Guide to pants off living
February 2007
Telstra doesn't get it, will never get it, and why telecommunications in Australia is the way it is
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
Telstra responded with maturity, foresight and articulate business diplomacy last week when prompted about their strategy for the Apple iPhone; "Stick to your knitting".
Will Jobs personally have to come to Australia and negotiate with carriers as he did with others in the States?
With continued acumen and foresight, Telstra executives reason, "They did an exclusive with Cingular and they talked about a global rollout - well, Cingular is not a global company...". Well, erm... duh!
Like any gadget freak, I like shiny things and this year, none is more shiny that the new Apple iPhone. Eaves will probably have a rant about how clever Apple are at marketing ice to eskimo's (and possible mention that it's only suitable for graphic designers with perfect hair and special needs).
I drafted this post about a week or so ago and fortunately the passing of time has shown that no-one with a clear head and rational mind has bothered nibbling at Telstra's bait. It's a shame, but there will be no escaping the hysteria associated with the release of this product in Australia. Hopefully in a few months time when the product is actually in use in the American market clearer heads will prevail there too and we can get an idea of how well Apple can bring a first-release hardware (and software) product to a new market.
Rumour has it that the exclusivity contract with Cingular is only two weeks. Two weeks! Sorry, but this doesn't pass the sniff-test.
Anyone think I'm being unreasonably harsh on Telstra though? Does this kind of response from them seem kinda... anti-competitive? What the fuck do they care anyway? More people (or has mobile uptake in Australia reached critical mass...) using mobile bandwidth more often? All Telstra has to do is provide the damn service!
So quit bitchin' and stick to your knitting.
Posted by travo at 1:51:12 PM | Comments (3)
All work is ultimately futile
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
So it was with those few words that my beautiful wife sent another man spiraling into socio-economic-philosophical oblivion.
She is a devastating woman. She regards herself as not particularly smart - she's wrong, she's incredibly intelligent; what set's her apart is her emotional rigour - her ability to separate her personal passions and enthusiasm from the everyday train-wrecks and death-marches of corporate life. These things don't trouble her; she's most pissed about not having seen the first three episodes of Heroes so she can keep up with the tea-room discussions and episode deconstruction.
I am so jealous.
Apparently my expectations are too high, she tells me. I'm too optimistic that I should want my manager to take some interest in the work that I do.
Sorry, but I can't. I don't consider myself a particularly needy person, but hey, I've been back from my honeymoon for two weeks and my manager has barely spoken to me. Okay, so I've got a direct report to a divisional general manager who is in the throws of end-of-financial-year; five minutes man. Five minutes!, just to say, "Hi, how was your honeymoon? There have been a few things that have popped up while you were away, can you take care of them. Oh and we need to talk about a couple of significant projects for the year. I've got a handle on some real strategic direction from the other managers."
Cool, I'm on it.
No. Nothing. I've had to initiate two very brief conversations with him; one about his break and how it was and that he's thinking of buying a boat. Great. Nice. The other was about a significant project that sank last year - I've been plugging away building an implementation of my own which I think might more than service the needs that remain without the other project; "Oh yeah, you keep working on that, it sounds good for your own interests."
Sigh.
I'm happy to keep working on this; it's a great opportunity for me to sharpen my Java skills. If I'm gonna spend seven hours a day, five days a week workin' - I want it to mean something.
But, alas, all work is ultimately futile.
Posted by travo at 10:29:21 AM
An open letter to early adopters?
Wednesday, 14 February 2007
This is a great brilliant rant - Joel Johnson, former editor of Gizmodo goes absolutely nuts at the gadget whores, iPod fanboys and early adopters who suck up the bullshit and lies fed to them by the manufacturers.
Here's a lil' taste;
You want to know the punchline? The average Joe that makes up the market is smarter than you saps. The market-at-large waits until a clear leader emerges, then takes a modest plunge. You may think you're making up the "bleeding edge" of "gadget pimpatude" but you're really just a loose confederation of marks the consumer electronics industry uses as free market research and easy money. "Give me the latest version," you coo, hiking up your skirt another inch over your exposed wallet. "Point Oh One upgrades make me so hot."
Posted by travo at 10:35:46 AM
Wedding Photo's Galore
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
It's what everybody's been asking for - ton's of wedding photo's.
I have a set of photo's on flickr, which is a selection of my family and friends, and Meli has a set which is of family and friends from her circles. Everyone is in the one big fat circle now, so... all friends and family are ours. Besides, I've had to upgrade my flickr account to pro so I can upload all the wedding and honeymoon photos. Meli still has the free account and can't upload so many photos.
I love all the photos and props has to go to the amazing Ms Jane who did a fantastic job on the night (on bread and water only - sorry).
Posted by travo at 9:57:30 AM
Human Shield
Monday, 12 February 2007
There are heaps of stories to tell about France and Italy. Today, on the way to work I'm most reminded about the 'human shield' principle of crossing Italian streets.
Many people freak out about Italian streets - and for the most part, they freak out for a very good reason; those streets are damn scary. But if you apply the 'human shield' principle, you'll at least be safe, if not partly cushioned from impact when a bus or a car comes ploughing into you.
When you want to cross a street, simply position yourself next to another pedestrian aligning yourself such that - in the event of an impact - they sustain the full force of the blow. The key to this of course is choosing another pedestrian who is 'native' to the area; they will be the best judge of when to step out and attempt a street crossing.
Remember, there are safety in numbers; if possible cross with a large group. Always remember to put them between you and on-coming traffic. A large crossing group also presents itself to oncoming traffic more assertively than a small group of of two or three.
Two is better than one though; are you crossing with a human shield?
Posted by travo at 3:05:14 PM
Married, 'Mooned and Exhausted!
Sunday, 04 February 2007
Wow - it truly was the trip of a lifetime. Meli asked me today if we had fun... and well, truly we did. But it wasn't pillowfight style fun - it was adventure fun.
We saw some of the greatest European cities - Paris, Nice, Venice, Florence, Rome - and visited some of the most incredible museums in the world; The Lourve, Musee d'Orsey, The Pompidou, Versailles, The Chagall Museum, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Doges Palace, The Uffizi, The Pitti Palace, San Peitro and the Vatican Museum. When it was time to leave Rome I was both mentally and physically exhausted.
Meli and I have had the most epic start to our marriage and there could have been nothing better than the trip of a life-time to kick it off.
To all of my friends and family, thank you for your support and gifts and for making our wedding day something to truly remember - it was a great night and one that I'll not forget. I am certain that there is no better place than in the company of your friends and fortunately, I don't have to leave the country to do that. I hope you are all well and that you've been enjoying the Melbourne summer - cricket, tennis, bushfires and dodgy public transport - without us.
The year is spinning up and I think it'll have more adventures in store - stay tuned.
Posted by travo at 5:22:43 PM | Comments (2)