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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.

New Realities

Microsoft's Mixed Reality platform will support SteamVR games

Big announcements this week as Microsoft's long hyped world of 'HoloLens' (which has been all hype, not much else) finally gets its shift into an ecosystem of

Microsoft's Mixed Reality platform will support SteamVR games
Ideas

Want to find STEM action near you? Check STARportal

The Australian government has launched STARportal as a resource for parents and kids to find cool STEM themed activities, camps, competitions and the rest.

Want to find STEM action near you? Check STARportal
Games

Where did Apple TV gaming go wrong?

A good piece about a very good question. I had such hopes for the Apple TV platform as a gaming space. iOS had all the best mobile games. It should have been

Where did Apple TV gaming go wrong?
Home

Maybe the greatest lamp ever designed

An incredibly advanced lamp, dubbed the Komorebi, delivering some of the most natural lighting effects I've ever seen. Stunning concept.

Maybe the greatest lamp ever designed
Ideas

Should Minecraft be in the classroom?

Samuel Horti looks at the question of using Minecraft as an educational tool. Does it really help? Or is it a gimmick that gets in the way of real learning?

Should Minecraft be in the classroom?
Art & Culture

Lava lamps and data come together at CloudFlare San Francisco

Design, performance art and clever security infrastructure come together at CloudFlare San Francisco. A wall of lava lamps has been integrated into the office

Lava lamps and data come together at CloudFlare San Francisco
Business

Delete your accounts, get real work done

I'm fascinated by these discussions. I love social media, I love my many points of digital connection, but I know some of it is pure noise. How do we get down

Delete your accounts, get real work done
Ideas

Realising the promise of STEM education

Professor Jan Van Driel has written about the need to coordinate efforts to promote more kids to take up careers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering

Realising the promise of STEM education
Technology

Robots won't replace us because we still need 'that human touch'

So says Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel in a new piece for The Conversation.

Robots won't replace us because we still need 'that human touch'
Ideas

10 years of Bioshock: The genius of Rapture

A lot of 10th anniversary talk around Bioshock, a game worthy of such reflection. There's good Remastered edition options out there. If you haven't played it,

10 years of Bioshock: The genius of Rapture
Media

Samurai Jack, art in a cartoon, gets its complete box set

Every frame of Samurai Jack is an artwork. One of the great animated series, and this year it got its conclusion with a Season 5. And with that it now

Samurai Jack, art in a cartoon, gets its complete box set
Technology

Uber to trial flying vehicles in Sydney in 2023

That's some long-term planning, but it's an interesting concept that should be trialled at some point.

Uber to trial flying vehicles in Sydney in 2023
Art & Culture

The secret designer's studio built on the underside of a bridge

This has to be seen to be believed. An incredible use of unused space, taking a lot of design work in itself to create --  complete with a metal dolly roller

The secret designer's studio built on the underside of a bridge
Games

The grand ambition of Dreams, led by Siobhan Reddy

A fab Rolling Stone Glixel interview with Media Molecule's Studio Director (and Australian) Siobhan Reddy. The maker of Little Big Planet is taking on one of

The grand ambition of Dreams, led by Siobhan Reddy
Technology

We should welcome our swarming robotic interfaces

If you think all interfaces are based on touchscreens, keyboards or mice, here's something to reshape your thinking.

We should welcome our swarming robotic interfaces
Games

Blizzard built StarCraft: Remastered from scratch. From. Scratch.

Interesting to learn that Blizzard had lost most of the old code and assets for StarCraft, so when it decided to create a 'Remastered' edition they had to go

Blizzard built StarCraft: Remastered from scratch. From. Scratch.
Technology

No, smartphones are not destroying a generation

Media loves a good scare campaign, and parents are prone to worrying about whether the 'new thing' in society is hurting their kids. This piece on Psychology

No, smartphones are not destroying a generation
Games

Event business launching Australian esports league

Is this an esports league or a marketing exercise?

Event business launching Australian esports league
Games

Buy a custom romantic game for the one you love

Kotaku reports that a new division of an established Australian studio is offering custom games to offer up a very special message of love.

Buy a custom romantic game for the one you love
New Realities

Apple's iOS ARKit demo leaps into A-Ha's "Take On Me" video

As others have dubbed it, it's Augmented Reality's "A-Ha" moment.

Apple's iOS ARKit demo leaps into A-Ha's "Take On Me" video