Geeks & Beats

2024 is the year Elon Musk finally implodes thanks to the U.S. Presidential Election and pressure from Tesla shareholders.

Ransomware isn't going away, but in 2024 a new threat will overtake it: hacking artificial intelligence algorithms for fun and profit.

Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter, does this portend the downfall of western civilization? The Internet's Favourite Dad, Stewart Reynolds, AKA Brittlestar, thinks The Kids Today won't put up with this shit the way Gen-X and the Boomers do.

When electricity was first invented, Victorians had to learn a lot about it. Blockchain is kind of like that. Eventually we won't care. But until then, here's a primer on what you need to know about this world-changing technology from Tracy Leparulo and Amber Healy.

Star Wars holograms suck. Meet the man who's Proto technology has been used at concerts and awards shows, is being used by Wall Street schmucks, and may even be used by hospitals by remote doctors. David Nussbaum says the future is only 5 years away.

Since Westworld debuted in 1973, we've been promised a world of consequence-free sex with robots. They're still coming, and PhD student Annette Masterson at Temple University has been studying their rise since 2018 and the unusual technologies required to make them happen. This episode made possible in part by the Digital Life Institute at Ontario Tech University.

Sci-fi author and digital rights activist Cory Doctorow on why Telsas are "Murder Cars" and how to talk to your kids about Surveillance Capitalism without scaring them off their smartphones.

Our smartphones are being used against us. Sci-fi author Cory Doctorow on the science behind his fiction "Attack Surface" and why we must protect ourselves. Part 1 of 2.

Real AI is making a real difference in shrinking the carbon footprint of generating electricity. Microsoft Sustainability Director Michelle Lancaster and Ontario Power Generation's VP of Energy Markets, Nick Pender, are working together to produce clean power for Canada's biggest province -- and to make consumption cleaner in New York State.

The CTA's Rick Kowalski joins Michael Hainsworth as they discuss how big Augmented Reality is going to get, how tech from self driving Indy cars will end up in your car, and how artificial intelligence is changing how we cook.

Science Fiction’s “Universal Translator” is one step closer thanks to artificial intelligence. #RealAI is being used to protect the Inuit language in Canada’s far north and prepare us for the day when our smartphones will automatically translate a foreign speaker.

Many technologies we all take for granted today got their start as assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Today, AI is making the world a more accessible place. Dave Dame, Microsoft's Director of Accessibility, tells us he's optimistic about the use of Artificial Intelligence because he believes it's going to make the world a better place.

G&B SPECIAL: Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida on the band launching it’s latest album as an NFT. We’ll explain what it is and how it puts the power back in the hands of the artist. Michael Wekerle has turned venerated music venue the El Mocambo into a 21st century live streaming production house and Maida will break it in on opening night. We’ll find out why this is the future of live music. Plus: Virtual Reality has a real chance of making inroads by moving fans in the nosebleed seats to the front row. This Geeks & Beats Special Presentation is brought to you by Where's My Jetpack: a series about the technology we were promised as kids, what we got, and what’s coming next.

Canada’s biggest life insurance company has seen a lot of change in its history. Not since the invention of the adding machine a year after Manulife first opened its doors in 1887 has the company had a more powerful tool at its disposal. And this tool predicts the future.

Every parent knows the heart-stopping experience of losing sight of their child at a park or that first time they go out into the world with their friends. More than 30,000 children disappear every year, and while most of them are found within 24 hours, time is critical for investigators compiling the case. Missing Children Society of Canada is leveraging artificial intelligence to comb through social media accounts looking for critical clues in a race against the clock. Our Michael Hainsworth spoke to @MCSCanada's @AmandaRightNow and Microsoft's @WirelessLife to learn how #RealAI is being used to reunite families.

Real AI is being used today to help stop a killer in its tracks, one that will claim 25% of Canadians in their lifetimes. At BC Cancer in Vancouver, Doctor Sam Aparicio says he has “huge optimism” over the role artificial intelligence is playing in cancer research and precision treatment. Meantime, AI is being used to make hospitals more efficient for patients, families, and staff.

"We're eating the planet to death," we're warned. But Real AI is being used today to fight climate change while feeding more of us more efficiently. Terramera's Karn Manhas and Ranveer Chandra of Microsoft show Michael Hainsworth how artificial intelligence is being used for the good of the planet and its people.

Artificial Intelligence is being deployed to protect the environment by cleaning up abandoned mines, determining the best locations for electric vehicle charging stations, and keeping cheating appliances off the electrical grid. At Natural Resources Canada, Vik Pant is leading the charge, but he can’t do it alone. “That's not something that can be done humanly at any scale,” he says. There’s simply too much data to wade through.

Big news from the world's most popular podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth!

COVID-19 killed Geeks & Beats. While Alan and Michael are still healthy, so is the demand for business to business podcasts and a documentary series. Join The Internet's Favourite Dad, Brittlestar, as he hogs the virtual open bar while we thank members of the World's Worst Intern Program one last time as we talk about 8 years of The World's Most Popular Podcast (with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth)