Wexford the cultural capital of the south east

Posted on July 27, 2011 by admin

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We spent the weekend in wexford. It is great to see how the old and the new exist side by side. The opera house is fantastic and there is plenty to see and do. I can recommend the bookcentre for coffee only 1.40 for an espresso.

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What was missing from my kindle

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

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Dear amazon.

Please include a power adapter with the kindle. We use them so as to avoid switching on pcs.

Thanks

Liam

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We have moved! to wordpress

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

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I have been meaning to move irishsilicon to wordpress for a while. I plan to use my android phone to do some of the publishing as this will allow for more updates

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my broadband manifesto – lay pipes as you fix the roads

Posted on February 15, 2011 by admin

With a general election happening next week I have decided to highlight to all political parties a cheap and effective way to bring broadband to all of Ireland and we the tax payer will own the infrastructure,

The idea is deceptively simple but practical, as roads are being fixed or  dug up some extra pipes should be laid also. We can then at a later date place fibre optic cabling into these empty pipes. 
It will take a few years but the costs are minimal and we can charge the ISPs to use our fibre.
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Kilkenny down fall video, beaten by Tipperary in 2010 hurling final

Posted on November 22, 2010 by admin

We created the following video in recognition of the contribution that Upperchurch Drombane made to the Tipperary’s senior hurling team 2010.

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Terrestrial Irish Digital TV Saorview has arrived

Posted on November 8, 2010 by admin

I have been on a long hiatus from this web site due to a number of project and work commitments but I have come out of hibernation to mention that Ireland finally has terrestrial broadcasting of digital channels. Up untll now our reception of RTE1 and RTE 2 was so bad you couldn’t watch a hurling or soccer match on the TV as you could not read the scoreboard. With the advent of the digital broadcasting service we now have crystal clear pictures which meant our loss to south africa in the rugby while disappointing looked good on the TV.

The best part about the digital service was that no extra hardware had to be purchased or installed. Our TV in the sitting room has a built in MPEG4 digital decoder and we have a UHF aerial in the attic (not outside, but inside) for TV3 and TV4.
All I had to do was scan for digital channels and it found the 4 Irish TV channels. 2 High Def test channels and 10 digital radio channels. The TV guide feature is very nice and similar to the EPG service on satellite. The high definition test channels are stunning and slates on a roof never looked so beautiful and clear. The service is under testing and is due to be officially launched in spring 2011.
All in all I am very impressed with digital TV. RTE has more information about Saorview and how to receive it. At the end of 2012 the old analogue transmission will be switched off as mandated by the EU. Every home will need a digital receiver for each TV. RTE 2 has switched to High Definition Lite since Dec 2nd 2010 which means that the cheap SD receivers will no longer display the channel. 
The only option for home owners is to purchase a set top box that supports high definition. Powercity sell the only approved saorview box (as of Nov 2010) which is made by walker for 100 euros including delivery. More boxes are expected to appear on the irish market in early 2011. Hopefully competition will drive down the prices to reasonable levels.
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Software Development graduates are in demand in Ireland

Posted on September 2, 2010 by admin

With the news today that AOL is to hire another 20 software engineers (They hired 50 in June) and the fact that Amazon are looking for Java developers, I am still surprised that the interest in software development and ICT at a national level is still quiet muted. In a economy with rising unemployment students should consider a rewarding and challenging career with good prospects in software development. This includes a myriad of domains such as enterprise, sustainable energy, embedded systems etc.

Another multinational that is hiring is Google. At the moment they are looking for C, C++, Python, Perl, Java Experts in Dublin. They also recently announced they are going to create 200 new jobs at a new operations centre.

The  new B.Sc (Honours) in Computing (Smart Sustainable Energy) degree focuses on developing and designing innovative sustainable energy technology that solves energy problems. This innovative programme is essential in supporting the development of Ireland’s smart green economy. This programme addresses the requirement for a low carbon high-tech economy with the potential to create 80,000 jobs over the next decade as identified by the Green Enterprise Group in Dec 2009. The course is unique in Ireland and is built upon Tipperary Institute’s expertise in the sustainable energy sector. The course will commence in September 2010 and students can apply through the CAO, the course code is TI020 for level 7 and TI004 for level 7.

These graduates will focus on the design and implementation of new innovative systems which integrate technology with sustainable energy sources. Careers in this area include the following sectors:

  • Energy Management Systems
  • Electric car charging systems
  • Building Management Systems
  •  Automated energy controls for Industrial buildings
  •  Mobile communication solutions for energy systems
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Built to Spill – Carry the Zero

Posted on August 19, 2010 by admin

This american band are enjoying a revival and recently supported Dinosaur Jr at the Black Box in Galway. Its not often the support band rivals the headlining act

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Smart Sustainable Solar Homes require Smart Sustainable Software Developers

Posted on June 29, 2010 by admin

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A colleague of mine attended the European Solar Decathlon in Madrid. The objective was to build a 43 sqm solar powered home. These homes relied on a mix of clever building design, renewable and sustainable energy systems and the integration of smart technology to manage the home and its energy usage. The team members from various institutions contained a mix of builders, designers, renewable energy engineers and software developers. Several of the teams had a least 3 software developers on their team. The language of choice being C++. The technology platform of choice for building automation was Siemens Apogee

 

The students who will commence our new Computing Degree in Smart Sustainable Energy (CAO Code TI020) will be studying both C++ and Building Automation systems and hopefully in the future will play a part in these Solar Decathlons. 
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CAO deadline is July 1st for Smart Sustainable Energy Degree

Posted on June 23, 2010 by admin

The closing date for change of mind in 17.15 on July 1st  For students who wish to apply for our new 4 year level 8 in Computing in Smart Sustainable energy the CAO code is TI020. The 3 year level 7 programme in Computing in Smart Sustainable Energy is TI004 on the CAO

The  new B.Sc (Honours) in Computing (Smart Sustainable Energy) degree focuses on developing and designing innovative sustainable energy technology
that solves energy problems. This innovative programme is essential in
supporting the development of Ireland’s smart green economy. This programme
addresses the requirement for a low carbon high-tech economy with the potential
to create 80,000 jobs over the next decade as identified by the Green Enterprise
Group in Dec 2009. The course is unique in Ireland and is built upon Tipperary
Institute’s expertise in the sustainable energy sector. The course will
commence in September 2010 and students can apply through the CAO.

These graduates will focus on the
design and implementation of new innovative systems which integrate technology
with sustainable energy sources. Careers in this area include the following
sectors:

  • Energy Management Systems
  • Electric car charging systems
  • Building Management Systems
  •  Automated energy controls for Industrial buildings
  •  Mobile communication solutions for energy systems

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