HELLO FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli on iHeart |
⚡️ HOW CHRISTMAS BECAME A TECH SPORT — AND WHERE HOLIDAY LIGHTS GO NEXT. In this festive HELLO FUTURE episode, Kevin Cirilli sits down with Jim Hardaway — COO of Novelty Lights and one of America’s top experts on holiday displays — to trace the full story of how Christmas became a national technology obsession.
—> 🎄 THE ORIGIN STORY: It all starts with German candle-lit trees in the 1800s, the first electric light strands in the early 1900s, and even a forgotten milestone: the 1906 broadcast of “O Holy Night,” when radio tech and Christmas magic met for the very first time.
—> 💡 THE POP CULTURE BOOST: Hardaway explains how National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation didn’t just give us Clark Griswold’s meltdown — it launched a real-life arms race in outdoor displays and helped create the modern holiday lighting industry.
—> 🚀 THE FUTURE OF FESTIVE TECH:
Kevin and Jim look ahead to what’s coming next:
• AI-choreographed light shows
• Sustainable LEDs and solar-powered strands
• Drone swarms painting holiday messages across the sky
• Immersive displays that sync to music, movement — even your heartbeat
If you’ve ever wondered how Christmas became a high-tech spectacle — and why the future of holiday lights looks more like sci-fi than suburbia — this episode is your new seasonal classic.
LISTEN: HELLO FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli on iHeart |
MEET THE FUTURE: ENERGY POWER BREAKFAST DEBRIEF. We convened the futurists on the frontlines of solving America’s energy power crisis at the National Press Club… including members of the media (Reuters, NPR, Washington Examiner, and more)…
—> IN THE ROOM: Current and former top Department of Energy officials… publicly traded energy company executives… DARPA… national security officials… senior Congressional staffers… and more.
—> MEET THE PRESS: A select few members of the press were also invited… including Reuters… NPR… and Washington Examiner.
—> MEET THE MOMENT: Former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette headlined the power breakfast and his takeaways were clear:
Technology and energy are interlinked. Period. America’s greatest asset has always been its innovation. But our ability to harness the potential of artificial intelligence hinges on our ability to fuel the transformation of our infrastructure.
China is playing the long-game and they’re playing for keeps in the energy space. America’s ability to beat China in artificial intelligence is directly linked to its long-term energy policies. And that means infrastructure.
Permitting reform must continue to advance our national security and economic interests.
Photographed left to right: Tala Goudarzi, former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, and mtf.tv founder Kevin Cirilli at the National Press Club.
—> THE ONE TO WATCH: Tala Goudarzi, who spoke after Brouillette. Goudarzi just left DOE as it Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy (FE).
—> MEET THE FUTURE: Read our complete mtf.tv round-up here… available with no pay-wall… and two video interviews with Brouillette and Goudarzi.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 338. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth.
The planet has complete 92.6 percent of its orbit around the Sun. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
Back to the future...
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
⚡️ THE RISE OF COMPUTER ORGANOIDS — WHEN COMPUTERS ARE MADE OF LIVING CELLS. In this HELLO FUTURE episode, Kevin Cirilli sits down with Dr. Fred Jordan, co-founder of FinalSpark, to explore one of the most radical ideas in tech today: computers grown from tiny clusters of human cells. Yes — “mini brains” that can process information.
—> 🧠 THE BREAKTHROUGH: These living computer organoids can react to signals, learn simple patterns, and adjust their behavior — acting like ultra-efficient biological processors. Instead of running on electricity alone, they run on life itself.
—> ⚡️ WHY IT MATTERS: Biological computers could one day be far smarter and use far less energy than today’s silicon chips. Think:
• devices that learn faster
• medical tools that mimic real human biology
• new ways for AI and neuroscience to work together
—> 🌱 THE FUTURE: Kevin and Dr. Jordan imagine a world where technology doesn’t just compute — it grows, it adapts, and it collaborates with us. A future where the line between biology and machines gets thinner… and the possibilities get bigger.
Listen: iHeart or however you get your podcasts.
With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums. mtf.tv produces the daily HELLO FUTURE show on iHeart Media’s Premiere Network, which reaches 9 in 10 Americans. iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora
mtf.tv’s meet the future founder Kevin Cirilli.
