The Taoiseach: As for broadband, while I do not know who incorrectly informed Deputy Kenny, technology companies such as Google, Apple and Dell all continue to expand and invest—–
Deputy Enda Kenny: I will provide the Taoiseach with the figure. Ireland is placed 33rd of 35 countries.
The Taoiseach: —–and are moving to higher rate of advancement in Ireland with huge investment. Moreover, none is even thinking of pulling away from us because of broadband. They continue to develop their capacity within Ireland, of which we should be proud, as well as of our young qualified engineers who go through our excellent education system. In addition, they all use this country as their research and development base.
Deputy Seymour Crawford: Not in County Cavan.
The Taoiseach: I am talking about the Republic of Ireland.
Deputy James Bannon: It is patchy throughout Ireland.
Deputy Dermot Ahern: Fine Gael is patchy throughout Ireland
The Taoiseach: While the House can discuss County Cavan another day, I am discussing the Republic of Ireland and Members should keep to that.
A Member: County Cavan is not in the North.
The Taoiseach: These companies are increasing their investments and operate their European plants using the high quality people who work here. This is happening everywhere. Deputy Kenny may take a certain satisfaction from the international economic downturn.
Archive for the ‘irishblogs’ Category
Bertie on broadband – Bertie does not know where Cavan is
Friday, February 8th, 2008Want to advertise on your Irish blog?
Friday, February 8th, 2008
I’m getting more and more requests from individual companies and advertising networks about advertising on blogs or sponsoring blogs. Instead of forwarding on the emails to bloggers or pointing the advertisers to a few blogs that might interest them, I thought I’d compile a database of bloggers who are interested in running adverts on their blogs or doing sponsorship on their blogs. I’m not a fan myself of ads on personal blogs but that’s just me.
If you want to be listed as a blogger interested in talking to advertisers then go fill in this form. I’ll also put a page together listing blogs that are interested in advertising. Every part of the form is mandatory and if you want to be listed you have to be willing to share your traffic statistics of your blog.
â— Fluffy Links – Friday February 8th 2008
Friday, February 8th, 2008
If you’re coming to the Blog Awards on March 1st, please register. 25 people regged so far. Most of them have not been before, this is great.
Nialler points out that Holy Fuck have remixed Paper Planes by MIA. Such a great band name. Guarantees it won’t get on to 2fm.
Like rain on your wedding day. Rob pointed this out. Cix.ie’s big red door for competent people.
Last chance to register for the Blogger’s Dinner on March 2nd in Cork.
Johnny Beirne has a personal blog now. He also has bifluffyionic eye.
Sinéad’s fluffy Intel bunny suit.
MaxRoam’s party at 3GSM is going to be a blast. If you are in Barcelona around that time, try and get there.
Kottke points out another reason why Matt Webb rocks. This end of year post from him really got me thinking about technology and made me realise I’m such a novice.
Via Twenty Adopt a child that matches your blood and tissue types, just in case you need a new liver or kidney. It’s the new in-thing!
Speaking of the King, what he’s do if he won the Euromillions. Two words: Assassination Market.
The song you hear at least once in some awful bar each weekend. Play it loud in the office now.
The Waiting Game wins Best Blog at the Digital Media Awards
Thursday, February 7th, 2008Congrats to Feebee from The Waiting Game for winning Best Blog at the Digital Media Awards.
In Dublin (again)
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008Up to my neck in meetings. The fluffy links and the torturing of poor souls will return on Friday.
Crowdsourcing Irish Grannies – Send in your recipes
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008Via Kieran and via Eoin is a new website that will be used to create a book and some money will go to charity. Mercier press have done Our Grannies Recipes.
The blurb:
A site that gathers together the recipes that have been favourites of Irish families for generations. Using the recipes posted on the site, Mercier Press will publish a book called Our Grannies’ Recipes in October 2008 as a hardback priced at €14.99. For every copy sold Mercier will donate a royalty to Age Action Ireland
Nice idea.
Hilary Clinton on Desperate Housewives
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008â— Fluffy Links – Wednesday 6th February 2008
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
So there’s a bloggers dinner in Cork on March 2nd. If you’re in Cork, do try and go. I was organising it but Alexia is now the boss of this. So chat to her about it.
Sweary is writing eurovision songs again.
Fluffy! Matty! Badgey!
Yikes. LetsHost.ie are getting undue attention.
Thrillpier suggests ways of improving Phantom 105.2fm. I agree with 2, 3, 4, 6 I think 14 should be part of the Government’s Finance Bill. 12 is really annoying. I actually switch off the station for some newsreaders in particular who flub every line. Most annoying.
MGMT – Time to Pretend (original vid does not allow embedding, eejits)
Neuromancer (The Book) Concept Design set to DJ Krush- Road To Nowhere:
Mary Hanafin launching Internet safety classes for parents and teachers
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008From a press release. Mary Hanafin launched a new Internet safety programme for kids, parents and teachers today. It seems to have a heavy slant towards social networking sites:
This new initiative focuses on promoting safer and more effective use of social networking websites by children in Ireland
What will be done:
· Nationwide Internet Safety seminars for parents
· Nationwide in-service training for SPHE teachers
· Classroom resources for use in teaching the SPHE curriculum to first, second, and third years in post-primary schools
· Nationwide Social Networking workshops for primary and post-primary teachers
More of the blurb:
This new programme has been developed by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) in partnership with the Social Personal Health Education (SPHE) Curriculum Support Service and the National Parents Council – Primary (NPC)
This is good:
One of their key recommendations is that parents and professionals need to acquire a better understanding that children and young people live in a world of ever increasing sophistication of technological means. The findings recommended that measures be taken to close the widening gap between parents, teachers and children in relation to the use of these new technologies and to Internet safety awareness and safe practice.
That’s the best bit: “measures be taken to close the widening gap between parents, teachers and children”, they should do that for everything, not just Internet usage. If they do this right I’d be delighted. It might make parents and teachers less technophobic too.
The people assigned to decide Ireland’s Broadband future – International Advisory Forum on Broadband
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008All expenses paid, of course.
So Lieing Ryan has called in the mercenaries. He’s formed the International Advisory Forum on Broadband to talk about the next generation of broadband. Always good to look beyond the horizon, especially if there’s a huge mess around your feet that you don’t want to deal with.
The Forum will be facilitated by Mr. Eddie Molloy, a consultant with Advanced Organisations. The Forum members are:
Mr. H. Brian Thompson, Executive Chairman, Global Telecom & Technology.
Mr. Ken Carter, Senior Consultant, wik-Consult GmbH, Germany.
Mr. Martin Cronin, CEO, Forfás .
Ms. Isolde Goggin, Independent Consultant, Former Chair of ComReg.
Dr. Michael Nelson, Senior Professor, Georgetown University, USA. (and Obama fan)
Dr. Frank Sanda, CEO, Japan Communications Inc..
Mr. Tony Shortall, Economic Advisor, European Commission
ComReg have advisory panels like this too. In fact I think they have one on NGN, no? With the International aspect to it, you can take it for granted that the expenses of these folks will be quite large. I must dig out some FOI’d documents from ComReg but I know one person expensed over 20k for travel and stays when he flew in to attend meetings. Can we expect 100k to be spent to decide on our broadband future? 100k that might have enabled two exchanges for people in the present? Eamon says that availability is sorted.
Here’s the PR spiel from the Minister:
I have established an International Advisory Forum to advise on next challenge ahead – how we can get higher speed broadband at lower costs
Here’s the lie about availability:
The availability of broadband remains an issue for many consumers. The National Broadband Scheme will, in the coming months, begin to address the final piece of the availability issue. The competitive tender process for this Scheme is underway, which will serve the remaining parts of Ireland currently without access to broadband.
More words, more reports, more taxpayer money, more waiting for a lot of people.