Awkward RTÉ Web Summit Interview
The back and forth battle between Web Summit and the Government would appear to have dragged RTÉ into the equation, as seasoned reporter Sharon Ní Bheoláin absolutely grilled Daire Hickey on RTÉ News this evening.
Sharon began the interview by trying to land an early punch, stating “I should say we had expected to speak to Paddy Cosgrave, who had pulled out before we came”. Now we’re not going to sink to the joke making level that we really want to here, but as much as Paddy is the figurehead of Web Summit, Sharon showed little recognition to Daire, who in fairness did co-found the event all those years ago.
If you’re hoping things get better they don’t, as this was car crash TV at its finest. Before watching the clip, natural instincts kicked in, as a voice inside my head started shouting – “get the popcorn, that Daire lad is going to clean the head off her”, but how wrong the voice in my head was!
Daire remained calm throughout, but Sharon was like a dog with a bone, constantly interrupting and cutting across the tech conference co-founder. Whether or not she had an editor in her ear or not remains unclear, but either way, we’d love to know a little more about what set the mood at hypertense.
Totes awky momo.
Web Summit: Day One
Well the wait is finally over and the first day is already done and dusted. It’s just like Dublin Bus. You wait for it for ages then it just flies past when it comes around. With that in mind, here’s what we took away from Web Summit: Day One.
Privacy versus Big Data
Last year was the Internet of Things and how the world is becoming more and more connected. With all this connectivity, we are producing an insane amount of data on a wide range of areas we’ve never had before. Standing in the way of progress and further data collection is how we protect these data sets.
@Goos3D_IE main sources concern: data privacy/protect, data & infrastructure security, algorithmic/anticipatory governance #smartcities
— Rob Kitchin (@RobKitchin) November 3, 2015
Within the coming years, this topic is likely to take centre stage in the tech world.
There we have it…he’s called it. @RobKitchin says protecting digital data will be the big subject over the next 5-10 years #websummit — Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) November 3, 2015
The benefits of trusting technology
Once the apprehension that surrounds sharing our lives with technology can be moved to one side, the benefits are manifold.
Smart Cities
Speaking at the Machine Summit, Gary Bloom, CEO of MarkLogic, used Dublin as an example of a non-smart city, rife with inefficiencies.
Gary Bloom #WebSummit2015 roasting Irish govt. Dublin “not a smart city” as govt bodies not sharing info/thinking laterally. Preach Gary.
— Aoife Noelle Ngo (@aoifennph) November 3, 2015
The Dublin Dashboard provides us with a great example of data sources not utilised by local governments and councils for a host of reasons, the obvious being commute times. Ben Wellington gave a great TED talk on the worst place to park in New York, found out using Big Data, which is largely available to the public. Such data is now slowly trickling into the public domain in Ireland too.
Autopiloted driving
This is really the symbolic metaphor for our trust in technology. In cinema, we’ve been wowed by the thought of self driving cars. Tesla are leading the way on this becoming a reality as autopilot is gaining a stronger place in the public eye, but will people ever trust a car to do the driving? Audi’s Sven Schuwirth makes a different point that might just make people think differently about the adoption of technology that puts greater weight in the benefits to the risks.
Autopiloted driving will reduce accidents and impact car insurance – Sven Schuwirth #websummit pic.twitter.com/PAXrprTBPR — Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) November 3, 2015
Smart farms
Sure given Ireland’s agricultural backround, we can’t just focus on the connected big schmoke! Drones are everywhere these days and they are almost certainly going to be the big gift this Christmas, but commercial drones are also exciting, offering new methods of reducing losses in and increasing yields for farmers.
Faults can be spotted in planting machines #drones #websummit #missedpotatoes pic.twitter.com/C8bYSiW9EZ
— Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) November 3, 2015
Jono Millan of DroneDeploy described how drones carry something more important than physical items. Instead they carry with them huge amounts of data. He continued to describe certain drones in the field which are LTE enabled, meaning they can constantly beam data to the DroneDeploy database, giving farmers amazing data on how their crops are performing.
All of these sound great right? Of course, but we have to overcome some major trust issues that we have with Skynet Big Data and how its used, share and regulated.
Fear not, this is just the Web Summit round up at the end of Day One!
We’ll be back on the LIVE blog in the morning, bringing you even more tech news and updates as the day goes on.
Who to follow on Twitter for Web Summit
It was the night before Web Summit and all was quiet, except Dublin which is currently hopping for Night Summit! With Ireland’s biggest tech event set to bow out on a high with 30,000 attendees over the next 3 days, here’s the who you’ll need to follow on Twitter to keep up to date and have a bit of a laugh.
@WebSummitWifi
We’re calling it. At the time of writing, this account has no more than twenty followers, but they have massive potential to be a great laugh over the coming three days. Watch this space as the WiFi quality fluctuates and the humour rises.
Enjoying the wifi? Lovely isn’t it? #websummit pic.twitter.com/EECZPJyWnn
— Wifi Status (@websummitwifi) November 2, 2015
@PaddyCosgrave
One of the Web Summit’s founding members, Paddy will be tweeting the goings on of the Web Summit over the three days. Well, whether it’s him or not, who knows, but his account is a centre-piece of knowledge and updates you’ll simply have to follow for the big event.
It’s official: Over 42,000 people will attend #WebSummit from 134 countries over the coming 3 days & 4 nights https://t.co/CnpmUr6nSu — Paddy Cosgrave (@paddycosgrave) November 2, 2015
@WebSummitHQ
Okay, call me Captain Obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people forget to follow the obvious accounts! Like Paddy, WebSummitHQ will be updating you throughout the Web Summit with the biggest and latest going’s on. Lots of stuff just pops up throughout the event, so have your notifications from accounts like this turned on.
42000 #WebSummit attendees. 134 countries. Our most international event. Read the top 20 most represented countries: https://t.co/SSMxRw1kKd
— Web Summit (@WebSummitHQ) November 2, 2015
@Goos3D_IE
Oh come on, surely you saw that coming. For the second year running we’ll be covering Web Summit LIVE for you! Follow our Twitter where we’ll be posting all sorts of media and news updates as the three days unfold. Want us to ask a startup you’ve spotted a question? Let us know and we’ll try sort it for you.
We’re Asking The Big Questions At #WebSummit #wifi https://t.co/lWSdRFfnAR — Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) November 2, 2015
@CiamhieMC
We don’t believe in discouraging competition, in fact we love the sheer number of quality bloggers, journalists, tweeters etc that will be covering Web Summit along with us this year. You’re likely to see us re-tweeting the likes of Ciamhie Mc Digital over the coming days.
Twas the night before #websummit and all through the house… Christmas is to kids what @websummit is to us!!! pic.twitter.com/sesrHXLjJy
— Ciamhie Mc Digital (@CiamhieMc) November 2, 2015
@AdrianWeckler
As per previous point, we’re not anti big fish in the pond as can so often be the case. Granted, Adrian may only tweet every now and then about Web Summit, when he does, chances are people are listening. Some of his tweets can be refreshingly down to earth too…
Web Summit app is pretty decent. — Adrian Weckler (@adrianweckler) November 2, 2015
#Liveteam
Protip! Did you know there are over 100 volunteers whose sole job it is involves covering Web Summit on every social media platform imaginable? Yup, let me introduce you to the Liveteam. After #WebSummit, #liveteam is the best hashtag to follow for the event. These guys and gals are made up of enthusiastic bloggers and social gurus who’ll be tweeting and instagramming everything they can get their smartphones locked on.
All set for #websummit. I’ll be on the #LiveTeam so be sure to say hello if you see me ? pic.twitter.com/zDfXvz9Kkn
— Lydia O’Byrne (@littlelydia) November 2, 2015
@Hughgallagherrr
Hugh Gallagher is the guy over social and the Web Summit Liveteam. Keep and eye on his social stream for his picks of the best the Liveteam has to offer.
I realised my 18 year dream by chatting with The King Gianluca Vialli ahead of Sport Summit @WebSummitHQ next month: http://t.co/xQ1Pw7XlDF
— Hugh Gallagher (@hughgallagherrr) October 16, 2015
And if you’re an attendee…
Sure enough, you’ll be reluctant in thinking about downloading the Web Summit app, but you can connect with loads of fellow attendees and their social media. You can download the iOS version and Android version now.
5 Web Summit Talks We’re Looking Forward To
The countdown clock to Web Summit is closing in on zero and excitement is building ahead of the final event before they move to Lisbon. There’s a lot of stuff going on, but we’ll be focused on how the talks of Web Summit affects everyday tech users. Here’s three talks in particular we’re looking forward to hearing.
Piloted Driving: Driving into the future
Cars are fast becoming more and more aligned to the futuristic visions of Hollywood. Tesla’s recent autopilot features are frightfully similar to the self driving cars seen in Demolition Man.
To discuss the road we’re on towards automobile automation, Audi’s Sven Schuwirth will be on hand. Sven is Head of Brand and Sales Development with Audi, as the company clearly see demand for automation growing in the future.
Swipe Right: Tinder up close
Getting the shift has been a corner stone of Irish society for many years now, with tech becoming a far less frowned upon medium. This is nowhere more visible than in the public adoption of Tinder. Tinder is like a virtual nightclub where a simple swipe is the same as giving the old wink across the bar. Founder, Sean Rad, will be having a twenty minute chat with Forbes’ Steven Bertoni to discuss what has been a roller coaster year.
What will drive adoption for home automation?
Here at Goos3D, our ultimate aim is to make tech a little more fun and approachable for the public. With that in mind, we are understandably excited to see any talk that’s interested in overcoming obstacles to technology adoption. There are more and more people trying out things like Nest or Philips Hue as uses for home automation are becoming more real to the public. This twenty-five minute talk will include specialists from Philips, Logitech and Zonoff, hosted by Andy O’Donoghue from TV3’s The Gadget Buzz.
Bringing VR to the masses
Is it simply a cool gadget, or will virtual reality touch most elements of our future lives. In what may be a talk from a slightly biased viewpoint, the inventor of Oculus Rift, the world leader in VR, will be sharing his vision for the future of virtual reality.
EyeRobot: Are machines finally catching up to science fiction
We recently looked at how past fictions of James Bond had become realities and now focus turns to our more broad connected world. With more and more devices being connected on a daily basis, representatives from Movidius and DAQRI will be discussing how “seeing” machines will impact our day to day lives.
This is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the next couple of days, but this should be enough to whet your appetite. Keep and eye on our site and social media for the latest news and updates from Web Summit 2015.
ICYMI: Doppelgängers meet aboard Ryanair Flight
Online social experiment, Twin Strangers, rose to prominence this year by trying to find strangers who could almost be considered separated at birth. A chance encounter aboard a recent Ryanair flight circumnavigated such a process.
Guy on right is the husband of my friend @elrottencrotch. Guy on left is a STRANGER he met on a flight last night! pic.twitter.com/kwBFOOEoMc
— Lee Beattie (@leebeattie) October 30, 2015
The two men, both travelling to Ireland on holiday’s are complete strangers who just happened to be sitting beside each other on the same flight. The resemblance is indeed uncanny, but the weirdness doesn’t stop there.
@leebeattie @elrottencrotch The love affair continued post flight #BeardTwins pic.twitter.com/PDeqp73S6Q — Ross Hunt (@RossJamesHunt) October 30, 2015
The two men proceeded to check into the exact same hotel, have a brief laugh about everything, go their separate ways and randomly meet again in a pub later that night. You literally couldn’t make this stuff up, with this chance encounter being retweeted almost twenty thousand times already.
Original poster of the tweet, Lee Beattie is now receiving about twenty messages per hour of ginger bearded men, something she is taking in her stride.
Getting about 20 of these an hour. Am I now the queen of ginger bearded men? https://t.co/OauJN8sFDG
— Lee Beattie (@leebeattie) October 30, 2015
I am now an agent for ginger bearded men. Not a complaint btw. https://t.co/cTRsX2K46q
— Lee Beattie (@leebeattie) October 30, 2015
We personally love the “pointing backround guy” in the original picture who has clearly just spotted the screen of the phone taking the selfie.
LEGO: Traditional Toys with Modern Tech Twists
We recently introduced you to Disney: Colour and Play, a great a traditional children’s past-time is adopting technology, but how are LEGO, one of the world’s favourite toys for kids and adults alike, using technology to stay relevant?
Perhaps the only thing to hurt your foot more than getting stood on by an elephant, LEGO has been the toy that has moulded many a childhood and I count myself among them. From spending hours a day sitting on the floor constructing my latest “flying machine” or attempting create something that I could bate my brother over the head with, LEGO was possibly my favourite childhood toy.
These tiny little insignificant blocks have been used as a gateway to open a child’s ability to create, build, interact and play for nearly 80 years and I am absolutely delighted that LEGO has made a massive comeback in recent years due simply due to their willingness to move with the times. As technology has progressed so has the LEGO experience, as big cinematic releases from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings are now accompanied with LEGO games on the biggest consoles and mobile platforms.
Seeing the potent threat LEGO posed to the feet of the general public, the Danish company began investigating creation without actual bricks through the LEGO Digital Designer app for PC and Mac. Essentially this is a virtual LEGO box, a free virtual LEGO set you don’d have to tidy up after you empty the box out. This application allows you to build hundreds of different LEGO models on the computer screen and share them with others. The Danes also teamed up with Google to create an online virtual LEGO building platform through Chrome, and once again its free!
LEGO and Tech
There are now a number of LEGO themed apps that merge the traditional creation and building experience of the bricks with an interactive mobile experience. One former experiment was LEGO: Life of George, a game where players are timed to create a model from the bricks while simultaneously experiencing a digital element through your smartphone. After one of the 250 LEGO models was finished, a quick scan from the phone app would check it for accuracy, before assigning a score to the player and keeping track of progress. Unfortunately, LEGO closed Life of George for new players in December last year.
LEGO really have been at the cutting edge of merging technology with the physical, just check out the free LEGO Movie Maker app. Using this app and the camera on your phone it is easy for anyone to create a stop-motion animation, with the Mini-Figures and play sets. There are also loads of YouTube videos to help your along your way too. If you have seen The LEGO Movie then you already have an idea what the end product will look like. The app creates an animated sequence from your set in a similar look to that of the movie, The app includes all the tools required to create a cool animated sequence from virtual effects, music and sound effects. Once you have your raw sequence the app will then offer an editing suite and add the ability to upload to YouTube, perfect for a young budding Spielberg.
In fact the interface is simple enough that an 8-10 year old will be able to figure it out, making the only limitation the user’s imagination. Even an adult LEGO enthusiast or movie-making buff will appreciate what’s possible using nothing but the LEGO Movie Maker app with traditional LEGO toys.
Build your own Robot
So it’s obvious LEGO are no strangers to tech, but they really excel when it comes to Mindstorms. Mindstorms are a simply amazing robotics kit which basically allows a user to make and program a fully functioning robot designed around the famous little bricks.
There are roughly 17 different customizable robots which are capable of being programmed through an app that links to the robot via Bluetooth. The 3D building app offers interactive, step by step instructions for creating the various robots. It is here where the app will also offer you the tools to program the robots to handle a wide range of tasks such as walking.
The Bottom Line
Although LEGO is older than my dad and me put together, its global appeal has never been bigger. There is no other toy in history which has managed to position itself in such a way as to create a product that transcends age and gender barriers to create cutting edge entertainment.
Whether you prefer to dig out the old box from the loft and start clipping pieces together or playing an interactive and action packed video game the underlying mentality and ethos of the brand remains a constant. The focus on unleashing creativity and capturing the imaginations of children and grown ups alike has and will always be a key focus for LEGO.
Now excuse me while I break out my old box and attempt to make my very own bat mobile and play “Everything is Awesome” on loop.
5 Pieces of Bond Tech that Really Exist
In the past 50 years there have been 23 James Bond movies, all off which have featured lethal, futuristic, innovative and sometimes wacky gadgets. With the latest edition, Spectre, soon to be released we have decided to have a look at some of the tech which has transcended the silver screen and became residents of the real world. Here are our top 5 pieces of Bond tech that really exist.
Gyroplane, You Only Live Twice (1967)
The Wallis WA-116 Series 1 gyroplane (AKA Little Nellie). If you have seen movie you would know that this piece of kit has rockets, flamethrowers, guns, missiles , the works.
Little Nellie was actually flown in the film by its designer, Ken Wallis, the president of the British Rotocraft Association. Though only released in limited quantities to the public, this little flying machine was most definitely real.
Ring camera, A View to a Kill (1985)
A device from the Roger Moore era, the same ring allowed Bond to covertly investigate Max Zorin’s home during a garden party, the ring camera is tiny even by today’s standards.
However nowadays miniaturized camera are everywhere like in the “Camer-ing”, a discreet digital camera built into a ring. Designed by Hveonsik Studio & Jean Yengwon. All we await is for this secret agent tech to reach production.
Sony Ericsson K800, Casino Royale (2006)
Crazy to think how far phones have come over the last decade, as in 2006 Daniel Craig was show cases the latest and greatest in phone technology the Sony Ericsson K800i cyber-shot. Now this was an amazing piece of equipment, it has GPS and a fast 3.2 mega pixel camera, a new revelation at this time.
In Casino Royale, it was one of the few times Bond relied on a gadget anyone could get their hands on. It was such hit a limited edition was released to cash in on its supporting role in the movie.
As usual the movie version had some features such as an injectable sensor that could monitor Bonds vital signs (when he poisoned in the casino). This might sound odd but there has been talk of particular manufactures (Apple) hoping to make this feature a reality.
Remote-Controlled Doors, Thunderball (1965)
Ok, nothing new to us now but at the time this was astonishing stuff. The tech at this time was only roughly ten years old, so you can imagine the audience reaction when Emilio Largo pushes a button on a pocket size device and the doors to the SPECTRE briefing room open.
As I said this is not new to us now as it can be seen on most American garages, and private home gateways. Sure now there’s even apps that will do the exact same job but none of this is the same as the opening up of the gateway to the world’s best spies world.
Polarizing Sunglasses, A View to a Kill (1985)
Roger Moore really did get some awesome gadgets and the Polarizing sunglasses are no different. In “ A View to a Kill” these special sunglasses allowed Bond to see through tinted windows. Something that is very handy for Bond to have in his repertoire.
However Oakley , the sunglasses manufacturer’s not only created a pair of glasses with polarized lenses but it also included integrated headphones, a 128MB music player and Bluetooth! They don’t look half bad either, just imagine Mr. Bond in the Aston Martin wearing a set of these.
Roaming Charges to be abolished in EU
When going on holidays, there is always the fear you’ll bring home either a nasty itch or a shocking mobile phone bill. Thankfully half of these problems will be abolished by a new EU initiative.
By mid-June 2017, new orders from the EU will have roaming charges curtailed across the European Union. While caps have been put in place in recent years and the cost of using your mobile reduced, these new initiatives will allow you to use your mobile phone while within the EU just as if you were at home.
So now that Instagram post of your snails in France won’t have to wait until you get back to the hotel, but it will have to wait until 2017.