Conferences, Religion, Telstra

[tcpip]

It has caused some anguish and gnashing of teeth, but I've decided to attend the AUUG Conference. I am less than happy with the administrative competence of the organisation (let alone breaching their own constitution), but I do want to meet Marshall McKusick. It must be a month for IT conferences; work is sending me up to Queensland this month to the Access Grid Workshop, and at the end of the month I apparently have been invited to address an ICT Conference in East Timor.

In religious news science has developed a helmet with gives one a "religious experience" (from reddragdiva. Actually Timothy Leary did that some time ago... The Unitarian-Universalists (once again) are making a pitch for agnostics, atheists and the like to join the fold with a full page ad in Time magazine. I may be tempted to pitch a Unitarian perspective for a $100 000 reward (although, philosophically, the definition makes it impossible).

Many years ago I worked briefly for Telstra; during that period I wrote a response to their Senate select committee submission which advocated privitisation of the organisation. I took the opportunity to recommend instead that the infrastructure remain in public hands, and the service provision be placed in a competitive market. Some years later Lindsay Tanner recommended pretty much the same thing - the Tories attacked the plan. Now they briefly entertained the plan, dropped it - and once again the good idea is shelved for years to come.

Comments

[zey.livejournal.com]

I am less than happy with the administrative competence of the organisation (let alone breaching their own constitution)

Ullo ullo. What's all this then? What's going on there?

I can't say I recognise many of the names of the office holders, but, I have a lot of professional respect for Steve Landers (listed as Vice President). He's done some very good work on the Tcl language, particularly its starpack system.

I haven't pondered that question before.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Q. IS GOD KEEPING YOU FROM GOING TO CHURCH?
A. NO. IT'S ALL THE SHOUTING.

(That, and I have absolutely no interest in being part of a loving, spiritual community).

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

(1) Yes, God is keeping me away, and also the distance to the UU church from darkest Langwarrin.

(2)&(3)there are some pollies who might do better after a few goes of that helmet, eh.

/me holds the paranoia.

[imajica-lj.livejournal.com]

> I am less than happy with the administrative competence of the organisation

Agreed, we are doing what we can ... but that's pretty hard given the insane level of apathy amongst the members. Against that tide keeping the conf going has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Honestly that AUUG conf 2007 is happening *AT ALL* is a miracle and it has almost killed me.

Breaching the constitution? Where? how? If so then that's something that needs to be addressed, right now.

The AGM is scheduled for Saturday the 13th. make sure your voice is herd then.

Come to Kirk's full day tute on Friday, I would love to see you there!

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

I've made pretty much the same argument in the past too, in ALP circles. Split Telstra up, sell the bits that have genuine competitors and are profitable (its mobile network and bigpond ISP, for starters), keep the network infrastructure.

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

The AUUG Conference sounds like it might be interesting and from his bio, Marshall McKusick definitely sounds interesting.

Perhaps I misinterpreted what I read in the link, but it appeared to me that the helmet was designed to locate a "god spot" in the brain via MRI, not give one a religious experience, though chuckles for the Timothy Leary reference, "religious" indeed, akin methinks to "sacred Peyote" and other hallucinogens used in sacred ceremonies.

Personally, I am opposed to putting Public trust and funds into private hands and pockets. I want good government and am prepared to pay for it with taxes and through voting. Perhaps or even, no doubt, I am naive.

[mia76.livejournal.com]

Hi. We're both members of secularhumanism. I hope you don't find this rude. But I've been reading a bit and was wondering. How come you're so interested in Indonesia? I mean I know a lot of Australians/Dutch people are interested in general. But do you have a specific reason?

Have a nice day...