Hollywood Inclusive 0007 — Health, Stress, and the Entertainment Industry; Fall TV; Jessica Jones

Hollywood Inclusive, episode 0007
Hollywood Inclusive, episode 0007

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:23:13 — 114.9MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, “A Very Special Episode” — Balance, Health, and Making it in Hollywood (0:00): We’ve each had health scares send us to the E.R. this year, and in both cases the diagnosis was mostly… stress.  We discuss the entertainment industry, what it takes to survive, and the quest for balance.
  • segment 2, News In Review — October 2016 (25:06):
  • segment 3, What Are We Watching? — Fall TV (55:31):  We talk Walking Dead, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and more.
  • segment 4, Hurray for Hollywood — Jessica Jones (55:31): Season two of Jessica Jones will be directed entirely by women.

Join the conversation!  What’s your opinion? Where are we right, where are we wrong?  We’re on  Twitter: @kirkwrites79 and @digitalderon.

Diginauts 0006 — DDoS Attack, Computers Owning Patents, Brainwave Interfaces

Diginauts episode 0006
Diginauts episode 0006

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:51 — 94.1MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind — DDoS Attack (0:00): Spotify, Amazon, Paypal, and Twitter all suffered downtime last week owing to waves of Denial of Service attacks.  This latest cyber-attack involved the Internet of Things.  Who was responsible, and how do we stop future attacks?
  • segment 2, Future File — Brainwave Interfaces (17:04): A review in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience theorizes that we might be able to decode brain activity, allowing computers to convert our thoughts to words or computer codes.  We discuss the implications of computers that can essentially read our minds.
  • segment 3, Juris Prudent — AT&T’s Project Hemisphere (27:24  ): Law enforcement can buy into a database kept by AT&T that tracks user location.  Are they violating your privacy rights?
  • segment 4, Total Recall (43:49): Genetic modification will have a failsafe, if DARPA has anything to do with it, and a listener offers a suggestion for how to verb listening to audio books. 
  • segment 5, What’s Your Take?– Intellectual Property Rights for Computers? (52:28 ): We just can’t stop talking about the Monkey Selfie case, and this time we’re also exploring the possibility that computers should own patents for inventions created by their software.

Tweet @DigitalDeron or @efader with your opinions, or give us a call and leave a voice message at 323.686.8255.

Diginauts 0005 — Engineering Life, Doctor Chatbot, Your Phone vs. The 4th Amendment

Diginauts 0005
Diginauts 0005

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:32 — 94.2MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–Politics & Y Combinator (0:00): Sam Altman’s Bay Area incubator gets money from a wealthy Drumpf supporter, and they’ll disavow Drumpf, but not the supporter.  Gizmodo things Altman should have to step down.  What do we think?
  • segment 2, Future File–Paging Dr. Chatbot (14:41): Increasingly, the medical industry will lean on technology to streamline the process of seeing your doctor.  Kaiser Permanente is pushing further into virtual doctor visits, and China’s Baidu has created a medical chatbot.
  • segment 3, Juris Prudent–Warranted Overreach? (30:38):  The government wants to do whatever it can to avoid a technology stand-off like the one it faced with Apple over the San Bernadino terrorist case.  To that end, they’ve begun writing warrants that pre-suppose the ability to force you to unlock your phone with your finger prints.
  • segment 4, Total Recall–Climate Change All Fixed! (45:10 ): That global climate change world meeting we discussed last week?  They reached an agreement!  But, does it have teeth?  Meanwhile, scientists have found a cheap and efficient way to remove CO2 from the air and turn it into fuel.
  • segment 5, What’s Your Take?–Rewriting The Genetic Code of Life(52:49): Scientists are now taking the genetic modification to the lowest biological building blocks, giving them the ability to manipulate… pretty much anything.  Should we apply these capabilities to agriculture?  To medicine? To how we reproduce?

Tweet @DigitalDeron or @efader with your opinions, or give us a call and leave a voice message at 323.686.8255.

Diginauts 0004 — How Long Would You Like To Live, Copyright for Non-humans, New Words for Tech Concepts

Diginauts episode 4
Diginauts episode 4

Podcast: Download (Duration: 58:20 — 80.6MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–Obama points us to Mars (0:00): This week saw some developments in subjects we’ve discussed in each of our earlier episodes.
    • from episode 3: global climate change — Cornell scientists predict a significant increase in the odds of a megadrought in the southwest US, and meanwhile 150 countries are gathering to discuss lowering HFCs.
    • from episode 2: U.S. Mission to Mars — President Obama announced his administration’s collaboration with six private companies to get humans to Mars by 2030, but a study from UC Irvine shows that astronauts still have a long way to go in overcoming radiation.
    • from episode 1: self-driving cars –In the same week that photos have shown up of Google’s self-driving minivans, another accident involving a driverless car has led the German government to label autopilot a ‘Traffic Hazard.’
  • segment 2, Juris Prudent–Monkey Selfie (29:01): Photographer David Slater claimed rights to an image taken by a macaque, but some outlets say the image is public domain because the photographer didn’t take it, and a judge dismissed the case.  PETA is revisiting the case, arguing that in fact the monkey should own the rights.
  • segment 3, Semantically Incorrect–Audio Books (36:48):  Deron hates claiming he ‘read’ an audiobook, and wants to suggest a new word.  Do you agree with his selection?
  • segment 4, What’s Your Take?–Human Longevity (46:26): Researchers theorize there might be a natural maximum to human lifespans… and we’ve reached it.  But tech billionaires are driving to “cure” death.  Should humans push to live longer and longer?

Tweet @DigitalDeron or @efader with your opinions, or give us a call and leave a voice message.

 

Diginauts 0003 — Google is listening, Irreversible Global Warming, Mourning Death Digitally

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:54 — 86.8MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–Carbon Tipping Point (0:00): Earth’s atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration is now above 400ppm.  Is there any way we’ll ever get back below that number?  Scientists are pretty sure that for the immediate future, the answer is no.
  • segment 2, Future File–Log In with Your Brain Waves (15:06): In the future, you might be able to authenticate into your computer by having your brain scanned.  But will scanning your brain introduce even more of a privacy concern?  One thing is sure, the way we do it now is wrong, all wrong.
  • segment 3, Let’s Hash It Out–Google’s Hardware Launch Event (28:37):  Google previewed it’s Pixel phones, a new Chromecast update,   In particular, Google Home is here, and it’s ready to listen to your every word.  They say they’re building a personalized Google for each individual.  We say they’re making a big grab into privacy.  What do you think?
  • segment 4, What’s Your Take?–Digital Afterlife (45:10): When her friend Roman died in a tragic car accident, San Francisco entrepreneur Eugenia Kudya decided to task her AI start-up with creating a chatbot based on his personality.  She saw it as a digital monument to him, and a way to deal with her loss.  Some of her friends find it a “disturbing” and “half-baked,” but others found it therapeutic.  Would you want such a monument left behind after your death? Can computers come anywhere close to capturing a human personality?  What’s your take?

Tweet us!  We are @efader and @DigitalDeron.  Or give us a call and leave a voice message for us to include in the show.

Hollywood Inclusive 0006 — Representation Numbers, Lena Dunham, & #OscarsSoDiverse

Hollywood Inclusive, Episode 6
Hollywood Inclusive, Episode 6

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:06:58 — 92.4MB) | Embed

guest XAVIER BURGIN (@xlnb)

  • segment 1, Story of the Week — Diversity Studies (0:00): We discuss the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism’s annual report on representation in film for 2015, plus the Director’s Guild’s study on television gender and ethnic hiring practices.  So, we know there’s a problem; what’s the solution?  Do “diversity programs” work?
  • segment 2, Guest Interview — Xavier Burgin (25:06): We talk to Xavier Burgin about his short film work, and about how long-form tweeting helped him build an audience that will ensure his future filmmaking success.  Plus we hear about the time that he challenged Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer on Twitter, and the conference call the three of them had the next morning.
  • segment 3, Hurray for Hollywood — #OscarsSoDiverse (55:31): An Indiewire.com article predicts that “2017 will be the most diverse awards season in decades.”  Following the #OscarsSoWhite online protests in early 2016 — response to the fact that ALL TWENTY acting nominations went to white performers — we discuss whether we can share IndieWire’s optimism.

Join the conversation!  What’s your opinion? Where are we right, where are we wrong?  We’re on  Twitter: @kirkwrites79 and @digitalderon.

Today’s “I’m one of the voices” intro recorded by Cameo Wood, @cameo.  Visit her latest project, realartists.film, @RealArtistsFilm.

Diginauts 0002 — Songs from Machines, False Memories, & Mechanical Emotion Detection

Diginauts 0002
Diginauts 0002

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:35 — 86.4MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–False Memories (0:00): A researcher has demonstrated that she can elicit from people memories of things that never happened.  She has managed to convince everyday people that they committed a petty crime in their childhood.  What are the implications for our criminal law system?
  • segment 2, Future File–Music Composed by AI (11:47): Researches at a Sony laboratory in Paris have used software to analyze the style of musicians and use this knowledge to compose original pieces of music.  We react live to these machine-created songs…  Maybe don’t expect robots to headline Coachella any time soon.
  • segment 3, Most Disruptive–Tardigrade Proteins or Transiting the Solar System (24:45): Each of us selected a story from this month that he thought would have the greatest long-term impact on humanity.  One of us picked Elon Musk’s release of plans to travel to Mars and beyond.  The other said that research identifying the  “damage suppressing” protein in tardigrades could change medicine.
  • segment 4, Mailbag (39:21): Time to share some of what you said about the previous episode.
  • segment 5, What’s Your Take?–WiFi That Detects Your Emotions (52:24):  MIT researchers have developed a technology called EQ-Radio, which uses standard wi-fi to monitor heart and breathing rate in humans, and from that gauge their emotional state with 87% accuracy.  Do you see this as a boon to industries like entertainment and medicine? Or is it another example of machine invasiveness into human life?

Tweet us!  Deron is @DigitalDeron and Eric is @efader.

Hollywood Inclusive 0005 — Richard Sherman’s Press Conference, Emmy Diversity

hollywood-inclusive-0005-wide
hollywood-inclusive-0005-wide

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:13:19 — 101.7MB) | Embed

guest EVETTE VARGAS (@vargasgirl)

  • segment 1, Story of the Week (0:00): Richard Sherman abruptly ended a press conference in order to call attention to police brutality and clarify a position of support to Colin Kaepernick’s protest.  Kirk tells about a recent racist encounter and the police response he encountered.
  • segment 2, Guest Interview (22:30): We ask Evette about her experiences in moving from New York to Hollywood and establishing herself as a multimedia artist, and how she translated that success into creation of a web series that was nominated for two Emmys.
  • segment 3, Guest Interview, part two (46:32): We learn about Evette’s (third) trip to the Emmy’s last Sunday, and what projects she has coming up, plus her answers to our Two Essay Questions.
  • segment 4, Hurray for Hollywood (1:02:04): We react to the Daily Beast article proclaiming the “Most Diverse Emmys Ever” and talk through some of our favorite winners and moments.  Praise to Regina King who won her second consecutive and kicked ass, and to Julia Louis-Dreyfus who broke the Comedy Actress Emmy record previously held by Mary Tyler Moore and (not Carol Burnet as Deron said, but) Candice Bergen.  Where is the genre pendulum going to swing next?

Join the conversation!  Ask us questions. Tell us where we’ve got it wrong.  We’re on  Twitter: @kirkwrites79 and @digitalderon.

Today’s “I’m one of the voices” intro recorded by Lavetta Cannon, @sassybfpodcast.  You can check out her podcast on iTunes.

Diginauts 0001 — Autonomous Cars, Weaponized Drones, Your Children’s Pictures on Facebook

diginauts-0001-wide
diginauts-0001-wide

Podcast: Download (Duration: 54:25 — 76.2MB) | Embed

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–Driverless Cars (0:00): Uber is experimenting with driverless cars in Pittsburgh, with the goal of “making self-driving Ubers a reality.”  We discuss Uber’s pilot program, Tesla’s first fatality, and the implications to the future of human transportation.
  • segment 2, Juris Prudent–Weaponized Drones (14:54): North Dakota has a law on the books now that explicitly authorizes the addition of non-lethal weapons on unmanned air vehicles.  (Although “non-lethal” is not defined.)  After the police shootout ended in Dallas by a bomb-toting robot, what are the implications to law enforcement?
  • segment 3, Future File–Nanofish in Your Body (28.26): Scientists are pioneering creation of “Nanofish” to deliver medicine inside your body.  We discuss Deron’s feeling that he loves technology right up until the point where it goes inside you.
  • segment 4, What’s Your Take?–Baby Pictures on Facebook (40:23) An 18-year-old in Austria has filed a lawsuit against her parents for a childhood of sharing embarrassing photos on Facebook. Join this conversation with us for next week.  Do you share (or overshare) pics of your children on social media? Are you worried about the digital footprint you’re creating for them, before they’ve even come of age? Tweet us or Give us a call and leave a voicemail for us to share in next week’s show!

Tweet us!  Deron is @DigitalDeron and Eric is @efader.

Hollywood Inclusive 0004 — Kaepernick’s Media Coverage, Age Bias in Hollywood, & Naked Extras

Hollywood-Inclusive-0004
Hollywood-Inclusive-0004

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:45 — 86.8MB) | Embed

  • Segment 1:  Our story of the week is Colin Kapernick and the media coverage his story has seen.  We approach it from the point of view of a TheUndefeated.com article that suggests lack of diversity in sports reporting has something to do with out the story is being addressed. But first we look into Frank Somerville, a San Francisco new anchor who took to Facebook to confess a racist moment, despite being father to a black daughter.
  • Segment 2: SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris (who played Andrea on Beverly Hills 90210) is leading the charge to support legislation that would allow actors to remove their age from online casting services and sites like IMDb.  Legal precedent, however, is the lawsuit by Junie Hoang, who sued the Amazon-owned property and lost.
  • Segment 3: Greg Berlanti will be bringing a Black Lightning superhero show to TV (although Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller says superheroes don’t work on TV.)  Plus, the new fall shows that have us the most excited, including one that involves requiring its actors to agree to genital-to-genital touching. (FINALLY we have a legit reason to tag a show with the term ‘dry humping.’

Join the conversation!  Ask us questions. Tell us where we’ve got it wrong.  We’re on  Twitter: @kirkwrites79 and @digitalderon.

Today’s “I’m one of the voices” intro recorded by Angie Keuper.  See her campaign to fund a documentary called “Finding Your Fairytale.”

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