Recent press has been brutal for Woosh. Some themes are familiar: top-level staff jumping ship; the red ink (the little ISP that couldn't lost $21.7 million for the year ending June 2007, bringing its cumulative losses to a staggering $117 million); and the technology merry-go-round - from wi-fi to proprietary IP Wireless technology to throwing in a little plus DSL, to now a move back to wi-fi via WiMax spectrum bought for $549,000 during the govt's Dec auction, and apparent plans to ditch the DSL business it gained when - to the consternation of everybody - Woosh bought landline ISP QuickSilver.

But now a much darker note has been added to the conversation: can Woosh survive?

Woosh CEO Kevin Wiley hasn't helped things with his not-entirely-upbeat-language, telling the National Business Review's Amy Williams that it is not time to write his company's obituary yet - an unfortunate phrase that triggers memories of Auckland's excruciatingly over-defensive "Who says this city doesn't have a heart?" campaign.

Now Wiley says Woosh is in talks with several potential "partners" (or "saviours" as the NBR calls them), including CallPlus. But I'm not sure what Woosh would bring to the party. It's balance sheet is dire, as detailed by Computerworld here, and in transitioning to WiMax it's essentially conceding that it's backed the wrong technology, and start much of its network from scratch.

Woosh there it is:
Computerworld: Woo$h
NBR: Woosh looks for its saviour
DomPost: Woosh ponders DSL pull-out
Even Keall: I told you so

No idea
Keen readers will have noted former NZ PC World stalwart David Pomeroy recently appeared on Trinny & Susannah Undress the Nation, sparking Trinny to scream at one point during his makeover, while pulling at the top of Dave's jeans, "Oh my God, you're not wearing any pants".

Dave, now back in NZ (the episode was filmed last year) phoned me yesterday to claim that he was indeed wearing underpants during the incident in question.

Moreover, Dave - ever the hustler - wangled a reunion with T&S during their visit to Auckland's Westfield St Lukes shopping mall last weekend. Dave arrived with an entourage from New Idea who covered the hook-up (why was I not invited?), so watch out for it in their next issue.

Trinny is certainly making herself at home on Dave's shoulder, providing apparent confirmation that he is indeed the sort of gentleman given to wearing pants. Not sure about that shirt though, Dave, with its Predator sheen.

Going into labour, Facebook-style
Checking in on Facebook this morning - as you do when you're the editor of a tech magazine that must keep up with the latest developments in social networking - I saw that a former PC World account manager had just changed her Status to "gone into labour - exciting". It's certainly very 2008 to slip a soc-net update into your birth plan. Good luck, Kerry.