Month: September 2022

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Hairy-handed Road Rage: A British Ghost Story

For decades, locals near England's B3212 spun a strange tale: a pair of disembodied hands might just take the wheel while you're driving -- and you just might crash. But how did this story come about? Why are so many people convinced they've encountered the infamous Hairy Hands? They don’t want you to read our book. They don’t want you to see us on tour.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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This Machine Kills - 188. Using AI to Say the Word

We discuss a new startup doing the rounds called Sanas that uses AI “accent translation” to make "non-white" call center workers speak English with a white American accent. This is some real retro throwback tech solutionism / startup utopianism with a very quotable founder at the helm. While Sanas claims it's all about worker empowerment and global equity, we here at TMKonsulting show how Sanas is likely to be used as a tool of exploitation. Plus contribute to broader shifts in the role of large language models for the political economy of AI. We then end with a shout out to FN Meka. Some stuff we reference: ••• Sansa https://www.sanas.ai/ ••• Sanas, the buzzy Bay Area startup that wants to make the world sound whiter https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/sanas-startup-creates-american-voice-17382771.php ••• This Startup Is Selling Tech to Make Call Center Workers Sound Like White Americans https://www.vice.com/en/article/akek7g/this-startup-is-selling-tech-to-make-call-center-workers-sound-like-white-americans ••• Virtual rapper FN Meka underscores how AI perpetuates racial stereotyping https://mashable.com/article/fn-meka-record-deal-racial-stereotyping Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! patreon.com/thismachinekills Grab TMK gear: bonfire.com/store/this-machine-kills-podcast/ Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl)
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Headlines From The Times - An unprecedented use of Mexico’s military

Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador came into office promising to get the military off the streets. Instead, he’s more than doubled their numbers. He claims there’s just no other way to handle Mexico’s narco-violence.

Today, we look at Mexico’s delicate dance with its military. It’s an institution that’s among the most trusted in the nation, and potentially its most dangerous. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Latin America correspondent Kate Linthicum

More reading:

Mexico’s president vowed to end the drug war. Instead he’s doubled the number of troops in the streets

Mexico’s military gains power as president turns from critic to partner

Mexico sent in the army to fight the drug war. Many question the toll on society and the army itself

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CBS News Roundup - World News Roundup: 09/02

President Biden tries to keep Democrats engaged ahead of the mid-terms.  Hitting the road for the holiday weekend. Helping teachers pay the rent. CBS News Correspondent Steve Kathan has today's World News Roundup.

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - MONEY REIMAGINED: How Should a Blockchain Project Build in the Midst of this Crypto Winter?

This episode is sponsored by Circle and NEAR.

In the attempt to contain the inflationary outbreak in the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening by hiking interest rates will continue for some time. Recently, the U.S. central bank’s chair, Jerome Powell, made it clear that our present crypto winter was here to stay. 

However, this is a good time for development in the crypto space. 

On this episode of “Money Reimagined,” hosts Michael Casey and Sheila Warren  speak with Near Foundation’s CEO, Marieke Flament.

The Near Foundation is committed to expanding its ecosystem of developers and project leads working on top of the Near blockchain. Its proof-of-stake blockchain has introduced a number of the scaling solutions that Ethereum developers have been working on for years. And there is great encouragement around decentralized finance (DeFi) development. 

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Money Reimagined listeners get a special discount on Converge22, Circle’s first annual conference on the blockchain-driven future of money. Coming this September, Converge22 is for change makers looking to build what’s next in Web3. Use the code “CoinDesk” at checkout https://hubs.li/Q01hpy4w0. 

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NEAR is a simple, revolutionary Web3 platform for decentralized apps, created by developers for developers. More than 700 projects are now building on NEAR’s fast, secure and infinitely scalable protocol, from DeFi apps to play-and-earn games, NFT marketplaces and more. Start your developer journey now by visiting NEAR at near.org. 

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries at the Investing in Digital Assets and Enterprises Summit.  Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

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This episode was produced and edited by Michele Musso  with announcements by Adam B. Levine and our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. The theme song is “Shepard.”

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The Intelligence from The Economist - No quiet on any front: Ethiopia’s clash of conflicts

After a five-month hiatus, violence has returned to the northern region of Tigray—but that is just one of the conflicts threatening to pull the country to pieces. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made it a prominent developing-world lender. How will it deal with so many of its loans souring? And our obituaries editor reflects on Issey Miyake’s fashion-for-the-masses philosophy.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer