I’m Going Trainspotting

Oh to have my evenings back again.

The last two weeks have been rather intense in the world of Ken as I’ve been preparing for Trainspotting (in which I play Tommy) with The Devious Theatre Company. Hit the office at 8:30am, leave in time for rehearsals at 6, get home for 10, hit the bed and start the cycle again.

Of course, next week is no different barring the fact I’m actually taking some time for myself outside of the office, allowing the catch up on sleep and focus on the fact that Trainspotting runs for five nights in Kilkenny next week.

It’s been a bit of a risk on the part of the company going into the production. I certainly can’t think of anything like it that’s been attempted in Kilkenny in the past, or in the Watergate Theatre for that matter, but such is the ethos of the company. We’re constantly looking for performance pieces to suit our own age group (mid to late twenties), works that we would happily swap the cinema for or the pub for and I would hope we’ve nailed that thought right on the head with Trainspotting.

I’ve spent the last eight weeks working as producer on the show outside of rehearsal hours while getting to grips with Scottish accents, the understanding of heroin use and addiction and a lot more besides.

If you want to catch an interesting piece of theatre by an amateur company boasting professional ambitions, then drop along to the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny from June 24 to June 28. Tickets for the show are only €12 nightly, kick off set for 8pm and we’ll try have you in the pub for a post show drink and a chat by 10pm.

You can follow some rehearsal blog posts and catch the promo artwork and teaser posters for each character by visiting DeviousTheatre.com.

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Say Hello To 3G iPhone In Europe

If word is to be believed, we’re getting closer to the launch of the 3G iPhone in Europe, or at least the announcement of it. Of course, we’ve all known it’s been coming for months.

Engadget Mobile reports via Reuters that this Monday or Tuesday will see Italian mobile carrier TIM announce the availability of a 3G model of the iPhone, certainly something more suitable at present for potential Irish users.

Though I would be quite happy to bag an iPhone without 3G capability, the addition of the 3G service would certainly push me closer to picking one up as a second phone (yes, a *second* phone as I love my N95 a bit too much), with the option of running the iPhone as a strict data phone only.

Touch.net (translated from Italian) are reporting the launch date to be June 9/10, following an announcement from the US, presumably at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference being held in San Francisco next week.

Quadband GSM, triband HSDPA and GPS are all said to be a runner (see here) on the new model of the phone, along with a stylish new black design (black is the new black don’t you know) and a fwe aesthetic modifications.

Let’s wait and see what happens on Monday, shall we?

25 Things

I’d been running in the park this morning and thinking “Jesus, I better get something up on that blog fairly quick”. May has been a relatively quiet blog month due to my attention being drawn to a number of other online projects but to round out the month and mark that fact that today is my 25th birthday, I’ve got one simply called 25 things.

Here are 25 “things” - moments, achievements, memories that jump out at me from over the years. They’re in no apparant

1. Getting a bike for my fourth birthday.
2. Learned to play piano.
3. Learned to play guitar. Musical instruments offer so much creative freedom and release.
4. Got involved in theatre (first production was a lead in a musical aged 15).
5. Graduated college and collected my shiny 1.1 degree which still sits in the roll it came in.
6. Started my own business. If it’s ever crossed your mind to do it, do it. I’ve learned some fantastic lessons and met some great clients over the past few years.
7. Started a theatre company.
8. Started KilkennyMusic.com (which has opened so many doors).
9. Formed a band (and another. And another. And another).
10. Heard my music played on the radio.
11. Started podcasting.
12. Started blogging and met all you mad, wonderful people.
13. Traveled around Europe growing up.
14. The fantastic relationship I’ve got with my family, however extended and scattered they become over the years.
15. Put myself on the track to fitness in 2008… and it’s working.
16. Traveled to America, Canada.
17. Directed Cannibal! The Musical after waiting seven years to take it to the stage.
18. Learning how to swim and subsequently bodyboard, surf and kayak - all three of which I need to do more often.
19. Falling in love… and out of love.
20. Skiing for the first time in Italy back in ‘98.
21. Rubbing raw chilis in my eyes (accidentally, I’d been cooking at the time) on that same skiing trip. When I reached for water I found neat vodka. You couldn’t script the comedy of mishaps that occurred that evening.
22. Learned how to drive
23. First road trip to Sligo on my own… great adventure
24. Lahinch 2007 with the KKM crew and my brother (subsequently returning home looking like a lobster).
25. 25 years living, working, eating, drinking and breathing in Kilkenny, home to some of the best people on the face of the planet!

Not quite a techy post but something a little light to round out the month. I’m off in search of some type of beer, possibly some form of comedy and a meet up with friends later.

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

PodCamp Ireland Set For September 27th 2008

As the dust settles on 3DCamp in Limerick and bulk orders for sun cream, mustard, burgers and sausages start hitting the shops in Terryglass ahead of OpenCoffee Club BBQ in July, myself, Bernie Goldbach and Krishna De (at present) are putting the wheels in motion behind the second PodCamp Ireland.

What we can tell you at this early stage is that the day will be bigger than last year, it will be held in Kilkenny again, and PodCamp Ireland will take place on Saturday September 27th (same weekend as last year).

For the first themed BarCamp event of it’s type (towards podcasting and new media), we enjoyed a successful day in Kilkenny last September, opening the unconference doors to a host of new faces from the world of the arts, music, design and more.

Bolstering content on the day through new areas of discussion and development in audio, video, podcasting, blogging and catering for complete newcomers to experienced hands, we’ll be hoping to repeat the success of last year’s inaugural event.

If you are interested in getting involved in steering the day, lending ahead at any possible point, do get in touch with any of us. Blogging should resume on PodCampIreland.com over the coming days and weeks as we rejig the 2007 signup process to fall in line with the current system enjoyed by 3DCamp and CreativeCamp (i.e. there will be no wiki signup process as there was last year).

You can track PodCamp Ireland developments on Jaiku by visiting the PodCamp Ireland channel, or over on Twitter track the #pci tag.

Creative Careers Launches

I’ve had a couple of emails recently over CreativeCareers.ie but the Dublin-based site has finally launched and is operating at present as the only website completely dedicated to jobs and opportunities in the arts, creative and cultural sector in Ireland.

Brendan Mac Evilly is one of those behind the site and as a special launch promotion, those looking to advertise jobs online can do so for free up to June 1st of this year with a €50 listing fee kicking in from that date onwards. Other opportunities and postings remain free.

CreativeCareers.ie also features an arts directory and a list of third level college courses in the creative field. At present they’re also looking for individuals who can offer professional career advice for those seeking employment in the arts industry in Ireland. There are job listings in categories like Arts & Cultural Management, Arts/Creative Education, Design, Digital Media, Film, TV, Radio and more.

As well as job listings you’ll also find (which I know will interest some readers) volunteer and inter positions, whether volunteers are required for a day, a weekend or working up to an interns position outright. Two such events include the upcoming Eigse Arts Festival in Carlow and the Dublin Writers Festival.

Give it a look on CreativeCareers.ie. If you’re looking for work in the arts, you might just find something.

N95 8GB Dropped Calls

When it comes to the weekend, there’s just no stopping my phone from ringing. As soon as office hours are done with, it becomes open season for friends and family to call me, something which was more of an occurrance this weekend than ever before I reckon.

On Friday though, I had several phone calls with each of them dropped. Breaks in signal or reception, dropped audio, or calls failing to connect.

While I can understand this happening in the office (working a large building with questionable wifi and mobile signals in spots), I couldn’t understand it happening at home or out around the garden.

It dawned on me before leaving to Canada in 2006 that I’d had a similar problem with the Sony Ericsson K800i - 3G connectivity being the cause of the problems.

In the N95’s case, it was the factory default setting of UMTS as opposed to GSM - likely with a combination of not having changed my sim card to the one issued with the N95 from O2 (on advice from O2 customer care, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it kind of thing).

To remedy this

• Hit the menu key on the N95
• Go to Tools > Settings > Phone > Network
• Switch ‘Network Mode’ from UMTS to GSM

If you’re getting a UMTS / 3G sim you likely won’t have this issue / can switch it back. But if you’re like me and you’re happy to continue using the sim card you were issued YEARS ago, then this might remedy your call problems.

Biting The Bullet, Upgrading To N95 8GB

I’ve been waiting, and waiting, for the Nokia N95 8GB to hit O2. While Vodafone have recently announced the dramatic price drop in the N95 8GB model (moving to Vodafone could bag you for phone for under the €200 price mark), I’ve opted to stick with my mobile operator and take the N95 upgrade, available from today online.

Of course, my local O2 shop knew about this but won’t have any phones in stock until the end of the week at the earliest. Carphone Warehouse didn’t actually know anything, their response being “It’s only available on Vodafone, you know that?” until directed to the O2 website. There doesn’t seem to be any physical stock available in Kilkenny, Waterford or Carlow (trying all the numbers listed on the O2 website, yes, I was willing to make an early morning Saturday spin 40 minutes and back in one direction or another) so I’ve taken the opportunity to upgrade the phone online, saving €30 in the process and picking up 300 free texts to match.

When I caught wind of the phone in August I thought, excellent, there’s my Christmas present. When asked what the next gadget I would buy was I replied “Nokia N95 8GB” please.

I learned a valuable lesson in the purchase of a sim free iPaq early in 2006 which didn’t last me six months so I’ve held off again and again in switching to a pricey mobile phone. However, in terms of productivity, further ability to work on the move, as well as tie in some terrific online resources (e.g. Qik) into activities outside of the office (thinking KilkennyMusic.com and The Devious Theatre Company), I feel I’ve made the right move.

The next part of the plan is to pick up an O2 mobile broadband connection before the end of the month, allowing me a bit of freedom when I hit the road for Sligo or find myself driven in the direction of the studio (which doesn’t have any form of web connection) later in the year.

While Carphone Warehouse couldn’t offer any assistance (I wouldn’t have bought the phone there anyway given the grief I had to put up with in 2005), the 3G store in Carlow (Meteor dealers) did tell me that Meteor are also bringing the handset to the market for April 21st / 22nd, something of interest to you Meteor contract holders looking for an upgrade in handset.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the phone arriving in the post mid-week.

iQ Boot Camp On The Way

The annual iQ Content Boot Camp is on the way, taking place in the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Dublin from April 22nd to April 24th. Early bird registration passes today but if you’re working in the web industry in Ireland (or anywhere else for that matter) and you’re available to attend, it would be well worth considering given the variety of courses on offer.

Here’s the lineup over the three days, with full details of each course available here.

Tuesday 22nd April

• Killer Web Applications
• Web Analytics 101
• Kick-start Your Web Strategy
• Email Marketing
• Writing For The Web 101
• Practical User Testing
• Search Engine Marketing 101

Wednesday 23rd April

• Writing For The Web 202
• Personas - Getting In The Head Of Your Customers
• Accessibility For Web Managers
• Web Analytics 202
• iQ FutureNow Seminar
• Apres Boot (mid conference drinks)

Thursday 24th April

• Information Architecture That Works
• Web Governance
• Online Advertising
• Content Strategy
• Website Healthcheck
• Web Project Management
• Search Engine Marketing 202

There are also free iQ Clinics running where you can make use of one-to-one sessions to answer any questions you may have regarding your own website.

How much? You’re looking at three-day packages starting at €1,100, with tickets also available on a one day or two day basis. For pricing and registration details see here or phone Liz on +353 1 8170768.

Waterford Institute of Technology Open Day

Waterford Institute of Technology, where I spent four fantastic years between 2001 and 2005, are holding an open evening for CAO applicants and undergraduates on Tuesday week, April 22nd.

If you’re considering studying at WIT, make your way to the main campus on the Cork Road between 5:30pm and 7pm on the evening to meet and talk with students, course leaders and lecturers about the options available at WIT.

There will also be information available on accommodation services, career paths based on your course choice, clubs and societies and more. There are three information sessions scheduled to run as well at 5:30pm, 6:15pm and 7:00pm with tours of the campus also available. Refreshments are rumoured to be offered afterwards.

If you’re interested, you can register your attendance by emailing schoolsliaison@wit.ie or by phoning 051 845533.

While I might have changed certain elements of the course I did in college, if I had to do things all over again I’d still pick WIT. It is a fantastic college with great resources, staff and students alike. Here’s to hoping too that they eventually pick up the much sought-after university status.

Irish Microsoft Technology Conference Tomorrow

The 2008 Irish Microsoft Technology Conference gets under way tomorrow April 2nd to Thursday April 4th. Kickoff is 7pm tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Cineworld Complex on Parnell Street.

The IMTC 2008, is an 8 track, 40 session extravaganza covering a breadth of Microsoft’s latest emerging technologies. Throughout the festival there will be numerous networking opportunities, coffee and session re-runs.

Now in its third year, the IMTC 2008 is the second of seven major technology conferences in IrishDev.coms IxTC Series 2008. Co-organised with the Irish Microsoft Technology User Group and First Port Jobs, it’s an event by the Irish technology community for the Irish technology community.

The event delivers 40 Developer and IT-Professionals including LINQ, VS 2008, SBS 2008, Virtualisation, Business Intelligence in SQL 2008, SQL Server 2008, Sharepoint, Silverlight, WCF, Scrum, Volta, CSharp, Next generation Web Apps, XNA, BizTalk, XML Web Services, OCS, IIS for ASP.NET, Hyper-V and Windows Server 2008.

Full information and details on how to book to attend

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