The QTS Experience

Jon Trout, CEO and founder of ChekHub, appears on The QTS Experience Podcast, where he shares his background and journey in the digital infrastructure industry. He talks about the chaos and inefficiencies in the industry and how his experiences inspired him to create platforms that provide clarity and improve technical service delivery in various industries, similar to how Uber has leveraged operational clarity, aligning everything from the service provider to the end user. Jon and host, David McCall, discuss the technical service delivery personnel supply chain challenges and the importance of evangelizing and sharing the good news about the potential opportunities available in the digital infrastructure industry. Jon Trout LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jontrout/ Chekhub https://chekhub.com/ Nomad Futurist Foundation https://www.linkedin.com/company/nomad-futurist/

One of the key challenges in extreme sports is the need for thorough preparation and planning. Athletes must assess the risks associated with their activity and take steps to mitigate those risks as much as possible. Similarly, in IT infrastructure deployments, there is a need for careful planning to ensure that all systems are properly configured and tested before they go live. This includes assessing potential risks and ensuring that contingency plans are in place to address any issues that may arise. My Guest this week is Larry Hack, CTO of CPAP.com and an extreme sports enthusiast to say the least. Larry is an experienced Cave Diver, Parachutist and wingsuit flyer. Larry spends some with me this week sharing both his adventures around the world and how his professional world of IT has so many correlations. Join us for an amazing conversation – on the next QTS Experience.

Someone once told me I could possibly make a Quantum computer 15 different ways – which doesn’t sound that interesting until you consider it could literally destroy encryption as we know it – and how fun would that be in the middle of the banking and economic challenges we’re living through now?

Today, I am thrilled to have a very special guest joining me, Dr. Avi Loeb. Dr. Loeb is a theoretical physicist and the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where he is the former chair of the Astronomy Department. He is also the author of numerous articles and books on astrophysics, cosmology, and the search for extraterrestrial life. Today, today Dr. Loeb discusses the enigma of Oumuamua, the mysterious interstellar object that captured the world's attention in 2017. Dr. Loeb has been at the forefront of the scientific investigation of Oumuamua. Avi shares some of his insights on what this strange visitor might reveal about the nature of our universe and our place in it. We also discuss how Avi’s peers and the Scientific community, in general, responded to the possibility of Alien technology. But our conversation will not be limited to astrophysics alone. Dr. Loeb is a champion of scientific curiosity, humility, and exploration, and he will talk about how these values have shaped his career and his approach to life. We will also touch on what he calls the three coming revolutions of AI Sentience, Longevity, and the discovery of Advanced Civilizations. AI and Aliens – what could go wrong So, join us for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with one of the most brilliant and visionary scientists of our time. Please enjoy Dr. Avi Loeb.

Technology has and continues to transform the way we learn, both in and outside the classroom. With the proliferation of digital devices, online platforms, and educational software, students today have access to a wealth of information and resources that you and I could only dream of. This has created previously unimaginable opportunities for personalized and self-directed learning. We’ve come a long way from the chalkboard. But these tools aren’t without risk. Learning comprehension, Classroom distractions, Plagiarism, and the ability of educators to accurately assess a student’s knowledge transfer are under incredible pressure. My guest this week is Dr. Kendall Hartley an Associate Professor of Educational Technology in the Department of Teaching & Learning at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) . Dr. Hartley's expertise lies at the intersection of technology and education, and he has spent his career exploring how technology can be leveraged to enhance the learning outcomes we desire while also warning us of the risk to students’ mental health and academic integrity if we don’t teach and enforce self-regulatory skills.

The modern economy requires  Digital Infrastructure. Another way to say that is – everything you do on your phone or devices requires, Data Centers. The modern world doesn’t exist without these connected, global, amazing facilities and all of the people and systems that support them. Think about that. Building that right is a tremendous responsibility. Dean Nelson is one of the pioneers of Digital Infrastructure and is at the forefront of efforts to build a better, more sustainable, digital future. Dean has worked for Sun Microsystems, Uber, eBay, and Microsoft. He is currently the CEO of CATO a low-cost carbon-free compute platform. He joins me this week to delve into some of the most pressing issues facing the modern economy, from the changing nature of work to the rise of AI and automation. We discuss the critical role of digital infrastructure in building a more sustainable future and our responsibilities to each other as we move forward. So whether you are a technology professional, an advocate for sustainability, or simply curious about the latest developments in the modern economy, this conversation is for you. https://climateaccord.org/ https://imasons.org/ https://cato.digital/

What if you had the power to create your own living space – by speaking it into existence through one of the emerging Open AI tools? Maybe a 3D printer shows up and builds out a basement or adds that room addition. Can we harvest these tools to build sustainable, cheap, environmentally friendly living spaces not just for you and me; but for the most vulnerable among us?  – hopefully, we may not be that far from it. This week I’m joined by Yash Mehta – an Architect, among other things, who spans both the traditional discipline in the corporate world as well as a future tech in the “Not For Profit” world. Yash and I discuss how the scope of an Architect is merging with engineering and how the next iteration is evolving with new tools, how it’s impacting social issues, and the challenges and opportunities of this “evolution” in our highly interconnected world. Please, lean in and enjoy the conversation – with Yash, on the QTS Experience.

Are you guided by logic or emotion? Most of us will say our decision-making is driven by logic and reason – not, primarily by emotion. Dr. Neale Martin joins me this week to help us understand how our subconscious mind actually does the overwhelming amount of decision-making for us – because it feels right. So how do we implement technology with our deeper human goals? Are we going to use technology that creates a Dystopian future that feels good – but ultimately leads to our demise or are we going to leverage these incredibly powerful tools to help humans flourish?  Join us for the conversation – on the next QTS Experience. Nealemartin.com Sublimebehavior.com 

Cryptocurrency and cash-free aren’t the same things – but the net result is the same whether you use cards or a bitcoin – you don’t have cash in your wallet. In the best-case scenario that can be freeing to just swipe or tap from your phone – and the transaction is complete. The worst case scenario – I’m going to save for another day – the point is that cashless is here to stay and eventually dominate. Which leads us to the conversation today – what has been the impact on crime in general and street crime in particular? Dr. Richard Wright is Regents’ Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University. He has written widely on matters related to crime and justice.

We, humans, love our tribes. If you’re in my tribe you’re granted an element of trust and acceptance, even value. If you’re out of my tribe you rarely receive that status, almost certainly not with equal value. When Covid pushed us all into remote work – an accidental consequence occurred: On-Premises workers and remote workers all got pushed into the same tribe. We sat there looking at each other from the same piece of glass – like a Zoom version of the Brady Bunch. No one was perceived to have more “value” as a worker or a leader, because of their geographical location. Which, let’s face it, before the pandemic,  if you worked remotely, you WERE perceived to be less valuable and effective. This pandemic petri dish demonstrated being in the room didn’t make you a better or worse employee or leader, being skilled was the difference. This week I’m joined by Sarah Keller. Sarah is the Head of Global Technology Sourcing and Supply Chain at Uber. Prior to Uber, she worked for organizations like Meta, Workday, and Google. Sarah brings a powerful perspective to this conversation and the complexities of remote opportunity amidst return-to-work directives. An area that requires thoughtful and serious consideration. Please, enjoy the conversation with Sarah Keller.