For the last two years in January, an enigmatic message has appeared on the internet from an unknown source signed "3301," sending thousands in search of answers to increasingly complicated puzzles and mysteries. But for whom, and to what end? Welcome to Cicada 3301, the " internet mystery that has the world baffled ." To solve it, you need to know not only programming and encryption codes, but pre-Christian literature and Mayan numerology (it also helps to have friends around the world). This w...
Jan 01, 2014•25 min•Ep. 72
For this Christmas edition of New Tech City, a look back at two of our favorite segments from 2013. If you're like millions of other shoppers, you probably ordered at least a few gifts on the online retailer Amazon this holiday season. And even if your packages weren't delivered by drones, you won't want to miss my interview with Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Brad Stone about his book The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon . And it's not just about how Bezos's ingenious (s...
Dec 25, 2013•16 min•Ep. 71
Bitcoins. Bitcoins. Bitcoins. These days, you can’t swing a digital cat without reading a story about the digital currency that’s got tech and financial reporters all in a froth. It’s complicated (though h/t to Quartz and its explanation about how it all works) and at times, hard to figure out how to make it relevant to everyone else. That is until I heard two stories about bitcoin that make up this week’s New Tech City. First, there’s Gina Fox, a self-described "old mom" from Rhinebeck, New Yor...
Dec 18, 2013•21 min•Ep. 70
The millenial generation has a reputation for selfies, oversharing and cat memes, but many faith leaders are flocking to platforms like Facebook and Twitter to attract more of these young people to the church. In this week's episode, reporter (and lapsed Catholic) Marielle Segarra visits several tech-savvy churches in and around New York City to see if worship via smartphone apps and social media can bring her back into the fold. Click on the audio to hear Segarra's personal journey and how one ...
Dec 11, 2013•16 min•Ep. 69
Workers of every age have to keep their tech smarts up to date to stay relevant in today's workplace.
Dec 04, 2013•23 min•Ep. 68
You love the planet and your gadgets, so how do you find a balance?
Nov 27, 2013•19 min•Ep. 67
This week on New Tech City, we're crossing the digital divide.
Nov 20, 2013•24 min•Ep. 66
Games have power, so this week, we play a few that can motivate kids to learn more, whether they realize it or not. And we see how a test case of a new technology for football might help keep young heads safer (and smarter) from injury.
Nov 13, 2013•23 min•Ep. 65
Andrew Rasiej, chairman of NY Tech Meetup , argues that tech talent can do more for kids and New York's tech sector, if talented programmers get more involved in the classroom.
Nov 11, 2013•9 min•Ep. 64
Coders have a very specific way of working, it’s called Agile . One family decided to apply it to their lives. What if healthcare.gov had too?
Nov 06, 2013•16 min•Ep. 63
The tiny Baltic nation of Estonia puts the United States to shame when it comes to electronic voting (not to mention marinated eel served cold and teaching little kids to code .)...
Nov 04, 2013•6 min•Ep. 62
This week New Tech City looks at New York's internet connectivity a year after Sandy knocked out communications for so many New Yorkers.
Oct 30, 2013•21 min•Ep. 61
He wants to find in a cheaper way to get to outer space . He’s building a clock that ticks once a year, moves its "century hand" once every hundred years and chimes once a millennium. Oh, and he’s also the CEO of the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon. He is Jeff Bezos.
Oct 28, 2013•11 min•Ep. 60
No heavy subject matter this week. Instead, we're diving into two subcultures that have been transformed by tech: Coffee and cigarettes. If you've never heard of a burr grinder or cartomizer , this podcast is for you.
Oct 23, 2013•21 min•Ep. 59
More and more micro-entrepreneurs are using online services like Etsy, Kickstarter, Uber and Lyft to create their own jobs. Welcome to the new DIY economy.
Oct 16, 2013•18 min•Ep. 58
The recent revelation that companies like Google and Facebook routinely hand over data about users' digital communications to the National Security Agency has many Americans wondering whether everything they do online is being tracked by the government.
Oct 09, 2013•21 min•Ep. 57
As Twitter's lawyers prepare to take the company public, they aired some of the company's financial dirty laundry in a regulatory filing this week, confirming that the social media service continues to lose money.
Oct 04, 2013•4 min•Ep. 56
Two groups of people that shy away from many technologies — Amish and Mennonites — are actually on the cutting edge when it comes to genetics.
Oct 02, 2013•17 min•Ep. 55
It’s Obamacare-time!
Sep 25, 2013•18 min•Ep. 54
Mayor Bloomberg likes to take credit for transforming New York City into the second biggest technology economy in the country. Does he deserve it?
Sep 18, 2013•15 min•Ep. 53
This week New Tech City takes you into the bodegas, laundromats and back alleys of New York's black market for stolen cell phones.
Sep 11, 2013•20 min•Ep. 52
Scientists in New York City are at the center of President Obama's brain research initiative , a $100 million effort to better understand the inner workings of the human noggin.
Sep 04, 2013•22 min•Ep. 51
When it comes to finding just the right sized office space, New York City's tech companies are turning to subleases because they are not ready to sign five to 10 year leases favored by the city's landlords.
Aug 28, 2013•16 min•Ep. 50
Simple experiences, like borrowing a ladder from a neighbor or just taking a long solitary hike, are being altered by tech.
Aug 21, 2013•18 min•Ep. 49
Experiments in the life sciences, taxi technology and bike sharing are helping regular people do DIY scientific research and transform the way they get around.
Aug 14, 2013•15 min•Ep. 48
Biographers have relied on handwritten letters for centuries, but more and more, they're using emails, texts and online chats to tell the story of a person's life.
Aug 07, 2013•16 min•Ep. 47
In the smart home of the future, your milk jug will tell you when your milk has gone sour, your plants will text you when they need watering and with solar panels on your roof, you may not even need to be connected to the power grid.
Jul 31, 2013•21 min•Ep. 46
Some e-retailers are shifting their strategies and deciding to open brick-and-mortar stores, hoping to lure customers who might not be comfortable purchasing a pair of shorts or eyeglasses without first trying them on.
Jul 24, 2013•8 min•Ep. 45
New York City is a leading center for neuroscience research, so you'd think it would stand to benefit from President Obama's new $100 million initiative to map the human brain . Well, not so fast.
Jul 17, 2013•17 min•Ep. 44
