Sponsor's Message

Yes, their mind is made up -- absolutely, definitely, no doubt, cast in stone.

Hmmm... sounds worrying like their assurances that they wouldn't back down on the fart tax doesn't it?

But I'm sure they won't hit us all with the full 15-cents, no -- it's far more likely to be the 10 cent figure that fits nicely in the middle of the recommended range of 5-15 cents a litre.

But what's all this got to do with technology?

Well as long as a decade ago, one of the "big things" was *telecommuting* and we were told that by the turn of the century huge numbers of qualifying workers would be able to hook their PCs up to the phone and work from home for several days a week.

This, we were told, would reduce traffic on the roads -- with the added bonus that our air would be cleaner and our commuting costs lower.

So here we are in 2003 and I see little sign of a society that has adopted telecommuting as a viable alternative to sitting in a downtown office all day.

Auckland's roads are getting worse by the day and no cure is in sight.

So here's an idea that I'm sure will go down like a lead balloon in the halls of power: why not offer companies in the Auckland area a tax-rebate for every teleworker they hire?

It strikes me that if just 10 percent of the workforce were able to stay at home for just one or two days a week then this would have a small but very significant effect on road traffic congestion.

Surely, instead of simply building wider roads, the best option would be to try and reduce the number of people trying to use those roads. After all, even if the roading problem is fixed so that traffic flows more smoothly then there'll still be the huge problem of finding a parking space won't there?

I strongly suspect that the lack of teleworking is more about fear of the unknown and a culture of "direct supervision" within management than it is about cost-effectiveness and efficiency.

Come on government -- think laterally for a change!

Lighten Up
Once upon a time all computers were beige. IBM started this fashion of blandness and everybody just tagged along for the ride. In recent times however, other manufacturers have been far more bold and tried other exciting colours such as black (wow!). But, if you really want a distinctive computer then this has to rank right up there with the best.

Now this is freaky. While I don't get some of the illusions, those rotating snakes are enough to put you off drink for life.

Keep those links and suggestions coming please.

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