Blog

Just back from Podcamp Perth 07. My thoughts

1. Good turnout, as always for anything held in Perth.

2. Crowd was a different mix to perhaps what I expected, a lot of people in education, teachers, uni folk etc. Always interesting to get different view points.

3. If Podcamp was suppose to be an unconference (which is what I was told) then it proves that Australian’s don’t understand unconferences. I purposely didn’t do a set speech, spoke for 5 minutes then tried to encourage audience discussion. Towards the end it started to work, with discussion amongst the audience with me just watching on. This was cool, but it was the only session I saw during the day that got close to this. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just my expectations were different

4. The guy from Apple didn’t have Leopard yet, or an iPhone.  

5. Multi streams suck, particularly when there are 4 concurrent streams. I didn’t get to go to everything I would have wanted to.

6. People presenting SL shouldn’t show virtual hardcore porn, even if the Machina is cool. Looking up skirts is not a good image to give to prospective SL members. Sorry Brett.

7. Perth hotels are insanely expensive now, dearer than Melbourne and probably at Sydney levels. It’s cheaper to get a hotel room in Silicon Valley than Perth.

8. Perth’s taxi system is the worst in the world. I had to walk from East Perth to nearly West Perth because I couldn’t get a cab, and neither could anyone else in the city. Fucking ridiculous, and it’s a disgrace. WTF will visitors to WA think?

9. Congrats to the organizing committee on a job well done.

10. Seeing Richard Giles’ daughter made me want more kids. Soooooooo cute!

A week is a long time in politics and its been even longer for the Labor Party this week. The Labor Party’s momentum of the phony election campaign has given way to a Liberal Party that is running a blitzkreig on all fronts.

I’m for the Liberal tax cuts: Australia still remains one of the most highly taxed nations in the OECD and they are long overdue, but Rudd’s response has been pathetic. I heard talkback during the week: despite mainly being State issues people were whinging about hospitals and schools. Rudd should have come out and said we won’t support the Liberal’s tax plan: we’ll lift the tax free threshold but we’ll spend $20billion on schools, hospitals and roads. It would have split the electorate, but it might have been enough to get Rudd over the line. People like tax cuts, but given things are going well for most people now they’d more likely support schools and hospitals.

Rudd’s ad campaign has been awful. Ask people which election campaigns they can remember and the only ads that are always recalled are the Liberal anti-Union ads. Rudd talking positives his is bland delivery isn’t cutting through at all. Perhaps they need a jingle? wheel Gough out to sign it’s time or similar? 🙂

I’m still not predicting a Liberal victory, but I’m thinking that this election will be closer than the 15 seat ALP majority I predicted. Rudd needs to regain momentum and lead instead of follow (presuming he’s still got some rabbits in his hat) or there is a chance that we might see a slim Liberal victory.

I tried reaching out to MyMac Australia, but the rather heated person who called me earlier today just sent me this. I find it rather odd but he thinks I’m bullying and threatening him when the first thing he said to me on the call today was get the video down or we’ll sue you.

Dear Duncan,

The person you spoke to was me, Steve Bardel the owner of My Mac Australia,

Buy all means Duncan contact Apple and the ACCC I will be happy to show them your invoice, Like you I will not be bullied or threatened. I am happy to supply you with contacts numbers for both.

Like you said to one of my staff members when you bought the isight it was a product you could not get from anywhere, and it was the last one we had and you sighted it it our display cabinet,  we did not have the box and that is why it was bubble wrapped  for you, you knew this.

I see your you tube outburst as offensive to my company and this is not a threat you will be hearing from my Lawyers if it is not removed.  It is unfounded and I will fight the removal of it and for compensation for lost business that you may of caused.

Regards,

Steve Bardel
Managing Director

My Mac (Australia) Pty Ltd
Apple Premium Reseller
172-192 Flinders Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel: 03 9662 9666
Fax: 03 9662 9855
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mymacaustralia.com.au

My response:

Steve
the simple fact remains that I was NEVER informed that the iSight being sold to me was incomplete, either by your employee or by notice in the display cabinet. The fact that it was not displayed in a box does not suggest that the item was incomplete, the only thing it shows is that you take things out of a box to put on display, a fairly regular sales tactic employed by about 99.999999% of retail sales outlets in Australia.

The fact remains that I would never have purchased it if I had been made aware that it was incomplete package, particularly at the cost. By all means talk to your lawyers but there is NOTHING defamatory in that video, only the simple facts that you failed to supply me with a complete iSight package and my warning that people check packages sold to them by your store as in my case I was not provided with a full package, which I’d note you don’t disagree with.

An invoice issued after the purchase does not constitute fair point of sale notice that the goods being sold were deficient. You’ll find the onus of disclosure under fair trading laws is with the seller to disclose this upfront: if I bought a car I’d expect it to have a steering wheel, are you seriously suggesting that you could sell me a car legally without a steering wheel on the premise that you only disclosed the fact on the invoice issued after the sale was made? It certainly seems that way because we seem to have no disagreement that the missing parts were not disclosed to me in that your only justification has continually been that I knew because “it was on the invoice.”

 I was offered bubble rapping only as I mentioned that I would be returning to WA with it; it was NEVER noted to me that it was missing a box, which is really irrelevant anyway because it wasn’t just the box that was just missing, it was standard parts that are meant to be sold with the iSight as per your deal as an Apple reseller. I couldn’t really care less about the box, I simply would like the missing parts of which I’m presuming are probably still somewhere in your store given that they were not provided to me when I purchased the iSight.

As for the case being unfounded, I look forward to hearing from your lawyers as to how this is unfounded. You have already admitted, both verbally and in writing that you did not supply me with a full iSight kit, and you’ve also admitted that at no stage did your store or employee advise me that the iSight was lacking standard parts. Indeed, we actually both agree in full on that case, so again I don’t see how my online request for these missing parts is unfounded. Perhaps you’d care to clarify which part was unfounded? I may consider editing the video is anything in inaccurate.

I’m also interested as to how something I posted on YouTube that took you 6 weeks to find has cost you business? I have never once said that people should not shop at your store, and indeed your sales staff were prompt and polite. I have simply suggested that people check what they are provided by your business to make sure that what they are buying is all there, because as we both agree in my case it wasn’t.

best
Duncan.

SBS launched a new show last night, a Shaun McCaulife news-style satire by the name of NEWStopia. It’s playing 10pm Wednesdays for an initial 10 week run. I didn’t see it last night, but read about it in Crikey today, you can watch the show (for the next week) here.

It’s actually pretty good, and I’ve never been a McCaulife fan. 297% of voters cant be wrong on the Pakistan election story and the spoof ad on NetAltert in the middle of the show, with Coonan swearing is a classic. Enjoy.

I’ve got no idea if the same applies to Australian batteries, but it’s still amazing none the less: 32 AA batteries from 1 6v


6 Volt Battery Hack! You’ll Be Amazed! – video powered by Metacafe

Im sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Adagio San Francisco waiting for check-in. Funny how the staff at an expensive hotel are ruder than the cheap Best Western I stayed in last night: “Check-in isn’t until 3” I was told, where as when I rocked up at the Best Western yesterday at 12 they were overly helpful and found me a room straight away. Sure, the hotel room at the Best Western probably won’t be as nice as the one I’m checking into, but sometimes it’s the little things.

I’ve been trying to get an upgrade on the flight back: looks like a Qantas scam. For acquiring Frequent Flyer points and paying I’m considered full economy, but I’m not for a business class upgrade, and hence it’s 72,000 pts vs 48,000 or something like (I’ve got 60,000). Grrrr, not sure I can go that long with limited sleep again…hopefully this time the loud Americans sitting next to me don’t need to piss 7 times in a 14-15 hour flight…particularly when I’m trying to sleep.

TechCrunch 40 starts tomorrow. I’m live blogging it at TechCrunch along with Nick Gonzales. Crazy stuff with a cast of thousands, amazing speakers and having seen the list now some bloody good startups as well.

Last thing: Jason Calacanis mentions San Francisco’s homeless problem. I thought I saw it bad the last time I was here, I was obviously in the good side of town. There is a homeless person in front of nearly every second building…as an Australian I find it very, very disconcerting. At least they aren’t like Canadian beggars (well Toronto beggars), they don’t aggressively jump in front of you asking for a dime…most of the time they are passive, but it’s still weird. The oxymoron of being at the centre of the richest empire in the history of the world, only to find yourself surrounded by the poor strikes again.