IT Conversations

RJ Auburn - The Rise of Real-Time Text and the Demise of Voice

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

We have all heard that technology is changing, and that the world is changing alongside it. RJ Auburn, CTO at Voxeo, presents several ways his company keeps this idea in mind by changing their customer service and products in reaction to and anticipation of present and future technological trends. He also explains how technology is changing the ways in which people hear, communicate, and use communication tools altogether.

Ariel Waldman - Hacking Space Exploration

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

She had no professional background or experience, but was fully inspired when she sent her shot-in-the-dark email to NASA asking to volunteer. Their receptiveness launched Ariel Waldman into her mission to make space exploration more accessible to the public. In this presentation, she explains that engaging the public is not about corny, sci-fi costuming. It's about removing barriers so inspired people can explore, participate and spread their inspiration.

David Weinberger - Too Big To Know

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Dr. Moira Gunn learns more about changes in knowledge transfer following the internet explosion from Berkman Center for Internet & Society researcher, David Weinberger.

Robert McNally and Punit Dhillon - Advances in HIV AIDS and Tumor Treatment

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Dr. Moira Gunn talks about the latest advances in treatment for HIV AIDS and Tumors from GeoVax Labs president, Robert McNally and Punit Dhillon, CEO from OncoSec Medical.

Cory Doctorow - Designing for Human Sensors, Not Human Barcodes

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

"Right now we are in a shooting war between users and the analytics people, except the users aren't armed." Cory Doctorow argues that users and Internet companies are performing a transaction. A transaction where users give personal information in return for use of products or services. The transaction right now is lop-sided and unfair. To balance the transaction, Cory offers some suggestions.

Rachel Sterne - Road Map for the Digital City: How @nycgov is Realizing its Digital Potential

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

In the face of Hurricane Irene, New York City's website was overwhelmed by residents checking evacuation plans and searching for updates. Fortunately, the data on flood zones were available from other sources on the web. Rachel Sterne heads the City of New York's digital efforts. From providing WiFi in parks and libraries, supporting digital training for the underprivileged, running app competitions, making interagency connections, to setting up FAQs on Facebook and running Twitter hashtags, New York City government is connected.

Andreas Lyder - Odin and Thor: Modular Robotics

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A strut-based deforming system underlies the Odin system of self-reconfiguring modular robotics discussed by Andreas Lyder. In this audio interview, Lyder shows how different systems, such as Odin, M-Tran and Thor, offer different advantages to his colleagues as they research self-reconfiguring modular robotics. Odin provides fast, high-resolution actuation. In the Thor system, each unit has a different function.

Peter Michalek - oX/OpenLynx

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Peter Michalek is leading the the oX/OpenLynx effort, a scalable and comprehensive conceptual solution to support the needs of this next wave of computing. As described by Toby Considine, "plug'ins are used for each new control protocol (BACnet, ModBus, DNP, …) to be exposed in the oX server. This model distinguishes between the low level low voltage protocol used for each system and the information harvesting that one wishes to do in the wide world." Peter discusses the project and its current status and use.

Evgeny Morozov - Marriage From Hell: On the Secret Love Affair Between Dictators and Western Technology Companies

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Why are researchers in the United States accepting money from the government of China, in exchange for improving their surveillance ability? This is one of many uncomfortable questions Evgeny Morozov submits for consideration. He reminds us that although China may be the elephant in the room among obviously repressive governments, the role played by Western policymakers, corporations, and institutions which trade with them, make excuses for them, and profit from business with them is a more immediate peril to us all.

Vik Chaudhary - Testing and Monitoring Mobile Apps

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Vik Chaudhary, VP of Product Management & Corporate Development at Keynote Systems, Inc., talks about the increasing popularity of apps on a variety of smartphones and the corresponding importance of testing those apps for optimal efficiency. Presenting both the challenges and goals of testing mobile apps, as well as demonstrating remote testing of apps, Chaudhary emphasizes testing and data collection as key to mobile app creation.

Jay Phillips - Entrepreneurial Advantages with New Open-Source Technologies

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Jay Phillips is technical lead and project manager of Adhearsion, an open source Ruby framework designed to make building voice- and telephony-enabled applications as straightforward as building web applications. He discusses a handful of technology trends that have paved the way for small and mid-sized development teams to create phone-enabled applications in a matter of days or weeks, not months.

John Kestner - How Twine Can Tie The World Together

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

According to the Supermechanical website, "Twine is a wireless module tightly integrated with a cloud-based service. The module has WiFi, on-board temperature and vibration sensors, and an expansion connector for other sensors." Developer John Kestner describes the device and its development. He reviews how it works, what decisions were made in its design, and how It allows you to connect things to the Internet. He also discusses the community that is working to make the product better.

Gabe Zichermann - Designing for Engagement with Gamification in Open Source

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Gabe Zichermann shares tips on how to use gamification techniques to increase end-user engagement in open source software. Gamification is the process of using game design techniques to solve problems in other domains that are not game related. Gabe is an entrepreneur, a blogger, an author and a gamification thought leader.

Kevin Kelly - Trends and Social Consequences of Technology

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Our long-term interaction with the web will be defined by six trends. These trends will will involve dramatic changes that will make computing more like what we are used to seeing in many of today's movies. Kevin Kelly explains why he believes that soon the internet will beneficially surround us in ways that most users don't imagine today.

Ben Huh - From Blogs to Books

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

It is hard to imagine getting advice on the future of publishing from the Cheezburger Network. Then again, questioning the status quo, and delivering what people really want, is exactly what Ben Huh has done. By using unconventional practices, he has built a group of very popular websites. So maybe it isn't such a surprise that they have published several hit books. In this keynote Huh discusses how they they engineered their books to be best-sellers.

Mark Burgess - Change = Mass x Velocity

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Linking information technology management to popular public technology and physics, Cfengine's Mark Burgess describes the fluidity and diversity necessary to keep up with changes in information technology. Rather than the standardization and bureaucracy that globalization tends to bring, Burgess advocates cultural diversity and human input in IT management but with a universal focus on speed and predictability.

Hal Varian - The Economic Impact of Google

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In discussing the economic value of Google, Hal Varian focuses on the impact of Google Search in terms of time saved, and advertisements on Google in terms of profit, publicity, and communication. Presenting gains and losses with mathematical equations, social norms, and increasing use of technology, Google's Chief Economist presents Google's impact on the world at large and for specific demographics.

Paul Fenwick - All Your Brains Suck - Known Bugs And Exploits In Wetware

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Brains have bugs. Our memories can be faulty, emotions are hard to judge, and we're terrible at rating the value of anything. All in all, Paul Fenwick says, human minds make a lot of mistakes, and we're all easy to manipulate. Listing a number of studies, experiments, and business plans, Fenwick dives into how the mind works, where the mind goes wrong, and how businesses can influence people into buying their products.

Steven Naifeh - Van Gogh and the New Biology

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Dr. Moira Gunn talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Steven Naifeh, about new insights into biology from the pages of his new book, Van Gogh: The Life.

Andy Piper - MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT)

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

As stated on the MQTT website, MQ Telemetry Transport "is a machine-to-machine (M2M)/"Internet of Things" connectivity protocol." Meant to be used remotely particularly when bandwidth is at a premium, it can be used in both mobile and dial-up situations. Developed as part of his work at IBM, Andy Piper discusses the project, including its concepts and background. He also reviews examples of its use and reviews future development plans.