Privacy Security Talk in TOG – 22nd April @ 7pm – FREE

Dublin is lucky enough to have great speakers pass through town on occasion and on Wednesday the 22nd April 2015, Runa A. Sandvik (@runasand) and Per Thorsheim (@thorsheim) have kindly offered to speak in TOG from 7pm. The format for the evening is a general meet and greet, but both speakers have offered to give a presentation on a topic of their choice.

Anyone one interested in privacy, security, journalism, Tor and/or has previously attended a CryptoParty would be wise to attend. Doors are from 7pm and bring any projects with you you would like to share with other attendees. This is a free event, open to the public and no need to book. See you Wednesday.

Runa A. Sandvik is an independent privacy and security researcher, working at the intersection of technology, law and policy. She contributes to The Tor Project, writes for Forbes, and is a technical advisor to both the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the TrueCrypt Audit project.

Per Thorsheim as founder/organizer of PasswordsCon.org, his topic of choice is of course passwords, but in a much bigger context than most people imagine. Passwords, pins, biometrics, 2-factor authentication, security/usability and all the way into surveillance and protecting your health, kids and life itself. 😉

Spectral Forms

tumblr_inline_nleqv0IQzN1r1ofietumblr_inline_nleshmU6T21r1ofieOver the past few months, we have been working with brain waves. What started at Artek Circle hackathon last year has grown to be Spectral Forms. We have taken consumer-grade EEG wearables, and tried to see what is the potential and limits of these devices are. Available online and for only $50, it has opened up a whole new area to play with. These small devices claim to accurately detect and interpret the tiny electrical impulses our brains output. These impulses can be broadly categorised into four bands, representing four different ‘levels’ of thought.

We have created software programmes that takes in the brain data, then displays it in a number of different patterns. We also play back an audio representation back to the wearer via a bone conduction unit. You can hear a sample below.

 

Lab in the Gallery

We are now taking the project to the public to try out. From the 24th till the 29 March we will be in the Science Gallery as the Lab in the Gallery . We are hopping that people will drop into us and listen to their own thoughts for a while. During our time there, we hope to work more on the 3D printing of brain wave data and testing the accuracy of the sensors.

 Skull Radio Workshop

We are running our Skull Radio Workshop during our time in the Science Gallery where you get to make your very own bone conduction kit. For more information on the workshop and tickets visit here.

Spectral Forms forms was created by Sinead McDonald, Jeffrey Roe and Krzysztof Foltman with lots of help from TOG members.

Sandymount Repair Cafe – CANCELLED

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Repair Cafe  returns to Sandymount on Saturday 7th of March 2:00pm5:00pm. The event were expert volunteers help you repair everyday items and talk you through the process. The event is totally free.

Bring along your broken items and learn how to fix them alongside expert volunteers…. anything from stereos to suitcases, lamps to laptops, chairs to chinos and plates to parasols.

TOG will be making up part of the team of volunteers on the day. The event takes place in Christchurch Hall, Sandymount.

-Update- This is now cancelled. https://www.facebook.com/events/804078342975111/

 

Art -> Code

Come in for a cuppa Thursday in Tog for some delightful doodling!

 

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Amazing art & mess making session, open to all from 4pm on in Tog.

Stick around from 7pm for some computer wizardry for Coder Night

 

Tog 2.0 keeps it kickin’!

Engineer’s Week: Bridge Building Competition

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For Engineers Week, we are holding our third annual bridge building competition in Science Gallery on Saturday 14th of February.

This is a family-friendly competition that puts teams against one another to build the strongest bridge. Engineering theory and building materials will be provided to help you during construction. Last year’s winning team, created a bridge that held over 41KG with no sign of breaking. Check out some of the destructive testing here or photos in our gallery.

Update: We have added a second session due to popular demand.

When: Saturday, February 14th. From 3pm until 5pm.

Where: Science Gallery.

Cost: Free. Tickets below.

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