| North Balwyn Rotary Club Says “Thank You” to Microsoft and DonorTec! |
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The Rotary Club of North Balwyn, Victoria, has recently constructed and established a homeless youth residence, Jack Nankervis House, where maintenance services are also provided. In partnership with the Honiara Rotary Club they have helped to support the community of Taligi in the Solomon Islands.
Greg Matthews, the previous President of North Balwyn Rotary told us :
“The DonorTec program which provides us with donations of the latest Microsoft software for our computer systems has been invaluable in keeping our IT costs down and enabling us to conduct our programs often requiring long distance communications and management by our members. “
“A recent example is the project to refurbish a school, hospital and medical centre in Tulagi, Solomon Islands. “
“This and our other programs are vitally important to improve health conditions and educational standards, provide shelter to homeless youth, camps for people with special needs, fundraising via projects such as the “Rotary River Ride” and Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. The assistance from companies such as Microsoft to support this work through the DonorTec program is greatly appreciated!”
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| Broadband Explained – including tips on how to choose a provider that will suit your needs |
The term ‘broadband’ is widely used but often an explanation of what it actually means is hard to find. Currently there are several technologies that are given the term ‘broadband’ but they are quite different in terms of speed and the method they are connected to homes and businesses throughout Australia.
These days there are a huge range of services and providers on the market including bundling your phone and internet services. The term ‘naked’ has made its way into the market and basically it means using you phone line for data only and not using it for standard voice services. This then means that you use the internet to make phone calls (Voice over internet protocol) but we’ll cover that in another article.
So let’s break down the most common connections that are currently on offer from internet service providers (ISP’s) in Australia from slowest to fastest connections and examine some of the key features to look for in an internet service provider...
Click here to read more...
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Competition Winner
We are pleased to announce the winner of our Order now Win Later Competition, Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL). MEFL is an independent not-for-profit organisation established to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the Moreland municipality. Congratulations to you all and we hope you put your cash prize to great use in continuing the great services you provide to the community at large. For more information on the great work they do please visit http://www.mefl.com.au/aboutus/
Tips for Buying Refurbished Computers
How to find an affordable, updated machine that meets your Needs
This article was adapted from a chapter in Recipes for a 5-Star Library, a compilation of technology tips and techniques created by TechSoup's MaintainIT Project, an effort funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to gather and distribute stories around maintaining and supporting public computers.
While non-profits may hold on to hardware equipment until the last bit of life has been squeezed out of it, many corporations abandon working computers in good condition after just three or four years of use. While this equipment may be outdated for the bleeding-edge needs of a large enterprise, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have years of life that it can offer your organisation — especially when its components have been examined and updated by a professional refurbisher.
Two obvious reasons to consider refurbished machines are the environment and your budget. Not only does refurbishing keep working computers out of landfills, storage, or out of countries where equipment may be dismantled under unsafe conditions, refurbished desktop computers usually cost between $100 and $300, generally half the cost of a comparably configured new computer.
In Australia, you can find refurbished laptops, desktops, handheld devices, and nearly any other type of hardware in a wide variety of models and specifications. Does this mean that you should run out and pick up a refurbished computer the next time you need a new PC at your office? Perhaps — but not without doing some research and planning in advance. This article will provide some tips for finding a quality, affordable refurbished machine that works for your organisation's needs, and identify some good places to get started.
Click here to read more...
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