Digital Dash by Afdtechtalk

Latest Episodes:

S2E8: “Tech highlights & announcements in 2019” Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

All too soon, the year has come to an end, and depending on your understanding (or lack thereof) of the Gregorian calendar, so has the decade. On today’s episode, our resident tech nerds recap the exciting technology announcements in 2019 - everything from 5G being announced during CES 2019 in January through to the Apple Special Event in March; HIV being cured in July and PS5 official renders being released in December. Let’s not forget about E3 2019, Project Scarlet, Libra, Facebook’s $5bn fine, Yango operations in Ghana, and, erm, you know what, just listen to the podcast.

S2:E7 “Streaming Technology is changing the Music Industry” Dec 22, 2019

Show notes

In 2018, music streaming overtook physical and digital music sales for the first time in history, accounting for 38% of all recorded music revenue. Subscription-based music streaming has, to a significant extent, saved music sales which experienced a revenue slump of 40% between 1999 and 2014.

Music streaming has influenced the way music is produced and consumed to different extents and along different regional contexts. We have seen the quick rise and exportation of artists like Teni, Odunsi, Madjozi, and dozens of other African music artists thanks to the ubiquity offered by these streaming services and their algorithms.

In the local context of equitability, Nigerian music has dominated the sub-Saharan African and Ghanaian Music charts and concerts in recent years, for different debatable reasons. Perhaps a few lessons could be learnt from the Nigerian music industry’s playbook to harness streaming technology just as successfully, even if it means optimizing the way music is consumed, produced and marketed. On today's episode, we are joined in the studio by Benewaah Boateng, the Director of Harmattan Rain to discuss major topical issues with regards to streaming technology.

S2:E4 “Wasting time on YouTube? We're here to help!” Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

We've all been caught in YouTube's endless rabbit hole before. You probably opened the app to check out a review of the Apple Watch 5 (that you probably can't afford anyway) and two hours later, you're watching "Top 10 Alien Sightings Caught on Tape", with no idea how you ended up there. If you were expecting us to tell you how not to get caught in this loop and use your time more judiciously, sorry, we also lack the discipline and willpower to stop ourselves. We spend a combined 20 hours a week on YouTube. Hashtag Unashamed. On today's episode, Kwamina Arthur & Selorm Dornyoh discuss some of their favorite YouTube channels, spanning various fields such as tech, science, movie reviews, travel, cuisine, oddities and more! Well, if you are going to spend a lot of time and data on YouTube, at least it should be fun and add some value to your life, right?

S2:E3 “You don't need a new smartphone every year” Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

Year after year, smartphone manufacturers launch new smartphones that are "better, faster and with much more new features". And even though our phones work just fine, we are stuck in this loop where we feel the need to upgrade because "the new iPhone is 10 grams lighter than the previous".

What do we really use our phones for apart from social media, capturing memories and staying in touch? What exactly do we expect our mobile phones, tablets and laptops to do for us? What exactly are we looking for, and will we ever get them? What could we be doing with our devices that we aren't? Is there a way we should think about our devices and what they do for us?

Join Kwamina Arthur, Victor Bannerman Chedid, Selorm Dornyoh & Nii Akwei Acquaye as they try to answer these questions and more.

S2:E2: “11.11, Black Friday, Panic Saturday & Cyber Monday” Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Today, November 11 is Singles Day - 11.11, a shopping holiday that originated in China but has become global due to the influence of the internet and online shopping. Black Friday, an American shopping holiday, is on November 29. But Black Friday has already started even in Ghana.

On today's episode, we discuss the history and origin of Black Friday, Panic Saturday & Cyber Monday; behavioral economics; Black Friday deals in Ghana and beyond; freight forwarding services you can use to ship items you may buy for less in the United States to Ghana; gift ideas and best practices as you spend your last money to buy items you may probably not need.

Panelists: Kwamina Arthur & Selorm Dornyoh

Ghana-based Consumer Goods Commerce Retail Platforms discussed:

Jumia
SuperPrice
Zoobashop
Telefonika
Reapp
Melcom
CompuGhana
Get4Less
Audiophile World

Others from around the World:

Amazon
Walmart
Bestbuy
Costco
Aliexpress
GearBest

Freight Forwarding Services:

fishisfast
Viabox
MyUS

S2:E1 “File Heist!” Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

It's finally here! Season 2 of your favorite tech podcast! Thank you for sticking with us even though the metronome's sound was deafening. This season is going to fun-packed and more interactive.

We kick off Season 2 with Selorm's personal experience with ransomware. Yeah, you might have heard of viruses, trojans, malwares, etc. and wondering what animal this is - well, I won't tell you here because you'd have no motivation to listen. But I can assure you it is very real and prevalent and you need to take precautionary measures to protect your files and document from this nasty animal. In 2017 alone, cybercriminals netted over $1 billion from unsuspecting victims through ransomware!

So just as we do it Afdtechtalk style, plug in your headphones, sit back, homey relax, in fact grab a six-pack kick back while we kick facts. Enjoy the show and don't forget to follow us and tweet at us! Be sure to share as well.

S0:E4 “Streaming Wars: Disney+ Vs Netflix” Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

Disney+ is an upcoming subscription video on-demand service owned by The Walt Disney Company. Disney owns a lot of big name franchises including Marvel and National Geographic, and makes an average of $1.2bn per movie in the box office. Oh, and let's not forget they also own 60% of the second biggest streaming service in USA, Hulu.

There have also been reports that Disney plans to make certain very popular series currently available on Netflix exclusives on Disney+ AND their subscription service will cost 50% less than Netflix.

Will their entry into the streaming industry pose a significant threat to Netflix? Let's join Kwamina and Edudzi in the studio as they try to predict the future of streaming.

S0:E3 “Yango Unchained in the ride-sharing ecosystem” Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

"Still hitching rides on the street? Download the ..." Oh God make it stop. Even Satan is tired of how pervasive Yango adverts have become on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Seriously, how much are they spending on social media marketing? But can you blame the Yandex-owned ride-hailing platform for their pandemic adverts in the Ghanaian interwebs? After all they are competing with Uber and Bolt, big players that have operated here for more than 18 months. On this episode, our panelists discuss the introduction and growth of ride-hailing platforms and how they are shaping up and influencing commuting especially in the big cities in Ghana. Enjoy!

S1:E14 “Paying it forward - Where are the $100m+ exits in Africa?” Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

We have a simple question: Where are the multi-million dollar startup exits in Africa? Okay, that leads us to other questions - is it that the ideas that spring up here are not good enough? Or not scalable enough? Is it the environment? Is it not enabling? We could go on and on in the episode description, but let's stop here and join Edem Kumodzi, Andy Akoto and Kwamina Arthur as they discuss the tech startup scene in Ghana and Africa at large and what could be stifling its growth as well as other exciting opportunities.

S1:E13 “In Zuck We (probably shouldn't) Trust” Jun 26, 2019

Show notes

In Zuck We Trust, right? Facebook, on the quest for world domination recently announced plans to create a digital currency called Libra under the non-profit Libra Association together with 27 other companies. Libra wants to create a simple but global infrastructure that empowers billions of people around the world. We know you have a lot of questions regarding this so because of our love for you, we got Edem Kumodzi, a senior software engineer and Consultant and Andrews Akoto, a senior trader to demystify everything surrounding this announcement. What are experts without projections and forecasts, right? Exactly. So they make some forecasts too. Plug in your earphones and enjoy!

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