THE FRONT PAGE of the Irish Times pointed to "Giant Leaps" in technology due to the Moon landing so I bought the paper and discovered a rich mother lode of information on the business technology pages. I would have bought my local broadsheet, the Irish Examiner, because the story that Pat Phelan helped bring to a happy ending (the one about the three Texan backpackers [1]) was on the front page but I'd already been talking to the Texans on Facebook so I knew more than the newspaper article. I made a Qik clip about the Friday business news and as promised, I've shoveled a few of the notes from the news I cited below the fold on my blog here. If you want to see the news clip that I made with my long-serving Nokia E90, go to http://www.qik.com/video/2144504 or keep reading this entire blog entry.
Legislators Wasting Time. The Irish government pushed through a walk-through vote on defamation that makes it a fine to blaspheme. [2] The Minister for Justice has codified an offience that most people do not believe in and he mocks the legal process by doing this.
My Garbage and Migrant Workers. I have my rubbish collected by Mr Binman and that company is involved in a bitter industrial dispute because the owner claims the migrant workers he has hired are more efficient and less likely to be absent than Irish workers. Martin Sheahan, owner of Mr Binman, has said, "The Paddy is the best man in the world when he goes abroad to work but he's a different man at home". He told the Irish Farm Journal that he stood over the comment and that he had "hired non-nationals to keep manners on the Paddies." [3]
Cutting Back Irish Expenditures. While the Irish Times reported that no date had been set for the publication of a document recommending savage cutbacks in government services, senior government sources indicated the report will go public before the country votes on the Lisbon referendum. [4]
Multinationals in Ireland. There are serious issues with unemployment in Ireland but the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors are ticking over with strong results. [5]
About the Flip UltraHD. Karlin Lillington likes her Flip UltraHD camera. I'm hearing about issues with the camera from a daughter in her classroom so I'm going to chat with her to complement the story Karlin writes. [6]
About the by-product from space. Karlin Lillington looks at the innovations that spun off from the Apollo programme: freeze-dried food, mobile phone headsets, computer microchips, advances in structural analysis, solar energy, cordless drills, firefighter breathing systems, joystick controllers, satellite communications, running shoes, home insulation and looking inside bodies. [7]
Free Internet Access on Some Public Transportation. Some Irish companies have installed FleetConnect and that means free internet access for passengers. [8] I never have difficulty getting internet access in the back seat of any Dublin taxi but I have several miles of motorway travel aboard Aircoach where both voice and data signals drop on my phones. I can't imagine how a roof-mounted antenna that's smart enough to switch between major networks would keep me connected all the time. I think there are swaths of the Irish countryside that have no masts nearby and hence they won't give data to passersby.
Protecting Company Data. MJ Flood Technology released data that shows 43% of organisations have no plan to safeguard data. [9] If that's you, stop right here and set up an account with PutPlace.
Irish companies are likely to face security threats, according to the business security manager with CA Ireland. [10] In my experience, the greatest threat to a company's cybersecurity comes from inside the firewall. The employees themselves do stupid things to compromise company network integrity or they walk away with company intellectual property.
Good News for Robin Blandford. Decisions for Heroes, software to help emergency services record and analyse their rescue operations, has won a €10,000 prize from iQ Content, a Dublin-based internet consultancy. The competition attracted 249 entries. D4H is a well-deserving winner. [11] Robin has a solid track record for developing quality software and his experience is grounded in rescue and training exercises, exciting things he often writes about online.
1. Alison Healy -- "Texan backpackers offered free trip from hotel group" in the Home News section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
2. Stephen Collins -- "Defamation Bill stumbles through Seanad after lost vote" on the front page of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
3. Michael Parsons -- "Firm hires migrant workers to keep manners on Paddies" in the Home News section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
4. Michael O'Regan -- "Tanaiste will not give date for Snip Nua publicaiton in the Dail Report, 10 July 2009.
5. Dominic Coyle -- "Abbot provides the right tonic to lift gloom" in the Business Agenda section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
6. Karlin Lillington -- "Seeing the big picture with pocket-sized camcorder" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
7. Karlin Lillington -- "Truly a leap for mankind" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
8. Gordon Smith -- "Hands out for the hotspot as taxis start offering Wi-Fi access for passengers" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
9. Gordon Smith -- "Companies may face more threats in cyberspace" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
10. Gordon Smith -- "Data Recovery Systems Flawed" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
11. Gordon Smith -- "Software for rescue teams wins €10,000 start-up prize" in the Business Technology section of the Irish Times, 10 July 2009.
