Will Knott

And no doubt a few other words beginning with P.

Once, back when I was a child, St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t that special. True it was a little reprieve from Lent (which seems to be 46 days this year if I’ve counted correctly), but not much. The parade would be a few freshly frozen marching bands (all those shivering majorettes in short skirts being gently caressed by the Irish hailstones remain a memory).

Maybe it was confidence. Maybe it was cash. But thanks to the lesser spotted Celtic Tiger, the parades got bigger, brighter and better. Its a week long festival and no longer a single day. Now the photographs are worth taking.

Which brings me to Pix.ie. They have been working with the organisers of the Irish St Patrick’s Festival on a huge photo sharing project to help document this year’s festival in photos from the perspective of those attending.

That means anyone in the country with a camera as far as I’m concerned. But they mean any of the events (or the un-events) of the popper festival.

Anyone who brings their camera to this year’s events to can contribute their photos to the official St Patrick’s Festival group so that the experience can be shared with people from all over the world.

And to bribe you / make it worth your while… there are prizes.

Three lucky winners whose photos capture the spirit of the festival. Canon have offered prizes with a total value of just under €1,800.

• 1st Prize – Canon EOS 1000D digital SLR camera, Selphy ES3 photo printer, 150 Euro photography training course, adding memory card and photo printing paper. Total value €1,050
• 2nd Prize – Powershot E1 digital camera and Selphy ES3 photo printer. Total Value €480
• 3rd Prize – Selphy ES3 photo printer. Total Value €240

And it doesn’t stop there! You see the pix.ie community and the Irish Blogging community (some are still recovering the the Irish Blog Awards) at large  gets some love for the parade. (Not to be confused with the “Love Parade”)

• 20 bloggers and photobloggers will be invited to watch the St Patrick’s Festival parade from a vetted viewing area. Each will be given an official wristband to gain access to this exclusive VIP area.
• 4 bloggers and photobloggers will be invited to watch the parade from the Festival Grandstand.
• 2 photobloggers will be invited to join the world media and take photos of the parade from the elevated position from the official open topped Media Bus which is positioned on the parade route.
• 2 Pixie users will chosen (subject to a security check) and given a Golden Pass which provides exclusive access to the parade route on the day. Only 12 Golden Passes will be issued this year to the international media and this is the first time photographers outside of the national and international media have been invited on into the parade route.

Which I think you’ll join me in saying “these are bloody bloody good prizes”. Then throw in the party at the Guinness Storehouse, and it may be a weekend that you need the photographs to remember.
Even without the competition, this is a great way to share your experience of the festival and let the world see Ireland at its best.

See the Pixie blog for more details and follow @stpatricksfest and @pixie on Twitter for ongoing information and news about what is going on. (Hashtag for St Patricks’s Festival is #spf09)

And I’m late with this news as AJ, Alexia, Con, Hugh, Iced-Coffee, Jason Roe, McAWilliams, Mary-Rose and Red Mum (update 22:16 Mar 4 2009, and GrannyMar)have already covered this, not including the Pix.ie blog.

Well I’m going to stock up on batteries and memory cards.

take care,

Will Knott

but blogging will be very light for a while.

I was at the Irish Blog Awards last night (and congratulations to all the winners and everyone I met, you’re all gorgeous). I’ll write up more about it, but I still have to edit (red eye) and upload a lot more pictures.

Also tomorrow I’ll be at the XCake developers group meeting  in Dublin, that’s iPhone applications (and games) development. Will you call over?

take care,
Will Knott

Well folks (both of you), the shorter long list for the Irish Blog Awards is out…

… and I didn’t make it.

The full(er) list for the personal blog category are…

Best Personal Blog – Sponsored by Microsoft Ireland’s Developer and Platform Group

• Verba – McAWilliams
• Grandad
• Red Leeroy
• Cackaloo
• Sinéad Keogh
• Annie Rhiannon
• casacaseycourtney
• I am Paddy
• The National Lottie
• Conortje
• Trust Tommy
• Well Done Fillet
• Fat Mammy Cat
• Infantasia
• The Unemployed Blog
• sinfulorigamipaper
• Coffee helps
• Darren Byrne
• Tinman18
• Grannymar
• Terence McDanger
• Red Mum
• English Mum
• Sinéad Cochrane

This list may get shorter as the nominees can only be in one category, and there are a names on this list which also appear on other lists. Oh well. Congratulations to on and all who made it there.

I’m not going to be upset and throw myself in the ocean. Except actually I am.

Google Earth has been updated and this time the worlds oceans are included. Yes, they have been there before, but as flat two dimensional data. Now you can explore them in 3d. So go and download and install Google Earth 5.0

And find a few strange things.

For example; go to, or rather enter into the Fly To box:  41°43?55?N 49°56?45?W

Then turn on the ‘Ocean’ Layer and the ‘3D Buildings’ layer  (mainly the 3D Buildings layer)

And what do you see?

And why do I hear Céline Dion?

take care,
It’s still icy in places out there,
Will Knott

With a certain amount of shock I discover that I’m one of the many nominees longlisted for the Personal blog catagory of the 2009 Irish Blog Awards. I know I have to thank someone for nominating me. Probably in the area of coffee.

The list is 80 nominees long (it is a LONG list), and I honestly don’t expect to make the short list. I’m up against last years overall winner; the unsinkable Grannymar and  the irrepressible K8,  the curious case of Darragh Doyle and many, many others.

Best Personal Blog – Sponsored by Microsoft Ireland’s Developer and Platform Group

1. A Propositional Structure: http://victoriamacarthur.com
2. Alan In Belfast: http://alaninbelfast.blogspot.com
3. Annie Rhiannon: http://annierhiannon.blogspot.com
4. Brian Kenny: http://bkenny.com
5. Casa Casey Courtney: http://casacaseycourtney.wordpress.com
6. Chancing My Arm: http://chancingmyarm.blogspot.com
7. Clom: http://kneelbeforeclom.blogspot.com
8. Conortje: http://conortje.wordpress.com
9. Coffee Helps: http://coffee-helps.com
10. Conor&’s Bandon Blog: http://conoroneill.com
11. Daddy Or Chips?: http://eguinan.wordpress.com
12. Dante And The Lobster: http://dante-andthelobster.blogspot.com
13. Darrenbyrne.com: http://darrenbyrne.com
14. Declan’s Blog: http://declanmeenagh.com
15. Down With My Life By Vic Barry: http://victorbarry.blogspot.com
16. Eamonn Fitzgerald’s Rainy Day: http://eamonn.com
17. English Mum: http://englishmum.com
18. Fake Empire: http://fakeempire.blogspot.com
19. Fatmammycat.com: http://fatmammycat.blogspot.com
20. Grannymar: http://grannymar.com/blog
21. Hangar Queen: http://hangarqueen.blogspot.com
22. Head Rambles: http://headrambles.com
23. Imantodotcom: http://imanto.com
24. Infantasia: http://infantasia.blogspot.com
25. Iarfhlaith Kelly – Code Agus Craic: http://iarfhlaith.com
26. Insideview: http://insideview.ie
27. K8 The Gr8: http://cackaloo.com
28. Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff: http://kenarmstrong.blogspot.com
29. Ken Mcguire: http://kenmc.com
30. Knowth’s Blog – Stumbleupon: http://knowth.stumbleupon.com
31. Le Craic: http://lecraic.com
32. Liz Biz: http://lizbiz.wordpress.com
33. Mcawilliams.com: http://verba.mcawilliams.com
34. Mad Dogs And Englishmen: http://self-preservationsociety.blogspot.com
35. Malcolm Redfellow’s World Service: http://redfellow.blogspot.com
36. Mark Walsh: http://walsho.net
37. Marramgrass : http://marramgrass.org.uk
38. Manicmammy’s Blog: http://manicmammy.com
39. Maxi Cane: http://maxicane.com
40. Me Blog!: http://blog.sweetnam.eu
41. More News From Nowhere -: http://blog.beara.ie
42. Mum Lives On: http://MumLivesOn.com
43. National Disgrace: http://itsanationaldisgrace.blogspot.com
44. Nelly’s Garden: http://nellysgarden.blogspot.com
45. Niallh.com: http://niallh.com
46. Not Today: http://wineandcider.blogspot.com
47. O’conall Street: http://oconallstreet.com
48. Panda’s Blog: http://pandaalan.wordpress.com
49. Prototype Of A Person: http://sineadcochrane.com
50. Radgery…: http://radgery.com
51. Raptureponies: http://raptureponies.wordpress.com
52. Red Leeroy: http://redleeroy.com
53. Red Mum: http://redmum.blogspot.com
54. Reverting To Type: http://sineadkeogh.wordpress.com
55. Rockin Socks: http://toniireton.blogspot.com
56. Rosemary Mac Cabe: http://rosemarymaccabe.wordpress.com
57. Sickbiscuit: http://sickbiscuit.com/blog
58. Sinful Origami Paper: http://sinfulorigamipaper.wordpress.com
59. Smemon: http://smemon.com
60. Sniffle and cry’s Weblog: http://snifflecry.wordpress.com
61. Stranded On Gaia: http://strandedongaia.blogspot.com
62. Stony River Farm: http://stonyriverfarm.blogspot.com
63. Supersimbo: http://supersimbo.net
64. Terencemcdanger.com: http://terencemcdanger.com
65. The Lindsays: http://sueandstevelindsay.blogspot.com
66. The National Lottie: http://thenationallottie.com
67. The Postman: http://drumlingo.blogspot.com
68. The Red Scrapbook: http://theredscrapbook.blogspot.com
69. The Reverend Garibaldi Mcflurry: http://garymcmurray.blogspot.com
70. The Spanish Exposition: http://spanishexposition.blogspot.com
71. The Unemployed Blog: http://theunemployedblog.wordpress.com
72. This Is What I Do.: http://darraghdoyle.blogspot.com
73. Trust Tommy: http://trusttommy.com
74. Two Wheels On My Wagon:http://backpedalbrakes.wordpress.com/about
75. Unlaoised: http://unlaoised.gerryos.net
76. Wallpaper: http://wallpaper.blogs.ie
77. Well Done Fillet: http://welldonefillet.blogspot.com
78. Willknott.ie: http://willknott.ie
79. Worth Doing Badly: http://tinman18.wordpress.com
80. Writing In A Twist: http://moderntwist2.blogspot.com

But what the heck. Here are the logos for the nominated…

And thanks to David McDonald and Stewart Curry for the logos.

take care,

Will Knott

I’ve only ever made it to one of the Irish Blog Awards. And I want to go to this years (its in the CIA Hotel, great venue in Cork), but Ken was asking for tips for new attendees, yes this post started out as a comment. Most of the tips equally apply to the forthcoming TeenCamp Ireland event.

Here goes.

Don’t be shy. Go and talk to people. The name tags are there for a reason.

Speaking of name tags; Don’t dress up in anything that might be ruined by sticky labels (I’ve heard stories).

Don’t be afraid to admit that you haven’t read their blog (but don’t be surprised if they have a hard time explaining what they blog about). Rick, who won best pop culture blog, didn’t know he was a pop culture blogger until he was nominated.

Do chat.

Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something. Ask.
This is a new area for a lot of people. Some of use are experts that don’t know it yet. Don’t be surprised if none of the explanations match.

Be prepared to present (this is for TeenCamp and not the Blog Awards). If you think you know a topic really well, be prepared to put your name on the board to get up and talk about something.

Do listen. Telling everyone that you’re wonderful is all well and good, but listening to the responses may teach you where you can be better. Besides, talking and listening is called a conversation.

Don’t be intimidated if it appears that everyone knows everyone else. Some do, after all, they have spent the last year reading about each others lives. Some of these “old friends” may be having their first face to face meeting.

Don’t pretend you are “Twenty”.

Do have fun. (Terms and conditions apply. Fun levels can go up as well as down.)

Go dance. Someone has to.

Do take pictures if you are that way inclined. Don’t take pictures very late in the evening. Or at least, don’t upload. Hair will let down, even by those of us without any.

Start something. “The party ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings”, is wrong. Its over when she stops. Join in, keep the song going. Sometimes the song outlasts the singer in the same way that a chat becomes a tweet, becomes a blog post, becomes a news article, becomes a major incident, becomes an official resignation and arrest becomes slew of blog posts, news items, tweets and international best selling book.  It all starts when two minds meet and actually do things. Get the ball rolling.

Bloggers are people. Some are extroverts who want the world to know about them. Some are business people who are revealing life behind the curtain. Some are shy and reveal parts of their lives to help themselves and others. Some are story tellers, who have to write. Some are investigators who have to help and reveal truths. All are different, but share one thing;

They blog.
They write.
They talk.
Go chat.

Will Knott

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And thus spake the Mulley

“The 2009 Irish Blog Awards shall take place on February 21 2009.

They shall be in Cork

And are open for nominations until January 14 2009

And they shall be good

except for the dancing”

moar funny pictures

This year there are 2219 categories

1. Best Popculture blog
2. Best Blog from a Journalist
3. Best Food/Drink Blog
4. Best Crafts Blog Best Fashion Blog
   
5. Best Arts and Culture Blog
6. Best Political Blog
7. Best Group Blog
8. Best Use of the Irish Language in a Blog
9. Best Technology Blog/Blogger
10. Best Sport & Recreation Blog
11. Best Designed Blog
12. Best News/Current Affairs Blog
13. Best Specialist Blog
14. Best Newcomer
15. Best Business Blog Best Blog of a Business
16. Best Music Blog
17. Special Recognition Award
18. Best Personal Blog
19. Best Humor Post Blog
    
20. Best Photo Blog
21. Best Blog Post
22. Best Blog (There is a best blog award, but its not a nominated one)

May the best bloggers win,
Will Knott

Update: somehow got the list very mixed up

What was the favourite invention from your childhood? asks Mr Mulley… and I’m going to be a little strict and look at things released during my life time…

Why lifetime and not childhood… well… I haven’t grown up yet. I’ve grown out, and gotten older but as anyone who has seen me in Smyths will attest, I’ve not grown up. So I suppose my first favourite is a 1984 invention : “Transformers”
yup these

(an image blatantly stolen from Ben’s World of Transformers)

What can I say, its my not so secret shame. The fact that I’m still collecting the toys shows that it’ having an ongoing impact on my life.

Why? Well it’s not the two toys in one. Partly I think it’s the most extreme form of anthropomorphism you can get. Not only are you putting human emotions on to an inanimate object, you’re making it take on humanoid characteristics too. It’s also less damaging than dressing up your pet.

It also is the aspect that things aren’t always as they seem. It changes the way you view the world. Twist it a little bit and… It could be a government conspiracy or (flip body around, open doors, lower head from backside, push along brass neck, unfold arms, unclench grubby little fists, detach brown envelope) incompetence on a grand scale.

However if I was going to pick a proper technoligical invention… it’s this

O.K. Its actually another image stolen off Ben from this review but I’m talking about Mobile Phones

I know what you’re thinking (other than “Will you’re an idiot”) which is everyone and their mother has one (even if it did take me three weeks to teach her to text so she could vote for that “nice boy” on “Strictly Come Dancing”), but the mobile phone has changed how people act with each other.

But what other device has caused such a social change?

Once people made exact appointments. Meet you under Eason’s clock at 3pm on Friday. And at 4pm, still waiting, you felt very stood up. Now people make rough appointments, aproxi-meetings, and put in a call to the other’s mobile to rearrange the meeting at the cinema directly due to traffic.

Once people used phone booths and pay phones.

I remember the “push button A” pay telephones (always press button B on a free phone to see if any change comes out. It’s the old version of checking the base of the automatic cash registers in Tesco’s). I remember those weird plastic bubbles next to the phones so that the caller could have privacy.
But that privacy is a long abandoned thing. I now know the intimate details of the recent gynaecological exam thanks to a mobile phone call on the bus.

And once we needed to wait for the results of a meeting or conference to be published. (Or passed notes in class) Now text updates can be shipped online while the meeting is still on (and notes are texted between schools).

It can also save your life. No hunting for a phone after an accident… now you hunt for a signal. And in large scale disaster, there have been cell broadcast SMS and tweets to help save lives.

That little handy computer in your pocket has changed the social interaction of not just a nation, but a huge chunk of the world. (It also looks a little like a Wii controller, hint, hint)

take care,
(and set it to vibrate during a solemn occasion, like a tribunal)
Will

Now, who is going to be first to suggest “mash-ups”?

And I’ll get around to updating the above photos with my own transformer shots… sorry Ben. I DO know better.

tags : science week ireland, blogging competition, invention, childhood, Mulley, Transformers, bwtf, Ben’s World of Transformers, anthropomorphism, humanoid, mobile phone, social change, twitter, jaiku, pay telephone, privacy, text