Weekend takeaway: 10 tech stories you need to read right now

30 Oct 2015

Ten tech stories you need to read this weekend

Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including: John Herlihy returns as top gun at LinkedIn Europe; Opsh sisters plan global domination; and Edward Snowden gets EU backing.

1. LinkedIn names former Google Ireland head John Herlihy as new VP

John Herlihy has been named LinkedIn’s new VP, taking on the role of MD in EMEA as well, following on from his role as head of Google Ireland in recent years.

2. 10 stimulating speakers already announced for Inspirefest 2016

Inspirefest returns to Dublin in summer 2016, and there are already 10 names on the bill for what’s set to be another inspiring two-day conference.

3. Edward Snowden gains EU support as MEPs vote in favour of whistleblower

The European Parliament has voted to drop all criminal charges against rogue NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The vote, a narrow 285 to 281 margin, recognises Snowden’s status as a “human rights defender”.

4. Talking shopping: Opsh founders plan global domination from Dublin base (video)

As they celebrated their first year of trading, we sat down for a chat with the McGinn sisters – Jennie, Sarah and Grace, founders of innovative online shopping platform Opsh.

5. Google’s Halloween doodle is addictive video game Global Candy Cup

Google has revealed its latest interactive doodle to celebrate Halloween in the form of a video game themed around the 2015 Global Candy Cup.

6. Cork’s tech industry brings Boolean logic to the classroom

The local tech industry in Cork has devised a game for school kids up to 10 years old that brings Boolean logic into the classroom.

7. IT budgets to increase 64pc for CIOs this year

Some two-thirds of businesses in the UK and Ireland place IT strategy as a pillar of their overall corporate business strategy, according to a new survey of leaders.

8. Virgin Media to roll out ‘one click’ parental controls across Ireland

Virgin Media, which has 20pc of the broadband market in Ireland, will on Monday roll out a new ‘one click’ opt-in parental control setting that blanket covers all devices in the home with age-appropriate content settings.

9. Opel Zafiras may be recalled from Ireland after fire incidents

Opel is carrying out an investigation on its Zafira range of cars after one went on fire in Cobh yesterday, part of a worrying trend.

10. Scientists one step closer to turning water into fuel

Researchers in the US have investigated a new way to turn water into fuel, developing a method that sees sunlight separating the liquid into hydrogen and oxygen and creating clean, cheap fuel.

Weekend takeout image via Shutterstock

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com