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2014′s highs and lows in Science & Tech

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The Rosetta story had it all

The Rosetta story had it all

By Will Goodbody, Science & Technology Correspondent

It’s awards season. That time of the year, when organisations everywhere reflect on the 12 months past, and acknowledge the achievements of their members and others. So not to be out done, the RTÉ News Science & Tech department (numbering one) has decided to hold an awards ceremony all of its own. We think it is only fitting to recognise the contributions, the highs and the lows of the tech and scientific community here and internationally. In keeping with the brief, the awards, prizes and even the ceremony itself will be entirely virtual. So here goes…

BEST STORY– ROSETTA/PHILAE:
This was the story that had it all. It began with a long (10 years), protracted build-up, full of tension and excitement. Then came the waking-up event in January, when the comet chasing probe awoke from a two year slumber. August saw Rosetta’s emotional rendezvous with the dirty lump of snow and ice, Comet 67P, which it had chased for billions of kilometres around the solar system. And finally in November, the dramatic dropping of the Philae lander onto its surface. As science stories go, it was extraordinary, particularly when one considers the mission was dreamt up, designed and built over a decade ago. It has also yielded loads of interesting science, and will continue to into 2015. It’s the story that keeps on giving.

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Apple Watch is due to go on sale next year

Apple Watch is due to go on sale next year

MOST HYSTERIA-GENERATING STORY – APPLE’S SEPTEMBER LAUNCH EVENT:
When it comes to launches, nobody does it like Apple. Few other large companies can whip their followers, and others, into a frenzy of anticipation, excitement and hysteria quite like the Cupertino based tech giant can. So when it emerged that Apple was on the verge of launching two new bigger iPhones and possibly a smartwatch, the tech rumour mill went into overdrive. And the event itself didn’t disappoint, with CEO Tim Cook showing that even though Steve Jobs is no longer around, Apple can still wow its fans. In the end we got the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, both of which have predictably proven massive hits. The lid was also taken off Apple Pay, which holds huge promise. And of course Watch (not iWatch, just Watch), which will undoubtedly be the must-have tech gizmo for many, when it finally goes on sale in the New Year.

MOST WORRYING STORY – COMPUTER VIRUSES AND HACKING:
This award goes to not one, but a whole genre of stories. Computer viruses and hackers are nothing new. But 2014 will certainly be remembered for the quantity of never-seen-before, serious malware threats and the severity of several major hacking breaches. It was the year we first heard about viruses like Heartbleed, Shellshock and Regin; the year big corporations like Sony and Home Depot had their systems breached; and the year dozens of private nude celebrity photos ended up being posted online after personal online storage accounts were hacked. This problem is only going to get worse in 2015. Reason to be afraid, very afraid.

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Google has been working on a number of self-driving vehicles

Google has been working on a number of self-driving vehicles

MOST PROMISING STORY – SELF-DRIVING CARS:
There were many fantastic new technologies unveiled in 2014, which will likely be huge next year and beyond. But the one which made really made our eyes light up was Google’s demo of its latest driverless car in May. How fantastic would it be if instead of being stuck in traffic jams you could work on your laptop, watch a movie, have a snooze, read a book? How much more productive would we be? How much lower would our stress levels be? How much safer would our roads become? Sure, as cars go this one doesn’t look particularly beautiful. But as the concept develops and more manufacturers get in on the act, driverless cars will surely become more stylish. And then there will be no looking back.

RISING STAR AWARD – STRIPE:
There were a number of possible winners in this category. Certainly, Cork students Ciara Judge, Sophie Healy-Thow and Émer Hickey were front runners, after they scooped the Google Science Fair top prize in September and were named in Time magazine’s list of the most influential teens of the year. They will certainly go on to even bigger and better things in 2015. But the award has to go to the Collison brothers, John and Patrick, who this year closed two funding rounds worth a total of $150m for their online payment service company, Stripe. It is now valued at an eye watering $3.5bn as it expands rapidly, and is destined for much greatness in the year ahead – as are the lads.

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Production values were high at this year's event

Production values were high at Web Summit 2014

MOST IMPROVED AWARD – WEB SUMMIT:
2014 will certainly be remembered as the year the remarkable Web Summit came of age. It has been growing at a phenomenal pace since its birth four years ago, and has achieved much. But this year it was longer (three days), bigger, produced a pretty stellar guest list, and most significantly of all had the look and feel of a slick operation that had matured. Just don’t mention the wifi! Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess. But geographically not too far it would seem, as tickets are already on sale for next year’s event at the RDS.

OWN GOAL AWARD – FACEBOOK’S “RESEARCH” PROJECT:
Where to start? First there is Satya Nadella – the Microsoft boss who put his foot in it by saying women shouldn’t ask for raises, but should instead put their trust in the system to reward them. Ouch. Then there is Uber – the brash ride sharing app, which seems to have more money than sense, was forced to eat humble pie several times. It alienated millions of potential customers when one of its executives suggested a smear campaign against a female journalist who had dared criticise the company. But this year the award goes to Facebook, which was forced to apologise after it emerged it had been manipulating stories in unwitting users news feeds, in order to see how it would impact on their emotions. With peoples trust in internet privacy at an all time low, this was a monumental own goal. Though it did seem to prove interesting to scientists, as the academic paper which emerged from the research ended up being the most shared scientific paper online all year!

MOST UNDERWHELMING AWARD – WEARABLES:
This time last year, we were promised that 2014 would be the year wearable technology would take off, and change our lives forever. Well it didn’t take off, and it didn’t change our lives. In fact all we got were numerous new smartwatches, with questionable value. Even Google’s much hyped Glass seems to have faded quietly into obscurity, even before it is released onto the mass market. Of course Apple Watch is coming next year. No pressure.

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The Ice Bucket Challenge made a splash

The Ice Bucket Challenge made a big splash

MOST IMPACTFUL ONLINE CAMPAIGN AWARD – ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE:
Never before has a social media campaign had such a global impact. It started in the US as a fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease research. But quickly spread across the globe. Videos of people of all ages, ethnicities, shapes and sizes dumping buckets of cold water over their heads in terror quickly filled up YouTube and social network feeds everywhere. It was an extraordinary social media phenomenon, and thankfully one which (for a change) did a bit of good.

So that concludes the RTÉ Science & Tech virtual awards for 2014. We’re off to dump another bucket of cold water over our heads. Better that than facing into the Christmas shopping.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!

Comments welcome via Twitter to @willgoodbody


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