Digital TimesCulture | Digital Times

We Are Legion – the Anonymous film

Gerard — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:43:11 +0000

As SOPA meets its end and as the Irish government attempts to muffle the web, a new documentary on the rise of hacktivist group Anonymous is hitting screens around the world.
For those who don’t know, Anonymous is regarded by some as an underground group committed to defending the freedom of the Internet in the face of corporate myopia. Others see it as a group committed to criminal acts, especially against powerful and wealthy corporations and governments.

Civil disobedience
The film will be seen by those who want to censor the web as a propaganda video for criminal anarchists. For most who want the web to remain free of censorship, however, the film will be seen as a portrait of revolutionaries – a documentary charting the rise of a new model for civil disobedience across the globe.
We Are Legion is directed by Brian Knappenberger. The official site is here.

New opportunity for young documentary makers

Stephen — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:29:49 +0000

Calling all budding film and documentary makers. The RTÉ TV Documentary Unit and Filmbase are launching ‘Doc on the Box’: a new initiative designed to encourage emerging voices in video documentary direction and production.
The competition (open to over-18s) offers a single, three-month contract to one individual to produce, direct and deliver a 25-minute, original documentary, aimed at a twenty-something audience for RTÉ prime-time television.
Filmbase is hosting an information morning about the initiative at its HQ on Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 10am to 1pm.
The competition is part of of RTÉ’s TV50 celebrations.

More info here.

Here’s hoping for a better iTunes store

Edward — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:23:34 +0000

Eddy Cue, Apple's head of web software

Every time we hear that Apple is going to hold an ‘event’ the tech blogosphere goes wild with speculation. This time, with an event scheduled for the end of January in New York, the rumour mill initially talked up a new iPad before eventually settling on it being ‘something’ to do with Apple’s publishing arm and media content platforms i.e. iTunes and all its stores.
According to AllThingsD, citing ‘sources close to the situation’, Apple’s head of web software and services, Eddy Cue, is due to appear at the event. The fact that the event will be held in New York also suggests it will have something to do with the big print publishers and ad agencies of America. Perhaps it’s a new magazine store for the iPad? Perhaps it’s a new digital bookstore? Perhaps it has something to do with its failing iAds platform? Apple, after all, really needs the buy in of Madison Avenue if its mobile ad platform iAds is to work. As yet, iAds is deteriorating miserably, despite all the hype when it first launched.
Whatever the announcement it’s unlikely the event will have anything to do with the iTunes movie rental service, which is a pity. Ever try to search for a movie on the iTunes store to rent? Awful is the only word, the store is probably the worst thing in the Apple media platform portfolio.
The ‘big’ announcement is more likely to concern the bookstore on iTunes. If there’s one think Apple doesn’t want it’s to see the continued rise of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, a fantastic e-book reader that people of even the most limited digital skills find intuitive and easy to use. The Kindle is also in tune with Amazon’s enormous bookstore (it’s more like a book planet really) and Amazon is in pole position to become leader in the e-book market, despite Apple’s enormous success with the iPad.

YouTube’s top 10 videos of 2011

Emma — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:06:33 +0000

In 2011 YouTube served up over one trillion views for the first time. One trillion. That’s 1,000,000,000,000. However, judging by YouTube’s top 10 videos of 2011 it appears people mainly use YouTube to watch inane pop videos, talking dogs, crazy babies and the odd revolution and natural disaster. What this says about human nature in the digital age is anyone’s guess. Enjoy.

The top 50 things we don’t do anymore thanks to the Digital Revolution

Gerard — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:11:59 +0000

Technological advancements transform culture and society. They always have. However, in some periods in history (like the Industrial Revolution and the current Digital Revolution we are living through) things change faster than usual. According to recent research* by Mozy, Irish and UK citizens have doubled the number of computers they own in the past 10 years and are now slaves to technology. This has, apparently “drastically altered the way we live and consigning generations of traditions to the grave”.
For example, 50 percent of us no longer record our favourite shows on VHS (thought that would be much higher). We no longer make mixed tapes. Apparently, one quarter of Irish people no longer compile photo albums, instead spending an average of 1.57 hours a week uploading photos (again thought that would be higher).
Over three quarters of people say they rely heavily on technology every day while one in five people reveal they are never more than 10 feet from an internet-enabled device.
Two thirds of those polled state that tech devices provide the ability to conduct, almost anywhere, much of the household chores including food shopping and paying bills, with 32 per cent of Irish and British people admitting they no longer go to the bank. One in five shoppers no longer visit the high street to buy shoes. Other increasingly redundant acts include visiting a travel agent, visiting car boot sales, or even ringing family and friends.

TOP 50 THINGS WE DON’T DO ANY MORE
1. Ring the cinema to find out times
2. Going into the travel agents to research a holiday
3. Record things using VHS
4. Dial directory enquiries
5. Use public telephones
6. Book tickets for events over the phone
7. Print photos
8. Put a classified ad in the shop window
9. Ring the speaking clock
10. Carry portable CD players
11. Write handwritten letters
12. Buy disposable cameras
13. Take plenty of change for pay phones
14. Make mix tapes
15. Pay bills at the post office
16. Use an address book
17. Check a map before or during car journey
18. Reverse charges in payphones
19. Go into the bank or building society to conduct your business
20. Buy TV listings
21. Own an encyclopaedia
22. Queue to get car tax in Post Office
23. Develop and send off for photographs
24. Read a hard copy of the Yellow Pages
25. Look up something in dictionary
26. Remember phone numbers or have a phone book
27. Watch videos
28. Have pen friends
29. Use a telephone directory
30. Use pagers
31. Fax things
32. Buy CD’s/Have a CD collection
33. Pay by cheque
34. Make photo albums
35. Watch programmes at the time they are shown
36. Dial 1471 when you get home
37. Warm milk or other hot drinks on stove
38. Try on lots of pairs of shoes on high street
39. Hand wash clothes
40. Advertise in trading papers
41. Send love letters
42. Hand-write essays/school work
43. Buy flowers from a florist
44. Work out how to spell something yourself
45. Keep a personal diary
46. Send post cards
47. Buy newspapers
48. Hang washing out in winter
49. Keep printed bills or bank statements
50. Visit car boot sales

* Mozy carried out the survey of 3,000 consumers across the UK and Ireland.

‘Hack the City’ – Dublin becomes Europe’s ‘City of Science 2012’

Stephen — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:41:46 +0000

Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin has launched its 2012 programme of exhibitions, events and workshops. Dublin, as you may know, is Europe’s City of Science 2012.
Summer 2012 will see Dublin become “an urban playground for hackers and innovators”. A major interactive exhibition and festival called Hack the City will be organised by Science Gallery.
The festival will explore issues such as urban renaissance and the urban village; sustainable development and under-development and open data that can lead to smart cities. The idea is to engage and inspire over 40,000 visitors with the innovations that could transform our cities from the ground up.
As Europe’s City of Science, Dublin will also host the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) event in July. This event will bring over 5,000 international scientists and over 500 science journalists to Dublin.

Other Science Gallery 2012 exhibitions and events in store in 2012 include:
• EDIBLE, exploring the future of food through a blend of science and gastronomy, billed as “an exhibition you can eat”.
• HAPPY?, a series of experiments to get to the bottom of exactly why Irish people are so happy.
• NANOLAB, looking at how cutting edge developments in nanotechnology could transform everything from electronics to medicine and clothing.
• GAME, experimenting with the future of gaming, and leveraging Ireland’s emerging role as an important global hub of the games industry.

RendezVu releases examspeak.com

Stephen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:30:32 +0000

The e-learning company RendezVu has announced the release of ExamSpeak (www.examspeak.com) a new online language learning platform. ExamSpeak prepares English language learners for their speaking exams by replicating the exam in real time.

How it works
Students can introduce themselves to the virtual examiners, answer typical exam questions, talk to other test takers and then receive feedback on their performance.

Target market
It is estimated that there are two million language students worldwide, annually preparing to take internationally recognised English speaking exams such as Cambridge KET (Key English Test), Cambridge PET (Preliminary English Test) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
RendezVu developed ExamSpeak to allow students to experience the speaking exam, whenever they want, as often as they want, before actually sitting the exam.
“We are initially targeting European markets, such as Italy and Spain where 300,000 language students annually take internationally recognised English speaking exams,” says Paul Groarke, CEO, RendezVu.

Inside the mind of a cybercriminal

Emma — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:11:09 +0000

Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a ‘cybercriminal’? Well, now’s your chance. Tomorrow, (Wed 9th November) a seminar called ‘Innovative Exploitation of Human Behaviour by Cybercriminals’ will be held in The Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT)’s Atrium Building, room A019.
Andrew Power and Dr. Gráinne Kirwan will present. The lecture is based on the findings from their book published this month, The Psychology of Cyber Crime, and is the second in their lecture series as a part of the Innovation Dublin Festival.
Among the topics discussed will be a description of how cybercriminals employ psychological techniques in order to engage and manipulate victims.
“It’s really important for people to understand the thought process these criminals are using” explained Kirwan. “They’ll exploit weaknesses in human perception and decision making, utilising their preferred victims’ psychology any way they can to persuade people to part with personal information, even persuading children or adolescents to meet them offline. Once people understand what to watch out for they can start changing their behaviour.”

FREE to attend
While it’s free to attend, pre-booking is required by contacting Dr. Grainne Kirwan, or Andrew Power by email or by phone at 01-2394724.
Web: http://ccta.iadt.ie and www.innovationdublin.ie/

The Mad Cows of Ireland

Emma — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:56:39 +0000

Michael Algar, producer

Keg Kartoonz, an animation production company based at Media Cube, IADT and creator of the popular Fadó Fadó series, will produce a new fifteen part animation series to be broadcast on RTÉ2 TV starting 7th November 2011.
The Mad Cows, which aims to become a cult classic, is aimed at 6-10 year olds but its producers believe it will also appeal to most age groups.
Created by Michael Algar (producer), Noel Kelly (writer and director) and Adrian Mulvey (executive producer), this animated series opens on a night where a group of grazing cattle get struck by lightning. They recover from the blast, but have suddenly acquired human traits and can now speak and stand upright.
The characters include Christy, a young bullock without fear or common sense, Dee, who has been transformed by lightning into a computer boffin, Bernie the Femme Fatale, Peadar who is a fluent Irish speaker, Angus, a brawny Scottish bull, Heffernan, a mechanically-minded heifer and bossy Pat, who erroneously believes he is the leader and the brainiest of the pack.
They travel around Ireland and discover the secret world of the Irish people.

TheModerns.ie – an interactive, digital exhibition

Emma — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:10:00 +0000

Roderic O'Conor (1860-1940). Tête de Jeune Femme, circa 1905-1910

The Moderns, the largest exhibition to be staged at the Irish Museum of Modern Art to date, will feature over 180 artists, writers, filmmakers, architects, designers and composers. It traces the development of Modernism in Ireland from the 1900s to the 1970s. It is the inaugural event for the Museum’s upcoming 20th Anniversary.
To compliment and highlight the exhibition, the Museum and Dublin-based digital agency ebow, created a brilliant, interactive, ‘digital museum’ that can be accessed at TheModerns.ie.
Users can be taken on the main tour from the start, or they can select their own route by picking an artist, genre, era, or room.
Users can also create their own art collection and then share it via the top social channels (Twitter & Facebook). The Moderns also has an iPhone app.