The Most Famous Irish Image
The BBC have a great article on the 40th anniversary of Che Guevara’s death that highlights the importance of Jim Fitzpatrick’s legendary image.
The BBC carries this Jim Fitzpatrick image below on the left. I’ve put it alongside my favourite “borrowing” of the image, (and there have been many), by Norwegian stencil artist Dolk Lungren.
Dolk’s image is probably the man’s finest work and an abusing comment on the widespread commercial impact of the original image. Dolk is part of the whole stencil art revolution that is lead by British artist Banksy. The stencil artist’s take on modern icons is in part due to Jim Fitzpatrick who let this image be used without royalty. He allowed this style of art to flourish and let people add their own touches to it. While Banksy is great, he is only mildly original. At least he know this as his latest work shows.
Jim predated the stencil artist and open-source. Jim not only left his mark by creating one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century but by influencing how people interacted with and dispersed art. People fail to realise he was instrumental in kick-starting the royalty free revolution in software, music and video that have become so widespread. Thanks Jim.
Posted 05.10.0710 Tips to Help You Get Fit
So you want to get “fit”. Here are my 10 tips to help you on your way.
- Remember fitness is attainable by anyone People too often think they were born “Big Boned” or with a slow metabolism. Anybody can get fit. You are never too old, fat or weak. Keep a positive mindset.
- Define what fitness means to you Fitness is more than long distance running, it involves speed, strength, power, anerobic endurance and agility. Pick what traits you want most and train for that purpose.
- Plan your goals. Write down and track your goals. If your goal is to be able to bench press 60kg write it down. Note your progress along the way. Some goals will be attainable very quickly, others can take years. Be realistic in setting them but don’t be shy either.
- Find a Mentor/Coach. The web is great but articles are no substitute for a real coach. At the very least get someone you can call on the phone. A good coach will push you when you need it and tell you to stop before you hurt yourself. They are worth their weight in gold.
- Don’t Rush into it. When you start training it hurts! This is the same for the 24 year old pro athlete as for the 65 year old starting back.
- Look after your Nutrition. You’ll realise soon enough that you can’t run for 30mins after eating spaghetti bolognese. Eat your fresh fruit and vegetables. Take a protein rich after training to help repair. Nutrition is an education in itself - use the web wisely for this one.
- Find an Exercise Buddy. If there is someone starting at the same time as you try to partner up with them. A training Buddy will be make time go faster, push you harder and will someone to bounce ideas off.
- Enter a Competition. Nothing focuses the mind like a bit of competition. If you are completely at stage one, enter a short fun run and try to jog for the most of it you can. The sense of achievement comes from pushing your body to its current limits, not finishing or winning.
- Rest when you need it. The great Coach and Nike founder explained fitness as follows: You put an organism understress, then leave it rest. It responds by becoming incrementally stronger, faster or more durable. All the improvement happens when you rest, don’t forget that.
- Have Fun. It’s your program and your goals. If it’s something you want you should be having fun attaining it. Change your program if it feels stale. Their is a fine line between laziness and staleness. Listen to your Body.
I’ll try and add to this list with more practical concerns later on.
Posted 04.10.07Google Now Provides Their Own Answers
I’ve been getting more worried that Google is becoming the one stop shop for the Internet. More evidence that this trend is continuing Read More
Posted 03.10.075 Things That Make a Great Website
I started drafting this and realised the errors of my ways in my own website - a thorough rejigging will follow in the next week or so.
- Focus - People come to your website for a reason, usually through search and are looking for something in particular. You can’t be master of all things and Google certainly doesn’t think you are. Keep it focused. If your interests are disparate (like mine) set up a new website. If you are social commentator and want to comment on a variety of issues you have to be full time. Irish guys like Damien Mulley and Tom Raftery live it. They post everyday, often taking hours to prepare each post. If you want to compete in this space you must live it also. Otherwise find a cosy niche for yourself.
- Offer Something - Your website shouldn’t be a dead-end. The web has moved way beyond it. You should have articles, tips and list a few ways of getting in contact. If you use a sales mindset but give the product away for free, you can’t go wrong.
- Originality - The digital age has made copying more easy than ever. Rehashing the latest news isn’t enough. Everytime you make a new page, try to give people something they can’t get elsewhere
- Clarity - Write in plain english, don’t txt speak and don’t be too hifalutin. Don’t clutter a website strong on content with unnecessary images/Flash or video. IN summary: “Do as Little as Needed Not as Much as Possible” (Barry Ross)
- Don’t Discriminate - Bit of a hobby horse for me. Do what you can to validate the code and don’t make things unnecessarily hard for the visually impaired. Blind people are not helpless but don’t go making websites from images and Flash and not provide an alternative. If you want an incentive you’ll increase your audience and Google will thank you.
Death of a True Sporting Legend
I love performance, and I believe there is merit in anything that is done to a high level. The death of Al Oerter saddened me today because if ever there was a high level performer, this was he Read More
Posted 01.10.07A tale of 2 Brians
While Brian O’Driscoll cements his reputation as Ireland’s best rugby player in World Cup 2007, we are denied the opportunity to see what Brian Carney can bring to needy Irish team. Read More
PostedCan we get a Boo for Bettini
If Cancellara is King then surely Bettini must be his boss. He must be eveyones boss if he gets away with what he has done in winning the World Road Championships amidst a furore regarding his refusal to sign an anti-doping charter.
Frankly I don’t care if he is clean or otherwise, his actions have made him implicitly guilty. By refusing to sign a charter which seeks to limit the use and performance enhancing drugs and impose greater sanctions on cheats, Bettini has alienated himself. Cycling has a well acknowledge problem it needs to clean upT, anyone who stands in the way of seeking a cleaner sport makes themself an enemy of cycling. Bettini’s actions are tantemount to a politician refusing to sign an anti-corruption charter or a nation refusing to accept new pollution limits. Who does that? Well to keep with that analogy the main oposition to the Kyoto protocol is the US - who are also the largest polluters. They oppose action to clean up because they are the worst offenders and it affects them most and the they have the most to lose financially.
So Bettini has alienated himself, his objection being the frankly ludicrous explanation that he is “unhappy with a clause forcing any rider given a doping ban of two years to pay a year’s salary, plus the standard fine“. In the same week that a top female cyclist admitted to using EPO since the age of 16, what are the public expected to think.
Bettini’s objection lies with the logic that if one cheats to make ones salary that they should not have to pay back that money when they are caught. If you lied to withhold money from the government you would pay huges fines as well as the money back, you could even go to jail. But if you lie, cheat and steal you shouldn’t have to incur any sanction - such is Bettini’s view.
As mature logic clearly does not trouble the man, all I can say is BOOOOOOO!
Posted 30.09.07The Dominance of King Cancellara
Quite simply, the most dominant sports man around. While the traditional media don’t pick up on this, we do here. All hail the king!
Read More
What Happens when you Endorse too Much
Just came across this lesson from currychips blog. Poor Ronan - he gets a tough time of it. Read More
Posted 26.09.07Irish Rugby Team: Over-Trained or Under-Skilled?
Listening to Neil Francis last night on Questions and Answers was quite reassuring in light of yesterday’s post. He thought that the Irish team looked flat, tired and over-trained. As I mentioned yesterday I do think Ireland’s preseason training was poorly planned and had the wrong focus. However if you ask me if the problems were down to over-training, I would say no
Posted 25.09.07