Tech'ed Up

Co-founder and CEO of Lynk Charles Miller joins Niki Christoff in the studio to talk about billionaires traveling to space (unpopular opinion: we're for it), space junk, and how 5G is not a solution to  0G.  His start-up is launching a network of satellites that will connect every smartphone on the planet to broadband coverage, filling in the dead zones.

"There's lots of things you can do in space that will save lives and change lives on earth." -Charles Miller

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British tech advocacy consultancy, Milltown Partners, recently completed a first-of-its-kind study on international attitudes toward artificial intelligence. Director of Technology Policy, Leo Rees, says where you live - U.S., UK, France, or Germany - has a lot to do with how you feel about AI. Bonus: Stay tuned until the end of the episode, when Leo tells Niki about his adventure buying his first NFT. 

 "I think that people are really optimistic about the potential of AI when they think about challenges that they know are currently too big for us with our current tools to take on and take forward. " -Leo Rees

• Read the study "Our Relationship with AI: Friend or Foe"
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Founder of the blockchain and digital assets team at the World Economic Forum Sheila Warren joins Niki Christoff for a conversation about web3. What is it, what does it have to do with the metaverse, and why is it all over the news? Sheila, who is the inaugural CEO of the Crypto Council on Innovation, makes the case that the potential of decentralization lies in individual empowerment and connection.

"You know, there's something really big that's happening here. And I think no matter where you are in the world, people have a sense of that and they know that it's coming through a digital environment." -Sheila Warren

• Learn more about the Crypto Council
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Tech lobbying and "influence" reporter Emily Birnbaum joins Niki Christoff in the studio for a quick conversation about what the metaverse is, why Facebook changed its name to Meta, and how close we are to this virtual 3D future. Do we really have to go there? 

"…If they [Facebook] dominate the metaverse, if they're one of the corporations that gets in there early, then they are going to dictate the rules of the road for other people, or potentially could." -Emily Birnbaum

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Disinformation expert Camille François sits down in the studio with Niki to explain what a troll farm is, how they operate, and the business of building fake online influencers. Plus, what's the difference between misinformation and disinformation? It's a game of cat and mouse between bad actors and teams trying to make social media safer.

"How the hell are you going to know whether something that's fake has been propagated by someone who's there trying to deceive you, or whether it's your uncle again, who really should get off Facebook?" -Camille François 

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Cybersecurity expert and tech investor Niloo Razi Howe visits the studio to talk with Niki Christoff about all things cyberspace -- from cyberbullying and ransomware to disinformation and surveillance.  It's important to our national security mission that smart people engineer solutions to these problems.

"We have a distributed cyber Pearl Harbor happening. There's so much coming at us from so many dimensions. It's time to wake up." -Niloo Razi Howe

• Watch Niloo's TED Talk
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Retired head of global security for Sony Pictures Stevan Bernard wrangled a targeted North Korean cyber attack. In this episode, he walks host Niki Christoff through the hours, days, and weeks after state-sponsored hackers infiltrated the corporate computer network. The conversation covers cybercrime, gunslingers on the Dark Web, the Lazarus Group, multi-factor authentication, password managers, and the importance of having a survival mentality.

"If you think that your employees are not also victims when you have a cyber attack, you're mistaken." -Stevan Bernard

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Commissioner Hester Peirce of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) joins Niki Christoff in the studio to chat cryptocurrency and regulators: the players and the stakes. Affectionately known as "CryptoMom," Commissioner Peirce outlines her vision of protecting investors and consumers while fostering new crypto projects. 

“It is understandable that there's focus on regulation at the start because we've really dragged our heels and haven't provided a clear regulatory framework.”-Hester Peirce

• Read Commissioner Peirce's speeches & statements 
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In the second episode of our Crypto 101 series, blockchain expert Macey Smith, joins host Niki Christoff in the studio to break down non-fungible tokens (aka NFTs) for those of us who aren’t billionaire art collectors, expert gamers, or Mark Cuban. Niki and Macey chat about the Ethereum blockchain, OpenSea marketplace, CryptoPunk NFTs...and a vision for how smart contracts can create a vibrant marketplace for creators and collectors in the not-too-distant future.

At the end of the day, people just like to own things that they think are cool and that they can brag about and whether it's something physical or not- digital is sexy now, y’know? - Macey Smith

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White House deputy press secretary and former Bitfury exec Jamie Smith joins Niki Christoff in the studio to explain the basics of blockchain technology. She says it’s time for all of us to start paying attention to this space. And it's totally okay if you don’t understand it yet.

"I would say to tech companies who work in this space: it's time to be, you know, a full grownup. Avoiding Washington is not possible. It is not an option." -Jamie Smith

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