Grepcast

Ries McQuillan, Senior Manager of Business Development at Baker Tilly, joins us to talk about his unconventional path from selling Cutco knives to becoming a relationship-driven leader in Boston's startup ecosystem. In this episode, we dive into how Reese built a career on partnerships, why patience is critical in sales, and how Baker Tilly supports startups—from pre-seed through IPO. Whether you're a founder, ecosystem connector, or just love a good startup story, this one's for you.  

Beth Porter, Head of Studio Operations at C10 Labs and faculty at BU Questrom School of Business, joins Adam and Mike to dive into the hacker-first mindset, the evolving role of AI in innovation, and how startups can balance risk, security, and growth in an ever-changing tech landscape!

Omer Tene, a Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP, took the time to join Adam and Mike to not only give us a primer on what privacy means for us all, and discuss how the world of privacy has been changing - especially with AI!  

PowerUp Boston is back! In this latest episode, we had the incredible opportunity to connect with Stephanie Roulic, the visionary founder of Startup Boston and a force in her own right in the Boston startup community. Following our own talk at Startup Boston Week and witnessing the vibrant community they've cultivated, we just had to bring Stephanie onto the podcast. Join us as we dive into Startup Boston's roots, the value of hybrid events, the significance of community research in your startup adventure, and so much more! Find Steph and everything they're up to at startupbos.org/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephroulic. Also for the latest in Boston events, check out their Community Events calendar here! 

In this episode of PowerUp Boston, Adam and Mike are joined by Kylie Bourjaily of InnoCrew and talk about her experiences being a founder of two companies in Boston, as well as building community and the unspoken stresses founders go through!  Find InnoCrew and everything they're up to at theinnocrew.com & twitter.com/theinnocrew, as well as Kylie at twitter.com/KylieBourjaily. Tech Superpowers will be at StartUp Week Boston 2023! Find us in the Founder track on Thursday at 2 PM! https://www.startupbos.org/founder-track-sbw2023

Mike and Adam chat with Matt Crane of MGMT Boston about the differences between the startup scene on the West Coast and in Boston, what the Endeca effect is, and what's next for MGMT Boston!  Follow Matt and the happenings over at MGMT Boston at mgmtboston.com, and sign up for the newsletter at mgmtboston.substack.com! Stay in touch with the Tech Superpowers team and everything we're up to over at tsp.me and on Instagram!  

Tech Superpowers is back in your feeds with a brand new show! Adam and Mike are here to talk about everything that's been happening since you've heard us last and introducing what we're doing next! PowerUp Boston will be a regular podcast where we connect with folks from the Boston startup community to discuss the scale-up journey and all the various items that come up as a business grows!

Adam, Kelly, and Mike are back with a collection of quick-hit articles, bringing you that classic Grepcast energy while not being all too mired in the constant pandemic-related technology coverage. While we kick it off with everyone's new morning / evening routine, we take a glance at the past (2003 to be specific) before doing some future tripping.   Links and Extra Reading Doomscrolling Is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health Facemash Creator Survives Ad Board Beyond Zoom: The future of virtual meetingsMedivis - Pushing the limits of what's possible Looks like you need Iceland  

The Grepcast is joined by a special guest today, Sarah Pruski, Director of Security Operations at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education for a conversation about all things cybersecurity. But! Before we get into cybersecurity, we touch back in with our best friends - Spot the Dog and Silicon Valley.   Links and Extra Reading Spot the Coronavirus Doctor Robot Dog Will See You Now Is ‘dopamine fasting’ Silicon Valley’s new productivity fad? Telecoms paranoia, 5G vs Covid-19 (and phones turning into human heads) Radio Galaxy Zoo: LOFAR How to Feel Nothing Now, in Order to Feel More Later Indycar's Virtual Race Crashes Sparked Real-World Controversy Among Drivers

As we continue to record from our homes in the time of COVID, we start by chatting about VR once again, even though Adam continues to be unconvinced. From there, the gang talks through Contact Tracing improvements and then how COBOL and technical debt has brought about a new group of superheroes.    Links and Extra Reading @michaelfolkson: Yesterday I co-hosted a Socratic Seminar in VR Apple acquires popular weather app Dark Sky and will shut down the Android version Google And Apple Will Enable Mobile Phones To Trace User Contacts In Coronavirus Fight How Digital Contact Tracing Slowed Covid-19 in East Asia Our Government Runs on a 60-Year-Old Coding Language, and Now It’s Falling Apart Zoom Lets Attackers Steal Windows Credentials, Run Programs via UNC Links Bookshop Network traffic insights in the time of COVID-19: March 23-29 update

In this episode of the Grepcast, we focus on all the things that feel worse than the new normal of self-quarantines. Come for the Bird smack-talk, stay for Kelly going off on the Internet Archive.  Links and Extra Reading My friend just got laid off along with 400 other employees by dialing into a pre-recorded Zoom message. It Felt Like a Black Mirror Episode' The Inside Account of How Bird Laid off 406 People in Two Minutes via a Zoom Webinar Internet Archive offers 1.4 million copyrighted books for free online The Pandemic Is Not an Excuse to Exploit Writers Twitter: Want to see the true potential impact of ignoring social distancing? Boston Public Library: Into the Water LinkedIn: Our strategy for COVID-19 layoffs

In this episode of the Grepcast, we check-in on how COVID is changing the landscape of the internet - especially as it pertains to Zoom and Netflix. From there, Adam gets mad at an article bemoaning the limitations of VR and then we dissect a new wearable that promotes privacy from Alexa and Siri.  Links & Extra Reading AT&T Suspends Broadband Data Caps During Coronavirus Crisis ‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong Netflix and YouTube are slowing down in Europe to keep the internet from breaking VR Was Supposed to Help Us Work Remotely. So Where Is It? Activate This ‘Bracelet of Silence,’ and Alexa Can’t Eavesdrop Rachel Barenbaum's 'A Bend In The Stars' Tells A Tale Of Injustice And Romance https://twitter.com/viverideama/status/1242224223055155201?s=20

As the world continues the change as part of the current Covid-19 pandemic, we here at the Grepcast are here to talk about how it may just change work forever. But before we dive into that, we follow up on an article from 2015 about how smart homes can improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities.  Links and Extra Reading An Instagram personality said he had coronavirus on a plane. The failed viral stunt got him arrested ImJayStation: YouTuber admits to faking girlfriend’s death to gain subscribers For the disabled, smart homes are home sweet home How coronavirus could force the work-from-home movement Coronavirus is the first big test for futuristic tech that can prevent pandemics The Zodiac Killer has been a mystery for 50 years – but one man thinks he's solved it Writers Bone Episode 402: Kelly J. Ford, Author of Cottonmouths

On this episode of the Grepcast, we only focus on the good stuff! No bummers in this episode, not even a single one! Our quick hits start with domain name "acquisitions" and Smart Mirrors. From there, we go on to the future of 3D printing and what the "right to repair" really means.  Links and Extra Reading Social Media Influencer Behind ‘State Snaps’ Sentenced to 14 Years for Plot to Steal Domain Name A $1,500 smart mirror brings live fitness classes to your home The world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood now has its first houses He Was Murdered in a Hate Crime. She Brought His Blood-Soaked Phone Back to Life. Apple Is Bullying a Security Company with a Dangerous DMCA Lawsuit The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World This Company Built a Private Surveillance Network. We Tracked Someone With It

Sure - it's a bit of a spoiler, but in this episode of the Grepcast, we find concrete examples of the joy of technology. But before we get to that, we go over talk Cybersecurity, Big Dogs, and the permeation of productivity apps in the home.  Links and Extra Reading NSA Cybersecurity Boss Anne Neuberger on What Keeps Her Up at Night Mass. State Police Tested Out Boston Dynamics’ Spot The Robot Dog. Civil Liberties Advocates Want To Know More Slack's New Rich Text Editor Shows That Markdown Still Scares People The Slackification of the American Home Dial Up! De mi Rancho a Tu Cocina BOKA Vanguard loading Carnival Vista

On this episode of the Grepcast, we tackle all of our late year heavy hitters - the tribulations of managing life, and what are we going to do about Open Office design?   Links and Extra Reading Managing Your Friendships, With Software 'I feel bombarded with to-dos': the hell of life admin – and how to get on top The Truth About Open Offices

On average, a data breach costs $3.9 million. Fortunately, cybersecurity insurance is now available to help businesses limit the financial damage associated with a data breach. Cybersecurity insurance offers financial protection if a business suffers a data breach. For example, if a company loses money due to a malware attack or any other cyberattack, cybersecurity insurance covers the investigation and recovery costs associated with this incident. So, is cybersecurity insurance worth the money? In our latest Grepcast, "So What Is Cybersecurity Insurance, Anyways?" Cleary Insurance Vice President Andy Gregory discusses cybersecurity insurance, and why it is a must-have for today's businesses. Read our Grepcast transcript below to find out what Gregory and the Grepcast team have to say about cybersecurity insurance.  Full Disclosure : Cleary Insurance is TSP's insurance provider.  Grepcast # 51.5 — So What Is Cybersecurity Insurance, Anyways? Adam Fisk: Joining us today on the Grepcast, we have Andy Gregory, Vice President at Cleary Insurance. He's here to chat about everybody's favorite topic, and that is insurance, but specifically, cybersecurity insurance. So, just to get a baseline definition, what is cybersecurity insurance?   Andy Gregory: Cybersecurity insurance really is the insurance industry's response to covering a peril that was not previously covered under traditional insurance. The insurance industry is a causational type of operation and consistently responds to providing a type of product that was needed prior to a specific event. Back in the 80's, 90's, and certainly the 2000's, when cyber events started happening like hacking and such, the existing insurance coverage forms that were available did not exist. So, either the policy form was silent and did not cover it at all. Or, it was expressly excluded. So, cyber coverage is something that has been designed to address those costs that come out of hacking. It covers both the company itself for damage — whether it's financial or property damage — that is the result of a hack. Or, financial damage to a customer or third party as a result of that. It's a very, very highly specialized and complicated insurance coverage form that's different than any other insurance coverage form out there.   Michael Oh: What's interesting, Andy, from my perspective is that we've actually seen some of our customers looking at cyber security because of the insurance. It is a reaction from the insurance companies to something that's happened, but we're also seeing that clients are becoming more educated about cyber security, and really what the risks are. It's almost like if there's a premium and a cost to it, then suddenly it's real. Whereas with cyber security up to this point, I think a lot of companies have sort of seen it as, "Well, [a cyber event] hasn't happened so far, is it really going to happen, and do I really need to take any action with my IT firm or internally in order to mitigate it?" But it seems almost like, "Hey, if the insurance companies recognize [cyber events] as a risk, then this is something that I need to act on." Which is actually a great end result, in my view.   AG: Yeah, no question. In IT security and IT services, everything that you provide is, in essence, risk management for the insured. But, for instance, let's compare it to property insurance for a building. If your building has hardwired smoke detectors and fire alarms, the insurance company looks at that property risk as a good risk. It's the same thing with IT security. You're deploying any and all possible standards for your company that help to mitigate or reduce or completely avoid any type of cybersecurity event, so then you pay much lower premiums, because there is a much better risk overall.   AF: So, in this case, we can at least, with a resounding voice, say that cybersecurity insurance is not the end-all. We have to do our homework first, and we have to make sure that we at least do the bare minimum of protecting ourselves.   AG: Absolutely. The whole concept of insurance is that you're doing your best — it's risk management — to reduce or mitigate any potential loss to your company. And then the insurance is a backup to that effort. And as a result, [the insurance] is there to protect you, but also, if you're doing the right thing to reduce risk, you're going to pay lower premiums than another company that is not doing the same.   MO: So how would you recommend that a company that really hasn't tackled cyber security either from an insurance or risk mitigation standpoint that is working with an IT provider approach this? Is it one before the other? Is it both simultaneously? What do you see out there in the marketplace?   AG: That's a good question. It's interesting. You talk to people that run businesses — whether it's a small business owner or a mid-sized company that's got a controller or chief financial officer — every business is watching the bottom line and focused on controlling costs. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, cyber security and certainly insurance in various forms are overlooked, and it's also almost on purpose, and they say they have enough insurance. I would say that, first and foremost, a company that works with an IT vendor needs to embrace that relationship and treat [the vendor] as a regular partner to their team. It needs to say, "Let's meet on a regular basis and make sure that you understand what we're doing and who we're doing business with and how our networks are protected. Do we have the latest malware protection? Are we encrypting where we need to be encrypting?" I guarantee that if you sit down with a lot of these small to mid-sized businesses, a lot of them will give you a pretty vague answer when you ask them if their standards are up to date. I'm sure you see this when you bring on new clients. Most companies are not where they should be. And once you have that addressed, then you superimpose the insurance as a backstop.   MO: It's interesting, because I think one of the things that's very clear to me is it's a problem with education about what the risks are so that a business owner can quantify those things. Ultimately, there's the fear that something might happen, the idea that that might cost five figures or six figures, or, in some cases, more, but there's really no way to quantify that in a way that gets to the point where they can say, "OK, well that is worth X to me." But I think what you mentioned is to really start these discussions with your IT provider, with companies like us, because until you start those conversations, everybody is in the dark. We're not here to just sell a service to our clients. We're here to educate and inform them about how [a service] is useful and the value you get for that service. I'm sure it's very similar in the insurance world as well. It's less about selling something than it is about educating people and bringing them along on that journey of understanding the risks.   AG: Yeah, no question. The only way to quantify that is to hang your hat, so to speak, on statistics. First of all, in the state of Massachusetts, any company that has one record that has potentially been breached has to notify the state. As soon as you do that, there are costs that you incur as far as investigation and notification. And if you compare the costs between spending money with an IT service firm that makes sure everything is up to date and spends time with your employees to educate them on finding phishing emails — you'd be surprised at how often employees click right through them and infect networks — and cybersecurity fees and insurance costs with the costs of a cyber breach, then I think it's a no-brainer. The cost comparison between the two makes it easy to make a decision.   AF: In your experience, either historically or where we're at in present days, are there any industries that are more prevalent for an attack like this? I know for at least ourselves, but even in the Greater Boston IT community, there are definitely areas where [companies] feel like, "Hey, we're not at risk. We're not doing something that is going to be heavily trafficked or trying to be stolen." Are you seeing similar things, or is it across the board these days?   AG: Looking at it from two different perspectives, the general statistics suggest that close to 60% of data breaches are targeted toward small businesses. So, small businesses are a target because they are perceived as not as well-funded for cyber security, and it may be easier to gain access to their networks. From an actual sector standpoint, healthcare has been one of the bigger areas that's been affected. Any type of organization that's involved in a financial transaction; law firms and accounting firms are two very big areas that are targets of social engineering attacks. We've seen several times with our clients where a third party has found a way to hack an email address and redirect funds that are supposed to be going to or from a bank or from a bank to a law firm or a third-party client. So, those are definitely two sectors that are big targets.   MO: It's interesting that you say law firms, financial firms, and these people that are moving money. But at the same time, you're also saying that anybody that makes transactions. But that's the fact in small business. What we've found ourselves in, even as a small IT firm, is that we're doing these transactions on a pretty regular basis. Whether or not it's to pay a vendor using wire funds and that kind of stuff, there's always the potential for these things to be hacked, if an email gets hacked into and its details are changed. So, in some ways, it does make sense that there are some areas that are more highly targeted. But I think what we've found as well is that just because your firm isn't in one of those things doesn't mean that you won't be a target. [Cybercriminals are] basically looking for anyone that may be complacent or hasn't put in the effort to educate and train users. And effectively, that bookkeeper or controller that's part of that thread of money moving around in a business is the target, regardless of what your industry is.   AG: Yeah, absolutely. I've heard some cybersecurity professionals say in the past that if you think about the industry as a hacker, there's not just a person sitting there during the work day that's trying to hack into your system. [Cyberattacks] are constant, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, and they're all-day-long automated processes. There are networks out there just searching and searching for weaknesses. So, yeah, it is anyone, and once [hackers] find a weakness in a network, they're going to explore it, and they're going to dig in there and see what they can find.   MO: As you mentioned, insurance is sort of a game of statistics. I recently was looking into some research about family offices; these are offices that are managing quite a large amount of wealth. There was a 2019 report from UBS and Camden Wealth that included a survey of 300 family offices. They said, "When those studied here were asked whether or not they had suffered a cybersecurity attack, 20% said yes, 72% said no, and 8.5% were unsure." Which, [unsure to me] means a yes. If you don't really know if you were hacked or not, then you probably were. But they basically surmised that the actual number of family offices successfully hit by a cyberattack is 30%. Because, really, if you look at the answers and knowledge that the people have, and the anticipation that some people will have been hacked but really don't know it yet — there's someone sitting on a network and waiting for a transaction to go through and trying to get that big $50,000 or $100,000 wire transfer to the wrong place — that's a pretty big number.   AG: I've seen statistics that generally show that, when asked, business owners will say that they were aware that they have potentially been hacked, and the rest didn't actually realize that they had been hacked because they didn't know it yet. There's a very high percentage of businesses that have third parties with access to their networks that haven't actually done anything yet, but the risk is there for the future.   AF: So tying everything together, using your analogies in regards to cyber security and insurance, we want to make sure we have at least the baseline, that we have the sprinkler systems, and that we have the fire extinguishers. In your experience, is there something that small business owners, or people who are looking into a cybersecurity insurance option and may not have an IT firm like TSP assisting them, that they want to have before starting the process?   AG: Having your virus and malware solution updated on a regular basis — there's a reason why they do those updates. New threats emerge every single day, and software providers are constantly updating their products to address them. So, that's number one, and that's not difficult to do from anyone's standpoint. The second thing is that if you don't have a professional sit-down with your employees to talk about these things, do some of your own research so you can tell your employees, "Look, if you get emails from somebody you're not sure of, then don't click on things." Even in the last six months, I'm very surprised at how often I get emails that seem to be from someone I work with. But when I look at the email address, the email is from a different Gmail or AOL email account. Or, the email will say it comes from John Doe's mobile phone, but when I look at the email, it's not. So, update your virus or malware software, and make sure that your employees are using their heads when they're opening emails and working on your network.   MO: For the companies that have an IT provider, do you see them taking additional actions like testing their staff on phishing emails or white hat hacking campaigns where you're creating a phishing email and sending it out to your staff to find out who clicks on it? Is that something that you see out there? And from an insurance standpoint, what does that mean to you?   AG: Typically, I would say that I don't see in-house IT professionals testing employees. I've worked for publicly held insurance companies in the past where it was the complete opposite and you have to go in two to three times a year for online education for identifying these threats, and there are quizzes at the end, and you have to get to a certain grade. But I have not seen that in privately held smaller companies that are managed by an IT person or department.   MO: In terms of what makes these things real, I think there is this general sense from a lot of business owners and business stakeholders that this is an unknown threat that might happen. Do you seen actual claims coming across your desk for cyber security breaches?   AG: We do. Some of the times, we'll get a notification from the client that says that they're not sure but they think they might have had a breach. But beyond that, we've got three active, ongoing claims for cyber security. And two of them are both social engineering-related. We've definitely seen an uptick in social engineering. It just seems that it's easier and easier for hackers to insert themselves into an email chain and get control of an email account. So, it's very real, and we see it all the time. I get [malicious emails] personally in my email inbox quite often. We keep a repository of these emails, and we try to let our clients know that these are the emails that we're receiving, and you may be receiving them. There's no question that there's a lot of activity, and it's ticking up. Let's put it this way — it's doubled since last year in terms of the number of reported incidents and related costs.      AF: I know, at least from our view, from what we see and what we talk about on the Grepcast, we frequently see larger and larger scale incidences. This causes me to think if we're only hearing about large instances like Baltimore being completely shut down because of ransomware, there are dozens and dozens of cases involving small and medium-sized businesses that we just don't hear about. Sometimes, the knee-jerk reaction — just in the case of ransomware — is to just pay it and get going, because maybe [businesses] don't have the robust backup system and cybersecurity protections that they would need in this case. And, unfortunately, it's just biting the bullet.   AG: Yeah, there's no question. Hackers are showing some actual business acumen in the instances where they're making the amount payable. They're not saying they want $1 million or $2 million; in some cases, they're saying they want $10,000 or $25,000. They realize that the company, based on what they know about it, will pay the ransom. And it's almost like a legitimate business transaction. The business pays the ransom, their data is released, and it goes back to doing business. And you're right, in a lot of those instances, no one ever hears about them. No one really knows the logistics around those because of embarrassment. Have an idea for a Grepcast episode? We'd love to hear from you! Contact the Grepcast team via email at grepcast@tsp.me.

For this episode of the Grepcast, we tread only lightly into the doom and gloom that is omnipresent surveillance systems until we venture into that happy land of noise design and how plants can really just make you feel better.  Maybe we're biased, but I think that was a good call.   Links and Extra Reading Mental health apps are scooping up your most sensitive data. Will you benefit? If you ever wondered how police in Moscow managed to track down this many protesters... Face Time: Moscow's Massive Use Of Camera Surveillance Moscow Tracks Commuters' Movements in 'China-Style' Surveillance Scheme Why we need to rethink the concept of noise in restaurants What is biophilic design, and can it really make you happier and healthier?

Ok, Gang, we get deep into AI again in this episode. In true Grepcast fashion though, we get started off with talking about Drive-Thrus. Then, Kelly clues us into what we all feared - our biometric data is really just everywhere.    Links and Extra Reading An AI-Run World Needs to better reflect People of Color How Computers See Gender I Opted Out of Facial Recognition at the Airport—It Wasn't Easy @Austin_Walker on Surveillance Technology Amazon's Facial Analysis Program Is Building A Dystopic Future For Trans And Nonbinary People

On this episode of the Grepcast our quick hits... hit all of our highlights - dumb IoT and frightening facial recognition. From there we become mystified by what three words can do for us, and then ultimately come back to Massachusetts for the latest in remote work.   Links and Extra Reading Juul's New E-Cig Sure Is Collecting a Dumb Amount of Data About Its Users Facial recognition software mistook 1 in 5 California lawmakers for criminals, says ACLU What3words: The app that can save your life @sTeamTraen on Twitter : #What3Words is not a life-saving app... Massachusetts telecommuting tax credit would be first in the nation, governor says Congestion pricing in Boston: New York’s move adds to the conversation Entrances2hell

Did you hear the news? Grepcast is bi-weekly now! First on our list this episode is shouting out the latest Good AI story for you, resulting in Adam and Mike creating the next big browser. From there we take you to coal country and chat about the next big public school curriculum. And since we can't stay away from the darkness, we end our episode in YouTube - the darkest site.    Links and Further Reading AI Needs Your Data—and You Should Get Paid for It What is your data worth? Equitable Valuation of Data How a State Plans to Turn Coal Country Into Coding Country How YouTube Radicalized Brazil

Hoboy. We finally dig into the joke that is the fine handed out by the FTC to Facebook. From there, we discuss the latest workers strike at Amazon, and then proceed to dunk on Tracking pixels. All in all, a pretty standard Grepcast episode.    Links and Extra Reading Facebook’s $5 billion FTC fine is an embarrassing joke Facebook 'to be fined $5bn over Cambridge Analytica scandal' Amazon workers go on strike in Germany as Prime Day begins The Amazon Prime Day strike could be a turning point for workers' rights Superhuman: the startup offering a shortcut to empty inbox nirvana Email Tracking Is Creepy and Invasive and No One Should Do It

It's time to rejoice and sing in the streets, because finally - AI is actually doing some good. But before we give you the good news, Mike pours one out for Jony Ive, we chat about how cool AirDrop is, and then Adam gets mad about the latest in housing exploitation (I mean innovation).    Links and Extra Reading Jony Ive’s Fragmented Legacy: Unreliable, Unrepairable, Beautiful Gadgets Hong Kong’s protesters put AirDrop to ingenious use to breach China’s Firewall AirDrop fumble grounds flight for 90 minutes This bunk bed is $1,200 a month, privacy not included Using AI to predict breast cancer and personalize care IBM launches cloud tool to detect AI bias and explain automated decisions

Quick programming note at the top of the podcast today, please please change your cell phone carrier PIN! Before we give you the skinny on why this is your task for the week, we touch on the latest in school surveillance tech - and how it actually may be a total farce. Only then, can we talk about how we actually don't own Things any longer?   Links and Extra Reading Aggression Detectors: The Unproven, Invasive Surveillance Technology Schools Are Using to Monitor Students How a trivial cell phone hack is ruining lives MICROSOFT'S EBOOK APOCALYPSE SHOWS THE DARK SIDE OF DRM Microsoft Ebooks Will Stop Working Because It's Shutting Down a DRM Server

We're back from our mini-Summer break with an extra large sized episode for you! On this episode of the Grepcast, we chat with TSP-alum Ben Pender-Cudlip about his documentary Dawnland. In true Grepcast fashion, first, we dive into talking about the latest in SmartTV issues and why SMS encryption is so important.    Links and Extra Reading Samsung’s security reminder makes the case for not owning a Samsung smart TV Why I turned on iMessage Dawnland : Screenings DAWNLAND Official Trailer FILMMAKERS SEEK THE TRUTH IN EYE-OPENING STORY OF FORCED NATIVE CHILD SEPARATION

As everyone else focuses on $1000 monitor stands, we take the high road and start chatting about Apple's latest button. From there, we enter the spooky world of "education" surveillance and then get frustrated at a "radical" graph.    Links and Extra Reading Apple’s new sign-in button is built for a post-Cambridge Analytica world Schools Are Deploying Massive Digital Surveillance Systems. The Results Are Alarming Radical Candor — The Surprising Secret to Being a Good Boss How To Power Your Garden Shed Off-Grid In Three Steps

The drive for data collection reaches a new market : Bargoers! After we tear apart another data-based cash grab, we touch on happier news - the rise of sustainability in new housing developments. And then finally, we talk about how everyone should be project managers.    Links and Extra Reading This ID Scanner Company is Collecting Sensitive Data on Millions of Bargoers How high-end housing developments use sustainability as a selling point California first in nation to require solar panels on new homes Product Designers Should Forget About Coding. Learn Product Management Instead.

We finally have sunshine here in Boston, so that means it's a no bad news 'cast! Starting off, we talk about the definitely-not-scary ability to create videos of people, before moving on to the fact that a US city is being held hostage by ransomware. But we end on vacations!    Links and Extra Reading It's Getting Way Too Easy to Create Fake Videos of People's Faces Hackers Are Holding Baltimore Hostage: How They Struck and What’s Next Airbnb is partnering with 23andMe to send people on “heritage” vacations I LET A STRANGER WATCH ME WORK FOR A DAY — AND I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE PRODUCTIVE

I don't want to alarm anyone, but we're in the heart of the Diaper Tech wars now. Before you get any context on what that even means, Adam talks about Spotify's pivot to hardware and then Mike talks about how space is just full of junk.  Links and Extra Reading Spotify begins testing its first hardware: a car smart assistant The smart diaper is coming. Who actually wants it? Why satellite mega-constellations are a threat to the future of space Female voice assistants fuel damaging gender stereotypes, says a UN study The Man Behind San Francisco’s Facial Recognition Ban Is Working on More. Way More.

Oh boy, gang - we get on a roll right out of the gate this week and we don't stop. Apps using our pictures for AI research, Facebook and Apple just being monoliths, and then surprise! There are two more Apps that you should be updating. Like, right now.  Links and Extra Reading San Francisco Bans Facial Recognition Use by Police and the Government Millions of people uploaded photos to the Ever app. Then the company used them to develop facial recognition tools. Supreme Court Allows Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple to Proceed It’s Time to Break Up Facebook Twitter discloses bug that shared location data on iOS users WhatsApp vulnerability left iOS open to spyware attack  

While we didn't go with a clip-show, on this weeks Grepcast we talk about all of our favorite topics : Amazon, Slack, and even introspection!    Links and Extra Reading The making of Amazon Prime, the internet’s most successful and devastating membership program The productivity pit: how Slack is ruining work Five Hidden Cognitive Biases That Keep Us From Our Best Creative Work Man accidentally swallows an Apple AirPod… and it STILL WORKS after it passes through his system

This week on the Grepcast, we spend some time talking about the latest issues with entry-systems and IoT. From there we look into China's unicorn/bicycle issues, and then we look to GoDaddy for our good news of the week. Links and Extra Reading America’s Favorite Door-Locking App Has a Data Privacy Problem How China’s ‘Unicorns’ Shook a Bicycle Town GoDaddy takes down 15,000 subdomains used for online scams HACKER LEXICON: WHAT IS CREDENTIAL STUFFING?

Our condolences to our fintech bros - Patagonia will no longer sell you the mythical power vest. After we deliver that totally sincere eulogy, we move on to discussing the normalization of facial recognition and why we decided that robots want to kill us.  Links and Extra Reading Patagonia Is Refusing To Sell Its Iconic Power Vests To Some Financial Firms Twitter : @internetofshit JetBlue Experiments With Using Your Face As A Boarding Pass Twitter : @LeftAtLondon WHY WE'VE DECIDED THAT THE MACHINES WANT TO KILL US

So it turns out, Alexa has been recording and transcribing everything you say? Oops. Oh, femtech is also creepily invasive? Double oops. But at least Instagram is our ray of sunshine this week...   Links and Extra Reading Amazon workers reportedly get to hear some of what you tell Alexa, and they have a chat room to talk about 'amusing' recordings There's a simple way to make sure Amazon workers can't listen to what you say to Alexa — here's how to do it There’s a dark side to women’s health apps: ‘Menstrual surveillance’ FOR SOME SMALL BUSINESSES, INSTAGRAM HAS REPLACED WORD-OF-MOUTH Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Pods, the New Way Influencers Are Gaming the Algorithm

Kicking off the episode today, Kelly shines a light on Australia's super secret hacker division, and then Mike fills us in on the Boeing 737Max disasters - and where the problems really stem from. Then - Meet Q - the worlds first genderless AI voice.    Links and Extra Reading Australia Shares Secrets of Its Offensive Cyberwar Against ISIS to Entice New Hacker Troops Twitter : BEST analysis of what really is happening on the #Boeing737Max issue from my brother in law @davekammeyer Doomed Boeing Jets Lacked 2 Safety Features That Company Sold Only as Extras Twitter : Challenger Disaster The world’s first genderless AI voice is here. Listen now Meet Q

We dig into all the latest announcements from Apple - from News, all the way to credit cards? From there Mike gives us the rundown of Asus' no good week, and then Kelly invites us all into the rabbit hole.  Links and Extra Reading Apple Doubles Down On Services As iPhone Slips The Apple Card Is Great at Privacy but Mediocre Overall 1M Asus PCs Compromised Through Vendor's Own Updates: Kaspersky Our Software Is Biased Like We Are. Can New Laws Change That? Who Made That Decision: You or an Algorithm? Senior Dog with Separation Anxiety Finds Comfort and Cuddles in Mannequin Dressed Like His Dad

We're back! We took a week off to recharge our batteries, so we're bringing you the latest in social media snooping, dunkin' on Self-Checkout, and then lambasting Tufts on shoddy investigations.    Links and Extra Reading On Disability and on Facebook? Uncle Sam Wants to Watch What You Post Why Self-Checkout Is and Has Always Been the Worst Tufts expelled a student for grade hacking. She claims innocence

Amherst College had a rough week, to say the least. But before we dive into the good and bad of their (total) internet outages, we chat about decarbonization, Lime scooters being the worst, and weirdly - Nike's being bricked.   Links and Extra Reading How to decarbonize America — and the world Lime Scooter Software Glitch Causes Random Braking, Dozens Of Rider Injuries A POPULAR ELECTRIC SCOOTER CAN BE HACKED TO SPEED UP OR STOP Nike's Android app doesn't run well with its Adapt BB self-tying shoes No Email, No Wi-Fi, No LMS  

5G is coming! Unless you live in a house or use your phone around any type of wall, that is. After Mike fills us in on the 5G dilemma, we chat about smart thermometers, more Bandersnatch discourse, and then Dark Pattern. Links and Extra Reading  5G Will Hit A Wall, Literally, In 2019 They’ve Taken America’s Temperature — and It’s Running High The One Choice You Weren't Given In Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Designing Welcome Mats to Invite User Privacy Dark Patterns : HALL OF SHAME https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/1096113904671956992

We kick off this weeks episode with a listener question, that then allows us to touch on the latest Bezos-drama. From there, Kelly tells us about how your social media game can influence your life insurance policies. Then we talk about ways to improve your personal cybersecurity in 2019. Links and Extra Reading It looks like the National Enquirer is using Amazon's cloud to host its website New York insurers can evaluate your social media use if they can prove why its needed Tesla's fart mode is a real gem TD Bank - Passwords  

Sure, here at the Grepcast try to ensure we make a pun-free cast for you, but on this week's mini-cast we were unable to do so! With Mike away at ISE 2019, Kelly and Adam join the Fyre festival discourse and what it means in the social media landscapes.  Links and Extra Reading HULU’S “FYRE FRAUD” VS. NETFLIX’S “FYRE”: A SCORECARD Lessons Learned From Fyre Festival’s Mishandling of Influencer Marketing Where Does Salt Come From? — How to Make It

Blueprints for personal smart home security, merit badges for cybersecurity, and not beating up robots! We cover all of the bases on this weeks Grepcast. Find something interesting that you think we should cover? Email us over at grepcast@tsp.me!   Links and Extra Reading Security Things to Consider When Your Apartment Goes ‘Smart’ A common smartphone app helped find missing woman HP Enterprise debuts game teaching Girls Scouts about cybersecurity Phishing Scheme Targets Professors’ Desire to Please Their Deans — All for $500 in Gift Cards Why Do We Hurt Robots?

Kicking off the episode today, Adam tells us about how someone gave hackers access to THE ENTIRE Chilean ATM network. From there, we talk about Hitmen, Robot Porters, and then ultimately - can we say "no" to the Smart Home future?  Links and Extra Reading Employee Falls for Fake Job Interview Over Skype, Gives North Korean Hackers Access to Chile's ATM Network: Report This Runner Is a Hitman. His GPS Watch Tied Him to a Mob Boss Murder Robots Ruin Robot Hotel Lesley Carhart Twitter

We never thought we'd get another chance to yell about Bird scooters, but here we are! Before we discuss the values of being a good Virtual Worker; Adam talks Bandersnatch drama, Kelly dunks on Bird, and Mike makes us all want a new TV. Again.    Links and Extra Reading Netflix sued by Choose Your Own Adventure publishers over Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Scooter startup Bird tried to silence a journalist. It did not go well. This Really Is the Next Revolution in TV Technology The Virtual Work Skills You Need — Even If You Never Work Remotely

Before we dive into the current State of Apple, Adam reminds us that the Town in Footloose was the bad guys, Kelly talks about ignoring ads, and Mike touches on the precursors to all small tech - Mighty Mouse.   Links and Extra Reading It Doesn't Matter That There's a Video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Dancing in College Banner Blindness Revisited: Users Dodge Ads on Mobile and Desktop Five big questions about Apple putting iTunes on Samsung TVs Mighty mouse Hey Apple, what happens on iPhones doesn't stay there, and your 'clever' CES ad is promoting a dangerous illusion

Welcome to 2019, you finally made it to the future! Starting off the year right, Adam talks to us about the cash-less futures, Kelly touches on the growing role of DNA testing customer support, and Mike lets us know that Guardzilla is the worst. Also, spoiler alert, the Internet is fake?  Links and Extra Reading  The Problem with Cashless Restaurants Surprise DNA Results Are Turning Customer-Service Reps Into Therapists Security flaws let anyone snoop on Guardzilla smart camera video recordings How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.

This is it! We close out 2018 by chatting about Google wardrobe options, the rise of Influencer advertising, and Alexa ruining Christmas. From there, we look to 2019 with our favorite in tech predictions.  Links and Extra Reading :   GOOGLE Internal Google Docs Warn Not to Gift Contractors Shirts in Case They Start Thinking They're Employees How the Rise of Influencers Like Lilly Singh and Andrew Bachelor Have Disrupted Advertising Alexa Crapped Out on Christmas 31 Tech Predictions for 2019

This week we look back at the latest in Taylor Swift tech-drama, the superstar cities of America, and the best and worst in technology that 2018 had to bring.   Links and Extra Reading Taylor Swift used facial recognition tech at concerts to spy on stalkers Where You Should Move to Make the Most Money: America’s Superstar Cities Worst Gadgets of 2018 WIRED Recommends: The best gadgets and gear in 2018

Today Adam lets us all know about how free apps will be our downfall, Mike is now ok with robots taking selfies, and Kelly recaps the latest in people not understanding technology. For our big topic : if Brett Farve is Social Network, what does that mean for all of us?   Links and Extra Reading  Delete All Your Apps NASA InSight Lander 'Hears' Martian Winds Republicans are mad at Google for search bias—will they do anything about it? Six Years With a Distraction-Free iPhone Spooky Space 'Sounds' How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

Before we explain what all this title means, Adam describes the latest in scams targeting grandparents, Mike lets us yell about Elon again, and Kelly tells about the scam of Open-Plan workspaces. Then we get to talk about our perennially favorite topic : BitCoin.   Links and Extra Reading Grandparents increasingly targeted by impostors who know "everything" about them Don’t Work 80 Hours a Week for Elon Musk, or Anyone It's Official: Open-Plan Offices Are Now the Dumbest Management Fad of All Time What’s Ransomware Without Cryptocurrency? Opinion: Bitcoin is close to becoming worthless

This week Adam opens up about the anxieties that punctuation can bring, Mike tells us about Solid State Airplanes, and Kelly introduces us to a new robot. From there, we investigate the latest in AI - Babysitter screening.    Links and Extra Reading : The Tyranny of the Exclamation Point Is Causing Email and Text Anxiety Meet Zora, the Robot Caregiver MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts Wanted: The ‘perfect babysitter.’ Must pass AI scan for respect and attitude.