SEVERAL PIECES OF NEWS connect from one Sunday broadsheet to another in Ireland today. Most economic analysts reverberate the story that Ireland has joined the ranks of the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain) since the country will exceed the debt limitations imposed for members of the euro zone. In Ireland's case, things get worse because some speculators believe Ireland will not be able to repay the debt it is incurring to stay afloat in these recessionary times. [0] At left, one of two green stories in the Sunday papers, with the Observer pointing out kids may be eco-worriers. By the way, the voice of a toddler complements today's five-minute Qik video clip. [6.7 MB 3GP file]
New Technology. Adrian Weckler distills a Sony press briefing into nearly a half page of coverage for the brand while the Computers in Business supplement feels tired this month. In the Sunday Times, "experts at IBM have developed new technology which will pepper synthesized speed with verbal tics." [1] So your GPS may be able to produce local Cork-speak when you're confused in the Jack Lynch tunnel.
Green Tech. Nearly every week, yet another green technology gets pumped in the Irish broadsheets. On the front cover of the Observer Magazine, the editors ask, "Is your child an eco-warrior?" [2] The cover story points out how kids' lunches are often organic, children nag you about flying, pre-teens stress about polar bears, and many primary school children are crazy about recycling.
In a green feature, the Sunday Times explains how Abu Dhabi is building a $22 billion zero-carbon showcase city for 50,000 residents. [3]
Eircom, Downloaders and Your Music. Eircom arranged an out-of-court settlement with major record firms. Many believe "the set-up will be circumvented by technological means." [4] Adrian Wecklers's take on the settlement is very astute. Weckler points out that the music industry has not received permission to mount detection mechanisms inside the telco and that is a good result for internet service in Ireland. [5]
In a related piece inside the Media section of the Observer, John Naughton points to problems with Digital Rights Management. "DRM is bad for society. It also imposes ridiculous restrictions on consumers, woh find that they cannot transfer content that they have legitimately purchased from one device to another." [6]
Direct link to the Qik video: http://qik.com/video/957318
0. Frank Fitzgibbon has written about the bad debt the Republic of Ireland has taken on board, including a major risk that he explains on the front page of today's Sunday Times.
1. Brendan Montague and Helen Brooks -- "Devices learn to um and er" in the News section of the Sunday Times, 1 February 2009.
2. Michael Odell -- "Little green monsters" is the cover story of the Observer Magazine, 1 February 2009.
3. Dabby Fortson -- "Green city rises from desert" in the Business Features section of the Sunday Times, 1 February 2009.
4. Liam Fay -- "We can't let music downloaders become freeloaders" in the Comment section of the Sunday Times, 1 February 2009.
5. Adrian Weckler -- "Eircom 1, Big Music 0" in the YourTech section of the Sunday Business Post, 1 February 2009.
6. John Naughton -- "Digital Rights Management isn't music to everyone's ears" in the Sunday Observer, 1 February 2009.
Last year -- "Sunday News Under Clear Blue in Ireland" included mention of "a systematic, premeditated and calculated fraud against more than a dozen financial institutions and hundreds of private investors" in the property market.
