The Digital Jamaica Podcast

The Digital Jamaica Podcast

A podcast dedicated to amplifying Jamaican voices in digital and tech spaces. read less
TechnologyTechnology

Episodes

SO3EP1 : Web 3 Origins - Harnessing Blockchain Technology to Advance the Future of Work & Business with David Palmer Blockchain Lead for IoT, Vodafone Business
Jun 10 2022
SO3EP1 : Web 3 Origins - Harnessing Blockchain Technology to Advance the Future of Work & Business with David Palmer Blockchain Lead for IoT, Vodafone Business
On this episode of the Digital Jamaica Podcast I had an illuminating conversation with David Palmer, Blockchain Lead for IoT at Vodafone Business a British based multinational telecommunications company. David and I connected on LinkedIn because of our shared interest in preparing young Jamaicans for the Future of Work. David firmly believes that there are a lot of opportunities in the web 3 space that can bring social mobility, career opportunities and wider productivity to young Jamaicans. David wants to expand our imagination as to what the future of work can look like, it’s not just about being employable, but thinks that young people should not have to be dependent on fan employer but rather by harnessing the potential of web3 technologies like blockchain, NFTs and the emerging metaverse young professionals can create opportunities for themselves. Enterprising young people in Jamaica with innovative business ideas can collaborate globally by forming digital identities, virtual bank accounts and pooling wallets to create a virtual business and bank account which can be used for one or more business transactions. This is just one of the ways David feels web 3 technologies can be used for good. Support the Digital Jamaica Podcast for more stories like this … Download the episodes, subscribe, and leave a review. Follow Digital Jamaica on social media on Instagram, Twitte and LinkedIn. You can also catch us over on YouTube and visit the blog.
Dr. Camir Ricketts : How Early Exposure, Parental & Community Support Paved The Way To Success
May 23 2021
Dr. Camir Ricketts : How Early Exposure, Parental & Community Support Paved The Way To Success
Just this past Wednesday Dr. Camir Ricketts graduated from the Weill Cornell School of Medicine with a PhD in Computational Biology. It was a bittersweet occasion, on the one hand after almost 26 years of continuous formal education he is finally done, having successfully attained his goal. But, on the other hand neither his parents, teachers nor friends was there in person to see him walk across the stage. In fact there wasn't even a stage. Despite the gloomy circumstances the outpouring of love for him, excitement for his accomplishment and support for his future was still palpable even over the internet. Sure, this monumental achievement was all his doing but no doubt Camir's success is very much a community effort. It takes a village and for Camir his was an expansive community that included parents, teachers, friends and even on occasion strangers all of whom from a young age encouraged his curiosity and nurtured his ambitions. In many ways his success is also theirs and in other ways it's ours. Dr. Ricketts is a product of this Jamaican village and we all should celebrate him and be proud, but we should also be sad that not every Jamaican child had or have that foundation. Happily, Camir through his Minds Of Foundation is working to change that, providing opportunities to young people who may not have a community but will have his support. For more information about The Minds Of Initiative, visit https://themindsof.com/
Bias in TechCrunch Reporting on JamCovid? Data Privacy Attorney, Samantha Simms shares her concerns.
Mar 22 2021
Bias in TechCrunch Reporting on JamCovid? Data Privacy Attorney, Samantha Simms shares her concerns.
On today's show we're still talking about JamCovid except this time looking at how the story was reported and asking the question was there bias? At first the reporting was standard but some started to question the motivations of TechCrunch, specifically Zack Whittaker who seem to have taken a personal interest in exposing every flaw and in great details. Data Privacy, Tech & Intellectual Property Attorney Samantha Simms, was one person who openly questioned the reporting asking why, out of all the Covid data collection systems was this one compromised and reported on so aggressively? Samantha knows all too well how these scenarios play out since she is often the attorney that gets called in to manage the fall out of a data breach. And as you'll hear this is not at all how these things are usually reported. It's a very interesting conversation and one that made me question whether I was too quick to dismiss the suspicions. It's not as if Jamaica hasn't been the target of vicious reporting in the past and nobody I've spoken thinks the government handled it well but given the barrage maybe in retrospect their response wasn't so terrible??? Let's hear what Samantha has to say about it. Watch the full conversating on YouTube.  Find links to things mentioned during this episode on the blog and follow the show on our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, If you liked this episode please download, subscribe and leave a review.
The Jamcovid Scandal, repercussions & impact with Trevor Forrest
Mar 3 2021
The Jamcovid Scandal, repercussions & impact with Trevor Forrest
Major tech publication, TechCrunch recently (and in dramatic fashion) exposed several vulnerabilities in JamCovid, the Government of Jamaica's (GOJ's) Covid App. The story has caused an uncomfortable stir on the local tech scene not just because of the astounding negligence it has brought to light but because of the botched response from both the GOJ and the app developer Amber which has, in effect devolved the situation into an international scandal. What's worst is the glaring lack of subject matter experts among local media personnel who seem to be struggling to ask the right questions much less being able to adequately scrutinize the answers. Add to that mix the glaring dissimilarities between the information on the ground and what Tech Crunch (with receipts to boot) has been dishing on Twitter. Of course this has led to general confusion in the public space with the populace left to speculate about motives and fault.  IT'S A MESS!!! So, in an attempt at rational and informed discourse on the issue I have invited local cyber security Trevor Forrest to the table to piece together the timeline of what happened, who the players are, what the consequences may be and the lasting impact this shit storm will have on the local tech community and Jamaica. Find links to things mentioned during this episode on the blog and follow the show on our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, If you liked this episode please download, subscribe and leave a review.