michaelwyres.com.au | musings of a geek

Better Cross Posting

In my ongoing development of MAWstatus, I have just completed some changes to make cross posting to Twitter and Facebook more reliable.

I discovered this morning that one of my scripts received an error code back from an API that I had never seen before, so I had to make some minor changes to accommodate that – so at the same time I have rolled out my Twitter auto-tagging feature, meaning that tags on my postings here will automagically become hashtags over on Twitter.

I’ve also fixed an annoying “Operation Aborted” error message that you sometimes get when viewing with Internet Explorer – all the more reason not to use it though, I say!

Have a good weekend!

Transport Customer Service A Disgrace

Well, seems our old friends at V/Line are at it again, with a display of “customer service” that one must stand back to behold!

This evening’s 17:29 Southern Cross to Marshall was cancelled. So what you ask? Well, it’s more the circumstances that caused it’s cancellation, and the subsequent “customer service” experience that’s really gotten up my nose.

Once again, here’s the sequence.

The 17:00 service to Bendigo was delayed. No announcements – it just didn’t move. The 17:13 Geelong service – (which most people avoid due to the propensity of the older locomotive hauled trains to break down) – was let go on time. At 17:25, four minutes before the 17:29 is due to depart, no train had arrived, and the 17:00 Bendigo was still waiting to leave.

Hark! An announcement. “Due to points failure in the yard, the 17:00 Bendigo and 17:29 Marshall service will be delayed.”

Oh great, but hang on? Wasn’t the Bendigo train delayed from it’s normal 17:00 departure time? V/Line must have known about the points failure at that point, right?

Of course they did! So why did they let the 17:13 Geelong go on time, but not let the passengers waiting for the 17:29 know about the problem until 17:25?

If they had, at least some of us could have gotten on that train. No, it would have been sensible to do that.

At 17:33, they announced that the 17:36 Marshall train would be the first train out. Of course, by now it’s completely full and they won’t let any more passengers on it.

So, another announcement. Head for the 17:47 service, which “will be held for Geelong passengers to board”. Nope! They refused to allow anyone on it, because it was “full”. Not! “We’re organising road coaches!”. Yay!

So instead of doing the “responsible” thing and advising people to board the 17:13, we get a road coach at 18:03, home almost an hour late.

The most frustrating part of all, however, is when I quizzed a “customer service” attendant as to why the 17:13 was let go when the problem must have been known about at 17:00, the answer was “nobody told us!” I laughed, then stormed off in disgust when I heard his two-way radio discussing the problems.

Communication guys. It’s the 21st century. Get with it!

James Hird Rises to the Challenge

History channel time again, and a flashback to AFL Round 3, 2004. After publicly slamming the performance of a particular umpire in the media the previous week, superstar James Hird was under the spotlight from all corners of the football world. But champions know how to respond, and in an astoundingly intense game of football, James singlehandedly lifted the Bombers to victory. We might have won without him, but he made sure that we did. That was the value of Hird.

Once again, I was there that night. I was right behind the flight of his winning final goal. Delirium followed, and I still get chills watching this footage. Awesome.

Fastest Downshift in the Middle East!

Great piece of footage from last weekend’s V8 Supercar event at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Russell Ingall seemingly forgets to change down gears until the very last moment in the midst of this passing attempt on Will Davison. Just love the quick downshifts when he suddenly arrives at the first corner, and realises that he’s still in sixth gear!

Great stuff!

FilterGate: Conroy’s Code Blunder

News has emerged today that our great Canberra Communications Cluebie has managed to filter his own website. Yes, the same Minister who is trying to force this unwanted, unworkable, and completely beatable internet filter is apparently trying to step away from debate on the filter.

And here is the code used to achieve his deceptive behaviour, as it appears on his site today:

Honestly – this is turning into a scandal. Why is the Minister trying to force this filter on us, but on his own website he hides away from debate on the very same topic? Senator Conroy, what have you got to hide? If you think this is such a bloody good idea, why hide it away?

“Filtergate” anyone?

Conroy Was Right – He Can’t Regulate Internet

I’m upset this morning. Really upset, almost in tears! All because I have come to conclusion that Stephen Conroy is ACTUALLY right about something. I made a post on Friday in regards to some comments he made on ABC Radio National Breakfast, in which he boldly announced that “you can’t regulate the internet”. Conroy and his department even defended his comments, as raised in my post, which made some headlines in the IT-based media on Friday:

The funny part of their defense of the comments is that they proudly stated that his comments didn’t apply to his proposed internet filter, and that the comment “should be taken in the full context of the interview” (IPTV content regulation), is that he was actually right in saying “you can’t regulate the internet” – even in terms of his stupid filter! Why?

Well, just so you understand – the department have clarified that the transcript makes it clear that the minister was discussing Australian content levels and not internet regulation generally. Okay.

There is currently a secret meeting underway in Mexico in regards to the protection of copyrighted works on the internet, with the aim of producing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). A whole raft of countries/nation states/economic unions are involved – the United States, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Jordan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. Yes, take note – Australia is a part of this. Read more about what ACTA is about here:

It is interesting that the leaked draft of the section of the ACTA proposal relating to digital enforcement of works on the internet seems to make clear that governments cannot mandate internet filtering.

Hang on – Australia is a party to this proposed trade agreement, which seems to explicitly forbid internet filtering, yet Conroy still wants his internet filter implemented? It is becoming more and more apparent to me that not only Conroy is completely out of touch with even the general goings in the industry(s) covering the portfolio he is RESPONSIBLE for, but he also is unaware of other “secret” dealings the government he is a part of is participating in internationally, that broadly affect large swathes of his own policy agenda!

We should be demanding some kind of explanation here. This is not good enough. Not only does his proposed filter not work; not only is it not required; not only do huge numbers of people not want it – Australia is at the table negotiating a trade agreement that will apparently FORBID it! If he doesn’t understand just how people don’t want it, here’s the results of a Sky News Australia poll from December 20th 2009:

The man simply will not understand, will not listen, and there are quite simply no bounds to the stupidity of himself and his policies.

Conroy Brushes Off My Question!

Well, well, well. It seems that our “esteemed” Communications Minister – or his department at least – got a hold of my post (or at least the YouTube video) from Friday. My message clearly got to the top, as intended.

I think it’s hilarious that the Department of Broadband, Communcations and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) spokesperson makes the point that it is “important that the comment was heard in the context of the full interview”. How about you monkeys respond in the full context of my posting? I specifically said:

Okay – this comment was specifically in the context of IPTV, but if you can’t regulate the internet in terms of IPTV, how can you regulate it in terms of anything else? How is IPTV content any different to any other internet content?

Minister/Department, you’ve taken my post out of context! I specifically made light of the IPTV context of the comment, yet – as per usual – you bent the question I asked towards your own agenda. I even directed people towards a full download of the interview to make their own judgement!

Why does the Minister and the DBCDE consistently refuse to answer the questions raised by constituents? Why do they continually deflect even the remotest criticism of their plan and twist it in their own evil ways? Do they even remotely understand that the stupid filter they are so in love with, won’t actually work? That it simply won’t prevent access to the material they claim it will block?

If they are so confident that they can block specific URLs, why can’t they block the IPTV URLs, thereby enforcing “content rules”? Filtering the internet in ANY WAY is “enforcing content rules”! You know why? Because some of these IPTV streams are owned/will be owned by the big media moguls – (either people who have already achieved that status, or will BECAUSE of IPTV). Why piss off the big media barons who might make campaign contributions?

Yeah, because they might make campaign contributions.

Wouldn’t it be a better idea not to piss off the people who can vote you out of office, Mr Conroy?

Stephen Conroy: I Bet He Wishes He Could!

Seems my earlier post in regards to Senator Stephen Conroy’s semi-faux pas on ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning is gaining some momentum. Checking some of my incoming links, I’ve stumbled across this posting on Whirlpool, where someone has already turned it into one of those “not so motivational” posters.

I wonder if he wishes he had his internet filter already? Keep up the good fight folks!

Stephen Conroy: You Can’t Regulate The Internet

Senator Stephen Conroy – the great Canberra Communications Cluebie – was interviewed on ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning – (19 February 2010) – in regards to a recent substantial ($250M) financial gesture to Australia’s commercial television networks.

The context of the following portion of the discussion was IPTV and how it might effect minimum Australian content regulations, so I have to admit that the context is not specifically in regards to internet filtering, however the interesting sound bite, spoken from his very mouth, is “You can’t regulate the internet”. Take extra special note of the “very pregnant pause” when he realises what he said! A full download of the interview is available here.

Okay – this comment was specifically in the context of IPTV, but if you can’t regulate the internet in terms of IPTV, how can you regulate it in terms of anything else? How is IPTV content any different to any other internet content?

Oops!

UPDATE (1:07pm): Nice to see some inventive people are taking notice of this post – for example, buy a mug or t-shirt now! Keep up the good work folks!

Kevin Rudd Hands Power to Grandfather!

Newsflash! Kevin Rudd has stepped down as Prime Minister, handing the job to his grandfather! Well, not quite!

Unveiled in Ballarat today, as part of the Prime Minister’s Avenue in the Botanic Gardens, was yet another dreadful bronze bust – one that seems to have aged Mr Rudd significantly.

Yikes!