The Big Tech Show

Are data centres to blame for Ireland’s energy crisis?

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the cost of living and energy crisis dominating the news right now, data centres are coming under greater scrutiny. This week on the Big Tech Sho...

Power banks and laptops: the best college tech for 2022

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the best laptop, monitor, power-bank or noise-cancelling headphones for a college student? Or rather, what’s the best you can get at a reas...

Ecommerce and accusations of ageism: an interview with Selazar founder Jack Williams

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Williams is co-founder and CEO of the Belfast-based ecommerce fulfilment firm Selazar. While the company made headlines recently for getting £20...

Big Tech Slowdown: What smaller growth could mean for jobs in Ireland

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is the tech party over for Ireland? Google has announced a temporary recruitment freeze, Microsoft is eliminating open jobs, while both Meta and Apple...

23 & Me: What home DNA tests can tell you about yourself

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Technology editor Adrian Weckler reports on the results and concerns he had after taking a DNA test with online service 23&Me. He is joined by Stacy D...

Is Bill Gates’s promise to give all his money away heroic or an ego trip?

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you were a billionaire, would you give most of it away? That’s what Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he’s doing. He’s the world's fourth ...

Everything you need to know about Apple’s new MacBook Air M2 — should you get it?

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is the new M2 too expensive? Is the older M1 MacBook Air a better deal? Or might you be better off getting the new MacBook Pro M2, which is almost the...

The Nothing Phone: What it is and why it could be the next big thing

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is it possible for a brand new phone from a brand new company to capture your Apple or Samsung-bound cash? The Nothing Phone (1) is the brainchild of ...

From AirTags to Power Banks: The best travel tech for 2022

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can you watch your Netflix series in a foreign Airbnb? Is it possible to avoid getting gouged when using your smartphone abroad? Adrian is joined ...

The iPhone at 15 -- what is its legacy and its future?

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2007, Steve Jobs took to the stage to introduce what he called a “revolutionary new product”. This week 15 years ago, the first iPhone went on ...

An interview with Ireland's parcel locker king

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

30 years ago, John Touhy set up the logistics and delivery company Nightline, which also spawned Parcel Motel. Having sold it to UPS for €30m in 201...

An interview with Zoom's Dubliner CIO, Harry Moseley

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s it like being the CIO of one of the most iconic pandemic-era tech companies in the world? No-one knows better than Harry Moseley, Zoom’s ch...

What to do about your security password

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apple, Google and Microsoft are joining forces to kill off passwords. They say that they will try to replace passwords by using smartphones as two-fac...

Remote control - how companies are pulling people back to the office

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In recent weeks, Google and Apple have begun pulling all their Irish workers back into the office. Other big companies are starting to do the same, an...

The €40m Cork startup that's helping to solve the supply chain crisis

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Holland had a steady, comfortable life as a lecturer in artificial intelligence in University College Cork. But in 2012, he left it all to try an...

An explainer on why Elon is backing away from Twitter and what happens next

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does Elon Musk, conqueror of low orbit space, pioneer of the electric car, the nearest thing we have to a real life Iron Man, actually intend to buy T...

What effects do crashing tech stocks have on your pension and pay?

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last week, tech stocks have crashed. The likes of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon lost between €120bn and €200bn each in their...

Do you have to be an asshole to be a top tech founder?

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is a genius and an inspiration to millions. But he's also acting like an asshole in his drive to buy Twitter.So do you have to be a bit of a...

Is Dublin becoming San Francisco?

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are the tech companies, with their high salaries and expanding campuses, making it unaffordable for everyone else?And does this make Dublin a blander,...

The most irritating, broken tech in our daily routines

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What everyday tech quirks really get on your nerves?Banking? Online players? Services not letting you cancel online? Adrian Weckler discusses some of ...

A beginner’s guide to raising startup cash — from those who are doing it right now

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered about raising cash for a startup? Unsure where to start or how to go about it? About grants? Or venture capital firms? Or investment ‘...

What you need to know about buying an electric car

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Electric cars are hot. But it’s really hard to get one. And there are still lots of basic questions that many people have, which often aren’t answ...

The EU gets tough with Big Tech

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Should Apple and Facebook be forced to allow you to send texts from Whatsapp to iMessage?That’s one of the possible ramifications from a new EU law ...

A beginner's guide to putting in solar panels at home in Ireland

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fuel and electricity prices are going through the roof. There is one thing you can do, and help the planet while you’re at it — put in solar panel...

How to avoid the Netflix price hike (and other penny-pinching tech tips)

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Electricity bills. Fuel costs. Diesel hikes. Streaming prices rises. Most of us are currently drowning under inflationary pressure that is ramping up ...

How to set up an NFT

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some mock them, others worship them. But non fungible tokens – NFTs – look here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. If you’ve a passin...

The Ukraine-Russia cyber fallout and HSE attacks: an interview with the newly-appointed cyber boss

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ireland has had relatively thin layers of protection against cyber attacks and IT threats. But after a catastrophic attack on the HSE, the state beefe...

Helen Dixon on big tech

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who watches over the biggest tech firms in the world? Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner. This week, we talk to Helen Dixon about the challenges...

Bank Of Ireland and cybersecurity

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does your bank rate when it comes to keeping your everyday transactions safe and reliable? What are the larger cybersecurity challenges we’re no...

Does Ireland have its own Tinder Swindlers?

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

According to authorities here, ‘romance scams’ cost victims an average of €18,000 each. How do they happen? Who are the perpetrators and the vic...

Are tech graduates who earn six figure salaries making Dublin a boring city?

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, Stripe co-founder John Collison told me something I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to.“A starting salary in some software engineering ...

Who gets your social media accounts when you die?

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’re all going to die.The question is: what happens to our social media accounts when we do?Who gets the photos in them? The documents? The DMs?Is ...

The problem with betting apps

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Adrian Weckler recently learned how hard it can be to quit a gambling app. He signed up to one, LivescoreBet, just to watch a football game. But it wo...

Learning lessons from Theranos: is it okay for startups to fake it until they make it?

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, an ambitious young entrepreneur made a big claim: she was developing technology that could diagnose illnesses from a drop of blood.El...

What to expect in 2022

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Will 2022 be all about NFTs and Apple's AR glasses?Joining Adrian to go through his predictions for what will and won't happen this year is tech journ...

Tech, Ireland and 2021: the big losers and the winners

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2021 saw a number of winners and losers in the world of technology. From NFTs, a venture capital boom and 5G expansion to cybersecurity woes and foldi...

Why fintech should be better

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You walk up to a shop counter and put your milk, bread and paper on the counter. How do you pay? With cash? A card? Your phone? Or even your watch?Is ...

How to make money as an Irish YouTuber

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How hard is it to make a living out of becoming a YouTuber or an Instagram influencer?Is there a minimum number of followers you need? Do you have to ...

Ho ho ho — the tech gift guide

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stuck for a Christmas tech gift idea? Thinking about something fitness-related? Or headphones? Or just a stocking filler?We’ve got you covered. From...

Enough streaming platforms already

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Star Trek fans were given the bad news that its Star Trek Discovery series is being removed from Netflix, with all past and future episodes...

Finding the next Irish Collison

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How old do you need to be to start a tech company that investors will take seriously? 25? 23? 20?Today we talk to a couple of young Irish tech founder...

Our utopian technosocialist future

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s 20 years into the future. Robots are cleaning our beaches and rivers.Advanced technology lets us mine asteroids and collect materials on the mo...

Where are our chips?

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you struggling to find a Playstation 5? Or dismayed at month-long waiting lists for an iPhone 13 Pro? Or may your car dealer says you can’t chan...

Drone deliveries in Irish towns

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you’re peckish. There’s nothing in the fridge but it’s lashing outside — you don’t want to go the supermarket, and ordering your reg...

Are data centres sucking the energy out of Ireland?

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As warnings of energy blackouts this winter emerge, there are questions being asked about the value of data centres to Ireland. Are they energy hogs? ...

What is Facebook's new metaverse?

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will we all switch over to a new, more integrated virtual reality to socialise, play, work and shop?That's what Mark Zuckerberg thinks is going to hap...

Will Bitcoin survive China's ban?

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian looks at whether China's ban on cryptocurrency will scupper the prospects of Bitcoin, which has been soaring in value in recent year...

Are Facebook's new video-recording glasses creepy?

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian is joined by technology journalist Andy O'Donoghue to discuss Facebook's new smart glasses, called Ray-ban Stories. Adrian realtyes ...

Why Ireland's cyber security is still a joke

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian is joined by Senator Gerard Craughwell and IT security expert Paul C Dwyer to look at whether Ireland's cyber security is up to scra...

The layman’s review guide on which iPhone 13 to get and which to avoid

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian has a plain English review of the iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max.Adrian ranks them in order of which is best and what typ...

How to build a tech company in the West of Ireland

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian talks to Fidelma McGuirk, founder and CEO of Payslip. Ms McGuirk decided to move to Westport from Dublin in 2015, after which she fo...

Why Simon Coveney’s hacked phone is such a big deal

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It has nothing to do with Katherine Zappone. This week, Adrian goes into depth about the problems around Minister Simon Coveney’s hacked phone.Toget...

Should we ban tech billionaires?

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, it’s a panel show to discuss some of the big issues of the week: the iPhone 13’s potential satellite capability, Google Ireland’s del...

Etsy's Fisher king

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian talks to Mike Fisher, the CTO of the giant online retailer Etsy, in the wake of that company's €1.3bn acquisition of Depop.Fisher ...

Making a hash of iPhone privacy

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian hosts a spirited discussion about whether Apple is right or wrong to scan photos from your iPhone to iCloud for potential child sexu...

Ireland’s cable guy

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Conal Henry has had an interesting journey through the business and telecom worlds. From being commercial director of Ryanair, he built up Enet’s bu...

Space tourism or tech titan egomania?

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is the new commercial 'space race' between Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and (the relatively poor) Richard Branson anything to celebrate for humanity? Or is i...

Are we living in a simulation?

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve seen and heard it from every science fiction movie or TV programme. You’ve heard it from scientists and philosophers.So are we living in a ...

Nip, tuck, cut, paste

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Should Ireland follow Norway in bringing in a law that would make it mandatory for online influencers to disclose that they have digital altered image...

Death and 12.5% taxes

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will tech companies flee Ireland if it abandons its 12.5pc corporate tax rate? Will the pipeline for new ones dry up?Adrian is joined by UCD business ...

How pub passes work with QR codes in Denmark

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can a pub pass work in Ireland? This week, Adrian talks to Irish ex-pat Zoe Healy Jensen, now living in Denmark. She explains how QR codes have been s...

Is Starlink perfect for Ireland or just Elon hype?

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s topic is Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite broadband service that some believe is the future for rural areas that have been deprived of ...

Should we ban facial recognition?

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we debate whether facial recognition should be banned or curtailed. It comes after Europe’s data regulators called for a total ban on fac...

Are Irish tech valuations out of control?

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month, $150m was raised by Peter Foley’s LetsGetChecked, giving the five year old startup a valuation of over $1bn. Last month, €100m was rai...

Dublin trembles as Facebook says workers can now work from abroad

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dublin looked on nervously this week as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that staff at the 6,000-strong Irish office can now work from the UK. F...

Bitcoin: is now the time to buy?

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is it time to take a punt on Bitcoin? Or is it all a big Ponzi scheme waiting to collapse?Bitcoin’s value has slumped by 30pc this month.China, wher...

In defence of the gig economy

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is the gig economy a dystopian modern sweatshop or a new flexible way of working that gives people more control over their lives?This week, Adrian dis...

Sorting out the HSE ransomware mess

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian discusses the origins and the potential fixes of Ireland’s catastrophic HSE ransomware episode with experienced cyber security pra...

Weather or not: the apps that work and the ones that don’t

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian looks at why some weather apps on our phones are so unreliable.He talks to meteorologist Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather.The two g...

Apple’s new iPhone ad-tracking rules — a blow for freedom or a shackle on business?

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For most, it’s a breath of fresh air. The latest iOS 14.5 update will start showing you pop-ups when you open an app. It will ask you this question:...

An Irish class action suit against Facebook grows

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More than 7,000 people have signed up for a mass action lawsuit in Irish courts against Facebook. The case, organised by Digital Rights Ireland, is ov...

Enough with the emoji, grandad

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you liven up your texts with a crying-laughing emoji? Do you try to make a point more forceful by using the hand-clapping symbol in between words? ...

NFTs and art — a scam or the new, new thing?

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian looks at whether buying digital art through NFTs (‘non-fungible tokens’) is for suckers or savvy collectors. He’s joined by Lo...

What Buffalo can teach Dublin

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“10 years ago, we were sitting around drinking coffee and talking about Facebook and Twitter. Then we just decided to start doing things. Last month...

The WWE’s Irish tech media king

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian talks to Markham Nolan, the WWE’s VP of Media Operations.The Dubliner is responsible for managing a social media footprint of over...

Lights, camera, action... for your Zoom calls and home working setup

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian looks at the best webcams, cameras, lights and microphones for video-conferencing and Zoom calls from home.He’s joined by two expe...

Living the Vito local

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian welcomes back Paul Campbell, founder of the ticket-selling company Ti.to and the online event platform Vi.to.Fresh from raising over...

It’s Hannon time

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian sits down with the veteran Irish tech marketer, Kieran Hannon, who has just taken a CMO job with the clean air firm WellAir.Hannon i...

We’re becoming a nation of Twitchers

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian chats to Damien Burns, Europe’s top person with Amazon-owned Twitch, the giant live streaming platform.While it dominates online s...

Questioning the regulator in charge of Facebook

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s guest is Helen Dixon, Europe’s most powerful tech regulator. She and Adrian talk about Facebook, Whatsapp, fines, Brexit, data rights ...

An interview with Eir’s chief executive

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian sits down with Carolan Lennon to talk through some of the major issues failing Eir.It’s been a tricky few months for the company, ...

Ride, Larry, ride

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Escooter rental firms are lining up to launch here: atleast five firms have declared their intention to do so.This week, Adrian sits down with Lawrenc...

Why your DNA may be your next health check

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian chats with LetsGetChecked founder and CEO, Peter Foley.The €100m Dun Laoghaire startup tests for dozens of different conditions an...

Bitcoin for the long term?

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bitcoin’s price has been rallying in recent weeks, but can it stay at this level? Or will it crash as it has so many times before?Adrian talks to cr...

Tech unions in Ireland?

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month, a small group of employees in Google's US headquarters joined a union. Even though it was a relatively tiny number - just 400 out of 125,0...

Giant TVs and robots – Samsung’s top man tells us what the future

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

holds Adrian’s guest this week is Conor Pierce, Samsung’s Irish-born corporate vice president for the UK and Ireland. The two discuss the launch ...

The case for cashless

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When is the last time you paid for something in cash? Have you, like us, had the same €20 in your pocket for four months?The pandemic has made Irela...

Here’s what will happen in 2021

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New Year, new tech world? Adrian makes a few predictions about what we’ll see in 2021, alongside guests Jon Ihle (deputy business editor, Irish Inde...

Is big tech beating up small tech?

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian is joined by a couple of small Irish tech business owners, News Over Audio’s Gareth Hickey and Thinscale’s Brendan Kiely.The thr...

Here’s the best tech of 2020

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What were the best gadgets of 2020? What were the best laptops, phones, smartwatches, headphones and speakers? Adrian tested over 100 tech products du...

Slack co-founder Cal Henderson speaks exclusively

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Slack and Salesforce announced an acquisition agreement worth $27.7bn (€22.9bn). It’s the biggest tech deal of the year and one of the ...

Europe vs big tech

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is bringing in a raft of new laws to try to tighten things like advertising and runaway algorithms.This week, Adrian invites Politico’s chief...

An in-depth interview with NBP CEO, Peter Hendrick

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With weeks to go before the first rural homes are connected under the NBP, here’s an in-depth discussion with Peter Hendrick (CEO of National Broadb...

Are you a bad person for shopping on Amazon?

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is it now unpatriotic or selfish to buy from Amazon? Are you aiding a billionaire cartoon villain rather than helping a struggling Irish trader during...

Is there such a thing as a ‘right to disconnect’?

13 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian talks to Senator Marie Sherlock, whose Labour Party is introducing a bill that would give people the legal right to disconnect from ...

Is 5G really necessary right now?

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s Zoom podcast, Adrian welcomes Amarach Research’s Gerard O’Neill and the Irish Independent’s deputy business editor, Jon Ihle, o...

Irish made: the headphone designer who’s taking on Sony and Bose

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian talks to David Cawley, an acoustic designers who has created the audio brand OneSonic.The company’s first products are a pair of n...

All about the iPhone 12

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian delves into the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models, comparing the two phones against each other and against other leading smartphones. One ...

The death of cinemas

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Adrian tackles the potential deaths of cinemas. He’s joined by the RTÉ arts broadcaster Rick O’Shea and Andrew Lowe, the part-owner of...

From the source: Huawei’s CTO unfiltered

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The CTO of the world’s most fought-over company is this week’s guest.Paul Scanlan talks to Adrian about geopolitics, telecoms and the possibility ...