Daily Digest 18 September

18-09-2008

by Emmet Cole

Irish spending EUR12m per day online | Larne gets 235 new jobs

What recession? Irish people are spending around EUR12 million per day on internet shopping despite the economic downturn, according to Dublin e-commerce firm Magico.ie. In fact, the economic downturn may be driving consumers more towards online shopping and away from the high street, according to Magico.ie's director of ecommerce, Paul McGurran. McGurran cited research from Realex Payments which showed that peak online sales in Ireland reached EUR12.7 million on 4 December last year, declining to EUR7.3 million in subsequent days during the Christmas period. However, in 2008 average daily web sales in Ireland are now exceeding EUR12 million per day.

Rapidly advancing technology is blurring the lines between media and presenting challenges to media regulators according to Conor Maguire, chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, who spoke at the BCI's National Broadcasting Conference on Thursday. "Technologies will always continue to evolve and change, but it's important that our approach to content regulation is appropriate and in line with regulatory principles of flexibility, consistency and fairness," said Maguire, who also highlighted the forthcoming move to digital television as a future challenge.

The European Commission on Thursday launched a public consultation on the regulatory principles to be applied by EU Member States to Next Generation Access broadband networks (NGA). NGA optical fibre-based networks enable bit rates several times higher than those currently available on traditional copper wire networks and are needed to deliver high-definition content like HDTV. The public consultation will be open until 14 November 2008. The Commission is expected to finalise its recommendation in the light of comments received before formally adopting it in 2009.

Jobs ahoy! Approximately 235 new jobs are to be created in Larne, Co. Antrim by CaridianBCT, a US medical devices manufacturer, according to Northern Ireland economy minister Arlene Foster. CaridianBCT makes blood collection and processing systems. Invest Northern Ireland is granting STG1.7 million in funds to support the expansion.

Meanwhile, Aetna, the US-based health benefits company, will create 70 new positions at its existing Castleisland, Co. Kerry, facility over the next three years in a major expansion of the firm's Irish operations, according to Tanaiste, Mary Coughlan. The expansion will see Aetna provide 24-hour support to multinational corporations based in Europe.

Just Say No To… texting on your mobile phone while driving. Texting is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of cannabis or alcohol, according to a study from the RAC Foundation in the UK published Thursday. The study used a driving simulator to research the effects of writing, reading and ignoring text messages on the driving skills of a test group of 17 - 24 year-old motorists. The test group's reaction times deteriorated by 35 percent compared to the effect of drinking alcohol at the legal limit, which caused 12 percent slower reaction times, and cannabis, which produced 21 percent slower reaction times. Steering control was 91 percent worse when texting behind the wheel, compared to 35 percent worse when under the influence of cannabis.

There's one less issue for IT security specialists in the financial sector to worry about with news that the notorious crime supersite DarkMarket.ws has shut down following the arrest of one of its administrators by Turkish police. DarkMarket was an online meeting-point for buyers and sellers of stolen identities and credit card data to meet and do business. The site sold everything from specialised card-cracking hardware and electronic banking logins collected from phishing attacks to stolen personal data needed to assume a consumer's identity, and the credit card magstripe swipes used to produce counterfeit cards.

Meanwhile, casual games developer PopCap Games announced that the action game Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown is available for download via the Xbox Live Arcade service. According to PopCap, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, this version of Feeding Frenzy features new moves, enhanced graphics, and frenzied fish-eating action. You'll have to buy your own chips to go with it though.

Entertainment.ie is going ape over an agreement with Model Citizen Records to exclusively stream the new album by Irish indie blow-ins Fight Like Apes. The band's first album, 'Fight Like Apes And The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion', will be available for free streaming on the website from Friday, 19 September (one week prior to its official Irish release). The agreement is the first of its kind between an Irish record label and an Irish media website. Is all the hype justified? Make up your own mind by checking out some samples on the band's official website.

Finally, McCainiacs are fuming Thursday as it was revealed a group of hackers broke into the Yahoo e-mail account of Alaska Governor (and US Presidential Candidate John McCain's running mate) Sarah Palin. The group, calling itself "Anonymous" posted five screenshots, two digital photos of Palin's family and an address book to the nortorious Wikileaks website. Although nothing immediately incriminating was revealed by the intrusion, the hacking comes at a sensitive time, with Palin currently under investigation in Alaska for alleged abuse of power while she was governor of the state, and questions being raised over her alleged use of a personal web-mail account to conduct state business.