Tech Byte with MARK STROSS

Two Stories of Digital Protection - The Edge - Backdoors & Encryption by Apple and FTX

Mark’s Top Picks from 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - The Edge - Tech That Helps Out

What Made Google Declare Code Red? - The Edge - Microsoft and Chat GPT Join Forces

Discord - The Edge - Capitalism or Evil?

Streaming Services - The Edge - Train Wreck for Shows and Profits!

Calls from Mom - The Edge - Protecting You From Deepfakes

Restrict Act - The Edge - Power Grab by Government? or Good Policy?

People Are Not Buying Computers - The Edge - Apple Down 40% and PC's Down 29%

Project Venom - The Edge - The Air Force's AI Training Program

Right of Repair - The Edge - Wow! It's Deeper Than It Seems

Social Media Warnings from Feds - The Edge - The Surgeon General's Main Points

Medical Bluetooth - The Edge - Man Walks Again After Paralyzing Accident

Digital Bait and Switch - The Edge - Consumers Should Be More Careful When Buying Online

What Is Your Opinion? - The Edge - Amazon is Acting as Judge and Jury, and AI Changes Gaming!

Titan - The Edge - The Story of a Sub

AI vs Humans - The Edge - Jobs AI Can't Take from Humans

Android vs. Apple - The Edge - What Makes You Loyal to Your Brand of Phone?

Threading the Needle - The Edge - Meta, have they found a sweet spot?

Medical Implants Ownership - The Edge - Company Went Broke and Demanded Implant Back?

If You're Incapacitated, Can You Be Identified? - The Edge - Legacy Planning in the Digital Age!

Was X Always the Plan? - The Edge - Elon Was Thinking Beyond!

The Xbox Strike System - The Edge - Is Hate Speech Worse Than Cheating?

Let's Talk About Nothing - The Edge - Designing a Smartphone Differently

Stop ID Flashing in Public - The Edge - Phone Passcodes are Dangerous

Subscription Prison - The Edge - Control Your Exposure and Payments

Overheating & 2:20pm - The Edge - Testing and Probing for Answers

USB-C is the Swiss Army Knife of Cables - The Edge - Your Cable Choice Matters

Phone Stolen - The Edge - Three Things You Must Do

Espionage or Business - The Edge - Chinese Server Farms on US Soil.

Sterling Crispin's Del Complex - The Edge - A Satirical and Provocative Hoax 

Positive Technologies - The Edge - Impacting Society in Profound Ways

Tesla has introduced a Cyber Truck. What? Dominated by Ford, Chevy, and RAM, the consumers in this market have a lot to say about an electric vehicle in this power, performance, and heavy hauling industry.

Following the Alaska Airlines mid-flight disaster when the door panel became literally unhinged, everyone is considering our safety in the skies. (and they should). What does the data say? Are we safer than we were 20 years ago?

Power to the People Update: The Eyes on the Board Act has the support of both sides of the aisle. This legislation could curb the use of social media programs on federally funded school devices and networks. While I believe that school issues are best regulated at the local level, it's good to see our representatives responding to parent's concerns to protect our kids.

Apple's Airdrop feature changes as Apple bends the knee to China. Do you want Chinese sensibility dictating our smartphone features? AND Did you hear? Of course you didn't. Biden's executive order repeals restrictions put in place by Obama. In 2022, safeguards were put in place to protect individuals from spying. Great! But hold on, now Biden has reversed that, saying it's OK to spy on personal information collected through "signals intelligence".

Technology allows us to smooth out fine lines and blemishes on our photos, add clouds to the perfect landscape, or create a computer-generated image that makes a movie Oscar-worthy. TV episodes and movies are using technology to enhance old shows before putting them back on the air. But it's time to ask the question again, "just because we CAN, doesn't mean we SHOULD." What do you think?

FTX founder Bankman-Fried is watching his baby, FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, fall to bits; along with his reputation and his "friendships". More than 2 billion dollars in client money is unaccounted for, with no indication of where the money is. A-list investors include Larry David, who so prophetically advertised FTX in last year's Superbowl ad, is probably not laughing anymore. Listen to Mark's take on how this could happen in the virtual world of cryptocurrency, with back doors, secrets and lies that caused innocent people to lose a lot of money. Crazy story.  

Technology products today are only as good as the software in them. Most digital products have occasional software updates; to fix bugs and enhance features. But what if the company took the update a step further, and actually changed key functions of the device? Mark discusses how this can happen and does more often than anyone would like to think it does. Does a company have the right to fundamentally alter a device you own by changing the software? What happens if you don't like the updates? Should this be allowed? What are your thoughts?

Mark and Bulldog welcome guest Maryana Horlach, Chief Customer & Operations Officer for Blackthorn Vision in Ukraine for a candid view of what it's like to live and work in an active warzone. These are the things you won't hear on mainstream media. Just because we've moved on to the next crisis does not mean that the people of Ukraine have moved on from the bombings, disruptions, and shortages that are impacting their families, lives, and businesses. Listening to her story is the best way to get a feel for what it must be like to be there living each day in an active war zone. Need a hero? Look no further than those men and women who are there working and fighting for their democracy. 

Why should an online payment company get to decide who is allowed on their payment system and who is not.  PayPal has decided it can fine companies who it believes is spreading misinformation. What does this mean? Who decides? What's misinformation? Imagine for one second that your company finds itself fined at best and cancelled at worst, just because your payment processor does not agree with your views. What was your offense; well disagreeing with PayPal’s versions of what is good information. Of course, after this Policy was discovered; founders like Musk said, “you’re a payment system not an editorial board” and PayPal’s stocks plummet due to their economics collapsing with people withdrawing their funds and closing their accounts. It's a grim situation, when something as mechanical as a payment processor becomes the gatekeeper of thought. 

Workers can't wait to get a job at Twitter, with Musk taking over as early as next week. He offered 44 billion dollars, and without confidence in winning the case against them, he's likely to go ahead with the deal. This decision has divided people. Some concerned about the bias he might bring, and others are happy to see him remove the social media giant's present bias. What do you think? Will Musk remove censorship and bias? Or will this controversial tech giant bring in his own? Join the discussion and see what Mark Stross suggests is the case here. 

From an idea in the mind of Frank Rosenblatt in 1957, to 2022, Artificial Intelligence celebrates a birthday. Today, Mark Stross talks about robots having human-like brains, able to be very useful in situations humans don't want to go, like unsafe war zones. With ethically programmed brains, robots can make decisions on their own, and be helpful to all of humanity. Is there a downside? Depending on their creator, they can also be programmed for evil. Think about that with your slice of birthday cake.   

Timing is everything. Countries, states, and municipalities are rushing to legislation favoring electric vehicles. As this happens, the stories (some funny and others tragic) start coming in. Listen to Mark tell you why the infrastructure is not in place, anywhere, for the electric car movement to be successful. All the parts have to work for society to make this epic shift. Have you considered all the parts that have to be working in order for this green agenda to really work? And at what cost? https://www.markstross.com/extra-bytes-blog

What do you get when you combine facial recognition, geotracking, and a coffee shop? An identity thief...That's NOT funny!

More and more public places are installing USB jacks for quick and convenient phone charging. This newest great idea has already been hi-jacked and used for bad by hackers. Mark Stross will tell you why you shouldn't trust public USB charging stations and how hackers can get your information within seconds.  

What you can do to reduce your risk? Use your own tech and don’t trust others - it's a sorry state of affairs, but it’s true.

I'm convinced that people admit they are addicted to their phones, but don't seem to care. Wow, seems like the perfect drug....Addicting, potentially harmful, and no one seems to care. What if I told you that TikTok is bad for your brain? The developers know this, and the Chinese do not even allow their citizens to access the same harmful, addictive version that your kids (and maybe YOU) swipe through for hours on end. Mark tells you why this platform app is worrisome. Put it down and pay attention, people. Is your phone time keeping you from doing other things you need to be doing? Is it interfering with your goals, daily activities, or relationships? Can you put it down? 

The Rand Corporation coined the phrase "Truth Decay", to describe where we are today in American history. Now more than ever, people polarize over many things...things that should be disputable by facts. Meaning, people disagree on things that previously would be considered indisputable. We're not talking about disputing details, we're talking about absolute disagreement on the "main things". Not just the details. Our social media and online experience has put us in a false reality where we think that everything we see, in our online universe, is the truth.  Mark explains the content of two videos that discuss this new reality, where truth is served to individuals based on their selected patterns of thought and clicks online. 

Do you put your cell phone on the table during dinner? During a meeting? What does this say about you? If you don't, does it drive you crazy when someone else does?  What does it say about them? Some say cell phones are destroying our relationships. Holding a cell phone in your hand or putting it on the table, places your device "equal" to that person. Is that what you want to communicate? Is that how you feel? Or is it subconscious? Mark Stross will challenge you to observe the social dynamics when you have your phone out, or if you put it away. Check your priorities, you are communicating your priorities to those you are with, whether you know it or not. Join in the discussion. It's an interesting one, for sure.  

As adults, we must safeguard our digital footprint, become informed about who and what is keeping tabs of our activities. But who is protecting our kids? Too young to think about consequences, they follow the adrenaline rush and dopamine hits to the newest trend, without a single synapse of worry about who might be watching. Unfortunately, the youth are quite casual about who has their information and don’t concern themselves with digital protection. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and protect our personal information. It is also our obligation to the next generation to model responsible behavior, and teach them safe, moral and ethical online behavior.

Mark introduces you today to Larry Fink's Alladin, the artificial intelligence AI behind Blackrock. This "robot" has been getting smarter and smarter, and more and more powerful over time, to those in the financial markets. Today, asset managers depend on Alladin as if it's oxygen. From saving banks to controlling a significant portion of the economy, Alladin advises and manages more than $20 trillion through Blackrock's relationships with banks and financial institutions. Did you know that a robot is charge of that much money? I told you this was happening, but you didn't believe it.