Not "nil points"...

There were several good news tidbits to round-off my week.

On Thursday, I was at an IAEAB meeting (which I’m not allowed to report) and was heartened to find signs that the requirement of pan-Government security vision is starting to be recognised in high places.

It’s great that, finally, Alastair Darling has committed the government to bringing digital broadband communications to most communities in Britain. Coincidentally, further research was published, this week, demonstrating that computer technologies can help people move out of poverty. At the very least, we should ensure that ICT is equally accessible to all our communities, and not just another advantage for the affluent.

Well done to Kent Connects for becoming the first partnership to connect all its sites to Government Connect (especially as they will have had to bring the network monitoring that was undertaken from BT’s 24 hour facility in Sao Paulo back to the UK in order to do so).


When I was at GBTV, a few weeks back, the Executive Producer, Dominic Moran, proposed developing a customised programme for Socitm – Socitm TV. Adrian called me on Friday afternoon to let me know he has followed-up in a very positive meeting with Dominic and, subject to Board approval, we will soon be able to get the project up and running.


On Friday, Chris and I spent a lovely evening with Britta Karin and Gert Olson. Their daughter is Anna Karin Jönbrink, who I I first met in her home country, Sweden, where she presented on Green IT at the Kommits Conference. Anna was accompanied by Britta to New Zealand where she presented at the ALGIM event, Chris and Britta palled-up while Anna and I were working, so when Britta and her husband were planning a break in London, she got in-touch. New we’re looking forward to arranging a visit to their remote holiday cottage!


Well done to Newham’s own Jade Ewen. It was always going to be hard to win-over a Eurovision audience that voted Lordi a winner, but you did a great job, and you’re the champion in my eyes.