February iiNews
editor's note
This month I've been fixated with finding the perfect wallpaper for my desktop. Just like a statement tee, whatever's sitting on your screen's background has the potential to speak volumes about who you are and what you're about.
To my left, Barack Obama smiles from dual monitors and it's clear that my neighbour believes we can change. Behind me, Kidrobot bunnies reign free on a laptop screen - a manifestation of our copywriter's out-of-office obsession. After trawling through Lifehacker's best wallpaper websites, I've settled finally for something from Pixelgirl Present's - Pilk.
From the way we choose to live, through to what we choose to wear - choice is a great thing and helps make a difference to the most ordinary things we do each day.
This month, we look at how you can tailor your Firefox browsing habits to make your time online more meaningful. Moving on, we make a few waves helping our friends from Autism West, our Business Team gives you six good reasons to get your business online, before taking a beginners' look at browsers with Geek Speak. There's also more growth on the Freezone front, our legal team makes some positive progress with our AFACT case while our monthly Site Scan goes green and gears up for Clean Up Australia Day - 1 March.
Before we dive into your monthly instalment of iiNews, we'd like to say a few words about the Victorian Bushfires from the past few weeks. Our thoughts are with those left homeless, the thousands injured and the families of those affected. If you've been affected by this tragedy or know an iiNet customer who has, find out more about how iiNet can help. If you're in a position to help and haven't already, you can donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by visiting www.redcross.org.au.
Till next month!
Swee Au-Yong
iiNews Editor (iinewsfeedback@iinet.net.au)
iiNet news
AFACT Update
Chances are, you've heard about the Federal Court action filed against iiNet by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT). In case you're not familiar with what's going on, let's bring you up to speed.
Since mid November, AFACT have been alleging that iiNet authorises customers to download illegal content in breach of copyright laws. Obviously we disagree and will vigorously defend these claims.
iiNet does not support any breaches of the law, including copyright theft. Instead, we continue to lead the industry with legal content offerings through our Freezone, enabling customers to watch and download a range of legal content quota-free.
Having lodged iiNet's Defence Document, our legal team appeared in court on Friday 6 February to receive a Directions Hearing. The preliminary outcome has been positive and a trial date has been set for 6 October (giving us plenty of time to prepare our case).
Find out more about where iiNet and AFACT stand.
Freezone with FOXSPORTS coverage of Investec Super 14 Rugby
We're just two weeks into the 2009 Investec Super 14 Rugby season, so it's not too late to turn your mates green with VIP access to games from iiNet's Freezone.
Across the 2009 series, iiNet is teaming up with FOX SPORTS to deliver 46 On Demand matches featuring an Australian Super 14 team, available for viewing approximately 8 hours after kickoff.
For each round we're putting a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 matches (depending on which Aussie teams are playing) into the Freezone, where iiNet broadband customers can cheer their teams on, without putting a dent in their monthly quota.
If you're super keen, it might be worthwhile signing up for our 'be the first to know' service. Simply pass on your details (once you're in the Freezone Investec Super 14 page) and you'll never miss a match again.
Games on show this weekend will be:
- Waratahs v Highlanders in Sydney, 27 Feb
- Brumbies v Western Force in Canberra, 28 Feb
- Reds v Cheetahs in Brisbane, 1 Mar
To keep tabs on exactly when the Aussie teams are playing, check out the full list of fixtures for the season.
Lastly, we're also super chuffed to share news that we've secured the rights to FOXSPORTS coverage of South Africa's Currie Cup (in June) and New Zealand's Provincial Championship (in July) - more news to come.
Freezone grows in Feb with 15 radio stations and Perth Festival
Our iiNet Freezone just keeps expanding, making it even easier for you to enjoy cool content with a click of a mouse button.
This month you'll find 15 extra radio stations to tune into from around the country (there's MMM, Fox FM and Mix 94.5 to name a few). Plus, we'll be bumping in a handful of acts from the International Perth Arts Festival throughout the month, starting with local musos The Triffids and DIG: Directions in Groove. So, drop in and check out the music and laughs on offer.
Don't forget, all iiNet broadband and Naked DSL accounts come complete with access to the Freezone; meaning you can enjoy as much Freezone activity as you like, without having to worry about your monthly quota. Find out more about the Freezone.
iiNet Team Sprint Cup – in the swim for Autism West
On Sunday 15 February, iiNet made a splash as the naming rights sponsor of Autism West's iiNet Team Sprint Cup.
Originally organised by Olympic Gold Medallist Bill Kirby, the swimming event incorporates teams of corporate colleagues, friends, surf clubs, swimming clubs, sporting clubs and family groups from all over, coming together to raise awareness (and a bit of cash) for Autism West.
We're delighted to hear that the WA based charity group raised more than $85,000 from the 2009 swim. Thank you to everyone who took the plunge and played a part. Funds raised will allow Autism West to provide support and relief to families of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – a disorder affecting almost 1 in every 125 people.
ASD is a life-long developmental disability which has no known cure. The disorder is caused by a dysfunction in the nervous system which can affect how a person perceives and interprets the world around them. If you'd like to find out more, visit the Autism West site and get in touch with their team.
Free Starbucks WiFi for iiNet customers
If you're an iiNet customer who likes your internet on-the-go with your daily caffeine fix, you should probably duck into your closest Starbucks.
Thanks to a very special deal, we've turned 20 Starbucks stores along the east coast of Australia into WiFi Hotspots. The best part? Because you're with iiNet, you'll receive 100Mb of data to use each month in any Starbucks Wi-Fi Hotspot. All you'll need is your iiNet username and password to log on using your WiFi enabled device. Find out more about connecting to a WiFi Hotspot.
business news
6 simple reasons why your business should be on the web
In the middle of 2008, we talked very briefly about why it makes business sense to take your business online. Being online not only gives businesses a competitive edge but can help even the smallest of companies reach out to more customers on the web.
This month, Adam Bennett from our Business Team shows you six reasons why a business should have a home on the web. If you're already sorted with a registered domain and website hosting – good for you! If not, it probably won't hurt to read on.
Be the business that never sleeps
If someone wants to find out the price of your products and services at 3am, let them! With a website you can ensure you have a presence 24/7, providing information for customers and even making sales while you and your employees are fast asleep.
Reach and educate more of the right people
For many consumers an online search is the only method of research they'll perform when seeking out a product or service. Without representation on the web, it's easy to be missed.
It's a lot cheaper than you might think
Getting your business a name and space on the web costs very little. It's also quick, easy and inexpensive to update information about your company, or promotional materials online.
There's no better way to track, measure and learn
A website can be a great playground for finding out exactly what your customers are interested in. You can track everything such as sales, page hits, where your customers have come from, and much more.
A web address is easier to remember than a phone number
Unless your web address is something like www.132449.com.au. We hope that isn't the case!
If you're nodding your head and considering setting up your own online commercial real estate, read through our take your business online article. Find out how iiNet can help with domain registration (your own address on the internet) and website hosting. Alternatively, give our Business Support Team a call on 13 24 49 - they'll be happy to walk you through the process.
support & services
Geek Speak
Don't know your VoIPs from your DSLs? Feel embarrassed at dinner parties when the conversation turns to Fibre To The Node? Like to know what all those techie terms mean? Well look no further...
Geek Speak is here to help turn technical internet jargon into plain and simple English. We understand not everyone is a net nerd, so each month iiNews will publish a Geek Speak topic to give you a hand. For this month, let's take a look at the question – what is a browser?
What is a browser?
An internet browser, a.k.a. web browser, is a program that lets you view the World Wide Web (which is pretty much all the web pages around the world). If you've heard of a cool website or even if you want to search for something on the net, you'll need a program that can find and display the web page. Chances are, you're probably using a web browser right now to read this article.
To display a webpage, you'll need to type in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or the address of the web page in the address bar of your browser. When you click Go or hit Enter, the browser will find the web page and display it for you.
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari. So what's the best browser to use?
There are a lot out there and really it depends on personal preference. The good thing is, most of them are free! So if you don't like one type of browser, you can just find yourself another. Use a search engine like Google to find more web browsers.
You can find out more by reading our iiHelp - Browsing the web article or dig up our Battle of the Browsers feature from March 2007 for a quick jog through a range of popular browsers.
As always, if you have any feedback or would like to suggest a new topic just email us at geekspeak@iinet.net.au.
Broadband for Beginners customer workshops on-hold but online
As some of you may already know, we're planning on uprooting iiNet's Perth headquarters and relocating to Subiaco (just a few suburbs away) sometime in August.
Like any major move, there's going to be lots of shifting and lifting over the coming months, as we shuffle our resources around. While its business as usual on every other front, iiNet won't be delivering its face-to-face customer workshops in Perth until later in the year.
Once we're nice and settled into our new home, we'll be bringing back the popular sessions which you'll no doubt hear about through iiNews.
In the meantime, there's no need to feel disappointed. No matter which postcode you belong to, our collection of online learning tools is available to you any time of day.
Pick up a tip or two and learn some internet basics:
- Broadband for Beginners
These 'How to' videos cover topics from actual customer workshops and help even the newest of noobs get the net. - Geek Speak
The internet and all its strange nerdy terms explained. - iiHelp
A support knowledgebase that covers a broad range of internet related help topics.
Tech Tip - Improve your Firefox browsing experience with Add-ons
For most of us, spending time on the web has become part of our daily ritual. Whether you like to ease into your morning trawling through Digg, going through your inbox, or Twitter-ing about your day, there's one thing that brings all these habits together - your humble web browser.
In our Battle of the Browsers feature from one of our back issues, we walked you through some of the more popular web browsers at the time - Internet Explorer 7, Flock, Opera, Safari, Camino and Mozilla's Firefox. Since then we've seen updates across the board and welcomed a new contender to the stage - Google's much hyped Chrome.
Next month, our Associate Web Developer, Hugo Jenkins, will be taking Google's Chrome for a test drive. But for now, let's back track a little and talk about enhancing one of our favourite browsers - Mozilla's Firefox 3.
Ask any well respected net-nerd why they prefer Firefox and you'll probably find it's got a lot to do with customizable extensions called Add-ons. Add-ons are installable enhancements which can be used with Firefox web browsers. Some of these extensions can provide surface changes to a browser's appearance, others modify how a browser works while some can even add entirely new features.
No matter what kind of browser you are (whether you're a Web 2.0 advocate, casual browser or serious coder) you'll find more than a handful of killer-apps which will help save time and tailor your browsing habits.
Let's take a look at our top five from around iiNet HQ:
- Sage - Sage pulls all your RSS and Atom feeds together in one neat place.
- Delicious Bookmarks - Dock one of the web's most popular social book-marking tools into your toolbox for easy convenient access.
- Screengrab! - Helps you to save webpages as an image - it's quick, it's easy.
- Cooliris - Launch Cooliris from your browser and you'll experience a new way to view and search online photos, videos and more.
- Download Statusbar - Say goodbye to that download window - this extension tucks neatly into your statusbar, letting you view and manage downloads.
It's important to note that Add-ons aren't exclusive to just Firefox. If you do a quick search, you'll find add-ons for Internet Explorer 8, Flock extensions and more. For the purposes of this article, we've just decided to stick with something that we know and love.
competitions
Music giveaway
Thanks to our friends at www.musichead.com.au, we've got 10 prize packs featuring Lily Allen, Future Pop 2 and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to give away.
Lily Allen
It's Not Me It's You
Another personality piece from Miss Allen, It's Not Me It's You touches on everything from God to George Bush and is receiving rave reviews in the UK. The Times says that with her new album, "Allen has sucked us into her own Truman Show".
Various
Future Pop 2
Future Pop 2 is a 'just add water' party soundtrack featuring Cut Copy, The Presets, Roisin Murphy, Sam Sparro and MGMT. If you busted up moves to the first edition, you'll get more of the same from this second instalment.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Lonely Road
With Lonely Road, this Florida five-piece take a big leap forward, mixing emo-style tracks with multi layered rock songs. Check out RJA's MySpace page and catch the clip for their single You Better Pray.
To be in the running for a copy, email competitions with 'February Musichead Competition' in the subject line. Don't forget to include your username, full name and address, along with the answer to this question: What does URL stand for? by 5pm (WST) Friday 6 March, 2009.
games reviews
We've teamed up again with Games Warehouse to bring you our February games review and another $100 voucher to splurge on gaming goodness.
If you fancy winning and spending this voucher, email competitions with 'February Games Warehouse Competition' in the subject line. Don't forget to include your username, full name and address, along with the answer to this question: How many new radio stations have been added to the Freezone in February? by 5pm (WST) Friday 6 March, 2009.
Gamer's 2-minute review
Anyone not familiar with the Street Fighter franchise should probably take a long, stern look at themselves. I'm going to assume everyone else knows enough about the series that I can take liberties with jargon and in-jokes - so you'll know that in between Street Fighter II and IV, there were of course seven Street Fighter games released. You'll know what sho-ryu-ken means, and that anyone who picks Dan has already lost.
Street Fighter IV has arrived, and it's very much full of win - ably putting the doubters to shame with a clever balance of old and new.
With the dynasty on the wane through SF Alpha & Ex and the largely forgettable SF III, this month's release needed to pull a huge, impressive rabbit out of a formidable and trendy hat. The draw here is in the balance, reviving the simplicity and playability of Street Fighter II with an extra, entirely optional layer of technique per character that some of the more 'ardcore players will enjoy sussing out. Historical characters (Ryu, Guile, Blanka et al) play out of the box just as you'd expect, but with a polished, explorable depth breathing new life into old bones.
While the core mechanics hark back to their winningest roots, characters now also have access to a broader toolset through focus, revenge and ex techniques. Focus techniques are slow, telegraphed charge up moves that can soak up one hit before delivering a vicious blow. That one-hit absorption offers a new tactic in itself, allowing a player to temporarily wear a bad situation to deliver a heavy hit if the timing is right.
A character's ex meter builds up with a successful offence and general execution of moves, enabling more powerful versions of basic moves (more fiery fireballs, more. upper uppercuts) as an ongoing reward. Conversely, once a character has taken enough of a beating, their revenge meter fills up - allowing for the delivery of a tide-turning ultra combo, potentially taking an opponent's life down by as much as half. It also makes the TV flash and bang a lot, and the cat leave the room with much haste.
With a variety of on and offline game modes, plenty of unlocks and a slew of challenges per character, there's enough here to please all walks of gamer, with many friends or no friends at all. It's a genuine crowd pleaser.
I do have one love/hate thing going with the game though, truth be told. The presentation is second to none, despite the 2D playing field the 3D renders are stunning and fluid, and the general game menu and interface is tidy and buffed. What irks me is just how much pretty tomfoolery goes on between fights: there's too much prattle, too many unskippable animations and downright terrible anime cut scenes. Where Tekken let me rematch in the blink of an eye, Street Fighter IV forces me to endure a tired sequence of very pretty, very slow events between bouts.
So that's one blip on an otherwise stunning release. If you're at all into fighters, this is simply a must-have. And uh... if anyone fancies a bout online, my gamertag is withSausage. See you ringside.
site scan
Most people, in their lifetime, will use water, produce waste, and lead busy lives. That's the reality – it ain't easy being green, but you can get just a bit greener by adjusting a few habits here and there. This month, we feature sites to help you do just that.
Reduce Waste
The majority of Australian waste ends up in landfill or as litter, and with each household producing an average of 1.14 tonnes per year, that's quite a load of rubbish. This ACF site on reducing waste gives you 5 low-effort actions to shrink your home's environmental footprint.
10 ways to go green on a budget
Go green on the cheap with these purse-friendly options for sustainable living. Each suggestion is affordable on an ordinary budget, and brings knock-on savings that are good for the earth and good for your water, food and fuel bills.
Top 10 Water Saving Tips
Water saving tips from the Bunnings Sustainability Solutions website – the best part is that all equipment can be found at a Bunnings Warehouse store. When you're done with this list, click around the rest of their site for more articles, DIY videos & printable brochures on creating a greener home.
