Festival delle Scienze 2010: Recent Episodes
Tech on Tap
The WRAL TechWire podcast covering the latest tech, business and startup news from Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and beyond.
This week on Tech on Tap, Michael, Laura and Shannon Cuthrell talk about the most important tech news that you need to know over the last month.
Google passes over NC for $13B expansion.
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/14/googles-13b-expansion-plan-skips-north-carolina/
This story looks at the decision by Google to bypass NC in its data center expansion. There are reports that this could be due to privacy laws that may be forthcoming in response to companies like Google Amazon and Apple clustering in cities states lining the coast.
Meet ‘harbinger of doom’ – the new T.rex courtesy NCSU researchers
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/21/meet-harbinger-of-doom-the-new-t-rex-courtesy-ncsu-researchers-video/
NCSU researchers have discovered a new, smaller, species of Tyrannosaurus Rex. “With a lethal combination of bone-crunching bite forces, stereoscopic vision, rapid growth rates, and colossal size, tyrant dinosaurs reigned uncontested for 15 million years leading up to the end-Cretaceous extinction – but it wasn’t always that way,” says Lindsay Zanno, paleontologist at North Carolina State University, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Sciences and lead author of a paper describing the research.
‘What a freaking event!’ – Marshmello’s in-Fortnite game concert sets record
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/22/what-a-freaking-event-marshmellos-in-fortnite-game-concert-sets-record/
Over 10 Million people logged on and attended a concert hosted within the gaming environment breaking the previous record of over 8 million. Does this set the stage for a new outlet for entertainment and music engagement?
TechWire Skinny – Shannon Cuthrell (TechWire Events Reporter) talks to Michael about the growing number of events in the Triangle and beyond and how business leaders, tech enthusiasts, and startup founders can get involved.
Johnson Automotive Group – Front Seat of Innovation honoree:
Zookies Cookies.
The Premise
In this episode of our deep dive into the intersection of tech and culture. Our Tech On series tackles Television and the advent of technological disruptors in the media space. The Tech on Tap team set out to answer three questions about Technology and its influence on Television and Media. Where is TV going? What is happening to viewership? And how are media companies and brands (both local and national) weathering the turbulence? This episode brings in industry leaders and thinkers who are on the front lines of answering these questions and adapting the answers to fit their unique needs.
The Guests
Shelly Leslie:
Shelly Leslie is the General Manager of Audience Development for Capitol Broadcasting Company. Her department operates in the function of a pharmaceutical R&D division, discovering creative solutions and testing new methods that can engage loyal audiences as well as engage new audiences. Her job is to buck the traditional ways of creating and distributing content while finding strategic and fresh ways of positioning and disseminating content hidden in the archives.
In the show, Leslie talks about the history of television viewership and how departments like Audience Development are working to keep up with Over the Top (OTT) disruptors in the present day. Though internet streaming platforms, like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, create boundless opportunities for content creators to connect with new audiences, Leslie talks about how these OTT options are making it harder to get discovered, thereby placing importance on being in more than one place and producing content that is highly engaging and shareworthy.
Pete Sockett:
Pete Sockett is the TV Director of Engineering and Operations for WRAL. In his role with the local NBC affiliate, Pete oversees the physical and virtual technology that goes into the production of local broadcasting. As a member of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in addition to his current position with WRAL-TV and Fox50, Sockett is intimately involved in how local broadcast television is moving the ball forward in engaging users who are already loyal to local TV. Whereas Shelly Leslie’s role is that of exploring new frontiers, Pete Sockett is responsible for making the existing infrastructure second to none.
As a guest on our show, Sockett talks about the advancements in Next Generation TV, where the technology stands a year after its initial unveiling, what these advancements can mean for audiences and the practical uses for giving every user the ability to have a smart TV.
View the photo gallery of the local unveiling of NextGen TV at a National Association of Broadcasters meeting in February of 2018:
Read the interview between, editor, Rick Smith, Pete Sockett, and So Vang about NextGen TV’s progress:
Our Sponsor:
Johnson Automotive Group is a WRAL TechWire partner and the presenting sponsor of Tech on Tap.
View more of their content and how technology, specifically Amazon’s Alexa, influences how we move.
The Tech on Tap podcast is proud to announce a new podcast documentary series about the intersection of innovation and culture. In conjunction with, presenting sponsor, Johnson Automotive Tech-On, will take a deep dive look at the industry verticals that we interact with on a daily basis and how modern technology and innovation are influencing culture and how culture is shifting how we engage with technology. Over the course of 2019, the Tech on Tap team will release one show per month surrounding these subjects. The shows will consist of information surrounding these changes in technology while talking to industry leaders and thinkers about how companies are navigating new disruptive realities.
The first episode of the series starts on February 20th with a look at how TV watchers are changing and how media companies like Capitol Broadcasting Company are navigating the terrain.
Episode List:
Tech on TV
Tech on Transportation
Tech on Change
Tech on Music
Tech on Education
Tech on Funding
Tech on the Outskirts
Tech on Healthcare
Tech on Politics
Tech on Main Street
Tech on Finance
Check for the Tech-On series within the Tech on Tap podcast feed and subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
This week on Tech on Tap, Michael, Laura and Rick Smith talk about the most important tech news that you need to know over the last month.
Apple cracks down on Facebook for data sucking app
This story comes to us by way of Rick Smith and details the infighting with 2 of the worlds largest and most influential tech companies. Facebook got caught with its hand in the cookie jar, again putting users information at risk and skirting the app approval processes set in place by Apple. Facebook was collecting data on its users by paying them through the download and usage of an app that was previously banned by Apple. though Facebook has not been banned from the App Store as a whole, the internal app is no longer available and Android users are still susceptible to Facebook’s less than upfront practices.
Layoffs hit media groups at Verizon, Buzzfeed – Layoffs hit Huffington Post – Vice slashes jobs
Not only are legacy media companies suffering the cost of the digital age, but new media companies are beginning to feel the weight of shifting industries and markets. Without definitive streams of revenue and subscription-based models not living up to the desired hype, digital media companies like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Vice, and Verizon are laying off employees to make up the difference. Even with acquisitions like that of AOL and Yahoo by Verizon, companies are having a hard time competing in the diversified landscape of digital journalism.
Netflix raising prices for 58M US subscribers as costs rise
In the thick of award season, Netflix is not slowing down and with the success of movies like Birdbox and Roma, the cord cutters alternative to entertainment is raising their prices again. This ultimately bodes well for their high visibility but also continues to support the slower growth in the US markets over the course of Q4.
Inside TechWire – Rick Smith (TechWire Editor) talks to Laura and Michael about what is really going on with Apple and separates fact from fiction concerning the location of their next headquarters. Rick also looks ahead to stories that he is intrigued by going forward this year and their cross section with the national and local economy.
Johnson Automotive Group – Front Seat of Innovation honoree:
Sports Tank Innovation Studio
2018 has been a massive year for our country and NC, and there have been a number of highs and lows throughout the year.
Jason Eder, Michael Baylor and Laura Blake sit down for the final time this year to curate a list of their favorite tech and innovation stories that focus on our backyard and our wider world. The team celebrates achievements in capital and exposure for local startups and businesses and laments close calls and places our region missed on relocating companies and layoffs.
After celebrating the growth of our region with the number 1 story of the year, the team shares a quick final thought about how to be our best and most innovative selves going into a new year.
This episode will be the final show of the year, and our team will take a break until late January/ early February to plan content for 2019 while figuring out better ways to serve our listeners.
Laney Tipton (WRAL Digital Solutions) talks to Luke Marshall, the co-founder and CEO of VitalFlo. VitalFlo’s vision is to build a future without asthma attacks. VitalFlo is building products and software that will help people take control over their respiratory health and help practitioners better care for patients.
Having just finished recent trials, Laney and Luke get into the specifics of how VitalFlo is helping people breath easier by giving them clinical data on their own health at home. They talk about how VitalFlo started and where they are going. At the end, Luke gives some insight into what it is like heading a startup in the Triangle and what other startups can gain from being a part of this community by being all in, engaged, and asking the right people the right questions.
Check out more of what VitalFlo is doing and sign up for more updates about their progress at VitalFlohealth.com
This week’s extended conversation is the with the CEO and founder of Carimus and GoodBookey, Tony Pease. Jason and Tony talk about the Goodbookey startup story and how Tony built the company from weekly team meetings at a local bar.
During their conversation, Pease details how GoodBookey leverages gambling for charitable causes. As a software application, GoodBookey takes the existing social practice of sports betting and redirects the winnings to altruistic causes. In this conversation, Tony Pease talks about where the idea came from and how their company could be affected by changing laws concerning gambling.
GoodBookey isn’t just changing gambling, but they are also changing the way nonprofits operate. In the process of incentivizing charitable giving, GoodBookey is giving non-profits the ability to grow their donor list and expand their ability to meet goals and grow their own organizations. The process for onboarding nonprofits is easy and just about any reputable organization can be collecting donations for their cause in 24 hours.
The top stories for this week include Lenovo’s promise to have their executive suite comprised of at least 20% women by 2020. Michael, Laura and Jason talk about what that would mean for the company and how they are looking to accomplish that tall task. They also talk about how other companies can follow suit to create a more diverse workforce.
AAA tests are showing that electronic driving systems are not always reliable and Jason talks about how driverless cars can never thrive on the same roads as man-powered vehicles.
The last top story is about NASA’s Mars landing. The team talks about the purpose of this mission and what that means for the future of space exploration.
This week’s Front Seat of Innovation honoree is Map Anything who is revolutionizing LOT (Location of Things) and just received a series C investment of $42.5 million.
During our conversation teaser, we talk to Tony Pease of Goodbookey. Goodbookey seeks to use gambling for charity. Jason talks to Tony about his company’s origins, their purpose, and how it all helps charities in the short term and the long term.
After the break, we tackle this week’s deep dive is about holiday scams and how our phones are helping us to keep our banking information private and secure from being hacked.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is any endpoint that connects to the internet. With that definition, every person on earth with modern day access to the internet is a part of the IoT. When you go deeper it is a big and sometimes confusing concept to unpack. Today we are talking to Nancy Shemwell, who is the COO of IoT community and is helping us to unpack IoT as we talk about its genesis, benefits and potential dangers.
The IoT community is a 23000 member organization that seeks to support large companies and entrepreneurs in various verticals within the Internet of Things through thought leadership and the sharing and exchanging of ideas and trends. We talk to Nancy about IoT Community’s Centers of Excellence in Healthcare and what their events do to uplift the larger tech community.
IoT community offers seminars and events throughout the year. Their next virtual event is coming up on December 11th and their next IoT Slam live is in June 2019. You can find more information on becoming a member and more information on their events on IoTcommunity.net.
Laura, Michael and Jason start the show by lamenting and celebrating the loss of Amazon HQ2 to New York and Northern Virginia. They talk about what is next for the Triangle and why the Triangle might have missed out on the tech giant.
The Front Seat of Innovation honoree is RewardStock. The local company helps people travel freely by connecting their travel dreams to their savings, spending and credit. Founder, Jon Hayes will be representing RewardStock in an upcoming episode of SharkTank on ABC.
During our conversation teaser, Jason Eder talks to Nancy Shemwell (IoT Community COO). They discuss what IoT community is, what IoT looks like in its most practical application and IoT Community’s Healthcare Center of Excellence. Listen to the show next week for more from this conversation.
The team takes a look at the 2018 midterm elections and delves into whether or not tech should be used to improve the elections process from voting to counting. Jason also details how blockchain could be the missing link to giving more voters access to the process.
Michael Baylor (WRAL Digital Solutions) headed down to Wilson, NC to talk to Greenlight Community Broadband and other community members about the innovation in Eastern North Carolina, during its annual Whirligig Festival. Since the time of tobacco trading, Eastern North Carolina has been a leader in agriculture and business, and Wilson has taken that storied history into the future with its emphasis on creating a place that modern day businesses and startups can thrive.
The pride and joy of Wilson, NC is the Whirligig Park featuring many of the mainstays built by artist and engineer, Vollis Simpson. Whirligigs give way to Wilson, NC being at the intersection of arts and innovation, as the city uses the art pieces to teach local students and visitors about gears, machinery, and weather. That history of innovation leads this city, in small-town America, into the present day as it develops its smart city capabilities and its community broadband offerings.
Tech on Tap got the opportunity to talk with the General Manager of Greenlight (Will Aycock) the communications and marketing director of The City of Wilson (Rebecca Agner), and the key accounts manager for Wilson Energy (Grant Roberson). Wilson, NC is a leader in providing utilities through the local government. We talked about their collaborative efforts in building a smart city, an innovation hub for startups and businesses, and the benefits of having the town on a “smart grid.”
In this special breaking news edition of Tech on Tap, Laney Tipton is joined by Jason Eder to talk about the bombshell of Apple reaching a deal to plant roots in the Triangle, anticipating thousands of jobs paying over $100,000.
In order to bring more context to the story, Laney and Jason talk to the WRAL reporters who broke the story, WRAL TechWire editor Rick Smith and @NCCapitol reporter Travis Fain.
Rick details what he is hearing and the potential impact on the tech community in the Triangle, while Fain tells us how the deal got done and any pitfalls that may derail it.
This week’s show looks at the top news stories on WRALTechWire.com, and the team talks about the latest death involving a driverless vehicle, how Slingshot coffee is making a national impact right from our backyard, changes with a former bigwig at Epic Games and the Triangle ranking in the top spots for best cities to start a career and for the best pay.
Jason, Michael, and Laura kick off a new addition to the show where we hear from listeners and friends about different topics in the tech landscape and our first guest is a friend of the show and Director of Big Top, Molly Demarest. Molly gives us some perspective from the startup community concerning Amazon HQ2.
The latest stories from Amazon Watch 2018 bring us to taxes and how the Triangle might have an inroad to HQ2 because of the money Amazon would save in our region.
Our conversation spotlight is with the co-founder of Momentum Learning, Jessica Mitsch and how their fully immersive coding school is changing the landscape on continuing education.
At the end of our show, Jason, Michael and Laura talk about Google IO and if the new technology that Google is releasing will actually help us to unplug.
In the extended cut of our most recent conversation, Jason talks with Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance. RTA is an advocacy group that sets out to get residents of our region moving more efficiently and effectively.
Coming off of their recent Summit Series, Joe answers the biggest questions surrounding transit in the Triangle. When is 540 going to be finished, creating a faster commute from surrounding towns? Will autonomous transportation ever become the primary mode of transportation? What can we expect in reference to the traffic woes commuters face throughout the Triangle? What did the recent tax hike for public transit go towards?
Towards the end, Jason pitches some novel ideas on how to really get people moving.
Before getting into our the big topic of the day, Laura runs down the most popular stories of the day and more from WRALTechWire.com. From there, Jason, Michael and Laura talk about the recent official visits to the Triangle by Amazon execs, the leaked information from those visit, and what locations Amazon visited in the area.
The Regional Transportation Alliance’s Joe Milazzo is this week’s conversation preview and Jason has some big ideas for transit in the Triangle and how we can get people moving faster and better.
The big conversation of the day has to do with the increase in pricing for some of our favorite tech, including mobile apps, social media platforms and Amazon Prime. The team takes on those price hikes and thinks about whether or not they would pay for their favorite free services and how much would they pay for current subscriptions.
In a special bonus episode of Tech on Tap, Jason talks to the executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA), Joe Milazzo, about the upcoming RTA Summit Series and the exciting things happening with transit in the Triangle.
The RTA has worked for more than 15 years as a voice for the regional business community on transportation.
The RTA Summit Series is a free event happening May 1-3 in Durham, Raleigh and RTP. RSVP at letsgetmoving.org/summitseries to hear from business leaders in the Triangle and share your ideas for how to get the Triangle moving into the future.
In the extended cut of our most recent interview with WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel, Jason and Greg talk about the current advancements in predictive weather technology as it relates to the recent tornadoes in North Carolina and the upcoming hurricane season. Greg lets the audience in on his favorite features from the new WRAL Weather App and who is to blame if you walk outside without your umbrella. At the end of their conversation, Greg reveals his controversial stance on global warming and what we should do about it.
The top stories on tap cover everything from the Big Top Jobs relaunch, to the emerging scene in downtown Raleigh, to Mark Zuckerberg needing more security since his congressional hearings.
It’s a new day in our awareness of our privacy as it relates to social media and the Internet, and Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook behemoth are at the whipping post. A week removed, the team tackles the big questions that were left unanswered after the congressional hearing.
Should our elected officials’ technological competency be at the forefront of our minds when we enter the voting booth? What does common sense regulation look like for any company like Facebook? Is Facebook a media company that should be regulated by the FCC?
Jason, Michael and Laura tackle the biggest takeaways from the congressional hearings and try their best to give answers to the unanswered questions.
In the best of our upcoming conversation with WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel, Jason and Greg talk about predictive weather technology as it relates to the recent tornado devastation in Greensboro, and how the new WRAL Weather app can help you stay up to date on where to place the blame if you get caught in the rain without an umbrella.
At the end, Michael, Jason and Laura talk about the most recent news concerning Amazon Watch 2018, and a life hack that will get you through the headaches of tax season during the Adulting 2018 segment.
In the extended cut of our interview with Laney Tipton Willis, Michael and Laney talk about the RDU Baton, which is an Instagram account with content totally user-generated.
At over 30,000 followers, the RDU Baton has made its mark as the definitive resource for the “must-see” of the Triangle. As the co-manager (with Toni Chester), Laney talks about why the account is so important to locals and transplants and how the account has even helped to bring more residents to the area.
Laney gives her take on whether or not the Baton could persuade major companies to plant roots in the Triangle and what she has learned from helping to build one of the most viral local social media accounts.
Rounding off the top stories on tap, Jason, Laura and Michael discuss the alleged ageism in the rampant IBM layoffs. Our WRALTechWire.com mailbag seems to be split on the issue. Are we failing as a culture to continue to bridge the generational gap in our organizations?
In Amazon Watch 2018 news, Amazon is making site visits to the top 20 finalists for HQ2, but what are they looking for? Traffic has been smooth during spring break, but what should the decision makers do to ‘wow’ Amazon executives? Should the Triangle wine and dine Amazon or play it cool to make them want more?
After giving their takes, the team previews an upcoming conversation with coworker and co-manager of @RDUBaton on Instagram, Laney Tipton Willis, about what it means to go viral, and how people make connections and build an online community.