🎙️ Episode #21: Anti-ageing technology, GPT-4, floatovoltaics, and a tech acronym quiz

Rick Huckstep and Shaun Weston discuss ageing and the role of technology. It's a broad topic and we cover DNA, wearables, ethics, virtual communities and resetting our biological clocks...and more!

Mar 19, 2023

🔥 This issue of the Big Tech Little Tech newsletter is promoting Meco

🗞️ Meco: the best newsletter app for newsletter reading

Reading newsletters in the inbox is frustrating - it is noisy and easy to lose control of subscriptions. Now you can enjoy your newsletters outside the inbox with Meco, an app built for reading. Plus it’s completely free.

Try Meco for free

🎙️ Listen to Episode #21 on Apple Music

You can find the Big Tech Little Tech podcast on all major podcast platforms.

00:00 Preamble

It was Rick's birthday recently, which he spent in Cádiz and Lisbon. Our hosts discuss pronunciation, Arsenal and sparkling wine. How do you pronounce Cava?

04:44 Tempting Tech

Rick mentions the launch of GPT-4, the fourth generation of the popular language model developed by OpenAI. With its advanced capabilities, GPT-4 is expected to take natural language processing to new heights and help advance various fields such as language translation, chatbots, and more. Of particular interest is its multimodal capabilities.

On Shaun's tech radar is a caravan, or rather the battery-powered Lightship L1 Trailer. Features include solar panels, and a roof that electronically rises to 10ft. And speaking of solar panels, Shaun read about floatovoltaics, which are solar panels that float on water. Researchers analysed 114,555 reservoirs around the world and used realistic climate data to model potential power generation. The solution could generate lots of power and save lots of water. A win-win.

11:34 Tech News

Video conferencing platform Zoom has sacked its president, Greg Tomb. His contract was terminated "without cause". Tomb was hired in June 2022.
HSBC has bought the UK arm of collapsed US Silicon Valley Bank for a pound. Although its US parent was in financial trouble, SVB UK is said to have been “in reasonable financial health”. The intervention was more “a preventive strike” before the collapse of its US parent sparked mass withdrawals from the UK. HSBC got itself a great deal.
American safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla following reports that steering wheels on Model Y SUVs have fallen off while the car is being driven.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl records outsold CDs in the US last year for the first time since 1987, selling 41 million units against 33 million for CD.
Speaking of music, Apple has announced that Apple Music Classical, a standalone app, will be released on 28 March.

12: 42 Technology and anti-ageing

Technology has had a significant impact on many aspects of our lives, and the field of anti-ageing is no exception. In recent years, technology has advanced to the point where it can help us understand and address the underlying causes of ageing.

From skincare products that use advanced ingredients to high-tech medical treatments and devices, technology is helping us to not only look younger but feel younger and live healthier lives as we age. With continued advancements in technology, it's likely we'll see even more breakthroughs in the years ahead.

39:43 Tricky tech acronyms

Shaun tests Rick’s knowledge of acronyms. How many did you get right?

Let’s start easy: What does VPN stand for? What does SEO stand for? And IoT?

A little more challenging now … What does CRM mean? What does RPA stand for?

Finally, what does the GPT stand for in ChatGPT?

🎙️ All you need know about Big Tech Little Tech