TTCvoice

The field of non-invasive Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) is gaining massive momentum as startups, companies and researchers are pushing hard. The race on BCI research is on improvement of the efficiency and the accuracy of the systems, while some of the first commercial efforts are testing the waters with several affordable devices already available to consumers. Professor Bin He, a pioneer in the field of Biomedical Engineering, talks about the ground-breaking research currently being done at the University of Minnesota in decoding brainwaves more accurately and reliably using non-invasive interfaces. We discuss the already impressive results of a  brain-controlled helicopter experiment, some of  the present challenges and the upcoming breakthroughs in the field of Brain Computer Interfaces. Interviewed by George Voulgaris for Tech Talks central.

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TTC #109 Your brain as the ultimate controller, Prof. Bin He

James Tagg, author of the book ‘Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?’ presented in front of an audience his own beliefs on the Singularity issue. He started out by answering his own question ‘Can a Machine think Creatively?’ and argued mathematically on how much artificial intelligence has progressed, which are the crucial parity point dates and why he doesn’t believe that machines can surpass the creativity of humans. The speech was conducted during a Heroes of Mobile event organised by its founder Helen Keegan, on the 2nd of March at the Talent Garden(TAG).


TTC #145 Are The Androids Dreaming Yet, James Tagg

Background, context, and poem text: http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/05/28/keeping-quiet-sylvia-boorstein-reads-pablo-neruda

Excerpted from https://soundcloud.com/onbeing/what-we-nurture-with-sylvia

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Sylvia Boorstein reads "Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda

Marcello Melgara Responsible for International eHealth Projects, Italy /
Karima Bourquard, IHE-Europe Director of Interoperability, France

How does compliance with the European Interoperability Framework(EIF) help a National health system’s sustainability? At what percentage would you say your country’s NIF is aligned w/ the EIF when it comes to eHealth? What are the obstacles? Does your country have a published eHealth Strategy and what are its core objectives? In what percentage is it being implemented?


TTC #204 Interoperability & eHealth Strategies In Italy & France

Dimitra Liveri, Network and Information Security Expert at ENISA /
Marcello Melgara Responsible for International eHealth Projects

European eHealth companies have a huge potential to grow, by approaching an ever growing market inside and outside EU borders. Apart from the obvious innovation potentials in a broad number of health & patient care sectors, markets like that of the US, Latin America and China have come ‘closer’ due to international agreements. What kind of impediments will European eHealth companies have to overcome, in order to reach these markets effectively?


TTC #205 Extroversion of eHealth Companies

George Crooks, Medical Director for NHS24 and Director of the Scottish Centre for Tele-health and Telecare. President of the European Telematics Association (EHTEL) & leader of the Integrated Care Action Group of the European Innovation Partnership for active and healthy ageing for the European Commission

George Crooks responds to our questions on whether Scotland has a published eHealth Strategy and what are its core objectives. Also, how does compliance with the European Interoperability Framework(EIF) help a National health system’s sustainability? 


TTC #210 George Crooks on Scotland’s eHealth Strategy & Interoperability

Grab a cocktail, put on your favorite karaoke track, and let’s talk some more about disentangling audio data!

The Cocktail Party Problem

After, close to 2 years and 226 interviews with scientists, researchers and technologists, the time has come to turn the table on us. The TTC team sits behind the microphone and reviews latest experiences, trends and social economic issues that have affected us and the technology scene at large. We start with eHealth and how our interviewees responded to the question on whether we need medical software certification; we talk about the social economic impact of robotics co-existing with humans; Phil Zimmermann’s interview on data security issues and privacy and the first pan-European cyber-security law to be enacted. 
So, do bare with our shortcomings and let us know your opinion and what we can improve. We will be travelling to different events in the coming months, interviewing stakeholders and hopefully reporting back, via our own podcast, on behind the scenes.
W/ @vagelis-antoniadis, @athanasios-triantafyllakis, @vicki-kolovou, Yannis Rizopoulos

TTCvoice #1 Taking The Plunge

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF MWC
Insider survival guide

In less than 2 weeks from now, more than 90,000 people will be descending on Barcelona for Mobile World Congress aka MWC. TTC has been there & done that so @vicki-kolovou, @athanasios-triantafyllakis, @vagelis-antoniadis, @athanasios-triantafyllakis, and Yannis Rizopoulos wanted to share some inside info with you! So if this is your first time in MWC (or even if you are a seasoned attendee and you need some refreshing - especially this year, that there are some major changes, like the new metro line, for example), then this is definitely the only audio guide to listen. Learn all the tips and tricks to get the job done, meet people, avoid long queues and have such an amazing time that you can’t wait for next year’s MWC.

Additional links & info:
Prepare for MWC entrance: Good to Go https://www.mobileworldcongress.com/good-to-go/

If you are involved in any incident, whether onsite or out of it, in the entire city of Barcelona, you may call + 34 900 77 2016 / this is a free 24-hour Security Service for all those in need. The organizers have teams on motorcycles available to come as soon as possible and offer you personal assistance. 

Check this guide to the 2016 Mobile World Congress parties and events calendar by our friends at Barcinno. Don’t forget that the parties and networking events start on Sunday, 21st Feb. http://www.barcinno.com/the-2016-mobile-world-congress-parties-and-events-guide-mwc16-parties-barcelona/ 



TTCvoice #2 Getting the most out of MWC16

Centuries ago, Germany came up with a way to keep books that contained "dangerous" information without releasing them to the general public: The Giftschrank.
The word, a combination of "poison" and "cabinet," has a variety of meanings in different contexts. At its most literal, a Giftschrank is a space for storing controlled substances in places like pharmacies. Colloquially, it can refer to spaces reserved for all kinds of hidden and forbidden objects, ideas or stories.

203- The Giftschrank

Our 3rd TTCvoice podcast was recorded and broadcast live from Mobile World Congress 2016, in Barcelona. The biggest mobile technology event along with an amazing city, became the suitable backdrop for us to meet the people behind Barcinno, the online collaborative platform that shares news, knowledge & events of Barcelona’s startup, tech and innovation communities. It will be an understatement to say we weren’t thrilled meeting them; these guys excited us with all their knowledge and inside information. Join us and listen to the Barcinno team, Scott Mackin, Hector Manzano Diaz, Lina Maria Ruiz and Sindre Hopland talk startups, local ecosystem and why Barcelona is the Mobile World Capital. Playing hosts for Tech Talks Central: Vicki Kolovou, Sakis Triantafyllakis and Yannis Rizopoulos.


TTCvoice #3 Discussing Barcelonian Startup Ecosystem with Barcinno

So... about those bots. Bots bots bots. Bots!

In this episode of the botcast, a16z partners Benedict Evans and Connie Chan -- along with Chris Messina, longtime advocate of the open web and more -- pull apart various threads related to the topic of bots, mobile, and beyond: the (evolution?) from web to apps to messaging to bots; chat as an interface; “conversational commerce”; and so on. They also discuss why framing messaging through the lens of WeChat both reveals useful things (what works/ might not work) and not-so-useful things (such as seeking the “WeChat of the West”).

More importantly, how can we keep bots, and what they represent, in perspective -- beyond the fad? Especially when it comes to considering innovation on the 'web' vs. 'mobile' (remember the mobile browser!) and when it comes to removing friction (vs. adding limited interaction). What contexts (like customer service) are most useful for thinking about bots? And how can we even know, given it’s early days yet and we haven’t moved much beyond the command-line interface... 

Finally, as computing moves outside the classic work-centric paradigm to room- and urban-scale, how do we think about integrating online and offline, ubiquitous and “diffuse” computing through bots?

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
 
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a16z Podcast: Bots and Beyond

The team got together to discuss podcasting and its intricacies. Prior to sitting in front of our microphones, we interviewed Stathis Koutsogeorgos - founder at Radiojar - and included snippets of his interview in our podcast. We discussed live shows vs podcasts and what each one entails; why TTC chooses to do both depending on circumstances; the minimal equipment required to do a good-quality audio interview on the move, and what are the available podcast media hosts and distribution channels. We pondered on the optimal podcast duration, how to disseminate and finally what kind of innovation can we expect in podcasting for the future. 

Markos, our sound engineer was kind enough to prepare a post with a list on audio equipment, we at TTC, either use or suggest derived from our experience on doing interviews on the move and broadcasting live from events.  https://medium.com/tech-talks-central/podcasting-equipment-for-various-budgets-c9f0f2774010#.p85lv65tw


TTC people on the TTCvoice#4 podcast were Vagelis Antoniadis, Nikos Spanoudakis, Markos Voutsinos and Vicki Kolovou.

RadioJar is a platform of tools for setting up your own Internet Radio Show and TTC uses their services for their live broadcasts from within events. Check them out here www.radiojar.com

TTCvoice #4 Can Podcasting Evolve?

The Tech Talks Central web radio covers all the hot topics and trends in the connected world and features interactive interviews with thought leaders, as well as movers and shakers of the tech industry.
It’s a joint venture between entrepreneurs working in the mobile and technology field and people who love the radio waves!

TTCvoice #3 Discussing Barcelonian Startup Ecosystem with Barcinno

Tech Talks Central

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