Living the dream

2011 it's still kinda new?

2011-02-20T16:54:00.001Z

I've been working on my masters, projects, exams and I've got a new job.

So excuses aside I will be posting more regularly this year!

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Stupid Apple OS 4 is stupid

2010-08-25T12:07:00.002Z

Since I upgraded my iPod Touch to OS 4 I've seen a big difference. The Wifi is a lot better, hurrah!

But the Synching of Podcasts is woeful. I download my podcasts wirelessly each morning and listen to them. This is all fine. When I plug my iPod into my computer it "synchs" it.

Now when I look at my podcasts, the timer doesn't display and I can't scrub through it anymore!!!

Fix this!!!

The Aviva Stadium - First Impressions

2010-08-05T08:14:00.004Z

Last night I went to see the famous Manchester United play against the Airtricity XI in the first football match in the redeveloped Lansdowne Road. It's now known as the Aviva Stadium, but they've not paid me so it's Lansdowne road.

It was my first time seeing Manchester United play so that was a real treat.

The stadium itself is nice but there are some major flaws in both the stadium and access to the stadium.

Walking down Lansdowne Road to get to the entrance for my purple ticket, there are no signs at all. It's only when you get near the ground you are directed away from it by a steward. You are sent all the way to Ballsbridge to then have to cross the bridge and walk back down to the stadium. This added about 20 minutes to the journey. This also meant we had to walk through a small tunnell under the DART Bridge, which was big enough for 3 / 4 people abreast. It was the very definition of a bottleneck.

Access to the stadium from there is fine, I think the automated turnstiles might be troublesome though.

Lots of steps later and we were confronted with lots of bars. Bars that only sold Guinness, wine, Carlsberg and soft drinks. The queue for food was just ridiculous, but the staff are probably new and that will speed up and I suppose it wasn't a typical football crowd at the game, a lot of first timers, and people there for the novelty. The toilets have dryers, that just isn't going to work.

The seats had a good view of the pitch but not of the big screens, so just don't miss anything.

At the end of the match we walked out into a complete bottle neck. The DART gates were down so there were 40000 people just standing there who were then directed back to the small tunnell I spoke about earlier. The lighting wasn't great and again there were no signs. Luckily I know my way around there are walked back to Ballsbridge.

Some of these problems, like access and the queues for food will be ironed out, but not being able to see the big screens or the pitch when people 4 rows down from you stand up are more serious flaws.

i'm back...

2010-08-03T19:26:00.001Z

I've got blogging software on my phone so I've got no excuses!

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South Africa Vs. Mexico

2010-06-11T13:33:00.001Z

God only knows what affect playing at home will have on South Africa.

I think Mexico will win this one though.

FIFA World Cup

2010-06-11T13:31:00.001Z

I'm excited, it's less than half an hour to go to kick off. A month of football, hurrah.

I'm going to try and blog as much as I can over the next month.

Rugby rip off

2010-03-02T11:00:00.003Z

Munster Vs Leinster is going to be held on Good Friday. So the publicans of Limerick will loose a fortune in business, but it's ok, the bars in Thomand Park will be open.

In tough times we really should help each other out and not try to screw each other over!

Magic box saves world

2010-02-25T11:24:00.001Z

Tabloid headline or not, check out the Bloombox. The report doesn't really give enough detail it just throws up lots of questions.

Remember Steorn?

Comment Spam

2010-02-15T10:33:00.002Z

You right a post about Google Webmaster tools and it's like flies around sh.....

It's amazing how much spam a single subject can bring you!

Google Webmaster Tools

2010-01-01T20:05:00.003Z

I've been trying to improve the search ranking of Furniture Dublin. I have added it to Google Webmaster tools and I've uploaded a Sitemap.

I'm going to spend the next week or 2 following the tips and using the tools available there.

First things first I will put individual meta tags on each page, currently they are all the same. Step number 2 is removing the duplicate titles on each page. There is a long road ahead.

Furniture Dublin

2009-12-28T12:53:00.002Z

It's been a while since I last blogged but I have been busy. It's hard to blog and have a life too, or at least I find it difficult.

I've been working on a few sites lately and one is Furniture Designs.

It is a furniture shop on the Old Bawn Road in Tallaght and a friend of mine runs it.

The new design is concise and clear and shows off the range of furniture that they stock. I have to saw from being in the shop it is lovely. I'd need to either get rid of my current furniture or get a bigger house. I would love to take home a lot of what they have in there.

The site itself is HTML, CSS and some Classic ASP. It renders well in most browsers but if you have a problem, leave a comment and I will make sure to try and fix it.

So if it's Furniture Dublin you are looking for, go to Furniture designs.

The French

2009-11-26T21:51:00.003Z

Well the French did it, they won and are on the way to the World Cup.

It was horrible, it wasn't particularly fair but I suppose that's why we love sports. It helps you forget about your real troubles for a few brief moments.

If Ireland get a penalty...

2009-11-18T19:26:00.000Z

I think they should try this..

Would John Gormley do this?

2009-11-03T20:19:00.001Z

In your time of trouble, would John Gormley do this?

I bet he would have recylced the iron bar!

Free stuff for €2.99

2009-11-02T21:09:00.003Z

The Irish Independent, innovators that they are, have come up with an iPhone app to read the newspaper. I saw it online and thought that's a good idea.

I went to download the app and was horrified that it cost €2.99.

€2.99 to read the paper online, that you can read for free online! Are they serious?

I'm going to continue to read the Independent online, for free, I won't be wasting money on the iPhone app.

A new start I swear...

2009-11-01T20:47:00.002Z

The last post was about being a lazy poster and then over a month later I'm pretty much going to say the same thing.

Marathon is finished, well for this year, a slow 4.46.20 but I really enjoyed this one.

Now expect a post every couple of days from now on.

Lazy Blogger

2009-09-22T19:03:00.000Z

I have many excuses and some of which are pretty good, but the main reason I've not been blogging is I'm a bit lazy.

I've been training for a marathon and working and living my life so I've not been twiddling my thumbs.

I will try harder though!

Some Ideas for recovery.

2009-09-01T10:28:00.005Z

German unemployment has risen to 8.3%. This doesn't sound too good but if you read on you will see that only 9000 more people have lost their jobs last month. That is a tiny fraction of the amount losing their jobs in Ireland.

Is it because the Irish economy is in a worse state than Germany's? Well yes, but the Germans have implemented a plan that subsidises jobs, and encourages shorter worker weeks, so that people will take a cut in wages but will not need to go on full unemployment benefit which is a lot of money. It also has the benefit of keeping manufacturing going and thus bringing in VAT and keeping exporters at work.

With a little bit more imagination and we could recover a lot sooner and there would be a lot less people heading towards skid row.

Sometimes simple solutions solve complex problems but trying to solve them invariably solves them quikcer than doing nothing.

Breaking news - a dog dies!

2009-09-01T08:05:00.002Z

An old dog died today. Not just any old dog, the oldest dog in the world, ahem.

I have to go out now and get a black armband and fly the flag at half mast.

A no brainer.

2009-08-25T08:17:00.003Z

If you have no brain, everything is a no brainer! Mary Harney yesterday said that it was a no brainer to ban sunbeds because they cause cancer.

But of course cigarettes are fine. They don't cause any health problems, nor does alcohol, fast foods, junk food... and so on and so forth.

I wonder was she just trying to impress Lance.

SQL Injection - Come on!!!

2009-08-19T09:46:00.002Z

I read about the hacker who gleaned 120 Million people's credit card details. I thought he must have been some hacker, a savant to get access to that much information.

Then I heard it was a SQL Injection attack. This really is shabby that big companies with credit card and customer information are being exposed by such rudimentary attacks.

Obviously Fake video exposed as fake.

2009-08-18T13:39:00.002Z

I read this on Sky News today and lost what little respect I had for the "news" channel.

Stupid Goverment plan to waste more money

2009-07-21T10:54:00.004Z

When I read this morning, that the government want to convert a carpark back into a lawn that it was previously. I thought that isn't a bad idea.

When I head they were then going to hire car parking places instead and spend two hundred and thirty thousand on the conversion, I thought they ought to seek medical help because they are obviously having delusions.

John Gormley, so called Green Leader, says it has to be done because the planning permission for the car park was for 10 years. Give me a thousand euro and I will put a nice lawn in for you, and have a few hundred euro to spare!

I wonder how much a pint of milk will cost if John Gormley is buying?

A good start

2009-07-09T08:09:00.002Z

An Australian town has acted with some common sense. It's banning bottled water! Whata great idea.

The impact on the bottled water industry is huge, the amount of effort transporting the water, not to mention the bottles themselves!

Good work!

No Comment

2009-07-03T08:27:00.002Z

I don't think I need to add any further comment on this. Tribunals.... Hmmm

Judges and the pension levy?

2009-06-23T08:10:00.003Z

Should the Irish Judiciary take a paycut or a pension levy like the rest of the public service? I think they should just to show the people they preside over that they are fair people who believe in justice.

What I really don't like is that it is politicians clamouring for the judges to take the cuts / levy. These are the same politicians who don't sit for nearly half the year. The same politicians who receive long term service payments, who get pensions while they are still sitting as TDs and senators, politicians who are on a leave of absence from their teaching jobs, these very same TDs.

It's just another attempt from the political classes to obfuscate and to distract from the mess they have partially gotten us into.

Wow I can sign in

2009-06-23T08:09:00.001Z

I haven't been able to sign in to this blog in a few weeks and I'm not sure what the problem was. It's cleared up now so I have no excuses!!!

Local and European Elections

2009-06-05T20:44:00.000Z

It was hard to muster the gumption to vote for any of them!!

The Star Bar challenge

2009-05-28T22:25:00.001Z

I saw an ad for the volvic challenge recently. A challenge to drink water for 14 days. Easy. Too Easy, so I am embarking on a star bar challenge, I intend to eat a star bar every day for 14 days.

It's like a rubbish supersize me or a better idea than drinking water for 14 days. You decide!

Google Streetview

2009-05-14T20:51:00.002Z

The controversial Google Streetview is happening on a street near you. I actually say one today on the quays in Dublin, beside Temple Bar. Imagine, you could see me on the internet. I hope I'm not picking my nose!!

Bob Dylan

2009-05-09T09:19:00.001Z

We went to see Bob Dylan in the O2 in Dublin last week. I think it was my fifth time seeing him in concert and all in the same venue come to think of it.

I think it was the best I've seen him play and it was a really good set list. His website is pretty funky too.

The Gum Thief - Douglas Coupland

2009-05-09T09:10:00.003Z

I just finished reading The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland. I've read all the fiction this guy has published and this was an absolute pleasure to read it was a real return to form in my eyes.

So if you have read any of his other novels, like Life After God, JPod, Microserfs definitely check this out.

I've been busy

2009-05-09T09:06:00.002Z

I'm getting less and less time to update my blog, or maybe I should say I am getting less inclined to update it. I'm so sick of computers lately that when I get home from work I haven't been switching it on.

I had to today to do a few updates to Neptune Adventure Centre's Website. I've added a new video to the homepage. Now I have to add some new documents to the Greendoor Accommodation Website.

Then there are 2 other sites I am working on and I really should get at least one of them done over the weekend, if I can bare turning the computer on, and if I get the time.

Lying ISP

2009-04-24T20:40:00.003Z

I've been having broadband problems over the last few weeks. This week I had 2 days without broadband and when I mailed the ISP they replied with a nice long answer suggesting it could be anything but their system.

Suspiciously the broadband has been working perfectly since.

Suspicious! I'd much prefer if they told me the truth.

Budget Predictions

2009-04-16T22:11:00.001Z

My budget predictions weren't bad. I got it wrong about VAT, but you live and learn. It is funny though that a week or 2 later they are back dating the levy just to stop people front loading bonuses etc.

Do they not think any of their ideas through?

budget predictions

2009-04-06T22:54:00.003Z

so it's the night before the budget and not a creature is stirring...

Ok, so here is what i'm expecting. The income levy will be trebled and maybe quadrupled. Vat will be dropped and social welfare will be dropped an equal amount. The will add duty to cigarettes and alcohol but not too much and i expect DIRT to increase.

I also expect section 23 to be ended and a crackdown on rental properties and landlords and perhaps some property tax....

that's my guess

Confusing technologies

2009-03-30T19:52:00.002Z

I've spent the last few weeks working on php, xml, xslt and ubuntu. I have got sick of ubuntu and not being able to install anything so I am working on my dell mini at the moment which is a lifesaver.

I've not been able to get xslt and php working anywhere except my live server so I have to be online to work on it, which is a pain.

I've been working on a letting site for a friend of mine in Norway and if I ever get it up and running I will put up the link.

I have learned some useful stuff though, like you need iso-8859-9 encoing on your xml to display norwegian characters.

I'm out of here before the battery goes

Hoop la like this blows my mind

2009-03-20T17:53:00.002Z

I just read that Entropia the online game has been granted a licence to be a bank. Does that make any sense to you?

At first it made me feel unusual, but when I read there was over $400 million dollars worth of tansactions going on then I though that ain't a bad idea.

I think I should set up an online wold like that. Maybe Virtual Grfit.com I wonder would it work?

Some Action

2009-03-19T23:31:00.002Z

The US law makers ar trying to put right what once went wrong by putting a tax of 90% on the bonuses of companies they have bailed out.

Now those bonuses should never have been paid in the first place, the ball was dropped but it is good to see them fixing it now.

The Irish government should take a leaf out of their book.

If the government bail you out you should have to play by their rules, or at leqst play by the rules. As for private companies not bailed out by the government, they should be allowed pay their staff and directors what they please.

Twittering on a blog

2009-03-18T10:14:00.002Z

I just added Twitter updates to my blog. God only knows why!

Dwain Chambers is not evil

2009-03-10T13:58:00.002Z

Dwain Chambers has been invited to run at the Golden League meeting in Berlin.

He broke the rules, but he has served his time and should be allowed back in the sport. They should make new rules going forward if they have such a problem with him.

I don't condone drug use or cheating, but I do promote second chances.

Good luck Dwain.

What I've been doing?

2009-03-04T20:35:00.002Z

I've been very quiet lately and that is down to a few things. Lot's of work and I have been working on a few websites. I'm finishing up Magicman which is for a magician.

I'm also finishing up Neptune Outdoor Adventure Centre.

I have 2 or 3 more sites to work on over the next few weeks, it's good to have a few jobs coming in.

More Bankers

2009-02-25T21:20:00.003Z

Bank of Ireland just named their new CEO. Richie Boucher has been given the role. I'm disappointed that the government help recapitalise a bank and then allow the bank to make an internal appointment. It seems like it's business as usual in the banks of Ireland.

I've finally decided

2009-02-25T21:15:00.003Z

Now I am on twitter. I am not so sure about it but I will give it a whirl and see if it adds to my life in anyway. I'm open minded.

Are you kidding me?

2009-02-19T20:56:00.002Z

RTE are spending money like it's going out of fashion on their Eurosong effort this friday. Unless of course all the presenters and all the people involved in the outside broadcasts are working for free.

I don't Jerry Springer will expect to be paid either, so that's alright then!

Ward off the recession - Marry a dog.

2009-02-18T11:06:00.001Z

I read this story on Sky News today. A boy has married a dog in India, to avoid being killed by a tiger.

That is a sentence I never dreamed off typing.

The bus

2009-02-09T21:25:00.002Z

I've been going wild with my annual bus ticket over the last few days. It makes you try and get the best value for your money.

So far it has been great, no delays and the bus is doing ok in rush hour traffic and long may that continue. I wonder how much impact the new transport policy will have though?

Will the document somehow make more people use public transport, when they are cutting buses and routes? Will 150 thousand people cycle to work??? I think it's up to us as individuals and as employees and employers to get the show on the road. No point waiting for this government to do anything.

So get on your bike, or bus or go crazy and run to work.

The Last week

2009-02-04T20:57:00.002Z

I've been quiet lately because I fell off my bike and ended up in hospital with concussion. Luckily for me my fall on the cobbles didn't involve anyone else but me and the ground and my brand new helmet worked a treat protecting my noggin.

I have to go get the bike repaired now, nothing major to report a broken clutch lever and broken mirror and no broken bones for me.

It will be a long push to the garage unless some mystery benefactor would like to stump up to have it transported there...

Any takers?

Raheny 5 mile

2009-01-26T21:49:00.002Z

I did the Raheny 5 mile yesterday. The weather was just awful on the way there but luckily for the race it was perfect. The same could not be said about the weather for the junior's and kid's races!

I did it in 42:56 which is around what I had expected and predicted on Thursday. I could have been 20 seconds better, but I had to stop and tie my lace. Let that be a lesson for when I am going for a personal best.

It was a really enjoyable event and the goody bag was great!

So my next run will hopefully be a short one tomorrow night. If I get the time I hope to do some fartlek intervals to try and build up speed and help my aerobic capacity.

The Run to Work - Today's Stats

2009-01-22T21:32:00.002Z

Today's run was slightly shorter than before. It was 8.2 miles instead of 8.5. I didn't include the warm up part. I did it in 79minutes 49seconds which is a massive improvement of 15 minutes from last week. Average pace of 9.44 per mile.

My best mile was mile 6! How weird is that? I've just realised, I pushed it a bit to go until an hour for 10k!!! Makes sense now.

That's a good improvement. Roll on Raheny at the weekend and I hope to go sub 43minutes for 5 miles. I won't be near a personal best but anything until 45 I'll be happy.

Some People

2009-01-19T21:13:00.002Z

I heard a question on the radio at the weekend. What popular board game was launched in 1955. The first 10 answers were Monopoly. Wrong. The 11th answer was Chess...

A short run

2009-01-19T21:04:00.003Z

I got out lastnight for my planned 5k. I was lucky that the weather was kind to me. It was icey rain on the warm up walk to the park, but after I'd stretched and was ready to go the rain had stopped. The wind was strong but it wasn't overpowering.

I did 5k in 26.24 which I'm pretty happy with. I had my lap counter checking the mile times which were 8.48, 8.19, 8.22. That is a big improvement on the mile times from my long run, which were nearer 11.

I'm going to do my 8.5 mile run to work on Wednesday or Thursday and I am aiming for around 80 minutes. That is around 9.41 per mile which should be easily managed and it will be a 13 minute improvement on last week.

Then I hope to run the 5 mile in Raheny on Sunday.

Running - Some Stats

2009-01-17T19:36:00.005Z

I got my new Garmin Forerunner 405 and it is fantastic. I love numbers and stats so here are some from my last run.

Distance	8.53 Miles
Time	94 Minutes 20 Seconds
Avg Pace	11.03/mile
Avg Speed	5.4 MPH
Avg Heart Rate	159 BPM
Max Heart Rate	176 BPM

It's a pretty slow time but it is great to see the stats. Tomorrow I'm doing a 3 mile or 5k run and I intend to have an average pace of 9 minute miles and then on my next 8.5 mile run I would like to take the time down by at least 5 minutes.

Oh dear

2009-01-13T22:24:00.002Z

Times are getting tough and the government have decided to cut corners. So they've said public transport will be scaled back. That just isn't clever. Why can't the government see past the end of the year and think about the people who rely on public transport.

When jobs become scarce people will have to travel further and at different times to get there, but there won't be a bus service there for them.

Think people, think.

The Run to work

2009-01-12T21:04:00.002Z

It's been a busy week, I haven't had a chance to write much.

Last week I ran into work, I'm not 100% sure what the distance was, I think it was somewhere between 9 and 11 miles. It took about 95 minutes. It was tough going, I think it was more mentally tough than physically tough.

When I'm on a normal run, if you don't feel up to it, you stop and head back home, normally I'm within a few kilometres of the house so it's easy to turn back. Running to work on the other hand, gives you a deadline and a destination. I've got to be in work at 9 and if I turn back I will be very late.

I think it's good practice for a marathon, it will help when I cross the start line with 26 miles to go, it will help me not to be overawed by the distance.

Walking and running

2009-01-04T14:28:00.003Z

Happy New Year. It has been ages since I last posted but with Christmas there just isn't any time for that sort of thing. I did get out for a few walks and a few runs. I got a couple of 10kms in and a 5k.

Not bad considering. On my most recent 10k I came across a huge grey squirrel. Check him out!

I took a picture of a heron today when I was out for a walk with Junior, but the zoom wan't great. It's a shame but I think I might bring my camera on my next run to see what wildlife I can capture.

Another day, another bad driver

2008-12-17T19:17:00.003Z

On my way in to work today a very fancy Jaguar did the old indicate and move trick. You know the one where you don't luck in your mirrors and try to bulldoze the person in the lane next to you.

Today it was me in that lane and I don't like the idea of a jaguar or any other car for that matter denting me.

I pointed out his folly :o) and drove on, only to be chased down the road at high speed and then overtaken.

I passed him perplexed at his behaviour.

Why do people have to be so aggressive on the road, normally I let this sort of incident pass with a shake of the head but the beeping and swearing, well they change the matter.

Lets all just take our time and calm down on the roads, being in the wrong lane isn't the end of the world, but moving without checking your mirrors may be the end of someone, so be careful.

New Toy

2008-12-16T22:13:00.002Z

Tonight I am blogging from my new toy, a Dell Inspiron Mini. It is a little netbook. Excuse any typos. I'm going to have to go on a finger diet or maybe gnaw flesh of so that i have pointier fingers.

So far so good, the speed is ok, the display is cool. The keyboard is a little tricky, making the shift key on the right so small is a right pain but I shall overcome.

Fn + right arrow for end though, come on! End is for convenience, alas that is no more.

So now I'm going to test out the battery life and get browsing.

A little slip

2008-12-15T22:44:00.001Z

I haven't posted in a week and normally that means I am being lazy, this time I have an excuse. I fell of my bike on the ice on tuesday, and somehow that made me lazier.

I served me right for using my brakes on the ice rink of a road. The bike seems ok, I think I've pulled a muscle or two in my shoulder so all in all another lucky escape!

10k

2008-12-08T11:54:00.002Z

Operation Freeflow

2008-12-02T22:37:00.002Z

I was riding home as usual this evening and the traffic was terrible around Liffey Valley and all the way up the exit at the Foxhunter. If you know the area, you will know what sort of bottle neck it is.

So I was making my way up the slip road, indicating that I'm turning left at the top, I'm starting to accellerate, about to zip past the stationery right turning traffic when a car pulls out in front of me. You know the type, indicate as you move, don't look around, "but he hit me officer" types.

Anyway, I avoided him and then as I approaced the top of the road I got a chance to pass him as he was waiting for a filter. He then veers towards me, I have to avoid and stop as he drives around the corner. All this because he was on his mobile.

All this under the watchful eyes of the Garda standing there at the traffic lights! He just stood their and looked as a guy driving erratically on a mobile phone went past!

I just don't get!!!

21k

2008-12-01T23:37:00.003Z

I went for a long run on Saturday. I got out in the freezing fog and did about 21k, around a half marathon. It felt good until near the end when I sort of twisted my right knee (it's recovered completely now).

It felt pretty good out there except for the cold and the bit where I nearly killed myself when a squirrel ran in front of me. I would have been suing the Tufty Club had I gone over.

It's a couple of days later now and I feel fine. So it's just a matter of booking a marathon....

Arg

Has it been that long?

2008-11-27T21:42:00.003Z

It been ages! I've been working away on some German translations of the Greendoor website. So now the Germans will know how cool a place it is to stay.

I've also added a new apartment to the alvehuset website, but that won't be live until tomorrow.

Yawn!

Nonsense

2008-11-18T15:59:00.003Z

I had the misfortune of listening to the radio last night. I can't tell if it was 98 or fm104 but they were talking about Simon Cowell and his interview with his ex. The presenter said that she didn't think Simon Cowell was capable of a relationship!

WTF? Does she know him? Is she a pal, if she is why is she discussing his personal life with the radiowaves...

It's amazing what some people comment on. *

*Please note: I know the irony of commenting on commenting in a blog!

16k

2008-11-18T15:51:00.002Z

I got out and did a 16k run at the weekend and it felt fine. It was tough at the end, all because of the steep hill that's right at the end of my run.

I think I might try and find a different route to avoid that hill although it's probably better for me.

I went to Lucan Demesne to run and I have to say it is a lovely place to run, no cars no fumes, trees fields the liffey, perfect.

Crisis, what crisis?

2008-11-13T23:35:00.002Z

Bank of Ireland announced there profits for the last 6 months. The last 6 months were the world's banks went into meltdown. The news was grim, profits had fallen 32%.

Wait a minute... Profits, not losses... Well they couldn't have been that good. Think again! Only €650 Million. I wouldn't mind having a crisis like that myself!!!

Can you have any sympathy for the banks with this sort of nonsense coming out.

Please note: I have worked in detail in treasury finance so I am well aware of the issues that make up this crisis.

11k

2008-11-11T10:23:00.001Z

I got out there on Sunday and did an 11k run, I went all over the place and it all felt good. It all felt a bit too easy until I got to a very steep hill and then I remembered how hard this running lark can be.

No real ill affects to report so I hope to do maybe a 15k at the weekend. I know that breaks the 10% rule but needs must.

My Brain

2008-11-06T23:53:00.001Z

It's amazing, well at least my mother thinks so. Check out these amazing facts about your very own brain.

7kms

2008-11-03T22:33:00.002Z

I got out on Sunday and did a 7k run. It was a muddy muddy day. I nearly lost my runners at a few points! I did it in a lesiurely 42 minutes. I had some twinges in my knee but nothing major. I cycled into work today, so that is 12k each way so that should keep the fitness levels up.

Hopefully I will get out for a 10k at the weekend and take it from there.

Media Domination

2008-10-29T22:25:00.002Z

My Bro in Law, 6th, was on the radio today. He was on Today FM. National Radio no less. I was quite impressed, as always with his interview, he is always so cool.

I happened to flick onto RTE1 this evening, to the drivel that is "Off the Rails" and low and behold, what do I see in the background? Only 6th's bike!

Is he the new Rupert Murdoch???

The consensus...

2008-10-29T22:24:00.002Z

From the 2 comments I got, I'm going to train old school. So watch out for me running up some steps in the snow near you!

Science or Hardwork?

2008-10-24T22:28:00.003Z

I'm back doing a small bit of training. I'm trying to see if I would be able to do a marathon or perhaps a good half marathon next year.

I'm wondering how I should approach it? Should I be like Rocky and drag some tyres up a hill, run up some steps and punch the air, or should I be like Ivan Drago, using machines, computers and science (let's not even mention the drugs).

How much help will it be to me to know my VO2 max levels or my lactate thresholds, does that really make a difference to me?

Should I just go out and run, or should I do fartlek intervals, and tempo runs, temperatures, graphs, figures?

Or should I just go about building those "Hurting Bombs" by just getting out there and running.

I'm trying to think of a good set of stairs to run up, and the only ones that come to mind are the ones at the foot of the Central Bank in Dublin. I would be like some sort of anti-goth running up those stairs in my running gear!

I think I'm going to be old fashioned, not only because I don't have access to scientific equipment, but also because you can over analyse these things.

Sellotape X-rays

2008-10-23T15:33:00.001Z

Sometimes science and it's application amazes me. This is truly amazing. Who needs an expensive MRI, I'm going to get the sticky tape out tonight.

Yeti - Update

2008-10-21T13:16:00.001Z

From today's Guardian. A group of Japanese climbers have claimed to have found a footprint. This isn't the most compelling evidence but at least they are out there looking.

3k, it's a start

2008-10-20T15:39:00.002Z

I got out last for a 3k run last night which is a nice start. I hope to get out for 5k on wednesday. It was about 18:30 when I went into the local park so I was very surprised to see a woman in a wedding dress standing in a muddy field having her picture taken.

It was dark, it was cold, it was mucky and it was weird!

The run was grand though, the cycling has really helped my fitness so my lungs felt comfortable all the way round.

CushyCMS

2008-10-17T22:03:00.002Z

I've tried out a lot of CMS lately. Joomla, Drupal, CMSMadeSimple. Joomla and Drupal are too complicated for the small sites I want to use them on, even CMSMadeSimple which is by far the most simple (clever name eh?) is a bit too much.

I recently came across CushyCMS and it is a pleasure to work with so far. It is simple and easy to use and gives you all the functionality you need for small sites. The free option is so good, I'm tempted to go for the Pro version!

I would definitely recommend it for simple XHTML / CSS Sites

Brian Lenihan - Be a man

2008-10-16T15:45:00.002Z

I was reading today that Brian Lenihan is blaming the Medical Cards Fiasco on Mary Harney.

Who is the Minister for Finance? Are you telling me that Mary Harney, a junior coalition party member, told the minister for finance what to do?

Surely each department were told to cut x budget and that's what came back.

Be a man Minister Lenihan, you can't be everybody's friend, especially when you take money from the poor and the elderly.

Budget Bull

2008-10-15T14:17:00.002Z

I just read what Brian Lenihan had to say about yesterday's budget.

So the reason he had to increase VAT was to decrease the impact of people shopping in Northern Ireland. Do I need to say any more? The reason they shop in the north is down to high costs, so increasing them won't help and I'm not sure the yields make sense either.

But the best bit was that the €200 levy on car parking spacies is to encourage use of public transport. WTF? How about increasing public transport, or reducing the cost of public transport. More buses perhaps? Follow the Finnish model of subsidiased Public transport.

Use your brain and stop taxing people. That "levy" is not going to stem the traffic jams, it won't even make the tiniest dent. It's moronic.

And just because you call it a levy, doesn't mean it's not a tax.

Budget Day.

2008-10-14T21:06:00.003Z

So you can get a tax free bike, 4 weeks after I bought a new one. Oh nuts!

Now everyone is paying tax, EVERYONE. Well PAYE workers anyway. I wonder will it hit Bono and Enya or the rest of the population of Killiney.

Over 70's don't get a medical card automatically. That's a cheap shot, at least you should treat the elderly right.

I don't mind paying my taxes as long as you see them in action. So I don't have to wait 5 years for an appointment in the local hospital.

Petrol will sot more as will everything else because of the hike in VAT. I particularly don't like the rise in VAT as it hits everyone including those on a fixed income. Is that really fair?

I'm not sure about this budget but I never really am!

The day before...

2008-10-13T19:53:00.002Z

It's the night before the one day a year when politicians actually have an impact on people's lives. Of course it's budget day and tomorrow is expected to be a brutal one.

I'm looking forward to all sorts of misery, cuts here, tax hikes there, hopefully they will borrow some, and spare the regular PAYE worker, but I doubt it.

I wonder are they far enough away from an election to get away with a harsh budget?

Dublin Paranormal Convention - 4 days to go

2008-10-07T22:49:00.002Z

There are only 4 more days to wait for the Dublin Paranormal Convention. The final preparations are being put in place.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Paul O'Connor, and hear what he has to say about remote viewing and hopefully give us a demonstration!!!

Driving Test

2008-10-07T22:47:00.001Z

I've got my driving test tomorrow so keep of the roads between 3 and 4. I did a bit of practice tonight and it all seemed to go ok. Hopefully tomorrow will fall nicely into place and hopefully I won't make the silly schoolboy errors I made last time.

Wish me luck!

Picture of the Day - 4

2008-10-06T15:56:00.003Z

This is a picture of the Cao Dai Place of worship in Tay Ninh in Vietnam. It is an an amazingly colourful place and these gargoyles gaurd the entrance.

Picture of the Day - 3

2008-10-03T10:32:00.002Z

This is a Picture I took in Paris at the start of my honeymoon. It was an overcast day and this was taken just prior to a massive downpour.

I thing Paris is the most amazing city to look at and photograph.

Is there anything Google isn't doing?

2008-10-02T22:41:00.003Z

Google is putting Microsoft to shame. It has launched it's latest strategy, reducing the US's dependency on oil in the next 22 years.

I think it's great that there are people and corporations out there being proactive, but I'm also a little bit scared of a corporation that is becoming so ubiquitous.

I'll not be cynical, if a company like Google come out with such initiatives, it will get people talking and no matter what, that is a good thing.

I'm glad commas don't cause global warming because that last sentence would personally do away with a few polar bears.

Picture of the Day - 2

2008-10-02T13:33:00.002Z

This is a picture of Tower Bridge in London. It is a very impressive structure and if I had the money I would buy that bridge and have it shipped brick by brick to my back garden.

Picture of the Day - 1

2008-10-01T14:11:00.002Z

This is a picture I took on a beautiful early spring day in 2006. It's in Montebello, which is a nice suburb of Oslo in Norway.

Banking

2008-09-30T22:53:00.002Z

The world of banking has been capturing the headlines recently. The whole sorry mess is tumbling down like the house of cards, built on sand that it is.

The government have kindly guaranteed all the savings in Irish Banks. It doesn't really mean much as there is no issue with liquidity in Irish Banking. The astonishing move is to guarantee all the money borrowed by Irish banks. That is a much riskier move and it gives banks a get out of jail free card.

It would be pretty nice to make oodles of money creating bad debt and then having it all cancelled out by the man. Imagine it in any other industry?

Knee Update - MRI Results

2008-09-27T22:33:00.002Z

I got the results of my MRI and it was strange. Good and bad news. The good news is there is no problem or injury showing up for my knee at all. According to the images I have a perfectly fine knee, no cysts, no tears.

Great news eh? Well not really. I have a pain in my knee and I want to know what is causing it. I think I am going to do my best to stretch a lot and built up my upper leg to support my knee better. So the cycling is helping, I will try a short run tomorrow to see how that goes.

RTE.ie becomes dating agency for it's stars.

2008-09-24T10:43:00.003Z

I just read this article on RTE.ie. So Ryan Tubridy doesn't have a book lined back drop. Come to think of it, I saw him in town once and there were no books in site.

It's good of RTE, to try and help him find a lady. It must be hard for high earning, high profile to get themselves out there.

iPhone? Google Phone?

2008-09-23T20:07:00.002Z

Can't I have both? I think the iPhone looks way cooler to be honest, but the Google one ain't bad. Hopefully it will have a good SDK and some free killer apps, ones that don't download your DNA and send them to the googleplex

New Bike

2008-09-20T17:47:00.003Z

I finally got my new bike. It's a La Pierre RCR100, I got it in the cycle superstore in Tallaght. I've cycled home from Tallaght and then to and from work yesterday and it is amazing the difference a road bike makes to the journey.

I've done both trips on my mountain bike and it is quite hard work but on the new bike it just flew and I've done both journey's in record time.

If only there was a cycle lane all the way to the city centre like there is to Tallaght!

Bluetooth Headphones

2008-09-17T15:21:00.001Z

I took my new SBH170's out for a run last night. After about a kilometre they came off so i think I will have to wear a hat or get a headband.

The sound is very good but it kept dropping the signal so it made the music jumpy. I hope it's down to the carge in the headphones. I will charge them properly and take them out again.

So far they are pretty good!

The Knee - Update

2008-09-17T14:57:00.002Z

I went to a consultant about my knee, which hasn't been a problem, to have a firm diagnosis. I got a pretty firm diagnosis. My knees are in pretty good condition, my patella tendons seem fine but I do have either (or both) a meniscal tear or a meniscal cyst.

I'm going for an MRI later this week to get it confirmed and come up with a course of action.

I'm going to lay off the running while I await the results but I'll be in the gym and on the bike over the next few weeks. I want to keep my condition up, so I don't have to face the horror of getting fit from being completely out of shape.

The New Week

2008-09-15T15:40:00.002Z

I've started the week like I mean it. I was in the gym at lunchtime. It's been ages since I've been in the gym and the first time in my new gym in the city centre.

I have to say it has great facilities.

I ran 3k on the treadmill overlooking the liffey, which was pretty sweet. Although if I can find a good city centre route I will run outdoors and shower in the gym.

I got my bluetooth headphone and the sound is good but I'm not sure they will be very stable on my ears, but I will try them out and hopefully they will be fine.

Now back to work for me.

It's Friday already

2008-09-12T22:02:00.002Z

This week has flown by in a bit of a haze. It was my first week back at work after 2 weeks off so that is always strange, that and of course the new addition, so everything is very different.

I'm looking forward to a nice weekend, maybe a run, maybe watch the Man United game tomorrow.

I've been suffering from blogger's block lately. Imagine how bad it must be if I can't come up with anything to put in the blog!!!

Back Running

2008-09-10T14:32:00.002Z

I'm making a concerted effort to get back running in the last week or so. I hope to do a few races in the new year, I'll do the rest of the year to get in shape.

I've done 3 runs in the last week, two 3k runs and one 5k run. Each run was pretty slow around 16 minutes for the 3k and 30 minutes for the 5k. I'll bring that down substantially over the next month or so.

I was out last night, in the dark, in the wind, in the rain and the conditions were tough but they were tougher than the run. I've been using my phone as a music player and it took some getting used to and it meant taping the earphones in my ears which was uncomfortable to remove.

I've ordered a pair of wireless bluetooth headphones, I'll review them when they arrive.

Why Lord Why?

2008-09-09T13:12:00.002Z

RTE have reached a new low. You can chat to the Gorilla from the Cadbury's Ad.

Why Lord why?

I'm back

2008-09-08T19:10:00.003Z

It's been ages. 17 whole days without blogging, I think I spent a month in Vietnam and blogged more.

So what have I been up to? Well, I've become a father!!!

My beautiful son was born 2 weeks ago, thanks to my amazing wife (thanks!). He's called Oliver and he is thriving.

Now I'll be blogging more over the next few days and weeks about all the usual stuff!

Now back to fatherhood.

Dublin Paranormal Convention - Update

2008-08-22T22:04:00.002Z

I've moved the site to a new host (blacknight). I've put in a content management system (CMSMadeSimple). I've added a paypal function to sell tickets to the event. (Buy your tickets here).

I've also started a Google Adwords Campaign. It's been running nearly 2 days now and it's sent around 14 clicks over to the site, so that's not bad. It will be interesting to see if this will turn into ticket sales.

That's it for now!