Cyber Minds

If you are a Millennial, Gen X’er, Baby Boomer, or from any generations prior, you most certainly remember the Y2K fears that dominated the culture. With computers having only operated within the span of the 1900s, we were told that the change in date when January 1st of 2000 would hit, would wreak havoc on computing systems worldwide. This was a result of how dates were stored in computing systems, which we will tackle more in-depth on this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a man accused of million-dollar fraud uncovered a never before seen, secret surveillance device.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs are best known as the founders of Apple Computer Company. Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, but the two had been friends for five years. Just months after meeting, the two were intrigued and fascinated by an article on the illegal 'blue box,' a device that allowed you to make free phone calls, plus other illicit uses. After many weeks of immersing themselves in finding out how to build such a device, they succeeded. Thus began a shady business endeavor between them, ultimately laying the groundwork for the world's second-largest company.

John McAfee was born on September 18th of 1945 in Cinderford, England to an American father and a British mother. Don, the father of John, was attached to an American Army unit stationed in the area. John McAfee primarily grew up in Virginia, but very much considered himself both a Brit and an American. Quite eerily, Don McAfee, who struggled with alcoholism resulting in violent outbursts at his son, committed suicide in 1961 when John was only 15. It made an impact on John, described in articles about the incident as “haunting,” but rather than sulk, he threw himself into his fascination with mathematics and early computers.

John McAfee was born on September 18th of 1945 in Cinderford, England to an American father and a British mother. Don, the father of John, was attached to an American Army unit stationed in the area. John McAfee primarily grew up in Virginia, but very much considered himself both a Brit and an American. Quite eerily, Don McAfee, who struggled with alcoholism resulting in violent outbursts at his son, committed suicide in 1961 when John was only 15. It made an impact on John, described in articles about the incident as “haunting,” but rather than sulk, he threw himself into his fascination with mathematics and early computers.

Albert Gonzalez, infamous criminal hacker known by aliases like CumbaJohnny. His backstory however shows how a switch can be flipped in the mind of a bright young boy to become enthralled with schemes to obtain massive quantities of money illegally.

Introducing Cyber Minds: Covering the stories behind the technologists, hackers, and coders that shaped our technology filled world we live in today.