08 Sep 2005
So I dropped a none-too-flattering allusion to Ansearch into a post about the search engine industry in Australia a bit over a week ago now, and their CEO Dean Jones popped in to say he’d picked up the post via Technorati (I was suitably impressed) and that much had changed since my first “review”.
I took up his invitation to contact him via email with questions and suggestions, but have yet to hear anything back. This is perhaps understandable given the length of the email: but I did at least expect a reply acknowledging receipt of this message. At any rate, at present any opportunity Ansearch may have had to clarify misconceptions presented here hasn’t been taken up. I communicated in the email that I was more than happy to publish not only his responses to explicit questions, but also “anything else you wish to add that I haven’t asked about”.
If anyone from Ansearch picks up this post via Technorati, the offer remains open. If you’d prefer not to use email, I’m happy to do a telephone interview for publication here (both in article form and as a supplementary transcript/podcast).
Update: Dean Jones picked up the post, and sent me an email saying he’ll reply shortly. Watch this space!
07 Sep 2005
Our dog had a haircut today, thought I’d post this photo here as an act of public humiliation. ;-)
Snapped this one on the bus today: someone had tagged the window and the sunlight was shining through it onto my leg. I thought it looked cool.
06 Sep 2005
Observant users* will note a “HSC countdown” clock towards the right edge of your screen. It’s timed to countdown to the start of the first exam: 9.20am on October 17, 2005.
Okay, I admit it. This is a shameless procrastination attempt. But now you know how long I have to procrastinate for, so feel sorry for me (and every other year 12 student in NSW). Or something.
Oh, and, as with several things on this website, I’m perfectly aware it displays kind of on top of some text in Internet Explorer. I don’t particularly care. If it annoys you, then using a better web browser will not only fix that problem, but also reduce the probability of spyware, viruses, and other miscellaneous nasties from installing on your computer. As a bonus, you also get nifty things such as tabbed browsing, etc.
* Well, observant users who aren’t using RSS. Okay, okay, last jibe at the RSS users today!
06 Sep 2005
It’s been a month since I added Google ads to this site tomorrow, and I’ve raised just enough money to pay for a domain name for a year. As viewers of this website, do you think it’s worth keeping around? I’ll be watching this post’s comments closely.
Oh, and on a related note, RSS feed-only users need not apply/comment! ;)
04 Sep 2005
I haven’t posted much lately, so I thought I’d mention something on here. I was going to post a rant about how John Brogden is apparently a miserable coward because he wasn’t so blatantly a drunkard and womaniser as Hawke was, according to the media, and how they’re all a backwards-thinking bunch of twits. But I haven’t got time for outlining exactly how flawed that thinking is in any great detail: suffice to say, I think Brogden has done the right thing in that he’s at least capable of demonstrating some remorse. Hawke, on the other hand, was supported by the media, even before his own collapse in 1979, and his own indiscretions were only occasionally mentioned and without any of the venom to which Brogden has been exposed. Further, Hawke apparently showed little remorse when compared to Brogden: not to advocate his suicide attempt, but at least that demonstrates the sincerity of his recognition of circumstance.
All that aside, I’m still a Liberal supporter even on an NSW level. And I unashamedly support the marginally-more-right-wing agenda of the new Liberal leadership (though obviously there isn’t a whole heap known about the character of Peter Debnam at the present time: hopefully a more complete picture will emerge in the coming weeks and months).
But enough about that. I’d love to write more about it, but I need to get to bed.
Via Soolie’s MSN name today, I’ve found a website/blog run out of New Orleans that’s apparently been hot news on the Internet over the past several days that I managed to completely miss. The Interdictor weblog, run by an employee of DirectNIC.com, a New-Orleans based company that runs a datacentre that has been up throughout this whole disaster.
Photo credit: DirectNIC.com
I can’t express enough how impressed I am with their dedication to their customers and their work. Not only are they maintaining their services under pretty amazing conditions, they’re also providing a service to the world via their Internet presence.
Alec said to me before on MSN that this really shows the difference between the Internet and mainstream media: it does. The Internet is inherently collaborative, a communal space for communication, rather than simple dissemination. Hyperlinks subvert heirarchy, to quote The Cluetrain Manifesto. These people are providing an on-the-ground account of the aftermath, not only in text form, but also in other dynamic media forms: they’re taking photos (one of which is featured above), streaming video out, and even participating in IRC rooms.
I’m astounded. And praying that they’re going to be alright (though the situation appears to be improving, but prayer won’t hurt!). The Internet is an amazing place…