Digital Village Radio artwork

Digital Village Radio

31 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -

Digital Village is the oldest running technology radio show in Los Angeles. We cover topics like advancements in AI, biotech, and combating climate change, as well as special segments on technology and how it influences culture, with A View from the Outside and The New Modality. The future isn’t being televised, but it is being digitized on 90.7 FM KPFK Los Angeles.

Technology Science science space technology future society art culture digital privacy security
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

Episode 30: COVID Vaccine Update - Sharing Isn't Broadcasting - Election 2020 Final Update

January 04, 2021 04:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MB

In the first part of the show, Leilani Albano interviews Krist Azizian, the Chief Pharmacy Officer at USC about the COVID vaccine. (18:25) In the middle, Brittney is joined by Sophia Brueckner, she’s an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art & Design. Sophia recently wrote a piece called, Sharing Isn’t Broadcasting, about how the word “sharing” has been co-opted by social media companies. (39:11) To close out the show, Ric Allen is back with Brad Friedman...

Episode 29: CA Prop 24 & 25 - Herd Immunity

October 21, 2020 03:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MB

On this week's episode of Digital Village, Leilani Albano interviews USC Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Dr. Paula Cannon to talk about concerns with herd immunity as a primary strategy for tackling the coronavirus pandemic First, it’s not just the presidential election that matters, here in California, we have quite a few propositions on the ballot - a lot of which are pretty confusing. I am joined by AI and privacy policy researcher Peter Eckersley to talk about Prop 24...

Episode 28: Election 2020 - Make a Plan!

October 08, 2020 17:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MB

In the first part of the show Ric is joined by KPFK's own Brad Friedman to talk Election 2020. Then we talk to Jenny Gottstein an experience and play designer about making voting an experience we can enjoy with her work at ballot.party and Game Save America. Additional Resources: State of California Other States and More

Episode 27: LADOT & CityGrows - Science Literacy in Congress - FEMA & EDD

September 24, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MB

On this week's episode of Digital Village, Dr. Addison Killean Stark is back to talk about science literacy in Congress and what happened to the Office of Technology Assessment. In the last part of the show Leilani Albano is joined by the Union of Concerned Scientists Shana Udvardy to talk about FEMA and Unemployment Benefits. But first, COVID-19 impacts have been far reaching, especially for government. I am joined by LADOT’s Colin Sweeney and CityGrows CEO and co-founder Catherine Geanura...

Episode 26: AVFTO: Experience Design - Immunity Passports - Broadband in CA

September 16, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

On this week's episode of Digital Village, Joanna Miller gives us A View From the Outside on Experience Design with Jenny Sauer-Klein. Then, Leilani Albano is joined by the EFF's Alexis Hancock, to talk about immunity passports for COVID-10. In the last part of the show, Ric is joined by Hayley Tsukayama to talk about how California’s Assembly killed the effort to expand broadband for all Californians and what we can do about it.

Episode 25: Failure & Innovation - Hype & How It Can Be Smoke & Mirrors

September 09, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MB

In the first part of the show Dr. Addison Killean Stark of the Bipartisan Policy Center is back to talk about the Crescent Dunes Solar Plant filing for bankruptcy and how we need space for failure to tackle climate change. In the last part of the show I am joined by author Gemma Milne to talk about her book, Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It. 

Episode 24: Trump vs. TikTok - Attacks on Voting by Mail

September 02, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MB

On this weeks episode Ric interviews the LA Times' Ryan Faughnder about Trump vs. Tik Tok. In the second part of the show, Digital Village reporter Leilani Albano interviews Carol Moon Goldberg the President of The League of Women Voters of California about the USPS and how we can vote safely this November. Some Resources: California Ballot Status  and Voters Edge

Episode 23: The Conspiracy vs. The Conspiracy Theory - The NSA vs. The EU

August 27, 2020 01:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MB

In the first part of the show, Brittney interviews Dr. Tim Tangherlini, a professor in the Scandanavian Department at UC Berkeley. He was formerly at UCLA where he collaborated with colleagues in the engineering and computer science department on a paper called, An automated pipeline for the discovery of conspiracy and conspiracy theory narrative frameworks. In our conversation we talk about the difference between conspiracies and conspiracy theories, how conspiracy theory narratives fall ap...

Episode 22: Cloaking Your Photos with Fawkes - Language Models

August 13, 2020 04:00 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MB

In the first part of the show, we talk to Shawn Shan, a PhD student at University of Chicago, who works in privacy and security specifically in emerging technology. Shawn is one of the researchers behind Fawkes, which is software that makes subtle changes to images to make it harder for machines to recognize images as the same, even if to the human eye they appear identical.  In the second half of the show, Dr. Peter Eckersley is back to talk about Language Models. Back in July, Open AI, th...

Episode 21: Perseverance - AVFTO: Notifications - FBI & Black Activists

July 29, 2020 05:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MB

(00:40) We’ve already seen the launch of The Emirates Mars Mission and China’s Tianwen, but of course the veterans of Mars, NASA are set to launch their Perseverance Rover on July 30th. I am joined by Jim Bell, a professor at ASU, President of the Planetary Society. He is the principal investigator on the Mastcam-Z instrument on Perseverance about what's new on this mission (think helicopters, sample collection, and sounds) and why the technology on the rover is more advanced than it seems. ...

Episode 20: Social Media - Facebook: Stop Hate for Profit - Twitter Bots

July 15, 2020 04:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

(1:26) Ric interviews Jessica González co-CEO of freepress.net about Stop Hate For Profit's meeting with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg last week. (15:18) From Facebook to Twitter, in the second part of the show, Roy Natian is here to talk about bots. Back in May, Researchers at Carnegie Mellon estimated that half of the Twitter accounts tweeting about the coronavirus were likely bots and a lot of these accounts are posting/retweeting misinformation.  Social Media is ingrai...

Episode 19: COVID-19 Update - Jaleesa Trapp - Flaws in Facial Recognition

July 08, 2020 03:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MB

(01:19) In the first part of the show, Dr. Jun Axup is back to give us a COVID-19 best practices update - hint - wear. a. mask. (5:26) On Digital Village, we love to highlight people who are doing amazing work in technology. One of those people is Jaleesa Trapp, a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab in the Lifelong Kindergarten group. We talk about her hero's journey and what she's doing to make her STEM more equitable.  (20:44) In the last part of the show, Dr. Peter Eckersley is here to tal...

Episode 18: Direct Air Capture Technology - Live Sports in the Time of COVID-19

June 24, 2020 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MB

2020 has been an eventful year - COVID-19, worldwide protests against police brutality, and of course, climate change has not gone away. I'm joined by The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Dr. Addison Killean Stark to talk about direct air capture, a technology that could play an important part in helping humanity meet the climate goals set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In the second half of the show, Leilani Albano interviews Emory University epidemiologist Zachary Binney ...

Episode 17: AVFTO Ritual - Fact Check the Internet - CCPA & Contact Tracing

June 17, 2020 03:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

In the first part of the show, A View from the Outside's Joanna Miller interviews Casper ter Kuile on his book, The Power of Ritual. The Nothing is Secure's Roy Natian reminds us what social media is really for and some tips for fact checking the Internet. In the last part of the show, Leilani Albano interviews Hayley Tsukayama a legislative activist for the EFF about The California Consumer Privacy Act and efforts to implement mass testing and contact tracing for the ongoing Coronavirus p...

Episode 16: Live Events In The Age of COVID-19

May 20, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

It takes an army to throw a live event, A View from the Outside’s Joanna Miller interviews Alyssa Solomon a tour manager for artists like FKA Twigs about how COVID-19 has changed things. In the second part of the show, Brittney interviews Stage Presence (Ellis Briery, Corinne Oplinger, and Mischa Steiner), they’re friends who started a company in response to live events drying up due to COVID-19. Stage Presence helps musicians, aerialists, magicians, and more get gigs... over Zoom.

Episode 15: Digital Denied - Carbon Capture - Rapid Response For A Better Digital Future

May 13, 2020 02:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

In the first part of the show, Digital Village reporter Leilani Albano interviews Free Press Senior Director of Strategy and Communications, Tim Karr about structural barriers to getting online for students and low-income workers, especially in the time of COVID-19. Then Dr. Addison Killean Stark is back to talk about carbon capture and sequestration technology and how that can help us reach our climate goals. In the last part of the show, we talk art. Eyebeam's creative director, Roderick...

Episode 14: NewMo: Cross-Cultural Design - Animal Crossing - Ada and the Lost Horizon

May 06, 2020 01:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

The New Modality’s Lydia Laurenson is back. The New Modality, is a new publication on experiments in culture, Lydia is in conversation with Senongo Akpem talking about the culture and his book, Cross-Cultural Design. Then we have two stories about entertainment in quarantine. Mandie Roman is here to talk to us about the craze that is Animal Crossing, from art from the Met and Getty to conferences, it has taken the world by storm. In the last part of the show, Leila Sales is here to talk a...

Episode 13: Rideshare Drivers United - Phishing in the Time of COVID-19 - Space

April 29, 2020 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

Ric Allen interviews Tyler Sandness of Rideshare Drivers United about their work and how COVID-19 has affected Rideshare drivers. Nothing is Secure's Roy Natian is here to talk about phishing scams in age of COVID-19, how to recognize them and how to avoid them. Dr. Casey Handmer is here to talk about how isolation may help prepare us for longterm space travel.

Episode 12: Zoom Security - The CoronaCorps - Quarantine@Home

April 22, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MB

Leilani Albano is back and interviews journalist for The Intercept Micah Lee about Zoom security flaws. Dr. Peretz Partensky is here talking about his piece for Wired, "To Beat the Coronavirus, Raise an Army of the Recovered" where he coins the CoronaCorps, "civilian army that may be able to fill in gaps in public services, insulate the vulnerable from infection, help map the spread of the virus, and give our medical system room to breathe." In the last part of the show, Dr. Cosmo Mielke i...

Episode 11: Contact Tracing - Mirakind - Invest in Innovation

April 15, 2020 02:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

Dr. Peter Eckersley is back. He’s an AI, ethics, and privacy researcher, who is the convener of the stop-covid.tech group to talk to us about contact tracing and how important it is in slowing down the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Loretta Whitesides, about her citizen volunteer work with Mirakind who are working to test essential workers in Los Angeles for COVID-19. In the last part of the show, Brittney is joined by Dr. Addison Killean Stark to talk about his op-ed for Scientific American where ...

Episode 10: Cleaning Your Devices - Zoonosis - Energy Innovation Life Cycle

April 01, 2020 03:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

Nothing is Secure's Roy Natian is here for advice on how to keep your phone and phone case clean. Leilani Albano is back with Spillover author David Quammen to talk about zoonosis and the origin of the novel corona virus and how he hopes this will help us prepare for the next one. In the last part of the show Brittney is joined by Dr. Addison Killean Stark to talk about the American Energy Innovation Councils latest report on supporting the energy innovation life cycle.

Episode 09 - COVID-19 + Election 2020 + Gaming In Isolation

March 25, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 19.3 MB

As the coronavirus and its effects continue to spread, we're finding community in isolation.  Dr. Jun Axup, the scientific director and partner at IndieBio, answers our questions about what is being done to tackle the novel coronavirus.   Ric Allen talks with KPFK’s own Brad Friedman, about the fallout from Super Tuesday, LA's new voting machines and what the coronavirus means for Election 2020. Then gamer Mandie Roman shares what she's playing during isolation, and shares her thoughts on...

Episode 08 - NewMo: COVID-19 + Culture - Ethics of Wireless Location Data - Tech for Campaigns

March 18, 2020 13:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

COVID-19 is uprooting our routine way of life. Lydia Laurenson of The New Modality talks with economist Tyler Cowen about potential cultural shifts due to COVID-19. Then Leilani Albano speaks with Aaron Mackey, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, about the unethical practice of wireless companies selling our location data and what we can do about it.  Finally, we dive into election season with Jessica Alter, the co-founder and board chair of Tech for Campaigns. Jessica t...

Episode 07: COVID-19 Best Practices - 2020 Candidates on Climate Change - Secure Yourself

March 11, 2020 13:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

Wash your hands. Seriously. Dr. Jun Axup, the Scientific Director and Partner at Indie Bio, shares how to protect yourself from the spread of COVID-19. We speak with Dr. David Brown, a former fellow at the U.S Department of Energy's ARPA-E, under the Obama Administration about another problem humanity has to face: the climate crisis. Brown lays out the differences in Bernie Sanders' and Joe Biden's climate plans and explains how they compare to Trump's. For more details on Dr. Brown's Analy...

Episode 06: LA Voting Machines - AVFTO: Chatbots - Microsoft's Decarbonization Pledge

February 05, 2020 14:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MB

Ric Allan talks LA's new voting machines with Brad Friedman. These machines will be in use in the March 3rd primary. Joanna Miller is back with, A View from the Outside. She's joined by Pandorabots CEO Lauren Kunze to talk about what they've learned from their 75 billion logs of humans interacting with chatbots.  Our climate change correspondent, Dr. Addison Killean Stark, is back to talk about Microsoft’s decarbonization pledge and what this means for fighting climate change.

Episode 05: Slamdance - 5G - AI In Criminal Justice System

January 29, 2020 14:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

Ric Allan talks the awesome Slamdance Film Festival with Paul Rachman. Leilani Albano is joined by Danny O’Brien of the EFF, about security concerns around 5G - particularly around Chinese tech giant Huawei and US concerns that they are undermining national security. AI expert Peter Eckersley is back to talk about AI Risk Assessment Tools and how they may be in use in California and around the country before they have been adequately tested. We also touch on issues with California's SB-10.

Episode 04: Republicans on Climate Change - Starships - Future of Meat

January 22, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MB

Dr. Addison Killean Stark of the Bipartisan Policy Center discusses how some Congressional Republicans may be shifting gears on climate change. Dr. Casey Handmer talks Space X's Starship and how it may be the way we get back to the moon and even Mars. Dr. Jun Axup, the scientific director and partner at biotech incubator IndieBio, goes beyond Beyond Meat.

Episode 03: 2FA & The Power of Unplugging

January 15, 2020 03:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MB

New Year, Smarter You Roy Natian teaches you how to better protect your passwords with two-factor authentication (it's easy!)  Tiffany Shlain talks digital detox with Ric Allan

Episode 02: AVTFO, AI, & Password Protection

December 18, 2019 16:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

What does mindfulness look like for startups? + One of the foremost thought leaders on AI discusses its advances and limitations, and an expert explains how to protect your passwords in the new year in our second Digital Village podcast. 

Episode 01: Starlink, Art Pranks, & Renewable Energy in the Heartland

December 11, 2019 16:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MB

Part 1: Starlink, Yes, It’s a Big Deal with Dr. Casey Handmer Space X’s Starlink promises to bring high-speed Internet access to all corners of the globe. But are there concerns? Dr. Casey Handmer breaks down the new Elon Musk project. Follow him on Twitter at @CJHandmer. Part 2: Lydia Laurenson of The New Modality is joined by Danielle Baskin, Known Art Provocateur  Danielle Baskin has camped out at Dreamforce and pranked Oracle. The New Modality's Lydia Laurenson gets inside her head. W...

Episode 01: Starlink, Art Pranks, & Renewable Energy in the Heartland

December 11, 2019 16:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MB

Part 1: Starlink, Yes, It’s a Big Deal with Dr. Casey Handmer Space X’s Starlink promises to bring high-speed Internet access to all corners of the globe. But are there concerns? Dr. Casey Handmer breaks down the new Elon Musk project. Follow him on Twitter at @CJHandmer. Part 2: Lydia Laurenson of The New Modality is joined by Danielle Baskin, Known Art Provocateur  Danielle Baskin has camped out at Dreamforce and pranked Oracle. The New Modality's Lydia Laurenson gets inside her head. W...

Twitter Mentions

@addisonkstark 6 Episodes
@geekyglamorous 2 Episodes
@djbaskin 2 Episodes
@cjhandmer 2 Episodes
@lydialaurenson 2 Episodes
@jaleesat 1 Episode
@royimous 1 Episode
@rfaughnder 1 Episode
@ladotofficial 1 Episode
@htsuka 1 Episode
@micahflee 1 Episode
@thebradblog 1 Episode
@zbinney_nflinj 1 Episode
@timkarr 1 Episode
@newmodality 1 Episode
@mala 1 Episode
@lwvc 1 Episode
@geanuracos 1 Episode
@leilasalesbooks 1 Episode
@caspertk 1 Episode