That's all folks, HP RIP.

Alan Kay is leaving HP. Good Morning Silicon Valley covering it here and Dan Gillmor here.

In a few years time, they'll be just another Sperry, Digital or Data General, picked up for chump change by someone like EMC.

A few years back on an EI/Stanford training course I did in Palo Alto, we were shown around HP. They still had Bill and Dave's offices exactly the way they were when they retired. I guess Hurd has converted them into stationery cupboards by now.

Silicon Valley exists to a large extent because of people like those two guys and the vision of many of those in Stanford. Then one word you could never use when discussing most of the current generation of Valley CEOs is vision.

So after Carly gives them a wedgie, Hurd castrates them. A sad day for a once great company.

Capital Cousin Chloe

A wee bit delayed, we are tickled pink to announce the birth of Chloe Sheila Johnston on June 30th in the Coombe to Louise and Kieran. The little darling weighed in at 6lbs 15oz, so our young fella should be easily able to bully her.

Kieran has decided to forego a property development empire to set up a hedge fund trading in pampers futures. It appears there is far more money to be made in nappies. Hopefully we'll see them soon so she can meet her country cousins and demand the presence of a translator.

Whilst we are at it - big congrats to Kieran on being made partner. The little pup.

Vendors I would recommend

I've bought a few bits n pieces on eBay and the web recently and all of the vedors were top-notch and I'd recommend them.

First off I got an FM Transmitter for my car which takes a line-out from an iPod or a USB key. It has taken a bit of fiddling to get a frequency that is not used in either Bandon or Ovens but I'm very happy with it and it only cost £27.94 including P&P. To be found here on eBay:

USB/MP3/iPod/DvD/Cd Player & Car Stereo FM transmitter

Vendor looks like he is in UK but item shipped from USA. Got it in a week.

To go with that I got a very nice Memorex 1GB thumb-drive. A bit of an odd shape but good value at £42.49 including P&P. To be found here on eBay:

1GB Memorex USB 2.0 Travel Drive

Vendor took a while to ship it (ordered June 23rd, shipped July 6th) but it arrived a few days after shipment. Based in Singapore.

But the prize for the most unexpected excellence in online retailing goes to Discount Watches in the UK. I had spent weeks trying to find a good online seller of both Casio Baby-G GMS and Waveceptor watches. Thought I had found the perfect one in Germany but on ordering, it turned out they had no GMS in stock, so I cancelled.

Then I found discount-watches.co.uk. I emailed them to check in advance that they shipped to Ireland and that they had the watches in stock. No reply. Bum. Decided to try that old fashioned means of communication, the phone. No reply. Double bum. Rang the next day and got through to a lovely woman from Llantwit in the Vale of Glamorgan. Nearly said "I'll have a bacardi and coke please Myfannwy" but asked about the watches instead.

Not only were both in stock but they only charge a fiver delivery to Ireland. The real clincher tho is their prices - less than half RRP in many cases! I ordered on the phone with the semi-expectation that I was about to be diddled. Three days later the watches arrived and are perfect. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

You see this? THIS... is my BOOM STICK!

Great article and interview on Salon about Bruce Campbell and his new book, "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way". You just can't help liking the man. Does his own thing and is obviously enjoying every minute. B-List my bum.

Still haven't got my hands on Bubba Ho-Tep.

A useful phrase for many an awkward situation "Yo, she-bitch! Let's go!"

Groovey

Dave Barry visits Ireland

And encounters our most precious cultural treasures:

The Blarney Stone?

A Great Sandwich, a Great Time, at Langer's

So I have all the maturity of a twelve year old. I live in Cork now - I wait in hope for headlines like this.

But it gets better, click on the link and see who wrote the article.

Oh that's me happy for a week now.

A Great Sandwich, a Great Time, at Langer's

Fabulous Fionn's Fotos Finally Flickred

I have finally uploaded some photos of the wee mite to Flickr. He is now feeding on 1oz an hour which we are going to have to fix pronto. Oscar and Oisín completely relaxed about the whole thing. Poor Sibéal a bit put-out but being very good really. Any chance of weather somewhere between lashing rain and scorched earth?

Fionn's First Fotos

And I thought I was well travelled

Still quite a bit of the planet to check-out before I check-out.

Countries I have visited (or passed through on InterRail to Greece in 1988 in the case of all of the former Yugoslavia). And no, I've never been to Alaska.



create your own visited country map

You gotta love Londoners

30 years of bombings by IRA scum achieved nothing. Mass murderers like Martin Ferris may think that cowardly bombings in places like Warrington were different to what happened last week. Civilized people know there is no difference between the actions of Irish fascists and Islamo-Fascists. These words from a Londoner say it all:

A Letter To The Terrorists, From London

Amen brother. You have the support of all Irish democrats and always will have.

And for a bit of lighter-hearted support:

Fuck Yeah!

Fionn Philip Thomas O'Neill

image021.jpg
Originally uploaded by bandon1.

Another Nokia Crap-Cam picture. Proper photos to follow on Sunday.

World's first view of Fionn O'Neill

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Originally uploaded by bandon1.

From Nokia Crap-Cam.

Fionn O'Neill born 16:16 07/07 in Bons Secours

After a tough labour and a last minute race to the finish line, Fionn was born with a wail. All are well, tired and hungry. 9 lbs 7oz (4 roods metric ). Pictures to follow.

Bons baby blogging bonanza begins

Arrived 8am. Gel applied 10,30. Some contractions. Tired. Wife fine. Doc figures we'll be done by afternoon. Gut says quite soon. Tens discarded. Sudoku being raced through. Finished national geographic. Starting 'car'. Snip being ordered as i type. This was the easy bit. Next few hours will not be fun for cath.

I'm glad I'm a bloke

We are now 23 hours and 35 minutes away from Catherine being induced in the Bons. We still haven't figured out if it is inducement or induction and we are having last minute hesitations about the name we have picked for him. We had decided on Cavan O'Neill but my mother objected and thought we should compromise on Navan O'Neill.

Babba was 9lbs last week. I don't even want to think what weight he is now. We have the Epi booked for insertion in the car park (no point in wasting time) and this time we have a pregnancy TENS machine. Turns out the one we used for Oscar was for sore knees. Might explain Catherine's slight discomfort during his delivery.....

Just as with the DeepImpact mission to Tempel 1, we will be broadcasting as-it-happens footage from the delivery room via Nokia Crap-Cam.

The next Blog posting will probably be a picture of the 87th Sudoku puzzle that Catherine has completed whilst wating for Baby Anakin to arrive.

iPod Flea for the Apple drone who has everything

I figure Steve is seriously pissed that they stole his next product idea. Of course there would be no space to put the "Intel Inside" sticker on it.

iPod Flea Ad