Editorial
The recent ComReg “Irish Communications Market Quarterly Key Data Report - March 2008” states that there are 1,213,100 internet subscriptions in Ireland. A high proportion of subscriptions (278,600) are still for metered narrowband and 48,300 on flat rate narrowband. 549,600 are on ADSL broadband and 336,600 are on other broadband packages. That puts the broadband subscription rate at a comparatively low (by European standards) 886,300 (or 20.54% penetration) with 51% of subscribers still on 1Mbps – 1.99 Mbps. With 1,469,000 households in the state that is roughly 582,700 households still not availing of broadband connectivity.
In comparison, there are over 1,459,000 television subscribers with 1,099,000 happy to subscribe to a Pay TV platform (for a minimum €20 extra per month). Likewise, as of December 2007, there are over 5 million mobile phone subscriptions with 74% pre-paid happy to pay on average €44.33 per month. |
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The overwhelming message is that Ireland’s broadband uptake is considerably lagging behind the penetration of other communication platforms. We are a nation that likes to “talk” and watch scheduled television programming, but not to interact and communicate online to the same extent. This has serious repercussions for a country that seeks to model itself as a thriving “knowledge” economy. It also has negative knock-on consequences in terms of supporting an indigenous market for digital content and services online. In all areas of government, civic interaction, entertainment and lifestyle choices, Ireland is sadly lacking in terms of online interaction.
So where does the problem lie? Many point the finger at the lack of broadband infrastructure, but that is simply not true when you consider that in terms of ADSL, the main incumbent - Eircom - have enabled a far greater number of lines then are actually being used. Also, there are now a number of alternative wireless broadband operators offering competitive services across the country. Yes, price has been a barrier – but with the entry of mobile operators into the broadband arena and more competition among service providers, this is no longer as valid an argument. So the problem must lie elsewhere.
Anecdotally, much of the blame can be put down to the perceived “digital divide” which sees a generation of “Digital Migrants” (born before 1976) whose daily use of digital devices, especially in an online capacity, is severely curtailed due to a “fear factor” around the technology. Although happy to use voice communications over mobile and email, this generation is caught in a Web 1.0 rut that sees them avoiding much of the “content rich” services and applications such as online video, social networking, Voice Over IP, software as services and online gaming activities that require broadband.
In effect, the above ComReg figures illustrate clearly that there is a sizeable generation of household decision makers in Ireland born before 1976 who do not see the full value of a broadband connection compared to a Digital television subscription or multiple mobile phone subscriptions in the family home. Until this perception is eradicated, the poor uptake of broadband (both in terms of access and bandwidth options) will continue. |
 Not a common sight |
The only way to eradicate this is through education and more public awareness. We have always argued in this column that broadband should be seen as a utility as important and necessary as gas, oil, water and electricity. However, where as those other utilities have explicit uses – be it heating a house or watching television, the benefits of broadband are not as readily clear to an older audience. But you need only imagine how teaching an elderly person to use Skype Video so that they can communicate with their children and grandchildren abroad, would illustrate wonderfully the benefits of broadband.
ICT education and digital literacy programmes in the schools are also vital as the “pester power” of children will be a motivating force in getting reluctant “Digital Migrant” parents connected. Where affordability is an issue, then we must look at subsidy. Where access is an issue, then we need to intervene. In tandem with developing and encouraging standard literacy programmes in disadvantaged areas, the potential of the internet to aid education in the home is obviously huge too. Perhaps it is the policy makers themselves who are most in need of being educated as to the benefits of digital literacy. Until we cross that digital divide – which is generational and not socio-economic – then we are potentially leaving the majority of our citizens disconnected in an age where connectivity is increasingly what counts.
Software Developer Kits
Technological innovation and cultural change have always gone hand in hand. To paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke, when a sufficiently developed technology becomes indistinguishable from magic, we no longer see the technology; but we do start taking the “magic” for granted. Let’s stop and think for a moment about the “magic” we are using everyday: electric light bulbs, automated central heating, mobile phones, sat-navs, even this laptop that The Hub is writing on.
Technology has managed to inveigle its way into our lives more then we perhaps acknowledge. And yet the majority of us still remain aloof from technology, seeing it as some sort of minor “geekdom” and certainly not having the same cultural merit as say, art, literature or the discussion of current affairs or football, for that matter. |
Lightbulb moments |
But there is a burgeoning cultural shift that is just getting underway, a shift that will see a generation embrace progressive technological innovation in the same way that previous generations embraced music, films, art and sport as cultural identifiers. We are rapidly seeing technology being freed from its cultural ghetto and like many cultural movements it will be led by the young. The teenage revolution of the 1950’s – which blossomed into the significant socio-political and cultural changes of the 1960’s – had its beginnings in a number of simple technical innovations: the electric guitar, the portable record player and the car radio. The invention of the electric guitar by Adolph Rickenbacker in 1931 brought a new sound that paved the way for the convergence of black gospel music and rhythm and blues, bringing it to a majority white audience that adopted it as their own. With pioneers like Bill Hailey and the Comets and then, more significantly, followed by the protégés of the melting pot Sun Recording Studios in Memphis - Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis - Rock N’ Roll became mainstream.
Again, the distribution of this music lay in the convergence of two other technological innovations: Ford Motor Cars mass assembly line which led to the cheap availability of automobiles to a booming US economy, in turn allowed America’s youth parade up and down the streets and boulevards as depicted nostalgically in George Lucas’ film ‘American Graffiti’.
Emanating from their cars, of course, was music, courtesy of another great technology: the car radio. It was the radio that gave disaffected teens in the suburbs and cities of the United States a point of connection as they collectively tuned in to DJ’s like “Wolfman Jack”, playing the latest hits coming out of Motown or Sun Studios or whatever was popular in the Billboard charts, defining what was cool for the youth of America. |
Wolfman Jack |
Similar technological innovations, The Hub would argue, are currently laying the foundations of an equally momentous cultural shift now. With the availability of ubiquitous high-speed broadband and cheap digital devices with massive storage capability, young consumers (much the same as in the 1950s) are becoming united around Software Developer Kits as the D.I.Y. ethos of the internet gains pace. Kids of the 1950’s were passive consumers of Rock N’ Roll – getting it where they could on the television, the radio, in the record stores or even more rarely, at live venues. In contrast, for kids of the 2010’s, it isn’t just a style of music that is being swapped, shared and enjoyed – it is anything that exists in binary code, be it audio, video, games, photos, websites, applications or a “mash-up” of all of them. The only criteria being – as it always has been – “Is it cool?”. But one big difference is that no-one Corporation or individual will be cultural arbiter of what is cool. Instead it will be judged by the wisdom of the crowds spread across the multitude of social networks such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo and the cleverly optimised responses of search engines.
This generation’s digital devices are the equivalent of the car radios and gramophones of the 50s. They are both creators and distributors of the content, as they desperately try and define for themselves and their generation what’s cool.
So what are these Software Developer Kits? Well, in order to understand them, we must first understand the momentous shift that has taken place on the internet over the last decade. Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media, coined the phrase Web 2.0 as an all-encompassing term to delineate this new participative, open phase of the web as distinct from the previous more passive Web 1.0 phase during the so-called dot-com era. In response to this growing trend, some of the larger websites and communities such as eBay, Amazon and Google are opening up access to their infrastructure, embracing the open source software philosophy (in varying degrees) and empowering users to develop their own content and applications to run on these new platforms.
At present, the whole infrastructure to allow the above happen seamlessly is being built up all around us: It is called “the Cloud”. The term derives from the common depiction in most technology architecture diagrams, of the Internet (or IP availability), using an illustration of a cloud. |
 Cloud Computing |
The computing resources being accessed are typically owned and operated by a third-party provider (such as Amazon or Google) on a consolidated basis in Data Center locations. Users simply upload and store their self-created content and applications and freely allow other people download and modify them. The term used to describe this service is “Cloud Computing’ and it is most certainly the next big evolution for the internet and all devices that connect to it. The sort of applications being developed are anything from scrabble games or Am I Hot or Not? apps on Facebook to more serious mash-up applications such as the ones used during Hurricane Katrina which used Google Maps as a way to locate victims or notify people as to where accommodation could be found.
However, if Ireland is to lead the way rather then follow the crowd, there are certain key things we need to do now... or else watch the likes of India and China run away with the prize. Firstly, we need to ensure that our broadband infrastructure is up to scratch and made available to everyone in society. |
Apple iPhone |
Free where possible (libraries, schools, urban centres etc.) and cheaply available where not. Secondly, we need to educate our young people in how to programme these new Software Developer Kits that are already available now for a host of devices and online applications such as Apple iPhone, iTouch, Facebook and Google Apps. These Kits allow anyone to program applications across a whole range of devices and platforms. The Software Developer Kits give enthusiasts the tools and instructions to create a whole range of applications on whatever infrastructure that the patron provides – such as Google, Amazon or Facebook. Mashing-up Google Maps with a dog walking service or an online treasure hunt can suddenly create a workable business proposition for little or no money in terms of prototype and development.
When we have achieved this, then we can truly claim to have a knowledge society and encourage other young entrepreneurs to emulate the teenage millionaires John and Patrick Collison who sold their eBay application, Auctomatic, to Canadian firm Live Current Media for more than €3m this year. Never before has the opportunity existed for such immediate access to global markets with such small start up costs. |
Patrick Collison of Auctomatic |
All that is required is a broadband connection, a PC and the necessary ICT skills and anyone can be selling digital content and applications online to a global audience. So rather then having a sullen teenager sitting in their bedroom listening to obscure music, we can have active teenagers sharing their content and better still, earning their own pocket money from a range of entrepreneurial activities. It’s not Rock and Roll, but mark my words…they’ll like it.
News
New website launched by The Digital Hub
On www.thedigitalhubexhibit.com members will be able to network with like minded individuals, keep up to date with the latest news and opportunities in The Digital Hub and digital media in general.
The website also allows users to find out about The Digital Hub’s innovative Exhibit Series and apply to take part in an exhibition in there. It provides a simple platform for members to suggest themes for exhibitions or a Talk Digital in The Digital Hub. Members are welcome to post notices of their own events or news they would like to share. A gallery of events held in The Digital Hub is also online.
Create an account today: www.thedigitalhubexhibit.com
Brandmail Solutions win AIM award for marketing innovation
Brandmail Solutions have been named the winners of an AIM award for Marketing Innovation at the 2008 All-Ireland Marketing Awards. The award was presented to Ronan Farren, VP Operations – Europe, at the award ceremony on the 22nd of May 2008 at the Citywest Hotel.
The Marketing Institute of Ireland first launched these awards last year, and the gala dinner was the culmination of a major programme involving the adjudication of hundreds of entries, and the interviewing of scores of short listed finalists by expert judging panels.
For more information on the Awards please visit: www.aimawards.ie
Founded in 2006, and with offices in Germany, US and The Digital Hub, Brandmail Solutions is a global innovator in email authentication and branding. Working with technology companies and service providers across the email ecosystem, it has brought to market a complete, scalable branded email facility, featuring the sender's logo as a mark of trust, and a guarantee that the email is genuine and safe to open. The presence of the sender’s logo in the email inbox provides the consumer with a feeling of safety, the sender with an additional brand impression, and partner ISPs with a valuable new revenue stream.
iFoods win award
iFoods have taken third place at the recent final of the 2008 Start up 2.0 Awards. More than 300 projects took part in the contest, from which 10 were shortlisted by online votes and a jury to participate in the final in Barcelona on 21st of May 2008.
iFoods features over 130 professionally produced, high quality video recipes filmed with resident chefs Niall Harbison and Pieter Plaetinck. Both chefs have cooked in some of the finest establishments and have cooked for the likes of Bill Gates, Donald Trump, U2, Tom Hanks and many more. The website also has a social community of food lovers who can upload their own video recipes, share photos, build their profiles and interact with other food lovers. The service is completely free for all users and is based on an advertising model.
For further information on StartUp 2.0 please visit www.startup2.eu and www.ifoods.tv
Launch of Elevate – Learning at The Digital Hub
Since 2003 the Digital Hub Learning Initiative has operated in the Dublin 8 area, with the aim of giving the local community and local schools access to digital technology. The Initiative was officially re-named Elevate, Learning at The Digital Hub on Thursday, 5th June 2008 at a ceremony held in The Digital Hub.
Since 2003, The Digital Hub has delivered a range of learning projects through local schools and community organisations in Dublin’s South West Inner City. All of these projects will now fall under the ‘Elevate’ banner.
Speaking at the launch of Elevate, Philip Flynn, Chief Executive Officer of DHDA, said the Irish education system must be overhauled to ensure students and teachers at all levels have the resources and skills necessary to fully embrace digital technologies. The Government needs to revolutionise Ireland’s education system through increasing the use of digital technologies across all curriculums and introducing digital media elements to Junior and Leaving Cert exams. Greater emphasis on digital skills would not only enhance Ireland’s future economic competitiveness, but would also succeed in making school more relevant for today’s students, according to The Digital Hub.
To celebrate the launch of Elevate, a Learning Showcase was also held in The Digital Hub. Local primary and secondary school students showcased interactive digital media projects, alongside a number of community learning projects from learners of all ages. The theme of the showcase was digital literacy and some of the projects included, Digital storytelling projects using Photostory 3, Animation projects, Podcasting projects, Digital literacy projects using social networking, Gaming for learning’ exhibits and Eduwear (smart textiles).
Further information on ‘Elevate’ is available at: www.thedigitalhubelevate.com
June 30th: The Digital Hub Enterprise Survey 2007
Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources visited The Digital Hub on 30th of June 2008 to launch the publication of the first ever Digital Hub Enterprise Survey. The report, “The Digital Hub Enterprise Survey 2007”, is the result of a census of digital media companies located in The Digital Hub that was undertaken towards the end of 2007.
For more information on the report and its findings visit www.thedigitalhub.com
Events
June 30th: Salesforce.com Tour de Force
Location: Burlington Hotel, Dublin
Time: 9am
Salesforce.com, producer of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), is bringing the free worldwide road show to Dublin. Specific tracks and sessions designed for CIOs, IT managers, and developers, Tour de Force attendees will receive practical and actionable knowledge for developing and delivering business applications entirely on demand. Keynote Presentations: Polly Sumner President of Platform, Alliances & Services, salesforce.com; David Turner Group Marketing Director, CODA Group International Ltd; Colin Cooper CEO, Fairsail. The afternoon breaks out into dedicated sessions with a networking reception towards the end of the day.
More info: kerri@simpsonftpr.ie
Tel: 01 260 5300
http://tour.force.com/city/?city=55
May 15th: IIA Congress
Location: Burlington Hotel, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4
Time: 8:15am
Price: Free
The Test Event held by Insight will focus on Test as a value add business rather than just a necessary technical activity and how to develop a business plan for testing. There will be a series of presentations to show you how to develop a business case for investment in Agile, Test Automation and Outsourcing.
More info: events@insight-test.com
Tel: 6762389
http://www.insight-test.com/NewsandEvents/Events/index.html#
July 10th: Measuring Campaign Success Online
Location: IPA, 57-61 Lansdowne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Time: 9:30am
Price: EUR145 Members (EUR210 Non Members)
A half day course that will focus on how to measure the various aspects of your online activity, leading to more successful online strategies and ultimately a better return on investment. Presented by the Irish Internet Association and ICAN, Ireland's leading interactive advertising agency.
More info: events@iia.ie
Tel: 01-542 4154
http://www.iia.ie/events/event/147/measuring-campaign-success-online/
July 10th: 2008 Conference European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group (EuSpRIG)
Location: University of Greenwich, London, UK
Time: 8:30am
Price: EUR 395
The European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group (EuSpRIG), in association with the promoters of Spreadsheet Safe, holds its 2008 conference "In Pursuit of Spreadsheet Excellence" at the . Speakers from Ireland include the sponsors Q-Validus based at NovaUCD, Anthony McGeady of AIB Capital Markets, who will be speaking on "End User Computing in AIB Capital Markets: A Management Summary", Patrick O'Beirne of Systems Modeling on "Information and Data Quality in Spreadsheets", Jamie Chambers of Chambers Consulting on "Controlling EUC Applications -- a case study", and Dundalk Institute of Technology will feature two research papers by Kevin McDaid, Brian Bishop, and Derek Flood.
More info: grenville@spreadsheetrisks.com
Tel: +44 (0) 7935 323499
http://www.eusprig.org