In the first episode of the Smart Talks series on the Tech Stuff podcast, Jonathan Strickland talks with Bryan Knouse of Project OWL, winner of IBM's Call for Code, and Alisa Maclin of IBM, to learn about how mesh networks can help restore communications to areas devastated by natural disasters.
First, Knouse reflects about how he began his career in coding, "I'll never forget playing the video game Halo, I thought to myself, this is the coolest thing I have ever seen, I need to learn how to make things like that. So I bought this book called 3D Game Programming All in One... I thought how hard could that be? That was my introduction."
80% of developers code as a hobby. For most software developers, coding isn't just a profession, it's a passion. Maclin explains the origins of the Call for Code technology competition, "In launching Call for Code with IBM as a founding partner, we wanted to focus on real issues and started with a focus on natural disasters. We asked developers to create solutions for these problems and we were blown away by the amount of engagement we got."
Find out more about how Call for Code makes a difference by listening to the full podcast below.