The Technically Human Podcast

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Sandra Steingraber. We discuss the links between environmental destruction, contamination of vital resources, and the grave dangers that fracking technology poses to human health. Dr. Steingraber explains the link between environmental justice and social justice, and we talk about what the state of collaboration across fields and areas of expertise as universities i...

In this episode, I sit down with ecocritic Dr. Timothy Morton to talk about the relationship between tech and ecocriticism. We talk about the human relationship to the non-human world, we discuss the ethics of technological production in the age of the Anthropocene, and we analyze how the stories we tell ourselves about tech production as "progress" may bear devastating consequences in the form of...

In this episode, I sit down with Rob Rastovich, CTO of ThingLogix to talk about the Internet of Things. We discuss the problem of privacy in an age where all of our things talk to one another--and where tech companies are listening in to our conversations with our devices. Rob addresses some of the ethical critiques that have emerged about IoT, and I ask him about how he understands the relationsh...

In this series, we talk about adaptive technologies and physical disability. In this episode of the series, Paralympian Ezra Frech joins us to discuss the disability community at the intersection of technology. We discuss disability in the space of intersectionality, the significance of sports for the disability community, and why designing for a diversity of bodies, with equity and empathy, makes...

In this series, we talk about adaptive technologies and physical disability. Clayton Frech, the founder and CEO of Angel City Sports, joins us to discuss the disability community at the intersection of technology. We discuss disability in the space of intersectionality, the significance of sports for the disability community, and why designing for a diversity of bodies, with equity and empathy, ma...

When Haley Pavone proposed a convertible high heel to flat shoe, industry experts told her it was impossible. When she successfully engineered a shoe that could convert from a flat to a heel, venture capitalists often couldn't see the value--or even the problem. Fashion footwear for women is an industry-developed by and run by men. In the episode, Haley talks about equity and inclusion in fashion...

In this episode, I give my mic over to Ana Marsh and Matt Perry, two producers on the show, for an interview with John Maeda. Dr. John Maeda is an American technologist and product experience leader who is known around the world for building bridges between business, engineering, and design—and his dedication to working inclusively. He is the SVP Chief Customer Experience Officer at Everbridge, wh...

In this episode of "Technically Human," I sit down with Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson, one of the world's leading experts in climate science.  We talk about the technologies that can prevent environmental destruction, and how tech innovation can drive a clean energy vision for the future. Mark explains why we already have the science and tech to build this future, and how--with the political and social wil...

In this episode of the “Technically Human” podcast, I sit down with Jaron Lanier, the creator of virtual reality. Jaron and I discuss the meaning, and the future, of reality in an increasingly virtual world, and we talk about what virtual reality was in its early stages. Jaron outlines his concerns and critique of technological culture, and he explains why the kind of behavior modification and man...

We are back with our third and final episode in the “Changing Minds” series! Across the 3 episodes, we focus on civil discourse, and we ask what it means to engage in dialogue with people with whom we disagree, sometimes deeply.  In the first two episodes, I spoke with Daryl Davis about racism, and how he envisions the possibility of changing the minds of those who believe, and participate in, whi...

Welcome back to part 2 of our 3-episode series on Changing Minds. In this series, we’re doing something a little bit different. The three episodes of the series focus on the theme of changing minds: what it means to engage in dialogue with people with whom we disagree, sometimes deeply, and the importance of civil discourse, particularly in this deeply polarized national moment. In the first episo...

For the next few weeks, we’re going to be doing something a little bit different. The next three episodes of the series focus on the theme of changing minds: what it means to engage in dialogue with people with whom we disagree, sometimes deeply, and the importance of civil discourse, particularly in this deeply polarized national moment. In the first two episodes, I speak with Daryl Davis about r...

In this episode of "Technically Human," I sit down with Dr. Bruce DeBruhl to talk about cybersecurity and the ethics of privacy in our digitally connected world. We discuss the changing concept of privacy as our tech becomes increasingly integrated into the most intimate reaches of our lives, Bruce narrates the history of cybersecurity, and we consider how our colleges are preparing the next gener...

In this episode of Technically Human, I sit down with Dr. Julie Albright to talk about her new book: Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream. We talk about the way that digital culture is changing the American Dream for the next generation, we discuss how the internet is changing political culture, and Julie explains how our connections to our devices are ch...

To kick off the 4th season of Technically Human, I sit down with Mohamed Abubakr, the president of the African and Middle Eastern Leadership Project (AMEL), to talk about the present and the future state of democracy worldwide. We discuss the role of social media in mobilizing democratic movements, including anti-autocratic movements in the Middle East and Africa, and its simultaneous role in the...

In 2017, Brad Taylor founded "Tech Stands Up," bringing together thousands of technologists to call for change, social activism, and socially responsible leadership in the tech industry, staging a rally on Pi Day (March 14) in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. In this episode of "Technically Human,' I speak to Brad about what motivated his decision to stand up. We talk about how technologi...

Malka Older moves between the practice of on-the-ground disaster relief work and the practice of in-the-mind science fiction writing. She converges her experience with real-life dystopias with the imagined dystopias of science-fiction. In the episode, I ask Malka about how these areas of her work blend together, how she understands the boundaries and the interplay between the real and the imaginar...

As the counting continues, it becomes clear that the 2020 election may be decided by a handful of voters in a few key states. In the months leading up to the election, Block Power, a nonprofit focused on uplifting Black voices by engaging new and infrequent Black voters in the electoral process, mobilized over 200,000 voters through a grassroots organizing campaign that took place almost exclusive...

What is the relationship between technological production and the United States military? What can career technologists learn from service careers? And how can entrepreneurs stay the course of their vision of “doing good,” and also “do well?” In this episode, I sit down with Ret. Col. Rob Gordon III, now the Chief Growth Officer of SBG Solutions to talk about what the tech sphere can learn from th...

In this episode of "Technically Human," I talk to Todd Johnson about socially responsible and impact investing. Todd explains why investment is a critical point in the ecosystem of tech production and culture, and he argues that socially responsible investing is not just a growing dimension of the investment market: it is, rather, the future of investing. We talk about how entrepreneurs can stay e...

It's our 21st episode of Technically Human, and we're celebrating by going legal! In the episode, I sit down with Professor Jeff Ward, the Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and the Director of Duke’s Center on Law & Technology (DCLT), which coordinates Duke’s leadership at the intersection of law and technology with programs such as the Duke Law Tech Lab , a pre-accelerator for legal tec...

In this episode of “Technically Human,” I talk to Hana Schank, Director of Strategy for Public Interest Technology at New America. We discuss a new vision for technologists working in the public sector, we discuss the relationship between ethical technology and public interest technology, and Hana persuades me that the future of the tech workforce is in solving public problems. Hana Schank  is the...

In this episode of “Technically Human,” I sit down with Dr. Todd Presner to talk about ethics, algorithms, and the future of digital innovation. We discuss the need for technologists and humanists to work collaboratively together across disciplinary divides and specializations to solve complex problems, we discuss the consequences of automating the status quo, and we grapple with the ethical quest...

In this episode of "Technically Human," I talk to Dr. Jason Lustig about the concept of the archive, and how we might understand its history in a digital and virtual context.   We tend to believe that the internet stores all, but does it? What do we gain, and what do we lose, in an internet age that proposes to keep even the smallest details of our lives? Who owns our data? Do we have the right to...

In the final episode of the Podcast Takeover Series, "School is Out," I get real about the move to online classes with Dr. Shira Lee Katz, Emily Bowden, and Erin Jeffs. In the first segment of the episode, we discuss how Coursera, a company that offers online education to distance learners, is leading the move in online education, and we talk about the advantages and disadvantages of virtual educa...