Tech Unlocked

From gaming to entertainment, Virtual Reality (VR) technology is changing the way we interact with each other and the way we see the world. But how is VR being used for good especially when it comes to mental health awareness?

In this episode, Grace chats with Patrick Wetzel a associate producer at Flight School Studio about how their VR film project "Weird Times" is helping teenagers talk about their mental health. Flight School is an award-winning studio of artists fearlessly exploring the unknown in mixed-reality immersive entertainment, live-venue activations, games (console, PC, and mobile), and experiential design.

Key Takeaways:

• What is Weird Times (WT) and how is it helping teens talk about their mental health?
• The process behind creating WT
• Why VR is the to right tech to foster conversation about mental health issues
• Criticism of WT and how its being addressed
• Any challenges while creating this project?
• What is the future of "VR for good"?
• Skills needed to thrive in this career field

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Connect with Patrick:

https://flightschoolstudio.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-wetzel-5a0ab991/

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If 2021 was the year of NFTs then 2022 is the year of DAOs. Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) essentially mean decentralized communities with a shared bank account on the blockchain.

In this episode, Grace chats with Maricris Bonzo a Developer Advocate at Magic Labs and founder of Women in Web3 about DAOs, their structure, and their purpose.

Key Takeaways:

• What is a DAO?
• Why do we need DAOs (purpose) and why now?
• How are DAOs structured?
• What do you need to start a DAO?
• What are the pros and cons of DAOs?
• What does the future of DAOs look like?

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnxykf88sTk&ab_channel=Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyhackl/2021/06/01/what-are-daos-and-why-you-should-pay-attention/?sh=1cd6bd467305

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) | ethereum.org

https://ethereum.org › dao

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Connect with Maricris:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seemcat

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NFTs became a $40 billion market in 2021 according to the Financial Times. CoinBase has a waiting list of 2 million users for its upcoming NFT marketplace launching sometime in 2022. Bored Ape Yacht Club creator (Yuga Labs) raised $450 million to build an NFT metaverse.

Right now the Interest in NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) is only increasing and many people are trying to figure out the best way to start learning about or investing in NFT. If that's you, then this episode is for you. In this week's episode, Grace shares 5 important questions you should ask yourself before getting into the NFT space.

SOURCES:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/22/22991272/yuga-labs-seed-funding-a16z-bored-ape-yacht-club-bayc-metaverse-other-side

https://www.ft.com/content/e95f5ac2-0476-41f4-abd4-8a99faa7737d

https://fortunly.com/statistics/nft-statistics/#gref

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-people-buying-nfts-investing-in-nft-crypto-art-2021-3

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In this week's episode, Grace shares her experience as a first-time attendee of the SXSW (South by Southwest) festival. From NFTs panel sessions to VR exhibitions, Grace talks about her learnings and key takeaways from a tech perspective at SXSW 2022.

References:

https://www.blackat.xyz/

https://www.sxsw.com/

https://amazevr.com/

https://hub.bcl.xyz/sxsw

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There are so many different factors that contribute to having a healthy career. If you're early in your tech career it can be hard to create a career plan that can help you thrive. In order to have a thriving tech career, you want to avoid certain mistakes that aren't common or frequently talked about. In this episode, Grace shares 5 major career mistakes to avoid earlier in your tech career.

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Recently, on Feb 19 2022 it was reported that $1.7 million in NFTs were stolen in an apparent phishing attack on OpenSea users. OpenSea is one of the largest NFT marketplaces and is currently valued at $13 billion. Phishing attacks are nothing new on the internet. But this OpenSea phishing attack raised a lot of discussion & concerns on Twitter about NFT security, tech literacy, and social engineering attacks in web3. In this episode, Grace shares how you can avoid phishing scams, protect your NFT/crypto wallet(s), and tips for being safe while using Discord.

What you will learn:

• What happened in the OpenSea Phishing attack
• How to recognize a phishing scam
• 4 ways to avoid a phishing scam
• What is a crypto wallet
• What is a seed phrase
• Private key vs Public key
• Cold wallet vs Hot Wallet
• 5 Best practices for NFT wallet security
• Security tips to stay safe on Discord

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Instagram: @gracemacjonez

Enjoyed listening to this episode? Please leave a review on iTunes and Spotify. Questions about sponsorship? Email us [email protected]

Women of Color in Emerging Tech [WOCIET]:

Web3 for beginners event [Feb 26th, 2022]: https://lu.ma/uo6grrv8

Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/wociet/

Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/20/22943228/opensea-phishing-hack-smart-contract-bug-stolen-nft

https://cryptobriefing.com/opensea-hack-key-takeaways-web3-security/

https://web3isgoinggreat.com/?id=2022-02-19-1

https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1461742366696652809?s=21

59 | What it takes to build a web3 company for Athletes with Kirby Porter

What does the intersection of sports and technology look like? How can athletes leverage web3 to participate in the ownership economy?

In today's episode, Grace chats with Kirby Porter Founder of New Game Labs and former student-athlete at Harvard Women's Basketball. She is a brand builder, creator, and entrepreneur envisioning new paths for athletes beyond the game. Kirby shares what it takes to build a web3 company, how athletes can benefit from web3, and the best way to learn about new ideas like NFTs/web3.

What you will learn:

• Creator economy vs ownership economy
• The inspiration behind New Games Lab.
• How can athletes benefit from web3?
• What are some challenges building a web3 based company
• How to get over the fear of putting yourself out there as a creator
• Skills needed to thrive in web3 as a creator

Resources:

Web3: web3resourceguide.com

What is web3

What Is Web 3.0 & Why It Matters

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Connect with Kirby:

Twitter: @KirbyPorter_ LinkedIn: Kirby Porter

Enjoyed listening to this episode? Please leave a review on iTunes and Spotify. Questions about sponsorship? Email us [email protected]

There is no doubt that now is the best time to work in the tech industry.

With most tech companies offering remote/hybrid job roles, health care benefits, and paying highly competitive salaries there are so many earning/learning opportunities within this industry. But with all that being said, is working in tech right for you?

To help answer this question I bought a special guest on the show. In today's episode, Grace chats with David Macjones a technical specialist at Amazon Web Service (AWS) about how to figure out If working in tech is for you if college degrees are overrated, how to spot catfishing tech jobs, and how to use social media to connect with the right people in tech.

___

David Macjones is a technical specialist with Amazon Web Services. He has over 6 years of technical support experience while working at Apple, Amazon, and a few startups. David is passionate about educating and helping people with non-traditional backgrounds land a role in tech.

___

What you will learn:

• How to assess if working in tech is for you
• How to spot catfishing tech jobs
• Are college degrees overrated in tech?
• The importance of content creation in tech
• 4 Keys to unlocking your tech career
• Why it's important to do your research before reaching out to people
• Why you shouldn't look down on non-FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix Google) companies.

___

Resources:

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/tag/coding-bootcamps/

https://generalassemb.ly/

https://www.geekwire.com/2022/amazon-more-than-doubles-max-base-pay-to-350k-for-corporate-and-tech-workers-citing-labor-market/

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Connect with David:

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-macjones-a949758b

Enjoyed listening to this episode? Please leave a review on iTunes and Spotify. Questions about sponsorship? Email us [email protected]

Web3 is one of the biggest buzzwords right now in tech. Some see it as the future of the internet and others believe it is just a fad. Regardless of how you feel about Web3, it is a technological concept that shouldn't be ignored because it has the potential to change use and interact on the internet

In today's episode, Grace chats with Jessica Lawson CEO + Founder of Radia and Web3 Influencer on TikTok about the pros & cons of a decentralized internet, the benefits of Web3, and the future of web3. If you're looking for a simple and relatable way to learn about web3, this episode is for you.

Jessica Lawson is a Web3 Influencer on TikTok and CEO and Founder of Radia, a web3 music and virtual artist company transforming NFT characters into live touring musical artists. As a queer Latina, she is passionate about Web3, music, and providing opportunities for all to come together and create. As the former Chief Operating Officer of Spirit Bomb, the world's first virtual artist record label, and Strangeloop Studios, a music visual laboratory, Jessica is an expert in virtual artists. She attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business for her MBA and majored in International Politics at Georgetown University.

What you will learn:

• Why do we need web3?
• What are the benefits of decentralization?
• Challenges of building a company in web3
• Opportunities for people of color in web3
• Current problems with web3
• What is yield farming?
• How to DYOR (Do your own research)?
• What will the future of web3 look like?

Resources:

Web3: web3resourceguide.com

What is web3

What Is Web 3.0 & Why It Matters

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Connect with Jessica:

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicaelawson?lang=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicalawson92

Radia_world: https://twitter.com/radia_world

Enjoyed listening to this episode? Please leave a review on iTunes and Spotify. Questions about sponsorship? Email us [email protected]

It's hard to talk about tech in 2022 without talking about money, specifically fintech (Financial technology). It is an emerging industry that uses technology to advance financial services. From online banking, investing apps, and crypto, Fintech is disrupting the traditional financial systems we once knew.

In today's episode Grace chats with Nicole Casperson, a fintech journalist turned content creator about top fintech trends people of color should know and the future of this rapidly growing industry. If you love learning about money, tech, and innovation, you will enjoy this episode.

Nicole Casperson is the founder and host of WTFintech? a fintech podcast and newsletter that provides industry professionals the news and analysis they need to get ahead in their careers — and hosts interviews with founders and investors you won't hear anywhere else.

Nicole intertwines her years of experience as a hard-hitting finance journalist with industry expertise to provide culturally relevant content that explores how technology sparks innovation, inclusion, and fun in financial services.

Nicole is a part of rising media company Workweek, as one of their founding content creators. Workweek entertains, educates, and connects the business community through unique personalities, unparalleled expertise, and innovative operations.

What you will learn:

• What is fintech and why is it important?
• Top 4 fintech trends you should know about
• What is wealthtech?
• The problems with traditional finance
• Tips on how to participate in the creator economy
• How to get into fintech
• The future of fintech

Resources:

RSVP: Women of Color in Emerging Tech: NFTs for beginners study session

https://lu.ma/a9st5ks8

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Connect with Nicole:

Twitter

WTFintech Newsletter

WTFintech Podcast

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