21 December 2002

Nokia Screensavers Got a Lot Easier Kilkenny -- Along with some friends, I'm tricking up my Nokia phone with some of the coolest screensavers. It's much easier to get these things nowadays, especially compared to how things were back when I bought my Nokia 7110. It took me the time to order and eat a pizza before I got that phone configured for WAP. Today, Irish network operators supply Nokia phones with WAP features ready-configured, so you do not have to do anything in order to use WAP. All you need to do is save it. That guarantees the easy transfer of millions of euro, paid by those who want really cool colour animations on their new Nokia phones.   [Comment on Shoptalk]

Taxonomy and PR on the Semantic Web Mark Pilgrim -- Mark frets about taxonomy and how it's so difficult trying to agree on a common lexicon. The problem becomes even more significant when sitting around a table discussing a product launch with marketers, technicians and sales managers. It's an age-old issue and it reflects our failure to insist on precision in expression. [Dive Into Mark]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

Irish Phone Users Overcharged ALTO -- The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operatios (Alto) claims fixed line operators such as Eircom are paying over €300m a year to mobile phone companies for use of their networks. According to Alto, only €55.4m of that money can be justified using acceptable market rates. Put another way, each month spent by the Irish telecoms Regulator introducing cost-based termination rates imposes an extra cost of over €20m on the industry and consumers. [Irish Examiner and Gavin Daly]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

Housebreaking My New Dog in Seven Days [day one] GARRINGREEN -- Like Ben Hammersley, I have a new puppy and the challenge of the holiday season is to housebreak her. She is relieving herself with generous, well-formed droppings on the hallway tile. I guess that's not unusual because she spent the first three months of her life standing and pooing on concrete. I have taken her on one 20 minute walk. She didn't pee or poo so I couldn't compliment her. I can sense challenging times ahead. I guess I could make a Christmas wish for a book about training dogs but she likes eating The Irish Times and teething on the 2003 IPA Yearbook and Diary, so I can't imagine she would let me get through a book without tearing a few pages out of it for herself. She certainly doesn't think newspapers are for reading or defecating because she seems to know humans wrap their fish and chips in newsprint so it's alright for her to shred the papers as well. [Shirlee Kalstone for a book and Ben Hammersley (link is FOAF) for Pico Poo.]   [Comment on Shoptalk]