There has been a lot of talk recently within the ITC community about the potential impact of the NBN, in fact electronic forums and blogs have been filled with possible ideas.
However it is already clear that many of the perceived advantages will not be immediately obvious to the general public.
I should emphasise at this stage that I am not aware of a single thinking person within the ITC industry or academia who does not wholeheartedly support this infrastructure.
The simple reason being that the country’s competitive position in a globalised 21st century economy will be severely compromised to do otherwise.
Of course what we read, hear or see in the traditional media (not online) is often quite critical and all I can say is: “Think about their self-interest for a second” and you be the judge of why that is so.
I believe we will all (including the mass media) look back favourably on the NBN in twenty years time the way we now do about the country’s last major infrastructure works, the Snowy Mountains Hydro scheme.
It will seem so obvious and logical in hindsight … interestingly, just like most great ideas.
The real question that everyone seems to be overlooking is: Why didn’t we start earlier?
And that’s well before the present incumbents in Canberra finally started the ball rolling.
For a more detailed technical explanation see this month’s SMARTPAGES column.
TV’s worm problem
With elections in the air (Federal end of 2010 and State in March next year) it seems we can expect an increasing infestation of these annoying creatures of tabloid television.
As most regular readers of this column will be aware, I am an unapologetic and compulsive early adopter of technology.
Currently it’s my new 3G iPhone but my infatuation with all things new (particularly from Apple) dates back to acquiring a Fat Mac in 1984 when most people still did not know what a PC was.
So the advent of the ‘worm’ as a device purporting to make politics more understandable, is not something to which I would usually be opposed.
However, I must say that I consider this new invention is definitely one step a way too far.
I shook my head when I read in both local and national newspapers a summary of our leaders’ recent great debate on health-care and the commentary dwelt on the amount of time the damned pest burrowed below the line and the narrative focused entirely on its tedious progress.
Not a single word about what particular issue the worm was meant to be commenting on.
Sound grabs on the electronic media are bad enough’ having become so stage managed these days that they are virtually meaningless as a form of expressing a considered view on any issue.
But no, X% of viewers (panel members) considered the PM’s ideas about centralising the health system were more acceptable than the Leader of the Opposition’s.
Whether any meaningful statistics or, more to the point, understanding, could be drawn from any of the issues raised by Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbot in Canberra at the Press Club was totally lost on me, and I would venture to say most viewers.
It all came down to the PM’s worm being above the line more often than Tony Abbott’s.
Next thing we will be voting for worms. Or perhaps better still gambling; now, there’s a true blue Aussie idea.
We could take an American grid-iron-type approach and take bets on what percentage of time ‘our’ worm will spend above the line. You could say a 21st century digital version of the infamous ‘two flies on a wall’.
I wonder if I could sell an app for that on iStore?
Free Online Training for SMEs
Your Online Community (publishers of this e-zine and SMARTPAGES directories) recently gained (in conjunction with The Illawarra ITeC) a grant to deliver training online as part of the Small Business Online program a federally funded initiative in support of the NBN.
Courses will include:
• Getting started online free
• Expert tips on improving online sales
• Increasing returns on existing websites
The ITeCeLearning courses will be delivered over the next 18 months online and
face-to-face throughout southern NSW and up to Parramatta and Blacktown.
A brand new eCampus is presently under construction – details will be released in
this e-zine. Courses are scheduled to start in May 2010 with final dates to be confirmed.
For more details email: JessicaLendich@illawarraitec.com.au | 
