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Thoughts of a Technologist in South Australia

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Technology and the 2010 Australian Federal Election

Jul 19

Posted by yellek in politics

Back in February I started an effort to determine the technology credentials of the candidates for the South Australian state election. Now a federal election has come around and there are some rellay big issues, like the proposed mandatory internet filter, that need some attention.

This time around I have created an entire site dedicated to the process to make it easier to put up the information. I’m hoping that local people from different electorates will take up the challenge of questioning their local candidates on technology issues so their credentials are on display. I have written an introductory post on the effort which I encourage people to read.

Here’s hoping we can help elect a smarter group of politicians.

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Simon Hackett from Internode Slams the Internet Filter

Apr 9

Posted by yellek in politics

Just after I put up my previous post with the response from Christopher Pyne, @Tarale on Twitter made me aware of this great response to Senator Conroy from Simon Hackett of Internode. He concludes:

Either way, given the facts I have noted here, it is clear that mandatory URL level web page filtering actually harms society (through a false sense of security) and has no positive impact.

There is no justification for the path that the government is pursuing, none at all.

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A Response from Christopher Pyne on the Internet Filter

Apr 9

Posted by yellek in politics

I recently emailed Christopher Pyne, my local federal member, on his views on senator Conroy’s proposed internet filter. Here is his response:

Dear Peter,

Thank you for contacting me and providing me with your views regarding the Rudd Government’s proposed mandatory internet filtering system. I note your opposition to the proposed plan.

The Federal Coalition supports sensible and workable measures to protect children from inappropriate online content. Obviously, it would make sense to prevent access, if this could be done, to material that would be a crime to possess. When looking at ways to protect children online, the main issues are – what is effective and achievable, and what approach will deliver the best results.

The previous Coalition Government provided all Australian families with access to a free, optional PC-based content filter, which could be specifically tailored to assist parents in protecting their children from being exposed to inappropriate content.

The Rudd Government cancelled this program at the end of 2008 without putting in place any alternative.
Experts say that most predatory risks to children lurk in those areas of the online world that are largely immune to filtering, such as chat rooms, email and peer-to-peer networks.

That is why, in relation to unlawful online activity, it is essential that our nation’s law enforcement bodies are adequately resourced to tackle it in the most sophisticated way possible.

The fact it has taken the Minister two years to produce his plan and release results of filtering trials highlights the complexity and problematic nature of his proposal. The Coalition is yet to be convinced that mandatory filtering will be effective.

The Coalition would like an independent audit of the trial results and we hope this can happen as soon as possible.

The Coalition will continue to consult extensively with the telecommunications industry and other stakeholders to enable a fully informed response, if and when the Government puts forward any formal proposal or legislation.

Yours sincerely

Christopher

So it doesn’t look like the coalition will support an internet filter and they seem to be supportive of giving people tools to filter unwanted content if they wish although they have made no real comittment. I hope they don’t resurrect the free software trial though, by all reports that software was pretty easily circumvented.

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SA State Election Technology Credentials: My Endorsement for Morialta

Mar 15

Posted by yellek in Uncategorized, politics

I recently addressed a number of questions on technology to the candidates for the seat of Morialta in the upcoming South Australian state election. My efforts were not spectacularly successful in gaining responses with only Scott Andrews from the Greens responding.

Here then is my assessment of the technology credentials of each of the candidates based on the response I received and on information gleaned from questions I asked at the Campbelltown Speakers Forum

Lindsay Simmons, the Labor sitting member, stated that she didn’t know much about technology at all. She does not have a Facebook page or understand social media at all and even prefers to let her staff deal with email. Whilst I respect her committment to dealing with issues raised by her constituents she appears to prefer an older style of interaction that enfranchises those who have the time and capacity to interact in person and by letter. In my opinion there is no chance that she would be able to influence government technology policy in any menaingful way and certainly she would not be able to curb the excesses of Michael Atkinson in the Labor Caucus.

John Gardner, the Liberal candidate, seems to understand technology and how it could be used to improve the political process. He has a Facebook group and is a member of Facebook although there have been no updates since February 25. I feel that John may be able to influence technology policy.

Scott Andrews, the Greens candidate does not appear from his response to have a great grasp of technology and its uses. His party the Greens, however, seem to have a great set of technology policies that will make a real difference.

The Save the RAH Party do not even seem to have a website that I could find so enough said about the technology credentials of their candidate Peter Maddern.

Despite several requests to the offices of Family First and a written letter delivered to their candidate for Hartley, Suzanne Neal, I have received no response from their candidate Elizabeth Smit. If Suzanne Neal’s performance at the Campbelltown Speakers Forum is anything to go by they don’t seem to have much of a clue about a lot of things and their website is pretty bad (see the text in the image on the front page rendered illegible by JPEG compression artifacts).

So my endorsement for candidate technology credentials for Morialta goes to John Gardner although if he really understood wouldn’t he update facebook more often? Highly commended are the Greens for their party policies.

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The Prime Minister’s Health Reform Agenda

Mar 3

Posted by yellek in politics

I just finished watching the Australian Prime Minister’s speech to the national press club announcing his plan to radically reform the Australian health sector (full report here). I feel that the plan overlooks two critical concerns that could potentially undermine the goals it sets out to achieve.

The plan fails to recognise that splitting administration into smaller local health networks may introduce more duplication of resources as local health boards take on functions that formerly were centralised in state health departments. One of the key areas I see running into this problem is ICT support. South Australia recently centralised its health IT in order to address inefficiencies introduced by fragmentation across hospitals and regions. Mr Rudd’s plan would reintroduce this fragmentation and then replicate it across the country.

The second issue I have is that of accountability. At least at the moment if we have an issue with the way that a state government is running the health system it is an area of focus and we can vote them out at an election, as is likely to happen in New South Wales. By spreading the accountability for health delivery across a number of local health networks the focus of the issue is diluted which decreases the accountability of the state government who appoints the boards and allows the state government to remain at arms length. The potential for mismanagement and local corruption has been increased.

These issues aside I think that the plan shows great vision and a promise of addressing the large hole in health funding coming through Australia’s aging population and the rise in health costs.

The award for the worst question after the speech goes to the Adelaide Advertiser who completely ignored the health agenda and asked some lame question about Tony Abbott getting lost in the desert. The Prime Minister gave some motherhood response and the discussion moved on with barely a ripple in the intellectual landscape. If this is the standard of newspaper journalism that the Advertiser promotes then it is no wonder they are under threat from online sources.

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Response from Gay Thompson: Member for Reynell

Feb 17

Posted by yellek in politics

Damien Mason posted a response to my post on Technology and the South Australian Election from Gay Thompson, the sitting member for the seat of Reynell. I’m going to repost sections of that response here and provide some analysis and commentary.

Damien

Thank you for your message.

Because of the impending election it is important that all information provided to the community about the policies of the party of which I am a member are clear and consistent. For this reason, and especially because many of the questions you ask relate to powers held by the Federal government, I have forwarded your message to our policy coordinators.

OK stop right there. Of the questions I posed only questions 6 and 7 could be construed as federal policy and all that was being asked was a personal opinion. The others were either personal questions designed to get a picture of a candidate’s use of technology or South Australian state issues. There was no attempt to answer the specific policy questions.

The IT I have available is provided by the Department of Finance as part of the package they supply (phones, photocopiers etc) to enable members of Parliament to do their jobs. Within the choices that are available to members, I chose a laptop rather than a PC. I also make full use of an HTC Diamond for emails, calendar etc.

OK

While I recognise that some of my constituents may like to make use of the new technologies for communication my investigations indicate that this is a very small number. Indeed, you are the first to seek information on the topic. However, I monitor the situation in order to provide relevant information and to maximise my accessibility to my constituents.

Few respondents to my recent survey of constituents provided an email address although they were invited to do so. Emails to my office from constituents are also less frequent than letters or personal visits with telephone calls (with landline contact details), by far the main method of contact. I use web based material such as the City of Onkaparinga Social Atlas for information. This material shows that in general the suburbs I represent have lower internet connection than either the City of Onkaparinga or the Adelaide Statistical Division. I have included the site for you.

http://atlas.id.com.au/DefaultMap.aspx?id=119&pg=2010&c=3070&t=10075#empty-anchor

What this is saying is that not many of the constituents in Reynell have the internet or, if they do, they don’t choose to connect with their local member this way. Therefore it is more productive to use traditional means of communication. I don’t buy this. The penetration of Facebook alone in the Adelaide region is huge and I suspect that the constituents in Reynell are no exception.

Accordingly, I use my limited resources to provide regular communication to my constituents in the traditional formats.

Being able to communicate electronically and in real time surely is more efficient than more manual processes and therefore a better use of resources.

Other information is available through the government and party websites. I contribute financially to the operation of the ALP website so that constituents who choose this method can access policy information. I am also pleased that recent government initiatives will allow better internet access through Adam to some areas in the South.

Use of static websites that allow one way broadcast communication.

I cannot commit to a time frame for additional responses as many people ask questions on a vast array of topics at this time and it is important that each individual get a clear response consistent with the party’s plans for action if elected.

Yes this is a lot of information for one elector to ask and yes this is a busy time.

I hope the information I have provided assists you.

Gay Thompson MP
MEMBER FOR REYNELL

From this we can glean that Ms Thompson uses a laptop and a smartphone, has a knowledge of email and of static websites. She does not seem to have a knowledge of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. There is nothing in the response above that would indicate a willingness to promote good technology policy within government.

For an incumbent in a safe Labor seat this is probably enough to win but it shows a complacency that would be vulnerable to an opponent who can work smarter to engage with the electorate. It will be interesting to see what the other candidates can do.

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SA’s A-G steps up fight with video gamers

Feb 16

Posted by yellek in politics

I read this this morning: SA’s A-G steps up fight with video gamers – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and I had to comment.

No-one in Australia should be subject  to threats of intimidation this way. We have a political process and significant freedom of speech. There is no excuse for resorting to these sort of tactics to try and put a political view.  Not only that it weakens the argument by allowing Mr Atkinson to characterise all those who hold a view that R18+ video games should be allowed by the actions of a few bad apples.

I may have different views from Mr Atkinson on a number of points but I respect his right to express an opinion. He and his family should feel safe in their home.

Update: More details on the threats to Mr Atkinson from News Limited.


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Technology and the South Australian State Election

Feb 12

Posted by yellek in politics

Recent controversy surrounding the attorney general Michael Atkinson’s attempts to censor the internet have made one thing abundantly clear: we are served by a bunch of politicians who have no idea about technology. With a South Australian state election coming up on march 20th I’d like to do something to change that. What I propose is this: That a list of technology questions be sent to each candidate for the election and the results published.

I propose to do this for the seat of Morialta which is the one I live in and publish the results here. I will offer to link to any other posts that do the same for other electorates.

I don’t seriously think that this effort will unseat Michael Atkinson in Croydon but I do think that technology is an issue that affects many people’s lives and we owe it to ourselves to elect as many people as we can who actually have a clue what is going on. To that end here is my draft list of questions, comments are welcome:

  1. What web browser do you use?
  2. What is your day to day computer (PC, Apple, Laptop) etc?
  3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
  4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address
  5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the South Australian political process?
  6. What role should government play in regulating the internet?
  7. What are your thoughts on how to address objectionable content on the internet? What role should government play in this process?
  8. Do you support an R18+ classification for computer games?
  9. Tell us about the policies that your party has that would influence the use of technology if elected.

Update:
Question suggested by @lordfolland on Twitter:
What are your thoughts on the funding of computers for schools?

Other Electorates:
The following people have offered to do other electorates:

Davenport
Alex Prichard (@azp74)
Enfield
Mark Limburg (@Wyld)
Newland
David Folland (@lordfolland)
Norwood
appsii (@appsii)
Reynell
Damien Mason (@chimpocalypse)

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Podcasts: 10 of the best

Sep 19

Posted by yellek in boardgames, christian, java, life, politics, tech

I listen to podcasts a lot. In the car, on the way to and from work and even at home when I have to do something mindless like cleaning. With all the podcasts on my list though there are those that I will always listen to as soon as they come out, those that I wait for each week because I know that I will enjoy every minute. Here then are 10 of my favorite podcasts (in no particular order):

  1. The Spiel. Talking about boardgames these guys just deliver every single fortnight. They are funny and informative with consistently good content. Their show is segment based with each segment focusing on specific games as well as a news and notes and a feedback segment. This is my favorite podcast and comes highly recommended. The Spiel also has some really interesting contests including some really hard puzzles to solve.
  2. The Java Posse. This long running technology podcast about the Java programming language alternates between news and interviews. It keeps me up to date and entertained so I can do my job. My gut feel is that this cast isn’t as interesting and fresh as it used to be but it still makes my must listen to list.
  3. The Two Chris’s. This political podcast is taken from a segment on the morning program my local ABC radio station and features Christopher Pyne and Chris Schatt who debate the issues of the day from Liberal and Labor perspecives respectively. I find this a really good way to keep up to date with the Australian political landscape both nationally and in South Australia.
  4. The Dice Tower. Though a little less consistent in quality than The Spiel The Dice Tower still offers quality boardgame listening with top ten lists and contributions from a number of greater or lesser celebrities in the boardgame world. They also have some good contests. Lately they have been replaying some of their older episodes in between their fortnightly new material.
  5. This Week in Tech. The one word that I would use to describe this cast is slick. Professionally produced TWiT is like a PC magazine built for radio. The content tends to be lighter as Leo Laporte and guests discuss the week’s technology news.
  6. Joyce Meyer Radio Podcast. One of the two Christian podcasts on my list the Joyce Meyer Radio Podcast serializes messages from prominent Christian speaker Joyce Meyer. Produced every weekday you get to hear sections of messages that Joyce preaches at various conferences and gatherings around the world as well as a few interviews. The content is really good but I find the advertising intrusive so I generally skip it. I find that if I skip the first 30 seconds of each podcast and then skip to the end when Joyce stops speaking I get the best results.
  7. Geeks and God. These guys talk on some serious technical topics aimed at helping churches and ministries with technology. The content, however, is relevant to a wider audience. Their series on Drupal was fantastic. Currently on a long break I am looking forward to when these guys return.
  8. Garrets Games and Geekiness. Hosted by Doug Garrett and his wife Shelley this boardgame podcast covers games that Doug has played in various locations as well as a number of really good roundtable discussions and interviews. I like the conversational style of this cast and Doug certainly manages to get some interesting guests.
  9. On Board Games. A relatively new boardgame podcast hosted by Scott Nicholson (of Boardgames With Scott fame), Donald Dennis and Eric Dewey. The podcast uses a segment based format with one segment devoted to a boardgaming topic of interest referencing various gamers and then a number of game reviews. The game reviews use a “stop light” system (red, yellow, green) which I find really useful.
  10. Have Games Will Travel. A long running boardgame and role playing game podcast hosted by Paul Tevis. Paul covers some interesting topics and ventures into the role playing game world in a way that is most entertaining and informative. Paul uses his experiences in improv theatre to relate to being a GM of a role playing game and manages to discuss some really interesting psychology around social contracts in gaming as a result.
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Church and State

Nov 1

Posted by yellek in christian, politics

There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the separation of church and state, particularly in relation to the proposal by the federal government to spend AUD90M on funding chaplains in schools . This is a bold move on the government’s part because it flies in the face of so many cultural beliefs of our post modernist/humanist society. Most recently I listened to a debate between the two Chris’s via podcast from ABC local radio in Adelaide . Former Labor senator Chris Schacht , an avowed atheist, was livid that the Labor party was allowing this to be supported and was giving full reign to his outrage. Christopher Pyne , Federal Liberal member for Sturt was trying to defend the government’s position and, I thought, not doing a very good job of it. Here then are some of my thoughts on the arguments being advanced in this debate.

The Government Shouldn’t be Choosing who is and is not a Suitable Person to Be a Chaplain.

This is ludicrous. The government chooses now who is and isn’t a suitable person to be employed in a school. This is to protect the children from either incompetence or malicious intent. If a school decided to employ someone who was a paedophile, advocating violent Jihad or promoting animal sacrifices I would hope that the government would have something to say about it. These standards apply to all people employed in schools and I don’t see this program as any different. As for the suggestion that the government will be vetting people’s religious beliefs and only allowing those who agree with the government’s particular ideology, that is simply scaremongering.

Look at all the Problems the Church has had with Paedophiles, We Don’t Want People Like that Looking After our Kids.

Indeed we don’t. The fallacy here is associating the church necessarily with paedophilia. Yes there have been examples of paedophiles in the church but is the incidence really greater than that in the rest of society? Is it just that the media rightly holds the church to a higher standard that cases of paedophilia receive more prominence? Is it just that the church is such a big prominent organization that it presents an easier target? Because of that prominence it is easy to hold up the examples and characterise all churches that way but is that fair? Haven’t all churches taken steps to ensure that a higher standard of child protection is in place? I know the measures taken by my church and they have been so successful that our program is being used across the country as an example of how to do child protection. With these standards in place can people really say that to employ someone from a church is to employ a paedophile?

My real argument here is that the government has to assess school workers now and do background checks and that this process be no different with those appointed as school chaplains – there really should be no difference.

Won’t the Chaplains be Brainwashing our Kids?

I have two arguments with this. Firstly, from a Christian perspective, becoming a Christian is entirely a person’s choice. You can’t be brainwashed into it because the relationship is between God and you directly. This can happen because Jesus died on the cross so that you can be holy enough to have a direct relationship with God. No brainwashing can get around the requirement of your own choice.

Secondly, what is everyone so afraid of in Christianity? What are the churches teaching that is so objectionable? Aren’t our laws based on the ten commandments anyway? Are the virtues of grace and love so hard to swallow? Quite apart from the fact that Christianity isn’t primarily about the requirements to live a good life aren’t the churches teaching things that our society values anyway?

Wouldn’t Secular Counsellors be Better?

I believe that we are both physical and spiritual beings. Any solution that ignores the spiritual component of our makeup is going to miss dealing with an essential part of our nature. Secular counsellors are not going to deal with that part of us so that, whilst what they do can be very helpful, they are not going to address the spiritual root causes of some of the problems attacking our youth.

Conclusion

In this debate we have to be mindful that a lot of the arguments are being advanced by people who are themselves religious but in different ways. Chris Schacht is an avowed atheist which is a religion in and of itself. To put atheism on a higher level than other religion whilst espousing a post modernist relativistic philosophy is the height of hypocrisy.

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