Tech Byte with MARK STROSS

Advances in computing, video, and digital technology make it possible for you to visit Mont Blanc, the Grand Canyon, or the Sahara Desert. Using AI and satellite images, and typography, computers are quickly creating realistic 3D renderings of the entire planet. Mark Stross takes you on an exciting adventure into the world of digital realism and nature. 

Fascinated with Space? Want to hitch a ride to Mars? Mark Stross takes you on a tour of the technology behind the Mars Rover Perseverance. The maneuverability and computing power in this small vehicle on wheels are unbelievable, allowing it to transmit images over more than 225 million km back to Earth, for you to see. Want to know how many gigs of memory it has? Listen to this episode.  

This week Facebook decided to "unfriend" an entire country. This argument involves Australian government media, freedom of speech, and the hubris of the tech giants, as they practice "surveillance capitalism". This bold move by Facebook closed down the posts of two health agencies in the middle of a global pandemic. Mark Stross weighs in on Facebook's practice to censor content, and the governments who are feeling the impact of this tech giant's misbehavior. 

From the hearth of his gas-burning fireplace, Mark Stross comes to you in the midst of one of America's greatest infrastructure failures in history. This episode includes a discussion of Green Energy, the American energy crisis, and the sentiments of the people in the middle of the winter 2021 Texas Power Outage. Who's to blame? How can this happen? and How can we prevent it from happening again?  

Are you into cryptocurrency? Bitcoin made a major jump when Elon Musk invested $1.5 billion in the cryptocurrency. You can even purchase a Tesla with Bitcoin. Many people are making money with these jumps in Bitcoin value. At the same time, however, authorities are seeing the numbers. While six million people purchased cryptocurrency in a certain timeframe, the IRS had reported income from only a few of them. Less than one thousand taxpayers during that same time period reported these earnings on their tax return. Hear what the government is doing about it in language you can understand.  

We've all heard of cryptocurrency, but do you really understand it? Part 2 of this two-part episode explains this decentralized digital currency in a way that is easy to understand. Why do people trust it? Because it is created in a process that is completely verifiable and protected, actually requiring no trust at all. Without judgement for or against, Mark Stross will bring you to that "ah-ha" moment, when you will come to understand what this is all about.

We've all heard of cryptocurrency, but do you really understand it? This two-part episode explains this decentralized digital currency in a way that is easy to understand. Why do people trust it? Because it is created in a process that is completely verifiable and protected, actually requiring no trust at all. Without judgement for or against, Mark Stross will bring you to that "ah-ha" moment, when you will come to understand what this is all about. 

Remember the person who lost their job during COVID? They got behind on their bills and the cellular service provider cut off their phone. And CLICK, just like that, all of their photos, videos are gone. Including that first look at her sister's baby, and the last breath of her loving mother. This is a terrible story, but what it essentially means is that we don't own our data. Let that sink in.....you don't own what's on your phone...or your computer.....Mark Stross calls for a Digital Bill of Rights, for this and many other reasons. 

What is net neutrality? It's sounds like it's referring to fairness on the internet, right? Or freedom of speech online? Listen in to this episode to hear Mark Stross explain how net neutrality is a misnomer, packaged brilliantly to sell you something that is essentially the opposite of what it implies. An Internet Bill of Rights is what we need, as freedom-seekers launch their own platforms to exercise their rights to free speech. Where is this going? How far can it go?

Nations around the world are rising up against Big Tech Censorship! This is a real headline seen around the globe. Twitter's Rules clearly state that their rules "are to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely." But this is clearly not the case as the social media platform censors Americans but allows murderous dictators to stay on the service "as long as they follow the rules.." Global censorship is happening in a way and at a rate that we might have never believed would ever happen. Open your eyes and see what Big Tech is doing right in front of you.