Damien Mulley

Donncha has a photo on display at a Photography Exhibit in Mallow today that goes on for the next few weeks. If you around Cork, why not head along. It’s for a worthy cause.

I’m pleased to announce that Sublime Wines would like to offer readers of this blog the opportunity to review the wines from their collection. The idea is that they’ll send out bottles to people every two weeks and in return those people will write a review of the wine. Now, this is not like those sinister pay per post blog things where people are paid to write positive reviews. Mark and the others in Sublime Wine want your genuine opinions of their product. Naturally there are terms and conditions, the most important one being you have to be over 18 to take part in this. You must do a review and allow the review to be displayed on this blog and also have it on your own blog. (More conditions at end of post) In fact, I’d suggest using LouderVoice.com to do your review, which will also post it on your blog. For now, bloggers will take precedent but over time we’ll be asking non-bloggers too and they can definitely use LouderVoice to publish their review.

Here’s the intro from Mark:
Sublime Wines is the online equivalent of the best wine shop you know. We have a selection of wines from all over the world – hand picked by Mary Gaynor, one of Irelands’ foremost wine experts – and a woman who knows that wine is meant to be simple and fun. There are great value wines available – and the delight of exciting discoveries from small, specialist artisan winemakers.

As Ireland’s premier online wine site Sublime Wines are delighted to sponsor this new wine tasting section on Damien’s excellent blog. We are looking for wine lovers to review our wines – and will be needing two new volunteers per fortnight – no experience necessary – in fact we would prefer that you didn’t have any!

In return we would like you to write a review within 10 days that is honest but also entertaining – where would you drink it? with who? what might that lead to?? Be imaginative but not too filthy!! We will be offering wines for review from 8.50 to 50 euro so you will have to bear cost in mind too.

And finally please visit the site, have a tour around and buy if you like what you see – our wines are genuinely great value. And please, please also tell your friends about us – we need the word to spread!!

The first wine Sublime Wines would like you to review is:

Dehesa de Rubiales – Alaia 2004

Many wine experts see Spain as the ‘next big thing’. This gem, made from the classic Tempranillo grape along with the little known Spanish varietal Prieto Picudo punches way above it’s price.

Terms of this Review Offer:
You must be over 18 as already stressed.
Email damien < at > mulley.net with the subject “Wine Review” if you want to take part and include your blog address.
When you do the review, please link to the wine on the Sublime Wine website.
Please be honest in your review and have fun doing the review.
Send the review to me and I’ll post it here along with the other review, then post it on your blog too, once published here.
If you are not picked initially, your name will still be on the list and we’ll hopefully get around to you and everyone else, this is a long-term project so be patient.
*Update* Just to clarify, this is not saying everyone who applies will get a bottle, but Sublime Wines will try their best to give wine to as many people as they can but two people will get a bottle of the same wine, meaning at some stage all their catalog will have been sent out.

The Gleesonator. She is back.

Bernie and Ruth got married yesterday. Congrats to both! Very happy for them.

This almost matches my Blogorrah needs. One for the Road deconstructs Brian McFadden.

RTE makes Wikipedia changes to articles about their competitors. Nicely spotted Darran.

Today is day 2 of the Karlin Challenge.

Auction your daughter off to the highest bidder.

Nicely said Mary.

So you build this really nice and stylish eco car. Why the feck would you call it the “Fetish”?

A bill of rights for social media. Nice idealistic wants. But how can it be enforced?

A ceiling fan made of Batman type wings. Of course I want one.

Via Daithi is the infamous Brit Awards KLF performance where they basically just made a lot of noise instead of doing their song:Via Twenty is this not safe for work video, brilliant:

Karlin, without naming me, it is obvious that I am the clueless whinger you are talking about in your latest blog post. You seem upset that I called you an apologist recently on this blog:

Fortunately there are people who have a far more nuanced understanding of the problems and continue to work, as many have for decade, to make things change. The funny thing is how some of the projects and behind the scenes work that here and there were the previous targets of the whingers are actually those that have most contributed to bettering the situation here. This is recognised on an international level, and by analysts, and by businesses, but not often at home, by the whingers

Karlin, can you confirm on this blog or on your own that I am one of these whingers?

Karlin you seem to think it is hypocrtical to praise you when you manage to get something right and be brutally frank when you suck up to Eamon Ryan, yet I think doing the opposite is the hypocrisy:

However, one thing you learn very quickly as a journalist is that some folks love you when you exactly confirm what they want to hear — a type of ‘praise’ that is pretty transparent at the time because it is too enthusiastic. Take any view other than that, and you, personally, get attacked. Not just your ideas. Not the issues themselves. It’s that old, sad strategy of the ad hominem attack.

Karlin, the consensus from even the most objective people of your performance on Monday on the Right Hook was that you were far from being a journalist. It was in fact embarassing for everyone that listened in.

You seem to think because I am outside the tent pissing in, that I have a skewed view but you and those on the inside know better. You say the majority of people don’t want broadband, yet the vast majority of those using the net in Ireland want broadband. We’re talking broadband demand, not Internet demand. That’s a different issue. Just because in your estate people don’t want broadband or the Net, does not mean that the rest of the country do not. This whole “majority” crapola isn’t helpful. Using that you could say most Americans do not want broadband or most of the UK, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Czech republic and so forth. There are 100s of 1000s of people who do want broadband in this country and telling them the issue is demand is bollox, even eircom are saying the issue is a supply issue not demand. Are they too whingers like me?

You seem to think what I did was not productive yet in some frank and off-record conversations with people in Government and industry, we were told without all the whinging we would be much further behind. I don’t give a damn if it was childish, it worked and all the crawling in the world wouldn’t have made the same impact.

In my blog post I pointed out that this 90% coverage stat is a lie. Please show how I am wrong. Point out exactly how there is actually 90% broadband coverage in Ireland.

But on to the main bit, I’m challenging you on your next Right Hook slot to ask people in Dublin to text or email in where they are and ask them for their problems with getting broadband. You get George to remind people of your request each day for the rest of the week. Then collate them and see how many in the Capital City of the Celtic Tiger cannot get broadband. Just Dublin. Surely if the issue is demand, you will get a tiny amount of people because of the vast amount of choices in Dublin when it comes to broadband. The issue IS demand for those that want to use broadband to surf the net and yeah, they are in the minority if you add in those already on broadband to those who do not want broadband but that actually does not mean the issue is a demand issue.

Also, can you please reference these surveys that show all these businesses who do not want broadband and all the people as you mentioned here:

They simply DON’T see any advantage to having broadband at home, and neither do many Irish businesses; this comes up on survey after survey.

EDIT: Oddly enough other comments on Karlin’s blog post are being left through but the one I left is not showing up, though it is showing up in my cached view. I hope this is fixed.

Further update: Karlin suggests comments that are personal attacks are not left through. This was my comment, which was not left through. Is this a personal attack?

Update: This event has now been postponed. I’ll update this when I hear when it is back on.

Nokia sent me an email today about their N-Series roadshow where they’ll tour about the place (mostly Dublin) and will allow you to play with their latest phones. They sent out an invite to media people but would like to extend the invite for bloggers to come along too.

If you want to sing “The Wheels on the bus” while playing with an N95, email me and I’ll send on your details to Slattery Communications. Ok, you don’t *have* to sing.

Details:

The N-Series bus and tour will showcase N-Series product range featuring the N73, N93, N93i, N77, N92, and introduce the latest additions to the N-Series range to the general public, which includes the N76, N95 and N81. The tour will serve as a launch to the public of the N95 handset, showcasing key areas such as music, imaging, broadband, Mobile TV and mapping and allow consumers to interact fully with the products, getting a full appreciation of the N-Series product experience and the service that they can deliver.

N-Series Tour dates:

Date Day Location Provisional Company Time

Week 1
6th September Thursday: Dublin Slattery Communications 1pm – 4pm
6th September Thursday: Dublin Dublin S.C tbc 6.00pm – 8.00pm
7th September Friday: Dublin IBM Ireland 12pm – 3pm
8th September Saturday: Clare Cois Fharraige 10am – 5pm
9th September Sunday: Clare Cois Fharraige 10am – 5.00pm

Week 2
10th September Monday Day off
11th September Wednesday Dublin IFSC 12.00pm – 3.00pm
12th September Wednesday Dublin City West 11.00am – 4.00pm
13th September Thursday Dublin Blanchardstown s/c 12.00pm – 8.00pm
15th September Saturday Dublin Liffey Valley S/c 1.00pm – 6.00pm
16th September Sunday Dublin Croke Park 1.00pm – 4.00pm

Not a bad idea. It’d be nice to see some of the Irish business journalists get the recognition they deserve. Some very sharp people in that part of the media. (This is open to print, radio, TV, online) Business Technology Journalist is going to be a very limited field though there are a few who I think should definitely get the gong or whatever the trophy will be.

Press Release:

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007; UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School today launched the inaugural Business Journalist Awards. There is a total prize fund of €12,000 available to all journalists who cover business, economic and financial issues.

Lochlann Quinn, Chair of the judging panel said, “Business journalists have a unique ability to influence business at many levels. Whether it is a positive review of an organisations new service or direction or a shadow of doubt cast on management’s ability, their reporting can and does make a difference to the landscape of Irish business. These awards are about rewarding business journalists who have made significant contributions to the understanding of business, finance and the economy in Ireland.”

There are eight categories in total – Business News, Business Comment, Business Feature, Business Technology Journalist, Business Broadcast, Specialist Business Reporting, Regional Business Reporting and Young Journalist of the Year. The winner of each category will each receive €1,500.

The judging panel is comprised of key industry figures from the world of business and journalism and includes the Chair, Lochlann Quinn, formerly of Glen Dimplex; Gillian Bowler, Founder and Chairman of Budget Travel and Chairman of Failte Ireland; Tony Garry, CEO, Davy Stockbrokers; Fiona McHugh, Former Editor of the Sunday Times and founder of Fallon and Byrne; Aileen O’Toole, Co- founder of the Sunday Business Post and Managing Director of AMAS; Ted Harding, barrister and co-presenter of the Sunday Business Show; Vincent Wall, Former editor of Business and Finance and Director of Communications, Dublin Airport Authority; Professor Eamonn Walsh, PWC Professor of Accounting at UCD and Professor Tom Begley, Dean, UCD Business Schools.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Tom Begley, Dean of UCD School of Business and member of the judging panel said “The ability to ask tough questions, provoke discussion and hold leaders accountable is fundamentally important to building excellence in business journalism. We aim to honour business reporting that enhances the understanding of business in Ireland and drives the business community in meeting its corporate and social responsibilities.”

The closing date for entries is the 03rd October, 2007 and entry forms and conditions can be downloaded at www.smurfitschool.ie/businessjournalistawards

Tags: business award

Forgeté n’est pas an t-Open Coffee Galway on Friday.

Via Keith. Origami Yoda.

Nice to see some people give a damn when designing neighbourhoods and are making them social yet again.

Yeah, I was thinking the same.

In my day we watched Bottom in Religion class. Kids today eh!

I forget where I got this from, but it is rather good, unless you hate flying:

Via BoingBoing: The KLF Burning a Million Quid. Loved the band, loved the invasion of the media that they were all about. This docu seemed to show them being disappointed at not getting a lot of attention for burning a million:

This will be the final Guest Photographer for a while though there is still a long long list that I want to get through. Red Mum is another fantastic photographer and has become a good friend over the past few years. Check out her blog as also her photos. The photos below are really good. She’s also an Award winning blogger too. Multi-talented!

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When I agreed to do a guest post for Damien I didn’t think it would be so hard to pick my favourite images to write about until I began to try.

No matter how hard I thought I wasn’t able to narrow it down or even narrow down the criteria I was trying to use. Besides a lot of my personal favourites have been done to death by me on my blog so I thought I would leave it until after the weekend and think about it again with a fresh mind.

Good job too because I was up in Belfast for a Flickr meet where I met up with a gang of Belfast Flickrers and got plenty of inspiration. That’s the thing about social networking sites; there is an actual element of socialising and networking, oh yeah and a bit of craic as well.

While I have met other Flickrers before, this was the first big (well it was nine-strong) Flickr Meet I’ve attended and it wasn’t hard to spot us given we were all carrying large cameras.

Once the introductions were dispensed with and we allowed an appropriate amount of leeway waiting time for the late arrivals and off we went with a loose plan in place.

These meets are brilliant and a great way to explore your love of photography, get hints and tips from other photographers, learn from the images they take and have some fun all at the same time. The meets are also perfect for the kind of ‘off the cuff’ images I like to take.

When I got home and looked through the images I was delighted with my batch and am well impressed with everyone else’s contribution. While we were often taking the same scene I found the differences in the images sometimes startling.

There was also safety in numbers too. I don’t know about anyone else but I can find it hard sometimes to approach someone and ask if I can take their photograph, I have done it but I do find it sometimes urrggg to ask. With a group like a Flickr meet potential subjects are bemused and flattered and sometimes more inclined to be happy to have their image captured. Having the group around me made me braver about taking up-close portraits of strangers.

The images I choose from the day both have a lot of movement in them which is why I keep being drawn back to them. The first two show a gang of kids who were great fun practising their freerunning opposite St Anne’s Cathedral. They ran and jumped on queue, posed for the camera and were delighted that we were having such fun with them as our models.

My next favourite image/series is of two kids who were having fun with the cool fountain in Belfast’s Custom House Square.

The next image is of three boys who were standing on the wall watching the marching bands go by. We had strayed off the beaten track following the sound of the bands until we ended up on an estate off the Shankill. The almost military stance they adopted was a little disturbing.

After the Flickr meet we went out for a few pints and on our way we ended up in deep discussion with the taxi driver who was telling us about his recent forays into photography. He was thrilled to hear there is such a site as Flickr and was blown away by the notion of a Flickr meet, so I have a feeling we may see him at the next one. Maybe we’ll see you as well 🙂

And no Flickr meet is complete without a group shot, here’s some of the crew who turned up on the day.

Alan, Mymsie, Jett, Anna, StepBar and me. The others who attended and weren’t in this image were Nicky, Dogtired, digitalEnvironmentalist. You can check out the pool of images at this link.

I should finish up by thanking Damien for the guest post opportunity and for once again flagging Irish photobloggers, I’ve been enjoying everyone’s contributions and hopefully mine matches up in some small way to the excellent series.

Delighted to hear that Conn O’Media (this is his new name and it will catch on) is the Irish correspondent for Intruders.TV. Conn sent out his embargoed (til midnight last night) press release yesterday and I got a little laugh at seeing blog posts announcing the service at 12.01am. Nice to see bloggers obey embargoes to the letter of the law. 🙂

This is a great move for Conn and for everybody in the tech scene in Ireland. Quite proud that Conn is our rep for Ireland and I think he’ll certainly compliment Conor O’Neill who is the Irish correspondent for Blognation. Congrats Conn!