The Original Sims

… in the BBC at least. The BBC Pronunciation Unit of the BBC is a wonderful establishment and when I worked in radio I would often use their advice and sometimes send themadvice of my own.  Recently they undertook a consiltation on how the easilly written web 2.0 should be said.  now lets be clear.  The PU give guidence and advice, so you can pronounce it what ever way you want to.  What they wanted to know was what is best practice.

Votes cast for “two point oh”: 74%
Votes cast for “two point zero”: 14%
Votes cast for “two point nought”: 5%
Votes cast for “something else” (“web two”, “two oh” and “two dot zero” were mentioned): 5%
Votes cast for “two dot oh”: 2%

 

My own favourite is WebTwo Nil - but more usually two point oh.  And that’s what I’ll stick to.

Other things Belfast has lent its name to:

The Sink
 
The Airplane

The Ship

At the final meeting of the “Reference Group” three possible Brands or Logos were put out for discussion and final decisions.  While I’ve never been told that the Reference Group were bound by Chatham House Rules or by a confidentially agreement, I think it would be wrong to be indiscreet. So I won’t be (even though on my Mobile I have a photo of the likely new logo).

The Reference Group is a sort of well informed (and very well fed) focus group.  It is composed of people from Business, Politics, Media and so on.  We were given three tested logos to review and asked to come up with some ideas about launching the new Belfast Brand.  One was rather futuristic (that was the one that I liked), one was a block typeface mess and the final one was warm and cuddly.  That was the most popular among “Locals” and “Potential Visitors”.

I made a quick presentation on behalf of “The Media” – it amazing how quiet mejia people become when asked to present.  So it was a quick commitment of sorts from us and off to get the train home.  Did suggest loudly to the Lord Mayor that he could give me a lift and drop me off on his way home in his chauffer driven car (he lives a five minute walk from me).  But he didn’t take the hint.

Anyway – I have what is likely to be the basis of the final version of the new Brand for Belfast on my mobile.  Stop me and ask and I’ll show you.

Northern Ireland Digital Inclusion Board, has been working for four years trying to find ways to make digital technology more available to everyone.  It’s a mighty challenge.  The thresholds many people have to cross are significant; Cost - this kit is not cheap, neither are Connections.  And if you haven’t grown up with the technology, the Confidence to use it is another factor.

I’ve been on the Board since its inception and it is a privilege to work with so many committed and bright people who have the common goal of bringing digital technology to ordinary people in Northern Ireland regardless of age or background.

At a conference in Reuters last year I discovered that people from poor and emerging nations of the world use mobile phones differently to the way we do.  The mobile is for them the PC to us.  Then in an Ofcom review I discovered that we in Northern Ireland use our mobiles differently to the rest of the UK.  We have more "pay as you go", we text more.

But the challenges faced by people here are as nothing to people in developing countries.  This from the Economist:

Internet access depends on equipment: PCs and mobile handsets that can send data, and routers and data-centres to receive and direct it. For the actual access points, poor countries are already teeming with (admittedly congested) mobile networks. Lots of small internet service providers (ISPs) ply their wares in poor countries, but they are basically reselling bandwidth from larger operators. To get online, they must hook onto the global internet backbone (that is, connect to Europe, America or a well-wired Asian country like China, Japan or Singapore—somewhere to rout the traffic globally).

That is where the problem lies. For developing countries, this is difficult and costly. They lack—and therefore must build—optical-fibre lines. Using satellites is unrealistic: there is not enough capacity; the delay times are too long and it is even more expensive than land-based connections (around four times more expensive in the case of Nepal, for example).

A recent OECD report called “Global Opportunities for Internet Access Development,” considers this problem. It blames national telecom-firms with monopolies over the “international gateways” for inflating access costs. It explains the necessity of building out internet exchange points so ISPs can swap traffic nationally or regionally. And it notes that most of the world’s undersea cable capacity is now owned by India and China, not Western countries—this, too, few might have imagined a decade ago.

But the report ignores the bitterest point: the cost and difficulty of laying lines to far-flung places where people have little money means that it is hard to see a commercial venture doing so, or a viable market being created.

"Over obsessing on the West Wing", I thought. "Reading too much into what’s happening!"  The West Wing has been off for quite a while now, and just when you might expect Series 8 to begin, we have a real life politico-drama playing out on CNN and BBC News 24. 

The young inexperienced Congressman fighting for leadership of the Democratic Party against the odds and the sitting VP.  The prize is the Presidency.  For that he will fight a "spry" Senator aged 70 and played by Alan Alda.  The real life story line is almost identical except the VP is the former Democratic President’s wife and the Hispanic Santos is Barak Obama.

I didn’t want ot mention these observations to anyone lest they think my enjoyment of West Wing is becoming obsessive.  Then I discover not only am I not alone, but my observations are correct.

Read On

 

A note from Stuart Bailie who writes on the Radio Ulster blog-

"I’ve been shortlisted for the Best Music Blog category in the Irish Blog Awards March 1.

http://awards.ie/blogawards/

Which is nice. "

Good man, Stuart.

A call from the Irish Digital Media Awards a month or so back; bbc.co.uk/northernireland  had not been nominated for an award. I decided there was not a lot of point going to the awards ceremony which is generally a pretty good night out.  Was also told that Will and Testament was not nominated for Best Blog.

But in the event held in Dublin last week, our site bbc.co.uk/northernireland was "Commended for the Outstanding Entry".  We were beaten by a web site about Energy Efficiency in Ireland http://www.powerofone.ie/. 

Will and Testament also received a "Commendation for Outstanding Entry".  The winner was deservedly The Waiting Game.

We had only the two entries this year and over the last four years have won two Irish Digital Media Awards (including my own Hall of Fame Award) and have been short listed every year
Naturally (and properly) best wishes go to the winners.

Now waiting to hear about The Webbies and  BAFTA Interactive for the NW200 site.  Breath is being held.

I have no memory of this pic being taken but I guess it was around 1985

Others in the photo Feargal Sharkey, Caron Keating, Pat Jennings, me, Eamonn Holmes, Jackie Hamilton

Saturday night and so to the Whitla Hall for a concert by Brian Irvine, his ensemble and the Ulster Orchestra. This was a musical experience outside my normal ambit, but was stunning.  Can’t remember the last time I was in the Whitla - but I do remember seeing Horslips there (for 30p) a very long time ago and even Focus.

I won’t attempt a musical crit - I don’t think I have the language; but enough to say, I’d go again.

Digital Media

At the beginning of the 20th century - 108 years and 30 days ago - Belfast was a world economic power. It was a century of unparalleled growth, of technology, of invention. And Belfast was a leading player at the beginning of a technological century.

On this day 100 years ago, in this city, almost on this very spot was the

• world’s biggest dry dock.
• Belfast had the world’s biggest Rope Works, (just half a mile from where we are now)
• It built the biggest ships,
• it had the worlds biggest cigarette factory within walking distance from this room
• and the biggest fizzy drinks producer.

Belfast was a glorious example of the industrial revolution - and it’s products were distributed across the world.

• But the world’s biggest passenger liner sank - on her maiden voyage.
• Ship building moved from the Lagan - and the Clyde - to the Far East where even bigger ships costing less could be built.
• The demand for rope declined as the need for rigging disappeared.
• The Cantrell and Cochrane label was replaced by Pepsi and Coke in the world of fizzy drinks.
• And in the mid 1950s it was discovered that cigarettes were not the health giving cure-all that people had been led to believe.

In the closing days of the 20th century Belfast was known less for industry and more for civil unrest.
Yet new and emerging businesses here have Titanic ambitions for our Titanic Quarter.

100 years ago Belfast’s industry was based on gathering and manipulating Atoms and exporting them around the world. Today is indented to be no less than a turning point where we look to the future and begin to build industry based on the manipulation of Digits - not Atoms.
And not just Belfast, but all of Northern Ireland. Already much work has been done in this city and out side. One of the exhibitors this evening Dark Water is from Derry. Dermot Cavana is from the Moy. Did you ever think that the Moy would be at the beginning of Northern Ireland’s digital revolution. Today is about digital Progress for all of Northern Ireland.

This evening we will hear from leading thinkers and practitioners. You can see the work carried out through the Digital Content Initiative. And there is the important opportunity to begin to create your own networks.

We can’t foretell the future, but we can guess one thing at least; Future success will be based on co-operation collaboration and partnerships.

Digital Media