WA InfoTechTalks

In part 2 of “When Construction MET Technology” David De Yarza of Builderbox and I will continue our conversation on the convergence zone of construction and technology. We talk about: Jobs in construction technology areas, including Amazon’s movement towards smart cities and Alexa (what’s she really up to?) How construction technology experts are typically self-taught and what they had to learn themselves. Are the degrees and certifications emerging in IoT and Telematics really preparing graduates? What roles does security play in construction and smart buildings and who’s responsible for these smart building security systems? Why construction is second to last of 22 industry sectors in terms of investing in technology? Is a bubble coming in the housing/construction industry? How viable are some projected and/or new innovations for the construction industry? Is Elon Musk having a bad year? Or, what? (We’re fans!) And, more.  Signing off!

We are here for a new episode of “When Construction MET Technology” in our WA Info Tech Talks series. With David de Yarza, founder and CEO of Builderbox, which is the world’s most advanced platform for Project Management, Production Control, and Team Collaboration in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. We cover in part 1 of this podcast: The convergence of construction and technology The technical knowledge and skills employers are looking for as well as what these technologies used by construction professionals like telematics and building information modeling (or, BIM), sensors, auto desk Revit, and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). Just like the IT industry, the construction industry loves their acronyms. Examples of major companies using technology like robotics and automation to move towards efficient, lean, and innovative ways to refresh the construction and manufacturing industries.

What’s All the Interest with Disruption?  Don’t you mean Disruptive Technology and IR4 (P2) 06.22.17 With Eden Lasater, director for Bellevue College’s Information Technology Services, we complete the second part of the podcast.  We’ll finish our analysis of the 15 Disruptive Technologies, like blockchain technology and quantum computing, and think about the following: what human characteristics remain so unique to humans that they could never be duplicated by artificial intelligence And look at the top ten disruptive technology jobs, explore what the job’s duties entail, what job demand looks like in the Seattle-Metro area, and what job comes in at number ONE! Thank you for joining us for our 13th WAInfoTech Talks podcast for 2017. Until next time, Sign off, Maureen Majury

What’s all the interest with Disruption?  Don’t you mean Disruptive Technology and IR4 (P1) 06.22.17  With Eden Lasater, director for Bellevue College’s Information Technology Services, WAInfoTech Talks in this first of a two-part podcast explores: The definition of Disruptive Technology according to the Harvard Business Review What does ir4 mean? Think about examples of Disruptive Technology. Chatbots and robot co-workers, perhaps? The likelihood of losing millions of United States jobs to automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence within the next ten years in a large number of industries And, we begin to look at how realistic the top 15 Disruptive Technologies and discuss how applicable these technologies are to our lives, personally and professionally. Join us for our second episode, where we complete our analysis of the 15 Disruptive Technologies, as well as look at the top ten disruptive technology jobs. Sign off, Maureen Majury

The Cassandra Prophecies: Do We Really Want To Know?  (Data Analytics: Should We Be Saying ‘Thank You’, or ‘I Don’t Like You’ (Part 1) with Dima Protchenko, a software and data engineer, Healthentic, is back as a repeat offender as we’ll be talking TECH and Big Data, specifically, Data Analytics. Topics we’ll be covering in Part 1 include:The history of Cassandra the Prophet, our first little data miner, and forecasting What is data analytics (we get into Bayesian Probability, the “R” language, and the technical knowledge and skills for data analytics, and demand and salaries in WA State) Why the DOL’s Occupational Outlook database needs a major “refresh.” Math, statistics, matrices (and, knitting) How data trends using social media applications can be uncovered to identify and solve problemsIt should be another informative, amusing, and grand finale for a season that was all about “Talking Tech.  In Part 2.1 of The Cassandra Prophecies, we look at ethics in Big Data, rate the big data experts predictions for 2016, think about a story problem that includes reliable and unreliable variables in "The Quickest Route," and can a fear of clowns be eliminated by VR?  All this and more in Part 2.1. Sign off, Maureen Majury

The Cassandra Prophecies: Do We Really Want To Know?  (Data Analytics: Should We Be Saying ‘Thank You’, or ‘I Don’t Like You’ (Part 2.2)) with Dima Protchenko, a software and data engineer, Healthentic, is back as a repeat offender as we’ll be talking TECH and Big Data, specifically, Data Analytics.Topics we’ll be covering in Part 2.2 include: Dima and I theorize about math and why students aren't embracing it like they should.  Maybe how math was taught in the "good old days" is still a good way. Hello, where's my abacus? Apple is a fan of the P2s of our podcasts (Yeah!) But, then I have to ask, "Why?" What's up with unreliable variables? Within the next 5 to 10 years, disruptive technology will change things for everyone. Instead of fearing change, let's embrace it (maybe?) Final thoughts on all our episodes and thanks to Bellevue College's Rick Otte, and Evan Tillet. It should be another informative, amusing, and grand finale for a season that was all about “Talking Tech”. Look out for our alumni reunion with Jonny, Dima, Juan, and Eden over the summer as we do Hemingway-style moveable feast of fun tech talk. Let the games begin. Sign off, Maureen Majury

The Cassandra Prophecies: Do We Really Want To Know?  (Data Analytics: Should We Be Saying ‘Thank You’, or ‘I Don’t Like You’ (Part 2.1)) with Dima Protchenko, a software and data engineer, Healthentic, is back as a repeat offender as we’ll be talking TECH and Big Data, specifically, Data Analytics.Topics we’ll be covering in Part 2.1 include: Ethics in data analytics: How realistic are they to uphold?Dima and I rate a number of data analytic predictions for 2016 by big data experts: "That's a bomb" (1), "Meh" (5), "Slam Dunk Cookie" (10) How statistics may be selectively used to suit the prefered message A rehash of Apple in the newsAnd, more tech talk, including my fear of clowns and how technology might someday solve that problem. What are big tech companies not providing for us that they should? We dissect the “Quickest Route”: a story problem involving reliable/unreliable variables and it features Sally, who has to run an errand for her mother, a bully, an angry dog, chatty neighbors and traffic lights.It should be another informative and amusing “Let’s Talk Tech”.Look for Part 2.2 (a 2-part finale) where we talk about why math fared better in the "olden days", Apple is listening to our podcasts, answer an AI survey and more... Sign off, Maureen Majury

Web-Time Stories: Do They All Have a Happy Ending (or, Are There a Few Twists & Turns? (Part 2)) with Juan Ulloa, Web Developer/UX Engineer with EagleView TechnologiesWe continue our discussion on Web Development, Design & User Experience and morein this second episode:Voice activated Artificial Intelligence linked to web A/B testing – what is it? A spelling test? Juan will let you know (It involves the user as guinea pigs) Why pop ups drive users away from mobile sites The 5 Best & Worst websites according to Juan and I.Coming soon is our final episode where Dima Protchenko, a software engineer, comes back to talk seriously about BIG DATA in The Cassandra Prophecies: Do We Really Want to Know? And we (well maybe it’s just me) get a bit loopy and wrap up and review some highlights of the first season. Sign off, Maureen Majury

Web-Time Stories: Do They All Have a Happy Ending (or, Are There a Few Twists & Turns? (Part 1)) with Juan Ulloa, Web Developer/UX Engineer with EagleView Technologies.  In Part 1 of our fourth podcast we hone in on:The In’s and Out’s of what it means to be a web designer AND developer AND a UX (or, User Experience) professional. Is there an acronym a techie doesn’t like? I.E.: HTML and CSS (Webbies, you need to know and master these skills) What is a hamburger menu? On a mobile app? Nope I don’t want to go to BK, Mickey Ds, or Wendy’s. The difference between designing for a web v. a mobile site. And, terms IT webbies love and you need to know.Join us for the second part of Web-Time Stories as we continue our conversation. Juan and I l get to our 5 best/worst websites, and more. Sign off, Maureen Majury

Let Us Entertain You: How Technology Will Bring Us More than “All That Jazz” (Part 2) In part 2, with Eden Lasater, director for Bellevue College’s Technology Services, we conclude our journey into Entertainment and Technology with:Our ideas cover: Where Entertainment and Tech will take us in the future – think real people in SIMS, Whispered Conversations, the Brains of the Dead, and creating entertainment from our dreams What constitutes a Slam Dunk Cookie in Tech and Big Tech on the Prairie Alternate endings to two films: One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Red Shoes Woman in IT fields This never gets old, stale, or ready to push into the breadcrumb category.We conclude Entertainment and ‘All that Jazz’ and how tech and entertainment collide and rebuild.Join us soon for Web-Time Stories:  Do They All Have a Happy Ending or Are There a Few Twists & Turns (Part 1) with Juan Ulloa, a web developer/designer/ux engineer from EagleView Technologies.Sign off, Maureen Majury

Let Us Entertain You: How Technology Will Bring Us More than “All That Jazz” (Part I)With Eden Lasater, director for Bellevue College’s Information Technology Services, we speculate, pontificate, and spell out the reality for those who want to meld two passions: 1. Entertainment and 2. Technology to create an academic and career pathway that pays.We cover, without roaming charges, topics that portend the future of entertainment and IT (for now):Technologies impact on television? Is nostalgia getting in the way of our embrace of the newer digital versions of film? Or, is it really a bunch of phony baloney? What does the demand for IT/Entertainment jobs in WA State look like (good news, people) It should be another informative and amusing “Let’s Talk Tech” conversation. 3D printing, virtualization, create your own film ending and more…Join us for our second episode centered on Entertainment and Tech where we move onto alternate endings to films, innovations for entertainment, and how we each would end a film very differently.In this episode, we talk tech with a twist of candied orange peel.  (You figure it out.)Sign off, Maureen Majury

Hacking: What’s It Good For? Absolutely Nothing: However, It’s Good for Bad People. (Part 2) With Dima Protchenko, a software engineer at Healthentic (a health data analytics company based in Seattle, Washington), we sit down and continue to discuss hacking:  • What’s the difference between a hacker, cracker, black hat and white hat?  • Hacking in the News: A Big Software Company, the Government, Encryption & Backdoors • In film and television how accurately are hackers and what they do portrayed? How believable was the whole storyline? Essentially, do they qualify for a Hackworth Award? • In the end we will ponder the future of hacking. What might be hacked that we haven’t even thought of?  Join us for our next episode when we discuss with Eden Lasater, Director of Information Technology Resources at Bellevue College, as we discuss Entertainment and Technology and think about what’s in store for us… 3D, Virtual Reality, Immersive Realities, Personalize Your Movie, and more… Until next time, think about how we all TALK Tech.  Sign Off, Maureen Majury

Hacking: What’s It Good For? Absolutely Nothing: However, It’s Good for Bad People. (Part I) With Dima Protchenko, a software engineer at Healthentic (a health data analytics company based in Seattle, Washington), we sit down and discuss hacking:  • What hacking and security within the IT world? What does a security professional do? What does job demand look like in WA State? • Employability skills for Security workers: What are they? • What are all these unusual terms within the hacking community like “phishing”, “trojan horse”, “fuzzing”, and “kernel”? Dima has some fascinating and uselful insights for anyone who is thinking about an academic and career pathway in Security. He brings good stuff to our Tech Talk Table!

In the second part of our first podcast, Jonny Chambers and I continue our discussion around robots, what jobs will they be they be "hired" to do, and how accurately were they depicted in film and television.I ask Jonny to rate (the ubiquitous 1 to 10 scale) select Twilight Zone episodes (Uncle Simon, The Lonely) as well as films like "2001: A Space Odyssey, Ex Machina, Blade Runner, in terms of how accurate were they in terms of predicting current or future innovations and when these innovations might occur. Also, we discuss a number of ways robots could replace everything from companions, to pets, to athletes. Despite the laughs, we actually dive into some real possibilities about the way robots can/will change our workforce.  And, everyone, including educators might want to start thinking about this for their students.We continue to ponder, will it be the rise of the machines, or are all of these just the dreams of the mad scientist in all of us?Talk Tech with me each week.  Sign off, Maureen Majury

In our first podcast, Jonny Chambers, Tech Worker, formerly from Microsoft, now working as Director of IT for the University of Washington's School of Dentistry, sits down with me to discuss Robotics.  We talk about robotics and jobs (how many jobs will go away because of automation and robotics?), the possibilities of robotics and what tech and soon-to-be tech workers/graduates need to start thinking about if they want to work with robotics. Then we go Goofy (no not a homage to Walt Disney).  We talk about films and television, past/future, and how accurate the were in predicting current or future robotic innovations.  What can robots be used for and to do?  And, how Mark Zuckerberg's robot butler might morph into a robot butler, robot baby, and more.All of this (the first of two episodes) focuses on Robots.  Will it be the rise of the machines, or are all of these just dreams for the mad scientist in all of us.Talk Tech with me each week.  Sign off, Maureen Majury