It’s estimated illegal fishing now accounts for the capture of one in every five fish worldwide. It’s a massive problem. But the biggest threat to fish stocks comes not from illegal activity, but from mainstream fishing industries. In particular, the large national fishing fleets that traverse our oceans. A major international study of marine species has found over 33 per cent of fish species are being over-exploited. 60 per cent are being fished to their maximum level. So, can we bring over-fis...
Mar 07, 2021•29 min
It’s estimated illegal fishing now accounts for the capture of one in every five fish worldwide. It’s a massive problem. But the biggest threat to fish stocks comes not from illegal activity, but from mainstream fishing industries. In particular, the large national fishing fleets that traverse our oceans. A major international study of marine species has found over 33 per cent of fish species are being over-exploited. 60 per cent are being fished to their maximum level. So, can we bring over-fis...
Mar 07, 2021•29 min
Early in 2020 we looked at New Zealand’s Wellbeing Budget initiative. That was just as the world was going into COVID lockdown. So how did the initiative handle the economic stresses caused by the pandemic. We get an update from Christoph Schumacher. We also look at some of the attribution problems faced by Wikipedia; and Elisabeth Braw from the American Enterprise Institute explains why she thinks the future of policing lies in following a model laid down by Napoleon....
Feb 28, 2021•29 min
Early in 2020 we looked at New Zealand’s Wellbeing Budget initiative. That was just as the world was going into COVID lockdown. So how did the initiative handle the economic stresses caused by the pandemic. We get an update from Christoph Schumacher. We also look at some of the attribution problems faced by Wikipedia; and Elisabeth Braw from the American Enterprise Institute explains why she thinks the future of policing lies in following a model laid down by Napoleon....
Feb 28, 2021•29 min
Brain-Machine-Interface technology is only in its infancy, but scientists believe it may one day allow the severely disabled to perform everyday tasks using brain signals to power artificial limbs. But some US tech companies have more ambitious interests. They envision a future where BMI will allow them to read people’s thoughts; and where humans will use mind power to interact with their digital devices. It’s an exciting field, but one fraught with ethical concerns....
Feb 21, 2021•29 min
Brain-Machine-Interface technology is only in its infancy, but scientists believe it may one day allow the severely disabled to perform everyday tasks using brain signals to power artificial limbs. But some US tech companies have more ambitious interests. They envision a future where BMI will allow them to read people’s thoughts; and where humans will use mind power to interact with their digital devices. It’s an exciting field, but one fraught with ethical concerns....
Feb 21, 2021•29 min
From ridesharing to electric cars to self-driving vehicles the line between application, potential and promise is often very blurry. In this episode we take a reality check on the future direction of the automotive industry.
Feb 14, 2021•29 min
French President, Emmanuel Macron, activist Greta Thunberg and even the Pope have all given support for the creation of a new crime called “ecocide” - the deliberate, large-scale destruction of the environment. Campaigners argue the new crime should be prosecuted through the International Criminal Court, but there are political and legal hurdles to jump. Also, design expert, Craig Bremner, on how the pandemic has liberated design from the shackles of consumer capitalism....
Feb 07, 2021•29 min
French President, Emmanuel Macron, activist Greta Thunberg and even the Pope have all given support for the creation of a new crime called “ecocide” - the deliberate, large-scale destruction of the environment. Campaigners argue the new crime should be prosecuted through the International Criminal Court, but there are political and legal hurdles to jump. Also, design expert, Craig Bremner, on how the pandemic has liberated design from the shackles of consumer capitalism....
Feb 07, 2021•29 min
What will the global political landscape look like when the world’s dependency on fossil fuels is finally over? Adjustments are already being made, but for so-called “petrostates” like Saudi Arabia and Russia, the prospects look particularly bleak. Experts warn of new inequalities and shifting power dynamics. They also warn of a fall in available energy levels as nations transition to renewables.
Jan 31, 2021•29 min
What will the global political landscape look like when the world’s dependency on fossil fuels is finally over? Adjustments are already being made, but for so-called “petrostates” like Saudi Arabia and Russia, the prospects look particularly bleak. Experts warn of new inequalities and shifting power dynamics. They also warn of a fall in available energy levels as nations transition to renewables.
Jan 31, 2021•29 min
There’s bipartisan support in the United States for the establishment of a national AI research cloud. So, how would academics benefit and what role would big tech play in its operations? Also, problems with academic inclusivity in the developing world, and could alternative channels of distribution soon rival the primacy of peer-reviewed journals?
Jan 23, 2021•29 min
There’s bipartisan support in the United States for the establishment of a national AI research cloud. So, how would academics benefit and what role would big tech play in its operations? Also, problems with academic inclusivity in the developing world, and could alternative channels of distribution soon rival the primacy of peer-reviewed journals?
Jan 23, 2021•29 min
The Himalayas are sometime called the earth’s “third pole”. They’re a vital source of water for a large chunk of the world’s population. But the local, national and international systems put in place to protect and manage human development in this vital ecosystem are failing. In this episode, Matt Smith travels to the Himalayas for Future Tense to gauge the size of the problem and possible solutions for safeguarding its future.
Jan 16, 2021•29 min
The Himalayas are sometime called the earth’s “third pole”. They’re a vital source of water for a large chunk of the world’s population. But the local, national and international systems put in place to protect and manage human development in this vital ecosystem are failing. In this episode, Matt Smith travels to the Himalayas for Future Tense to gauge the size of the problem and possible solutions for safeguarding its future.
Jan 16, 2021•29 min
When it’s completed the futuristic city of Neom will sit in the Saudi Arabian desert, a US$500 billion dollar metropolis, thirty times larger than New York. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman believes the project will transform his kingdom into the innovation centre of the world, but critics say it risks further widening inequality and dividing the country in two. Also, what’s to become of China’s “ghost cities”? Built for future expansion, they now haunt the urban landscape....
Jan 09, 2021•29 min
When it’s completed the futuristic city of Neom will sit in the Saudi Arabian desert, a US$500 billion dollar metropolis, thirty times larger than New York. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman believes the project will transform his kingdom into the innovation centre of the world, but critics say it risks further widening inequality and dividing the country in two. Also, what’s to become of China’s “ghost cities”? Built for future expansion, they now haunt the urban landscape....
Jan 09, 2021•29 min
Inclusive design isn’t just about meeting the needs of the disabled, it’s about opening-up the possibility of creating better products and services for everyone.
Jan 02, 2021•29 min
Inclusive design isn’t just about meeting the needs of the disabled, it’s about opening-up the possibility of creating better products and services for everyone.
Jan 02, 2021•29 min
Smart phones have become an essential part of our lives. But are they so familiar, we sometimes underestimate their importance? The role they’ve played in helping to shape our interests and interactions?
Dec 26, 2020•29 min
Smart phones have become an essential part of our lives. But are they so familiar, we sometimes underestimate their importance? The role they’ve played in helping to shape our interests and interactions?
Dec 26, 2020•29 min
Film, television and theatre have long been seen as markers of community and national identity – we speak of American sitcoms, British theatrical traditions and French cinema, for instance. But in an increasingly interconnected digital world do visual arts still play a role as cultural identifiers? Does it make sense anymore to talk of an “Australian” film or even a “Hollywood” blockbuster? And if not, is the notion of telling “our stories” a thing of the past?...
Dec 19, 2020•29 min
Film, television and theatre have long been seen as markers of community and national identity – we speak of American sitcoms, British theatrical traditions and French cinema, for instance. But in an increasingly interconnected digital world do visual arts still play a role as cultural identifiers? Does it make sense anymore to talk of an “Australian” film or even a “Hollywood” blockbuster? And if not, is the notion of telling “our stories” a thing of the past?...
Dec 19, 2020•29 min
What do ordinary Australians know about artificial intelligence? Are they hopeful or fearful about the way it's being deployed? In this program we hear about the latest public opinion research and find out how other countries are coordinating and prioritising AI development. Also, the mysterious online platform that seemed to defy Beijing’s Great Firewall and then vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Dec 12, 2020•29 min
What do ordinary Australians know about artificial intelligence? Are they hopeful or fearful about the way it's being deployed? In this program we hear about the latest public opinion research and find out how other countries are coordinating and prioritising AI development. Also, the mysterious online platform that seemed to defy Beijing’s Great Firewall and then vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Dec 12, 2020•29 min
Way back in 1942 science fiction writer Isaac Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics. They were written into a short story called “Runaround”. Their influence on technological development has been significant and long lasting Now, legal academic and AI expert Frank Pasquale has expanded that list. Building on Asimov’s legacy, Professor Pasquale’s four new laws of robotics are designed to ensure that the future development of artificial intelligence is done in the interest of humanity....
Dec 05, 2020•29 min
Way back in 1942 science fiction writer Isaac Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics. They were written into a short story called “Runaround”. Their influence on technological development has been significant and long lasting Now, legal academic and AI expert Frank Pasquale has expanded that list. Building on Asimov’s legacy, Professor Pasquale’s four new laws of robotics are designed to ensure that the future development of artificial intelligence is done in the interest of humanity....
Dec 05, 2020•29 min
Over the past two decades we’ve become increasingly sensitive to the overuse of plastic and more concerned about its environmental impact – but to what effect? According to the World Wildlife Fund, we’ve actually used more plastic since the year 2000 than in all the decades leading up to that date. And previous estimates for the amount of plastic in our oceans now appear far too conservative. Feel-good campaigns aside, the signs for the future are far from promising. As part of Radio National's ...
Nov 28, 2020•29 min
Over the past two decades we’ve become increasingly sensitive to the overuse of plastic and more concerned about its environmental impact – but to what effect? According to the World Wildlife Fund, we’ve actually used more plastic since the year 2000 than in all the decades leading up to that date. And previous estimates for the amount of plastic in our oceans now appear far too conservative. Feel-good campaigns aside, the signs for the future are far from promising. As part of Radio National's ...
Nov 28, 2020•29 min
It’s easy to forget that the “gig economy” was once universally referred to as the “sharing economy”. So what went wrong and is it possible to bring back that original promise of flexibility, autonomy and respect? Also, building a genuine cycling culture - the Dutch example. And how to make voice recognition technology better at understanding the voices of children.
Nov 21, 2020•29 min
