You’ll also love the free web technology conference – the dot conf - being hosted by the National College of Ireland on July 22nd. It’s a fantastic opportunity to go and listen to some industry experts and a great way for NCI to promote their new MSc in Web Technologies course.

There is a diverse list of speakers, from journalists, educators, web professionals and technology advocates – all experts in their fields. As well as some “deep dive” sessions (hands-on workshops).

Personally I’m really looking forward to checking out the National E-learning Laboratory, who recently published some pretty interesting data on what Irish people pay attention to when using Facebook.

Conferences like these are a great networking opportunity (especially if you are self employed or “between projects” at the moment). Bring you business cards and wear your hottest geek tshirt, you just never know who you might bump into.

NCI is based in the IFSC – possibly one of the easiest places to get to in Dublin, so there’s no excuse not to attend.

Though my direction may have changed recently I still have a personal interest in 3D, augmented reality and Location based Services. Also, it’s good business sense to keep up to date with these emerging technology trends.

Talks of Interest to me?

Mark Campbell from eMedia will be discussing 3D iPhone Apps.

From my old haunt IADT, Frederic Herrera from Create Ireland will give an overview of the applications of the VLab (a Cave – Computer-generated Automatic Virtual Environment) based at IADT – something I keep meaning to go and experience for myself.

Speaking of IADT, another 3D orientated talk will be given by my old HCI lecturer Ciaran McGuinness from Computer Clubhouse, the technology centre for young people in the heart of the Liberties.

Members from TOG will be showcasing  3D printing with a CupCake CNC machine – the seriously cool open source 3D printer featured in the video below.

Paul Lee from Viewsion will be discussing the business uses for Google Apps such as SketchUp, Earth, and Maps.

Steve Plunkett from Red Bee Media will be addressing the changes in television, including the effect of 3D and the internet. Should be a really interesting one considering the recent Google TV announcements.

Check out the full list of talks and register to attend this fantastic free technology event here.

Having very much enjoyed this same event last year

Talks of interest to a Cyberpsychologist?

Mark Campbell from eMedia will be showcasing 3D Medical animations employed as elearning tools for life sciences.

Ronan Skehill from YourPinPoints shall discuss the business, societal and privacy issues surrounding location based services.

PhD Researcher David McKeown will be discussing the shortcomings of 2D mice and keyboards being used to interface with 3D environments, and demonstrating the use of wiimotes with 3D PC applications and robots.

Artist Miriam Lohan will introduce Sound Mapping – how to read a map by listening, perceiving presence and filtering information for navigation or pleasure.

PhD Student Fabiano Pinatti will explore how technology can support the nomadic/mobile aspects of modern work and life.

The congress is a wonderful opportunity to gather information about the current direction of Irish psychological research and based on the information from the timetable for presentations it appears that the majority of the research to be presented is coming from the traditional mainstream topics of scientific psychology. From almost 200 presentations taking place only about 10 of these are related to I.T in some way, which personally is a big disappointment, especially considering the ubiquity of communications technologies in Ireland and the number of I.T companies based here.

Applying psychological studies to technology has always been a niche in this country, which is surprising because it has so many positive and negative impacts upon Irish working life, home life, education etc. It is something that I feel passionately about, especially the importance of applying scientific methods to research in I.T – rather than the current climate of unreliable surveys and the media shaping public knowledge and ideas about how we use and interact with one another through technology.

I did however note an increase in the areas of research related to gay men and lesbians (though it is still a tiny percentage of the 200 presentations). There are of course many other areas of research that I have an interest in and below is a list of the selected presentations which I will aiming to attend.

9am Eoin Golden (NUIG) Undergraduate: Same-Sex Affection in Public: A Qualitative Study.

9.15 Sarah Kilroy (TCD) Undergraduate: Personality, rape myth beliefs and prejudiced instructions: Effects on decisions of guilt in a case of date rape.

9.30 Maccon-Fionn Macnamara (NUIG) Undergraduate: The role of attentional bias in emotional vulnerability.

9.45 Caroline Bergin-McLoughlin (NUIM) Undergraduate: Investigating the Effects of Brain Training on Spatial Memory.

10.00 Niamh Hanrahan (IADT) Undergraduate: The Effect of Humour in Advertising Stimuli on Attitude towards the Ad (Aad) and Purchase Intention (PI).

10.15 Miriam O’Gorman (MIC) Undergraduate: Background Music: a help or a hindrance?

11.00 Deirdre Delaney (UCD) Undergraduate: An assessment of quality of life in adults over 65 Years in Ireland and its relationship to anxiety and depression.

11.15 Mary Christina Joyce (UCC) Undergraduate: Gender Differences and Course Differences in Internet Attitudes amongst an Irish University Sample.

11.30 Sandra von Bergen (IADT) Undergraduate: Comparing the effectiveness of e-learning to the presentation method of teaching in a college setting.

11.45 Michael Malone (IADT) Undergraduate: The physiological correlates of ‘Flow’ states within an I.T. environment.

12.00 Anne O’ Donoghue (UCD) Undergraduate: Language and Cognition: A Study of Grammatical Gender Effects.

12.15 Claire O Driscoll (NUIG) Postgraduate: Factors influencing psychological well being and treatment outcome of couples planning or receiving in-vitro fertilisation (IVF): A self regulatory model perspective.

14.00 Ellen Brady (UCD) Undergraduate: Social Support on the Internet: A Qualitative Analysis of an Irish Parenting Website.

14.15 Geraldine Campion (MIC) Undergraduate: The potential of the dynamic medium of video instruction using the cognitive architecture of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning.

14.30 Colin Gallagher (IADT) Undergraduate: CHI 2008 The iPod Generation, Living in Musical Isolation?

14.30 Eoin Pluinceid (TCD) (Undergraduate): Client Satisfaction and Perception of Alliance in Online Asynchronous Counseling in a University Setting: An Exploratory Study.

14.45 Anna Burke (NUIM) Undergraduate: “Body Image, Psychosocial Well-being and Risky Sexual Behaviour: An Investigation Among Gay Men”.

15.00 Sarah Halpin (AMCD) Undergraduate: The Effects of Verbalisation on Object Recognition.

15.15 Ms Katrice Sheridan & Dr Tim Trimble (TCD) Postgraduate: Services and Supports used by Students to obtain Information about a Further Education College.

16.00 Clair O’Connor (UCC) Undergaduate: “That’s going on Bebo”: An examiniation of the relationship between Bebo use and self-reported global self esteem in Cork University students.

16.15 Áine O’ Callaghan (NUIG) Undergraduate: The Associations among Old-fashioned and Modern Prejudice and the Individual Difference Variables of Extrinsic/Intrinsic Motivation, Social Dominance Orientation, Right-wing Authoritarianism, and the Protestant Work Ethic.

16.45 Alan Forrey (MIC) Undergraduate: Sex differences in attitudes to gay men and lesbians: an Irish perspective.

17.00 Lisa Gorry, Tim Mc Nichols, Gráinne Kirwan (IADT) Undergraduate: Employers’ Implicit Theories of Intelligence
in the Recruitment of Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome.