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GEOPOLICHIPS #2: Why do computers get faster and smaller and cheaper?

More than 60 years ago, integrated circuits created a revolution in electronics that transformed the entire world. How are chips made? And why do we keep getting better at making them?

The ALTAIR 8800 was a landmark in computing – the first ‘microcomputer’, built around Intel’s breakthrough 8080 microprocessor. I remember it from the cover of Popular Electronics:

A magazine issue that changed the world, and kicked off ‘microcomputing’.

You could buy the ALTAIR 8800 in kit form, or fully assembled:

All of which led Paul Allen and Bill Gates to write ALTAIR BASIC, and sell it through their new company: MICROSOFT.

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GEOPOLICHIPS #1: Why is there a global shortage of computer chips?

Manufacturers of video game consoles, automobiles – even toothbrushes – have been impacted by a global shortage of semiconductor integrated circuits – computer chips. How did these devices become so central to everything we make?

Read the amazing Playboy interview with William Shockley below…

Playboy interview William ShockleyDownload
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Episode 5.08 – What stands in the way of electric vehicles?

Co-host Sally Dominguez and special correspondent Drew Smith explore the many facets of vehicle electrification with Mark. EVs are finally happening – but does that make them inevitable?

(Pictured: GMC’s new Hummer EV SUV, coming at the end of 2021)

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Episode 5.06 – What’s the next fuel after batteries?

Co-host Sally Dominguez looks beyond battery-powered vehicles, opening the door to a future featuring hydrogen, “paste”, and ammonia-powered engines. This diverse transition from fossil fuels enables a range of new vehicles for all of the ways we’ll live and work in the decades to come.

Sally’s new book EPIC Resilience is a great guide to staying match-fit in an ever changing world. Grab a copy here!

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Episode 5.05 – Has Europe gone ‘all-in’ on electric vehicles?

Special correspondent Drew Smith explores a European car market that appears to have reached a tipping point in sales of electric vehicles. Is it real? Is it sustainable? Can the power grid handle all those new EVs?

Drew asks the experts – and gets some surprising answers.

Drew co-authors the amazing ‘Looking Out’ newsletter – read the latest one here.

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Episode 5.04 – Series 5 Predictions: Has social media turned us all into conspiracy theorists?

The Capitol Insurrection, #wallstreetbets and Facebook’s brief war with Australia demonstrate the power of social media to change how we believe – and behave.

At the end of this decade, could social media drive us all into our own private worlds of fantasy, conspiracy, and fakery?

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Episode 5.03 – Series 5 Predictions: Can we make friends with a superpower China?

Prediction: Our long-running low-level spats with China are the new normal, the Chinese superpower rubbing up against the regional power of Australia.

Series 5 continues with some predictions on geopolitics in this decade, when America and China swap positions, and political power tilts eastward.

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Episode 5.02 – Series 5 Predictions: Will you own an electric car this decade?

Prediction: At least half of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric, revolutionising transportation – and energy.

Series 5 continues with more bold predictions for the next decade — an era of transition and remediation, as we work across multiple fronts and multiple industries – internationally – to cool the climate.

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Episode 4.09 – What lessons has 2020 taught us?

The pandemic has touched every aspect of our lives – forcing us to recalibrate our privacy, our connections with others, even the way we use cash. Walking through series 4, we peek into a few of the significant discoveries in this series – reflecting on what we’ve learned.

This show gave us a chance to touch base with these guests:

Dr. Genevieve Bell is the Director of the 3A Institute at the ANU.
Listen Genevieve on Episode One.

Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker and author of “24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week“.
Listen to Tiffany on Episode Two.

Dr. Fiona Kerr is the Director of the NeuroTech Institute.
Listen to Fiona on Episode Two.

Sally Dominguez is a futurist and co-host of THE NEXT BILLION CARS.
Listen to Sally on Episode Eleven of THE NEXT BILLION CARS.

Jonathan DeCarteret is the CEO of INDX.capital.
Listen to Jonathan on CRYPTONOMICS.

Mark Jeffrey is CEO of Guardian Circle and a frequent contributor to CRYTPONOMICS.
Listen to Mark on CRYPTONOMICS.

Jess Scully is the Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and author of “Glimpses of Utopia“.
Listen to Jess on Episode Eight.

George Peppou is the CEO of Vow Food.
Listen to George on Episode Five.

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Episode 4.08 – What’s the secret to building a better world?

Do we have surrender our hopes for utopia, or can we learn from others who found the levers to move our world to a better place? Together, are we strong enough to use these tools to change our course?

Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully’s new book Glimpses of Utopia: Real Ideas for a Fairer World covers far more ground then we could in our interview – it’s well worth a read!

We were also lucky to hear from Dr. Darren Sharp of the Sustainable Development Institute at Monash University.

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