Shibuya Paddies
If you step off the train at Tokyo’s Shibuya station and look down on the square, you would be forgiven for thinking that you have entered the set of Blade Runner – without the flying machines of course. Gigantic video screens rain down multicoloured images on the tens of thousands of people swarming across the roads that lead from the train station to the various shopping districts. Irish Times Article – Misconceptions rife in Japanese-Irish relations
Ireland’s Good Public Relations
It’s taken many years of hard work by various State agencies but the results are clear, as more Irish companies set up in Japan and vice versa. Irish Times Article – Republic’s healthy trade with Japan is no accident
Gadget-mad Japan still traditional on banking
Friday, March 1, 2002 Gadget-mad Japan still traditional on banking: You can slake even the keenest thirst for electronic devices but try getting your yen out of a cash machine on a public holiday or accessing your account on the Net. Irish Times Article – Gadget-mad Japan still traditional on banking
Techno-socialists set up free Web connections
Friday, February 1, 2002 While some deliberately open up internet connections to the public, there are many individuals and companies that unwittingly provide access to all and sundry. Irish Times Article – Techno-socialists set up free Web connections
Enjoy life a little while you look for a job
Friday, January 15, 2001 Recession Club is a sort of post-dotcom social club cum support group, which organizes activities for Silicon Valley’s newly unemployed. Irish Times Article – Enjoy life a little while you look for a job
Nokia declares war on US wireless technology firms
Friday, December 7, 2001 Company has licensed a software platform that will offer applications to wireless devices and is hoping to control the market with the support of industry players, writes Niall McKay. Irish Times Article – Nokia declares war on US wireless technology firms
High-tech advances could make skies safer
Friday, November 9, 2001 Many of the technological developments of the past decade could be used as anti-hijack devices, for example using fingerprint scanners for pilot identification. Irish Times Article – High-tech advances could make skies safer
Irish Times Article – Burning chips replaces burning cash
Friday, October 26, 2001 The struggle continues for former tech millionaires and wannabe millionaires who have had to make one too many lifestyle changes recently, writes Naill McKay. Irish Times Article – Burning chips replaces burning cash
Latest ‘must have’ gadget does not fit the bill
Friday, October 12, 2001 Pocket PCs still can’t pick up e-mail easily and are another case of the tech industry expecting its customers to get a degree in computer science to operate a gadget, writes Naill McKay. Irish Times Article – Latest ‘must have’ gadget does not fit the bill
Beware of cool couples with websites
From Silicon Valley Typical couple sites have directions to their house, pictures of kids and other trivial details that could only be of use to burglars. Irish Times Article – Beware of cool couples with websites
Closing US economic doors will hit technology
Friday, September 28, 2001 In the aftermath of the terrorist attack, the US government is becoming much more insular and restrictive, which bodes ill for the revival of the technology industry, writes Niall McKay. Irish Times Article – Closing US economic doors will hit technology
Whiplash response to dotcom downturn
Friday, August 27, 2001 As the tech slump continues, alternative lifestyles are making a comeback in California and some are more alternative than others, Irish Times Article – Whiplash response to dotcom downturn
Humility shines through at PC party
Friday, August 17, 2001 The 20th anniversary of the PC party was like a who’s who of the sector but, collectively, they had lost billions of dollars in recent months, Irish Times Article – Humility shines through at PC party
Anti-Webbys chart the dotcom ruins
Friday, July 27, 2001 A renowned chronicler of internet doom celebrates on a tight budget, but even his company may be running out of steam Irish Times Article – Anti-Webbys chart the dotcom ruins
New net software can beat the censor
Friday, July 13, 2001 This weekend, in what is perhaps the most unusual gathering in the computer security field – the DefCon Hacker Trade Show in Las Vegas – more than 4,000 hackers, crackers and cyber-terrorists will mingle with spooks (FBI, CIA and NSA agents), security consultants and self-proclaimed security experts Irish Times Article – New net software can beat the censor
Separating science fiction from science fact
Friday, June 29, 2001 Let’s get one thing straight. Computers don’t think. Can’t think. And will never think – at least, not in the human sense of the word. This week the opening of Stephen Spielberg’s new movie AI has created a hullabaloo with a bevy of articles in the US predicting that in 30 years the technology industry will produce computers sophisticated enough to mimic the capabilities of a human. Nonsense. Rubbish. Claptrap. Irish Times Article – Separating science fiction from science fact
Valley victims are selling up and moving on
Friday, June 15, 2001 First California was hit by the dotbomb, then came the electricity crisis, now we have rising fuel costs and big bankruptcies where will it end? Irish Times Article – Valley victims are selling up and moving on
Digital warfare threatens global economy
Friday, April 20, 2001 History certainly has a habit of repeating itself. After the second World War we seemed to be moving towards an era of globalization. International trade took off. People started to travel to places that their parents had only read about in the National Geographic magazine. Aircraft and television technology were perhaps most responsible. Irish Times Article – Digital warfare threatens global economy
Searching for a new religion in California
Friday, April 6, 2001 I have been ranting about the tech apocalypse for some time now so I have been expecting the so-called downturn. But I wish to bemoan the end of an era Irish Times Article – Searching for a new religion in California
High-tech art show worth a virtual visit
Friday, March 23, 2001 Last Christmas, I saw Lily Tomlin in the Broadway play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. In the play, one character, a New York bag lady named Trudy, leads the audience around the Big Apple as she gives an imaginary alien a tour of the planet. She holds up a tin of Campbell’s soup and a picture of Andy Warhol’s painting of a tin of Campbell’s soup and says “This is soup and this is art” The alien just looks confused. Irish Times Article – High-tech art show worth a virtual visit
3G must not promise too much
Friday, March 9, 2001 Niall McKay in Cannes While the technology industry takes a thrashing, with dotcoms dying, PC sales down, and even the software giants such as Oracle posting disappointing earnings, many believe that there is at least one growth sector left. Wireless. Irish Times Article – 3G must not promise more than it can deliver
Music business may have won battle, lost war
Friday, February 23, 2001 Seems that Napster’s summer of free love might be over and its 50 million users will be turned out on their virtual ears. Last week, judges in San Francisco ruled that facilitating millions of users to swap other people’s intellectual property was, in fact, a breach of copyright. And rightly so. Irish Times Article – Music business may have won the battle but lost war
Reality bites as the e-boom subsides
Friday, February 9, 2001 For the first time, more jobs in the e-business sector are being eliminated than created, Niall McKay reports. Irish Times Article – Reality bites as the e-boom subsides
US in recovery from bad dose of dot.com hysteria
Friday, January 26, 2001 Recession – there I’ve said it again. A few months back I wrote about the impending recession and you wouldn’t believe the abuse I got. “You’re not a journalist but a scandalmonger,” said one. “You’re not fit to darken the pages of The Irish Times,” said another. Next time I make you really angry, go to the window, take a deep breath and ask yourself, am I really worth it? Then if you still feel angry, feel free to tell me what a useless, good-for-nothing scoundrel I am. Irish Times Article – US in recovery from bad dose of dot.com hysteria
Scientists go back to nature to go forward
Friday, January 12, 2001 Now that the Internet is hanging its head in shame after failing us as the great technological revolution where do we go from here? Irish Times Article – Scientists go back to nature to go forward
US in recovery from bad dose of dot.com hysteria
Friday, January 26, 2001 Recession – there I’ve said it again. A few months back I wrote about the impending recession and you wouldn’t believe the abuse I got. “You’re not a journalist but a scandalmonger,” said one. “You’re not fit to darken the pages of The Irish Times,” said another. Next time I make you really angry, go to the window, take a deep breath and ask yourself, am I really worth it? Then if you still feel angry, feel free to tell me what a useless, good-for-nothing scoundrel I am. Irish Times Article – US in recovery from bad dose of dot.com hysteria
Get ready for the post new economy
Friday, December 15, 2000 I have a new one for you: post new economy (PNE). It’s the new phrase bandied about Silicon Valley at the moment. What does it mean? Irish Times Article – Get ready for the post new economy
Dot.bombed nerds find new age relief
Friday, December 1, 2000 I have a confession to make. Ever since I was a teenager, I have wanted to be a Californian hippie. Don’t let the palm-pilot fool you; this high-tech journalism gig has just been a cover, and a bad one at that. Irish Times Article – Dot.bombed nerds find new age relief
Familiar portents of disaster cloud the air
Friday, November 17, 2000 For those of us who grew up during the recession in Ireland, the political and financial uncertainty in the US is very scary. It has all the hallmarks of a recession. Irish Times Article – Familiar portents of disaster cloud the air
Life: digitized and stuffed into a hard disk
Friday, November 3, 2000 Last week I had the good fortune to sit down with the Consumer Electronics Association and have a chat about the future of the industry. Irish Times Article – Life_ digitised, miniaturised and stuffed into a hard disk
Will they still heal me when I’m 64?
Friday, October 20, 2000 Keep smoking, drinking and eating those fatty foods. Don’t worry about heart disease or cancer. Don’t even worry that you will be alone in your old age. Irish Times Article – Will they still heal me when I’m 64
Caught between a rock and a hard place in Alaska
Friday, September 22, 2000 Should employees be expected to climb real mountains for the sake of team spirit? When Dubliner John Hurley turned up for his first day on the job at a Silicon Valley dot.com he got quite a shock. The former marketing manager for Star Wars was told to pack some warm cloths and to report to San Francisco International Airport. Irish Times Article – Caught between a rock and a very hard place in Alaska
Apple founder may be insecure at core
Friday, October 6, 2000 Steve Jobs comes across as a gunslinger but is that just the brash cover of some one desperate to prove themselves a resounding success? Irish Times Article – Apple founder may be insecure at core
Palm Inc’s cheap offering too little too late
Friday, September 8, 2000 Back in the days when I wore short trousers, the nuns used to say “you can always judge a man by the state of his shoes”. The rules have changed. In the electronic age, you can always judge a man or woman by the type of gadget they carry around in their bag. Irish Times Article – Palm Inc’s cheap offering is too little too late for Joe Soap
Make way for robobaby new tech toy
Friday, August 25, 2000 Now that the Internet has let us down, Silicon Valley needs a new squeeze, a new love, the so-called New Thing. Irish Times Article – Make way for robobaby – the new tech toy
Venture capitalist still hungry for tech firms
Friday, July 28, 2000 Substantial void in traditional businesses as entrepreneurs pour money into dot.coms and online enterprises to detriment of offline companies Irish Times Article – Venture capitalist still hungry for tech firms
The day the magic died
Friday, May 5, 2000 To the tune of American Pie A long, long two weeks’ ago I can still remember how the market used to make me smile What I’d do when I had the chance Is get myself a cash advance And add another tech stock to the pile. But Alan Greenspan made me shiver. With every speech that he delivered Bad news on the rate front Still I’d take one more punt. Irish Times Article – The day the Nasdaq magic died
Hydrogen will drive petrol cars into history
Friday, April 7, 2000 “Fuel cells will end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine” said William Clay Ford, Ford chairman. Irish Times Article – Iceland tapping into the power of hydrogen
Mozambique ignored as cyber mania takes control
Friday, March 10, 2000 In Silicon Valley it’s hard to escape the technology industry. Dot.com advertisements scream at you from every corner of the commercial world. As much as four out of six TV ads tout websites that will revolutionize some aspect of your life. Radio airwaves are packed with the wwwdotsomethingdotcom. Irish Times Article – Mozambique makes only a blip as cyber mania takes control
‘Digital jewelery’ is where it’s at for the technohip
Friday, February 11, 2000 Techno-hip? Forget your Pentium 500 processors, your multi-megabyte hard disk, your SD-RAM, your CPU cycles, your USB Ports and your STD companions. Irish Times Article – `Digital jewellery’ is where it’s at for the technohip
Give up day trading and hit Las Vegas
Friday, January 14, 1999 Every day, it seems, investing on the gets a little more like laying a bet in the casino or bookmakers. There is no rhyme or reason to the crazy valuations of the Internet stocks. Even worse, shares suddenly dip or soar according to some mystical economic laws. Irish Times Article – Give up day trading and hit Las Vegas – the odds are better
T-commerce targets TV viewers for future profits
Friday, January 7, 1999 E-COMMERCE: Last year, electronic commerce changed the nature of shopping forever. In the US, dotcoms infiltrated every market sector from groceries to electronics even to cars. But it is just the beginning. Irish Times Article – T-commerce targets television viewers for future profits
Bread and butter Internet sales win one more convert
Friday, November 26, 1999 Can man (or woman) live by the Internet alone? Recently, I decided to find out. I ordered all my shopping, bread, milk, groceries etc from various Internet sites. Now the rules of the game were that for two weeks I was not allowed to enter a so-called bricks and mortar shop, writes Niall McKay in Silicon Valley. Irish Times Article – Bread and butter Internet sales win one more convert
