Archive for reallyusefulgroup(tm)
Into the East
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This is the view of the most easterly point of land in the Republic of Ireland. The Wicklow Head Lighthouse (no longer manned) clings precariously to the cliff face just above the strong swirling currents of the Irish sea. I took a walk out there last Saturday with my sister. It was literally years since I’d been out that way and I had forgotten what a wonderful location it is. I returned again yesterday equipped with a new camera to take some stills and video.
The walk to the headland begins at a red gate just south of Wicklow Town on the road to the Silver Strand caravan park. The first 1/2 mile or so of the pathway skirts farmland until you veer off towards the Old Wicklow Head Lighthouse. This 95 foot octagonal structure was built in 1781 and still functions as a landmark for sailors.
The Irish Landmark Trust took over the lighthouse in 1996 and conserved it. I functions as rented accommodation and is in constant demand for people who want a really unusual place to stay on holiday.
The pathway to the most easterly point of land skirts around the Old Lighthouse and follows an undulating, winding course through the windswept landscape until there is, literally, no more land. At the end of the walk, the only sounds you will hear are the whistling wind, crashing waves and the mournful cry of seagulls high overhead.
A work colleague recently asked me for some suggestions about places to visit in Wicklow. She is from Brazil and is an enthusiastic explorer of the sights Ireland has to offer. She has seen more in her relatively short time in Ireland than many Irish people. It’s always the case though isn’t it? We often don’t appreciate what we have right on our doorstep.
Whilst explaining all about the lighthouse and where it was located, I took out a piece of paper to draw a little map for her. How silly of me. As I was reminded by her, all that anyone needs to do now to get directions anywhere on the planet is to type in the name on Google Earth. The blend of local recommendations and technology really is opening up the world for anyone that wants to travel and explore.
Sony Reader at Waterstones happy ending
Posted by: | CommentsAbout 2 weeks ago I wrote about the Euro pricing of the new Sony Reader models going on sale in Waterstones.
The touch model retails at £249.99 in the UK and was set to go on sale for €359.99 in Ireland. The Sony Pocket model (retail £179.99) was due to hit the shelves here for €249.99.
I forwarded my blog post and questions about pricing to Waterstones and I’m happy to report that as a result of these enquiries Waterstones have rectified the pricing issue. The new Sony Readers will go on sale in Irish stores with these prices:
Sony Pocket : €225 (€249.99 before)
Sony Touch : €315 (€359.99 before)
Thanks to Neil at Waterstones for getting to the bottom of the issue.
So next time you see a price that looks wrong to you, it pays to make enquiries with the retailer. Light a candle rather than curse the dark.
Ten Rules For Being Human
Posted by: | CommentsStumbled on this. Thought it was very good.
Ten Rules For Being Human
- You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
- You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.
- “There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”
- Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
- Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
- “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”
- Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
- What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
- Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
- You will forget all this.
After getting in touch with Waterstones, their pricing has been reviewed.
Selling price for the Sony Reader Touch will be €315. The Pocket model will be €225. Full details here
Sue has also left a comment below that the Sony Store on St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin has the Touch model for less than €300
*****
The new Sony Reader Touch models were announced earlier this week by Sony and will be available through Waterstones stores in Ireland. They have great new features (touchscreen, built in dictionary, ability to write notes etc.) compared with the previous model. There is a question mark about glare and readability though. As an owner of the previous model, I will have to see the unit before making a decision on upgrading.
When I reviewed the Sony Reader last year I said that Waterstones were to be commended for their pricing. The unit launched with a UK price of £199, with Irish stores charging €249, which was very fair when taking into account VAT and currency difference. This time round, the situation is not so good.
The Sony Touch models retail at £249.99 in the UK. The Irish store price? A whopping €359.99.
The Sony Pocket models retail at £179.99 in the UK. The Irish store price? A puzzling €249.99.
There simply is no rational explanation for this. I asked Waterstones to confirm the prices weren’t a mistake. They replied via Twitter that, no, there wasn’t a mistake. These are the prices.
The exchange rate between Euro and Sterling is actually the same as this time last year – so there’s no excuse there. Our VAT rate has changed, but that doesn’t make up the difference.
If I’m going to buy one, I would like to buy locally. With these crazy prices being charge by Waterstones though, it’s very unlikely I will.
I will forward this blog post on to Waterstones for comment and see if they can give a rational explanation for these prices. I’ll update as and when.
The 16 Most Influential Twitter Avatars in Ireland
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From the school of totally pointless observations about social media, I bring you a collection of 16 Twitter avatars that always jump out at me on my Twitter stream.
I’m giving the list a fancy ass title of the 16 Most Influential Twitter Avatars in Ireland - because I am an expert in these matters.
Preface each of these descriptions with "he/she is a person on Twitter like anyone else. He/she can influence you as much as anyone else in life."
1. @icedcoffee‘s – It’s his eye, and he’s hypnotising me with it. I like hypnotism
2. @ann_donnelly – Reminds me of a great work of art. Very classy. I like classy.
3. @AllanCavanagh – Red is for danger – and this avatar stands out. He’s not actually dangerous though, but I do like a bit of danger tbh.
4. @cat_barett – I like toys – they’re cute.
5. @murrion – Everytime I see this I think "futuristic" – I like the future..
6. @Laughing_Lion – Ah, remember the good old days of the Irish pound. I liked those days.
7. @blacknight – It’s a horses head. I like horses, especially black ones.
8. @alpower – The camera is pointing towards me. I like cameras.
9. @donncha – Ah, look at the little fella – I like happy photos of dads and their babies.
10. @sineadcochrane – It’s lovely. I like lovely.
11. @michele_neylon – It’s a cartoon. I like cartoons.
12. @eolai – Same as before. And it’s even more cartoony. I like that.
13. @darraghdoyle – It’s a blue nose. I like comedy noses.
14. @trontsephore – It’s a man with his brain exposed. I like brains (not in a zombie way – but a scientific way)
15. @cufa – Looks mysterious. I like mystery.
16. @ManuelTheWaiter – He looks funny for a waiter. I like funny.
Word of advice to any business wishing to dip their toe into social media and Twitter in particular. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to have the ear of "influencers" to accomplish your social media goals. Don’t use any sort of list and then blindly start following these people. You’ll be criticised for doing it – especially if you’re XYZ company and unknown to the person.
Really, the most important thing you need to ask yourself is – "Why do I want to tweet?". Think long and hard about that before ever signing up. Once you’ve got that clear in your head, start off with something like twit.ie and see what conversations are going on. See how the land lies. It’s not a race. Start picking out people who you might have something in common with or that you feel you could help in some way.
If you have a website or blog, advertise the fact you are on twitter and, if people follow you – acknowledge it by following back at the very least.
Observe, listen and contribute. Understand that everyone in the room has influence. Don’t automatically assume that the loudest person in the room can help get your message across or help you achieve your goals. A single tweet can make a difference and can spread farther and wider than you might have hoped. So don’t get obsessed by influence or followers or any other measure.
Ultimately though, the real hidden networks in Twitter are based on real life interactions. So you should have your Twitter address handy on your business card. You are more likely to get "heard" on Twitter if you’ve met people in person at some event or other, or if you know someone that knows someone that can give you a shout out as an introduction to their followers.
Have fun on Twitter though. You will go through periods of absolutely hating it and then loving it. It will both connect you and disconnect you at the same time. You will need to find a good balance yourself.
