PodcastTechnologyEnglishE

The Good Robot

by Dr Kerry McInerney and Dr Eleanor Drage

NewFar-Right Facebook Networks with Raphael HernandesNovember 10, 2026 · 28 min

Episodes: 127
Released: every two weeks
Latest episode: Nov 10, 2026

About the podcast

Join Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney as they ask the experts: what is good technology? Is ‘good’ technology even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? Each week, they invite scholars, industry practitioners, activists, and more to provide their unique perspective on what feminism can bring to the tech industry and the way that we think about technology. With each conversation, The Good Robot asks how feminism can provide new perspectives on technology’s biggest problems.

Episodes 127

Far-Right Facebook Networks with Raphael Hernandes
November 10, 202628 min
How do mainstream social media platforms become breeding grounds for online radicalization? In this episode of The Good Robot, host Dr. Eleanor Drage sits down with Raphael Hernandes, a Cambridge PhD …
Show notes
How do mainstream social media platforms become breeding grounds for online radicalization? In this episode of The Good Robot, host Dr. Eleanor Drage sits down with Raphael Hernandes, a Cambridge PhD researcher, award-winning data journalist, and reporter for The Guardian and Folha de São Paulo. Together, they delve into The Guardian's European Press Prize–winning investigation into 16 interconnected Facebook groups with over 600,000 members, revealing how ordinary online communities and retirement-age administrators quietly normalize anti-immigrant sentiment, nativism, and far-right rhetoric.
Raphael also warns against the growing crisis of data access as major tech platforms increasingly close their backends to independent researchers. Tune in for a fascinating discussion on how social media platforms are dodging accountability, the subtle mechanics of online radicalization, and why public interest auditing is more crucial than ever for the future of digital communications.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Genomics, NFL Players, and Public Health with Chelsey Carter
October 27, 202644 min
Why is public health struggling to make its technologies good?In this episode, Yale public health scholar and medical anthropologist Chelsey R. Carter joins Eleanor Drage to explore the technologies of public …
Show notes
Why is public health struggling to make its technologies good?
In this episode, Yale public health scholar and medical anthropologist Chelsey R. Carter joins Eleanor Drage to explore the technologies of public health. They discuss how eye-gaze devices can help people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) communicate, and why assistive technology can fail when users don’t receive the training and support they need. Chelsey also tells us about racial bias in neurological care that National Football League (NFL) players receive after injuries, and shares how the Black Genome Project approaches representation and lived experience in genomics. From COVID-19 and public health policy to precision medicine and the ethics of health technology, this conversation asks who benefits from innovation, and what it takes to make healthcare more equitable. Essential listening for anyone interested in disability justice, Black health, medical anthropology, health equity, and the relationship between technology, race, and care.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Navigating Disability in Russia with Cassandra Hartblay
September 29, 202651 min
In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Cassandra Hartblay, anthropologist, writer, playwright, and author of Access Vernaculars: Disability and Accessible Design in Contemporary …
Show notes
In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Cassandra Hartblay, anthropologist, writer, playwright, and author of Access Vernaculars: Disability and Accessible Design in Contemporary Russia.
They explore disability, accessibility, technology, and inclusive design in contemporary Russia, examining how the unique political context shapes coping mechanisms for disabled people living in inaccessible and poorly maintained cities.
We also discuss the Sochi 2014 Olympics and Paralympics, disability advocacy, and the relationship between war and disability. Through stories of wheelchair users, activists, architects, and everyday experiences of inaccessible environments, the episode asks what it really means to create technology and design that enables people to move, participate, and live with greater freedom.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Sperm banks and palliative care with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire
September 15, 202637 min
What does it mean to care for people and worlds that cannot simply be “fixed”? In Part 2 of this conversation, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, authors of Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin …
Show notes
What does it mean to care for people and worlds that cannot simply be “fixed”? In Part 2 of this conversation, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, authors of Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival, about disability justice, collective care, maintenance, palliation, reproductive technology, and risk.
They explore how mutual aid and disability culture offer alternatives to social abandonment, why palliation can help us live with loss and uncertainty, and how ideas about genetic and psychiatric risk can reinforce ableism and eugenic thinking. The episode asks how we can move beyond “fixing” individual bodies toward building more accessible, supportive, and just worlds.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Sustaining life in crisis with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire
September 1, 202633 min
What does it mean to live in a world that is already broken, and what can disability justice teach us about creating more livable futures? In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly …
Show notes
What does it mean to live in a world that is already broken, and what can disability justice teach us about creating more livable futures? In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage speaks with Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, authors of Broken Worlds, Disabled Kin: Strategies for Collective Survival, about disability, technology, accessibility, care, maintenance, and collective survival.
They explore how technologies from ramps to genetic medicine are shaped by social, political, and economic systems. The conversation takes us from why mainstream tech innovation can distract us from maintenance and repair, how "brokenness" is experienced unevenly, and what AI means for accessibility and disability justice. At its heart, this episode asks a powerful question: What are we maintaining, what are we repairing, for whom, and toward what kind of world?
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Fugitive Sensing with Michele Friedner
June 30, 202631 min
What happens when we treat hearing as an economic duty, and global tech corporations turn assistive devices into a lifetime commitment?In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with medical …
Show notes
What happens when we treat hearing as an economic duty, and global tech corporations turn assistive devices into a lifetime commitment?
In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with medical anthropologist Michele Friedner (University of Chicago) to discuss her groundbreaking book, Sensory Futures: Deafness and Cochlear Implant Infrastructures in India. Together, they dismantle the normative project of "normalization" and expose the immense, hidden labor required to keep assistive technologies up and running.
From the strict boundaries placed on mothers in auditory-verbal therapy sessions to the global shadow economies keeping obsolete devices "on-air," Friedner shares a deeply personal and poignant look at what happens when tech forces a narrowing of the human experience. Ultimately, she points us toward a more beautiful alternative: "fugitive sensing", where multi-sensory care, touch, and love actively resist an ableist failure of the imagination.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Rise, Fall, and Rise of TikTok with Crystal Abidin
June 16, 202634 min
Most companies unwittingly undermine their biggest growth opportunities by ignoring the complex morality of social media—where good technology depends on who controls it, and who benefits. Hosted by Eleanor …
Show notes
Most companies unwittingly undermine their biggest growth opportunities by ignoring the complex morality of social media—where good technology depends on who controls it, and who benefits. Hosted by Eleanor Drage, this episode features Crystal Abidin, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, who exposes the hidden power plays behind platforms like TikTok, revealing how what’s 'good' or 'bad' technology is often a matter of perspective—and power.
This eye-opening episode, Eleanor and Crystal explore how social media’s ambivalence shapes youth cultures and influence—covering TikTok’s surprising origins, from climate activism to viral animals, and how state bans and geopolitical tensions transform global online communities. Crystal breaks down how content creators, from neurodivergent communities to cultural niche groups, leverage memes, humor, and subcultural capitals to forge solidarity and push back against systemic inequities.
Reading List:
- https://wishcrys.com/
- TikTok Cultures Research Network
Her work:
- Abidin, Crystal. 2026. TikTok and Youth Cultures. Emerald Publishing.
- Abidin, Crystal. 2026. Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame. Polity Press.
- Abidin, Crystal, and Natalie Pang (eds). 2025. Internet Popular Culture and (Everyday) Politics: Methodological & Ethical Critiques from Southeast Asia. Routledge.
- Gurrieri, Lauren, Jenna Drenten, and Crystal Abidin (eds). 2025. Influencer Marketing: Interdisciplinary and Socio-Cultural Perspectives. Routledge.
- Tiidenberg, Katrin, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. tumblr. Polity Press.
- Warfield, Katie, Crystal Abidin, and Carolina Cambre (eds). 2020. Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media. Bloomsbury Academic.
- Leaver, Tama, Tim Highfield, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures. Polity Press.
- Abidin, Crystal, and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds). 2018. Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame. Emerald Publishing.
- Abidin, Crystal. 2018. Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online_. _Emerald Publishing.
Community technology is the future with Dave Griffiths
June 2, 202634 min
In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with David Griffiths, founding director of the nonprofit Then Try This. Inspired by a childhood spent coding pixels next to his mother’s traditional …
Show notes
In this episode of The Good Robot, Eleanor Drage sits down with David Griffiths, founding director of the nonprofit Then Try This. Inspired by a childhood spent coding pixels next to his mother’s traditional floor loom, Dave unpacks the deep historical links between textiles and programming, arguing that technology is never neutral and that true innovation relies on grassroots, participatory design.
They explore brilliant local projects like Sonic Kayaks, which use underwater soundscapes to map marine data for visually impaired paddlers, and Nergal, an accessible game tracking public health trends using specialized audio cues. Finally, they reveal the hidden, feminist histories of computing, showing how modern microchips directly owe their legacy to the complex creativity of Navajo weavers. Tune in to discover why the future of tech belongs to frugal, community-led innovations rather than just the next iteration of GPT.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Battle Over Data Centers with Tara Merk
May 19, 202633 min
Join host Eleanor Drage and guest Tara Merk as they explore how community-owned data centers can revolutionize digital ownership. Discover innovative models that challenge big tech's dominance, promoting …
Show notes
Join host Eleanor Drage and guest Tara Merk as they explore how community-owned data centers can revolutionize digital ownership. Discover innovative models that challenge big tech's dominance, promoting sustainability and local empowerment. Learn from Germany's success in renewable energy and cooperative governance. This episode reimagines internet ownership, focusing on community needs for a fairer, greener future.
Reading list:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Future of Data Centers and Digital Sovereignty with Friederike von Franque
May 5, 202627 min
Can cloud infrastructure be owned and governed by the people, and not just Big Tech? Friederike von Franqué, policy advisor at Wikimedia Germany, reveals how feminist principles and decentralized infrastructure …
Show notes
Can cloud infrastructure be owned and governed by the people, and not just Big Tech? Friederike von Franqué, policy advisor at Wikimedia Germany, reveals how feminist principles and decentralized infrastructure are transforming the internet from a corporate service into a public commons.
In this episode, we explore Friederike’s work with Wikimedia Germany. From the energy-intensive data centers of Frankfurt to Stockholm’s municipally owned fibre infrastructure, we examine the struggle to build technology that prioritizes the common good over corporate profit. Friederike explains why hyperscalers are not always the solution, and why we need environmental accountability and community-driven design.
This conversation pulls back the curtain on the hidden data systems powering our lives, offering a provocative roadmap for a more equitable and sustainable digital future.

Reading List:
- Friederike von Franque website
- "Enough of the Billionaires and Their Big Tech. 'Frugal Tech' Will Build Us All a Better World": An article by Eleanor Drage.
- Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia Germany
- “Wikipedia Is Running On Its Own Metal: The Power and Limits of Self-Hosted Infrastructure”by Wikimedia Europe
- Data centres are reshaping the global investment landscape by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Revolutionary Microscopes Powering Global Tech Equality with Richard Bowman
April 21, 202630 min
Why do we often overlook the transformative power of open licensing in technology? Richard Bowman, a researcher and advocate for open source innovation, reveals how open licensing and frugal tech principles are …
Show notes
Why do we often overlook the transformative power of open licensing in technology? Richard Bowman, a researcher and advocate for open source innovation, reveals how open licensing and frugal tech principles are not just ideas but powerful tools for global change.
In this episode, we delve into Richard's journey from developing innovative microscopy to championing open source scientific hardware that challenges traditional tech ownership and promotes accessibility. Discover how these principles are reshaping global health and education, inspiring new ways to think about technology's role in society. Richard dismantles the myth that technology is neutral, illustrating how it can be a force for justice and empowerment.
From creating locally repairable microscopes to developing community-driven scientific tools, this conversation uncovers the potential of open technology in crafting a more equitable and sustainable world.
Reading list:
- Richard Bowman’s GitHub https://github.com/rwb27
- OpenFlexure Official Website https://openflexure.org/
- The Humanitarian Technology Trust https://httrust.org/
- We need to break science out of its ivory tower – here’s one way to do this by Jenny Molloy https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-break-science-out-of-its-ivory-tower-heres-one-way-to-do-this-76354
- The Open Source Hardware Movement by Andre Maia Chagas https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000014
- Making hardware open source can help us fight future pandemics by Richard Bowman and Julian Stirling https://theconversation.com/making-hardware-open-source-can-help-us-fight-future-pandemics-heres-how-we-get-there-153280
- Microscopy for everyone: how the OpenFlexure microscope is changing global healthcare https://www.theiet.org/membership/member-news/member-news-july-august-2025-issue/microscopy-for-everyone-how-the-openflexure-microscope-is-changing-global-healthcare
- OpenFlexure in MagPi Magazine (Issue 158, p. 112) https://magazine.raspberrypi.com/issues/158
- Sharing of hardware is a missing link in the open science puzzle via SPARC https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/often-overlooked-sharing-of-hardware-is-a-missing-link-in-open-science-puzzle/
- Open Science Hardware Policy by Julieta Arancio https://osh-policy.org/
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Designers: Let's Create Abolitionist and Black Liberatory Futures! with Terresa Hardaway
April 8, 202626 min
Why do we often miss the profound impact of design in social justice? Terresa Hardaway, a graphic design professor and social justice advocate, uncovers how racialized and abolitionist design principles are not …
Show notes
Why do we often miss the profound impact of design in social justice? Terresa Hardaway, a graphic design professor and social justice advocate, uncovers how racialized and abolitionist design principles are not just concepts but powerful tools for societal change.
In this episode, we explore Terresa's journey into the world of design that challenges systemic racism and promotes equity. Learn how these principles are reshaping community activism and inspiring new ways to think about design's role in society. Terresa dismantles the myth that design is neutral, illustrating how it can be a force for liberation and empowerment. From the creation of protest fonts to the development of community-centered spaces, this conversation reveals the transformative potential of design in crafting a more just and inclusive world.
Reading List:
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Discovering the Universe through Knitting with Elisabetta Matsumoto
March 26, 202631 min
Why do we overlook the power of traditional crafts in modern innovation? Elisabetta Matsumoto, a physicist and textile expert, reveals how knitting and smocking are not just crafts but catalysts for …
Show notes
Why do we overlook the power of traditional crafts in modern innovation? Elisabetta Matsumoto, a physicist and textile expert, reveals how knitting and smocking are not just crafts but catalysts for groundbreaking advancements.
In this episode, we delve into Elisabetta's exploration of textile techniques that are transforming sustainable fashion and medical technology. Discover how these crafts are revolutionizing pelvic surgeries and inspiring flexible programming languages. Elisabetta challenges the notion that high-tech must be costly, showing how ancient practices can lead to democratized tech solutions. From the intricacies of textile geometry to the broader implications for inclusivity and sustainability, this conversation uncovers the hidden potential of crafts in shaping a more equitable future.
Reading list:
How one physicist is unraveling the mathematics of knitting
Elisabetta A. Matsumoto's work

Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
Bonus Episode: The Internet's First Influencer, Tila Tequila, with Lisa Nakamura
February 24, 202626 min
In this part 2 episode, Eleanor continues her conversation with Lisa Nakamura about her latest book, The Inattention Economy. They delve deeper into the digital labor of women of color, the rise of influencers …
Show notes
In this part 2 episode, Eleanor continues her conversation with Lisa Nakamura about her latest book, The Inattention Economy. They delve deeper into the digital labor of women of color, the rise of influencers like Tila Tequila, and the pressing issues of online toxicity, exploitation, and reparations. Discover how historical and cultural shifts have shaped modern fame and the importance of reparations in the digital age.
Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Inattention Economy: Race, Gender, and Technology with Lisa Nakamura
February 10, 202633 min
In this episode, we talk to Lisa Nakamura, Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Inattention Economy: Seeing the Digital Labour of Women of Colour. Lisa reflects on how race, gender, and …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to Lisa Nakamura, Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Inattention Economy: Seeing the Digital Labour of Women of Colour. Lisa reflects on how race, gender, and power shape the histories of digital technology, focusing on the often overlooked labour that has made computing possible. She discusses the work of Navajo women in semiconductor manufacturing, the role of Japanese Americans in early tech production, and why attention, care, and recognition matter for understanding digital culture today.
Race and Orientalism in E-Gaming with Tara Fickle
January 27, 202625 min
In this episode, Tara Fickle, an associate professor of Asian American studies, delves into the intersection of race and gaming, introducing the concept of ludo-orientalism. She explores how racial stereotypes …
Show notes
In this episode, Tara Fickle, an associate professor of Asian American studies, delves into the intersection of race and gaming, introducing the concept of ludo-orientalism. She explores how racial stereotypes shape perceptions of Asian gamers and discusses the role of gender in e-sport culture.

Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
The Role of Designers in AI Ethics with Tomasz Hollanek
January 13, 202629 min
In this episode, Tomasz Hollanek argues that design is central to AI ethics. We discuss what role designers should play in AI ethics, the significance of AI literacy, and the responsibility of journalists in …
Show notes
In this episode, Tomasz Hollanek argues that design is central to AI ethics. We discuss what role designers should play in AI ethics, the significance of AI literacy, and the responsibility of journalists in reporting on AI technologies.

Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
What Makes a Drone “Good”? with Beryl Pong
December 23, 202532 min
In this episode, we talk to Beryl Pong, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Centre for Drones and Culture. Beryl reflects on what it means to think about drones as …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to Beryl Pong, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Centre for Drones and Culture. Beryl reflects on what it means to think about drones as “good” or “ethical” technologies and how it can be assessed through its socio-political context. Beryl examines the dual nature of drones, looking at both their humanitarian uses and the ethical implications of their deployment in civilian life. The discussion also touches on the aesthetics of drones and their representation in popular culture, concluding with a reflection on drone light shows as a new form of cultural expression.
The Vulnerabilities of Drone Warfare with Amy Gaeta
December 10, 202531 min
In this episode, Amy Gaeta, a researcher at the Centre for Drones and Culture and the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, discusses the how drones both uphold and subvert traditional masculine …
Show notes
In this episode, Amy Gaeta, a researcher at the Centre for Drones and Culture and the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, discusses the how drones both uphold and subvert traditional masculine norms and the implications of their use in various contexts, from hobbyist communities to pornography. The conversation explores the complexities of gender dynamics in technology and the potential for systemic change in societal perceptions.

Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
AI Needs Fat Liberation! with Aisha Sobey
November 25, 202533 min
In this episode, Aisha Sobey, a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, explores how anti-fat bias shapes our digital lives. She discusses its effects on health technologies …
Show notes
In this episode, Aisha Sobey, a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, explores how anti-fat bias shapes our digital lives. She discusses its effects on health technologies, social media, and generative AI, and explains why anti-fatness must be seen as a systemic issue. The conversation also highlights how ideas from fat liberation can help create more inclusive and fair technological design.
Can Programming Languages be Feminist? with Felienne Hermans
November 11, 202531 min
In this episode, Felienne Hermans, a professor of computer science education, discusses the intersection of feminism and programming. She shares her experiences in designing programming languages, particularly …
Show notes
In this episode, Felienne Hermans, a professor of computer science education, discusses the intersection of feminism and programming. She shares her experiences in designing programming languages, particularly Hedy, which supports 70 languages, including Arabic. The conversation explores the challenges of linguistic diversity in programming and the need for systemic change in the tech community.
Rethinking 'Creepy' Technology with Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski
June 24, 202527 min
In this episode we talk to Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski, the editors of the book Technocreep. We discuss what makes a technology creepy and the rise of so-called creepy technologies during COVID-19. Neda …
Show notes
In this episode we talk to Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski, the editors of the book Technocreep. We discuss what makes a technology creepy and the rise of so-called creepy technologies during COVID-19. Neda and Nassim argue that creepiness is associated with surveillance and that privacy is posited as the solution to so-called creepy tech. However, they highlight the way that race and gender have shaped who has the right to privacy and argue that we need to go beyond the privacy/surveillance binary when thinking about creep. Their volume explores instead how feminists are reclaiming the idea of creep, from how the slow growth of creep or creepiness challenges the tech industry's emphasis on radical innovation, to how the idea of creep is used to police what's considered normal or desirable.
Symbiosis From Bacteria to AI with N. Katherine Hayles
June 3, 202536 min
In this episode, we talk to N. Katherine Hayles who's the distinguished research professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to N. Katherine Hayles who's the distinguished research professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University. Her prolific research focuses on the relationship between science, literature and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries. We explore her newest book, Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts, and discuss how the biological concept of symbiosis can inform the relationships we have with AI; how a neural network experiences the world; and whether ChatGPT can be conscious.
Transhumanist Fantasies with Alexander Thomas
May 13, 202536 min
In this episode, Eleanor talks to Alexander Thomas, a filmmaker and academic who leads the BA in Media Production at the University of East London. They discuss his new book about transhumanism, a philosophical …
Show notes
In this episode, Eleanor talks to Alexander Thomas, a filmmaker and academic who leads the BA in Media Production at the University of East London. They discuss his new book about transhumanism, a philosophical movement that aims to improve human capabilities through technology and whose followers includes Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Larry Page, and also apparently the DJ Steve Aoki. Alex is himself one of the foremost commentators on transhumanism. He explores transhumanist fantasies about the future of the human, is obsessed with the extremes of possibility: they either think that AI will bring us radical abundance or total extinction. Transhumanism, Alexander says in this episode, reduces life down to information processing and intelligence, which amounts to a kind of IQ fetishism.
Data Bodies and Arab Futurisms with Laila Shereen Sakr
April 29, 202526 min
In this episode, we talk to digital media theorist and artist Laila Shereen Sakr, who also performs under the name VJ Um Amel. We discuss her work making data about the outer world both visible and emotional …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to digital media theorist and artist Laila Shereen Sakr, who also performs under the name VJ Um Amel. We discuss her work making data about the outer world both visible and emotional. We explore what Laila calls the "surveyed and targeted Arab data body" and the incredible work she does creating Arab futuristic video games that both represent Arab cultures and project them into the future. We hope you enjoy the show.
Managing the Body through Food Law and Policy with Kyla Wazana Tompkins
April 1, 202538 min
In this episode we talk to Kyla Wazana Tompkins, chair of the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of Buffalo. She gives incredible insight into the relationship between the …
Show notes
In this episode we talk to Kyla Wazana Tompkins, chair of the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of Buffalo. She gives incredible insight into the relationship between the history of science and the history of food law and policy. We look at legislation like the 1906 Food and Drug Act to examine how food policy shaped and was shaped by American ideas about race, national identity, and the body. From $40 LA smoothies to the fermentation practices of the Appalachian peoples, we explore how the way we eat is always bound up with race and gender, both in the past and in the present.
Re-imagining Voice Assistants with Stina Hasse Jørgensen and Frederik Juutilainen
March 11, 202534 min
To develop voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, companies spend years investigating what sounds like a human voice and what doesn't. But what we've ended up with is just one possibility of the kinds …
Show notes
To develop voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, companies spend years investigating what sounds like a human voice and what doesn't. But what we've ended up with is just one possibility of the kinds of voices that we could be interacting with. In this episode, we talked to sound engineer Frederik Juutilainen, and Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Stina Hasse Jørgensen, about their participation in [multi'vocal], an experimental research project that created an alternative voice assistant by asking people at a rock festival in Denmark to speak into a portable recording box. We talk about voice assistants' inability to stutter, lisp and code switch, and whether a voice can express multiple personalities, genders and ages.
Critiquing Tech through Comedy with Laura Allcorn
February 11, 202533 min
In this episode, we go shopping with artist and performer, Laura Allcorn. We enter into her practice, which is called the Institute for Comedic Inquiry, to learn how she pairs humour and entertainment with …
Show notes
In this episode, we go shopping with artist and performer, Laura Allcorn. We enter into her practice, which is called the Institute for Comedic Inquiry, to learn how she pairs humour and entertainment with participatory public engagement methods to raise awareness about bizarre and dangerous uses of AI. Laura uses comedy to skewer all manner of ethically questionable technologies, from gait surveillance to shopping algorithms. We participate in one of Laura's performances in this episode, 'SKU-MARKET', an algorithmic shopping platform that promises to know you better than you know yourself. Stay tuned for what the algorithm says about us...
Surfing the Web in Sync with the Sun with Anne Pasek
January 21, 202529 min
In this episode, we talk to Anne Pasek, the Canada Research Chair in Media Culture and the Environment, and an Associate Professor between the Department of Cultural Studies and the School of the Environment at …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to Anne Pasek, the Canada Research Chair in Media Culture and the Environment, and an Associate Professor between the Department of Cultural Studies and the School of the Environment at Trent University. We love Anne for lots of reasons, not least because she has a 50 watt solar panel, a little Raspberry Pi computer, and an acid battery, all in her backyard, hosting a server. Together we discuss pleasurable ways of responding to climate anxiety, what would happen if the internet wasn't always on, but instead functioned in tandem with the sun, and why addressing climate crisis isn't necessarily about living with less, but learning to live in sync.
Using Feminist Chatbots to Fight Trolls With Sarah Ciston
January 7, 202527 min
In this episode, we talk to Sarah Ciston, an artist, coder, writer, and critical AI scholar. We asked Sarah to talk about this badass chatbot they created called Ladymouth, which responds to trolls and incels …
Show notes
In this episode, we talk to Sarah Ciston, an artist, coder, writer, and critical AI scholar. We asked Sarah to talk about this badass chatbot they created called Ladymouth, which responds to trolls and incels on hate forums. We discussed the difficult labor of content moderation and the long lasting effects of trying to do feminist work online. We also talk about the surprising things that incels and feminists have in common and whether you can use AI to change people's minds and establish common humanity at scale.

These are the latest 40 of 127 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.

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