The offtopic thread - it's nice inside.

shoutman

Following on from theentrepreneur's suggestion, we have decided to open an offtopic thread to see how it goes.

So what is this thread for?

• Who should be next in the well posts.
• Politicians in this country are destroying my business posts.
• Pretty much any posts that don't warrant a thread of there own.

First up I would like some suggestions for who should next be in the well.

YAY !

The Well is great - we need more candidates who can help amateurs like myself make it.

Not sure who to use next though.

In other news, I'm off to Mr Enterprise Board soon - I basically emailed them looking to meet someone for assistance/another perspective on a business I'm launching - anyone know what to expect ?

Even though I live closer to Dun Laoghaire than nutgrove, my meeting is in Nutgrove.

maxwell smart

I met the local county enterprise board last week, they had an "enterprise Bus" going around Kildare and I happened to walk past it and decided to pop it without an appointment.Had a good chat with the "mentor" they had on board. Ran some ideas by him (not the one I am actually launching soon). He was very positive, told me about what help I would get off EI (mostly if I expanded to the UK). So he brings me down to the enterprise board guy, and introduces me. He was totally uninterested, just made sure I filled out the form to show I was at the bus(to justify his existence).

Guys like him are the reason that the civil service get a bad rap. A box ticker if ever I met one.

conman

Deleted User wrote: »

YAY !

The Well is great - we need more candidates who can help amateurs like myself make it.

Not sure who to use next though.

In other news, I'm off to Mr Enterprise Board soon - I basically emailed them looking to meet someone for assistance/another perspective on a business I'm launching - anyone know what to expect ?

Even though I live closer to Dun Laoghaire than nutgrove, my meeting is in Nutgrove.

i was the same, i went to meet a possible mentor, off to nutgrove i went, but like you DL is much closer.

good idea for the offtopic thread, tho its a bit chilly in here :P

Locamon

maxwell smart wrote: »

I met the local county enterprise board last week, they had an "enterprise Bus" going around Kildare and I happened to walk past it and decided to pop it without an appointment.Had a good chat with the "mentor" they had on board. Ran some ideas by him (not the one I am actually launching soon). He was very positive, told me about what help I would get off EI (mostly if I expanded to the UK). So he brings me down to the enterprise board guy, and introduces me. He was totally uninterested, just made sure I filled out the form to show I was at the bus(to justify his existence).

Guys like him are the reason that the civil service get a bad rap. A box ticker if ever I met one.

I raised this as part of the networking thread, was a bit off topic so a more natural home here. Basically has anyone had any benefit from the enterprise board? I went to them when I was starting up and got no useful help -basically told me to come back when I was established.. seems a bit of a contradiction. If they do provide a useful service of some type I would like to know -maybe tap them up again:)

conman

conman wrote: »

i was the same, i went to meet a possible mentor, off to nutgrove i went, but like you DL is much closer.

good idea for the offtopic thread, tho its a bit chilly in here :P

What was that like ? Were they any use ?

I can barely seperate the difference between fitness/competitive sports and business (even though I'm in the pre-launching phase, still tough for me) - anyway, this is something that motivates me from a business perspective and a fitness perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVmc8q7ClRA

conman

Deleted User wrote: »

What was that like ? Were they any use ?

well basically it was an introduction to what the mentor system caters for. 30mins of chat really..

but i will avail of the mentor system soon to get my idea off the ground.

Is it true because we use the southside enterprise board, we pay 75 bucks an hour ? I know on the DLRCEB website, they charge 75 bucks an hour. Would we be exempt from that if they like our offering ?

On a side note, the more they hear you talk about "UK UK UK UK UK" the more they seem to listen.

stepbar

What ever happened to getting Sean Gallagher in the well?

Bandara

Seeing as its offtopic time....my favourite ever quote, I think its brilliant.




........It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.....

Axwell

stepbar wrote: »

What ever happened to getting Sean Gallagher in the well?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=62019973&postcount=59

Great quote Hammertime, inspired me.

What I really want to know is, where the fu*k is Darragh29 ???

shoutman

Last I heard from Darragh29 he was working his arse off launching a new online business, but that was a while back.

So you know the way our taoiseach is on more money than Obama ?

Well now you do.

Oh and Pat Kenny earns over 900K a year - yeah, even more than Terry Wogan the legendary BBC commentator who is on a modest salary of 130K a year (sterling)

I've also heard just today in fact, that lecturers in Ireland are not far off (whatever that means) parity with Cambridge lecturers which mostly consists of Nobel prize winners - basically, full time lecturers in Ireland earn more than lecturers in other countries.

Make of that what you will.

shoutman

People with institutional cheque books went crazy during the tiger years.

I've no problem with teachers and lecturers getting paid good money as I think its great that intelligent people see teaching at 3rd level or otherwise as a good career, but to have Kenny on 900k when a robot could easily be built to do his job is beyond me.

I've a problem with lecturers being on that kind of money, what makes Ireland so special compared to other countries in Europe ?

Why are Irish lecturers being paid almost as high as nobel prize winners ?

Look, I'm not being bitter, I could go get my PHD in a year, and go off and try become one and I have good links with lecturers so I'm pretty sure I'd have a good chance of succeeding so no sour grapes on my part - but I just want to know why ?

Same point with Kenny - and don't get me started on Tubridy.

Tubridy reminds me of the geek who would have been quite unpopular in school but then grew into himself, got a new founded sense of confidence around mid twenties and then ever since then, has become the bold mummys boy from next door asking his "bold" questions which the grannies tend to enjoy - "Oh Tubridy, he's so bold and cheeky and confrontational" Grrrr

shoutman

I wouldn't take any anger out on those receiving the money, its the people willing to pay them that that are at fault.

If I was offered a million a year to take out a persons bin for the year I'd take it, I don't care if I deserve it or not.

Bellies

"I've a problem with lecturers being on that kind of money, what makes Ireland so special compared to other countries in Europe ? "

Well firstly the majority of lectures in NUI's and IT college's is that they have a vast amount of experience in their specialised area! Click on any university website andfocus in on a particular dept. you'll see the work they have done on the international stage is outstanding and can be very beneficial!

Phd in a year, sounds too good to be true, considering the min. is 3-4years max!

Here is the President of UCC in yeasterdays paper giving out about the cuts that will/are going to be implemented into the third level educational sector: Might answer a few of your questions here: http://issuu.com/tcmeditorial/docs/front?mode=a_p

Also, alot of lectures act as consultants to multi-nationals in Ireland and even the UK!

Finishing on your opening quote Theentrepreneur, the level of education in Ireland is up to the highest level in Europe, I would definitely say Ireland is in the top 5, and bold enough to say 4th but I'm open to correction.

Didn't mean to say I'd have a PHD in a year, meant to say I could apply and go through the process and begin it in a year (next September assuming ? although could be wrong.) Oh and they don't have any more experience than other countries in Europe ffs. Sure they earn more money than German lecturers ?

Just on your last point, if Ireland has a system that is in the top 5, why should they be paid so much higher than other lecturers in Europe/world ? I mean I don't know how much "almost" on parity with nobel prize winners (Cambridge and the like) really is, but until I'm proven wrong, I'd assume it's within a 10 - 15K difference (Sterling or Euro), I appreciate the role of lecturers, I just don't understand what warrants such a high payment ?

Same with the taoiseach earning more than Obama ? Irish Policemen earning more than the NYPD who have a much tougher job, don't tell me otherwise.

If you think about it, re: public services and the state of this economy, the same could be said about standard teachers who effectively work 6 3/4 months (with all holidays taken into account) who are then free to go to Switzerland and earn another 30K teaching people to ski - just an example, they could do anything else they wish to do.

My point overall is, what is so special about Ireland that our public services sector command higher salaries/perks/money in lieu (garda siochana) when in other countries, it's not the same.

I agree with you shoutman, it's the idiots upstairs who are making a balls of it. Ireland really is a funny old country, just look around, the amount of clowns who got carried away buying things they can't afford - people don't seem to understand just because you save up enough money to buy a SUV doesn't mean you can afford an SUV (running costs, petrol, service fees).

maxwell smart

What gets on my nerve is that there is no real accountability for actions in this country in the public sector. There are plenty of people doing a good job in the public sector, but those who make a F up should have to answer for those actions.
I don't mind people getting paid well once they are doing a damn good job of it and they are answerable for those actions if they don't do a good enough job.
This country is run by a cosy cartel (maybe I should be posting this on the Conspiricy forum?) who look after each other. Take politician expenses. When I have an expense for my business I need a receipt to go against it in case I'm audited and to keep me honest. The Revenue won't accept that I've allowed myself 50k of unvouched expenses....why do politicians get away with it?

Rant over, going to lie down now;)

Oh a certain "£400" fee a politician paid to go from one terminal in Heathrow to another in a private car when there is a free public bus that would have taken him and his laptop bag.