Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast

Send us a text The true cost of Internet shutdowns across the world  Internet shutdowns around the world cost more than $9 billion US according to Top10vpn.com. Their annual report “The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns” shows that 196 major self-imposed internet blackouts happened in 25 countries and 747 million people were impacted. Russia, Ethiopia and Iran were the worst culprits. Unsurprising...

Send us a text 3D printed skin – huge advances could revolutionise wound healing Two major advances in 3D printing human skin could lead to major advances in wound healing. A team of scientists at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in the US have printed full thickness human skin for the first time. They successfully printed all six major human cell types present in human skin, creati...

Send us a text Tech trends to watch out for in 2024 – the good and the bad  We’re predicting the tech trends we may see in 2024. It's a big year with national elections in the US, South Africa and Bangladesh to name just a few - how will technology impact the outcomes? Misinformation is likely to be a big part of the story, and potentially could be a part of the result. The tech companies have bee...

Send us a text The most hacked place in the world…and many more tech stories of 2023  The still gaping gap for women in tech in pay and position - the underdog and the underpaid, to climate tech – the problem or the solution, are just some of the stories discussed in this episode. Intelligence analyst, Agatha Christie fan and Computer Weekly’s 2023 Women in Tech winner Suki Fuller joins regular st...

Send us a text The risk of ransomware attacks - are governments taking them seriously? A report out this week by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in the UK claims that because of the British government’s failures to tackle ransomware, there is a “high risk” the country faces a “catastrophic ransomware attack at any moment.” We discuss whether governments at all levels - nation...

Send us a text Tackling youth unemployment in Africa and making data more accessible  There is a huge unemployment problem among the youth in Africa, and there is a massive data research gap for companies that want to invest or have invested in the continent. A company behind an app called Rwazi is now employing more than 50,000 young people in Africa to collect data on who is buying what, for how...

Send us a text Saving lives at sea with an autonomous lifeboat An autonomous lifeboat is being tested in Scottish waters in a bid to save many more lives at sea. Currently, the main reason for not launching lifeboat rescue missions to distress calls is the risk to the rescuers – not only will those already in danger be probably lost but also those going out to save them. With a crew-less boat this...

Send us a text  AI could consume as much energy as a small country (Netherlands) by 2027  The rise of AI powered tech has been phenomenal over the past year, but with the explosion in its popularity the energy costs needed to support these services have also risen rapidly. AI uses much more power than more traditional tech and a new study in the journal Joule suggests that AI tech could use as muc...

Send us a text Tech increases access to contraceptives in Cameroon  A counselling app for family planning, used by nurses at a women and children’s hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon, has increased the use of long-term reversable contraceptives (LARCs) threefold. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that the impact of the app was similar to giving large discounts on these contrac...

Send us a text Connecting every school in the world to the Internet  One in three people around the world still doesn’t have access to the Internet, including 1.3 billion children who can’t get online at home. But many of these children can’t connect at school either, meaning they won’t learn digital skills that are desperately needed in an increasingly digital world. Without them they stand littl...

Send us a text Internet shutdowns - where are we now?  We could report on the latest internet shutdowns every week – and we will be bringing you regular updates. This week Founder and Director of Netblocks, Alp Toker, is on Somewhere on Earth to give us a snapshot of where people can’t currently get online and why.    Listener feedback  And our editor Ania Lichtarowicz responds to feedback from ou...

Send us a text Ukraine deepfake videos undermine trust  The first ever study of deep fake videos on Twitter/X from the war on Ukraine shows that some users lost trust in any footage coming from the conflict – even when it was real. They also found that online conspiracy theories are using deepfakes to support their claims. Lead author John Twomey from University College Cork is on the show.  The E...

Send us a text 3D print your new home in a week from recycled plastic bottles Major natural disasters like floods or wild fires leave tens of thousands of people homeless every year. If they’re lucky, they will find themselves in temporary accommodation. But what if 3D printing a new home allowed people to have permanent high quality shelter within a matter of weeks? Ross Maguire, CEO of Azure Pri...

Send us a text Invisible e-waste - 7.3 billion e-toys add to e-waste mountain It's estimated that every year invisible e-waste amounts to 9 billion kilogrammes - that's one-sixth of e-waste worldwide. According to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum almost $10 billion in essential raw materials is recoverable from things many people don't even realise are electronic e.g. toy...

Send us a text A new robot to detect breast cancer Imagine going to the supermarket to do your weekly shop and also getting a breast examination at the same time. The screening would be performed not by a human but a robot, designed by engineers at the University of Bristol and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the UK. It's called "IRIS" and it looks like a mechanical claw which can apply very sp...

Send us a text Meet some of our studio experts who will be guiding you through the tech for good stories on Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast.  Ghislaine Boddington, Pete Guest and Angelica Mari join Gareth Mitchell to tell you more about themselves. Episode one coming October 31st! Subscribe now and don't miss out. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World Support the show Editor:...

Send us a text A special appeal to tell your friends about "Somewhere on Earth:  The Global Tech Podcast" - a unique tech show looking at untold and unloved tech stories from around the world - stories you will hear nowhere else! Episode one coming October 31st! Subscribe now and don't miss out. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World Support the show Editor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Man...

Send us a text Call out for listeners.  Come and join us on "Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast." Episode one coming October 31st! Subscribe now and don't miss out. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World Support the show Editor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Manager: Liz Tuohy Recording and audio editing : Lansons | Team Farner For new episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podca...

Send us a text Gareth Mitchell tells us more about "Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast"Episode one coming October 31st! Subscribe now and don't miss out. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World Support the show Editor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Manager: Liz Tuohy Recording and audio editing : Lansons | Team Farner For new episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or via...

Send us a text Yes that's right, Somewhere on Earth is here! We tell the untold and unloved tech stories from Somewhere on Earth to help create a tech for good ecosystem, where new ideas and new technologies can find support and evolve. Subscribe now and don't miss out. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World Support the show Editor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Manager: Liz Tuohy Recording...