Press Ombudsman Prof John Horgan warned in a speech this week against ‘journalists plagiarising from the internet and using it as a substitute to leaving the office and finding out about what is happening in the world.’ Here’s why. Sixteen …
Monthly Archive: January 2009
Jan
28
Face The Music
I downloaded the latest OpenOffice release today. It clocked in at about 140Mb. I also downloaded several podcasts. mostly from the BBC and NPR. Then I emailed some high resolution photos, each about 10Mb. I mention this because Eircom reached …
Jan
27
In My Own Words
Richie Barron died on a lonely country road as he walked home in October 1996. Six weeks later, twelve innocent people were arrested, suspected of his murder. Six years later, a tribunal was established to find out what happened. It …
Jan
27
Lump Sum
When the cops asked what was in the locked cupboard in the basement, Ted Cunningham – no relation – explained it contained ‘personal items‘. ‘What kind of personal items?’ they asked. ‘A couple of million in sterling.’ The financial adviser …
Jan
23
Check Sums
As part of my job, I read too many government reports. Most of them are available online and can be downloaded without charge. Downloads are generally in PDF format, though occasionally a press release or speech is available only as …
Jan
21
Could It Be?
‘So here’s how it works’, my informant told me, leaning closer as his voice dropped. ‘To earn the right to vote on party policy, each party branch is required to raise a sum of money each year.’ ‘The amount raised …
Jan
20
Words In Pictures
I’ve been away from things for the last few days, so no updates recently. Then, scanning random blogs to catch up this morning, I came across the web app at Wordle, which creates a word cloud. A word cloud (or …
Jan
15
Breaking News
I was all set to write an article today on the government’s belated decision to nationalise Anglo Irish Bank. Before writing, I decided to check what RTÉ had to say about the story. Nationalisation has been inevitable since the bailout …
Jan
15
Halt
Donegal county council finds itself faced with an unusual problem. Following complaints that there is no authorisation to display a ‘Stop’ sign in the Gaeltacht using the Irish word ‘Stad’, the council must replace the signs with standard English language …
Jan
13
The Unelected Government
Yesterday two hundred economists met in Dublin to discuss the future of the nation. I happened to find myself in Buswell’s Hotel, opposite Leinster House, when the economists retired for refreshments after their meeting. The meeting was addressed by Colm …