Weekend takeaway: 10 tech stories you need to read right now

6 May 2016

What to read: Worker drones of Ireland, Space Invaders inducted into Hall of Fame and GAA players' moves are immortalised

Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including: worker drones in Ireland, Space Invaders inducted into Hall of Fame and GAA players’ moves immortalised.

1. 14 cool organisations using drones in Ireland

Drones are being used above our heads for all kinds of reasons, from photography and surveying to mountain rescue and disaster relief.

2. New analytics project to preserve GAA players’ moves for future generations

The way GAA is played today will soon be preserved forever, allowing future generations to learn from the likes of Henry Shefflin, through the use of advanced sensors and data analytics, with help from the Insight Centre for Data Analytics.

3. Microsoft calls time on free upgrades as Windows 10 hits 300m devices

Windows 10 will no longer be a free upgrade after 29 July, Microsoft has said, as it reveals that its latest operating system is now working on 300m devices around the world.

4. Space Invaders, Sonic and the SIMs inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame

Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders are among the titles that have been inducted into the 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame.

5. Proving it was no fluke, SpaceX lands Falcon 9 rocket again

Proving it was no fluke, SpaceX has announced that it has successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the second time following its return from space, with it having been launched early this morning (6 May).

6. ChangeX raises €350k in extended seed round, targets US expansion

Social enterprise player ChangeX has raised €350,000 in an extended seed round that brings the total amount of funding raised to date to €850,000.

7. Washing machines and dating: The weird world of cycle tech

There are many ways to spend your money as a cyclist, but with dating and washing machines becoming integrated, it’s all getting really weird.

8. Irish expat’s start-up aims to perfect healthcare practices

Having worked in 12 different private practices across five different countries, Sydney-based Irish physiotherapist Colin Phillips was inspired to set up a business to help healthcare owners run their businesses as efficiently as possible.

9. PCH’s Highway1 to accelerate 12 hardware start-ups with up to $100k each

PCH’s San Francisco accelerator Highway1 has issued a call for between eight and 12 promising hardware start-ups to vie for its autumn 2016 programme. Highway1 invests $50,000-$100,000 in each start-up in exchange for equity.

10. Apple and SAP to boldly bring iOS into deep enterprise space

Apple and SAP are to boldly bring iOS where it has never gone before: deep into the ERP enterprise universe, and they are working together to create native iPhone and iPad apps for the SAP HANA cloud platform.

Weekend beer and BBQ image via Shutterstock

 

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com