Video Ezy and Mobilesoft, video-on-demand trial, Sydney

This article appeared in the Australian Financial Review in the October 14-15, 2006 edition, www.afr.com

Paul Uniacke, the chief executive of Australia's biggest movie rental business, Video Ezy, has taken an 8.8 per cent stake in information technology hardware provider Mobilesoft.
On October 3, Uniacke announced he had bought about 12.6 million shares in Mobilesoft for just over $250 000 via a 2c a share placement. The company's shares last traded at 4.5c.

Mobilesoft has a market capitalism of $6 million. In January this year, it announced it had secured a $5 million order to provide set-top boxes that decode video signals sent over TV internet protocol networks. Video Ezy is now trialling a video-on-demand service in Sydney where customers can download movies onto a memory stick, which they can then plug into a
Video Ezy set-top box to play the movies.

Video Ezy has yet to announce the set-top box supplier but as it has about 540 movie rental stores in Australia, it is potentially a lucrative contract.

Drought-Proofing Australia

The following text was sent to me by `Yogi', who is a very good chartist using Gann principles, and other methods as well, read on about a possible solution to the current water shortage crisis;

Re: Reticulate Australia ..... :)Hi folks,Instead of whining about the symptoms of drought, let's inject some constructive thought into drought-proofingAustralia ..... it CAN be done, with a genuine commitment from BOTH governments and the private sector. We have been pumping water from Perth to Kalgoorlie, which is 360 metres above sea level, for over 100 years.

Imagine, how much water and energy we can save, if we could REVERSE that flow ..... there would be a torrent of water flowing into our parched reservoirs in Perth ..... a torrent of water, that could also generate power, as well. Right-of-way for a pipeline from Kalgoorlie-to-Perth presents no problem, as it has been established for over 100 years.

Described as the largest infrastructure project, since the Snowy River Scheme, Reticulate Australia has the potential to bring into reality the dreams of forward-thinkers, likeErnie Bridge, billionaire Richard Pratt and C.Y. O'Connor ....Imagine the benefits to farmers across the nation, a water supply that never runs dry!! Controlled broad acre irrigation to ensure a bumper cotton and grain crop .... EVERY YEAR!! Open up new land that was previously marginal, due to lack of water. First, from the Kimberley, a short link to maintain underground reserves in the Officer Basin and then another pipeline from Kalgoorlie-to-Perth and on to the dry interior of Southern West Australia.

Fill the old gold mining pits and regional dams to optimum levels to encourage local industry, leisure and tourism activities. Another line from the Officer Basin to be run eastwards, in tandem with a gas pipeline from Kalgoorlie to the Palm Valley gasfields, then onwards to Alice Springs and Moomba and Cubbie Station, at the head of the Darling River system. From there, both water and gas can be distributed in this dual-pipe configuration to link with established networks and create new links to critical dams and reservoirs at the head of our failing eastern waterways ..........

Adelaide has the worst water quality in Australia, yet a pipeline shorter than the Dampier-Perth route, could supply Adelaide with pure, clean water, straight out of the tap ...Despite the scaremongering about lack of water and water quality, we DO have plenty of RENEWABLE potable water, we have the technology, so let's get a committment from the pollies to stand up and lobby for a common-sense approach to maintaining water and energy, throughout Australia. Towing icebergs from Antarctica or giant desalination plants are NOT the answer for Perth, Adelaide or elsewhere, either.

Current estimates of supplies from Officer Basin tell us, that the established reservoir could meet Perth's requirements for the next 400 years ..... and that's without a replenishing line from the Kimberley resources. Do something for Australia ..... lobby for the advancement of a pipeline network that will drought-proof Australia and provide cheap energy nationwide, at the same time..have a nice day yogi