This Machine Kills - 32. Conceptual Hit List

We’re kicking off 2021 with a different spin on the standard new year resolutions by drafting the official TMK conceptual hit list. We go through some foundational ideas in digital capitalism that we resolve to destroy. In this episode we lay out our case against innovation, disruption, entrepreneurship, and flexibility. Now is a good time to be clear about the techno-political concepts that must be put up against the wall of ruthless criticism. Consider this the first draft of a conceptual hit list that has room to grow as we confront enemies, both old and new, in 2021 and beyond. Some stuff we reference: • The Fetish of Technology: Causes and Consequences by David Harvey: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1411&context=macintl • Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept by Leo Marx: http://www.f.waseda.jp/sidoli/Marx_2010_Concept_Of_Technology.pdf • Why Chinese youngsters are embracing a philosophy of “slacking-off” by Jane Li: https://qz.com/1938809/why-chinese-youngsters-are-embracing-a-culture-of-slacking-off/ • Despotism on Demand: How Power Operates in the Flexible Workplace by Alex Wood: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501748899/despotism-on-demand Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).

What A Day - Glory Be To Georgia

Votes are coming in from the Georgia runoff elections, with the results generally looking positive for Democrats… but we’re still waiting on the final calls. Congress meets today to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory, with about a dozen Republican senators and more House Republicans set to object and add hours of needless debate.

Yesterday, the Surgeon General said that the CDC guidelines for the order of vaccinations should not be used to allow doses to sit in freezers. This runs counter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been doing in his state.

And in headlines: the police officer who shot Jacob Blake won’t face criminal charges, Trump’s EPA fights war on birds, and Amazon is disrupting shirts.

The Gist - One Needle to Predict Them All

On the Gist, we return to the infamous Bean Dad.

And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: All the president’s less than capable men.

In the interview, it’s part two of a conversation with David Shor, a researcher and consultant for democratic politicians. Dubbed a political data analyst prodigy, Shor developed a voter registration system as a teenager, then at age 20 subsequently moved on to work for the Obama campaign where he oversaw forecasting. Shor shares more of his experiences collaborating with more seasoned colleagues and explains how humbling it was in the process.

In the spiel, needling the needle truthers ahead of the Georgia runoff.

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Podcast production by Margaret Kelley, Cheyna Roth, and Jasmine Ellis.

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Money Girl - 666 – What Is a Backdoor Roth IRA?

Using a tax-free Roth to save for retirement is a smart move, but the Roth IRA door gets slammed in your face if you make too much money. Laura explains how high earners can still have one using a backdoor Roth IRA strategy.

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Start Small: Experts Explain How To Achieve Your Goals In 2021

Reset talks to 2 experts who explain how smaller, achievable goals are the key to success, and failure will only make you stronger and wiser.

For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. 

For more about the program, you can head over to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset.

Consider This from NPR - Why U.S. Vaccinations Started Slow And What We Know About The New Coronavirus Variant

Initially, U.S. officials predicted that as many as 20 million Americans would be fully vaccinated before the end of 2020. And while that many vaccine doses were distributed, only a fraction of them have been administered.

The federal government has given states control over distribution plans which has led to different systems with differing levels of success. In one Florida county, Julie Glenn of member station WGCU reports on the haphazard vaccine rollout that has led elderly residents to camp out in tents to get their first shot.

As vaccinations lag behind schedule, a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus is spreading in many countries, including the U.S. The new variant isn't thought to be more deadly, and scientists believe the vaccines currently being administered will work against it. Additional good news is that masks and social distancing will still slow the spread of the new variant.

Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Allison Aubrey, who's reported on the slow start to vaccinations, and from NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff, who's reported on the new coronavirus variant. Reporting on the vaccine rollout at the state level came from Will Stone in Seattle, Nashville Public Radio's Blake Farmer, and WBUR's Martha Bebinger.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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Ologies with Alie Ward - Vaccine Infodemiology (COVID-19 IMMUNITY) with Jessica Malaty Rivera

The Coronasode we’ve been waiting for! Vaccines. Finally. But what does this mean? As a Vaccine Infodemiologist and science communication lead for The COVID Tracking Project, Jessica Malaty Rivera specializes in infectious disease epidemics and the surge of misinformation that accompanies them. The very first human trials of the COVID-19 vaccine occurred in March 2020, and Alie asks Jessica one million questions about the differences between the two available vaccines, rollout schedules, herd immunity, mRNA, vaccine hesitancy, mutated virus strains, picnics, vision boards, the post-holiday spike, how history can influence current vaccine rates, whether you should wipe down your groceries and more. Consider it a critical booster shot to the info we’ve gathered all year.

Follow Jessica at instagram.com/jessicamalatyrivera and Twitter.com/jessicaMalatyRivera

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - BREAKDOWN: Most Important Crypto Regulation Yet? Banks Can Treat Public Blockchains Like SWIFT and ACH

A new interpretive letter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency paves the way for stablecoins and public blockchains to be fully integrated in the financial infrastructure. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io.

Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released Interpretive Letter 1174. The letter allows banks to participate as nodes in “independent node verification networks” (which you might better know as blockchain networks) as well as use stablecoins for payments settlement. 

In this episode of The Breakdown, NLW looks at: 

  • Crypto Twitter’s response to the news 
  • A review of key passages from the letter
  • The response of critics
  • The implications for CBDCs and the geopolitical battle between the U.S. dollar and China’s emerging digital currency 


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