"We demonstrate globally from our office in Wellington, install our products remotely and receive funds electronically. We have US phone numbers in our office. The barriers to global commerce are minimal. We don't really even think about, we just do it."
New Zealand is a tiny country of just over 4 million people, on the other side of the world to the US and Europe. We've historically had a chip on our shoulder about the distance we are from all the action, but in recent times Internet technology has improved our lot. As the NZ National Library wrote, when explaining their Digital Strategy:
"For generations we have laboured under the real or imagined burden of 'the tyranny of distance'. With the Internet comes 'the death of distance'. A recent report noted that 'for New Zealand, the Internet is the modern equivalent of the freezer ship that revolutionised our economy last century'."
I share Rod's optimism about the Internet enabling us kiwis to earn a living virtually. Still, I would love to attend some of those TechCrunch parties, or be able to work at a big Internet company in Silicon Valley, or pop round to a local wifi-enabled coffee shop and write my book (there's no free wifi anywhere near where I live). I guess location still counts for something, huh... :-)
]]>Location still counts for internet pricing :-|
]]>ps Thanks for reminding me re audio Rachel, I didn't have the audio link on the post pages - fixed now! :-)
]]>What is the wifi footprint like in NZ? How about EV-DO?
]]>While you can get the work done and communicate with the rest of the team thanks to the internet, it's easy to get jealous of the "San Fransocial" scene, and the chances for networking outside of IM, IRC, skype, blogs, etc.
Still, I wouldn't trade my current lifestyle for the Valley... :-)
Oh, and I can totally relate to the Kiwi's here, after the NZ jokes are exhausted, my "mainland" Australian friends will happily start in with the Tasmanian jokes... ;-)
]]>In Wellington, CafeNet provides good coverage at reasonable rates: $20 for 70Mbytes or $80 for 350Mbytes. Well, reasonable for us anyway :-)
Warren, if those aussies start getting uppity - I like to remind them who holds the rugby TriNations Cup and the rugby league one too :-)
]]>Now in Ohope with Natalie, working on web design and teh web office great place for ideas, and to look after customers, skype calls are just that little bit better when you can gaze up the coast 200 k's and and admire the volcanoe offshore.
]]>I think EV-DO is what Telecom calls "T3G".
]]>Ouch! Verizon sells unlimited EV-DO for $65 per month! US $65 would only be, what 190 mb?
Oh well, it's nice to know that it's there if I finally pull the trigger on immigration.
]]>