Survey on Phone and Web Apps

Doing a very short 3 question survey for a friend on potential web and mobile phone training in Northern Ireland.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DcYBpz88jnjz9TC_2fnqyPnw_3d_3d

Talking it up and taking action - searching for a way forward for emerging industries in Northern Ireland

There have been two notable posts/publications in recent week by people from involved in the NI Tech Industry. Writing in the Belfast Telegraph David Kirk says

“I know from decades of experience in the tech industry in the USA, that without
clear vision and bold leadership, many brilliant opportunities are left
fallow.

In Northern Ireland it is particularly true; it’s not from lack of
talent, ideas or from wanting to succeed. In many cases it is simply because it
is not clear how to progress those opportunities and how to see ambition and
visual success. In the past six months I’ve seen some world-class opportunities
that “just don’t fit” into a standard envelope, requiring cross-functional this,
or cross-organisation that, or didn’t have the right boxes ticked. Northern
Ireland is too small to waste opportunities like this. You know what they say,
when one door closes another bangs shut. I’m tired of hearing slamming doors —
it’s time to jam them open.”

Norman Apsley who heads up the Northern Ireland Science Park wrote in his Blog - also published in the Newsletter

Lots of people want to see Northern Ireland companies grow and succeed. But how
do you translate goodwill into firm actions? If smaller, private
investors/ex-pats wanted to help support local start ups, how do they go about
doing that? How can NI best support the next generation wantrepreneur?

Thesequesti s, and more besides, were part of an email conversation going backwards and forwards this week. Involved in the conversation were some NI-born hi-tech and highly successful entrepreneurs now living abroad, and a few local people
involved in local tech and innovation – here’s a snapshot of what things look
like from their perspective…

These are people of influence who have the good of new and emerging tech industries at the heart of what they do. It is time to talk up what is going on and to follow that with action. But action needs to be co-ordinated and considered. This is a call for visible, measurable movement.

Count me in.

Gaelgames

Last week my old (or should that be ancient?) friend Padraig Coyle and I quietly launched the gaelgames.com podcast. It struck me that in such a fan driven range of sports there were quite a few blogs, but no podcasts. So I suggested to Padraig (like me started in Downtown Radio a long time ago) who recently left BBC NI Sport that we should play around with a Gaelic Games podcast.

It is a quiet almost restrained start; but I hope before too long it becomes irreverent, edgy and driven by the passion that supporters of gaelic football and hurling have for their sports. So the first is the "Test Transmission". If sport is your thing, please check it out and let us know what’s on your mind.

Mscapers - the Digital Circel Podcast 13

Subscribe to the Podcast (RSS)
Subscribe through iTunes,
Download Directly (MP3)
Duration - 27′.22"

For the first time, HP Labs have moved out of their home in Bristol, to hold their a two day conference on Media Scapes – or Mscapes. Described by one of the speakers as a New Medium, mscapes has been developing since about 2003 and has achieved global interest.

Visiting the two day mscapeFest08 in Belfast’s W5 were producers, developers, designers and educationalists from Canada, USA, Singapore, Taiwan, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands and many other countries.Davy Sims spent 2 and 3 December at W5 at the conference which was opened by Northern Ireland Finance Minister Nigel Dodds

On the podcast:
Jo Reid from HP Labs http://www.hpl.hp.com/bristol/
Brian Lamb from Ulster Mediascapes http://www.ulstermediascapes.com/
John Bustard who produced Armoy Armada http://www.armoyarmada.com/
Bill McCluggage from Dept of Finance.

You can find out more by going to the mscapers.com where you can download the tool kit, browse some 500 mscapes and get involved with the forums and with other people developing the project.

Digital Circle Public Launch

To the Green Room at BBC’s Blackstaff studios yesterday evening for the formal launch of the Digital Circle. I’ve been on the steering group for close to two years – the other members longer. We have spent time developing the ideas set out in the The Northern Ireland Digital Content Strategy http://www.digitalcircle.org/2008/11/25/the-northern-ireland-digital-content-strategy/ and bringing the idea of the Digital Circle to a point where we ask the industry to take over.

The idea is simple; everyone who works in the digital content industry in Northern Ireland is the Digital Circle. For the next 12 months, “signed up” membership (rather than “notional” membership) will be free and during that time elections to the steering group will be held.

There will be five members who will elect a Chair. Each of the other members will lead one of the four activities set out in the Strategy; Investment, Skills and Training, Research and Development and Internalisation.

This will not be a Top/Down organisation. The steering group will be accountable to the membership. The steering group will develop the project and agree the rules.

I particularly liked Stephen Mullen’s comment in his speech “If you don’t play the game, you can’t make the rules.” So, this is the time for everyone in the content industry in Northern Ireland to help to make those rules.

The evening is available in three podcasts.

Adrian Lennon's Speech





Stephen Mullen's Speech



Questions and Answers

Digital Circle Podcast; 4IP

Digital Circle Podcast 10 - 4IP

Subscribe to the Podcast (RSS)

Subscribe through iTunes

Download Directly (MP3)

Whether it is Internet Protocol, Intellectual Property, Innovation for the Public, it’s the 4 in 4IP which is important.

Ewan McIntosh of Channel 4's 4IP Fund was in Belfast on Thursday (11 November 2008). Ewan is Digital Commissioner for Northern Ireland Scotland and north east England and is planning to make regular visits here for open meeting.

I met him in one of Belfast’s posher venues, hence the opera in the background.

For more information and to contact Ewan go to http://www.4ip.org.uk/ and http://www.38minutes.co.uk/

And a note about Digital Circle. The official launch will be soon. You can sign up for free membership now through the blog – http://www.digitalcircle.org/

Members will be voting for the steering group.

There’ll be a podcast about all that soon and you can follow it all on the Blog.

Digital Circle Podcast 09 - Constant Comedy

Download the Podcast directly or subscribe to the Digital Circle Podcasts

This is the second in the series about winners of the the Northern Ireland Department of Trade and Investment’s Broadband Content Initiative – one year on.
In this podcast I profile the Constant Comedy Website and talk to Philip Morrow and Kieran Doherty and the competition creator, Paul Robinson.