Darts and Letters

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Darts and Letters episodes

April 06, 2021 EP16.1: Mesmerizing Convolutions: The Rise of Fingerprint Identification
In this bonus episode, Gordon Katic speaks with Simon A. Cole, a professor of Criminology, Law and Society at University of California Irvine. He’s the author of “Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification”. We do a deep dive into the social and political story of fingerprinting, and how it took more than … Read More Read More
55 min
March 30, 2021EP16: Derailed: The Crisis of Forensic Expertise
When it comes to complex social problems, us sensible well-educated book-learnin’ types turn to the experts; we ‘believe science’ — unlike those snorting, hooting, semi-literate dunces. But over the next two weeks, we have two stories that will make you think twice about putting blind faith in experts. What if they don’t actually know what they’re talking about? That happens to be the case with many forensic experts. You know, the folks who work on blood spatter, ballistics, hand-writing analysis, fingerprints, etc. They aren’t Gods, they aren’t magicians, they ain’t anything like what you see on CSI. In fact, they get things terribly wrong; and when they do, the consequences can be catastrophic. We’ll reveal the crisis in forensic expertise, and look for ways to fix it.
First, Brandon Mayfield is an American lawyer who was accused of the Madrid train bombings in 2004. He was later released from prison, given an apology by the United States, and paid restitution. He takes us through his ordeal and the failures of forensic science in his case and beyond.
Next, Judge Nancy Gertner was a United States District Judge in Massachusetts and is now Senior Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. She talks about forensic science and its limitations, the structural problems of expertise, and the biases that shape court proceedings.
Then, Gary Edmond is a law professor in the School of Law at the University of New South Wales, where he directs the Program in Expertise, Evidence, and Law. He talks about forensic evidence and the tests such evidence is put through — or not. He says forensic science is essential for detecting and resolving crime, but that doesn’t mean experts and their methodologies shouldn’t be challenged, and improved.
Finally, Kevin Flynn is the author of five true crime books and the co-host of the podcast Crime Writers On… He takes us into the changing world of true crime writing and podcasting, including the cultural expressions of — and fascination with — crime.
——————-FURTHER READING & LISTENING——————-
Listen to Kevin Flynn’s Crime Writers On… as they talk about the genre and its intersections in pop culture, then head to his homepage — shared with writer Rebecca Lavoie — and check out his authored/co-authored books, including Notes On A Killing and Dark Heart.
Read Judge Gertner’s co-written article on alternatives to presenting scientific evidence and her New York Times piece on the need for judges to “set a higher standard for forensic evidence.”
Check out Gary Edmond’s co-written article on fingerprinting and adversarialism and the rest of his work on his faculty page.
For a review of the state of the field, dig into the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report on forensic sciences and the 2016 report to President Obama on forensic science use in criminal courts, authored by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, our assistant producer is Polly Leger, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. Our lead research assistant was Roland Nadler and we had academic advising from Professor Emma Cunliffe, each from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. We had further research support from David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.
This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which is funding our mini-series on the state of forensic science. The scholarly lead on that project is Professor Emma Cunliffe.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
1 hr 23 min
March 30, 2021 EP16: Derailed: The Crisis of Forensic Expertise
When it comes to complex social problems, us sensible well-educated book-learnin’ types turn to the experts; we ‘believe science’ — unlike those snorting, hooting, semi-literate dunces. But over the next two weeks, we have two stories that will make you think twice about putting blind faith in experts. What if they don’t actually know what … Read More Read More
1 hr 23 min
March 23, 2021EP15: Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children
In recent years, the left seems to have ceded the issue of free speech — or, rather, flipped on it. For years, it defended against censorship, stood up to global imperialism, decried efforts to silence resisters and renegades, and mocked the right for culture war stodginess and pearl-clutching that whined ‘won’t somebody please think of the children?!’ But much of the left has retreated on speech. That turn may have implications for those who work to hold power to account in a world full of fallible human beings who often get stuff wrong, and powerful actors and institutions who use censorship as a cudgel.
First, (@11:52), Aaron Maté writes for The Grey Zone and The Nation. He also hosts Pushback — a show name that he lives, too. Maté pushes back against U.S. hegemony and the dominant foreign policy narratives of the day. He decodes the orthodoxies of hegemony, analyzes journalistic censorship and self-censorship, and argues for the need to keep information flowing.
Next (@32:37), Gabriella Coleman is the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at McGill University. She’s also the author of Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous. Remember Anonymous and all the hope we had for hacktivism? Where did that go? We ask Gabriella Coleman, who takes us into the world of hacking, hacktivism, leaking, and the social movements that shape them — or don’t.
Finally, (@53:48), Ben Burgis is a philosophy instructor at Georgia State University, a columnist with Jacobin, and the host of Give Them an Argument on YouTube. He reminds us that the left needs to persuade people, not just mobilize people who already agree. We do a dive dive into the philosophical arguments for and against free speech, from J.S. Mill and Immanuel Kant to Karl Marx and Rosa Luxemburg.
——————-FURTHER READING & LISTENING——————-
Have a look at Aaron Maté’s Russiagate work for The Nation and elsewhere, including digging into the origins of the affair, making sense of its end, and calling it “a humiliation for everyone who promoted it.” For a primer on the whole thing, read this “Skeptic’s Guide to the Russiagate Fixation.”
Also check out The Grey Zone’s work on the secretive anti-Russian information campaigns , and Mashable’s coverage of Twitter’s decision to warn users that the reporting came from “hacked materials.”
Explore the world of Anonymous with Gabriella Coleman’s book on them and their activities. Then go deeper into the world of the public interest hack. For more of her writing, writing her website. You can also check out her hacker culture videos through Hack_Curio.
Listen to Ben Burgis explain “What Karl Marx Really Thought About Liberalism” on Jacobin’s YouTube page. Then dig into Reid Kane’s exploration of socialism and free speech. But don’t be afraid to go straight to the source and find the canonical arguments for free and open debate: from Immaneul Kant in What is Enlightenment? and John Stuart Mill’s classic defense of speech On Liberty.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers — such as Janice, Hart, and Sean — usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. We had research and support from Addye Susnick and David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.
This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
1 hr 19 min
March 23, 2021 EP15: Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children
In recent years, the left seems to have ceded the issue of free speech — or, rather, flipped on it. For years, it defended against censorship, stood up to global imperialism, decried efforts to silence resisters and renegades, and mocked the right for culture war stodginess and pearl-clutching that whined ‘won’t somebody please think of … Read More Read More
1 hr 19 min
March 12, 2021EP14: How to Save the News
Journalism is in crisis. Of course, there’s no shortage of rescue ideas. Sometimes it’s billionaires buying newspapers as vanity projects. Other times it’s techno-utopianism. Or plucky startups pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. Maybe blockchain will save us?
Victor Pickard says the problems are deeper than we think, and they require a more radical solution. He offers a structural critique of the commercial news industry and offers us a utopian vision for a publicly-funded, democratically-controlled news media.
——————-FURTHER READING ——————-
Be sure to have a look at Victor Pickard’s book Democracy Without Journalism: Confronting the Misinformation Society.
You can also find more of Pickard’s work on his Annenberg School for Communication page, including After Net Neutrality: A New Deal for the Digital Age and Media Activism in the Digital Age.
Head over to Jacobin to read an interview with Pickard on the pandemic and how to save the news industry.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers — such as Sankara, Joey, and Claire — usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. We had research and support from Addye Susnick and David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.
This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
39 min
March 12, 2021 EP14: How to Save the News
Journalism is in crisis. Of course, there’s no shortage of rescue ideas. Sometimes it’s billionaires buying newspapers as vanity projects. Other times it’s techno-utopianism. Or plucky startups pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. Maybe blockchain will save us? Victor Pickard says the problems are deeper than we think, and they require a more radical solution. … Read More Read More
39 min
March 05, 2021EP13.1: Gamers of the World, Unite! (w/ Paolo Pedercini)
In this bonus episode, Gordon Katic speaks with Paolo Pedercini, a professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University and a game developer who runs Molleindustria. Pedericini’s games offer systemic critiques of capitalism, and invite players to wonder whether video games can be a source of organizing and consciousness-raising.
——————-FURTHER READING & PLAYING——————-
Dive into Pedericini’s games, such as Democratic Socialism Simulator, Building a Better Mousetrap, the McDonald’s Videogame, Every Day The Same Dream, Phone Story, Operation: Pedopriest, Tamatipico, Rules and Roberts, and Kosmosis — “an arcade game from an alternate socialist universe.”
Have a read of some of Pedericini’s writings, including “Gaming Under Socialism,” “Video Games and the Spirit of Capitalism,” and “Games Without Players.”
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers — such as Camille, Robert, and Adam — usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. We had research and support from Addye Susnick and David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.
This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor. It was also part of a wider project looking at the politics of video games, housed at UBC and also advised by Lennart E. Nacke at the University of Waterloo.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
1 hr 6 min
March 05, 2021 EP13.1: Gamers of the World, Unite! (w/ Paolo Pedercini)
In this bonus episode, Gordon Katic speaks with Paolo Pedercini, a professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University and a game developer who runs Molleindustria. Pedericini’s games offer systemic critiques of capitalism, and invite players to wonder whether video games can be a source of organizing and consciousness-raising. ——————-FURTHER READING & PLAYING——————- … Read More Read More
1 hr 6 min
February 26, 2021EP13: Boss Battles
The video game industry is a behemoth. It shapes our culture, it shapes our discourse, and it’s on its way to becoming something like a $200 billion industry. But what is it like for the people who make the games we enjoy? Unfortunately, many developers deal with long hours, precarious contracts, hostility, and harassment. There’s pushback, however, from workers who expect and demand better — and who are organizing to get just that. On this episode, we set out on a quest to level-up our knowledge of the video game industry.
First, (@12:15) Carolyn Jong is a freelance video game designer and a founding member of the Montreal chapter of Game Workers Unite — a worker-run, pro-labour industry group. She discusses “crunch,” work weeks of 50 hours that can creep up to 80, even 100 hours as the rush to release a title intensifies. She also talks about the pushback: the struggle for workers’ rights.
Then, (@31:41) Johanna Weststar is an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario. She runs large-scale international surveys with game developers, tracking crunch since 2014. She goes beyond the culture of the industry to reveal the heart of the matter: how games are financed and developed from the top down.
——————-FURTHER READING & LISTENING——————-
Don’t miss Carolyn Jong and the Game Workers Unite Zine, including a printable version. And while you’re there, have a look at previous editions.
Go deeper into the research with a look at some work done by the Weststar Lab, including the Developer Satisfaction Survey, and “Why Might a Videogame Developer Join a Union?”, and “Building Momentum for Collectivity in the Digital Games Community.”
For a look at life deep inside a game, listen to some real talk as Maximilian Dood talks about being ADDICTED to Final Fantasy XI.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers — such as Camille, Robert, and Adam — usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. We had research and support from Addye Susnick and David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.
This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor. It was also part of a wider project looking at the politics of video games, housed at UBC and also advised by Lennart E. Nacke at the University of Waterloo.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
52 min

About Darts and Letters

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This is about ‘arts and letters,’ but for the kind of people who might hack a dart. We cover public intellectualism and the politics of academia from a left perspective. Each week, we interview…