Pure Play

Biabeag - a new food blog by me (artisan and small scale food producers)

A vegan foodie may seem like a contradiction but it is possible apparently and biabeag is my outlet for same.

It is not recipes (they are done really well by so many others - check out the Irish food blogs here) nor is it vegetable growing nor the raising of farm animals. All important, none of which do much for me.

It is about food products from small scale producers - passionate people who take on incredible odds and long hours to bring consumers and foodies foods which are amazing. Biabeag is a reference to scale, not the physical size of the goods ;-)

Budgeting and awareness of cost are important - however really cheap food is compromised somewhere along the line. Every Euro you spend with a small scale food business makes a material impact on their turnover and bottom line - while it will not even register with the multinationals who spew out the majority of the food brands you see around you.

I am still settling into the rhythm and style of the blog so feedback very welcome - I have already adjusted upwards the proportion of Irish producers in there. There will be regular design references - branding and packaging being so important to get right if the public are going to be persuaded to switch their buying habits.

Also if  you know of similiar blogs please let me know - I have struggled to find them.

Hope you enjoy it - http://biabeag.posterous.com/

keith

South East Event Manager Required - Part Time

From a friend last night, could be interesting for someone with an events background:

Event Manager

The Green Party wishes to employ a part-time Event Manager from November 2009 to March 2010. This role carries responsibility for the organisation of the party’s Annual Convention in Waterford from 26th to 28th March 2010.

It will average 2 days or 14 hours per week over the period.

Requirements

• Experience in the organisation of major events.
• Strong organisation skills and an ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Must be a team player, committed to Green Party values.

Applications

Further information on the position and an application form are available on our website www.greenparty.ie

Completed application forms must be returned by 5pm on Friday 30th October

Keith

IQ - What will the neighbours say?

I have been driving the Toyota IQ for 2 months now I guess and while I was going to post on the fuel consumption I managed not to take a note of the km when I did last fill so save that for the next one.

So what did the neighbours say? Loads in fact - from a small street (cul-de-sac) 5 different neighbours have taken the trouble to sit in the car! They (to a woman or man) are all curious about it because of the sheer tiny'ness of it. And everyone of them get out marveling at the apparent lack of compromise for the driving position. 

A 6th (who has not yet sat in it) swears they will get rid of their current 2nd car and substitute it for an IQ.

2 bikers have come over to it when it was parked on High St (I left my wife and daughter in it) and had a brief conversation along the lines of "That's an IQ - not a bad looking car"

A couple of priests accosted me this morning in New Ross and asked about it - leading into a 10 minute conversation about the type of people it would suit.

This stuff is interesting - because a 2% share of the market for this Class of car will only be changed (or materially changed) when individuals have had a chance to physically see one.

For those of you who prefer video a "proper" review:

keith

(Disclosure - I have the car for 5 months as part of a Toyota marketing campaign and am thus obliged to write about it. But I can write as I see fit. Like - WTF, no ashtray, rubbish receptacle, place to put wrappers, Nothing. At all. So they end up on the ground. I really do not understand that. )

Mailchimp - initial impressions

One of the most popular blog posts for me is one I did on GroupMail - the Sligo based software for running mail lists.

Over the last week I have been working with MailChimp - a SAAS service for running email newsletters and I am really enjoying it. Deep functionality combined with a relatively intuitive interface and rock solid stability are all indicators of a mature product.

You can send up to 600 emails a month free - which puts this in the frame for a lot of Irish SME's. As I sent out nearly 800 emails last night to beta signups for dbTwang we stepped up to the $30 a month bracket.

One interesting report for me was the geographic analysis of opens - which gives us an indication of where the people who signed up for our beta actually are (we only have an email address so difficult to tell).

This is what it reported.

It makes sense. Our market research shows the largest group of guitar owners in the US and UK with Germany probably the biggest in the rest of Europe. One country completely unrepresented here is Japan and that is something we will have to address - but that is another days work!

keith

Taking the p*** out of vegetarians

This is a personal one - saw a link to this video and really enjoyed it. I am vegan (worse than bloody vegetarian) and we desperately need to have the p*** taken out of us from time to time :-)

keith

Catholic Church in Ireland

Great and simple idea from Damien Mulley - make the Child Abuse Commission Report the top return for "Catholic Church In Ireland" searches on google.

Use the phrase Catholic Church In Ireland and link it to the report.

Done, with pleasure.

UPDATE - Damien has produced a short slideshow with excerpts which is shown underneath. I do not often post non-business stuff on this blog, however the reality exposed by this report and the unmasking of a truly evil life imposed on children in Ireland is something worth commenting on.

Catholic Church in Ireland

View more OpenOffice presentations from damienmulley.

keith