A Decade Apart: Technology & Politics Podcast

Episode 9: Season Finale & Space X Falcon Heavy launch

In this episode we bring you up to speed on the last few months, announce some changes to the show and Tim educates Calvin on why the Space x Falcon heavy launch matters. Links: * SpaceX (@spacex) | Unsplash Photo Community [https://unsplash.com/@spacex] — Wallpapers from the Falcon heavy Launch and Space X archives * Falcon Heavy Test Flight - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c] * Live Views of Starman - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M] * What | So what | Now what | Free Listening on SoundCloud [https://soundcloud.com/what-so-what-now-what] * Extended Cut - The Incredible Sounds of the Falcon Heavy Launch - (BINAURAL AUDIO IMMERSION) - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7uQ8OWiheM]

Episode 8: The BBC should have been Netflix by now.

In this episode we talk about the recent salary figures released by the BBC, whether the figures tell the full story about the diversity challenges in the organisation and how thinking of the media game less as media and more as technology challenge will see them competing against the likes of Netflix, Amazon and the new players in the online media entertainment market. Links: * BBC - Other key relationships - BBC Trust [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/who_we_are/trustees/key_relationships.html] — We work with licence fee payers and with a wide range of institutions to help us to get the best out of the BBC. * BBC - GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bbc] — The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a British public service broadcaster. Its main responsibility is to provide impartial public service broadcasting in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. * Mediatel: Newsline: Premier League rights: the path is being paved for Amazon [http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/2017/08/09/premier-league-rights-the-path-is-being-paved-for-amazon/] — It is now only a matter of time before the likes of Amazon and Facebook start turning up with their giant chequebooks to compete for the rights to the world's top sports * Why the BBC will struggle to make iPlayer as good as Netflix | Media | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/13/the-bbc-will-struggle-to-make-iplayer-as-good-as-netflix] — Netflix’s research and development spending in 2015 was $650.8m (£530m), more than five times the £105m the BBC spent on development and its research department in 2015/2016. * BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 [http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/reports/pdf/bbc-annualreport-201617.pdf] * Royal charter - Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_charter#United_Kingdom] * Cut the gender pay gap by increasing parental leave for fathers, MPs say | The Independent [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gender-pay-gap-maternity-leave-paternity-parental-leave-a7652501.html] * Gender pay gap - European Commission [http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/index_en.htm]

Episode 7: Election Deep Dive

We jump in deep and discuss the election, the outcome, the voter split, how online voting could change the way we vote and the digital antics starting to play a big role in the way in which canvassing and campaigning is done. Links: * Theresa May and the DUP deal: What you need to know - BBC News [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40245514] — UK Prime Minister Theresa May called a general election, thinking she could increase her power ahead of Brexit talks. But it turned out she didn't do as well as hoped and her party no longer has a majority of members of parliament (MPs). * YouGov | How Britain voted at the 2017 general election [https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/06/13/how-britain-voted-2017-general-election/] — YouGov conducts one of Britain's biggest ever post-election surveys to chart how the nation's political character is shifting * Colchester Voting station [https://photos.app.goo.gl/u1RwMRcrf8fh6SyA3] — Voting station in Colchester * Full transcript: Hillary Clinton at Code 2017 - Recode [https://www.recode.net/2017/5/31/15722218/hillary-clinton-code-conference-transcript-donald-trump-2016-russia-walt-mossberg-kara-swisher] — The former U.S. Secretary of State talks with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg about the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump and Russia, Russia, Russia. * Apply Magic Sauce - Facebook Prediction API - [https://applymagicsauce.com/] — Try the Facebook profile prediction AI on yourself. * Inquiry launched into targeting of UK voters through social media | Technology | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/17/inquiry-launched-into-how-uk-parties-target-voters-through-social-media] — The information commissioner has launched an investigation into the way UK political parties target voters through social media with a warning that if they send political messages to people based on their individual data, they could be breaking the law.

Episode 6: Catchup Episode: We're back from our break

We discuss, the UK general election results, Amazon, and the state of British politics. Links: * Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion - The Verge [http://bit.ly/2uZzNpg] — Amazon is buying American supermarket chain Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, the online retail giant announced today. The acquisition is technically happening as part of a merger agreement that will see Amazon pick up the supermarket’s net debt and purchase its stock at $42 per share. * UK election 2017: full results | Politics | The Guardian [http://bit.ly/2sEXJ0l] — Latest general election results from the UK’s 650 constituencies. Theresa May’s gamble has failed; the Conservatives have lost their parliamentary majority and have turned to the DUP to support them in forming a new government. Search for your own seat by name or postcode and find out your local result

Episode 5: Job Automation

In March PWC published a report claiming "up to 30 of existing UK jobs " would be under threat of automation by 2030. Following on from the end of episode 4 we exp[lore this further and we dig into why automation as a concept is actually already challenging the existing framework even though AI in it's fully envisioned sense hasn't materialised. Sponsored By: * Amazon Affiliate [http://amzn.to/2qJwXmi]: This book predicts the decline of today's professions and describes the people and systems that will replace them. In an Internet society, according to Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind, we will neither need nor want doctors, teachers, accountants, architects, the clergy, consultants, lawyers, and many others, to work as they did in the 20th century. [http://amzn.to/2qJwXmi] Links: * Up to 30% of existing UK jobs could be impacted by automation by early 2030s, but this should be offset by job gains elsewhere in economy - Press room [http://pwc.blogs.com/press_room/2017/03/up-to-30-of-existing-uk-jobs-could-be-impacted-by-automation-by-early-2030s-but-this-should-be-offse.html] — Up to around 30% of existing UK jobs are susceptible to automation from robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the early 2030s, but in m * Robots threaten 15m UK jobs, says Bank of England's chief economist | Business | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/12/robots-threaten-low-paid-jobs-says-bank-of-england-chief-economist] — Results of the Bank’s study, Andy Haldane said, suggested that administrative, clerical and production tasks were most at threat * Will a robot take your job? - BBC News [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34066941] — Type your job title into the search box below to find out the likelihood that it could be automated within the next two decades. * US and UK to develop autonomous vehicles for military use | TheINQUIRER [http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2464957/us-and-uk-to-develop-autonomous-vehicles-for-military-use] * Elon Musk's Plan to Make Self-Driving Autonomous Tesla Cars | WIRED [https://www.wired.com/2016/10/teslas-self-driving-car-plan-seems-insane-just-might-work/]