tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83069912109703531512024-03-05T23:16:23.409+00:00Observations from the beachMy scattered rants and more.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-41641148007961540702013-01-05T01:53:00.001+00:002013-01-05T01:59:35.744+00:00That poor Indian lady - I'm so sadA couple of months ago, Ireland was devastated by the death of Savita - an Indian resident who died because our crazy laws made it impossible for her doctors to intervene in her failing pregnancy. Now we hear about a 23-year-old medical student in India who died after being gang-raped on a bus in Delhi.
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Ouch.
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Two Indian ladies at opposite sides of the world - neither deserved to die, neither was treated with respect. As an Irish person, I'm deeply ashamed by what happened to Savita. As a human being, I'm deeply ashamed by what happened to that other lady (so sorry I don't know her name).
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What happened to Savita was the inevitable outcome of socially fascist beliefs (where the foetal heartbeat of a non-being transcends the basic rights of a sentient human being). What happened to her "sister" in India was the inevitable outcome of socially fascist beliefs (where savage male aggression transcends the basic rights of a sentient female).
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Both deaths have led to social and political shame. Shame on us.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-38527350990586520512010-07-10T18:56:00.003+01:002010-07-10T21:49:42.242+01:00Plus ca changeSo the UK census is expensive and inefficient and should be scrapped, according to Tory MP, Francis Maude. Next year's census will be the last in a system that dates back 200 years. In future, we can expect our population mapping to come from other (cheaper) sources such as the Post Office and credit reference agencies.<br /><br />Since 1801, every ten years, the census of population has taken a snapshot of all people in the UK on a given date. In addition to recording the names and locations of all individuals in the jurisdiction on census day, each census gathered additional information such as occupation and religious persuasion. In it's 200 year history, 1941 was the only occasion when a UK census was not taken, due to the war.<br /><br />Among the administrative institutions that Ireland inherited from the UK was the census of population. As a university student, I worked on two censuses - not because I was an eternal student but because the census of 1971 was postponed due to lack of funds and had to be rushed through in 1979 to ensure it was completed before the next due census in 1981.<br /><br />A job as a census enumerater (what a grandiose addition to a CV) was better paid than other student jobs. Each census enumerator had an area of about 300 households to account for and final payment was withheld until all returns were submitted. My first census included a number of bed-sits and households that did not welcome the attention of the state. I learned to be persistent to the point of stalking my quarry. My second census was of an area that included a psychiatric hospital where I had to deal with fewer individual households but lots more bureaucracy.<br /><br />Aside from the pay, working as a census enumerator helped me in my historical studies, giving me a special understanding of the value of the census in historical research. The census informed profound social and political change in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 21st century, the world wide web helps the rivers of migration to connect with family around the globe.<br /><br />The value of a census goes beyond knowing how many people live in a street. While it might be more cost-effective to get the numbers from other sources, this approach ignores the richer importance of this information. It also ignores the fact that those that want to hide will not be stalked by the persistent evaluator that wants to complete the picture.<br /><br />Scrapping the census may not appear to be important in these times of economic crisis. But the buck has to stop somewhere and this is a very important place. Since the start of the banking crisis, the wealthy have raided the coffers of the ordinary - our penions and rights are eroded, our childrens' futures are sold, dead and gone. And now they plan to put the census into the hands of credit reference agencies. To cite Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karrm (former editor of Le Figaro) Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same).Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-51296134090360208402009-02-19T08:46:00.005+00:002009-02-19T13:22:41.384+00:00Time to buy a wheelbarrowWhew - we can all relax now - our economic woes are coming to an end and the country will be awash with money. Soon we'll have more cash than we know what to do with. The nice chappies over at the Bank of England have put their thinking caps on and come up with a simple solution - they're going to print more money. We can all get back to being manic shoppers and forget all this caution and thrift that is making life so dull and boring.<br /><br />If you're quick, you'll be able to snap up bargains on the car lot and buy cheap flights to Antigua. And if you're really quick and really lucky, while you're there you might spot the elusive Sir Allen Stanford in a helicopter and claim a juicy reward from the SEC. This will add some dollars to your collection of crisp new notes, hot of the printing presses.<br /><br />Because you'll have more money than you'll know what to do with, you might decide to donate some of these dollars to Meg Whitman's campaign to be elected Governor of California. Who better to sort out the chronic finances of California, after all, than the former boss of eBay? She will be able to teach those silly Californian liberals a thing or two and help them sell their souls to the highest bidders.<br /><br />I've got it all worked out. I've been down to Staples where I got a great deal on a printer that does scanning too. I'll save Alistair Darling the trouble of getting my wads of cash to me - he's a busy man these days. I'm a bit worried about the silver strip and watermark and stuff they use to stop counterfeiters but I'm guessing that they won't have much time for such niceties once they get printing in earnest - and they won't mind anyway 'cos I'm only saving them the trouble.<br /><br />I'm working on my shopping list now. I'm not planning to be greedy and I don't see this as an excuse to forget the planet. But there is a small matter of neglected air miles to collect and, after the rubbish summer we had last year, I think it's only sensible to buy some outdoor heaters. And, lest you think I'm throwing caution to the wind, I'm going to invest in a stainless steel, indestructible wheelbarrow. The garden is in need of some TLC and, if the money splurge leads to galloping inflation, I can cart my cash to the shops and beat the price increases.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-42611020419220447162009-02-16T10:53:00.006+00:002009-02-16T14:18:40.649+00:00Throwing good money after bad<a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/zpfj5u"><strong></strong></a>On the BBC this morning, <a href="http://short.ie/mulgan">Geoff Mulgan</a> accused governments around the world of poring good money after bad, propping up big failing industries including banks and car manufacturers. A former policy adviser to the Blair government and now Director of the Young Foundation, Mulgan's opinions carry a lot of weight. He points out that all initiatives so far are biased towards big business and very little is being channeled into iniatitives that help us prepare for future needs, such as green industries and finding new models for supporting an increasingly aged population.<br /><br />Mulgan is not alone in questioning the wisdom of bailing out the banks, with eminent economists proposing alternative solutions in bastions of the conservative media, including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and Daily Telegraph. Nobel economist, <a href="http://short.ie/stiglitz">Joseph Stiglitz</a> says we should let the bad banks fail and set up new good banks instead. <a href="http://short.ie/romer">Paul Romer</a>, from the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research has the same idea. Accepting that we need banks, Romer says "Turning bad banks into good banks is a difficult and risky way to get them. It's simpler and safer to start entirely new banks." Financier and philanthropist, <a href="http://short.ie/soros">George Soros</a>, stops short of the new bank idea but argues that we should not purchase the toxic assets of bad banks. <a href="http://short.ie/buiter">William Buiter</a>, from the London School of Economics, sees a common logic between these proposals and says that "Bailing out the holders of existing bank debt and other bank creditors would be outrageously unfair: they did the lending and made the investments, they should eat the losses."<br /><br />Less eminent writers are also tackling the issue on the blogosphere. Irish blogger, <a href="http://short.ie/larkin">Niall Larkin</a>, blogged about a conversation he had with an economist friend about the possibility of dumping bad banks in place of new, good internet banks, perhaps using the Post Office and Credit Union network for on-the-ground activities. The commentary includes a post from a lady in New Zealand who tells us about the <a href="http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/">Kiwibank</a> that is doing exactly that. And, even the right-wing Daily Telegraph published a blog by <a href="http://short.ie/corrigan">Tracy Corrigan</a> where she references Voltaire for reasons "Why executing bankers is good for morale".<br /><br />I'm not sure that execution is either a humane or practical way to fix things, but the blog sums up the sense of moral outrage people in the UK have been feeling recently. Last week, some of the leading bankers in the country appeared before the Treasury Select Committee to account for themselves. Despite glib apologies, it was abundantly clear that none of them felt any real remorse. One of them gave great offense when he described his income as modest and, on further questioning, we learned that he has been earning an average of £1million per year. This in a country where the minimum hourly wage is under £6.<br /><br />The committee hearings occured at the same time that we learned that the banks intended to pay themselves their customary enormous bonuses. Despite swallowing up billions of tax payers money, the government said it was necessary to pay the bonuses due to contractual obligations. An <a href="http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/">online petition</a> was set up to stop the bonus payments and is open for any UK citizen or resident to sign.<br /><br />On the <a href="http://short.ie/baseline">Baseline Scenario</a>, blogger James Kwak, suggests excessive bonuses be paid in the form of toxic assets from the institution. "That would get the assets off the bank’s balance sheet, and into the hands of the people responsible for putting them there - at the value that they insist they are worth."<br /><br />Irish economist and writer, <a href="http://short.ie/mcwilliams">David McWilliams </a>has also given thought to how we can turn crisis into opportunity. Describing public service cuts as "social vandalism", McWilliams turns his focus on the social consequences of mounting unemployment. He suggests following the course taken by Argentina during economic crisis, where they matched middle-aged, out-of-work experts with young, innovative but inexperienced entrepreneurs. The process led to to the establishment of many successful businesses and helped turn around the economic decline.<br /><br />This blog describes just a handful of the ideas and suggestions that are out there. But, for all the great ideas, it will take political will to make a difference. We won't stop propping up the old order until we make it clear to our rulers that nothing less is acceptable. In these desperate times it is not enough to talk about things and expect somebody else to do them for us. We are all responsible for our future.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">References</span><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/mulgan">http://short.ie/mulgan</a></strong><strong></strong><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content"><br /></span></span><br /><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/telegraphblog"><strong></strong></a><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/corrigan">http://short.ie/corrigan</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/stiglitz">http://short.ie/stiglitz</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/romer">http://short.ie/romer</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/soros">http://short.ie/soros</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/buiter">http://short.ie/buiter</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/larkin">http://short.ie/larkin</a></strong><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content"><br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/"><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/</span></span></a><br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content"><a href="http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/">http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/</a></span></span><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/baseline">http://short.ie/baseline</a></strong><br /><br /><strong><a id="shortenedLink" href="http://short.ie/mcwilliams">http://short.ie/mcwilliams</a></strong><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span>Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-49187541500343991252009-02-11T14:58:00.007+00:002009-02-11T16:22:25.917+00:00Did Dick Turpin apologise?Yesterday, some of the leading bankers in the UK appeared before the House of Commons Treasury Committee to explain themselves in light of the near collapse of our economy due to their collective greed. Although quick to apologise, none showed any real remorse for their actions. At least two of them made fulsome apologies to their shareholders but I heard no apologises to the English taxpayers that will be paying for their greed and stupidity for generations.<br /><br />Outside an RBS branch in Scotland, the BBC sought public opinion on these shallow apologies and one wag summed it up with "Dick Turpin probably apologised too". Dick Turpin was a thief, murderer and highwayman who was hanged in 1739 in York for horse-rustling. His legend is more glamorous, depicting him as a dashing champion of the poor, more in the tradition of Robin Hood.<br /><br />The bankers who were questioned yesterday were a motley crew, elevated (?) to nobility (?) by the Blair/Brown government, earning obscene amounts of money and without a banking qualification between them. Rewarding themselves with monthly salaries that most people don't make in a year, these are only small change compared to the annual bonuses they earn.<br /><br />The Treasury Committee investigation happens against the backdrop of announcements that these banks intend to pay bonuses as usual this year. In the case of the RBS, this amounts to bonus payments of over £1 billion being paid to the staff of a business that recently reported approx £8 billion losses for last year (the biggest corporate loss in UK commercial history), and which has been bailed-out by the government to the tune of £20 billion. When questioned how this can be allowed to happen, our government tells us that the banks have contractual agreements that must be honoured. Excuse me - did I hear that right? We, the tax payers, own 68% of the RBS - does that not give us any say in arrangements?<br /><br />Since when did a bonus become a right, not a reward? Who wrote these contracts and what court would uphold them? You can write all the contracts you want but if they are illegal, based on bad law, then they won't stand up. And what on earth are our elected representatives up to, giving £20 billion of our money to an organisation without any provisos such as "you won't steal from us anymore" and "you won't get any more big salaries or pay rises until you pay back every single penny you borrowed from us"?<br /><br />At the same time we hear that the FSA (Financial Services Authority) that oversaw this fiasco plan to reward themselves with £13 million in bonuses. We could be forgiven for thinking that this is all one big conspiracy of the powerful and the wealthy and that our government is as complicit as the rest of them.<br /><br />As the country heads into the worst recession for a hundred years, according to Ed Balls, close confidante of the Prime Minister, jobs are rapidly disappearing as small and large businesses go to the wall. The High Streets are becoming ghost towns and local government is cutting back. It won't be long before children are going to school hungry and going to sleep cold. What is the future for them, saddled with a debt that will last for generations, supporting an increasingly aged population and a national debt the scale of which we can't even comprehend.<br /><br />We can't undo the damage done by immoral shysters in suits, drinking gold champagne and storing their ill-gotten gains offshore, beyond the reach of the taxman. We can, however, insist that the rot stops now. You can start by signing a petition to stop the banking bonuses at <a href="http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/">http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/</a> and you can email your MP and councillors and ask for an explanation.<br /><br />There are other things we can do, such as think about new economic and banking models where we stop throwing good money after bad and take control into our hands. More on this soon.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-28701119223984827112008-07-20T09:43:00.002+01:002008-07-20T09:45:57.913+01:00Pret-a-porter for the web?The term "pret a porter" means ready to wear. Is the web about to explode with ready-to-wear content the same way as 60s fashion moved things out from the couture house to the high street and the market stall? Blogs, wikis and Facebook, Flickr and podcasts, RSS and Twitter - all have helped. But chaos prevails in our online activities - too many passwords, sites, profiles, contact groups, communication channels and more and more. Dataportability aims to address this and, today, they reached a significant milestone with the selection of a steering group of 12 people to drive the effort.<br /><br />Since the group formed late last year, organisational issues have hampered progress. Two attempts at establishing a logo (a simple task you might think!) have been met with cease and desist communiques from various quarters. As an open movement, many large internet companies were quick to jump on board but the actual day-to-day work was left to a small number of committed volunteers. Everybody had an equal voice and a unique set of opinions, making it difficult at times to find consensus or to stay focused.<br /><br />The new steering group has a lot of work to do. A guick glance at the dataporatiblity wiki will frighten all but the most curious minds. Too many links, too many directions, too much information - too much of which ends in blind alleys and unfinished business. But the underlying idea is almost clear - a desire to give web users ownership and control of their data on the web.<br /><br />The challenges facing the steering group remind me of the film, Twelve Angry Men, where Henry Fonda was relentless in his pursuit of truth and fairness. Their prolonged deliberations were concerned with:<br /><ul><li>coming to the truth</li><li>overcoming personal limitations</li><li>serving the public</li><li>coming to know people they would never meet otherwise</li><li>a pressure cooker because the stakes were high</li><li>great personal cost</li><li>every voice was important</li></ul><br />The stakes for dataportability are very high. The aim of breaking down the walls of privacy on the web is commendable, but turning a list of standards and protocols into a viable framework with solid working examples is not easy. In an industry where many web developers don't even pay lip service to the needs of security or accessibility, the business case for adopting dataportability must be crystal clear and the techniques and processes must be well-devised and documented.<br /><br />The open movement is maturing and gaining credibility. But, until the use of open standards becomes an expectation from users and businesses, the revolution will limp along while the software giants continue their race for control of our online activities and content. If the dataportability group can deliver concrete working examples, solid business cases and a viral mechanism for spreading the news, we could be on the brink of something great.<br /><br />Dataportability is an open movement and anybody can join and help out. If you are interested, visit their <a href="http://www.dataportability.org">website</a> or just go directly to their <a href="http://wiki.dataportability.org">wiki</a>, where all the meaty (and confusing) stuff resides. There you will find links for various different action groups and links to google groups and skype public chats.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-83027002180493573592008-06-10T22:51:00.002+01:002008-06-10T23:09:18.434+01:00Open source synergiesToday I was in London to help users understand how to use a new Drupal site I am developing for an educational research project in London. Tonight I attended the inaugral meeting of the Drupal for NGOs group because it coincided with my trip and seemed like a useful way to spend my evening.<br /><br />Now I am sitting in All Bar One in Holborn, who had a sign outside inviting people to come and hot desk here. My time is short or I'll miss the last tube so here it is. Today's training was exciting and interesting - lots of user feedback, occasional friction but amazing progress and vision going forward. Tonight was amazing.<br /><br />The synergies between open source , theeducation sector and NGOs is mind-boggling and the passion, commitment and professionalism I met this evening was heart-warming. This is where I want to be, where I want to work and be useful.<br /><br />I learned that the scary timeframe I have of delivering a Drupal site as a public prototype in 2 weeks is unheard of. Six months seems to be considered a reasonable timeframe. I met the guy that designed one of the Drupal core themes and designed it with a view to accessibility. I met a couple of guys that are stuck on some aspects of a stunning social network site for people with cancer - and learned from them what are the technical blockers to their project. I met with a compatriot from Dublin who works for Concern (the "fasting charity" all us Irish know and love so well) - he's over to learn more about Drupal and off to Bristol with a bunch of tonight's attendees to be trained in scrums - think agile development rather than scrummage. I met a young developer from Brighton as young as my kids that referenced Douglas Adams (a boy thing) and Bucky Fuller - an over there, totally creative thing.<br /><br />My mind is full of ideas, creativity and the potential of open source and Drupal to empower. But now I must dash to catch last tube back to Balham. What a day, what a night, bring on more of the same.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-51195307085691681412008-04-10T20:20:00.004+01:002008-04-10T22:20:22.850+01:00Little peepel doing it for themselvesThe last few weeks have been as volatile as they get in the stressy life of a tech writer in the world of web apps, open source and agile development - when the ink is hardly dry on a text string or a protocol before the terminology, the requirements and the brand itself are reinvented - again.<br /><br />In the midst of this chaos, it seemed like a good idea to ground myself and my aspirations in an office. Bucking nigh-on 15 years of home-working tradition (ironically, my stint at <a href="http://www.skype.com">Skype</a> was the exception), I took an office in a new business centre at the end of my street. Home working has been good to me, enabling me to earn a reasonable income living in remote and idyllic places while being more productive in my writing which is, in its defining moments, a solitary task.<br /><br />It has become more difficult for me to work from home - when the kids return from school they want to natter and too often I respond with "later, I've got to work right now" - sound familiar? So, I got an office and on Tuesday I moved in. The office has 2 desks and a filing cabinet and a view over the playground where my kids sometimes play. The children are on school vacation and my daughter has taken up residence on the second desk as my "apprentice".<br /><br />Wednesday, my apprentice sets up a spreadsheet for my business expenses. To do so, she had to download and install <a href="http://www.openoffice.org/">Open Office</a>, all done easily and without problem. Wednesday I also learn that <a href="http://blog.openx.org/04/big-changes-at-openx-tim-cadogan-la-office/">OpenX</a>, the main source of my current income, is moving HQ from London to LA - oops - who will pay my office rent? Time for some soul-searching.<br /><br />Thursday, in the office before 9am, and a number of pings about OpenX news. My apprentice arrives and I put her to work on another spreadsheet but this time she is a "guinea pig" 12-year-old using <a href="http://www.peepel.com">Peepel</a>. She captured my ideas on whiteboard first. Next, she set up a Peepel account. Then she entered the contents of a new spreadsheet which defines different rates for different tasks/expertise. Finally, my apprentice shared this with me through my Peepel account, which I was able to edit before returning edit control to her.<br /><br />I've been a small business for a long time and have learned many ways and means of collaboration to simplify my work. Personally, I'm not a lover of Google apps because I don't trust their motives or the ability of a monster to deliver the goods for the individual. I'm impressed by the ability of Peepel to make it easier for me to collaborate with my daughter without a big learning curve or complicated downloads.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-30936329405808572542008-02-16T20:29:00.005+00:002008-02-16T21:34:28.767+00:00Smiling Irish fall foul of Quebec language police<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXElhRVUJ_9mb_Zijp2HzXLZ_hWtdGhIeLwuHdOHKmeYUMgfcj6XRaDpliyG8xQJmDzD6M1DFSJd4qYuljBDjNdcik4N21v0XG-g8Y3Yi13s6F9i96OqqMnjpQxG6xBikiz3NOTybUayV/s1600-h/mckibbins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXElhRVUJ_9mb_Zijp2HzXLZ_hWtdGhIeLwuHdOHKmeYUMgfcj6XRaDpliyG8xQJmDzD6M1DFSJd4qYuljBDjNdcik4N21v0XG-g8Y3Yi13s6F9i96OqqMnjpQxG6xBikiz3NOTybUayV/s200/mckibbins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167693082520220450" border="0" /></a>On a business trip to Montreal, I was amused and slightly perturbed by an article I read in the Montreal Gazette about a local Irish pub, <a href="http://www.mckibbinsirishpub.com/">McKibbins.</a> The pub is in trouble with the Quebec <a href="http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html">Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise</a> (OLF) because a customer complained that they did not receive service in French. When the OLF inspected the premises, they were not impressed by the many antique, English-only adverts for Irish beers and other products. The antique signage must come down, the bar was told, or face a fine of $1,800 for each offending sign.<br /><br />Bishop Street, home of McKibbins downtown bar, boasts not one, but three Irish bars, and an Indian, Brazilian and a Mexican restaurant among others. Down the street from McGill and Concordia Universities, the street reflects the multicultural dynamic that makes Montreal a great place to visit. Everywhere you go in this city, people slip easily and seamlessly between French and English - non-French speakers are never made to feel like outsiders here as happens in Paris. And if you stumble in your effort to speak in French, you get a smiling helping hand and not the cold reproof you encounter so often in northern France.<br /><br />It is a credit to Quebec that it has retained a vibrant language and cultural identity in a nation and continent that is largely english-speaking. But, as a bilingual Irish person, I think that linguistic repression is counter-productive. I was brought up speaking Irish in an era when it was distinctly untrendy to speak our ancient language. The language was force-fed to every Irish schoolchild and you could not work in government service or qualify for university without it. Virtually all of my peers hated it and promptly forgot the little they learned as soon as they left school.<br /><br />In the past 20 years, a seed change occured. The Irish language became non-compulsory for school leavers and, at the same time, the Gaelscoil (Irish language school) movement was born. A network of independent primary schools developed where Irish was the core medium of teaching and parents (many of whom spoke no Irish) were invited to play a much more proactive role in the running of the school. This spawned a new generation of bilingual Irish people, largely middle class, who were proud of, and knowledgeable about, their linguistic heritage. By removing compulsion, Irish was enabled to grow and flourish among an appreciative audience. The movement is so significant it has made its own entry in <a href="http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html">wikipedia</a>.<br /><br />En route to Montreal on this trip, I stopped in Bordeaux for a few days. The Bordelaise have a reputation for being bourgeois (whatever that means in this day and age!). I found them warm, friendly, and increasingly multilingual, unlike their northern counterparts. I had the same mix of french and english conversations with people there that I enjoy in Montreal, while in Paris they still cling to a monocultural attitude that the world has little interest in supporting. The biggest English-speaking country in the world is India and it doesn't seem to be doing their culture or economy much harm.<br /><br />McKibbins is enjoying a certain notoriety and increase in business because of the media attention surrounding this bizarre story - they've made national TV - you couldn't buy that publicity as a side-street bar in Montreal. And they have decided to fight the language police (as they are known locally). On Monday they <a href="http://byebyeolf.com/">launch a website </a>where visitors will be able to register their views on the matter - as they say in French - quel bordel. I know what I'll be voting as an Irish-English-French speaker.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-60245436297001188122007-12-30T15:06:00.000+00:002007-12-30T15:52:04.666+00:00The genius of AppleWith the huge resurgence in popularity and profitability at Apple, the importance of sleek design is clear. But I wish they would apply the same rigour (and some of their soaring value) to customer support. I spent five years in the Windows wilderness until I returned to Mac world three months ago.<br /><br />All was peachy until Christmas night when the Mac battery stopped charging on Christmas Day. On close investigation we discovered that a staple was embedded in the magnetic power socket and was interfering with the contacts on the power adaptor. Even after removing the staple, the adaptor was not working and the magnetic pull was very strong. I went to bed and slept on the problem and the following day I tried again. The mac booted up, but only on the external power and only when the battery was removed. When the battery was in place, the mac booted but the screen remained dark - pointing to a power management issue.<br /><br />Apple telephone support advised me to take it to my nearest Apple store - in Exeter, quite a distance from me. I had to ring and book an appoinment with a "genius" - another two day delay and a half day's time. The genius replicated the behaviour and said I'd have to leave it with them for investigation. He also suggested that the staple might invalidate my warranty.<br /><br />When I said that it's pretty shabby to have to leave my three month old computer with them and not receive a replacement, the genius said that BMW would probably not give me a replacement car if they found a banana skin shoved up the exhaust pipe. I fail to see the connection between shoving a banana skin into something and not noticing that my socket has attracted a small, neighbouring object. And the bottom line is, if my car breaks down, it's easy to find an alternative. It is not easy to find an alternative computer where you can transfer your applications and files in a seamless manner.<br /><br />Why is it not possible to rent a replacement machine at a low rate while your machine is in for repair? Before you buy, all the literature tells you why you must buy this product, how it will transform the way you work and socialise. But when something goes wrong, there's no hurry now, you'd better learn to manage without it!Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-57494900879781670362007-12-27T15:00:00.001+00:002007-12-30T15:02:53.656+00:00Number crunching in the gardenThis time last year, my social networks stretched to Skype. LinkedIn and a dormant blog. Nowadays, I must perform a growing number of housekeeping tasks to keep on top of a busy online lifestyle.<br /><br />Today I went to delete some Facebook groups and was intrigued by the numbers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0eMYrFxG0dWcz-tuScbElA-YvG4aAmfQpPAubpOS9Kwm70HGoX3HokwZpx1onjcVsUBq-QTSPsqBdkpmJG9v6sqlolVPIbV3O9AUwtbbaeKZV4ZA3IJ9-kj-uuj6LhIfz5mkEUbKg1Z9/s1600-h/openadsFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 83px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0eMYrFxG0dWcz-tuScbElA-YvG4aAmfQpPAubpOS9Kwm70HGoX3HokwZpx1onjcVsUBq-QTSPsqBdkpmJG9v6sqlolVPIbV3O9AUwtbbaeKZV4ZA3IJ9-kj-uuj6LhIfz5mkEUbKg1Z9/s200/openadsFBgroup.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2379533660">I love Openads</a> has 70 members and is administered by seven of the winning team at Openads. These people and this software is a major highlight of my year.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXMuf9-4Hm-_D84KPlCGyJ3IprFYdU-oJCCnSIFis6bzj57h1iCvGUOJSrw40SNCWPCLseiXFu1R7uUbzcravD5elrwrggMn9Mt6jftL_XPDU8YgY2J2K7erfU_cjECybTI-30xv5LPWO/s1600-h/skypedevFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 81px; height: 57px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXMuf9-4Hm-_D84KPlCGyJ3IprFYdU-oJCCnSIFis6bzj57h1iCvGUOJSrw40SNCWPCLseiXFu1R7uUbzcravD5elrwrggMn9Mt6jftL_XPDU8YgY2J2K7erfU_cjECybTI-30xv5LPWO/s200/skypedevFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148704704806688578" border="0" /></a>The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6784547046">Skype Developer</a> group has 56 members but represents a platform delivering millions of software extras for Skype. Three of the group administrators no longer work for Skype.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJVacyNYOtV8ruR4laIKHXFmZZOJfNvkWi9eoCTf0E24HwGbonrRnOEqIHRPXg7RWba1tCzNFSKUfJuhod5iPqW1ix9yb80OJPq84LqS5asXCIOejezouw_OzbzIRzNa7I4YFjAo8Qpl/s1600-h/techcrunchFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 81px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJVacyNYOtV8ruR4laIKHXFmZZOJfNvkWi9eoCTf0E24HwGbonrRnOEqIHRPXg7RWba1tCzNFSKUfJuhod5iPqW1ix9yb80OJPq84LqS5asXCIOejezouw_OzbzIRzNa7I4YFjAo8Qpl/s200/techcrunchFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148786352134985554" border="0" /></a>The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2228308288">Techcrunch</a> group has a surprisingly modest 282 members. Mike Arrington isn't among the two administrators - is this an oversight, a mistake or deliberate?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeT_wsifYQgfYpqpv_VnbxcYNZcqsIKS55vENruw92zHeTjCJx-NR48X_epSPE6JEUhNujxWL0eeV0PFnhfOMvkzUeCnXsF-x5QnIAvIzdAiTpBhjj3r7acnqEuccsfFTQY2a19RneHI-/s1600-h/gigaOMFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 70px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeT_wsifYQgfYpqpv_VnbxcYNZcqsIKS55vENruw92zHeTjCJx-NR48X_epSPE6JEUhNujxWL0eeV0PFnhfOMvkzUeCnXsF-x5QnIAvIzdAiTpBhjj3r7acnqEuccsfFTQY2a19RneHI-/s200/gigaOMFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148797162567669602" border="0" /></a>Om Malik is miles ahead of Arrington with more than 2,000 members in the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2558496351">GigaOM</a> group. Personally administered by the great guy himself - the personal touch matters it seems.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY8BqsMOQoD70uq3EAHx0hCfvHWNFFjnKfKLIPZfU9GvBI_YQAcSD3yYD7KSHV1WTUN4vDtMub1rl8R-k40hEDv_LRlzI2ReexcpGpmFXxpcG8aDKSiBtaz1rkY6PWpl-LhDG0eekw8rZ/s1600-h/readwritewebFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY8BqsMOQoD70uq3EAHx0hCfvHWNFFjnKfKLIPZfU9GvBI_YQAcSD3yYD7KSHV1WTUN4vDtMub1rl8R-k40hEDv_LRlzI2ReexcpGpmFXxpcG8aDKSiBtaz1rkY6PWpl-LhDG0eekw8rZ/s200/readwritewebFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148808088964470642" border="0" /></a>With an exciting almost 1,000 members, the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2767426144">off-valley tech commentary</a> proves its value and interest and benefits from personal supervision from key staff.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Ro4hfT9LIglfFKEI38S1EyLQ6fjdVskkVEKbxTIgFhYmPBhvEKNIcSne2pfQtHD_JVjNEVKotgpeBCBmv1tOY1n4cWKvIqSHF1IizrJ9C5DY6qfHjDEQPjp7k4SLuzCRdJO7woukVG0/s1600-h/blognationFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 45px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Ro4hfT9LIglfFKEI38S1EyLQ6fjdVskkVEKbxTIgFhYmPBhvEKNIcSne2pfQtHD_JVjNEVKotgpeBCBmv1tOY1n4cWKvIqSHF1IizrJ9C5DY6qfHjDEQPjp7k4SLuzCRdJO7woukVG0/s200/blognationFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148812740414052226" border="0" /></a>At 123 members, the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2365804001">Blognation</a> group wasn't rounding up members like Om or RWW. But Blognation Belgium group (111 members) and Blognation Canada group<br />(60 members) showed the potential reach of the troubled project.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbQSWigC8hOz5FXalASOxeL96c2mly7fR7qABtSg8JjcH97hNwUOUvM_3GH9HBYuc48llU66Cb-Gwc8OsfOWWb_VY1kyY0UaidKN-USETHc2UL0eLcCjyYVrG2NOXDY5VW5DBwAmqfktQ/s1600-h/techwritersFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 99px; height: 55px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbQSWigC8hOz5FXalASOxeL96c2mly7fR7qABtSg8JjcH97hNwUOUvM_3GH9HBYuc48llU66Cb-Gwc8OsfOWWb_VY1kyY0UaidKN-USETHc2UL0eLcCjyYVrG2NOXDY5VW5DBwAmqfktQ/s200/techwritersFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148817378978731922" border="0" /></a>The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2390868964">Tech Writers,</a> at 134 members is a fine size for a group that receives nil activity or administration. Membership is safe and requires no effort I guess. I will try to get some input going soon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HLUnFVAjGMOhao_baarqr3hSMALavdsZoXa879A3HZormiU380zthH4meKU6KsBO0iTG7cLLNBgLzzNBMDZaLlTWR0i-YbwxDDS5JVg_5AWs5CzwMvjkPop489DvRx10csXhDBw182LW/s1600-h/socialhermitsFBgroup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HLUnFVAjGMOhao_baarqr3hSMALavdsZoXa879A3HZormiU380zthH4meKU6KsBO0iTG7cLLNBgLzzNBMDZaLlTWR0i-YbwxDDS5JVg_5AWs5CzwMvjkPop489DvRx10csXhDBw182LW/s200/socialhermitsFBgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148822769162688418" border="0" /></a>At the bottom of the scale are 10 <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2446723856">Social Hermits</a>. This group is a friendly cave to hide when the social whirl gets too much; a space for peace and contemplation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyTKBREx0CXU1AL88UUbpqqh_10DAY_eIs0pHWpxMkIHf2dbR7iaunoVt97vsPKD2GPMRxYL15PvmEx86tbx9aElmApQghUDbLyQtL36Yj-rmzJ-K_yHIwA6Y50piTnP6jln2iFnb04Y8/s1600-h/6degreesof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyTKBREx0CXU1AL88UUbpqqh_10DAY_eIs0pHWpxMkIHf2dbR7iaunoVt97vsPKD2GPMRxYL15PvmEx86tbx9aElmApQghUDbLyQtL36Yj-rmzJ-K_yHIwA6Y50piTnP6jln2iFnb04Y8/s200/6degreesof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148825054085289906" border="0" /></a>Finally, off the richter scale, is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8900080125">6 Degrees of Separation</a> with a whacking 3.3 million + users. Gaining hundreds of thousands of members per day, and run by a Steven Jackson (sole admin) from London, author of a recently published thriller. I have absolutely no idea what this is about but it seems to be working - go spam go.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-84088455523806167102007-12-18T21:29:00.000+00:002007-12-18T22:06:31.366+00:00Hearing things on SkypeToday I was going to blog about <a href="http://www.blognation.com/">curtains at Blognation</a> - an elegant closure to a sorry tale. But my atttention has been distracted by something far more interesting and positive; a series of <a href="http://www.marrie.org/skype/skype.html">tutorials to help blind people to use Skype</a>.<br /><br />A blind lady has put together a series of voice tutorials to help blind people navigate their way around Skype. The navigation uses various scripts to translate Skype menus into the <a href="http://www.techno-vision.co.uk/JAWS.htm">JAWs application</a> that helps blind (Windows) users interpret the content of computer windows. As a sighted person, I closed my eyes and tried to visualise my way through the complex menu focus and commands but I could not follow the JAWs instructions which were way too quick for my poor ears. But JAWs users prefer to control the speed setting to speed past the page elements they already understand (or don't want) to reach the element that concerns them. At that point, they can reduce the speed until they are familiar with that element.<br /><br />For all their focus on usability, few web 2.0 products are designed with accessibility in mind. Of all the sites using AJAX to create a drag and drop user interface, how many consider the needs of blind viewers? Of all the sites that incorporate sound and video, how many factor in deaf or blind users? When bloggers add widgets to their blogs to enrich the user experience, how many examine the impact on disabled users? And when programmers write the UI code, how many consider the learning curve for blind users when they make UI changes? These are serious considerations for web 2.0 developers because, with freedom comes responsibility. If you want to push your product into various institutional markets, accessibility is a basic entry requirement.<br /><br />I learned about these tutorials in a public chat frequented by Skype afficionados, staff, developers and general onlookers. The developer of the <a href="http://testing.onlytherightanswers.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=55">Chat Translator for Skyp</a>e has been working with Marrie (the blind tutor) and other blind volunteers who helped him build accessibility into his Chat Translator extra. This application manages some of their accessibility issues because JAWs will only read chats from the window that is in focus and if multiple chats are ongoing, messages will be missed. The Chat Translator overcomes this issue because you can set an option to read all chats aloud.<br /><br />Before my <a href="http://rulabula.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-havent-posted-for-long-time-because-i.html">Christmas package from Skype</a> last year, I enjoyed early previews of the Chat Translator and discussed the possibilities for people with disabilities at some length. But I failed to make a sufficient business case for participation and then I had some basic survival matters to focus on. This was not the first time that Skype glanced at the area of usability and disability (a.ka. accessibility) as Stuart Henshall wrote about in <a href="http://skypejournal.com/blog/2005/04/blind_access_to_skype_1.html">Skype Journal</a> over two years ago. But each previous concept was shelved in the face of more compelling business priorities - it's all a matter of priorities I guess.<br /><br />Usability is a big word these days and grabbing UI feedback from Jo(e) User prior to development is an essential part of the meagre budget of many web 2.0 startups. But usability has many elements and blind readers have an awful lot to teach us about it. Shut your eyes and visualise your way around your application and you will lose your way. Try to figure how to navigate between internal and external widgets, between mandatory and required fields in forms, around flash images and google maps . . . Blind users must develop an internal mind map of their computers, remembering vast sequential routes to information and target pages. By working with these users, developers can gain deep insight into usability.<br /><br />When this chat came up this evening I had a thought. If everybody in this chat donated a few bucks and a few hours, we could build this type of development into common practice. We could incorporate user feedback from some of the most savvy users on the web into our UI design - and it need not cost much when you incorporate these principles into site and UI design from the get go. If you are interested in donating 20 bucks and 20 hours to this simple goal, please leave a comment. If more than 10 people offer to help, we'll set something formal up - otherwise - thanks for the interest.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-89071979215390474542007-12-14T10:42:00.000+00:002007-12-14T11:12:06.369+00:00Sethi fraud was all Mike Arrington's faultAfter a frenzied week of speculation around the blogosphere, Sam Sethi has finally thrown in the towel, and <a href="http://updates.blognation.com/2007/12/13/heres-to-you-mrs-arrington-goodbye-and-good-luck-startups/">posted his resignation as CEO of Blognation</a>. And even in this closing statement he couldn't show any grace or decency. It's nice to know that it is Mike Arrington's fault that I didn't get paid for two months work plus a stack of expenses. I can sleep better at night knowing that Sam is going to sell Blognation and I can finally expect my cheque in the post. And I don't have to worry about any more threats from him because he is too busy threatening others to have time.<br /><br />I don't think anybody doubts that Blognation was (and I hope will continue to be) a great idea. That is why I joined - not for the ego-boost or the party invites or the self-aggrandisement - in fact I hated those aspects of it. I'd love to see it survive but I fear that Sam will take it down with him. He writes that he plans to auction Blognation and use the money to pay his debts. I have no doubt that he will try to sell it but I have little faith in fair dispersal of the income. He has said or done nothing in the past six months to inspire any confidence in this promise.<br /><br />It astounds me that in light of the debacle, so many of the comments to Sam's post wish him luck. Not so <a href="http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/12/13/sethi-everyone-is-to-blame-except-me/">Mathew Ingram</a> (sensible chappie) who says "this is one of the most mealy-mouthed and insincere posts I’ve seen from an alleged business person since Conrad Black stopped blogging." A year ago, Sam had his infamous spat with Mike Arrington and it is interesting to read <a href="http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/12/well-i-guess-im-not-having-breakfast-with-sam-sethi-tomorrow">Marc Canter's views </a>on that part of the Sethi soap opera.<br /><blockquote>Loic has every right to call Sam an asshole. He is an asshole. A manipulative asshole. BUt that’s how they train them at Microsoft. <p>But Sam is gonna make a fortune on this controversy. He’ll land someplace sweet, same as Jason Caacanis did. And Scoble - too. The more controversy - the better the NEXT job is.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>So, it seems not everybody was taken in by slimy Sam's charm and posh shoes. For everybody's sake I hope the last paragraph doesn't come true - serial entrepreneur my ass, more like serial cheat.<br /></p><p></p>Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-66826206512298671842007-12-10T10:15:00.000+00:002007-12-10T10:23:48.353+00:00Marc Orchant fundAs promised, you can donate to the fund to help Marc's family at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2l66wz.">http://tinyurl.com/2l66wz.</a> The world is a sadder place today.<b><br /><br /><br /></b>Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-74988615306411752007-12-10T02:45:00.000+00:002007-12-10T02:54:09.755+00:00Marc Orchant RIPI didn't know Marc - he came later to Blognation than me, but he passed away today after a massive heart attack last weekend. My heart goes out to his family and tomorrow (it's now nearly 3am) I will add a link to pay into a fund to help his family deal with the costs. I never met Marc but I liked his writing - the topics he chose and the voice he adopted - a fine writer. We had some mutual friends but that was not a "thing" in a life when everything continues. But it doesn't and Marc is gone and I never got to meet him.<br /><br />R.I.P.<br /><br />TrionaTriona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-72009026486866791432007-12-09T20:25:00.000+00:002007-12-10T00:04:59.663+00:00the corporate familyI haven't posted for a long time because I had some bad times and some good times - and there was no time for blogging. But events of the past week have driven the priority of posting a blog up the scale.<br /><br />This week two matters close to my heart came to a head: <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/05/blognation-meltdown-writers-never-paid-promises-not-kept/">meltdown at Blognation</a> and redundancies at Skype including at the <a href="http://share.skype.com/sites/devzone/2007/12/change_is_constant.html#more">Developer Program</a>. I worked on both these projects and was passionate about their respective missions - both dumped me in unceremonious fashion and rewarded my loyalty and expertise with rudeness and mistreatment.<br /><br />A year ago almost to the day, I was a victim of the first big round of redundancies at Skype, weeks before Christmas. On that day they axed the entire technical writing function in Skype, as well as many others. The HR team were dressed, to a person, in black for the occasion. Both my uber-boss and direct manager gave me the same line that this would be the best thing for me in the future - I didn't appreciate it at the time and I'm not sure I do now - other than that I'm happy I'm no longer working for such people.<br /><br />It took me months to get back on my feet and, along the way, a friend invited me to participate in Blognation. I was assured that funding was in place in advance for this adventurous project and I was to be editor for Ireland and play a special role in developing editorial standards. After a couple of months of serious planning including team and standards building, we met up in London as a team for the Essential Web conference. It was clear from the moment we arrived that Sam Sethi was not going to devote any time to team building and it became crystal clear by the second night that he was not paying his way either. That was in July.<br /><br />My life has turned around from these grim times - I'm consulting for a really positive and winning team at <a href="http://www.openads.org">Openads</a>, and have the freedom to work and build other projects. I recovered from my second financial and emotional hit in a year and life began to settle into a nice pattern. Until this past week.<br /><br />First off was the explosion of news around the blogosphere about Blognation - from the trigger, <a href="http://www.owstarr.com">Oliver Starr</a>, but covered in depth by Blognation rival, <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/05/blognation-meltdown-writers-never-paid-promises-not-kept/">TechCrunch</a>, as well as drawing attention of <a href="http://www.disruptiveconversations.com/2007/12/my-own-open-let.html">Dan York</a> (who inspires and educates me and has made the best response so far I believe), <a href="http://scobleizer.com/2007/12/05/blognation-imploding/">Robert Scoble</a>, <a href="http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/2007/12/techcrunch-post.html">Shel Israel</a>, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">Jemima Kiss </a>of The Guardian among others.<br /><br />As I was still reeling from the feelings this aroused, I had a couple of scary pings from former Skype colleagues about firings going on - another Christmas package from the Skype HR angels. This time the guy that fired me got the bullet along with many others. They have decimated the developer program and there have been hits right across the London operation.<br /><br />I was concerned by how upset I was for people this week, including the git that axed my job in Skype, and I started to explore the reasons. And my conclusion is that teams are not unlike families. You may disagree internally but you show a united face in public. When teams split, by reason of redundancy or whatever, it is like splitting a family - you lose your siblings and connections. Companies do basic things to cover their legal backs when they make you redundant but they do not include any form of counselling for dealing with loss - either for those that are dumped or those that survive. A quick pep talk from the idiot that broke the team doesn't usually cut it. And while it's nice to get some redundancy money it is rarely enough to cover you to replace that job if yours is a specialist job.<br /><br />Of my extended family of the past couple of years, many are in pain now and even the gits have my sympathy. In both cases the managers were the worst gits. I need to get back on track for next week, back on focus in my interesting job with a good team. All I want for Christmas is that my "work siblings" get by and that the same doesn't happen again soon.<br /><br />And I'd like to forward Skype and Blognation a lump of coal to save Santa the trip.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-19832514764188596902007-07-03T10:54:00.000+01:002007-07-03T13:01:43.333+01:00An essentially London take on web 2.0On June 29th, <a href="http://www.libraryhouse.net/">Library House</a> hosted a one-day conference on the Essential Web to showcase more than 40 web 2.0 products from Europe. Earlier in the week I read in <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/">The Independent</a> that the creative sector is now as valuable to the UK economy as the financial sector, and the quality and number of suits at this event showed that powerful synergies are emerging between these sectors. The place had more suits than <a href="http://www.mossbros.co.uk/">Moss Bros</a> - even some of the geeks wore them (albeit with a certain degree of discomfort)!<br /><br />The format for the event ensured an intense immersion into current web trends, with expert panels chairing sessions of selected 5 minute presentations around themes which covered search and identity, building large user bases, trust-based environments, collaboration and mobile web. While a few of the products seemed a tad unimaginative, most were useful, innovative and some were very disruptive.<br /><br />My highlight of the day was <a href="http://www.jaiku.com/">Jaiku</a>. I came to the event with a certain cynicism about the value of micro-blogging but this was swept away with simple use cases and an uncluttered presentation - clearly underlining the value of "less is more". When Jyri, the presenter, stressed the importance of interoperability during the panel discussion, I became certain that Jaiku and Jyri do and will add significant value to the web.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.parkatmyhouse.com/">ParkAtMyHouse</a> is another exciting product that offers a green parking solution in urban areas. People can advertise unused parking spaces for rent, and users can enter a location by post code, place etc. and view a map of adjacent parking spaces, including price and availability. As well as reducing carbon emissions from cars searching for parking in congested areas, by teaming up with US-based <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/">zipcars</a>, the project can also reduce overall car ownership in urban areas and thereby liberate more parking spaces for the service. Based on a combination of revenue-share, advertising and strategic partners, ParkAtMyHouse has a viable and sustainable business model that could make it a real winner in the future.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zubka.com/">Zubka</a> is based on a simple idea that could turn the recruitment industry on its head. Veteran recruiter, David Shieldhouse, started his presentation with a question to the audience; "How many of you have referred somebody you know for a job in the past?". Predictably, all hands in the auditorium were raised. He followed with "How many of you received payment for any of these referrals?" and all hands were lowered. Zubka aims to simplify and speed recruitment by enabling companies to post job ads on their website where individuals make referrals for these jobs and get paid for successful ones. Given the enormous cost and slowness of conventional recruitment, Zubka could be highly attractive to HR experts.<br /><br />The only Irish entry was from <a href="http://www.loudervoice.com/">Louder Voice</a>, which provides a review platform for web users. Unlike other online review services, Louder Voice is not a vertical portal for theme-based reviews. The service operates as a hub, where users can enter reviews and then publish the content on blogs and websites. Now with a twitter integration (which, sadly, Conor O'Neill did not present on the day), Louder Voice could and should become a core destination for reviewers both online and on the mobile web. What will make or break the service is whether it can achieve critical mass without seeding initial content by rewarding reviewers, as recently announced by welovelocal.com.<br /><br />Of the 27 featured showcases, my other favourites included:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://trexy.com/">Trexy</a> - enables users to remember and share online searches as search trails</li><li><a href="http://www.garlik.com/">Data Patrol</a> - trawls the web for information about a user which it aggregates into a report that includes advice on managing the info</li><li><a href="http://www.seatwave.com/">Seatwave</a> - an online marketplace for tickets</li><li><a href="http://www.huddle.net/">huddle</a> and <a href="http://www.yuuguu.com/">Yuuguu</a> - two companies providing collaboration tools who announced that they will collaborate in the future</li></ul><br />There was lots, lots more and the panel discussions threw up even more food for thought. The following morning at the <a href="http://www.opencoffee.org/">Open Coffee Club</a>, I chatted with Sanjay Sharma, Director of Startups and Emerging Markets at<a href="http://www.sun.com/"> Sun</a>. We talked about web 2.0 and the current excitement and high-level of investment and Sanjay wondered if this is another bubble or does it have a more substantial foundation than the dot com era. We agreed that this time round, innovation has become unstoppable because user demand and user-generated content are the drivers rather than the corporate, top-down focus that dominated in the first phase.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-68456584541980139352007-06-11T13:36:00.000+01:002007-07-12T14:05:58.844+01:00Work 2.0The list of things to blog gets longer by the day - and the time to do it gets shorter. Last week I stumbled across a great new idea, the <a href="http://www.opencoffeeclub.org/">Open Coffee Club</a>, which brings together innovators and investment people in a friendly and informal environment. Clubs are opening up all over the world where members can network with each other and with other clubs when they are travelling.<br /><br />With a couple of hours to spare before meetings in London on Wednesday, I popped into my first Open Coffee Club event. I chatted to Sandi Wassimer from <a href="http://www.copious.co.uk/">Copious</a>, about the joys and some of the pitfalls of working from home. New to home working, Sandi is over the moon about the extra time it gives her with her family. After spending a year commuting from Devon to London to Estonia, I know that feeling.<br /><br />I caught up with Saul Klein of <a href="http://www.indexventures.com/">Index Ventures</a> - serial entrepreneur and founder of the Open Coffee Club - who introduced me to <a href="http://www.vecosys.com/">Sam Sethi</a>. Sam invited me to get involved in an exciting new project he's cooking and will be rolling out shortly - of which more very soon. Hence less time to spare for rulabula - I'm on a whirlwind of networking, connecting and researching right now.<br /><br />I would have loved to stay longer but had to dash over to the Strand for my meeting with Rod Geoghegan at <a href="http://www.met.ropolis.net/">Metropolis</a><a href="http://www.met.ropolis.net/">.</a> With my customary geographic accuracy I went to the wrong building first - just as well, it was a dump by comparison with Rod's gaff - coworking brought to a new level. Rod and I sat in a comfortable and stylish basement cafe bar next door to the restaurant - the smells were great and the menu was fancy - I must get him to buy me lunch on my next visit. Rod is in the business of helping marketers to embrace the digital age and I'm helping out with some first hand insights.<br /><br />So not a minute for my rants at the moment - I did, however, get around to changing my title here, and moved from the fireside to the deckchair in honour of the sun that finally made its way into my life again last weekend. I sat in the garden squinting at the screen of my laptop - too much to do to get to the beach but at least I have a deckchair.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-67100765413251515572007-05-31T18:49:00.000+01:002007-05-31T20:59:03.403+01:00Moving doesn't get easierI have neglected my blog this month but I have a good excuse - I was moving house. You'd think that with my experience of moving, I'd have it down to a tee but no - it's still the most frustrating and traumatic thing you can possibly imagine, and then some.<br /><br />In 2000 I moved to an offshore island and learned a lot about tide and time waiting for no man - and the usefulness of the phrase "weather permitting". In 2002 I moved from the island, via Ireland and England, to north west France. There I learned more about logistics as well as the joys of french paperwork, plumbing and wiring. The next move in 2003 was to England, which I thought would be easy peasy after the previous 2 experiences. But if you have ever tried to open a bank account or set up accounts with utilities etc in England, you will know what I mean when I say that it was like walking around with fraudster painted on my forehead.<br /><br />This month's move was just down the road - I could almost have moved with a wheelbarrow. Except, again, I was horrified by the amount of stuff you can accumulate in a few years - mountains of expensive plastic rubbish, reams of paperwork that you don't have time to filter for keep or chuck, assorted screws and fixings that, again, you don't have time to filter - it goes on. After exporting a monster spider from Sherkin Island to France, I have learned that it's important to clean before you leave - but where does all that dust come from?<br /><br />I prepared as much in advance - gave up counting when I had packed 19 boxes of books that nobody in the house will probably ever read again. Spent a couple of days on phone and internet informing people about change of address and that's when things started to slide downhill. I have never learned to tolerate fools, much as I try to empathise with the monkeys who are paid peanuts to deal with my call. <br /><br />First problem was transferring my broadband service. I have been a loyal customer of <a href="http://www.virgin.net">virgin DSL broadband services</a> for three and a half years - all I wanted to do was transfer this account to my new address. But virgin recently transformed itself into virgin media, adding cable broadband to its existing DSL broadband services. If I switched to cable service, I was told, the transfer could be almost immediate but would take two weeks if I stayed with DSL service, for some obscure and ill-explained technical reasons. I was happy to switch until I discovered that I could not port my existing email address to the new service and they would not provide forwarding from my old email address for more than one month. The reason is that they are phasing out the old email server over the next year - hmm. It seems that they now have two separate mail services and they haven't got the joined up thinking to connect them - it gets worse. But if I signed up to virgin.net today as a new dial up customer, I could use the old mail server. But they don't allow you to downgrade. How's that for customer service? Eventually, after losing most of 2 days on calls to what must be their entire customer service team, annoyed that nobody seemed to have notes of my previous calls, I gave up and opted to retain the DSL service that would take 2 weeks. But they neglected to tell me that 2 weeks would be almost 3 weeks because their was a holiday weekend in the mix. And, while I waited, I had to rely on a temporary downgrade to the dial up service I'm not allowed to buy, costing 3 pence per minute and taking about 3 minutes to download one email. Having ensured that I didn't have the bandwidth to sort out any other moving-related comms issues, I had to endure internet withdrawal as a reward for being a loyal customer.<br /><br />The next issue was with my water provider. They privatised water provision in Britain some years ago but each region is run by a monopoly service provider. I deal with <a href="http://www.southwestwater.co.uk/">South West Water</a>, who have happily taken about 1000 pounds a year out of my bank without a please or thank you. The average water bill in the country is less than 400 pounds but we pay for the pleasure of keeping the local beaches clean for the yoiks from London and up North that come and pollute them every summer. I was moving from a house without a water meter to a house with a meter so it's all systems change. Again, the customer falls foul of company process. They advised me to ring when I moved to provide them with a meter reading. Before I had a chance to locate the meter, let alone read it, I received a bill from them for more than 1000 pounds, requiring payment within 14 days. The bill was issued the day I rang them, before I had even moved and at a time when they actually owed me almost 100 pounds. I spent a morning on the phone to a patronising git who explained it was all my fault for not providing the meter reading. I asked for a formal letter of apology and, in its place, received a letter that lectured me about not providing my meter reading. Nice work guys.<br /><br />The phone company sent me a bill for transferring the phone line, the gas people sent me a letter after a couple of weeks full of dire warnings about not taking on the debts of the previous occupants, a debt collector called the first weekend looking for the previous occupants - what other delights are in store I wonder. The plumbing is a mess, the garden is a jungle of weeds and builder's rubble and it has been raining constantly since the day I moved in.<br /><br />But my broadband is back, my <a href="http://www.fon.com">fon</a> wifi is solid, I've found a change of clothes and there's plenty of room in the loft for my boxes. Summer starts tomorrow and heaven help the weather god if he lets me down - I'll shake my fist in despair, name him and shame him on my blog and I'll write a stiff letter of complaint - I'm getting plenty of practice at that.<br /><br />In the midst of all this, I didn't get a chance to continue my commentary on Estonia or to write about elections in Ireland, the undemocratic rise to power of Gordon Brown, the shameless departure tour of Tony Blair or the even more shameless vote in the House of Commons to exempt MPs from the Freedom of Information Act. I'm promising myself I will get to them soon unless the plumbing or the weeds get the better of me.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-64169292054962862032007-05-01T14:03:00.000+01:002007-05-01T14:25:36.025+01:00Peaceful protest against Estonian government meets hardline responseJust got word that there is more trouble in Estonia. At midday Estonian time (GMT+2), for half an hour people drove their cars through the city at 5km per hour, hooting their car horns, in protest at the government of Prime Minister Ansip. Large numbers of police were in the city centre, noting the number plates of the cars. The media broadcast a thank you from the police to the helpful people who rang up with car numbers, and advised that all participants will be sent fines.<br /><br />With the city returning to calm after the weekend riots, it seems strange that a relatively peaceful protest is greeted with such severity. Surely a drive past is preferable to street battles and looting? As Chairman of the Tartu Communist Party in 1988, Ansip quelled protests against the Soviet Union. It is ironic that 20 years on, he is quelling protests in the guise of great Estonian nationalist. Now that's a clever bit of reinvention.<br /><br />Conspiracy theories are flying around which blame foreign influence on recent events. If there is undue external influence it is not clear who is behind it. One theory suggests that the goal is to halt a gas pipeline project that would connect Russia and Germany, circumventing the Ukraine. The pipeline was constructed in the Soviet era and passes through Estonian waters. Perhaps the goal is to destablise the EU. Or maybe there is no conspiracy at all, just bad luck and mismanagement? Only time will tell.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-46515582384758147892007-04-30T22:05:00.000+01:002007-04-30T23:54:16.679+01:00True lives in Estonia (Part 1)Calm has returned to Tallinn for now and there is time to reflect. <a href="http://www.jaanuskase.com/en/2007/04/what_i_think_of_the_riots_in_e.html">Jaanus Kase contemplates on national identity, symbolism and much more</a> - a generous and illuminating attempt at understanding the eruptions in Estonia last weekend. Meantime, Russian and Estonian speaking friends in Estonia shared their impressions with me and I hope to share their views in a neutral space.<br /><br />Sometimes it is easier to understand complex stories by focusing on simple personal stories. Today a Russian Estonian (let's call him Paddy for the sake of his privacy) told me his story. At 3 years old, his family moved to north eastern Estonia to assist in the "economic reconstruction" in 1978. In this corner of Estonia near the Russian border, more than 90 per cent of his neighbours were Russian. His parents were construction workers and their home was given to them by the state (as was with everything under the Soviet regime). They settled there and worked hard. He went to school and worked hard. Paddy did not learn Estonian at school because it was not an option. And he learned a different version of history and culture to you, me and his neighbouring Estonian speakers I guess.<br /><br />Paddy was a clever chap and made his way to study in Tallinn. He went to work in a Russian-speaking software company in Tallinn. There is a circle of Russian-speaking companies in Estonia which operates in a separate dimension to Estonian-speaking companies. Externally, these circles of companies do business with the same trading partners but internally, the two circles do not mix.<br /><br />Slowly Paddy started to learn to speak Estonian and, at the age of 28 he was able to take the plunge and apply for work with an Estonian-speaking company. He tends to earn a lower wage because the negotiating strength of the Estonian-speaking employee is higher. But he doesn't encounter any explicit racism in the workplace, although he may not receive as many social invites as his Estonian-speaking colleagues.<br /><br />But Paddy's parents are not so lucky. They lost everything in 1991 when Estonia asserted her nationhood. They scratch a living in basic jobs to survive and, because they can't speak Estonian, they are victims of the limited reportage in Russian language media. Nothing to go back to and nothing to look forward to.<br /><br />Paddy is not an Estonian citizen but he has an alien passport. With entry into the EU, he now has the same inter-European travel rights as other Estonians, but he has no nationality - just permanent resident rights. Unless he marries a native Estonian who is a citizen, his children will also not have equal rights to nationhood and citizenship as their schoolmates.<br /><br />Paddy is one of the success stories - he has made the leap out of the enclosed underclass of his fellow Russian-speakers in Estonia. He is not a sad, disaffected, drunken looter and nor is he an apologist for the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation. But he feels empathy with the Russian-speaking youth who disgraced themselves last weekend in the riots - he understands their pain for their parents, their lackof national identity, their sense of meaningless in a society that consigns them to the dustbin of historical revenge. He comes from a culture that is constrained by lack of cultural exchange - a Russian-only media that has its own agenda - he knows this, understands the impact but has no means of changing it.<br /><br />Understanding these complex problems is tiring. Tomorrow I will tell Mick's story (another pseuodnym) - an ethnic Russian who is second-generation Estonian. Mick was disgusted with the violence of last weekend and said he was ashamed to share the same language with the rioters. More anon.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-53042227071303890052007-04-29T23:18:00.000+01:002007-04-30T00:02:11.033+01:00When is an Estonian not an Estonian?More <a href="http://rulabula.blogspot.com/2007/04/tension-in-tallinn.html">tension in Tallinn</a> - a third night of violence and trouble has spread to other towns across Estonia. One news report suggests this will continue to fester until 9th May and, with native Estonians working with the police to protect society, vigilanteism rears its ugly head. I fear for my friends and former colleagues in Estonia and I fear for Estonia itself. The great Russian bear is angry and the EU is caught between a rock and a hard place.<br /><br />A comment on my earlier posting corrected me on my mistaken understanding of citizenship and nationality in Estonia. Wolli said<br /><blockquote>You can become French by getting French citizenship. You can only become Estonian by being born to Estonian parent(s). You can indeed become an Estonian citizen but in this country, "nationality" and "citizenship" are two different concepts.<br /></blockquote><br />Therein lies the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King (to quote Shakespeare roughly speaking). I was aware of many racist issues in Estonia - to discover that it is institutionalised to this degree is scary. To learn that across the EU we are supporting state-sponsored racism with our tax euros is very bad news. <br /><br />We emerge from the womb as accidents of birth and cannot be blamed for our parents or location. But, in Estonia, it seems that we can. If I am born in Estonia of non-Estonian parents, I am not entitled to be an Estonian; as I take my first breath I can look forward to a life of no passport, no rights, no equality. That's sick.<br /><br />Not everybody in the EU favoured the enlargement of the union. Now we learn that we have included a country that does not accord nationality to children born in that country. The European Union could fast become a failed experiment when its citizens discover that we are subsidising a new member state that operates as a two-tier society.<br /><br />At the risk of flame, I question what Estonia and the EU are doing.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-45703759726732141082007-04-28T18:51:00.000+01:002007-04-28T20:19:57.075+01:00Rising above racismThere was more trouble in Tallinn last night but the police, no longer distracted by the need to protect a big heap of metal, seem to have gained better control of the situation - only 100 arrests and no news of any fatalities. My blog inspired some interesting comments as well as a number of personal discussions on the topic.<br /><br />I'd like to quickly apologise to any Estonians who feel my blog was a personal attack on them - it was not my intention to single them out as the racists of Europe - I am sadly conscious that racism is rife in every nook and cranny of our federation and little has been achieved in the past 50 years to improve matters. But because it is commonplace, does not mean it is morally acceptable or economically or politically sensible.<br /><br />In the waiting room of my doctor's surgery in rural France a few years ago (aside: a sign on the wall offered free horse manure - enquire within), I read an article in a glossy magazine about racism in France. I learned that an astonishing 63 per cent of French people admit to being racist, are even proud of it. This was in stark contrast to the UK - where racism was not only regarded as a fatal character flaw but could also land you in big legal trouble. I grew up in a country (Ireland) which was uniquely unicultural because nobody wanted to immigrate to a wet and soggy island where there was no work and no money - even if we were the friendliest, most fun-loving people on the planet.<br /><br />In the 80s, living in London, I felt my share of racist slurs - my 2:1 degree was poor protection against the dumb Paddy image, and my anti-war beliefs didn't help when the IRA were bombing mainland Britain. In today's London, the hitherto dumb Paddy is the guy on the mobile phone managing the building project, and the hod carrier is from Poland or perhaps Estonia. Where racism is concerned, pecking orders change over a generation or two it seems.<br /><br />In France in the early noughties, I felt the whack of racism again in the lead up to the Iraqi war. As soon as Tones went off the rails in pursuit of his place in history, the shallow veneer of Anglo-French detente disappeared and it was all "roast beefs go home" from then. And, like most stupid people who shoot first and ask questions later, nobody bothered to ask if I was English before they thrashed my trailer tent on one occasion and burnt my car to dust on another. Nor did anybody ask my views on the war. Different towns, different perpetrators, same ignorance.<br /><br />Escaping back to the UK, I got a new car and licked my wounds in a society where we Irish have risen towards the top of the social pile. Only to find new racial tensions erupting because of the perceived threats from terrorism and EU enlargement. It seems that there is nowhere to escape intolerance and fear of "otherness".<br /><br />And what has this to do with the price of eggs or Estonia's current social crisis? By looking out we understand the inside better - as they say, travel broadens the mind. Estonia has made very brave and effective strides to shrug off its unhappy history, but it's never enough. I am not aware of any truly inclusive society, but if we don't all strive to that goal we sink into moral and cultural torpor and might as well close the curtains on the European experiment.Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-81907709618654577402007-04-27T10:54:00.000+01:002007-04-27T12:51:54.647+01:00Tension in TallinnThis morning I wake to news of <a href="http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/news/world/20070427-estonia-russia-diplomatic-relations.html">riots in the Estonian capital, Tallinn</a>, following protests by ethnic Russians against the removal of a Soviet-era war memorial from the city centre. Giuliano, an Estonian blogger, is waiting for the <a href="http://palun.blogspot.com/">government spin</a> to begin, now that the event is over. His assumption that the riots were a flash in the pan is rather naive and ignores the ethnic issues that culminated in a night of violence where 1 person died, 43 are injured and more than 300 were arrested.<br /><br />Tallinn is the home of Skype software development and was my second home for about a year. It is a city of stark contrasts, between the freezing dark winters and the warm bright summers and between the charming, higgledy-piggledy medieval buildings of the old town and the ugly, utilitarian suburbs of the soviet era.<br /><br />Estonians are very proud of their achievements and so they might be. After centuries of subjugation by various neighbours, they have emerged as a beacon of economic stability and vibrancy in the post-Soviet Baltic states. But, lurking under the surface, is something dark and sinister which Estonia has failed to recognise or address.<br /><br />The problem no Estonian wants to deal with is that of the ethnic Russians who were left behind when the iron curtain collapsed. Under the Soviet regime, ethnic Russians were the cream of Estonian society, holding the best jobs, living in the nicest houses, children attending Russian-speaking schools and not mixing with lowly Estonian children. Ethnic Russians make up more than quarter of the Estonian population, and almost half of the population of Tallinn.<br /><br />There is an apartheid system in operation I discovered. Ethnic Russians are not entitled to Estonian passports and have become, to all intents and purposes, stateless people imprisoned in a nation that despises them. They are issued with national identity cards but the field for nationality remains blank unless they pass an Estonian language exam. For many of the older ethnic Russians, this is almost an insurmountable task - Estonian is a very old and grammatically complex language. A sign at the entrance to the Tallinn Summer Fair last year offered discounts to pensioners but was limited to Estonian pensioners only.<br /><br />Ask any Estonian and they will tell you proudly that they have forgiven the ethnic Russians and they are all one big happy family. The facts belie this fairytale however. Ethnic Russians have become a new underclass in Estonia, doing menial jobs when they can get them with many turning to prostitution and crime in the absence of any viable alternatives. Native Estonians blame them for being lazy and naturally criminal and seem blind to the damage this apartheid segregation causes; to their communities, to their international reputation and to the long-term stability of their society.<br /><br />Tensions were heightened this Spring in the lead up to parliamentary elections, with politicians playing to these deep social divisions to gain the emotional upperhand at the polls. The promise to remove the war memorial was a ploy used by the winning nationalist party in their campaign and trouble has been brewing since.<br /><br />Yet the Estonian police seemed completely unprepared for the trouble that ensued. According to a friend in Estonia, they stayed in place surrounding the statue, expecting everybody to get fed up and go home. Instead, there were pitched battles through the streets of the capital between native Estonians and ethnic Russians, accompanied by damage to property, cars and general looting.<br /><br />The EU wants the problem sorted quickly, adding to the stress of a government that seems incapable of facing up to the complexities of the situation. They have called in the army to stop ethnic Russians travelling to the capital today from eastern Estonia against a backdrop offury in the Russian parliament, which is threatening to sever diplomatic relations with its Baltic neighbour.<br /><br />Will this crisis help Estonia wake up from its torpor and start facing the demons of its Soviet past? Can Estonia afford not to?Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306991210970353151.post-13749188806231910552007-04-26T09:05:00.000+01:002007-04-26T10:23:42.069+01:00Who is stealing my identity?With yet another <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6594111.stm">IT bungle</a>, today we learn that the NHS has exposed personal information about junior doctors to the public at large. The abysmal tech failures of the mammoth health care organisation are widely reported and continue to bleed UK taxpayers dry, so I won't labour the point here. This latest gaff points to another major concern - the vulnerability of individuals to protect their identities in the most surveilled society in the west.<br /><br />On the one hand, we are bombarded with dire warnings about the increasing dangers of identity theft while, on the other hand, our personal information is required to perform the most mundane transactions. Here are just a few examples I personally experienced. I learnt on the news recently that my bank information was compromised following the theft of an employee's laptop. Breaking the story, the BBC informed us that the theft occured some months ago but the bank had not bothered to alert its customers. Charming!<br /><br />Hot on the heels of this story, I learn that my credit card details may have been included in the theft of customer details from a UK-based retailer - another stolen laptop - this time in the US, owned by the parent company of the retailer. And again, first thing I hear about it is on the news - not a word from the company responsible.<br /><br />Against this backdrop, I am bombarded by unsolicited phone calls from a credit card company that wants to sell me identity theft protection. Seemingly incapable of protecting my data, they spot an opportunity to play on my fears to charge me even more money for their incompetence. Who are these jokers?<br /><br />It's not easy (in fact probably impossible) to avoid giving your information to banks and retailers and their negligence is nothing short of criminal. But the danger doesn't stop there. Recently, I was in the market to rent a house. Property rental agencies require a myriad of references for would-be tenants, and charge hefty fees for the "service". After finding a suitable property, I picked up the referencing paperwork from the agency. This agency outsourced the referencing process to a third party, passing not only bank details but also tax and employment information to an anonymous internet-based service. They wanted to charge me 100 pounds for the service for which they paid less than 20 pounds (I did my homework), and if I failed to meet the secret criteria of this third party my fee was forfeit. The agency were surprised at my misgivings - am I the only person that notices such things? I looked elsewhere for a house.<br /><br />At the same time I replied to a telecommuting job advert posted on <a href="http://www.craigslist.org">Craigslist</a> and was pleased to receive a positive response. Until I looked at the fine print which required me to scan my university transcript, proof of ID (such as passport or driving licence) and email them to some stranger. And, of course, if I wanted payment, they would also require my bank details, a nice haul for any criminal. That's one job I won't be taking up.<br /><br />Fortunately, because I try to avoid driving, I was not a victim of the major credit card fraud that has been occuring at petrol stations across the length and breadth of the UK. There is a suspicion that these thefts are the work of a ring of Sri Lankan criminals and that the proceeds are being used to fund the Tamil Tigers. Isn't that just fine and dandy.<br /><br />With the exception of the job advert, these dangers are of a physical nature. The online threats are even scarier. Maintaining my list of online passwords is a total pain and gets worse by the day - especially since I'm one of those paranoid people that likes to have a unique password for each site I join. The response from the great and the good of the internet is the <a href="http://openid.net/">Open ID</a> initiative, described as a free distributed authentication systems. The idea is that we all set up a personal ID and password, either on our own servers or with an Open ID provider, and we can then use this single ID to identify ourselves at all internet sites that participate in the system.<br /><br />Getting rid of the password hassles is very appealing but at what price? Corporate identities can be safely managed by company servers and subject to their security policies, but what of the individuals that have to purchase the service from an Open ID provider. I don't expect they will provide the service free of charge so the system will introduce a cost for internet entry which might prove prohibitive to many. And why should I trust the security policies of any of these providers which must, surely, be a magnet for hackers and criminals?<br /><br />Something else that bothers me about Open ID is the profound lack of negative commentary about the initiative. With giants like Microsoft and AOL coming on board, the idea is gaining ground rapidly. But, as I said earlier, corporations can run their own servers and can impose heavy-duty security policies on their implementations. For them, the system is practical and provides them with greaters controls than before. Are these the same giants that favour the two tier internet and fight against net neutrality I wonder? Will Open ID emerge to be just another attack on internet freedom, excluding the poor and making them even more vulnerable to fraud?Triona Careyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018408761956364954noreply@blogger.com0