Alexia Blogs

Yes/No… Will Knott says I’ve qualified for the October Breast Cancer awareness campaign. I’m not quite sure about that. I think I can fit more pink in here if I think about it.

So, what’s the feeling? Should I stay pink for October?

Google have snapped up social networking site Jaiku in a surprise acquisiton today. For all of the talk about which technology giant would be first to jump on a social networking site, I really didn’t see this coming. I’ve been using Jaiku for about three months now and I must admit - it’s stability, ease of use and organisation of conversation threads has impressed me. When Twitter had a cold, Jaiku stood rock-steady.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen some a good deal of my contacts jump ship from their original home of Twitter to Jaiku. We even had a Jaiku Friday. The only reason I return to Twitter is the diversity of the gene pool. Conversations there are much more open. Sending a message is much more like a broadcasting saying “Here I am. Watch me do something”. This leaves the door open so Jimbob from Arkansas or Ravital from Israel can pop in and say something witty. Yes, Jaiku has exactly the same system, but it’s firm threading, while a natural move in organising chatter, disrupts the random nature of broadcasting that message.

People can broadcast on Jaiku, but they are naturally more inclined to take a conversation and turn it on its head a la Usenet. Yes, it’s a reflection of human nature, but are we missing that stab of randomness as some Twit (that’s a Twitter user for the uninitiated) who is at degree of separation from us, reacts to response made to our message by a mutual contact? It’s that randomness that I see less and less of on Jaiku. We’re much more likely to huddle in our social packs, ready to adopt a contact en mass if they stumble across us. If Jaiku, in it’s latest form, can address this issue then it’s lead on Twitter will become monumental.

Matt does the homework and finds a plan on how to become a famous blogger.

Firefly fans cross their fingers for Serenity 2.

Great article on Nureyev by Joan Acocella from the New Yorker. Read it yesterday as I _wasted_my_time trying to get a driver’s licence replaced. Yes, I’m looking at you, Dublin Taxation Office. Who opens from 9:30 to 15:30, Monday to Friday? You do…

Bjork-time. Love her to death. Here’s an oldie, but a goodie - ‘Cocoon’ from ‘Vespertine’. Not safe for work, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. You also need QuickTime 5 or later.

You are not dreaming. No, really. Ireland will be represented in the final by.. referee Alain Rolland.

Our team, a band of over-exposed, advertising stars have come back to Ireland under a cloud of failure. It’s going to take more than a think-in to fix the problem. Targets are all well and good, especially over a medium term time-frame. What we need is for IRFU to announce a concrete plan with dates and actions. In my humble opinion, faces need to be changed, attitudes attuned and purpose found. A team cannot win a game of tiddly-winks without purpose, not to mind a game of rugby.

Just the other day I found out that someone I used to correspond with, had committed suicide. I don’t generally post about real-life experiences, instead I tend jot up on tech and gadgets that I fancy, but today is different. Today, I’m making space to write something important.

I really didn’t know this person well at all, but that still doesn’t take from the shock of realising that one day they send you a mail, and the next they are gone. Forever. There is no way back. I’m not going to talk about this case any further. Rather, I’d like to open a discussion on how the shame around suicide is smothering its survivors. Suicide is a shadow killer. As progressive as Irish society is today, we really only live in a village from Dingle to Derry. Suicide and shame go hand-in-hand. It’s very easy for experts to pooh-pooh the impact that shame has on a family that has lost a member to suicide. Forever, they will be marked as the family that couldn’t hold it together. The family that couldn’t save their own. The family that lost a member to suicide.

In Ireland, the societal reaction to families whose members commit suicide often manifests itself into an icy veneer. There’s that stoic face for the public. We can deny it all we like, but deep, deep down there’s also that voice that says “Oh, did you hear what happened to such and such?” We’re human and not in the best way. Instead, of opening space for family and friends to grieve, we stifle it. We need to challenge our own preconceptions of how suicide fits into the picture. Suicide is not going away. Just like drug addiction, it touches each and every part of society. It doesn’t care if you go to the gym three times a week, what you earn or how many holidays you take a year. We are all equal in its eyes. Someday soon you may find yourself losing a spouse, a child, a brother, a mother or a friend to suicide. So, how do you want to be treated?

Everyone is going pink for October to show support for the fight against breast cancer. Will you?

Malayasia is getting serious about broadband rollout while we still wait someone to take the finger out.

So, Bungie Studios are breaking from Microsoft and going solo? Looking forward to see what they’ll produce.

‘Forever Young’ song off the Canada tourism ad that’s been driving me nuts all week. Cover of Alphaville’s original by Youth Group. Featured in the OC, don’t you know.

So, I was around town on Saturday afternoon and thought I’d drop by the Dublin Tweetup venue for a look-see. The Maitre’d was only too happy to show me around and even posed for a pic.

The furnishings of the Hop House is all very orangey pine and cafe-like. Cheery. At this point some people would be getting scared. Not me, when I was in Barcelona last year, I ate in a similarly decorated restaurant and loved it. One point though, it appears we’ll not be sitting at a single table, rather a line of small two person tables. So, you’ll have to pick your victu.., sorry, partner and stick with ‘em. Or we could institute some sort of speed-dating setup.
Oh, and they have a visual menu folder that you can browse prior to ordering, so you can get a look at what’s on offer. The staff seemed super friendly. Looking forward already.

There’s still time to sign-up if you are a microblogger with a free Thursday evening.

Exterior of Hop House KimChi Restaurant. Olivier has an internet caf? right beside Hop House. He kept that quiet, didn’t he?

The maitre’d shows me around.

Adjoining bar.

Beer garden - haven for smokers.

Biffy Clyro ‘Puzzle’

Broken Social Scene ‘Broken Social Scene’

The Band ‘Greatest Hits’

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received some canvassing from nominees who are in the running for IIA Net Visionary gongs. My rule of thumb is that canvassing for votes in awards ceremonies disqualifies. It’s grubby and I don’t like it. Instead, make a post or release a statement. Stick up the nom banner to let people know that you are in the running and don’t hassle your readers/users.

My votes are in. Good luck all, although I hope my choices win

Brett aka Akula:

Who is going to be the first A-list blogger to admit to steriod use?