Traceroute

21. The New Digital Wayfinders

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 05:10:00 -0700

"Aue, aue... when it's time to find home, we know the way."

⛵️ //

For the island nation of Tuvalu, the effects of climate change are more than a warning; they’re an eviction notice. Estimates vary as to when the small chain of coral islands could vanish beneath the waves, but experts agree that Tuvalu may be uninhabitable long before then, prompting its people to set sail for a new frontier… the metaverse.

Within this digital landscape, Tuvalu could potentially preserve its lands, heritage, and governance, effectively pioneering a new model for nationhood, in which a nation and its people exist in two realms—physical and virtual. But how does one go from sand to silicon while maintaining the essence of a culture? And what is the real-world environmental impact of storing a nation’s worth of data?

Whether we take Tuvalu’s proposal literally or view it as a symbolic call to action, unpacking the logistics of such an ambitious project offers a glimpse at the expertise required to bring it to life—from tech experts grappling with blockchain governance to cultural preservationists digitizing traditional art and oral histories. The work forces us to ask: Can you really backup a country the way you backup a computer? And if so, what does that mean for the future of nationhood, identity, and the planet itself?

Additional Resources

Episode transcripts

Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn.

Connect with Amy Tobey on LinkedIn.

Connect with Mathr de Leon on LinkedIn.

Connect with David M. Carballo at Boston University

Connect with Ron Chapple on LinkedIn

Connect with Jonathan Gliboff on LinkedIn

Connect with Simon Kofe on LinkedIn

Connect with George Siosi Samuels on LinkedIn

Credits

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Grace Ewura-Esi and Amy Tobey, and was produced by Mathr de Leon with help from Lixandra Urresta. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey, with mixing and sound design by Brett Vanderlaan, and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Mathr de Leon, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Sadie Scott, Stephen Staver, John Taylor, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

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20. We Were Promised Flying Cars

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Or "Why You’ve Probably Never Heard of Waldo Waterman..."

🛸 //

We were promised flying cars. We were told that by the year 2000, cities would float in the clouds, robots would cut our hair, and there’d be a computer in everyone’s pocket. Well, one out of three ain’t bad.

The question is, why? Why did we think the future would bring interstate moving sidewalks, but we ended up with the internet instead? In this episode of Traceroute, we take an in-depth look at why we get the technology we get…and our trail leads to three distinct factors. Helping us unravel the reason behind these factors is Mike Winterfield, Founder of Active Impact Investments, a VC firm that specializes in Green Tech. We also talk with Oliver Walker-Jones of Joby Aviation, one of several companies that are finally making flying cars, who shares his insight as to why it took almost a hundred years to get from the idea of the flying car to the reality of one.

Additional Resources

Episode transcript

Connect with Grace Ewura-Esi

Connect with Amy Tobey

Connect with John Taylor

Connect with Mike Winterfield

Connect With Oliver Walker-Jones

Credits

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Amy Tobey and Grace Ewura-Esi, and was produced by John Taylor with help from Sadie Scott. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey, with mixing sound design by Brett Vanderlaan, and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Mathr de Leon, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Stephen Staver, Lixandra Urresta, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

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19. The Synchrony Paradox, Part 2

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 05:45:00 -0700

You know we're two hearts believing in just one mind…

💗 //

In part one of our story, we sourced the perfect tool for jamming together from miles apart. Today, we’re gonna take it for a little spin.

But between setup delays and spotty internet, a more nuanced issue begins to surface. Because, in navigating the challenges of remote music collaboration, we’re quickly reminded that adapting to new tech is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. So what are we to do when the tech itself starts to harsh the vibe?

And what even is this so-called vibe anyway? How are we supposed to capture it if we don’t know what “it” is? Stick around as we explore how tech both creates and disrupts our groove, and whether the secret sauce of in-person jams can really translate to the digital world.

Additional Resources

Episode transcript

Connect with Amy Tobey

Connect with Mathr de Leon

Connect with John Taylor

Connect with Ilias Bergström

Connect with Alexander Carôt

Connect with Russell Gavin

Connect with Janine Hacker

Connect with Pamela Pavliscak

Connect with Arman Sedgwick-Billimoria

Connect with Florian Simmendinger

Credits

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Amy Tobey and was produced by Mathr de Leon with help from Sadie Scott. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey with mixing and sound design by Brett Vanderlaan and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Stephen Staver, Lixandra Urresta, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

Enjoyed This Episode?

If you did, be sure to follow and share it with your friends!

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Introduce them to the people and organizations who played a role in inventing the internet.

18. The Synchrony Paradox, Part 1

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0700

As the Bard of Brixton once sang, 'that's just the way it is, things'll never be the same...'

👨‍🎤 //

These days, our producer John Taylor's got more on his plate than just production for Traceroute. You see, by night he's also… kind of a rock star. And his band is really more like a second family. Lately, though, that family is going through ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. For starters his keyboardist, Arman, has moved away and left John at a real crossroads. Does he hire a new face to fill the void? Or does he cling to the vibe he's shared with Arman for the past year and turn instead to tech for a solution?

In this episode of Traceroute, we delve into a quest for the perfect tool to help bridge the physical and digital divides that increasingly appear between musicians like John and Arman. From California’s Bay Area to the buzzing streets of Hong Kong, we find a host of technologists who, spurred on by the impacts of a global pandemic, are already hard at work tackling the kind of low-latency global networking solutions that just might be the key to keeping the band in one semi-remote piece.

But within this particular stack, there lies an even bigger conundrum. Because even if we somehow manifest the right tool for the job, is the magic of this so-called “vibe” even replicable? Or is there another solution altogether?

Additional Resources

Episode transcript

Connect with Amy Tobey

Connect with Mathr de Leon

Connect with John Taylor

Connect with Ilias Bergström

Connect with Alexander Carôt

Connect with Russell Gavin

Connect with Janine Hacker

Connect with Pamela Pavliscak

Connect with Arman Sedgewick-Billimoria

Connect with Florian Simmendinger

Credits

Enjoyed This Episode?

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17. Under the Influence(r)

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Hey! Let’s unbox this new phone! And this new thumb drive! And this multi-million dollar SaaS platform…

🤳 //

Chris Sean isn’t your typical tech influencer. He was homeless and looking for a way to change his life when a YouTube video about Bill Gates convinced him he didn’t need a degree to get into tech. Now, Chris vlogs about his life and career as a self-taught developer to help others like him find their way into the industry. For Chris, creating content is more than a way to make money: it's a mission; it's a vindication.

In this episode of Traceroute, we peek behind the curtain of the exploding influencer marketing industry to understand who’s telling us how to feel about technology and why. We talk to Peter Kennedy, founder of influencer marketing SaaS technology platform Tagger Media, who discusses why tech workers make especially good influencers. We then go in-depth with co-hosts Grace and Fen, whose personal experience as Developer Advocate and Tech Evangelist reveals the greater truth behind this $250 billion industry: exactly who is influencing who?

Additional Resources

Episode transcript available here.
Connect with Grace Ewura-Esai: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Chris Sean on YouTube
Connect with Peter Kennedy on LinkedIn

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Amy Tobey and Fen Aldrich, and was produced by John Taylor with help from Sadie Scott. Our senior producer is Mathr de Leon. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey with mixing and sound design by Brett Vanderlaan and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Stephen Staver, Lixandra Urresta, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

16. AI, Part 3: A Game of Drones

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 02:10:00 -0700

Repeat after me. Humans are friends, not food… or statistical data points in algorithmic targeting systems designed for warfare.

👾

It seems impossible to have a discussion about AI without bringing up the fear that killer robots are going to wipe out the human race. And if this emerging tech is truly a mirror of its creators, then the fear is justified, right? In part three, we look at how this concern is playing out in the real world, and how our relationship with AI, like any relationship, can suddenly create a whole lotta drama.

We talk with Dr. Catherine Connolly, of the aptly-named organization Stop Killer Robots, who is trying to pass laws to prevent AI from making autonomous life-or-death decisions. We also sit down with Mar Hicks, an Associate Professor of Data Science at the University of Virginia, whose insights on the history of technology help to put our relationship with AI in perspective.

And in the end, we may just need to sit down with AI and hammer this whole thing out, Because, as John’s therapist often reminds him, the foundation of any good relationship… is communication.

Additional Resources

Episode transcript: TBD
Connect with Amy Tobey on Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Connect with Dr. Catherine Connolly on LinkedIn
Connect with Mar Hicks on LinkedIn or Twitter

Credits

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Fen Aldrich and Amy Tobey, and was produced by John Taylor with help from Sadie Scott. Our senior producer is Mathr de Leon. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey, with mixing and sound design by Brett Vanderlaan, and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Stephen Staver, Lixandra Urresta, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

15. AI, Part 2: Romancing the Code

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0700

All you need is love… and a lifetime subscription.

💒

Back in the summer of 2021, author Sara Megan Kay sat down at her computer to experiment with what she calls “an escape” - that is, a trial run with a tech startup offering its users a connection to their “AI soulmate.” But what started out as simple curiosity evolved to become more intimate and complex than Sara ever imagined.

In part 2 of our 3-part series on our relationship with AI, we explore how Large Language Models can be shaped to mimic the qualities of a human personality, and the implications that come with it. We are joined again by James Vlahos of Embodied, who sheds insight on why creating personas with AI and LLMs is like directing actors in a play, but a play that does not involve thinking or motivation the way we believe it to mean. The question is, however, if your chatbot can sound like a person, does that mean it can be a fulfilling substitute for the people in your life? Or do we need to recognize that a product is a product, regardless of its ability to convince you it’s not?

Additional Resources

Episode transcript: TBD
Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Amy Tobey on Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Connect with Sara Megan Kay on her Tumblr
Connect with James Vlahos on LinkedIn

Credits

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and Stories Bureau. This episode was hosted by Grace Ewura-Esi, Fen Aldrich, and Amy Tobey, and was produced by John Taylor with help from Sadie Scott. Our senior producer is Mathr de Leon. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey, with mixing and sound design by Brett Vanderlaan, and additional mixing by Jeremy Tuttle. Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado. Our staff includes Tim Balint, Suzie Falk, Lisa Harris, Alisa Manjarrez, Stephen Staver, Lixandra Urresta, and Rebecca Woodward. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

14. AI, Part 1: Happiness is a Warm Bot

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0700

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear…

🤖

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, people have humanized technology. We name our cars, or we talk to our phone batteries and beg them not to die on us. However, perhaps no other technology has triggered our emotions quite as intensely as AI. The truth is, we interact with AI in a way we don’t with any other tech: a way that’s more immediate, more personal…more human.

The question is, why do we feel this way? In fact, why do we have feelings at all about AI? In this Traceroute two-parter, we go to couples counseling with AI and take a deeper look at this unique relationship. In part one, we explore the good side of our feelings. We talk with JD Ambati of EverestLabs, a company using AI to reduce thousands of tons of CO2e emissions, and we meet James Vlahos, the scientist giving voice to “Moxie,” an AI robot that teaches kids how to express their feelings and have deeper emotional connections. If AI can indeed solve problems and create emotional bonds, surely it would never try to do us harm… right?

Additional Resources

Episode transcript: TBD
Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Amy Tobey on Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Connect with James Vlahos on LinkedIn.
Connect with JD Ambati on LinkedIn.

Credits

Traceroute Season 3

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:00:00 -0700

Season 3 of Traceroute starts November 2nd with a special 3-part episode exploring humanity's burgeoning relationship to AI. Don't miss it!

13. The World's Strangest Librarian, Part 2

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:02:00 -0700

In Part 2 of Traceroute’s season finale, we look at the fallout of the copyright infringement decision against The Internet Archive. If information eventually becomes commoditized, will we find someone to be a fair and responsible arbiter of history?

With nothing less than the future of our digitized history at stake, the final episode of Season 2 of Traceroute explores the threats and challenges the Internet Archive faces in the wake of its copyright infringement case. We are joined by Rebecca Tushnet, the Harvard Law professor who defended the Archive in the case, to discuss the potential fallout of the court’s ruling: are we moving towards a society where information is owned by an elite few and “rented out” at a price? If so, do we risk manipulation of that information for the sake of profit? Or will we find among our archivists, preservationists, librarians, and even activists a person who can be responsible enough to be dubbed “The Arbiter of History?”

Additional Resources

Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Amy Tobey on Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Connect with Rebecca Tushnet on Twitter.
Connect with the NEDCC.

Visit Origins.dev for more information.

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix, and is a production of Stories Bureau. This episode was produced by John Taylor, with help from Tim Balint and Cat Bagsic. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey and mixed by Jeremy Tuttle, with additional editing and sound design by Mathr de Leon. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

12. The World's Strangest Librarian, Part 1

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 -0700

In Traceroute’s Season 2 finale, we explore the Herculean efforts to back up the entire internet and save all human knowledge for future generations. But if information becomes commoditized, then who will own history?

As season 2 of Traceroute comes to a close, we take an in-depth look at one of the most important issues in tech today: the intersection between information, access, and ownership. In part one, we’re introduced to Alexis Rossi, the Director of Collections at the Internet Archive, a different kind of librarian (at a different kind of library) that’s attempting to back up the entire internet, as well as the breadth of human knowledge. But undertaking this mammoth tasks forces Alexis—and indeed all of us—to ask some critical questions: who or what decides what gets preserved…and why. But even as we made huge technical strides in preserving our history, more questions arise: as our analog history turns to dust, is the digital representation we replace it with actually history? Is history lost when all the artifacts are replicas, or do we qualify it somehow as an approximation of history?

Additional Resources

Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Amy Tobey on Twitter.
Connect with Fen Aldrich on Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn.
Connect with the NEDCC.
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

If you did, be sure to follow and share it with your friends!

---

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix, and is a production Stories Bureau. This episode was produced by John Taylor, with help from Tim Balint and Cat Bagsic. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey and mixed by Jeremy Tuttle, with additional editing and sound design by Mathr de Leon. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

11. The Mother of All Errors

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:40:00 -0700

When we peel back the layers of the stack, there’s one human characteristic we’re sure to find: errors. Mistakes, mishaps, and miscalculations are fundamental to being human, and as such, error is built into every piece of infrastructure and code we create. Of course, learning from our errors is critical in our effort to create functional, reliable tech. But could our mistakes be as important to technological development as our ideas? And what happens when we try to change our attitude towards errors…or remove them entirely? In this fascinating episode of Traceroute, we start back in 1968, when “The Mother of All Demos“ was supposed to change the face of personal computing…before the errors started. We’re then joined by Andrew Clay Shafer, a DevOps pioneer who has seen the evolution of “errors” to “incidents” through practices like Scrum, Agile, and Chaos Engineering. We also speak with Courtney Nash, a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Researcher whose Verica Open Incident Directory (VOID) has changed the way we look at incident reporting.

Additional Resources

Connect with Amy Tobey: LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Fen Aldrich: LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with John Taylor on LinkedIn
Connect With Courtney Nash on Twitter
Connect with Andrew Clay Shafter on Twitter
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

If you did, be sure to follow and share it with your friends! We’d also appreciate a five-star review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps people find the show!

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix and is a production of Stories Bureau. This episode was produced by John Taylor with help from Tim Balint and Cat Bagsic. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey and mixed by Jeremy Tuttle, with additional editing and sound design by Mathr de Leon. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

10. The Ancient as Modern, Again

Thu, 25 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Grace Ewura-Esi returns from a trip to Ghana, West Africa, with a new perspective on how technology helps us not only make new discoveries but gives old discoveries a new perspective. In this special episode featuring all four hosts in a fascinating discussion, Grace presents examples like Adinkra, the symbol-based language of the Ghana Empire which is a form of communication based on various observations of and associations between humans and the objects they use, not entirely dissimilar to block code that software engineers use today.

In addition, with the assistance of machine learning and artificial intelligence, ancient cultures are creating new visual representations of ancient gods for whom there were no depictions that lasted over the centuries. This same AI may even be used to help other nations, cultures, and tribes reconstruct missing portions of ancient languages and lost artifacts. It’s an episode that’s part mystery, part paradigm shift, and part digital archeology. As Grace puts it, “it’s the ancient as modern, again.”

Additional Resources

Connect with Shweta Saraf: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Amy Tobey: LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Fen Aldrich: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then please leave us a review. We’d also appreciate it if you would share the podcast with your friends and colleagues, as you get to know the people and technologies at the center of our digital world.

Traceroute is a podcast from Equinix, produced by Stories Bureau. This episode was produced by Grace Ewura-Esi, with help from John Taylor and Mathr de Leon. It was edited by Joshua Ramsey and mixed by Jeremy Tuttle and Tim Balint, with additional editing and sound design by Mathr de Leon. Our theme song was composed by Ty Gibbons.

9. The Kids Are Alright

Thu, 11 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

How do we prepare our kids for jobs that don’t exist? Studies show that technology is progressing at such a rapid pace that up to 85% of the jobs that will be available in 2040 have not been created yet. Will AI, ML, and hardware advancements create a society where careers we take for granted today won’t exist in the future? In this episode featuring hosts Grace Ewura-Esi and Amy Tobey, Producer John Taylor puts a personal face on this idea through his 13-year-old daughter, Ella, who wants to be a chef when she grows up. Together, they explore this issue with Executive Chef-turned-Dell Computer Advocate Tim Banks, as well as employment attorney Michael Lotito, whose Emma Coalition seeks solutions to TIDE, the technologically induced displacement of Employment. Between trips to fully-automated restaurants and the latest advancements in 3D food replication, we discover that Gen Z’s humanity may be their biggest asset in tomorrow’s job market.

Additional Resources

Connect with Amy Tobey: LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Grace Andrews: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with John Taylor: LinkedIn
Connect with Alexander Kolchinsky: LinkedIn
Connect with Michael Lotito: LinkedIn
Connect With Tim Banks: LinkedIn
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

8. When the Lights Go Out

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

How do we make technology that lasts? In this episode, Grace Ewura-Esi and Shweta Saraf join Producer John Taylor as he talks with two cutting-edge technologists who are trying to extend the life of the hardware infrastructure around us. From a cell phone tower that can be installed on your roof (and repaired just as easily), to a clock that is built to last ten thousand years, we uncover the common threads that run through technology that’s built to last. Woven in this framework is the story of Sandra Rodríguez Cotto, who worked tirelessly to restore civilization—as well as hope itself—to the island of Puerto Rico with the help of the only piece of hardware infrastructure that withstood the powerful forces of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Additional Resources

Connect with Shweta Saraf: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Grace Ewura-Esi : LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Alexander Rose of The Long Now Foundation: LinkedIn.
Connect with Dr. Matt Johnson: LinkedIn.
Connect with Sandra Rodríguez Cotto: Twitter
Visit Origins.dev for more information

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Meet Fen Aldrich

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 02:02:00 -0700

In our minisode finale, Equinix Technical Storyteller Grace Ewura-Esi introduces our third new co-host for Season 2, Fen Aldrich, Developer Advocate for Equinix. In a compelling conversation, the two hosts reveal their passion for “digital anthropology,” and the topics they want to cover in the new season of Traceroute.

Additional Resources

Connect with Fen Aldrich: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Grace Ewura-Esi: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Visit Origins.dev for more information

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For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Meet Shweta Saraf

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 02:01:00 -0700

In the second of three Traceroute minisodes, Technical Storyteller Grace Ewura-Esi introduces a new co-host for Season 2, Shweta Saraf, Director of Platform Networking at Netflix. In a brief but compelling conversation, the two hosts reveal more about themselves, their roles, and their unique perspectives on the central theme of Season 2: the humanity behind the hardware.

Additional Resources

Connect with Shweta Saraf: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Grace Ewura-Esi: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

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For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Meet Amy Tobey

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

In the first of three Traceroute minisodes, Technical Storyteller Grace Ewura-Esi introduces a new co-host for Season 2, Amy Tobey, Senior Principal Engineer at Equinix. In an insightful conversation, the two hosts reveal more about themselves, their roles, and the stories they’re looking forward to telling on the new season of Traceroute.

Additional Resources

Connect with Amy Tobey: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Connect with Grace Ewura-Esi: LinkedIn or Twitter.
Visit Origins.dev for more information

Enjoyed This Episode?

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For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

7. Compute

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

The invisible bones holding up the Internet are its hardware. One of the most prominent benefits we are reaping from hardware innovations is cloud services. And as you may have guessed, the cloud isn’t actually just somewhere up in space: physical data centers services are necessary to keep them up and running.

In this episode of Traceroute, we take a closer look at hardware and why its advancement is crucial to the development of the internet. We discuss the importance and benefits of optimization for hardware to suit the needs of software. Joined by our guests Amir Michael, Rose Schooler, and Ken Patchett, we explore the synergy of software and hardware in data center services and its effects on the connected world.

Episode Highlights

The important Relationship Between Hardware and Software

Efficiency depends on understanding how software uses hardware and vice versa
Software consumes every just like hardware depending on the way it’s written
People want software and hardware “out of sight/out of mind,” but hardware is increasing in visibility due to data centers and the cloud
As the internet increases, so does the need for better hardware

Amir Michael: “There are thousands of people at large companies that are driving not only the design of the hardware, but the supply chains behind them as well. And if you just look at the financial reporting from these companies, they spend billions and billions of dollars on infrastructure.”

The Building Blocks Of Getting Online

Intel started in 1968, specializing in bulky but efficient memory chips. Now they lay transistors on top of atoms.
Microprocessors are in every device now, from cell phones to servers to routers, making foundational microprocessor capability critical
The biggest breakthrough came when Intel was able to use their infrastructure to support networking, and could then scale up to data centers and cloud architecture
This began the transformation of networking, with storage moving from big fixed function hardware over to software-defined
More growth in hardware is on the horizon with things like Artificial Intelligence, 5G, and edge computing

The Birth Of The Cloud

The “Metal Rush” of the early 2000s saw companies like Google and Yahoo building their own data centers
For smaller companies, this infrastructure development didn’t make sense
Small business turned to companies like Amazon, which had server resources to spare, and the cloud was born
Data centers have scaled in size, but now the need is to optimize efficiency
More and more, hardware is now tailored for specific software applications
Unlike software, developing hardware requires a longer production schedule and a more consistent supply chain, which can be difficult
The next step is density, where more computing power is packed into less space but with greater efficiencies.

Amir Michael: “You know, no one really goes into a bank anymore. Everything's just done over the network over these cloud resources today. It's how we've become accustomed to getting a lot of work done today. And so you need all that infrastructure to drive that. And I think it's just going to become more and more so in the future as well.

The Nuts & Bolts Of Data Centers

The cloud is simply a combination of data centers of various sizes across the globe that are all connected through a network
The first data centers relied on redundancy and stability, so they were built like bomb shelters with backup systems
Data centers started redesigning hardware to optimize it for different uses, depending on who’s renting the server space
Open compute is the next phase for data centers, where engineers figure out how to get bigger, better, faster and more resilient with existing servers and components

Ken Patchett: “Data and the usage of data has become much like a microwave in a home, it is simply required, is expected. Most people don't look for it, they don't need it, and they don't really think about it that much until it doesn't work.”

What’s Next

In the past, a low barrier to entry—in both cost and technology—allowed companies to do their own manufacturing. Those days are gone.
But hardware advancements are fundamentally responsible for developments in AI, edge computing, and 5G
What was once a supercomputer is now a smartphone, thanks to hardware
Keeping hardware inexpensive and efficient will open more of the world to its benefits

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Discover the background of the cloud and how it started.
Find out how advances in software and hardware influence each other.
Understand the importance of optimization for data center services.

About Our Guests

Amir Michael began his career at Google, building and designing server and data center infrastructure. As Facebook's first hardware engineer, he led the team that came up with the first Open Compute server designs. He was also VP of Infrastructure at Salesforce, and now heads up Lightbits Labs, which builds a high-performance NVMe/TCP storage system.

Connect with Amir through LinkedIn for more information.

Rose Schooler is the Corporate VP of Data Center Sales at Intel Corporation and has worked in that company for over 30 years. She has previously served as the VP of the Internet of Things, Strategy, and Information Office, and the VP / General Manager of the Comms and Storage Group.

Connect with Rose through LinkedIn for more information on her work.

Ken Patchett has over 25 years of experience working in data centers. He has worked with Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Oracle. His initial job as an ironworker led to his work in the Canyon Park Data Center in Bothell, Washington. He also cites experience working in the 2004 Olympics. Currently, he is the CEO at ServerDomes.

For more information about Ken’s work, connect with him through LinkedIn.

Additional Resources

The Open Compute Project Foundation
Equinix

Enjoyed this Episode?

If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends!

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Help them learn more about hardware, software, and data center services so that they learn how these affect their Internet access.

Want to learn more? Head on over to Metal Equinix.

Have any questions? You can contact us through our website.

Need another way to share? Check out this episode on YouTube.

For more episode updates, listen & subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Captivate.fm, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

6. Sustainability

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Technology is a staple part of our lives. Its continuous growth has improved the world in countless ways. But what most people don’t know is the environmental impact of something as mundane as streaming a video.

In this episode, we discuss the impacts of data storage, technology, and the Internet on our world. Ali Fenn, David Mytton, and Jonathan Koomey share their insights on investing in sustainability and transitioning to more efficient energy sources. The key to global sustainability lies in the hands of data storage and technology industries. They need to find greener, more sustainable alternatives.

If you want to learn about the Internet’s environmental impacts and know how you can contribute to investing in sustainability, then this episode of the Traceroute podcast is for you.

Episode Highlights

[01:23] Areas For Infrastructure Sustainability

The demand for increased data storage grows globally and daily.
Data centers need more compact and more efficient transistors to decrease their harmful effects on the environment while still providing good service.
Ali Fenn, the president of ITRenew, says we should focus on energy, materials, and the manufacturing process for infrastructure sustainability.
Spewing a ton of waste on the back end is also alarming.
It's vital to consider environmental sustainability for the future of the Internet infrastructure industry.

Ali Fenn: “The manufacturing process has this huge carbon impact. So let’s think about a less wasteful, less linear stream, and let's at least maximize the value we can get out of all that stuff.”

[04:53] Investing in Sustainability by Reusing Materials

Ali didn’t think much about the environmental impact of technology infrastructure until she worked at ITRenew, which promotes the reuse of data center hardware.
The demand for infrastructure is spurred by hyperscalers, like Google and Facebook.
Open hardware is becoming the norm, maximizing the value and longevity of hardware through repurposing and reusing.
Open hardware allows ITRenew to grow, buyers to get quality equipment, and hyperscalers to improve their sustainability.
A circular economy is about deferring new manufacturing from a carbon perspective without sacrificing quality. Tune in to the full episode to hear Ali’s analogy about reusing materials using second-hand cars.

[10:23] Data Center Energy Consumption

Other concerns for investing in sustainability include electricity, materials, and water consumption.
The primary resource for Internet usage is electricity.
The rapid growth of technology and the Internet leads to colossal consumption of our natural resources and poses a significant threat to the environment.
The total amount of data center energy consumption ranges from 200 terawatt-hours to 500 terawatts-hours.
Data centers are more efficient now, and the world is transitioning to cloud computing.

[14:48] Three Steps for Greener Data Centers

While data centers have made impressive steps in reducing their carbon impact, there are three steps they can take to become greener.
The first step is to offset all the carbon they emit through electricity generation.
Next, match all electricity usage with 100% renewables. Although this is a good step, it may not be sufficient, as data centers still require a local electricity grid.
Lastly, use 100% clean energy through power-purchase agreements to gain renewable electricity sources.
Governments can encourage companies to move in this direction.

[16:33] Switching to Efficient Infrastructures

David Mytton: “Improvements in their facilities mean that they are able to invest in efficiencies.”

Many companies are moving in this direction to save money and commit to social and corporate responsibility. Scale still matters in this situation.
With sustainability in mind, these companies benefit from their scale and can invest in new programs.
Investing in efficient infrastructure may not be affordable for smaller companies.
The general public doesn’t see the internet's sustainability issues. Renewables also don’t match consumption.
With increasing consumer demand, we should consider how energy consumption affects sustainability measures and carbon footprint reduction.

David: “Until consumers truly understand the impact of their online habits, they won’t be able to make decisions about where they’re buying things or which companies they’re going to host their email with.”

[21:36] End-User Energy Consumption

Streaming videos using 4G is more intensive than in Wi-Fi. 4G makes use of radio signals, which require more energy.
With the development of 5G, energy consumption will increase initially up to 20 times. But with more improvements on the way, the industry expects less energy consumption.
The efficiency of older technologies is offset by the increased use of newer, more power-hungry technologies.
5G is rolling out gradually. This will allow better latency and increased speed, while also being more energy efficient in the long run.
It is now in everyone's interest to reduce carbon footprint as climate change damages physical infrastructure.

[23:51] Electricity Usage in Data Centers

According to Jonathan Koomey, the Internet is a significant sustainability bargain.
The 1% of the world’s electricity that data centers take up is a good use of that 1%. IT technologies help make the other 99% more efficient.
Despite inflation in computer instances, the growth in electricity usage by data centers has remained basically flat throughout the years.
It shows that data center efficiency has increased along with the rapid increase in output.

[25:56] Efficiency and Innovation

Jonathan Koomey: “The higher efficiency allows them to deliver more services more cheaply. So you’re getting the higher efficiency, but you’re also getting a better business outcome.”

Shifting users to empty computer capacity also benefits bigger companies in ways beyond the economies of scale.
The increase in demand for computing services vs. the increase in efficiency will affect whether data centers will increase their power consumption.
While the growth of Internet infrastructure leads to increased energy use, innovations will help us meet goals in investing in sustainability.
Substituting smarts for parts and dematerialization are other ways to make less stuff and reduce carbon footprints.

Grace: “Once again, innovation helps drive scale… and scale fuels innovation.”

[30:19] Building a Sustainable Society

Jonathan: “I’m hopeful that the industry will use its influence to help the rest of the economy become more efficient because those are the two big levers... to transform the global society to become, ultimately, zero emissions.”

We’re making significant progress. But there’s still a lot to be done through innovation, regulation, and measured changes in social behavior.
Silicon Valley can start investing in sustainability through efficient materials, hardware recycling, reduction in water usage, and greener energy sources.
Investing in sustainability goes beyond climate change. We need to actively seek to create a sustainable society.
An inclusive economy with equity and global prosperity is key to sustainability.
Bringing everybody online sustainably creates a positive societal impact and benefits community development.

Ali: “I think there’s a huge opportunity to harness the powerful potential [of the technology industry to drive inclusion and access]. There is no industry that’s more capable of innovation.”

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Learn about the areas of focus in infrastructure sustainability.
Find out how companies can switch to more efficient energy sources and infrastructures.
Discover the critical roles that consumers and innovations play in investing in sustainability.

About Our Guests

Ali Fenn is the president at ITRenew. For two decades now, she has been building tech companies, shifting focus on infrastructure sustainability. With an economics degree from Yale and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, she has raised capital, managed operations, and led business initiatives in various teams worldwide.

Ali is an executor driven by technology innovation, open source, circular economy, creating new markets, delivering financial returns, and social impact.

You can reach Ali through her LinkedIn and Twitter.

David Mytton is a former tech entrepreneur and co-founder of console.dev, the best tool for developers. Currently, he is studying sustainable computing at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London. He specifically studies how much energy, produced by burning fossil fuels, the computing industry uses.

With his expertise in tech, startups, and environmental technology, David has appeared on various podcasts and speaking engagements and published several academic papers.

Interested in David’s work? Check out his blog, and reach out to his LinkedIn or Email.

Jonathan Koomey is a researcher, author, and entrepreneur. His work spans climate solutions, critical thinking skills, and the environmental effects of information technology. He is known for describing a long-term trend in computing and energy efficiency called “Koomey’s Law.”

Jonathan regularly holds a short course called “Data Center Essentials for Executives: A Beginner's Guide.” With his work, he has been named as 1 of 10 innovators changing the game for Internet infrastructure by GigaOm, and as 1 of 15 superstars of sustainable IT by CIO Magazine/Infoworld.

Find out more about Jonathan on his website, and contact him through LinkedIn, Email, Twitter, or Phone at 650-517-3456.

Additional Resources

Connect with Ali Fenn: ITRenew Website I LinkedIn | Twitter
Connect with David Mytton: David’s Website I LinkedIn I Email
Connect with Jonathan Koomey: Jonathan’s Website | LinkedIn | Email | Twitter

Enjoyed this Episode?

If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends!

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Make them aware of the environmental impacts of the Internet and how they can contribute to global sustainability.

Want to learn more? Head on over to Metal Equinix.

Have any questions? You can contact us through our website.

Need another way to share? Check out this episode on YouTube.

For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

5. Open Source

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

There is tension between the digital and the physical development spaces. As the world becomes more digital, the distance between software and hardware widens. Only a few people are attempting to bridge the gap. Unspoken competition, gatekeeping, differences in perspective — these reasons and more push experts from the software and hardware spaces apart. But open source is the key to furthering collaboration and innovation in technology development.

In this episode of Traceroute, we look deeper into the digital space and how it intrinsically connects to physical hardware. Joining us today are open-source advocates Jon Masters and Brian Fox. They share with us their insights on hardware and software proprietary rights. They also provide context on open-source technology and how vital open source is for innovation and increasing opportunities.

If you are someone looking to explore open source technology, then this episode of the Traceroute podcast might be perfect for you!

Episode Highlights

[1:50] Behind The Scenes In The Digital Space

The utilities we use daily — like water and electric appliances — are built to meet exacting standards to ensure user-friendliness.
Similarly, tech companies build digital infrastructures that most computer users can easily utilize.

Jon Masters: “We build very boring, elaborate standards so that the average user, if they don't want to, doesn't have to understand every layer of what's going on.”

[03:30] How Open Source Ties Software And Hardware Together

Many people in the tech space tend to focus on either the physical or digital aspects of technology.
Not being able to grasp the hardware that supports software can be a lost opportunity.
Knowing the hardware that goes with your software and how they intertwine can bring many opportunities.
The software industry, especially the internet, requires a durable physical backbone. Likewise, hardware can only evolve with new software developments.
The reawakening to hardware development mirrors the early stages of the open-source software space.

Jon Masters: “If you look at where the industry is going right now, hardware and software, they were always important counterparts to one another.”

[06:34] The Definition of Software

Software is a symbolic way of writing ideas. Similar to the English language, it employs semantics to express the developer’s collection of ideas.
Software technology aims to develop a space that allows computers to perform several tasks simultaneously.
To achieve a higher level of computing platform, computer processors would have to undergo time slicing.
An operating system manages the software that runs on a computer, as well as access to hardware devices. Essentially, it serves as the interface between humans and hardware.

[08:47] The Beginning Of The Open Source Movement

Back in the day, students and academics wrote numerous codes. They shared these codes in an effort to further the science.
However, the rise of proprietary software ended the open collaboration system of the early days.
Not everyone was onboard with proprietary software—thus, giving birth to the idea of open and free software.

Brian Fox: “I'm working on a vision detection system, and I want the other guy who was working on it to also be able to enhance it in the direction that he cares about or that she cares about. And it shouldn't stop me. That way, we can share and collaborate, and the entire science moves up.”

[09:37] Free Vs. Open Source Software

Both free software and open-source software advocate public access to code. However, the idea behind these software types comes from different places of understanding.
Free software does not contain any license that prevents it from being shared across different users.
The open source software movement is rooted in an ethical understanding that formulas should not be restricted.
Anyone can join the open source community. People from all over the globe can collaborate and pitch in ideas to enhance software features.

Brian Fox: “The thing that makes something open source isn't specifically the collaboration; it's the openness of the collaboration.”

[11:09] The Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation was founded in the mid-1980s to promote open access and free software to the public.
The Free Software Foundation employed a cathedral form of software development, wherein a dictator supervises a project until it reaches a specific stage of maturity. After that, the project becomes open-to-all until it is ready for evaluation by a gatekeeper.
When Linus Torvalds completed Linux in the 1990s. Linux progressed and spread globally, which awakened the idea that high-quality systems can be free.
Today, nearly every computing device is running on open-source software that Brian Fox wrote. And due to the nature of open source software, it kept maturing.
Tune in to the full episode to hear Brian’s analogy for keeping technology open to all and why it is only ethical to pay it forward.

Brian Fox: "This is the beauty of open-source—that we can build something useful, and then that utility can be delivered [and] can actually be delivered to the people who want to use it."

[16:12] Creating A More Free Internet Space

Free software also contributes to the growth of blockchain technology. These cryptocurrencies aim to deliver software for everyone to use and build upon.
Orchid Labs, founded by Brian Fox, aims to establish a more community-centered digital network.
Networks and infrastructures would have to be centralized to create a free Internet.
Orchid Labs wants to create an Internet space without surveillance, which will give people more freedom online.

[18:29] The Connection Between Software And Hardware

Hardware and software developed hand-in-hand.
A phone is a computer, but it carries hardware optimized for specific tasks.
Specialized hardware performs functions significantly faster than software.
Improving hardware and software together will also allow computers and servers to perform faster while saving energy. Enhancing both software and hardware can also expand the cloud network.
Moore's Law predicts that computer speed and capability will increase as costs decrease. However, progress over the last ten years seems to disprove this perception.

Jon Masters: "[Computers seem] to get 52% faster, which all that meant was that software developers would find ways to use that. Yet, the software never seemed to get much faster, but you had hardware just magically doing things for you."

[21:42] What Is Open Source Hardware?

The hardware industry has recently been growing through open hardware.
Open-source hardware is more costly than open-source software since hardware would need money to fabricate high-performance chips.
Open-source hardware allows companies to focus on value creation rather than hardware exclusivity.
Using open-source hardware is an inexpensive way of checking if your software works, especially for beginner app developers.

[24:21] Applications Of Software And Hardware Synergy

The automobile industry is gearing towards self-driving features.
General-purpose software is being run on top of new high-performance hardware to create smarter vehicles. By improving software and hardware, modern networks also advance.
Tesla is currently developing a method that incorporates hardware, software, and networking together, which will allow flexibility and growth in the automobile industry.
Since processing occurs in the device itself, aggressive processing will require more advanced devices.
Evolving hardware, software, and networks together will create a space for a tremendous amount of processing. Relying on edge computing can also decrease turnaround time for processing data, which will produce a faster system.

[27:57] The Future Of Technology

5G technology involves high bandwidth with very low latency. Advanced technology depends on smarter backend infrastructure and analytics.
Platforms need to become adaptive in learning and processing information before feeding information to the end-users and products.
With edge computing, computing and processing become closer to the action.
People in software development tend to underplay the complexities of hardware. Likewise, people in hardware tend to think the same about software.
Roadblocks in technology can be more easily solved if both software and hardware developers discuss these problems together.

Jon Masters: “If I could have one wish in life, it would be to remove that us versus them kind of language and just have us all collaborate more together. And I think that's going to be very important in the decade ahead.”

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Explore the digital and physical spaces in technology.
Learn about the beginnings of the open source development model and why it's essential to the systems we have today.
Discover how intertwining software and hardware can lead to a brighter future for technology.

About Our Guests

Jon Masters is an open-source advocate and computer architect. He previously worked at RedHat as a Distinguished Engineer. During his stay at RedHat, Jon created a technical mitigation team for cache side-channel attacks (Meltdown, Spectre, L1TF, MDS, etc.). He was also the Technical Lead for Red Hat Enterprise Linux for ARM and was involved in the design and implementation of 64-bit ARMv8 Architecture (AArch64) servers. Jon is currently delving deeper into Software/Hardware Codesign at Google.

If you want to get in touch with Jon, you can reach him through LinkedIn and Twitter.

Brian Fox is a computer programmer and open-source technology advocate. In 1985, he joined the Free Software Association, where he authored several command languages and systems under the GNU Project. Brian also co-founded several ventures, including Virtual World Computing, LLC and Orchid Labs. He also serves as the CEO for Opus Logica, Inc. He presently commits to removing surveillance and censorship on the internet at Orchid Labs.

Want to know more about Brian Fox? Visit his LinkedIn or send him a message on Twitter.

Additional Resources

Connect with Jon Masters: LinkedIn I Twitter | RedHat
Connect with Brian Fox: LinkedIn I Twitter | Orchid Labs
Equinix

Enjoyed this Episode?

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Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Expand their knowledge on the open-source movement and its contribution to hardware, software, and technology.

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4. Wireless

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

The term 5G has been the talk of the town. Much of the hype is due to its faster internet speed that allows the handling of multiple devices compared with previous networks. Recently, some countries have started to roll out this technology. However, it's still in its early years, so we have yet to discover its full potential.

In this episode, we'll hear insights from Ed Knapp, Sue Marek, and Sascha Segan on the topic of wireless network connection. We discuss the development of the wireless industry and how internet infrastructure spurred its growth. We also go through the generations of wireless network connection, from 2G to 4G, and peer into how the development of 5G will unfold.

If you want to know more about next-generation wireless networks and how technology develops to support them, then this episode is for you.

Episode Highlights

[01:07] The Beginning of Wireless Technology

Wireless technology was introduced during the 80s. It was then that Ed Knapp started to see the emergence of innovative technologies like the car phone.
Demand for wireless services was limited because wireless devices and services were expensive. No one expected them to have more than a million subscribers in the US.
The technology had tremendous value, even life-saving for some. And so, Knapp wanted more people to access it.
By the 90s, people were trying to join analog modems to the cellular network so more people could connect to the internet. But it was too difficult to get them connected.
One company couldn't overcome this challenge alone. More help was needed to create massive infrastructure networks necessary to solve this problem.

[04:21] Diverging of Paths: Internet and Wireless

The wireless industry developed at the same time as internet infrastructure. As they grew, demand for their service also increased.
There was an insatiable want for wireless service, and engineers needed to figure out how to create networks that could support it.
Cell towers are needed to connect cell phones to networks, but they are expensive to build. Companies, later on, decided to share the equipment instead of building their own.

[05:11] Opening the Wireless Network to an Independent Model

When the iPhone entered the market, 4G traffic and operatives needed to increase their capacity.
The industry evolved into a point where telecom companies do not need to own all network infrastructure. Instead, independent companies started to manage the installed towers.

[06:53] Customer Complaints

Customers had an issue with how they were being billed.
During this time, cell phone companies could get away with charging customers by the minute for their service by acting like they had limited capacity.
The same problem happened when text messaging emerged. Customers were still billed by the number of characters.
The internet changed the game as it made sending information cheaper. Suddenly, it didn’t make sense for people to be charged the same way again.
Because of this technological advancement, businesses were pressured to change their service and how they charged their clients.

[09:29] The ‘G’

The G in 4G or 5G stands for “generation.” It refers to the phase of technology that is the industry standard.

Sue Marek: “Every generation of cellular [technology] is about every 10 years. So 2020 is 5G, 2010 was 4G, 2000 was really the 3G. 3G was really when we used to talk about the mobile web or the wireless internet.”

One of the technological hurdles the 3G era faced was figuring out how to access the web through a phone.

[12:06] Cell Phone Digitalization

Technology took a huge leap when cell phones started to connect with wireless networks.
The digitalization of cell phone systems started during the 1990s. Multiple people could use the service of the same channel at the same time.

Sascha Segan: "Once the phones became digital, you could push the internet through them. But more importantly, you could just get a lot more people talking at once on each cell."

Internet in your phone needs to go through the air, which is not as efficient as a wired connection. So, wireless network technology needed constant improvement.

[13:45] Defining 5G

5G latency had to be less than ten milliseconds so users wouldn't notice the delay in service.
This technological improvement had a significant effect on applications like autonomous driving, self-driving cars, and gaming.
The creation of new businesses and consumer goods also happens when a new G emerges. For example, when 4G happened, the gig economy boomed.
It’s still largely unknown what will emerge from 5G.

[17:45] The Evolution of Cell Phones

Sascha Segan: “People have an emotional connection and a social connection to their phones and to these networks, in a way they don't necessarily have to their PC or their office printer.”

People tend to value their phones far more than their laptops, computers, or other devices.
The early smartphones appealed to business people. It was a handheld computer that you could use to keep your notes and receive mail.
The Blackberry stood out among other smartphone brands because of its simple internet connection and texting features. People in finance and government started to use it for its security features.
By 2006, companies began to produce touch screens, which required a completely new kind of interface.
Blackberry wasn't successful in making the switch to this new world of touch-friendly interfaces and fast wireless networks, resulting in its downfall.

[23:55] The Rise of the iPhone and Android Device

The growth of smartphones happened because of significant phone and network technology advancements.
For example, the social media culture and the ability to share photos, videos, and audio exists because we have access to the 4G wireless network.

Sascha Segan: " ...as computers get more powerful and the computers in phones get more powerful, and the computers and towers get more powerful and more wireless spectrum becomes available, it becomes possible to encode the airwaves in new, more complicated ways. And each time you break with the previous path, that's a new generation."

[27:23] 5G, Wireless Networks, and Beyond

As the wireless and cell phone industry expanded, so did the ways they connect rely on each other.
Segan believes that 20 years from now, wireless networks will increase globally, especially in areas where there is little to no internet connection or wifi access.
This development in delivering information will give massive opportunities to raise living standards throughout the world.

Sascha Segan: “5G is almost certainly going to have at least that big of a change in the world. We just really aren't sure about the details yet.”

Knapp believes that 5G can take technology to a higher level. This will range from edge delivery, autonomous platforms, and orbit cloud-native architecture.
In terms of 6G, he believes that the wireless network connection needs to deliver super high performance over shorter distances.

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Learn the history of how next-generation wireless network technologies emerged.
Find out how the internet helped support the advancement of wireless technology.
Discover the potentials and possibilities offered by 5G technology.

About Our Guests

Ed Knapp is the CTO of American Tower, one of the leading independent tower companies in the world. He has 40 years of experience in wireless technology and has been one of the critical figures since the industry started. To date, his company continues to deliver innovative infrastructures to enable 5G wireless network technology.

Learn more about Ed’s work on the American Tower website and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Sue Marek is the editor-in-chief of SDxCentral. She is also a professional speaker for telecom and technology industry events and has moderated panels for the Consumer Electronics Show, the Competitive Carriers' Show, The Wireless Infrastructure Show, 5G North America, DC 5G, Interop, and more.

Marek has over 25 years of experience in covering stories for the cellular industry, and she has continuously followed the advancement of technology throughout her career.

You can connect with Sue over on Twitter.

Sascha Segan is the lead mobile analyst of pcmag.com and has reported on the wireless market for more than 15 years. He is known for his reviews on smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets. He is also a well-renowned travel writer who has contributed to Frommer’s series of travel guides for more than ten years.

Want to know more about Sascha? Head over to his LinkedIn and Twitter.

Resources

Connect with Ed Knapp: American Tower Website | Linkedin
Connect with Sue Marek: Twitter
Connect with Sascha Segan: Linkedin | Twitter

Enjoyed this Episode?

If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends!

Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us some feedback. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Help them understand how the wireless network connection we enjoy today came to be.

Want to learn more? Head on over to Metal Equinix.

Have any questions? You can contact us through our website.

Need another way to share? Check out this episode on YouTube.

For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

3. Networks

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 02:02:00 -0700

When we open web browsers and streaming services, we expect them to work seamlessly without interruptions. Sounds basic enough, right? But have you considered how much data goes over your local network? Now imagine all the computers communicating worldwide! It took years for internet service providers to make the internet work the way it does today. Without the physical infrastructure underpinning our networks, connecting computers the way they are now would have been impossible.

In this episode, Dave Temkin, Ingrid Burrington, Jack Waters, and Andrew Blum join us to discuss how the internet works. They detail the hidden infrastructure involved in getting computers connected around the world. Contrary to what digital natives might think, your connection to the World Wide Web isn't 100% wireless. They also discuss the rise of Netflix and the need for an interconnected and open global network.

If you want to understand the massive network of physical infrastructure required to connect computers worldwide, then this episode of the Traceroute podcast is for you.

Episode Highlights

[01:15] Netflix’s Goal and Challenge

Dave Temkin: “We always knew that streaming was going to be the future. It's not a coincidence that the company was called Netflix, the intention was always to deliver it over the network. We just needed to feel that the network was ready.”

Netflix, the global streaming service that allows uninterrupted streaming, took years to build.
The infrastructure needed to be scalable to a point where it can serve millions of users without breaking the internet.
The key to solving this data transmission challenge is networks.

[3:12] What is a Network?

Networks are overlapping and interconnecting things. These can be virtually or physically tied together.
The networks that let the internet work require the support of physical infrastructure.
Acknowledging this fact helps us understand that the internet is a public resource. People don’t see internet infrastructures as public work.
Network infrastructure includes data centers, towers, and all the wires, cables, and fibers that connect them.

[5:47] How the Network Market Grew

After the government relaxed regulations in the 1990s, there was a big wave of infrastructure development.
For example, Williams, an oil and gas company, built fiber networks using their non-operational oil and gas pipelines.
Developers built many fiber networks beyond that time's demand. Many of these infrastructures are still in us today.

[6:58] Interconnection and Resiliency of Networks

Most people will only think about their own network. In reality, a larger computer network of interconnected cables is the basis of how the internet works.
Interconnectivity forms the basis of maintaining a stable internet connection. Hundreds of interconnected cables ensure that computer networks are durable and resilient.

Ingrid Burrington: “There is a resiliency built into the way that Internet networks function in that it's not just like one single cable that gets cut and everyone loses their internet access.”

[8:18] Level 3’s Legacy

Physical linkages are necessary to make the internet work. Many people don’t think about this equipment.
For Level 3, internet infrastructure needed to be built from scratch but still have the space for upgrades.
The company built 16,500 miles of network in the United States and 3,500 miles in Europe in 30 months.
Before this network was constructed, the internet ran largely on the legacy of the telephone network.
The demand for the networks Level 3 built did not surface until the late 2000s. While they missed the timing, their legacy remains.

[14:38] How The Internet Has Changed

The emergence of smartphones helped dramatically change the internet’s landscape. We now favor cloud, triggering the need for a hybrid cloud provider and such.

Jack Waters: “I do think it is probably one of the most important things that have ever been developed for mankind. And I think it's changed everyone's lives for the better, even though there are many downsides that we're navigating through.”

As the industry grows, there will always be power struggles and concerns over consolidation and equal access.
With current growth rates, infrastructure investment crucial to how the internet works should also expand to serve future demand.

[16:24] The Layers of Networks that Ensure the Internet Works

Andrew Blum: “Fundamentally, a network means that we can connect to each other across distance and we can expand those connections constantly.”

These networks are physical building blocks required for how the internet works.
Data centers network multiple servers where data is stored and processed. Internet exchange points connect web servers and networks physically through cables inside physical internet routers.
There are also lines that connect multiple computers and networks to each other.

[18:51] Development and Ownership

Although fiber optic cables are cheap, digging trenches for them is expensive. Many companies went bust because of these costs.
But these initial infrastructure developments paved the way for how the internet works now. They also gave rise to streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, Apple iTunes.
In the past decade, thousands of interconnected networks got replaced by the internet’s biggest companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.
Google, Amazon, and Facebook have built their own international networks and over time have connected to create a more efficient computer network.
Neutral exchange points are vital to allow smaller networks to exist and not rely entirely on internet giants.

[24:06] The Value of An Interconnected and Open Internet

Otter, a transcription service, allows huge files to be transported from Dropbox instantly.
That feat would be impossible without an interconnected and open internet.
The companies that have done best are the ones who can keep up with our demands from the internet, such as Netflix.
There used to be a time when you couldn't watch Netflix during a busy Saturday night due to the internet traffic, but this has now been solved.
Even though services have become much more efficient, we should remember that these companies have replaced thousands of networks.

[26:24] Why A Decentralized Internet?

Decentralization is crucial to allow for technical innovation, price flexibility, and competition. No one internet service provider should be the sole provider of internet access.
To prevent crashing, Netflix needed a reliable and strong computer network. They couldn't rely on just one provider.
When Netflix started, it depended on neutral exchange points and strong partnerships. Managing these partnerships meant keeping access open.
Learn more about Netflix’s evolution in the full episode!

[32:00] Physical Investments Responsible for How the Internet Works

Technology infrastructure underpins all the technological advancements that we continue and will continue to enjoy.
For instance, the COVID vaccines took only weeks to produce because of the computer infrastructure they used to model.

Dave Temkin: “If we didn't have that infrastructure, it would be years and not measured in weeks, months or days.”

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Learn about how internet technology and infrastructure developed over the years.
Understand the physical nature of your wireless internet connection.
Discover why interconnected networks are crucial for technological advancements.

About Our Guests

Dave Temkin is a seasoned technology executive with experience in building and scaling world-class infrastructures and teams. He was the Vice President of Network and Systems Infrastructure at Netflix and built the world’s largest content delivery network. He is also the founder and board member of Community IX FL-IX, the largest member-run internet exchange platform. You can contact him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Ingrid Burrington is a journalist who writes about technology, data centers, and networks. She wrote the New York: An Illustrated Field Guide To Urban Internet in 2016 and has contributed to several books and exhibition catalogs. You can learn more about her work on her website and contact her on Twitter and through email (lifewinning@gmail.com).

Jack Waters is a digital infrastructure executive with extensive experience in telecommunications, engineering for enterprise customers, and customer relations. He was the CTO of Level 3 Communications, President of the Zayo Group, and currently the Chairperson of Digital 9 Infrastructure PLC. You can contact him on LinkedIn.

Andrew Blum is a journalist and writer. He writes about technology, infrastructure, design, architecture, cities, art, and travel. In 2012, he wrote Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet, and in 2019, he wrote The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast. You can learn more about his works on his website and email him at ab@andrewblum.net.

Resources

Tubes: A Journey To The Center Of The Internet by Andrew Blum
Level 3 (Century Link, Lumen): LinkedIn I Website
Networks of New York: An Illustrated Field Guide to Urban Internet Infrastructure by Ingrid Burrington

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Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Help them understand how a computer connects to the internet and how the internet works.

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2. Silicon

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 02:01:00 -0700

There are a lot of components that make up a computer. It’s amazing how the tiniest little chips can make the whole thing work. However, not many of us think about these today. We just expect our devices to work as they should. But did you know that only some decades ago, the innovations we enjoy today were essentially unthinkable? The pursuit of something better brought the tech space to where it is today.

In this episode, Renée James and Jon Gertner join us to talk about what silicon is used for in computer hardware. They break down the history of semiconductors and transistors. They also lay down the various experiments and breakthroughs that occurred before the conception of the industrial and consumer products we enjoy today.

If you want to know why and how silicon metal runs everything in tech, this episode is for you.

Episode Highlights

[01:18] A Little Girl’s Journey to the Computer Industry

The CEO of semiconductor company Ampere Computing, Renée James, grew up alongside the computer industry.
Her exposure to tech began with her father, who used to work at HP. He built computers and motherboards.
Renée went on to a storied career at Intel. Now, she leads her own semiconductor company.
The material that has stayed constant throughout Renée’s career is silicon metal.

[03:10] What Silicon Metal Is

Silicon metal is the hard, brittle crystalline semiconductor that makes up transistors. These, in turn, make up chips, which make up computers.
In essence, what silicon metal is used for, is computers.
Silicon metal production began before the 70s and 80s. It inspired the name Silicon Valley.

[03:28] Bell Labs and AT&T

Silicon metal started with Bell Labs, a company named after Alexander Graham Bell.
Bell Labs produced the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) Company. The company later monopolized the telephone service in the US.
AT&T created an R&D development laboratory in 1925 called the Bell Telephone Laboratories. It started as a means to create a national phone system.
The lab's monopoly was critical to its long-term growth and success. It allowed them to plan for innovations around communications.

[05:24] Inventing Innovative Technologies

Bell Labs produced technology not so much because they had great ideas, but because they had problems to solve. They had to create a national communication system from scratch.
Switching centers in the 1930s contained enormous banks of switches that connected people to each other.
The idea of the transistor was to use a new material without moving parts.
The transistor is the building block of all electronic products. It's an amplifier and switch that replaced vacuum tubes and electromechanical relays.

Jon Gertner: “It made everything smaller, it made it faster, and it made it better.”

The material that would make transistors work is silicon metal.

[07:40] Semiconductors

A material that would become critical for transistors is semiconductors.
Semiconductors acted like conductors under certain circumstances.
These became valuable for wireless radios. Silicon metal, alongside germanium, was also used as a semiconductor for radar sets.

[08:08] Experimentation on Transistors and Semiconductors

Some experts guessed that semiconductors could be useful in the phone system in the late 1930s.
William Shockley experimented in turning semiconducting material into amplifiers in the 30s and 40s. It proved to be very difficult.
It took years of experimentation to get anywhere with silicon metal and transistors.
Bell Labs clearly understood the need to manipulate materials for communication systems.

Jon Gertner: “The backbone of electronics and the backbone of these vast interconnected communication systems, it's actually this sort of decades-long or almost century-long pursuit of understanding the kinds of materials we needed to create the system.”

[09:36] Semiconductive Material Breakthrough: Functional Impurity

Functional impurity changed how semiconductive materials work.
It works by putting a tiny millionth percent of material into silicon metal or germanium. We now call it "doping."

[10:12] Germanium vs. Silicon Metal

Germanium was the material used for very early transistors. But they realized that silicon metal would be a better material.
Germanium is a rarely found material, whereas silicon metal is an abundant element.
Silicon metal also has a higher melting point.
Morris Tanenbaum created the first silicon metal transistor. He knew it would work even in boiling water because of its high boiling point.

[10:56] Scaling Transistors

It took around ten years for the industry to manufacture the first transistors.
These were single individual transistors, not integrated circuits.
It was clear early on that failure was going to be part of the growth process.

Jon Gertner: “When you're seeking to solve a really difficult problem—the answer would not come easy, and the answer might take a very long time.”

Bell Labs didn’t see the great potential of the Internet. The decentralized communications network was unthinkable to them at the time.
Still, their breakthroughs in silicon metals became fundamental to the age of the Internet.

[13:25] Rapid Evolution of Technology from the 70s On

The use of computers went from only hobbyists to being an essential part of all our lives, a growth process to which Renée had a front-row seat.
She always had an affinity for figuring out how to revolutionize the use of technology.
At Intel, she got assigned to work on getting audio and video to stream on a PC. It later became the add-on product Video for Windows (VfW).

[16:42] On Silicon Metal and the Internet

The phenomenon of how we use the Internet in recent years is relatively new.
Semiconductors are an essential material of computing. Many industries need them.
Transistors improve the performance of a computer.
There are specialized transistors for different features like accelerated graphics, security, or audio.

[18:53] Microprocessors

Microprocessors are the brains of computers.
They needed to be accessible enough to people in a cost-effective way. It happened with desktop computers.
A critical step along the way was the fifth generation of microprocessors—the Pentium.
Microprocessors' evolution became the advent of broad-based coders.

[20:13] On Cloud Computing

The biggest development in recent years has been around architecting and using transistors most efficiently.
It's about working on power, power distribution, and the data center.
Silicon metal and transistor growth and innovations help power the Internet, and, therefore, many industries. Listen to the full episode to learn more about this process!

Renée James: “There's a tremendous amount of artistry to [chip design] in the sense that the computer scientists and the physicists and the architects who do this work, in many, many ways, are dreaming up what's possible.”

[22:53] What Silicon Metal is Used For

Silicon metal powers everything; it’s everywhere.
The level of complexity in how to manufacture different kinds of silicon metal varies.
Bare metal cloud computing and data centers require the most advanced and most demanding silicon available in the market.

[24:21] Ampere Computing

Ampere Computing built the first 100% built-to-serve-cloud-software processor.
The processor has a different level of performance, structuring, and features that accelerate cloud software.
Creating more powerful semiconductors gives the software the horsepower they need. It also makes it possible to put in special features to assist applications.

[24:52] What’s Next for Silicon Metal

There are things in software you can’t do because of inadequate performance.
Innovation in the tech realm spurs more innovation in the microprocessing space.
Renée says we're seeing a renaissance of interest in computer design.
However, the complexity of chips gets lost on most people.

Renée: “A transistor is not visible to the naked eye. It is that small, it is that complicated, and it enables us to know things we couldn't have known before, to find things we couldn't find before, to do things we couldn't do before.”

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

Discover the various innovations that came to fruition through silicon metal.
Learn about the history and growth of semiconductors in tech.
Understand what silicon metal is used for in running the Internet and cloud computing

About Our Guests

Renée James is the founder and CEO of Ampere Computing. Ampere Computing is a startup semiconductor company building high-performance microprocessors for cloud and edge computing. Renée is also presently Director at Citi Corp and Oracle. Before that, she served as President of Intel for 28 years.

Renée has extensive global operating experience in hardware and software development and semiconductor manufacturing. She advocates for representation in tech and pushes for the future of the US semiconductor industry.

To connect with Renée, visit her LinkedIn page.

Jon Gertner is a journalist and author. He wrote the books, The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of Innovation and The Ice at the End of the World. Jon is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. He also has published articles in major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Wired.

To know more about Jon’s work, visit his website and Twitter.

Additional Resources

Connect with Renée: LinkedIn
Connect with Jon: Website | Twitter
Ampere Computing
Intel
AT&T
The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner

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Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and colleagues! Help them understand what silicon metal is used for in tech.

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For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

1. Interconnection

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Inventing the internet can be traced from its formation for military and academic use. Since then, we've made huge leaps in terms of communication and interconnectivity. Greater interconnectivity has changed the game for building networks between people. The projects that began in 1966 have fundamentally altered communication practices all over the world.

In the first episode of Traceroute, we go back to the start of the Cold War. What was the initial purpose of computer networking? How has it changed over time? We'll answer these questions with insights from Jay Adelson, Sarah Weinberger, John Morris, and Peter Van Camp. In this episode, we'll discover how the very nature of digital communication evolved and continues to evolve today. One major contribution to the interconnectivity we enjoy today is the neutral exchange framework spearheaded by Equinix.

Episode Highlights

[02:46] DARPA and Improving Interconnectivity

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was created in response to the panic caused by the Soviet Union’s Sputnik, the first artificial satellite in the world.
DARPA had a broad mandate to take on research projects as directed by the Secretary of Defense.
It tried to create new technologies to keep the Pentagon and the military ahead of the Soviets.
DARPA's priorities were space and defense research. However, it also had to consider effective communication and improving interconnectivity.

[04:24] The Birth of ARPANET

One of the research projects funded by DARPA was ARPANET. The concept of computer networks were new, but improved interconnectivity within the organization.
In the early days of computers, DARPA hired J.C.R. Licklider. He became fundamental to inventing the internet.

Sharon Weinberger: “He sort of looked ahead and said, the way that we work with computers is going to fundamentally change our society.”

Their proposal became a prototype. 1969 was the first instance of two computers being connected, and the first message delivered over ARPANET was sent.
It was a struggle to convince people of the benefits of greater interconnectivity. The project's funding was almost cut due to lack of support.

[07:41] Interconnecting People

More people realized that having interconnected systems had applications outside military use.
The internet left DARPA's hands in the 90s, becoming commercially viable and consumer-friendly. But we can't overlook its military legacy.
J.C.R Licklider’s hand in inventing the internet also cannot be understated.
ARPANET is an example of a successful collaboration between the government and private sector.

[09:36] Traffic in the Open Web

John Morris: “Back in the '80s, commercial communications were prohibited on the internet. The internet was only for government and academic communication.”

The internet’s evolution to how we know it today started when it was decentralized from government control.
Connection points soon became congested and created traffic in physical telecommunication networks.
More importantly, opportunities online led to commercial growth and the need for regulation.

[13:07] The Telecommunications Act of 1996

The main focus of the legislation was to generate competition among phone companies.
It also created an opportunity for CLECs (competitive local exchange carriers). They could deliver better connectivity and services to a user through higher-speed internet.
This development led to the birth of broadband internet. It also increased the need for physical connection points to maintain efficient interconnectivity between devices.
The '96 Telecommunications Act enabled private organizations separate from phone companies to run exchange points.
Competition between phone companies made neutral exchange points that laid the groundwork for the internet today.

[16:06] A Faster, Decentralized Internet

Cable companies entering the competition for providing internet access opened the debate for open access neutrality.
Thankfully, we have a reasonably open network today. A user can access almost anything online without limitation.
We still benefit from the Telecommunications Act today. It mandates that the internet remains decentralized, and the competition pushes companies to improve their services.

John Morris: “It was critically important that we enabled very broad, ubiquitous connections to allow large and small speakers to be able to reach their audience quickly and reliably and without necessarily being throttled or regulated by an individual network provider.”

[21:05] Network Access Points

During the early days of the internet, phone companies charged for connectivity to their competitors.
Railways became instrumental to providing internet connections over long distances.
However, expanding the connecting backbone of these connections became expensive. Thus, a single network was not economically viable.
This dilemma brings us to another question: how do we prioritize traffic across this network?

[25:33] Neutral Connection Points Brought by Equinix

In 1997, network access points became congested and overpriced, affecting the speed, performance, and connectivity. Thankfully, Jay Adelson had an idea.

Jay Adelson: The truth is, sometimes, the simple solution is sometimes the best. And much like telephone operators plugging cables into different patch panels, we were doing that in a data center.

Backed by investments from the .com bubble, Equinix planned to build an ecosystem from six neutral connection points in the United States.
Having a neutral exchange model helped support the growth of the internet we know today. In the past, telecom organizations did not trust each other’s data centers.
Thus, Equinix was also invaluable in inventing the internet as we know it today.

[29:20] Changes in the Internet’s Infrastructure

When the bubble popped, Equinix lost many customers. However, the internet slowly recovered, and in the process, changed. These shifts required new infrastructure.
In part due to the neutral exchanges, the cost of traffic dropped precipitously. So, it made more financial sense for a business to outsource storage as a service.
This shift meant that Equinix had to build larger data centers to handle thousands of customers. A content provider business would need to start building their own servers.
Neutral exchange points, the place where interconnection happens, are still important today.
Thankfully, everyone is still committed to an open framework. Today, we are all interconnected through our devices.

Jay Adelson: “I think everybody's still very committed to an open framework by which they can interconnect with each other and do what they need to do within their sort of their various camps. I don't see a technology breaking point, coming anytime soon.”

[33:50] Threats to the Internet’s Growth

The freedom and interconnectivity users have online can be destructive. It could even cause the demise of the internet as we know it.
The threats we’re facing at the moment are the abuse of people's data, the political climate, misinformation, and the culture we built around great interconnectivity through digital communication.
Jay Adelson points to the importance of information sensitivity. Consumers and corporations both have responsibilities while online.

Three reasons why you should listen to this episode of the Traceroute podcast:

Discover how military and academic concepts gave birth to computer networking.
Learn the importance of the neutral exchange model to internet speed and widespread availability.
Learn what physical infrastructure interacts with software to give us the interconnectivity we have today.

About Our Guests

Jay Adelson is a serial entrepreneur. He's also the co-founder of Equinix, Digg, Revision3, SimpleGeo, Opsmatic, and Scorbit. Currently focused on his gaming company, he is serving as the chairman and co-founder of Scorbit. His sustaining business model has helped Equinix achieve its global success. Time Magazine selected him for their Top 100 Influential People in 2008.

To see more of Jay Adelson’s work, contact him through LinkedIn or Twitter.

Sharon Weinberger is a national security reporter and editor. Her 20 years of work focuses on the intersection of national security, technology, and science. She currently is working as Yahoo!’s Bureau Chief in Washington, D.C. Her book, The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World, is about the military beginnings of computer networking and the internet.

Interested in more information about Sharon Weinberger? Check out her LinkedIn, and reach her through Twitter.

John B. Morris, Jr. is a nonresident fellow for Governance Studies at the Center for Technology Innovation. He served at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as Head of the Office of Policy and Analysis Development. His work is centered on free expression, data governance, government surveillance, internet standards, competition, open internet policy, and integrity and security issues.

You can reach John through LinkedIn.

Peter Van Camp is the executive chairman at Equinix, the world’s digital infrastructure company. Together with Jay Adelson and Andy Smith, they built Equinix from the ground up and are responsible for its continued success.

To get more information about Equinix and the work they do, go to their website here. Connect with Peter Van Camp through LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Additional Resources

Connect with Jay Adelson: LinkedIn I Twitter
Connect with Sharon Weinberger: LinkedIn I Twitter
Access Sharon Weinberger’s book, The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World.
Connect with John Morris: LinkedIn I Twitter
Connect with Peter Van Camp: LinkedIn I Twitter I Facebook
Equinix

Enjoyed this Episode?

If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends!

Want to learn more? Head on over to Metal Equinix.

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For more episode updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.