Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: nz.general: a speech

24 Responses

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Thanks, Russell. The topic for next week's lecture in my first yrear course is "The future of print", so I may well quote you.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Ram,

    Nice. However, I was more of a soc.culture.new-zealand type...

    Since Mar 2008 • 20 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Richard Ram,

    However, I was more of a soc.culture.new-zealand type…

    Hippy.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    I see another Brown is taking to the broadcast media on Sunday

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Alastair Thompson,

    Hi,

    I can vouch for Jimmy Rae Brown's employability. He is very obliging and capable and we will keep employing him to do tasks for us from time to time.

    Great speech Russell. Sorry I missed it. Have had man-flu for more than a week!

    al

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 220 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    I see another Brown is taking to the broadcast media on Sunday

    Indeed! Can you hold fire on commenting on it while I write a separate post about it? coming soon.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    This is driving change. NZ On Air still chips in $5000 for the cost of making a video -- the same amount since the 1990s

    Since the Making Tracks scheme was introduced in 2011, music video funding has increased to $6000, with an additional compulsory $2000 contribution from the artist. Previously it was $5000 with an expected equal contribution from the artist (totalling $10,000 - an estimated average budget of the early '90s), but more often than not, the video didn't even cost $5000 to produce.

    $8000 is worth about what $5000 was worth in 1991, when the video scheme started. But these days it's possible to make a really decent video on an incredibly low budget - something that just wasn't possible in the '90s (not that fact stopped anyone...). And, yeah, music television is all but dead - it's all about online now!

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    The Computerworld years weren't all junkets and scoops. Here's an awesome story from 1999 about the time Telecom accidentally signed up my dad to Xtra, even though he told them he was quite happy with Ihug.

    From memory, Dad emailed details of this to Nick Wood, who thought it was hilarious and gleefully contacted Russell with news of this stuff-up by Ihug's rival.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Kirk Alexander,

    Also: If anyone would like to write me a script to scrape all my stories from the Computerworld website, just in case, I will surely buy you a drink.

    Will give this a try Russell, start saving your pennies...

    Chch • Since May 2013 • 17 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,

    From memory, Dad emailed details of this to Nick Wood, who thought it was hilarious and gleefully contacted Russell with news of this stuff-up by Ihug’s rival.

    In the 76 pages of links to stories under my byline, there are many I'd forgotten about altogether. Thanks for the reminder!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kirk Alexander,

    Will give this a try Russell, start saving your pennies…

    Cool!

    Update: Rowan Crawford has done it and stories are flowing into my Dropbox as we speak. Hurrah!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,

    Telecom accidentally signed up my dad to Xtra, even though he told them he was quite happy with Ihug.

    With Telecom, accidentally is probably accurate, though possibly also not. For many of the smaller ISPs then (and even now, from what I've heard), though, it was more "accidental" that the salespeople were misleading customers about "just signing up for information" on a form that was actually a service contract allowing both internet and telephone service to be transferred away from Telecom (usually, though sometimes Clear). That there were no wholesale fraud prosecutions or significant media coverage was somewhat staggering to those of us who were working in the technical parts of the industry.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Rowan Crawford, in reply to Kirk Alexander,

    Will give this a try Russell, start saving your pennies...

    Doh! I asked on the twitters but I didn't see this here at the time.

    Rowan Crawford has done it and stories are flowing into my Dropbox as we speak. Hurrah!

    Yay!

    Sorry about the "fish can't see water" problem with getting the script to you, ahem.

    Auckland • Since Oct 2008 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Kirk Alexander, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Oh well, never mind. I'm not sure what Rowan did but I've got a script that can extract just the article and comments from a Computerworld HTML page if that helps.

    Chch • Since May 2013 • 17 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rowan Crawford,

    Yay!

    "2,258 items".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    For many of the smaller ISPs then (and even now, from what I’ve heard), though, it was more “accidental” that the salespeople were misleading customers about “just signing up for information” on a form that was actually a service contract allowing both internet and telephone service to be transferred away from Telecom (usually, though sometimes Clear).

    Sky had contracted some salespeople (not sure if directly or via another company) that were doing exactly this about 10 years ago. Did it to my Nana who struggles to say no to people the fuckers.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason, in reply to Russell Brown,

    “2,258 items”.

    Busy lad???

    But look at his posting numbers here: 16783 !!!! Times are a changing.

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • "chris", in reply to Ross Mason,

    Times are a changing

    Insightful speech Russell, a nicely balanced appraisal. I’m also looking forward to watching that doco when it’s posted..I had a wee chuckle at “Enjoy the murder”.

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Littlewood,

    A fascinating article, Russell, and much to meditate on. Your comments on the music industry certainly made me rethink some of my knee-jerk stances, although I wonder whether it could've been so much different if the majors were so slow on the uptake and let Apple (via iTunes) steal such a huge march on them in the early 00s. Then again, back then, some of them were still waging their anti-CD copying campaign. God, that feels so quaint to talk about now.

    But you're right, music is more multi-format now than it ever was before, and it is all about "bits" (although sadly I still buy CDs).

    This will make a few PASers feel old(er), but my first "awareness" of This Thing dates back to 1993, when I read an article in the School Journal about a kid who was really into this thing called "the internet" and "message boards". I had no idea what those things were at the time, nor would I comprehend a future where I would be active in posting on one.

    I also remember one of Telecom's "Internet Roadshows" back in 1996. remember being fascinated by it- I also remember looking up the Simpsons websites on their "demonstration computers".

    We didn't get the internet in our household until 1998, FWIW.

    Today, Tomorrow, Timaru • Since Jan 2007 • 449 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Lipscombe,

    Enjoyed your piece Russell. Made me think fondly of old Deep Throat BBS days.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2011 • 19 posts Report Reply

  • JacksonP,

    Glad I found the time to read this. Fascinating piece. Cheers.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 2450 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen R, in reply to Matthew Littlewood,

    (although sadly I still buy CDs).

    Same here, but I think for different reasons. I never really had a record player, and used to buy cassettes which (inevitably) got eaten by one player or another.

    CDs were a massive step up, because I'd copy them to tape, secure in the knowledge that when the tape eventually died, for the price of a blank I'd be able to get another copy.

    These days, I rip them to HD, but my backup/disk management between old/new computers is sufficiently haphazard that I never really feel comfortable without that CD backup sitting in the cupboard.

    Wellington • Since Jul 2009 • 259 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Littlewood, in reply to Stephen R,

    Same here, but I think for different reasons. I never really had a record player, and used to buy cassettes which (inevitably) got eaten by one player or another.

    CDs were a massive step up, because I’d copy them to tape, secure in the knowledge that when the tape eventually died, for the price of a blank I’d be able to get another copy.

    These days, I rip them to HD, but my backup/disk management between old/new computers is sufficiently haphazard that I never really feel comfortable without that CD backup sitting in the cupboard

    That sounds exactly like me. I haven't loaded all of my (legally obtained) collection onto the HD, and already it boggles the mind how much I own. I think it would take me literally a year to play everything once, if I did nothing else. And yet I still want/need more music.

    Today, Tomorrow, Timaru • Since Jan 2007 • 449 posts Report Reply

  • artig,

    I note with great sadness the recent passing of Bernadette Mooney, one of the pioneers of BBSs carrying Usenet news. Her BBS, Pinnacle, was connected via Nacjack to KCBBS. She was a frequent contributor to various newsgroups, and her signature "BCNU B" was well-known to many.

    BoP • Since Oct 2010 • 41 posts Report Reply

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