Eddy Barker

05/10/24 • 38 min

2 Listeners

Jason Howell chats with Eddy Barker, an electrical engineer who grew up fascinated by science fiction television. That passion led him working with AT&T as he helped create DSL technology in the 1990's, paving the way for high-speed Internet in the homes of millions.

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How Eddy started his time at AT&T and if developing DSL was his first project
Eddy's early interest in communications technology like telephones, radio, and TV
The challenges AT&T faced with dial-up internet and long connection durations
How the idea of using existing telephone lines for DSL data came about
Validating the DSL concept and any resistance faced during development
The rise of companies like eBay, Amazon, and Napster enabled by DSL
Common challenges between DSL and modern fiber deployments
Eddy's vision for how technologies like the metaverse, AI, and high bandwidths will converge in the next decade
A piece of technology from Eddy's youth that shaped his love for the field

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Support this show via Patreon: patreon.com/JasonHowell

How Eddy started his time at AT&T and if developing DSL was his first project
Eddy's early interest in communications technology like telephones, radio, and TV
The challenges AT&T faced with dial-up internet and long connection durations
How the idea of using existing telephone lines for DSL data came about
Validating the DSL concept and any resistance faced during development
The rise of companies like eBay, Amazon, and Napster enabled by DSL
Common challenges between DSL and modern fiber deployments
Eddy's vision for how technologies like the metaverse, AI, and high bandwidths will converge in the next decade
A piece of technology from Eddy's youth that shaped his love for the field

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Tom Merritt

Long-time tech podcasters Jason Howell and Tom Merritt take a trip down memory lane, sharing their career origins and the pivotal moments that shaped their paths in the world of tech.

Support this show via Patreon: patreon.com/JasonHowell

Jason expressing appreciation for Tom as a collaborator and friend in the tech industry
"Sliding door" moments in the professional lives of Tom and Jason.
Tom's origin story of how he got into tech journalism at ZDTV/TechTV
The creation of the Buzz Out Loud podcast at CNET in 2005
The Buzztownarchive.com project preserving the Buzz Out Loud episodes
The importance of the community built around their shows
Seeing fans' lives progress over many years through their interactions
Some of Tom's fondest early Internet memories.
Tom's fanzine and early Internet websites including Subbrilliant.com
Patron question: How Tom feels about his content being a part of generative AI databases.

Follow Tom's work:

Daily Tech News Show: dailytechnewsshow.com

Substack: techtom.substack.com

Website: tommerritt.com

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Next Episode

Alex Kantrowitz

Alex Kantrowitz, author of "Always Day One," talks about his transition from political journalism to covering the tech industry, and how he applies lessons from tech giants' ability to reinvent themselves to his own business with Big Technology.

Please support our work on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/JasonHowell

Alex's journey from BuzzFeed to starting his own independent media company, Big Technology.

The experience of working at BuzzFeed and the challenges of being a serious news outlet within a site known for listicles and memes.

Writing the book "Always Day One" and the process of researching and interviewing tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

Interviewing Mark Zuckerberg and the approach to asking insightful questions.

Applying lessons from tech giants' ability to reinvent themselves to his own business.

Alex's early career in politics and government work, and how it prepared him for covering tech.

Memorable moments from his youth that sparked his interest in journalism and technology.

The importance of taking chances and not waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Check out Big Technology: http://www.bigtechnology.com

Read "Always Day One": https://alexkantrowitz.com/

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