You can enjoy dinner in the AMP / Sydney Tower overlooking the city by night, the food is very nice, usually a buffet – however we found that The Summit Restaurant (http://www.summitrestaurant.com.au/) had nicer views (being that bit closer to the harbour) and also the menus were a bit nicer also. If you are looking for real class, try the Bennellong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. Not as expensive as you would think – and the service is 5 star (bordering on 6) with the food being similarly as good. The experience of dining at the Bennellong will live long in my mind – not only for the food and service but for the views and thrill of dining at one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.

The iconic Sydney Opera House - the Classic Shot from any trip to Sydney

Sydney is a place to be savoured, so if you are coming here for a holiday, spend as long as you can here – its one of the few cities in the world, where I can say I would be happy to live. Looking forward to going back already !

Recommended Links for Sydney

Bennellong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House : http://www.guillaumeatbennelong.com.au/

Sydney Tower : http://sydneytower.myfun.com.au/

Harrys Cafe de Wheels : http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/

City Extra, Circular Quays : http://www.cityextra.com.au/

Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb : http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

There is much more than this – but I wanted to keep this blog post short … If you have any questions about tips on where to go, eat or stay in Sydney please drop me a comment.

Hong Kong is a fantastic city, vibrant, lots to do and if you want the latest high tech gadgets its the place to go. Landing at Chek Lap Kok airport you are about 20 miles from the city and you can get a high speed train which takes between 12-25 minutes to get to you the city or a coach transfer which will drop you to your hotel door. The coach transfer is recommended as Hong Kong temperatures can reach high 30′s and lugging a case around in that heat from the train station is not fun when you can relax in the air-con of a coach and get dropped to the lobby of your hotel.

Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong as seen from the cable car on the way to Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha

One thing not to miss in Hong Kong is the celebration of lights which happens each evening at 8:15. Get yourself a Star Ferry around this time to enjoy the skyscrapers in the bay lighting up in a type of choreography to be witnessed. We got a star ferry cruise which I think was about €30 and this included refreshments and 1 hour cruising around the bay with nice music as you enjoyed the lights.

Celebration of Lights

If you want to go on a trip, the Big Buddha trip to Ngong Ping is not to be missed. This involves a 25 minute cable car ride which runs from near the airport to the Ngong Ping area. The Big Buddha is elevated on a hill and you can climb up to it for stunning views. Inside the Budda there is a museum all about the history of the Buddha. The trip also includes a vegetarian meal cooked by the monks where you can taste traditional cuisine – this included delicacies such as Lotus Flower which I had never tasted but was delicious. On the trip you also get taken to a traditional fishing village … a thousand miles away from the hussle and bussel of down town Hong Kong.

The Big Buddha at Ngong Ping which is actually the Tian Tan Buddha

If you are looking for somewhere to stay, I would recommend the Novatel Century on Jaffa Road. It is very clean, rooms are excellent and very well serviced, the staff go 10 times further to make you happy. The breakfasts are fantastic – I never had Dim Sum for breakfast before ! There is more than enough choice for breakfast. Don’t miss the roof top swimming pool which is best experienced in the late evening when you can hear the busy streets but you are enjoying a swim outdoors in the city with jets flying low overhead – Magic !

Hong Kong has a lot to offer and will be somewhere I continue to return to – however next time we will upgrade to Business Class as our Cathay Pacific flight was just too long to be stuck in economy class, as my legs kept falling asleep from the seats on the Boeing 747-400 which were not all that comfortable.

Shanes Recommended Links for Hong Kong

Ngong Ping : http://www.np360.com.hk/

Novotel Century : http://www.novotel.com/

Grayline Tours : http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/destinations/asia/hongkong.go

I’m just back from a trip to Hong Kong, Sydney and the North Island of New Zealand.
Over the next few blog posts I am going to upload some posts about the best places to stay, eat and go as well as the best trips or sights to see in Hong Kong, Sydney and New Zealand (including Wellington, Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Auckland and Bay of Islands).

The first of these posts will appear next week along with some pictures etc….

Everyone knows the pre-flight safety announcements…. What you should and should not do on the flight, as well as what to do in an emergency. But would it not be better if the truth was thrown in also for a more realistic safety announcement. It might go a little like this….

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are very welcome abroad your flight today, on board this Boeing 737-800 series aircraft.

To fasten your seatbelt …. In fact if anybody by now does not know how to fasten their seatbelt please leave the plane now, as you don’t deserve to be on a plane.

This aircraft has 8 emergency exits – 2 at the front , one left , one right , 2 at the rear , one left , one right and 4 over wing exits 2 left , 2 right. It should be fun watching all 300 of ye scrambling for a gap barely able to fit one person , especially if the wings are on fire.

In the sudden loss of cabin pressure your lungs may puncture and blood vessels on your skin will burst almost immediately being exposed to a huge pressure difference and temperatures like -50 C. Oxygen masks will drop from the panel above your heads.  If you are still conscious , pull on the mask to start the flow of oxygen.  Stop screaming, place the mask over your nose and mouth and breathe normally.  Oxygen will continue to flow even if the bag is not fully inflated.

In the unlikely event of us landing on water (very unlikely as our journey today is 90% over land today and in all probability we will be landing sideways in a field going at 500mph) … your life jacket is under your seat.  Plunging at 750mph towards the ground, the G Forces of 5 & 6 G mean the in all reality you will not even be able to reach for your lifejackets as your body will weigh 5 times its normal weight.  If you do manage to get them place it over your head, tie the straps at the front.  Do not inflate the lifejacket inside the aircraft as this will jam you into your seat and you will just have to watch all the sensible people leave the aircraft from your seat.

The lifejackets has a light and a whistle to attract attention …. as if 3 miles of burning wreckage won’t get you enough attention.

Please read the safety card in your seat pocket for further reassurance.

We hope you enjoy your flight. “

I don’t think this new style safety announcement will take-off.

A recent report on Hotel prices has found that Ireland now has the cheapest hotel rooms in all of western Europe. The Hotel Price Index, compiled by hotel booking website Hotels.com, found that while worldwide hotel prices have now stabilised in the first 6 months of 2010, Irish hotel room rates have continued to fall.

The average Irish room rate is €79 a night, down 4% from hotel room rates of 2009. The Irish room rate of €79 is the cheapest in western Europe and the 4th cheapest in the EuroZone – ahead of only the Czech Republic, Poland & Hungary. Switzerland is now Europe’s most expensive destination for hotels with an average of €138. Iceland recorded the biggest fall of 20%.

Some of the best value to be seen on hotel rooms is in offers such as 3 nights for the price of 2. For example this great offer from Mount Juliet Hotel Kilkenny – 3 Nights for the Price of 2 in Kilkenny.

Related Links : Santa Train

This is a great video of a goalkeeper who saves a penalty and starts to celebrate the penalty save. The goalkeeper saved the ball but the spin on the ball means that the ball continues to roll into the net while the keeper continues to celebrate – kissing his badge, even though the stadium is almost empty.

This too place September 10th, between Maghreb Fez and FAR Rabat in a decider for the quarter-finals of Morocco’s Coupe du Trone. The penalty shootout decide the winner and it was during this penalty shootout, FAR goalkeeper Khalid Askri thought he saved an important penalty and immediately began to celebrate his save. He turns his back on the goal, patting his chest and kissing his badge … what he didn’t notice is that the ball had some lots of spin on it and actually bounced and rolled back into the goal after his initial block. The referee nods and awards the goal and Askri’s team ended up losing the shootout 7-6.

A very funny sporting blooper which is sure to end up on some sports bloopers DVD for Christmas…

If you are an iPhone user then you will probably be aware that a new version of the iOS (iPhone Operating System) is available for your iPhone.

The new version 4.1 iOS will fix a faulty proximity sensor, adds ‘HDR’ photo capture, improves iPhone 3G performance, plus a new social Networking style “Game Center” is added – plus some other updates. The Game Center, allows users to play social gaming on your iPhone, playing multiplayer games against online opponents. HDR photography is something which was only in the realm of DSLR cameras but now on the iPhone you can take photos which capture a wider spectrum of light ranges using the new high dynamic range (HDR) setting on iPhone 4.1 OS. HDR photos automatically combines multiple exposures into a single HDR image (one underexposed, one over exposed and one normal exposure).

Before upgrading to iOS 4.1 you should follow these steps;

Step 1 : Make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes – Currently iTunes 10. Now connect your iPhone to your computer via the official iPhone USB Cables.

Step 2 : When iTunes opens, select your iPhone under Devices in the Source List on the left. e.g. “Shanes iPhone”

Step 3 : In the iPhone Summary pane, click the “Check for Update” button.

Step 4 : Click “Download and Install”. Do NOT disconnect your iPhone until the update has finished.

iTunes : Unknown Error (13)

Some people are getting “Unknown Error (13)” problems when updating to the latest iOS, with errors appearing in iTunes saying the iPhone could not be restored or updated and reporting that “An unknown error occurred (13)”.

If this happens to you then you probably …

(a) did not have the correct version of iTunes setup before installing the latest iOS upgrade.
- It should be version 10 or the latest version as per the apple website
or

(b) You did not have enough disk space for the software to be extracted or for the backup to be saved.

If this happens you can try restoring your phone but you will probably lose everything and you will have to do an iPhone Restore using your last backup. This will reset the iPhone to the factory Settings.

When this happened to me (because I had version 9.2 of iTunes and tried updating) – I connected the iPhone to a different PC and this solved the problem. I then re-synched the iPhone on the original PC and restored the iPhone via the last valid Backup which luckily was that evening prior to trying the iOS 4.1 update.

WARNING : Please be aware of the risks when following on-line instructions from any websites.
This post was added because the “Unknown Error 13″ occurred to me and the solution to fix the issue took a few hours for me to find – so hopefully this will help people in similar situations, getting Error (13) or hto elp those who didn’t know about updating iTunes to version 10 (or the last released version) prior to attempting iOS updates.

If in doubt ask an experts opinion as each PC / iPhone setup may differ. Some people may have good backups some may not and failure to follow correct Apple instructions could result in you losing data so please visit http://www.apple.com/iphone/software-update/ for all the details on the latest software updates for your iPhone.

After many years of waiting, Waterford has a Motorway connection to Dublin. The final section of the M9 Motorway will open at 11am this morning between Danesfort and the South Carlow Section around Powerstown.  The completed M9 Motorway will strip 20 minutes off the journey time between Dublin and Waterford, bringing the driving time to under two hours.

Web Searches for M9

Over the past few days there has been a huge increase in the searches for M9 and related queries on my website. I have gone into Google Analytics and had a look at what people are searching for – obviously with the SERPs hitting my website & blog.

For a bit of light hearted humour, I have outlined the search results and also the one line responses for each search engine query … obviously people were looking for answers on the M9 opening, so here you are.

It will be interesting to see if the spike in website traffic will be the same as it was when the M9 Waterford to Danesfort section, or the New Waterford Bridge opened.

Interesting to see iPhones are still a hot topic on the blog especially in August and early September.
The second most popular post is the YouTube video of the Tipp woman putting the Kilkenny Cat in the Bin “5 in a Row my Arse”. Third / Fourth most popular are the posts about the new M9 Motorway between Waterford and Dublin which opened this Thursday 9th September at 11am.

Will Lucozade Sport create a new advert where “Henry Shefflin talks about the first 15 minutes of a game”?

Following Tipperarys drumming of Kilkenny there are plent of other jokes including this prayer…

Our father who art in Semple,
Sheedy be thy name,
thy Liam will come,
goals will come from Eoin Noel and Larry,
give us this day to stop a 5 in a row and forgive us our square ball,
as we block those who trespass against us,
but deliver us from the cockey Cats,
for Tipperary is the kingdom,
where Liam belongs forever and ever Amen