TCAST: The Future of Data & AI

At this point, it is probably safe to say that most people have heard of blockchain. However, most of those people would likely say that it has something to do with Bitcoin. Obviously, they aren’t wrong. However, blockchain existed before the granddaddy of cryptocurrency burst into the mainstream consciousness. In fact, it existed before Satoshi first spoke of Bitcoin in his 2008 white paper. Bitcoin just took advantage of its security features – one of the most important of them being timestamping. 

Blockchain was invented back in 1991, when the internet was still the domain of scientists, academics, the military, and the unpopular kids at school. In their own paper published that year, W. Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber made it clear they saw the digital revolution that was coming. The pair recognized that a component of that would be the digitization of all kinds of documents, from papers like theirs to medical records to home titles. They also foresaw a problem we now take for granted – the fact such things are all too easy to fake. 

We’ve seen that again and again in the Digital Age. Not a week goes by that we don’t hear of a data breach at a major company that puts people’s identities at risk. Any time that happens, there is a chance for people to lose money, reputation and even their homes. All because our data and our digital documents are rarely as secure as they should be. 

That established, how can blockchain and specifically timestamping help? Timestamping is so simple, it just means that when something happens, a time is attached to it. If a lease is created, there is a timestamp for it. Once it’s signed, it’s stamped again. When it ends, it is stamped. There is a clear, chronological record of any change made to a digital record. No one can come along and alter that time, no one can insert a false record with a false stamp into the blockchain. Remember, one of the other features of blockchain is that a copy of every transaction exists on every node in the chain. This is what actually makes the whole concept of digital signatures possible. Without the timestamp as part of the code associated with a legal document, it would be easier to produce a forgery with a different signature. That docusign feature is doing a lot more than destroying the last use for fax machines. 

If you think about it, timestamping is a much older concept than 1991. It’s been used in court reporting, medical records, research, and logs of government activity for thousands of years. Date and time have been attached to events to make sure there was a solid understanding of how events progressed ever since there has been papyrus to write it on. Whether keeping track of royal negotiations or the progression of a medical treatment, the importance of timestamping has been recognized long before the computer was invented. Haber and Stornetta simply realized the same concept needed to be adapted to our current circumstances. 

Properly applied timestamping is essential for virtually every aspect of modern society. It not only allows for the tracking of the ownership of data, because of how simple it is to verify it prevents the theft of everything from documents to intellectual property. We will probably never know just how much time and money hasn’t been wasted on legal disputes thanks to this simple and effective technology. 

TARTLE of course makes use of exactly this technology in our data marketplace. It is what allows us to keep track of your data and where it goes after you decide to sell it. If someone down the road needs to verify its source, they’ll always be able to. If someone tries to falsely attribute data to you, you’ll always be able to point out that it doesn’t have your code attached and there is no timestamp that can be traced back to you. That’s how we protect both you and your data.

What’s your data worth? www.tartle.co

Blockchain and cryptocurrency are inseparable terms in the modern world. Yet, blockchain existed almost two decades before Bitcoin entered the world. One of the most important features of this technology is timestamping. Alex and Jason discuss the history of blockchain and the importance of timestamping for securing everything from a home title to your personal data. www.tartle.co

Guess what, the Earth is only so big. Yes, it is big but it still has a finite size. That means there is only so much room for people and the resources necessary to support them. How much? There is a lot of disagreement on that but in principle, there is only so much space so there is definitely a limit. Which means it makes sense to spend time thinking about how we can make the best use of the resources we have until someone figures out how to efficiently terraform Mars.

One of the many resources we have that does have limited space is farmland. We’ve frankly done a great job in the last hundred years of figuring out how to get more and more out of less. Unfortunately, that has in part been through the use of growth hormones, fertilizers, and pesticides. While that has allowed us to get more food out of less land it has also had downstream effects on the environment that have been less than desirable. Yet, we don’t want people to starve. So, what do we do?

One of the biggest consumers of farmland isn’t actually people but cattle. There is a ton of farmland used to grow food for cattle. Combine that with what we use for people and then factor in the fact there is only so much fertile land to be used and it doesn’t take a genius to see that eventually, we will run out. For one, there is the fact that there are only so many nutrients in the soil and if we don’t give farmland a break, it will eventually run out of them. That’s part of how the USA rose in power so quickly, it had farmland that was virtually untapped, allowing people there to grow more crops that were larger and more nutrient-dense than what was possible in Europe where people had already been farming for centuries. Many cultures have understood this, which is why they developed the concept of crop rotation. Different crops use different nutrients so switching crops lets the soil build up the ones not currently being used. It’s also why the Mosaic Law directed the ancient Hebrews to periodically allow their fields to lie fallow. It gave time for plants and bugs to decay, animals to poop, and bugs to till the soil and rejuvenate it. 

Now though, it is very hard to turn back to that system of farming, maybe impossible. Again, what do we do? One possible solution lies in another problem that we’ve created. Ironically, one that has been exacerbated by industrial farming – algae. 

While fertilizers have contributed to algae blooms in the coastal areas of our oceans which have in turn darkened those oceans and could lead to disruptions of our ecosystems on that end (a subject we’ve gone more in depth on elsewhere), that very algae has a lot of nutrients. Nutrients that could be of use if we harvested more of them and used them to feed both people and cattle. Why not just people? Let’s be honest, Travolta was right in Pulp Fiction, “bacon is good”. And where would Sammy J be without his royale with cheese? People aren’t going to stop eating meat en masse no matter how much some might want that to happen. So it makes sense to find a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way to feed the cattle and so feed the people. Why not make use of this abundant resource and in so doing help solve another problem that we’ve inadvertently created? 

For the record, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to pursue reforms to industrial farming. Those are sorely needed. Yet, it is this kind of outside-the-box thinking that will allow people to live in a way that is both sustainable and comfortable. TARTLE strives to promote and stimulate that kind of creative problem solving by encouraging people to share and donate their data with research organizations. That will help them pursue solutions to our most pressing problems with the best data available – yours.

What’s your data worth? www.tartle.co

There is only so much farmland in the world. Which means there are only so many people we can feed. How many? There are a lot of arguments about that. We do know the number is finite though. Therefore we should be making the best use of the resources available to us. One of those resources that are virtually untapped is algae. www.tartle.co

The other day, Alex and Jason got to sit down for an interview with Jason Loomis, the Chief Information Security Officer for Mindbody. What is Mindbody? It is a cloud business for anything that has to do with health and wellness. As Mr. Loomis himself puts it, if you have a gym, acupuncture clinic, a hair salon or anything of the kind, Mindbody will handle all the tedious activities that need to be done for a business to function but no one actually enjoys. They handle the booking of appointments, paying employees, billing customers, scheduling classes, marketing and pretty much anything else having to do with the annoying paperwork side of the organization. That leaves you free to come up with new ideas and spend more time having actual conversations with your staff and customers. Mindbody got started about twenty years ago as many companies do, in a garage. Since then, the company has grown considerably and is used by a large number of gyms and other establishments in various areas of the country. 

Not that it has always been a smooth and linear development. One thing that Mindbody has been working on the last couple of years is being more agile. That means doing a better job of listening to more customers in a shorter period of time and being able to act on that. The last year only provided the latest example of that need. Given all of the lockdowns that plagued a number of businesses, especially the kinds of businesses that Mindbody serves, they had to find new ways to deliver service. Fortunately, their customers knew the solution, stream workout classes over the internet. That opened up a whole new avenue for Mindbody that allowed them to serve their customers when many were stuck at home. 

Since TARTLE is all about data, we had to know a little bit about how Mindbody looks at data. Given that the company is an app that provides services entirely through the internet, it should not be surprising that they place a high premium on data. One way they do this is by paying attention to how many people are doing what with their service. This allows them to see where they need to focus, what areas need improvement, and which are doing great. The result is a continually improving suite of services that drives revenue for Mindbody and for the businesses they serve. It even helps the customers of those businesses because it makes it easier for them to interact with their gym or salon.

They also place a high premium on data privacy, taking steps to anonymize the data they glean from their app, allowing them to get the information they need without tying it to specific individuals. They take security seriously as well, often going behind the mere requirements of the law to ensure that people are protected, encrypting data in order to ensure their customers’ information is kept private. Mindbody actually has a comprehensive security program. They are big enough that they can provide much more secure services than a lot of smaller competitors but small enough to be much more agile in responding to issues than the big corporations. 

Security has become a much bigger issue in the age of COVID. When everyone is working at the office, security is fairly easy. Everyone is working behind the same firewall, using the same VPN and whatever other protocols may be in play. When everyone works from home, there are a variety of different security levels to be concerned with. You will have some with security on a par with the office or even better. Others will be getting their work done at the local Panera on an unsecured browser and allow their laptops to be discovered on the public network by any rando in the place. Fortunately, Mindbody takes that seriously, even though there is no direct revenue from it. That’s because they do something that too many don’t do these days. They put people before revenue. They understand that on the other end of their apps are real people who are affected directly by any sort of breach. That commitment to people first is why Mindbody is successful and why TARTLE is happy to count them amongst the data champions. 

What’s your data worth? www.tartle.co

Mindbody is an app that provides a vast suite of services to any business that has to do with health and wellness. From gyms, to salons, to acupuncture clinics, they have you covered. Recently, Jason and Alex talked with the CISO of Mindbody about the company’s approach to data, privacy, and security. www.tartle.co

What is a referral? A referral is when you invite friends and family to join TARTLE, and when 11 sign up and link their Facebook account, TARTLE pays you!

How do I earn money and TARTLEcoin from referrals? To earn money from referrals, you must share your personal referral code to your friends and family which they will use to sign up. When the code has been redeemed 11 times, and they have linked their Facebook account, we will pay you $3 USD and TARTLEcoin. *

How do I get started inviting friends and family now? In order to start earning money and TARTLEcoin, you must go to the INVITE FRIENDS tab in the app. You can enter the email address of your friends or family and share directly to your Facebook Feed. Facebook is most times the best option for getting paid quicker. www.tartle.co

What is a referral? A referral is when you invite friends and family to join TARTLE, and when 11 sign up and link their Facebook account, TARTLE pays you! www.tartle.co

TARTLE has a simple mission – to put people back in control of their own data. To help people be able to decide whether or not to share their data when and with whom. A big part of that is making it possible to actually protect their privacy in a digital age that increasingly encroaches on it. 

One of the biggest threats to our privacy is also one of the most prevalent items in the developed world, the smartphone. By now, everyone is aware that they track in some way shape or form everything you do on them. Every click, swipe, search is being recorded and transmitted somewhere for purposes that we can’t even begin to speculate on. Pretty much every app on your phone is also recording and transmitting your information. There are likely dozens of different entities that are recording your data without your consent, all through that powerful little rectangle in your pocket. Then of course there is the fact that the modern smartphone is probably the most effective tracking device ever invented. Not only does it keep track of every move you make, you actually want to have it with you. Somewhere, Orwell is rolling over in his grave. 

With their recent merger with Sprint, T-Mobile is now the second biggest cell service provider in the United States. That puts the company in a position to have a significant effect on your privacy. So it seems like a pretty good time to start looking at their latest privacy policy. After all, that is the document that lets you know what your rights are as a T-Mobile customer. 

Getting into the policy, T-Mobile starts off pretty strong. They talk about maintaining privacy, which would at least seem to imply that they are planning on working, making corrections as necessary to actually keep your information private. Logically, that would mean that not only do they intend on not violating it themselves, they would also be making it harder for third party apps to infringe on your privacy. 

From there, the statement goes on to emphasize how T-Mobile customers deserve transparency. That sounds good, right? Ah, but as we continue things start to get murky. The statement talks about how they are making it easier for customers to protect their privacy. So, that brings up an important question – who is working hard to maintain my privacy? T-Mobile, or me? As a matter of principle, my privacy is my responsibility but then it would be nice if T-Mobile didn’t make a bunch of noises implying something different. If you’re going through this with a critical eye it comes off as a trifle disingenuous.

Which brings us to the real kicker. While they are telling us they are very interested in protecting our privacy and being transparent and that virtually nothing has changed, they then turn around and let us know that they’ll be selling user data to third party advertisers. Which I suppose is transparent since they told us they were going to do it. And in case that might upset you, they have the magic words that most companies are including these days – you have the ability to opt out of data sharing. 

Again, who exactly is working to ensure my privacy here? Why is it up to me to opt out of something that I might not fully understand in the first place? Wouldn’t it be both more honest and transparent to require that I opt in to a data sharing program? It at least is more likely that I would actually know what it is that I’m getting myself into. 

Supposedly they aren’t sharing your name either, but that is hardly important, they already have enough information to determine who you are. Again, this is disingenuous. 

Finally, with the advertising, they are also going to continue to serve you up ads that may or may not be in any way relevant to you directly. Too many people don’t really fit into neat little categories. Believe it or not, it is possible for someone to be sitting around watching UFC while ordering a vest from Patagonia and reading articles on the environment. That kind of behavior has to play hell with the algorithms. 

In the end, this privacy policy starts strong but quickly makes it clear that we are getting more of the same. Putting people into buckets and forcing people to opt out of programs they might not even be aware of in the first place. That’s no way to build trust or protect people’s data privacy.

What’s your data worth? www.tartle.co

T-Mobile has merged with Sprint and thus become the second biggest cell service provider in the USA. That means they have the potential to have a massive effect on your privacy. They’ve also recently released changes to their privacy policy. Alex and Jason sit down to go through it and see if it measures up. www.tartle.co