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

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Hey, good to hear from you :-)

Personally, I am opposed to putting Public trust and funds into private hands and pockets.

It's an incredible contradiction, isn't it? Public funds are for the public good. I also strongly believe that any public funding of research should also mean the research and results are in the public domain.

The Public Good

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

It means that society and society's agents and servants; e.g., our governments, our neighbors, as well as ourselves, would have to value the public; that is, people, our populations, NOT just profits, NOT just a few or "the right" people. If you've not already read it, may I recommend highly George Soros' 1998 book THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM: OPEN SOCIETY ENDANGERED. He writes very clearly and cogently. I'm still digesting his ideas, but suspect he's articulated many things I've felt were true.

And, hey, it's good hearing from you as well! :-) At minimum, IUUJ introduced me electronically to bunches of nice people all over the globe, who happily for me write in English. Wishing you Peace, Moderation and Success in many of your endeavors,
Brother Scissors of Cutting Thru Bureaucratic Red Tape

Re: The Public Good

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'll have a look for that Soros' book; I've read quite a few of his articles in the past and have generally been impressed by them.

As one good reference deserves another, I provide you this rather clever piece of work:

http://www.governmentisgood.com/

Re: The Public Good

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Thanks! This *is* interesting. I'll post this to my LJ blog.