For Tech’s Sake

This week, Kelly has lost her voice! So Elaine is joined by cultural commentator, previous guest, and co-host of Get Around to It, Aoife Barry, to discuss why our feeds are filled with short video clips, and how ‘clipping’ is used to simulate trends and fake virality. If you’re a fan of the band Geese, you may have already been subject to these manipulations.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Catch up with Aoife at AoifeBarry.com  >> Listen to Elaine and Jenny interview Aoife about her book Social Capital  >> Listen to the Chaotic Good interview on Billboard’s On the Record podcast  >> Check out the next Get Around to It table quiz on 8 July  >> Come see Elaine chat with Dr Abeba Birhane at IFI’s Ghost in the Machine screening >> Sign up for Out of the Archive and Into the Record, a Wiki Loves Pride event >> Check out the Open Accessibility Assessment Framework for Computer Peripherals and Consumer Electronics  >> Celebrate Reuse and Repair Week with Tog in Belfast *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod  

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are rocketing in popularity and raking it in as users bet on everything from the day’s weather to major political manoeuvres. In this episode, Kelly and Elaine discuss what’s sus about these platforms and how they are mired in manipulation.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Research from CCPC and MABS on financial literacy   >> An Post’s Letter to your Future Self >> Kelly’s favourite stamps, featuring Brian Friel and Eileen Gray  >> An Post’s digital stamps  >> GCN magazine stockists *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod  

This week, Kelly and Elaine have a chat about how all the AI hype and hate is pushing people to switch off. It’s a frank conversation about opting out of AI, where for some people it’s a trade-off and for others a struggle to go fully AI-free, and why it’s not anti-progress to say no, but a healthy challenge to techno-determinism.*** Good things we recommend ***>> For a laugh: the AI vapes website  >> For reference: the booed AI graduation speech  >> For satirical purposes only: Sinceerly  >> For hitting the nail on the head: Tom Fishburne’s comic  >> For AI-free Google search: udm14.com>> For an AI-free browser: JustTheBrowser.com or Stevo’s GenAI Blocklist  >> For an intense look at data tracking in your browser: Since You Arrived Vol. IV – taken*** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod  

This week Kelly and Elaine are sharing their love for Wikipedia – its endless interesting links, dedication to niche topics, and, of course, the ‘Personal Life’ section. Amy O’Riordan, bhainisteoir pobail le Pobal Éireann Wikimedia (AKA the community manager of Wikimedia Community Ireland) joins us for this chat about the famous online encyclopaedia’s challenges with AI, vandalism, content gaps and reliable sources, as well as the sheer passion of the volunteers that keep this great collaboration going.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Wikipedia, of course  >> Wikimedia.ie for more on the Irish Wiki community >> Wiki Loves Earth photography competition  >> Depths of Wikipedia by Annie Rauwerda  >> No Mow May 🌼  >> Birdfeeding advice from Niall Hatch at BirdWatch Ireland 🐦 *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod

This episode features an appearance from Elaine’s mam, who helped her review the new AI Ready platform from the Irish government (AIReady.ie) – and it did not go down well! We were so disappointed with this fumbled effort at AI literacy, but luckily we had Laura Grehan to speak to about getting it right. Laura leads education, engagement and societal impact for the Adapt research centre, and her award-winning team has reached about 85,000 people with their #DiscussAI initiative and other programmes. *** Good things we recommend ***>> #DiscussAI’s AI literacy resources >> Age-Friendly AI, a national AI literacy initiative for older adults >> Our chat on AI literacy with Prof Aphra Kerr  >> The Verge report on switching unsupported Windows devices to Linux >> Lemoncello’s new album, Perfect Place  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod  

Pretty soon your private messages on Instagram will no longer be end-to-end encrypted. But you may not have even known they could be encrypted to begin with, as Instagram kind of buried that feature. Kelly and Elaine discuss what this means for messaging apps more broadly, while also lifting the veil on how private these apps really are (as well as having a rant about all the things they don’t like about Instagram). *** Good things YOU recommend ***>> Amy recommends the film Desk Set >> Katie and Vanessa recommend the show WeCrashed  >> El recommends the documentary Ghost in the Machine >> Dean recommends the book Braver New World, by John Kampfner  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod