da Scriffles

Twisted Pair

Fibre Optic

Heard Stephen Conroy talk National Broadband Network at Mansfield State School on Monday night: young and old in a small audience listened.

They want real broadband and their abhorrence of the twisted pair was palpable.

The problem with wireless (as the Coalition wants) is that it deteriorates the further you go from the stations - unlike fibre optic cable to the home.

And you have fast upload speeds - not just download speeds. 

Anyone who likes to post music, art, video, blogs, or uses Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo wants good upload speeds.

The Townsville rollout started today - North Brisbane, Toowoomba, Springfield Lakes are up next early next year.

Broadband will fan out from these nodes and communities need to lobby their councils and parliamentary reps and business communities to get in the face of the NBN engineers to get their service ranked as high priority.

The gentler, softer alternative. How to de-stabilize government. 1975 tactics?

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The Green Photo Series.

Found five-year-old character studies I made in 2005 as I developed concepts for my book. 

I did a writing course in Sydney at the time with a creativity expert from the States who teaches people to use art, music and movement to find your characters - how they move, how they speak, what they look like. It's all part of making it real - rather than an idea in your head. Boolissimo never made it into the book. But I can't let the girl character go yet - even though she's been tossed for the moment. BTW, Basil was a beloved member of the family for 10 years. He used to listen to me sing the score of Les Mis a cappella as we worked in the garden. He hated bum notes and rock'n'roll.

You'll hate me for saying this but those little stick figure stickers of happy families that usually appear on the tanks that pervade the roads get to me sometimes.

The stick figures are the next milestone parents graduate to from that "Baby on Board" sticker.

It's like they are warning everyone else on the road of their precious cargo like it's someone else's responsibility to take care of their kids.

What about the people they might maim or murder while they're reaching round to hold the crying child's hand with one hand on the wheel and their mind only half focused on the road?

What about they stick to the road rules instead of pretending that sticker (and their 4WD or SUV if you prefer) gives them right of way?

Recently I had a conversation with a pregnant woman about the gnarly issue bundling babies into childcare at three months so mothers - who don't want to be at home with the baby because they would go "out of their minds" - can return to "work".  Of course there are some mothers who really do have to bring in a second income to pay the bills.

I was quite frank because she seemed like an intelligent person capable of accepting a different point of view. But this was a mistake on my part.

This is not a conversation to have with any pregnant woman. The right conversation is one in support of paid parental leave - ra! RA! ra!

I'm afraid all I did was make a bad impression by expressing my true point of view. Really stupid thing to do.

Afterall, she was one of the women who was going to return to work three months after having the baby.

But her husband has six months parental leave so it's not the same thing as sticking the infant in child care.

I expressed another belief that we don't hear about the detrimental effects - basically it's a coverup - because women in the media (quite a powerful group when you think about it) don't want to hear about it.

You all may disagree but I think it's akin to taking your eyes off the road.

Rearing a family is important work - I don't think you can do your best if your attention is divided between the road and the family or work and the family.

Yes many families need two incomes but then I've noticed also that many parents seem to equate their needs with their children's needs.

Computations are variable depending on variables:

Does the child's makeup predispose it to a greater need for security?

How much stress or anxiety can children endure before it affects their development pattern? 

Will a chain mail fence do instead of a white picket fence? (There's a cost differential.)

What do you think?

Listen to Radio National's All In The Mind podcast about stress.

 Amy Chua's new book on parenting Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

 Chinese ownership versus Western coddling

Here's interesting research I found on Chris Brogan's blog about the role of parenting in the development of a child's personality and creativity: 

When I visited San Francisco's Exploratorium I bought this postcard showing psychologist's EG Boring's little intelligence test. 

I think the climate change debate is a reincarnation of the postcard.

Do you see a young or old woman or both?

Tim Flannery and the rest of the Climate Commission appointed by the Federal Government in February held it's first community meeting in Geelong on Friday.

Listen to an ABC podcast 

I watched it on the ABC. They responded to the fears of the average Australian from how a carbon tax will affect petrol prices and groceries to whether jobs will be lost in the most energy intensive industries such as aluminum smelters. This unfortunately was broadcast on the ABC on a Friday night after 8.30pm while the Tony Abbott in the climate skeptics crowd speech was all over every media outlet for the past few days.

So here's how I think it must look to the average Aussie who bothered with last week's debate at all: 

• Petrol prices would go up $2-$3 a tank (depending on the size of the tank) with the introduction of a recommened $20-$30/tonne price on carbon.
• Jobs at Alcoa would be saved if (as is part of every plan under consideration) the aluminum industry gets some form of compensation - because it's actually doing something about reducing its energy consumption already and is already internationally competitive in this area.
• There is no global warming debate in the scientific community. Why? Because the existence and cause of Global Warming is accepted as fact by 98 percent of the scientific community.
• "UNCERTAINTY" is the reason investors are not investing in clean energy which means it will take even longer to bring the price of clean energy down.
• Scientists are annoyed and frustrated by the "political" debate around climate change and went back to their test tubes, exploration ships and the like to do the work rather than argue with people who don't have their facts straight.

PS: If television's morning programs really want to do a public service then perhaps they should do a segment every morning with a scientist!

Translation for international readers of da Scriffles: 

The GoGo Bird: Prime Minister Julia Gillard - leader of a minority government in a hung parliament - is captive to the Greens (hence green shoes).

The Poll Dancer: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott & his team of fat cats are worried about the cost of living for ordinary Australians and the fact that Julia Gillard lied before the election when she said her government would never introduce a carbon tax. Now that she needs the support of The Greens to remain in government she's changed her mind.