For Tech’s Sake

Prophecy girls

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this final episode of 2025, Elaine and Kelly wonder if being on the naughty list could be a way for tech billionaires to hoard coal resources, and ...

Slop ’til you drop

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

’Tis the season of shopping and scams, so arm yourself with knowledge from the For Tech’s Sake buyer’s guide to what you need to know about onli...

Say sorry, be nice, stand up for workers’ rights

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Kelly and Elaine discuss why a delay in the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to late 2026 might be the least of Rockstar Games’ problems as...

Ryanair’s app trap

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode may contain a rude word or two when Elaine and Kelly start going off on Ryanair’s decision to force app downloads under the guise of ‘...

The good guy of tech

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been some Wikipedia drama this week as Jimmy Wales has been doing the rounds on a press tour promoting a book that bills him as ‘the good ...

Tech Treehouse of Horror

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this very special Halloween episode, Elaine and Kelly are communing with the digital after life and sharing (barely) spooky stories about data from...

Tech will fail and you will die

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Well, our maxim has finally caught up with us. We’re always saying the only certainties in life are that tech will fail and you will die and – whi...

Return of the dead

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no coincidence that the launch of endless feeds of AI-generated video from Meta’s Vibes and OpenAI’s Sora have coincided with a marked incr...

On the campaign ad trail

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tech and democracy expert Liz Carolan joins Kelly and Elaine to explain some new regulations on political advertising hitting the EU this week, right ...

Sims, sEMG and soft robotics

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Zuckerberg’s live demo of gesture controls for his Meta glasses may have failed, but the underlying technology in the wrist-worn Neural Band, k...

Terms of abuse

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Platforms are really stretching the bounds of privacy rights with their terms of use these days. With recent changes to terms at Spotify, LinkedIn and...

TrumpTok

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Kelly discuss TikTok’s potential takeover by a consortium of Donald Trump allies, and the uptick of...

Chat control chaos

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joining Elaine this week are two special guests on two very different topics. Cybersecurity expert Brian Honan fills us in on what’s going on with t...

Should we banish AI from work?

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have things to say about another survey, this time all about AI in the workplace. We look at what some other research is telling us about AI adopti...

Femtech for all

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Find out about the deep-tech side of femtech from our special guest Dr Tanya Mulcahy, director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland and founder of FemTech...

Looking back in anger

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today is gonna be the day that Kelly and Elaine are gonna throw a look back on a bleak week of tech news, from some shocking revelations over at Meta ...

Digital sexual literacy

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are delighted to be joined in this episode by Benji Foley, a PhD researcher at DCU's Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities, who explain...

The bloody stream

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investments in AI military technologies are turning off musicians and listeners. Kelly Earley and Elaine Burke discuss the m...

Palestine: A testing ground for digital rights oppression

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elaine Burke speaks to Riham Al Faqih, development and outreach director with MIFTAH, a civil society organisation based in Palestine, about digital r...

What's my age again?

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kicking off a new season of For Tech’s Sake, hosts Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley discuss recent developments in age verification for social media an...

New host, who this?

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For Tech’s Sake is back with an all-new series, a brand new co-host and lots more tech stories to talk about.Join Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley as t...

FTS x CONNECT: The secret to a good password

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cybersecurity researcher Dr Hazel Murray has developed a knack for guessing Irish people’s passwords. But is it really our fault that our passwords ...

FTS x CONNECT: Quantumania

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you confused by quantum? You’re not alone! 100 years on and even the science hasn’t settled on quantum mechanics and how they can be applied t...

FTS x CONNECT: Blowing off some STEAM

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From cross-stitching your research proposals to diagramming the quantum internet, there are many ways that art and science can intersect – and it’...

FTS x CONNECT: Passports to slow fashion

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You know we love sustainability so we were very excited to learn about plans for digital product passports, which could slow down fast fashion, boost ...

FTS x CONNECT: The road to driverless cars

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny and Elaine are back in studio and catching up after Elaine was zooming around San Francisco in a driverless taxi. But how close are we to seeing...

Introducing FTS x CONNECT

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For Tech’s Sake is back with a very special mini-series in partnership with the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks and Communicatio...

The internet under the sea

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Despite all our “wireless” connectivity and “cloud” computing, the internet we enjoy today relies on extensive cables that cross seas and ocea...

Don’t roll out updates on a Friday

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CrowdStrike learned some valuable lessons in software deployment recently – lessons that it should have known already, arguably, as they would be co...

Bot safe for work

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Elaine and Jenny look at the risks of working with robots – and it’s not just that they might steal your job. For this discussion...

Eventosterone and AI-generated hyperslop

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are celebrating Irish techin’ legends Réaltra and Dr Lisa Heffernan, for their roles in the ESA’s Ariane 6 rocket launch and LISA mi...

You can’t mistake our cyberpsychology

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We often look at the mental and emotional effects of technology on For Tech’s Sake, and this episode we have expert help in understanding it all in ...

Ticking all the boxes

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a bold title for an episode in which Elaine didn’t come prepared, but thank god we have Jenny, who’s calling out Perplexity’s plagiarism ...

Algorithms of life

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Algorithms – they’re everywhere! But what the hell are they, how much influence do they wield and what makes them tick? This episode we’re joine...

Elephant intelligence

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve got all the AI updates covered in this episode, from Apple Intelligence and elephant intelligence to user backlash and self-driving car crashe...

Matters of life and data

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we're looking at health data all the way from the cradle to the grave, and beyond! Helping us on this journey is Prof Ciara Heavin, c...

Canva creates cringe

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Jenny weigh up whether Canva’s cringe-inducing rap announcement was junk or genius, and sti...

Think of the children!

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone's talking about kids and tech, but is the internet responsible for young people's anxieties? And are bans an effective way of moderating beha...

Roomba-quality work

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Jenny assess where we’re at with the current AI hype cycle (with some help from a scathing ...

Internet of trash

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know there are bins in Dublin connected to the internet? They are part of what’s known as the internet of things, or IoT, which is turning i...

Interstellar space and a doorbell for fish

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake, Elaine is joined by special guest host Dr Jessamyn Fairfield, a physicist and performer of science stori...

Trust the (democratic) process

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2024 is a major year for voters worldwide, but with tech being used to push all sorts of manipulative messaging and agendas, how can we trust what we ...

Make robots hairy again

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Jenny are laughing at Grimes’s disastrous Coachella set and squealing at an impressive and ...

Fast tech

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Jenny draw parallels between the tech industry and ‘fast fashion’ – notorious for its short pro...

Techin’ eejits and techin’ legends

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake, Elaine and Jenny single out their techin’ eejits and techin’ legends from recent tech news. Listen i...

AI can be good, actually

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re back! And we’re catching up on all the AI news, good and bad, that’s been happening. And to prove there really are good applications of AI...

Elaine and Jenny, your hosts

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s just us, your hosts, for this bonus episode of For Tech’s Sake. Following on from our round-up of 2023, we’re giving out the For Tech’s S...

What’s another year in tech?

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week it’s just Elaine and Jenny as we round up 2023’s tech news – which took a long time to get through! And even at that, things have chan...

Padraig Hennessy, chair of AgTech Ireland

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this extended interview with Padraig Hennessy, chair of AgTech Ireland, you’ll hear more about how he built a successful agri-tech start-up as CE...

Smart farming

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For a sustainable future, farmers need to learn to work smarter, not harder. That’s according to our guest Padraig Hennessy, CEO of agri-tech start-...

Rachel O’Dwyer, author of Tokens

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you enjoyed our chat about the digital disruption of the value of money, you're in luck because we had a lot more to discuss with Rachel O’Dwyer....

Money talk

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you understand money? Neither do we, to be honest. And now that digital platforms are creating their own forms of finance – often without the res...

Niamh Donnelly, co-founder of Akara Robotics

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this extended chat with Niamh Donnelly, the award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder of Akara Robotics, we learned even more about the challenges ...

Why robot?

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Robots are among us, and are likely to become an even more commonplace fixture in our future. But what does it mean to be living and working alongside...

Aisling Murray, Beta Festival founder

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have a whopper of an extended episode for you, with lots of talk on how technology – especially AI – intersects with the world of the arts.If y...

Wherefore art now?

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we look at tech’s impact across the arts, from designers and artists to writers and musicians. We also got the lowdown on Ireland’...

Dr Conor Linehan, psychology researcher

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this extended interview with UCC’s Dr Conor Linehan, we talk more about how people respond to deepfakes, why some people don’t want the ability...

Rolling in the deepfakes

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Think you could tell a deepfake from real content? Think again. Dr Conor Linehan, a senior lecturer in applied psychology at UCC, joined us to explain...

Bobby Healy, founder and CEO of Manna

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this extended interview with serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy, we find out more about his roll-out plans for drone delivery company Manna across Ire...

The drone ranger

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that an Irish company is one of the world leaders in developing drone delivery services? We spoke to Manna CEO and founder Bobby Healy ab...

Dr Colman Noctor, child psychotherapist

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This bonus episode of For Tech’s Sake features our full, uncut interview with Dr Colman Noctor, child and adolescent psychotherapist, about kids and...

The kids are online

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our online spaces are being taken over – by kids! Many children as young as eight have their own devices and social media accounts, and while e...

Dr David McKeown, rocket scientist and Dublin maker

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our latest episode we spoke to Dr David McKeown, one of the originators of Dublin Maker, a fantastic and free annual event that brings together mak...

Be smart and break things

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dublin Maker is coming soon so we spoke to one of its founders, Dr David McKeown, to find out all about this year’s festival and discuss the importa...

Dr Gareth Jones, search technologies expert

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode of For Tech’s Sake you get to hear our complete interview with Prof Gareth Jones because we simply couldn’t fit all his know...

Dude, where’s my bias-free search engine?

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How much do you know about a tech tool you use every day? Google is often the first port of call for many of us online, but how much do we understand ...

Dr Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s AI ambassador

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our latest episode we spoke to Dr Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s AI ambassador, about the kind of work that needs to be done to build better AI, and...

Please, AI responsibly

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Patricia Scanlon is Ireland’s first AI ambassador, and she sees it as her duty to start a national conversation on AI and, especially, ethical AI...

Brian Honan, cybersecurity expert and founder of BH Consulting

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s so much to talk to when it comes to cybersecurity that we could only fit a fraction of our discussion with internationally recognised expert...

Practising safe tech

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are not the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain, at least that’s what expert Brian Honan says. Brian is internationally recognised for his ex...

Aoife Barry, author of Social Capital

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may have already listened to our episode on online content and social media with journalist and author Aoife Barry, and we had so much more in thi...

The good, the mods and the ugly

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Social media can connect us, divide us, entertain us and enrage us. We’d love if online spaces were made safer and better moderated to keep the nast...

David Singleton, Stripe CTO

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you already listened to our episode on how small start-ups become Big Tech behemoths and how that scaling cycle continues today, you might like to ...

Big fish, little fish, corporate shocks

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking Big Tech, small start-ups and how they scale, disrupt and sometimes become one. Our special guest is Stripe CTO David Singleton, who w...

Dr Caroline West, sex educator

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This bonus episode from For Tech’s Sake features our complete interview with Dr Caroline West a sex educator and host of the Glo...

Let’s talk about sex-tech, baby

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you ever wanted to hear two nerds talk to an expert about sex, you’re in luck! In this episode, we speak to Dr Caroline West, a sex educator with...

We’ve only just begun...

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the last bonus episode of the season and we are letting you in on an exclusive chat on what we have in mind for season two of For Tech’s Sake...

An open and shut case

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you realise how much of the tech we rely on is maintained by volunteer coders? This isn't just Wikipedia. A plethora of everyday tech would collaps...

Sorting through the rubbish

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We follow up our For Tech’s Sake episode on tech waste with a closer look at what sustainability really means to tech companies, from explaining wha...

A waste of space

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 In this episode of For Tech’s Sake, we dive into the landfill of digital waste to turn up some nuggets of information we hope you’ll re-use....

The great singularity

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We follow up our For Tech’s Sake episode on dark patterns with our musings on the copycat patterns we see across the tech we use, where every app ju...

Hello dark patterns, my old friend

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

‘Dark patterns’ are design techniques used to weaponise user behaviour and manipulate us into delivering on a company’s goals. They have become ...

You drive me lazy

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We follow up our For Tech’s Sake episode on the power behind our tech, with a teardown of the electric vehicle industry and, in particular, self-dri...

Max power

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have an energy crisis, and it's not the one you think. To move to a more sustainable future we need to figure out how to power mass electrification...

A glass case of emojis

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listeners, an update to the Microsoft Teams platform since the recording of this episode can only lead us to believe that Satya Nadella has bugged our...

Working not-so nine-to-five

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A robot might steal your job, but it might also make it better. And some platforms make it easier to communicate remotely, while others enable microma...

It’s AI-live!

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sentient AI is not a thing, but why do some people believe that it is? Following our AI-focused episode of For Tech’s Sake, we look at some of the a...

AI & U

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claims of sentient AI have been largely debunked by experts, but there are still plenty of unsettling aspects of this technology that raise ethical qu...

The Elon-phant in the room

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following our For Tech’s Sake episode on health-tech, we decided it was time to take the temperature of the tech industry itself, as it's not doing ...

Does an app a day keep the doctor away?

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Medical technologists are racing to fix all of our ills – even our inevitable death! But in the rush to embed technology into healthcare, are we thi...

The tech is coming from inside the house

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following our For Tech’s Sake episode on tech-facilitated abuse, we got chatting about the fact that while humans can be terrible, sometimes the tec...

Tech-facilitated abuse

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While plenty of technology has been designed to make the world a safer place, it can also introduce a whole new way to abuse and exploit others.From s...

When tech goes too far

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following our For Tech’s Sake episode on digital transformation, we got talking about the things that have just gone too far, from tractors that hav...

Digitise, disrupt, destroy

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Digital transformation is a buzzword in all business right now, and some businesses are deciding to push ahead with new tech adoption without consider...

Billionaire space bros

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following our For Tech’s Sake episode on space-tech, we got talking about billionaire space bros, space junk, and the commercialisation of space. Ap...

Space is ace

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been 60 years since John F Kennedy famously said, “We choose to go to the moon.” But why?Space exploration comes at the cost of billions an...

For Tech's Sake - Coming Soon!

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elaine Burke and Jenny Darmody have been writing about tech for a long time. Now they’re talking about it in For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from...