Archive for the ‘irishblogs’ Category

Picturegate or whatever we call it is not about a Facebook Group

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

See what Twitter is saying about picturegate

Damnit, I thought a snarky comment and the YouTube video would be enough but it’s not. I guess I can’t sleep until I write this down somewhere. What happened last night with RTE apologising and giving in to the bullshit from the Government and the statements from those fucktards in Fianna Fáil show how bad things are.

Last night part of the freedom of the press was murdered in front of our eyes, in prime time hours. We should be crying at that apology. Hope is quickly diminishing in Ireland and more of it went tonight. The country is going to hell in a handcart and now they’re attacking satire in a most brutal way. RTE News has been shut down. RTE cannot report news anymore without having to secondguess themselves and the reaction from Government press officers.

This is not the time for just a Facebook Group. I think this is time to attend clinics and say what we can say to Fianna Fáil before they stop that too. Because they will. Nob Nation was killed and we pay for that, not Eamon Ryan, not Brian Cowen, now our news that we pay for is censored. Did we vote for this? Did those that voted for the Green Party vote for those and of those who said they should go into Government? Did members of Fianna Fáil vote for this?

There is a meme starting on the Internet where Irish people are posting naked pictures of Brian Cowen on their blogs and Facebook profiles. Not enough. Let’s gather together with A1, A2 posters of these and protest outside the offices of the Taoiseach. At every public event we need to track Brian Cowen and his staff and display these posters. Brian Cowen’s office needs to apologise over this. RTE need to apologise to us over this. There needs to be more done though. There should be transparency when it comes to contacts from the Goverment on the direction of a state broadcaster.

On one point I agree with Fianna Fáil. The RTE DG needs to go but not for Fianna Fáil to be happy but to get someone else in instead:

Fianna Fáil TD Michael Kennedy last night called on RTÉ director general Cathal Goan to consider his position. The report “represented a gross insult to the position of An Taoiseach, not to mention a personal affront to the dignity of the man himself”, Mr Kennedy said in a statement

Let’s set a date and start a protest, let’s bring all the world’s press together and have them record caricatures of a naked man from the sticks. Let’s keep the momentum going. Let’s send naked pics of Cowen via MMS to each other and wave our phones, let’s encourage the opposition parties to wave these phones in the Dáil. Have them wear t-shirts under their shirts/blouses. Let’s walk up and down outside RTE news broadcasts. Please please please don’t roll over on this because next time we won’t know what else the news is hiding from us.

Caricature by Alan Cavanagh
Brian Cowen naked

Not even a Fr. Jack style sorry, RTE apologise to Cowen

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

What the fuck like?

Brian Cowen – Balls naked

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

IE reports the clip below is gone from the website. Luckily it got recorded on the expensive thing under the telly:

Can I be your Summer intern?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Summertime is going to be quiet for me travelwise as many of the groups I work with don’t do training during the Summer months. You can never get everyone together due to good weather or people flying to good weather. I have two web apps that I’ll be working on during this time but I’ve been thinking that I’d love to learn about different types of businesses and what they do. Being chained to my own desk is boring. Sport stars cross-train and learn different disciplines, why not business people? So I’d like to do 4-5 internships, each 5-7 days in duration over the Summer months with some companies. Maybe this idea will work, maybe it won’t. Maybe other businesses should consider doing the same thing?

What I get:
I get to be immersed for a week with a company that is doing interesting things and the people are willing to show me the ropes. I learn new approaches to business and get to grips with the internal natural language of different companies. The more I understand about different businesses, the better I am with working with those business types.

What the company gets:
Me! Someone that can show them how to communicate via blogs, social networks, Twitter, do online marketing, how to do better presentations, do media stuff, tell them how to work with those web kids and encourage them to use more expletives. Ok, maybe not that last one.

Requirements:
Since I’ll still need to operate the dayjob stuff, I’ll need a desk and a net connection to answer a few things that will come in during the working day. Inventing some bogus role where I end up doing no more than licking envelopes ain’t gonna fly. Suit? Not really. I’d need to be a core part of the team/company. Bring the Corkman to meetings, you know?

There is also a premium model
Which you can steal! I’m sorry but I’m going to turn down most offers (if I get any) because I’m thinking a few companies in the same area would be interested in this. I actually think that bringing in someone for a few days in a row can work out better than having them come in now and then and consult. Again it’s down to that immersion thing. Some good examples are when you’re onsite and people ask each other advice and you know you have a better way of doing something they already believe they are doing efficiently. Bit like Twitter ain’t it? The conversational subtleties are where the gold is. I won’t be offering this right now though but as a company, if you are one, maybe you should consider doing this or offering this?

Give me a shout if you think your company would be interested in this.

Fluffy Links – Tuesday March 24th 2009

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Enda has a rant about O2. He’s gone though 4 iPhones now with them.

Where are O2 customer care? Do you guys exist? Do they even want me as a customer? I want to switch to a phone that works

Kathleen Barrington from the Sunday Business Post has started blogging. Say hello to her.

A few more comments and I’ll announce the winner of a free day-long Online Marketing training course for you and up to 11 of your friends/colleagues.

More details on the iQ Prize. Including a website.

Jim C tells us of some great new bands to look out for.

Justin has the skinny on a talk on Computer History in Ireland.

Via Annie Mole: Doner Kebab Pot Noodle.

New blog: Pint of Unspecific.

Squid now blogs here.

And another new one: Certain People Say…

Me, escaping from Alcatraz.

Eels – Beautiful People

Eels – Fly Swatter (play it at eleven on the scale)

A Picture is worth a whatwhat?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Via Suzy: Ooops

towe sant

“most of them are black as well, would you put a little colour on your face?”

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Partridge Kenny gets 90% of €850k a year for this:

Is this racist? I very much doubt it’s hate speech but it is rather dense. Now, if Gerry Ryan said the same thing, would we think it was someone out of touch or more? What if Tommy Tiernan said it?

Thank you

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

And not that tripe from Dido a few years back.

IMG_0699

Despite my holiday in San Francisco just becoming a working week from a different location, I had a little time to reflect on the blog from a content, design and interaction perspective. I didn’t have time to read any of the two books I brought with me (Twenty Major’s latest and campaign speeches of Adlai Stevenson) I’m actually quite poor when it comes to the interactions. Other bloggers really thrive on the comments and spend a lot of time with those that comment. I rarely do spend time responding but I do read every single comment. Rest assured. This little shed on the web gets a decent amount of visitors on a regular basis and I should show my appreciation more to those that visit and those that take the time to leave a comment, whether it adds another perspective, disagrees or agrees with what I say.

You see commercial websites and blogs thank their sponsors now and then but hell, thanks for just coming along and helping to build this space. I appreciate that of all the places you can waste time on, you chose here.

Fluffy Links – Monday March 23rd 2009

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Private jet to a Man United match? All for charity!

New site: Diaspora.ie

People talking about Alan’s hair. Twitter, really expanding minds…

Facebook remove the Gerry Ryan Group.

Blue Screen of Death and the Spiders of Mayhem

Chun Gaelcholáiste Nua a cur ar bun i nDeisceart Átha Cliath.

There are two “Taster session” in Cork on March 23/24 where business people will be discussing Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Times:
March 23rd: Cork International Airport Hotel, 6-7.30pm
March 24th: Imperial Hotel, Cork, 12.30-2pm

What do I have to do to join the conversation?
1. Reserve your complimentary place at one of these special taster events by
contacting Aodan Enright at 086 608 9498 or aodan@smarteregg.com
2. Get your hands on a copy of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and read Chapter 7 –
‘The Ethnicity of Plane Crashes’ (available in all bookstores)

A resignation cake. Now that rocks.

Via Manuel – In the Loop.

Via Spherical Notions: Jay Brennan – Body is a temple

Self Portrait

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

Taken in Alcatraz

IMG_0679