Writing for life

Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 17/12/2007

In 1922 retired Major General George O. Squire patented the technique of transmitting music over power lines, and changed the world forever. North American Company bought exclusive rights to the patent, and by 1934 started piping music into Cleveland homes under the name of “Muzak Corporation”.

Free commercial radio sounded the death knell of Muzak’s chosen route to market, but undeterred they refocussed their efforts on targeting New York City businesses. As buildings in New York soared skywards, the lift became practically ubiquitous, and Musak had found it’s niche. “Elevator music” was born, as Musak filled the space between floors with bland and banal music… the rest, as they say, is history.

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"Working it" column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 17/12/2007

For most of us the old adage “you get what you pay for” will certainly hold true this Christmas. There are exceptions of course, but by and large if we pay more for something it’s reasonable to expect better quality, more refinement or additional features in return for the extra cash. It stands to reason, doesn’t it?

In the private sector the same thing holds true for salaries – in any given field market forces dictate that the better your experience, training and performance the more your services are worth to your employer. Generally if you want the best people you have to offer them the best package, and broadly speaking the more you’re prepared to pay the higher the calibre of employee you’re likely to attract.

That’s in the private sector. When you enter the murky world of public sector pay you can throw the “get what you pay for” argument out of the proverbial window. It seems that the concept of having fair and equitable pay linked to levels of performance and job competency – concepts that have dictated wage increases for the vast majority of us for some time – is something our elected representatives are non too keen on. Given their track record I guess that’s hardly surprising.

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Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 12/12/2007

Not too long ago the World Cancer Research Fund published a report. In it they presented the findings of 221 cancer experts who analysed more than 7,000 academic papers over a period of five years, dating all the way back to the ’60s. The report reveals that lifestyle, and the conscious choices that people make, could account for up to a third of all cancer cases – making it the most significant contributory factor after smoking.

It also offers a series of recommendations on how we can alter our lifestyles to significantly reduce our cancer risk. Which sounds like great news… until you hear some of them. The thrust of it is pretty conventional stuff: eat more healthily and do more exercise. No surprises there – but it’s when you delve into the specifics that things start to get ugly.

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"Working it" column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 10/12/2007

This week I was blown away by the exemplary levels of customer service I received from an Irish company. It was shocking, in a good way for a change. While the experience delighted me, the fact that I can’t actually remember the last time I felt so utterly satisfied with the customer experience I’d received in this country saddens me.

Before going any further, I’ll name the company that has impressed me so much: it’s MicksGarage. Founded in 2004, MicksGarage is Irelands’ largest car parts and accessories internet shop. Recently they were awarded the prestigious Golden Spider award for best Retail and Home Shopping website. From my recent experience of dealing with them it’s easy to see why.

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Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 05/12/2007

Friday night television on RTÉ is generally a pretty excruciating affair. Heading the line-up is the Late Late Show, and of course the inimitable Pat Kenny. Can you think of a better argument for getting a pre-Christmas subscription to Sky?

The Late Late may well be the longest running television talk show in the world – but that longevity is, unfortunately, its only distinction. I’m all for promoting home grown talent – but it’s the dearth of talent on this, Ireland’s flagship Friday night televisual experience, that’s disturbing. The interview style – or should that be lack of style – is woeful. It consistently makes me cringe!

I usually make a conscious effort to avoid watching on principal, but occasionally the urge to channel-flick gets the better of me, and as RTÉ1 spins up I spot a guest who I think might prove interesting. So I pause, hoping against hope that on of Ireland’s highest paid broadcasters will engage with them and, for once, deliver an interesting and worthwhile discussion. Invariably I’m disappointed as the poor guests squirm under a barrage of inept and inappropriate questions, or, as so often happens, a guest with half a brain ties our hapless host in intellectual knots.

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At the IT@Cork Technology in Business conference last week, a fantastic day was rounded off perfectly when my name was drawn at the end-of-conference drinks reception and I walked away the proud new owner of a HP iPAQ Voice Messenger Smartphone.

The HP iPAQ 514 voice messenger — so much more than just a phone

First impressions are great — it crams a fully functional Windows Mobile 6.0 pocket PC into a package that’s no bigger than your average mobile phone, and with WiFi and Bluetooth onboard, VoIP capability, and support for push e-mail, POP3 and IMAP it’s got everything you need stay productive on the road.

I’ll post a more detailed review when I’ve had chance to play with it — but up to now I’m delighted with it. I was thinking of upgrading my clunky old Nokia anyway — and this, as they say, will do nicely.

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"Working it" column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 03/12/2007

You have to feel a bit sorry for the word “Innovate”. I mean, there it was, quietly minding it’s own business, sitting between innocuous and innuendo in the dictionary, when suddenly it was plucked from obscurity and elevated to a position of overnight celebrity.

Now it finds itself rolling glibly from the lips of silver-tongued politicians, plastered across the pages of the world’s media and evangelised by important individuals like guru’s and the people in think-tanks. Innovation is the Jade Goody of the lexicon – only with more substance. Not long ago you hardly ever heard anything about it, now all of a sudden you can’t escape it.

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Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 28/11/2007

Last week the most extensive process of consultation with Irish children ever undertaken culminated in the office of the Ombudsman for Children publishing the results of their national “Big Ballot”. The ballot polled children and young people under the age of 18, and involved some 69,000 primary and post-primary pupils across the country.

The results I guess, could hardly be called ground breaking. For instance, the thing highlighted by children as their most pressing concern was the topic “Family and Care”, while last of the five issues they were asked to vote on was “Education”. So no real surprises then.

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