Two great points to add to the earlier post. Justin Mason says -
"My pet theory is that the angel investment culture is now the #1 thingAnd Fergus Burns has made some great recommendations -
that Silicon Valley has, as an "edge" over other places like Ireland."
.. Hotfoot.ie. The fact that the homepage is a splash page isn't the worst crime ever committed against Jakob Nielsen but the entry page is!
"Hmmm,... I wonder which of these inviting gallery photos is the one that leads to the secret door..... not that one..... or that one..... nor that either.... hmmmm,.... scroll.... click, click, click,... scroll,... click, click....scroll...... arghhhhh... goddamit.. how the f**k do I get in"?
Actually you've got to scroll all the way back up to the top and click the foot logo. So that's why they call themselves Hotfoot then.... because so many people just hotfoot it out of there! Maybe Bunion would have been more appropriate!
Thanks Robin for posting about my new 3D model of the Clarion Hotel in Limerick. I was so disappointed to discover that Google Earth doesn't yet support SketchUp's photo textures that I didn't bother posting about it but I suppose its still interesting to look at and 'fly by' in SketchUp at least. Now if only I could get the dimensions for the curvature of the roof I could get rid of that horrible 'sky bubble' ;-)
Technorati Tags: google earth, sketchup
Geek Dinner culture is slowly gaining a foothold in Ireland, with recent meetups in Galway, Cork and Limerick, but it seems like geographical spread is something of a hindrance at the moment to more regular and consistent get-togethers. Not that regional meetups are less useful, and sure, we get to gossip at Web 2.0 conferences and Blogging events but I'd still like to see a greater continuity in nationwide networking.
It occurs to me that we might use Skype's new Skypecasts (conference call) feature to fill the gaps between real-world get-togethers. These can be ad-hoc, informal, come and go as you please chinwags, just to say what's up and what's on the radar. Who knows, if Skype ever get around to actually adding a record feature these could even morph into Gillmor-gang-esque podcasts.
Anybody interested in giving it a go? As I've only got access to broadband during the day I'm proposing a kick-off time of 2.30pm next Wednesday 10th May and have setup this Web 2.0 in Ireland Skypecast. Please drop by to say hello - the more the merrier.
But bring your own tea and biscuits!
Technorati Tags: skypecast, web2.0, ireland, entrepreneurship
Damien "The Broadband Bruiser" Mulley takes the gloves off and goes for the jugular -
ComReg and the Department of Communications need to stop living inGo read the whole thing, it's brilliant writing and I'm at a loss to understand why the Irish Examiner didn't run the piece. Could it be that they're afraid of passionate, informed writing that's much better than anything their 'professionals' produce?
their shared delusion and start living in the harsh reality that
consumers and businesses are facing when it comes to getting broadband.
The broadband market in Ireland needs better parenting and once this
happens everyone can work together and make Ireland top of its class.
Robin Blandford spotted the opportunity for a brilliant bit of guerilla marketing at the Web2Ireland conference when he swooped on Marc Canter and recorded his live operetta performance for our listening pleasure - surely a first in Podcasting/CommentCasting?
Technorati Tags: podcasting, commentcasting, guerilla marketing
So says this report -
Ireland remains one of the leading countries in Europe in terms of entrepreneurship and is fast approaching the levels of early stage entrepreneurial activity prevalent in the United States. Overall, the research found that almost one in ten of the adult population living in Ireland is actively planning or has recently set up a new business.
Whatever about the Irish you've got to ask what are those New Zealanders eating?
Photos and blogs posts pertaining to last Thursday's conference at The Helix in Dublin have begun to trickle through on Technorati including some great photos from Dermod Moore and others. Derek Organ took some great notes from the event and Dermod has a list of some of the the blogheads who were and weren't there.
It was the first conference of this kind that I've been to so I've little to compare and contrast it with but I definitely got alot out of it and the networking alone was worth the trip to the capital. Marc Canter was, of course, the star of the show but I also found Judy Gibbons particularly informative. Adam Green moderated the technology roundtable which really warmed up when it broached the subject of cross server AJAX issues. The VC and M&A presentations were of course equally relevant to all entrepreneurs in the audience and Jeff Clavier had a number of interesting cross Atlantic insights on the subject.
One question for the organizers - were the company presentations designed as sales pitches? Because one or two of the entrepreneurs hardly looked at the audience at all, instead choosing to deliver their messages directly to the panel. Hard to blame them I suppose but my gratitude goes to the ones who concentrated more on sharing business insights than pitching their wares.
Thanks to Brian O'Malley of Enterprise Ireland, Fergus Burns and everyone else who put their time into organizing a very worthwhile event. Let's have more of them.
Technorati Tags: web2ireland
Apparently the 17 story Clarion Hotel on Limerick's Steamboat Quay was designed to reflect the proud rugby tradition of the city. Just as well then that Google SketchUp is such an ingenious piece of software because I can't imagine having being able to reproduce those intricate rugby ball curves in a traditional CAD application. Or at least not so quickly.
Here's the Google Earth file so that you can take the virtual tour. The only data I could get off the web is the height of the building at 184 feet so this model is a rough first draft. Yes it floats above the ground and yes there ain't no windows, but hey - I was kind of excited about getting this far so I'm just putting the pre-beta out there ;-)
A more refined model to come soon....
PS. Robin Blandford has a file for the Howth Martello.
When I worked in the Software Test department with Apple Computer in Cork there was an employee incentive scheme called "Bug of the Month" with rather nice prizes on offer for testers who found 'showstoppers'. I once won a £150 voucher for Marks & Spencer when finding a ghost install problem in a cross platform product, but honestly the cash wasn't the incentive, it was just alot of fun to find a showstopper.
So, needless to say, I love the little scheme Richard Rodger has come up with to help differentiate Ricebridge from the competition -
... we need a new tack. A bit of danger. Some thrills. There's nothing like a kick up the arse to get you moving. I'm deadly serious about bugs at Ricebridge, so let's up the ante. Let's go for broke. Bugs have to hurt. As coders, they have to hurt us, not just our users.So here’s the deal. If you invest in my products, and you find a bug, I will give you a ThinkGeek Gift Certificate for $15 dollars.
Very cool, very innovative. This is exactly the kind of lateral thinking a small software company needs to be engaging in. If I'd any call for an XML or CSV Manager I'd be on the hunt for a showstopper right now...
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