Category Archives: Uncategorized

30 years ago, the then state-owned telecommunications monopoly, Telecom Australia (now Telstra) paid a visit. They were installing a pulse-dial phone service. I asked how fast a dial-up modem could go on that service. The technician showed me the pit … Continue reading →

The last 12 months have been extraordinary in terms of change. An African-American in the White House. The Global Financial Crisis and The Great Recession. The collapse of the US Automotive Industry and the resurrection of GM & Chrysler as … Continue reading →

Over the last few weeks, the world’s governments, bankers, economist and media have been fixated on a Financial Crisis. It seems to have started as a consequence of the sub-prime mortgage practices in the US. This crisis has gripped the … Continue reading →

The first computer I ever bought with my own money was an Apple Macintosh in 1984. Before that, personal computing meant sharing a computer with other people – at school, at work or some other place (like a college dorm … Continue reading →

Getting an iPhone 3G in Australia has been a long wait with a wonderful surprise at the end. Like so many things Steve Jobs has done in 30 years of innovation, there’s a strange combination of secrecy and publicity surrounding … Continue reading →

Bill Gates’ widely-reported departure from Microsoft yesterday is the kind of event that aptly evokes cliches like "end of an era". Demonised by many, revered by others, Gates’ exit has been a remarkably gradual and more importantly a managed affair. … Continue reading →

The 20th Century will be remembered as the American century. In 1900, Britain was the one truly global superpower in every way. At the turn of the millennium, it was the United States. Eight short years later, that’s changing. This … Continue reading →

White was always the colour of Christmas for me when I was a young boy in NYC and Western Europe. It certainly was when my father grew up in Northern Canada. Not so for my mother growing up in Egypt. … Continue reading →

Technological innovation seems to follow a pattern: things that initially exist alone in isolation start to work together and end up working in a seamless way. This is true of almost all the technical advances of the last century or … Continue reading →