[Linux-aus] State representation on the board: vision for LA

[Anthony Towns]

On Thu, Jan 08, 2004 at 09:45:12PM +0800, Leon Brooks wrote:
> > I don't think we can do it well, without LA
> > having representation in each state.
> No worries. Which of the nominees is from NT or Tas? Maybe next year we 
> can do dot-cx and all.

Yes, I expect LA's activities in NT, Tassie and Christmas Island will
be below par over the course of the year. I'm not sure what can be done
about it.

> Or perhaps we should lock you and Bret into a room and see who survives; 

Uh, with comments like that, do you really wonder why I'm not inclined
to call you to have a brief discussion on crazy ideas I've had to see if
they might be worthwhile? I can't say I particularly care to be equated
with the resident crank.

> If we wrote one-per-state into the Constitution we truly would be a digital 
> Parliament, 

You'll not I haven't suggested we do any such thing.

> with the larger states badly under-represented per capita 
> or per hectare.

Still seems better than dividing 0 by capita or hectare.

> And how about WA? Kununurra and Broome and Hedland and Geraldton and 
> Perth and Augusta and Esperance and Kalgoorlie are all utterly 
> different, and that's just the towns. Should we have a certain 
> percentage of rep's from the country? Should our borders match the 
> State borders or not?

Having someone in Perth is better than only having people in
Sydney. Especially given the tendency for Australians to live in capital
cities, and that it's early enough days yet that we don't actually have
anyone outside the capitals volunteering, afaics.

> > Having someone you can _talk to_ is what helps.
> I'll go remote-area rep, since I'm in the most isolated city in the 
> world. Talk to me. 0409655359.

No offense, but I've got nothing to say to you. I don't even know you.

> > With a local LA ctte member, if I'd thought the Digital Agenda stuff
> > was important enough, I could've pestered them easily enough in
> > person,
> Email committee@ and if you're that desperate for a quick response, do 
> it daily. Things will happen, trust me.

Uh, if I want a quick response, there's not much good me having to do
something on a daily basis for an extended period, is there?

In any event, informal policies like this are _exactly_ the reason why
it's useful to have someone local who's in the know and can clue you in
on them. Resending mail once a day is a good way of pissing off a lot
of people into ignoring you forever, it's certainly not something I'd
try out of the blue. Cold calling people you don't know well, who've
got day jobs on issues you think are important but they might not give
a damn about doesn't seem particularly sensible either.

> > LUG meeting, or chatting with some government types, or giving a talk
> > at a conference in Geneva,
> You sound as if, viewed from Geneva or Brazil, there was a perceptible 
> difference between Brisbane and Sydney (or even Perth), but there 
> isn't.

Viewed from Brisbane, there's no difference between LA in 2002 and LA
in 2003. That's the problem.

(I've no idea what makes you think I sounded like that, so there's
nothing relevant I can reply. Sorry.)

Cheers,
aj

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj at humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. GPG signed mail preferred.

               Linux.conf.au 2004 -- Because we can.
           http://conf.linux.org.au/ -- Jan 12-17, 2004
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