Episode 91: AI Doppelgangers, Google Outage, and Vaccine Apps
Release Date: 12/22/2020
The Killing IT Podcast
Closing in on 100 episodes . . . After a few hiccups on the Internet, we managed to record this week's show. Please support our advertiser! Topic 1: Azure in a box? Microsoft is rolling out data centers "in a box." Earlier, we reported on Microsoft putting data centers on the ocean floor. This containerized project has been in the works since at least 2008. Note: We hereby claim copyright to the phrase, "Dude. I need a data center." Link: Topic 2: Net Neutrality Revived for 2021 Dead? Not at all! With the recent election, the Democratic version of Net Neutrality could see the light of day....
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One very serious topic, and two somewhat-lighter topics this week. Please post questions or comments. And don't forget to share with your friends. Topic 1: Open Source Managed Service Tools? Here's a seriously interesting question: Is open source software for managed services a beautiful vision of the future . .. or a nightmare. We have different thoughts on this one. Link: Topic 2: The next interface? Gesture controls. We start with a link to a white paper that lays the groundwork for this discussion. It's a quick read, and very interesting. We also encourage you to Google "computer gesture...
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Topic 1: Forrester says US online holiday shopping to reach $173 B Constant question: How much of this is temporary vs. permanent? Have you built a store for your clients? We think this is a great opportunity for IT professionals. Related Link: Topic 2: Is there any good news for MSPs in 2021 Cybersecurity? Predictions include: Cloud misconfigurations will be one of the top causes of data breaches. We’ll see the consequences of employees letting their guards down as work-from-home extends. Legacy security architecture like VPNs will be the weak link for many organizations, and use of zero...
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Special show - and video! We recorded a video version of this podcast. You can view it at . Or on YouTube on the Small Biz Thoughts channel (). In this episode, we take a look at technology in the year gone by and what it means for the year ahead. So, we're breaking away from the strict timing and 3-topic format. First up: What's the status of our big pizza/burrito delivery race? Delivery improved on many fronts in 2020. But none of us took delivery of a burrito! No visible progress, although technology is inching forward That morphed to a discussion of how much of the "changes" from 2020 will...
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Heading straight on toward year end . . . and Episode 100. Stay tuned for a December 29th Year-end special. But today's show is also good. Topic 1: AI may help you find your doppelganger. The YouTube video below has a look at the technology involved in AI doppelganger research. You can see right away that this dataset can be used to "crowdsource" the improvement of this technology. Related Links: Mentioned in passing: Google's AI singing blobs. Topic 2: Google went down . . . and the world went down with it. Well, for a short while. Below is a commentary (not news) about the use of...
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We're approaching Episode 100. Also planning a big year-end podcast. Always stay tuned. Topic 1: Burnout in a Pandemic World … and What to Do About It Okay. It's been nine months of being shut in. This is getting old. What does that really look like? What the best way to deal with it? We explore. Related articles: Topic 2: Data centers aren’t dead But they’ll never look the same again. Data center in a box becomes reality. Topic 3: Uber Exits the Self-Driving Car Race . . . well, mostly. Kinda. Uber sold off their self-driving department . . . to a company they have a huge stake...
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Looking forward to Episode 100! As we close in on the end of 2020, we are also fast approaching our 100th episode. Thank you for following us, sharing our podcasts, and giving us the big thumbs-up. Topic 1: AI Reveals Racial Inequalities in NYC We've talked about the layers of bias within Artificial Intelligence, and the impact of human bias on the creation of AI. So this topic looks at using AI to find bias inside existing databases. It's very meta. Topic 2: Growth in renewable energy finally takes off. I think we all know that various electrical generating systems have become cheaper, but...
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Announcement: Killing IT Podcast is available on Audible / Amazon podcasts. If you have an Audible account, just search for “The Killing IT Podcast.” Direct Link: Topic 1: The Robo-job Apocalypse is Being Delayed. We've covered this story from several angles over the last years. Turns out robots are adding more jobs than they are taking away. Robots are affected how much people get paid, not whether they have jobs. Link: 1 big thing: The robo-job apocalypse is being delayed Topic 2: A great resource to explore - NATO's research on evil actors in worldwide technology. Start with the...
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A bit of wisdom from Dave on marketing: If you are only buying a sure thing for marketing, you are LAST. Note: This space is available. YOU could be advertising here. Topic 1: Modern "Proctored" Exams are creating excessive anxiety. Cheating-detection companies made millions during the pandemic, and now students are fighting back. (This was originally a Washington Post article, but you need a subscription to read it there.) You should read at least some of this article to get the gist of what's going on. Aside from over-doing distrust, the over-use of technology is making the system worst....
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Topic 1: 3D printing that makes sense. We have covered 3D printing several times. Now we get to report on some seriously cool applications. Medical applications are some of the coolest applications for 3D printing. 3d Printing is moving out of the "emerging" phase and finding some real uses in the real world. (See story #3) Topic 2: AI Analysis of Reddit users. Here's an interesting use of AI. The folks over at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) analyzed the words and moods of writers on Reddit over time. They found some interesting shifts in personal emotions over time. We look...
info_outlineHeading straight on toward year end . . . and Episode 100.
Stay tuned for a December 29th Year-end special. But today's show is also good.
Topic 1: AI may help you find your doppelganger.
The YouTube video below has a look at the technology involved in AI doppelganger research. You can see right away that this dataset can be used to "crowdsource" the improvement of this technology.
Related Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1nz5Bkpmcw
Mentioned in passing: Google's AI singing blobs.
https://artsandculture.google.com/experiment/blob-opera/AAHWrq360NcGbw?cp=e30
Topic 2: Google went down . . . and the world went down with it.
Well, for a short while. Below is a commentary (not news) about the use of technology to track us and control us. We discuss how accurate this is, and the lessons we hope to learn from the analysis.
Commentary:
Topic 3: Life after the pandemic: What we're learning from Vaccine Apps
Tracking might be good or bad. "Vaccine Passport" apps may be used for ways they are not intended. Aside from fighting the pandemic, there are some obvious questions about privacy, HIPAA, and personal liberties.
We discuss. And remind you that there's tech that you might be able to integrate into your service offerings.
Related Link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/technology/coronavirus-vaccine-apps.html
:-)