Monthly Archives: January 2012

Did you? We literally didn’t.

Are we the last ones to know?

Seriously.

Again?

Context

PS Perhaps some civic-minded reader could show us where this has previously been reported? Bodger has gone through Simon Carswell’s book Anglo Republic and the only mention of Denis and Anglo loans was this on page 83:

Anglo’s biggest coporate loans outstanding in November 2005 [included] Denis O’Brien and executives at the private equite firm Ion Equity, which had purchased the petrol station network and distribution business using an Anglo loan facility of €212 million.”

But no reference to loans (with Barclays) that funded more than €500 million worth of share purchase mentioned in the Sunday Times yesterday.

This just in.

New shows on RTE this Spring.

From the RTE Spring schedule press release:

 A major new documentary looks at what life after the Euro might look like in Ireland Outside The Euro?

John Bowman’s definitive two-part documentary, Into the Light: The Battles that Shaped Our TV (working title), tracing how RTÉ’s confrontations with Government, the Church and other powerful forces have shaped our television.

Living Colour is a an extraordinary film exploring the world of an unusual artists’ collective in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, where the focus is on the artists’ abilities rather than their special needs.

Nomads No More is a one-hour documentary that sees two US anthropologists returning to Ireland after 40 years to revisit the Travelling community they studied and lived with all those years ago.

 There will also be a major new documentary on Nuala O’Faoilan.

A new six-part series of Reality Bites will give viewers a slice of Irish life looking at everything from our bedtime habits to distressed property auctions to the Irish rap scene.

New series Dead Money will follow the work of heir hunters as they try to track down the next-of-kin of intestate people to pass on unexpected inheritances.

John Kelly returns to present The Works a new Arts magazine alongside new reporters Sinead Gleeson, Nadine O’Regan and Kevin Gildea.

Also airing will be documentary Triúr and Masterpiece:  Ireland’s Most-Loved Painting is a major new programme that will kick off a five-week RTÉ-wide campaign to find Ireland’s favourite painting.

Fibín – Sétanta In The City follows the creative collaboration and the transfer of a new play by Paul Mercier from the old schoolhouse in Cois Fharraige to a sell out run in The Peacock in Dublin.

Aerphort is a new series looking at some of the stories behind the departure gates at our airports.

And finally (yes, it’s real):

Undercover Bishop asks searching questions about what the Church – and what a Bishop – is for, as one Irish bishop dispenses with the deference-inducing trappings of his job to mix with people unawares.

Do you have a telly show idea that deserves to be heard? The 10 considered most-surreal-yet-plausible will become part of a soon-to-be lovingly-designed parody of the RTE Guide listings. Make your pitch below.

Lines close 1pm tomorrow (Tuesday)


Behold the USB 3.0 SSD Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, unveiled at the CES 2012 and available from April: USB stick-only or with blades, scissors and the usual gubbins.

Yes, yes, you’ll say, these people have been cramming flash drives into their multitools for years. But this one  is different. It has 1TB (1000GB) of storage. Enough to hold the entire content of most PCs several times over. The drive is removable and incorporates a tiny monochrome display showing what’s on your device and how much room you have left.

And the price? €2,370.

About 20 times the cost of a 1TB portable hard drive. Doubtless there are wealthy übergeeks out there who will buy two.

via