Plutopia News Network

On this episode of the Plutopia Podcast, Jon and Scoop discuss current politics, the charm of vintage sci-fi movies, and the importance of reducing social media usage. They reflect on the shift in political conventions from dynamic debates to predictable events and lament the loss of genuine political discourse. The conversation also touches on the influence of the Heritage Foundation, the cultural implications of Trump’s presidency, and the current state of media. The podcast concludes with a nostalgic discussion about classic sci-fi films and the therapeutic value of stepping away from constant digital engagement.

The post A Plutopian Juncture first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

Nate Wilcox has many opinions and he is not afraid to use them all. Nate joins the Plutopia podcast this time as we discuss politics, politicians, and other dangerous predators.

Nate is a former political consultant turned MMA blogger (noting the similarity of politics to mixed martial arts). He’s publisher of “The MMA Draw Newsletter” and “Let It Roll” podcast (the latter is currently on hiatus). Nate joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss various political topics, highlighting how Trump’s unexpected rise to presidency was initially a strategy to gain leverage in reality TV negotiations. Wilcox provides an in-depth analysis of American politics, criticizing both major parties and their handling of power, policy, and military strategy. He draws parallels between contemporary political figures and historical events, questioning the effectiveness and motivations behind current leadership. The conversation covers Biden’s cognitive state, the influence of corporate interests, and the long-term implications of foreign policy decisions, painting a picture of a deeply flawed and corrupt political system.

* * *

Nate Wilcox (on Trump):

If you look at the details of how he got into this situation, it’s Shakespearean! I mean, basically the guy wanted to show the producers at NBC that, hey, assholes, you should be paying me more money to star on whatever reality show it was because look at how good my polling numbers are gonna be. And he never thought he would win. He didn’t even really intend to get the nomination. And there are accurate accounts of election night 2016 where he’s just as shocked and horrified as anybody else that he’s getting elected. And now he’s in this position where if he doesn’t run for office, he goes to prison. So his interests are pretty easy to see through. I mean, the guy wants to eat cheeseburgers, talk about himself, and not go to prison and get money out of people.

The post Nate Wilcox: Realpolitik first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

Ian Forrester, a member of the BBC’s R&D Advisory Team, focuses on open innovation and disruptive opportunities, working with startups and early adopters. With a history at the BBC World Service, Ian’s role evolved from traditional news development to anticipating future broadcasting and Internet challenges. His team addresses core issues relevant to public service broadcasters, emphasizing the importance of forward-thinking and exploring new technologies. Known in the digital scene, Ian’s innovative approach and his involvement in projects like BBC’s Micro and Webwise initiatives highlight his commitment to public education and digital advancement.

I spent a lot of time, well, I first started the BBC in the World Service, which is a news outlet side of the BBC. And it was always a cycle where you go into work, you work on stuff, and I was in the development team. But when it came to four o’clock, there was a massive rush, getting the stories out, getting them out to the right places, is it done, is the editor happy, all that stuff. And I have worked at newspapers as well, so I know that cycle. You don’t have time to sit there and think about, what does this mean in like two, three, four, five years time? That’s what R&D, so that’s what R&D department does. And the advisory team focuses on some of the kind of core issues that are relevant to the future of broadcasting, the future of the BBC and the future of all public entities when it comes to the internet.

The BBC’s Webwise

Indieweb

Chaos Computer Club

FOSDEM

iPlayer

GPL-3

Apache 2.0 license

The post Ian Forrester: Media R&D first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

In this episode of the Plutopia Podcast, the hosts revisit an interview with the late Stanton Friedman, a prominent nuclear physicist and UFO investigator who lectured extensively on his research into UFOs. Friedman argued that governments conceal information about UFOs to maintain nationalistic divisions and prevent public unification as earthlings. He emphasized the significant evidence supporting UFO reality, including his own investigations and the Project Blue Book Special Report 14, which documented numerous unexplained sightings. Despite skepticism and ridicule, Friedman’s work contributed to a broader acceptance of UFO phenomena and highlighted the inadequacies of official investigations.

The post Stanton Friedman on UFOs first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

In this episode of the Plutopia Podcast, Jon and Scoop discuss the origin of the name “Plutopia” as well as the organization, and its connection to digital convergence. We also discuss the importance of democratic principles. Jon delves into the history of the Plutopia News Network, while Scoop shares his passion for analog technology. They touch on political issues, including conservative attacks on democracy, and the nostalgic allure of the 1950s for some people. The conversation also covers their experiences with high-tech events in Austin and the broader implications of technological advancements on society.

(Thanks to ChatGPT for the image, especially the flattering representations of “Jon” and “Scoop”… looks nothing like us, but we like it!)

The post Plutopian History, Analog Media, and Attacks on Democracy first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

In this episode of the Plutopia podcast, hosts Scoop Sweeney, Wendy Grossman, and Jon Lebkowsky have an open discussion without a guest, considering what’s buzzing at the moment. The conversation touches on various topics, including being a dilettante versus a specialist, the misuse of AI in solving policy problems, and the influence of technology on participatory medicine. They also discuss the anti-vax movement, the effects of misinformation, and the political landscape, including voter suppression and the influence of venture capital on job security. The episode concludes with reflections on the current state of democracy and the challenges posed by disinformation and authoritarianism.

The post The Plutopian Buzz first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

Contemporary media artist Patrick Lichty returns for another conversation with Plutopians Scoop and Jon. In this conversation, we discuss the current state of digital art.

Pat is a Contemporary Media Artist, educator, professional writer/researcher, expert in Augmented/Virtual Reality/Drones, public speaker, and curator. He is a Herb Alpert/CalArts fellow, a TED Global exhibitor, and his writing on culture and art is widely published. As an activist and artist, he was part of or worked with the collectives RTMark, Pocha Nostra, The Yes Men, Terminal Time, Second Front, Shared Universe, and Critical Art Ensemble, showing in the Venice and Whitney Bienniales. His writing on VR, AR, and media culture are widely published, and for 10 years he was Editor in Chief of Media Arts Journal Intelligent Agent, published by Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art. He lives in Winona, MN.

Pat Lichty:

Digital art is finally getting accepted in the, what I’d say, the high art ecosphere, between museums and galleries and collectors and that sort of thing and you know, there’s been different names for this stuff like, you know, cyberart – that’s kind of where we started into this, then new media, then post internet art, then now we’re kind of getting into digital art, which is, you know, there’s a lot of stuff with the guarantee of it, you know, and this has been the big thing with digital art, you know, how can we guarantee this as something that you can collect or sell and that has to do with verifying it on the blockchain.

The post Patrick Lichty: Digital Art first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

In this episode of the Plutopia Podcast, hosts Jon and Scoop engage in a wide-ranging discussion covering various topics, including the ongoing ransomware attack at Ascension Seton hospitals, solar flares, science fiction, billionaire bunkers, and QAnon conspiracy theories. They also touch on the upcoming debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, speculating on Trump’s debate tactics. The conversation highlights Plutopia’s commitment to freewheeling discussions, even if they occasionally veer off into humorous, speculative, or strange territory. The episode provides a blend of current events, personal anecdotes, and societal commentary, reflecting the eclectic nature of our podcast.

Jon: Biden and Trump are going to have a couple of debates, or Trump is going to have a couple of debates, whether he will let Biden get a word in edgewise is another question.

Scoop: Yeah, he’s not real good at following the rules of decorum and debate. He just wants to scream and yell and interrupt. That’s how the last one’s were.

Jon: It’d be cool if Biden showed up with a bunch of black guys carrying bazookas.

Scoop: Okay…!

Jon: Terrorize Trump for a change.

The post Plutopian Jam: Worms Ate Our Brains first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

ACLU Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley joins the Plutopia podcast this time. Jay works with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, where he researches, writes, and speaks about technology-related privacy and civil liberties issues.

The ACLU is very involved in legislative advocacy. We have a team here in Washington of lobbyists who work with Capitol Hill and federal agencies to try to stop bad things and encourage good things. And also a lot of times just educate staffers. As everybody knows Capitol Hill is run by 20-somethings. And members of Congress who have to deal with every issue under the sun, A to Z, often aren’t very educated on particular abstruse tech issues like what we were talking about. And so just having people who can pick up the phone, people on Capitol Hill who call and help educate them about the realities of things.

* * *

The ACLU, a multi-issue nonprofit, has a team of lobbyists in Washington working to influence legislation, educate Capitol Hill staff, and address privacy and civil liberties concerns. Jay, as part of the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, focuses on issues like digital identity and drones, which have significant implications for privacy and power dynamics. He highlights the risks posed by surveillance technologies and the importance of protecting individual rights against misuse by both government and private entities. The conversation also covers the challenges of combating mass surveillance and ensuring technologies serve the public rather than expanding the power of corporations and government.

Ross McNutt and his Baltimore aerial surveillance:

Flock:

Google and Project Maven:

The Dawn of Robot Surveillance:

Point and shoot chemical detection:

Justice Dept report on Ferguson:

More on airport security and facial recognition:

The post Jay Stanley: Privacy and Civil Liberties first appeared on Plutopia News Network.

Madeline Bocaro describes herself as a passionate fan of rock music. In this episode of the Plutopia podcast, she explains her passion for all things rock and roll. We also explore her ultimate biography of Yoko Ono, In Your Mind: The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono.

I just saw a picture of her in a magazine in 1967. It was a picture of her in front of a frame of one of her films. And I just thought, “This person has kind of a mischievous look. She looks kind of interesting.” And her film was about “Bottoms,” you know, on the screen walking. And I said, “Well, this is kind of cool.” I kept the picture and the following year I realized, “Hey, this is the person that’s with John Lennon.” So I was so happy because now I’m like, “Wow, I can really find out what she’s doing now.” And sure enough, you know, they end up getting married and doing all their events together. The bed-in for peace, then, you know, everything they did. They were on the news every day practically. I started collecting everything she ever did, all the interviews, all her music, all her TV interviews – I would record off the TV. And I’ve been writing about her all my life.

HARD COVER BOOKS signed by the author are exclusively available at

SOFT COVER: also at

The post Madeline Bocaro: Infinite Yoko first appeared on Plutopia News Network.