r o b l o g

I just set up AMFPHP on mediaTemple (gs) and I ran into a bit of a problem where I couldn’t get any messages back from AMFPHP. I’d get an error of NetConnection.Call.BadVersion which apperas as faultCode:INVALID_AMF_MESSAGE in the service broswer.
It turned out to be an incompatability with php 5.2 on the MT server. The solution was simple and elegant, I had to make an entry in the .htaccess file to enforce a specific php version. The answer is on knowledgebase:

AMFPHP incompatibilty with PHP 5.2

I have put up a new site, paycalculator.com.au that will calculate your net pay. It works for Australian incomes (single) and has the latest tax brackets. It also shows 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 financial years so you can see how the tax system has changed over the years. My pay is going up by $50 a month!

I used the same css as this blog but updated the header swf feature. I also added a more information section to help explain how the calculations work. There is a links page too, but it’s a bit dry.

I built this in responce to a lack of a good, simple, accurate online tax calculator. During my research, I became a bit suspicious of the calculator on the ATO website, as the numbers just don’t add up! I think there is a rounding problem that causes the calculations to drift. Moreover, all their calculators are awkward to use and often not complete or out of date. Having said this e-Tax rocks.

I’m also thinking of building a google gadget for it. I have a resized version ready to go. Building a google gadget is a pain. During the build I found that their API documentation was out of date and I also get a “can’t publish” error without explanation for no logical reason. At that point I gave up.