Symantec, the firm behind Norton Anti-virus, have decided to herald in the New Year by obtaining the much coveted Fraynor award for the technically embarrassed. Yes folks, Symantec beat all the other contenders for the first Fraynor award this year, nay this decade, by rushing out their particularly embarrassing problem on the stroke of midnight on the 1st January.

Such dedication!

Well, for years now I have used the O2 broadband service and I must say they have been a life-saver when it came to providing some bandwidth at a time when there was no other broadband service where I live.

However, a new crowd has opened up servicing Beaufort, Kilcumin and Headford. They go under the not so catchy company name of VoIP and Internet Services Ltd., which indicates they may have spent more money on the engineering than the marketing but as a techie who cares! They can be reached on (021) 4877341.

“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”

Which is of course a classic quote from Animal Farm by George Orwell and one that I quite like it as it can be used to describe so many human interactions particularly those pertaining to politicians which, of course, was the whole purpose of the book in the first place.

As is my habit I get up early every morning. This is in part as I always have been an early riser but whether this is a function of my physiology or whether it is because I always have had dogs that get up in the early hours I do not know. My current family canines wake up with the water boiler so adjusting the boiler time ensures we get an extra hour sleep even if the early morning shower is a bit on the tepid side but even so we are invariably up before seven doing our perambulation of the district.