Image: © Iuliia Sokolovska/Stock.adobe.com
Another week of sci-tech stories has whizzed by. Here’s what you may have missed.
What can we expect as the 5G revolution begins in Ireland?
From left: Vodafone Ireland interim CTO Max Gasparroni in Germany connecting via a 5G holographic call with Vodafone Ireland CEO Anne O’Leary in Dublin. Image: Naoise Culhane
If our editor John Kennedy told you that the revolution in fifth-generation (5G) mobile technology began in Ireland on a day so rainy at Silicon Docks that even the ducks and swans took cover, would you believe him? Check out the full story of how Vodafone’s first standardised 5G site launched this week with a holographic phone call and see for yourself.
Brexit is boosting the Irish jobs market
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News this week (and for the foreseeable future) was understandably Brexit-obsessed. As well as dominating the media (and discussion at the Deloitte and Enterprise Ireland CEO Forum), Brexit is impacting the Irish jobs market according to the latest Morgan McKinley Employment Monitor. Our Careers editor Jenny Darmody checked the figures.
Six of Ireland’s leaders in AI revealed at major awards showcase
From left: Cathriona Hallahan, Brian Murphy, Oksana Semenova, Mark Kelly and Andriy Temko. Image: Conor McCabe Photography
If you were seeking to know who’s at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) in Ireland, the inaugural AI Awards provided some answers. Organised by the not-for-profit group AI Ireland, these awards highlighted the impressive work going on in the country when it comes to AI, machine learning and data science.
SFI releases data on gender balance in funding after hard questions raised
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Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) also delivered answers this week on questions related to the gender breakdown of its funding. The SFI report concludes that there’s no issue in funding success rates between men and women, but the agency acknowledged that there is still significant work to be done in achieving gender parity in Irish science.
‘Any conference about blockchain is 95pc white, male Silicon Valley types’
Niall Dennehy, co-founder and COO of Aid:Tech, speaking in 2018. Image: Katie O’Neill/TEDx Trinity College Dublin/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Getting back to the business of emerging technology innovators, Colm Gorey spoke to upcoming Inspirefest speaker Niall Dennehy about building an Irish blockchain start-up with major global ambition in a sector filled with hype and theory.
You’re going to work in blockchain whether you want to or not
David Wachsman. Image: Wachsman
Speaking of blockchain, are you planning to work with this technology? Eva Short spoke to Wachsman founder, CEO and namesake David Wachsman about this being an inevitability.
How one company is developing ‘Google for predictive analytics’
Endor CEO and co-founder Dr Yaniv Altshuler. Image: Wachsman
Meanwhile, Ellen Tannam spoke to Dr Yaniv Altshuler, co-founder of MIT spin-out Endor. Altshuler is also CEO of the company, which uses AI based on the principles of social physics to provide swift and automated predictions on complex human behaviour.
Are loot boxes gambling? Regulators tool up for new game industry battleground
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Exploring another new world of tech and regulation, we got expert insight from the legal team at William Fry on how lawmakers around the world are handling loot boxes and in-game purchases, a lucrative new revenue stream for the gaming industry with some questionable characteristics.
What are the fastest-growing freelancer skills right now?
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Yes, it’s a fast-paced, ever-changing world of sci-tech out there and, for tech freelancers, there has been a dramatic change in what can be considered the hottest skills they need on their CV. Thankfully, Darmody is on the case.
Here is how to watch the InSight Mars landing live
The solar arrays on NASA’s InSight lander are deployed in this test inside a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lockheed Martin
Last but not least, get ready to watch a Mars lander go where no Mars lander has gone before on Monday 26 November with this handy guide.
