Elmbrook Blog

Elmbrook Staff End of Year Christmas Function

2010-12-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Three Elmbrook Staff have been at an extensive training session.

The scores posted clearly indicate that much more intensive training will be required in the future.

It is unfortunate that our Canadian office staff were unable to attend this time.

2010-08-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Elmbrook Website www.retirekapiti.co.nz

is shortlisted in the 2010 WriteMark Plain English Awards

Category 3: Best Plain English Website

Shortlisted Websites for category 3 in alphabetical order:

Private Sector

House of Travel
Kapiti Retirement Trust
Kiwi Tax Ltd
Martelli McKegg Well and Cormack

Pharmacy Guild

Wheeling Gourmet

Public Sector / Non-Government Organisation

Career Services

Child Youth and Family

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority

New Zealand Guidelines Group

New Zealand Supperannuation Fund

Public Trust

Social Services Industry Training Organisation

Dispute Resolution Services Limited

Wellington City Council

The WriteMark Plain English Awards also feature other Categories not listed.

http://www.plainenglishawards.org.nz/ has a full list.

Elmbrook Gaming Industry Management Software

2010-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Elmbrook Update

Isn’t it amazing how time flies by. It has been 18 months since I last provided you with an update so I thought I would provide you with another update.

Again, it has been a couple of really busy months, however, this has only been on the software development side. Website and web application development slowed right down from about August last year.

My guess it has been a lagging effect of the economy. We were really busy for the first 6 months of last year with companies wanting to get the jump on their competitors by having effective websites that work for them.

The second 6 months of last year, the amount of website development was slashed. This was also the case in the first 3 months of this year.

I think the outlook is more optimistic over the last couple of months with some new website developments as well as a number of queries for some bigger web application projects.

Currently, we are developing the next version of our GAMING INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (GIMS), based on the latest SQL and .NET development tools. This is a major re-write of the existing product which our clients are eagerly awaiting the new version of GIMS which will be released at the beginning of next year.

If you are interested in GIMS features, you can check out GAMING INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
on our website.

Rob Klaassen
Chief Executive
Elmbrook Technologies Ltd

2009-10-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Elmbrook has just launched their latest website project. The Kapiti Retirement Trust website also has a feature that allows you to adjust the font size, making it easier to read for the visually impaired. http://www.retirekapiti.co.nz/

Speld Launch New Website

2009-05-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

Now Speld have a site that caters for nearly everyone.

It has the unique ability to change:
Font size
Font colour
Font Type
Background colour

ReadSpeaker allows users to listen to the text on each page.

This custom designed website has been specifically developed to have the look and feel of a book.

The home page video was kindly supplied to Speld nz by Tikidub http://www.tikidub.com/

2009-03-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

Money can't buy this. Wow! This is amazing feedback from the Speld Executive and Professional Standards Committee.

This acknowledgement relates to a new Speld Website that is not yet online.

Speld NZ is a wonderful organisation supporting the community and one that deserves your support too. You can contribute now by shopping online at:
http://www.yourfastshop.co.nz/webshop/index.php?set_school=345

Speld welcomes donations please contact the Speld National Office
http://www.speld.org.nz/contacts.html

As mentioned the current Speld website http://www.elmbrook.co.nz/webdesign-speld.htm is an interim option until the new interactive database website is completed. It is being designed specifically for people with learning disabilities.

It's great to be able to work with such nice folk.

NZ Police & Rotary Clubs of Kapiti Driver Reviver Campaign

2009-01-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

Where Mondays coincide with long weekend statutory holidays, the New Zealand Police run a "Driver Reviver" campaign to encourage long distance drivers to have a break by offering free tea, coffee, milo, biscuits, sweets soft drinks.

Passengers also enjoy the free refreshments and children love to get free coloured pencils, pads and drink bottles from sponsors.

Driver Reviver in Kapiti is supported by the Rotary Clubs in the Area.
Elmbrook staff helped setup on the Monday of Wellington Anniversary Weekend.

Sponsorship from the following companies and organisations provides all drink, food and materials.

Accident Compensation Corporation www.acc.co.nz
AMI Insurance www.ami.co.nz
Kapiti Coast District Council www.kcdc.govt.nz
Nestle www.nestle.co.nz

Speld NZ Inc & Elmbrook Staff End of Year Celebration

2009-01-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

The team at Elmbrook joined with Speld NZ Staff to round off the year with a Christmas lunch on the Waterfront.

Speld NZ (the Specific Learning Disabilities Federation) is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1971 to help children who were not realising their educational potential because of various specific learning disabilities - children who learn differently.

As one of many worthy Charities in New Zealand, it values the support it gets from the communities it serves and welcomes donations or sponsorship to continue helping children.

Speld NZ Inc National Office Staff
Learn more about Speld and its help for NZ Children http://www.speld.org.nz/

Elmbrook Update

2008-09-09T14:51:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since we have written anything so I thought I would just give you a catch-up of where we are at.

It's been a busy few months with a number of software developments and website developments.

We have recently sponsored my local Rotary club (The Rotary Club of Kapiti - www.kapiti-rotary.org.nz) with the updating of their website. The old site was looking very ancient so we decided to give it a make-over.

As well as sponsoring Kapiti Rotary we have sponsored Imogen - a young and upcoming student who wants to get into the fashion industry. She has been writing blogs for some time now and wanted her own customised website dedicated to the latest trends in fashion, magazines, photography, music, art, film, beauty, interiors, models. This recently went live and has been a hit. Check it out at www.thegirlwiththekaleidoscopeeyes.com.

Check out our recent work at http://www.elmbrook.co.nz/website-design-portfolio.htm.

We have been busy with our GIMS (Gaming Industry Management Software) development. There have been some major improvements to the system which I am sure our clients are enjoying the benefit from.

We would also like to welcome all our new clients that have come on board in the last 6 months. We really appreciate your business and we are sure we are providing you with a quality service.

Rob Klaassen

Chief Executive

Elmbrook Technologies Ltd

www.elmbrook.co.nz

Great Service from Canon Cameras

2008-05-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

When companies such as Canon go just that much further than required or expected, they deserve recognition.

Canon replaced my PowerShot S1 IS camera which had developed a fault with a brand new PowerShot S5 IS camera, most companies tend only to replace affected parts. The S1 model had travelled the world and produced outstanding photos, and having it replaced with the latest model really made my day.

I brought the original camera mainly for its 10x Optical lens. The new Canon S5 IS Camera Pictured has a 12x Optical lens and 8.0 Megapixels. See the Canon website for full details
http://www.canon.co.nz/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershots5is.aspx

Thanks Canon

Gary McElhinney

Operations/Marketing Manager

Elmbrook Technologies Ltd

Thi, Aiming for a Strike Too!

2008-02-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Thi believes writing code might be easier. Maybe the ten pins could be thought of as software bugs that need to be eliminated - now that might help.

Our Senior Software Developer Thi Thach shows us how it is done at the Kapiti Ten Pin Bowling Alley. Elmbrook believes that fun is an important part of work and something we all need from time to time.

Our C.E.O Rob Klaassen did reach triple digits with his scores in both games, but sorry folks, no details or photos of Rob or Gary (they were censored).

3 Strikes in a row and nothing to show for it!

2008-02-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's really hard work beating Sam our Senior Graphic Designer at the best of times, but we have the proof - look Zero

However anyone that knows scoring in Ten Pin Bowls knows better, and so did the rest of the team by the end of the game. Being tactful we won't mention final scores in case the writer is embarrassed. Sam Wins Again!

8mm FILM TRANSFER TO DIGITAL FORMAT

2007-12-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Occasionally we run across the need for something unusual, in this case the preservation of film archives.

As time progresses it has become much harder to find and maintain projection equipment that can show valuable family 8mm films to the younger generation. It only seems like yesterday when our generation were kids but in reality is getting on for 50 plus years.

Now turning these films into a digital format seemed to be the way to go for a software company - but how?

Obviously the quality needed to be the best possible, bearing in mind that the original standard 8mm films are small to start with and thats without considering the effect time and handling has had on them over the years.

Having ruled out straight filming ourselves, finding professional services in the Welligton Region capable of converting standard 8mm film proved challenging. However after extensive enquiries we found Edward at http://www.dvideo.co.nz/ based in Lower Hutt with the inginuity and equipment not only to transfer to DVD but in high definition format as well. No doubt there are still many of you that have a similar need. DVIDEO is one business well worth enquiring about.

Have a great Christmas

Gary

Movember - Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

2007-11-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

Computer programmmer & C.E.O Rob does more Movember Research in his bid to support Prostate Cancer awareness and funding. As you can see this research is continuing to grow on him, and by the end of the month he is likely to know the answer to the puzzle "Does Fuzzy Logic Tickle?"

So far Rob has avoided the Tui Brewery Girls who have kindly offered their Mo trimming services for the month as the official Tui Mowing Service. Equipped only with hair trimmers and little in the way of protective clothing, the girls are setting off throughout New zealand to find the likes of Rob.
(Tui is a proud sponsor of Movember).

Please remember why he is doing this, and thank you to those that have already sponsored him.

Every year in New Zealand 2,656 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 600 die of the disease, making prostate cancer the second largest cause of male deaths, after lung cancer.
The average life expectancy of a man in New Zealand is 4 years less than a woman.

To sponsor my Mo please go to http://www.movember.com/nz/donate, enter my registration number which is 77294 and your credit card details. Or you can sponsor me by cheque made payable to the "Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand" clearly marking the donation as being for my Registration Number: 77294. Please mail cheques to: Movember, PO Box 87 150, Meadowbank 1742, Auckland. All donations over $5 are tax deductible.

All donations are made directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand who will use the funds to create awareness, increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer, fund research and scholarship programs.

We all thank you for your support.

C.E.O Creates a Fuzz in Movember

2007-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Our C.E.O creates a Fuzz. Again he leads the way with highlighting prostate awareness, an example for the rest of us who will contribute with doe not moe.

During Movember (the month formerly known as November) Rob will be growin a Mo. That's right he's bringing the Mo back because he's passionate about men's health and the fight against prostate cancer. Why...

Every year in New Zealand 2,656 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 600 die of the disease, making prostate cancer the second largest cause of male deaths, after lung cancer.

The average life expectancy of a man in New Zealand is 4 years less than a woman.

To sponsor my Mo please go to http://www.movember.com/nz/donate, enter my registration number which is 77294 and your credit card details. Or you can sponsor me by cheque made payable to the "Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand" clearly marking the donation as being for my Registration Number: 77294. Please mail cheques to: Movember, PO Box 87 150, Meadowbank 1742, Auckland. All donations over $5 are tax deductible.

All donations are made directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand who will use the funds to create awareness, increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer, fund research and scholarship programs.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the detail at: Fundraising Outcomes.

Thanks for your support

Rob

More info is available at www.movember.com.

September 19 International Talk Like a Pirate Day

2007-09-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

Elmbrook C.E.O. Rob Klaassen features in the Kapiti Observer full page spread on 'International Talk Like a Pirate Day' which had it's official start in 1995.

Rob believes that fun & humour is an important part of a great work place.

"Nothing is Trivial!"

2007-08-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Rick Strahls Web Log "Nothing is Trivial!"

"It's an issue of perception of course and it depends on who you talk to. If you talk to a non-developer almost any sort of development seems trivial. I mean everybody does it right? We have Web pages everywhere - so it's gotta be easy, n'est pas? Aeh, well, it depends".

Read more ... http://west-wind.com/weblog/posts/126933.aspx

The issue of perception is raised on our home page and repeated here for your convenience:

Pounds to Dollars and your overdraft doubles
Pounds to Kilos and your return is halved
Miles to Kilometres and now your property is too far from town to sell

Food for thought?

Gary McElhinney
Elmbrooks Marketing Manager

Wilkins Formalwear Testimonial

2007-08-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Wilkins Formalwear Wellington & Christchurch New Zealand have always had quality suits and gowns to make sure you stand out in the crowd and look your very best. Now they have a web site to match.

Elmbrook Software & Design already knew that Wilkins Formalwear Website http://www.wilkinsformalwear.co.nz/ was a winner, and our customer agrees. Read what they say ...

Dear Rob

A big thank you to the entire team at Elmbrook. Our new website is fantastic, and is far beyond our expectations. Not only does it look great, the results from our ‘contact us’ page and our website counter shows that in the short time it’s been live, we’ve had a huge increase in interest.

It just goes to show how a Website is such an important part of a business these days, and we felt completely confident in leaving it up to the very capable staff at Elmbrook. Right from the beginning, you had great ideas, as well as knowing what makes a good website really work. The ingenious but subtle concept to change the cursor to a pin when you hover over our menu is a great example if you get my point. Throughout our whole experience you interpreted our company’s needs and style flawlessly.

Wilkins Formalwear would definitely recommend Elmbrook and will be actively doing so.

Thanks again Elmbrook.

Chris Bee
Owner
Wilkins Formalwear

In todays environment it is taken as read that everyone expects good service, honesty & reliability etc. These are a given, that all businesses should provide. We do that too, but its the innovation and integration of customer requirements that sets us apart.

Like myself, our designers are thrilled with the feedback provided by our customers.

Gary McElhinney
Operations/Marketing Manager

Hi Spec Desktop Business Computers

2007-07-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think that it would be very hard these days to purchase high specification computers for business.

Without going off shore, HP New Zealand was the only major brand from our distributor sources willing to build small numbers of desktop computers to our high end specification. This truly put a smile on our faces. Here is the largest supplier of computer equipment to NZ prepared to respond to, what is on their on their scale of things, a relatively minor order, possibly considered by others as an inconvenience.

The upside of course is repeat orders and an even greater respect for HP.

Now a lot of Kiwis (New Zealanders for you overseas folk) still have the 'can do it ourselves' attitude and wherever possible endeavour to preserve our clean and green environment.

In the US TerraCycle are doing the same. Here’s a company Turning Garbage into Gold by adopting HP Technology in-house to run their business systems right down to printing, marketing, packaging and retail displays etc. Environmentally they actually re-use soft drink bottles to distribute their product ... but don’t let me spoil it.

Click on this link http://www.hp.com/personalagain/us/en/featuredproducts/landing/terracycle_nc6400.html
and view the TV Advert which we believe only plays on TV in the US. If you do not wish to use the link go direct to www.hp.com/personal and search for the TerraCycle advert. His story even includes the personal touch.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could achieve even some of their objectives? Makes you think doesn't it?

Oh and the computers were HP dc7700 with high end processors, Vista compatible ATI Radeon dual monitor graphics cards and other desirable end user components that we won’t tell the boss about. Talk about HP “Making the Computer Personal Again”. Ok, we had to wait 10 days for these to be specifically built and delivered to our door but that was really not a problem.

Ingram Micro Showcase 6 July 2007

2007-07-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Elmbrook Technologies Ltd staff attended the Ingram Micro Showcase which is the biggest Information Technology Hardware/Software and Related Services Reseller event of the year.

This year's theme focused on convergence and solution integration as users are demanding more seamless solutions in both the business and home environments.

As usual this event involved all our staff. It is an opportunity to relax away from the office environment, gain new product knowledge as well as network with staff from both Ingram Micro and the over 70 Brands they support.

Following on from such events, Elmbrook, wherever possible uses or tests in-house all products sold or recommended by us. This practice helps guarantee their suitability for our customers' particular end uses.

We appreciate the opportunity provided by Ingram Micro to attend this year's event in Wellington.

Gary McElhinney
Operations/Marketing Manager

2007-07-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

What GTDownload Say 7 June 2007 Congratulations!

Due to many tests that GTDownload have done to BackPack Professional and our user's ratings, we decided to grant your product with GTDownload "5 Stars Award". This means that "BackPack Professional 4.60" is highly appreciated and already in the top of the searches.

Try Elmbrooks BackPack Professional 7 Essential Applications in One Yourself Today (FREE for personal use):

1. Newsgroup Downloader
2. Backup
3. Create Data CD/DVD Discs
4. Email files
5. Publish or Backup files to a web site.
6. Directory Printer
7. Restore Archives

BackPack Professional 4 makes it even easier to download photos, music and videos from your favorite Usenet Newsgroups. During downloading you can view each photo using the Slide Show Viewer in full screen or thumbnail mode. The pending list allows you to filter unwanted images based on subject, author and size. Supports latest industry posting standards (ynec, uuencode etc), automatic file renaming plus much more.

Each application supports a multitude of editable options such as Integrated Scheduling, On-the-fly ZIP archiving, filtering, 256 bit encryption, password security, log notification, supports saving to DVD, CD/R/RW, FTP, USB, Flash and LAN.

GTDownload Web site URL:

http://www.gtdownload.com/GTDownload Software URL: http://www.gtdownload.com/free-download/System-Utilities-category/Backup-Restore-subcategory/BackPack-Professional-view-details.html

Elmbrook news from Canada

2007-06-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first posting from Canada! For those that don't know, I've moved to Canada for one year and the great thing with technology and our systems is that it allows me and other lucky staff to work from anywhere in the world.

I have to say Canada is a big change from what I'm used to back in New Zealand, everything is much bigger and busier, not to mention upside down. Driving on the right side is going to take a little time getting used to particularly at roundabouts where my instinct is to automatically go left.. The weather has been fantastic so far, averaging between 26-32 degrees Celsius.

Elmbrook is continuing our momentum in the international web design / interactive websites market. Check out some of our website portfolio work completed in the last month: http://www.elmbrook.co.nz/website-design-portfoilo.htm. If you would like to see how we can help improve your business online, please contact us for a quote here: http://www.elmbrook.co.nz/website-design-quote.htm

Recently we completed our in-house purpose built web based time tracking and reporting system which is proving very useful particularly with staff working remote locations and different country's! Our staff simply sign into our secure website, select the client and write a quick description the job done and fill out the time taken. At the end of the month our accounting team can automatically generate an invoice of our combined time for each client into a nicely formatted Microsoft Word document.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read this blog.

Regards,

Tristan McElhinney
CIO
Elmbrook Technologies Limited
http://www.elmbrook.co.nz/
http://www.backpackpro.com/

New Company Website

2007-05-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

We have just updated our company website have a look. Get a quote from us for your new company website today.