Just recently my college class decided to do a little "social experiment" amoungst ourselves. This was a technology fast where we were to try and give up various forms of technology for 48 hours. this included mobile phones, internet and e-mail. We were to judge ourselves on our performance to see how we could get on. Not too many participated in the end for various reasons, due to work commitments, knowing that they just could not do with out these forms of technology to others who just werent bothered.
In the end i think 2 girls said they competed the challenge of not using their mobile phones, the internet or their e-mails. Fair play to them for giving it a go and succeding, i don't think i would have survived the time if i had tried it my self but at the same time it would have been a bit of fun to give it a lash!!!
so it goes to prove that even though we are so dependent on technology these day, such as never goin anywhere without our mobile phones, it can be done if you really want to do it.
Wow, where do i start!!! Dundalk IT has been a huge part of my life for the last four years and i'm sure it will be an influence for many years to come even after i am long gone for the college.
In less than 2 and a half weeks i will have sat my last exam and will be preparing to head home and start the next phase of my life, life after college and education, and i can't wait. Don't get me wrong i have had a great time in college and have some amazing memories but i'm ready to move on to the next thing, to the next challenge in my life.
My college life has changed drastically from first year till 4th year. When i started in college in September 2006 i didn't know a soul in the college. Not one person was i know to but things change don't they. I now have such an array of friends, some who i have had since that very first day and other i have met since. Friends from all walks of life, from my class, friends of friends, randomly met people, people i have lived with and people i have given all for on the hurling field. yes i have some amazing friends from this place, some that i know i will never leave behind.
Now times haven't always been the laugh of my life, from exams to assignments and arguments and disagreement's, to those terrible but unmistakable Dundalk Hangovers!!!! But that what makes the good times so much better, when the sun comes out(on the odd occasion), to those sessions in the bar, to work placement in Florida or even just a spin in the car.
Over my four years i have loved and lost and loved again, been up and down from the highs of representing and Captaining the college Hurling Team to the championship final, to failing economics in first year and having to repeat in August!!!!
There are far to many things for me to cover in this little blog but i have memories that will never leave me, thanks to all who have impacted on my life during my time in Dundalk IT and a huge thanks to all the lecturers who have dragged us all kicking and screaming from nieave little teenagers in first year to, well i hope grown up and mature adults........
Mobile Commerce is growing at a tramendous rate in recent years. such revolutionary items like iPods and iPads along with such advances as web 2.0 and 3G technology are all leading the way forward for the development of technolofy and devleoping the world of Mobile Commerce. Other advances in wireless technology such as wi-fi, broadband and WiMax have made the connecting between all the different forms of esuipment from mobile phones and computers all the easier and faster.
Such technology has a huge role to play on a number of different industries in a variety of different ways. Different industries such as the hospitality business have and can benefit greatly from the development of mobile commerce.
Mobile commerce has made such tasks as booking a hotel room to booking in a tour group or a dinner little or no bother. These booking have been able to be made via a desktop computer for a good while now but more recently the developments in Wi-fi and wireless devices make it much easier and faster and allow the possibility of making such booking or enquirers while on the move or away from the office or desktop computer.
This development of mobile commerce will constatntyly have a big impact on the hospitality industry as this industry continues to grow and develop and all advances in technology can benefit the over all company as well as the general day to day running of the industry.
What we now know as eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar's in his San Jose living room back in September 1995. It was from the start meant to be a marketplace for the sale of goods and services for individuals.
In 1998, Pierre and his cofounder Jeff Skoll brought in Meg Whitman to sustain the success. Meg had studied at the Harvard Business School and had learned the importance of branding at companies such as Hasbro.
Meg culled her senior staff from companies such as Pepsi co and Disney, created an experienced management team with an average of 20 years of business experience and built a strong vision for the company -- that eBay is a company that's in the business of connecting people, not selling them things.
eBay quickly shed the image of only auctioning collectibles and moved into an array of upscale markets where the average sale price (ASP) is higher. ASP is a key metric in determining eBay's transaction fees, so increasing the ASP became an important item. By forging partnerships with name brands such as GM, Disney and Sun, eBay has managed to do exactly that. Sun has sold$10 million worth of equipment and it now lists between 20 and 150 items per day.
eBay is today one of the leading companies in the world and in my opinion a fantastic creation. It is such an easy way to look for different items from antiques to an item that is no longer in production. I myself have recently succumb to its uses and benefits over the many negatives that people feel surround eBay and buying items that may have been used and not being able to see and touch the item before they buy it.
For many years I have been aware of eBay but was afraid to buy on line. I was put off by the air of uncertainty surrounding the quality of the item you were buying, it still in working condition, is it still working and are you buying what you think you are buying. One of my main fears was that the item may never arrive in the post and I would have no way of getting my money back....
Many, many times I logged on to eBay and had a look at what they had and what I wanted to buy but I wasn’t anywhere near brave enough to purchase. But just as recently as last Christmas when I was looking for a present for my girlfriend and I couldn’t find it anywhere else so I eventually was talked into trying it by a friend who had used the sight on many different occasions with positive results.
Since this day I have bought several presents and even bought new parts for my damaged iPhone, including new parts that I just ordered at the start of the week!!
I feel websites such as eBay and even sites as Amazon are the way forward and that we shouldn’t be afraid of them with such payment systems as Pay-Pal in place to ensure customer security and safety.
The World Wide Web Consortium also known as W3C. IT was started by the inventor of the world wide web Tim Berners-Lee. W3C has a very important role to play in the development of the World Wide Web. Its main goals and aims is to control the level of accessibility of internet sites for everyone. it is advised that all websites in the world hold their websites to these standards so allow all users the necessary level of accessibility that they deserve. It has the backing of many different leading players in the industry such as Microsoft and Apple.
The Following case study is a prime example of what can happen to an organisation who don't live up to these standards and the negative effect it can have on the people:
"A summary of the seminal case relating to Inaccessible Websites and Disability Discrimination Legislation
In June 1999 Bruce Maguire lodged a complaint with the Human Rights & Equal Opportunities Commission under the Australian Disability Discrimination Act. His complaint was that he was being discriminated against because he could not access the contents of the Olympic Games website.
As a highly skilled user of a refreshable Braille display he was used to being able to access the content of web pages, however, he was unable to access important content on the Olympic Games website.
He won the case, but the Olympic Committee did not make the required changes, and subsequently he was awarded $20,000 dollars in compensation.
The Olympic Games website contained the following accessibility issues:
There were no labels on images or imagemaps.
There was no access to the index of sport pages from the schedule page
The contents of the results table were inaccessible.
The Olympic Committee defence
SOCOG said that:
The issues with the alt attributes had been solved - and that labels had been added to all images.
The sports pages could be accessed via an alternative route, i.e., by typing in URLs to the pages.
The site was not subject to the act because it was 'promotional'.
The site was too big and to make the website accessible would entail 'unjustifiable hardship'.
It would require additional infrastructure, time and resources costing $2.2 million.
1, 295 templates would need to be altered.
One person working 8 hours per day would take over a year to fix the problems.
SOCAG reasons were not accepted
All of the above reasons where conclusively repudiated by Australian Authorities and expert witnesses.
The Human Rights Committee did not agree that the site was only promotional and said that it was a service provided during the Sydney Olympic Games.
The Commission found that having to access pages by typing in a long URL did not constitute equal treatment,
"The proposed alternative is both unorthodox and cumbersome and need not be resorted to by a sighted person."
Expert witnesses dismissed the arguments related to the site being too big to change; i.e., they refuted the claim that the cost, complexity and time involved would mean unjustifiable hardship for SOCOG.
Expert witnesses concluded that,
Changes would take a developer with 4-10 helpers four weeks.
Only 394 templates would be required.
No new infrastructure would be required.
The cost of making the site accessible would be modest.
Accessibility tags are not different from other tags, therefore, would not take any longer to add.
Expert witness Tom Worthington, expressed the view that the corrections would take less time than the time which was consumed talking about it.
SOCOG lost the case and were ordered to make changes by adding alt attributes, providing access to the Sports pages and making the results tables accessible. They refused to comply and were fined $20,000 (Australian dollars).
The Commission found that Bruce Maguire had been discriminated against and that the attitude of SOCOG - who had not taken the complaint seriously - had caused 'considerable feelings of hurt, humiliation and rejection'.
The Maguire v the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games set a worldwide precedent relating to the requirement for websites to be accessible in countries with similar disability discrimination legislation."
“The National Asset Management Agency”, was first signalled by the Finance Minister in April last year and is aimed at cleaning up the banking system by taking property-linked loans off their balance sheets.
NAMA is going to cover five banks: AIB, Bank of Ireland, Anglo Irish Bank, EBS and Irish Nationwide. Figures given in the NAMA business plan estimated the paper value of the loans to be taken from banks at €77 billion, for which NAMA will pay around €54 billion. An exact figure will not be known for sometime.
Each loan will be valued separately, taking into account the quality of the collateral and the likelihood of getting a return. Over time, NAMA hopes to manage and then sell off the property to get its money back. The NAMA legislation gives the agency extensive powers, and limits the opportunities to legally challenge its work. The Government is keen to stress that the developers who borrowed the money in the first place will still be liable for the full cost of the original loan, and will be pursued by NAMA if they default.
Alright, that is what NAMA technically is and its aim's. Personally its a joke in my opinion, not what it is and its aims as it is needed but the fact that the banks were allowed get so in over their heads and need to be bailed out by the government. This is such an unfair situation to leave the Irish people in as so much time and money is being tied up in NAMA.
Am i wrong or am i right, how could these banks be allowed to get into such a bad negative situation, these so called "Executives" who were in charge of these banks, they should have to pay for what they have done, they shouldn't be allowed get away with it for a second, this should be the governments chance to show that they aren't a load of over paid clowns in power nd get the finger out and make them pay!!!
Search engine marketing, a subject not known to many!! In todays market place there is a huge market for such advertising as people use the internet more and more especially through such search engines as Google, Yahoo and the most recent one on the market, Bing.
This form of advertising is growing and growing fast and sooner or later will be a leading form in advertising as everyone gets on the band wagon.
Personally it means very little to me as i rarely ever look at these links but at the same time i have clicked on them many times by mistake. This has lead to the advertising company being charged as i did click on the link. other then that is so far hasn't affected me and i don't know how likely it is to in the future.
Is is likely to be the new and most "hip" form of advertising as the internet popularity continues to grow and it is very unlikely to diminish in the near future!!
Yes my good friends it is that time again, a summer of GAA action is just around the corner. With the NHL and NFL almost over it is time to get yourself set for Championship Season. This year like all years promises to be a summer filled with drama, fight, passion, intensity and the odd upset by the underdog!!
Oh yes this must be my favourite time of the year as an avid GAA man nothing gets me going as much as the clash of the ash, a day out in Croke Park or even better for the hurling fan, a day trip to Thurles for a Muster Senior Hurling Championship match.
This is the Holy Grail for hurling fans, the atmosphere the history and the anticipation all add to an experience like no other. The only downside can be the Irish weather!!!
In recent years the Munster Championship has been the main highlight of the hurling championship in the early summer as the Connacht championship no longer exists, Ulster is lagging behind with only Antrim in anyway capable of challenging the lesser teams in Leinster and Leinster itself being a relative stroll in the park for Brian Cody’s all powerful an conquering cats.
Last year was the first year of a new format in Leinster which saw the addition
of Galway and Antrim at the Quarter Final stage. Again this year they will compete with the Leinster Regulars. The fact that this is the second year and both teams second attempt to crack Leinster is a mouth watering one. They both now have one years experience under their belts and another hard winter of league Hurling. However with Galway lining up in this year’s division 1 NHL final I feel they could be the main threat once again to Kilkenny’s Leinster Crown. At the same time I feel Dublin once again under the leadership of Anthony Daly could again cause waves as they have a relatively easy Quarter final match against the winners of Laois and Carlow. Then Offaly and Wexford both traditionally strong hurling counties are both well capable of causing and upset but my personal feeling is that Offaly are the more likely to over come their quarter final opponents of Antrim rather than Wexford overcoming Kilkenny to reach the semi-finals.
However much I would love to see an upset in the ranks I do expect to see Galway and Kilkenny lining out in Croke park on July 5th in the Leinster final, and as it is a final anything can happen but don’t underestimate the challenge of Galway who may be league champion by then, and the factor of revenge for the Portumna contingent to beat their Ballyhale counterparts after their All-Ireland Club championship defeat on St. Patricks day.
Now we come to Munster, the home of the best Provincial championship year in year out. This years I expect will not disappoint as usual with Cork Set to play in the league final against Galway, Clare reaching the Division 1A final along with the turmoil in limerick to the quiet building up of speed and form in Tipperary to the return of the old guard in Waterford for what may be their last attempt to gain All-Ireland Glory.
The fireworks that are an almost guarantee will kick off on May 30th when the Reigning Champions meet League finalists Cork in Thurles. What a way to start off this championship with this clash of two Hurling Giants. This game is closely followed a week later when the men of the Deise take on the banner again in Thurles. Like all muster championship hurling match’s this promises to be a sell out, with Davey Fitzgerald taking on his native Clare and the Old guard of Waterford hurling, coming back for one last go at that all allusive All-Ireland Medal that they crave so badly. This looks like the last summer we may see such hurling icons as Tony Browne, Ken McGrath and Dan Shanahan grace the championship field of Ireland with their county. Again an explosive battle is almost guaranteed. Then we see the introduction of the last team to start their all Ireland assault in Munster, as limerick face the winner of Cork and Tipperary. Justin McCarthy’s young charges will be overwhelming underdogs in this one as the try and shake off the turmoil and discontent of a winter of player protest and fighting. Can they do it??? I fear they don’t have a hope of being any where near either team come the final whistle and the Qualifies will be their only chance ofa victory this summer. All in all I expect Waterford to have too much for a Clare team who have spent the winter hurling in Division 1A, even though they have made the final I don’t think they will be sharp enough for an ever improving Waterford team who just missed out on a league final birth finishing in third place of Division 1. Their opponents will be the winner of Cork and Tipperary as limerick will not be at the races. This is a hard one to call as Tipperary have been the closest to beating Kilkenny in recent years but they have to overcome a Cork team in form and in the Division 1 final.
Over all a huge summer of hurling is on the horizon and I feel that this is the year of a new champion, no disrespect to Kilkenny and their hunger but I feel this year will be too much and we will have a new champion come September.
A Video of one of the greatest matches in recent Munster hurling history:
Definition from http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
"Social Networking - It's the way the 21st century communicates now. Want to know what it really means?
Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighbourhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and experiences about golfing, gardening, aesthetics and cosmetic surgery, developing friendships or professional alliances, finding employment, business-to-business marketing and even groups sharing information about the end of the Mayan calendar and the Great Shift. The topics and interests are as varied and rich as our society and the history of the human being."
This is a predefined definition of what some people out there feel social networking is. In my eyes it’s something that people do to follow the trends and so that they won't be left out.
that is how most of us, I’d say 99% of us started using such social networking sights as My Space, Bebop and Facebook to name a few.
This isn't a bad thing as they are great bit of crack with games and applications as well as just a great fast and easy way of keeping in contact with old friend, colleagues or even people/friends who you just don't live close to anymore.
There are always down sides to everything in life and social networking sites are no different. There have been huge cases of cyber bullying reported over recent years via such social networking sites as well as paedophilia and such cases happening via this medium.
When used in moderation and as a bit of fun these social networking sites can be harmless and just as an extra pastime or even for dating and finding that special person.
Most recently one story that I heard that really got my attention is of one mother in the US who was on twitter while her 2 year old son was in critical condition while being rushed to hospital. Her son died shortly after from this accident. But I can’t help but get aggravated by the fact that during a 30 minute stretch from when she found him in the pool to when he passed she could find time to go on to twitter and ask for people to pray for him etc…..I know I don’t have any kids so I don’t know exactly what may have been going through her mind but I do know that updating my twitter would have been one of the last things on my mind full stop end of story. So I have to say I was shocked to hear that she did this, and I have read the reports from friends and family saying how good a mother she is to her 3 kids and her husband was away on military duty but I still have to question what possessed her to go on twitter?!?!?!? Really it just angers me and I can’t understand it.
But I feel it shows how these social networking sites when not used properly can take over people lives and it’s sad to see it happening.
This is the first year in god knows how many years i have decided to give something up. This is all well and good as i have decided to give up crisps as they are my real snacking weakness. But when i started to talk to other people about what they were giving up or were thinking about i got some varying replies.
What gets me is people who wont just give something up, they have to have a way around it or a variation of what they are giving up.
immediately when i inform people of my decision to give up crisps i get a response along the line of, "does that include Pringles and Doritos????" Of course it includes them they are crisps!!!! I know i know a judge has ruled that they are not crisp's for various stupid figures relating to the percentage of potato used and the packaging. They are still crisps FULL STOP!!!! the same with doritos!
This also applys to chocolate. If you give up chocolate/chocolate bars you cannot go and eat a cadburys snack calling it a biscuit!!!! it is covered in chocolate so there for you are eating chocolate and what is the point in giving up so called chocolate bars!!!
If you are gona give up something do it properly and not half assed and taking the piss!! Give up all crisps, or all chocolate or all sweets or all cigarettes. if not don't bother giving something up and stop taking the piss out of Lent.
