Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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Time for more mirth, mayhem and madness from the Web.
We see road-safety messages along the side of the highway and on TV every night
but why aren't we seeing them on the Net? Well maybe
this Flash movie
(1.2MB) will explain it all.
Now how many times have you found yourself with the urge to make a nicely
mixed cocktail or smoothie while tramping or four-wheel-driving through the
high-country of New Zealand? Fear not,
help is now available
to make sure you don't get tired arms from all that mixing.
And if you're looking for something to eat with that freshly made drink,
what could be better than a fig roll. What on earth is a fig roll and
why are they subject to such
close scrutiny here?
Whatever Happened To...?
According to talkback radio, there are rumours flying today that there
may be plans afoot to provide Maori with free (or heavily subsidised) digital
decoders which will allow them to pick up Maori TV broadcasts when
they finally start.
If the rumours are true then it would seem that SkyTV might well be the
chosen broadcaster for the MTS -- since they're currently the only
satellite broadcaster offering a "direct to customer" satellite-based
service right now.
I've also got to ask -- what's happening with MTS?
They've clearly missed their earlier projected transmission date by a huge margin
so what are taxpayers getting for their money?
I'm sure the directors and board-members are still drawing a healthy
stipend but what do we have to show for that money, apart from the
hiring of a silly little Canadian with a fake diploma.
Given all the stuff-ups, blunders and lack of performance from this organisation,
wouldn't it be a whole lot more sensible right now to pour at least some of
that money into the emergency services of Auckland's cash-starved hospital
services? -- particularly in light of recent news that half those needing it
aren't getting emergency surgery within the recommended timeframes.
This suggestion is race-neutral, after all I'm sure that plenty of those
suffering from the lack of emergency medical resources are Maori too.
However, MTS does have a website - but believe it or not, it's a dot-com
rather than a dot-co-dot-nz. So much for preserving your national identity?
It's well worth taking a trip to
www.maoritelevision.com
where you'll find a perfectly serviceable website that will give you more info
on the plans, goals an aspirations of this organisation.
Hmmm.. does that little dish at the top of the page provide further
evidence that this is going to be a satellite-based service?
I certainly hope that MTS gets its act together real soon -- it seems that
right now we (including all Maori) are paying a heap of money with nothing
to show for it.
Coming Up
If the news wires are anything to go by, it appears that many
people's tolerance for spam is getting close to breaking point.
Both private individuals and companies are getting totally fed up with
the increasing levels of unsolicited commercial email clogging up their
mailboxes and even the best filtering is not 100% effective -- although
it does help an awful lot.
As a result of this, I'm planning to resurrect my Memo-to service in coming
weeks as time allows. This will provide Net users with an alternative
to giving out or publishing their email address -- thus providing a
very effective method of dodging the spammers' bullets.
Note also that sometime next week I'll be hopping the ditch to Oz for a few
days with my new net engine designs under my arm. As a result, you might
have to go without Aardvark for a couple of mornings -- but I'll do my best
to ensure the disruption is minimal.
However, it looks as if NZ might be about to lose another valuable
knowledge-based industry through lack of local investor interest.
C'est la vie!
Have your say.
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