The Most Important Question

In Episode 122, Quinn has big questions about AI ethics and, like many other situations, is left wondering: was Dr. Ian Malcolm right all along?Our guest is Dr. Rumman Chowdury. She is the director of the Machine Ethics Transparency & Accountability (META) team at Twitter, where she’s helping to build a new ethical backbone into Twitter from the inside out.On every social media platform you interact with on a regular basis, there is some type of machine learning or algorithm determining what you see and how you interact with it. Obviously, that is quite a responsibility to bear. We’ve seen algorithms in the past be straight-up racist, suck people into alt-right conspiracy funnels, and cater to the worst of our human tendencies.These are all running on systems designed by humans – mostly white men – and that shows in the ways that they work. It’s Dr. Rumman’s job to clamp down on the worst of these to make algorithms that perform ethically – and she’s certainly got her work cut out for her.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:Against Purity by Alexis Shotwellhttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:rummanchowdhury.comTwitter: @ruchowdhparity-fund.comstartupsandsociety.medium.comConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode #121, Quinn’s got a fantastic new guest to help answer his favorite question: “What can I do?”Isaias Hernandez – or, as he’s known pretty much everywhere on the internet, Queer Brown Vegan -- shares the mic today. He’s built a massive following using an intersectional approach to reach people through empathy and education.In this series, we look at how young people are using their passions and lived experiences to participate in this transformational moment in history. Isaias exemplifies this by taking his passion for the environment, his frustration with the inaccessibility of academia, and his skill for graphic design, to create the kinds of educational content he wished he had access to when he was younger.Isaias has taken every aspect of who he is and incorporated it into that educational platform. From understanding his own role in the food system, the way that humans are exploited in agricultural systems, and the inevitability of climate change, he looks to his own interests and what makes him unique, then shares it with the world.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:The Red Deal by The Red Nationhttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:queerbrownvegan.comInstagram: @queerbrownveganfoodispower.orgearthjustice.orgintersectionalenvironmentalist.comslowfactory.foundationConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: 50% isn’t good enough; Facebook fossil fuel ads; How to get shots to Africa; Oysters!?; Why has AI failed to help during COVID?Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 120, Quinn discusses retraining our mind to understand and operate in the discontinuity we are in. Let’s get META.HIs guest is Alex Steffen, a longtime climate reporter and futurist, as well as writer of the forthcoming book The Snap Forward.The world as we know it is changing – in fact, it’s already changed. The changes brought on by human-made effects on climate are now the context in which we live our lives. Whether you’ve been fighting the powers behind climate change for years or are just now finding your place, what comes next?Step one: accept that everything you ever thought you knew about the world has changed. Not an easy task, but very soon we’re all going to be forced to reconcile with our situation –  whether we like it or not. The thing to remember is not how bad things are, but how good they can get – and how quickly – if we just face up to reality. It all starts with acknowledging where we are. Then we can snap forward.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:The Mission Economy by Mariana Mazzucatohttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:alexsteffen.comTwitter: @alexsteffenListen: The Snap ForwardConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 119, Quinn asks: what’s in wildfire smoke, what does it do to your body, and how can you stay safe?Our guest is Dr. Mary Prunicki, the director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University under The Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. Her lab examines the impact of air pollution and wildfires on health – specifically, immune health.We’re going to talk about something timely: the wildfires ravaging the western side of the country, and the smoke that’s reaching all the way to the east.Wildfires are inherent to nature. They’re important. Hell, they’re vital. They’re also far out of hand. Global warming has resulted in drier vegetation and human intervention has suppressed fires instead of allowing them to burn in a controlled way.On top of that, when these fires burn it’s not just the green stuff – homes, businesses, cars, roads, and more are going up as well. And that complicates the kind of shit getting kicked up as smoke. Regular old brushfire smoke is bad, but you know what’s worse? Smoke with lead in it. Let’s look at what’s in smoke, how to protect yourself – hint: stay inside – and what we can do to prevent fires like this from happening every year for the rest of our lives.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:Night by Elie Wieselhttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:profiles.stanford.edu/mary-prunickiBuy Purple Air monitor (or just look at the live map)How to Buy a *Real* N95 MaskEPA Air Quality & Climate Change ResearchCalifornia Air Resources BoardAmerican Lung Association on Outdoor Air QualityStanford Center for Air Quality ResearchConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: FDA got next?; Flooded subways; Delta's a game-changer; Epic (AI) fail; Fire predictions; Food stamp groceries delivered.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

I don't have to tell you folks – climate change is the story of our time. There’s been a sharp rise (like last week) in people are anxious, angry, and want action – and the opening for bold climate action has never been wider.And “A Matter of Degrees” gives them a place to find community: it's a narrative podcast from two of INI’s fan-favorite former pod guests, Dr. Leah Stokes & Dr. Katharine Wilkinson!The show helps listeners understand the climate story in a deeper way. They explore the reality of climate denial and delay, the solutions that are available and in motion today, and why justice and equity are so central to the fight.Today's episode covers our opportunity to implement a national clean electricity standard and illustrates what a tremendous difference it could make in our efforts to decarbonize this place, stat.The team behind A Matter of Degrees is composed of highly influential voices in the climate community and seasoned podcast producers (Jaime Kaiser, Dalvin Aboagye, and Stephen Lacey) who also bring deep climate expertise. In his New Yorker newsletter, Bill McKibben called the co-hosts “two of the most important and reliable voices in the climate debate.”Dr. Leah Stokes is an academic with 15 years of experience working on climate and energy policy. She has four degrees, including her doctorate from MIT. Leah is conversant in a wide variety of climate and energy topics including public policy, political science, planning, environmental science, and psychology. Her new book Short Circuiting Policy examines why we are behind on climate action, telling the history of fossil fuel companies and electric utilities promoting climate denial and delay. Her academic work is published in top journals and is widely read and cited. Find her @leahstokes.Dr. Katharine Wilkinson is an author, strategist, teacher, and one of 15 “women who will save the world,” according to Time magazine. Her books on climate include the new bestseller All We Can Save, The Drawdown Review, the New York Times bestseller Drawdown, and Between God & Green. She is Co-Founder of The All We Can Save Project, in support of feminist climate leadership, and was previously Editor-in-Chief at the climate solutions nonprofit Project Drawdown. A former Rhodes scholar, Katharine holds a doctorate from Oxford. Find her @DrKWilkinson.Post Script Audio is a production company focused on environmental podcasts. It is run by Stephen Lacey, a veteran cleantech business journalist, editor, and audio producer. Post Script has launched some of the most popular podcasts in the energy and climate world, including: The Energy Gang, The Interchange, Warm Regards, Illuminators, and now A Matter of Degrees. These shows have pulled in more than 12 million downloads. He’s the former Editor-in-Chief of Greentech Media, where he covered a broad range of clean energy markets and trends.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comLinks:degreespod.comConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: The climate crisis kicked down the door of the west and global north this week; The Pizza King of Vaccines; Mental health care now available everywhere; The Human-Machine interface; You like drugs, Danny? Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 118, Quinn discusses: the big mosquito problem.Our guest is Dr. Omar Akbari, one of the world’s pre-eminent biotechnology and mosquito researchers.For how afraid people are of sharks, mountain lions, or even just other people (the worst), mosquitoes have actually killed more humans than pretty much anything on the planet. Ever. So, the fact that the problem is only getting worse… really fucking sucks.Table stakes: The increase in mosquito populations is being exacerbated by – surprise – climate change. Safe places like Los Angeles are very much not that anymore.Dr. Akbari shares how mosquitoes came to be such a big problem, how viruses pass via their population, and the potential doomsday scenario of something like COVID-19 becoming a thing mosquitoes jive with. He also explains how our good friend, the CRISPR, may offer a solution, the ethical problem surrounding its use, and how you can help expedite the safe rollout of futuristic answers to a very (very) annoying problem.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:"The Code Breaker" by Walter Isaacson"Editing Humanity" by Kevin Davieshttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:akbarilab.combiology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/oakbaricdc.govoxitec.comConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: deep breath; COVID all around the world; there are two Americas and it’s obvious why; the global hungry jump to 768 million; call your doctor!; money for nothing; held hostage by hackers.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media