David O'Keeffe.com

I'm not a happy camper.

I've found out that my hosting company are, as one colleague put it, "riding me sideways". It's bonkers. They've had my custom for many years, and now, they change hands and sell out to a foreign firm, who are making a mess of everything!

I am very involved in internet work, as you know, but this is totally ridiculous. Not only am I paying out for services and data, but now I have to pay money to move!

I really shouldn't name names, and I won't, but it's easy to find out who I'm talking about.

As Michele Neylon said in an earlier post, he's shocked and irritated by this too.

Bloody internet. Arg.

Simple post. Not much to say.

Party on tonight, all to finish off Christmas. Live it up in style, and rock out to the best tunes.

Where?
Bo Jangles, Dublin, Ireland.

When?
Sure, any time from like ten.

How Much?
€15, with drinks promotions, and the spectacle of yours truly trying to dance.

Anything Else?
Yep. The usuals. ID Required, ROAR and Neat Dress essential.
Also, buy me a drink, and I'll shake your hand and give you a nice big smile.

Okay, I've finally made a visible effort to try out Facebook. I've also been a Bebo guy, for obvious reasons, but I felt that for once, I'd agree to the email invites from friends, and give it a go.

And, I'll admit, I like it. A lot. It's fast; clean, and not too difficult. It's good.

I've even gone out and tried some applications and made a few pages, including one for Blast FM. But, it's a bit confusing, for me, initially. Probably because it's more flexible than other social networking utilities.

If you are a Facebook user, feel free to add me, as currently I don't know many on it, and I haven't really started to use it for business or real networking.

Also, I've just got involved on another new website- it's called FriendFeed. Basically, it keeps track of all your online social activity, and lists it in a real-time feed, which you can share with your friends or family, or colleagues and connections on a professional level. It's very interesting, and already I've imported my Last.fm listening habits, my newly used Facebook, my Twitter "tweets" and all the other Web 2.0 novelties on the cyberspace, all on to my profile. Overall, it's well worth checking out.

I've decided to start the New Year off with a change. A fresh breeze, in an otherwise bonkers world of insanity.

Whilst I am still thinking of my New Years' resolution- it's either to stop swearing, or to get more sleep, I've decided to move my servers and websites. I know it's quite a trivial matter, but seeing as they are getting so many hits each day, and increasing, I felt it was appropriate to step things up a notch.

So, in my über-geeky way, I am "moving home" and changing to other hosting providers, along with hosting myself on my new systems, along with making some other new websites and that sort of stuff. Sure, you know the kind.

With that in mind, if you experience some downtime over the coming days, or erratic behaviour, please excuse me- remember that I'm battling with hardware and trying to configure tons of stuff. And, to be honest, as I'm not working for a few days, I'm going to take it easy. Yes, I will relax with my friends and girlfriend, party a lot, and possibly say hello to family too. Why? Because I can.

Happy New Year everyone.

Oh, and my "Alternative New Year Message" is coming... Albeit a few days late. Twiddle your thumbs in suspense!

Every four seconds, a reindeer pulls a sickie. This is exactly what they are planning to do this Christmas, according to the latest advert for Meteor. Confused? Then check out the Winter 2008 campaign for Meteor on YouTube.

One of the main attractions of this advert is the friendly little reindeers, who go by the name Tim and Liam. Luckily, I caught up with Tim in Grafton Street today, as the promotional campaign to "Help reduce" their carbon footprint by buying the phone in-store, was very much in force today. After a nice chat, I promised him a carrot on Christmas Eve. I tried to get Tim to give me a few free handsets too. Will have to wait and see on the 24th! Tim remarked that the "big man" will sort me out.

Anyway, here is me and the man himself.

It was great to meet him, and the nice girl who was keeping track of him as he moved around. Apparently the costume (Yes, he's not real), is hard to see out of. However, I would love to have worn it on a cold day like it was today. He must have been nice and toasty.

Another strange-ish occurrence happened today though, as I found out that a band, in Dublin, have changed their name to reflect me. The group, previously known as "Exit" have changed their name to "D is for Dave", as a tribute (in a living sense), to me. Naturally, I am flattered, and ever so baffled. I can't wait for next interview, when asked "What made you call your band 'D is for Dave'". Shall be very interesting indeed. Apparently since my work in Punchestown earlier this year they were "inspired", so they modified the name accordingly. How nice.

Does this mean I get a cut of all their music sales? If not, I will just complain they copied me without my permission and sue. Only messing, I'm not that bad. That is, unless I get a cut of the sales!

The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) have announced that the voting system will change for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. 50% of Televoting. 50% of National Jury. 100% less Terry.

Yep, today the EBU announced it. It's all going to change for the better, and it'll all make perfect sense, without bias or lying etc. Here's what they said...

"During a meeting in Moscow, the EBU Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest decided to introduce a voting model of a mix between televoting and jury votes in the 2009 Final. No change will be made in the voting during the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest. The outcome was the result of lengthy considerations and detailed discussion on a wide variety of models. Details on the balance between jury and televoting outcome are still to be determined in the months to come.

Ruurd Bierman, Chairman of the Reference Group, explained the decision: "We strongly believe in televoting as a way of measuring the opinion of our millions of viewers across Europe. After the public debate about neighbor- and diaspora voting, we decided to give the national juries a say in the outcome of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest."

A survey amongst delegation heads from represented countries revealed that a majority is in favor of such mixed model. Earlier today, they were informed about the outcome of the Reference Group meeting in Moscow.

A mixed voting system also has great support amongst the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest.

"Nothing is more democratic than the vote of the public. But a jury takes the opportunity to listen to the songs several times, before they make up their minds. In Belgrade, we saw a difference in judgement of the public and the back-up juries, and we believe a combination will make the show more interesting," said Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU.

In its next meeting, later this year, the Reference Group will decide upon the exact way the jury has to be composed, and to discuss rules to assure a fair jury vote.

The Semi-Finals will not see any changes in the voting procedure. As at the 2008 contest, televoters will again decide upon the nine songs that qualify in each of the two Semi-Finals, while the highest ranked entry of the back-up juries that didn't qualify yet through televoting will also qualify.

The Semi-Finals of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Moscow, Russia, on 12 and 14 May, the Final on Saturday, 16 May, next year."

But, on a sad note, Terry Wogan has left and won't be doing the commentary from Moscow in 2009. This is a real pity, as he's the only one who'll talk sense and get involved. Sure, Marty Whelan is a nice guy, but Terry has an edge to him.

He revealed this information in an interview with the BBC. He said, after being asked if he is leaving over the voting scandal (from last year),

"I've been slightly disappointed at the UK showing over the last few years. The fact that of course you'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to realise that since the eastern European countries have come in the voting has changed not necessarily for the best.

Western European countries, I feel, have got very little chance of winning it. However, this year may tell a different story with the might of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Graham Norton behind it."

Terry, we'll miss you.

Hmm... Might audition for his job.

Imagine a gig that was so good that his trouser legs were ripped off because you were being lifted up, tossed around and passed around a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, of punters, who were all in high spirits, enjoying the music; the atmosphere, the buzz.

Imagine a concert, so intense, that people were falling down and being pushed, along with desperately needing water, to an extend never experienced at other gigs.

Imagine a show that was so epic, that I got lovely VIP Guest List passes and a fantastic Pendulum wristband.

Yes, it was Pendulum, at the RDS in Dublin. I know, if you read my Blogs and posts over the past few days, you'll get the idea that I was looking forward to them. And, I REALLY was. Ever since I got a taste for them live at Oxegen- I've been dying to witness the Drum and Bass artists again. And tonight was my night.

There was some odd confusion, however, last night as many people 'won' tickets from a concert promotion company, who will remain nameless for legal seasons and Google indexing. Basically, after a simple email to the address, you were sent back an automatic message that outlined how you could obtain '2 Free Passes' to the event tonight. And, strangely enough, it was true. I couldn't believe how many people were at the concert due to this free promotion. It was truly remarkable. Either way, the large crowds have a dynamic and powerful feel to the show, which was breathtaking by all means. Somewhat in a literal sense, as it was a very, Erm, wild one.

I am far too tired to post some pictures and videos, so I'll drop them here tomorrow at some stage. I will also upload 'The Aftermath'- which is how I feel and look after such a brilliant night. I'll give you a hint... Bruised, tired, fatigued, but so very very happy.

Rock on baby, rock on.

Only two days until I get to see Pendulum...

Only two days... Waahey... Can't wait...

Maybe I'll try meet them... ;)

I had another one of my "Big Days Out" yesterday. I was kindly joined by Mr. Alan Presch, and we set out on our quest.

The main reason I was in the city was to drop down and say hello at National College of Ireland's Open Day. Students from across the country had come to the state of the art campus in Dublin's IFSC to check out what it on offer if they decide to engage in one of their many courses. I even asked a student representative for a tour as I was taken aback by the beauty of the facilities and the good nature everyone had.

However, I had to make an entrance. My colleague and I decided for a joke that it would be funny to arrive in the most bizarre way, as we had been told that dozens of students were outside the main door of the building. So, I quickly made a few calls and popped up to Grafton Street where we jumped into an Eco-Cab, sponsored by 7up Christmas on Ice. I had not been on one before, and I had wanted to so many times, so this was a treat for me strangely.

Once the visit to the National College was over, myself and Alan chose to go for lunch, as work was so tough. Yes, that's sarcasm. After a nice bit of nosh (I really wanted to use that word), we proceeded to a Smoothie bar near Christchurch, called Robeks. Basically, we got a tip off that this bar was particularly good. With slight disbelief, I ordered a Strawnanna Surprise or something with a similar name which was equally hard to pronounce. In simple terms, after a good long suck through the straw- I was amazed. So much so that I made a video blog about it...

Seriously, check them out. I will be going back there again, most definitely.

And, I might as well give a little plug, but standby, as over the coming days, I'll start to be appearing globally on iTunes and in the iTunes store. Just you wait...