Posts by Andre Alessi
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I started to go off on one of my usual "Telco companies in NZ lack the guts to be visionary" rants, but really, we've all heard it before.
It is important to acknowledge that there is a level of progress in terms of network diversity that we would not have expected to see eight years ago, and that overall it's been good news for broadband consumers in New Zealand. But there still needs to be more and it needs to happen fast, and it needs to be driven by companies other than Telecom if we really want to see further change. At the moment the wholesale arrangement with Telecom is a crutch-it encourages small-to-medium "telcos" to on-sell Telecom's services without any innovation or network investment of their own, and it's certainly delayed other telcos from branching out into providing their own networks (be they LLU, fibre, parallel, etc) because they're much happier to go for the cheaper, easier option.
It also restricts Telecom innovation, because why would they give up such a source of easy revenue, or shake up the status quo by introducing new products into a model that has to be "one size fits all"?
If we want to see real network diversity in this country, and if we want genuine network build in "uneconomic" areas, operational separation needs to give way to true separation-Chorus needs to be sold off to be completely independent and preferably government-owned (with targets for network coverage by population and by school) while Telecom Wholesale needs to be dismantled and its core features passed on to Chorus.
Full disclosure: I work for TelstraClear in a role that works closely with Telecom wholesale, and used to work for Telecom. Naturally my opinions are my own and not those of my company.
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The one thing that truly fucks me off about not driving (pardon my French) is the curious, almost pitying look I get when someone finds out, as if they're thinking, "What's wrong with you?"
Nothing is wrong with me, thankyouverymuch. I can get anywhere I need to go at any time I need to be there. There's this thing called public transport, which allows me to do everything you do on the road and read a good book while doing so. I choose not to drive, and that's that. (I only got my passport a couple of years ago, and I've used it maybe twice as ID since then-never mind I was being asked for ID for bottles of wine at the supermarket not two weeks before...)
It's a bit of a myth that Auckland public transport is terrible anyway. I've lived places where it's better but it's still entirely serviceable here, as long as you take the time to do a little research. You can always spot someone who doesn't use it regularly because they'll stop the bus driver for a chat about all the stops that are in the exact opposite direction to the route listed on the timetable beside them at the stop, and then spend five minutes fumbling around in their wallet/purse for a twenty dollar note for a one stage trip.
As for cyclists not being aware of other road users-it really does work both ways. There's a cycle lane up Lake Rd to Takapuna from Devonport, and I've taken to only ever sitting on the righthand side of the bus so I can't see all the near misses car drivers have when they drive too close to cyclists who are doing exactly what the road rules say they should be doing. 1.5 m clearance my arse.
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Tumescent images with a six two reasons without reasonable police
I'm seriously tripping balls here.
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Formulaic? Funny thing about normative rules, an annoying percentage of people tend to follow them. Can't they think for themselves?
Some truly great writers have used formulaic scripts, though not always while showing their greatness. e.g.:
(He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) is also noted for featuring early script-writing work from later Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, Paul Dini of the 1990s Batman-fame, and David Wise, head-writer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Well, at least the reporters managed to find someone to complain about it. Unlike this Dom Post story about a men-only suicide prevention conference where all the quoted sources say they're fine with it. Slow news week?
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Howard the Duck is an awful movie, even as far as movies about ducks go.
It's not as bad as people say. But not nearly as good as the original comics. Subjectively speaking.
I used to think so, but I watched it again recently and...yeah. Awful. I loved it when I was a kid though.
Actually, another movie I loved as a kid but just doesn't hold up any more is John Boorman's Excalibur. I was an Arthurian nut as a teenager, and thought it was so perfectly true to Mallory's material. But watching it again was terrifying-everything I thought I loved about it was simply a product of my faulty memories (and Charlie Boorman as Mordred was simply creepy.)
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Cool it, chaps. Does ACT have an armed paramilitary force breaking heads in the streets of Auckland?
Well, twentysomething male brokers tend to be the most pugnacious group of individuals you will ever meet in Parenell and the Viadict, they're sort of a paramilitary.
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Oh goodness, I now know for a fact that Google is not my friend.
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No, that's what slash is for.
Legolas and Aragorn never had babies with each other. FACT.
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Maybe there needs to be some kind of billboard campaign explaining that there is only the one John Key...
Won't do any good unless/until he spontaneously grows a vagina. Then they'll say "Well, it's not really his fault, it's just that time of the month..."