Thomas Frey is who you will undoubtedly find when you do a Google search on "futurist speaker". Having shared the stage with many A-listers, Frey has earned that moniker. But his true skill demonstrated repeatedly in this week's episode is taking an event or innovation and the extrapolating the future. In this episode we see him do that in real time. It's a unique glimpse into the futurist process.

Thomas Frey shares his insights about the future

More about Thomas Frey

IBM's Most Award-Winning Engineer

Over the past decade, Futurist Thomas Frey has built an enormous following around the world based on his ability to develop accurate visions of the future and describe the opportunities ahead. Having started seventeen businesses himself and assisting on the development of hundreds more, the understanding he brings to his audiences is a rare blend of reality-based thinking coupled with a clear-headed visualization of the world ahead.

Predicting the future has little value without understanding the driving forces behind the trends, subtle nuances that can be leveraged, and implications for both the people directly affected in the industry as well as others farther down the technological food chain.

Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer. He is also a past member of the Triple Nine Society (High I.Q. society over 99.9 percentile).

As part of the celebrity speaking circuit, Thomas continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come. His keynote talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level government officials to executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, Disney, IBM, Federal Reserve Bank, TED, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Visa, Frito-Lay, Toshiba, Dow Chemical, KPMG, Siemens, Rockwell, Wired Magazine, Caterpillar, PepsiCo, Deloitte & Touche, Hunter Douglas, Amgen, Capital One, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Korean Broadcast System, Bell Canada, American Chemical Society, Times of India, Leaders in Dubai, and many more.

Thomas has been featured in thousands of articles for both national and international publications including New York Times, Huffington Post, Times of India, USA Today, US News and World Report, Popular Science, The Futurist Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, World Economic Forum, Times of Israel, Mashable, Bangkok Post, National Geographics, ColoradoBiz Magazine, Rocky Mountain News, and many more. He currently writes a weekly "Future Trend Report" newsletter and a weekly column for the Futurist Speaker Blog.

This week hosts Brett King and Katie "Miss Metaverse" Schultz join a returning guest Thomas Frey to talk about the state of the future. In our last session Thomas gave an excellent demonstration of futurist thinking in real time. But in this week's show we get Thomas talks about how AI, climate and conflict are already impacting us. He also opines on the likelihood that if you are not working with AI you'll likely be replaced by someone who is. Once again he shows us why he's Google's highest rated futurist speaker.

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Microsoft has announced details of a newly produced Microsoft Dream Space TV series: brAIn_waves. The series, which is freely available online today via rte.ie/learn, is designed to develop both AI (Artificial Intelligence) literacy and the skills required for the era of AI in young people.

Microsoft Dream Space TV is an innovative initiative that combines the expertise of the Microsoft education team with RTÉ's commitment to engage young people in the world of technology and, in this case, AI.

This latest series of Microsoft Dream Space TV is the fifth to be produced in collaboration with RTÉ Learn, with previous episodes focusing on developing digital skills through themes of inclusivity, sustainability, and health and wellbeing.

brAIn_waves

brAIn_waves is comprised of six episodes, two of which have been designed for upper primary school students and four for post-primary students. For upper primary school students, the two-part series explores computational thinking, algorithms, data, and how AI works at a basic level. For post-primary students, the four-part series explores the fundamentals of AI and its impact on our everyday lives with specific lesson areas, including algorithms, data, machine learning, and ethics.

Post-primary students will have the added opportunity of participating in the Microsoft Dream Space and RTÉ Learn brAIn_waves series competition and will be in with a chance of winning incredible team prizes and competing for the All-Ireland title. The competition element simply focuses on putting the learnings from each episode into practice.

Students will be encouraged to work in teams and develop their own AI for Good solutions, which they can then enter into the national brAIn_waves competition. Entries will be evaluated on innovation, data collection, machine learning, impact, creativity, and ethics. 20 teams will win a prize for their school, and one overall winner will take home the grand prize and brAIn_waves All-Ireland Title.

Microsoft's Commitment to Skill Up Ireland

This new online series builds on Microsoft's recent commitment to help 'Skill Up Ireland' for an AI future by way of its national AI skilling programme. The programme is comprised of three initiatives targeted at providing access to industry-recognised certificates for adult learners, including Generative AI and Microsoft Dream Space AI certificates for student learners.

Commenting on today's announcement, James O'Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Leader and Vice-President of Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre: "We're delighted to join the team at RTÉ Learn to announce the fifth series from Microsoft Dream Space TV - brAIn_waves. The series' focus on AI is particularly important given the technology itself is central to many discussions across business, our education sector, and wider society.

Through our STEM education experience, Microsoft Dream Space, we are helping the next generation to develop the skills that are required to succeed in our digital society and economy. AI is no longer a future technology; it is rapidly becoming accessible to all, and therefore, it's really important that we seek to immerse students in all things AI, helping to develop their understanding of and skills in this technology.

"Our commitment at Microsoft to empower people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences to gain the skills that are required to participate in our AI-enabled economy is the driving force behind our national AI skilling programme, which we launched late last year. As part of this commitment, we are providing every student across the island of Ireland - almost 1 million in total - with the opportunity to engage in Dream Space, our STEM-based learning experience.

"Our aspiration is that teachers and students leverage this free learning resource to bring AI to life in classrooms around the country. Critically, though, I hope that at the end of the series, the students will be inspired to learn more about AI and cultivate their...

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is set to host 'Legal Tech and the Rule of Law', a conference exploring the transformative impact of technology on legal practice and academia, on February 12, 2024, at its Athlone campus.

The annual conference, now in its third year, offers a unique hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online attendance, and aims to foster a platform for exchange among legal academics, practitioners, students, and the public.

Legal Tech Conference Feb 12th

This year's keynote address will be delivered by distinguished High Court Judge Justice Leonie Reynolds.

While the primary audience comprises legal academics and professionals, the morning session at 9am aims to engage a broader audience, including law students and members of the public; the session will provide an accessible overview of key ethical challenges posed by technology, inviting audience input.

The conference boasts an array of speakers, including luminaries from the top legal firms and academia, contributing to elevator pitches and rapid-fire interactive discussions.

Notable speakers include Dr Brian Barry, Trinity College Dublin; Dr Ronan Kennedy, University of Galway; Andy Unger, London South Bank University; Dr David Cowan, Maynooth University; and industry expert Gavin Sheridan of VizLegal.

The conference will explore the potential of AI in streamlining legal processes and how blockchain could revolutionize regulatory spaces, offering real-time breach detection and potentially averting lengthy court cases; smart contracts will also be examined in terms of their role in enhancing access to justice.

The afternoon will feature workshops focusing on the development of legal curricula in higher education, chaired by Andy Unger. The final session, chaired by TUS's Dr Nuala Harding, will delve into the intersection of AI and legal education.

"With topics spanning technology's impact on justice accessibility, legal governance, and the rule of law, the conference promises to be an invaluable resource for academics, practitioners, law students, and anyone curious about the evolving face of legal practice," said Alison Hough, conference organiser and TUS law lecturer.

"For those interested in contributing to the dialogue, the conference welcomes submissions on various themes, including technology and justice, legal practice developments, and the response of legal curricula to technological advancements."

Register for the TUS 'Legal Tech and Rule of Law' Conference here.

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The Goethe-Institut Irland has issued an open call for applications for its international Studio Quantum artist-in-residence programme. Artists based in Ireland and seven additional participating countries are invited to submit their applications to take part in the programme before the application deadline on 11th February 2024.

Launched by the Goethe-Institut Irland last year, the Studio Quantum artist-in-residence programme and accompanying event series explore emerging quantum technologies through the lens of art, including their future impact on areas such as sustainability and climate change, artificial intelligence, data security and data encryption.

Studio Quantum artist-in-residence programme

The Studio Quantum residencies are two months in duration, and artists based in Ireland can apply to participate in a residency in one of six locations, including Karlsruhe in Germany, Johannesburg in South Africa, Lagos in Nigeria, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Mexico City in Mexico, and London in the United Kingdom. One artist based in each participating country will be selected to take part in the programme, and a production budget, travel costs, accommodation and an honorarium will be provided for all Studio Quantum artists-in-residence.

During their residencies, artists will be invited to incorporate quantum technologies into the subject matter of their work, or to create work using quantum technologies, accessed via the cloud. Artists are also invited to explore new techniques and methods of artistic production enabled by quantum technologies.

Commenting on the open call for the 2024 Studio Quantum residencies, Director of the Goethe-Institut Irland, Ulrike Gasser said: "The artists who participated in the pilot phase of Studio Quantum laid inspiring foundations for this exciting artist-in-residence programme, underpinning the importance of meaningful, multi-disciplinary art and technology collaborations.

"The 2024 Studio Quantum programme offers artists a unique opportunity to explore emerging quantum technologies through their artistic practice, and to connect with an extensive network of local and international experts in technology, culture, science and education. We warmly welcome and invite all artists with an interest in this fascinating subject matter to respond to our call for applications."

Project partners in Ireland include Trinity College Dublin, CONNECT - the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications, Trinity Quantum Alliance, Project Arts Centre and The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art. For international partners please see goethe.de/quantum.

Further information about the application process for the Studio Quantum artist-in-residence programme 2024 can be found at goethe.de/quantum.

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PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) today announced six new innovations the company is piloting and bringing to market this year to revolutionise commerce through artificial intelligence (AI) driven personalisation for both merchants and consumers. During the PayPal First Look keynote, Alex Chriss, President and CEO, introduced: a completely new PayPal checkout experiencethat radically speeds up check out for consumers and helps merchants convert transactions like never before; Fastlane by PayPal, a dramatically faster and smarter guest checkout experience; Smart Receipts, giving customers AI-personalised recommendations from merchants to keep them coming back; the PayPal advanced offers platform so merchants can provide relevant, personalised, real-time offers to consumers and drive more sales; a reinvented PayPal consumer app giving shoppers new ways to earn cash back and more reasons to use PayPal; and, Venmo's enhanced business profiles, so small businesses can find and engage new customers, and grow their businesses.

"PayPal is on a mission to revolutionise commerce, globally, and today we are starting the next chapter," said Alex Chriss, President and CEO, PayPal. "With nearly 400 million consumer accounts, and 35 million merchant accounts, PayPal handles transactions for about a quarter of the world's e-commerce transactions each year, but more importantly, shoppers trust PayPal to power their payments."

Chriss continued, "PayPal is introducing six new innovations that will not only solve real customer pain points, but we believe will change the world of payments and commerce.

With digital commerce expected to exceed $6 trillion in 20241, merchants need new, advanced ways to speed consumers through checkout in a seamless way that reduces lost sales. Additionally, consumers are continuously looking to stretch their budgets and get as much value while shopping as possible. PayPal's global scale and extensive data set, combined with the power of AI, will deliver the next generation of value for both consumers and merchants.

Transforming Checkout

Checkout is the last interaction between a consumer and a merchant, and while it seems so simple, any friction can disrupt the moment. Business owners want to focus on the next sale and consumers are looking to remove any annoying interruptions like password prompts or lagging response times.

To address this, PayPal has massively accelerated the checkout process to get customers to choose PayPal, integrate passkeys to enable customers to log in with their face or fingerprint with one tap, and to improve latency. In fact, this will reduce latency by as much as 50%2, and enable customers to check out twice as fast, all with the same level of security and trust they have come to expect from PayPal. Additionally, the new PayPal checkout will also leverage AI to get smarter and faster over time.

Introducing Fastlane by PayPal

Merchants are losing out on sales because the guest checkout process is both slow and cumbersome. Additionally, shoppers do not often sign in or sign up while browsing, and when they are ready to check out, they must find their password, update their credit card information, or shipping address.

To help, PayPal is introducing Fastlane by PayPal, a new one-click guest checkout experience that merchants using PayPal's platform will be able to offer their shoppers, allowing them to make a fast and painless purchase. Customers simply save their information with Fastlane to check out in as little as one tap. No username or password to remember, no personal information to update, and no need to share a credit card with businesses all over the web.

PayPal has been piloting Fastlane by PayPal with a group of merchants and are seeing astounding early results. Select merchants on BigCommerce, a leading open software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce platform and longtime PayPal partner, have seen early results showing that Fastlane can recognise 70% of guests3 and accelerate...

Guest post by Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets. Amid a Surge in the Number of Digital Asset Investors, A Refresher on How It Is Taxed in the US

During 2023 there has been a worldwide surge in the number of digital asset users. According to data presented by AltIndex.com, following a digital asset bear market in 2022, the 2023 price rally rebuilt confidence in digital assets, drawing more users. The number of people using digital assets as a payment method or investment hit 670 million during 2023 increasing 57% from 350 million worldwide users in 2022.

According to Statista, the years between 2019 to 2023 saw an exponential growth in NFT users as well growing from 0.41 million in 2019 to 13.95 million in 2023. These figures in digital asset use are expected to jump further in 2024.

How are Digital Assets taxed, a refresher

Contributing to this growth in 2024 is the Securities Exchange Commission's (SEC) landmark approval of eleven Bitcoin Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on January 10th that are traded on stock exchanges and could hold significant implications for the $2 trillion digital asset market.

BTC ETFs are designed to track the performance of Bitcoin allowing investors to gain exposure to BTC without needing to consider a digital wallet, exchange, or self-custody. These BTC ETF's which took over a decade of efforts by fund managers to get the ETFs listed include Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC, BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCO), WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund (BTCW), VanEck Bitcoin Trust (HODL), Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC), Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust (FBTC), Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund (BRRR) and Hashdex Bitcoin ETF (DEFI).

James Butterfill, Head of Research at CoinShares, the author of CoinShares' weekly digital asset fund research details the impact that the SEC approval of the ETFs could have on the industry.

BTC EFT share Investors should be aware of the pricing dynamics of these publicly traded BTC funds. The market value of BTC ETFs shares can differ from the NAV of the Bitcoin traded on various exchanges on the internet. This discrepancy arises from the differing supply and demand in the BTC ETF shares in the stock market as compared to the larger BTC market. BTC ETF shares may trade at a premium (above the real value of Bitcoin per share) when demand is strong. On the other hand, amid less advantageous market circumstances, the BTC ETF shares might trade at a discount.

Investors who own BTC via an ETF are taxed the in the same manner as BTC hodlers. In 2014, the IRS issued Notice 2014-21, 2014-16 I.R.B. 938, explaining that BTC is treated as property for Federal income tax purposes. The Frequently Asked Questions on Virtual Currency Transitions expand upon the examples provided in Notice 2014-21 and apply those same longstanding tax principles to additional situations.

Tax Reporting Requirements of Digital Asset Hodlers

If an individual taxpayer during 2023 has not sold, exchanged the digital asset he or she bought at the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023 and is still holding them, then there is no taxable event to report on his or her U.S. tax return.

Tax-reporting requirements would arise if the taxpayer held these digital assets in a foreign financial account and if mandatory financial thresholds were met under Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) reporting requirements, according to a letter from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

FBAR: A taxpayer with a financial interest in or signatory authority over a foreign financial account must file a foreign bank account report (FBAR) FinCEN Form 114 if the aggregate value of the foreign financial account exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. Noncompliance with FBAR would subject a taxpayer to steep...

What were Albert Einstein's first wife's contributions to his extraordinary productivity in the beginning of his career? Why are sexism, homophobia and racism still so prevalent in physics? In two separate upcoming talks hosted by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), former CERN particle physicist and author Dr Pauline Gagnon will explore the answers to these questions.

In her opening talk, 'What's wrong with me?', on Friday, 26th January at 6.30 pm, Dr Gagnon will share her own personal experiences of working at CERN where, of the 112 nationalities working there, approximately 80% of them are white, and 80% are male. Dr. Gagnon will examine why people from so many various groups have been historically excluded from physics and suggest a series of easily applicable measures that could improve diversity in physics. This talk will take place at DIAS, Burlington Road and is being held in partnership with the Institute of Physics.

Dr Gagnon's second talk, entitled 'The tragic destiny of Mileva Mari? Einstein', will take place Monday, 29th January at 7 pm at DIAS, Burlington Road. Examining the biography of Mileva Mari? Einstein, love letters between Mileva and Albert along with publications about her life and work, Dr Gagnon will reveal the work of this forgotten physicist.

Speaking about the visit of Dr Gagnon, Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said, "Being able to host world-renowned researchers such as Dr Gagnon at DIAS and hearing her insights will be a great opportunity for the physics community in Ireland. We work hard to ensure that there is diversity right across our schools and are always open to learning how we can improve this.

Also commenting on the visit by Dr. Gagnon, Brendan Owens, Public Engagement Manager, Institute of Physics (IOP) said, "The IOP is proud to support Dr. Pauline Gagnon speaking to the physics and physics teaching community about her personal journey in physics, barriers faced, and advice to create a more inclusive space for everyone. The IOP is on a journey to create a more inclusive and diverse physics community for society and representative of it. We believe one of the best ways of doing so is to showcase role models that drive home personal stories that we can all learn from and be inspired by".

Dr. Pauline Gagnon was born in Chicoutimi in Quebec, Canada, in 1955. She taught physics in local colleges before completing a PhD in particle physics at the University of California in Santa Cruz. Dr. Gagnon worked as a Senior Research Scientist with Indiana University at CERN, where she participated in the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. She joined the CERN communication group, writing blogs and explaining particle physics in simple and accessible terms to media outlets worldwide.

In 2014, Dr Gagnon wrote a popular science book called "Who Cares about particle physics: Making Sense of the Higgs Boson, the Large Hadron Collider and CERN". She retired in 2014 and has since given more than 150 presentations to audiences worldwide, talking about physics, diversity issues and Mileva Mari? Einstein. She is currently writing a screenplay for a mini-series on Mileva Mari? Einstein and other women in science.

Registration for Dr. Pauline Gagnon's talks is now live. Both talks are free to attend, but advance booking is required. To book, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/pauline-gagnon-at-dias-2980289

The NDRC virtual Founder Weekend will take place live from the RDI hub in Killorglin over the weekend of the 9th -11th of February. A fully remote event, over the space of 22 hours participants can go from having no startup experience to forming a startup, finding a potential co-founder, and pitching live on stage.

Founder Weekend is operated by NDRC which supports and invests in the highest potential tech founders across Ireland. The RDI hub is one of the regional partners, along with Republic of Work in Cork, Portershed in Galway and Dogpatch Labs in Dublin. The Founder Weekend event is aimed at those who are at the early 'ideas stage' for a business or start-up.

Founder Weekend, February 9th - 11th

Having this Founder Weekend as a virtual event makes it accessible to everyone and anyone (with or without an idea) and removes obstacles to entry, such as access to childcare or arranging travel or accommodation considerations.

Gearoid Kearney is the Programmes Associate at RDI hub and describes this as a great opportunity for early-stage or concept-stage entrepreneurs:

"This Virtual Founder Weekend is a launchpad for Ireland's aspiring entrepreneurs, transforming ideas into pitch decks through mentorship, workshops, and networking…"

When asked about what type of people are usually interested in attending a Founder Weekend, Gearoid replied…

"Founder Weekend is not just for individuals with a business idea, it is also open to individuals without their own idea that want to join a team and work on an idea over the course of the weekend. On the Friday evening you'll get the opportunity to meet other attendees, exchange ideas and form a team for the weekend. It's aiming at early ideas stage, but we're also looking for budding entrepreneurial minds to test out the startup life."

We asked a Founder Weekend attendee about her experience of taking part in Founder Weekend last year and this was her response…

"Founder Weekend was the perfect opportunity to test and iterate my concept and business idea fast. Fast-paced, jam-packed with valuable information, and expert feedback from industry leaders put me on the right track."

Ruth Guest, speaking about her company Sersha AI. Last year Sersha has received approval for Enterprise Ireland's PSSF fund in addition to securing funding through an angel round.

NDRC Founder Weekend takes place online from February 9th to 11th kicking off on Friday at 6pm and wrapping up Sunday afternoon. The deadline to apply is Sunday 4th February

To submit an application to join the weekend-long program visit https://www.ndrc.ie/founder-weekend.

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We look at the new headphones from Final, see more about the Final UX2000 here.

What are the Final UX2000 headphones like?

Out of the box they have a good user experience and a nice feel to them. The reviewers liked trialing previous members of the Final headphones family, so there was a positive expectation around reviewing these ones also. The company name, Final, does take a bit of getting used to. Maybe it translates from something more evocative in it's native language, but perhaps someone should have told them that 'Final' isn't necessarily the epitome of cool in English.

Perhaps suggesting death or terminal, rather than awesome or amazing. Still we guess that a name is a name, and, if the product is strong enough then the user will be happy to use it.

First up, the price is good, this is not going to cost you an arm and a leg, but you are still getting a good quality and sturdy feeling product. School studying pupils and students come to mind as optimal users for this product, to get on with their studies, especially with the good noise cancelling attributes of this product.

Again with the naming, if the previous iteration was the 3000, then why is this called the 2000, does this mean that they are counting down, 1000 next and then the zero? Who knows, anyway I guess we have digressed back into nomenclature here. If you stack up the features versus the price, again this product does well.

Another good aspect to the headphones is that it folds up in a neat, smart way. This means you can travel easily with them, perhaps in your pocket. You might wish it came with it's own purpose made travel bag, but, as it delivers well in many other aspects this is probably a small debit point. Our reviewers liked this product, witnessed by the fact that they were in no hurry to return it, which suggests that it was a usable and likeable piece of gear.

More about UX2000 ANC headphones from Final

Final's previous ANC headphone release was the UX3000, which gained multiple awards and global recognition for its minimal design and impressive audio quality. Now with the UX2000, Final has harnessed its award-winning expertise and applied this to its new ANC wireless headphone for under £100.

The UX2000 is more than just a new addition to the UX series; it represents Final's commitment to combining state-of-the-art technology with unparalleled audio performance. Whether for gaming, music, or calls, the UX2000 is engineered to deliver an unmatched auditory experience, setting new standards in the wireless headphone market.

Available in Cream or Black, the Final UX2000 will be available for £99/$119/€109 from Amazon and selected retailers worldwide.

All new design and set of features

The Final UX2000 inherits the legacy of the UX3000 while introducing its own unique design and features. Developed for everyday use, the UX2000 is lightweight and robust with a premium matte finish that is resistant to fingerprints and smudges for a clean and professional look. The advanced hybrid noise cancelling technology removes a significant amount of background and ambient noise for an immersive and distraction free listening experience.

Key Features

Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation: Equipped with a sophisticated system that effectively cancels external noises for a serene listening experience.

Gaming Mode with Low-Latency: Specially designed for gamers, providing synchronized audio with on-screen action for an immersive gaming experience.

Up to 45 Hours of music Playback: Offers substantial playback time, ideal for long commutes, work sessions, or gaming marathons.

Multi-Fit Housing Structure: Adjustable in multiple directions for a perfect fit, ensuring comfort even during extended use.

Fingerprint-Proof Matte Finish: The body of the device features a matte finish, making it resistant to fingerprints and oil, and ensuring that it doesn't easily show dirt.

Foldable Design for Compact Storage: The headphones can be folded into a compact form making them con...

Pendulum Summit celebrated its 10th anniversary in Dublin's Convention Centre on the 10th and 11th January. Reviewed by Marie-Clare Byard @NowMediaLive

This annual event brings together both local and international speakers of the highest calibre, experts in many different sporting fields, leadership, technology, communications, relationships, health and so much more. You cannot leave Pendulum Summit without being Inspired by the world-class leaders it brings together, a great way to kick start the new year.

10th year of Pendulum Summit

This event is the brainchild of Irish former professional Rugby star Frankie Sheahan and his wife Norma Sheahan.

Charlie Engles

Pendulum Summit kicked off with a brilliant presentation from Charlie Engle who shared how he managed to leave a life of drug and alcohol abuse behind, to dive into a commitment to run every day, which he did for 2 years without missing a day. He exhibited, early in life, an appetite for endurance, having a sense that his physiology was different.

He took his appetite for endurance to the extremes and set a target to run across the Sahara desert. He raised the funds, gathered his film crew together and with his teammates completed the run, being the first to ever do this!

Charlie Engle shares his story about recovery from addition by starting running ???? everyday for 2 years! He decided to run across the Sahara Desert and nothing would stop him!#PendulumSummit

@PendulumSummit pic.twitter.com/7hlCybRFOy

Irish Tech News (@Irish_TechNews) January 10, 2024

While running he saw the water shortages first hand, he came up with the idea for H2O Africa and raised $6 million. This would later go on to be what is now known as water.org the world's largest water supplier which has raised over $1 billion, now co-owned by Matt Damen and Gary White.

Charlie Engle says - "I'm an addict who runs and I'm a runner who writes". Over 30 years in recovery now, and has published a book entitled "Running Man".

Later Charlie was investigated for tax discrepancies, which he duly paid, yet ended up in jail for 18 months. When in jail he started running around the courtyard and doing yoga at lunchtime, they all laughed at him. But by the time he left he had set up a running club with 50 members and 30 of the inmates joined him for yoga every lunchtime. The inmates explained to him how this had changed their lives. He concludes, "What happens to us is not nearly as important as what we do with it".

DR JULIE SMITH

Next up was Dr. Julie Smith, who became a YouTube internet sensation during the pandemic years.

Top tips, when asking someone, "How are you feeling?" always ask TWICE, it's too easy to just dismiss and say fine on the first ask.

Surround yourself with people you trust, a sense of belonging and trust are very important for healthy relationships.

She gave a great analogy for stress, to think of it like an ATM, stress is really about balancing the books, if you take cash out (of the ATM) all the time and never put any back in, you get burned out, you have to put something back in, you can't just keep taking.

We all need to start with sleep and prioritise it. Take micro-moments out, it will improve performance by just getting off the hamster wheel. Allow yourself to just sit with how you are feeling.

Dr. Zoe Wimshurst

Introduced us to 'Performance Vision' a concept that I'm sure was new to most of the audience. She specialises in the provision of unique visual training tailored to elite athletes. She screens elite athletes to test their visual skills, then gives feedback showing them the best way to incorporate vision training into their overall training programme.

This method enables you to see two times faster and make better decisions in a split second. Our eyes normally have 2 fixations per second, through her training you can increase this to 5 fixations per second, taking in five times more information.

The eye has six muscles that work together to move it, through her methods you c...