Just under a month ago, when civilian airliners piloted by terrorists began dive-bombing strategic US targets the Net ground to a halt. This morning however, nothing really happened at all to any of the major news sites -- they showed no signs of slowing down or stuttering under load.

Did they learn a lesson from the chronic overloading that occurred last time -- or is it just that on a sunny Sunday autumn afternoon, most people in the USA are not about to come inside and park themselves in front of a PC to get their news?

A reminder that those looking for the latest headlines and links related to the attacks on Afghanistan can find them here.

Lean Times For Local Industry?
In the period of just a week or so we've seen the demise of WebMedia and Genie -- two local high-flyers which only a few months ago were being held up as shining examples of how we can compete globally in the knowledge economy.

Given that two of these brightest stars have fizzled -- what hope is there for other somewhat less candescent local players?

Let's not forget either that what used to be another showcase Kiwi IT enterprise has recently closed its doors after being acquired by a big multi-national. I refer of course to Gateway NZ -- formerly PC Direct.

And what hope is there for those keen, smart, hard-working wannabes who are just loaded with enthusiasm and good ideas but badly need some bankrolling to get them going?

Well -- if this story is anything to go by then IT is not going to get much help from the government.

I also have to wonder what's been happening to some of those other lights on the horizon that have been highly touted in the past.

Readers Say (updated hourly) Hmmm... - Ian Local Body Elections 2001... - Fran Have Your Say

Who remembers Indranet?

They've been successful in attracting a few million dollars in funding to develop what appears to be a revolutionary intelligent networking technology.

What worries me about Indranet is their apparent lack of focus. What is the relationship between their fancy schmancy intelligent networking development and the importation of air-powered cars??

Isn't their dabbling with zero-emission vehicles simply a distraction from the core technology on which they will live or die -- and therefore is it a sensible use of resources?

There's still a lot of good Kiwi smarts out there -- let's just hope that we can continue to improve the flow of venture capital and ensure that once these things are off the ground, they are managed using sound, proven techniques that insure against the kind of meltdown we've been seeing.

Save The Aardvark Fund
Yes, I have had several donations to the Aardvark fund and I thank those who put their money where their mouse is :-)

If guilt is gnawing away inside you then there's still time to donate.

Just drop by and hand over your loot.

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