For years I have been completely baffled by the manner in which Microsoft Word handles the Irish word “cuma”. I probably write it more often than I should in Irish. “Is cuma liom” means “I don’t mind” or “I don’t care”. We even say “Bhí sé ar nós is cuma liom.” which means something like “He had a real “so what” attitude.” Or “He didn’t give a toss.” It’s not the most positive of sentiments I feel. Nonetheless I have been using it regularly enough that the unusual manner in which Microsoft Word handles it has been driving me quietly insane over the years: whenever I wrote the word in Microsoft Word it would capitalise the initial C. Every single time. Even when I installed the Irish Language pack: still capitalised that C. That copail “is” would always ensure that the c would NEVER be capitalised unless the sentence is being written in conversational Irish (i.e. “Cuma liom,” ar sé”). The word doesn’t exist in languages I am familiar with which is few to be fair. Yes I did the Google searches. Of course, I did the Bing searches. I asked every Microsoft employee I came across (and I met a few in my previous jobs!) to investigate. (None of them did.) Okay yes I didn’t devote my every waking moment to the issue but I certainly wasted a few seconds of my life wondering “What in the heck…?” each time it happened. And then for the longest time I stopped using Microsoft Word. Certainly for my Irish writing. Until today when a lack of broadband (*shakes fist at UPC*) forced me to my offline tools.
Before long I wrote the phrase “Is cuma leo…” and lo! Word 2013 capitalised the C even though it was telling me in the status bar that it knew I was writing in Irish. I had few red squiggles sprinkled throughout the text so I could tell Word was feelin’ me. I have a relatively new machine with a new install of Word 2013 on it that I have yet to train. I rolled over the capitalised C to see what I could do with the Autocorrect tools and REVELATION! The tooltip included the sentence “Stop Auto-Capitalizing Names of Days.” At last A CLUE!
I did a Google Search for “What day of the week is Cuma?” Turns out it is in Turkey they say “Thank flip it’s joo-mah!”
It’s the little things. I know, I know: you are all ar nós is cuma libh.
In my most recent article forBeo! I write about some “essential” technology for what the French call “La Rentree” and marketers here call “Back to School”. Hearty congratulations to all those who received Leaving Cert results this week, especially my nephew in Wexford, who, as expected, sailed through. Phew! If nothing else, folks, you’ve passed a rite of passage of sorts and soon you’ll be consumed by something else. Good luck wherever your road may lead.
Ní bheidh i bhfad anois go mbeidh Coimisiún na Scrúduithe Stáit ag eisiúnt torthaí na hArdteistiméireachta. Ní dhéanfaidh mórán daoine Éireannacha dearmad ar an lá cinniúnach sin ach mar a dúirt giolchairí amháin anuraidh, is cuma ar bhealach faoi na torthaí – ní bheidh sibh ag éirí as go dtí 2064. Spúnóg mhór réadúlachta.
Ach tá athruithe móra tagtha ar an mbealach a bhfaightear na torthaí le cúpla bliain anuas. Is féidir do chuid torthaí a fháil ar líne nó ar an nguthán anois. Moltar gabháil chun na scoile ar aon nós, ar mhaithe leis an gcomhairle a dtabharfaidh an scoil duit má tá aon deacracht nó ceisteanna agat. Déarfainn gur faoiseamh mór é do an-chuid scoláirí gur féidir na torthaí tábhachtacha sin a léamh go príobháideach agusfaoi shocracht ar leataobh leat féin.
Táim féin ag gabháil i dtreo na tuairime gur chóir bliain a chaitheamh ag obair roimh fhreastal ar an ollscoil, ach níl ionamsa ach an colúnaí teicneolaíochta! Ach má éiríonn leat agus má shocraíonn tú ar freastal ar an tríú léibhéal, ná bac leis an gcarr nua a thairg do thuismitheoirí duit do thorthaí maithe: iarr liúntas teicneolaíochta uathu agusceannaigh na giuirléidí seo a leanas.
Kindle
Táimse féin rud beag déanach chuig an gcóisir seo, caithfidh mé admháil. D’fhoghlaim mé sin san ollscoil: ní fiú ar bith duit a bheith luath ag aon chóisir. Fuair m’fhear chéile Kindle le déanaí agus le linn ár saoire bhliaintúil, thug sé ar iasacht dom é ionas go mbeinn in ann an cúigiú cuid de Game of Thrones a léamh. Sea, déanach chuig an gcóisir sin fosta. Cé nach léiríonn an rogha sin leabhair é, is breá liom léamh agus is breá liom na cuimhneacháin a mhúsclaíonn gach leabhar ar an tseilf. Cuimhním ar ócáidí ar leith i mo shaol go minic trí na leabhar a bhí á léamh agam. Braithim go bhfuil rud éigin caillte agam anois le teacht an Kindle i mo shaol, ach ní fhéadfainn a shéanadh chomh feidhmiúil is atá an uirlis bheag seo agus, ar ndóigh, tá ceann uaim féin anois. Tá neart téacsleabhar ar fáil ar an Kindle go deimhin freisin agus go háirithe má tá tú ag tabhairt faoi chúrsa staidéir sa sruithléann, mholfainn go mór é. Dá mbeadh a leithéid ann nuair a bhí mé féin ag tabhairt faoi mo chuid foghlama sa Ghaeilge agus sa Drámaíocht, bheinn in ann “Complete Works of Shakespeare” a fháil ar $1.99 nócóip de dhánta an Ríordánaigh a fháil ar $15.04. Níl an difríocht idir praghas na leabhar don dráma agus don Ghaeilge athraithe ar aon nós! Ar £69.00 (nó $69.00) ar an leagan is bunúsaí is infheistíocht an-mhaith an teicneolaíocht seo.
Éist leis an bPeann
Ceann de na rudaí is tuirsiúil san ollscoil ná nótaí a ghlacadh. Go háirithe má bhí tú amuigh ar an drabhlas go breacadh an lae ag staidéar go géar go breacadh an lae. BeidhLivescribe Sky Wifi Smartpen uait mar sin. Cabhróidh an peann seo go mór leat. Leis an ngiuirléid agus a leabhar nótaí tionlacain speisialta seo, is féidir scríobh agus taifeadadhag an am céanna. Nuair a léann tú siar ar na nótaí is féidir an peann cniogóige a bhualadh ar aon áit ar do chuid nótaí agus seinnfidh an peann gach a thaifead sé ag an mbomaite a scríobh tú an nóta sin. D’fhéadfá an peann seo a bheith rud beag níos lú agus rud beag níos saoire, ach is tús íontach maith é san earnáil seo. Tá costas timpeall $200 ar ceann de na pinn seo ag brath ar cúpla rogha.
Cluasáin Fhuaimdhíonacha
B’fhéidir nach gceapfá go mbeadh cluasáin fhuaimdhíonacha róthábhachtach ach má cheapann tú ar feadh meandair amháin gur chóir duit tabhairt faoin staidéar i leabharlann na hollscoile leis na cluasáin a fuair tú le do iPod/ seinnteoir MP3/ guthán, b’fhéidir gur chóir duit gabháil ar ais ar scoil! Tá rud nó dhó le foghlaim agat go fóill! Tá liosta cuimsitheach ag CNET ach níl ach ceann nó dhó díobh siúd liostáilte níos saoire ná $100 dá réir. Molaim roinnt siopadóireachta nó coigiltis a dhéanamh. An rud is maith liom le CNET ná go mbíonn treoir cheannaitheora lena gcuid léirmheasanna a ligeann duit do chinneadh féin a dhéanamh.
Clódóir agus Feidhmhcláirín Scanóra
An rud is cuimhin liom faoin ollscoil ná cló agus fótóchóipeáil idir aistí agus leathanach anseo agus ansiúd as leabhar tagartha nach raibh ar fáil ar iasacht ón leabharlann. Don chuid is mó anois, is ar líne nó thar r-phost a sheoltar isteach aistí ach, ag brath ar an ábhar, beidh gach seans go mbeidh clódóir uait. Roghnaigh clódóir le WiFi, a chlónn ó iOS agus Android chomh maith le ríomhaire agus déan roinnt taighde ar costas na gcartús dúigh mar is é sin an costas is mó a bheas ort amach anseo. Tá neart clódóirí ar fáil anois atá idir €100 agus €150 agus má bhraitheann tú go mbeidh ort ábhar a chló is fiú an infheistíochta. Má tá guthán cliste agat, molaim feidhmchláirín scanóra a ligfidh duit fótóchóipeáil a fhágáil sa 20ú aois mar is chóir! Arís tá rogha mór de na feidhmchláiríní seo, ach oibríonn DocScanner ar iOS agus Android. Is féidir aon ábhar a bhailíonn tú a shábháil chuig Evernote, DropBox nó Google Drive agus tá na cáipéisí inchuardaithe uaidh sin.
Cúltacaigh gach Ní!
Nuair a d’fhreastail mé ar an ollscoil (agus táimid ag druidim le 20 bliain ó thosnaigh mé ann!) bhí cead againn aistí scríofa de láimh a thabhairt isteach. Bhí ort cead a fháil chun seoladh r-phost a aimsiú agus is cuimhin liom míniú don léachtóir Gaeilge s’agam céard ba r-phost ann agus cén fáth go raibh sé uaim. Go bunúsach, bhí ré órga na teicneolaíochta fós le gabháil i bhfeidhm ar hallaí ársa Coláiste na Tríonóide. Fiú nuair a bhí orainn gach aon ní a chló amach agus a fhágáil i mbosca taobh amuigh d’oifig an rúnaí, is minic a theip ar ríomhairí agus bheadh caoineadh agus briseadh croí agus bosca ciarsúr tarraingthe amach ag an rúnaí céanna. Is dócha go bhfoghlaimíonn an chuid is mó de scoláirí an ceacht crua. Éist le mo mholtaí agus má ceannaíonn tú aon ní ón líosta seo ceannaigh tiomántán cúltaca agus socraigh réim mhíleata chúltaca duit féin! Gabhfaidh tú buíochas liom nuair a shábháilim do leabharlann iTunes gan chaint ar d’aiste críochthéarma.
Mar fhocal scoir, smaoinigh ar cúpla rud eile a bheadh ina gcabhair mór don scoláire dáiríre (ahem!). Dá mbeinn féin ag scríobh aiste ollscoile, bheadh pointí caillte agam faoin am seo as a bheith fadálach agus mar sin fágfaidh mé fúibh féin léamh fúthu:
I’ve been checking out Issuu.com for an article I’ve been working on. Issuu is a publishing platform that allows publishers to share their lovely print content in a digital form. Some of the content is samples but in some cases you can get hold of full publications. I came across this slick publication with an article on living outside/ camping which piqued my interest. It also made me realise that we haven’t actually gone camping this year and it hardly seems worth dragging all the stuff out for a weekend at this stage… We’ll see.
My most recent article for Beo.ie looks at some of the issues that I as a parent am experiencing as my children get more involved in technology. Can I keep up with them? The latest game to cause some concern is Minecraft. Read on or contact me for a rough translation 🙂
Thugamar cuairt ar an deartháir is sine liom faoi Nollaig. Tá beirt chailíní aige agus le linn na cuairte thaispeáin siad Minecraft, cluiche ar an iPad nua s’acu, don bheirt gasúir is sine linne. Ó shin i leith tá na buachaillí s’againne go huile is go hiomlán gafa leis. D’insealbhaigh m’fhear chéile an leagan in aisce ar an iPad s’aige, ag ceapadh nach mairfeadh an leannán seo acu.
Thug m’fhear chéile a iPad leis ar turas coicíse agus go ceann trí lá d’ímpigh siad is d’impigh siad orm Minecraft a insealbhú ar an iPad s’agamsa. Dhiúltaigh mé. Thairg an duine is sine a chuid airgid féin chun íoc as: dar leis, thuill sé an t-airgead timpeall an tí agus is faoi féin conas a chaitheann sé é. Sa deireadh tháinig muid ar réiteach agus fuair mé an leagan nua de Lego Harry Potter. Tá dífríocht amháin idir Minecraft agus Lego Harry Potter a thuigfidh aon tuismitheoir eile le ‘crafters’ sa teach: tá críoch le Lego Harry Potter; leanfaidh Minecraft go deo.
Ach nach ionann cluiche amháin leictreonach agus ceann eile? Is ea, go pointe áirithe, ach tá difríochtaí móra idir gnáthchluichí agus Minecraft agus ní ormsa amháin atá imní faoin mbealach a imríonn na gasúir an cluiche seo. Ní gá ach cuardach a dhéanamh ar Google ar nós “kids playing too much minecraft” agus tiocfaidh tú ar neart cláracha plé agus blagmhíreanna ag tuismitheoirí imníoch ag lorg freagra ar an gceist.
Seoladh Minecraft don PC déanach i 2011 agus bronnadh duaiseanna láithreach air: “best downloadable game”, “best indie game”, srl. Tugtar cluiche bosca gainimh nó domhan oscailte ar a leitheid de cluiche. Seard atá i gceist leis seo ná nach bhfuil scéal ar leith i gceist leis an gcluiche: fágtar faoin imreoir taiscéal a dhéanamh sa domhan iad féin.
So proud – my nippers made this… :-/
Tú Féin atá ar an Maide Eolais
De ghnáth, ó thaobh ríomhaireachta de, ciallaíonn sé seo nach bhfuil gá ach rialacha a leagan síos faoin mbealach gur féidir leis an imreoir gabháil i ngleic leis an timpeallacht. Mar sin is féidir a leithéid de chluichí a sheoladh go sciobtha de ghnáth freisin. Míbhuntáiste, ar ndóigh, is ea go bhfuil gá leis na rialacha ó nach bhfuil sé dodhéanta gach uile féidearacht insinte a shamhlú ar an gcéad dul síos agus a chruthú. In alt i 2005 (tá fhios agam – ársa go maith!) scríobh forbróir cluiche amháin, David Braben, go bhfuil ardchaighdeán léiriúcháin sroichte: tá samhail an tsaoil réadúil cruthaithe ach “The Holy Grail we are looking for in fifth generation gaming is the ability to have freedom, and to have truly open ended stories.”
An rud is aistí faoi Minecraft ansin ná go bhfuil na graificí bunúsach. An-bhunúsach. Tá siad blocach, tá an pailéad srianta go maith ach is cuma don imreoir mar má shocraíonn sé nó sí ar teaichín deich n-urlár le díon tuí a chruthú, thig leis. Níl srian ar bith leis an tsamhlaíocht ann. Sin an rud a tharraingíonn ar ais arís is arís eile iad. Sin an fáth go bhfuil an-spéis ag oideachasóirí sa chluiche seo.
Inár dteach tá neart uirlísí aibhléise idir uirlísí iOS agus ríomhairí. Tá Wii agus tá PSP againn agus d’éirígh leis na gasúir am a chur isteach ag imirt cluiche ar an meaisín DVD fiú! B’fhearr i bhfad leo suí siar le cluiche in ionad clár teilifíse agus go dtí seo tá níos mó spéis acu i gcluichí ina bhfuil fadhbanna le réiteach iontu nó sprioc ar leith in ionad cluichí “shoot-em-up”. Is é am ríomhaireachta an duais is fearr is féidir thabhairt dóibh agus tuilleann siad dearbháin timpeall an tí gur féidir leo trádáil ar son 15 nóiméad anseo is ansiúd.
Sách Buartha
Sa dara áit don duine is sine tá leitheoireacht agus dá dhearthair, tá teilifís mar chaitheamh aimsire. Nil mórán speise ag ceachtar acu i spórt, idir rannpháirteacht nó féachaint air. Mar sin, cosúil le híomhá choitinn na máthar, táim buartha go bhfuil siad ag foghlaim drochnósanna a mbeidh tionchar acu ar a sláinte anois agus amach anseo. Scríobh mé cheana (féach an nasc ‘is fearr an tsláinte’) faoin mbealach ina bhfuil cruthaitheoirí teicneolaíochtaí sláinte ag iarraidh “gamification” a shníomh tríd a gcuid earraí agus léigh mé alt amháin a leagann síos gurb iad na tréithe aigneolaíochta céanna a chruthaíonn cluichirí dírithe is a chruthaíonn “gym rats” dírithe. Nílim róchinnte ach feicim tréith na hiomaíochta sna gasúir. Le Minecraft feicim gur féidir leo díriú isteach ar thionscnamh agus fanacht leis go dtí go mbeidh sé curtha i gcrích acu. Caithfidh na himreoirí na hábhair thart timpeall orthu a úsáid chun an timpeallacht a mhúnlú. Tá dhá modh imeartha sa chluiche: cruthaitheacht nó modh an mharthanais. Ligeann an chéad cheann don imreoir leanúint leis an tógáil gan tionchar ó ocras, caitheamh an lae nó ó ionsaitheoirí cosúil le ainmhithe, damháin alla nó zombies. Sa mhodh marthanais, caithfidh an t-imreoir gabhail i ngleic leis seo go léir chun teacht slán. Is féidir leo imirt leo féin nó is féidir imirt thar an idirlíon le cairde agus stráinséirí.
STRÁINSÉIRÍ?? Coimthígh!
Bíonn tuismitheoirí buartha go minic faoi choimhthigh ar líne agus ar ndóigh ní cabhraíonn a leithéid de scéal is “Man jailed for having sex with 13 year old” ina bhfuil an suíomh Bebo lárnach. Mar thuismitheoir briseann an scéal seo mo chroí. Is léir go dtuigeann cruthaitheoirí Minecraft deacrachtaí tuismitheoirí le hoscailteacht córas ar líne. Tuigeann siad an eagla. Ach is creatúir sóisialta muid agus giorraíonn beirt bóthair go háirithe nuair ortsa atá an fhreagracht an bóthar sin a thógáil cloch mhéarach i ndiaidh na cloiche méaraí. Tá modh sa chluiche mar sin gur féidir leat freastálaí priobháideach a shocrú agus na sonraí a roinnt le do chairde amháin. An buntáiste is mó atá leis seo ná gur le cuireadh amháin a ligeann tú imreoirí teacht isteach; an míbhuntáiste ná is faoin tuismitheoir, de ghnáth, an freastalaí a riaradh. Deis iontach foghlamtha, nach ea?!
So my Ada Lovelace Day post is a lot late. Ironically it is because I was so busy looking after our own Ada! I have great hopes that in 30 years time I will be able to write about her on Ada Lovelace Day!
Today is Ada Lovelace Day and bloggers are encouraged to write about women in technology and science. As the holder of not one but two Masters (or Mistresses!) of Science I feel downright obliged to take up this challenge. However as one of those MScs has been described as a “MSc for drawing pictures” and the other is in the social sciences you will understand that my take on science and technology might be a little broader than most. Rather than writing about one woman in particular I have decided to write about all the women who have inspired scientific thoughts in my mind over the years.
I’m going to kick off badly with an assumption and that assumption is that whoever decided to install two science labs (and only one Home Ec. room) in my secondary school was a woman. It was a convent run school with maybe 5 male teachers, none of whom taught science, so is it a fair assumption? These labs were large, bright and, I thought, well-equipped (although I had never been in any other science lab so…). They were probably very old-fashioned with their wooden worktops and rolly blackboards compared to the labs that many schools would have nowadays. But all the wood and the trees outside conjured up the kind of lab you could imagine Marie Curie hunkering down in for some serious experimentation.
These labs would have been all for nothing if the nuns who ran the school hadn’t timetabled plenty of science. No matter what choice of subjects that was made for Inter or Leaving Cert you could always mix in some science subjects. Not only that but science was afforded the same hours as core subjects English, Irish, Maths & French.
I was also lucky to have some great teachers. Ms. Stevenson taught me science to Inter Cert with a no-nonsense approach. She also went on to have the joy of teaching me Chemistry to Leaving Cert and I’m sorry to have let her down at the last hurdle with that D. Ms. Mee taught me Physics to Leaving Cert and taught us above all, especially in Science, it’s all about experimentation. Every week she would demonstrate an experiment in our single Physics before lunch and not one of her experiments ever worked.
My lab partners in Physics and Chemistry to Leaving Cert kept me going through the more boring parts of Organic Chemistry. A big shout out to S & M, you know who you are! S, in particular said one of the nicest if nerdiest thing to me ever when we were in sixth year. Discussing electormagnetics she said, “I always remember cathodes are negative and Roseanodes are positive.” A description I have always tried to live up to ever since.
My mother has always been a keen advocate of technology especially as a teaching aid. She purchased an IBM PC for the family when I was still in secondary school. Also some thanks must go to the eldest “girl” in my family who brought computers into our home when other families were just getting to grips with VCRs. My eldest brother Blaise won a ZX Spectrum in a Telecom Eireann Art Competition (weird I know) and the headline under the picture of him with his long hair and the two actually female runners up the next day ran, “Three schoolgirls win prizes…” My mother was and still is an early adopter when it comes to technology and was the first person to teach me how to use a PC. Mainly she just left us at it which is what it’s all about really. Except when the child is three (covering my own ass for giving out to Nipper 2.0 messing with my laptop.)
Science and I then parted company for a while as I studied Drama Studies and Modern Irish. That said there was some study of semiotics, the science of signs, and linguistics, the science of language, but no noteworthy women popped up. However aforementioned S and I communicated by email throughout this time as her science career continued overseas. At the time students in TCD had to apply for an email account, with the blessing of a lecturer from their faculty, and it was very complicated because I had to explain to my tutor what email was. I also spent a year in Glasgow University who were a little ahead of TCD and this helped me really develop my use of computers and the internet for communication and research.
My MSc in Multimedia Systems introduced me to plenty of inspirational women not least Ada Lovelace herself as part of our gallop through the history of computing at the very beginning of the course. Between my female classmates and some of our lecturers my love of popular technology developed and grew. However, try as they might, my actual technical abilities did not and the word Java still send shivers down my spine. It’s all coming out now. A particular shout out to my favourite physicist – you know who you are!
Since then I’ve had numerous jobs but my ability to use computers and the internet has always been part of my success. When I read (online!) about a new online course in Social Research Skills I knew I could do it and that the online aspect would be a boon for me rather than an obstacle. I would like to thank the course director, Professor Síle O’Connor, for taking a leap of faith and allowing someone with no previous social science qualification to undertake the course. I hope the fact that I and two other women were the first to complete the MSc online proved her right. It was tough going at times as I had to learn a whole new way of thinking. I was particularly inspired by our qualitative research skills lecturer Wendy Saunderson who managed to communicate her passion for qualitative research methods across time and space. I was only sorry that when it came to my thesis I ran out of time to include a qualitative section to put some of her training to the test.
Since I started working with the Irish Internet Association I have, of course, met many inspirational female technologists, innovators and early adopters. If I start naming names, I’ll leave someone out so I won’t. That said it has not escaped my notice that I tend to be one of only a handful of women at technology events in Ireland. (It also hasn’t escaped my attention that I feel like a bit of a techfaux at many of these events but everyone needs fans and hangers-on, right?) If I have been given the honour of speaking at a business event I will generally be the only female speaker. Coming from a completely different sector which, up to a certain level, is female dominated, it was very noticeable to me how few women were visible in the online/ internet/ technology sector. This is not a new topic but it is certainly one that deserves to be raised regularly. Of course, I don’t think women should only be asked to speak because they are women but I have been asked to participate in initiatives where the fact that I’m a woman is an added bonus. In other words I would not have been asked without my expertise but I am being asked rather than a man with the same expertise because I’m a woman and it’s essential that the initiative include the views of women. Honestly I don’t know how I feel about that. I know it’s wrong but generally I think the exclusion of women in hitherto male dominated sectors is still an issue that needs to be underlined.
I mentioned that my take on science & technology might be somewhat broader than most. I am going to include two architects. Firstly Dublin-based Celie O’Connell designed our beautiful home which is full of light and space and is a joy to live in. Secondly Louise Sliney is an amazing architect based in Cork who has created a beautiful home for herself to which she welcomes our whole family at the drop of a hat. If you need an architect either of these women will treat you royally!
I mentioned that my take on science & technology might be somewhat broader than most. I am going to include two architects. Firstly Dublin-based