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!
Stilgherrian’s massive megamix January melange of links from 29 December 2008 through to 09 January 2009.
There’s so many links here that for the blog version I’ll put them all “below the fold”. Happy reading!
Continue reading “Links for 29 December 2008 through 09 January 2009”
Once more, Telstra demonstrates its appalling arrogance. They’ve just been excluded from bidding for Australia’s National Broadband Network for submitting a non-compliant bid, and now try to deny it despite their own clear evidence.
The Australian IT reports today:
In a statement to the stock exchange, Telstra said it had been excluded from the bidding process because its proposal submitted on November 26 did not include a plan on how to involve small and medium-sized enterprises in the building of the network.
26 November was the closing date for submissions, published well in advance. And yet:
Telstra chairman Donald McGauchie said the reason for its exclusion was “trivial 
“Telstra provided its SME plan to the Government in early December and, in Telstra’s view, in accordance with the RFP (request for proposals),†said Mr McGauchie.
No, you fuckwit. The closing date was 26 November. Supplying information in “early December” means your submission was missing key elements. Morons.
Did you ask the teacher for an extension? Did you have a note from your mother? FFS! I stand by what I wrote in October: Get over yourself, Telstra!
If you can’t even provide your goddam submission on time, why the hell would we be stupid enough to give you $4.7B of our money?
The Christmas decorations are in the shops, people are having Christmas parties, the current affairs programs are off TV, so the year has ended, right? What do you mean, your calendar has something called “December”? Bah! This is the 21st Century! One-twelfth of the year is just thrown away!
Back in January I made some Predictions for 2008. Since 2008 has already ended, let’s see how I went.
Here’s another batch web links for 16 November 2008, posted semi-automatically.
Australia’s new National Broadband Network is the country’s biggest infrastructure project in years, and there’s (up to) $4.7 billion in government subsidies up for grabs. But our largest telco Telstra says it won’t tender if it faces “functional separation” into wholesale and retail divisions. Diddums.
Geoff Booth, managing director of Telstra Country Wide says:
We cannot submit a tender, we will not submit a tender… people think we’re playing a bluff here, but I spoke to the chairman yesterday, and the CEO this morning, and the message is clear: we will not bid if separation is not taken off the table.
Well, Telstra, don’t bid then! [shrugs] Honestly, no-one cares.
What’s the “bluff”, Telstra? That the government will just choose another entity to give the funding to? One which doesn’t piss away their time and energy with all this bitching and moaning? One which doesn’t have the overhead of a bloated, inefficient workforce working within bloated, inefficient silo structures?
Ooooh… I’m so scared!
Stilgherrian’s links for 22 October 2008 through 23 October 2008, distilled from the finest ingredients: