Weekend takeaway: Decoding the tech enigma


11 May 2018

Image: Victor Moussa/Shutterstock

From the seed funding time bomb to manipulating Alexa and Siri, the secrets of the tech world are all here in this essential round-up of weekend reading.

US Congress releases treasure trove of Russian Facebook ads

US Capitol building blue sky

The front of the US Capitol building in Washington DC. Image: Bill Chizek/Shutterstock

Russian ads posted on Facebook over a two-year period have been made available to the public.

Women in research, don’t be afraid of your own voice in media

Angie Mezzetti at microphone

Angie Mezzetti. Image: Dak Photography

Pitch up, explain clearly and have courage, says Angie Mezzetti, who will soon MC a workshop for researchers on being your best media self. She spoke to Dr Claire O’Connell.

Ireland’s start-ups are sitting on a seed funding time bomb

Irish start-ups are sitting on a seed funding time bomb

Image: Fer Gregory/Shutterstock

With seed capital plummeting and the funding market softening, the failure by policymakers to create tax reliefs equal to the UK’s EIS-SEIS is shameful, writes John Kennedy.

Hearing voices: Researchers show how Siri and Alexa could be manipulated

Amazon Echo device on wooden table

White Amazon Echo Plus device. Image: seewhatmitchsee/Shutterstock

UC Berkeley reveals that stealthy commands can be picked up by popular voice assistants.

What just happened with the H-1B visa?

Front side of typical american porch colonial house with American flag out front. H-1B Visa Concerns

Image: De Repente/Shutterstock

Since Donald Trump first took office, the US tech industry has watched White House developments concerning the controversial H-1B visa with bated breath. We took a look at the latest events to transpire in recent weeks and what they mean.

Flying IoT just took off following major deal with DJI and Microsoft

DJI drone flying

A DJI drone flying. Image: Valentin Valkov/Shutterstock

This week, Microsoft turns its eyes skyward to push out IoT with drones, while device owners find out how much the Mirai botnet incident cost them.

Scientists create cloaking material to make submarines ‘invisible’

Submarine

Image: iurii/Shutterstock

Militaries are likely to be very interested in a new cloaking material capable of making submarines completely ‘invisible’ to detection.

Eir fibre passes 75pc of Irish premises, says new CEO Carolan Lennon

carolan-lennon-eircom

Carolan Lennon, CEO, Eir. Image: Connor McKenna

Eir to focus on being a leaner and more agile organisation, says new CEO.

€120m cash injection to bring Imagine’s fixed 5G to rural Europe

€120m cash injection to drive Imagine’s fixed 5G expansion in Europe

Wireless signal in rural Europe. Image: Cienpies Design/Shutterstock

Imagine secures €120m investment to support roll-out of high-speed broadband infrastructure in Ireland and across Europe.

Are you prepared for a cybersecurity emergency?

emergency glass door with key inside

What should your organisation do in the event of a cyberattack? Image: Kittibowornphatnon/Shutterstock

Every business needs a cybersecurity strategy – how does yours measure up?