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New shelves, new folders, same problems

February 12, 2006

They say “tidy desk, tidy mind” and I have to say I largely agree.
But a “tidy mind” is only really needed occasionally. The rest of the time achieving it requires cleanliness bordering on the obsessive – something that somehow diminishes the person, makes them more of an automaton.
At the moment though, a tidy mind is [...]

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The future of the Internet – your chance to influence it

January 24, 2006

Very few people are aware of it but several *open* discussions in the next few months are going to decide on the formation of a new forum that could well grow to become one of the most important bodies on the planet – the Internet Governance Forum.
The IGF's creation was agreed at the World Summit [...]

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The full Condoleezza Rice letter to the EU over Net governance

December 1, 2005

I have finally got hold of the letter from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the EU in November that outlined in no uncertain terms how seriously the US was taking the Internet governance issue – and how determined it was to stick with the status quo.
While it is obviously direct, it may [...]

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Open letter to GAC chair Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi asking for open meetings

November 28, 2005

Here's a copy of a letter I've sent to the chair of ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee asking him to include a review of its closed session policy as part of the wider GAC review.
I'm dead serious about it. I don't think there are any good reasons left to maintain closed sessions and the GAC [...]

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Lazy Sunday but busy week coming

November 27, 2005

I am feeling rotten. Yesterday was the first day since I got back from Tunisia at 3.30am on Tuesday where I felt even vaguely normal – I'd picked up some killer cold somewhere along the line.
So, of course, what do I do but celebrate not feeling like death by getting drunk. Resulting in me [...]

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Rice and Gutierrez letter to the EU over Net governance

November 24, 2005

One of the more interesting pressures brought to bear in the recent dispute over Net governance was a letter sent from US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice and US commerce secretary Carlos Gutierrez to the British presidency of the European Union to drop its proposal for an inter-governmental oversight body.
The letter was pretty stern [...]

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A well-deserved half-day holiday

November 21, 2005

Well, I have just sent off my last bit of work, having exhausted myself for the past 10 days and now intend to finally pay the Roman ruins in Carthage a visit before getting my flight back to Blighty this evening. A half-day holiday – woo-hoo!
I am trying to put out of my [...]

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WSIS: Secret police, hunger and booze

November 21, 2005

Secret policemen: you miss 'em when they're gone. It seems most people shipped out of Tunis soon after the closing ceremony ended around 7pm. When I got back to my hotel around 10pm, there was only one secret policeman standing guard and he didn't even bother to inspect my badge.
This morning, I only [...]

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Summit's over

November 18, 2005

Well, it's all over, save the writing.
It finished in a packed plenary hall – estimated guess about 2,000 people. A few long speeches about how great it all was. Lots of praise for Tunisia and the Tunisians.
The Cubans made a last-minute and unnecessary fuss about a slight mistranslation, further extending the admiration that [...]

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The two-pronged approach to staying awake: Laughter and coffee

November 18, 2005

Conference fatique has really hit home today. I actually wrote a piece The Register where I wrote “Swedish prime minister” when I meant “Swiss president” – that can't be good.
Anyway, with enough coffee I should be able to get through this last day of the Summit. And just to help it along, I have [...]

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