Dublin 2012
Two years from now Dublin will host the European City of Science event. July 12 – 16 are the dates for this prestigious conference. Top international scientists and Government officials from across Europe will gather to address a number of issues of significant global importance including Energy, Climate Change, Food and Health.
As many as 8,000 delegates are expected to attend the City of Science event (scientists, science administrators, policy officials and media). The occasion should provide earnings of over €14 million for the hospitality sector.
Aardvark bought by Google for US$50 million
Aardvark, a social search service founded by former Google employees, has reportedly been bought by Google, the worlds biggest internet search engine for a sum of around $50 million. The company has so far raised approximately $6 million in venture capital. The service lets users ask questions and get immediate responses from their friends and friends of friends. Full details of the deal are expected soon.
Aardvark is not to be confused with Aardvark IT, the Dublin computer repair and sales company now based in Lucan and founded 10 years ago by Andrew Eager.
More Google news:
The company said recently that it has plans to establish and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a number of trial locations across the United States.
Google’s official blog announced that connections would be set up with internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. 1 gigabit per second speeds are to be tested with the new connections.
100 new Dublin jobs with Hertz
Despite the gloomy news from many quarters on the employment front, it’s not all bad. Hertz car hire has announced it will create 100 new jobs at its Swords centre for European shared services. Over 800 people are already employed at that location. IDA Ireland is supporting the establishment of the new jobs.
The iPad - A Review
By now you are aware that Apple has launched the iPad, and if you already have an iPhone then you’ll have a fair idea of what it is. It looks very good and will probably sell like the proverbial hot cakes when on the market in March. If you would like an independent review see this link to CNET.
Keep it Under Your Hat
The old wartime slogan reminding people of the need for secrecy might well apply to people on social networking sites. Over half of employers are now looking at what people write on their Facebook or Myspace pages. Some 40 percent of employers used information they found online to decide not to hire candidates while up to 61 percent were encouraged by what they found about the qualifications of a potential employee.
Lying about qualifications, talk of drink or drug abuse and making derogatory remarks about previous employers or colleagues can damage a job seeker’s chances of being hired.
The rule of thumb is: don’t write anything that may harm your employment possibilities.
Windows 7 Anyone who bought a computer in the last few months will probably be using Windows 7. the latest operating system launched by Microsoft to replace Windows Vista. There was a need to replace Windows XP but Vista proved too unpopular and indeed unwieldy, in the opinion of many. Well, if you've seen Vista and W7, they don't look that different but you have to check under the bonnet. Windows 7 appears to be a winner and is here to stay until at some stage it too will be replaced. For a full review of the new operating system see CNET
New developments
Computers and software are constantly changing and developing as manufacturers launch new hardware and applications and compete with one another. New words appear and can be confusing at first.
For example Cloud computing is a phrase that will be heard more and more. Put simply cloud is software and computer applications that live on the internet, rather than on your physical computer. The simplest example is Hotmail or Gmail which have been in use for quite some time. More...
For more on these stories and more see Silicon Republic
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