Good internet still far away

                                 Internet at a far distance. Illustration by Trrent


As I stated on Twitter sometime ago, I thought internet in Brazil was alright, but, no, it's not. I used to complain a lot in Australia, whether the internet was 3G or else, but in Brazil it is no good either. Checking on Google, it`s not hard to notice internet in both countries is quite deplorable.


In Brazil, internet is expensive - over 445 dollars a Megabit in Manaus, Amazonas, compared to 1 dollar and 15 cents in Japan, according to a Cisco's survey in 2007. Brazilian government recently spread the news that it plans on bringing down broadband connection costs. A Megabit, which is now an average of 45 dollars across the country at the moment, might be 22 dollars until October 2011.


I just tested my internet speed at Internet Speed Test website. My download speed is a good deal lower than the world speed - 1644 kbps against 4079 kbps. In Switzerland alone it is 8422 kbps. Im not even stating my download rate, upload speed and upload rate, cuz they are out of proportion as well.


Brazil needs to invest a lot more, foreseeing increased demand in the years ahead, according to Folha, Brazilian newspaper. Companies should be looking forward to an 11,25 Mpbs download speed.


Australia is another example how things turn out to be bad too. As far as I would remember, internet was not available everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean aboriginal ancient lands, just the nearby surburbs! Yeah, I worked in telemarketing there ( what a pity ) and would listen to people complaining about no internet connection at all.


Things are not so up to date till now. Internet speed over there is an average of 1,5 to 2Mbps upload and download. The country has a lack of investment in infrastructure; internet providers use phone wires to connect dwellers to the internet, the ADSL.


Australia has a plan in place to offer internet to all Aussies (in time) at reasonable costs, the National Broadband Network - or NBN. It has started slowly in Tasmania, but people disagree on lots of things. They argue about the costs, for example. A heading at the Australian website Adelaide Now says: NBN price higher, PM's promise 'flawed'. People would then rely on the same old ADSL again. Some days later the NBN was hacked by a fellow citizen of theirs.


Much alike Australia, Brazil has the PNBL, Plano Nacional de Banda Larga, which means National Broadband Plan, it is taking time as well to adjust things. The connection costs can be similar, but the Australian plan is deemed to reach 93 % of all homes, businesses and so on by 2020. In Brazil, the Plan is supposed to make internet available to 40 million homes by 2014 - not all of them yet. Maybe in 2020? 

B for brand and Benneton

I've always enjoyed the Benneton brand. When I was a youngster I always tried to get mom to buy me something from Benneton - I still wear stuff from it. : ) However, all of a sudden, the company`s outlets disappeared without a trace (at least here in Brazil.)


There were agitated moments in this brand`s lifetime. Their new approach to advertising back in the days got them famous. Some time after, it ostracized the brand and made its creative mentor - Toscani - leave the company.


Here are a few ads: David Kirby, AIDS patient, portrayed as Pieta; below is an albino African woman among others in her tribe.



Picture from http://shayco.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/benetton-what-a-shocker/



picture from http://www.kunsthandlung-schoenen.de


Before those ads, there was the brand itself. The string of controversial ads are, in my opinion, a way of  uniquely express themselves in the market. It`s weird, but nobody has to think the same.


It seems Benneton is back in the game. Their new addition to the team, You Nguyen, who is the new creative ahead of store fitouts and design, says Benneton must stay true to its identity. It's a valid concept, as image is everything you have in the end. It's the first association people do in their minds. 


Once a mighty company - selling more than any retail brand in the 80s - Benetton may be remembered by consumers as a controversial shop, but a single one though.


I'll stick to it, Benetton is still a big brand for me.

FYI

iPad 3? Already? And a 3D one?


Wow, technology news these days make their way around the globe faster than celebrity gossip - more so if they are rumours - or upgrades.


You know, Im still enjoying my iPad (one).


I was considering the second version, when the tabloids rummoured a new one is on the works.


I then read a piece about iCloud on the local paper today. Steve Jobs came out of nowhere to announce it and make investors happy. Yeah, Apple is also getting ahead on the smartphone battle, leaving Blackberry behind.


Returning to iCloud story. It means to gather all media stuff you have and store it in this cloud. You can access it from your remote Apple devices. 5GB is for free, but service is 25 bucks a year. Brazil is not on the plans to get the service, yet.


There is the new operational system, IOS 5, to launch soon too. 200 (!?) new functionalities, like weather and stock markets on your screen right away.


And I was talking about... iPad 3! Hhm, after all those news, it turned out not to be that interesting anymore. But you can read more here. And here. More stuff here too.

Worth studying?

Picture from http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/gadget-usage-causes-lack-of-sleep-study-finds/

Since I have arrived in Brasilia, Brazil, I started to look for jobs. Of course, in Brasilia, the most bureaucratic city in Brazil, the majority of jobs are government's. If you are not Brazilian you should know you need to be approved in tough exams in order to join the government force.

That's what Im doing at the moment: studying for the exams. The thing is I'm a bit frustrated. The reasons are as follows:

1) The competition is far worse than anything else you are aware of (except for navy seals recruitment)

2) gov jobs are a dead end for someone's career

3) public administration in Brazil doesn't function well, actually it is horrible

The competition for those jobs is high and jobs in private companies are quite competitive too, but the salaries in government are a lot better than in most private companies. The job market situation in Brazil lately is favorable mostly to jobs in demand, such as hospitality, retail, and on the other end, technicians and engineers in constructions and stuff. It's hard to pay rent and support a family with an initial - and average - private company salary.

When Fernando Collor was president, he signed a law to give stability to public workers not only in the federal sphere, but to all others linked to government - public banks, post, police and so on. That decision relieved workers about the possibility of getting sacked (almost impossible). If anyone imagined something like pursuing a career in government, it has been revoked from constitution, then you are stuck in the position you applied for in the exam day til retirement. 

All this turns productivity at work pretty bad, no, maybe, terrible! When you work in a job you CAN'T get fired, then you know things aren`t right. Carlos Osmar Bertero, in a World Bank and Brazilian government request, in 1994, made a document (sorry, it`s in Portuguese) where he expresses his opinion on public management in Brazil - in brief: "Almost all things that oppose the common sense are practiced. Performance and quality of services to the population are poor and the costs to the nation are not low." 

I think you get my point. Well, now, excuse me, I have to go back to my studies.

MarciOnline: Bayão

MarciOnline: Bayão: "Os alemães são os maiores fãs do Brasil. Todo alemão que tem uma casa, principalmente das classes B e C, faz no fundo do quintal uma praiaz..."

Responsible Tourism

Traveling as a tourist means enjoying things rapidly. Escaping from routine is like a relief for the mind and soul, though. People book accommodation, transportation, tours - if they have chance to do in advance - but sometimes forget to be responsible. That is the fact of caring about the environment at the destination.


Travelers should notice that it’s not only them that will remember the trip. The locals will remember it too. Whenever people visit different places than their own, there are positive and negative effects.


Responsible tourism tackles challenges in tourism nowadays. It started as a demand that ecological organizations would ask from societies. It grew up to guides and manuals edited by companies interested in the wellbeing of the planet.


Tourism is a lucrative business, generating almost six billions dollars in Brazil alone, in 2008. It’s going to be as lucrative as there are things to see. It makes sense to promote responsibility in tourism. All sides need to understand how to minimize their impact/actions – the tourists when bringing lots of packaging to remote areas for example, and the businesses owners, whose facilities don’t comply with energy saving rules.


Things are slowly changing. There are documented stories, like the ones at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel. It recently minimized its effects in the neighborhood by composting food scraps, and recycling different materials. The business is just following other hotel steps.


People are accepting these attitudes more and more. Tourists are probably going to include good deeds in their ‘to do’ lists in a future not too far (hopefully).

Malbec Wine



Malbec grapes. Picture from http://wine-tasting-reviews.com/


Now that I’m in my home country again, it’s often easy to enjoy food I really like, which is food made in Brazil. They are açaí ‘smoothie’, pão de queijo, feijoada – Brazilians know better. My friends in town introduced me to something new, but not something from my own country.It’s simply wine, which I know, but from Argentina, the Malbec wine. This is a wine I wasn’t aware of.


My friends, Daniel, Márcio, and I were drinking beer at Daniel and Carol’s place one day, when Carol called our attention for a TV show, which topic was wines.

The program’s segment was showing the Malbec wine. That particular wine is delicious, according to them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste right there.


Back home, I commented the wine to my sister. She said the wine is made of grapes only grown at the Andes Mountains. ‘Uhh’, I thought – it is real special wine. I haven’t heard about it overseas.


Few days later I already tasted my first Malbec. Today I tried this one named, Elsa Bianchi, from 2009. Both of them are great. The latter is though crisp.


What I found out is that Malbec is minor wine in California, and it’s added to other wines only to give a bit of consistency. Bordeaux and Médoc, in France, use it in a very small scale. Nonetheless, Malbec is very good in Argentina, ‘where the heat and dryness bring out the best of your character’.


It is enough for me to keep enjoying it.