196 nations open three week (!) telecoms congress

The International Telecommunication Union is a walking contradiction, where tedious 19th century ceremony exists side-by-side with snappy 21st century efficiency. I'm here in Guadalajara, Mexico at the ITU's Plenipotentiary — a meeting that this United Nations' agency for information and communication technology holds every …

[Big Al]

More please!

""Government representatives (and no one else, mind you) are given full powers to negotiate on their country's behalf, and at the end what is decided has full power over the countries represented — more or less.""

Which, for all the arcana, is a hell of a sight better than sending them home and allowing politicians and other civil servants to get their muddy hands on (and argue, cavil and debate on) anything. Nothing would ever be agreed upon if that happened.

Sit 'em down, lock 'em in, hold 'em to the agreements. Great, more of that please!

[Jacqui]

to discuss the future of teleconferening

This is just an excuse for a major jollie.

[tubbydammer]

Not a jolly

I expect most of the people there would prefer to be somewhere else. Mexico isn't the world's safest place to hang around at the moment. Count the murders in recent months.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes a jolly

Three weeks, on a 5 star hotel, all-inclusive courtesy of the tax-payer? I'd kill to have such vacations.

[kierenmccarthy]

If only it was

I am here and I can assure you that using the word "jolly" to describe it does a major disservice to jollies.

[Anonymous Coward]

While making for an amusing piece

I don't mind at all if the ITU, or any organisation, is being hopelessly outdated for the first week of three once every four years, as long as they aren't the rest of the year, or the other three years. That's probably why they haven't fixed that stuff in the past century and a half. It really would be pointless to do so. I mean, one week in 208. If that's all... but is it all?

Still and all, it's interesting to see what makes the thing tick. Continue, please.

[Anonymous Coward]

I bet the local 'escorts' are very busy!

I bet the local 'escorts' are very busy!

[mccp]

Eh?

"Yes, the ITU's logo is dated and arcane, as well"

Well that's a bit churlish. Perhaps it would be better if they spent a million quid on getting a new logo designed?

I think it's pretty appropriate actually, the globe goes well with the 'International' bit of ITU, and the spark pretty well with the 'Telecommunication' bit (as long as you recall the arcane fact that early transmitters used sparks to generate radio signals).

[iamapizza]

moar!!!

Surreal, mysterious, arcane, informative... this article has everything to keep me hooked. I *will* be back tomorrow to know more about this. I was completely oblivious to the existence of the ITU - a surprise in itself in today's world and an entity which I am SURE has questioned itself in the past, just done nothing about it due to international political bureaucracy (think UN) - and will now be spending many hours constantly pressing F5 in anticipation.