IT Conversations

Michael Lazerow - How Are Brands Using Facebook Right Now?

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

If Facebook were a nation, it would be the second-largest in the world. A billion images are uploaded there every four days. If Facebook were a president, it would be FACEbraham Lincoln! Michael Lazerow of Buddy Media scales Facebook and presents brand marketing schemes that have worked on the social network. Lazerow says the best campaigns are fairly straightforward. Given the immense popularity of Facebook as media, brands would be crazy not to try to connect with constituents there.

Claire Hunsaker - The African Laptop Killer: Android And The Developing World

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

No infrastructure, no electricity. No electricity, no cable lines. No cable lines, no coaxial Internet connection. No coaxial Internet connection, no problem, because this is how, on the continent of Africa, Android and cell phones become the solution, according to Claire Hunsaker. Her mission is to cultivate consumer market within poverty-stricken areas of Kenya by focusing on access to practical data, developing payment systems, and efficient networking utilizing Google's Android operating system.

Martin Taylor - Ubiquitous Voice Over Broadband

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Introducing his topic as broadband's ubiquitousness as it applies to telephony, Martin Taylor explores the telephony landscape in the future, as well as the differences between fixed and mobile broadband. He also presents several fundamental elements of phone service, including phone numbers, network applications, and the relationship between the provider and the user; Taylor then explains how these key factors will what providers will successfully grow in the upcoming years.

Shel Israel - ePublishing

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Author and tech consultant Shel Israel discusses the issues of publishing in an electronic format. He reviews how he went through the process of preparing his most recent book, Stellar Presentations, for the Amazon Kindle and other devices. In addition, to describing the overall ePublishing concept, he also discusses the various steps necessary to help make an electronic book successful.

Cindy Finnecy - Go Inside the Minds of Over 1,700 CMOs

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The position of CMO - Chief Marketing Officer - is a relatively new C-level position that until recently had a reputation as the "hired gun" with a brief tenure. Lately, more rationality and analytics have been brought in to steady the corporate hand. Cindy Finnecy of IBM introduces a study of CMOs' future challenges. CMOs are looking for help in handling data proliferation, social engagement, device choices, shifting demographics, and other factors.

Will Marshall - Android in Space

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Can a phone function as a satellite? This is the thoughtfully revolutionary question expounded upon by Will Marshall. Cell phone technology seems to have everything necessary to function successfully in earth orbit but what are the drawbacks, and vulnerabilities? Will Marshall, Staff Scientist at USRA/NASA, talks about them.

Bryan Sykes - A Genetic Biography of America

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Moira Gunn talks with author and geneticist, Bryan Sykes from Oxford University about his working combining history, science, and experience of what it means to be an American.

Bernard Pécoul and Yves Ribeill - The End of Sleep Sickness

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Moira Gunn talks with sleep experts, Bernard Pécoul Executive Director at DNDi and Yves Ribeill, CEO for Scynexis, about their work and the development of a drug for sleeping sickness.

Mark Madsen - The Mythology of Big Data

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Can you recall what it feels like when an opportunity is exploding, right in front of you? Like the gold rush in the United States in the 1800's, big data appears to be peaking right now. It certainly has gotten a lot of attention lately, but Mark Masden places it in context in this keynote address. Big data is just another phase of computer science and our use of computers to model, capture, and analyze business processes. Mark emphasizes that we avoid collecting data without a clear vision for its potential.

Joe Karaganis - Copy Culture

Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Do you remember hearing about the massive opposition to SOPA and ACTA? It was a surprising show of unity, and helped temporarily defeat these efforts. Joe Karaganis has been studying global copyright infringement. In a recent report, Joe explains why "piracy" is too easy to stop. He also describes a global problem where less developed countries are prohibited from gaining access to information. In response, he recommends establishing "shadow libraries" to help students everywhere.

Rom Brafman - The Six Principles of High Achievement

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Moira Gunn chats with author and psychologist, Rom Brafman about his new book, Succeeding When You're Supposed to Fail and the 6 principles of high achievement.

Chris Molloy - Personalized Precision Medicine

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Moria Gunn talks about the trend of building a global medical team in order to make better health care decisions with IDBS' Vice President of Corporate Development, Chris Molloy.

Brad Garlinghouse, Tony Conrad, and Jason Shellen - David, Meet Goliath: Infusing Startup Culture

Wed, 2 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

In the early years of the Internet, many of the leading companies were startups. Now they employ thousands of people, but as they've grown, they've become less risky. With growing demands to meet expectations, companies must remain innovative. Two common strategies are: (a) buying a startup with innovative products and people; (b) establishing organizational structures that replicate the culture and attitudes of a technology startup. In this panel discussion, executives from AOL discuss their experiences keeping the startup spirit alive.

Sascha Meinrath - The Battle for Communications Justice: An Open Spectrum Manifesto

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Broadband is still relatively cost-prohibitive, and New America Foundation's Sascha Meinrath has a solution. Rather than having carriers provide all bandwidth for customers, the online market is heading towards a model where apps and data are based on free delivery concepts with pre-loaded bandwidth paid for by the advertiser. Describing the hypothetical and, he says, probably inevitable future of apps, Meinrath discusses the possibilities of content providers paying for select bandwidth in order to ensure large-scale access.

Linda Bernardi - Innovation in a Global Culture of Disruption

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Moira Gunn talks with author and entrepreneur, Linda Bernardi about the her new book Provoke, where she discusses new insights on female entrepreneurs and the steps to forgetting the past.

Eric Ries - The Lean Startup: Lessons Learned

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Remember what publishing was like before the Internet? Many do; many still wish publishing was like it was before computers. Surely, publishing has irrevocably changed. In Eric Ries' mind, publishing has now joined the leagues of music and film, and become a software industry. In this keynote, Eric shares an analogy where he compares publishing a book to entrepreneurship. Eric describes how he approached the publication of his own book and ends with a lean startup recipe for any content producer.

Joichi Ito - Innovation in Open Networks and the Media Lab

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

With the vision of making it a center for research in a variety of areas, MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte founded the MIT Media Lab in 1985. Joichi Ito, the new director at the MIT Media Lab, spoke during the recently held Web 2.0 Expo. Ito discusses how 'The power of Pull' is changing the internet world and talks about the diverse set of innovations coming out of the Media Lab.

Brady Forrest - Brady Forrest Opens Where 2012

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Has the latest iPhone changed everything? Will Google Maps lose market share to OpenStreetMap? Which social-mobile start-ups will survive? These questions set the stage as the Where 2012 conference starts to cover breakthroughs in social-mobile. Brady Forrest, the Program Chair for O'Reilly's Where 2012 conference in San Francisco, shares how he has seen location-based technology evolve. In this one-on-one interview, Forrest points to anticipated announcements from speakers at power players like Facebook and Google Earth.

Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Eric Bakkan, Sandra Sassow, Christophe Williams - Need, Speed, and Greed & the UK's Clean and Cool Mission

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

In these segments, Moira first speaks with Vijay Vaitheeswaran, author of Need, Spped, and Greed, on how the new rules of innovation can transform businesses, propel Nations to greatness, and tame the world's most wicked problems. She then speaks with a delegation from the UK's Clean and Cool Mission.

Mike Riley - Programming Your Home

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

One of the great benefits of the ability to use mobile devices to accomplish many tasks is the ability to take control of your home. Author and developer Mike Riley discusses his book Programming Your Home. He reviews how one can interact with lighting, remotely monitor home security, and many other actions. He reviews the technical aspects of setting up both the sensors and mobile devices to take advantage of the technology. He also reviews specific examples and reviews how he used the Android in particular for his work.