Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including Google left blushing after u-turn on nudity ban, net neutrality vote keeps us surfing in the free world, and Apple plans 9 March product reveal.
1. Google left blushing after issuing U-turn on Blogger nudity ban
Well that lasted long. After just three days, Google has rescinded its decision to block almost all public nudity on its Blogger platform after users inundated the search giant with complaints.
On Tuesday, Google notified its users and the general public that as of 23 March, no images that contain graphic nudity or sexually explicit material could be published on its Blogger platform, unless it was marked as private or as part of an artistic work.
And now, in a massive turnaround, Google took to its forums to say public nudity will remain on Blogger, but called on people to mark pages with nudity as private.
2. Net neutrality vote means we can all keep on surfing in the free world … for now
The recent historic FCC vote enforcing net neutrality in the US means the spectre of a two-lane internet has been averted. But telcos may get litigious and in Europe politicians may foul things up yet.
3. Apple sends out invites for ‘special’ event in San Francisco on 9 March
Consumer tech giant Apple is about to reveal some new stuff and has issued invitations to media to attend a special event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California, on 9 March.
4. Mother’s Day gift ideas for maker mammies and gadget lovers
If you don’t already have the date highlighted in your diary, Mother’s Day lands on 15 March in Ireland and the UK, and we have some tips for tech treats you can get to spoil your mammy.
5. 200 new jobs at Airbnb’s Dublin office
Airbnb is expanding its Irish operation with the hiring of 200 people and the leasing of a new office space.
6. Alltech founder encourages young entrepreneurs to lead early
Dr Pearse Lyons offered words of wisdom to future entrepreneurs as he received an honorary doctorate at Dublin City University.
7. Twitter updating features to combat impersonation and private information sharing
Twitter is rolling out new safety features to help tackle impersonation, self-harm and the ‘sharing of private and confidential information’.
8. Digital skills gap costing Ireland big time – report
A digital skills gap amongst the Irish population is halting employment progress, a new report from the European Commission suggests.
9. Dogpatch Labs’ new ‘pay to play’ co-working space at CHQ set to expand to 20,000 sq ft
Dublin’s Digital Docklands has received a boost with news Dogpatch Labs has moved north of the River Liffey to the pristine CHQ building in the IFSC and that start-ups have filled 90 desks so far.
10. Mainstream to build stg£2bn offshore wind farm in Scotland for UK government
Dublin-headquartered Mainstream Renewable Power has secured a 15-year contract from the UK National Grid for a 450-megawatt Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm in the Outer Fourth Estuary in the North Sea.
