Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
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Time to end the week on a high note with some more of the worst and wierdest
web content on the Net.
Bengbu Jinyang Household Machine ToolCO.LTD
This has to be one of the very best examples of "Chinglish" I think I've
ever seen on the web, including that catchy phrase "economy and consultation
will be more facility and more quickly."
An eBay Auction
Here's a gift for the person who has everything and is just too damned smug
about it. Why not bid for a friend?
The Tugboat
Is it a boat? Is it a battering ram? Is it a submarine? Correct! -- it's all
of the above.
Need Cutting-Edge Copy?
As NZ's longest-running online commentator, I'm looking for
extr7a syndication opportunities for this daily publication -- or I'm happy
to write casual or regular material specifically to order for print or
Net-based publications. If you're
interested, drop me a line
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The Enron Voice Mail System 2002
Computerised telephone answering services are pretty commonplace these days
and many companies use them to streamline(?) the processing of incoming calls.
Of course when your company goes belly-up, you have to remember to change
the greeting message to reflect the fact.
A Flat-Rate Broadband Alternative?
Xtra look ready to hammer the final nail into the coffin of its Jetstart
"flat-rate" DSL service as reports surface that it's considering the
imposition of a download cap and possibly extra fees on excess traffic volumes.
I've had numerous emails from readers who are really annoyed at Xtra's
tactics in respect to Jetstart and I suspect that this latest move won't
help any.
It seems that Xtra learnt nothing from watching the problems iHug experienced
with the small percentage of "heavy" users of its broadband satellite service.
Surely they must have known that any flat-rate service will get absolutely
hammered by those people who have a strong interest in bandwidth-intensive
media such as music or video?
Was the company really so stupid as to believe that Jetstart users would
all be "average" consumers of bandwidth -- or was this "flat rate" DSL
service nothing but a bait and switch designed to get people signed up then
change the ground-rules? Either way, this anticipated about-face in respect
to the service makes them look at best unprofessional, and at worst -- well
you decide.
So what options are left for those who feel a need for speed and unfettered
data volumes?
What about dial-up access using regular V90 modems?
Yes, there is
a technology
out there that allows you to effectively
increase the bandwidth of your dial-up connection by using two (or more)
modems and phone lines to establish multiple concurrent connections to your
ISP.
Given that Jetstart provides a measly 128Kbps (if you're lucky), two V90
modems would be pretty close at 112Kbps -- and all for the cost of two
dial-up accounts (2 x $30/mth) and an extra phoneline ($38/mth).
To the best of my knowledge, none of the flat-rate dial-up accounts have
any cap on bandwidth so you'd be home free with this system.
Assuming a transfer rate of 100Kbps you'd be able to download a total of
some 800MB a day or 24GB a month -- not bad for a total of $136 a month eh?
I haven't had time to check whether any NZ ISPs are offering multilink PPP
connections over dial-up links. Perhaps readers could offer some
heads-up if there are any.
But just why are we paying such huge prices for broadband data here in NZ?
At the current pricing, that siny new Southern Cross cable will have enough
capacity to last us for centuries -- because nobody can afford to use it.
Have your say.
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