The Irish Tech News Podcast

In this podcast Melanie Boylan and Emer Keaveney discuss the new initiative that is monitoring the first real-time acoustic monitoring project of cetacean species (whales, dolphins and porpoise) that began last month off the South Coast of Ireland. Hear how windfarm strategy needs to be implemented and as we also seeing climate action lead to a rise in the construction of offshore wind farms. Ocean Research & Conservation Association Ireland  (ORCAIreland) is a non-governmental voluntary organisation that aims to enhance our scientific knowledge and understanding of marine megafauna in Irish waters through conservation, research and education. We aim to spread public awareness of the diverse variety of marine megafauna in Irish waters and the importance of their conservation for future generations. As the renowned Marine Biologist and Oceanographer, Sylvia Earle put it"No water, no life, no blue, no green". As top-predators, marine megafauna are ecosystem indicators of ocean health. In other words, if they are healthy, we are are healthy too and vice versa. Irish waters contain a great variety of marine megafaunal species from 71 species of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays), 25 species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoise), to two species of pinnipeds (seals). These top predators play an important role in healthy ecosystem functioning and many species face threats like by-catch and entanglement in fishing gear, disturbance from boats, fishing and ecotourism, noise pollution from offshore industry, noise pollution from shipping and offshore oil and gas exploration, and pollution from plastics, heavy metals and PCB's. We aim to better understand and protect Irish marine resources and the wildlife that depends on our productive seas to help inform policy and decision makers and to promote sustainable living, through responsible ecotourism, to reducing our dependence on plastic, making conscious product purchases and working towards the protection of endangered, threatened and vulnerable marine species. Our research and education is facilitated and conducted through opportunistic boat-based surveys on board eco-tour vessels, land-based watches and our citizen science project and the Observers App. We collate both historic data and co-ordinate monitoring for collection of new data on marine megafauna in Irish waters.

CryptoYuna discovered ‘crypto art’ by accident. An established artist working in oils, she stumbled over a tweet with the same term and quickly fell down the rabbit hole. Already a convert to cryptocurrencies, she understood very quickly the concept of NFTs and crypto sites. Previously, she had painted in acrylics but wanted to create more realistic images and so she changed to oils. By now, a stay at home mum of three, the only option was to learn by herself which she did using Youtube as her tutor. She is no stranger to overcoming obstacles and soon was proving so adept in her new medium that she was regularly selling her art online and through her sister’s shop in Florida. CryptoYuna is based in rural Missouri and is four hours from St Louis. Her previous subjects have ranged from rural animals, ruminants and houses to the female body. She gets hooked on one type of subject, painting it exhaustively, and then flips onto another. She will tackle any challenge in art, at least once. “I tried sketching with coloured pencils. I made one drawing but I hated the process so much I gave the pencils to the kids.” Actually, the image she drew is pretty spectacular and is a testament to both her skill and determination. The fact that she will only ever have one coloured pencil art work is also down to the same stubborn nature which delivered the art in the first place. Moving to digital art was another learning curve but one from which she did not shy away. Armed with a new iPad and stylus she began to craft her own style, her own vision. “I learnt from what was around me and then I began to fashion my own images. I really like realistic art and that is where I am concentrating.” Her success online has greatly surpassed her original oil paintings. Her husband, a contractor, is joking that he will retire to look after the kids while she creates art full time. This is currently a joke between them, but it’s deadly serious. CryptoYuna has now listed her art on most platforms and is selling well. Her innate curiosity and friendly nature meant she has quickly gained new friends online. As she explains it – she’s the kind of woman that welcomes new families to the neighbourhood with cookies. Same online. As a result, she met Darren Cullen, of Graffiti King fame. Last month they organised a Graffiti Queens art show in a metaverse, next month she is organising an under 16s online art show. And today one of her piece of art is being used as a wild card in a drop on the WAX blockchain this evening at 8pm (GMT + 1) check out the collection at https://wax.atomichub.io/profile/graffitiking#listings and who knows you might get her card. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book is at https://persons-of-interest.io/ and you might find one of her cards in the collection too.  8pm Saturday May 1, 2021 

In this episode Jamil Hasan  interviews Michael Dowling, who is a Professor of Finance in Dublin City University Business School. Before returning to Ireland in 2020, Michael established and managed the AI Business research centre in Rennes School of Business, France. The first artificial intelligence for business research centre in Europe. Building on that his research explores the intersection between financial behaviour and technology. He has published the first studies on non-fungible token (NFT) markets, including research on the rise of NFT metaverses. These metaverses, or virtual worlds based on the blockchain, evoke memories of classic sci-fi virtual worlds such as Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Michael tweets at @MichaelMDowling on twitter. His profile is available at: https://www.dcu.ie/researchsupport/research-profile?PERSON_ID=1590232 or LinkedIn: search - Michael Dowling DCU. Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

We catch up with Courtney Sugrue from Munster Technical University, (previously Cork Institute of Technology] to get her insights on digital marketing, social media, and what it was like to do an internship during a global pandemic and an extended lockdown in Ireland. I am a third year Marketing student from MTU and currently a Marketing intern for Irish Tech News. Digital Marketing has become huge in the previous years and especially now during the pandemic as everything is online. I am delighted I got the opportunity to work closely with the social media platforms and further develop my digital marketing skills in such a great company. This has been a great stepping stone in a business environment and I look forward to what the future brings. Twitter: @SugrueCourtney https://twitter.com/SugrueCourtney LinkedIn: @Courtneysugrue https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneysugrue/

According to the IMF, the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic is set to reach $28 trillion by the end of 2025. Following the toll on both human life and the global economy, major investments will be needed into community diagnostics, to identify and quantify health problems and potential causes for concern, to mitigate another public health crisis of this scale. As an expert in epidemiology and global health. Ronan talks to Joe Brew the Co-Founder and CEO of Hyfe. Joe talks about algorithms being better than doctors, AI in medicine, machine learning, the revolution of smartphones, the acoustics of coughs, why sound has a ton of information in it, and the ethics of monitoring and technology. More about Joe: Joe is a scientist, epidemiologist, and economist. He has worked with the Florida Department of Health (USA), the Chicago Department of Public Health (USA), the Barcelona Public Health Agency (Spain), the Tigray Regional Health Bureau (Ethiopia) and the Manhiça Health Research Center (Mozambique). He is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Hyfe.

Jamil interviews Kurt Nielsen, who is the Co-Founder & President of Partisia Blockchain, a Web 3.0 public blockchain built for trust, transparency, privacy, and speed-of-light finalization. A seasoned entrepreneur, Kurt has pioneered the use of advanced cryptography solutions and turned them into innovative high-tech businesses for more than 12 years. He is also the Co-founder of three other successful companies - Partisia, Sepior, and Secata. A renowned academic, Kurt completed his PhD in Economics at the University of Copenhagen, where he has been an Associate Professor for the past 14 years. His research interests include: applied game theory, operations research, decision support systems, information management, and design of contracts, auctions, and regulation mechanisms. Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

In this episode of Irish Tech News, Sangeeta Waldron speaks to Niel Kirk, who enjoys using technology to solve business and societal problems to make a real difference. His clients have included the European Space Agency, the NHS and a major Rail organisation. Niel has a keen interest in emerging technology and wants to achieve a greener future. We learn about how artificial intelligence is saving lives; how the pandemic has made us more dependent on our connectivity; and how by driving social value, we can deliver the triple bottom line of meeting social, economic and environmental objectives. Connect with Niel Kirk on Twitter and LinkedIn. Connect with Sangeeta Waldron, Founder, Serendipity PR & Media and Author of Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations on Twitter. Sangeeta Waldron is a multi-award winning Public Relations professional with over three decades’ worth of publicity, branding, communications, crisis management, marketing, media and social media experience. Sangeeta is a published author; her first business book, The PR Knowledge Book is published by Business Expert Press and received high acclaim by international business leaders. She is a guest lecturer at Coventry University, teaching PR and global journalism. Sangeeta is also a writer specializing in sustainability and corporate social responsibility, where her work has been published by the United Nations and other leading news platforms. Sangeeta started out her career writing speeches for a previous UK Prime Minister and Ministers, and has worked at the top level with big, powerful global brands, which includes - being global communications director for the Economist Group; working for The Times Education Supplement; the Mayor of London; Cass Business School; and charities such as Breast Cancer Campaign. A regular international speaker and moderator. Sangeeta sits on different boards.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived, it was a shock to all of us as something of this scale was simply without precedent. The world we knew stopped in its tracks. When we finally get over the initial shock, those who are parents and caregivers are faced with the next set of questions. How can we best protect our loved ones with the new normal? What is the new work life balance, if there is even one? Join us in this episode of One Vision, where Theo and Bradley chat with Carleen Haylett, CEO of Sit-A-Bit, to learn more about how they are providing more childcare options for working parents and caregivers, and how the future of education may have been right in front of us all along.

Lucy is an ancestral skills teacher, Rites of passage guide & Rewilder. Lucy is the founder of ‘Wild Awake’, an organisation which seeks to rekindle environmental and cultural resilience through the (re)learning of ancestral and traditional skills in nature. As part of this organisation, Lucy also directs the 'Phoenix Forest School', located in Dublin's Phoenix Park, and the 'True Nature Youth Rites of Passage' programme. Lucy is passionate about supporting people to re-establish connection with themselves, their communities and to nature, of which we are a part. She is particularly interested in rewilding and rekindling the knowledge, skills and ceremonies we once knew so intimately, which cultivate deep belonging to the land. Lucy holds classes for adults in a variety of places across Ireland. She facilitates week-long immersions in Meath and Donegal, long-term rewilding programmes, hide tanning camps, as well as foraging and ethnobotany workshops across Ireland. Lucy has recently co-produced 'Airmid's Journal: The Irish journal of foraging, folklore, myths, magic and remedies' which is available to purchase through the Wild Awake website. Lucy feels most at home wandering barefoot through the woods, following animal trails & nibbling on what food or medicine nature has to offer. http://wildawake.ie/ https://www.instagram.com/wildawakeireland/ https://www.facebook.com/wildawakeireland

RemakingMoney, digital, is happening, in the UK and around the world. Right now! This is not a matter experts but is all 'our concern' because what happens next affects us all deeply - and not just our privacy and the freedoms we take for granted. Financial engineers and their extractive economics have already created a 'super league' of multi-billionaires and left the vast majority in financial insecurity, by spiriting away more than half of the fruits of our labours each year. Left alone this will only continue, getting worse. The remaking of money is our wakeup call and opportunity to reclaim and own our money system. Barry E James is a technologist, author and commentator who chairs the British Blockchain and Frontier Tech Association and has cofounded... The Humane Economics Project (which) seeks to reframe modern decision making with people and planet at the centre. Putting the markets in-service to mankind, rather than mankind in-service to the markets. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author, her latest book is at https://persons-of-interest.io/