francis mahon : comhra

A Prediction Comes True...

2008-11-02T20:23:00.005Z

While searching through previous posts, I noticed a one entitled the magic of sport, dating from the first week of January this year. Almost as an aside, I mentioned that "I spoke to one of our county's leading GAA pundits yesterday evening, and he expects big things from the football team this year."

I had entirely forgotten that post, and the conversation with the pundit concerned, until I spotted him at the Wexford County Senior Football Final yesterday - well done Kilanerin Ballyfad, by the way, beating Gusserane O'Rahilly's by 1-12 to 0-12, inspired by Mattie Forde (pictured above, on county duty), who weighed in with 11 points.

So, I suppose an appearance in a Leinster Final (albeit a one-sided affair against Dublin), and a creditable performance against Tyrone in an All-Ireland semi-final counts as "big things". Given that the newly installed management team was something of an unknown quantity, that bold prediction seems all the more prescient.

Four Years A Blogging...

2008-10-31T21:36:00.004Z

Almost unnoticed, the fourth anniversary of my first blog post. For most of that time (since February 2006), I've been running Mac OS X on my iMac, with occassional assistance from Vista, or my second PC running Windows XP.

How things have changed. Now I'm using text messages to send 'tweets' - and only a few short weeks ago I was actively disinterested in twitter!

The first anniversary of my francismahon.com domain name comes up in about a week, and I'm hoping to kick off a revamp in early December - I'll be too busy for the next month with the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Challenge, to think about HTML or CSS, although I did manage to get my main site W3C standards compliant in the last week.

A Match Made In Red Heaven!

2008-10-30T16:01:00.006Z

Once in a while, you will see a news story that is too good to be true. When I saw this first, I was certain it was a wind-up... Luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot has signed up as a sponsor to Manchester United.

The press release does even allude to the fact that Alex Ferguson is a bit of a stickler when it comes to time-keeping.

What a scoop for Hublot - next time Fergie is looking at his watch, urging a referee to either (a) blow the final whistle, or (b) play sufficient added time to allow United to score an equaliser/winner, he'll have a Hublot on his arm!

Robocop on a Unicorn

2008-10-29T23:24:00.004Z

One of the greatest truths of the Internet is that if you can imagine something, now matter how unusual or bizarre, someone else has already dreamt it and put it online. This Robocop Unicorn is fantastic. From presumably humble beginnings, it now has the potential to earn it's creators at least fifteen minutes of fame. I particularly like the election style bumper sticker designs.

Take a look at the whole collection on flickr, by clicking here.

Obama '08 - Vote for Hope

2008-10-27T18:40:00.002Z

I've been casually following the US Presidential Election campaign, mostly through satire, parody and other humour (especially Jon Stewart on the Daily Show) - whether online or offline. I'm not an American, but if I was I would be voting for Obama. Apart from any political considerations, McCain is too old and Palin is too stupid. While Democrat Charles Rangel chose his words in a somewhat unfortunate manner, he is, in essence, correct - Palin's lack of experience is a serious political liability, and she would be, as the now hackneyed phrase goes, "one 72-year old's heartbeat away from being President".

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

broadband speeds

2008-10-18T22:35:00.003+01:00

Recently I've been seeing a few advertisements from BT Ireland hawking 24Mb broadband. I've only just (some months later than originally promised) had my speed upgraded from 2Mb to 3Mb, and you know something, as a home user, I can't see why I would want to go any faster. Sure, there is a business case for certain companies having access to a big pipe, but there are still people in this country that would settle for 512K.

Now that I've gone off to check out availability, I'm slightly annoyed to find that people in certain areas are being supplied with 6Mb connections for the same price as I am paying for 3Mb. This would be reasonable enough, except that, according to BT Ireland's website, up to 7.6Mb is available in my area, if I am prepared to pay an extra tenner a month... I sense a customer service crusade coming on!

postbank v data protection

2008-10-17T15:24:00.003+01:00

A neighbour of mine suggested to me yesterday that I was wasting my time complaining about poor customer service. Maybe she has a point, but if no-one complained, organisations wouldn't know what needed fixing... I may well spin this entire idea of my complaints off in to a separate blog, but for now, I'll post here.

To: info@postbank.ie
CC: info@dataprotection.ie
Subject: Wexford GPO
Date: 8 October 2008 16:52:25 IST

I am writing to express my concern over the positioning of the postbank counters in Wexford's General Post Office at Anne Street. It appears to me that information displayed on one of the computer screens would be visible from a public area.

Perhaps you would consult with your staff at this location, having due regard for Section 2(1)(d) of the Data Protection Act 1988, and the Data Protection Commissioner's Case Study 6/96.

Francis Mahon
Wexford, Ireland

From: administrator@postbank.ie
To: francis mahon, info@postbank.ie
Subject: Automated Response
Date: 8 October 2008 16:52:36 IST

Thanks for emailing Postbank.

We have received your query and will get back to you within 48 hours.

Kind regards,

Postbank Customer Contact Centre

From: info@dataprotection.ie
To: francis mahon
Subject: Acknowledgement of your e-mail to the Data Protection Commissioner.
Date: 9 October 2008 15:48:44 IST
To Whom It May Concern

I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail to the Data Protection Commissioner. Where your email relates to a query (as distinct from a formal complaint under the Data Protection Acts), you should be aware that in line with our Customer Service Charter we aim to reply within 15 working days and usually much sooner. In doing so, we will communicate clearly, providing you with a full response to your query.

If we are not in a position to issue a reply within that period, we will inform you of its status.

Regards

Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

From: [STAFFMEMBER NAMED REMOVED]@dataprotection.ie
To: francis mahon3
Subject: Wexford GPO
Date: 10 October 2008 13:48:23 IST

Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
Ireland

Electronic Message

Relating To : Our Reference: [DPC REFERENCE REMOVED]

From : [DPC STAFF MEMBER NAME REMOVED]
To : [MY EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED]
cc:
bcc:

Brief Description : Wexford GPO
Comments :

Dear Francis

I am writing in relation to your e-mail received by our office on the 8 October 2008 regarding positioning postbank counters in Wexford General post office.

I note that you have raised the issue directly with Postbank and if your not satisfied with the response received or fails to receive one you should inform this Office and we will investigate the matter on your behalf.

I hope this clarifies the position for you.

Yours Sincerely
[ODPC STAFF MEMBER NAME REMOVED]

From: info@postbank.ie
To: francis mahon
Subject: Wexford GPO
Date: 17 October 2008 14:02:53 IST

Dear Mr Mahon,

Thank you for your mail of the 8th October, 2008 regarding the privacy of our customers in Wexford GPO.

I would like to address this with you in two parts:

Firstly I would like to set your mind at rest with regard to the screen positions in the Wexford Post Office.

1. The Financial Zone location in Wexford Post Office was selected because of our ability to deliver “on screen” privacy for our customers. The design of all Postbank stores and the location of our Financial Zones are of paramount importance. As part of this, you will appreciate we take every precaution possible with our customers data and take matters such as this very seriously. That being said, I am confident that at no point is our customers data or privacy at risk in any way in Wexford. The terminal nearest the queue is an Internet terminal and holds no customer data. It is for access to our website and PC Banking. The screen is fully adjustable and can be angled by any customer in such a way that it is impossible for anyone to see the details on screen. We also provide screen protectors that cause the screen to go out of focus if you are not standing directly looking at the screen.

With regard to the Banking desk we have absolutely no risk as our security measures combined with the fact it is secluded into a corner with walls and high windows surrounding it make it impossible for anyone to see any customer details. To add to this the screen is fully adjustable and has the same screen protectors.

2. On a related subject and upon reading your blog site I could not help but notice you had used the Postbank logo as part of this. I would like to inform you that this is an infringement of our rights as the trademark and copyright holder for the Postbank name and that particular logo in the Republic of Ireland. This is governed under the Copyright & Related Rights Act, 2000 & Trade Marks Act, 1996. We would request that you immediately remove the logo from your blog site.

I hope we have answered all your queries effectively.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 1890 30 30 40 or info@postbank.ie

[POSTBANK STAFFMEMBER NAME REMOVED]
Postbank Network Channel Manager

Postbank
Block 1
West Pier Business Campus
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
Web: www.postbank.ie

mccain v dmca/fox/youtube

2008-10-17T10:36:00.010+01:00

There is an old Irish saying "Filleann an feall ar an bhfeallaire", somewhat similar to the well-known adage that 'what goes around comes around".

This business with YouTube applying the letter of the DMCA law in relation to content of questionable legality posted by the McCain campaign is certainly a case in point.

I'm sure it comes as a surprise to the Republican party that this sledge-hammer-like legislation (designed to put the interest of big business copyright holders above the rights of individual expression and fair use), could negatively effect them.

If one of the United States most experienced legislators feels that the DMCA is too rigid, why did he vote to approve it in the first place? More importantly, if he can't stay on the 'right' side of the law in this area, what hope do the millions of Joe Browsers have?

Another slightly interesting question to pose, is, why doesn't Old Man John just concede now, if the mighty Faux News have turned against him?

In the interest of "fair and balanced" coverage, here is a link to Barack Obama's campaign website.

the fireworks

2008-10-16T21:36:00.008+01:00

From the Nationwide Fireworks website: "As a young boy growing up in Wexford during the sixties, two annual events literally lit up the life of Pat Whelan and hundreds of his contemporaries. Both were integral parts of the Wexford Festival Opera but to any ten year old they were two tickets to the magical world of a child's mind. The long forgotten Guinness Clock was a firm favourite but for Pat and generations of Wexfordians, it was "the Fireworks" that caused the pulse to race and the eyes to sparkle."

I remember writing something quite similar myself, some years ago. I think I went so far as saying that Christmas came twice a year during my childhood in Wexford.

Even in 2007, when the Festival ran in the summer due to ongoing construction work oat the new Wexford Opera House, the fireworks were the highlight of October. Freed from the need to co-ordinate with the official ceremonials involved in opening the festival, the display took place at Halloween. It was fantastic, and drew huge crowds.

Tonight there had been some trepidation, as the scheduling of a long opera on the opening night meant that the speeches were brought forward to 18:30. Would people have enough time after work, would it be dark enough? In the event, there was (according to a seasoned lifeboat man I spoke to) 'as big as crowd as had ever been seen' for the event. There was a short pyrotechnic flurry after whatever political luminary spoke his few works (I was too far away to see or hear the stage), just to whet the appetite of the gathered masses. I had inside knowledge that this was but a brief introduction, as the main display was being held up until darkness proper began to fall. It was worth the wait.

I have an inkling that the huge crowds and clockwork nature of the proceedings may well encourage the organisers to start the show earlier again next year.

wikipedia

2008-10-08T23:22:00.004+01:00

I been using Wikipedia for years, but this evening I decided to open a new chapter in my online life. I edited a Wikipedia page - nothing major, but here it is. I have since signed up as a user, and hopefully I'll make some more contributions to this global encyclopedia.

I won't go in to a long description of what Wikipedia is - when there is a perfectly good article available online, from, yes, you've guessed it, Wikipedia.

two tales of religion

2008-10-05T22:38:00.009+01:00

Seeing as it's Sunday, I thought I'd reflect on religion for a bit. Two stories stuck out today.

Pictured above is Rev. David Armstrong. In 1983, the then Presbyterian minister offered a Christmas message of goodwill and a handshake to his Catholic counterpart, Fr. Kevin Mullan. For this 'crime' he was forced to leave Limavady under threat of death from Loyalists. His actions also caused controversy within his own church. Rev. Armstrong subsequently re-trained as an Anglican minister, and is now based in a Church of Ireland parish in Carrigaline/Monkstown, Co. Cork.

This week a motion came before Limavady Borough Council, to grant Rev. Armstrong the Freedom of the Borough, as a way of welcoming him back after twenty five (25) years in exile. While the vote was passed 8-6, it failed to achieve the two-thirds majority required. It is indeed disappointing that the unionist members of the council (two from each of the DUP, UUP and UUC) voted against the motion. What seems more disappointing is that one of the nationalist councillors (6 SF and 3 SDLP) abstained or was not present, otherwise the vote would have been 9-6, which would have seen the motion passed.

There are two things that strike me about this story, apart from the abstension/abstenteeism. First of all, the events of 1983 mark Rev. Armstrong as a true man of God. His bravery cannot be underestimated. In offering a sign of peace and reconciliation he was ahead of his time, but he did what his beliefs required. Secondly, despite all the apparent change in attitudes within the communities in Northern Ireland, some people still harbour bitterness and hatred. If the Unionist community (whose perceived will was expressed by their councillors) is treating one of their own like this, even today, what chance is there of a reconciliation with the Nationalist community?
One thing I learned during my summer contract with the Office of Public Works (OPW), was that heritage doesn't come cheap. To restore the stained glass windows of St. Michan's parish church (pictured above) on Halston Street, in the north of Dublin's inner city, could cost up to one million (1,000,000) euro. Both the church (one of only half a dozen in the country permitted to conduct mass during Penal times) and the windows (created a century ago by the renowned Harry Clarke, who went on to illustrate works by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and Hans Christian Andersen) are of heritage and historical value.

Having been made aware of this national treasure, I hope to get around to visiting it on my next trip to Dublin, which is scheduled for 13 October.

pumps.ie

2008-10-05T22:17:00.005+01:00

Following on from my previous post relating to idiot motorists running out of fuel, I decided to take a look at the price and availability of petrol and diesel in my own town - Wexford. Above is a map of the fifteen (15) service stations within a reasonable distance of Wexford. I drove to all of them this evening, and put ~~19.8~~ less than twenty (20) miles on the clock.

These stations are all listed on pumps.ie, which allows members of the public (including service station staff, if they are so inclined) to update petrol and diesel prices for each one. The search features are a bit ropey, and the site can be slow at times, but the idea behind it is good. I've put the RSS feeds for each station into a group in Newsfire, so (in theory), I can check the latest prices before I leave home to fill up. Isn't technology great?

idiots on the road

2008-10-05T19:00:00.006+01:00

The Automobile Association (AA) has reported that the number of their members calling for assistance after running out of fuel has risen by 17%. They put forward a couple of reasons for this: one, there are fewer petrol stations, as a result of consolidation within the industry; two, the higher price of fuel, which is lowering the distance travelled between cost-based purchases.

Whatever about the first reason, I don't buy the second. The AA (of which I am not a member) has been advising people for some years now to: one, 'stay out of the red'; and two, buy their fuel by the litre and not by the euro. Given that so many people are paying for this purchase with cards of one type or another, it's a no-brainer.

The real reason is stupidity, pure and simple. How can a sensible driver ignore the red light on the dashboard? Any car I have ever driven, (and that is quite a few at this stage) had a decent reserve after the red light came on - and I always managed to find a forecourt, even if it was only for a 'splash and dash'.

was kim jong 'il'?

2008-10-04T15:56:00.006+01:00

Now that North Korean leader Kim Jong has made his first public appearance since mid-August, global leaders and intelligence analysts alike are surely asking, was he really 'Il'? Sorry, couldn't resist - as soon as I saw the headline, it was the first thing that popped in to my head.

The picture above is from the 2004's Team America: World Police. I've started watching this movie several time, but can't stick with it. Satire (I love South Park, also from Trey Parker & Matt Stone, no matter how close to the bone it gets) is usually my thing, but I think Gary's antics, 'acting' to infiltrate a fundamentalist terrorist base is just plain offensive.

mr superfly

2008-10-03T13:35:00.005+01:00

Ryanair has been responsible for inflicting some terrible things on the travelling public, but this is probably the most, erm, unique.

A single to be released in November, and seemingly an animated series on the way. I wonder if the real Mr. Superfly, Michael O'Leary will make a guest appearance?

hotline.ie

2008-10-01T09:37:00.004+01:00

According to BreakingNews.IE (full story here), an anonymous tip-off from a member of the Irish public has lead to the closure of an Australian based network of child-pornography websites.

While the primary focus of hotline.ie is to combat child pornography, other forms of illegal content and activities online may also be reported through the website.

news: parlon's road to damascus

2008-09-29T19:10:00.004+01:00

So, former Progressive Democrat Minister, Tom Parlon, is calling for interference in the free market! Now that he holds the quarter-million-euro-a-year role of Director General of the ~~Cowboy~~ Construction Industry Federation, he is urging the government to assist first-time buyers with some sort of shared ownership scheme.

Get with capitalism, Tom - if the houses aren't selling, drop the prices - if they still aren't selling, drop the prices again. The construction industry made hay while the sun shone, now it's time to chew on the silage...

Parlon and his CIF compadres don't give a damn about first-time buyers - otherwise they wouldn't have spent the boom years selling glorified concrete shoe-boxes at prices Roman Abramovich would baulk at.

The global economic situation was created by lending institutions negligently advancing too much credit to people who hadn't the capacity to keep up repayments, so piling another mountain of debt on a new generation of first-time buyers isn't the answer.

Slightly off-topic, but is it merely coincidence that the only local authorities with with multiple PD members are Galway City and Galway County... must be something in the water?

about: perfect christmas present

2008-09-29T13:54:00.000+01:00

I've already mentioned Wexford Youths great League Cup adventure. While searching for a suitable Pink Panther graphic for that post, I stumbled across this little gem.

While I wouldn't want one myself, there are surely plenty of loyal fans who would love this pattern to adorn their bedroom. Go on Bungle, you know you want to!

web: xkcd

2008-09-29T13:37:00.004+01:00

This isn't the first time I've blogged about xkcd.com, but it had dropped off my radar for a while, and I had an enjoyable half hour this morning catching up on a couple of month's worth of their excellent cartoon strips.

news: wexford youths / league cup final

2008-09-27T23:03:00.000+01:00

On the face of it, there seems to be little to celebrate about Wexford Youth's 6-1 defeat at the hands of Derry City.

On the other hand, it was a fantastic occasion - thanks to the supporters of both teams, particularly the 'DCFC' fans who were so magnanimous in victory.

The pre-match formalities didn't run to plan, but what else could be expected with those FAI muppets running the show? Once the game was underway, everything (apart from the Youths performance and the scoreline) ran like clockwork. I was a member of the pitch-side stretcher team, and thankfully had nothing to do but sit on my hands for an hour-and-a-half.

This game generated a real buzz around the town, and the sense of co-operation and community that existed among supporters on the their way to and from the game was a sight to behold. I only hope that some of those for whom this evening was a first taste of Youths will make the effort to attend the more mundane fixtures of the First Division. We can't host Derry City every week (and just as well, it would do some damage to the goal difference).

about: tee-shirts

2008-09-27T13:13:00.001+01:00

Original: 15/11/2007
Updated 27/09/2008 - new design added!

I decided (at the last minute) to design and manufacture a unique tee-shirt to wear at last November's Black 47 concert in Wexford. I didn't even manage to get out of the venue with it... this year I had more time, and took a little more effort.

Printable versions of the shirts are available by clicking on the thumbnail images below. Your local stationery or computer supply should be able to sell you transfer paper for your inkjet or bubblejet printer - not suitable for laser printers. Follow the manufacturers instructions carefully. Also, make sure to use smooth rather than bobbled cotton shirts, and white or pale pastel rather than dark or vivid colours.

You may have to trick around with your printer settings to find the setting to reverse the image - I'm working on pre-reversed versions, but having a little difficulty.

Note to non-European users: the designs are optimised for A4 size paper, the type we use in Europe. I'd recommend trying it out on a sheet of regular paper first.

The designs are free to use, but please let me know how many of which patterns you print, and feel free to sent me a photo of you wearing our creation...

2008:

2007:

2006:

news: harney's big mouth

2008-09-27T11:39:00.004+01:00

BreakingNews.ie reports that Minister for Health, Mary Harney claims that the new so-called 'centres of excellence' will eliminate cancer misdiagnoses.

The situtation at Ennis General Hospital (where a number of patients were given the all-clear, despite clinical indications of cancer) is disturbing, and while larger centres should provide better services, can she really guarantee that centralising oncology services will guarantee a 100% accurate diagnostic rate?

There is a cancer in the health service in this country, and the multi-pronged treatment being provided by Harney, Drumm and the HSE is failing to address the situation. They waste time and resources on pet projects like the failed attempt to force community rating in to the health insurance market, in an effort to prop up the ailing VHI - time and resources which would be better spent taking on the vested interests which are preventing progress. The only way to fix a broken system is to change it, and HSE staff at all levels are utterly resistant to any change which doesn't result in more money and shorter working hours for them.

web: facebook parody

2008-09-27T04:53:00.000+01:00

I've only recently joined Facebook, and only today discovered this little clip, courtesy of The Rambling Man.

news: wexford opera house

2008-09-26T14:21:00.002+01:00

I imagine some highly qualified design consultant was paid a large amount of money to design the hideous looking logo (above) for the new Wexford Opera House.

I haven't visited this new jewel in our cultural crown, just yet, but any reports I've heard so far haven't been entirely positive. Obviously, any new building of this size will experience teething problems, but a copy of the stories I've heard reflect poor design. Unsuitable fold-down seating in the back-stage area, for instance.

While the larger auditorium will no doubt continue to attract top-class acts and performances, the smaller Jerome Hynes Theatre (capacity 170) should be a welcome addition for local groups.

web: nintendo advert

2008-09-26T12:02:00.004+01:00

A little less potential for offense, compared to my previous langerland.tv post, but amusing none the less... take a look at a most innovative use of youtube, here