Readers' Comments

Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 7 Dec 2000
From: andrew mccallum
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Internet dropoff

This is simply a sign of maturing use and reality catching
up with hype. There is no great need in daily life to spend
hours online. Familiarity means people use the Net more
efficiently. As to ex-users, it comes down to whether the
Internet adds real value to people's lives. Chatting online
leaves me cold. Newsgroups are cool, but my use of them is
very specific. The web I use as an information source, not
as a place of entertainment. Email of course is the most
useful of all.

E-tailing was always only going to be yet another channel
that only some people would use, and then only for some
very specific things.




From: Henk Klos
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Make that "Bill Of Jokes"

In response to: this comment

In a silly civil case where a large corporation took me to
court to prevent me from using a particular colour on my
website the following took place.

The plaintiff asked the judge for me to be called in the
witness box to answer some questions. The judge approved
this request and I was summoned in the witness box. (Here
goes your right “not to be compelled to be a witness or to
confess guilt”, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 Section
25d).

Once in the box, the plaintiff asked me a question I did
not want to answer because I felt it would be incriminating
to myself and another person (who had nothing to do with
the case). I decided not to answer this question and told
the plaintiff so. The plaintiff then asked the judge to
force me to answer the question so this time the judge
asked me "are you refusing to answer the question?". I said
yes whereupon the judge said, "not in my courtroom you
ain't" and ordered me to answer the question or be put in
jail until I was willing to answer the question. (And there
goes your right not to incriminate yourself).
Bill of Rights? Don’t make me laugh.



From: Paul Garner
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Internet vs CB radio

The internet won't go the way of CB radio because the
internet is more than just IRC chat.  There's too many
companies with too much money invested (and a handful maybe
even making some money!) to let it fall by the wayside.

Whereas I would guess that there were few commercial
interests in CB radio... on the contrary, telecoms would
have had an interest in shutting it down - the same
companies that are betting their futures on the Internet.
Now Have Your Say