10 FREE tickets to ESB Customer Supply's Des Bishop Unplugged Gig!

by Sarai Fernandez on January 18th, 2010

DEADLINE EXTENDED !! NEW CLOSING DATE FRI 29TH JAN @ 6PM

We’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets to ESB Customer Supply’s exclusive Des Bishop gig at the Button Factory. Want to be one of our winners? Just add a comment to this post or the Connector Facebook Group with a funny link to a joke or a video and be in with a chance to win 2 tickets to enjoy a unique show, on Wednesday February 3rd.

Just find something funny on the the Internet and you could get one of the 5 pairs of tickets Connector has to give away!

After the gig, there will be a DJ on stage and you will have a good chance to connect with the other Connector guests … So what are you waiting for? Send us your links before 18.00 on January 29th.

Indeed this is the finale to the ESB Customer Supply’s Des Bishop Unplugged energy saving campaign. Since last August Des Bishop has been writing a blog when he shares energy saving tips he’s been learning during this time. Additional tickets can also be won on www.desbishopunplugged.ie.

Good luck!

Connecting with RTE's Colm & JimJim

by Conor on December 14th, 2009

I heard this bunch of people having a great old time of it on friday evening as I was grabbing some free wifi in Le Circ on Dame Street, and looked up to investigate …turns out it to be the 2FM breakfast presenters Colm & Jim Jim and their team having a few pints.

I tell them I am on a mission to connect with everyone in Ireland and they are all very nice & evenagree to a picture as proof of connection haha !

I’m much too tired in the mornings to listen to breakfast radio but am sure they’re grrrrrreat !  ;-0  Now I wonder if my email to them will have them wanting to interview me as part of a story about the Facebook Addicts Anonymous group I am setting up …

Connector Christmas Awards 2009 @ Lillies Bordello

by Conor on December 13th, 2009

Last night Connector presented the Connector of the Year Awards at Lillie’s Bordello at our second annual Christmas Party. We wanted to applaud the great work of Dublin tribes / online communities plus a guy and a girl who have done really well in the last year.

The prizes were presented by TV Presenter Michael Hayes & each winner received a framed certificate and a brand new mobile phone kindly sponsored by Nokia, Sony Ericsson & 3 Mobile.

The winners for ‘Tribe of the Year’ was Culch.ie, a community formed by Darren Byrne (pictured below).  He has rounded up team of talented volunteer bloggers who write about all things pop culture & attend many arts & cultural events around Ireland.

In the Connector Male category David Mooney was the winner for his amazing work with Funky Seomra while the Connector Female award went to Natalia Kostrzewa, who couldn’t attend as she was out of the country.

 Besides that, we have made some predictions for the Top 10 to watch in 2010. Have a look to their names (in slideshare below) and keep an eye on them, they’re doing interesting work and we wish them all the best in 2010!

Approximately 170 people came to the event & we raised approx. €850 TBC for Temple Street Children’s Hospital so thanks for all donations.  The event was kindly sponsored by Peroni & RealexPayments and thanks also to Applied Signs & Display.

We were entertained & enjoyed a fantastic night where we had Apollina tribal belly dancer and also comedy performances from Will Lynch, Ronan Grace, Paudy Byrne & Mark Hanratty.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the Connector team who helped organise this and all the events during 2009.

The Clinic connections

by Conor on November 1st, 2009

I was delighted to see my friend Natalia Kostrzewa make her accomplished debut on The Clinic on RTE this evening.  Natalia has been a great help with Connector and I am delighted my prediction for her is coming to pass !  Wishing her all the best with The Clinic and all her great work !  The photo is of Natalia & myself having a wee chat at the Connector  Halloween bash.

Connector @ Windows 7 launch party

by Conor on October 28th, 2009

This was a BIG launch party given the state of the Irish economy !  Thanks to Piaras from Edelman for the invites to the eagerly awaited launch of Windows 7.  The event was held at the Button Factory and the highlight was this ’80′s tastic’ performance by Spring Break !

Kasabian connect @ TheChurch.ie

by Conor on October 18th, 2009

Here is a short video I made showing the great atmosphere when Kasabian played The Church recently for Arthur’s Day.  They certainly rocked the altar !

Thanks to Niall Whittle for doing the editing on this clip & thechurch.ie for the tickets we got to give away.

Connect with the Nokia N86

by Conor on October 11th, 2009

Nokia Ireland kindly sponsored a new phone for Connector to mobile blog during the Guinness Arthur’s Day celebration.  So I am the proud owner of a new Nokia N86 pictured above.  The phone is a nice sleek white design with a chrome casing which gives it a high quality feel when opening & closing etc.

The 8MP camera is amazing and the quality of the QIK.com mobile videos I have done are also really strong as you can see from the interview with Robotnik below.  A new feature I like is the ability to use standard headphones for listening to music fromthe Nokia Music Store.

Overall it is a very nice Nokia phone with all the usual benefits and works very well with Ovi.com for synching numbers etc.  Thanks to Anthony Lawless from Nokia for sorting this out for me.

Connect @ McDonnell Connor's launch party

by Conor on October 6th, 2009

Michelle Connor is the lovely wife of EightyTwenty’s David Connor and is making a big name for herself as a professional photographer.  Michelle is very well suited to being the other side of the lense as you can see and as it happens her sister Suzanne McCabe is a well known Irish model.

Michelle is busy organising a night out in Krystle for a small launch party to kick off McDonnell Connor photography next week with her new business partner, the highly accomplished photographer, Tim McDonnell.  The event is on the 15th October in Krystle Night Club and starts at 8pm.

Guests on the night can enjoy having their portrait taken in our portable studio – all images will be professionally edited and available for our guest to see the next day on our fanpage.  We have a top makeup artist there on the night to provide the ladies with last minute touch ups before they hit their shoot!!

Friends of Connector are all invited, especially those with an interest in digital photography & I look forward to checking it out.  If you want to come along, pls RSVP to michelle [@] mcdonnellconnor.com

Their fields of expertise range from Corporate Assignments to family portraits and fashion photography. Special studio opening offer is a full photo session, all images professionally edited and your favorite image supplied in contemporary 12×18 inch bloc – all this for only E100.00 for a limited time only.

With hi-spec studios in Howth and Ranelagh, they cater for all photography requirements.  Check out their large work showcase at www.mcdonnellconnor.com or become a fan of their Facebook Fanpage.

George Hook connects with Age Action

by Conor on September 30th, 2009

George Hook will be on Camden Street tomorrorw at the Age Action shop sipping tea to help celebrate October 1st UN International Day of Older Persons.  I hope to pop down and share a cuppa with George and anyone who pops in.  Age Action is calling on the nation to stop what they are doing at 11am on the 1st October and share a golden moment with an older person over a cup of tea.   Not that I am saying George is old or anything like that … but it is great to support our older and wiser family, friends & neighbours !

Writer Maeve Binchy launched the campaign with a hot cuppa and spoke of positive ageing: “”I support the Share a Golden Moment like I support everything positive! We are getting older so why not try to enjoy it and help others to do so?”

“This campaign is special.  It is calling on the nation on a specific day at a specific hour, to connect with an older person to let them know that you care,” Age Action’s Head of Advocacy and Communications Eamon Timmins said.

“October 1st falls during Positive Ageing Week and so we are calling on businesses to help promote the spirit of the day by purchasing boxes of tea bags from Age Action and distribute them amongst their customers and staff during Positive Ageing Week.  Age Action is also encouraging communities to have their own tea party at 11am on October 1st to mark the day,” Eamon Timmins said.

Please go to www.ageaction.ie or contact  Dee Clare at (01) 475 6989 if you want to help out tomorrow or at any stage.

Connecting with the stunnalicious Dita Von Teese

by Conor on September 26th, 2009

I was at a great lunch reception in Bentleys on St. Stephens Green on Thursday at the launch of Vodafone 360.  Why was it so good ?  Well the amazingly stunnalicious Dita Von Teese was there along with loads of people I know including my ex-colleagues at Vodafone and bunch of fellow bloggers & tech journalists too.  Plus the food was great, location perfect and it was a sunny day in Dublin so thanks to Niall Harbison for the invite & Fred for the great video below.

Pictured is the internationally renowned burlesque star and style icon, Dita von Teese who is surrounded by a 360 degree wall of mirrors. Unfortunately she only seemed to be in the room for a couple of minutes and no attempt seemed to be made to accomodate photo bloggers to get photos of her or with her.

As for the service, it looked great on the touch screen devices it was demonstrated on and it defintely something I’d like to try as my operator O2 don’t have anthing quite like it.  In essence, Vodafone 360 is a brand new set of internet services for your mobile and PC which gathers all your friends, communities, entertainment and personal favourites in one place.  At its heart Vodafone 360 has the most personal address book available, bringing together all of your contacts from your mobile phone, social networks and other internet accounts.