Every morning I scan the world's leading Net-news websites for interesting
stories to be included in the links section of this page.
At 7:22am this morning, international connectivity through Telecom's Netgate
gateway failed for several minutes. Is this the start of what could be a
few days or weeks of teething troubles associated with the switch to the
new Southern Cross cable?
As anyone who has anything to do with things electronic -- if something's going
to break, it is far more likely to do so during the first few days/weeks of
operation than at any other time in its life.
Then of course there's the complex task of commissioning an entirely new piece
of connectivity. If Telecom can pull this off without at least a few glitches
along the way then I for one will be very impressed indeed.
Digital TV -- What's The Big Deal?
Good news -- TVNZ and Telstra/Saturn are getting together to launch a combined
Free to Air (FTA) and Pay Per View (PPV) service that will include Net access.
Delivered by either cable or satellite, it's not clear from the information
released so far whether Net access is offered by both versions.
Since access is via a set-top-box, any Net access on offer via satellite will
(I assume) likely be best suited for simple email tasks and maybe browsing the limited
number of websites that can be reasonably displayed on the screen of a TV
set -- hardly any real competition to IHUG's Ultra service if you're a serious
Net user.
However, for the huge number of people who are simply looking for a simple and low-cost
way to send and receive small emails without attachments or the need to learn
about computers, this could be a valuable service.
What's On Offer This e-Christmas?
Believe it or not, it's nearly Christmas again -- and time to try and think
up clever gifts for friends and family.
Here in NZ there are surprising number of little online shops selling all
manner of items suitable for such gifts -- but thanks to a lack of effective
marketing, many of them are hidden away far from public view.
If you run such a little e-shop, or if you've come across such a little gem
in your travels, how about letting me know. I'll organise all relevant
suggestions into an online Christmas shopping directory to help those who'd
rather let their fingers do the shopping.
The Weekly
Yes, I know the first edition of the weekly has yet to appear -- but I'm
still working on it.
Hopefully (if current leads pan out) it will include a very interesting expose'
into the astoundingly bad behaviour of a group of local "new economy" company
directors (some of who are also on the board of a public company). Just how
competent and ethical are the managers of some of our hi-tech public companies?
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