Emerging Tech Mastery (ETM)

RIP Kevin Mitnick and long live his memory! On this episode of Emerging Tech Mastery (ETM) we brought back on good friend and contributor of the show Frank Trezza, Certified Ethical Hacker, InfoSec professional and all around good human. We discuss the legacy and memory of Kevin Mitnick, one of the best hackers of all time and master of social engineering techniques. In addition, we cover some ini...

We recently did an episode, Our Top 10 Emerging Tech Predictions for 2024 , to explore what might happen in Tech this year.  We thought it would be fun to see what has taken place so far this year and whether we were on point or not. Here were our original predictions: AI disappears behind the scenes AI resurrects old and hard to use Tech Everyone will be a video influencer Media Tech will evolve...

Happy New Year!  Ready for some Emerging Tech predictions for 2024? Well, don't worry we're happy to be wrong and contrarian.  We considered this a fun thought exercise for posterity sake to see where our head and hearts were.  In fact, some of these predictions are already beginning to poke their head up through the cracks of reality. Our Top 10 Emerging Tech Predictions for 2024 AI dis...

This episode is an initial exploration of real world examples of Technology used for social good.  While researching our last episode, 6 Ways to Use Tech For Good , we came across a paper by McKinsey, a famous consultancy, called Tech for Good: Smoothing disruption, improving well being . The paper covers topics like core definitions of technology and well-being, how to measure the impact of techn...

On this episode we explore using Tech for good, socially, economically and philosophically speaking. This show was originally inspired by a talk, How to make learning as addictive as social media , from Luis Von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo, a popular language learning app. In a world of manipulative uses of AI and Algorithms, this perspective was quite refreshing. He encourages us to take the lessons of...

On this episode we discuss Qortal, a community driven initiative aimed at making a new, user operated internet that leverages Blockchain's data security. Rather than focusing on token price and getting on more exchanges like other projects, Qortal focuses on making a usable, decentralized data infrastructure.  The community and even User Interface (UI) harkens back to the vibes behind Torrent...

Free and Open Source Software, FOSS for short, is the backbone of computers, programming, and the World Wide Web (WWW) as a whole. In fact, almost 40% of known websites' operating systems (OS) and a whopping 85% of smartphones use Linux, a wildly popular free and open source operating system. (Source: True List ) “Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community....

For this episode, we pull back the curtain on concrete tech tool categories we use to make this ETM show and website happen. Most of these tools have free versions and almost all are open source. Part of our thinking when creating ETM was showcase all the powerful (free and open-source) tools at our fingertips. The best part of all is that your projects, ideas and endeavors don't have to cost...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been all the rage as a buzz word this year. But, what does AI really mean? And more importantly, what does it do? We're looking at you, Skynet. Here are some definitions: "Artificial intelligence (AI), the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings." Brittanica "Artific...

Curious how Agricultural Technology (AgTech) is helping reverse the cycle of destruction and paving the way for a healthier planet? One of the biggest challenges with new highly industrialized technologies, is their effect on the environment. While there have been a lot of positive shifts toward social good and renewable energy sources, there is still plenty to be done. Luckily, there are some won...

Ever wondered how hackers work?  On this episode we brought back Information Security (InfoSec) professional and Certified Ethical Hacker, Frank Trezza, to tell us.  He helps illuminate where various data vulnerabilities are and how to shield yourself from them. Information Security is the practice of protecting information from unauthorized access, theft and other inappropriate uses without the c...

It's been a little bit since a Rants, Raves and Reflections episode, and this time I'm talking about Technology in general. Technology is not without cost, and I'm not talking monetarily. I'm talking time and sanity. That is usually your cost of admission. Ok, let's jump in to my 7 Rants, Raves and Reflections on Tech in General: Tech is always a project - Troubleshooting...

On this episode we explored engineering the Metaverse and what some of the technologies and hardware are behind it. Engineering is defined as: "The creative application of “scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes"... Brittanica What a cool time we live in to see such rich and engaging uses of this discipline. To dive into thi...

Emerging Technology for 2023 has been quite the transformative and break-out year for lots of cool, cutting edge tools. We have learned and seen a lot and wanted to share our top insights for the year. Consider this a round-up and summary of a variety of topics, and you will find relevant shows for each insight and topic discussed. Happy Emerging Tech journeying! Technology Innovation, like histor...

Meet NeRF, Neural Radiance Fields, a breakthrough technology in media, namely photography, video and 3D asset rendering. No, it's not those children's toys some of us may remember. It's actually a really powerful conglomeration of technology tools like Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) fueled software and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) hardware. NeRF Definitio...

On this episode, we wanted to take a little break from the usual information firehose and rabbit holes we are used to. Instead, we wanted to cover some cool and fun things you can do with your Raspberry Pi.  After all, what fun is technology if we aren't doing interesting things for us personally? 10 Cool Things to Do With Your Raspberry Pi Here's our list of 10 cool things to do with yo...

You may have heard of Immersive Technology, Media, and Video. But did you know that audio can also be Immersive and Spatial? In fact, audio is often the most important and overlooked medium that ties our favorite immersive experiences together. Experiences like gaming, movies, music, and other entertainment we all know and love. To explore this new growing topic, we brought on David Urrutia, an Ex...

Once the sensory overload died down, what was left was incredible experience of cutting edge research and technology.  But, before we dive into ACM Siggraph 2023, let's explore the parent organization that created it, called the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). What is the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)? " ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific comp...

The "metaverse" is known by many, but often not fully understood. This episode brings some clarity and concrete definitions to this topic. Put simply, the metaverse is an open, shared global, 3-dimensional digital environment that's "always on" for people to exist in. This could mean anything from building worlds and games with Roblox or Minecraft to full-on raging at a co...

We were thrilled to get a College student studying Technology Marketing reach out on LinkedIn asking about how they could learn tech in a long term and lasting way. We pondered on this question a bit and came up with 13 things you can do now to learn about emerging tech. 13 Ways to Learn Emerging Tech Learn how to learn - If you can master a great process for learning you can absorb any complex to...

On this episode your host Aaron Mangal caught up with Mike Wilson, community builder and founder of Vegas Crypto Group. Mike has been in the Tech scene before it was fashionable including attending all of the first 10 DEFCon events in Las Vegas. Since then he has built up a local community group and meetup around new technology like Cryptocurrency and Blockchains. He also hosts regular Virtual Sum...

On this solo episode, Aaron Mangal reflects on his decade of being in the Crypto scene from 2013-2023. It all started in the corner of a Brier Creek Panera Bread in Raleigh, NC with the Triangle Bitcoin Meetup. From there it was expanded into a Tech Co-working space called the American Underground in Durham, NC. He and a few dozen attendees would excitedly gather and discuss Bitcoin (the main topi...

On this episode, Aaron Mangal interviews Justin Guidici, co-founder and head of product for Telos (TLOS) Network.  Telos aims to provide fast, scalable infrastructure and feeless transactions plus smart contract functionality. The value proposition improves on problems with many Layer 1 Blockchains like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).  Blockchains like Ethereum and Bitcoin Have Traffic Jams When...

TLDR; No, Crypto is not dead . Yes, there are problems and yes, there are plenty of reasons to criticize it. But that doesn't equate to death.  In fact, it's quite the opposite and is significantly better than its early years on a technology level. 5 Reasons Why Crypto Is Not Dead Reason # 1: The price has dropped significantly since it's all time high - Welcome to the club. Price i...

Well, the Augmented World Expo, AWE 2023, has wrapped up but the realities and memories shown continue to persist.  We assure you, we are not hallucinating but still gathering ourselves from the highly stimulating and visceral experience that is this new Mixed Reality (XR) space. So many brands, corporations, creators and of course developers across all cultures and walks of life which really make...