WOF placement - Motorcycles

If your bike has a windscreen your WOF should be on the windscreen. If it doesn't it can be anywhere else on the bike.

Your registration should be displayed on or near the licence plate.

Get Indexed by Google Quickly

In this video Matt Cutts points out a feature of Google Webmaster Tools that essentially allows you to manually update Google's record of your webpage. The fetch as google bot function used to simply show you how google would see your page but now it can be used to refresh, or create, Google's record of a page on your website. For established websites this is very useful if some important information needs to be changed, a common example being a change in the price of a product or service. For new websites this should enable webmasters to get their content indexed more quickly than waiting for a google bot to crawl their content naturally. Interestingly Matt also points out that this feature gives you the option of crawling the linked content on that page as well. This is an excellent way for new sites to get into the index especially if a main navigation page is submitted to the fetch as google bot feature.

ValueBasket.co.nz - Trustworthy?

I'm currently in the market for a new camera and the one I'm looking at is reasonably expensive. While Local retailers do vary a little in price they are all much of a muchness. In my search for a good deal on my camera equipment I turned to the internet and turned up a website that I had never heard of before

Valuebasket.co.nz

Their site appeared well presented and they had a local phone number but I couldn't shake the feeling that something might be up. The difference in price was considerable but believable which kept the too good to be true alarm from going off. With no other signals left I turned to the internet and a deeper investigation of the website itself.

The first thing to understand about Valuebasket.co.nz is that it isn't really a .co.nz at all. While they own the webdomain their contact page makes no real mention of NZ. In fact Valuebasket.co.nz is part of ValueBasket.com, a Hong Kong based company shipping products worldwide from a number of dispatch centres. This is common practice and, while a tad annoying, there's nothing really wrong with doing this. As long as their service is good who cares where the company is based and where the products are coming from right?

Wrong... ish. Given the value of the item that we're talking about it would be great to know that there was a physical location for ValueBasket somewhere in NZ where I could go if something goes wrong. While there is a phone number that's not really enough to satisfy the sceptic in me.

Given that there is nowhere for me to physically go in the event that something goes wrong ValueBasket's online reputation becomes very important. Unfortunately that reputation isn't a good one at the review site below the pie chart of reviews is dangerously red and full of warnings to stay away. While the odd negative review is acceptable 1 star ratings in over 25% of cases is super concerning.

http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/valuebasket.com

As a reference point sites that you would expect to score well do so and have far far fewer 1 star reviews

http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/search?query=amazon

D600 real world field test

This is an early field test with the D600. It seems to hold up quite well.
As has been a common theme it is similar in feel and styling to the D7000.
It's looking good for photographers but less good for videographers as apertrure cannot be adjusted while in live view/movie recording.

D600 vs D7000 - Hands on with Matt Granger

As has long been rumoured the D600 appears to be fairly similar to the D7000 in terms of build quality and feel.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/66174868@N02/sets/72157631557088349/

Equivalence Tests - Statistics for Psychology

I'M STILL WORKING THROUGH THIS - IF YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT READ ON AND FEEL FREE TO POINT OUT ERRORS - IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT YOU MAY LIKE TO CHECK BACK LATER

One of the most common misconceptions about p-values is that large p-values show that there is no difference between the conditions that you are comparing. To put it more simply many students interpret a p-value of more than .05 as evidence that the conditions are the same (not different). This is incorrect and reflects an easy fundamental misunderstanding of how p-values are calculated and what influences them. Consider the case where you have two groups that have different mean scores and large standard deviations. In this case the values from each group are highly variable and likely to overlap. Unless you have a large sample size a t-test will be unable to detect this difference; it will return a p-value of greater than .05 even though we know that the true means of the 2 groups are different.

If you want to show that 2 (or more) groups are the same you need to conduct an equivalence test. In an equivalence test your null hypothesis and experimental hypothesis are reversed - your null hypothesis is that the groups are different and your experimental hypothesis is that they are the same. One way to do this is to define two reference points. The first is the point at which you will accept that group 1's score is lower than group 2's. The second is the point at which you will accept that group q's is higher than group 2's. Difference scores falling between these two points allow you to say that the 2 scores are equivalent.

While this sounds straightforward the difficulty comes in setting these two points. While a standard test checks to see if the difference between groups is different to 0 you now have 2 tests checking to see if the difference is greater than and less than some number. Importantly these some numbers do not have a standard definition. You must come up with these points and you must come up with them before running your analysis. Afterall, if you come up with them afterwards what's to stop you picking numbers that will work well for your data set?

While some papers provide example numbers that can provide a useful guideline it is more important to consider why you are running the test and what you are hoping to find. For example if you are comparing 2 drugs for pain relief you might consider a 10% difference in subjective pain relief ratings to be clinically unimportant. This decision would give you your 2 reference points and also highlights an important point about these tests - they are not testing to see whether things are identical, they are testing to see whether or not they are equivalent.

That being said assuming that you wanted to test whether or not two things could be identical one clear item to use to help define your reference points would be your measure of error.

NZ Lottery Scam

Dear Winner,

This notification memo has been sent to you three times without a response from you and this will be the last time and I do hope you receive it. This is to inform you that your winnings dated Saturday, Draw: 1298,Saturday, April 21, 2012 under the NEW ZEALAND LOTTERY promotional lottery draw.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 564756063211- 884 with Serial number: 6312/08 which emerged the New Zealand Jackpot winning number:7 16 31 38 39 40  28 2. Supplementary Strike Numbers: 31 40 38 16. Please check the website below to confirm your  Winning Numbers still remains unclaimed. The expiration date has drawn close. All unclaimed fund after the 180 days expiration date will be rolled over into future draws.

http://lotto.nzpages.co.nz/previous_results.html

You won   $1,000,000.00 in Division 1 NZ LOTTO Promotions

Your inability to attend the award presentation has necessitated this reminder. As a matter of urgency you are required to contact the payment officer with the contact details stated below to be better informed on what is required to lay claims to your winnings.

Peter  Mallory
New Zealand Lottery Corporation UK,
Thames Camp Valley Park,
Reading Berkshire RG61WG, United Kingdom
Tel: + 44-704 571 3624
Tel: + 44-702 409 3871
Tel: + 44-702 406 0898
FAX: + 44-844 774 6162
Email Address:perter_a@aol.com

NOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail may be confidential, legally privileged and protected by law. Access by the intended recipient only is authorized. If you are not the intended recipient, kindly notify the sender immediately. Unauthorized use, copying or dissemination hereof is strictly prohibited. Save for bona fid  departmental purposes, The New Zealand Lotteries Commission does not accept responsibility for the Contents or opinions did not express in this e-mail, nor does it warrant this communication to be free from errors,

Dangers of Motorcycle Riding

The video at the top of the page is a terrifying example of what can go wrong on a motorcycle. It is important  for all motorcyclists to remember that their safety is not only their own hands but also the hands of everyone and everything that they share the road with. In the example above the motorcyclist is in the right legally speaking but when you're arguing with the concrete the law doesn't really help you much. While many people (rightly) point out that the motorcyclist probably could maintained more awareness by not recording a political video for youtube he doesn't have much time or much space to react to the truck crossing his lane. Luckily in this case the rider hasn't been injured too seriously. Even more luckily the accident has been caught on his helmet cam so we can all learn from his riding experience rather than having to learn the same lesson with our own skin.

Restricted Motorcycle Licence - Changes From October 1st

There are a number of changes to the driver licencing system coming into effect on the 1st of October 2012. While some of these have been clearly communicated to the public some have not. There are 2 key changes that will impact novice motorcycle riders they are:

LAMS approved bikes for learner's and restricted licence holders

This is the most effectively communicated change to the licencing scheme. Instead of relying on a cc restriction motorcyclists will now be restricted to bikes with a power-to-weight ratio of less than 150kw per tonne. If the bike is over 250cc it must be LAMS approved and unmodified. If the bike is under 250cc it must not be one of the bikes on the LAMS banned bikes list.

Changes to the Learner licence process

Currently a learner licence can be obtained by sitting a very simple Basic Handling Skills course and passing a theory test at a licencing agent. From the 1st of October the Basic Handling Skills course will include additional elements such as a hazard perception component and the theory test will include more motorcycle specific questions.

Changes to the Restricted licence phase

This is the change that people are least aware of.  Until now riders who were over 25 years old only had to spend 6 months on their restricted licence. After the first of October this will no longer be the case. All riders will have to spend 18 months on their restricted licence. While this can be reduced through competency based training assessments no specific details are currently supplied.

While many will view this change as unfair it is an understandable move when you look at the crash statistics. In order to justify keeping the age split there would need to be a similar split in the crash statisitics (with young people being injured more often). This does not appear to be borne out by the statistics. Instead the greatest number of deaths are now in the 40+ age bracket. While there are a number of potential issues with these stats (discussed in an upcoming post) if you want to focus on reducing the absolute number of road deaths this seems to be an acceptable approach.

Progressing through the licence stages

Progression from a learner licence to a full licence will also move towards CBTA rather than licence tests. While tests will remain as an available option it is unclear how long both avenues will remain open.

Presentation of a stage one CBTA certificate by a learner licence holder applying for a restricted licence will:

• waive the need to complete the learner licence six month minimum time period

• waive the need to sit and pass a practical test at the agent

• waive the need to pay the restricted practical test fee.

Presentation of a stage two CBTA certificate by a restricted licence holder applying for a full licence will:

• reduce the minimum age from 18 years to 17 ½ years

• reduce the restricted licence minimum time period from 18 to 12 months

• waive the need to sit and pass a practical test at the agent

• waive the need to pay the full practical test fee.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/rules/driver-licensing-amendment-2011-qa.html
http://nzta.govt.nz/licence/getting/motorcycles/cbta.html
http://nzta.govt.nz/licence/getting/motorcycles/time.html

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/152693-18-months-on-your-Restricted-no-matter-your-age-and-Basic-handling-on-November-1st/page2

Learner Bikes - Should I Stick to 250cc or LAMS approved 660cc Bike?

On October 1st 2012 the restriction on the engine size for learner/restricted licenced motorcyclists is moving from 250cc to an approved list of bikes of up to 660cc. There were 2 key reasons for this change. The first was that some 250cc bikes were deemed by many to be too dangerous for amateur riders. These 250cc bikes are now off limits to learner riders. The second reason was that many bikes with larger capacity engines weren't necessarily more powerful than the bikes that learner bikers were able to ride. Many argued for a shift away from engine size restrictions towards a power-to-weight-ratio restriction. This lead to the LAMS list of approved bikes for learner and restricted riders. This shift leads to an obvious question for new learner riders: Should I start with a bike that would have been approved before the 1st of October or should I go with a larger bike from the LAMS approved list?

Points in Favour of bikes over 250cc

1) Avoid the small bike stigma
If you thought you wanted a bigger bike before reading this post this was probably a big part of that. If you think that there is something that is inherently uncool about smaller bikes then buying a bigger bike will allow you to keep yourself safe from the small bike stigma.

2) Lower revs, deeper engine sounds
Smaller bikes often get mocked for sounding like sewing machines. They rev high and have a high pitched engine sound. Larger bikes tend to rev lower and sound throatier.

3) Power-to-weight ratio is likely to be higher (although this may not be the case)
It is rare for bike manufacturers to make a bike with a bigger engine that has a lower power to weight ratio than other bikes in their line-up. As a general rule bikes of the same age from the same company in the same line will have a power to weight ratio that increases with engine size. Take note that this will not necessarily hold for bikes from different companies, years, and/or lines.

4) Weight
A larger, more powerful engine means that the bike itself should also be heavier to fit the fixed power to weight ratio. Heavier bikes hold the road better and don't get pushed around by the wind quite as much.

Points in Favour of bikes less then 250cc

1) Fuel Efficiency

Generally speaking smaller engines use less fuel. Bigger engines use more fuel. For many the appeal of moving to a bike or scooter is the potential to save money on petrol. If this sounds like you a 250cc (or less) bike or scooter is likely to be the best fit for you although a 660cc bike should still use much less fuel than your car.

2) Light Weight
Light Bikes are easy for you and your engine to push around. This helps to contribute to fuel efficiency and also makes bikes easier to manoeuvre while parking. Finally if you ever drop your bike a lighter bike is much easier to pick-up.

3) A glut in the market
As 250cc bikes have been a necessary stepping stone for a number of years there are plenty of them around.  After October 1st it is possible that there will be a shift in the supply and demand equation. Specifically the demand will drop as the learner buyers will no longer be restricted to 250cc bikes. This could lead to an over supply of 250cc bikes in the market which could lead to a drop in sale prices in the months and years ahead.

Red Herrings to watch out for

Bigger bikes are more powerful than smaller bikes

Remember that the LAMS approved bikes are in line with a power-to-weight ratio that some 250cc bikes exceeded. The power to weight ratio is restricted to 150kw per tonne regardless of engine size. While bikes with bigger engines are typically more powerful than bikes with smaller engines they are often also heavier. Heavier bikes are harder to get moving. While bigger engined bikes may have a higher top speed you are unlikely to notice differences in acceleration between bikes where the only difference is the power to weight ratio.

Avoiding the small bike stigma

Odds are this stigma will shift from a small bike stigma to a learner bike stigma. In fact the current small bike stigma really is learner bike stigma by another name.

An important consideration for those over 25

Along with the change in permissable bikes October 1st will bring a change to the licencing system. While those over 25 were required to spend less time on their restricted than younger riders before October 1st 2012 this distinction will disappear on the 1st of October 2012. This means you will be spending longer on your learner bike.

Suzuki GN250 vs GZ250

Learner motorcyclists often tend toward Suzuki's GN250 as a starter bike however if you would prefer something that looks more like a cruiser than a commuter the GZ250 may come to your attention.

While the GN250 has 2 gauges (a speedometer and a tachometer) and a gear indicator the GZ250 keeps things simple by providing a speedometer centred between the handlebars.

While the GN250 and GZ250 share the same heart the official power output of the GZ250 is lower than that of the GN250 - coming in at 20.2hp comapred to 22hp. Additionally the GZ250 carries an additional 8kg on its body coming in at 137kg compared to 129kg.

Nikon CoolPix S800c - An Android but not a phone

In all likelihood the age of the independent compact camera is coming to an end. With cellphones getting smarter, cheaper, and  more multifunctional it seems as though they come to fill the needs of low end users of various forms of technology. While they're probably a while away from replacing laptops/desktops/tablets for simple cloud based interaction the leap to point-and-shoot camera replacement doesn't seem too far away.

In many ways this makes sense; cellphones and cameras are about the same size already and, for many people, the resolution of the cameras are approaching an acceptable level. Perhaps more importantly though cellphone cameras allow people to skip a step in the photo sharing process. No longer are you required to plug your little camera machine into a larger internet machine to share/print/view your images. Now you can do it on the same device that you used to take the photo.

The S800c is Nikon's first camera to incorporate this sharing element into the point and shoot - it is their first camera machine that doesn't need a separate internet machine to get your photos onto facebook, e-mail, or similar. While this might be considered a good move the Nikon Coolpix S800c seems to be an attempt to prolong the demise of the point and shoot rather than rescue them from oblivion.

The first point to notice is that the idea of a share ready camera is not an original one. It has been done already by a number of less camera-centric companies so in some ways this move is less innovation, more conformation. While this isn't a good look it's one that few consumers are likely to notice or care about. The danger comes in the second point, the operating system that they have elected to use: Google's Android. 

While Android is great for phones it may be somewhat of a dangerous prospect when it comes to selling a camera. There is a simple reason for this. Android is a great, and popular, phone operating system. In fact, odds are, when you read Android you immediately thought phone not camera, computer, tablet, or any of the other things it has been used for. This is dangerous because the first question people will ask about the camera will be "Can I make calls?" The answer will be no.

This answer is the key reason that the S800c will prolong the death of the point and shoot rather than ensure its survival. By failing to include the technology that the camera will need to compete with phones Nikon have failed to give the camera what it needs to survive the initial comparison. Given the choice between a phone that can take good photos and a camera that takes better photos but can't make calls despite having an Android on the box the camera is likely to come off second best.

However the comparison above may be the thing that saves the camera in this round. For now at least many people still consider cameras and phones to be separate pieces of technology. Odds are they still buy them in different stores. This means the comparison above is unlikely to happen in many cases. Hopefully, by the time it does start to happen, the S800c's successor will arrive with a slot for your sim card and a passable mic and speaker.

Suzuki GN125 vs GN250

If you're looking for a learner motorcycle odds are you will end up considering a Suzuki GN125 or GN250 at some point. These bikes have been a common recommendation over the years due to their linear power delivery and learner friendly gear display. They have also gained a bad reputation among some members of the bike community as "Go Nowheres" due to the fact that they are not performance or sports bikes. This brings us to the first decision you have to make about what kind of rider you want to be. If you want to use your bike for reliable and cheap transport then a GN is a good choice. If you want to treat your bike as a toy and the road as a race track then either GN will leave you wanting (you may also like to consider treating the road as the road and the race track as the race track). GNs are commuter/learner bikes, not sports bikes.

 While both GNs are great learner/commuter motorcycles their physical similarity begs one obvious question:

What's the difference?

While the obvious answer is 125ccs that's not a helpful answer. The difference is best considered by breaking it down into power, price, resale value, and fuel economy.

Power

Horse power wise, on paper at least, the GN250 is twice as powerful as the GN125 with 22hp for the 250 compared to 11hp for the 125. There is a trade-off with weight though. The GN250 weighs an extra 22kg coming in at 129kg compared to the 125s 107kg. Again, on paper at least, that translates to a more favourable power to weight ratio for the 250 (127kw/tonne ignoring the rider) compared to the 125 (~ 77kw/tonne ignoring the rider) although it won't actually double the power to weight ratio of the 125. In fact the GN250 is actually about 1.66 times as powerful as the GN125. In fact the difference isn't particularly obvious in most situations and neither bike is particularly quick. While they'll beat your standard economy car off the mark quicker drivers in bigger cars can still leave you for dead. The key difference between them becomes apparent when you travel up a steep hill at 100km/h. The 250 will keep pulling while the 125 is likely to struggle. Similarly if you're ever planning on carrying a pillion passenger grab the 250. Realistically though you should upgrade before carrying a passenger anywhere other than around town. (Horsepower and weights obtained from http://www.suzukicycles.org)

Motorway Speed Capability

Originally if you wanted to hit the motorway safely(ish) the GN250 was your only option here. With an on-paper top speed of 115km/h compared to the GN125's on-paper top speed of 90km/h the choice was a no brainer. However lately some dealers have allegedly been selling GN125s with a larger front sprocket. This leads to a change in gearing that allows the bike to travel at motorway speeds at the cost of some low range pulling power. While this does mean that both bikes can travel at motorway speeds, and neither should be exlcuded on this basis, it does not change the fact that the GN250 is the more powerful bike. In fact similar adjustments can be made to the 250 if you want to gear it more towards motorway riding.

Price

In terms of purchase price generally speaking they're fairly similar. The key difference is that (at the time of writing) you can still buy 125s new from Suzuki dealers while GN250s have now been superceeded by the GZ250 (a nice bike with a speedo but no tachometer) which is itself a rare sight on a showroom floor. At the time of writing this 125s are available new from dealers for around $2000 while 250s can be picked up from TradeMe from $900+ (currently the asking price for a late model GN250 with a bit of learner damage (drops from stationary rather than drops at speed) seems to be sitting between $1700-$1900). While a second hand 250 will have more kilometres on the clock than a new 125 GN250s (and 125s) are notoriously reliable and, owing to their ubiquitousness, relatively cheap to repair and maintain.

Resale Value

Resale value is also worth keeping in mind. For 2 key reasons the 250 wins here hands down. First off for many people the 125 is a harder sell than the 250 because they look identical. This implies that the 125 is relatively underpowered. While this isn't exactly true, when it comes time to sell your bike perception, rather than reality, is what matters. Second if you buy a 125 odds are you will be buying it new. If you buy a 250 you will probably buy it second hand. When it comes time to sell the 250 has already dropped the showroom floor premium whereas the 125's price still has a way to fall. Odds are you will lose less on a 250 than a 125.

There is an additional point to consider with resale value though. The GN250 used to represent the upper limit of allowable engine size in a learner/restricted bike. This may have caused them to hold some extra value as they may have been perceived as a powerful learner bike. While this was never factually correct this is where the difference between perception and reality in the market becomes important again. With the incoming changes on the 1st of October 2012 this may no longer be the case and, in the years ahead the value of a GN250, and other 250cc bikes, may drop more steeply than in the past.

Fuel Efficiency

However the point where these and other small engine bikes shine, and will continue to have in their favour after October 1st 2012, is fuel economy. This is also the point where people may favour the 125 over the 250 if buying on gut instinct. However the difference in fuel economy isn't overly pronounced or even particularly convincing. In fact according to registerd users of fuelly.com the difference ranges from ~10% to 0 difference with the sole GN125 rider clocking in at 71 miles per gallon (31 km per litre) with the GN250 riders coming in between 73 and 66 miles per gallon (31 or 28 km per litre). As a comparison other popular 250cc learners, the Honda CBR250 and the Yamaha Scorpio, seem to fall in about the same range while a LAMS aproved Yamaha XT660 660cc bike seems to hover around 20km/L.

Conclusion

Taking all of this into account I would generally advise most people to buy the GN250 rather than the GN125. The only reasons to favour the GN125 over the GN250 are potential savings on fuel and the ability to buy a GN125 new. As we have seen the fuel savings are negligible and, odds are, if you're buying a learner bike you're going to damage your bike. If you're going to damage your bike it's better to add minor damage to a used bike that may be a little rough on the outside than a shiny new one with no prior damage.

The exception to the above recommendations are cases where you will need to pay considerably more for a used GN250 than a new GN125. Currently it is not uncommon to see GN250s being listed on trademe for $2200 or more. Often these listings are for bikes with little or no WOF or Rego and plenty of Ks on the clock. Bikes like these aren't worth that sort of money unless they are in immaculate condition and/or thoroughly and convincingly customised. Realisitically a GN250 with little or no WOF/Rego time remaining can currently be obtained for around $1500 with a bit of patience.

If you move beyond the 125 vs 250 comparison many in the biker community will encourage you to avoid either GN (they are both often referred to as 'Go Nowhere's) or refer to them as good learner bikes. Essentially they are the equivalent of a mid 90s Toyota Corrolla; reliable, economical, and unexciting. If you're looking for a run about the 125 and 250 are ideal candidates. If you're looking for something that will blow your socks off then you are best to look elsewhere.

 

Bonus - The GN400

While the GN125 and GN250 are a common site on the roads there used to be a third bike in the GN line-up: the GN400. The GN400 was produced for 4 years and had a 400c engine producing 27hp. The bike weighed 140kg. This made it more powerful than the GN250... but not by much. The 150cc increase only yielded an extra 5hp. When this is standardised with weight The GN400 is 1.13 times as powerful as the 250 and 1.88 times as poweful as the 125. While the GN400 is regarded as a good bike given the choice between the 125, 250, and 400 I would choose the 250 as the power difference is minimal and parts for the 400 would be harder to come by.

Bonus - The LAMS power to weight ratio

While the GN250 and GN125 have been popular learner bikes the new LAMS regulations will mean that their relatively low power to weight ratio will become more pronounced. Under the new legislation a bike with a power to weight ratio of 150kw/tonne is permissible. Importantly the weight part of the power to weight ratio also allows for a rider of 90kg. This additional weight means that the LAMS power to weight ratio for these bikes are 42kw/tonne for the 125 and 75kw/tonne for the 250. To put it another way you could get a bike with over 3x the power to weight ratio of the 125 or 2x the power to weight ratio of the 250 while on your learners or restricted in New Zealand.

5 Tips on buying a Learner Motorcycle

If you're looking to learn to ride a motorbike you will probably also be looking to buy a motorcycle. If you're just beginning to learn this means that it will probably also be your first time buying a bike and all the options can be a bit overwhelming. Unless you have a knowledgeable friend or a trustworthy motorcycle dealer you may be feeling a little lost. If so here are 5 tips to help you buy your first motorbike

1) Know your legal limits

Before worrying about whether you're physically able to ride your motorbike it's important to check if you're legally able to ride your motorbike. Until October 1st 2012 NZ riders have been able to ride any motorcycle with an engine size of 250cc or less. This limit on engine size rather than engine power to bike weight ratio lead to some bizarre distortions in the market. There were 250cc bikes deemed too powerful for learners with bigger engined bikes deemed to be within the control of most learners. After October 1st 2012 the legal restrictions will change. Restrictions will now focus on the power to weight ratio rather than the engine size. While most bikes of 250cc or less are still able to be ridden on a learner's licence the bikes below cannot:

Make	Model	cc
Aprilia	RS250	250
Honda	NSR250 (all models and variants)	250
Kawasaki	KR1 (all models and variants)	250
Suzuki	RGV250 (all models and variants)	250
Yamaha	TZR250 (all models and variants)	250

An up-to-date list of prohibited 250cc bikes that can't be ridden on a learner's licence as well as a list of bikes over 250cc that can be ridden on a learner's licence can be found here:
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/getting/motorcycles/approved-motorcycles.html

2) Don't invest too much in the bike

There are 2 main reasons for this. The first is that most people will move onto a larger bike when they get their full. The second is that you are probably quite likely to drop or damage your first bike while you figure out what you are doing. Often you can save a substantial amount of money by buying a bike second hand. Even minor scratches or damage can shave a fair amount of the potential purchase price. Take note of this when you are buying. If you buy a pristine learner bike it's resale value will plummet if you drop or damage it.

While it may be tempting to assume that this rule no longer applies - as learners can now purchase some bikes with engines larger than 250cc - keep in mind that people tend to upgrade for 2 reasons. While the first is to escape the 250cc learner/restricted stigma that they feel is imposed on them the second, more valid reason, is to gain more power. The bikes that are learner friendly and over 250cc are deemed learner friendly because they are relatively low power bikes. The bigger number will not stop those who want a more powerful bike from wanting a more powerful bike.

3) Invest in gear

As I've already said when you're learning you're reasonably likely to come off your bike. While this could be a simple drop from a misbalanced stop it could also be a slide from something going wrong while the bike is moving. While the first case will damage the bike more than you a slide can put some serious hurt on unprotected skin.

The minimum legal requirement is an approved helmet. While full face coverage is not required it is advisable as it will provide more protection if you come off your bike and/or crash. DO NOT BUY A SECOND HAND HELMET as you have no guarantee that the helmet has not been dropped or in an accident. Importantly the exterior condition of the helmet gives no indication of whether the interior of the helmet (the part that actually protects your head) is in good condition. While a second hand helmet may save you some money it could cost you your life. Furthermore it's probably false economy as a new standard helmet can typically be bought for $100, sometimes less.

The minimum advisable safety gear is a closed faced safety standard approved helmet and a good pair of gloves. This will protect your face and hands from gravel rash if you come off and go for a slide. If your hands are protected you will still be able to hold and manipulate things (such as knives, forks, and toilet paper -- think about that for a second).

Ideally you should go for a full set of protective clothing - Helmet, Gloves, Jacket, Pants, and Boots. When you put all of this together you should be well protected from gravel rash and the boots should help protect your ankles in the event of a crash. If possible try to get a pair of pants that will connect to your jacket by a zipper or similar. This will prevent the two pieces of clothing from coming apart during a slide and help you avoid gravel rash

4) Decide the type of bike you want to buy/Decide what type of rider you want to be

Cruiser, Sports, Dual-Purpose, Commuter, Tourer, a Scooter, or something else altogether? These bikes are designed to suit different riding styles and, as such, suit different riders. As a general rule commuters are designed to be cheap on gas, reliable, and easy but unexciting to ride. Sports bikes provide a more exciting riding experience at the cost of relative ease and economy. the other sub-types all come with their own unique trade offs as well. Figure out why you want to own a bike and buy the kind of bike that suits you. Similarly when reading reviews of the bikes you are interested try to identify whether the author's riding style suits yours. If your riding styles match up your taste in bikes will match up to. If they don't match up you may find that you love the bikes they hate and hate the bikes they love.

5) Get the bike Checked

If you're buying a bike second hand this is a very important step, particularly if you have never bought a bike before. Ideally you should get it checked by a bike mechanic whose opinion you trust. Alternatively a friend who knows about bikes can be a good option. If you're mechanically minded or would rather check it yourself here's a starter guide to buying a second hand motorbike.

Critically, DO NOT CONFUSE A WOF TEST WITH A PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION. A WOF check is done to ensure that a bike meets the minimum standards to be roadworthy. While this does involve checking for things like structural rust that presents an immediate problem it does not involve checking for things that could lead to a problem down the line nor does it involve checking for mechanical 'gripes' (things that you will probably want to get repaired but don't actually need to be repaired to pass a WOF). A pre-purchase inspection should be more thorough (provided your mechanic is holding up their end of the bargain) and will involve checking things that aren't considered in a standard WOF check.

Day 11 - Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Banana cupcakes with a chocolate topping

Photographer's notes:

I knew I wanted an even yellow background so I headed for the yellow tiles in our kitchen. To knock out the bench I put the cupcake on top of a white ramekin. I shot reasonably close with my 24-70mm lens at 70mm and an f-stop of 4 - just enough to keep the cupcake in focus while allow the background to blur out. To get the even lighting I cranked the shutter speed to ~150, dropped the iso to 100 and relied on the flash (bounced off the white ceiling) to do it's ttl magic. After a few variations I peeled the cupcake casing down to hide the white ramekin and mimic a banana peel. After a few quick touch ups we ended up with the image above. 

Day 10 - Chocolate Cupcake

Chocolate cupcake

Photographer's notes - I wanted to go for something soft, classical, and old looking to help compliment this basic (compared to the rest of what wifey has been up to) cupcake recipe. This was just a chocolate cupcake, no extras. I settled on ambient light (in this case tungsten house lights providing even lighting through the room) and the piano to match the simple, brown colour palette and also for a bit of a classical feel.

I came up with the above 2 candidates. While they were taken with a slow shutter at an iso of 100 (so very clean noise wise) when I got them into lightroom I decided to add some grain to help enhance that old, classical feeling. This is the first image that I have wanted to add grain to and I feel that it really helps sell the story of the image in this case.

Day 9 - Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate and Peanut butter cupcakes

Photographer's notes - This photo took a while to come right. I knew I wanted a golden background and I knew I wanted peanut butter in the shot. The bit that took a while was getting the right balance of flash vs ambient light to make the normally yellow and white background take on a golden appearance compared to the background (the ambient light was tungsten so should be orange, the main light was an external flash coming in at about 45 degrees behind and to the left of the camera.)

In the end the messy, spiky glob of peanut butter was the winner out of a bunch of earlier, smoother candidates and the wooden chopping board benefited from the addition of olive oil to help bring out the golden colour.

Day 8 - Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes

Raspberry and Chocolate cupcakes were on the agenda today. They had a lovely pink icing and ribena was included in the recipe.

Photographer's Notes: This was another reaosnably accidental photo. I had intended to use a red ramekin, fill it with raspberries, and place the cupcake on top. In the process of doing this I grabbed a glass to help me sort through the raspberries. I felt that the glass was more effective and the rest of the above idea took shape.

This image also includes a little bit of photoshopping. As it turned out the chocolate ended up with a strange green and yellow tinge to it. I had to darken it up and shift the colour slightly to get it looking right.

Day 7 - Cinnamon Cupcakes

Cinnamon Cupcakes ended the first week of the 100 day cupcake challenge. They smell amazing and have a layered structure that is visible through the base of the cupcake in the photo above.

Photographers Notes:

This is a composite of 2 images. The first was taken before I made a massive mistake. The second image was taken after the massive mistake. I wanted a gradient going from a nice warm orange at the bottom of the image to black at the top of the image. I wanted to achieve this by using a flash to light the foreground and letting the background drop off to nothing. The warmth would be achieved through using our dining room table which has goldy coloured imitation wood. This all worked quite well in the first image. While that did look warm and inviting I decided I wanted to add some cinnamon to the shot. I figure I would sprinkle it through a sieve to create golden droplets against the black background. While this worked, and is included in the final image. I hadn't counted on how fine the cinnamon was and how quickly it would fall through the sieve. The consequence of that mistake was a table and cupcake drenched in cinnamon. While the cinnamon on the table and in the air looked quite nice the top of the cupcake was now solid cinnamon. It looked horrible. Luckily by this stage my positions were locked though so I was able to combined the top of the cupcake from the previous shot with the rest of the second image. The result it above.

Day 6 - Vanilla (ice) Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes with icing (different to vanilla ice)

Photographers Notes: To be perfectly honest I don't really get vanilla. When I hear vanilla mentioned I immediately expect to hear ice or ice-cream following it. Jess tells me that it's about subtlety, perhaps someone should have told vanilla ice that. In any case I opted for something plain and subtle. Whiteness. I was a bit tired of plates so this time around I inverted a rameken to make a white platform for the cupcake to sit on top of. I bounced the flash off the ceiling to create some nice, even, bright white light. I also opted for a relatively large F number to help ensure everything was in focus. I added the vanilla pod because I wanted something that said vanilla without whispering ice ice baby at the end.

Are landscape and property photography the same thing?

Yesterday I got an e-mail from someone wanting to know if landscape and property photography were the same thing. They were looking at taking a landscape photography short course in order to develop the skills required to photograph house. They wanted to know if that was the right course to be taking.

The short answer is no - landscape photography is not the one to focus on if you're interested in property photography. Property of Architecural Photography would be the one to focus on.

For the most part landscape photography does not involve the use of flash or additional lighting. Day time property photography typically requires the use of additional lighting and/or HDR to overcome the disparity between light levels inside and outside properties. Twilight property photography can be done without additional light sources but the time window is very narrow.

On top of this landscape photography typically focuses on wide open spaces. Property photography focuses on small, enclosed spaces.

That being said overall the basic principles of photography are the same regardless of what you are taking photos of (it's always about capturing light).

Once you have the basic principles under control you will be able to take lessons applied in one area (landscapes for example) and apply them to any other.

Day 5 - Queen Cupcakes

Here we have a Queen Cupcake - a hyrbid of the batter from Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess with the sultana concept from the Edmond's cookbook. It's the Nigella's cupcake recipe with some sultanas added. It looks like a scone but tastes sweeter.

Photographer's notes:
I wanted to go for a very English tea set-up. While Jess does have a suitable tea set I was horrified to learn that we didn't have any doilies. I also couldn't find a tea tray. I started out with 3 whole cupcakes on a saucer with the teapot and tea cup in the background. This looked far too busy and didn't actually show any of the sultanas. After a few attempts I cut the cupcake in half, added a sultana, and ditched the saucer.Things were starting to look good. With a bit more tweaking I managed to get some steam in the tea cup. This was achieved through pouring boiling water into the tea cup and using an external flash to backlight the steam as it rose out of the teacup. The finished product is a combination of 2 exposures. The dominant exposure is lit by the house lights and provides everything except the steam. The secondary exposure is the steam alone illuminated by the external flash. Everything else in the secondary exposure was well underlit to the point of appearing black. This made life easy in photoshop as the black ended up acting as an alpha channel leaving only the steam. In the end I was glad that we didn't have a doily or a tea tray, they would have added more unnecessary clutter and lead to a lot more mucking around.

View Visits by the Hour - Google Analytics

If you want to find the time of day that your site is the busiest the standard views in the current version of Google Analytics aren't much use. Instead you will need to make a custom report.

The custom report outlined below will highlight which hours of the day are generally the busiest.

The Custom Report tab is right next to the standard reporting tab (look at the green bar towards the top of the screen).

Once there create a new report
- Metric
Select Visits. You will find this under visitors. It will be the last item on the visitors list.
- Dimension Drilldowns
Select Hour. It is the 3rd item from the bottom in the 'Other' Category.
Be sure to select Hour NOT Hour of the Day. Hour of the day gives every hour of every day it's own code (as such you will end up with 7 0700s if you are looking at a week's worth of data. ~30 0700s if you're looking at a months worth of data)

This is a useful analysis as it will help you identify when people are engaging with your content. You can then use it to help shape your advertising campaign and optimise the time to make announcements, updates, and more.

Day 4 - Butterfly Cupcakes

Here we have a butterfly cupcake topped with cream, jam, and icing sugar.

Photographer's notes:
When Jess initially talked about butterfly cupcakes my immediate instinct was to throw them in the air and catch a photo of them mid flight against a blue sky. While this may have been good for a giggle I was told that this would not do as the cream and icing sugar would not hold up until morning. Instead I grabbed a dainty, flowery plate and positioned the cupcake on it. Jess repositioned it to show off its best angle and I suggested we replace one of the wings. Photoshop wise the jam has been brightened slightly and the recorded colour of the cream has been toned down (it came out very yellow which seems to be a common problem when photographing whipped cream).

Day 3 - Liquorice Allsort Cupcakes

Liquorice Allsorts Cupcakes set against our most allsorty cushion.

Photographers notes:
I'm not a Liquorice Allsorts fan myself so I don't really get these lollies. That being said they seem to be about colour and have that iconic black liquorice strip running through them. I put the remaining allsorts on a plate around Jess's sample cupcake - I liked the wedge that she had taken out of it. I grabbed a coloured cushion with a striped section running through it and put it in the background. I figured it was allsorts-y looking. While I did play with the cushiion a bit in photoshop afterwards to try and make it more allsortsy eventually I settled on the original image which is what you see here.

Day 2 - Orange Zest Cupcakes

Day 2 is the first opporunity to branch out, in this case literally.


Photographers notes:
Today things got a little more elaborate. While we don't have an orange tree we do have a mandarin tree. I figured that if I kept things out of focus nobody would be able to tell the difference. While that did work reasonably well the next set of cupcakes required a trip to the supermarket. Seeing as I was there I picked up a few oranges and reshot the image. This is the pick of the bunch.

Day 1 - Plain Cupcakes

When starting a 100 day project it makes sense to start at the beginning. In this case the beginning is aplain cupcake - the recipe taken straight out of the Edmond's Cookbook (a.k.a. 'Old Faithful')

These are the cupcakes that I grew up with so they brough back loads of memories from when I was a kid. Admittedly most of those involved sneaking jsut one more cupcake while nobody was looking... 

Photographers notes:

I kept things simple for this one. They are plain cupcakes afterall. I had a look at the light falling around the cupcakes and decided that I liked this angle best.

Scam: "your quotation with payment terms"

Here's the e-mail. The reasons to believe it is a scam are below that.


Dear Friend


We have carefully observed your product and have come to understand that you are so experienced in the industry. Hence,we have confidence that you can produce for us the exact products we need with competitive prices.


Kindly give us your quotation with payment terms and delivery time; and don’t forget to leave your direct contact number to reach you with.


We look forward to establishing a rewarding business relationship with your good company.


Best wishes.
----------------------
MRS FELICIA RITAZ
( Purchasing Manager)








--
Phone: 888.925.3363 x
E-Fax:
http://www.yaleenforcement.com


Reasons to believe it is a scam
- Product not specified
- My name not specified
- E-mailed to undisclosed participants (i.e. many people got the exact same e-mail)
- Contact details for people selling products are usually readily available
- Indisutry not specified
- I don't produce any products
- Purchasing Manager's company not specified
- Contact details incomplete and confusing (E-fax? No extension for phone number)

How To Write an Essay : Step 1 - Don't write

When you are given the task of writing an essay it is tempting to get stuck in straight away. Afterall nobody likes a blank page and once you have a few words down you'll be able to build up some confidence. Soon enough the question that seemed incredibly difficult to understand is starting to make sense and you're a writing machine.

While it may seem like getting started has helped here in many cases it has had the complete opposite effect. For many people the question clears up not because they have come to understand it but instead because they have begun to redefine it. Such a move is incredibly dangerous as it means you end up answering the wrong question and drifting away from the target topic and, if its part of an assessment, the available marks.

Rather than starting by writing start by breaking down the question. Ensure that you understand all of its components before hitting the library or the word processor. Use the question to build the structure of your essay and a plan of attack for your research.

Scam targetting TSB bank customers

The e-mail below is a scam.

Common indications include:

- Undisclosed recipients

- Link not pointing to TSB wbesite

- The fact that I received this and am not a TSB customer

TSB Bank Limited (NZ) customerservice@tsbbank.co.nz	8:58 AM (6 minutes ago)
to undisclosed recipients

For your protection, access to your accounts has been blocked due to a system error! { error code : 0e95p07 }   To re-gain access, you need to click the "Resolve" link below. This will only take a moment.   Resolve

Breaking into wedding photography

Breaking into wedding photography.

404 - Helping the page not found page find itself

This is the reason I love 404 pages.
They provide an opportunity for humour and a shared connection in a moment of furstration.

Suzuki GN250 - Adjust Idle RPM

The Suzuki GN250 is designed to idle between 1200 and 1300rpm once it has warmed up. If your motorcyle is idling higher or lower than this you can adjust the idle speed by turning the throttle stop screw. You should do this when the engine has warmed up. Warm up typically takes 10 minutes in summer months and 20 minutes in winter months.

The screw can be found near the choke. It points downward and has a spring wrapped around it. Turning the screw clockwise will increase the idle speed. Turning it counter-clockwise will decrease the idle speed.

Posing like Jasmine Star

100 songs in 100 days

http://100sketchesinsong.tumblr.com/ If I understand it correctly a friend of mine is planning on writing 100 songs in 100 days. That's quite a feat so it will be great to see how he goes and how he develops. If you're keen to tag along for the ride check out the link below: http://100sketchesinsong.tumblr.com/

Auckland Panoramas

I am now selling some of my work as large canvases. They are available for purchase from my website using the link below: http://pattenmakers.co.nz/prices/canvases-and-prints/auckland-panoramas-and-landscapes/

School ball season

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/04/06/150057877/not-your-average-prom-portraits?sc=fb&cc=fp

Wellington Falshmob - NZSO

SEO mistakes - Following the wrong signals

A lot of people stress out about SEO. Here Matt Cutts of google reminds us that your SEO efforts make less of an impact than having compelling content does. Remember, if you're optimising for the current search algorithm but not thinking about users you will not be around long term.

IRD Scam - 2012 tax refunds

Note: This is a service message with information related to your Inland Revenue account(s). It may include specific details about transactions, products or online services. If you recently cancelled your account, please disregard this message.

File for your tax refunds now. Click start below to fill your inland revenue form in seconds and get your return in 48hours. Do disregard this message if your refund has been received.To start the filing process click Start Filing. © Copyright 2012 Inland Revenue

It's the end of the financial year which means it time for another phishing scam targetting people interested in getting a tax refund. If you have received the message above don't follow the link that is inlcuded in the message, it will end in tears and you will lose money rather than gain it.

If the IRD ever did send you anything via e-mail they wouldn't send the same e-mail to various undisclosed recipients then use a link to send you to a website that they didn't own.

Google's Self Driving Car

Essay Writing Tip from 9gag

Contrary to popular belief a psychology essay is more about the second description of the curtains (what the author meant) than the first (what the teacher thinks). Unless you have a stack of relevant research evidence to support your claims stick to the facts.

Image source:
http://9gag.com/gag/109625
But honestly, don't go there if you have work to do.

Ringtone Piracy: The real threat to copyright

In this entertaining TED presentation Rob Reid attempts to break down and rationalise the numbers that the studios typically throw at us to convince us that copyright infringement is a big issue. In doing so he discovers that copyright infringement costs the film and tv crowd more jobs than the industry actually has available and has a financial cost that is greater than what much of the agricultural sector can produce.

Astoundingly he goes on to show that many of the industries concerned about piracy are continuing to grow, suggesting that piracy may not be the deadly killer we have been lead to believe that it is.

Crucially though this presentation is aimed more at the funny bone than the brain. While it's good for a giggle it would not be terribly surprising if the numbers didn't actually stack up.