taking it back

Ok... ok... I was wrong. I take it back.

Telecom still sucks. Yes - I have been throttled by my data cap, but that's no excuse for the speeds I'm getting. Surfing the web now feels like I'm back with my 386 Wang (yes, really) on a 14.4k modem. I'm supposed to get dialup speeds, which means 56k.

So, I wasn't surprised to read that 42 of Telecom's exchanges are at full capacity and they have no intention on upgrading them in a hurry. Excuse me? What kind of arrogant complacency leads a company into not rushing cabinet upgrades in order to increase their customer base. If ever one needed proof that Telecom acts like a monopoly...

how we have changed

Stumbled across a 1997 website that asks why internet advertising doesn't work. It seems strange now that the web was once a place where commerce was struggling, let alone the internet being a place devoid of advertising, but it once was.

The internet now seems to run on advertising, which is I think a good thing. Much like network television, internet advertising - and I'm referring to legitimate internet advertising here - plays it's part in keeping things free. And keeping it free keeps people coming back.

Not that everyone seems to quite be there yet. The Herald insists on seeking a fee to read the latest dross from Deb Coddington, Stuff neglects to place many articles on it's pages, key retailers fail to entice customers into the stores by neglecting to display product information - and those that do keep it light.

We've come a long way with online advertising since 1997 - but we're not done yet.

up your quota

Among all the brouhaha about speeding ticket quotas, nobody is talking solutions. It's inevitable that police will be performance managed, and that part of that performance management will include how many people they catch breaking the law. And, let's face it, that's a good thing.

But there is a way to evade police tickets, undermining any targets or quotas in the interim. It won't be easy, but it'll work. A massive campaign of civil obedience that will free up police time to spend on other crimes, save people money and save lives.

How?

Everyone should stop breaking the law.