Technology - Thurles Information

Tipperary Native Elected Fellow Of Royal Society

A small number of Irish scientists have now been elected as new Fellows of the Royal Society, latter the prestigious British based Academy of distinguished international scientists whose past Fellows and Members have included Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Robert Darwin and Albert Einstein.

Fellowship of the Royal Society is therefore made up of the most eminent of scientists, engineers and technologists in the UK and Commonwealth and is considered a significant scientific accolade, with only a small number of other Irish scientists having been afforded this honour in recent years.

Dr Michael Richard Lynch

Among the new Irish fellows now elected is Tipperary born Dr Michael Richard Lynch, co-founder and former chief executive of Britain’s largest software company Autonomy, latter company purchased by Hewlett-Packard in 2011, for some $11bn. Dr Lynch is married with two daughters.

Dr Lynch was born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1965, before his family moved to England, where he grew up near Chelmsford, Essex. In 1976, then aged 11, he won a scholarship to Bancroft’s School, Woodford, before moving on to Christ’s College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences.

Following graduation he went on to do a PhD in Signal Processing and Communications research at the University of Cambridge, before undertaking a research fellowship in Adaptive Pattern Recognition.

In December 2006, he was appointed as a non-executive director to the Board of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). He is also on the investment committee and Board of the British Library.

Regarded as Britain’s most successful technology entrepreneur, he is a trustee of NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) and is chairman of their investment committee. He is also a non-executive Director of Cambridge Enterprise, advising on technology transfer for Cambridge University and a supporter of The Prince’s Trust technology group. He is also a member of the Council of the Foundation for Science and Technology and on the Enterprise Committee of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

His philanthropic interests include being a trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the board of the ‘Create the Change’ Campaign at the Crick Institute, for Cancer Research UK.

He is a non executive director of Blinkx PLC and an advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, in the area of science policy.

Beware Of Scam Phone Callers

Thurles and the surrounding areas are once again being targeted by ‘scammers,’ these last few weeks. Several people have reported receiving phone calls from scammers claiming be with “Microsoft Support” and that their computer is infected. If you receive such a call DO NOT SWITCH ON YOUR COMPUTER!

This is the notorious PC Support scam whereby the caller tries to convince you that they are calling from ‘Microsoft Support’ and that your computer is infected. It is a total scam that could end up costing you a lot of money. Their scam can involve infecting your machine, stealing passwords or totally locking out your PC/laptop and then they charge you a ransom to get back into it!

The “00201” at the start of their phone number suggests these scam calls are originating from Egypt in Africa this time. Although some calls only show up as private.

Remember, when in doubt, hang up the phone. Be vigilant, tell your friends, and let’s all stay safe.

New Broadcasting Charge Due In Value For Money Report

News of further possible taxation as Labour Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte states that everyone will now have to pay a new ‘Broadcasting Charge,’ latter which will replace the annual TV Licence. This charge will be made, regardless of whether or not you actually own a Television Set.

The Minister has informed the Dáil that he is due to receive a ‘Value For Money Report,’ (Probably the first one in the history of the Irish State.) recommending the best way to implement this new Broadcasting Charge. Same report is expected to be ready by the end of March.

The new charge will take account of the fact that people, who may not own actual TV receiving equipment, just maybe viewing TV programme content on mobile devices such as Smart phones, Tablets or Laptops. Let’s therefore call this new tax for what it really is, “The Technology Tax.”

Like Water Charges, Household Charges, Septic Tank Charges & Property Tax, Labour Minister Pat Rabbitte believes that his new Broadcasting Charge or Technology Tax should be implemented on every home in the country regardless, since access to programme content is not dependent on the ownership of just a Television Set.

Minister Rabbitte stated, “Everybody benefits from the availability of these services, regardless of how content is accessed or relayed to the public, and therefore it is my view that the cost should be borne by society as a whole.”

Are we, the taxpayer, to now pay for the compensation correctly paid to Fr Kevin Reynolds, latter seriously libelled and defamed by false allegations in ‘Mission to Prey,’ by an over paid RTÉ gutter press, who seriously believe they are entitled to the same pay as professional footballers?

Can we expect RTÉ cameras ‘to roll,’ shortly in an effort to depict why the world should now visit our ‘green red-necked abode,’ during this year’s “The Gathering 2013,” instead of being recommended, in repeat programmes, to take Airboat Rides in Orlando’s Florida Everglades?

Can our children perhaps expect to view some educational children’s programmes, during and around the time we air “Judge Judy,” perhaps in the not too distant future?

TV Licences do not exist, at all, in Australia, so surely if we, The Taxpayer, must fund RTÉ salaries & programming, then we should also have some small control over its current programming content or must we continue to seek out foreign channels that actually do entertain?

Autonomy Founder Tipperary Native

Autonomy, the company which is to the forefront of Hewlett Packard’s (HP) recently announced $8.8 billion charge for accounting improprieties, was founded by Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary native Mr Mike Lynch.

Mr Lynch, whose hobbies have included breeding Koi carp and building model railways, and who studied engineering and mathematical computing at Cambridge University is presently resident in Britain. In 2009 his personal stake in Autonomy was reported as being in the area of $300 million.

Hewlett Packard, which purchased his company, Autonomy, last year, for a reported $10.3 billion, have now stated that it has launched an internal investigation into what they believed was “a wilful effort to mislead investors and potential buyers.” HP claim that a senior member of Autonomy’s leadership team came forward, following the departure of Mr Lynch, alleging that there had been a series of questionable accounting and business practices at Autonomy, prior to its acquisition by Hewlett Packard.

Mr Lynch, in a statement, has rejected these allegations, calling them false, while indicating that the company may have been mismanaged since it was acquired by its now owners Hewlett Packard.

Mr Lynch’s former company Autonomy, which once boasted that it had the capacity to take on Google, was originally conceived in 1996 and made him the first technology billionaire both in Britain and Ireland. His firm’s shares rose during the ‘Dot-com Bubble,‘ era between 1997 & 2000, often referred to as the era of ‘prefix investment.‘

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Serious Fraud Office may now decide this case should merit deeper investigation.

Parcel Motel Comes To Thurles

Parcel Motel

Parcel Motel have just set up a series of lockers at Ahern’s Petrol Station, Abbey Road, Thurles which will provide 24-hour access for shopping deliveries, 7 days a week! The secure lockers of varying sizes are in testing at the moment but it is hoped this local Parcel Motel will be fully operational within a week.

What Is Parcel Motel?

Parcel Motel is a great new way to manage your online shopping deliveries. Each Parcel Motel location throughout Ireland contains 80 secure lockers of varying sizes and located in convenient places; such as petrol station forecourts with 24-hour access, 7 days a week.

So, if you are fed up of missing deliveries at home, due to being away or at work, then Parcel Motel is a great way to get your deliveries when you want it and for a reasonable price of €3.50 per stay. We all know how bosses frown upon getting personal deliveries at work, don’t we? The Parcel Motel will hold your delivery for 2 days at the locker which is handy if you happen to be away, you can pick up your delivery at your leisure. As lockers are used it should be noted that you make sure your items are no larger than 41cm X 38cm X 64cm and no heavier than 10kgs.

Another BIG advantage of using Parcel Motel is the fact that you can use them to get items that qualify for free delivery in the UK sent to Ireland for just €3.50! Parcel Motel operate 2 main depots in Ireland, one in Dublin and one in Co. Antrim. This means to get the free UK delivery, if offered by a website such as Amazon, you simply enter the Co. Antrim depot address at the checkout stage and your item will be delivered there and then transferred to your local Parcel Motel depot. More info on this can be found here.

Here is a picture of the local Parcel Motel at Ahern’s Petrol Station, Abbey Road, Thurles.