mike hawkins - thinking out loud

I've always had a sneaking admiration for the Australian maestro - but I have a feeling he's getting this wrong.  If the BBC piece is to be believed, Newscorp are going to start charing for News content - far from developing a revenue stream - I reckon that they'll just be allowing the competition a free hand.  I should think that Google and MicroHoo! are rubbing their hands with glee.

Murdoch Signals End of Free News

I've read a number of commentator's opinions about this, and they are of the opinion that all the other providers will follow suit.  I'm not so sure - personally I believe that the big advertisers will shift too the news providers who continue to extract revenue from commercials - who in turn will grow more pervasive.  This might be the equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot rather than the great business idea that Newscorp management, obviously, think it is.

Only time will tell.

I can’t even begin to describe my feelings towards people who, in 2009, can be capable of this sort of insanity.  Different if they had been ill – their deaths would have increased the average IQ of humanity – but to cause the tragic death of a child is simply unforgiveable.Read more

Accidentally caught a bit of a documentary this morning that was discussing  the Taipei 101 a fairly phenomenal building in (you’ve guessed it) Taipei.  Built, not altogether sensibly, in an area of high typhoon and earthquake activity, this skyscraper utilises the world’s largest Tuned Mass Damper – depicted below – to counteract the inevitable movement of the 509.2 m high building in high winds.  It dawned on me that I new nothing about the technology employed – I don’t know much more now – but found reading about it interesting.

Photo credit - Guillaume Paumier / Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-sa-3.0.

I was surprised at the many everyday uses and applications.

The Wikipedia link here – is good starting point if want to know more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuned_mass_damper

One of the blogs I regularly read recently announced that due to being inundated with "hate mail" he had decided to thow the towel in.  Apparently discussing woodworking techniques causes tempers to flare and abuse to flow.  The good news is that following a deluge of support he's decided to continue.  

http://thetattooedwoodworker.com/

This article on the BBC News site will come of no surprise to those of us living in France where we are completely at the mercy of EDF’s monopoly position. 

I  have no idea how they have made inroads into international power supply – when only a little research in France would have un-earthed their shortcomings and ‘interesting’ practises.

BBC News - EDF fined £2m

I miss next to nothing about the UK, but the regulatory bodies like Ofgem, Oftel etc. serve a very useful purpose for focussing company’s minds on the importance of the consumer.

EDF in France provide a service level that would be deemed wholly un-acceptable in the UK.  It would be wonderful to see them penalised frequently in Britain to the point where there was a realisation that the service level necessary abroad could, and should, be mirrored in their home territory,