John Keyes

From Sony:

I can advise that PlayStation Network Master Accounts created on a PlayStation 3 console do not currently require e-mail verification during the account creation process.

After all, the evils committed by those in power can be suffocating, and the sense of powerlessness that erupts can be paralyzing, especially when … government evildoers almost always get away with their crimes.

The above quote is from Pravda (see Daniel Ellsberg’s piece on WikiLeaks) and is what they say is the reason Americans are politically apathetic.

I believe it also mirrors the general feeling of Irish people, and the handling of the property/banking/Fianna Fáil/Bertie Ahern crisis.

I will continue to work hard to fulfill my financial responsibilities, both national and personal. That is my responsibility, and regardless of what those national responsibilities are, as a citizen of this country it is required of me to fulfill them.

I know Ireland will survive the trials caused by the ridiculously pathetic and embarrassing situation our corrupt and unapologetic Government have landed us in. They continue to govern our country with no “mandate” (I fucking hate that word), they continue to hammer out deals that are shrouded in secrecy, and they continue to treat the populace with unflinching contempt (one has to admire their steadfast application).

As I said, I know we will survive, but the fact that so many individuals who should be facing criminal proceedings will walk free, will stick in my craw. Those individuals will not have to accept their culpability because our Government will not fulfill their responsibility to us.

Ireland is an international laughing stock. A country with no spine, an electorate who forgive national failings for local gain, an economy dependent on foreign investment, and a Government of lying cowards.

For, thus I hoped some day to aid,
Oh, can such hope be vain ?
When my dear country shall be made
A Nation once again!

My football team (even though I haven’t played for them for a few years they’re still my team), Iona, are running another English Premier League Last Man Standing competition. It’s starting this weekend (Nov 27th) and costs €10 to enter (subsequent entries are €5 each).

The rules are simple. For each round of fixtures you must pick a team to win. The tricky part is that you cannot pick the same team twice. If you forget to make a pick, the best placed team you haven’t already picked is selected by default. If the team you pick loses, you lose a life. Lose another and you’re out of the game.

The prize is a sum of money that is determined by the number of entries. The more entries the more prize money. Last time around first prize was €900 (there were 183 entries). The remaining money is put back into the club.

Each week the fixtures and picks are emailed to every entrant, so the process is completely transparent.

If you’re interested in playing send an email to johnkeyes@gmail.com and I’ll put you in touch with Keith Doyle (the organiser).

For once there is an Irish Public Sector “social media” encounter that might just work. An Garda Síochána have a Flickr account that provides function as well as fluff.

The first thing that strikes me is that person looking after the account knows what they are doing. There are no IMG00234.jpg titles and they have the photos neatly organised in sets.

Their lost and found photosets are divided in two, one for bicycles, and one for other lost property.

Each item is clearly photographed, with a reference, and contact information for the Garda Station where the item is located. Who knows if this will scale well country wide, but it’s a good place to start.

We all hear about the deaths of UK and US troops, it’s great fodder for News networks and war mongers. This map though pinpoints where 65,649 Iraqi civilians have died and allows you to visualize the results in context of some major US cities (New York, Washington, LA).

The goal of this project is to give you a better perspective on the toll that war has taken on the civilian population of Iraq. By clicking on one of the cities below, the map of a place you are familiar with will be overlaid with data representing civilian deaths in Iraq over a five year period.

This idea allows people to apply context to the data, and eliminates some of the ambiguity introduced by geographical awareness.