In the third and final part of the 'Smart Dust Investigates' series, we interview Microsoft Hololens' Asia Pacific Director, Lawrence Crumpton and things really heat up as we dive deep on all things from immersive virtual reality and mixed reality to the much talked about metaverse. And Nick and Douglas make their conclusions on whether, maybe, just maybe this life as we know it is a simulation.

In the first of a three-part 'Smart Dust Investigates' series, we will take you on an adventure through the possible truths behind one of techs biggest (and possibly craziest) theories - “Is it possible that we live in a simulation”? Elon Musk believes we are living in a sim – he says “There is a billion to one chance we are living in a true base reality.” While popular physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says it is “very likely” that our universe is a simulation. Tune into part 1 - Introduction...

In the second instalment of the 'Smart Dust Investigates' podcast series, we interview MIT Games Lab founder and author of the new book “The Simulated Multiverse” (and “The Simulation Hypothesis”), Rizwan Virk.    Want to explore the possibilities for XR to create an immersive virtual world? Tune into part 2. 

Exponential advances in technology are changing our world at a rapid pace, and for most of us, predicting what comes next feels a little like gazing into a cloudy crystal ball. Enter this week’s very special guest, Amy Webb. A world-renowned futurist, Amy’s expertise in the realm of emerging technologies is second to none. She’s the CEO and founder of the Future Today Institute, which advises some of the world’s biggest companies.

Kirstin Ferguson knows a thing or two about career diversity. At just 17 she enrolled at the Australian Defence Force Academy, graduating as a Flying Officer and Dux of her class. Today, Kirstin sits as a non-executive director on several boards, was Deputy Chair of the ABC for 2 Years, writes a column in the Sydney Morning Herald and advocates for gender equality and diversity in the workplace. In this episode, we chat with Kristen on leadership in the era of COVID-19.

With lives increasingly lived online, safety in the digital world has never been more important. That’s why we sat down with Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. Having worked across the not-for-profit, public and private sector – filling key roles at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe – there’s simply no better person to talk to about online safety in Australia today. In this episode, we discuss her career, online threats and the legislative responses aimed at keeping us safe.

In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the impact of the ACCC’s proposed code to require the tech giants to pay media companies for the content they use. Potentially a big global precedent and very much being watched by tech companies globally. In fact, Facebook says it may drop all local, national and international news from its Australian platforms if the code becomes law – which would have major implications for the way millions of Australians stay informed.

2021 is shaping up to be an exciting year, mainly because it’s not 2020. But that’s not all – 2021 also promises to be a massive year for tech. In this episode, we talk six tech trends that could help shape and define the new year, including cyber warfare, synthetics, managing your personal carbon footprint, AI, smart glasses, and trading our bio data for travel.

What makes a successful disruptor? Is 5G really all it’s cracked up to be? And what other upcoming technologies can we expect to challenge industry standards as we know them? Who would be better placed to tackle these questions than technologist David Thodey: as the Chair of the Commonwealth Science, Industry & Research Organisation (CSIRO), accounting revolutionary Xero, Aussie fintech powerhouse Tyro and a board member at Vodafone the correct answer is not many.

NSW’s journey to be a digital powerhouse is underway and the man at the helm is Victor Dominello, Member for Ryde and Australia’s very first Minister for Customer Service. His role in this new portfolio is to optimise the citizen experience through a range of digital initiatives, with quite a few already underway. In this episode, we talk about the Digital Drivers Licence, Digital Check In functions for COVID-19 contact tracing, cyber security infrastructure and more.

What does a purpose-led global business look like? Nicole Sparshott knows; she’s leading two of them through their biggest transformation yet. CEO of Unilever ANZ and Global CEO of T2, Nicole is spearheading a sustainability revolution in Unilever – one of Australia’s most iconic FMCG brands – and well on her way to making T2 certified sustainable by 2021.

Frustrated by PowerPoint and PDF, Mark and co-founder Dylan Baskin created Qwilr – a now global operation offering software for businesses to create elegant web-based forms, proposals and contracts with consistent design principles. Qwilr just raised $10.8 million in a Series A round led by Airtree Ventures and Skip Capital and have their sights set on further expansion in Europe and the US. We chat to Mark in this episode about how he took on the tech giants…and won.

Has innovation taken a back seat during COVID-19? Andy Tsao, Managing Director or Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) joins us from Santa Clara to find out. Andy is leader of SVB’s Global Gateway, which assists emerging market innovation companies as they seek US market entry and US companies looking to expand abroad.

In this episode we chat about the world of neural implants where recent advances in computing and bioelectronics have enabled true bidirectional interactions between machines and the human brain. No keyboard, no voice interaction required. It is truly inspiring what these advances can do for medicine. Also, we look at how tech is helping individual citizens deal with climate change , also the stunning IPO of Insurance disruptor Lemonade, who have reinvented the dusty old world of insurance.

In this episode we chat with the amazing Tim Reed , the President of the Business Council Of Australia, the peak body for business in Australia. The BCA comprises of the CEO’s of more than 100 of the top companies, who employ over 1 million Australian workers, including all 4 of the big banks, the major mining companies and supermarkets and the big tech players such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft.

In this episode Douglas and Nick interview one of Australia’s most respected business leaders, David Gonski. Gonski holds a number of impressive board titles, including Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Chancellor of the University of New South Wales, President of the Art Gallery of NSW Trust and Chair of ANZ Bank, just to name a few.

In this episode of Smart Dust, we explore how COVID19 has sparked diversification with global tech giants like Google, as they move into the healthcare space. Douglas and Nick discuss the role of social platforms in tracking the spread of the coronavirus, before diving into the stats on streaming services in Australia.

In this episode of Smart Dust we chat to Ashley Friedlein, the Founder of Econsultancy, an international marketing consultancy agency.

Academy award-winner and CEO of animal studio Animal Logic Zareh speaks to Douglas and Nick about how animation has developed over past 30 years, how the studio has grown and changed, and where he sees the future of creativity. Smart Dust is produced and edited by Daresay: https://daresay.com.au/  Hosted by Douglas Nicol, Strategy Partner, The Works and Nick Abrahams, Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright,

German Ramirez, CEO of blockchain marketing firm The Relevance House, takes Nick and Douglas through the industries that are ripe for disruption, how a decentralised ledger works, and what we can do to prepare for the future. Smart Dust is produced and edited by Daresay: https://daresay.com.au/  Hosted by Douglas Nicol, Strategy Partner, The Works and Nick Abrahams, Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright.

Each year quantitative futurist Amy Webb releases a Tech Trends Report. In this episode Douglas and Nick discuss what to expect in 2020. This episode also includes our 2019 interview with Amy. You can download the key takeaways from the 2020 Tech Trends report here: https://bit.ly/2vpKwPJ  Smart Dust is produced and edited by Daresay: https://daresay.com.au/  Hosted by Douglas Nicol, Strategy Partner, The Works and Nick Abrahams, Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright,

UTS’s Creative Intelligence & Innovation course director Bem Le Hunte joins Douglas Nicol and Nick Abrahams to discuss what the concept of creative intelligence actually means. Smart Dust is produced and edited by Daresay, the content specialists: https://daresay.com.au/ Hosted by Douglas Nicol, Strategy Partner, The Works (https://theworksagency.com.au/) and Nick Abrahams, Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright...

Three trends which will help define 2020: Instagram shopping deep fakes and space tourism. The Works' Douglas Nicol and Norton Rose Fulbright's Nick Abrahams discuss how these will shape the world around us. Podcast produced and edited by Daresay, the content specialists: https://daresay.com.au/ Hosted by Douglas Nicol, Strategy Partner, The Works (https://theworksagency.com.au/) and Nick Abrahams, Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright.