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Unexpected Break

Hey big bytes and li’l bits.

As you are probably aware, we took an unexpected break after Episode 2 of this Season. Well, I finally at peace with saying why.

On December 9th, my mother-in-law was struck by a motorist as she crossed the street near her home in Memphis, TN. As you can imagine, this experience really rocked my extended family, especially considering that the assault was a hit-and-run.

As we were dealing with that, on January 27th, the day we were going to record episode 3, I got the unfortunate news that my father had passed away. It was unexpected, but he died peacefully.

I had felt so much guilt putting so much emphasis to tend to my mother-in-law and my wife’s family and not spending enough time with my father the last moments before his passing. I felt I hadn’t even made a hard enough attempt to talk to my father on his birthday, January 7th (I called and he didn’t answer).

Well, I’ve wrestled with my feelings long enough, and am ready to get back to the things I love, one of them being this podcast.

I appreciate you listeners who tune in and hope you all continue to stick with us. I have a whole host of fun topics for this season.

Remember, even when you aren’t listening to the podcast, learn something new every day.

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Updates from the Team

Hey little bits and big bytes!

I know, you are all chomping at the bit to know what’s going on with your favorite podcast. Well, it’s all behind-the-scenes stuff, but I’m gonna pull back the curtain so you all know that we are still dedicated to this endeavor.

The bad news is that our favorite co-host, “The Jenabler”, has had to take on extra work responsibilities and is unable to join us for Season 2. We are very saddened by her departure, but have high hopes that we can bring her back as a guest co-host in the near future.

The good news is that we’ve gotten some interest from some potential co-hosts that are excited to join the team. Stay tuned for that announcement in the coming few weeks.

Additionally, a lot of research has been made into how to get the word out, deliver the podcast to more platforms, and make the format the most beneficial to our listeners. Again, this is all behind-the-scenes stuff that won’t affect you all, Nonetheless, we felt there wasn’t a problem in letting you all know what’s going on.

As we enter this last month of 2018, remember to learn something new every day, be kind to all those around you, and let’s all Be Bitwise!

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Parental Controls in iOS 12

In Episode 15 of our podcast, Jen discussed using some home automation to enact parental controls to stop kids from activities until homework was done A couple of limitations to that are kids being able to bypass the smart plug and that the device wasn’t mobile (battery-operated).

Well, following in the footsteps of the parental controls in Playstation 4 and Xbox One gaming systems, Apple is introducing new Parental Controls in the latest flavor of their mobile operating system.

With these new controls, parents will be able to do things like:

  • Lock kids out of their device during certain times
  • Set time limits for any app
  • Get a breakdown of how a device is being utilized
  • Block certain content
  • Turn off in-app purchases
  • Turn off location services

Check out this Lifehacker article for more details.

 

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Starting a Trend

Looks like we are starting a trend.

In a book review recently posted by the New York Times, it was said that:

One of Auerbach’s stated goals is to break down barriers, or at least initiate a conversation, between technology and the humanities, two often irreconcilable domains. He suggests that we need to be bitwise (i.e., understand the world through the lens of computers) as well as worldwise. We must “be able to translate our ideas between the two realms.”

This concept is exactly why I started this podcast. Couldn’t be better timing.

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Coming soon…

Hey little bits and big bytes!

I’m traveling this weekend, and unfortunately, I didn’t get enough downtime to upload Episode 11. I promise that as soon as I get back to the studio, I will get it published.

In the meantime, don’t forget to learn something new everyday.

Let’s all Be Bitwise!

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Black Panther Star Helping to Spotlight Girls in STEM

First, a confession – I am a HUGE Black Panther fan.

I have been since I was reading comics in my pre-teens. The mix of a genius-level superhero from a technologically-advanced African country appealed to me in every way. When the comic book introduced T’Challa’s younger sister, who is his near-equal, I was elated. Then the movie came out…JOY!

Now, Letitia Wright, the actor who played the scene-stealing Shuri, has taken on the mission of participating in a campaign that encourages young women to get more entrenched in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) by partnering with Shell in their Eco Marathon. It’s a global competition for students to design, build and drive energy-efficient vehicles as far as possible at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the UK.

During this project, she met four female engineering students whom she called “the most amazing group of people I’ve met so far.” She added,  “They’re really motivated to make our world better and I would not be surprised if they created the next thing that moves us forward in terms of technology.”

I feel like the awe I have with Black Panther’s technological country of Wakanda is spreading to everyone, and if this brings even a little more imagination and diversity to the field of technology, it will be more of a landmark movie than supposed.

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We Are a Village

If you haven’t noticed, there are a wealth of podcasts that can be a resource for whatever you might be looking for.

Want to listen to a fictional, serialized story? There’s a podcast for that.

Want to hear personal, insightful stories from people just like you and me? There’s a podcast for that.

Want to hear about the history that has been overlooked by most classroom history books? There’s a podcast for that.

Want to hear all about the amazing world of animation and how it came about? There’s a podcast for that.

Want to hear a podcast that makes you feel like you are playing pub trivia? There’s a podcast for that.

Want to hear the podcast that gave a lot of inspiration for Be Bitwise? That’s out there, too.

We listen to a lot of podcasts, and there are so many great ones out there that we don’t know about. We’d love to hear your suggestions, so tweet them to us at @BeBitwise with the hashtag #BBWSuggest

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Uh, What’s a Bit and Why Is It Wise?

Before we get too deep into our podcasting, I thought it might be a good idea to explain a little bit about our shows namesake.

Let’s start with a bit. A bit is a small piece of data that computers use to essential do one thing, indicate true or false (essentially on or off). In a computer, that is typically indicated as a one or a zero. This is the basis of binary.

Bits make up all the data that is processed in a computer’s “brain”, which is called a central processing unit, or CPU for short. If you put eight of these bits together to represent something larger, they are referred to as a byte. These are used for everything, from rendering sound through a computers, to displaying colors on a monitor, to interpreting the keys that are pressed on a keyboard.

In computer programming, a bitwise operation is used to compare these bits and bytes against each other to determine similarities. This process has typically been the fastest way to perform calculations, as well, beating out the typical addition, multiplication, and division.

If any of our readers would like to learn more about how bitwise operators work, below are a couple useful links to help you out:

What is a Bitwise Operator? How Does it Work? -Tapasweni Pathak

Understanding Bitwise Operators – Jason Killian

Techopedia – What is Bitwise Operator

 

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hello, world

We are Bevan, Jen, and Alondo, and we welcome you to Be Bitwise! As corny as it might seem to start with “hello world” for the first post title on our site, it is really more apropos than you might think.

This site and our accompanying podcast will hopefully provide great insight into the world of technology, the history of how all these innovations came to be, and how you can be an integral part of its future.

As for the reference to “hello, world”, it has a long history in the technology field. For decades, as new programming languages and methods were introduced, the first task that novice developers would use to ensure they understood the concepts of a new tool was to get the application to respond back to them with “hello, world“.

So, as one of many visitors to come to our site, possibly for the first time, we welcome you.

Hello, World!