Meta’s Submarine Cable Megaproject Meta’s Project Waterworth isn’t just another undersea cable - it’s an 18,000 mile behemoth set to link continents, with India’s data centres as a key hub. Doctoral researcher Anniki Mikelsaar from the Oxford Internet Institute breaks down its geopolitical stakes: Will it dodge regulatory battles? The project also raises questions about regulation and security. Who controls these underwater data highways? As demand for low-latency connections grows, Meta’s inves...
Jul 08, 2025•35 min
The rising energy cost of AI & how tech impacts sustainability The growing demand for AI comes with a staggering energy price tag. Research by Alex de Vries reveals that AI could consume nearly half of global data centre power by the end of 2025, surpassing even cryptocurrency mining. As models like DeepSeek AI advance, so does their electricity consumption, raising urgent questions about sustainability. How can tech companies balance innovation with environmental responsibility? And could p...
Jul 01, 2025•31 min
Next-Gen Black Boxes: Saving lives with Real-time Data Traditional black boxes—Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR)—have critical flaws. CVRs often overwrite audio after just two hours, while FDRs require physical recovery, delaying crash investigations. Honeywell’s new HCR-25 solves these issues with a 25-hour CVR and live satellite data streaming, ensuring instant access to flight data even if the physical box is lost. This tech could have transformed probes like the A...
Jun 24, 2025•27 min
WhatsApp voice notes are revolutionizing English learning in Brazil Forget expensive apps - Storm Education is teaching English via WhatsApp voice notes, memes, and chats, targeting Brazil’s 95% non-English speaking population. Founder Marcos Almirante reveals how his startup scaled to 100,000+ students entirely within WhatsApp—and why traditional language apps should be worried. Cabo Verde’s offline EdTech breakthrough: Education without internet Angola-based Wongo just launched in Cabo Verde, ...
Jun 17, 2025•42 min
Wisdomia: Chat with Da Vinci & Ada Lovelace in 3D Imagine learning calculus from Ada Lovelace or art theory from Leonardo da Vinci—digitally resurrected in 3D AI avatars. That’s the vision behind Wisdomia, the first Web3.0 edutainment marketplace blending gamified learning with immersive history. Founder Dinis Guarda joins us to explain how users interact with AI versions of geniuses, explore 3D-rendered wonders like the Temple of Artemis, and earn rewards while learning. “This isn’t Wikiped...
Jun 10, 2025•34 min
Brazil’s UNESP transforms its IT infrastructure to compete globally Imagine a university shackled by slow, outdated tech - now picture it rivalling global giants in connectivity and innovation. That’s exactly what happened when São Paulo State University (UNESP) teamed up with Brazilian IT powerhouse RoostEdge to completely overhaul its IT infrastructure across 34 campuses in just 18 months; swapping clunky legacy systems for a lightning-fast, future-proof network that’s now the envy of universi...
Jun 03, 2025•33 min
Scaling Solar Access Across Brazil magine accessing affordable solar power with just a few clicks - no rooftop panels, no upfront costs, just clean energy delivered through smart, decentralized infrastructure. That’s the vision transforming communities across Brazil, where millions are still priced out of the energy transition. Leading this project is Pedro Somma, CEO of Luz Energia. He explains how the company is building a digital-first platform to democratize solar energy, offering energy-as-...
May 27, 2025•25 min
The Disturbing Reality of AI-Generated AbuseA new study reveals nearly 35,000 publicly downloadable AI models capable of generating deepfake pornography—often targeting women and celebrities. These "model variants" can be tweaked to create millions of non-consensual intimate images, fuelling a growing crisis in digital exploitation. Researchers identified 35,000 deepfake model variants in public repositories, with each model being used to generate countless AI-generated explicit images of real p...
May 20, 2025•35 min
In this episode of Somewhere on Earth, we dive into groundbreaking tech innovations with a purpose. Join us as we speak with Eduardo Peixoto, CEO of Brazil’s CESAR Innovation Hub, about cutting-edge projects like a smart lipstick prototype and a real-time sign language translator — game-changing tools designed to empower people with disabilities. We also explore inclusive tech initiatives shaping accessibility in Latin America. Plus, we meet Trela, an ambitious online grocery startup that's tran...
May 13, 2025•28 min•Ep. 84
#ownyourdata with Brittany Kaiser Whistle blower and data activist Brittany Kaiser, whose story is told in the Netflix documentary “The Great Hack”, joins Gareth and Ania on stage at Web Summit Rio. She talks about her latest initiative that will allow Brazilians to get paid for sharing their data. RoostEdge – new SOEP sponsor CEO of RoostEdge Eliezer Silveira Filho is on stage to tell us about how RoostEdge is connecting technologies and people, generating innovative, intelligent and high-impac...
May 06, 2025•35 min
From Algorithm to Action: How AI & Automation are Redefining Business In this episode, we dive into the booming technology scene in Brazil — now the 5th largest digital economy in the world. With over 260 million active mobile phones (more than there are people in Brazil!) and major investments in digital transformation, Brazil is rapidly becoming a global tech powerhouse. We’re joined by Alexandre Conceição, Strategic Business Executive Director, and Yan Sym, Data Science Manager, both from...
Apr 29, 2025•29 min•Ep. 81
Love, Lies & Digital Crime: The Global Web of Romance Scams In this episode, we uncover the dark side of the internet where romance scams flourish across major technology platforms—and the heartbreaking consequences they leave in their wake. Victims are deceived by online personas, only to find themselves emotionally betrayed and financially devastated. But the story doesn’t stop there. Freelance journalist Emily Fishbein takes us deep into the criminal underworld operating in post-coup Myan...
Apr 22, 2025•37 min
Lifestyle and mental health - Nigerian startups empowering choice through tech Buying electronic toys that speak your language or even a doll that looks like the proud owner is easy – that is if you’re white and speak English. It’s much harder to buy other ‘lifestyle’ products, for example, a child’s plate with Arabic writing on it, or a doll wearing a hiyab. Oyindamola Kazeem, realized this when she herself had children so she set up Hadiyang – the "one stop digital hub for Islamic products" in...
Apr 15, 2025•34 min
Kenya has a blood deficit and it’s especially urgent in places like the northwestern region of Turkana, where malaria, anaemia and violence are rife, driving up the demand for blood transfusions. The Ministry of Health is now planning to roll out technology to modernise blood transfusion services, extending the shelf life of blood and being able to automate the entire process. The most detailed computer model of the brain ever built The most detailed computer simulation of the human brain to dat...
Apr 08, 2025•31 min
This week we have an AI-free show – instead we’re going to tell you about the latest tech in food packaging. Metalchemy is a startup that has created a biodegradable material designed to enhance the freshness of your food. Although this may not seem particularly groundbreaking, it is important to note that the material in question is at the cutting edge of nanotechnology. This represents advanced chemical engineering, using silver nanoparticles to preserve food freshness.Metalchemy was the winni...
Apr 01, 2025•37 min
Restoring US Government websites since Trump came to power Since January 20th this year there has been a significant reduction of content on US government websites, following directives from the Trump administration to eliminate extensive data and resources, particularly those related to health equity, equity, diversity, and inclusion, or any other topics the administration considers excessively "woke." In response, groups of volunteers have come together to archive these websites before they be...
Mar 25, 2025•36 min
Agritech in Uzbekistan: helping small-scale farmers recover from communist farming methods Uzbekistan is tackling the many problems it faces in farming and agriculture with the help of technology. During its time as part of the Soviet Union, the country was forced to grow cotton which led to major environmental problems. The country has 5.5 million smallholders, many of whom are women. A new digital platform called Growz is creating tech solutions for smarter and more sustainable farming as well...
Mar 18, 2025•33 min
Myanmar tops the charts for the most internet shutdowns in 2024 India stands as a global leader in various sectors - technology, innovation, space exploration, and education in science and engineering. However, it has also consistently ranked first in internet shutdowns for six consecutive years. From 2016 to 2023, there were a total of 771 recorded incidents. According to the Freedom Law Centre India, a digital rights organization, the criteria for implementing these shutdowns are often lacking...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min
The first African-born Arab woman to go into Space Sara Sabry, is an engineer, citizen astronaut, and entrepreneur of Egyptian-Lebanese descent. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Egyptian to journey into space during the Blue Origin NS-22 mission, as well as the first woman of African descent and Arab heritage to achieve this milestone. Additionally, she is the founder and CEO of the Deep Space Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing space exploration. In 2021,...
Mar 04, 2025•35 min
Are teachers keeping up with their pupils when it comes to AI in the classroom? A recent survey in the United States showed that more than 70% of students report using AI for their school assignments, even in the face of institutional restrictions on tools like ChatGPT. This finding comes from a study conducted by The Harker School, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The data shows that pupils are engaging with these LLMs more often than adults, suggesti...
Feb 25, 2025•33 min•Ep. 73
AI can now sell your intentions – marketing your decisions before you make them Machine learning is on the verge of commercialising your decisions even before you make them. New research shows that we are moving away from an attention economy to an intention economy as machine learning models, which can already imitate the way we write or talk, can now map previous activity onto future actions. Writing in the Harvard Data Science Review, Dr Yaqub Chaudhary, visiting scholar at the Leverhulme Cen...
Feb 18, 2025•36 min•Ep. 72
Is Arabic another language that goes unchecked online? A few weeks ago we reported on the almost impossible task of monitoring Kiswahili content online. This situation exposes millions of people to harmful and abusive content while the major social media companies continue to profit. In another report by the Centre for Democracy and Technology, similar conclusions have been drawn about Maghrebi Arabic – a language spoken by about 100 million people across western and central North Africa. Just l...
Feb 11, 2025•39 min
Is AI going to replace your job? Is artificial intelligence a threat to your employment? If your profession involves machine learning or chatbot development, the outlook appears promising but for translators and some writing roles it’s not. Those are the findings of a study recently published in the Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organisation. Researchers analysed over three million job postings from a global freelancing platform since 2019. They identified which skills are being replaced, co...
Feb 04, 2025•39 min•Ep. 70
Podextra - how you can get a bit more of Somewhere on Earth... Just a gentle reminder that we produce two versions of each show of Somewhere on Earth. There's the main show, which is available to everyone for free and there's an extended PODEXTRA edition where we delve a little deeper and chat longer to our guests - there are also no ads in this one. That's just $10US a month and you can cancel anytime - there's no tie in period. We welcome your support of any size, any time as without it we sim...
Jan 31, 2025•4 min
Robobees – could they help solve world hunger? A drone approximately the size of a thumb and weighing less than one gram is currently under development by a team at MIT. This team is focused on creating robotic insects that could serve various purposes, including functioning as pollinators in vertical farms—environments where crops are cultivated within tall structures designed for optimal growth conditions. The engineering challenge of designing such a tiny flying robot is huge. One major obsta...
Jan 28, 2025•26 min
Can Kiswahili online content be moderated? It appears that 2025 will see a significant shift in content moderation practices, as Meta plans to eliminate independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram. This change may suggest a decline in standards, particularly in regions that have historically experienced limited online moderation. In many parts of Africa, small content teams have been tasked with overseeing entire countries or regions. Interestingly, while there are numerous content moder...
Jan 21, 2025•35 min•Ep. 68
Capturing shooting stars with your doorbell cam We’ve had the first meteor shower of 2025 – you may have missed it but your doorbell cam may have recorded it. The Quadrantids shower has captivated both amateur and professional astronomers, some of whom are now working together to find the meteors once they land on the Earth’s surface. When this occurs, there is a strong likelihood that the aptly named UK Fireball Alliance will identify them. This alliance consolidates images and videos from vari...
Jan 14, 2025•34 min•Ep. 67
How to keep your data safe when protesting The government of Georgia is set to deport 25 foreign nationals who were involved in protests that occurred late last year. This information has been reported by several news outlets referencing the Interior Ministry of Georgia. The demonstrations arose in response to the parliamentary elections held in the country. Considering the protests and the subsequent actions taken by the authorities, the digital rights organisation Access Now has issued a serie...
Jan 07, 2025•37 min•Ep. 66
Your favourite SOEP shows from 2024 Thank you for all your suggestions and comments; we have selected the most popular choices and put them together in our final show of 2024. From our special programme with Jimmy Wales, to the reliability of French language chatbots, we look at what you thought were our best bits of the year. The PodExtra - The Creator Economy This week we have a completely new episode for our paid for subscribers. Angelica Mari hosted a Podcast Live at Web Summit in Lisbon whe...
Jan 01, 2025•36 min•Ep. 65
Biometrics – do we have a choice in who has this data and how they use it? This week we dive deep into the world of biometrics, with a particular focus on facial recognition technology. What is the current state of facial recognition, and why are legal experts and privacy advocates so concerned? Additionally, we’ll explore the realm of health data; is there a necessary compromise between collecting our biometric information for improved health outcomes and safeguarding our privacy? Or can we fin...
Dec 25, 2024•31 min•Ep. 64
