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Seamus Byrne

Founder and Head of Content at Byteside. Brings two decades of experience covering tech, digital culture, and their impacts on society.

Critical mass hysteria

Nothing digital succeeds anymore without a big enough snowball to propel it forward. It’s kind of obvious. But it underpins everything today, and a lot of this week’s stories. From Microsoft’s game streaming service Mixer wooing another big Twitch streamer to change platforms, to TikTok deepening its

Critical mass hysteria
Byteside Podcast

Ten keys to annoying Seamus

Nic and Seamus talk Pixel 4, Sonos Move, and the whole "Is Marvel cinema?" conundrum, plus Disney, err, Plus. Seamus also has a big problem with big gaming

Ten keys to annoying Seamus

From Space Daks to Afterlife Pranks

Great seeing a bunch of you at PAX Australia last weekend! It was my first time with the family and it changed my perspective in amazing ways. The kids loved it on the ‘life changing’ end of the scale. I felt like they really felt more validated in their love

From Space Daks to Afterlife Pranks
Games

A gift for esports: do you have what it takes?

A special panel recorded live at PAX Australia 2019! Featuring a trio of amazing industry experts to explore the topic of shifting gears from just playing to

A gift for esports: do you have what it takes?
Byteside Podcast

The PAX Australia edition

Nic and Seamus catch up face-to-face at PAX Australia 2019 live in Melbourne to talk about the show, what they saw, what they did, what panels they were

The PAX Australia edition
Technology

My lovely car limiter proves why cruise control sucks

I got a new car recently. By recently I mean a year ago. I like cars, but I'm not a 'car person'. I do my research ahead of time, but then I pretty much make

My lovely car limiter proves why cruise control sucks

Newsletter with a hint of podcast

Quick one this week! I’m at PAX Aus! If you’re here please say hello! I’m hosting a panel for young folks and families on how to pursue esports in ways that don’t throw the rest of your life away (Sat, 11.00am), and also appearing on

Newsletter with a hint of podcast
Byteside Podcast

Byteside: The Podcast!

Join Nic Healey and Seamus Byrne (yes, that's me) for the new Byteside podcast. We chat tech, games and culture, staying out of the weeds of the weekly news

Byteside: The Podcast!
The Game Table

Transformers turn 35

In a bit of a tangent, Seamus chats with Jason Murray about the state of Transformers toys these days and how things have evolved over their 35 year history.

Transformers turn 35

The Goose That Honked The World

PAX Australia has really carved out a special place in the local event landscape. I’ve never missed one, and, for me, it shows the best of what the local games community can be. Not just videogames, the event is about boardgames and card games and RPGs and, yes, lots

The Goose That Honked The World

Bot Fight: Activate!

It felt like a quiet week in tech news on the surface. But that’s mostly because global politics had a very loud one. There’s actually been a lot of interesting stuff going on. And here’s your weekly newsletter to catch up on it all! A lot of

Bot Fight: Activate!

Digital Brian Blessed

Through the calendar year there’s a few different times of year when it’s ‘new thing’ season. Right now it’s phones. Samsung landed a little while ago, Apple lands this week, and Google lands in October. We’re also getting lots of other new things soon too. Apple

Digital Brian Blessed
Games

Descent Into Avernus: the spoiler-free review

Dungeons & Dragons latest adventure, Descent Into Avernus, is a bargain with the devils you should sign up for. No blood required.

Descent Into Avernus: the spoiler-free review

Less Gravity, More Personality

Let’s skip the iPhone launch chat. You’ve heard about that everywhere, I’m sure. I’m planning a special edition to round up the state of phones at the moment very soon. Seems a good time off the back of iPhones and the new Android 10 launch. Cameras

Less Gravity, More Personality
Culture

It's Tim Cook's Apple now

Steve and Jony have left the building.

It's Tim Cook's Apple now
Culture

Five things I learned about capturing new memories while scanning old photos

The best lesson I've ever had in what I should try to take pictures of, and how I should take them, was when I spent a week scanning over 5,000 family photos

Five things I learned about capturing new memories while scanning old photos

Factory Default Suckage

Happy Friday! It’s been an interesting week after I spent the weekend down in Melbourne covering the Melbourne Esports Open. The big tech show IFA has been taking place in Berlin. I realised it’s been about five years since my last visit. Sad face. I was invited, so

Factory Default Suckage
Games

A chat with Zac and Luke from 'I Speak Giant'

We chat to the DM and Vinnie from liveplay D&D podcast "I Speak Giant" about the show. Where it started, how it has evolved, what it's been like working

A chat with Zac and Luke from 'I Speak Giant'

Subject line real estate is crucial if you want to fit a complicated message into a very limited amount of available sp

I’m going to stop writing ‘Byteside [issue #] in the subject headings from now on. But I’m adding the lightbulb emoji to kick off the subject line. Give it a little 'pop’ in the email list while adding some Subject uniformity without eating up valuable readable space. Make

Subject line real estate is crucial if you want to fit a complicated message into a very limited amount of available sp

Byteside Newsletter: A Weekly Curated List of 'Oooh!'

Sign up for the Byteside Newsletter now. It's easy to get the latest tech and digital culture news each week. And it's free!

Byteside Newsletter: A Weekly Curated List of 'Oooh!'