The work of Computerbank and still operating today

I thought it could be useful to collect info about my time working/volunteering at Computerbank.  I left at the end of 2016, having been involved since 1998.

Computerbank is still operating today with a great team (always had a great team) and has now distributed over 10,000 computers. See their current website at https://www.computerbank.org.au for more info.

From April 2015, found via the wayback machine internet archive, the text below is copied from:   https://web.archive.org/web/20150411132207/http://www.computerbank.org.au/about (I edited instances of we and replaced with 'Computerbank')

Computerbank is an independent not for profit organisation run by volunteers.  Computerbank reuses donated computers and refurbishes them with quality free software. These computers are offered to disadvantaged individuals and community groups.  Older and broken equipment is responsibly recycled and does not end up in landfill and is not sent to unsafe dismantling plants in third world countries. Computerbank have distributed over 5000 computers to individuals, families, and community groups since 1998.

Computerbank installs a free version of Ubuntu Linux operating system on our computers. The system is customised to run efficiently on P4 and faster hardware.

Some of the community groups to receive computers and networks from Computerbank include:

Filipino Community Council of Victoria in Footscray (our first network!),
Virtual Moreland,
Autism Victoria (World Autism Conference),
The Bridge Health Centre (Footscray),
Dole Avenue Kindergarten,
Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO),
Green Net,
Linux Users of Victoria (LUV),
The Victorian Rainforest Network,
Indymedia Burma,
Indymedia India,
Christian Blind Mission (computers to Liberia),
People First Network in the Solomon Islands,
Altona Green Neighbourhood House,
Footscray Library in Maribyrnong City,
Bikash Womens Centre in Bangladesh,
Dilli University in East Timor,
Jabiluka Action Group (JAG),
Methodist Ladies College in Fiji,
Dalkusha Primary School in Fiji,
Central Hume Support Services in Wodonga,
Computers for Aged and Disabled Seniors (CADS),
Langwarrin Basketball Club,
Westgate Community Initiatives Group (WCIG),
Engineers Without Borders,
'Connectivity for Refugees' program,
Refugees in Shepparton,
Friends of Sian,
Berwick Senior Citizens,
Victorian Artists Society,
Mindaribba Aboriginal Land Council in NSW,
Darebin Aged Housing Services (public access networks),
Wombat Housing
Mens Shed
Pet Ambulance Victoria
Asylum Seekers Resource Center (ASRC)
Red Cross (Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme)
Western Region Health (public access networks) to name a few.
Chin Community
Geelong Lions Club
Victorian Writers Fellowship
Salvation Army Housing Services (Melrose St)
RMIT Students Accounting Association
Victorian Public Tenants Association (VPTA)
Coburg Neighbourhood House
Morwell Neighbourhood House

Computerbank have also sent computers to groups in Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Swaziland, Kenya, Mozambique, Burma and Indonesia.

Computerbank has helped facilitate the placement of more than 1650 computers within the South Pacific Region, in conjunction with the ANZ bank. As ANZ upgraded computers across the South Pacific, Computerbank liased with community groups and schools across such places as Samoa, Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, and Fiji.

Computerbank has shown more than 500 unemployed open source software, hardware, and recycling via our Award winning (search for Computerbank), and very popular, Commonwealth Government funded Work for the Dole Program. In addition to Work for the Dole volunteers another 175 people have helped out at Computerbank.

Computerbank have recycled more than 25,000 broken and non-usable items through the introduction of effective e-waste recycling techniques.

Media Coverage (online/offline), links may have disappeared. I will try and sort this in date order...eventually...
Technogaze Joy FM Radio. July. 2013.

Computerworld: Computerbank installs Ubuntu on recycled PCs. November. 2009.

Fair Trade, This article appeared in The Age Greenguide, 18th October, 2007.
Cyber Junk's Second Life. Archived by Www.Recycles.Org. This article appeared in the Australian IT on August 7th, 2005.
Green Machines, an article about recycling computers. The Age. July 14. 2005.
The Buzz Radio Program, an interview by Geoff Tregenza of Computerbank Hunter and Computerbank NSW. Saturday 14 February 2004.
The Age: Kylie was nominated for an AUUG open source award for "outstanding contribution in making Linux widely available through the Computerbank Project". October 29, 2004.
The Age Q+A section in the Technology Resources Section.
Linux Thin Clients at the Footscray Library A Demonstration Low Cost Public Access Network by Computerbank Victoria (2004). This is a PDF file.
Rubbish to Riches by By Nick Galvin, November 13, 2004.
30 computers found for Zapotillo (Ecuador)! from NABUUR.com on December 14, 2004.
Vic Greens set to complete Linux switch by year-end by Sam Varghese in the SMH on 6th August, 2003. Cached through Google.
Can't get work experience? Volunteer in IT, on Brainbox. Thursday, 7th August 2003.
ABC Feature on E-waste. Published November 6th, 2003.
The Age/SMH - Bring out your dead: By Graeme Philipson. March 19 2002 in the Next section cached through google. The article provides a table of recycling organisations in most states of Australia. It gets the Computerbank listings wrong some of the time.
Catalyst ABC - Techno Trash appeared on Thursday, 25th April 2002.
Bangladesh News - 26th May, 2002. Old PCs can give schools new life Computer Bank Australia.
Tech Soup. Old Computers Give New Life to the Mudgee Youth Cafe. February 25th 2002.
We have appeared in the Melbourne Times twice in 2002. Copies of the Melbourne Times Press are available in the office.
Work for the Dole Achievement Awards 2001
Ms Megabyte Feature on the today show in May 2001.
The Age/SMH - Charity PC recycler plans national spread, by Jennifer Foreshew. May 22, 2001.
The Prime Ministers Business Partnership Awards 2001. A Computerbank Australia case study about our partnership with BP Australia - Look under C to find Computerbank - the title of the casestudy is "Computers for everyone"
South Australia - in a newsletter - Article is called: How to get a computer without breaking the bank. It was published in the November 2001 newsletter of CISA.
Revealed: Why octogenarians love Mozilla , by Linda Harrison Posted: 24/08/2001 at 12:13 GMT on the Register at a response to the PC's for Kids vs Microsoft media.
The Age/SMH -The People's Revolution: By Eric Wilson. October 6 1998. Full article is captured in a mailing list archive online.

-- From April 2015 snapshot via the wayback machine.

Heller Heated Vest Part Five: Battery seems to have died...

Another update on the Heller heated vest. The battery seems to have now died completely. The week before this happened the battery wasn't charging up properly. I purchased the vest mid July 2018, it's now the end of April 2019. It is almost officially out of warranty (1 year). I'm still feeling hesitant about contacting the store for a replacement. **I contacted the Heated Vest Store and have already received a reply, they will send out a replacement. That is really great service by the Heated Vest Store, very happy with that.

While I was sent out a replacement vest with no fuss, it came with another battery. This never worked in the first place. I could have been sent a faulty battery.  I needed a replacement because the USB connecting wire broke. The Heated Vest Store replaced the vest with no issues and at quick speed.

I have a powerbank and have used this with the vest. When in use, the vest uses the highest heat setting, there is no option for temperature regulation. The supplied battery has a button to give access to different heat settings. I'm not 100% confident that using a powerbank is safe, the heating element may draw more current than what is required by the highest heat setting. I don't need to experience an electrical fire while doing a dialysis treatment with two sharp needles in my arm.

The vest by itself is still quite warm, so I am continuing to use it. In the meantime, with winter almost here, I'm looking at other options for heated clothing.

Update 15-05-19: Turns out the battery is OK. I've been able to use it with a new heated vest I recently purchased.

Worrying and interesting all the same: Kidney Disease, Dialysis, and, Climate Change

I have been doing some research into the implications of climate change for someone who is health compromised and in need of regular haemodialysis to stay alive.

One person, in particular, stands out here, Prof. John Agar. He has written and talked about this area frequently.

Another thing that strikes me is the high incidence of kidney disease/renal failure among indigenous people in Australia. The prevalence of the disease in the general population is increasing too.

Given my research, with the impacts of climate change, the future doesn't seem all that rosy. Is it now too late to do anything?

Also refer to: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/26/david-attenborough-backs-school-climate-strikes-outrage-greta-thunberg?fbclid=IwAR0jUTrz7_0CzuuzZP83DgSIR537CQaUhtEbW_Afuz-sRxNq-yD6jROHytQ and https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a27198162/sir-david-attenborough-bbc-one-climate-change-facts-documentary/

Some still have hope, but I'm a little skeptical.

I'm certainly more comfortable knowing that Vic has a desalination plant now. Haemodialysis uses so much water per treatment, between 120-300 litres. Each dialysis patient usually has 3 treatments per week. That's a lot of water. That's a lot of trees I need to be planting.

If you venture to some of the links below you'll find that there are some places that reuse dialysis waste water that has not been contaminated by blood (but not many places really).

There are a lot of links going direct to a PDF document, where this is the case, it will be indicated.

I'll probably add to this list over time, maybe even throw in some more commentary.

If you come across something interesting and related to this research, or have a question, please drop me an email (links to profile page where email can be found)

Reference Collection on Climate Change and Kidney Disease/Dialysis

Kidney Disease/Dialysis - Resource intensive, huge impact. Climate change will impact on kidney health. Collection of links that look at this issue.

_General links about the impact of kidney disease and dialysis on the environment_

2019. Collection of Reddit links to articles on kidney disease and climate change. Interesting stuff and good to find that I'm not the only one thinking about this. See https://www.reddit.com/search?q=climate%20change%20kidney%20disease&t=all

2014. Website post. Home Dialysis Central. John. W.M Agar.
https://www.homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/49-haemodialysis-going-green

2014. Working with Purple House Diaysis in the outback on recycling RO reject water. John. W.M Agar.
https://www.homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/80-a-holiday-gift-to-the-planet-from-the-outback

2015. California (And The Rest Of The US): You DON’T Have To Waste Dialysis Water! John. W.M Agar.
https://www.homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/101-california-and-the-rest-of-the-us-you-don-t-have-to-waste-dialysis-water

2016. High temperatures and nephrology: The climate change problem. Alberto de Lorenzo and Fernando Liaño.
https://www.revistanefrologia.com/en-high-temperatures-nephrology-the-climate-change-problem-articulo-S2013251417301566  Also from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2013251417301566

2016. Metabolic and Kidney Diseases in the Setting of Climate Change, Water Shortage, and Survival Factors. Richard J. Johnson,corresponding author* Peter Stenvinkel,† Thomas Jensen,* Miguel A. Lanaspa,* Carlos Roncal,* Zhilin Song,* Lise Bankir,‡ and Laura G. Sánchez-Lozada.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4978060/

11/05/2016. Media release: Climate change may be causing chronic kidney disease by triggering dehydration and heat stress. https://www.georgeinstitute.org/media-releases/climate-change-may-be-causing-chronic-kidney-disease-by-triggering-dehydration-and

2017. Environmental Sustainability and Renal Care Position Statement. This is a joint Position Statement from the Australia New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN), the Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) and Kidney Health Australia (KHA), compiled by the Green Nephrology Action Team (GNAT), a working group of the Australia and New
Zealand Society of Nephrology https://kidney.org.au/cms_uploads/docs/kha-environmental-sustainability-and-renal-care-position-statement-june-2017.pdf (Direct PDF link)

2017. Jane Palmer - published news of Mosiac Science News. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/climate-change-and-kidney-disease-the-deadly-new-link-20170503-gvxzjz.html

18 APR 2017 - Climate change is turning dehydration into a deadly epidemic. Jane Palmer.  https://mosaicscience.com/story/climate-change-deadly-epidemic-chronic-kidney-disease/ (same as above link)

2017. New survey looks at impact of dialysis on the environment. Barraclough KA, et al. Nephrology (Carlton). 2017;doi:10.1111/nep.13191.
https://www.healio.com/nephrology/practice-management/news/online/%7Bf43b11d9-9c8d-4485-a17e-73336b83c519%7D/new-survey-looks-at-impact-of-dialysis-on-the-environment

Feb 15, 2019 - The disturbing hypothesis for the sudden uptick in chronic kidney disease.  Julia Belluz.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/2/15/18213988/chronic-kidney-disease-climate-change

Green Dialysis: The Environmental Challenges Ahead. John W. M. Agar.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John_Agar/publication/268983750_Green_Dialysis_The_Environmental_Challenges_Ahead/links/5b19d5d6a6fdcca67b65fe17/Green-Dialysis-The-Environmental-Challenges-Ahead.pdf 

Climate change and kidney disease—threats and opportunities. Katherine A. Barraclough Grant A. Blashki, Steve G. Holt, John W.M. Agar.
https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(17)30308-3/pdf (links to pdf, may need an account for full access.)

2017/r 2108. The global burden of kidney disease and the sustainable development goals. Valerie A Luyckx, Marcello Tonelli & John W Stanifer
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/96/6/17-206441/en/

2018. Professor John Agar: Closing the Eco-Loop - Live radio interview. Includes video with Mik Aidt?. https://climatesafety.info/professor-john-agar-closing-the-eco-loop/ 

2019. Vox article. Julia Belluz and Umair Irfan. Doctors are frightened by climate change. Their industry is a big part of the problem.
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/17/18184358/healthcare-doctors-climate-change-divesting

_Other Climate Health Related Links_

2013. September 24th. Climate and Health Alliance.  https://caha.nationbuilder.com/green-dialysis-program-in-geelong

2012. Dialysis and the Environment: Comparing Home and Unit Based Haemodialysis. R. James
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-6686.2007.tb00056.x

2013. Globalization, Climate Change, and Human Health. Anthony J. McMichael.
http://www3.med.unipmn.it/intranet/papers/2013/NEJM/2013-04-04_nejm/nejmra1109341.pdf (PDF file link)

2014. Green Dialysis: The Environmental Challenges Ahead. John W MacD Agar.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268983750_Green_Dialysis_The_Environmental_Challenges_Ahead

2017. Climate Disease and Kidney Injustice. Madeleine K. Scammell
https://www.publichealthpost.org/research/climate-chronic-kidney-disease/

2018, Dec 13. AMSANT Response to the NT Climate Change Discussion Paper - AMSANT recognises the significant impact that climate change will have on the .... The cost of the increased demand for dialysis services in NT. (in paper by Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT)
https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/39757/documents/97392 ( Link to a PDF file) - General impact of climate change on health, mentions dialysis services and kidney disease.

2018. Lancet Countdown paper: what does it mean for nephrology? Peter J Blankestijn  Annette Bruchfeld Giovambattista Capasso  Danilo Fliser  Denis Fouque Dimitrios Goumenos  Ziad Massy  Ivan Rychlík Maria José Soler  Goce Spasovski  Kate Stevens Christoph Wanner  Carmine Zoccali
https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article-abstract/34/1/4/5212690?redirectedFrom=fulltext (link to article requiring full purchase)

2018. Environmental Sustainability & Healthcare: What do Health Professionals Need to Know? Katherine Barraclough
https://www.dea.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ANZAHPE_Jul2018.pdf (link to PDF file)

2018. Niina Heikkinen, E&E News. U.S. Is Unprepared for the Health Challenges of Climate Change, Experts Warn.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-is-unprepared-for-the-health-challenges-of-climate-change-experts-warn/

2019. 3 dangers of rising temperatures that could affect your health now. Elena N. Naumova.
https://theconversation.com/3-dangers-of-rising-temperatures-that-could-affect-your-health-now-105028

_Australian specific links related to disease incidence_

Go to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for info about disease prevalence in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au

2007. Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry. Stephen McDonald, Sean Chang Leonie Excell. http://www.anzdata.org.au/anzdata/AnzdataReport/30thReport/ContentsandSummary.pdf (link to PDF file)

2010. Rural City of Mildura. Hiba Molaeb and Christopher Reid and Ileana Teleki. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/acpmildura.pdf (link to PDF file)

2017. Needs Assessment: Medical Outreach – Indigenous Chronic Disease Program. https://www.rwav.com.au/wp-content/uploads/MOICDP-Needs-Assessment_Final-Report_180717.pdf (link to PDF file)

2018: Diabetes in the Loddon Mallee Region. Dougal Strachan and Kevin Masman.  https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/chronic-kidney-disease/overview. (Link to PDF report about health in Mildura 2018)

2018. https://www.murrayphn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Murray-PHN-2017_2018-Needs-Assessment.pdf (link to PDF file)

October 24, 2018. Australian health professionals' statement on climate change and health. Kerry Arabena. Fiona Armstrong. Helen Berry. Peter Brooks. Tony Capon. Brendan Crabb et al.  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32610-2/fulltext

October 25, 2018. Denials Down Under: Climate Change and Health — by Dr Binoy Kampmark https://countercurrents.org/2018/10/25/denials-down-under-climate-change-and-health/

Registry of kidney disease - http://rokd.org.au/news - need authorised access.

Update 29th April 2019This article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald today: Hope and healing: a new approach to treatment is helping Indigenous Australians fight kidney disease. By Liam Phelan. More on indigenous experience of kidney disease in Central Australia.

Update 8th May 2019
Found this paper -   'Metabolic and Kidney Diseases in the  Setting of Climate Change, Water Shortage, and Survival Factors  (2016) by   Richard J. Johnson, Peter Stenvinkel, Thomas Jensen, Miguel A. Lanaspa,  Carlos Roncal,  Zhilin Song,*
Lise Bankir, and Laura G. Sánchez-Lozada.

Also a number of links to Reddit news and other articles on the topic - search results for climate change and kidney disease.

Update: Busy on Team Test Lead projects with uTest

A late update on this topic.

I finished the uTest TTL training and had all my TTL training test cases approved. I'm now an official uTest TTL. I started on my first cycles last week or so ago. So busy and a lot to learn.

Here is a link to my uTest profile - with TTL badge. See https://www.utest.com/profile/mailkylie/about

Exciting news - TTL training with utest.com

Since joining uTest late last December and taking on my first paid test cycle in February this year, I've been approached to undertake training to become a Team Test Lead (TTL). If I get through the training, this is a step up from the work I'm currently involved in. It also suits the haemodialysis lifestyle as it is all done online.

Just goes to show that being an enthusiastic and passionate Linux user can get you skills that give you career options in IT.

I'll post an update once I complete TTL training, hopefully by the end of this week or next.

More Dialysis in the Tower

This week I have had two dialysis sessions in a row due to having a fistulagram booked in for Thursday (tomorrow!).

Again I was up in the tower that is the 10th floor of St Vincent's Public Hospital. I was in the inpatient dialysis room with a window seat. Here are the views I had:

Day 1 - Tuesday September 11 2018

Day 2 - Wednesday September 12 2018

The things you find! Old Melbourne MET Ticket!

Wow, I found this while cleaning up around the house.

1987 Melbourne Daily MET travel ticket.

A 1987 MET daily concession travel card for the inner city area. $1.20 in July 1987. Check out the price! I'm not sure how much a daily travel card amounts to these days with the MYKI. If anyone knows please leave a comment.

I also vacuumed up an old PD line cap - despite stopping PD years ago, these things keep on turning up!

Saturday Dialysis in the Tower

This was my view doing dialysis today. I went up to the tenth floor of StV's as the unit is really busy and full at the moment.

                                                                                                                                                           

Early morning start - West Footscray unit fire

So this happened in the wee hours of the morning ...It woke us up, we could smell the fire: https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2018/08/27/mil-osi-australia-crews-pull-occupant-from-west-footscray-unit-fire/

While I was in the middle of a shower at 8.30am our water went off because some one from either Melbourne Water or City West Water had come down to flush the line (after the fire brigade used it). Flip!

Guardian Australia news article about actor Jack Thompson doing haemodialysis in outback Australia

Came across an article in the Guardian AU today and found it interesting and informative.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/13/happy-to-be-alive-jack-thompson-garma-and-a-purple-dialysis-truck

Ref: The Guardian AU image from 13/08/18

This is very familiar,  "it's above 30C outside but the tubes running his blood from his arm into a dialysis machine have caused a slight chill." Jack might need a heated vest or jacket!

Shout out to the big red kidney bus -  https://kidney.org.au/bus and the purple truck - https://www.purplehouse.org.au/communities/the-purple-truck for providing these much needed services to dialysis patients who live remotely or who wish to travel within Australia.

Time line of Dialysis

I thought it could be a good idea to document my time on dialysis.

The downhill climb for my kidneys started much earlier than this...1996/97. Good old lupus nephritis. On top of that I found out I also have anti-phospholipid syndrome and suffered my first mini stroke.

Timeline

02/12/2007 - Start PD, tenchoff catheter installed in abdomen.
05/04/2010 - Still on PD. Able to work and lead an almost normal life.
??/01/2013 - Still on PD when I broke my leg.
??/02/2013 - At home with broken leg and still on PD.
??/11/2013 - Ended PD with major infection. Started HD with a permacath.
10/10/2015 - Get the call to have a kidney transplant
20/10/2015 - Acute rejection of transplanted kidney. The rejection happened pretty much straight away. I ended up very sick. Still doing HD.
18/11/2015 - Was discharged from hospital after the failed transplant but ended back in almost straight away.
02/01/2016 - Finally out of the hospital again.
Currently   - HD continues on in-centre.

Total Dialysis = 11 years! 

Seeya Dad - Sorry you had to have a shit ending

This is a picture of my Dad in hospital in July 2018 before he deteriorated very quickly. He had an aggressive cancer in his brain.

Born 17/07/1947. Died 04/08/18. Aged 71. Too young for someone so fit. 

The picture below is of Dad and all his children. I'm the one standing with the daggy hat. Must have been at a time when I lost my hair. My brother is there and my two sisters.Taken in June 2011.

I'll miss you Dad.

I just found this last photo, picture with Jo, me, Brad and Dad. Taken in March 2011.

Link to web page that provides a step by step guide for wiping a Dell computer hard drive

Link to web page that provides a step by step guide for installing Linux on a old dell PC. This info is provided for a dialysis nurse who needs to wipe an old dell PC.

https://www.dell.com/support/article/au/en/audhs1/sln151664/how-to-install-ubuntu-linux-on-your-dell-pc?lang=en#Setup_the_Ubuntu_Install

Preparation: Be sure to plug in both a keyboard and a mouse. In the early stages of the procedure only the keyboard can be used. The mouse can be used once the graphical user interface loads (when Ubuntu is up and running).

Put in USB drive first: First put the USB drive in the PC. Turn on the PC after the USB drive is definitely plugged in.

After turning the PC on, quickly hit the F12 key on the keyboard. This should bring up a boot once menu.You can only use the keyboard keys to navigate the options. Choose boot USB.

Refer to the guide provided by the dell link above.

Important Notes: 

• We do not need to complete the install process and we do not need to connect to a network to download updates while the install occurs.

• At step 7 DO NOT download updates etc, leave the options here unchecked. If asked to connect to wifi via the following step - choose "I don't want to connect to a wifi network right now."

• For installation type just select erase disk and install Ubuntu. and then click the button that says install now.

• Unfortunately you may need to fill in some info under 'Configuring the Ubuntu Install.' Refer to the weblink for a guide.
  
  You could just enter dummy (rubbish but compliant) info all the way - we are only doing these steps to install over the drive and wipe the original data.

While the system installs some pictures will display highlighting the features of the Ubuntu system. The progress of the installation (and therefore wiping of the drive) will also be shown.

When the installation finishes you will see 'the Installation is complete' message. 

To confirm the drive is wiped, select the restart option (button).

This will restart the computer and load the fresh Ubuntu install which will confirm the hard drive is wiped.

As the computer restarts, remove the USB drive to ensure it does not load up again.

There are easier ways to wipe the hard drive using Linux methods but unfortunately I did not have any media to install dban onto and the instructions for using other methods seem a bit complex for the intended audience.

Note: To find my email address check the info in the about me section next to my picture at the top right of this page. Access the info under view my complete profile. You can also leave comments on this page.

Heller Heated Vest Part Four: Dialysis second use

Today my chair was in front of the window which can be cold when there is no sun. Today we had a sunny morning so I was even able to catch some rays.

The vest kept me so warm that I got sweaty towards the end. Other patients could see I had a sweat up on my face. My back also got a bit sweaty. I guess that is extra fluid off - possibly even 100 mls. I weighed in at 51.7 kg - needing 2.6 L off to get me back to 49.5 kg. At the end I weighed in at 49.4 kg.

I'm not claiming it was the sweat factor but I will keep an eye on this. I've had small 100 ml discrepancies before. I do not have any drinks but I have a couple of small sweet biscuits and a swiss cheese and tomato sandwich when the trolley comes around with morning tea.

I'm happy to report that today the battery lasted 6.5 hours on heat setting 1.

Heller Heated Vest Part Three: Battery life...is Great!

I arrive at my dialysis clinic in Fitzroy anywhere between 7.10-7.30 am for a 7.30 am treatment slot. First in for the day. In Melbourne this winter we have had 9 am temperatures ranging between 2.4 and 12 degrees.

See http://www.weatherzone.com.au/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=86338&list=ds for the Melbourne Daily Temperature Table for July 2018.

Even though it is extremely cold at 6.45-7.00 am, I did not switch the jacket on for my drive in - my car heater warms up pretty quick and I did not want to waste the battery.

I wore the vest over a skivvy and then I put a jacket (with hoodie) over the Heller heated vest. See pics below.

The jacket with battery weighs .5 kg. Not much at all! I had to know the weight so we could take it off when I weighed in on completion of dialysis. I don't like to take my jacket off in case I spring a leak. It is also why I wear my shoes too.

The vest was switched on at 7.30 am. I used heat setting number 1 as recommended by the manual. My treatment goes for 4.5 hours. Because I'm on blood thinners it can take up to an hour to stop bleeding and that is on a good day!

Having the vest to test today was handy because I was in one of the private/seclusion rooms - aka the icebox.

I left dialysis and the jacket was still warming! It stopped while i was driving home..at about 2 pm. So it lasted 6.5 hours! The company claimed the battery lasted 6 hours on heat setting 1...and it really did!

The battery gets quite warm in the pocket, not hot to touch but friendly. If my right hand got cold I could warm it on the battery. This was handy and I did it a few times.

I'll do more updates about the vest as I learn more, information about washing it and battery longevity.

All in all after the first proper use I'm more than impressed with this vest, even if I do look odd in it.

Photos:

Heller Heated Vest Medium - without jacket

Heller Heated Vest Medium - with jacket.
Michelin Man style.

Heller Heated Vest Part Two: Dialysis trial

My heated vest works! While it might be a little tight across my chest (a point of contention with my partner), it really keeps me warm at dialysis. I'm wearing another jacket over the vest. I'll take a picture later so you can see how silly I look. Dialysis isn't a fashion show - as long as I'm comfortable and warm!

While it would be great to have heating pads on the front too, this vest is a huge improvement on my normally cold state at dialysis. I've been here for an hour and i'm very toasty!

As provided by the instructions I'm only using heat setting 1 as I'm not in sub zero temperatures. The battery will last longer this way too. Heat setting 1 is enough for me, when I was testing the vest at home, I used heat setting 3, and while there is a difference, it is not that great.

The battery in the front right pocket does get warm so I can put my free hand inside to get it warm as needed. I'll do another update to write more about the battery and how long it lasts for me.

I was suprised that the tag on the vest indicates origins as Altona through GAF - GAF only do bulk orders. Altona is only a hop skip and jump from me. The Heated Vest Store is in South Australia.

So overall, yes I recommend buying this vest for use in haemodialysis (hemodialysis) centres. At 78.95 AUD inc delivery, this vest is worth it. A bigger size might have been better though. Go to the Heated Vest Store to order yours.

Heller Heated Vest Part One

Heller Heated Vest

I ordered the heated vest on Monday and it turned up early on Thursday morning. Pretty quick delivery. It was shipped from South Australia!

It came in a box. See picture below.

I ordered a medium (M) as they suggested ordering a size bigger than you'd normally take. I also used their sizing chart. The M jacket is very tight on me. I know the vest is supposed to be tight for it to work effectively but mine is quite tight across the chest. The length is great. See pictures. (To do: add more, inc me wearing it).

I thought there were heating pads at the front in the chest area, but I must have got confused after looking at so many different heated jackets and vests. The Heller heated vest only has warming pads at the back of the vest. At the top and the bottom.

While it comes with an adapter for charging, it still is via a USB cable. The battery charges quicker using the adapter than using a USB port on a laptop.

The battery itself is quite small and attaches to a cord in the front right pocket. The battery itself can become a source of heat too.

After charging the battery up fully, I wore the vest around the house to test it. The environment here is quite warm. On the highest heat setting the vest eventually gets too hot! You can definitely feel it. I put the heat setting down to the lowest setting and you can still tell there is warmth.

My partner has been dissing the purchase all week commenting the vest will be crap and that I really should get a proper one (work wear heated gear).

The vest was $78.95 AUD including standard delivery to anywhere in Australia. Here is a link to the Heated Vest Store: https://www.heatedvest.com.au

I'll be testing it out at dialysis tomorrow. Stay tuned for an update!

Excited! I've ordered a heated vest to wear at haemodialysis treatments

It has been really cold at haemodialysis treatments this winter, I can barely keep warm enough!

I've been taking to keeping my laptop power pack close to my body, that helps but I need to be aware it doesn't get too hot.

I've been thinking about battery operated heated clothing after looking at how crappy USB heated equipment can be.

I started looking at workwear gear by the likes of Makita, AEG, Milwaulkee and others. See https://thegearhunt.com/best-heated-jackets-reviewed/ for an idea of this type of heated jacket.

Since then, I have come across Dragon Heat Wear. Dragon Heat Wear is from US but has a distributor in Victoria. Finally I have just ordered something from the Australian based Heated Vest Store and hope it arrives really quick. I might need to buy another battery as one battery may not last for a whole dialysis treatment session.

I'm thinking I can wear the heated vest under another jacket. I'll keep this blog posted about how the vest and battery works out for me.

Good day for a long bleed after dialysis.

Well today really sucked a lot. I got into dialysis early so managed to come off the machine at noon. One of my needle exit sites just kept bleeding. My INR was low at 1.8 and I no longer have any anticoagulants when on the machine.

I was there until 2pm or a little after. Maybe a new record, I set so many I can't keep track. Eventually my arm stopped bleeding and I could leave. I travel with a clamp on my arm as I drive a manual. I'm home now and all seems well.

Update on online website and app testing platforms

So I'm now getting into this a lot. This is all I am doing to keep myself busy now. After breaking both my wrists (one after each other), I'm now back to almost normal typing again.

I've been in several test cycles on utest and have been paid. Paid for test cases and for finding bugs! Utest is definitely my favourite platform. It is run by Applause. I have even performed a usability test cycle using my Linux platform and the Chromium browser. See https://www.utest.com for more info, feel free to use my referral link if you think you might sign up - https://www.utest.com/ref336271

Another platform I signed up to is Australian based Crowdsprint. I'm doing my first official test cycle at the moment. See https://crowdsprint.com/ for more info.

Crowdsprint pay for test cases and for bugs. My first test cycle is a bug only finding project. Test cases were available but only for specific devices. Even though they seem to be registered in Melbourne, payments are advised in USD.

On one of the sites, Test Birds, I have been able to refer a friend to one of the projects. If they successfully complete the project, I will get a bonus payment. Here is my general referral link for Test Birds. Not sure exactly what this gets me, possibly just community points.  https://nest.testbirds.com/?t=05f3e8b1-9f76-4b9a-a185-1f97b8fe8de9#tester

See my earlier post about this topic here: https://kyliebraindump.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/working-online-testing-websites-and.html

I will post updates on this topic from time to time.