I bought myself a digital stills camera today because I've always wanted something I can use to upload pictures I want to take to the net to show family and friends, and the access I have previously had to digital cameras was limited to say the very least. I also have a new webcam for the office. So pretty soon there'll be a camera on me wherever I am. So much for personal privacy but then, the more you see me, the more likely it is that you will lose interest. That certainly seems to be the premise behind reality television.
I was also told that I type too quickly today. :-) My digital skills apparently are not limited to building computers then ;-)
Thanks to my GSN463 Australian E-Commerce Policy group for bearing with me without an internet connection link or a CD in outlining the policy issues facing Australian e-business practitioners. As usual when I'm running this unit (I have run iterations of this unit now for several years), the policies are changing as we speak, with the present debate on the full sale of Telstra and the negotiation of new media ownership legislation both having prominence in media coverage.
I would like to remind EMBA students (and any other BGSB students reading this) that if they would choose to participate in the BGSB MBA Blog, they should email me directly to request access. I can't give it to you until we have power back on campus, but you can register your interest to participate at any time.
For tonight, after a week of working long hours (with my one respite of Thursday night with Kevin), I am going to do some basic preparation for the conference paper I have due in tomorrow and take the evening off. I'm really tired.
... is basically a waste of time and money. So the skywriter out there in the crisp blue sky over Brisbane trying to advertise which radio station has live AFL coverage had most of his message erased before he'd finished writing.
I'm presently putting the finishing touches on the Study Guide for the Executive MBA Unit I'm teaching tomorrow and will be burning the guide and Powerpoint slides to CD for the students later today. I have all the CD labels printed and ready to go. Nice to feel my workload is under control :-)
Just also want to wish all the IT crew at QUT all the very best for Sunday and Monday when systems are reinitialised after the current power-down. Hope all goes well guys.
*HUGE* thanks to Kevin for taking me away from it all for a couple of hours yesterday evening. Thanks also to Westy for coffee a bit later last night and to Riff and Robyn for coffee this morning.
Back to work. It's going to be one of those weekends.
How unsubtle is this? As the debate rages over the change to cross-media ownership laws in Australia, Fairfax ostentatiously signs a deal with Channel 10 for a program based on Australian Financial Review content. Can anybody say "takeover bid once laws are changed"?
Ouch. E-Media Tidbits are reporting that Forrester Research have nominated WiFi as the basis for the next dotcom bust.
I have commented about this in the extended entry below, and provided a few more links of the day (someone please buy me the MP3 goggles).
Thanks to the Dann Clan for having me over again for the Origin match. Sorry that was such a woeful result! Thanks anyway for making me feel so welcome.
I'm often a bit worried by Forrester's Research as it is so oriented towards predictions, which can be massively affected by a variety of factors beyond those taken in to account in preparation of these reports. While I agree that there has been more hype than hope for wireless technologies, the applications for wireless are much more wide ranging than may at first appear. IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) the spread of wireless will only really achieve mass adoption when wireless devices - from PDAs to laptops become affordable. It's extraordinary that over the last eight years, there has been very little movement in the price of laptop computers. They have remained around the A$3000-$4000 mark for a usable machine, and while the value of the dollar today is not what it was eight years ago, it is a little disappointing that the cost for laptops has remained so high.
In other links for today, I love the MP3 goggles for swimmers who want to listen to their MP3s while doing laps (thanks to Gizmodo for that one). And the EFF respond to the latest news of the mass lawsuits to be pursued by the Recording Industry Association of America (thanks to Boingboing).
As I type, the first four listings on Blogdex are all Apple Computer related; the PowerMac G4, OSX Panther, iChat and iSight. Steve Jobs must be happy.
More links below...
I like the American apology T-Shirt. Something for the collection.
Participation in the Long Bets site probably would be illegal under Australian online betting rules, but the predictions made by Dave Winer and Esther Dyson (among others) are worth following anyway.
Boingboing are reporting on the standardisation of blogging tools. Now there's a sign of the significance of the technology if ever there was.
And in the worst news (IMHO) this century, the Australian Government has won the support of the National Party on the full sale of Telstra. Why is it that policy makers think a one-off lump sum promise to upgrade broadband in the bush wil be sufficient to sustain competitive communications for all time in the bush?
Go the Maroons tonight in the State of Origin.
Yes it's too long since I've blogged. I have been busy marking and focusing on other work issues. I haven't had time to check my regular sites even. However, I have completed the latest Harry Potter. Cheer up - I will release no spoilers. I will say that J K Rowling has captured 15-year-old angst quite well, except that the heroes seem, if anything, a little too innocent for their age. I can say it's a good read and a worthwhile addition to any library collection. Any organisation that bans the Harry Potter books on the basis of occult teachings is totally nuts.
We all need a little magic in our lives.
I have managed to transfer to the new OS and have survived the HDD wipe at work. This is a Good Thing.
There are several things I have to be happy about:
Some marking is done. There is therefore less to do than there was before.
I have Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix.
Kevin. *HUGE HUG* Stef is a lucky, lucky girl. Thankyou, hon.
Liz, Stephen Lister and other wonderful friends who have been wonderful to me.
I'm grateful for many things today. I'm grateful for the mentoring of some of my friends and colleagues at the Brisbane Graduate School of Business. Today is Jeremy Williams' last day at BGSB, and the manner in which he has adopted and enthused about new technologies is just inspiring. Thanks for your support and guidance, Jeremy. We will miss you, and we wish you all the very best in your chosen career. Thanks also go to my wonderful MBA Director and Vice President of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association, Caroline Hatcher. You have always been a caring person, but your support this week has been incredible. Thankyou. Thankyou also to several admin people at BGSB - Tonya, Dianne, and Yvette in particular. You guys rock.
I also want to thank Kevin in Business IT tech support, because he rocks my world for the gift he gave me today. Wave for the webcam, Kevin :-) I so very much owe you. That drinks night must happen soon. Bring Stef! :-)
Then I want to thank my gorgegous BrisFizz Gals, Liz, Melissa and Raechel (Chel, you're still a Brissie gal even though you're based in Canberra), for their love and support this week. Liz's flowers have sat here in my office all week just brightening my world. You're an angel, Liz.
Special thankyous also go to Lou Coulthard, Stephen Lister, Robin Harrison and Robyn Gallop for their care too.
And finally I want to thank an old friend for caring enough to believe I'm worth fighting for, even as a friend.
There's nothing that makes me more paranoid than a total disk reformat. It's happening here at work on Saturday. As a result I am presently backing up things I really don't need.
On the MP3 front, there are some people whose MP3 collections I have realised I could boost from my own collection. This is surprising because the people I am referring to have MP3 collections in excess of 100G. And yes there's more than one person I know with that large a collection.
Of course, I have no illegal MP3s on my work machine. None at all. Really.
I have some fascinating links today....
Boingboing is reporting on genetically engineered decaf coffee. My question regarding this innovation is, quite logically, why?
CNET's News.com has an article on the Council of Europe's attempts to regulate content held on European servers - entitled Why Europe Still Doesn't Get the Internet. This is of interest given the European growth in internet adoption. One may well ask if the adoption would have grown so large without such an interventionist approach to network implementation and content creation.
Also from CNET's News.com, there's an interesting article about the forthcoming Google IPO. No-one yet knows the date but it's probably very, very soon.
Useability expert, Jakob Nielsen, has discussed further the idea of power law distribution and website popularity in his 16 June Soapbox alert, Diversity is Power for Specialised Sites. This tends to agree with the dominance of some sites among a niche or elite markets. Further, this is a useful analysis of the fact that while some news sites dominate at any one point of time, the likelihood of their popularity being sustained is extremely low.
News Corp newspapers are reporting this morning that Microsoft is joining forces with Government and industry representatives to fight the rise of spam here in Australia.
And related to News Corp, ABC Online is reporting that Rupert Murdoch has addressed a congressional hearing in the United States, arguing that the power of the media is overstated. Oh yeah right. And he's such an objective source there isn't he? His bid to takeover DirecTV rests on this issue. What's the bet the hearing will let him have the satellite broadcasting service anyway?
And on a much lighter note, and for all you Matrix fans out there (who have seen Reloaded - don't click this unless you have), here's the abridged version of the script. Ahem. Yes.
I'm exhausted.
Thankyou to everyone. I wish I could say more but I really need to rest and do my marking.
I really love this track and this band.
... To all those people who have offered support today. In particular, thankyou to Liz for the enormous bunch of flowers I received at work today. I am sorry I couldn't speak more, Liz. Your kindness is extraordinary.
I am writing this from the exam room for my GSN448 (Advanced) Strategic Internet Marketing class. I have a fair bit of work to do during this time so I must get on to it. But I did want to thank people for being there today.
The last two nights have had overnight temperatures of 6°. My oil heater and fan heaters are on overdrive.
But as cold as it has been, nothing is colder than losing a friend.
Just see what a weekend can do to change a mood! After a very average (read: rather stressful) week it has been great to catch up on sleep and have a few laughs and pampering to renew the spirit.
On the links front, I will soon assess all the posts regarding the first ever Business Use of Blogs conference, to determine whether any new information has emerged. But on that issue, Poynter's E-Media Tidbits has a tip for intellectual property protection for organisations selling PDF files online (as a means of preventing unauthorised copies from circulating via email).
Good and bad news arising from Gizmodo regarding GSM phones. There's no evidence yet to tie them with cancer, but they do cause heart attacks.
You can tell it's going to be cold tonight. It got down to 7° last night and I think it will do so again tonight. Clear days of 20° always end up in nights of less than 10°. I've prepared, with my oil heater running and my thick woolly jumpers piled on in layers.
I have a couple of personalised messages in the extended entry for people I have seen or things I have done during the weekend....
Liz - I apologise for laughing. Remember, I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing near you. Oh, and at you. Oops. ;-)
QUT Business Faculty Tech Crew - you missed the webcam shot of the week. *points and laughs* ;-)
Robyn, thankyou for the Nutrimetics Feet Treat party - was most relaxing and glad to see you and Jenny looking so well. Good luck in your business venture.
It's amazing how a soundtrack can resonate. Right now I'm listening to the Linkin Park album again. These lyrics are so close to me at the moment it's uncanny. Check them out, particularly Somewhere I Belong, Lying from You, Easier to Run, Breaking the Habit and Numb.
So I've had better weeks. I'm looking forward to getting through the 10 hours today and getting home. I plan to eat and sleep sometime over the weekend, which should be good.
I'm flat out, teaching, assessing, administering and writing at the moment. Will update when I have more time.
Thanks to the Dann Clan for having me over to watch the State of Origin match. Sorry about the result, but at least the oysters and prawns were okay. Was good to see you all anyway and to catch up with Sascha and Bert. Next time, Susan, we really must tempt Andrew with those oysters and tell him no-one will notice he's there anyway ;-)
Thanks also to Kevin, Peter and the rest of the Business Faculty IT crew for their assistance and pressies yesterday. You guys rock my world. And no, my webcam is not going to be running all the time. That would be Bad®.
Quick hugs also to some people I love - Mum, Andrew, Eloise, Lou, Van, Robin, Gosh & Ro, Quokka, Misty & Trev, Dave & Helen, Jo & Paddy, Kris & Phil, Jane & Phil, Pazz, Mel B, Chris & Carolyn, Gary & Naomi, Dad & Pam, Tim & Nida, David J, Liz, Melissa & Michael, Ethan, Andy & Raechel.... and many more!!!
Since my guests have left me I have been madly catching up with the media scene, and have been curious about a great many things. There are just three points I want to focus on for this morning. Perhaps I will cover more later. But for now I want to focus on the battle for leadership of the ALP, the rationalisation of the Iraq War, and on a lighter note, the advertising campaign for the Rugby League State of Origin series.
The leadership battle for the Australian Labor Party is becoming increasingly bitter, and it seems to be the press that is inciting that bitterness. Former ALP President and Chair of the Commission for the Future, Barry Jones, said this morning on the Today program that he felt the Kim Beazley's period as leader of the ALP was a "policy vacuum" for the Party, and that there wasn't enough policy discussion between Crean and Beazley. He may be right there, as I have often heard Crean differentiate himself from Beazley on the grounds of policy, but have no real evidence of Crean as being more motivated by policy than Beazley. Crean's response to the Budget was a clear policy plan but this had been agreed upon by the Caucus before presentation, so cannot truly be regarded as a differentiating. The statement from former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, supporting Beazley's challenge of the leadership from a regional race day event seems both inappropriate and divisive. It won't affect the Caucus at all but is wonderful media fodder for the electorate. It would have been far more appropriate for Hawke to have come out in support of Beazley after the ballot in the party room (if Beazley in fact wins the challenge), in order to sway the electorate. At this point it seems merely to be encouraging much more bitter and personal attacks between the leader and the challenger. Hawke was never known for saying the right thing and once again, he seems to have lent his support prior to there being a reason for doing so.
It's unlikely this media story will go away quickly, and I am concerned that this will damage the ALP in the lead up to the next election. Where Howard's policies on everything from the Iraq War, the rights of the Indigenous people of this country, the rights of 'illegal' immigrants and even the monarchy could be the basis of any clear political campaign (let alone the traditional localised issues of tax cuts, education and health care), the issues of the forthcoming federal election seem to be anchored in whether Howard will remain as leader of the Liberals. Politics is indeed, a curious sport.
And on the subject of politics, I am increasingly irritated by the crass rationalisation of the Iraq war being trumpeted by A-List blogger, Instapundit. Instapundit author, Glenn Reynolds, is unashamedly conservative in his socio-political blog, and his favourite topic at the moment is his outrage at the (small 'l') liberal response to the failure of Allied forces in finding weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Reynolds believes that the rationalisation of the war based on WMD is still current, regardless of the fact that none have been found, because Saddam Hussein had earlier admitted to having WMD (or several litres of anthrax anyway), and it was logical to assume these were still in Iraq. And anyway it was better to decimate the leadership of the country so that any weapons out of the country could not be controlled by the dictator.
I am no fan of Saddam Hussein's leadership, and am repulsed by the notion of mass killings based on political dissension, but it is for that reason that I opposed the Iraq war. Dividing and conquering a nation is about as totally antithetical to democracy as you can get. I have no doubt that there are people who are better off now that Iraq has been invaded, but I am also doubtful about the long term prospects for the country. In recent times, the countries that have been invaded and 'freed' are also those that have adopted religious extremism, apparently as a means of dealing with the trauma they have experienced. And it is this extremism that is now blamed for the growth of global terrorism. The rising tension over rationalisation for the Iraq War based on WMD - and the mudslinging that goes on between opposing camps - is often based on ignorance, and the efforts of bloggers like Reynolds are only inciting further predjudice.
I am and always have been opposed to the war. While I am angry that no WMD have been found since the war it is not for that reason that I opposed the war. I opposed the war on the basis of interventionist tactics and 'democratic' imperialism. I am still dismayed that the majority of the voting community have no problem with converting democracy into rhetoric. Glenn Reynolds please take note.
Finally on a more pleasant note, I have been highly amused by the advertising campaign for the State of Origin series, starring none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a cross-promotion that can only be mutually beneficial, Arnie not only speaks the names of the NRL elite, and reinforces the power of their forward lines, but he also informs us all that he's back. And he looks seriously cool for a nearly 56 year old who clearly doesn't take himself very seriously. It's hysterically funny and seriously bad at the same time, and is probably appropriate for the job because the game itself is just as hammy. I just wonder how much it cost the NRL to get him to do the gig. And I wonder if there should be a salary cap for celebrity endorsement? :-)
My girlfriends from high school have returned home after their time with me - was fantastic to see them. Now I am on my own and keeping busy to fill the loss of their company....
I have had a glorious weekend with the girls and have delighted in having sumptuous dinners, fabulous conversation and relaxing walks in the sunshine, relaxing candlelit wine sipping, and relaxing trips on the ferry by day and by night. I miss you girls very much and it was so good of you to all come up here and let me show you around my adopted home town. Thankyou for being wonderful friends. I love you all very much.
Now the girls have gone, I'm running through a few loads of washing and getting the house back in order and doing a bit of marking. I'm just delaying the reaction, but I know I'll be rather flat when I return to work tomorrow. I do miss my family and friends from Melbourne and love to see them here and show them beautiful Brisbane. But it's always hard when family and good friends have been to stay and then return home. It tends to reinforce the sense of distance. But I know they will always be there for me, and that my life is good because of them. And I have a lovely city with warm, bright winter days, a great job and some great friends here who are now part of my life, too.
And it's State of Origin NRL on Wednesday. I can enjoy that on TV here without offending the AFL-mad Victorians!
How cool. A robotic weedkiller. (Thanks Gizmodo!)
On a more serious note, I am increasingly concerned about the rise of unreasonable Terms of Service Agreements. Metafilter has alerted me to the latest controversy over Cafe Press Terms of Service. Last week I introduced my GSN402 class to the problems with the most recent change to the Service Level Agreement of Telstra (which informed consumers that changes to the Agreement would now only be published on the website and not via email... so if you want to keep up to date with your service contract you have to make a point of visiting the site on a regular basis). I foresee a period of intense litigation in response to these actions. More tomorrow on this....
I have my girls from high school either here or en route to Brisbane!
The topic probably needs further explanation so read on....
In the midst of the thickest fog over Brisbane I have seen in about a year, Kristen's plane touched down at the airport and Kristen emerged, recovering from the stress of not getting a chance to say a proper farewell to her partner, being delayed at Melbourne airport due to a rude freak who didn't realise you weren't allowed to have 3 bags weighing 35kg+ on a flight, and nearly getting dumped at Coolangatta airport. As the sun began to peek through the layers of mist, her relaxation began however, and after a walk up and down Racecourse Road and a couple of bracing coffees, I think she was beginning to enjoy the time off!
I'm at work and I'm hoping that Melissa, Jane and little Hayley have turned up back home and that Michelle is secure at the airport in Melbourne for her flight hither! I'm looking forward to seeing them all later tonight.
One of the guys from the Business Faculty Tech Crew has told me in no uncertain terms that we girls should get out and enjoy our time together. For this purpose it is apparently essential that we wear short skirts. I'm beginnning to wonder who will be having the good time :-)
And on the links front, the author of the Harry Potter series, J K Rowling, will be reading from the latest of her books in a live webcast on 26 June. What's the bet the server is going to go down with the load of people logging on to listen?
I have spent the morning preparing for the arrival of my old girlfriends from high school, who arrive from tomorrow morning. In true jj style I am working for the first day and night of their stay here, but hope I may get some time off marking and teaching preparation to spend the weekend with them all!
I have meant to make some comment over the decision yesterday by the US Federal Communication Commission to degregulate media ownership in the country, and the implications this will have for Australia. Unfortunately I have still not caught up with all the literature on the subject yet, but I hope to be across it soon.
In the meantime, I'm interested in the public petition for the protection of the public domain (also in the US). We seem to be living in a period where governments are less and less interventionist, but where at least the communities of the internet are bringing forth an interest and awareness of the public sphere. Perhaps there is hope for us all yet.
* There are a couple of new entries in my Livejournal on blogging, including a call for participation from the LJ community for a research study I'm doing on blogging and education.
* My unit appears to be back on the market. A new valuation was conducted today.
* My old school friends from Glen Waverley High School are getting excited about coming to stay with me from this Thursday. They have booked to go to Movieworld on Friday while I'm at work. Hope the weather will be right for them!
* I have a light working out the front of my unit. This is a major achievement as it has not been working for nearly 2 months.
* The definition of irony is the report delivered by the Business Faculty tech staff to the Faculty IT Committee: that with the concern over the storage and miantenance of MP3 files by staff in the Faculty, and the subsequent message from the Dean asking us to delete all MP3 files, the number of MP3 files on university servers actually increased.
* I'm going to Thailand again in August for IDP Agent interviews. I plan to stop over in Sydney on my way home for research and to visit my big brother and his gorgeous fiancee :-)
Well Mum left this morning at about 60% health I think, and while the sun shined in the morning, virtually on cue the clouds rolled in as I departed the airport. I am very sad to see her go, because I do miss her living so far away as I do, and I would have loved to have her stay longer. Hope you feel better soon Mum, and hope I wasn't too difficult a housemate while you were here.
To get my mind off things, it was good to get to a footy match.
Thanks to the Danns I was able to go to the Broncos v Knights game at the new Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium). The stadium itself is impressive, even if the roof cover is distinctly limited. The place will be hideously hot in the summer, and exceedingly wet in the rain. Thankfully the day remained dry for today's game. The game itself was a bit of a disaster for the Broncos - or at least the second half was - but I felt the umpiring was generally quite good. Thanks go the Danns for the ticket opportunity - much appreciated.