The Irish Tech News Podcast

Erica Stanford, author Crypto Wars In every new, emerging technology and in every industry there are opportunists, and there will always be some who seek to take advantage of circumstances. Lack of regulation, poverty, a global pandemic, or misunderstood, new technologies all create hotbeds for everything from opportunists to organised crime. In what was the Wild West of the fledging ecosystem around the game-changing new technology of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, numbers and the audacity of projects falling into the 'scam' category have been almost unprecedented. In crypto, especially during the 2016-2018 boom- or bubble - depending on who you ask- a time where many new cryptocurrencies and projects were launched and raised millions- then billions- pretty much out of thin air- but sadly still ongoing today- Ponzi schemes, exit scams, and even joke businesses have cumulatively parted tens of billions of dollars, if not more, from millions of people all around the world. If thousands of people can lose billions of dollars in OneCoin, masterminded by the now infamous Missing Cryptoqueen made famous by the BBC's podcast series and called 'one of the biggest scams in history' by The Times, what makes you think your money is safe? OneCoin isn't alone. Crypto Wars: Faked Deaths, Missing Billions and Industry Disruption reveals some of the most shocking scams affected millions of innocent people all around the world with everything from religious leaders to celebrities involved. In this book, you get exclusive access to the back story of the most extreme Ponzi schemes, the most bizarre hoaxes and brutal exit strategies from some of the biggest charlatans of crypto. The book doesn't just touch on scams, but also on some of the mistakes and events that have shaped crypto history, albeit at the cost of some of its investors. Written by Erica Stanford, the founder of the UK's thriving crypto community, the Crypto Curry Club, featuring interviews with several of those who have been driving investigations into the biggest scams including an exclusive interview with Jamie Bartlett from the BBC's Missing Cryptoqueen to give some insight into how some of these scams got so big, often right under the regulators' watchful gaze, how people fall for them, how some people can tell, often within a minute, what is a scam and what isn't, some overview into the Wild West of some of crypto's rockier moments, some clarity into how these scams operate and so hopefully prevent people for falling for them and hopefully some optimism about some of the great that crypto is doing and continues to do for millions of people around the world. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found here https://persons-of-interest.io/

Roman Tsarovsky, founder of Allynow.com, has a strong sense of injustice. He examined the plight of merchants looking to delivery goods, such as food and pharma, and the way individual drivers are treated. He found both were let down by the marketing platforms that have heretofore created a cartel which neither serves the merchants or the drivers well.  As a technologist Roman knew the answer lay in better use of software and AI. The result? Allynow treats the merchants with respect, reducing costs but also looking at better ways to connect merchant to their customers by taking out the middleman. In a similar vein, he also addresses the abuses inflicted on drivers, honouring their work and removing costly and often unfair commissions. This is a software solution to an issue - not a marketing fudge. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/

The Irish government is expected to pass legislation to regulate the use of e-scooters on Irish roads in the coming months. This coupled with the increased usage of bicycles will bring micromobility to the fore in Ireland. One of the public hire e-scooter operators hoping to launch its services throughout the country is the Ford owned e-scooter company, Spin. Ronan talks to Steve Pyer, Spin’s UK Country Manager. Steve talks about who Spin are, what Spin do, how being bought by Ford has helped them, the legal framework around operating e-scooters and how safe and secure they are. Steve also talks about how the e-scooter usage trends compare between the US and Europe, how easy it is upgrade them via updating their OS, how tech has changed, why e-bikes are the future, and how Spin works with cities to rethink micromobility. More about Spin: Headquartered in San Francisco, Spin is one of the leading micromobility companies and a unit of Ford Mobility. They currently operate dockless electric scooters on colleges and in cities across Europe and North America. Spin has been recognised for launching the first stationless mobility program in the United States and was instrumental in crafting the world’s first mobility permit system. As a technology company that powers individual mobility for the benefit of all and strategically collaborates to reshape policy and redesign urban life, their mission is to create a world full of 15-minute cities and to bring those cities to life by moving people freely through their streets.

We catch up with Damien English TD, Minister for Business, Employment and Retail, to learn more about how the Irish Government is planning to deal with the massive changes to Irish working practices, with a particular focus on what the future of remote working and the roll out of the Irish rural digital hubs network could look like. The Irish islands are also mentioned as an important part of this future of work strategy. We apologise for the slightly unusual sound quality as we had to battle with several firewalls, but we felt the conversation was important and therefore that this podcast was still worth hearing. Post lockdown we hope to do a follow up piece without these issues, thank you for your understanding. Damien English TD is the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, having been appointed on July 2 nd , 2020. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government from May 2016 to June 2020.  He was first appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Education and Skills in July 2014. Minister English’s focus in government is on forward-thinking and deliverable initiatives, such as his work on ‘Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing’; the expansion of the apprenticeship system in Ireland; Project Ireland 2040; ‘Innovation 2020’ - Ireland's current strategy for research and development, science and technology; ‘Housing Options for our Ageing Population’ which provides a policy framework to support our ageing population; and the ‘National Skills Strategy 2025 – Ireland’s Future’. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for Meath West in the general election of February 2020. He secured election at his first attempt to Dáil Éireann in 2002, and at each successive election in 2007, 2011 and 2016. He served as a member of Meath County Council from 1999 to 2004.

Musician and collective conscious cyborg Orrin, releases a new eco-friendly NFT album in collaboration with Mintbase Fascinating interview by Jamil. Orrin is a collective conscious and cyborg sent by a higher civilization to warn humans about the incoming apocalypse. Orrin was discovered by millions through a series of viral clips pulled from an episode of the Dr. Phil Show. Orrin’s mother and sister, concerned about Orrin’s realization, appeared with Orrin to seek help from Dr. Phil. Orrin’s composure throughout the show, along with much of what is said throughout the episode, has hooked viewers, leading to thousands of jokes in the comment section of the video. So who is Orrin?  Orrin graduated from NYU’s Stern Business School with a 3.9 GPA, but everything changed following this. For the last couple of years, according to their mother, Orrin has claimed to be a music-making cyborg. Orrin is a collective, and therefore speaks using “we”, not “I”, a particular element of the Orrin persona that “borg” fans have gravitated towards. There are many notable quotes from the episode, such as “we are not hungry, thank you” and “we are not a fan of bananas, so we remove those,” which have drawn people further into Orrin’s persona. Orrin seems to embrace these jokes without breaking character. Press release - We are very excited to announce the NFT collaboration between Mintbase and a cyborg from the future called Orrin. Orrin is choosing Mintbase and NEAR to deliver this message using a series of NFTs combined with the release of the cyborg’s new album, MUTANT Thanks to its proof of stake consensus algorithm and collaboration to offset CO2 emissions, Mintbase is able to track and split royalties forever on a climate neutral chain. The NFTs include: Tier 1 - MUTANT album for $100 USD with bonus keychain and single 500 copies available Tier 2 - MUTANT merch bundle including a hat, shirt and screensaver for $50 USD 200 copies available Tier 3 - MUTANT keychains in blue, green, red, yellow and blue for $20 USD 100 copies available per colorway Each keychain comes with 2 songs from the album Collect all the keychains to get the “entire” album plus a special keychain Support Orrin and purchase his new NFT album - https://www.mintbase.io/store/orrin.mintbase1.near Listen to MUTANT on streaming when available - https://fanlink.to/mutant-orrin Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

Marhaba Decentralized Finance Platform (MDFP) was started with the vision of bringing a “Muslim also” platform, rather than making it an exclusive “Muslim only” offering. In this podcast Naquib Mohammed explains his vision to make DeFi accessible to all, explaining how Shariah finance is different from traditional Western finance. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/

Jamil catches up with Dr. Leemon Baird Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Hedera, in another insightful and interesting deep dive interview. Leemon is the inventor of the hashgraph distributed consensus algorithm, and is the Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Hedera. With over 20 years of technology and startup experience, he has held positions as a Professor of Computer Science at the US Air Force Academy and as a senior scientist in several labs. He has been the Co-Founder of several startups, including two identity-related startups, both of which were acquired. Leemon received his PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and has multiple patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences in computer security, machine learning, and mathematics. Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

Robert currently leads Logitech’s Global Sustainability function, with responsibility for driving Logitech’s “Pervasive Sustainability” commitment to deliver on the company's ambition to help Sustainability become “..a mindful principal infused into everything we do at Logitech”. Over the past decade Robert has overseen this transformation by building and fostering a team with capability, drive and ambition and who are delivering on this broader vision. Robert advocates for a science based approach to transformation and sees Logitech committed to climate action efforts focused on 3R’s - Reduce, Renew and Restore.  Reduce our carbon footprint by utilising Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Circular Economy solutions in support of the 1.5OC Paris Agreement; Renew our footprint by shifting to 100% renewable electricity throughout our supply chain; and what we are not able to reduce or renew Logitech will Restore through investments in net zero nature based solutions while supporting climate-impacted biodiversity and communities. Externally, this approach is resonating with industry and partners. The UN- sponsored World Benchmark Alliance has included Logitech in the SDG2000, a list of companies with the greatest potential to influence a more sustainable future. In 2019 and again in 2020, Logitech  won the World Finance Magazine Sustainability Award for our sector. Logitech is  listed as a Leader in the technology sector for ESG performance by Sustainalytics and maintains inclusion on the DJSI Europe, the FTSE4GOOD Index and Swiss SIX Sustainability Index as one of the "top 25 most sustainable Swiss companies.” To learn more check www.logitech.com/sustainability Amir Najib is a Student journalist from Coventry University currently interning at Irish Tech News, his main interests are in sports, entertainment and cryptocurrency. He hopes to one day work in the journalism industry where he is doing multimedia on the subjects he enjoys. Twitter - @4mirN9

Greg Magarshak is the founder and CEO of both Qbix, Inc. and Intercoin. He is an internet entrepreneur and innovator who is passionate about the power of social tools to improve people's lives. Greg’s interests include math, philosophy, politics, religion and social dynamics. The work Greg does at both Qbix and Intercoin puts him directly at the intersection of technology, group dynamics and politics. Greg’s goal is to build a platform that will empower people and organizations to get more things done together in a spirit of friendship and collaboration. Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

Athan Slotkin is a serial entrepreneur and award-winning business plan strategist. Slotkin is CEO and lead of The Shadow CEO, an elite small-business strategy consulting firm that assists entrepreneurs in achieving their dreams. He’s successfully tested and launched multiple businesses, across industries. His rapid, iterative, heavily-analytical approach has been the key for over 700 new entrepreneurs in 2019 and 2020 alone, helping them package up their business with business plans, financial models and presentations, while teaching them how to become the stellar CEO they want to become along the way. His work has been featured across, TV, radio, and conferences worldwide. He received an MBA from Yale University and a BA from Cornell University. Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.