WHILE PAT PHELAN was reading Free by Chris Anderson, I was making a free Qik clip (10 minutes long streaming experience) about the Sunday news from Ireland. Unless you buy the Sunday papers regularly, you might fail to notice the page count dropping. I feel for some of the freelancers I know because those pages pay wages. I also feel for the innovators and creatives because a lack of page space means a more difficult time getting exposure in front of the masses. It's something Adrian Weckler notes as deeper than page count. "The plain people of Ireland would sooner invest their personal funds in a property, a stock or a high-growth bank account than a technology or research-based start-up firm." [1] If you want to connect to people who move in special circles, Weckler's "tribal breakdown" gives clues where people hang out. [2] If you want an alternative to bank shares, you might buy a Hirst. [3] My coverage of the Sunday papers includes some gadgets I wouldn't mind having [4] [5] [6], a car I'd enjoy driving [7] , and a Man Cave [8] I should clean up.
Irish Recovery will be slow. Because the current government--and perhaps no Irish government--can crack the whip and get cuts made and receipts flowing, the nation is heading into public unrest. A lot of the dissatisfaction stems from a wide swath of the Irish population believing the current government facilitated easy credit, incompetent fiscal management, and a cozy relationship with the financial sector. [9]
Green Tech and Edtech. A weird vessel is walking tall in the rush for wind power [10] while a growing sector of the student population is at risk from a lack of funding. [11]
Lisbon Wins. More than any other topic, the Irish result ("yes") to the Lisbon treaty gets hyper-analysed. In a crowded message space, the No camp lacked a clear and universal message. Several of my neighbours thought No voices were hostile, hysterical and confused--so they changed their previous vote from No to Yes.
Bernie's Nod to Tech. I have run this weblog on Six Apart services since 2003, having used three other services between 2001 and 2003. Two memes have run through my coverage of technology since 2001, both as a blogger and a freelancer on ElectricNews and the Irish Examiner. I like the BT Young Scientist Exhibition [12] but think the older (third level and start-up techies) generation doesn't do enough to fan the flames of young Irish scientists. And I like video, stuff like VidSchool.com is doing. [13]
1. Adrian Weckler -- "Private investment needed" in Computers in Business" (CIB), 4 Oct 09. You could invest in some of the creative programmers who have displayed their talents on Apps.ie.
2. Adrian Weckler -- "The tribal breakdown" in CIB, 4 Oct 09. Facebook and LinkedIn have attracted significant traction. IGOPeople.com has a hive of cross-talk too.
3. Sarah Thornton -- "Selling Art by the Shedload" in the Sunday Times Magazine, 4 Oct 09. Damien Hirst has reinvented himself as a serious painter. Paintings retain their value.
4. Matthew Bingham -- "The tablet becomes reality" in InGear, The Sunday Times, 4 Oct 09. It's the Archos 9PC.
5. Mark Harris -- "Gorgeous Gizmos from the Stable of Staid" in InGear, The Sunday Times, 4 Oct 09. I like the Zune HD.
6. Adrian Weckler -- "No better time to buy" in Computers in Business, October 2009. I like the Iomega Prestige Desktop and if it's less than €100 for a terabyte, it's a steal. CIB also lists a Buyer's Guide for portable terabyte storage. You really need a TB in your study if you have a cameraphone that records video.
7. John Griffiths -- "Road Test" in FT.com magazine, 4 Oct 09. "The battery-powered Tesla is the fastest thing within 100 miles of your 13-amp socket."
8. John Harlow -- "Brad Pitt Leads a Lads' Retreat into Man Caves" in the Sunday Times, 4 Oct 09.
9. Damien Kiberd -- "Crack the whip for a speedier recovery" in the Sunday Times Business section, 4 Oct 09.
10. Danny Fortson -- "Turbine Ship proves to be an idea with legs" in the Green-topped pages of the Sunday Times, 4 Oct 09.
11. Sanda O'Connell -- "Crunch threatens disability services" in the Education section of the Sunday Times, 4 Oct 09.
12. See the TechWeek section of the Sunday Business Post (SBP) for a short on the Young Scientist programme, 4 Oct 09.
13. Dick O'Brien -- "Teachers give lessons over internet by video" in the Technology section of the SBP, 4 Oct 09.
Direct link to Qik video: http://qik.com/video/3094674
Direct link to MP3 file: http://www.insideview.ie/files/qik_091004.mp3
