In Conversation with the Tech65 team

From talking about the latest technology trends and how it impacts Singapore, the Tech65 needs no introduction. A group of young and passionate technology geeks, the crew has managed to bring to us as many as 55 episodes of podcast plus the recent one which they did on the CES show happening in Las Vegas, US last week. So, through a long chain of emails and BL’s guest starring stint in the Tech65 shows, we have managed to lock Daniel, Jerrick, NTT, Farinelli and Kai Yi down for a fun and interesting interview and let them share their passion and interest about technology with our readers here.

BL: Thank you for agreeing to an interview with SG Entrepreneurs. How did Tech65 got started?
Crew: Tech65 began with a simple love, the love to bring to others the joys of Tech, in both Gadgetry and just cool new inventions of the day. In fact, Tech65 is actually Daniel’s 3rd attempt to get a project like this off the ground, and as they say, Third time’s a Charm. TThere is something to be said about the possiblity for interaction and the simple fact that our team is so dedicated and commited to the Tech65 endeavor.

BL: We understand that 65bits is a podcast produced by your team. What’s the focus and the content about the podcast?
Crew: 65bits is really just a show where we talk about technology from a Local perspective. It’s a simple as that, we’re 5 guys who love technology, and we get together to discuss Tech, in a relaxed, informal, often, rude and R-rated setting. That is the main focus of the show. Particularly the R-Rated bits.

65bits started as a matter of convenience to both us, and the listeners. They didn’t have to spend so much time writing, and listeners could bring the podcast around with them and listen to it on the go. If you had listened to our earlier episodes, you would have found them terrible comparitively, but they were also intended for a slightly less tech-savvy audience. As time went by, it begun to get more and more technical with the arrival of more hosts. We do have another show in the works to cater to everyday consumers.

With regards to our content, we really try to base our podcasts on the principle of interest. What interests us as a group and personally, and if we’re interested in it, can we make our friends and hopefully our listeners interested as well. That’s really the key to our show.

BL: What are the initial challenges and barriers in producing the podcast? How did you grow the team?
Crew: Quite interestingly, 65bits was a solution to a problem we had with the first year of Tech65 where we didn’t have time to sit down with a big cup of coffee and write up new and original content every single day. So 65bits solved that problem by letting us just come together once a week to record our show. The biggest problem at the beginning was definately getting comfortable with the mic.

Our team’s development however came much more naturally. NTT was the first guy who ever attended one of our shows, and with his enthusiasm, we invited him on board (I’m sure a bribe of coffee was part of the deal). Farinelli serves as part of the sound crew in the church where I serve in the video crew. He found out about the podcast, happened to know NTT through Ping.sg, and hopped on to join the ride. Jerrick and I knew Kaiyi since secondary school where we had this unofficial Palm Pilot fan club. We lost contact after we moved on, and he stumbled upon the podcast and volunteered to join the team too.

BL: What are the most enjoyable parts in generating the content for your podcast? Have you learned anything interesting in the process?
Daniel: Wow, just recording the show is really enjoyable already. The most enjoyable part? Definitely the passionate discussions.

Fari: I think for all of us the debates during the recordings of our episodes are quite one-of-a-kind. We may love poking fun at big companies but usually afterwards we’re on our knees begging them to take our suggestion. Personally I find multimedia editing an irresistable challenge, and I never would have improved my skills, had I not joined the T65 team.

Jerrick: For me, its the simple fact that no matter how geeky you think you are, there’s someone out there geekier than you.

BL: Looking at the current technologies popping up from Silicon Valley, which are the recent inventions that you guys find most interesting?