Digitally Curious

This special episode of the podcast was recorded live in front of an audience in February 2022 as one of a number of popular events run by the Institution of Engineers Australia UK Chapter. It features a panel of experts discussing a very interesting subject that of space-based solar power.

I was joined on stage by
Martin Soltau Co-Chair Space Energy Initiative & Space Business Lead at Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Dr Alice Bunn CEO Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Sam Adlen Chief Strategy Officer, Satellite Applications Catapult and

Ali Stickings Space Strategy lead at Fraser Nash Consultancy
You will also hear remarks from Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest who is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Space, and Chair of The Space Energy Initiative Advisory Board as well as Nick Wayth Chief Executive at The Energy Institute.
To provide some context around this episode and the topic, we all accept that fossil fuels are not a sustainable form of energy, and renewable energy such as solar and wind have issues when it is cloudy or calm.
This event was part of The Institution of Engineers Australia UK Chapter's monthly “Spring Forward” hybrid lecture series to look at a potential new form of energy – Space-Based Solar Power.
The concept is not new – it was first mooted by Isaac Asimov as science fiction in the 1940s, and in 1968, Dr Peter Glaser of Arthur D. Little introduced the concept of using microwaves for power transmission from geosynchronous orbit to an Earth-based rectifying antenna.
Since then, technology has advanced on several fronts to remove some technological and economic barriers to practical full-scale implementation.
Issues covered in this episode include:

• How Space-Based power actually works
• The opportunity for generating power from space
• How to overcome challenges in commercialising this technology
• How space-based solar power contributes to the net-zero debate
• The future of space-based solar power generation
• How Space solar power gives Governments options
• Solar power vs Nuclear Fusion
• What will the solution cost?
• The regulatory risks
• The role of Government
• The security concerns
• Who regulates the space segment
• The spin-off benefits
• What are other countries doing?
• The UK-Australia Space Bridge
• The Space Energy Initiative
• The job creation opportunities
• Nick Wayth Chief Executive at Energy Institute comments
• Audience question: How can the UK maintain a lead in this area?
• Audience question: What is happening in Australia?
• Audience questi

Thanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/order
Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
For more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com
Andrew's Social Channels
Andrew on LinkedIn
@AndrewGrill on Twitter
@Andrew.Grill on Instagram
Keynote speeches here
Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book - Digitally Curious

How can insights from managing a winery help shape the future of AI technology at Intel? Carla Rodríguez bridges both worlds. When I asked Robert Hallock at Intel who I should invite next onto the podcast – his response was instant - Carla Rodríguez, who runs Intel’s client software ecosystem.

“Razor sharp ... just so smart, so capable” was his description, so I just had to invite her onto the show. Carla is no ordinary big tech company exec. She served in the Peace Corps in Romania and worked her way through the ranks of Intel, joining in the finance area to become VP of one of the most important and innovative parts of the company.

In between these roles, she has also found time to help run a winery business with her husband, which gives her a unique perspective on the issues facing companies of all sizes.
Her role at Intel is to work closely with the developer ecosystem. With the recent launch of their AI PC program, which utilises the Intel vPro platform powered by Intel Core Pro processors, we’re seeing AI rise to become mainstream and a must-have tool in the workplace, driving innovation and productivity.
In our discussion, Carla explains how running a boutique winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with her Husband gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of running a small business, insights that she brings back to her role at Intel.

You’ll also learn about:

AI: Moving from Niche to Mainstream

AI has now reached a tipping point where it is becoming mainstream and Intel is at the forefront of this revolution with their AI PC platform, integrating CPU, GPU, and the new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to handle complex AI tasks efficiently.

Empowering Developers with AIPC

Intel's AIPC Developer Program is a crucial initiative aimed at supporting developers in harnessing the power of the NPU. By providing hands-on labs and development kits, Intel is enabling developers to experiment and create groundbreaking applications.

The Immediate Impact on Businesses

For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the benefits of adopting AIPC are immediate. Carla emphasised that the time to invest in AIPC is now, as it offers enhanced productivity, security, and innovative capabilities.

Future of Work: Embracing AI

The future of work will be significantly shaped by AI, with tools that enhance productivity and free up time for more strategic tasks. As Carla pointed out, AI is like having an always-on intern, ready to assist with various tasks, making us more efficient and effective in our roles.
This podcast is sponsored by Intel.
More on Carla
Carla on LinkedIn
Intel AI PC

Thanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/order
Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
For more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com
Andrew's Social Channels
Andrew on LinkedIn
@AndrewGrill on Twitter
@Andrew.Grill on Instagram
Keynote speeches here
Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book - Digitally Curious

To understand the future of the market research industry, my guest is Tom Smith, Founder and CEO of GWI. Having spent several years working agency side, he recognised a growing demand for global data to better understand the complex online market, coupling the world's largest ongoing study on the digital consumer with powerful analytics. GWI is now the leading provider of digital consumer insights to the global marketing industry.
My favourite section of the podcast was where Tom said
"People think data is the new oil, and we’re all sitting on this very valuable commodity. The better comparison is that data is like sand. Until you do something with the information, it lacks real value. It’s the processing it's the presentation, it’s the aggregation and millions of people’s data aggregated at scale is a highly valuable product."

Tom argues that the market research industry has utterly failed the needs of its consumers in today's global marketplace - this is a bold statement and something Tom addresses in detail in this episode.
In this episode, we look at:

• Why Tom started GWI
• The changing needs of the market research industry
• How traditional market research methods have evolved
• What problems GWI solves
• How Ad blockers, GDPR and other regulations have changed collection methodology
• Where AI fits into modern market research methods
• The future of market research
• Being an Entrepreneur

More on Tom
LinkedIn
Twitter
GWI Website
In February 2024, to celebrate Facebook's 20th birthday, we spoke to Jason Mander from GWI - listen to this podcast here.

Thanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/order
Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
For more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com
Andrew's Social Channels
Andrew on LinkedIn
@AndrewGrill on Twitter
@Andrew.Grill on Instagram
Keynote speeches here
Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book - Digitally Curious

Cryptocurrency and especially bitcoin has been one of the most over-hyped technologies this decade. To better understand the opportunity for cryptocurrencies and blockchain, I spoke with Jeremy Epstein, CEO of Never Stop Marketing, who has 20 years of international marketing experience.

Most recently, Jeremy was VP, Marketing at Sprinklr which grew from a $20 million valuation and 30 people to $1.8 billion valuation and 1400 people in 4 years.

Today, Jeremy is a highly sought-after marketing advisor in the crypto/blockchain industry and has worked with some of the leading and most innovative projects including OpenBazaar, Zcash, and DCorp.
He's spent the last 4 years deeply understanding the world of crypto and blockchain and his insights in this episode should help you better understand what lies ahead for this much discussed technology,
In this episode we covered:

• What interested you about cryptocurrencies?
• Why is cryptocurrency so misunderstood?
• Why crypto represents the next evolution of the internet
• The value transfer revolution
• Re-engineering Blockchain in 2019?
• Is Blockchain always the best solution?
• The open public blockchain
• Helping the 2Bn unbanked people
• Creating a global trust layer
• Stakeholder capitalism
• The problem with bitcoin - humans are greedy
• What does it feel like to own crypto?
• Facebook's crypto ambition - Libra
• The rise of surveillance capitalism
• The problem with Facebook launching Libra
• How holding bitcoin increases its value
• Participatory capital
• Who is responsible for promoting the benefits of crypto?
• Blockchain can help with insurance policies
• Rapid insurance payments using smart contracts
• Sending donations using bitcoin
• Three things for next week

1. Read the bitcoin whitepaper
2. Buy some bitcoin
3. Send someone some bitcoin

Thanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/order
Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
For more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com
Andrew's Social Channels
Andrew on LinkedIn
@AndrewGrill on Twitter
@Andrew.Grill on Instagram
Keynote speeches here
Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book - Digitally Curious

May 25th 2022, marks four years since the General Data Protection Regulation, more commonly known as GDPR came into effect in the UK and the EU. The GDPR's primary aim is to enhance individuals' control and rights over their personal data and simplify international businesses' regulatory environment. Four years on, though, are consumers adequately protected?

I spoke with James Walker, CEO of Consumer Privacy champion, Rightly, to better answer this question.

James is a consumer rights advocate and entrepreneur. He founded and grew Resolver, a free, independent resolution service with 18 million unique visitors a year that has solved six billion pounds worth of issues and is the largest independent resolution service in Europe.

James has advised Government, Regulators and Ombudsmen on consumer rights and how to deliver better customer services.

He is on the Board of the Dispute Ombudsman, a Consumer Expert to The Office of Road and Rail, a Non-Executive Director to Consumer Scotland, a co-founder and Non- Executive Director to The Collaboration Network and an advisor to Life Ledger.

We covered a number of relevant and practical topics including:

• What is Rightly?
• What does Rightly do?
• What has been the reaction from advertising companies?
• What is GDPR & what's happened since its launch in 2018?
• What changes are required to GDPR to make it work as intended?
• What is my digital footprint, and how far does it extend?
• How does Rightly work?
• Can you check if companies have replied to your removal request?
• The Right.ly business model
• Brokering a fair value exchange for our personal data
• Brand’s obsession with data
• The need for transparency and openness
• Open Bankings' influence on open data
• The role of regulators
• Staying safe online
• Why breached data has a half-life
• Right.ly consumer research results
• What's next for Right.ly?
• Advice for the UK's Information Commissioner's Office
• The notion of the Polluter pays model
• Three things to do today to start controlling our data

More on James
James on LinkedIn
James on Twitter
Rightly website

Thanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/order
Your Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew Grill
For more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com
Andrew's Social Channels
Andrew on LinkedIn
@AndrewGrill on Twitter
@Andrew.Grill on Instagram
Keynote speeches here
Pre-order Andrew's upcoming book - Digitally Curious