Issue 816

On The Net

with Chris Goh

'I'm going to just go out and enjoy myself, life is too short to worry about saving, it's more important to be happy,' said a friend of mine.

I don't doubt this is the attitude of many people born from the 70s onwards. How easily we forget the personal sacrifices of our forebears, which set the foundations for the casual approach we have today.

My mother, who lived in occupied Malaysia during the war, taught me to save. For her it meant a couple of sacks of rice in the cupboard, lots of toothpaste, toilet rolls, soap in the linen cupboard, and lots of tinned food. The ultimate irony of Donald Horne's ironic description of Australia as the lucky country, is lost on many. We've never had it so good.

We've also never had to face long-term hunger, or mental and physical persecution. My generation has not faced an empty cupboard, a water shortage, or scurrying into bomb shelters as the city above was levelled. Many of us have never had to face making the ultimate sacrifice in war to protect our nation.

I can feel safe that my house will still be there tomorrow, the supermarket will be open (or I can get takeaway). I can go to a local café without much fear of being persecuted or worrying it might blow up. I can drink - or sadly waste - as much water as I like and wash my car. I am able - and can afford - to visit almost any country in the world. I will not lose my friends or family to riots or snipers. My biggest worry is a 5.30pm meeting tomorrow, at which I have to submit a proposal.

The simple fact that I don't face the struggle for survival which greets so many people around the world every day, shows us all how fortunate we are.

So on Anzac Day, and every other day of the year, let us remember our own responsibilities to our community, lest we forget those that have sacrificed their lives so that we could live ours.

Hotnews

Sharp has just signed a deal with the Texas Centre for Superconductivity (University of Houston) for the fabrication of a new RAM technology based on 'Thin Film'. It's faster, smaller, cheaper and is low voltage. One of its greatest assets is that it doesn't require power to keep memory! Besides being a great replacement for flash cards, it allows you to store the information required by your operating system for boot up. Literally, so you'll never have to reboot your machine again! Now if only it will mow the lawn and wash my laundry, it could be a major breakthrough in computing. ;-) (We are getting spoiled aren't we.)

You'll be proud to know that Australia ranks third in the world in telephony use and access to the Internet. The index compilers measured a number of components including the ratio of people to ISPs, the speed of Internet connection, the price of access, age range and distribution of those users and others. South Korea topped the charts, followed by the USA, with bronze to the Aussies.

X BOX owners are going to curse the following news. Due to sluggish results in Australia, Microsoft has said it will be drop the retail price of the X BOX to $399 to try and compete with Sony's Playstation 2. The retail price was $649 only a fortnight ago (now stop thinking about what you could have done with an extra $250...). Now it's cheaper than PS2.

The war in the Middle East is also online. There have been 1,295 attacks on Middle Eastern websites, with Israeli sites experiencing 42 per cent of the hacks. Two thirds of those occurred after Israel moved into the West Bank. The targets have also been significant with 10 popular sites defaced.

Hotsites

www.awm.gov.au/index_flash.asp: The Australian War Memorial is an excellent reference, and tribute to those who made a great sacrifice to this nation. The Memorial has created an excellent site that includes an honour roll of those lost, and short stories. Every Australian should visit the site, if not the memorial itself.

www.aftermathww1.com: Aftermath is a tribute to all who survived World War 1. It honours what they did, and reminds us of the sacrifices they bore, as well as the sacrifices they continue to make to this day.

www.legacy.com.au: This charity requires no introduction. Legacy has helped many people live a life as fulfilling as one should be even after experiencing tragedies and ravages of war.

www.ancestors.ballina.net: Margaret Kennedy has put a lot of effort into putting together some good content for this local family history site. It's an excellent research and historical tool for anyone interested in family history on the Northern Rivers (despite the flashing signs). Heritage Week is also with us (thanks for the kind reminder Margaret) and it's great to see a local put so much effort into getting us in touch with local history.