Episodes

Techtopia with Chitra Ragavan is a podcast examining the power, peril and promise of technology. Chitra explores the latest technological wonders, interviews the creative entrepreneurs behind them, delves into the dark side of these omnipresent innovations and examines technology’s profound impact on people and society.
On March 7, 2022, The front page of the New York Times ran a graphic photograph that summed up the tragic cost of Russia’s war on innocent Ukrainian civilians. It was a photograph of a mother, her two children, and a church volunteer crumpled to the ground. They were the victims of a Russian mortar attack on civilians as they attempted to flee over the Irpin River to Kyiv. The photo, which was was taken by the Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario, sent shock-waves throughout the world.
Capturing that image also put Lynsey Addario in grave danger, something that she has confronted many times over during her more than two-decade career as one of the most accomplished war-photographers in the world.
Addario has had boots on the ground in Ukraine since the begining of the Russian invasion. And, as we near the one year anniversary of the war, she describes the toll of the conflict on Ukrainian civilians and reflects on the personal cost of covering conflict.
Ukraine is just one of the war zones that Addario has traveled in and out of, on assignment for The New York Times, National Geographic, and other publications for more than two decades.
In 2015, American Photo Magazine named Addario as one of the five most influential photographers of the past 25 years, saying she changed the way we saw the world’s conflicts.
I spoke with Addario when she made a brief stop in Washington DC on November 3rd to receive the prestigious Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation.
This is my third conversation with the fearless Addario. To hear her personal story of how she became a photojournalist, how she covers major conflicts, how she survived a violent kidnapping in Libya, and why she does the work she does, do check out my previous interview with Addario on my leadership podcast, When It Mattered, Episode 35. It’s an incredible story. And do listen to Addario’s previous appearance on Techtopia, Episode 18, as she reflects on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath of the chaotic pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
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When It Mattered:
🎙️70. A protector of U.S. nukes evaluates Putin’s nuclear threats / Maj Gen Robert Wheeler, USAF (ret)
🎙️ Ep. 60. Putin laid his cards on the table years before the Ukraine invasion / Gen. James Jones, USMC
🎙️ Ep. 66. Distinguished diplomat reclaims her narrative / Marie Yovanovitch, “Lessons from the Edge”
Techtopia:
🎙️ Ep. 26. Technology is rewiring Ukraine’s narrative / Alex Deane & Bryan Cunningham
Do check out these related articles in SWAAY
✍️ A “Genuine Badass”: How Marie Yovanovitch Reclaimed Her Narrative and Reputation
✍️ The Incredible, Indomitable Super-Survivors of Ukraine
✍️ Refugees in the Shadows: A Viral Insights Column on War, Displacement, and Super-Survivors
Thanks for Listening!

Ep. 29 — Ukraine is the future war / Thomas Frey, Founder & Senior Futurist, DaVinci Institute, and Trent Fowler, Author & Keynote Speaker.
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Ep. 28 — An investor’s rejection leads to an epiphany about self and the future of AI-powered digital content creation / Iman Oubou, Founder & CEO, SWAAY, and Author, “The Glass Ledge.”
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Ep. 28 — An investor’s rejection leads to an epiphany about self and the future of AI-powered digital content creation / Iman Oubou, Founder & CEO, SWAAY, and Author, “The Glass Ledge.”
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_28_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS Do you want to be a writer but suffer from…
Ep. 27 — The U.S. Government attempts to shape sweeping crypto policies amidst market turbulence and massive ransomware hacks / Carole House, Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at National Security Council, The White House
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_27_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS This past April, the FBI disclosed an astonishing fact about…
Ep. 27 — The U.S. Government attempts to shape sweeping crypto policies amidst market turbulence and massive ransomware hacks / Carole House, Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at National Security Council, The White House
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_27_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS This past April, the FBI disclosed an astonishing fact about…
Ep. 26 — Technology is rewriting how human history is told / Alex Deane and Bryan Cunningham, “Hidden History, Happy Hour”
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Ep. 25 — A disturbing new report on the explosive growth of ransomware attacks and proliferation of Russian ransomware groups / Max Galka, CEO and Founder, Elementus.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_25_RD3.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS It’s no secret that Russia has become the world’s playground…
Ep. 24 — An exclusive look at the elite IRS Criminal Investigation where “accountants with guns” solve complex, federal tax crimes, including Russian oligarch sanctions violations /James Robnett, Deputy Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation.
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https://media.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/ins.blubrry.com/whenitmattered/Techtopia_24_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS “Accountants with guns” — These are the special agents of…
Ep. 23 – Another year of death, disruption, and depression from COVID-19 and now, a new variant, Omicron. Is there an end in sight? / Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr, co-hosts, Coronavirus: The Truth.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_23_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS Welcome to the final episode of Season 1 of Techtopia!…
Ep. 22 — The Role of Technology in Human Trafficking / Anjana Rajan, Chief Technology Officer, Polaris.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_22_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS Jeffrey Epstein never faced the consequences for allegedly trafficking dozens…
Ep. 21 — The Global AI Arms Race and the Future of Artificial Intelligence / Courtney Bowman, Director of Privacy and Civil Liberties Engineering, Palantir Technologies.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_21_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS The world is engaged in a new form of war…
Ep. 20 — How the Department of Defense is acting like venture capitalists to draw in and nurture startups and adopt the best of the best in technology / Daniel Borkhus Co-Founder and CEO, Holos; Jeremy Neilson, Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force; and James Boyd, Co-Founder, Adyton.
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Ep. 19 — A Veteran CIA Operative Looks Back on the Early Days of the War in Afghanistan and the Implications of the Recent Pull Out / Michael Hurley, Former CIA Operations Officer & Senior Counsel and Team Leader 9/11 Commission.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_19_RD2.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist…
Ep. 18 — A War Photographer Assesses the Ramifications of the U.S. Pullout of Afghanistan / Lynsey Addario, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist.
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Ep. 17 — The Global Race to Secure 5G Networks Against Cyber Threats from China and other Geopolitical Adversaries / Rob Strayer, EVP, Information Technology Industry Council & Former Ambassador for Cyber Policy at U.S. State Department.
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https://media.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/ins.blubrry.com/techtopiawithchitraragavan/Techtopia_17_RD1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS The world’s wireless systems are going through a major technology…
Ep. 16 — The Abracadabra of the FDA’s Surprise Approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug, Aduhelm / Dr. Robert Pearl, Physician, Author, Podcast Co-Host, “Fixing Healthcare,” & Joanne Silberner, Freelance Health and Science Journalist.
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Ep. 15 — This sports startup is transforming the world of track and field data analytics for athletes, coaches, and fans / Chris Williams, Founder, and CEO, Zelos.
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Ep. 14 — The ABCs of NFTs and their role in digital journalism and the creator economy / Zach Seward, Co-founder & CEO, Quartz.
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Ep. 13 — The Exoplanet Revolution, Technosignatures, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence / Adam Frank, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Rochester.
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Ep. 12 — A 64-year old non-fiction book, Flying Saucer Pilgrimage, has new resonance today in light of an upcoming U.S. government report on UFOs / Bryan Cunningham, Executive Director, UCI Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute.
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Ep. 11 – How Covid-19 is reshaping cities and smart cities / Michael Proman, Managing Director, Scrum Ventures.
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Ep. 10 – The data-driven transformation of Hollywood and the television industry / Anjali Midha, CEO & Co-Founder, Diesel Labs & John Mass, Executive Vice-President, Content Partners.
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Ep. 9 — How Technology and the Digital Media Revolution are Transforming the Global Media Landscape / Marcus Brauchli, Journalist, Co-founder, North Base Media.
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Ep. 8 — How Polaris is fighting QAnon in its use of human trafficking disinformation campaigns / Anjana Rajan, Chief Technology Officer, Polaris.
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Ep. 7 — How a patient with a rare tumor is taking personalized medicine to a new level through a unique non-profit biomedical research initiative / Vanessa Slavich, Head of Community, Celo & Peter Kane, Founder & Executive Director, Research to the People.
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Ep. 6 — How the COVID-19 vaccines will change our approach to future pandemics / Dr. Robert Pearl, Author, Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients.
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Ep. 5 — Technology has given women a powerful voice in the alt-right movement / Seyward Darby, Author, Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism.
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Ep. 4 — The semiconductor chip shortage, what’s causing it, why it matters, and what we need to do about it / John Neuffer, President and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association.
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Ep. 3 — Bitcoin and the boom in cryptocurrency investing / Perianne Boring, Founder and President, Chamber of Digital Commerce.
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Ep. 2 — Radicalization and the January 6 Capitol Hill Riots / Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism.
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Ep. 1 — Conspiracy Theories and the January 6 Capitol Hill Riots / Joseph Coohill, Professor Buzzkill History Podcast.
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