The Data Fix with Dr. Mél Hogan

In this conversation, Déborah López, an architect and associate professor, and Hadin Charbel, co-founder of Pareid, delve into art's role in confronting climate change. They share their innovative projects, merging architecture with ecological themes to engage audiences in environmental narratives. The duo discusses the significance of speculative design, the complexities of Arctic research, and the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge. Their insights into interactive storytelling and climate fiction pave the way for hopeful futures in architecture and sustainability.

Chris Gilliard, Co-director of the Critical Internet Studies Institute, dives into the repercussions of AI in universities. He warns against AI's reliance on stolen materials and its inherent biases, which contradict university values. The conversation highlights the dangers of AI diminishing writing and critical thinking skills, and raises ethical concerns about plagiarism. Gilliard also critiques the double-edged nature of AI partnerships with underserved communities, questioning genuine empowerment versus exploitation, all while emphasizing the need for authentic human expression.

In this discussion, Jennifer Holt, Chair of Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara, delves into the complexities of US cloud policy and data ownership. She articulates how cloud technologies intersect with privacy, civil liberties, and regulatory challenges. Jennifer explores the historical context of data governance, emphasizing the narrative of changing power dynamics from government oversight to corporate control. The conversation also covers the implications of recent elections on Big Tech, highlighting the urgent need for accountability and informed advocacy in the digital landscape.

Listen to the data center's hum with your feet first... on this episode, Trent Wintermeier and I discuss what it means to absorb sound through the body and "hear" vibrations with and through your limbs and ears. We discuss what this means for folks living near data centers, especially in places imagined as kinds of sacrifice zones. Recorded Oct 9, 2024. Release Nov 11, 2024.Trent Wintermeierhttps://trentwintermeier.cargo.siteAffective Footprintshttps://www.heliotropejournal.net/helio/affective-footprints Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I have a conversation with Remmelt Ellen from AI Safety Camp. We discuss AI safety and his 44-page book Artifical Bodies outlining AI harms from the perspective of someone really grappling with the ethics, hype, and harms of the industry and beyond. Recorded Oct 4, 2024. Released Oct 28, 2024.Artificial Bodies https://workflowy.com/s/artificial-bodies/znDloerXJaEQvKF6#/846236876b45AI Safety Camphttps://www.aisafety.camp/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Yin Han, an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at Pitzer College and author of "Deepwater Alchemy," delves into eco-media and the relationship between technology and deep-sea mining. She discusses the environmental impacts of plumes in mining and critiques how media shapes our perceptions of oceanic spaces. Exploring the intersection of extraction, representation, and marine life, Han advocates for a radical rethinking of human relationships with the sea, urging integrated approaches to protect vulnerable ecosystems.

Joana Chicau is a designer, researcher and coder, with a background in choreography and performance. We had a truly delightful chat about how dance can make you understand data differently. Recorded Sept 13, 2024. Released Sept 23, 2024.Websitehttps://joanachicau.com/about.html Publicationshttps://researchers.arts.ac.uk/2383-joana-chicau/publications Choreographing Youhttps://re-coding.technology/choreographing-you/From Individual Discomfort to Collective Solidarity: Choreographic Exploration of Extractivist Technology https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378139744_From_Individual_Discomfort_to_Collective_Solidarity_Choreographic_Exploration_of_Extractivist_Technology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Siobhan Angus, an assistant professor at Carleton University and author of *Camera Geologica*, shares her insights on the intersection of photography and the environment. The conversation dives into how mineral resources influence photographic practices and Canadian identity. Angus reveals unexpected connections, like cow-derived gelatin's role in photos. They also discuss photography's capacity to document nature and critique environmental issues while balancing preservation and accessibility of historical images. It's a thought-provoking exploration of art and its ethical implications.

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend and colleague, Leslie R. Shade about the importance of media reform from an intersectional feminist political economic perspective! Recorded Aug 1. Released Aug 26, 2024.Chapter 5: From Media Reform to Data Justice: Situating Women's Rights as Human Rights from The Handbook of Gender, Communication, and Women's Human Rights Margaret Gallagher (Editor), Aimee Vega Montiel (Editor) ISBN: 978-1-119-80068-2 November 2023, Wiley-Blackwell https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Handbook+of+Gender%2C+Communication%2C+and+Women's+Human+Rights-p-9781119800682#tableofcontents-section Read all her work here: https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/2541-leslie-shade/publications Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alina Utrata and I have a conversation about billionaires conquering space for personal pleasure, in the pursuit of energy sources or minerals, or, to push forward a longtermist interplanetary movement. Alina explains how when we think about outer space as "empty", we unwittingly thinking territorially -- an incredibly valuable contribution to critical space scholarship. Recorded May 20. Released June 24, 2024.Engineering Territory: Space and Colonies in Silicon Valleyhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/engineering-territory-space-and-colonies-in-silicon-valley/5D6EA4D306E8F3E0465F4A05C89454D6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.