A great turnout for Destra and Brad Howarth at The Domain

Brad Howarth and Domenic Carosa (CEO of Destra) drew quite a crowd at The Domain networking event in Melbourne, held at Digital Harbour in the Docklands. Attendees received a music CD from Destra and a copy of Australian Anthill magazine (Subscribe to Anthill for the secret bargain price here – thanks Rich).

Brad “Best Technology Industry Journalist” Howarth wrote an article in The Age which is firing up the local blogosphere. It’s web take 2.0 is creating a lot of discussion around whether Australian big business gets Web 2.0 (Brad’s full Aussie 2.0 list is here). One of my favourite quotes is from Mick Liubinskas at Tangler “So they keep chasing the users wherever they go, and the users are running away because they are sick of the corporates yelling at them”. As a Gen Y in the workforce, communication is clearly aimed at older generations. I’ve grown up as a consumer hearing the noise that is the corporate monologue, the same-again tv advertising, empty promises and not-so-hidden-agendas. This not only changes my behaviour as a consumer, it also changes what I want in communication in the workplace. I want two-way communication, input, rapid dissemination of news, subscriptions to news based on topic, a human voice, a giant repository of collective knowledge that can be searched… the list goes on. These technologies and techniques are native to me, part of how I get things done. I don’t fax, I don’t send letters and I hear blah blah blah when communication is inhuman and unnatural. Many older style companies are not connecting with their Gen X & Y employees, just as old media is not connecting with their Gen X & Y readers (if they have any). It’s a generation gap. (Rupert is one of the few who gets it)

The Global Geek Podcast recently asked Cameron Reilly “What motivates someone to walk away from the relative security of a six-figure-income corporate job to weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that go with running a start-up?”. Cam posted If You Start Me Up… on Startup Stories,

Creating a startup is already enticing to Gen X & Y for the seemingly unlimited challenge and job satisfaction, but I increasingly wonder whether the human voice (Naked Conversations) is going to be a greater factor in job choice for the coming decades. Money is only useful in that it leads to greater freedom. If you have freedom already, what exactly is the money for?

In other news, Scouta has released Hicks (thanks, no one else was going to) and MODM #2 is on 7th June at Federation Square. Put it in your calendar, RSVP and subscribe to the MODM rss feed. All the cool kids will be there.

Why Aussie geeks should not support Kevin Rudd’s broadband plan

Geeks, techies, educators and innovators across Australia were excited to hear about Kevin Rudd’s plan for a high speed broadband optical fibre rollout to 98% of Australia. There is no doubt that Australia is a “broadband backwater”. The horror quotes from the Luddites of Australian politics, such as Ron Boswell’s “We’ve got adequate broadband for the people out there”, Helen Coonan’s “Internet users in most Australian capital cities should be happy with the speed of their broadband connection” and (my favourite, the biggest luddite in history), Richard Alston’s “Well for example, people will tell you that pornography is one of the major reasons why there’s been a high take-up rate in South Korea. I haven’t confirmed that at first instance but I’ve been there, I’ve looked at what’s happening.”, say it all. Our politicians don’t have a technical clue.
However, while I fully support the idea of optical fibre to 98% of Australia, it has to be funded and planned in a responsible manner. You may have read this little gem: “The Future Fund is full of money from telecommunications from the sale of Telstra, so in a way it’s not inappropriate that money is spent on telecommunications” from Democrats leader Lynn Allison. The origin of the money in the Future Fund is not the issue Lynn Allison, it’s what it’s been earmarked for. Labor cannot guarantee to cover public service superannuation liabilities, not if it’s going to be spending that money. There are no guarantees in investment. This is Superannuation money that people have been paying their whole lives. If it was my money, I would not want anyone spending it and promising they’ll pay it back by 2020. I doubt Kevin Rudd will be leaving his Superannuation in there until 2020, so he personally won’t be paying any price. This plan is a carrot dangled for the younger generation, who aren’t owed any money by the Future Fund. The Future Fund is not spending money, it’s a debt owed by the government that they have an obligation to pay. The Australian Government made a mistake a long time ago, by not putting aside money for their future superannuation obligations for retiring workers, just like General Motors. What do you think will happen if a large number of public servants don’t get the Superannuation they need for retirement? They’re going to be an additional drain on taxpayers in the welfare system. This money is not just for politicians, it’s for teachers, police, doctors, nurses and other staff working in the public sector, paid by the government. For Generations X & Y, this may mean your parents moving in with you when they’re no longer able to work, as they can’t afford housing without their Superannuation and welfare money will be limited with a reduced workforce. Don’t be fooled by this shiny offer, read the fine print. I want that dream broadband network too, I just don’t think this is the way to fund it.
We don’t just need faster broadband, we need a complete project plan for ongoing infrastructure building, maintenance and future upgrades. This is not the last time a communications network will require upgrades, how do they intend to pay for the next one?
Optical fibre is a great plan for Australia (we need Fibre To The Home (FTTH) not Fibre To The Node (FTTN), but stealing from the future to pay for the mistakes of the past doesn’t work. It’s how we built this broadband backwater in the first place, by cutting corners and hoping someone in the future will fix it. All Australian politicians need to use greater foresight in policy, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, not just planning ahead until the next election. Each side doesn’t want to do too good a job, for fear a future opposition might take the credit. Get your bloody act together Labour and Liberals. Try working together to actually solve a problem for the good of the country, instead of wasting time name calling, chest beating and buggering around instead of actually getting things done.

US Republicans Cheer Hate Speech at Conservative Political Action Conference

via TowleRoad & ThinkProgress (video of the hate speech and cheering on YouTube)

“Speaking today at the Conservative Political Action Conference, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter said: “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.” Audience members said “ohhh” and then cheered.”

Ann Coulter is a media whore of the highest order, Ann’s claim to be a Polemicist is more than questionable, given that facts have nothing to do with anything that comes out of her mouth. Living in Palm Beach (claiming falsely to live in New York), she makes money by being “controversial” (ie. lame) and “stirring the pot”. All the tv and radio shows which hire her, need to seriously consider whether they are interested in news and information, or just whoring for ratings (See Today Tonight for what that does to your credibility). Fired repeatedly for being a nasty bitch, Ann Coulter surprisingly remains single. “I’m a Christian first and a mean-spirited, bigoted conservative second, and don’t you ever forget it.” Media whore for hire. What a catch.

The Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issues the following statement:

“We demand that every single Presidential candidate in attendance at this conference, along with Vice President Cheney stand up and publicly condemn this type of gutter-style politics,” continued Solmonese. “If not, then their silence will be deafening to the vast majority of Americans who believe this type of language belongs no where near the discussions about the future of our country.”

While there will always be media whores, hopefully cheering them is something that will come to an end. I hope there is going to be a list published of the attendees, with those who speak out and those who silently stand by and let media whore culture invade politics to this level. Inciting hatred in public for money and media attention is disgusting, pathetic and unintelligent.

If politicians around the world ever wish to be credible, they need to speak out, separating difference of opinion in how to run a country, from; slander, smear campaigns, divisive statements and other general wasting of time and taxpayer money. We don’t tolerate this behaviour in our friends or colleagues, why the hell should we tolerate it from politicians we pay with our hard-earned money? Get your act together and get things done instead of pissing about. We don’t want to vote for people who act like petulant children.

If you’re in the USA, find out if your local Republican cheered this speech. If they did, send your local Democrat and Republican a letter about it.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent and media whoring is the last refuge of those without a plan or a clue.

Merry (White) Christmas, The Royal Podcast and some thanks for 2006

This morning I was woken by a hailstorm and a semi-white Christmas morning. The hail didn’t sit long on the ground, but it’s the closest to a White Christmas I’ve ever had here in Australia (coldest Australian Christmas day in history today folks).

It’s official, podcasting is mainstream. The Queen is podcasting the Christmas message on The Royal Podcast, and it made the mainstream news.

Last but not least, some thanks for some of my favourite content producers, all of you are Time Magazine’s Person of the Year:

Adrian F – Hey, you’re always asking me where I find stuff, Bonetable, Flickr photostream – Great photos on Flickr, great blog, Bonetable is climbing the charts.
Anousheh Ansari – Space Blog – Thanks for blogging your trip to the space station.
Ben Barren – Gnoos.com.au & RSSing Down Under – Fantastic search engine, great blog.
BJ – BJ’s Show – BJ is Australia’s youngest podcaster. I love the show BJ, thanks for making it.
Cameron Reilly – G’Day World & The Podcast Network – Thanks for all the G’Day Worlds, coffee, chats & inspiration.
Chris Saad – Touchstone Blog – A great tool, a great blog and Unfinished Revolutionary.
Darren Rowse – Problogger.net – A great site and for still being one of the nicest guys on the internet.
Dave Gray – Global Geek Podcast & Rooster’s Rail – Great podcasts and a great blog.
Dave Winer – Scripting News, Share Your OPML – Thanks for the great tools, podcasts and a great blog.
Des Paroz – The Productivity Show – Thanks for all the podcasts, I love the show.
Frank Arrigo – An Aussie Microsoft Blogger – Great blog and an interesting insight into the evolution at Microsoft.
Merlin Mann – 43folders.com – A great site and a great podcast, thanks for introducing me to David Allen’s Getting Things Done, I love it and it’s changed my life.
Richard Giles – The Gadget Show, Scouta.com & Scouta Blog – Thanks for all the G’day Worlds, the Flickr Mastr photos, gadgety goodness and new toy, Scouta!
Shawn Callahan – Anecdote – A hidden gem on the web, thanks for such fascinating posts.
Todd Cochrane – Geek News Central podcast – One of my favourites, a great podcast for your daily commute.
Todd Defran – PR Squared – for the most honest corporate post I have ever seen online.
Wayne Turmel – The Cranky Middle Manager Show – A very funny man, great podcast.

Favourite tools for 2006:
Akismet – has caught 1,097 spam for me since I first installed it.
Moleskine
Netvibes
Scouta
WordPress

Connect with David Allen to Get Things Done

If you’re not able to get to a David Allen Roadmap seminar, you might want to have a look at the new GTD service, Connect. There’s an audio tour, video tour and free sample article : Make it up, Make it Happen. It’s US$48 a month (US$576 a year). That’s about AU$63 a month, AU$756. It’s certainly not going to be affordable for everyone, it’s good value for those who can’t get to a seminar (or seminars don’t come to them), or for those that a seminar is just too pricey for. There are those who question whether it’s worth it, but you can get The Book cheap and it’s really all you need.

ToDoOrElse.com has a summary of GTD Connect features, Eric Mack (David Allen’s personal technologist) has some personal stories about David Allen, and says that he’s excited abut GTD Connect.

Awesome article about Sun Tzu’s Art of War & GTD on DIYplanner.com