Writing for life

The Apprentice

Published in The Evening Echo on 26/05/2008

You’ve got to feel a bit sorry for Sir Alan Sugar.

Why feel sorry for a man who’s managed to accumulate a fortune of more than GB£800 million over his chequered career? A man who’s ferried around in a chauffeur-driven Bentley? A man who flies around in his own Lear jet?

Not a lot feel sorry for, you might think; apart, perhaps, from the fact that he supports Tottenham Hotspur…! But then you remember that Sir Alan has signed up with the BBC to do “The Apprentice”, which is now in the middle of its fourth series. And the poor man must be ruing the day he signed on the dotted line.

Sure, the programme has made Alan Sugar a household name, but at what cost… and does someone that successful really need to raise his profile anyway?

Never mind the fact that he comes across as an acerbic, megalomaniacal tyrant; or the fact that he’s forced to jab an accusatory finger at one hapless candidate after another as he delivers his “You’re fired!” catch-phrase every week (apparently it’s written into his contract; a legacy from the original American show format, featuring the equally megalomaniacal but frankly much more ridiculous-looking Donald Trump). No, the real blow must be that he has to actually hire one of these buffoons at the end of the series.

Why on earth would a man who obviously doesn’t need the money, and who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, decide to lumber himself with such a motley assortment of corporate misfits? Worst of all, he’s actually obliged to give one of them a job at the end of it… and based on their performance on the tasks to date you can’t help but wonder at the wisdom of that.

Continue Reading »

Rated 4/5 on May 26 2008

Vote on Calvin’s reviews at LouderVoice

LouderVoice review tags: The Apprentice, Alan Sugar, Careers

No Comments »

Glengarriff Lodge,

Glengarriff,

West Cork,

Ireland

A few weeks ago we spent a wonderful weekend at what has to be one of the most enchanting houses in the whole of West Cork, perhaps the entire country. Nestled on its own little island between a fork in the Glengarriff River, this thatched former hunting lodge of the Earl of Bantry is like something straight out of a childhood fantasy.

Set in three acres of beautifully tended gardens, surrounded by mature trees that blend seamlessly with nearby native woodland, the fairytale house sits gently in this idyllic rural landscape. As we drove over the little wooden bridge onto the island I had to pinch myself to make sure what I was seeing was real. This was Glengarriff Lodge… and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Continue Reading »

Rated 5/5 on May 8 2008

Vote on Calvin’s reviews at LouderVoice

LouderVoice review tags: Accommodation, West Cork, Glengarriff Lodge, Self Catering, House

No Comments »

“Working it” column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 24/03/2008

I’ve published this week’s Working It column — a review of the Internet Marketing seminar “Getting Results in Online Marketing” by Praxis Now — to my Digital Marketing blog, because the subject matter fits.

No Comments »

And just when I thought the afternoon couldn’t get any better, Scotland go and beat England at Murrayfield. What a sublime afternoon of rugby.

Not sublime rugby, you understand. It wasn’t pretty, by any stretch of the imagination. It was neither flowing nor exciting, it wasn’t inspiring or innovative — but the result, and the joy on the faces of the Scots crowd as the final whistle sounded said it all.

There’s something about facing that white jersey, and the pompous self-assured arrogance that it seems to represent that galvanises the opposition, particularly those of a Celtic persuasion, to dig deep and raise their game. That’s certainly what happened this afternoon, and the English simply had no answer for Scottish passion, determination and drive.

No tries — but the Scots controlled the ball at the breakdown, ran through the phases, and when the inevitable penalties came the stalwart Chris Paterson was there to hammer the nails into England’s six nations coffin. It will be small consolation to the English camp that Johnny Wilkinson’s became the highest ever scoring player in Rugby Union history during the course of the match. England didn’t just loose, they were resolutely beaten by a spirited Scottish team that simply hadn’t read the form-sheet.

All that’s left is for Ireland to stuff the English next weekend and we’ll have a Celtic hat-trick against the old enemy. Let’s hope Eddie O’Sullivan can do something right for once. Come on Ireland!

Technorati Tags: Scotland,England,Six nations,rugby

No Comments »

Wales did the business again at Croke Park today — a victory I savoured more than most as a Welshman living in the Emerald Isle.

I love Ireland, and can’t think of anywhere better to live than West Cork — but when the rugby’s on all bet’s are off! I may have an Irish wife, Irish daughters, live and work in Ireland, and root for Ireland when they’re playing anybody else… but when it comes to rugby you can take the Welshman out of Wales but…. well, you know the rest.

Ireland started brightly, but for most of the game there was really only one team  in it. The score line never really reflected the run of play, with the Welsh missing a number of chances that should have put them out of sight by mid-way through the second half, despite being down to 14 men for a full 20 minutes.

It’s back to the drawing board for Ireland, and Eddie O’Sullivan, who really doesn’t seem to have any answers. Maybe it’s time for him to stand aside. Considering this is supposed to be the best Irish side for generations it’s looking pretty desperate.

The triple crown, of course, is a bonus… the big result for Wales was beating the English right at the start of the Six Nations campaign.

You know the drill… as long as we beat the English… cue Stereophonics:

As long as we beat the English, Stereophonics

Roll on the French next weekend, and our Grand Slam! Well, would you bet against the boys in red?

No Comments »

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.

No Comments »

iPod Touch

Apple’s new iPod Touch is a phenomenal piece of design. Sleek, sexy and so cool it hurts, this is perhaps the most desirable tech gadget on the market in Ireland this Christmas (with the possible exception of its feature rich sibling, the much-hyped iPhone), and by and large it delivers in spades.

The iPod Touch — has a digital media player revolution begun?

That said, I have several issues with the iPod — not least of which is the fact that you’re tied in to proprietary media formats, and are forced to download Apple’s proprietary software before you can even use the device. Despite a few shortcomings, however, the Touch is a remarkably accomplished piece of kit.

The worst thing about the one I’m reviewing is the fact that I have to give it back to Apple when I’m done!

Review Summary

Product Reviewed: Apple iPod Touch 16GB

Also Available: Apple iPod Touch 8GB

Feature	Rating
Music	8/10
Video	8/10
Navigation/Controls	10/10
Features	7/10
Software (PC)	5/10 (not bundled)
Ease of use	10/10
Overall	8/10 — Highly Recommended

Continue Reading »

Rated 4/5 on Nov 21 2007

Vote on Calvin’s reviews at LouderVoice

LouderVoice review tags: ipod, itunes, apple, iPod Touch, MP3, digital media player

2 Comments »

Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 14/11/2007

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was a fine late-autumn day. We hadn’t been on a real family day out for some time, so on the spur of the moment we decided to head over to Killarney for the day. That is to say, as “on the spur of the moment” as you can with three children in tow. It took about two hours before we were all sitting in the car ready for the off.

Getting into the car is never as straightforward as simply getting into the car. We always have to endure the hokey-kokey “in-out-in-out-and shake it all about” version. First one girl needs the toilet, then the other, and then someone’s forgotten her favourite blanket, or a bag of crayons or any of the suite of accessories they insist on bringing on any excursion. Finally we were ready, and hit the road in high spirits.

As we drove I could see the clouds gathering on the horizon, and when we reached about the halfway mark the rain started. This wasn’t drizzle either – it was great globs of water dropping from the sky in torrents. Not the ideal weather for a family day out. But hey, we were having fun….

Whenever I drive into Kerry I’m always struck by the stark difference in the quality of the road surface. Crossing the county bounds is like making the transition from white-water kayaking to gliding across a tropical lagoon by hovercraft. It’s uncanny. I know Kerry must have its fair share of potholes, but the difference on that particular stretch of road always seems to stand out. Good old Cork County Council!

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Creative Zen Media Player

Creative Labs’ brand new ZEN player is stylish, functional and packs quite a punch for such a small player. It offers real competition to Apple’s much hyped new iPod Nano — and with a bigger, better screen and more features it’s certainly one to consider as an alternative.

Creative Zen: a feature-rich media player that offers phenomenal all-round multimedia performance in an incredibly compact package.

Review Summary

Product Reviewed: Creative Zen 4GB

Also Available: Creative Zen 8GB, Creative Zen 16GB

Feature	Rating
Music	9/10
Video	9/10
Navigation/Controls	8/10
Features	9/10
Software (PC)	7/10
Ease of use	8/10
Overall	9/10 — Highly Recommended

Continue Reading »

Rated 5/5 on Nov 5 2007

Vote on Calvin’s reviews at LouderVoice

LouderVoice review tags: Creative, Zen, MP3, Digital Media Player

10 Comments »