IT Conversations

Saul Griffith - Energy Literacy

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Saul Griffith relates two intertwined energy stories, the impersonal story about climate change, global energy consumption, and fossil fuels, and the personal story about how every decision you make impacts the planet. Griffith lays out a logical approach to conversations about energy and presents a game plan for what we can do to make the difference in energy sources and personal energy consumption.

Carl Hewitt - Autonomous Message-Passing Actors

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

35 years ago, Carl Hewitt proposed a model for computation based on autonomous message-passing Actors. Now the demands of multi-core computers and cloud-based software are thrusting that model to the forefront. In this conversation with host Jon Udell, Carl Hewitt explores hardware-enforced privacy, paraconsistent logic, and scalable semantic integration.

Episode Thirty - StackOverflow

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Joel and Jeff sit down with Richard White of UserVoice.com to discuss software bug and feature tracking, Web 2.0 style.

Sean Gorman - From Data Chaos to Actionable Intelligence

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

In this session from the 2008 Where 2.0 conference, Sean Gorman discusses Finder!, the browser-based application for finding and sharing GeoData. Gorman gives a bit of history about GeoCommons, a product which brings geo-content to the web. He proposes a federation of the data of all the companies doing the same, with the goal of an ecosystem where users can combine GeoData with other web data to create semantic relationships and solve meaningful problems such as where to buy a house.

John McCarthy - Elephant 2000: A Programming Language for the year 2015 Based on Speech Acts

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Much of the meaning behind what people say comes from the context, not just the words. Elephant 2000 is a computer programming language project designed to incorporate the meaning of language, not just its structure. In this talk at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, John McCarthy, creator of Elephant, describes the language and how it will move work from computer programmers to compilers.

Charles L. Harper, Jr. - Superintelligence, the "Dilemma of Power," and the Transformation of Desire

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Dr. Charles L. Harper, Jr. asks some "off the wall questions" to challenge readiness of the scientific community to recognize the potential risks and implications of rapid human technological development. Where should our concerns lie given the potential ofsuper intelligent machines that could far exceed human intellectual capabilities? Are we up to the task of proper stewardship of such powerful new advances in technology, or more significantly will that role even be ours?

Dr. Gary Small - iBrain

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Gary Small, the director of the UCLA Memory & Aging Research Center, about gaining understanding of the technological alteration of the modern mind through FMRI.

Dr. Lyle Armstrong - Stem Cell Science

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Lyle Armstrong, a stem cell researcher and senior lecturer at Newcastle University, who reminds us what stem cell scientists actually do.

Episode 29 - StackOverflow

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Joel and Jeff discuss the productivity loss of being both a gamer and programmer, relying on Google as your primary site search provider, non-English programming languages, and hiring great programmers.

Eric Lindstrom - Video and the future of new media

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Eric Lindstrom, cofounder of VideoJuicer, believes that story telling in the television industry is going to change because of the Internet. He talks about what a hub site and an aggregator site is, and which one you'd need at which stage in building your brand. He also talks about the impact of time-shifting in daytime programming, and how the television industry perceives the Internet as a solution to their problem known as the DVR (digital video recording).

Dean Bubley - Who Controls Wireless Access?

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Dean Bubley addresses the challenges facing innovators looking to create openness and choice in the mobile communications market. Bubley, an analyst specializing in the field of mobile and wireless, reminds mobile communication innovators who hold a Utopian view of openness that they must consider the constraints posed by regulations, laws of physics, commercial practicalities, and especially the psychology of the Normob, the normal mobile user, who doesn't care about openness and will need to be convinced.

Cooking with IEEE Spectrum: Homaro Cantu - IEEE Spectrum Radio

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Most people don't think of liquid nitrogen or ink jet printers as kitchen utensils, but most cooks aren't like Homaro Cantu. In this special edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, follow Chef Cantu from his family's fast food kitchen to his restaurant Moto, one of the most innovative in the world.

Adrian Holovaty - A News Feed for Your Block

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Have you ever asked yourself, "What's happening in my neighborhood?" If you think your local newspaper has the answers, think again. Adrian Holovaty, who created one of the earliest Web mashups, believes there is a better way to find the answers. In this presentation from the 2008 O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference, Holovaty describes his new project, EveryBlock.com, which aims to collect hyper-local news and deliver it through a "news feed" for your neighborhood.

Keith Devlin - The Unfinished Game

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Keith Devlin, author of "The Unfinished Game," who talks about the letters exchanged between two mathematicians -- Pascal and Fermat -- changed our lives.

Dr. Joseph DeRisi - The Virus Chip

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Viruses are everywhere, so how do we identify the ones that are problematic? Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Joseph DeRisi, professor in biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, about the promise of an innovative new technology: the virus chip.

Nova Spivack - Twine

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Twine is a new service that "helps people track their interests using the Semantic Web and collective intelligence." In this edition of Interviews with Innovators, host Jon Udell interviews Nova Spivack, CEO and founder of Radar Networks. They discuss how Twine works and where it's headed.

Episode 28 - StackOverflow

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Joel and Jeff discuss Windows Azure, full text search in SQL Server 2008, Bayesian filtering, porn detection, and project management -- among other things.

Mike Moran, Bill Hunt - Search Engine Marketing

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

Effective search engine optimization and search engine marketing is now crucial to the success of a modern business. Authors Mike Moran and Bill Hunt discuss their book Search Engine Marketing, Inc., giving the fundamentals of search engines as well as guidance on how organizations can better reach people through search engines.

Eric Rodenbeck - Information Visualization is a Medium

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST

While many recall Marshall McLuhan's prophetic pronouncement that the "medium is the message", few people and companies are actively involved in examining how this concept applies to today's Internet-centric world. In this session from the 2008 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, Eric Rodenbeck, founder and creative director for Stamen Design, offers several examples of how computers, massively large databases, and visualization can be combined to create beautiful, yet scientifically valuable ways of exploring data.

Eric Dishman - Preparing For the Age Wave

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Compounding the health care crisis is a huge wave of aging populations. Health care needs tech-based solutions based in communities and homes, focused on empowering patients to manage their own health and change their behavior as necessary. Eric Dishman of Intel describes the new technology and platforms being built to improve this health care. Dishman also discusses longer-term efforts including regulatory approvals and reimbursement reform.

Jeff Waugh - History and Future: Giants, Values, and Cultures

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Jeff Waugh reaches back to the Middle Ages to bring the lessons that three giants of distant history can teach the free software community. A passionate advocate for software freedom and open source, he speaks about the historical influences on Ubuntu. Waugh also describes how the modern giants Python, Debian, and GNOME have each lent something to the values and culture of Ubuntu.

Episode 27 - StackOverflow

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Joel and Jeff interview Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, the founders and co-creators of Reddit.

Dr. Robert Laughlin - The Crime of Reason

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin, about the value of the information we get for free from the internet, and that which for scientists is not out there for any price.

Dr. Patrick Gruber & Dr. Bill Gerwick - On Biofuels

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo and the inventor of plastics derived from corn, about corn derived biofuels. Also, Dr. Bill Gerwick and his graduate student Cameron Coates talk about producing fuel from algae.

Chris Melissinos - Project Darkstar: Putting the Massive in Massive Multiplayer

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Computer gaming is a fast growing market and an important means of expression for an entire generation, but new online games are unstable and expensive to develop. In this presentation from the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, Chris Melissinos, Chief Gaming Office of Sun Microsystems points out some of the problems and opportunities in the online gaming market and how Sun's Project Darkstar will help make better online games.

Ben Rushlo - Better Internet Performance

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Ben Rushlo of Keynote Systems discusses how organizations should work to make their websites better. He talks about the status of the web and reviews how perceived performance is often different from actual performance. He gives tips for better operation and gives a number of suggestions that companies can use to improve their sites.

Nitzan Shaer - Voxgirl and Speech Recognition for Rough Conditions

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Despite major advances in technology, the experience of using a telephone hasn't changed much over the last 100 years. In this presentation from the 2008 Emerging Communications Conference, Nitzan Shaer, COO of Mobivox, tells how modern speech recognition technology and personalization can make telephones both easier to use and easier to communicate with.

A Nuclear Family Vacation - IEEE Spectrum Radio

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Defense journalists Nathan Hodge and Sharon Weinberger have traveled globally to visit sites where the infrastructure of the nuclear arms race still remains. On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, Hodge and Weinberger, who are husband and wife, talk about nuclear tourism and their motivations for writing the book A Nuclear Family Vacation which chronicles an array of discoveries from a one-eyed baby in Kazakhstan to radioactive deer hunting in Tennessee.

Eliezer Yudkowsky - The Challenge of Friendly AI

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

How do you create a friendly Artificial Intelligence? Eliezer Yudkowsky, Co-Founder & Research Fellow at the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, has focused his work on overcoming some of the mathematical impediments to building a self-improving AI. In this presentation he discusses the very speculative possibilities of creating an artificial mind infused with a sense of direction, and capable of learning from its own mistakes.

Tom Spengler - Granicus

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Jon Udell speaks with Granicus co-founder Tom Spengler, who explains how his company's streaming media system enables governments to manage the capture and synchronized presentation of video and text, making the proceedings usefully transparent.