The Machine: A computer science education podcast

Latest Episodes:

Mícheál Ó'Foghlú (Google Engineering Director, Core Developer unit) Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Mícheál Ó'Foghlú is a former computing faculty member at WIT, one of the founders of the TSSG research group (now Walton) and instrumental in the spin-out of FeedHenry and its evolution into Red Hat. Mícheál's current role is that of Engineering Director at Google Core Developer unit based in Munich, Germany. He spoke with Rob about his career to date, musing on technology and how it can be a force for good in the world. They also chatted about Mícheál's advice for newcomers to the industry (and he made some media recommendations also!) - Mícheál's personal website - https://www.ofoghlu.net - The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy (BBC Radio Drama) - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03v379k - The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond (Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49234.The_Third_Chimpanzee)

The Internet of Things Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

Continuing our explorations of sub-topics of Computer Science, WIT lecturer Frank Walsh and student Dominik Wawak joined Rob O'Connor in the studio to discuss the Internet of Things. The discussed some samples projects, the technologies involved, how it all fits together and where it might be going. There is also a conversation about beer - as Frank used a homemade IoT setup to help him brew his own!

What is Cloud Computing? Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

In the first episode of the new season of the podcast, the panel have a chat about cloud computing, what's involved, some of the big techs to watch out for and what you might need to know if this is an area you'd like to specialise in. They also theorise as to the causes of the major fault on Facebook's services which resulted in Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus Rift being unavailable for a significant period the previous week. The panel is made up of WIT computing lecturers Richard Frisby and Lucy White, alongside service delivery engineer at Red Hat Ciaran Roche and podcast host Rob O'Connor.

If you need a primer on how the internet works, please check out one of our earlier podcasts.

What 3rd Level Needs To Know About 2nd Level Computer Science Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

An unexpected episode for the academic year 2020/21. What does 3rd Level need to know about Leaving Cert Computer Science? This podcast is an edited live recording from the ACM SIGCSE Eire’s annual meeting (held on Zoom). The panel is comprised of Keith Quille (TU Dublin), Brett Becker (UCD), Siobhan Drohan (WIT) and is chaired by Machine host Rob O’Connor. Towards the end of the panel chat, there’s contributions from audience members. Thanks for listening this year and we’ll be back in September!

Leaving Cert Computer Science & more with Brett Becker Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

Rob chats with Brett Becker, one of the co-authors of the Computer Science for Leaving Cert book. They talk about computing as a 2nd level school subject, why certain topics were emphasised and technologies chosen, as well as potential impacts for 3rd level and beyond. They also speak about the Irish branch of the ACM’s Computer Science Education special interest group and finally, engage in a brief rant about computer programming error messages.

Brett is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at UCD and you can discover more about his work at brettbecker.com. Details on the SIGCSE Eire chapter are available at sigcseire.acm.org. The book 'Computer Science for Leaving Certificate' is published by Golden Key.

Gianluca Wants a Record Player Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

A different episode to our normal programming. 'Gianluca Wants a Record Player' is a documentary that follows an Applied Computing student's quest to get into vinyl music. What is so appealing about vinyl? Who’s listening to the format? Does it really sound better than music streaming services like Spotify? What gear should Gianluca buy? Should he even make a purchase at all?

This piece was originally broadcast on Beat 102-103 on 4th April 2021 (Easter Sunday)

Final Year Projects & The Sun Life Awards Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

Final Year Projects are one of the most exciting (and daunting!) parts of an undergraduate degree. WIT have a close relationship with Sun Life, a multinational company with a strong presence in Waterford and who also sponsor a number of awards for final year computing students. To talk about all of this on the podcast, we had Lucy White computing lecturer at WIT, Shane Corbett of Sun Life and Jonathan Gillespie, a recent graduate from WIT and winner of a Sun Life Award.

Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

VR/AR and MR are acronyms that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the tech world. We delved into what that means from a tech and business perspective in this episode, with contributions from three individuals working in TSSG/Walton: Carol Faughnan, Ryan McCloskey and Anujah Pathak. If you're looking for a starting point in the world of Mixed Reality, this is it.

Show Notes:

- What is Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality https://tssg.org/2020/10/20/what-is-augmented-reality-and-virtual-reality/

- Mixed Reality Lab available to companies in the South East https://tssg.org/2020/12/08/state-of-the-art-mixed-reality-innovation-lab-now-available-to-companies-in-the-south-east/

- Smart garments and what they are used for https://tssg.org/2020/10/28/smart-garments-what-are-they-used-for/

The Walton Institute and ICT Research at WIT Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

In March of 2021, the TSSG (tssg.org) will rebrand as The Walton Institute. Rob spoke with co-directors Sasi Balasubramaniam and Kevin Doolin about the change is taking place, the shift in focus of ICT (Information & Communication Technology) research over the past 20 years and what this means for the South East region as a whole. The conversation touches on cross discipline research subjects such as agri-tech, neurological modelling and artificial intelligence, we well as working with SMEs in the region. Up until now, the TSSG has been one of the most successful research groups in Europe. This podcast should give you an insight as to how it's all put together and where they plan to go in the future.

Work Placements & Internships Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Despite the ongoing COVID situation, work placements and internships are still going ahead in the tech industry. Rob spoke with three stakeholders to get different perspectives on how things have been proceeding. James Richardson is a final year computing student at WIT who completed his placement with Red Hat (https://www.redhat.com)last year, during the first phases of the pandemic. David Ryan of TSSG (http://www.tssg.org) gave the employer’s perspective on interns are managed and mentored, during COVID times and normal times. Finally Tracy Murphy, the work placement manager in the Dept. Of Computing & Mathematics at WIT (https://www.wit.ie) was on hand to provide the academic viewpoint and “bigger picture” view.

James kept an insightful blog about his journey from serving in the US Navy to studying in WIT, to interning in Red Hat here which you can read here -> https://medium.com/@jamricha

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