Think: Digital Futures - podcast cover

Think: Digital Futures

2SER 107.3
Each episode explores how today’s technology is transforming tomorrow — from our biology, habits, relationships, spaces to our place in the universe.
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Episodes

When Our Social Problems Go Digital

Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp or any combination of the above, social media apps are changing the way we relate to each other. So when all your friends (and enemies) can be reached at the touch of a button, is this bringing us closer or pushing us further apart? And what happens when our interactions turn bad? Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson Speakers: Sally & Laura, social media users Robyn Johns, Management Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney Ar...

Jul 16, 201719 minSeason 1Ep. 52

Are Data Scientists Innovating Themselves Out Of A Job?

In 2012, the Harvard Business Review called Data Science the 'Sexiest Job of the Century'. It's not hard to see why - data scientists are at the vanguard of the technological revolution. They're changing nearly every field and developing new ways of collecting and interpreting data at breakneck speed. But could they actually be making themselves obsolete? Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson Speakers: Chengqi Zhang, Executive Director of Data Science at the University of Technology Sydney Michael...

Jul 09, 201719 minSeason 1Ep. 51

Creativity In The Digital Age

Technology has opened up new possibilities for art to push the boundaries like never before. From an AI art blogger to intricate visualisations of our cellular structure, artists are embracing technology to challenge the way we see the world around us. We take a look at some of the stories from the intersection of science, technology and art. Producers/Presenters: Cheyne Anderson & Joe Koning Speakers: Tom Lee - School of Design, University of Technology Sydney Drew Berry - Biological Animat...

Jul 02, 201722 minSeason 1Ep. 50

Don't Run With Molecular Scissors

With revolutions in gene editing technology, scientists are developing ways to wipe out out genetic diseases like cancer, and also opening up the possibility of editing for superpowers. In this episode, Cheyne Anderson speaks to biomedical engineer Joshua Chou about CRISPR-cas9, the secretive international gene race and the X-men. Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson Speaker: Dr Joshua Chou - University of Technology Sydney Think: Digital Futures is supported by 2SER and the University of Technol...

Jun 25, 201722 minSeason 1Ep. 49

How Data Is Decoding Healthcare

As the needs of the population begin to change, so too does the way we deliver healthcare. In collaboration with Think: Health, we look at how data is revolutionizing healthcare delivery, and whether we should be concerned about our privacy. Producers/Presenters: Ellen Leabeater & Jake Morcom Speakers: Jude Constable - Acting General Manager, Westmead Hospital Mary Lam - Senior Lecturer and Acting Director of Digital Health and Innovation, University of Technology Sydney Richard Royle - Nati...

Jun 17, 201747 minSeason 1Ep. 48

REBROADCAST: How Phones Are A New Front In The Fight Against Domestic Violence

Having a device in your pocket 24/7 opens up new opportunities for abusers to control and spy on their partners. But it's also an opportunity for domestic violence victims and services to be more connected than ever before. Presenter: Ellen Leabeater Producer: Josh Nicholas Speakers: Alex Davis - Solicitor, Legal Aid NSW Priyadarsi Nanda - Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Communications, University of Technology Sydney Dr Bhuva Narayan - Senior Lecturer, IKM and Digital Studies Program, ...

Jun 11, 201728 minSeason 1Ep. 47

The Double-edged Sword Of Data

Sometimes we get caught up thinking data and science are the be all and end all - it can give us a lot of answers sure, but the devil is in the detail. How are we interpreting data wrong? And why do we have trouble communicating it? Presenters/Producers: Cheyne Anderson & Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Jon Wardle - Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney Simon Knight - Lecturer, Connected Intelligence Centre, UTS Mark Moritz - Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Ohio State...

Jun 04, 201723 minSeason 1Ep. 46

Preparing For The Quantum Revolution

It's more likely than not we'll see quantum computers in the next few decades, so what issues do we need to consider before they arrive? We examine how quantum computers will be programmed, and how we can protect our personal data. Presenters/Producers: Ellen Leabeater, Cheyne Anderson Speakers: Professor Michael Blumenstein - Head of the School of Software in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney Vikram Sharma - Founder and CEO, Quintessenc...

May 27, 201725 minSeason 1Ep. 45

Mining High Court Data

The High Court is the last court of appeal in Australia, but not everyone gets a chance at the final say. Parties have to apply to have a matter heard in the High Court, so how do judges decide who does and doesn't get a look in? Presenter/Producer: Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Professor Anita Stuhmcke - Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney Pamela Stewart - Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney Think: Digital Futures is supported by 2SER and the Unversity of Te...

May 20, 201723 minSeason 1Ep. 44

The Future Of Drug Crime

Innovation is a blessing and a curse in the fight against global drug trafficking. Think: Digital Futures explores the changing landscape of recreational drug use, and the developments in science and technology that are challenging the way we connect drugs to crime. Presenter/Producer: Cheyne Anderson Speakers: Morgan Philp - PhD Candidate University Technology Sydney Marie Morelato - Post-doctoral Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney Dr James Martin - Convener of the Crimi...

May 14, 201721 minSeason 1Ep. 43

How Do We Transition To Driverless Cars?

Driverless cars could be sold in Australia in three years time, and it's expected these cars will be the norm in 15 years time. So how to we start the transition from driver cars, to driverless? Speakers: Urtzi Grau- Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Technology Sydney Guillermo Fernandez-Abascal - PhD student, University of Technology Sydney Ed Blakely- Founder and Principal, City Leadership Institute and Professor at University of Sydney Nathaniel Bavington- Smart City Coor...

May 07, 201727 minSeason 1Ep. 42

How To Break Up Online

We find love online, we share our love online, but what happens to our relationships when we break up offline? This week, we look at how social media can be used for good and bad after a breakup, and find out what to do with all the digital possessions you accumulate during a relationship. Producer: Ellen Leabeater Presenters: Cheyne Anderson & Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Erica & Luke Elisabeth Shaw - Clinical Director, Relationships Australia NSW Gloria Hawke - Director, Hawke Segal Media...

Apr 30, 201732 minSeason 1Ep. 41

What Is The Internet Doing To Our Heads?

We spend more time online than offline, so what is all this screen time doing to our heads? Presenter/Producer: Cheyne Anderson Presenter: Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Lawrence Lam - Professor of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney Katina Michael - Professor, School of Computing and IT, University of Wollongong David Glance - Director Centre for Software Practice, University of Western Australia Think: Digital Futures is supported by 2SER and the University of Technology Sydney. 2ser.com...

Apr 22, 201726 minSeason 1Ep. 40

What Do We Do With All Our E-waste?

Think about all the electrical devices in your home. Your phone, kettle, computer, washing machine... the list goes on. It's estimated that each household in Australia has 350 kilos of electrical material, and we chuck out 35 kilos of the stuff per person per year. And the worst part? Australia only recycles 10% of our e-waste. So what do we do with all those cables and devices? In a special collaboration with Think: Sustainability, we delve deep into the e-waste problem to try and find some sol...

Apr 16, 201740 minSeason 1Ep. 39

How Do We Design Social Robots?

Social robots are no longer a thing of science fiction, they're beginning to enter nursing homes, schools, and your home. So how do you design a social robot? What does it look like? How should it act? Speakers: Anne Cranny-Francis - Professor of Cultural Studies, Faculty Arts and Social Sciences UTS Eleanor Sandry - Lecturer, Curtin University Mari Velonaki - Media Artist & Professor of Social Robotics at UNSW Rajiv Khosla - CEO of Human Centred Innovations Producers/Presenters: Cheyne Ande...

Apr 09, 201721 minSeason 1Ep. 38

Why We Need More Kids In STEM

Australia's report card for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) participation needs some work. But what's the best way to get kids engaged in STEM education? Presenters/Producers: Cheyne Anderson & Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Chris Ferrie - Quantum Physicist at the Centre for Quantum Software and Information, University of Technology Sydney Jane Hunter - Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, UTS Peter Aubusson - Professor of Education, UTS Taj Pabari - Founder, Fiftysix Cre...

Mar 30, 201720 minSeason 1Ep. 37

How Do We Design A Post-industrial City?

Our jobs are changing, and so are our cities. We have data coming out of our ears to make cities efficient and more sustainable. But are we at risk of losing the humanness in the urban jungle? SPEAKERS: Sarah Barnes- Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University and Co-Director, Esem Projects Jess Scully - Councilor, City of Sydney Professor Ed Blakely - City Leaders Institute Adam Beck - Executive Director Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand Stuart White...

Mar 26, 201723 minSeason 1Ep. 36

How Do We Regulate Robots?

Robots and artificial intelligence are moving from the factory floor into the car, the home and our workplace. If we are interacting with this technology more, how do we regulate it? Who is to blame when something goes wrong? Presenters/Producers: Cheyne Anderson & Ellen Leabeater Speakers: Gary Lea - Researcher, Australian National University Teresa Vidal Calleja - Researcher, Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology Sydney Mady Delvaux - Member of the EU Parliament from Luxe...

Mar 19, 201723 minSeason 1Ep. 35

Will Artificial Intelligence Destroy Capitalism?

There's no doubt that artificial intelligence is going to be smarter than humans - they're already driving cars and sorting files for us. So if no job is safe from AI, how do we make money? Will capitalism as we know it still exist? Presented and Produced by Cheyne Anderson and Ellen Leabeater. Speakers: Paul Mason - Journalist & Author of Post-Capitalism: A Guide to Our Future Gigi Foster - Economist, University of New South Wales Dr Elizabeth Humphrys - Researcher, Faculty of Arts and Soci...

Mar 09, 201720 minSeason 1Ep. 34

How To Hack An Insulin Pump

How easy is it to hack into an insulin pump or pacemaker? Should we be worried? ---------------------------------- Presenter/Producer: Ellen Leabeater Guests: Jay Radcliffe - Type 1 diabetic, researcher for Rapid7 Michael Blumenstein - Professor, School of Software, Faculty of Engineering and IT at University of Technology Sydney Dr Bradley Wilsmore - Cardiologist For more info visit 2ser.com/thinkdigitalfutures

Mar 02, 201724 minSeason 1Ep. 33

How Data Is Fostering Less Invasive Medicine

In a collaboration with Think: Health, this week we're taking a look at a few examples of non-invasive medical tech - tracking blood sugar without blood, exoskeletons for rehab, and using vibrations to help the blind see.

Dec 04, 201639 minSeason 1Ep. 32

Playing Games With AI

Earlier this year Google managed to do something many thought impossible - they built an artificial intelligence that beat a human at the board game GO. Almost twenty years ago IBM did something similar, beating the world chess champion with their computer, Deep Blue. Understanding how these computers play games, as well as the myriad computer games we all know and love, reveals a lot about the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Nov 14, 201631 minSeason 1Ep. 31

How To Design Technology For A Human

Nomatter how exciting it may be, when new technology is developed, it's often really hard to use. The first few years of mainframes, smartphones and artificial intelligence all started this way. But gradually, the rest of us want in. And designers start trying to figure out how to make it accessible for almost anyone. This is how users get into design.

Oct 29, 201624 minSeason 1Ep. 29

REBROADCAST: Why Are People Going Analogue?

This year saw a record number of vinyl records sold. It's a 28 year high, but the trend has been going this way for a while. But with so many digital options, why are people choosing to go analogue?

Oct 21, 201624 minSeason 1Ep. 28

REBROADCAST: A Peek Inside A More Diverse World

This week and next are supporter drive here at 2ser, and Jake and Josh are busy cooking up some live shows to help us raise money and keep the station on air. So here's one of our favourite shows from this year -- a look inside a women's only hackathon at Fishburners

Oct 15, 201627 minSeason 1Ep. 27

Talking Data With Prof Michael Blumenstein

UTS Professor Michael Blumenstein is someone we've had on the show a bit, helping us explain big data, new data, weird data and much else. On this week's show we dedicate the entire half hour to a chat with Prof Blumenstein, to get a more in depth look at the current state of data science and what will happen as chips get imbedded in more and more things.

Oct 08, 201631 minSeason 1Ep. 26

It's Not Just Big Data, But New Data Too

Analytics and "Big Data" are becoming ever more prevalent, as new technology brings down costs and statistics is brought to bear in new and interesting ways. But technology isn't just making it easier to crunch the numbers, it's also allowing us to capture data on things we never could before.

Oct 01, 201627 minSeason 1Ep. 25

How Tech Is Coming After Fashion

Technology has always been a part of fashion -- scissors and sewing machines are a good example. But recent technological revolutions haven't been mirrored with revolutions in fashion -- computers and the internet have largely made fashion more efficient, rather than changing what it looks like or does. But new tools, ideas and norms are changing this. We might be on the cusp of something rather different.

Sep 24, 201620 minSeason 1Ep. 24

Cobbling Together A Big Data Set

When you think about big data, you're probably imagining something high tech. But when it comes to science, big data sets doesn't always look like this. Some researchers have cobbled together old data from the most disparate sources -- journals, ledgers, old computers etc., allowing them to do more with the data from their modern sensors and techniques.

Sep 18, 201621 minSeason 1Ep. 23
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