It’s a fast moving world when you are developing for the mobile or web. We at Lingopal are in the throes of some fun stuff involving mobile phones and translation, and it was always going to be a nervous time when the iPhone apps launched. Sure enough, there are a few nice looking applications, but …
Category Archives: media
When money isn’t enough: Getting an iPhone
Michelin play hard to get, and it is the same with Apple. Their iPhone (and let’s face it pretty much all of their products) is so damn good that I simply must have one to satisfy my technolust. Yet by partnering with buffoons like Vodafone NZ, Rogers Telecommunications in Canada and pretty much all of …
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When money isn’t enough: Michelin Deserts
Michelin Deserts. I’d love (not even like) to buy each of these right now, but it seems that Michelin are determined to make it hard, or even impossible, for me. So hard in fact that I feel obliged to go elsewhere because I am so annoyed, but the product is so good that I really …
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Vodaphone amateur hour
It’s not hard. They had weeks to prepare for the iPhone launch, but still Vodaphone.co.nz’s site still got swamped this morning. Unacceptable. Completly unacceptable. Vodafone.com.au struggled the first time I hit the site this morning, and then seemed to go into mobile mode – which was a clever way of dealing with a slashdotting. A …
Overworked: NZ and Australia
4th and 5th worst in the developed world. That’s where NZ and Australia stand in an ILO survey of the percentage of workers that work more than 48 hours a week. NZ scores 23.6% and Australia 20.4%. Despite my belief, the USA scored lower at 18.1%. But we have it easy (as I sit here …
Banks? Real estate? the worst is yet to come
a Little bank story for kids, courtesy of the WSJ, and as told to writer Brian M Carney by billionaire and Private Equity pioneer Ted Forstmann. Once upon a time, when credit conditions and the costs of borrowing money were normal, the bank opened at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 5:00 p.m. For eight hours …
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How not to launch a political blog: “F$%k you”
NZ Left Wing election site 08Wire launched, it seems with an interesting group of backers and is based overseas. It is good to see new discourse emerge, but I see a couple of issues. First, in the launch article they do their best to turn prospective readers off: Some analysis is sensationalized. Like David “cut-and-paste / …
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Telstra and Optus iPhone prices released: ouch
Looks like all the prices are coming out from today. 1: they are expensive to buy prepay: $800 odd 2: Telstra will launch with the others on July 11 3: Data prices are horrific Optus Contract You can get an 8GB free if you sign up for 2 years on a $79 per month plan. …
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WordPress. First signs of uncoolness, evilness even.
I’m annoyed at WordPress. Up until now their stunning blogging application has made it wonderfully simple to get writing and posting pictures on the web. Their ethos has been true – make it free, make it simple and open to everyone. Their source code is available at WordPress.org, and their WordPress.com site hosts for free. …
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eBay is selling lovers
Googling for “lover” I noticed that eBay had taken out an adwords ad: Clicking through (gee – had they started an online dating service?), I found an interesting array of… nothing in particular. So – freshen up those ad-words eBay. You may ask why I was searching for “Lover” – I was trying to get …
Goodbye NZ, nice to have helped, but I gotta go
So David Skilling does a fantastic job leading the NZ institute, influencing massive policy changes in saving (Kiwisaver), economy, climate change and broadband. So now that his 4 year stint is up, what does he do? Leave. Yup – David is off to Singapore. It sums everything that is right and wrong with NZ very …
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Apple is cool, but their partners are not
Apple does everything they can to make dealing with them a great experience. But they are let down by the little things, and by some pretty big things. The little things I’ve talked about before. The big things are more serious. Their partners suck. Vodaphone, Vodafone (that’s how you spell it in Australia and Optus …
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Go Fug yourself
I’ve been following go Fug Yourself for a while – a comic look at the paparazzi world and fashion disaster. Today’s effort is priceless. Interestingly from what was a simple blog, go Fug Yourself now seems to be part of Celebuzz – a bunch of celebrity site. This is big business folks – the lowest …
Child Drugging and Evil Psychiatrists
I was walking the streets of Fremantle the other day, and I saw this ad go past me several times: It was attached to the back of this truck: By the amount of airtime the ad was being given, I figured that whoever was putting on the show really wanted people to see it. Human …
Making the move
via the incomparable XKCD, more outtakes on life.
Lance Wiggs 