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

21 Aug 2015

Weekend tech takeaway: 400 construction jobs at Google, Irish app firm scores West Brom, and the drones are coming.

Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including: 400 construction jobs at Google, Irish app firm scores West Brom, and the drones are coming.

1. 400 jobs as Google builds new €150m data centre in Dublin

Internet giant Google has begun construction of a new €150m data centre in west Dublin at Profile Park. The project will generate 400 new jobs during construction and the first phase will be completed later this year.

2. Irish-based Sportego scores big soccer app deal with West Brom

An Irish start-up has just landed a significant deal with Premier League side West Bromich Albion, providing a tailored app for supporters of the club to communicate with each other and play fantasy football games.

3. The drones are coming and Ireland needs new privacy rules, says Minister (video)

Only 80 out of 4,000 drone pilots in Ireland are licensed and if Ireland is going to capture a niche as a leading hub for drone development then safety and privacy rules will need to be established, Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe TD said today (21 August).

4. Facebook main driver of traffic for news sites, not Google — report

Facebook has overtaken Google as the main social media vehicle to drive traffic to news sites, according to statistics from Parse.ly.

5. Accenture’s Alastair Blair: Ireland best placed to ride the fintech storm

Ireland is at the intersection of the finance and technology worlds but needs to move fast in order to reap the rewards, Accenture’s country manager Alastair Blair says.

6. Is Microsoft planning Lumia, Xbox, Surface Pro 4 and Band 2 launch?

Reports are emerging that Microsoft is planning a “massive” launch event for some of its hardware in October, with three devices in particular rumoured to be included.

7. Drag Me Down music video: One Direction’s new video shot at NASA

So, One Direction unveiled its new music video this morning and the internet promptly lost its mind.

8. Curiosity rover’s Martian selfie is the best kind of selfie

NASA’s Curiosity rover has sent back a couple of selfie photos from its Martian home, offering both a beautiful and tragically empty view of its red, rocky surroundings.

9. Tech talent from Eastern Europe calling Ireland home

As more and more of Silicon Valley’s tech giants open European operations in Ireland, one thing becomes more and more clear — Ireland is becoming a haven for tech talent.

10. Human ‘super predators’ driving extinction rates, says study

The rate at which human ‘super predators’ kill adult prey could “rapidly drive prey declines, degrade ecosystems and impose evolutionary change”, according to a new study published this week in Science.

Food image via Shutterstock

 

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

editorial@siliconrepublic.com