Category Archives: Ireland

Facebook SMS Spam?

Since early September Facebook has been spamming me by text message. Each message comes from “FACEBOOK”, but I don’t have them in my phone contacts. By ringing them I found out the SMS message came from 32232665, apparently a number they use in many countries. The call never connected so I don’t know if there’s a human at the other end.

The first message read

Over 150 million people have used the Facebook friend finder. Find the people you care about: http://fb.me/….

while the following three messages are like the one pictured above:

There are 9 people you may know on Facebook. Send them friend requests: http://fb.me/…

I was travelling when I received most of the other ones. I’m sure I received at least 1 of them while in Heathrow. I don’t have the Facebook app on my phone, but I had created a test Facebook account. It was many months ago and I had forgotten I added my phone number there to try out their sms integration.

If I had noticed those settings I guessed I wouldn’t be contacted. After all, the account wasn’t under my name and I had used a x+yyyy@gmail.com account to signup so people wouldn’t find it by searching for that my email addresses.

Lastly, any SMS communication to someone in Ireland has to be accompanied by instructions for stopping them. Also go read A Consumer Guide to Dealing with Unsolicited Direct Marketing by the Data Commissioner:

you were given a simple cost-free means of refusing the use of your contact details for direct marketing purposes at the time your details were initially collected, and where you did not initially refuse the use of those details, you are given a similar option at the time of each subsequent communication.

The creepy thing about Facebook is that they have matched that account with my main account. Maybe it’s because I may have logged into it with a browser I used for my main one, or because of the gmail address I used. I get regular emails from them saying, “John, you have more friends on Facebook than you think…” or “Do you know X, Y, Z?” where x, y and z are people on my friend’s list. It’s really, really unsettling, even when I have a notion of how they do it.

So, should I make a complaint to the Irish Data Commissioner? Maybe they can convince Facebook to add STOP instructions to their SMS texts.

Step back into the past on the Irish Mail train

Following on from the time travelling theme in my Back to the Future post comes this documentary about the Irish Mail route from London to Dublin that operated from 1848. The documentary was originally broadcast in 1954. It has this lovely old fashioned feel to it.

It’s amazing that it took up to 2 days to travel between those cities but that was quick before regular flights were a reality.

Also be sure to read about the Chester and Holyhead Railway and this page about tunnel crossings across the Irish Sea. Who knew Irish trains didn’t use standard guage tracks eh? Whose bright idea was that then?

One for Irish Football Fans

Two podcasts that Irish football fans will enjoy:

  • We wuz robbed!

    The fable of the Irish 1965 World Cup campaign games against Spain. A story of brilliance, luck and dodgy decisions as told by Dermot Corrigan.
    Ireland played three games against Spain in the run-up to the 1966 World Cup.

  • We’ve got a game to win

    In 1988 the Republic of Ireland football squad qualified for their first major international championship.

Cork Flooded Again

It’s hard to take in the extent of the damage done by the flooding in Cork last night. Clonakilty, Douglas, Blackpool, Meadowbrook in Glanmire, Ballyvolane and elsewhere flooded. We were woken around 1am last night by the loudest thunder I ever remember hearing. The storm passed right over Blarney but I think the town escaped the worst of it.

Douglas Flooded
Meadowbrook Estate, Riverstown
Doors collapse at Douglas Shopping Centre

Check #corkfloods on Twitter for further updates.

YOLO NASA you know?

YOLO, an acronym that I’ve only ever heard on Reddit, stands for “You Only Live Once”. Does anyone actually use it in real life?

Where I've actually heard YOLO
Where I’ve actually heard YOLO (via)

If you’re talking to some young hip Irish person try saying NASA to them. That’s YOLO in Irish!

Nil Ach Saol Amhain!

They’ll really know what you’re talking about. Honest. Everyone’s saying it over here.*

* No not really. Thanks BreakfastNT for the translation!

Harness racing on Cork’s roads

Two harness racers on the Cork to Mallow road defying Garda attempts to stop them and driving against traffic on a very busy road. Crazy guys, crazy.

More on Reddit and Silicon Republic.

This comment has received too many negative votes
Look lads there are races on that road all the time with horses and no harm done it was the Garda? that caused the madness forcering the pony to the other side of the road it 2 horses on the right side of the road for 2 mile the first 1 finish first wins but the Garda fucked it all up

MrFastpony 1 hour ago

This comment has received too many negative votes
For all ye stupid fucking? cunts that have Notting better to do but call names what about all the junkies and prostitute and rapiest n child malisters of settle people ya never hare about travellers up on court for any of that so who is the real scumbags here I think it the settle kind

MrFastpony 6 hours ago

The Stability Treaty: How are you voting?

Like all the other European treaties the Irish public is being threatened with doomsday scenarios by both sides of The Fiscal Stability Treaty. Reddit user cianomahony posted the photo above in response.

The Government says that the country won’t have access to any money if we vote no, but the Sunday Times asked the IMF and the Department of Finance if that was the case and they both said the country could apply to the IMF regardless of the outcome of the Treaty. It’s just the ESM we won’t have access to. Today’s Sunday Times goes on to say that Ireland will have to pay 1.27bn Euro into that fund if the Treaty is ratified. Where the hell does that money come from? We’ll get a loan ..

Campaigning has been going on for only a week so far, I haven’t listened to much of what the No side say but right now I want to vote No. I wonder if the Government will rerun the Referendum if we vote No the first time? Fianna Fail and the Greens did it twice, time for Fine Gael and Labour to do likewise?

Irish Household Charge SEO

The Government’s householdcharge.ie website could probably do with some SEO love. When I search for irish household charge the first page of results are news websites, a political party and a property website’s blog.

Maybe they need to open a blog there talking up the household charge and, oh I don’t know, making us feel better about introducing a new tax.

I’m obviously not the only one looking either. They don’t even make it easy to give them money.. Not that I or any of the other householders want to either.

BTW – today’s the last day if you want to set up a direct debit. There, that’s the Public Service bit out of the way. Now, where’s my credit card?

So, if you own a house in Ireland, what do you think will happen if you don’t pay this charge?