Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson

Latest Episodes:

Encore - Parenting: It Takes a Village May 10, 2023

Show notes

This episode originally aired on August 11, 2021.
You’ve probably heard the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That's because for most of human history, when it came to child-care, people had the daily support of family, friends and neighbours.
Today, that's not the reality for many young parents. Not only that, parents are raising their kids in a much more technologically complex world. So the question becomes, with a smaller support network, how can parents use technology to help raise their children, without letting it get in the way.
Featuring Jennifer Traig, Alison Gopnik, Mike Rothman, Dr. Harvey Karp, Jill Gilkerson and Dana Porter.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Visual Effects: Making Magic on the Silver Screen Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

The 1902 film "A Trip to the Moon," is considered one of the earliest films to incorporate visual effects. Using double exposure stop motion animation, director George Méliès created the iconic image of a rocket skip flying directly into the Moon’s eye. This ingenious bit of visual trickery helped pave the way for the groundbreaking and award winning effects we seen in many of our favorite movies.

Today, CGI, motion capture technology and infrared cameras are pushing the boundaries of what's possible on the big screen. Hear how on this episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Craig Barron, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Eric Saindon and Pablo Helman.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Prediction: Seeing the Future Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

In the early twentieth century, Evangeline Adams was the most famous fortune teller in America. Kings, actors and even bankers came to her for predictions. Though Adams was an astrologer, she wasn’t the only one predicting the future at the time. Government agencies started making predictions about the weather. As the years went by, science fiction writers and scientists predicted space travel, wind farms, hormone replacement therapy and more.

Today, we’re trying to predict the future of buyer behavior, the Earth’s climate and health outcomes. But instead of relying on the stars, researchers use predictive models and deep learning algorithms. From the fate of our planet to what an individual will buy online to what crimes will occur next week, there’s almost no limit to the questions many are trying to answer using artificial intelligence. Hear what’s in the cards for predictions on this episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Jamie Pietruska, Bill Behrens, Eric Siegel, Aaron Andalman, Ben Reis and Ishanu Chattopadhyay.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Board Games: A Winning Strategy Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Since its release in 1935, Monopoly has been translated into 37 languages and is played in more than 103 countries around the globe. It’s arguably the world’s most famous board game. But this iconic pastime we now associate with cutthroat capitalism had a very different message when it was first conceived. In fact, it was only transformed into the version of Monopoly we know today because the rules were tweaked and customized as it passed from person to person in the first few decades following its conception.
Today, the same crowdsourced feedback that helped create Monopoly, has helped usher in a board game renaissance. Crowdfunding and digital game platforms have reinvigorated the industry and given enthusiasts a hand in developing the games they love. Learn how our digital hive mind is improving how we play on this episode of Trailblazers.
Featuring Philip Orbanes, Guido Teuber, Jonathan Ritter-Roderick, Marcin Swierkot and Davide Garofalo.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Memory: The Science of How We Remember Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

In 1933, a seven year old boy named Henry Molaison was knocked down by a passing bicycle. Shortly after, he started getting seizures. To fix the seizures, Henry underwent experimental brain surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure left him with amnesia from which he would never recover. Henry’s tragedy was a critical turning point for brain science and helped us discover the complex functions of learning and memory.
Today, there is still much that we don’t know about memory, but there is exciting research underway exploring how damaged memories can be repaired and even how painful memories might, one day, be erased. Learn about the science of memory and forgetting on this episode of Trailblazers.
Featuring Lisa Genova, Dan Schacter, Joshua Foer, James McGaugh, Daniela Schiller and Robert Hampson.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Birth: Giving Life to Innovation Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

In the Middle Ages, women in labor could ask for a special birthing stone to help reduce the pain. While this was likely ineffective, pain reduction techniques and the midwives who practiced them were often suspected of witchcraft. We’ve come a long way since then but when it comes to pregnancy and labor but, just as in the past, there are still many challenges for those giving birth.

Hear how advances in medicine and midwifery have improved the experience of labor and increased women's choice for how they give birth. And learn how companies use technology and collaboration to expand access to prenatal care to strengthen the relationship between doctors and midwives on this episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Tina Cassidy, Ina May Gaskin, Jenny Joy, Kypros Nicolaides, Ryan Kraudel and Ila Dayananda.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Social Media: Keeping Up with Communities Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Since the 1970s, people have been using digital tech to share information and connect with others. As times changed and more people gained access to computers and the internet, social networking technology changed too. Now, social networking has been replaced with social media and networks with large corporate platforms.

Despite the ubiquity of these platforms, some of their earliest employees are creating new decentralized, open-sourced networks in an effort to bring the humanity back to social media. As the big platforms face new challenges, the future of social media is still being written.

Featuring Kevin Driscoll, Andrew Weinreich, Evan Henshaw-Plath, David Kirkpatrick and Tristan Harris.

Ice Cream: Innovation on Ice Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

Throughout the world and throughout history, you can find evidence of cultures enjoying cold desserts—precursors to the ice cream we love today. The desire to keep food cold led to the creation of European wine slushies in 1558 and to the transportation of ice from New England to the Caribbean in 1806. Soon enough, advances in production, serving and shipping methods made ice cream popular and more readily available throughout the United States.

Through Prohibition, war and beyond, enterprising people continued to innovate with new flavors, mix-ins and ice cream making machines. Now, a new generation of entrepreneurs are helping ensure there’s an ice cream for everyone to enjoy. Get the scoop on this episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Jeri Quinzio, Judy Herrell, Ben Cohen, Ben Van Leeuwen and Ryan Pandya. 

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Nutrition: A Recipe for Good Health Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

In 1753 a Scottish doctor named James Lind published Treatise of the Scurvy where he named oranges and lemons as cures for the disease. However, it wasn’t until 1912 when researcher Casimir Funk published The Etiology of Deficiency Diseases, introducing the concept of illness as a result of something lacking in the body, a concept unknown during Lind’s initial study of scurvy.

Since then, major vitamins and their health effects were discovered and recommendations for vitamin intake were made. But as we learn more about how certain foods and nutrients interact with the body and even with the specific bacteria in our gut, we gain a greater understanding of nutrition and what it takes to be well. Gain insight into what’s on your plate and in your body on this episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Dariush Mozaffarian, Marion Nestle, T. Colin Campbell, Lee Chae and Tim Spector.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

Dentistry: An Oral History of Disruption Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

Ashes, burnt eggshells, stale toast and chalk. These are just some of the ingredients used to make toothpaste throughout the centuries. And though civilizations have always been concerned with oral hygiene, the methods they used to treat dental problems weren’t always so effective and were often very painful. With the introduction of dental schools in the United States in the 1840s and through the work of pioneering dentists, dentistry became a legitimate medical practice focused more on prevention and repair.

Now, researchers, engineers and business founders are developing new forms of dental treatments and new tools that will hopefully make quality dental care more accessible and affordable and even create truly regenerative and preventative solutions. Hear all about these innovations on this toothsome episode of Trailblazers.

Featuring Mary Otto, Adam Celiz, Swati Nehete, Max Lobovsky and Michel Koo.

For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers

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