The Commodity Laptop Computer

Posted: October 28th, 2005 | Author: jadearama | 1 Comment »

I just bought a new laptop, to replace my aging Toshiba. I bought the Medion MD 96500. ‘The what?’ I hear you ask. It’s a budget laptop sold by discount retailer Aldi. I got it because it was really high-spec, it wasn’t too expensive and I just couldn’t see the point in forking out a few hundred extra extra for a branded version of the same thing.

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GIS Ireland 2005

Posted: October 17th, 2005 | Author: antoin | No Comments »

I’m speaking tomorrow (Tuesday) at GIS Ireland 2005 on the topic of international practice around postcodes. Should be interesting to talk to to this specialized audience on the topic.


Martin Varsavsky’s plan to liberate the online world

Posted: October 15th, 2005 | Author: antoin | 3 Comments »

Martin Varsavsky writes about his experience launching FON, a network for wi-fi users and AP owners that allows them to share their bandwidth. Check Technorati, he’s gotten great coverage on Spanish-language websites. Martin is a great telecomms engineer and I think this is going to be something really big.


Are things getting better? Or are they getting worse?

Posted: October 12th, 2005 | Author: antoin | No Comments »

Well, according to evidence Ethan has put together from UN sources, it looks like things are definitely getting worse.


The web is becoming three-dimensional

Posted: October 10th, 2005 | Author: jadearama | No Comments »

Joi Ito has spent three weeks playing animated 3-d online role-playing games. He says he has seen the future, and he says it has depth.

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Digital Rights Ireland

Posted: October 10th, 2005 | Author: antoin | No Comments »

John Kennedy writes about the foundation of Digital Rights Ireland. (I am on the board of this organization.)


A mind-blowing presentation about ‘Identity2.0′

Posted: October 8th, 2005 | Author: antoin | No Comments »

Some of the issues around identity, authentication and personal on-line security explained in this entertaining presentation by Dick Hardt

(via edwardtufte.com)


IT disaster in the Irish Health Service

Posted: October 4th, 2005 | Author: antoin | No Comments »

Silicon Republic tells thesad story of the payroll system that went bad on the Irish Health Services Authority. Basically, it was supposed to cost EUR 8 million, and has ended up swallowing EUR 120 million so far. They will need to spend that much again to finish the project.

Why do these things go so badly wrong?

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