The Elysian will be so wonderful

If you’ve driven around Cork over the past year you can’t fail to miss the huge 17 storey tower going up in the south of the City. It’s called the Elysian and when it’s finished it will I think be the tallest building in the Republic of Ireland.

Now, compare that with the 60 storey skyscraper being built in San Francisco just a few blocks from Matt’s apartment. The top of it seems to be perpetually in fog.

Anyway, the Irish developers of the Elysian have all this positive advertising with people looking to heaven and wondrous slogans to get the positive vibe going about this massive building, when in fact it’s only a middling little building when compared with what the rest of the world has done.

Way back in 2005 this is what the building site looked like, and a year later, check out the huge crane.

I guess I’m glad that we don’t have the population density that makes huge buildings necessary, not yet anyway.

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/160s

The German Deep Purple

This group of lads wandered into the old switching station on Caroline Street during the filming of Stanley Super 800’s video so I took their photo.

Apparently they are a German Deep Purple cover band but it was hard to figure out what their name was because they hardly spoke a word of English and my German is non-existant! They were playing in the Old Oak that night so chances are they’ll be back!

The guy in the back is in the Stanley Super 800 video. Look out for the bouncers, he’s one of them. I can’t remember his name, but I had a great chat with him during the filming.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 14mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/30s

Stanley Super 800 Fans

Some of the crowd who gathered for the filming of the video accompanying "Gate Crashing", Stanley Super 800’s latest single.

You wouldn’t believe how mad this lot were!

You can see the video on my my blog.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 20mm
ISO 1600
Shutter speed 1/50s

Absolutely crazy in Ireland

I spotted this sticker on the pier at Currabinny, Co. Cork. I have no idea what “Absolutely, Crazy – Cowes’05” refers to and a quick bit of research didn’t show up anything.

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/125s

Sssh! my dog was nowhere near your private property!

My shih tzu Oscar can’t read. “Private property” signs mean nothing to him but thankfully nobody was around when he wandered into this large garden!

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

A child playing in the sand

This little girl was playing in the sand on the beach as we walked past. Plenty of toys about, but I don’t think she had built a sand castle yet. It’s lovely to see children playing in the sand. It’s an age of innocence and (sometimes) simple joy that we forget as adults.

A few weeks before Adam was born we went down to Garrettstown Beach in Co. Cork. The sun was shining, it was warm and the beach had a good number of people on it. Beautiful day!

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 265mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/1000s

Faces of the TechCrunch Party 2007

TechCrunch held their second annual party on Friday night and I was there with a few of the guys from Automattic. It was my first time being at a gathering like this, but we had a good time and I got a couple of shots off.

In the collage (or montage?) above you should be able to pick out Scott Beale, Kristopher Tate, Thomas Hawk and of course the Automattic guys, Matt Mullenweg, Michael Adams, Barry Abrahamson, and Raanan Bar-Cohen.

I had a great chat with Beau Lebens of Feedville who’s doing some interesting stuff with WPMU. Looking forward to seeing that. Unfortunately I don’t recall who anyone else is, but if you leave a comment here I’ll fill in the blanks!

As usual, Scott Beale had the first shots up. He must have blogged them as soon as he got home!

Update, lots more coverage on TechCrunch.com by Michael Arrington including videos and photos.

Cut the chocolate birthday cake

Yum! Yum! Alex cuts the delicious chocolate birthday cake in Herbivore, San Francisco! That crazy Matt Mullenweg fella can’t resist helping him with the cake. Come to think of it, did anyone not eat the cake? It was so nice!

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 20mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/60s

Why are you photographing that?

It’s a bike on the ground, why are you photographing it? That’s what a group of girls asked me as I crouched down next to this bike. I got the shot though!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100s

Bus stop on Mardyke Parade

The bus stop on the Mardyke Parade outside the old Erinville Hospital is on a bus lane, just outside a school. Every single school morning the bus lane is jammed with cars dropping children off.

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s