From dassa at dhs.org Sun Jul 1 09:59:40 2007 From: dassa at dhs.org (Darryl (Dassa) Lynch) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 09:59:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <1183207752.3316.22.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> Message-ID: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> Glen wrote: >> 4) >> Why is not ability to program and operate a computer mandatory? >> It should not be possible to be a ICT Professional by taking >> only IT management topics at university. No ICT Professional comes out of a university, only trainees. As with most of the people I know in the industry, no one is thought a professional until they have had five years worthwhile experience in the real world. Darryl (Dassa) Lynch From sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au Sun Jul 1 10:26:59 2007 From: sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au (steve jenkin) Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:26:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> Message-ID: <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> Darryl (Dassa) Lynch wrote on 1/7/07 9:59 AM: > Glen wrote: > > > > >>> 4) >>> Why is not ability to program and operate a computer mandatory? >>> It should not be possible to be a ICT Professional by taking >>> only IT management topics at university. >>> > > No ICT Professional comes out of a university, only trainees. As with most > of the people I know in the industry, no one is thought a professional until > they have had five years worthwhile experience in the real world. > I have a more pessimistic view than Darryl. 5 years on, and most uni. graduates I've met, I'd still not put in charge of getting coffee, let alone code. On the ADCNET project, one of the programmers was 7-10 years post graduation - his code was atrocious, and none had ever been put into production. Later I was re-hired to sort out something he'd written... A mess. During the ABN on-line registrations I was told by a 30yo: "Don't worry about errors". The software subcontracters were ISO9001 accredited too. Final load was 25 times their design load, and of course the design didn't degrade gracefully but failed radically. Nor did they design *any* monitoring in. And a bunch more stuff. I added all this "unnecessary stuff" and they survived where they didn't deserve to - and they got a commendation from the Deputy Commissioner for it ;-) Once talked to Glen B Alleman about what they do at NASA. It takes a decade or two before they'll let someone work on code without "adult supervision". They're serious about Cost, Time, Quality, Reliability/Survivability, Function and Performance - and they do it. I'd rather have a Uni grad than most "self-taught" experts, very few understand the complexity and problems. The worst have the magic triplet "arrogance, ignorance and incompetence" in spades. Even worse are these ppl with a chip on their shoulders... s > Darryl (Dassa) Lynch > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > > -- Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist. 0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915) PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~sjenkin From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 1 11:20:09 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 10:50:09 +0930 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: On 7/1/07, steve jenkin wrote: > Once talked to Glen B Alleman about what > they do at NASA. > It takes a decade or two before they'll let someone work on code without > "adult supervision". > They're serious about Cost, Time, Quality, Reliability/Survivability, > Function and Performance - and they do it. > > I'd rather have a Uni grad than most "self-taught" experts, very few > understand the complexity and problems. The worst have the magic triplet > "arrogance, ignorance and incompetence" in spades. Even worse are these > ppl with a chip on their shoulders... Which gives us the perspective that working through a known program to develop a starter kit of habits and skills is useful. So is contextually relevant experience of producing work which is a good fit for purpose. Some of these skills will be about the non IT work of the client/employer/project and where the critical pressures are, on speed, on reliability, on maintainability, on its match with other projects in a family of work, the characteristics of the community of use for the project. Being able to hear or compare alternative approaches and understand where the strengths and costs lie and to be able to negotiate in a mixed perspective context in order to find the best outcomes. ie the Social literacies of community practice are useful. My underlying concern is that it sounds as though Australia is setting itself up for another round of siphoning off our domestic capacity into compulsory insurance which costs us in people's ability to participate freely. For many years the Wagga Wagga Carmelite nuns made the best coconut ice in the country. I would post haighs chocolate to a friend there as barter for it, and it was a fair trade, it was really lovely stuff. Australia implemented public liability insurance and the nuns were no longer able to make coconut ice as a fund raiser. The cost of insurance meant they could not do it anymore. There have been similar impacts on CWA and other grassroots community infrastructure projects where a toll or tax on participation must be found in order for people to book a room and meet. Applying the same kind of blanket tax to participation in technology projects feels again like a huge swathe of local capacity which must be paid to an offshore interest before local value can be generated. Again this kind of toll or tax will have local costs on projects of value which are developed by smaller teams and companies. I feel our nation needs to step back from adopting these blanket suggestions regarding how we operate and to look at their overall costs for Australia's domestic capacity. Blanket insurance is one way to tackle risk, good project practice is another, the first is a block of money which goes offshore, the second is a way of working and a skillset which is applied locally. The skills and process approach is a one time investment which returns consistent value locally over time. The toll approach is a subscription which would mediate the right to participate and imho has a tenuous connection to contextual risk and quality of work. I feel the proposal is one of a family of ideas around risk including content blocking, policy around user data for ISPs, broadcast treaty, RIAA copyright proposals etc, which are being posited in order to secure a value around a broadcast model in a world where distributed value is growing and becoming recognised as a useful component of our economy. I do think it is timely for us to be thinking about these ideas in the public interest but my first thoughts are about a whole community participation foundation with strategies for risk and safety which do not cost those freedoms and local capacity. What kinds of approaches are good for local economy encourage and orient new entrants, are sound balance of trade ideas and good for the project itself. From sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au Sun Jul 1 11:44:05 2007 From: sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au (steve jenkin) Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:44:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> Janet Hawtin wrote on 1/7/07 11:20 AM: Janets' comments for me raise the question: "What's the *demonstrable* benefit of the current scheme of things?" i.e. Have the Professional Bodies advanced the profession? [Where are the databases of surveys on 'What Works' and 'What doesn't] [Where are the case studies on 'High Performing Projects' and 'Project Failures'] Does the current training adequately train future practitioners? [The rate of failed projects redeveloping 'legacy systems' is worrisome.] What are the demonstrable Public Benefits of the Professional Bodies?? [Who's heard of them? What impact have they had on normal business managers? IT managers?] The mid-term outcome of the the CBOK should be normal managers, CIO's and CEO's saying: "We will *only* hire CBOK accredited IT staff". I don't see what's currently in there supporting that... Which is my synopsis of Janet's comments. s > On 7/1/07, steve jenkin wrote: > >> Once talked to Glen B Alleman about what >> they do at NASA. >> It takes a decade or two before they'll let someone work on code without >> "adult supervision". >> They're serious about Cost, Time, Quality, Reliability/Survivability, >> Function and Performance - and they do it. >> >> I'd rather have a Uni grad than most "self-taught" experts, very few >> understand the complexity and problems. The worst have the magic triplet >> "arrogance, ignorance and incompetence" in spades. Even worse are these >> ppl with a chip on their shoulders... > > Which gives us the perspective that working through a known program to > develop a starter kit of habits and skills is useful. So is > contextually relevant experience of producing work which is a good fit > for purpose. Some of these skills will be about the non IT work of the > client/employer/project and where the critical pressures are, on > speed, on reliability, on maintainability, on its match with other > projects in a family of work, the characteristics of the community of > use for the project. > Being able to hear or compare alternative approaches and understand > where the strengths and costs lie and to be able to negotiate in a > mixed perspective context in order to find the best outcomes. ie the > Social literacies of community practice are useful. > > My underlying concern is that it sounds as though Australia is setting > itself up for another round of siphoning off our domestic capacity > into compulsory insurance which costs us in people's ability to > participate freely. > > For many years the Wagga Wagga Carmelite nuns made the best coconut > ice in the country. I would post haighs chocolate to a friend there as > barter for it, and it was a fair trade, it was really lovely stuff. > > Australia implemented public liability insurance and the nuns were no > longer able to make coconut ice as a fund raiser. The cost of > insurance meant they could not do it anymore. There have been similar > impacts on CWA and other grassroots community infrastructure projects > where a toll or tax on participation must be found in order for people > to book a room and meet. > > Applying the same kind of blanket tax to participation in technology > projects feels again like a huge swathe of local capacity which must > be paid to an offshore interest before local value can be generated. > Again this kind of toll or tax will have local costs on projects of > value which are developed by smaller teams and companies. > > I feel our nation needs to step back from adopting these blanket > suggestions regarding how we operate and to look at their overall > costs for Australia's domestic capacity. Blanket insurance is one way > to tackle risk, good project practice is another, the first is a block > of money which goes offshore, the second is a way of working and a > skillset which is applied locally. The skills and process approach is > a one time investment which returns consistent value locally over > time. The toll approach is a subscription which would mediate the > right to participate and imho has a tenuous connection to contextual > risk and quality of work. > > I feel the proposal is one of a family of ideas around risk including > content blocking, policy around user data for ISPs, broadcast treaty, > RIAA copyright proposals etc, which are being posited in order to > secure a value around a broadcast model in a world where distributed > value is growing and becoming recognised as a useful component of our > economy. > > I do think it is timely for us to be thinking about these ideas in the > public interest but my first thoughts are about a whole community > participation foundation with strategies for risk and safety which do > not cost those freedoms and local capacity. What kinds of approaches > are good for local economy encourage and orient new entrants, are > sound balance of trade ideas and good for the project itself. > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist. 0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915) PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~sjenkin From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 1 13:08:20 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 12:38:20 +0930 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: On 7/1/07, steve jenkin wrote: > The mid-term outcome of the the CBOK should be normal managers, CIO's > and CEO's saying: "We will *only* hire CBOK accredited IT staff". Yes it would be nice to see proposals around quality in IT which did not need to separate people into 'in' and 'out'. Paying insurance in order to polarise a community of practice seems to be a method for generating value elsewhere and not a method which would reduce risk and increase capacity long term. That approach has value for the people who are in but is more about or oriented around a judgement and an ability to pay for accreditation. If the Australian IT industry thinks this way it will be less likely for IT folk who see a person who is making an error to have a conversation around improving the task. The value is oriented around the difference and not around the collective value of us all making good choices in a technology community. It would be good to focus more on social literacies of negotiated conversation in a community or workplace context which are committed to the client's best interests or an overal public interest. This means we are investing in processes and conversations which reduce the social or economic overhead of a population of people who are making mistakes. It also helps us to be more nimble at finding new ways to do things when the conversation reveals that a 'mistake' might actually be a new way of doing things well. The knowledge is not static, it is discursive, and barriers which obfuscate that dialogue are a cost and not a benefit. Australia does have a good innovative and discursive community how do we make the most of that? Alan Noble from Google spoke to me some months ago about organising an event which encourages open code in schools, technologies that kids can unpack, investigate and develop the beginnings of interest in IT. And to think about how to encourage women in this sector. I started by talking to teachers who were interested in technology. We have been looking at Squeak which gives a gui starting point and has late binding so that you can make something and tweak variables while it runs and responds. Nice quick feedback loop for learning. Peter Ruwoldt at Grant High School Mt Gambier suggested the school camp at Robe. So we are thinking about a camp there in the school holidays around March 2008. http://web.granths.sa.edu.au/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76&Itemid=72 At the same time I have been reading a blog by Artichoke in NZ http://artichoke.typepad.com/artichoke/2007/06/unwarranted_ass.html and talking to folks about the challenge of trying to look at IT in education without the specific tool leading the conversation. So I am thinking now that it might be good to do a camp where the theme is Water, and people can bring their work in progress which is some kind of open code project around the idea of water, a story, a model of flow, anything which relates to water. I am hoping this will provide an opportunity for people to look at the different approaches people take to the problem and will also make it possible to produce a CD which can be distributed to schools with open code examples and resources for looking at water as a topic. A resource which the people who weren't at the camp can still use to start a new exploration of the same ideas. Early days but perhaps this kind of event might be useful in other contexts. What kinds of events encourage people to interact with other ways of doing things. What kind of research and inquiry is possible? Perhaps a uni age code festival around the theme of Solar, or community peer2peer networking? These are the problems of our community how can we find new answers and approaches and conversations? Janet From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sun Jul 1 13:34:48 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 13:34:48 +1000 Subject: [LINK] CSIRO snags govt portal deal Message-ID: <7AFC2602-AC2A-4651-9530-B7FCEEB1038A@tony-barry.emu.id.au> CSIRO snags govt portal deal Jo Best, ZDNet Australia 28 June 2007 05:05 PM The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has clinched a deal with the government to help link users with federal Web services. The CSIRO will work with the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) to help citizens access e-government information and help online via the australia.gov.au portal, which receives over 500,000 visitors a month. The deal is part of the Australian Government Online Service Point (AGOSP) initiative, an AU$42.4 million which will give portal users a personalised entry point to e-government services. More at Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 1 16:33:49 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 16:03:49 +0930 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: On 7/1/07, steve jenkin wrote: > The mid-term outcome of the the CBOK should be normal managers, CIO's > and CEO's saying: > "We will *only* hire CBOK accredited IT staff". Yes it would be nice to see proposals around quality in IT which did not need to separate people into 'in' and 'out'. That approach has value for the people who are in but is more about or oriented around a judgement and an ability to pay for accreditation. If the Australian IT industry thinks this way it will be less likely for IT folk who see a person who is making an error to have a conversation around improving the task. The value is oriented around the difference and not around the collective value of us all making good choices in a technology community. It would be good to focus on social literacies of negotiated conversations in a community or workplace context which are committed to the client's best interests or an overal public interest. This means we are investing in processes and conversations which reduce the social or economic overhead of a population of people who are making mistakes. It also helps us to be more nimble at finding new ways to do things when the conversation reveals that a 'mistake' might actually be a new way of doing things well. The knowledge is not static, it is discursive, and barriers which obfuscate that dialogue are a cost and not a benefit. Paying insurance in order to polarise a community of practice seems to be a method for generating value elsewhere and not a method which would reduce risk and increase capacity long term. Australia does have a good innovative and discursive community how do we make the most of that? Alan Noble from Google spoke to me some months ago about organising an event which encourages open code in schools, technologies that kids can look under the bonnet of and develop the beginnings of interest in IT. And to think about how to encourage women in this sector. I started by talking to teachers who were interested in technology. We have been looking at Squeak which gives a gui starting point and has late binding so that you can make something and tweak variables while it runs and responds. Peter Ruwoldt at Grant High School Mt Gambier suggested the school camp at Robe. So we are thinking about a camp there in the school holidays around March 2008. At the same time I have been reading a blog by Artichoke in NZ http://artichoke.typepad.com/artichoke/ and talking to folks about the challenge of trying to look at IT in education without the specific tool leading the conversation. So I am thinking now that it might be good to do a camp where the theme is Water, and people can bring their work in progress which is some kind of open code project around the idea of water, a story, a model of flow, anything which relates to water. I am hoping this will provide an opportunity for people to look at the different approaches people take to the problem and will also make it possible to produce a CD which can be distributed to schools with open code examples and resources for looking at water as a topic. A resource which the people who weren't at the camp can still use to start a new exploration of the same ideas. Early days but perhaps this kind of event might be useful in other contexts. What kinds of events encourage people to interact with other ways of doing things. What kind of research and inquiry is possible? Perhaps a uni age code festival around the theme of Solar, or community peer2peer networking? These are the problems of our community how can we find new answers and approaches and conversations? From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 1 16:35:43 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 16:05:43 +0930 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: References: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> <4686F4D3.102@canb.auug.org.au> <468706E5.4040403@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: oops sorry for the double post. From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Sun Jul 1 18:39:38 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:39:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> In another thread, Karl wrote: > Well, duh. Why should people face that choice? Run fibre. Everywhere. > Were I of a more incendiary personality, this may have signalled a flamewar. Instead, I did some research... and because this next bit is relevant, I kept it. >> Yes, you get delay - >> but it is at least a backfill for places that simply can't get any other >> connectivity. >> > > Such places are very very few. If there's a road, there should be fibre. > If there's power or rail, there DEFINITELY should be fibre. > ...So like I said, I did some research. Looking at WA, there are places whose distance to the nearest telephone exchange is measured in *hundreds* of kilometres - but people live there. I won't put a warranty on my calculation, but the distances involved look like around 500 km - Paris to London, then turn around and come back, and do it while pulling an optical fibre through extremely inhospitable country, so as to connect communities which would fit inside a respectable city hotel and still leave room for the APEC summit... And leave lots of electronics in places that electronics don't particularly suit, and unlike the run across the Nullabour, do it in places where we don't even have transport stops to provide a semblance of civilisation for the techs that have to go out and fix things when the cables get rat-bitten or whatever (yes, it happens). I don't think it will ever happen. Moreover, someone is going to have to answer the question "what's the distance limit to public funding for fibre-to-the-whatever?" The problem is, in an air-travel and 4WD age, people really do under-estimate the scale of Australia. We forget that some people take longer to get to Perth by the best route available than you or I could fly to London. So the fibre's going to stop somewhere. Who gets to decide where? Who gets to choose the rollout schedule? Who decides that some place on the edge of the Simpson Desert just isn't worth the effort? Or is the sponsorship of "fibre everywhere" vision limited to "enough fibre to satisfy the agitators, who will then be too busy with Bittorrent to worry about some dump on the east edge of the Simpson Desert?" (And I guess there's a charge of, if not racism, at least indifference, that all participants in this debate, myself included, must at least answer: because of course the most remote places that nobody much cares about aren't full of urban whitefellas, are they?). RC From kauer at biplane.com.au Sun Jul 1 19:56:20 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:56:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Sun, 2007-07-01 at 18:39 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote: > In another thread, Karl wrote: > ...So like I said, I did some research. Looking at WA, there are places > whose distance to the nearest telephone exchange is measured in > *hundreds* of kilometres Yes - still waiting for the point here... > And leave lots of electronics in places that electronics don't > particularly suit Harden them. After doing that for a couple of years we'll know what works (if we don't already), and the same hardening can then be applied to make urban networks require less maintenance. The savings there will more than offset the initial cost. > of civilisation for the techs that have to go out and fix things when > the cables get rat-bitten or whatever (yes, it happens). Fibre-optics need, in general, a great deal less maintenance than conductive media. And if they do need maintenance once in a while, well, we go maintain them. > I don't think it will ever happen. Moreover, someone is going to have to > answer the question "what's the distance limit to public funding for > fibre-to-the-whatever?" Not a question that needs to be put if you take the simple (not simplistic) approach that where humans see fit to go on this continent. there goes the fibre too. > The problem is, in an air-travel and 4WD age, people really do > under-estimate the scale of Australia. I don't. > Who decides that some place on the edge of the Simpson Desert > just isn't worth the effort? People just love to find extreme cases and then use them to denigrate the value of the whole. If some dill-pickle decides to set up camp in the middle of the Simpson, I am not advocating that the whole of our civilisation instantly mobilise to supply the fellow with broadband connectivity. I limit my argument to "hamlets" - perhaps "settlements" would be a better word. That is, places that have endured, places with permanence, even if small. Back in the days when rail was happening, the coming of the Iron Horse converted more than one little no'ccount townlet into a place of some significance. Expect the same to happen with broadband, just without the limitations of geography. Who knows what great things may arise on the edge of the Simpson Desert? > So the fibre's going to stop somewhere. Only if the small of vision stop it. Replace every instance of "fibre" with "rail" in your message, and imagine yourself back at the start of the 19th century. The problems facing the builders and maintainers of rail included actively hostile native inhabitants, actively hostile farmers (by "actively hostile" I mean arrows and bullets), primitive tools, and distances that in an age *without* air travel and 4WD really were extremely daunting. Yet somehow a rail system was built that literally and figuratively changed the face of a nation. Was it worth it? The economics of rail (at least in the US) were those of robber barons. That was bad. It would be nice if we could avoid that. We can. Have the Government do it. Outsource it by all means, but *do it* and make sure that afterwards *we own it*. Because if we don't do this, the robber barons will, and we will be paying far, far more for it in the future than we ever dreamed possible. Regards, K. PS: Roads costs a *great deal more* than fibre per metre laid, yet hardly anyone ever questions the utility of roads, even to the smallest of outlying settlements. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 2 08:25:46 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:25:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Federal government web ads Message-ID: <20070701223429.0C1E917C3@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Australian governments seem to be making more use of web based advertising recently. Here are some federal government ones I noticed on my web site recently. The state governments also advertise, mostly to attract workers: Enrol to Vote Don't miss your chance to vote in the federal election. Enrol today! www.aec.gov.au Medicare Australia Online View & update your details online. Easy and fast. Register today! www.medicareaustralia.gov.au Australian Business Australian government programs and grants for Australian businesses. www.ausindustry.gov.au Government Grant Nsw Australian government programs and grants for Australian businesses. www.ausindustry.gov.au These use Google AdWords . The Australian Government could set up their own equivalent of this, given some of their web sites are very popular, rather than pay Google money. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 2 09:02:46 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 09:02:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> On Sun, Jul 01, 2007 at 07:56:20PM +1000, Karl Auer wrote: > On Sun, 2007-07-01 at 18:39 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote: > > In another thread, Karl wrote: > > ...So like I said, I did some research. Looking at WA, there are places > > whose distance to the nearest telephone exchange is measured in > > *hundreds* of kilometres > > Yes - still waiting for the point here... the point, since you seem so unwilling to see it on your own, is that it is absurd to spend millions (or tens of millions) running fibre optic lines to an extremely remote community of, at most, a few tens of people. it is absurd to expect that extremely remote communities should, or even CAN, have exactly the same telecommunications service as those in cities and towns. and it goes way beyond absurd, to mind-boggling lunacy, to not only expect it but to demand it. perhaps you think that every tiny remote community should also have it's own opera house, multi-million dollar art gallery, library and museum (of the same standard as those in Melbourne or Sydney, of course), cafe & restaurant district, train, bus & tram network etc etc etc just so that they have exactly the same level of service as city-dwellers? > Only if the small of vision stop it. Replace every instance of "fibre" > with "rail" in your message, and imagine yourself back at the start of would it surprise you to know that not every tiny remote community has its own train station? and that those that do, have stations much smaller than either Flinders St station, or Sydney's Central station? > PS: Roads costs a *great deal more* than fibre per metre laid, yet > hardly anyone ever questions the utility of roads, even to the smallest > of outlying settlements. most don't have what we in the city would call "roads". they have dirt tracks. hell, i own a bush block about 60km from Melbourne. the last 3 or 4 km of the "road" there is unpaved dirt...sometimes impassable, depending on recent weather and how recently it has been graded, by anything other than 4WD vehicles. i don't expect the same level of phone service there, or electricity, or town water, or piped gas, or sewerage or any of the other services that i expect in the city. i knew all that before i bought the place....i didn't want suburbia with a few more trees, i wanted a bush block with hundreds of tree-ferns, a little creek, and isolation. i have a one room shack, a couple of storage sheds ("site offices", actually - basically, lined shipping containers), some car batteries and a solar panel for lighting and a gas barbecue for cooking. craig -- craig sanders "With soap, baptism is a good thing." [Robert G. Ingersoll, "My Reviewers Reviewed" lecture in San Francisco, June 27, 1877] From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 2 09:16:08 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 09:16:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Federal government web ads In-Reply-To: <20070701223429.0C1E917C3@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> References: <20070701223429.0C1E917C3@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <20070701231608.GF7189@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 08:25:46AM +1000, Tom Worthington wrote: > These use Google AdWords > . The Australian > Government could set up their own equivalent of this, given some of > their web sites are very popular, rather than pay Google money. why? the point of the ads is to direct traffic TO the government sites. not much point advertising to people already there. or are you suggesting that .gov.au sites should run commercial advertising? that's just plain wrong. sure, the government could run it's own banner-ad program so that .gov.au sites could advertise OTHER government sites....but it would be unlikely to be anything better than random placement, not context-sensitive like google adwords (admittedly, random banners may be good enough for the job at hand). that would be OK if it worked, it's not such a bad idea. but, given the amazing ignorance within government about the web and how the web works, i really can't see it working. these are sites run by people who STILL don't understand the difference between relative and absolute URLs, nor get the fact that file:// URLs can't actually be seen by J. Random User on the internet (but it looks fine to the web designer because their workstation has access to the file URL, so it must be OK, right?). and worse, by organisations who spend many millions of dollars on crappy web sites by over-priced consulting firms that don't work (or perform or look) anywhere near as well as sites by smaller, clued-up companies and individuals for a tiny fraction of the cost. craig -- craig sanders From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 2 09:14:04 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:14:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <4688353C.3050505@ramin.com.au> Karl Auer wrote: > On Sun, 2007-07-01 at 18:39 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote: >> In another thread, Karl wrote: >> ...So like I said, I did some research. Looking at WA, there are places >> whose distance to the nearest telephone exchange is measured in >> *hundreds* of kilometres > > Yes - still waiting for the point here... ...and mine iron ore there. WA is a special case....there is probably a good connection to the Pilbara (where there is iron ore mining) but not as good access to the Kimberleys further north, where I think the Ord river Dam supports cotton farming and they are promoting tourism. It is also worth bearing in mind that the mining companies fly people in and out. These people live in Perth and work in Kalgoorlie and Tom Price. The statistic for WA is 1million people in 1million sq miles or sq kms, who all live in Perth. > >> And leave lots of electronics in places that electronics don't >> particularly suit > > Harden them. After doing that for a couple of years we'll know what > works (if we don't already), and the same hardening can then be applied > to make urban networks require less maintenance. The savings there will > more than offset the initial cost. But presumeably we do need and have cables to be able to have a realtime telephone conversation between sydney and perth or Melbourne and Mt Tom Price on a mobile or a fixed line. > >> of civilisation for the techs that have to go out and fix things when >> the cables get rat-bitten or whatever (yes, it happens). > > Fibre-optics need, in general, a great deal less maintenance than > conductive media. And if they do need maintenance once in a while, well, > we go maintain them. > It is needed, but where should we apply it? I have now had two conversations with inner city dwellers who say they have given up trying to get their cable broadband to work! Both were sick of dealing with the techos... What is support going to be like in remote locations. >> I don't think it will ever happen. Moreover, someone is going to have to >> answer the question "what's the distance limit to public funding for >> fibre-to-the-whatever?" > > Not a question that needs to be put if you take the simple (not > simplistic) approach that where humans see fit to go on this continent. > there goes the fibre too. > >> The problem is, in an air-travel and 4WD age, people really do >> under-estimate the scale of Australia. > > I don't. > >> Who decides that some place on the edge of the Simpson Desert >> just isn't worth the effort? > > People just love to find extreme cases and then use them to denigrate > the value of the whole. > > If some dill-pickle decides to set up camp in the middle of the Simpson, > I am not advocating that the whole of our civilisation instantly > mobilise to supply the fellow with broadband connectivity. I limit my > argument to "hamlets" - perhaps "settlements" would be a better word. > That is, places that have endured, places with permanence, even if > small. > > Back in the days when rail was happening, the coming of the Iron Horse > converted more than one little no'ccount townlet into a place of some > significance. Expect the same to happen with broadband, just without the > limitations of geography. > > Who knows what great things may arise on the edge of the Simpson Desert? > >> So the fibre's going to stop somewhere. > > Only if the small of vision stop it. Replace every instance of "fibre" > with "rail" in your message, and imagine yourself back at the start of > the 19th century. The problems facing the builders and maintainers of > rail included actively hostile native inhabitants, actively hostile > farmers (by "actively hostile" I mean arrows and bullets), primitive > tools, and distances that in an age *without* air travel and 4WD really > were extremely daunting. Yet somehow a rail system was built that > literally and figuratively changed the face of a nation. Was it worth > it? > > The economics of rail (at least in the US) were those of robber barons. > That was bad. It would be nice if we could avoid that. We can. Have the > Government do it. Outsource it by all means, but *do it* and make sure > that afterwards *we own it*. Because if we don't do this, the robber > barons will, and we will be paying far, far more for it in the future > than we ever dreamed possible. > > Regards, K. > > PS: Roads costs a *great deal more* than fibre per metre laid, yet > hardly anyone ever questions the utility of roads, even to the smallest > of outlying settlements. > > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From kauer at biplane.com.au Mon Jul 2 09:20:35 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:20:35 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4688353C.3050505@ramin.com.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4688353C.3050505@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <1183332035.2346.142.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 09:14 +1000, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > I have now had two conversations with inner city dwellers who say they have > given up trying to get their cable broadband to work! Both were sick of dealing > with the techos... Let me guess - private enterprise cable companies, with no driver beyond the bottom line. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From kauer at biplane.com.au Mon Jul 2 09:37:14 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:37:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 09:02 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > the point, since you seem so unwilling to see it on your own, is that > it is absurd to spend millions (or tens of millions) running fibre > optic lines to an extremely remote community of, at most, a few tens of > people. Craig (and others), this is the point on which we disagree. Disagreement is not the same as failing to understand an argument. I do see, most clearly, that some people regard distance (and distance=cost) as a knock-down, I-win, -we-can-all-go-home argument. I don't. I think that the eventual benefits will almost certainly (yes, *almost* certainly) outweigh the disadvantages and the recoup the initial costs many, many times over. I base this belief on the experience of the railroad, the telephone, the roads system. > it is absurd to expect that extremely remote communities should, or even > CAN, have exactly the same telecommunications service as those in cities > and towns. You can state this as often as you want, Craig. It doesn't make it true. I don't consider that expectation absurd. Certainly they *can*, the only remaining point is the "should" bit. > and it goes way beyond absurd, to mind-boggling lunacy, to not only > expect it but to demand it. Again, saying it doesn't make it true. I've already given examples of extremely cost effective (in the long run) projects that faced much higher real costs and far more onerous obstacles. They had people shouting about how absurd they were, too. > perhaps you think that every tiny remote community should also have it's > own opera house, multi-million dollar art gallery, library and museum > (of the same standard as those in Melbourne or Sydney, of course), cafe > & restaurant district, train, bus & tram network etc etc etc just so > that they have exactly the same level of service as city-dwellers? Not at all. But putting good broadband into those communities may well the very basis for changes, markets and economic growth in those areas that lead one day to those areas having such things. Who knows? What I do maintain, very strongly, is that at very least getting broadband into remote areas will change our cities for the better by encouraging skilled, non-agricultural development to move out of the cities. > would it surprise you to know that not every tiny remote community has its > own train station? Of course not. At some point every analogy breaks down. Rail is WAY more expensive than fibre. And these days, way less valuable. > > PS: Roads costs a *great deal more* than fibre per metre laid, yet > > hardly anyone ever questions the utility of roads, even to the smallest > > of outlying settlements. > > most don't have what we in the city would call "roads". they have dirt > tracks. Plenty of places have very nice asphalt roads, 100kph speed limits etc, but no broadband at all. Get fibre to everywhere that has a 100kph speed limited road running to it, that would be a good start. > hell, i own a bush block about 60km from Melbourne. [etc] Good for you. Enjoy the isolation. This has exactly what relevance to the discussion...? Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 2 10:11:32 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:11:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <61fgq6$3935kg@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> At 09:37 AM 2/07/2007, Karl Auer wrote: >Not at all. But putting good broadband into those communities may well >the very basis for changes, markets and economic growth in those areas >that lead one day to those areas having such things. Who knows? What I >do maintain, very strongly, is that at very least getting broadband into >remote areas will change our cities for the better by encouraging >skilled, non-agricultural development to move out of the cities. I can somewhat buy this, but not completely. Adding highspeed broadband, or even lowspeed, may not be the catalyst for Positive change that these communities need at all. Communities must examine their situations holistically. If you added an attractive communications system -- ie build it and they will come -- are the other infrastructure elements also going to be available/provided? Are there sustainability limits? Is there enough water? electricity? housing? schools? healthcare? Or are many places in a stasis where those things are balanced based on the physical limits? Sort of like the current Howard Folly of sending in the troopers for six months and then walking away after the election. So, the kids and parents are punished through withholding of welfare benefits (possibly/probably their ONLY income) because kiddies don't go to schools. Oh, the schools don't exist? Too bad. State/territory problem. sounds of hand washing. How about some consideration of priorities before putting the money into white elephants? Jan PS: I'm being a bit provocative here, but with a serious mention of rational consideration of the use of public funds. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 2 10:24:45 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:24:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183332035.2346.142.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4688353C.3050505@ramin.com.au> <1183332035.2346.142.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <468845CD.20303@ramin.com.au> Karl Auer wrote: > On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 09:14 +1000, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >> I have now had two conversations with inner city dwellers who say they have >> given up trying to get their cable broadband to work! Both were sick of dealing >> with the techos... > > Let me guess - private enterprise cable companies, with no driver beyond > the bottom line. > Well actually one of these people was being provided Access by an inner sydney local government council, until she eventually got sick of them always being in her house and the thing not working!!!. Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 2 10:51:42 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 10:51:42 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags Message-ID: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070628-ama-says-human-rfid-tags-could-pose-serious-privacy-risk.html AMA says human RFID tags could pose serious privacy risk By John Timmer | Published: June 28, 2007 - 12:02PM CT RFID tags operate over short distances to provide a scanner with basic information about whatever item they're attached to. This is being used commercially to both identify pricing details at retail and to allow users to simply wave credit cards in front of appropriately-configured readers in order to pay for them. But RFID has also moved into the realm of providing personal information; the US is making RFID-enabled passports, and the FDA approved human RFID implants back in 2004. Given the medical and privacy issues associated with human RFID tagging, the American Medical Association called for an evaluation (.doc) of their implications; the resulting report is now available (.doc). The report makes a distinction between two types of RFID tags. Passive tags have no power source and store information in read-only form; the scanner provides them with enough power to transmit basic information. Active RFID tags contain an internal battery, allowing them to store more sophisticated information, process data, and transmit over longer distances. Currently, only passive tags are approved for human use, but there's no reason to think that current limitations will stand indefinitely. The passive tags are currently used for patients with chronic diseases that may require rapid medical intervention. The report cites examples such as coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, or seizure disorder. It also notes that tags are being used to identify patients with internal medical devices, such as pacemakers or replacement joints. Because of privacy concerns, these RFID devices only transmit a unique identification code; that code can be matched with records to provide information such as current medication lists and past diagnostic test results. Of course, all of this only works when the patient is being treated by someone with access to appropriately stored medical records, something which is hardly guaranteed. The report suggests that there are very few concerns regarding medical implications with RFID tags. The implantation procedure takes less than a minute and involves nothing more than a needle. Although there have been problems with the tags migrating away from their implantation site, it should be possible to design them so that they become encapsulated by the target tissue. There are some concerns regarding possible interference with medical imaging and other medical electronics, but the report does not cite instances of these actually occurring. With nothing of medical significance to worry about, the report's biggest concern is patient privacy. It emphasizes the need for informed consent in patients receiving these devices, noting that doctors "cannot assure patients that the personal information contained on RFID tags will be appropriately protected." It calls for continual monitoring of the health benefits and privacy problems with current and future devices, noting that "if objective evidence demonstrates negative consequences that outweigh the benefits in relation to health care, the medical profession will bear an important responsibility to oppose the use of RFID labeling in humans." Future tags with more sophisticated capabilities may have greater potential for abuse, and the report suggests these are not a matter of if, but when. It also notes disturbing uses for current-generation tags, such as enforcing a sort of permanent house arrest analogous to the RFID-based ankle bracelet systems currently in use. Requiring a medical professional to insert RFID tags for this purpose would place practitioners in a bad ethical position. The report's call for further studies may seem like dodging the issue, but it is appropriate given the state of the art. In their current form, RFID tags do nothing more than provide a patient identifier that can be linked to their computerized records; in effect, this shifts the security burden onto whoever maintains those records. But the field looks poised to change rapidly, meaning that if it wants to stay on top of the situation, the AMA will have to act more quickly than the three-year gap between FDA approval of RFID tags and this report. Related Stories * The RFID Guardian: a firewall for your tags * RFID being tapped to stifle exam cheaters * RFID security act passed by California senate again -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 2 11:16:50 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 11:16:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 09:37:14AM +1000, Karl Auer wrote: > On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 09:02 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > > it is absurd to expect that extremely remote communities should, or > > even CAN, have exactly the same telecommunications service as those > > in cities and towns. > > You can state this as often as you want, Craig. It doesn't make it > true. the statement doesn't make it true. it is, however, still true. > I don't consider that expectation absurd. yes, well that's obvious. > > perhaps you think that every tiny remote community should also have > > it's own opera house, multi-million dollar art gallery, library and > > museum (of the same standard as those in Melbourne or Sydney, of > > course), cafe & restaurant district, train, bus & tram network etc > > etc etc just so that they have exactly the same level of service as > > city-dwellers? > > Not at all. so why is broadband so much more important than all these other services? why is it more important than healthcare? or education? > But putting good broadband into those communities may well > the very basis for changes, markets and economic growth in those areas > that lead one day to those areas having such things. Who knows? What I rubbish. what use is broadband when there are no other services, no other infrastructure? installing broadband will not magically fix all the other problems associated with living in remote, isolated areas. it doesn't even contribute to solving the problems. if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather have a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement over the nothing they have now. there are far more important things that should be provided before broadband. > do maintain, very strongly, is that at very least getting broadband > into remote areas will change our cities for the better by encouraging > skilled, non-agricultural development to move out of the cities. broadband is not a magic wand. no amount of broadband is going to encourage large numbers of tech & other skilled workers to move to the middle of nowhere, with no doctors, no hospitals, no cafes, no restaurants, no cinema, no shops, and NO JOBS! - in short, nothing but desert and rocks and the occasional tree. regional cities & towns, sure. people might move there. and there's the population density to justify broadband (and, more importantly, many other services). rather than waste millions getting fibre-optic cable to a community of half a dozen people, spend it on upgrading infrastructure in regional towns and cities to make them more attractive places to live for those in the capital cities. > > would it surprise you to know that not every tiny remote community > > has its own train station? > > Of course not. At some point every analogy breaks down. Rail is WAY > more expensive than fibre. And these days, way less valuable. far less valuable only if you live in some alternative universe where goods and people and real physical world (i.e. not just information) services can be transported over fibre optic cables. > > > PS: Roads costs a *great deal more* than fibre per metre laid, yet > > > hardly anyone ever questions the utility of roads, even to the > > > smallest of outlying settlements. > > > > most don't have what we in the city would call "roads". they have > > dirt tracks. > > Plenty of places have very nice asphalt roads, 100kph speed limits > etc, but no broadband at all. Get fibre to everywhere that has a > 100kph speed limited road running to it, that would be a good start. and no people, either. there's a lot of empty road in this country. we will NEVER have the kind of decentralised small-town society that america has. partly because of geography (heading off into the unknown would see you dying of thirst), and partly due to history (we were settled several hundred years AFTER america) australian geography is not like, e.g., america. the majority of the land is pretty much uninhabitable desert. most of the rest is just this side of arid wasteland (where long-standing govt programs do lunatic things like irrigating to grow cotton and rice. rice! FFS! in the desert! originally vote-buying welfare for the farmers, now corporate welfare for giant agribusiness companies). there's only a narrow strip around most of the coast that is actually pleasant to live in. > > hell, i own a bush block about 60km from Melbourne. [etc] > > Good for you. Enjoy the isolation. This has exactly what relevance to > the discussion...? it should be obvious. it would be obvious if you didn't filter out any information that has the potential to undermine your broadband-is-the-magic-cure-for-everything viewpoint. but here it is for you: the fact that there are dirt roads (and other infrastructure/service levels way below city standards) even 60km from a major city....because there isn't the population density to justify the kind of spending it would take to provide the same level of service. and that's with a population density 10s or 100s of times greater than in really remote communities. craig -- craig sanders From eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au Mon Jul 2 11:39:29 2007 From: eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au (Eric Scheid) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:39:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather have > a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement over the > nothing they have now. and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? ;-) From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 2 11:48:29 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:48:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <4688596D.5090206@ramin.com.au> Craig Sanders wrote: > broadband is not a magic wand. > > no amount of broadband is going to encourage large numbers of tech & > other skilled workers to move to the middle of nowhere, with no doctors, > no hospitals, no cafes, no restaurants, no cinema, no shops, and NO > JOBS! - in short, nothing but desert and rocks and the occasional tree. > > regional cities & towns, sure. people might move there. and there's the > population density to justify broadband (and, more importantly, many > other services). > > rather than waste millions getting fibre-optic cable to a community of > half a dozen people, spend it on upgrading infrastructure in regional > towns and cities to make them more attractive places to live for those > in the capital cities. > Craig, While I agree with you, and disagree with Karl, about fibre wiring the continent. Though you haven't used the phrase, I disagree with your implication about the value of Communications/Internet access. The Internet does provide valuable education/information benefits to remote and city communities (eg school of the air - based out of Alice Springs, flexible tertiary and vocational training options). It is just fibre is not on the critical path. Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From kauer at biplane.com.au Mon Jul 2 12:15:28 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:15:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <1183342528.2346.238.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 11:16 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > the statement doesn't make it true. it is, however, still true. Of course you believe that to be so. That's OK - it's called "disagreement". > so why is broadband so much more important than all these other > services? why is it more important than healthcare? or education? I don't consider it more important than those things. I do however, thing that it is (or will be if it is not already) a major enabler of those things, both directly and indirectly. Directly because broadband connectivity supports activities in health care and education, indirectly because good connectivity removes a barrier to individuals and businesses setting up in those areas, even when their actual businesses or jobs are far away. If there was no broadband here where I live, I would not be here, it is that simple. My work is in Switzerland and in Canberra. There are plenty of people like me right now; the future will bring many, many more. > rubbish. what use is broadband when there are no other services, no > other infrastructure? installing broadband will not magically fix all > the other problems associated with living in remote, isolated areas. it > doesn't even contribute to solving the problems. I don't believe for a second that broadband will help all the problems of isolated communities. Nor have I ever said so. But it can most certainly contribute to solving some of them - for a start, isolation is both a physical thing and a communications thing. Broadband addresses a big part of the communications aspect of isolation, and (for some kinds of work) even some of the physical ones. As to "other infrastructure", I don't get your point there. People don't need much "other infrastructure" to make good use of the phone. In what way is broadband different? If poverty (rather than isolation alone) is a problem, then I concede that money is better spent directly addressing those issues. Even there I would note that one way to address poverty is by making sure that people have opportunity, and broadband offers opportunity. > broadband is not a magic wand. > no amount of broadband is going to encourage large numbers of tech & > other skilled workers to move to the middle of nowhere, with no doctors, > no hospitals, no cafes, no restaurants, no cinema, no shops, and NO > JOBS! - in short, nothing but desert and rocks and the occasional tree. I said nothing about magic wands or large numbers, Craig, O master of the straw man. One doctor. One nurse. One teacher. Each a beginning. Large trees from tiny acorns grow, but not if there's no soil. Broadband can make an otherwise unattractive place workable, both for individuals and for businesses. It can provide new ways of doing things and new opportunities. Many modern jobs can be done wherever there is connectivity. It's not a magic wand, just something worth having, and worth having (almost) everywhere. > rather than waste millions getting fibre-optic cable to a community of > half a dozen people, spend it on upgrading infrastructure in regional > towns and cities to make them more attractive places to live for those > in the capital cities. Make more big cities? No thanks. Make lots of very small ones. Much better. > [rail is] > far less valuable only if you live in some alternative universe where > goods and people and real physical world (i.e. not just information) > services can be transported over fibre optic cables. It depends, I suppose, on how you define "valuable". How valuable is news that's less than a week old? How valuable is Internet access to a small school? To a remote-learning family? How valuable is...? And so on. And that's just the personal/community benefits. In business terms, I know that Internet access is a zillion times more valuable to me personally than a rail line past my door. In past times, when I might have been manufacturing something physical, or might have needed to go to work, I may have needed a railway line. Now I need Internet access to deliver my products and also for the "raw materials". There are many, many businesses and individuals who trade in information, and who would love to be somewhere where the rents are low and the land cheap. > welfare for giant agribusiness companies). there's only a narrow strip > around most of the coast that is actually pleasant to live in. Yes, much easier to get cable to than those nasty deserts. Bonus! > it should be obvious. it would be obvious if you didn't filter out any > information that has the potential to undermine your > broadband-is-the-magic-cure-for-everything viewpoint. Another straw man, Craig. I'm not saying that. Exaggeration for effect is all very well, but no words in my mouth please. > the fact that there are dirt roads (and other infrastructure/service > levels way below city standards) even 60km from a major city....because > there isn't the population density to justify the kind of spending it > would take to provide the same level of service. and that's with a > population density 10s or 100s of times greater than in really remote > communities. There is this basic assumption that you and others make, automatically and as far as I can tell without any thought at all: That it is population density that justifies the provision of services. Instead of focussing on whether a settlement is remote or otherwise, dense or otherwise, just ask "would this settlement benefit from having broadband"? It may also need a decent road, a hospital, a school or whatever; but forget for the moment the issue of "competing" needs. Just ask the question and see what answer you get. The provision of services depends on political will. ONLY on political will. Political will is usually expressed in terms of money only when the will is lacking. Money only matters when people DON'T want to do something. For proof of this you need look no further than military spending, a Presidential visit, or even just an election. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From rick at praxis.com.au Mon Jul 2 12:26:21 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:26:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email Message-ID: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Linkers, I have been receiving two or three emails per days for months now that contain a ZIP file attachment. I presume that this email exploits known holes in older version of WinZip and PKZIP (and perhaps GNU's unzip) that give full access to the victim's machine. Now I am seeing a similar number of emails with a PDF attachment. Google turns up some mild PDF threats dated 2001. Does anyone know if either of these emails are attacks, and if so what the attack vector actually is? I am curious about this since a PDF or ZIP vulnerability could easily be exploited on any platform, not just Windows, and believe me Apple has had its share of security updates in this area. Of course, one would have to actually open the ZIP or PDF attachment to become infected, but, hey, there are enough gullible suckers out there, aren't there? But the effect of such an attack on Mac OS X or Linux would be somewhat mitigated since the user is not (should not be) running as the super user or Administrator. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 2 12:45:03 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 12:45:03 +1000 Subject: RFI: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: At 12:26 +1000 2/7/07, Rick Welykochy wrote: >I have been receiving two or three emails per days for months now >that contain a ZIP file attachment. ... >Now I am seeing a similar number of emails with a PDF attachment. ... I've always assumed that: (1) the squillions of .zip attachments to spam (and the recent trickle of .pdf attachments) contain .exe content mis-labelled; and (2) those machines with settings that allow auto-invocation of attachments process them based on what they contain, rather than on what the suffix says they're supposed to contain. But, in my ignorance and laziness, I've never actually checked how the various (mal)configured Windows environments actually work. From what Rick's saying, have I been wrong? i.e. does the suffix actually determine what Windows environments do with incoming attachments? -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From rick at praxis.com.au Mon Jul 2 12:59:15 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:59:15 +1000 Subject: RFI: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <46886A03.7050006@praxis.com.au> Roger Clarke wrote: > I've always assumed that: > (1) the squillions of .zip attachments to spam (and the recent trickle > of .pdf attachments) contain .exe content mis-labelled; and > (2) those machines with settings that allow auto-invocation of > attachments process them based on what they contain, rather > than on what the suffix says they're supposed to contain. > > But, in my ignorance and laziness, I've never actually checked how the > various (mal)configured Windows environments actually work. > > From what Rick's saying, have I been wrong? i.e. does the suffix > actually determine what Windows environments do with incoming attachments? Ah, I hadn't even pursued that line of thought. This is how the filename extension scam works on Windows (NO OTHER OS has this problem!) By default, Windows is configured as follows: DO NOT SHOW FILENAME EXTENSIONS. Thus, if a file named rick.zip.exe is sent to me, I will see rick.zip. When I double-click or let Windows auto-open, it will indeed RUN AN EXECUTABLE. This is a very old style of exploit that sadly still works on millions of Windows boxes. It is an example of "ease of use" causing a huge problem once Windows migrated to a networked environment. Repeat after me: Windows never was and never will be suitable for use on an open and hostile public network. That said, in the case of the PDF and ZIP emails I am talking about, the files are actually PDF and ZIPs respectively. Example: $ file rick at praxis.com.au.zip rick at praxis.com.au.zip: Zip archive data, at least v1.0 to extract $ file Invoice_d241674c10.pdf Invoice_d241674c10.pdf: PDF document, version 1.3 I am disinclined to open either file, although they do appear to be what they advertise. There is a (remote) possibility that either of these file exploits known vulnerabilities in ZIP and PDF handling on any OS. cheers rick -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From matthew at sorbs.net Mon Jul 2 13:21:58 2007 From: matthew at sorbs.net (Matthew Sullivan) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:21:58 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <46886F56.5020707@sorbs.net> Rick Welykochy wrote: > > Now I am seeing a similar number of emails with a PDF attachment. > Google turns up some mild PDF threats dated 2001. > > Does anyone know if either of these emails are attacks, and if so > what the attack vector actually is? No attack vector though there is some speculation about embedded javascript. Currently it appears to be just another method of sending spam, most companies will not filter PDF files or weight them as spam (and probably rightly so). The randomisation in the name is the usual "let's make them all different" tactic. Regards, Mat From mail at ecommercereport.com.au Mon Jul 2 15:01:51 2007 From: mail at ecommercereport.com.au (Stewart Carter) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:01:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Federal government web ads Message-ID: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Dear Linkers, Tomw recently pointed out that Australian government agencies seem to be spending a lot more at Google Adwords these days. He suggested "the Australian Government could set up their own equivalent of this, given some of their web sites are very popular". I don't have any problem with that. But I do have some issues with Google Adwords, and particularly the question of how much it costs to advertise on popular keywords. Its becoming incredibly expensive. Last week the minimum bid to get an ad activated for the keyword Facebook at google.com.au was $6.50 per click. Of course, Google.com.au probably won't actually display your ad alongside Facebook searches if you've only bid $6.50 You'd need to bid a lot more per click to get your ad in the top 1-3. Does anyone know of any public source of information on the price of individual keywords for Google Adwords? Stewart Carter eCommerce Report www.ecommercereport.com.au Ph 0433 142 419 Fax 0433 142 420 mail at ecommercereport.com.au Skype: hscarter Note: If you'd prefer not to receive further emails from us please send a return email with the words delete or remove in the subject header or body of the email. From lealink at viking.org.au Mon Jul 2 15:17:45 2007 From: lealink at viking.org.au (Lea de Groot) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 15:17:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Federal government web ads In-Reply-To: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> References: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Message-ID: <20070702151745074470.93670c1c@viking.org.au> On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:01:51 +1000, Stewart Carter wrote: > Its becoming incredibly expensive. Last week the minimum bid to get > an ad activated for > the keyword Facebook at google.com.au was $6.50 per click. Overall I haven't found that adwords are costing more with time - but the quality changes a while back can mean that prices for some people go up. Google's Keyword Tool at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal doesn't indicate any such price, and I've found it is usally fairly accurate (although I've never worked on that family of keywords) (Put in the keyword, choose pricing and position from the dropdown and tell it you are willing to spend way more than any sensible peron would) Maybe you need to look at your Quality Score? :( Serices such as googspy.com may also be able to give you some details HIH Lea -- Lea de Groot Brisbane From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 2 14:50:27 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 14:50:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The YouTube effect: HTTP traffic now eclipses P2P Message-ID: [Comments embedded] The YouTube effect: HTTP traffic now eclipses P2P By Nate Anderson | Published: June 19, 2007 - 09:46AM CT http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070619-the-youtube-effect-http-traffic-now-eclipses-p2p.html In the Internet traffic race, P2P used to be way out in front. For years, P2P traffic eclipsed HTTP traffic as broadband users slurped down music and movies, some of which were actually legal. But P2P fell behind this year; for the first time in four years, HTTP traffic is out in front. Ellacoya Networks, makers of deep packet inspection gear for carriers, has pulled together some statistics on one million broadband users in North America, and its findings show that HTTP traffic accounts for 46 percent of all broadband traffic. P2P applications now account for only 37 percent. [If the work was done from the perspective of 'carriers' - which I would see as an overlapping set with 'IAPs' - then the analysis is of backbone traffic; and I imagine there's still a lot of traffic on US backbones that is for non-US users. Why then does the discussion switch in mid-sentence from 'carriers' to 'one million broadband users'?] Chalk it up to YouTube and other Internet video sharing sites. The surge in HTTP traffic is largely a surge in the use of streaming media, mostly video. Breaking down the HTTP traffic, Ellacoya says that only 45 percent is used to pull down traditional web pages with text and images. The rest is mostly made up of streaming video (36 percent) and streaming audio (five percent). YouTube alone has grown so big that it now accounts for 20 percent of all HTTP traffic, or more than half of all HTTP streaming video. Looking over all the numbers, one of the most surprising result is the continued success of NNTP (newsgroups) traffic, which still accounts for nine percent of the total. Clearly, newsgroup discussions (and, ahem, binaries) are still big business. The data may provide some ammunition for companies that favor traffic shaping on their networks. Between P2P, newsgroups, and streaming HTTP video traffic, the vast majority of Internet traffic is non-critical (i.e., no one's going to die or lose $20 million if they don't download a YouTube clip or a new song in under a minute). [I think we need to explain to the author something about Australian broadband politics. That's *all* it's about here, isn't it?? Stop it Roger, or you'll get the temperature and the noise-level up again!] Networks that want to ensure priority transmission of VoIP calls, traditional HTTP web browsing, medical imaging, etc., have a strong incentive to throttle back that flood of non-critical traffic when the network is experiencing heavy loads. That could bring them into conflict with proponents of strict network neutrality, though, who don't want to see any sort of packet prioritization. [Without having participated in that debate, my sense of it was that the wish for network neutrality and not favouring some streams over others was because of the (huge) risk of bias both being unfairly implemented, and opening the way for even nastier forms of favour/disfavour (read censorhip).] -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 2 16:19:56 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:19:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Remote communities and cable! Message-ID: <4688990C.9030804@ramin.com.au> > Until the early 1930s, the town?s official name was Stuart. Alice Springs was the name given to the Telegraph Station, the site of original white settlement in Central Australia. -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From stephen at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 2 16:55:59 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:55:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <20070702065235.E885864018@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 11:39 AM 2/07/2007, Eric writes: > On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > >> if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather have >> a hospital or a doctor .. even a nurse would be an improvement over >> the nothing they have now. > > ..and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? ;-) Agreed .. and what about tele-education? For example, today the Victorian Info-Tech Teachers Association (VITTA) write: "The SiMERR project is a national project that seeks to explore ways in which professional development materials can be distributed to rural and regional areas. Our focus, VCE programming.. The web site: At this site, you will find six VB.Net Express Edition tutorials and their solutions ? I am (also) in the process of creating multimedia presentations working through each of the programs step by step. These presentations are large in size but can be downloaded & placed on your school network for your students to access." And this VITTA computer-programming student resource is just today. Anyone ever tried Blackboard over a dial-up account? As text books become rare what chance a small school in upper WA will have such programming edu resources? And why should our multi-million indigenous-art creators need to rely on the trendy gallery owners of Toorak and Double Bay to sell their works, at 80% commissions? There's gold in them thar hills .. both intellectually and materially... and broadband is the key. Dial-up is too slow, satellite is too flakey (even in country Vic) so what's left? Agreed satellite may need to replace the School of the Air for single out-back stations otherwise imho Link should assert where there's phone & power there should be cable. Cheers people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 2 18:20:07 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:20:07 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <200707020826.l628QlYg006786@ah.net> I can't say if the ZIP exploits a problem in WinZip, that just seems weird to me. I do know that the files are either 29KB or 79KB in size. I haven't looked at them, simply because I haven't had time in the last 8 years to really give them any attention. I don't open zip files unless they are sent by FTP :) I've not see any PDF files. But again, unless I know the sender and have requested the file, it's going to get trashed. The only PDF's I get are scritps anyway. At 12:26 PM 2/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >Linkers, > >I have been receiving two or three emails per days for months now >that contain a ZIP file attachment. I presume that this email exploits >known holes in older version of WinZip and PKZIP (and perhaps GNU's unzip) >that give full access to the victim's machine. From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Mon Jul 2 18:29:59 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:29:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4688B787.7070806@ozemail.com.au> Eric Scheid wrote: > On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > > >> if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather have >> a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement over the >> nothing they have now. >> > > and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? > Ok, I'll try to catch the ball and toss it back. One thing we can do is separate the components, so to speak. I'm going to put two statements which I think can be accepted by most people. 1) Satellite is a mature and stable point-to-point technology; but 2) Satellite is not great for interactive Internet applications. Well: satellite is already in use for telemedicine and tele-education. So by saying "some places won't see fibre anytime soon" I am *not* saying "no advanced applications". They exist and are used (and are funded but not as well as they could be). See: http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/ for a School of the Air example. Telemedicine seems very decentralised, so I can't quickly find a directory of live apps. My point is that while Internet delivery may improve these applications, it is not indivisible from them. In the case of telemedicine, I would argue that at least in diagnostic applications, the "best case" is a high-capacity clear channel link, not an Internet service ... but that's a digression. What I'm getting at is that you get a better result if you define requirements before you build the system. Boring and pragmatic and visionless it may be, but saying "what are the requirements?" might actually get somewhere for the far-distant outstations and aboriginal communities in a reasonable timeframe. RC > ;-) > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 2 20:16:46 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 20:16:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 11:39:29AM +1000, Eric Scheid wrote: > On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > > > if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather > > have a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement > > over the nothing they have now. > > and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele-operated devices became good enough to be useful for general surgery, it would require a huge investment in the required equipment....and that just isn't going to happen in a tiny remote community, any more than the govt. is going to build a fully equipped hospital in a tiny remote community. craig -- craig sanders BOFH excuse #260: We're upgrading /dev/null From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 2 20:24:38 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 20:24:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 12:26:21PM +1000, Rick Welykochy wrote: > I have been receiving two or three emails per days for months now > that contain a ZIP file attachment. I presume that this email exploits > known holes in older version of WinZip and PKZIP (and perhaps GNU's unzip) > that give full access to the victim's machine. > > Now I am seeing a similar number of emails with a PDF attachment. > Google turns up some mild PDF threats dated 2001. > > Does anyone know if either of these emails are attacks, and if so > what the attack vector actually is? zip files, especially password protected ones, are likely to be viruses. they're pw-protected so that anti-virus scanners can't open and scan them. it's a social-engineering attack, relying on stupid users to follow the instructions in the email. PDFs could be a virus or trojan, or they could be spam. image-spammers (mostly pump-and-dump stock-market scammers, and pill spammers) have moved on from gif and jpg, and are now using PDF files. craig -- craig sanders The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented hell. -- Bertrand Russell From lucychili at gmail.com Mon Jul 2 21:50:19 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 21:20:19 +0930 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: On 7/2/07, Craig Sanders wrote: > > and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? > > not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or > any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right > now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. > > not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele-operated devices > became good enough to be useful for general surgery, it would require a > huge investment in the required equipment....and that just isn't going > to happen in a tiny remote community, any more than the govt. is going > to build a fully equipped hospital in a tiny remote community. > > craig No it isn't as good as on site services but is the solution being used in many areas already because we choose not to provide on site infrastructure to regional areas. We have had railways, railway stations and hospitals to many of the regional areas which we have chosen not to maintain. Funding for infrastructure seems to be done on a catalyst basis where the initial launch of a connection is funded and then the infrastructure is not supported, this despite how useful it is for tourists, travelling safely in outback areas, for trade and education. Karl is right that there does not seem to be even a modest goal which we do aspire to for the public good it feels very much more oriented around promotional opportunities and military or multinational groups. Perhaps there is insufficient bling in national housework. Janet From kheitman at kheitman.com Mon Jul 2 22:13:20 2007 From: kheitman at kheitman.com (Kimberley Heitman) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 20:13:20 +0800 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <001401c7bca2$61fe2d40$0301a8c0@DellBox> >PDFs could be a virus or trojan, or they could be spam. image-spammers >(mostly pump-and-dump stock-market scammers, and pill spammers) have >moved on from gif and jpg, and are now using PDF files. > >craig Hmm. Does that mean they have an encoded identifier? From kauer at biplane.com.au Mon Jul 2 22:26:29 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 22:26:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <1183379190.2346.296.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 20:16 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 11:39:29AM +1000, Eric Scheid wrote: > > and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? > > not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or > any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right > now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. There are lots of different types of "telemedecine". One type supports a medical professional with the expertise, offered remotely, of other medical professionals. The high-tech equivalent of a phone call to a colleague in the city, but with high-definition pictures of the problem and so on. Even a non-professional could be made far more useful with such a hookup. Needs pretty good bandwidth to be useful at all though. The whole point of such systems is that they *are* "right now". Even though they are no substitute for a real medico in the right place at the right time, they are a lot better than nothing, and they increase the "reach" of an ordinary doctor, an ordinary paramedic or (worst case) even a lay person enormously. > not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele-operated devices > became good enough to be useful for general surgery, it would require a > huge investment in the required equipment I think such equipment is still a long way off in a general sense anyway, though some hyper-specialised machinery is now available. And hugely expensive, as you say. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 3 01:44:06 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 15:44:06 GMT Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? Message-ID: <20070702154406.6422916D84@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> At 09:50 PM 2/07/2007, Janet writes: > .. Perhaps there is insufficient bling in national housework. Janet Fat broadband for 'every' school, nationwide, is 'essential' housework: At 10:55 PM 2/07/2007, (a local school teaching colleague) writes: > At Hawkesdale p12 College we used video conferencing for several years > for teaching LOTE (Chinese mandarin), and a year 12 maths subject. We > have not used it for a few years now as the demand has not been there. Perhaps the demand for school labs has overwhelmed this particular demand? > However, we now use skype and the video conferencing portion of that .. > - to videoconference with primary & secondary classes within our school > - to videoconference with Warnambool schools > - as a demonstration to a night class of dairy farmers from school to > another teacher who was set up at home for this purpose > - wanted to use it for an IT survey with Deakin Uni in Geelong and our > year 12 students rather than a telephone conference, but they did not > have the facilities!!! > > MSN will do a similar thing .. This is such a cheap, effective way of > doing things. This list post, sent tonight, is available on public archives. It is not unusual content, eg, discussion of current day Internet video activities in a typical Australian school syllabus. With 1000+ enrollemnts will ADSL continue to suffice for this for long? Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 3 04:28:03 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 18:28:03 GMT Subject: [LINK] Bank services Message-ID: <20070702182803.2FECF16D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Perhaps old news for some Linkers, but, "Which Bank" is still calling these new services. One well remembers Linkers suggesting SMS approval for bank account withdrawals just last year. Perhaps Link's influence? Quote from websites: 1. As a NetBank customer, you can enjoy the added security and convenience of our free NetCode SMS service. A 'NetCode' is a one-off password you can have sent to your mobile phone as an SMS to authorise certain NetBank transactions. To take advantage of this new service, view our demonstration.. 2. Alternatively, we offer a security token which is a small electronic device that also delivers a NetCode .. 3. Doctors etc can now, "Offer your patients (Medicare) rebates to their nominated bank account when they settle their accounts, (at the surgery) saving them time by not having to visit a Medicare office to receive their rebates.. In three easy steps you can process claims for bulk bill claims, paid patient, or unpaid patient claims using your EFTPOS terminal." That is, patients swipe their 'Medicare Card' through the doctor's EFTPOS machine, and the Medicare claim is processed by Medicare and sent to the patient's nominated bank account on the spot. -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 09:03:35 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:03:35 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <46898447.3070706@ramin.com.au> Craig Sanders wrote: > On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 11:39:29AM +1000, Eric Scheid wrote: >> On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: >> >>> if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather >>> have a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement >>> over the nothing they have now. >> and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? > > not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or > any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right > now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. > > not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele-operated devices > became good enough to be useful for general surgery, it would require a > huge investment in the required equipment....and that just isn't going > to happen in a tiny remote community, any more than the govt. is going > to build a fully equipped hospital in a tiny remote community. > > craig > Before we get carried away about remote medicine, There is one other relevant aspect and many say a priority. In NZ - homebirths and midwife attendance are covered by medicare, but not so in Australia. The cost and convenience implications are significant. Note, this is definitely off topic - and if anyone wants to discuss I suggest you get in contact with the Australian homebirth Association AND the Royal College of Obstetricians. m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 09:44:09 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:44:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183379190.2346.296.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> <1183379190.2346.296.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <46898DC9.3030908@ramin.com.au> Karl Auer wrote: > On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 20:16 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: >> On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 11:39:29AM +1000, Eric Scheid wrote: >>> and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? >> not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or >> any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right >> now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. > > There are lots of different types of "telemedecine". One type supports a Not only is access to alochol/petrol a problem for remote communities, nutrition is as it is in the wider/city communities. Fresh food and vegetables are not available or very expensive - and traditional food gathering and therapeutic skills and knowledge has been devalued or lost in some communities. > medical professional with the expertise, offered remotely, of other > medical professionals. The high-tech equivalent of a phone call to a > colleague in the city, but with high-definition pictures of the problem > and so on. Even a non-professional could be made far more useful with > such a hookup. Needs pretty good bandwidth to be useful at all though. > > The whole point of such systems is that they *are* "right now". > > Even though they are no substitute for a real medico in the right place > at the right time, they are a lot better than nothing, and they increase > the "reach" of an ordinary doctor, an ordinary paramedic or (worst case) > even a lay person enormously. > >> not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele-operated devices >> became good enough to be useful for general surgery, it would require a >> huge investment in the required equipment > > I think such equipment is still a long way off in a general sense > anyway, though some hyper-specialised machinery is now available. And > hugely expensive, as you say. > > Regards, K. > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 09:50:05 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:50:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4688B787.7070806@ozemail.com.au> References: <4688B787.7070806@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <46898F2D.6070607@ramin.com.au> rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au wrote: > Eric Scheid wrote: >> On 2/7/07 11:16 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: >> >> >>> if you asked the people living out there, they'd say they'd rather have >>> a hospital or a doctor. even a nurse would be an improvement over the >>> nothing they have now. >>> >> >> and not tele-medicine provided via fat broadband? >> > Ok, I'll try to catch the ball and toss it back. > > One thing we can do is separate the components, so to speak. I'm going > to put two statements which I think can be accepted by most people. > 1) Satellite is a mature and stable point-to-point technology; but > 2) Satellite is not great for interactive Internet applications. I have been contemplating this second statement/assumption, prior to your posting. Can we be more specific. If I enter a search string in Google I don't get an instant response. If I click on a link on the results page I don't get an instant response and only after upgrading to Knoppix 5.1, can I now see DCITA webpages, such as > > Well: satellite is already in use for telemedicine and tele-education. > So by saying "some places won't see fibre anytime soon" I am *not* > saying "no advanced applications". They exist and are used (and are > funded but not as well as they could be). > > See: > http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/ > for a School of the Air example. Telemedicine seems very decentralised, > so I can't quickly find a directory of live apps. > > My point is that while Internet delivery may improve these applications, > it is not indivisible from them. In the case of telemedicine, I would > argue that at least in diagnostic applications, the "best case" is a > high-capacity clear channel link, not an Internet service ... but that's > a digression. > > What I'm getting at is that you get a better result if you define > requirements before you build the system. Boring and pragmatic and > visionless it may be, but saying "what are the requirements?" might > actually get somewhere for the far-distant outstations and aboriginal > communities in a reasonable timeframe. > > RC >> ;-) >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Link mailing list >> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link >> >> > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 2 08:54:56 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:54:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> References: <1183207752.3316.22.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> <200706302359.l5UNxg8X003919@relay01.ispone.net.au> Message-ID: <20070702235418.129211C16@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 09:59 AM 1/07/2007, Darryl (Dassa) Lynch wrote: >... No ICT Professional comes out of a university, only trainees. ... Yes. The ACS provides postgraduate management subjects . These are delivered online using Moodle . I was skeptical that you could provide management subjects via the Internet, but these require the students to read, discuss (online) and write reports, rather than just drill and practice multiple choice tests. At the ANU the third year students software engineers do projects supervised by the fourth years . The idea is the fourth year's learn to supervise while the third years design, code and test. Also I have suggested they do international projects to practice outsoucing with Indonesian students . But there is still the question of how much sense the courses will make until the student has some experience. Not all the students are fresh out of school, some are mature age from the workplace. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 3 10:04:18 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:04:18 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <46899282.2020805@praxis.com.au> Craig Sanders wrote: > zip files, especially password protected ones, are likely to be viruses. > they're pw-protected so that anti-virus scanners can't open and scan > them. it's a social-engineering attack, relying on stupid users to > follow the instructions in the email. In the case I raise, the ZIP file is auto-open and contains an executable. Nasty for those who click on it in Windows. Zombie Science, anyone? > PDFs could be a virus or trojan, or they could be spam. image-spammers > (mostly pump-and-dump stock-market scammers, and pill spammers) have > moved on from gif and jpg, and are now using PDF files. Heavens help us ... don't tell me that PDFs on Windows can contain exeuctables or executable code or macros. Perhaps I had better ask: How is a virus or trojan transmitted via a PDF file? And on which systems? cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 3 10:14:30 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:14:30 +1000 Subject: {Spam?} Re: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <46899282.2020805@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: On 3/7/07 10:04 AM, "Rick Welykochy" wrote: > How is a virus or trojan transmitted via a PDF file? And on which > systems? A PDF file is just a program written in the Postscript programming language -- a program describing how to draw the page/screen. Bugs in implementations of Postscript, or of the libraries which Postscript calls, can be where the vulnerability exists. That is, it's not about PDF containing an executable. A PDF file IS an executable. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From gdt at gdt.id.au Tue Jul 3 10:33:17 2007 From: gdt at gdt.id.au (Glen Turner) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:03:17 +0930 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <1183422797.3277.41.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> On Sun, 2007-07-01 at 18:39 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote: > ...So like I said, I did some research. Looking at WA, there are places > whose distance to the nearest telephone exchange is measured in > *hundreds* of kilometres - but people live there. I won't put a warranty > on my calculation, but the distances involved look like around 500 km - > Paris to London, then turn around and come back, and do it while pulling > an optical fibre through extremely inhospitable country, so as to > connect communities which would fit inside a respectable city hotel and > still leave room for the APEC summit... Hi Richard, The extremely inhospitable bit is pushing it. A hot and dry climate is almost ideal for direct-bury fibre, which is something you can't do in more populated areas. > And leave lots of electronics in places that electronics don't > particularly suit, and unlike the run across the Nullabour, do it in > places where we don't even have transport stops to provide a semblance > of civilisation for the techs that have to go out and fix things when > the cables get rat-bitten or whatever (yes, it happens). It's not the transport, techs have trucks and helicopters are cheap to hire. It's the electricity. If it doesn't have power than a simple regeneration hut becomes a $1m exercise in solar power. The other problem is that manufacturers don't make kit for Australia, they make it for the USA. The USA has all the regeneration huts in place that it will ever need, so there's no pressure on designers for long hauls, unless they can double the current regeneration distance (ie, skip half the huts). Also, we'd happily swap bandwidth for greater reach, but that's not a tradeoff that would work in the US marketplace so there's no gear addressing that feature. The metro fibre gear is the equipment that is pushing reach out to several hundred Km. But you've got all the issues of buying from start-ups with that kit. > The problem is, in an air-travel and 4WD age, people really do > under-estimate the scale of Australia. We forget that some people take > longer to get to Perth by the best route available than you or I could > fly to London. The other problem is that laws are made in the city, to benefit the city. As an example, the council built the road, probably based on a exploration road the mining company put in. But when the council takes over that mining road it has to remove any telecommunications infrastructure the mining company may have installed. I do think it's well possible to have fibre throughout RARA, but not under the existing Telco Act. Fibre needs to move from an asset which the Telco Act reserves for the use of telcos, to something that all infrastructure providers (councils, elcos, farmers themselves) can install, own and operate. Unfortunately, that won't be popular. The monopoly on fiber construction is a major parts of a telco's value. The rules also need to differ between city and country. In the city we have the reverse problem -- some streets are so continually torn up to provide fibre access that the street's ability to provide transportation is removed. Later you wrote: > My point is that while Internet delivery may improve these > applications, > it is not indivisible from them. In the case of telemedicine, I would > argue that at least in diagnostic applications, the "best case" is a > high-capacity clear channel link, not an Internet service ... but > that's a digression. That's actually been really interesting to watch. Hospitals have put major money into direct links. But they have been very uneconomic and slow compared to a VPN across the Internet. ISDN videoconferencing is pretty much relegated to being a training tool, whereas the much better definition of IP videoconferencing seems to allow a reasonable remote consultancy (although not as good as being there). I've experimented with HD videoconferencing up to Darwin and the doctors were delighted, not so much with the resolution, but the lack of lag and the accurate colour rendering. If that holds more widely you're looking at fibre to hospitals as the basis for remote consultancy. I've had a surprising number of gov't IT people questioning me closely about making the Internet service and VPN of hospitals resilient to nastiness. I must say that there seem to be a lot of dodgy companies trying to sell stuff into that market (appealing to the "one box to fix your concerns" weakness of management when faced with a technology question). Cheers, Glen From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 11:34:15 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 11:34:15 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NZ Passes Liability for Insecurity to Consumers Message-ID: [NZ's slack-and-idle regulator has permitted NZ banks to impose increased liabilities on consumers for ePayments that go wrong. [The consumer movement in Australia is fighting hard to make sure that the Australian banks don't get away with such nonsense, as ASIC reviews our Code here. [See: Review: http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/Review+of+the+Electronic+Funds+Transfer+Code+of+Conduct+2007?openDocument Submissions: http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/EFT+Code+review+2007+submissions?openDocument Online fraud targeted Patrick Gray July 3, 2007 Next Section of SMH and Age http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/online-fraud-targeted/2007/07/02/1183351124220.html Companies at the frontline of the fight against computer-enabled fraud are trying new ways to curb this growing threat. Banks in New Zealand may no longer automatically reimburse victims of internet banking fraud if their computers are found to be insecure and eBay has revealed it sent fraud investigators and computer equipment to Romanian law enforcement agencies in an attempt to curb the country's high fraud rate. Until now, banks have reimbursed the victims of internet banking fraud. However, under New Zealand's new banking code of practice, which came into effect on Sunday, financial institutions will reserve the right to conduct a forensic analysis of fraud victims' computers. If the system lacks operating system updates and security software, they may deny reimbursement claims. "The code clarifies responsibilities," Bankers' Association chief executive Alan Yates says. "The customer has a responsibility to keep their identity and information safe. (They) may be liable if they breach the banks' terms and conditions." Consumers will also forfeit compensation if they "negligently" disclose their PIN or internet banking details. However, Mr Yates argues the code is not a radical departure from existing policy: "Banks have in the past willingly compensated victims of fraud; there's no intention to change that practice." The Australian Bankers' Association considered endorsing a similar code in June, but decided against it. "It is very important for our bank customers to have faith in the security of the system, and for that reason we have stuck with our existing position," the ABA's chief executive David Bell says. Meanwhile, eBay is training Australian police in online fraud investigation techniques. The company hosted a series of workshops in Sydney last week, attended by 48 law enforcement agents. Matt Henley, senior manager of eBay's Technical Investigations and Analysis Group in the US, says more and more of his investigations led to Romania. "We decided as a company to form a team to address this issue." Many Romanian law enforcement and court officers were not computer literate. "It was an open environment where (criminals) could go in and commit these crimes without any recourse because the people that are responsible for going after them just did not have the ability to understand the crimes," Mr Henley says. Computer-literate police often had to conduct investigations from the same internet cafes used by criminals to commit online crimes. Over three years, the company trained police and donated computers and internet connections to police stations. eBay claims its initiative in Romania has resulted in hundreds of arrests. Companies affected by fraud are reluctant to disclose fraud figures. eBay's director of trust and safety and former AFP officer Alastair MacGibbon claims this is partly because the media sensationalises online crime. "Spurious figures get such a good run," he says. "All that cuts through is some alarmist figure. You put the words 'internet' and 'crime' in one sentence and people become irrational. You cannot get any semblance of equal or fair discussion." He says eBay's survival and growth prove fraud is a minor issue and the level of fear around internet crime is disproportionate to the threat. However, official figures suggest online fraud is growing. A stockmarket filing published by US-based share trading company E*Trade in November, 2006, showed the company's online fraud-related losses increased 97 per cent to $US45.7 million ($A53.8 million) and 55 per cent to $US101.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2005. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From cas at taz.net.au Tue Jul 3 11:51:26 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 11:51:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <1183422797.3277.41.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183422797.3277.41.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> Message-ID: <20070703015126.GA7147@taz.net.au> On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 10:03:17AM +0930, Glen Turner wrote: > The extremely inhospitable bit is pushing it. A hot and dry climate > is almost ideal for direct-bury fibre, which is something you can't > do in more populated areas. what about the sharks, though? IIRC, sharks are apparently attracted to fibre-optic cables and bite through them. burying all that FO in the desert will lead to extremely unfortunate evolutionary pressures. people just dont think of the consequences. craig -- craig sanders From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:21:15 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:21:15 +0800 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer Message-ID: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> Isn't harvest a nice unchallenging word? - a bit like rendition. I have to use Microsoft products because my employer and clients use it, but this really puts me off Vista. Is this the same for all versions? What do the versions that corporates and governments run do? Is Microsoft starting to put bigger bullets into its foot? Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine! Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor Softpedia http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows-Vista-Features-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company. Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista Privacy Statement and references within the End User License Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest via Vista. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:27:31 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:27:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> There is no doubt that privacy is going to be a huge concern in regards to RFID human implants. In the end, people are going to have to make a judgment as to whether the value of RFID implants outweigh the privacy risks. As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible to remain anonymous. Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) and Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) Roger Clarke wrote: > http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070628-ama-says-human-rfid-tags-could-pose-serious-privacy-risk.html > > > AMA says human RFID tags could pose serious privacy risk > By John Timmer | Published: June 28, 2007 - 12:02PM CT > > RFID tags operate over short distances to provide a scanner with basic > information about whatever item they're attached to. This is being > used commercially to both identify pricing details at retail and to > allow users to simply wave credit cards in front of > appropriately-configured readers in order to pay for them. But RFID > has also moved into the realm of providing personal information; the > US is making RFID-enabled passports, and the FDA approved human RFID > implants back in 2004. Given the medical and privacy issues associated > with human RFID tagging, the American Medical Association called for > an evaluation (.doc) of their implications; the resulting report is > now available (.doc). > > The report makes a distinction between two types of RFID tags. Passive > tags have no power source and store information in read-only form; the > scanner provides them with enough power to transmit basic information. > Active RFID tags contain an internal battery, allowing them to store > more sophisticated information, process data, and transmit over longer > distances. Currently, only passive tags are approved for human use, > but there's no reason to think that current limitations will stand > indefinitely. > > The passive tags are currently used for patients with chronic diseases > that may require rapid medical intervention. The report cites examples > such as coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary > disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, or seizure disorder. It also notes > that tags are being used to identify patients with internal medical > devices, such as pacemakers or replacement joints. Because of privacy > concerns, these RFID devices only transmit a unique identification > code; that code can be matched with records to provide information > such as current medication lists and past diagnostic test results. Of > course, all of this only works when the patient is being treated by > someone with access to appropriately stored medical records, something > which is hardly guaranteed. > > The report suggests that there are very few concerns regarding medical > implications with RFID tags. The implantation procedure takes less > than a minute and involves nothing more than a needle. Although there > have been problems with the tags migrating away from their > implantation site, it should be possible to design them so that they > become encapsulated by the target tissue. There are some concerns > regarding possible interference with medical imaging and other medical > electronics, but the report does not cite instances of these actually > occurring. > > With nothing of medical significance to worry about, the report's > biggest concern is patient privacy. It emphasizes the need for > informed consent in patients receiving these devices, noting that > doctors "cannot assure patients that the personal information > contained on RFID tags will be appropriately protected." It calls for > continual monitoring of the health benefits and privacy problems with > current and future devices, noting that "if objective evidence > demonstrates negative consequences that outweigh the benefits in > relation to health care, the medical profession will bear an important > responsibility to oppose the use of RFID labeling in humans." > > Future tags with more sophisticated capabilities may have greater > potential for abuse, and the report suggests these are not a matter of > if, but when. It also notes disturbing uses for current-generation > tags, such as enforcing a sort of permanent house arrest analogous to > the RFID-based ankle bracelet systems currently in use. Requiring a > medical professional to insert RFID tags for this purpose would place > practitioners in a bad ethical position. > > The report's call for further studies may seem like dodging the issue, > but it is appropriate given the state of the art. In their current > form, RFID tags do nothing more than provide a patient identifier that > can be linked to their computerized records; in effect, this shifts > the security burden onto whoever maintains those records. But the > field looks poised to change rapidly, meaning that if it wants to stay > on top of the situation, the AMA will have to act more quickly than > the three-year gap between FDA approval of RFID tags and this report. > > Related Stories > * The RFID Guardian: a firewall for your tags > * RFID being tapped to stifle exam cheaters > * RFID security act passed by California senate again > From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 3 12:24:34 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:24:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> References: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <61fgq6$39jof4@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> At 12:21 PM 3/07/2007, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >Isn't harvest a nice unchallenging word? - a bit like rendition. or to link back to a recent discussion -- more like theft? geese and ganders come to mind.... Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:35:24 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:35:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NZ Passes Liability for Insecurity to Consumers In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4689B5EC.8000804@praxis.com.au> Roger Clarke wrote: > [NZ's slack-and-idle regulator has permitted NZ banks to impose > increased liabilities on consumers for ePayments that go wrong. > > [The consumer movement in Australia is fighting hard to make sure that > the Australian banks don't get away with such nonsense, as ASIC reviews > our Code here. Um ... why does Microsoft get away with such nonsense? Shouldn't their operating system products be clearly labelled as follows? CONSUMER ALERT This computer operating system is inherently insecure on the Internet when installed on a PC without additional security software, firewalls, virus and wormer protection, ad- and spyware eradictors and vital software upgrades from Microsoft. If you operate the PC you have purchased with this operating as-is you are solely responsible for all activities and transactions you initiate on this computer. Microsoft is not responsible for data theft, identity theft, data corruption ETC ETC ETC... Recall that the disclaimer on Windows/NT clearly stated that that operating system was not to be used in situations where lives could be at stake if the software failed, including applications in aviation, defense, medicine, etc.etc. I doubt Microsoft could loosen this disclaimer one iota, even with Windows Vista. I did some googling for "Microsoft Windows Disclaimer" and similar to see if I could dig up the current wording. No such luck. Many irrelevant hits. If any Linkers have the text of their disclaimer for Win/XP or Vista, please post it to me. > Online fraud targeted > Patrick Gray > July 3, 2007 > Next Section of SMH and Age > http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/online-fraud-targeted/2007/07/02/1183351124220.html > > > Companies at the frontline of the fight against computer-enabled fraud > are trying new ways to curb this growing threat. > > Banks in New Zealand may no longer automatically reimburse victims of > internet banking fraud if their computers are found to be insecure and > eBay has revealed it sent fraud investigators and computer equipment to > Romanian law enforcement agencies in an attempt to curb the country's > high fraud rate. > > Until now, banks have reimbursed the victims of internet banking fraud. > However, under New Zealand's new banking code of practice, which came > into effect on Sunday, financial institutions will reserve the right to > conduct a forensic analysis of fraud victims' computers. If the system > lacks operating system updates and security software, they may deny > reimbursement claims. Perhaps it is high time that consumers and business externalise this kind of liability and the costs attached to it. To whom? Microsoft, of course. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:41:53 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:41:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> References: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <4689B771.2030800@praxis.com.au> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows-Vista-Features-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml > Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company. Sounds like the market is ripe for a Microsoft Data Harvesting Blocker. Should be fairly easy to implement -- block all snoops that are sent to Redmond. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:36:31 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 12:36:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Reuters: 'Web control replaces privacy' Message-ID: [Comments at end] Web control replaces privacy Reuters / The Australian IT Section July 03, 2007 http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,21991843-15318,00.html MOVE over, Paris Hilton. We all have celebrity issues in an age when anyone can create an online profile, post confessional videos on YouTube and make snarky online comments about other people. The latest generation of websites - which attract tens of millions of users daily to share words, photos and videos about themselves and their friends - make a virtue of openness at the expense of traditional notions of privacy. "My grandparents would have had a different attitude about privacy," says Jeff Jarvis, a former critic for Britain's TV Guide turned top blogger and columnist for the Guardian in London. Sites such as Facebook, Photobucket and Flickr are enjoying surging popularity because they allow people to control their online identities in ways that make the danger of revealing too much information a constant worry - and all part of the game. "Within the web realm there is no private self," argues David Weinberger, author of a newly published book, Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder. The danger of such exposure is that it could affect careers when students seek jobs in the real world or private citizens seek public office. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton might never have been elected president of the US had sites like Google's YouTube or News Corporation's MySpace, the world's biggest online meeting places, existed to record the events of their younger years. While policy makers ponder how to bolster online anonymity, social network users are more concerned about deciding what to reveal about themselves next. Most users of the new self-publishing tools report finding a stronger sense of community among friends, family and random website visitors who share their interests. Facebook, a site started by a Harvard University undergraduate to help students get to know one another, has exploded in popularity among professional users in Britain and the US since the site took steps to open up to people of all ages. It now claims 25 million active users, who enjoy the control Facebook gives them over who they let into their network. Highlighting his own change of thinking on the subject of privacy, Jarvis revealed last year in a blog post, titled My cheatin' heart, that he was suffering from a medical condition that slowed work on his widely read media criticism blog, BuzzMachine (www.buzzmachine.com/). Supportive comments, and advice about potential treatments, poured in. "Revealing a little bit of yourself is the only way to make connections to other people and that is how the internet works," Jarvis says." Caterina Fake, co-founder of photo sharing site Flickr, says the defining moment for her startup was when it decided all photos on the site would be public. Previously, photo sites had assumed users photos should be private, unless deliberately published for public consumption. Mena Trott, who, with her husband, Ben, developed Movable Type, a software system for publishing blogs, says control is a better word than privacy for defining oneself in different situations on the web. [A disappointingly superficial piece on the self-publicity mania. It overlooks the facts that fantasy reigns in social networking services, much of the data is self-supplied, and everything is plausibly deniable if and when it's re-discovered and used. Does anyone actually *believe* my on-line CV??] [Aside: what a great pseudonym: "co-founder of ... Flickr, Caterina Fake"] [Now, how about we think about the genuinely interesting and difficult bit, which is the ability of search-engines to collate data from far more reliable sources than Facebook ...] -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:43:47 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 12:43:47 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> Message-ID: At 12:27 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To >manage our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and >risks, more automated identification will become essential. It will >be impossible to remain anonymous. There are willing automatons in this world who genuinely believe in the idea of control reducing risks, and new threats demanding ever more control; just as there were people who actually enjoyed living in East Germany. Okay, *you* may not suffer from your capitulation to technological determinism, Geoffrey, but some of us would like a future for our kids that avoids putting such power in the hands of whichever bastards are in control from time to time. Relevant Aphorisms: 'It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always get a politician' 'Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely' -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 3 12:46:26 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:46:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bank services In-Reply-To: <20070702182803.2FECF16D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070702182803.2FECF16D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707030247.l632ltj9030757@ah.net> At 04:28 AM 3/07/2007, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: >Perhaps old news for some Linkers, but, "Which Bank" is still calling >these new services. One well remembers Linkers suggesting SMS approval >for bank account withdrawals just last year. Perhaps Link's influence? NAB has had this for about 2 years. It's not "new" by any means and it's certainly not revolutionary. Some of the US banks have been doing it for over 4 years. Innovative, the way NAB has done it, maybe. Which Bank, well they are Waaaaaayyyy behind! But whom of their customers is going to know? None probably have exposure to the other banks if they only bank with CBA. From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 12:50:04 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 12:50:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> References: <51522.1183429275@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: At 10:21 +0800 3/7/07, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >Isn't harvest a nice unchallenging word? - a bit like rendition. >I have to use Microsoft products because my employer and clients use >it, but this really puts me off Vista. >Is this the same for all versions? >What do the versions that corporates and governments run do? >Is Microsoft starting to put bigger bullets into its foot? Surely the outgoing data-streams are reliably recognisable. And hence blockable. And hence surely someone's already written a tool to block them? Or do all of the world's rebels work under OS other than MS's, and hence don't write such tools? >Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services >Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine! >Marius Oiaga, >Technology News Editor >Softpedia >http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows-Vista-Features-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml > >Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the >licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a >healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a >program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your >concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and >services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal >data to the Redmond company. > >Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is >gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real >choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista >Privacy Statement and references within the End User License >Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint >the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest >via Vista. > > > >-- >Regards >brd > >Bernard Robertson-Dunn >Sydney Australia >brd at iimetro.com.au > > > >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From gdt at gdt.id.au Tue Jul 3 12:54:37 2007 From: gdt at gdt.id.au (Glen Turner) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:24:37 +0930 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> References: <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <20070702101646.GH7189@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <1183431277.9911.38.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> On Mon, 2007-07-02 at 20:16 +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or poisoning or > any of the many other things that require on-the-spot expertise, right > now...rather than booked days or weeks in advance. If you have an acute problem in a remote area (and increasingly in regional areas) medical treatment is aimed at stabilisation prior to evacuation to a large city. For example, a traffic accident followed by helicopter transport of the acutely injured. Paramedics in this situation are already doing telemedicine. They communicate by radio back to the emergency ward, who suggest diagnoses and suggest and approve more exotic treatments (such as various cardiac drugs). Where telemedicine comes to the fore is the steps after critical care. The post-recovery consultations. If all is going well, then you don't want to drive to the city to be told that all is going well or for a slight change in a drugs. Also, to be blunt, acute care isn't the issue in regional Australia -- that's going to be done in the city just because of the huge investment needed. It's the next rung down -- specialist diagnosis and treatment consultations, psychological evaluations and care, and so on. There's also a nasty flip side to all of this, the Dark Force of international telemedicine. Let's say a bird flu outbreak occurs. Do you want to be risking your specialist medical staff with direct contact with the infected? You might rather teleconference up to the isolation ward of the same hospital. Or better still, to some hospital in China, working to defeat the outbreak before it spreads. Best wishes, Glen From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 3 13:02:29 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:02:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On 3/7/07 12:50 PM, "Roger Clarke" wrote: > Surely the outgoing data-streams are reliably recognisable. > > And hence blockable. Quite possibly. But unless you send the data back, you can't register your computer with Microsoft Update and you won't be able to download any software updates. Amongst other things. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:01:18 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:01:18 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Federal government web ads In-Reply-To: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> References: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Message-ID: <4689BBFE.6000807@ramin.com.au> Stewart Carter wrote: > Its becoming incredibly expensive. Last week the minimum bid to get an > ad activated for > the keyword Facebook at google.com.au was $6.50 per click. We really need to put the cost of a click into context...my guess is that internet advertising costs/pricing are still well below traditional communication mediums ie tv/radio/newspapers/magazine. As an aside, I heard that medicare was looking to purchase a billboard in Secondlife. > > Of course, Google.com.au probably won't actually display your ad > alongside Facebook searches if you've only bid $6.50 > You'd need to bid a lot more per click to get your ad in the top 1-3. > > Does anyone know of any public source of information on the price of > individual keywords for Google Adwords? > > > Stewart Carter > eCommerce Report > www.ecommercereport.com.au > Ph 0433 142 419 Fax 0433 142 420 mail at ecommercereport.com.au > Skype: hscarter > > Note: If you'd prefer not to receive further emails from us please send > a return email with the words delete or remove > in the subject header or body of the email. > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From kauer at biplane.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:08:25 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:08:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NZ Passes Liability for Insecurity to Consumers In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1183432105.2346.344.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Tue, 2007-07-03 at 11:34 +1000, Roger Clarke wrote: > fraud. However, under New Zealand's new banking code of practice, > which came into effect on Sunday, financial institutions will reserve > the right to conduct a forensic analysis of fraud victims' computers. > If the system lacks operating system updates and security software, > they may deny reimbursement claims. Hm. Does the customer have the right to inspect the bank's computers? > executive Alan Yates says. "The customer has a responsibility to keep > their identity and information safe. So do the banks. How can we know they are doing so, if we can't inspect their computers? Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:13:07 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 13:13:07 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: >On 3/7/07 12:50 PM, "Roger Clarke" wrote: >> Surely the outgoing data-streams are reliably recognisable. >> And hence blockable. At 13:02 +1000 3/7/07, Stilgherrian wrote: >Quite possibly. But unless you send the data back, you can't register your >computer with Microsoft Update and you won't be able to download any >software updates. Amongst other things. Fair enough, but depending on the extent to which MS has designed pre-counters for such countermeasures, it could be simple enough to let a few streams through, and modify others to something bland. Keep going, we've nearly finished the spec. (:-)} -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:28:45 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:28:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> Roger Clarke wrote: > At 12:27 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage >> our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more >> automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible >> to remain anonymous. > > There are willing automatons in this world who genuinely believe in > the idea of control reducing risks, and new threats demanding ever > more control; just as there were people who actually enjoyed living > in East Germany. > > Okay, *you* may not suffer from your capitulation to technological > determinism, Geoffrey, but some of us would like a future for our kids > that avoids putting such power in the hands of whichever bastards are > in control from time to time. 1) I am only stating what I think is the obvious trend. This is not new. 2) To link a previous thread, maybe you should look at using the technology to "shift the balance of power" so the "bastards" are NOT in control. Universal access to broadband I suspect will be a key ingredient in this. 4) Finally, I think people will use this technology voluntarily anyway, because THEY want to use it as they see VALUE in it. Just like many other new technologies over the years. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan > > > Relevant Aphorisms: > > 'It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always get a politician' > > 'Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely' > > From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:40:48 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:40:48 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689C540.6000806@ramin.com.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > > Roger Clarke wrote: >> At 12:27 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >>> As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage >>> our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more >>> automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible >>> to remain anonymous. >> >> There are willing automatons in this world who genuinely believe in >> the idea of control reducing risks, and new threats demanding ever >> more control; just as there were people who actually enjoyed living >> in East Germany. >> >> Okay, *you* may not suffer from your capitulation to technological >> determinism, Geoffrey, but some of us would like a future for our kids >> that avoids putting such power in the hands of whichever bastards are >> in control from time to time. > 1) I am only stating what I think is the obvious trend. This is not new. > 2) To link a previous thread, maybe you should look at using the > technology to "shift the balance of power" so the "bastards" are NOT in > control. Universal access to broadband I suspect will be a key > ingredient in this. > 4) Finally, I think people will use this technology voluntarily anyway, > because THEY want to use it as they see VALUE in it. Just like many > other new technologies over the years. Why go to East Germany, check out Australia, this millenium. > Major issues identified in the report > > * The report concludes that DIAC?s data recording practices were flawed and that officers failed to check and collect reliable data. In most of the cases the detention of a person was inexcusable: the Department already held sufficient information that established the person?s lawful status. > * The data errors in these cases appeared to be caused by human error, insufficient guidance and training for officers, and inconsistent and uncoordinated communication between DIAC and the tribunals. > * The Ombudsman concluded that, in most cases, at the time a person was detained, DIAC already held sufficient information either confirming the person?s lawful status or creating doubt that the person was an unlawful non-citizen. > * There were various reasons contributing to the errors in these cases including: > o officers did not appear to understand fully their obligations under s 189 of the Migration Act to form and continue to hold a reasonable suspicion to justify a person?s detention > o officers did not take proper personal responsibility for decision making and for ensuring that errors were corrected > o there was inadequate quality checking, control and timely review of compliance and detention activity > o data collection, analysis and management was degraded by ad hoc processes and poor coordination > o there was inadequate training and policy guidance for officers. > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 13:53:15 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 13:53:15 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> Message-ID: At 13:28 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >2) To link a previous thread, maybe you should look at using the >technology to "shift the balance of power" so the "bastards" are NOT >in control. Universal access to broadband I suspect will be a key >ingredient in this. That's the David Brin 'privacy through transparency rather than secrecy' thesis. It's naive, because it requires the powerful to willingly relinquish power. They don't *do* that kind of thing. http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/DV/CACM99.html#Brin -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:23:36 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:23:36 +0800 Subject: [LINK] SA Health gets bio smartcard Message-ID: <53929.1183436616@iimetro.com.au> SA Health gets bio smartcard Ben Woodhead July 03, 2007 Australian IT http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22005021-15306,00.html The South Australian Department of Health will lock down its patient information systems with smartcards and biometric technology as part of a 10-year, $375 million computing and communications overhaul. The department is likely to award contracts for the first major component of the initiative as early as August as it works towards building an integrated information technology platform for the state's public hospitals and community clinics. SA Department of Health chief information officer David Johnston said the core objective of the 10-year strategy was to streamline access to crucial patient and medical information by making systems available online. "The broader strategy is to web-enable as many applications as possible using an open-standards, open-systems philosophy," Mr Johnston said. "Using portal technology and combined biometric and smartcard authentication, users will be able to access integrated information that may reside in multiple transaction systems." To achieve the goals of the undertaking, which will be dubbed careconnect.sa, the department will complete 65 projects priced between $250,000 and $70 million. Mr Johnston said most of the projects fell in the $5 million to $30 million range, but he declined to reveal individual budgets. "We aren't going to release the budgets for individual projects as that would severely compromise our commercial position," Mr Johnston said. "It ranges from minor projects such as rolling out a common helpdesk and technical knowledge management system through to creating major state-based hospital systems for areas such as nursing, patient administration and operating theatres." Projects that will get under way in the first year of the multi-year program include patient administration and nursing administration system installations that were flagged in the 2007-08 South Australian budget. Other projects slated for year one include client identification, web services, pharmacy management and operating room information system upgrades. Work done in the lead up to the South Australian Government providing full funding for the ambitious initiative meant that the department could be in a position to commence the nursing system set-up as early as August, Mr Johnston said. "We are expecting to announce the successful bidder in August, with implementation starting immediately. It should take around 18 months to get the first 14 hospitals done, and we're looking at the timing for the rest of the rural rollout," he said. The department will also seek Cabinet approval for a patient administration system tender as soon as November. It is expected to be late next year, however, before a contract is awarded and a system rollout gets under way. "We are aiming to come out to tender for a systems integrator by January 2008," Mr Johnston said. "We expect to be out to the market by about August 2008 with a software tender, then selection will be by October and implementation is expected to commence by November. "Depending on the final solution, the implementation could range from three to four years up to six to seven years for the full state rollout." -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:29:35 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 14:29:35 +1000 Subject: [LINK] 'POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN?' Message-ID: Article Shock: are you ready for a readable article? POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN? http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=773 -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:42:23 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:42:23 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? + In-Reply-To: <1183342528.2346.238.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <1183342528.2346.238.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <4689D3AF.5090502@umd.com.au> Kal for what's it worth I am with you on this. In the past Cities have grown, as this is where jobs, production and businesses are. The future will be about where the broadband connection is. Broadband should now be considered an "essential" infrastructure service, just like, water and power. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan > From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:50:17 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:50:17 +0800 Subject: [LINK] 'POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN?' Message-ID: <35857.1183438217@iimetro.com.au> On Tue Jul 3 14:29 , Roger Clarke sent: >Article Shock: are you ready for a readable article? > >POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN? >http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx\?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=773 > There are bigger shocks than chip and PIN in the pipeline. The first is NFC (Near Field Communication) or contactless cards, the second is the convergence of NFC and mobile phones. Australian banks have not needed to upgrade their credit card security because of the relatively low levels of card fraud. Now that other countries have started to implement chip and PIN, the fear is that the bad boys will start to move into magstripe territory - such as Australia. The banks are in a difficult position - do they upgrade their security with chip and PIN or wait for NFC and the next generation of mobile phones, which have the potential to be easier to use, but which are potentially less secure and unsuitable for systems that update the card with large transactions from central databases? See 'Contactless payments' about to explode, but are they secure? http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070701-contactless-payments-about-to-explode-but-are-they-secure.html I learnt all about this at the recent Smart Card summit, so I'm an expert now. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:53:03 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:53:03 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689D62F.2030003@umd.com.au> Roger Clarke wrote: > At 13:28 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> 2) To link a previous thread, maybe you should look at using the >> technology to "shift the balance of power" so the "bastards" are NOT >> in control. Universal access to broadband I suspect will be a key >> ingredient in this. > > That's the David Brin 'privacy through transparency rather than > secrecy' thesis. > > It's naive, because it requires the powerful to willingly relinquish > power. They don't *do* that kind of thing. > > http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/DV/CACM99.html#Brin I have read the article. I don't think it is about the Powerful "relinquishing" power, its about the "masses" obtaining NEW or shifting power delivered by the Internet. This is why China want to control access to the Internet. Geoff > > From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 15:01:34 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:01:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? + In-Reply-To: <4689D3AF.5090502@umd.com.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183283780.2346.135.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070701230246.GE7189@taz.net.au> <1183333034.2346.160.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070702011650.GG7189@taz.net.au> <1183342528.2346.238.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4689D3AF.5090502@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689D82E.4070807@ramin.com.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > Kal for what's it worth I am with you on this. > > In the past Cities have grown, as this is where jobs, production and > businesses are. > > The future will be about where the broadband connection is. > > Broadband should now be considered an "essential" infrastructure > service, just like, water and power. I learnt of a little bit of administrivia, related to water, recently. Some of you will recall the drama a little while back about the people of Toowoomba voting on drinking recycled sewerage. Well apparently, the building regulations, in Toowoomba, say you can use the water in your rainwater tank for every household use (ie drinking water) except, toilet sisterns have to be connected to the town water supply. M -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 3 14:57:21 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 14:57:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] SA Health gets bio smartcard In-Reply-To: <53929.1183436616@iimetro.com.au> References: <53929.1183436616@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: At 12:23 +0800 3/7/07, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >SA Health gets bio smartcard >Ben Woodhead >July 03, 2007 >Australian IT >http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22005021-15306,00.html My comments on this to the privacy list a short time ago: [More sub-editor incompetence: 1) 'gets' is being used in the imaginative future sense rather than the present tense 2) there are only a couple of words on the 'bio smartcard', and they're all vague ] [Unfortunately SA has a long, long record in announcements of potentially valuable projects that never go anywhere. The (lack of) scale is a major problem there; and the 'bio smartcard' idea has been looked at and dropped by many, much larger organisations than SA Health. ] -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 15:11:15 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:11:15 +1000 Subject: [LINK] 'POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN?' In-Reply-To: <35857.1183438217@iimetro.com.au> References: <35857.1183438217@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <4689DA73.6070707@umd.com.au> Banks are not waiting. Paypass (http://www.paypass.com/) is currently being deployed in Australia. This is a contactless smart card cash payment system. This can be used with Cards, fobs or mobile phones (NFC) http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/aboutourcards/paypass/how_to_tap.html Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) and Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > On Tue Jul 3 14:29 , Roger Clarke sent: > > >> Article Shock: are you ready for a readable article? >> >> POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN? >> http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx\?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=773 >> >> > > There are bigger shocks than chip and PIN in the pipeline. The first is NFC (Near Field Communication) or contactless cards, the second is the convergence of NFC and mobile phones. > > Australian banks have not needed to upgrade their credit card security because of the relatively low levels of card fraud. Now that other countries have started to implement chip and PIN, the fear is that the bad boys will start to move into magstripe territory - such as Australia. > > The banks are in a difficult position - do they upgrade their security with chip and PIN or wait for NFC and the next generation of mobile phones, which have the potential to be easier to use, but which are potentially less secure and unsuitable for systems that update the card with large transactions from central databases? > > See 'Contactless payments' about to explode, but are they secure? > http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070701-contactless-payments-about-to-explode-but-are-they-secure.html > > I learnt all about this at the recent Smart Card summit, so I'm an expert now. > > From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 3 15:44:28 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:44:28 +0800 Subject: [LINK] 'POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN?' Message-ID: <3577.1183441468@iimetro.com.au> On Tue Jul 3 15:11 , Geoffrey Ramadan sent: >Banks are not waiting. Yes they are. a) Paypass is cash, not credit b) Paypass is low value c) Paypass is being trialled, it is not widespread c) Paypass is not replacing the magstripe infrastructure, it's in addition. Telstra is also trialling its NFC technology - next year http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;958278670;fp;4194304;fpid;1 I'm talking about widespread replacement of magstripe for credit cards. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 3 15:49:57 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:49:57 +0800 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? + Message-ID: <12104.1183441797@iimetro.com.au> On Tue Jul 3 15:01 , Marghanita da Cruz sent: >Some of you will recall the drama a little while back about the people of >Toowoomba voting on drinking recycled sewerage. I'm not surprised the good people of Toowoomba rejected the idea of drinking sewerage, I think I might too. I think there is a bit of a PR problem here. It's water that is recycled and which people drink, not sewerage. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 15:59:17 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:59:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? + In-Reply-To: <12104.1183441797@iimetro.com.au> References: <12104.1183441797@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <4689E5B5.8090207@ramin.com.au> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > On Tue Jul 3 15:01 , Marghanita da Cruz sent: > >> Some of you will recall the drama a little while back about the people of >> Toowoomba voting on drinking recycled sewerage. > > I'm not surprised the good people of Toowoomba rejected the idea of drinking sewerage, I think I might too. > > I think there is a bit of a PR problem here. It's water that is recycled and which people drink, not sewerage. > There's a PR problem alright, the people of Toowoomba put the town water (recycled or not) down the toilet and drink Water from their rainwater tanks. M -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From president at case.org.au Tue Jul 3 16:10:23 2007 From: president at case.org.au (Darrell Burkey) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 16:10:23 +1000 (EST) Subject: [LINK] Feedback on Joomla site Message-ID: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> Oh kind people of the 'Link Insitute': I continually receive feedback that CMS is the way to go for web publishing and given that our site was ancient, I decided to spend some time to see what all the fuss was about. I chose the Joomla package to test with. Over the past few months I used it to create a new site for our non-profit organisation. You will find the results at: http://www.case.org.au. I would really appreciate _constructive_ criticism as I am certainly not a web master, although I do have experience in graphic design and visual arts. Depending on how things go we might set up CMS for our members to use, all of whom are also non-profit organisations. Also, as a not so hidden agenda, I'm sure quite a few people here will be interested in what CASE does. Have a read and let us know what you think and if you have any questions. At our next AGM we will be looking for some 'movers and shakers' to join our Management Committee and take the organisation to another level. Thanks for your time. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darrell D. Burkey, President Computing Assistance Support & Education Inc http://www.case.org.au From eleanor at pacific.net.au Tue Jul 3 16:14:14 2007 From: eleanor at pacific.net.au (Eleanor Lister) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:14:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689D62F.2030003@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> <4689D62F.2030003@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689E936.5090406@pacific.net.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > Roger Clarke wrote: >> At 13:28 +1000 3/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >>> 2) To link a previous thread, maybe you should look at using the >>> technology to "shift the balance of power" so the "bastards" are NOT >>> in control. Universal access to broadband I suspect will be a key >>> ingredient in this. >> >> That's the David Brin 'privacy through transparency rather than >> secrecy' thesis. >> >> It's naive, because it requires the powerful to willingly relinquish >> power. They don't *do* that kind of thing. >> >> http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/DV/CACM99.html#Brin > I have read the article. I don't think it is about the Powerful > "relinquishing" power, its about the "masses" obtaining NEW or > shifting power delivered by the Internet. This is why China want to > control access to the Internet. > > Geoff could we perhaps have a new form of intellectual property, PI (Personal Identity) which requires organisations to only access personal data that they are legally required to do or that you volunteer to supply? you might charge a fee to some people (i'd make it HUGE for spammers) and it would surely be linked to Moral Rights which protect Attribution and Integrity. just an idle thought ... ...ooO regards Ooo... EL ------------ Eleanor Ashley Lister South Sydney Greens http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au webmistress at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au From gramadan at umd.com.au Tue Jul 3 16:23:40 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:23:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] 'POS shock : are you ready for 'chip' and PIN?' In-Reply-To: <3577.1183441468@iimetro.com.au> References: <3577.1183441468@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <4689EB6C.3010402@umd.com.au> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > On Tue Jul 3 15:11 , Geoffrey Ramadan sent: > > >> Banks are not waiting. >> > > Yes they are. > > a) Paypass is cash, not credit > b) Paypass is low value > c) Paypass is being trialled, it is not widespread > c) Paypass is not replacing the magstripe infrastructure, it's in addition. > > Telstra is also trialling its NFC technology - next year > http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;958278670;fp;4194304;fpid;1 > > I'm talking about widespread replacement of magstripe for credit cards. > My understanding is that all new EFTPOS terminals need to be EMV compliant (and many are already). Further more, there is an imperative to migrate from DES to TrippleDES encryption. This will require many of the EFTPOS terminals to be upgraded. I assume once this infrastructure is in place, banks will start to issue EMV cards. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 3 17:34:40 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:34:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689D62F.2030003@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <4689C26D.3040406@umd.com.au> <4689D62F.2030003@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <4689FC10.8080107@ramin.com.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/DV/CACM99.html#Brin > I have read the article. I don't think it is about the Powerful > "relinquishing" power, its about the "masses" obtaining NEW or shifting > power delivered by the Internet. This is why China want to control > access to the Internet. > and elsewhere... > James Riley Monday, 02 July 2007...As if Communications Minister Helen Coonan didn't have enough to do with her time dealing with the pirate leadership of Telstra, she's now having to bend to the sex-obsessed whims fellow parliamentarians.... $93 million worth of free Internet filters that will be given to all Australian families. m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au Tue Jul 3 17:43:56 2007 From: eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au (Eric Scheid) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:43:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? + In-Reply-To: <12104.1183441797@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: On 3/7/07 3:49 PM, "Bernard Robertson-Dunn" wrote: >> Some of you will recall the drama a little while back about the people of >> Toowoomba voting on drinking recycled sewerage. > > I'm not surprised the good people of Toowoomba rejected the idea of drinking > sewerage, I think I might too. > > I think there is a bit of a PR problem here. It's water that is recycled and > which people drink, not sewerage. leaving aside the persnickety pedantry of it's sewage that is carried through the sewerage - recycled sewerage would be that big pile of pipes at the local junk yard :-) e. From ivan at itrundle.com Tue Jul 3 19:14:31 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 19:14:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Feedback on Joomla site In-Reply-To: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> References: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> Message-ID: <809FA688-A67C-4CCD-B222-6972E9C7FB78@itrundle.com> Dear Darrell It's been mentioned before on Link, but the lack of obvious links is the only significant criticism that I have with the site. To confuse matters, you've got at least three different types of links, only one of which is easily understandable (the underlined blue links). Whilst it might pass W3C XHTML 1.0 guidelines (which is good), it is not entirely user-friendly because of the unclear navigational elements dispersed around the site. The A+, A-, R and <> make little sense to me - whilst the 'A+/-' seems logical enough, the 'R' and '<>' is incomprehensible to this WWW veteran. Why not simply have fluid width for everyone? One other thing. If I increase the font size in my browser, the style sheet breaks, with text overlapping. And the A+/- fails when my browser uses the minimum font size dictated by my browser rules, and not the A+/-. I suggest that the home/about us/contact us moves to the sidebar menu where everything else is. I don't see a reason to have it floating in space. The font choice for the main logo is odd, and looks very odd on my Macintosh. Further, the arrow next to 'Main menu' doesn't make sense in that it is different to the other arrows. Also, the 'contact us' is hidden by two icons on my machine. Overall, I suggest that the CSS is worked over to be more compatible with different OS'es. Other than that, it's generally clean and uncluttered, and easy enough to understand. Cheers iT On 03/07/2007, at 4:10 PM, Darrell Burkey wrote: > Oh kind people of the 'Link Insitute': > > I continually receive feedback that CMS is the way to go for web > publishing and given that our site was ancient, I decided to spend > some > time to see what all the fuss was about. I chose the Joomla package to > test with. Over the past few months I used it to create a new site > for our > non-profit organisation. You will find the results at: > > http://www.case.org.au. > > I would really appreciate _constructive_ criticism as I am > certainly not a > web master, although I do have experience in graphic design and visual > arts. Depending on how things go we might set up CMS for our > members to > use, all of whom are also non-profit organisations. > > Also, as a not so hidden agenda, I'm sure quite a few people here > will be > interested in what CASE does. Have a read and let us know what you > think > and if you have any questions. At our next AGM we will be looking > for some > 'movers and shakers' to join our Management Committee and take the > organisation to another level. > > Thanks for your time. > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Darrell D. Burkey, President > Computing Assistance Support & Education Inc > http://www.case.org.au > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > !DSPAM:1009,4689e9a9515663736230347! > > -- Ivan Trundle http://globallearning.com.au ivan at globallearning.com.au ph: +61 (0)2 6249 1344 mb: +61 (0)418 244 259 skype: callto://ivanovitchk From kim.holburn at gmail.com Tue Jul 3 19:45:16 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 11:45:16 +0200 Subject: [LINK] Feedback on Joomla site In-Reply-To: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> References: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> Message-ID: <93040D2C-3B14-4757-B206-E950FB269F22@gmail.com> The random text animation which restarts every time you click anything is really annoying. I hate animations on pages of text I'm attempting to read and tend not to read the text i.e. leave the site. If it only animated once it might be bearable but this one doesn't do that and is not necessary, it doesn't add anything to the site to see this more than once. On 2007/Jul/03, at 8:10 AM, Darrell Burkey wrote: > Oh kind people of the 'Link Insitute': > > I continually receive feedback that CMS is the way to go for web > publishing and given that our site was ancient, I decided to spend > some > time to see what all the fuss was about. I chose the Joomla package to > test with. Over the past few months I used it to create a new site > for our > non-profit organisation. You will find the results at: > > http://www.case.org.au. > > I would really appreciate _constructive_ criticism as I am > certainly not a > web master, although I do have experience in graphic design and visual > arts. Depending on how things go we might set up CMS for our > members to > use, all of whom are also non-profit organisations. > > Also, as a not so hidden agenda, I'm sure quite a few people here > will be > interested in what CASE does. Have a read and let us know what you > think > and if you have any questions. At our next AGM we will be looking > for some > 'movers and shakers' to join our Management Committee and take the > organisation to another level. > > Thanks for your time. > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Darrell D. Burkey, President > Computing Assistance Support & Education Inc > http://www.case.org.au > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Tue Jul 3 20:16:33 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:16:33 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> Geoffrey, > > As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage > our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more > automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible > to remain anonymous. Let's touch on inevitability. Authority: You will be implanted. Richard: Get lost. OK. Now what? Without coercion, there is no inevitability. With coercion? Well, I for one resist coercion for any reason, even if it's supposedly in my benefit. To quote Nietzche, "'For you own good' is the first expression of the will to power". Coercive power to enforce something like implanted RFID is completely repellant, regardless of the reasoning behind it. RC > > Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) > Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) > and > Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) > > > Roger Clarke wrote: >> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070628-ama-says-human-rfid-tags-could-pose-serious-privacy-risk.html >> >> >> AMA says human RFID tags could pose serious privacy risk >> By John Timmer | Published: June 28, 2007 - 12:02PM CT >> >> RFID tags operate over short distances to provide a scanner with >> basic information about whatever item they're attached to. This is >> being used commercially to both identify pricing details at retail >> and to allow users to simply wave credit cards in front of >> appropriately-configured readers in order to pay for them. But RFID >> has also moved into the realm of providing personal information; the >> US is making RFID-enabled passports, and the FDA approved human RFID >> implants back in 2004. Given the medical and privacy issues >> associated with human RFID tagging, the American Medical Association >> called for an evaluation (.doc) of their implications; the resulting >> report is now available (.doc). >> >> The report makes a distinction between two types of RFID tags. >> Passive tags have no power source and store information in read-only >> form; the scanner provides them with enough power to transmit basic >> information. Active RFID tags contain an internal battery, allowing >> them to store more sophisticated information, process data, and >> transmit over longer distances. Currently, only passive tags are >> approved for human use, but there's no reason to think that current >> limitations will stand indefinitely. >> >> The passive tags are currently used for patients with chronic >> diseases that may require rapid medical intervention. The report >> cites examples such as coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive >> pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, or seizure disorder. It >> also notes that tags are being used to identify patients with >> internal medical devices, such as pacemakers or replacement joints. >> Because of privacy concerns, these RFID devices only transmit a >> unique identification code; that code can be matched with records to >> provide information such as current medication lists and past >> diagnostic test results. Of course, all of this only works when the >> patient is being treated by someone with access to appropriately >> stored medical records, something which is hardly guaranteed. >> >> The report suggests that there are very few concerns regarding >> medical implications with RFID tags. The implantation procedure takes >> less than a minute and involves nothing more than a needle. Although >> there have been problems with the tags migrating away from their >> implantation site, it should be possible to design them so that they >> become encapsulated by the target tissue. There are some concerns >> regarding possible interference with medical imaging and other >> medical electronics, but the report does not cite instances of these >> actually occurring. >> >> With nothing of medical significance to worry about, the report's >> biggest concern is patient privacy. It emphasizes the need for >> informed consent in patients receiving these devices, noting that >> doctors "cannot assure patients that the personal information >> contained on RFID tags will be appropriately protected." It calls for >> continual monitoring of the health benefits and privacy problems with >> current and future devices, noting that "if objective evidence >> demonstrates negative consequences that outweigh the benefits in >> relation to health care, the medical profession will bear an >> important responsibility to oppose the use of RFID labeling in humans." >> >> Future tags with more sophisticated capabilities may have greater >> potential for abuse, and the report suggests these are not a matter >> of if, but when. It also notes disturbing uses for current-generation >> tags, such as enforcing a sort of permanent house arrest analogous to >> the RFID-based ankle bracelet systems currently in use. Requiring a >> medical professional to insert RFID tags for this purpose would place >> practitioners in a bad ethical position. >> >> The report's call for further studies may seem like dodging the >> issue, but it is appropriate given the state of the art. In their >> current form, RFID tags do nothing more than provide a patient >> identifier that can be linked to their computerized records; in >> effect, this shifts the security burden onto whoever maintains those >> records. But the field looks poised to change rapidly, meaning that >> if it wants to stay on top of the situation, the AMA will have to act >> more quickly than the three-year gap between FDA approval of RFID >> tags and this report. >> >> Related Stories >> * The RFID Guardian: a firewall for your tags >> * RFID being tapped to stifle exam cheaters >> * RFID security act passed by California senate again >> > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From mgm-ns at tardis.net Tue Jul 3 21:25:23 2007 From: mgm-ns at tardis.net (Malcolm Miles) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:25:23 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NZ Passes Liability for Insecurity to Consumers In-Reply-To: <4689B5EC.8000804@praxis.com.au> References: <4689B5EC.8000804@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:35:24 +1000, you wrote: >I did some googling for "Microsoft Windows Disclaimer" and similar >to see if I could dig up the current wording. No such luck. Many >irrelevant hits. If any Linkers have the text of their disclaimer >for Win/XP or Vista, please post it to me. You can find the Vista license agreement here: -- Best wishes, Malcolm From mgm-ns at tardis.net Tue Jul 3 21:36:55 2007 From: mgm-ns at tardis.net (Malcolm Miles) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:36:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NZ Passes Liability for Insecurity to Consumers In-Reply-To: <4689B5EC.8000804@praxis.com.au> References: <4689B5EC.8000804@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:35:24 +1000, you wrote: >Recall that the disclaimer on Windows/NT clearly stated that that >operating system was not to be used in situations where lives could >be at stake if the software failed, including applications in >aviation, defense, medicine, etc.etc. That disclaimer was specifically for the Java components of Windows. Sun required that the disclaimer was included with all Java implementations, including their own. Sun no longer require this disclaimer to be used. " NOTE ON JAVA SUPPORT. THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS WRITTEN IN JAVA.? JAVA TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FAULT TOLERANT AND IS NOT DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED, OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE AS ON-LINE CONTROL EQUIPMENT IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, DIRECT LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF JAVA TECHNOLOGY COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE." -- Best wishes, Malcolm From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Tue Jul 3 22:07:20 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 22:07:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] what is an Iphone - really? Message-ID: <61fgq6$39qn37@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> Someone took one apart and came up with a component cost estimate. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc2007072_957316.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives There are also stories about missing coverage areas. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/29/ap3873069.html Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 3 22:55:45 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 12:55:45 GMT Subject: [LINK] Bank services Message-ID: <20070703125545.909A316D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> At 12:46 PM 3/07/2007, Adam Todd wrote: >> SMS approval for bank account withdrawals? > > NAB has had this for about 2 years. Wespac doesn't have this, though they do have click-on password entry, which the Commonwealth does not. The Bendigo Bank has a combination arrangement "To further protect your e-banking, Bendigo Bank provides all customers with the option of Security Tokens. (so to) authorise payments to third parties. A Security Token provides a second level of authentication for your e-banking, in conjunction with your ID and PIN. It's like a key ring with a digital number display .. a button, generates a six-digit number .. a different number every 36 seconds." The ANZ has zip, but for warnings they won't reimburse for inadequate security So, SMS approval .. Comm Bank & NAB yes .. Westpac & ANZ & Bendigo, no. As Roger writes "NZ's slack-and-idle regulator has permitted NZ banks to impose increased liabilities on consumers for ePayments that go wrong." And it appears the Australian arm of the ANZ has the worst e-security of the banks in this country also. Maybe Linkers might take the ANZ to task? Quiet conversations with your local ANZ branch may help Aussie e-commerce? Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From gramadan at umd.com.au Wed Jul 4 00:08:41 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:08:41 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au wrote: > Geoffrey, >> >> As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage >> our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more >> automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible >> to remain anonymous. > Let's touch on inevitability. > > Authority: You will be implanted. > Richard: Get lost. > > OK. Now what? > > Without coercion, there is no inevitability. With coercion? Well, I > for one resist coercion for any reason, even if it's supposedly in my > benefit. To quote Nietzche, "'For you own good' is the first > expression of the will to power". > > Coercive power to enforce something like implanted RFID is completely > repellant, regardless of the reasoning behind it. > > RC I did mean to imply coercion. I am arguing that people will take up the technology because they will want its benefits, and they will perceive these benefits to outweigh its risks or it will "enhance" their life. I also don't see it as "authority" imposing its will (us against them), I see it as people making choices to use the technology (or not). Just like I choose to have a mobile phone and credit card. As new technology comes alone to make my liver easier. I choose to use Internet banking, though I am aware of the risks. One day, I may choose to have a medical implant, as I will perceive this as being able to save my life. And there will no doubt be people, like you, who choose not to have one (Quakers also come to mind) and thats fine, I just see this as the minority and against the trend. Maybe I should have rephrase my comments as "it is inevitable that people will want to voluntarily take up the technology" Reg Geoffrey Ramadan >> >> Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) >> Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) >> and >> Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) >> >> >> Roger Clarke wrote: >>> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070628-ama-says-human-rfid-tags-could-pose-serious-privacy-risk.html >>> >>> >>> AMA says human RFID tags could pose serious privacy risk >>> By John Timmer | Published: June 28, 2007 - 12:02PM CT >>> >>> RFID tags operate over short distances to provide a scanner with >>> basic information about whatever item they're attached to. This is >>> being used commercially to both identify pricing details at retail >>> and to allow users to simply wave credit cards in front of >>> appropriately-configured readers in order to pay for them. But RFID >>> has also moved into the realm of providing personal information; the >>> US is making RFID-enabled passports, and the FDA approved human RFID >>> implants back in 2004. Given the medical and privacy issues >>> associated with human RFID tagging, the American Medical Association >>> called for an evaluation (.doc) of their implications; the resulting >>> report is now available (.doc). >>> >>> The report makes a distinction between two types of RFID tags. >>> Passive tags have no power source and store information in read-only >>> form; the scanner provides them with enough power to transmit basic >>> information. Active RFID tags contain an internal battery, allowing >>> them to store more sophisticated information, process data, and >>> transmit over longer distances. Currently, only passive tags are >>> approved for human use, but there's no reason to think that current >>> limitations will stand indefinitely. >>> >>> The passive tags are currently used for patients with chronic >>> diseases that may require rapid medical intervention. The report >>> cites examples such as coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive >>> pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, or seizure disorder. >>> It also notes that tags are being used to identify patients with >>> internal medical devices, such as pacemakers or replacement joints. >>> Because of privacy concerns, these RFID devices only transmit a >>> unique identification code; that code can be matched with records to >>> provide information such as current medication lists and past >>> diagnostic test results. Of course, all of this only works when the >>> patient is being treated by someone with access to appropriately >>> stored medical records, something which is hardly guaranteed. >>> >>> The report suggests that there are very few concerns regarding >>> medical implications with RFID tags. The implantation procedure >>> takes less than a minute and involves nothing more than a needle. >>> Although there have been problems with the tags migrating away from >>> their implantation site, it should be possible to design them so >>> that they become encapsulated by the target tissue. There are some >>> concerns regarding possible interference with medical imaging and >>> other medical electronics, but the report does not cite instances of >>> these actually occurring. >>> >>> With nothing of medical significance to worry about, the report's >>> biggest concern is patient privacy. It emphasizes the need for >>> informed consent in patients receiving these devices, noting that >>> doctors "cannot assure patients that the personal information >>> contained on RFID tags will be appropriately protected." It calls >>> for continual monitoring of the health benefits and privacy problems >>> with current and future devices, noting that "if objective evidence >>> demonstrates negative consequences that outweigh the benefits in >>> relation to health care, the medical profession will bear an >>> important responsibility to oppose the use of RFID labeling in humans." >>> >>> Future tags with more sophisticated capabilities may have greater >>> potential for abuse, and the report suggests these are not a matter >>> of if, but when. It also notes disturbing uses for >>> current-generation tags, such as enforcing a sort of permanent house >>> arrest analogous to the RFID-based ankle bracelet systems currently >>> in use. Requiring a medical professional to insert RFID tags for >>> this purpose would place practitioners in a bad ethical position. >>> >>> The report's call for further studies may seem like dodging the >>> issue, but it is appropriate given the state of the art. In their >>> current form, RFID tags do nothing more than provide a patient >>> identifier that can be linked to their computerized records; in >>> effect, this shifts the security burden onto whoever maintains those >>> records. But the field looks poised to change rapidly, meaning that >>> if it wants to stay on top of the situation, the AMA will have to >>> act more quickly than the three-year gap between FDA approval of >>> RFID tags and this report. >>> >>> Related Stories >>> * The RFID Guardian: a firewall for your tags >>> * RFID being tapped to stifle exam cheaters >>> * RFID security act passed by California senate again >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Link mailing list >> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link >> > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From kauer at biplane.com.au Wed Jul 4 00:35:56 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:35:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Wed, 2007-07-04 at 00:08 +1000, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > I am arguing that people will take up the > technology because they will want its benefits, and they will perceive > these benefits to outweigh its risks or it will "enhance" their life. I > also don't see it as "authority" imposing its will (us against them), I > see it as people making choices to use the technology (or not). There is ample evidence that unless people are well-informed, they will sell their birthright for a mess of pottage. By "well-informed", I mean informed so that they understand, not just that they are presented with a page of small-print. Privacy is the most obvious area where this is true; people will tell perfect strangers the most private of information, will allow anyone to photograph their drivers licence or passport, will submit to being photographed in public buildings and even private spaces. Most give it no thought at all, and in many cases there is NO benefit to them at all. Microsoft, a year or so ago, had a movie-making competition. All entries became the absolute property of Microsoft, to do with as they pleased, with no further reference to the entrant. The entrants bound themselves (by merely entering, not just by winning) to permit Microsoft to use their names and images of them in any place or medium and for any purpose. ANY purpose! There were thousands of entries, because people stood to win something. These sorts of amazingly one-sided conditions are by no means uncommon - childrens' colouring in competitions done by the local video shop have similarly objectionable conditions. In short, you cannot speak of choice unless there is a real, informed decision, not just the "perception of benefit". Without that, you just have people (well, typically corporates) exploiting the ignorance of others. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 4 00:37:16 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 14:37:16 GMT Subject: [LINK] Telecoms 'virtually a complete failure in remote areas' Message-ID: <20070703143716.96EB816D8F@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> At 12:54 PM 3/07/2007, Glen rightly writes: > acute care isn't the issue in regional Australia.. It's specialist > diagnosis and treatment consultations, psychological evaluations > and care ... Best wishes, Glen Remote e-health project lag Karen Dearne | July 03, 2007 (snip) MEDICAL teams in the Northern Territory will struggle with a lack of clinical IT systems and Internet access to support the remote children's health initiative. Federal and NT Government projects are yet to deliver a reliable information and communications network, despite years of work and millions of dollars in funding. NT Health has been working on its Primary Care Information System (PCIS) for almost 10 years. It is believed to have cost about $60 million to date and is yet to be available in the territory's health clinics. According to the latest Census, there are more than 190,000 NT residents, including almost 54,000 Aboriginal and TS Island people, who frequently live in remote locations .. Lack of infrastructure for health data networks and limited access to bandwidth have also been identified as problems for fly-in, fly-out medical teams. Telecoms analyst Paul Budde said the federal Government's competition regime had been "virtually a complete failure in remote areas". "Telstra is by far the dominant provider throughout the NT. Of 318 communities with a population greater than 20, some 12 per cent have access to ISDN, and 11 per cent have access to mobile telephony," -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 3 16:06:40 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:06:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Federal government web ads In-Reply-To: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart .ecommercereport.com.au> References: <20070702050153.LFRN20226.oaamta04ps.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Message-ID: <20070703230846.7BC96219A@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 03:01 PM 2/07/2007, Stewart Carter wrote: >... Tomw recently pointed out that Australian government agencies >seem to be spending a lot more at Google Adwords these days. ... I don't know what the ads actually cost, just that agencies were buying more of them. I suspect it is minimal compared to TV advertising and far more effective. But I wonder if agencies formatted their web pages properly, made them readable and interesting, then they would get free hits, instead of having to pay for them. >Its becoming incredibly expensive. Last week the minimum bid to get >an ad activated for the keyword Facebook at google.com.au was $6.50 >per click. ... My understanding is that Google uses an auction based system. If a web site is popular, then you will have to pay more to advertise on it. This seems fair: if someone is willing to pay $6.50, then that is what the product is worth. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From gordonkeith at acslink.net.au Wed Jul 4 09:42:51 2007 From: gordonkeith at acslink.net.au (Gordon Keith) Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 09:42:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Feedback on Joomla site In-Reply-To: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> References: <35821.150.203.228.29.1183443023.squirrel@webmail4.pair.com> Message-ID: <200707040942.51607.gordonkeith@acslink.net.au> On Tuesday 03 July 2007 16:10, Darrell Burkey wrote: > http://www.case.org.au. > > I would really appreciate _constructive_ criticism as I am certainly not a > web master, although I do have experience in graphic design and visual > arts. Depending on how things go we might set up CMS for our members to > use, all of whom are also non-profit organisations. First thing I notice is that there is a "Contact Us" page (on a link that is not obviously a link) which appears to contain a form, but there is no submit button. Just a button labelled "Send" which only does anything for people who risk enabling javascript on their browsers. Interestingly the contact page has a link to the W3 validator to the page, but the validator lists 15 errors on the page. Increasing the font size on the page causes the text to disappear mid character about two thirds of way across the page. Regards Gordon -- Gordon Keith When you just want a system that works, you choose Linux; when you want a system that just works, you choose Microsoft. From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Wed Jul 4 10:27:45 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:27:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] ACCC Telecomm. reports 2005-06 Message-ID: <61fgq6$3a0vdl@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> >ACCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTS >2005?06 http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=162145 >Australian Competition and Consumer Commission >This report details competitive safeguards in >the Australian telecommunications industry and >prices paid by Australian consumers for >telecommunications services during the 2005-06 year. Posted 03-07-2007 Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From drose at nla.gov.au Wed Jul 4 10:57:19 2007 From: drose at nla.gov.au (Daniel Rose) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:57:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> Karl Auer wrote: snip > Microsoft, a year or so ago, had a movie-making competition. All entries > became the absolute property of Microsoft, to do with as they pleased, > with no further reference to the entrant. The entrants bound themselves > (by merely entering, not just by winning) to permit Microsoft to use > their names and images of them in any place or medium and for any > purpose. ANY purpose! snip Shell have a promotion in which one is given a card with a Petrol purchase, then you go to the website and type the code in for a year's fuel. Clause 23: The Promoter collects entrants? personal information in order to conduct the promotion. If the information requested is not provided, the entrant may not participate in the promotion. By entering the promotion, unless otherwise advised, each entrant consents to their personal information being entered into a database, and each entrant also agrees that the Promoter may use this information, in any media for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes without any further reference, payment or other compensation to the entrant, including sending the entrant electronic messages and contacting the entrant by telephone. Entrants further consent to the disclosure by the Promoter of their personal information to the related entities of the Promoter and to any third party services provider assisting the Promoter in the conduct of this promotion. Entrants? personal information may be disclosed to any applicable authority and the winners? names published. All personal details o f the entrants will be stored at the office of the Promoter. As per the relevant privacy legislation, a request to access, update or correct any information should be directed to the Promoter at their address set out below. Subject to this paragraph, all personal information collected from entrants will be handled in accordance with the relevant Shell Privacy Policy which can be accessed by visiting www.shell.com.au. This stuff is very common, but is it just something they all add in, or do your details really end up with spammers and telemarketers? IOW, is obtaining the data the real reason behind the promotion? From kauer at biplane.com.au Wed Jul 4 11:25:10 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:25:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> Message-ID: <1183512310.2346.443.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Wed, 2007-07-04 at 10:57 +1000, Daniel Rose wrote: > Shell have a promotion in which one is given a card with a Petrol > purchase, then you go to the website and type the code in for a year's > fuel. For the *chance* of a year's fuel. > The Promoter collects entrants? personal information in order to > conduct the promotion. Not strictly true, unless ONLY information needed to run the promotion is collected, which I suspect is not the case. However, that sentence makes it clear (IMHO and IANAL) that any other use is "not of the essence" which greatly strengthens this bit: > By entering the promotion, unless otherwise advised, each entrant > consents[...] That's not too bad, actually. All you have to do is advise them that your information may not be used for any other purpose other than your participation in the draw and to contact you if you win, and you are in the clear. The do NOT make your participation conditional upon your consent, only on your provision of the info. The problem is that these conditions are typically printed in one-point type on the back of a shopper docket or similar. That makes the issue of "informed consent" somewhat fraught. The Shell one also leaves open the possibility of you withdrawing your consent. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From gramadan at umd.com.au Wed Jul 4 12:14:25 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:14:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> Message-ID: <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> Is this not informed consent? Who's fault is it that "users" can not be bothered to read it... or maybe they have and are aware? Reg Geoffrey Ramadan Daniel Rose wrote: > Karl Auer wrote: > > snip > >> Microsoft, a year or so ago, had a movie-making competition. All entries >> became the absolute property of Microsoft, to do with as they pleased, >> with no further reference to the entrant. The entrants bound themselves >> (by merely entering, not just by winning) to permit Microsoft to use >> their names and images of them in any place or medium and for any >> purpose. ANY purpose! > > snip > > Shell have a promotion in which one is given a card with a Petrol > purchase, then you go to the website and type the code in for a year's > fuel. > > Clause 23: > > The Promoter collects entrants? personal information in order to > conduct the promotion. If the information requested is not provided, > the entrant may not participate in the promotion. By entering the > promotion, unless otherwise advised, each entrant consents to their > personal information being entered into a database, and each entrant > also agrees that the Promoter may use this information, in any media > for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes without any > further reference, payment or other compensation to the entrant, > including sending the entrant electronic messages and contacting the > entrant by telephone. Entrants further consent to the disclosure by > the Promoter of their personal information to the related entities of > the Promoter and to any third party services provider assisting the > Promoter in the conduct of this promotion. Entrants? personal > information may be disclosed to any applicable authority and the > winners? names published. All personal details o > f the entrants will be stored at the office of the Promoter. As per > the relevant privacy legislation, a request to access, update or > correct any information should be directed to the Promoter at their > address set out below. Subject to this paragraph, all personal > information collected from entrants will be handled in accordance with > the relevant Shell Privacy Policy which can be accessed by visiting > www.shell.com.au. > > This stuff is very common, but is it just something they all add in, > or do your details really end up with spammers and telemarketers? > IOW, is obtaining the data the real reason behind the promotion? > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From kauer at biplane.com.au Wed Jul 4 12:25:25 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:25:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <1183515925.2346.466.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Wed, 2007-07-04 at 12:14 +1000, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > Is this not informed consent? It depends. If the participants' attention is drawn clearly, unambiguously and with appropriate emphasis, to the conditions of entry, then yes. If the conditions of entry are written in tiny type somewhere out of the way and no particular attention is drawn to them, then they had better be very, very innocuous conditions. If you entered such a competition and found you had committed yourself to, for example, paying the cost of all your own transport to mandatory media events if you won, how would you feel if the conditions of entry had been in one-point type in the lower left hand corner on page three? It is only because privacy issues are currently massively undervalued and massively misunderstood by the general public that conditions such as those from Shell or Microsoft are tolerated any more than you would tolerate such a condition as I suggested. > Who's fault is it that "users" can not be bothered to read it... or > maybe they have and are aware? Good point - ask a few. Regards, K -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From brendansweb at optusnet.com.au Wed Jul 4 12:30:04 2007 From: brendansweb at optusnet.com.au (Brendan Scott) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:30:04 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > Is this not informed consent? > > Who's fault is it that "users" can not be bothered to read it... or > maybe they have and are aware? Without expressing a view on this one way or another, the amount of documentation that people are taken to agree with has been exploding in recent years. Even when you visit a website some places purport to bind you to a raft of terms and conditions. In many cases it is highly legalistic to argue these terms have been agreed in any sense or even to expect that recipients are aware of them/their contents. My prediction is that this expansion will not be sustainable and courts or the legislature will start giving recipients of these terms more power in these non-negotiations. Brendan From gramadan at umd.com.au Wed Jul 4 12:59:29 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:59:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468AEB4E.7060205@nla.gov.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468AEB4E.7060205@nla.gov.au> Message-ID: <468B0D11.3000607@umd.com.au> Daniel Rose wrote: > Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> There is no doubt that privacy is going to be a huge concern in >> regards to RFID human implants. >> >> In the end, people are going to have to make a judgment as to whether >> the value of RFID implants outweigh the privacy risks. > > Shouldn't that judgement be made in the beginning, rather than in the > end? Agree - what I am saying is that in the end, people will agree. > > The problem is that most benefit goes to those scanning the implant, > and most risk is carried by those being scanned. It's important to be > aware of this. Not sure this is valid in all cases. Take a medical implant. Who benefits? I would ague the patient, as Doctors would get information in a timely manner (possibly saving the patients life as a result), obviously benefiting the patient (and agree is also bearing the risk). > >> >> As I have already commented before, I see it as inevitable. To manage >> our growing sophisticated, complex and mobile society and risks, more >> automated identification will become essential. It will be impossible >> to remain anonymous. >> > > Inevitable means that no people anywhere, no matter what they do, can > stop it. That's different from really probable. > Tides and sunrises are inevitable. The implantation of RFID in humans > isn't; except of course in the sense that it's already been done in > many places. I was referring to "automated identification" as being inevitable, not necessarily by implants. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 4 13:00:53 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:00:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <1183515925.2346.466.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <1183515925.2346.466.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: >On Wed, 2007-07-04 at 12:14 +1000, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> Is this not informed consent? For consent to be 'informed', the individual must understand its implications. What those Terms do is create the possibility that the individual could inform themselves; which is a necessary but not a sufficient condition. Brendan's made the point that consumer protection law needs to take account of the gap between 'could understand' and 'does understand', and to some extent it already does. Re Karl's comments, I generally agree, but consent is a complex matter. Keywords: 'express consent', 'consent in writing', 'implied consent', 'inferred consent', 'presumption of consent', 'denial of consent', 'legal capacity', 'informed consent', 'specific consent', 'bounded consent', 'freely-given consent' (i.e. without legal compulsion, duress, coercion or undue influence, but possibly with inducements or a quid pro quo), revocability of consent, variability of consent, delegability of the power to consent See http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/eConsent.html#CChar -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From gramadan at umd.com.au Wed Jul 4 13:04:42 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:04:42 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> Message-ID: <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> Brendan Scott wrote: > Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > >> Is this not informed consent? >> >> Who's fault is it that "users" can not be bothered to read it... or >> maybe they have and are aware? >> > > Without expressing a view on this one way or another, the amount of documentation that people are taken to agree with has been exploding in recent years. Even when you visit a website some places purport to bind you to a raft of terms and conditions. In many cases it is highly legalistic to argue these terms have been agreed in any sense or even to expect that recipients are aware of them/their contents. > > My prediction is that this expansion will not be sustainable and courts or the legislature will start giving recipients of these terms more power in these non-negotiations. > > Brendan > How about mandating a "summary of key conditions" at the start of all terms and conditions. Geoffrey Ramadan From marghanita at ramin.com.au Wed Jul 4 13:08:09 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:08:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OT Use of Water from Rainwater tanks Message-ID: <468B0F19.3060000@ramin.com.au> As I had a couple of responses to my cheap shot at Toowoomba (where building codes only require the toilet to be connected to the mains), here is the situation in Sydney/NSW.... > While the NSW Department of Health doesn't advise using rainwater for drinking when there's an alternative mains water supply available, we could save millions of litres a year by using rainwater for toilets, in washing machines, and garden and outdoor use. > > # Sydney Water Rainwater Tank Rebates - There are two parts to the rebate*: > > 1. A tank capacity rebate - for the size of your rainwater tank > 2. An internal connection rebate - for connecting your rainwater tank to a toilet(s) and/or washing machine. m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From stil at stilgherrian.com Wed Jul 4 13:16:53 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:16:53 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> Message-ID: On 4/7/07 1:04 PM, "Geoffrey Ramadan" wrote: > How about mandating a "summary of key conditions" at the start of all > terms and conditions. Ah, you mean like "core conditions" and "non-core conditions"? ;) While this is a great idea in theory, I suspect that in practice the stuff that people would be really worried about would be deemed a "non-key condition" and still relegated to the fine print. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 4 13:47:42 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:47:42 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> Message-ID: At 13:04 +1000 4/7/07, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >How about mandating a "summary of key conditions" at the start of >all terms and conditions. I haven't noticed much development of that kind re the *terms* of consumer contracts. But it's been pursued by Privacy Commissioners in recent years in relation to privacy policy statements (PPS), using the term 'layered' or 'short' PPS, e.g. Crompton (2004), and see: http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/PPSE0601.html#PPS As Stilgherrian points out: >Ah, you mean like "core conditions" and "non-core conditions"? ;) such short-forms have to be a precis not an extract, and audit (possibly just through application of the 'many eyes' principle) is essential. Yes, it's definitely a contribution. I have doubts about it solving the whole problem, but it does, for example, make it much easier for us all to discuss how iniquitous MS, Sun, and every other supplier is or isn't; and that transparency helps in bringing pressure to bear. Crompton M. (2004) 'Short Notices - why the Sydney resolution was adopted and progress in Australia since September 2003', Proc. 26th Int'l Conf. Privacy and Personal Data Protection, 14-16 September 2004, Wroclaw, Poland, at http://26konferencja.giodo.gov.pl/data/resources/CromptonM_paper.pdf -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 4 14:20:24 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:20:24 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <61fgq6$3a42ve@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> At 01:47 PM 4/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >Yes, it's definitely a contribution. I have doubts about it solving >the whole problem, but it does, for example, make it much easier for >us all to discuss how iniquitous MS, Sun, and every other supplier >is or isn't; and that transparency helps in bringing pressure to bear. The other aspect is 'bundled consent'. This is when something you may agree to, like being contacted if something needs a recall versus holus bolus distribution of your email and phone number along with your name, date of birth, gender, income, etc. to unrelated third parties, often called secondary uses of the data. I attended a session recently where the benefit to the individual came with strings that their info be accessible for a range of secondary purposes with implied consent; i.e. you opt in/volunteer to participate, but by doing so you also agree to the PIU (privacy invasive uses) [pronounced: pee-ewe; I just made that up]. There is a similar approach to bundled consent in terms and conditions with our friends at Telstra [or at least there was, havent' checked recently] with their broadband T&Cs. They hold that if you subscribe, you agree to conform to industry codes of practice. How weird is that? When I questioned them about that, they didn't want to know about it and wouldn't change the agreement. I took it to the TIO, but they said that they had no jurisdiction over contract terms BEFORE you became a customer. If you agreed to the terms, then you were bound by them and they would only be concerned if the company did NOT enforce the ludicrous condition. Something is backwards in the legal logic here, eh? So despite the view that consent is a given or benign, you gotta look at the evil villains along the way as well, as Fred Chaney told the press club today in his talk about Howard's Invasion. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From marghanita at ramin.com.au Thu Jul 5 10:19:40 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:19:40 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <468C391C.7080208@ramin.com.au> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: > > Brendan Scott wrote: >> Geoffrey Ramadan wrote: >> >>> Is this not informed consent? >>> >>> Who's fault is it that "users" can not be bothered to read it... or >>> maybe they have and are aware? >>> Being cautious and skeptical, I tend to try to verify that my instructions are reflected on the operational system, to which they apply. I have had two experiences, where the computer system did not/could not register/record my instructions correctly. One was a bank authority on a joint account and the second organ donation on a drivers license. Equally, people blame computers for all kinds of errors in their processes. With regard to the Do not call register - can anyone report on its effectiveness, before I bother to register both my home number and mobile. Anyone care to speculate if you have your home phone with one provider and your mobile with another, whether those providers can claim a relationship, exemption, when they call you on the other's service? Marghanita >> >> Without expressing a view on this one way or another, the amount of >> documentation that people are taken to agree with has been exploding >> in recent years. Even when you visit a website some places purport to >> bind you to a raft of terms and conditions. In many cases it is >> highly legalistic to argue these terms have been agreed in any sense >> or even to expect that recipients are aware of them/their contents. >> My prediction is that this expansion will not be sustainable and >> courts or the legislature will start giving recipients of these terms >> more power in these non-negotiations. >> Brendan > How about mandating a "summary of key conditions" at the start of all > terms and conditions. > > Geoffrey Ramadan > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Thu Jul 5 10:31:12 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:31:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] China and Australia using New Media for Governenance Message-ID: <1183595472.28000.1198552975@webmail.messagingengine.com> Greetings from the Creative Industries Precinct in Brisbane, where the China, East Asia, Media, New Media Conference 2007 just started. About one third of the delegates are from China and I am feeling a little out of my depth, not from the overseas visitors, but the media studies emphasis of the conference. To me the Internet and web are for carrying "stuff" and I worry the stuff gets from author to reader; exactly what the stuff is I don't much care. The other speakers at this conference are vitally interested in the content and its effect on society. I will be on two panels at the conference. As I am last on each panel, I don't expect I will get to say much, but prepared full notes and slides anyway: 1. "Inventing a New Media for China Beyond the Olympics", 11:25am, 5 July 2007 . In this I suggest the Internet and web can be used for a blend of education, media and administration to create consultative government of local communities. This can be applied to an apartment block in China or a remote aboriginal community in Australia. 2. Web Site for the 2008 Beijing Olympics: Integrating Sport, Money, Phones and Politics, 2:30pm, 6 July 2007 . I give a quick rundown of the various web sites created for the Olympics. BOCOG invited me to Beijing to give some advice on the web site in 2003. But I point out that the new Beijing 2008 Olympic Web site does not comply with accessibility standards. As a result it will be more difficult to use, particularly for those using mobile wireless devices and those who have trouble reading the languages provided. Comments and corrections are welcome. Also Graham Young, Chief Editor, On Line Opinion has arranged Pizza tonight for the opinionated (I am on the advisory board for the publication). Contact him for details: Blog version of this with some extra links at: . -- Tom Worthington FACS HLM PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia http://www.tomw.net.au From gramadan at umd.com.au Thu Jul 5 11:04:25 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:04:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> Message-ID: <468C4399.7060608@umd.com.au> Ooops... yes did mean to say "not" Geoffrey Linda Rouse wrote: > An unfortunate slip Geoffrey - surely you meant "not" in your first > sentence! > > ">I did mean to imply coercion. " I am arguing that people will take up the >> technology because they will want its benefits, and they will perceive >> these benefits to outweigh its risks or it will "enhance" their life. I > > Linda From rick at praxis.com.au Thu Jul 5 12:02:17 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:02:17 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468C391C.7080208@ramin.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> <468C391C.7080208@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <468C5129.7000301@praxis.com.au> Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > With regard to the Do not call register - can anyone report on its > effectiveness, before I bother to register both my home number and mobile. My landline has been registered for over a month now. 99.99% effective. I have received a few calls from charities (allowed) and one from a local estate agent cold calling for attendance at an auction (not allowed). Interestingly, the person spruiking for the realtor played dumb when I mentioned that I am on the Do Not Call register. Then she mumbled something about it not being active for a month yet ... so she did know all about it. I registered a complaint with the DNC. After a couple of weeks they replied that no action would be taken since it is early days, but the offender will be contacted and notified about their infringement. Hopefully the offender will then be sent to the gulag for re-education ;) > Anyone care to speculate if you have your home phone with one provider > and your > mobile with another, whether those providers can claim a relationship, > exemption, when they call you on the other's service? I am a bit leery of this relationship thing. Hopefully I can severe any perceived relationships (i.e. those one-sided marketing relationships you don't want to be part of) with the simple utterance "I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee!" cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From dlochrin at d2.net.au Thu Jul 5 14:17:45 2007 From: dlochrin at d2.net.au (David Lochrin) Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 14:17:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bank services In-Reply-To: <20070703125545.909A316D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070703125545.909A316D86@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707051417.45616.dlochrin@d2.net.au> On Tuesday 03 July 2007 22:55, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > The Bendigo Bank has a > combination arrangement "To further protect your e-banking, Bendigo > Bank provides all customers with the option of Security Tokens. (so to) > authorise payments to third parties. A Security Token provides a second > level of authentication for your e-banking, in conjunction with your ID > and PIN. It's like a key ring with a digital number display .. a button, > generates a six-digit number .. a different number every 36 seconds." The > ANZ has zip, but for warnings they won't reimburse for inadequate security The Commonwealth also provides security tokens and they're free, what's more - I've just enquired. When they were first released the bank was charging for them and, if I remember correctly, only issuing them to certain account holders. So simple, and yet so effective. David From stephen at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 5 15:17:52 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 05:17:52 GMT Subject: [LINK] optical topography Message-ID: <20070705051752.770FB16DA7@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Hitachi's scientists are set to develop a brain TV remote controller letting users turn a TV on and off or switch channels by only thinking. Underlying Hitachi's brain-machine interface is a technology called optical topography, which sends a small amount of infrared light through the brain's surface to map out changes in blood flow. Since 2005, Hitachi has sold a device based on optical topography that monitors brain activity in paralysed patients so they can answer simple questions - for example, by doing mental calculations to indicate "yes" or thinking of nothing in particular to indicate "no." The technology could one day replace remote controls and keyboards and perhaps help disabled people operate electric wheelchairs, beds or artificial limbs. (snipped) Regards linkers Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Thu Jul 5 16:18:37 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 16:18:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] optical topography In-Reply-To: <20070705051752.770FB16DA7@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070705051752.770FB16DA7@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: At 5:17 +0000 5/7/07, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: >Hitachi's scientists are set to develop a brain TV remote controller >letting users turn a TV on and off or switch channels by only thinking. http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/train-your-brain-to-move-the-train/2007/06/25/1182623799168.html YARA (Yet Another Re-Announcement) About 1990, when I was teaching user interface to Commerce students, I did all the obvious stuff and then, as a circuit-breaker, told them about the games-helmets that enabled a (notional) rocket to be steered using 'brain-waves' - alpha or gamma was it, I can't remember. That and line-of-sight and/or focus-based schemes were prototyped two decades ago for the immobile and the very busy (such as the pilots of interceptors), but I'm not sure to what extent such things have made it beyond warfare and games applications. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 5 17:38:37 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:38:37 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <468C5E41.7030409@lannet.com.au> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> <468C391C.7080208@ramin.com.au> <468C5E41.7030409@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <61fgq6$3aluos@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> At 12:58 PM 5/07/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote: >Therefore my assessment is that DNC is working as I have the number >registered there, but the move has been towards unsolicited fax. Is that a loophole? You mean the govt passed a technology specific, instead of neutral, law? Why should unsolicited faxes be allowed? Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 5 20:02:27 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:02:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] optical topography In-Reply-To: References: <20070705051752.770FB16DA7@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707051004.l65A4Fqc007711@ah.net> The problem is there is no large revenue stream from such technologies. There aren't that many disabled people in the world to cover the cost of R&D, so unless the technology can be put into the hands of hundreds of millions instead of millions, it hasn't had the chance to avail. And Roger, you are right. It's not new. I was working with brain wave remote control using non affixed transducers in the 1980's :) But a $50,000 R&D cost prevented me from taking my development any further and that was at it's most infant. To really bring it to market about $4 million would be required and there just weren't enough disabled people to fork out to cover it. So it got put on the side. At 04:18 PM 5/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >At 5:17 +0000 5/7/07, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: >>Hitachi's scientists are set to develop a brain TV remote controller >>letting users turn a TV on and off or switch channels by only thinking. >http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/train-your-brain-to-move-the-train/2007/06/25/1182623799168.html > >YARA (Yet Another Re-Announcement) > >About 1990, when I was teaching user interface to Commerce students, >I did all the obvious stuff and then, as a circuit-breaker, told >them about the games-helmets that enabled a (notional) rocket to be >steered using 'brain-waves' - alpha or gamma was it, I can't remember. > >That and line-of-sight and/or focus-based schemes were prototyped >two decades ago for the immobile and the very busy (such as the >pilots of interceptors), but I'm not sure to what extent such things >have made it beyond warfare and games applications. > >-- >Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ > >Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA > Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 >mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ > >Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University >Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong >Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 5 22:39:32 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:39:32 +1000 Subject: Informed consent was: Re: [LINK] US-AMA far too complacent about human RFID tags In-Reply-To: <61fgq6$3aluos@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <4689B413.60809@umd.com.au> <468A2201.9090805@ozemail.com.au> <468A5869.1030002@umd.com.au> <1183473356.2346.422.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468AF06F.7020304@nla.gov.au> <468B0281.6090300@umd.com.au> <468B062C.60502@optusnet.com.au> <468B0E4A.9020105@umd.com.au> <468C391C.7080208@ramin.com.au> <468C5E41.7030409@lannet.com.au> <61fgq6$3aluos@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <200707051240.l65CeDOd011673@ah.net> At 05:38 PM 5/07/2007, Jan Whitaker wrote: >At 12:58 PM 5/07/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote: >>Therefore my assessment is that DNC is working as I have the number >>registered there, but the move has been towards unsolicited fax. > >Is that a loophole? You mean the govt passed a technology specific, >instead of neutral, law? Why should unsolicited faxes be allowed? You know all you have to do is say that the communications is, to you, offensive, intimidates you and you feel fear and that the sender should be prosecuted under Section 471.1 of the Crimes Act (I think that's the section, the prior 85Ze) :) From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Fri Jul 6 08:44:11 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:44:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Uniform Office Format from China Message-ID: <20070705225112.E6344153BD@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> The topic of if China would be content to use western developed standards came up at the China New Media conference I have been attending in Brisbane . One I just noticed is that China developed an XML based "Uniform Office Format" (UOF) , similar to the ODF standard. There would seem to be no good reason why the world would need another XML based office format, but then Microsoft have proposed one, so why not China? Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From brd at iimetro.com.au Fri Jul 6 10:52:52 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:52:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Xbox repair bill tops $US1bn Message-ID: <468D9264.9090703@iimetro.com.au> Looks as though Microsoft's hardware is designed to the same high standards as its software. Xbox repair bill tops $US1bn Jessica Mintz in Seattle July 06, 2007 Australian IT http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22027422-15306,00.html MICROSOFT said it expected to spend more than $US1 billion to repair widespread hardware problems in its Xbox 360 video game console after a large number of them broke down. Microsoft said it would extend the warranty on the Xbox 360 to three years after too many of the consoles succumbed to "general hardware failure," but the company provided few other details about the extent of the problems. "We don't think we've been getting the job done," Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division said. "In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking." Mr Bach said the company made some manufacturing and production changes that he expects will reduce Xbox 360 hardware lockups, but he declined to identify the problems or say which others might remain. Microsoft said it will record a charge of up to $US1.15 billion ($1.35 billion) for the fourth quarter to cover the additional costs associated with the warranty extension. Matt Rosoff, an analyst at the independent research group Directions on Microsoft, estimates that Microsoft's entertainment and devices division has lost more than $US6 billion since 2002. Microsoft has written down larger amounts in the past - more than $US10 billion in the late 1990s related to investments in telecommunications companies, and more than $US5 billion related to antitrust issues - but a $US1 billion write-down for one division in one quarter is significant. "It suggests the problem is pretty widespread," Mr Rosoff said. Microsoft will pay for shipping and repairs for three years, worldwide, for consoles that experience hardware failure, which is usually indicated by three flashing red lights on the front of the console, something gamers sometimes refer to as "the red ring of death." Previously, the warranty expired after 1 year for US customers and 2 years for Europeans. Microsoft also will reimburse the "small number" of Xbox 360 owners who have paid for shipping and repairs on out-of-warranty consoles, Mr Bach said. In June, bloggers speculated that the Xbox 360 return problem was getting so severe that the company was running out of "coffins," or special return-shipping boxes Microsoft provides to gamers with dead consoles. "We'll make sure we have plenty of boxes to go back and forth," Mr Bach said in an interview. Microsoft's entertainment and devices division reported an operating loss of $US315 million on $US929 million in sales for the three-month period that ended in March. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 6 14:26:34 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:26:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The ZIP email and the PDF email In-Reply-To: <001401c7bca2$61fe2d40$0301a8c0@DellBox> References: <4688624D.5080006@praxis.com.au> <20070702102438.GI7189@taz.net.au> <001401c7bca2$61fe2d40$0301a8c0@DellBox> Message-ID: <200707060426.l664Qc9i001849@ah.net> At 10:13 PM 2/07/2007, Kimberley Heitman wrote: > >PDFs could be a virus or trojan, or they could be spam. image-spammers > >(mostly pump-and-dump stock-market scammers, and pill spammers) have > >moved on from gif and jpg, and are now using PDF files. > > > >craig > >Hmm. Does that mean they have an encoded identifier? Just following on this thread, looking through over 5884 SPAM messages in quarantine the reason I hadn't seen any of the PDF spam was because it's all caught in quarantine :) Thank goodness! I'll look at a couple of the files in the near future and see if there is anything of interest to report. From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 6 14:59:27 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:59:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Xbox repair bill tops $US1bn In-Reply-To: <468D9264.9090703@iimetro.com.au> References: <468D9264.9090703@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <200707060459.l664xZKD002522@ah.net> At 10:52 AM 6/07/2007, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >Microsoft will pay for shipping and repairs for three years, >worldwide, for consoles that experience hardware failure, which is >usually indicated by three flashing red lights on the front of the >console, something gamers sometimes refer to as "the red ring of >death." Previously, the warranty expired after 1 year for US >customers and 2 years for Europeans. See that's what happens when you don't use Blue LEDs :) (Blue Screen of Death - Blue Lights of Death - yeah ok, I just got out of court with a really bogus judgement.) From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Fri Jul 6 17:48:49 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 17:48:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems Message-ID: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Linkers My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. My ISP seemed to think it was a major failure across much of the country. Anybody else had problems? Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From pjpiper at bigpond.net.au Fri Jul 6 17:50:46 2007 From: pjpiper at bigpond.net.au (Phillip piper) Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 17:50:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems In-Reply-To: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <20070706081938.TVHC13677.oaamta06ps.mx.bigpond.com@Dogs> Mine has been up all day, but I have seen almost zero [LINK] traffic. Phill -----Original Message----- From: link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au [mailto:link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Antony Barry Sent: Friday, 6 July 2007 5:49 PM To: Link list Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems Linkers My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. My ISP seemed to think it was a major failure across much of the country. Anybody else had problems? Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link at mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From nospam at crm911.com Fri Jul 6 18:40:08 2007 From: nospam at crm911.com (Ash Nallawalla) Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 18:40:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems In-Reply-To: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <00dd01c7bfa9$45117a20$0600a8c0@office> > From: Antony Barry > My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. My ISP > seemed to think it was a major failure across much of the > country. Anybody else had problems? About 5 minutes downtime (around that time) using Netspace in Melbourne. - Ash From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 6 19:52:25 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:52:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems In-Reply-To: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <20070706094911.9D91664009@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 05:48 PM 6/07/2007, Antony Barry wrote: > Linkers My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. > My ISP seemed to think it was a major failure across much of the > country. Anybody else had problems? Tony Tony .. the VRN academic and research network network flow graphs (both up and down) are normal. For example for "All targets Overview - Victorian Regional Network Real Time Flow Statistics" graphs for our 10 Vic Universities see here Cheers, Tony Stephen Loosley Victoria, Asutralia From skeeve at skeeve.org Sat Jul 7 00:08:42 2007 From: skeeve at skeeve.org (Skeeve Stevens) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 00:08:42 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems In-Reply-To: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <0dbc01c7bfd7$28a19360$79e4ba20$@org> Soul had a critical failure in all connections of theirs in Equinix Sydney Datacentre taking out thousands of customers... probably in the tens of thousands. Four ISP's (and a couple of non-ISP's) I manage the networks for were seriously effected as the size of the transit they have with Soul is significant and backup links barely coped. The outage seemed to go for an hour or two. No word on what actually happened though. There was talk of other network failures in Brisbane and Melbourne today as well... but it could have been coincidence. ...Skeeve -- Skeeve Stevens, RHCE eintellego, General Manager skeeve at eintellego.net / www.eintellego.net Cell +61 (0)414 753 383 / skype://skeeve -- NOC, NOC, who's there? -----Original Message----- From: link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au [mailto:link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Antony Barry Sent: Friday, 6 July 2007 5:49 PM To: Link list Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems Linkers My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. My ISP seemed to think it was a major failure across much of the country. Anybody else had problems? Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link at mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From brd at iimetro.com.au Sat Jul 7 09:51:13 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 09:51:13 +1000 Subject: [LINK] An Auction Site for Vulnerabilities Message-ID: <468ED571.6010703@iimetro.com.au> An Auction Site for Vulnerabilities Tim Wilson Site Editor Dark Reading July 5, 2007 http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=128411&WT.svl=news1_1 Discover a security flaw in a major application or system? You can't sell it on eBay. But starting this week, you can sell it on a new auction site that's not too much different. WabiSabiLabi, whose marketplace opened for trading on Tuesday, is aiming to change the back-room market for security vulnerabilities and move it into the mainstream. Any researcher who finds a flaw can register to sell it on WSLabi's marketplace. WSLabi, a "neutral, vendor-independent Swiss laboratory," checks out the vulnerabilities and verifies their validity in its own labs before allowing them to be auctioned. "This thing could definitely have legs," says Jeremiah Grossman, CTO of WhiteHat Security. "I've heard people talk about selling exploits for a while, auction-style or otherwise, but this is the first auction implementation I've seen. All this would take is a couple of successful transactions, and it could cause a big shift in the way we traditionally think about the vulnerability disclosure process." There currently are four auctions going in the WabiSabiLabi marketplace, including a Linux kernel memory leak vulnerability that starts at 500 euros. The marketplace's founders say they believe the "ethical disclosure" policy followed by many security researchers is costing them money. "The system introduced by 'ethical disclosure' has been historically abused by both vendors and security providers in order to exploit the work of security researchers for free," the auction site says. "This happens only in the IT security field," the site states. "Nobody in the pharmaceutical industry is blackmailing researchers (or the companies that are financing the research) to force them to release the results for free under an ethical disclosure policy. "In this view, WabiSabiLabi has a not-for-free-disclosure policy, explicitly aiming to reward researchers," the founders state. "The only free information available to both vendors and public will be the general information on each piece of security research listed on the marketplace, which will be enough to understand the issues introduced by each security research, without disclosing any sensible technical detail." "Recently it was reported that although researchers had analyzed a little more than 7,000 publicly disclosed vulnerabilities last year, the number of new vulnerabilities found in code could be as high as 139,362 per year," said WSLabi CEO Herman Zampariolo, in a written statement. "Our intention is that the marketplace facility on WSLabi will enable security researchers to get a fair price for their findings and ensure that they will no longer be forced to give them away for free or sell them to cyber-criminals." WSLabi states that the research can only be sold under the condition that "the provided security research material must not come from an illegal source/activity." The site does not say which country's laws it will use to define the term "illegal" -- Germany, for example, recently adopted legislation that essentially outlaws all unauthorized access of computers, even for security research. Researchers who have seen the site say their first concern is who will be allowed to buy the vulnerabilities. WSLabi says it will "carefully evaluate" all potential buyers "to minimize the risk of selling the right stuff to the wrong people." But the site does not describe its process for doing the vetting, other than requesting a phone number and a faxed copy of an identity card. "My main fear with this type of thing is that it is difficult to differentiate between a legitimate buyer and someone who simply wants to use the vulnerability for nefarious purposes," says Robert Hansen (a.k.a. RSnake), CEO of SecTheory LLC. "Many of the biggest players in the software industry have said time and time again that they will not buy vulnerabilities, in the same way that the U.S. does not negotiate with terrorists." WSLabi says it will help researchers design the best-selling scheme and starting price for their discoveries, "enabling them to maximize the value of their findings. A piece of research that would currently sell to one company on an exclusive basis for $300 to $1,000 could sell for ten to twenty times more than this amount using the portal," the auction site says. The site works much like eBay, with options for Dutch auctions, Buy Now, and a definite running time for each auction. Sellers can choose to sell exclusively to a single buyer or to multiple purchasers. WSLabi did not disclose how much it charges to test the vulnerabilities and act as a broker for each sale. "I'd expect several researchers to give it a try," Grossman says. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From matthew at sorbs.net Sat Jul 7 11:47:05 2007 From: matthew at sorbs.net (Matthew Sullivan) Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:47:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australian internet problems In-Reply-To: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <976FC972-0004-4ABF-9A4A-A2777C0973F1@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <468EF099.7040704@sorbs.net> Antony Barry wrote: > Linkers > > My internet connection went out from ~15:30 to ~17:30. My ISP seemed > to think it was a major failure across much of the country. Anybody > else had problems? > Brisbane -> Finland 7 day stats here (Sorry about the long link): https://guest:guest at diablo.sorbs.net/nagios/cgi-bin/avail.cgi?show_log_entries=&host=rsync.fi.sorbs.net&timeperiod=last7days&smon=7&sday=1&syear=2007&shour=0&smin=0&ssec=0&emon=7&eday=7&eyear=2007&ehour=24&emin=0&esec=0&rpttimeperiod=&assumeinitialstates=yes&assumestateretention=yes&assumestatesduringnotrunning=yes&includesoftstates=no&initialassumedhoststate=0&initialassumedservicestate=0&backtrack=4 Brisbane -> USA 7 day stats here: https://guest:guest at diablo.sorbs.net/nagios/cgi-bin/avail.cgi?show_log_entries=&host=rsync.us.sorbs.net&timeperiod=last7days&smon=7&sday=1&syear=2007&shour=0&smin=0&ssec=0&emon=7&eday=7&eyear=2007&ehour=24&emin=0&esec=0&rpttimeperiod=&assumeinitialstates=yes&assumestateretention=yes&assumestatesduringnotrunning=yes&includesoftstates=no&initialassumedhoststate=0&initialassumedservicestate=0&backtrack=4 Brisbane -> Sydney for the last 7 day... https://guest:guest at diablo.sorbs.net/nagios/cgi-bin/avail.cgi?show_log_entries=&host=rsync.aarnet.sorbs.net&timeperiod=last7days&smon=7&sday=1&syear=2007&shour=0&smin=0&ssec=0&emon=7&eday=7&eyear=2007&ehour=24&emin=0&esec=0&rpttimeperiod=&assumeinitialstates=yes&assumestateretention=yes&assumestatesduringnotrunning=yes&includesoftstates=no&initialassumedhoststate=0&initialassumedservicestate=0&backtrack=4 None show issues, though *.fi does show ping times of +800ms which is more than double the norm... but that's been happening for the last 4 days. Regards, Mat From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sat Jul 7 12:28:53 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 12:28:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Brian Denehy Message-ID: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Linkers Sadly Brian Denehy has died. There is a death notice in today's Canberra Times. Brian was an original member of the link list and unsubscribed in 1998. As a member of CAUDIT he was instrumental in the early history of AARNet. Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sat Jul 7 14:48:40 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 14:48:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The YouTube effect: HTTP traffic now eclipses P2P References: Message-ID: Begin forwarded message: > From: Paul Brooks > Date: 3 July 2007 6:01:57 PM > To: Roger Clarke > Cc: link at anu.edu.au > Subject: Re: [LINK] The YouTube effect: HTTP traffic now eclipses P2P > > > Roger Clarke wrote: >> Ellacoya Networks, makers of deep packet inspection gear for >> carriers, has pulled together some statistics on one million >> broadband users in North America, and its findings show that HTTP >> traffic accounts for 46 percent of all broadband traffic. P2P >> applications now account for only 37 percent. > ...... >> Networks that want to ensure priority transmission of VoIP calls, >> traditional HTTP web browsing, medical imaging, etc., have a >> strong incentive to throttle back that flood of non-critical >> traffic when the network is experiencing heavy loads. That could >> bring them into conflict with proponents of strict network >> neutrality, though, who don't want to see any sort of packet >> prioritization. > >> [Without having participated in that debate, my sense of it was >> that the wish for network neutrality and not favouring some >> streams over others was because of the (huge) risk of bias both >> being unfairly implemented, and opening the way for even nastier >> forms of favour/disfavour (read censorhip).] > My sense is that the debate is less about censorship and more about > trying to prevent anticompetitive behaviour - although this > particular article seems to me to be more of a fairly transparent > plea for providers to purchase more Ellacoya boxes to do the > 'throttling back' of the non-critical traffic! > > Paul > > From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sat Jul 7 14:49:24 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 14:49:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? References: Message-ID: <7B311701-747C-4101-8A12-5E9BDA54EE17@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > > From: Paul Brooks > Date: 4 July 2007 2:25:48 PM > To: Craig Sanders > Cc: LINK > Subject: Re: [LINK] How far the fibre? > > > Craig Sanders wrote: >> not very useful for acute appendicitis, or a car crash, or >> poisoning or any of the many other things that require on-the-spot >> expertise, right now...rather than booked days or weeks in >> advance. not terribly useful for surgery, either. even if tele- >> operated devices became good enough to be useful for general >> surgery, it would require a huge investment in the required >> equipment....and that just isn't going to happen in a tiny remote >> community, any more than the govt. is going to build a fully >> equipped hospital in a tiny remote community. > Tiny remote communities are just the sort of place that would > benefit from infrastructure to allow the local people-on-the-ground > to consult remote expertise immediately, rather than taking days or > weeks to post off photos of the condition for an expert opinion, or > transporting the patient to a larger centre. > I was recently involved in evaluating the effectiveness of a secure > VPN, consisting of satellite links, ADSL, and direct 'fibre > links' (actually 2 Mbps symmetric transmission of some sort) run to > many doctors surgeries, hospitals, clinics, and doctors homes, in > the far flung Eastern Goldfields area around Kalgoorlie in WA. > > "The Reference Site has been established in the area serviced by > the Eastern Goldfields Medical Division of General Practice and > Goldfields South East Health Region in Western Australia. This area > includes the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the surrounding region, > from the inland town of Wiluna in the north, to the coastal town of > Esperance in the south (~ 1/3 of WA). The area covers typical rural > and remote conditions, with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder > mirroring metro-like conditions." > > Some of the outcomes that were found to be of the greatest benefit > were the easiest things that bringing broadband could be expected > to solve. > With broadband connected, surgeries could process medicare > transactions online instantly, rather than post off paper-based > returns with turnaround times of weeks > One doctor cited the ability to look up travel advisories to > determine what vaccinations might be required 'on the spot', rather > than having take down the information in one consultation, paw > through multiple paper-based or other references offline, and > require the patient to come back later when the information was > known. This is a major improvement when the patient might have to > travel for several hours to get to the clinic. > Some of them really did use webcam-based videoconferencing to > identify and get opinions on skin disorders > Email was the most valuable application - bringing usable email > capability to someone trying to work without it with faxes and such. > Satellite (two-way) connections didn't work so well > The information on the project is at http://www.health.gov.au/ > internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-ehealth-broadband- > reference.htm > > The 'lessons learnt' document is also linked there - make sure you > grab the PDF versions (~300 KB in size) rather than the RTF > versions (~3.5 MB in size) though! > > > Paul. From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sat Jul 7 14:50:10 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 14:50:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? References: Message-ID: <4EF2AD1E-3F57-4DC2-83EE-71425EA72CD0@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > From: Paul Brooks > Date: 4 July 2007 2:37:36 PM > To: Glen Turner > Cc: Craig Sanders , LINK > Subject: Re: [LINK] How far the fibre? > > > Glen Turner wrote: >> Where telemedicine comes to the fore is the steps after critical >> care. The post-recovery consultations. If all is going well, then >> you don't want to drive to the city to be told that all is going >> well or for a slight change in a drugs. >> >> Also, to be blunt, acute care isn't the issue in regional >> Australia -- that's going to be done in the city just because >> of the huge investment needed. It's the next rung down -- >> specialist diagnosis and treatment consultations, psychological >> evaluations and care, and so on. >> > And for this (to bring the discussion back to the topic in the > Subject line), you don't need fibre-enabled speed. > 'conventional' broadband, in the single-digit Mbps range, is > sufficient to vastly improve a doctor and patient's efficiency in > these non-critical areas, which afterall occupy the majority of the > healthcare daily activities. > Workable email, that can send and receive reasonable digital photo > attachments in minutes rather than hours, doesn't need 50+ Mbps. > Neither does online reference database lookup, or updating > electronic health records. The important characteristic of > connectivity in this environment is primarily 'always on', rather > than raw capacity. And so, if stumping for a different technology > such as wireless in preference to fibre will get an 'always on' > connection to these people's homes, surgeries, clinics, pharmacies > and schools in a shorter time than waiting for someone to justify > fibre-to-the-clinic and hundreds of MB of capacity, then I say go > for it - and drag the fibre or something through later if the > first technology starts being a bottleneck. > > Paul. > > phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Sat Jul 7 14:51:17 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 14:51:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer References: Message-ID: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > . > From: "Caspar Bowden \(private e-mail\)" > Date: 4 July 2007 9:04:41 PM > To: "'Roger Clarke'" , > Subject: RE: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer > > > I'd be interested in your detailed comments on > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/privacy/vistartm.mspx > and > http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx? > FamilyID=e6a35441-918f-4022- > b973-e7fc0d1d2917&DisplayLang=en > > I think what these illustrate is that Microsoft has developed Vista > with a > systematic review of the privacy impact of data flows from the > machine, and > that considerable care has gone into making distinctions between > opt-ins and > opt-outs, and the degree of prominent notice given, which is more > often than > not coupled to first use of the specific feature. The hard > question, on > which I'd be very grateful for suggestions, is how to design a lay- > person > usable interface to bring these under more informed and interactive > control. > There are legitimate reasons for all of these flows documented - > it's not as > simple as saying "switch everything off". > > Caspar > > -----Original Message----- > From: Roger Clarke [mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au] > Sent: 03 July 2007 04:50 > To: link at anu.edu.au > Subject: Re: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer > > At 10:21 +0800 3/7/07, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> Isn't harvest a nice unchallenging word? - a bit like rendition. >> I have to use Microsoft products because my employer and clients use >> it, but this really puts me off Vista. >> Is this the same for all versions? >> What do the versions that corporates and governments run do? >> Is Microsoft starting to put bigger bullets into its foot? > > Surely the outgoing data-streams are reliably recognisable. > > And hence blockable. > > And hence surely someone's already written a tool to block them? > > Or do all of the world's rebels work under OS other than MS's, and > hence don't write such tools? > > >> Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services >> Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine! >> Marius Oiaga, >> Technology News Editor >> Softpedia >> http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows- >> Vista-Featur > es-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml >> >> Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the >> licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a >> healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a >> program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your >> concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and >> services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal >> data to the Redmond company. >> >> Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is >> gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real >> choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista >> Privacy Statement and references within the End User License >> Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint >> the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest >> via Vista. >> >> >> >> -- >> Regards >> brd >> >> Bernard Robertson-Dunn >> Sydney Australia >> brd at iimetro.com.au >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Link mailing list >> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- > Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/ > Roger.Clarke/ > > Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 > AUSTRALIA > Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 > mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http:// > www.xamax.com.au/ > > Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National > University > Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong > Kong > Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni > of NSW > > > From bpa at iss.net.au Sat Jul 7 18:18:29 2007 From: bpa at iss.net.au (Brenda Aynsley) Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:48:29 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Brian Denehy In-Reply-To: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <468F4C55.80203@iss.net.au> Antony Barry wrote: > Linkers > > Sadly Brian Denehy has died. There is a death notice in today's Canberra ah that is sad, I knew him for a short time when I was in canberra and he was such a lovely, helpful chap to the internet ignoramus that I was. Condolences. brenda -- Brenda Aynsley, FACS, PCP Director Oz Business Partners http://www.ozbusinesspartners.com/ Mobile:+61(0) 412 662 988 || Skype: callto://baynsley Phone:08 8357 8844 Fax:08 8272 7486 Nodephone:08 7127 0107 Chairman Pearcey Foundation, SA Committee www.pearcey.org.au Immediate Past Chairman ACS SA Branch www.acs.org.au/sa From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Sun Jul 8 18:30:31 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:30:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> Antony Barry wrote: > > > Begin forwarded message: >> . >> From: "Caspar Bowden \(private e-mail\)" >> Date: 4 July 2007 9:04:41 PM >> To: "'Roger Clarke'" , >> Subject: RE: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer >> >> >> I'd be interested in your detailed comments on >> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/privacy/vistartm.mspx >> and >> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e6a35441-918f-4022- >> >> b973-e7fc0d1d2917&DisplayLang=en >> >> I think what these illustrate is that Microsoft has developed Vista >> with a >> systematic review of the privacy impact of data flows from the >> machine, and >> that considerable care has gone into making distinctions between >> opt-ins and >> opt-outs, and the degree of prominent notice given, which is more >> often than >> not coupled to first use of the specific feature. Let's see. I agree that it is comprehensive, if not overwhelming. There are close to 60 individual privacy statements for the user to absorb; and likewise nearly 60 features the user would have to manage if they wanted to control the data flows back to Microsoft. For the ordinary end user that's way too much: a capable and careful system administrator is required to manage privacy for a consumer product. That's such a disconnect that it's hard to see it as inadvertent. >> The hard question, on >> which I'd be very grateful for suggestions, is how to design a >> lay-person >> usable interface to bring these under more informed and interactive >> control. >> There are legitimate reasons for all of these flows documented - it's >> not as >> simple as saying "switch everything off". Indeed not; the user has more choice than that: 1) Put up with it. 2) Don't buy Vista. 3) Manage nearly discrete operations. 4) Block all but the bare minimum of outbound communications at a firewall. 5) Turn everything off. My answer is not to buy Vista. But even without Vista, I have a long-standing set of firewall rules: - DNS can talk to the Internet - E-mail can talk to the ISP mail server only, and only Thunderbird has permission to use e-mail ports - Thunderbird can *only* use e-mail ports - Only Firefox and a couple of plug-ins (like Acrobat) can use HTTP ports - On Windows machines, Windows update can talk to the Internet - A couple of Windows services like printing can open ports to the local network - No other applications (eg Word, Excel, etc) are allowed to open network ports. It has never broken any application or stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. So regardless of the legitimacy of the Vista phone-home, my decisions are equally legitimate. Richard Chirgwin >> >> Caspar >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Roger Clarke [mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au] >> Sent: 03 July 2007 04:50 >> To: link at anu.edu.au >> Subject: Re: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer >> >> At 10:21 +0800 3/7/07, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >>> Isn't harvest a nice unchallenging word? - a bit like rendition. >>> I have to use Microsoft products because my employer and clients use >>> it, but this really puts me off Vista. >>> Is this the same for all versions? >>> What do the versions that corporates and governments run do? >>> Is Microsoft starting to put bigger bullets into its foot? >> >> Surely the outgoing data-streams are reliably recognisable. >> >> And hence blockable. >> >> And hence surely someone's already written a tool to block them? >> >> Or do all of the world's rebels work under OS other than MS's, and >> hence don't write such tools? >> >> >>> Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services >>> Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine! >>> Marius Oiaga, >>> Technology News Editor >>> Softpedia >>> http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows-Vista-Featur >>> >> es-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml >>> >>> Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the >>> licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a >>> healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a >>> program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your >>> concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and >>> services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal >>> data to the Redmond company. >>> >>> Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is >>> gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real >>> choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista >>> Privacy Statement and references within the End User License >>> Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint >>> the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest >>> via Vista. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Regards >>> brd >>> >>> Bernard Robertson-Dunn >>> Sydney Australia >>> brd at iimetro.com.au >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Link mailing list >>> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >>> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link >> >> --Roger Clarke >> http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ >> >> Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA >> Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 >> mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ >> >> Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University >> Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong >> Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From kauer at biplane.com.au Sun Jul 8 18:56:38 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:56:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> References: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <1183884999.5803.216.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Sun, 2007-07-08 at 18:30 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote: > I agree that it is comprehensive, if not overwhelming. There are close > to 60 individual privacy statements for the user to absorb; and likewise > nearly 60 features the user would have to manage if they wanted to > control the data flows back to Microsoft. For the ordinary end user > that's way too much And one other thing - which of these flows are actually beneficial to the user? I don't mean the soft-soap BS like "help us make a better product", I mean actual, real benefits. My guess is: None. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From scott at doc.net.au Sun Jul 8 20:03:31 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2007 20:03:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <1183884999.5803.216.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> <1183884999.5803.216.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <20070708100331.GA14206@milliways.doc.net.au> On Sun, Jul 08, 2007 at 06:56:38PM +1000, Karl Auer wrote: > And one other thing - which of these flows are actually beneficial to > the user? I don't mean the soft-soap BS like "help us make a better > product", I mean actual, real benefits. > > My guess is: None. My guess would be that you haven't even looked at the list, correct? To pick one of the more obvious example, the "Plug and Play" system certainly does add value to users by downloading the correct drivers for their new hardware. And clearly to do that it needs to pass back the details of the hardware you've just installed. It's also important to note that this isn't a list of functions that will forward details to Microsoft - it's a list of anywhere that personal data may be collected and/or forwarded - even locally! eg, the 'Speech Recognizer' states that it collects details of your speech patterns and the like, and that this "information is not sent to Microsoft", but that "Administrators can access any profile on the computer". Then there's "Windows Calendar" where the "Information that you enter in your calendars is stored locally on your computer." As far as "help us make a better product", this type of information does benefit the user community - as a whole at least. Until recently I was involved in the development of Sun's "Explorer" product, which collects data from customers systems and forwards it to Sun (with the customers full permission, of course!) The data we were able to obtain from the corpus of Explorer data was invaluable. The knowledge that X% of users are running a specific configuration or program allows the company to focus development on areas that customers are actually using, for example. The challenge is in getting the amount of data right, and this certainly isn't easy to do. But looking through the Vista list I'm having trouble finding anything that I'd be concerned with Microsoft knowing. Scott. From nospam at crm911.com Sun Jul 8 20:49:28 2007 From: nospam at crm911.com (Ash Nallawalla) Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2007 20:49:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Brian Denehy In-Reply-To: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <002501c7c14d$aa1676f0$0600a8c0@office> Very sad to hear that. I worked with him at RAAF Academy (Melbourne Uni Physics) for four years between 1981 and 1984, then he moved to ADFA. I ran into him at some conferences later on. - Ash > -----Original Message----- > From: Antony Barry > Sadly Brian Denehy has died. There is a death notice in > today's Canberra Times. Brian was an original member of the > link list and unsubscribed in 1998. > > As a member of CAUDIT he was instrumental in the early > history of AARNet. From kauer at biplane.com.au Mon Jul 9 00:43:44 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:43:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <20070708100331.GA14206@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> <1183884999.5803.216.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070708100331.GA14206@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <1183905824.5803.240.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Sun, 2007-07-08 at 20:03 +1000, Scott Howard wrote: > On Sun, Jul 08, 2007 at 06:56:38PM +1000, Karl Auer wrote: > > And one other thing - which of these flows are actually beneficial to > > the user? I don't mean the soft-soap BS like "help us make a better > > product", I mean actual, real benefits. > > > > My guess is: None. > > My guess would be that you haven't even looked at the list, correct? Wrong. > To pick one of the more obvious example, the "Plug and Play" system > certainly does add value to users OK, lets look at that one. "PnP-X enabled devices may advertise their presence on the subnet by broadcasting data, such as the device's IP address and a unique identifier, over the subnet. Be aware that PnP-X supports a wide range of devices, including network drives and devices (such as digital cameras) that could contain personal information." And: "When you install a PnP-X enabled device, the information that is sent to the online Windows Update service is used to download and install the appropriate device drivers. Information sent over the subnet is used to identify the device and **enable access to the features offered by the device.**" [my emphasis] And: "There is **no facility for disabling PnP-X or for controlling which information is sent by a PnP-X enabled device** once it is accessed across a network." [my emphasis] Now I'm not blaming MS for (all) this, because I don't know who invented this turkey, and maybe I need to know more about it, but at first blush it looks like a security cock-up of the first water. And at least as far as it pertains to Windows Vista, why can only admins stop access to Windows Update, why is there no control over what is sent, and why the expletive deleted can't the whole feature be turned off? Elsewhere they say "don't use this stuff except on a secure network"! > As far as "help us make a better product", this type of information does > benefit the user community - as a whole at least. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one; unless we can perhaps agree that it depends a very great deal on the company involved. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au) +61-2-64957160 (h) http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/ +61-428-957160 (mob) From scott at doc.net.au Mon Jul 9 01:14:30 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 01:14:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista - the data gatherer In-Reply-To: <1183905824.5803.240.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <5B53EEC8-B303-45F7-9130-B4BAEBD0053D@tony-barry.emu.id.au> <4690A0A7.9000005@ozemail.com.au> <1183884999.5803.216.camel@localhost.localdomain> <20070708100331.GA14206@milliways.doc.net.au> <1183905824.5803.240.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <20070708151430.GA15208@milliways.doc.net.au> On Mon, Jul 09, 2007 at 12:43:44AM +1000, Karl Auer wrote: > > To pick one of the more obvious example, the "Plug and Play" system > > certainly does add value to users > > OK, lets look at that one. > > "PnP-X enabled devices may advertise their presence on the subnet by PnP-X is not "Plug and Play", it's "Plug and Play Extensions". If you think of PnP-X as being USB-over-Network you'd be closer to the mark. > appropriate device drivers. Information sent over the subnet is used to > identify the device and **enable access to the features offered by the > device.**" [my emphasis] Correct. This is referring to the communication between your PC and the PnP-X device, which is a device sitting on your local network. So this is them saying that in order to talk to a device on the network we will send data over the network to that device. > "There is **no facility for disabling PnP-X or for controlling which > information is sent by a PnP-X enabled device** once it is accessed > across a network." [my emphasis] Correct. Just as there is no way of disabling (say) a USB port, or controlling what information is sent to a USB port on your system - that's a function of the driver itself, and almost certainly a requirement of the device to actually work. (Yes, you can disable a USB port if you dig deep enough, and you can also disable PnP-X by stopping the relevant service) Really this is like saying that a Printer is a privacy risk as it can be used to print out your tax return. Technically this may be true, but given that doing that is it's primary function it's hard to argue that it's Microsofts fault... > it looks like a security cock-up of the first water. And at least as far This may or may not be the case, but not you're getting into Security rather than Privacy/data gathering. If a user chooses to connect to a PnP-X device on their network that they don't trust, that's hardly an MS Privacy issue... Scott. From planetjim at gmail.com Mon Jul 9 11:09:13 2007 From: planetjim at gmail.com (jim birch) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 11:09:13 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Uniform Office Format from China In-Reply-To: <20070705225112.E6344153BD@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> References: <20070705225112.E6344153BD@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <39e534e70707081809rcaa1848kd3a93ab00861c101@mail.gmail.com> On 06/07/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > > One I just noticed is that China developed an XML based "Uniform > Office Format" (UOF) There's a good short blog piece on OUF here (via wikipedia): http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=2006110806164573 The Chinese have a massive historical imbalance in standards and patents. This means that they are able to manufacture goods for the West but cannot create their own for the domestic market because of the crippling cost of patents. Standards, even open standards, can actually work in similar way where they are written around patented technologies or a forest of patents has grown around their implementation. So the Chinese are out to produce their own standards that that will allow them to develop their own products in green (unencumbered) fields. I could say draw your own conclusions but around here that's a bit stupid. :-) Jim From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Mon Jul 9 11:23:51 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:23:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Firefox 3 Message-ID: <61fgq6$3c365c@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> Just noticed a mention on the NoScript upgrade webpage that Firefox 3 is in alpha development. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From kim.holburn at gmail.com Mon Jul 9 17:14:26 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 09:14:26 +0200 Subject: [LINK] Firefox 3 In-Reply-To: <61fgq6$3c365c@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fgq6$3c365c@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: It's up to 3.0a6. http://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/index.php/2007/07/02/firefox-30- alpha-6-available-for-download/ On 2007/Jul/09, at 3:23 AM, Jan Whitaker wrote: > Just noticed a mention on the NoScript upgrade webpage that Firefox > 3 is in alpha development. > > Jan -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From kim at holburn.net Mon Jul 9 18:55:52 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 10:55:52 +0200 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) Message-ID: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> Malware report reveals targeted attacks on energy sector execs http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070708-malware-report-reveals- targetted-attacks-on-energy-sector-execs.html > Malware report reveals targeted attacks on energy sector execs > > By Jeremy Reimer | Published: July 08, 2007 - 10:46PM CT > > MessageLabs, a company that provides messaging security for ISPs > and businesses, has released its latest report on the state of > malware. It has revealed an interesting new phenomenon: malware > targeted at executives in different companies, but all working in > the same sector. > Beginning on June 26, MessageLabs intercepted over 500 targeted > attacks that consisted of an e-mail with a Microsoft Word file > attached. The Word file contained embedded executable code that > when opened would activate a trojan horse program. > E-mails were sent to various corporate executives at a variety of > companies, and some e-mails were actually directed towards the > spouse or close relation of specific executives. Most of the > attacks were sent to executives working in the energy sector. The > goal behind the attacks was to take control of both work and home > computers belonging to high-level employees at these companies in > order to gain access to confidential e-mails and sensitive > corporate information. > > Targeted attacks are not a new idea, but this latest batch shows > that these sorts of attacks are on the rise and getting more > complex. One also wonders why the energy sector has been targeted. > Is this some attempt at so-called cyberterrorism? > > Another new trick that some spammers are starting to use is to send > messages to hotels and catering organizations with seemingly- > legitimate group reservations, sending a fraudulent payment, then > attempting to claim a refund before the bank disallows the original > transaction. Clearly in this case the motive is financial. > Image spam gets more professional > > In addition to the new targeted e-mail attacks, MessageLabs has > noticed a change in the "hot stock tip" scams that are typically > sent out as one large embedded image in order to bypass text-based > spam filters. The first batch of these tips were somewhat > amateurish, with frequent misspellings and overly hyperbolic word > choices. The spammers have addressed these issues with a new batch > of e-mails that are sent with attachments in PDF format, mimicking > the look of a genuine newsletter to promote a particular penny > stock. The PDF contains a large embedded image, unlike typical PDFs > that can be searched for text strings. Because of this, each PDF is > unique, which makes it difficult for automated content analysis > programs to identify the files as spam. > > The stock tip scams are pushed aggressively, with tens of thousands > of e-mails directed to individual domains within a time period as > short as one hour. The idea behind these "spam spikes" is to push > as many e-mails through before antispam systems can react and block > the messages. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au Mon Jul 9 20:52:37 2007 From: david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au (David Boxall) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:52:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <20070708091102.GB7147@taz.net.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183422797.3277.41.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> <20070703015126.GA7147@taz.net.au> <46908F60.1090101@hunterlink.net.au> <20070708091102.GB7147@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <46921375.6030002@hunterlink.net.au> How then, to explain fibre less than 300 metres from my rural home? If, as the linked information suggests, Telstra has for years been laying fibre whenever it's laid copper, then there must be thousands of kilometres of the stuff in the ground just waiting for some generous government to offer a subsidy. As Russell Ashdown says in the linked information: "the major cost when installing cable plant is not the cable itself, but the labour costs of the installation", so laying fibre while personnel and equipment are available makes sense. The extra cost of the fibre can be considered an investment. When the subsidies come, Telstra will cash in big time. Craig Sanders wrote: > On Sun, Jul 08, 2007 at 05:16:48PM +1000, David Boxall wrote: >> Craig Sanders wrote: >>> On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 10:03:17AM +0930, Glen Turner wrote: >>>> The extremely inhospitable bit is pushing it. A hot and dry climate >>>> is almost ideal for direct-bury fibre, which is something you can't >>>> do in more populated areas. >>> what about the sharks, though? IIRC, sharks are apparently attracted >>> to fibre-optic cables and bite through them. burying all that FO in >>> the desert will lead to extremely unfortunate evolutionary pressures. >>> people just dont think of the consequences. >>> >>> craig >> Sharks in the desert? Now that's evolution! > > yeah, that was the point. i was trying to kill off the circular argument > ("is so! is not!") with a dumb joke. it mostly worked, and the thread went > off in other directions. > >> is any guide, then >> fibre will go wherever copper went. In fact, in a lot of cases, it's >> probably already there. > > fibre's certainly along at least the major roads....to the exchanges. > getting it to the node, or to the home or business, is another matter > entirely. > > some outer suburban estates don't even have dedicated copper pairs to > the home, they have crap pair-gain rubbish that seriously impedes modem > performance and makes it impossible to get ADSL (or at least delays it > until you can convince telstra to take you off pair-gain). > > craig > -- David Boxall | The more that wise people learn david at boxall.name | The more they come to appreciate | How much they don't know. --Confucius From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Mon Jul 9 21:52:16 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 21:52:16 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? References: Message-ID: <2AF40F95-685A-422C-814A-C8B1C3E83478@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > > The attached message has been automatically discarded. > From: David Boxall > Date: 8 July 2007 3:28:15 PM > To: Link List > Subject: Re: [LINK] How far the fibre? > > > Craig Sanders wrote: >> On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 10:03:17AM +0930, Glen Turner wrote: >>> The extremely inhospitable bit is pushing it. A hot and dry climate >>> is almost ideal for direct-bury fibre, which is something you can't >>> do in more populated areas. >> >> what about the sharks, though? IIRC, sharks are apparently >> attracted to >> fibre-optic cables and bite through them. burying all that FO in >> the desert >> will lead to extremely unfortunate evolutionary pressures. people >> just dont >> think of the consequences. >> >> craig > Sharks in the desert? Now that's evolution! > > If experience in my neck of the woods: users.hunterlink.net.au/~dddab/Phone1.html> is any guide, then > fibre will go wherever copper went. In fact, in a lot of cases, > it's probably already there. > > > -- > David Boxall | When a distinguished but elderly > | scientist states that something is > | possible, he is almost certainly > | right. When he states that > | something is impossible, he is > | very probably wrong. > --Arthur C. Clarke > > phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Mon Jul 9 22:01:21 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 22:01:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Windows developers begin slow defection to Message-ID: <3DA8B0AC-7E2C-4196-9B2D-7CB3595FD873@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Windows developers begin slow defection to Linux Two years ago, the number of developers writing applications for the Microsoft Windows platform fell, while the opposite was true for Linux -- this has now become a trend. phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 10 08:06:51 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:06:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <46921375.6030002@hunterlink.net.au> References: <1182844791.12049.176.camel@localhost.localdomain> <468180C2.9070206@ozemail.com.au> <1182903621.8643.9.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4687684A.3000606@ozemail.com.au> <1183422797.3277.41.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> <20070703015126.GA7147@taz.net.au> <46908F60.1090101@hunterlink.net.au> <20070708091102.GB7147@taz.net.au> <46921375.6030002@hunterlink.net.au> Message-ID: <4692B17B.4030204@ramin.com.au> David Boxall wrote: > How then, to explain fibre less than 300 metres from my rural home? If, > as the linked information suggests, Telstra has for years been laying > fibre whenever it's laid copper, then there must be thousands of > kilometres of the stuff in the ground just waiting for some generous > government to offer a subsidy. > > As Russell Ashdown says in the linked information: "the major cost when > installing cable plant is not the cable itself, but the labour costs of > the installation", so laying fibre while personnel and equipment are > available makes sense. The extra cost of the fibre can be considered an > investment. When the subsidies come, Telstra will cash in big time. > There could be a number of explanations for fibre to your "rural" home in the hunter valley. A. You are in close proximity to Sydney and Newcastle (Newcastle is larger than Canberra and Hobart, and possibly Darwin) So, based on urban projections, it would be a sensible investment. B. Fibre is possibly cheaper than copper to lay - particularly for long hauls. It is the termination equipment and management(personnel) that is "expensive". C. The Fibre can reticulated through wireless for the last 300 metres. The discussion on Link has been the provision of an Internet connection, at the fastest possible rate to as many people as possible in Australia. While Internet Access does provide fantastic opportunities, it requires operational users & workstations, support, content etc, as well as an Internet Connection. M PS you may even find that many building constructed in the early 80s were cabled with Fibre too. Guess the value of that investment deteriorated when Wireless came along. > Craig Sanders wrote: >> On Sun, Jul 08, 2007 at 05:16:48PM +1000, David Boxall wrote: >>> Craig Sanders wrote: >>>> On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 10:03:17AM +0930, Glen Turner wrote: >>>>> The extremely inhospitable bit is pushing it. A hot and dry climate >>>>> is almost ideal for direct-bury fibre, which is something you can't >>>>> do in more populated areas. >>>> what about the sharks, though? IIRC, sharks are apparently attracted >>>> to fibre-optic cables and bite through them. burying all that FO in >>>> the desert will lead to extremely unfortunate evolutionary pressures. >>>> people just dont think of the consequences. >>>> >>>> craig >>> Sharks in the desert? Now that's evolution! >> >> yeah, that was the point. i was trying to kill off the circular argument >> ("is so! is not!") with a dumb joke. it mostly worked, and the thread >> went >> off in other directions. >> >>> is any guide, then >>> fibre will go wherever copper went. In fact, in a lot of cases, it's >>> probably already there. >> >> fibre's certainly along at least the major roads....to the exchanges. >> getting it to the node, or to the home or business, is another matter >> entirely. >> >> some outer suburban estates don't even have dedicated copper pairs to >> the home, they have crap pair-gain rubbish that seriously impedes modem >> performance and makes it impossible to get ADSL (or at least delays it >> until you can convince telstra to take you off pair-gain). >> >> craig >> -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 10 08:18:22 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:18:22 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4692B17B.4030204@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: On 10/7/07 8:06 AM, "Marghanita da Cruz" wrote: > There could be a number of explanations for fibre to your "rural" home in the > hunter valley. > > A. You are in close proximity to Sydney and Newcastle (Newcastle is larger > than > Canberra and Hobart, and possibly Darwin) So, based on urban projections, it > would be a sensible investment. > > B. Fibre is possibly cheaper than copper to lay - particularly for long hauls. > It is the termination equipment and management(personnel) that is "expensive". > > C. The Fibre can reticulated through wireless for the last 300 metres. IIRC, back in the mid-90s the local authorities (councils?) in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley areas were actively promoting the region as a high-tech hub, since the future they saw in coal, steel and shipbuilding (!) wasn't a happy one. I seem to remember them subsidizing a lot of fibre to attract high-tech firms out of Sydney. All based on very hazy memories of the dot-com boom -- ring any bells for anyone? Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Tue Jul 10 08:36:38 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:36:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4692B876.5060204@ozemail.com.au> Stilgherrian wrote: > On 10/7/07 8:06 AM, "Marghanita da Cruz" wrote: > >> There could be a number of explanations for fibre to your "rural" home in the >> hunter valley. >> >> A. You are in close proximity to Sydney and Newcastle (Newcastle is larger >> than >> Canberra and Hobart, and possibly Darwin) So, based on urban projections, it >> would be a sensible investment. >> >> B. Fibre is possibly cheaper than copper to lay - particularly for long hauls. >> It is the termination equipment and management(personnel) that is "expensive". >> >> C. The Fibre can reticulated through wireless for the last 300 metres. >> > > IIRC, back in the mid-90s the local authorities (councils?) in the Newcastle > and Hunter Valley areas were actively promoting the region as a high-tech > hub, since the future they saw in coal, steel and shipbuilding (!) wasn't a > happy one. I seem to remember them subsidizing a lot of fibre to attract > high-tech firms out of Sydney. > > All based on very hazy memories of the dot-com boom -- ring any bells for > anyone? > First, 2c worth for David - and others I guess. I don't know whether what passes you is fibre serving exchanges, or fibre serving long-haul trunk routes. If it's the long-haul between Sydney and Brisbane, then it stops at exchanges in major centres for add-drop, not at every possible place along the way. All the long-hauls pass through towns, but not all the towns get drop-off points (and this is not just a Telstra quirk, take a look at any national-scale fibre map). Regarding Stil's memory, you're roughly correct. The "big thing" was to get Canada's SaskTel to pour buckets of dollars into Hunter fibre. It got announced lots of times, but it never happened. I recall talking to a Canadian journalist at one point; his opinion was that the SaskTel management of the day was much better at announcement than at execution. RC > Stil > > > From cas at taz.net.au Tue Jul 10 09:54:50 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:54:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> Message-ID: <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 09, 2007 at 10:55:52AM +0200, Kim Holburn wrote: >> The stock tip scams are pushed aggressively, with tens of thousands of >> e-mails directed to individual domains within a time period as short as >> one hour. The idea behind these "spam spikes" is to push as many e-mails >> through before antispam systems can react and block the messages. speaking of spam, has anyone else noticed a significant increase in spam volume since about the middle of last week? my home mail server normally rejects between 30 & 50,000 spam attempts per week. last week, it was just under 70,000. and so far this week (since sunday morning), it has rejected just over 42000....that's 21000/day rather than the more usual 5-10000. looks to be mostly from windows zombies on dynamic ip addresses, almost half of it spammed at non-existent addresses. none of it is getting in, but it's flooding my logs with crap and wasting my bandwidth. i'm beginning to think that the spam problem will only be solved with a global mandatory death penalty for spammers, with generous bounties to hunt them down. and bonus bounties for 'inventive' ways of dispatching the vermin. there's potential for a mega-popular reality-TV show in that too. craig -- craig sanders From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 10 10:18:10 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:18:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <4692D042.7050508@praxis.com.au> Craig Sanders wrote: > i'm beginning to think that the spam problem will only be solved with a > global mandatory death penalty for spammers, with generous bounties to > hunt them down. and bonus bounties for 'inventive' ways of dispatching > the vermin. there's potential for a mega-popular reality-TV show in that > too. Save a cricket bat or two for pedophiles, corporate criminals, corrupt officialdom, polluters, politicians and the myriad other criminals who ruin people's lives and destroy the planet. cheers rick -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 10 10:20:34 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:20:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <4692CEF7.7040206@lannet.com.au> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> <4692CEF7.7040206@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <4692D0D2.2050605@praxis.com.au> Howard Lowndes wrote: > Why stop there. Exterminate M$ users as well... It's not their fault. They know no better. Believe me, I have tried proselytising. Probably easier to convert the know-nothings to Islam. I'd like to see a worm that destroys Windows boxes. And possibly installs Linux or Mac OS X on them instead. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. -- George W Bush, Washington DC, 20040805 (http://www.dubyaspeak.com/) From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 9 12:43:28 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:43:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Impact of IT business strategy, 20 July 2007, Canberra Message-ID: <20070710003306.930E341C2@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Peter Weill will be visiting Australia from MIT to give a talk at a conference in Brisbane . The ANU has arranged for him to also speak in Canberra on IT and business strategy (details below). Some may recall that Peter was one of the "gang of four" who gave evidence on outsourcing to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee in 1997: . ;-) Peter's talk comes after Rob Thomsett's talk to the ACS in Canberra last week, where he castigated IT project managers for failing to properly involve their sponsors in projects . --- Six IT decisions IT people shouldn't make alone Professor Peter Weill, MIT Friday, 20 July 2007, 3-4.30 pm, Canberra Description: Many companies are disappointed in the weak returns - and in some cases outright losses - from their IT investments. Professor Peter Weill holds that IT management should not be left alone to make the choices that determine the impact of IT on a company's business strategy. Cost: free -- bookings essential Further Information and booking: . Sponsored by the National Centre for Information Systems Research, ANU and National Archives of Australia --- ps: ANU and NAA launched National Archives of Australia launched the course "Systems Approach to Management of Government Information" in June: Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au Tue Jul 10 10:43:07 2007 From: pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au (Paul Brooks) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:43:07 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4692B876.5060204@ozemail.com.au> References: <4692B876.5060204@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <4692D61B.3050509@layer10.com.au> Richard Chirgwin wrote: > > Regarding Stil's memory, you're roughly correct. The "big thing" was > to get Canada's SaskTel to pour buckets of dollars into Hunter fibre. > It got announced lots of times, but it never happened. I recall > talking to a Canadian journalist at one point; his opinion was that > the SaskTel management of the day was much better at announcement than > at execution. Not only the Hunter - I have a hazy recollection that SaskTel might have been involved in the early discussions of TransACT, but again nothing eventuated. In the Hunter area Ipera (www.ipera.com.au) have their own fibre network running around Newcastle and surrounding areas, and I am sure Soul does as well. Not all fibre is Telstra fibre. Paul. From scott at doc.net.au Tue Jul 10 10:44:04 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:44:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <20070710004404.GA19408@milliways.doc.net.au> On Tue, Jul 10, 2007 at 09:54:50AM +1000, Craig Sanders wrote: > > speaking of spam, has anyone else noticed a significant increase in spam > volume since about the middle of last week? Yes, it's occuring globally. There's 2 main drivers. The first is PDF spam. After a single 5.2 billion message attack in Europe a few weeks ago the amount of PDF spam is increasing - we're seeing much the same pickup as we saw with image spam a few years ago. For the most part these have been stock spam, but there's even a few pharmaceutical ones coming through now. The second is a huge greeting card spam that's been going on for a few weeks, but increased significal around the 4th of July holiday in the US, with some subjects specific to the holiday. The single purpose of this spam is to install malware, with the payload almost always being a URL to a .exe download (frequently but not always postcard.exe). The real issue with the PDF spam is that they have the potention to be _big_, which can suck real bandwidth. The European one was slightly over the 100k mark, which is around 6-7 times the normal spam size. The only way spammers can send large volumes of such large messages is through huge bot networks - guess why we're seeing an increase in malware spam! Scott From pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au Tue Jul 10 10:51:28 2007 From: pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au (Paul Brooks) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:51:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <4692D5A0.8010208@lannet.com.au> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> <4692CEF7.7040206@lannet.com.au> <4692D0D2.2050605@praxis.com.au> <4692D5A0.8010208@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <4692D810.40006@layer10.com.au> Howard Lowndes wrote: > > Back when flashable BIOS appeared, there was a virus that flashed the > BIOS and rendered the computer dead. That's why BIOS now usually has > a flash jumper on the mobo. > In the early days virii used to inhabit or replace the boot-block on the disk, particularly floppy disks. Now most motherboards have a setting to protect and alarm on write attempts to the boot-block. Unfortunately it is still usually defaulted to OFF, so only those with clue enough to go into the mobo settings get to enable it. Its malware-driven evolution - look at the rapid sophistication of bayesian analysis and other learning algorithms, I suspect they wouldn't have developed quite so rapidly in the absence of spam. so embrace spam and other malware - its the driver of the future :-) From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 10 11:16:50 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:16:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the state of malware (including pdf stock spam) In-Reply-To: <4692D0D2.2050605@praxis.com.au> References: <6E53FF2E-6800-4E98-A250-BAEFF8785709@holburn.net> <20070709235450.GC7147@taz.net.au> <4692CEF7.7040206@lannet.com.au> <4692D0D2.2050605@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <61fgq6$3cjdnc@ipmail03.adl2.internode.on.net> At 10:20 AM 10/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >I'd like to see a worm that destroys Windows boxes. ABC Melbourne am had a story about NAB and another bank providing SMS security for internet banking now. The talkback portion had several people, but one in particular suggested that one of the best things a user could do was stay away from the browser with the big blue e. Then others sms'd the trio of AVG, Firefox and Thunderbird as the best approach, saying that since they had followed Charles Wright's advice several years ago, they have had no problems. This is mainstream radio, so the word is getting out. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 10 19:36:56 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:36:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista Service Pack 1 Message-ID: <20070710093348.9113E6401A@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Vista Service Pack 1 Earlier Than Expected Nathan Weinberg (Via: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=559> ... Microsoft has customers, partners and competitors believing that it was going to delay the first service pack for Vista ? not releasing a first beta of it until just before year-end ? the company is set to deliver Beta 1 of Vista SP1 in mid-July. Word (from various sources who asked not to be named) is Microsoft is gearing up to drop Vista SP1 some time the week of July 16. Since many businesses are waiting for Vista to get a Service Pack before they trust it, releasing it side-by-side with Server 2008 means they may seriously think about adopting the whole platform at the same time. It could be a major boost for enterprise Vista adoption rates. Vista SP1 will include revisions to the desktop search integration which will allow competing programs to take Vista search's place, improved performance for file copying, improved shut down times, as well as: ? Improved transfer performance and decreased CPU utilization via support for SD Advanced Direct Memory Access (DMA) ? Support for ExFat, the Windows file format for flash memory storage and other consumer devices ? Improvements to BitLocker Drive Encryption to allow not just encryption of the whole Vista volume, but also locally created data volumes ? The ability to boot Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) on an x64 machine ? Improved success rate for firewalled MeetingSpace and Remote Assistance connections -- Regards, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 10 19:49:56 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:49:56 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Vista Service Pack 1 In-Reply-To: <20070710093348.9113E6401A@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: I particularly like the wording of this feature: On 10/7/07 7:36 PM, "Stephen Loosley" quoted some thing: > ? Improved success rate for firewalled MeetingSpace and Remote Assistance > connections Translated, "It's more likely to work than before," but we're not actually saying it's reliable! ;) Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From foconnor at ozemail.com.au Wed Jul 11 02:10:41 2007 From: foconnor at ozemail.com.au (Frank O'Connor) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:10:41 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Windows developers begin slow defection to In-Reply-To: <3DA8B0AC-7E2C-4196-9B2D-7CB3595FD873@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <3DA8B0AC-7E2C-4196-9B2D-7CB3595FD873@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: Mmmm ... I don't think many hard-core platform developers and committed MS software architects will switch (hey there's too much moolah to be made), but the legions of small VB developers and in-house enterprise VB users are getting a tad miffed. Mainly because the easy to use IDE of the past (VB6 or Visual Studio before 2003) has pretty much disappeared, and they don't like the complexity and added workload of its replacement - especially for the tasks they used to use it for - quick hacks, small applications, front ends for MS databases (Access and SQL Server) etc etc. I think the reasons are many ... but include: 1. MS doesn't support 'classical' Visual Basic anymore. VB6 support went out the door a few months back. 2. Ditto for COM (and COM+) It's all .NET now. 3. The current version of Visual Studio ain't a 'plug and play' puppy like in the past - still has a nice GUI, but it's an order of magnitude more complex. 4. .NET is in many ways as complex as JAVA ... and the vast majority of MS developers were COM bunnies from way back. To build and application they just did the GUI, embedded the program logic and controls in it, and used the necessary networking libraries if they were networking it. Many never had to write serious code in their lives ... spent all their time in Winforms or other GUI tools. 5. Visual Basic.NET is in many ways as complex a language as C++ - contaisn about 78 new operands and functions over the old VB, has a heap more API and functional settings, and now incurs a development process and method a lot more like that which hard coders have utilised in the past. 6. If you're developing for .NET you're probably better off using C# (think JAVA on a diet) ... but any way you look at it programming for net requires as much effort, dedication and skill as doing JAVA or Object C. MS still takes a lot of the effort out of it by providing huge multi-purpose libraries (for any number of common application and enterprise functions) but there is no way it is as 'user friendly' as the old Visual Basic. 7. MS changed many of the 'rules' with Vista (and .NET), and a lot of developers didn't like it. Regards, At 10:01 PM +1000 9/7/07, Antony Barry wrote: >Windows developers begin slow defection to Linux >Two years ago, the number of developers writing applications for the >Microsoft Windows platform fell, while the opposite was true for >Linux -- this has now become a trend. > > > >phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au >mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au >http://tony-barry.emu.id.au > > >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From marghanita at ramin.com.au Wed Jul 11 09:44:10 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:44:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] > Mobile TV Trials Underway in Australia Message-ID: <469419CA.3040402@ramin.com.au> > Mobile TV Trials Underway in Australia > > Broadcast Australia says that it is hosting a new trial of digital video broadcasting to handhelds (DVB-H) mobile TV services at its Gore Hill site in Sydney. The three-month trial, which commenced transmission on 7th May 2007, is a collaboration between Broadcast Australia, digital video solutions group Thomson Grass Valley, and digital content protection specialist, Irdeto, the trial license-holder. -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From brd at iimetro.com.au Wed Jul 11 10:45:04 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:45:04 +0800 Subject: [LINK] "I've Got Nothing to Hide" and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy Message-ID: <30829.1184114704@iimetro.com.au> "I've Got Nothing to Hide" and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy DANIEL J. SOLOVE George Washington University Law School San Diego Law Review, Vol. 44, No. #, 2007 GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 289 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565 Abstract: In this short essay, written for a symposium in the San Diego Law Review, Professor Daniel Solove examines the "nothing to hide" argument. When asked about government surveillance and data mining, many people respond by declaring: "I've got nothing to hide." According to the "nothing to hide" argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a person has no legitimate justification to claim that it remain private. The "nothing to hide" argument and its variants are quite prevalent, and thus are worth addressing. In this essay, Solove critiques the "nothing to hide" argument and exposes its faulty underpinnings. download from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565#PaperDownload -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Wed Jul 11 13:13:01 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:13:01 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Brian Denehy In-Reply-To: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <20070711031853.D5ACA1156F@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> At 12:28 PM 7/07/2007, Antony Barry wrote: >... Sadly Brian Denehy has died. ... As a member of CAUDIT he was >instrumental in the early history of >AARNet. ... In addition to his AARnet work, Brian had an important role in getting the Department of Defence and the Federal Government onto the Internet and the web. He showed us how the work being pioneered AARnet could be applied to the government and then helped set up those services across government. Brian provided me with an "oz.au" email account in 1994 on the ADFA computer system, when I worked for the Commonwealth Ombudsman's Office (which as also the Defence Force Ombudsman). Like many in the bureaucracy, it only slowly dawned on me what the Internet was, that I was now part of it and it could be used for government. In March 1995 I arranged with Brian for ADFA to host the Defence Department's web site . I was then able to use this precedent to encourage other government departments to use the web. In May 1995 ADFA provided a security accredited connection to the Defence system . This helped convince other government agencies that the Internet was not an unacceptable security risk. Brian was closely involved in setting up the Federal Government shared Secure Gateway Environment which provided secure Internet connections between agencies and was later privatized . Brian was the guest of honor at the Internet Reality Check Drinks in January 1997: . By providing network services to the Government which actually worked, Brian was able to counter the usual "lets form a committee" bureaucratic inertia. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From wavey_one at yahoo.com Wed Jul 11 13:28:08 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:28:08 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort Message-ID: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hi all, I'd put this posting below on my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and see what the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian today that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. Well, must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It makes points that have been made before. To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer choice.? In the USA, at least, this is ?called the ?Carterfone? rules, these laws make it so you can use any device you want - phone, headset, fax machine or dial-up modem - on your telephone network, so long as it doesn't harm the network.? The article then says, ?But it gets worse: phone companies don't just hold the iPhone captive; they also routinely cripple features on handsets (like Wi-Fi, games, audio and video) so that you can only access their ?preferred? content. They also limit access to the network, despite marketing ?unlimited access?. And they reserve the right to boot you off the network if you do almost anything they don't like.? ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to expect online. The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of a wireless internet market that is drifting further and further away from the free and open internet we've all come to expect. ?The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone hearing - to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer choice.? So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your phone to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, and other lock-ins, I?d hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. Even if it?s just to somehow enable consumer choice and stop the drift away from a ?free and open internet?. For the article that got me thinking about this post, see http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ben_scott/2007/07/free_the_iphone.html Cheers David ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 11 14:05:00 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:05:00 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Brian Denehy In-Reply-To: <20070711031853.D5ACA1156F@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> References: <274D16D0-4275-4405-92FE-8B7FEEA1D0F6@tony-barry.emu.id.au> <20070711031853.D5ACA1156F@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: At 13:13 +1000 11/7/07, Tom Worthington wrote: >In March 1995 I arranged with Brian for ADFA to host the Defence >Department's web site ... Strewth, I only beat the Defence Dept by **a month** ?!! Seriously, Tom's provided some useful additions to the 'history of the Internet in Oz' project, current version at: http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/OzI04.html It's still heavily oriented towards the Internet-as-infrastructure, whereas a more complete story would include uses, and key contributors to its application in various contexts. The only usery bits are in: http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/OzI04.html#9094 http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/OzI04.html#9500 ANU RSSS, ANU Lib, BioNet, Vicnet, ... - c'mon youse blokes, *think* ... Please tip more into my Internet history mailbox, incl. on key characters like Brian who aren't currently mentioned in there. On-list or off-list, depending on how interesting you think the info would be to linkers generally. Thanks! -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From kim at cynosure.com.au Wed Jul 11 14:37:42 2007 From: kim at cynosure.com.au (Kim Davies) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:37:42 +0000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20070711043742.GB28971@malaria> Quoting David Goldstein on Tuesday July 10, 2007: | | To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. To set the record straight, speaking as someone who bought an iPhone last week once the hysteria died down. I did not have to sign a contract with AT&T. I am using a month-to-month AT&T plan with it, but I can cancel service at any time with no exit penalty. It strikes me that if you don't have wireless coverage with a particular carrier where you are based then it would make no sense signing up for mobile service with them. But you'll be pleased to know that the two US GSM networks have inter-carrier roaming agreements so in areas where you may not be covered by your carrier, you roam to another available network for no extra cost. As to AT&T coverage, it seems pretty comprehensive to me in terms of population: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/ (compare and contrast with the alternative: http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/) | Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer choice.? No, but on the other hand a CDMA phone wont work on a GSM network, and your Cable TV receiver won't work with a Satellite dish. True portability of devices between carrier choices is more difficult in the US as there are no industry wide standards for cellular etc. | ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to expect online. The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of a wireless internet market that is drifting further and further away from the free and open internet we've all come to expect. I don't see why the iPhone is any different the SIM-locking done on any other phone, and in other countries -- not just the US. I am not saying it is a desirable practice for the consumer, but it is hardly unique to the iPhone. kim From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Wed Jul 11 17:11:32 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:11:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: MR77-07: New calling number display code in place [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED] References: <09366040011841310086295@subscribedmailings.com> Message-ID: Begin forwarded message: > From: "Australian Communications & Media Authority" > > Date: 11 July 2007 3:16:48 PM > To: > Subject: MR77-07: New calling number display code in place > [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED] > Reply-To: media at acma.gov.au > > The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered a > revised code of practice developed by the Australian Communications > Industry Forum (a subsidiary of Communications Alliance Ltd) that > allows consumers to preserve their privacy when using > telecommunication services. The Calling Number Display Code allows > consumers to choose whether to send or block calling number display > information. The full media release can be found at: http:// > www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD//pc=PC_310422 From ivan at itrundle.com Wed Jul 11 19:14:49 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:14:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: On 11/07/2007, at 1:28 PM, David Goldstein wrote: > > To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, > previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service > providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already > contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract > with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes > ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to > terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that > that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. The multitude of reviewers of the phone to date have indicated otherwise, but I won't let that stand in front of a good story. > Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that > the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the > wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV > to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can > find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's > because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer > choice.? No more unique than others have pointed out. Buy a petrol-driven car and you're tied to buying petrol. But this aside, so what? What long- standing law guarantees consumer choice? If I buy an iBurst device, then I'm tied to using their service. In this day and age, services and function go together - when you buy a product, there is no guarantee that the product is free from any service obligations. But before we all descent into hyperbole, America is different, and has different rules when it comes to mobile phones: there is no other market quite like it. > In the USA, at least, this is ?called the ?Carterfone? rules, these > laws make it so you can use any device you want - phone, headset, > fax machine or dial-up modem - on your telephone network, so long > as it doesn't harm the network.? I have no problem with this, based on the premise that the product and service are often tied together. But what has happened in America is that the telcos have taken the liberty of deciding what services people can use, and tie this to the hardware choices that people make. > > The article then says, ?But it gets worse: phone companies don't > just hold the iPhone captive; they also routinely cripple features > on handsets (like Wi-Fi, games, audio and video) so that you can > only access their ?preferred? content. They also limit access to > the network, despite marketing ?unlimited access?. And they reserve > the right to boot you off the network if you do almost anything > they don't like.? Again, it's a case of services being tied to the product. The limited choices available to consumers is merely a reflection of the powers that phone companies have managed to obtain - it's not the same the world over, though I'm sure that all telcos would like to have that power. This is not unique to the iPhone. You want better examples of this? An American telco is now sending letters to select customers telling them that their services are no longer going to be provided, since they no longer want them to be a customer. > > ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from > accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and > undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to > expect online. The amount of openess of the internet has never been high. We like to think that it is, but ISPs - in concert with governments - can and do govern what and how we see things, and how we use such services and products. There is possibly more regulation in the internet world in terms of what people can and can't do in an environment where there is little need for regulation, compared with almost any other industry. > The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of a wireless > internet market that is drifting further and further away from the > free and open internet we've all come to expect. Hardly - I see the opposite: the wireless function of an iPhone is no different to any other roaming internet-enabled device, such as laptops. Indeed, if there is an open wireless base station, then the iPhone will use it. For those people prosecuted and convicted of using open wireless connections without permission in places such as America and England, this will be the thin edge of a big wedge of ubiquitous networked wireless communication. This is what most people have come to expect. > > ?The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions > that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will > determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US > Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone > hearing - to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer > choice.? This is a different matter, and not related to the iPhone. > > So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your > phone to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, and other lock- > ins, I?d hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. Even if it?s > just to somehow enable consumer choice and stop the drift away from > a ?free and open internet?. Nonsense. Why is this a rort? And who said that the phone must be returned to Apple? How many people replace their oil in their car when it needs changing? It's a matter of choice. Either you have a compact, trouble-free device, or you build extra components that diminish the strength of the unit to permit people to do their own servicing. The same thing was said of the iPod. I've replaced a number of iPod batteries, and I'm no Apple engineer. I'm sure that when the iPhone battery requires replacing, there will be ways of doing so that don't involve sending it back to Apple. What are the other lock-ins that are worthy of smart people's thought? Most complex devices ever made have 'lock-ins', but it's all part of a general feature set which an intelligent consumer has to consider, and make trade-offs. When I buy a car, I buy it for overall function, not for the ability to change the clock from digital to analog. If I wanted to have the ultimate choice, I'd build my own. And the same applies to any other device that exists on this planet. I have enough 'choice' in the consumer market as it is. > For the article that got me thinking about this post, see http:// > commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ben_scott/2007/07/free_the_iphone.html Head-in-sand stuff. Anyone who proclaims that the iPhone advertising campaign is 'ubiquitous' obviously needs to get a real life. And the rest of the arguments about lack of choice in America merely highlight what can happen in a free and unregulated market, with most of the power vested in nascent industries with an unwitting and clueless consumer audience. That's also why so many Americans choose to drink Coca Cola. But that's a different issue... iT -- Ivan Trundle http://globallearning.com.au ivan at globallearning.com.au ph: +61 (0)2 6249 1344 mb: +61 (0)418 244 259 skype: callto://ivanovitchk From cas at taz.net.au Wed Jul 11 19:34:03 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:34:03 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20070711093403.GE7147@taz.net.au> On Wed, Jul 11, 2007 at 07:14:49PM +1000, Ivan Trundle wrote: > What are the other lock-ins that are worthy of smart people's thought? Most > complex devices ever made have 'lock-ins', but it's all part of a general > feature set which an intelligent consumer has to consider, and make ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OXYMORON ALERT! OXYMORON ALERT! the marketing enforcement squad will be around in their black helicopters to haul you away for spreading anti-corporate propaganda and related terrorist activities. craig -- craig sanders From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 11 20:08:13 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:08:13 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Zealand Telecom's 3G network Message-ID: <20070711100506.60E2864010@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> New Zealand are going WCDMA (UMTS) GSM / EDGE for their 3G network, and apparently via Hutchison ... MEDIA RELEASE: (NZ) "Telecom future-proofs mobile services with new network investment" Telecom today announced a $300 million mobile network investment plan to meet New Zealand?s future mobile needs. The development of a new Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) network will complement existing CDMA network capabilities and allow Telecom to provide unparalleled mobile services using the best features and capabilities of both networks. Telecom is committed to its CDMA network to the extent the company will guarantee customers their current mobile phones will continue to be supported by Telecom?s network for at least the next five years. Chief Operating Officer of Technology, Mark Ratcliffe, says the decision to develop a WCDMA network alongside Telecom?s existing network follows extensive analysis of the future evolution of mobile technologies. ?Our priority has been to map out a mobile technology path that ensures Telecom will offer customers the best possible coverage, devices and services available, in the near and long term.? The new mobile network will be based on WCDMA HSPA technology, a real leapfrog in capability beyond current mobile broadband offerings. This technology, and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) vision outlined for WCDMA will enable a new generation of competitive commercial and consumer services, including high quality music, video and entertainment offerings. ?Our approach is to offer customers the best from current CDMA technology, and in the future too as WCDMA is deployed,? says Mr Ratcliffe. Mr Ratcliffe says the existing CDMA network offers customers the most advanced mobile data performance available and Telecom expects this to remain the case until the latest WCDMA network is deployed from late 2008. ?By leveraging the capabilities of both CDMA and WCDMA we will maintain our capacity to provide New Zealanders an unrivalled range of mobile products and services.? This month Telecom launches its WorldMode global roaming capability, providing voice roaming on both CDMA and GSM networks in 180 countries. ?WorldMode is an example of how we can leverage both types of network technologies to deliver unmatched international roaming coverage,? Mr Ratcliffe says. The build of the WCDMA network will commence in late 2007 and will cost approximately $300 million in capital expenditure over the next two years. This is approximately $200 million more than would have been spent over the next five years under a CDMA-only path. ENDS For further information please contact: Mark Watts, Head of External Media, 0272 504 018 or 09 355 4825 Fact Sheet About WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), also known as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is a mobile voice and highspeed data technology that is part of the International Telecommunication Union?s third-generation (3G) wireless standards. WCDMA typically uses GSM/EDGE technology as the underlay network technology. The WCDMA technology provides users with broad device selection, global roaming, true broadband speeds and clear voice calls. There are currently more than two billion people using WCDMA/GSM services worldwide today. About CDMA CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is a sophisticated digital cellular technology that achieves high-speed wireless voice and data transfer by using multiple frequencies. Telecom deploys CDMA2000 which is classified by the International Telecommunications Union as a 3G mobile network technology. CDMA is particularly suited to New Zealand?s geography and performs well both in coverage and call quality. Through EVDO ?revision A?, Telecom currently delivers world-leading mobile data technology and CDMA provides a strong technology roadmap to maintain this market leadership position. Coverage and spectrum use Coverage will be provided utilising a blend of WCDMA/HSPA at 2100 MHz and GSM/EDGE at 850 MHz technologies. In particular, 850 MHz spectrum will be utilised to ensure strong rural coverage is achieved, with 2100 MHz employed largely in cities and large metropolitan areas. Investment Telecom expects to invest approximately $300 million to launch the new WCDMA/HSPA and GSM/EDGE network, with on-going capital costs managed within our normal mobile investment parameters. This is approximately $200 million more than would have been spent over the next five years under a CDMA-only path. Operating costs are linked to future subscriber growth to insulate Telecom from technology-specific impacts. This means no additional operating costs will be incurred as a result of this additional network deployment unless total subscriber numbers across CDMA, WCDMA/HSPA, and GSM/EDGE drastically increase. Handsets & Devices Telecom enjoys a strong relationship with a number of major handset and device manufacturers today and expects to utilise these same relationships to expand the range of devices offered across the two networks. At launch, Telecom is committed to offering a world-leading and competitively priced range of devices across all networks ? meaning customers will enjoy unprecedented choice. Carrier Partnerships Telecom expects to secure strategic partnerships with WCDMA operators in order to secure access to the very best range of handsets and products & services. We have a long standing and productive relationship in place with Hutchison and are actively engaged in discussions with them on how best to work together in light of this announcement today. Work is ongoing in this respect and we anticipate concluding these arrangements by the end of 2007. -- From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 11 20:08:28 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:08:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Nokia 'Press to Print' Message-ID: <20070711100520.872E364010@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> It seems Nokia will soon allow hard-copy photo delivery .. (EMT) ?Press to Print? goes live in Scandinavia 5-Jul-2007 Entertainment Media & Telecoms Corporation Limited announced that sapio, a fully owned subsidiary of EMT, has completed the first stage of its agreement with Nokia by delivering the software needed for Nokia Nseries mobile phones to link to Nokia?s ?Press to Print? services across Scandinavia. Consumers using the Nokia N95 handset, or downloading the application to their existing Nokia handset can take photos and forward them to be developed and printed in high resolution for delivery to a specific address, or for collection from a retail outlet, with billing to credit cards or personal accounts. Service agreements have been forged with Fujifilm, Extra Film and Ifi Photolabo, which will provide print services, home distribution and a wide retail shopfront network to support the ?Press to Print? application for Nokia customers. -- From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Wed Jul 11 20:13:05 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:13:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] ?? re digital tv and cable Message-ID: <61fg7n$4f7efb@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> [not internet related, but I'm sure someone will have thought about this] When/if the analogue tv free to air is shut off, and digital tv replaces it, what will cable tv signals be? If cable is going to be analogue, are the plasma and lcd tvs analogue as well as digital and can be used on cable? Or will cable convert to digital as well, requiring new stb receivers? Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au Wed Jul 11 20:50:27 2007 From: david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au (David Boxall) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:50:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? Message-ID: <4694B5F3.7000600@hunterlink.net.au> Richard Chirgwin wrote: > I don't know whether what passes you is fibre serving exchanges, > or fibre serving long-haul trunk routes. If it's the long-haul between > Sydney and Brisbane, then it stops at exchanges in major centres for > add-drop, not at every possible place along the way. All the > long-hauls pass through towns, but not all the towns get drop-off > points (and this is not just a Telstra quirk, take a look at any > national-scale fibre map). Neither. The fibre runs to a nearby pit and stops. Fibre was laid alongside copper, but only the copper is in use - the fibre's dark and not connected to anything, as far as I can tell. My place is on the way to nowhere. Those who were in a position to see told me that the machines ploughed in both cables at once. In some places the cables were laid side-by-side in open trenches. I was working and in no position to observe much of what went on. All I saw was machines with twin reels of cable - one of black and one of blue. I saw reels of spare cable - both black and blue - by the roadside. The blue, I'm told, was most likely fibre: the other, copper. Yet the best service Telstra offers me is ISDN. -- David Boxall | My figures are just as good | as any other figures. | I make them up myself, and they | always give me innocent pleasure. | --HL Mencken From kim at holburn.net Wed Jul 11 22:33:40 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:33:40 +0200 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <0FAAEEEF-7181-4DE4-A442-8769D6CBEEFD@holburn.net> I don't understand why you are singling out the iPhone for this criticism. It seems more open than many phones. Here is some more directed criticism of the iphone. On 2007/Jul/11, at 5:28 AM, David Goldstein wrote: > I'd put this posting below on my website - http:// > technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and see what > the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian today > that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. Well, > must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It makes > points that have been made before. > > To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, > previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service > providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already > contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract > with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes > ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to > terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that > that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. > > Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that > the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the > wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV > to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can > find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's > because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer > choice.? Currently a television is a standard but most set-top boxes are completely tied to a cable or satellite network. Different cable providers only offer their own content and in the future HD-TVs may well have DRM encryption which will tie you to particular providers. The contracts are often pretty nasty too. Companies will try lock ins whenever they can, games consoles being one example among many. > In the USA, at least, this is ?called the ?Carterfone? rules, these > laws make it so you can use any device you want - phone, headset, > fax machine or dial-up modem - on your telephone network, so long > as it doesn't harm the network.? > > The article then says, ?But it gets worse: phone companies don't > just hold the iPhone captive; they also routinely cripple features > on handsets (like Wi-Fi, games, audio and video) so that you can > only access their ?preferred? content. They also limit access to > the network, despite marketing ?unlimited access?. And they reserve > the right to boot you off the network if you do almost anything > they don't like.? Doesn't really make sense. "phone companies don't just hold phones captive" makes sense; there is only one company involved in the case of the iPhone. The rest of the paragraph is about phone companies in general and is not untrue but not really particularly related to the iPhone. Many mobile phones in Australia and other places sold on a contract are "locked", that is you and the phone are tied into a contract usually for several years. > ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from > accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and > undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to > expect online. The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of > a wireless internet market that is drifting further and further > away from the free and open internet we've all come to expect. Not really, the mobile phone market has been very locked in, the arrival of internet access is starting to open it up. It will probably be painful, companies like the lock-in and they probably think they'll make more money that way. > ?The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions > that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will > determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US > Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone > hearing - to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer > choice.? > > So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your > phone to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, Yeah, not having a replaceable battery is a real pain, probably would stop me buying one. I used to always have a spare battery for my phone and in the past you used to be able to buy chargers for them but not these days. I must say, batteries are another place where companies try to lock you in. Think of all the different kinds of batteries in phones, cameras, video cameras, PDAs, laptops, etc. Cellphone handset makers seem particularly prone to this kind of lock in although it is changing, but think of all the special connectors, headphone connectors, chargers etc. > and other lock-ins, I?d hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. > Even if it?s just to somehow enable consumer choice and stop the > drift away from a ?free and open internet?. > > For the article that got me thinking about this post, see http:// > commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ben_scott/2007/07/free_the_iphone.html I think you have it round the wrong way, the iphone may help the process of opening the market up. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 12 01:11:37 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:11:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort Message-ID: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> I think people are missing some of the points. Apple, the supposed champion of consumer rights, is locking people into a contract with one, and only one, service provider. I?m not aware of any, although there could be the odd hardware manufacturer, that does. A Nokia phone is a Nokia phone, and it will work on any network, assuming the frequency is right. As was pointed out on another list, ?what is not common is that a particular device model is exclusively tied to that company's services. Like, I can buy any several models of Sony Ericsson phones in stores and just install a chip I contract with my GSM operator, even though operators also sell the same models as part of their services package.? Further, ?The iPhone case takes this tied purchase practice to an extreme, and again brings AT&T to the fore of the consumer rights' violations debate -- witness the long EFF case against AT&T for unilateral violation of privacy rights of millions of Internet users, using huge packet sniffer installations at key points in their network.? Another great point is the ?schizophrenic attitude of Apple, in which they start preaching for an end to DRM and at the same time sign an incredibly restrictive ... contract like this??? Someone who buys a digital set top box is not locked into anything. The set top boxes I have had have not locked me into anything. On Foxtel or their equivalents, I?m not sure if I?d agree it?s the same thing. But, I guess you can argue there are similarities. And then, from what I can work out, Apple have developed a device that ignores the rights of people with disabilities, especially those who are blind and vision impaired. You can say this is only one device, but it sets a terrible precedent if it?s as I think it is. Kim, being the owner of one such device, would have more of an idea of this. Regards, David ----- Original Message ---- From: Kim Holburn To: Link List Sent: Wednesday, 11 July, 2007 10:33:40 PM Subject: Re: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort I don't understand why you are singling out the iPhone for this criticism. It seems more open than many phones. Here is some more directed criticism of the iphone. On 2007/Jul/11, at 5:28 AM, David Goldstein wrote: > I'd put this posting below on my website - http:// > technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and see what > the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian today > that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. Well, > must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It makes > points that have been made before. > > To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, > previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service > providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already > contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract > with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes > ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to > terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that > that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. > > Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that > the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the > wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV > to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can > find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's > because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer > choice.? Currently a television is a standard but most set-top boxes are completely tied to a cable or satellite network. Different cable providers only offer their own content and in the future HD-TVs may well have DRM encryption which will tie you to particular providers. The contracts are often pretty nasty too. Companies will try lock ins whenever they can, games consoles being one example among many. > In the USA, at least, this is ?called the ?Carterfone? rules, these > laws make it so you can use any device you want - phone, headset, > fax machine or dial-up modem - on your telephone network, so long > as it doesn't harm the network.? > > The article then says, ?But it gets worse: phone companies don't > just hold the iPhone captive; they also routinely cripple features > on handsets (like Wi-Fi, games, audio and video) so that you can > only access their ?preferred? content. They also limit access to > the network, despite marketing ?unlimited access?. And they reserve > the right to boot you off the network if you do almost anything > they don't like.? Doesn't really make sense. "phone companies don't just hold phones captive" makes sense; there is only one company involved in the case of the iPhone. The rest of the paragraph is about phone companies in general and is not untrue but not really particularly related to the iPhone. Many mobile phones in Australia and other places sold on a contract are "locked", that is you and the phone are tied into a contract usually for several years. > ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from > accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and > undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to > expect online. The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of > a wireless internet market that is drifting further and further > away from the free and open internet we've all come to expect. Not really, the mobile phone market has been very locked in, the arrival of internet access is starting to open it up. It will probably be painful, companies like the lock-in and they probably think they'll make more money that way. > ?The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions > that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will > determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US > Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone > hearing - to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer > choice.? > > So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your > phone to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, Yeah, not having a replaceable battery is a real pain, probably would stop me buying one. I used to always have a spare battery for my phone and in the past you used to be able to buy chargers for them but not these days. I must say, batteries are another place where companies try to lock you in. Think of all the different kinds of batteries in phones, cameras, video cameras, PDAs, laptops, etc. Cellphone handset makers seem particularly prone to this kind of lock in although it is changing, but think of all the special connectors, headphone connectors, chargers etc. > and other lock-ins, I?d hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. > Even if it?s just to somehow enable consumer choice and stop the > drift away from a ?free and open internet?. > > For the article that got me thinking about this post, see http:// > commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ben_scott/2007/07/free_the_iphone.html I think you have it round the wrong way, the iphone may help the process of opening the market up. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link at mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From cas at taz.net.au Thu Jul 12 08:11:36 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:11:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages Message-ID: <20070711221135.GF7147@taz.net.au> for the last week or so, Ruddock has been going on about "31,000 pages of documentation to be reviewed" in relation to (and justification for) the Indian doctor being held in Queensland. i read in The Age this morning, the story has changed slightly: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/indian-doctor-going-nowhere/2007/07/11/1183833599463.html "But Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said more than 120 gigabytes of information had to be reviewed - equal to 31,000 pages of documents." so, what that probably means is that they've got a laptop or desktop computer with a 120GB hard disk...and it's convenient for the government's scare campaign to misrepresent that as "31,000 pages" of secret terrorist documents that need to be reviewed. craig -- craig sanders From stil at stilgherrian.com Thu Jul 12 08:28:25 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:28:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages In-Reply-To: <20070711221135.GF7147@taz.net.au> Message-ID: On 12/7/07 8:11 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > for the last week or so, Ruddock has been going on about "31,000 pages > of documentation to be reviewed" in relation to (and justification for) > the Indian doctor being held in Queensland. > > i read in The Age this morning, the story has changed slightly: > > http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/indian-doctor-going-nowhere/2007/07/11/ > 1183833599463.html > > "But Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said more than 120 gigabytes > of information had to be reviewed - equal to 31,000 pages of > documents." > > so, what that probably means is that they've got a laptop or desktop > computer with a 120GB hard disk...and it's convenient for the > government's scare campaign to misrepresent that as "31,000 pages" of > secret terrorist documents that need to be reviewed. The other day a senior policeman said they'd seized a computer with "more than 12,000 files" -- with the obvious implication that this was some vast treasure-trove of documentation. Totally misleading for two reasons, one direct and one indirect: * A "file" in and of itself is neutral. "Having files" is not a crime. And yet the average person thinks "I only have a 'a few photos' and my family letters," and imagines they have only a handful of files. Someone with "thousands" of files now becomes "different" and suspicious -- we're automatically programmed to link "different" with "suspicious" as a survival instinct, and this presses that button without rational cause. * A "file" is a technical term, meaning any data object on the hard drive. The Windows box I have for testing -- Windows XP with MS Office 2003 Pro and a fairly basic set of utilities for general use -- plus a couple GB of data belonging to clients as we've copied stuff from old computer to new -- has 93,643 files on it. So 12,000 files is... well, nothing really. Still, all we hear is [big number] -> [lots of work] -> more jail. Magic, really. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From info at gnomon.com.au Thu Jul 12 10:17:25 2007 From: info at gnomon.com.au (Sylvano) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:17:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages Message-ID: <3dd8cd9212fe442389d0e00082b22751.info@gnomon.com.au> A quick look at some M$Word docs shows an effective 20Kb to 30Kb per page as not being untypical, which would mean four million plus pages in 120GB of space!! They need better spin doctors! Furthermore, typing 'car bomb' into my desk top search returned 54 documents..... The main point being that it would be less than a days work (surely!) for someone to filter candidate documents for assessment, with any standard desk top search tool. Sylvano Weekends. Are they important? - Gnomon Publishing http://www.gnomon.com.au/cgi-bin/www/survey/survey.pl?survey_choice=Weekend ----- Original Message ----- From: Howard Lowndes [mailto:lannet at lannet.com.au] Sent: 7/12/2007 9:48:50 AM Cc: link at anu.edu.au Subject: Re: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages > I think a bare bones installation of XP or Vista is over 100,000 files. > > Stilgherrian wrote: > > On 12/7/07 8:11 AM, "Craig Sanders" wrote: > >> for the last week or so, Ruddock has been going on about "31,000 pages > >> of documentation to be reviewed" in relation to (and justification for) > >> the Indian doctor being held in Queensland. > >> > >> i read in The Age this morning, the story has changed slightly: > >> > >> http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/indian-doctor-going-nowhere/2007/07/11/ > >> 1183833599463.html > >> > >> "But Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said more than 120 gigabytes > >> of information had to be reviewed - equal to 31,000 pages of > >> documents." > >> > >> so, what that probably means is that they've got a laptop or desktop > >> computer with a 120GB hard disk...and it's convenient for the > >> government's scare campaign to misrepresent that as "31,000 pages" of > >> secret terrorist documents that need to be reviewed. > > > > The other day a senior policeman said they'd seized a computer with "more > > than 12,000 files" -- with the obvious implication that this was some vast > > treasure-trove of documentation. Totally misleading for two reasons, one > > direct and one indirect: > > > > * A "file" in and of itself is neutral. "Having files" is not a > > crime. And yet the average person thinks "I only have a 'a few > > photos' and my family letters," and imagines they have only a > > handful of files. > > > > Someone with "thousands" of files now becomes "different" and > > suspicious -- we're automatically programmed to link "different" > > with "suspicious" as a survival instinct, and this presses that > > button without rational cause. > > > > * A "file" is a technical term, meaning any data object on the > > hard drive. The Windows box I have for testing -- Windows XP > > with MS Office 2003 Pro and a fairly basic set of utilities for > > general use -- plus a couple GB of data belonging to clients as > > we've copied stuff from old computer to new -- has 93,643 files > > on it. So 12,000 files is... well, nothing really. > > > > Still, all we hear is [big number] -> [lots of work] -> more jail. > > > > Magic, really. > > > > Stil > > > > > > -- > Howard. > LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people > When you want a computer system that works, just choose Linux; > When you want a computer system that works, just, choose Microsoft. > -- > Flatter government, not fatter government; abolish the Australian states. > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Thu Jul 12 10:21:11 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:21:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages In-Reply-To: <46956C62.4010109@lannet.com.au> References: <46956C62.4010109@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: At 9:48 +1000 12/7/07, Howard Lowndes wrote: >I think a bare bones installation of XP or Vista is over 100,000 files. I seem to have 442,978 files on my Mac's main drive right now. And given that I run father-son backups on a separate device on the network, I guess they could claim 1.5 million files. So if I get taken in for questioning, they can ask (or should that be 'demand') 6 months, right? And as for the Magistrate's behaviour ... ('Oh, challenge my independence, would you? Well I'll need 48 hours to consider your submission; and your client can sweat it out, and you can't do a thing about it. Serves you right for being impertinent'.) I did like watching Ruddock squir around his 13,000 'pages' and large numbers of 'gigabytes - is that what they call them?'. He almost looked human. My rule of thumb on such things is that 'a page' averages about 3-4KB. (And I used to use Bible = 5MB as a guide for people who wanted to understand what the numbers meant. *Some* people seemed to know how big a Bible is). So 13,000 'pages' would be 40-50MB, or 0.04-0.05GB. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Wed Jul 11 13:46:43 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:46:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Tsunami Warning test shows problems Message-ID: <20070712002934.E6FE01EA63@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (part of the US NOAA, based in Hawaii) conducted a communications test at 0153z 11 July 2007: >This is a test to verify communication links and determine >transmission times involved in the dissemination of operational >tsunami advice products from the pacific tsunami warning center to >designated 24-hour tsunami warning focal points of the pacific >tsunami warning system. ... The official addressees were asked to report back how and when the message was received. The centre will then calculate the transmission time. Messages are sent by fax and email, as well as several specialized networks: Global Telecommunications System (GTS), Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) , Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN), and Ranet. The official recipients are designated 24-hour emergency centers in countries of the Pacific region. The message was also forwarded by the interim Indian Ocean warning system sponsored by UNESCO. While not part of the official test, receipt on my system indicated: >From Time PTWC 1:53:39 unesco.org 2:19:44 Spam Filter 2:19:46 Local Host 2:19:51 This indicates there was a twenty six minute delay in the UNESCO system forwarding the message to the Indian Ocean network. Also there are six seconds delay within the local host machine, mostly due to the spam filtering. As I previously noted there is also a risk the message may not be received at all due to spam filters . The PTWC have also instituted a colour coded four level system for grading tsunami warnings, with green, yellow, amber and red, indicating the increasing severity . A dial with pointer (similar to Australian bushfire warning signs) is used to indicate the severity on the colored scale . This is useful for those who are unable to perceive color. However, there are no text equivalents for the colours and the text description are incomplete and ambiguous. The description says: "Colors correspond to the message severity (red=most, green=least)". However, the other two levels are not mentioned. Also the text descriptions "most" and "least" do not match those used to label the corresponding dial images: "low", "moderate", "high", and "severe". In addition, the levels on the description page are in the reverse order (high to low) to those on the indicator dial (low to high), which is confusing. Also those less familiar with English will have difficulty distinguishing which is higher priority: "high" or "severe". PTWC should list all four severity levels in order of severity on the description page and include standard text captions. The same text captions should be used adjacent to the dial on warning pages for those who cannot see the images. PTWC should also consider including a numeric ranking from 1 to 4. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Thu Jul 12 10:40:10 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:40:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] How far the fibre? In-Reply-To: <4694B5F3.7000600@hunterlink.net.au> References: <4694B5F3.7000600@hunterlink.net.au> Message-ID: <4695786A.2080403@ozemail.com.au> Hmm ... okay, you got me there. Will have to give this some thought ... RC David Boxall wrote: > Richard Chirgwin wrote: >> I don't know whether what passes you is fibre serving >> exchanges, or fibre serving long-haul trunk routes. If it's the >> long-haul between Sydney and Brisbane, then it stops at exchanges in >> major centres for add-drop, not at every possible place along the >> way. All the long-hauls pass through towns, but not all the towns get >> drop-off points (and this is not just a Telstra quirk, take a look at >> any national-scale fibre map). > > > Neither. > > The fibre runs to a nearby pit and stops. Fibre was laid alongside > copper, but only the copper is in use - the fibre's dark and not > connected to anything, as far as I can tell. My place is on the way > to nowhere. > > Those who were in a position to see told me that the machines ploughed > in both cables at once. In some places the cables were laid > side-by-side in open trenches. I was working and in no position to > observe much of what went on. All I saw was machines with twin reels > of cable - one of black and one of blue. I saw reels of spare cable - > both black and blue - by the roadside. The blue, I'm told, was most > likely fibre: the other, copper. Yet the best service Telstra offers > me is ISDN. > From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 10:41:36 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:41:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48D1E7F2-1F5E-4226-858A-2C4C098A12C8@itrundle.com> On 12/07/2007, at 1:11 AM, David Goldstein wrote: > > > I think people are missing some of the > points. Apple, the supposed champion of consumer rights, is locking > people into > a contract with one, and only one, service provider. I?m not aware > of any, > although there could be the odd hardware manufacturer, that does. In America, MOST mobile phones are tied to a service provider. It's the way that they do business there. iT From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 10:41:46 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:41:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <0FAAEEEF-7181-4DE4-A442-8769D6CBEEFD@holburn.net> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <0FAAEEEF-7181-4DE4-A442-8769D6CBEEFD@holburn.net> Message-ID: On 11/07/2007, at 10:33 PM, Kim Holburn wrote: > Yeah, not having a replaceable battery is a real pain, probably > would stop me buying one. I used to always have a spare battery > for my phone and in the past you used to be able to buy chargers > for them but not these days. I must say, batteries are another > place where companies try to lock you in. Think of all the > different kinds of batteries in phones, cameras, video cameras, > PDAs, laptops, etc. Cellphone handset makers seem particularly > prone to this kind of lock in although it is changing, but think of > all the special connectors, headphone connectors, chargers etc. As I mentioned earlier, it's all part of retaining a business model that does more than sell you the initial product. Think Gillette, or ink-jet ink. Actually, if anyone has any real criticisms of the iPhone, it's the AT&T fine-print that is the scary part (and not the phone). I'm not sure how most Australians would react if they were told that if you call someone using an iPhone on the AT&T network, both parties pay. iT From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Thu Jul 12 10:59:48 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:59:48 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <46957D04.9060108@ozemail.com.au> Ahh, David, you forget the really big main points. 1) Do not criticise Apple. Any criticism is always swimming upstream 2) Cool toys are concrete; consumer choice is an abstract. The concrete is always more important, to most people, than the abstract, until the day the abstract disappears completely. Then they'll start complaining. Try starting a discussion about cargo cult technology - that is "will you trade an intangible for a new toy?" sales strategies - and count how many people actually care. Now; a response to Kim: >I don't understand why you are singling out the iPhone for this criticism. It seems more open than many phones. Without wanting to light a fuse, I consider this somewhat non-sequitur, for the following reasons: a) Regardless of whether the hardware can be considered "more open than a Nokia", David was (and I am) suspicious of a sales and service model which says "you may not choose your carrier". That's not intrinsic to the hardware. b) Saying "iPhone is bad but Nokia/Ericsson/whatever is worse" doesn't address the criticism of the iPhone. It took some time for Australians to get mobile number portability, which isn't the same as complete device freedom anyhow but at least a start ... but to say "to hell with that I want the iPhone NOW!" ... a person may as well have "sucker" tattooed on their forehead. RC David Goldstein wrote: > I think people are missing some of the > points. Apple, the supposed champion of consumer rights, is locking people into > a contract with one, and only one, service provider. I?m not aware of any, > although there could be the odd hardware manufacturer, that does. > > > > > > A Nokia phone is a Nokia phone, and it will > work on any network, assuming the frequency is right. > > > > > > As was pointed out on another list, ?what is > not common is that a particular device model is exclusively tied to that > company's services. Like, I can buy any several models of Sony Ericsson phones > in stores and just install a chip I contract with my GSM operator, even though operators > also sell the same models as part of their services package.? > > > > > > Further, ?The iPhone case takes this tied > purchase practice to an extreme, and again brings AT&T to the fore of the > consumer rights' violations debate -- witness the long EFF case against AT&T > for unilateral violation of privacy rights of millions of Internet users, using > huge packet sniffer installations at key points in their network.? > > > > > > Another great point is the ?schizophrenic > attitude of Apple, in which they start preaching for an end to DRM and at the > same time sign an incredibly restrictive ... contract like this??? > > > > > > Someone who buys a digital set top box is > not locked into anything. The set top boxes I have had have not locked me into > anything. On Foxtel or their equivalents, I?m not sure if I?d agree it?s the > same thing. But, I guess you can argue there are similarities. > > > > > > And then, from what I can work out, Apple > have developed a device that ignores the rights of people with disabilities, > especially those who are blind and vision impaired. You can say this is only > one device, but it sets a terrible precedent if it?s as I think it is. Kim, > being the owner of one such device, would have more of an idea of this. > > > > > > Regards, > > > David > > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Kim Holburn > To: Link List > Sent: Wednesday, 11 July, 2007 10:33:40 PM > Subject: Re: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort > > I don't understand why you are singling out the iPhone for this > criticism. It seems more open than many phones. > > Here is some more directed criticism of the iphone. > fine-print.html> > > On 2007/Jul/11, at 5:28 AM, David Goldstein wrote: > >> I'd put this posting below on my website - http:// >> technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and see what >> the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian today >> that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. Well, >> must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It makes >> points that have been made before. >> >> To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, >> previously described as one of the worst mobile phone service >> providers in the US. So if you want an iPhone, and you are already >> contracted to another company, you have to terminate that contract >> with the related fees that involves. Ben Scott?s article also notes >> ?if you are on a family plan, you may have to pay a separate fee to >> terminate all of your family's phones.? And there?s the point that >> that AT&T doesn?t offer full coverage in more than a dozen states. >> >> Now, the real point the article makes I?d not thought of, is that >> the ?practice of tying users to one provider is unique to the >> wireless world. Cable TV providers can't tell you what kind of TV >> to buy. And regular phone service will work on any phone you can >> find at your favorite electronics store. In the latter case, that's >> because there is a longstanding set of laws that guarantee consumer >> choice.? >> > > Currently a television is a standard but most set-top boxes are > completely tied to a cable or satellite network. Different cable > providers only offer their own content and in the future HD-TVs may > well have DRM encryption which will tie you to particular providers. > The contracts are often pretty nasty too. Companies will try lock > ins whenever they can, games consoles being one example among many. > > >> In the USA, at least, this is ?called the ?Carterfone? rules, these >> laws make it so you can use any device you want - phone, headset, >> fax machine or dial-up modem - on your telephone network, so long >> as it doesn't harm the network.? >> >> The article then says, ?But it gets worse: phone companies don't >> just hold the iPhone captive; they also routinely cripple features >> on handsets (like Wi-Fi, games, audio and video) so that you can >> only access their ?preferred? content. They also limit access to >> the network, despite marketing ?unlimited access?. And they reserve >> the right to boot you off the network if you do almost anything >> they don't like.? >> > > Doesn't really make sense. "phone companies don't just hold phones > captive" makes sense; there is only one company involved in the case > of the iPhone. The rest of the paragraph is about phone companies in > general and is not untrue but not really particularly related to the > iPhone. Many mobile phones in Australia and other places sold on a > contract are "locked", that is you and the phone are tied into a > contract usually for several years. > > >> ?This kind of ?blocking and locking? behavior doesn't stop you from >> accessing the internet, but it does shape your experience and >> undermine the open, level playing field that consumers have come to >> expect online. The iPhone is simply the highest-profile example of >> a wireless internet market that is drifting further and further >> away from the free and open internet we've all come to expect. >> > > Not really, the mobile phone market has been very locked in, the > arrival of internet access is starting to open it up. It will > probably be painful, companies like the lock-in and they probably > think they'll make more money that way. > > >> ?The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions >> that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will >> determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US >> Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone >> hearing - to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer >> choice.? >> >> So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your >> phone to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, >> > > Yeah, not having a replaceable battery is a real pain, probably would > stop me buying one. I used to always have a spare battery for my > phone and in the past you used to be able to buy chargers for them > but not these days. I must say, batteries are another place where > companies try to lock you in. Think of all the different kinds of > batteries in phones, cameras, video cameras, PDAs, laptops, etc. > Cellphone handset makers seem particularly prone to this kind of lock > in although it is changing, but think of all the special connectors, > headphone connectors, chargers etc. > > >> and other lock-ins, I?d hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. >> Even if it?s just to somehow enable consumer choice and stop the >> drift away from a ?free and open internet?. >> >> For the article that got me thinking about this post, see http:// >> commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ben_scott/2007/07/free_the_iphone.html >> > > I think you have it round the wrong way, the iphone may help the > process of opening the market up. > > -- > Kim Holburn > IT Network & Security Consultant > Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 > mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn > skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request > > Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. > -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. > http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > From marty at supine.com Thu Jul 12 11:00:51 2007 From: marty at supine.com (Martin Barry) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:00:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <48D1E7F2-1F5E-4226-858A-2C4C098A12C8@itrundle.com> References: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <48D1E7F2-1F5E-4226-858A-2C4C098A12C8@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <20070712010051.GI28606@supine.com> $quoted_author = "Ivan Trundle" ; > > In America, MOST mobile phones are tied to a service provider. It's > the way that they do business there. You can still normally buy a handset outright and connect it to any compatible network. It's the same in Australia, if you get a subsidised or free handset from your provider it will usually be locked to their network. You pay full price for the phone and you can connect it to any network. The issue people seem to have with iPhone is that it's only available locked to AT&T. You can't buy one unlocked. cheers marty -- You get 10 points for difficulty, but for execution you get minus three. "Holding On" - Lazy Susan From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Thu Jul 12 10:58:12 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:58:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Link Survival Message-ID: No, not the survival of this list. I mean the extent to which you can rely on bookmarked links. A week ago, I added an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) link into: http://www.privacy.org.au/Resources/Contacts.html#PolP The link was: Electoral Commission list of currently registered Parties http://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registered_parties/Current/index.htm I followed the link this morning, and ... it's broken. I knew what I wanted, and the pretty clear drop-down menu system (which works in Safari - in which many MSIE-only menu schemes malfunction) enabled me to navigate through one subsidiary page to the information's new location at: http://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/Party_Registration/Registered_parties/index.htm There's no indication where to send emails about web-site problems, but I sent one to webmaster at aec.gov.au anyway. The good news: The email-address exists, and is monitored, and I had a phone-call within minutes. The reasonably good news: They've just released a new site, ready for the election, the first re-do in 4 or 5 years. As mentioned above, the first impression of its navigation design is positive, and the site looks functional, and pleasant-to-look-at rather than flashy and overdone. The not so good news: They took no care to sustain links, because that's how it is. He very quickly lost interest when I explained the problem, i.e. it was a courtesy call, rather than an attempt to build on the previous study of user needs and learn about what the public thinks of the site and what can be done about the not-so-good bits. (In a similar vein: a financial institution called me this morning, asking if I was satisfied with their service. I said 'well, it's working *now*, but there were about 5 things that went wrong when I joined up 9 months ago'. He smiled, said 'well if anything goes wrong, just call us', took no notes, and hung up. Are consumers *really* impressed with vacuous courtesy calls like that? They lost all chance of ever getting any more business than the one mortgage I've already taken out with them). It's very poor that service to existing customers is so low a priority. Maintaining symbolic links from old URLs to new ones might seem like a really difficult thing to do when you've got thousands of pages; but if it's a requirement from the outset, it's very simple to structure a cross-reference table and then auto-generate symbolic links. It's also easy to analyse web-logs to establish an 80/20 distribution (probably more like 90/10, and hence only 10% need to be maintained long-term). Okay, pages that are generated from scripts require a different approach, and the specifics depend on the development tools; but difficult? No. What's an the appropriate vehicle to pursue web-site consumer matters? ISOC? AGIMO? IIA? The Link Institute? -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 12 11:17:55 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:17:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort Message-ID: <863321.50624.qm@web50101.mail.re2.yahoo.com> In the USA it's always been the case that both parties pay who are party to conversation on a mobile regardless of phone or carrier. I believe, but not certain, that India is the same. Good points re Gillette and printers. But there are 2 issues - Apple is the champion of freedom of access to music without DRM, but then go and tie a phone to one carrier. Hypocrites. And the internet was built on a free and open internet and Apple is championing its internet access. I guess the involvement of big business in the internet means this freedom and openess of standards is sliding away. It's interesting that many Link subscribers jump up and down hysterically when it comes to what is perceived as censorship, but restrictions on accessibility - say to a network or for people with disabilities - many can't give a fig. David ----- Original Message ---- From: Ivan Trundle To: Link List Sent: Thursday, 12 July, 2007 10:41:46 AM Subject: Re: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort On 11/07/2007, at 10:33 PM, Kim Holburn wrote: > Yeah, not having a replaceable battery is a real pain, probably > would stop me buying one. I used to always have a spare battery > for my phone and in the past you used to be able to buy chargers > for them but not these days. I must say, batteries are another > place where companies try to lock you in. Think of all the > different kinds of batteries in phones, cameras, video cameras, > PDAs, laptops, etc. Cellphone handset makers seem particularly > prone to this kind of lock in although it is changing, but think of > all the special connectors, headphone connectors, chargers etc. As I mentioned earlier, it's all part of retaining a business model that does more than sell you the initial product. Think Gillette, or ink-jet ink. Actually, if anyone has any real criticisms of the iPhone, it's the AT&T fine-print that is the scary part (and not the phone). I'm not sure how most Australians would react if they were told that if you call someone using an iPhone on the AT&T network, both parties pay. iT _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link at mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Thu Jul 12 11:09:57 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:09:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages In-Reply-To: <469576A6.6070602@lannet.com.au> References: <46956C62.4010109@lannet.com.au> <469576A6.6070602@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: >Roger Clarke wrote: >> And as for the Magistrate's behaviour ... ('Oh, challenge my >>independence, would you? Well I'll need 48 hours to consider your >>submission; and your client can sweat it out, and you can't do a >>thing about it. Serves you right for being impertinent'.) > At 10:32 +1000 12/7/07, Howard Lowndes wrote: >The last detention grant had the codicil that they couldn't question >him during it. I wonder if that still applies during this >adjournment now that that grant has in fact expired. My understanding is that the law allows long-period detention, but only 24 hours of interrogation during that period; and they've already used 12 (and apparently not got very far, even though he had no legal representation at the time - which was possibly his choice); and they're saving up the other 12 hours until they've found more and can interrogate more effectively. I have no trouble with multiple, successive interrogations, and with restraints on his movements, and on who he can make contact with. The bloke could be completely innocent of everything except having some ratbag relations; but there's smoke around, it's an important matter, and a careful investigation is fully warranted. But the law enforcement agencies appear to be incapable of providing any evidence of anything. Detention beyond 24 hours, without justification using uncontrolled powers unprecedented in common-law countries since the 13th century (possible caveat needed re war-time), is simply repugnant to the notion of a free country. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From rick at praxis.com.au Thu Jul 12 11:40:38 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:40:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Link Survival In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <46958696.8080609@praxis.com.au> Roger Clarke wrote: > (In a similar vein: a financial institution called me this morning, > asking if I was satisfied with their service. I said 'well, it's > working *now*, but there were about 5 things that went wrong when I > joined up 9 months ago'. He smiled, said 'well if anything goes wrong, > just call us', took no notes, and hung up. Are consumers *really* > impressed with vacuous courtesy calls like that? They lost all chance > of ever getting any more business than the one mortgage I've already > taken out with them). > > It's very poor that service to existing customers is so low a priority. And yet the reason many of these organisations give for requesting and saving your personal and marketing data is "to provide a better consumer support" or some such nonsense. Yeah, go on, pull the other one. Anyone remember the days before spin? Before economic rationalisation? (*) I used to be able to talk to a human operator within three rings, and be put through to the relevant employee in an organisation all in under 30 seconds; this was before "modernisation" and rationalisation (*) Tech support and product longevity used to be paramount in grabbing and keeping happy customers; this approach has been replaced by user pays (for companies faults! see Microsoft for example) for many support services and deliberate (planned) obsolescence for many products. Do fridges last 50 years like they used to? How about a laptop? Lukcy if you get two years out of it. (*) Little add-ons and product/service extras used to be covered by organisations. Such niceties are long gone and we now pay all costs that can possibly be externalised. I resent paying the running costs for businesses such a banks and utilities. Why should I pay their accounting fees, etc.etc? The sad thing is it only takes a generation or two to remove all expectations of quality services and customer support from the population. Twenty-somethings today don't bat an eye at being treated like dirt in the marketplace, or paying through through the nose for what used to be included in the price you paid for a product/service. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts. -- Bertrand Russell From pbolger at gmail.com Thu Jul 12 11:46:48 2007 From: pbolger at gmail.com (Paul Bolger) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:16:48 +0930 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <863321.50624.qm@web50101.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <863321.50624.qm@web50101.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Apple is the champion of freedom of access to music without DRM, Apple is the champion of locking customers to their own hardware more like it. And as far as the DRM goes Apple were one of the most enthusiastic proponents of DRM until they noticed that people hate it, then they did a quick U-turn. the internet was built on a free and open internet Well... actually I seem to remember that the internet (the mass market, public part of it, anyway) was built on people flocking away from AOL, MSN and other proprietary networks. I guess the involvement of big business in the internet means this freedom and openness of standards is sliding away. I disagree: Freedom and openness of standards need to be fought for. I this case the best ways are to either not buy the Iphone - and lets face it, it's sexy, but it's just a phone - or hack it. I'm much more concerned about Telstra's Next-G network. They are replacing the CDMA network so that they can lock the other networks out of roaming out of the GSM coverage zones, which means country mobile users are stuck with Telstra's exorbitant call rates (triple what I'm paying on prepaid Optus GSM) From eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au Thu Jul 12 13:32:40 2007 From: eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au (Eric Scheid) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:32:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <863321.50624.qm@web50101.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: On 12/7/07 11:17 AM, "David Goldstein" wrote: > Apple is the champion of freedom of access to music without DRM, but then go > and tie a phone to one carrier. Apple is also the champion of pushing good design over economics. The first macs didn't have cursor keys because they wanted to push the concept of the mouse. The iPhones are tied to AT&T because AT&T have done a whole bunch of rewiring such that the functionality of the iPhone is much better (mostly to do with integrated voicemail). Bottom line: if you could get the iPhone hardware to work on someone else's network, it wouldn't *be* an iPhone because it wouldn't/couldn't do as much software wise. e. From cas at taz.net.au Thu Jul 12 14:34:42 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:34:42 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20070712043442.GH7147@taz.net.au> the truly important question about the iphone is "will it blend?" http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/10/will-it-blend-the-iphone-smoothie/ craig -- craig sanders From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 11 14:18:32 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:18:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200707120516.l6C5G7J1005427@ah.net> At 01:28 PM 11/07/2007, David Goldstein wrote: >Hi all, > >I'd put this posting below on my website - >http://technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and see >what the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian >today that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. >Well, must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It >makes points that have been made before. Must Have? If it's a MUST HAVE, how come they only made a small number and locked it to one network? People MUST HAVE food and water to survive. I don't see those items coming in restricted quantities being locked to one retail store (yet!) If people are stupid enough to fall for the MUST HAVE iPhone well that's their own stupidity. There was one selling on Ebay for $4500. Some guy from Sydney flew to New York to buy one to being back to Australia. Of course he can't use it, in fact it won't even boot up because it's locked and has to be activated on the AT&&T network - doesn't that raise eye brows! What a waste of money! Who'd by a Version 1 hardware/software item anyway? Wait till version 3 or 4 :) (Oh hang on, if everyone did that, then no one would buy the V 1,2's and we'd never get to Version 3.) >To have an iPhone one must agree to a contract with AT&T, previously >described as one of the worst mobile phone service providers in the US. I agree with that sentiment. I've been warned about AT&T for casual use. >So if you want an iPhone, and you are already contracted to another >company, you have to terminate that contract with the related fees >that involves. See this couldn't happen in Australia. It falls under Restrictive Trade. Of course Telstra will probably be the iPhone network in Australia and the excuse will be that their network is the only one compatible with the phone. Which is cr@#! I think Steve Jobs is doing himself and Apple a massive disservice by locking the phones to a single network. What about people who want to travel with their iPhone? You have to buy one for each country? What a bogus process! You can't even use it as a glorified ipod without activating it with AT&T! >"The only solution to this problem is a political one. Decisions >that legislators and regulators in Washington make now will >determine what the internet looks like in the future. The US >Congress is holding a hearing this week - call it the iPhone hearing >- to discuss the new technology and its impact on consumer choice." What, how to maximise profits and taxes by limiting choice? >So all this, and combined with the rort of having to send your phone >to Apple just so you can exchange the battery, and other lock-ins, >I'd hope smart people would boycott the iPhone. Even if it's just to >somehow enable consumer choice and stop the drift away from a "free >and open internet". Sadly there are people who are sold on what they are told, rather than what they know. Like those who are buying $14,000 RRP NEW cars from Motor Finance Wizard, who sell the car 4 years old for $17,000 - go figure. From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 11 14:30:19 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:30:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <4694519F.7060302@lannet.com.au> References: <677021.86778.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <4694519F.7060302@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <200707120516.l6C5G7J3005427@ah.net> At 01:42 PM 11/07/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote: >David Goldstein wrote: >>Hi all, >>I'd put this posting below on my website - >>http://technewsreview.com.au/ - and thought I'd post it here and >>see what the response was. It's based on an article in The Guardian >>today that makes a few more points on the new must-have iPhone. >>Well, must have only for those who are slaves to marketing hype. It >>makes points that have been made before. > >Only one response is necessary: >http://openmoko.com Howard, only problem is, will it be approved for use in Australia :) From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 12 15:33:45 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:33:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort Message-ID: <970256.39705.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Eric, >From what you write re "good design over economics", it sounds like Apple couldn't care less about accessibility for people with disabilities. A person who is blind, and often vision impaired, needs the cursor keys to navigate. A mouse is useless for a person who is blind. But back in the days of the first Macs, they wouldn't have been alone in not considering this issue. And then it seems there's a similar attitude Apple seems to have the environment, although it has improved marginally. See http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/apple-greener-nokia-first-260607. So if you're an able-bodied climate change/global warming denier, an Apple is for you? As for your bottom line, whatever has been done by AT&T, the point is, if one buys an iPhone, they are locked to an exclusive contract with AT&T for some years. If you want to leave AT&T, you're left with a useless paperweight, which has been pointed out in other sources. But, things may change. Some US politicians are getting antsy about Apple's practices, with Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), chairman of a House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet describing the phone as a "Hotel California service. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave _ you're stuck with your iPhone and you can't take it anywhere." And not specific to the iPhone, "Timothy Wu, a law professor at Columbia University and commentator on technology issues, described the mobile phone industry as 'spectrum-based oligopoly' where customers have given up their property rights. 'Imagine buying a television that stopped working if you decided to switch to satellite,' Wu said. 'Or a toaster that died if you switched from Potomac Power to ConEd.'" See: iPhone Buzz Puts Focus on Carrier Practices If a current iPhone customer terminates the service agreement with AT&T, the iPhone then becomes an expensive paperweight. That has Edward Markey (D-Mass.) chairman of the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet annoyed, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday. http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/32169 us: Lawmaker criticizes iPhone termination fee The Apple iPhone has enjoyed favorable reviews since its recent debut, but it came in for some rare criticism on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/12/1183833619858.html David ----- Original Message ---- From: Eric Scheid To: LINK Sent: Thursday, 12 July, 2007 1:32:40 PM Subject: Re: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort On 12/7/07 11:17 AM, "David Goldstein" wrote: > Apple is the champion of freedom of access to music without DRM, but then go > and tie a phone to one carrier. Apple is also the champion of pushing good design over economics. The first macs didn't have cursor keys because they wanted to push the concept of the mouse. The iPhones are tied to AT&T because AT&T have done a whole bunch of rewiring such that the functionality of the iPhone is much better (mostly to do with integrated voicemail). Bottom line: if you could get the iPhone hardware to work on someone else's network, it wouldn't *be* an iPhone because it wouldn't/couldn't do as much software wise. e. _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link at mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au Thu Jul 12 16:38:36 2007 From: Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au (Pilcher, Fred) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:38:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <200707120516.l6C5G7J1005427@ah.net> Message-ID: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BC2@cal066.act.gov.au> Adam said: > Some guy from Sydney flew > to New York to buy one to being back to Australia. "What a maroon!" (Bugs Bunny) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From kim at holburn.net Thu Jul 12 16:43:26 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:43:26 +0200 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <426760.34309.qm@web50103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <68EA6FD3-A31D-430C-9189-5308200DEF23@holburn.net> On 2007/Jul/11, at 5:11 PM, David Goldstein wrote: > I think people are missing some of the > points. Apple, the supposed champion of consumer rights, Where did you get that idea? Apple is a hardware company and uses hardware lock-ins. Microsoft is a software company and uses software lock-ins. Champion of consumer rights? I don't think so, maybe a company that treats it's customers a bit better than many others because it's good for the bottom line. > is locking people into > a contract with one, and only one, service provider. I?m not aware > of any, > although there could be the odd hardware manufacturer, that does. It's early days yet. > A Nokia phone is a Nokia phone, and it will > work on any network, assuming the frequency is right. Not if it's locked, no. > As was pointed out on another list, ?what is > not common is that a particular device model is exclusively tied to > that > company's services. Like, I can buy any several models of Sony > Ericsson phones > in stores and just install a chip I contract with my GSM operator, > even though operators > also sell the same models as part of their services package.? Like I said, not if it's locked to one company, or branded to one company. > Further, ?The iPhone case takes this tied > purchase practice to an extreme, and again brings AT&T to the fore > of the > consumer rights' violations debate -- witness the long EFF case > against AT&T > for unilateral violation of privacy rights of millions of Internet > users, using > huge packet sniffer installations at key points in their network.? Just another phone company really. There're good ones? > Another great point is the ?schizophrenic > attitude of Apple, in which they start preaching for an end to DRM > and at the > same time sign an incredibly restrictive ... contract like this??? They've actually talked one company out of DRM. To do that they had to be in there. > Someone who buys a digital set top box is > not locked into anything. The set top boxes I have had have not > locked me into > anything. On Foxtel or their equivalents, I?m not sure if I?d agree > it?s the > same thing. But, I guess you can argue there are similarities. I was talking about a sky box or a foxtel cable set top box. Completely locked in. Unusable on any other cable system. > And then, from what I can work out, Apple > have developed a device that ignores the rights of people with > disabilities, > especially those who are blind and vision impaired. You can say > this is only > one device, but it sets a terrible precedent if it?s as I think it > is. Kim, > being the owner of one such device, would have more of an idea of > this. I'm not sure what you're talking about here, if you're talking about the iphone, you don't have to buy it. Apple PCs are reasonably good for people with disabilities AFAIK. The software has been getting better. How's Vista for people with disabilities? -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From mail at ozzmosis.com Thu Jul 12 16:53:17 2007 From: mail at ozzmosis.com (andrew clarke) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:53:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] ?? re digital tv and cable In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4f7efb@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4f7efb@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <20070712065317.GA9055@ozzmosis.com> On Wed, Jul 11, 2007 at 08:13:05PM +1000, Jan Whitaker wrote: > [not internet related, but I'm sure someone will have thought about this] > > When/if the analogue tv free to air is shut off, and digital tv > replaces it, what will cable tv signals be? Foxtel went digital in March 2004 with their analogue cable TV service switched off in April this year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtel#Foxtel_Digital I don't know about other cable TV services. > If cable is going to be analogue, are the plasma and lcd tvs analogue > as well as digital and can be used on cable? Or will cable convert to > digital as well, requiring new stb receivers? Most STBs will provide an output socket for an analogue video signal. Some will also provide a HDMI (digital) output for TVs that support that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Definition_Multimedia_Interface I think most LCD & plasma TVs provide an analogue input as standard (probably using a S-Video socket) as well as VGA input (to connect to a PC), and most of the high-end models also support HDMI. I think the industry's intention is to obsolete analogue cabling eventually. From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 17:15:10 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:15:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <970256.39705.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <970256.39705.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <0470D3C0-2699-4CF6-B008-D019A1FA85B0@itrundle.com> On 12/07/2007, at 3:33 PM, David Goldstein wrote: > As for your bottom line, whatever has been done by AT&T, the point > is, if one buys an iPhone, they are locked to an exclusive contract > with AT&T for some years. If you want to leave AT&T, you're left > with a useless paperweight, which has been pointed out in other > sources. The iPhone buyer has the option of agreeing to a 2-yr contract with AT&T, or can easily sidestep this and have a device that can browse the web and act as an iPod, amongst other things. It hasn't been a problem for some people who are not interested in being part of AT&T's customer base. And there are enough people looking at opening up other functions of their 'useless paperweight'. The 'other sources' need better information. iT From sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au Thu Jul 12 17:17:11 2007 From: sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au (steve jenkin) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:17:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <20070629063128.472022120@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> References: <20070629063128.472022120@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <4695D577.6020403@canb.auug.org.au> Tom Worthington wrote on 28/6/07 11:22 AM: I'm guessing from the lack of any "thank you, your comments duly noted and will be forwarded in due course" that we were just pissing in the wind responding on this list... Please don't reply if you can't say when the submission containing comments will hit the ACS Council. > The Australian Computer Society have released a Discussion Paper > "Redefining And Building The ICT Profession: Core Body Of Knowledge > Review" (21 June, 2007 Version 2.0). > -- Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist. 0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915) PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~sjenkin From scott at doc.net.au Thu Jul 12 17:26:58 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:26:58 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <0470D3C0-2699-4CF6-B008-D019A1FA85B0@itrundle.com> References: <970256.39705.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <0470D3C0-2699-4CF6-B008-D019A1FA85B0@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <20070712072658.GA26638@milliways.doc.net.au> On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 05:15:10PM +1000, Ivan Trundle wrote: > The iPhone buyer has the option of agreeing to a 2-yr contract with > AT&T, or can easily sidestep this and have a device that can browse > the web and act as an iPod, amongst other things. It hasn't been a This is not the case - at least not officially. Until it's activated, which requires an AT&T connection, most of the functions on the iPhone are disabled - including the 'iPod'. Yes, the activation process has now been hacked to some extent, but the point remains that officially you need the activation via AT&T, and without the phone account you've got little more than a small shiny box. Scott From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 17:33:59 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:33:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] the Apple iPhone rort In-Reply-To: <20070712072658.GA26638@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <970256.39705.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <0470D3C0-2699-4CF6-B008-D019A1FA85B0@itrundle.com> <20070712072658.GA26638@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <28BC166C-C55A-43BF-8CAB-C564401C6C0D@itrundle.com> On 12/07/2007, at 5:26 PM, Scott Howard wrote: > On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 05:15:10PM +1000, Ivan Trundle wrote: >> The iPhone buyer has the option of agreeing to a 2-yr contract with >> AT&T, or can easily sidestep this and have a device that can browse >> the web and act as an iPod, amongst other things. It hasn't been a > > This is not the case - at least not officially. > > Until it's activated, which requires an AT&T connection, most of the > functions on the iPhone are disabled - including the 'iPod'. > > Yes, the activation process has now been hacked to some extent, but > the point remains that officially you need the activation via AT&T, > and without the phone account you've got little more than a small > shiny > box. > The point (official or otherwise) that I was making is that it's possible to activate it with an existing AT&T account, and then remove the SIM card and use it as a non-phone device. The AT&T account doesn't need to be yours, either. You don't need the phone account to use it. iT From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 17:37:31 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:37:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Wireless phone industry taken to task Message-ID: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> (I'd post the marketwatch.com URL, but it's far too long to bother...) Wireless-phone industry tactics criticized Lawmakers hit early-termination fees, handset restrictions By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch Last Update: 4:19 PM ET Jul 11, 2007 WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday took the wireless-phone industry to task, criticizing high early-termination fees and the inability to use mobile devices such as the new iPhone on different networks. Before switching to another wireless provider, mobile customers usually have to pay $175 or more to terminate their current plan and they have to get a new phone. Devices that work on one U.S. wireless network rarely work on another - in part because carriers use different technologies or have exclusive marketing arrangements with handset makers. The new iPhone by Apple Inc. is a case in point. The device, costing $500 to $600, is only available via AT&T Inc., with an early- termination fee of $175. Yet the AT&T network on which the iPhone operates is much slower than rival networks when it comes to Internet access. Rep. Edward Markey, chairman of a key House committee on telecommunications, noted that customers who don't like AT&T's network can't move to another provider. "You're stuck with your iPhone and you can't take it anywhere," the Massachusetts Democrat said. Markey and other lawmakers leveled their criticism Wednesday during a hearing ostensibly to determine whether the federal government should bar states from regulating the wireless industry. Mobile carriers say it's very costly to comply with multiple state laws. At present, states can oversee the terms and conditions of wireless plans but are prevented from regulating prices. For the most part, though, lawmakers spent their time focusing on wireless-industry practices that they say hurt consumers and stifle innovation. Many would like to see companies reduce early-termination fees or allow subscribers to use their handsets on any network they choose. Several industry critics who testified at the hearing noted that Asia and Europe obligate carriers to ensure that any device will work with their networks. Wireless entrepreneur Jason Devitt, chief executive of SkyDeck, said 800 devices would work on Vodafone Group plc's wireless network in Europe, whereas only 30 devices work on Verizon's network in the U.S. He accused mobile operators such as Verizon and AT&T of having a "deathgrip" on handset choices in the U.S. Wireless executives defended the industry, saying it's highly competitive and arguing that costs to consumers would rise if government required devices to work on all networks. Some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, also expressed reluctance to tamper with what most acknowledged was a healthy and fast-growing industry. "The wireless-service market is vigorously competitive," said Fred Upton, R.-Mich. [Jeffry Bartash is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.] From cas at taz.net.au Thu Jul 12 18:23:22 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:23:22 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages In-Reply-To: <3dd8cd9212fe442389d0e00082b22751.info@gnomon.com.au> References: <3dd8cd9212fe442389d0e00082b22751.info@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <20070712082322.GI7147@taz.net.au> On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 10:17:25AM +1000, Sylvano wrote: > A quick look at some M$Word docs shows an effective 20Kb to 30Kb per > page as not being untypical, which would mean four million plus pages > in 120GB of space!! They need better spin doctors! not really. nobody would believe 4 million pages of secret terrorist documents. 31,000 is scarily large, but still small enough to be "credible". craig -- craig sanders A Thaum is the basic unit of magical strength. It has been universally established as the amount of magic needed to create one small white pigeon or three normal sized billiard balls. -- Terry Pratchett, "The Light Fantastic" From rick at praxis.com.au Thu Jul 12 19:04:08 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:04:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Wireless phone industry taken to task In-Reply-To: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> Ivan Trundle wrote: > (I'd post the marketwatch.com URL, but it's far too long to bother...) > > Wireless-phone industry tactics criticized > Lawmakers hit early-termination fees, handset restrictions > > By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch > Last Update: 4:19 PM ET Jul 11, 2007 > > WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday took the Is this a case of the URL being longher than the article itself? -rw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts. -- Bertrand Russell From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 12 19:38:56 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:38:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] ACCC alleges misleading and deceptive conduct by Trading Post and Google Message-ID: <206927.77149.qm@web50110.mail.re2.yahoo.com> An interesting story today: ACCC alleges misleading and deceptive conduct by Trading Post and Google (news release) The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has instituted legal proceedings in the Federal Court, Sydney, against Trading Post Australia Pty Ltd, Google Inc, Google Ireland Limited and Google Australia Pty Ltd alleging misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to sponsored links that appeared on the Google website. http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/792088/fromItemId/142 Australian regulator in world-first court action against Google over sponsored links Australia's consumer watchdog said Thursday it had launched world-first court action accusing Internet giant Google for misleading web users by misidentifying sponsored links on its search engine. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it wanted Google to stop publishing search results that fail to distinguish between paid advertisements and "organic" search results. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/12/1183833666884.html (AFP) http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/12/1183833667378.html (AAP) http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Google-denies-ACCC-s-deceptive-conduct-charges-/0,130061733,339279920,00.htm David ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 20:11:09 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:11:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Wireless phone industry taken to task In-Reply-To: <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> On 12/07/2007, at 7:04 PM, Rick Welykochy wrote: > Ivan Trundle wrote: > >> (I'd post the marketwatch.com URL, but it's far too long to >> bother...) >> Wireless-phone industry tactics criticized >> Lawmakers hit early-termination fees, handset restrictions >> By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch >> Last Update: 4:19 PM ET Jul 11, 2007 >> WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday took the > > > Is this a case of the URL being longher than the article itself? Indeed it would be, if that's all that you saw.... I don't understand why the article would have been truncated at that point, unless a pesky control character was inserted into the html code. Here's the URL: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/wireless-phone-industry-tactics- criticized/story.aspx?guid=%7b25DDFA68-CB6C-450F-AFA4-5B1037F26545% 7d&dist=MostReadHome&print=true&dist=printTop (I found other iterations, but this was the shortest that I could find) From rick at praxis.com.au Thu Jul 12 20:33:46 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:33:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Wireless phone industry taken to task In-Reply-To: <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> Ivan Trundle wrote: > > On 12/07/2007, at 7:04 PM, Rick Welykochy wrote: > >> Ivan Trundle wrote: >> >>> (I'd post the marketwatch.com URL, but it's far too long to bother...) >>> Wireless-phone industry tactics criticized >>> Lawmakers hit early-termination fees, handset restrictions >>> By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch >>> Last Update: 4:19 PM ET Jul 11, 2007 >>> WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday took the >> >> >> Is this a case of the URL being longher than the article itself? > > Indeed it would be, if that's all that you saw.... I don't understand > why the article would have been truncated at that point, unless a pesky > control character was inserted into the html code. Here's the URL: > > http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/wireless-phone-industry-tactics-criticized/story.aspx?guid=%7b25DDFA68-CB6C-450F-AFA4-5B1037F26545%7d&dist=MostReadHome&print=true&dist=printTop > > > (I found other iterations, but this was the shortest that I could find) Sorry ... I did snip the entire article down to what you see. That URL is a doozy! Off to watch The Great Global Warming Swindle now. CYA! -rick -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts. -- Bertrand Russell From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 12 20:46:49 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:46:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] lies, damn lies, and 31,000 pages In-Reply-To: References: <46956C62.4010109@lannet.com.au> <469576A6.6070602@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <200707121047.l6CAl6fi012918@ah.net> Yes Roger, but smoke can be created by the desires of some to inflict humiliation or example upon others. I know only too well. Such as being put in a mental hospital for 21 days without charge, then being charged with 85ZE, going to trial for 9 months and then 3 years later having a supreme Court judge (Megan Latham) say in judgement that there was no such charge. Maybe Latham and other Judges, and Magistrates, need to look at the law properly, not assume they know it all. Now to mention that Latham also stated that the Mental Hospital did not have carriage of the application before the Magistrate to detain me longer than the legislated 3 days. Does the Magistrate have carriage of the proceeding? If not the applicant? It will save Government and Agencies serious embarrassment. I can't even comment on this case, be it 31,000 pages of nulls in a document or what. We just don't know what the key to the investigation was, what he's been targeted to what the evidence is and it's not fair to take only the side of the Media which reports on the Governments position only. As you say, this guy might simply be the victim of a terrorist calling his mobile phone by accident, or his wife's mobile might be one digit different to that of the terrorist. It has happened before. It's enough to make you not want to have a phone. Don't send letters, people use them against you ion court, don't make phone calls or receive them because you're guilty of a crime if you have a phone, lets get back to plain old face to face communications. But then you're guilty by association. At 11:09 AM 12/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >>Roger Clarke wrote: >>> And as for the Magistrate's behaviour ... ('Oh, challenge my >>> independence, would you? Well I'll need 48 hours to consider >>> your submission; and your client can sweat it out, and you can't >>> do a thing about it. Serves you right for being impertinent'.) >At 10:32 +1000 12/7/07, Howard Lowndes wrote: >>The last detention grant had the codicil that they couldn't >>question him during it. I wonder if that still applies during this >>adjournment now that that grant has in fact expired. > >My understanding is that the law allows long-period detention, but >only 24 hours of interrogation during that period; and they've >already used 12 (and apparently not got very far, even though he had >no legal representation at the time - which was possibly his >choice); and they're saving up the other 12 hours until they've >found more and can interrogate more effectively. > >I have no trouble with multiple, successive interrogations, and with >restraints on his movements, and on who he can make contact with. >The bloke could be completely innocent of everything except having >some ratbag relations; but there's smoke around, it's an important >matter, and a careful investigation is fully warranted. > >But the law enforcement agencies appear to be incapable of providing >any evidence of anything. Detention beyond 24 hours, without >justification using uncontrolled powers unprecedented in common-law >countries since the 13th century (possible caveat needed re >war-time), is simply repugnant to the notion of a free country. > >-- >Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ > >Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA > Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 >mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ > >Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University >Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong >Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 12 23:15:04 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:15:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 08:33 PM 12/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >Off to watch The Great Global Warming Swindle now. Are we allowed for a little while, Tony? Please? I'm so glad there was a followup panel on that film. Seeing all those 'scientists' commenting in the 'documentary' (mockumentary?) I was being persuaded to rethink. Shows the power of the medium. Tony Jones was magic! Yes, perhaps as one of the panelists said, he should ask tough questions of the Nicholas Stearns of the world as well, but he exposed the track record of the guy who produced this one and several of the 'experts' who are serial naysayers and under the pay of big oil and big tobacco. The regular viewer in the UK wouldn't have had the benefit of this extra information. 3 Cheers to Auntie and I take back my pre-judgement that I sent in the letter saying this shouldn't be screened. It is must see ONLY with the benefit of followup to balance the message. BTW, one of the more perverse but entertaining aspects of the program was the audience participation at the end. Talk about fringe elements! I couldn't decide it they brought a bus from Nimbin or gathered up some of the mentally challenged roaming the streets. It was truly bizarre. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 12 23:29:30 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:29:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Computer recycling program this weekend Message-ID: <95F4FDC5-7430-47F9-BD05-19CA6778C221@itrundle.com> Dear Linkers Although it's fashionable to bag Apple at the moment, here's something that might be of interest to people living in or near Sydney and Melbourne: http://www.apple.com/au/environment/recycling/program/ I'm not suggesting that this is a unique innovation, but it's good to see them actually doing something in this area. iT From skeeve at skeeve.org Fri Jul 13 00:23:31 2007 From: skeeve at skeeve.org (Skeeve Stevens) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:23:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] And so the voice war really begins Message-ID: <00a501c7c490$396084f0$ac218ed0$@org> It has been reported tonight in Commsday and AustralianIT that Optus has revealed new plans which will be available on HFC or ADSL2+. The 'Fusion' plans will offer Unlimited local and national calls, unlimited calls to Optus mobiles and also unlimited broadband with no excess data charges (although I assume it will be shaped). Apparently a 24 month plan is required... but seriously... depending on the speeds, included non-shaped, this could work well for your typical family with Optus mobile phones.... wonder if Telstra will respond. *shot fired across Engin/Telstra's bow* http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22061751-16123,00.html .Skeeve -- Skeeve Stevens, RHCE eintellego, General Manager skeeve at eintellego.net / www.eintellego.net Cell +61 (0)414 753 383 / skype://skeeve -- NOC, NOC, who's there? From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Fri Jul 13 07:31:30 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:31:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <46969DB2.6090403@ozemail.com.au> What the hell, off-topic but why not! If I disqualify myself from commenting on the science, there was still plenty of meat to chew on. The most important single aspect of the show - and the one which made me glad I also made the kids watch it - is that it was a very instructive lesson in how to identify fraudulent logic; and also the techniques used to try and conceal fraudulent logic. The first ten minutes of the program was entirely without facts. It was, instead, an accumulation of accusation and lines like "for years we have been told ... but is it really so" in a portentious voice. After that, my old "twelve errors of logic" copied from a 1940s edition of the Cadillac encyclopedia kicked in... The biggest fraud the "swindle" camp practises, endemic througout this show, is that the existence of one mechanism excludes the operation of another mechanism. Hence, because a sunspot effect exists, a CO2 mechanism cannot exist. Whatever the science may be, the GGWS did not offer any evidence that the solar mechanism excludes an atmospheric mechanism. On a wider view, the show repeatedly claimed that any natural mechanisms invalidate all man-made mechanisms, which is nonsense. While complaining about media distorting the science, the show nonetheless pretended that headlines are an accurate reflection of a scientific debate. Hence the media enthusiasm for cooling in the 1970s was taken by the show as an accurate reflection of the scientific debate of the time; while of course the current media debate is accused of distorting the scientific one. Some other quick observations. - Outside the circle of people who spoke on-camera, the claim that "many" or "thousands" of scientists were being silenced wasn't supported by any numbers. - All consensus was denounced as corrupt, which is just damn silly. - Quotation without citation: the show was happy to make claims about what people said, without sourcing the quotes. - Frequently, GGWS blurred the line between "weather" and "climate", which is a completely dishonest attempt to confuse the audience. For me, though, the killer was when the GGWS descended into "greenies are peaceniks and commies"... RC Jan Whitaker wrote: > At 08:33 PM 12/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >> Off to watch The Great Global Warming Swindle now. > > Are we allowed for a little while, Tony? Please? > > I'm so glad there was a followup panel on that film. Seeing all those > 'scientists' commenting in the 'documentary' (mockumentary?) I was > being persuaded to rethink. Shows the power of the medium. Tony Jones > was magic! Yes, perhaps as one of the panelists said, he should ask > tough questions of the Nicholas Stearns of the world as well, but he > exposed the track record of the guy who produced this one and several > of the 'experts' who are serial naysayers and under the pay of big oil > and big tobacco. The regular viewer in the UK wouldn't have had the > benefit of this extra information. > > 3 Cheers to Auntie and I take back my pre-judgement that I sent in the > letter saying this shouldn't be screened. It is must see ONLY with the > benefit of followup to balance the message. > > BTW, one of the more perverse but entertaining aspects of the program > was the audience participation at the end. Talk about fringe elements! > I couldn't decide it they brought a bus from Nimbin or gathered up > some of the mentally challenged roaming the streets. It was truly > bizarre. > > Jan > > > Jan Whitaker > JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria > jwhit at janwhitaker.com > business: http://www.janwhitaker.com > personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ > commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ > > Writing Lesson #54: > Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for > guests. - JW, May, 2007 > > 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, > there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 > _ __________________ _ > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From cas at taz.net.au Fri Jul 13 07:44:57 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:44:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <20070712214457.GJ7147@taz.net.au> On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 11:15:04PM +1000, Jan Whitaker wrote: > BTW, one of the more perverse but entertaining aspects of the > program was the audience participation at the end. Talk about fringe > elements! I couldn't decide it they brought a bus from Nimbin or > gathered up some of the mentally challenged roaming the streets. It > was truly bizarre. it seemed obvious to me that the studio audience had been infiltrated by nutters from the Citizen's Electoral Council. i suspected it when the old woman in a white jumper in the back row started ranting about eugenics, then had it confirmed when the young guy in the front row went on about Lyndon Larouche (a dead giveaway that it's the CEC) and Johannes Kepler (a rant that is also on CEC's web site), and another guy went off on a bizarre paranoid tangent about Prince Philip and the WWF (Prince Philip is a favourite figure of evil for these nutters, who reckon he has a nefarious involvement/control over the insidious World Widelife Fund). i'm not sure if the Carbon-14 ranter was CEC or just a young-earther creationist. craig ps: bringing it vaguely back to LINK-relevance - their forum site was down several times, and even when it was working the forum software was really bad. not surprisingly, it was running on IIS. -- craig sanders Al Gore resembled a Vulcan desperately in need of a blow job. -- Bobcat Goldthwait From ivan at itrundle.com Fri Jul 13 08:16:21 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 08:16:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <20070712214457.GJ7147@taz.net.au> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070712214457.GJ7147@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <5EB34B4B-7046-4467-B6A4-ECF9866045E0@itrundle.com> On 13/07/2007, at 7:44 AM, Craig Sanders wrote: > ps: bringing it vaguely back to LINK-relevance - their forum site was > down several times, and even when it was working the forum software > was > really bad. not surprisingly, it was running on IIS. And to cap it all off, the actual dialogue and content inside of the forum (when it was working) hit rock-bottom, too. Pure drivel, mostly, and anything worthwhile to read or comment on was quickly buried by the avalanche of uninformed opinion. iT From cas at taz.net.au Fri Jul 13 09:40:31 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:40:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <5EB34B4B-7046-4467-B6A4-ECF9866045E0@itrundle.com> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070712214457.GJ7147@taz.net.au> <5EB34B4B-7046-4467-B6A4-ECF9866045E0@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <20070712234030.GK7147@taz.net.au> On Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 08:16:21AM +1000, Ivan Trundle wrote: > And to cap it all off, the actual dialogue and content inside of the forum > (when it was working) hit rock-bottom, too. Pure drivel, mostly, and > anything worthwhile to read or comment on was quickly buried by the > avalanche of uninformed opinion. it seemed more like an organised astro-turf campaign than just innocent uninformed opinion. craig -- craig sanders God is not dead. He is alive and well and working on a much less ambitious project. From rick at praxis.com.au Fri Jul 13 10:11:14 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:11:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <46969DB2.6090403@ozemail.com.au> References: <35CA936A-EBB8-403C-BC49-DCE21C99CA65@itrundle.com> <4695EE88.5070301@praxis.com.au> <82FC2E90-E454-48EB-9EEE-6B76958178B7@itrundle.com> <4696038A.1010306@praxis.com.au> <61fg7n$4folah@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <46969DB2.6090403@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <4696C322.7010806@praxis.com.au> Richard Chirgwin wrote: > After that, my old "twelve errors of logic" copied from a 1940s edition > of the Cadillac encyclopedia kicked in... Exactly. Many of Durkin's arguments were fallacious. (*) "What evidence do we have ... " ... begs the question. The evidence is often available, but Durkin simply ignores it. Instead, he diverts the viewer's attention with daunting images of weather gone wrong and catchy tunes. (*) "This is just plain idiocy ..." i.e. heaps of ad hominem attacks (*) "CO2 levels trail recorded temperature rises. Therefore CO2 cannot cause temperature rise." Huh? Beyond fallacy (error in argument), many other arguments were based on falsehoods, as demonstrated during the debate that followed the show. As previously expressed bu other Linkers, I think it behooves the ABC to screen shows like this. I found it a bit extraordinary for Tony Jones to loudly disclaim that the ABC does not support the views expressed in GGWS. Why doesn't the ABC offer similar disclaimers for other opinionated programs that it screens? Should the ABC be supporting particular views in any instance? Isn't it there simply to broadcast? cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts. -- Bertrand Russell From Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au Fri Jul 13 10:35:22 2007 From: Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au (Pilcher, Fred) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:35:22 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <4696C322.7010806@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BD9@cal066.act.gov.au> Rick wrote: > (*) "What evidence do we have ... " ... begs the question. Since we're talking about logical fallacies, "begging the question" is one such. It doesn't mean "poses the question". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question My pedant internal stamps his little feet when he sees it being misused. ;-) I didn't watch the show last night - I knew it'd just drive up my BP and make me yell at the teevee, something my kids then yell at me for. I don't doubt that (my annoying pedantry aside) the discussion of it on link tells me as much about it as I need to know without any harmful side-effects. Cheers, Fred ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Fri Jul 13 10:39:28 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:39:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] New Core Body Of Knowledge for the ICT Profession In-Reply-To: <4695D577.6020403@canb.auug.org.au> References: <20070629063128.472022120@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> <4695D577.6020403@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: <20070713004058.D818D38D5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 05:17 PM 12/07/2007, steve jenkin wrote: >Tom Worthington wrote on 28/6/07 11:22 AM: > >I'm guessing from the lack of any "thank you, your comments duly >noted and will be forwarded in due course" ... To clarify for other readers, I did not write the above. My message 28/6/07 was an invitation to comment on an ACS Discussion Paper revising the Core Body Of Knowledge: . >that we were just ... in the wind responding on this list ... Responses to the list were not requested. As my message said, the details on how to comment are given in the paper: . Some Linkers sent comments to the list, or directly to me by email. These comments typically started with "Please pass on the following comments", so I forwarded them to the ACS email address given in the paper. I acknowledged each of those with an email reply to each sender individually. Some comments to the Link list did not explicitly state that they were intended for input to the process and I did not pass those on. Any general discussion I think relevant I will summarize and pass on, but it would be inappropriate for me to treat these in the same way as comments explicitly addressed to the ACS. The authors may not wish to be quoted, nor have the comments attributed to the organisations their email is coming from. If any Linker made a comment they intended for the ACS working party and have not had an acknowledgment from me, they should send it directly to the email address of the working party given in the paper. This is a more efficient and reliable process than sending the comments through me. >Please don't reply if you can't say when the submission containing >comments will hit the ACS Council. ... What is being developed will go through several more iterations before anything appears at the ACS's national decision making body. The precess is detailed in the paper. I doubt that the content of each comment received will appear in the final document presented to the ACS Council for a decision. As I noted in my message I have an interest the Body of Knowledge, as I chair the ACS's Professional Development Board: . But I was passing on the paper at the request of the ACS Professional Standards Board (that board makes standards which my board then implements). As the paper suggested, feedback on any aspect of the review can be sent to the ACS Professional Standards Board, at the address given in the paper. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From rick at praxis.com.au Fri Jul 13 10:43:21 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:43:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BD9@cal066.act.gov.au> References: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BD9@cal066.act.gov.au> Message-ID: <4696CAA9.2040007@praxis.com.au> Pilcher, Fred wrote: > Rick wrote: >> (*) "What evidence do we have ... " ... begs the question. > > > Since we're talking about logical fallacies, "begging the question" is one such. It doesn't mean "poses the question". > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question > > My pedant internal stamps his little feet when he sees it being misused. ;-) > I stand corrected, Fred. My example above was simply an example of a falsehood, i.e. it was claimed there is no evidence that such and such is a consequence of CO2 or man's acitivities or whatever. For those who might like to indulge in spotting logical fallacies in argument (it takes a diligent mind and real work!) try these two links: The Atheism Web: Logic and Fallacies http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html Fallacies of Logical Argument http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts. -- Bertrand Russell From lucychili at gmail.com Fri Jul 13 11:51:53 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:21:53 +0930 Subject: [LINK] =?windows-1252?q?Australia_Gets_Broadband_=96_A_Slow_Conn?= =?windows-1252?q?ection_For_A_High_Price?= Message-ID: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/20920/ There is rapid broadband penetration in Australia despite Telstra and the Government not coming to an agreement over key issues. By mid-2007 there were close to 4.5 million subscribers in the country. In residential markets there has been 64 % penetration while in the business market this figure goes up to 80 % . While there has been a quantitative rise in the number of broadband users, the quality of connections, and the price that customers have to pay have been areas of concern. The majority of customers are still on services that provide only 256Kb/s or 512Kb/s. Telstra, however, does make an 8Mb/s available, but this is not a guaranteed speed, only a best-effort service. There is a perceived need for the government to set up a right regulatory environment so that an infrastructure can be set up to provide people with optimum broadband connections. From marghanita at ramin.com.au Fri Jul 13 13:38:57 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:38:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telstra Message bank intercepting calls Message-ID: <4696F3D1.9030106@ramin.com.au> I have now had two reports from "elderly", not stupid, people having problems with Telstra Message bank/101...and I suspect a third may emerge, as this particular person said they were signing upto "broadband". It seems Message bank starts taking calls 72 hours before the intended recipient can pick up the call. I wonder if this was the nice offer the telstra salesman was trying to flog me before I cut them off. Personally, I prefer to find the line is engaged rather than have message bank intercept the call. Wonder what recourse these people have. Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 13 14:27:50 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:27:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telstra Message bank intercepting calls In-Reply-To: <4696F3D1.9030106@ramin.com.au> References: <4696F3D1.9030106@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <200707130434.l6D4Y1lj006764@ah.net> At 01:38 PM 13/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >I have now had two reports from "elderly", not stupid, people having problems >with Telstra Message bank/101...and I suspect a third may emerge, as this >particular person said they were signing upto "broadband". > >It seems Message bank starts taking calls 72 hours before the >intended recipient can pick up the call. Hey? Message Bank takes your calls 72 hour before your phone rings?? >Wonder what recourse these people have. Discontinue the service and turn it off. Simple. I don't use external voice mail systems - EVER. My phone either rings out if I don't want to answer it, or it's busy if I'm using it. Or as mine is a mobile, its' switched off when I don't want to be bothered. From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Fri Jul 13 14:46:48 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:46:48 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Hackers a step closer to unlocking iPhone Message-ID: <2D737B2F-1915-4C26-B160-19D7D7C2D8D9@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Hackers a step closer to unlocking iPhone Reverse engineers are now able to activate an iPhone without an AT&T account and can also gain shell access via a serial port connection. phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Fri Jul 13 15:07:19 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:07:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Mac OS X with 100 bugs still safer than Windows? Message-ID: <57D85074-99C7-4768-A0AD-01D89C4E4F65@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Mac OS X with 100 bugs still safer than Windows? Apple has plugged around 100 vulnerabilities in OS X so far this year but the malware threat to Mac customers is 'insignificant' compared to users of Microsoft Windows. More.. phone : 02 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au mobile: 04 1242 0397 | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au http://tony-barry.emu.id.au From marty at supine.com Fri Jul 13 15:23:39 2007 From: marty at supine.com (Martin Barry) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:23:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Link Survival In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20070713052338.GP28606@supine.com> $quoted_author = "Roger Clarke" ; > > It's also easy to analyse web-logs to establish an 80/20 distribution > (probably more like 90/10, and hence only 10% need to be maintained > long-term). an even better approach would be to search the logs for the HTTP referrer field and note which pages are requested when that field is blank or from another site. this will approximate the pages that are reached from external sites, bookmarks, emailed links etc.etc. cheers marty From fpilcher at netspeed.com.au Fri Jul 13 16:26:14 2007 From: fpilcher at netspeed.com.au (Fred Pilcher) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:26:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <4696CAA9.2040007@praxis.com.au> References: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BD9@cal066.act.gov.au> <4696CAA9.2040007@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <46971B06.5080601@netspeed.com.au> Rick Welykochy wrote: > I stand corrected, Fred. My example above was simply an example of > a falsehood, i.e. it was claimed there is no evidence that such and > such is a consequence of CO2 or man's acitivities or whatever. No intention whatsoever to criticise the argument or its validity, only to react to a pet peeve. ;-) > For those who might like to indulge in spotting logical fallacies > in argument (it takes a diligent mind and real work!) try these two > links: > > The Atheism Web: Logic and Fallacies > http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html > > Fallacies of Logical Argument > http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ Both superb sites. Recommendation seconded. Fred From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 13 17:21:49 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:21:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Police get student data just by asking. Message-ID: <200707130721.l6D7LvoV010379@ah.net> I noticed no one picked up on this today: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/police-get-student-data-just-by-asking/2007/07/12/1183833688075.html Police got student data just by asking * Email * Print * Normal font * Large font Edmund Tadros July 13, 2007 Latest related coverage * PDF: Police paperwork AdvertisementAdvertisement THE University of Sydney has provided confidential student information to law enforcement officials without demanding a warrant, subpoena or even an explanation. Documents show university officials were willing to supply the details based on little more than emails or faxes from officers that stated they wanted the information. Twenty requests for information related to criminal matters have been received by the university since 2004, according to documents obtained under freedom of information laws. The agencies involved include NSW Police, the Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. There are exemptions under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 for law enforcement organisations but civil libertarians say these agencies should be obtaining subpoenas and warrants before demanding private information from universities. "If police need this information for a criminal investigation it is not difficult for them to get a warrant," said David Bernie, the vice-president of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties. "The whole reason we have warrants and subpoenas is the view that police should have to go before a judge or magistrate and say why they need the information." The documents show that on one occasion a federal officer was able to obtain a student's contact and course details and exam timetable without explanation. On another a NSW officer said a student might have been involved in a criminal investigation but refused to provide details. The constable was given information about the student's course, duration of study, contact details and even data about how he had paid for his tuition. When officers stated why they needed the information, the crimes being investigated involved included murder, assault, sex crimes and fraud. It is not the first time the university has had its privacy policies questioned. It was criticised this year after allegations that ASIO and NSW Police were spying on student activists. The Herald reported this week that the University of Technology, Sydney, also readily provided information to law enforcement officials about students and staff. The Student Representative Council at Sydney University said it was a breach of trust for the university to provide the information so freely. "If they can't supply a subpoena it's not appropriate for them to be seeking this information," said Lucy Saunders, its general secretary. "It's creating a climate of fear assuming police have a right to get any type of information they want without justification or consultation." A university spokeswoman said staff made "all reasonable efforts to ensure the relevant enforcement agency has a valid and appropriate reason for the request". "The university's protocol is to refer such requests to the office of the general counsel or to the university's privacy officer," she said. A federal police spokesman said such requests were part of routine investigations, while a spokeswoman for the NSW Crime Commission said it was not permitted to discuss details of cases. A NSW Police spokesman said: "If a student is a missing person, a witness or a suspected criminal, the community would expect police to seek information from their university or school if it would assist their investigation." From wavey_one at yahoo.com Fri Jul 13 17:33:21 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:33:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s Message-ID: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> This story is something we can only dream of here... Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central Sweden has been thrust into the IT history books - with the world's fastest internet connection. Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been supplied with a blistering 40 Gigabits per second connection, many thousands of times faster than the average residential link and the first time ever that a home user has experienced such a high speed. http://www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/12/swedish_woman_has_fastest_internet_connection/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Fri Jul 13 17:36:50 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:36:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband =?windows-1252?Q?=96_A_S?= =?windows-1252?Q?low_Connection_For_A_High_Price?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <46972B92.6090705@ozemail.com.au> Janet Hawtin wrote: > http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/20920/ > There is rapid broadband penetration in Australia despite Telstra and > the Government not coming to an agreement over key issues. > By mid-2007 there were close to 4.5 million subscribers in the country. > > In residential markets there has been 64 % penetration while in the > business market this figure goes up to 80 % . While there has been a > quantitative rise in the number of broadband users, the quality of > connections, and the price that customers have to pay have been areas > of concern. > > The majority of customers are still on services that provide only > 256Kb/s or 512Kb/s. Telstra, however, does make an 8Mb/s available, > but this is not a guaranteed speed, only a best-effort service. Eeeek! What a shockingly stupid statement. 256 Kbps is a best-effort service. 512 Kbps is a best-effort service. 8 Mbps is a best effort service. Actually, whatever data rate in whatever country for Internet access is a best-effort service. There is no guaranteed speed for Internet access, unless you fork out for a 1:1 connection, which is more expensive than Internet access wherever you are. To forestall a criticism that will have nothing to do with what I'm saying: I'm not saying we don't need broadband, I'm saying that consumers the world over get "best effort" services whatever the speed. RC > There > is a perceived need for the government to set up a right regulatory > environment so that an infrastructure can be set up to provide people > with optimum broadband connections. > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 13 17:51:44 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:51:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Military Files Unprotected Online Message-ID: <20070713074841.7D78564019@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 12:25 PM 12/07/2007, henma at gopc.net wrote: > Some great stuff being discussed regarding security! > > It's almost unconscionable that anyone in or out of the military who calls themselves a system administrator could be setting up FTP servers with anonymous public access .. or posting items on the www and publicly accessible ... but it happens ... Military Files Left Unprotected Online By M Baker, AP, Wed 11th July 2007 Detailed schematics of a military detainee holding facility in southern Iraq ... Geographical surveys and aerial photographs of two military airfields outside Baghdad ... Plans for a new fuel farm at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan ... The military calls it "need-to-know" information that would pose a direct threat to U.S. troops if it were to fall into the hands of terrorists. It's material so sensitive that officials refused to release the documents when asked. But it's already out there, posted carelessly to file servers by government agencies and contractors, accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. In a survey of servers run by agencies or companies involved with the military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Associated Press found dozens of documents that officials refused to release when asked directly, citing troop security. Such material goes online all the time, posted most often by mistake. It's not in plain sight, unlike the plans for the new American embassy in Baghdad that appeared recently on the Web site of an architectural firm. But it is almost as easy to find. And experts said foreign intelligence agencies and terrorists working with al-Qaida are likely to know where to look. In one case, the Army Corps of Engineers asked the AP to promptly dispose of several documents found on a contractor's server that detailed a project to expand the fuel infrastructure at Bagram ? including a map of the entry point to be used by fuel trucks and the location of pump houses and fuel tanks. The Corps of Engineers then changed its policies for storing material online following the AP's inquiry. But a week later, the AP downloaded a new document directly from the agency's own server. The 61 pages of photos, graphics and charts map out the security features at Tallil Air Base, a compound outside of Nasiriyah in southeastern Iraq, and depict proposed upgrades to the facility's perimeter fencing. "That security fence guards our lives," said Lisa Coghlan, a spokeswoman for the Corps of Engineers in Iraq, who is based at Tallil. "Those drawings should not have been released. I hope to God this is the last document that will be released from us." The Corps of Engineers and its contractor weren't alone: ? The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ? which provides the military with maps and charts ? said it plans to review its policies after the AP found several sensitive documents, including aerial surveys of military airfields near Balad and Al Asad, Iraq, on its server. ? Benham Companies LLC is securing its site after learning it had inadvertently posted detailed maps of buildings and infrastructure at Fort Sill, Okla. "Now, everything will be protected," said Steve Tompkins, a spokesman for Oklahoma City-based Benham. ? Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, two of the nation's leading nuclear laboratories, closed public access to their file transfer protocol servers after the AP contacted them about material posted there. Both said the change was unrelated to the AP's inquiry. The AP has destroyed the documents it downloaded, and all the material cited in this story is no longer available online on the sites surveyed. The posting of private material on publicly available FTP servers is a familiar problem to security experts hired by companies to secure sites and police the actions of employees who aren't always tech-savvy. They said files that never should appear online are often left unprotected by inexperienced or careless users who don't know better. A spokeswoman for contractor SRA International Inc., where the AP found a document the Defense Department said could let hackers access military computer networks, said the company wasn't concerned because the unclassified file was on an FTP site that's not indexed by Internet search engines. "The only way you could find it is by an awful lot of investigation," said SRA spokeswoman Laura Luke. But on Tuesday, SRA had effectively shut down its FTP server. The only file online was a short statement: "In order to mitigate the risk of SRA or client proprietary information being inadvertently made available to the public, the SRA anonymous ftp server has been shutdown indefinitely. In the coming months, a new secure ftp site will be introduced that will replace the functionality of this site." Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, a Mountain View, Calif.-based technology security company, said the attitude that material posted on FTP sites is hard to find reflects a misunderstanding of how the Internet works. "For some, there's sort of this myth that 'if I put something on the Net and don't tell anybody,' that it's hidden," Schneier said. "It's a sloppy user mistake. This is yet another human error that creates a major problem." File transfer protocol is a relatively old technology that makes files available on the Internet. It remains popular for its simplicity, efficiency and low cost. In fact, several agencies and contractors said the documents found by the AP were posted online so they could be easily shared among colleagues. Internet users can't scour the sites with a typical search engine, but FTP servers routinely share a similar address as public Web sites. To log on, users often only need to replace "http" and "http://www" in a Web address with "ftp." Some are secured by password or a firewall, but others are occasionally left open to anyone with an Internet connection to browse and download anonymously. Experts said that when unsophisticated users post sensitive information to the servers, they would not necessarily know it could be downloaded by people outside of their business or agency. "What they don't realize is that every time you set up any type of server, you have that possibility," said Danny Allan, director of security research for Watchfire, a Waltham, Mass.-based Web security company. "Any files that you are putting on the server you want to monitor on a continuous basis." Allan said he and others in the security industry have watched for more than a decade as files ? including credit card information, sensitive blueprints of government buildings and military intelligence reports ? spread through the public domain via unsecured FTP servers. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the war in Iraq, declined to say if material accidentally left on the Internet had led to a physical breach of security. But among the documents the AP found were aerial photographs and detailed schematics of Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run facility for detainees in Iraq. One of the documents was password-protected, but the password was printed in an unsecure document stored on the same server. They showed where U.S. forces keep prisoners and fuel tanks, as well as the locations of security fences, guard towers and other security measures. "It gets down to a level of detail that would assist insurgents in trying to free their members from the camp or overpower guards," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute. "When you post ... the map of a high-security facility that houses insurgents, you're basically giving their allies on the outside information useful in freeing them." The Corps of Engineers expressed a similar concern when it learned that the AP had downloaded the details about the fuel infrastructure upgrade at Bagram from a contractor's FTP site. Spokeswoman Joan Kibler said that kind of information "could put our troops in harm's way." The AP's discovery led the agency to ask all its contractors to immediately put such material under password protection. In fact, all the agencies and contractors contacted by the AP have either shut down their FTP sites, secured them with a password or pledged to install other safeguards to ensure the documents are no longer accessible. "We saw that there have been instances where some documents have been placed on FTP sites, and they haven't had any safeguarding mechanisms for them," Kibler said. "We've determined that those documents need to be safeguarded, so we've amended our practices here to require that any of those types of documents have restricted access when they're placed on FTP sites." Documents found by the AP about Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq, describe potential security vulnerabilities at the facility and paraphrase an Army major expressing concerns about a "great separation between personnel and equipment" as the base prepared for the military's current counterinsurgency push. "For force-protection reasons and operational security, that's sensitive stuff," said Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, a military spokesman based at Speicher. "That's for a need-to-know basis. The enemy regularly takes that stuff and pieces it together for their advantage." The information about Camp Bucca, Bagram Air Base and Contingency Operating Base Speicher was found on the FTP server of CH2M Hill Companies Ltd., an engineering, consulting and construction company based in Englewood, Colo. "None of the drawings are classified and we believe they were all handled appropriately per the government's direction," said CH2M Hill spokesman John Corsi. But the company added a password protection to its FTP site after the AP's inquiry and referred the direct request for the documents to the government. Military officials said they could jeopardize troop security and refused to release them. Other files found by the AP didn't appear to pose an immediate threat to troop security, but illustrated advanced military technologies. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency posted PowerPoint presentations outlining military GPS systems, including plans to combat GPS jammers. Files from Los Alamos give an early look at a developing technology to combat enemy snipers in urban environments, including one file describing the levels of security behind the new program. Dean Carver, a counterintelligence officer with the federal Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said at a recent security conference that such trade secrets ? even those dealing with a basic technology ? are often a common target for foreign espionage because they can be used to advance a country's own military technology. "Every military-critical technology is sought by many foreign governments," said Carver, mentioning China and Russia as the leading culprits of snooping on the Internet. Christopher Freeman believes he may have witnessed such hunting for secrets. While working on an internal security review at his job with the city of Greensboro, N.C.., Freeman watched as a computer with an electronic address from Tehran, Iran, accessed the city's FTP server and downloaded a file that contained design drawings for the area's water infrastructure. He said that while there's no way to know if there was malicious intent behind the download, "when you think of Iran, you think of all the bad stuff first." "It could have been anyone," Freeman said. "It opened our eyes to show that we're not just little old Greensboro. We're a part of the global community." That was years ago, and it led Freeman to start looking for FTP sites he thought should be secure. He found a manual describing how to operate a Navy encryption device on the server of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. He also found photographs and graphics detailing the inner workings of missiles designed at Sandia. "It's not something that had any business being on a FTP site," said Sandia spokeswoman Stephanie Holinka of the material Freeman found. The agency has shut down its FTP site while a security upgrade is put in place, she said. Many sites housed raw data, presentations and documents that didn't have security classifications, while other documents were clearly marked to prevent public release. The manual of the encryption device tells users to "destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of this document." A warning says exporting the document could result in "severe criminal penalties." "The military is often criticized for making too many things secret, but when you're enabling an enemy to find out how you use encryption devices, you easily could be helping them to defeat America," said Thompson, the military analyst. Freeman, who showed the AP the documents from Sandia and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, said he made a conscious effort to avoid information labeled classified but still managed to accidentally download files from Sandia with "top secret" classifications, forcing him to wipe his computer hard drive clean and notify authorities. Freeman passed along his findings to the FBI and the Department of Defense and later aided investigators in securing the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command site. After getting calls from a contractor and the Army Materiel Command asking about what he found online, Freeman has sought legal representation from Denner Pellegrino, a Boston-based firm that specializes in cyber crime. "This is a treasure trove for terrorists," Freeman said. "They can just waltz in and browse. I'm by no means a high-tech person. I'm not a programmer. I don't know hacking. I'm just a slightly above-average computer user." FBI officials declined to specifically discuss Freeman and what he told the agency. But Mark Moss, a Charlotte-based FBI agent who focuses on online security, said foreign intelligence agencies spend a lot of time on the Internet because online intelligence-gathering is cheap, quick and anonymous. "If they steal your technology through the Internet, it's overseas in an instant," Moss said. "It's the perfect conduit." From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 13 19:36:08 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:36:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s In-Reply-To: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200707130936.l6D9akTv013281@ah.net> At 05:33 PM 13/07/2007, David Goldstein wrote: >This story is something we can only dream of here... > >Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband >A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central >Sweden has been thrust into the IT history books >- with the world's fastest internet connection. >Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been supplied with >a blistering 40 Gigabits per second connection, >many thousands of times faster than the average >residential link and the first time ever that a >home user has experienced such a high speed. >http://www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712/ You missed the important bits: > Sigbritt will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high definition HDTV channels > simultaneously. Or, if there is nothing worth watching there, she will > be able to download a full high definition DVD in just two seconds. Thrilling, hopw they buy her one of those Panasonic 261 cm Plasma's! Hard to watch 1500 HD channels on a 1200 pixel wide screen :) > "The most difficult part of the whole project was installing Windows > on Sigbritt's PC," said Jonsson. Um, I'd have thought, they'd have installed a Linux system for his mum! Woops! From eleanor at pacific.net.au Fri Jul 13 22:38:10 2007 From: eleanor at pacific.net.au (Eleanor Lister) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 22:38:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The GGWS In-Reply-To: <46971B06.5080601@netspeed.com.au> References: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8BD9@cal066.act.gov.au> <4696CAA9.2040007@praxis.com.au> <46971B06.5080601@netspeed.com.au> Message-ID: <46977232.6000507@pacific.net.au> i was inoculated against the GGWS a couple of months ago by George Monbiot: http://tinyurl.com/3ahr8j here is an apposite quote: > The problem with ?The Great Global Warming Swindle?, which caused a > sensation when it was broadcast on Channel 4 last week, is that to > make its case it relies not on future visionaries, but on people whose > findings have already been proved wrong. The implications could not be > graver. Just as the British government launches its climate change > bill and Gordon Brown and David Cameron start jostling to establish > their green credentials, thousands of people have been misled into > believing that there is no problem to address. Fred Pilcher wrote: > Rick Welykochy wrote: > >> I stand corrected, Fred. My example above was simply an example of >> a falsehood, i.e. it was claimed there is no evidence that such and >> such is a consequence of CO2 or man's acitivities or whatever. >> > > No intention whatsoever to criticise the argument or its validity, only > to react to a pet peeve. ;-) > > >> For those who might like to indulge in spotting logical fallacies >> in argument (it takes a diligent mind and real work!) try these two >> links: >> >> The Atheism Web: Logic and Fallacies >> http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html >> >> Fallacies of Logical Argument >> http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ >> > > Both superb sites. Recommendation seconded. > > Fred > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- ------------ Eleanor Ashley Lister South Sydney Greens http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au webmistress at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au From stephen at melbpc.org.au Sat Jul 14 04:55:22 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:55:22 GMT Subject: [LINK] new myspace space Message-ID: <20070713185522.647826B6@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Haha .. Guess who has a brand new myspace space? Regards people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From kim.holburn at gmail.com Sat Jul 14 05:37:38 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:37:38 +0200 Subject: [LINK] new myspace space In-Reply-To: <20070713185522.647826B6@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070713185522.647826B6@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <2771D216-7660-4445-9B8E-F1E7BE95D724@gmail.com> Kevin Rudd (Official MySpace) has 4093 friends. !!!! On 2007/Jul/13, at 6:55 PM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > Haha .. > > Guess who has a brand new myspace space? > > fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=200637520> > > Regards people > Stephen Loosley > Victoria, Australia > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From cas at taz.net.au Sat Jul 14 10:58:20 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:58:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] optimal copyright term Message-ID: <20070714005820.GL7147@taz.net.au> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070712-research-optimal-copyright-term-is-14-years.html It's easy enough to find out how long copyrights last, but much harder to decide how long they should last - but that didn't stop Cambridge University PhD candidate Rufus Pollock from using economics formulas to answer the question. In a newly-released paper, Pollock pegs the "optimal level for copyright" at only 14 years. Pollock's work is based on the promise that the optimal level of copyright drops as the costs of producing creative work go down. As it has grown simpler to print books, record music, and edit films using new digital tools, the production and reproduction costs for creative work in have dropped substantially, but actual copyright law has only increased. According to Pollock's calculations (and his paper[1] is full of calculations), this is exactly the opposite result that one would expect from a rational copyright system. Of course, there's no guarantee that copyright law has anything to do with rationality; as Pollock puts it, "the level of protection is not usually determined by a benevolent and rational policy-maker but rather by lobbying." The predictable result has been a steady increase in the period of copyright protection during the twentieth century. Because Pollock's "optimal level for copyright" falls over time (as production and reproduction costs fall), policy makers need to be especially careful when contemplating increased copyright terms. It's difficult to scale back rights that have once been granted, so "it is prudent for policy-makers to err on the low side rather than the high side when setting the strength of copyright." Neither the US nor the UK are in any danger of rethinking copyright law from scratch, but if they were looking for guidance in how to set up their systems, Pollock has it. He develops a set of equations focused specifically on the length of copyright and uses as much empirical data as possible to crunch the numbers. The result? An optimal copyright term of 14 years, which is designed to encourage the best balance of incentive to create new work and social welfare that comes from having work enter the public domain (where it often inspires new creative acts). Pollock has been an advocate for restricted copyright terms and stronger public domain for years; we earlier spotlighted a brief essay of his on the "Value of the Public Domain"[2] that is well worth a read. His new work is getting some publicity too: it has already been highlighted by Boing Boing and will be presented at a conference in Berlin this week. [1] http://www.rufuspollock.org/economics/papers/optimal_copyright.pdf [2] http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061127-8292.html craig -- craig sanders "Who knows the origin of religion? Certainly not the one who believes in it. Understanding and belief are quite antagonistic. The man who understands religion does not believe in it, the man who believes in it does not understand it." [Chapman Cohen, "Essays in Freethinking"] From lucychili at gmail.com Sat Jul 14 14:10:04 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:40:04 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: [EFA-News] Telecommunications Interception legislation In-Reply-To: <8850d0140707132021x46a8c644y64299cad3b0526b8@mail.gmail.com> References: <200771393351.664128@G03676> <8850d0140707132021x46a8c644y64299cad3b0526b8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: fyi just in case you don't subscribe to this list [Sent to subscribers to the EFA News list. To unsubscribe, see end of message.] EFA urges rejection of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment Bill 2007 currently before Federal Parliament. EFA has been actively involved during the last four years in efforts by the Parliament to deal with the vexed issue of stored communications, and we have fought to ensure that there is an appropriate balance between protecting the privacy of telecommunications users and meeting legitimate needs for access by security and law enforcement agencies. Although we largely endorsed the 2006 Bill which addressed this issue, we oppose the 2007 Bill, which was intended to fix the clumsy inter-relationship between the Telecommunications Interception Act and the Telecommunications Act, as recommended by the Blunn Report. The 2007 Bill includes major new powers for security and law enforcement agencies and significantly changes the existing "telecommunications data" access framework. It contains provisions that were not recommended, nor even mentioned, in the Blunn Report, and some provisions that are contrary to recommendations in the Blunn Report. Furthermore there are a number of technical problems with the drafting of the Bill that would create severe practical problems if implemented. EFA is unable to support passage of the Bill in its current form and we consider it highly unlikely that this Bill could be adequately and appropriately amended during its passage through Parliament. Attempts to do so are likely to unintentionally introduce additional areas of confusion given the existing complexity of both the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment Act 1979 and the Telecommunications Act 1997 and inter-relationship between those Acts. Accordingly, EFA has recommended that this Bill be rejected by the Parliament. The Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs is currently conducting an Inquiry into the Bill and has invited EFA to present evidence at a hearing of the Committee in Canberra on Monday 16th July. This hearing will be held from 1.50pm to 5pm on and EFA's representative, Irene Graham, is currently scheduled to appear from 2:30pm to 3:10pm. The hearing will be webcast here: http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/eventdetailsSenate.aspx?eventid=363578 EFA's submission to the Inquiry: http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/efasubm-slclc-tiabill2007.html Other submissions to the Inquiry: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/legcon_ctte/telecommunications_interception/submissions/sublist.htm Further information on the history of Telecommunications Interception legislation is available on EFA's Publications page: http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/ Media enquiries about this issue may be directed to Irene Graham on 0412 997 163. Dale Clapperton Chair Electronic Frontiers Australia From gramadan at umd.com.au Sat Jul 14 14:46:14 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:46:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] RFID Report - A Think Tank Makes Case Against RFID Regulation Message-ID: <46985516.2030006@umd.com.au> I come across the following report and preamble: "A Think Tank Makes Case Against RFID Regulation" "PRI, a California-based think tank with an openly free-market bent, this week released a primer on RFID, privacy, and government efforts at legislation of the technology ( http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20070706_RFID.pdf ). Entitled Playing Tag: An RFID Primer, the 11-page report is a worthwhile and concise wrap-up of the issues surrounding privacy and RFID. Of particular interest is the Legislative Notes section beginning page 9, which recaps many of the recent regulatory efforts around the US. Not that the report is entirely neutral; consistent with PRI's political leanings, Playing Tag argues firmly against regulation of the technology. "Lawmakers should weigh the pros and cons of this technology, before imposing a regulatory regime that would inhibit the positive benefits of RFID," quoted report author K. Lloyd Billingsley. Ultimately, argues PRI, much of the RFID backlash is emotional, but largely un- or mis-informed. Knee-jerk fear to such a small tracking technology is one of the culprits. "That a new technology sparks fear is understandable, especially a device so small that it can be placed under the skin and used to track the bearer." While understandable, this fear is not really justified. "It is a stretch to say that RFID tags can track 'your every move.' ... A scanner cannot tell whether a product bearing a tag is being used by the purchaser of the product, has been given to someone else, or lies in the trash." PRI also makes the insightful point that part of RFID's perception problem could stem from its early backers, Wal-Mart and the US Department of Defense. That both the world's largest corporation and its largest military served as leading proponents of adoption likely tainted RFID in the eyes of those that might harbor a reflexive distrust of highly influential institutions. Of course, this reflex is neither a rational nor a justified reaction, but it is a strong reaction, and one with which RFID end users, vendors, and government officials must contend. While PRI takes a position against government regulation, it does not suggest that vendors and end users should recklessly adopt the technology at the expense of consumer privacy. Indeed, techniques such as embedding tags in packaging versus products themselves, disabling tags at point of sale, and making them visible and easily removable are all cited as practices that the retail industry might be wise to employ." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Was wondering if anyone new this organisation (PRI) or would like to make comment on this paper. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) and Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) From kim.holburn at gmail.com Sat Jul 14 15:37:44 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:37:44 +0200 Subject: [LINK] new myspace space In-Reply-To: <20070713185522.647826B6@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070713185522.647826B6@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <8AC0D677-BB24-4F58-B6EA-4BE827C70F77@gmail.com> In the interests of balance: On 2007/Jul/13, at 6:55 PM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > Haha .. > > Guess who has a brand new myspace space? > > fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=200637520> > > Regards people > Stephen Loosley > Victoria, Australia > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Sun Jul 15 13:50:55 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:50:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: OII: [UK] Govt on the Internet Rpt Released Message-ID: This report sounds rather unexciting - more of an academic perspective than a consultant's. What needs to be done to fix the problems seems to be expressed so vaguely as to deliver very little impetus for improvement. >Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:19:56 +0100 (BST) >From: OII Newsletter >To: oii-news at maillist.ox.ac.uk >Subject: OII News [2007.07.13]: Government on the Internet Report Released > >Dear Friends and Colleagues, > >A new report on the state of UK government on the Internet was >published today by the UK National Audit Office, researched and >written by a team from the Oxford Internet Institute and the LSE >Public Policy Group. The team was led by Patrick Dunleavy of LSE and >Helen Margetts of the OII. Tobias Escher from the OII was a key >member. > >The report to Parliament, 'Government on the Internet: progress in >delivering information services online', looked at the progress made >by government in delivering services and information online since >the same study team last reported in 2002. The report and a research >report with a great deal of background data is available for >download at: > >http://www.governmentontheweb.org > >The study involved a wide range of social science methods, including >experiments, focus groups, a national survey, online survey of all >government CIOs, census of all government websites, comparator >studies and webmetrics. > >Government organisations spend some ?208 million on websites each >year. Usage of the main government websites has risen over time and >some sites are widely and repeatedly used. However, the study >reports a number of areas where departments and agencies could >improve value for money in the provision of online information and >services. > >The researchers found that: >(i) Government websites tend to be text heavy and complex to >understand and to navigate >(ii) Many agencies have little information about how much online >provision of services costs >(iii) Most departments lack sufficient information about who is >using their sites and how they are being used > >Report: http://www.governmentontheweb.org/access_reports.asp >Government on the Web: http://www.governmentontheweb.org/ >NAO press release: http://www.nao.org.uk/news_press.htm > >Helen Margetts >Patrick Dunleavy > >Oxford Internet Institute >University of Oxford >1 St Giles Oxford OX1 3JS >United Kingdom >Tel: +44 (0)1865 287210 >Fax: +44 (0)1865 287211 >Email: enquiries at oii.ox.ac.uk >Web: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk > > >------------------------------------------------------------ >To subscribe, change email address or unsubscribe from the OII News >mailing list, please visit: >http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/mailinglist/ > >FAQs are available at: >http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/mailinglist/faqs.cfm > >To keep improving the content of the newsletters we need to know >what you think! You can provide feedback by emailing: >mailto:newsletter at oii.ox.ac.uk > -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au Sun Jul 15 19:07:58 2007 From: sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au (steve jenkin) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:07:58 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband =?windows-1252?Q?=96_A_S?= =?windows-1252?Q?low_Connection_For_A_High_Price?= In-Reply-To: <46972B92.6090705@ozemail.com.au> References: <46972B92.6090705@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <4699E3EE.4060406@canb.auug.org.au> Richard Chirgwin wrote on 13/7/07 5:36 PM: Richard, Calling Janet's comment, and by inference her, 'stupid' is offensive and uncalled for - especially on the very first post in a thread. It doesn't progress any debate, inform or educate anyone and it's a positive dis-incentive for others to post. Your turn of phrase diminishes the whole of the LINK list. Especially when what you post: - is ambiguous and undefined - incorrect in many senses and you confuse different concepts. > Eeeek! What a shockingly stupid statement. > > 256 Kbps is a best-effort service. > 512 Kbps is a best-effort service. > 8 Mbps is a best effort service. > Remember Frame Relay? [No, I'm *not* saying ADSL services provided by ISP's is 'Frame Relay'] It's got a couple of key concepts that apply to ADSL services: - Access Rate - the signalling rate on the customer tail - Committed Information Rate - the min. bandwidth guaranteed at all times to customer by the service provider The Access Rate is strictly on the link from the customer premises to Exchange/Network Access Point. The CIR is an end-to-end rate across the full Service Provider network. Telco and ISP's provision services with an 'over subscription' rate [or number of times over subscribed]. This applies at the Telco/ISP network level - links overseas, interconnects and even DSLAM links back to the ISP's backbone network. Janet was quite clearly saying that Telcos will only guarantee for ADSL a line or access rate, that's the signalling rate from customer premises to DSLAM, up to 1.5Mbps if you are no further than about 8km from the DSLAM. None of this references line-errors or link throughput - nor the stability/usability of the service. Telco's offer a higher rate service, that Janet was referring to, with a non-guaranteed signalling rate and a potential maximum profile of 8Mbps. [If fact, ADSL or ADSL2+, they will only guarantee 1.5Mbps]. On top of different rate plans, Telcos, e.g. Internode, offer a range of different ADSL profiles varying in speed (upload/download), stability and latency. They generally have one referred to as 'Thrillseeker'. Janet used the term 'best effort' to describe the non-guaranteed nature of the ADSL customer-loop above 1.5Mbps. It wasn't misleading or confusing... You've switched from talking about the customer-line access rate (Janet's area) to realised Network Throughput. And used a term, 'best effot' that probably isn't in any contract or technical description. And the rate a customer can realise varies wildly, depending on their location in the network, the remote end location and the network path required: - we talking upload/download? - local, intracity, intrastate, international, ... - 'On Network' for the ISP - via peering services - time of day, events, ... All of these are affected by interference, lost packets, routers, congestion, temporary equipment/link failures, ... And then there's the crux of the matter - the server you're talking to and protocol stacks you're both using. If it's a dog and runs incredibly slowly, then nothing in the network will help. The IP protocols themselves guarantee nothing... There are a bunch of RFC's that define "Quality of Service" and related network management and performance issues. Any IP-based network can make very few guarantees, especially on busy networks. Google spend a lot of time and effort dealing with strange network and routing problems every day. But to everyone it still appears 'To Just Work'. So when you say "Best Effort" without clarification, it doesn't show any knowledge or appreciation of the field. regards stevej -- Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist. 0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915) PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~sjenkin From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Sun Jul 15 20:03:59 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:03:59 +1000 Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Re:_[LINK]_Australia_Gets_Broadband_=96_A_S_?= low Connection For A High Price In-Reply-To: <4699E3EE.4060406@canb.auug.org.au> References: <46972B92.6090705@ozemail.com.au> <4699E3EE.4060406@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4hgkt2@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 07:07 PM 15/07/2007, steve jenkin wrote: >So when you say "Best Effort" without clarification, it doesn't show any >knowledge or appreciation of the field. I knew what Richard meant -- at least I think I did. 'best effort' = maximum on the best of days, the most throughput you could ever expect. And the amount you actually do get is affected by the factors you listed, Steve. I was on a low-end service for six months where the game most of us played was testing the traffic speeds and bitching about how bad they were on Whirlpool. Now that I'm on a better service, I don't waste my time doing that any more. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From stil at stilgherrian.com Sun Jul 15 21:30:22 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:30:22 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband =?ISO-8859-1?B?liA=?=A S low Connection For A High Price In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4hgkt2@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: On 15/7/07 8:03 PM, "Jan Whitaker" wrote: > I knew what Richard meant -- at least I think I did. 'best effort' = > maximum on the best of days, the most throughput you could ever > expect. And the amount you actually do get is affected by the factors > you listed, Steve. [snip] There's also a more specific usage of "best effort" in relation to providing network services, which is about the reliability level of the service. A service level of "99.9% uptime" means that if the uptime is measured on a monthly basis the service can be down for about 45 minutes per month in total. This is why an ISP advertising "guaranteed 99.5% uptime" isn't anything to write home about, 'cos it means downtime of three and a half hours a month. A service level described as "best efforts" means that there is no guaranteed minimum uptime level. It means "no guarantee at all", really. Currently the vast majority of ISPs and Internet hosting providers offer "best effort" service. And in a sense there's nothing wrong with that, for two reasons: * Most of the entire world runs on "best effort" reliability. * If you consider the entire system from the user's computer to the ISP to the Internet backbone to, say, YouTube, then the weakest link is NOT the ISP but the user's computer. (Well, actually it's the user, 'cos they probably sleep or at least a few hours a day.) HTH, Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From gdt at gdt.id.au Sun Jul 15 23:44:45 2007 From: gdt at gdt.id.au (Glen Turner) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:14:45 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband =?ISO-8859-1?B?liA=?=A S low Connection For A High Price In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1184507085.3399.20.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> In IP networks, "best effort" is a technical term meaning that the latency and jitter of a connection is unbounded. This is no bad thing, this assumption allows the packet-level statistical multiplexing to make good use of expensive links. Depending on the ISP, it may be possible to purchase other services. Some ISPs offer services with bounded jitter for use by Voice over IP and Video over IP. But this traffic makes less efficient use of capacity -- that is, costs more to send. We should not be promoting better than "best effort" services as the typical ISP service. Most of the ISP's costs go into offshore capacity provisioning. Decreasing the efficient use of this will simply increase costs as a huge amount of this capacity will need to sit idle to meet the service requirements. Unfortunately, "best effort" also refers to the other things: the robustness of the service (is it protected by redundant resources), to service repairs, and to contract terms. The original author of the media release should have been more careful when using terms that may be confused with widely-used industry jargon. They probably should have written "Telstra expects users to occasionally experience network congestion when using its 8Mbps ADSL service". To me, that's a hint that Telstra have underprovisioned their network and that I should buy fast ADSL elsewhere. From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Mon Jul 16 06:49:04 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:49:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband =?windows-1252?Q?=96_A_S?= =?windows-1252?Q?low_Connection_For_A_High_Price?= In-Reply-To: <4699E3EE.4060406@canb.auug.org.au> References: <46972B92.6090705@ozemail.com.au> <4699E3EE.4060406@canb.auug.org.au> Message-ID: <469A8840.5030603@ozemail.com.au> Steve, The reference wasn't direct at Janet, but at the article. Janet didn't write the article, so I don't see how my remark should reflect on my attitude to Janet. Now. Deferring to Glen Turner's expertise, but I can't see any country in which consumer broadband is provisioned on a 1:1 basis; so to criticise Telstra's 8 Mbps service as "not guaranteed" is silly. That part is mere anti-Telstra kneejerk on the part of the writer. RC steve jenkin wrote: > Richard Chirgwin wrote on 13/7/07 5:36 PM: > > Richard, > > Calling Janet's comment, and by inference her, 'stupid' is offensive and > uncalled for - especially on the very first post in a thread. It > doesn't progress any debate, inform or educate anyone and it's a > positive dis-incentive for others to post. > > Your turn of phrase diminishes the whole of the LINK list. > > Especially when what you post: > - is ambiguous and undefined > - incorrect in many senses > > and you confuse different concepts. > >> Eeeek! What a shockingly stupid statement. >> >> 256 Kbps is a best-effort service. >> 512 Kbps is a best-effort service. >> 8 Mbps is a best effort service. >> >> > Remember Frame Relay? [No, I'm *not* saying ADSL services provided by > ISP's is 'Frame Relay'] > > > It's got a couple of key concepts that apply to ADSL services: > - Access Rate - the signalling rate on the customer tail > - Committed Information Rate - the min. bandwidth guaranteed at all > times to customer by the service provider > > The Access Rate is strictly on the link from the customer premises to > Exchange/Network Access Point. > The CIR is an end-to-end rate across the full Service Provider network. > > Telco and ISP's provision services with an 'over subscription' rate [or > number of times over subscribed]. > This applies at the Telco/ISP network level - links overseas, > interconnects and even DSLAM links back to the ISP's backbone network. > > Janet was quite clearly saying that Telcos will only guarantee for ADSL > a line or access rate, that's the signalling rate from customer premises > to DSLAM, up to 1.5Mbps if you are no further than about 8km from the DSLAM. > None of this references line-errors or link throughput - nor the > stability/usability of the service. > > Telco's offer a higher rate service, that Janet was referring to, with a > non-guaranteed signalling rate and a potential maximum profile of 8Mbps. > [If fact, ADSL or ADSL2+, they will only guarantee 1.5Mbps]. > On top of different rate plans, Telcos, e.g. Internode, offer a range of > different ADSL profiles varying in speed (upload/download), stability > and latency. They generally have one referred to as 'Thrillseeker'. > > Janet used the term 'best effort' to describe the non-guaranteed nature > of the ADSL customer-loop above 1.5Mbps. > It wasn't misleading or confusing... > > You've switched from talking about the customer-line access rate > (Janet's area) to realised Network Throughput. > And used a term, 'best effot' that probably isn't in any contract or > technical description. > > And the rate a customer can realise varies wildly, depending on their > location in the network, the remote end location and the network path > required: > - we talking upload/download? > - local, intracity, intrastate, international, ... > - 'On Network' for the ISP > - via peering services > - time of day, events, ... > > All of these are affected by interference, lost packets, routers, > congestion, temporary equipment/link failures, ... > > And then there's the crux of the matter - the server you're talking to > and protocol stacks you're both using. > If it's a dog and runs incredibly slowly, then nothing in the network > will help. > > The IP protocols themselves guarantee nothing... > There are a bunch of RFC's that define "Quality of Service" and related > network management and performance issues. > > Any IP-based network can make very few guarantees, especially on busy > networks. > Google spend a lot of time and effort dealing with strange network and > routing problems every day. But to everyone it still appears 'To Just Work'. > > So when you say "Best Effort" without clarification, it doesn't show any > knowledge or appreciation of the field. > > regards > stevej > > From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Sat Jul 7 22:31:08 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:31:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] HTML 5 V XHTML 2 web schism Message-ID: <20070715223943.4DBDA1438@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> The HTML 5 Editor's Draft was issued 28 June 2007 , prepared by Ian Hickson at Google and David Hyatt at Apple: "This specification defines the 5th major revision of the core language of the World Wide Web, HTML. In this version, new features are introduced to help Web application authors, new elements are introduced based on research into prevailing authoring practices, and special attention has been given to defining clear conformance criteria for user agents in an effort to improve interoperability." HTML 5 appears to be a philosophical split from XHTML 2. Whereas XHTML 2 is for representing documents on screens and print, HTML 5 seems to be for interactive computer interfaces. For example: "XHTML2 [XHTML2] defines a new HTML vocabulary with better features for hyperlinks, multimedia content, annotating document edits, rich metadata, declarative interactive forms, and describing the semantics of human literary works such as poems and scientific papers. However, it lacks elements to express the semantics of many of the non-document types of content often seen on the Web. For instance, forum sites, auction sites, search engines, online shops, and the like, do not fit the document metaphor well, and are not covered by XHTML2. " Also the tone of the document, especially the editor's comments, seem to be much more confrontational, than XHTML's academic style. The HTML 5 editors are essentially saying that they are going to produce a usable standard and so everyone either needs to get on board or get out of their way. An example is: "Implementors should be aware that this specification is not stable. Implementors who are not taking part in the discussions are likely to find the specification changing out from under them in incompatible ways. Vendors interested in implementing this specification before it eventually reaches the Candidate Recommendation stage should join the aforementioned mailing lists and take part in the discussions." Much of what the authors are saying makes sense, but the way they are saying it is likely to not go down well in consensus based forums. ps: Much of the philosophy of HTML 5 seems to be embedded in the Apple iPhone. But that device can use ordinary old HTML web pages . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 16 10:29:25 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:29:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s In-Reply-To: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <469ABBE5.90109@ramin.com.au> David Goldstein wrote: > This story is something we can only dream of here... > > Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband > A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central Sweden has been thrust into the IT history books - with the world's fastest internet connection. Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been supplied with a blistering 40 Gigabits per second connection, many thousands of times faster than the average residential link and the first time ever that a home user has experienced such a high speed. from > http://www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712/ > Sigbritt will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high definition HDTV channels simultaneously. Or, if there is nothing worth watching there, she will be able to download a full high definition DVD in just two seconds. Well Australia can claim better than that! I have been exchanging emails with a now 87 year old, for the last 8 or so years. Another 87 year old, who I still regularly play 18 holes of golf with, has just bought a DVD player - this was prompted by the need to see the contents of a DVD featuring her!. Guess the advantage in Australia is that it isn't miserable dark and cold for half the year! m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au Mon Jul 16 10:40:55 2007 From: pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au (Paul Brooks) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:40:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australia Gets Broadband -- A S low Connection For A High Price In-Reply-To: <1184507085.3399.20.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> References: <1184507085.3399.20.camel@roma.44ansell.gdt.id.au> Message-ID: <469ABE97.7000307@layer10.com.au> Glen Turner wrote: > The original author of the media release should have been more > careful when using terms that may be confused with widely-used > industry jargon. They probably should have written "Telstra > expects users to occasionally experience network congestion > when using its 8Mbps ADSL service". To me, that's a hint that > Telstra have underprovisioned their network and that I should > buy fast ADSL elsewhere. > Have another read of the article folks. When I read it, I understood it to be referring to the 8 Mbps ADSL line sync speed not being guaranteed, rather than anything to do with traffic latency, congestion, or degree of packet-loss. This is a perfectly good instance where the use of 'best efforts' is correct. Under the ACIF specs which deal with such things, out to the phone line lengths that Telstra allow ADSL to be provisioned, line synchronisation up to 1.5 Mbps is guaranteed. Above that (in the classic sense of "up to" 8 Mbps), you get whatever your modem and the DSLAM can agree to, and this might vary up or down each hour or day depending on line conditions, whether your neighbours have their ADSL service running or not, or any other noise on the line which can vary over time. In this sense, 8 Mbps is "best efforts", but is not dependent on anything to do with how the network operator designs the backhaul or core network, but rather is due to the best efforts of the modem and DSLAM negotiation - and it doean't matter where you buy your "fast ADSL" from. From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 16 10:59:08 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:59:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s In-Reply-To: <469ABBE5.90109@ramin.com.au> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <469ABBE5.90109@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <200707160059.l6G0xmTN031794@ah.net> Hey Marghanita, I think the point of the article was that an 87 year old women with a 40 Gigabit network connection is a world first :) She probably had a DVD player already :) At 10:29 AM 16/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >David Goldstein wrote: >>This story is something we can only dream of here... >>Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband >>A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central >>Sweden has been thrust into the IT history >>books - with the world's fastest internet >>connection. Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been >>supplied with a blistering 40 Gigabits per >>second connection, many thousands of times >>faster than the average residential link and >>the first time ever that a home user has experienced such a high speed. >from >>http://www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712/ > >>Sigbritt will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high >>definition HDTV channels simultaneously. Or, if >>there is nothing worth watching there, she will >>be able to download a full high definition DVD in just two seconds. > >Well Australia can claim better than that! > >I have been exchanging emails with a now 87 year old, for the last 8 or so >years. Another 87 year old, who I still >regularly play 18 holes of golf with, has just >bought a DVD player - this was prompted by the >need to see the contents of a DVD featuring >her!. Guess the advantage in Australia is that >it isn't miserable dark and cold for half the year! > >m >-- >Marghanita da Cruz >http://www.ramin.com.au >Phone: 0414 869202 > > >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From planetjim at gmail.com Mon Jul 16 11:01:47 2007 From: planetjim at gmail.com (jim birch) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:01:47 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/ In-Reply-To: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <39e534e70707151801g178c9dd2rc24090039faa37db@mail.gmail.com> On 13/07/07, David Goldstein wrote: > > This story is something we can only dream of here... > > Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband > A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central Sweden has been thrust into > the IT history books - with the world's fastest internet connection. > Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been supplied with a blistering 40 Gigabits per > second connection, many thousands of times faster than the average > residential link and the first time ever that a home user has experienced > such a high speed. 15 minutes of fame. From marghanita at ramin.com.au Mon Jul 16 11:24:52 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:24:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s In-Reply-To: <200707160059.l6G0xmTN031794@ah.net> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <469ABBE5.90109@ramin.com.au> <200707160059.l6G0xmTN031794@ah.net> Message-ID: <469AC8E4.6090208@ramin.com.au> Adam Todd wrote: > > > Hey Marghanita, > > I think the point of the article was that an 87 year old women with a 40 > Gigabit network connection is a world first :) She probably had a DVD > player already :) The possibly house bound swede was only 75, whereas the active Australians were 87. Does anyone else recall the circa 1996 Centennial park Broadband trials in Sydney? Google only revealed this > Broadband services to homes > > The Group believes that the real benefits of broadband cable trials will come from the possibilities for consumer interactivity with the services, and the involvement of the community and local industry in creating content. Many elements of broadband delivery technologies are still being developed, and a broadband cable trial would provide network operators with valuable experience in customer billing and management and conditional access systems. > > At 10:29 AM 16/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >> David Goldstein wrote: >>> This story is something we can only dream of here... >>> Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband >>> A 75 year old woman from Karlstad in central Sweden has been thrust >>> into the IT history books - with the world's fastest internet >>> connection. Sigbritt L?thberg's home has been supplied with a >>> blistering 40 Gigabits per second connection, many thousands of times >>> faster than the average residential link and the first time ever that >>> a home user has experienced such a high speed. >> from >>> http://www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712/ >> >>> Sigbritt will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high definition HDTV >>> channels simultaneously. Or, if there is nothing worth watching >>> there, she will be able to download a full high definition DVD in >>> just two seconds. >> >> Well Australia can claim better than that! >> >> I have been exchanging emails with a now 87 year old, for the last 8 >> or so >> years. Another 87 year old, who I still regularly play 18 holes of >> golf with, has just bought a DVD player - this was prompted by the >> need to see the contents of a DVD featuring her!. Guess the advantage >> in Australia is that it isn't miserable dark and cold for half the year! >> >> m >> -- >> Marghanita da Cruz >> http://www.ramin.com.au >> Phone: 0414 869202 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Link mailing list >> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 16 08:41:52 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:41:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] National Scholarly Communications Forum 2007 Message-ID: <20070716014033.11DD51301@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Greeting from National Scholarly Communications Forum 2007 'Improving Access to Australian Publicly Funded Research - Advancing Knowledge and the Knowledge Economy' at The Shine Dome in Canberra: . This is a one day event sponsored by DEST held each year. The one last year was on "Open Access, Open Archives and Open Source": . The program, with comments (I will update this on my blog, questions for the speakers welcome ): 9.10 - 9.15 Welcome: Colin Steele, Conveor NSCF, Emeritus Fellow, ANU. Colin point out that a third of the conference were still stuck on aircraft held up by fog at Canberra airport. Perhaps they should have attended electronically. ;-) 9.15 - 10.00 The Global Information Commons, Paul Uhlir, Director of the Office of International Scientific and Technical Information Programs, National Academies, Washington. Paul gave the rationale for access to research results and its relationship to e-publishing. The reasoning is similar to that for access to the web by the disabled: electronic documents are cheap to distribute, this makes it hard to argue why they should not be available to all. The scholarly and professional societies got a mention in this. The ACS is doing its part by publishing research free online . One risk Paul sees is that some research by universities is contracted by outside bodies, who may want to keep the results. The ACS sponsors some research by Professor John Houghton, but this is provided free online. Providing scholarly information online will require new skills from scholars. Mr. Uhlir commented that the conference video screen was difficult to read. One table in his presentation was unreadable on screen and so was provided on paper to each delegate. Unfortunately the printed version was also unreadable. The problem was not with the display technology, but with the design of the table, which was unsuitable for use in any media. Authors can't simply produce stuff and leave the problem of making it readable to others. I asked Mr. Uhlir if young scholars would expect a Web 2.0 ("My Space") looking system for papers and data, rather than something which looked like traditional scholarly publications he agreed with this. 10.00 - 10.30 Research Communication in Australia: Emerging Opportunities and Benefits, Prof. John Houghton, Victoria University. Professor Houghton produced a report on new research infrastructure for DEST, He provided a systematic overview of the research as an industry, with its costs and benefits. 11.00 - 11.30 Public Support for Science and Innovation, Monika Binder, Director, Productivity Commission 11.30 - 12.15 Digital Humanities: The ACLS Report on Cyberinfrastructure for the Social Sciences and the Humanities, Prof. John Unsworth, University of Illinois 1.15 - 1.45 Open Access to Knowledge (OAKL): Intellectual Property, Copyright and Licensing Issues, Prof. Brian Fitzgerald, QUT 1.45 - 2.15 Biological open Source Developments - A Case Study for Science, Dr Richard Jefferson, CEO Cambia 2.15 - 2.40 Finding Gold in Europe: JISC, Research Councils and CERN, Frederick Friend, UK JISC Scholarly Communication Consultant 3.00 - 3.30 Australia's Research Quality Framework and Research Accessibility, Dr Evan Arthur, Group Manager, Innovation and Research Systems Group, DEST 3.30 - 4.15 Overviews and Outcomes, Panel Discussion: Dr Mike Sargent, Prof. Warwick Anderson, Paul Uhlir and Dr Rhys Francis --- Unlike the China New Media conference, I felt like I knew almost everyone in the room. You will see many of the people and topics I have written about previously. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 16 12:43:40 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:43:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site Message-ID: Another failed attempt to get webmasters to make sites usable ... >Roger Clarke wrote to Webmaster: > >> Your site is almost unusable for a significant proportion of your >>readership. >> The reason is that you permit ads that contain various forms of >>simulated movement. Many people cannot concentrate on content in >>such circumstances. I for one had to give up. >> You need to change your terms to ban ads that contain any form of >>dynamic component. >> Include in your communications to advertisers information about >>the demographic and behavioural characteristics of your readership. >>There are plenty of advertisers who will accept the constraint in >>order to reach the segment. > > >Webmaster replied: > >I can see where you're coming from, and as a user of the web myself, >I'm not a huge fan of moving advertising. However, it does seem to >be a fairly ubiquitous feature of the online mainstream media. > >Advertising provides an important part of our funding to deliver >this free service to the Australian public, and we're not exactly >operating on a scale where we have the muscle to tell the >advertising industry how to run. > >If you wish to recommend anyone from your list of "plenty of >advertisers" willing to constrain their operations as you suggest, I >will take them into consideration next time we revise our >advertising services. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From mikal at stillhq.com Mon Jul 16 13:17:27 2007 From: mikal at stillhq.com (Michael Still) Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:17:27 -0700 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <469AE347.7090405@stillhq.com> Roger Clarke wrote: > Another failed attempt to get webmasters to make sites usable ... > >> Roger Clarke wrote to Webmaster: [Snip] >>> There >>> are plenty of advertisers who will accept the constraint in order to >>> reach the segment. [Snip] >> If you wish to recommend anyone from your list of "plenty of >> advertisers" willing to constrain their operations as you suggest, I >> will take them into consideration next time we revise our advertising >> services. Well, I think your assessment is unfair. You claimed that there are plenty of advertisers who don't need such moving adverts (and I don't dispute that assertion). The web master asked you for some pointers based on your data, thus indicating his willingness to change the site if in fact your assertion is true. Why not help him instead of bike shedding? Mikal From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 16 13:37:24 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:37:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] La Trobe and MS/iiNet to get determination Message-ID: <61fg7n$4i2ogt@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> From: Fwd: Slattery's Watch - 16th July, 2007 >La Trobe University and Microsoft have established Australia's first >campus-based Microsoft Centre, the first of three to be set up in >partnership between the two organisations. The new centre will >provide hardware and software solutions enabling students, academics >and SMB companies to have access to start-up facilities, research, >and product development. > >iiNet Ltd, through its subsidiary Chime Communications Pty Ltd, has >been advised by the ACCC of a Final Determination on its dispute >over line sharing service charges; which will see a one off payment >in the vicinity of $16 million paid by Telstra to iiNet and >significant cost reductions to iiNet going forward. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From ivan at itrundle.com Mon Jul 16 14:28:38 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:28:38 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> On 16/07/2007, at 12:43 PM, Roger Clarke wrote: > Another failed attempt to get webmasters to make sites usable ... > >> Roger Clarke wrote to Webmaster: >> >>> Your site is almost unusable for a significant proportion of >>> your readership. >>> The reason is that you permit ads that contain various forms of >>> simulated movement. Many people cannot concentrate on content in >>> such circumstances. I for one had to give up. Roger, I can only agree with you - many sites that I visit used to have this problem. And even if we can accept that advertising is a necessary part of keeping sites operational, certain styles of adverts are hopelessly poor at communicating, and if they distract so much that the reason for visiting the site is thwarted, then the end result is a lose-lose for everyone. But there are solutions which do not involve reasoning with web managers, or finding metrics to support what is surely just common sense. Knowing that you're a Mac user, and most likely using Safari, I suggest that you find SafariBlock, and your troubles will be over. Like other ad-blocking web plug-ins, it can be tuned to block almost 100% of the annoyances that web managers deploy for revenue-raising purposes. AdBlock for Firefox does the same thing, and is available for Safari 3.0 beta, as well. Combined with Safari Stand (which also blocks pop-ups, and can be used for systematic site alteration to hide almost everything else from your view - very useful tool, IMHO), and you'll have the simplest and most-effective solution. Leave the web managers in their own world, seeking funding from companies who believe that this type of advertising is effective. iT From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 16 14:42:44 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:42:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> Message-ID: At 14:28 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: > ... SafariBlock ... AdBlock ... Safari Stand ... >Leave the web managers in their own world, seeking funding from >companies who believe that this type of advertising is effective. Unfortunately it's a solution that doesn't scale. I can spend some time and do such things, but it doesn't fix the problem for other users. We need an Internet Consumers Association that works on - and in conjunction with - IIA, AIIA and marketing and advertising industry associations, to get the messages through to marketers and advertisers. Hello? ISOC-AU? Are you there? -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From ivan at itrundle.com Mon Jul 16 15:11:12 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:11:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> On 16/07/2007, at 2:42 PM, Roger Clarke wrote: > At 14:28 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: >> ... SafariBlock ... AdBlock ... Safari Stand ... >> Leave the web managers in their own world, seeking funding from >> companies who believe that this type of advertising is effective. > > Unfortunately it's a solution that doesn't scale. I can spend some > time and do such things, but it doesn't fix the problem for other > users. Other users might not see it as a problem, though. I have teenage children who have no problems viewing four kinds of media all at the same time, and digesting the 'important' bits according to their preferences. They're not unique, by any means. Nonetheless, at what point does an advertisement move from being 'eye- catching' to 'annoying'? And for which age group? Ultimately, marketing forces will push as hard as they can, and those of us who are unable to find their own solutions will become part of the consumer populace that currently enjoy billboard ads, read magazines for the advertisements, etc. > We need an Internet Consumers Association that works on - and in > conjunction with - IIA, AIIA and marketing and advertising industry > associations, to get the messages through to marketers and > advertisers. Marketing associations are unlikely to introduce a standard which limits the reach or effectiveness of advertising. However, the current federal government would probably support self-regulation of this nature, thus guaranteeing a code with no teeth, and no impact. I believe that the solution IS scalable: and neatly so: those inclined to accept advertising will blithely let it roll in, whereas those of us who dislike it (or find it too distracting) will find ways to block it. Disclosure: I've worked in the publishing industry long enough to know that advertising is needed, but most print-based media knows the acceptable level of advertising that can support a print publication. There are no standards or limits, however, on how distracting the advertising can be in print, but all publishers know what happens when the boundaries are pushed (readership drops - unless you're publishing 'The Trading Post'). I'm not sure where the web fits in, or if it requires any advertising regulation or codification at all. iT From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 16 15:20:37 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:20:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] read & weep - one household in Sweden gets 40gb/s In-Reply-To: <469AC8E4.6090208@ramin.com.au> References: <738692.16811.qm@web50104.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <469ABBE5.90109@ramin.com.au> <200707160059.l6G0xmTN031794@ah.net> <469AC8E4.6090208@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <200707160521.l6G5LnHO003711@ah.net> At 11:24 AM 16/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >Adam Todd wrote: >> >>Hey Marghanita, >>I think the point of the article was that an 87 year old women with >>a 40 Gigabit network connection is a world first :) She probably >>had a DVD player already :) > >The possibly house bound swede was only 75, whereas the active >Australians were 87. Yes but how many of your 87 year old Australians have 40 gigabit Internet access? Sorry was that zero? I think the point of the story is suppose to be that, not only can 40 gigabit Internet access be delivered, but you don't have to be a billion dollar corporation to have it to your home. Maybe the artical was too subtle? From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 16 15:18:53 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:18:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200707160521.l6G5LnHM003711@ah.net> At 12:43 PM 16/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >Another failed attempt to get webmasters to make sites usable ... > >>Roger Clarke wrote to Webmaster: >> >>Advertising provides an important part of our funding to deliver >>this free service to the Australian public, and we're not exactly >>operating on a scale where we have the muscle to tell the >>advertising industry how to run. The simple solution is not to use the web site. Then the advertisers don't get any return and the web site doesn't require funding :) From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 16 15:45:51 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:45:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> Message-ID: At 15:11 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: >Other users might not see it as a problem, though. ... Is my taxis *really* worse than other people's? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxis A sample page from the site in question is here: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6104 The AFR ads bobbling around on it at present are bad - although not as bad as some that were hurtling around there a few days ago. Apart from busting (some people's) concentration, bouncing images significantly detract from the attempt to point-and-drag in order to extract quotes from papers. For the record, no I don't have an issue with the use of advertising as a means of earning money. It's the intrusiveness into the would-be reader's attention-space that's at issue. (And clearly a site that's intended to offer overloaded multi-media, and where the consumer's expectation is to be subjected to cognitive overload, is a different kettle of fish from a site with genuine content intended for consumption using intellect as well as - or even instead of - the more pleasurable sensory organs). -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au Mon Jul 16 16:29:28 2007 From: Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au (Pilcher, Fred) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:29:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C12@cal066.act.gov.au> Roger wrote: > Another failed attempt to get webmasters to make sites usable ... Thanks for trying, Roger. Animated ads make web sites unusable for me, so I use Adblocker to eliminate them when I'm at home on Firefox. At work, where I'm forced to use IE, if I can't move the ad offscreen by repositioning the window, I simply close the page and forego the opportunity to read the site other than in the most exceptional of circumstances. By any count you'd have to say that that's counterproductive for both the site and its advertisers. They want me to read both the site and their ads, but what they serve up is so distracting that I do neither. Fred ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au Mon Jul 16 16:33:49 2007 From: Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au (Pilcher, Fred) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:33:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C13@cal066.act.gov.au> Ivan wrote: > Disclosure: I've worked in the publishing industry long enough to > know that advertising is needed, but most print-based media > knows the > acceptable level of advertising that can support a print > publication. > There are no standards or limits, however, on how distracting the > advertising can be in print, but all publishers know what happens > when the boundaries are pushed (readership drops - unless you're > publishing 'The Trading Post'). At the recent dinner we had to celebrate Jan's visit to the ACT I sat opposite Karen's partner, George, who lectures in Advertising at either the ANU or U-Can. One of the most interesting things he said (among many) was that the first thing he tells his students is that it's been roundly and conclusively proven that advertising doesn't work. The context, of course, was that it doesn't work in the sense of changing consumer behaviour. It works a treat if you interpret it to mean that it raises revenue. Pity it's all for nought. Fred ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From kim at holburn.net Mon Jul 16 16:50:42 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:50:42 +0200 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> Message-ID: On 2007/Jul/16, at 6:42 AM, Roger Clarke wrote: > At 14:28 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: >> ... SafariBlock ... AdBlock ... Safari Stand ... >> Leave the web managers in their own world, seeking funding from >> companies who believe that this type of advertising is effective. > > Unfortunately it's a solution that doesn't scale. I can spend some > time and do such things, but it doesn't fix the problem for other > users. Firefox + AddBlock Plus with a block list subscription. Works on any platform. > We need an Internet Consumers Association that works on - and in > conjunction with - IIA, AIIA and marketing and advertising industry > associations, to get the messages through to marketers and > advertisers. > > Hello? ISOC-AU? Are you there? -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From ivan at itrundle.com Mon Jul 16 16:55:08 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:55:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <51EBEB08-B861-4BFD-B5F7-5E87E2B43175@itrundle.com> On 16/07/2007, at 3:45 PM, Roger Clarke wrote: > At 15:11 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: >> Other users might not see it as a problem, though. ... > > Is my taxis *really* worse than other people's? http:// > en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxis Or my tropism? It's hard to gauge, but we are of a different generation to those who often make and place the ads that we both loathe. > A sample page from the site in question is here: > http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6104 > > The AFR ads bobbling around on it at present are bad - although not > as bad as some that were hurtling around there a few days ago. > > Apart from busting (some people's) concentration, bouncing images > significantly detract from the attempt to point-and-drag in order > to extract quotes from papers. The SMH site had (or still has) what is possibly an identical problem: I complained more than a year ago, received a reply which told me to like it or lump it, then I resorted to ad-blocking, which is why the web is so much more civilised through my lens. > For the record, no I don't have an issue with the use of > advertising as a means of earning money. It's the intrusiveness > into the would-be reader's attention-space that's at issue. On the same path, Roger. But clearly, one person's flashtaxis or giftaxis is another's ganglion cell axon blind spot. We should be thankful, I suppose, that we still have receptors. But I'm saving my fovea for more useful tasks. > > (And clearly a site that's intended to offer overloaded multi- > media, and where the consumer's expectation is to be subjected to > cognitive overload, is a different kettle of fish from a site with > genuine content intended for consumption using intellect as well as > - or even instead of - the more pleasurable sensory organs). I've yet to find any multimedia advertising that has been a pleasure to watch. It might have improved since I began using ad-blocking, but from Roger's account, this is most doubtful. iT -- Ivan Trundle http://itrundle.com ivan at itrundle.com ph: +61 (0)418 244 259 fx: +61 (0)2 6286 8742 skype: callto://ivanovitchk From ivan at itrundle.com Mon Jul 16 17:04:04 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:04:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C13@cal066.act.gov.au> References: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C13@cal066.act.gov.au> Message-ID: <5543BA8D-FE87-418F-A6E9-A4C0DE229A53@itrundle.com> On 16/07/2007, at 4:33 PM, Pilcher, Fred wrote: > ...the first thing he tells his students is that it's been roundly > and conclusively proven that advertising doesn't work. > > The context, of course, was that it doesn't work in the sense of > changing consumer behaviour. It works a treat if you interpret it > to mean that it raises revenue. Fighting hyperbole with hyperbole... If all that advertising wished to do was to change consumer behaviour, then I still wouldn't agree with this statement. Advertisements can inform, entertain, illuminate, refresh memories, advise, promote, and kill (or make children obese). It can also bring the end of the world, apparently: http://www.mediaed.org/videos/CommercialismPoliticsAndMedia/ Advertising_EndOfWorld iT From cas at taz.net.au Mon Jul 16 18:48:37 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:48:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Re: Unusable Web-Site In-Reply-To: References: <85652553-03C0-4C9F-B98B-ADDC486AEAA8@itrundle.com> <6CD1CEAC-6231-4C84-965F-575D5A1A1C90@itrundle.com> Message-ID: <20070716084837.GM7147@taz.net.au> On Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 03:45:51PM +1000, Roger Clarke wrote: > At 15:11 +1000 16/7/07, Ivan Trundle wrote: >> Other users might not see it as a problem, though. ... > > Is my taxis *really* worse than other people's? > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxis > > A sample page from the site in question is here: > http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6104 i don't see any animations on this page. AdBlockPlus reports that it is blocking 7 out of 42 items (images, etc) on this page, and NoScript reports that it is blocking 15 scripts. > The AFR ads bobbling around on it at present are bad - although not as > bad as some that were hurtling around there a few days ago. it was the start of animated gif advertising years ago (mid-90s, i think) that motivated me to write my squid-redirector based ad-banner blocker years ago. i still use it today (because i still use the squid proxy, and also to provide banner and rudimentary javascript blocking when i'm using iceape or galeon or anything else other than firefox) i also use firefox with AdBlock Plus and NoScript as my primary browser. this is a lot easier and a lot less hassle than having to write your own banner-blocking scripts as i did years ago. i pretty much don't see web ads. haven't for years. occasionally one gets through the filters. if it annoys me (i.e. if it's animated), i add it to my squid-redirector rules and/or add it to the adblock rules. IMO, it's not worth worrying about - anyone who doesn't want to be annoyed by web advertising has readily (and freely) available tools to block them, easily. i'm more disturbed by sites that *require* javascript for basic navigation. that means i have to grant open access to the site operators to run whatever javascript code they like on MY system just to navigate around the site. i generally just leave the site. it's not worth the risk. craig ps: since i installed NoScript, i don't have my browser crashing all the time due to buggy javascript, java, and flash crap (esp. spyware/click-tracking) embedded in web pages, either. pps: i use other browsers occasionally when i actually want to run javascript/flash/java without contaminating my main browser with unknown code. e.g. when i want to see videos or slideshows on The Age website without enabling javascript for their text pages. -- craig sanders From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 16 19:25:32 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:25:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Intel Caves on $100 Laptop for Poor Children Message-ID: <200707160935.l6G9ZKWL009269@ah.net> http://www.smh.com.au/news/laptops--desktops/intel-caves-in-on-100-laptop/2007/07/16/1184438188296.html Intel caves in on '$100 laptop' July 16, 2007 - 10:13AM AdvertisementAdvertisement Intel said on Friday it would support a non-profit foundation's project to put computers in the hands of poor children around the world, reversing its long-standing opposition to the proposal. The world's biggest chipmaker will join the board of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation, which developed the XO laptop - a personal computer that it plans to put into production in September and sell for $176. Intel markets the Classmate PC, a computer that competes with the foundation's XO laptop. The two parties said they would be able to incorporate each other's technologies, and would also consider collaborating on developing a laptop. "We are going to have complementary product lines," said Intel Vice President Will Swope. Both Intel and the foundation said they had yet to address whether the chipmaker would be able to commercialise the XO's display and power management capabilities, which use what industry analysts widely regard as breakthrough technologies. The One Laptop Per Child project is the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, the former chief of the Massachussetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. The foundation plans to sell the multimedia laptops to government agencies around the world, requiring each country to buy hundreds of thousands of the devices, then give them to impoverished elementary school children at no cost. Until now, Intel has criticised the approach, promoting its own Classmate PC, which it distributes in smaller numbers to poor children in developing countries, giving educators instruction in how to use the devices in their classroom. Negroponte had accused Intel of trying to undermine the project in a string of recent media interviews, including a recent appearance on the CBS news magazine "Sixty Minutes." Walter Bender, a senior official with the foundation, told Reuters his group was currently in talks with three other companies that might join its board. He declined to name them. Bender also said News Corp.'s MySpace division may develop a special Web community for the school children who get the laptops. It would be separate from the company's current offering, which bans children of elementary school age. News Corp. already has a seat on the foundation's board. Other backers include Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc, which is providing e-mail accounts and free back-up services. Software maker Red Hat, which developed computer programs for the device using the Linux operating system, is also on the board. Microsoft, which is not on the board, is trying to develop a version of Windows that will work on the XO laptop. Will Poole, a corporate vice president with the No. 1 software maker, said the company had yet to succeed in getting the operating system to run on the XO. Analysts who have seen early versions of the XO laptop say the group has made breakthroughs in developing a low-cost, high-resolution color screen that can switch into a black-and-white so that it can be viewed in the sunlight. They have also praised its durable construction and low-energy consumption technology, which allows it to be run on hand-crank-generated power. From sylvano at gnomon.com.au Tue Jul 17 06:27:26 2007 From: sylvano at gnomon.com.au (Sylvano) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:27:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Internet recruitment for defence Message-ID: <200707170627.27198.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Unfortunately my attempts to check out the Department of Defence flash splashed games site led to a "Could Not Connect" message. This is accompanied by an enigmatic message, in caps, "WE NEED MORE SCREEN!" Is my monitor inadequate, or is that a DoD gamer mantra? http://games.defencejobs.gov.au/ I'll have to check 'em out later. It may be too early for the server... Original article that bounced me there, http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1988891423;fp;16;fpid;0 It makes me wonder if there ought to be accompanying warning images and messages on the site as one sees on cigarette packets, showing appropriately maimed limbs, and what not... Sylvano -- Gnomon Publishing http://www.gnomon.com.au/ From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 17 06:44:03 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:44:03 GMT Subject: [LINK] AOL Web Searches Message-ID: <20070716204403.87B0F16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> "In August 2006, AOL had released the search logs done by 500,000 of their users over a three months period. If you are one of randomly chosen users, everything you searched for from March 2006 to May 2006 is now public information on the internet. Although AOL had retracted the search logs later on, the search logs have been copied and replicated all over the net. You can examine the search logs here on this site." Three examples: -- Regards people Stephen Loosley Victoria Australia From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 17 07:14:41 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:14:41 GMT Subject: [LINK] Internet recruitment for defence Message-ID: <20070716211441.4174E16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Interesting Sylvano ... the website works fine from here. At 7:15 am there were eight players logged in (including three guest log-ins one of which myself) and the website offers two multi-player, and six single-player, war games with a very prominent link for joining the Defence Forces: DEFENCE JOBS GAMES Defence Jobs Games is a gaming portal for games created by the Australian Defence Force. This is more than your average games site, on Defence Jobs Games you can keep track of all your gaming experience, battle online with others and make your way up the ladder with achievements and player ranks! Register your details and sign up for a gamer profile to create your own custom avatar and build your online profile! If you?re already a defencejobs member, just login and start gaming! At the sign-up link: The Navy offers a wide range of interesting and engaging jobs. We'll give you all the training you need and help you make the most of what you've got; your talents, your skills, your enthusiasm and your dedication. This site will provide you with information regarding Navy lifestyle, pay, benefits and other considerations in deciding if the Navy is the right job for you. You can also apply online to join the Navy. At 06:27 AM 17/07/2007, Sylvano wrote Unfortunately my attempts to check out the Department of Defence flash splashed games site led to a "Could Not Connect" message. This is accompanied by an enigmatic message, in caps, "WE NEED MORE SCREEN!" Is my monitor inadequate, or is that a DoD gamer mantra? http://games.defencejobs.gov.au/ I'll have to check 'em out later. It may be too early for the server... Original article that bounced me there, http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1988891423;fp;16;fpid;0 It makes me wonder if there ought to be accompanying warning images and messages on the site as one sees on cigarette packets, showing appropriately maimed limbs, and what not... Sylvano -- Gnomon Publishing http://www.gnomon.com.au/ Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 17 09:05:19 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:05:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fan sites Message-ID: <469BF9AF.5010802@ramin.com.au> Have we discussed fan sites on Link? m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 17 09:48:46 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:48:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] AOL Web Searches In-Reply-To: <20070716204403.87B0F16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070716204403.87B0F16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <469C03DE.9020400@praxis.com.au> stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > I had to sneak a peek. This one really to hurt just to read! cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services If you think good architecture is expensive, try bad architecture. -- Brian Foote and Joseph Yoder From brd at iimetro.com.au Tue Jul 17 10:02:53 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:02:53 +0800 Subject: [LINK] Open Library Message-ID: <51097.1184630573@iimetro.com.au> Open Library http://demo.openlibrary.org/ Imagine a library that collected all the world's information about all the world's books and made it available for everyone to view and update. We're building that library. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 17 10:13:49 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:13:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Disaster management on an Apple iPhone Message-ID: <20070717004029.8E623224DE@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> The iPhone looks like it might be going to popularize smart phones. Hand held devices could be of use in emergency management, so I asked the iPhone developer community to try the demo version of the Sahana disaster management system on an iPhone. So far I have had two replies. The first reply indicated that it worked reasonably well; the second indicated some problems: Sidebar too narrow, Some form text too small, Wrong tab order, Pinch interface? Details on the Sahana discussion forum: . More generally, I wonder how the iPhone will effect the development of web applications and interfaces. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 17 11:07:09 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:07:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Disaster management on an Apple iPhone In-Reply-To: <20070717004029.8E623224DE@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: On 17/7/07 10:13 AM, "Tom Worthington" wrote: > More generally, I wonder how the iPhone will effect the development > of web applications and interfaces. Well, the lads at 37 Signals, who've created such excellent web-based applications and Basecamp and Highrise, recjon that developing for the iPhone is a delight: http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/475-designing-for-the-iphone-is-a-refresh ing-experience I remarked that I loved the constraints. For example, we know the exact screen size/resolution, we know the exact typeface, we know how the face renders on the screen, we know the colors, we know the browser, etc. Then Ryan nailed it: Designing for the iPhone is like a hybrid of print and web design. The web we all know is rife with uncertainty. We don?t know the viewer?s screen size or resolution, we don?t know the gamma of someone?s screen, we don?t know if they?ve got a certain typeface and/or exactly how that face renders on in their browser, we don?t know the browser they?re going to use, etc. But paper, on the other hand, is full of controls. Fixed size, fixed faces, fixed colors. What you print is exactly what someone sees (assuming you?ve done your homework on color and paper, etc). So the iPhone is a weird mix. It?s the web, and things can scroll, and the data is pulled from remote servers, but it?s also a fixed width, a fixed browser, fixed typefaces, etc. It?s pretty cool and a really refreshing design exercise. In other ways it?s also like going back to the early days of the web when people?s connections were a lot slower. The EDGE network and mobile phone latency emphasizes the need to keep page size down, images sparse, etc. It?s a return to the power of text, shape, color, and basic HTML. I love it. Of course some Linkers will hate 37Signals' products because they have the temerity to use JavaScript, but hey... Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 17 11:32:27 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:32:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Disaster management on an Apple iPhone In-Reply-To: References: <20070717004029.8E623224DE@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <200707170133.l6H1XiZl002405@ah.net> At 11:07 AM 17/07/2007, Stilgherrian wrote: >http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/475-designing-for-the-iphone-is-a-refresh >ing-experience > > I remarked that I loved the constraints. For example, we know > the exact screen size/resolution, we know the exact typeface, > we know how the face renders on the screen, we know the colors, > we know the browser, etc. > > Then Ryan nailed it: Designing for the iPhone is like a hybrid > of print and web design. > > The web we all know is rife with uncertainty. We don?t know > the viewer?s screen size or resolution, we don?t know the > gamma of someone?s screen, we don?t know if they?ve got a > certain typeface and/or exactly how that face renders on in > their browser, we don?t know the browser they?re going to use, > etc. Hang on, this is a puff piece! Some people have iPhones and some people have Sony Erricson K610's. Everyone with a SE K610 has the same sized screen, the same browser, the same colours, the same keyboard and interface. What's the diff between an iPhone and a K610? Nothing, some people have one, some have the other. > But paper, on the other hand, is full of controls. Fixed size, > fixed faces, fixed colors. What you print is exactly what > someone sees (assuming you?ve done your homework on color and > paper, etc). But an iPhone is not the electronic equivalent of paper. If it was, then the $600 price tag would be $24.99 per ream and you'd be able to buy one at any supermarket. Paper isn't locked to a carrier who will provided limited coverage. Paper can be use din ANY PRINTER be it a HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark etc. It can be used with a variety of inks, and in most cases when you send a graphic file from one part of the world to the other and they print it on a colour printer, the likeness is pretty damn close. I'll bet my K610 themes won't work on an iPhone, yet I can print them to paper and I can print them on any printer on any kind of paper and I get the same results. > So the iPhone is a weird mix. It?s the web, and things can > scroll, and the data is pulled from remote servers, but it?s > also a fixed width, a fixed browser, fixed typefaces, etc. > It?s pretty cool and a really refreshing design exercise. Yep, so is my k610. It's just that the k610 has a smaller screen, but it's adequate for the job it needs to do - make phone calls. Actually strangely enough 20 years ago I didn't have a phone with a display on it at all. So a full colour LCD is really something "added" > In other ways it?s also like going back to the early days of > the web when people?s connections were a lot slower. The EDGE > network and mobile phone latency emphasizes the need to keep > page size down, images sparse, etc. It?s a return to the > power of text, shape, color, and basic HTML. Oh gawd, you mean people are going to design web sites that fit in 64K per page download - like I still try to do? >Of course some Linkers will hate 37Signals' products because they have the >temerity to use JavaScript, but hey... Well that's not really server based execution is it. Javascript is client based application execution. More puff! From brendansweb at optusnet.com.au Tue Jul 17 12:41:51 2007 From: brendansweb at optusnet.com.au (Brendan Scott) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:41:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OT - speech recognition Message-ID: <469C2C6F.7020002@optusnet.com.au> Are there any statistics on the level of use of speech recognition software? Does anyone know what proportion of people are talking to their computers? Brendan From lucychili at gmail.com Tue Jul 17 12:46:04 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:16:04 +0930 Subject: [LINK] OT - speech recognition In-Reply-To: References: <469C2C6F.7020002@optusnet.com.au> Message-ID: Which took me to: > http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/ Which took me back to an older thread http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=823&news=336 From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Tue Jul 17 13:18:25 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:18:25 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Internet recruitment for defence In-Reply-To: <200707170627.27198.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> References: <200707170627.27198.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <2C2DEEFD-271C-4365-9FEC-9489AE19A7FD@tony-barry.emu.id.au> On 17/07/2007, at 6:27 AM, Sylvano wrote: > Unfortunately my attempts to check > out the Department of Defence flash > splashed games site led to a > "Could Not Connect" message. > > This is accompanied by an enigmatic > message, in caps, "WE NEED MORE SCREEN!" > Is my monitor inadequate, or is that a > DoD gamer mantra? > > http://games.defencejobs.gov.au/ I got - "This site is designed to work best at resolutions of 1024x768 and above. Either your browser window is not large enough or your screen resolution is too low." But that IS my resolution. I then accepted their invitation to "ignore this warning" and got a black screen. iBook with G4 running MacOS 10.4.10 and Firefox. Tony phone : 02 6241 7659 mobile: 04 1242 0397 -- ~| mailto: tony at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au -- \@ or tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au -- _\\/\% http://tony-barry.emu.id.au GT3 ____(*)__(*)___ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Restore From Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au Tue Jul 17 13:23:09 2007 From: Fred.Pilcher at act.gov.au (Pilcher, Fred) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:23:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Disaster management on an Apple iPhone In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C26@cal066.act.gov.au> Has anyone been looking at OpenMoko for this kind of stuff? http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35590 Fred ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From rick at praxis.com.au Tue Jul 17 14:01:20 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:01:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Internet recruitment for defence In-Reply-To: <2C2DEEFD-271C-4365-9FEC-9489AE19A7FD@tony-barry.emu.id.au> References: <200707170627.27198.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> <2C2DEEFD-271C-4365-9FEC-9489AE19A7FD@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: <469C3F10.9010302@praxis.com.au> Antony Barry wrote: >> http://games.defencejobs.gov.au/ > > I got - > > "This site is designed to work best at resolutions of 1024x768 and above. > > Either your browser window is not large enough or your screen resolution > is too low." > > But that IS my resolution. I then accepted their invitation to "ignore > this warning" and got a black screen. Your screen may be 1024x768, but the rendering area in your browser (the actual browser space) will be 10-20% less on either axis, depending on how much cruft you have enabled, i.e. tool bars, status bar, bookmarks and faves panels, etc. So, does 1024x768 mean that screen size using IE with no tool bars? Perhaps it means using links or lynx in a shell window that large? Who knows? In general it is naive and unprofessional, to say the least, for a web designer to specify a specific page width. Notice that they never depend on a specific page HEIGHT! It seems scrolling vertically is fine, but they would never want their site scrolled horizontally. Which is also fine. It is a pain to read an article line-by-scrolled-horiz-line. But! HTML technology allows the designer to fit their page into a *minimal* page width, something reasonable like 640 pix wide. The HTML + browser then ensure that as the browser rendering area is widened, the page naturally redisplays and fits the new size, always taking up the available width. It is called relative widths, and has been available since tables were introduced, oh, some 10+ years ago. Why site designers insist on nailing their pages down to 800 pix wide max (evil #1) or worse designing their pages to require a miniumum width of 1024 (evil #2) I'll never know. Put it down to incompetence and a lack of understanding of the language they are using. Evil #1 results in a lot of wasted screen real estate and Evil #2 results in a lot of needless horizontal scrolling. I am preaching to the converted, right? cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services If you think good architecture is expensive, try bad architecture. -- Brian Foote and Joseph Yoder From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 17 14:26:51 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:26:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Internet recruitment for defence In-Reply-To: <2C2DEEFD-271C-4365-9FEC-9489AE19A7FD@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Message-ID: On 17/7/07 1:18 PM, "Antony Barry" wrote: > But that IS my resolution. I then accepted their invitation to > "ignore this warning" and got a black screen. > > iBook with G4 running MacOS 10.4.10 and Firefox. I'd look for Windows-specific browser detection code. Quite often slack developers assume they're running on Windows and use ActiveX controls for everything. (I'm not going to look myself, 'cos I have no interest in the game and plenty of paying clients' code to look at. *smirks*) HTH, Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 17 14:52:26 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:52:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Australias first business-grade WiMAX broadband network operational within 90 days. Message-ID: <469C4B0A.7080503@ramin.com.au> > QUEENSLAND-based Allegro Networks says it will have Australias first business-grade WiMAX broadband network operational within 90 days. > > The company said it had selected Nasdaq-listed Israeli WiMAX vendor Alvarion as its technology partner after the completion of months of technical and commercial trials with several vendors. > > Alvarion was also the WiMAX technology of choice in the recently announced plans of OPEL, the Optus/Elders joint venture rolling out services in regional and rural Australia.... -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From mikal at stillhq.com Tue Jul 17 16:47:23 2007 From: mikal at stillhq.com (Michael Still) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:47:23 -0700 Subject: [LINK] AOL Web Searches In-Reply-To: <469C03DE.9020400@praxis.com.au> References: <20070716204403.87B0F16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> <469C03DE.9020400@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <469C65FB.3040506@stillhq.com> Rick Welykochy wrote: > stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > >> > > I had to sneak a peek. This one really to hurt just to read! This is really old news. I think CNN ended up tracking down a granny who had done some of the searches? Mikal From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 17 19:15:23 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:15:23 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fan sites In-Reply-To: <469BF9AF.5010802@ramin.com.au> References: <469BF9AF.5010802@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <20070717091229.91F8864026@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 09:05 AM 17/07/2007, Marghanita writes: >Have we discussed fan sites on Link? > > Mmm, with many fan-sites, it'll be interesting to follow the fortunes (or otherwise) of this Aussie band of seventeen years olds as they hit 600,000+ downloads via YouTube, have a double-page spread in NME, and, anointed the hottest new act by US gossip columnist Perez Hilton. Operator Please, 'Just another song about Ping Pong' All this, and they have yet to sell one record/tape/CD/DVD whatever. :-) Marghanita Stephen Loosley Victoria Australia From robinstephens at gmail.com Tue Jul 17 19:56:27 2007 From: robinstephens at gmail.com (Robin Stephens) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:56:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Disaster management on an Apple iPhone In-Reply-To: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C26@cal066.act.gov.au> References: <04BB2ABCD8D07E42ADCF98494C1A2C72062B8C26@cal066.act.gov.au> Message-ID: <8056c7e90707170256ue23a82dia9282b9a9d23ba8e@mail.gmail.com> On 17/07/07, Pilcher, Fred wrote: > Has anyone been looking at OpenMoko for this kind of stuff? > > http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35590 Not yet: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Main_Page "Currently it is not suitable for users. The state of the software at the moment is pre-alpha. If you order a Neo1973, DO NOT expect to be able to use it as an everyday phone for several months." However I am interested in hearing from anyone in Australia who has purchased one. Do they work here? Robin From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 17 20:00:57 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:00:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] AOL Web Searches In-Reply-To: <469C65FB.3040506@stillhq.com> References: <20070716204403.87B0F16A21@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> <469C03DE.9020400@praxis.com.au> <469C65FB.3040506@stillhq.com> Message-ID: <20070717095815.CA69F64020@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 04:47 PM 17/07/2007, Michael Still wrote: >>> >>> I had to sneak a peek. This one really to hurt just to read! > > This is really old news. I think CNN ended up tracking down a granny > who had done some of the searches? Mikal According to the article yesterday "What search engines store about you .. many users are in the dark as to how much of their personal information is retained by search engines, how long the data is kept, and, what security measures they can take" By Mary Brandel, Computerworld July 16, 2007, the New York Times was able to trace one of the 500,000 AOL search logs: "Last year, reporters at The New York Times didn't even need an IP address to track down the identity of an AOL user when AOL published anonymous search logs of 500,000 users over a three-month period. The identification was made possible simply based on the specificity of the search terms the user queried, such as real estate searches in the small town where she lived. (If you have any question as to what collected search terms reveal about an individual -- accurate or not -- check out those AOL search logs.) " -- Cheers people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 18 04:57:14 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:57:14 +1000 Subject: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco Message-ID: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> iPhones flooding wireless LAN at Duke University By John Cox, Network World July 17, 2007 The built-in 802.11b/g adapters on several iPhones periodically flood sections of the Durham, N.C., school's pervasive wireless LAN with MAC address requests, temporarily knocking out anywhere from a dozen to 30 wireless access points at a time. Campus network staff are talking with Cisco, the main WLAN provider, and have opened a help desk ticket with Apple. But so far, the precise cause of the problem remains unknown. The misbehaving iPhones flood the access points with up to 18,000 address requests per second, nearly 10Mbps of bandwidth, and monopolizing the AP's airtime. The access points show up as "out of service." For 10 to 15 minutes, there's no way to communicate with them, Miller says. "When the problem occurs, we see dozens of access points in that condition," Miller says. The network team began capturing wireless traffic for analysis, and that's when they discovered that the offending devices were iPhones. Right now, Miller says, there are about 150 of the Apple devices registered on the campus WLAN. The requests are for what is, at least for Duke's network, an invalid router address. Devices use ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) to request the MAC address of the destination node, for which it already has the IP address. When it doesn't get an answer, the iPhone just keeps asking. Most of the WLAN comprises Cisco thin access points and controllers. Some older autonomous Cisco Aironet access points tend to uncover the flooding first, since they try to resolve the ARP request themselves. But Miller's team has seen the CPU utilization on the WLAN controllers spiking as they try to process the request flood passed on to them in control traffic from the thin access points. "I don't believe it's a Cisco problem in any way, shape, or form," he says firmly. So far, the communication with Apple has been "one-way," Miller says, with the Duke team filing the problem ticket. He says Apple has told him the problem is being "escalated," but as of mid-afternoon Monday, nothing substantive had been heard Apple. -- From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 18 06:02:26 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:02:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings Message-ID: <20070717195932.7A06764003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> ACCC comes down on Google By Staff Writers, CRN 16 July 2007 12:30 AEST The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has instituted legal proceedings in Sydney?s Federal Court, against Trading Post Australia, Google, Google Australia and Google Ireland, alleging misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to sponsored links that appeared on the Google website. The ACCC is alleging that Trading Post contravened sections 52 and 53(d) of the Trade Practices Act 1974 in 2005 when the business names "Kloster Ford" and "Charlestown Toyota" appeared in the title of Google sponsored links to Trading Post's website. Kloster Ford and Charlestown Toyota are Newcastle car dealerships who compete against Trading Post in automotive sales. The ACCC is also alleging that Google, by causing the Kloster Ford and Charlestown Toyota links to be published on its website, engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct in breach of section 52 of the Act. Further, the ACCC is alleging that Google, by failing to adequately distinguish sponsored links from "organic" search results, has engaged and continues to engage in misleading and deceptive conduct in breach of section 52 of the Act. The matter has been listed for a directions hearing in the Federal Court, Sydney, on 21 August 2007 before Justice Allsop. This is the first action of its type globally. Whilst Google has faced court action overseas, particularly in the United States, France and Belgium, this generally has been in relation to trademark use. Although the US anti-trust authority the Federal Trade Commission has examined similar issues, the ACCC understands that it is the first regulatory body to seek legal clarification of Google's conduct from a trade practices perspective. -- From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 18 09:09:02 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:09:02 +1000 Subject: [LINK] SMH: 'Vanishing up each other's google' Message-ID: [Here's Alan Kohler's typically pithy take on the case being run by the Australian competition regulator ACCC against Google. [Kohler says "the newsletters probably only make a profit from renewals in the second year - in the first year virtually the whole price of a new subscription goes to the Google machine ". The subscription fee for his newsletter is $295 p.a. Among his competitors, the Rivkin Report costs $799 p.a.and the cheapest subscription for ASR is $890.00 p.a. That would be a lot of money for customer acquisition, and it would go straight into Google's coffers. [I particularly like the twist inherent in the article, which is almost self-referential, and a great study in that wonderful oxymoron 'business ethics': it's a reasonable presumption that Kohler is paid by the Herald to publish his column - he is, after all, the most lucid of the mainstream business commentators in Australia. But he's used this issue as a direct advertisement for the service he runs. Vanishing up each other's google Date: July 18 2007 The Sydney Morning Herald Alan Kohler http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2007/07/17/1184559788867.html IF YOU google the phrase "Alan Kohler", the top link in the main, unpaid search results is one of my articles on smh.com.au. Next is Eureka Report. But above that, against a beige background, there are two other links - one is to Eureka Report and the other is a link to Australian Stock Report (www.australianstockreport.com.au), one of our competitors. Australian Stock Report has bought the Google phrase "Alan Kohler". Eureka Report's link only sits above it in the section headed "sponsored links" because we have paid more for it (to Google) in the auction system known as search engine marketing (SEM). Over to the right, in another sponsored links section for the search on the phrase "Alan Kohler", there's a link to www.stockresource.com.au - another competitor - and under that are a couple of book sites trying to flog my books (booktopia and ebay). Ebay buys millions of keywords, and among other things competes to buy just about every author's name. We have also bought the phrase "Eureka Report", of course, but if you google that then six competitors' links appear in the sponsored links section of the results. They have all bought the phrase "Eureka Report", but once again we have paid the most so we can be at the top. I hasten to add that we are also playing this rather brutal little game: we have bought, among things, the phrases "Rivkin Report" (another newsletter) as well as "Australian Stock Report". Each of those newsletters ensures that its link is at the top of the Google sponsored links by paying the highest price. But Australian Stock Report's search result, for example, is crowded with 10 competitors that have also bought its name. Thus do all of the financial newsletters compete with each other to throw money at Google. Another way to put this is that, when it comes to subscriptions obtained via Google marketing, the newsletters probably only make a profit from renewals in the second year - in the first year virtually the whole price of a new subscription goes to the Google machine. This is the essence of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's case against Google for misleading and deceptive conduct, which caused a flurry of feather fluffing and squawking in the global internet henhouse last week. The case began with Trading Post's purchase of the keyword "Stickybeek", which is the name of a small Newcastle-based used car website. Search that word on Google now and there are no sponsored links at all, which means Stickybeek is getting its search engine position for free, because it's at the top of the free results. That's because Trading Post gave up quietly once it was pinged. The other case cited by the ACCC in its court documents is instructive: it's the fact that if you google the phrase "Harvey World Travel" you get a sponsored link to one of its competitors, STA Travel, and a lot of people surveyed by the ACCC did not realise that these businesses were not connected - were competitors, in fact. The ACCC, it seems, is outraged about this. Actually this outrage is based on a misunderstanding of how search engines work. STA has not bought the phrase "Harvey World Travel" - it has bought the word "travel", which is perfectly OK. Its link appears because "travel" appears in Harvey World Travel's name and search engines look for links to each word in a phrase as well as the whole phrase itself. You can tell this because if you put quote marks around "Harvey World Travel" when searching it, which turns the whole phrase into a single word, no sponsored links appear at all - no sign of STA. So the highly competitive newsletter business is definitely a better example of what the ACCC is on about. In essence the ACCC claims two things: a business's competitors should not be allowed to "buy" its name and muscle into its search results page; and the "sponsored links" are not sufficiently distinguished from the main, unpaid, results in the middle of the page. The ACCC is not saying this, but I think it would accept a settlement based on the latter point, and not press on the first. In other words, Google could probably end the case with more prominent signage on its sponsored links. But Google denies there is a problem at all, and it is supported in this by Peter Coroneos of the Internet Industry Association and just about every other geek in the country. It says the paid ads are clearly marked "sponsored links" and the one across the top has a beige background, which further distinguishes it. On the question of competitors buying each other's names, Google says it does not monitor this and given the billions of searches going on every day it would be impossible to do so. Google then shoots its own argument down by referring to its "AdWords Trademarks Complaint Procedure", which allows a business to apply to have its trademark protected from competitors buying it. Obviously if it were impossible to monitor these things, then this procedure would not work either. In any case, the complaint procedure is only available on google.com, not google.com.au. And it's buried deep under "about Google", then "contact us" - there are no signposts how to get there. It's fair to say no one would find this unless they were told where it was. And who can blame Google? Competitors bidding against each other at auction to buy their own names as well as each other's names is no doubt a big part of the company's revenue. Yes, but is it fair and reasonable? The system of sponsored links is based on a 2002 ruling by the US Federal Trade Commission that basically approved it. Now the Australian regulator has asked The Hon James Leslie Allsop, judge of the Federal Court of Australia, to update this US ruling. Should be fascinating. Alan Kohler publishes Eureka Report, an investment newsletter financially backed by Carnegie Wylie & Co. The views expressed here are Kohler's alone. ak at eurekareport.com.au -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 18 10:02:46 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:02:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco In-Reply-To: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707180008.l6I08Tba005277@ah.net> You know a simple solution to this is for routers (wireless or cabled) to actually reject duplicate requests from a node within a certain time frame. I actually wrote a code chunk to do just this into Linux as I had a device that constantly did ARP requests and at one time a DSL provider (RequestDSL) was sending ME all their ARP traffic clogging my border router and loading it down. After adding the code to build a table (with variable time outs of course) to discard any duplicate requests and send back a reply to second and subsequent requests with a loop back address, the problem seemed to solve itself quite quickly :) It's easy to fix an arp request later if the problem continues and really, if a device is out of control or failing to be sensible, you want to cause it to behave in a way that you can see it's not operating properly. Hence my choice to reply with a loopback address to most of the requests. Of course, if there is a legitimate address, then a reply will be given for that address to every N requests, but all other requests are discarded, or replied with loopback, depending on the necessary behaviour of the faulty device. The Device then communicates with itself and functionality goes "offline" it's REALLY easy to pinpoint the problem and rectify it. It also removes broadcast storms. Getting an answer back helps greatly :) Good thing I don't have an iPhone :) At 04:57 AM 18/07/2007, Stephen Loosley wrote: >iPhones flooding wireless LAN at Duke University > >By John Cox, Network World July 17, 2007 > > >The built-in 802.11b/g adapters on several iPhones periodically >flood sections of the Durham, N.C., school's pervasive wireless LAN >with MAC address requests, temporarily knocking out anywhere from a >dozen to 30 wireless access points at a time. > >Campus network staff are talking with Cisco, the main WLAN provider, >and have opened a help desk ticket with Apple. But so far, the >precise cause of the problem remains unknown. From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Wed Jul 18 08:55:02 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:55:02 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telstra Ending I-Mode Web Mobile Service in Australia Message-ID: <20070718002609.585691F79@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> According to news reports, Telstra will cease its iMode service on 10 December 2007 . The service started in November 2004 and provides web like information on mobile phones. The service is popular in Japan but has not taken off elsewhere. The UK O2 mobile carrier is also reported to be phasing out iMode . I tried iMode when it came out and it worked okay. The iMode phones were slightly modified GSM phones and also capable of displaying ordinary web pages . However, it appears few in Australia were willing to pay a subscription for news or information on the iMode phones, when they could get the same information free on the web. No one knows why iMode is popular in Japan; one theory is that because it can be used in crowded trains on long commutes. iMode uses a derivative of HTML called Compact HTML (cHTML) . It was designed for hand held devices with small screens. This differed from the Wireless Application Protocol Version 1 (WAP 1) developed by other phone makers, which is an XML format not compatible with HTML. WAP 1 also failed to attract much support from consumers. Current mobile phones have WAP 2 which includes a subset of XHTML and thus have more compatibility with the web. Smart phones, such as Apple's iPhone have more advanced web browsers supporting HTML, XHTML and some new features of the proposed HTML 5 . However, web content on mobile phones has still not become a popular consumer product. It is not clear if large screen phones, such as the iPhone, with more advanced software will change that. Features of CSS allow web pages to be automatically adjusted, to some extent, for hand held screens. However, compromises need to be made to the web design to suit both desktop and hand held screens . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From brd at iimetro.com.au Wed Jul 18 11:44:56 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:44:56 +0800 Subject: [LINK] =?utf-8?q?=5BNZ=5D_AA_dumps_Open_Office=2C_buys_Microsoft?= =?utf-8?b?IGZvciDigJhjb21wYXRpYmlsaXR54oCZ?= Message-ID: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? Microsoft Office is not cheaper, but it is almost impossible to work out the actual cost of open-source, says CIO By Randal Jackson Computerworld Auckland Monday, 16 July, 2007 http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/A6AB17B34B1BA81ECC2573160079BFBC AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? Issues around compatibility as well as the question of future technology direction have led the Automobile Association to dump Open Office in favour of Microsoft Office. Until now, the majority of AA staff have used Open Office, with a small number also using the Microsoft product. ?[But] there are issues which come with some open-source products,? says the AA?s CIO, Doug Wilson. ?The first, with Open Office, is compatibility ? sharing information with Microsoft products, both within the organisation and with external parties. A dual world is complicated and, whether people like it or not, Microsoft is a standard. ?Second, you have no idea where open-source products are going, whereas vendors like Microsoft provide a roadmap for the future. ?It?s about futures, planning and integration.? Wilson says Microsoft Office is not any cheaper, but that it was almost impossible to work out what open-source was actually costing because of issues such as incompatibility and training. The AA?s agreement with Microsoft, for around 500 seats, includes home-usage rights, so staff can use the software at home. ?That?s important,? says Wilson. The AA has 1,000 staff. Microsoft Office will be rolled out over the next few months. The AA is also considering using Microsoft Sharepoint Server to maintain some of its websites. This would allow Office Pro users to maintain the sites directly from within Office and Word. ?A decision has still to be made on that,? says Wilson. Open Office was originally developed as a proprietary product, called Star Office, until it was purchased by Sun Microsystems in 1999, and thereafter it was made free of charge. Then, in 2000, Sun made the source code open and available for download, and community developers built around the software, at OpenOffice.org. Sun still sells a commercial version of the software, called StarOffice, and Novell has an edition, too. Market share figures for the combined versions of Open Office, from the project?s website, vary according to region and market segment. In 2003, Jupiter Research put market share in small- and medium-sized North American businesses at 6%. The next year, Forrester surveyed the top 140 North American companies and tagged Open Office?s market share at 8.5%. In 2005, the Yankee Group estimated Open Office?s market share, for small- and medium-sized businesses, at 19%. The most recent international survey, from Freeform Dynamics, puts the home market share at 20% and the business share at about 7%. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From planetjim at gmail.com Wed Jul 18 12:06:57 2007 From: planetjim at gmail.com (jim birch) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:06:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] The Athens Affair Message-ID: <39e534e70707171906s1850a1e2p3c2b28cbdb88f4d7@mail.gmail.com> Interesting (longish) article on a sophisticated operation tapping of the mobile phones of a number of Greek politicians and others. http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jul07/5280 The perpetrators installed "rootkits" (~6500 lines of code) in several base stations that took over legal wiretap systems, hid their presence, and routed conversations to other mobiles held by some other people. One or more of these people frequented a particular Athens hotel on one or more occasions. Otherwise, nothing much is known about the perpetrators, except for one phone company manager - found hung in his apartment - who was presumably involved in some way. The scam ran for around 6 months in 2004/5 before being detected accidentally. Jim From stil at stilgherrian.com Wed Jul 18 12:16:40 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:16:40 +1000 Subject: [LINK] [NZ] AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for =?ISO-8859-1?B?jA==?=compatibility=?ISO-8859-1?B?uQ==?= In-Reply-To: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: On 18/7/07 11:44 AM, "Bernard Robertson-Dunn" wrote: > AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? > Microsoft Office is not cheaper, but it is almost impossible to work out the > actual cost of open-source, says CIO [snip] > > ?Second, you have no idea where open-source products are going, whereas > vendors like Microsoft provide a roadmap for the future. And many open source projects also provide a roadmap for the future. Open Office has a roadmap document, though it's currently broken on the website. However in both cases, that roadmap can be changed without warning -- after all, roadmaps are "only" intentions, not contractual obligations. FUD. (In fact, you could argue that the open source project's roadmap is more reliable because the discussions behind it happen in public, so anyone can *see* what's being discussed as a feature. And, if a feature that you really want is missing, you can hire a programmer to add it yourself. With closed source software the answer is "bad luck, mate.") > Wilson says Microsoft Office is not any cheaper, but that it was almost > impossible to work out what open-source was actually costing because of issues > such as incompatibility and training. And, with Microsoft Office it's also "almost impossible" to work out the costs of compatibility (tried sending someone a Word 2007 file when the recipient only has Word 2003?) and training. Again, FUD. In those, the only key points he's raised, the same concerns apply to Microsoft Office as to Open Office. It looks pretty much like regurgitated propaganda from Microsoft to me. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 18 12:59:59 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:59:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] What Australia considers "a serious character flaw" Message-ID: <200707180313.l6I3DFud010025@ah.net> I'[ve just been reading some legal documents relating to Dr Haneef. They make very interesting reading. Part of the document includes what is defined by Australia as "serious and nature of conduct" that would lead to a Character Decision being made and as such a visa being revoked. What I found interesting was the order in which these matters are listed. To short cut your reading, terrorism rakes 7th on the list after Drugs, Sexual Assault, and Armed Robbery. Here's the list: 1. Drugs (dealing, selling, making etc) 2. Organised criminal activity resulting in conviction in Australia or elsewhere. 3. Serious crime against the migration Act 4. "sexual assaults are particularly repugnant to the Australian Community, especially sexual assaults involving children regardless of whether there is violence involved." [Hmm, Judges and Police and DPP ... ] 5. Armed robbery 6. murder, manslaughter, assault or any other form of violence against a person 7. terrorism 8. kidnapping 9. blackmail 10. extortion 11. arson 12. serious theft (including white collar crimes) 13. crimes against children 14. other crimes involving threat or violence [Bush won't be coming to APEC!] 15. ancillary offences in respect of any of the above. From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Wed Jul 18 13:25:00 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:25:00 +1000 Subject: [LINK] LawTechTalk: The Democratic Deficit in Copyright Law: A Legislative References: Message-ID: <05C4906C-C8D1-4B9B-9D29-BE82B108B3F3@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > > From: "David Vaile" > Date: 17 July 2007 6:56:41 PM > Subject: LawTechTalk: The Democratic Deficit in Copyright Law: A > Legislative Proposal - 25 July 1-2 UNSW > > > Dear colleagues, > > UNSW's Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre and Linux Australia invite you > to a free seminar in the 2007 Cyberspace Law and Policy Series: > > 'The Democratic Deficit in Copyright Law: A Legislative Proposal' > > Speaker: Maureen O'Sullivan, > National University of Ireland, Galway > > Date: Wednesday 25 July 2007 > Time: 1:00 to 2:00 pm, including time for questions > > Venue: Room 101, first floor > Faculty of Law building > UNSW lower campus (near Roundhouse), Kensington, Sydney > Map: > > This talk by visiting international IP researcher Maureen O'Sullivan > considers issues in Free/Libre and/or Open Source Software (FLOSS) > licensing, particularly as manifest in the recently finalised GPL > v3 and > their impact on Spanish-speaking or civil code countries, and her > proposal for an international standard law to help free software > licenses work the same in all users' countries. For a discussion of > earlier drafts of the proposal, see > > > Maureen O'Sullivan > is a > lecturer > in law, based at National University of Ireland, Galway. Maureen's > research and teaching interests span intellectual property in the > digital age, including FLOSS and Creative Commons licensing, > patents and > genetically modified organisms, Information Society policy making, > especially in Spain and Latin America, and theoretical approaches to > intellectual property. > > Entry is free, no need to book. If you are coming from off campus > please > RSVP to feedback [at] cyberlawcentre.org. > > Details also at: > > > Hope to see you there, > David > > > David Vaile > Executive Director > Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, UNSW > > Room 153, Law Building, Union Road > UNSW Kensington Campus > Sydney NSW 2052 Australia > (via Gate 2 off High Street) > > T: +61 (0)2 9385 3589 > F: +61 (0)2 9385 1778 > M: +61 (0)414 731 249 > E: d.vaile [at] unsw.edu.au > W: http://www.cyberlawcentre.org/ > > This message and any attachment(s) are intended only for the > addressee, > and may contain confidential, copyright or privileged information. > Copying, distribution or use is prohibited without permission. If you > received them in error, please disregard it, delete it and notify > us by > return email or on (02) 9385 3589. Views expressed are those of the > sender, except where expressly and with authority stated to be the > view > of UNSW. If you don't want notice of future events, please let us > know. > UNSW ABN 57 195 873 179. CRICOS Provider No. 00098G > From mail at ecommercereport.com.au Wed Jul 18 13:29:36 2007 From: mail at ecommercereport.com.au (Stewart Carter) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:29:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings Message-ID: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Dear Linkers, A couple of points I've published today (and previously) about the ACCC vs Google and The Trading Post. (and some that Alan Kohler also makes in his piece) 1, Many, many Google Adwords advertisers are bidding on brands, because they are popular keywords. 2, Google's automated submission process means that its publish first, and fix only afterwards. Yahoo's vetting first process rules out the same problem there. 3, Getting action from Google is difficult because the complaints process is facilitated via the US site and, last time I looked, specifically in terms of breaches of US law. 4, The Trading Post claims to have dumped the ad agency that was doing this for them quite some time back so why is the ACCC picking on them. Why not choose some of the many current examples? 5, This is nowhere near the first time that search engines including Google have faced actions over sponsored links. So I wonder why the ACCC thinks it has any chance at all of having sponsored links declared illegal. 6, But I understand the ACCC's action may be a world-first action in so far as it is trying to have this type of advertising declared as illegal under trade practices law ( as distinct from trademark law). The trade practices breach is because the practice deliberately misrepresents identity - i.e. passing your business off as being some other business. 7, IANAL 8, I'm running a Google Adwords workshop in Melbourne next week. Stewart Carter eCommerce Report www.ecommercereport.com.au Ph 0433 142 419 Fax 0433 142 420 mail at ecommercereport.com.au Skype: hscarter Note: If you'd prefer not to receive further emails from us please send a return email with the words delete or remove in the subject header or body of the email. From lucychili at gmail.com Wed Jul 18 14:46:52 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:16:52 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Event: danah boyd in AU Message-ID: Hi folks This event is upcoming. It won't be in Adelaide(drat!) but will be in Brisbane and Melbourne. (I am currently working with educationAU) I think danah's perspectives are really interesting for education policy because they look at the internet as a social space. She talks about the skills that students are developing as a process of participating online and the challenges around understanding how these existing social practices relate to our ways of using the internet in educational organisations. The ways that students participate online at home is based around the people and activities they are interested in. This contrasts with contexts where access and interaction are controlled. Students are functioning online at home in complex trades and communities, for example a high school student in Adelaide is one of the wikipedia bureaucrats. (One of around 12 people world wide) At school organisational risk defines the space and the possible interactions. This has a cost in terms of how rich the education space is in comparison to the home environment as well as how much learning and what kinds of learning about online participation can be achieved. danah explores both the risks and the opportunities around these challenges. danah did an interview with the Knowledge Tree http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2007/?page_id=28 and there is a podcast here http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/seminar/ Janet ===== Generation MySpace - Social networking and its impact on students and education http://educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/pid/479 Where * August 6 - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre * August 8 - Melbourne RACV Club, 17th Floor 501 Bourke Street Melbourne. When 9:30am - 4.00 pm Cost Registration $300 AUD (inc GST) Group bookings of 10 receive a complimentary registration. Contact Julie Cook for further information - jcook at educationau.edu.au From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Wed Jul 18 15:07:58 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:07:58 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> References: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> Message-ID: <469DA02E.6050905@ozemail.com.au> Stewart (and Roger) (An aside: I find it interesting that there are, not necessarily on-Link but in the wider world, a host of people who will defend Google to the death. What the hell, Google is a giant company and probably doesn't need unpaid white knights to protect its honor!) > > 1, Many, many Google Adwords advertisers are bidding on brands, > because they are popular keywords. > > 2, Google's automated submission process means that its publish first, > and fix only afterwards. > Yahoo's vetting first process rules out the same problem there. You could make a case that (1) and (2), taken together, would away from the Internet look very much like institutionalised corruption - "whoever gives the king the biggest bribe will have letters patent issued for a monopoly over the pepper trade". Google created the mechanism, recognises the vulnerabilities, and then says "but we did nothing wrong". > 3, Getting action from Google is difficult because the complaints > process is facilitated via the US site > and, last time I looked, specifically in terms of breaches of US law. ...whereas legal action at a high enough level seems to work wonders of speed from the otherwise glacial bureaucracy of Google corporate. Try this: search for the word "travel" on google.com.au and on google.com. As a result of the ACCC action, the 'sponsored links' at the top of the page are gone from the Australian site! For this, we should give thanks to the ACCC for having removed a pestilence from the Web, even if only briefly. "China Democracy! Thousands of Sellers on eBay Right Now!" is now confined to the right-hand bar, well out of the eyeline of sensible people... > > 4, The Trading Post claims to have dumped the ad agency that was doing > this for them quite some time > back so why is the ACCC picking on them. Why not choose some of the > many current examples? When the story first broke I checked in on Google and Kloster Ford was still getting the Trading Post treatment. TP may have sacked the ad agency but it seemed to have left the particular Adword in place ... so the example was current when the action was taken. It's also worth remembering that it takes time to frame the legal complaint! > > 5, This is nowhere near the first time that search engines including > Google have faced actions over sponsored links. > So I wonder why the ACCC thinks it has any chance at all of having > sponsored links declared illegal. I'm not sure that Google has faced that many cases in Australia. Cases in the US saying "this is legal" aren't relevant to the legality of the activity in Australia. So the ACCC may think it has a case, based on its reading of Australian law and precedent. Personally, there's an "eating itself" characteristic to Google's advertising activities. As a thought experiment: "The reason the AdWords arms race exists is because declining effectiveness of keyword advertising makes companies spend money attracting very small increments of extra clicks. At some point, a singularity may be considered inevitable: either a new technique will arise offering far greater 'bangs per buck', or advertisers will redirect their dollars to other marketing techniques which appear more effective (some of which may well be non-advertising activities). The outcome of the AdWords arms race in the long term is likely to be either a shrinkage of Google's market, or a shrinkage of the advertising market as a whole. Discuss." I'm not asserting positively that this statement is true or not - hell, it's a prophecy from a blind, mad Sybil, if you like - but it wouldn't surprise me. RC From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 18 16:10:04 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:10:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: <469DA02E.6050905@ozemail.com.au> References: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> <469DA02E.6050905@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <200707180610.l6I6AIDY013942@ah.net> Speaking of which i thought I might toss "ACCC" into goggle and was very surprised at the results. At 03:07 PM 18/07/2007, Richard Chirgwin wrote: >Stewart (and Roger) > >(An aside: I find it interesting that there are, not necessarily >on-Link but in the wider world, a host of people who will defend >Google to the death. What the hell, Google is a giant company and >probably doesn't need unpaid white knights to protect its honor!) >> >>1, Many, many Google Adwords advertisers are bidding on brands, >>because they are popular keywords. From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 18 16:53:30 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:53:30 GMT Subject: [LINK] speaking of microsoft's plans Message-ID: <20070718065330.6059B16624@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> At 11:44 AM 18/07/2007, Bernard quoted: > whereas vendors like Microsoft provide a roadmap for the future. At some risk of appearing pro-microsoft, here's what they say today. Note: The following email forwarded to link for information purposes. Guys, any complaint re my once-only action will be cheerfully ignored :-) At 03:43 PM 18/07/2007, Microsoft wrote: It's been awhile since I've been in the editorial chair but it's good to be back and as the headline says it's a great time to be mobile. Windows Mobile 6.0 is out now and there are many great new devices coming to the market. Thanks to Grace Kerrison, our Business Group lead for mobility, I got my hands on a new Dopod C730 running Windows Mobile 6.0 and I have to say it's fantastic! It's great device that has everything I need. Check out my blog soon as I'm going to do a full review on it soon. But what does Windows Mobile mean for your business? If you want to find out the impact of deploying a Windows Mobile solution then check out the Windows Mobile Business Value Calculator and if you want to determine if Windows Mobile is right for your organization then check out the Windows Mobile Business Resource Kit . There has also been a lot of excitement building around Windows PowerShell which is our new command line scripting engine based on the .NET common language runtime. More and more IT Pro's are discovering the power of what you can do with this tool. The bottom line is you can automate all those common administrative tasks you have to do every day. If you already use PowerShell and want to get more out of it then check out the July edition of Technet Magazine and in particular Don Jones' article on Rethinking the Pipeline . For scripts on Windows Powershell go to the Technet Script Center and of course the Windows Powershell Team Blog has up to the minute information. Till next time, Jeffa Jeffa ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Help us decide the sessions at the next Microsoft Australia Security Roadshow Instead of us sitting inside a room deciding what sessions to place at the next Security Roadshow, why don't you help us decide? Select the sessions from the online poll we have set up. We want to hear from you! Windows Home Server released to manufacturing This project began back in February 2004 under the name "Quattro" and it's great to finally see it ready. Some of the devices that we have seen have looked very slick. We have had 100,000+ take part in the beta program of Windows Home Server. Mobile Search V2 released The Mobile Search team has released V2 of the rich client application for Windows Mobile, as well as a major update to the browser based interface. Whether you have a J2ME (Java) phone, Windows Mobile phone, or any other device with a mobile browser, Live Search has you covered with maps, directions and business search. The J2ME and Windows mobile applications add a bunch of advanced features not possible in the browser based app. There's also a beta version of the client app for Blackberry devices. Create your own Simpsons Avatar We are huge fans of the Simpsons here at TechNet and we are really looking forward to the new movie coming up. The new website has a feature where you can create your own Simpsons character, try it out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HTC Touch Windows Mobile 6 Device We already have a few guys in the office with these devices. The device has a technology called TouchFLO which is a combination of hardware and software by swiping a finger across the display. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, supports microSD, 2mp camera and a 240x320 resolution touchscreen. NASA researchers working on biological nanobattery Nanoscale devices are often powered by devices larger than the actual device. NASA is working on solving that problem by working on nanobatteries to power nanoscale devices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2007 Microsoft Office System Virtual Labs Get hands-on with the key features and components of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Walk through installation and configuration and explore the new components around administration, collaboration, and business intelligence. Experience common deployment and integration scenarios that can help you make better choices when planning your rollout. Windows Server 2008 Beta Is Now Available for Download The next generation of the Windows Server operating system gives you more control, greater flexibility, and increased protection for your server infrastructure while reducing time and costs. And when you download or order the beta software, you're automatically registered to access valuable beta resources assembled in one convenient Beta Central location. Discover How to Modify Boot Configuration Parameters In the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Editor FAQ, find out what the BCD store is, why it was created, where it's located in the registry, how to modify it, and more. Improve Security with Windows Mobile 6 Smartphones and PDAs offer access to the network from outside the office, but they can also expose the network to new vulnerabilities. Here's a guide to how Windows Mobile 6 and Microsoft Exchange Server can help protect your company's mobile devices and infrastructure. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sydney Windows Mobile User Group If you want to know about all things mobile then you can't miss the Sydney Windows Mobile User Group. The group meets the 1st Tuesday of each month with the mission to evangelise all things Windows Mobile and provide a network of Windows Mobile professionals that can assist with all your Windows Mobile needs. Plus they always have the latest gadgets on display! Not to be missed! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft Debuts Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 is now available for download. This popular Windows Vista deployment tool offers IT professionals a quick way to assess their existing computers' readiness for Windows Vista in terms of hardware and device compatibility. The new version provides selective inventory, enhanced scalability for larger corporate networks and assessment for Office 2007. Download this free tool today ! Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Is Now Available for Download Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is the server virtualisation technology engineered for the Windows Server operating system to increase hardware utilization and enable IT staff to rapidly configure and deploy new servers. Register to download the free software and you will receive relevant resources that are strategically assembled to address the challenges you will face as you discover, assess, and deploy the software. Download Office Project Server 2007 Evaluation Software Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 delivers key performance enhancements for large organisations that manage complex programs and portfolios with a globally distributed work force. Try it today . Start Planning for Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office System Migration Using Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 It's time to take advantage of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Download the new and improved Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 tool to help you determine your computers' readiness and the upgrades that may be required for your migration project. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows Vista - 6 Month Vulnerability Report Windows Vista continues to show a trend of fewer total and fewer high severity vulnerabilities at the 6 month mark compared to its predecessor product Windows XP (which did not benefit from the SDL) and compared to other modern competitive workstation OSes (which also did not benefit from an SDL-like process). Review the details now. Introducing the Microsoft Malware Protection Center The Microsoft Malware Protect Center portal provides up-to-date information about current threats, and news. Now available: The Malware Removal Starter Kit The kit provides IT professionals in small- and medium-sized organisations with tested guidance and tool recommendations to help combat malware attacks and restore infected systems. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ? How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows Vista- based computers ? How to manually download the latest Security State Assessment definition updates for Microsoft Forefront Client Security ? How to submit malicious software files to Microsoft for analysis ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ? FIX: The Cluster Discrimination tab is empty when you browse a clustering model of SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services in SQL Server BIDS ? FIX: You cannot cancel an MDX query that runs for a long time in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services ? FIX: A server may start slowly if you have SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services installed and if many objects are stored on the server ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ? After you apply security update 929123, you may be prompted by a dialog box that requests more input about how to continue when you browse a Web site ? Problems with the network, hard disk drive, or storage drivers cause a program to stop unexpectedly in Windows Vista ? A red "X" appears in the icon for a mapped network drive in Windows Vista, even though you can successfully access the drive See a selection of new Knowledge Base articles on the TechNet Web site. KB articles feature an Article Translations box in the right column. You can select a language from the drop-down list and read the article in the selected language. Also available via RSS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ? Dev CodeCamp NZ ? SkypeIn has NZ numbers ? 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Windows Server 2003 ? Windows Server "Longhorn" ? Security ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to receive the latest Webcasts when released Upcoming Webcasts ====================================================================== Legal Information. This newsletter was sent by Microsoft Pty Ltd 1 Epping Rd North Ryde, NSW, Australia 2113 ? 2007 Microsoft Pty Ltd. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -- Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server From kauer at biplane.com.au Wed Jul 18 21:35:33 2007 From: kauer at biplane.com.au (Karl Auer) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:35:33 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? Message-ID: <1184758533.26916.5.camel@karl> Does anyone have the Haneef interview transcript? It has been removed from the Australian's site. I'd like to read it, but was too late :-( Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer at nullarbor.com.au) +61-2-64957435 (w) http://www.nullarbor.com.au +61-428-957160 (mob) From kim.holburn at gmail.com Thu Jul 19 01:53:37 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:53:37 +0200 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <1184758533.26916.5.camel@karl> References: <1184758533.26916.5.camel@karl> Message-ID: It's still on fairfax http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/barrister-admits-haneef-leak/ 2007/07/18/1184559847836.html http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf http://www.smh.com.au/pdf/haneef_documents.pdf On 2007/Jul/18, at 1:35 PM, Karl Auer wrote: > Does anyone have the Haneef interview transcript? It has been removed > from the Australian's site. > > I'd like to read it, but was too late :-( > > Regards, K. > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~ > Karl Auer (kauer at nullarbor.com.au) +61-2-64957435 (w) > http://www.nullarbor.com.au +61-428-957160 > (mob) > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From lucychili at gmail.com Thu Jul 19 07:34:00 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:04:00 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: [FC-discuss] FCC comments re: NBC: Don't break the Internet In-Reply-To: <1585351825.36191184770430286.JavaMail.osg@osgjas03.cns.ufl.edu> References: <1585351825.36191184770430286.JavaMail.osg@osgjas03.cns.ufl.edu> Message-ID: crossing the streams again =) Cheers Janet ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gavin Baker to A2K list http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1096 "A few weeks ago, NBC Universal filed comments in the FCC???s proceeding on 'Broadband Industry Practices.' It asked that the FCC require that Internet Service Providers institute 'bandwidth management tools'???its code for network filters???to try to screen the Internet of copyright infringement. Yesterday, we filed our response, joined by Consumer Federation of America, EDUCAUSE, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Privacy Information Center, FreeCulture.org, Free Press, Knowledge Ecology International, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, and U.S. Public Interest Research Group." From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Wed Jul 18 15:53:24 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:53:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] SMH: 'Vanishing up each other's google' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20070719001611.9B86E65A5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 09:09 AM 18/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >[Here's Alan Kohler's typically pithy take on the case being run by >the Australian competition regulator ACCC against Google. ... Some months ago I tried out Google AdWords, buying some ads to see how it worked . I limited myself to about 15 cents per ad and tried some very precise targeting, such as only readers within 30 km of the parliament houses in Canberra, Sydney and Beijing, who are interested in urban transportation policy for busways. This cost me a few dollars a month (there are not that many advertisers interested in advertising government policy, or people wanting to read it). To make it more commercial, I also tried some ads for selling model trains. I tried to place an ad for a model of the Thalys high speed European train I had travelled on . The ad was refused by Google's system, as "Thalys" is a trademark of the train company. So Google apparently goes to some effort to automatically check that terms are not misused. But the rules about use of business names are somewhat looser than trademarks and would be difficult to automate. Using e-commerce in another language to sell things like David Malouf in German and French , is not so difficult. But Japanese is much more difficult . Imagine trying to make sure you did not accidently misuse some trademark or other term in the process. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 19 12:25:03 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:25:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] auDA Notice of 2007 Extraordinary General Meeting Message-ID: <677729.37284.qm@web50107.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hi all, there may be some Link subscribers who are interested in this auDA EGM. The online version is at http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-16072007/. Anyone have any comments? cheers David NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING of the Members of .AU DOMAIN ADMINISTRATION LIMITED ACN 079 009 340 will be held at: Maddocks Lawyers Angel Place, 123 Pitt Street Sydney on 13 August 2007 at 10.00 am. A member of the Company is entitled to attend and vote or appoint a proxy to attend and vote on their behalf. A proxy need not be a member. To appoint a proxy, you must return your proxy form to the following address by delivery, mail or facsimile by 5.00pm on 10 August 2007: .au Domain Administration Limited 114 Cardigan Street Carlton VIC 3053 Facsimile: 03 8341 4112 Business 1. To consider, and if appropriate, pass the special resolutions to amend the constitution of the Company, in the manner set out in the annexure to this Notice. 2. To transact any other business which may lawfully be brought before the meeting. To read the "Annexure to EGM Notice - Explanatory Memorandum" see http://auda.org.au/document.php?documentid=927 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 19 12:30:24 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:30:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: References: <1184758533.26916.5.camel@karl> Message-ID: <200707190230.l6J2UZTW012991@ah.net> At 01:53 AM 19/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >It's still on fairfax > >http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/barrister-admits-haneef-leak/ >2007/07/18/1184559847836.html That's a story with no links to the PDF >http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf That's the document we want to get our hands on. >http://www.smh.com.au/pdf/haneef_documents.pdf That's not the transcript that's the Ministers Assessment to cancel the visa. All the cache has been removed from Google too. George Orwell would be pleased. This Month the Government has made Criminal Charges against me non existent, but still exist on my record, and made a transcript that is legally public information vanish. Haneef will probably find himself in Room 101 before too long. All Praise John Howard (holds arms in the air) From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 19 12:49:15 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:49:15 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? Message-ID: <200707190249.l6J2nPGn013434@ah.net> Following up on this. I've been hitting google for about the last hour with a very precise sent of keywords. Originally there were 620 pages found, then it rapidly dropped to 523, ten minutes ago it was 554, now it's 559. Interesting huh! At 01:53 AM 19/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >It's still on fairfax > >http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/barrister-admits-haneef-leak/ >2007/07/18/1184559847836.html That's a story with no links to the PDF >http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf That's the document we want to get our hands on. >http://www.smh.com.au/pdf/haneef_documents.pdf That's not the transcript that's the Ministers Assessment to cancel the visa. All the cache has been removed from Google too. George Orwell would be pleased. This Month the Government has made Criminal Charges against me non existent, but still exist on my record, and made a transcript that is legally public information vanish. Haneef will probably find himself in Room 101 before too long. All Praise John Howard (holds arms in the air) From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 19 13:02:53 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:02:53 +1000 Subject: Fwd: Re: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? Message-ID: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> 13:00 and still following up, google now reports 553 pages, with some that were there an hour ago literally vanishing for no reason at all. Even the web site has just vanished. It's like the Ministry of Truth. All I can say in opinion is that at the rate things are going Haneef will have a hard time in any of the courts - having had my own experiences. The courts today rely less and less on the burden of proof being on the Applicant or the Plaintiff and more and more on the Defendant disproving the allegations. I think this Haneef thing is a smoke screen for something far more sinister that no one is noticing. >Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:49:15 +1000 >From: Adam Todd >Subject: Re: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? > >Following up on this. > >I've been hitting google for about the last hour with a very precise >sent of keywords. > >Originally there were 620 pages found, then it rapidly dropped to >523, ten minutes ago it was 554, now it's 559. > >Interesting huh! > > > > >At 01:53 AM 19/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >>It's still on fairfax >> >>http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/barrister-admits-haneef-leak/ >>2007/07/18/1184559847836.html > >That's a story with no links to the PDF > >>http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf > >That's the document we want to get our hands on. > > >>http://www.smh.com.au/pdf/haneef_documents.pdf > >That's not the transcript that's the Ministers Assessment to cancel the visa. > > >All the cache has been removed from Google too. > >George Orwell would be pleased. > >This Month the Government has made Criminal Charges against me non >existent, but still exist on my record, and made a transcript that >is legally public information vanish. > >Haneef will probably find himself in Room 101 before too long. > >All Praise John Howard (holds arms in the air) > > From kim.holburn at gmail.com Thu Jul 19 15:50:15 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:50:15 +0200 Subject: =?WINDOWS-1252?Q?Re:_[LINK]_[NZ]_AA_dumps_Open_Office,_buys_Micr?= =?WINDOWS-1252?Q?osoft_for_=91compatibility=92?= In-Reply-To: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> References: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <156E426D-0638-4D80-9EB9-F94D8D55912E@gmail.com> On 2007/Jul/18, at 3:44 AM, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? > Microsoft Office is not cheaper, but it is almost impossible to > work out the actual cost of open-source, says CIO > By Randal Jackson > Computerworld > Auckland > Monday, 16 July, 2007 > http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/ > A6AB17B34B1BA81ECC2573160079BFBC > > AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? > > Issues around compatibility as well as the question of future > technology direction have led the Automobile Association to dump > Open Office in favour of Microsoft Office. > > Until now, the majority of AA staff have used Open Office, with a > small number also using the Microsoft product. > > ?[But] there are issues which come with some open-source products,? > says the AA?s CIO, Doug Wilson. > > ?The first, with Open Office, is compatibility ? sharing > information with Microsoft products, both within the organisation > and with external parties. A dual world is complicated and, whether > people like it or not, Microsoft is a standard. Hmmm.... Actually it's not a standard and currently Oo can read and write MSOff documents. > ?Second, you have no idea where open-source products are going, > whereas vendors like Microsoft provide a roadmap for the future. Well OO is going towards ODF which is a standard in the very real sense of the word. Other programs can read and write ODF for free. That sounds like a road map to me. Microsoft's roadmap to the future? 1) Add lots of new features that make MSOff incompatible with previous versions and any other programs that can currently read and write it's documents. 2) Make sure the default way of saving documents is the new incompatible format. 3) Profit > ?It?s about futures, planning and integration.? True it is. > Wilson says Microsoft Office is not any cheaper, Not true. > but that it was almost impossible to work out what open-source was > actually costing because of issues such as incompatibility and > training. Well wouldn't that be his job? To work out costing? It's not that hard. You certainly can work out what the licensing costs of MS Office are. The costs of incompatibility and training are the same for MSOff upgrades as for Oo. > The AA?s agreement with Microsoft, for around 500 seats, includes > home-usage rights, so staff can use the software at home. ?That?s > important,? says Wilson. The AA has 1,000 staff. Actually they can't, it means they can only use MSOff at home if they get a MS Windows based machine at home. They can use OO at home with no problems at all. > Microsoft Office will be rolled out over the next few months. > > The AA is also considering using Microsoft Sharepoint Server to > maintain some of its websites. This would allow Office Pro users to > maintain the sites directly from within Office and Word. Heh, heh. > ?A decision has still to be made on that,? says Wilson. > > Open Office was originally developed as a proprietary product, > called Star Office, until it was purchased by Sun Microsystems in > 1999, and thereafter it was made free of charge. Then, in 2000, Sun > made the source code open and available for download, and community > developers built around the software, at OpenOffice.org. > > Sun still sells a commercial version of the software, called > StarOffice, and Novell has an edition, too. > > Market share figures Market_Share_Analysis> for the combined versions of Open Office, > from the project?s website, vary according to region and market > segment. In 2003, Jupiter Research put market share in small- and > medium-sized North American businesses at 6%. The next year, > Forrester surveyed the top 140 North American companies and tagged > Open Office?s market share at 8.5%. In 2005, the Yankee Group > estimated Open Office?s market share, for small- and medium-sized > businesses, at 19%. The most recent international survey, from > Freeform Dynamics, puts the home market share at 20% and the > business share at about 7%. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From marghanita at ramin.com.au Thu Jul 19 16:12:58 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:12:58 +1000 Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?Re=3A_=5BLINK=5D_=5BNZ=5D_AA_dumps_Op?= =?windows-1252?Q?en_Office=2C_buys_Microsoft_for_=91compatibil?= =?windows-1252?Q?ity=92?= In-Reply-To: <156E426D-0638-4D80-9EB9-F94D8D55912E@gmail.com> References: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> <156E426D-0638-4D80-9EB9-F94D8D55912E@gmail.com> Message-ID: <469F00EA.7010707@ramin.com.au> Kim Holburn wrote: > > On 2007/Jul/18, at 3:44 AM, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? >> Microsoft Office is not cheaper, but it is almost impossible to work >> out the actual cost of open-source, says CIO >> By Randal Jackson >> Computerworld >> Auckland >> Monday, 16 July, 2007 >> http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/A6AB17B34B1BA81ECC2573160079BFBC >> but that it was almost impossible to work out what open-source was >> actually costing because of issues such as incompatibility and training. > > Well wouldn't that be his job? To work out costing? It's not that > hard. You certainly can work out what the licensing costs of MS Office > are. The costs of incompatibility and training are the same for MSOff > upgrades as for Oo. The incompatibility problem is most likely that if AA people send OO documents/spreadsheets, in (ODS/ODT) formats, to MS users outside the organisation, the recipients can't read them. As an OO user, I assume the rest of the world is using MSWord and email MSWord format documents - though I am contemplating using PDF or maybe HTML. Unfortunately text only emails don't handle tables very well. Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au Thu Jul 19 16:52:48 2007 From: pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au (Paul Brooks) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:52:48 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telco Trivia Message-ID: <469F0A40.6050806@layer10.com.au> Because it will shortly be Friday.... http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=93870&t=2&en=1 Managers take calls in their PJs, survey shows. Plus other strange stories from the past seven days in telecoms, including bathroom bungles and beauty basics. ** *Pyjamas threaten future of video conferencing* 44% of CEOs or equivalent level senior managers would prefer /not/ to include a video element in conference calls... because they are often sitting at home in their pyjamas, according to a new survey into the habits of smartphone and PDA users published Tuesday by Avaya. Smartphone users are twice as likely to take a call from a toilet than 'traditional' mobile users, the survey also revealed, while 17% of the 2,200 respondents said they had taken a nap during a conference call, and more than half admitted to participating wearing a bathrobe or less. *HP grooms beauty queens* HP plans to change the way people shop for cosmetics by offering a mobile beauty consultancy service. Last week the tech firm unveiled its new colour-matching technology and explained how it can be applied to the cosmetics industry. Described by HP as a "virtual beauty consultant in the palm of their hands," the technology enables shoppers to photograph themselves holding a specially designed colour chart using their camera phone. They then send the photo to an advisory service which responds by SMS with recommendations on the shades of makeup that are best suited to their complexion. HP insists that the technology also has other applications, including in the healthcare industry, and is seeking partnerships with retailers and manufacturers. *Broken iPhone going for over $1,000* Bids for what remains of a broken iPhone currently being listed on eBay have passed the $1,000 mark. The handset in question was made famous among YouTube aficionados when it was blended by Tom Dickson of blender manufacturer BlendTec on the company's online show, 'Will it blend?' The iPhone last week turned to dust very shortly after Dickson said, "I think I'm going to push the smoothie button." Unfortunately the smashed iPhone ? which comes with a BlendTec blender, a 'Will it blend?' DVD and T-shirt ? is only available to customers in the U.S. The auction ends on 20 July. *?342 million down the pan* Still on the subject of broken mobiles, research by SimplySwitch.com has revealed that U.K. mobile phone users drop 855,000 handsets down the toilet each year. Based on the overall cost to replace a consumer's mobile, the comparison site claims this adds up to ?342 million worth of flushed handsets. Although bathroom-related mishaps claim the most phones, 810,000 are left in pubs, 315,000 are driven off in taxis, while 225,000 are left on the bus. Further still, the research showed that more than 115,000 end up in the washing machine, and nearly 60,000 are chewed up by dogs. 28% of men surveyed admitted breaking or losing a phone in the last year, compared with 26% of women. "Of the 18 million new handsets bought in the U.K every year, roughly 4.5 million will end up lost or damaged," said Karen Darby from SimplySwitch.com. Let's just hope these unlucky mobile owners are feeling flush... From brd at iimetro.com.au Thu Jul 19 16:55:40 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:55:40 +0800 Subject: [LINK] Re-Vote Likely After E-Vote Error Message-ID: <59196.1184828140@iimetro.com.au> Re-Vote Likely After E-Vote Error A California judge appears set to nullify an election result voting down medical use of marijuana after an e-voting lawsuit. Stephen Lawson IDG News Service Saturday, July 14, 2007 3:00 PM PDT http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134572-c,legalissues/article.html A California judge is likely to order a Berkeley city initiative back on the ballot because of local officials' mishandling of electronic voting machine data, a public-interest lawyer arguing the case said Friday. In a preliminary ruling Thursday, Judge Winifred Smith of the Alameda County Superior Court indicated she would nullify the defeat of a medical marijuana proposal in Berkeley in 2004 and order the measure put back on the ballot in a later election. A hearing on Friday morning in advance of a final ruling brought out nothing that indicated Smith would deviate from her preliminary decision, said attorney Gregory Luke, who is representing Americans for Safe Access. The medical-marijuana advocacy group is suing the county, assisted by the technology rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation. The case points to the dangers of electronic voting systems, which make it harder to ensure fair elections, Luke said. Electronic voting machines have been widely adopted in the U.S. since the disputed presidential election of 2000. Laws in California and some other states now require paper records of all votes, but the California law wasn't in place for the Berkeley election. Both sides argued their cases before Smith on Friday in a last-ditch hearing on the proposed sanctions, according to Luke. The hearing brought out nothing new that suggested Smith would change direction, he said. Americans for Free Access sought a recount of the vote on Measure R, which would have established procedures for opening marijuana dispensaries in Berkeley. It lost by fewer than 200 votes. A recount wasn't possible because the city didn't share the necessary voting records, in violation of election laws, Judge Smith ruled in April. In May, the county agreed to share some data. The county reused voting machines from Diebold Election Systems Inc. without saving sufficient data to carry out a recount or review the election process, Luke said. Officials failed to save key evidence even after the suit was pending, he said. Data from the vote in question has only been found on 20 of the hundreds of machines used in the election, according to Luke. In addition to ordering another vote on Measure R, Judge Smith's preliminary ruling called for the county to pay the US$22,604 cost of the recount, as well as attorney's fees and the cost of a trip to Diebold offices in Texas. Ordering a new vote is a rare move for a court, Luke said. "This is a very severe sanction. ... and it's warranted," he said Friday. Luke expects a final ruling in the case within two weeks. The county could appeal to a higher court if the ruling goes against it, he said. Attorneys for the county were not immediately available for comment. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From lucychili at gmail.com Fri Jul 20 01:00:40 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:30:40 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: <200707180610.l6I6AIDY013942@ah.net> References: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> <469DA02E.6050905@ozemail.com.au> <200707180610.l6I6AIDY013942@ah.net> Message-ID: I think this is interesting from a consumer perspective. It is interesting because the ACCC seem to be arguing from the perspective of the right for the brand to control the search outcomes(holler if I'm wrong). As a consumer when I search for one thing I get a range of brands which might be of interest because others have recognised some kind of probability around my searching practices. Currently this is sold by auction or high bid like ebay or realestate. I guess I can see that this means someone can buy the space around that keyword but I do not see how giving the brand owner the right to control the information space around their product in an open search is in the consumer's best interests. eg if i search for stuff about sony rootkits or laptop batteries it is the diversity of the responses I get which is in my best interests. If I search for coke I get a lot of coca cola links, some links on coke as coal, one link on pepsi and one on cocaine. The pepsi and cocaine links fall under related search. If I look for pepsi i get a lot of pepsi stuff and coke as a related search. That seems pretty healthy to me. I don't really understand why a consumer organisation is going to court in order to change this unless they are going to mandate that consumers are able to see all the alternative products. I can't imagine that would be easy to do so I can only assume if the ACCC wins I get to see less options. It is possible I have missed something obvious but I think it is a bit strange. Janet From lucychili at gmail.com Fri Jul 20 02:33:05 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:03:05 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Keynote at cegsa raises bandwidth and copyright as barriers to education Message-ID: http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2007/07/19/gerry-white-opening-keynote-cegsa/ From sylvano at gnomon.com.au Fri Jul 20 07:03:19 2007 From: sylvano at gnomon.com.au (sylvano) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 07:03:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: ACCC vs Google & Telstra [misleading results] In-Reply-To: References: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> <200707180610.l6I6AIDY013942@ah.net> Message-ID: <200707200703.19947.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> On Friday 20 July 2007 01:00, Janet Hawtin wrote: > I don't really understand why a consumer organisation is going to > court in order to change this unless they are going to mandate that > consumers are able to see all the alternative products. I can't > imagine that would be easy to do so I can only assume if the ACCC wins > I get to see less options. Only because the ACCC is commissioned to administer the Act, and so they assess particular contexts, see if the Act applies and determine the likelihood of legal action succeeding, priorities on acting given resources, etc. Consider the case of "Louis Vuitton" who got a win in French courts against Google. Type their name into Google.com and should notice something.... no paid advertisements. I agree with you that the variety of search results is important and expected, but the wrangling that is in play relates to specifically to paid ad placements and how different commercial entities are leveraging the use of Google's commercially based "sponsored link" results, which aren't search results. They're advertisements. The sidebar adverts in Google have always been a fine thing that respect. A distinct list of paid ads. The top of search results advertisements muddy the waters, and *I think* that the thrust of the ACCC action with google and telstra relates to those adverts in that position and how that may constitute a misleading action. A regular Joe user, coming to google, and typing in "blah" may click on a paid link at the top of the search results naturally assuming that it was the best natural result, and not an ad. ie mislead. BTW, regarding misleading search resuls... consider google.com vs google.com.au I find it annoying at times (depending on what I search for) that searching the web from the .au google domain, with the option of searching "the web" checked (not "pages from Australia") usually does diddly squat. It ain't actually an option or real worth. You have to physically force google to operate from its .com or country specific domain to get a different view of content on the internet. Sylvano -- What next for computer games? http://www.gnomon.com.au/cgi/svy/survey.pl?sc=CompGames From karl at karl.net.au Fri Jul 20 08:17:42 2007 From: karl at karl.net.au (Karl Schaffarczyk) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:17:42 +1000 Subject: Fwd: Re: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: Dear Adam, I generally don't mind your posts, you carry out the important duty to keep me informed of possible conspiracy theories, so my right-wing fascist brain can remain balanced. Could you please NOT reply to your own posts? - I think you have done so three times! Regards Karl > > >13:00 and still following up, google now reports 553 pages, with some >that were there an hour ago literally vanishing for no reason at >all. Even the web site has just vanished. > >It's like the Ministry of Truth. > >All I can say in opinion is that at the rate things are going Haneef >will have a hard time in any of the courts - having had my own >experiences. The courts today rely less and less on the burden of >proof being on the Applicant or the Plaintiff and more and more on >the Defendant disproving the allegations. > >I think this Haneef thing is a smoke screen for something far more >sinister that no one is noticing. > > >>Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:49:15 +1000 >>From: Adam Todd >>Subject: Re: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? >> >>Following up on this. >> >>I've been hitting google for about the last hour with a very precise >>sent of keywords. >> >>Originally there were 620 pages found, then it rapidly dropped to >>523, ten minutes ago it was 554, now it's 559. >> >>Interesting huh! >> >> >> >> >>At 01:53 AM 19/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >>>It's still on fairfax >>> >>>http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/barrister-admits-haneef-leak/ >>>2007/07/18/1184559847836.html >> >>That's a story with no links to the PDF >> >>>http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf >> >>That's the document we want to get our hands on. > > >> >>>http://www.smh.com.au/pdf/haneef_documents.pdf >> >>That's not the transcript that's the Ministers Assessment to cancel the visa. >> >> >>All the cache has been removed from Google too. >> >>George Orwell would be pleased. >> >>This Month the Government has made Criminal Charges against me non >>existent, but still exist on my record, and made a transcript that >>is legally public information vanish. >> >>Haneef will probably find himself in Room 101 before too long. >> >>All Praise John Howard (holds arms in the air) >> > > > > From karl at karl.net.au Fri Jul 20 08:34:39 2007 From: karl at karl.net.au (Karl Schaffarczyk) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:34:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: Hi Janet, I think the main thrust of the case may have been missed in your posting. The facts of the case as I understand them are: A company with trade mark Stickybeek(tm) was running a cars for sale type website. The trading post paid google for some ads, which is OK. The trading post opted to have their ad displayed when 'Stickybeek' was one of the search terms, which I understand is *still* OK. However, the trading post's ad looked something like this (my mock-up, not an actual ad): Stickybeek Look for your car online Choose from 1000s of listings. and what makes it *NOT* OK in this case and why the ACCC are persuing it, is that when a user clicked on the ad, it led the browser to the trading post website! As I understand the case, no-one would have been complaining if the paid ad had said it was the trading post. I think the ABC covered this case on news radio. Regards Karl > > >I think this is interesting from a consumer perspective. >It is interesting because the ACCC seem to be arguing from the >perspective of the right for the brand to control the search >outcomes(holler if I'm wrong). >As a consumer when I search for one thing I get a range of brands >which might be of interest because others have recognised some kind of >probability around my searching practices. Currently this is sold by >auction or high bid like ebay or realestate. > >I guess I can see that this means someone can buy the space around >that keyword >but I do not see how giving the brand owner the right to control the >information space around their product in an open search is in the >consumer's best interests. eg if i search for stuff about sony >rootkits or laptop batteries it is the diversity of the responses I >get which is in my best interests. > >If I search for coke I get a lot of coca cola links, some links on >coke as coal, one link on pepsi and one on cocaine. The pepsi and >cocaine links fall under related search. > >If I look for pepsi i get a lot of pepsi stuff and coke as a related search. > >That seems pretty healthy to me. >I don't really understand why a consumer organisation is going to >court in order to change this unless they are going to mandate that >consumers are able to see all the alternative products. I can't >imagine that would be easy to do so I can only assume if the ACCC wins >I get to see less options. > >It is possible I have missed something obvious but I think it is a >bit strange. > >Janet > From marghanita at ramin.com.au Fri Jul 20 08:56:52 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:56:52 +1000 Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?Re=3A_=5BLINK=5D_=5BNZ=5D_AA_dumps_Op?= =?windows-1252?Q?en_Office=2C_buys_Microsoft_for_=91compatibil?= =?windows-1252?Q?ity=92?= In-Reply-To: <469F0D1D.7030902@lannet.com.au> References: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> <156E426D-0638-4D80-9EB9-F94D8D55912E@gmail.com> <469F00EA.7010707@ramin.com.au> <469F0D1D.7030902@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <469FEC34.4060701@ramin.com.au> Howard Lowndes wrote: > > > Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >> Kim Holburn wrote: >>> >>> On 2007/Jul/18, at 3:44 AM, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >>>> AA dumps Open Office, buys Microsoft for ?compatibility? >>>> Microsoft Office is not cheaper, but it is almost impossible to work >>>> out the actual cost of open-source, says CIO >>>> By Randal Jackson >>>> Computerworld >>>> Auckland >>>> Monday, 16 July, 2007 >>>> http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/A6AB17B34B1BA81ECC2573160079BFBC >>>> >> >>>> but that it was almost impossible to work out what open-source was >>>> actually costing because of issues such as incompatibility and >>>> training. >>> >>> Well wouldn't that be his job? To work out costing? It's not that >>> hard. You certainly can work out what the licensing costs of MS >>> Office are. The costs of incompatibility and training are the same >>> for MSOff upgrades as for Oo. >> >> The incompatibility problem is most likely that if AA people send OO >> documents/spreadsheets, in (ODS/ODT) formats, to MS users outside the >> organisation, the recipients can't read them. >> >> As an OO user, I assume the rest of the world is using MSWord and >> email MSWord >> format documents - though I am contemplating using PDF or maybe HTML. >> Unfortunately text only emails don't handle tables very well. > > Perhaps you should put a note in the covering email, some thing like: > > "The attached document complies with ISO/IEC 26300:2006 and is > accessible by all applications that support that international standard." > > And while I was quoting and using international standards, I could solve the problem entirely by send the email in X.400 format :-( m PS for those who have never heard of x.400 see -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 20 09:34:09 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:34:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: ACCC vs Google & Telstra [misleading results] In-Reply-To: <200707200703.19947.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> References: <20070718032946.YYAU2334.oaamta06sl.mx.bigpond.com@stewart.ecommercereport.com.au> <200707180610.l6I6AIDY013942@ah.net> <200707200703.19947.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <200707192336.l6JNa7p1011859@ah.net> At 07:03 AM 20/07/2007, sylvano wrote: >On Friday 20 July 2007 01:00, Janet Hawtin wrote: > > > > > I don't really understand why a consumer organisation is going to > > court in order to change this unless they are going to mandate that > > consumers are able to see all the alternative products. I can't > > imagine that would be easy to do so I can only assume if the ACCC wins > > I get to see less options. This is a misconception. ACCC is not seeking to sue Google to prevent consumers being able to see alternative products. Trading post could easily ensure it's web site is listed in the top ten rankings by being truthful and honest and applying keywords and phrases. What Trading Post did was enter the names of it's competitors into an electronic directory to cause consumers to be taken, under the competitors names, to the Trading Post. It would be like Telstra buying a full page add in the newspaper selling mobile phones under the OPTUS name and putting Telstra telephone numbers in the ad for consumers to call. The consumer thinks they are calling Optus. That is misleading and deceptive practices. >Only because the ACCC is commissioned to administer the Act, and so they >assess particular contexts, see if the Act applies and determine the >likelihood of legal action succeeding, priorities on acting given resources, >etc. Assuming someone brings a large enough case to them. They tend not to administer the act when it comes to Joe and Jane. Although I'm sure "Jan" isn't happy right now ;) And that ain't because the yellow pages ad wasn't inserted :) >I agree with you that the variety of search results is important and >expected, >but the wrangling that is in play relates to specifically to paid ad >placements and how different commercial entities are leveraging the use of >Google's commercially based "sponsored link" results, which aren't search >results. They're advertisements. Exactly, however again, reiterating the point it's not about sponsoring a link, that's just a way for Google to defeat Tax laws :) It's about knowingly being deceptive to bring about the thought in a consumers mind that they were going to one of the Car sellers web sites. If the Trading Post had bought the words and the link to the web site was the site of the car seller, then there would be no deception. It could have done so and included the text "And don't forget to look in the Trading post" as the contextual information. But it didn't, it used the names of it's competitors and redirected those consumers to it's web site. >A regular Joe user, coming to google, and typing in "blah" may click >on a paid >link at the top of the search results naturally assuming that it was the best >natural result, and not an ad. ie mislead. Really? People are that stupid they can't see the difference? Then again. People are that stupid, so are Judges. From marghanita at ramin.com.au Fri Jul 20 09:49:10 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:49:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telco Trivia In-Reply-To: <469F0A40.6050806@layer10.com.au> References: <469F0A40.6050806@layer10.com.au> Message-ID: <469FF876.2000402@ramin.com.au> Paul Brooks wrote: > Because it will shortly be Friday.... > > http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=93870&t=2&en=1 > > Managers take calls in their PJs, survey shows. Plus other strange > stories from the past seven days in telecoms, including bathroom bungles > and beauty basics. Not so strange, if you are calling Toronto or New York from Sydney - it can be midnight here and 8am there! Europe is a little better, 5pm is about 9am. Perth (9am) used to call just as Sydney was going out to Lunch at midday. m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 20 10:14:55 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:14:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4k37e7@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 08:34 AM 20/07/2007, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >Stickybeek >Look for your car online >Choose from 1000s of listings. > >and what makes it *NOT* OK in this case and why the ACCC are >persuing it, is that when a user clicked on the ad, it led the >browser to the trading post website! > >As I understand the case, no-one would have been complaining if the >paid ad had said it was the trading post. > >I think the ABC covered this case on news radio. One other point from this guy was that the spelling was different somehow, but he didn't say how - whether beek to beak or vice versa. He was also miffed that they had raised the alarm in the first place and the ACCC wasn't including them in the case. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au Fri Jul 20 10:28:29 2007 From: pbrooks-link at layer10.com.au (Paul Brooks) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:28:29 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telco Trivia In-Reply-To: <469FF876.2000402@ramin.com.au> References: <469F0A40.6050806@layer10.com.au> <469FF876.2000402@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <46A001AD.4080103@layer10.com.au> Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > Paul Brooks wrote: >> Because it will shortly be Friday.... >> >> http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=93870&t=2&en=1 >> >> Managers take calls in their PJs, survey shows. Plus other strange >> stories from the past seven days in telecoms, including bathroom >> bungles and beauty basics. > > > Not so strange, if you are calling Toronto or New York from Sydney - > it can be midnight here and 8am there! Certainly - it wasn't the aspect of taking calls at home in pyjamas that caught my eye, it was the pushback on video-enabled calling. Much of the activity and debate on broadband connectivity and services in the industry at the moment seems to have a built-in assumption that all broadband has to have enough capacity for some sort of video feed, justified usually by video-phones and video-enabled teleconferencing or IPTV. I've used elements of this myself in my current work, whether it is on the topic of IP network QoS, future of VoIP, or working on VDSL2. Often these discussions and debates ignore human factors and preferences, which are highlighted in the news snippet - there are times when video capability is not only optional, but also deliberately NOT required or desirable. From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Fri Jul 20 09:47:05 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:47:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web Message-ID: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> I will be speaking at the 4th Annual Web Content Management for Government "Harnessing the power of new technologies to build citizen-centric websites and encourage online activities", 17-18 September 2007 in Canberra . My talk is on 17 September 11:10 am: Making websites accessible and functional for a diverse community: ? Communicating and engaging diverse cultural audiences in Australia and worldwide ? Providing sufficient and accurate information for people who with limited English ? Using the information and digital technologies to support users with special requirements ? Integrating web content to wireless and mobile devices ? Testing the accessibility of websites to different citizen segments When I was approached to speak at the conference, the suggested outline I was provided with included "aboriginal audiences". I changed this to "diverse cultural audiences", as I thought explicitly mentioning indigenous issues would be too controversial for government staff. However, the recent declaration of an emergency by the Prime Minister in response to a report on Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse will require responses from many government agencies. Governments can provide access to information and services via the Internet in an accessible format to help address the needs of remote indigenous communities. This could allow the communities to govern themselves, with central oversight. Mutual obligation arrangements could be implemented in a more efficient and less intrusive way than by having temporary outside government staff rotated through the community . New remote housing could have reliable digital communications built in . New schools could have computers and telecommunications built in for flexible learning, using the same techniques which MIT developed for teaching university physics, combined with the technologies in the Indian Simputer for use in villages and the $100 laptop for education of children in the third world . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From eleanor at pacific.net.au Fri Jul 20 10:41:31 2007 From: eleanor at pacific.net.au (Eleanor Lister) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:41:31 +1000 Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?Re=3A_=5BLINK=5D_=5BNZ=5D_AA_dumps_Op?= =?windows-1252?Q?en_Office=2C_buys_Microsoft_for_=91compatibil?= =?windows-1252?Q?ity=92?= In-Reply-To: <469FEC34.4060701@ramin.com.au> References: <61729.1184723096@iimetro.com.au> <156E426D-0638-4D80-9EB9-F94D8D55912E@gmail.com> <469F00EA.7010707@ramin.com.au> <469F0D1D.7030902@lannet.com.au> <469FEC34.4060701@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <46A004BB.8070605@pacific.net.au> Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > > The incompatibility problem is most likely that if AA people send OO > documents/spreadsheets, in (ODS/ODT) formats, to MS users outside the > organisation, the recipients can't read them. > > As an OO user, I assume the rest of the world is using MSWord and > email MSWord > format documents - though I am contemplating using PDF or maybe HTML. > Unfortunately text only emails don't handle tables very well. maybe i'm slow, but i don't see the problem. as an OO user myself, i use Thunderbird and have also used Evolution, both free-as-in-beer email clients that handle HTML tables perfectly well. of course you can send it as text only, which will destroy the layout, but why would you? even Mailman won't scrag the HTML if you choose to send it as "Both" rather than choose between Text and HTML in Thunderbird, and will read as HTML in suitably equipped clients. regards, EL :-) ------------ Eleanor Ashley Lister South Sydney Greens http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au webmistress at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 20 14:54:11 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:54:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Software Freedom Day, September 15th 2007 In-Reply-To: <58653.203.16.246.3.1184897393.squirrel@betamail.cc.com.au> References: <58653.203.16.246.3.1184897393.squirrel@betamail.cc.com.au> Message-ID: <20070720045124.1507C64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 12:09 PM 20/07/2007, Margaret writes: A very excited Year 8 student reminded me today that we have to start planning for Software Freedom Day in September, and that this year the T-shirts are lime green! Last year our Year 7/8 Computer Club at St. Mxxxx's planned the celebration for the Friday before SFD (this year it is the 14th September): * Students made an advertisement for SFD, with the Farnham song "Freedom". * They presented their advertisement at assembly and spoke about SFD and what OpenSource means. * We had the Open CD and Ubuntu disks to hand out on the day (but this year we are taking donations for a charity for DVD's). * We also did a video stream from our multimedia room into the school canteen area where the students demonstrated how easy it was to use Firefox, OpenOffice, Gimp and Audacity. We got T-shirts for the kids and had orange balloons to go with the colour theme for the day. We celebrated SFD on the Friday before the actual day. Not sure what we will do this year, but the kids seem enthused! International site: http://softwarefreedomday.org/ Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Freedom_Day Melbourne team page: http://softwarefreedomday.org/teams/oceania/au/Melbourne Regards Margaret -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 20 15:12:37 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:12:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Launch of Australian Screen Online Message-ID: <20070720050947.A80DF64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Australia's audiovisual heritage online The Australian Screen Online website was launched this week in Sydney, giving the general public access to all of Australia's cinematic history with over 500 film and television programs represented on the site. On the site you can view clips from Australian feature films, documentaries, TV programs, shorts, home movies, newsreels, advertisements, other historical footage, and sponsored films produced over the last 100 years, with curators? notes and other information about each title. The site currently contains 1,471 clips from 563 film and television titles, and is constantly being added to. Teachers and students are encouraged to use the website as a learning resource and to visit Australian Screen Online's education page for educational content provided by The Le at rning Federation. Curriculum Corporation is a key partner in the development of the Australian Screen Online website. Fwd from: -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From nospam at crm911.com Fri Jul 20 20:23:27 2007 From: nospam at crm911.com (Ash Nallawalla) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:23:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> References: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> Message-ID: <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> > From: Adam Todd > 13:00 and still following up, google now reports 553 pages, with some > that were there an hour ago literally vanishing for no reason at > all. Even the web site has just vanished. > > It's like the Ministry of Truth. If you care to observe any other site that shows fresh content, e.g. blogs, you will find that all such results in Google will disappear for a day or more while the Thought Police, sorry, the Google algorithm decides the best ranking for it. For example, a few days ago I blogged about the ACCC taking on Google and the Trading Post. My blog (I just changed its URL) was #3 for "Kloster Ford". It disappeared for two days, and now it is slightly lower -- in what could be its semi-permanent position for that phrase. All newly found pages are given a brief exposure on the first page so that the algo can determine which of them attract clicks, which is then part of the data used to give them their semi-permanent rankings for various phrases. - Ash http://www.netmagellan.com From stephen at melbpc.org.au Sat Jul 21 04:12:37 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:12:37 GMT Subject: [LINK] Broadband for $12 a week, with a laptop Message-ID: <20070720181237.B1EFF16EA1@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> For around $47 a month in England, you get a laptop, a wireless router and AOL broadband access .. -- Dell offers free laptops with broadband subscription By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service July 20, 2007 Dell has signed a deal with a U.K. mobile phone retailer to distribute free laptops with the purchase of a broadband Internet access subscription, continuing the company's push into the retail market. Starting in September, consumers who buy a two-year contract for America Online's broadband service .. will get a free base-model Inspiron notebook from Dell. AOL broadband costs ?19.99 ($47 AU) per month. A similar free laptop offering was unveiled this week by mobile provider Orange UK, .. The Dell laptop comes with Microsoft's Vista Home Basic OS, 1 GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Celeron processor and Wi-Fi. The laptop can be upgraded for a fee. Customers also get a wireless router, but have to pay a ?14.99 laptop delivery fee. By contrast, Orange's free laptop offers fewer features than Dell's. It's made by Ei Systems, and comes with Windows XP Home, 256 MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive but doesn't have Wi-Fi. Users can upgrade to a better laptop for a fee. Orange's broadband service, however, is cheaper, at ?14.99 per month for a 24-month contract, excluding an initial discount for the first three months. -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From lucychili at gmail.com Sat Jul 21 10:43:09 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:13:09 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: On 7/20/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: > Hi Janet, > I think the main thrust of the case may have been missed in your posting. > > The facts of the case as I understand them are: > > A company with trade mark Stickybeek(tm) was running a cars for sale > type website. > The trading post paid google for some ads, which is OK. > The trading post opted to have their ad displayed when 'Stickybeek' > was one of the search terms, which I understand is *still* OK. > However, the trading post's ad looked something like this (my > mock-up, not an actual ad): > > Stickybeek > Look for your car online > Choose from 1000s of listings. Thanks for the explanation. In a non web context, Say in the trading post... If I post an add for recycled socks using the anme of a company down the road which makes recycled socks who would be actionable, the trading post or the advertising person? From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Sat Jul 21 10:59:53 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:59:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Telco Trivia In-Reply-To: <46A001AD.4080103@layer10.com.au> References: <469F0A40.6050806@layer10.com.au> <469FF876.2000402@ramin.com.au> <46A001AD.4080103@layer10.com.au> Message-ID: <46A15A89.7090606@ozemail.com.au> Paul Brooks wrote: > Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >> Paul Brooks wrote: >>> Because it will shortly be Friday.... >>> >>> http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=93870&t=2&en=1 >>> >>> Managers take calls in their PJs, survey shows. Plus other strange >>> stories from the past seven days in telecoms, including bathroom >>> bungles and beauty basics. >> >> >> Not so strange, if you are calling Toronto or New York from Sydney - >> it can be midnight here and 8am there! > Certainly - it wasn't the aspect of taking calls at home in pyjamas > that caught my eye, it was the pushback on video-enabled calling. > Much of the activity and debate on broadband connectivity and services > in the industry at the moment seems to have a built-in assumption that > all broadband has to have enough capacity for some sort of video feed, > justified usually by video-phones and video-enabled teleconferencing > or IPTV. I've used elements of this myself in my current work, whether > it is on the topic of IP network QoS, future of VoIP, or working on > VDSL2. > > Often these discussions and debates ignore human factors and > preferences, which are highlighted in the news snippet - there are > times when video capability is not only optional, but also > deliberately NOT required or desirable. Technology designers frequently fall into the old trap of imagining a target user who, on close inspection, looks identical to the designer. And if enough of the insiders agree that they represent the perfect target users, then they will do very well at designing services that are absolutely perfect for the in-crowd of true believers. As someone who uses iChat for work purposes, file transfer is much more useful than the video capability, which almost never gets used. Also: if you're in a room with someone, their small idiosyncrasies of body language and facial movement don't really intrude on the conversation: the "space" around the conversation acts as a buffer, so that if someone (like me, I know it's a bad habit) pulls a face while they're thinking or distracted, it doesn't necessarily get interpreted as commentary on the conversation. If you have two video cameras at each end of the link, and two faces pretty much filling up the image, what you get instead is that people are much more sensitive to things they ignore face-to-face - even when people know each other quite well. Video is in my experience somewhat confining in conversation: you have to pay more attention to yourself, and to a relatively small square of screen space to maintain eye contact, and it really doesn't map that well onto ordinary conversational habits. (But we only say that kind of stuff in private, I suppose, because nobody wants to hear that the Great Killer Application for Extremely Fast Broadband for All might eat itself...) RC > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From link at todd.inoz.com Sat Jul 21 12:36:44 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:36:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> References: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> Message-ID: <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> At 08:23 PM 20/07/2007, Ash Nallawalla wrote: > > 13:00 and still following up, google now reports 553 pages, with some > > that were there an hour ago literally vanishing for no reason at > > all. Even the web site has just vanished. > > > > It's like the Ministry of Truth. > >If you care to observe any other site that shows fresh content, e.g. blogs, >you will find that all such results in Google will disappear for a day or >more while the Thought Police, sorry, the Google algorithm decides the best >ranking for it. (rofl) Gee you make Google sound like the Defacto Thought Police! Maybe they are and we just don't know it! If the algorithm puts it in to results adhoc, on what basis does the new data suddenly "vanish" - the only conclusion has to be human intervention. >For example, a few days ago I blogged about the ACCC taking on Google and >the Trading Post. My blog (I just changed its URL) was #3 for "Kloster >Ford". It disappeared for two days, and now it is slightly lower -- in what >could be its semi-permanent position for that phrase. That's ridiculous. That's not an algorithm, that's manual ranking. It's evident that new pages relating to Haneef are being manually removed. Surely someone managed to get a copy of the transcripts and repost them - surly not everyone was stupid enough to simply LINK to the Australian's news page? I'm sure they will surface one day, we just have to be patient. >All newly found pages are given a brief exposure on the first page so that >the algo can determine which of them attract clicks, which is then part of >the data used to give them their semi-permanent rankings for various >phrases. That sounds silly. Why put up pages that most people are unlikely to see on the basis of determining clicks? If this is the case, then the solution is simple. Create a script that monitors your page, when googlebot picks it up, regularly do searches for the relevant keywords. When your page appears on the link, get it hundreds of times per hour and voila - suddenly you have a high click ratio. Direct the get's via proxy servers or random allocated IP addresses from a class C or greater and you have gets coming from all over the place. Surely not. If the search engines are being this manipulative, isn't it time we got together and built a real search engine? Or should we perhaps resorc to the Way Back Machine or Internet Archive for accuracy. >- Ash >http://www.netmagellan.com > > >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From link at todd.inoz.com Sat Jul 21 12:39:30 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:39:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <200707210240.l6L2dvav018173@ah.net> At 10:43 AM 21/07/2007, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/20/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: > >Thanks for the explanation. In a non web context, Say in the trading >post... If I post an add for recycled socks using the anme of a >company down the road which makes recycled socks who would be >actionable, the trading post or the advertising person? It all depends on what your ad says and whether a consumer reading it thinks that by coming to you they are doing business with the company down the road. Obviously you can place an ad that reads: Ford Laser, 1991 model, good condition, rego till June 07 There is nothing indicating that you are the Ford motor company or trying to imply such. So if your sock ad reads somelike like: Used Rio Mens Socks, $2 for 12, phone 1234 Then you aren't saying you are Rio. However, if you said: Hot Items from Rio, Socks $2 for 12, from Rio. You might be faced with a slightly different result. From scott at doc.net.au Sat Jul 21 16:47:32 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 16:47:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> References: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> Message-ID: <20070721064732.GA18465@milliways.doc.net.au> On Sat, Jul 21, 2007 at 12:36:44PM +1000, Adam Todd wrote: > Create a script that monitors your page, when googlebot picks it up, > regularly do searches for the relevant keywords. When your page > appears on the link, get it hundreds of times per hour and voila - > suddenly you have a high click ratio. Direct the get's via proxy > servers or random allocated IP addresses from a class C or greater > and you have gets coming from all over the place. > > Surely not. Yes, that will almost certainly work - for a short while at least. Google's search ranking are massively dynamic, and _are_ based on the amount of traffic to a site (along with a number of other factors) I have a site which has a very burst traffic pattern, as well as a lot of other sites linking to it (over 20,000 at last count). At times it's traffic will spike for a few days (or even a few weeks) after it gets mentioned on a site like Digg/Slashdot/NY Times, which happens every month or two. For the past 6 months or so I've been watching where my site appears in the google search results when you look for the term "megapixel". In general it's "baseline" ranking is in the 21-30th result range (ie, page 3 of the results) But when the site is seeing higher traffic levels, such as after a mention on a high-traffic site, it's rank goes up dramatically - I've even been as high as number 2. Once the traffic dies off, so does the result position (At the moment it's at 18th and dropping after a traffic spike about a week ago). > If the search engines are being this manipulative, isn't it time we > got together and built a real search engine? Google's pagerank is very complex. It may be possible to affect it for short periods of time, especially when a page is new (in which case it's slightly more likely to get a higher rating, as someone else mentioned) but there's no way you'll be able to affect your rating long-term. Scott From kim.holburn at gmail.com Sat Jul 21 16:55:23 2007 From: kim.holburn at gmail.com (Kim Holburn) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 08:55:23 +0200 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> References: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> Message-ID: On 2007/Jul/21, at 4:36 AM, Adam Todd wrote: > At 08:23 PM 20/07/2007, Ash Nallawalla wrote: > >> > 13:00 and still following up, google now reports 553 pages, with >> some >> > that were there an hour ago literally vanishing for no reason at >> > all. Even the web site has just vanished. >> > >> > It's like the Ministry of Truth. >> >> If you care to observe any other site that shows fresh content, >> e.g. blogs, >> you will find that all such results in Google will disappear for a >> day or >> more while the Thought Police, sorry, the Google algorithm decides >> the best >> ranking for it. > > (rofl) Gee you make Google sound like the Defacto Thought Police! > Maybe they are and we just don't know it! > > If the algorithm puts it in to results adhoc, on what basis does > the new data suddenly "vanish" - the only conclusion has to be > human intervention. Yeah it would have to be. Who makes websites after all? It just doesn't have to be intervention from google which is your implication. >> For example, a few days ago I blogged about the ACCC taking on >> Google and >> the Trading Post. My blog (I just changed its URL) was #3 for >> "Kloster >> Ford". It disappeared for two days, and now it is slightly lower >> -- in what >> could be its semi-permanent position for that phrase. > > That's ridiculous. That's not an algorithm, that's manual ranking. > > It's evident that new pages relating to Haneef are being manually > removed. Surely someone managed to get a copy of the transcripts > and repost them - surly not everyone was stupid enough to simply > LINK to the Australian's news page? The Australian, Murdock, Fox. You've got to be kidding. > I'm sure they will surface one day, we just have to be patient. I can still download it from the Fairfax link I sent, so I don't know what your problem is. http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf >> All newly found pages are given a brief exposure on the first page >> so that >> the algo can determine which of them attract clicks, which is then >> part of >> the data used to give them their semi-permanent rankings for various >> phrases. > > That sounds silly. Why put up pages that most people are unlikely > to see on the basis of determining clicks? > > If this is the case, then the solution is simple. > > Create a script that monitors your page, when googlebot picks it > up, regularly do searches for the relevant keywords. When your > page appears on the link, get it hundreds of times per hour and > voila - suddenly you have a high click ratio. Direct the get's via > proxy servers or random allocated IP addresses from a class C or > greater and you have gets coming from all over the place. > > Surely not. > > If the search engines are being this manipulative, isn't it time we > got together and built a real search engine? > > Or should we perhaps resorc to the Way Back Machine or Internet > Archive for accuracy. Or you could talke them to court. Lots of people have done that. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From lucychili at gmail.com Sat Jul 21 17:58:21 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:28:21 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: <200707210240.l6L2dvav018173@ah.net> References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> <200707210240.l6L2dvav018173@ah.net> Message-ID: On 7/21/07, Adam Todd wrote: > So if your sock ad reads somelike like: > > Used Rio Mens Socks, $2 for 12, phone 1234 > > Then you aren't saying you are Rio. > > However, if you said: > > Hot Items from Rio, Socks $2 for 12, from Rio. > > You might be faced with a slightly different result. Yes but do you sue me or the Trading Post? From kim at holburn.net Sat Jul 21 19:02:41 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:02:41 +0200 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/07/20/dukecisco/index.php > Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues > > By Jim Dalrymple > > After blaming Apple?s iPhone for its wireless networking problems, > Duke University said earlier today that it hadn?t been able to > pinpoint what the problem was. Now, it has been confirmed that a > Cisco wireless access point was at fault for the networking issues. > > ?Cisco worked closely with Duke and Apple to identify the source of > this problem, which was caused by a Cisco-based network issue,? > said Cisco in a statement provided to Macworld. ?Cisco has provided > a fix that has been applied to Duke?s network and the problem has > not occurred since.? > > In a statement posted to the universities Web site late Friday > Tracy Futhey, Duke?s chief information officer, said that ?Earlier > reports that this was a problem with the iPhone in particular have > proved to be inaccurate.? On 2007/Jul/17, at 8:57 PM, Stephen Loosley wrote: > iPhones flooding wireless LAN at Duke University > > By John Cox, Network World July 17, 2007 > lans_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2007-07-17> > > The built-in 802.11b/g adapters on several iPhones periodically > flood sections of the Durham, N.C., school's pervasive wireless LAN > with MAC address requests, temporarily knocking out anywhere from a > dozen to 30 wireless access points at a time. > > Campus network staff are talking with Cisco, the main WLAN > provider, and have opened a help desk ticket with Apple. But so > far, the precise cause of the problem remains unknown. > > The misbehaving iPhones flood the access points with up to 18,000 > address requests per second, nearly 10Mbps of bandwidth, and > monopolizing the AP's airtime. > > The access points show up as "out of service." For 10 to 15 > minutes, there's no way to communicate with them, Miller says. > > "When the problem occurs, we see dozens of access points in that > condition," Miller says. The network team began capturing wireless > traffic for analysis, and that's when they discovered that the > offending devices were iPhones. Right now, Miller says, there are > about 150 of the Apple devices registered on the campus WLAN. > > The requests are for what is, at least for Duke's network, an > invalid router address. Devices use ARP (Address Resolution > Protocol) to request the MAC address of the destination node, for > which it already has the IP address. When it doesn't get an answer, > the iPhone just keeps asking. > > Most of the WLAN comprises Cisco thin access points and > controllers. Some older autonomous Cisco Aironet access points tend > to uncover the flooding first, since they try to resolve the ARP > request themselves. > > But Miller's team has seen the CPU utilization on the WLAN > controllers spiking as they try to process the request flood passed > on to them in control traffic from the thin access points. > > "I don't believe it's a Cisco problem in any way, shape, or form," > he says firmly. > > So far, the communication with Apple has been "one-way," Miller > says, with the Duke team filing the problem ticket. He says Apple > has told him the problem is being "escalated," but as of mid- > afternoon Monday, nothing substantive had been heard Apple. > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From link at todd.inoz.com Sat Jul 21 22:01:12 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:01:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Haneef transcript anyone? In-Reply-To: References: <200707190303.l6J333ob013701@ah.net> <004e01c7cab8$0453ea30$0cfbbe90$@com> <200707210239.l6L2dvat018173@ah.net> Message-ID: <200707211203.l6LC3UeZ029437@ah.net> At 04:55 PM 21/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >On 2007/Jul/21, at 4:36 AM, Adam Todd wrote: >>At 08:23 PM 20/07/2007, Ash Nallawalla wrote: >>If the algorithm puts it in to results adhoc, on what basis does >>the new data suddenly "vanish" - the only conclusion has to be >>human intervention. > >Yeah it would have to be. Who makes websites after all? It just >doesn't have to be intervention from google which is your implication. Actually, without saying too much, Google reacts VERY quickly to complaints about content, especially if it is cached. I won't go into the specific situation, however I was shocked to find pages about me gone (from Google) within 3 hours of me communicating with an organisation in Australia. >>I'm sure they will surface one day, we just have to be patient. > >I can still download it from the Fairfax link I sent, so I don't know >what your problem is. >http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/haneeflink.pdf How odd. This link wasn't working for me the other day. It came back with the "This page can not be found. Try searching The Age for ..." If the search engines are being this manipulative, isn't it time we >>got together and built a real search engine? >> >>Or should we perhaps resorc to the Way Back Machine or Internet >>Archive for accuracy. > >Or you could talke them to court. Lots of people have done that. Pffft, waste of time. Especially when you have judges like Barr J and Latham J in the Supreme Court who can't even make decisions on the evidence that was given in the court during trial and in affidavits but instead make up the evidence in order to make a decision they want to make. I can relate to Haneef and the "Sim card" fiasco. I have Affidavits from Government and Police saying things that are totally opposite to the actual Police and other Agency records. Needless to say, I was imprisoned for 21 days, for a charge that Justice Megan Latham says does not exist and therefore I can't sue the State for prosecuting me for a none existent charge, although Haneef is now rapidly reaching that time frame and to make matters worse for the poor guy, he's stuck in a jail. No suspires his bail isn't being paid! He'd be transferred to Sydney, away from his legal support, people he knows and the jurisdiction. I've said it before - Orwell would be laughing in his grave today. From link at todd.inoz.com Sat Jul 21 22:03:17 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:03:17 +1000 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> At 07:02 PM 21/07/2007, Kim Holburn wrote: >http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/07/20/dukecisco/index.php > >>"Cisco worked closely with Duke and Apple to identify the source of >>this problem, which was caused by a Cisco-based network issue," >>said Cisco in a statement provided to Macworld. "Cisco has provided >>a fix that has been applied to Duke's network and the problem has >>not occurred since." >> >>In a statement posted to the universities Web site late Friday >>Tracy Futhey, Duke's chief information officer, said that "Earlier >>reports that this was a problem with the iPhone in particular have >>proved to be inaccurate." Well hang on a sec. This isn't true. If the iPhones were never allowed to connect to the network, would the problem have existed? Evidently it did not exist until the iPhone was allowed to connect. So what is it that was so peculiar about the iPhone that no other device connected to the network raised the behaviour? From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 22 00:28:48 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:58:48 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Software Freedom Day, September 15th 2007 In-Reply-To: <20070720045124.1507C64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <58653.203.16.246.3.1184897393.squirrel@betamail.cc.com.au> <20070720045124.1507C64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: Hi folks Yes I think the school calendar has it as Friday 14 and SFD have it as Saturday 15. The calendar was done before the final date was announced. Given its a world event there will be people around doing it on AUSunday too so I guess its a bit of a stretched day. We will be doing it in Mt Gambier and Mawson Lakes on the Saturday 15. Janet On 7/20/07, Stephen Loosley wrote: > At 12:09 PM 20/07/2007, Margaret writes: > > A very excited Year 8 student reminded me today that we have to start > planning for Software Freedom Day in September, and that this year the > T-shirts are lime green! > > Last year our Year 7/8 Computer Club at St. Mxxxx's planned the > celebration for the Friday before SFD (this year it is the 14th September): > > * Students made an advertisement for SFD, with the Farnham song "Freedom". > > * They presented their advertisement at assembly and spoke about SFD and > what OpenSource means. > > * We had the Open CD and Ubuntu disks to hand out on the day (but this > year we are taking donations for a charity for DVD's). > > * We also did a video stream from our multimedia room into the school > canteen area where the students demonstrated how easy it was to use > Firefox, OpenOffice, Gimp and Audacity. > > We got T-shirts for the kids and had orange balloons to go with the colour > theme for the day. We celebrated SFD on the Friday before the actual day. > > Not sure what we will do this year, but the kids seem enthused! > > International site: http://softwarefreedomday.org/ > > Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Freedom_Day > > Melbourne team page: http://softwarefreedomday.org/teams/oceania/au/Melbourne > > Regards > Margaret > -- > Cheers, people > Stephen Loosley > Victoria, Australia > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From kim at cynosure.com.au Sun Jul 22 01:29:15 2007 From: kim at cynosure.com.au (Kim Davies) Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 15:29:15 +0000 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> Message-ID: <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> Quoting Adam Todd on Saturday July 21, 2007: | > "Earlier reports that this was a problem with the iPhone | > in particular have proved to be inaccurate." | | Well hang on a sec. This isn't true. | | So what is it that was so peculiar about the iPhone that no other | device connected to the network raised the behaviour? If those involved in diagnosing and fixing the problem say the iPhone was not the trigger of their network problems, and you are claiming that they are wrong and it is -- I think the burden of proof is on you to explain why they are wrong. It strikes me this is probably just a case of network issues arising around the same time iPhone was released and someone figured it could be related - but after investigating the issue it was deemed it had nothing to do with it. kim From rick at praxis.com.au Sun Jul 22 09:31:03 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 09:31:03 +1000 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> Message-ID: <46A29737.2080108@praxis.com.au> Kim Davies wrote: > If those involved in diagnosing and fixing the problem say the iPhone > was not the trigger of their network problems, and you are claiming that > they are wrong and it is -- I think the burden of proof is on you to > explain why they are wrong. > > It strikes me this is probably just a case of network issues arising > around the same time iPhone was released and someone figured it could be > related - but after investigating the issue it was deemed it had nothing > to do with it. IIRC, the problem arose when thousands of iPhones joined the network within a small time interval. Perhaps this was an untested case for Cisco. cheers rickw -- ________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Never keep up with the Joneses. Try to drag them down to your level. It's cheaper. --Quentin Crisp From marghanita at ramin.com.au Sun Jul 22 10:16:43 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 10:16:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Woops!! In-Reply-To: <46A08912.30704@lannet.com.au> References: <46A08912.30704@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <46A2A1EB.2000309@ramin.com.au> Howard Lowndes wrote: > Hotmail Fails To Deliver Up To 81% Of All Attachment Emails > > http://hubpages.com/hub/Hotmail_Fails_To_Deliver_Up_To_81_Of_All_Attachment_Emails > > I always thought, stripping of attachments was a positive feature of Hotmail! m -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Sun Jul 22 12:32:09 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:32:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] chipping America story Message-ID: <61fg7n$4kqcct@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Extensive article on the use of RFID chips in people for a range of purposes - not just in America, but other parts of the world as well. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070721/chipping-america/ Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From lucychili at gmail.com Sun Jul 22 14:00:38 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:30:38 +0930 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web In-Reply-To: References: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: On 7/20/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > I will be speaking at the 4th Annual Web Content > Management for Government "Harnessing the power > of new technologies to build citizen-centric > websites and encourage online activities", 17-18 > September 2007 in Canberra > . > My talk is on 17 September 11:10 am: This sounds like a useful discussion thanks Tom. Here are my probably predictable questions =). > Making websites accessible and functional for a diverse community: Accessibility in the sense of multiple skills? > ? Communicating and engaging diverse cultural > audiences in Australia and worldwide - languages and training? - implementation and ongoing costs? - participation .v. subscription Would these be technologies that the communities would be trained in the underlying workings of or would they be users of other peoples' systems in the IP and support and ownership sense? > ? Providing sufficient and accurate information > for people who with limited English > ? Using the information and digital technologies > to support users with special requirements > ? Integrating web content to wireless and mobile devices > ? Testing the accessibility of websites to different citizen segments > > When I was approached to speak at the conference, > the suggested outline I was provided with > included "aboriginal audiences". I changed this > to "diverse cultural audiences", as I thought > explicitly mentioning indigenous issues would be > too controversial for government staff. However, > the recent declaration of an emergency by the > Prime Minister in response to a report on > Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual > Abuse will require responses from many government agencies. > > Governments can provide access to information and > services via the Internet in an accessible format > to help address the needs of remote indigenous > communities. This could allow the communities to > govern themselves, with central oversight. Mutual > obligation arrangements could be implemented in a > more efficient and less intrusive way than by > having temporary outside government staff rotated > through the community > . > > New remote housing could have reliable digital > communications built in > . I would be interested in whether there are ways that training can be provided to people in Aboriginal communities in housing, building, green power, and that these skills can enable the communities to build their own housing and to generate power locally. Solutions which are subscription based seem to me to continue the habit of applying a fix at a community rather than building skills and opportunities on site which enable people to see themselves as innovative and able. The idea that aboriginal people will shift from owning their land to 99 year leases for which they will pay a commercial house price and loan for is disappointing because it provides them with less long term security and all the problems of debt on a property which is remote and not related to urban realestate opportunities. We do not seem to embrace the opportunities of the differences in these communities and apply solutions which do not generate skills and opportunities on site. What kind of building techniques and power generation and peer to peer networking and open technologies would help these communities to build skills on site. Their access to their lands is often talked about in terms of whether they have managed to stay on site. Our solutions are generally related to whether they have found employment or high school education on locations which are not at the communities but which are hundreds of kilometres away. I would be interested in hearing more about these projects and specifically how they will be able to shift the power and understanding of the digital and physical architectures to the communities. ie interesting work and hope that we do things differently this generation =) > New schools could have computers and > telecommunications built in for flexible > learning, using the same techniques which MIT > developed for teaching university physics, > combined with the technologies in the Indian > Simputer for use in villages and the $100 laptop > for education of children in the third > world > . > > Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 > Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 > PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ > Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From link at todd.inoz.com Sun Jul 22 14:45:57 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:45:57 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Police can take DNA from every offender Message-ID: <200707220446.l6M4k6Pf017375@ah.net> This action by Parliament raises all kinds of issues. Take myself for example. I was mashed into the floor by four police offices in a raid on my home and falsely imprisoned in a mental hospital for 21 days then arrested and charged with a non existent charge (findings by Supreme Court Justice Latham 5 July 2007) of which the charges were dismissed "no prima facia evidence to support the charge" on 29 January 2004. So am I an offender or just someone who's bee picked up for the hell of it by police for the sake of getting a DNA sample? When is a person delcared an offender and their DNA to be taken? Before the court? Like finger prints? That means police can literally pick up anyone at any time, make an allegation, charge you with an offence, release you on bail, you turn up to court and they withdraw the charges, or if they are in a fanciful mood, which is often the case having sat in many court rooms and listened to police make fools of themselves, you might spend 9 - 12 months going through the courts until the Magistrate or Judge dismisses the application. But does your DNA and Fingerprint record get destroyed when the allegations are dismissed. Of course not. You might reoffend. (sigh) GATTACA here we come, but with far more sinister objectives. We already know that DNA can be cloned. Human "parts" can be cloned. So what's stopping someone with a sample of my DNA making hair and skin parts and ensuring they can be found at the scenes of serious crimes? Looking at the Haneef transcript alone, at page 131 leaves much to be desired, just as much of Justice (cough) Meagan Lathams Judgement. It seems if you are in a position of Authority you can make up whatever you want, imply whatever you want and make people beg for their innocence. However the entire time the Prime Minster, Premiers and Commissioners are saying "We have a system that you are innocent until proven guilty" but this is not the case. You are guilty until you prove you are innocent. I have Finger prints on police file for a none existent charge under a non existent section of the Crimes Act, for an offence that didn't happen. I don't care so much about my finger prints, if I was to commit a crime, you can be assured I'd be brining out the latex and body suit. You can also be assured that for months before hand I might venture into a range of police stations with a little vaccum sucker and collect a lot of DNA samples to scatter around. Just imagine that! The DNA of dozens of police officers magically appearing at the scene of a crime they have never been to, so they say. Hmmm :) DNA proves nothing in most crimes. It can acquit a person from being guilty of a crime, but our system of law and policing doesn't work on that basis. It works on the basis that DNA will prove the crime. The moment you use something to try and prove something, you open the doors for errors and mistakes. However if you use DNA to prove that a person wasn't guilty of the offence that's another story. Anyway, I fail to see how, in the Haneef incident, or even my own case, how taking a DNA sample will prove anything. Neither Haneef or myself were near the places of where the alleged crimes took place. BTW I relate to Haneef because I was arrested and charged prior to the new Anti Terrorism laws coming into affect. The allegation against me was that I had threatened to blow up a council and local shopping centre and kill my wife and kids. In my case, there were no guns, or bomb making things found, in fact there was no search made for such things. Yet I had to endure 9 months of agonizing stress and duress, much like Haneef will endure. I hate to say it, but with the Norther Territory Aboriginal Interventions, and all these "fear for your liberties" things going on, Australia is no better than it was in the 1800's, with people who think they have some power over others intervening in the lives of others,. But then, we are a prison colony, even today. Remember the two British boys who killed the 10 year old boy. They have been shipped by the British Government to Australia under new identities. Australia, far enough away from England to be a suitable prison ground without the need for a government to pay the costs of house keeping. (sigh) When we the population learn. Police can take DNA from every offender * Email * Print * Normal font * Large font Heath Gilmore July 22, 2007 AdvertisementAdvertisement NSW police are to be given the power to demand DNA samples from any offender regardless of the severity of the crime. The Sun-Herald has learnt cabinet approved the power last week as part of a legislative package focused largely on anti-terrorism measures. Premier Morris Iemma said yesterday police had to be given the tools to fight terrorists and other major criminals. But civil libertarians have accused the Government of creating a police state monitoring every aspect of the lives of its citizens. Under the legislation police will have the discretion to demand a hair sample or mouth swab after any arrest, no matter how minor. Police only have to believe that taking the sample will produce evidence linking the offender to a crime. At present samples can only be taken for serious offences such as murder, robbery and sexual assault. Other new measures include police being allowed to use road spikes as a weapon against terrorism or major crime suspects. The 50-odd members of the Tactical Operations Unit - part of the State Protection Group, which will play a key role in APEC meeting security in September - will be the only ones allowed to use the spikes as a preventative measure. The unit will require permission from the Police Commissioner or a delegated authority before using them to stop suspects fleeing a particular area. Usage of the spikes had been limited to stopping suspects in live pursuits. New offences have been listed for people found to have supplied explosive materials, with a jail term of up to three years. "When it comes to fighting and responding to potential terrorism threats, we continue to learn from overseas experiences and back our police with the powers they need to protect the community," Mr Iemma said. Mr Iemma also announced the Government's plans to restrict access to bail applications in the local court system, to help protect victims of violent crime. Currently, remand prisoners can usually only take their case to the Supreme Court once. The change will extend that to the local court system to restrict repeat applications, unless there is a compelling new reason to revisit the matter. NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Cameron Murphy said the Government was setting up a DNA database on the whole population by stealth. He said the community should be horrified that anyone could be arrested for jaywalking and asked for a DNA sample. He said the use of road spikes was fraught with danger and placed innocent people in danger. The changes to the laws will be introduced at the next sitting of Parliament. From pbolger at gmail.com Sun Jul 22 15:48:30 2007 From: pbolger at gmail.com (Paul Bolger) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:18:30 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web In-Reply-To: References: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: I'm interested too Tom, but that link points to "IT Optimisation for Operational Risk Reduction", which was held in November 2000. And, after five fruitless minutes, I've given up trying to find it on the Marcus Evans website - it's a great example of a site with hopeless navigation and a worse search function. Here it is, thanks Google, first hit. http://www.marcusevans.com/events/CFEventinfo.asp?EventID=12610 On 22/07/07, Janet Hawtin wrote: > On 7/20/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > > I will be speaking at the 4th Annual Web Content > > Management for Government "Harnessing the power > > of new technologies to build citizen-centric > > websites and encourage online activities", 17-18 > > September 2007 in Canberra > > . > > My talk is on 17 September 11:10 am: > > This sounds like a useful discussion thanks Tom. > Here are my probably predictable questions =). > > > Making websites accessible and functional for a diverse community: > > Accessibility in the sense of multiple skills? > > > ? Communicating and engaging diverse cultural > > audiences in Australia and worldwide > > - languages and training? > - implementation and ongoing costs? > - participation .v. subscription > Would these be technologies that the communities would be trained in > the underlying workings of or would they be users of other peoples' > systems in the IP and support and ownership sense? > > > > ? Providing sufficient and accurate information > > for people who with limited English > > ? Using the information and digital technologies > > to support users with special requirements > > ? Integrating web content to wireless and mobile devices > > ? Testing the accessibility of websites to different citizen segments > > > > When I was approached to speak at the conference, > > the suggested outline I was provided with > > included "aboriginal audiences". I changed this > > to "diverse cultural audiences", as I thought > > explicitly mentioning indigenous issues would be > > too controversial for government staff. However, > > the recent declaration of an emergency by the > > Prime Minister in response to a report on > > Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual > > Abuse will require responses from many government agencies. > > > > Governments can provide access to information and > > services via the Internet in an accessible format > > to help address the needs of remote indigenous > > communities. This could allow the communities to > > govern themselves, with central oversight. Mutual > > obligation arrangements could be implemented in a > > more efficient and less intrusive way than by > > having temporary outside government staff rotated > > through the community > > . > > > > New remote housing could have reliable digital > > communications built in > > . > > I would be interested in whether there are ways that training can be > provided to people in Aboriginal communities in housing, building, > green power, and that these skills can enable the communities to build > their own housing and to generate power locally. Solutions which are > subscription based seem to me to continue the habit of applying a fix > at a community rather than building skills and opportunities on site > which enable people to see themselves as innovative and able. > The idea that aboriginal people will shift from owning their land to > 99 year leases for which they will pay a commercial house price and > loan for is disappointing because it provides them with less long term > security and all the problems of debt on a property which is remote > and not related to urban realestate opportunities. > We do not seem to embrace the opportunities of the differences in > these communities and apply solutions which do not generate skills and > opportunities on site. What kind of building techniques and power > generation and peer to peer networking and open technologies would > help these communities to build skills on site. Their access to their > lands is often talked about in terms of whether they have managed to > stay on site. Our solutions are generally related to whether they have > found employment or high school education on locations which are not > at the communities but which are hundreds of kilometres away. > > I would be interested in hearing more about these projects and > specifically how they will be able to shift the power and > understanding of the digital and physical architectures to the > communities. > > ie interesting work and hope that we do things differently this generation =) > > > New schools could have computers and > > telecommunications built in for flexible > > learning, using the same techniques which MIT > > developed for teaching university physics, > > combined with the technologies in the Indian > > Simputer for use in villages and the $100 laptop > > for education of children in the third > > world > > . > > > > Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 > > Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 > > PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ > > Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml > > _______________________________________________ > > Link mailing list > > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Paul Bolger 20 Chewings st Alice Springs 0413 678 619 From kim at holburn.net Sun Jul 22 16:43:26 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 08:43:26 +0200 Subject: [LINK] No tax software for you, naughty Linux/Mac user Message-ID: <3C8392D3-7935-4798-89AD-0ABDE825458F@holburn.net> http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/13613/1090/1/1/ He has a record of correspondence with various government departments about the ATO's insistence on Microsoft products including quite a funny reply from the ACCC as part of which is below: > As you are probably aware, the Australian Competition and Consumer > Commission ("the Commission") is a Federal body that administers > the Trade Practices Act 1974 ("the Act"). The Act contains a range > of provisions designed to promote competition, protect consumers > and prevent corporations from engaging in restrictive trade practices. > > Section 2A of the Act extends the jurisdiction of the Act to the > Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority that is carrying on a > business. However, in assessing whether or not the Commonwealth is > carrying on a business regard must be had to section 2C of the Act. > > Section 2C(1)(a) of the Act relevantly states: > > "(1) For the purposes of section 2A and 2B, the following do not > amount to carrying on a business: > (a) imposing or collecting: > (i) taxes; or > (ii) levies; or > (iii) fees for licences;" > > Given the above it is unlikely that the ATO could be characterised > as carrying on a business. Accordingly, after consideration of the > information you have provided to the Commission it does not appear > that the ATO's conduct, as described by you, would amount to a > breach of the act. -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From gramadan at umd.com.au Sun Jul 22 16:52:43 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:52:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] chipping America story In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4kqcct@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4kqcct@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <46A2FEBB.1040109@umd.com.au> I think this article demonstrates how problematic RFID implants are. There are also much simpler and cheaper ways of doing things. If you wanted to use it for medical applications, you can do this much easier with a small 2D barcode. With 2D barcodes you could in effect have the "database" in the barcode (it could even point to a URL). You could even do it with a iButton (www.iButton.com) which would be much more secure, hold more memory and could be worn as a ring, bracelet, pendant, etc. Reg Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) and Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) Jan Whitaker wrote: > Extensive article on the use of RFID chips in people for a range of > purposes - not just in America, but other parts of the world as well. > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070721/chipping-america/ > > > Jan Whitaker > JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria > jwhit at janwhitaker.com > business: http://www.janwhitaker.com > personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ > commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ > > Writing Lesson #54: > Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for > guests. - JW, May, 2007 > > 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, > there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 > _ __________________ _ > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From link at todd.inoz.com Sun Jul 22 17:21:02 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:21:02 +1000 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <46A29737.2080108@praxis.com.au> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> <46A29737.2080108@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <200707220722.l6M7MqOV019906@ah.net> At 09:31 AM 22/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >Kim Davies wrote: > >>If those involved in diagnosing and fixing the problem say the iPhone >>was not the trigger of their network problems, and you are claiming that >>they are wrong and it is -- I think the burden of proof is on you to >>explain why they are wrong. >>It strikes me this is probably just a case of network issues arising >>around the same time iPhone was released and someone figured it could be >>related - but after investigating the issue it was deemed it had nothing >>to do with it. > >IIRC, the problem arose when thousands of iPhones joined the network >within a small time interval. Perhaps this was an untested case >for Cisco. What so CISCO has to write special code to deal with iPhones? Protocol is protocol, it is defined and a standard. Who is at fault? Well it depends more clearly on what the fault actually was. "Because 80 iPhones connected to the network" means nothing. 200 laptops probably connect too - why do they not exhibit the same problem? Has the iPhone problem happened on other networks not using CISCO? All these questions and more in the next exciting episode. From link at todd.inoz.com Sun Jul 22 17:25:27 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:25:27 +1000 Subject: [LINK] chipping America story In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4kqcct@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4kqcct@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <200707220726.l6M7Qenq020002@ah.net> Don't let the NSW Government know about this! They will want to CHIP all offenders - that is a person of interest to the police - before the court decides if you are found not guilty or not, in a court of law (cough)! (Maybe that should be a court that makes up the law - like Justice Megan Latham! She re-wrote the commonwealth crimes act on 6 July 2007! She doesn't even have that jurisdiction!) At 12:32 PM 22/07/2007, Jan Whitaker wrote: >Extensive article on the use of RFID chips in people for a range of >purposes - not just in America, but other parts of the world as well. > >http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070721/chipping-america/ > > >Jan Whitaker >JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria >jwhit at janwhitaker.com >business: http://www.janwhitaker.com >personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ >commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ > >Writing Lesson #54: >Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for >guests. - JW, May, 2007 > >'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, >there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 >_ __________________ _ >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Sun Jul 22 17:44:28 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:44:28 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad Message-ID: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Any linkers know why Optus is using a strange animal in their latest tv ads for Australia? I must say I've never seen a wild raccoon here. Are they outsourcing their advertising to North America? Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From scott at doc.net.au Sun Jul 22 18:58:37 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:58:37 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> On Sun, Jul 22, 2007 at 05:44:28PM +1000, Jan Whitaker wrote: > Any linkers know why Optus is using a strange animal in their latest > tv ads for Australia? I must say I've never seen a wild raccoon here. > Are they outsourcing their advertising to North America? As opposed to the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, baboons and countless other very native Australian animals they have been using for the past few years? Scott From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Sun Jul 22 19:14:07 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:14:07 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 06:58 PM 22/07/2007, you wrote: >As opposed to the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, baboons and >countless other very native Australian animals they have been >using for the past few years? Yeah, I thought about that, but these raccoons were going down the street following a telstra van. At least the African animals looked to be in their natural habitats, weren't they? Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From scott at doc.net.au Sun Jul 22 19:37:32 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:37:32 +1000 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <200707220722.l6M7MqOV019906@ah.net> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> <46A29737.2080108@praxis.com.au> <200707220722.l6M7MqOV019906@ah.net> Message-ID: <20070722093732.GB22935@milliways.doc.net.au> On Sun, Jul 22, 2007 at 05:21:02PM +1000, Adam Todd wrote: > >IIRC, the problem arose when thousands of iPhones joined the network > >within a small time interval. Perhaps this was an untested case > >for Cisco. > > What so CISCO has to write special code to deal with iPhones? No, Cisco has to write a bug-fix for what is now understood to be a bug in the Cisco code. The problem has nothing to do with iPhones other than the fact they happen to trigger the bug (as can other devices) > Protocol is protocol, it is defined and a standard. Who is at > fault? Well it depends more clearly on what the fault actually was. >From all accounts at this stage the bug is in Cisco code, and only shows itself under specific conditions - based both on the configuration of the network (which is why not all Cisco customers are experencing the problem) and on a specific action of the device (in this case the iPhone, but it could be any other device). Without going into any detail the issues is basically a corner case - what the iPhone is doing is valid within the 'protocol', but not necessaily something that any other vendors does, which is why only the iPhone is triggering this bug in the wild. It's a bug. It has a Bug ID, a workaround, and a fix. Nuff said? In a more general sense it's not exactly surprising that such a bug has been found, and I'd be surprised if it's the last that the iPhone plays some part in (across all vendors of network hardware). The iPhone has resulted in a significant increase in the number of very mobile WiFi devices connecting to networks. Sure, notebooks may be popular, but the majority of notebook users are not roaming between base stations all day as iPhones do. Sure, phones with WiFi aren't new, but they have never been as popular as the iPhone. Scott (Speaking for myself, not Cisco) From grove at zeta.org.au Sun Jul 22 21:35:41 2007 From: grove at zeta.org.au (grove at zeta.org.au) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:35:41 +1000 (EST) Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: On Sun, 22 Jul 2007, Jan Whitaker wrote: > At 06:58 PM 22/07/2007, you wrote: >> As opposed to the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, baboons and >> countless other very native Australian animals they have been >> using for the past few years? > > Yeah, I thought about that, but these raccoons were going down the street > following a telstra van. At least the African animals looked to be in their > natural habitats, weren't they? The racoons are supposed to be spying on the phone users. What's up with that then?! Racoons in Australia are thought to be sneaky suspicious animals, which is why I guess they are used in the context... I don't work for Saatchi & Saatchi, so whatever...... rachel -- Rachel Polanskis Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia grove at zeta.org.au http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html Will you tolerate this? Return Hew Raymond Griffiths now... "Who do you trust?" - John W Howard From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Sun Jul 22 22:53:55 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:53:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4ku64i@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 09:35 PM 22/07/2007, grove at zeta.org.au wrote: >The racoons are supposed to be spying on the phone users. What's up >with that then?! Racoons in Australia are thought to be >sneaky suspicious animals, which is why I guess they are used in the >context... That's not their 'meaning' in the US where they are native. They aren't suspicious, they're scanvengers. They are similar to possums here, getting into garbage bins, breaking into cabins for food. I don't know if Optus would like that 'image' for themselves if they had considered that meaning, either! Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 01:29:30 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:29:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <200707221532.l6MFWohI030402@ah.net> At 06:58 PM 22/07/2007, Scott Howard wrote: >On Sun, Jul 22, 2007 at 05:44:28PM +1000, Jan Whitaker wrote: > > Any linkers know why Optus is using a strange animal in their latest > > tv ads for Australia? I must say I've never seen a wild raccoon here. > > Are they outsourcing their advertising to North America? > >As opposed to the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, baboons and >countless other very native Australian animals they have been >using for the past few years? Haven't you been to Taronga or Western Plains Zoo or the Canberra Zoo? Sheesh Scott! I thought you were a native Australian! (smile) From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 01:30:24 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:30:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] weird Optus ad In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4ks29a@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <20070722085837.GA22935@milliways.doc.net.au> <61fg7n$4ksm2e@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <200707221532.l6MFWohK030402@ah.net> At 07:14 PM 22/07/2007, Jan Whitaker wrote: >At 06:58 PM 22/07/2007, you wrote: >>As opposed to the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, baboons and >>countless other very native Australian animals they have been >>using for the past few years? > >Yeah, I thought about that, but these raccoons were going down the >street following a telstra van. At least the African animals looked >to be in their natural habitats, weren't they? Tell the AFP, the raccoon might be a T-err-orr-ist! Or perhaps seeking refugee status so it can open a Mobile Phone shop, or a fish and chip shop. And if Rachels theory that the Raccoon is suppose to be spying - well that just says it all! Optus is spying in Telstra. Hmm. And coming back to Jan with the Scavenger theory, well isn't that what Optus does - scavengers customers from Telstra? OK, I need to go to bed. From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Mon Jul 23 08:03:23 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:03:23 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Sensis media adserving Message-ID: <46A3D42B.6020005@ozemail.com.au> Linkers, I have mentioned before that I increasingly encounter sites that end up hung during loading, while they wait for distant ad servers that have nothing at all to do with the content I'm trying to view. I think it must be a combination of factors including the iiNet connection (because some sites that are flaky at home are okay at the office, on the same machine). But I thought I'd try and use Link to get a handle on what can possibly be causing the problem. So: I started with trying to follow the Link posted by Kim Holburn - http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/13613/1090/1/1/ - and got the page hanging mid-load while it waited for the Sensis ad server. The same thing happened on Firefox and Safari, and (of course) turning of Java and Javascript brought the page up okay, but for the moment I'd like to leave aside the debate about what users should switch on / off. Instead, I'm interested in these questions: a) What aspects of Website design cause an entire page to "hang" while loading, when it's only one page element (the advertisement) that's the problem? and b) What aspects of network behaviour mean that the same "source" advertiser server (Sensis Mediasmart) will fail to load to an iiNet connection but work on a Macquarie connection (at the office)? Cheers, RC From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 23 09:12:36 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:12:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Uniform Office Format from China In-Reply-To: <39e534e70707081809rcaa1848kd3a93ab00861c101@mail.gmail.com > References: <20070705225112.E6344153BD@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> <39e534e70707081809rcaa1848kd3a93ab00861c101@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20070722231244.1414170B@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 11:09 AM 9/07/2007, jim birch wrote: >... >http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=2006110806164573 > >... the Chinese are out to produce their own standards that that >will allow them to develop their own products >in green (unencumbered) fields. ... Sounds reasonable to me. If a "standard" requires you to use someone else's patented technology which you are required to pay them for, or has not been designed for your requirements, then it is sensible to seek a free and open alternative. The impression I have got from talking to Chinese technologists is that they are happy to use standards, provided these do what they need and do not disadvantage them. Many of the supposed universal standards have western biases built in, others require the payment of royalties for use. Two examples: * MPEG: The organisation MPEG LA collects fees for the use of the MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 standards . The fee for use of MPEG-4 is up to one million US dollars per year . * UNICODE is supposed to be a pure unbiased universal way to encode characters. But the first 128 Unicode characters are the ASCII character set (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) and the fist 256 characters are the same as ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) . This is very handy for the USA, UK, Australia and much of Europe, but not a lot of use for China, Japan or Korea. A similar approach is being taken with web domain names: everybody is catered for, but if you speak English, it is a lot easier . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From karl at karl.net.au Mon Jul 23 09:30:00 2007 From: karl at karl.net.au (Karl Schaffarczyk) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:30:00 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: Hi Janet, Linkers, IANAL, but maybe the lawyers on the list might be willing to put forward a hypothetical opinion. My guess is that it would depend on the extent of the complicity of the publication in knowingly publishing the misleading advert, and how easily identifiable the advertiser is. My understanding is that in most cases the advertiser would be pursued, *BUT* if the publication was notified by a trademark holder of the infringement, and continued to print the adverts in subsequent editions, then the publisher would become liable, at least in part. That is, the notification to the publisher, and ignorance by that publisher of that same notice would then make the publisher negligent or reckless or something. I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can offer more? Karl At 10:13 AM +0930 21/7/07, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/20/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >>Hi Janet, >>I think the main thrust of the case may have been missed in your posting. >> >>The facts of the case as I understand them are: >> >>A company with trade mark Stickybeek(tm) was running a cars for sale >>type website. >>The trading post paid google for some ads, which is OK. >>The trading post opted to have their ad displayed when 'Stickybeek' >>was one of the search terms, which I understand is *still* OK. >>However, the trading post's ad looked something like this (my >>mock-up, not an actual ad): >> >>Stickybeek >>Look for your car online >>Choose from 1000s of listings. > >Thanks for the explanation. In a non web context, Say in the trading >post... If I post an add for recycled socks using the anme of a >company down the road which makes recycled socks who would be >actionable, the trading post or the advertising person? From lucychili at gmail.com Mon Jul 23 09:33:47 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:03:47 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: On 7/23/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: > Hi Janet, Linkers, > > IANAL, but maybe the lawyers on the list might be willing to put > forward a hypothetical opinion. > > My guess is that it would depend on the extent of the complicity of > the publication in knowingly publishing the misleading advert, and > how easily identifiable the advertiser is. > My understanding is that in most cases the advertiser would be > pursued, *BUT* if the publication was notified by a trademark holder > of the infringement, and continued to print the adverts in subsequent > editions, then the publisher would become liable, at least in part. > That is, the notification to the publisher, and ignorance by that > publisher of that same notice would then make the publisher negligent > or reckless or something. > > I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can > offer more? > > Karl Has the Trading Post ever been sued for the ads of its contributors? From karl at karl.net.au Mon Jul 23 10:01:20 2007 From: karl at karl.net.au (Karl Schaffarczyk) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:01:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: After a quick check, the only reported case I can find involving the trading post is their suing another paper: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2000/992.html Karl At 9:03 AM +0930 23/7/07, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/23/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >>Hi Janet, Linkers, >> >>IANAL, but maybe the lawyers on the list might be willing to put >>forward a hypothetical opinion. >> >>My guess is that it would depend on the extent of the complicity of >>the publication in knowingly publishing the misleading advert, and >>how easily identifiable the advertiser is. >>My understanding is that in most cases the advertiser would be >>pursued, *BUT* if the publication was notified by a trademark holder >>of the infringement, and continued to print the adverts in subsequent >>editions, then the publisher would become liable, at least in part. >>That is, the notification to the publisher, and ignorance by that >>publisher of that same notice would then make the publisher negligent >>or reckless or something. >> >>I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can >>offer more? >> >>Karl > >Has the Trading Post ever been sued for the ads of its contributors? From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Mon Jul 23 09:56:17 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:56:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] crossover of internet and print publishing Message-ID: <61fg7n$4l33ch@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> > >1) Borders takes technology to the next level with free sample >chapters sent as text messages prior to a book's release date. > >http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/57023/254/260/3 Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 23 10:33:17 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:33:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Aspect-Oriented Thinking, Canberra, 23 July 2007 Message-ID: <20070723003356.F106338E8@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Sorry for the late recommendation. More at : --- DCS SEMINAR SERIES Aspect-Oriented Thinking, Shayne Flint (DCS, ANU) DATE: 2007-07-23 TIME: 16:00:00 - 17:00:00 LOCATION: CSIT Seminar Room, N101, ANU, Canberra ABSTRACT: Large systems engineering projects are dynamically complex socio-technical environments of co-evolving technologies, processes, people, organisations, laws, politics and other concerns. Aspect-Oriented Thinking (AOT) is a multidisciplinary process of learning and change which involves the modeling and assembly of reusable knowledge to specify, develop, operate and retire systems within such environments. In the first instance, these systems include the models and simulations required to learn about a given environment and to make decisions regarding necessary improvements. Later, the same approach is used to develop the hardware, software, process, legal and other systems required to implement and evaluate the impact of these decisions. By encouraging the use of AOT across a set of related projects, systems-of-systems might emerge with desirable properties including effective interoperability, ongoing alignment with stakeholder needs and an ability to rapidly reconfigure and form new systems-of-systems from existing components. This talk will provide an introduction to AOT as well as an overview of current projects aimed at evaluating the approach, available tool support and opportunities for future work. BIO: Shayne Flint started his career as an RAAF communications engineering officer. He moved into the embedded real-time software domain more than 20 years ago and since then has worked in various development, research, consulting and management roles. He received his PhD from the ANU where he is a Senior Lecturer involved in software/systems engineering education and research. --- Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 11:19:20 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:19:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <200707230123.l6N1MwBL010478@ah.net> At 09:33 AM 23/07/2007, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/23/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >>Hi Janet, Linkers, >>I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can >>offer more? > >Has the Trading Post ever been sued for the ads of its contributors? Yes. Successfully. The precedents exist. However, this is not the Trading Post (Sensis) being sued. It wouldn't surprise me if there is a Supreme Court damages proceeding running in parallel to the ACCC Federal Court proceeding. The ACCC is prosecuting, not suing. From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 11:19:51 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:19:51 +1000 Subject: [LINK] crossover of internet and print publishing In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4l33ch@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4l33ch@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <200707230123.l6N1MwBN010478@ah.net> At 09:56 AM 23/07/2007, Jan Whitaker wrote: >>1) Borders takes technology to the next level with free sample >>chapters sent as text messages prior to a book's release date. >> >>http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/57023/254/260/3 How do you fit a Chapter of a book into 160 characters? Man that's good compression! From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Mon Jul 23 12:15:19 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:15:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <46A40F37.6020202@ozemail.com.au> Janet Hawtin wrote: > On 7/23/07, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >> Hi Janet, Linkers, >> >> IANAL, but maybe the lawyers on the list might be willing to put >> forward a hypothetical opinion. >> >> My guess is that it would depend on the extent of the complicity of >> the publication in knowingly publishing the misleading advert, and >> how easily identifiable the advertiser is. >> My understanding is that in most cases the advertiser would be >> pursued, *BUT* if the publication was notified by a trademark holder >> of the infringement, and continued to print the adverts in subsequent >> editions, then the publisher would become liable, at least in part. >> That is, the notification to the publisher, and ignorance by that >> publisher of that same notice would then make the publisher negligent >> or reckless or something. >> >> I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can >> offer more? >> >> Karl > > Has the Trading Post ever been sued for the ads of its contributors? Janet, I can't speak for the Trading Post, but I've worked in publishing. Publishers really hate getting lawyers' letters from advertisers threatening action over someone else's advertisement ... Usually such arguments take place when one advertiser disses another advertiser's product, rather than it being a trademark thing... so there you are, as the magazine publisher, finding yourself calling up Advertiser B and asking them to change the copy in the advertisement because Advertiser A is threatening legal action, and of course Advertiser B says "kill the ad and we'll withdraw a full year's advertising contract!" - it becomes very uncomfortable. I don't know what happens to a publisher that ignores the letters, because nobody I worked for let it get that far ... the publisher generally does whatever it needs to do to remove itself from the debate. RC > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 11:11:55 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:11:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Sensis media adserving In-Reply-To: <46A3D42B.6020005@ozemail.com.au> References: <46A3D42B.6020005@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <200707230122.l6N1MwBH010478@ah.net> At 08:03 AM 23/07/2007, you wrote: >Linkers, > >I have mentioned before that I increasingly encounter sites that end >up hung during loading, while they wait for distant ad servers that >have nothing at all to do with the content I'm trying to view. I >think it must be a combination of factors including the iiNet >connection (because some sites that are flaky at home are okay at >the office, on the same machine). Richard I have Zapper installed on my proxy server and specifically have an ACL to prevent anything from sensis or telstra being requested through my servers. Zapper just sends back a text or graphic "This Ad is zapped" and that's it :) It has reduced hanging from bad javascript or even sites that try and push JAVA ads to me. Done. I don't see them :) From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 11:18:06 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:18:06 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: World's first, ACCC initiates Google legal proceedings In-Reply-To: References: <200707192105.l6JL54Wq025196@anumail0.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <200707230122.l6N1MwBJ010478@ah.net> At 09:30 AM 23/07/2007, Karl Schaffarczyk wrote: >Hi Janet, Linkers, > >IANAL, but maybe the lawyers on the list might be willing to put >forward a hypothetical opinion. > >My guess is that it would depend on the extent of the complicity of >the publication in knowingly publishing the misleading advert, and >how easily identifiable the advertiser is. Now you are talking Fraud, which is a criminal offence. But it's only Fraud of a consumer actually pays money as a result of the misdirection and the consumer believes they are dealing with the origin, not the hijacker. >My understanding is that in most cases the advertiser would be >pursued, *BUT* if the publication was notified by a trademark holder >of the infringement, and continued to print the adverts in >subsequent editions, then the publisher would become liable, at least in part. Trading Post is the advertiser and the publisher :) In this case. The publisher is generally liable for all errors and omissions regardless. E&O is a major part of film and TV commercial production. We have to make sure we don't have CocaCola billboard in the background of a shot, unless we have some arrangement with Coke. It's even worse if you shoot a McDonalds in a scene and start sending your film out world wide, especially if you get attention. A Publisher is required to ensure that E&O is covered, in fact there is even special insurance for this. >That is, the notification to the publisher, and ignorance by that >publisher of that same notice would then make the publisher >negligent or reckless or something. A Trademark holder doesn't have to notify a publisher for the publisher to breach rights. The publisher is required to vet and ensure that all material is presented appropriately. Especially if the publisher is a regular and long time running organisation. In which case it becomes negligence, rather than ignorance. >I am starting to get out of my depth - is there someone else who can >offer more? Hope that helps. From tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au Mon Jul 23 15:14:24 2007 From: tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au (Antony Barry) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:14:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] =?iso-8859-1?q?Fwd=3A_MR_86/07=3A_DC_Marketing_issued_wit?= =?iso-8859-1?q?h_a_=24149=2C600_penalty_for_=91missed_call=92_marketing_?= =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BSEC=3DUNCLASSIFIED=5D?= References: <06620960011851648192018@subscribedmailings.com> Message-ID: <6408F0DB-042F-4A7C-A703-FB9F808A6339@tony-barry.emu.id.au> Begin forwarded message: > From: "Australian Communications & Media Authority" > > Date: 23 July 2007 2:26:59 PM > To: > Subject: MR 86/07: DC Marketing issued with a $149,600 penalty for > ?missed call? marketing [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED] > Reply-To: media at acma.gov.au > > The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued DC > Marketing Europe Limited with an Infringement Notice, carrying a > penalty of $149,600, for extensive breaches of the Spam Act 2003. > The penalty is the largest issued by ACMA since the Spam Act?s > penalty provisions came into force in April 2004. > The full media release can be found at: http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/ > STANDARD//pc=PC_310445 > From stephen at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 23 19:23:33 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:23:33 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Multimedia Victoria Update - July 2007 Message-ID: <20070723092339.F0FB46401E@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 11:46 AM 23/07/2007, mmvupdate at mmv.vic.gov.au wrote: Dear All, Please see below for Multimedia Victoria's latest news and upcoming trade fair events. - LATEST MMV NEWS - ICT Skills Research The Victorian Government's latest research into young people's attitudes towards ICT study and careers. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Skills_careers/ICTSkillsResearchFINALPDF.pdf La Trobe Uni Microsoft Centre: an Australian-First Victorian students, academics, SMEs and start-up companies will see their innovative ideas brought to life with the help of Australia???s first campus-based Microsoft Centre that brings together cutting edge hardware and software. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsLaTrobeUniMicrosoftCentreanAustralianFirst New Games Centre for Technology Boomtown Ballarat Ballarat is set to become Victoria???s first regional hub for computer games development, with Melbourne-based developer IR Gurus opening a studio at Ballarat Technology Park, Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding, said today. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsNewGamesCentreforTechnologyBoomtownBallarat Victoria???s World-Class Spatial Industry Comes Of Age Leading Victorian spatial information companies are joining forces to take the State???s competitive edge in this technology to the next level, Information & Communication Technology Minister, Tim Holding, said today. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsVictoriasWorldClassSpatialIndustryComesOfAge World Launch For Vic Company At CommunicAsia Specialised ICT companies focussing on fibre optics, telecommunications, satellite technology and software are flying the flag for Victoria at the CommunicAsia2007 expo in Singapore this week, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding, said today. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsWorldLaunchForVicCompanyAtCommunicAsia Victoria On Fast Track To Next Gen Mobile Technology Victoria is in prime position to capitalise on the lucrative next generation mobile revolution, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding, said today, launching Australia???s first mobile data industry cluster in Broadmeadows. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsVictoriaOnFastTrackToNextGenMobileTechnolgy Holding Launches Australian-First Technology Market Reports Minster for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding, today launched the inaugural Victorian Government Technology Market Reports 2007 ? the first of their kind in Australia. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsFirstTechnologyMarketReports Bracks Government Helping To Switch On Bendigo Teens To A Career In ICT Victorian teenagers in Bendigo will be hearing the real story about a future in ICT this Thursday, as part of the Victorian Government???s ICT: Start here. Go anywhere campaign, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding said. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsBracksGovernmentHelpingToSwitchOnBendigoTeensToACareerInICT Bracks Government Helping To Switch On Mildura Teens To A Career In ICT Victorian teenagers in Mildura will be hearing the real story about a future in ICT this Thursday, as part of the Victorian Government???s ICT: Start here. Go anywhere campaign, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding said. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsBracksGovernmentHelpingToSwitchOnMilduraTeensToACareerInICT Victoria Cracks The Code For Success At iAwards From hi-tech ear muffs to ???un-crackable??? quantum encryption keys, Victoria scooped the awards at the prestigious national iAwards in Sydney last night, highlighting the state???s leadership in the ICT sector, Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding said. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/NewsVictoriaCrackstheCodeforSuccessatiAwards Sharpest Digital Media Minds Converge on Melbourne Melbourne???s digital media companies will have access to some of the sharpest industry minds in the world when the X|Media|Lab holds the ???Digital Worlds: Social, Virtual, Mobile??? conference at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in August. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/798c8b072d117a01ca256c8c0019bb01/070710481cfff89cca257316007cc7c4!OpenDocument - VICTORIAN SUCCESS STORIES - If you have a success story to share, please email sarah.crago at mmv.vic.gov.au ALDAR selects Aconex for over $40bn in projects Tuesday 10th July 2007 - Victorian company Aconex, has been selected to provide its online information management solution to ALDAR Properties PJSC, Abu Dhabi???s leading property development and management company. More information:Media Release - (DOC, 33KB, 3 pages) http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Victorian_Success_Stories/070709_Aconex_ALDAR_Aus.doc Game's on as firm moves in Monday 2nd July 2007 - A COMPANY that creates games for Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation has relocated from Melbourne to Ballarat. More information:Ballarat Courier article. http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Victorian_Success_Stories/BallaratCourier02July2007.pdf GVM wins top award Thursday 27th April 2007 - Global Vision Media, a leading online training and communications company, has won a major award for excellence in business strategy. The award was for Global Vision's deployment of an online training system and content to protect Australia's ports from terrorism. More information:Global Vision news release. http://www.globalvision.com.au/news.html Oakton acquires Acumen Alliance Thursday 26th April 2007 - Australian end to end IT services provider, Oakton Limited today announced a conditional agreement for the acquisition of consulting and solutions business Acumen Alliance. The combined scale, capability and reputation of these two Australian companies will enhance their already significant presence in the Australian market and establish the combined entity as a market leader. More Information: Oakton web site http://www.oakton.com.au/corporate/asx/asx20070426.htm Editure merges with A.U.S.S.I.E. Melbourne, 18 April 2007 ? Leading Austtralian education services provider, Editure, today announced a merger with US-based professional development firm, A.U.S.S.I.E. (Australian and United States Services in Education). Kim Ford, CEO of Editure said: "From the beginning of our discussions, both parties understood the potential benefits of merging Editure and A.U.S.S.I.E. Editure???s vision and expertise in technology based solutions, coupled with A.U.S.S.I.E.???s professional development methodologies for teachers, its delivery of programs and expert knowledge in Reading and Maths in particular, will enhance value to all clients." More Information: Media Release - (PDF, 25KB, 2 pages) http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Victorian_Success_Stories/EdituremergeswithA.U.S.S.I.E..pdf Australian Software Developer Scores Major Export Wins in Asia Melbourne, 12 April 2007 - Victorian head-quartered software company, eB2Bcom, has just scored its seventh major identity and access management sale into ASEAN markets, positioning it to be Australia's leading independent exporter of identity and access management solutions and consulting expertise. More Information: Media Release - (PDF, 58KB, 2 pages) http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Victorian_Success_Stories/AustralianSoftwareDeveloperScoresMajorExportWinsinAsia.pdf - UPCOMING TRADE FAIR EVENTS - International ICT Events - Trade Fair News http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/TradeFairNews Domestic ICT Events http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/ICTevents Regards, Multimedia Victoria (c) State Government of Victoria, 2007 http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au Mon Jul 23 20:40:07 2007 From: rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au (Richard Chirgwin) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:40:07 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Sensis media adserving In-Reply-To: <200707230122.l6N1MwBH010478@ah.net> References: <46A3D42B.6020005@ozemail.com.au> <200707230122.l6N1MwBH010478@ah.net> Message-ID: <46A48587.60101@ozemail.com.au> Adam Todd wrote: > At 08:03 AM 23/07/2007, you wrote: >> Linkers, >> >> I have mentioned before that I increasingly encounter sites that end >> up hung during loading, while they wait for distant ad servers that >> have nothing at all to do with the content I'm trying to view. I >> think it must be a combination of factors including the iiNet >> connection (because some sites that are flaky at home are okay at the >> office, on the same machine). > > Richard I have Zapper installed on my proxy server and specifically > have an ACL to prevent anything from sensis or telstra being requested > through my servers. > > Zapper just sends back a text or graphic "This Ad is zapped" and > that's it :) > > It has reduced hanging from bad javascript or even sites that try and > push JAVA ads to me. Done. I don't see them :) > > Adam, A fix isn't a diagnosis. Yes, zapping ads and JS by any means will stop the ads and the JS; but what is it about Sensis that if it cannot load its ad to the target page, then the page itself won't load? Alas, I feel I have touched on a subject which is very low on the G.A.S. meter for most people, but there's method in my madness here. People - say, IT Wire, Fairfax (since at the moment Domain.com.au is stopping dead with the same part-loaded symptoms) and others have Websites which are stalled on the behaviour of a third-party site, and have absolutely no idea that they're blocking some users. Well, it may be considered that I should ignore the problems of someone else's site: but some of the "victim" sites are places that I actually want to view. Cheers, RC From link at todd.inoz.com Mon Jul 23 23:11:13 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:11:13 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Sensis media adserving In-Reply-To: <46A48587.60101@ozemail.com.au> References: <46A3D42B.6020005@ozemail.com.au> <200707230122.l6N1MwBH010478@ah.net> <46A48587.60101@ozemail.com.au> Message-ID: <200707231311.l6NDBrsv023451@ah.net> At 08:40 PM 23/07/2007, Richard Chirgwin wrote: Zapper just sends back a text or graphic "This Ad is zapped" and that's it :) >>It has reduced hanging from bad javascript or even sites that try >>and push JAVA ads to me. Done. I don't see them :) >> >Adam, > >A fix isn't a diagnosis. Yes, zapping ads and JS by any means will >stop the ads and the JS; but what is it about Sensis that if it >cannot load its ad to the target page, then the page itself won't load? Who cares! Do you really want to spend time diagnosing a $24 billion a year companies web site and tell them how to fix it for free? Pfft! Let the pages crash, let the users go to places where the ads don't appear, and let the users complain about the sites. That way, hopefully, this kind of assault on users will be reduced, rather than increased. >Alas, I feel I have touched on a subject which is very low on the >G.A.S. meter for most people, but there's method in my madness here. >People - say, IT Wire, Fairfax (since at the moment Domain.com.au is >stopping dead with the same part-loaded symptoms) and others have >Websites which are stalled on the behaviour of a third-party site, >and have absolutely no idea that they're blocking some users. They have lots of idea. They will see that hits to the site's pages are lower than expected. They will have log files that will be filling with the message that the user aborted the connection before the page was fully sent. They know. If they don't, they are more inept than expected! I watch my web server error logs for hundreds of virtual servers 24 x 7. If I see an error I want to know why. Fairfax monitors it's logs, or at least has some means of monitoring for faults. >Well, it may be considered that I should ignore the problems of >someone else's site: but some of the "victim" sites are places that >I actually want to view. Then ring them and tell them they need to stop using external web sites. If they say "But we need the ad money" tell them you'll go elsewhere. From sylvano at gnomon.com.au Tue Jul 24 06:47:13 2007 From: sylvano at gnomon.com.au (sylvano) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:47:13 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam Message-ID: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Gday Linkers My first ever spam from a registered political party! Woo hoo! I did my duty and used the ACMA online (unregistered user access) facility to the Spam reporting page, after having received an unsolicited email from the Citizens' Electoral Council (CEC) about their views, reactions and otherwise of the ABC's broadcast of the warming swindle and follow debate. The CEC advises the recipient that Schedule 1 of the Act let's them spam people, but of course the Act says, "Unsolicited commercial electronic messages must not be sent" where an email from a registered political party is a commerical electronic message. ACMA - Spam reporting page. http://submit.spam.acma.gov.au/acma_submit.cgi SPAM Act 2003 http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sa200366/ It was sent to three email addresses that are forwarded to my main account. Sylvano -- What next for computer games? http://www.gnomon.com.au/cgi/svy/survey.pl?sc=CompGames From stil at stilgherrian.com Tue Jul 24 07:30:09 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 07:30:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: On 24/7/07 6:47 AM, "sylvano" wrote: > I did my duty and used the ACMA online (unregistered > user access) facility to the Spam reporting page, > after having received an unsolicited email from the > Citizens' Electoral Council (CEC) about their views, > reactions and otherwise of the ABC's broadcast of the > warming swindle and follow debate. > > The CEC advises the recipient that Schedule 1 of the > Act let's them spam people, but of course the Act says, > "Unsolicited commercial electronic messages must not be > sent" where an email from a registered political party > is a commerical electronic message. This is an interesting case, and one that highlights another issue which concerns me... I understand that Sylvano (and others) wouldn't have wanted to receive this email from the CEC. However the intention of the Act is to block *commercial* messages (i.e. someone selling something for money) but to allow *political* messages. Leaving aside the question of whether political messages should be exempted from being counted as spam... Why do political messages have to come from "a registered political party"? If political messages are allowed, shouldn't we *all* be able to send them, no matter whether part of an "organization" or not? Perhaps I might be trying to *start* such an organization. Just a thought... Stil P.S. A note for those who don't bother to think before they post: * I did NOT say that I supported spam (I don't) * I did not say I believe that political messages should be exempt from counting a spam (I am undecided) * I did not say I supported the CEC (I don't) * I did not say anything one way or the other about global warming (and that's off-topic anyway) My question is purely about the idea that politics may only be discussed in the context of "registered political parties". -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From mikal at stillhq.com Tue Jul 24 08:22:36 2007 From: mikal at stillhq.com (Michael Still) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:22:36 -0700 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <46A52A2C.2060603@stillhq.com> Stilgherrian wrote: > Leaving aside the question of whether political messages should be exempted > from being counted as spam... Why do political messages have to come from "a > registered political party"? If political messages are allowed, shouldn't we > *all* be able to send them, no matter whether part of an "organization" or > not? Perhaps I might be trying to *start* such an organization. I think it's a US thing. They don't want people to be able to avoid the party funding rules by donating to an "independant" "lobby" "group", which is actually a front for under-the-table party donations. Mikal From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 23 11:49:44 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:49:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: Launch of Australian Screen Online In-Reply-To: <20070720050947.A80DF64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070720050947.A80DF64021@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <20070723232151.156593DE5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 03:12 PM 20/07/2007, Stephen Loosley wrote: >... The Australian Screen Online website > was launched this week in Sydney, >giving the general public access to all of Australia's cinematic >history with over 500 film and television programs represented on the site. ... Good content. The site doesn't just have old films, but includes clips from relatively recent ones, such as Ten Canoes . However, the popularity overloaded the site it initially. The developers have made some changes to speed up the site and it seems to be working better now. Contrary to media reports the developers say they are improving the efficiency of the server, rather than buying more hardware. It happens that I was talking with staff at the National Film and Sound archive before the launch and warned them there was likely to be a problem with the new web site. A similar problem had occurred with the UK based "Aerial Reconnaissance Archives" in 2004. There was a discussion of the issues on Link: . The UK designers had made the job for their server particularly difficult by giving every image on the site a different URL for each person who looked at it. This made sense for tracking use of the valuable historical photos, but not when applied to to the logos on the home page. It made it impossible to cache the images. When the BBC ran a news item about the site the server was overloaded. Fixing the URLs for the images on the main pages seemed to help. A similar problem occurred with the Sentinel fire tracking system which the Australian Government launched a few days before bushfires in Canberra in 2003 . When the fires broke out the system became overloaded. A separate server with userids and passwords for firefighters was installed, but I also suggested putting some canned output from the system for the general public to look at. The canned output could be cached and did not tie up the database server generating a new map for each user. In the case of the film archive I suggested offering fewer films per web page. They might also change the default setting for the media player from Broadband to Dialup and so it does not start downloading content by default. At present the media player will start downloading the broadband content as soon as you go to a clip web page, in anticipation you want to play it. If you don't want to play it, or want to dialup version, that is a waste. They could also modify the logos of participating organisations to save a little of the load on the server. The Commonwealth Arms has not been optimized for online use . But you have to be careful with what you do with the Commonwealth Arms, as there are strict guidelines . I once had to tell the staff of a government minister that they couldn't have the commonwealth arms as a background pattern on the minister's web page. Sticking the MPs face over the top of the pre-eminent symbol of the power and authority of the Commonwealth Government did not seem to be appropriate. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 23 13:16:20 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:16:20 +1000 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web In-Reply-To: References: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <20070723232212.9DF5D3DE4@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 02:00 PM 22/07/2007, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/20/07, Tom Worthington wrote: >>I will be speaking ... "Harnessing the power of >>new technologies to build citizen-centric >>websites and encourage online activities", >>17-18 September 2007 in Canberra >> ... > >... Here are my probably predictable questions =). > >>Making websites accessible and functional for a diverse community: > >Accessibility in the sense of multiple skills? I was thinking of accessibility in the sense of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines : "* They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all. * They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text. * They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse. * They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection. * They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written. * They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud environment, etc.). * They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system. ..." In the case of remote indigenous communities, these might apply: * They may not be able to see, hear, move: due to higher incidence of blindness, diabetes induced amputations and hearing loss in aboriginal communities. , or may not be able to process some types of information easily ... due to cultural differences. * They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text: due to lower literacy levels. * They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse: limited user input with some community web kiosks. * They may have a text-only screen, a small screen: with community kiosk. or a slow Internet connection: due to wireless link * They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written: English may be a second language. * They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud environment, etc.): Use of the web in a communal environment may make concentration harder. * They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system: Ruggedized, low power web terminals may have more limited web browsers. >>? Communicating and engaging diverse cultural >>audiences in Australia and worldwide > >- languages and training? >- implementation and ongoing costs? >- participation .v. subscription Yes, all of those issues. What I had in mind was to improve on-line systems provided by government so that they would work better for remote indigenous communities and for everyone else as well. It should be possible to do this at minimal cost, as much of the information is already online and just needs rearranging to make it usable. What is used to administer a remote community of 100 people could also be used to run the body corporate in an urban apartment block. A system designed to help budgeting for families in remote areas could also be used to educate urban teenagers on spending for their mobile phone. The same system used for remote teaching of basic hygiene could also be used to educate the general population during an avian influenza pandemic . A system used to consult a scattered regional population could also be used for better decision making nationally. Groups which are disenfranchised due to lack of access to mass media, could express their views online. >Would these be technologies that the communities >would be trained in the underlying workings of >or would they be users of other peoples' systems >in the IP and support and ownership sense? An understanding of the technology would be needed, but only a limited one is feasible. What might be interesting is how some the remote communities might teach the urban dwellers about how to have a community. >I would be interested in whether there are ways >that training can be provided to people in >Aboriginal communities in housing, building, >green power, and that these skills can enable >the communities to build their own housing and to generate power locally. ... It is not feasible to provide all skills locally, at least not in a politically acceptable time frame. So some of the work has to be done elsewhere and shipped in. My proposal is to manufacture and support some of the technology remotely and enable some of it to be provided locally. This is easiest to understand in the case of housing, where water, lighting and power require specially qualified trades to install them . The average person cannot safely, or legally, install electrical wiring in a house. Similarly it should be possible to provide pre configured content which can then be adapted for local conditions. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From lucychili at gmail.com Tue Jul 24 09:58:23 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:28:23 +0930 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web In-Reply-To: <20070723232212.9DF5D3DE4@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> References: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> <20070723232212.9DF5D3DE4@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: On 7/23/07, Tom Worthington wrote: This kind of model? http://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/news.php?id=587 From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 24 13:49:16 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:49:16 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> References: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <200707240355.l6O3t2qe012289@ah.net> At 06:47 AM 24/07/2007, sylvano wrote: >Gday Linkers > >My first ever spam from a registered political party! >Woo hoo! > >I did my duty and used the ACMA online (unregistered >user access) facility to the Spam reporting page, >after having received an unsolicited email from the >Citizens' Electoral Council (CEC) about their views, >reactions and otherwise of the ABC's broadcast of the >warming swindle and follow debate. Except Political parties are exempt from the SPAM ACT :) So you over reacted and didn't understand the law, and hence, like many people have no caused the ACMA to do what they will do more and more now - ignore the thousands of reports that come in each day because it's too hard and costly to try and find the legitimate 5 in the 1000's that aren't. >The CEC advises the recipient that Schedule 1 of the >Act let's them spam people, but of course the Act says, >"Unsolicited commercial electronic messages must not be >sent" where an email from a registered political party >is a commerical electronic message. It's not a commercial e-mail. It doesn't purport to sell you a product that is marketed to the consumer. Do they want you to pay them money and do they offer to give you something in return? No. From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 24 13:53:46 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:53:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: References: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <200707240355.l6O3t2qg012289@ah.net> At 07:30 AM 24/07/2007, Stilgherrian wrote: [SNIP] > > The CEC advises the recipient that Schedule 1 of the > > Act let's them spam people, but of course the Act says, > > "Unsolicited commercial electronic messages must not be > > sent" where an email from a registered political party > > is a commerical electronic message. [SNIP] >I understand that Sylvano (and others) wouldn't have wanted to receive this >email from the CEC. However the intention of the Act is to block >*commercial* messages (i.e. someone selling something for money) but to >allow *political* messages. This is correct. >Leaving aside the question of whether political messages should be exempted >from being counted as spam... Why do political messages have to come from "a >registered political party"? Because the Statutory laws require that a promotion, advertising, poster, banner, how to vote card etc is authorised by the party (or candidate) and approved by the Electoral Commissions. It is an offence with BIG penalties for a person to advertise a political issue without the relevant approvals. That is why all TV commercials (and radio ads) have the "Authorised by XYZ spoken by ABC" on them. How to Vote cards are a big issue, people can't just make them up and hand them out, they have to be authorised by a party or candidate and approved by the Commission. >If political messages are allowed, shouldn't we >*all* be able to send them, no matter whether part of an "organization" or >not? Perhaps I might be trying to *start* such an organization. Sure, register it with the Electoral Commission, costs nothing, although to register a party you will need to get I think it's 2500 signatures for NSW State registration and 750 for Federal Registration. You don't have to have a candidate in an election to authorise propaganda, however the commission might not approve it :) Pay you $$$'000 in candidate fees and hand out your flies :) I know all about this, I've run as a candidate before :) I've also been asked to run as a candidate several times since. From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 24 13:54:43 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:54:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OzIT: 'Porn cull dropped' Message-ID: [The farce continues] Porn cull dropped The Australian IT Section Andrew Colley July 24, 2007 http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22122602-15306,00.html THE results of Australia's only live commercial internet content filtering trial will never be known because the exercise, championed by the federal Government, was quietly abandoned. The trial was expected to go ahead in Tasmania last year but the major internet filtering technology supplier for the project, Internet Sheriff, has revealed that it was abandoned because Australia's two largest ISPs, Telstra and Optus, refused to participate. Internet Sheriff chief executive David Ramsay said the project was commercially risky without support from the two carriers. "Without having them involved to supply the bandwidth at no cost it would have been quite expensive with no guarantee of any outcome for me. To go and spend upwards of $600,000, I needed some sort of idea what would have happened if this was successful and no one could really give us any assurance as to what the next steps may or may not have been." The trial was expected to show if it was feasible for ISPs to take steps to stop pornographic and offensive internet content reaching their customers. Tasmanian Liberal senator Guy Barnett, a strong champion of the trial, said he was disappointed it didn't go ahead. Communications Minister Helen Coonan has, however, directed Australia's communications regulator, ACMA, to conduct a new ISP-level internet content filtering trial and report its findings to the Government by June next year. ACMA last week closed its tender, seeking experts to conduct the trials. It's not clear whether the new trial will be conducted in a live commercial environment. ACMA spokesman Donald Robertson said yesterday technicians close to the trial could not be contacted for comment. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From adrian at creative.net.au Tue Jul 24 14:30:02 2007 From: adrian at creative.net.au (Adrian Chadd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:30:02 +0800 Subject: [LINK] OzIT: 'Porn cull dropped' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20070724043002.GG23004@skywalker.creative.net.au> On Tue, Jul 24, 2007, Roger Clarke wrote: > [The farce continues] > > Porn cull dropped > The Australian IT Section > Andrew Colley > July 24, 2007 > http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22122602-15306,00.html > > THE results of Australia's only live commercial internet content > filtering trial will never be known because the exercise, championed > by the federal Government, was quietly abandoned. If they'd only publish the black/whitelists in question, we'd be able to do our own filtering trials. This was the problem back in the late 90s when it first popped up IIRC - noone wanted to publish the lists, so it was difficult to test the feasability of said lists. We had hash table based filtering on late 90's proxy servers quite happily humming along at their traffic throughput (~150 req/sec.) Adrian From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 24 16:48:34 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:48:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OzIT: 'Porn cull dropped' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200707240650.l6O6o9H0015473@ah.net> They have a great system in China. It prevents Internet users there accessing any Australian Government Web sites. Most private sites are accessible, except political ones. I get a lot of hits on most of our web sites that contain a strong position against Government Abuse of Aussie Citizens. Hmmm. Anyway, do we really want Government deciding what we can and can't access? At 01:54 PM 24/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >[The farce continues] > >Porn cull dropped >The Australian IT Section >Andrew Colley >July 24, 2007 >http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22122602-15306,00.html > >THE results of Australia's only live commercial internet content >filtering trial will never be known because the exercise, championed >by the federal Government, was quietly abandoned. > >The trial was expected to go ahead in Tasmania last year but the >major internet filtering technology supplier for the project, >Internet Sheriff, has revealed that it was abandoned because >Australia's two largest ISPs, Telstra and Optus, refused to participate. > >Internet Sheriff chief executive David Ramsay said the project was >commercially risky without support from the two carriers. > >"Without having them involved to supply the bandwidth at no cost it >would have been quite expensive with no guarantee of any outcome for >me. To go and spend upwards of $600,000, I needed some sort of idea >what would have happened if this was successful and no one could >really give us any assurance as to what the next steps may or may >not have been." From link at todd.inoz.com Tue Jul 24 16:49:52 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:49:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OzIT: 'Porn cull dropped' In-Reply-To: <20070724043002.GG23004@skywalker.creative.net.au> References: <20070724043002.GG23004@skywalker.creative.net.au> Message-ID: <200707240650.l6O6o9H2015473@ah.net> At 02:30 PM 24/07/2007, Adrian Chadd wrote: > > http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22122602-15306,00.html > > > > THE results of Australia's only live commercial internet content > > filtering trial will never be known because the exercise, championed > > by the federal Government, was quietly abandoned. > >If they'd only publish the black/whitelists in question, we'd be able >to do our own filtering trials. > >This was the problem back in the late 90s when it first popped up IIRC - >noone wanted to publish the lists, so it was difficult to test the >feasability of said lists. We had hash table based filtering on late 90's >proxy servers quite happily humming along at their traffic throughput >(~150 req/sec.) Adrian, the Governments don't want you to know what they don't want you to know. I won't say any more, I've posted plenty on this topic :) From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 24 20:28:19 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:28:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] NSW cities .. free wireless broadband Message-ID: <20070724102829.EBEA764009@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Sydney WiFi project on track Asher Moses July 18, 2007 - 3:43PM (snip) Despite some delays, the NSW Government says it is on track to roll out a free wireless broadband network across the Sydney CBD and other major centres. A spokesman for the NSW Minister for Commerce, Eric Roozendaal, said the Government was in the final stages of selecting the supplier that will build the network, which in addition to the Sydney CBD will cover North Sydney, Paramatta, Penrith, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wollongong and Gosford. Free wireless hotspots already exist on a smaller scale in various restaurants, cafes and public buildings, but the NSW Government's plan, if successful, would allow people to roam freely around the city while maintaining their connection to the internet. "Evaluation of the 15 proposals received in response to the Expression of Interest has gone well and is in its final approval stage by the Department of Commerce," the spokesman said. Telstra, Optus, Unwired Australia and Nortel Networks are among the 15 companies that formally expressed an interest in building the network. The spokesman .. said the Government would be in a position to announce the chosen supplier "shortly". -- Cheers people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From adrian at creative.net.au Tue Jul 24 21:03:35 2007 From: adrian at creative.net.au (Adrian Chadd) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:03:35 +0800 Subject: [LINK] NSW cities .. free wireless broadband In-Reply-To: <20070724102829.EBEA764009@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070724102829.EBEA764009@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <20070724110335.GI23004@skywalker.creative.net.au> (Cc'ing the lists this was sent to, just in case anyone there is interested.) With my West Australian Internet Association volunteer events organiser hat on, I've organised a talk Thursday Morning on "ResourcesNet", a free wireless initiative in the Perth CBD. Its funding, as might be guessed, comes from the resources sector in WA. The presentation will cover the reasons behind it, how it was organised, and some high-level information about the network itself. More information is available at http://www.waia.asn.au/events/publicmeetings.shtml . If anyone in Perth is interested in attending then please let me know early tomorrow morning if you'd like the breakfast before the presentation, or just let me know if you're going to turn up for the talk itself. I'll try to organise the presentation slides and any Q/A's that pop up during the discussion to appear on the WAIA website as a reference. (Next month's talk is on an actual IPTV rollout in Perth, if anyone's interested. Yup, apparently there are companies doing cool stuff in Western Australia. Who would've thought..) Adrian On Tue, Jul 24, 2007, Stephen Loosley wrote: > Sydney WiFi project on track > > Asher Moses July 18, 2007 - 3:43PM (snip) > > > Despite some delays, the NSW Government says it is on track to roll out a free wireless broadband network across the Sydney CBD and other major centres. > > A spokesman for the NSW Minister for Commerce, Eric Roozendaal, said the Government was in the final stages of selecting the supplier that will build the network, which in addition to the Sydney CBD will cover North Sydney, Paramatta, Penrith, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wollongong and Gosford. > > Free wireless hotspots already exist on a smaller scale in various restaurants, cafes and public buildings, but the NSW Government's plan, if successful, would allow people to roam freely around the city while maintaining their connection to the internet. > > "Evaluation of the 15 proposals received in response to the Expression of Interest has gone well and is in its final approval stage by the Department of Commerce," the spokesman said. > > Telstra, Optus, Unwired Australia and Nortel Networks are among the 15 companies that formally expressed an interest in building the network. > > The spokesman .. said the Government would be in a position to announce the chosen supplier "shortly". > -- > > Cheers people > Stephen Loosley > Victoria, Australia > . > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Tue Jul 24 22:26:19 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:26:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Only in America Message-ID: <61fg7n$4lsqjp@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070723/subsidies-dead-farmers/ USDA Sent $1.1B to Deceased Farmers MARY CLARE JALONICK | July 23, 2007 07:04 PM EST | AP WASHINGTON ? The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 billion in farm payments to more than 170,000 dead people over a seven-year period, congressional investigators say. The findings by the Government Accountability Office were released Monday as the House prepared to debate and pass farm legislation this week that would govern subsidies and the department's programs for the next five years. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Tue Jul 24 22:52:12 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:52:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US digital divide and the lack of political policy Message-ID: <61fg7n$4lt2e5@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072201278.html Binary America: Split in Two by A Digital Divide [snip] Two months ago, TechPresident challenged the candidates to adopt specific policies to get everyone online. "Declare the Internet a public good in the same way we think of water, electricity, highways," reads a policy statement. "Commit to providing affordable high-speed wireless Internet access nationwide," reads another. So far most of the candidates have not adopted any of it, Rasiej says. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From lucychili at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 07:26:52 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:56:52 +0930 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] and it's Australia's turn on August 9 In-Reply-To: References: <46A5F1DD.9020905@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: On 7/24/07, Howard Lowndes wrote: > Re: Microsoft OOXML and the AS/NZ standards meeting. > > Is anyone from LINK/SLUG across this one?? > > http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070723235113424 My understanding is that comments might not be 'heard' at this point and that internationally the groups making these decisions have been swamped with new members from MS. I am not involved in the process in AU. http://www.noooxml.org/arguments http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/04/math-markup-marked-down.html http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-14606/rumors-of-microsoft-blackmail-in-new-zealand http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-14463/microsoft-recruiting-puppets-in-australia http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=20051216153153504 I am a lay person so my lay understanding is that people with a different business model or who are not favoured by Microsoft would be at risk in working with ooxml because it contains proprietary code. In an era where DRM and TPM have been embedded in our laws it is possible to make a felon of someone who develops interfacing with material which is not fully open. This means that structurally the ooxml is not an open standard. The political processes including the fast track, branch stacking, etc make it even less unlikely to me that ooxml would be used in an open standard kind of way. In this instance to me the means used to promote ooxml speak clearly about how safe the format would be for the wider community. My understanding is that John Oxer has written a letter from linux.org.au Letters from other parties cannot hurt. Janet From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 25 07:46:55 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:46:55 +1000 Subject: OT: [LINK] Only in America In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4lsqjp@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4lsqjp@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: At 22:26 +1000 24/7/07, Jan Whitaker wrote: >http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070723/subsidies-dead-farmers/ > >USDA Sent $1.1B to Deceased Farmers >MARY CLARE JALONICK | July 23, 2007 07:04 PM EST | AP > >WASHINGTON ? The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 billion in farm >payments to more than 170,000 dead people over a seven-year period, >congressional investigators say. A billion is not a large number. If you get 8 fully-costed employees for $1 million p.a., you only get 10,000 for $1 billion (times 1,000 plus a margin for being able to use market power to screw their income down 20%). Number of deaths: 2,398,343 and Death rate: 816.7 deaths per 100,000 population http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm In 2004, of the 145 million employed workers in the US, 834,000 of them held jobs as agricultural worker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_the_United_States But there are about 2 million farms http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/atlas97/map001.htm The distribution of farmers is probably older than the general population, so the death rate is probably higher. Assuming 1,200 per 100,000 p.a., and an eligible farmer for each of 2 million farms, that's 24,000 deaths p.a. or say 500 p.wk. Assume 80% of deaths take 3 weeks to get through to the paying authority, and 20% take 15 weeks. That's 1,200 + 1,500 = 2,700 dead people being paid at any one time. On the other hand, in a 7-year period, the number of deaths is - would you believe - 24,000 x 7 = 168,000. And every one of them might well receive at least one payment, if the payment cycle is less than 3 weeks. $1.1B / 170,000 is an average payment-while-dead of $6,500. That sounds more like an average of a quarter's payments than a few weeks' worth. (At least some US farmers are massively subsidised, and the money may well be enough to cover farm-operation costs as well as social welfare). So (based on those really rough guesses) the scary-looking 170,000 headline may not stand up to scrutiny, whereas the amount of over-payment does make it look like there could be a culture of non-reporting of farmer deaths in order to sustain income. Ah, but the national ID scheme (in their case the REAL ID Act) will fix all that, so-o-o-o easily, won't it? -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From sylvano at gnomon.com.au Wed Jul 25 07:53:59 2007 From: sylvano at gnomon.com.au (sylvano) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:53:59 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: <200707240355.l6O3t2qe012289@ah.net> References: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> <200707240355.l6O3t2qe012289@ah.net> Message-ID: <200707250753.59553.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> On Tuesday 24 July 2007 13:49, Adam Todd wrote: > Except Political parties are exempt from the SPAM ACT :) Well, I agree in so far that the Act does point to the "Implied freedom of political communication." But I think it is also a little more accurate to say that the Act doesn't "exempt Political Parties," since it does describe how particular kinds of messages from a political party (and certain other bodies) that speak of goods and services that the party is itself offering may qualify as a "designated commercial message" and so is exempt from the section that says you cannot send unsolicited electronic messages. > So you over reacted and didn't understand the law, and hence, like > many people have no caused the ACMA to do what they will do more and > more now - ignore the thousands of reports that come in each day > because it's too hard and costly to try and find the legitimate 5 in > the 1000's that aren't. > Interesting. I have no knowledge of how the ACMA may or may not act in response to what may or may not be the thousands of dud reports coming from bozos such as me, but I don't think I over reacted in making a report (even if the basis for my report was wrong). Though, it is exactly for the fact that I or others may not have a full grasp of the law that making a report to a government body to assess is reasonable. > It's not a commercial e-mail. It doesn't purport to sell you a > product that is marketed to the consumer. Firstly, consider the words in the footer of the offending email: "The Citizens Electoral Council is a registered political party and this message is a designated commercial electronic message as defined under Schedule 1 of the Spam Act 2003" That's their words. [INTERESTING NOTE: But, at the Australian Electoral Commission, I see they were deregistered as a political party at the end of 2006... Clearly another legal story there.... ] Secondly, since their email is presented in a manner (and described by them as a commercial email), and points to their website that has an online store selling product, I have reasonable grounds to view it as a message where at least one of their purposes is to sell product. And this is in the Act as a part of the basis for assessing if a message is a commercial one or not. > > Do they want you to pay them money and do they offer to give you > something in return? > > No. See above. But simply they do wish me to read their stuff, watch videos, buy product from their online store and join their mailing list. Also, while the ACMA advises me it nigh impossible to prove harvesting activities, this must be something they do given that I received the not-Spam to a number of my email addresses. Thank you for the robust response. I have learned a little more in the process. -- What next for computer games? http://www.gnomon.com.au/cgi/svy/survey.pl?sc=CompGames From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Wed Jul 25 09:36:26 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:36:26 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Myspace deletes sex offender registered members Message-ID: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/25/1987535.htm MySpace deletes 29,000 sex offenders MySpace has deleted 29,000 profiles of sex offenders off its website. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin) The operators of the social networking website MySpace say they have detected and deleted 29,000 profiles belonging to convicted sex offenders on its service. That is four times as many as the company said it had deleted in May this year. The News Corporation-owned website attracts about 60 million visitors a month in the United States alone. The new information was first revealed by US state authorities after MySpace turned over information on convicted sex offenders it had removed from the service. "The exploding epidemic of sex offender profiles on MySpace -- 29,000 and counting -- screams for action," Connecticut Attorney-General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement. Mr Blumenthal, who led a coalition of state authorities to lobby MySpace for more stringent safeguards for minors, and other state Attorneys-General have demanded the service begin verifying a user's age and require parental permission for minors. The minimum age to register on MySpace is 14. "We're pleased that we've successfully identified and removed registered sex offenders from our site and hope that other social networking sites follow our lead," MySpace chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a statement. The service has come under attack over the past year after some of its young members fell prey to adult predators posing as minors. The families of several teenage girls sexually assaulted by MySpace members sued the service in January for failing to safeguard its young members. Late last year, it struck a partnership with background verification company Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp to co-develop the first US national database of convicted sex offenders to make it easier to track offenders on the Internet. Convicted sex offenders are required by law to register their contact information with local authorities. But the information has only been available on regional databases, making nationwide searches difficult. As of May, there were about 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 25 09:49:31 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:49:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam In-Reply-To: <200707250753.59553.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> References: <200707240647.13684.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> <200707240355.l6O3t2qe012289@ah.net> <200707250753.59553.sylvano@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <200707242350.l6ONo3hK007921@ah.net> At 07:53 AM 25/07/2007, sylvano wrote: >On Tuesday 24 July 2007 13:49, Adam Todd wrote: > > > > > Except Political parties are exempt from the SPAM ACT :) > >Well, I agree in so far that the Act does point to the "Implied freedom of >political communication." There is no implied, statutory or common right for any form of Freedom of Speech in Australia. >But I think it is also a little more accurate to say that the Act doesn't >"exempt Political Parties," since it does describe how particular kinds of >messages from a political party (and certain other bodies) that speak of >goods and services that the party is itself offering may qualify as a >"designated commercial message" and so is exempt from the section that says >you cannot send unsolicited electronic messages. Well you haven't provided a copy of the message so we don't know if they were trying to get you to buy kitchen knives or support their political views. > > So you over reacted and didn't understand the law, and hence, like > > many people have no caused the ACMA to do what they will do more and > > more now - ignore the thousands of reports that come in each day > > because it's too hard and costly to try and find the legitimate 5 in > > the 1000's that aren't. > > > >Interesting. I have no knowledge of how the ACMA may or may not act in >response to what may or may not be the thousands of dud reports coming from >bozos such as me, Well look at it like this. ACMA has a person sitting at a computer. Every day 30,000 emails are received telling ACMA that these people received SPAM. How long will it take you to read through 30,000 emails? So what do you do, you employ four more people to read and reject emails because they: 1. Don't call within Australian Jurisdiction 2. Are from political parties which are exempt 3. Aren't spam but emails sent from the EX I'm sure there are more categories :) >but I don't think I over reacted in making a report (even >if the basis for my report was wrong). Then it is a report not made in good faith, because ignorance is not an excuse. Unless of course you are a Government agency, then anything you do is in good faith even when the charges are dismissed and the court repremands the department. >Though, it is exactly for the fact >that I or others may not have a full grasp of the law that making a report to >a government body to assess is reasonable. Yes, like the Privacy Act, few people know what it actually says or means. People just quote it because it sounds like it's important. After people read it they realise they were way off the mark. Did you know that all the touting of "In Australia we have a system where you are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law" actually isn't the case fornearly all Criminal Charges under the Criminal Code. Yep that's right, according to the Criminal Code, Doctor Haneef as the sole responsibility of proving to the court that he is not guilty. Check it out - discover that the authorites now have the power to bring a charge against you and YOU have to prove you are not guilty. It use to be the other way around, the prosecution had to put on a full case. But see, over many years, policing has become lazy. They miss things, they do the wrong thing, they get officers to write addresses of terrorists in the back of suspected terrorists diaries and then interrogate the person that they wrote the entry in their diary. A defendant needed only to bring a shadow of a doubt that they did not commit the crime. But now, there is no shadow, except from the prosecution. A Defendant has the sole onus to prove they did not commit the crime. Even in the Supreme Court, if you are before Justice Barr in NSW, causing a shadow a of a doubt is valueless, even if you use the plaintiffs own documents proving your case, because as a defendant you have to prove you case with your own documents, and if you have none, you can't win. Even if the document you tendered was lied about by the Plaintiff in the witness box. That means nothing because you have to prove that the Plaintiff is wrong using your own documents, not their documents. Interesting huh. If you are ever a defendant, the best approach these days is the offensive, not the defensive, or what has traditionally been the casting of a doubt approach. Nope, go in for the kill, make the Plaintiffs defensive and keep the heat on. > > It's not a commercial e-mail. It doesn't purport to sell you a > > product that is marketed to the consumer. > >Firstly, consider the words in the footer of the offending email: > >"The Citizens Electoral Council is a registered political party and this >message is a designated commercial electronic message as defined under >Schedule 1 of the Spam Act 2003" Yes. >That's their words. Yes it is. >[INTERESTING NOTE: But, at the Australian Electoral Commission, I see they >were deregistered as a political party at the end of 2006... Clearly another >legal story there.... ] Parties are deregistered before every election. When an Election period commences, the parties are required to obtain a certain number of signatures and re-register the party. >Secondly, since their email is presented in a manner (and described >by them as >a commercial email), and points to their website that has an online store >selling product, I have reasonable grounds to view it as a message where at >least one of their purposes is to sell product. And this is in the Act as a >part of the basis for assessing if a message is a commercial one or not. So the email says "Hi we're the CEC we've got some great products you must buy, viagra, calais, and some sexy used nickers, you can buy them from our store using your credit card, don't miss out, they won't last." Is that right? Or something to that affect? Maybe they are selling tickets to Haneefs trial? > > Do they want you to pay them money and do they offer to give you > > something in return? > > > > No. > >See above. But simply they do wish me to read their stuff, watch videos, buy >product from their online store and join their mailing list. You haven't provided the content of the email so we can't assess it pursuant to the Statute. >Also, while the ACMA advises me it nigh impossible to prove harvesting >activities, this must be something they do given that I received the >not-Spam to a number of my email addresses. There you go :) I'm getting spam to an email address that is registered and used only on one web site and has only been used for the registration process :) It's a legitimate web site. Others on the site are getting SPAM too, so I've got the company investigating. I suspect their database has been hacked, given the wide range of parties reporting to me the spam :) >Thank you for the robust response. I have learned a little more in the >process. Try using Alan's hard work: www.austlii.edu.au Read the law relating to the action you want to take. It helps to read the process, so you can create your documents to meet the process and you'll have far greater success and result :) And I'd fax a complaint to the ACMA, not email it :) From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 24 12:16:04 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:16:04 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Researching Web 2.0, Canberra, 30 July 2007 Message-ID: <20070725005334.5EF493F52@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Recommended free seminar by Link's own Roger Clarke on researching researching Web 2.0, at the Australian National University, Department of Computer Science . The ANU is currently being audited by the Australian Universities Quality Agency, so I have suggested that Roger's Web 2.0 research idea could applied to help blend research with education for a quality online university . --- DCS SEMINAR SERIES Web 2.0 - Tsunami or Mirage? Roger Clarke (DCS, ANU & Xamax Pty. Ltd.) DATE: 2007-07-30 TIME: 16:00:00 - 17:00:00 LOCATION: CSIT Seminar Room, N101, ANU ABSTRACT: There's considerable excitement about the notion of 'Web 2.0', particularly among Internet businesspeople. In contrast, there's an almost complete lack of formal literature on the topic. Movements with such energy and potential need to be subjected to critical attention. Industry and social commentators should have the opportunity to draw on the information systems literature in formulating their views. This paper performs a tentative assessment of Web 2.0, with a view to stimulating further work that applies existing theories, proposes new ones, observes and measures phenomena, and tests the theories. In order to do so, it examines the origins of Web 2.0 in the marketing arena, followed by its technical underpinnings, and then considers the alternative, communitarian perspective. BIO: From 1984-95, Roger Clarke was Reader in Information Systems in ANU's then Department of Commerce. Since then he has been back in full-time consultancy through his company, Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd. He focuses on strategic and policy aspects of eBusiness, information infrastructure and dataveillance and privacy. He has retained his connections with academe as a Visiting Fellow in the ANU Department of Computer Science (1995-2005) and as an Adjunct Professor from April 2005. He is also a Visiting Professor in eCommerce at the University of Hong Kong (2002-), and a Visiting Professor in Cyberspace Law & Policy at UNSW (2003-). He has also undertaken Gastprofessur at the Universities of Bern (Switzerland) and Linz (Austria), and been a Gastdozent at the European Business School and the University of Koblenz (both in Germany). --- Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 24 14:42:05 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:42:05 +1000 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] Making governance and education accessible to remote indigenous communities via the web In-Reply-To: References: <20070720003010.B1F302906@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> <20070723232212.9DF5D3DE4@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <20070725005338.C4AF63F52@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> At 09:58 AM 24/07/2007, Janet Hawtin wrote: >On 7/23/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > >This kind of model? http://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/news.php?id=587 Yes, but that article ("Intel CEO brings World Ahead Program to India") seemed to be about Intel showing India how to use low cost PCs and networking. Having spent a few weeks in an Indian village , I doubt that there is anything Intel USA and Microsoft USA can tell India about how to do low cost IT. In contrast, the head offices of those companies should be asking their Indian branches for advice on what to do. However, the basic approach outlined in the article is the right one: * "Working with local tech companies ... low-cost ... desktop PCs, with easy-to-use interface designed to introduce a new set of people to the world of technology for the first time." But I am not sure that PCs are a good choice for anyone any more. Laptops would be better for standalone use and thin clients for multi user systems would be better. * "Intel and Microsoft will collaborate to engineer and deliver flexible, pay-as-you-go PC purchasing models in emerging markets..." Indian business people could probably teach Intel and Microsoft much more about how to do flexible ways to do purchasing models. And of course it does not make sense to be paying for software, when you can use free open source. * "Intel will work closely with Tata VSNL to bring Intel-based PC solutions and WiMAX wireless broadband connectivity ...". Tata were also marketing CDMA based wireless local loop services with low broadband speed. This provides a lower capital cost option where CDMA is already installed for mobile phone use. * "Small, affordable and rugged learning devices for students based on Intel's platform will be available in India next year. ..." I am not sure what devices they are referring to, but if they are $100 PC OLPC type devices, these would also be useful for home and small business use. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From brd at iimetro.com.au Wed Jul 25 10:58:48 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:58:48 +0800 Subject: [LINK] RFID a 'technical blunder', report says Message-ID: <55009.1185325128@iimetro.com.au> There's more detail at http://www.heaveyrf.com/news_and_events/rfidbomb.453.364.html RFID a 'technical blunder', report says The next bubble ready to burst? By Emmet Ryan ElectricNews.net Tuesday 24th July 2007 08:52 GMT http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/24/rfid_blunder_report/ Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology bubble ready to burst according to a new report by Dublin-based firm Heavey RF. The firm, which provides radio frequency products such as handheld scanners, has published a study entitled RFID.Bomb? "History is littered with large technical blunders; RFID in the supply chain is potentially one of the biggest," said Ronan Clinton, managing director of Heavey RF. The report claims that RFID is unlikely to replace bar coding as a means of identifying goods. Heavey RF carried out the study after receiving several queries from clients wishing to deploy RFID in their business. "I'm fed up with companies telling me they want to implement RFID in their business," Clinton told ENN. RFID uses computer chips to store information. The benefit over conventional methods of tracking items, such as barcoding, is that comparatively large volumes of data can be stored in a tag and line of sight is not necessarily required to scan the item. Industry journals estimate the global RFID market could be worth $7bn by 2008. The technology has hit the headlines lately with Galway-based RFID firm Aonta Technologies being purchased by a German firm earlier this month. This was soon followed by Heathrow airport in London announcing a trial of RFID. Clinton, though, urged Irish businesses to not believe the hype surrounding the technology. "It is almost heresy to question the RFID bandwagon, but we produced this report as I can see worrying parallels between RFID and the dotcom hype. There is a risk that Irish retailers are being railroaded into a technology that is too costly and does not work," said Clinton. "We've done RFID implementation for some clients but pretty much 99 times out of 100 companies don't need it," he said. "Firms need to ask themselves one question 'Am I Wal-Mart?'" The Heavey RF study argues that technical restrictions and cost mean that RFID will be unable to replace barcode technology. The report claims that while costs will come down there are too many different types of RFID tags required to make it a viable replacement for barcodes. "A lot of company executives are going to seminars and hearing how great [RFID] is so they decide they want it for their business," said Clinton. "They forget the technical requirements of RFID and once they see the overall cost the project is shelved." Clinton urged companies to stick with using barcoding until RFID proved itself to be a cost effective technology. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From rick at praxis.com.au Wed Jul 25 11:09:05 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:09:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Myspace deletes sex offender registered members In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <46A6A2B1.7090501@praxis.com.au> Jan Whitaker wrote: > http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/25/1987535.htm > The operators of the social networking website MySpace say they have > detected and deleted 29,000 profiles belonging to convicted sex > offenders on its service. That is interesting, because on the Internet nobody knows you are a sex offender (or a dog!) How many false positives did this purge involve? What criteria did Myspace use to identify the offenders? Recall that loose/fuzzy matching was employed by a data service company in 2000 to "clean up" the electoral roles in Florida, wrongly disenfranchising tens of thousands of "undesirables" (read blacks and latinos). As with any criminal activity, why would a sex offender how intends to reoffend supply correct contact details to Myspace when registering online? [SNIP] > The minimum age to register on MySpace is 14. Oh yes. And how is this checked and enforced? cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Never keep up with the Joneses. Try to drag them down to your level. It's cheaper. --Quentin Crisp From marghanita at ramin.com.au Wed Jul 25 16:06:45 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:06:45 +1000 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] and it's Australia's turn on August 9 In-Reply-To: References: <46A5F1DD.9020905@lannet.com.au> Message-ID: <46A6E875.7020502@ramin.com.au> Janet Hawtin wrote: > On 7/24/07, Howard Lowndes wrote: >> Re: Microsoft OOXML and the AS/NZ standards meeting. >> >> Is anyone from LINK/SLUG across this one?? >> >> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070723235113424 > > My understanding is that comments might not be 'heard' at this point > and that internationally the groups making these decisions have been > swamped with new members from MS. I am not involved in the process in > AU. Couldn't find it or the relevant committee at http://www.standards.org.au or in the current list of draft standards seeking public comment here Marghanita > > http://www.noooxml.org/arguments > http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/04/math-markup-marked-down.html > http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-14606/rumors-of-microsoft-blackmail-in-new-zealand > > http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-14463/microsoft-recruiting-puppets-in-australia > > http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=20051216153153504 > > I am a lay person so my lay understanding is that people with a > different business model or who are not favoured by Microsoft would be > at risk in working with ooxml > because it contains proprietary code. In an era where DRM and TPM have > been embedded in our laws it is possible to make a felon of someone > who develops interfacing with material which is not fully open. > This means that structurally the ooxml is not an open standard. > The political processes including the fast track, branch stacking, etc > make it even less unlikely to me that ooxml would be used in an open > standard kind of way. > In this instance to me the means used to promote ooxml speak clearly > about how safe the format would be for the wider community. > > My understanding is that John Oxer has written a letter from linux.org.au > Letters from other parties cannot hurt. > > Janet > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 25 16:55:57 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:55:57 GMT Subject: [LINK] Next Gen Ethernet Message-ID: <20070725065557.E065716EF5@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> At 04:06 PM 25/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz writes: > the relevant committee at > http://www.standards.org.au Speaking of standards ... IEEE group settles on faster Ethernet plans By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service July 24, 2007 A Higher Speed Study Group votes to work on a single standard that covers both 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds A technical group working on the next generation of Ethernet has agreed to disagree and will now work on a single standard that covers both 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds. The Higher Speed Study Group (HSSG), part of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), made the decision last week at its meeting in San Francisco after months of debate between backers of the two speeds. If the IEEE approves the move late this year as expected, a standard may be completed by mid-2010, said John D'Ambrosia, chair of the HSSG. Ethernet has sped up by a multiple of 10 several times, from 10Mbps to 100Mbps and ultimately from 1Gbps to 10Gbps, the current fastest version. Some HSSG members backed a similar boost this time and that 100Gbps plan appeared to have won out late last year. But others pushed for a 40Gbps standard. Different applications were at the heart of the disagreement, according to D'Ambrosia. The need for speed is growing everywhere, but at different rates. While the data output of servers doubles roughly every 24 months, the amount of traffic on carrier networks is doubling every 18 months, according to D'Ambrosia. Members more interested in faster server-to- switch applications pushed for a 40Gbps goal, while those aiming at network aggregation and backbones favored 100Gbps. The higher speed means more expensive and power-hungry equipment. "I wouldn't say there was a fight. I would say there was an education going on and it got heated at times," D'Ambrosia said. Now a single standard, to be called IEEE 802.3ba, will include specifications for both speeds. Each will offer a selection of physical interfaces: There will be specifications for 40Gbps links up to 1 meter long for switch backplanes, 10 meters for copper cable and 100 meters for multimode fiber. For 100G bps, the group will standardize 10-meter copper links, 100-meter multimode fiber links and 10-kilometer and 40-kilometer distances on single-mode fiber. It's the first time an Ethernet standards task group has pursued two speeds in one standard, according to D'Ambrosia. "One size doesn't fit all, in this case," he said. -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From kim at holburn.net Wed Jul 25 17:29:08 2007 From: kim at holburn.net (Kim Holburn) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:29:08 +0200 Subject: Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues (Was Re: [LINK] iPhones & Cisco) In-Reply-To: <200707220722.l6M7MqOV019906@ah.net> References: <20070717185421.6C09D64003@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <200707211203.l6LC3Ueb029437@ah.net> <20070721152915.GA25963@malaria> <46A29737.2080108@praxis.com.au> <200707220722.l6M7MqOV019906@ah.net> Message-ID: It looks like the difference is that phones are more likely to be moving between cells while on and connected than laptops. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070724-cisco-owns-up-to- dukeiphone-troublessort-of.html > Cisco owns up to Duke/iPhone troubles?sort of > > By Iljitsch van Beijnum | Published: July 24, 2007 - 04:28PM CT > > Last week's news that iPhones caused trouble in Duke University's > wireless network caused both wide-scale snickering and wide-scale > disbelief: how could a fairly small number of these devices bring > down an entire university network? With help from Cisco, it turns > out. Yesterday, Duke's IT department laid the blame at the doorstep > of the maker of the other iPhone. !!!! > Today, purely by coincidence?none of the parties involved is saying > anything about last week's Duke situation?Cisco published a > vulnerability concerning ARP storms in wireless networks. > > What happens is actually pretty interesting if you're a student of > networking. In order to get wireless coverage over a wide area, > such as a university campus, it's necessary to set up a large > number of access points. It then helps if WiFi devices can "roam" > from one access point to another without having to change network > settings, like the IP address, all the time. You can actually build > a roaming network using Apple's Airport Extreme base stations, but > if you want to build a large WiFi network then you need something > like Cisco's Wireless LAN Controllers (WLC). WLCs control the > access points and optimize the coverage and speed of the wireless > network. > > Cisco However, devices like the iPhone don't know what's going on > behind the scenes, so they may want to test whether they're still > on the same IP network after moving to a new access point. They do > that by sending an ARP message to the router that they were talking > to through the previous base station. Ethernet systems use ARP to > find out where on the Ethernet a system with a given IP address > lives. ARPs are normally sent as broadcasts, because if you knew > where to send them, you wouldn't have to do so in the first place. > But the quick check to see if the router is still reachable can go > to that router directly, so these test packets aren't broadcasts. > And this is the buggy part in Cisco's WLC software: in certain > setups, two or more WLCs can start sending the test packets back > and forth, filling up the network and leading to access point > nervous breakdowns. > > It doesn't say anywhere that the iPhone is the source of these test > ARPs, but the timing and the fact that an Apple employee is one of > the authors of the RFC that specifies the use of these test packets > doesn't leave much room for doubt. On 2007/Jul/22, at 9:21 AM, Adam Todd wrote: > At 09:31 AM 22/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote: >> Kim Davies wrote: >> >>> If those involved in diagnosing and fixing the problem say the >>> iPhone >>> was not the trigger of their network problems, and you are >>> claiming that >>> they are wrong and it is -- I think the burden of proof is on you to >>> explain why they are wrong. >>> It strikes me this is probably just a case of network issues arising >>> around the same time iPhone was released and someone figured it >>> could be >>> related - but after investigating the issue it was deemed it had >>> nothing >>> to do with it. >> >> IIRC, the problem arose when thousands of iPhones joined the network >> within a small time interval. Perhaps this was an untested case >> for Cisco. > > What so CISCO has to write special code to deal with iPhones? > > Protocol is protocol, it is defined and a standard. Who is at > fault? Well it depends more clearly on what the fault actually was. > > "Because 80 iPhones connected to the network" means nothing. 200 > laptops probably connect too - why do they not exhibit the same > problem? > > Has the iPhone problem happened on other networks not using CISCO? > > All these questions and more in the next exciting episode. > > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant Ph: +39 06 855 4294 M: +39 3494957443 mailto:kim at holburn.net aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961 From lucychili at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 17:52:27 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:22:27 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Standards Australia on ooxml Message-ID: Alistair Tegart is a relevant contact for Standards Australia https://committees.standards.org.au/ This site seems to be a good spot for the information but the asp page for access to drafts for public comment is not working for me. Interested group http://friendsofopendocument.com/newsite/ From lucychili at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 17:54:28 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:24:28 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Re: Standards Australia on ooxml In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-376.htm From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 25 20:43:39 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:43:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Next Gen Ethernet In-Reply-To: <20070725065557.E065716EF5@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070725065557.E065716EF5@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <200707251044.l6PAi7I4023250@ah.net> At 04:55 PM 25/07/2007, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: >At 04:06 PM 25/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz writes: > >IEEE group settles on faster Ethernet plans >By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service July 24, 2007 >Ethernet_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2007-07-24> > >A Higher Speed Study Group votes to work on a single standard that covers >both 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds Sheesh, and I just bought a 1 Gig Ethernet Adapter. Now it's a no speed adapter. Only question is, when will the Internet deliver at that speed! My bottleneck is my uplink! From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Wed Jul 25 21:13:53 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:13:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' Message-ID: Virgin backs down on ads The Australian Media Section Jude Townend July 25, 2007 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22130223-7582,00.html VIRGIN Mobile has taken down advertisement photographs on its online site after the company's failure to seek permission from the models or photographers they used in their latest campaign sparked outrage. On Monday, The Australian reported how people all over the world were shocked to discover their faces were the centrepiece of Virgin Mobile's outdoor advertising and online campaign. The images on the campaign website yesterday had been replaced by photographs that did not show the faces of the subjects. Virgin Mobile took personal photographs from the Yahoo-owned Flickr website without paying, as permissable under a licensing agreement with non-profit US-based copyright body Creative Commons, and used them for its "Are You With Us Or What?" campaign. As part of a series designed by award-winning Australian advertising agency Host, Virgin Mobile pasted its own slogans over the images, some of which have been interpreted as derogatory to those involved. Slogans included "Monks Are Boring", over an image of a group of Thai monks, and "Close Talkers Are Just Asking For A Head Butt", over an image of someone's nostrils. Elijah van der Giessen, who took one of the photographs, said: "As far as I know, all commercial projects have contacted me before use (of the photographs). Virgin's latest project seems to be exceptional that way." The Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, based at the University of NSW, yesterday condemned Virgin Mobile's use of the Flickr images, especially those involving people aged under 18. "They should just respect their moral rights under copyright ... and go ask them like they would anyone else," the centre's executive director, David Vaile, said. He labelled Virgin Mobile's actions opportunistic and "close to exploitation". Concerns have also been raised over Virgin's accrediting of the photographers under the Creative Commons licence. The licence stipulates that the company should "credit the author, licensor and/or other parties in the manner they specify" as well as the title of the work and the website for the work if specified by the author and/or licensor. Additionally, it states the need to provide a website link to the Creative Commons licence that applies to the work. Virgin Mobile put a small link to the photographers' Flickr pages, but not the specific work. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From scott at doc.net.au Wed Jul 25 21:54:54 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:54:54 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 09:13:53PM +1000, Roger Clarke wrote: > The Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, based at the University of NSW, > yesterday condemned Virgin Mobile's use of the Flickr images, > especially those involving people aged under 18. > > "They should just respect their moral rights under copyright ... and > go ask them like they would anyone else," the centre's executive > director, David Vaile, said. As much as I agree that what Virgin has done here is inexcusable, this statement simply doesn't make sense. The photographers of these images have selected to give anyone a right to use these photos for any use that they desire - they did this by selecting the to license them under the Creative Commons license. The company using them has no "moral right" to ask them for permission for the photos to be used any more than you have a moral right for asking someone if you can use a piece of public domain software. The real issue here is not around the use of the photos as such (with the exception of one image, which may not have been under the commercial use Creative Commons license at the time it was used), but the fact that they used the photos without having a model release for the people _in_ the photos, which is outright illegal in Australia - regardless of what license the photos are covered by. Based on comments made by many of the photographers involved it's clear that many of them didn't realise what they were actually doing when they selected to license their photos under the Creative Commons License (especially the commercial-use version of it), but that in itself is hardly Virgin Mobiles fault... Scott. From Jeremy at Malcolm.id.au Wed Jul 25 22:07:41 2007 From: Jeremy at Malcolm.id.au (Jeremy Malcolm) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:07:41 +0800 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <46A73D0D.6020500@Malcolm.id.au> Scott Howard wrote: > The real issue here is not around the use of the photos as such (with the > exception of one image, which may not have been under the commercial > use Creative Commons license at the time it was used), but the fact that > they used the photos without having a model release for the people _in_ > the photos, which is outright illegal in Australia - regardless of what > license the photos are covered by. Actually, it's not. -- Jeremy Malcolm LLB (Hons) B Com Internet and Open Source lawyer, IT consultant, actor host -t NAPTR 1.0.8.0.3.1.2.9.8.1.6.e164.org|awk -F! '{print $3}' From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 25 22:11:49 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:11:49 GMT Subject: [LINK] HTML 5 - W3C Editor's Draft Message-ID: <20070725121149.516EE16EDE@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> HTML 5 W3C Editor's Draft 28 June 2007 This Version: Latest Published Version: Latest Editor's Draft: Editors: Ian Hickson, Google, Inc. David Hyatt, Apple, Inc. Abstract This specification defines the 5th major revision of the core language of the World Wide Web, HTML. In this version, new features are introduced to help Web application authors, new elements are introduced based on research into prevailing authoring practices, and special attention has been given to defining clear conformance criteria for user agents in an effort to improve interoperability. Status of this document This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at If you wish to make comments regarding this document, please send them to public-html at w3.org (subscribe, archives) or whatwg at whatwg.org (subscribe, archives). All feedback is welcome. Implementors should be aware that this specification is not stable. Implementors who are not taking part in the discussions are likely to find the specification changing out from under them in incompatible ways. Vendors interested in implementing this specification before it eventually reaches the Candidate Recommendation stage should join the aforementioned mailing lists and take part in the discussions. The latest stable version of the editor's copy of this specification is always available on the W3C CVS server and in the WHATWG Subversion repository. The latest editor's draft (which may contain unfinished text in the process of being prepared) is available on the WHATWG site. Detailed change history can be obtained from the following locations: Twitter messages (non-editorial changes only): Interactive Web interface: Commit-Watchers mailing list: Subversion interface: CVS log: The W3C HTML Working Group is the W3C working group responsible for this specification's progress along the W3C Recommendation track. This specification is the 28 June 2007 Editor's Draft, and has not yet been published as a First Public Working Draft ... -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, australia From stephen at melbpc.org.au Wed Jul 25 22:23:39 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:23:39 GMT Subject: [LINK] Free Resources for e-Learning Message-ID: <20070725122339.12D1016EDE@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Australian Flexible Learning Framework Free resources for new practices 24/07/2007(snipped) Three new CD-ROMs are now available .. looking at how to incorporate new e- learning practices into programs. The resources have been produced by the New Practices in Flexible Learning Project of the national training system?s e-learning strategy, The Australian Flexible Learning Framework. The three CD-ROM resources are: Virtual Worlds - Real Learning - A virtual world is a computer-created environment in which users can see, move, use and modify simulated objects. This resource outlines how virtual worlds can give students 'real' work experience. The resource contains information on how best to use virtual worlds in the classroom including why virtual worlds have educational potential, what you need to consider when using virtual worlds, case studies and a comparative study of three different virtual worlds. Media on the Move - This resource explores the use of online casting such as podcasts, audio and video files, RSS and playback on mobile devices for education and training purposes. It provides a 'how to' guide for organisations wishing to embed online casting into the delivery of education and training programs as well as case studies and analysis tools. ARED (Applications for Rapid E-learning Development) - This resource builds on ARED v1.0 and provides templates to develop scenario based models for e-learning activities. ARED v2 includes the 'ARED decision tree' an interactive object that allows students to work through scenario based learning and see the consequences of their choices. To order your free CD-ROMs visit For further information about this story contact the National Communication team: (07) 3307 4700 email: flexenews at flexiblelearning.net.au -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From eleanor at pacific.net.au Wed Jul 25 22:36:11 2007 From: eleanor at pacific.net.au (Eleanor Lister) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:36:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> References: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> Message-ID: <46A743BB.3040505@pacific.net.au> to those who say it is allowable to use the material anyway you like under the Creative Commons license - you are correct, it is a form of open source to those who say it is wrong under Moral Rights to mutilate images in an insulting way - you are correct, the Moral Right called Integrity means that you cannot use somebody's work to derogate them also notice that there appear to be violations of the Moral Right called Attribution - you are required to nominated the source of the work, even if it is open source Moral Rights cannot be sold, or inherited, and until a recent change by Mr Ruddock, they could not be traded - now under AWAs you can trade off your Moral Rights to your employer, which rather defeats their purpose Scott Howard wrote: > On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 09:13:53PM +1000, Roger Clarke wrote: > >> The Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, based at the University of NSW, >> yesterday condemned Virgin Mobile's use of the Flickr images, >> especially those involving people aged under 18. >> >> "They should just respect their moral rights under copyright ... and >> go ask them like they would anyone else," the centre's executive >> director, David Vaile, said. >> > > As much as I agree that what Virgin has done here is inexcusable, this > statement simply doesn't make sense. The photographers of these images > have selected to give anyone a right to use these photos for any use that > they desire - they did this by selecting the to license them under the > Creative Commons license. The company using them has no "moral right" > to ask them for permission for the photos to be used any more than you > have a moral right for asking someone if you can use a piece of public > domain software. > > The real issue here is not around the use of the photos as such (with the > exception of one image, which may not have been under the commercial > use Creative Commons license at the time it was used), but the fact that > they used the photos without having a model release for the people _in_ > the photos, which is outright illegal in Australia - regardless of what > license the photos are covered by. > > > Based on comments made by many of the photographers involved it's clear > that many of them didn't realise what they were actually doing when they > selected to license their photos under the Creative Commons License > (especially the commercial-use version of it), but that in itself is > hardly Virgin Mobiles fault... > > Scott. > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > > -- ------------ Eleanor Ashley Lister South Sydney Greens http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au webmistress at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au From scott at doc.net.au Wed Jul 25 23:01:01 2007 From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:01:01 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: <46A743BB.3040505@pacific.net.au> References: <20070725115454.GA2216@milliways.doc.net.au> <46A743BB.3040505@pacific.net.au> Message-ID: <20070725130101.GA2362@milliways.doc.net.au> On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 10:36:11PM +1000, Eleanor Lister wrote: > to those who say it is wrong under Moral Rights to mutilate images in an > insulting way > - you are correct, the Moral Right called Integrity means that you > cannot use somebody's work to derogate them Virgin Mobile did not derogate the photographer at all in any case as far as I'm aware. They _did_, in many cases, derogate the target of the photos. This is not an issue of copyright/moral right/etc, this is an issue of having a Model Release form from the person _in_ the photo (not the photographer) that you may use their image. This is what Virgin did not obtain and why there is an issue here. > also notice that there appear to be violations of the Moral Right called > Attribution > - you are required to nominated the source of the work, even if it is > open source Attributation isn't (just) a moral right, it's a requirement of the Creative Commons license. Virgin did attribute the work to the photographer via a URL to their Flickr site, which at the time was listed as a valid form of attributation on Flickr.com. Interestingly the Flickr page seems to have been changed now so that it simply refers off to the Creative Commons website. If anyone is genuinely interested in this issue (rather than just using it as a lead-in to complain about WorkChoices legislation) it has been discussed at length on the forums on flickr.com. I would suggest starting there before we just re-hash what has been discussed at length there - especially as a number of people there have sought official legal advise. Scott. From link at todd.inoz.com Wed Jul 25 23:36:31 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:36:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200707251336.l6PDalUc027362@ah.net> At 09:13 PM 25/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: >Virgin Mobile took personal photographs from the Yahoo-owned Flickr >website without paying, as permissable under a licensing agreement >with non-profit US-based copyright body Creative Commons, and used >them for its "Are You With Us Or What?" campaign. I wasn't aware that Creative Commons licence was a "free for commercial use go to town and have fun" licence. I have sought contact with CCL holders this year about using materials in our films and they write back with payment and royalty agreements. Needless to say I went and created my own materials. CCL as far as I understand isn't a FREE licence for commercial use. Have I interpreted the CCL process incorrectly? (Giving credits etc aside) From lucychili at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 23:44:42 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:14:42 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Oz: 'Virgin backs down on ads' In-Reply-To: <200707251336.l6PDalUc027362@ah.net> References: <200707251336.l6PDalUc027362@ah.net> Message-ID: On 7/25/07, Adam Todd wrote: > At 09:13 PM 25/07/2007, Roger Clarke wrote: > >Virgin Mobile took personal photographs from the Yahoo-owned Flickr > >website without paying, as permissable under a licensing agreement > >with non-profit US-based copyright body Creative Commons, and used > >them for its "Are You With Us Or What?" campaign. > > I wasn't aware that Creative Commons licence was a "free for > commercial use go to town and have fun" licence. > > I have sought contact with CCL holders this year about using > materials in our films and they write back with payment and royalty agreements. > > Needless to say I went and created my own materials. > > CCL as far as I understand isn't a FREE licence for commercial use. > > Have I interpreted the CCL process incorrectly? (Giving credits etc aside) Depends which creative commons licence applied, and giving credits is a factor. if it was cc-by then attribution is the criteria, might have been ok if they gave credit. if it was cc-sa then they needed to share the new product in the same way as the photo. ie remixable cc-sa ad on youtube? if it was cc-nc non commercial then commercial use is not appropriate if it was cc-no derivatives then it would depend if the person thought the result was distribution or generation of a derivative. if it was integrated in ads then it feels like a derivative. From cas at taz.net.au Thu Jul 26 08:43:44 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:43:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Myspace deletes sex offender registered members In-Reply-To: <46A6A2B1.7090501@praxis.com.au> References: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <46A6A2B1.7090501@praxis.com.au> Message-ID: <20070725224344.GA4898@taz.net.au> On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 11:09:05AM +1000, Rick Welykochy wrote: > Jan Whitaker wrote: > >> http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/25/1987535.htm > >> The operators of the social networking website MySpace say they have >> detected and deleted 29,000 profiles belonging to convicted sex offenders >> on its service. > > That is interesting, because on the Internet nobody knows you > are a sex offender (or a dog!) > > How many false positives did this purge involve? will probably never be known - frankly, how many would want to make a fuss about themselves being wrongly targetted as a child abuser? mud like that sticks, for the innocent it's safer and better to just quietly accept the loss of the account. > What criteria did Myspace use to identify the offenders? probably the same stringent criteria used by the US' "no-fly" list. i.e. better hope you don't have a similar name. > Recall that loose/fuzzy matching was employed by a data service > company in 2000 to "clean up" the electoral roles in Florida, > wrongly disenfranchising tens of thousands of "undesirables" > (read blacks and latinos). that's not a very good comparison because the false-positives in that case were deliberate - the purpose was to disenfranchise as many likely democrat voters as possible, with or without "justification" (personally, i think prohibiting felons voting is just plain wrong anyway, but that's a different issue) a better comparison is the incident on Live Journal earlier this year, where LJ were prodded by an anti-child-abuse online vigilante group to delete accounts of sex offenders, and ended up deleting accounts of non-offenders including victims of sexual abuse who ran self-help and information sites. personally, i think it's probably better not to delete their accounts but to report them to the relevant agencies so that they can be monitored. false-positives wouldn't be affected, the past offenders who were using the service legitimately and NOT intending to reoffend wont be unfairly discriminated against, and those who were intending to reoffend wont know they're being watched and wont go into hiding with a new account. > As with any criminal activity, why would a sex offender how intends to > reoffend supply correct contact details to Myspace when registering > online? well, the smarter ones wouldn't. there's lots of incredibly stupid criminals around, though. craig -- craig sanders "The Army is a place where you get up early in the morning to be yelled at by people with short haircuts and tiny brains." -- Dave Barry From rw at firstpr.com.au Thu Jul 26 09:18:54 2007 From: rw at firstpr.com.au (Robin Whittle) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:18:54 +1000 Subject: [LINK] US courts on email content, IP add, To, From, URLs Message-ID: <46A7DA5E.7080906@firstpr.com.au> Here are some items of interest: http://www.cdt.org/publications/policyposts/2007/10 Federal Appeals Court Holds Email Content Is Constitutionally Protected IP Addresses, E-mail "To" and "From" Data Not Protected - Court Ruling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen_register http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_and_trace_device http://www.ss8.com/pdfs/Ready_Guide_Download_Version.pdf A guide to interception laws in 20 countries. - Robin From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Thu Jul 26 09:27:36 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:27:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Myspace deletes sex offender registered members In-Reply-To: <20070725224344.GA4898@taz.net.au> References: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <46A6A2B1.7090501@praxis.com.au> <20070725224344.GA4898@taz.net.au> Message-ID: At 8:43 +1000 26/7/07, Craig Sanders wrote: >personally, i think it's probably better not to delete their accounts >but to report them to the relevant agencies so that they can be >monitored. false-positives wouldn't be affected, the past offenders >who were using the service legitimately and NOT intending to reoffend >wont be unfairly discriminated against, and those who were intending to >reoffend wont know they're being watched and wont go into hiding with a >new account. Right on the money. And that approach is more effective from both the detection *and* rehab perspectives. (Yes, sex offenders are relatively highly recidivist, but the proportion isn't all *that* high). Unfortunately, the level of politicisation and hysteria is such that clear thinking isn't welcome. Aside: I've always wondered why Customs ban people using their mobile phones while they're waiting for their luggage to emerge. When you're observing large numbers of people, it's very difficult to find sensible ways to single out the small, even tiny, percentage of them worth monitoring. If I was Customs, I'd *encourage* nervous couriers to do something that might draw attention to themselves. -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From stil at stilgherrian.com Thu Jul 26 09:36:05 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:36:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet Message-ID: Sydney-based Heap Media is getting attention thanks to Blackle -- their front-end onto Google which turns the website background black. In theory, this saves energy because a monitor uses more power when displaying a white/light image than a black/dark one. http://www.blackle.com http://www.blackle.com/about/ And the original theory about a black Google saving power: http://ecoiron.blogspot.com/2007/01/black-google-would-save-3000-megawatts.h tml Currently Blackle's home page says "113,834.304 Watt hours saved. Two things strike me here. * 113kWh isn't much electricity. That's one server with a 500W power supply running for about 10 days -- or a fortnight, say, because it probably isn't fully loaded. * This is a front-end onto Google, serving out adverts and all. So that means using Blackie ADDS to the total power consumption. As well as whatever Google uses, you're also adding in the overhead of routing your requests via Blackle. Seems like a furphy to me. But hey it's a great way of getting attention for your business under the banner of "saving the planet", eh? Plus, having a black background means your site can have that oh-so-current style of having everything look like it's reflected in a shiny black surface. Ho hum. DISCLOSURE: Every website I'm associated with does not have a black background. Am I just having a sour grapes moment, or am I more concerned with readability of text on a screen? :) Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From pbolger at gmail.com Thu Jul 26 09:49:58 2007 From: pbolger at gmail.com (Paul Bolger) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:19:58 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This may save energy if you are using a CRT monitor, but for LCD's it makes no difference whatsoever. Is anyone out there actually still using CRTs? We retired the last of our corporate CRTs over a year ago. I notice that this isn't stated in the blurb on the blackle site. On 26/07/07, Stilgherrian wrote: > Sydney-based Heap Media is getting attention thanks to Blackle -- their > front-end onto Google which turns the website background black. In theory, > this saves energy because a monitor uses more power when displaying a > white/light image than a black/dark one. > > http://www.blackle.com > http://www.blackle.com/about/ > > And the original theory about a black Google saving power: > > http://ecoiron.blogspot.com/2007/01/black-google-would-save-3000-megawatts.h > tml > > Currently Blackle's home page says "113,834.304 Watt hours saved. Two things > strike me here. > > * 113kWh isn't much electricity. That's one server with a 500W power > supply running for about 10 days -- or a fortnight, say, because it > probably isn't fully loaded. > > * This is a front-end onto Google, serving out adverts and all. So > that means using Blackie ADDS to the total power consumption. As > well as whatever Google uses, you're also adding in the overhead of > routing your requests via Blackle. > > Seems like a furphy to me. But hey it's a great way of getting attention for > your business under the banner of "saving the planet", eh? > > Plus, having a black background means your site can have that oh-so-current > style of having everything look like it's reflected in a shiny black > surface. Ho hum. > > DISCLOSURE: Every website I'm associated with does not have a black > background. Am I just having a sour grapes moment, or am I more concerned > with readability of text on a screen? :) > > Stil > > > -- > Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ > Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia > mobile +61 407 623 600 > fax +61 2 9516 5630 > ABN 25 231 641 421 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Paul Bolger 20 Chewings st Alice Springs 0413 678 619 From info at gnomon.com.au Thu Jul 26 10:03:17 2007 From: info at gnomon.com.au (Sylvano) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:03:17 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet Message-ID: <53e4d46dd2bc4033bc8bde3d62e27422.info@gnomon.com.au> > On 26/07/07, Stilgherrian wrote: > > Currently Blackle's home page says "113,834.304 Watt hours saved. Two things > > strike me here. > > > > * 113kWh isn't much electricity. That's one server with a 500W power > > supply running for about 10 days -- or a fortnight, say, because it > > probably isn't fully loaded. Or the hourly impact of about 450 homes upgrading their largish CRT TV to a large home plasma TV. Swings and round abouts I suppose ;-) .... Refer: http://www.smh.com.au/news/home-theatre/plasma-tvs-eat-into-energy-savings/2007/06/29/1182624171396.html or http://tinyurl.com/yp29d8 The ACF Green Home campaigner Clare Donovan said a 68-centimetre cathode TV consumed 98 watts of energy costing, on average, 1.18 cents an hour. That compared with 214 watts and 2.6 cents an hour for a 100-centimetre LCD TV, and 350 watts at 4.2 cents an hour, on average, for a 106-centimetre plasma screen. - SMH 30th June 2007. regards Sylvano What do we want from computer games? - Gnomon Publishing http://www.gnomon.com.au/cgi/svy/survey.pl?sc=CompGames From stil at stilgherrian.com Thu Jul 26 10:33:09 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:33:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On 26/7/07 9:49 AM, "Paul Bolger" wrote: > This may save energy if you are using a CRT monitor, but for LCD's it > makes no difference whatsoever. Is anyone out there actually still > using CRTs? We retired the last of our corporate CRTs over a year ago. Looking through the windows of various offices in "my local village" just now, I can see plenty of CRTs still in use. CRTs are still being bought new for applications where precise colour matching is critical, such as high-end graphic design, as LCDs (apparently) don't have the same consistency of colour matching across their gamut. My partner is a photographer and a CRT sits on a desk nearby for this very reason. Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From rw at firstpr.com.au Thu Jul 26 10:56:08 2007 From: rw at firstpr.com.au (Robin Whittle) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:56:08 +1000 Subject: [LINK] CRT and LCD monitors In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <46A7F128.8080802@firstpr.com.au> In "Re: Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet", Paul Bolger wrote: > This may save energy if you are using a CRT monitor, but for LCD's it > makes no difference whatsoever. Maybe some people really are clueless about how LCD screens work with a backlight > Is anyone out there actually still using CRTs? We retired the last of > our corporate CRTs over a year ago. Yes. I am delighted with the IBM P275 Sony Trinitron flat-screen 19.4 (real image diagonal) "21 inch" monitors I bought about a year ago, for about $180 each. Thanks very much! They have two inputs, one of them DVI, but I am currently using the analogue VGA input. They are fast (horizontal and vertical scanning frequencies), clear, quiet (no vertical drive buzz noise), stable, unaffected by another one's magnetic fields, can do a bunch of resolutions, and have no directional effects or dead pixels. Their vertical and horizontal linearity is great. Various controls enable the elimination of pincushion and barrel distortion, and the convergence at the corners is still very good. They have no trimpots inside them - which I had never seen before in a TV or monitor. They can be tricky to set up in terms of brightness, contrast etc. One is better than the other in this respect. Not everyone wants more and more smaller pixels. I prefer a larger screen somewhat more distant, with 768 vertical pixels. Any more than that (at least with Windows, I think) and the text would be too small. I run 1024 x 768 75Hz on the Windows machine and 1280 x 960 85Hz on the Linux machine, but both monitors can go to much higher resolutions, including for Windows 1280 x 1024 75Hz (doesn't use the full screen) or 1600 x 1200 60Hz, which flickers. 295mm vertical with 768 pixels gives a pixel pitch of 0.384 mm. I saw a Samsung LCD TV (1366 x 768 26 inch) which uses a new PVA technology which gives it far fewer problems with directionality: http://www.samsung.com/au/products/tv/lcdtv/la26r71bd.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD#PVA Ordinary LCDs have such directionality problems that I consider them useless for photo editing, as well as being highly annoying. If this, or some monitor like it, had a DVI input, I think it would be great. I can't imagine running an LCD from analogue VGA would give the rock-solid stability and lack of noise which could be achieved with a digital connection. The Samsung SyncMaster 275T looks promising: http://www.samsung.com/au/products/monitors/tft/tvmonitor/275t.asp 1920 x 1200, PVA, 27" wide. DVI input. 0.303mm pixel pitch . . . and it can plug into a DVD player for watching movies. Its smaller and larger neighbours in the page: http://www.samsung.com/au/products/monitors/index.asp have smaller pixels (0.270 and 0.250) and and do not seem to be PVA. - Robin http://www.firstpr.com.au From cas at taz.net.au Thu Jul 26 11:12:12 2007 From: cas at taz.net.au (Craig Sanders) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:12:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20070726011212.GB4898@taz.net.au> On Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 09:36:05AM +1000, Stilgherrian wrote: > DISCLOSURE: Every website I'm associated with does not have a black > background. Am I just having a sour grapes moment, or am I more concerned > with readability of text on a screen? :) if you were concerned about readability of text on screen, you'd prefer white text on a black background, it's far easier on the eyes. that huge expanse of bright white is very harsh and damaging to the eyes. white on blue can be even better. bright yellow on blue is pretty good too. for screens, the best combination is a soft background with a high-contrast foreground. white backgrounds on printed material works because it is *reflected* light. it doesn't work for screens because it is emitted light. and if you want to make someone feel sick, try red on green or vice-versa. craig -- craig sanders When I kill, the only thing I feel is recoil. From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Thu Jul 26 11:39:59 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:39:59 +1000 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] and it's Australia's turn on August 9 In-Reply-To: <46A6E875.7020502@ramin.com.au> References: <46A5F1DD.9020905@lannet.com.au> <46A6E875.7020502@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: <20070726014323.9A86F1C134@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> At 04:06 PM 25/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: >... Couldn't find it or the relevant committee at >http://www.standards.org.au ... The British Standards Institute have taken the innovative step of using a Wiki to help prepare input on how the UK should vote on ISO ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ( DIS 29500) . I have sent a message to Standards Australia asking which committee is looking after it and that they might do something similar (I am the ACS representative on the Council of SA). There is a set of very carefully prepared detailed comments on the draft standard . The comments typically are suggesting that proprietary and obsolete Microsoft features in the standard be replaced with non-proprietary and more up to date ones. An example is to replace an old hash algorithm from Excell with a more robust one . The comments get a little cheeky at times, such as suggesting a "doWrongDateCalculationsLikeExcel" tag. But as far as I can see these changes are feasible and would make the standard better at the cost of causing some minor inconvenience to Microsoft. However, there is already an XML based international standard for office document formats: OpenDocument ISO/IEC 26300:2006 . ODF has similar functionality to the proposed OOXML. If OOXML needs changes to make it suitable as an international standard, then its major feature (compatibility with Microsoft Office) is lost. There is work already underway to provide translation between Microsoft Office OOXML and the ODF International Standard format . When such a translation available, Microsoft Office users can then use the existing international standard format. There would therefore be no need top adopt OOXML as an international standard. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From lucychili at gmail.com Thu Jul 26 12:04:01 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:34:01 +0930 Subject: Fwd: [LINK] and it's Australia's turn on August 9 In-Reply-To: <20070726014323.9A86F1C134@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> References: <46A5F1DD.9020905@lannet.com.au> <46A6E875.7020502@ramin.com.au> <20070726014323.9A86F1C134@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: On 7/26/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > At 04:06 PM 25/07/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > >... Couldn't find it or the relevant committee at > >http://www.standards.org.au ... No both the committee and the meeting are hard to find on the site. The process is very inaccessible. > The British Standards Institute have taken the innovative step of > using a Wiki to help prepare input on how the UK should vote on ISO > ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ( DIS 29500) > . Some excellent and specific information about concerns here: http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=20051216153153504 http://www.noooxml.org/petition > I have sent a message to Standards Australia asking which committee is looking > after it and that they might do something similar (I am the ACS representative on > the Council of SA). Yes. OOXML proposal was not created by bringing together the experience and expertise of all interested parties (such as the producers, sellers, buyers, users and regulators), but by Microsoft alone. The process feels compromised and if the process is not able to be carried out openly and fairly this provides a good indication of how fairly and openly ooxml would operate if adopted. > There is a set of very carefully prepared detailed comments on the > draft standard > . The > comments typically are suggesting that proprietary and obsolete > Microsoft features in the standard be replaced with non-proprietary > and more up to date ones. An example is to replace an old hash > algorithm from Excell with a more robust one > . > The comments get a little cheeky at times, such as suggesting a > "doWrongDateCalculationsLikeExcel" tag. But as far as I can see these > changes are feasible and would make the standard better at the cost > of causing some minor inconvenience to Microsoft. indeed > However, there is already an XML based international standard for > office document formats: OpenDocument ISO/IEC 26300:2006 > . ODF has similar > functionality to the proposed OOXML. If OOXML needs changes to make > it suitable as an international standard, then its major feature > (compatibility with Microsoft Office) is lost. So we need a 'standard' which matches Microsoft, not a standard which is compliant XML and available for open participation? Make a 'Hello World' file in ODF and in OOXML then unzip both to compare. No great skill is needed to see some immediate issues with OOXML. > There is work already underway to provide translation between > Microsoft Office OOXML and the ODF International Standard format > . Guest Commentary: The converter hoax http://www.heise.de/open/artikel/92735 16.07.2007 12:02 Free Software Foundation Europe > When such a translation available, Microsoft Office users can then > use the existing international standard format. There would therefore > be no need top adopt OOXML as an international standard. I strongly feel that to adopt this formal as a standard would compromise the idea and purpose of standards. The proposal includes proprietary material. DMCA and DRM make it possible to generate threats and risks around access and interaction with this material for businesses not supported by Microsoft or for business models not supported by Microsoft. Given the status of Microsoft as a convicted monopolist and its practices internationally in forcing this format through on an inaccessible fast track the success of the proposal would discredit the Australian Standards process. I sincerely hope we have more backbone and are able to recognise that the function of a standard is an important factor in Australia's ability to participate in technology and innovation. From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 26 12:46:12 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:46:12 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On 26/07/2007, at 10:33 AM, Stilgherrian wrote: > CRTs are still being bought new for applications where precise colour > matching is critical, such as high-end graphic design, as LCDs > (apparently) > don't have the same consistency of colour matching across their > gamut. My > partner is a photographer and a CRT sits on a desk nearby for this > very > reason. I work in high-end graphic design and have done for more years than I care to remember, and agree that most LCDs available today are not a match to most CRTs in use or for sale, but high-quality LCDs *are* as good as high-quality CRTs. But it's a matter of paying good money for good reproduction. And to have decent shielding above the monitor (LCD or CRT) to accurately display material - and to calibrate the monitor often. Color-matching gamuts for high-end LCDs are as good as needed for most printing work, and better than needed for any digital/web work. For most designers, it's a case of using what offers the most consistent colour, across every available pixel - something which LCDs are actually pretty good at these days. And nothing beats size: it's hard to find a decent CRT beyond 21" that doesn't take up an entire desk of its own, yet very good 30" LCDs are available which can sit alongside your computer gear. Personally, I'm extremely happy with my 24" LCD - and so are my clients, some of whom know their Pantone colours inside out, and can detect mismatched inks on recycled paper even in a darkened room at 50 paces (i.e. they are fussy, and don't mind being fussy about colour). iT From ivan at itrundle.com Thu Jul 26 12:48:43 2007 From: ivan at itrundle.com (Ivan Trundle) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:48:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: <53e4d46dd2bc4033bc8bde3d62e27422.info@gnomon.com.au> References: <53e4d46dd2bc4033bc8bde3d62e27422.info@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <24FD423C-8C4A-45EE-99DF-9B7AE3856FCC@itrundle.com> On 26/07/2007, at 10:03 AM, Sylvano wrote: > The ACF Green Home campaigner Clare Donovan said a 68-centimetre > cathode TV consumed 98 watts of energy costing, on average, 1.18 > cents an hour. That compared with 214 watts and 2.6 cents an hour > for a 100-centimetre LCD TV, and 350 watts at 4.2 cents an hour, on > average, for a 106-centimetre plasma screen. - SMH 30th June 2007. That's not a fair comparison. One is a 68cm TV, the other is 100cm. How about comparing 68cm with 68cm? iT From gdt at gdt.id.au Thu Jul 26 12:55:45 2007 From: gdt at gdt.id.au (Glen Turner) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:55:45 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Next Gen Ethernet In-Reply-To: <20070725065557.E065716EF5@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070725065557.E065716EF5@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <1185418545.4133.58.camel@thrace> On Wed, 2007-07-25 at 06:55 +0000, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > Ethernet has sped up by a multiple of 10 several times, from 10Mbps to > 100Mbps and ultimately from 1Gbps to 10Gbps, the current fastest version. > Some HSSG members backed a similar boost this time and that 100Gbps plan > appeared to have won out late last year. But others pushed for a 40Gbps > standard. For those wondering why, this was the expected showdown between the metro ethernet firms and the telco gear firms. Those loving a good technical catfight purchased ringside seats, us less fortunate used the video streaming. The metro ethernet firms won't be able to sell 40Gbps ethernet to anyone. It's just not fast enough -- four 10GE links running in parallel is almost as convenient and is much cheaper. And there's no certainty that the peering points like LINX, DeCIX and PAIX will buy a 40G switch, since they are running near 100G now and won't want to provision a 'new' ethernet that will already need a three links in parallel. Similar considerations apply for 'campus' style networks, where 100G to a building is much more desirable than 40G to a building at a slightly lower price. The telco gear firms need to sit ethernet inside a WDM framing for long distance transmission. 40G fits nicely, 100G doesn't, wasting 30% of the available space. Moreover, the top rate of most long haul transmission equipment is 40G per wavelength. So anything in excess of that needs multiple wavelengths. In which case, you may as we deliver multiple 40G ethernet to the customer and let them do the channel building. Server builders currently side with the 40G telco gear manufacturers, as it's just possible to build a 40G NIC, but not a 100G NIC yet. When that changes, then they'll change allegiance. You see both parties wooing the server people with copper interconnects. The decision to build both ("let the market decide") is a poor one. You'll notice that delivery date of 2010. That's a two year slippage. Immediately following the meeting Cisco Systems announced a non-standard interim 40G product and I expect Force10 to announce a non-standard interim 100G product at some stage. They have no choice, they have customers wanting to buy kit. But we saw with 100VG AnyLAN just how annoying a widely used but not interoperable ethernet can be. Keeping the two speeds in one standard isn't to clever from a customer point of view. That means that neither 40G nor 100G will be available as a final standard product until the slower development finishes. That's a tactical win for 40G, which would have a very hard time should the 100G standard appear first. > "I wouldn't say there was a fight. I would say there was an education > going on and it got heated at times," D'Ambrosia said. Translation: there was no fight, because the showdown has been pushed to some time in the future. Probably to when the first of the speeds is finished. The other showdown lurking in the background is the replacement of 1500 bytes as a standard ethernet frame size with something more reasonable at 100Gbps, like 64KB or 1500MB. -- Glen Turner From wavey_one at yahoo.com Thu Jul 26 13:01:20 2007 From: wavey_one at yahoo.com (David Goldstein) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:01:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [LINK] Don't be alarmed: 29,000 sex offenders on MySpace Message-ID: <619186.69769.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Interesting perspective on the MySpace story... David Don't be alarmed: 29,000 sex offenders on MySpace There are about 600,000 convicted sex offenders in the United States. As of this month, 29,000 of them had profiles on MySpace. ... MySpace has deleted the 29,000 profiles. But as Roy Cooper, North Carolina's attorney general, noted in a statement, MySpace can only associate sex offenders with profiles when the offenders use real names to set up their sites; there could be many other sex offender profiles the site doesn't know about. ... Does this mean it's impossible that your child will be contacted by a sex offender over the site? No. But the odds are quite, quite low. How do we know this? Because if MySpace truly had made it easier for predators to find and attack children, we'd have noticed a huge spike in such crimes. And we haven't. Take a look at North Carolina's statistics on rapes committed against young people. In 1997, there were 665 rape convictions in the state in which the victim was younger than 15. In 2006, there were 615. MySpace made no difference at all. The full story is at http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/07/25/myspace_sex_offenders/index.html Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html From gdt at gdt.id.au Thu Jul 26 13:10:42 2007 From: gdt at gdt.id.au (Glen Turner) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:10:42 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Standards Australia on ooxml In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1185419442.4133.69.camel@thrace> The proposal is that ODF and OOXML be standards for the same thing -- office documents. Standards Australia have been here before and stuffed it up totally. I'm talking about trailer connectors. The three vendors submitted differing standards. These, remarkably, matched their shipping products. Rather than take the best of each, or pick a winner, Standards Australia made all three standard connectors. So when you hire a trailer and the connector doesn't fit, you know who to blame. This is the way Standards Australia wanted it. Worse still, all three proposals were technically defective. The return ('ground') pin was the same size as the other pins, despite it carrying up to three times the current. So burnt out earth pins were a major cause of failed lights on the large trailers behind prime movers and a distinct threat for petrol tankers. That's why there's been such a sudden shift to LCD lights on large trailers. These draw less current and keep the current on the earth pin within tolerance. Anyway, the parallel to the ODF/OOXML situation is clear enough. Microsoft have OOXML and won't add decent ODF support, everyone else uses ODF (and most of these have moved to using ODF as their native file format). -- Glen Turner From planetjim at gmail.com Thu Jul 26 13:17:15 2007 From: planetjim at gmail.com (jim birch) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:17:15 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Only in America In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4lsqjp@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4lsqjp@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <39e534e70707252017j77f2e655udd263d4df9e3b318@mail.gmail.com> On 24/07/07, Jan Whitaker wrote: > WASHINGTON ? The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 > billion in farm payments to more than 170,000 > dead people over a seven-year period. Yes, but was it intentional? US Farm Policy includes some pretty weird stuff, like paying people to not produce things. So if you are dead, you can't produce the unwanted products so should be due for a permanent payment. Mind you, payments shouldn't be made in the earthly realm. There's potential for fixing this minor problem; Bush believes that he talks God through the White House phone system. But according to the Onion, this was just Chenney issuing instructions in a deep voice, spiced with some Old Testament wording, "Thou shalt smite Iraq" type stuff. Jim From marghanita at ramin.com.au Thu Jul 26 13:21:32 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:21:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] HTML 5 - W3C Editor's Draft In-Reply-To: <20070725121149.516EE16EDE@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070725121149.516EE16EDE@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <46A8133C.30001@ramin.com.au> stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote: > HTML 5 > > W3C Editor's Draft 28 June 2007 > > This Version: Unfortunately [and even ironically], when I clicked on this URL,I got > Sorry, Not Found. > The URL path in your request doesn't match anything we have available. > If you believe this is not the page you were trying to reach. Though this work is probably much more useful than the OOXML stuff. By way of background, this is an ICEBERG that I have spent many years steering clearoff :-) . Sometime around 1988 - a boss tried to point me at SGML Sometime around 1989 - I recommended an organisation adopt MSOffice, despite my own preference and technical requirements for Lotus Notes and in the face of sophisticated word processors such as AIMEPRO and WordPerfect. MSOffice was just more user friendly. In 2007, [though I agree with Eleanor ] PDF and MSWORD DOC formats are the generally accepted document exchange format and appear frequently on websites. This does not mean that I think that either of these formats are the most effective way to exchange information electronically. Marghanita > Latest Published Version: > Latest Editor's Draft: > > Editors: > Ian Hickson, Google, Inc. > David Hyatt, Apple, Inc. > > Abstract > > This specification defines the 5th major revision of the core language of > the World Wide Web, HTML. > > In this version, new features are introduced to help Web application > authors, new elements are introduced based on research into prevailing > authoring practices, and special attention has been given to defining > clear conformance criteria for user agents in an effort to improve > interoperability. > > Status of this document > > This section describes the status of this document at the time of its > publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of > current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report > can be found in the W3C technical reports index at > > If you wish to make comments regarding this document, please send them to > public-html at w3.org (subscribe, archives) or whatwg at whatwg.org (subscribe, > archives). All feedback is welcome. > > Implementors should be aware that this specification is not stable. > > Implementors who are not taking part in the discussions are likely to find > the specification changing out from under them in incompatible ways. > > Vendors interested in implementing this specification before it eventually > reaches the Candidate Recommendation stage should join the aforementioned > mailing lists and take part in the discussions. > > The latest stable version of the editor's copy of this specification is > always available on the W3C CVS server and in the WHATWG Subversion > repository. The latest editor's draft (which may contain unfinished text > in the process of being prepared) is available on the WHATWG site. > > Detailed change history can be obtained from the following locations: > > Twitter messages (non-editorial changes only): > Interactive Web interface: > Commit-Watchers mailing list: watchers-whatwg.org> > Subversion interface: > CVS log: > > The W3C HTML Working Group is the W3C working group responsible for this > specification's progress along the W3C Recommendation track. > > This specification is the 28 June 2007 Editor's Draft, and has not yet > been published as a First Public Working Draft ... > -- > > Cheers, people > Stephen Loosley > Victoria, australia > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From link at todd.inoz.com Thu Jul 26 14:32:10 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:32:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Don't be alarmed: 29,000 sex offenders on MySpace In-Reply-To: <619186.69769.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <619186.69769.qm@web50106.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200707260502.l6Q52BUe016833@ah.net> At 01:01 PM 26/07/2007, David Goldstein wrote: >Interesting perspective on the MySpace story... Indeed. I have commented :) >Don't be alarmed: 29,000 sex offenders on MySpace >There are about 600,000 convicted sex offenders in the United >States. As of this month, 29,000 of them had profiles on MySpace. >... >MySpace has deleted the 29,000 profiles. But as Roy Cooper, North >Carolina's attorney general, noted in a statement, MySpace can only >associate sex offenders with profiles when the offenders use real >names to set up their sites; They would be the 5% who are absolutely brain dead and stupid. Yeah? I mean don't most professional criminals use aliases? Duh. > there could be many other sex offender profiles the site doesn't know about. >... Yes the other 90% :) >Does this mean it's impossible that your child will be contacted by >a sex offender over the site? No. But the odds are quite, quite low. Sure, if 5% are using their real names, and 95% are using aliases that can't be detected, that means your child could be contacted by any of the other 570,000 sex offenders. Cool. >How do we know this? Because if MySpace truly had made it easier for >predators to find and attack children, we'd have noticed a huge spike >in such crimes. And we haven't. Errr, yeah right. Child Sex Crime has been around since children were born. Has there been an increase? Only as awareness is raised. As Myspace become a place where an increase would be discovered, course not. It's not something that started this year. There has been no data to indicate how may of the 600,000 sex offenders in the USA used Myspace to make contact with the children for whom they are convicted. Duh. > Take a look at North Carolina's statistics on rapes >committed against young people. In 1997, there were 665 rape >convictions in the state in which the victim was younger than 15. In >2006, there were 615. MySpace made no difference at all. Young people? What age? This statistic is useless. In 1997 not many people used the Internet, kids played in parks and predators hid in trees. In 2007, kids stay in front of the computer, and predators go online. Sheesh. Where's the stats that breaks down the seesaw effect? Like saying that marriages are stable the last ten years despite the Internet. However more people today meet online than 10 years ago where they met at work, pubs, clubs etc. Gee these days you can meet a wife in Russia or China, rather than stalk the local pub! Something that didn't happen 10 years ago. But marraiges are stable! From rick at praxis.com.au Thu Jul 26 18:41:50 2007 From: rick at praxis.com.au (Rick Welykochy) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:41:50 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Myspace deletes sex offender registered members In-Reply-To: <20070725224344.GA4898@taz.net.au> References: <61fg7n$4m24u6@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> <46A6A2B1.7090501@praxis.com.au> <20070725224344.GA4898@taz.net.au> Message-ID: <46A85E4E.1050107@praxis.com.au> Craig Sanders wrote: > On Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 11:09:05AM +1000, Rick Welykochy wrote: >> As with any criminal activity, why would a sex offender how intends to >> reoffend supply correct contact details to Myspace when registering >> online? > well, the smarter ones wouldn't. there's lots of incredibly stupid > criminals around, though. The SMH provided the answer in their article on the subject: in the USA it is an offense punishable by ten years in prison for a convicted sex offender to provide false information about themselves. Perhaps that has some inducement to honesty, i dunno. cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Never keep up with the Joneses. Try to drag them down to your level. It's cheaper. --Quentin Crisp From stephen at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 26 22:22:46 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:22:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Proposed Access Card Message-ID: <20070726122259.1B5F26401F@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Welcome to Access Card Media Release Taskforce releases report on registration 23 July 2007 The Minister for Human Services, Senator Chris Ellison, welcomed the release today of the Consumer and Privacy Taskforce?s report on Registration for the proposed access card. (snip) Senator Ellison said the work that the Taskforce is doing, along with the Government?s ongoing consultative process, will ensure the community is able to be involved at every stage of the development of the registration process. ?Widespread consultation is critically important in getting the legislation and registration process right for the access card. As part of this process I have commenced a series of round-table discussions with stakeholders, industry and community representatives to hear their views on the legislation,? Senator Ellison said. ?I would also encourage all Australians to take the opportunity to read and respond to the exposure draft of the access card legislation. People have until 21 August to submit their views. (snip) -- We appreciate your feedback about the access card. Please fill in the details below so your views can be considered as part of the consultative process ... -- Myth busters * The access card is a national ID card The card is not an ID card. Legislation has been drafted to ensure that it cannot be demanded as identification. Specifically, the legislation ensures that: the card will not become a national identity card will not be compulsory to carry with you at all times will not be required for identity purposes to transact normal everyday business will not be required to be shown to anyone. * If it is not an ID card then there is no need for a photograph, number and signature to be on the surface of the card Photo on the card The need for the photo on the card is a key aspect of the access card. Without a photo, the system will still be susceptible to fraud and taxpayers will continue to wear the cost. The photo on the card is needed to: reduce fraud reduce complexity increase customer convenience by providing a quick and convenient verification of the card holder provide a user-friendly and reliable method of accessing Commonwealth benefits allow card holders to use their card for identification if they choose improve access to Australian Government relief in emergency situations. A photo will allow a person to simply and quickly prove who they are when accessing Commonwealth benefits, in agencies or when they are receiving benefits through pharmacies or GPs. It will also ensure only people who are entitled and eligible to receive government benefits are able to do so. The inclusion of a photograph on the card will significantly enhance the identity security elements of the card, protecting the card holder?s identity and reducing opportunities for fraud. One of the platforms of the new scheme is a strengthened proof of identity mechanism that has the capacity to authenticate users, identify their entitlements (such as concession status) and ensure they access the right services and benefits. A photo will be a major factor in preventing and detecting fraudulent health and social service transactions and activities. Reliable proof of identity and the improved access control this permits are also essential components of any effective system to protect personal information. The verification of existing cards depends heavily on visual checks of paper, cardboard and simple plastic cards. Verification of these cards is becoming less reliable. The absence of a photograph on existing cards compromises identity verification. The need for the card number The card number is necessary for the convenience of the card holder. A card number is integral to the business operations of the Department of Veterans? Affairs, Centrelink and Medicare Australia. The number provides the means for service delivery, particularly for telephone and internet-based services. If the number were to be eliminated from the card it would have several disadvantages: clients who contact agencies by telephone would be required to identify themselves by other means using multiple references and this may be more intrusive of their privacy, and this would also make client interactions lengthier and more complicated for agencies and their customers; some clients may have difficulty remembering numbers without these being easily visible; and if systems fail, the processing of transactions will be difficult in the absence of a visible card number. The card number is not a unique identifier. It is a number that will only remain for the life of that card. When the card is replaced the card will have a new number on it. The need for the signature on the card A digitised copy of a card holder?s signature will appear on the surface of the card and also in the chip, and will provide greater convenience and security for the card holder. The signature is being included in the chip as an added security device and will support customer authentication for claiming benefits when the customer is not present. Specifically, this occurs when customers mail in claim forms to a participating agency. The digitised signature provides greater potential for security for the card holder by enabling a visual comparison of the signature at point of service and via mail requests. * There is a mega database of people?s personal information There will be no mega database as part of the access card system. Information provided by people when they are issued with an access card will be stored on a secure Register. The legislation specifies the basic information about the card holder that will be stored on the Register, that the Register must be established and remain within Australia and that it cannot be combined with participating agency databases. Individual customer records will continue to be held separately by Centrelink, Medicare Australia, the Department of Veterans? Affairs and other participating agencies. * If people do not have an access card they will be denied services The access card will not affect people?s eligibility for health benefits, veterans? and social services, unless they are identified as being engaged in fraud. Nobody will be denied access to services if they don?t have an access card, but once the two year registration period ends, people will need to be registered to access Commonwealth benefits, such as Medicare rebates. * People under 18 will be denied services because they won?t have a card of their own There will be no change to eligibility for health benefits and social services for people aged under 18. A person 15 years and over will be able to be issued with his or her own card if they apply, and are eligible for a Commonwealth benefit. In some instances, people over 15 can apply for a card without needing their parent?s permission. This is currently the case with Medicare cards and there will be no change in this policy. * The access card will record every transaction including visits to doctors There will be no mechanism for recording transactions or medical information. Your health records will be kept by your doctor or health provider as they are currently, and no medical information will be stored on the card, the chip, or the Register. * The access card will hold all my medical and health information The card and the chip will not contain medical or health information, nor will this information be stored on the Register. Information about a person?s interaction with Medicare (for example) will remain in Medicare?s computer system as it does now. * The access card will hold my tax records and other financial information Neither the card, the chip in the card, and/or the Register will hold any tax records or financial information. There will be no linking of information in the Register to taxation or other financial information. * My bank account details and Tax File Number will be on the card Your bank account details and Tax File Number are in no way linked to the access card, and will not be on the surface of the card, in the chip, or on the Register. * The access card contains photos of my children The card will work in a similar way to your Medicare card and if you have children, their details will be included on your card?s chip. There will be no requirement to take or record photos of dependent children. * I have to provide my fingerprints and iris scans Nobody will be required to provide fingerprints and iris scans. As part of the registration process, each person will be asked to pose for a biometric photo. Biometric technology uses a person?s physical characteristics to develop a unique mathematical algorithm. For example, in the case of a biometric photo, a high resolution photograph is taken that is converted into numerical template, a unique representation which will be used to ensure that each person can only register once. * The card will contain information about criminal records and fines There will be no information on the surface of the card, in the chip, or on the Register relating to a card holder?s criminal record or fines. * I will have to pay for my new access card There is no cost involved in getting an access card. * If I lose my card I will have to go through the whole registration process again If your access card is lost or stolen, a new card will be issued with a new card number. Once we have compared your photo with the photo of you in the Register, and verified that it is you, a new card can be issued quickly. There will be a quick turnaround time in getting a replacement card as you will have already registered for an access card. * The card and the Register are an easy target for hackers Security and privacy are paramount to the access card. Transactions involving the card will be securely logged, including access, authentication and the specific details of the transaction, to ensure there is no unauthorised access to customer information. All logs will be analysed constantly for abnormal behaviour. There is zero tolerance in relation to unauthorised access to customer records. An important element of the card?s security framework is evaluation, testing and certification by the Defence Signals Directorate ? Australia?s national authority for information security and signals intelligence. The card will also be extremely difficult to copy through the use of sophisticated tamper-resistant features similar to those used to protect banknotes, credit cards and passports. The access card system will comply with applicable international and Australian standards to optimise security, interoperability and long-term maintainability. * The Government is only bringing in the access card so it can keep an eye on me and my whereabouts Legislation ensures that the access card cannot be demanded as identification. The access card will not contain records of the personal or financial transactions of the card holder, nor will it be linked to any closed circuit television networks. Under the legislation, information in the Register cannot be disclosed to police or intelligence agencies, unless specifically permitted by the secrecy provisions, or if a warrant has been issued. These agencies will not have direct access or links to the access card Register. -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 26 22:32:09 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:32:09 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Proposed Access Card In-Reply-To: <20070726122259.1B5F26401F@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> References: <20070726122259.1B5F26401F@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Message-ID: <61fg7n$4msemv@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> At 10:22 PM 26/07/2007, Stephen Loosley wrote: >Welcome to Access Card Gee, I don't know why Stephen saw fit to post the entire webpage. I'm tempted to post the other side of the story in full as an 'equal time' on Link, but instead I'll just suggest that the govt is spinning in its own project mess [remember the Customs fiasco? Same minister.]. For an alternate perspective, please consider: http://www.privacy.org.au/Campaigns/ID_cards/HSAC.html and specifically: http://www.privacy.org.au/Campaigns/ID_cards/HSAC.html#FAQs pssst: they are signing contracts for a project without a stable design. Are you happy your tax dollars are being spent on media programs for something that may never make it out of the box? I'm not. Jan Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From stephen at melbpc.org.au Thu Jul 26 23:54:24 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:54:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Proposed Access Card In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4msemv@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <20070726122259.1B5F26401F@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> <61fg7n$4msemv@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: <20070726135436.844B664018@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> At 10:32 PM 26/07/2007, Jan writes: >>Welcome to Access Card > >Gee, I don't know why Stephen saw fit to post the entire webpage. I'm tempted to post the other side of the story in full as an 'equal time' on Link, but instead I'll just suggest that the govt is spinning in its own project mess [remember the Customs fiasco? Same minister.]. Haha .. I posted around a hundredth of their website, with, of course, the the main part of the post being the 'respond here' invitation and address. I always think posting just a 'bare-bones' web address can be somewhat inconvenient and perhaps a little rude ("haha I find this fascinating and so will Link also of course, and thus there is no need for me to bother to copy and paste any relevant content, to make it easy for link.. let them all suck it down for themselves, cause I know it's so fascinating") I think it's just polite to include the relevant sections for linker convenience. However, whatever. Its different if one is responding to already posted threads, as you are Jan. > For an alternate perspective, please consider: > >http://www.privacy.org.au/Campaigns/ID_cards/HSAC.html >and specifically: >http://www.privacy.org.au/Campaigns/ID_cards/HSAC.html#FAQs > >pssst: they are signing contracts for a project without a stable design. Are you happy your tax dollars are being spent on media programs for something that may never make it out of the box? I'm not. > >Jan > > >Jan Whitaker >JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria >jwhit at janwhitaker.com >business: http://www.janwhitaker.com >personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ >commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ > >Writing Lesson #54: >Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 > >'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 >_ __________________ _ >_______________________________________________ >Link mailing list >Link at mailman.anu.edu.au >http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 27 00:04:36 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:04:36 +1000 Subject: [LINK] O/T Travel grants for PhD fieldwork in Aceh, Indonesia Message-ID: <20070726140447.D6BC764018@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Seems a worthwhile activity for international understanding ... Fwd: Subject: Travel grants for PhD fieldwork in Aceh, Indonesia From:LSMY Date:Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:52:28 -0700 (PDT) The Aceh Research Training Institute (ARTI) offers travel grants for PhD fieldwork, in any discipline, in Aceh Indonesia, consisting of one round-trip airfare to Aceh. Doctoral students of any nationality enrolled at any universities internationally and within Indonesia (except for Aceh) are eligible. Students enrolled at Indonesian universities also receive a daily stipend for up to 6 months of fieldwork. The closing date for this year's grants is: 16 AUGUST 2007. For details and application forms, see http://www.arti.unimelb.edu.au/activities/research_grants.html (English) or http://www.arti.unimelb.edu.au/activities/research_grants_id.html (Bahasa) Laura S. Meitzner Yoder, Ph.D. ARTI Program Leader Banda Aceh, Indonesia http://www.arti.unimelb.edu.au/ -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 27 00:36:49 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:36:49 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200707261443.l6QEh7OQ031035@ah.net> At 09:36 AM 26/07/2007, Stilgherrian wrote: >Sydney-based Heap Media is getting attention thanks to Blackle -- their >front-end onto Google which turns the website background black. In theory, >this saves energy because a monitor uses more power when displaying a >white/light image than a black/dark one. A CRT maybe, but a LCD actually uses more energy as it has to turn ON and excite the liquid crystal pixels in order to stop the light passing through Gees some people are stupid! From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 27 00:39:11 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:39:11 +1000 Subject: Plasma TV - Re: [LINK] Blackle: turn Google black to save the planet In-Reply-To: <53e4d46dd2bc4033bc8bde3d62e27422.info@gnomon.com.au> References: <53e4d46dd2bc4033bc8bde3d62e27422.info@gnomon.com.au> Message-ID: <200707261443.l6QEh7OS031035@ah.net> > > > Currently Blackle's home page says "113,834.304 Watt hours > saved. Two things > > > strike me here. > > > > > > * 113kWh isn't much electricity. That's one server with a 500W power > > > supply running for about 10 days -- or a fortnight, say, because it > > > probably isn't fully loaded. > >Or the hourly impact of about 450 homes upgrading their largish CRT >TV to a large home plasma TV. Swings and round abouts I suppose ;-) .... [SNIP good data about consumption] I am STUNNED people are stupid enough to by Plasma TV's and Air Conditions and then com,plaint about increased electricity consumption. With Washing Machines, Driers, Fridges and other appliances all having an Energy Star rating isn't it time this was applied to LCD/Plasma equipment? Even laptops, computers, gawd everything really. I was tossing between a plasma and lcd a while ago and when I saw the power consumption of the plasma I freaked. No chance of running it on a minimal Solar power system. It needs it's own Solar plant! (sigh) From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 27 00:42:39 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:42:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] CRT and LCD monitors In-Reply-To: <46A7F128.8080802@firstpr.com.au> References: <46A7F128.8080802@firstpr.com.au> Message-ID: <200707261443.l6QEh7OU031035@ah.net> >If this, or some monitor like it, had a DVI input, I think it >would be great. I can't imagine running an LCD from analogue VGA >would give the rock-solid stability and lack of noise which could >be achieved with a digital connection. Rock solid in my experience. I've never had any flicker or noise. I have dual screens (same LCDs) on an Apple and one is VGA the other is DVI. You can't tell the difference between them. I do agree about photo and visual work on LCD's though. There is no colour balancing on LCDs so it's a bit of a gamble. The emphasis on LCD is that the device driving will set the colour, and you can under OSX with little problem, bar the fact you need an external colour calibration device to see what you are really setting. I still prefer a CRT for colour correction, but using Vector and other scopes we've learned to tune quite well :) From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 27 04:26:52 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:26:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Software Piracy Costs $40 billion a year Message-ID: <200707261847.l6QIlJW7005002@ah.net> Three interesting parts to this story. 1. Chinese counterfeit Windows Vista 2. Piracy issues 3. Claims that 29% of software installed on computers in Australia is illegal and costs Software companies $622 million a year in losses ($40 billion world wide.) I say again, on the last point, of the 29% of pirate installations, if the software wasn't able to be pirated, the user would not have it at all and hence the user would not likely buy a copy, so it's hardly a "loss" as claimed by the BSAA. http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/aussie-dobbers-help-smash-piracy-syndicate/2007/07/26/1185339135199.html Aussie dobbers help smash piracy syndicate High quality fakes ... a genuine version of Windows Vista, left, beside a counterfeit copy. AdvertisementAdvertisement Asher Moses July 26, 2007 - 12:37PM Australian whistleblowers helped Microsoft and the FBI bust a major Chinese counterfeit software syndicate, which was allegedly responsible for distributing more than $US2 billion worth of fake Microsoft software around the world. Three hundred and fifty-two fake versions of Microsoft Windows and Office were reported to Microsoft by Australian individuals and businesses, most of whom bought the software from Australian computer stores believing it was genuine. Microsoft Australia's director of intellectual property, Vanessa Hutley, said those 352 fakes were analysed by Microsoft and formed part of the evidence - totalling 55,000 counterfeit products worldwide - used to bring the syndicate down. "The counterfeits are extremely high quality so they [customers] are not paying $1 or $2, they're paying close to the real price thinking they're getting a genuine product," she said. Hutley said the investigation into the syndicate, based in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, was one of the largest of its kind in the world and had been going on for years. "This particular syndicate's material was detected as far back as 2003, and this has been an ongoing, six-year, very very intensive investigation around the world - 27 countries were affected by these counterfeits," she said. Rather than hunt software pirates on an individual basis, Hutley said Microsoft was focused on stopping piracy at its source, and would also educate individuals on the downsides of piracy. According to Business Software Alliance figures released in May, 29 per cent of software installed on PCs in Australia in 2006 was obtained illegally, amounting to $US622 million in losses to the industry. But the piracy rate of 29 per cent was lower than the 2005 rate, which was 31 per cent. Globally, software companies claim they lose $US40 billion a year to piracy. But in addition to costing Microsoft money, Hutley warned that pirated versions of Windows also often contained "incomplete code" and malware. The pirated Microsoft software found in the Chinese raids, conducted by the FBI and China's Public Security Bureau, included copies of Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 and older versions of both products. In a statement the FBI said it confiscated discs with an estimated retail value of $US500 million. Chinese police arrested 25 people and seized property worth about $US8 million. "This case should serve as a wake-up call to counterfeiters," said Microsoft's senior vice president and general counsel, Brad Smith. "Customers around the world are turning you in, governments and law enforcement have had enough, and private companies will act decisively to protect intellectual property." The whistleblowers who bought counterfeit versions of Windows were able to detect the fakes using Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy tool, Hutley said. Some then opted to submit physical copies of the discs to Microsoft for analysis, and Hutley said Microsoft was then able to trace the discs back to the counterfeit syndicate. "We had 87 per cent of these CDs that we have here in Australia submitted to us by customers who had detected it was counterfeit because of Windows Genuine Advantage," she said. In November last year Microsoft filed more than 50 lawsuits against merchants selling counterfeit software worldwide, including three in Australia. Hutley said Microsoft offered free replacement copies of Windows to consumers who sent in counterfeit discs. From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Fri Jul 27 09:32:44 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:32:44 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Web and ODF documents in PDF? Message-ID: <20070726235312.9FDAD1C21B@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Getting acceptance for new document formats from users is difficult. If someone gets a file with an ODF or some other extension they have never heard of it will be a worry for them. But if they get a PDF file that is okay. Perhaps PDF can be used as Trojan horse (in a nice way) for this. Some versions of PDF (such as PDF/UA) have provision for embedding data files . This could be used to include a ODF or web document and its associated formatting and images inside the PDF document. OpenOffice.org could be modified to package an editable version of documents in a PDF file (and an equivalent addon provided for Microsoft Office). OO already creates PDF versions of documents, so to this could be added an option to include a copy of the original source document. The person receiving the document would see the PDF rendering by default, but would have the option to work on the original editable file and be offered a link to download a copy of OO, or a conversion tool for Microsoft Office, if needed. Most of the space taken up by word processing documents is in the images, not the text. It should be possible to share the images between the PDF rendering and the ODF document. As a result adding the ODF document to the PDF may not make the document much bigger. ODF is better than not having a standard format for office documents, but is not perfect. My preference would be to use XHTML 2 for word processing documents, so they could be directly rendered by web browsers. Word Processing programs are rapidly becoming just a way to create not very good web content and it would be better if they created well formatted web format documents directly. Compatibility with existing products is a legitimate concern when setting a standard. As an example this was a major consideration in the standard for shipping containers, with discussion of what adaptors would be needed . Standards based on something which has been shown to work are better standards. But this does result in some quirks, as an example shipping containers are stronger than they need to be (increasing costs) due to the need to meet some old European railway standards. The cords for some computers are rated to withstand high temperatures as the standard they are made to was designed for electric kettles . Putting office documents inside PDF files would be a bit like a computer cable you could use to boil water, but at least it would work. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Fri Jul 27 11:03:11 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:03:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bracks resigns Message-ID: <61fg7n$4n38lq@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> For those not hearing radio or TV, Steve Bracks has resigned as Premier and from politics in Victoria. Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From marghanita at ramin.com.au Fri Jul 27 12:40:34 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:40:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] MEGA-LITIGATION Message-ID: <46A95B22.9050804@ramin.com.au> > 1. THE DISPUTE > > 1 The heart of the dispute in this case is the complaint by ?Seven? (as I call the Applicants) that in May 2002 it was forced to shut down the business of C7 Pty Ltd (?C7?), a producer and distributor of sports channels for Australian pay television platforms. Seven says that the closure of C7?s business was forced on it because some of the Respondents, notably the News, PBL and Telstra parties and their associated corporations, engaged in anti-competitive conduct in contravention of ss 45 and 46 of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (?Trade Practices Act?), during the period from 1999 to 2001. > > 2. MEGA-LITIGATION > > 2 The case is an example of what is best described as ?mega-litigation?. By that expression, I mean civil litigation, usually involving multiple and separately represented parties, that consumes many months of court time and generates vast quantities of documentation in paper or electronic form. An invariable characteristic of mega-litigation is that it imposes a very large burden, not only on the parties, but on the court system and, through that system, the community. > > 3 Before briefly explaining the issues in the case and the outcome, I wish to record some of the features of this particular example of mega-litigation. > > 4 The trial lasted for 120 hearing days and took place in an electronic courtroom. Electronic trials have many advantages, but reducing the amount of documentation produced or relied on by the parties is not one of them. The outcome of the processes of discovery and production of documents in this case was an electronic database containing 85,653 documents, comprising 589,392 pages. Ultimately, 12,849 ?documents?, comprising 115,586 pages, were admitted into evidence. The Exhibit List would have been very much longer had I not rejected the tender of substantial categories of documents that the parties, particularly Seven, wished to have in evidence. > > 5 Quite apart from the evidence, the volume of written submissions filed by the parties was truly astonishing. Seven produced 1,556 pages of written Closing Submissions in Chief and 812 pages of Reply Submissions (not counting confidential portions of certain chapters and one electronic attachment containing spreadsheets which apparently runs for 8,900 or so pages). The Respondents managed to generate some 2,594 pages of written Closing Submissions between them. The parties? Closing Submissions were supplemented by yet further outlines, notes and summaries. -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Fri Jul 27 13:13:31 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:13:31 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bracks resigns In-Reply-To: <61fg7n$4n38lq@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> References: <61fg7n$4n38lq@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> Message-ID: At 11:03 +1000 27/7/07, Jan Whitaker wrote: >For those not hearing radio or TV, Steve Bracks has resigned as >Premier and from politics in Victoria. And Brumby is Brack's nominee as the next Premier. In 1986, he debated Graham Greenleaf and myself on ABC radio on the Australia Card Bill. He didn't have a clue. He kept saying the things he'd been told to say, and between us we kept pointing him to the relevant section of the Bill, which made clear that we he'd said was simply untrue, or even downright false. It would have helped if he'd seen it as part of his job to know what the Bill contained; but he was an apparatchik who'd been given the responsibility of getting the Bill through Caucus. Can a lackey mature into a leader? -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From stil at stilgherrian.com Fri Jul 27 13:30:24 2007 From: stil at stilgherrian.com (Stilgherrian) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:30:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bracks resigns In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On 27/7/07 1:13 PM, "Roger Clarke" wrote: > In 1986, he debated Graham Greenleaf and myself on ABC radio on the > Australia Card Bill. > > [snip] > > Can a lackey mature into a leader? People can change a lot in 20 years... Stil -- Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/ Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia mobile +61 407 623 600 fax +61 2 9516 5630 ABN 25 231 641 421 From link at todd.inoz.com Fri Jul 27 16:48:19 2007 From: link at todd.inoz.com (Adam Todd) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:48:19 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Bracks resigns In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200707270651.l6R6p223020753@ah.net> At 01:30 PM 27/07/2007, Stilgherrian wrote: >On 27/7/07 1:13 PM, "Roger Clarke" wrote: > > In 1986, he debated Graham Greenleaf and myself on ABC radio on the > > Australia Card Bill. > > > > [snip] > > > > Can a lackey mature into a leader? > >People can change a lot in 20 years... Yep, but most people do the same things over and over and over, and over and over and over. And if they change, they get more aggressive rather than resolving, leading to more people being sucked in and more damage being done. Yep, I agree with Howard, usually not for the better. From brd at iimetro.com.au Fri Jul 27 16:57:52 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:57:52 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Oz Govt Falling Behind in Delivery of Customer Services Message-ID: <46A99770.2040901@iimetro.com.au> More on the report at http://www.accenture.com/Global/Services/By_Industry/Government/R_and_I/DeliveringonthePromise.htm Australian Government Falling Behind in Delivery of Customer Services Sue Bushell 26 July, 2007 10:12:36 CIO Magazine http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;1338834733;fp;4;fpid;21 Once they were top performers, praised for their strong visions of value-led, citizen-centric services, but somehow Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States have all let service flag in the eyes of their citizens. Now Accenture is warning those nations against losing momentum, concerned they may be becoming stymied by their own success and tempted to dawdle on transitioning from the winning recipes of the past. "The work ahead is not easy. Nor will it have the immediate and visceral appeal of the high-profile work governments have done on their front-end service structures in the recent past. Nevertheless, it is work that can no longer be pushed to the bottom of the customer service agenda. Citizens impatiently await the results," a new Accenture report warns. The report, Leadership in Customer Service: Delivering on the Promise, the eighth in an annual series examining the customer-service challenges, maturity and practices of governments around the world, ranks 22 governments based on an assessment of their customer-service programs, but this time with a major enhancement. For the first time, the rankings incorporate direct citizen feedback on quality of government service delivery, based on criteria like the user-friendliness of customer-service channels, the breadth and depth of online services accessed by citizens, and overall citizen satisfaction ratings. And on this measure, governments that used to pride themselves on leadership are looking somewhat less flash. Accenture now considers the governments of Singapore (scoring 89 percent on customer maturity ranking) and Canada (88 percent) - both with strong and compelling visions of value-led, citizen-centric service - as doing the best job of delivering on the promise of customer service. The United States has fallen back to the second tier (79 percent), where it joins Denmark (79 percent), and Sweden (74 percent), who rose over their previous rankings. While the introduction of citizen survey responses make comparisons with past years difficult, Australia's ranking looks far less impressive this year - on just 59 percent - where it is easily pipped by Norway, (64 percent), and Finland (62 percent.). In some of the strongest performing countries from past reports, including Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, citizens are still generally satisfied, but don't believe service has improved in comparison to three years ago, the report finds. "What will it take to move citizens beyond complacency in these countries? What will it take to reverse citizen disenchantment, or to maintain the positive momentum in others? In short, what will it take for governments to continue to build the trust with their citizens? "It will take putting a robust vision of customer service into action. Governments have promised the world to citizens. They have talked about removing organizational boundaries and providing highly tailored service based on a deep understanding of who their citizens are-as individuals and as members of communities. In the end, however, citizens will judge their governments by their actions rather than their promises. And governments still have much work to do to be able to keep their word." The report also concludes that combining excellent front-end customer service with a robust technology infrastructure and highly trained workforce is what allows leading governments to deliver better service to citizens. "Our report found that while many countries have embraced new technologies - especially the Internet - to reach citizens, their back-end infrastructures have often failed to keep pace. The most innovative customer-service platforms are the most holistic in tying together the front-end promise with back-end delivery excellence," Roberts said. This holistic approach underlies the four key findings in Delivering on the Promise derived from in-depth surveys and research of government customer service. The key findings include: Know the customer's needs. Innovative governments are moving beyond basic demographic categories and looking at customers as groups based on characteristics that include their values, needs and intentions. For example, the Central Provident Fund in Singapore wanted to educate young people about the benefits of retirement savings. The Fund took what they knew of their targets' attitudes and behaviours and combined that with effective marketing techniques garnered from the private sector to provide a truly novel educational experience that includes an online game and prizes. The game is designed to encourage good savings and investment habits, as well as long-term financial planning. Make the connections. Organizations whose back-office infrastructures are not aligned to fulfil their citizen-service promises create a credibility and delivery gap. While governments understand that their visions of customer service will evolve over time, they are now focusing more attention on making their existing visions operational through infrastructure improvements. Spain is becoming a model for other European countries in this regard, creating a national platform for information sharing and communication through the development of a common infrastructure that links all the state administrations with regional governments. Align your people. Developing the best, most well-equipped front-line workforce is critical to customer-service success because those employees can have the biggest impact. Innovative governments are attacking this issue in one of two ways: ramping up their workforces through extensive training and recruitment, or opting for smaller numbers of highly engaged people. Canada's approach to managing its workforce is particularly effective, with a robust strategy for workforce transformation called PS Renewal, in which service transformation and public service renewal initiatives are tightly coupled. Don't do it alone. Governments' relationships with citizens, businesses and non-governmental organizations are evolving into a complex ecosystem in which each of the various stakeholders takes on a share of the responsibility for developing and delivering value-led services. This evolution is leading to the next generation of highly integrated customer service. "This is a call to action for governments. We found that the four pillars of customer service are related to citizens' overall satisfaction . . . In other words, a significant aspect of governments' relationships with citizens is directly under their own control: how they provide services," the report says. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From stephen at melbpc.org.au Fri Jul 27 18:58:32 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:58:32 +1000 Subject: [LINK] OECD Information and Communications Policy & Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry Message-ID: <20070727085848.4D26264017@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> OECD Information and Communications Policy The Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP, www.oecd.org/sti/ict) develops policies to maximise the benefits of the Information Society. What's new * OECD invites public comment on the Future of the Internet Economy from 25-Jul-2007 to 14-Sep-2007 The OECD is inviting public comments on issues such as convergence, innovation, trust, which will be discussed at the planned "Future of the Internet Economy" Ministerial meeting to be held in June 2008 in Seoul, Korea. * Report on Second Roundtable on Economics for Consumer Policy 25-Jul-2007 The second Roundtable on economics for consumer policy brought academics and senior government officials together to examine the nature of failures in markets where supply-side competition is deemed to be effective. It considered the economic theories of information disclosure, focusing on two major industry sectors ? telecommunications and financial services. How policies addressing demand side failures could be strengthened was considered. * Registration for the OECD-Canada Technology Foresight Forum on the Participative web is now open on 03-Oct-2007 This first-ever international policy forum on the participative web will bring together experts from around the world to address related questions on 3 October 2007 in Ottawa, Canada. * Consumer contracts: Ensuring that the contracts work for shoppers 19-Jul-2007 Consumers enter into contracts covering a wide range of purchases ? health care, housing, financial investment, telecommunication services and leisure services are some examples. In addition, with the increasing convergence of financial arrangements and consumer activities in modern life, consumers are prone to take on longer-term commitments. The OECD report on contracts takes a close look at how governments in different countries help protect the interests of consumers when they sign such contracts. * OECD governments to help consumers 16-Jul-2007 OECD Member countries have agreed common principles aimed at providing consumers with effective mechanisms to resolve their disputes and obtain redress for economic harm resulting from transactions with business. The new framework, which applies to disputes arising in both a domestic and cross-border context, is aimed at strengthening consumer trust on-line and at helping them benefit from e-commerce advantages. * Telecoms advances throw up new challenges for operators, says OECD 12-Jul-2007 Telecommunications investment continues to rise and consumers are generally paying less for more and better services across the OECD area but technology developments are presenting new challenges to telecoms operators, according to a new OECD report. * OECD Council adopts recommendation on electronic authentication 06-Jul-2007 The OECD Council has adopted a Recommendation calling on Member countries to establish compatible, technology-neutral approaches for effective domestic and cross-border e-authentication of persons and entities. The key role of e-authentication in fostering trust online and the continued development of the digital economy is reaffirmed. Guidance on e-Authentication has also been developed to assist Member countries and non-Member economies in establishing or amending their approaches with a view to facilitating cross-border authentication. * OECD governments agree on a framework for privacy law enforcement co-operation 13-Jun-2007 Embodied in a new OECD Recommendation, the framework reflects a commitment by governments to improve their domestic frameworks for privacy law enforcement to better enable their authorities to co-operate with foreign authorities, as well as to provide mutual assistance to one another in the enforcement of privacy laws. * Joint WPIIS/WPIE workshop on the Economic and Social Impacts of Broadband Communications: from ICT Measurement to Policy Implications on 22-May-2007 The workshop reviewed studies of the impacts of broadband roll-out and use: a) on economic performance at aggregate level and in the business sector, and b) on the geographical distribution of economic activity and employment, on content producers and users, and on households. It covered recent and ongoing analysis for as a wide range of OECD countries. * OECD Broadband Statistics to December 2006 23-Apr-2007 Over the past year, the number of broadband subscribers in the OECD increased 26% from 157 million in December 2005 to 197 million in December 2006. This growth increased broadband penetration rates in the OECD from 13.5 in December 2005 to 16.9 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants one year later. * Internet traffic prioritisation 16-Apr-2007 Internet traffic prioritisation is an increasingly important policy issue as bandwidth demands increase and Internet applications require higher levels of quality of service to function well. Debates about traffic prioritisation, particularly in the context of ?network neutrality? discussions, have been divisive. The study provides background for national debates by examining the role of traffic prioritisation in networks and highlighting associated policy and regulatory issues. * APEC TEL and the OECD hosted joint workshop on malware from 22-Apr-2007 to 23-Apr-2007 This workshop, held in Manila, Philippines, was the first part of joint work on the subject of malware being undertaken by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TEL) and the OECD. Proceedings are available. * Participative web: user-created content 13-Apr-2007 The concept of the ?participative web? postulates an Internet increasingly influenced by intelligent, web services based on new technologies that empower the user to be an increasing contributor to developing, rating, collaborating and distributing Internet content and customising Internet applications. This study describes the rapid growth of UCC and its increasingly important role in worldwide communication and draws out implications for policy. * Overview of the gender distribution of ICT and ICT-related employment in OECD countries 03-Apr-2007 There are a number of reasons for the heightened interest in gender-related issues and the aim to mainstream gender into all aspects of economic and social activity. From an efficiency point of view, women need to be part of economic activity at all levels, from decision-making to execution phases, and this is becoming increasingly urgent in the light of demographic pressures and aging populations in most OECD countries. * Is China the new centre for offshoring of IT and ICT-enabled services? 29-Mar-2007 This paper analyses current developments in IT and ICT-enabled services offshoring to China and discusses the potential for further growth, using indicators of international trade, human resources and ICT infrastructure. R&D activities are a specific example of China?s potential to supply more highly skilled ICT-enabled services and move up the value chain. * The Development of Policies for the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures (CII) 29-Mar-2007 The 2006 OECD study offers an analysis of the CII security policies in four countries - Canada, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States - with a focus on the drivers for and challenges to their development. It examines each country?s definition of the CII, risk management strategies, frameworks and policies, challenges to information sharing, and cross-border cooperation for addressing the risk to the CII. The report also identifies commonalities and differences in policies for protecting the CII across the countries. The study is expanded in 2007 to 3 additional countries. * Mobile Commerce ? consumer issues and policy challenges for a promising market 09-Feb-2007 Mobile commerce is a promising market both for consumers and businesses. However, consumer troubles and complaints are increasing and can sometimes become serious, including issues for minors. Member countries? experiences show that we should ensure that consumers benefit. In particular, countries may review their instruments with regard to a more effective scheme for information disclosure, liability protection over SIM and RFID cards, effective notice to excessive consumption, and the importance of consumer education. Businesses may also consider more effective consumer protection schemes. See also the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry Consumer Policy The OECD Committee on Consumer Policy (CCP) works to increase trust in the global economy. It has a mandate to develop principles leading to a fair and transparent marketplace and seeks to ensure their effective implementation online and across borders. Its current work focuses on building consumer confidence in the global economy through work on cross-border fraud and dispute resolution and redress; analysing the impact of new technologies and emerging business practices online; examining good practice in consumer policy regimes; and developing economic rationale for consumer policy. (More) -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Fri Jul 27 17:26:55 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:26:55 +1000 Subject: [LINK] GreenCIO Awards Message-ID: <20070727223944.284731EB8B@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> CIO magazine is sponsoring GreenCIO Awards for Australian achievements in sustainable technology usage and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Nomination close 1 August 2007 and details are at : * Hewlett-Packard Green CIO Award Awarded to an individual or group for outstanding use of technology by an individual or group, and drawn from one of the below categories. * IBM Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology within the Organisation to Benefit the Environment ... * Most Innovative Use of Technology within the Supply Chain to Benefit the Environment ... * Green Community Award Awarded for outstanding promotion, education and delivering practical sustainable energy solutions to business, organisations, communities and individuals * Best Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative ... Awards will be made in Sydney, 21 August 2007 . I will be on the panel talking about the Green IT Group . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From brd at iimetro.com.au Sat Jul 28 10:08:43 2007 From: brd at iimetro.com.au (Bernard Robertson-Dunn) Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:08:43 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Report warns against too many 'Net rules Message-ID: <46AA890B.3040506@iimetro.com.au> The report is available at http://www.osce.org/item/25667.html?ch=918 Report warns against too many 'Net rules By WILLIAM J. KOLE Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 27, 7:53 AM ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070727/ap_on_hi_te/internet_restrictions VIENNA, Austria - Kazakhstan and Georgia are among countries imposing excessive restrictions on how people use the Internet, a new report says, warning that regulations are having a chilling effect on freedom of expression. "Governing the Internet," issued Thursday by the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, called the online policing "a bitter reminder of the ease with which some regimes ? democracies and dictatorships alike ? seek to suppress speech that they disapprove of, dislike, or simply fear." "Speaking out has never been easier than on the Web. Yet at the same time we are witnessing the spread of Internet censorship," the report said. Miklos Haraszti, who heads the OSCE's media freedom office, said about two dozen countries practice censorship, and others have adopted needlessly restrictive legislation and government policy. Among those are Malaysia, where a government official said this week that laws would be drafted for bloggers and authorities would not hesitate to prosecute those deemed to have insulted Islam. Haraszti cited separate research by the OpenNet Initiative, a trans-Atlantic group that tracks Internet filtering and surveillance, which pointed to questionable online restrictions in Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Sudan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and elsewhere. The OSCE report says Kazakhstan's efforts to rein in Internet journalism in the name of national security is reminiscent of Soviet-era "spy mania," and it says Georgian law contains numerous provisions curbing freedom of expression online. Web sites, blogs and personal pages all are subject to criminal as well as civil prosecution in Kazakhstan, and the country's information minister, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, has vowed to purge Kazakh sites of "dirt" and "lies." "Those who think it is impossible to control the Internet can continue living in a world of illusions," Yertysbayev told the Vremya newspaper in a recent interview. On Thursday, in a speech at OSCE headquarters in Vienna, Yertysbayev insisted his country was committed to democracy and the creation of what he called an "e-government" that would expand Internet access and make "our information sphere more open and our media more free." In the most publicized instance of a government crackdown, Kazakh authorities took control of .kz Internet domains in 2005. It then revoked a domain operated by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of the movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." Baron Cohen since has relocated his satirical Web site, which Kazakhstan considered offensive. The OSCE report warns that Kazakhstan's approach to the Internet has produced a hostile atmosphere where "any dissident individual, organization or an entire country could be named an 'enemy of the nation.'" Georgia, the report says, has laws that contain "contradictory and ill-defined" provisions "which on certain occasions might give leverage for illegitimate limitation of freedom of expression on the Internet." "It is important to support the view of the World Press Freedom Committee that 'governance' must not be allowed to become a code word for government regulation of Internet content," the report says. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Sydney Australia brd at iimetro.com.au From stephen at melbpc.org.au Sat Jul 28 13:04:31 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:04:31 GMT Subject: [LINK] 'Open Source Oscars' Message-ID: <20070728030431.2E75116E32@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> SourceForge Unveils Winners of 'Open-Source Oscars' File archiver 7-Zip wins award as all-over best project; Firebird relational database is voted best project for the enterprise By China Martens, IDG News Service July 27, 2007 Popular open-source software development site SourceForge.net hosted the equivalent of the open-source Oscars on Thursday evening, billing the event as a big party, not a painfully long and formal awards ceremony. File archiver 7-Zip won the top award as all-over best project, and also picked up the prize for best technical design. The Firebird relational database was another double winner, being voted both best project for the enterprise, and the project providing the best user support. It was the second time SourceForge.net has asked its community to vote for their favorite open-source projects after debuting its Community Choice Awards last year. The awards are one way SourceForge.net has discovered to highlight strong and popular performers among the more than 150,000 open-source projects the site hosts, according to Ross Turk, SourceForge.net's community manager. "Last year, there was a really good response," he said. "I think people really value being a winner." SourceForge.net has around 1.6 million registered users, around 80 percent of whom are based outside of the U.S. The community first nominated 10 finalists for each of the 11 awards and then voted for the winner in each category. One surprise for the organizers was eMule, a peer-to-peer file sharing client, winning as best new project, since the project was first published on SourceForge.net in 2002. Because of that, Turk said, they decided to have two winners of the best new project award, also recognizing runner-up Launchy, an application launcher for Windows and a more recent project on SourceForge.net. The other SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Award winners were: * Audacity as best project for multimedia * Azureus as most collaborative project * phpBB as best project for communications * phpMyAdmin as best tool or utility for system administrators; * ScummVM as best project for gamers; * TortoiseSVN for best tool or utility for developers. -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au Sun Jul 29 10:31:53 2007 From: david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au (David Boxall) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:31:53 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Printable solar panels Message-ID: <46ABDFF9.9020305@hunterlink.net.au> >From . . ."solar cells can be inexpensively printed or simply painted on exterior building walls and/or roof top" . . . "The solar cell developed at NJIT uses carbon nanotubes 50,000 times smaller than a human hair." Given our increasing need to collect drinking water from rooftops, I don't know how wise it would be to paint the roof with a finish containing nanoparticles. Apart from that: interesting technology. -- David Boxall | Drink no longer water, | but use a little wine | for thy stomach's sake ... | King James Bible | 1 Timothy 5:23 From david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au Sun Jul 29 10:37:20 2007 From: david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au (David Boxall) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:37:20 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Nano-difference engine Message-ID: <46ABE140.2020504@hunterlink.net.au> >From . . . "Scientists are planning to build a mechanical computer on a microscopic level to replace low speed silicon processors." . . . Everything old is new again. -- David Boxall | When a distinguished but elderly | scientist states that something is | possible, he is almost certainly | right. When he states that | something is impossible, he is | very probably wrong. --Arthur C. Clarke From gramadan at umd.com.au Sun Jul 29 19:13:39 2007 From: gramadan at umd.com.au (Geoffrey Ramadan) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:13:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] RFID a 'technical blunder', report says In-Reply-To: <55009.1185325128@iimetro.com.au> References: <55009.1185325128@iimetro.com.au> Message-ID: <46AC5A43.2000203@umd.com.au> I would generally agree with most of the article. Our experience is similar in that: 1) RFID will not replace barcodes. (we also put 2D barcodes on RFID labels as a back up) 2) RFID is hard to implement (especially in the UHF band which is used by supply chain) 3) 90% of the RFID inquiries we get are not viable 4) Of those 90%, barcoding, or some other form of technology or process change, is the recommended approach. (On the positive side, RFID can solve problems where barcodes or other forms of technology would not be viable.) Thus the article is saying that most RFID project, if implemented, would end up as being "technical blunders". Reg Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec) Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au) and Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au) Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: > > There's more detail at > http://www.heaveyrf.com/news_and_events/rfidbomb.453.364.html > > > RFID a 'technical blunder', report says > The next bubble ready to burst? > By Emmet Ryan > ElectricNews.net > Tuesday 24th July 2007 08:52 GMT > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/24/rfid_blunder_report/ > > Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology bubble ready to burst according to a new report by Dublin-based firm Heavey RF. > > The firm, which provides radio frequency products such as handheld scanners, has published a study entitled RFID.Bomb? > > "History is littered with large technical blunders; RFID in the supply chain is potentially one of the biggest," said Ronan Clinton, managing director of Heavey RF. > > The report claims that RFID is unlikely to replace bar coding as a means of identifying goods. Heavey RF carried out the study after receiving several queries from clients wishing to deploy RFID in their business. > > "I'm fed up with companies telling me they want to implement RFID in their business," Clinton told ENN. > > RFID uses computer chips to store information. The benefit over conventional methods of tracking items, such as barcoding, is that comparatively large volumes of data can be stored in a tag and line of sight is not necessarily required to scan the item. Industry journals estimate the global RFID market could be worth $7bn by 2008. > > The technology has hit the headlines lately with Galway-based RFID firm Aonta Technologies being purchased by a German firm earlier this month. This was soon followed by Heathrow airport in London announcing a trial of RFID. > > Clinton, though, urged Irish businesses to not believe the hype surrounding the technology. > > "It is almost heresy to question the RFID bandwagon, but we produced this report as I can see worrying parallels between RFID and the dotcom hype. There is a risk that Irish retailers are being railroaded into a technology that is too costly and does not work," said Clinton. > > "We've done RFID implementation for some clients but pretty much 99 times out of 100 companies don't need it," he said. "Firms need to ask themselves one question 'Am I Wal-Mart?'" > > The Heavey RF study argues that technical restrictions and cost mean that RFID will be unable to replace barcode technology. The report claims that while costs will come down there are too many different types of RFID tags required to make it a viable replacement for barcodes. > > "A lot of company executives are going to seminars and hearing how great [RFID] is so they decide they want it for their business," said Clinton. "They forget the technical requirements of RFID and once they see the overall cost the project is shelved." > > Clinton urged companies to stick with using barcoding until RFID proved itself to be a cost effective technology. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. > > > From stephen at melbpc.org.au Sun Jul 29 20:30:41 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:30:41 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Google webmaster assistance Message-ID: <20070729103059.9293564018@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Here's two Google pages. The first is from the 'Official Google Blog' and the other webpage is from the Google 'Webmaster Help Center': Robots Exclusion Protocol: (REP) 7/27/2007 09:25:00 AM Posted by Dan Crow, Product Manager This is the third and last in my series of blog posts about the Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP). In the first post, I introduced robots.txt and the robots META tags, giving an overview of when to use them. In the second post, I shared some examples of what you can do with the REP. Today, I'll introduce.. new features that we have recently added to the protocol. As a Google product manager, I'm always talking to content providers to learn about your needs for REP. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the control you have over how your content is indexed. These new features will give you flexible and convenient ways to improve the detailed control you have with Google. Tell us if a page is going to expire Sometimes you know in advance that a page is going to expire in the future. Maybe you have a temporary page that will be removed at the end of the month. Perhaps some pages are available free for a week, but after that you put them into an archive that users pay to access. In these cases, you want the page to show in Google search results until it expires, then have it removed: you don't want users getting frustrated when they find a page in the results but can't access it on your site. We have introduced a new META tag that allows you to tell us when a page should be removed from the main Google web search results: the aptly named unavailable_after tag. This one follows a similar syntax to other REP META tags. For example, to specify that an HTML page should be removed from the search results after 3pm Eastern Standard Time on 25th August 2007, simply add the following tag to the first section of the page: The date and time is specified in the RFC 850 format. This information is treated as a removal request: it will take about a day after the removal date passes for the page to disappear from the search results. After the removal, the page stops showing in Google search results but it is not removed from our system. If you need a page to be excised from our systems completely, including any internal copies we might have, you should use the existing URL removal tool which you can read about on our Webmaster Central blog. -- Webmaster Help Center How do I block Googlebot? Blocking Googlebot Google uses several user-agents. You can block access to any of them by including the bot name on the User-Agent line of an entry. Blocking Googlebot blocks all bots that begin with "Googlebot". * Googlebot: crawl pages from our web index and our news index * Googlebot-Mobile: crawls pages for our mobile index * Googlebot-Image: crawls pages for our image index * Mediapartners-Google: crawls pages to determine AdSense content. We only use this bot to crawl your site if you show AdSense ads on your site. * Adsbot-Google: crawls pages to measure AdWords landing page quality. We only use this bot if you use Google AdWords to advertise your site. Find out more about this bot and how to block it from portions of your site. For instance, to block Googlebot entirely, you can use the following syntax: User-agent: Googlebot Disallow: / -- Cheers, people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia . From stephen at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 30 00:54:54 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:54:54 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Microsoft Update Catalog (Beta) Message-ID: <20070729145513.6F54F6401C@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Microsoft Administrator Options Microsoft Update Catalog (Beta) Frequently Asked Questions What is Microsoft Update Catalog Beta? It's a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. You can use it as a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes. (For non-corporate scenarios, we recommend you use automatic updating or the Microsoft Update website.) What types of software updates does Microsoft publish? Microsoft offers important, recommended, and optional updates. Important updates provide significant benefits, such as improved security and reliability. Optional updates might include, for example, new or updated driver software for devices that you have added to your computer. The Microsoft Update Catalog now provides access to hotfixes. Hotfixes are generally provided by Microsoft Customer Service & Support. To see a list of the updates that Microsoft publishes and definitions for each type of update, refer to the Microsoft Help and Support Web site If I use the Microsoft Update Catalog, do I still have to use Windows Update? The Microsoft Update Catalog provides updates, including drivers, that are for distribution across a corporate network. For non-corporate scenarios, we recommend you use automatic updating or the Microsoft Update website. In Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, Automatic Updates is available within your Windows operating system. To check your current settings, you can right click My Computer, click Properties and then select the Automatic Updates tab. In Windows Vista, you no longer use a Web site to check for updates. Instead, you can check for updates by opening Control Panel, and opening Windows Update. If you use Microsoft Update, you can install updates for Windows and other Microsoft software products through Windows Update. What types of updates can I import into Microsoft patch management applications? If you are running Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0, System Center Essentials (SCE), or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) you can import updates directly into these applications. After you've imported updates, you can manage them like any other updates that you obtain using WSUS, SCE or SCCM, with some exceptions: Many updates are already available to you using the synchronizing capability in WSUS, SCE and SCCM. Security updates, critical updates, service packs, update rollups, definition updates, and critical drivers can be configured to synchronize with your server automatically. You can still import these updates into your application by using Microsoft Update Catalog, although depending on how you configure WSUS, SCE, and SCCM, you may not need to. Some updates require users to accept Microsoft Software License Terms or walk through other update specific installation steps. Microsoft Update Catalog will notify you if you are importing these updates. Occasionally, updates are for download only. These updates might not have the necessary ?applicability? logic for WSUS, SCE or SCCM to identify whether the update is applicable to client computers. Updates that are available for download only cannot be imported. How often does Microsoft Update release security updates? Security-related updates are released once a month. However, if a security threat occurs, such as a widespread virus or worm, Microsoft will release a corresponding update as soon as possible. Other types of updates can be released whenever they are ready. -- Cheers people Stephen Loosley From stephen at melbpc.org.au Mon Jul 30 02:37:11 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 02:37:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] oz-teachers@rite.ed.qut.edu, offtopic@edulists.com.au Message-ID: <20070729163730.4E8176401E@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Hi all, For people running a Win computer, or a Win network, one would thoroughly recommend people downloading and running their free Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer .. Here's what Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (Version 2.0.1) ? 2002-2007 Microsoft Corporation reports and fixes, on a typical fully-trusty Win XP notebook service pack 2 home-edition Compaq. -- Computer name: WINXP IP address: 203.xxx.xxx.xxx Security report name: WINXP - 154 (30-07-2007 1-31 AM) Scan date: 30/07/2007 1:31 AM Scanned with MBSA version: 2.0.6706.0 Security update catalog: Microsoft Update Security assessment: Potential Risk Security Update Scan Results Score Check passed Office Security Updates No security updates are missing. What was scanned Result details Check passed SDK Components Security Updates No security updates are missing. What was scanned Result details Check passed Windows Security Updates No security updates are missing. What was scanned Result details Windows Scan Results Administrative Vulnerabilities Score Check failed (non-critical) Automatic Updates Updates are not automatically downloaded on this computer. What was scanned How to correct this Best practice Incomplete Updates No incomplete software update installations were found. What was scanned How to correct this Additional information Windows Firewall Windows Firewall is enabled and has exceptions configured. Windows Firewall is enabled on all network connections. What was scanned Result details How to correct this Check passed Local Account Password Test No user accounts have simple passwords. What was scanned Result details Check passed File System All hard drives (1) are using the NTFS file system. What was scanned Result details Check passed Guest Account The Guest account is disabled on this computer. What was scanned Check passed Restrict Anonymous Computer is properly restricting anonymous access. What was scanned Check passed Administrators No more than 2 Administrators were found on this computer. What was scanned Result details Check not performed Autologon Check is skipped on Windows XP Home Edition computers. What was scanned Check not performed Password Expiration Check is skipped on Windows XP Home Edition computers. What was scanned Additional System Information Score Issue Result Best practice Services No potentially unnecessary services were found. What was scanned Additional information Shares No shares are present on your computer. What was scanned Result details Additional information Windows Version Computer is running Windows 2000 or greater. What was scanned Internet Information Services (IIS) Scan Results Score Check not performed IIS Status IIS is not running on this computer. SQL Server Scan Results Score Check not performed SQL Server/MSDE Status SQL Server and/or MSDE is not installed on this computer. Desktop Application Scan Results IE Zones Internet Explorer zones have secure settings for all users. What was scanned Result details Check passed Macro Security 4 Microsoft Office product(s) are installed. No issues were found. What was scanned Result details -- Regards people Stephen Loosley Victoria Australia From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Mon Jul 30 08:53:33 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:53:33 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business Message-ID: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> The Web Standards Group Meeting in Canberra 26 July, 2007 was devoted to applying social computing to business : * Collaboration, innovation, distribution: social computing adoption benefits for government and business, by Stephen Collins, acidlabs . Stephen argued that social computing can be used for government and business. He confused me at the beginning by putting up a photo of someone and saying they had popularized "Enterprise 2". Apparently this is term for Web 2.0 applied to business. Social networking makes relationships between people visible and explicit and Stephen argues this would help in business. However, it is not clear to me this will translate to all business or social cultures. Web 2.0 social networks seems to imply a very naive view of how social and business relationships work. Stephen argues that organisations can build up the trust needed to make social networking work in government. This seems to have elements of the matrix organisation about it. Stephen suggests that social networking tools can be used, with appropriate security and some short guidelines. It occurred to me that military personnel are trained to use social networks and so are more likely to cope with the online equivalent more than other organizational staff. However, this assumes that there will appropriate reward mechanisms (such as pay) for those who contribute to the social network and some way to detect and moderate the behavior of those who are unable or unwilling to play the game by the rules. Real world organisations have complex overlapping, fluid groups. Even formal political parties have factions and, as when there is a conscience vote, someone can be in several different groups with conflicting aims simultaneously. Much the same behavior occurs at technical standards meetings. Online systems for running organisations need to take this into account. Examples: NLA Wiki, AGIMO GovDev, Network of Public Sector Communications NZ. * Goldilocks and the three bears: a story about social computing in government by Matthew Hodgson, SMS Management & Technology Matthew argued the folk taxonomies to be used by government agencies to better communicate with their clients. Tagging could be used as a bridge between the wording used be clients via topic maps to strictly structured taxonomies. He argued that systems used for records management systems, such as Tower Software's Trim, are too rigid for many work purposes. Tagging examples he used were Technorati, flickr and Blogger. He argued a tag cloud could be used for reporting what client relevant activities the organisation had undertaken. At question time I asked if semi-automatically added tags could be used, with the same technology as used by search engines for understanding documents. Matthew replied this can be done, but the organisation has to have suitable tools. In one project the technology is being used to reformat information. What I found most useful was an example web page which showed the formal taxonomic term at the top, a definition of the term and the folkosonomy tags at the bottom. In this way there could be a translation between the bureaucratic formal language and what is used in the real world. On Monday, Roger Clarke will argue at the ANU that Web 2.0 is a valid area for formal research . Given that the ANU is, in effect, the university for training the Australian Government, perhaps that research can include how to apply Web 2.0 social computing to government. This might be a way to extend government to more remote areas and make it relevant . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Mon Jul 30 09:33:46 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:33:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: At 8:53 +1000 30/7/07, Tom Worthington wrote: >On Monday, Roger Clarke will argue ... Web 2.0 - Tsunami or Mirage? shttp://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/ANUSems.html#Sem18 Dept of Comp Sci, Bldg 108, N101 (ground floor), just off Barry Drive http://campusmap.anu.edu.au/displaybldg.asp?no=108 http://campusmap.anu.edu.au/displaymap.asp?grid=gh54 -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From jwhit at janwhitaker.com Mon Jul 30 15:19:46 2007 From: jwhit at janwhitaker.com (Jan Whitaker) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:19:46 +1000 Subject: [LINK] evoting problems again Message-ID: <61fg7n$4o971d@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/28/VOTING.TMP&tsp=1 Most vote machines lose test to hackers John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, July 28, 2007 State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California's voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems' electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday. [snip] Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From lucychili at gmail.com Mon Jul 30 20:27:38 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:57:38 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: On 7/30/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > have complex overlapping, fluid groups. Even formal political parties > have factions and, as when there is a conscience vote, someone can be > in several different groups with conflicting aims simultaneously. > Much the same behavior occurs at technical standards meetings. I sincerely hope that the standards meetings are about whether the proposed material complies with the requirements for an Australian Standard. This is what the function of the process is for. If being a member of an affiliated group or a partner of the proposer conflicts with that outcome then the process is not structured 'in the public interest'. I can understand that these professional relationships have a strong pull in normal circumstances, but being a representative of the public interest on a standards group is surely one of those times when we look at whether the material complies. If it does then fine. If it doesnt then it would do a disservice to the standards organisation to pass it. It would also be an indication to the proposer that they can submit any old cruft to Australian organisations because 'having the numbers' would be more important than making a durable standard which enables participation by Australians. If the proposer wants to make an Australian standard then it should be prepared to make a proposal which is functional, accurate, compliant with other standards, and generally not compromising for any parties which interact with it or vote for it. imho The standard process means nowt without that kind of commitment. Perhaps I have the wrong end of the stick here and if so I apologise. It is just that internationally people seem to be having problems with just this situation. >From Brendan Scott's OSWALD Newsletter: The OOXML Saga Continues: Stacking the Deck in Denmark http://www.groklaw.net/newsitems.php http://www.ds.dk/3654 Janet From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 31 03:55:30 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (stephen at melbpc.org.au) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:55:30 GMT Subject: [LINK] Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) Message-ID: <20070730175530.7464216F4F@vscan42.melbpc.org.au> > > For people running a Win computer, or a Win network > .. the free new Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is an easy-to-use tool designed for the IT professional that helps small- and medium-sized businesses determine their security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance.. MBSA 2.1 (Beta) is an update to MBSA 2.0.1 to enable full Windows Vista compatibility. MBSA 2.0.1 offers intuitive user interfaces and more informative dialogs compared to previous versions. Using the new Windows Update Agent and Microsoft Update catalog, MBSA 2.0.1 has free automatically expanding product support. Users who primarily have the following environment should switch to MBSA 2.0.1 today: Windows 2000+ SP3 and later Office XP+ and later Exchange 2000+ and later SQL Server 2000 SP4+ MBSA 2.0.1 offers improved Windows component support, expanded platform support for XP Embedded and 64-bit Windows, as well as a more consistent and less complex security update management experience. Based on Microsoft Update and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) technologies, MBSA 2.x provides customers with authoritative security results consistent with Microsoft Update and WSUS .. provides support for 64-bit and XP Embedded operating systems .. and includes dynamic support for new Microsoft products as they are released .. > Here's what Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (Version 2.0.1) > ? 2002-2007 Microsoft Corporation, reports and fixes, on a typical > fully-trusty Win XP notebook service pack 2 home-edition Compaq. > ... Regards people Stephen Loosley Victoria Australia Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server From jwhit at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 31 09:17:05 2007 From: jwhit at melbpc.org.au (Jan Whitaker) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:17:05 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Fwd: VIP-L: Missed lectures accessible on screen Message-ID: <61fg7n$4okgq1@ipmail02.adl2.internode.on.net> This should be of interest to a few linkers: >Missed lectures accessible on screen > >By Milanda Rout >Australian IT - Australia, July 17, 2007 > >STUDENTS will be able to listen to lectures and quiz academics at home, on >the train and even in the pub after three research students came up with a >way to make lectures more mobile. The Queensland University of Technology >students have designed a program through which taped lecturers can be >downloaded on to mobile phones, personal digital assistants or laptops. > >The program, called Question Answer Technology, also allows students to >pause the lecture and ask questions. The questions are then stored on a >central database and fellow students and lecturers can contribute answers. >The program recently scored Andrew Tan, Chien-Jon Soon and David Wang third >place at the national stage of the Imagine Cup, a global inventors' >competition run by Microsoft. > >Tan said the team wanted to facilitate better classroom-like interactions >between students and staff after hours. "We realised that a lot of students >are not attending lectures so they are missing out on lecture notes," Mr Tan >said. >"We wanted to enable this group of students to listen to what was said in >the lecture theatre and also ask questions." > >The PhD student said the team was in discussion with QUT to trial the >program at the university. The trio were beaten by University of Canberra >information technology students, who took out first and second prize in the >competition. > >Their winning inventions included technology that converted lecture notes >into audio files and a system that created better web access for blind >students. > >The winning Canberra team will represent Australia at the international >finals of the competition in Seoul in August. > > >http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22091794-15306,00.html Jan Whitaker JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria jwhit at janwhitaker.com business: http://www.janwhitaker.com personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/ commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/ Writing Lesson #54: Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005 _ __________________ _ From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 31 09:47:24 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:47:24 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <7.1.0.9.0.20070726142903.01adaa28@tomw.net.au> References: <7.1.0.9.0.20070726142903.01adaa28@tomw.net.au> Message-ID: <20070731001409.E29B81614E@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> At 08:53 AM 30/07/2007, I wrote: >... On Monday, Roger Clarke will argue at the ANU that Web 2.0 is a >valid area for formal research >. ... Roger made a good case that something in Web 2.0 was worth researching, even if it was just working out if Web 2.0 is actually anything. ;-) An earlier version of his notes are at . There are also slides, but they are 5Mbytes . Linkers will have seen this work evolve, with a number of requests for input and comment. Early on I commented that Web 2.0 was the same as AJAX and the talk was useful in correcting that misconception. It was be easy to dismiss Web 2.0 as just a marketing gimmick, but even if so it is a very effective marking gimmick. Therefore those involved in delivering and researching systems need to be able to talk intelligently about it (even if just to say it isn't anything). One aspect of this is that Web 2.0 is very much about commercial use of the web and this colors all discussion of it. Roger's search showed few genuine academic citations exist about Web 2.0. This would therefore seem a fruitful areas for research proposals. He first summarized Web 1, as an aggregation of technology for e-commerce and the like, without a formal architecture. Web 2 is a marketing driven drive for something, but it is not clear what (more of a feeling that a strict distinction). One aspect is addressing the "long tail": exploiting the low volume business with low cost online services. Some aspects: Syndication (as in RSS), Advertising Syndication (I suspect per click models might have had their day). Participation (as in Wikipedia), Collaboration (as in Wikipedia), and Tagging. One interesting aspect is that companies can induce customers to provide some of their customer support, in the form of produce reviews, support and FAQs. It occurred to me that this was the equivalent of the telephone support line putting you into a conference call with the other customers, and recorded message saying "sort it out yourself". ;-) The new trendy area of the web is social networking and its application to business. As I found out only last week, the trendy new buzzword for this is "Enterprise 2" . To find out exactly what that is, if anything, we will need to wait for another seminar. Roger's next seminar at the ANU is "Big Brother Google?", 27 August 2007 . Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 31 13:16:30 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:16:30 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Wireless & Mobile Internet Message-ID: <46AEA98E.5010006@ramin.com.au> > BigAir launches first commercial WiMAX services in Sydney and Melbourne with Airspan's 5.8 GHz solutions > > THE wireless email market will be among the tech industry?s fastest growing sectors as new technologies allow for cheap, mass market, mobile email solutions targeting consumers, according to research group Gartner. > The Mobile Web Test Suites Working Group [1] is launching today its > first call for contributions to the Open Mobile Web Test Suite: Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au Tue Jul 31 15:25:34 2007 From: Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au (Roger Clarke) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:25:34 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <20070731001409.E29B81614E@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> References: <7.1.0.9.0.20070726142903.01adaa28@tomw.net.au> <20070731001409.E29B81614E@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: At 9:47 +1000 31/7/07, Tom Worthington wrote: >Roger made a good case that something in Web 2.0 was worth >researching, even if it was just working out if Web 2.0 is actually >anything. ;-) >Some aspects: Syndication ... The questions, discussions, Tom's notes, and a reference forwarded today by Link Institute member Kerry Webb, were all very helpful. And I happened to get the reviewers' comments back this morning. Like the audience last night, they wanted the interpretation I'm making to end up a bit tighter and more assured than it is at the moment. I think the final version may end up entitled: 'Web 2.0 as Syndication'. Even AJAX is consistent with that theme, because it enables the marketer to get greater control over the browser and hence is an enabler of the syndication of content and advertising. >The new trendy area of the web is social networking ... I think I now know where this belongs. It's another form of 'content syndication' (people gift to the operator personal data about other people). And it tends in the direction of 'identity syndication', in the sense of 'you are defined by your web of contacts' (just ask Haneef ...). But I'm still struggling to see a natural (or even virtual) relationship between virtual worlds and Web 2.0, even SecondLife. It's not too late to sort me out on the details, thanks! http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/Web2C.html http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/Web2C-ANU070730.ppt (5MB) -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW From eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au Tue Jul 31 16:04:39 2007 From: eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au (Eric Scheid) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:04:39 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Re: Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On 31/7/07 3:25 PM, "Roger Clarke" wrote: >> The new trendy area of the web is social networking ... > > I think I now know where this belongs. It's another form of 'content > syndication' (people gift to the operator personal data about other > people). And it tends in the direction of 'identity syndication', in > the sense of 'you are defined by your web of contacts' (just ask > Haneef ...). Not just identity data though ... I'm currently looking at facebook which has the connecting-people aspect of course, but also has a application/ plugin architecture, and what makes facebook tres interesting is that dissemination of applications is done in a viral manner. I could install a application/plugin for showing a slide show, and by doing so it (optionally) then adds an entry to my activity log which lets my circle of connections know I've done so, and in that notice there is a link for any of my connections to also install the same application. Furthermore, some applications go one step further and they exist only to propagate. The Vampires/Werewolf applications for example: I could install the Vampires application, and then "bite" any of my contacts, which is in effect an offer for them to also install the same application and thence have the facility to "bite" others. This social propagation aspect of application dissemination is curiously intriguing and I'll be watching more. We've always had social propagation of course, what's interesting is the support built into the application architecture for this. I'm glad to see this direction being taken: I've long griped that many of the early social-networking environments started off with a web-of-connections approach but then devolved to a dump-everyone- in-the-same-room environment for discussion forums and such. (The power-linkers of LinkedIN are currently ticking me off in the same way in that they are subverting the web-of-connections aspect). /rant e. From Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au Tue Jul 31 16:24:10 2007 From: Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au (Tom Worthington) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:24:10 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Remaining human in the networked world Message-ID: <20070731062520.A6FC4568@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Recommended talk by Matthew Allen : --- ?...Computer Says No?: Networks of Information and the Ethics of Discretion By Associate Professor Matthew Allen, Curtin University of Technology NSW 31 Jul, ACT 7 Aug, QLD 8 Aug, NT 9 Aug, Vic 15 Aug, SA 20 Aug, WA 21 Aug, Tas 28 Aug ?Just when is it dangerous to remain silent, and be discreet, when information comes to our attention in unexpected ways?? We live in a world in which computer technologies are used in networks to permit increasingly rapid and extensive exchanges of information. More and more of what we, as humans, do and think is being expressed as ?information? - precisely because of the ease with which information can be transmitted and processed. This networked, digital world offers real benefits and opportunities and yet poses great challenges as well ? for ethical and professional practice in situations where established norms, expectations and understandings no longer apply in quite the same way they once did. With emphasis on the idea of ?discretion? Matthew will explore some of the central issues facing computer professionals in a world of information networks and investigate some of the newer problems of being (or remaining) human in this world of computing technology. What You Will Learn ? computer systems tend to limit the exercise of discretion in human decision-making; and that information networks tend to lead to unintended and indiscreet access to information ? network technologies change common or accepted approaches to making ethical decisions about information ? human identity and involvement in decision making can be constrained by the autonomous operation of rules within computer-based systems ? computer professionals play an important role in guiding society towards a better understanding and use of information networks Biography: Associate Professor Matthew Allen Associate Professor Matthew Allen established the Internet Studies Program at Curtin University of Technology in 1999, in the School of Media and Information. He is an active writer and researcher on issues relating to the policy and governance of the Internet, as well as its social consequences. He is also a nationally recognised tertiary educator, having won an Australian Award for University Teaching in 2000 and has been involved in online learning since 1995. On research leave from Curtin University of Technology for 2007, he is turning his attention to the meaning and importance of so-called Web 2.0 technologies and social applications. He is the current President of the International Association of Internet Researchers. --- ps: for those wondering, "Computer says no ..." is a catchphrase by the character Carol Beer in the TV show Little Britain. Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd ABN: 17 088 714 309 PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617 http://www.tomw.net.au/ Visiting Fellow, ANU Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml From marghanita at ramin.com.au Tue Jul 31 17:57:21 2007 From: marghanita at ramin.com.au (Marghanita da Cruz) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:57:21 +1000 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> Janet Hawtin wrote: > On 7/30/07, Tom Worthington wrote: > >> have complex overlapping, fluid groups. Even formal political parties >> have factions and, as when there is a conscience vote, someone can be >> in several different groups with conflicting aims simultaneously. >> Much the same behavior occurs at technical standards meetings. > > I sincerely hope that the standards meetings are about whether the proposed > material complies with the requirements for an Australian Standard. > This is what the function of the process is for. > If being a member of an affiliated group or a partner of the proposer > conflicts with that outcome then the process is not structured 'in the > public interest'. > > I can understand that these professional relationships have a strong > pull in normal circumstances, but being a representative of the public > interest on a standards group is surely one of those times when we > look at whether the material complies. Janet, There are specific definition of Australian Standards > ...Australian Standards? of public benefit and national interest ... Also > What is a Standard? > > A Standard is a published document which sets out specifications and procedures designed to ensure that a material, product, method or service is fit for its purpose and consistently performs in the way it was intended. > > Standards establish a common language which defines quality and establishes safety criteria. Standards and conformance are the keys to ensuring the quality and consistency of physical, chemical and biological measurement throughout Australian society and the economy. Marghanita -- Marghanita da Cruz http://www.ramin.com.au Phone: 0414 869202 From lucychili at gmail.com Tue Jul 31 18:35:21 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:05:21 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: On 7/31/07, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > There are specific definition of Australian Standards > > ...Australian Standards(r) of public benefit and national interest ... > Standards and conformance are precisely the issue with regard to the proposed ooxml format. The problems as I understand them include: - it is mathematically broken, - it is in conflict with existing standards such as date and time - material is described in Microsoft-centric terms which cannot be independently developed by a non-Microsoft entity, - some material is not explained at all - the covenant not to sue is squirrelly and uncertain protection in a context where the law with regard to intellectual property is becoming more aggressive and the actions of the proposing company are frequently oriented around generating fear uncertainy and doubt for competing developers. This is not news to anyone with access to a search engine: - the problems with the proposal have been documented explicitly internationally in many freely available documents online, - more than 20000 people have signed a petition regarding this issue. The concern is that regardless of the proposal's mismatch with criteria for evaluation of a standard there are standards bodies approving the format. This is reported as being a process of branch stacking where the numbers of people with subtle and overlapping interests outnumber the people with an interest in the content of the document. If the proposer wants to have a standard accepted they should make a document which is worthy, not manipulate the process. The fact that the proposal is being pushed through with all of these anomalies in tact undoes the purpose of a standard. It wastes the time of people who have taken care to develop good standards by caring about the content, and discredits the process by approving an unusable and unsafe format. A good standards proposal would take on board the concerns and adapted and clarified the content which is compromising and resubmit. This process would result in a better standard, both for the community and for the reputation of the proposer as a stanards responsible participant. I have pulled together some links to specific concerns raised around the world. It is likely you will have this information already, however I am sending them in case they have not been sent in reference to our Australian context where I feel we very much need a right to participate in standards because the innovators in Australia are often new entrants and small businesses and educational organisations. Safe open standards are important for our information and technology economies. ========= The following 6 questions from fsfe are important to a safe Australian standard. http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-questions 1. Application independence? No standard should ever depend on a certain operating system, environment or application. Application and implementation independence is one of the most important properties of all standards. Is the MS-OOXML specification free from any references to particular products of any vendor and their specific behaviour? 2. Supporting pre-existing Open Standards? Whenever applicable and possible, standards should build upon previous standardisation efforts and not depend on proprietary, vendor-specific technologies. MS-OOXML neglects various standards, such as MathML and SVG, which are recommendations by the W3C, and uses its own vendor-specific formats instead. This puts a substantial burden on all vendors to follow Microsoft in its proprietary infrastructure built over the past 20 years in order to fully implement MS-OOXML. It seems questionable how any third party could ever implement them equally well. What is the benefit of accepting usage of such vendor-specific formats at the expense of standardisation in these areas? Where will other vendors get competitive, compatible and complete implementations for all platforms to avoid prohibitively large investments? 3. Backward compatibility for all vendors? One of the alledged main advantages of MS-OOXML is its ability to allow for backward compatibility, as also referenced in the ECMA International press release. For any standard it is essential that it is implementable by any third party without necessity of cooperation by another company, additional restricted information or legal agreements or indemnifications. It is also essential to not require the cooperation of any competitor to achieve full and comparable interoperability. On the grounds of the existing MS-OOXML specification, can any third party regardless of business model, without access to additional information and without the cooperation of Microsoft implement full backward compatibility and conversion of such legacy documents into MS-OOXML comparable to what Microsoft can offer? 4. Proprietary extensions? Proprietary, application-specific extensions are a known technique employed in particular by Microsoft to abuse and leverage its desktop monopoly into neighboring markets. It is a technique at the heart of the abusive behaviour that was at the core of the decision against Microsoft by the European Commission in 2004 and Microsoft is until today continuing its refusal to release the necessary interoperability information. For this reason, it is common understanding that Open Standards should not allow such proprietary extensions, and that such market-distorting techniques should not be possible on the grounds of an Open Standard. Does MS-OOXML allow proprietary extensions? Is Microsoft's implementation of MS-OOXML faithful, i.e. without undocumented extensions? Are there safeguards against such abusive behaviour? 5. Dual standards? The goal of all standardisation is always to come to one single standard, as multiple standards always provide an impediment to competition. Seeming competition on the standard is truly a strategic measure to gain control over certain segments of a market, as various examples in the past have demonstrated. There is an existing Open Standard for office documents, namely the Open Document Format (ODF) (ISO/IEC 26300:2006). Both MS-OOXML and ODF are built upon XML technology, so employ the same base technology and thus ultimately have the same theoretical capabilities. Microsoft itself is a member of OASIS, the organisation in which the ODF standard was developed and is being maintained. It was aware of the process and invited to participate. Why did and does Microsoft refuse to participate in the existing standardisation effort? Why does it not submit its technological proposals to OASIS for inclusion into ODF? 6. Legally safe? Granting all competitors freedom from legal prosecution for implementation of a standard is essential. Such a grant needs to be clear, reliable and wide enough to cover all activities necessary to achieve full interoperability and allow a level playing field for true competition on the merits. MS-OOXML is accompanied by an unusually complex and narrow "covenant not to sue" instead of the typical patent grant. Because of its complexity, it does not seem clear how much protection from prosecution for compatibility it will truly provide. Cursory legal study implies that the covenant does not cover all optional features and proprietary formats mandatory for complete implementation of MS-OOXML. So freedom of implementation by all competitors is not guaranteed for the entire width of the proposed MS-OOXML format, and questionable even for the core components. Does your national standardisation body have its own, independent legal analysis about the exact nature of the grant to certify whether it truly covers the full spectrum of all possible MS-OOXML implementations? All these questions should have answers that should be provided by the national standardisation bodies through independent counsel and experts, and in particular not by Microsoft or its business partners, which have a direct conflict of interest on this issue. If there is no good answer to any one of them, a national body should vote no in ISO/IEC. ====================== This is a post about the specifics of the way formulas are implemented for open document format and for other spread sheet formats including in ooxml. The author explains that the ooxml format produces a mathematically incorrect result. http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2007/07/mathematically-.html It would be great if our processes were more transparent so that people who have worked on date and time standards in Australia can identify and point out where problems exist. http://www.robweir.com/blog/2006_07_01_robweir_archive.html Conversion is not a safe path if some material is non-standard, binary, restricted or undefined. If conversion between systems involves interoperability with other standards and ooxml is not compliant with those standards then ? Free Software Foundation Europe, Guest Commentary: The converter hoax http://www.heise.de/open/artikel/92735 16.07.2007 12:02 This paper outlines some of the specific areas where the proposed material includes Microsoft specific naming and undefined content. Glenn Strong < Glenn.Strong at cs.tcd.ie> Ciaran O'Riordan < ciaran at fsfe.org> http://ifso.ie/documents/correspondence/20070710iso-ooxml.pdf From lucychili at gmail.com Tue Jul 31 19:00:03 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:30:03 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: On 7/31/07, Janet Hawtin wrote: > > > A good standards proposal would take on board the concerns and adapted and > clarified the content which is compromising and resubmit. This process would > result in a better standard, both for the community and for the reputation > of the proposer as a stanards responsible participant. The ideal outcome from a public interest and Australian standards perspective is for the proposer to collaborate on the existing standard odf and for the processes involved in these decisions to be open. As they have been for odf. Janet From stephen at melbpc.org.au Tue Jul 31 19:58:11 2007 From: stephen at melbpc.org.au (Stephen Loosley) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:58:11 +1000 Subject: [LINK] some laser printers Message-ID: <20070731095832.2DAF864005@vscan59.melbpc.org.au> Laser printers as dangerous as smoking: report Posted 2 hours 53 minutes ago A new study has found office printers could be as bad for people's health as smoking cigarettes. Queensland University of Technology researchers found fine particles emitted by some laser printers raised indoor particle levels fivefold during office hours. Professor Lidia Morawska says it is an issue employers should take seriously. "Ultra-fine particles, which means particles smaller than 0.1 of a micrometre, are small enough to penetrate deep into [the] human lung and can cause all sorts of health effects there," she said. -- Cheers people Stephen Loosley Victoria, Australia From lucychili at gmail.com Tue Jul 31 22:11:33 2007 From: lucychili at gmail.com (Janet Hawtin) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:41:33 +0930 Subject: [LINK] Social computing for government and business In-Reply-To: <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> References: <20070729225953.E211B4CD5@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> <46AEEB61.9040305@ramin.com.au> Message-ID: On 7/31/07, Marghanita da Cruz wrote: > > > Janet, > > There are specific definition of Australian Standards > > ...Australian Standards(r) of public benefit and national interest ... > Yes I am using the term public interest. I am using it because it correllates with practice which ACS promotes. http://www.acs.org.au/index.cfm?action=notice&temID=noticedetails¬ID=672 (I have concerns about the implications and public costs of these processes separately but have responded to those before) I cannot imagine a context where the public interest more directly applies in professional practice. The standards documents refer to transparency, consensus, representation of all persons materially impacted and national interest. Our opportunities to participate now and in the future are shaped by the quality of standard we are able to ensure. Janet