Golden Spiders 2009 shortlist announced today...

The shortlist for the 2000 Golden Spiders Awards was announced today.

All available on a Google Spreadsheet right here.

Congratulations to everyone nominated. The awards are on November 19.

Seats are €300 and table of 10 costs €2,900. Ex VAT.

For the win.

All Together Now stop frame animation - Budweiser tribute

Because I was one of the people at the Budweiser Lyrics preview evening in Dublin earlier this year thanks to the lovely (and I mean lovely!) people at WHPR, and uploaded the ad to YouTube, I still get the odd notification of new videos being made as a tribute to the ad.

Like this new one by You Tube user ijbellehy1981, which I adore. The creativity is astounding.



The original ad:



And all for http://www.alltogethernow.ie. Lovely stuff.

Sometimes a press release says it all: the mysterydates.ie twitter singles night

Subject line: "A complimentary Invitation to Ireland first Singles 'Twitter' party with mysterydates.ie"

Saturday October 31st will see the official launch of mysterydates.ie in a twitterparty. Ireland’s premier events dating company will launch Ireland’s first twitter party in Kobra Bar, Leeson Street at 8 pm.

Daters will be given twitter addresses if they do not have their own so their personal identities will not be revealed to other daters.

Daters can then flirt virtually on large television screens in the bar via their twitter accounts with other daters. If the flirting on screen goes well a pair of dates may want to take the flirting offline. And if both parties agree mysterydates.ie will release their names so that the daters can flirt face to face at the party.

Seriously now, what could I add to that?

Oh wait, this:

“Twitter offers a great new way for single people to have fun at our party and flirt virtually,” said Hugh Redmond from mysterydates.ie. “Daters want to have fun and remain a bit mysterious initially and Twitter is ideal for this.”

So yeah.

Log on to www.mysterydates.ie to pre-register for the unique dating event which costs just 20 euro or ring 087-939-5381.

Halloween seems like the perfect time for it too.

Good morning to you #1

For Stephanie.

Take on me:



Stained glass window, Kilkenny



Starlings on Ot Moor



A comic by Seán



I took this photo around this time last year



I searched for "smile of the day" for you and found this:


Via Joice Maduka

Blogging the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2009

This weekend I'm heading south with Steph to blog, tweet, twitpix and otherwise record and experience the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2009.

It's an event running over 30 years but this is the first time I'll have been down for it - in fact it's my first major jazz event!

Having been all souled up at this year's Dublin City Soul Festival I'm looking forward to hearing a different type of music and experiencing a different vibe. Huge thanks to Guinness for the invitation and opportunity!

This year's festival features over 1,000 musicians from 29 countries, so I'm sure there'll be some interesting choices for me. Having gone through the programme diligently and repeatedly, I'm hoping I get to experience the following (and here's where you'll find me to buy me a pint/slap me for all the bad jokes):

Friday:

First off it's to Jazz at the College lunchtime concert at UCC's Aula Maxima with Grace McMahon and the Paul O'Donnell Group.

Heading on then at 3pm to see a jazz group called The Club Men in the Festival club



The group above are called The Bad Plus - comprised of Ethan Iverson on piano/keyboard, Reid Anderson on electric bass and Dave King on drums - and I love the description -

The Bad Plus has undoubtedly exploded all notions of what a jazz piano trio should sound like – whether at rock festivals, jazz clubs or symphony halls. According to Rolling Stone, 'By any standard, jazz or otherwise, this is mighty, moving music … hot players with hard-rock hearts.'

They'll be doing a double bill with Sun Ra Arkestra in the Everyman Theatre on Friday evening from 20:30.

Finally then off to watch the superb Hypnotic Brass Ensemble in the Pavillion from 23:30.

SATURDAY



Saturday starts a trip to CIT and the Cork School of Music for a Family Jazz Big Band Concert with musical director John O' Connor conducting the band, made up of senior degree and post-graduate students of the School who will play "popular and exciting big band favourites."



Yurodny is one of my "don't want to miss" events.

Featuring guest musicians from around the world, this group apparently have a a repertoire that ranges from gypsy melodies to experimental electronica, crossing the tundra of jazz along the way. The line up looks like a great list of musicians including Cora Venus Lunny, Ben Davis, Kate Ellis, Oleg Ponomarov and Tom Arthurs .

They're in the Everyman Theatre at 2pm as part of a double bill with Al Di Meola.



This (well the dancing part) could well be us after our Swing Dance Lesson on Saturday afternoon, if we don't go to the Jazz Poetry session (daddio) instead.

We'll then be heading on to see the Garda Siochana Band performing with Togetherness Gadjo Jazz at the Festival club at 15:30 before a break for the Cork Tweetup where it'll be nice to put names to faces.

Then we go to a concert I'm greatly anticipating - Mr Kurt Elling, singing Coltraine and Hartman.

Described by the New York Times as ‘the standout male jazz vocalist of our times’, Kurt’s rich voice displays an astonishing technical facility and emotional depth. He celebrates in Cork the launch of his latest album ‘Dedicated to You’, his stunning interpretation of the classic Coltrane/Hartman album.

Special guest is Grammy winner Ernie Watts, one of the most versatile sax players on the world scene in the past 40 years.

Elling is in the Everyman Theatre at 8pm.

Also on that evening that I'd love to have seen is the already SOLD OUT Imelda May gig at 20:30 in The Savoy of Patrick St over in The Pavilion is Fionn Regan at 8pm.

SUNDAY

We'll be starting Sunday with mass. As it should be. A Jazz mass.

Join this truly celebratory and spiritual Harvest Jazz service at Cork’s most historic church - a morning of jazz joy featuring the Bla Mondag (Blue Monday) Jazz Band from Copenhagen and the African Irish Gospel Choir from Cork with guests Music commences at 10.45am.

From there it's back to the Everyman Theatre to see Jack de Johnette and the Ripple Effect

Jack DeJohnette is widely regarded as one of jazz music's greatest drummers. From Chicago, he has collaborated with most of the major figures in jazz history, most notably John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny.

DeJohnette is also skilled at nearly every musical style and is no stranger to leading innovative bands of his own. The Ripple Effect is DeJohnette's latest collaborative project. The Ripple Effect blends shades of world music, drum and bass and electronica to create a fresh taste of rhythmic jazz for the 21st century. Phenomenal.

After that, at 15:30, there's a Mystery Session at the Festival Club. Very exciting altogether. No idea who it could be!

Having a break in the afternoon will be welcome, because we're heading to a 1930s Harlem night in the Firkin Crane.

Come and experience the hot house atmosphere of Harlem’s most flamboyant period - the jazz age at its zenith with glamourous guys and gals, plus great music. And expect the unexpected it was a sellout last year.

Music from the 16 piece Tuxedo Junction Big Band playing the hits of Billy Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller and more.

After that, it's possibly the gig that I'm most looking forward to (and that I'm hoping to post about tomorrow - the beautiful and wonderfully talented Ms YolanDa Brown in the Firkin Crane.

And then it's dancing the night away at the Festival Club in anticipation of our trip home on Monday.

So, short version - lots of music, seeing friends, having a dance, a pray, a walk and a great time. Woot :)

You can check out the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, on October 23 to 26 on their website and download the snazzy brochure (which is where I got most of the info and images above from) right here.

eircom are recruiting a Community Manager

I got dropped an email today with the job spec for the new Community Manager Role in eircom.

Role Purpose and Vision

eircom is seeking a Community Manager to help build strong online communities throughout the Social Network environment with an initial focus on online Service and Content operations.

Job Description

This new position will have responsibility for the development and delivery of eircom’s emerging Social Media strategy.

Responsibilities will range from, actively posting to customers through the forum, liaising with and development of the CSR team, managing complex stakeholder relationships, providing regular reports and updates to senior management, through to championing the concept of Social Media within the eircom organisation.

Ideal candidates will be highly organised, self-motivated, resourceful, innovative, thick skinned, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Candidates should have a strong Customer Experience background, and a demonstrable understanding of online Social Media.

I've uploaded the full job spec to Scribd here.

If you're interested, contact Emer MacShane, the Eircom HR Manager at emacshane@eircom.ie. I'd be grateful if you'd let her know where you heard it from - not that I'm being paid or anything!

Best of luck with it :)

No, I'm not teary eyed - the follow up to Darraghchute

Just received this - completely unexpected - by email:

Dear Darragh,

Through your heroic efforts of jumping out of the plane, we did have a wonderful outing with 50 older people on the 30th of September. Please view the attached video of the participants showing their appreciation.

Regards,

Linda


Linda Desmond
CARELOCAL
The Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups
North Brunswick Street
Dublin 7

http://www.carelocal.com

I never fail to be surprised by the things people do. What a wonderfully generous and appropriate thing for a charity with limited resources and - they'd admit themselves - limed tech savviness to do for me. Humbling is what it is.

Google Wave is coming and it looks extremely interesting

Don't know what Google Wave is? This might help:



However, what it means more is that instant messaging, email, chat, collaboration, publishing, sharing, blogging, tweeting, social networking and especially bringing someone in to a conversation is all going to take a massive leap forward into real time.

This isn't something that is going to happen one day. It's happening and it's coming soon. It will change the way we talk online.