Good Newsing

11:42 Mar 12, 2010 86

I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'll keep it brief: congratulations to all those involved with Pacific Fibre, and all power to their plans to build a New Zealand-Australia-US fibreoptic cable to be managed as if bandwidth wasn't scarce.

I remember when the Southern Cross cable lit up, and the promises that were made – and went unfulfilled. The cable, our only viable link to the greater internet, has always been managed so as to create scarcity and maximise revenue, even though there has always been spare capacity.

The room to move in the Southern Cross model has been amply demonstrated lately by the 75% price cuts it has been offering since Kordia started sketching out plans for a new trans-Tasman cable. It now appears certain that Kordia will work with Pacific Fibre on the larger project.

Rod Drury and Sam Morgan have often spoken about the way the pricing and management of international bandwidth make it hard to take a digital business from New Zealand to the world. And now they and others are actually doing something about it. Go those guys.

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And this week's Media7, looking at the Rugby World Cup and the media with Rugby New Zealand 2011 CEO Martin Snedden, Richard Boock and Richard Becht, was a good one. You can see it here.

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I'm delighted to say that an excerpt from This Is New Zealand has been added to NZ On Screen – the team even had to make a special super-super-wide player to do it justice. Like Peter Jackson, I was taken to see the film as a kid in 1970, and I've seen it several times since it was restored and digitised at Park Road Post in 2005. It's rhythmic, intriguing and by turns grand and wryly humorous.

Only the first three minutes have been posted, but Hugh Macdonald is preparing his film for DVD release soon.

NZ On Screen also has a new "badge it" feature, which burps up code for you to embed in your own website a badge linking back to any of its works.

Also, look out later today on NZ On Screen for a new Flying Nun video collection curated by Roger Shepherd. It includes this clip for the 3Ds 'Spooky', directed by my main man Andrew Moore:

The Phoenix Foundation have 'Buffalo', the first single from their forthcoming album, available for free download. Thanks, Phoenix Foundation!

And two tracks have semi-officially leaked from MGMT's forthcoming album: 'Flash Delirium' and 'Congratulations. I'm not exactly blown away by either of them ...

And, finally, CactusLab's Matt Buchanan shot this clip of 'Hey' at the Pixies' Powerstation show last night:

Boy, were there some excited tweets coming out of that room …

86 responses to this post

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Pete Sime, 11:58 Mar 12, 2010

I am so pleased about the new cable. If they have a public float to raise capital, I may fish around the back of the sofa for some cash.
This mashup of the Beastie Boys and Battlestar Galactica has put a big geeky smile on my face for the past day or so, it tracks the original Sabotage video perfectly (some NSFW lyrics - one or two f-bombs, that's about it)
Side by side comparison:

Dunedin • Since Apr 2008 • 171 posts Report
James Green, 12:01 Mar 12, 2010

Perhaps someone should suggest to Stephen Joyce that the information superhighway might be a better investment than his not-so-super-highways.
For the price of Waterview, we could get some serious connections.

Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report
Dave Waugh, 12:01 Mar 12, 2010

Thanks for the pixies clip that rocks!
I was gutted I couldn't head up to the pixies show.... Bloody work getting in the way. :o(

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 98 posts Report
Danielle, 12:07 Mar 12, 2010

Boy, were there some excited tweets coming out of that room …
I had no time to tweet more than once before it started, because I was too busy DYING OF JOY. :)

Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 12:21 Mar 12, 2010

My understanding is that Southern Cross has substantial unused capacity, but its owners ration that to keep prices high.
Given that, it's questionable how the new cable is going to pay its costs back.
However, that might not matter if enough <strike>mug punters</strike> visionary investors can be persuaded to pay for it. The model of having a business borrow to the hilt to build new infrastructure, go bust, and leave that infrastructure to be rented out cheaply by a successor isn't a bad one for the community. See Global Crossing, et al.
Just so long as it isn't taxpayer dollars.

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report
James Green, 12:29 Mar 12, 2010

<em>it's questionable how the new cable is going to pay its costs back</em>
Iceland is trying to get into data centre hosting (less cooling costs and renewable energy). That could also be a thing for the South Island.
Southern Cross has substantial unused capacity, but its owners ration that to keep prices high
That is also my understanding, but one of the appeals of the new cable is that it takes a more direct route, and so has lower latency as well. It's not just offering higher capacity, but also a better quality connection. Undoubtedly though, the price of Southern Cross will drop as soon as any new connection is made*.
*Relatedly, I just about fell out of my chair this week when my LPG supplier announced a price decrease. LPG has increased by around 50% over the past 5 years, so I can only assume that there is a new competitor to the market!

Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report
Kebabette, 12:36 Mar 12, 2010

Hear hear Danielle, if you're that excited you ain't tweeting, you're peeing yourself.
You lucky sods!
On the music front, I'm loving http://www.bootlegsfr.com/jedetestesergegainsbourg mashing Mister 'Fistful of Gitanes' with Biggie Smalls and other hippity hop is just so good.

Christchurch • Since Feb 2007 • 221 posts Report
Greg Wood, 12:50 Mar 12, 2010

News of the new cable would have made me happier than I already was about seeing the M%^$&^%$&F^%&^%ING PIXIES, but my cup of delerium had well runneth over far in advance.
And to have all my friends and my gorgeous wife (her hair flying everywhere) part of such a delightful and appreciative crowd making a meal out of such a rawly spectacular and generous performance? That put the icing on the cake that got shoved into the top of my overrunning cup.
So much so that after the show I was approached by a shady character who wanted to know if I was the one beaming my face off the whole concert, and if he could perchance help me shift some of whatever I was on...
Mate, I was on The Pixies.

Now back in Aucktown • Since Dec 2006 • 86 posts Report
Jolisa, 13:08 Mar 12, 2010

Mate, I was on The Pixies
Pixie dust, perhaps?

Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report
Andre Alessi, 13:34 Mar 12, 2010

I think the new cable will only really have an impact on the consumer side for customers (at least in the short-to-medium term) if it also drives more local ISPs to set up caches with international content providers. Issues like TelstraClear's ongoing performance issues with Youtube streaming don't just need more international bandwidth, they need local caches to deal with the fact that we're separated from most other networks by significant distances, and latency will always be a factor. The real limitation for consumers will still be the delivery between the local exchange and the jackpoint, though (until VDSL2 starts taking over...well, I can dream!)
Even so, the impact at a macro level on ISP overheads can't possibly be a bad thing for consumers.
I was sorely tempted by the Pixies show like I seldom am anymore. But I managed to get my dates wrong, and blew my chance at getting a ticket. In fact, my reaction was a little like this guy's when I saw all the tweets about how awesome it was:

Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report
James Green, 13:36 Mar 12, 2010

Hmmm. So in fact, I think rather than the dairy farming proposed for the Mackenzie country, Twizel should become the centre of a new data centre industry. Plentiful supply of cheap electricity. They can use the canal water for cooling, and having an earth roof planted out in tussock, they can be discreet as well.
The Mackenzie: Server Farms, not Dairy Farms(tm)

Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report
Sacha, 13:40 Mar 12, 2010

Beautiful, Greg

Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report
MatthewB, 13:42 Mar 12, 2010

Lucky sods...Still, the Vector tonight I''m sure will be great and if I'm close enough to the front it will almost feel like a small venue. Lots of tickets still on Trademe. Bet the Powerstation gig stuffed up a few scalpers plans of making a killing from on selling Vector tickets. How sad.

Pt Chevalier • Since Mar 2010 • 2 posts Report
Russell Brown, 13:46 Mar 12, 2010

By the way, if you're in the Chev, and you have a camera, this is the weekend of the pointchev.com photo competition. Groovy.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report
Matthew Poole, 13:54 Mar 12, 2010

My understanding is that Southern Cross has substantial unused capacity, but its owners ration that to keep prices high.
Given that, it's questionable how the new cable is going to pay its costs back.
SCC is thoroughly paid for. It was paid for several years ago, in fact, and now is just producing cream for the owners. Bandwidth doesn't have to be expensive, so it actually won't take much income for a consortium to pay off a new cable if they take a long-term (10-15 years) approach to recouping the investment. Making $100m/year is not a big ask, especially since, as Sam Morgan has pointed out, the 7ms latency drop against SCC will appeal to major financial institutions - people on the trading floors there would run over their grandmothers with steamrollers to get a 7ms reduction in trading latency. That's worth huge money.
Also, with the NBN plan, we need all the capacity we can get. Statistics NZ projects that the number of households will reach 1.84m by 2021. If 75% of those are connected to the NBN, that's 1.38m households. If average speeds on the NBN are 25Mbps (I sincerely hope that it's more like 250Mbps by then, but I'm a realist), that's 34.5Tbps of bandwidth demand if everyone is saturating the average connection speed simultaneously. The capacity of SCC coupled with the upgraded capacity of Pacific Fibre would satisfy about two-thirds of that demand, but that's if they're dedicated entirely to serving residential requirements. Obviously they won't be, and shouldn't be, but it shows just how much capacity we really need if the NBN is to be more than just a big let-down. It's no use having a fire hose to water the garden if your pipe at the street is a straw.

Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report
Matthew Poole, 14:00 Mar 12, 2010

they need local caches to deal with the fact that we're separated from most other networks by significant distances, and latency will always be a factor.
Except that latency is irrelevant for most of what consumers do today. It doesn't matter if latency is 50ms or 500ms, or even 5s, if you're watching YouTube. What matters is the size of the pipe, not how long it takes the request to get to the far side.
Latency matters for real-time interaction, like video conferencing and financial trading, and those things can't benefit from a cache at any point since they rely on end-to-end connections between parties.
Caches reduce load on the connection, but they don't replace the connection. The connection still needs to be there, and be as quick as possible, for utility to applications that matter. It doesn't matter if your email takes a minute to be delivered, or it takes five seconds before that clip on YouTube starts to buffer up (especially if it only takes it 10 seconds to load fully), but it does matter if your video conference is like trying to have a phone conversation with the moon or your automatic trading computers are several fractions of a second behind everyone else's in getting information to process into buy/sell orders.

Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report
Hadyn Green, 14:07 Mar 12, 2010

I'm such a nerd. I saw that Pixies clip and I wanted to head home and play Hey on Rockband (which is what I imagine Matt did)

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report
Brenda Leeuwenberg, 14:21 Mar 12, 2010

The fabulous Flying Nun Collection is now live on NZ On Screen.
Check it out here: http://www.nzonscreen.com/collection/the-flying-nun-collection
Embed the clips, spread the joy ... anything could happen :)

Wellington • Since Oct 2008 • 41 posts Report
Mark Easterbrook, 14:31 Mar 12, 2010

Mate, I was on The Pixies.
You're lucky Greg, you narrowly escaped the overexcited man-hugs I was inflicting on wife, friends, and casual acquaintances post-curtain.
Magic show (not in a David Lovering, Science Magician way) and the consummation of an affair that began in the Tikipunga High School art room a very, very long time ago with Vicki Graham's well-worn Surfer Rosa cassette.
Best birthday present ever.

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report
Aidan, 14:36 Mar 12, 2010

I don't think Kim and Charles could get any further apart on that stage.
I am just bitter, but it maybe lacked a little energy donchyathink?
How much were the (legit) tickets?

Canberra, Australia • Since Feb 2007 • 154 posts Report
Danielle, 14:41 Mar 12, 2010

Ninety glorious dollars. Worth every cent and then some.

Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report
Leigh Kennaway, 14:46 Mar 12, 2010

By the way, if you're in the Chev, and you have a camera, this is the weekend of the pointchev.com photo competition. Groovy.
Any photos taken this Saturday will give the impression that the Point is the brownest suburb in Auckland... or the biggest car park in the city of sails. The Pasadena end of our fair suburb will be chock a block with Pasifika traffic once again.
Of course, photos taken a few weeks earlier at the northern end would have given the impression we're the gayest suburb in Aotearoa..... I do love our neighbourhood and it's diversity - both with the residents and those attracted to some of the great events we host!

sunny Pt Chevalier • Since Mar 2008 • 40 posts Report
Andre Alessi, 14:47 Mar 12, 2010

Except that latency is irrelevant for most of what consumers do today. It doesn't matter if latency is 50ms or 500ms, or even 5s, if you're watching YouTube. What matters is the size of the pipe, not how long it takes the request to get to the far side.
Not to derail the thread too much by dwelling on specific technical details, but the particular issue I was mentioning this in reference to is apparently not the result of just international bandwith, but rather specific issues with the route from here to there that more bandwidth won't necessarily fix:
Youtube Performance on TelstraClear
Most gamers will be happy to see any reduction in latency to international serves, though.

Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report
Kumara Republic, 14:57 Mar 12, 2010

Most gamers will be happy to see any reduction in latency to international serves, though.
Especially those training their bows and blades toward Icecrown Citadel.
And speaking of the cable proposal itself, it'll be even better if it's run from Kapiti. In the unlikely event of Deathwing making his presence felt up north.

The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report
Glenn Pearce, 15:15 Mar 12, 2010

Any photos taken this Saturday will give the impression that the Point is the brownest suburb in Auckland...
It's all on this weekend. Pasifika as well as St Paddys day celebrations at Seddon fields, Speedway Friday and Sat night, Zoo Music tonight....
Check these out for some great photos of The Chev
http://unconditional.co.nz/ptchev/

Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report