Not out

Given the launch hype around the European and Irish PS3 launch and the queues and all, I called in to Game in Mahon Point.

They confirmed what I suspected; they still had Play Station 3's in stock at 9pm.

So much for the hype.

tags : PS3, PlayStation, launch, hype, Mahon Point, Cork, Ireland

Cool runnings

"If you want to have a cool brand, you have to do cool shit." -- Hugh Macleod

tags : overheard, gapingvoid, Hugh Macleod, branding

6 by 300

300 does the same visual thing as "Sin City" apart from the CGI budget being spent on 6 packs

Yeah, I want one of those

All you need do is hire a crack team of visual effects people and make sure that every photo of you is superimposed with their handwork.
Should that be crack or cracked team?

tags : 300, Sin City, Frank Miller, CGI, movie, film, overheard

Loudervoice : 300, Sin City, Frank Miller, CGI, movie, film

Bear attack

Thanks to Damien I have a bit of explaining to do. The bears that he is alluding to are this type rather than this type

And on that note, here is How to Escape From A Bear on YouTube.

The video was put together by playwright, techie and marketing guy (how oftern do you get that combination) Darren Barefoot and his wife (I think) Julie as part of a Worst Case Scenario Handbook contest.

Oddly I know people who make the same noises while playing (and loosing) on the computer.

take care,
Will



tags :
fluffy, Damien Mulley, bears, How to Escape From A Bear, YouTube, Darren Barefoot, Worst Case Scenario Handbook, video

Do you read me?

Tom described Twitter to me at the first Cork OpenCoffee Club in Luigi Malones.

Other than causing a spat or two it seems to do two things well.

1) It allows you to blog from your mobile phone. Depending on the type of cell phone you have this may not be inspiring (just ask Michele about his phone), but mobile blogging seems to be a way forward if nothing else. (It also allows you to receive your RSS feeds as text messages, but this is a bad idea for the phone and your sanity.)

2) It creates (false?) social relationships.

When you subscribe to a RSS feed, the blogger knows nothing about you.
When you look at someones Twitter feed (RSS for Twitter), it has a "make friend" type button on the top right hand side which allows you to subscribe to their twitter feed. (There is a "silent" subscribe link a few pages down, but scrolling and clicking are not likely).
When the owner of the feed logs in, he has friends and contacts in the networking sense. hearing Tom describe this I could hear the same tone in his voice that Rick O'Shea had when he described how influential Irish and international friends wanted to be his friend on Bebo and MySpace.

Twitter seems to succeed where MyBlogLog and LinkedIn have not. It makes the initial connection continue, long after the contact has been formed at both ends.

Or am I reading it wrong?
Will

tags :
Tom Raftery, Twitter, Argolon, Conor O'Neill, Cork, Cork OpenCoffee, OpenCoffee, Cork OpenCoffee Club, Luigi Malones, Michele Neylon, Damien Mulley, blog, mobile phone, cell phone, RSS, social relationships, social media, networking, ricksbreakfastblog, Rick O'Shea, Bebo, MySpace, MyBlogLog, LinkedIn

No regrets

"The follies which a man regrets most, in his life, are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity." -- Helen Rowland

Paul Browne of Technology in plain English posed the question "What [would] you do if you weren’t doing your current job?".

Needless to say its something I've (along with oh about 350 co-workers) have been looking at. The Sports and Social group had a bit of a blowout of the budget on Friday.... and this question came up.

A few of the developers were chatting as the night wore on and the questions were asked.
One sort of regretted that she didn't go down the marketing route. Another wished that she had worked in fashion. I asked "why not try it now?"

When I was young (leaving cert from a long time ago) I wanted to be an actuary. I could have gone and done the study and exams directly, but I decided to go down the 4 year degree route which drops you off in year 3 of actuary-hood. I hated it (still have the books, useful for nights when I can't sleep and working out long term financial calculations)... Very quickly I changed course.

When I was a little kid I wanted to be a scientist. My job title was "Computer Scientist" (we had a range we could choose from (no kidding!) e.g. software engineer, computer programmer, software designer... sometimes a software person wears a lot of hats). So technically I achieved my childhood dream.

More recently I wanted to write. Be a writer. I started off a fiction blog... this is as far as I got. One post. but I tried.

My point of this is, if you have a dream job, give it a shot. Even if it's just a small step in that direction. Because if you don't you will always have this "what if" thought at the back of your head.

Will

tags :
regret, opportunity, first partners, Paul Browne, Technology in plain English, what would you do, actuary, scientist, software engineer, writer, fiction blog, cork
fitssimmons, what if, Carney Girls

Funeral for a friend

The rookery across from the church exploded in to voice as the mourners left, almost as if discussing his life.

Sorry I missed you Omani, but my mind was elsewhere at the time. I had only heard a few hours before that he died, but without any details.

Will

funeral, Michael Hegarty, writing, omani

with friends like that

"Hindsight is a cruel companion"
Terry Fallis of Inside PR talks about news conference disasters in the modern age.

tags
overheard, podcast, Terry Fallis, Inside PR, news conference

Photographic evidence

"That's what Flickr is for"
Elena on how to find out what you did the previous night when you can't remember what happened at the Irish Blog Awards 2007.

And some people have modified the photos after the fact

tags:

Flickr, overheard, overacupoftea, Irish Blog Awards 2007, tomrafteryit.net

Nut Cocktails

"So what do you think of my nut cocktails?"
"You do know I'm going to have to blog that."
"Just don't mention my name"

A little background to this... For a while, before things got going at the Irish Blog Awards 2007, there was a free bar. Even after the drinks had to be paid for, the bar in the basement (beside the room with the awards ceremony) was, well, swamped by a happy mob of bloggers. I quickly gave up at the bar and headed upstairs to the main bar in the hotel.

Empty. (Has someone created a remote controlled tumbleweed?)

Almost. A rep (could have been a reporter, could have been a representative) from the Irish Times was there at the bar trying to get something to eat. I think she asked for packets of nuts, but instead of a packet, she carried two martini glasses filled with a nut mixture back to the awards.

I wonder if Ice Cream Ireland could have a little stall for next year? I doubt the hotel would let anyone but...

tags :
nut cocktails Irish Blog Awards 2007 Irish Blog Awards free bar remote controlled tumbleweed tumbleweed Dublin Irish Times overheard

The waiting game

"When this baby comes out he owes me nine months of drinking"

No idea who I was talking to at the Irish Blog Awards 2007 but its food for thought ... which reminds me

Irish Blog Awards Irish Blog Awards 2007 pregnant Dublin overheard

Shouting out around the town

I hate the idea of a "shout out to all the lads". It sort of smells like a bad Oscar speech (who should I link to?). But after a lunch with the former workmates I sort of got talked in to it.

I also met up with the lads (sexist I know but none of my former co-workers that blog and tell me about it are female) at the sort of jobs fair in the offices. And a few of the girls and guys who left the company over the years were (wo)manning the stands (Hello again Fiona, I'll probably meet you at the Fas thing in Dublin) and catching up with what they have been doing, who did what and if there are any jobs going.

So Hello to "the Bell ringer" a.k.a "the chemist", "The Hillwalker", "The Librarian", "abullybeef", Siasy (remember to tag!), "No Wuccas Man" and "tuff gnarl". I said I'd shout if you blogged!

And since I'm going to be hitting the Croke Park fair, I'll call in to the Irish Blog Awards 2007. I said I'd be helping. For the record, I've not given up chocolate for lent... so please look for me when you find it there...

take care,
Will

tags :
shout out, Motorola, job search, fas opportunities 2007, fas, Bell ringer, Hillwalker, Librarian, abullybeef, europeanirish, Siasy, No Wuccas, tuff gnarl, Irish Blog Awards 2007, chocolate