Nov 27
At a crucial point in V for Vendetta, as the populace, wearing now-iconic Guy masks, march on Parliament, a stand-off develops between citizens and soldiers. It is resolved when the soldiers refuse to fire. It’s not the first time I’ve seen the meme. It also occurs in the pre-911 film The Siege, where crazed general …
Nov 24
This agreement is between the Publication (and all its subsidiaries), and the Author, Gerard Cunningham, an independent freelance writer. Project description Author agrees to write an article of agreed length on the topic required for the Publication. Author agrees to conduct interviews and research necessary for completion of the article. Author will submit the finished …
Nov 24
More than once, I’ve received an email (or an actual postal delivery) from a publisher informing me unilaterally that in any further work I submit, while I retain copyright, I agree to something along the lines of the following: “[The Author] grants [The Publisher] the exclusive right to use, publish or deal with the Material, …
Nov 15
The director general of the statutory body charged with funding basic science research has expressed his concern at proposals to abolish funding for postgraduate students. Dr Graham Love was speaking at the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Summit in Athlone, an annual event bringing together researchers funded by the body to carry out basic scientific research …
Nov 12
Spoof accounts are nothing new on twitter. From @OsamaBinLaden and @Jesus to the cast of Spooks, the spoof account is a part of the experience. Ireland is no exception, as accounts like @CardinalBrady or @Madam_Editor show. Less common than the “spoof” is the “fake”. While the spoof is clearly a take-off, fakes look and feel …
Nov 02
Imagine a politician released research proving their arguments on a point of public controversy. Imagine every journalist in Ireland knew the research was faulty. Let’s go further. Imagine the paper looked like a work of fiction, and it appeared the academics who carried out the research did not exist. There’s be uproar, right? Pat Kenny …
