[Swprograms] Podding Along - Issue 433

[John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Podcasts are a great development in the history of radio because they permit a shift of listening time from a set appointment to virtually any convenient occasion.  I do it while “power walking” (most) every morning when weather and my own psyche permit.  Indeed, were it not for podcasts I doubt I would have found any other inspiration for putting in these miles as long as I have.

Hence…Podding Along!

Some of the best radio comes from the public networks of the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S.  While there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of great podcasts from other sources, the ones sponsored via public radio have been vetted though the worthy objectives of the medium. 

Furthermore, I personally curate this continuing series of small samplings that are listed in more or less 90 minute helpings. Admittedly that makes these recommendations somewhat subjective.  But, as you will see, my interests are many and my tolerance for incompatible topics and views are pretty wide-ranging.  I hope you will find these suggestions helpful in enhancing your enjoyment of radio.

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“The human brains behind the machine brains”
DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW - ABC RN (Radio National) 
Who makes Artificial Intelligence, and how should it be made differently – if at all?  All technology is the product of humans. But just who are the people behind technology? Whose interests shape how it's created? Which values and voices are prioritised, and which ones are excluded? And what factors influence why technologies are designed in certain ways for certain purposes? Guests:  Dr Jathan Sadowski, Research Fellow in the Emerging Technologies Research Lab & Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society, Monash University. Part of the ABC’s 2021 TOP 5 Humanities residency.  Ellen Broad, Senior Fellow in the 3A Institute, Australian National University.  Dr Thao Phan, Research Fellow in the Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society, Monash University. (29”)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/downloadthisshow/the-human-brains-behind-the-machine-brains/13615034

“Ignatian Spirituality"
BEYOND BELIEF - BBC Radio 4
If you have ever been so immersed in a book or film that you feel you're part of the story, you are doing something similar to the Gospel contemplations in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. As a soldier, Ignatius spent his early life chasing adventure, glory and pleasure. Whilst leading a doomed last stand at the Battle of Pamplona 500 years ago, he was struck by a cannonball that shattered his legs. This began a dramatic spiritual conversion through intense prayer, ascetism and visions. As the founder of the Jesuits, his lessons were published in a book called The Spiritual Exercises which are basis of Ignatian Spirituality. It's one of the world's most influential books of prayer, meditations and contemplations. It emphasises using all your senses to imagine Jesus, hell, and biblical scenes with the goal of discerning God's will for you. Ernie Rae meets three people to discover how it transformed their lives and asks: does it's focus on individual discernment mean 'anything goes'? What's it like conjuring up a visceral image of you at your absolute worst? And how has Ignatian Spirituality shaped the papacy of the first Jesuit Pope, Francis I?  Plus, we meet Toy Story co-creator, Pete Docter. He tells us how another goal of Ignatian Spirituality of finding God in all things influenced him and his latest Oscar winning film, Soul. To discuss all this, Ernie is joined by: Father Jim Martin (a Jesuit Priest and author of ‘The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything’), Ruth Holgate (Director of St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales) and Sister Anne Arabome (a member of the Sisters of Social Service in Los Angeles and Associate Director of the Faber Centre for Ignatian Spirituality).  (28”)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00101ky

“Technology: Questions of ethics and fairness”
FUTURE TENSE - ABC RN (Radio National)
The technology sector has a long history of designing devices to lock in customers and accelerate consumption. But “planned obsolescence” as it’s called is facing a push-back. We also speak with Margaret Mitchell, who helped set up the AI ethics group at Google, only to find she was shown the door when the company’s bosses didn’t like what she had to tell them. Guests: Sonya Gospodinova – Spokesperson, European Commission; Dr Margaret Mitchell – Computer Scientist, Hugging Face. Ex-Google Ethics advisor; Kyle Wiens – CEO, iFixit; Jon Porter – Technology journalist, The Verge  (29”)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/fair-technology/13611946

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A monthly (well, mostly monthly) compendium of these newsletters, plus on occasion additional pertinent material, is now published in The CIDX Messenger, the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX).  For further information, go to www.cidx.ca

John Figliozzi
Editor, "The Worldwide Listening Guide”
NEW UPDATED 10th EDITION available NOW from universal-radio.com, amazon.com and w5yi.com!
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