On August 6th 2003 I launched this blog with (in retrospect) a cringeworthy post. Ah well, I only had an audience of one and didn't have a clue what I really wanted to write about but nevertheless knew I should be writing.

Writing. It's all about the writing. And the format, whether long form blogging, micro-blogging (Twitter), Facebooking, Jaiku-ing, Google+ing, Tumbling, etc., etc., is besides the point. As long as you're writing and sharing your thoughts (however much they make you cringe a decade later).

In these times of ecomomic austerity the Corbett household has been trimming the excess and I've come to realize I'm just not blogging here enough to justify the ongoing cost of TyepPad hosting. I was wishfully thinking for more than a year that I'd spend less of my time on Twitter and more back here but.... hey, it's all about the writing.

It's a coincidence that I've come to this conclusion just as two people who've long been an influence on my blogging are having an intense debate about the 'common web'. My heart is with Winer but my head (and budget) is with Scoble. And micro-blogging is what suits me right now.

I've archived 4 years of Eirepreneur over to Wordpress (that was all I could import). And I may turn to there on the very odd occasion that I can't express it elsewhere. But more likely I'll be posting it to our MissionV blog where most of my energy is focussed these days.

For Profit: The Future Of Social Entrepreneurship is an informal meetup taking place in Dublin next Tuesday December 20th -

"For-profit social entrepreneurs are changing the world. They create a new model for sustainable change, one which doesn't require constant funding campaigns. We will discuss what for-profit social entrepreneurs are doing to achieve their goals and look for best practices and limits of this models through concrete examples. From our show, we've selected Uber Shelter and InVenture Fund as examples of what can be done"

We have been supported by Discover Science & Engineering to run a Science Week event where students from 20 schools around Ireland are exhibiting their 'Chemistry of Life' themed projects in a massive 80 acre virtual arena.

All week hundreds of students, teachers, parents and guests have been 'beaming in' to browse around and learn about chemistry from each other. The video below captures a small flavour of the activities. We think you'll enjoy seeing how they modelled the water cycle and the solar system, as well as programming an interactive quiz on the digestive system -

"The miLKlabs Electronics Bootcamp is an intense introduction to basic and not-so-basic electronics.

Run by members of miLKlabs - Limerick's makerspace - the bootcamp will emphasize hands-on experience and practical skills, but you'll learn enough theory to be dangerous.

Some of the things you'll learn: 

• What some electronic components look like and what they do 
• How to wire up some circuits 
• Some basic circuit theory 
• How useful a multimeter is 
• Some techniques for finding out why your circuit is broken

Other topics we'll touch on include semiconductors, analog vs digital electronics and controlling high-powered things from Arduinos. And some fundamental physics.

When:

The bootcamp will be held over the 4 Thursdays of November - Dates: 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th.   

Times:

7:00pm to 9.30pm

Where:

milklabs, Franciscan Friary, Lower Henry Street

Cost:

€40 euro, members go free. Limited to 8 places.

Requirements:

milklabs will let you borrow their equipment andcomponents forthis bootcamp. But you will need to bring:   

• Pen and paper   
• Knowledge of basic algebra   
• Calculator or smartphone

What is MissionV game-based learning? In this 4 minute video, produced by Conn Ó Muíneacháin of Edgecast Media as part of our application to the David Manley Awards 2011, I explain what our 20 school programme is all about and why we're doing it. You'll also see a vox pop with the kids from our pilot project in Gaelscoil Eoghain Ui Thuairisc in Carlow and their parents and teachers -

I went along to the first Limerick Coder Dojo today (see previous post) at Limerick Institute of Technology and was as blown away as the organizers by the turnout and interest. I counted 24 kids, the youngest of whom was 9 (and had already built his own PC!!).

The space was a bit packed due to the unexpected numbers but that issue is already solved with a move to a more spacious city center facility in the offing. Despite being packed in, elbow to elbow, or probably because of it, there was a great buzz and air of excitement.

Adrian, Mark and James took turns at delivering short and to the point tutorials on website design, HTML coding, mindmapping, game design and project brainstorming among other things. There was no lecturing or talking down and the kids were encouraged to collaborate throughout. There were plenty of parents to help and I didn't spot a single participant losing interest or getting left behind.

This is no ordinary computer club either - a lot of thought has gone into creating something quite unique. Ideas like belt rankings and (potentially commerical) group projects hint at the strong emphasis on entrepreneurship.

Well done to all who had something to do with getting this off the ground. I've a strong feeling Coder Dojo is going to get bigger and bigger and will produce a number of James Wheltons*along the way.

James is the 19 year old founder of Coder Dojo.

Coder Dojo is a not-for-profit programme founded by James Whelton and Bill Liao in Cork, and now being brought to Limerick by Mark Cahill. It's basically a computer coding club for kids, but in their own words -

Coder Dojo was started to provide several things. Firstly an environment where interested youths can meet similar minded peers, learn new skills, participate in various activities and learn about all the areas of IT. In addition to this, Coder Dojo provides a syllabus of various areas of programming (iPhone dev, Web dev, etc.) to be completed and rewarded with various levels of ability. The syllabus is accompanied by relevant documentation so kids can learn outside of the sessions and reference it. Coder Dojo also provides competitions and events that recognises talent and allow youths to meet and see developers in action and learn more about careers in IT. Finally Coder Dojo provides the structure in which students can setup their own Dojo’s in school easily

I think it's a brilliant initiative and am delighted to see Mark bringing it to Limerick. Despite my complete lack of developer skills I hope I can help them out in some way. And you can too - they're looking for developers, designers, media people, photographers and entrepreneurs. Just contact Mark.

When: Saturday 27th August, from 10am to 5pm

Where: miLKLabs, Franciscan friary, Lower Henry Street, Limerick

Hosted by: Members of miLKLabsCost: €10 (for non-members)Limited to 20 participants (Pre-booking mandatory)

What is Arduino? Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. (www.arduino.cc ) Ardunio makes it easy to learn how to read sensors, control electronic devices, and communicate between various hardware and your computer. 

Requirements:

- Laptop (Mac OS X, Windows or Linux) with a USB port

- Software installed (Optional):

- Arduino IDE (http://Arduino.cc/en/Main/Software) 

- Processing (http://processing.org/download/) 

Good to bring (optional):

- Some experience with a programming language. If you know what if statements and loops are, you’ll be in great shape.

- Some basic knowledge of electric circuits

- Wire cutters / strippers

Aimed at students, artists, and designers or anyone who wants to learn the basics of Arduino, simple electronics and building interactive projects.  The workshop covers the basis of Physical Computing using Arduino and Processing.  Participants will be able to control media (graphics, video & sound) in Processing using a variety of Sensors (distance sensor, light sensor, temperature sensor, potentiometer, etc..).  This initial session will be followed by groups or individual follow-up sessions to help participants complete a personal project or expand their knowledge in specific areas.

Session 1 (10am-12)

We will begin with a brief introduction to some basic electrical principles (no math, just how things get hooked up and how lights and switches do their thing). We’ll talk about the role of a microcontroller (such as an Arduino board) in an electronic circuit. Once everyone has the Arduino development software up and running we’ll start controlling LEDs or tiny motors by writing some simple code.

Lunch (12 -1pm)

Session 2 (1pm-3pm)

We’ll get information from sensors, and see how to make some sense from that information by filtering it. We’ll send that data to a program running on your laptop, and then use that program to control some devices connected to the Arduino.

Session 3 (3pm-5pm)

Once everyone has mastered what we’ve covered, we will look at examples of projects that use the Arduino.  Participants will then be offered the opportunity to create a small project on their own or with a group.  Finally we will spend a little time talking about slightly more advanced concepts to give you a starting point for your next steps.

Register for the miLK Labs Arduino Fest