Tech Byte with MARK STROSS

The Rand Corporation coined the phrase "Truth Decay", to describe where we are today in American history. Now more than ever, people polarize over many things...things that should be disputable by facts. Meaning, people disagree on things that previously would be considered indisputable. We're not talking about disputing details, we're talking about absolute disagreement on the "main things". Not just the details. Our social media and online experience has put us in a false reality where we think that everything we see, in our online universe, is the truth.  Mark explains the content of two videos that discuss this new reality, where truth is served to individuals based on their selected patterns of thought and clicks online. 

Do you put your cell phone on the table during dinner? During a meeting? What does this say about you? If you don't, does it drive you crazy when someone else does?  What does it say about them? Some say cell phones are destroying our relationships. Holding a cell phone in your hand or putting it on the table, places your device "equal" to that person. Is that what you want to communicate? Is that how you feel? Or is it subconscious? Mark Stross will challenge you to observe the social dynamics when you have your phone out, or if you put it away. Check your priorities, you are communicating your priorities to those you are with, whether you know it or not. Join in the discussion. It's an interesting one, for sure.  

As adults, we must safeguard our digital footprint, become informed about who and what is keeping tabs of our activities. But who is protecting our kids? Too young to think about consequences, they follow the adrenaline rush and dopamine hits to the newest trend, without a single synapse of worry about who might be watching. Unfortunately, the youth are quite casual about who has their information and don’t concern themselves with digital protection. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and protect our personal information. It is also our obligation to the next generation to model responsible behavior, and teach them safe, moral and ethical online behavior.

Mark introduces you today to Larry Fink's Alladin, the artificial intelligence AI behind Blackrock. This "robot" has been getting smarter and smarter, and more and more powerful over time, to those in the financial markets. Today, asset managers depend on Alladin as if it's oxygen. From saving banks to controlling a significant portion of the economy, Alladin advises and manages more than $20 trillion through Blackrock's relationships with banks and financial institutions. Did you know that a robot is charge of that much money? I told you this was happening, but you didn't believe it. 

Would you like to own the Eiffel Tower? How about the Taj Mahal? How about the Cowboy's stadium? SuperWorld is a virtual world built on the Ethereum blockchain, based on real life locations and maps. Dividing the earth's surface into more 64 billion properties, SuperWorld wants to interest real estate investors in picking up valuable properties for real money, in this unreal world. The developers promise that an investor can purchase virtual property, develop, subdivide, trade, and sell on this property and generate income. Sound unreal? Well, apparently it is. Tune in to what happens when Mark calls Customer Service at SuperWorld to find out how. 

Episode 100! Mark reads Oxford's online dictionary meaning of woke. Then moves on to discuss the incident that happened when a female entered the Metaverse and was reportedly "harassed and assaulted".  The story goes that the woman felt an increased amount of vibration through her handheld controller, which occurred when others in the Metaverse got close to her. Mark explains how we should worry about much more than bullies in the Metaverse. Those in charge, programming, and designing are the ones who need to be held accountable. Intriguing show, causing you to pause and consider what alternative universes have to offer going forward.    

What is it with this cancel culture? Two free, American men sharing their opinions on public platforms, suddenly eliminated from the ongoing conversation about American culture and society today. Jordan Peterson and Dave Rubin. Is the goal of public media, social media, and online platforms to control the conversation? By censoring, modifying, minimizing, or canceling one side of the story, these Big Tech companies are essentially eliminating the conversation. Take a seat and listen to Mark Stross' take on who holds the power in social conversations today, and what we need to do about it. BONUS content available on the TechByte Fan Page. 

Join Mark on a journey back to the beginning or radio. 100 years ago, there was a clear intention for what was then unveiled as "broadcasting". See how understanding old-fashioned radio and its beginnings provides insight into social media and the continual trajectory of technology today. We must continue to study history, of all things, to learn from it, advance beyond it, and not repeat it. This episode includes bonus material on the website. Just click on the Techbyte Show flashing button at the top of the page. 

Artificial Intelligence. It allows computers to perform tasks and calculations like a human, faster or better than we can do them. Additionally, AI is machine learning, algorithms, and data put together in such a way as to create things that did not previously exist. At this moment, artificial intelligence can access knowledge, or content, from the web, look up data with scanning speeds faster than any human could read, and make something useful. Apps: the small, specific software programs used primarily on mobile devices, that perform a specific operation as a tool or information platform, can now be created on demand, using your product photos, branded content, and a cloud-based system. There it goes again, (AI) putting more people, this time App Developers, out of a job. Sheesh! 

Elon Musk want to establish settlements on Mars. And with his popularity comes an automatic enthusiasm about his ideas. However popular, the idea warrants serious discussion about the conditions there, the limitations of our human bodies, and the needs of technology to solve some of these natural environmental incompatibilities. For example, did you know that the Martian soil is toxic to plants native to the Earth? Do we modify the plants? or the soil? Once we get there, could we ever return to Earth? This is a fun and informative TechByte show where Mark and the gang discuss the pros and cons of Martian life. Would you want to go?