Monday, January 22, 2024

Episode 237: Spare Me The EULAgee!

Play Now!

We all suspect our devices are increasingly using their microphones and cameras to snoop on us. Over the years, I’ve explored that suspicion. I’ll go over some of that history, and finish with some news, in this Episode 237: Spare Me The EULAgee!

In this episode, I read from: Dr. Beet's blog and others who continued the outrage; Shoshanna Zuboff's book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power; one article from The Daily Beast, two articles from Gigaom, and two more from 404 Media; a Fruitie web page; and a page stored in the Internet Archive.

I played: smart tv owner Peter Kent interviewed by the BBC; quickly deleted audio from a smart tv maker's web site; On The Media's Brooke Gladstone interviewing Congressman Walter Jones; someone named Brie Thomason introducing a video showing infrared flashes; and The CBS Evening News trying to discredit the myth that phones listen in. KMFDM opened the show with Shoshana Zuboff; and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Episode 236: Madison's Farcical Tragedy

Play Now!

I introduce a new word in this episode more to point out that it does not represent a new concept, but rather a very old one. The problem of controlling this recent outbreak due to an old story is the topic of this Episode 236: Madison's Farcical Tragedy.

In this episode, I read from: a transcript for a speech given by danah boyd on agnotology; Robert McChesney and John Nichols' 2013 book, Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America; and Robert McChesney's also 2013 book Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning The Internet Against Democracy.

I played: Brooke Gladstone from On The Media interviewing Brian Stelter; David Simon giving testimony to Congress about the collapse of newspapers; and D. L. Myers invoking the haunting Powell Movement Stinger. Musically, KMFDM backed Jesse Richardson in a new opening segment concerning the best and worst of we humans; and I'm closing today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Addendum, February 11, 2024: It has quite recently come to my attention that I am, as was once pointed out to me in friendly correspondence, dumber than dried dog shit. Near the end of this episode, I promised a link to a radio thing that kinda sorta confirmed suspicions I voiced in this episode.

I forgot to provide the link. Hence, I am that dumb. Dried dog shit dumb.

Here's the link to that Here & Now story as previously promised.