Future File

Future File has taken a bit of an indefinite hiatus recently - but we're back for a one-off special edition show all about science!
Science continues to progress at breathtaking speed and making sense of it all can be a bit tricky.
Technological advancements face off against dangerous precedents and thanks to the internet, it can all be published, tracked and disseminated.
Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best have welcomed a special guest to the Future File table to discuss all things science and debunk a couple of popular myths around the subject. Dr. Holly Reeve has a day job as a researcher in the University of Oxford's chemistry department, but has joined the Mirror team as a member of the British Science Association's annual Media Fellowship program. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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The fact that Facebook is hoarding your data is nothing new. But you may be surprised at just how nefarious the big blue social network has become.
That's the message from Mark Weinstein, a privacy advocate and the founder and CEO of an alternative social network called MeWe.
Mark has been an outspoken critic of Facebook and joins Future File host Jeff Parsons to discuss the implications of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal and the incoming GDPR law in Europe.
He reiterates how his business makes money without requiring users to hand over all their information and also has some things to say about the different approaches to privacy on each side of the Atlantic.
Join us for a lively discussion that will have you rethinking how you use Facebook and may make you want to check twice what you've agreed to in the settings options of your own account.
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You may play video games. You may even be quite good at video games. But are you good enough to compete against thousands of other players for prize money that runs to millions of pounds?
Video gaming has grown up and the result is “eSports” a nickname for professional video gaming where the top players are celebrities in their own right.
Although eSports got its start in strategy based games in Asia, it's now spread to western titles like Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and FIFA Ultimate Team.
Joining host Jeff Parsons this week is Chuboi, a professional FIFA eSports caster and content creator on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
Chuboi is in London to commentate on the Gfinity Elite Series tournament taking place this evening – Friday, April 27 – but he's also knows A LOT about FIFA Ultimate Team.
This week's episode of Future File peels back the layers of EA Sports' global hit and offers a few tips and tricks for anyone looking to improve their game. We also discuss what it takes to make it to eSports levels and what the future holds for the sport of competitive video gaming.
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With a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription under your belt, you need never worry about finding something to watch.
Both services are pumping millions into developing exclusive content and offering features like 4K resolution or offline viewing.

The crucial question, though: which is better?

Each one will set you back a monthly subscription but depending on what kind of content you like, you may be drawn to a particular one.

Future File hosts Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best sit down with Mirror.co.uk's deputy audience growth editor (and bona fide streaming expert) Jo-Anne Rowney to debate the merits of the different streaming services.

Perhaps you're already a subscriber, or have yet to dip your toe in the digital waters. 

Either way, you should come away from this episode with a few extra films and TV shows added to your watchlist.

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Mobile apps as we now know them have been around for almost a decade. 
Apple launched the App Store to accompany the iPhone in July 2008 with the grand total of 500 apps. Now it has over two million.

There's more choice out there than ever before but it seems the majority of people have only a small number of apps on their phones. 

Recent research suggests that the average person only interacts with around 30 different apps each month.

Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best are back this week to talk about some of the apps they use themselves and offer a couple of suggestions for new ones to try. They also reveal which ones they're going to steer clear of.

Along the way the discussion ranges from the gig economy to differences between iOS and Android and the new craze that is Fortnite.

If you're interested in trying a couple of new apps then hopefully this episode will help you out and if you're short on storage then maybe you can delete a few of those older ones.

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The Cambridge Analytica fallout is continuing for Facebook which this week released new information about the numbers involved in the data harvest.
Chief technology officer Mike Schroeper also outlined new measures to limit data sharing with third-party apps and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will appear before a US committee.

But despite the controversy, are people actually willing to delete their Facebook account? Could it still operate if switched to a paid-for model?

Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best are discussing the state of the big blue social network in this week's episode. They touch on how Facebook collects data and whether alternatives like SnapChat or (Facebook owned) WhatsApp are enough to replace it.

And, if all this privacy talk has just left you wanting out – Future File tells you how you can delete your account. Or, if you're not sure, just deactivate it for a little while.

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Children born today will have a completely different upbringing than any previous generation thanks the explosion of personal information technology.
From the constant connectedness of smartphones and social media to a wealth of entertainment provided through the likes of YouTube or video games. Children born in this decade will be immersed in touchscreens, cameras and the ability to access information 24/7.

To dive into the benefits and drawbacks of this, Future File host Jeff Parsons is joined by two new fathers: Steve Myall, co-host of the Mirror's First Time Dads podcast and JC Sutton who previously appeared on our video game roundtable episode.

Whether you're a new parent yourself or just interested to hear how tech has impacted a couple of guys trying to figure out fatherhood for themselves, you'll enjoy this week's episode.

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Since launching in February 2005, YouTube has become one of the biggest websites on the planet. 
Over a billion users spending hours each day watching and uploading content.

The company, which was sold to Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, has given rise to a new way of consuming video. In doing so, it has spawned a new type of celebrity with the top stars drawing huge amounts of money from the platform. 

But there have also been missteps and controversies along the way as the numbers of views and uploads continues to climb.

This week's Future File podcast sees Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best joined by Myles Dyer – a popular YouTuber who has been creating videos on the site for over a decade.

They discuss Myles' own story as well as some of the positive and negative aspects of YouTube as a whole.

There are also a few nuggets of advice for anyone wanting to get more from YouTube – whether that means finding the right kind of videos or even creating one themselves.

Please subscribe and rate the Future File podcast, wherever you choose to listen to it and you can also find out more about Myles on his YouTube channel.

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Space may be the final frontier but several private companies are making it their mission to turn space tourism into an affordable reality.
SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have poured millions of pounds into research and development, bringing with it a new kind of “space race” for the 21st century.

This week's Future File podcast explores the current state of space tourism – from current space stations like the ISS and China's doomed Tiangong-1 to the proposed human settlements on the moon and Mars that Elon Musk hopes to create.

Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best discuss whether they would be willing to journey into space and even manage to throw in a couple of book recommendations on the subject of space travel.

We also pay a tribute to the late Professor Stephen Hawking who was undoubtedly one of the brightest minds in the scientific community.

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Mobile World Congress is the giant Barcelona-based tech conference that runs for a few days at the end of every Feburary.
It's a chance for industry types to mingle and journalists to get a look at some of the latest products. It's also the launch venue of choice for several technology titans.

This year was no different as both Samsung and Sony launched new flagship smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Sony XZ2 are the top-tier Android alternatives to Apple's iPhone X and iPhone 8.

Jeff Parsons and Shivali Best have both attended Mobile World Congress and spend this week's episode of Future File analysing the big talking points from this year's event.

They touch on the big news from Sony and Samsung and question whether re-released retro phones, which continued in 2018 with the Nokia 8112, is a viable option for some people.

There's also a special competition that you can enter to win your very own Samsung Galaxy S9+ and a trip up the BT Tower in London.

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