The Big Tech Show

After ten years, as Data Protection Commissioner what are Helen Dixon’s highs and lows? Why is she moving on? And are fines effective in bringing big tech in line? Adrian speaks to Helen Dixon on this week’s episode in her last media appearance as Data Protection Commissioner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink company has implanted its first brain chip into a human but what is Neuralink? How does it work? And when will it be widely available? On this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show, Adrian discusses Neuralink with technology editor of the London Independent, Andrew Griffin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is Mr Beast? How did he become the most followed person on YouTube? And why has he started putting videos up on X? In this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show, Adrian is joined by reporter with the Irish Independent, Darragh Nolan, to look at the life and times of James Stephen Donaldson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samsung’s top phone sees improvements in cameras, power, screen quality and design. But it is the new AI features that make it really interesting and also where it sometimes struggles. On the Big Tech Show this week, Adrian introduces us to the Samsung Galaxy’s new flagship phone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you still use Facebook? Or is your elderly uncle the only person still on it? As Facebook turns twenty, what will its legacy be? One of disrupted elections, scandals, or of bringing people together? On The Big Tech Show this week, Adrian debates whether Facebook has had a positive or negative impact since its inception twenty years ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why have early reviews criticised the Apple Vision Pro? Could this be Apple’s first failure? And are tech enthusiasts yet to be convinced? The Apple headset has gone on presale in the US, but the reviews haven’t been great. On the Big Tech Show this week Adrian looks at the reasons behind this lukewarm reception. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you through with cinemas? Do you go as much as you used to? Are we witnessing the death of cinema? On this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show, Adrian was joined by culture journalist and cinephile, Jen Gannon, to discuss if going to the pictures is becoming a thing of the past. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are deep fakes currently capable of? Are they accessible? And will this impact elections in the future? Adrian looks at what deep fakes can and can’t do with co-founder of Webio Paul Sweeney. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vodafone has entered the Irish TV market with a bang by undercutting the competition on price. But in a confusing environment of offers, promotions and pricing, what is the best deal? How often should you switch? And what streaming services are baked into the cost? Adrian dives into whats on offer in the tv market and how much it will cost. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the real challenges with getting an electric car? What are the hidden benefits? In this episode, Adrian Weckler goes through the basic issues, without any sugar coating, that using an electric car brings. He explains that even for those who love their electric cars, range anxiety sometimes remains an issue. He also highlights sub-par public infrastructure. On the other hand, he points to the superior handling of electric cars and argues that more people should switch from petrol and diesel for environmental reasons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How important do you regard your civil rights online when it comes to big tech platforms like Google and Meta? Are you concerned about how they use and sell your data? And could it even stray into the realm of national security? Adrian was joined on The Big Tech Show by senior fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), Dr Johnny Ryan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could AI girlfriends become an advanced market in 2024? Will Apple’s Vision Pro, to be launched imminently, sell out? What will happen with crypto, electric cars and AI? Will Elon Musk pull X from the EU? Is there any hope in the fight against text scammers? In this episode, Adrian Weckler and Tabitha Monahan interrogate Adrian’s predictions of what is likely to happen in the coming months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What were the best tech gadgets of the year? What was the best laptop, tablet and phone? What were the best headphones and buds? Having reviewed most of the big releases, Adrian Weckler picks the best of 2023 on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role did Meta have in fueling the Myanmar military’s violence against the Rohingya people? Were its algorithms central to the campaign of hatred waged against this ethnic group? And what reparations should Meta pay for its contribution to the atrocities? On this week's episode of The Big Tech Show, Adrian hosted an Amnesty International panel discussion on Meta’s role in amplifying anti-Rohingya content on Facebook in Myanmar. He was joined by member of the Rohingya community, Maung Sawyeddollah, head of big tech accountability at Amnesty International, Pat de Brún, and senior policy officer at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Olga Cronin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you buying an electric car? And are you concerned about the collapsing value of EVs? On The Big Tech Show today, Adrian sits down with the general manager of Nevo.ie, Derek Reilly, to discuss the price drops. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have Musk’s birds finally come home to roost? Will the EU’s legal action bring the billionaire to heel? And what are the potential outcomes from this investigation? On The Big Tech Show this week, Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the three possible consequences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why has crypto roared back to almost €40,000? Are we seeing the return of a bull market? Can anything damage the appeal of Bitcoin? And what comes next? This week, Adrian talks to Lory Kehoe, adjunct assistant professor in technology trends at Trinity College Dublin and head of stablecoin at MSX Limited, about the spike in value.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuck for a gift idea? Adrian’s top picks for the best and newest tech this festive season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is Slush tech conference in Finland? Does it stack up to Web Summit? And why did so many Irish choose to travel to it? Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the highs and lows of the event in Finland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a good pair of headphones? how did Ireland’s only audio brand get the name OneSonic? And can it make it in the US? This week, Adrian chats to CEO of OneSonic, David Cawley, to discuss starting a headphones company in the pandemic and the drive for quality audio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we make sure we don’t get caught out by scam calls? What should we tell our loved ones to watch out for? This is a victim’s story of a phone scam, a cyber security expert’s walkthrough of the situation, and how you can defend against these types of frauds. Adrian was joined by victim of a scam call, Gus Fitzpatrick, and managing director of Waystone Compliance Solutions, Conor Flynn, on this week’s episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Dublin riots, what comes next from a tech point of view? Will this be the catalyst for enacting new hate speech laws? And is garda use of facial recognition technology a shoo-in? On this week’s Big Tech Show, Adrian asks if we are likely to overcorrect following the violence seen in Dublin last Thursday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is Oisin Hanrahan betting big on food for his next big venture? The Irish born former CEO of Handy.com which raised $100m before being sold to Angi, has secured $18m in seed funding. The Rathcoole native plans to overhaul the way consumer packaged goods are sourced. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five days on from his dismissal, OpenAI have announced Sam Altman will return as CEO. Why was he reinstated? Who are the winners and losers in this soap opera? Adrian walks through why the company brought the co-founder back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s going on in OpenAI? Why did OpenAI fire Sam Altman? And what moves has the former CEO made since his shock termination last Friday? Adrian was joined by AI expert and founder of Taxbot.ie, Conor Kelly, to shed light on the tumult unfolding in the Silicon Valley company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the Web Summit like without Paddy Cosgrave? Will it survive? Was it worth going to the event in Portugal this week? Adrian discusses the highs and lows of the convention in Lisbon, where he has been for the past four days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the world of privacy, why are messaging apps like Signal fighting to stop governments creating back doors into its app? How does this affect the user's privacy? And can messages that are not encrypted be turned over to law enforcement? Adrian spoke to Signal’s president, Meredith Whittaker, at the Web Summit in Portugal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the EU’s right to repair proposal? Will it help an age group that don’t know how to change a lightbulb? And will it save the average customer money when fixing their tech? Adrian is joined by technology presenter on Ireland AM, Gadget guy and CEO of back from the future, Colin Baker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Has technology made us compulsive trackers? Fitness wearables, electricity monitoring apps, travelling at the most efficient speed in your EV and the list goes on. Have we become obsessed? Can the constant pinging of your fitness watch be good for you? Professor of psychiatry at Trinity College, Brendan Kelly, looks at the unhealthy side of constantly measuring and when to give them up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does the news still happen on twitter? Do journalists still hang out there? Can the new name, logo and freedom of speech policy prove successful? Or has disinformation, reinstated banned accounts and trying to be the ‘’everything app’’, led to demise of X? Under Elon Musk's ownership, sweeping changes have meant one thing for the company – controversy. Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the year that was at X under Elon’s governance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is Web 3? What will this new era of the internet mean for the average web user? And what technologies will come with it? Alex Tapscott, who has just written a book on the top, peels back the layers of Web 3 jargon to explain what works and what’s hype.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you getting the most out of your iPhone 15? What are the unknown functions on the device that Apple doesn’t advertise? On the show today, Adrian runs through the features you probably didn’t know were available. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Big Tech Show this week, we investigate baby monitors. How much do they cost? What do they measure? And which are the top picks? One technology that has emerged to aid parents during this nervy time is the baby monitor. Adrian was joined on the show today by Freelance Lifestyle Journalist, Cat Hufton to discuss the parenting aid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of motorists' sensitive data was accessible to hackers in a major Garda towing firm IT breach. Over a half a million documents of drivers’, including vehicle registration certs, card details and insurance information were accessible. Joining Adrian to discuss the breach is international cyber-security researcher, Jeremiah Fowler, who discovered the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following claims last week by Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave that Israel was engaging in “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip, a number of big-name guests have withdrawn from the tech conference in Lisbon next month. On the Big Tech Show today Adrian speaks to Irish Independent reporter, Tabitha Monahan, about the impact that this will have on the organisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What lessons did the downfall of Blackberry teach the tech sector? Is the next generation coming to unsettle the tech giants of today? Will Apple and Google become cautionary tales as Blackberry did? Reporter with the Globe and Mail and co-Author of ‘Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of Blackberry’, Sean Silcoff, joins Adrian to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are online reviews to be trusted, given the amount of fakes ones posted? Consumer affairs correspondent with the Guardian, Sarah Marsh, joins Adrian to talk about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this weeks Big Tech show, is GoFundMe a vital resource for raising much needed funds, or a service that’s papering over the cracks in our creaking welfare and medical systems? GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan joins Adrian to talk about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Big Tech Show, Adrian dives into the clandestine world of spyware. This follows the disclosure of the Predator files which is a new investigation into the global surveillance crisis by the European Investigative Collaborations media network, with technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab. Offaly native and head of the Security Lab at Amnesty International, Donncha O'Cearbhaill spoke to Adrian about the negative impact of the Predator spyware application. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's next for Apple? Who's the next CEO going to be? And are they still working on a car or are they facing trouble in China? And will its mixed reality headset the Vision Pro be a success? Journalist and founder of the price comparison platform Squirrel, Stuart Miles, joined me on the Big Tech show to discuss what are the next moves for the Tech See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The iPhone 15 Pro which has scarcely been out for two weeks has encountered issues with some users reporting the device is overheating. The tech company has blamed a bug in its operating system as a main reason for this problem. On the Big Tech Show, Adrian reviews the Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses and how the technology become more seamless. Finally, Adrian dives into the tweets of Elon Musk over the past 72 hours (about 3 days) and their increasingly extreme nature. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent months it's emerged that a syndicate of Silicon Valley billionaires, including Ireland's Patrick and John Collison, have bought 55,000 acres of farmland in California with the purpose of starting a new city from scratch. Is this a dystopian idea or a fresh way to tackling San Francisco’s housing crisis? Adrian is joined by J.K Dineen from the San Francisco Chronicle to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s plenty to consider before adding a smart doorbell to your home – what brand to go for, what you’ll use it for, wired or rechargeable. It’s not quite as simple as sticking the bell on the door either, with some models coming with monthly subscription services. With the added security could come concerns around privacy. Is a smart doorbell right for you? Adrian Weckler is joined by Belfast Telegraph technology columnist Kurtis Reid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you run a successful startup while studying in college? And what happens when you try to pitch to one of the Collison brothers when you're doing so? On the Big Tech Show this week, Adrian is joined by entrepreneur Robert Davitt who just won Trinity College's Launchpad competition with his startup Fam World, formerly known as HEBE Adventures. It's self-described as the Airbnb of student travel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While a lot of focus was on the new iPhone and Apple Watch releases last week, Apple also released a new AirPods Pro model. With the USB-C charging port the most obvious change, are the earbuds worth upgrading too? iOS 17 was also released this week with some notable updates for your current iPhone. Adrian takes a look at the updates, reviews the new AirPods and examines the new WhatsApp social media feed, Channels.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Apple held its annual launch at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Among the releases is the new iPhone 15 Pro Max which offers an improved zoom function. Surprisingly, all iPhone euro prices have fallen, and the iPhone 15 Pro is cheaper than last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. There are also updates to the Apple Watch with a more powerful processor and a new way to control it. Are these latest releases worth your money? Adrian Weckler is joined by Stuart Miles and Leo Gebbie in Cupertino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Ireland introducing the penalty of a thought crime? Could you be arrested and prosecuted for something you’ve written or drawn or just imagined, but never shared online or with another person? Irish Council of Civil Liberties Director Liam Herrick and Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward join Adrian for a spirited debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new wave of crackdowns on TV ‘dodgy boxes’ is under way, with legal warnings being sent out in seven counties so will a garda be calling to your door? Adrian speaks to Irish Independent Business Journalist Caoimhe Gordon about the latest developments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, an IT blunder allowed Bank of Ireland customers to withdraw 'free' cash at ATMs. The incident gained global attention. But it’s not just the banks. The HSE, telecoms companies and all sorts of other Irish ultilities and pillar institutions seem to suffer from recurring IT problems. Irish Independent journalist Sarah Collins joins Adrian to find out why many Irish organisations are so bad when it comes to everyday service-oriented tech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are seven deadly words you have never been allowed use for your website. The reason? Someone might be offended. Co-founder and CEO of Ireland’s biggest web domains company, Blacknight, Michele Neylon joins Adrian to explain the rules. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.