Real Estate Professionals -- Auckland, New Zealand, "David Lim's"

Real estate agents have probably become more unpopular than politicians in the "least trusted profession stakes" this week and it doesn't help when they resort to extreme hyperbole, claiming "views to South America" from Kawau Island, New Zealand and misleading "not taken from property" idyllic views. Here's an idea: how about taking the picture from the property?

A mate from Glenfield, Auckland, sent me this: "This Ray White rental sign was graffitied in June. I've rung Ray White twice, and emailed their head office, but two months on and it's still there - the only graffiti on the street. Unsurprisingly, the property has yet to be let." How can we trust these "professionals" to sell or rent our properties?

Pimp My Blog: From 12" to 42" screen size on Samsung Plasma TV

I have always want to see how my tiny HP 2510P's looks like on my 42" Samsung Plasma TV, so today I went out to JB HiFi at Lynn Mall to buy a video out cable for this little project.  The result is cool and my kids loves it!  Took the pimped out images with my Nokia N95's camera at late evening (click on picture below to see a bigger image).

 

$1.5 Milliion: The Price for Being Green?

Auckland, New Zealand--Pete Bethune has offered his biofuel-powered round-the-world record-holding Earthrace for sale for $1.5 million

New Zealand round-the-world record-holder Pete Bethune is advertising his futuristic trimaran Earthrace for sale. "Would you like to own the coolest boat in the world? For $1.5 million, she's yours!" he said today on the boat's website. Bethune's carbon-fibre eco-boat smashed the round-the-world speed mark on June 27 at its second attempt. The first, last year, failed.

This time it made a 24,000 nautical miles circumnavigation in just 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes, two weeks faster than the 10 year-old record. The 24m wave-piercing tri-hull vessel was run on biodiesel to demonstrate and draw global attention to the potential for alternative fuel sources. The round-the-world trip started in Sagunto, Spain on April 27, and ended there.

The Bethune family mortgaged their house three times to pay for the boat. Now Bethune, who formerly worked in the oil industry, plans to find a job allowing him to stay at home and spend time with his family. He is full of praise for his wife, Sharyn, who not only was stuck at home in Auckland, but working to support both the family and the two record bids: "I don't know anyone else who would have tolerated what she has.

Bethune has been continuing his mission of promoting awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources, with a promotional tour visiting Europe, the UK, Caribbean and Australia, before returning to New Zealand. But he is also seeking "blue water" qualified captain to skipper the boat from the UK, departing in the middle of this month, across the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific to Australia.

Earthrace was built with non-toxic paint, hemp composite in the flooring, biodegradable lubricants and hydraulic fluid, and pumps out bilge water through a special filter to prevent any fuel waste going into the sea. Its two 540 horsepower engines have a cruising speed of 40 knots but many legs of the record bids averaged slower than 22 knots to conserve fuel.

Paid my dog's license via Auckland City Council's Portal

Just paid $169 (using my Visa Card) for Skippy's dog license via Auckland City Council's web site at http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz. This saves me time and parking fee. Click on the picture to see the details.