

Slate Technology
Slate Podcasts
Technology coverage from across the Slate Podcast network
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 3, 2022 • 24min
What Next TBD: Can an Algorithm Spot a Shooter?
Schools have spent millions to detect threats online. It mostly doesn’t work.Guest: Arijit SenHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 1, 2022 • 30min
ICYMI: How Depp v. Heard Broke the Internet
Since it started over six weeks ago, the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been impossible to escape online. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison look at the troubling ways people are discussing the trial, the cottage industry of lawyers reacting to the trial, and the stakes that have been lost in the breathless coverage and endless meme-ing of Heard and Depp.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 29, 2022 • 21min
What Next TBD: Online Privacy in a Post-Roe World
What can current surveillance infrastructure tell us about online privacy after the fall of Roe? Guest: Lily Hay NewmanHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 28, 2022 • 30min
ICYMI: The Real Story Behind The Viral Makeup All Over TikTok
Earlier this month, Bobbi Brown’s new foundation line blew up on TikTok thanks to some rather ungenerous videos from beauty influencers. In an effort to defend her new Jones Road line, Brown took to TikTok and filmed her own response, rocketing the drama into the TikTok mainstream. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle dig through the drama to explain why this isn’t just a story about one makeup company, and what it reveals about the state of the influencer industry.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 27, 2022 • 23min
What Next TBD: Will Bitcoin Ruin El Salvador?
Is El Salvador heading for default after going all in on crypto?Guest: Anna-Cat BrigidaHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 25, 2022 • 30min
ICYMI: Oh No, Not Another Couch Guy
On today’s episode, it’s mailbag time! Rachelle and Madison answer listener questions on a very important Haley Kiyoko relationship status update, if the Apple Health app is also selling your biological data, and – shudder – whether there is a new Couch Guy. Plus, Madison herself has a very important question about resizing your jeans. Mentioned in the Show:“I’m the TikTok Couch Guy. Here’s What It Was Like Being Investigated on the Internet” by Robert McCoy Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Cheyna Roth and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 24, 2022 • 46min
Better Life Lab: The Future of Wellbeing in an Automated World
This season of Better Life Lab, we’ve been taking a close look at work stress and the future of work and wellbeing. Parts of the American economy are looking tough for many workers — even “dystopian. People are quitting their jobs at record rates.We know what many of the problems are. Yet the fixes are not so simple. So on this closing episode of our fourth season, we ask: Are bad jobs an inherent part of the workplace — or can we actually do what it takes to make the jobs of the future good jobs, big enough to support real human life for all of us?Guests
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Ct, chair of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth
Zeynep Ton, founder, Good Jobs Institute
Warren Valdmanis, private equity investor and partner with Two Sigma Impact, who will only invest in companies that provide good jobs
Resources
What if Progress meant Wellbeing for All?, The Metropolitan Group
Making wellbeing a policy priority. Lessons from the 2021 World Happiness Report, Carol Graham, Brookings, 2021
The Business Roundtable Redefines the Purpose of a Corporation to Promote an Economy that Serves All, 2019
Hearing Recap: Our Changing Economy: The Effects of Technological Innovation, Automation and the Future of Work, House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, Nov. 2021
Economists pin more blame on tech for inequality, New York Times, January 2022
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 22, 2022 • 23min
What Next TBD: North Korea's Hacking Army
They’ve stolen billions of dollars. Is the U.S. ready to crack down?Guest: Jason Bartlett, research associate in the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American SecurityHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 21, 2022 • 30min
ICYMI: The Trial That Ruined TikTok
While TikTok’s “For You” page is designed to get inside users’ heads—and only show them videos about their niche interests—certain trends and sounds on the app can become too big to avoid. On this week’s episode, Madison and guest host Moises Mendes II break down the disturbing ubiquity of TikToks making fun of the Depp v. Heard defamation trial. Then, they offer insight into the app’s newest dance craze and our strongest contender for 2022 song of the summer, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time.” Finally, they trace the origins of TikTok’s strangest earworm, the “Jiggle Jiggle” rap.Podcast production by Madeline Ducharme and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 2022 • 21min
What Next TBD: How Buffalo Could Transform Social Media
The shooting in Buffalo raises questions about the effectiveness of content moderation. Is the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism the answer to how social media can moderate extremist content?Guest: Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and TechnologyHost: Ray Suarez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


