Will Knott

On Thursday February 12, there is going to be a party, a tweet-up, a Twestival.

The difference between a normal tweet-up and a twestival is that the date is global (there are currently over 100 happening in cites worldwide). And its going to cost you money. All the “entry fees” collected are going to go towards a charity, charity:water.

It hasn’t been in the pipeline for long; in just one month, from volunteer effort alone Twestival has created events in 175+ cities, predicted to raise $1 million for the 1.1billion people in the world who can’t access clean drinking water. Growing beyond all expectations since launching in January 2009, Twestival takes place for 24 hours on February 12th, everywhere including London, Paris, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Austin, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Dublin, Munich, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Melbourne, Lima, as up to 20,000 come together inspired by community and charity.  Read the full press release for the global effort, but nearer to home…

(Search Twitter in Ireland only for Twestival)

The Dublin Twestival is in The Sycamore Club, No 9 Sycamore Street, Temple Bar , Dublin 2 and Is being put together by Aido McMahon, Anton Mannering, Debbiemet, Qamir Hussain and others. Given the musical talent on offer; there will be dancing (help).

The Belfast Twestival is in Laverys Bunker from 8pm – 10.30pm (currently before Radiation / Laverys DJs, changed from the earler venue) and is organised by Andy (Good On Paper) McMillan and Phil (Iced Coffee) O’Kane.

There are a lot more. If you’d like to help in a volunteerism role with any kind of Twestival organization, wherever you are, get in touch with Amanda Rose or Jaz Cummins. For updates, follow @twestival on Twitter.

I’m going to be at the Dublin one, are you going?

take care,

Will

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Public Service Announcement from charity: water on Vimeo.

Twestival from charity: water on Vimeo.
Thanks to Neville Hobson for being the first to tell be about it.

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It’s all my fault, and I’ve seen the carnage its created. She’s pinned them!

Grannymar has found a way to mark her toyboys. I don’t know if she’s done her own pinning ceremony or not. And I’m the cause.

I know she got Darragh, Darren, Anthony and recently Rowan has admitted his pining. She’s got a badge.

And she know how to use it to good effect.

I got them for her.

But lets step back. Back to May and the ToeJam photographs of May. I grabbed this shot…

and it got me thinking.

You can see “King” Damien’s “Fluffy” badge and Lexia’s pink “geek” badge (all that’s missing is Midge’s “Filthy” one). In Ireland at least, these badges are medals of honour. Social objects, not something to be sold, but something to be shared or given away to help make and bind social relationships. Awards for serving the social network of the Irish blog-sphere. Membership cards that the wearer has entry in to this world. That makes the blog awards the equivalent of a dame or knighthood, and the monthly awards something like an knavehood. (Oh to be a knave and a scoundrel)

So I wanted to help people in Ireland start blogging, or at least get interested in the Irish blogging world.

The other part of this was guilt. Since I started my course my blog writing has, well, collapsed. Time is more pressing (just as well I suppose) and ideas are being applied elsewhere (and not on to Twitter like everyone else). Pictures have filled up the breech, but I feel that I’m missing something.

So the badge… when the idea formed, I thought; “What should my badge be?”

Well that fizzled out.

So the question formed; “Who would get a lot of fun with a badge?” and my thoughts turned North.

A few chats and emails later, and an order to 50pbadges winged its way (after a redirect) to her awaiting floor (well, she was out at the time).

I’m interested to see how this will play out. How many (other) gentlemen of dubious qualities will try to attract the attention of the one and only Grannymar. And how much fun is she having making these ‘boys’ happy?

Oh, as for why? It seemed like a good idea at the time.

take care,
Will Knott

Part of the main news tonight was that IKEA opened in Belfast. The predicted hordes didn’t show (a sign of economic slow down perchance?) The part of the news that didn’t mention was that the plans to open such a shop in Dublin is still stalled.

Well right now a new motorway (more M8, but at least its a more usable lenght) is being built between Cork and Cashel. So there is prime retail land for a major superstore which could be built in Cork (or South Tipperary). Add on and off ramps to the motorway (with a long extra lane, an piles of hard shoulder to take the strain) and it might be viable.

And of course, having something like that in Cork (or South Tipperary) before Dublin is something which would make county hall cackle.

How do you go about checking if its viable?

take care,
Will

update : following this shot I wonder if we could get Harney and O’Keeffe on the couch?

tags : IKEA, Belfast, Cork, Cashel, Tipperary, M8