[Bonus] Fall 2016 Lecture (A)
Stephen gave his students a change of pace by having Chris deliver a guest lecture on podcasting. This lecture was recorded immediately before delivering 5.05: "Faint Not" (Live at N.C. State) .
Dec 28, 2016•40 min
Winning Slowly
There are plenty of podcasts that will tell you how the latest tech gadget or “innovation” will affect the tech landscape tomorrow, but there aren’t that many concerned with the potential impact of that tech in a decade—much less a century. In a culture obsessed with now, how can we make choices with a view for tomorrow, next year, and beyond? 25–35-minute episodes released the first and third Wednesdays of the month.
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Episodes
5.09: Regulate All The Things!
Negative / Visible / Legal: regulations and the open internet Show Notes We look at internet policy and regulations as a view into the broader question of the relationship between government regulations and markets. Are all regulations harmful to the free market? Is a free market always the best? How do ideas like net neutrality and local loop unbundling play into it? Correction Chris said, wrongly, that the North Carolina state government prevented Charlotte from building its own municipal fibe...
Nov 29, 2016•30 min•Season 5Ep. 9
[Follow-up] 5.08b: On Andrew Jackson
At the end of 5.08 we made an offhand joke about Andrew Jackson. On further consideration, that joke wasn't funny: it missed some incredibly important realities. We got this wrong.
Nov 28, 2016•3 min•Season 5Ep. 8
5.08: Empathy is Hard Work
Reflections on the necessity, and the limitations, of empathy in light of the 2016 American election cycle Show Notes In the wake of the surprising outcome of the 2016 American presidential election, we talk about how we do politics going forward. In particular, we look at how empathy and treating each other (no matter how sharp our differences) as people made in the image of God must inform our politics, even as we acknowledge that no amount of empathy will overcome all disagreements. Links “Wh...
Nov 16, 2016•31 min•Season 5Ep. 8
5.07: Books, The Internet, and Homeless People
Positive / Invisible / Legal (Organized): public libraries and the common good Show Notes We talk libraries . Why? Because public libraries are awesome . They’re on of the few unalloyed successes in social experiments. They do good in a wide array of areas, and they’re free to use (because we support them as taxpayers). If you want to hear Chris giddy, this is the episode. The second of two episodes recorded live at NC State University on September 22, 2016. (Yep, our schedule is way different t...
Nov 01, 2016•26 min•Season 5Ep. 7
5.06: Ghost of a King
Art, faith, how culture shapes and is shaped by us, and more in The Gray Havens’ latest album Show Notes Chris and Stephen have a wide-ranging conversation with Dave Radford of husband-and-wife folk-pop duo The Gray Havens about the value and purpose of art, the business side of the music industry, and the process of putting together their latest album, Ghost of a King . Musical influences: Simon and Garfunkel James Taylor Cat Stevens Frank Sinatra Dean Martin Queen Coldplay Mumford and Sons Flo...
Oct 18, 2016•48 min•Season 5Ep. 6
5.05: “Faint Not”
Negative / Invisible / Legal (Organized): civil forfeiture and entrenched legal evil Show NotesWe take on civil forfeiture. The short version: we hate it. It’s a wicked injustice and we think it ought to be fought, and fought hard. (If you want to hear Chris and Stephen get actually angry about something, this is the episode.) Links “Civil forfeiture in the United States” – Wikipedia “NYPD admits accounting for its civil-forfeiture seizures is hopeless” – RT “Asset Forfeiture Abuse” – ACLU “Civi...
Oct 04, 2016•26 min•Season 5Ep. 5
5.04: Stuffy, Boring, Old, Lame
Positive / Visible / Social (Organized): orchestras and the question of “public goods” Show NotesWe talk about orchestras, ask whether financial viability is a guide to the health or importance of particular institutions (hint: Betteridge’s Law ), and look at how orchestras and other such institutions can be real markers of cultural health even for the people they don’t directly affect. Links An article in The New York Times , in 1903 , referenced in The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras , by...
Sep 20, 2016•29 min•Season 5Ep. 4
5.03: It's Not Like Uber
Show Notes In which we look at Facebook... but not like we ever have before. Why are people starting to turn off Facebook, and what social pressures are arising from that? How do social pressures of this sort work, and what kinds of changes do they affect? Links Virtue signaling “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains” , Nicolas Carr, The Atlantic , July/August 2008 “The road out of Denton” – Jim Bradbury for TribTalk / The Texas Tribune , July 8, 2015, on Texas and...
Sep 13, 2016•28 min•Season 5Ep. 3
5.02: Playing Monopoly: Never Okay
Negative → Positive / Visible / Legal → Social: marijuana legalization and how systems change. Show Notes Marijuana legalization is happening in various states in the United States. How does that kind of change fit into the system we’ve devised for talking about structure and agency/systems and individuals? Because norms do change: all the time. How? Links Reefer Madness “What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol? A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast” “Four of the Major Fear Campaigns That Helped ...
Aug 23, 2016•30 min•Season 5Ep. 2
[Bonus] Apologia
In which we laugh at ourselves and explain why you didn't get a new episode this week, but will get one next week, but not the week after that. Systems are hard, people. P.S. We might just have more bonus episodes at some point. Like this one, they'll be in the feed, and in the Bonus category on the site, but not highlighted in the "Current Season" on the front page. Because they're, well... bonus episodes. Explanation: New Rustacean is Chris' podcast about the Rust programming language ....
Aug 18, 2016•2 min•Season 5Ep. 1
5.01: A Ph.D.-Level Math Problem
Structures and systems, agency and individuals: three axes (and a sub-axis) for thinking about the world we live in. Show Notes We introduce our system for thinking about the "structure/agency" or "systems and individuals" problem: how do the systems and structures of our lives shape us? How do we shape them ? How free are we, and where are the places where more freedom is good, and the places where it might actually be bad? How do we confront the structural issues we face, or strengthen and pre...
Aug 09, 2016•25 min•Season 5Ep. 1
4.14: This Money Might Be Illegal
Show Notes We use the Panama Papers as a jumping-off point to sum up the season and talk about: the alleged flatness of the world the possibilities of both globalization and localization the twin dangers of imperialism and parochialism the ways that growing income inequality intersect with globalization the things different cultures can learn from each other the distinction between “reasonable” and “justifiable” responses the importance of humility, whether in art or in charitable action the val...
Apr 20, 2016•33 min•Season 4Ep. 14
4.13: We Live in a Different Culture Than the Bible
The global nature of Christianity and the beauty of many cultures practicing the same faith Show Notes We look at how Christianity is changing as it shifts from being heavily Western to being far more global (as it was in its birth). What new things might we see and learn as other eyes come to the same text? What do the various cultures of the world have to offer each other as we practice the same, ancient faith? Links Reading we’ve found helpful on today’s topic: Misreading the Bible Through We...
Apr 14, 2016•29 min•Season 4Ep. 13
4.12: Five Years of Facepalming (Live at NC State)
The EU and internet law—monopolies, copyright, taxing, freedom of speech, and learning from each other. Show Notes In this second of two episodes recorded live at NC State (with a different class of students), we tackle the European Union’s approach to internet legislation—including everything from copyright law to dealing with monopolies—as a way to look at how differently things work around the world. What might we learn from other countries here in the U.S.? What might they learn from us? Lin...
Apr 05, 2016•35 min•Season 4Ep. 12
4.11: How People Read C.S. Lewis (Live at NC State)
Show Notes In the first of two episodes recorded live at NC State, we tackle the challenges posed by protest art. When does art cross a line and become morally reprehensible? When is it a viable alternative to other, far worse ways of dealing with the esame problems? Links “Stab Stab” (Palestinian Anger in Jerusalem and West Bank Gets a Violent Soundtrack" (New York Times) “NYT Front Page Indulges ‘Blunt’ Palestinian ‘Protest Songs’ Encouraging the Stabbing Murder of Jews” (NewsBusters) C. S. Le...
Mar 29, 2016•37 min•Season 4Ep. 11
4.10: The Ancient Wisdom of Usenet
Populism, social media, and wisdom in when, how, and where to (dis)engage with people you disagree with. Show Notes There’s a wave of populism sweeping the world. Twitter and Facebook are some of the epicenters of the new populism. How should we think about interacting with radical populists in general? And what about specifically on social media? Links “Is Google Making Us Stupid (Nick Carr at The Atlantic)” Bernie Sanders runs to man who fainted during speech (CNN) Previously on the Show 4.05:...
Mar 22, 2016•29 min•Season 4Ep. 10
4.09: We're Idealist Realists
Show Notes We discuss the problems that face major nation-states trying to respond to the massive refugee crisis in Europe. We also look at the complex relationship between nations on topics like this in a “global world” ( nice , Chris) and suggest that Americans both invest actively in making things better and chill out a bit insofar as we don’t live in Europe. Links “One in, one out”: Turkey and EU agree outline of ‘one in, one out’ deal over Syria refugee crisis (The Guardian) “Central Americ...
Mar 15, 2016•29 min•Season 4Ep. 9
4.08: A Ghost in Singapore
John O'Nolan on Ghost, Singapore, international commerce, and giving the benefit of the doubt Show Notes We invite Ghost cofounder John O’Nolan on the show to talk about Ghost’s reincorporation in Singapore, what that means for them as a non-profit, and how we should think about these kinds of moves. We talk about everything from the specific details of Ghost’s move to the ethics of business tourism, and John basically hammers on themes we’ve been talking about all season. It’s fantastic . Links...
Mar 08, 2016•36 min•Season 4Ep. 8
4.07: A Muscle-Flexing Flyby
Show Notes We talk about nation-states, war, hopes of permanent peace and how “the end of history” and the notion of fewer major wars is likely a pipe dream. But also, how to think about foreign policy issues as citizens of nations we love, and the value of nation-states even in a “global village.” Links Fall of the Berlin Wall Russo-Japanese War World War I “War to end all wars” World War II Proxy wars Cold War Korean War Vietnam War Arab-Israel conflict Exclave Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian excl...
Mar 01, 2016•30 min•Season 4Ep. 7
4.06: Kickstarting a Hyperlocal Super-Farm
Show Notes Links The World is Flat , Thomas Friedman New Rustacean , Chris’ other podcast “Kickstarter Lesson #65: How to Get US Backers if You’re Running a Non-US-Based Kickstarter Campaign” “Hong Kong has probably lost HSBC’s headquarters for good—and Beijing is to blame” “The Facebook-loving Farmers of Myanmar” Previously on the Show 4.03: The Podcast Awakens —in which we talked about global fandoms specifically in the context of Star Wars 3.12: Hungarian Folk Music —in which we talked about ...
Feb 16, 2016•28 min•Season 4Ep. 6
4.05: The Price of Democracy
Show Notes We dive back into the deep end with a discussion of the necessity and challenge of compromise in the political realm. How do we work steadily but slowly toward the things we value? How do decide what we can compromise on and what we can’t? Can we “trade favors” in a good way? What about people working at totally cross purposes on a given issue? Corrigenda The Myanmar military party no longer has a majority, but retains a substantial fraction of the parliamentary seats. Links “Myanmar ...
Feb 09, 2016•32 min•Season 4Ep. 5
4.04: But Was It a Good Movie?
Following up on our previous conversation about The Force Awakens , this week we look at what makes art good , especially in the context of film. Was the latest Star Wars actually a good movie? Links Theodore Adorno XKCD 915: Connoiseur “I Want to be Well” from The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens, on Genius The Force Awakens soundtrack on iTunes Music “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens , by John Williams. Fair use. Utterly lovely. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho, who still think...
Feb 02, 2016•30 min•Season 4Ep. 4
4.03: The Podcast Awakens
We say a few serious things about the nature of global fandom, the relationship between art and brand awareness in large media properties, and the future of as large a property as Star Wars . But let’s be honest: mostly, we geek out. Links TheForce.net Literature Forum , where Chris was Master_Keralys “How Disney Plans To Sell ‘Star Wars’ In China, A Box Office Far, Far Away” “‘Star Wars’ China Box Office: Lukewarm Presales Could Signal Trouble For Disney Juggernaut” The Force Awakens soundtrack...
Jan 29, 2016•29 min•Season 4Ep. 3
4.02: Helpiness
We pick up from our discussion of Facebook and Internet.org last week to look at the broader questions we raised then: how do you help people well ? It’s not enough to have good intentions—so how do you pick good charities to give to? How do you choose where to dedicate your own time and money? How should we think about foreign aid, and foreign intervention, and foreign policy in general? Links When Helping Hurts Microcredit Toms Corporate Responsibility “Some Bad News about TOMS Shoes” Music “H...
Jan 18, 2016•26 min•Season 4Ep. 2
4.01: Unambiguously Meh
We open our fourth season with a discussion of Facebook’s Internet.org platform, open access vs. power plays by large companies, and the ethical questions at the intersection of business and philanthropy. Chris and Stephen disagree about how to read Facebook’s move, and set the stage for a season-long discussion of globalization and its ramifications for technology, religion, ethics, and art. Just some light discussion to start things off, in other words. Links Quartz: “Mark Zuckerberg can’t bel...
Jan 12, 2016•29 min•Season 4Ep. 1
3.15: Smorgasbord, Part II
We wrap up our third full season with another “lightning round”, talking about the structure/agency and tech accessibility, globalization, and owning your own content online. Links Structure/agency problem (Wikipedia) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Web accessibility Globalization Code for the Kingdom The World is Flat “Albuquerque” Owning your own content: Indie web WordPress backups Medium Craig Mod essays Previously on the show: 3.12: Hungarian Folk Music Music “Broken” by Featurette . ...
Nov 03, 2015•30 min•Season 3Ep. 15
3.14: Smorgasbord, Part I
We start wrapping up Season 3, tackling five topics that one or the other of us wanted to talk about but couldn’t get the other one all that excited about, or which we didn’t feel like we had enough to say yet: venture capitalism (both of us) online classes (Stephen) the ethics of algorithms (Chris) tracking people at work (Stephen) transparency in business (Chris) Links Venture capitalism article on Wikipedia Insightful piece by Ben Thompson at Stratechery: “Venture Capital and the Internet’s I...
Oct 27, 2015•31 min•Season 3Ep. 14
3.13: Inevitable? (Live at NC State)
Talking about self-driving cars and the tensions between public safety and personal responsibility, and between technological possibility and cultural norms. Corrigenda Stephen meant “Black Beauty” rather than “Black Betsy”. Mat Honan’s piece we referred to was on BuzzFeed, not Wired. Links Google’s Cute Cars And The Ugly End Of Driving: The main thing you should know about autonomous vehicles is that they are utterly inevitable. Chrysler hack Before You Go JetBrains gets subscription pricing ri...
Oct 20, 2015•26 min•Season 3Ep. 13
3.12: Hungarian Folk Music
If you listen to Hungarian folk music, or classical music, or recordings of live shows, or obscure bands, then the (otherwise pretty decent) GraceNotes CD database and the many apps that rely on it might not really work for you. We talk about why that might be and how we might think about fixing it. Links “The Enhanced Experience So Far: It’s the Indies Who Support the Fledgling [Enhanced CD] Format” “The Invention of Compact Discs” Hungarian Folk Music Ryan Adams, 1989 Dart Music Creative Commo...
Oct 15, 2015•30 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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