Prototype of a Person

Which invention has helped you most with your working life?

Another Science Week submission…

The Filofax

I’ve given up searching for the perfect electronic organiser or PDA and rather than continue to struggle with my data being scattered across wall calendars, notebooks, post-it notes, smart-phones, my laptop, my desktop in work etc., What with going back to college and working full time I’ve had to make sure that I am very organised, so I’ve recently started using a Filofax. It is a godsend.

I don’t have to worry about charging or syncing my Filofax. I don’t have to worry about the screen cracking if I drop it. I didn’t have to spend hundreds of euro on a device that would only partially suit me and would be replaced in 6 months or so by a slicker and better value for money piece of kit. Really the only worry I have is that my writing might not be legible after jotting down notes on a speeding bus. Although, now that I think of it, I wouldn’t mind if I could put some kind of password or lock onto it, to stop a certain someone trying to figure out what she was getting for Christmas.

My favourite feature of my Filofax is that there are no constraints to what kind of data that I can enter. As I am writing this I realise that it’s strange to apply these types of observations to something that is, on the most basic level, really just paper and pen. No matter how advanced technology has become nothing can change how satisfying it is to quickly jot down notes and drawings or doodle stars and Santa Claus around your daily calendar entry for December 25th. Simply being able to do anything I want (if I can draw it, or stick it, it’ll end up in there) is very productive for me.

It is the built-in software constraints that are there to stop users making mistakes that have stopped me from really embracing any kind of electronic organiser. Nothing exists that can imitate the physical aspects, the tactile sensations and visual guides that I employ. For instance, multicoloured page markers (flags) - the different colours represent different important events. They are physically placed to open the appropriate page, and they also indicate when similar events are taking place over a certain time frame (importantly though, this information can be discerned without flicking through the pages). Even something so simple like being able to put an already written post-it note straight into the Filofax saves me time during my day (be it in college or work). Sometimes I like to jot down quick notes about a project I’m doing, these are usually really messy (but yet very organised at the same time) mind-maps and diagrams. I am a very visual person and I like my data to be visually appealing - I can’t use pink, green and blue highlighter pens in a PDA now can I?

A really great addition to my Filofax has been a template I created in Microsoft Word to print out pages of information (timetables etc.,) that will fit, and also a Filofax hole puncher so I can place the pages perfectly. So no, I haven’t turned my back on technology all together (as if!).

You can read the other submissions to this competition here.

What was the favourite invention from your childhood?

This week is Science Week – which is hard not to notice if you’re a reader of any of the popular Irish Blogs. They’ve been running a blogging competition and my favourite entry so far has been by Roosta answering the “What invention do you want to see most in the future?” topic from today with his Giant Fighting Robots, it totally cracked me up. I’ve had visions of B-Movie type escapades on the moon ever since. Yesterday’s topic was “What was the favourite invention from your childhood?” and although the competition is closed for this topic I still feel an urge to write about it briefly.

HoTMaiL

Over 10 years ago my brother Dave brought home a dial-up modem for our home computer, opening up a mass of information and entertainment to us. Prior to this the only access that we had to any kind of Internet was from free CDs that came with computer magazines (they would sometimes put entire websites on these CDs!). Being teenagers and having little concern we proceeded to run up extraordinarily large home phone bills. Much to our dismay the Internet got banned from the house, but not before we both got completely hooked.

Luckily for us an Internet Café opened up nearby where we could get our fix. But the thing about the Internet way back then (which is actually exactly the same, now) is that you needed an e-mail address to sign-up to practically everything online. Not having your own internet service provider (ISP) at home meant no e-mail address and this closed off a large section of online content.

Independence Day 1996 - Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched the first webmail service on the Internet, they chose this day to symbolise freedom from ISP based e-mail and being able to access your e-mail from anywhere in the world. This service was called HoTMaiL and in December 1997, having reached over 8 million subscribers, it was bought by Microsoft and is now known as Windows Live Hotmail, though users still generally refer to it as simply Hotmail.

Thanks to Hotmail in the late 90’s a whole world of geeky goodness became privy to my curious mind. Having access to a web-based e-mail service meant that I could sign-up to all those wonderful geeky science fiction and technology newsletters and websites that I dreamed about being able to access and get involved with. It meant being able to make friends online in far off places like America that would happily spoil the latest season of Star Trek Voyager for you.

Most importantly though, it meant being able to share interesting websites, files and photos. It was a lot harder to find information (and any interesting content) online in the days before Google search and blogging. Also, not having access to an e-mail account meant being the last person online to find out about everything. Web based e-mail also meant you could access your e-mail from any computer, any time. Not knowing if your parents were ever going to let you get back online at home meant that you often had to use your initiative to access your e-mail, so being able to access your e-mail from any computer was very important.

Through my youth online I learned how to write, to think critically, and I was encrouaged by my peers to be opinionated and expressive. I was encouraged to learn new skills like web design, graphic design and typing skills. If it hadn’t been for my first e-mail address I probably wouldn’t have immersed myself so completely into the online world and to this day it is of benefit to me that I did.

Quick Update

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything, been very busy and nothing new in the world of gadgets/technology has taken my interest, expect perhaps Blackle. Been busy changing jobs - I’m now working in Admin/ICT for the Health Service Executive in their mental health section. It’s Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, or flexi-time if I need to come in late, or go home early - which suits me perfectly, especially so for college in October.

I’ve my interview for the M.Sc. in Cyberpsychology at the beginning of September, I’m feeling confident about it, I can’t see how they’d refuse me. I’m putting all my eggs in one basket - I know this - but I honestly couldn’t find a Masters program that suited me the way this one does, so even if I don’t get in, I’d rather that than do a course I wasn’t excited about.

Update: Induction is on the 22nd. I start formal lectures on the 29th. Goodbye Saturdays. Hello education.

New camera, same old lovable Ben.

Since my last post I have officially graduated from college, you can see all the embarrassing photos of myself and my classmates in our graduation gowns and caps over on my bebo page. I spent some time in cork working/training in the 3Store on Patrick’s Street, and other than that I’ve just been playing around with my new toy. I finally got my dream camera - the Fuji Finepix S5600 - it was a graduation gift from my parents, and by gift I mean they handed me money and said “We were afraid of getting you the wrong one.”

So far, I’ve yet to master the finer “complicated” functions of the camera, which is frustrating but also makes me realise that for once in my life I should probably read the manual. The camera takes fantastic photos and it’s really quick, making multiple shots very easy to take. The 10x zoom is incredible, it makes you feel like a spy. It’s a lot of fun. Getting clear close-up shots of small objects isn’t easy though, having tried to take shots of a bearded dragon at the weekend I’ve come to the conclusion that I must (yes, must!) purchase a fisheye lens and macro, for panoramic and close-up shots. I don’t have any other negative comments, I’m very happy with my purchase, I did have one small problem with it though.

After less than a week of it being in my possession there was one very annoying problem – the additional memory card I purchased with it was faulty. I lost all of the photos I took at the weekend. However, I was pleasantly surprised to come up against no hassle whatsoever in Pixels, where I purchased the camera. When I explained the situation, they simply gave me a new memory card, none of the usual arguments or “I’ll have to talk to the manager” bull that I’m used to from sales people.

So, to make sure it was working perfectly with the replacement card, I took some shots of my dog Ben, who is definitely no stranger to the camera, in fact he is quite the little poser as you can see below.

Holiday Time

I spent 4 days last week training for my new sales position in 3 Ireland and now I’m on one week paid holiday, fantastic, especially considering I only started working for them on the 23rd of October. I’m currently waiting for the store to open on Henry Street, I had considered being placed in the Grafton Street store but I know there will be a greater opportunity to sell in their flagship store when it eventually does open. Unfortunately 3 are rather secretive about anything that goes on internally so I wont be able to post any information about the new store or the company, so for now, I’ll simply have to direct you towards their media centre.

What I can tell you, is that I’m really excited about being involved, once more, in the roll-out of a new breed of retail environment. When I first started working for 3G in their first Eircom Broadband Studio it was a challenging and rewarding experience and of course it was fun to be surrounded by top of the range technology. Just like the O2 Experience Stores, the Broadband Studios are an example of how hands-on demonstrations of new technologies, and by giving customers a venue in which to interact with a new product, increases their likelihood of actually purchasing. This is exactly what the 3Stores will be about - trying before buying. From a personal perspective, I find that I’m much more likely to want to buy a new piece of electronics if I can first try it, feel it’s weight in my hand, and see what it can actually do for me. There’s nothing worse than being confronted with a plastic dummy or a picture in a brochure, even reading a reviewers opinion of a product is nothing in comparison to actually interacting with it.

Speaking of new technology, I’ve been using the new Firefox 2 for the last week and although at first I was a little put off by how similar it looks to the Apple browser Safari, I’ve actually found that two of its new features are very beneficial to me.

Spell Checking - as you type. This is the feature on OpenOffice.org (the free office suite) that converted me from a Microsoft Office user to an OpenOffice Writer. Anything you type within your browser is checked for spelling mistakes as you type them, it completely erases (no pun intended!) the need for any kind of “check spelling” options that most web-based e-mail services offer. It’s certainly made writing this blog post a lot easier, usually I would be writing this in OpenOffice first and then copying and pasting it (because, yes, I admit it, I’m really bad speller).

Search Suggestions - again, as you type. Whatever search engine you prefer, that lovely little search box built into Firefox dynamically updates a drop-down list of suggested search terms. Not only does this speed up your search, it also may suggest searches to you that you hadn’t even thought of. Thus opening you up to even more information or even, narrowing it down for you further, so you can find exactly what it is you’re looking for.

Firefox 2 is wonderful piece of new software that I applaud for it’s user friendly design, it’s almost endless possibilities in the ability to customise and thus improving your own efficiency as a user, and it’s completeness - features that every new version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer lacks. There is a definite need in the software market for development that is geared towards the user experience.

Hopefully the new MsC in Cyberpsychology in IADT will have some focus on user experience research as a way to improve software and hardware development. It’s a course that I shall be considering over the next couple of months as I research my options for next year (or later). On Monday evening, the 6th of November, IADT will be host to a Cyberpsychology seminar entitled “Cyberpsychology: An Emerging Discipline” and will be hosted by my thesis supervisor Dr.Grainne Kirwan. If anyone is interested in attending please contact IADT with your information in advance so you can be formally invited.

Dropping the G

I’m starting training tomorrow for my new job in 3 Ireland. Training will be for a few weeks and it’s in the Gresham Hotel, which is very very classy, too classy for the likes of me. It’ll be a nice break; paid training is such a wonderful thing.

I’m really excited about seeing the new shop I’ll be working in, which will apparently feature entertainment bays and “play pods” where customers can try out 3’s 3G network – such as streaming video and music downloads, games too. They’ll have “live handsets” for customers to try out (3G tried this once before, but found that it was too tempting for thieves - I wonder how long it will take before a few are stolen from the 3 store). There will also be a “chill-out area” for shoppers (and the staff, I am assuming!).

To be honest, it’s all sounding rather appealing to the boyish nerdy side of me. There’s nothing I like more, than showing people what technology can actually DO for them and it’s sounding like the 3 stores will be a innovative place to do just that.

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Thank you for your interest in Google…

I handed in my two weeks notice on Monday, not because I got the job in Google, but because I accepted an offer to work for 3 Ireland in their new Henry Street store. Monday was a hectic day, I had to decide whether to take the job with Three or hold out for Google. In the end, I was right to accept the position in Three.

Google were supposed to get back to me on Monday and even after leaving a voicemail message, they didn’t actually get back to me until Tuesday evening. I received a really impersonal rejection e-mail from them, a real copy and paste job, telling me that based on my “qualifications” and “experience” that they didn’t think me a “strong match”. My instant thought after reading this was “did they not have my cv?”. I’ve politely asked them to provide me with additional feedback on why they think me not suited to the position, and am still waiting to receive it.

The Google recruitment process was very thorough, after an assessment test, 3 phone interviews and 2 face-to-face interviews all I received from them was an e-mail to tell me that I didn’t get the job, and that was 3 weeks after the face-to-face interviews. From start to finish, the whole process of them figuring out I wasn’t suitable for the position took over 2 months. It stressed me out, it pissed me off, it excited me, and more than anything else it got my hopes up far too much. I really thought this was the perfect job for me, but I think I was too eager and too… maybe desperate to work them. I probably should have shut my mouth about how great I think their company is and how I would have liked to be able to participate in their research projects, some time in the future. Perhaps they thought me too enthusiastic? In the end, I don’t think I’ll be applying to work for them again; it’s not worth the stress and the extreme effort… I still can’t believe they had to interview me 5 times to figure out they didn’t want to hire me, it was so terribly unnecessary.

Anyway, I’m not going to beat myself up about it, considering that I have a brand new opportunity, to make lots of commission working for the Three network. I don’t know how long I’ll stay working for them, but I need to start making more money, what with Christmas just around the corner. In the New Year I’ll have to start visiting recruitment agencies in hopes to get a “real” job – despite my CV being available on every Irish recruitment website possible I seem to only be getting offers for sales positions. Shall I be doomed to work in retail, forever, regardless of my college education? If I can’t get a job with my degree, is there even any point in even doing a masters next year, is there any point in doing it ever?

Oodles of Ipods

The interview with Google on Monday went really well, both team leaders who I met with were really nice, educated and nerdy. Despite feeling extremely over-dressed, it seems that everyday is “Casual Friday” at Google, I was comfortable and confident throughout the entire hour of interviews and simply being able to walk through the offices themselves was an interesting experience. I don’t want to overanalyse for now, but I’ll tell you one thing - the Google offices themselves are really funky and cool. I think I would fit in perfectly there. In a weird coincidence though (or maybe just the work of a certain search engine) there’s a comment on my previous post from someone who is competing for the same position as myself. Weird.

While I’ve been off contemplating moving jobs I’ve also been in the process of doing Apple Sales Training (I’ve gotten Silver Status, half way to Gold! Hurrah!), even I don’t use the knowledge to sell the products it’s a great way of finding out about Apple technology. Although, I still haven’t found the answer to why Jen’s new iPod Nano keeps freezing randomly and needs to be reset. I’ve been assured by one of my colleagues that all Nanos go through a “phase” where they need to be reset occasionally, Jen seems to think it’s going through puberty and it’s acting out against her.

Speaking of Ipods… the best time of the year to buy one would be right now. What with Apple launching the new iPod Nano and 80gb iPod, all the iPod range has gone down in price (so the old stock gets shifted quick) - you can actually pick up a 30gb/60gb Video iPod for €290/€340 here in 3G on Henry Street. Which I think, is a bargain. Although, I’ve heard a rumour that you can get the 30gb for only €270 in Spectra Photo on Grafton Street. Even nicer!

Seeing as there has been a price drop in the iPod range, it’s only natural that the Creative Zen Vision M will have to drop in price to compete and there is even rumour online that Creative will be upgrading the capacity of the Vision M to 80gb, they’ve also launched their new widescreen mp3/video player the Vision W. Since my Micro Photo got stolen I’ve been using a 1gb Creative player, which is fine by me, at least in the short term. If those Vision M players go down, I think I’ll invest in one of those rathar than an iPod.

The Google Saga Continues

I’ve wrote about it, ranted about it and I’ve talked about wanting to work for Google all throughout college. I wrote my thesis on online advertising because I’ve a passion for usability and hoped very much that this passion would land me a job with an exciting company such as Google.

Today, I finally have an opportunity to sell myself to them as I have my face-to-face interview at their Dublin office in Grand Canal Quay. I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be, I’m more excited than anything else. All those phone interviews have really prepared me, and in retrospect I’ve very thankful for them. So, I’m sitting in work contemplating it all, I’m off at 1pm as the interview is at 2pm. I’m wearing my pinstripe suit and I’m going to take out all of my piercings. I’ll be meeting with two of the AdSense team leaders - senior employees of Google. I’m hoping this will be the last of the interviews, as I think my brain will explode if I have to have another one.

It’s not like I’m putting my eggs all in one basket though - as a fail-safe I had a phone interview with Three on Thursday, and I have a face-to-face interview with them on Friday. It would be a really similar position to the one I already have, but with extra benefits and higher wages. It would be a nice new start, the kind of job I’d take just to get me out of here (I’m bored to tears with this place) and I’d keep saving my money for my masters next year.

I keep telling myself that even if I don’t secure the position with Google, at least it’s boosted my self-esteem and given me something to talk/rant/blog about for the last few months.

Trying To Move Forward

In my previous post, I mentioned that Google had yet to contact me and that I was considering being more aggressive in my attempt to secure a position. Perhaps I was being over-dramatic about my tactics, as all I did was e-mail them a revised copy of my CV. Within minutes of e-mailing them, however, I received a phone call to set up a second phone interview. I had this interview with a member of the Dublin based Adsense team on the 31st of August and I also had a third interview with another member of the team last Wednesday, the 6th of September.

These two interviews were rather different from the first one, as I was speaking directly to Adsense employees, and both seemed considerably more interested in my previous work experience, personality and education. It was actually really interesting to speak to them, both were very well educated and quite nerdy (in that good way, that I just love) - at certain points throughout each interview I found myself feeling like I was just chatting to them, rather than being interviewed, I really enjoyed speaking to people “on the inside”. With each interview I am becoming more confident, and I am becoming more prepared for the face-to-face interview(s) I am hoping to secure. As usual, as soon as I’ve more information about all this, it will be posted here.

As the Google recruitment process is so thorough (long), I have stopped actively searching for work elsewhere, but it has been pointed out to me (by many a friend) that I should probably not put all my eggs in one basket. This is difficult, as I am so certain that this job will fit me so perfectly. I’ve even been speaking excitedly about moving out, and finally getting my own place, more than likely in Dublin City Centre. Right now, the little day-dreams I have in my mind are of moving into Dublin, working in Google and spending each weekend happily lazing around with my partner. The urge to move out is increasing everyday, as the commute (on public transport unfortunately) into Dublin, to work, is getting longer and harder due to extensive road works. Speaking of work, actually, I got a nice little bonus of a weekend away in Ireland (to the value of €300) from Eircom for being a top-seller of Broadband throughout the summer months. It’s always nice to get a pat on the back.