Technology

Amateur radio operators have been around for a long time. In fact, this week HAMS - as the operators are known - are celebrating amateur radio's 100 year anniversary. In cases of emergency events or weather, HAMS are called upon to help larger media outlets and the National Weather Service. There are over 20,000 of these folks in North Carolina and another 9,500+ in South Carolina. We talk with two HAMS and learn about their craft. Then we get an update from Vani Hari, known as the 'Food Babe' about her latest endeavors, including encouraging the restaurant Subway to remove a chemical additive from their bread.

Everyone knows that we are living in a digital world but if you visit that average classroom you’ll likely see more pencils, paper, books and chalkboards than monitors or keyboards. There is a school system changing all that and some educators have called them the best school system in America. That school system is right in our backyard. The Mooresville Graded School District introduced a 1 to 1 laptop initiative meaning that every child in their system learns through digital media, from 1st and 2nd graders with digital learning tools to laptops in the hands of every student from 3rd—12th grade. And the results are amazing. We’ll find out how the digital conversion is transforming learning in Mooresville and what the future might be for school kids everywhere.

Artificial Intelligence - machines that work like the human brain - computers that can think. It's the stuff of science fiction, but it's also very real and developing faster than you may realize. Just this week, tech giant Google announced the purchase of an artificial intelligence firm - the company's ninth robotics oriented purchase in a little over a year. From asking your smart phone for directions to self-driving cars to robots programmed to act like humans, AI is everywhere and it's certainly uncharted territory. What does it mean when we create computers that are potentially smarter than people? Our guest today warns, if we don't tread lightly, it could mean the end of the human era. A panel of experts joins us to explain how artificial intelligence works and discuss the practical applications and ethical considerations of this controversial technology.

Venture capital investment is best known for funding technology start-ups, including, once upon a time, Google and Facebook. The amount of venture capital funding is also an indication of how many start-ups or early stage companies a region is producing. The latest numbers in North Carolina show the state still has not recovered from the recession.

The word 'Hacker' brings to mind a nefarious computer nerd stealing credit card information or disrupting websites. But a hacker has traditionally been someone who was into technological 'tinkering' and innovation. Queen’s University of Charlotte is promoting hacker culture by teaching digital and media literacy with a “hackathon.” We'll also meet the founder of a digital meet-up site called Charlotte Hackerspace. It's a place where geeks can feel free to tinker and in some cases, evolve technology. Join us as we plug into the rise of Hacker Culture.

Many school systems are wrestling with ways to serve students with mobile technology such as tablets. But Guilford County Schools has learned there’s a downside to the devices. The district has suspended its tablet program after students reported 1,500 cracked or broken screens in just the first month of school. 

There is a wave of new design coming and visionaries say it promises to be one of the most important technological advances of our time. 3D, or additive printing, holds possibilities that sound like science fiction, like printing new artificial limbs, human tissue, and medical tools. One company is designing a 3D printer that could someday print an entire house. But there are skeptics who say that 3D printing is expensive and their uses are still more fiction than fact. We'll look at this astonishing new technology with a Charlottean who happens to be an expert, when Charlotte Talks. Originally aired 6/27/13.

Earlier this week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department launched a new crime-mapping system. It's much easier to use, updated more frequently and you can even pull it up on your smartphone.  

As technology becomes fully integrated in classrooms, students aren’t the only ones learning. Teachers must operate computers, a variety of applications and other electronic devices while also catering their lesson plans to these technologies. A growing number of schools provide students with laptops or tablet computers and some Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are even encouraging students to bring devices to school through a Bring Your Own Technology initiative. A 2010 analysis by the U.S. Department of Education concluded that students whose higher educations' blend online and face-to-face interactions outperform others, but how does this apply to grade school students? What are parents and students saying? We’ll discuss the costs, the risks, and the increasingly digital world of learning when Charlotte Talks.