By Ben, on July 18th, 2010 Since I sent an email about the proposed internet filter to the local Labor rep it’s only fair to do the same to Liberal:
Hi Pat,
With the announcement of a federal election I am contacting you regarding the one policy that I am concerned about (for now) – the proposed internet filter.
I have been following this issue since it was brought to my attention and am perplexed that the internet filter persists. It replaces an abolished system which put the onus on families/users to install filtering software on their own pc’s (should they wish to), providing no more secure ‘protection’ than it’s predecessor. The arrogance with which Stephen Conroy has and continues to pursue the internet filter while throwing Australian tax-payer dollars to the wind, for something at least 50% of Australians do not want, is astounding and suggests that there is more to it than meets the eye.
A much better system would be for the government to establish their own ISP which those who desire a filtered internet can sign up, but I presume the only reason this is not being done is because the objective is actually to get a foot in the door for total internet information control for all Australians.
Understand that International internet access in Australia is already woeful and adding the bottleneck of a filter will only make it worse, the cost being no particular benefit to at least 50% of Australians (not to mention that it is mandatory). The fact the the more people learn of the filter the less they want it should be telling.
Please let me know your thoughts and ideas as to how you, as my representative, will work towards abolishing the proposed internet filter.
Regards
Ben Harris
By Ben, on July 15th, 2010 I was handed a pamphlet regarding my national member at the train station this morning which had his email address on it, and some really tacky/corny photos of him with Julia Gillard meeting ‘the people’ (in hardhats!), so fired this off to him:
Hi Nick,
I received a small leaflet concerning your work in the Macarthur region, which is unusual considering that to my knowledge an election hasn’t been called, and wanted to touch base with you to find out more about you and your policies.
Truthfully, there is just one policy that I am concerned about (for now) – the proposed internet filter.
I have been following this issue since it was brought to my attention and am perplexed that the internet filter persists. It replaces an abolished system which put the onus on families/users to install filtering software on their own pc’s (should they wish to), providing no more secure ‘protection’ than it’s predecessor.
The arrogance with which Stephen Conroy has and continues to pursue the internet filter while throwing Australian tax-payer dollars to the wind, for something at least 50% of Australians do not want, is astounding and suggests that there is more to it than meets the eye.
Understand that International internet access in Australia is already woeful and adding the bottleneck of a filter will only make it worse, the cost being no particular benefit to at least 50% of Australians (not to mention that it is mandatory). The fact that the more people learn of the filter the less they want it should be telling.
Please let me know your thoughts and ideas as to how you, as my representative, will work towards abolishing the proposed internet filter.
Regards
Ben Harris
I don’t expect anything, but you never know.
By Ben, on June 26th, 2010 I’m really loving the latest Steam sale, further proof that PC gaming is alive and well, but I vaguely recall that they had instituted a system some time ago the end result of which was that Australians were paying more for games once again. As I was in Thailand for a long period I have become accustomed to paying for games in US dollars and expected it to switch me over to Australian dollars upon my return (and update of my address on Steam) but it is still in US dollars.
Am I incorrect? Are Australians shown prices in US dollars on Steam? If they are I was thinking that perhaps I could help my friends avoid price gouging that occurs in such situations but gifting them a game they want and said person can pay me how much I am charged instead.
By Ben, on June 1st, 2010 The following letter was written when I stayed overnight at the hospital with my mum last week. She quietly passed away on Sunday just before midday and her funeral will be held tomorrow (Wednesday).
I wrote this letter in the back of a book thinking no one would notice it was there but someone did and as a result I am now reading it at my mothers funeral.
I present it here as a record of her passing and hope anyone who reads it gets something of value from it.
| Dear Mum,
As I write this you lay in a hospital bed, mouth agape and eyes half-open, sleeping. I don’t know if you will ever be able to communicate with me in a lucid manner again so I write this letter to you at 11:25pm knowing full well that it’s more for me than you.
When I look at you now I feel conflicting emotions. The selfish wish to hold on to you and the guilt of putting you through more pain just to keep you with me a little longer.
For years I had thought our life had been unnecessarily hard. That we’d been dealt a bad hand and been forced to weather it, and while it certainly was in no way easy we always had each other. It could have been a lot worse.
Tonight I asked you if you were tired of hearing that I love you, even though I am unsure you heard me. I tell you I love you because I want you to be so filled up with love when you die that there’s no room for anything else.
I know you still hold a lot of guilt because of things that happened in the past but I want you to know that I am proud to have you as my mother. You created me (with a little help) and through every act have moulded me into the man I am today.
I worry what others will think when they see I don’t cry. When I see George with you I want to cry because your love is so beautiful. When I hear you cry out in pain I want to cry because it hurts me. When I think about a world without you in it I want to cry, but I hold my tears for now (ok, I did have one tear). It’s only as you leave me that I begin to comprehend how very important you are to me.
I came out to you first and in that act understood my fears of rejection to be ridiculous. Deep down I knew you loved me no matter what and when I look back at my life I realise that there has never been a single moment in my life that I was unloved.
Memories are rushing through my head while I think of what to write next.
- How happy you were when I would bring home a new pile of books from the library for us to read.
- You getting angry with me when I had been angry at you for making me worry by being hours late home from work.
- The way you would always brake so late in the car and I would push my feet into the floor to help the car stop.
- When you held me while I cried after telling you I felt I had nothing to live for.
- How surprised you were to discover that I could play the piano we’d moved into the house.
- Getting a belting after I dislocated Tina’s arm.
- When you bought me a Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario World for my birthday.
- Being sent to my room because I couldn’t stop laughing.
- That you endured me being such a morbid teenager.
- Constantly being told that there is no such word as ‘badder’, and later, ‘worser’.
- How much trouble Jason and I would get in as we utterly destroyed our bedroom over the course of many years.
- Taking you to see Fellowship of the Rings.
- The time you cooked fish, or should I say didn’t?
- When you would call out the answers for Trivial Pursuit, even though you didn’t want to play.
- That you would never let me touch any of your Hobbytex/Artex/Trichem stuff.
- You being addicted to a late-night tv show about vampires which you found so scary that you made me watch it with you (I didn’t mind).
- Always being told to grow up and being frustrated because I could only act my age.
- Crying after hearing you cry in your bedroom.
- Punishment being to recite up to the twelve times tables courtesy of a chart you had painted and hung on the linen closet.
- Reading all the signs along the Hume Highway when we went to Nan’s and getting stuck on ‘reduce’.
- Discovering you wear dentures and your absolute horror that I’d found out.
- When you surprised me by giving flowers to Tina, Mandy and Sandra on Tina’s 18th.
- That I didn’t go to your wedding.
- Your frustration that I still didn’t know how to tie my laces and being sent upstairs with Jason and Mandy with instructions not to return until I knew.
- Watching The Goodies and Doctor Who everyday as a family.
- Being told to eat my vegetables, which is the why I now always eat them first.
- That you wouldn’t let me watch the television adaptation of Stephen King’s IT even though I’d already read the far more terrifying book.
All of these memories make me smile and while I’m sure that I could dredge up bad memories, I don’t want to. I don’t want to live my life haunted by memories of the past. I want to be happy and make the most of the life you gave me.
I promise I will never waste the gifts you have given me and I will never, ever, forget you because you will live on in my memories.
I love you.
Ben |
By Ben, on May 9th, 2010 I initially thought implementing a nation broadband network (NBN), effectively giving 93% of Australian homes access to 100MB internet access (provided through a 3rd party), was a fantasic idea but as usual the concept is better than the reality and now that details are emerging it worries me in a number of ways.
- NBN Co., the company created to manage and run the NBN, sounds a lot like what Telstra once was and the future of NBN is not certain. In fact, it’s a very real possibility that once the 15 year time period in which they specify it should remain government owned is over, the government will promptly begin to sell it. I don’t want another Telstra situation – one is bad enough.
- They are building technology that is good now, not planning for the time it will be completed in 8 years (supposedly) when 100Mbps will be considered the bare minimum you’ll need.
- The opportunities for corruption in such a massive project are huge.
Can anyone else think of flaws?
By Ben, on April 28th, 2010 I haven’t blogged for a while because things have been a bit hectic since we got back, but here I am now.
I’ve just today convinced my step-dad to switch the internet to AAPT’s new unlimited plan and what a relief to move away from the 12GB download limit he has had with Telstra. I’m a bit ashamed to admit thatthe new computer that I helped him purchase is better than the one I had in Thailand.
The situation with my mum is ongoing (she’s still with us) despite the certainty by the rest of my family that she would die shortly after I arrived. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to deal with other peoples emotions as things draw to a close, though I’m not even sure how I’m going to react at this point (I probably won’t react at all). I’ll have to be sure not to make any jokes on the day. Fishing pills out of liquids of various viscosity mum has thrown up to ensure she takes them does quite a good job of desensitising me I feel.
I’m still jobless so I guess I should pull my finger out and get one since Oui informed me that the day I get a job I am allowed to go and get whatever computer I want. He knows how to motivate me :)
Oui also plans to download WoW and get up and running on my step-dad’s pc once we’ve switched to AAPT.
There is other news, but I will report back soon.
By Ben, on March 23rd, 2010 As I was passing through customs upon arriving in Australia I noticed a sign informing everyone that there was some television show being filmed today and that if we didn’t wish to participate we should inform somebody. Aside from the reference to the elusive ‘somebody’ it made me wonder just when exactly did privacy become something I had to opt-in for?
It got me thinking about the need for no-call lists and other such things that only exist because privacy does not exist courtesy of the gradual erosion of our rights. This case in particular frustrates me since Customs is funded entirely by the tax payer yet is attempting to profit by allowing film crew to insert themselves into security process and basically exploit travellers, be they guilty of whatever infraction or not. Some people would say bring up the old “if you’re not guilty then you have nothing to worry about”, but I already find going through customs stressful enough being completely innocent and I do believe the correct response to such a statement would be that we should be considered “innocent until proven guilty”.
There are people who are far more invested in the battle for reclaiming our privacy but I still intend to contact my local representative to inform him of my thoughts, despite knowing full well it will be a complete waste of time.
By Ben, on March 15th, 2010 When the UDD gave their ultimatum today that the House of Representatives be dissolved, to which Prime Minister Abhisit responded “No”, I bet you were all wondering what would be next. I mean, when you give an ultimatum it’s a case of either do-what-we-want-or-we-will-do-something-bad right? Wonder no more!
UDD leaders announced that they:
will take one thousand litres of blood donated by protesters and spill it around Government House on Tuesday, in retaliation for the government’s decision not to dissolve the House.
The drawing of blood will begin about 8am on Tuesday, Mr Natthawut said.
A total of one million cubic centimetres (cc) would be taken from 100,000 volunteers, including protest leaders.
This would be a symbolic action. Cabinet ministers would have to walk over the protesters’ blood when they enter Government House to work, he said.
Talk about bat-shit insane! A symbolic gesture would be to paint the road red (with paint), but if they’re planning to use real blood how exactly is that symbolic? I doubt they can get anywhere near the quantities they’re talking about anyway.
I’ve heard they’re looking for volunteer medical staff to assist with drawing the blood. M?
By Ben, on March 12th, 2010 Did you know it’s possible to do a Google search of a specific website using the address bar of Google’s Chrome browser?
 Search from the address bar?! Different sites seem to support this differently with not all sites offering the ability to press tab to search, though it can still be done manually by entering a colon and your search terms after the address.
Sites that support pressing tab seem to have custom destinations, whereas manually searching sends you to Google.
By Ben, on March 11th, 2010 I noticed on my morning visit to Central Chitlom that the transparent rubbish bin that sits just outside has been removed and that they now have some guy with a handheld metal detector inspecting bags at the entrance. My habit of living my life inside a tiny bubble often causes me to forget that there is quite a bit of news surrounding the red shirts and their pending protest/s.
The most ironic part is of course that despite all of the above, it’s business as usual.
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