Silicon Dreams

Silicon Dreams

Silicon Dreams is a technology and innovation podcast that investigates how the latest advancements are transforming society. Each episode delves into how new tools and platforms create opportunities and challenges for not just for the majority, but especially for underrepresented groups who often experience the downsides of technological advancements more acutely.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    #11 - Our Body, Their Data?

    We live in a world where our everyday devices, from smart rings and period-tracking apps to smart TVs and connected cars, collect increasingly intimate details about our lives. Often for good reasons: watches catch irregular heart rhythms, cars call for help after a crash, safe drivers earn discounts, and DNA tests reunite adoptees with their birth families. The tech is useful, and that’s exactly why so many of us say yes. But who actually owns that information, who gets access to it, and how much control do we really have? In this episode of Silicon Dreams, Mark and Tatenda explore three kinds of data sharing: the data we choose to give away, the data collected by the technology we buy, and the data collected about us without our consent. From genetic testing and wearable health devices to connected cars and surveillance cameras, they examine the uncomfortable trade-offs between privacy, convenience, safety and economic opportunity, and follow the data after it leaves our hands. Stolen DNA profiles were put up for sale sorted by ancestry, and the company’s data was later auctioned off in bankruptcy. And a carmaker sold driving data to companies that fed insurers, and paid no fine They also unpack why the protections most people assume exist often don’t. HIPAA generally covers your doctor but not your apps, only one of ten major wearable makers end-to-end encrypts health data, and there’s no comprehensive federal privacy law. Meanwhile, some of the people affected never agreed to anything at all: relatives in a DNA database, guests in a home with motion sensing, drivers passing a camera. Mark and Tatenda challenge their own assumptions about technology and the price of participation in an increasingly connected society, and share a few settings you can change tonight. Because the question isn’t just what our technology knows about us. It’s who gets to decide what happens with that knowledge.

  2. 12/03/2025

    #10 - We are non-playable characters; humanoids creating humanoids.

    In this episode we render ourselves, for a brief moment, a version that is unsubstantiated by the data used to extrapolate our behavioral patterns. The best part is that we prove this to ourselves by being completely unable to show we have any original thoughts. It's a great reflection of how 1X's Neo robot is really just ourselves - struggling to cope with "reality."

  3. 09/17/2025

    #9 - Blood Batteries: The Children Mining Your Phone

    We examine the stark realities behind the latest iPhone releases, highlighting the contrast between technological advancement and the hidden human costs. The episode spotlights exploitation in mining, where Congolese children earn just $1-$2.50 a day extracting cobalt and copper for phone batteries. We explore the tradeoffs between the benefits of continued innovation and the impact on lives of those that shoulder the burden of global tech consumption.

  4. 09/16/2025

    #8 - Silicon Dust & Ritual Fire: Burning Man, Billionaires, and the Battle for the Soul of the Desert

    We explore the intersection of technology, art and community at Burning Man, with an emphasis on the evolving role of the technocracy and the tensions this creates within Burner culture. We begin by highlighting the event's core rituals, and then examine the influential presence of the tech industry elites which marks the festival as both a social and cultural nexus for Silicon Valley's innovators.

  5. 06/16/2022

    The Nefarious Adventures of a Deepfake Mark and a Bored-Tatenda

    Mark and Tatenda deep dive on how deepfakes are the prime example of how art and technology are inherently the same. From the idea and motivation of creation, to how we philosophically judge these creations that the two endeavors are just the same. But what does this mean for the responsibility of the artist and engineer? How does this play into a more equitable future?

  6. 05/06/2022

    Tatopia: drone tech and mag lev is big urban chillin'

    Tatenda and Mark talk broadly about the problems that plague our cityscape. Focusing more on key indicators and some pivotal but infant technologies that could change how we live and effectively erase hundreds of years of the economic disparities. Including but definitely not limited to: tele-health / health tech, transportation / vehicle democratization / self driving, and urban gardening / advance hydroponic systems.  We also find the time to give Elon Musk some free advice!

  7. 04/08/2022

    Algorithmic bias: staying based in a world full of bots

    Algorithms are an essential tool that we use to solve problems and are increasingly incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI). Algorithmic bias is rooted in how we fail to ask the right questions, which leads us to using bad data. Causing us to rely on false positives for intrinsically hard to verify solutions. We explore how society is reflected in AI systems, particularly how our individual / societal biases are being magnified at scale. Furthermore, we analyze the space of human-algorithmic interactions, thinking about whether AI systems can truly operate without human assistance, and what we can do to build better, unbiased, and ethically responsible technologies. Oh yeah, we’re based AF.

  8. 03/16/2022

    Doomsday Clock and Cigarettes: Peak Humanity

    Mark and Tatenda discuss the interplay of social media across self, society, economy as well as other technologies. Specifically, how purposeful algorithmic manipulation has created psychological feedback loops that perpetuate radicalization. Making us all the more dependent on auxiliary technologies (energy) that has become the new target of wartime objectives. Pointing out the interplay of the Fermi paradox, kardashev scale, time loops, and the ultimate impact on personal responsibility to dismantle the system (like true minority edge lords). Oh also, we based this all on memes, because that stuff is more real than the news news these days (looking at you FOX and CNN)

  9. 02/04/2022

    NFTs: Demystifying the hype and cutting through the BS

    Mark and Tatenda explain NFTs, their dangers, potential impact on the environment, society and the cool f*****g tech thats powering them. We take on the core principles of pricing art and ownership in the digital space, and help demystify how this could democratize wealth generation. Together we imagine a post-hype utopia in which trust and sustainability are built into the marketplace.

  10. 12/01/2021

    Optimal Tech: Electrifying AI powered cleantech startup powering through Series A

    Optimal Tech is a game changing renewable energy startup Dr. Parker deploys artificial intelligence and hardware solutions across the globe to use energy better and use better energy to help push the need for climate equity. From driving solar cell development to advanced modeling Dr. Parker gives solid advice for how to build a profitable high tech company. Funding is often elusive for underestimated founders but Dr.'s persistence, innovation and leadership has allowed him to scale while strategically picking venture deals.

  11. 10/27/2021

    Vessel Athletics: The relentless grit to make your first successful product

    Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your startup running? We talk to Jasmine and Jalen, the founders of Vessel Athletics, about how to start a business and launch a product centered Kickstarter campaign. We go in depth on: the athleisure fashion, diversity and inclusion within the running industry, startup IP protection, MVP development, seed stage fund raising, and recruiting mentors.

    Vessel Athletics: The relentless grit to make your first successful product
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Silicon Dreams is a technology and innovation podcast that investigates how the latest advancements are transforming society. Each episode delves into how new tools and platforms create opportunities and challenges for not just for the majority, but especially for underrepresented groups who often experience the downsides of technological advancements more acutely.

Information

  • Creator
    Silicon Dreams
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Silicon Dreams
  • Show Website
    Silicon Dreams