Get ready to bag that Dyson product you’ve always wanted at a discounted price, with Dyson’s amazing deals during their “Dyson Week” sale. Beat the cost of living crisis with discounts on essential Dyson products during Dyson Week (starts now and ends on 5th of March) .
If you are a fan of Dyson products which there are many or need something new here is the chance to pick up something right now..
Guerbet, a pioneer global pharmaceutical company specializing in medical imaging and contrast agents, has launched its first solar farm at its API manufacturing site in Dublin, coinciding with the celebration of its 30th year in operation.
2.4MW solar farm will meet 18% of the company’s total electricity requirements:
Guerbet entered a contract with Enerpower powered by Greenvolt, a leading renewable energy company, for the construction of a 2.4MW solar farm at the Guerbet site in Damastown in 2022.
The two companies entered into a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement where Guerbet has guaranteed to purchase the solar PV electrical power for a period of 20 years. The solar farm is constructed on land owned by Guerbet and will provide the equivalent to the electricity consumption of 500 households.
The project will deliver 18% of the site’s electrical power on an annualised basis, and during the peak summer months could potentially power the plant without addition of electricity from the grid during daylight hours.
The initiative aligns with Guerbet’s strategy and its People and Planet Corporate Social Responsibility positioning for reducing carbon footprint as it looks forward to the next 30 years.
David Hale, CEO of Guerbet Group indicates: “At Guerbet, our purpose is ‘Building lasting relationships that enable people to live better’, and preserving our planet is a foundational part of that purpose. In 2023, we made a commitment validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to reduce our carbon emissions by 27,5% for Scope 1+2 and 13,5% for Scope 3 by 2032. Our partnership with Enerpower is a great example of a relationship that will help us achieve those objectives.”
David Forde, Site Lead at Guerbet Dublin said:“Guerbet has a long history of innovation, growth, and service in the pharmaceutical industry. This new Corporate Power Purchase Agreement will produce renewable electricity for our API manufacturing site in Damastown and is a significant development in our long-term strategy to significantly reduce carbon emissions at the site. Guerbet joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) which encourages ambitious climate action in the private sector by allowing companies to set science-based emission reduction targets. This is a further step on that journey.”
It also comes as the company celebrates 30-years of operation in Ireland. Over the past three decades, Guerbet has continuously strived for excellence, delivering cutting-edge medical imaging solutions and contrast agents to healthcare professionals worldwide, as well as offering highly skilled employment in the area.”
John Carty, CCO of Enerpower powered by Greenvolt stated, “We are delighted to partner with Guerbet on their first solar energy project. Similarly to Guerbet’s ethos we too endeavour to build lasting relationships with our customers and are delighted to add Guerbet to our list of clients using solar energy in Ireland.”
Guerbet marks 30 years of operation in Ireland, employing over 130 skilled workers
The site in Dublin began production in 1994 and currently boasts a workforce of over 130 skilled professionals at the Damastown location. This local presence contributes to the company’s global footprint, which spans across the 5 continents with 2,830 employees worldwide.
Guerbet develops and manufacture contrast media, which are instrumental in improving the visibility of internal organs, blood vessels, and tissues during medical imaging procedures.
Every second, somewhere in the world a patient undergoes an imaging procedure with a Guerbet product. More than 60,000 health professionals rely on the contrast agents to diagnose disease and assess treatment efficacy.
The League of Ireland has announced the introduction of the EA SPORTS LOI Academy MU20 League to replace the existing MU19 League as the 2024 EA SPORTS LOI Academy was launched today.
The introduction of the EA SPORTS LOI Academy MU20 League comes in to allow players in the final age group of the system every opportunity to develop and progress into senior League of Ireland teams.
The move will see players be retained longer in the EA SPORTS LOI Academy system and it will provide players with the additional time they may need to physically mature and develop as a player. Additionally, the Future Developers rule has been extended to include first year MU20 players who can now play across age groups also.
The launch of the EA SPORTS LOI Academy Leagues for 2024 also sees the introduction of Mayo Football Club to the League of Ireland for the first time.
Mayo FC will be represented by MU14, MU15 and WU17 teams in their respective EA SPORTS LOI Academy games programmes.
Kerry FC’s introduction to the League of Ireland is also extended as they will enter a WU17 team for the first time.
With the most amount of players and teams, the 2024 EA SPORTS LOI Academy Leagues will be the biggest ever in the League of Ireland.
Clubs who have both boys and girls EA SPORTS LOI Academy teams will have the option to play female players with the boys as a player development tool also next season. WU17 players will be allowed to play at MU14 & MU15 level and WU19 players will be allowed to play at MU15 & MU17 level.
League of Ireland Academy Development Manager, Will Clarke, said:“We’re very excited to launch this years EA SPORTS LOI Academy Development Programme. The introduction of the EA SPORTS LOI Academy MU20 League will give players even more opportunities of fulfilling their potential and achieving their aim of playing for senior League of Ireland teams. We’re also delighted to have Mayo FC enter the League of Ireland with their new EA SPORTS LOI Academy teams as well as seeing football grow further in Kerry with their new WU17 team. Last season we expanded the games programme by hosting several successful events and we look forward to more new events in 2024. We would like to thank EA SPORTS for their continued support in helping to develop the next generation of Irish footballer and I’d like to wish all players, coaches, referees, club officials and volunteers the best of luck ahead of the new season.”
James Taylor, Director – Football Partnerships at EA SPORTS FC, said:“We are proud to support the EA SPORTS League of Ireland Academy for the second year, as we continue our commitment to the grassroots game and help to develop young, aspiring talent in Ireland. It’s a real privilege to be a part of each player’s journey as they navigate their way through the player pathway to hopefully become a future star of the world’s game. We look forward to continuing to support the clubs, league and players across the country for Season 24.”
Creative Technology today announced the release of the Creative Pebble X and Creative Pebble X Plus, the latest additions to the acclaimed Pebble series. These beautifully tuned speakers are set to transform the users’ workstations or any setup into an immersive sound sanctuary. Boasting an impressive RMS power of up 30W and a peak power of up to 60W, both the 2.0 and 2.1 speakers promise superior listening experience across music, movies, and gaming. Apart from their audio prowess, these latest speakers dazzle with customizable RGB lighting, allowing users to create a pulsating lightshow to match any mood. Along with wired and wireless modes, these latest speakers serve as an excellent choice for those looking for a premium desktop audio upgrade.
Pebble X Creative Pebble X Plus
Experience the perfect blend of stunning audio and captivating aesthetics with the Creative Pebble X Series.
Pebble’s Sound Signature
The Creative Pebble X series makes its debut, packing a hefty audio punch with enhanced custom-tuned 2.75″ full-range drivers for a truly immersive listening experience. Both models boast the iconic 45° elevated design, meticulously angled for an optimized listening experience.
Taking the audio game up a notch, the Creative Pebble X Plus sports a sleek subwoofer with dual passive radiators, designed to be compact enough to sit seamlessly on any desk setup. With added features like Dialog+ and BassFlex, these latest speakers can deliver powerful bass and crystal-clear spoken dialogues without compromising volume.
Despite their small footprint, these speakers can envelop users with an acoustic power output reaching up to 15W RMS and a peak of 30W when plugged into a PC port. When connected to a 30W (or higher) PD adaptor*, these speakers truly shine as it can deliver a peak power of up to 60W, unleashing their complete audio potential for an outstanding listening experience.
Illuminate Your Soundstage Effortlessly
Experience a burst of colour with customizable RGB lighting, offering a palette of 16.8 million hues and six built-in presets. It’s a fun way for users to personalize their workspaces, matching their unique styles for an immersive audio-visual experience.
Connectivity is also a breeze, with support for wired and wireless modes, including USB audio playback, Bluetooth 5.3, and a universal 3.5 mm AUX input port. In addition, the dual ports for headphones and microphones also add convenience for communications and late-night private listening.
To unlock the full potential of the speakers, users can easily download the Creative app on Windows. This app grants users’ access to the Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine audio technologies, such as Surround, Smart Volume, Bass, Crystallizer and EQ. Users can also personalize the RGB lighting and other features using the Creative app’s modules, which are available on Windows, the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store.
Pricing and Availability
Creative Pebble X is priced at US$89.99, UK£84.99, EU€99.99 and is available for pre-order at Creative.com.
From today, students at the University of Edinburgh’s Kings Buildings campus will be able to order takeaway food to be delivered piping hot to wherever they are…by a robot.
The system is being piloted by University of Edinburgh startup Pixconvey, whose founder, artificial intelligence and robotics PhD student Ebtehal Alotaibi, is on a mission to increase trust in autonomous vehicles since losing her aunt in a car accident caused by driver error.
Ms Alotaibi said: “I lost my aunt in 2014 in a car accident that also claimed her husband’s life. She was just 30 years old, and their three children are left without their parents.
“It was the fault of another driver, and I can’t accept that someone could pass away because of someone else’s behaviour when driving. I did some research and found that 94 per cent of car accidents are caused by human error, so there is a lot of potential for driverless vehicles to be safer.”
She wanted to create an autonomous taxi, but after receiving commercialisation advice, she decided to start with a “smaller prototype with a happy face”, which uses the same driverless technology.
Her custom-built robots, Pixie 1 and 2, adapted from the Bayes Centre’s HUSKY model, will deliver orders from the Kings Buildings’ Café in the library to students across campus in a pilot that she hopes could eventually be rolled out across the city.
The team is supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service.
Alotaibi said:
“Getting takeaway food delivered is increasingly expensive, partly due to labour costs and shortages. Where cars are used, it also increases greenhouse gas emissions and, during the pandemic, there were hygiene concerns too. We think Pixconvey can address all these issues: electric vehicles have zero emissions, our business model is an affordable monthly subscription for the restaurant, and the robot sanitises the food cartons using LED rays.
“We hope that it will also create high quality jobs, for instance the technicians who operate and maintain the robots, or the insurers who will have to address this new field of activity.”
Although the Pixconvey robot can navigate roads, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings once it has mapped the terrain, current UK road regulations do not allow for autonomous vehicles without following specific protocols. A successful campus trial would pave the way for a road trial.
Alotaibi added:
“Our robots constantly map their surroundings and can navigate around people, traffic and dogs (who really don’t like them!). But regulation is not yet set up for autonomous vehicles, which is why we are trialling it in a campus environment.”
She will collaborate with Kings Building’s catering service, which will integrate the widely-used Upay takeaway app with Alotaibi’s Pixconvey app. When ordering, if the student choses ‘delivery’, they can specify the location and choose a timeslot. Once the order is ready, the catering staff loads the food into the robot’s cargo.
Using the Pixconvey dashboard, the staff dispatches the robot, which autonomously navigates to the delivery location. Upon arrival, indicated by a dashboard notification, the catering personnel remotely opens the robot’s cargo door. The customer retrieves their order and closes the door, and the robot takes itself back to the catering area.
Dr John Lonsdale, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Innovations, said:
“It’s great to see another of our student entrepreneurs showing their ingenuity and initiative to develop new technologies. We are delighted to be able to support Ebtehal in her innovation journey.”
The project also provides a digital twin – a simulation environment enabling researchers to test and refine their algorithms while the robots are operational, both for research and development purposes.
Alotaibi’s PhD supervisor at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, Dr Michael Herrmann, said:
“This project also provides a test bed for students and researchers to explore machine learning in multi-agent systems. This important research area includes the direct cooperation of humans and robots which will be an important feature of our future work environment.”
Researchers interested in taking part are encouraged to email admin@pixconvey.co
Up to February 14th, Chipolo is offering an exclusive Love BUNDLE special with an unmissable 35% discount. Details of the package below:
Love BUNDLE – was $80/£70/€80, now $52/£45/€52. Includes 2x Chipolo ONEs in red and white and 1x Chipolo CARD with a free gift pouch – compatible with both iOS and Android.
Wish to show someone that you love them just the way they are? Chipolo’s limited edition Perfectly Imperfect’ tracker is The One for you!‘
Perfectly Imperfect’ Chipolo ONE Spot, $35/£35/€39. The brand’s ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ campaign challenges conventional societal expectations that demand flawless perfection from individuals, inviting us to embrace our imperfections and acknowledge that more often than not, they are barely visible to others. With minor visual flaws, the trackers from his limited edition range are exclusively compatible with Apple’s Find My network.
New findings from Morgan McKinley, the Irish global talent services company, reveal that 25% of hiring managers have identified a lack of skilled candidates as their main challenge in 2024.
Research conducted as part of Morgan McKinley’s2024 Salary Guide indicates that the recruitment landscape in Ireland’s technology sector remained tight in 2023, with 76% of hiring managers experiencing tough competition in making new hires.
The guide identified key challenges for 2024, with 25% of hiring managers citing a shortage of skilled candidates as their primary obstacle. Other challenges included difficulties in competing on pay and benefits (22%) and a lack of organisational approval for new headcount (19%).
For 2024, the outlook is more optimistic, with 50% of technology hiring managers planning to expand their teams in the first six months. Additionally, 46% of tech workers are considering new opportunities during this period, with another 31% contemplating a job change.
In terms of career moves, tech professionals prioritise a higher salary (40%), followed by opportunities for career advancement (14%) and the option to work remotely (13%).
The value placed on flexibility, such as working from home and flexible hours, remains high among tech workers, ranking as the most and third most important benefits respectively, along with bonuses, health insurance, and pension plans. Notably, the tech sector has the highest percentage of individuals who consider remote work as a top benefit (71%).
When it comes to workplace preferences, 4-in-10 tech professionals would like to work in the office 1-2 days per week, while only 8% prefer being on-site full-time. Over half (53%) would forgo a salary increase for more flexibility. In response to the competitive hiring environment, 69% of employers anticipate raising salaries for hard-to-fill tech roles, with an additional 20% planning to increase salaries across all tech teams.
Eoin Connolly, Operations Director, Morgan McKinley Ireland, commented: “While the technology market as a whole definitely softened during 2023, we also saw several areas such as Cybersecurity and Data Science experience strong growth. This was coupled with growth in contract opportunities, across multiple facets of technology. Throughout Q3 and Q4, we saw a marginal increase in both permanent and contract jobs available, which bodes well for positive levels of hiring activity in 2024.”
“Technology salaries in Ireland increased slightly in 2023, partially due to the impact of inflation, but also due to the shortage of talent. This has also increased the prominence of counteroffers, with employers offering their top performers 15-20% increases to stay on board.”
“The sentiment from organisations is generally positive for 2024; there is still some cautious decision making when it comes to hiring budgets for the year, but by and large, the fight for top talent is still a real issue for most companies. January started slowly as it always does but it has been a very busy month for us, which is an indicator of a strong quarter, and hopefully year ahead.”
A wheelchair rugby club in county Laois has received a €1,000 donation from the team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dublin.
Formed in 2013, Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club supports wheelchair users who have a passion for the sport. The rugby club provides wheelchair users with the accessibility to be involved with non-wheelchair users and participate in the sport together.
The donation from Amazon in Dublin will go towards Wheelchair Rugby Support Equipment and team costs.
Alongside the donation, Declan Naughton from Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club visited Amazon in Dublin for a behind-the-scenes tour of the fulfilment centre.
Tadas Valaisa, an employee from Amazon in Dublin who nominated the charity for support, said:
“As a volunteer for the rugby club, the staff, players and other volunteers have a special place in my heart. I’m pleased that Amazon in Dublin is supporting Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club with this donation.”
Darragh Kelly, General Manager at Amazon in Dublin, said:
“We’re proud to support Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club with this donation. Tadas has raised awareness of the rugby club, and we couldn’t be more pleased to recognise his and the many other staff and volunteers’ service with this donation. We were pleased to welcome Declan on site too, to find out more about his involvement with the club and give him a tour of our workplace. It was a pleasure!”
Declan Naughton, from Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club, added:
“On behalf of everyone at Laois Wheelchair Rugby Club, I would like to say thank you to the team from Amazon in Dublin for their support. Not only are we here to support wheelchair users, we’re also here to provide a great workout with a bit of fun along the way. The donation will assist us as we prepare for the upcoming Irish league and a tournament in Germany at the end of March. Thank you also for hosting me on site – it was lovely to put faces to names.”
The donation to Laois Lions Wheelchair Rugby Club was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities in and around its operating locations in Ireland.
Since opening its doors in 2022, the Dublin fulfilment centre has supported many community organisations locally, with donations totalling €46,000. Charities supported by the team at the fulfilment centre include Cliona’s Foundation, Jigsaw and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
The Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin, the first of its kind in Ireland, opened in August 2022 providing more than 500 new permanent jobs. The 630,000 square foot centre at Baldonnell Business Park in Dublin holds millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped to customers across Ireland and the rest of Europe.
Global collaboration provider, Evolve IP (EMEA), has launched a seamless end-to-end secure solution to address major payment card information (PCI) changes happening in March.
Significant reforms are about to come into force that require businesses to have an evidence-based process for card payments, particularly over the phone.Ignoring the impending rule changes could expose businesses to sanctions, fines and irreversible reputational damage.
To help address this major market shake-up, Evolve IP has launched Anywhere Secure Call, the latest addition to its Anywhere Product Suite. This new innovation is powered by technology partner BroadSource who work to drive collaboration in the cloud by helping the globe’s most sophisticated service providers automate, integrate and differentiate their cloud collaboration solutions.
Evolve IP UK Solutions Director, Scott Rixon.
Simplifying business practices
Anywhere Secure Call has been designed to simplify PCI compliance and redefine the card payment landscape. It’s cost-effective, simple to set up, flexible and has been built from the ground up, ensuring proof of active adherence.The critical differentiation lies in ensuring customer payment card details are not stored within recorded voice communications.
Anywhere Secure Call, intelligently directs all transactional voice calls to a designated, PCI-compliant segment of its network automatically. In the event of a PCI audit, businesses need only prove the compliance of this specific component, simplifying the overall process. This innovative approach allows businesses to demonstrate that the relevant voice traffic is isolated from their intricate network infrastructure, effectively ‘de-scoping’ the compliance challenge.
Many organisations are still unaware and unprepared for the radical changes they need to introduce, according to Evolve IP’s UK Solutions Director, Scott Rixon.
He revealed: “From Spring, businesses will need to prove their innocence by providing real-life data and proof of their compliancy, rather than simply verbally defending any guilt that has been implied.”
Time is running out
Anywhere Secure Call is priced on a per-user basis rather than a per-transaction percentage, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes. Whether a small business with just one seat or an enterprise call centre with hundreds, the solution caters to diverse organisational needs.
Rixon emphasised: “At Evolve IP, we believe solutions should work for everyone but currently, that’s not always the case. Some PCI solutions require a minimum deployment of say 50 users which simply isn’t viable for a small business. Equally, other options need to have the ability to scale up to larger enterprises. Also, we even know of some models based on a low cost of entry but then charge higher transaction fees.
“Now any business that needs to take card payments can just enable Secure Call, from a small florist to a gardening company. It can be as simple or sophisticated as required and can even be plugged into a CRM database to automate the whole process. We are covering all angles. But time is running out. Don’t wait any longer.”
Continuing to partner with leading technologies
Haydn Faltyn, CEO and Co-founder at BroadSource, shares the same enthusiasm. He highlighted: “Anywhere Secure Call represents a revolutionary step forward in telecommunications, offering a secure, cost-effective, and customer-friendly solution for payment transactions over the phone. We are thrilled to be working closely with the team at Evolve IP to further solidify our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that address the needs of businesses and their customers. Anywhere Secure Call is poised to redefine the landscape of payment processing over the phone.”
