For Tech’s Sake

Today is gonna be the day that Kelly and Elaine are gonna throw a look back on a bleak week of tech news, from some shocking revelations over at Meta AI to some concerning behaviour from Stripe’s customer service team. We also look into why VPN advertising has ramped up in Ireland and leave you with something you can use to spend your days in the sunshine.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are delighted to be joined in this episode by Benji Foley, a PhD researcher at DCU's Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities, who explains the concept of digital sexual literacy and why it’s important we build this up in young people. In particular, Benji’s research looks at digital sexual literacy among young people from the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland, and what he’s learned in the early stages of his research might surprise you. 

Kelly and Elaine also look at the release of OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model, a Google Maps blunder that led a women to RTÉ looking for Lidl, some bad maths in the media and billionaire Dermot Desmond’s unrealistic expectations of autonomous vehicles.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elaine Burke speaks to Riham Al Faqih, development and outreach director with MIFTAH, a civil society organisation based in Palestine, about digital rights violations committed against Palestinians. Their conversation took place shortly after an internet blackout in Gaza, and highlights how Palestine has become a testing ground for the advancement of surveillance tech. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off a new season of For Tech’s Sake, hosts Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley discuss recent developments in age verification for social media and online platforms within the EU and the UK. They assess the practical challenges, examine the privacy risks and debate the implications of relying on tech alone to solve this problem. 

Listen to the end for our suggestion of something good you can find online today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Tech’s Sake is back with an all-new series, a brand new co-host and lots more tech stories to talk about.

Join Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley as they look at tech through a critical lens – not evangelising or demonising it, but definitely throwing a bit of shade when it’s deserved.

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Happy New Year HeadStuff Listeners!

As a special New Year’s treat, we’ve compiled the very best moments from all our HeadStuff shows into one episode. Relive the laughs, surprises, and unforgettable moments of 2024!

To find your favourite HeadStuff shows go to the timestamps below.

This is a HeadStuff Podcast produced by Hilary Barry. Edited by Claire Patena. Hosted by Hilary Barry and Jack Kelly.

1:40 - The Lovely Show 

4:55 - Young Hot Guys 

6:24 - Listen, I’m, Delicious 

8:00 - The G Spot 

10:11 - The Baby Tribe 

13:08 - Fad Camp 

15:59 - For Tech Sake 

18:16 - The Greatest Matter 

19:55 - Double Love 

21:35 - Keep It Tight 

23:37 - Agony Rants 

26:30 - I Know That Face

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Cybersecurity researcher Dr Hazel Murray has developed a knack for guessing Irish people’s passwords. But is it really our fault that our passwords have become predictable? 

Listen to this episode to find out why some of the standards enforced on passwords are actually making our accounts less secure, and what you need to do to start the new year with better password protection.

You can check out ForTechsSake.info for links to more resources, or find out more about CONNECT at ConnectCentre.ie and keep up with their research by subscribing to their newsletter.

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Are you confused by quantum? You’re not alone! 100 years on and even the science hasn’t settled on quantum mechanics and how they can be applied to technologies such as computing. But how we harness this emergent technology from the outset could have long-term impacts, which is why researchers at the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks and Communications are exploring not just quantum computing and quantum networks, but the policy and communication around such technologies.

So strap yourself in for a world-expanding conversation with Dr Harun Šiljak and Dr Tom O’Dea from the Not a Space Race project, on how we discuss and plan for something that doesn’t exist yet, and the usefulness of interpretations of quantum science in pop culture.

You can check out ForTechsSake.info for links to more resources, or find out more about CONNECT at ConnectCentre.ie and keep up with their research by subscribing to their newsletter.

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From cross-stitching your research proposals to diagramming the quantum internet, there are many ways that art and science can intersect – and it’s when artists in research are treated as equals that you get the best, most transformative results.   

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion as we dissect the concept of STEAM and try to word the world better with Dr Jessica Foley and Dennis McNulty from the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks and Communications.

You can check out ForTechsSake.info for links to more resources, or find out more about CONNECT at ConnectCentre.ie and keep up with their research by subscribing to their newsletter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.