I have a lot of sympathy with you too Jolisa, seeing as how I hit this certain age at the end of the year. Fortunately I have friends and family joining me down in Q'town for the event, and since it's new year's eve, I'll appropriate the town's fireworks for my anti-celebrations. I also plan to go on the luge carts on the hill above the town and eat lovely food.

The real panic is if I start thinking about the lack of pension plan, uncertainty over career, blah blah blah.

While it's not so much related to the problems with NZ telcos, this piece by John Naughton in last Sunday's Observer suggests another good reason for the nation to own some of the infrastructure that has become so strategically important.

Another article suggests that 27 per cent of Swedish broadband users get fibre to the door.

Roll on that day here. Couldn't get audio on 10 attempts to skype to the UK last night, thanks to my crummy 'Go Slow' connection.