Tag Archives: When-in-Ireland

How to blog in Cork using free wifi

It’s hard to believe, but despite the really bad uptake of broadband services, or perhaps because of it, Ireland leads the way in WiFi hotspots!

Last week I had the pleasure of using the free WiFi services in Douglas shopping center to make a post on the Mallow Camera Club site. I had half an hour to kill so I popped into O’Brien’s, bought a coffee and a biscuit and settled down. I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of this generous gift. I spotted three others seated at various points around the library tapping away on their laptops. It’s something I never imagined I’d see! Yes, yes, yes. If you’ve enjoyed the use of free WiFi in your city this won’t be anything new, but this is in the “Celtic Tiger” economy where nothing is free and everything is over-priced.

So, next time your significant other is popping down to the shops, tag along. They might have free WiFi and it’ll do you the world of good to get out from behind that desk! I’m waiting for retailers and restaurant owners in Blarney to realise that free access to the Internet would draw all the self-employed Internet geeks out of their homes and into their establishments. I wonder how hard would it be to drop that hint …

After Budget 2007 I'm stinking rich

I was glued to the radio this afternoon like many people in the country listening to the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, announce the new budget. Also like many people I’ll be better off next year as a result of some of the changes he made.

The budget was great for pensioners and first time buyers, of which I’m one of the latter. The news isn’t so good if you’re addicted to nicotine. Still, the price of a pint hasn’t gone up. You might also be able to pay for those cigarettes with the 1% that was knocked off the top rate of tax. That extra €10/month in the children’s allowance could come in handy too.

Anyway, the country is glowing with smiles all-around, except for the opposition of course who complain that not enough was done or done in the right place. I wonder if anyone asked if Paul Stokes was going to get some?

If you want to compare how you’ll do in 2007 versus this year, then compare this 2007 budget calculator and the 2006 one. I’m not PAYE any more but if I was I’d be up a few hundred Euro apparently! Not stinking rich, but enough nonetheless.

The biggest clown in TV

Paul Stokes is at it again! Not content with barging in on a chat show last week he drove a car through a security barrier at RTE in Dublin, headed for the main doors, crashed into those before finally coming to rest a few feet away when his car bounced off the doors with the impact! He was detained by security and is to appear at Dublin District Court this morning.

If his GPS car system is so revolutionary why doesn’t he go through normal channels and develop it and create a business around it, and market the product just a little bit more sensibly? I can just imagine his conversation with a bank manager now if he does try to finance a startup.

Bosco.. where are you? All is forgiven!

(via Damien)

The IT@Cork 2006 Conference

I attended the 2006 it@cork National Technology & Business Conference yesterday and took many photos of the speakers. As to be expected with a line-up that included Eddie Hobbs it was very business orientated but Tony Kenny spoke at length about the challenges that faced him when he introduced Linux into Beaumont Hospital and Marc Canter proved to be a very passionate speaker about APIs and openness. Knock down those walled gardens! I could go on and on about the speakers but I wouldn’t do them justice. Watch out for the podcasts on the IT@Cork website.

I enjoyed the day very much, and thank you to Tom Raftery and everyone at IT@Cork for organising a well run and professional event.

Update – Michele loved Tony’s approach to using open source – mix it with proprietary software if you have to. Tom Raftery thought, “yesterday’s event was a tremendous success” and I agree, while Tom Corcoran has a short but thorough review of the day. He did forget to mention the delicious dessert after lunch. Oh wow! Yum!

Haydn was at the conference too and blogged about Marc Canter and Jeff Nolan. Read his post because he has something interesting to say about the cost of blogging. I remember him scribbling furiously throughout while I grappled with iPhoto and uploaded images to my blog! (Nice to meet you finally Haydn!)

Check the voting register before December 9th

Check the Register The deadline to check if you’re on the voting register has been extended to December 9th so if you haven’t checked, you have a few more days to do so. Type your name and address into the form on Checktheregister.ie to find out if you’re one of the 300,000 voters knocked off the list! This is especially important if nobody has called to your house with a voting form. Even though you may have been on the register for years, some councils have been overly enthusiastic about deleting voters.

It’s a little fiddly doing the check, but not too painful. When you visit the site above you’ll have to click through to the council managing your area. I checked the Cork County Council site and had to click another link which opens a new maximized window with the form. On a large wide screen that looks really silly! All it needs is 600 pixels.

Congrats to Ray and Jenny!

This is the last of the baby posts, for a while. Only a day after Mairead announced she was pregnant, Jenny gave birth to baby Kate on Saturday evening around 8pm. Ray D’Arcy was on the radio this morning beaming and full of the joys of the world. Great to hear that on a Monday morning!

What do I really do with my SSIA?

Tom Raftery interviewed Eddie Hobbs two weeks ago as part of the IT@Cork pre conference podcast. He covers a range of subjects including investment in IT and residential vs commercial property investments. I’m downloading it now and will listen to it shortly!

There are also interviews with other Conference speakers, including Salim Ismail and Hugh MacLeod. The IT@Cork Business Without Boundaries Conference is looking like a good event to attend. I’ll be there with my camera so expect some photos on my photoblog shortly afterwards!

Really I need a mugger who can file my Vat returns

Comedian Dara O Briain is interviewed by Rose Costello in the Sunday Times “Fame and Fortune” column this week. If you’ve never seen him on tv or perform live then check out the clips at the end of this post!

As a self employed person I took to heart his recommendation that, “Oh yeah, and if you’re self-employed, get an offset mortgage.” You pay tax once a year, all that dosh is building up in your current account, doing what? You might as well get it working and paying off the mortgage. As soon as my fixed rate loan period is up …

How much money do you normally have in your wallet and do you carry anything unusual or sentimental in it?

I never have cash in my wallet at any time — so take that, you brigands and banditos, you’ll get nothing from me. Instead I carry around months and months of receipts. Really I need a mugger who can file my Vat returns.

York Model Railway Station

Update! Dara was on Podge & Rodge’s show the other night! Here’s the obligatory Youtube video: (via)

Pat Kenny's bust up on the The Late Late Show

It seems that Pat Kenny was confronted on the Late Late Show last night and the video has already made it onto YouTube! I heard on the radio this morning that the man is in custody. Well done to Pat for coming back from the ad break composed and ready to carry on the show. I didn’t see the show myself, I was channel surfing elsewhere (Escape From Alcatraz was on which was interesting since I’d been there!)

For those not familiar with The Late Late Show, think of the host of the most popular chat show in your country being confronted by a drunken man shouting obscenities!

Thanks Donal for posting the video, that _was_ quick!

Update – The man who caused the controversy is Paul Stokes who has patented a system that uses GPS as a road safety aid. It helps stop cars crashing by tracking every vehicle on the roads and Mr. Stokes asserts the RTE and the Irish media are censoring him.

Today FM's Mairead Farrell is Pregnant

News hot off the radio is that Mairead Farrell of the Ray D’Arcy’s show on Today FM is five months pregnant. I don’t know what it is but everyone seems to be either pregnant or just after having a baby. What’s in the water?

Back on July 24th, Ray and Jenny announced that Jenny was pregnant, and she’s now on maternity leave. The baby should be popping out any time now. I’m surprised the birth hasn’t happened already! We’re now waiting on an announcement from the recently married Will Hanafin and I wonder who will replace the lovely Mairead when she’s out on leave?

It’s almost a year since the US book was launched! I was there, and got some great photos of Ray, Jenny and Mairead. Such a lot has happened in the last year!

For your viewing pleasure, here’s the team doing the Ok Go dance, before anyone was pregnant!

And, oh my God, if you want cringe worthy tv, here’s Rodge and Podge interviewing Ray..

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