There's research and there's research

Discussion have been had frequently by academics and researchers who
might wonder about the relative importance and/or utility of their work.

Here's what I consider some really interesting research results from
Deakin University

http://www.theage.com.au/national/sonar-science-uncovers-grim-wartime-secret-20090331-9ib0.html

Is this more or less interesting than my work on say, Voluntary
Administrators reports.....

Better get in before it is year between blogs :-(

Life has been hectic on a number of fronts - a lot has transpired
since August including some extended leave, that was occupied with an
amazing trip to Hawaii, Canada, Seattle, Las Vegas, Utah, New Orleans
and San Diego late last year.

A good experience today with my iPhone (and I've got to say there are
plenty of less than good experience with this particular gadget - er I
mean tool').

Anyway I had just downloaded the free Griffin iTalk app a few days ago
- quite fortuitously as it happens. The radio mic was missing from
the lecture theatre today as I set out to give a Trademarks lecture in
my Marketing Law undergrad unit - so thought - I'll try the iPhone/
iTalk solution - it all worked well I'm pleased to report - I've
transferred it to my Mac and downsized for loading onto the university
server. Four and a half stars - syncing through iTunes without the
need for additional syncing software would get it the other half a star.

Tenuous Link to teaching/IT Law....

But consistent with where my attention has been this week...

Finally got an iPhone.

My initial assessment is OK - just OK.

Interface seems very unintuitive in places.

No BlueTooth calendar/contacts syncing - this is absolutely astounding
and a total surprise - this is such central functionality that I
didn't even this before committing - presumably this a deliberate
attempt by Apple to drive revenue through the MobileMe service (which
I havn't tried yet(.

Mail downloading has failed about 8 times - requiring the unit to be
restarted.

Mail is very inflexible - can't download only certain folders - eg I
don't need all my spam on me at all times (probably don't NEED any of
my mail on me at all times)

The 'virtual keyboard' is very clumsy and much slower than the
predictive text on previous SonyEricssons.

I can already tell battery life is going to be an issue.

Ergonomics/usability of the main button are bad - unnatural - should
have a back button on the touch screen - again the user interface on
the Palm and SonyEricsson seem much more natural.

No Mobi eBook reader (not that that is Apple's doing directly)

2MP camera - what where they thinking - saving a few dollars I guess.

The whole way the device is geared to constant (read expensive) data
downloading for GPS, updates. MobileMe etc - ACCC have already
'warned' customers re the nasty surprises that await those new to
mobile data charges.

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/836489

It's my view that Apple and the carriers are, at best, less than clear
about what excess charges cost and (naturally) how to prevent/curtail
them.

Cultural Divide...

http://www.theage.com.au/national/backlash-feared-over-uni-students-cultural-divide-20080722-3jck.html?page=2

Left leaning journalists, academics and student union types might like
to push the anti VSU line wherever they can, but having taught in the
Faculty with the largest number of international students at Monash
(Australia's largest university) for some time, my view is that VSU
funded activities did little to address the issues raised here.

VSU provided funding for many student clubs etc - but these club and
their activities were just as segregated. The discipline based club
activities revolved around participants getting inebriated (frequently
pitching events as 'all you can drink'), the clubs based around
country of origin - such as Malaysian Students Club offered other
activities. This divide and the diversity of clubs remains.

The real issue raised in this article is Federal lack of funding,
Kevin07, for all the talk has not delivered a new funding model that
will reduce the universities total dependence on international students.

More connected?

http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/bloggers-feel-more-connected/2008/03/04/1204402430340.html

If you're not fast, you're last...

I did some preliminary research last year, with a view to writing a paper into the 3rd line forcing issues that Apple would have to contend with here in Australia, under the Trade Practices Act, if they pursued their US revenue model for the iPhone, which saw Apple take a cut of the revenue from the exclusive carrier (AT&T) that iPhone users were locked into.

Distracted with other things, I never got that article completed, but Stephen Corones and Dale Clapperton from QUT did.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23272429-5014239,00.html

Where have the last 3 months gone..

The last post was in the spring, and now summer is over.

I've been very occupied finishing a state government research project and  working on the new national teaching initiative I mentioned in an earlier post - www.buslawforum.com.

Had a piece published in The Age just prior to Chirstmas - must have been a slow news day.

University Rankings time

In the unlikely event that anyone missed The Times Higher Education
Supplement results, heres a summary of the results of Australian
institutions. My ANU alumni persona remains pleased, my Monash
academic spirit dampened a little.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/victorias-unis-slide-in-ranking/2007/11/08/1194329414546.html

Full details here http://www.thes.co.uk/ from 10 NOV 07.

YouTube v JewTube...

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/13/google-to-file-trademark-suit-against-jewtube/

October in summary

The Australia Law Teachers Association (ALTA) conference in Perth was very informative and productive as usual, I presented a paper based on research that I had done with two colleagues into improving outcomes for commerce/business students in their core law unit.

As is often the case with such gatherings, much of the benefit comes from the informal associations that are established and developed.  John Selby from Macquarie University and I took some tentative first steps in providing a forum to further co-operation and sharing between legal academics involved in teaching law to commerce/business students - very formative, early days at present - but the forum will be at www.buslawforum.com.