About This Episode

We kick off Season 9 of StarTalk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson exploring the evolution of personal technology. Neil interviews tech vlogger and YouTube star Marques Brownlee, known for his tech review YouTube channel “MKBHD,” which has garnered over 5 million subscribers and over 700 million views. In studio, Neil is joined by comic co-host Chuck Nice, and Clive Thompson, tech journalist and author of Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better. You’ll learn how Marques got started vlogging in his early childhood, how he found out people cared about his videos, and what tech he’s excited to see in the future. Clive explains the differences between growing up in the tech world of the 80s and 90s compared to now, how the introduction of the iPhone set off the personal tech revolution, and if technology will ever level off as predicted by Moore’s law. Join us as we examine the impact that personal technology has on our daily lives, the privacy issues between big companies and their customers, and why Clive is not a fan of omnipresent facial recognition software. Neil and Marques also talk about internet identity: are your offline and online lives the same? Should they be different? We also debate whether employers should be allowed to check and monitor employees’ social media channels. All that, plus, Neil and company discuss the benefits and dangers of self-driving cars.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: The Evolution of Personal Technology, with Marques Brownlee.