We are joined by one of our favorite friends — Meredith Whittaker — for a giant discussion that bridges her two latest articles. First a historical analysis of Charles Babbage and the smoking gun that directly links plantation logics of control with the industrial design of computation. Then a political economy of “open” AI and the material power that dominates the entire stack for these systems.
••• Follow Meredith: https://twitter.com/mer__edith
••• Origin Stories: Plantations, Computers, and Industrial Control | Meredith Whittaker https://logicmag.io/supa-dupa-skies/origin-stories-plantations-computers-and-industrial-control/
••• Open (For Business): Big Tech, Concentrated Power, and the Political Economy of Open AI | David Gray Widder, Meredith Whittaker, Sarah Myers West https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4543807
Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)
Catching up and chatting isn’t the only way for the older set to socialize. What if adults “played” with their friends like kids do? Reset checks in with Rhaina Cohen, producer and editor at NPR’s Embedded podcast, who explores the topic in a forthcoming book and an article in The Atlantic titled “What Adults Forget About Friendship.” We also hear from Reset digital engagement producer and improv comedian Claire Hyman.
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer to discuss Joe Biden’s White House and The Last Politician; the war in Ukraine and the possible meeting of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin; and Americans’ views on the value of higher education. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
On this episode of "The Federalist Radio Hour," Sohrab Ahmari joins Federalist Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky and Common Sense Society Executive Editor Christopher Bedford to discuss the rise of "private tyranny" and explain how the working class should navigate an economy dominated by power-hungry big businesses.
You can find Ahmari's new book "Tyranny, Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty--and What to Do About It" here.
The hosts kick off today’s show with a round-up of the latest immigration updates, from August’s record-high number of border crossings and a new ruling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s floating border barrier in Rio Grande to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ latest proclamation that the migrant crisis will destroy his city.
Should students be able to attend virtual reality schools? Ravi and Rikki take stock of the merits, pitfalls, and politics of this new schooling option in Florida.
America’s military faces a recruitment crisis: multiple branches will fall short of their enlistment goals this year, and only 9% of 16- to 21-year-olds say they would consider service. The hosts debate the possible reasons behind this trend and what can be done about it.
Time Stamps:
NYC’s Migrant Crisis - 0:27
Virtual Reality School - 15:38
Military’s Gen Z Problem - 29:00
Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570
State-level programs intended for the very poor should not be expanded to include the middle class. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center details some such programs states are working to expand.
How can you use a company’s stock price to give you a window into the future?
(00:21) Bill Barker and Deidre Woollard discuss: - Reasons for skepticism when it comes to AI hype. - How long a leash unprofitable software companies may have. - If being located in SIlicon Valley is still an advantage for tech companies.
(18:20) Asit Sharma and Ricky Mulvey break down the basics of expectations investing and give a framework for applying it to individual companies.
Companies discussed: PATH, AI, ASAN, NVDA
Host: Deidre Woollard Guests: Ricky Mulvey, Bill Barker, Asit Sharma Producer:Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Dan Boyd, Rick Engdahl
In September 2012 Arctic sea ice melted to its minimum ever recorded and the German research ice breaker, Polarstern, ventured deep into the region North of Russia to record findings. It’s now retracing its steps, over a decade later, to observe how things have progressed. Autun Purser and Antje Boethius describe the journey and the importance of documenting developments in the face of climate change.
Some 75 million individuals are believed to live with Long Covid and, in order to treat the plethora of symptoms presented by patients, researchers continue to search for the root source of the condition in the hope of better prescribing broad therapeutics. Akiko Iwasaki, Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University, updates Roland on the working hypotheses.
And one year on from the Hunga Tonga eruption, where a shockwave circled the globe four times, researchers have been able to calculate the speed of the currents in the southern Pacific Ocean. BBC correspondent Jon Amos caught up with Michael Clare to hear how other South Pacific Islands can learn from the most explosive volcanic eruption in 100 years.
