Biometric security was first commercially introduced to the digital world with the use of fingerprint technology which was to a large extent, grouped under digital forensics. This technology has thrived but can definitely be improved in many ways. Facial recognition technology takes care of the majority of its drawbacks with its ability for remote verification, …
A Myriad of Ways in which Class intersects Climate Change
This article was originally published in 2019 on Discover Society under the title of Climate Change: The Ultimate Class Conflict An evocation of a class perspective remains absent from climate advocacy and debate. Emission disparities are routinely hidden by headline statistics referring to national emissions. Per capita and historical emissions, often used to reallocate blame …
In Connemara with Tim Robinson
Professor Ricca Edmondson offers a tribute to the late Tim Robinson, best known for his detailed writing about Connemara and the Aran Islands, who passed away in April 2020 Tim Robinson devoted his life to trying to refract the totality of an inhabited place, in his case mainly the region covered by Connemara and the …
Accelerating the Social Sciences: An Innovative Structural Approach
The social sciences today are more necessary than ever. Yet, more than ever, we are recognizing some limits of those sciences. In this article, we’ll briefly review some opportunities and constraints of our collective ability to advance those sciences; and, suggest an innovative approach to accelerating our sciences. First, and most broadly, let’s talk science. …
Stuck Working: The Challenges of Working from Home for the First Time
With the country de facto lockdown and acting on governmental advice a significant number of people are now working from home as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic grips Ireland and other regions across the world. It is estimated that 100,000 people have now switched to eWorking, this in addition to 218,000 people already working …
Facial Recognition Technology: The Opportunities & Dangers
Introduction Sharing space with the rest of humanity isn’t always sunshine and roses. You could be forgiven for having it crossed your mind that a more ordered society, where people were held to account for their inconsiderate actions, would be a good thing. Like most in society, I wouldn’t be willing to engage in a …
Generation Z; Redefining Social Media Activism
Introduction Amid the current trend of constrictive age labelling – ‘snowflakes’ and ‘OK, boomer’ to name a few – ‘digital natives’ is a more optimistic and malleable label. It defines the powerful pull Generation Z and beyond has to politically influence and organise. Social media was lauded as a revolutionary addition to democracy that would …
Is social media a factor in increasing depression, anxiety and loneliness?
The progress of society has been linked to technology and the changing ways in which technology is increasingly dominating many areas of society. We can see the use of iPads in classrooms to cater for different learning styles, use of machinery in workplaces to increase accuracy and efficiency, but most importantly the increasing use of …
A Study of St Nicholas Street Market in Galway
The trend towards urbanisation continues at an increasing pace and town and city dwellers now make up the majority of the global population for the first time in human history. The early decades of the 21st century have been characterised by increasing economic, social, and political challenges that municipalities have to manage according to the …
Online Virality
Introduction On Friday the fifth of October, a painting by the elusive political street artist known as Banksy ‘self-destructed’ the moment it was sold for 1.4 million pounds at an auction in London. The following Saturday the artist himself posted a video online of the painting being shredded by a mechanism within its frame as …