The Promise and Reality of Blockchains, Tokens and Cryptocurrencies:

There are now hundreds of cryptocurrencies trading on the market, and new ones are appearing every week. The valuations continue to be volatile, and countries like China, India, et al are pushing tighter regulations and even outright bans. Criticism around bitcoin (and other crypto) energy mining costs is escalating. Yet tokens (like NonFungible Tokens — NFTs) are seeing dramatic growth as virtual artifacts. And public blockchains sponsored by governments are gaining traction as an alternative to fiat currencies.

Discussion questions include:

✔️What is the future of private and public blockchain?  

✔️What are/will be the applications?  What about private crypto-currencies? NFTs?

✔️Will legacy financial services institutions adopt crypto?  How?  When?

✔️Will blockchains replace or augment fiat currencies?  Other transactions?

✔️Will crypto-currencies (esp bitcoin mining) solve their potential "energy utilization" crisis?

✔️What are some of the other current impediments to crypto and blockchains, and how will they likely be addressed and by whom?

✔️Will crypto and blockchains be adopted by traditional enterprises for transaction processing?

✔️What will be the role of central banks and regulators in crypto?

✔️What is/will be the impact of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) on crypto and virtual currencies?

✔️Are NFTs a passing fad or will there be some new forms that drive a frenzy and speculation?

Join us as we welcome special guest Dale Kutnick, who is SVP and distinguished analyst at Gartner and founded the Laura and Dale Kutnick Foundation. Dale will share his passionate insights on the future of crypto and its impact on today’s and tomorrow’s marketplace. 

Augmented and Virtual Reality are a wonderful set of tools that open up a lot of possibilities in how we experience and share information. Yet as we have less interaction with the physical world, we can become more anti-social, depressed and disconnected from physical interactions and environments where rich exchanges occur and build emotional intelligence and adaptability. It’s easy to imagine a near-future where, we don’t buy things in physical stores, we don’t go to the doctor, and it becomes even more difficult to make a living in the physical world, which is becoming economically unproductive with travel costs and having to compete with the likes of Amazon, eCommerce, etc. How do we find the balance of living in the physical world and use the virtual world as a tool to enhance our experience, not disconnect us from it? How do we take care of our mental health and connection with our ecosystem instead of insulate from it? Join us this Thursday at StraightTalk.Live as we invite special guest William Davidow, Author & Investor at Mohr Davidow Ventures to discuss his unique perspective on how we’ve already been implementing the gifts of virtual reality for over 2 Million years of our evolution and what we need to be mindful of if we are to survive and thrive in the next phase.

It’s estimated that 65% of kids in school today will end up working a job that doesn’t currently exist. So how do we develop talent for the next generation and those that are underserved in today’s job market — in the most efficient and thorough way possible? The secret ingredient is in creating communities that upskill and train our workforce with relevant skill sets to meet the needs of the day. So how does one do this in a post-pandemic era? What is the secret to building virtual communities? Join us as we invite special guest Russ Shaw, Managing Director of London Tech Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, to discuss lessons learned from building and galvanizing a global community that is volunteer-powered and digitally equipping the workforce of tomorrow.

At 21-years-old, Harpreet A De Singh was the first female pilot for Air India. She also became the first female instructor of Air India’s pilots. And last year, she became India’s first ever female CEO of an airline. 

To say that she knows how to blaze a new trail is a major understatement. Her wisdom, experience, and incredible story will no doubt inspire you to overcome your own challenges, no matter the environment or circumstances. 

Join us as we invite special guest Harpreet A De Singh, CEO of Alliance Air, to discuss:

✔️The essential qualities for maverick leadership and making a tangible impact

✔️How to rise above company politics and bring people together

✔️Putting your ego to the side to focus on the bigger picture

✔️Creating a culture of honesty and transparency versus just saying what people want to hear

✔️And how to move up and not give up when times are difficult

The recent ransomware attacks on the Colonial pipeline and the JBS meatpacking giant make it clear that cyberattacks are on the rise and that even our food is at risk.

Non-tech companies are not prepared to prevent these attacks, and it's only a matter of time before your data and privacy are breached. So what's being done about it?

You may not ever have heard of Section 230, a US law (enacted back in 1996) that protects online companies who publish 3rd-party content (think Facebook, Snapchat, or all other social media) from liability related to the content their users publish. It also has implications in relation to your data privacy.

In short, Section 230 is no longer good enough in our current circumstances, and it urgently needs reform. Additionally, the tools we use every day to communicate with one another are often putting us at personal risk. In this week's show, we'll dig into this important topic and tackle these questions:

✔️What exactly is Section 230 and why should we care?

✔️What are the risks if we do nothing?

✔️What actions do we each need to take on an individual level in order to better protect ourselves?

✔️What solutions are being developed for today and into the future?

Join us this week with repeat guest Anurag Lal, the CEO of NetsFere, a secure messaging solution for B2B communications. Together, we'll explore this critically important topic and learn about the different ways people and companies are tackling the issue.

Of all the global weaknesses that COVID exposed, the supply chain has been perhaps the most debilitating.

Breakdowns in the supply chain for various industries such as agriculture, medicine and medical equipment, and raw materials left companies around the world floundering to keep up.

It also highlighted the need for how we can use AI to better forecast distribution problems in real-time; helping us to make better decisions.

AI is beginning to have the capability to assist in negotiating virtually through reading face-to-face interactions and body language, once thought to only be effective in-person.

✔️What if AI can be trained for a win-win scenario for all stakeholders? 

✔️What if we can create a sustainable outcome where suppliers make as much profit while shareholders still maximize earnings?

✔️How can technology enable better distribution of goods and services? 

Join us on StraightTalk.Live with special guest Joseph Martinez, Managing Director and Chief Procurement Officer of BNY Mellon, as we explore the latest in how AI and tech is changing the supply chain landscape and the future of business.

To anyone paying attention, it is clear that we need to shift how we relate to our planet if we are going to thrive, let alone survive. 

The indigenous person’s perspective is an under-represented voice at the table and is a critical part of the solution. For hundreds of years, “civilized” humanity has related to the Earth with an extraction mentality — taking whatever we can get. This is the paradigm that currently exists in most governments, businesses and organizations. 

In contrast, indigenous peoples have long since been calling for a more holistic, sustainable approach. Together with Grandmother La’ne Saan Moonwalker, we’ll discuss the current climate and environment challenges, with ideas from a First Nations perspective:

✔️What is the difference between sustainability and reciprocity?

✔️What are the dangers of ‘legacy’?

✔️How dire is our current global situation?

✔️What is the way through?

Join us for this very special show with our esteemed guest Grandmother Láné Sáan Moonwalker, who has been an oracle, healer, spiritual teacher and environmental guardian for more than 50 years. She is on the World Council of Spiritual Elders through the ANIWA Community under the auspices of the BOA Foundation since 2019. In addition, she has taught classes through the Center for Sacred Studies. This promises to be one of our most enlightening discussions yet, so don’t miss it!

Today’s educational systems leave us ill-prepared for the challenges we face post-graduation. The status quo isn’t going to cut it anymore.

We simply can’t keep up with the amount of information coming at us each day. And our archaic educational systems need a major overhaul, where rote memorization isn’t effective or timely.

In fact, 65% of kids at school today will end up working in a job that doesn’t even exist yet. So how do we best prepare the next generations, who clearly need a way of learning that is more effective and adaptive?

We need a new paradigm around education, and this is exactly what the guests on our panel are at the forefront of, in terms of integrating AI and other technologies to forge more effective ways to learn and grow.

Join us this Thursday as we invite guest speakers Nikolas Kairinos, CEO and founder of Soffos.ai, Ken Hubbell, Senior Manager, Instructional Design Strategy & Innovation at Wells Fargo, and Aliki Constantinou, Professional Educational Consultant at Soffos.ai, as we debate and discuss the latest technologies and integrations that are disrupting the educational space.

Meet the Panelists:

‍Nikolas Kairinos is an award-winning innovator with four decades of experience in AI. Also a serial entrepreneur who bridges the divide between scientists & others, leading to the creation of novel, practical and impactful AI solutions. For over 30 years, he has participated as an entrepreneur, investor and advisor in building numerous software start-ups around the world. He and his team function as a tech accelerator for start-ups with artificial intelligence at their core. Nikolas is recognized for his vast publication history, public speaking reputation and deep involvement in the field of AI.

Aliki Constaninou has been in the field of education for over 20 years as a teacher, leader and teacher trainer, complemented by a Doctorate in Educational Leadership focused on the impact of training in online cooperative learning techniques on self-efficacy. She is consistently fascinated by what enhances learner engagement and how the dynamics of such engagement incessantly metamorphoses with the changing times and technologies we are exposed to. Learning more about how to engage learners in order to enhance their learning experience are her major priorities as an educator.

Ken Hubbell is a strategic and innovative learning leader and an award winning producer of training solutions. Ken presently leads Instructional Design Strategy & Innovation as a SVP for Learning and Development at Wells Fargo Bank, and he has over 20 years of experience assembling, developing and enabling diverse teams, creating customer and stakeholder value. His software development background is in the areas of NLP, AI, game design, and VR. Ken has designed and developed programs for a variety of organizations including the FAA, NASA, the United Nations, Caterpillar, Ingersoll Rand/Trane and General Motors.

What does tech have to do with income inequality? Well, for starters, we can better address society’s looming environmental and social issues if our basic needs are getting met. Technology can be our greatest friend, helping us solve problems that run the gamut — from pandemics, carbon and global warming, education, social injustice, and more! 

But as the income gap continues to grow, we have created an economic climate that flirts with collapse.

✔️So how can digital transformation level the playing field?

✔️Is inclusive capitalism a real thing, or just another seductive spin like ‘trickle down economics?’

✔️What are the latest technologies and platforms that show us a better model of how greater income can be earned and enjoyed by a greater number of people?

✔️And even better, what other problems can we start to tackle with tech innovation?

Join us as we welcome special guest, Dale Kutnick, who is SVP and distinguished analyst at Gartner and founded the Laura and Dale Kutnick Foundation, as he shares his passionate insights on how tech can address a wide range of problems, and what steps we need to take to get the ball rolling.

Back by popular demand! We’re thrilled to welcome back our esteemed panel of global youth climate leaders for a second round of discussions on Net-Zero.

In order to meet the 1.5°C global warming target in the Paris Agreement, global carbon emissions should reach net zero by the year 2050. A lofty and admirable goal. But what good are goals if we aren’t making measurable progress toward them? Not much. In part two of our discussion, we’ll be asking these questions:

✔️What are the incremental steps we need to be taking now to achieve net-zero by 2050?

✔️How can we hold ourselves and others accountable?

✔️What areas are the most important for us to focus our efforts?

✔️How can we offset the challenges presented by climate change deniers?

Meet the panelists:

Beth Eden is an independent sustainability impact and engagement consultant, implementing SDGs in institutions and networks globally. She is also a volunteer Sustainability Communications Officer for SDSN Youth (Sustainable Development Solutions Network), a global movement to build a network of institutions to promote practical solutions for sustainable development and implement the United Nations SDGs and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Beth was recently named one of Corporate Knights 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders.

Flaviu Cipcigan, PhD, is a researcher and strategist at IBM Research. His research uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials for carbon capture. Flaviu also co-authored a method to accelerate the discovery of antibiotics published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. He led a joint project between IBM Research and a multinational pharmaceutical company to improve collaboration in drug discovery. He holds a PhD in physics from the University of Edinburgh. Flaviu co-founded and serves as co-curator of Global Shapers Manchester, and he was recently included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list. 

Luna Abadia is the Founder and Executive Director of the Effective Climate Action Project, a youth-led environmental organization with a mission to promote effective and systemic solutions to climate change.

She is pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma and is in her 11th year of the Spanish Immersion Program. Luna spent a year abroad in Japan as a Rotary Youth Exchange Ambassador, where she represented the US and won the JAFIE National Japanese Speech Contest for high school students in Japan at both the regional and prefectural levels with her speech on climate change. 

Lore Van Onsem is a climate activist and author of If Nature Had a Voice, about a girl struggling to find a place for climate change in her life.  She learns about the reasoning behind human's complicated relationship with nature, the chance humans have to survive climate change, and more. Lore has been invited to join Darcy Winslow (Founder of Academy for Systems Change, former Nike GM) on the 2041 ClimateForce Expedition to Antarctica in November 2021.

Vivek Badiani is the Co-founder eCO-SENSE, an ultra low-cost smart farming kit. Sensors in the soil measure metrics such as temperature, humidity, moisture and carbon dioxide emissions as well as nutrients. The sensors are sustainably powered using a biophotovoltaic cell that generates electricity from photosynthetic materials such as vascular plants and can be placed directly in the field, making batteries redundant. The data is transmitted wirelessly and stored in a connected cloud platform. Vivek is currently studying to achieve a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.