Research reveals Irish TV viewers most annoying habits
With Ireland’s analogue TV signal due to be switched off on the 24th October this year and the nation going digital, Sky Ireland is counting down to the digital switchover with research that reveals what excites, delights and annoys Irish viewers when watching TV. As expected, the most contentious issues found were possession of the remote control and agreeing what programme to watch. Sky said that a third of respondents admitted they argue with their partner or family on a daily basis when it came to deciding what to watch on TV.
Other key findings included the most annoying habits when watching TV with other people:
-People talking during a programme ranked as the most annoying thing about watching TV with others, with ‘channel surfing’ , ‘hogging the remote control’, ‘talking on the phone’ and ‘revealing the ending’ also cited.
And it seems there are quite a few TV shows that some people simply can’t live without.
Soaps such as Eastenders, Coronation Street, and dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives featured high on the list, particularly amongst females.
Male respondents however cited Top Gear, The Simpsons and Soccer Saturday as the shows they can’t live without.
Mark Anderson of Sky Ireland said:
“With the nation set to go digital in under 100 days, it’s clearly in consumers’ interests to find out as much as possible about the options open to them to ensure they can continue to watch their favourite shows, even the cheesy ones they might prefer not to admit to! Luckily Sky makes the switch to digital really easy, and gives you lots of extra benefits such as the ability to record shows and watch them later, pause and rewind live TV, and even to watch content on the move with Sky Go. So those arguments over the remote control should become a thing of the past!”
Sky’s research also revealed that almost 40% of Irish people have yet to make the switch to digital TV. Over 60% of male respondents have already made the switch, while less than half of female respondents have done so.
Regionally, Dublin has the highest percentage of users who are already using a digital TV service at 67%. The research showed however a significant split by province:
Rest of Leinster – 54% switched to digital
Munster – 53% switched to digital
Connacht/Ulster - 49% switched to digital
For more information on going Digital with Sky call 0818-719-500, visit one of 40 Sky stores around the country, or visit www.skyireland.ie/digital
Alternatively check out Going Digital at
http://www.goingdigital.ie/Sections/Cost+and+Options/
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SKY, Eastenders, Coronation Street, The Simpsons, digital, digital TV, Top Gear, Desperate Housewives,
New solution to deliver 55 per cent savings on annual print bills
ICT solutions provider, Datapac has signed a contract with the Institute of Technology Carlow to deliver a managed print solution across all three of the Institute’s campuses in Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow. The three-year contract is valued at €320,000 and is designed to save the Institute 55 per cent on its annual print bills and lower the carbon footprint of the 5,000 students and 400 employees.
Pictured at IT Carlow are John Jones Datapac Fergal Flanagan IT Carlow and Patrick Kickham Datapac
IT Carlow celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010 and is at the centre of a number of exciting initiatives for its student population and local businesses. The Institute is also currently working with Waterford IT to create a new multi-campus technological university in the south-east of Ireland.
Datapac won the contract based on a competitive tender to provide an integrated, managed solution which would streamline the entire print process across Carlow IT. The company said the integrated solution will enable improved staff productivity, increased flexibility for students and significantly reduce costs for the Institute.
It is expected that the new fully managed print service will pay for itself within the first two years.
Datapac replaced a disparate network of standalone printers, copiers and scanners with a fully integrated network of 45 HP multi-functional devices (MFD’s), placed at strategic locations across all the campuses which reduced Carlow IT’s total number of machines by half. The company manages the entire print fleet from its services centre, ensuring maximum uptime of all devices and automated ordering of supplies.
As a result, the Institute’s IT department said it has seen a 40 per cent reduction in the amount of time needed to manage print devices, freeing staff to focus on more strategic projects.
Pictured in the library at IT Carlow are Fergal Flanagan IT Carlow and John Jones Datapac Datapac’s new solution has also delivered a number of other benefits for the Institute. Scan-to-email capabilities allow students to send and read documents digitally, reducing the need for print. Also, with duplex printing as standard, this is cutting paper usage significantly. The new devices now also power down at night, weekends and Institute holidays, reducing energy consumption.
Fergal Flanagan, ICT manager at IT Carlow said: “With 5,400 students and staff located across three campuses in three counties, our focus has been on improving efficiencies and integrating services for everybody. Datapac’s managed solution meets all of our evolving print requirements, with the added benefit of driving down costs and improving the environment. On top of this, it’s great to work with such a high quality technology provider with a strong local presence in the south east.”
John Jones, managed print services, sales manager, Datapac added: “IT Carlow is really setting the pace in the Irish third level sector through its innovative student programmes and collaboration with local enterprise.. By partnering with Datapac, IT Carlow gains our 30 years of print experience, a dedicated team of experts overseeing their entire print fleet, and the assurance of having a better and more cost-effective solution in place.”
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A Galway-based IT security software firm, Copperfasten Technologies, has just announced that it intends to create an additional 37 new jobs at its headquarters in Salthill. The news came as it finalised an investment deal with Oyster Technologies and Enterprise Ireland for a reported €500,000.
The company which already employs 15 people said that the new funding would enable it to roll out an export-led growth plan which it indicated could treble sales over three years.
Ronan Kavanagh, CEO of Copperfasten Technologies, is quoted as saying that this investment and the new positions would allow them to drive sales and scale the company in the forthcoming years.
Copperfasten Technologies was established in 2000 where it developed a web security gateway appliance, WebTitan. In addition it also markets SpamTitan and has over 2,500 customers in 100 countries.
It competes in the same field as global names such as McAfee, Symantec and Cisco.
This announcement is another good news story for Galway which has seen a number of US firms – SAP, HP and Cisco – recently announcing new jobs owing to significant expansions in their Galway operations.
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Katie Taylor, three times World Amateur Boxing Champion at 60 kg (2006/2008/2010) has qualified for the London Olympic Games. She achieved it on the back of making the semi-finals of the AIBA World Women’s Championships in Qinhuangdao, China after her opponent, Romanian Mihaela Lacatus, had to pull out of their quarter final match due to a neck injury.
katie_taylorTaylor has been fighting since she was 12 years of age coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer.
Her first major success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway where she won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60 kg lightweight class.
But it was in New Delhi in 2006 that she really showed her class at the World Amateur Championships. That year Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60 kg final.
Taylor went on to claim her second World title at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, contested in November at Ningbo, China followed by a third gold at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Barbados in the 60 kg weight class.
She is now the sixth Irish boxer to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games and is also the second boxer from the Bray Boxing Club to make it alongside Adam Nolan. They will be joined in London by fellow boxers Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill.
This is the first time that Women’s boxing will feature as a sport event at the Games where three weight categories will debut - flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.
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Ireland’s largest indigenous biotech business, Élan has posted strong first quarter results.
TysabriIt’s all down to the company’s anchor product Tysabri, the blockbuster therapy for multiple sclerosis which is showing strong earning potential as originally promised. Revenue growth in the quarter came to 14 per cent and Élan, uncharacteristically, has asserted that the drug is now on course to deliver global revenue growth of 15 per cent per year over the next three to five years.
Élan reported a patchy initial reaction to the news of its assay test which determines the potency of a drug. This is critical in giving considerable comfort to those testing negative for the *JC virus, the drug’s most potentially dangerous side effect.
US sales powered ahead in the quarter and are now running at an annualised level of $1.6 billion, according to the firm.
An additional 7,500 patients were added during the period. Élan has already confirmed that every 10,000 equates with $100 million to its bottom line.
Data presented to the American Academy of Neurology at its recent annual meeting, supported earlier findings on the JC virus test and also show the drug is even better than previously expected over a longer time frame (four years) in reducing relapses.
Last year Élan was the Irish Stock Exchange’s star performer. If positive feedback persists on the all-important Phase III trials on the bapineuzumab Alzheimer’s therapy it is developing with Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer then both drugs will be the drivers of future revenue growth and all importantly, shareholder return.
* JC virus
(A human polyomavirus, family Papovaviridae, of worldwide distribution,that produces infections usually subclinical in immunocompetent people, but associated with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in the immunosuppressed).
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APPLE has announced that it is to expand its operation in Cork, and in the process will create more than 500 jobs. The news has been described as a “huge boost” for the Irish economy.
The company plans to construct a new office block which will accommodate the additional staff over the coming 18 months.
Apple’s European headquarters is in Hollyhill where it currently employs nearly 2,800 people in distribution, supply chain and back-office operations.
“Apple has been in Cork for over 30 years and we are thrilled to be expanding our presence there.” A spokesperson said. “Our plans will add over 500 new jobs to support the companies growing business across Europe.”
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, department officials and the Irish Development Authority (IDA) have all been closely involved in talks with Apple about the project for a number of months now.
Bruton said: “It is a great testament to the company’s workforce, a great vote of confidence in the future of our economy, and it shows what is possible for Ireland at the heart of a stable Europe.” IDA Ireland also welcomed the news, saying the investment would provide a significant boost to employment locally.
Apples plant in Hollyhill, north Cork was established in 1980, and was its first base outside the US. During the mid-1990s, it was the main production centre for the Mac G3 and the iMac, Apple’s core products, and it employed 1,900 people.
However, when that production was later outsourced to plants in Wales and Singapore, with the loss of 450 jobs, the feeling in Cork at the time was that it was just a matter of time before the entire Apple operation would eventually be closed down.
However, as we all know now, the iPod was a huge success and Apple started to hire again. It now plays a major role in Apple’s supply chain in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Hollyhil also assembles the Mac Pro.
Cork Chamber president John Mullins commented that the expansion plans by Apple will bring the total workforce employed to 3,300 and was a huge boost for the local economy.
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by EllenRose Neumann Duffy
New York
EllenRose Neumann Duffy12-15 April, 2012 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the voyage and sinking of the White Star Line R.M.S. Titanic. Many Irish people died on the Titanic for no good reason. Most of them were 3rd Class passengers and had no chance to stay alive because they had no access to lifeboats
IN MEMORY OF
THE R.M.S. TITANIC
1517 LOST SOULS
1912 15 APRIL 2012
Grave of an Irish Sailor who died saving lives aboard the Titanic
Grave of an Irish Sailor who died saving lives aboard the Titanic,
body washed up on shore in Nova Scotia, Canada buried in Halifax, Fairview Lawn Cemetery
Photo via FindaGrave.com
“May God bless the souls
That were lost at sea.
They will never be forgotten
By the angels and me”
-By EllenRose Neumann Duffy
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Contact email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Patrick Kickham Director Datapac Brian Hayes T D Minister of State and Clara Quigley Sales Manager DatapacDatapac has been awarded an €8 million ICT consumables contract by the National Procurement Service of Ireland. The firm, one of Ireland’s leading indigenous ICT solutions providers, will create up to 25 new jobs, 15 during 2012 the other 10 in the following two years.
Datapac, was established in 1982, and is today considered a market leader in information technologies, business solutions and IT consumables for both private and public sector organisations throughout Ireland.
The new jobs will be based across all of Datapac’s locations in Dublin, Wexford, Cork and Belfast and will involve sales, marketing and logistics roles.
Commenting on awarding the contract, Brian Hayes TD, Junior Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform said: “I am pleased to announce that following an EU tendering process the National Procurement Service (NPS) of the OPW has awarded a contract to Datapac Ltd for the supply of ICT consumables to the public sector. The contract is valued at €8 million and is available to a wide range of public sector clients including central government departments and their agencies, an Garda Síochána [Irish Police force], the Defence Forces, all local authorities, the Health Service Executive, all Vocational Education Committees, as well as primary and post primary sectors and the third-level education sector.”
The NPS added that the Datapac contract offers excellent value for money on a comprehensive range of ICT consumable items and further streamlines the procurement process. It is actively promoting the use of online ordering, and payment methods, and has built a discounting structure into the contract to encourage clients to order and pay for items online. Significant benefits will be available to NPS clients, including administrative savings, price discounts, reduced paper output, speed and ease of transaction.
Patrick Kickham, director, Datapac, said: “As an Irish technology leader, we are continually focused on driving innovation and added-value for organisations throughout Ireland. This significant new contract win gives us the opportunity to create new jobs which will benefit our business, our customers and also the economy. We are delighted to play such an important role for the Irish government and public sector, as they continue to support local business growth.”
Clara Quigley, sales manager, Datapac, added: “This contract from the NPS is testament to the dedication and service excellence of our nationwide team. We will look to extend our product lines further so that customers always have access to the widest and most advanced range of IT technologies and consumables in Ireland.”
For further information, visit www.datapac.com
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Martin Murphy, the head of one of Ireland’s largest multinationals, has called on Ireland's Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn to make science compulsory for the Leaving Certificate.
The HP Ireland boss welcomed plans to reform the Leaving Cert science curriculum but said, the government should go further and make it compulsory for students to take a science subject in the exam.
Murphy is quoted as saying: “It's crucial that we make science compulsory as a first step and then consider looking at bonus points for one of the science choices. There is a significant opportunity for employment in the ICT sector, so equipping students with those skills early in the life cycle is the right approach.”
The Central Applications Office has reported a surge in demand for third-level science courses from this year's school leavers. Murphy has said Quinn should now consider giving bonus university-entry points to science subjects. He added that along with a mandatory science subject it was critical that all students leaving secondary level should also be competent in at least two international languages.
Minister of State for science and technology, Sean Sherlock, is set to appoint an expert advisory group whose brief will be to recommend measures to raise the standard of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) at second level to those achieved in Finland, which is used as a benchmark for education levels.
Another powerful body, IBEC (Irish Business and Employers' Confederation), has joined the debate by declaring that science should be declared a “core” subject for the Junior Certificate.
Reaction to this proposal from the Department of Education, however, has been negative. It has told IBEC that making the subject mandatory is not being considered.
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