Small Akron Tech Firm Making Big Moves With New Product Launch

Another day, another data breach–or so I thought. But even though there have been a lot of other really big data breaches over the past few years; hearing about the one perpetrated recently by a hacker called USDoD, gave me pause.  As reported by Bloomberg Law; it is possible they stole the Social Security numbers of every American, along with other personally sensitive information from a total of nearly 3 billion people in the US, UK, and Canada. This occurred in December 2023, when they cracked the defenses of National Public Data, which is a data broker offering personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks.  With that in mind, along with the knowledge that in June 2023, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles warned about an identity theft scam using stolen driver's license information, I began to wonder; do we need some new form of identification?  To find out, I contacted Detective Troy Looney of the Akron Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit.  He is a subject matter expert in several Criminal Justice Field disciplines, such as Internet Investigations, Digital Forensics, Cybercrime, and Marketing, and has a doctorate in Organizational Management/Leadership, a Master of Science in Internet Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business/Marketing.  Looney is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Akron, teaching several courses in the College of Applied Sciences Department. Courses include Digital Forensics, Cybercrime, Digital and Scientific Evidence, File System Forensic Analysis, and Computer Forensic Methods II. Listen now.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the time when I decided to upcycle my old, obsolete MacBook Pro, and turn it into something useful with a free, open-source Linux operating system. The good news is; it works! I had some glitches along the way, and the journey from old to "new" was a little frustrating. But honestly; the main reason it was a problem for me is that I decided to mess with it after I already had it up and running. It really was one of those deals where "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But, in the end; I got it sorted, and I learned a whole lot of really useful information along the way. So, even if it seems a little daunting at first; you can be successful as well, if you are careful, curious, and motivated to make it work. By the way, it works for both PC's and Macs, so really no matter what kind of computer you have; there's a way to get it done–if you have the patience and perseverance to doggedly pursue your goal. Find out how you can save money, and keep your currently pretty useless old computer out of the landfill for at least a few more years. Listen now.

The depth and breadth of cyberattacks and data breaches in the past few years is breathtaking, and as a result; it's fairly likely that pretty much everybody in this country has had at least some their personal information stolen. Some examples of extremely serious recent incidents include the March 2024 AT& T breach, which resulted the dark web dissemination of data from 7.6 million current account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders, last year's MOVEit breach, which resulted in the loss of data from at least 62 million people, and 2,000 organizations, as well as the May 2024 Ticketmaster breach, affecting 560 million customers. In addition, with the introduction of new, more robust AI-powered hacking tools; the bar to entry for would-be hackers has become astonishingly low, and hacking as a lucrative source of income for a vast network of criminal enterprises is growing. But, while the bad guys are most definitely strong and smart; there are still some things you can do to protect yourself, according to our special guest, and former federal law enforcement officer, Art Bowker. Listen now to find out how, as he talks about the soon-to-be-released new book he co-wrote with Todd Shipley; "Surviving a Cyberattack: Securing Social Media & Protecting Your Home".

Size really does matter, when it comes to Akron-based electronics firm, Tiny Circuits, where they're doing a big Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new product launch. Find out how they're keeping it real with a small team of engineers and fabricators, creating programmable game consoles the size of your thumb, and twee little TV's with working knobs and remotes, where you can watch pre-loaded shows, or even your own cat videos. The sky's the limit as we explore the maxi details of their mini world, with Founder and CEO, Ken Burns. Listen now, and don't forget you can also subscribe to our free podcast. Just look for "This Week In Tech with Jeanne Destro, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

Senior citizens who need and want to be connected to the internet, but can't afford to do so, have the opportunity to possibly get a free tablet and/or WiFi service, through Direction Home, The Akron-Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities. Their Digital Inclusion program has been around for a few years now, but as you'll hear from today's guest, Matt Reed, who is Direction Home's Senior Vice President for Community Engagement, they now have funding to help an underserved group they simply didn't have the resources to reach in the past. Find out more, listen now.

As technology companies spend billions to produce newer, better, and more powerful Artificial Intelligence tools; leaders in other types of business are scrambling to decide whether or not it would be worthwhile to use them. The pressure is on, and as you'll hear from our special guest today, Northeastern University Business School Dean, and Author, David DeCremer; the jury is still out for most types of business, as to whether or not AI is the real deal or just hype. Listen now, as DeCremer, who just released his latest book, THE AI-SAVVY LEADER: 9 Ways to Take Back Control and Make AI Work, explains how make an informed decision about whether you should use AI in your business, and how to avoid getting trapped into thinking that you'll be missing out, if you don't.

Wouldn't it be great if all the plastic that clogs our landfills and oceans could be easily and cheaply recycled, and then turned into new plastic that is just as strong and useful as the original? That's what scientists at the University of Akron have been wondering, and now one of them has come up with a new way to recycle plastic using just light, air, and an easily obtainable and abundant chemical catalyst. We'll hear today from Associate Professor of Polymer Science, Dr. Junpen Wang, along with Vice President for Research and Business Engagement, Dr. Suzanne Bausch from the University of Akron, where they are moving full steam ahead on a major new push in the quest for sustainable polymers, fueled in large part by a recently obtained $51 million dollar federal grant. Listen now.

Scammers are using AI to clone voices and trick people into giving up their personal banking information, leading to disastrous results. Find out how you can protect yourself from these fraudsters, with TrustedSec President and CEO, David Kennedy. We talked to him recently. Listen now.

Seniors are often the targets of increasingly sophisticated scams. Find out why, and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from scammers who prey on some of our most vulnerable citizens. Listen now, to our conversation with Sam McCoy, Senior Vice President for Elder Rights at Direction Home, the Akron-Canton Area Agency on Aging.

This past Friday's worldwide Microsoft computer meltdown, will likely go down in history as one of the most epic tech failures...ever. Airlines, hospitals, banks, retailers, government agencies; you name it–all dead in the water for hours, with everybody staring at the dreaded blue screen of death, repeatedly trying to reboot their systems, and wondering how long it would take to fix. Luckily, the problem, caused by a faulty CrowdStrike cybersecurity update, has been resolved for many users. But for example, as of the time of this recording (Tuesday morning, July 23rd); Delta Airlines was still struggling with hundreds of canceled flights, and their CEO said on Monday it would take several more days to resolve the problem with a vital crew scheduling program. So now, the question is; what can we do to better deal with tech disruptions like this in the future? To find out, we talked to Dr. John Nicholas, who many of you will remember from his work in Cybersecurity at the University of Akron, and more recently at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. Now, he's back in Northeast Ohio, as the new Associate Dean of Automated Manufacturing & Engineering Technology, at Tri-C–Cuyahoga Community College. Listen now.