Let's seal it for e-Ireland

dahamsta

[ It's been posted in another thread, but I thought it warranted one of it's own. Get drawing folks. ]

The Sunday Business Post

E-Ireland needs a new seal. There has never been one. But, since the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources last week said Ireland was the best IT country in the world (it also said something about endangered haddock) an illustrative motif is now needed.


I am therefore launching a national and international design competition for a seal worthy of Ireland's IT achievements. The competition is open to all amateur artists, designers, cartoonists, doodlers and caricaturists.

The winner's illustration will be printed on this page in two weeks. The sole condition is that it must incorporate E-Ireland's new [un]official slogan: Roll up, Roll out, Switch off.

Below, I have cobbled together a crude outline of what it could look like. In the panels, you can see a web developer receiving his P45, a dug-up city street with cables sticking out and a waffle.

But entrants may have their own vision of our nation's forward march into IT Eden. It could be a masked man with a pickaxe attacking a mobile phone mast.

Or the sharp red pen of a liquidator. Or the rolling autocue of a government e-minister.

Images of tranquillity might also feature. Such as the peaceful slumber of the thousands of miles of `dark' broadband fibre in the west of Ireland. Or the change of the seasons while waiting for an ISDN line to be installed.

[...]

spongebob

Well put that man Adrian Weckler.

I see ( I am in marketing fluff mode here )

A Rat paddling a filthy bathtub in a slime encrusted and stagnant pool...in my minds eye.

M

Hannibal_12

The best IT country in the world??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.
I am seriously starting to wonder if these people actually grasp whats going on at all or if they are completely removed from any semblance of reality whatsoever. I mean if this really is there official stance then we are in much more serious trouble than I thought and it will take nothing short of a Herculean effort by IOFFL and everyone else to even begin to dent their warped perception of "The best IT country in the World"-good god, no wonder Dublin's traffic is second only to Calcutta's for being the worst.
Talk of burying your head in the sand.

kamobe

Errorcom's logo would be perfect...

Cond0r

I am seriously starting to wonder if these people actually grasp whats going on at all or if they are completely removed from any semblance of reality whatsoever.

Chances are Dermot Ahern doesn't even have access to his own computer. He probably doesn't know enough about them and about internet access to even be able to comment on the situation himself. What is needed is someone qualified in IT to be the minister for communications, but of course that's never going to happen because all the TD's have are degrees in politics.
None of them are even semi clued in on whats going on. And they're too thick headed to listen because they think they know it all. Someone needs to speak with him face to face and inform him of the current dilema facing Ireland. But how can that be done? And as I said, even then he probably wouldn't listen.

Páid

Most government departments are computerised at this stage so I'm sure he has one on his desk and even has internet access provided by multiple ISDN modems which are on 24/7 (for the whole department).

I'm sure someone in his IT department could enlighten him as to the cost / availability of internet access in Ireland.

Imagine how much Errorcome are making on ISDN from government departments alone...........

Dangger

You may find this one hard to fathom. I know I certianly did but I have been told that Departmental use of the Internet is a closely monitored cost in all the departments.

Yes thats right cost of Internet access is an issue with many governmental departments who use ISDN access!

DOH! :rolleyes:

Páid

Surely multiple ISDN modems on 24/7 would be way more expensive than a leased line?

Do you know if there were tenders for providing internet access to all government departments?

milltown

I can see the connection between Seals and the marine and natural resources portfolios but I fail to see how the aquisition of a slippery barking thing that does cute clapping things with it's flippers is going to improve net access in this country.

MrPudding

In most of the government offices I've been in only a few staff have internet access. What I have seen on a number of occassions is a single 64 or 128k leased line. This provides internet for a chosen few and mail for whoever has it.

MrP

Páid

I don't want to go further off topic but.....

Maybe there isn't a standard government policy on the issue so individual departments choose between ISDN, leased line, etc.

Virtually every civil servant has email nowadays (and has had for years), most can send externally and about half have internet access (lower grades only get it if its required for them to carry out their work).

SkepticOne

Originally posted by milltown
I can see the connection between Seals and the marine and natural resources portfolios but I fail to see how the aquisition of a slippery barking thing that does cute clapping things with it's flippers is going to improve net access in this country.

I would be concerned that the department might not have the appropriate facilities to keep such an animal. What happened to the old one? Should the ISPCA be consulted?

DiscoStu

I'd be more worried about the distemper virus that is going around the european seal population. What would happen if the virus spread to the government ministers? <sarcasm>We couldnt have that now could we</sarcasm>

milltown

I agree with Disco Stu. The seal population needs to be wiped out before it infects all our computers with this temper virus he mentioned.
Let's not sit idly by while our government visits this evil upon us.
We need to start a new pressure group...

WHO'S WITH ME?

ednwireland

hey guy's try emailing your td's with a question and see how many replies you get, or even see how many read replies you get ( not neccessarily accurate) i normally get 1 read reply in emailing 8 of the north west td's and have NEVER had a reply. So you can see why i think these people will never understand the importance of cheap net access to business. you know the only way to sort this vote for the ones who reply. at least they will have a VVVVVVV basic knowledge of how to switch on a computer and use a basic email client. I have been using oireachtas.ie addresses to see if any of them actually read their email.

pork99

Chances are Dermot Ahern doesn't even have access to his own computer. He probably doesn't know enough about them and about internet access to even be able to comment on the situation himself. What is needed is someone qualified in IT to be the minister for communications, but of course that's never going to happen because all the TD's have are degrees in politics.

this is why errorcom will always get away with being sh1te - our Warrior of Destiny governors have a sort of cargo-cult colonised mentality; "we are but simple peasants knowing nothing of this ADSL of which you speak - come let us worship IBM Microsoft and Intel fetishes - great white Gods from beyond great sea bring prosperity - me like prosperity and me like much tribute in brown paper bag - make me happy"

I've made this point before but everything in this country is top-down, organised for the benefit of importing jobs and revenue from overseas multinationals. Thats what we're geared for and thats what the boys in the dail are comfortable with. Cheap broadband benefiting indigineous tech startups? Are there any wedges in brown paper bags in this for me? No? well feck off then!