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With the Irish Blog Awards getting closer I have been thinking about what I want to achieve by attending. I mean, I’m not going to win anything this year? So what better time than now to clarify why I even blog in the first place.
As mentioned before I started blogging out of a love of photography. The photoblog was started soon after discovering what a blog is - then I uncovered the vast nature of blogs, both photographic and written.
This blog was started in March 2006, originally as a place to voice my thoughts on my photography and gigs. Unfortunately didn’t get off to a great start as photography was taking up most of my time, ironically. Now that I have no camera, I have been using this space to write about whatever comes to mind.
I’ve been enjoying being a part of this small community of Irish Bloggers and try to read as many as I can. Reading blogs makes Ireland seem much more interesting than I ever thought it was.
I did meet a few bloggers last year and had a great time discovering that they are normal people, though this time I want to meet more - and learn more. Still being quite the novice, I know I have a lot to learn from all the techie folk.
I do have some thoughts on what I want to do with this blog; trying out various writing techniques and learning to write better is on the top of my to-do list. Getting away from personal rants is on the list too.
Saying that I have things I want to ‘achieve’ from attending probably sounds a bit odd. Surely I’m not just thinking about what I can gain from all this am I? Well, in a way, but not really. All day I read about all this crazy stuff going on in this great community of people who all seem to know each other. So if I don’t know at least 2 more people by the end of the night I will be quite disappointed.
Time flies doesn’t it, as it always does when something that was once way in the future isn’t anymore, and so its about time I got organised. Like last year I am making a weekend out of it. Quite last minute and in quite a panic of resorting to sleeping under a bridge, I managed to get a room Jurys Montrose Hotel I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Dublin before, normally hostels, so even that will be exciting. I have also persuaded a good friend to come along too (with the hope that he will catch on to blogging - I might need some of your help for that too).
Each time I visit Dublin I try to do something different. There won’t be too much drinking this year as Ronan is off alcohol for Lent. I don’t think I’ve ever been to any museums in Dublin, we might do that. Anyone have some good suggestions?
Meeting up beforehand would be cool (I hear mention of food - always a good idea before drinks). As for the After Party - with a DJ! I hope Rick O’Shea plays good music and takes requests, and with all the iPods that are bound to be floating around - iPod decks, anyone? I caught the last hour of his show tonight for the first time. I shall listen again tomorrow if I remember.
One essential service I will need - Internet! Last year I was surprised at the number of Internet Cafés. The first one I found last year was Global Internet Café, it was a good find with decent PCs (firefox!) and nice coffee. Though is it the cheapest? What about public libraries, do they offer free internet?
Oh yes - I need my iPod repaired! Is there an Apple store in Dublin? Not exactly sure if it will be much use to me, and I still haven’t tried the DIY method, though I’m a little scared. If anyone wants to bring along a screwdriver and give it a shot you’re more than welcome!
Look forward to seeing y’all there! Anyway - I have a jar of Nutella waiting for me.
I kinda fucked that up. I tried re-wording it a few times, eventually posting it still thinking it wasn’t quite clear enough. But it turns out all that didn’t matter. I didn’t even link to the correct post!
Paul Browne’s Feedburner giveaway sounded like a great idea. Nice and easy too, right?
All I had to do was get my readers (you) to post a comment on this entry on Paul’s blog with (1) your name , (2) email (will be hidden) and (3) the blog that sent you there (me), but instead I directed the link to this entry. No one even commented on that entry anyway.
All ya gotta do is leave a comment on this post; 3 commenters will be picked at random.
The prize? Some very cool Feedburner merch, courtesy of Paul Browne.
- 1st Prize : A long sleeved FeedBurner Jersey, and assorted stickers and badges.
- 2nd Prize : A T-Shirt with the FeedBurner logo, and assorted stickers and badges.
- 3rd Prize : Just the T-Shirt with the FeedBurner Logo.
He even took a picture to prove that its not just shameless marketing scam.
[Update - This competition is now over]
One month ago I decided to attempt to watch as many films nominated for this year’s Oscars as possible. I managed 15. Pretty pathetic I know, but I’m still quite proud of myself.
I’ve never been one to watch many films. I put this down to my short attention span and preference to use my PC/Internet instead, though I do feel I have a decent collection of dvds, if not relatively small at only 52.
I have been asked a by a few friends recently why I have become suddenly so interested in the Oscars this year compared with any other year, what with my usual attitude of being generally opposed to such senseless award ceremonies. Maybe its just another one of my short-lived obsessions - but I feel this one may be a little more long-lived than the others. I have always been interested in media. This time I’m just taking it further.
The Oscars, like most award ceremonies, creep up on me and I don’t normally know they are taking place until the day of the event, or the day after. This time, after reading about it a whole month ago, I wanted to be able to make an informed opinion. Unlike Crash, winning best film last year, which I had not heard of at the time - not helped by the fact that it hadn’t been released here yet. I also still haven’t seen Million Dollar Baby, winner of the best film category in 2005.
This year, however, each of the films nominated for best film have been in the cinema here, and I have managed to see them all - though it was pretty close, only catching Letters from Iwo Jima and The Departed on Saturday. My plan to be able to make an informed decision in the best Film category. Unfortunately, the only other categories I was able to do this with were Original Screenplay and Film Editing. Maybe I can do better next year.
Each of the nominations for best film were thoroughly enjoyable to watch, though I think Blood Diamond and The Last King of Scotland should have been included. I personally wouldn’t have given The Departed the prize, instead I think that should have gone to Babel. For me it is by far the better film.
As for the others… well I still have plenty to see. Now where can I find those documentaries…?
This weeks watching includes Happy Feet, The Good Shepherd and Superman Returns.
Where is my camera?
OK, I’m not actually expecting a camera at this point, I am expecting the results of the inspection of my very-obviously-broken camera. They said it could take up to fifteen days. Today is the fifteenth day and nothing.
They better have a damn good explanation. I have it all planned out: they say “yes your camera is broken, we will now give you your vouchers for its value”, then I don’t say thank you ‘cos I don’t like them much, yet they seem to be the cheapest online camera retailer. I will then proceed to buy myself a new camera, lens and flashgun.
Looks like I won’t have it for the IBAs this year. Or maybe it will arrive the morning I’m due to leave for Dublin like last year… though I’m just not so hopeful this time around.
Its only dawned on me that it’s just over a week until the Blog Awards. 8 days, 20 hours, 6 minutes and 43 seconds to be precise (I like timeanddate.com), yet I still have not booked somewhere to stay. The reason I had put it off so much is that I was trying to get someone to go with me for this weekend of would-be adventures in Dublin’s Fair City. Unfortunately no one I know cares enough about blogs and Ireland so I may be going on my own…
I have been trying recently to get a good friend blogging, though it isn’t going too well. The internet just isn’t something he does. It was hard enough to get him to use it in the first place, though it wasn’t even me who managed to do that - it was the necessity to check mail for important Camp America updates, keeping in touch with friends and communicating with the girlfriend who resides 3624 miles away. It is a tool for the occasional myspacing and emailing. I sometimes feel like it isn’t worth it, that it will never work out; he will never love the internet as I do. Maybe he will and maybe he won’t… but I find it so hard to give up trying.
I have recently tried to encourage the idea of blogging (now with his very own wordpress blog), still a very foreign idea. There’s a small flame of interest there somewhere, but just not enough time is spent online to bother with such things. I guess it just isn’t for everyone.
I knew he wouldn’t have much reason to want to join me to the Blog Awards. After much persuasion he decided he would, but money was always an issue - with traveling (see Camp America and girlfriend 3624 miles away) always at the forefront of his mind. It has been on and off for the last couple of weeks, always saying more time was needed, but there was no more time; beds are limited. A final decision had to be made. As suspected, that decision is no.
I still do not fully know why I blog, or why my blog would encourage anyone else to do such I thing. I enjoy reading blogs, as overwhelming as it can get at times, having an agenda of your own can be much more difficult, as I am finding out.
So, dear readers, I ask you this, have you been successful in converting any non-internet users to the wonderful ways of the global datasphere?
Wrapped in a beautiful brown envelope when I arrived home this evening was my copy of the Observer Music Monthly and Observer Music Magazine. But even better than that two sheets of money off vouchers for the Guardian and Observer. Two whole weeks of the Guardian for 30p (60p off on Sat) and 90p off the Observer!
Now thats good marketing.
Having spent the last 2 weeks trying to find the best reasonably priced VoIP/Skype phone, I finally ordered one.I think it was about 2 years ago that I heard about Skype and immediately thought wow even if I did live my with parents and didn’t call people very often. Two years later, I no longer live with my parents and have friends in America. I absolutely despise the high cost of mobile calls and ensure that I don’t top-up my phone with more than £10 each month. That is just the amount that I need in order to get free txts that last me through the month. I don’t make that many calls either though the credit normally lasts 3 to 4 weeks anyway.
At first I wanted to get a headset, it seems to be the most talked about device for using with VOIP services. I did get one last year but I didn’t like it much so I brought it back. In the last year I discovered that I could actually get a real phone. No leads to worry about and I wouldn’t be restricted to sitting in front of my computer (though I probably will anyway).
The problem then arose, which one? I began last week by typing the words ‘best skype phone’ into Google to get an overview of the market. My first thoughts where that they are generally more expensive than the headsets but then I see so many advantages, plus I’m not a gamer so I don’t have to worry about that.
The handset that I saw the most often was the RTX Cordless Skype Dualphone. I read many reviews, both good and bad, well mostly good but some bad points that stuck out. Though the good seems to outweigh the bad.
Geekzone.co.nz gave it a pretty good review, summarised by this:
Pros
- Use it like a standard phone
- Cordless with good range: 50m indoors, 300m outdoors
- Change Skype status directly on handset
- Lists on-line Skype contacts directly on handset
Cons
- Phonebook should really synchronise with Microsoft Outlook or other PIM
- Can get a little bit hot during long talks
- No speakerphone
The only one of the cons that puts me off is the one about it getting hot during long calls. Surely it can’t get that hot.
The review over at VoIP & Gadgets Blog ended with this:
Pros
- Great range
- Good sound quality
- Wireless access to Skype contacts
- Can change Skype presence status
- Integration with Skype voicemail
Cons
- Short standby battery life
- No off switch (have to disconnect battery or listen to annoying low battery warning?)
- Can’t download contacts to the phone.
- You have to launch Skype first. The phone cannot launch Skype for you.
The cordless phones that my parents have don’t have a very long life, so I’m used to that.
Also, today Skype have revealed Skype Pro. Basically cheaper calls and services. Free landline calls (though there is a $0.039 connection fee) and free voicemail. The introductory offer includes five months of Pro service for €10 and €5 credit.
Oh I can’t wait to get Skyping.
I just noticed that Charlie Brooker’s great Mac Hating article has the very ads that he hates at the top side of the page. I had never noticed this because I use Firefox’s Adblock plugin, but Gavin pointed it out and so I got a nice little screenshot of it. I do think the ads are funny.
I can see the similarities…
But definitely no more.
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