Episode Summary

On The Digital Life this week, we chat about our tech predictions for 2017 — from AI to custom manufacturing — and look back at how well we managed with our predictions for 2016. 

Resources:
Tech Predictions 2016

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life this week, we chat about the top tech stories of this year. From Twitter's acquisition woes to exploding batteries in the Galaxy Note7, Apple vs. the FBI to the Wikileaks influence on the US presidential election, it's been an eventful and notable year with plenty of surprises.

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Theranos Debacle Triggers an Avalanche of Lawsuits by Investors Who Should Have Known Better

Who will buy Twitter? We ranked all the possible buyers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users’ phones are blowing up, literally

Verizon is buying Yahoo for $4.8 billion

WikiLeaks grilled on Trump, Assange in rowdy Reddit AMA

Apple vs FBI: All you need to know

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life this week, we chat about Facebook's new censorship tool, which features largely in the company's attempts to get back into China. The software, among other things, will regulate what kind of content is allowed in the Facebook news feed. The Chinese government is particularly concerned about unfavorable news reports, on subjects from pollution to protest, that have the potential to go viral. While critics cry foul, Mark Zuckerberg's response is that having some access to Facebook is better than none at all. Is this just a pragmatic view from Facebook, as it continues to grow its global user base? Join us as we discuss all this and more. 

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Facebook Said to Create Censorship Tool to Get Back Into China

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life podcast this week, we discuss parenting in the digital age. Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a study on Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. The study identified both benefits from the use of digital and social media — like early learning and exposure to new ideas and knowledge — as well as risks — including negative effects on sleep and a higher incidence of obesity and depression.

In this episode we explore setting boundaries for our children in the seemingly boundary-less environment of the digital life.

Resources:
When Tech is a Problem Child
Children and Adolescents and Digital Media

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life podcast this week, we discuss digital influence in the wake of this US presidential election cycle. From Wikileaks to Hillary's e-mail server, fake news on Facebook to digital online tribes of like thinkers, in this election cyber communication matured into a mammoth force.

Facebook has been accused of helping to spread misinformation and fake news stories that influenced how the American’s voted. And, not only did WikiLeaks release thousands of hacked internal DNC e-mails just before this summer's Democratic National Convention, it also published e-mails purportedly from John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman less than a month before election day. There's no doubt that digital has become incredibly influential, the question is, what happens next, as misinformation and real facts intertwine online in new ways.

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Facebook, in Cross Hairs After Election, Is Said to Question Its Influence

WikiLeaks grilled on Trump, Assange in rowdy Reddit AMA

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life podcast this week, we discuss diversity in the world of tech, and the cultural, economic and societal factors that contribute to the oftentimes difficult landscape of inclusion in the industry.


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John Maeda Steps into New Role to Help Bring Inclusion to the Tech World

The Lack Of Diversity In Tech Is A Cultural Issue

Dear Tech Companies: Focus on Diversity, Not Foosball – WIRED

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life podcast this week, we discuss the top emerging technologies of this year based on information from the World Economic Forum, a study by PwC and our own analysis. From nanosensors to drones, synthetic biology to AI, this year has seen a huge crop of emerging technologies move into the
commercial realm and the public consciousness. Join us as we break down our top five, and consider the implications for people, business, and the planet.

Resources:
These are the top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2016

What are the eight essential emerging technologies for business?

Episode Summary

On The Digital Life podcast this week, we discuss the distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) that took down the Internet on the East Coast for a sustained period of time last Friday. Dyn, a Domain Name System (DNS) services company from New Hampshire was hit with multiple waves of attacks on its Internet directory servers.

This DDoS attack was propagated by an IoT botnet — essentially webcams, DVRs, and routers from all over the world — that were infected with malware. This is a very public example of an IoT outcome that was malicious rather than beneficial, an interesting case study for this emerging technology that raises serious questions about its future implementation.

Resources:
What We Know About Friday's Massive East Coast Internet OutageFriday's Massive East Coast Internet Outage

Episode Summary

This week on The Digital Life we discuss innovation, game design, and the mind of Albert Einstein. Dirk Knemeyer has been working with the Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to create a new game based on the scientist's life. We explore insights gained from Dirk's research, his approach to designing the game, as well as takeaways helpful to today’s technology innovators.

Resources:
Einstein Game Kickstarter

Episode Summary

This week on The Digital Life we discuss Jon Follett's new book, "Marvin and the Moths", a science fiction novel for young readers that takes a humorous look at life for middle school in a zany world impacted by emerging technologies. While "Marvin and the Moths" is Jon's first science fiction release, he has already authored a variety of other published works. Among them is “Designing for Emerging Technologies” for O’Reilly Media, published in 2014. Looking across a variety of emerging technologies and industries, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and synthetic biology, Jon outlined an audacious vision for how the technology of recent science fiction will manifest as the science fact of our near future. Jon used his background in emerging technology as fodder for this new work of fiction, and science plays an important role in "Marvin and the Moths" which was published by Scholastic in September.

Resources:
Marvin and the Moths