Atomac

Joel Fitzgibbon is a name well known to those in politics, but as Defence Minister I must confess that I hadn’t taken note of him until now. The ABC reports that at the inaugural Edmond Barton lecture in Newcastle on Friday night Mr.Fitzgibbon described Australia as the most over governed country in the world and called for the abolition of the states. This is something that I have said for a long time.

Prior to Federation in 1901 Australia consisted of six colonies. Cooperation existed between them but each was a separate entity with its own economy, laws and government. Cooperation only went so far, however. One famous example of the substantial lack of agreement between the colonies lay in the different rail gauges that they employed requiring goods to offloaded and reloaded at state boundaries. In this context it is hardly surprising that the only way a single nation could be forged was by allowing each to retain a certain level of autonomy.

The existence of the states serves no purpose in the modern world other than to create waste and confusion. Australia’s three levels of government are cumbersome and, ultimately, pointless. Each state has its own police force, education system, regulations, taxes (in addition to Federal taxes like income tax and goods and services tax) and myriad government departments such as health, infrastructure, heritage, community services and tourism. Most departments are also duplicated on a Federal level. The costs of running each of these government departments in each state must be massive.

Not only is this duplication of services a massive waste of time and resources but each state also has its own government complete with an upper and lower house. In total there are 814 members of parliament in Australia.

Australia’s population is only 20 million. That means one politician for every 25,000 people. This figure doesn’t take into account the approximately 10,000 local council members across the country since each state is further divided into local governments responsible for things like parks, waste disposal and by-laws. While most local council members don’t receive any form of payment the salary costs for each member of parliament must be staggering along with the costs of keeping each building.

Leaving money aside, the separate states create nothing but difficulty and confusion. A nurse or teacher wishing to practice in another state must become registered there, criminals have to be extradited, cars are have to be licensed in each state separately and records aren’t shared, traffic laws are different and things like land tax vary. The states don’t even share a school curriculum. Moving state is like moving country.

So, if the current system is failing, what do I suggest? Simply abolish the states and redraw the maps with smaller administrative areas that are more like local councils than states, something like the British counties. The federal government becomes responsible directly for police, health and education. Laws are standardised, registration for everything is done federally. Taxes are the same. The smaller administrative areas become responsible then for things that councils are currently responsible for. Electoral boundaries and administrative area boundaries become the same. Each administrative are has a small body of representatives who are elected by the people within their boundaries. Another two representatives are elected to the lower house of federal parliament and upper house of federal parliament.

Canberra would remain the main administrative hub and different government departments would be devolved to different parts of the country. Geographical distance is irrelevant in the 21st century and placing government departments in different population centres would mean that job losses in the public service would be reduced.

I can’t imagine it happening but as Mr.Fitgibbon points out “duplication and inefficiency [are] costing the economy billions and it’s a discussion we need to have”.

It came as a surprise to many, myself included, that the Department of Education and Training released the long anticipated Twomey Report or, more formally, The Education Initiatives Taskforce Report. The taskforce was set up to examine “continuing education staffing shortages forecast for the years ahead” its “prime objective was to consider the supply of, and demand for, the education workforce within Western Australia and to recommend initiatives for the education system as a whole”.  The report can be downloaded from here and reads like the Minister for Education’s worst nightmare. Perhaps greater than the surprise that it was released at all is the lack of evidence that it has caused any impact at all.

For those of you who lack the inclination to wade through the report’s 144 pages here are some of the highlights that seemingly prevented its earlier release.

• economic pressures in Western Australia are greater than elsewhere in the country with CPI from September 2004 to September 2007 being 11.3% in WA versus 9.1% for the rest of the country.
• the average wage of West Australians has increase 63% from 1997 to 2006; in real terms teacher’s pay increase by 11.5% in the same time period.
• the report recommends “immediate and significant investment in public teacher and lecturer remuneration”

The minister’s comments when the report was released were along the lines that the report specifically does not inform the current rounds of negotiations. How one can disregard the word “immediate” is quite beyond me. He can’t say he hasn’t read it, after all he has had seven months.

With regard to the status of teaching as a profession the report notes that “over time, salary levels have failed to maintain parity with other professions which have similar qualifications and responsibilities”.

In the above I have focussed on salaries as I believe this is the crucial factor in attracting and retain teachers. The report also recommends:

• A better system of career progression for all staff within schools and colleges.
• A comprehensive, merit-based scholarship system aimed at attracting intelligent, high-achieving individuals into teaching and lecturing.
• The need for a considerably greater number of student practicums in regional areas.
• A much greater number of para-professionals in classrooms to support teachers.
• Attention to housing and workplace conditions for teachers and lecturers in regional and remote areas.

Well, it seems that I have been the victim of a hoax.

While my ego was flattered by the idea that Richard Dawkins might join Twitter and follow me, I have since discovered that it was a hoax following something curiously unatheist like Tweeted this evening:

Thanks for listening and following along. Have a nice day. 

belief system. It’s easy to be against people who are different than you, but try not to be like that. Take the high road, unlike RD. 

legacy. Just like I, a Chrisitan do not follow Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson, don’t be mislead by someone just because they share your… 

Consider that being hostile towards others has never won any followers. Richard Dawkins is just an old man trying to leave behind a …

That is my message of peace to all of you. Love one another. It’s ok. 

People who claim to be Christians can be hypocrites, but they’re just people, and all people make mistakes. Try to be good to one another. 

It’s not wrong to be kind to people who don’t believe the same as you. You don’t have to be militant atheists. 

While I still have 1700 of you paying attention, I just wanted to say: Whatever you believe, respect others beliefs.

Which led me to look at richarddawkins.net. Where I found this from the real Richard Dawkins:

et again, some impostor is pretending to be me. I do not Twitter, I had never even heard of Twittering until this thread alerted me to it, and I most certainly have not signed up for it. I am told there are numerous Facebook pages purporting to be mine. None of them is. I do not have a Facebook page, or anything comparable.

I don’t understand the motivation of these impostors. They do not seem to intend malice. If that were the motive, I could kind of understand it. If it were amusing satire I could understand the motive. But the fictititious persona that they invent for me is not particularly discreditable, nor is it funny. The statements attributed to me are not wildly implausible. But they are not mine. They are pure fiction. If anybody can suggest a possible motive I would be curious to know. What kind of person makes up fiction about a real person, which is neither malicious nor humorous but just sort of DULL?

And does anybody know how to let it be known to the Twitter admin people that this is an imposture?

Richard

Which leaves me feeling rather embarrassed to say the least. Still it was not beyond the realms of possibility for it to happen and it has heightened my awareness that something like is possible.

What concerns me is that it isn’t April…

It is not everyday that you wake up and Dr. Richard Dawkins, biologist and atheist, author of books including The Blind Watchmaker and The God Delusion is following you on twitter.

It as an amazing example of the power of the internet and particularly services like twitter. That people with such different backgrounds, geographical locations and lives can come into contact through a part of their lives that intersects speaks volumes about the power of the internet to create communities with participants.

I was, and am, exceedingly flattered to have such an eminent scientist following me. Love the idea that I might have something to offer. It is also interesting that people can be united in their disbelief in something.

Early on the morning of June 10 Perth time Steve Jobs announced the second generation iPhone and fulfilled everyone’s expectations. The new phone does, indeed, include 3G networking allowing for much faster data transfer over the telephone lines.

The changes don’t stop there. The iPhone also includes a GPS system with live updating. Unchanged was the 2 megapixel camera, still rear mounted, crushing rumours of a front facing camera allowing users to video conference. Unchanged too was the revolutionary interface. Visually the iPhone is similar to its predecessor but the rear of the phone now sports a black plastic rear case instead of the original brushed metal.

The biggest news, aside from the 3G, was a surprising price drop. The 8GB iPhone that originally cost US$600 is now $199. A 16GB iPhone can be had for US$299. It is obvious that Apple realises that the phone market is extremely price sensitive and this brings the iPhone into the territory where many consumers can afford it.

To me, and a few others, the new iPhone is a bit of a let down. Sure Apple addressed a lot of the criticism and the inclusion of GPS is welcome, but still missing is a to-do list, a notes application that syncs with my data on my computer and video recording. I understand that the plastic rear case is probably a little cheaper to produce and is more friendly to radio signals but it seems to cheapen the iPhone’s appearance somewhat.

The new iPhone App Store will, no doubt, fix the missing software issues, in fact, and this is something I haven’t read anywhere else yet, there is no reason why Apple couldn’t push these essential pieces of software through the App Store itself. Most users will probably by a cover for the phone so the rear case will probably be covered. I guess I have answered my own criticisms.

Do I want one? Prior to its release I think I would have crawled over broken glass to get one, now I am not so sure. Steve announced that iPhone 2 will be available in Australia (an a few other countries) July 11. Looking at the iPhone on Apple Store online no pricing is evident and links are provided to Optus’s and Vodafone’s websites. Optus site at least mentions the iPhone but doesn’t contain any details of pricing or plans. Vodafone’s didn’t even mention the iPhone when I looked. Vodafone also doesn’t provide any pricing details. Instead both sites want users to preregister. Optus want $50 for the privilege.

Leaked pricing from Optus indicates $79 and $99 plans. The $79 includes a measly 1 GB of data and the $99 5 GB. Both include calls and text up to about $300. As I feared it seems that once more we will be scalped by the telcos. The pricing is quite ridiculous. Sure there is infrastructure to pay for but I am not going to spend this much each month for functionality that is essentially available with my iPod touch and my current mobile. Rumour is that an unlocked phone will be available. I would consider that as long as I could get decent data and voice plans.

Speaking of the touch, it may now be redundant. Unless Apple drops the price to lower than that of the iPhone, which I believe, come July 11 they probably will.

Today’s West Australian newspaper reports on the decision by the Industrial Relations Commission yesterday. According to the newspaper the State School Teachers Union is still considering strike action in order to apply pressure to the Department of Education since, at least in the opinion of Anne Gisborne the SSTUWA president, an offer can still be made during the arbitration process.

The arbitration process, it is reported, could take up to 12 months. The union believes that in making the submission to the Industrial Relations Commission the Department is taking the “longest pathway the can”. Strangely Mark McGowan, the Minister for Education, believes that this is the “quickest way to resolve this issue”. Somebody has to be wrong here.

It seems to me that the Department of Education is, indeed, trying to make the process as protracted as possible, and who can blame them. Every fortnight that goes by without a pay increase means money the Department doesn’t have to spend.

The Minister continues: “we’re still pushing to make sure WA teachers are the best paid of all the states”. What, of course, he doesn’t add is that they would be the best paid at the end of the three-year agreement compared to teachers in other states at their current pay levels before their pay negotiations. So that in three years the situation would be the same as at the moment.

One thing that has become more than apparent about the Minister of Education and the government that is a member of is the total lack of compassion that they have shown for their work force. In an era when food and petrol prices are rising astronomically and where the cost of housing is ridiculously inflated the Department is paying its teachers so little that they are struggling to make ends meet, let alone live comfortably.

The Department seems to have its head stuck in the sand too with regard to looming teacher shortage. Instead of acting on the recommendations from the (still secret) Twomey report, from the Business Council and other experts in education to increase teacher recruitment and retention by addressing the most pressing concern of salaries the Department, which must realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is the train, faffs about with ineffectual strategies such as recruiting from overseas and other states, creating super schools and pulling staff out of its district and central offices.

The latest in these ridiculous strategies is also reported in today’s West Australian. The Minister is suggesting that the one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Education should be turned into a three month intensive course. He believes that people such as “mining engineers, geologists and physiotherapists…who wanted a job that fitted around their children” would be interested.

The best bit is that when interviewed he “conceded that many people on high incomes would be attracted by a teacher’s wage”. He actually admitted that a teacher’s salary was not attractive. He goes on to say that people who are already financially comfortable will make the move. What about the current teachers who are financially uncomfortable? He is completed misguided in his notion. Why would a mining engineer give up his $160k per annum income to earn $50k standing in front of 30 or so disinterested children? What Mr. McGowan should be more concerned with is teachers leaving the profession to go and work on the mines.

This, of course, leaves aside the issue of how qualified to teach these people will be. The Bachelor of Education is a four-year degree. This is how long it takes to become a teacher. The current Diploma is a one-year course and the graduates of this course are often not competent as teachers with many resources being used to prop them up in their first years of teaching. Just because someone has a degree doesn’t mean that they are able to perform the highly complex task of teaching.

The SSTUWA does itself and teachers no favours either. Instead of focussing on what is important to teachers, i.e. salary, they blur the issue with class sizes and Duties Other Than Teaching (DOTT), both of which are completely impractical in a time where there is a teacher shortage. Many of the high-ups in the Union seem as dispassionate with regard to the people they represent as their adversaries in the Department. Collective bargaining is all well and good but when the body bargaining on the behalf of workers seems as ineffective as the SSTUWA then it seems that Individual Workplace Agreements are a better bet.

My prediction is that this issue will be resolved during the election campaign by state government. Until then the government will keep its hands in its pockets until suddenly making an offer that will bring the 30,000 teachers in this state back to the fold.

The Western Australian Industrial Relations Committee has moved to end the ongoing dispute between the Department of Education Department of Western Australia and the State School Teachers Union of Western Australian by officially ending the “bargaining period”.

Following a submission by the Department that the bargaining period be ended the commissioner, Jennifer Harrison, decided in favour of the Department. The State School Teachers Union submitted that it was still possible for the parties to reach an agreement, but this was rejected. In the decision the commissioner agreed that the Department had negotiated in good faith.

The decision by the commissioner is the last in a series of decisions that seems to favour the Department over the State School Teachers Union. The Commission seems to consider both parties equally in terms of arbitration but doesn’t seem to consider what the parties represent. One is a government department negotiations for which are conducted by employees who are instructed to cost the Department as little money as possible. The other represents real people, teachers, who are not paid in proportion to their contribution to society or the pressures of that society.

The implications of this decision would seem to be that it will be the Commission that will now decided the pay and conditions for West Australian teachers. Will the Commission simply call the Minister or the Director General and ask them how much they want to pay teachers? Will the Commission ask representatives of both parties and make a decision? Will they ask to see the Twomey report? I hope that this is finally going to mean a resolution but I hope it is fair.

For information on the Commission’s decision see here.

This via Daring Fireball.

280 Slides is an online presentation creator. It’s interface is pure Keynote.

If you wanted a companion to Adobe’s online word processor Buzzword this would have to be it. An amazing piece of programming. It is in Beta and is free at the moment. The only question that really pops into my head is why I would use this over a desktop program.

Anyway. Have a look.

I am not sure how I came across the musings of UbuntuCat. His byline seems to be fundamentally opposed to Atomac’s skeptical, atheist, Apple-loving rhetoric given that he is a Christian Linux user, but he writes some excellent stuff.

In Teach kids computer skills, not computer programs he argues that the standard rationale for the use of Windows in education, that is that Windows and Microsoft Office is what children will use in the “real world” so they should be training in schools, is spurious. This is something I have long argued primarily since technology changes so fast that what a child in Year 3 uses now will not even exist when they are 18. What UbuntuCat suggests we ought to be teaching children is how to tinker and be curious about computers, so that they can teach themselves to use any technology they encounter.

While I entirely agree with this notion, I see it as a subset of teaching children to think logically and scientifically. After all, that is what curiosity is. It is asking “What happens if I…?” and then testing to find out. This is the approach that children (and adults) should take to life. To ask “Why?” and “How?” and the try to discover the answers.

So I argue thinking skills, not computer skills in the same way that UbuntuCat argues computer skills, not computer programs.

I have only used an Asus EEE PC briefly but as a concept I think that it has legs. For those not in the know the EEE PC is a tiny computer in the same form factor as a laptop or notebook machine. Available in two models one with a 7″ screen and the other with a 9″ screen the EEE PC is what is commonly called an internet appliance. It has a relatively slow processor and utilises a solid state drive (SSD) which uses memory rather than a spinning disk to store data. Equipped with a built in web cam, wireless internet and running either Linux or Windows XP it is an intriguing device.

This article isn’t about the EEE PC, however. The EEE PC leads me to speculate on what Apple could do with a concept like the EEE PC. It has been argued that the iPhone and iPod touch are Apple’s internet appliances but I find it hard to believe that Apple isn’t planning something along the lines of the EEE PC, that is an internet appliance bigger than the iPhone and smaller that the MacBook Air. Some might say that the Air, in fact fills this niche but I am not so sure.

Apple have invested a great deal of research and design in the iPhone’s touch interface. While it has many imitators the touch interface making use of multiple finger gestures to manipulate data is quite unique. How could this be applied to an internet appliance? A tablet springs to mind and in fact this is one of the Holy Grails of the Mac world. Will Apple bring put a tablet based computer? The MacBook touch perhaps? I don’t really see it. Sure it would be interesting but the compromises one accepts on a device like the iPod touch aren’t what we have come to expect on a computer and that is definitely what these internet devices are.

Perhaps then Apple will launch a successor to the much missed 12″ Powerbook. The 12″ Macbook Pro? I would be extremely excited to see one of these but, in case you missed it, the MacBook Air fills this niche. No. Going. To. Happen. The Air is not a full blown computer in the same way that the 12″ PowerBook was (lacking an optical drive for example), but it is a full blown computer and therefore replaces any chance of a 12″ PowerBook replacement.

So where does that leave us. Not a tablet. Not a laptop. Yet the chance of entering this new market with a class leader would seem ripe for the taking. Why not a tiny lap top, why not an Apple version of the EEE PC?OS X runs quite nicely on the miniature Intel Atom processor. The screen would be small enough to make Multi-touch practical and it could also have a physical keyboard. Using SSD means that you don’t need the space of a hard drive. Some sort of application launcher, such as that use by the iPhone, could launch applications meatier than those on the iPhone and allow input via the keyboard.

Combine this with the rumblings about .mac changing into something more practical and you have the perfect hybrid device. Your blog in your pocket? Your office in your pocket? Perhaps your home computer in your pocket.

I am probably right off the mark but I think that you can expect Steve to announce something more than that 3G iPhone at the World Wide Developers Conference on June 9. Why not this?