Media Virgins

Ireland 12 months ago was a very different one to the one we are in now. The recession wasn’t evident for many, it was pouring rain, and I was fretting over my pending Leaving Cert examinations. Looking back on it, I find it hilarious. Teachers were drilling into you that exams are everything, to the point where one of my teacher asked “Sean, do you want to live on the streets?” half jokingly, the other half as serious as the economic climate that is upon us.

These day’s, St. Patrick’s Day is much more than an Irish holiday. It has become a worldwide event. The 17th day of March is celebrated from Sydney to St. Louis every year, and the celebration keeps expanding. However, the parades in New York may be more flamboyant, but they don’t capture what it is to be Irish. Being Irish is being able to laugh at yourself and having fun. St. Patrick’s Day reminds the whole world of that and that is why it is so important to us.

On the  11th and 12th of March, third and second level students from across the country descend on Tipperary Institutes Thurles campus  for Games Fleadh ’09 and a special celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of iconic computer game Asteroids. Students who entered the XNA challenge created their own version of the game, and the winning entry was truly unique, as students from DIT incorporated the use of the drum controller from Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The aim of the game was, as in the original game Asteroids, to control a small ship, in this case a small purple sphere, to destroy 2 dimensional asteroids. The spheres shield was its weapon, and is activated by pressing the drums pedal. The way the ship moved around was really interesting, you simply tapped a drum and the ship is propelled away from it. Mike Kiely and myself had the honor of interviewing the winners, and I’m fairly certain my inexperience shows. I’m still camera shy…

Contrary to popular belief, it is quite simple to create an hour-long,  audible podcast within a four hour time slot. The podcast in question, is of course, our mysterious podcast, which has never seen the public limelight. This is due to a few setbacks, but it should be arriving on an iPod near you very soon. This podcast is done semi-professionally, and we use the best microphones and cameras available to us. The artwork is questionable, the music is not ours, but we’re doing our best to provide you with a great listening experience.

Recently I have been suffering from writers block. Not really a good thing when assignments are piling up and fellow Media Virgins are getting narky from my lack of posting. It’s not a nice feeling sitting in front of my laptop (pink in case you’re wondering) staring at a blank screen with a lonely tumble weed blowing around my brain. Usually I am an idea person, but recently - nada. So to keep the guys off my back I’m posting about some of the non blogging activities I’ve been engaging in for the past while.