State of the Net Podcast

This time we start from this BBC Podcast on OneCoin [1] to chat about trust, the internet and social media, the potential impact of WT.Social, using algorithms to interpret and predict history, and much more.

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07nkd84/episodes/downloads

In this episode we chat about the 50th anniversary of UNIX[1], problems at Google[2], the stories that we tell ourselves and how the world thinks[3]. We hear about Euan's intention to leave Facebook and how attractive the idea of going back to blogging is, preparing for a blogging renaissance. 

[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/08/unix-at-50-it-starts-with-a-mainframe-a-gator-and-three-dedicated-researchers/
[2] https://www.wired.com/story/inside-google-three-years-misery-happiest-company-tech/
[3] https://www.microphilosophy.net/how-the-world-thinks/

Tech note: since Apple crippled Garageband in the latest beta of MacOS, this episode was recorded and edited on iOS and iPad OS. We start by looking at how the world is a creation of our brains and we move to the rampant conspiracy theories and how being aware of our perspectives helps. We discuss about how there are perfectly simple (and wrong) solutions to complex problems, and we end up dreaming of angel bots.

This time we start from the art tinkering with our devices, using AI to make our life and our work better, we then move to designing and discovering features, we imagine a future when we will be writing new software just by talking to our devices, we comment about organisations digitising dysfunctions, and we finish with the usual dark view on the bright future.

In episode 11 we talk about conversations and meta-conversations, how to help folks meeting in the middle (maybe by inviting them on the next episode). We mention some of the news, including Julian Assange, and we discuss about being comfortable with uncomfortable things, from terrorism to global warming.

First Euan said: "Social media isn't broken, people are." And then we started discussing about the most recent news, how social media shapes conversations and conversations shape social media, how Filipinos influence everything we see, how India and Africa are evolving, and we finish by revealing the way to happiness.

First episode of 2019, recorded on the day of the Macintosh 35th anniversary, this episode is all about Euan and Paolo the Apple fan boys. From experiences through this long stretch of history of computing, to the usual complaining about how things could be better, to the incredibly still fresh amazement for how technology changes our life every day.

In episode 8 we wonder if podcasting really is an "intellectual dark web", or just a good place for conversations because nobody can interrupt us. We meditate on how we might have lowered the entry threshold of other tools too much, or if it's just the natural cycle of digital tools. We reflect about amateurs vs. professionals and while we ponder on how we should do more things for love, we observe how love, competence and intent are the key to everything. We also mention Jordan Peterson, but we don't necessarily agree with him.

This week Euan and Paolo start from digital ethics, but immediately precipitate in politics, fascism, mother nature, human extinction, Yuval Noah Harari, and how meditating more might help us save global problems. Things mentioned in this episode are this article about Digital Ethics [ https://refind.com/l/1b94ce4981#https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/16/gartner-picks-digital-ethics-and-privacy-as-a-strategic-trend-for-2019 ], this interview to a former white nationalist [ https://www.npr.org/2018/09/24/651172700/the-awakening-of-a-former-white-nationalist ] and Yuval Noah Harari's latest book "21 lessons for the 21 century" [ https://www.ynharari.com/book/21-lessons/ ]

This week it's about Lessig on Slow Democracy, Ito on The Next Digital Extintion, an interview to Zuk, the new Facebook Portal, Personalisation vs. Privacy vs. AI, Weinberger on AI, better deals between customers and companies, more or less plausible spy stories. Enjoy!