A Complete Explanation Of Everything
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Out of the fire and into the frying pan...
Last Updated: 28/02/2008
Rwandan officials to seek advice
Government officials from Rwanda are visiting Ireland next week to study the country's economy.
Rwanda, where 800,000 people were killed in a 1994 genocide, aims to transform itself from an agricultural economy into a hi-tech hub of Africa.
The technology sector in Africa is expected to see massive development in the next ten years. There were just 16 million mobile phone users on the continent in 2000, but this figure had jumped by almost ten-fold to 136 million by 2005.
The Rwandan government is already spending $65 million on broadband as part of a 20-year strategy to switch to a hi-tech service economy.
Representatives of Rwanda's Ministry of Finance are visiting Dublin's Digital Hub area on Monday to meet with experts from Ireland's technology sector.
"Rwanda is re-building itself with ambition to be the IT and Communications hub of Africa," said a spokesperson for Connect-World, which is hosting the visit.
Irish firms are already investing heavily in African countries, and the Taoiseach led an Enterprise Ireland delegation to South Africa last month.
About 60 per cent of Rwandans still live below the poverty line, defined by the UN as an income of less than a dollar a day.
© 2008 ireland.com
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The 21st hour...
It's been a long while since I did an early like that, other than for a flight somewhere and though it was non traditional, it brought many memories of many mornings coursing back.
In some ways, those days, were happiest...
Innocent, carefree, with a metabolism that would knock seven shades of shite out of a Toyota Prius...
Those days are gone, we are living different days now.
Sleep beckons but so does the fourth can of Miller...
Happy Birthday, are you lonely yet???
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
On birthrates, immigration and meaning...
Grow your minds and identify with your fellow humans, we're not here to merely propagate ourselves trying to clutch to some faint ridiculous notion of immortality, we're here to revel in both the meaningful and the meaningless.
What is your future exactly?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Blog about this video...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Duty calls...
Courtesy of XKCD... The same joke, a thousand times but it's still funny...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Provider?
Results Your answers suggest you are a Provider
The four aspects that make up this personality type are:
Summary of Providers
- Warm, caring people who value order and tradition
- Loyal workers who follow through on commitments
- Think of themselves as sympathetic, easy-going and steady
- They don't feel comfortable with radical change
More about Providers
Providers like to make plans with other people and then to work with them towards achievable goals in a fun, harmonious environment. They support people that are important to them and respect their individuality.
Providers have traditional values and support order and responsible behaviour. They enjoy social events, particularly family celebrations, and often help plan them. Providers work hard to avoid conflict, but they will state their beliefs when they think it is suitable.
In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Providers may doubt their abilities and focus solely on the needs of other people. Under extreme stress, Providers may withdraw completely and become excessively critical of themselves and others.
Providers prefer warm, face-to-face communication and often express their ideas by telling stories from their own lives.
Provider Careers
Providers are often drawn to jobs in education, health care or religion.
It's important to remember that no survey can predict personality type with 100 percent accuracy. Experts say that we should use personality type to better understand ourselves and others, but shouldn't feel restricted by our results.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Music snobbery...
Top 10 cover songs of all time...
This is an interesting little article on cover songs, I agree with most of the choices, The Sundays version of "Wild Horses" being an especial favourite. Strange though that they didn't mention Roxy Music and "Jealous Guy", which is still for my meagre salary, the best cover around...
A number of strong contenders in that list though! And I can't wait to check out The Postal Service cover of Phil Collins. Actually, there's a point, Iron and Wine does some savage covers of The Postal Service.
Ah lists, where would you be without them!
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Foxy Bassplayer of the Month...
This blog needs more set pieces... Thus, I'm heralding a new era by ushering in the Foxy Bassplayer of the Month awards!!!
This month's fox is Ginger Reyes, spotted as mentioned in the previous post, at the SP gig in the RDS.
Photo by Kristin Burns and from Ginger's MySpace...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Smiling politely...
Billy Corgan gave an interview, years and years ago, to one of those godawful guitar magazines that I might have picked up because it had some handy tab in it at the time. Anyway, I read the shagging interview and one thing he said really resonated with me, from the perspective of writing and playing music. Essentially, it boiled down to the following (and bear in mind I have used this as a template in lots of ways, despite only being a middling Smashing Pumpkins fan)...
The quote went something like:
"We have a rule in this band. If it's more fun to play than to listen to, we throw it out and start again."
I thought that was mega and the absolute purest expression of the philosophy of what music should be about. Certain people I know, believe music should be all sorts of things, difficult, accessible, all manner of variation in between.
My own philosophy was perfectly espoused by that Corgan quote and I've lived and died in bands as a result and probably spent more time wondering about the particular virtues of certain songs than is healthy.
In fact.
I know it isn't healthy.
So tonight, the Pumpkins, or rather Jimmy Chamberlain and Billy, plus a foxy bass player came along and played a show. And in a certain sense, they kicked out the jams. "Today", "Drown", "Cherub Rock", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Perfect", "1979", a new version of "Ava Adore", why amn't I raving about this performance?
Well, probably because in a quid pro quo, the other part of the show was in absolute essence, musical wanking. A stonking 20 minute version of "Tarantula"? No thanks. It was flat out, not very pleasant to listen to.
Then he had a rant about pro-tools and such. Which was highly ironic given that when he kicked Jimmy C out of the band during the ill fated tours of the late 90s, he replaced him with the drummer from Filter. Who were kinda kings of the samples and that form of recording and writing at that point.
All in all, there was a slightly ironic, post something feel to the show. We couldn't laugh at ourselves though.
We'd paid into this thing.
And I'm not sure it was worth it.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Triple AAA...
Lebensraum
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The wrong week...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The greatest saga of all time...
Now, whatever one might think, you can't accuse them of rushing it, so let's have a quick look at the current runners and riders...
- Terry Venables
Nicknames: El Tel
Pros: ... erm, has managed internationally? Can speak English? Would probably be able to pick Robbie Keane out of a line up?
Cons: Terry Venables. Also, slight fondness for extracurricular activities and has been purloined in the past for various financial irregularities.
Summary: In short, he's quite like Bertie, the forced smile / sneer. And you wouldn't put Bertie in charge of the country would ye? Oh shit...
- Giovanni Trappatoni
Nicknames: The Trap
Pros: Has won shitloads as a club manager. Probably couldn't pick Robbie Keane out of a line up.
Cons: Is ancient. I thought he was out of football but he apparently won the Austrian version of the Premier League with Salzburg last season.
Summary: We've always had a fondness for the Italians in Ireland and if their chippers are anything to go by, The Trap could be one tidy operator for the Republic... Will the Harry Ramsden challenge be replaced by the Fusciardi's!
- Liam Brady
Nicknames: Liamo; "Plays a different role, John"
Pros: Would be absolute dynamite for the Apres Match lads.
Cons: Serious lack of any managerial nous displayed during his various tenures.
Summary: This would be a sentimental appointment and highly unlikely. Rumoured to have told the FAI to do one after being offered a more general role in terms of development.
- Mick McCarthy
Nicknames: Captain Fantastic; That gobshite; "It's my arse in the bacon slicer..."
Pros: He hasn't gone bald yet.
Cons: Everything.
Summary: Would be a disaster. On every level.
- Gerard Houillier
Nicknames: Anything xenophobic you can imagine...
Pros: Has won some football matches.
Cons: Has lost some football matches. Quite boring really.
Summary: Might be a solid choice but hard to see his interest in the role.
Who will it be? Do we even care at this stage?
I'll be surprised if they give the nod to Trappatoni, that's probably the bookies blowing smoke up the punters nether regions to lay off some bets. They are quids in, as many runners and riders have disappeared over the past three months, O'Leary, Souness, etc.
Personally, and I know this ain't a popular view, especially as we have been down the road of an ex-international with no success before but I'd have been tempted to give Aldridge a spin. On the plus side, he's a passionate geezer with a magnificent tache and his 3/4 seasons at Tranmere mean that he was eminently more qualified than the other half of the world class appointment, Staunton, last time out.
Still, I wouldn't have sacked Kerr.
And we wouldn't have been in this mess.
