The artist formerly known as the Premiers' Conference

They're off to see the PM. The wonderful PM of Oz. Source: JJ Harrison, Creative Commons

Today marks the 35th Council of Australian Governments meeting. The usual conditions for the meeting have been met: Commonwealth issues some sort of Brobdingnagian policy edict with a deadline that has no hope in Hades of being met; the Premiers and Chief Ministers grumble about being poor and arrive one-by-one up Parliament Drive to the Ministerial entrance of Parliament House to make their case to assembled media.

The day ends with a happy photo opportunity and much hand shaking. Leaders stress the amount of common ground and look forward to further discussions. 

The world continues turning.

Mal-ware? A final word on the NBN

"One vote, mate. One vote." Source: Liberal Party of Australia website

There were a few awkward moments during the Coalition’s broadband policy launch. When Tony Abbott, hardly the nation’s most gifted public speaker, started using words like “megabits” and “HFC cabling”, one could see the technical elocution education that preceded it: “No, Tony, the iMac doesn’t have a tower...that’s it. All in there...yes, just the screen...yes, people watch television on computers. No, Tony, no more 68cm CRTs. No, you can’t buy your next TV from Brashes. Well, because it no longer exists...yes, some years ago now, Tony.”

It's All Just a Little Bit of History Repeating...

The National Copper Network?

A laser down an optical fibre – Souce: Timwether (Creative Commons)

(updated 10.8.2013 @ 0857 hrs)

Some initial thoughts on the Coalition's new broadband plan.

All too often, we chide our political leaders for having no "vision". For not being able to implement the big reforms that society needs. But when then-Prime Minister Rudd and Minister Conroy rejected the fibre-to-the-node tenders and announced a fibre-to-the-home National Broadband Network, the sharks started to circle. 

Why? 

Because certain groups and individuals were able to put forward a narrative that painted Labor's technological choice either, confusingly as an outmoded, fifty-year-old technology, or as a type of communications technology that was entirely unnecessary for current and future needs.

Then came the the car analogies...

"Co-investment" with a terrible rate of return

Cruze-ing towards oblivion – Source: Holden

From the Australian Government's New Car Plan (2008):

"A New Car Plan for a Greener Future brings the total level of assistance to $6.2 billion between 2008–09 and 2020–21, of which $3 billion is already committed, and $3.2 billion is net new funding. The government expects this assistance to stimulate industry investment of at least $16 billion in new capacity and new technologies – not to mention billions of dollars in wages and salaries for tens of thousands of workers."

This programme has no doubt been worth it to the 500 Holden workers who are soon to lose their jobs. Holden managing director Mike Devereux blames the cuts on virtually everything except the fact Australia produces car types no-one purchases. 

Limited News from News Limited

News Limited have continued their hatchet job against anything remotely resembling social and/or technological progress initiated by the Labor government. This morning's Daily Telegraph features an "article" telling us, the loyal readers, how the total cost of Comrade Conroy's National Broadband Network (usually suffixed with "debacle", "fiasco" or other emotive noun in News Limited's coverage) may exceed $90 BILLION. CRISIS!!

Zero Dark Thirty: “The Greatest Manhunt in History” or: We’ve taken a journalistic approach to this film, but if you criticise it, we’ll claim the art defence or: “TWO THUMBS UP!”

SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Zero Dark Thirty – Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc © 2012 All Rights Reserved

It’s always fascinating to look at the review quotes that adorn movie posters and DVD covers. They invariably attempt to convey how brilliant the film is in as few words as possible. In fact, looking at most of my own film covers, it is difficult to find a recent title without at least one ubiquitous quote.