Tech Byte with MARK STROSS

We've all heard of cryptocurrency, but do you really understand it? Part 2 of this two-part episode explains this decentralized digital currency in a way that is easy to understand. Why do people trust it? Because it is created in a process that is completely verifiable and protected, actually requiring no trust at all. Without judgement for or against , Mark Stross will bring you to that "ah-ha"...

We've all heard of cryptocurrency, but do you really understand it? This two-part episode explains this decentralized digital currency in a way that is easy to understand. Why do people trust it? Because it is created in a process that is completely verifiable and protected, actually requiring no trust at all. Without judgement for or against , Mark Stross will bring you to that "ah-ha" moment, wh...

Remember the person who lost their job during COVID? They got behind on their bills and the cellular service provider cut off their phone. And CLICK, just like that, all of their photos, videos are gone. Including that first look at her sister's baby, and the last breath of her loving mother. This is a terrible story, but what it essentially means is that we don't own our data. Let that sink in......

What is net neutrality? It's sounds like it's referring to fairness on the internet, right? Or freedom of speech online? Listen in to this episode to hear Mark Stross explain how net neutrality is a misnomer, packaged brilliantly to sell you something that is essentially the opposite of what it implies. An Internet Bill of Rights is what we need, as freedom-seekers launch their own platforms to ex...

Nations around the world are rising up against Big Tech Censorship! This is a real headline seen around the globe. Twitter's Rules clearly state that their rules "are to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely." But this is clearly not the case as the social media platform censors Americans but allows murderous dictators to stay on the service "as long as the...

Are Facebook's days numbered? How will they stay relevant now that people are starting to question big tech? Facebook makes money on ads, right? When you click an ad, the advertiser pays, correct?? NOT SO FAST. Mark Stross explains why it's much more complicated than that. Simply put, YOU are the PRODUCT that Facebook is selling. Listen to this episode to learn what your worth each day that you ju...

We're entering the graphene age. This material holds promise to absolutely disrupt many industries. It's easy to isolate, and work on isolating and characterizing it earned Geim and Novoselov the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Solor panels with graphene can produce more electricity, computer screens can be shatterproof, and water filtration can be improved. Graphene is one of the most conductive...

Two days in December of 2020: the 13th and the 15th. These two days changed the world forever, as services went down following one of the biggest cyber attacks in the history of the internet. SolarWinds is an internet monitoring company with a client list that contains some of the biggest companies in the world; as well as countries, and three-letter agencies. Ang Google's outage impacted YouTube,...

There's a problem with technology; it's duplicatable and it has no moral compass. Cyberattacks, cyber espionage, fake news and firewalls. Mark Stross discusses how China steals intellectual property through hacking. They steal information, apps, data, blueprints, processes, secrets, everything. China's access to the internet, their immoral and unethical behavior, creates a real threat to not only...

Holiday on a budget? America's technologist brings you a bunch of free services you can use that are legit. Things to do online by yourself, with the kids, or with extended family. There are so many FUN and intriguing things to do now that are FREE, high quality, and TIME WELL SPENT. This is a great episode where everybody gets something FREE. 

Nothing lasts anymore...there is programmed death of appliances, cars, everything seems to give out before it should. Remember the old days when you could buy a washer and expect it to last 20+ years? Times have changed. Planned obsolescence has become the norm and it is terrible for the environment. Mark Stross gives you the stats and facts to inform about e-waste and vanishing personal ownership...

In this informative and hilarious episode, Mark Stross brings you the truth about the turkey's destructive potential. If you want to win the battle, tune in for your high-tech options for cooking the best Thanksgiving Turkey on the block. Happy Thanksgiving and good luck!

Computational photography is here. The Apple processor has optimized video and photo number-crunching. The jump in cell phone camera and video quality has ushered in a whole new industry of miniaturization of filming gadgets to support cell phone shooting. You can do it all now, from the palm of your hand. Hear Mark Stross' tips and tricks for successful HD video and photos. He knows what he's tal...

Today Mark Stross takes questions from Bulldog and the Radio audience today, LIVE. Questions include 5G towers, radiation exposure, LiDAR detectors allowing cameras to see in the dark. Quantum computing, and how this will contribute to science and medicine. Great questions, and intelligent, understandable answers from America's technologist, Mark Stross. 

It's the morning after the 2020 election. What do you say the day after a historical political battle where $1.5 billion dollars were spent between the two US political parties? It's the next morning and we are awaiting results. And as results come in and decisions are made, they are certainly to be distrusted by one side or the other. How did we get here? We built the technology to run these elec...

The Internet of Things is all about non-human devices connecting together to provide improved analysis and processing of data. When everything is connected, entities can make smarter real-time decisions faster and more accurately than before. Also known as the IofT, the Internet of Things allows for efficiency on steroids. What does this mean to you as an individual? Mark Stoss does his thing and...

It's a global pandemic. The authorities are trying to monitor your whereabouts. Governor Garry Newsom of California wants to restrict the number of people in one family who get together this holiday. Even if it's at your home. Mark Stross, America's technologist, helps you "disappear" as you move about during the pandemic. Once the government starts tracking us, will they ever stop? This episode s...

Robots are among us, walking right up to the President of the United States at an event. This took the Secret Service by total surprise. Was it harmless? or was it going to blow up? Totally interactive, robots are getting better and better, delivering food, sorting and delivering packages, greeting people, beating humans at games, performing medical operations, doing chores, and driving vehicles....

"Is this normal or have we fallen under a spell?" said Tristan Harris, the president and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. What is technology ethics? Why do we need it? Users (you and me) are clueless when it comes to what we are dealing with. Every on/off, keyboard or mouse click can be recorded and monitored. And we are allowing it. Does big tech consider the ethics of their reach,...

'Getting my Instagram Account Deleted Was Similar To Somebody Murdering Me,' Says 21-Year-Old. This is a real headline in 2020. Another? 'Long Island Man Allegedly Threatens to Kill Boy Over Fortnite Loss." It's safe to say that people love their digital stuff. From their social media accounts to their game missions, they are willing to protect these things with their life, or take another's. Thes...

Microsoft has a video authenticator made to detect deepfakes. Deepfakes refers to audio or video files created using AI (artificial intelligence) to manipulate or alter peoples' voices or image; making it look like they said and did things they never did. There are some amazing deepfakes out there on the internet. Some look funny and harmless, but as this technology gets better, and the AI gets sm...

The singularity is when computer and man become intellectual equivalents and from that point on, the computers grow in intelligence that surpasses human potential. But it's more than that. Merging unlimited real-time data with human intellect explodes the possibilities for advances in all areas. Do we have the ability to manage this? What are neural networks and how do they fit into this future re...

This is bound to happen. A self-driving vehicle is faced with a decision as it approaches an oncoming, inevitable collision. Both choices result in a fatality. Whose life should it save? The pedestrian or the passenger? The one or the many? The young or the old? Complete with cameras, LIDAR, and onboard computers, autonomous vehicles are hitting the road. Soon. Are we ready? What happens when they...

Robots come in different shapes and sizes and today, they don't even need batteries to run. Nanobots are nanometers in size. That's a million times smaller than an ant. To put it into perspective, a strand of our DNA is 2.5 nanometers in diameter. Nanorobots are the perfect tool to work on our DNA. At UC, San Diego, they are already cleaning our blood, removing harmful bacteria as they swim along...

We register time as BC or AD, but what about AB? After Bandwidth. In today's AB era, we can spread people out with modern transportation. The pandemic is teaching us that we don't need to be consolidated in high rise buildings to be productive. Most homes have enough bandwidth to allow quality video conferencing, replacing the workplace cubby with bedside offices or laptops on the couch. Mark Stro...