Revealing Hidden Dynamics in Technology
It seems as if we interact with technology endlessly. But do we consider the kinds of biases technology reflects back to us?
What about the biases that are exacerbated by the very nature of dumb code?
On this episode of R&D with D&D, Dave and Denise chat with Prof. Mar Hicks of the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science.
Mar’s work focuses on the history of computing, labor, technology, and queer science and technology studies. As well as how gender and sexuality bring hidden technological dynamics to light.
In this far-ranging discussion, we discuss:
• ethical AI
• the use of female voices by a variety of apps
• how technology can eliminate certain jobs and
• how we can influence technology to act in socially beneficial, or socially harmful, ways.
We end our discussion, as always, with our (common law) trademarked speed round questions!
Listen to the full interview: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/revealing-hidden-dynamics
#culture #business #technology #hearsayculture #podcast
Facebook's Broken Code, Revealed
Facebook has been subject to intense scrutiny as a groundbreaking yet sphinx-like corporation.
The company's idealistic early days and predominant current focus on profits often operate at odds with each other. Regardless, CEO Mark Zuckerberg naturally receives the most attention.
Yet many unknown individuals played critical roles in Facebook’s launch. And most of those individuals remained unknown...
Until Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz connected with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.
On this episode of Hearsay Culture Radio, Dave Levine chats with Jeff about his 2023 book Broken Code. In which Jeff lays out the Kremlinology of Facebook since 2012.
In this episode, we discuss:
• the “teams” at odds with each other inside Facebook
• the company's current challenges and
• how a reporter handles whistleblowers who reveal information at great personal risk.
We also acknowledge the horrific sentencing of Jeff’s colleague, Evan Gershkovich, in a Russian sham trial earlier this month. hashtag#istandwithevan
Listen to the full interview: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/facebooks-broken-code-revealed
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
Tech Changes Everything, Except Us
“I’ve always thought of my mission statement as being a translator, as someone who understands technology, explaining what it does and how it can be used to people who don’t yet.” — Leo Laporte
Leo Laporte is a serial pioneer.
Already a well-loved fixture on radio and cable TV, where he made technology both accessible and exciting, Leo was one of the first to recognize and run with podcasting’s potential.
His production, business, and sponsorship models led podcasting’s evolution from niche hobby to global media force.
In this episode of Uneven Distribution, Denise (a former host on Leo’s network) and Leo discuss:
• the relationship between passion and profession
• lessons learned from 20+ years of working and living online and
• what to expect as tech continues to shape the future of everything.
Listen to the full interview here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/tech-changes-everything-except-us
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
The Weaponized Media: Storytelling in Today's Polarized World
Throughout history, storytelling has taken many forms ranging from peaceful to nefarious.
Today's storytelling has become increasingly adversarial. A shift reflecting the changing dynamics in culture and politics.
In our latest episode of Hearsay Culture Radio, we discuss this problem with return guest Annalee Newitz, author of Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare in the American Mind.
Annalee’s background in journalism and science fiction writing offers a unique perspective on storytelling. Particularly on how stories can negatively impact psychological states and when amplified threaten democracy.
Dave and Annalee discuss
• the weaponization of stories throughout history
• current uses of storytelling to fuel cultural tension and
• how some stories undermine the very concept of truth.
Listen to the full interview here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/the-weaponized-media-storytelling
#business #technology #culture #hearsayculture
Questioning the Myths of Utopian Tech
In recent decades, Silicon Valley has driven a rosy narrative about the benefits of technology.
Yet this mindset has blurred – and often overlooked – widespread societal inequities and marginalization.
In his book “Your Computer is on Fire,” Benjamin Peters and his co-authors elucidate how our technological infrastructure has intertwined with our daily lives, giving rise to “large-scale consequences of Silicon Valley.”
Delving into energy-intensive server farms, biased algorithms, and corporate behavior, Dave and Benjamin dive into the perils of technophilia and why tech utopianism is at an end.
This episode of Hearsay Culture Radio, "Questioning the Myths of Utopian Tech," is now available for listening!
Listen to the full interview here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/questioning-the-myths-of-utopian-tech
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture #podcast
Re-Defining Normal with AI
AI’s continued influence on our lives seems unstoppable – and hard to decipher.
Solutions marketed by AI providers are not all that they seem, muddying the waters regarding its benefits. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether the outputs are accurate or what computer scientists call “hallucinations” (read: made up).
In this discussion, join Dave and Denise, who seek to provide clarity in the day-to-day of AI. Discussions range from:
- the implications on intellectual property to
- “multi-modal” (text, images, audio, video, sensory data) systems and
- cover changes to legal practice and political developments.
The issues are endless and yet this discussion from December 2023 allows us to take stock of how to think about generative AI going forward.
Listen to the full interview here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/redefining-normal-rd
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
Covering the Supreme Court in an AI Age
The New York Times’ Liptak, Adam has been covering the Supreme Court for over 15 years. He is one of the few reporters who has seen the Supreme Court in its best and not-so-best incarnations.
In the wake of multiple decisions in the past two years,
- starting with Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (which overturned Roe v. Wade)
- to the recent partial Presidential immunity decision in Trump v. US
- and ethics concerns involving Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas
...the Supreme Court has been under intense scrutiny.
Covering the Supreme Court and making it “accessible to readers” requires accuracy and candor, not to mention audience sensitivity and a thick skin.
In this April 2023 discussion on Hearsay Culture Radio, Dave and Adam thoroughly explore recent controversies surrounding the Supreme Court, the complexities of judicial reporting and public perception, and the impact of AI on judicial processes.
Listen to the full interview here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/covering-the-supreme-court-in-an-ai-age
#technology #culture #business #hearsayculture
What are Data's Secrets?
What are data's secrets?
Tech commentators tend to swerve between pessimism and utopianism but 'In The Secret Life of Data', Jesse Gilbert and Aram Sinnreich take a deep dive approach & come up with a more nuanced analysis.
Dave interviews Jesse and Aram on:
- the latest data collection practices
- the technology that is evolving to keep it private
- the nefarious work of trolls and bad actors
- and where you should be concerned, and where you shouldn’t.
Listen to the full episode: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/what-are-datas-secrets
NEWS REPORTING, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THE POLITICAL STRATEGIST
Our latest interview with veteran political strategist Simon Rosenberg, host of the Substack “Hopium Chronicles" is now up!
Aggressive, adversarial political discourse on social media and news reporting has worsened in recent years and threatens democracy and freedom.
Simon has been a voice for reasonable and accurate political analysis and understanding with 30 years of political strategist experience starting with Bill Clinton’s 1992 POTUS campaign. He offers insights into how social media fuels American political discussion and pushes false narratives that incite malicious behavior.
In this timely interview, recorded in October 2023, Dave and Simon discuss how political parties operate in our information ecosystem, Simon’s experience when he appeared as a regular on Fox News (a couple of thousand times), and the sharp elbows often found in political reporting.
Listen here: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/the-political-strategist
HEALTH CARE ADVOCACY: THE DEVELOPING WORLD IS BEING LEFT BEHIND
Much of the world’s population has to wait in line behind citizens of wealthier countries to receive adequate health care.
Due to this stark reality, millions needlessly died during the COVID-19 pandemic by not timely receiving already available vaccines. This is a tragedy whose dimensions are rarely considered in places where diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines are readily available.
Hearsay Culture has always been about shining a spotlight on work that you may not know about -- but should. For the past 25 years, recently retired Northeastern Law Prof. Brook Baker has been at the forefront of this global battle for equity — known among policymakers and advocates as “access to medicine.”
Brook advocates for resolving these inequities by limiting corporate and Western dominance in law creation and market control.
In this episode we:
• take an in-depth look into the struggle for access to healthcare in developing countries and
• Brook’s personal experiences with teaching during the AIDS crisis in South Africa.
Listen to the full interview: https://hearsayculture.com/podcast/health-care-advocacy
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
Understanding AI Without a Computer Science Degree
Can Generative AI's problematic proliferation be resolved without a clear public understanding of how it works?
On this Hearsay Culture Radio episode, we invited University of Arizona computer science professor Mihai Surdeanu to discuss this question.
Mihai co-authored "Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing: A Gentle Introduction" with Marco Antonio Valenzuela Escárcega published by Cambridge this year.
While being exceptionally readable, Mihai and Marco's text explains the structure and intricacies of natural language processing and the neural networks guiding AI in a way that non-computer scientists can comprehend.
In this episode, Mihai and Dave define these processes clearly and go deep into the threats AI presents with hallucinations (read: made up stuff), corporate control, and language disappearance.
You can find the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eQp5Hhzh
#artificialintelligence #AI #business #technologypodcast #hearsayculture
Shaping AI: Language, Secrets, and Regulation with Guest Harry Surden
“Language is what humans do to convey and implement knowledge. So if you can get a system that can manipulate and generate language, then you’ve built this foundational thing that can help you develop an AI system.”
A quote from our most recent guest, Harry Surden, a former software engineer turned law professor. Listen to the full interview at hearsayculture.com or where you enjoy your podcasts (we're on both Spotify and Apple).
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
Student Protests and Universities: An Assessment with David Schanzer
Student protests - and some US universities’ use of police to end them - have recently sent shockwaves across the world.
Questions regarding the balance between free speech and maintaining a safe but productive learning environment have now been raised.
Duke University’s David Schanzer advocates for universities to tolerate anti-Israel protests; but to also regulate them to protect Jewish students from violence.
In his April 2024 Substack newsletter, Perilous Times, Schanzer argues that the university is the place where students learn to understand one another. A place to confront differing opinions and prepare for life in a free society...
...therefore, censoring student speech is a non-starter.
Listen to the full interview on Spotify or Apple for a challenging and frank discussion about the lines between free speech and harassment. We also cover how universities can learn from these student protests that have roiled campuses in the US and beyond.
#technology #business #culture #hearsayculture
What's a myth about trademarks that you've heard?
Have you encountered any barriers when it comes to marketing?
We get into the weeds about entrepreneurship, marketing our businesses and protecting them via trademarks in our latest episode, "Just Trademark It!"
A big thank-you to our guest Elizabeth Townsend Gard for sharing her experiences with writing a book for creators on how to trademark and starting her own ventures.
You can hear the full interview at the link in our bio 🔗
Let us know in the comments if you're an entrepreneur and what your experience has been like with starting your own business!
#business #technology #culture #lawyers #hearsayculture
