Supercharged

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192: Killer Tech! Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

This week Tommy and Adam discuss the tech that's killing you! Well, just self-driving cars from Uber, really, but also other fun downers like Cambridge Analytica and the Cloud Act. But guess what?! This episode ends on a positive note.

Links for this episode:

Washington Post: Bannon part of Cambridge Analytica program that collected Facebook data
"Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon presided over a program at Cambridge Analytica that had the objective of collecting Facebook data to create voter profiles, a former employee of the data science firm told The Washington Post on Tuesday. Bannon was vice president and secretary of Cambridge Analytica until he stepped down to run the Trump campaign in August 2016."
Cambridge Analytica
Wikipedia page on Cambridge Analytica
Uber self-driving crash: Footage shows moment before impact
"Police have released two videos showing the moments leading up to a fatal crash involving a self-driving Uber car in Tempe, Arizona, on Sunday. In the 14-second video, the autonomous vehicle is seen failing to slow down before hitting Elaine Herzberg, 49, who is walking her bike across the road."
Congress dumps the CLOUD Act into the omnibus spending bill. Will there be debate?
"Backers of the CLOUD Act, which would change the way the federal government deals with foreign law enforcement requests for user information held by U.S. tech companies, are excited that Congress has attached the bill to this week’s must-pass spending bill."
Ajit Pai says net neutrality was the top threat to broadband deployment
"FCC chair still can’t offer proof that repeal will boost broadband access."

191: Replika: the Most Human Approach to Artificial Intelligence Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

This week Tommy and Adam chat with Eugenia Kuyda, founder of Replika, a chat bot unlike pretty much any other as it is designed to be your friend—and actually succeeds.

We've discussed Replika on Supercharged several times and have been looking forward to this interview. If you haven't tried Replika yet, go do it! It's free to use for both Android and iOS and, with the recent open-sourcing of Replika's code, you can even build your own!

Got a question/comment/recommendation/etc. for Supercharged? Visit http://awkwardhuman.com/supercharged to send it in!

Links for this episode:

Replika
I don't think we need to explain what this link is. :) Go download Replika!
CakeChat
Build your own Replika-esque chat bot! With the code open-sourced, complete with a pre-trained model, you can be up and running very quickly. You can, of course, train the model on your own data set and make adjustments. If you have development skills you can do this, even if you know very little about machine learning.
MILABOT: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Chatbot
Cornell University: "We present MILABOT: a deep reinforcement learning chatbot developed by the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA) for the Amazon Alexa Prize competition. MILABOT is capable of conversing with humans on popular small talk topics through both speech and text. The system consists of an ensemble of natural language generation and retrieval models, including template-based models, bag-of-words models, sequence-to-sequence neural network and latent variable neural network models. By applying reinforcement learning to crowdsourced data and real-world user interactions, the system has been trained to select an appropriate response from the models in its ensemble. The system has been evaluated through A/B testing with real-world users, where it performed significantly better than many competing systems. Due to its machine learning architecture, the system is likely to improve with additional data."

190: Fake Machine Learning Mar 09, 2018

Show notes

This week Tommy and Adam discuss the Android P announcement and fake chatbots. Next week we're talking to a chatbot creator and expert, so don't miss it! Questions/recommendations? Visit awkwardhuman.com/supercharged!

189: Natural Contradictions Mar 09, 2018

Show notes

This week Tommy and Adam discuss a number of different technology news stories in a particular news-heavy week. The common thread? A lot of them seem to deal with human behavioral contradictions. Questions/recommendations? Visit awkwardhuman.com/supercharged!

Links for this episode:

The world of self-driving cars is set to change in April
Quartz: "The California DMV got approval Monday (Feb. 26) for its plan (pdf) to put self-driving cars on the road with no safety driver, a measure that ensured a human could take over if the car’s artificial intelligence made a mistake. That means starting April 2, Google, Ford, Nvidia, and other companies can own and operate cars driving around the Golden State without anybody inside."
New Report on Emerging AI Risks Paints a Grim Future
Gizmodo: "A new report authored by over two-dozen experts on the implications of emerging technologies is sounding the alarm bells on the ways artificial intelligence could enable new forms of cybercrime, physical attacks, and political disruption over the next five to ten years."
Researchers create tool to manage urban cat population crisis
Phys.org: ""Accurate numbers are the cat's pyjamas when it comes to solving the current cat population crisis. But measuring the feline population has been difficult, until now. University of Guelph scientists have developed a dynamic population model that crunches accumulated data from several sources to predict overall cat numbers in a community.""
Now the HoloLens Can Measure Your Heart Rate by Scanning Your Face
Next Reality News: "Researchers have developed a new method that harnesses the power of augmented reality to detect a patient's heart rate using a Microsoft HoloLens and computer vision."
GITHUB SURVIVED THE BIGGEST DDOS ATTACK EVER RECORDED
Wired: "ON WEDNESDAY, AT about 12:15pm ET, 1.35 terabits per second of traffic hit the developer platform GitHub all at once. It was the most powerful distributed denial of service attack recorded to date—and it used an increasingly popular DDoS method, no botnet required."

188: A Conspiracy of Violence Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

In the wake of the Parkland tragedy, amongst many others, Tommy and Adam discuss whether or not science and psychology can help prevent disinformation (like conspiracy theories) and mass violence.

Links for this episode:

Emma Gonzalez Speaks After the Parkman Shooting
CNN video posted by Slate.
Florida Shooting Survivor Emma Gonzalez to Trump: “We Call BS”
Slate: "Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who survived Wednesday’s mass shooting, gave a blistering speech at an anti-gun rally on Saturday about the politicians complicit in the murder of her classmates. It was yet another reminder that the teenagers and children who grew up in the shadow of school shootings (and the 150,000 who survived one) are more practical—and less tolerant of empty rhetoric—than the adults who are supposed to protect them. Gonzalez had no use for crocodile tears from President Trump, who was in Florida on Friday to offer his condolences (and, reportedly, to drop by a Studio 54 theme party at Mar-a-Lago)."
Every Politician Bought By the NRA Needs to Hear This Florida Student’s Speech
Splinter: "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior Emma Gonzalez, who took shelter in an auditorium while 19–year–old Nikolas Cruz gunned down her classmates, friends, and colleagues, has a message for President Donald Trump and the nation’s lawmakers: Stop accepting money from the National Rifle Association and do something to stop gun violence or we will kick you out of office."
Audit shows NRA spending surged $100 million amidst pro-Trump push in 2016
OpenSecrets: "The National Rifle Association’s overall spending surged by more than $100 million in 2016, surpassing any previous annual NRA spending totals on record, according to an audit obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics."
Opensecrets.org: Gun Rights vs Gun Control
Data spreadsheet provided by Opensecrets.org. As discussed, you can see how this data (due to its labeling) isn't clear when compared with other data published by the same organization. This isn't to imply that it is incorrect, but that it is easy to misread what these amounts mean.

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187: How to Bring a Game to Life Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

This week on Supercharged, Tommy and Adam bring game developer Ben Wander back to discuss the launch of his new game, A Case of Distrust. The game debuted with exceptional reviews, but no complex experience—especially indie games—can come to life without a series of hurdles and hiccups. Ben describes the process and humbly imparts a few words of wisdom for game developers with dreams of similar success.

Links for this episode:

A Case of Distrust
The official site for Ben's new game.
The Wandering Ben
Ben's main home page.
A Case of Distrust is perfect video game noir
Polygon: "A statuette is the first thing that clues me in to this game’s smarts. It’s a bird of prey, maybe 10 inches tall. It sits on the bookshelf in a young woman’s apartment. She’s a detective living in San Francisco in 1924. She’s also the protagonist of A Case of Distrust."
The Institute
"Welcome to the Jejune Institute, a mind-bending San Francisco phenomenon where 10,000 people became 'inducted' without ever quite realizing what they'd signed up for. Was it a cult? Was it an elaborate game? Told from the participants’ perspectives, the film looks over the precipice at an emergent new art form where real world and fictional narratives collide, creating unforeseen and often unsettling consequences. Fusing elements of counter-culture, new religious movements and street art, THE INSTITUTE invites viewers down the rabbit hole into a secret underground world teeming just beneath the surface of everyday life."
I Love Bees
Wikipedia: "I Love Bees (also known as ilovebees or ILB for short) was an alternate reality game (ARG) that served as both a real-world experience and viral marketing campaign for the release of developer Bungie's 2004 video game Halo 2. The game was created and developed by 42 Entertainment. Many of the same personnel had previously created an ARG for the film A.I. titled The Beast. I Love Bees was commissioned by Microsoft, Halo 2's publisher."
the tension experience
"For 9 months, participants of an elaborate ARG (alternate reality game) unlocked the secrets of a mysterious cult and altered its very narrative along the way. This journey accumulated in a block long, site specific 2 hour immersive experience where the audience became the star of their own psychological thriller. The Tension Experience generated unprecedented reviews and a life altering entertainment for those who dared participate."
Steamed Hams
If you wish to know...
Use Text Expansion to Make Quick Work of Assholes
Adam's ,asshole thing.

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186: Our DeepFake Future Emerges Feb 01, 2018

Show notes

This week on Supercharged, Tommy and Adam discuss the controversy over machine-generated pornography, as well as Elon Musk's flamethrowers, Apple's Homepod, and the first impressions of Ben Wander's a Case of Distrust.

Links for this episode:

How to Get Rid of Those Annoying Mac Update Notifications
Gizmodo Lifehacker: "Software updates are usually a good thing. They can bring new features and important security updates to whatever device you’re using with little to no effort on your part. If you have a Mac computer, however, you’re probably sick and tired of seeing that same “Updates Available” notification pop-up on your computer every day."
A Case of Distrust
A Case of Distrust is a narrative mystery from 1924 San Francisco. Play as private investigator Phyllis Cadence Malone in this historical 2D adventure game.
Supercharged #163: Wandering Ben and a Case of Distrust
The episode where we talked to Ben Wander, the creator of a Case of Distrust (who we'll hopefully be chatting with in an upcoming episode around the time of the game's official release on Steam).
Elon Musk Stops Taking Flamethrower Orders After $10 Million in Sales
"It took just four days to sell out, helping bankroll the Boring Co."
HomePod Early Hands-On Reviews: 'Seamless' Siri Commands and Audio Quality 'Feels Like You're at a Live Performance'
MacRumors: "Although longer and more in-depth reviews for Apple's smart speaker, the HomePod, have not yet been published, a few websites have gotten the chance to spend an hour or so with the speaker and have been sharing their experiences this week."
An Amazon Warehouse Won't Create Any New Jobs In Your Town
Splinter: "The slow collapse of traditional retailing is attributable to Amazon more than any other single company. We’re sad to report, then, that a new study finds that a new Amazon warehouse won’t create any jobs in your decrepit town, at all."
Nintendo Labo Will Let You Program Your Own Custom Robots
Kotaku: "When Nintendo Labo launches this April, it will come with a feature called Toy Con Garage that lets you use rudimentary programming to build and customize your own cardboard robots, Nintendo announced today. Some of the custom toys Nintendo showed off included an electric guitar and a basic game of electronic tennis."
Deep Fakes
WARNING: NSFW! This is the subreddit with the actual content we're talking about, which is mostly machine-generated fake celebrity porn.
Experts fear face swapping tech could start an international showdown
The Outline: "Video forensic specialists are worried Deepfakes could have national security repercussions."

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185: Kids + Technology = ? Jan 28, 2018

Show notes

This week Tommy and Adam discuss what happens when you mix kids and technology—both good and bad—and what that means for society.

Links for this episode:

Google cracking down on creepy YouTube videos targeting children
Android Police: "As you may be aware, Google has been having problems managing YouTube lately, especially when it comes to advertising. The famous 'Adpocalypse' taking a toll on many creators' incomes has been a prevalent topic, but Google has been seemingly oblivious to another major problem - disturbing videos specifically targeting children."
Nintendo Labo
The official site: "Make / Play / Discover."
Cubelets
"Cubelets® Robot Blocks are a fast and easy way to inspire kids to become better thinkers."
Gaming the system
Mashable: "The internet will inevitably steal the soul of every child at some point as he or she grows up, but some are speeding the process along by manipulating YouTube's powerful algorithm."

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184: lazRfit Jan 21, 2018

Show notes

Tommy and Adam talk to Lucie and Philippe Robert, creators of lazRfit: the first laser tag workout! (We've got Supercharged on video now, and this is one worth seeing. You can watch the entire show on YouTube here

Links for this episode:

lazRfit
Laser tag as a workout! The topic of our show today. If you're in LA, come play. :)
What is lazRfit?
An explanation on YouTube, if you want a shorter version than the podcast. :)
Turns out, laser tag is an incredibly fun way to get in a workout
LA Times: "A new downtown Los Angeles gym is hoping to turn its mix of laser tag and parkour into a new sport for adults, whipping people into shape, as they run, duck, and jump over wooden ramps and barriers to avoid being shot."
Watch Supercharged on YouTube!
You can catch Supercharged and other Awkward Human podcasts on YouTube! We've finally got our video setup going and Supercharged and the Awkward Human Survival Guide will have video versions each week from here on out. :) Subscribe and click the bell for notifications!

If you like Supercharged, please consider helping us out! (Giving us money is not required.)

183: Infinite Subscription Jan 16, 2018

Show notes

Tommy and Adam discuss the pros and cons of the subscription model taking over, well, everything! Also, recommendations and questions are officially and properly back! Visit awkwardhuman.com/supercharged to contribute to the show.

Links for this episode:

Spotify Now Has 70 Million Paid Subscribers
MacRumors: "Spotify today announced on Twitter (in a now-deleted tweet) that it has hit a new milestone, with the streaming music service reaching a total of 70 million paid subscribers."
3 Ways the Subscription Economy Will Strengthen Cybersecurity
Information Week: "Subscription-based IT services aren't just about saving money; they can help secure your data."
Can A Subscription Approach Help Accelerate Adoption of Advanced Energy Technology?
Forbes: "For decades, the energy efficiency industry has – to a large degree – been stymied in its effort to transform the efficiency of the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors. There are numerous reasons for this, but it doesn’t change the fact that the C&I sectors needlessly spend a lot of money on inefficient technology and wasted energy."
Adam's Recommendation: SetApp
Sign up for SetApp and get a bunch of awesome Mac software for $10/month. One accounts allows for two computers. :)
Tommy's Recommendation: Informed Delivery
Know what's coming in the mail before it arrives! It's a free service from the US Post Office.

We just launched a lot of stuff!

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