The Extra Dimension

Over the last year-and-a-half, most of the education world has had to quickly adapt to a new model that we had never used before. Distance Learning has certainly been a journey, and one that will probably continue shaping education even as we go back into our physical classrooms.

The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly thrust many of us into a world where we find ourselves working from home. How is that affecting the people going through this, and how is it reshaping society at large?

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was killed at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve him. His death sparked weeks of protests, marches, police brutality, riots, and political change. Join Ian as he struggles to process everthing that has happened to his community.

The illnesses that we have faced over the course of human civilization have been heavily influenced by the cultural and technological contexts that they interacted with. Rebecca Dean, Professor of Anthropology comes on the show to teach us about it!

Bikes are fairly simple machines, but very finely tuned. What things can you do maintenance on yourself, and what things require the services of a bike shop? Crystal Sursely of Lowertown Bike Shop joins us to answer all your pressing bike maintenance questions!

COPPA is not a new law, but there are certainly some new developments for how it applies on YouTube. Content creators are now required to mark their videos as "made for kids" or not. What does this mean, and what are the consequences?

Ian was recently invited to guest on the IEEE RAS Soft Robotics Podcast, hosted by Marwa ElDiwiny. They chat about how robotics and podcasts can be used in a high school education setting, as well as home automation and how robotics is affecting society in general.

Getting into podcasts can be a daunting task, since there are so many choices to make. How do you find interesting shows? How do you listen to them? Is there an app for that? We're here to help! This episode will give an overview of the different options you have for listening to podcasts, and serves as a companion to our Podcast Players Roundup on Second Opinion Reviews.

Ian sits down with author Naomi Kritzer to chat about her brand-new book, Catfishing on CatNet! They talk about the book, its themes of online friendship, privacy, and tracking, as well as digging into some delightful local references. Plus, a few details about the sequel came up as well!

We all love our technology: it does many many things to improve our everyday lives. But what is it doing to our planet? How can we use our technology in an environmentally responsible manner? Ian interviews experts from LineageOS, iFixit, the Rebble Alliance, the Washington County Environmental Center, and Tech Dump to talk about the many different aspects of reducing the environmental impact of consumer technology.

A Google fanboy. An Apple nut. Each has only ever used one smartphone platform. What happens when two people step out of their comfort zones and trade phones for a week? Ian and Lilly swapped their Pixel 3 and iPhone XS to see what life is like on the other side of the ecosystem divide.

So, you want to start biking as a primary form of transportation, but are nervous about the challenges you will encounter? Never fear, Melody Hoffmann and Ian R Buck are here with the solutions they have found over many years of utilitarian cycling.

On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and the first lunar landing, Ian and Brian are discussing how the technologies of space exploration have evolved over time: what they were in the past, where we are now, and how they will change in the future.

Digital technologies have a lot of potential to aid in political organizing, provided we use them effectively. Ian R Buck sat down with several prominent Twin Cities activists (Ethan Osten, John Edwards, and Mike Lindsay) to talk about how to activate communities without tearing them apart.

Browser extensions are a fantastic tool for customizing your digital life. If you've never heard of them, come learn about them! If you're an extension veteran, check out the community forum segment where we talk about extensions that listeners like you wrote in about!

Many people have been using Marie Kondo's method to tidy up their physical spaces, but what about all the digital stuff we have? Join Ian R Buck as he sorts through this topic and interviews some of the other TNTV hosts who have given a lot of thought to their digital collections.

For the first time ever, The Nexus TV is publishing an audiobook! Here are the first few chapters of Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That's OK.

This year we're participating in the Project for Awesome, supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation! Come find out how you can participate.

As more and more parts of our lives are stored and managed through online accounts, it is critical to understand how to keep those accounts secure. Ian R Buck sits down with Elena Machkasova, computer science professor, to talk about what attackers are after, how they try to gain access, and what we can do to protect ourselves.

There are a lot of things to take into account when buying electronics. Ian, Aron, Brian, and Ryan are here to share some of the things they look for across the many types of computers.

You use computers every day, but do you know how they work? A few computer science majors get together to describe the different components of a computer and what their jobs are.

Ian R Buck joins Ryan Rampersad in the studio to talk about the "Great American Eclipse." And surprise, Ian brought a microphone with him during his trip to see the eclipse with Scott Kopp, so we get to hear coverage from the event itself! This episode was originally broadcast in August 2017 on Nexus Special.

We are quickly approaching a world in which we are constantly surrounded by computers embedded in our environment, serving our needs. What are the challenges we face on our way there, and what can we expect to find once we do?

Today, more and more online content is being published on centralized platforms. That hasn't always been the case, since the internet was created as a decentralized system. Join Ian R Buck and Brian Mitchell as they explore the pros and cons of each approach, and try to figure out what the optimal way to publish content is!

You've probably been getting lots of emails about companies updating their privacy policies. They're all doing this at the same time because the EU's General Data Protection Regulation just came into effect. Find out what it means for you with Ian R Buck.

If machines become more capable than humans in every way, the world will certainly be in for a wild ride. What will this mean for our society, our morality, and our understanding of ourselves? Ian R Buck is joined by Ian Decker and Mike Sandberg to delve deep into this mind-blowing topic.

They say theater is a dying medium, but they've been saying that since the advent of radio! In fact, theater has adapted as new technologies become available. What new developments are on the horizon?

Imagine a world where you don't have to buy anything because you readily have access to it. Ian R Buck and Brian Mitchell discuss the technologies that could get us there, and the possible consequences of such a system. Ian also interviewed special guest Melody Hoffmann about AirBnB and the sharing economy, which is a current example of an access system.

Ian R Buck makes an audio adaptation of his senior seminar paper from 2015.

If you consume digital media, chances are you have encountered DRM in the past. Join Ian R Buck, Ryan Rampersad, and Brian Mitchell as they discuss why it exists, the many forms it can take, and the problems it introduces.

Ryan Rampersad joins Ian R Buck to talk about online voting, a topic he researched in college. They discuss the rigorous set of requirements for a voting system, and the extra challenges faced by an electronic implementation to meet those requirements.

Directed panspermia is the concept of seeding planets with microbial life. It comes with a lot of baggage, such as the question of whether or not we are the result of such seeding and whether or not we should actively seed the rest of the universe. Ians Buck and Decker tackle these and other related topics, such as what our purpose is in the universe.

Chances are you will soon own a phone that charges via USB Type-C, and maybe even a laptop and console too! What are the promises and challenges that come with switching to this new connector? Join Ian R Buck and Ryan Rampersad as they explore this topic!

In a post-scarcity society, nobody has to work if they don't want to. Ian R Buck and Brandon Johnson explore the forces that can help us reach that state, how such a society would have to be structured, what we would do with our time, and some of the challenges facing us on our way there.

Net Neutrality is a vitally important concept for maintaining an open internet, but it has faced many legal hurdles. Join Ian R Buck as he dives into the topic. This episode will be updated whenever there are new developments.

Almost all of the social networks that we use are centralized, meaning that one company owns everything. Ian, Brandon, and Brian explore what a social network would look like if it were distributed, meaning that there are many servers owned by different people that still communicate with each other.

Copyright law can be big and complicated, but that doesn't mean it is impossible to understand! Join Brian Mitchell and Ian R Buck as they delve deeper into this subject that affects almost everyone's lives.

Ian talked to a lot of people at NerdCon, and naturally some of the conversations took unexpected turns away from NerdCon itself; here are some deep dives into topics the guests are very excited about.

At NerdCon: Stories Ian did something a little crazy; he sat down with random strangers to talk about their time at the convention! They covered a lot of different topics, so get ready for a wild ride!

What exciting new forms of transportation does the future hold for us? How will self-driven cars change our travel habits? What even is a hyperloop? Ian, Brian, and Ryan have done the research on all of this and more!

Come on a journey with Brandon Johnson, Brian Mitchell, and Ian R Buck as they explore the intricacies of planes, trains, and boats.

All your favorite Nexus hosts gather to talk about the dominance of the car in transportation, and what it means for both individuals and society as a whole.

Savannah Haslow, Andrew Bailey, and Ian R Buck discuss transportation and public transit.

Ian R Buck and Brian Mitchell discuss transportation and cycling.

Ian R Buck, Brandon Johnson and Ryan Rampersad secretly planned to attend Brian Mitchell's Senior Seminar Presentation at the University of Minnesota Morris on Saturday morning. This is a short variety episode from a few hours later of our meetup.

Ian R Buck and Ryan Rampersad discuss the complex world of advertising and ad blocking.

Ian R Buck, Ryan Rampersad and new Nexus Device owner Ian Decker discuss the essential settings and features of Android, and some of the essential apps you definitely need to investigate.

Ian R Buck and Ryan Rampersad discuss modern encryption and what's in the news that has us concerned.

Ian R Buck, Ian Decker and Ryan Rampersad discuss goals to strive for in your creations, old trends and new trends, and some anecdotal notes.

Ian R Buck and Ryan Rampersad discuss Google's latest subscription service: YouTube Red.

Ian R Buck and Savannah Haslow review Nerdcon: Stories.