The Punt: Millar still gets time to have quiet pints

The picture was selected by him from a database of snaps when the airline's new HQ was being kitted out. Now he said he's not so sure about it. Not to worry, the former chief financial officer only has another couple of months to spend there before he departs after more than 20 years with the carrier. Apart from whatever plans he has on the boil for a new job, Millar said he'll be taking a few weeks to unwind, probably after Christmas, to visit Asia - without being any more precise.

"Backpacking?" the Punt suggested. No, Millar said. Just visiting a friend. The aviation veteran also said how it's great that pretty much no one outside the sector, and especially the person on the street, has a clue who he is.

That, said Millar, means he can still pop down undisturbed to the local for a couple of pints. And in case you're wondering where his local is, it's ....

Are you addicted to the internet?

The Punt is often amazed, while sitting on the bus, at the amount of time spent by people looking at the internet on their phones. Commuters are immersed in their own little worlds, paying little attention to what's going on around them, and instead are twiddling with their devices, digesting the latest status updates on Facebook or Twitter.

How often do you check the internet on the phone during the day? If a lot, you might want to avoid Google Glass - the nifty piece of hardware from the computer giant that lets you access the internet from a set of glasses.

Scientists have reportedly treated a man for internet addiction allegedly because of overuse of Google Glass, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

The man - a US Navy seaman aged in his thirties - had apparently been using the technology for around 18 hours a day, and was removing it only to sleep and wash.

Reports also claimed that his dreams were also being experienced as if being viewed through the device.

Dr Andrew Doran, head of addictions research at the US Navy, suggested internet addiction would become an increasing problem and that the world would need to

"People believe alcoholism wasn't a problem - they blamed the person or the people around them," he was reported to have said.

"It's just going to take a while for us to realise that this is real."

The man apparently also suffered withdrawal symptoms once the glasses were removed from him. When he wasn't wearing them, he was irritable and argumentative.

Losing the war to attract global talent

Policy makers are not getting much time to bask in the Budget afterglow. Attracting talent was listed by Michael Noonan as a Budget priority on Tuesday, but research from jobs portal Indeed.com suggests moving here is not exactly at the top of many peoples' agenda.

This country ranked just 20 out of 55 possible alternatives in terms of its attractiveness as a place to live and work, according to the research.

That's pretty dire for a peaceful, prosperous nation. Worst ranked Israel, for example, is subject to frequent rocket attacks.

Maybe we shouldn't be too surprised. We have chronic housing shortages in the parts of the country where there are jobs, and jobs shortages where there are houses available.

Many us never get to even see more than half our earnings after they are nabbed by the tax man at source.

Its not exactly a compelling proposition for the kind of footloose, highly skilled individuals Ireland needs to attract and retain to develop the crucial knowledge economy.

Despite the recent falls in unemployment almost one in three Indeed.com users here is still looking for work abroad.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has made a mantra out of his desire for Ireland to become the best small country in the world in which to do business.

It might be time he thought equally hard about how to make it the best country in which to live.