Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast

Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast

Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast is a weekly podcast that looks at technology and how it impacts our daily lives. We tell the untold tech stories from Somewhere on Earth. We don’t do new toys and gadgets, but look at new trends, new tech and new ways we use that tech in our everyday lives. We discuss how the ever evolving digital world is changing our culture and our societies, but we don’t shy away from the news of the day, looking at the tech behind the top stories affecting our world. Find a story + Make it News = Change the World.

Episodes

July 29, 2025 30 mins
No Internet for a year: Why Equatorial Guinea has kept Annobón island offline For 12 months, the people of Annobón, an island province of Equatorial Guinea, have lived in a digital blackout - cut off from the world with no explanation. Why would a government deliberately silence its own citizens? In this episode of Somewhere on Earth, we speak with Tutu Alicante (EG Justice) and Felicia Anthonio (Access Now) about the shocking rea...
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Bridechilla x Somewhere on Earth - Episode 2 What happens when Bridechilla meets Somewhere on Earth? Tech, tradition, and a touch of tulle collide in the second of two special crossover episodes, exploring how technology is transforming weddings around the world.  In Episode 2, hosts Gareth Mitchell and Leah Haslage dive into intimacy tech, virtual reality ceremonies and even hologram guests with award-winning body-tech pioneer a...
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What happens when one of the world’s top wedding podcasts teams up with a global tech show? Magic. Or at least a stress-free wedding planned with #AI. In this special crossover episode of Bridechilla and Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast, hosts Leah Haslage and Gareth Mitchell join forces to explore how artificial intelligence and tech tools are revolutionizing the wedding experience. From AI-assisted guest lists to Ch...
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Meta’s Submarine Cable Megaproject Meta’s Project Waterworth isn’t just another undersea cable - it’s an 50,000km+ behemoth set to link continents, with India’s data centres as a key hub. Doctoral researcher Anniki Mikelsaar from the Oxford Internet Institute breaks down its geopolitical stakes: Will it dodge regulatory battles? The project also raises questions about regulation and security. Who controls these underwater data hig...
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The rising energy cost of AI & how tech impacts sustainability The growing demand for AI comes with a staggering energy price tag. Research by Alex de Vries reveals that AI could consume nearly half of global data centre power by the end of 2025, surpassing even cryptocurrency mining. As models like DeepSeek AI advance, so does their electricity consumption, raising urgent questions about sustainability. How can tech companies ba...
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Next-Gen Black Boxes: Saving lives with Real-time Data Traditional black boxes—Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR)—have critical flaws. CVRs often overwrite audio after just two hours, while FDRs require physical recovery, delaying crash investigations. Honeywell’s new HCR-25 solves these issues with a 25-hour CVR and live satellite data streaming, ensuring instant access to flight data even if the physic...
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WhatsApp voice notes are revolutionizing English learning in Brazil Forget expensive apps - Storm Education is teaching English via WhatsApp voice notes, memes, and chats, targeting Brazil’s 95% non-English speaking population. Founder Marcos Almirante reveals how his startup scaled to 100,000+ students entirely within WhatsApp—and why traditional language apps should be worried. Cabo Verde’s offline EdTech breakthrough: Educati...
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Wisdomia: Chat with Da Vinci & Ada Lovelace in 3D Imagine learning calculus from Ada Lovelace or art theory from Leonardo da Vinci—digitally resurrected in 3D AI avatars. That’s the vision behind Wisdomia, the first Web3.0 edutainment marketplace blending gamified learning with immersive history. Founder Dinis Guarda joins us to explain how users interact with AI versions of geniuses, explore 3D-rendered wonders like the Temple o...
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Brazil’s UNESP transforms its IT infrastructure to compete globally Imagine a university shackled by slow, outdated tech - now picture it rivalling global giants in connectivity and innovation. That’s exactly what happened when São Paulo State University (UNESP) teamed up with Brazilian IT powerhouse RoostEdge to completely overhaul its IT infrastructure across 34 campuses in just 18 months; swapping clunky legacy systems for a li...
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Scaling Solar Access Across Brazil magine accessing affordable solar power with just a few clicks - no rooftop panels, no upfront costs, just clean energy delivered through smart, decentralized infrastructure. That’s the vision transforming communities across Brazil, where millions are still priced out of the energy transition. Leading this project is Pedro Somma, CEO of Luz Energia. He explains how the company is building a digi...
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The Disturbing Reality of AI-Generated AbuseA new study reveals nearly 35,000 publicly downloadable AI models capable of generating deepfake pornography—often targeting women and celebrities. These "model variants" can be tweaked to create millions of non-consensual intimate images, fuelling a growing crisis in digital exploitation. Researchers identified 35,000 deepfake model variants in public repositories, with each model being ...
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In this episode of Somewhere on Earth, we dive into groundbreaking tech innovations with a purpose. Join us as we speak with Eduardo Peixoto, CEO of Brazil’s CESAR Innovation Hub, about cutting-edge projects like a smart lipstick prototype and a real-time sign language translator — game-changing tools designed to empower people with disabilities. We also explore inclusive tech initiatives shaping accessibility in Latin America. Pl...
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#ownyourdata with Brittany Kaiser Whistle blower and data activist Brittany Kaiser, whose story is told in the Netflix documentary “The Great Hack”, joins Gareth and Ania on stage at Web Summit Rio. She talks about her latest initiative that will allow Brazilians to get paid for sharing their data. RoostEdge – new SOEP sponsor CEO of RoostEdge Eliezer Silveira Filho is on stage to tell us about how RoostEdge is connecting tec...
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From Algorithm to Action: How AI & Automation are Redefining Business In this episode, we dive into the booming technology scene in Brazil — now the 5th largest digital economy in the world. With over 260 million active mobile phones (more than there are people in Brazil!) and major investments in digital transformation, Brazil is rapidly becoming a global tech powerhouse. We’re joined by Alexandre Conceição, Strategic Business Ex...
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Love, Lies & Digital Crime: The Global Web of Romance Scams In this episode, we uncover the dark side of the internet where romance scams flourish across major technology platforms—and the heartbreaking consequences they leave in their wake. Victims are deceived by online personas, only to find themselves emotionally betrayed and financially devastated. But the story doesn’t stop there. Freelance journalist Emily Fishbein takes us ...
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Lifestyle and mental health - Nigerian startups empowering choice through tech Buying electronic toys that speak your language or even a doll that looks like the proud owner is easy – that is if you’re white and speak English. It’s much harder to buy other ‘lifestyle’ products, for example, a child’s plate with Arabic writing on it, or a doll wearing a hiyab. Oyindamola Kazeem, realized this when she herself had children so she se...
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Kenya has a blood deficit and it’s especially urgent in places like the northwestern region of Turkana, where malaria, anaemia and violence are rife, driving up the demand for blood transfusions. The Ministry of Health is now planning to roll out technology to modernise blood transfusion services, extending the shelf life of blood and being able to automate the entire process. The most detailed computer model of the brain ever bui...
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This week we have an AI-free show – instead we’re going to tell you about the latest tech in food packaging. Metalchemy is a startup that has created a biodegradable material designed to enhance the freshness of your food. Although this may not seem particularly groundbreaking, it is important to note that the material in question is at the cutting edge of nanotechnology. This represents advanced chemical engineering, using silver ...
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Restoring US Government websites since Trump came to power Since January 20th this year there has been a significant reduction of content on US government websites, following directives from the Trump administration to eliminate extensive data and resources, particularly those related to health equity, equity, diversity, and inclusion, or any other topics the administration considers excessively "woke." In response, groups of volu...
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Agritech in Uzbekistan: helping small-scale farmers recover from communist farming methods Uzbekistan is tackling the many problems it faces in farming and agriculture with the help of technology. During its time as part of the Soviet Union, the country was forced to grow cotton which led to major environmental problems. The country has 5.5 million smallholders, many of whom are women. A new digital platform called Growz is creatin...
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