I was thinking of going for a run this morning, but I had a choice between doing that and doing some paying work, and the paying work won. After all, being self employed I still need to make a living, even if this are quiet this time of year. The task last night, and continued this morning, was to write a small program to upgrade the software in the OzFlarm units I did the programming for. I need a small program to upload new copies of the firmware, which is what I have been working on.

The issue with the programming is that I am using VisualBasic version 6 since it creates much smaller programs, and will run on a bigger collection of PC’s. But the compiler is missing many features, such as the advanced editor contained in the later versions of the language which help you program by suggesting code to you. Right now I am getting an error message saying it cannot connect to the hardware using the serial port I am telling it to use. The problem is that I am getting the same error message even on Com ports that are not on the computer, and that normally I would expect the software to ask me to reset the device. And I dont have this hardware with me either.

The SMH is reporting that the new Harry Potter book will be started early next year. I would guess that it will be released sometime early in 2007. They are also reporting on the baggage handling and related services associated with Sydney Airport. It would appear that Air New Zealand may be wanting to ditch Qantas in Sydney to save money. What I did not know was that when Qantas set up JetStar, they also set up a baggage handling organisation called Express Ground Handling, and with lower wages and poorer employment conditions. And this is just one of the ways they are able to reduce costs.