Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson
117 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 489 ratingsWe tell the unexpected stories of digital disruption. Listen in as Walter Isaacson, digital revolution expert, explores the unknown drama behind some of the world’s biggest digital disruptions, the daring trailblazers willing to think differently, and the lessons learned along the way. Brought to you by Dell Technologies.
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Episodes
Encore - Toys: Toy To The World
December 13, 2023 08:05 - 31 minutes - 29 MBThe toy industry has a long history, but only really became a technology-heavy omnipresence since the 1970s. In this episode, see how toy manufacturers have adapted digital – or not – to win the battle for children’s attention.
Encore - Home Cooking: Technology Worth Savoring
November 15, 2023 08:05 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBWalter Isaacson asks: how did we go from inventing fire to the Instant Pot? How much different is cooking from its genesis tens of thousands of years ago? And just what does a microwave have to do with weaponry?
Encore - Wellness: Knowing Yourself
October 04, 2023 07:05 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBWhat do we mean when we talk about wellness, and why do people want it so badly? In this episode, we dive deep into this sometimes-nebulous field, talking to practitioners who spend their time helping people become well.
Encore - Education: Head of the Class
September 06, 2023 07:05 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBFrom the blackboard to bots, technology has made inroads into classrooms all over the world. Where will the next innovation in education come from? We take you to the head of the class in this episode.
Encore - Ice Cream: Innovation on Ice
August 16, 2023 07:05 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBThroughout 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, enterpr...
Encore - Meat: Break a 2.5 Million Year Old Habit
July 19, 2023 07:05 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBThe human obsession with meat has never wavered from prehistoric times until now. However, this food once reserved for the rich and powerful has led to global problems of an unprecedented scope and has exacerbated climate change in a way that few other industries have. Finding a way to break our reliance on animal-based meat is one of the top challenges of the day, and Trailblazers is taking a deep look into some of the leading candidates for our next protein of choice.
Encore - Golf: Tee Time
June 07, 2023 07:05 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBThis episode originally aired on March 20, 2018. Whether you see golf as an intense, white-knuckle competition, or a leisurely stroll around a course, the game has endured and the magic of the sport keeps growing. In this episode, we’ll take a look at how innovations have made golf bigger, better and more accessible than ever before. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers
Encore - Parenting: It Takes a Village
May 10, 2023 07:05 - 31 minutes - 29 MBThis 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 t...
Visual Effects: Making Magic on the Silver Screen
April 05, 2023 07:05 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBThe 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...
Prediction: Seeing the Future
March 22, 2023 07:05 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBIn 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 bu...
Board Games: A Winning Strategy
March 08, 2023 08:05 - 32 minutes - 30.6 MBSince 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 follow...
Memory: The Science of How We Remember
February 22, 2023 08:05 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBIn 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 exci...
Birth: Giving Life to Innovation
December 14, 2022 08:05 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBIn 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 ch...
Social Media: Keeping Up with Communities
November 30, 2022 08:05 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBSince 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 ...
Ice Cream: Innovation on Ice
November 16, 2022 08:05 - 31 minutes - 29.9 MBThroughout 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, enterp...
Nutrition: A Recipe for Good Health
November 02, 2022 07:05 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBIn 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 m...
Dentistry: An Oral History of Disruption
August 17, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MBAshes, 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 pre...
Tattoos: Innovation In Ink
August 03, 2022 07:05 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBThough evidence of tattooing exists worldwide in the remains of many Indigenous cultures, it was only in about the 18th century when sailors brought tattoos to Europe. The practice spread as sailors who learned to tattoo on ships began to open storefronts on land. Now, tattoos have sailed into the mainstream thanks to the efforts of many. Tattooists aren’t just visionary artists, they’re innovators who seized opportunities to further their craft through technology, advanced sanitation pract...
Tattoos: Innovation in Ink
August 03, 2022 07:05 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBThough evidence of tattooing exists worldwide in the remains of many Indigenous cultures, it was only in about the 18th century when sailors brought tattoos to Europe. The practice spread as sailors who learned to tattoo on ships began to open storefronts on land. Now, tattoos have sailed into the mainstream thanks to the efforts of many. Tattooists aren’t just visionary artists, they’re innovators who seized opportunities to further their craft through technology, advanced sanitation pract...
Sports Officiating: Changing The Game
July 20, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 13.5 MBVideo replay, tracking technology and new software in sports have the power to make calls quickly, eliminate arguments between players and officials and add speed and excitement back into centuries-old games. As officiating technology continues to evolve, professional leagues and officials weigh the potential for improvement and accuracy with the spirit of the game. Is this a competition between humans and tech—or are they on the same team? Listen to find out. Featuring Tom Webb, Howard W...
Festivals: Amped Up Experiences
July 06, 2022 07:05 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MBOver four days in 1969, more than half a million people gathered on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York for what would become known as one of the most legendary music festivals of all time—Woodstock. Though festivals had been celebrated since antiquity, Woodstock helped cement the music festival as an important part of North American culture and a thriving industry. Hear how new ideas, technology and design have transformed festivals into the immersive experiences they are today while providi...
Retirement: A New Way of Living
May 04, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBUntil the middle of the 20th century, most American workers didn’t have the opportunity to plan for a long and fruitful retirement. But as life expectancy increased, government and employer policies changed and retirement communities developed, retirement at age 65 became another ritual of American life. Now as Americans live even longer, healthier lives, senior citizens are revolutionizing this facet of modern existence. Some choose to work into their 70s while others pursue new activities...
Emergency Response: The Science of How We Deal with Disasters
April 20, 2022 07:05 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBSince ancient times, humans have balanced the risks of settling in hazardous places with the benefits of the resources and opportunities they provide. Though we’ve created thriving communities all over the world, we’re still threatened by floods, fires, earthquakes and more. Thanks to climate change, these risks are expected to increase over time. Over the centuries, many individuals and organizations responded to disaster with innovation. They changed how we build our cities, how we equip...
Running: Making Strides
April 06, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 13.8 MBMany believe humans were born to run. It’s our evolutionary advantage over other mammals. But were we really meant to run over 25 miles in a single race? Though the modern marathon got its start in 1896, almost a century passed before long distance running really took off in the mainstream. It took athletes willing to push their bodies to the limit, defy the conventions of the day and standardize racecourses to help running reach its stride. Now with over a million people running marathons...
Weddings: To Have and to Hold
March 23, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MBThe first recorded evidence of weddings comes from ancient Mesopotamia around 2350 B.C. In those days, marriage was a strategic, political alliance that expanded a tribe’s circle of trust and resources. Later, marriages became so economically important that they needed to be recognized publicly—often by throwing a huge party. As the middle class grew and ideas around marriage changed, so too did wedding customs. Famous royals from Queen Victoria to Princess Diana influenced wedding fashio...
City Planning: Design for Daily Life
December 15, 2021 08:05 - 30 minutes - 28.9 MBThe world’s first cities sprung up around 6,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. Since then, many men and women have influenced their planning and design. William Penn believed a grid of wide streets with intersecting right angles would help prevent overcrowding, fire and disease. Norman Bel Geddes and Robert Moses imagined and planned cities shaped by cars. Jane Jacobs championed walkable, community-centered cities. Now, countries like India are planning to build hundreds of smart cities w...
Coffee: Brewing Innovation
December 01, 2021 08:05 - 30 minutes - 13.9 MBFor centuries, people have relied on coffee to fuel innovative ideas, revolutionary movements, and everyday morning routines. But how did we go from foraging coffee cherries in ancient Ethiopian forests to standing in line at a hipster café ordering a triple venti, half sweet, non-fat, no foam caramel latte? And is the next big disruption to this $100-billion industry a molecularly reconstructed bean-less brew? Get an inside look at your cup of joe on a new episode of Trailblazers. Featur...
Subscriptions: Everything-as-a-Service
November 17, 2021 08:05 - 28 minutes - 13.3 MBIf you spend your day listening to music on Spotify while you work and then go home and relax with a movie on Netflix while perusing what meal kit you'll order for dinner tomorrow, then, whether you know it or not, you're participating in the subscription economy. What many newspaper and magazine publishers have struggled with for centuries is now a successful and growing business model for companies in diverse industries. But how did this model expand from print and software to food and hea...
Pets: Our Closest Companions
November 03, 2021 07:05 - 29 minutes - 13.5 MBHumanity's connection with pets goes back thousands of years. In fact, evidence indicates we've been keeping dogs for at least 14,000 years. Today, more than two-thirds of American households own a pet. We love our fluffy companions and the technology we've developed to adopt, relocate, resurrect and communicate with them is proof that the value of their companionship is immeasurable. Featuring Katherine Grier, Elizabeth Holmes, John Polimeno, Blake Russell and Con Slobodchikoff. For more ...
The Electrical Grid: Keeping the Lights On
August 25, 2021 07:05 - 31 minutes - 14.4 MBThe electrical grid is the most important innovation of the 20th century. What started out as a series of micro grids powering small areas eventually grew into what is now widely considered the world's biggest machine. But this machine needs a tune-up. Our energy demands are on the rise and severe weather events caused by climate change are becoming more frequent. Luckily, renewable energy and modern smart technology are helping us reimagine the grid so we can keep the lights on. Hear fr...
Parenting: It Takes a Village
August 11, 2021 07:05 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MBYou’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...
Snacks: Delight in Every Bite
July 28, 2021 07:05 - 28 minutes - 13.5 MBTake a look in your pantry. Chances are, there are at least a few different snacks in there right now. Sweet, savory, salty, we all love them all. From the invention of the potato chip bag to high-tech machine-learning algorithms that predict the flavors of the future, snacking and science are deeply intertwined. We talk to experts to find out why we love snacks and what we can expect from the snack foods of tomorrow. Featuring Nadia Berenstein, Howard Moskowitz, Daniel Lubetzky, Heather Da...
Vaccines: An Injection of Hope
July 14, 2021 07:05 - 33 minutes - 15.4 MBVaccines are headline news all over the world these days. The rapid development of several COVID-19 vaccines during the last year has save countless lives. From smallpox and polio to ebola and HPV, scientists have done amazing things to prevent the spread of lethal viruses. But recent advancements in vaccine technology might just change the way we fight disease forever. Hear from some of these researchers, doctors and scientists like Michael Kinch, David Oshinsky, Stanley Plotkin, Ian Fraze...
Eyesight: Vision's Visionaries
May 12, 2021 07:05 - 29 minutes - 13.7 MBVision problems have always affected humanity, but until the invention of eyeglasses, there wasn't much that could be done. Now, with lasers, retinal implants, AR, gene therapy and more, we may have the technology it takes to permanently solve many vision problems. Featuring innovators like Mike Marmor, Lisa Nijm, Mark Humayun, Drew Perkins and Jean Bennett. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers
Poverty: Economic Advancement in the Developing World
April 28, 2021 04:05 - 29 minutes - 13.8 MBPoverty is a challenge facing over one billion people across the globe so, as far as challenges go, this is a big one. So big, it will take a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional set of solutions involving banking, food production, internet access and more. All across the developing world, inspired trailblazers are finding innovative ways to use technology new and old to help lift people out of poverty. Featuring solution builders like William Kamkwamba, Angus Deaton, Ram Kiran Dhulipala, Ken ...
Reviews: Empowering the Consumer
April 14, 2021 07:05 - 32 minutes - 15.2 MBBefore the internet, we largely depended on professional reviewers to tell us what movies to see and products to buy. But consumer review sites and social media changed that. Now we seek out the opinions of other customers. It's almost impossible to buy anything today without seeing thousands of ratings and reviews. But fake reviews are muddying the water. How do we know whose opinion to trust? In this episode, we trace the evolution of the modern review. Featuring Kim Kleeman, Liza Fe...
Sports Medicine: Pushing Ourselves to the Limit
March 31, 2021 07:05 - 31 minutes - 14.6 MBAs long as there have been sports, there have been sports injuries. Sports medicine is relatively new, but the high stakes nature of athletics and the profitability of professional leagues are catalyzing technological innovation in the field. Meet the doctors, scientists, educators and innovators helping predict, prevent and repair injuries so athletes can push themselves to new limits. Featuring experts such as Jack Berryman, Rob Neyer, James Noble, Marcus Elliott and Andy Etches. For mo...
Dan Rather Talks CRISPR with Walter Isaacson
March 17, 2021 07:05 - 26 minutes - 12.4 MBCRISPR gene-editing technology has been all over the news lately, and not just because of its application in coronavirus detection and vaccine development. Walter Isaacson's new book, The Code Breaker, tells the story of CRISPR and Nobel Prize winning scientist Jennifer Doudna who helped developed this revolutionary new technology. In this special episode of Trailblazers, world-famous journalist Dan Rather interviews Walter about the past, present and future of CRISPR and its potential t...
Recycling: Turning Trash into Treasure
March 03, 2021 08:05 - 29 minutes - 13.5 MBRecycling used to just be called "scrap metal salvage" and it was thought of as an unsavory practice. That all changed as recently as the 1970s, when it became the curb side amenity it is today and part of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Now, the question isn't can we recycle, but can we recycle everything? Innovators in the field are trying to find out. Find out more about these innovators like Carl Zimring, Tom Szaky, Martin Bourque, Jim Puckett, Peter Christensen and Veena Sahajwalla o...
Cryptography: The Key to Sending Secret Messages
February 17, 2021 08:05 - 28 minutes - 13.5 MBFrom highly sensitive material to an emoji-filled text messages, we expect all of our communications to be private in this day and age. That wouldn't be possible without codes, ciphers and cryptography. Over the years, cryptography has gone from simple letter-shifting to deep, uncrackable protections that can't be broken by the most sophisticated codebreakers. It's been necessary, to keep unwanted eyes out, but it has taken some real innovation to make it happen. Encryption has been impro...
Happy Holidays from Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson
December 23, 2020 17:52 - 1 minute - 1.13 MBHappy Holidays from Walter Isaacson! We'll be back in 2021 with more great stories. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers
Genomics: Rewriting Our Health
December 16, 2020 08:05 - 29 minutes - 13.8 MBRecombinant DNA. The double helix. Mapping the human genome. You know these are all related to our genes, but you might now know how, or what connects them. In this episode of Trailblazers, we answer those questions while exploring the world of genomics. Gain a deeper understanding of our genetic code and how that knowledge is changing how we think about our health with experts like Hallam Stevens, Glenn Cohen, Rick Myers, Eric Green, Amit Khera and Jennifer Doudna. For more on the pod...
Beauty: More Than Skin Deep
December 02, 2020 08:05 - 29 minutes - 13.7 MBBeauty might only be skin deep, but the rivalry that helped create the industry is much deeper. And today's cosmetics trailblazers are helping reach new depths when it comes to the techniques and technology they're developing, all in the name of beauty care. In this episode, you'll hear from industry innovators and thought leaders like Lindy Woodhead, Gabriela Hernandez, Linda Johnson-Rice, Lauren Luke, Anne Wetter and Parham Aarabi. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trai...
eSports: More Than Just a Game
November 18, 2020 08:05 - 29 minutes - 13.5 MBWith legacy sports leagues drastically modified or on hiatus, something had to step up to take their place. For many, that is eSports. eSports might seem incredibly new but the industry is more storied than you might think and it's already racking up big revenues. This year alone, it's brought in over $1 billion. So what is fuelling this increased interest in competitive gaming? Hear from current and former eSports competitors like Jonathan "Fatality" Wendel, Stephanie "missharvey" Harve...
Ocean Exploration: Into the Deep
November 04, 2020 08:05 - 29 minutes - 13.7 MBFor most of human history, what goes on under the surface of the ocean has been a complete mystery. A fascinating one, but a mystery nonetheless. In fact, only 20% of the ocean's depths have been explored. But we're developing the technology to finally uncover what lies beneath thanks to innovators like Jacques Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, Mark Dalio and Ron Allum. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers
Scams: The Oldest Tricks in the Book
October 21, 2020 07:05 - 27 minutes - 12.7 MBScams and cons have been around since the dawn of currency. Wherever there is money, there is likely someone trying to get it through illicit means. Technology, with its corresponding oversharing of personal information, has only made this more prevalent in the recent past. Hear expert insights about the history of scams and how they've evolved from Maria Konnikova, Frank Abagnale, Karl Rock, Joshua Browder and Ken Gamble. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblazers
Offices: The Evolving Workplace
October 07, 2020 07:05 - 29 minutes - 14.1 MBOffice design was originally focused on getting the most productivity out of every worker, but as ideas like creativity and employee satisfaction began to gain prominence, changes needed to be made. And then the 2020 pandemic came along and changed everything. On this episode, you'll hear from Nikil Saval, Ryan Mullinex, Kate Lister, Ben Waber and Tanuj Mohan. These trailblazers are helping create and study the modern workplace. For more on the podcast go to delltechnologies.com/trailblaze...
Podcasts: A Storytelling Breakthrough
August 26, 2020 07:05 - 28 minutes - 13.1 MBPodcasts are everywhere right now and this new mode of storytelling is only getting more popular. In fact, 73 million Americans now listen to podcasts regularly. How did this happen over such a remarkably short period of time? And, more importantly, what comes next? On this episode of Trailblazers, you'll hear from the people who have shaped the past, present and future of podcasting including Derek Vaillant, Dave Winer, Julie Shapiro, Ben Calhoun, Marshall Williams and Jacob Weisberg. Fo...
Water: A Thirst for Innovation
August 12, 2020 07:05 - 30 minutes - 14 MBThe planet is covered in water, but only three percent is drinkable. One of the biggest challenges facing all of us is finding an affordable way to move, treat and manage the world's water supply. It's not like a solution to the world's water shortage will just appear out of thin air. Or will it? On this episode of Trailblazers, you'll hear from experts working to solve the global water problems, including Seth Siegel, Takashi Kato, Peter Janicki and Zach Fenster. For more on the podca...
Archeology: Unearthing the Past
July 29, 2020 07:05 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBOur history as human beings is buried far beneath the ground, and it's going to take more than picks and shovels to unearth it. That's why modern archaeologists have been enlisting the help of technology like satellites, deep learning and AI. With all these tools at hand, a more complete story about our ancestors begins to emerge. On this episode of Trailblazers, you'll hear from archaeology experts, including Sarah Parcak and Damian Evans, pioneers using satellites and laser scanning in a...