About Ian Cortina
Ian is an accomplished, forward-thinking cyber security professional. With over 20 years experience living and working around the globe; including the Caribbean, United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Canada and the Middle East. Ian has accumulated knowledge and experience in many key IT areas and across a variety of industries.
After a number of years working for an offshore magic circle law firm in the Cayman Islands, Ian relocated to Ireland in 2010, entering the civil service in 2023. Ian is presently Assistant Principle for Cyber Security with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Who’s Listening - The Role of Radio in an Uncertain Digital Future
We live in a world of emerging and disruptive technologies that offer to support, and in some cases control every facet of our lives. Emergence and disruption are thrust upon society at such great pace, that traditional cycles toward obsolescence feel like they are shortening by the day. Blink, and you are already behind the curve.
As societies continue to weave their organic, human fabric ever deeper towards the technological abyss, classical computing as we know it is starting to feel the balance tip towards chaos and qubits over ones and zeros. Towards overwhelming computational power, or even the ultimate science fiction romance, sentient artificial intelligence.
As we hurtle towards the uncertainty of the last outpost of technology, what are we leaving behind that could remain of purpose from centuries of human achievement and technological advances?
Are we leaving behind something that, when faced with potential catastrophe and no lifebelt, could prove a savior in our darkest hour? Enter the world of analogue radio. A fascinating universe embraced not only by amateur operators, but still in use today the world over, from supermarkets to submarines, espionage and beyond.
Radio continues to evolve with new forms of analogue, digital and even quantum communication being developed. What could amateur radio do for you in a world where we appear ever content to ‘adopt and drop’ the latest in a succession of ever-hastening technological trends?
What are the risks, and will radio still play an active role our future? What value could radio hold in the ultimate disaster scenario when (almost) all is lost?