Episode 293 – Jeremy Bailenson – How Virtual Reality Will Impact Your Life

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Jeremy Bailenson

Jeremy Bailenson, author of, ‘Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do’

Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, pushing the limits of our imagination and granting us access to any experience imaginable. With well-crafted simulations, these experiences, which are so immersive that the brain believes they’re real, are already widely available with a VR headset and will only become more accessible and commonplace. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism?

This week on the show, Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR and other mass media to help us understand this powerful new tool. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use―not to distance ourselves from reality, but to enrich our lives and influence us to treat others, the environment, and even ourselves better.

There are dangers and many unknowns in using VR, but it also can help us hone our performance, recover from trauma, improve our learning and communication abilities, and enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities. Like any new technology, its most incredible uses might be waiting just around the corner.

Jeremy Bailenson is founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Thomas More Storke Professor in the Department of Communication, a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, and a Faculty Leader at Stanford’s Center for Longevity. He earned a B.A. cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1994 and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Northwestern University in 1999. He spent four years at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and then an Assistant Research Professor.

Jeremy is the author of the incredible new book, Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do.

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Episode 276 – Paul Armstrong – Disruptive Technologies Will Change Your Business and Your Life 

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Paul Armstrong

Paul Armstrong, author of, ‘Disruptive Technologies: Understand, Evaluate, Respond’

We all know that technology is evolving at a rapid rate, and it’s changing the way we live. Do you call a cab, or do you use Uber? Do you stay in a hotel, or do you check Airbnb? Do you read a book or a Kindle? These products and services quickly enter our world and become the norm. But just knowing that technology is evolving is not enough, you need to understand how it is impacting you and how you can evaluate what industry will be disrupted next.

This week on the show we interview an expert who can help you understand, evaluate, and respond to disruptive technologies that are sure to have a big impact on your business and your life. (Bitcoin anyone?)

Our guest this week is Paul Armstrong. Paul is a leading strategist, author and speaker on the future of technology, disruption, retail innovation, media industry, social technologies, and more. Paul runs the technology advisory HERE/FORTH where he helps clients understand trends and how to sensibly apply emerging technologies strategically.

Paul is regularly seen on the BBC and News at Ten, when industry comment is called for, and currently writes for a number of publications, including Forbes, Cool Hunting and Short List.

Paul’s first book, Disruptive Technologies: Understand, Evaluate, Respond, offers organizations a distinct response to emerging technologies including Blockchain (Bitcoin), artificial intelligence, and other external factors – such as the sharing economy, mobile penetration, millennial workforce, aging populations – that impact on their business, client service and product model.

Episode 275 – Brett Velicovich – The World’s Most Dangerous Drone Expert

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Brett Velicovich

Brett Velicovich, author of, ‘Drone Warrior: An Elite Soldier’s Inside Account of the Hunt for America’s Most Dangerous Enemies’

For nearly a decade Brett Velicovich was at the center of America’s new warfare: using unmanned aerial vehicles—drones—to take down the world’s deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of an elite handful in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, his team successfully killed/captured 14 of America’s 20 most wanted terrorists across Iraq within only three months.

In this episode, Brett tells us his never before told story of how drone warfare has completely changed the battlefield and what it’s like to be part of one of the most elite military units to ever exist. With stories ranging from ISIS capture missions to tracking Boko Haram, this episode will be sure to entertain and enlighten!
Brett is the co-author of the brand new book, Drone Warrior: An Elite Soldier’s Inside Account of the Hunt For America’s Most Dangerous Enemies. This book was co-written with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Christopher S. Stewart.