I read RTE this morning and was delighted to see the headline “Hi-tech cable to link US with Ireland” but incredulous when they stated that it was the first transatlantic telecommunications cable to directly link Ireland with the US. I got over it until I saw an even bolder claim in the Metro paper - “Faster Broadband expected in 2010.” Where was this coming from…well the Dept. of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources press office of course - “Ireland’s first direct telecommunications link with USA“. Now apart from the obvious fact that there was a transatlantic telegraph cable between Valentia in Kerry and Newfoundland, Canada way back around 1866, I figured that we already had one.

To cut a long story short, there is a link from Dublin to North America provided by Hibernia Atlantic (formerly 360 Networks until they went bankrupt) which landed in Dublin in 2000 and they have a 2nd cable that goes around NI and lands in the UK. All this project is doing (Project Kelvin) is adding a link from that 2nd line to NI for approx. €30 million. The RTE page has since been updated to be a little more precise i.e. specify that it’s only the first direct link to NI and added the map from Hibernia Atlantic.

In some lovely PR work the department states that they awarded “a €30 million contract to construct a new direct telecommunications link to North America” and you’d assume that we were getting a full cable, wouldn’t you? They go on to list the benefits of direct connectivity (connectivity that already exists without state aid) stating that “Communications between Ireland and North America will be routed directly without having to use external networks e.g. through London. Amongst the benefits will be faster response times at lower cost for high capacity broadband.” This is only true if you are talking about Northern Ireland and granted, if you live in Letterkenny or Monaghan, there might be some benefits. In the approval from the EU approval for state aid, it quite clearly states “There is one submarine cable which connects the Republic of Ireland directly to North America from Dublin” which is information that would have been provided by the department presumably.

And what about redundancy? There are nine submarine cables providing international connectivity for the Republic of Ireland, eight of which connect via Great Britain (according to the EU state aid document). Back in 2003, there was even one in Cork, but that cable PTAT-1, has since been shut down as it was no longer considered financially viable by Cable & Wireless.

The BBC got it right and Irish Times got it more right than RTE on their first attempt.

I might have mentioned that I was in Barcelona before and now I’m going to elaborate a bit. My sister always thought I’d love BCN and she was right. It’s up there with Berlin as my all-time favourite cities and that’s saying a lot if you know how much I like Germany! The pick-pockets are terrible but that’s easy to get over when you consider the stuff it has to offer. I’ve also been to Oslo, Hannover, Brussels and Rome this year and I’d go back to BCN first.

After a terrible summer in Ireland, Barcelona in late September could still reach 31 degrees Celsius! I checked into Equity Point hostel in Passeig de Gracia and I can strongly recommend it. It’s in a classy part of town a short stroll from La Rambla and there is a train to the beach if you are really hungover!

Not only are there trains from there to the beach, but also to FC Barcelona’s New Camp (L1), Montmelo (Circuit de Catalunya - F1/DTM circuit) and Sitges where there is a lovely long beach with the sun-chairs for hire. I thought that was so quaint and retro. After the 15th of September though, the place is really quiet and serene. Strolling around there can be so relaxing and they really do close the shops during the afternoon for their siesta, sometimes till 6 or 8pm!

Barcelona is cheap, even compared to Berlin. You can get a beer served to you for €1.60 and there are buffet dinners there from €9 to €14 for succulent pork and beef roasting on a grill. That would be “Free Way” on Carrer de Mallorca. Just look at the plate of fish that was freshly cooked for me. These are just the shells and there were 4 salmon steaks on top of it!

The old Roman part of town is well worth a look, the Rambla del Mar is popular but I didn’t think it was that special. Maz pointed me in the direction of Margarita Blue and I wasn’t disappointed by the cocktails or the ambience!

People get a surprise when I tell them that I went on my own to Barcelona. But if you’re willing to talk, you’ll make friends in the hostel, tapas bars and other random spots. I met one guy, Rafael, who was French and hoping to work on the Sagrada Familia. As you can see it’s a construction site, a piece of history in the making. We started chatting in German as his English was almost as bad as my French and quickly we spotted some Austrian girls bemused by this comic interaction but I was quick to bring them into the conversation too.

That was in a Tapa’s bar called El Paso, the kind of place that wasn’t very clean but the waitress was friendly and Rafael is intent on going back to improve his Catalan.

One of the things I learned is to take notes! A photo can be great, but taking notes of what you see around you is far more discreet and it also allows you to really notice things and exercise your mind.

On one occasion, I had just come back from the Circuit de Catalunya, where the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) was being held and I stopped in the village of Montmeló. I found a lovely café on the Plaça de la Quintana. The square was full of local people going about their business, kids playing football, cycling around. Parents were sitting on benches waiting for their kids to come out of the music school with instruments in tow. At the table next to me, a woman in a group of 3 or so started breastfeeding. After the intense heat of the day, a cold breeze and looming navy clouds signalled an impending thunder-shower and I relocated inside. Other people weren’t so observant and there was much scurrying into the cafe and under a canopy in the square when the heavens opened.

For the next hour or so, rain was teeming down and those stranded outside and inside had to stay put or be soaked to the skin within seconds after leaving cover. This didn’t seem to be bothering some of the kids though who were running in and out. The people running the café seemed to be related or friends with half the people in there. Minding the kids became a communal affair and everyone was watching the 1yr old girl who would make a break for freedom every so often like the older kids. However, a 1yr old thankfully doesn’t have the strength to push hard on doors. I’m guessing 1 cos she could walk but she still had a soother. Cafeteria Granja was the name I think. Nothing like Mira in Berlin…our favourite proprietor of coffee and cakes (if you’re lucky) who communicates in a series of grunts and smokes like a trooper.

The nice thing about Barcelona too is that it’s very centralised. All the parties are in the city and the cultural life isn’t as fractured and disparate as Berlin. When I was there, there was a festival (La Merce, held in honour of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the Patron Saint of Barcelona) and it wasn’t even targeting tourists. They had information stands, bands and local performers on stage, in the streets and all over Barcelona. Even at night, bands were roaming through the city picking up fans along the way.

La Merce band in Barcelona

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On a sidenote, before I even left Irish soil, I had my first encounter with American troops in Shannon. I was surprised by how quiet and subdued they all were. Mostly, they wanted to phone home, check emails, surf the net, sleep and have a beer or two. I worked up the courage to talk to some of them and discovered that they were a mix of air force and marines. Many of them didn’t actually fly, but provided support services, which was good because one guy really didn’t like the turbulence. Thanks to Cathal for the lift to Shannon btw!

In ‘08 a few things happened. I finished my thesis, got a sweet job despite the recession and moved to Dublin. It’s my first time living in the city proper and I’m still getting used to it. The job and the people at work are great. Next year, I hope to get stuck in with projects and move beyond training. Part of that will be studying and hopefully passing the Cisco ICND1 & ICND2 exams in the near future.

Of course I miss Limerick. We had good times from the very beginning of the year when we rang in 2008 in Oslo. I was perhaps most active in Clubs and Socs in the first half of ‘08, running one with the help of some really great people like Mike, Lorraine, Gina and counsel from John, ger, alan etc. We pulled off the 5th annual fundraiser and made it bigger and better than ever. A lot of hard work paid off to see so many people enjoying themselves including a fair few from NUIM who were down for a conference we hosted. Kudos to Declan, Jaffa and co for coming down and bringing so many good speakers.

I was also being very social with the skynet crew and we’d one or two parties and drinks in Java’s, the Groody Bar, some kebabs in Hannover after CeBIT. I think that was the last time I had Schweinshax’n too but there will be more in ‘09! And this time I might be the one driving the Mercedes on the Autobahn until it smells of burning oil. Bless the Mercedes garage for their efficient diagnosis - no oil cap (from the time we rented the car).

Some firsts for 2008 - first time that I went windsurfing, quad-biking, attended an IETF meeting, presented a radio show (with aoife on ragradio), went to an All-Ireland Hurling game and simultaneously go to a match in the Gaelic Grounds, Rally of the Lake and finally, visit Galway properly.

Travel-wise, I got to Oslo and Hannover obviously, but also to Brussels, Barcelona and Rome. Next year, I would really like to catch up with my friends in London, visit the US and return to Berlin of course. Further down the list, Stockholm and Paris are places where I have people to visit…oh and Steve in Cork too of course

My face is sore from smiling and laughing so I had to share it - sound required

I’ve recently moved to Dublin so I’ll be networking a lot more in capital. First off was the Microsoft BizSpark Launch @ Digital Island Meetup. Held in the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, Microsoft launched a practical offering to startup companies consisting of free/cheap software and support. See - Microsoft BizSpark

The evening then turned more topical and there was a panel discussion on how the country could support startups. One of the key issues the need for more awareness of the supports available and support for people to know when/how to get them. Enterprise Ireland, county enterprise boards, SFI, Forfas etc all provide support and multiple programmes but is it clear how each one differs and have you even heard of the M50 programme?

A reoccurring theme is the provision of broadband access and high-speed broadband. Amongst the technophiles, there is consensus that it’s needed and the speeds available need to improve, if we are to have even a chance of competing for modern industries. It not only our ability to attract new industry and foster innovation, but it also helps us retain industries already here. The head of eBay was very brave and unusually outspoken when he highlighted the shortcomings of the broadband infrastructure in Ireland but the recent survey that showed almost 50% of companies wouldn’t locate in Ireland again is also very worrying and part of the reason was the poor infrastructure.

Demos of locle and JustRoutes followed and while I had seen JustRoutes before, I was surprised to find that they didn’t even appear on the first page for a google search of “dart maps dublin” so some SEO and redesign of the website is needed. In fact, I ended up on a site offering a similar service - mk map

After that, there was much networking and I was very pleased to meet Iarfhlaith Kelly, David Doran (who is way ahead of his classmates and many lecturers, I’d say), Ronan Skehill (don’t forget to put your company website on your card next time) and several others. Thanks to Anton Mannering for organising the event and coordinating it with Microsoft. I know for sure that there were new business contacts and potential deals made…it still amazes me what some Irish people are doing here and abroad.

Following on from that, I made it to my first Dublin OpenCoffee Club in New York Grind on Saturday morning. There, the discussion was a lot more technical that other OpenCoffees that I’ve been to, including a bit about one of the lesser-discussed languages - Erlang. There was also very good suggestion about using those €5,000 Enterprise Ireland Innovation vouchers. You could easily work with the NCI to analyse user behaviour and screen interactions using their specialist lab equipment - see National e-Learning Laboratory (NELL) where there are specific contact details at the end of the page.

Conor Lynch from connector was there to bring us back to commercial and marketing-orientated stuff too and he has some very interesting projects on the go. There is also a mugshot of us all on the blog

Next up, Jason Roe is organising a Blogger / Webby / Twitter (whatever) meet-up for people in Dublin.

The plan is to meet up at the Porter House central from 6pm on Thursday 27th. (PH central located at the bottom of grafton street, across from the molly malone statue). We will get food, drinks and have our chats. After this (maybe 8:30/9pm ish) we might move on to Soundcheck, South William Street. It seems that Rick O’Shea is doing a DJ thing, we shall be acting as a rent a mob! - the rent

PS: I have approched a sponsor to give us some free drinks and/or food for the night. More info to come laters.

I would also really appreciated if anyone attending could slap up a blog post / and or tweet about this!

did the auditors sign off on the EU accounts this year? Was there massive fraud?

RTE report “Auditors give first okay to EU books” while Sky references Iain Dale as the source that the auditors “failed to approve the EU accounts”

The clearest explanations come from the BBC and the European Parliament;

Although the accounts themselves have been approved without qualification, the same cannot be said of the “transactions underlying the accounts”: the Court said that for the 14th year in a row it was not able to issue a “statement of assurance” that the EU money had been spent well and according to the rules in all policy areas. - European Parliament

For the first time in 14 years the auditors’ opinion on the European Commission’s accounts is “unqualified” - in other words, they deem the figures to be reliable. Yet they highlight some serious errors in the underlying transactions. - BBC

Iain Dale suggests withholding cash from the EU until this is sorted out without referring to the fact that 80% of the funds are administered on a national level according to the auditors and they suggest increasing on-the-spot checks, i.e. the UK government and other EU governments are the ones ‘losing’ the cash. But it’s easier to blame the EU, isn’t it?

I’ve highlighted the words above because errors and mistakes do not mean fraud but this is exactly what is implied and suggested by many people when this topic is discussed such as in this Sky News blog “How Europe loses your cash”, the Telegraph: EU paid out 4.9bn in error last year or The Australian - Auditors find $11bn of dodgy EU grants

By “errors” do the auditors actually mean “fraud”?

No - they stress that “errors” means any non-compliance with the rules for receiving EU funds. The most common errors highlighted are: inadequate documentation, overestimated payment claims and violations of the reimbursement conditions for EU programmes. For each programme there are detailed criteria about who can be paid, which activities can be reimbursed and for which period.

The auditors argue that fraud is a special case, dealt with by the EU’s anti-fraud office, Olaf. Suspected frauds affected 0.16% of Commission payments in the 2000-2007 period, Olaf says - equivalent to 290m euros. In 2008 the auditors have alerted Olaf nine times about suspected fraud cases, the Court’s president Vitor Caldeira says. - BBC

Today, I got news that MSN groups is being shut down…why?

Because we [MSN Groups] are dedicated to providing our customers with the most current and user friendly technology available today we made the difficult decision to close the MSN Groups service. This decision is part of an overall investment to update and re-align our online services with Windows Live. In the long term we believe that closing the service is the best way to continue to offer innovative and effective services that help you stay in touch with the people you care about. We plan to launch a new Groups service in the coming weeks, but unlike MSN Groups, Windows Live Groups will focus on offering a place for small groups to collaborate. Multiply is available now, making it your best option today for continuing to share and communicate together online.

So MSN is handing off their social network 1.0 to a 2.0 company that it doesn’t even own! This surprises me because MSN is essentially giving away large groups of active users focussed on their topics of interest. It also highlights how communities are reliant on the platform that hosts their community. What if Bebo, Facebook or Google Groups (you probably didn’t hear of that one) closed shop in the morning?

I’ve been a member of MSN groups since the early naughties or late 90’s (I’ve an email about becoming assistant manager of a group in 2001), particularly those related to Formula 1 and the Jordan F1 team. It had chatrooms (later disabled to protect the children!), photo albums, calendars, message boards, user profiles, user-defined pages etc. It moved from http://communities.msn.co.uk to http://groups.msn.com and while both Jordan F1 itself the the MSN group have ceased to exist, here are examples of other groups I joined that are still going: http://groups.msn.com/F1 and http://groups.msn.com/guessthepole

This sounds interesting and they even have a blog set up - www.limericktechfair.blogspot.com

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Bewildered by Bebo, Baffled by broadband, and Bamboozled by Blogs???

Does the world of technology seem like a scary place? Then come visit the first Limerick Technology Fair and tackle those tech terrors. The fair takes place in Thomond Park Conference Centre on Saturday November 1st from 11-4. Admission is FREE and there will be lots of prizes and attractions on the day and maybe even some SURPRISE guests.

Limerick Technology Fair is a fair with a difference, it will feature 50 jargon-free interactive displays that show how simple new technologies are to use. There will be something for everyone at the Fair but it will really benefit people who may not be aware of how every day technology can help them save time and money and be lots of fun!

On the day people will be able see how to make free phone calls on the net, shop online, download music, take and share digital photos and get free software. There is the opportunity to see inside the new state of the art Thomond Park Conference Centre and to get your photo taken with the Heineken Cup. Visitors will also be the first people ever to see the Munster Rugby Interactive Museum.

The interactive displays featured in the fair will be built by a mixture of private companies and community and education groups. In centres around the city, community groups have been checking out things like Podcasting, Facebook, Skype and Youtube to showcase on the day. Caroline Clarke from Our Lady of Lourdes Community Centre says “Our group have been using Google Earth. Already they have been on virtual visits to Paris and New York and been able to print directions from their houses to Limerick landmarks like Thomond Park. Everyone is having great fun and finding it really easy to use”

Amongst others, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Digital Creators, Creative Labs, Limerick City Sports Partnership, LIT, Limerick City Council, and Munster Rugby will be there to showcase how their technologies work. A number of short snappy ‘How to’ workshops will take place in break-out rooms; featured topics include ‘Technology for the Travelling Munster Fan’ and ‘Getting the Light Right for your Digital Pictures

I’m Joe the engineer but I did like what I heard in the encounter between Barack Obama and Joe Wurzelbacher.

My opinion after thinking a little about this is that the taxpayer must give people the chance to succeed in life, regardless of their background. I strongly believe in healthy competition and reward for risk and investment. But I believe that there is a dangerous trend towards letting lower and middle classes sink into a perpetual struggle for existence while those born into wealth are let off with a life of privilege, an aristocracy of sorts. This is why I think Barack Obama’s focus on education, healthcare and tax cuts for incomes under €250,000 is praiseworthy.

HT: saw the video first on ellybabes’ blog