Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to BenWilson,
In 2011, the Auckland Supercity became self-aware. Our fate was decided in a microsecond…..
Hang on. I’m getting this.
You’re saying that Rodney Hide was sent back from the future to engineer an IT spend of sufficient scale as to trigger a singularity and eventually bring into being an aware and self-interested computer entity which would become humanity’s master?
Evil. But so clever.
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Thanks Graeme -- this looks really useful and I appreciate you stepping up as a fact-checker.
I say "looks" because there's no way you're getting me to engage with STV after 5pm on a Friday ...
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Hard News: Three months after, in reply to Isabel Hitchings,
If I am happy that the Arts Festival and the Film Festival and Kidsfest are still going ahead (and i am deliriously happy about those) then I can reluctantly admit that some kind of rugby based festivities will probably make a fair few people happy too.
Absolutely.
Christchurch is home to the Crusaders, the best rugby team below international level in the world. (Actually, the Crusaders' fully-fit first XV would beat all but two or three international sides.) That organisation’s ability to develop young players, on the field and off, is remarkable and should be a source of pride. Tens of thousands of Cantabrians will have been planning to go to the RWC matches, and to welcome guests to the city.
And even though there was never a chance that the matches could be held in Christchurch after the February earthquake, that being confirmed really hit many people’s morale – and their economic confidence.
The city needs a sense of things happening, and this will be a boost to the many people who care about the city’s rugby heritage.
Which is not to say that people who use and treasure libraries shouldn’t ask for some support too.
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to TracyMac,
Wow, I'm appalled about that news about SAP. Personally, I think it's a pile of crap - only fit for running German car factories - and the only reason to make a significant investment in SAP infrastructure would be to upgrade and consolidate your existing SAP environment
So who does like SAP, then? The consultants?
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to Neil Morrison,
So the council is voting for a very expensive computer system when they actually believe a cheaper approach is possible?
I think you're being disingenuous and I'm not going to further entertain you on the topic.
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to Neil Morrison,
I’ve got no specialist knowledge of the field so don’t really know but isn’t this the decision of the current council? They so it appears are voting for a new system.
Basically, Neil, the whole thing has been framed so as to make it appear to be the decision of the elected council, even thought it isn't. Got that?
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to Neil Morrison,
so maybe quite a few people were wearing rose-tinted glasses, including the orginal proponents of reform.
I don’t think “shit happens” anywhere near covers this. They sidelined existing IT management and spent millions on consultants who told them to spend many more millions of dollars – and they didn’t tell us that.
Rob O’Neill’s editorial comment that accompanied the Computerworld story last year is essential reading:
There are signs building of a serious backlash against the way the Auckland Supercity is being implemented. Whether it’s the way executives are being recruited or the way the Council-controlled organisations are being reorganised, it looks increasingly as if the entire effort is being driven out of Wellington — and that’s making Aucklanders uncomfortable.
Arguably, all of these new structures should be decided by the new elected council and not implemented before elections are even held. At the very least, the new Council should be able to undo some of the decisions made before they arrive if they feel that to be necessary and in the best interests of ratepayers and residents.
The die was cast before we got to vote. The rest of the editorial covers the aggressively secretive approach of the ATA when Computerworld sought information.
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to nzlemming,
A number of the IT people from the various councils saw this coming and lined up for the redundancy, and I can’t blame them for that.
Quite.
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Hard News: Someone has to be accountable…, in reply to Lucy Stewart,
You’re otherwise right, though: the fact that this would end up costing massively more than predicted should be totally unsurprising to anyone who works with IT. I suspect there was quite a bit of “but they’re just hooking up computers, how hard can it be?” going on.
Two points:
1. The bill is 10 times what we were promised it would be by the Minister of Local Government. I am firmly of the opinion that a lot of people knew this was going to be the case. The public was told something else altogether.
2. People with an up-close view of this process expressed concern, felt the process could have been conducted much more efficiently, and were sidelined by Hide's appointees.
3. $300 million in unbudgeted IT costs in building a system for the Auckland Council to carry out its functions. I'm paying for that.
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Hard News: Mercury Special, in reply to Ethan Tucker,
Cool!