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Authoritarians rule through fear. We can clearly see that from China to the Middle East to eastern Europe. But why do we constantly overlook the way in which fear also shapes democratic societies? It's fueling populism and distorting our future focus. Then there's anger. It's inspired generations to man the barricades and right society's wrongs. But anger is increasingly becoming a driver of commerce. There's billions to be made in getting you riled up and keeping you that way. Fear fuels anger, and anger blinds you to recognise that your fear might be misguided. A truly vicious cycle.GuestsErika Ferszt – Owner, founder and lead-consultant, Scintillate Brand ConsultingProfessor Jennifer Lerner – Public Policy, Management and Decision Science, Harvard UniversityProfessor Robert Peckham – historian and Fellow at the Royal Historical Society, LondonMargot Faraci – Global leadership expertFurther informationRobert Peckham – Fear: An Alternative History of the World Margot Faraci - Love Leadership Survey
Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating.GuestsProfessor Gloria Mark – data scientist and psychologist, Department of Informatics, University of California, IrvineKyle Chayka – author and contributing writer for The New YorkerFurther informationGloria Mark - Attention Span: A Ground Breaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity Kyle Chayka – Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture
In our uber-connected world, the development and management of really anything is becoming increasingly complex. Planning for the future has to involve more than just grand ambitions, it also needs to be alert to unintended consequences. Otherwise things you didn't even dream about will go wrong and that can prove enormously costly. Part of the solution is to think past the immediate and adopt a systematic approach to thinking.GuestsDr Edward Crawley – Ford Professor of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Dr Isabel Sebastian – Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyGavin Maguire – Global Energy Transition Columnist, Reuters NewsNicola Twilley – Writer and podcaster, author of the forthcoming book "The Birth of Cool"
Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with Richard King about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium.GuestsRichard King – author and criticJason Farago – author, social commentator and critic-at-large, The New York TimesFurther informationRichard’s Griffith Review essay - Nostalgia on demandJason’s NYT essay - Why Culture Has Come to a Standstill
Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating.We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do that is by using a food labelling app.GuestsProfessor Sarah Bridle – Chair in Food, Climate and Society, University of YorkAlan Levinovitz – Associate Professor of Religious Studies, James Madison UniversityLaura Marchese – Researcher, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin UniversityJulie Chapon – Co-founder of the Yuka appLisa – Brisbane-based food-rating app userFurther informationSarah Bridle: Food and Climate Change -- Without the Hot Air, UIT CambridgeClimate Stack Calculator - A free tool to help you add up the climate impact of different food choicesPlay the game: Which of your food choices have the biggest climate impact? Take A Bite Out of Climate – resources and games to learn how food choices contribute to climate change BBC Future – Foodprint Calculator
Methane levels are going up — not down, despite decades spent trying to reduce emissions from agriculture and landfill. But some countries are bucking the trend, we find out who and how.Breeding sheep and cattle to burp less is one way to reduce methane emissions. ABC Top 5 Science Residency recipient Luisa Olmo talks us through a genetic selection programme that could lead the way forward.GuestsDr Ed Clayton – Ruminant nutritionist, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional DevelopmentProfessor Sam Clark – Professor of Animal Genetics, University of New EnglandDr Pep Canadell – Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO EnvironmentProducerDr Luisa Olmo — Research Officer, Meat Science and Value Chains, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
The design of your city contributes to how much rain you get. Researchers have found a 'wet island effect' and it's likely to shape the future construction of our cities. Also, better understanding how Artificial Intelligence is used in conflict; and the major Australian study that calls into question the effectiveness of carbon trading.GuestsDr Megan Evans – Senior Lecturer, Public Sector Management, UNSW CanberraProfessor Dev Niyogi – Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at AustinProfessor Toni Erskine – International Politics, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, ANUFurther informationStatement from the Clean Energy Regulator
Military spending around the world has reached a new peak, and it's still going up. All eyes are on Ukraine and the Middle East as new strategies and weapons are being put to the test. But are the traditional international rules of warfare too focussed on old technologies? Can they be adjusted to encompass cyber hacking and the use of online civilian proxies?GuestsProfessor Johanna Weaver – Director of the Tech Policy design Centre, Australian National University, ANUProfessor Alexander Hill – Military Historian, University of CalgaryDr Nan Tian – Senior Researcher and Programme Director, SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, SIPRIDr Jack Watling – Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare, Royal United Services Institute (UK)Further informationGlobal Roaming - THE NEW FRONTLINES 01: Welcome to the future of war
Sometimes, despite the hype, despite extensive funding, and despite clever and ingenious thinking, good ideas fail. Or at least don’t live up to their initial promise. There are lessons to be learnt and interesting anecdotes to be told. In this episode we look at four future-focused projects that have never really taken off: Google Glass, solar roads, space tourism and hyperloop technology. GuestsDr Paul Sutter – Astrophysicist, SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, New York Sarah Marquart – freelance journalist, editor of From Quarks to QuasarsAndrew Hawkins – Transportation editor, The Verge Quinn Myers – Chicago-based journalist and author 'Google Glass'
The UN General Assembly has passed a Declaration on Future Generations. It’s designed to ensure the generations of tomorrow aren’t disadvantaged by the decisions we make today. But is it more than feel good symbolism? Could it one day be as powerful as the Declaration on Human Rights? Also, how a focus on the here and now restricts visionary thinking; and we get the results from the latest 4-day work week trial, this time in Germany. GuestsProfessor Thomas Hale – Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Professor Brett Bowden – Professor of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, School of Humanities & Communication Arts, Western Sydney University Professor Julia Backmann – University of MünsterFurther information University of Münster - Germany’s four-day working week trialBlavatnik School of Government - Implementing a Declaration on Future GenerationsBrett Bowden - Now is Not the Time: Inside our Obsession with the Present
Robot vacuum cleaners are so innocuous, many people treat them almost like pets. But they're also potential portals into our private life. Story Lab journalist, Julian Fell, learns how to hack a robot vacuum cleaner and uncovers some disturbing facts about the security of connected household appliances. Also, acts of aggression and abuse committed in virtual reality environments. So-called "metacrimes" may be cyber in nature, but they can feel very real and have physical world consequences.GuestsDr Milind Tiwari – Postdoctoral research fellow, Charles Sturt UniversityDennis Giese – independent security researcherSean Kelly – robot vacuum ownerDaniel Swenson – US-based victim of robot vacuum hackDonald Dansereau – senior lecturer, Australian Centre for Robotics, University of SydneyYong Zhi Lim – former cybersecurity tester, TUV SUDFurther informationABC News - Hackers take control of robot vacuums in multiple cities, yell racial slursABC News - We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera
The heating climate is now recognised as a threat to our inner world – to brain health and rationality. Extreme temperatures not only impact our ability to think and our decision-making they also increase the presence of neurotoxins in the environment. And that can lead to disease and mental degeneration. We speak with the head of the newly formed International Neuro Climate Working Group. Climate anxiety is also caused by changes in our brains. So, is that a blessing or a curse?GuestsClayton Page Aldern – Neuroscientist, author and senior reporter, Grist.Dr Burcin Ikiz – Neuroscientist and Chair of the International Neuro Climate Working GroupProfessor Joshua Carlson – Director of the Cognitive X Affective Behaviour and Integrative Neuroscience Lab, Northern Michigan UniversityFurther informationClayton Aldern - The Weight of Nature.How a Changing Climate Changes Our Minds, Brains and BodiesThe Melting brainJoshua Carlon - The Age of Climate AnxietyClimate change on the brain: Neural correlates of climate anxiety
Rana Sylvatica is an unassuming wood frog with an extraordinary gift. In the depths of winter, it can slow down its metabolism, flood its cells with ice and remain in a state of suspended animation for months. But it's what it might be able to teach us about preserving human organs for transplant that has scientists really excited. Also, the menagerie in an icy test tube — San Diego's Frozen Zoo and the fight to preserve biodiversity.GuestsDr Ken Storey — Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, Carleton University, Canada.Dr Saffron Bryant – Senior lecturer, Department of Physics, RMIT UniversityMarlys Houck – Curator, Frozen Zoo, San Diego Wildlife AllianceDr Justine O’Brien – Manager, Conservation Science,Taronga Conservation Society AustraliaFurther informationYoutube video of a frozen frog thawing
The demand for sex tech is booming. That is, toys and apps that can be used for pleasure, communication or to improve sexual health.Developers are using innovative ways to incorporate AI in a way that is respectful of both consent and the diversity of human desire.But it seems some male developers are intent on weaponising it against women.In this special episode of Future Tense, Stephen Stockwell, explores the power of the emerging technology, its potential benefits and harms, and the need to keep a clear focus on consent.GuestsMadison Griffiths – Melbourne-based writer, artist and producerBryony Cole – host of the Future of Sex PodcastProfessor Alan McKee – pornography researcher and Head of the School of Art, Communication and English, University of SydneyAshley Neale – founder of My Peach AIFurther informationMadison Griffiths - Orifice.ai, and the Arousal of Rejection
It was known as Wolf Warrior diplomacy – a brand of Chinese foreign ministry posturing that was as aggressive as it was unexpected. But has Beijing now changed tack? And if so, why? Also, does the theory of Institutional Amnesia explain why our preparedness for natural disasters is often found wanting?GuestsAssistant Professor Tyler Jost — Political Science, International and Public Affairs, Brown University (US)Dr Sarah Robertson – Research Fellow in sustainability, RMIT UniversityDr Paul Barnes — Senior Research Fellow and emergency and risk management expert, Griffith UniversityDr Alastair Stark – Associate Professor in Public Policy, School of Political Science and International Studies, Queensland UniversityFurther informationFuture Tense - The best response to disasters: centralised strength or community mitigation?Select Committee on Australia's Disaster ResilienceHave China's Wolf Warriors Gone Extinct?
Gone are the grandiose infrastructure projects, replaced by an emphasis on smaller development opportunities. China's Belt and Road initiative has entered its second decade — and it's changing. It now also includes a determined focus on green technology. But is the recalibration a sign of the project's overall success? Or a scaling back because of China's growing economic problems? And what has Beijing learnt about debt-levels and governance?GuestsProfessor Christoph Nedopil – Director of Asia Institute, Griffith UniversityAssociate Professor Chong Ja Ian – Political Science, National University of SingaporeAssociate Professor Jessica Liao – Political Science, North Carolina State University
2024 has been an eventful year for democracies around the world. More than 80 countries, containing over half the world's population, are holding elections this year. It's democracy's mega test. The implications for the future of democracy and world order are profound.GuestsProfessor Nick Bisley – Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe UniversityDr Gorana Grjic – Senior Researcher, Swiss and Euro-Atlantic Security Team, ETH Zürich's Center for Security Studies (CSS)Dr Priya Chako – Associate Professor, International Politics, University of AdelaideDr Raul Sanchez-Urribarri – Senior Lecturer in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies, Department of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University
Could the realities of an aging population and a declining birth rate soon make our obsession with youth a thing of the past? It's not just an equity issue it also has implications for politics and economics, because the citizens and consumers of the future will inevitably be older. So, how do we reframe our perceptions of aging to make the most of a very different future workplace?GuestsAssistant Professor Sven Brodmerkel – Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications, Bond UniversityAssistant Professor Nicole Dalmer — Associate Director of the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging, McMaster University (Canada)Avivah Wittenberg-Cox — CEO of the consultancy 20-first — specialising in gender and generational balanceDr Markus Wettstein – Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin
Chat GPT pioneer, Sam Altman, reckons democratic countries will need to re-write their social contracts once AI reaches its full potential, such is its power to shape the future. But to quote a famous political aphorism: "he would say that, wouldn't he?" Princeton computer scientist, Arvind Narayanan, joins us to talk about the hype, the reality and the true limits of Artificial Intelligence. His new book is called "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can't, and How to Tell the Difference". Also, AI's dirty secret – it's a huge consumer of both power and water. And the more popular it becomes, the thirstier it gets.GuestsProfessor Arvind Narayanan – Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton UniversityGordon Nobel – Research Director, Business, Economy and Governance, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyAssociate Professor Shaolei Ren — Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, RiversideFurther informationNarayanan, Arvind — AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can't, and How to Tell the DifferenceMaking AI Less "Thirsty": Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI ModelsIT and Data Centre Sustainability in Australia
Every crisis, they say, presents an opportunity. But history tells us differently. Social philosopher, Roman Krznaric, spells out the vital elements needed to initiate rapid change – and why a better understanding of the way we respond to crises could help in the fight against climate change.GuestsDr Roman Krznaric – Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Oxford UniversityDr Stefan Peters – Senior Lecturer in Geospatial Science, University of South AustraliaFurther informationKrznaric, Roman – History for Tomorrow: inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity
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Great episode.
"... competition is often highly problematic when the competition is about the rules of the game rather than the competition taking place in the game itself."
r
Your "free speech expert" has set up a straw man in saying of Israel Folau "what he meant by that" instead of adhering to what he actually did say. Christian repentance is never about saying there's no place on earth for you, it's that there's no place in HEAVEN for you unless you repent. Get her to read the dictionary instead of attributing meanings that were not what was written.