I’ve been trying out Second Life after reading about it on different blogs and Wikipedia. It’s very interesting indeed, and I can see why it’s become the latest internet phenomenon. Basically, it’s a virtual universe where you can interact with people, explore places, buy property and generally, well, live a second life. Second Life has gotten so popular now that it’s even got a full-scale backlash - Get A First Life encourages people to turn off their computers and get outside to experience the real world.

Anyway, I’ll be trialling Second Life over the next few weeks, and will keep you updated on the adventures of Daithi Malick (they didn’t have Mahon in the list of surnames I could use). In the meantime, here’s a screenshot of a meeting I had with someone in the Blarney Stone pub in Dublin:

If you haven’t seen Truth in Advertising yet, check the trailer out on YouTube. The full version is here, but you have to log in to see it. You need audio for it, and it’s got some coarse language, but it’s a hilarious send-up of the advertising campaign process.

What is with all of these different statistics on broadband levels in Ireland? With ComReg, Eircom, IrelandOffLine, Electric News, Silicon Republic and many others offering different versions of bad news, do any of us know exactly how many people in Ireland use the Internet? And of those, how many actually have broadband?

Apparently, we are 14th out of the 15 pre-2004 EU countries in terms of broadband takeup. According to the CSO (as quoted in Silicon Republic), only 26% of households with internet access actually have broadband, as compared with an EU average of 62%.

IrelandOffline reported in September 2006 that Ireland’s broadband penetration rate stands at a paltry 8%, compared with 27% in the Netherlands, 19% in the UK, 12.6% in Portual and 10% in Slovenia. In terms of broadband, Scandinavia, Benelux, Germany and the UK lead the way. Ireland is an anomaly considering our geographic position, with broadband takeup rates comparable to the ex-Eastern Bloc countries.

Another IrelandOffline report stated that one-third of dialup users in Ireland could not get broadband, and that the digital divide between Dublin and the rest of Ireland is steadily widening.

While broadband takeup seems to be on the rise, with the CSO reporting 47% growth since Q2 2005, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Given the increasing role of the internet in business, entertainment, shopping and education, it’s a real shame that Ireland is such a laggard.