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

24 Jul 2015

The weekend takeaway

Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including: young coders, the Data Protection Commissioner and Ireland’s 1m graduates.

1. Five young coders to watch as CoderDojo celebrates 4th birthday

CoderDojo was started by Cork man James Whelton back in 2011. Yesterday, the foundation celebrated its fourth birthday.

2. Data commissioner Helen Dixon: Ireland is doubling down on privacy challenge (video)

Whether Ireland likes it or not, it is centre stage for global data privacy issues by virtue of the global internet industry based here and actions by activists like Max Schrems. Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon is determined to meet this challenge head-on.

3. Irish woman reaches Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards final

Ciara Clancy has been named a finalist at this year’s Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, with the Beats Medical creator heading off to Paris on October for the announcement.

4. ‘Butt dialling’ case makes an ass of US businessman

A Cincinnati court has ruled that someone who calls someone by mistake has no protection over what is then overheard, with the latest ‘butt dialling’ case proving remarkably embarrassing.

5. Snapchat-like self-destruct email now available for Gmail

It seems as if Snapchat is coming to email with a service called Dmail, a self-destruct email service that works as a Google Chrome extension.

6. YouTube app redesign: Video giant to focus on mobile

YouTube is set to release a new, streamlined version of its mobile app, the ubiquitous video site announced yesterday.

7. Apple pulls Google’s Nest Thermostat from its retail and online stores

The smart wars are on as Apple has pulled Google-owned Nest’s Smart Thermostat from shelves in its retail stores and online just as the first batch of products that work on Apple’s HomeKit arrive.

8. 13-year-old girl to dive between tectonic plates separating North America and Europe

Charlotte Burns, a 13-year-old schoolgirl from Kent in England, has received special permission from the Iceland government to attempt a dive through the Silfra fissure that separates the tectonic plates of Europe and North America.

9. Ireland has more than 1m third level graduates in its population

There are now more than 1m people in Ireland between the ages of 20 and 65 who have a third-level qualification.

10. Festival of Curiosity names the lesser horseshoe bat as Dublin’s minging mascot

In Dublin’s Mansion House, a crowd gathered to select a city mascot from a motley crew of endangered species.

Tech takeaway image via Shutterstock

 

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

editorial@siliconrepublic.com