Underway in Ireland

18 February 2002

Mobile Phones The thing about mobile phones these days, is that every person has one. You are sitting in a restaurant or wherever, and suddenly a mobile rings. You go to pick up yours to answer it a guess what its not yours thats ringing. Next thing another phone rings and again" you know" no its not yours, but you only discover this after going to answer it again. Now you are really hoping your phone is going to ring. So the morel to this story is dont worry nobody is looking at you. Finally!(Shane Ahern)

Sight or Sound. The nicest sight and sound is an airoplane crossing a clear blue sky. Clive Carroll.

Sight or Sound Oh to hear the birds singing in the trees!! It is so much better that the honking of horns!!   Gillian Grogan

Commuter's Stress - Who Needs It Getting up at 6am, travelling on a train for 2 hours. In the Winter months what can you see nothing - just black. In the Summer what can you see nothing because you're moving too fast. My favourite thing about being a commuter is that I no longer am one! (comments by Margaret Haugh)

No more ringtones please Not sure I want to be in that carriage. Sometimes I enjoy listening. Of course, we could compromise by keeping the volume low, but the ringtones are not really the issue here. The BIG ISSUE is the conversation the call recipient enters into which can last for minutes on end , whereas the ring tone only lasts a few seconds... just like "Name that Tune". When I travel with my children in the CHEAP carriage we take bets on who can name the next ringtone tune. My youngest daughter goes one better, she takes bets on the make of phone.

Euro currency While the new euro currency is the present and future I think it lacks the character of the earlier Irish notes.

I could live without ringtones john shanahan

Sight or Sound Ray Kelly : I would like to see in the future less traffic in the towns and cities of Ireland, by improving the network of roads around these areas.

No More Ringtones Please One of the best things about Irish Rail Citygold services is that you can actually get a carriage with mobile phones silenced. Finally! (comments by Bernie Goldbach)

Preparing for College What do you do to prepare for a college multimedia course? The answers vary, depending on the demeanor and direction of the respondent. Martin Keane prepared to enter a college-level multimedia programme by "facing fears, living dreams." Do what you have to do, no matter the cost. Enda Lydon just "got the course and went for it." "Getting a good knowledge of computing" is the most useful thing that Niall O Connell has experienced. Denise Kelly said "I was working part-time unsociable hours in a dead end job and not getting paid very well! College was definitley the way to go." "I am a mature student and absolutely love being in college!" says Roisin Harkin. Lynda Mc Carra says "living life and having no regrets" is her philosophy. Desmond O'Hara says college is alright but you will be glad of it later on in life. Francis Cronin says, "This is a chance for me to do something with my life." Eanna McAteer says, "It is important to know what the course involves before you enroll but remember we are not here for a long time but for a good time." Edward Whelan says "It's important to put in the effort early in college so you don't have to catch  up later in the year." Kay Scholts says "It's important to prepare and relax so you won't be under pressure at the end of the year." Niall Kearney offer this advice: "Study hard and maintain a goal." Jason Walshe knows " everthing is easy if you know how!" Conor Bourke advises,  " Do the basics and you'll be ok!"

15 February 2002

I Hate Gridlock One of the worst things about living in Ireland's capital city is that cars don't move much during hours-long rush periods. You can run 26 miles faster through Dublin than you can drive the same circuit. I'm not making this up. That's why I live in Kilkenny, walk to where I enjoy my coffee, and smell air that doesn't coat my lungs with diesel fumes. Other than that, Dublin is a fun place to travel through, but not to waste much time in.

05 February 2002

Palm Speeds Up Release Palm, responding to criticism over a lack of innovation, has decided to move ahead of schedule with a significant upgrade of its operating system. Palm OS 5, which will be previewed at the kickoff of Palm's annual developer conference in San Jose next week, will be commercially available by mid-year. The new software release marks the formal debut of PalmSource, Palm's software subsidiary. Palm OS 5 is geared toward the faster ARM microprocessor line and features expanded encryption capability for enhanced security. It also incorporates support for Wi-Fi networking and for playing and recording audio. ref:http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1012860973664786400.djm,00.html

02 February 2002

Americans Talking Tough I live in Ireland where most of my friends think the rumblings from the White House are impolite nowadays. Personally, I was offended on September 11, 2001 because it felt like somebody descrecated my front yard. Where I grew up, you don't mess on someone else's turf. I tell my neighbours in Ireland that they shouldn't expect a polite exchange of views when American policy is questioned by traditional statesmen or journalists. Most people I know in the States talk about being on a war footing. If that's the case, those Americans believe politicians obstruct the mission. There's a job to be done. You can't trust the UN to get it right.