Monthly Archives: March 2009

Vodafone 3G Coverage misses the money

Posted on March 31, 2009 by

I really should have checked the SSC Broadband Map before signing up to Vodafone 3G coverage. It appears that Roseneath, one of NZ’s wealthier suburbs, and where I live, is barely covered by Vodafone’s 3G service. Actually there are plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in NZ Business, telecom | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Guilty – but what about the Police organisation?

Posted on March 30, 2009 by

The Policeman who turned to chase a motorcyclist on Buller gorge, blocking the road and causing two other motorcyclists to be seriously injured, has just been found guilty of dangerous driving causing injury. He is no doubt haunted by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How to blog anonymously

Posted on March 28, 2009 by

As we progressively lose our freedoms on the internet, it was timely to have a read of some of the excellent material written by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society – it’s part of the Harvard Law School … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Global Macro Trends, Internet Business, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

We are being watched now

Posted on March 28, 2009 by

Via the NBR I hear that ISPs can snoop on us from April the 5th. S92 was nothing. The Telecommunications (Intercept Capability) Act, coming into full force on April 5, will let the Police, SIS and the GCSB (Government Communications … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet Business, NZ Business, Politics, telecom | 1 Comment

Where I live, What I do

Posted on March 20, 2009 by

I’ve always struggled to describe where I live and what I do. Here is some clarity. Where I live After almost two years of attempting to live in both Fremantle and Wellington (and largely failing at either), I am now … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet Business, NZ Business | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Trains, buses and cars – we need them all

Posted on March 18, 2009 by

A nice rant by Bernard Hickey against the rushed Auckland electrification decision. I’m not arguing with him on the rushed aspect, nor on the specifics of this particular decision, which seem to be remarkably absent. However the comments have unveiled … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, NZ Business, Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Is Powershop forcing a competitive response already?

Posted on March 17, 2009 by

Is this the first response to Powershop? Via a secret source, Contact energy is offering 12% prompt payment discounts, up from 10%. In this game that’s a huge discount. Click on the picture to see the original (it looks the … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet Business, NZ Business | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Why living in NZ sucks, and how you can profit

Posted on March 14, 2009 by

I want another power cable for my Zumo motorcycle GPS unit. It’s so I don’t have to rip the one out of my KTM here in Perth, which gives me the option of doing an epic KTM sand tour again … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia Business, Business, Internet Business, NZ Business | 15 Comments

The real estate market plunge

Posted on March 11, 2009 by

Alex Tarrant over at Interest.co.nz had a couple of, well, interesting posts on the housing market in NZ. There is a piece on the February housing statistics, which rose dramatically versus January, although the median price stayed down, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Macro Trends, Investing | 5 Comments

Blame directors for failure, CEOs for success

Posted on March 11, 2009 by

Fairfax (Reuters) belatedly opines that Directorships are not a reward, but actual work. It’s an article based on US companies, but is applies to every jurisdiction. I absolutely agree – a directorship is a very serious obligation. I propose a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Investing, NZ Business | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Dell – useless useless useless

Posted on March 9, 2009 by

Go to the home pages of Dell.com.au or Dell.co.nz or Dell.com and search for “30 inch monitor” Marvel at the results. Well don’t bother actually – as here are those results. On Dell.com you use this search box. and get … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet Business, NZ Business | 2 Comments

Want to ride around Australia? Buy my KTM 950 Adventure

Posted on March 9, 2009 by

It’s in Perth, and ready for Autumn and Winter riding into the desert. What a great way to go. <I’ve had this in storage since Feb 09 in Fremantle – and it is still for sale>

Posted in NZ Business | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Sometimes even Apple gets it wrong

Posted on March 5, 2009 by

OK so actually a lot of the time Apple gets it wrong, their US-centric approach has given us locked phones, locked and therefore useless DVD drives and, in conjunction with the RIAA and MPAA a crippled iTunes in outside of … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet Business | Leave a comment

Dissecting the NZ job summit output – Top twenty

Posted on March 3, 2009 by

After reviewing the raw output from the 6 groups, let’s now turn to the published “Top Twenty” list, and some quick comments. Job Summit – Top Twenty Core Workplace and Employment Issues 1. Retain and Upskill – the nine day … Continue reading →

Posted in NZ Business, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dissecting the NZ Job Summit output – Group outputs

Posted on March 2, 2009 by

The Government sponsored Jobs summit was on Friday, and on the beehive website you can read the input documents, breakout descriptions, attendees, power point bullet outputs and  a top 20 laundry list. So lets get to it. I believe a … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand Institute, NZ Business, Politics | 2 Comments