Apr 06
When Jason Walsh first spotted the ‘internet tax‘ proposal in the Green manifesto during the election campaign, I took it as a typical example of Green eccentricity. The following day, when I spotted a similar idea for a ‘content tax‘ in the Fine Gael manifesto, I took it a little more seriously. Greens were never …
Nov 12
I’ve been thinking for the last couple of days about whether I should blog on the PWC email controversy. Or rather, about media coverage of the story, in particular the decision by some Irish newspapers and websites to publish the photographs of the women concerned. I considered a trawl through Facebook and LinkedIn, to find …
Oct 08
The Irish Independent today carries the story of the 10.10.10 virus. “Fears that a computer virus could be unleased (sic!) on October 10 – 10.10.10 – are circulating on the internet, with experts warning users to be careful”, the newspaper reports with breathless urgency. (10.10.10 has a particular significance to many in geekdom, since in …
Sep 11
There was a time when book burning mattered. Once upon a time, religions enforced dictates by burning books containing the wrong opinions. To be orthodox was, literally, to hold the right opinion. And just in case that didn’t work, heretics were burned at the stake for good measure. At the end of the medieval era, …
Aug 29
Irish schools should abandon textbooks in favour of online educational content, says Fergus O’Dowd, FG education spokesman. “Texas and California are investigating the use of ‘open source textbooks’, providing approved digital texts online, written by educational experts such as retired teachers but made available for free or at a discounted price for printed versions,” he …
Aug 28
“There’s no revenue model for journalism on the web.” Or at least, so Geraldine Kennedy told Charlie Bird this morning. Twitterfolk listening in to the show were quick to react.”Old school thinking,” said Adrian Weckler, Sunday Business Post technology editor. “Is perhaps a little too used to economics of an ageing generation.” Mark Little pointed …
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Jul 22
A few weeks ago I went wandering around a few recruitment websites. I ended up at Suite101, “an interactive online magazine home to expert and reader commentary.” Suite101 were looking for writers. From what I can gather, Suite101 are always looking for writers. I filled out the form, sent it off into the cloud, and …
Jun 17
Following the success of the Freelance Forum, and in particular the contributions on online journalism, I’ve been asked to put together a brief guide to creating an online profile for freelance journalists. The brief is simple: How to use online tools, be it LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or creating your own blog or website, in order …
May 29
Kevin Myers writes, in the Irish Independent of Friday 25 May, 2009: “Google Amnesty International and Hamas, and you will find many, many condemnations by Amnesty of Israel; but you will have to work very hard indeed to find Amnesty’s condemnations of Hamas. Yes, there are some, but they are seriously muted in comparison to …
May 26
I deleted my facebook account today, though it will take fourteen days for the cancellation to become final. [If you want to know how I did it, follow the simple instructions at WikiHow.] If you really want to opt out, then it’s worth checking that link. Facebook don’t make it easy to permanently delete your …