Event 10: Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" - A conversation with science-fiction author, Andy Weir

Father Robert Ballecer provides an entertaining rundown of his favorite gadgets from CES 2024. In part 2 of his Las Vegas trip, he showcases 10 cool and unique devices that caught his eye at the show.

• The RCA smart bird feeder uses AI to identify bird species and provides HD video footage that you can access via an app.
• The Govee AI sync box 2 (#9) uses lighting effects that match what's on your TV or monitor for an immersive viewing experience.
• The Amazfit Helio ring (#8) is a fitness tracker packed into a titanium ring that monitors health stats like heart rate and blood oxygen levels.
• The Rolling Square inCharge M (#7) is a coilable magnetic cable that always returns to its original coiled shape.
• The Rocksteady Stadium (#6) is a modular wireless speaker system that lets you network multiple speakers for seamless 360° audio.
• The Neakasa NoMo N3 Robot Vacuum (#5) is a feature-packed premium robotic vacuum with smart mapping and google/amazon assistant support for $250.
• The Runhood 1200 Pro (#4) is a robust 1200+ watt hour modular power station perfect for RV and van life.
• The HP Poly Voyager Free 60 (#3) are UC-optimized wireless earbuds with great sound and battery life for an affordable price.
• The Targus Dual Host KVM Dock750 (#2) lets you control two computers (Mac, Windows, Linux) from one keyboard, mouse, and set of ports seamlessly.
• Timekettle (#1) impressed with their X1 Interpreter Hub that enables real-time translation across languages using AI.

Host: Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ

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Father Robert Ballecer reports live from CES 2024, giving an overview of the major technology trends and themes on display at the massive electronics and technology trade show, including the proliferation of off-grid and portable power solutions, the ubiquity of electric vehicles, the explosion of AI integrations, and the concept of autonomous resource extraction ecosystems. 

• The first big trend is the explosion of off-grid, portable, and hybrid power solutions, from suitcase-sized inverters to whole-home solar+storage systems to portable power banks for appliances and tools. Fr. Robert highlights Runhood's modular battery packs as an affordable and flexible home energy storage solution.
• Electrified vehicles of all kinds—cars, trucks, boats, bikes, scooters, etc.—are becoming ubiquitous across the entire CES show floor. Fr. Robert calls out Kia's modular, customizable PBV electric van concept with interlinking capabilities between vehicles.
• AI integrations are everywhere at CES 2024, from questionable examples like smart trash cans to truly useful ones like shoes that analyze gait with insole sensors and give personalized feedback through AI.
• Autonomous resource extraction combines remote operation, AI, electrification, and self-sufficiency. Hyundai's vision shows AI robots generating power, mining hydrogen, and transporting materials autonomously.
• While many tech trends fade away, the trajectories of electrification and AI look strong. The future promises continued innovation in green energy, autonomy, and automation.

Host: Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ

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At Podcast Movement 2023, Jen Matichuk of Memberful and Lisa Laporte of TWiT.tv give creators an inside look at how the long-running tech podcast network TWiT grew its community and revenue by partnering with Memberful.

• Lisa goes into the hesitations and benefits of launching a paid membership for an established podcast network and how losing 60% of advertisers in the pandemic led TWiT to try subscriptions to diversify revenue
• Launching simply with ad-free content and a Discord community avoids disrupting their ad-supported audience and starting with 1-2 membership tiers, focusing on delivering promised perks before expanding offerings
• She shares how their community loves interacting with hosts in Discord, getting ad-free shows, and supporting TWiT's growth
• TWiT also promotes Club TWiT organically in show ads, social posts, newsletters - without overwhelming non-members

Hosts: Jen Matichuk and Lisa Laporte

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In a wide-ranging conversation, Leo Laporte talks with Dr. George Church about the history and future of genome sequencing. Dr. Church explains why he is very excited about how they made an organism resistant to all viruses- both known and unknown.  

They also talk about: 

• How Dr. Church made sequencing affordable (from $3BN to $600)
• Where are we on sequencing the entire human genome, and why would we even want to?
• How close are we to reversing aging?
• Should we use gene therapy to double the human lifespan?
• Why genetically engineering cold-resistant elephants could be important for climate change, and what about ultimately bringing back the Mammoth?
• He explains the difference between the hype and reality of CRISPR
• sequencing, synthesis, and delivery
• What are the privacy concerns about companies sharing your genome?
• They discuss the controversy and benefit of reconstructing old viruses like the 1918 flu and even inventing new viruses.

Dr. Church is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a pioneer in personal genetics. He is credited with developing the first methods for sequencing the first genome and also the CRISPR technology. He created several companies, including Nebula Genomics and Veritas Genetics.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guest: Dr. George Church

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New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez returns to talk with Leo Laporte about the second book in his 'Delta-v' novel series, 'Critical Mass,' where a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth's climate crisis could well hang in the balance. 

Get 'Critical Mass': https://amzn.to/3Yjb9xu

 

Host: Leo Laporte

Guest: Daniel Suarez

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Writer/activist Cory Doctorow and scholar Rebecca Giblin join Leo Laporte to talk about their latest book Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back. They argue that we're in a new era of "chokepoint capitalism," with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others.

Get "Chokepoint Capitalism": https://chokepointcapitalism.com

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin

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Tripp Mickle joins Leo Laporte to discuss his new book, "After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul". They discuss the shift in Apple's dynamic and approach to products after the passing of Steve Jobs from a company of innovation with Jony Ive, to a company of efficiency under Tim Cook.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guest: Tripp Mickle

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Amy Webb joins Leo Laporte to discuss her new book, "The Genesis Machine." Webb explains synthetic biology, tells the story of golden rice, and shares a glimpse of the future and the changes we can expect.

Get "The Genesis Machine": https://amzn.to/3BC7K2t

Host: Leo Laporte

Guest: Amy Webb

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Leo Laporte interviews Andy Weir, author of "The Martian," about his new book, "Project Hail Mary." The discussion starts out spoiler-free with a chat about making the book into a film, how Andy Weir approached writing this book, and the time he confused Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. After a loud and apparent spoiler warning (at 32:04), the two continue their chat by discussing "Project Hail Mary" in depth. Weir shares a bit about the science behind the book, the characters he's created, and other stories he's working on.

Project Hail Mary: https://amzn.to/3hLcStp
The Martian: https://amzn.to/3v9LUiU
Artemis: https://amzn.to/3vahYDf

Host: Leo Laporte

Guest: Andy Weir

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Get insight into attack scenarios that are gaining in popularity and how you can protect your employees and your organization from falling victim. This Special TWiT Event will bring together top security experts and IT professionals to discuss cyber threats from two perspectives - Attackers and Defenders. Sponsored by LastPass and hosted by Leo Laporte, with panelists Bruce Schneier, Brian Chee, Gerry Beuchelt, and Robert Ballecer, SJ.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Bruce Schneier, Gerald Beuchelt, Brian Chee, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events.

Sponsor:

• LastPass.com/twit