Perhaps, if only he’d stop moving. Rumours of Berlusconi’s demise, in what has become a tedious pattern, have been exaggerated. On Saturday, leading an anti-government march, Berlusconi was, without doubt, the star of the show. And it was a show that drew thousands into Rome’s Piazza San Giovanni (a location not chosen by chance – […]
My blogging output in November has been, I acknowledge, slightly erratic. Aside from fulfilling the righteous duties associated with being a modern father, I’ve been reasonably tied up with work, as the software company that gives me a monthly cheque reaches the end of its release cycle. (Contrary to all the Web 2.0 hype, most […]
There’s no longer any arguments about whether cracks have appeared, it’s now a matter of how far they will spread. The once gravity-defying Irish property market is finally showing that it is not immune to Newton’s axiom. So, the Irish Independent reports today that “The price of new houses fell last month in the most […]
One of the pre-requisites for a website/service to qualify for the trendy ‘Web2.0’ label, as coined by gurus like Tim O’Reilly, is that it be designed for ‘remixability’. To quote O’Reilly: “the most successful web services are those that have been easiest to take in new directions unimagined by their creators.” Google is, in many […]
What’s this? “Troubled” 80s pop icon George Michael involved in another scrape with the forces of law and order?(Oh… it’s only released killer and talented Sunday painter, Michael Stone, after throwing a “suspect device” into the main reception area of Stormont.)
A foreign journalist (whose name escapes me now), in the pages of the excellent Internazionale magazine, over the summer lamented the top-heavy nature of the Italian media – or the over-importance it gives to the ruling institutions. For example, it’s enough that Italian President Napolitano opens his mouth and it will be reported with fanfare […]
I see that over the weekend the Irish Internet Association’s Net Visionary 2006 Awards singled out the awful Twenty Major as Best Blogger. One wonders what it was about that blog that won over the judges: Was it Twenty Major’s hilarious “conceit ” of building a “colloseum” to watch Travellers fight to the death (“the […]
George Lee, RTE’s chief economics correspondent, appears to see himself as the Savonarola of our times, castigating the citizenry for their wicked ways (buying outdoor Jacuzzis, for example) and generally pointing out that we’ve all lost the run of ourselves. Although Lee is probably right, it’s sometimes difficult to avoid reaching for the car radio’s […]
Taking Poland by storm right now and for the next eight — no, make that seven — days is one Krzysztof Kononowicz, who ran for president of Bia?ystok. You can watch his appearance on a teevee show if you search around but it’s a slightly unpleasant experience. The question of manipulation comes up and — […]