Word-whore. I write 'em. I talk 'em. Information, politics, media, and the cybers. I drink. I use bad words. All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris! Vive les poissons rouges sauvages!
Episode 40 of Stilgherrian Live is now online for your viewing pleasure, including the very first interview with Fake Stephen Conroy aka Leslie Nassar. Nassar, a Telstra employee, outed himself as FSC on Tuesday. Given that Senator Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, oversees telcos like Telstra, this created some complications. …
[This article was first published in Crikey on Monday 2 March. Nothing’s changed since then.] The villain gets thrown off the cliff. He bounces off the rocks into the river and his limp, bleeding form is flushed downstream. Hurrah! But just as our heroes down their first celebratory drinks, the door bursts open and the …
Continue reading “So Conroy’s Rabbit-Proof Firewall is dead… or is it?”
[This article was originally published in Crikey on Tuesday 17 February, but behind the paywall. I think enough time has passed for it to sneak out — particularly as one commenter called it “the most unworthy article Crikey has ever published”. Thanks.] Cool newcomer. Rising talent. That’s Greens Senator Scott Ludlam as described by Crikey’s …
Continue reading “Crikey: Outclassed Conroy hides in his bedroom”
I’m in Crikey today, looking at Senator Conroy’s announcement from last week of the first six ISPs to be taking part in the Internet “filtering” trials: Primus Telecommunications (iPrimus), Tech 2U, Webshield, OMNIconnect, Highway 1 and Netforce. One of the questions I ask is: Why is there further mission creep? Labor’s pre-election policy said: “A …
Continue reading “Conroy announces filter-trial ISPs and clams shut”
Another week, another hole appearing in the Rudd government’s plans for pervasive Internet censorship. I’m in Crikey today with a piece headlined So Conroy’s Internet filter won’t block political speech, eh? It begins: “Freedom of speech is fundamentally important in a democratic society and there has never been any suggestion that the Australian Government would …
Continue reading “So Conroy’s Internet filter won’t block political speech, eh?”
Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, opened the Information Online 2009 conference this morning. Here’s the full text of his speech. You can also grab the PDF file, should you want to print it neatly on paper. (Why?) Personally, I was surprised at how defensive Conroy sounded about the Internet …
Continue reading “Conroy’s speech to ALIA Information Online 2009”