Sometimes I hate it but most of the time I love it. Otherwise I wouldn’t be pouring out my heart and guts on a daily blog basis. I’m talking about the internet. If somebody had said in, say, 1970, that we’d form communities of people (like this little ragged band of ours)whom we’d never met, they’d probably have burned that somebody as a witch. Or a wizard.
Take WhatsApp, for example….What do you mean, you’ve never heard of it? If I’ve heard of it, everyone has heard of it. It lets you send photographs and videos to people. My son and his wife send regular updates of the progress of the most beautiful and intelligent grandchild in the universe to a team of interested people called ‘Team Róisín’. It’s like being there only you don’t have to do nappy-work.
And now there’s Periscope. You’ve probably heard of it. It got about five minutes on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme a week or so ago, and then it got a demonstration via the webcam on Jeremy Vine’s show on BBC Radio 2. What is it? It’s a free app, which allows you to broadcast to the world. That’s all.
Admittedly, anyone seeing and hearing your broadcast will need to have downloaded the app, but since it’s free, what’s not to like? Already, of course, you have idiots using it to display the charm of their pet cat or how long it takes them to drink a cup of coffee. But it’s also being used by the Guardian’s tech expert to talk about the latest internet developments. And by a guy in the States to do the same thing for the Boston Globe. As he talks, the viewers, wherever they are in the world, can send in short texted questions. You’ve no idea how much fun it is to have a man thousands of miles away respond to one of your questions within seconds. There are those who say that Periscope could eclipse Facebook and Twitter. I wouldn’t be so sure of that, but I know one thing: it makes the recent jockeying for position on TV political debates look a bit silly. Any politician now can reach his or her electorate and talk to them or answer questions simply by taking out his or her phone and opening Periscope.
Check it out. Download it. Now. Because if you don’t, there’s a chance you’ll miss my interview with Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly Tuesday evening at 7.00 pm sharp. The plan is that the interview will last for fifteen minutes. My guess is that if the audience – i.e., anyone with a phone who’s downloaded Periscope – start texting questions, it could go on for half an hour or more.
Lock the front door. Landline off the hook. 7.00 pm Tuesday 21 April. Ground-breaking political broadcasting, that’s what I call it. You’d be mad to miss it.
As there are copyright issues currently being tug-o’warred over, Esteemed Blogmeister, one is constrained from commenting on the topic raised today.
Just to wonder in passing if a m-word will dominate the proceedings tomorrow at 7 pm the way a m-word dominated the Housemartin’s contribution to Morning Ireland today.
It is the m-word which has become as (gulp) mandatory in Micheal Martin’s (for it is he !) vocab as another m-word is to the Egg-chasing Fraternity.
The Housemartin’s big into cheep shots
For him the Shinners are sans cullottes
Rugby men aint passive
Bout using m for massive
Mother-of-Ten is MM’s forget-me-not’s.
PS Copyright issues, of course, between the upstart Periscope and the long-established Perkiescope.
I have to say, when I read the title my first thought was, `no, not you Jude!`, internet dates…periscopes…..it actually looks really interesting although my mobile phone (Nokia? Samsung? I honestly can`t remember) is very basic and it doesn`t even take photos. Very handy alarm and a decent little flashlight mind, ideal for going across the bedroom floor at night, without having to put the main light on. Phone technology baffles me, apps, mega bytes, blue tooth or is that blue touch? Anyway, by the time I get round to having a phone good enough to avail of the periscope app the rest of you will be time travelling.
An internet date with Periscope, Jude – things must be looking up!
Wot? No Android?
Any chance of giving us a summary of the interview Jude?
I’m putting it up on FB, Michael. But like the mills of God, FB grinds vids exceeding slow…