The Bad Take

#21 Sri Lanka in Crisis: Is the Political Elite Doomed? (with Rajni Gamage)

In this episode, joined by Rajni Gamage, we discuss the nature of elite politics in Sri Lanka in the context of the current crisis. We explore what scope there is for a new politics of solidarity and social transformation through the people's protests and the shifts in elite politics this would entail. Rajni is a politics researcher based in Colombo. She holds a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Queensland.  Rajni is on Twitter at @Rajni_Gamage [https://twitter.com/Rajni_Gamage] Show notes for this episode, including links to everything mentioned: thebadtake.com/episode21 [//thebadtake.com/episode21] Credits: Soundtrack -  Downtown Funk by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw [//youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw] Background image - Nazly Ahmed [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nazly/] on Flickr

#20 A Matter of Words (with Carmen Aguilera-Carnerero)

On this episode, we're joined by linguist Carmen Aguilera-Carnerero based in Granada, Spain. She was in Sri Lanka for some months last year, studying extreme speech online. She has also studied graffiti and "wall art" in Spanish and other European cities. This is a deep dive into her findings. Carmen Aguilera-Carnerero is a lecturer at the University of Granada (Spain), a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Analysis of the Radical Right and co-editor of the academic journal GRETA. Her area of study is Linguistics, and she has explored the syntax and sematics interface in her pre-doctoral phase and the Critical Discourse Analysis of Cyberdiscourse in her post doctoral stage (from 2013). Her areas of interest primarily are the articulation of hate speech online (specially in social media) with cyberislamophobia (both in text and image) and online racism in Sri Lanka in focus. Carmen has also worked in products of subculture and their subversiveness via linguistics and semiotics such as graffiti. Carmen is on Twitter at @Carmenable. [https://twitter.com/Carmenable] Special thanks to our Patron Uditha Umesh for making this episode possible. Show notes for this episode, including links to everything mentioned: thebadtake.com/episode20 [https://thebadtake.com/episode20] Support us on Patreon and get exclusive extras: thebadtake.com/patreon [https://patreon.com/thebadtake] Credits: Soundtrack -  Downtown Funk by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw [http://youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw] Background image - Patrick Tomasso [https://unsplash.com/@impatrickt?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] on Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/s/photos/words?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText]

#19 Planet Hunting (with Mahesh Herath)

On this episode, we're joined by Sri Lankan astronomer Mahesh Herath who made headlines last year when he discovered not one but two exoplanets - no big deal - in a remote corner of our galaxy. We talked about his rigorous research process and the future of space exploration technologies among other things. Mahesh Herath is a research scientist attached to the Arthur C Clarke Institute of Modern Technologies (ACCIMT). His discovery of two extra solar planets (exoplanets) orbiting a distant star has put Sri Lanka’s footprint on the map of space research. Mahesh Herath read for his degree in physics at the University of Southampton, UK and then went on to do his master’s in space science at KU Leuven in Belgium. The course of study included spacecraft engineering, space law and statistics. Mahesh is currently reading for his MPhil in planetary astronomy at the University of Colombo. Mahesh is on Twitter at @MaheshHerath5. [https://twitter.com/MaheshHerath5] Show notes for this episode, including links to everything mentioned: thebadtake.com/episode19 [http://thebadtake.com/episode19] Support us on Patreon and get exclusive extras: thebadtake.com/patreon [https://patreon.com/thebadtake] Credits: Soundtrack -  Downtown Funk by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw [http://youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw] Background image - Alexander Andrews [https://unsplash.com/@alex_andrews?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] on Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText]

#18 Demystifying AI (with Nisansa de Silva)

Joined by subject expert Nisansa de Silva, we bust some myths about AI and its applications, while exploring the challenges in AI development and the inevitable social, economic and political implications it poses. Nisansa de Silva is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Oregon. His research interests are in the area of Artificial Intelligence, specifically, in the sub-domains of; Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Data mining. Nisansa is currently on study leave from his position of lecturer at the Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Moratuwa. He is a polymath of sorts and has a wide range of interests including history, philosophy, linguistics, mythology, pop culture and classical music. Nisansa is on Twitter at @NisansaDdS. [https://twitter.com/NisansaDdS] Show notes for this episode, including links to everything mentioned: thebadtake.com/episode18 [thebadtake.com/episode18] Support us on Patreon and get exclusive extras: thebadtake.com/patreon [https://patreon.com/thebadtake] Credits: Soundtrack -  Downtown Funk by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw [http://youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw] Background image - Brett Jordan [https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText] on Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/s/photos/robot?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText]

#17 Fidel off the Field - In conversation with Andrew Fidel Fernando

We caught up with sports writer Andrew Fidel Fernando for a chat on his first book, the well received travelogue Upon a Sleepless Isle. Andrew is a prolific sports writer with a penchant for incisive analysis of all things cricket. He is also a historian and travel writer, and his new book Upon A Sleepless Isle has been well received both here and abroad. He is on Twitter at @afidelf [https://twitter.com/afidelf] Andrew's book, Upon a Sleepless Isle, is available in select bookstores, Takas.lk [https://takas.lk/upon-a-sleepless-isle-by-andrew-fidel-fernando.html] and Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Upon-Sleepless-Andrew-Fidel-Fernando-ebook/dp/B07SQQZ1C6]. Show notes for this episode, including links to everything mentioned: thebadtake.com/episode17 [https://thebadtake.com/episode17] Support us on Patreon and get exclusive extras: thebadtake.com/patreon [https://patreon.com/thebadtake] Credits: Soundtrack -  Downtown Funk by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw [http://youtu.be/UYBJQkvLTIw] Background image - Ashwin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UAxyXAW8a/]