Where to now for the CTO?
The demotion of Clare Curran from Cabinet means the future of the search for the country's first Chief Technology Officer hangs in the balance. Where to now for the role that can't be fulfilled?
Curran removed from Cabinet
Clare Curran has been removed from Cabinet following the disclosure of a second meeting that was not recorded in her diary - a meeting connected with the search for a CTO.
Brislen on Tech
Three news stories this week mean we must surely give pause for a moment and reflect on what is going on with the internet.
The three stories relate to Microsoft and Facebook policing the internet.…
Mobile gaming thrives
So, you want to strike it rich in entertainment? Forget the movies and pour your creative talents into gaming instead - it's worth three times as much. And one of the fastest growing segments is mobil…
Microsoft moves to shut down alleged Russian phishing sites
Microsoft says it has blocked an attempted attack on the US Senate and a conservative think tank ahead of mid-term elections in November.
Collaboration key in delivering rural broadband
Where to now for rural broadband? That was the question for those attending the 2018 TUANZ Rural Connectivity Symposium in June. The organisation has just released a report of the event, which shows r…
iSANZ Awards open for nominations
The security industry's big night out looms with calls for nominations in this year's iSANZ Awards.
iSANZ's goal is to "inspire, promote and reflect" on New Zealand's information security people an…
Brislen on Tech
Advance Australia Fair. Not really. Sadly, the Lucky Country is in the middle of a monster drought which shows no signs of letting up any time soon. It's also apparently willing to elect a man who can…
Bias - a very wicked problem…
Algorithms aren't always the most enticing subject to talk to a Humanities and Social Science course about, but as Victoria Maclennan found, when it comes to algorithmic bias, everyone needs to know.
Telco service in ComCom sights
The Commerce Commission cited Retail Telecommunications as its "top priority focus area" last week and today we found out why.
Patently absurd
Patents are a source of much amusement and occasionally some horror, particularly in the tech world.
While some are truly innovative, and can lead to huge improvements in technology and the lives o…
Checking in on virtual reality
Virtual reality has always seemed like one of those technologies that ought to be more prevalent than it actually is. The last Gartner Hype Cycle that I sighted had it well ahead of the pack of other …
2Degrees seeks new CEO
Five years on from the terrible news that 2Degrees' CEO Eric Hertz and his wife had been killed in a plane crash, "acting" CEO Stewart Sheriff is to retire from the role later this year.
Brislen on Tech
In which we discuss free speech, the need to protect it and what is and isn't considered 'free speech'; why online elections create such a ruckus; and a new government marketplace to replace the panel…
Examining the benefits of participating in IT
Ngāi Tahu Research Scholar at the University of Canterbury, Mark Van der klei, whose PhD thesis is examining the IT occupation's attractiveness to Māori, asked the question at ITx about whether it i…
Fitness tracking watches now surplus to requirements
Following revelations that US troops on deployment around the world were publishing their location data courtesy of their fitness trackers, the US Department of Defense (sic) has called time on the pr…
Māori participation in IT - research participants sought
At the recent ITx conference I was fortunate to attend a session taken by Ngāi Tahu Research Scholar at the University of Canterbury, Mark Van der klei, who spoke about his PhD thesis, which has the …
Facebook lambasted by UK parliamentary inquiry
The UK parliamentary committee looking into Facebook and Cambridge Analytica's manipulation of the news media around the world has released a damning report that says Facebook failed in its duty to …
Brislen on Tech
Pop quiz: You open up your laptop and discover all your files are encrypted and a mysterious message says you're not getting your data back unless you give someone $5000 via an anonymised service. You…
Schools doubling down on data
The nation's schools are proving voracious data users, consuming more than 12 petabytes in the first two school terms of this year. That's according to crown company Network for Learning (N4L), which …
